2015 Race Plans and some other stuff too

2015 is going to be a fun year for me racing.  Why?  Because I am going to race a LOT.  I promised myself at IMTX I would take 2015 off from the IM Distance (unless of course I get my Kona Lottery slot), but that does not mean I am taking the year off.  Nope far from that.  Instead I am going to race a lot of different distances, do some more running, rock the dirty bike and spin the legs on a bunch of gran fondos and gravel rides.

Here is the current schedule

Date Race Distance 1-Feb Superhero 4 Miler 4 3/1/15 Murray Half 13.1 3/14/15 Prospect Park Du Oly 3/29/15 Ocean Drive Marathon 26.2 4/4/15 Fools Classic 78 miles 4/12/15 Rutgers half 13.1 4/19/15 Battenkill 68 miles 4/26/15 Jersey Devil Xterra 5/3/15 Devil Man HalfLite 5/17/15 Great Adventure Tri Oly 6/7/14 Challenge Quassy Oly 6/14/15 Eagleman 70.3 6/28/15 CAC 70.3 7/12/15 HITS Kingston OLY 7/19/15 NJ state oly 7/25/15 IMLP Will be at Bike Aid 6 8/2/15 Tour of the Catskills 77 miles 8/9/15 TRI AC OLY 8/16/15 Timberman 70.3 8/29/15 TRI WILDWOOD OLY 9/5/14 Lake George Tri OLY 19-Sep RtB Awesome Sauce  I will likely add a few more running races and definitely some dirty bike stuff too.  I am looking forward to having full schedule again- even if my travel gets in the way sometimes.  Knowing that I can train 7-10 hours a week and be in race shape will work for me.  And maybe this year I actually will crack the top 10% for USAT.  The last 5 years I have been 11-12% so just out of the magic number.  Speaking of training I am doing a decent amount so far this year.  Sherpa sis and I are running in a yearlong virtual race - 2015 miles in 2015.  In January we ran a combined 274 miles (she did 116+ I did 157+). Half way through February we are just about at the 400 mile mark.  We will be racing together on March 1st at the Murray Half Marathon.   I also got lucky enough to get an invite to the #zwiftbeta.  Zwift is a new virtual cycling game.  You ride your trainer, it takes your data and virtually represent your effort compared to others, in real time as you ride.  And the graphics are awesome.  As you ride you also compete in real time with other riders from around the world.  Today Zwift had three bikes set up at the London Bike show and they were riding the island. Cool, very cool. Here is a screen shot from a ride this week.  Zwift also directly connects to Strava so when I finish my ride is directly uploaded into my feed.  Good Stuff.  Tomorrow my plan is to ride a metric century around the island.  Which will take 21 laps.  But it is a lot of fun.   Okay that is it for now.  I will try to be more vigilant with the Blog this year...

Ironman Texas Race Report

I had big plans when I signed up for this race in 2013.  Big plans.

But life and work demanded more time.

So about 6 weeks ago I readjusted my mindset, I would approach this race with two goals in mind- finishing because Ironman racing is HARD and finishing matters.  The second goal was to run a sub 4 marathon.  I knew that meant I would need to stay very conservative on the bike.  But before I dig into the details let me back up a bit.

As most of you reading this know I am huge believer in Coach Troy Jacobson and Spinervals, the indoor training videos for cycling.  I decided to use Coach Troy's coaching services after meeting him last year at the IM Lake Placid Training camp (which I highly recommend).  Troy built a good plan for me- lot of aerobic work early in the winter building in volume and intensity as race got closer.  As a lot of you know my work schedule put me on road a lot and that definitely impacted my ability to get longer sessions in, but I felt that while I was not optimal I would be able to have a good race if I was smart, paid attention to the little details like eating, drinking, salt and not not not burning matches.

Before I get to race day, I have to share 3 really awesome things about the race and who was able to come to be there.

1)Tony and Keiko Flores, two of the greatest people you will ever meet decided to come to the race.  I met Keiko and Tony through the Spinervals Facebook Page  and thy are both nothing short of Awesome.  Awesome with a Capital A.  A couple reasons why- last year before I road in the Hell of Hunterdon- a Belgian style road race in Hunterdon County NJ including 20 miles of dirt roads they sent me some Lion of Flanders Sock (epic cool).  Second for my birthday last year they sent me an awesome Life is Good Cycling tee-shirt, when I got by the car last fall, they sent me a care package which was so uplifting for me as I struggled to get back to training.  But most important they are great people who I am so lucky to count as friends.

2) Two running teammates from the ReachTheBeach #wimp team- Anu Rao & Nagesh Padiyar also came to the race.  Anu is an Ironman (IMAZ) and Nagesh has run over 20 marathons and they rock.  Anu also volunteered at Aid Station 1- which when I get to the race details I will share how good it was to see a friendly face early in the race. Seeing both of them at the swim and on the run was a huge motivational booster.

3) Super Sherpa- Nothing needs to be said other than BEST DAM SHERPA.  Alison again rocked from checkin, race morning, race updating to post race.  I could not do these races without her help.


Unfortunately Sue and the kids could not make the trip- the girls had Girls on the Run, Sue had a wedding and Trent had his Senior prom.  I missed them very much as having them with me at IMLP was so awesome.

Okay let's get to race week.

I flew into Houston on Tuesday afternoon- which was a good move.  Allowed me to get my bike put back together, check in on Wednesday and get a lot of work done.  Race Check in and the Expo was outside, right next to the finish line.  The expo was pretty good- and I bought my usual IM mix of gear- Visor, MDot name T-shirt, race pint glass, water bottle and sticker.  I also got a tshirt for each of the girls, sherpa and a visor for tdog.  This year the race back pack was pretty nice and had a cool IM branded folding bike wrench as part of the swag.

After check in, I had a lot of work with clients to do so I spent the next two days focused on my job- the one that pays me...

Sherpa flew in early on Friday morning and we took care of bike and gear bag check in early on Friday morning.  For those of you who have not done an IM, you must check your bike and gear bags in the day before. And unlike a lot of races where your transition area is next to your bike, your gear is stored in different bags- one for the bike (which doubles as your swim bag) and one for the run.  You put your bike shoes, helmet, glasses or run kit, etc in each.  IM does not allow AG races to clip pedals in pre race.  But honestly that is okay.

That is me and my bags.  The super bright white on my legs is only my skin, no compression socks on, and as you can see it was Sunny in Texas.

After I got my gear dropped off (and yes you do have access to your bags in the morning to put your nutrition/ last minute supplies), we went back to the hotel to relax.  I spent much of the day with my feet up and did very little.  Tony and Keiko met us for dinner which was great and allowed me to take my mind off the race a bit.  I really think one of the hardest times of an IM is the period between bike drop off and the canon.  Those 15-18 hours are tough.  Your mind thinks about what could go right, wrong and everything in between.  And once we got back to the hotel my mind went into overdrive for a while making sleep tough.  Well that and the Dave Matthews concert, the police cars racing around with sirens blaring and the people having sex in the room next to me.  The second two are what the are, but the DMB concert the night before an IM- not cool- way too loud.

Race morning the alarm went off at 3- I easily could have gone with 4, but the extra hour of eating, coffee, non porto time was good.  I woke up feeling good, but only got about 3 solid hours of sleep.  I was able to eat reasonably well- some oatmeal, bagel thins and applesauce. I fixed a bottle of Skratch for the walk over to Transition and the Swim start and we left the room at 4:45.  The hotel was great- they had a spread of water, granola bars, bananas and coffee set up.  Really good job on their part.  And it was only 1/2 mile from transition so we walked.  The morning was warm and WINDY.  Did I mention windy...

We got into transition easily, I loaded my bottles and put my garmin on the bike.  I then put the final things in my Bike and Run bags (added socks for the bike because there was no need/ benefit to go sockless for me). And then we began the easy walk to the swim start.  Having Sherpa with me just makes it easier, a joke or two and some positive encouragement- she know her athlete well.  And she should be a coach, but that is a topic for another day...  The swim start was on the other side of the lake.  I had gotten an easy practice swim in on Friday and due to the heavy rain earlier in the week IMTX was wetsuit legal for the first time!  Once we got to the start, I dropped off my Bike and Run special needs bags- basically bags you can put in extra nutrition, gear or heck whatever you might need out on course (and can access typically in the middle of each leg) and then sat and relaxed.  I try to be at Transition for any race first so I don't ever feel like I am rushed.

I decided I would start getting my wetsuit on at 6:15.  Below are some pictures those of you who have put on a WS might get a chuckle or two.

There is a video, but I am not sharing that one...

And as the pros got in the water, I started to think through the day.  And yes it was gonna be a wild hair day for sure!

The swim at IMTX is a one loop, in water mass start. You swim about 1300 Meters out, 1300 back and the the final 1200 are up the canal to T1.   I got in relatively early and swam over to the far side of the lake.  When the canon went off, there were still people trying to get in.  IMTX definitely could benefit from a TT rolling start like at IMLP, but mass in water is what you get.  When the canon started I quickly settled into a fast but relatively relaxed pace.  I actually had clear water for about 200 meters.  Then I didn't...

What I had instead was a nasty, rough, violent, washing machine.  I got hit on the head, kicked in gut, my nose was picked- yup.  I almost got some feet in the chin- just just missed that.  The turn buoys were the worst.  And to the A**holes that think frog kicking is a good idea- well you suck.  I had an interesting observation while on the swim about IM racing specifically.  Before we get in the water there is a lot of nervous encouragement, while in the water we are Mortal Enemies, on the bike we are wary competitors (better not draft on me...) but on the run we are cheerleaders and support for each other.   The swim was even worse on the return leg until I slipped my way towards the shore line- fewer people there and I got a better line.  The easiest part of the swim was the canal- I stayed right until we swam under the last bridge and then moved center.  I came out of the water and made my way to the Male changing tent, with a quick stop to pee in the Porto. When I looked at my watch I was happy with the 1:15.  The swim was much rougher compared to IMLP where I swam a 1:12.

Swim time was 1:15:39
T1 6:42

T1 smooth and slow - which meant fast.  First was socks and bike shoes.  Then Bike jersey- full zip so I just zipped it up.  Nutrition was preloaded.  One arm sleeve on, then helmet and glasses.  Wetsuit, goggles and swim cap back in the back and hand off to a volunteer.  I had a good bike position- second in so I saw my orange bars, turned on the Garmin and made my way out to the mount line.  I was completely relaxed, stayed up and spun my legs to get them ready for the 112 miles.  I saw Sherpa, Anu & Nagesh right on my way out which was great!.  Coach Troy and I had discussed my goals- One finish and second run a sub 4 on the run.  But I did not have a finish time goal, which meant we put zero pressure on the bike.  The plan was ride smart, ride easy, don't push, don't burn matches, etc.

The first two hours, the promised tail wind was in my left and right front- yeah a cross/head wind.  Intermittent, but still a signal that it was going to be tough. But I was relaxed, did not push at all, and kept my fueling going well.  Passing mile 40 or so, the head wind changed to steady- mind you the conventional wisdom was expect a tailwind to mile sixty, then expect a headwind until mile 90 or so.  F conventional wisdom is all I am going to say... At mile 50 I realized I had to pee, but instead of peeing off the bike, I decided to stop at the next aid station and use the porto.  Good call, as I took off my helmet, put water directly on my head, ate another unctrustable, had a salt stick and some water.  I ended up using this approach at every aid station on the rest of the course- it helped me as I began to struggle in the wind.   The wind really bothered me and I think the biggest driver in the was lack of outside riding this year.  Sadly getting hit last fall has made me gun shy to ride outside.  I just don't want to risk it.  And that lack of recent experience in wind, especially on really long rides hurt.  The last 20 miles really sucked for me as I really wanted to close my eyes and go to sleep.  The only thing I was able to get in besides some sports drink was a couple of bananas but I knew I was in a bonk and needed some sugar fast.  So I rode mostly sitting up into T2.  Never have I been so happy get ready for a marathon!

Bike 6:28:07
T2: 6:42

When I got off thee bike I handed it to a volunteer and walked to my Bike bag.  I took my helmet and sunglasses off, along with my jersey and armsleeves. I was not rushing at all, but was deliberate and had a plan.  I got into the tent, sat down and got my gear out first.  Then I took my bike shoes off along with my bike socks.  Put on socks and running shoes, race number belt, fuel belt hydration belt, race hat and new sunglasses.  Everything else went back in the bag and I stood and handed off to a volunteer.  Then I walked out of T2.  The plan I made on the last few miles of the bike was to walk to the first aid station, get some coke and then see how I felt.  Essentially would I be able to run, or was I in for an Incredibly long walk.

I hit the first aid station and immediately ran into Anu.  Happiness is a friendly face!  We briefly chatted, I got some coke and ice and walked some more. I decided that I would walk over the lake bridge and then start running when I got the swim start- and then take it from there. The coke definitely worked as I immediately started to regain energy and a will to start the run.  I ran the rest of the first loop, only walking through aid stations for coke, water and bananas.  And I felt GREAT.  I saw Sherpa and Nagesh and ran right by.  I was running easy at about an 8:40 pace and felt like sub 4 was a potential option.

The run course is a great 3 loop flat, well spectated course along the water way.  It does have some heavy sun sections and parts of the backside are a bit devoid of fans.  But this was the best run course I have been on- even better than IMLP- mostly because it is flat.

However as I ran to Aid Station 8- around mile 8, the wheels well they came off and I slammed in the brick wall of oh shit I have Nothing left.  The coke I was drinking every Aid Station and the bananas just were not giving me energy.  My mind was clear, my body did not hurt, but I lost my pace.  And had to walk.  So I decided to walk until the I back to the crowds and feed off their energy to run to Aid Station 1.  As I was running I saw Tony and Keiko.  And stopped to say hello.

Seeing both of them was great, and help me get to the next aid station.  I saw Anu said hello and grabbed some more water and coke.  I walked then next section and did some running- but more walking on lap 2.  Lap 2 sucks.  Below is the Sherpa and Me talking about the next lap 

She pretty much said get going- just kidding.  Her words of support were huge (as well as everything else she does on race day!) Good news is I felt better as I got towards the end of lap 2.  The crowds on the waterway made each of us feel like a million bucks, and the lack of hills made the course at least easier...

But it was still tough mentally just realizing how many hours you still have to go walk/ running at x pace.  halfway through the 3 rd lap I started talking with a guy from Texas named Kenny.  He was doing his first IM so we ended up walking/ running together and that helped pass the time.  And finally we made it back to the waterway.  The best thing about this race, which is very similar to IMLP is the fan support- lap three at 8:30 it was still crowded with tons of fans.  My new buddy Kenny and I made it through mile 24, then 25 and then passed the last aid station.  We we finally ready to finish!

I entered  finish shoot- which is a down and back and tried to high 5 as many people as I could.  I had a tough day, but the fans helped me out all throughout the run and I really enjoyed those 30 seconds.  I had a big smile on my face as crossed the line and heard the Voice!  

This race required me to focus, win little battles and stay tough for such a long time.  I really needed an iron will to get through it. As Coach Troy has said, and I second- Ironman Racing is Really Hard.  This is a long day- even when you do everything right.  So crossing the line in my slowest race by far is still a great day.  I am not disappointed at all.  I know how hard I had to work and finishing means so much to me.

Run :5:58:18 (SIX hours...)

Total: 13:55:30

Here is the gear that we covet during the day.

And here I am with my pajama bottoms on just after crossing the line.  I love this picture- it captures everything about this day...

Thank you all for the support, the tracking & encouragement.  IMTX is like all Ironman Races, hard.  But the finish line is worth it- everytime!

Reach the Beach 2013 AKA smelly laundry

RtB.  If you know what that is you probably know it really means smelly laundry.

The End.


Okay smelly laundry is the by-product of Awesome, especially when you are part of the #wimps.  If you have read this blog before you might know my sherpa is my sister.  Sherpa is not just a damn good race day manager (aka tells me what to do once I throw up my chocolate milk) but also a really good marathoner.  And Captain of a team who annually descends on New Hampshire every September to run a 200 mile relay race.  I won't share what wimp stands for- that you learn if you get the chance to be one, but it is definitely not wimpy.  But Wimp is our team name and being one is cool.

Being a part of the Wimps starts about 9 months or so before the race weekend with an email asking if you are in.  Immediately you need to say yes.  Because it is worth it- I will race on bad legs for this.  Then about 8 weeks out there are a flurry of important emails about ensuring you have paid - pay when you sign up, your pace- sandbag a bit, and travel details- get there early on Thursday.  Good thing I am the Captain's driver so I don't have to plan when to leave.  On our drive up, we have to be careful while we drive through Connecticut- there is no food in CT, but as long as we are prepared we are good.  And the drive through CT is only 100 miles or so...

This year we all met at the Finish line hotel - all 12 of us and got into our 2 mini vans for the drive up to the Start- at Cannon Mtn.  The way the RtB relay works varies based on the type of team, but our team is 12 Runners who each run 3 legs varying from 2.5 to 9+ miles.  We start on Friday afternoon and run straight through the night until we Reach The Beach at Hampton Beach.  Every 6 legs the vans switch off from running to not running.  Not running involves a lot of laughing, eating bad food (unless you are in van tutu) and finding clean portos.  Running is pretty much the same, except you also have to run.

During our drive we stop in Manchester NH to pick up food.  Our Van- Van Won buys crap- pringels, pretzels, Utz Ridged Chips, Frosted Animal Crackers, Cheez-its, Fake Oreos, Devil Dogs (well now they are know as Devil Cremes),  water and Vegan Bologna.  The other Van, Van TuTu buys water.  This year our normal store Stop N Rob was closed, as was the other Stop N Rob in town??? So we had to find a new place to buy our crap.  While we were successful- the drive through town was definitely a door locker.  After leaving manchester we had to drive through a monsoon- I could barely see out the window, but the road was sorta straight and we made it to our start line hotel- Right Before a massive tour bus.  So glad!

So after the initial hugs and handshakes our first time as a team is dinner at a really cool restaurant.  I am not sharing the name but it is a pretty common in NH- plus they have Smutty Nose on tap.  The pre race dinner is awesome and great to catch up on how everyone is doing.  Post dinner everyone pretty much crashes trying to get as much sleep as possible- the next night well don't plan on much shut eye.

Now something that is a bit cool and crappy at the same time is the Wimps are pretty fast (cool) but because of that we start kinda late on Friday (cool and crappy).  It means we are not rushed on Friday AM, but means we have to hammer when we run.  So Friday Morning is a low key breakfast followed by Van Packing and Decorating.  Here the two vans start to assume their own identities.  And Sherpa who is both Captain and part of Van Won makes stuff happen.  My Sister is in charge and that works for two reasons.  She knows everything about RtB and having one person make decisions lets the rest of us just show up and run.  We know she is the one who reads the manual, knows every rule and time check.  There is no other ideas- and for me it is awesome- all I have to do is drive, run and laugh (as long as I don't waste time...).

When we packed our vans the weather was nice, almost warm and sunny.  I even put on sunscreen- didn't need that.  On  the short drive to the mountain the sky exploded and the monsoon from the day before looked like a drizzle.  Rain and RtB is a fact of life- one that I really wanted to ignore.  But hey it was what is was gonna be- wet.  And after a couple of hours of final pre-race stuff- check in, pictures and pretzel eating (we shared our stash with van tutu) it was time for our first runner to crush it.    So while RtB is about having fun, eating and laughing, we also run.  Pretty much the entire team are serious marathon runners- we had three at Boston last year.  I am working hard to get more Ironman Finishers in the mix (no not new people, but getting these awesome folks to swim and bike).  What does that mean- we run Hard.  The running portion is sorta serious.  Not 100%, but then again not a laughing matter.  You bring your A game and run.  And then laugh at Vegan Bologna, Well Done Steaks and the guy who always wears a visor.

Running- Van Won- Off the mountain.  The first two legs are long and hard.  This year Captain Bligh (notice we shift from Sherpa to Bligh once the day starts) switched up Van Won's legs so everyone had new legs.  I did not run these two legs, but instead drove the van and tried to stay dry- which I did well and got wet.  I was runner 4 so after our first two folks finished liked almost drowned rats- really fast drowned rats it was almost my turn to run.  Now I had requested to be runner 4 based on the middle leg- more on that later, but it was almost time for me to run- finally!

My week leading up to RtB included a lot of business travel and a PR in the 70.3 distance - 4:59:27 (that Never Gets Old). So on race day I was a bit tired but 100% determined to crush my run.  Plus runner 5 was Capn Bligh so I really wanted to go fast.  My secret goal was to beat the van- 2.9 miles of sprinting downhill.  My leg was short and steep- like diving off a cliff.  Almost 600 feet of drop in 2.9 miles.  So what did I do- yup run sub sixes down the mountain in the rain.  Did I beat the van- nope. Did I crush my legs- yup.

Leg 1- 2.9 miles -5:39 pace - About 530 ft of descending

Best part of the leg- easy. Seeing Capn Bligh sorta smiling as I came flying in.  And she crushed her leg- 7:20 pace.  She is a freakin awesome runner. Our final runner then hammered his run- man that guy is fast and runs so nice.  He thinks 50 milers are easy (must have an IM gene...).

Once we were all done, it was time for dinner.  Let's just say Vegan Bologna beat Pantech,  Portland, visor guy and even Capn Bligh.  We need better planning and local staff support. And Circle K clerks are liars with good coffee.

Our next set of legs took us through the middle of the night.  And while we might have been off the mountain- the legs were not flat or downhill.  The first three runners were flying- the lack of rain was nice but these folks fly and soon it was my turn to hit the inky black night.  But my middle leg is the reason I wanted to be runner 4- 6.5 miles, 3 hills and Pitch black (minus a casino).  When I started we were over 10 minutes behind our rival team- the Bubble Wrappers.  But I ran hard and passed their runner at mile 3 and gave Capn Bligh a big lead.  The run was everything I wanted+ it was really hard. Leg crushing X2.  And part of each legs are the number of people you pass or kills in RtB speak.  Leg 1 had 1, leg 2 had 24. Leg 3 had 36.

Leg 2- 6.5 miles 7:00 pace 732 feet of climbing

Capn Bligh had her longest run- just over 9 miles including a Loooong climb but of course she crushed it.  She might sandbag on paper, but we all know that she will dominate her legs.  And before long our number six was handing off to van tutu.  It was time for us to sorta sleep.  Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms are good to discuss before an hour of sleep.

Last year VTA number 2- Bear Brook SP was my favorite part of RtB.  Sherpa/Bligh and I had coffee/hot chocolate and a nice egg sandwhich as the sun came up.  This year we were a bit later, but breakfast was the same- goodtimes.  And we bough coffee for the morning bear.  So worth it.  And soon our runner number 1 was hammering the hills.  Now our van does not stop during each runners' leg- we don't nurture.  But runner 1 has a wild card transition which means we find a place on the route to hand off to runner 2.  The two of them decided where to pass the baton (wrist strap). And Our guy from Portland made everyone wish then had stayed in the VTA- getting a ton of road kill running uphill.  And waiting for him was kinda cool since we had an awesome spot to wait and we got to cheer lots of runners- but glad we only do this once- nurturing would be so hard.

Before long it was my turn for Leg 3.  A rolling 5.6 miler that had a couple of false flats.  We were again down on the bubbles by 10 minutes- it would be a lot harder to catch their runner but I decided I would run hard. And I did.  The first two miles were both up and down- not as steep but my legs were hurting and I had a couple of coughing attacks (where the heck did that come from).  But I was running at 5K race pace and at mile 5 I caught my target.  As I passed she was first complimentary- nice run, but then realized it was me.  A couple of friendly curse words and a wave- but really in good fun and I passed.  And then ran to Santa who always hangs out at this transition.  Super Sherpa (back to Sherpa) had the entire crowd cheering for Thumper- does it get any better- nope.  The best thing about finishing my leg is it meant it was time for Beer and Tacos- yup that's how we roll.

Leg 3 -5.7 miles (yeah it was long...) 6:35 pace- rolling

After tacos, we actually head to the beach and walk to the water.  It is cold, but feels so good.  We waited on the beach for van tutu and before long they were there and our awesome # 12 runner was making her way through the sand- yup- the last 1/2 mile or so is on the sand and the whole team runs in together (well we ran the last 100 meters or so).

So in closing- since this has taken me more time to write than the weekend itself...  The race is by far the highlight of my racing calendar- yup better than Ironman's, Podiums and the simple joy of racing.  The wimps are awesome.

And I have smelly laundry- guess I will just throw it away since there is no hope...  #wimps

A mountain bike race, Podium and PR!

So post IMLP or for that manner, any post IM race is often a let down. You go from training 15 hours a week, daily training emails, tons of FB posts to nothing.  The first few days are great- recovery, beer, recovery beer, food, beer, recovery beer- you get the point.  Post IM 72 hours is the greatest feeling.  You are a bit sore but life is grand.  You Are an Ironman!  Enough said... But what's next.  How do you fill the hole of training?  We for me it was two things- lots of family time and more racing.  Yup more racing. Remember nothing beats race day!

So what did I do?

Race number 1- a mountain bike race with Spinervals team friends Kelly and Eddy Mendoza up in Hodges Dam MA.  Post IMLP two weeks I raced with Team Mendoza on an 18 mile bumpy rock garden race.  Eddy and Kelly took great care of me on race day- I met EVERY single racer thanks to Eddie!  And I felt like a King.  Eddie and Kelly know everyone- especially Eddie- he should be a mayor!  The introductions pretty much went like this- "Hi fellow racer, this is our friend Dave from New Jersey who came up to race with us today.  And he just finished IMLP"  it was so cool.  I am so glad I got the chance to race with them even if Kelly chicked me!  Wow she can race and as usual finished on the podium!  I did not.  I got muddy, went over the bars a couple of times and had a great time.  Post race we had some Awesome coffee.  Coffee and cycling rocks- kinda like beer (had one of those too).

The weekend after the Hodges Dam Race, it was back to triathlons.  But this time its was a Sprint- TriRock Asbury Park.

Race 2- TriRock.  Now Dave why would you do a sprint? A race that will be over faster than your swim at IMLP?  Well two reasons.  I wanted to qualify for the USAT Nationals in 2014 and Asbury Park was the location of a race in 2010 that I had 2 flat tires and finished the bike on a flat wheel- redemption was on my mind.  My goal was sub 1 hr and I wanted to win my AG- and maybe even break the tape.  Did I- no, but I was 3rd.  3rd Overall.  57 and change.  USAT 2014 slot for me.  And I won shoes, glasses, a beer mug and a bottle opener.  WIN!  Racing short and fast is fun, stupid but fun.  It hurts a lot, but it is awesome. And it was a top 3 podium- not AG, but Overall- WOOHOO!

Now on to race 3- Toughman Half.  Toughman is a special race for me- my first 70.3, my PR course and my worst 70.3 as well.  Its special.  And my kids race at ToughKids so it means a lot. I had one goal for Toughman 2013- go sub 5.  Sure finish, finish fast, finish first- my mantra, but going under 5 hours was my goal.  And while my post IMLP  training was lighter than normal for a 70.3- I knew I had fitness in the tank. The day was cool, slightly overcast and I felt great at race start.  I knew the course- where to hammer and where to pedal easy and I have learned to race my race- not some drafting asshole's race.  As an aside I hate drafters, I hate drafters, I hate drafters and there were some drafters...  But drafters are part of racing so ignoring them on the bike and running past them on the run is sweet!  So I crushed the swim, rode a solid easy bike and positively crushed the run.  The bike has 3K of climbing and the run has over 1K but being conservative on the bike let me open up on the run.  And for the first time in a half nobody passed me on the run.  Passing mile 12 I knew I was close (hell passing mile 1 I was calculating sub 5) and I ran hard- pain was there (not an IM/ Mike Reilly mile 25) but I pushed.  I was too close to not go sub 5.  Turning into the finish chute, my garmin said 4:58 and crossing the line .2 miles later the finish time was 4:59:27- SUB 5.  Goal Achieved.  And I finished just off the AG podium in 5th.

So while I did not achieve my ultimate race goal at IMLP 2013 has been pretty good.

8 Podiums
4 PR's
My Third IM Finish

And this weekend is Reach the Beach.  Do I need to say more.  #wimps

Ironman Lake Placid Race Report

Ironman- yeah that is just a cool race name.  Iroman Lake Placid was my 3rd Ironman and I had very high goals for this race.  It was my A race and I trained specifically to be ready to have a great race.  Training for IMLP officially started on December 1, 2012 during the Spinervals 32 Day Challenge and included a 3 day on course training camp.  Going into IMLP I was ready. Ready to break my PR, ready to break 11 Hrs and ready to see how close I could get to a Kona Slot.

But my day ended up not being a day of goals.  Disappointed- sure.  BUT FINISHING AN IRONMAN IS CRAZY HARD.  Am I happy with hearing Mike Reilly call me across the finish line- hell yeah.

So on to the report.

I was really excited to have my wife and girls along with my mom, dad and super sherpa sister come to LP.  Having fans is awesome, especially on a course like LP- 2 loop everything.  So on Thursday morning the girls, Sue and I drove up to one of the greatest sports meccas in the entire world.  Imagine finishing an Ironman in the Olympic Speed Skating Oval that Eric Heiden dominated in 1980 & right below the arena that we beat the Soviets and then Swedes to win the Gold in Hockey.  Yeah Lake Placid!  As you drive into town you pass the Bob Sled/ Luge courses and see the Ski Jumping hills. And the number of bikes on Subarus is crazy cool.

Once we got to town, we went right to athlete check in- really easy although parking was a bit of a pain.  But the race swag was pretty sweet- a really cool backpack (I like backpacks) and free stickers. Well the stickers weren't supposed to be free, but they were printed with the wrong date.  After getting my gear we went to our hotel- which was right on the bike and run course and had a great indoor pool.   I then met up with a good Spinervals training/ racing buddy Ginny Angus and we swam one loop of the swim course.  For those of you not familiar with Mirror lake- the swim has a white cable underwater which allows you to follow the course as if you were swimming in a pool.  Fast!!!  Ginny and I had a good swim and chat about the race.  We both had high goals and had trained together a month earlier in the camp- we both felt good and ready to have great races.  Ginny did for sure and more on mine soon.

The next few days were a bit of training, a bit of kid stuff and a bit of relaxing.  If you go to LP with kids go to Santa's Village near Wilmington- you will have fun.  And before long it was 10 PM on Saturday night- no I was not sleeping but felt great about toeing the line for IM #3.

Sunday morning Super Sherpa picked me up at 4 and we drove to the oval.  The morning was cool, but not cold- definitely not like IMNYC which was crazy stupid hot.  Transition set up for an IM is simple- hang your bags since you don't set up near your bike like most triathlons.  As the sun came up I had the chance to run into Merle, Lola and George in Transition- so cool to have friends at the race.

Soon it was time to get my wetsuit on, drop off special needs and get ready for the swim.  This year LP was trying a new approach to reduce swim anxiety- allow swim warmups and a rolling swim start instead a mass crazy charge into the water. While the mass start did not really bother me, the rolling start meant maybe cleaner water and less violence in the first few hundred meters.  Yea maybe not...

After warm-up I got to my swim corral- the 1:11-1:20 group.  I was feeling like a 1:10 - 1:12 swim was in the cards and figured the front of the 1:11 group made good sense.  While waiting for the race to start I ran into Ginny- we chatted quick and wished each other luck.  Then the cannon boomed and within a few minutes we were in the water. It was not crazy initially but soon I was swimming over all sorts of people.  People who self seeded into a much faster group.  During the entire 2.4 Miles I passed several hundred people - I was constantly swimming from one scrum to another.  And I felt great, except for the ASSHOLE in the red wetsuit who thought breaststroking into the aussie exit was a good idea.  Dude you Fucking Suck with your big frog leg kick. He kicked me in the throat as we were exiting the water for the second loop.  There was no reason for breast stroke there.  As I started the second loop my throat hurt a bit, but I still felt strong and soon I was rounding the dock for the exit.

Swim Time 1:09:36- nailed it.

But leaving the water I noticed that it was raining- and the bike has a long steep crappy descent that is not rain friendly.  Oh well race the race you have.

Transition was quick- I was calm and knew what I needed to grab out of my bag.  Shoes, no socks, helmet, glasses, no gloves (never ever), arm sleeves (went with coolers- good choice) and off to get my bike.  The volunteers are supposed to grab your bike from the rack and bring it to you- well that did not happen for me, but I am cool with that and I was out of T1 in good time.

T1- 6:46.  Now 6:46 is stupid slow.  But at LP, you have a 300 yrd run to transition, have to grab your bag, get your gear on and put your swim gear in the bag, then get your bike.  So 6:46 for an IM is good.

The bike was a two loop 56 mile per loop course.  The first 15 miles is mostly climbing until you reach a long 7 mile screaming downhill- in the rain.  But before I get to that fun stuff it is important to mention where my family was going to be.  My parents were staying at the Mountain Brook - right by the Haselton out and back so we decided they would watch me there.  My wife and kids were at the Econo Lodge on 73 so could see me twice on the bike and 4x on run.  And super Sherpa well she would be everywhere.  At the start of the bike, she was right below the high school and seeing her as I got started was perfect.  Super Sherpa comes to my Ironmans- to make sure I am okay especially post race.  So I saw her right away and felt good.

Now back to the bike- rain was spitting from the sky and ground and lots of standing water over the first 20 miles including the keene descent.  When I was at the Spinervals camp in June, I hit over 50 mph on the keene descent.  On lap 1- about 35.  But soon I was passing the post office and on my way to the easy out and back.  I kept repeating race your race and this is lap one.  And I road pretty easy and felt great.  And before long I was back in Jay climbing to Wilmington.  Having trained on the course made me feel good that I knew what to expect and when to hammer vs. spin easy.  As I descended into the Wilmington I could hear Super Sherpa's dog, AndyLab bark and then saw my parents- very cool to have family on the other side of the race course and AndyLab looked relaxed.  The climb back into town was good and before long I was on Lap 2.  I saw Super Sherpa right after the oval and then saw my kids at the econo lodge- WooHoo!  Lots of family support in 1 hour.  However as I got to the top of the Keene descent I realized something was wrong- I felt sick.  I was struggling to get calories in and when I did I gagged and threw up.  Fun times.  But this is were training kicks in- you just keep going even when you feel like shit.  And knowing the course meant I knew that if I could fight through the next 30 miles I would only have to climb back into town and then run a marathon.  But it meant I had to face facts- today was not going to be a great day but I would see my parents, sherpa, wife and kids on the course.  So head down and lousy stomach I pushed through.  I felt crappy but miles kept moving and after passing my parents at Haselton it was time to climb back into town.  Best two parts- doing a sweet wheelie at the campground and the bears.  The bears are TdF style with fans (not grade...) but so worth it after 110 miles.  And after riding down Mirror Lake drive I was back in Transition ready for a run.  My stomach felt crappy, but I knew I only had 26.2 to go.  The finish line was far but I would get there.

Bike 6:01:32- about 20 minutes slower than I wanted.

T2- 3:56.  Happy with this especially since I took my time.

Run- Well I knew it would tough, but I also knew what to expect.  The first 4 miles are easy and I figured maybe I could get some calories in and start running faster.  I did learn that wearing a fuel belt is not gonna happen again- too much bouncing on a bloated stomach is not fun.  Best part of the first out and back was seeing my daughter katherine and giving her a hug.  My body did not feel better but my spirit did.  As I shuffled my way along the course Ginny passed me- she reminded me that she was gonna chick me- and she was running great.  I ended up doing  mix of running/ walking and finished the first lap starting to feel a bit better.  On the second lap, I ran more than I walked- still slow but I felt slightly better.  My goal became to run under 5 hrs.  Passing the Smith kids for the final time I really started to feel good and Felt that as long as I kept running a Sub 5 hr marathon was doable.  The best part of the last 2 miles was seeing Alan MacDougall who was not racing, near the Boathouse.  Alan was wearing his TdF polka dots (guy climbs like a mountain goat)  and I yelled to him- he ran with me for about 50 yards then took (while running) a kick ass picture (now my profile pic).  After that I passed the turn around point and had LESS than a mile to finish.  Running back towards the Oval was awesome.  Tears began to flow and as I turned into the last straight away I could see Mike Reilly in the tower.  I pointed to him and then the most magical words you can hear- David Smith from Sparta NJ YOU ARE AN IRONMAN.  Never gets old.

Run-4:52:48
Total- 12:14:38

Not the day I planned for, but the day I got. I worked hard and earned the finish and that rocks And 2014 is already planned- IM Texas.

Ironman racing is hard- crazy hard.  But so awesome.  And at the end of the day it does not matter how fast you are- crossing that line is beyond special and to my friends who know what it is like well you know.  And those who want to - train hard because it is Worth It!

Quassy Race report. AKA it was hot and hilly. Did I mention it was hot. And hilly...

So it was hot and hilly.  I hope you got that.  If I had a month of hot weather training, it would have been hilly and I like, wait no I love hills.  But coming off a cold spring, the 90+ temps and bright sunshine were a little bit more than this body was looking forward to.  But hey it was race day- doesn't get much better than that.

My original race was going to be the Ironman Raleigh 70.3, but I decided to switch to Rev3 Quassy based on the good feedback that the race is a great tune-up for IMLP.  And Everything this year is all about IMLP for me.  And I was excited to finally race a Rev3 race (I was supposed to do the Oly at Quassy last year but my schedule fell apart).

The couple of weeks prior to Quassy were a bit crazy with a lot of traveling for work and some decent long workouts- especially on the bike.  And the Monday before I did a hard and fast 10K, so no Taper.  But that was the plan- Quassy was a 100% effort training race.  Meaning stress the body the same way I will at LP, but without the benefit of Taper to get a good gauge of where I am and what I need to work on over the next 6 weeks before Taper starts for real.

On Saturday morning, I packed the car and took the nice drive up to Middlebury CT.  I took the Merritt Parkway which can be a nice drive, passed one of my company offices and eventually drove through some hills to arrive at Quassy Amusement Park in Middleburry.  I parked and made my way to packet pickup and the expo.  Rev3 has a rep for being super athlete friendly and awesome.  And while everyone was nice finding the expo and getting my packet was a bit confusing- lack of signs and once I found the expo, it wasn't clear were to go.  I ended up waiting in a couple of lines before I found the right spot.  But hey- you gotta roll with it sometimes and relatively quickly I got everything I needed. 

The swag was okay- a visor and some cool race numbers (love when your name is on the bib).  The expo was pretty good.  A nice mix of high end race kit, t-shirts, other visors (all headsweats) and a bunch of good race gear- bottle, hydration stuff and fuel belt products.  I love fuelbelt.  Just sayin.  I ended up spending about $50 on another visor (quassy specific), a t shirt, a rev3 magnet and a new fuel belt aero bag for Thumper.  Once I my gear, I got my bike out of the car, put the bike number on Thumper (and the new aero bag) and rolled the race steed to transition.  Rev3 uses a ground mounted rack- and everyone has their own spot.  A bit easier to pull from compared to a seat rack which is always good.  After racking the bike it was time for the Pro meeting and athlete meeting.

My only real complaint besides the heat was the athlete meeting and pro session was held outside, with no cover and no water provided by the race.  I did buy a couple of waters from the park and loaded them with Nuun Tablets, but it would have been cooler to have some tents for everyone to sit under and be out of the hot sun.  During the pro session, I ended up hanging in the Normatec tent getting an air massage- kinda cool- even sorta hurt a bit, but they are on the to get list (eventually & after the disc wheel). So that was at least out of the sun.  For the athlete meeting I ended up getting a spot under the finish tent so still crazy hot, but out of the sun.  The athlete meeting was pretty fast, but nicely detailed.  The pro session was very cool- especially since the pros then hung out for autographs and generally just being uber cool.  Got to meet Bevan Docherty, HJ and Rinny.  Sweet!

Now during the meeting while checking FB, one of my Spinervals teammates, Chrissy Brooks posted that her car had blown a tire on rte 84- I was ready to get in my car to get her, but luckily she got some help and made it in time.  It is awesome to be part of the Spinervals team- best group of folks.  And this was my 3rd this year with teammates- a total of 4 us toed the line.

After the meetings and racking and all that stuff, I decided to drive the bike course.  During the meeting there were a couple of caution areas so I wanted to get some eyeballs on the course.  The first 15 miles reminded me of riding at home- crappy roads and hills- short steep punchy hills with short nasty downhills.  But hey- that is what I train on so I felt pretty good about what to expect.  The drive was kinda cool- there must have been 15 or so of us driving at 20-25 miles an hour with cue sheets.  But worth it since I bookmarked key areas- both to hammer and to sit up.

After driving the course, I got to my hotel, checked in, ate my usual beer, burger sweet potato dinner and settled in to watch the clock.  Yeah I don't sleep much the night before a big race.  And as usual I woke up before the alarm went off. After an easy hour in my room, it was time to drive back to quassy. The morning was warm.  Not IM NYC warm, but hot enough to say this was gonna be a hot day.

One of the things I like about dropping my bike off the night before is how much easier race morning is.  And since I use tubeless tires there is not much risk of tire deflation or explosion due to the heat- lower Tire Pressure is a good thing. Once my bottle were loaded, shoes on the bike and run gear laid out, it was time to slowly sip on a bottle and chat with the folks around me. I also got to see Chrissy, but missed Mark and Bernard.  And I got watch the pro's prep.  I left them alone since their day was a work day, but they do things the same way we do.  And before long the transition area was closed and it was time to head to the beach.  Hey its almost time for the race to start!

Rev3 changed their swim policy and allowed people to be in the water up until their wave start- which is a good thing.  You can warm up without having to wait around for your start time.  What I did was do a quick swim and then take my wetsuit down to my waist since my start wasn't until 35 minutes after the pro men.  And I got right next to the start line to watch the pro men and women go off.  Very cool to see people like joe gambles, richie cunnigham, bevan docherty, rinny, heather jackson and meredith kessler start right in front of you.  These are some of the Triathlon rockstars and I am racing with them- very very cool.

Before long it was time for my wave to start.  We got to the start line and did the clap.  If you have raced a triathlon you know what the clap is.  About 30 seconds before we go, a quick good luck guys followed by some clapping.  It means a good day (hot and hilly good day).  The horn sounded and I was in the water fast. The lake Quassapoug is clear so finding friendly feet was easy and while there was some early bumping, I found smooth water fast.  My first set of feet however were a bit off course so after doing some quick sighting I found a good pair and followed for a while.  The course was a triangle with right turns.  The first third was fast and easy.  However the 2nd third was right into the sun.  By that time I had passed my initial draft and it took a while to get a sense of where we were going.  I ended up swimming next to a guy for while which helped find the final 3rd turn buoy.  The last third was also a bit crazy since we had to swim through the slower portion of some waves.  I am a firm believer in wave starts, but I think we should be seeded via time and not age.  This would allow for less swimming through/ or getting swum over and an all around smoother swim.  In any case before long my knuckles hit sand and it was time to stand.  My goal for the swim was sub 35.  I came out of the water in 33 and change and hit the mat in a mid 34.  Long run to the transition area (long but not crazy long and carpeted the whole way).

Official time was 34:12.  My T1 was just okay- still having some issues getting the wetsuit off my feet.  Actually sat to pull them.  Will be doing some OWS/ T1 practice soon to correct this.  T1 time was 2:04. 

I did my usual flying mount for the bike and was quickly out on course.  The scouting of the day earlier helped me set the right pace over the first 10 miles.  Basically go up, go down, rinse and repeat.  The only issues were I screwed up with my Garmin 310- paused for T1 instead of lap.  And my 500 couldn't find the satellites.  I spent the first 10 miles jiggering/ resetting until it finally found the GPS signal.  Frustrating since I rely on the data to tell me how fast, far, steep and power.    But I got it fixed and had an okay idea of where I was- glad for the recon on Saturday.  The first 25 miles went by fast, especially after I got the 500 working.  And I was passing people without burning matches.  In fact the only guys who passed me was a relay guy wearing aero shoe covers and 3 20 something guys in a tight draft (cheating a holes).  While the course was very hilly, there was one long climb-about 4 miles long.  Gotta say I loved it!  I train every day on hills so the quassy hills were pretty normal.  The only pain was the last 5 miles- climbing back to T2.  The hills were short, but steep and really sucked.  The heat was definitely peaking.  However before too long I was pulling my feet out of my shoes and getting ready for the run. 

My time was 2:43- slower than I would have liked, but 3,900K of climbing will make you go a bit slower sometimes.  T2 was 57 seconds.  Pretty much nailed that one.  And it was time for the run.

The run start was two miles in the sun- flat, but hot sun.  I ran okay, but really felt like the temps were climbing fast.  My only real complaint on the run was no sponges, only ice.  Ice is great, but does not stay in place like an iced sponge.  Sponges rock.  But I tried to make due.  I also pulled off my arm coolers- they felt hot and so I decided a sunburn was better than hot arms on the run.  The first 4 miles of the run were okay and then we made a right turn and started climbing- for what felt like the rest of the race.  The first mile was on dirt and shaded.  However the next 2 were on pavement- rolling but almost no shade.  At mile 8 I started to walk the aid stations and went to coke.  The coke was flat and they had ice, except for mile 10- no coke.  That sucked.  But I ran, albeit slow, but on purpose.  I decided that I would suffer, but not crush my body- this week is not a real recovery week so a bit easier effort was in the cards.  I did my best to stay cool (didn't work) and ran relatively slow until the finish.  Crossing the line was nice- basically because it meant I was done and could go lay in the lake- which I did.  The finish line was pretty cool- iced towel, awesome finisher shirt and big medal.  Time across the line- 5:19.  Not my slowest, not my fastest.  But a great prep for IMLP.  Nutrition worked well. I need to figure out how to keep my run nutrition cold.

Overall I am happy- the swim and bike were very much in line with my goals.  The run was just okay, well crappy, but an early season hot race day with hills can do that.