what a way to end the season

Pumpkin Man Sprint Tri race report

It was great to be able to focus on one final race as the summer was winding down. I had been feeling good and trainging was going well. Because of weather and work along with other commitments I was unable to do the last few Nahant races. I think that it kept me sharpe not pushing myself. I actually tapered for this sprint. Not that it was a big taper but still I reduced and adapted my intensity so I could benefit from the recovery to let it all out on 09/10/11.

This race has been growing year after year and I am glad I did it. S. Berwick ME. There were some big pros there and a rather large field. I was registered as an AGE grouper and was slotted to go off in the 3rd wave. 4 minutes behind the elites. the swim was a 1/3 of a mile and the lake was perfect. A triangle, counter clock wise course. My wave was 30-39 so there were a lot of guys jumping in together and we followed the 40-49 men. I took off and felt strong and was moving to the front of the pack. We got to the first turn and there was a huge bottle kneck. As I made the turn I started to see the the caps from the 2nd wave and while frustrated I was able to find a line and pick it up. It was a straigh shot to the next turn before heading to shore. As long as I held a good sight line I knew I would have a great swim. I hit the turn and got to the shore in about 7 min. Once out of the water there a 200 yrd hill that is a 10% grade up. Good friend and participant Vin Miserandino said take off the wet suit before the climb, I did and it worked out well as I passed a few going up.
T1 was quick and I saw one other bike from my wave so I knew I had a good swim. I got up to power. The bike was fast and could feel like I wanted to go faster but I also wanted to make sure I didnt over do it and falter on the run. I was at 275-280 watts and around 23MPH for the 14.4 miles. I felt comfortable and held it there. I passed a few guys from wave 2 and made I made it to T2 feeling ready to run.
I was out of T2 in less than a minute and I felt pretty good. the first 1/4 mile of this run was down hill and that helped get a quick turnover. I saw elite Marnie Lawler and Vin M. out ahead of me. I was feeling good and the first miel was around 5:50. I caught Vin around mile 2 and knew that I was in a good position to take the overall AG win. I held onto the sub 6 min pace and finished the run in the 17:52.
My total finish time was 1:04:23. I was more that pleased with my race especially with the bad luck I had from the two previous ones. I know that those things happen and are out of my control. But it is a great felling going into the off season with a great race to end the season!

Timberman Sprint

On 08/20/11 I participated in the T-man sprint. I had done this race back on 06 and was looking to put together a great day and reach for the top. Murphy's Law had other things in mind.

First off my brother and I got to Gunstock to park b/c we were told that the lower lots would be full. As we got there and put our bikes together my brother popped a tire on his brand new nver raced on bike! ouch that was a tough start to the day. After trying to getting fixed we finally go the the transition area with about 15 minutes to spare.

The Swim- .33 mile.

I went off in the first wave and really had no chance to warm up. The only warmup I got was rushing around trying got get my stuff together while wearing my heavy sweatshirt. After getting settled I headed down to the water and started going through the paces of the race. The water was good and not much glare from the rising sun. It was a big wave, couple hundred I think. I snuck my way to the front then off we went. The water was shallow for a good 25 yards so while the majority of the people tried to swim I did about 7-8 dolphin dives and cleared past a large portion of them. I hit the first turn buoy quickly then it was a straight line before we headed back in to shore. I felt great and was not overcooking myself. I got to the last turn buoy and headed in for about another 100 yards to shore. When i stood up I was surprised at how well I had done and was psyched to get out on the bike. I clocked my watch at 7:12.

The bike-15 miles

Got my gear on and passed a few people in transition and hoped on my bike. headed down the road to go out to RT11 and about 200 yards away from T1 I heard the dreaded his of air escaping rather quickly from my tire. Before I knew my front was flat. What the hell do I do now? I opt to go back t the bike tent to get it fixed. I did not have a tube to fit my zipp 1080. So I run back and the 2 techs get to work. 16 minutes later they give me my back and I get to go back. I was BULL. Ok, I should have had a tube and been able to do it myself I didn't and the $100 entry fee should have given something! As I stood there waiting I saw hundred of people go right on by, one tech said at least you'll be rested for the bike! SO as a man possessed I rode my bike with vengeance. I originally planed to hold around 275-280 on the power b/c of the big hills and I knew that would get me around 22.5 MPH and a good chance to hang with the front of the pack. Cause of the flat and my anger I went out at 295 for about 15 minutes. Not the smartest thing to do but I wanted to try and place in my age group. I got back to T2 in bike time 39;41 total time with flat 53;00.

Run -3 miles

It was a tad short but who cares. I went like a bat out of hell. My legs felt great and figured I could probably make up the most time here so that is what I tried to do. I was clipped right along and hit turn around and headed back to the finish, The best part of the run is that the last half was down hill and helped me pick it up even more. My final run time was 17 flat. I could not have run any harder or faster. total time was 1;20. If i took out my flat i would have finished in the top 3 overall and 1st overall age grouper! oh well better luck next time, and i'll bring a tube

Summer Winds

The summer is buzzing along quickly and last night was another Nahant. I have to say I was going into it skeptical of my training and planning with for the Timberman Sprint. I looked over some of my numbers from the past Nahant's and noticed I was pushing the bike way too hard. I was up near 300 watts for the majority of the bike and b/c my run would suffer. So I went at it yesterday to shoot for 265-275 and maintain the proper pace for a full sprint. The result was a 34:30. This was with a low tide that makes for a LONG transition in T1!

I compared the results to last years best Nahant at 33:16 and figured that b/c off the tide difference that I could have knocked of some good time. (a full minute just to get to the T-area) This has put my mind in a good state and feeling that I am more than ready for Timberman. My brother finally was able to get on his new bike which I am naming "white lightening" It looks fantastic!

DAM race report

I was going into this race feeling pretty good overall and am not sure why but I have mental issues about swimming in this lake. Lake Gardner that is. Not sure what the reason is but I never swim well there. Anyway. I was registered as an age grouper today and the reason is to try and get as many points as I can to see where I stack up national against men my own age. Last year I can in at just under 1:05. I was hoping to better that and get a top 5.

Swim: 1/2 mile

Went off in the second wave and the start seemed ok. I was cruising along for about 300 yards when I looked up and I was by myself, No not leading, I was lost of course. Went way to far to the left. I stopped for a second and found the buoy I was supposed to be going at and tried to finish strong. The funny this is last year no wetsuits were allowed b/c of the high water temps. This year was optional and after checking my time from last year. I was one second faster last year with NO WETSUIT. swim time = 11:42

T1=

It was quick enough but as I mentioned if I did not wear my wetsuit I probably could have made up about 20 seconds on the lead pack. not a bad transition though.

BIKE= 12.3

I went out well and found my power quickly. I passed two riders right away and Patrick Smith was one of them. I know he is a solid biker and was about 25 -35 yards behind me. He was in the elite wave so I knew I was making up ground. I was plowing through the course and felt strong, then I saw the official on his motorcycle come up to me and write my number down. I wasn't sure why because I knew I was pretty much by myself and was not drafting. There was no one there!. At about the 10 mile mark there is a very steep downhill and there were three other elites in front of me and I made the move to pass them. Then a sharp left turn. There were volunteers there but they didn't give a heads up as to how sharp it was. I should have known myself! So as I went to make the turn I was going way to fast and when i hit brakes I could feel my back tire lock up and fishtail. A) I was going to go down hard or B) Go into the woods, save broken bones and hopefully no flat tires. I picked "B", I hit the road marker then went about 25 yards into the woods as I unclipped and climbed back out on to the course all the guys I passed went flying by me. I was ripped!!! Then volunteer even told me I should slow down, My reply was "a little sooner would have helped"! Back on the bike and tried to get up to power but with another big climb I was loosing serious ground on the others. Another steep downhill for about 3/4 mile so I tucked and pushed, got to 46 MPH, I was dangerous but I made up some time because I was able to see the other guys getting ready to run out.

Bike time = 32:05 (per my computer)

T2= very quick, angry and motivated helps!

Run=

Still pissed about the bike and knew I was going to have to work hard. As soon as I was on the street I passed Pat Smith and another guy then the female elite winner Marnie Lawler. Just ahead of her was another elite male and then open road. I gathered myself and started running hard. I knew the course was a legit 5K and the first half was uphill, second half down so I wanted to get through the first half as quick as I could. I was holding about a 6:10 pace for the first 2 miles. At the turn around I was counting 8th place but the elites ahead of me had a 3 min head start so I was gunning to catch the other age grouper about 200 yards away. He had a strong gait and was running well. The last mile was starting to hurt. I tried to pick up the pace and at mile 3 I clocked a 6:00 min mile. Turned into the park and finished with a respectable 1:06:41. I got the preliminary results and I had placed 6th with my time. I was happy considering my bike ride through the woods.

Then the ref posted the penalties. Then to my surprise he gave me a 2 minute penalty for riding too far to the left. HUH?? I went to clarify what that meant b/c I never crossed over the line and when I passed I did so quickly. He stated that I was in the center of the street but to the right of the double yellow line and that I was there for more than 10 secs. I was baffled and angry. In the end I was happy that I still won my age group.

Lesson learned!

MinuteMan Sprint

This past weekend I raced at the Minute Man Sprint in Freetown MA. Also known as cranberry country! The lead up to this race was pretty good. I have been focusing on sprint distance races for two reasons. They are relatively quick and it is about all the amount of time I have to train for during the week.

Early rise on Sat morning 6/18; 3;30 as a matter of fact before I eat and get some coffee in me I pack the car for the 1 hour and 15 min drive. Race start is 7 am but I still have to check in and get some warm up in. Nutrition for this is simple for me, cereal, BASE amino drink and a banana along with some coffee for the drive. Get there no problem set up and warm up. I brought my new sleeveless Xterra wetsuit for this one too.

Swim= .25 mile

Went out in the second wave 3 min behind the elites. I felt great. Good friend Vin Miserandino was with me and we took off. My stroke felt long and strong and could feel myself making a move in the pack. I got to the first turn buoy quickly and powered the the rest of the swim catching some of the elites. out of the water in 5:55 and over the first mat at 6:01.

T1= I got a lot better at this and it showed in the total time. I exited T1 in 45 secs and at bike mount I was told I was in 4ht OA.

Bike= 14 miles

I immediately passed someone right as we got out on the street and got to power quickly. I was using a new ZIPP 1080 that Dean Phillips of Fit Werx offered for the day. Lets just say it is FAST. I felt strong again on the bike and was holding a good power number and was at around 25 mph. Caught 2 other people by mile 6 and was looking to see where the other one was? I kept pushing and pushing but as soon as mile 12 came I started to think that maybe the women who told me I was 4th was off by one. Non the less I came into T2 in 35:40 and my legs felt great.

T2= 55 sec. I entered looking to where the other bike was that was in the lead but it wasn't there. I asked a volunteer "is it just me?" he said "yup, have a great run" so on go the shoes and off I Go

Run= 4 miles

Got off to good stride and wanted to hold around 6 min miles. I was around a 6:05 for mile 1, then the course started to roll a bit. Mile 2 was a tad slower at 6:20 So I went a bit harder for mile 3 and got back to 6 flat and then I could feel the knife in quads. Luckily i knew that if I held this up I would be done in 6 mins so the last mile held on and finished it off as strong as I could.

race time was = 1:08:46 I was a minute ahead of the 2nd place finisher. It felt good to end strong and take the over all win. However the elites weren't too happy. The "leader" out of the water said he was directed off course and that he would have won. Pleading his case with the race director. He wound up getting the purse because he was the 1st elite and left before the awards were handed out but I was the one who got to stand on top of the podium with the number 1 trophy.

Thanks to Marty and Dean of Fit Werx for the tech support and wheel. BASE performance for the nutrition and recovery products. Next race is in a couple weeks in Salem MA.

been a while

Sorry it has been a awhile kid of been crazy but all in all things are good. Got a new bike computer for my bikes. Garmin Edge 500. It is great and very detailed with its information. I am in the process of getting it set up for my sprint race in Freetown this weekend at the Minuteman Sprint. Should be a great day. low 70's and partly cloudy is the prediction for the weather. We'll see! I will put together a race report for the day's events. I will also be using a new front wheel from Fit Werx! a Zipp 1080. Should be interesting to see how much faster I can go with that thing. Thanks Dean!

2011 JCC race report

Another season of to a good start. I can say that every year is different not matter how close to the same plan you follow, things change. This year going into this race I was in my own head as someone pointed out to me. I had some injuries and was not feeling good. Legs were sore back was tight and things just were not right. After some deep motivation by brother, he helped get me back to where I belong. Feeling good about my training and pointing out that I only need to focus on doing my best. So per usual got all my gear ready the night before and looked at the weather report tell us how much it was going to rain. GReat!

0515 = out of bed good breakfast and packed the car in between downpours.

While at the event I coundn't really warm up b/c it was raining so damn hard! Marty Mis of Fit Werx and just hung out and planned out what to do berfore the 8 am race start. Rain backed off and was able to set up my bike and set my gears. But This is when I noticed that my powermeter hub batteries had died. Damn I would be riding by feel and no speed cadence or watts. Oh well.

0800 Swim 250

I was seeded #2 overall, I put a 3:05 swim time and was behind last years OA womens winner Marnie Lawler. She is fast! I only got a 50 yrd warm up before the start. Off I go and felt pretty good. I had no issues and was moving along. did not get tied with anyone this year so all was good. Watch said 3:13. 3 secs off last years watch. I had a great T1. passed Marnie there.

Bike

I did not have my own time but the resutls page says 27:13. 23.1 mph. The roads were slick and the wind was up going over the causway. This also meant it would push me on the way back so I wasn't too worked up. I have rode this race 7 times. I felt confident in where to ride and not worry about the wet roads. my legs felt pretty good and really pushed it on the 3rd loop. the wind did carry me back over the causeway with a little push, I think I was up to 32-33 mph going over I was pushing it hard. T2 was god and felt the legs a tad heavy.

Run 21:26

The run was 26 secconds slower this time than last year. However i was chasing someone last year and this year I was being chased by the unknown. Mile one was 6:11 and two was 5:59 and 3 was 5:35 and the last .5 was 3 min and change. Finished strong trying to beat my 52 flat from last year. I crossed at 52:13 Non the less, it was agreat day, the family was there and all was good. Thank to Fit WErx and all the support.

It is goin to be a great year!

less than a week

I know I have not been here in a while things have been crazy. with that said I have been a bit torn with my training the past few weeks. Things were going great then all of sudden my feet have been bothering me then my calves and the rest just started falling apart. So I have been using trigger point religiously and focusing on loosening up my big body and all in preparation for the JCC. This has been my 1st race of the year for the past few years and it getting more competitive than ever.

I have been blessed to win the past 2 and another is going to be extremely hard to pull off. We will see what happens. I got my bike back form FIT WERX the other day and took it for a pin. IN the poll today and a small brick tomorrow with the race flats. An easy swim and a wake up bike Sat.

None the less I know I will have fun and plan on a good race. I also need to remember that I don't plan on peaking until the middle of August for the Timberman and then the Pumkinman. So anything that shows improvement will make me happy. until Then off to the pool!

questions, keep them to yourself!

I was in the pool finishing a workout the other day and a guy stopped me and asked me what my diet was and what supplements do I take. I thought it was innocent enough as I explained I eat a lot of protein, take multi vitamins and have one amino acid shake form BASE Performance a day. He said no really, WHAT do you take? I then replied nothing more that what can be grown in the ground or fed livestock. He kept badgering me, No Seriously what do you take?

At this time I informed him that I work my ass off and sleep about 5-6 hours a day and eat every type of protein I can get my hands on and that if I don't finish my swim now I might say something I could regret. His dumbfounded reaction was all I needed to see as I went to start my last set.

In a world of BALCO and Barry Bonds I think the art of hard work is forgotten about. Stop asking stupid questions people.

recovery week

I had a couple of great workout to end last week. I think I made some pretty good gains. One consisted of a 5k time trial on the treadmill, only cause the weather was not cooperating and was strapped for time. With a 1 mile warm up I then followed with my 5k where I held a 5:41, 5:38 and a 5:35. I have to say I was pretty pleased with my effort and before that I had finished a swim workout. So I was happy. Friday I had PT with the Academy. I am a PT instructor in one MA's. police academy's so i get to get a recovery run or strength workout in a couple times a week. After PT i rode on the trainer for an hour with 2x20 min at 95% FTP. the first set was OK, I was just under my number. I got pissed and the after a 10 min spin back at it. Second set was great I was holding 105% and managed to bump up my ftp to over 300 watts. Considering that I was kicking my but all week and still had those power numbers gave me the belief that I made some strides. This week is recovery and then back to race specific training before the JCC in May.

sticking points

Strength phase is going pretty well. Week 5 of the 12 week set and right now my body is sore and tired. I went and got adjusted with Dr. Dave. It felt great. Back in the pool this am for a heavy main set of 200 all out followed by 500 at race pace only to do it all over again. This afternoon I have a fast run. 5 miles with the middle 4 at 5k pace. should feel great!

results: sticking to this program has been beneficial. Main set ; 1st set 200= 2:30

500=7:32

2nd set 200=2:33

500=7:30

I was pretty happy with both times. My first race is in 8 weeks and I know that I will gain a little more fitness from here on out. Going out for the run in a little bit. Going to do it on the tread mill.

double dip

had a tough swim today. Did about 2200 yards with a main set of 14x100 on 5 sec rest at 1:25. I was pleased that I was able to hold the pace for all of them but noticed rest time was creeping toward 10 sec. I have to work on that.

Following that was a 7 mi run on treadmill with 5k pace on the even miles. felt good and strong.

Tomorrow I have PT at the academy then an easy bike recovery for 60 min at 75% FTP.

Ash Wednesday

strength phase is hurting, big swim today with 7x200's with 20 sec rest under 3:00 min followed by 4.5 miles with a 4x .25 miles at 5:25 pace. I can't wait to see how this will feel in the am. oh yeah another swim and 7 miles at Half marathon pace.

I do have to say that I felt strong during the swim and was getting faster towards the end of major set. Weigh in was at 192. 3 more pounds to go. I know I said 190 but I will take an extra 10 seconds per mile if I can drop one extra pound. Till next time...

Strength Phase

I have started the Strength Phase of my training program this week. It is going well so far. Had a good 3000 yard swim set today and it was a lot of distance and pull. One of the other things that I will be working on also is building up strength on the bike. I am thinking that will revert to what built my fitness to a higher level in 08. Swim and bike...which will help lead to lung fitness for a better run. I will be focusing on sprint races this summer. Maybe one Oly Distance. I am looking forward to the warm weather come in so I can get outside and stretch my pedals.

Currently weighing in at 193. I raced at this weight last year. I think that dropping 3 pounds between now and May 15th will also help with my running without dropping power on the bike. Let's see how the next couple weeks go!!

Spring is around the corner

It has been awhile since my lst post. I have been training for the up coming season and things are going pretty well. On Feb 20th I did the Boston TT at Landry's. I used my road bike and the numbers were ok. I was higher than I was last year at this time. I road a avg. power of 292 for 20 mins. I will retest myself again on May first and hope to break 305. We'll see. Swimming is coming along as well. I feel pretty comfortable and am looking forward to using my new sleeveless wetsuit.

I was down in FLa last weekend to watch my wife and sister in law run the Princess half marathon. They did great! It was nice to run in hot weather. Temp was 85 every day! can't wait to get that weather back here. It was a great trip and we took the kids to Disney World. Magical!

The next few weeks are going to strength build for Tri race season. Specific swim bike run sessions. I just completed a 3 week speed session and plan on using this for the JCC in marblehead. That will be my first race! That is all for now.

One of the Hardest days Ever

On January 20th my wife and I lost our dog Belle. A 7.5 year old Golden retriever who brought more fun into our house that I realized. I never had a dog growing up and in 2003 Lynn and I decided to that if we were going to get a dog then it would be a Golden. After a lot of reading an preparing we brought home Belle from a breeder in Maine. It was an event that would change who we would be for the rest of our lives.

As many couples say the dog is the first child and Belle was ours. In 2006 we had our first child. Jack was soon to have 2 mothers as Belle became instinctively loving and protective of him. Belle would often nap with him in the floor right under his crib. She never once showed a tooth and always was ready to shower you with love and playful games. She continued her love when our youngest was born. After surgery for a foreign object in her belly, Belle started to have complications post-op. After several attempts to save her we had to let her go.

I never really understood the loyalty that this member of our family had until the first day I had to live without her. She truly was loving unconditionally and will be missed.

Happy New Year

I was back in the pool today and man did my time make me even slower! Ouch. tough workout but it is that time of year to get back after it. A short 35 session for a total of 1500 yards. It will only be a matter of time when I am able to get back to where I want to be. In do time.

This afternoon I went for a good 6 mile run in 45 min. Felt pretty good. I am going to be cutting back on my CrossFit and adding more endurance cardio into the mix. I want this to lead into my indoor TT the middle of Feb. So I will plan on building some fitness and add yoga as a part of strength building. Lets see how this all plays out!