Kevin Reen

Strides

2012-01-24T22:57:00.000-08:00

The year has been going pretty well. Things are taking off at a local Cross Fit gym, IronSpider. I will be very active there and enjoy the people who are runnig it. I plan on getting my certification this spring and plan on coaching there as well.

Traingin is going to be going towards tri specific this next week. I will be adding an extra swim and two more bikes. Stength is there and I am looking forward to the black cat 1o miler. I will be running in that to see how my fitness is for the early spring set up.

Back at it

2012-01-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

Back at it today with a nice trail run with my 5 month old Golden Rosie. I just picked up the New Balance MT 10's and gave the and easyh spin. I went out for 20 mins and that was more than enough with this low profile truely minimalist show. By far it is the lightest and least stable shoe I have ever worn. But it is a great shoe and have a hard time taking it off. I took my dog because I knew that I couldn't push it with her and it woudl keep my pace honest.

The Holidays have passed and I have not been here in a while. The fall treated me well and got into my weight training and now it is time to get geared up for triathlon season. A lot of my friends have been at it already going for 2 and 3 hour rides. I will be building myself up to hopefully have another great season. I will be making the AG nationals my A race this year and B race wil be the pumpkinman sprint. Trying to determine if I embark on the long distance stuff again. I like where I am at with the sprint distance.

So, here goes to a great 2012! see you on the road!

what a way to end the season

2011-09-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-12T05:03:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-03-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-07T22:23:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-25T00:06:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-05T00:29:00.000-08:00

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!

Christmas countdown

2010-12-10T06:26:00.000-08:00

So I have finished all my shopping and was able to grab stuff for the nieces and nephews along with stuff for my own boys. I am pretty sure that my wife will be happy with what Santa brings her this year...

yesterday and today I was able to get in two workouts. Yesterday I tweaked my back a little bit and cut it short so I wouldn't put myself out of commission. So today I was able to get into the gym early and see how things would go. After a good warm up I felt no discomfort and was able to get after it. Some dynamic pushups and pull ups on the TRX then KB swigs and bent rows followed by 1 min of double unders and 1 min of Burpees. All felt good. After that I did single motion dumb bell squats, curls to push press 4x10 with 50 knee to elbows. Got a good sweat and back felt great.

I only have about 2 more weeks of hard weights and will be focusing on single leg isolation with some back work. Then I will be on the bike an in the pool! 2011 is right around the corner the 12 days till Christmas starts this weekend!

12/4/10 WOD

2010-12-04T23:07:00.000-08:00

still have a cold and will be taking the next couple days to get better.

Today I performed "CINDY" 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 air squats AMRAP for 20 minutes.
I performed 27 rounds in 20 min.

I beat my last number by 3 rounds.

happy birthday to my big brother good luck at the jolly jaunt!

the next step

2010-12-01T05:43:00.000-08:00

I took off the weekend of Thanksgiving just because I didn't want to feel like I was chasing a workout and rushing to get things done. I Had some light activity and an easy run on Sunday the 28th. Monday I did Cross fit again, BARBARA. It was brutal but great all at once. I am seeing some strides in my back and pull ups got all 20 in all 5 sets. I used wrist wraps to fasten my hands to the bar. I hope to move past them this winter .

I know have a pretty good cold. Felt it come Monday afternoon. I ran an easy 8min/mi yesterday for 30 mins. Just to sweat. Going to have active recovery today and CrossFit tomorrow. I am now getting ready for the next step. In building my strength for the upcoming season. I will have about 4-5 weeks more of CrossFit training then will start to implement my tri training for 2011!

tough run

2010-11-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

went out for a 7.5 miler today. Legs were beat up after yesterday's workout. Felt good until I hit the 5 mile mark and it felt like my wheels fell off! finish time 57:40

re-do of my own misery

2010-11-22T13:09:00.000-08:00

it hurt!

5 rounds

10 kb swings 52lbs

10 push press 55lbs

10 bent rows 55lbs

10 squats on bosu ball

120 double unders

5 min rest

4 rounds

10 weighted chin ups w/ 25 lb kb

10 burpees

60 sec plank.

Getting read for Thanksgiving! I was supposed to do my FTP test today but had a flat tire and wasn't motivated for it...I think I will wait until Dec 1 to get that ball rolling!

workout of the day

2010-11-18T23:24:00.000-08:00

"Barbara"

warm up: rope 3 min

5 ROUNDS for time

20 pull ups

30 push ups

40 sit ups

50 air squats

time: 30:17 I was sucking wind

cool down: 3 min rope

Still kicking

2010-11-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

So it has been too long since I have written and I have not really had anything to write about. I have been trying to let my body recover and and have been averaging about 1 worlout a day. I have finally got through my calf issues and have been back into weight training. I plan on keeping my body weight as close to 190 as possible with out depriving too much. As we hit the holiday season my youngest started to walk and my oldest is going turning 4. My wife is trainging for her first endurance event. the princess half marathon. She is doing fantastic!

2011 is going to bring a full plate of sprint and international distance races. I plan on keeping my plan simple. This past year I was not smart enough to take recovery days but after some reading and research it is apparent that it helps. I know that everyone has been saying this but I have a hard time sitting still. I will be focusing the next few weeks on crodd fit, TRX and moderately long runs and half marathon pace. I have also thrown in some trail running to mix things up. I need to focus on power training on my bike this winter too. It is a tool that I have only barely touched upon! Once we get through the apple pies and Christmas presents I will be full on tri mode and getting ready for a great season with Team FIT WERX.

Sorry for the delayed post

my own misery

2010-09-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

warm up= rope 3x90 with hard last 10

MAIN SET

5 rounds of 10 reps

KB swings (52lbs)

shoulder press (30)

bent lat raide (10)

Split squat

rope 3x120

2nd Round

4rounds 10 pull ups

15 Burpess

Abs= 4 way planks 4x30 secs each

Back at the GYM!

2010-09-20T12:16:00.001-07:00

warm up 4 x 500 = row

main set= 7 UPs for 7 rounds timed

7 pull ups

7 burpess

7 thrusters

7 dips

7 push ups

7 knees to elbows

1 min jump rope

Abs= exercise ball= 4 way abs x10

FIRMman Race Report

2010-09-13T05:03:00.000-07:00

4:44:20 = Finish Time

I have been planning to do this race all summer. I registered in June and felt that I would try to do a half at the end of the year. This race was the first Half that I have ever done back in 2005 and felt that 5 years later I would go back and see what I could do. Leading up to the race I completed in 10 other triathlons this summer. They were all sprint distance and can feel confident in saying I accomplished my goals with all of them. The last 4 weeks have been tough. I started to suffer from some burnout and overtraining and my body began to feel it. With that I sought the advice of some good friends and professionals in coaching and physical therapy. April Bowling of Tri Life coaching and Sara Thatcher of Bodytuning helped square me away. I have never been coached before and always kind of "winged" it when it came to my training plan. Once I spoke with April I think she was a bit bewildered and put a very scientific but accurate schedule together for me to help me taper and heal my injuries prior to racing. I can say that it made a huge difference in showing me how to get my workouts in and feel overburdened in doing them. Magic hands Sara Thatcher helped get my body back into alignment and felt how much of a difference it made as race day came on.

09/11/10

Narragansett RI.

Going into the race was kind of a downer because my brother was supposed to do it with me. Because of bike accident he had back in July he had been sidelined and was unable to join me. We planned on bringing our families down and enjoying the atmosphere. Unfortunately I would go at it on my own. It is good to say that he is on the mend and will be ready to go for next year. I checked into my hotel at 5:30 pm and got settled. I watched Notre Dame blow what could have been a great victory and then headed over to meet Dr Dave Kilroy and his family for a pasta dinner his wife Maureen had made. Dave and some of his friends were doing the relay. So after a glass of wine and two plates of pasta I decided to retire back to my room. I was able to talk to Lynn and say our good nights. I was really missing her and the boys. I out together my race bag and got my bike in order and did a little light reading. Decent sleep and up at

4AM.

09/12/10

I had a good morning, two bagels and a powerbar and a gatorade. I was feeling pretty good. I had no symptoms of my calf injury and felt confident that I was more than ready for this day. I went to my car and the air was muggy, and windy. I was hoping that the wind would die down but not a chance. Went to check in and when I got my stuff I was told that I was put into the elite/pro wave. I had been racing in the elite category this summer in the sprint distance but going there in a endurance event was a big leap. These other E/P's are 40-50 lbs lighter that me and that makes a huge difference. I got set up and went to my rack, #5. There was a good group of elites and pro's today, I think 10 men. There was a large contingent of team Fuel Belt. It was nice to see another guy I know Dave Lamoureaux. I know him from when I raced with Aquaphor. He is an incredible athlete and runner. I put on my wetsuit and made the one mile walk down the beach to the start.

1.2 mile Swim : 28:44

The water was nice but the surf was big. There was some big waves you had to climb through as you went to the first turn buoy. Once I got there I was able to get clear of some people and head off on my own. I sighted well, in fact I got every buoy that was in the water . I felt really good and there wasn't much to worry about until you got to the last turn buoy. There was a fair amount of waves and you could feel them push you towards shore but I didn't think it because I felt strong in the swim it didn't bother me. At that last turn buoy you really felt the current and what I didn't realize was that you had to make a sharp right turn to get back to the beach. Here the waves were a bit higher than before and I just let them bring me in. I was only about 75 yards off line when I got on shore and made up that time in T1. I got to the wetsuit strippers and was on my bike in 50 secs. By far my fastest T1 ever.

56 mile Bike: 2:35:00

After the swim I thought I was going to have a great race. As we made our way out of town the conditions were pretty good. I was hoping to hold around 220-230 on my power meter. I was doing a great job and new that I was where I wanted to be. Once we hit route 1 the wind punched us in the face. It was pretty steady and made a difference. I instantly saw my power rise and speed drop. I kept telling myself to stay in control and not to push it. At around the 12 mile mark the course went off the highway and into a residential area. I was by myself, not catching anyone in front and no one was behind me. This was good and bad b/c I was doing a good job holding my numbers but I did not feel like I was racing, just on a training ride. This part of the course had a lot of hills. I forgot how many hills there were. I was able to keep on my nutrition of drinking every 10 min and gel every 45. On the return to route 1 I was coming down a long stretch of hill when I started to see everyone else heading out. There was a girl how took a pretty bad crash . I was able to stop for her to see if she was ok. She said she was fine and for me to go on. there was another guy there too. Just up the road was a support crew and I gave the word that she might need some help. At this point I was able to see a bike out in front of me, about a 1/4 mile and know we were back on route 1 and the wind was still there. Usually there is a tail wind on this part of the course but not today. I could feel my thighs burning and I was fading a little bit. I went to get a salt tab and realized I must have dropped them b/c they were no longer in my shorts. Not much I could do know but drink and drink some more. We finally got off the highway and I rolled into town. I thought I could have rode better. Tough wind conditions but everyone had to deal with them. T2 was smooth, and off I went on the run

13.1 mile run= 1:39:44

My feet were numb as I headed out on the run. Not sure why but I didn't have and affect on me too much. In fact I was running way too fast. I was wearing my polar foot pod so I could keep track of my pace. It said I was running about 6:05. I stopped for 5 seconds and told myself slow down. I was still by myself at this point and wanted to hold and a pace of 7:20 for the run. Well my first mile was 6:55. I then avg. 7:05 through mile 8. I was clipping away and feeling confident I could maintain this. As I passed mile 7 I saw the leader, Dave Lamoureaux approaching mile 10. He was flying and looked strong. we exchanged pleasantries and moved on. It was I then hit the 8 and was headed back to the finish. There were only two more big hills to climb and then on to the beach for the last 200 yards to the finish line. it was right at the mile 9 water stop that I got 2 cramps in my quads. They were big. It took a few secs to get them to relax and then was finally able to start running again. I was shuffling along and knew that if I got up the first hill I would be able to tough it out and stride into the finish. I was holding around 7:45's mixed with a stop here and there to squat and stretch my quads. I help pace with the overall female winner. It helped b/c she was great runner and encouraged me to stay with her. We finally hit the beach headed down to the hard sand to make it a little easier. I crossed the line and finished accomplishing my first goal. Finishing. Second goal was finish under 4:45.

Dave L . took the overall win with a time of 4:13. I quickly realized how much size comes into play when it comes to running this distance. I was pleased with the day as whole. It was fastest 13.1 split and my swim was right on. My bike was slower than I thought it should be. I think and bit more specific training would address that. I plan on taking some time this fall to reflect on the things that I can do to improve this winter. I had a great season and a proud of the way it ended. With the support of Fit Werx and the help of Tri Life and Bodytuning I was able to get the start line healthy and confident. I am a bit sore today and I a way it feels good because I know I earned it.

I can't express how much my family supported me this year, Lynn and the boys were more that amazing and it was appreciated. Thank You! Time to start planning for 2011!

Packing up

2010-09-10T05:33:00.001-07:00

Well as many of my coaches have said the "hay is in the barn". I have put in all the work I could and today I feel the best I have in weeks. I got a solid night sleep and all those little aches an pains have begun to subside. It is amazing how much the taper plays with your mind. The funny thing is I considered myself to be immune from my own mental torture but as real as it gets, we are all human. I realized that there are only certain things that you can control the rest of it, you just trow up your hands roll the dice and hope your number lands.

Injury is something that can completely through a wrench in to all of it. I was lucky enough to have some great support. I have been very tense this week and before today I took a lot of frustration out on people that are close to me. My own fault. it all comes back to just riding the wave and letting everything fall into place and not let setbacks take over.

Thank you to all those who have put up with my crankiness, I owe you.

Days of Summer

2010-08-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

Last night we had the last triathlon at Nahant Beach. It is always bittersweet b/c everyone is talking about there last race or what they plan doing over the winter and taking time off from racing or training and so on. I had a great year at Nahant this year. I raced in 5 of them and won all 5 setting one of the fastest course times in 30 years.

My body is telling me right now to take a break and get ready to watch college football on Saturday afternoon instead of an 8 mile run or hour bike ride. I know that will help me recover more than I could ever imagine but now is the time where I have to focus on my mind game and prepare myself for the 70.3 coming up. I know I am more than physically capable to race and race well there but b/c of all the little tweaks and cramps the doubt creeps up from behind to scare you.

A good friend and coach and athlete had helped achieve some physical gain by advising me on how to taper these last few days. She is very scientific and the proof is in the numbers. I had a successful long brick the other day and last night I had a win in Nahant with a little bit of a cramp at the end of run. The good thing is that today I was not as tight as I thought I would be. I have one more significant run left and then some short high intensity rides with some good swim workouts tossed in. I will be going into this race at a good weight with a good game plan and the mental game in check.

The long days of summer are winding down, so is my training schedule all getting ready for the final test.

getting tired

2010-08-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

So I have been trying to get my last bit of long stuff in for the Firm Man 70.3. Man is this getting old. I have had another calf issue take over and am getting tired of this. I was out for a long run and at mile 8 started to tighten up. I have since had some relief but this is just getting old. with only 24 days left I have some work to do.

Maybe this is my body telling me I am ready to taper and need the light work form here on out. I have spoken with some good friends and smart athletes to help devise a plan to get me top level for the race. April Bowling was kind enough to work with me and is keeping on par to hold my fitness and limit my damage. The thing is, I feel fit and strong as hell! It is just that my calves are scorched!. Witch puts my frustration level at a 10! I can swim and ride no problem and took a couple of strides with much issue. but I am as tight as a drum. So from here on out there will be stretching and ice heat repeats along with foam rollers! Ohh how I love it!

2010-08-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

As you an see I was wearing a new race kit at the witch city last week. I have now committed to wearing and using my equipment from Fit Werx. I have known Marty and Dean, co-owners of Fit Werx for many years and we were friends long before they partnered with Ian Buchanan the original founder. As the years have passed and technology has improved Fit Werx has always been on the forefront of promoting the things that work not only for pros but everyday riders and athletes.

I did fulfill my commitment with Aquaphor and don't want people to think that I just jumped ship. I talked with Marty about making the change and I felt that I wanted to support local business and friends before anything else. So from here on out I will be donning the red and black.

Witch City Race Report

2010-08-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

I raced the Witch City this year and was very pleased with the way things turned out. It was an early start at 7 am so I was up early and things were going without a hitch. Had a great night sleep. It was the first night in a while that I slept for at more than 6 hours straight. Any way....

Swim : 10:34 (including T1) half mile

I got into the water and it was dam cold. Face numbing cold, neoprene cap wearing cold. A half mile that seemed longer b/c it was so cold. But it was cold for everyone. There were 2 waves that went off. So it was a bit crowded and once I made the first turn buoy I got bumped. Not a big deal until my goggles started to fill up with water. I finally had to fix them and that meant I had to turn over on my back so I could keep kicking while I put them back on. I finally reached land and made my way to my bike. I don't know if the water had an effect on my brain but i could not do a thing right in T1. I messed up my bike shoes trying to hope on my bike but after some time i managed to get going and off I went on the bike.

Bike : 32:44 (by my bike computer) 13 miles

Once I made my way out onto Rt 114 I was hammering. I fueled my fire b/c I was pretty po'd at myself for my T1 mistakes. I got into a groove and just pedaled as hard as I could. This is a bit against my style b/c of my power tap but i wanted to make up time and this was the only way how. The rest of the course was uneventful. Three loops around the neck and back for the run. I was able to get some good speed coming down the backside of the neck and that gave me a slingshot over the causeway. I could see the lead bike on the other side of the causeway getting back onto Rt114. I tried to get closer and I wasn't sure what place I was in. By the time I got back to Salem State I passed another bike. Entered T2 and a better exit.

Run : 16:40 = 3 miles

I did notice my feet were numb, almost like they were asleep. The leader was about 100 yards ahead of me and looked like he was running well. I quickly got to pace and kept him at about 50 yards. My legs felt good but was hoping my feet would warm up. At about the 1 and 1/4 mark we went onto a trail along Salem harbor. It was about a .25 mile out and back. The turn around was there and figured I would wait to see what he would do. I closed the gap to about 15 yards and when we got back onto the street I started to make a pass. The lead runner kept with me for about 10 seconds then I figured I would push a little more. I was able to get some separation and finish with the overall win.

I was proud of the way I fought back after such a tough start. I had a little reason to because I was in my new Fit Werx race suit. I will be racing primarily for them the rest of this year and for the long future to come. Marty and Dean had supported me tremendously I was honored when the asked me to wear their gear. Why not, I ride on all their stuff too! Thanks guys.

It was bummer not being able to race with my brother as he is till recovering from a bike accident. He was there in support along with my wife and 2 sons. Jack liked the fact , as he puts it, I was chasing a police motorcycle as I headed back to the finish line. Classic.

humbling

2010-08-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

So that past few weeks have been great. Training has been Ok, a little bit of a shoe issue that finally got resolved. needed to go up a half size. Bike has been going well and Swimming has been just that. nothing improved or lost.

We spent a week on the Cape and i was able to get in some ridding and running. Had to hold off on the swim there b/c of some man eating fish that have been swimming around. I have been building up my endurance trying to get ready for Firm Man. I tis much different that training for the shorter fast stuff. Coming up this weekend will be my lsat sprint of the season. The witch City. I was tossing around going up to Gloucester but I like racing in my own back yard.

In trying to get back some distance this week I went out for a 11+ miler. It was very humid and I brought my fuel best and off i went. I wasn't feeling my best but I chugged along. I was holding between a 7:20 and 7:40 pace when I just lost it. I have done this run countless times and this time I was wiped. I stopped regrouped and chugged along. I managed to get home and that was all I was hoping for at the time. It was a humbling experience. If got some longer runs and rides planned for the next few weeks with a 6 day speed session about 2 weeks before race day with about a 7 day taper for the half I-man. I will take everything I learned from last week to help me move forward.

training ups and downs

2010-07-16T00:17:00.000-07:00

This week has been up and down. I went back to the pool this week and got two quality swims in. I worked on 4x400's with 70.3 race pace and went well I wass going into each one at 5:45 and taking off on 6:00 with steady turn over. A couple days later I also worked on speed with 10x100's broken. 1st 5 were pull and last 5 were all out. My last 5 were 1:14, 1:14, 1:15, 1:14 and 1:15. two months ago I was 2-3 seconds slower. So I am happy with my results.

The downs, I have been running on the Newton trainers and racers fo rhe last 14 months. I really adapted well and enjoyed the shoes. This past 2 weeks I have been dealing with some foot pain. Right under my 3rd an 4th toes. Some research proved that I may be wearing a shoe too small. I have looked at my shoes soles and tried to determine if I do in fact need to bump up. I will reach out to Newton today and see what they can help mw with.

Tonight I raced in Nahnat at the beach Tri and it was great crowd. First time back since my brother's fender bender ( he is still out of comission). The water was very warm which also adds to my need to get a sleeveless wetsuit (maybe X-mas). I was first out of the water getting to the beach at 4 mins even. I had a good bike. Legs were a bit heavy but felt I rode par for the course. Completed the out and back in 12:15. Because of my issues with my Newtons i used my Nike Lunar Trainers. Much bigger toe box. The problem here is that my T2 time suffered immensely. After I finally got going I my pace picked up. I will add that I did not like running in these and missed my Newtons. I felt like I had to work a little harder to stay in my forward lean. THe LT's were much softer and I think that it took some energy from me. I hope Newton will let me exchange my other shoes for a bigger size. Right now they are out of stock in the racer. I may have to go to find a retailer and buy them or go to the new performance trainer. The only difference btw the two is about .5 ounces. nothing in the total scheme of things.

Anyway I held a decent run even though they field was hunting me down. I think I lost about 20 secs in T2 and would guess maybe 3-4 secs per mile in the 5K. So my finish time of 34:22 could have been close to own PR at 33:16. But we'll wait till next time!

That Dam Lake! (race report for DAM tri)

2010-07-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

Well I raced the Dam today and was pleased with my results. I finished in 1:04. I crossed the line in 4th OA but because of a penalty on the overall first finisher I bumped up to 3rd. I have always said that not only do you have to race fast fast but also know where you are going. I also saw two types of PRO's today, and one of my good friends set a great example of what the word Professional really is.

Today was and odd day for the front runners. Everything was pretty normal up until the start. The water temp was registered at 82.4 degrees. I wasn't thrilled b/c that meant we could not wear wetsuits if we wanted to get $. So the only thing I wore today was my tri shorts.

Swim: 11:41

This was VERY slow for me. I thought I would get out in about 10 min. One of the volunteers in the lake said she saw me zigzagging and probably swam 3/4 of a mile with all the distance I covered. I was bummed and exhausted when I got out. Didn't realize how much I liked wearing a wetsuit. When the gun went off there were 3 guys who took off. Dave Sek, Pete Mallet and Dean Phillips. It was great to see Dean looking good w/ all of the injuries he has had. The good thing about no wetsuit is that T1 was super fast.

Bike: 31:40

I felt sluggish at the start. Took me a little longer to get moving but once I did I felt strong. The course had a few ups and downs and I covered the 12.3 in about 31 mins. The strange thing was that I did not see one other rider once I left transition. I think that if I had a rabbit to chase it may have been quicker. I finally got into T2 and had another fast transition. I headed out for the run it was hot right off the bat. In the end I think I need to look at my power file and really see what I need to do to help balance my power. I also think that because of my poor swim, I suffered on the bike to try and race where I wanted to be.

Run: 19:57

A quick turn out of transition put you on a slight down hill heading into town. My legs really were turning over quick and I was curious were I was placed at this time. What I didn't know was that one of the leaders, Pete Mallet, had gone of course on the bike I subsequently bumped up to 4th. I hit the first water table. No one was there so I took a drink on my own. I felt like I was moving pretty good and didn't feel like I was hurting to bad. I was at about the 1 mile mark when I saw a runner up ahead of me. It another elite athlete. I focused on him for a while and planned on making a move after the turnaround. While I was thinking of this Pete Mallet came blowing by us. As we got to the turn Dean Phillips was in 1st, Dave Sek in 2nd Pete Mallet 3rd and Steve Wright 4th with me in 5th. I hit the turn in about 10 mins and knew that I could run harder. I was kind of pissed at myself b/c I knew that I could have pushed it a bit harder and maybe have made a move a littler earlier or eve tried to hang with Pete for awhile. I did make a move and pass Wright at about the 2 .5 mile and felt like I was running hard now. I made that turn back to the lake with a slight up hill and felt the thighs start to burn. I knew that i was going to come in under 1:06 (last years time). I pushed hard the last bit and finished in just under 1:05.

The stories started to unfold after the race. While Dean was out on the run, in first, he was sent the wrong way as he was misdirected by 2 volunteers. He followed their direction knowing that it was the wrong way. If he didn't they could have been disqualified. After getting back on course he fought through the frustration of getting caught by 2 others that would have had a really hard time of caching him if he didn't lose 3 mins. In the end he came in 3rd.

The other issue was Pete mallet not making on of the last turns on the bike and going off course. He re-entered the course at a different location and then headed out on the run. Granted he had a super fast run caught all of us to finish first but he didn't follow the rules or the course. For what should have been a DQ he only got a 2 min penalty. After the race, one of the directors came up to me and Dave Sek. the two who after Pete and asked if there was a volunteer at the turn in question. I told him when I got there, I saw a police office with vehicle on the shoulder of the road along with 2, yes TWO signs that said RIGHT TURN!!

What frustrated me the most was that there is a 25 year old kid who after the race was cursing and swearing and trashing the people and volunteers because he missed a turn. I don't think his sponsors would have been pleased to see his rant. In Dean's defense, he followed instructions and was led the wrong way and came back on course where he went off. I am not a PRO, I have just started racing as an elite this year only because I was asked to in Cohasset. If this is what it entails then I would be happy as and AG and taking podium spots there. But I would rather follow Dean's lead and set the example. I understand the pressure knowing what it takes to be in the elite field. The wimmer was frustrated and yes he would have won, but part of the race and sport is knowing the course, following directions and covering the entire event without problem or penalty as fast as you can. To hear the complaining that this is my livelihood and I have bills pissed me off even more. I laughed to myself because I thought of Dean who even though just as upset kept it to himself and realized this is a sport and yes he is a pro with a wife 3 kids and BILLS understands that sometimes there is human error and you live and learn. Hell I have 2 kids works nights, sleep only 4-5 hours a day and bills to pay. Hell there were elites at this race who asked for free entry. I don't get. you ask to race for free, want to win to get money and when you go off course the was clearly marked complain because you aren't going to get paid?

I learned something for myself when I was in at Norwich, you have to pay the consequences for your actions weather they are good or bad. In the big picture if the payday at that Dam Tri is going to make or brake you checking account then you can have my Fit Werx gift certificate and better start working on a plan B.

Dam Tri

2010-07-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

So this week has been super hot. Since the Cohasset tri I have been maintaining my 70.3 training. Over the 4th I had a good run and 2.5 hour bike with a 40 min open water beach swim. I have thrown in some speed work on the bike and Ran the Fire cracker 4 miler. I finished in 23:2o and 4th over all.

Yesterday I tested my endurance and tolerance for heat with an 8.5 mile run. Temp heading out the door was 101. Out in Nahant it was 99 and when I returned it was still 101. I totaled 59:10. My usual time on this has been as fast as 54 min. I will take into consideration that I was going on 20 hours with no sleep and it was hotter than HELL itself. I think the Devil was looking for a pool.

Today I went and did a 2000 yard swim in the pool. I was wiped. Just couldn't get my times. I was just a few seconds off. I am going for an easy 1:15 bike this afternoon. On Sat I will be racing as an elite again at the Dam Tri in Amesbury. Pete Mallet who is riding for Fit Werx along with pro/owner Dean Phillips will be leading the charge. Dave Sek is another friend who is going to race elite. Pete and Dave will lead the way on the swim and surely Dean will take over the bike. I just want to hang on show another solid performance.

For the next couple of days I will be taking my BASE products and Aminos to make sure I have I high level of electrolytes. I weighed in today at 185 and feel like a lot of that was water weight lost yesterday. Well i will let you all know how it goes.

PS. Cyclists remember to check your helmets and ride safe. Keep you eye out for the cars. They are not looking for you. My brother and another friend were in accidents last week. Both are ok. Thank God. Stay safe!

Cohasset Race Report

2010-06-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

The turned out to be as good as one could ever expect. I was rather nervous going into this race for a couple of reasons. One my first in the pro/elite field and two I was asked to race there! I did not want to embarrass myself so I wanted a good performance.

0400 wake up call.

Uneventful. Picked up my brother and drove to Cohasset. The area was set up well and I thought that the venue was great. Went to pick up my packet and there was only a section for elites to get there stuff. Pretty cool. Race #13. Lucky 13!

Did a good warm up My brother and went out the bike and tooled around for a few minutes to make sure all the gears were working and put my sneakers to go do some light jogging and warm ups for the run. Got back to transition and then waited to put on the wetsuit and test the water. At 0825, Craig Lewin and I went to test the water and it was perfect. about 64. Had a nice swim and then waited for our start.

0855.

It was a little late but our start finally went off. I was nervous as hell. There were 35 other men and women in my wave who respectively were at the pro and elite level. I had no real idea how to rate myself against these people because I have never raced at this level. It was a run in start and that made things worse because they kept saying one minute, one minute and the sun was baking us in our wetsuits as I felt the sweat running down my back. Then bang the gun goes and so do we. I ran into the water and dove on. Goggles rolled down quick fix and on the way. I didn't feel great in the swim. Not sure if I didn't pull up my wetsuit high enough or if the the full suit is giving my shoulders tightness making it feel like they are working more than they have too. There was some bumping but not much. It felt like I was way back but I drafted off someone and could feel someone drafting off me. got tho the last buoy and headed for shore. I exited the water by my watch at 6:23. I hit the mat up on the beach at 6:45. I ran through transition and grabbed my bike. Off I went. Once in my shoes I raced off.

Got to work on this part. over a minute, Some of the other P/E's were out in under 50 secs.

Bike

The bike was moving. A slightly rolling course with with some technical turns. I feel like I was able to keep things moving quickly. I passed a few elites around mile 2-3 and then I was just chasing the small group about 100 yards ahead of me. I held my power well and was surprised at the end that it wasn't higher. Not sure why. could be because of a lot of turns. I then entered T1. bike computer said 28:?? but race clock was 29:39.

AGAIN! must work on this, 1:09. If I had the same transition times as most of the other elites I would have knocked off 1:oo min of my total time moving me up 3 spots!

Run.

It was 3.2. A couple guys, went past me as we exited transition. I wasn't rattled because I knew I was going to get my legs and going to hold a 6 min mile. That was not the issue. What was the issue was the humidity, The air was getting thick I was at a 9 out of 10. I moved along and took back my two places. Just ahead of was the women's leader, Alicia Kaye, I wanted stay with her because I knew that would get me in under 1 hour, We rolled along and the mile clicked off. I was caught and passed by Carmen Monks of Team Psycho. I then wanted to keep up with him because he was now jockeying with Alicia. At about 2.9 there was tough hill through the course there was a guy from Fast Splits who was giving times to the Psycho guys. Luckily I was close enough to Carmen so I could here the #'s. As we crested the hill it was all down form there. I was trying to pick up the pace to get Carmen in the last 3/10 but he was doing the same. He then entered the finish line with Alicia behind him and me behind her. I hit the stop at 58:00.

The race was awesome. I saw and met some great people. It was crazy to pass the 1995 IRONMAN World Champ on the bike and have her throw out a compliment like she was my coach! I think that as you get to know the course you will be able to cut some time off. I absolutely have to get faster in transition. I must practice this more. There were a lot of Aquaphor guys there and we were represented well on the podium. I am looking forward to the Dam TRI on 07/10 where I will race again at the elite level. We'll see how that goes!

Here it comes.

2010-06-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

So I am getting ready for Cohasset this weekend. I have been feeling pretty good, I fact i weighed the other day to see that I am down to 186. I have never been this light. I also checked my power files and noticed that I have been getting a little stronger too. This is good...getting lighter and gaining power! I will be holding it back tonight at Nahant. I just plan on a hard swim and an easy run. I am tempted to leave the bike home but we'll see.

Speed

2010-06-18T05:13:00.000-07:00

So the other day I posted about how I was feeling sluggish and that I was "getting there". I am not going to say I am there yet but I can say that I was pretty damn pleased with my race last night at the Nahant Beach Triathlon. This has been going on for 30 years and last night I was told by good friend Warren Macphail that I posted one of the fastest times.

33:16.

Now it is time to get ready for Cohasset!

getting there...

2010-06-15T11:13:00.001-07:00

The past few weeks have been kind of sluggish for me. I went to Sandbridge Beach in early June and while I was there I was able to get some quality swimming and running in. However I have put myself in a place were i just felt like i wasn't making any progress. I don't know if have been over training or not. Before we left for VA I did a 1.2 swim in the pool to get an understanding on where is was. I would like to PR for the half this year. After the Patriot half last year, it could be tough. I was sub 4:40 and that was a big jump for me. I have been working on speed lately and not sure if it is settling in. I will be doing my first Nahant Tri today and that could give some of the answers I am looking for. good or bad.

I hope to use Nahant to springboard me into one final good week before the Cohasset Tri. I am still amazed, nervous, excited an uneasy that I am going to be racing in the 1st wave. I feel like this is my first triathlon again. I have been looking at the results from previous years and there are some seriously fast people that will be toeing the line...enough bitching!

So, after looking at my own numbers of the past few days I have been coming in right about where I was last year. Mt run is about the same. I have an 8.2 out and back i run and came in at 54:45 the other day. A couple of seconds off form last year. My bike has been going well and yesterday I had a 2 hour ride up to Gloucester and held a good pace. Threw in a few intervals, My power file showed that average of 205 for 20.2 mph. I am planning on a 220 for the 56 mile bike in the FirmMan. I feel pretty confident in my swim. I held my final set of 5x100's at 1:16 with 15-20 sec rest. I felt strong at the end. I have also set a pr for my 5k this spring.

All in all I think I am getting there, I plan on a solid couple of days with some good stretching and diet to get to where I want to be for Cohasset. I will let you know how it turns out!

Next Up...Cohasset

2010-05-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

I can say that I was pleased with the way the JCC Tri ended up last week. What caught me off guard was that I was asked to race the Cohasset Tri as an elite/pro. This is a sprint tri that has over 900 racers and the e/p field has the likes of Jarrod Shoemaker, US Olympian and 10 time Olympic medalist Gary Hall Jr. At first I had some reservation because these guys are in a different level of speed. After tossing it around for about 5 minutes I said sure! why not, right? I never imagined when I started this sport that I would enjoy it as much as I do or have some success while doing it. I guess that everything form here on out is gravy.

For the next few weeks I will be working getting some speed in the water and the run. After looking at the results of previous Cohasset races, I feel like with a good day I could have some fun and push my limits. There are going to be some superior athletes there and to be able to stand on the line with them is pretty damn cool. One of the best things that I have learned recently is how to sustain my race pace and handle the pain it may cause. I have been liking the sprint distance because it is over quickly, all relative to distance of the race.

So as the season kicks off I will be focusing speed along working on my transitions. The faster I can get from one discipline to another the better the overall time is. For the bike I am going to go long 2 days with another 2 focusing on interval and power training. I am going to try and take a page from Dean Phillips and build up endurance on the bike so I can sprint the run. The 5 days I will be spending in VA beach with the family will be a good opportunity to get some hard running in and solid swimming in a pool of meters, not yards and some open water swimming. The Ocean temp is in the mid 70's.

I am already looking forward to the next race!

Spring Training is Over : JCC Tri by the Sea race report

2010-05-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

Today started my Triathlon season for 2010. My annual attendance at the JCC sprint Tri in Marblehead MA. I consisted of a 250 yard swim 10 mile bike and 3.5 mile run. The swim is in a pool and a time trial start where racers are placed in order of the estimated swim time finish. This year I entered a swim time of 3:10 and I was seeded 9th. .

Race morning wake up 0515. I woke up and coffee, cereal with banana. Packed the car and drove my 4 min commute to the event start. Set up and got my warm up in. bike felt good and a quick run with some strides and plyometrics got the body loose.

Swim: watch 3:10

I entered the water 2 min after the 1st racer started. There is a 15 sec delay between racers. I felt great in the water, my swim warm up was a bit sluggish but that was mental. I got through my first 100 yards in about 1:12. When I got to 150, I was tapping the girl in front of me and she was swimming into the guy in front of her. I can say it was frustrating because I was moving pretty well. In fact at the 200 yard mark I had to stop in the middle of the lane because there was a back up of swimmers. I finally got passed them and sprinted through the last 25 yards. I looked at my watch when I hopped out and read 3:10. Probably could have been sub 3min if I didn't get hung up.

T-1 was usual. No issues.

Bike : 10 miles, computer 25:56 (avg power 264)

I have ridden this course more times than I can count. I got on the bike in 6th place. I knew Dean Phillips Fit Werx owner,would be rocketing out in front. By the time I got to the causeway I had passed three more people. I was holding a good pace and power was ok. I am still learning how to balance my power when it comes to a course a hilly as this. It is not that the hills are big but there are a lot off them. Nevertheless I was holding between 245 and 265 on the flat areas. After the first loop I merged with the on coming racers and in that pack was good friend Marty Miserandino, Fit Werx owner, the two us raced the next two loops together. I also caught the next two people ahead of me. Leaving Dean out in front. After getting back T2 my legs were feeling pretty good.

T2= no issues, shoes on and out.

Run= 3.5 miles watch 21:01

Got out onto the run and knew that Dean was ahead of me but unsure by how much. Dean is a good friend and great athlete. I also knew that he has been battling nagging injuries all winter that had prevented him from running and had a pretty serious crash in a TT in Maine just 2 weeks ago. With all that, I have been running very well this spring and was keeping my mind focused to try and get him in my sights. I felt like the run was going well. I forgot to check my splits but knew I was moving well. The last mile has a turn onto a side street with a tough uphill that leads into a long downhill. Once reached the top I could see Dean at the bottom making the last turn back onto Atlantic Ave. At that point it was a little over a half mile to the finish line. I had timed the distance between at that turn and it was just over one minute so I knew that If I could hold my pace I might catch him. After 52:00 flat, 2mins off last year's time. I pulled it off.

great job to My brother who took first place Clydesdale, and to Vin Miserandino who finished third overall and Marty who finished 7th. Also congrats to April Bowling who took top prize finishing first for her age group! It was a great season opener!

Geared Up

2010-05-10T00:13:00.000-07:00

This week is prep week for the first triathlon of the season. I am feeling a bit overtrained and the legs are still a little heavy but i do feel fit and ready to go. I think this week I will just stick to one workout each day and focus on the specific element. My exertion levels will be zones 3 to 4 in the pool and on the bike. Depending on the weather I may just do a longer moderate run (zone 2-3) on Thurs. (60 Mins total). Friday will be a swim and Sat a super easy bike to make sure all systems are go.

For this season I will be riding my Guru Crono win Flashpoint 60's. Powertap Elite with Disc Cover on the rearwheel. Newton Distance racers and Profile Design (now AquaCell) wetsuit. It should be a fun season and I am looking forward to kicking it off! Race report to follow...

getting ready

2010-05-04T23:17:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been pretty good. I have been adding some quality work to my training and am beginning to see some improvements. For the 2010 season I will be racing for Team Aquaphor. I will be toeing the line on May 16th for the JCC triathlon by the sea. There is always great athletes there and I don't expect this year to be any different.

The past few days i have been working in speed in the bike and swim. Intervals have been a key part in both exercises. On the 18th I start my program for the FirmMan. I know that I have a good base but I want to focus on some long stuff early so that when the warm weather comes I can focus on 70.3 specific speed.

On a side note ; I was up at my old stomping ground Norwich University last weekend. There I played in the Alumni Lacrosse game in honor of Brendan MacDonald. Brendan, a cadet who tragically lost his life while at Norwich is honored by fellow alums and players along with his family. It was a great day and fun was had by all. I was pretty beat up after. Slow and fast twitch muscles weren't mixing to well.

This upcoming week I will be focusing on my intervals and get ready for the JCC. My goal is to try and beat my time from last year. We'll see!

psalm 147:10-11

2010-04-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of a man;

the LORD delights in those who honor Him,
who put their hope in his unfailing Love.

How fitting for us athletes

Success!

2010-04-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

So we had the Gold Star Run to Honor this past weekend. It was for the memory and honor of SPC Jared Raymond. KIA in Iraq in 2007. He was a local Swampscott kid who enlisted after 9/11. While serving his country he lost his life. A few years ago his mother had organize a road race in his honor. This past year a friend asked if I could help. I went to B n S Fitness to see if they could be the race directors. They did an outstanding job with the production of the event.

The weather couldn't have been better, low 60's sunny and lots of people. there were well over 225 people racing including my wife and 2 boys. I pushed the jog stroller while my brother pushed his 2 girls and we were gluttonous by registering for he 10 K. the course was a little long and challenging. Also running was a good group of fellow officers from the Swampscott Police Dept. I was excited that so many guys were ready to do this. It was great representation for local kid who deserved the attention for the day.

When all was said and done, 3rd Overall and 1st for Military/Police with a time of 42:57.

Going Aero

2010-04-04T23:50:00.000-07:00

So I put an aero disc cover on my rear Flashpoint 60 w/ powertap this week. I had been researching this for a little bit and a friend of mine had used this product from wheelbuilder for years with some great success so I decided to throw out the 90 bucks and get one. Assembly was very easy and after reading a few reviews it was also recommended to use electrical tape along the edge to help secure the cover to the rim, which I did.

After a nice one hour ride I could see the benefits of a disc. I was able to use a Zipp disc at Lake Placid in 2008 but I didn't think I was able to obtain the full benefit of it because of the rain for the entire bike segment of the IM. So using a version of the aerodynamic benefits on a moderately windy day seemed to show how much the disc can add speed to the bike. I do have to have the rear derailleur adjusted to prevent rubbing when I slide into the top ring of the rear cog. Otherwise I think this is a wise investment. I will give some more info on it as it comes in.

FTP 2

2010-03-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

This has been a low key week. I have been recovering from a couple good weeks of work. I have done a few tests to see where I stand. I know running is going well with last weeks 5k. I have done some swim intervals and at the end of Monday's swim workout I added a 250 at race pace. Probably not the smartest thing b/c I had a hard swim before that. But I wanted to see how I would do. I covered it in 3:20. Not what I was looking for but I have to consider that I swam 3000 before that. Oh well. I will test it again at the beginning of my workout next week and see what I get. I plan on the rest of the week being relatively easy. After this week I will be increasing intensity and distance to the bike and run. After my FTP test I will be able to use the new numbers and focus on some solid base rides of a few hours long. As for the run I 90 min runs at 65-70% HR.

Yesterday I performed my 2nd power test. It is a tough workout for sure! But it is vital to make sure that I am able to monitor my progress. I started out with a 15 min warm up and the 3X1's followed by 5 min easy spin. Then for 20 min hit went all out trying to hold that pace for all 20 min. I wasn't really sure what to expect because I wanted make sure I survived the 20 min but needed to get a good number to gauge what kind of progress I made from my first test.

Well after 20 mins I cooled down with another 10 min at an easy pace. The results showed that I avg 286 watts for the 20 min interval. the formula takes that number and multiply it by 95% and that is my FTP= 272. I progressed by 8 watts.

After the deluge of rain stops I plan on enjoying the Easter weekend with the family then plan on some focused workouts.

Spring Training

2010-03-26T06:10:00.000-07:00

It was a pretty good week of training. The weather had gone up and down.

Wednesday I had a good swim. Did a pyramid of 50-400 and back down with some other drill work. Then I got on my bike in the afternoon. I performed a test that I did about a month ago. 10 reps of 120% FTP for 2 min with 2 min rest. In my first test of this I only hit 115% and my 10th rep was a joke. After some good training and power focus riding I went at it again. After a warmup and some single leg drills I started. I was hitting 325-340 watts for my first few reps. I was curious if this would last. It did. I felt good and strong. I was able to hold the aero position for the first 8 reps. 9 and 10 I started aero but sat up for 30 secs before gettin gback down. I still was able to hit 320+ watts. I was really pleased to see such an improvement.

Yesterday I was able to get out for my 8 mile run test. The temp was in the low 60's and when I started there was one heck of a head wind. I wasn't too optimistic on the first couple of miles. Running along the shoreline can be a pain in the neck b/c the wind changes on an instant but after about 3.5 the wind changed. I hit the 4 mile mark and turned. I instantly felt the wind pushing me from behind and the temp felt like it jumped 10 degrees. The legs felt pretty strong and my HR said I was at 97%. Find it hard t believe, I think I need to retest that and adjust the numbers. Anyway, I was heading home and feeling pretty good. My numbers were pretty good and I was making up some big time on the way back. I was about 30-45 seconds off my first 4 miles b/c of the wind. Yes it was that bad. I finally hit mile 8 at 55:10. It was not the 54:?? i was looking for but all things considered I was happy. I cooled down for another mile and called it a day.

Today is a recovery day. I will get on my bike for one hour and ride at 65-70% FTP (175-200 watts) I want to let my legs recover a bit and will have another crossfit tomorrow.

St. Patrick's Day Recovery Run 5K

2010-03-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Today I participated in my first 5K of 2010. I was about 50 degrees out and sunny wiht a hedwind on the course for the whole way. I finished 2nd Overall with a clock time of 18:14 and watch time of 18:12. It was by far my fastest 5K ever! My first mile was 5:42 and at the 1.75 mark in the race the overall winner went by me. I tried to hang with him but his light frame slid through the wind and left me behind. His finish time was 17:26. All in all I was excited about my race because I had not done many intervals with my run training.

It finally feels like the season is getting started. My first TRI will be May 16th, in Marblehead and I will be running a 10K on April 24th. I don't think I will be holding 5:40's for that one!

Steady goes the ship!

2010-03-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

This has been a very good week. I am more than please with my numbers and the feel pretty good about setting myself up for what could be another fun season.

Yesterday I was in the pool and got a great swim workout. Did a good hour set and worked in 5x100's. I started off hitting 1:19, 1:19,1:17,1:17 and 1:15 for my last 100. I was happy with the fact that I was able to monitor my pace as close as I did . I think by the end of the month I should be able to break 1:15.

Today i punished myself. I had a one hour bike. After a short warm up I performed 10x2min at 120% ftp, which was 315 watts. I hit the mark on 9of 10 and the last one was close. It took me about 40 secs to get to 315 and really was grinding out trying to hold it. Non the less I was pleased with my results. After that got to bed for a couple hours and then had a 5K to go and pick up my car from the shop. I averaged 7:15's and felt pretty good.

Not a bad set today considering I had to cut short my sleep today after a long shift. I am looking forward to my days off where I can catch up on some rest. I will be cross fitting tomorrow, "Cindy". 5 pull ups,10 push ups and 15 air squats AMRAP and will take off Sat and Sun before my TT run test on 8 miles on Monday. I am shooting for sub 55 min. Hope everyone has great weekend!

final pre-base prep

2010-03-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend was the ride for Jules. It is a 3 hours spin fest that a good friend of mine has been running for the last 6 years. It is to help fight diabetes. I have to say that I selfishly take advantage of this event to put my training into high gear. when do you the opportunity to get a 3 hour coached session of all out spinning? not often. Any rate because of certain circumstances I was only able to complete 2:15 min of the event. During the event I burned just over 1600 calories. I weighed in at 190 lbs after the event. A whopping 4 and 3/4 pound loss. I held an average heart rate of 74% with a max heart rate at 96%. I felt pretty good too considering that I was going on zero hours sleep b/c I worked the night before. All things considered it went well.

On Sunday the sun was out and I was feeling a bit sluggish. We did the weekend stuff with the kids and then everyone took naps. I couldn't for the life of me let a beautiful day in March pass me buy so I went out for an easy 45 min recovery run. It was nice I didn't turn on my watch I just ran by feel. I know I covered 6.2 miles and finished the run under 42 mins. I didn't once find myself pushing or trying to over do it. It felt great.

Today I same 2100 in the pool and will got out for a run this afternoon. The swim was a 1/2 Ironman focus workout. I did a 400 warm up the 4x50 kick then the main set was 3x400's on 6min. It was hard. I finished the first set at 5:52 and then took off at 6:10 the second set was better at 5:50 with a take off at 6:00 and the last set I really focused on a good stroke an breathing and finished at 5:48. Other than the poor judgement on the first set I think I made up for the 10 sec delay after the first set. My run this afternoon will be race pace for the 1/2 marathon. I am going to work on 7:25. with good form and cover about 8 miles. This will be a good test to see how well I am recovering and the weather again is gorgeous! Let you know how it all shakes out!

So I went out for my run and got to say it was windy out there. the sun was warm though. Wore shorts for the 1st time in 2010. When I got started my legs felt heavy. Took me a while to get warmed up. A little over a mile into it I felt a bit better. I only was running at about 7:50 when i got started. At the 2 mile marker I stepped it it up to a 7:25. I held it there until the 4mile turn around. Where i headed back home. Mile 4-5 was around a 7:50 again. the wind was blasting me in the face but it felt good to just work on my form and focus on stride length. At mile 5 I picked it up again and went 7:00 the remainder of the run. I was a bit all over the place but it felt good to get some different speeds today. As the weather gets warmer and the season nears I plan on working intervals into my runs. I would like to add some track workouts this spring to help brake the speed plateau. Every little bit helps!

In like a Lion

2010-03-04T05:24:00.000-08:00

March definitely came in like a lion. H2O heater needed to be replaced, Car got dinged, best friend gave us good and bad news so that off set itself. Also the person who never gets effected by illness was knocked down the last 24 hours. I picked up the slack and the boys were pretty good, giving Mom the bedroom to catch up on her sleep.

Monday I was on the trainer and got a good 1:30 on the bike. I hit 4x5 at 95% and then steady ride at about 65%. The power tap is beginning to help me stay balanced while I ride. I don't find myself all over the map. I am able to focus on a particular # and maintain it. It also reminds me to finish my sets. It is as if someone else is watching you and you don't want to let them down.

Tuesday I got in the pool and swam 3300. It was a good set. I varied that intervals and have been working on getting long on my stroke when I get tired. I think that I have been doing pretty good at that. I now want to start working on some speed. By the end of the month I would like to have my 100's down to 1:15. Right now I am coming in on 1:17. I know that it is early but this is the time to make progress. After the swim I was able to go and do some light weight work.

Yesterday was an unscheduled say off. Had to hold down the fort. Probably not a bad idea b/c my legs felt like lead.

Today I am off to the pool this morning and then an easy ride for 60 min. I am planing on 3600 in the pool. It is typical March, flurries and cold early in the month but I am optimistic that in 3 weeks we will have some better weather and will be outside more often. It takes a physical toll on me too b/c going into the month I feel like a lion because all winter there is weights and cross fit and sluggish training that kind of brings out the aggression of a lion by the end I hope to have dropped 2-3 pounds and develop the triathlon mentality. Winters in New England can be tough and though it is not over yet there is a light at the end of tunnel.

Another thing that I am looking forward too is the ride for jules. It is a 3 hour spinathon that a friend of mine has been running. This is the 6th year. It is also a reminder that the spring season is upon us. I am not wishing the days away but honestly I am tired of scarfs and winter hats, I am ready for flip flops and sunscreen. On that note it is time to go swim.

Gains

2010-02-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

So since I have moved the overnight shift things have pretty much stayed status quo. In fact I feel that I am making some gains. It may be because I am now more focused on the workouts I have and the time I have to do them. I also think that I am focusing on my recovery time because of my lack of sleep compared to what I got before. I have even been able to land a couple of double workouts during the work week.

This week has been good, I landed a great swim workout on Monday morn. got 3800 yards in with some good tech work and stretched out some other sets. Followed that up with and after noon pm run. Tuesday was a 3200 High intensity swim with an easy recovery ride at 65% FTP. Yesterday I got a crossfit workout in the am then I killed myself on the bike with a 55 min ride(cut short b/c 6 month old woke up from nap) It was still a hard effort with 7x3 at 120% FTP with 3 min recovery. followed by steady spin at 65%. My steady spin was short by 5 min. Don't think it is a big loss. Today was good too with another swim and then a 7 mi run on the treadmill. I performed 5 min intervals at different races paces.

All in all I feel like I have made some gains with my numbers. I have two more build weeks and then a recovery week. So hopefully the kids won't get sick until then. I will try to keep my workouts posted online. I have been writing them in my calendar book instead. That is if anyone out there is reading this?

Later

How long till spring?

2010-02-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

So I got my bike back, again. Guru had to repair the shell casing in the bottom bracket. So they gave me a new paint work up as well. It looks amazing. I will post some pics soon. As far as training goes it has been steadily progressing. My swim stroke is coming back to good form, I have been pretty please with my number on the bike. I am just sick and tired running in the damn cold weather! I don't know how I ever trained for the marathon in this stuff. I a such a warm weather person.

The past two weeks have been different b/c I am now working the morning shift and trying to fit in my workouts in broken sleep has been challenging. The one thing I notice is that I have adapted quickly, even though I slept like crap today. I now start my day and 1o pm. Go to work at 11:30 pm and finish at 7:30. The get to the gym for a swim or weights the in bed by 10 am. for 3.5-4 hours. then I get on the bike or run. Pick up the boys and get dinner ready. Spend time with the family. Now my wife puts all three of men to bed before 8pm. Then I wake up at 10pm and do it all over again. because I learned to function on little sleep with new borns I think this transition is a bit less stressful. I just can't wait for that warm weather to help lift the spirits as I walk to work when everyone else is going to bed. So be it.

Off to work

2010-01-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

So last week I performed my FTP test. I couldn't decide if I was disappointed or surprised with my outcome. After an easy warm up I preformed on set at an all out pace that I could maintain for 20 Min. The result was an avg of 279 watts. It was nice to be able to use the software to look at the graph of my progression. The last 5 min I pushed 2 watts more per minute than I did the first 5 min. The point to taken from this, is I can now truly chart my workouts and focus on increasing the amount of spend and power I can push. Ultimately making me a faster cyclist.

Last week I also met Sara Thatcher of BodyTunning. I have always been dealing with the little nagging injuries that would either make me train less or not at the level I want to be at. Sara was able to point out some weaknesses that have had an impact on my performance and was able to prescribe some workouts for me to "rehab" those trouble spots and potentially making me faster.

With those two important parts of my training block taken care of I can now get ready for the up coming season with a better direction. So now it is off to work!

Time to set the bench mark!

2010-01-14T05:18:00.000-08:00

So I have to say that using a powermeter is very informative. The other thing that it can provide is a benchmark for future training. I have to test my FTP. functional threshold power. This will let me see how hard and fast I can actually ride my bike. Fit Werx has provided me with a simple test that will rip me to the core in about 35 mins. Because of the test I will be able to truely take advantage of the information power can give a rider. I will let you know the results!

riding

2010-01-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

I finally was able to get on a bike today. As noted before my crono had to be fixed and I am eagerly awaiting its return.

my friend Marty let me use his old rig to get some much needed trainer work. I have been looking forward to the trainer this winter b/c of the power meter. I had set my numbers for this winter off my last sprint race from 2009. I avg. around 260 watts for that race. So today I set up my workout and it went off with a bang. I am weighing in at about 197. My goal for the end of the month is 195. I am definitely stronger b/c my weights this winter.

For today I started with 5 min warm up and then a 5 min drills and then 5 min at 110 rpm's. Thought this would be a good way to get the HR up. My main set was 8 intervals. The 1st 4 were at 255-260 watts for 2 min with 1 min cool down. The 2nd 4 were at 300-310 for 2 min with 2 min cool down. I love the powertap b/c I was able to find the rhythm and just push. I hit my numbers and was feeling pretty good. The 2 nd set challenged me towards the end. I think I had a good say considering this was my 1st bike workout in 3 weeks. before that I had not been on it since Sept 22. I am counting the hours til I ride again!

4 MONTHS!

2010-01-05T12:20:00.000-08:00

Four months have passed since the birth of my second son. It is so different the second time around and the two of them are so different. The best thing about babies is the innocence that surrounds them. They tend to have it rub off on whoever is holding them. Last night Seamus decided to test the patience of Mom and Dad. Teeth are coming and his belly needs more and more but after he finally decided to sleep at about 3:50 he transformed from the screaming red-faced 15 lbs of mayhem to the picture perfect angel resting with his "blanky". I think these are times that test us as parents so we can develop our own tolerance for each child in the certain ways so that we can raise them to be good people.

Four months has felt like four hours. The time flies and we are loving every minute of it!
Happy New Year!

Old Man winter

2009-12-29T10:48:00.001-08:00

It is bone chilling cold out there today. I have started back into training again for the up coming season. I have decided to do the FIRMAN in Sept as a my A race. This is where I did my first half. I am also going up t Lake Placid to volunteer this year at the Ironman. Might be able to convince my brother to come along and maybe register?

Things have been frustrating the past few weeks. Christmas was great, the kids had a blast. Right before that I sent my bike into get tuned up and they found a crack in my NEW Guru Crono. Needless to say I was more than upset and kind went into a battle with Guru about what they were going to do with it. Bottom line is that they are going to replace the frame and add a custom paint. So, I am now without a bike and don't really know what to expect. Fit Werx will keep me posted.

Got back into the pool yesterday and it felt good to swim but man have a lost a little. No worries though, it is going to become my main focus for fitness this winter. Along with 3 swims a week I am going to work on my power output and try to build as much stamina as possible. With that I plan on good January and February. Hope it goes by as quick as Christmas did.

2009-12-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

I saw this quote today and thought, wow! I hope I do not offend the person who said but I would like to post it...

As a child I prayed for the burden to pass; Now as a Man I pray for the strength to bear the burden.

why ask why?

2009-11-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

the past few weeks have been amazing. I have been able to see my youngest almost doubled in size and his older brother wants to be his best friend. I have switched gears in training and feel like it has been paying off. I have been practicing my own version of crossfit, strength training. I just can't get my mind to even think about about bike workouts or pool sessions just yet. Tossing dumbbells around and plyometrics are much more soothing right now. I am waiting for my Newton All weather trainers to come. That will probably give me the incentive to get back outside and do 8 or 9 miles before work.

The funny things is right now I am enjoying trying to build strength, maintain my weight and put my mind in the right place. People are always asking, why do you do this or why do you do that? I explain, It puts me in a good place, I enjoy being fit and I have a job that I think requires me to be at peak physical condition for as long as I can. My question to you is, Why ask Why?

Perspective!

2009-10-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been awhile but my training is slowed down and trying to focus on recovery. The family is great and life is good. I came across this race report from the World Championship Ironman in Hawaii. This is a pro athlete who opens his door to see what motivates him. It is refreshing to see that this sport brings the best out of people. Hope you like the read.

http://www.chrismccormack.com/blog/ironmanhawaii

Base and Recovery

2009-10-01T05:08:00.001-07:00

So as it stands now my training has switched a bit. I has gone from 0530 pool time to 0300 feeding time. I do have to say that I love it! Seamus is settling in and Jack could never be more proud to be a big brother. Tomorrow he is one month old. Yeah that was quick. I think about how long a month takes to pass when I am waiting for a race or even a holiday. Heck Dec 1 -25th feels like a century! I can honestly say that there is nothing like having a newborn open his eyes and look right at you, deep into your eyes. I can only attempt to try and figure out what he is thinking. So just to let you know Seamus, YES, I am here for the long haul and don't worry, your big brother will stick up for you too!

I also have some news on the sponsorship front. This past year I raced for Team Aquaphor and it was fantastic. I wore their uniform with much success. On Tuesday I received word that I also was accepted as a Silver level Sponsor for BASE performance supplements. This is a company located in southern California that specializes in endurance nutrition products. The founder is one the US's top Ironman pro triathletes Chris Lieto. I began using BASE products this past season and had much success with it. I look forward to utilizing them for my off season and pre-season prep work. For more information about BASE performance go to www.baseperformance.com

Call to Honor Tri:

2009-09-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

Race report for the Rick Cashin Triathlon. 9/13

Pre Race

The morning came early because my 1 week old son decided to give an early wake up call. After getting him back to sleep I put on my coffee and ate at 4:30. The weather turned out to be nice and I looked forward to my last race of the season. Once at the race site I was able to get things in order. My brother Brendan and I went out for a warm up ride and right off the the bat he broke a spoke. Luckily one of our friends was volunteering and lived minutes down the street was able to get him a replacement wheel! THanks Pat.

After a good warm up I was slotted to go off in wave 2. There were some really great athletes there. Scott Ellis, whom I raced against back in May at the JCC was in hand. I know he can run and was curious to see if the short bike and short run would benefit him or me.

8:32= 400 yard Swim

The second wave starts the 400 yard swim. I decided

to go all out at first and see how long I could hold max swim pace. I got to the first buoy quickly but faded a bit loosing my sight for the next turn. I lost a few seconds here but still exited the water at 6:00. While in T1 , got off the wetsuit and my chip came with it. Took a few seconds to find. After sticking it in my shirt pocket I moved on.

10+ mile bike:

I was aiming at holding about 265 for my power. I knew it was a hilly course and was curious to see what toll it would take on me but I wanted to eat the 2 minute head start that the 1st wave had. I felt very fast and rolled through the 10+ miles in 27:00 (including T1) . As I was finishing the bike I saw Scott just ahead and we finished the bike together. I knew I got rid of the time gap but was curious as to how fast he was going to run.

1.5 mile trail run:

Out of T2 I was just ahead of Scott Ellis. I knew the run would be interesting and liked the fact that it was a trail run, something different. It was pretty hilly. A lot of ups and downs. Suprisingly my legs returned quickly from the bike. Because of the trail I was unable to really found a bounce or rythm. After hitting the turn around I saw Scott right there. While heading back I tried to speed it up on the downhills. Sure enough I saw my brother Brendan for the first time in the race. He looked strong. I find it ironic that the first race of the year he had a newborn and my last race, I have the newborn! Anyway I hit the finish line in 44:25 and took 1st overeall! I couldn't be more proud to have won at a race like this.

Overall the race was great! A fitting tribute to a man who served the Commonwealth with the highest level of integrity. I was told Capt. Cashin was a "go getter" someone who liked to live life to the fullest. I hope that the event in his honor was something he would have been proud of. I know the pride I felt when I finished. It was an honor for me to receive my medal from his children and can't wait to do it again next year.

Welcome Home Seamus!

2009-09-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, my wife, son and I welcomed home our youngest and newest member of our family. Seamus Patrick Reen. He was born on September 4th. It is amazing how life's miracles can create such an overwhelming effect on how you live your life. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have been given such a wonderful gift. The past weekend has been pretty good. Seamus is adjusting well. So is his big brother Jack. Many family and friends have been extending their thoughts and prayers and Lynn and I thank you all!

It is safe to say that this has been a great year and it looks like it is only going to get better!

Anticipation

2009-09-02T05:54:00.000-07:00

Anticipation is something that hits us all at one point or another. It may be before a race or interview. For me, tomorrow morning my second child will be entering this world! I can't describe how exciting this time is for my wife and I. Our son Jack is well aware he is going to be a big brother and is more that willing to lend a hand! Waiting for the alarm clock is going to be the hardest part. When Jack was born there was no notice. Things happened by itself and joined us just after desert on Thanksgiving night.

So as I anticipate what will come next I can't wait for the newest member of our family!

Can't get enough of this stuff!

2009-08-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

So I am calling myself out, I said I was done for the summer with tri's but I registered for the "Call to Honor" triathlon on Sept 13th. It will take place in a north shore town, at Stiles Pond. This one is in honor of a fallen trooper who was a Capt. with the Mass. State Police. This is a great cause and the proceeds will got to a scholarship fund established in Capt. Cashin's name.

The race WILL be a great way to finish of the year. By then my second son will be on this earth and I will be somewhat sleep deprived but in the end that is what life is all about.

WITCH CITY RACE REPORT

2009-08-05T04:44:00.001-07:00

That last race of the season was everything and more. All got off to a good start. The weather was a bit overcast and very muggy in the early AM. This venue was one of my first tri's ever. Thinking of the last 9 years of racing and what has been some of the most daunting events makes wonder why we all do this. One of the things today was my new powertap. I had this put on last week and was really looking forward to racing with it. The guru of power training, Dean Phillips of Fit Werx, can read these numbers like a scientist! I really wanted to put out as much as I could on the bike and use the information to create my base training platform for the 2010 season. I know rushing it!

All was good in the warm up, bike was set, legs felt good and got ready in the water. I was going off in the first wave. 39 and under. Kind of a big group for a 1/2 mile swim but what are you going to do. Off we went and again I couldn't get into my groove. I felt like I was struggling and by the time I was heading back to shore I began to settle in. Anyway, out of the water and off with the wetsuit. We needed it b/c the water was cold! I thought I was about 10 or 12 back from the leader. I passed 2 or 3 in transition. Still can get faster there.

Out to the bike course. The powertap buzzing and I was starting to crank, The guys at Fit Werx stressed not ot focus on the the watts b/c I have to number to guide me. This was a good way to get that established. How could I not look! As I headed out the watts were through the roof! I was up over 500 for that first little hill. I had settled and got into where I wanted to hold my pace. I started catching riders and then I knew I was about 2 or 3 back from the leader heading into the first loop. Out on the "neck" I flew through the first loop. Legs were strong and I was by myself so I was trying just to keep my pace. On the second loop I met joined some of the other athletes and cruised along into loop 2. The 3rd loop was as uneventful. This time when heading back to town I wanted to catch the leaders. I knew that I had to be with them starting the run. I started to think that I might be able to pull of a top podium today. As I made it back to Salem I saw the lights of the Police escort with the leader. I figured I was in 2nd. He was about 500 yards away with about 2.5 miles to go. Caleen Brammer was leading the charge. I knew was a great swimmer and runner and if I wanted to take this I had to be to T2 first. So I started to push it. With about a mile left I passed him followed the Police motorbike into T2. Got on my shoes and Caleen was right behind me.

I let Caleen out of T2 and started to follow him on the run. He was about 3 secs ahead of me and wanted to see what he left. My legs transitioned w/out issue felt really good. The run was an out and back 3 mile stretch. I like this b/c you gage where everyone is. We were moving pretty good and the turn around was on a walking path. I was still right on his heels as we headed back. When we got onto the main road again I was thinking he wad going to take off but that wasn't the case. Now I was thinking when am I going to take off? There was a final climb with about a half mile to go and decided that was where I would make my move, if didn't. At the hill I was feeling good and started to pull away. I didn't hear him come and I went to push it a little more. On the final turn back into Forest River Park I looked over my shoulder and saw Caleen about 20 yrs behind. I knew that if I held this pace to the end I would take top spot. It was great b/c there was my wife and son just yards from the finish! the clock stopped at 1:01:42 I was shocked! My second 1st overall in a good field and great race! What away to end the season!

Witch City Tri

2009-08-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

Well, my last "registered race" of the season ended as well as my first. I was blessed enought to take first Overall at the Witch City Tri this past weekend. What a exhilerating feeling. It was even more special because my wife and soon were there at the finishline to see me bring it home. I will have a more indepth race report in a few days. Congrats to my brother who took 2nd place in the Clyde div. What a great day!

IMLP

2009-07-26T09:05:00.001-07:00

Many of my friends are up in NY right now ponding pavement getting ready for a monumental feat. To all of them, enjoy the pain b/c you feel none of it in the end!

Up Next= Witch City

2009-07-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

I am going to finish up my tri season with the Witch City on August 2nd. It will be only a few short weeks after that when my youngest son will be born. Last night our dog Belle was up and pacing around the our bedroom and my wife said it was b/c she can sense something. I said great, what? So for the rest of the night I lay awake while my wife falls back to sleep hard and think to myself, he will be here before we know it! I am really excited because There is nothing tighter than two brothers.

This morning was a tough speed session in the pool. Who was there to join but, my brother!

Pow Wow Traithlon

2009-07-15T05:23:00.000-07:00

I just gotback from a trip to Ct. where we vistited the family this vacation. Sorry for the delay in the race report.

July 11th Powow triahlon. 9th overall and 2nd age group.

I must say that I was pretty happy with my performance on Sat. The swim at Lake Gardner is always tough. I don't know why Ihave trouble with it but I do. I took off in the first wave. There was no Elite or Pro wave which put most of them in with me. Guys like Dean Philips and Janda Ricci-Munn leading the charge make things daunting. I realized that they were in a class by themselves. After a pretty un eventful swim I exited the water and found my bike. Got rolling but noticed my wheels sticking. After about 1:45 seconds I figured out the problem and moved on. I was pissed that I wasted so much time in transition.

Out on the bike I just hammered. I knew I was not going to come close to catching the leaders but I wanted to get as much ground back as possible. About 4 guys passed me in transition b/c of my bike mess up and I soon caught them and moved on. I was holding a good pace and next thing I knew the bike was over. I was looking forward to the run b/c I had my new newton's and was ready to race in them. I made more headway on the run. At the 1 mile mark I saw Dean coming at me and shortly after Janda. There was another racer just ahead of me who I knew I couldn't cathc but wouldn't let pull away either. I was happy with my pace and the shoes were good. I didn't notice my usual pain in the knee or hip. I was cruising along. I finished in 1:06. Despite the slowest T1 in my career I knocked off 3 minutes on a Sprint. I will take that anyday. It could have been 4:30 if I checked my bike!!!!!!

The sun is out!

2009-07-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

The sun finally made an appearance! The outlook is good for Saturday's sprint at the Powwow triathlon. There is going to be some serious athletes there! Gotta love it when the local pros throw their hats into the local race scene. I am sure that this is going to a class act event. I will let you know how it goes!

New Tires for my feet; NEWTON DISTANCE

2009-07-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it again. I switched to a new pair of shoes again. I know that I said i was going to stick with ZOOT but after my half ironman I noticed significant breakdown on a shoe that only had 22 miles on it. I called ZOOT and was treated like a leper. I like reading reviews and research on products and have always come across Newton as something to look into. So I did. I called Newton and spoke to the marketing directer Tory Oakland for about twenty minutes on what the shoe would do and how I would benefit. I posed several questions and she had the answers. I returned the ZOOTS and ordered the Newton Distance racer. I knew what to expect when I out them on and followed the rules that applied about "breaking into" the shoe.

My first run was a 3 mile jog. Felt good. My second run was the same one, nothing different. Then I decided my next run would be a little faster. Not race pace but quick. I liked how they felt. As light as my ZOOTS. more cushion.

Yesterday I decided to got out for a 40-45 minute run in the Newton's. I was thinking of an easy cruise in the warm sun that finally blessed Massachusetts. What did was something I never did before. I was planning on a 5.3 mile run. I hit my turn around at 17:41. I was bit hesitant to continue at the same pace because of the myth that Newtons cause calf problems. What I did do was think of when I was going to hit the "sweet spot" that had been reported for this shoe. Well I hit it all right. I had a negative split of 16:10. The thing was, I didn't feel the shoes at all. I cruised in without any issues. I am going to keep monitoring the shoes. I have only run for 5 times on them. I will be charting my miles, HR and time with pace for the next two weeks.
I will be in touch.

Happy Birthday America!

2009-07-03T09:31:00.001-07:00

This has been a low key week for me, I participated in a class act event last weekend and bouncing back from the 175 mile ride for a cure for MS. It was a great trip and my sister Caitlin and her boyfriend along with some other close friends did it as well. I am starting to gear up for another race. The Powwow up in Amesbury on the 11th. I think it is going to be a great race. I have been doing some good trainging and will add some speed intervals in all of my workouts this week.

I want to express my gratitude to all of the men and women who help keep our nation safe. Americas birthday should be celebrated by all but if it were not for the original patriots where would we be. Happy Birthday America, be proud of your heritage because no matter where our ancestors cmae from they worked hard for the ability to have a free life. I know that we all take that for granted sometimes.

God Bless the USA!

Patriot Half Race Report

2009-06-24T05:14:00.001-07:00

The Patriot Half Ironman was my "A" race for a long distance triathlon this year. I put together a 16 week training program that included at minimum 7 workouts to 12 workouts per week. I broke down my workouts into swim, bike, run and CrossFit. I learned from last year that I need to incorporate a good amount of strength training into my routine to help maintain proper form and muscle density to handle the load of long distance training. The following is a report of the race weekend.

Friday, June 19:

We departed Swampscott Ma to head down to Freetown MA and check in to the race site to pick up our numbers and check into the hotel. After that we (Marty, Vin Brendan and I along Mr. Mis) went to the Olive Garden for pre race meal. On the menu was tossed salad, Chicken Parm and about 10 breadsticks. Also had a couple glasses of wine. After a serious laugh session we retreated to the hotel and checked over our bikes and prepared our bags for race morning.

Saturday June 20

0400: Wake up call, turned on coffee and started eating. Two bagels with peanut butter a banana and 1/2 a power bar. I wanted to get in about 800 calories before 5 AM. This would help set me up to take full advantage of the fuel I would store for the pre-race and race time execution. After a complete check of equipment we headed of to the race site. The weather was supposed to be wet and drizzly but we woke to a little fog and muggy air. By 0600 the fog was leaving and the sun began cook the moisture to a humid thick atmosphere.

At the race site bike is racked shoes and visor are out and. All equipment is good to go. I took my bike out on the course for a quick warm up.

0700; National anthem, wet suit on and in the water for race start. There were about 50 men in my group and about 500 total participants. The horn blast and we are off.

Swim; Water temp was 68 and felt good. I was able to clear the middle pack and sit right behind the lead group. They were about 20 yards ahead of me and after about 500 yards we caught the wave in front of us. The course was a counterclockwise rectangle. After the first turn the lead pack pulled away just a bit but I knew I was swimming better than expecting. The swim was about 1/10 th short. out of the water in 22 min. T-2 was smooth. The sun was bright and was heating up.

Bike; I was 7 or 8 guys back at the start of the bike. No big deal. I knew that I had solid training and this would be my strength for today. I quickly got into rhythm and started climbing through the field. The one problem with the bike course is that there was too many turns and climbs close to each other. This created its own cause for packs and groups. I was able to get away and push my first lap 29 miles in 1:13. The second lap was much of the same thing. I was a bit disappointed in how much drafting there was. I did a lot of work to get away form the group but at mile 33 they consumed me again. There really isn't much you can do but try not to get a penalty. I was able to pull away agian but know I was concerned that I was out of my comfort zone. I was taking in about another 400 calories of liquid on the bike. I knew I was hydrating properly because my body was absorbing everything. I came on the second lap with a bike split of 2:31 for 58 miles. I was in the top 3 for my age group at this time.

Run; I started the run with some heavy legs. I was not sure how well I was going to do with the final stage of the race. I hit mile 1 at 6:54. Quads were cramping but I felt that I could get through it. Mile 2 was 6:45. I was running a bit to fast for the 13.1 mile trip. The sun was hot and the air was thick. The run offered very little shade and I was the only one out there. I couldn't see anyone in front of me. I passed 4-5 people at the start of the run and was trying to catch anyone ahead of me. I held around a 7:00-7:10 min mile until mile 9. There I hit a brick wall. I got a painful cramp in both quads so when I tried to stretch one the other would intensify. After about a minute I was able to start running again. I was caught by two other guys from my age group and tried to hang with them but at mile 10 they pulled away. I was able to chug through the miles stop for water and gatorade at the mile markers. The last mile I was able to pick up the pace and some energy to finish with a time of 4:39.

It was a very deceiving course. Tough. The bike sucked you in because there was the ability to gain speed and push yourself. I did, and think I suffered a bit on the run because of it. I was psyched that I finished with a personal best. Beat it by almost 15 minutes. This is recovery week and I look forward to some fast short races next month. Congrats to Marty, Vin and my brother Brendan who all beat their previous best times as well.

Ouch

2009-06-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

just a quick note. Patriot Half was not wet. weatherman got it wrong again. It was hot humdid a tough race. A finishing time of 4:39. A personal best for me. I will have a full report in a couple of days. Great Job, Brendan. be proud of yourself.

T-minus 00:00

2009-06-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

The rain has come in, nothing unexpected. I pretty much got everything together this morning and will finalize my gear after I put Jack down for nap. I went to the pool this morning and got an easy 800 yrd swim in. It was kind of different getting out of the water after 20 minutes. I weighed in after and can note that I am about 4 pounds heavier (193) than I was the week before Ironman last year. That week before IM last year was all carbo load. I went into at about 188 and at weigh in for packet pick up I was 197. All that water and pasta and bread....anyway. I feel different this time around. Going into this race with a little more plan of attack. I know I won't win and I don't really care b/c it is not paying my bills but I feel stronger mentally. I have been blessed w/ an understanding wife who sympathizes with my feelings about internal competition and gives me the green light to get after all this stuff.

This afternoon I will do some light stretching, pack the car have some snacks and drink my water. Got my checklist and will comb that over as well. My brother worked yesterday and pulled his 3rd double in a row yesterday being a 17.5 hour shift. I will try to help him relax today and just chill out and enjoy the experience and atmosphere. I know he is going to read this so I can say it now, No Worries Bro, the day is what it is and you are just as prepared.

As for tomorrow, so what if it is wet, been there-done that! I am getting a great opportunity to race with my brother and other good friends. I will have my race report by next week. Let's go break a leg!

The waiting game

2009-06-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

Today I went out for an easy 4 miler. It was hard not to unload and because I felt good. The toughest part about training is that taper is a pain in the neck. You are trying not to do too much but want to do just enough to keep the juices fowing. My bike is ready to go, shoes all set. Tomorrow I plan on trying to do the Nahant Tri. Going out easy, I want a nice open water swim, then a steady bike with a jog. Depending on the weather I might skip the bike and do the swim/run.

Saturday is calling for another wet weekend. This is also my 6th wedding anniversay. I don't feel like 6 years has passed.

The Taper

2009-06-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well, this has been a long week. I just returned home from a nice family vacation to VA beach. Sandbridge to be exact. It was hot there and I was glad I brought my running shoes. I also did my swims in a metered pool vs yards. I didn't know that until I was half way through.

It was a good time for me to go because it is taper for the Patriot Half Ironman. I am really feeling good and hope to have all cylinders functioning come Sat AM. Yesterday I did my last hard brick and felt great. After 2 hours on the trainer I headed out for a 4.5 mile run and coasted at about a 7:20 pace.

Today was relaxing. played golf and enjoyed sometime with friends as I finished up my vacation week. I will be back to let you know what happens for the rest of the week.

ZOOT it is!

2009-06-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

I decided to use the Zoot ultra race this year. I had been testing the new Kswiss KONA. Good shoe but too much posting for me. Should have left well enough alone b/c after my 10 last night in the kona's my knees were kicking my ass.

Tonight is my 1st Nahant Sprint. It will be a good time for me to work on my transition. The water will be freezing and my legs will be a bit sore on the run but this is were the fitness is built. All out for all results and benefits. My race wheels were just rebuilt and will be ready for next week when I get back form VA beach. I will get some good swimming and running in there!

two weekends left

2009-06-01T04:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had to put in some longer distance to get ready for the Patriot. It went well. I had some good swimming workouts and shorter runs early in the week which got me ready for Saturday's 11 miler. I went with a marathon race pace and quickly warmed up to a 1/2 marathon pace. (7:30) I wore my new K SWISS. They were very interesting to say the least. The difference between them is the amount of foorfoot cushion. I liked they way they supported the entire foot. I know that they are very light but don't give me that race flat feeling like the ZOOT. None the less I had a good run.

Sunday I went out for an early 35 miles by myself up to Hamilton. I road pretty hard and averaged just under 21. I got back to Marblehead and met up with some friends and we added another 15. when I got home I took Jack out in the jogger for a an easy 2.5 run. again felt pretty good. This week is going to be all speed during the week to get ready for another 12 miler Sat and then a 50 mile bike with 6 mile run on Sunday.

Christmas In May!

2009-05-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

So I got my race kit for Team Aquaphor last week. The box was huge and there was tons of great stuff in there. The good thing is that all my race gear fit!.

Training has been going well. I was really pleased with my race at JCC and thought my swim was great, bike was good...weather slowed everyone down and the run was pretty good too. The one thing that I have been working on this past week is building speed on the swim. I have been doing 400 and 250 sets at race pace trying to hold it for 3-5 set with a very short rest in between. My swim today was good. I did 5X250's on 4:00. I was taking 25-30 rest in between then I did 10X25's on 45. Not bad. I was happy b/c I was not winded. I bought a new pair of shoes for the 1/2 IM. The Kswiss K-Ona. I had been talking with pro Chris Lieto and a few K swiss reps about the new technology and got a great deal on it. I still love my ZOOT's and will continue to wear them for my shorter distance stuff. I have noticed that when I hit the 10 mile mark my form starts to fall and my instep collapses. The K swiss has been designed to add a touch of support for mid to fore-foot runners who usually need help in the last few miles.

I also want to say thank you to all the soldiers and their families who have lost a loved one in battle, this Memorial day is for them and to those two women who left church and were complaining about singing "battle songs" in church...GET BENT! The church (whatever faith you are) prays for the safety and smart choices that our soldiers have to make every day. They don't ask GOD to win, they ask GOD to help make the right decision...like weather or not to give their canteen to a young boy who hasn't had a drink in last 4 days. I don't mean to go onto a political rampage but people need to appreciate what things like the "revolutionary war, Civil War, WWI and WWII, Vietnam, the Gulf and Middle East mean to our history. Our country was built on supporting what is right for mankind and sometimes that choice may not be agreed upon by everyone but WE ALL SHOULD SUPPORT AND PRAY FOR OUR TROOPS.

On that note my son got his 1st trophy! he beat me in a 5k. the Dory Run in Swampscott. I ran a 19:26 and he ran a 19:24. He was in the Jog Stroller. Not bad, 10th overall and 2nd in my age group! He was psyched. Jack took his trophy to pre-school today. I was never more proud...he's only 2

JCC 2009

2009-05-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day. I started my 2009 season with a bang! I competed in the JCC triathlon by the sea. I have done this race for a few years now and have always loved it. It will now hold a little place in my heart because I finished 1st overall. I have not accomplished this before and I am quite proud of the way things turned out. The following is a brief recap of what took place.

0500 wake up and ate a bagel with cream cheese and cup of coffee. Put my stuff in the car and cursed at mother nature raining down on us. Had another cup of coffee, and grabbed my pre-race drink and headed down the street to the race.

Got all set up and checked in, hopped on the bike to check the conditions and noticed it was very humid. Then, along with my brother and Vin Miserandino. we went for a short jog then did some light sprints and strides to get the blood flowing.

Race start time; 0800. This race is a staggered start in the pool. a quick 250 yrd swim. I got in the water and loosened up. The pool temp was very warm and I, felt it uncomfortable. I was seeded 11th. The first one took off and every 15 secs after that the next racer left. I had a 2:30 wait from the #1 seed. Off I go. Felt strong and moved well through the water well. I was fluid and covered the swim in 3:12.

As the first 10 people ahead of me were off on the bike I made quick time and transition and passed 3 people there. Once on the course I ramped up the gears and started mashing away. Within seconds got to race speed at 22-23mph. The 10 mile bike course was a 3 loop ride through 2 tough hills that later returned the favor. Returned to transition in approx 28 min flat. As I was coming back the only one left in front of me was the #1 seed. I had made up 2:30 sec. and the both of us entered transition together. Another quick transition and of on the 3.5 mile run course.

I noticed the #1 exit right behind me and could hear him about 20 yrds back as we ran through the first mile. At 1.5 miles there is a hard right turn and I was able to sneak a peak over my right shoulder to get a glimpse of him and he had fallen back. I was feeling good but knew that there could be others out there chasing him down. Mile one was a 6:20, mile two a 6:10 and mile 3 was 6:10 and the last half mile was just over 3 min. I cruised into the finish line and felt good.

I have to say it was a good hard race. Some heavy rain on the bike and run but all in all it was a great day. Some friends had PR's today. blogger Vin Miserandino (sjp-crossfit) and his brother Marty had great days. I also want to note that my brother, Brendan had an exceptional day as he battled a lower leg injury.

Let the Games Begin!

Race one

2009-05-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

So the past few days of training have been going pretty well. I have been hitting my times and feeling OK. My bike is great and swimming is going well. I have been having a problem with my running shoes. I know it sounds minimal but there is something so important about the cheapest part of triathlon. People spend 4K on bikes or 600 on a wetsuit but complain when they hit over a hundred for a pair of sneakers. So I have literally saved my pennies and will go and not think twice when I have to buy my new kicks today. Everyday I would take the change from my pocket at work and drop it in a coffee can. So I have rolled the coin and now I will pick my prize. I saw my dad do that when I was a kid...now my turn.

I was hoping to get this things ready for the first race of the season. The JCC in Marblehead is this Sunday. I have had two good years and hope to do just as well this year. What I like about this race is that it has become very competitive with the local talent and it is in my backyard. Getting the season off on the right foot is important because it sets the stage for the whole summer. I will enjoy a modified recovery week while I fight through the allergy season and get ready to got a 100% on Sunday. Until then.

getting a little longer

2009-04-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

So this past week was a bit of a recovery week but i decided to add two long days because of the gorgeous weather here over the weekend. Two days of 80+, can't beat it. Anyway swimming earlier in the week was good. I went out for some consecutive long sets and worked on extending my stroke a bit more. The one downfall about a 25 yard pool is that once you get in rhythm you have to turn back. None the less I was able to get some good yardage in. I like training for the Half IM a little bit better than the full. However I have promised myself that I will get back to the long distance when the time is right.

As for yesterday, I went out for a 10 miler at about 1pm. Man it was hot and I did not expect to punched in the face with heat like that on what is my first double digit run since Oct. My other problem was that I did not pace myself correctly. I took off and held 6:20-6:30 for the first 5 and slowly began to fall apart. mile 6 was 6:50 than 7:00 until my last mile which brought me home in 7:25. still have to keep in mind that I am running a bit better this year at this point. I am a bit lighter and will still have a some good training weeks ahead.

Today I went out early, 5:30 am and got to ride my GURU CRONO outside for the first time. It was very different from the Tri-lite I had. A good 1:55 min of rolling hills and 5 min tempos got the blood back in my legs. I had a new fit done to a more aggressive setup to try and gt more speed. It worked but will take a bit of getting used too. I can't wait to start building up the long rides. The bike is smooth.

This year I will racing for Team Aquaphor. I was selected two weeks ago and had to jump at the chance. I turned down a different team last year. This I decided to take the opportunity because I don't think it will happen again!

settling in

2009-04-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the pool and needed to get an idea what my 250 swim pace is really going to be. Last year at this time a I was much improved b/c of the masters swim that I was doing at BU. Last years JCC I clocked a 3:40. I was marking my 100's and 200's and 400's over the winter but was always swimming a a distance pace and was only getting my sprint work on sets with short distance and little recovery. So after my warm up I laid it on the line. 5x250's. I can safely say that my time from last years JCC will be a thing of the past. No I just have to make sure my bike and run are in order!

going and going andgoing and going

2009-04-08T05:24:00.000-07:00

It feels like lately there is no end in sight to the winter here in MA. Everytime we get in to a bit if nice weather rain and cold temps take over. I am just waiting for the war stuff to hit us like a ton of bricks. I remember back in '05 I did my first Boston and the week before was in the 50's them Marathon Monday was sunny and 80. go figure...I know the good stuff will come but I am getting tired of figuring out my apparel vs. my workouts.

The workouts have been going pretty good too. I have building a lot of strength and think that in another couple weeks can switch up the program a bit. Last week I had some good numbers and the pool was ok, I had a slow start to the week were I felt like a rock but the times were not that far off. I got int o the pool two days later and things were perfect. A little quicker and stronger. This week so far so good. Two great swim workouts, Got to get a run in later, and another good hard bike. Sat I am pushing for a long run. I need to hit double digits to start expanding the base.

Keep you updated!

Welcome to the World Caroline

2009-04-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

My brother and his wife had their second child last friday. She is beautiful. And couldn't be any luckier to come into a family that will love her so much. A lot of people tease me and my brother about being so close. The fact that our wives are great friends, our oldest are 3 weeks apart and great friends, we work on the same department, train together, drink together, fight and are best friends is something that I couldn;t live without. I am pretty sure that Caroline will fit right in. I am loving everything has, my sister and her boyfriend were down from NH over the weekend. It was awesome to see the kids pick up right were they left off. She watched them until they were 10 mos. now at 2 1/2 I think I can tell that they still so how rember that. Now, the next addition will be here sometime in Aug and I can't wait to introduce him to his family.

we'll talk training next time...fyi, I can't wait to get the bike outside!

Today is a great Day!

2009-03-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

I have been training pretty hard that past few weeks. One of the reasons why I have been lacking on my journal but I have some spare time to catch up on it. I have been working hard with my brother and a friend Marty (fit werx 2 owner) we have been getting ready for a half ironman in June. There is one thing that I have learned about myself over the past few years...I have to be training for something! I was always looking for a race or triathlon or it was to get ready for the police academy. There always had to be something. I realized something very important the other day when 4 Oakland Police Officers were killed in the line of duty. I am training for more than a race, I am training for life. I know that I can't stop a bullet or anything like that but I can do whatever is possible to help give myself an edge.

The thing that I am training for now is make sure that I can make my body and mind as strong as possible so that I will be able to handle whatever God throws at me. A couple of months ago I was kind of in rut. I was given the news that I might have cancer. I had to have a few tests and the waiting was the worst. Luckily, all was clear and I was given a clean bill of health. Today my wife and I found out that we are having another son. I will have two boys! Training will continue for them. I know that I have to keep priorities inn check and stay focused on the task in front of me...every day is great day!

Spring is in the air!

2009-03-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went for a great run. I have an out and back 8.2 mile run that is really good and can be pretty challenging. I enjoyed the sun and finally having a break from the wind. The past few days have been great and training seems to be going well. Riding with Marty and my brother Brendan are definitely making a difference. Marty is now joining us on our Fri am swims as well. It will be nice when we can get those swim outside!. I have been working on a 2 swim 2 bike 2 run 2 crossfit a week. Every other week I add a thrid swim and take out a crossfit. I think that I gain a lot from swimming and the fitness will carry over. It has been working because my 100's have gotten faster and my energy is still high after the sets. I am really looking forward to the long stuff in two more weeks. This week is a modified recovery. Basically one of each. The back to build two for two weeks. My first race is going to be the JCC in Marblehead. that is always a fun race. I will be looking to take time off my split form last year and hopefully stay in the top 3 for a third straight year! We'll see!

base pace meets the stock market!

2009-02-24T13:38:00.001-08:00

The good thing about winter training is that every once in a while you see numbers during your training that will either get you pissed or make you happy. The better thing is that not matter what number you see is that you are in the base phase phase of training. I like to take this time to look back on the fact that I am just making deposits to an account that isn't going to be ruined by the Stock Market! This is not being invested by anyone else but me and I know where to buy and where to sell and when to cut my losses or push for the bigger turn around. Last week was one of those weeks where one day numbers where through the roof and I was feeling great...then the numbers weren't so good the 401K that I have been putting into wasn't yielding the returns I was planning on. Bottom line is got some great quality training in and I know that it will come out when I need it most. The one thing the economy can't take is the ability to get out there and train when I am supposed too. I like knowing that one this is certain. I can train when I need to. Maybe it isn't at the most Ideal time...but weather running at 5 am or 10 pm it is still laying down solid concrete that I can build my house on.

March 2nd starts Base phase 2. I look forward to building a little more with some different things. The one thing that I also look forward too is that by the end of this phase it will be a little warmer and the sun will be out a little longer.

build and build and build and build

2009-02-18T04:56:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been pretty good. I swam last night at Salem State with Coach Craig Lewin. He will probably be a pro in about a year. He is bouncing back from a broken pattella right now so he has a lot of time to spend on helping people like me. Last night was a killer. We started speed sessions to build the Lactate threshold (LT) and man did my LT build and build and build. The good thing is that I was pulling in about 1:15-1:20 for my 100's and 35's for my 50. I have been getting faster and the thing for me to do know is work on my technique. I was able to see how much benefit there is to reaching a little bit further on my stroke. I was able to keep my heart rate down slightly so I could get my recovery in the ten to twenty seconds rest that I had. I only gave up about 2 seconds on my 100. As I get better I will get more efficient and will get that second back without giving up wasted energy that can be used on the bike.

Everything else is coming along as planned. I have been gaining strength back since my broken elbow and am almost at 100% as far as actual strength goes. I am still a firm believer in CROSSFIT. I am doing that 2x a week and getting in 3 swims, 2-3 runs and 2 bikes. As the weather gets warmer I will add a bike and drop a cross fit until the Patriot. By the end of March I will be adding the long stuff. One long run and bike a week. So far so good!

I really wish I was training in California!

2009-02-06T08:58:00.000-08:00

So the first week is coming to a close for base training. I have to admit I am pretty happy with what is going on. The week started with a great Monday morn swim. I did some interval work with 400's and worked finding my pace for this year. Tues was crossfit in the AM and good hard bike on the trainer at night. Weds my brother and I hit the pool again. Our main set was 12x100's for time at race pace. I have to stay we did pretty damn good. Sometimes he is a little to hard on himself but I got the impression he was pleased with himself too. Thurs was great bike in the AM with my brother and Marty.( Marty is co-owner of FIT WERX2) great store. We set up our trainers in the shop and get after it. Pop in a DVD and just hammer for 60 mins. Last night I went out for a 42 min run. Probably the coldest night I have ever run. I looked at the temp and it was 16 degrees. I figured you are supposed to add 15 to that when you run, so, i was looking at 31. Well i got about 3 miles out and I could not feel my face. I really was bummed because I was in a good stride and legs felt awesome but my face hurt so bad! Today I strecthed for a good 30 mins this AM and Sat I am going to do a bike/run indoors. Well, week one; done.

not a bad way to start...

2009-02-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

I was back in the pool again to kick off my official training session for the 09 season. I had a pretty good workout. I was feeling kind of lazy when I got to the pool and was tossing things around in my head without really being able to focus on what I was doing. I got to a certain part of my session and started looking at my times and realized that I was only a few seconds off from where I was at the end of last season. My attitude totally changed and wound up have a great second half. Tomorrow is a Cross Fit in the AM with a nice moderate 50 min run at night. But depending on the snow I may find my way to the basement to push the pedals we'll see!

Let the games begin

2009-01-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow starts the beginning of my training program for the Patriot Half. I am looking forward to getting back into a schedule of planned workouts and focusing on my diet again. There are a lot if things that will change for this season and look forward to the challenge of something different to help stimulate my motivation to get the best out of myself. The one bummer of the winter months is that everything is so cold and makes the mental game that much more difficult in the annual preparation for achieving my goals. The winter training time is a place for me to build my inner strength to get my body in the best possible place to take on the race scene. I have learned the hard way that sometimes thing happen for a reason and when they do figure out a way to get up and move on.

The year is going to continue no matter what happens and all I can do is enjoy the ride. Weather a broken elbow or an ultrasound for cancer or one bad ass cold, keep plugging a way and remember things could be worse. The next chapter begins at 0500 hours and I can't wait to hit the alarm! See you in the pool!

Good News

2009-01-13T04:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went back to my Dr. He told me my progress was fantastic. The bone is still "soft" as he calls it but it has grown back. I was given the ok to start running and swimming and light weights to start to rebuild the inch that I lost while in the cast. It was a relief to hear. I have never been more ready to get after it this year. I have a great training plan set out to challenge myself this spring and summer. I have registered for the patriot Half and there will be some other local races sprinkled in there too! I will get back to logged all my workouts and look forward to seeing how I progress. Swimming is going to be a big part of the late winter and early spring. I learned last year the swim fitness will carry over to run and bike but run and bike won't carry to your swim! I think that being in the water also helps the body stretch out and take pressure off the major joints like the knees and feet. I will jumping into a masters class in hopes that I can make the improvements I made last year. Lets see!