Next Up...Cohasset

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

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

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

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!