Anthony's Triathlon Blog

Decisions, Decisions...

2012-01-03T16:13:00.007-05:00

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012! Yes, I am back and plan to start blogging a bit more regularly. I am starting off the New Year fit (175 lbs.), in good running shape (logged a ton of miles in 2011, despite not racing at all), and ready to reenter the competitive racing world in 2012. I am still formulating my race schedule, but have two somewhat noteworthy developments to report:

1. I will NOT be participating in the Illinois River To River Relay in April. While it definitely sounds like a "once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list" type of experience, I just decided it is too much travel (likely with the whole family) for a race in which I would only run nine miles. Maybe some other year, but definitely not 2012.

2. I WILL be competing in the Bank Of America Chicago Marathon as originally planned, but will be running the entire race with my wife. Thus, the Boston Marathon qualifying attempt is out the window. On the one hand I am kind of bummed because I think I had a pretty decent shot at it, but on the other hand it will really be special for the two of us to cross that finish line together--and as I get older, I realize more and more how much more important family is than "individual glory."

O.K., that is it for now--much more to come later!

A Potential Race On The Horizon

2011-12-01T16:07:00.008-05:00

O.K., rather than another boring training update, it looks like I may actually be placing a race on my 2012 calendar. It is the Illinois River To River Relay, which is an 80 mile, eight man per team relay race from the Mississippi to the Ohio Rivers. My brother-in-law did this same race a couple of years ago, and his team is looking for a runner or two (he is currently injured and another team member is due to deliver her first child a few weeks prior to the event).

The family and I were visiting Southern Illinois for Thanksgiving and I met a few members of my brother-in-law's running group that have done River To River 11 years in a row and rave about it. Basically I would be running three legs, each of which would be about three miles or so. I am definitely intrigued, although I am not 100% sure whether I will commit or not--it is a long way to go for one race. That said, just the prospect of racing again definitely got my competitive juices flowing. I will make a decision one way or the other in the next few weeks and let you know...

Another Update

2011-09-07T19:49:00.002-04:00

Well I have not posted in a while, so I figure it was a good time for an update. Not much terribly new or interesting to report--I continue to run three days and week and lift weights one day. I am definitely getting faster, although I seem to be much slower outdoors (7:20-7:30/mile pace) then on the treadmill (low 7:00/mile pace). I am usually faster on the treadmill, but the difference is not so stark. I attribute it to not running outside very much, but I am not terribly bothered by it (especially given the fact I am not actually training for anything). Oh, and I am thin--I have consistently been in the low- to mid-170s for a while now. I attribute it to my new diet--a sensible breakfast, still kind of a big lunch (with my one sweet for the day), and a light dinner. God I hope I can stay this light through my 2012 marathon--I cannot imagine how fast I will be able to run if I am a good 5-10 lbs lighter than I have ever been for 26.2 miles! One last thing--I miss riding my bike :(

Update

2011-06-02T13:35:00.007-04:00

So I decided this afternoon to post a quick update to the old blog. I have been hitting the gym pretty regularly (usually four to five days a week--although lately more often four than five) for a while now. Mostly I have been doing cardio, with one weightlifting day (usually chest and triceps--yes, I am vain). For the last several weeks I have been running for my cardio, and am just starting to comfortably do 7:30/mile pace. Normally running that slow this time of the year would be a disaster for me, but given the late start I got to running this year I am perfectly happy with it (particularly given the fact I am not actually training for a race right now).

The other somewhat noteworthy development is I have been losing weight! I am now just a shade under 180 lbs, which I am very happy with. The only real dietary change I have made is really trying to cut back on sweets (for a change)--but not to quit cold turkey. I am limiting myself to one "sweet treat" a day, with a few hard candies thrown in throughout (they are pretty low calorie). I am also cutting back on the red meat. I think this is a much more sustainable diet for me long term--if I can stay around 180 lbs through 2011 and start my serious marathon training at this weight early next year, I am going to be a very happy (and fast) boy. That's about it--thanks as always for reading!

I'm Back (Sort Of)

2011-04-12T15:43:00.019-04:00

Well I have recently started kind of sort of training again, so I figured it probably made sense to update my blog. I say kind of sort of because I ran this morning (the third time in the last few weeks) and am planning to start running a couple of times a week, but am not training for any event in particular (at least not any 2011 event). As you may recall, I decided to take this year off completely from racing due to the birth of my son last September, and I have to say I absolutely stand by that decision. I have been working out pretty regularly (usually four times a week), but most of my cardio has been the elliptical machine or the stairmaster, which is just not the same as running (plus on a per hour basis, neither burns as many calories). I also like the fact I can just throw on my running shoes, head out my front door and go, as opposed to being subject to my gym's hours and having to walk the ~10 minutes each way.

So on to this morning's run. I just did my standard two-mile loop twice, and did not time myself (once again, I am having problems getting satellite signals on my Garmin Forerunner 205). I felt O.K., but I am definitely slow (which not running for I don't even remember how long will do to you). That said, and it almost shocks me to say this, it reminded me how much I miss running! Now that the weather is finally starting to turn I actually ordered a new pair of running shoes this afternoon (see the picture above), and will definitely try and hit the road/treadmill at least a couple of times a week. The plan remains to try and finally qualify for the Boston Marathon at the 2012 Chicago Marathon, but as for right now, this is just about staying in decent shape and enjoying myself...

Just Catching Up...

2010-09-19T08:37:00.003-04:00

So I just wanted to check in and let everyone know how things are going. I am still working out 4-5 days a week (O.K., usually four more oftentimes than five), including weights twice a week and 2-3 cardio workouts. In terms of weights I have been alternating between chest and triceps and back and biceps, with a couple of leg exercises every time (I have sort of given up on my abs). I am starting to regain strength on the bench press, although I still have a long ways to go to get back to where I was once (e.g., I am struggling to put up 205 lbs three times--at my peak, I could press 225 lbs four times). For cardio I have been doing my standard 4-mile loop around Hoboken (usually at a fairly relaxed pace), as well as the occasional 30-minute elliptical machine workout. My weight is a bit higher than I would like (seems like the story of my life) but is under control for the most part. It feels kind of weird knowing that I will not be racing at all in 2011 (the first time I will take an entire year off since I started racing), but I know it is the right thing to do considering Baby Chukumba will be here in a week or so. That's it for now...

If You Can't Take The Heat, Get On The Podium!

2010-07-20T13:16:00.028-04:00

This past Sunday I competed in what is likely to be my final race of the season, the Metroman Triathlon in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Below is my race report.

Pre-Race
Going into the race I was feeling fairly confident. My training had been consistent all year long and I was really pleased with my performance at the Queens Biathlon in May. The day before the race I spent extra time getting all of my gear organized and packed, as I had to wake up at an ungodly hour (3:30 A.M.) to make sure I made it to packet pickup in time. The drive down to Asbury Park was quicker than I thought it would be, leaving me with ample time to pick up my race packet, set up my transition area, use the bathroom a few times, and even warm up in the ocean a bit.

Swim (750 meters)
The swim was in the Atlantic Ocean, my first ever ocean swim in a race. It was also a run-in start, which I have always been a big fan of (it just somehow seems more "authentic" to me). After diving underneath a few breaking waves I was able to get into a decent swim rhythm. Given the choppiness of the water (and my general rustiness) I decided to abandon my usual bilateral breathing and took a breath on every other stroke, as well as sighting every few strokes. It seemed like I hit the first buoy very quickly, and soon after was passing people from the prior wave (which is always a great feeling). Before I knew it I was heading back to shore--usually I feel like I am in the water forever, but in this race it felt like I barely got wet! When I hit the shore my watch said 14:3~, but my official time included a good 150 meter or so run to the transition area.

Transition 1
My first transition was fairly uneventful. Unfortunately the way the transition area was set up I had a really long run to my bike, but once I got there I felt like I was organized and efficient.

Bike (10.5 miles)
The bike course winded through the roads of Asbury Park, including several fairly sharp turns. I focused on staying down in the aero position as much as possible, while being aggressive (but safe) on the myriad turns. From the second I got on my bike I was passing people constantly--I had forgotten how much I love wave starts! I must have passed 50+ people over the course of the bike leg, and was passed by only three. The one mistake I made was not getting in enough fluids--between the turns and somewhat uneven asphalt, I just did not feel like I had enough time to pull my water bottle out of the cage, open it, take a drink, and return it to the cage (man, do I miss my Profile Design Aerodrink). I am fairly certain the bike course was long--even the fastest splits of the day were in the 21-22 MPH range, and given the strength of the field (more on that later) and the fact it was a fairly flat course, that just does not add up.

Transition 2
As always, I pulled off my "shoes in the clips, flying dismount," and sprinted back to my transition area. I racked my bike, slipped my racing flats on, and was off. At one point an official yelled that I had to wear my race number (I forgot to put on my race belt), and after hesitating for a second decided I would risk the penalty rather than head back to retrieve it.

Run (3.1 miles)
The run was a double out-and-back along the boardwalk. My legs felt great and I started off extremely strong, but within the first mile I knew that I was in trouble--there was little shade throughout the course, and the sun was beating down mercilessly. The fact I simply have not spent any time running outdoors this summer in these conditions certainly did not help. I ended up pulling off my tri top and heart rate monitor band, but nothing seemed to help--I was simply overheated (not drinking enough fluids during the bike probably caught up with me as well). I ended up taking 3-4 short walk breaks, but given my quick start and overall run fitness it did not kill my time too much (although I was passed by ten competitors or so). I crossed the finish line sweating like a whore in church and happy to be done!

Post-Race
Despite my walk breaks, I received a nice surprise when I saw the race results--I finished second in my age group! The other surprising thing was that I was only 42nd overall--which puzzled me until I realized this race was the official USAT Mid Atlantic Short Course and Youth Championship (which explains the eight competitors under the age of 20 who beat me, including a 15-year old girl who finished 8th). I guess I should have known something was up before the race when I saw the three kids wearing matching USA Triathlon singlets with their names on them...

All in all I have to say I was really pleased with my performance, especially finishing second in my age group. This is now three straight races in which I have been on or near the podium, so I guess that as I am getting older, I am getting better (or alternatively, everyone else is getting worse). As far as racing is concerned, this is it for a while--I am probably going to take 2011 off given the new arrival in the Chukumba family scheduled for late September. I will try and post every now and then, but I cannot promise anything! As always, thanks for reading!

Race Splits
Swim: 15:50 (top 42%)
Transition 1: 1:25 (top 13%)
Bike: 32:21 (19.5 MPH, top 15%--I am 90% sure the course was long)
Transition 2: 0:55 (top 26%)
Run: 21:56 (7:05 pace, top 26%)
Overall: 1:12:27 (top 22% overall, 2nd M35-39)

Conquering Big Blue

2010-07-06T13:59:00.008-04:00

So this past weekend I visited my in-laws in Iowa for the long holiday weekend and was able to get a decent amount of training in. On Friday I went for a ride around Clear Lake, which normally would have been 14 miles, but due to some questionable directions turned out to be over 20 (half of the extra mileage was in to some pretty severe headwinds, and three were on a gravel country road). On Saturday we headed to a Big Blue, a quarry popular with local divers. I ended up doing six trips across the quarry, which I estimate is about a fifth of a mile wide. Considering the facts this was my first open water swim since my last triathlon and I was not wearing a wetsuit, I was really pleased--my stroke felt nice and fluid and I did not have much trouble sighting (with the exception of one trip, in which I mistook my target). The workout was definitely a nice confidence booster before my first actual triathlon of the season in just over a week and a half. On Sunday I rode around the lake again at a nice leisurely pace, and today I hit the weights for the first time in a couple of weeks. I will try and get a few more quality workouts in this week, and then it will be time to begin my taper.

One Solid Weekend

2010-06-20T17:44:00.003-04:00

It is late Sunday afternoon and I am extremely pleased with the training weekend I just had. On Friday morning I hit the spin bike at my gym before work for a nice solid 40 minute workout, which may not seem all that impressive, except for the fact I returned home late the night before from a work trip to the West Coast. On Saturday morning I completed my strongest brick of the year--a solid 21-mile ride, followed by a 3-mile run at 6:49 pace. I had one of my best ascents ever of the brutal hill right by the George Washington Bridge--I rode out of the saddle the entire time in a nice easy gear, and rather than sitting back down after I crested the worst part remained up for the little rollers right afterward. My legs felt exceptionally good on the run as well. Today I hit the gym for a full body workout, my first weightlifting in a couple of weeks. Now I just have to get back in the pool again--it has been awhile unfortunately...

Catching Up

2010-06-09T15:19:00.012-04:00

Once again I have been awful recently in terms of updating this blog, so I decided to just do a laundry list of new/possibly noteworthy developments over the last few weeks:

After the bike computer problems I had during my last race, I decided to finally get a new one. I went with an entry-level wireless computer, and although it is really bare bones in terms of features (it basically only tracks speed and distance), I am already loving not having additional wires running over my bike.

My training continues to be fairly consistent, including a weekly swim in which I continuosly do 100 yard repeats on the 2:15 (which is a great way to knock out 1,500-2,000 yards fairly quickly).

I just took my bike to have the wheels trued for the first time. I am not sure what I did, but my back wheel in particular was wobbling all over the place, to the point where it was rubbing against my back brake. Not good.

I just retired my three cycling jerseys, all of which I have had FOREVER. They were really starting to reek pretty bad, even after they just came out of the wash. Now I need to buy some new ones, one of which will likely be a Team RadioShack jersey (no, we are not going to start a "did he or didn't he" discussion), and will have to figure out a couple of others as well.

I am still trying to figure out a race to replace the Olympic I was originally supposed to do at the end of June--given my fitness level and last couple of race results, I am really interested in how fast I can go.

That is it for now--I would love to say that I will start doing a better job of keeping this updated, but we all certainly now better than that...

Queens Biathlon Race Report II

2010-05-24T14:39:00.015-04:00

On Sunday, May 16th I competed in my first race of the season, the Queens Biathlon. Below is my race report.

Pre-Race

I felt confident but cautious coming into this year's race--confident because my training had gone well and I felt good about my fitness (especially on the run); cautious because last year I was way too overconfident before this same race, and was ultimately disappointed with my performance. Race morning I packed up my car and got to the transition area nice and early. I did have a relatively minor mechanical issue--in reattaching my rear wheel I somehow screwed up the sensor for my bike computer, and thus was forced to race without it working at all. I stretched, warmed up a bit, hit the bathroom a couple of times, and was ready to race.

First Run (3 miles)

I intentionally seeded myself in the middle of the pack, so I was passing other runners constantly during the first mile. I concentrated on running a nice consistent pace, shortening my stride on the uphills, and opening it up on the downhills. I also decided to simply trust my run fitness and resist the temptation to "race" the other competitors or push myself too hard. Once again, the last hill into transition was steep and painful, and I decided to take it fairly easy. As I came into transition and glanced at the race clock, I was happy to see a sub-7:00 minute per mile split--all of my run training had paid off, and I had taken 1:10 off of my time from last year.

Bike (18 miles)

My first transition was a bit clumsy (at one point I dropped my helmet), but the time was a wee bit faster than last year. I was off on my first race ride on my new bike! Unfortunately I quickly remembered my least favorite part of this race--the bike course, which consists of a double out-and-back on a major highway. Heading out the wind is in your face, and on the way back there is a long, somewhat steep hill right before the turnaround (which connects to an even longer one to head back into transition). I passed a few riders, got past by a few more, and generally held my own. With the exception of the really bad hills I was able to stay aero pretty much the entire time. The one issue was that I did not have an actual water bottle for the race (long story), and thus, ended up sticking a regular old bottle of Gatorade into one of my cages. Thus, I literally had to take the bottle out of the cage, unscrew the top, drink, screw the top back on, and then place it back in the cage every time I wanted to get a bit of hydration. The "Triathlon Nazis" would have been so ashamed! I ended up taking 38 seconds off my time from last year, which does not sound like much, but given the conditions, I was pretty happy.

Second Run (3 Miles)

I had a very smooth second transition (17 seconds faster than last year) and was off on my second run. My legs felt SO MUCH BETTER starting out this year than last year--once again, all of my off-season running had paid off! I quickly caught up to a duathlete who I had been trading places with all through the race and asked if he wanted to pace off of each other, which he agreed to. Within the first mile we passed one racer and very soon after got passed by another. Aside from that, everyone ahead of us had too much of a head start for us to make up much ground. I faded a bit on the final hill and he opened up a small gap, but I was extremely happy with my time, which was 1:07 faster than my second run last year (and nearly as fast as my first one last year).

Post-Race

Needless to say I was very happy with my performance. I raced smart, raced hard, and left it all out on the course. I also learned from the mistakes I made last year, and improved in every single one of my splits to beat my 2009 time by 3:12. I ended up finishing 4th in my age group, which makes this two straight races in which I have been right around the podium. I could not have asked for a better start to my 2010 season, and am excited for the races ahead. Thanks for reading!

Race Splits

Run 1: 20:57 (6:59 pace)

Transition 1: 0:54

Bike: 53:33 (20.2 MPH--not amazing, but it feels nice to have a 2 at the start of my bike split again)
Transition 2: 0:30

Run 2: 22:14 (7:25 pace)

Overall: 1:38:08 (21st overall, 4th M35-39)

Back In The Pool!

2010-04-19T19:53:00.005-04:00

So today started off just like any other training day. I woke up a little before 5:00 A.M. and got in a brisk four mile run around Hoboken (7:05 pace) before work. After I got home something extremely rare and noteworthy happened -- I actually did a swim workout! Yes, Virginia, my long swimming drought is finally over. The pathetic thing is there is a nice college pool three blocks from my house, so there is no good reason for my not swimming more (aside from sheer laziness). I ended up swimming ~1,600 yards, consisting of a 100 yard warm-up (probably too short I know), five 25/50/75/100 yard ladders (cut me some slack -- first time in the pool in like two years), and a 400 yard or so warm down. I was surprised that I did not feel too winded in the pool, although I am sure that my form was awful. I figure if I can consistently make it to the pool once a week between now and the end of the season, I should be in pretty decent shape for my race swims. Anyway, three workouts (and two blog posts) in two days -- not a bad way to start the week!

Good Training Week

2010-04-18T16:25:00.004-04:00

So I had a really solid week of training last week, which was partially thanks to my sprained left wrist. I decided my weekly weight training workout probably was not the best idea given the circumstances, so I added another cardio workout instead. Thus, I ended up getting in about 60 miles on the bike (albeit, 14 of which were on a spin bike) over the course of three rides and ran three times as well (two four mile runs, and two miles on the treadmill after the spin bike workout). I definitely feel like I am getting my cycling legs underneath me, and given the fact I ran through last off-season, I am very happy with my running right now as well. I guess the true test of my fitness will come in my first race of the season next month, the Queens Biathlon. This week is off to a solid start as well -- I met up with an old colleague who is starting to really get into triathlons and did three loops in Central Park, which combined with getting there and back from the ferry was a good solid 22 mile ride. I am definitely kind of heavy right now after a weekend of eating poorly and boozing with an old friend in town -- I guess this post cannot be COMPLETELY positive...

Riding

2010-04-11T11:41:00.003-04:00

Well the weather has finally started to be consistently nice here, so I have started to ride outside again. Last weekend I did an 18 mile bike/2 mile run brick workout, and today I did an early morning ~22 mile bike ride. I have continued riding my usual out and back along River Road towards the George Washington Bridge, and the descent just south of the bridge (the one I nearly lost my life and virtually destroyed my old bike on last year) continues to scare me. Aside from that, I am feeling really strong on my new bike and my fit feels pretty dialed in. I am definitely faster on the new bike as well--on flat roads I can pretty easily hold 21-22 MPH without really pushing it, and I am blowing other cyclists/triathletes off the road on a regular basis (not bragging, just fact). So all in all, I am pretty happy with where my training is right now. I am still carrying a few more pounds than I would like--for some reason I am having a very difficult time staying away from sweets, especially when I am at work. One other minor detail--I sprained my wrist pretty bad late last week playing soccer, which caused me to miss a workout. Not the end of the world, but I guess it just goes to show you why many serious triathletes generally avoid playing other sports...

Not Much Blogging, Plenty Of Training

2010-03-28T10:49:00.002-04:00

O.K., I realize that the blog posts have been anemic recently -- between being crazy busy with my new job and the fact I cannot access this website from work, I simply have not had many opportunities to pen updates. The good news is that my training has been much more consistent. I have continued to get a couple of runs and spin bike rides in each week, as well as hitting the weights once a week. Most of my training has remained indoors as Spring has not quite arrived yet, although I have been running outside more often (including a four mile run this morning in which I ran the last two in less than 7:00 per mile pace). The temperature is supposed to steadily increase this week into the high 60s/low 70s, so I am really hoping that by next weekend I can start riding outside at least once a week. My swim training is still non-existent, but we are not going to talk about that.

I also signed up for two additional races -- the Queens Biathlon on May 26th (which I also did last year) and the Metroman Triathlon at Asbury Park on July 16th. Unfortunately it looks like I will not be doing the Stamford KIC IT Triathlon on June 27th -- I have a couple of other more important obligations that weekend (including my wedding anniversary). It's not the end of the world -- I will just try and find another race that fits into my schedule. That's about all that I have to report -- I will try and update the blog more regularly going forward, but I cannot promise anything...

Great Training Week!

2010-02-14T17:04:00.002-05:00

Last week I was able to get in six training days in a row -- one weightlifting session, two bike rides (one spin, one trainer), and three runs. It felt really good to be able to get in that much training so early in the season -- I literally feel like I am ready to race right now, and I still have months to go before my first event. This morning I banged out five miles on the treadmill, starting at 7:24/mile pace and adding another 0.1 MPH every mile. I felt completely under control the entire time -- smooth and fluid, and barely breathing heavily (even in the last half mile, which I cranked up to 6:58 pace). I still need to figure out which races I want to do this summer -- two of the ones I was interested in have already sold out...

Back On The Trainer

2010-02-07T10:45:00.003-05:00

So I have been keeping some really odd hours lately -- for example, this morning I woke up at 4:30 A.M. The better half and I had a really busy day planned, so I knew that getting to the gym was out of the picture. Thus, I did something I have not in a long while -- I retrieved The Black Knight out of my bike room and rode for 50 minutes on my trainer. I kept my heart rate fairly low and just focused on staying in the aerobars and riding at a nice, steady pace. It was definitely very different from the hard core, super-high heart rate spin bike workouts I have been doing lately. It also felt nice to ride on my actual bike, particularly given the fact I am still getting used to the new frame.

Training has been going pretty well the last few weeks. I have been getting in 2-3 runs (one of which is a really short one off of the bike) and 2 bike rides in pretty consistently, as well as a full body weightlifting session (chest, triceps, back, biceps, legs, and abs -- but fewer exercises of each than I would normally do). Oh, and I am currently 178 lbs, which is awesome for me this early in they year, and just 3 lbs over my goal racing weight.

Training Off To A Great Start

2010-01-25T16:26:00.002-05:00

Well I am now nearly a month into my 2010 training, and I honestly could not be any happier -- all of the running that I did during last year's offseason has definitely paid off in terms of my overall fitness level. Yesterday morning I did a 40-minute spin bike, 10-minute treadmill run brick workout, and it could not have felt much easier (particularly for January). Today I did an easy 30-minute run on the treadmill. All I have to do now is get back in the pool soon (always a challenge for me), and I will be completely back in the swing of things. On a related note, I have signed up for a race -- the Stamford KIC IT Triathlon on June 27th. A buddy of mine who lives in Stamford did it last year and will do it with me this year, which will make it all the more fun. This race is Olympic distance, which will be my longest one of the year. I will eventually add a couple of TBD sprint races to the schedule, but it feels good to have one on the calendar to focus my training on.

I'm Back...

2010-01-12T16:06:00.003-05:00

Well we are 12 days into the new decade and my triathlon training has started up in full swing! Last week I was able to get in two treadmill runs, a spin bike ride, and two weightlifting sessions, and so far this week I ran on the treadmill yesterday and did a quick brick workout (35 minutes spin bike, 5 minute treadmill run) this afternoon. They have these really cool new spin bikes at my gym -- they have computer displays that allow you to specify the type of workout you want to do and then track your heart rate and cadence, as well as directing you on what to do (e.g., seated climb, seated flat, sprints, jumps) and for how long (kind of hard to describe in words, but trust me, VERY COOL). As always this time of the year I am carrying a few extra pounds, but the nice thing is thanks to running through the fall and winter, my overall fitness level is much higher than usual. One other thing -- the "New Year's Resolutionaries" are at the gym in full force, but given the fact I was fully expecting them, they are not annoying me as much as they normally do...

Just Checking In

2009-12-26T15:49:00.003-05:00

Well 2009 has nearly come to a close and I am long overdue for a blog posting. My offseason training has gone really well over the last several weeks -- I have been able to consistently squeeze in 2-3 runs and a couple of weighlifting sessions every week and have been able to keep my weight around 180 lbs. My running is going really well -- I have been cranking out 4-5 mile runs at a fairly decent pace like clockwork, which should bode really well for next year. Over the next week or so I will start hitting the bike and working in some swimming as well. I am still trying to figure out which races I will do next year, including whether or not to do another marathon. I am definitely going to stick with the smaller races next year -- they are cheaper, more laid back, and you do not have to register several months in advance (for example, the New York City Triathlon in July 2010 is already sold out). Well, that is it for now -- next week the New Year's Resolutionaries will strike again, so I have that to look forward to, which is nice...

More Offseason Workouts

2009-11-07T12:08:00.005-05:00

This week I ran on the treadmill twice and lifted weights twice. I would have liked to have gotten one more run in, but a busy work schedule and some personal commitments made that impossible. That said, I am simply not going to allow myself to get upset about an occasional missed OFFSEASON workout. The highlight of the week was putting up 205 lbs. six times on the flat bench for the first time in forever. That certainly felt good, although I was only able to lift 225 lbs. once afterwards. The lowlight was kind of bonking on one of my treadmills runs. I actually think the treadmill is defective -- I think the speed indicator is messed up, and displays that you are running at a much slower pace than you really are (I am 92% sure I had the same problem with this treadmill once before). The only other thing of note is that I received my third place in my age group medal from the Hoboken University Medical Center 5K -- it is pretty cheesy looking, but it is not every day that I make the podium, so I am not complaining!

More Liftin'...

2009-10-22T21:13:00.003-04:00

Today I hit the weight for chest, triceps, and legs. It was a fairly uneventful workout, aside from the fact I am starting to get a fair amount of strength back in my chest -- for the second week in a row I put up 205 lbs. five times on the flat bench, and even managed to do two reps of 225. On both sets I actually felt like I could have done one more rep, but did not want to press my luck (I rarely use a spotter, which is dumb I know). This week has been pretty textbook from a training perspective -- two runs and two weight sessions so far. I will try and hit the gym tomorrow for another short run, and weather permitting, may actually try to ride on Saturday morning...

Sunday Ride

2009-10-11T18:37:00.000-04:00

So I actually got in one more ride outside on my new bike today. I did my normal out-and-back route along River Road to the base of the George Washington Bridge, and ended up doing a little over 17 miles. I am really starting to feel comfortable on my new bike -- I was cruising along flat sections of the ride at 21-22 MPH, with while my heart rate was fairly high, it certainly was not through the roof. I am definitely thinking about lowering the front end of my bike next year -- if I feel this comfortable already, I can certainly push the envelope a bit in the quest for additional speed. We will see if I can get any more rides in before the end of the year -- it was in the low 60s today so I felt perfectly fine with just a pair of arm warmers, but it is definitely beginning to get colder here (and I am a wimp)...

Podium!

2009-10-11T13:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning I competed in the Hoboken University Medical Center 5K Run. The following is my race report:

Pre-Race
Going into this race I really was not sure what to expect. I have been running 2-3 times a week since my last triathlon, but have not been doing any type of speed work. This was also my first open 5K in several years. Based on the 6:30 per mile pace I ran at my last triathlon in late August I was cautiously optimistic, but definitely was also mindful of the fact I often run better off the bike than completely fresh because my body is nice and warmed up. I arrived at the race start early, checked in, stretched, warmed up for a while, hit the bathroom a few times, and was ready to go.

Race
I seeded myself right behind what appeared to be the fastest runners (based on their running singlets, latest edition Garmin GPS watches, and racing flats). When the starting gun went off, it seemed like everyone took off like bats out of hell -- I was immediately passed by dozens of runners. I just focused on keeping a nice, relaxed pace and not getting caught up with the people streaming past me. In about a half a mile I began to pass plenty of runners who had obviously gone out way too hard. As I approached the first mile marker and saw that just over six minutes had elapsed, I stopped worrying about whether I had started too slowly (which is sometimes a problem for me in open running races).

As I neared the turnaround point for the race, I was definitely starting to labor a bit. I concentrated on shortening my stride and increasing my leg turnover, and kept telling myself that the pain would be over soon enough. One really nice thing about the race was given the fact it literally takes place in my back yard, I was intimately familiar with the course, having run on these very same roads countless times. I continued to occasionally pass runners, and was pleased that aside from the first quarter mile or so, no one returned the favor.

When I caught my first glimpse of the finish line with about a half a mile to go I definitely started to dig down, determined to leave everything out on the course. As I approached the final turn before the finish line, I noticed the runner in front of me glanced back to see how much distance he had on me. He was moving pretty quickly so I knew that I really did not have a chance to catch him, but I also glanced back to make sure I had a decent gap on the guy behind me (I was in no mood to get passed in the final sprint). As I crossed the finish line and looked down at my watch I was pleased -- 20:09. While my "stretch goal" was to break 20:00, given my relatively light training load and lack of speed work, I really do not think that I could have run much faster.

Post-Race
Well it turns out that my decision to make sure the guy behind me did not sprint past me before the finish was a wise one -- I ended up placing 3rd in my age group, and he was 4th! Needless to say I am really happy -- I have not placed in my age group in a race since I was in high school. This was definitely a fitting way for me to end my 2009 racing season (and this time I really mean it), as well as providing me with momentum as I head into next year. Thanks for reading!

Race Splits
Mile 1: 6:21
Mile 2: 6:30
Mile 3: 6:36
Final Time: 20:09 (6:29 pace)
Placement: 24th (top 6% overall, 3rd Male 35-39)

One More Race...

2009-10-06T15:49:00.000-04:00

I really do not have anything terribly interesting or new to report on the training front -- I have continued to consistently run 2-3 times a week, hit the weights twice, and get an occasional bike ride in (although with the weather starting to get colder here, I think my outdoor riding this year is likely over). The real reason for the post is that I signed up for a local 5K race this upcoming Saturday morning! This will be my first open 5K in years, and I am interested to see how I do. I know one of the keys will be making sure my body is nice and warmed up beforehand -- the race is way too short to make up time if my first mile is really slow. I would be thrilled to run anywhere close to the 6:30 pace I averaged for the run portion of my last sprint triathlon, but given the fact I have not run an open 5K in such a long time, realistically I should be happy breaking 21:00. We will see...

Central Park Ride

2009-09-29T19:55:00.001-04:00

Today after work I made the mistake of hitting my local gym in Hoboken for chest and triceps. I got there a little before 6:30 P.M. and it was packed to the rafters. With a bit of improvisation I was able to get through the entire workout, but I definitely made a mental note to avoid the gym during rush hour. The highlight of my workout week so far was my ride yesterday in Central Park. I took the ferry over to the city, rode over to the park, and then did three loops at a fairly hard pace. I ended up averaging 19.5 MPH for the 18 miles around the park (which I am pretty happy with given all the hills and the fact I really have not been riding much lately), and was blowing away roadies left and right (I actually lapped these two riders in matching cycling club kits, although I think they must have been doing the smaller 4 mile loop). I felt strong the entire way, and while I was definitely sweating and had a fairly elevated heart rate, the funny thing is I never really rode my really big gears. In other words, my new bike is FAST...

Just For The Fun Of It

2009-09-22T14:53:00.000-04:00

Today I hit the gym for light chest, triceps, and legs. Yesterday I did my bread-and-butter 30 minute treadmill run. Neither workout was particularly noteworthy. That said, I did want to write about a couple of runs last week that were a bit different for me. Basically I was about to head out for a run one day and realized my Garmin Forerunner 205 was not charged. I have been using the 205 for all of my outdoor runs for some time now, tracking distance/speed/mile splits etc. While at first I was mildly annoyed, I decided to head out without any watch at all, given the fact that I knew the loop course I was running was almost exactly two miles and I planned to run it twice.

I cannot express to you how much more relaxed I ran without a watch on -- I felt like I could just listen to my body and enjoy myself, rather than worrying about my last mile split or what my average pace would be before the run was even over. Later in the week I ran four miles again without a watch, and it felt just as relaxed as the first run. I actually used to do these "watchless runs" when I lived in Chicago on a regular basis, and I think I am going to start doing them again, particularly during the "offseason" when the specific pace is so much less important than just getting the miles in to maintain a decent fitness base.

Initial Musings On The New Ride

2009-09-20T13:04:00.000-04:00

This morning I took my new bike out for a 21 mile ride. The ride was fairly uneventful, aside from the fact it was my first one on the new bike in which I did not get a flat tire. Now that the bike is all built up and I have ridden it a few times, I just wanted to share some initial impressions:

Fabulous! As you can see from the picture, the entire bike is one of three colors: black, red, or white (BTW, I am loving the new white saddle). I personally love the new color scheme, but it is definitely going to look a bit strange when I am riding in races next year -- my tri top and shorts are black, my helmet is white, and even my biking shoes are black and red. Thus, I will likely be the most color-coordinated triathlete at most races -- that, and the dorkiest looking one (which is saying a lot).

She Ain't Heavy, She's My Black Knight. The new bike is definitely heavier than my old one. I actually weighed her yesterday morning, and she is 22 pounds. I am not sure exactly how much my old bike weighed, but I definitely notice a difference when I lift up the new one. It probably will not make much of a difference overall, but given the fact that the terrain is so much hillier here than in the Midwest, it certainly cannot help.

Oh Yeah, How Is The Ride? I definitely feel different on the new bike -- way more streamlined and aerodynamic. I was actually worried that I bought too big of a frame (58 cm, the same size as my old road frame), but I honestly cannot imagine riding on a smaller one. It is probably too early to compare performance in terms of speed/power, but I already am feeling very comfortable in the aero position after just a couple of rides, which is a very good sign.

All in all, I am really happy with the new ride. Bring on next season -- I will be ready for it!

Here She Is -- The Dark Knight!

2009-09-19T10:53:00.000-04:00

Well I know that I have promised to post a picture of the new bike for a while, so here she is -- "The Dark Knight." I will have much more to say about her soon (only have gotten in two rides so far, and one was cut really short with a flat tire), but suffice to say, Daddy like...

The New Bike

2009-09-12T16:34:00.000-04:00

So this morning I picked up my (virtually) new bike from my local bicycle shop. The build come out looking AMAZING -- I will definitely post pictures soon. It is funny, but I almost feel like I have a "Frankenbike" at this point -- it is a hodgepodge of sorts, with the new frame, parts from my original Klein Quantum, and other parts that I changed or replaced along the way. The following is a rundown of my new steed, "The Dark Knight":

Parts From My Original Klein Quantum

Shimano 105 front and rear brakes
Shimano 105 front derailleur
Shimano 105 cranks
Look pedals (I am not sure which model)
Cateye CD100 Astrale computer

Parts I Added To The Quantum Along The Way

Profile Design T2 Wing base bar
Profile Design T2+ aerobars
Shimano Dura Ace shifters
Cane Creek 200TT brake levers
Felt STS stem
TNi Bento Box
Shimano Tiagra rear derailleur
Neuvation M28 Aero3 wheels
Planet Bike Button Cage bottle holders (which I think are just awesome for the price)

New Dark Knight Parts

Motobecane Nemesis Pro frameset (including front fork)
Kalloy Uno seatpost
Specialized TriTip Gel saddle
Chain (I have no idea what brand or model)

Like I said, she's kind of a Frankenbike, but I love her already. I was planning on going out on my maiden voyage today, but it has been raining pretty much all day. Tomorrow is supposed to be much nicer, so hopefully I will be able to get my first ride in then...

The New Bike Is Almost Ready!

2009-09-10T18:08:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I hit the gym and did chest, triceps, and legs. On the chest exercises I went with heavy weights for the second week in a row, and my strength is definitely coming back pretty quickly -- on the flat bench I put up 205 lbs four times, and I actually put up 150 lbs five times on the incline bench with dumbells (my previous best was 140 lbs). Today I knocked out another 30 minute treadmill run, with each few minutes at a progressively faster speed after the first 12. I have started to eat really well again, and my weight is down to 177 lbs, which is encouraging. If I can stay under or around 180 lbs until I start serious training again, I will be well ahead of the game.

The more important news is that my new bike build up is nearly complete. I stopped by my local bike shop after work to check it out, and it looks really sweet! They are just waiting on one new part (virtually everything else transferred over just fine from my old frame), and then I will be good to go! Fall weather is quickly settling in here, but hopefully I can get a few rides in this year. I will probably have to take my trainer out of temporary retirement this winter to get used to the new geometry and tweak the fit a bit as well. I will definitely post a picture or two once I pick her up. I already have a nickname for the new bike (dorky I know, but I do not care) -- "The Dark Knight."

Vacation And Cross Training

2009-09-08T16:26:00.000-04:00

Last week I took a "staycation" from work and was able to get in some really solid training sessions. I ran and lifted weights twice and did a 15 mile ride on my rarely-used "back-up" bike (a Specialized Sirrus hybrid with straight, moutain-bike style handlebars). Yesterday the better half and I headed into Manhattan for a marathon rollerblading session on the West Side bike path. We started at 39th Street, went as far north as we could (a block south of 200th Street), and then turned around and headed back down to 14th Street. I estimate all in all we probably rollberbladed about 17-18 miles, which would not have been too bad, except for the fact we had a pretty light breakfast, so by the end were barely moving. Lesson learned, but still a good cross training workout. Today I hit the treadmill at lunch for 30 minutes at 7:19 per mile pace, which felt perfectly fine. Oh, and I did receive my new bicycle frame in the mail last Friday. I am excited to see how the bike turns out -- it should be ready sometime this week.

Morning Run/New Frame

2009-09-01T14:10:00.001-04:00

This morning I headed out for a quick four mile run. I started in Hoboken, ran north to Weehawken, and simply turned around when I hit two miles. My pace was fairly fast (7:09 per mile), but I just did not feel very comfortable or fluid. I guess you cannot have great runs every day. On a completely unrelated note, I ordered my new bicycle frame today. It is a Motobecane Nemesis Pro. I first heard about Motobecane on Slowtwitch, where they have a reputation as being dependable, "poor man's" triathlon bikes. I was actually looking to spend a bit more money and get a frame from a more established brand, but unfortunately when it comes to frames, manufacturers generally only sell them for their more expensive models. The other problem I had is that nearly all of the frames I saw online were carbon -- not only is that way more money, but after what just happened to my current bike, the last thing I want is to buy a frame that is more susceptible to breaking. The frame should get here in a few days -- needless to say, I am really excited to see what my bike looks like when it is all built up! This will also be my first true triathlon frame (i.e., with triathlon-specific geometry), so it will also be interesting to see if that makes any difference to my bike and run splits next season.

New York Triathlon Series - Race #2 Report

2009-08-26T18:59:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago I completed my final race of the year, the New York Triathlon Series - Race #2. The following is my race report:

Pre-Race

The night before the race I gathered all my triathlon equipment and decided to put my bike into the car so that I would not have to deal with it at 5:30 in the morning. Unfortunately I discovered that I could not fit my bike in the trunk or back seat unless I took both of the wheels off. The next morning I placed my wheel-less frame in the back seat of my car, and when I arrived at the race site the next morning, discovered that I had two kinks in my chain! I tried to no avail to work them out myself, and unfortunately found the race organizers did not have a bike tech on site. I was literally about to just call it a day when I approached a serious-looking triathlete (expensive bike, aero helmet, 0% body fat) and asked him if he could help. He fortunately agreed, and after working on my bike for about 15 minutes (including almost completely disassembling the rear derailleur), was successfully able to right my chain (incidentally, he ended up winning the entire race by eight minutes -- if you somehow stumble across this, thanks Chris from Nyack!) I had just enough time to set up my transition area, use the bathroom, throw on my wetsuit, and head to the starting line.

Swim (1/2 mile)
I definitely was a bit nervous going into the swim -- I literally had not been in a pool or open water in nearly a year. That said, I knew that my overall fitness level was pretty high, and I was fairly certain that I had not forgotten how to swim. The swim was an out-and-back with a run-in start (which I honestly love -- for some reason it makes me feel like more of a serious triathlete). As the gun went off, I ran into the lake and settled into a fairly comfortable pace. I used my normal bilateral breathing technique in which I catch a breath every third stroke, but definitely threw in some every other stroke breathing as needed. I also sighted a fair amount -- I was not interested in making this swim any longer than it needed to be! There was some contact throughout the swim, but nothing too terrible. It seemed like I reached the turnaround buoy in no time at all, which is the exact OPPOSITE of how most of my race swims normally seem! I coasted back to the shore, and was pleased when I saw 16:08 on my watch as I exited the water -- not bad for a guy who had not swam all year!

Bike (16 miles)
My first transition was fairly smooth -- I got my wetsuit off quickly, put on my bike shoes, helmet, and sunglasses, and was off! I must admit I really was not very confident as I started the bike -- given my crash in May, all of the mechanical issues I endured this summer, and my pre-race chain issue, I was kind of just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, it turns out that I did not have to wait long. The bike course started on a fairly steep uphill, and given the fact I was still a bit winded from the swim, I shifted into my small chain ring. Big mistake -- within seconds, my chain seized up. My initial thought was that I was done -- this was God's way of telling me to call it quits. I turned around and started walking my bike back to the transition area.

After walking for about a half a mile, I had an epiphany of sorts -- I had prepared since November to race this season, had woken up at an ungodly hour this morning to get here, and posted a decent swim with zero training! In addition, I simply did not want to end my 2009 season with my second DNF in two years. I decided to see if there was any way that I could complete the bike ride. I discovered that as long as I kept my chain in the big ring and rode small gears, it seemed like I would be O.K. Thus, I re-entered the race and was on my way!

The rest of the bike ride was uneventful, aside from some FRIGHTENING, extremely long downhills (I spoke to a couple of racers afterwards, who both said they had hit 47 MPH during the race). I basically rode my brakes the entire way down the really steep hills, and caught most of the people who bombed past me on the ensuing inclines. Oh, and since I was riding really small gears, I must have looked like Lance Armstrong with my incredibly high cadence! My chain was also skipping almost incessantly, so whenever I had a chance to coast and not pedal at all I did, as I reasoned the less I pedaled, the fewer opportunities for my chain to lock up or come off. Needless to say between the lost time, extra distance, and low gears I rode, this was by far my slowest bike ride ever. But I knew there would be one benefit -- I was going to have really fresh legs for the run!

Run (3 miles)
My second transition was very smooth -- I did my normal "leave the pedals clipped in, flying dismount," quickly got my race belt and running shoes on, and I was off! The run course was essentially an out and back, with most of the first mile and a half uphill, and the second mile and a half downhill. As I suspected, my legs felt great, and I was passing a fair number of people immediately. I started to feel even better as the run progressed, and once I hit the turnaround point, I really started to pour it on! I was now passing people in droves, and as I approached the finish went into an all-out sprint. When I crossed the finish line and looked down at my watch I did a double-take -- I was expecting to run sub 7:00 per mile pace, but 6:30, not so much! My run split was actually my fastest ever in a triathlon -- at least something good came out of my ridiculously-slow bike time...

Post-Race

Despite my mechanical problems on the bike and my worst overall placing ever (by a wide margin), I took more good than bad from this race. I was really happy with my swim given my non-existent training, my transitions were smooth, my run was extremely strong, and I was proud of myself for not packing it in after how my pre-race and early part of the bike went. I now know that I am not getting any slower as I get older -- with the right training and preparation (including mechanical), I still can be plenty competitive. I enter the off-season with a new resolve -- I am going to continue running straight through next year, and am replacing my bike frame (which was probably the main reason for my recent bike problems -- my old frame is bent, which is causing my derailleur and chain issues). Thanks for reading, and I promise to at least try to update this blog every now and then during the off-season!

Race Splits

Swim: 17:10 (includes 200 yard run to transition)

Transition 1: 1:21

Bike: 1:05:52 (14.6 MPH -- I lost at least ten minutes with my mechanical issues)

Transition 2: 0:29

Run: 19:29 (6:30 pace)

Overall: 1:44:20 (136th overall, top 53%)

One Last Spin...

2009-08-13T18:16:00.000-04:00

Today at lunch I hit the spin bike for one last ride. I rode for 40 minutes at a consistent resistance level, focusing on keeping my heart rate between 130-150 beats per minute. The time went by pretty quickly considering the fact I did not change the resistance level once or even get out of the saddle. Definitely the perfect pre-race workout from my perspective. Last night I took another look at the results from the last race on this course earlier this summer. What really struck me was how SLOW the bike times were -- the guy who won the entire race averaged less than 22 MPH! This course must be really hilly. Next year I am definitely going to do some more due diligence before picking which races to do -- I know it is kind of pathetic, but averaging 16-17 MPH on Sunday is not exactly going to great for my ego, considering I am used to riding 21-22 MPH for this distance. Yes, I am vain -- deal with it...

Curses!

2009-08-12T18:33:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday I took my bike out for one last pre-race ride, and less than three miles into it, I got a flat tire. Super -- yet another bike ride cut short by a mechanical problem. This season has just been cursed -- the crash, the busted rear derailleur, and now this. I hate to say it, but at this point I just kind of want it to be over with. I just hope that I don't get another flat tire during the race on Sunday, although in some respects that would be a fitting end to this season. O.K, enough with the pity party -- just had to vent a bit.

So when I got back home, I decided to go for a four mile run instead. I ran it at 7:00 per mile pace, which I was happy with given the fact it was ridiculously humid. I then lifted weights for the first time in a while (chest, triceps, and legs) on Monday, and did a nice easy three mile treadmill run yesterday. I will hit the spin bike tomorrow for a final, risk-free ride, then hit the weights one last time before the race on Sunday. This is probably my final blog entry before the race, so wish me luck!

Abject Neglect

2009-08-05T15:27:00.000-04:00

Well once again I have neglected this blog, mainly due to being super busy at work and traveling entirely too much (this will be the first week in over two months that I have not traveled for work or pleasure). Despite the crazy schedule and lack of blog posts, the training has been pretty consistent -- not spectacular, but consistent. For example, yesterday I ran five miles on the treadmill at 7:08 per mile pace, and today I did another 40 minute bike/2 mile run brick (which has become my staple workout). My weight has crept up a bit over the last week or so, but it is nothing getting a bit more vigilant on the diet will not take care of. Next Sunday is my last race of the year, which I am pretty excited about. I still have not swam once this year (and now suspect I will not before the race), but it is only a half mile swim, which I think I can fake my way through...

Traveling and Training

2009-07-15T21:43:00.000-04:00

Well I just got home tonight from a pretty nightmarish trip to the West Coast for work -- I was in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Denver in the span of three days. The one good thing is that I was actually really diligent about getting workouts in while I was on the road -- I did a brick on Monday, lifted weights on Tuesday, and ran five miles on the treadmill this morning. I ended up having to wake up really early each day to work out (the worst was this morning -- I had a 7:00 A.M. meeting, so I had to get up at 4:30), but the nice part was that my body was still on East Coast time, so I was actually getting up much later than I normally do during the week. I am going to try and wake up early tomorrow morning for a quick run before work -- we will have to see how that goes given the fact I am kind of beat down from all the meetings and flights...

Catching Up

2009-07-08T18:15:00.001-04:00

Well I know that I have not posted anything for a couple of weeks. I got really busy at work (particularly with traveling) and then was out of town for July 4th weekend visiting the in-laws in Iowa. Last week was really solid from a training perspective -- I ran three times, rode three times, and lifted weights once. I was actually able to squeeze in three short workouts over the long holiday weekend, which I was really happy about. My only regret is that I thought I would have a chance to finally do some swimming in a quarry by the in-laws, but it did not work out.

I have a plan for finally getting my swim training in, though -- one of the branches of my NYC gym does have a pool, so I plan to start going there on Friday afternoons. I figure I only need five or so quality swim workouts before my triathlon in mid-August, but at the end of the day, I do need to get them in. This week is off to a solid start -- brisk five mile run on Sunday, brick yesterday, weights today. Tomorrow I will probably do another brick, and then try to finally hit the pool on Friday before calling it a week.

More Bricks

2009-06-22T14:07:00.000-04:00

I had another good brick workout early Saturday morning, with a 20 mile ride along River Road (including up and down what I am now referring to as "The Hill Of Death" right by the George Washington Bridge) and a 3 mile run. For the second weekend in a row I felt really strong on the run -- I averaged 7:02 per mile pace, and barely felt like I was pushing. I really think my recent weight loss (178 pounds per the scale at the gym today) is making a big difference. I planned to workout again yesterday morning, but ended up sleeping in which felt quite nice.

Today I planned to do another brick at the gym, but all the spin and exercise bikes were already taken (which serves me right for going there at noon, but I really wanted to catch the last few holes of the U.S. Open on TV). Thus, I ended up running five miles on the treadmill instead. I started at 7:30 per mile pace, and gradually increased the speed every 5 minutes for the first 30 minutes and every minute for the final 6. I ended up averaging 7:13 per mile for the entire run. I guess that brick will have to wait until tomorrow...

Too Much Of A Good Thing

2009-06-15T14:12:00.000-04:00

So today I hit the gym at lunch to run on the treadmill. I originally planned to run five miles at 7:18 per mile pace, but right from the start I could tell something just was not feeling right. I was really struggling to keep up with the treadmill, and after ten minutes or so brought the speed way down and decided to just run three miles instead. I think given the brick on Saturday and ride yesterday, my legs were just a bit fatigued and were not feeling a fairly hard five mile run. This was definitely my body's way of telling me to back off a bit, and I have no problem with that. On a much brighter note, I weighed myself afterwards, and I am down to 177 pounds...

Great Workout Weekend

2009-06-14T12:30:00.000-04:00

This weekend was one of my best training weekends in a long, long time. Yesterday morning I got up early and rode 20 miles and then ran three miles right afterward. I headed north along JFK Boulevard for 10 miles before turning around and heading home. Aside from the usual hills, traffic, and stoplights, there was a two mile or so section of the road that is under repair and really slowed me down. On the run my legs felt AWESOME right from the start. I tried to maintain a consistent pace without pushing too hard, and was shocked when I saw I averaged a 7:02 per mile pace, with both of the first two miles slightly below 7:00. I attribute this to my recent weight loss -- I am now under 180 pounds for the first time in a while.

This morning I hit the gym to do some weights (chest and triceps). I had a good workout, although the chest exercises felt a tad bit tougher than usual (which I think is due to the fact I also did chest on Thursday). I then took the ferry over to NYC and headed to Central Park for three loops on the bike. I had a strong 22 mile ride, especially considering yesterday's brick. I definitely feel like I am finally starting to build some momentum in my training, which is a good feeling.

Rising To The Challenge

2009-06-11T10:02:00.000-04:00

Last night I completed the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge in Central Park. Going into the race I was not sure what to expect. I felt pretty good about my fitness level (including a few recent short training runs in the low 7:00 per mile pace), but having done this event two years ago, I knew the course was fairly challenging, with a number of rolling hills. I ended up seeded in the middle of the 7:00 per mile pace group, which I knew was a bad omen, as I would have hundreds (if not thousands) of slower runners to dodge and weave through in the first part of the race. In addition, the actual starting line was a few hundred yards in front of me.

I literally ended up walking up to the starting line after the gun went off, and then spent the first mile ducking, swerving, and at times sprinting to avoid competitors that had seeded themselves in front of me (why people who are planning to run 10:00 miles feel the need to line up with the 6:00 pace group is a complete mystery to me, but the same exact thing happened two years ago). After a mile or so the crowds started to thin out, and I was able to run a much more steady pace (having said that, I was basically passing runners the entire way). I worked on attacking the uphills and opening up my stride to coast the downhills, as well as pushing myself the entire way -- this was definitely not going to be a training run!

After I hit the second mile marker I was definitely starting to hurt a bit, and shortened my stride while continuing to push myself as much as possible. Passing the three mile marker definitely gave me a shot of addrenaline -- it was time to bring this race home! As I made the sharp turn to head towards the finish, I took my pace up to another level. As I crossed the finish line and looked down at my watch, I saw that I had taken 1:01 off of my time from two years ago, which was definitely a good feeling. I was also the top finisher from my company's small team for the second time in a row, which I was happy about given the fact I was the consensus favorite in the office betting pool (which actually became quite serious). Most importantly, after my mediocre showing at the Queens Biathlon, this was exactly the confidence booster I needed.

Race Splits
Mile 1: 6:50
Mile 2: 6:33
Mile 3: 6:53
Final Half Mile: 3:28 (6:56 pace, but for whatever it is worth, my Garmin Forerunner 205 said it was 0.55 miles, which brings the pace down to 6:15)
Final Time: 23:44 (6:47/mile pace)

I Have Signed Up For Another Race!

2009-06-07T18:57:00.000-04:00

This afternoon I signed up for my second multisport race of the season, the New York Triathlon Series - Race #2 at Harriman State Park, 30 miles north of New York City. It is a sprint, with a half mile swim, 16 mile bike ride (which I get the sense is really hilly -- super!) and a 3 mile run. I kind of ended up picking this race by default -- I was having a really difficult time finding another one that fit into my schedule this year (it does not help that I am pretty picky about distances and do not like traveling far for races). One nice thing is the race is run by the same guys who put on the Queens Biathlon, and I felt like they did a great job, while keeping the race pretty laid back. I figure this means I finally have to start swimming soon -- I could probably knock out a half mile swim with no training at all if I had to, but if I want the time to be somewhat respectable (i.e., less than 15 minutes -- well, respectable for me), I need to get some pool time in.

Sunday Morning Ride

2009-06-07T14:02:00.000-04:00

I had a great training week last week, with three short runs (all at low 7:00 per mile pace), two spin bike rides, and two weightlifting sessions (the first time I have hit the weights twice in a week in a while). This morning I woke up at 6:00 A.M. and decided to take my bike (complete with new rear derailleur and chain) out for a spin. I rode north until I hit River Road, past the George Washington Bridge, and onto Route 9 (which is kind of legendary in this area for cyclists -- many come from NYC to do long rides on it). After 12.5 miles or so I turned around and headed home. On the way back I had to descend the same hill that I crashed on a month or so ago, and needless to say, I had my hands firmly on the brakes the entire way down. That hill is just insane -- looking back now, I am surprised that I did not crash on it earlier. All in all, it was a good 25+ mile ride, and a nice way to start off the week.

Early Morning Run

2009-06-03T16:32:00.001-04:00

This morning I woke up early and did a four mile run around my town before heading into the office. I completed the run in 7:15 per mile pace without pushing too hard (aside from the last mile which was sub-7:00). I am also happy to report I am finally starting to lose some weight -- I think I may have broken my sugar habit (at least the buying candy at work part). I figure one easy way to gain speed is having less weight to lug around, particularly when running. I am still trying to figure out what other races I am going to do this summer. I definitely want to stick to smaller, more laid back ones like the duathlon last month -- there is something to be said for not having to deal with the prices/crowds/logistical nightmares/etc. of larger races.

Derailleur Failure

2009-06-02T17:29:00.000-04:00

As much as I want to put my scary crash from a few weeks ago behind me, it keeps creeping up its ugly head. The latest reminder ocurred this past Saturday, when I took my bike out with the intention of doing a brick workout. I rode ten miles north along JFK Boulevard before turning around to head home. A few minutes after the turnaround, my chain started skipping as if I was between gears. Suddenly I heard this violent metal-on-metal sound, and my bike came to a complete stop. Basically, my chain had snapped. Great -- another ride aborted. After hailing a cab and heading home, I decided to head out for the run anyway. I ended up having a really strong three mile run at 7:00 per mile pace, including a 6:50 final mile.

When I took my bike back to the shop (I am now literally on a first name basis with the owner at this point), it turns out my rear derailleur had been badly damaged in the accident a few weeks ago, which caused my chain to snap. My frame also got bent a bit, but it looks like my bike shop was able to bend it back in place. So at this point, the casualties of my crash has been a helmet, two wheels, a tire, a rear derailleur, and a chain. I almost feel like I should have saved myself the trouble and gotten a completely new bike!

Anyway, I have gotten off to a decent start training-wise this week -- weights yesterday and the spin bike today. The true test of how motivated I am will be tomorrow when I attempt to wake up early and run before work. One final thing -- got the new wheels in the mail last week and they are sweet! Above is a picture of my front wheel.

Queens Biathlon Race Report

2009-05-18T17:11:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I completed my first race of the year, the Queens Biathlon. The following is my race report:

Pre-Race
Coming into the race, I really did not know what to expect. I felt fairly good about my fitness (with the notable exception of a few extra pounds), but given the fact I had never really done a duathlon before, I was not sure how I would perform. Race morning I woke up at 4:20 A.M., was out of the door by 5:00, caught a 5:30 Path train to Manhattan, then a subway to Queens, and rode the final 5-6 miles to the race start. I arrived in plenty of time to check in, set up my transition area, warm up, meet a fellow Slowtwitcher in person that I had traded a few messages with (he actually ended up winning his age group--congrats!), and then it was time to race.

First Run (3 miles)
The race was fairly small, and thus we had a mass start. When the gun went off, I felt like everyone took off like bats out of hell! I just focused on keeping a nice steady pace and not killing myself. The run course consisted of an out and back through a mostly wooded area of Alley Park with rolling hills (aside from the hill back into the transition area, which was fairly long and steep). I ran pretty slowly on the uphills, and opened up my stride on the downhills. I also took the last hill pretty easy, figuring that I wanted to have nice fresh legs for the bike. My first run time was a bit slower than I had anticipated, but much more importantly, I did not feel terribly winded when I finished it.

Bike (18 miles)
After a relatively decent transition I was on my bike. The bike course consisted off two laps of an out and back along a major highway. On the way out the headwind was BRUTAL--I remember riding into some strong winds during past Chicago Triathlons, but this was much worse. I just concentrated on staying aero as much as possible, while shifting gears maniacally as the wind gusts ebbed and flowed. Needless to say, once I hit the turnaround point each time I was flying. I definitely got passed more often than I passed other people. I just focused on my own race and keeping something in the tank for the second run.

Second Run (3 miles)
My second transition was a bit clumsy (my bike actually fell off the rack, but fortunately a race volunteer righted it for me), but not terrible. Starting the second run, I was honestly surprised at how dead my legs felt! After the first half mile or so I started to feel better and my stride began to widen. I passed one person in the first quarter mile or so, but aside from that, everyone else was simply too far ahead of me. As I made the final turn towards the finish line, I saw there were literally about a half a dozen racers right on my heels, which was all the motivation I needed to really work the final hill. As I crossed the finish line, it felt good to have my first duathon under my belt.

Post-Race
I went into this race thinking that duathlons were perfect for me--no swimming (which is my weakest triathlon discipline) and more running (my strongest). What I failed to consider, however, is that people do duathlons because they are in the exact same position that I am! Thus, I did not place nearly as highly as I thought I would (the fact that I entered the race 5-10 pounds overweight did not help either -- particularly on the two runs). Will I ever do a duathlon again? Definitely--now that I know what to expect, I am certain that I can do better (plus there are so darn many of them in the area, and they are a lot less of a logistical undertaking than triathlons). Well, it is back to training for me--that, and figuring out what other races to do this year. Thanks for reading!

Race Splits
Run 1: 22:07 (7:22 pace)
Transition 1: 0:55
Bike: 54:11 (19.9 MPH--slow, but trust me, it was crazy windy!)

Transition 2: 0:47
Run 2: 23:20 (7:47 pace)
Overall: 1:41:20 (27th overall, top 19%)

Final Preparation

2009-05-15T17:23:00.001-04:00

Well my first race of the season is less than 48 hours away, and as usual I am starting to get nervous. In terms of final preparation, yesterday and today I hit the gym and lifted weights. I also bought a new helmet to replace the one that cracked in three places when I crashed. It is fairly stylish (not that that was what I was really going for), fits well, and is really easy to adjust. I must say I always get excited about getting new triathlon gear, even if it is something as boring as a helmet. I am planning to take it nice and easy tomorrow, and then it is all systems go for Sunday...

Passing The Test(s)

2009-05-14T10:44:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was pretty important for me, as I ran and rode as final tests before this Sunday's race. Even though I had pretty much decided Sunday was a go, I definitely wanted to see how my groin would hold up to a race-pace run and a hard ride. I started off by running three miles on the treadmill during lunch. The first mile was at 7:30 pace, with the final two at 7:08. The run felt fairly comfortable, and my groin was completely fine during it and afterwards. Test one passed.

After work I did a 15 mile ride with my bike basically set up in race mode. I tried to place my tri spoke wheel on the front, but it continues to rub up against the brake (which led to my first-ever DNF last summer), so I finally gave up and put on the training wheel from my back-up bike (which is ridiculously "un-aero" -- it must have like 50 spokes). I also put on my "faux disc" rear wheel that has a cover on it, which is working perfectly fine. The other mechanical issue I have is I cannot get my bike computer to work with my rear wheel, which is O.K. because with my aero drink on, I cannot see the display anyway (and I have a Forerunner 205 to keep track of my speed). Anyway, I rode 15 miles fairly hard with a tailwind on the way out and headwind coming back, and felt pretty strong. Test two passed. It looks like it is all systems go for Sunday...

The Show Will Go On

2009-05-12T16:33:00.000-04:00

So it has been a week and a half since the big bike accident. The first few days I was sore all over and could barely move without pain. Aside from the cuts, scrapes, and bruises I mentioned earlier, it also turns out that I pulled my groin pretty badly. Last week I really did not even try to run given the pain, but did ride the exercise bike a couple of times and used an ellipitical machine once. Yesterday after a half an hour on the elliptical machine I ran a mile on the treadmill pain-free, which was a great feeling! For a couple of days there I thought I was going to have to bag on Sunday's race, which was not exactly a good feeling. Now it looks like the show will go on! Oh, one other thing -- it turns out that I spoke prematurely when I said my wheels could be repaired -- the bike store called back and informed me they are beyond repair. Super. It is not a problem this week since I have my race wheels, but eventually I will have to suck it up and buy a new pair...

Wipeout!

2009-05-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Well this morning was going to be my big pre-race brick workout, but unfortunately, the big guy upstairs (or maybe downstairs) had other plans. I woke up at 6:45, got all my gear together, and was on my bike a little after 7:00, heading north through Weehawkin and West New York until I hit River Road. The first nine miles I felt really strong, and was routinely riding 21 MPH or so on any flat sections. I rode up the huge hill right by the George Washington Bridge and turned around to head home.

As usual I was flying on the descent back down the hill, but unfortunately it rained most of yesterday and last night, so the road was very slick. Almost immediately my back wheel started to fishtail, and after I righted it momentarily, fishtailed even more. Before I knew it I was flying over the handlebars and through the air. My head hit the pavement first (thank God for helmets!) and I slid a few feet before coming to a stop.

When I got up to survey the damage, it was not too bad -- both knees and one elbow were a bit bloodied and my left torso and shoulder were bruised, but that was about it. Unfortunately my bike was not in quite as good shape -- both rims were bent pretty badly, although the frame/handlebars/brakes/etc. seem to be O.K. The bent rims prevented me from riding home, so after walking a bit, I was able to use the phone at a laundromat and call a taxi to take me home. I definitely consider myself lucky -- given the speed I was going (30 MPH+), things could have been A LOT worse...

P.S. I took my wheels to the bike store, and it looks like they can be trued, which is a relief. It would have sucked if I had to get new wheels (unfortunately with my cracked helmet, I do not have a choice). On that note, anyone who trains using race wheels (which I see a lot more of in the NYC area than when I lived in Chicago) is an idiot.

The Big Test

2009-05-01T18:12:00.001-04:00

This afternoon I hit the gym to lift weights -- chest and triceps. It was a fairly uneventful workout, although I must say I was pretty happy with how much weight I was putting up on the flat and incline bench using freeweights -- gotta look good in those ridiculously tight triathlon clothes! Aside from that there is not much to tell. The real reason for this post is that I am excited and nervous for tomorrow morning's workout -- I plan to do an 18 mile bike/3 mile run brick. This will be my longest brick of the year, but more importantly, will simulate the last two-thirds of my first race of the season in just over two weeks. I am particularly interested to see how I run off the bike -- I have done plenty of bricks on the exercise/spin bike and the treadmill at the gym, but I have a feeling doing a "real world" brick will be a completely different story. I also picked up my bike after having the computer repaired and a tune up, so I am really excited about riding it. As ridiculous as this sounds, I can already tell I will have trouble sleeping tonight...

PEDs

2009-04-29T15:09:00.000-04:00

So as I think I alluded to earlier, my allergies are absolutely positively killing me right now. I have all the classic hay fever symptoms -- watery, itchy, eyes, congestion, uncontrollable sneezing fits -- it has just been miserable. Finally I gave in and called my sister (the family doctor), who prescribed three different drugs for me (eye drops, some pills, and another thing that comes in an inhaler -- I cannot be more specific since I do not have the stuff here in the office).

Today was my first day on the new drug regimen, and I feel 1,000% better -- no sneezing, no congestion, nothing. It is a good thing they do not test age groupers for performance enhancing drugs, because I am fairly certain that some part of my allergy medication cocktail has steroids in it or something else illegal. Anyway, I hit the gym today for a short brick -- 40 minutes on the spin bike, followed by 15 minutes on the treadmill at 7:13/mile pace. The workout felt surprisingly easy, especially the run portion, which I was very happy with. With just over two weeks to go before my first race, it was nice to feel sharp and fit.

Heat and Hills

2009-04-26T16:11:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I did a 20 mile bike ride early in the morning. I basically just followed JFK Boulevard north, which was nice from the perspective of avoiding those brutal hills right by the George Washington Bridge on River Road, but kind of sucked because every half mile or so I would hit a red light and lose all of my rhythm. I ended up averaging 18.3 MPH for the ride, which I was very happy with considering all of the stopping and starting that I had to do. Afterwards I took my bike to the local bike shop to have the computer repaired and my annual tune up -- it should be ready by mid-week.

Today I went for a five mile run, which in hindsight was not a great idea. It was close to 90 degrees when I started, and I ended up running a route with some major hills. To put it simply, the run did not go well. My average pace ended up being fairly respectable, but I definitely stopped a few times along the way, which I have not done for a long time. No use beating myself up over it -- I just think given the conditions, I simply bit off more than I could chew. At least I got the workout in. The big test for this week will be Saturday -- I am planning an 18 mile ride/3 mile run brick, which will essentially be a simulation of the final two-thirds of the duathlon on May 17th. It should be interesting to see where my fitness truly is right now.

Good Week

2009-04-24T17:07:00.000-04:00

This has been a pretty good training week. After a kind of brutal five mile treadmill run on Tuesday (the fan on the machine was not working, so I was sweating like a whore in church), I did light weights (chest and triceps) on Wednesday. The last couple of days I have done 45 minute rides on the exercise bike at relatively low intensity (130-140 BPM heartrate). Tomorrow I am either going to ride early in the morning or lift weights again. The weather is finally becoming really nice here, which I am excited about. With my first race in just over three weeks, logging some outdoors training time, while not absolutely crucial in my opinion, certainly cannot hurt.

Darn Allergies!

2009-04-20T16:29:00.000-04:00

So yesterday I did a nice easy three mile run with the better half, which is just what the doctor ordered after three straight days of intense workouts. Today I was planning on either riding or doing a brick workout at lunch, but my allergies have been just killing me all day! My left eye is red and swollen, and this morning I went through almost an entire box of tissues sneezing my head off. I felt a bit better by the afternoon, but figured it would be no fun for me (or anyone else in close proximity) if I sneezed my way through a workout.

Unfortunately now I will have to play "catch-up" the rest of the week with getting workouts in, but I think I probably made the right decision. Hopefully I feel better tomorrow. On an unrelated note, I ordered some new parts yesterday for my bike computer. It has not worked (no speed or distance readings) since late last season, and I definitely want to have it fixed before the Queens Biathlon on May 17th. I may need to send my Forerunner 205 in as well -- one of the arrow buttons does not seem to work, which is a real pain...

I Have Signed Up For A Race!

2009-04-19T13:46:00.000-04:00

O.K., I know that I have been neglecting the blog lately -- just been caught up with other various and sundry things (fortunately, training has been one of them). The last several weeks of training have been pretty consistent -- two runs, two spin/bike rides, one or two days of weight training. The last two weekends I have actually ridden outside for the first times this year. I have been pleasantly surprised by my bike fitness -- I have been averaging around 18 MPH on some pretty challenging rides (i.e., lots of hills, some of which are brutal), without going "all out." I think that anyone who does not think riding the spin bike or taking spin classes helps build/maintain cycling fitness is basically an idiot.

O.K., on to more important things -- I just signed up for my first multisport event this season, the Queens Biathlon on May 17th. The race consists of a 3 mile run, an 18 mile bike ride, and a 3 mile run. Since running and biking are my strengths and once again I have utterly and completely neglected my swim training this year, I am really excited to see how I do. If past results are any indication, assuming the next four weeks of training go well, I should be in the running for a podium spot in my age group (I probably jinxed myself just by typing that)...

I'm Back...

2009-03-16T17:17:00.001-04:00

So my posts have become fewer and further between lately, for which I apologize. I had a good week of training last week, with two five mile runs, two weightlifting sessions, and a spin bike workout. Yesterday I did a hard five mile run outside. Despite running the first mile in a way-too-leisurely 7:40ish, I averaged 7:18 pace for the entire workout, which I was pretty pleased with. I also lifted weights (chest and triceps), but kept it pretty light because I was still really sore from my last chest workout on Thursday. Today I rode an exercise bike for 40 minutes, with my heart rate consistently in the 150 beats/minute range. I am traveling tomorrow for work, so no workouts planned -- which is good because after five days in a row, my body can use a break...

Five Mile Run

2009-03-02T16:13:00.000-05:00

I started my training week yesterday with a chest and tricep workout at the gym. I did not feel particularly strong on the flat bench -- I struggled to put up 205 lbs. five times and then barely got up 225 once. The only thing I thought at the time was that my body was not completely awake (it was like 8:00 A.M. in the morning). I think it may be time to shift to free weights anyway as my serious training period starts to get a bit closer (and my weight drops -- I am now just a hair under 180 lbs).

Today I ran five miles on the treadmill. I ran the first three miles at 7:13/mile pace, then scaled back to 7:30, and then gradually increased the speed until I was running 6:53 pace at the very end. I ended up average 7:12 pace, and although I was sweating buckets afterwards, I did not feel all that winded. Soon I will hit the pool again -- given the way the last four months have gone, if I can just manage to drag my lazy butt to the pool on a consistent basis, it is going to be a pretty good (i.e., fast) season.

Liftin'

2009-02-20T18:32:00.000-05:00

I finished off another workout week by lifting weights (chest and triceps) at the gym today. I did heavy weights on the flat bench for the first time in three weeks, which went pretty well -- I was able to put up 205 lbs. six times without straining too much, and put up 225 lbs. twice (although the second rep was a struggle). Earlier this week I rode the bike for 40 minutes one day, ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes another, and did back and biceps on another day. I also went snowboarding on Sunday, which technically does not count as a workout, but in February I will take what I can get...

Solid Week

2009-02-14T22:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I lifted weights (heavy chest and triceps) and did a nice easy run on the treadmill at 7:25/mile pace. I thought I was basically done for the week, but unexpectedly today I had time to get another run in. I ran five miles around Hoboken at a fairly brisk clip (I was not wearing a watch so I am not sure of the exact pace). I concentrated on keeping a nice, steady pace without going out too hard or dogging it at all. It was my first run outside in a while, and although it was a bit nippy (low 40s), it felt good to not be on the treadmill for once.

All in all it was a great week of training -- two bike rides, two runs, and two weightlifting sessions. I know that I sound like a broken record, but considering it is only mid-February, I am beyond ecstatic about the shape I am in right now! I just hope that I do not lose momentum when I start focusing on my swimming in March. If I can keep it all together, it is shaping up to be a nice season...

How Anthony Got His Groove Back

2009-02-10T17:08:00.000-05:00

So I have been in a really nice training groove the last few weeks. Last week I did two short bricks and a hard five mile treadmill run, as well as hitting the weights twice. Yesterday I rode an exercise bike for 40 ninutes, and today I lifted weights again. Right now I am primarily focused on staying consistent, but I must say I am really happy with how quickly the strength and speed has returned to my running and spinning. The weather has started to warm up here the last few days -- maybe I can start training outdoors occassionally in the next few weeks. Not that I mind all the gym workouts, but it is just not the same (especially on the bike)...

Another Brick

2009-01-26T16:36:00.000-05:00

Today I rode an exercise bike for half an hour, followed by ten minutes on the treadmill. I was kind of annoyed because my heart rate monitor was on the fritz for most of my time on the bike, but it was not the end of the world. I started off the treadmill run at 7:30/minute pace and gradually increased it until I was doing 6:40 pace for the last minute, which all felt fairly relaxed and easy. I also weighed myself after the workout -- 181 pounds, which is great for late January. The only other somewhat interesting note is that the guy on the exercise bike next to me was just sweating bullets -- it was kind of gross. I mean, I am all for getting a good sweat, but I just did not understand why homeboy could not wipe himself down every few minutes. After he was done there was pratically a puddle underneath his exercise bike...

Back To Bricks

2009-01-21T16:23:00.000-05:00

So yesterday I did my first brick (bike/run) workout of the year. I did 30 hard minutes on the spin bike (a combination of hills and sprints) before running for 10 minutes on the treadmill at a 7:30/mile pace, followed by a five minute walk cool down. While this was definitely a short brick, I felt surprisingly comfortable on the running portion (although my heart rate was sky-high -- but what is new). I am definitely going to try to do one brick every week -- during my best racing season (2006), I managed to keep that up and it made a huge difference during races. Today I did 40 minutes on the spin bike at a constant, moderately-difficult resistance level, focusing on keeping my heart rate between 140-160 bps/minute. I continue to be pleased with my training so far -- and I still cannot believe it is not even the end of January yet!

Attack Of The New Year Resolutionaries

2009-01-05T16:41:00.000-05:00

Today I headed to the gym at 1:00 P.M. to ride (well, spin) for the first time since I started training again. Unfortunately I completely forgot that it is the fifth day of the New Year, which means gyms around the world are packed with New Year Resolutionaries. You know who these people are -- they make a New Year's resolution to lose weight/get washboard abs/bulk up/work out more often, and thus, gyms around the world are packed in January (and usually part of February as well). Inevitably their newfound commitment fades, and gym attendance returns to normal. Do not get me wrong -- I truly respect these people for at least trying (and suspect every year some number of them get hooked and start exercising regularly), but it does make working out this time of the year a pain.

Anyway, tangent over -- the entire reason for it was to explain why I ended up having to ride a recumbent bike for 40 minutes instead of a spin bike or something at least faintly resembling an actual bicycle. Given the fact it was the first ride of the year, I was perfectly fine using the recumbent. I wore my heart rate monitor strap and I was generally in the 115-120 bpm range for the entire workout, which quite frankly is probably right where I should be given the fact I have not been on a bicycle since August. So I guess the New Year Resolutionaries may have actually done me a favor...

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T14:05:00.000-05:00

Well after a week and a half off, I did my first workout of 2009 this morning. I went for a four mile run in and around Hoboken. Between the cold (38 degrees), the fact that I have not worked out since before Christmas, and some major hills along the way, it definitely was not my best run. I ended up averaging 7:44/mile pace, compared to my last few treadmill runs which have been around 7:13. I am not particularly bothered by this run -- it is January 3rd, I already have two months of training under my belt, and I am only seven pounds above my targeted racing weight, so from a big picture perspective, I could not be happier.

Stitches

2008-12-22T17:09:00.001-05:00

Today at lunch I hit the treadmill for another half hour run. I increased the pace to 7:13/mile which felt pretty comfortable, except for the fact I got a bit of a side stitch 25 minutes into the workout. It was nothing major, it just struck me as odd because I had not eaten anything for several hours. Boring blog post I know, but I had a few minutes on the way back from home and figured why not. It's freezing outside now, but this ferry bus is almost too warm. Now this post is getting truly random...

Textbook Training Week

2008-12-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

Last week for various and sundry reasons (the primary one being sheer laziness) I only ran twice and did not lift weights at all. This week I vowed to be more disciplined, and managed to get three runs and two weightlifting sessions in. Two of the runs were at 7:18/mile pace, and today I dialed it back to 7:30 because I was running for the second day in a row (and the earlier runs were not as comfortable as I would have liked). I have become remarkably good at just blasting through half an hour treadmill runs without constantly staring at the elapsed time (which inevitably makes the workout go by much slower) -- just give me my ESPN and my headphones and I am set.

I have not been eating all that well the last couple of weeks, so I was not surprised to see I am back up to 183ish lbs. Not the end of the world, but my battle against sugar is clearly still ongoing. Nevertheless, I feel great about the fact I am already running in the low 7:xx/mile range and it is not even January yet! It will be kind of tough getting quality workouts in over the next couple of weeks with the holidays, but to I am just thrilled to have this type of base at this time of the year...

Thanksgiving Weekend Treat

2008-12-01T17:18:00.000-05:00

O.K., as I mentioned two posts ago, I was not expecting to get any workouts in over Thanksgiving weekend, as my in-laws were in town. It turns out I was mistaken -- my brother in-law is kind of a serious runner, and wanted to get a couple of runs in around Hoboken. Needless to say, I was psyched! We did a little more than four mile run on Friday, followed by a pretty hard five miler on Saturday. The weather was brisk but bearable both days, which was nice. The Saturday run was at sub-7:30/mile pace, which is really fast for me with less than one months of training under my belt. I definitely had to slow down the last mile so that my brother in-law could keep up with me, which was a good feeling considering the pace of the first four miles. Combined with the two four mile treadmill runs that I did earlier in the week, I ran 17 miles last week, which is definitely a November record for me (excluding last year, in which I ran the NYC Marathon the first Sunday of November).

Given the strong weekend runs, I decided to skip my scheduled week of running at 7:36/mile pace and go directly to 7:30. My run today felt O.K., but not as easy as my previous ones, which makes me think I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I'll see how my other runs go this week and then decide what to do next week. Oh, and I'm down to 182 lbs. I also decided to forgo my usual lunchtime cookie for a bag of Sun Chips, which should help. I just need to stay away from that sugar...

Mobile Blogging

2008-11-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

So I am actually typing this from my mobile phone, which is kind of convenient but also kind of pathetic. I am on a bus to the ferry, and traffic is really bad right now, so I figured why not. I had a great workout today at the gym -- back, biceps, and abs, and then another half hour on the treadmill. The run felt great -- it seemed like it went by so quickly, which is always a good sign for dreadmill runs. Completely off topic, but the woman next to me has been on her cell phone talking loudly for the last 40 minutes. God do I hate stuff like this -- do these people have any self awareness whatsoever? Sometimes I seriously wish that cell phones were never invented...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T13:41:00.000-05:00

So tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and with the in-laws coming into town I am not going to be able to work out at all for the next few days. I know that I am getting more serious about my training, though, because I am still getting in four workouts this week (running on Monday, weights yesterday, and both today before I begin focusing on Thanksgiving dinner preparation). Monday I did a half an hour on the treadmill at 7:41/mile pace, which felt pretty relaxed. Yesterday I hit the weights, and on the way out had my body fat measured. I came in at 12%, which I am O.K. with given its late November. I would love to get that down below 10% by next summer -- we will see how that goes (got to cut down on the sweets!). I am still loving the fact I got an early jump on my training for next season...

Treadmill Malfunction

2008-11-17T15:59:00.000-05:00

Today I ran for a half an hour at the gym at 7:47 per mile pace. It was fairly uneventful, aside from the fact that the first treadmill I was running on completely shut down about 21 minutes in (it was a bit herky-jerky prior to stopping, so it was not a complete surprise). I quickly switched to another treadmill and maybe stopped running for 20-30 seconds, so it was no big deal. Last week I managed to get my two runs in and lift weights -- I wanted to get another workout in over the weekend, but it did not happen. I was feeling a tad bit guilty until I remembered that I started training two months earlier than normal for this upcoming season -- that was enough to make me relax a bit...

Picking Up The Pace (A Little)

2008-11-11T16:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I did a half hour on the treadmill at 7.6 MPH, or 7:54/mile pace. I really did not notice any difference from last week when I did my runs at 8:00/mile pace, which is good. I always start my run training by adding 0.1 MPH a week until I get down to low 7:00/mile pace (in really good years, sub-7:00), which I have found is a nice way to get my legs used to running again. I spent entirely too much time on http://www.slowtwitch.com/ today and found a lengthy forum thread about a guy who did the swim portion of Ironman Florida with fins -- needless to say, it was entertaining stuff. Oh, and I just got a bunch of new running tops -- four from UnderArmour and one from Nike. And no, I didn't get the cheesy supertight UnderArmour ones that you see people wearing at the gym. Here is a picture of one of the new tops -- WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE (not sure how that is applicable to triathlons, but why not)...

2009 Training Starts Early

2008-11-05T15:24:00.000-05:00

O.K., so I decided for the first time to start training for the 2009 triathlon season before the New Year. There are a few reasons driving this decision:

For the first time in a long time my season was done before Labor Day, so I have already had two months to rest and recuperate.
I am really not happy with my weight right now (185ish lbs., which is not terrible for this time of year, but I want to race next year at 170-175), and I simply burn more calories when I am training.
I want to try something different this year in my training plan -- I am going to concentrate on running for two months, biking for two months, and then swimming for a month before settling into a more conventional triathlon training schedule. Thus, starting early will give me plenty of time to build my base this way before jumping into a training routine that incoporates all three disciplines.

Yesterday I ran for 30 minutes at 8:00/mile pace (my first run since my last triathlon), and today I just did the elliptical machine for 30. I'm going to try and do a better job of keeping the blog updated this year, but I'm not promising anything...

2008 Accenture Chicago Race Report

2008-09-04T06:48:00.000-04:00

On August 24th I competed in the Accenture Chicago Triathlon for the fifth time. I opted for the sprint distance primarily because of my limited training hours this year (plus you do not have to wait around as long for your start – which is important in a race with 8,600+ competitors). This race was unique for me because it was the first time I have ever really traveled to do a triathlon, as well as the first time I used someone else’s bike. All in all, I had a good time and was pretty happy with my performance.

Coming into the race, I truly did not know what to expect. On the one hand I felt pretty good (but not great) about my fitness level and was very familiar with the course having done this race before and lived and trained in Chicago for years. On the other hand my swim training has been virtually non-existent this year, I was using a friend’s bike (albeit, a really nice one), and spent most of the race weekend running around and reconnecting with old friends. My alarm went off at 3:50 A.M. race morning and I took a quick shower, collected all of my gear, and rode to transition. At 5:30 A.M. I had my transition area set up, met up with a couple of friends who were doing their first triathlon (they both finished – congratulations!), and headed to the starting line.

The swim was fairly uneventful. I lined up behind the first row of swimmers, and aside from the usual melee in the initial hundred yards or so, I avoided major contact with other triathletes. The one change that I made to my swim was to dramatically cut down on the amount of sighting that I usually do. My stroke is already marginal at best to begin with, and I have come to realize that I slow myself down even more with excessive sighting. The swim course is a straight shot north in Lake Michigan, so sighting was even less of an issue than in most other races. I just focused on keeping my head down and taking nice relaxed strokes, which seemed to work as I exited the water in just under 16 minutes. Not great, but considering the fact that I only swam six times all year, I was happy with it.

After completing the quarter mile run to the transition area (by far my least favorite part of this race), I had a fairly quick transition and was on the bike. As I mentioned, I borrowed my friend Tony’s Kestrel triathlon bike (thanks again!) Although we are about the same height, I had to raise the seat 4-5” and pull the aerobars forward 2-3”, but all in all I felt like the bike fit me fairly well. I also did not have my normal Profile Design aero drink, but was pretty good about downing most of the bottle of Gatordade I brought with me. While there was a bit of blocking here and there, most of the people I saw on the bike course seemed to be riding relatively clean, and any miscues seemed to be the result of inexperience rather than blatant cheating.

Heading north on Lake Shore Drive there was a decent headwind, but nothing compared to the gale force winds I have encountered in some previous Chicago Triathlons. I focused on staying aero as much as possible, although I did downshift and get out of the saddle to attack the few short uphills. I was maintaining a steady pace in the 19-20 MPH range, and while my heart rate was very high (180+ BPMs), from a perceived exertion level perspective I felt fine. When I hit the turnaround I knew my pace would pick up considerably with the wind at my back, and was I ever right – I rode much of the way back to the transition area at 25+ MPH! During the last couple of miles I deliberately dialed my pace back a bit in order to save some gas for the run.

I performed my usual “leave the shoes clipped to the pedals” flying dismount as I approached the transition area. I placed my bike back on the rack, grabbed my running shoes (I left the racing flats and quick tie laces at home) and was off on the run. My legs definitely felt a bit heavy, which I attribute to not being as consistent with my brick (bike/run) workouts as in past years. I did get a huge boost from seeing my friends Chad, Kim, and Ray cheering me on, as well as plenty of other spectators along the run course. I laughed out loud when Chad yelled “Come on, Anthony – there are people in front of you wearing COTTON!” (inside joke — when it comes to running I am a total wicking material snob). I forgot to press the split button on my watch in order to track my mile times, but felt like I was running around 7:15-7:20 pace – slower than normal, but completely expected given my erratic training this year. I grabbed a bit of Gatorade at each water stop, which kept me more than adequately hydrated. As I neared the finish line a spectator told me to smile because the race was almost over. I turned towards her and pointed at my exaggerated grin just before I began my final sprint.

I crossed the finish line in 1:22:08 feeling pretty good about my performance, particularly given all of the other “life events” (e.g., having my better half move in, getting married, buying a new condo, moving, etc.) that happened this year. But most importantly, after not doing any triathlons in 2007 and having my first ever DNF in the only other race I attempted in 2008, I truly feel like a TRIATHLETE again! Well, I am done with racing this season – it is time to relax, hit the weights a bit more, and start planning how I can get better (aside from more swim training, obviously) in 2009! Thanks for reading!

Race Splits
Swim: 18:16 (includes quarter mile run to the transition area, top 23%)
T1: 1:49
Bike: 38:01 (21.6 MPH, top 4%)
T2: 1:33
Run: 22:28 (7:14 per mile, top 7%)
Overall: 1:22:08 (top 5% overall, top 8% in M35-39 age group)

Great Week!

2008-02-22T15:01:00.000-05:00

O.K., the blog posts are slowing down -- there simply are not enough hours in the day. I will post when I have time, and otherwise everyone (assuming anyone actually reads this ever) will just have to deal with it! Monday was unseasonably warm (in the low 60s), and with the day off from work I decided to ride my bike outside. I did a 20 mile out-and-back, most of which was on JFK Boulevard north of Hoboken. I discovered that if I just stay on JFK it seems to go on forever -- or at least 10 miles or so. It is a tough route, though -- super hilly and a ton of stop lights. I can tell that it will be a great strength-building workout, though. I also lifted weights that day -- back and biceps.

The rest of the week I got in two treadmill runs at 7:24/mile pace (which felt surprisingly easy -- I am really starting to think my running is going to be strong this year), another weights workout (chest and tris) and a spin class today at lunch. Six workouts in six days -- definitely a nice week, especially coming off last week when I was sick. Oh, and my weight is down to 182.5 lbs -- not a ton of progress, but definitely heading in the right direction! One last thing -- I have been seeing a podiatrist (trust me, you don't want to know why) and he recommended I get orthotics (I am extremely flat-footed). I figure it can only help, so I ordered them. They should get here in three weeks. It will be interesting to see how they affect me (if at all). Below are my training totals for this past week:

Two runs (1 hour)
One bike ride (20 miles)
One spin class (45 minutes)
Two weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

Sick and Tired

2008-02-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

Training got off to a great start this week, with 30 minutes on the elliptical machine in Chicago on Sunday, weights on Monday, and a treadmill run on Tuesday. I felt a bit under the weather during the run, but thought it wasn't anything a good night's sleep wouldn't take care of. Boy was I wrong! I woke up Wednesday morning with a terrible headache, a sore throat, and an uncontrollable cough. Needless to say, training was not an option. I took Thursday off as well before returning to the treadmill this afternoon for a 30 minutes run at 7:30/mile pace. I definitely do not feel 100% recovered, but I got through it. It kind of sucks to have a setback like this just when I was starting to get into a groove, but what can you do? I will see how I feel tomorrow and whether I have time to get another workout in, but I have a feeling just taking it easy the next couple of days is probably the smart move. At least my new running shoes finally arrived.

Spin Class Freak

2008-02-08T14:58:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night I hit the weight room for back, biceps, and abs. It was a quick, efficient, pretty uneventful workout. Last night I was planning on going to my Masters swim class for the first time this year, but due to some unforeseen circumstances (well, not all that unforeseen -- I hate swimming), I decided to hit the treadmill instead. I did my third run of the week at 7:35/mile pace with a bit of a speed pick up at the end, and the entire run felt very smooth and easy.

Today at lunch I hit my gym for a spin class. I learned from last week's mistake and made sure to reserve a spot in advance (which still seems ridiculous to me -- I go there to spin, not for a five-course dinner). The class was pretty tough and I was sweating like crazy. The highlight (or lowlight, as it were) of the class was this one really strange woman. She was at least sixty and was wearing a long-sleeve top and leggings. At first she was clapping her hands during the class, which the instructor quickly put a quick stop to. What he could not stop was her swaying and rocking her head to the music and basically doing whatever she wanted rather than following his instructions (I think she was singing a bit as well). Gotta love NYC -- there is never a shortage of freaks! Below are my training totals for this week:

3 runs (1.5 hours, or 12 miles)
1 spin class (40 minutes)
2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

I'd Have To Say It Was A Good Day...

2008-02-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

I had a really good day of training yesterday -- possibly the best one of the New Year. At lunch I headed over to the gym to lift weights -- chest, triceps, and legs. I used dumbells for flat and incline bench, and was pleasantly suprised to put up 80 lbs six times on the flat bench and 70 lbs six times on the incline bench. The rest of the workout was pretty uneventful, but I was happy to knock it out during work. The weather here was unseasonably warm yesterday (low 50s), so as soon as I got home from work I threw on a long-sleeve shirt (actually my NYC Marathon finisher's shirt, which I love), shorts, and gloves and headed out for a run. I did four miles at 7:27 pace. I used my Garmin Forerunner 205, and the interesting thing is that my mile splits heading north in Hoboken were much slower than they were heading south. I always suspected there was a bit of an uphill going north, but I didn't think it would make that much of a difference. I kicked it in the last mile and ran it in 7:08, which felt pretty good. BTW, loving the Forerunner -- I set it so that it automatically records every mile split, which is great for a ridiculously anal guy like me...

New Shoes -- Finally

2008-02-05T10:57:00.000-05:00

I really need to get better at updating this blog on a regular basis! Anyway, the end of last week was pretty uneventful -- another treadmill run at 7:41/mile pace, weights, and 45 minutes of riding a stationary bicycle at the gym when I could not get into the spin class (you have to reserve a spot a day in advance, which I just think is complete crap). Below are my training totals for last week:

2 runs (1 hour)
1 bike (45 minutes)
2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

Last night I ran another half hour on the treadmill, increasing the speed to 7:36/mile pace with the last two minutes at 6:44 pace. The first few minutes felt a bit uncomfortable, which probably had to do with the fact I was messing around with the channels and volume on the treadmill TV, which prevented me from getting into a good running rhythm. I also had a faint pain in my lower left leg -- nothing terrible, but it definitely finally convinced me to finally get new running shoes. I ordered another pair of Saucony Omni 6's (pictured on the right) from Amazon.com. This will be my third or fourth pair of basically the same shoes -- I figure if it isn't broken, there is no need to fix it...

Just Another Treadmill Run

2008-01-30T11:55:00.001-05:00

Last night I hit the treadmill for another half an hour run. I started off at 7:42/mile pace, and then increased the pace to 6:49 for the last couple of minutes. My stride felt very smooth and fluid -- I definitely feel like I am getting my running form back, slowly but surely. On a related note, I desperately need to pick up a new pair of running shoes. I love my Sauconys and they are still in reasonably good shape aesthetically, but I have put so many miles on them it's not even funny (including training and doing two marathons -- ridiculous, I know). I am hitting the weights again tonight, and then either running or spinning tomorrow.

Old Race Reports

2008-01-29T17:21:00.000-05:00

I thought just to give you a bit more background I would add some of my old race reports to this blog. I decided to just include races from my "breakthrough" 2006 season, in which I set PRs at the half Ironman and marathon distance, just missed my Olympic PR and got my first top-ten overall finish. Enjoy -- or not!

2006 Spirit of Racine Half Ironman
There is an old saying that goes "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." That pretty much sums up my experience at the Spirit of Racine Half Ironman on July 23rd. To say that I "failed" when I did this same race last year (which was my first half Ironman) is probably a bit harsh. I finished the race on a BRUTAL day (with the heat index, it was over 110 degrees), but I missed my goal time by a sizeable margin, mainly due to an awful run.

This year I kicked my training up a couple of notches – for example, I did a long ride and a brick every week, as opposed to every other week last year. I also had a couple of very high mileage cycling weeks (well, at least high mileage for me), as I reasoned that not only would I spend over half of my time during the race on the bike, but I needed to be able to finish 56 miles comfortably, without feeling completely spent. Last but certainly not least, I invested in a professional bike fitting, a used aero front wheel and a rear wheelcover.

O.K., on to the race. The start of the swim was a bit tough – tons of contact, although nothing too terrible. We started swimming away from the beach towards a buoy, followed by a right hand turn. Unfortunately the sun was right in our faces, which made it nearly impossible to see the buoy. I finally got to the buoy and made a right hand turn to swim parallel to the shore line. This was when things took a turn for the worse – I ended up WAY off course! I am a bilateral breather, and after a few minutes noticed that every time I breathed on my left side, I saw no one. Whenever I breathed on my right side, I saw plenty of swimmers – who were at least 50 yards closer to the shore than I was. Damn!

I then started swimming diagonally towards the other swimmers and the line of buoys and sighting much more often, which threw off my already marginal stroke mechanics. Oh, and the water was also incredibly choppy. When I got out of the water, I was not terribly surprised to see that my time was 3:24 slower than last year, when sighting was not an issue. While disappointed, I knew that losing three minutes and change was not going to make much of a difference in a five plus hour day.

After a quick transition (34 seconds faster than last year) I was on the bike. During the first ten miles or so, I passed a ton of riders. While my heart rate was a bit higher than I had planned, I felt fine from a perceived exertion level perspective. I just concentrated on staying in the aero position as much as possible, taking in calories (mainly Gatorade), and riding my own race. After 30 miles or so my butt really started to get sore, which is rare for me. I was also getting passed more often than I was passing other riders.

By 40 miles or so, I decided to get out of the saddle on most hills, just to give my backside a rest. I was still riding at a decent pace (20+ MPH) and keeping my heart rate at a manageable level, but the ride was definitely getting pretty old. In addition, I was having major problems with my aero drink – I use the Profile Design aero drink system and mounting bracket, and did not do a good job of securing the bottle on the bracket. Thus, I constantly had to push my bottle back towards my stem to keep it from falling off my bike. I saw my personal cheering section (my girlfriend and my buddy who takes all the photos) less than a mile from transition, which gave me an nice boost. Finally I made it back to the transition area, having cut 16:23 from my last year bike time.

After another decent transition (just five seconds slower than last year), I was on the run course. My legs actually felt pretty good, and I just concentrated on keeping a nice, steady pace. About a mile or so into the run, I caught up with Lance, a guy that I know from a group organized by my local running store. I asked him if he minded some company on the run, and he said no problem. Lance is a Boston Marathon qualifier, so I knew that we would sustain a decent pace.

Aside from an early bathroom break that I took, Lance and I ran together the entire time, which was great. I hit every single aid station, drinking a bit of water or infinIT, as well as literally pouring cups of ice down my tri jersey to keep cool. Nine miles or so into the run, I was definitely starting to hurt, but having someone running with me definitely helped. I looked at my watch for the first time since the second transition, and realized that sub-5:20 was a definite possibility. At mile 11 I was at 4:58, and knew sub-5:20 was going to happen. Right before the finish line, I looked down at my watch and saw 5:15 – and let out a yell like I had just won the entire race! My run time was 25:21 faster than last year, when I melted in the Wisconsin heat.

Afterwards I was tired, but not nearly as wiped out as I was last year. I was actually able to see most of my friends finish (including a friend doing her first half Ironman), which was nice. While it felt great to take 39 minutes off of my time from last year, it also made me realize that I am a short course guy – I will take suffering for less than two and a half hours over slogging through five plus hours any day of the week! Thanks for reading!

Race Splits
Swim: 41:13 (2:09/100 meters)
T1: 1:36
Bike: 2:44:31 (20.4 MPH)
T2: 1:08
Run: 1:46:45 (8:09 per mile)
Overall: 5:15:12

2006 Accenture Triathlon
Like the Rolling Stones famously sang, you can't always get what you want. That song lyric sums up my performance in my last triathlon of 2006, the Olympic distance race at the Accenture Chicago Triathlon on August 27th. Going into Accenture, my goal was to break 2:25. I had done a 2:29 and change at this same race last year, and given my earlier performances this year (first top 10 overall in a small sprint race, 5:15 at Racine Half Ironman), increased training volume, professional bike fitting and improved technology (new aerobars and race wheels), I thought it was a realistic goal.

On race morning I was excited, but not particularly nervous, as this was my fourth straight year doing this race. The swim start was the typical Accenture scrum for the first few hundred meters. This may sound perverse, but I have actually started to enjoy mass swim starts – they are kind of like underwater slam dancing. Once we passed the turnaround buoy, things spread out considerably. I focused on keeping a nice, easy stroke and sighting periodically, given the sighting problems I have had in my earlier races this year. As was the case last year, pretty early into the swim I was passing people from earlier waves, including a fair number of side, breast and backstrokers.

When I checked my watch at the end of the swim, I was shocked – my time was actually two minutes SLOWER than last year. My swimming has definitely taken a step back this year, due to a variety of reasons (i.e., did not take private lessons like last year, less swim volume, torn cartilage in my right shoulder), and I was definitely disappointed. But obviously the show must go on, so I started the long trek to the transition area. After a decent transition, I was on my bike.

I was hoping to make up a fair amount of time from my slower swim split on the bike, but once I got on Lake Shore Drive, I knew that was going to be a challenge. Last year I averaged 21.7 MPH on this same course in literally ideal conditions, and with 15-20 MPH headwinds as I headed north, I knew that I would have a tough time exceeding that effort. I just concentrated on staying aero as much as possible, and passing people without blocking faster riders (given the 3,700+ racers in the race, I was literally passing racers the entire way). My speed was generally around 19-21 MPH heading north, and on the way south I was around 23-25 MPH. I ended up actually beating my bike split from last year by 51 seconds, which I was happy with given the tougher conditions. My only concern was that I had pushed too hard on the bike, and would not have enough left to have a good run.

As I went to rack my bike and change into my running shoes in the transition area, I looked to my right to see fellow Slowtwitcher Jostein, who I had run into before the race. I asked him if he minded some company during the run, but he took off like a bat out of hell out of transition, so I ended up running solo. My legs actually felt pretty fresh coming off the bike – the weekly bricks this season really paid off! I completed the first mile in just under seven minutes, which I was happy with. At that moment, I decided that I was not going to look at my watch at all during the rest of the race. I realized with some degree of sadness that this triathlon season was coming to an end, and I was just going to enjoy the rest of the race, without worrying about mile splits, heart rates, or whether I would beat my time from last year (which I knew was pretty much out of the question anyway).

The rest of the run I just focused on keeping a nice, smooth, efficient stride. Somewhere between miles five and six I started to tire, but was still able to keep up a decent pace. Right before the six mile mark I reminded myself to leave it all on the course, and picked up my pace. As I crossed the finish line, I saw that I had missed my overall time from last year by one minute and one second, even with faster bike and run splits.

While I am a bit disappointed, the path for next year is as clear as day – I need to become a better swimmer. It is as simple as that. I can make all the excuses I want (i.e., I have no formal swimming background, it is a pain to get up early for masters classes, it is the shortest part of the race, I like running and biking so much more, etc.) but that's all they are – excuses. These races are called TRIATHLONS, not duathlons, and unless I can improve my swimming, I will never reach my full potential – whatever that may be. Anyway, there's no rest for the weary – I now need to start concentrating on my training for the Chicago Marathon in late October! Thanks for reading!

Race Splits
Swim: 34:08 (includes quarter mile plus run to the transition area)
T1: 2:13
Bike: 1:09:04 (22.0 MPH)
T2: 1:25
Run: 43:24 (7:00 per mile)
Overall: 2:30:17 (top 6% overall, top 8% in 35-39 age group)

2006 Chicago Marathon
There is an old saying that pain is temporary, victory is forever. I can not say that I won anything at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 22nd, but I can say with absolute certainty that I was in plenty of pain afterwards!

Going into race day, I felt pretty confident. My training had gone well, and with the exception of a bad ankle sprain three weeks before race day, I was relatively injury-free. My only major concern was the weather. It was forecasted to be about 38 degrees at the start of the race, with highs for the day in the mid 40s. I dressed appropriately, with a long sleeve running top, tights, gloves and a light jacket that I later handed off to a friend early in the race.

The first few miles of the race went pretty well. Unlike two years ago, I did not have to do much bobbing and weaving to get around other runners. I kept my pace nice and easy, hitting the first mile in just under eight minutes before settling into 7:15-7:30 per mile pace. I was determined to not be a "first half marathon hero, second half zero" by blowing myself up early in the race. I also concentrated on taking in some Gatorade at every aid station to prevent the leg cramps that hit me in the last few miles of my 2004 marathon.

As mile after mile ticked off, I took a physical and mental inventory. My legs felt pretty fresh and I was not breathing particularly hard. I was running within myself and staying completely focused on the race. I made a conscious decision not to draw off of the energy of the crowds, as I knew that later in the race they would be much sparser. I was happy, however, to get cheered on by familiar faces along the course, including Brian and his wife, triathlon training partners Liza and Kim, my girlfriend's mother and my "personal photographer" Chad. I also ran into Jostein, a fellow triathlete who had smoked me in a couple of races earlier in the year, who was also doing the race.

I hit the half marathon mark in 1:37:18, which was a bit slower than what I had planned, but given how good I felt, I was not terribly concerned. I churned out a few more miles in the 7:25-7:40 range before slowing down to around 7:45 per mile pace for miles 17-20 and 8:00 per mile for miles 21-23. I was definitely starting to tire, and it felt like the mile markers were getting further and further apart. As I had warned him beforehand, I pulled my Chicago Area Runner's Association (CARA) pace group leader Flip out of the crowd to run the final three miles with me, which definitely helped.

Right after hitting mile 24, things started to get really tough. I had not hit the dreaded "wall" exactly, but I just did not have much left in the tank. My legs felt like they were on fire, and the every block felt like a 10K race. I walked through two aid stations and took a couple of short walk breaks along the way. I struggled up the only major hill on the course before turning onto the home stretch and crossing the finish line in 3:22:14. Afterwards I hobbled to the massage tent where I spent about a half an hour getting treated and warming up before meeting up with Chad and Kim, my girlfriend (who completed her first marathon that day) and her family.

In the final analysis, I beat my time from 2004 (my only other marathon) by three minutes and 38 seconds, but did come up a bit short of my goal of 3:15-3:20. Did the cold weather and winds affect me? Maybe. But at the end of the day, I honestly felt like I did the best that I could given my training and the conditions. I would like to thank my CARA training partners, my pace group leader Flip, and all my friends and family who have given me so much support and encouragement throughout my 2006 racing season. Thanks for reading!

Getting Big

2008-01-29T07:18:00.000-05:00

Sorry I have been negligent with the blog posts lately -- busy, busy, busy. I had a solid week of training last week, adding another run, an intense spin class, another weightlifting session, and a 30 minute session on the elliptical machine on Friday for a total of six workouts in the week. Below are my training totals from last week:

2 runs (1 hour)
1 spin class (40 minutes)
1 cardio session (30 minutes)
2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

I took the weekend off and then hit the weights yesterday, doing chest and triceps. I am continuing to regain strength in my chest -- last night Ibenched 205 lbs six times again, and put up 225 three times. That is just one less repetition at 225 than I used to do at my weightlifting peak two years ago. I think it has something to do with my gym, which has a ridiculous number of huge guys. I have literally gone from being one of the strongest people at my old gym in Chicago to being one of the weaker ones at this gym. Last night at one point there were three different guys doing 225 or more on the bench press -- at the same time. And Congress seems to think steroids and HGH are only a professional sports problem...

MLK Day

2008-01-21T17:34:00.001-05:00

I had the day off from work because of Martin Luther King Day, so I took advantage of it and got a double workout in. First I lifted weights -- chest, triceps, and legs. I did heavy weights for chest, and put up 205 lbs. six times for the first time in over two years. Needless to say I was stoked. I then ran on the treadmill -- 30 minutes at 7:47/mile pace. Once again, it felt very comfortable, like I was hardly working at all. I increased the pace to 6:53/mile for the last couple of minutes, which also felt fine. I am started to get excited about my running again -- I now think I can get back to sub-7:00/mile pace for triathlons, which doesn't suck. I also decided that I am going to up the triathlon workouts to four times a week starting in February -- if I can do two workouts a day at least once a week, that should not be too much of a problem.

Getting Back The Eye Of The Tiger

2008-01-17T15:41:00.001-05:00

This has been a very good week of training. I am definitely starting to feel my body coming around, and more importantly, I am starting to mentally get back into triathlon training. This week I ran twice on the treadmill at 7:53/mile pace, with the last couple of minutes at 6:59/mile pace. The 7:53/mile part of the run felt incredibly comfortable and easy, so I am going to start adding 0.1 miles/hour to the pace each week (I started the first two weeks at 8:00/mile pace, and was considering increasing the pace it every two weeks for a while). I had two good weightlifting sessions at the gym, and made it through a tough (albeit, short) spinning class during lunch time today with no problems (nor sportsdrink -- I have to remember next time to get some before I head into class). I weighed myself today, and I am down to 184 lbs. -- my reduced sugar diet seems like to be paying off. Oh, and I signed up for the masters swim program at Stevens Institute, so I finally get back into the water very soon. Below are my training stats for this week:

2 runs (1 hour)
1 spinning class (40 minutes)
2 weighlifting sessions (2 hours)

Back On The Bike

2008-01-11T19:40:00.000-05:00

Last night I was planning on riding my bike on the trainer for the first time since early last year. Unfortunately I could not find the special skewer for my back wheel, so I ended up having to bag that idea and lift weights instead, doing back, biceps, and some abs. I left work a bit early today and walked down to Sid's Bikes in Manhattan before heading back to Hoboken. I was fully prepared to pay for a new skewer, but they gave me a used one for free, which was nice of them! I guess putting a link to their store is my way of paying them back (assuming, of course, anyway is actually reading this). I got home and did a pretty intense hour on the trainer. I was sweating a ton and burned over 900 calories. It also felt nice to be back on my actual bike. Oh, and I weighed myself after the workout -- I am down to 185 pounds, so it looks like the diet is working so far! Anyway, below are my training totals for the week:

2 runs (1 hour)
1 trainer session (1 hour)
2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

Working Out At CES

2008-01-10T15:47:00.000-05:00

Early this week I had to travel to Las Vegas to attend the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. I brought my workout clothes with me, so I was able to get a couple of workouts in. On Monday I lifted weights -- chest, triceps, and some legs. On Tuesday I ran for a half an hour on the treadmill. Most of the run was at 8:00/mile pace, but I did increase the pace to 7:03/mile for the last couple of minutes. I think I am going to start doing that every treadmill run -- I need to get my body used to running fast again. I took the redeye back to New York Tuesday night and went straight into the office, so by the time I got home I was exhausted and took the night off.

A Good First Week of Training, and a New Toy

2008-01-06T11:37:00.000-05:00

On Thursday I lifted weights -- heavy chest and triceps. I will probably start to back off the heavy weights soon -- with my bad right shoulder, I do not think swimming and heavy weightlifting is such a great idea. Friday I did another half an hour run on the treadmill at 8:00 pace, which was pretty uneventful. Saturday morning I hit the weights again for back and biceps, followed by my first spinning class in almost two years at my gym. I forgot how much I enjoy spinning -- it is such an intense workout! I was surprised by how high my heart rate got during the class -- definitely a sign I am not in good shape. All in all, I was really pleased with my first week of training. Below are my training totals for last week:

2 runs (1 hour)
1 spinning class (45 minutes)
2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

This morning I ran outside, which I rarely do during the winter (I am a self-admitted wimp when it comes to cold weather). The main reason I decided to venture outdoors was to test out my new toy, the Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS watch. It is really cool -- I love the fact it can tell me exactly how far I have gone, which will be especially helpful when I am running in areas I am not familiar with. After a slow first mile, I gradually picked up the pace and ended up running four miles in 7:43 pace, which I am extremely happy with, given it is only my third run this year.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

Confucious once said "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." And with that, I begin my 2008 triathlon training and accompanying blog. I'm going to tell you a bit about me now -- much more will be revealed as I update this blog. My name is Anthony, I am 36 years old, I live in Hoboken, New Jersey, and I work in the financial services industry in New York City. Oh, and I am a triathlete. Not a professional one (or anything close to it), but I'm also way past the point of just finishing races. I did my first triathlon in New York City in the summer of 2002, and have done about a dozen since of various distances. The longest one I have ever done is a half Ironman (twice), and before you even ask, I do not have any interest in doing a full Ironman.

I decided to keep this blog as a way to keep track of my training, and also to have some of my old training partners keep up with me. And if you stumble upon it and find it instructive/funny/entertaining/oddly compelling, that's fine too. What makes this year interesting from my perspective is a few things:

Due to two moves and a new job, I took 2007 off from doing triathlons, which I had never done before. I did run the New York City Marathon in early November, but rarely rode this year and have not been in a pool since my last triathlon in August 2006.
My job is fairly challenging and demanding (including a ton of travel), so finding training time is difficult. And forget the whole "train before work" thing -- I am up at 5:00ish and at my desk by 6:30, so unless I get up at 3:30 every morning, it ain't gonna happen.
I'm getting married in late June, which will throw another kink into the training.
As I alluded to before, just finishing races will not make me happy. Not that I have to win races (my best overall finish was 8th in a fairly small race in 2006), but I want to be competitive.

Anyway, that's more than enough about me for now -- onto my first training session. I ran a half an hour on the treadmill today. I just kept the pace at 8:00/mile, and it felt pretty easy. I did notice that my heart rate, which is always pretty high when I run, was even more elevated -- I averaged 178 bpm. I attribute it to my current weight (187 lbs -- I need to race at 170-175), and the fact I haven't run in two months. I did my normal five minute walk cool down, and stretched afterwards. All in all, not a bad start.