Ironman Lake Placid Race Report - Back to Kona!

Where to begin?  My return to Kona has been a long time in the making to say the least.  Since my last trip to the big island in 2007, not a single day had passed where I didn't think about re-assessing my goals.  I often would wonder again and again if making it back to Kona was even possible.  Near miss after near miss would only add to my frustration over the years.  It was also these near misses that made me respect just how hard it is to qualify for the Ironman World Championship.

Every day for the past two years, I would start my day off by reading a quote that is hanging up in my office cube.  It reads, "It's the disappointments in Triathlon that snap us back.  They remind us that starting is no guarantee of finishing of qualifying for that matter.  The disappointments drive home the reality that every athlete has suffered, sacrificed and striven.  The disappointments help us to understand that dreaming is not enough, that Kona is not Disneyland and that you don't get to the big island by wishing upon a star".

I know I've made a lot of sacrifices over the years in order to fulfill my dreams but it was also those sacrifices that have helped define me as a person.  When the dust settles years from now, I want to know that I lived my life to the fullest and triathlon brings me that feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction that I can't explain in any amount of words.  Over the years, the sport of triathlon has brought me so many great memories.  Without triathlon, I would have never met my soul mate, best friend and my loving wife Jennifer.  Without triathlon, I would have never met my closest friends that I have to this very day.  You guys know who you are.  Simply put, without triathlon, I would not be the person I am today. 

It's hard to explain, but you can't make it to Kona alone.  You can't wake up one day, read a glossy cover of Triathlete Magazine and think getting to Kona is easy.  Even the best athletes in the world have to work for it.  You need a support crew of friends and family that back you one hundred percent.  Every person in my crew has played an important role in getting me back to the big island.  I didn't get there alone that's for sure.  

One crew member that comes to mind is my coach, Luis Vargas.  I began working with Luis Vargas (Mark Allen Online), in January of 2009 and this is when I believe my journey really began.  Come race day this past Sunday, I knew I was ready.  I knew that Luis had prepared me for every possible situation out there and it was my time to seize the day. The hard work was complete and the rest was up to me.  

Race morning came fast.  I was up at 4:00 AM and didn't even need a wake up call.  It was if my body knew it was race time.  A calm sensation came over me race morning and I wasn't the least bit nervous.  Kristen and Matt had Good Luck cards waiting all racers.  This was a great way to start off the morning.  Matt and I have worked very hard together this year to get to where we are and I wouldn't have qualified without him.

(Good Luck Cards from Matt and Kristen)

Body marking and final bike / transition preparations went down without a hitch and it was time to relax and wait for the start of the race.  Before I knew it, it was time. 

(Jocelyn and Chad before the race)

This was the moment that I've been ready for all year.  The start of my tenth Ironman and that extra dose of desire to make it to the big island.  I headed into the water to secure a good starting position.

(Athletes heading into the water)

The swim start was pure chaos.  I haven't recalled a swim start this massive and this crazy in all of my years racing triathlon.  Knowing that my long swims under the MAO program have paid off, this year I had a new confidence level when entering Mirror Lake.  No more was I just okay in the swim, but I was one of the better swimmers in the race.  This is a long cry from where I was just two years ago before working with Mark and Luis.
  

( Right before the cannon sounded)

The cannon sounded and we were off.  Arms thrashing and legs kicking all over the place, I hung on for dear life.  I went out fast and furious but didn't seem to be making much progress and couldn't find a open space in the water to save my life.  I was swimming on top of people as other people were swimming on top of me.  Then it happened.  BAM!

(The Ironman Swim)

I took a direct kick right in the eye from the swimmer in front of me.  I thought my goggles were going to permanently be stuck in my eye socket after that blow.  Right after the massive blow, the guy behind me kept grabbing my ankle and pulling me backwards.  It was very frustrating.  Luckily the adrenaline was high that the pain only lasted for a few seconds.  It took about 10 minutes before the madness settled down and I was able to find my rhythm.  The first I knew that I was in a good spot is when I exited the water in 28:30 minutes for the first lap.  A simple doubling of that time put me on pace for around a 57 minute swim.  Calm and steady I thought.  This is a long day.  Remember what Luis said.  Patience. 

(Exiting the 2.4 mile swim)

The remainder of the swim was a breeze and before I knew it I was peeling off my wetsuit and making the long run into transition with a swim time of 57:21 which put me in 12th position in my age group.  Nice and steady through transition and I was out on the bike slightly ahead of my predictions.

(IM Lake Placid Transition)

On to the bike, everything was going according to plan until mile three.

(Out of transition and onto the bike course)

For some unknown reason, I felt awful.  My legs were heavy, I was breathing too hard and my hamstrings were tight.  I thought to myself that this race is over.  Yet again another year where things didn't quite work out.  Much like last year, I couldn't settle my heart rate down into where I knew I needed to be.  Every little hill my heart rate would spike into the upper 160's and I knew that I was burning precious energy that I was going to need later for the run.

 (Finishing the first 56 mile lap)

Stick to the plan, I mumbled to myself.  I said to myself that things will get better.  Stick to your nutrition.  Hydrate and then hydrate some more.  Talking with Luis, he told me to let everyone go.  Believe in your run and know the competition that passes you early in the race, will come back at mile 20 of that marathon.  By the second 56 mile loop, my body began to respond.  My heart rate was finally where I wanted it and best of all I felt fresh.

(Pushing it hard down the six mile descent into Keene)

At mile 60 I got passed by a guy in my age group wearing the same uniform as another guy near by.  This guy was flying on the bike.  Maybe he couldn't run I thought to myself.  I biked next to the other guy in the same uniform and asked if he knew whether or not that guy that just passed me could run?  His response was not what I wanted to hear.  "Oh that guy can run all right!  He can run a 2:36 open marathon."  It was out of my control and again I heard Luis saying in my head, race your own race.  I powered on and let the guy go.  The second loop was a breeze and I felt as if I was holding steady the entire 112 miles.  On the final 10 mile climb up past Whiteface mountain, I dropped the 10 guy pack that was around me without even trying.  It was right at this point when I knew "this was it".  This was my race to win!

(Finishing the 112 mile bike)

I came into transition with a bike split of 5:20:38 which put me in contention and 7th place in my age group.  I knew going into the race that there were going to be either six or seven Kona spots.  There was no way that I was going to let this opportunity get by me.  I flew out of transition and began the marathon. 

(Feeling great out of transition in my Newton's with tons of spring in my step)

In previous Ironman's I usually would know right away what type of run I was going to have based on how bad the first couple of miles hurt (or didn't hurt) and how fast my cadence was.  Within the first couple of steps I knew this was going to be good as I was able to keep my cadence over 90.  It was as if I didn't even bike 112 miles.  I opened up my stride and went for it.

(The marathon)

I approached the mile 1 mile marker and glanced at my watch and I saw that I just ran a 6:13 mile even though my Heart Rate was still aerobic.  Whoa-Nelly!  I knew I needed to back off of that pace if I even wanted to see the second half of the marathon, but I didn't want to.  I felt great!  I pushed on and even though I slowed my pace down, I was still running sub 7 minute miles effortlessly.  There was no stopping me now.

 (Making my move through the leaders)

I quickly began doing the math in my head on what type of run I needed to hold on to.  On my first loop into town, I got to see all of my friends and family members that were cheering me on.  Thinking I only passed one or two people in my age group I asked around if anyone knew what place I was in.  My dad responded, "you're in 3rd place".  I couldn't believe I was doing it.  13 more mile is all I have to run and I'm going to Kona I thought in the back of my head.  I stayed focused and continued to take in calories.  Everything I was drinking was being absorbed and my energy level remained high.  On the second loop I began to pay for the sub 1:30 half marathon pace that I set the first 13.1 miles.  I hit mile 19 and even though I was still feeling okay, my pace began to slip but only one person passed me and he was in a different age group.  It was also at mile 19 where I was able to catch a split and see my closest competition.  He was around 2 or 3 minutes back and he was gunning for me.  I knew I had to dig deep.

(Digging deep at mile 24 with Matty Mo & company cheering me on)

I pressed onward on the ascent back into the town of Lake Placid.  On my run up the final hill I saw some friends who said that I was in 2nd place.  With one mile to go I knew I was going to Kona!

(An end to a perfect day - clock still set on pro time that started 10 minutes before the cannon)

Running a 3:18 marathon off of the bike and crossing that finish line in 9:42:22 was something I've been dreaming about for a very long time.  I couldn't have done it without all of you.  I'm looking forward to meeting Madame Pele once again in October on the Queen K Highway.

After the finish, I was swept into the medical tent.  Don't worry, this was all part of the plan.  I knew my recovery started the minute that race was over and I also knew I did some serious damage to my muscles.  In addition to the muscle damage, I had lost a couple pounds and that needed to be replaced as soon as possible.   Once in medical, I expressed interest in getting an I.V.  Post I.V., I felt great.  Once out of the medical tent I saw my dad who was waiting for me.  He was extremely proud of my accomplishment and gave me a giant hug.  All of the pain went away at that moment and he knew how hard I had worked for this.   Like I said previously, I couldn't have done it without family support.  From an early age, my parents taught me that athletics was important and I truly believe that it is athletics that helps builds character, discipline and leadership. 

It didn't take long for reality to set in.  For the next four hours my Blackberry rang off the hook with calls, text messages and Facebook posts as I sat with my friends and cheered the other Ironman athletes home.

(Cheering home the Ironman Finishers)

It was also after a couple of hours that I wanted to head home and get a shower and eat some food.  Later on that night we drove back into town to celebrate and to watch the final finishers cross the line.  I had a beer, two cheese burgers and a hot sausage sandwich.  I struggled to remember the last time I ate like this, but it was well worth it.

The next morning Jen and I along with Jeremy and Jocelyn headed to town to pick up our Kona spots.  Unfortunately Jocelyn did not sleep very well that night because she finished third in her age group and there was a small chance that there were only two Kona slots.  Jen and I arrived minutes behind them and the smile on Jocelyn's face said it all.  She was going to Kona too!

(Here we are with our Kona Certificates)

When we returned home to our rental house, thanks to the Rychlik's, Champagne was waiting for us and it was time to officially celebrate!

(The three Kona Qualifiers)

  We opted to stay for the awards ceremony later on that day since both of us made the podium. 

(Men and Women 30-34 Age Group Winners)

This was a fantastic end to a fantastic journey but also the beginning to my next chapter.  I can't wait to see how the next three months unfold! 

Kona Bound

Aloha, I'm going to Kona!  This past Sunday, I qualified for the Ironman World Championship by finishing 2nd in the Men's 30-34 age group and 11th amateur overall.  I posted an Ironman time of 9:42:22.  The IMLP race report will be out later this week!

(The clock was still set on the pro wave that went off 10 minutes ahead of the age groupers)

This is my new favorite picture. The guy in the background is my dad!  How cool is that.

24 Hours Till the Cannon Sounds

It's less than 24 hours before Ironman Lake Placid and I feel ready.  We awoke this morning around 7:00 AM, ate some breakfast and headed to Mirror Lake for my pre-race workouts.  First on the list was a 10 minute swim.  

It seriously takes longer to get ready for these swims than the actual duration of the swim takes. 

Jocelyn and I were the only two swimmers this morning that were doing the race and everyone else either did another one or two loops of the Ironman swim course.  I felt smooth and fast the entire swim and wanted to keep going, but I knew better and need to hold back for tomorrow.  

After the swim we headed back to the house and I headed out on the bike for 15 minutes and followed that up with another 15 minute run.  I was cruising on the bike very comfortabily at 25mph and all I could think about was how I was going to tear up the course tomorrow.  As for the run, again I felt great.  My legs were turning over fast and I wanted to push it even harder than I was, but I held back.  Sub seven minute mile pace felt easy.  All systems a go for what's to come.  

The remainder of the morning I spent relaxing and packing up my transition bags.  It's a little after noon and we're going to head over to transition soon to drop off the bikes and T1 and T2 bags.  The anticipation builds.

Less than 48 hours till Ironman Lake Placid

Another day has passed us by and I'm another day closer to Ironman Sunday.  Even though the weather has been in the 90's the past couple of weeks in Pittsburgh, a different forecast is unfolding upon us up here in the Adirondacks.  The morning temperature is going to be in the low 50's which will make most folks racing slide on the arm warmers and possibly even break out the jackets.  Jocelyn and Bill are going to go out in style this year for the coolest looking arm warmers west of the Mississippi.

After packet pickup the remainder of the day was spent sitting around doing a whole lot of nothing.  Today was an off day and I took full advantage of it.  I cleaned up my bike and relaxed.

Later in the evening we had our 2nd annual Lake Placid Party with matching M-dot cakes.

In Matty Mo style, what's a party without Lil Wayne?  It still doesn't top the blue tuxedo from last year. 

In addition to the Ironman cakes, we actually did eat pretty healthy tonight with a colorful spread of greens, fruit, chicken and pasta. The food was excellent.  Great job ladies! 

An in depth talk about Ironman Strategy going on at this table. 

We had a great time as always and I was sad for the night to end.  

The IMLP 2010 Race Crew Pictured Above

Ironman Lake Placid - 3 days out (well 2 now)

Yesterday morning Jen and I finished our drive into Lake Placid where we stopped at our favorite little restaurant, Chair 6.  After that, we went on our way to do my final workouts of IMLP training.  

The water was a little overcast to start the day which was perfect for sighting and swimming.  

Here we are before heading into the water.

 Bill and I ended up doing 1.2 miles (1 loop) while Jen and Matt who are not racing Sunday did the full 2.4 miles. 

The water was a little warmer than last year but still wetsuit legal unlike much of the other races I've done this year.  After the swim and much needed food, Matt and I headed out on the bike for about an hour.  I felt pretty good on the bike but I was also holding back.  We were pushing close to 30mph on the flats with a HR in the 140's so that was a good sign.  I tried not to push it today in hopes of a great day on Sunday.

This is the second year in a row that we rented a house in Lake Placid.  We're located about 3 miles outside of town which is great because after doing nine Iornman's, it's great to get away from the Ironman Madness that happens in town.

While outside we were greeted by a neighbors dog.  This was the same dog I do believe that walked in the doggy door last year into the house which freaked us all out!

It was also Jocelyn's birthday yesterday!  We were all glad to be a part of her special day.

A birthday card isn't complete without making it triathlon related right?  The padded pants wedgie pose is our favorite.

The rest of the day was spent chilling in front of the TV watching the tour.

Here's Bill's water jug a.k.a. his middle of the night bathroom.  So far today has been uneventful.  Jocelyn and I went to packet pickup and then we got off our feet again.  I've never done this little two days out.  Taking it easy today will pay off on Sunday!  Tonight is the Lake Placid Party at our rental house.  We're expecting 30-40 Ironman guests.  I'm really looking forward to the festivities tonight.  If you're in Lake Placid and would like to stop by for a warm cooked meal, please give me a call.

The Ironman Taper

The Ironman taper can be just as tricky as the Ironman training in itself. Just like any taper, the goal is for you to taper down your workouts and recover to the point at which all of your stored energy is at its max on race day.

I've found that a 4 week Ironman taper works well for me and this year things are going just as planned.

Five weeks out from race day I did a relatively big block of training which put me at around 21 hours of training for the week. Now just because your taper starts four weeks out doesn't mean you relax and do nothing. For me, four weeks out meant a weekly volume of 18 hours with two big bike and run sessions (6 hour bike and 19 mile run). Three weeks out I continued to cut back and my weekly volume reduced to 14 hours. Two weeks out is when my taper kicks into overdrive. I included two off days, but kept my weekly volume still at around 14 hours.

This is the week where you should feel like garbage and trust me I did. My swims were off and I couldn't keep my HR below my aerobic threshold to save my life. I was tired, moody and wondered how in the world I was going to have a good race. I only wondered this for a short period of time though because I knew that this was all part of the process. I knew my body was going into a "hyper-recovery" state and I was going to start reaping the benefits of months of hard training.

By this past weekend (7-8 days from race) things started to click. My swims were getting faster and my bike and run sessions started to feel effortless.

Now for race week. Knowing that there are no gains in fitness this week the primary focus is to stay loose and relaxed. All workouts should build to a steady tempo, you should break a sweat and that's it.

Yesterday (6 days out) I treated myself to a 40 minute aerobic run and my legs felt awesome. I also got a massage last night to hopefully flush out the last bit of toxins. This morning (5 days out) I hit the pool for a easy 2000 yard swim. I'll do another aerobic workout tonight and then Wednesday is a off day! I'll arrive in Lake Placid Thursday morning, get in my scheduled workouts by noon and then start to get my head in the game.

This is going to a great race. I can feel it. I know what I have to do.  Follow me live on race day, this Sunday at www.ironman.com

Search for Monongy 2.4 Mile Swim and Weekend Recap

Not having much luck this year with my swimming during races (Miami was really choppy, Kinetic was short and Eagleman was long) I finally got a chance to have a good swim in my Wetsuit.  Nope, not today.  The Allegheny River was a feverish 84 degree's so I had to do the 2.4 mile swim in my Blue Seventy Speed Suit.  I was a little bummed because there were only about 10 people in my wave and from the looks of it they all came from a swimming background. 

 Jen and I arrived on the North Shore, pictured above ready to swim.  Well at least I was ready to swim.   Jen opted to do her long run while I swam and cheered from the sidelines as I finished up the 2.4 mile swim.  She may have been the wiser of the two on this one.  One look into the water should have gave me plenty of reasons for why I should not swim in the river.  Right at the entry mat going in to the water was a dead and bloated rat.  It was floating down the river on its back with it's four little feet perched in the air.  This was my first reason for why I should not swim in this river and then someone else proceeded to tell me that the sewage run off alert was set to high but that was apparently further upstream.  Swim on right? So swim on I did.  

The swim started in front of Heinz Field and then swam up river past the Fort Duquesne bridge to a buoy on the other side of the river.  You then make a diagonal left turn back towards PNC park where the Pirates play, round a buoy and swim back down stream.  The swim was a 1.2 mile course, so folks doing the Iron Distance swim had to do the loop twice.

 My wave was the first to go off (Men 39 and under) and the air horn sounded right at 11:00 AM.  I went out with the two guys that were next to me but quickly realized these guys were much faster than me.  I figured if they were going out to hard then I'd see them again on the second lap.  

I set into a good rhythm and tried not to swallow any water by accident.  It worked for the most part, but sitting here typing this I swear I still have this "river funk" smell on me.  Note to self, might be wise to stay far away from co-workers tomorrow.    

The race director warned us that there was a 1mph current which you had to swim against the first half.  When I hit the turn-a-round buoy, I glanced at my watch and saw 18 minutes.  I knew I wasn't swimming that slow and didn't feel much current so I initially thought that the course was long.  I did the math and figured that I was going to be swimming today for an hour and twenty minutes.  I didn't look at my watch again until I had to do the u-turn to swim back upstream for loop number 2.  Another quick glance revealed that there was a huge current as I hit the halfway mark in 30 minutes.  I was right where I wanted to be with this time.  My goal was to finish the swim in around an hour so upstream again I went.  I knew there were three guys in my wave ahead of me but one of them had on a wetsuit, so he didn't count.  As I swam upstream and made the final u-turn back down stream I caught up in the distance a green cap (my wave).  This gave me that little extra drive I needed to push to the finish line.  I elevated my heart rate from a 160 average to around 167 and pushed forward.  I surged past the guy in front of me as hard as I could just so he didn't get a second wind and try to go with me.  I had no idea where the guy that was leading my head was at, but it must had been far downstream.  I took a couple extended looks for green caps but didn't see any.  If I did, I think I would have taken my heart rate up to 180...so maybe not seeing him wasn't that bad of a thing.  

I negative split the second loop by about 30 seconds so I was pleased with my steady state swim.  I finished the 2.4 mile swim in just over an hour, again right where I wanted to be.  I felt strong during the entire swim which leaves me in a good position mentally and physically going into the mass chaos of the Ironman swim in 2 weeks.  

Negative splitting must have been the theme of the weekend.  Yesterday, Jeremy Cornman, Matt Mauclair and I rode a out and back 106 mile course of which we negative split by a couple of minutes.  We also inserted two 12 minute time trials which were pure pain I must tell you.  On the first  12 minute TT we held 25 mph and on the second TT we held a 24mph while pushing close to 30mph on the flats.  Overall it was a great ride to finish off a great season of training.  I have one more long run this week before the taper really kicks in.  

My biggest focus this week is going to be my diet.  Now that my training will cut back from 20 hours down to 13 or 14 hours per week (or potentially even less) I have to also scale back slightly on my caloric intake.  I'm a big believer that during the taper nutrition is the most confusing part of the training season. Actually if your taper is long (like an Ironman taper) you can negate the benefits you worked so hard at developing by throwing your nutrition in the trash the final taper weeks. As an athlete if you've been balancing your macro-nutrient (carb/fat/protein) intake, so it favors a healthy balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein then you shouldn't have to "Carbo Load" the final weeks of your taper.  So my message to myself is simple. Remain in nutrient balance by eating lean protein, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables and whole grains and I will no doubt successfully navigate my taper and set myself up for a good run at one of those Kona spots. 

4th of July Weekend Extravaganza

I may not have stayed up late enough for fireworks on Sunday night, but that doesn't mean that my weekend wasn't full of excitement.  You guessed it.  My three day weekend was jam packed with swimming, biking and running.  With Ironman Lake Placid only 19 days away, I feel on top of my game.

Friday after work was an easy day and Jen and I headed over to Blazer's fitness for a taper lifting session.  The rest of the night was spent getting prepared for the long weekend ahead of me.

Saturday morning, the alarm clock went off at 4:45 am.  It was still dark out and all I wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep.  I thought to myself, who does this on a Saturday morning?  I was still half asleep when I ate my breakfast and a couple bottles of Ensure for that added calorie bump.  Matt Mauclair and Paul Wilson arrived at my house at 6:00 am and we soon set off on our 6 hour and 10 minute bike ride.  From Irwin, we headed over to Elizabeth and rode along the Mon river.  It was a perfect morning.  Nice and cool (for the first hour at least) and not a car on the road.  I felt great on the bike and again nailed my nutrition.  By the time the day was done we had put in 116 miles on the bike in exactly 6:10:00.  Matt called me a human GPS because I timed this ride to the second.  We transitioned to a 4 mile run and Matt's famous last words were "this is going to be nice and easy right"?  Apparently nice and easy meant six minute mile pace according to Matt.  Since my heart rate was still right around my aerobic max threshold, I went with it.  We hit the 2 mile turn-a-round mark in 12 minutes.  We backed off a little bit on the run back but it was still a hard effort.  After close to seven hours of training we were finished.  This was one of the strongest rides I've ever done and this really made me feel good about where I am at with my fitness going into my final push.  After a short nap Jen and I watched Lance's awesome Prologue performance.  That guy is simply amazing. 

Sunday morning, we got to sleep in a little bit.  That is if you call a 6:15 wake up call sleeping in.  Jen and I met up with some friends at the Bike Trail in Suttersville at 7:30 for our long run of the weekend.  I had 2 hours and 20 minutes on the schedule and even after yesterday's ride and run my legs felt fresh going into this run.  I warmed up with everyone for the first mile or two but then went off and ran my own run.  My goal for the run today was to negative split the second half.  Easier said than done on these long runs.  I started off conservatively around a 7:30 pace and by mile 10 I was running 7:15 miles consistently.  The next five miles I would bring my pace down to a 7:10 pace and then the last four miles I brought my pace down to between a 6:55 and 7:05 pace.  I finished the run strong and was able to get in 19 miles for the day.  After years and years of training at my max aerobic heart rate threshold, my pace has gotten faster while being able to hold a lower heart rate.  When I was running 7:15 miles, my HR was in the 140's and even when I was running sub 7:00 minute miles my HR was still only around 152.  What this means is my body is able to oxidize fat more efficiently as it's primary source of fuel for these longer runs.  This is very important in triathlon, especially when the race gets long.

Sunday afternoon we went to a pool party with some of our good friends.  I tried to keep my diet in check, but it wasn't easy.  Jen made peanut butter buckeye's and that did me in.  I was on a sugar high the rest of the day but that didn't keep me from sleeping that night.  I was so worn out that I was asleep by 9:30 and missed every firework show in the area.  I also knew that I had one more big day of training ahead of me. 

Monday morning we got to sleep in until 6:30.  What a way to spend a holiday weekend!  Out the door by 7:20, Jen and I headed to Tree's pool at Pitt for our morning swim where we met up with Matt and three other swimmers that were crazy like us and opted to swim over sleep.  Maybe it was just me, but the pace that was set right off the start was fast.  Our main set was (300 meters then 150 meters) x 4.  After the swim, Jen, Matt and I drove to North Park for another big day on the bike.  I rode with Matt who was fresh from his day off on Sunday as where I had just ran 19 miles not even 24 hours prior.  The long weekend of training finally caught up with me.  55 miles later my 3 day weekend extravaganza of training was over.  It was a great feeling.  We finished the weekend at a Mexican Restaurant in Penn Hills with Matt and his wife Kristen.  Great times.

Eagleman Race Report - Update since May

Needless to say my life has been ever so busy since I last posted.  Working full time, coaching all while training to be one of the top amateur's in the sport of triathlon can definitely wear on you and something had to give.  That something was my blog, but I hope to put it back on track and give you all an update on my hectic life.  Three weeks removed from my race in Cambridge, there's a lot of things that happened that I can reflect and build upon.  Race weekend began on Friday evening.  Jen and I packed the Xterra and headed East.  We over-nighted at Jen's Aunt and Uncle's house in Fredrick Maryland and awoke early in route of Cambridge Maryland, home of Eagleman. 

We arrived early around 9:00 am and headed directly to the swim course for our pre-race workouts.  First on the list was an easy 500 yard swim.  We met up with some athletes from Pittsburgh including Matty Mo.  After the swim Matt and I biked the 13.1 mile half marathon course and transitioned to a short run.  The day was complete and I felt really good about the race.

Sunday morning came early with a wake up call at 4:00 AM.  I did my usual pre-race meal which usually consists of a couple Ensure's, Powerbar products and Gatorade.  I ingested roughly 800-1000 calories and the tank was full. 

For some reason the start of the race was delayed 15 minutes and my swim heat didn't go off until 8:07.  Needless to say it was already hot.  Also as we prepped for the race, an announcement was made that the water temp was 79 degree's therefore NO Wetsuits!  Trust me when I say that two years ago I would have had a big knot in my stomach, but the past two seasons I've become really confident in my swim and knew that I would have a great day with or without wetsuits. 

The gun went off and our heat was off.  I did my usual 200 yard sprint to avoid unwanted contact with other swimmers.  I felt like I swam a pretty straight line from buoy to buoy and even caught up with the waves in front of me that were sent off 8 and 16 minutes prior.  At times I would run into slower swimmers but overall it wasn't too bad.  I exited the water and glanced at my watch.  34 minutes???  I only panicked for a millisecond because  in the next bike rack I saw Jeremy getting out of his speed suit.  Ok, the swim was long.  As I would later find out, the course was around 7-8 minutes long. 

On to the bike.  I've been working on a solid nutrition plan and it finally paid off.  I felt just as strong on the bike the last five miles as I did the first five miles.  Jeremy Cornman, local Pittsburgh guy I train with, beat me out of the water by a couple of seconds but I put a minute gap on him in transition.  Jeremy eventually caught up with me about 10 miles into the bike and we both worked together pacing off of each other.  I tried a couple of surges towards the end of the ride to try and build a gap between the two of us but it didn't work and like I said we pretty much biked the entire ride together, just like we did at the Kinetic Half Iron. This was the fourth time I've done Eaglman and this was also the fastest bike split I produced on one of the hottest days that this race has seen.  My bike fitness is right where it needs to be going into Ironman Lake Placid.  I averaged 24.37 mph for 56 miles and came off the bike in 2:17:53.  

This was around two minutes faster than my bike split last year.  Now for the Eagleman run, let's just say it's brutal.  The run at Eagleman makes me think of Kona.  The heat index is through the roof as is the humidity.  I've never been able to run faster than a 1:35 half marathon off the bike in this heat but I was hoping this year my luck would change.  I came off the bike with Jeremy and tried to stay with him the first mile but had little success.  I had succumbed about 20 seconds to him on the first mile and the gap was widening.  I knew I was in fifth place in my age group and also knew that there were only two Kona slots.  This race was a "wildcard" race for me as Kona would have been nice, but I also realized how hard it is to qualify at this race.  I saw another guy in my age group up ahead and I was closing in.  At mile 3 the guy started walking and would later pull out of the race.  This set me in fourth place which I'd hold for the duration of the race.  I was able to run a 1:33 half marathon, about five minutes slower than my target pace but two minutes faster than years past.  I knew that Jeremy would take one of the Kona slots so I crossed my fingers for a roll down.  

I was able to talk to the third place guy and I knew he was going to pass on the slot so it was all up to a guy from Germany who finished in second place.  Unfortunately for me, the German also wanted the Kona slot and I again came ever so close.  All in all it was a good race for me but I still wanted that slot.  It just goes to show that even with hard work Kona is not a guarantee.  I've realized over the past two years that getting to Kona takes a lot of luck along with hard work and dedication to the sport. Time to move on and set my sights on my final qualifier of the year, Ironman Lake Placid.  

Training for IM Lake Placid has gone great.  I'm working with Luis Vargas and I truly believe he's one of the top coaches in the United States. 

I've had some breakthrough workouts the past two weeks including a 24 mile training run and the Diabolical Double.  On my 24 mile run I felt fresh the entire time and this was following 115 miles in the saddle the day before.  I held 7:30 pace for the entire run with an average HR in the 140's.  

This past weekend was another epic adventure of which I tackled the Diabolical Double.    Jen and I along with some of our friends rented a small cabin on Deep Creek Lake.  On Saturday we all rode some portion of the diabolical double (50, 100, 125 mile options).  The Diabolical Double is a double metric century ride (125 miles) through Western Maryland and West Virginia that takes you on to some of the most breathtaking roads in all of America including traversing Savage Mountain.  With 15,500 feet of pure climbing I seriously thought this ride would be harder than it was.  Again, my nutrition was spot on the entire day and I made it to the finish in 7 hours and 55 minutes of saddle time.  If that wasn't enough I felt great the last 15 miles and time trialed it home.  This really showed me where my fitness is and how good things are possible come July 25th (IMLP).  The day after the long ride we all did a trail run in Swallow Falls State Park and followed it up with an open water swim in one of Deep Creek Lake's coves.  

From here on out is taper time!  This is the period of training when I get to rest and relax...I wish.  Actually it means that my 20+ hour training weeks get scaled back a couple of hours each week.  Needless to say, I'm ready.  I've never felt this strong going into an Ironman and I plan to let loose.  I have a really good shot at qualifying for Kona this year and hopefully this is the year I get to return to the big island.