So Much Changed Since Summer Started

It’s been far too long since my last update. In a way it feels like everything in life changed after racing in Raleigh. I’ll try to stick to the high and low points since a lot transpired over the last 5 months. Summer truly started for me after the Raleigh 70.3 but it also brought with it a summer illness that knocked me out. For two weeks after this race I was knocked out of training, and in reality, life in general. There was a 4 or 5 day period where I don’t think I moved more than 20 feet from bed. After enduring this, I had to pull out of the Syracuse 70.3. There is no way I was physically ready for this race but I wish I had at least started it since the race was discontinued by Ironman after it was completed. Ironman 70.3 Syracuse was my first ever triathlon so I would have loved to have been a part of the final one in my backyard.

The end of June was Xterra French River. I was on tour with an artist I work with and managed to bring my bike for the tour. I’d planned on racing this while we were finishing a series of concerts in Boston and Providence but on race day it was 100 degree + hot. I had a few friends race it but after going through a pretty bad illness just a few weeks prior, I knew the heat would likely take a toll on me and I had Ironman Lake Placid in July so I did not start this one. From conversations with a few friends, it was the right move but frustrating to say the least. That’s 2 DNS results in my two prior races.

I was focused on IMLP and felt prepared going into that in late July. I knew I would use all of my time to finish but a finish was the goal. I was thrilled to have my dad with me for this race. We had a few days of taking in Lake Placid together and heading into race day I was excited to be back. Mirror Lake was amazing to swim in and I had my best 2.4 mile swim of my life there. It was a fantastic start to a long day. I hit the bike course and not more than 5 miles into the ride, it starts raining sideways, wind is tossing me around and the mechanical issues started. First, I lost my bar tape on the right side, my only side for truly holding on. I was struggling. Then on the descent into Keane, I lost my ability to brake. The moisture on the brakes caused them to lose much of the grip and I only have the ability to use my back brake on a descent. Ultimately I slowed down enough to drag a foot to help slow my pace when I needed to but it was the slowest and toughest descent I’ve endured. About 30 miles in I picked the pace back up and make it to the end of the first 56 mile loop. I was about 7 minutes too late. I was pretty crushed at this point. I sat in the transition tent for about 30 minutes reflecting. I had gas in the tank, my nutrition was good on the bike, I had my best swim. It was supposed to be the defining moment of my summer. In retrospect it was just that.

The day after the race my dad and I went to the top of Whiteface Mountain. I saw Mirror Lake from afar and in 24 hours I went from being pretty defeated to motivated. I had to do better and needed to get it done in 2019. Because I still had AWA status, I signed up for the 2019 race within minutes of the notice that I could.

In early August I had the chance to race at Xterra Syracuse and the race site is within 5 miles of where I live. It was a much tougher course than I expected and I managed to go over the handlebars of the bike. I picked up a few scrapes but finished the race relatively unscathed. The run was brutal but I finished (slowly) with a smile. With this race, I picked up the Xterra Regional Championship which was one of the early season goals. I was off to the Pan Am Championship in Utah in September and managed to qualify for Worlds in Hawaii so this race was pretty special to complete. I was also really enjoying the challenge of Xterra and felt like I’d bounced back from the frustrating start to the summer.

Late August it all came crashing down. I was two weeks from Ironman 70.3 Lake Placid and three weeks from the Xterra Pan Am Championships. My training load wasn’t abnormally high but I felt something in my leg that wasn’t right. Walking up or down stairs was painful and I wanted to be in prime condition for these races so I went to the doctor. I really went to an urgent care facility to get a sonogram on my leg. They sent me to the ER to get that done and I simply wanted to rule out any sort of blood clot. I am 40, active and fairly healthy so no way it could be a clot but let’s rule it out. Well, it was a clot. Several of them actually and I was immediately admitted to the hospital.

The doctors mandated that I stop all exercise beyond a walk for 30 days and I was on blood thinners to help the clots dissipate. I had extensive discussions with the doctors and they did not want the clot to dislodge or have me bleed uncontrollably in there event of a crash so IM 70.3 LP and the Xterra Pan Am Championships were out. So were the Xterra Worlds.

How completely disappointing. The bright side is I’m still here and caught the clots. The doctors don’t love the idea of me continuing to race but I’m still planning to. It’s a calculated risk and right now I’m willing to take it. I hope I don’t crash in a race and bleed uncontrollably but if you’re reading this in the future and I just did, I knew the risks. It’s on me. I’m still willing to challenge myself and I’m not ready to hang it up just yet.

I’ll share more from September to the start of November soon. There is even more to share from these last two months.