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.

The day before IMLP

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.

My Dad on Whiteface Mountain. July 2018

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.

On Whiteface Mountain

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.

Raleigh Race Week

I signed up for the Ironman Raleigh 70.3 just a couple weeks ago.  Am I 100% race ready? No.  Will I do everything I can to finish?  Absolutely.  I see this more as a training race for Lake Placid on July 22 so I'm going in to this race looking to improve on my swim, stay consistent on the bike and improve my run.  I have not run enough long runs to say I'm prepared, however I am planning on breaking this race into a series of 5k runs over the 13.1 miles.  Thankfully the run is flatter than the Syracuse run (or at least it looks that way on the screen) so I'm hoping to be consistent with my pace.  

I've had a little more time in the saddle of my mountain bike recently and I've noticed the extra weight of that bike makes me feel so much faster on the tri bike.  Stating the obvious, sure, but cranking out 56 on Sunday with the Trek should feel good compared to the trail riding I've been doing.  

The biggest challenges this weekend will be the swim and the heat.  It'll be my first swim without a wetsuit for a race but I hear the water is very warm (80 degrees +).  It's also going to be in the mid 80s on race day.  It's hotter than what I've trained in but cooler than what we expect to see on Friday and Saturday in North Carolina.  Let's hope the forecast holds because I don't do so well regulating my temperature when it hits 90.  This will also be my second point-to-point race.  I'll be there alone for this one so I'm not sure of the process to gather all of my gear after the fact.  I guess I'll figure that one out after the finish line.

Xterra Way Over Yonder

The spirit of Xterra is that you race in rough conditions.  Yesterday was the epitome of challenging weather.  I did not know a lot about the race course but saw some videos on YouTube and the race looked really fun with some river crossings.  A last minute cancellation of a hockey tournament opened up my weekend so signed up for this one, just 2 weeks after my first Xterra race (Xterra Jersey Devil).  

The morning started with 47 degree weather with heavy doses of rain and wind.  A bald eagle flying above the water was an inspiring start to the day that turned into the most challenging race day I've had.  It was so windy that the swim buoys were moving on the course.  I had a decent swim though don't know the exact distance I travelled because I forgot my watch for this race.

The bike course started on fire roads and then quickly turned into dense woods with rock gardens, lots of mud, several river crossings and terrain that was so much more than what I could handle.  I ended up crashing the bike at least a dozen times in the first 6 miles of the race.  I hit a tree.  My groin met the bar of my bike multiple times and I lost a piece of my handlebars on one fall.  I lost some skin, left some blood in NJ but learned a lot about handling rough terrain.  The last half of the bike was more of a 7 mile hike with a bike than a ride.  I had no traction on my left handlebar grip with the rain rendering the grip too slippery to use with the end of my left arm.  When I did ride, I used my forearm to support myself so I'm a bit bruised today.  

In the end, I had a great workout, found that I need to get more time on trails and proudly took a DNF for the race.  It was a lot of fun, I caught up with several people I met at Xterra Jersey Devil and I took more away from this race than my first Xterra.   

Trying Xterra Triathlons

Mountain biking gets my adrenaline pumping because it scares me a bit.  I don't have the skills riding mountain bikes like I do other road or trip bikes but you don't conquer the fear without facing it.  I had a weekend open and just dove into the challenge of an off road race with the Xterra Jersey Devil.  I borrowed my son's new Trek Marlin and packed the camping gear to drive to south New Jersey.  I decided to do the race on a Friday, drove south on Saturday in time to ride the bike course once.  It was unlike anything I'd ever done.

The course was sandy, had a few trees down, a couple rocks and some single track.  Apparently this is one of the easier bike courses but still posed a challenging ride for me.  I had not truly ridden a mountain bike like thais ever, though had some tame trails more than half a lifetime ago. I was nervous but excited.

On race day, I was up early with some of the other racers that camped at the race site, a Boy Scout camp.  I had my 2 burner stove with me so we made coffee and oatmeal as the rest of the racers started to arrive at the parking lot to prep for the day.  I loved not having a commute to the race site and will seriously need to look at an RV or rooftop tent for future races that allow you to stay on site.

As far as the race went, my swim felt stronger than most races I've done.  I'm getting slightly faster in the water but better than being fast is being confident.  I used to hate the water but now I've been considering long distance swim events.  I was still one of the last out of the water but not the last.  The bike course was great on the first loop but I did not have water or nutrition.  Thinking "13 miles is nothing" was a reality check.  Thirteen miles on a mountain bike is challenging.  Lesson learned as I struggled on the second loop.  I finally made it to the run which was more of an adventure race hike through swamps, short steep climbs and moderately wooded terrain.  I finished in just over 2.5 hours and set a baseline for future races.  It was not a stellar time but something I can shoot at breaking down the road.  I kept the bike upright so that was a win in and of itself.  There will be more Xterra races in the future and the races are only half the fun.  The group of people racing these triathlons were so welcoming and there was a great sense of community around this race.

Riding Amish Country

I'm starting to take the bike with me more and more when I travel.  I was speaking at a music business conference in Lancaster, PA and decided to do some exploring of the countryside with a ride from Lancaster through Bird In Hand to Intercourse.  Some rides show you things that you were not expecting to see.  

2018 Duathlon National Championship

I used to do the local duathlon - Du The Lakes Duathlon - as an early season race to see where I was with my fitness.  It was generally a slap in the face when I felt really slow.  The race would often take place on Mother's Day weekend but due to construction at Green Lakes State Park, this year's event was cancelled.  Instead, I decided to give the Duathlon National Championship a try for 2018.  This race was earlier in the year and I expected Greenville, South Carolina to be a bit warmer than the Syracuse spring.

Due to my vehicle spending some time in the shop, I rented a minivan to take the 13 hour trek to Greenville while camping in the back of the van on the trip down.  I fell in love with the city of Greenville and will need to make a point of returning next year for this race.  It's always special to be among the best athletes of all age groups and next year is already circled on my calendar.

On race day it was cold.  During the morning race, the long distance event, temperatures hovered around 40 for the start.  Thankfully my heat was not until the afternoon for the sprint distance.  We were running a two loop 5k to start, followed by 18.2k on the bike and then 1.8k to finish the race.  I was pleased with my pace for the 5k (faster than normal but not fast by most standards) and then I hammered the bike.  The course included part of an interstate that was closed down so I pushed the pace there.  I could have ridden that bike course for hours with smooth roads and no traffic.  The final run was one where I was a bit gassed but finished strong because I knew it was a short run.  I was really pleased with the course, loved the fan support and the awards ceremony that evening was filled with hugs, high fives and smiles all around.  

At the age of 40, I picked up my first National Championship.  It was a race I'll never forget.