Athlete 174 - Mooseman Half Ironman

Mooseman 70.3 - Race Report

Leading up to Mooseman I started to get very anxious, not because of my preparation, but because of the course. There is a big 3 mile climb which gets very steep, but I wasn't concerned about the climb. I was concerned about the descent and safety. It got to the point where that's all I was thinking about because the forecast was for rain. I pictured disaster after disaster which is not what you want to be picturing entering a race.

Unfortunately the mental toll got the best of me and I couldn't fall asleep the night before the race. Friday night I was on my feet most of the day and I only got 6 hours sleep. I though for sure I'd pass out Saturday night and sleep like a baby. Instead I couldn't fall asleep. I saw the clock tick 11 p.m. which meant if I feel asleep right at that moment I would get 5 hours. That didn't happen. I finally fell asleep only to wake up at 2:00 a.m. to drink a Boost Energy drink. When the alarm went off at 4:00 a.m. it was like a slap in the face, but we got right up and got ready. I new adrenaline would take over once the race started.

Swim:
The rain started and stayed with us the entire race. I got off to a solid start in the swim and felt very smooth. I kept thinking about all the things Craig taught me and kept focused on the task at hand. I had a clear lane to the buoys and hugged them perfectly. As I rounded the final buoy to head back into shore my goggles were really fogged up. That caused my one mistake on the swim. I drifted right instead of hugging the buoys. It cost me some time, but I felt great! Just over 35 minutes and feeling fresh.

T1:
My transitions have become pretty solid. Minimize what you need to do and move forward. Off on the bike.

Bike:
This was my main concern for the day because of the rain. My two thoughts the entire time were 1. Be safe.. just get down the hill safely and you'll be fine. 2. Hit your number (watts)...ok, I had one more thought. I wanted Vin to be safe too. Part of me was hoping that he'd catch me on the bike (he started a couple of waves behind) just so I knew he was ok. I didn't see him on the bike.

Overall I thought my effort on the bike was solid. Looking back at my file my watts could/should have been higher. I was working hard though and the conditions were challenging. I could feel my body getting cold, I could feel my leg muscles tighten. I hate making excuses, but I know there are a few reasons why legs could have felt better. With that said the watts don't lie. Coach Cap and I will review the file and go from there. Could have, should have, blah, blah, blah.


T2:
I came back into T2 soaking wet as did everyone else. My sneakers and socks were soaked and the body was cold. It was a bit of a challenge getting my socks on while keeping my balance so I didn't fall in the mud. I slipped into my shoes, grabbed my hat and water bottle and I was
off.

Run:
I had 3 goals for the run. 1. No GI issues 2. Get through it without any IT band pain and 3. finish strong. I run with my Garmin 310xt which has GPS and cadence. I make sure my turn over is over 90 RPM and keep an eye on my pace. It seemed like my pace was all over the place and wondered if I lost the satellite signal. My goal pace was suppose to be about 8:30 per mile, but I didn't want to push that pace just yet.

When I did the Patriot Half last year my stomach was all over the place and I thought I was going to have a very big problem on the run. In addition, with a couple of miles left, my left IT band tightened and I was in tremendous pain. Those two issues where on my mind, so I went a bit easier than planned. I also wanted to have a faster finish. As a decent cyclist and slow runner I am accustomed to see athlete after athlete run past me on the run. I decided to let it be and focus on my race. As I came to mile 10 my Garmin said mile 9.5 or something like that so I started to think that perhaps I had been running faster than I thought and that's when I could start to feel some muscles tighten, but not my IT band.

At that point I knew I had one more climb and then two miles of a downhill and then a flat stretch to the finish. As I looked at my watch I realized I'd have a shot at breaking 5:30 if I moved it. I pushed and pushed, but I felt like I wasn't moving. :-) I was starting to hurt, but I figured the race was just about over... I pushed all the way to the finish.

Finish time: 5:29:49

Post Race Observations:
Besides some soreness I feel 100% better after this Half Ironman compared to last year's Patriot. It's a testament to my training and keeping my body healthy. Outside of the weather, I never felt so ready and prepared.

Plain and simple I thank my coach Jeff Capobianco for his support, knowledge and friendship. I also thank my swim coach Craig Lewin. As I was cruising along everything you have taught me clicked. I felt smooth, comfortable and stayed fresh. I could have easily continued on.

In addition, I want to thank my PT Sara Thatcher for keeping me fresh and loose. I saw Sara today to work out some post-race fatigue and I'm feeling better already. I truly credit Sara for keeping me healthy and pain free.

I really enjoyed my Mooseman experience. As I raced the course I heard customers cheer me on and I did my best to cheer you on too. I'm proud to toe the line and suffer with you. When I was tired you were there. I hope that when you were tired I was there.

Congratulations to all who raced... on to Lake Placid.

One more thing... Last year at the Patriot Half my brother beat me by 7 minutes. This year his dedication and commitment to training and his goal of completing Lake Placid under Coach Cap has been amazing to see. As I've bridged the gap a bit on the swim and bike, his run was just awesome. He beat me by 19 minutes! Vin, I am proud of you big brother. Great effort!

Legs...where are you?

Who would have thought that a "little" sprint Triathlon would crush my legs more than all the training I've done over the last 6 months? I still feel last Sunday's race and I want my legs back. This week was another solid effort while feeling the stresses of work, life and training.

Highlights...
Thursdays 2.4 mile pool swim in a time of 1:16:54... boring as could be, but I'm tremendously pleased. Certainly wasn't blazing fast, but with a wetsuit and draft I think I could take some time off in the actual race. I now know I can complete the swim. The one thing that made this easier was that my brother was doing the same thing in the lane next to me. I know that he (we) sometimes lose focus during long sets. When I saw him fading I would push a bit. I knew he would pick up the pace and vice versa. Having Craig pushing us from the deck was a huge help too. Thanks coach!

Yesterday was a great day... the 62 Mile Tour De Cure to benefit the American Diabetes Association and then a 1 hour run. I followed that up with DJ'ing my friend's wedding... Keith and Lindsay, congratulations! Standing for 5 straight hours may not sound like a lot, but after the week of training my legs are mush. The only way to do all of this is with support from my wife and the guys at the shop. Thank you for all your support!

The week ahead:
I really don't want to go for a 75 minute run right now, but I'm going to get it done. The week ahead looks very full with several 3 hour bricks and some intensity to boot. I just need to get through this week healthy and rested and then it's time for a one week taper for Mooseman. I hope my legs come back. :-)

And so the season begins...

Today was a good day...my first race of the season. I headed over to Marblehead for the JCC sprint (250 yard pool swim, 10 mile bike, 3.5 mile run) and it was a perfect day for a race.

I was excited, not because I was training for this race, but because my training has been solid for Lake Placid. Would I finally see if my training was paying off or not? On the one hand I thought I could do better than last year because I am being coached by a guy who has helped me make more gains in 6 months than I've made in 6 years. On the other hand, I wasn't being trained for this race. The intensity level is much higher in a sprint than in an Ironman. In a sprint, as many of you know, you basically go all out because it's relatively short. In longer races the intensity is lower because you need to save yourself for the long day ahead.

Coach Cap (Jeff Capobianco of Breakthrough Performance Coaching) made it pretty clear and reminded me that my training has been Ironman focused, not sprint. If it had been sprint focused my training would have been very different. So I was excited to arce, but didn't set my expectations too high. Plain and simple I wanted to do better than last year where my time was 59:44 and my place was 9th.

In addition to Coach Cap, I have been helped along the way by my swim Coach Craig Lewin of Endurance Swimming. Craig has prepared me well and my hope was to ease into the swim and get out in a decent time.

I truly am blessed to be in the business I am. I have access to the top cyclist in New England (Dean Phillips), the best Mechanics(Geoff Hull and Mark Saffer) and the best equipment. What I lack in an engine I make up in hard work. The bike went really well although I thought I'd be able to push it harder.

I was most concerned about the run. As I progress through my Ironman training my runs are relatively slow and steady. When I say slow I don't mean to offend anyone, but my E (easy) runs are like 10 minute miles. That's really where I've been running for several months without any speed work. The last time I ran a sub 8 minute mile was November or December. Before that it was last summer. I had no idea how the run would go.

Thankfully I've been seeing Sara Thatcher at Body Tuning every couple of weeks and she has kept my body in-line and strong. I really credit Sara's advice and direction
as the key for staying healthy and injury free (knock on wood).

So how did it go? I finished in a time of 57:24... over 2 minutes faster than last year! I came in 7th place overall and I'll certainly take it. Needless to say I am very pleased.

Congratulations to my buddy Kevin Reen who won the race for the second year in a row. Just awesome... My good friend and business partner Dean Phillips came in second today. Dean continues to amaze me. After an off-season of surgery, pain and frustration, followed by a serious TT crash last week, Dean still decided to race. He could have easily passed this up, so it was great to see him out there.

And of course kudos to my big brother Vin who came in 3rd... solid, solid, solid. He's also being coached by Coach Cap and his gains are impressive. Everyone keeps saying "Vin better watch out"... I don't think he has anything to worry about... his run is so much faster than mine. :-)

I also want to congratulate my friend Kelley T. who competed, and completed, in her first triathlon... Awesome job Kel! We are very proud of you.

What a day... surrounded by family, friends and customers on a beautiful sunny Sunday. Up next... the Mooseman 1/2 Ironman on June 6th.

Turn up the volume

Just under 12 weeks and Lake Placid awaits. This past week was some what of an eye opener. 17 hours of training... it's not just the 17 hours of training, it's owning a business, being a husband and father, and having a life. I'm very happy with how the week went.

Here is some of the work:
Monday: 2:30 bike
Tuesday: 1 hour swim, 45 minute run
Wednesday: 1:00 bike(80% of FTP), 20 minute run
Thursday: 1 hour swim, 40 minute run
Friday: 2 hour run
Saturday: 3:30 bike
Sunday: 3 hour bike (80% of FTP) and 30 minute run

The best part of my week? On Sunday we celebrated my daughter's second Birthday. Happy Birthday Noella!!!!

As we turn up the volume the challenges arise. For example, in order to get in my 3:30 ride on Saturday I had to start at 5:15 a.m. The sun wasn't even up yet. :-)
In addition, sleep and recovery is key. I have to get better at this.

Moving forward this week the volume stays about the same, but we sprinkle some more intensity. This is getting fun!

I know I've said it before, but I do want to thank my coach Jeff Capobianco. He has proven to be an incredible planner and a wealth of knowledge. Thanks Jeff!