A Busy Couple Of Weeks

Two of my athletes competed in triathlons / events over the past two weeks.  One is returning to triathlons after a 10 year hiatus, and his comeback to age-group racing is moving along nicely.  The other athlete is gearing up for Steelhead 70.3 and had a half-marathon in some pretty hot and miserable conditions.  I traveled to the triathlon out in Long Island, New York to support one athlete, and had a few conversations with my other athlete - as she lives in the Midwest - to talk about her race and make some changes to her swimming workouts.

I've also been working out more on the bike and in the pool.  My ankle has been feeling pretty good - my setback at physical therapy has sorted itself out and I'm able to start some jogging again.  Anyway, I've re-doubled my focus on trying to get back in shape so I can be as ready and fit as possible for an early start to the triathlon season next year.  I had some great workouts this week, distances weren't crazy long, but the intensity is getting up there. 

Equally as important, my wife asked me to write a three-part "Multisport 101" series over on her food and fitness site: JL Goes Vegan.

This series covers the basics for the individual looking to start out and get fit, or take things to the next level.  Last week's post focused on swimming.  Tomorrow's post is on cycling and I'll wrap things up in a weeks time with a primer on running.

Next week - the week of the 4th of July holiday here in the US - could be a good week for me in regards to workouts and getting some fresh content up on my site.  We're headed to our annual week away in northern Connecticut.  Last year's trip had me dealing with a few maladies but this year I'm looking to do some serious cycling in the foothills of the Berkshires as well as some good open water swimming. 

Triathlon Mania Comes To NYC

As many of you may have heard, Ironman New York is alive and among us.  It's been deemed the US Championships.  Also, as you may have heard, it sold out in less than 15 minutes as soon as registration went live online.  I love this sport.  Love it.  And I'm thrilled that New York City is getting another great triathlon.

This is all good news.  But there's a race here in the New York area that's my complete fave.  It's held up the Hudson Valley in September.  If you haven't heard of it yet, you need to get familiar with it now.  And I mean stat.

The Westchester Toughman

The Toughman is a half ironman distance race held in northern Westchester county.  It starts and finishes in Croton Point Park, in Croton on Hudson, New York, and is really one amazing race.  Why?  I'll tell you why:

Location:

Croton Point Park, along the Hudson River, is an amazing setting for the swim start, transition area, and finish line.  It's a beautiful park, with campgrounds, easy access to mass transit for those coming up from the city and is easy to get to from most any major city in the tri-state area.

Course:

In addition to the park itself, the course is amazing.  The swim, in the bay that is naturally created at the park, is mostly free of river current and provides a great location for the swim.  More importantly, for those familiar with the Westchester Triathlon, there are no jellyfish!

Once done with the swim, the bike course is fantastic.  Should you be paying attention during the challenging bike leg, it's an amazing course.  Hills, flats, big climbs, quick downhills, and rolling sections make this a course that gives you a bit of everything.  On top of that, it's an incredibly well supported course (more on that later).

The run course is just like the bike course.  Hills, flats, climbs. It has it all.  Plenty of shaded sections (some of it trail) and an amazing view as you climb the Croton Dam 

And more to the point, there are 17 (yes, 17) aid stations on the run course.  Gels, water, electrolytes, Coke, it's all there. 

Volunteers and Support:
I can't say enough about the number of volunteers and course support that's provided.  Wetsuit strippers at T1, bottle exchange on the bike.  Numerous marshals, police, and course patrols on the bike leg ensuring safe passage through every intersection.  The run course has, again, plenty of support and volunteers.  Bagpipe players push you up the climb of Croton Dam and cheerleaders motivate you as you head back home via the brutal climb at mile 9.  (Yes it is brutal, and it hurts, but it's f'ing awesome).  If all goes to current plan (per the race director) this year should see close to 1,500 athletes and almost 1,000 volunteers.

Race Director and Event Staff:
This race is put on by a great group of folks.  Most importantly, it's put on by people that have done numerous Ironman races  and have been to Kona.  They know what a race should be like.  They know what athletes need and what they don't.  They know what effort goes into competing in a half ironman  and want to ensure that you're taken care of before, during, and after. this event is build and driven by dedicated individuals who want nothing more than to put on an amazing event, give back to the community, and ensure that everyone has a great time.

Expo and Post-Race:
The expo is great.  It's held in Croton Point Park, and there are plenty of great vendors setup over the weekend.  Lots of stuff to buy, lots of new products to play with.  And equally as important, a couple tents with bike mechanics to help with any issue that you may have. 

The post-race festivities are amazing.  Full barbeque for all participants.  Yep, that's right.  When you're done, there's a killer BBQ waiting for you.  Along with a huge tent with massage therapists to help keep you loose. 

Oh, and for those of you vegetarian and vegans out there - the BBQ (thanks to my wife) provides salad and veggie burgers.  Yep, something for everyone.

And how can I forget: Toughkids:

Not only does the Toughman crew put on a top-notch Half Iron race, they also now have a Toughkids series.  Multiple races throughout the year, culminating in the the Toughkids race in Croton the weekend of the full Half Iron.  It's a complete riot watching the kids race and have a blast.

What are you waiting for?

Check out The Toughman Triathlon ....seriously.  If you live in the Tri-State area, it's in your backyard.    I've raced this event.  I've worked this event.  Not sure when I had a better time (okay, I had a better time racing it).  It's been growing every year since its inception.  $25,000 in awards for age groups and special divisions alone.  And it's only going to get bigger and better.

Check out the video here.  You'll want to sign up.  Really, you will.  So click here and do it!

No Racing For Me This Year

It's official - there will be no racing this year.

Between the recent "setback" I had at physical therapy on Friday, and the sudden (albeit obvious in retrospect) bit of clarity around my situation, I've realized that there's no way I can do any sort of full-on racing this year.  Yes, I could do the swim and the bike legs of most any triathlon with the required amount of intensity required.  But any run I do will be a jog at best.  Even by September or October I just won't be able to pound out miles at a pace that will be competitive.

I have to admit that this past Saturday and Sunday were a bit tough mentally.  After the non-PT session on Friday, and with a sore ankle, all I could do this weekend was realize the cold hard facts.  I'm disappointed to say the least.  But as today has progressed, I realize that this - again - is just the logical outcome to breaking an ankle that I should have come to grips with sooner than today.

Racing come this fall - Wishful thinking? Perhaps.  Oh, hell, yeah of course it was wishful thinking.  Denial?  For sure.

However, with that all said and done, my goal now is to stay fit, and get my running back up in the late fall so that I can hit the triathlon season early next year and make up for lost time.  I may still participate in a couple of events, as I pondered a while ago, and just turn in my chip after the bike leg.  Not exactly what I was hoping for this year, but considering the circumstances I think that's the best I can manage.

Weekly Workouts And A Minor Setback

I had some good workouts this week.  Monday was an off day (always enjoyable), and Tuesday was an easy ride with one of the athletes that I coach.  But Wednesday through Friday had some higher intensity workouts - I was damn psyched as I was feeling good, and was pleased at how my ankle was feeling.

Since a couple folks have asked what kind of workouts I'm doing while my ankle is on the mend - here's a sample from this week:

Wednesday:
21 mile ride.
18.7 mph average speed (Pushed it a bit on this ride.  When did I get all Type-A?)
Avg HR 138 / Max HR 162
671 calories burned

Thursday:
3,000 yard swim.
Warm up
400 yards easy
8 x 50 stroke drill
----------
Main set
2 x 400 swim on 5:45
600 pull
2 x 300 swim on :30 rest - descending
----------
200 cool down

Wednesday wrapped up with a late afternoon physical therapy session.  A treadmill walk and jog session - which I was really looking forward to.  3 minutes of walking, followed by 4 minutes of running / jogging at an easy pace.  Rinse and repeat 3 times.  This was followed by 90 minutes of sweat inducing drills, stretches, weights, isometrics, and physical pulling / tugging / torquing. Damn.  I was spent.

I won't go into details, but I wasn't limping when I got there.  Seriously.  More on that in a minute.

Friday:
25 mile ride
17.2 mph average speed (thankfully a more reasonable pace today)
Avg HR 131 / Max HR 164
719 calories burned

Here's the setback - Friday's PT session was reduced to icing and stretching as my ankle is acting up from yesterdays "run".  Very sore and very swollen.  I'm told we're stepping back a bit for a couple sessions.  With that news, all my weekend workout plans have changed.  No cycling this weekend.  Just one swim workout and multiple icing sessions on the ankle.  It's a bummer, but nothing disastrous.  I'm told it's nothing major, and we just stepped up the running a little too quickly.  More importantly, as the cycling and swimming workouts aren't hurting anything (as they're non-impact) this is just a normal event that's to be expected.

A bit of a bummer, but things feel better already this morning (Saturday).  I'll get a swim in this weekend, but today will be spent icing my ankle and watching a lot of TV.

Becoming A Bike Commuter

I've been talking about it for a while....about riding my bike to the train station as part of my daily work commute.  As we're a one vehicle household, my wife JL and I coordinate our schedules so I can be dropped off at the train station to head into Manhattan before she heads off to work herself.  Not terrible, but during the morning "rush" in our area, it's just a hassle.  And, c'mon, it's just the smart thing to do.  I walk to the train when I can (it's only a 15 minute walk) so why not save some time, and fuel, in the process?

I was in no way going to ride my road bike to the station.  Nor was I going to ride my TT racing rig (that would just look stupid!)  As I was in the basement trying to figure out how to build a commuter bike by cannibalizing an old mountain bike and a slightly used hybrid bike I stumbled on my very first road bike.  An aluminum frame Trek with a triple crank-set in front and base / entry level components.  Wow, I actually used to ride this thing?  Not to be all snooty, but damn. 

Okay, I'm off my carbon fiber soap-box.

What a perfect bike to become a commuter rig.  The triple crank-set would make the hills to and from the train station easy to deal with (without breaking out into a sweat) and a few additional accessories will ensure that my work clothes don't get wet / dirty / greasy.  I made a quick trip to my bike shop and picked up a few things:

• Non-folding, cheap, 700 x 25C tires - thick, puncture resistant, with a bit more traction than 23C tires.
• Snap on fender kit.
• Dual sided flat / spd pedals.
• Fresh handlebar tape.

I washed the hell out of the bike - really had to work on the drivetrain a bit - and got it back into a functional state.  New tires went on, fender kit was attached, and loud and obnoxious candy apple red handlebar tape finished things off.

I replaced the black road saddle that was currently on the bike with the stock saddle that came with my TT rig. (It was promptly replaced by a far superior ISM Saddle.) This was a good option as it's white on top and I wouldn't have to worry about my pants potentially getting black marks on them.  I resisted the urge to 'pimp my ride' by adding a mustache, or bull-horn handlebar to the mix.  Although as I type that I think I may need to do that this weekend.

A quick spin around the block and everything seemed in order.  The next day was it's maiden voyage to the train station.

Truth be told, I think the trip time was cut in half compared to driving.  While I did stop at all the traffic lights (rush hour is no time to blast through a red light) I was able to, on the right shoulder, zip past numerous cars queued up at each intersection and traffic signal.  The fenders dealt with bits of gravel and small puddles very well.

Arriving at the train station I circled around to the side with the bike racks and had to find some open space to lock up the bike.  There were tons of bikes and scooters already filling up the area.  With the bike locked, I couldn't believe how little time this took.   Going home took a few extra minutes that evening, as it's more uphill on the reverse route.  But that's fine - who cares?  No more coordinating schedules or taking cabs - at least until the winter.