The Dream-Day 88

An eventful weekend of training is over and I couldn't be more relieved.

Friday: Mini sprint at Suffolk Community College followed immediately by swim training.

200 yard snake swim/4.5 mi bike/1.5 mi run pretty much all out. Finished in 28+ mins ready to hurl. Really thrilled about the long break (10 minutes) before hitting the pool.

Hmm, should I not be eating my cap?

Transitioning from swim to bike. Sacrificed a few secs to throw on a shirt.

Feeling more like #2.

Ella apparently not thrilled with my post race stench.

Saturday: 5:15 bike ride.

Got up at 4:45 and left at 5:45 covering 91 mi without a single a-hole sighting. Managed to return home without getting reacquainted with the pavement. It took about a 1/2 hour for me to realize I had a crotch.

Sunday: 7am swim training followed by a 60' run.

Have to learn to keep my trap shut. I mentioned to the coaches that I've been uncomfortable in the pool ever since returning from the 1/2 IM. Feeling like a golfer that can't hit the ball straight. Yah, they were real understanding. As "punishment" for my heinous offense, they put me in a harder lane. Note to self-duck tape on yapper.

I headed out immediately for my easy 60' run knocking out 6.5 mi. The first mile felt rough, but it rapidly improved and the run actually did feel easy. Imagine that.

As soon as I got home I threw down a P90X Recovery Drink, vacuumed the pool, and helped set up for my daughter's HS graduation party. Beautiful day, especially for a TGL that I couldn't consume. See me on 11/6.

Kendall's go to pose when she means business.

The Dream-Day 87

Last night's swim trepidation was validated right away. After a 200 yard warm up, training got under way with a 200 yard set at L4 (6 out of 10 effort). Granted, we swam it more like an L5 (7.5 out of 10), but about 100 yards in I started to panic. It's hard to convey to someone that hasn't experienced this before, but the best analogy I can come up with is doing super high cardio, heart is pounding, and you have to stop and grab your knees. However, you're in water and your brain is frantically waving it's arms like the robot in Lost In Space saying, "Danger, Will Robinson!".

I experienced this bout of anxiety several times during the first 2 months of swim training, but it dissipated as swim fitness improved. The 2 weeks I missed due to tapering & recovery for the 1/2 IM and my bike mishap last weekend set me back considerably.

I got home around 8:30pm, shoved some food in my gob, and passed out around 10pm. Got up at 5am this morning, and got in 2,500 lethargic meters (1.55 mi) at the open water swim. Felt like I was swimming through motor oil. Every day brings on new challenges. Doesn't it always?

Gorgeous morning for a not so gorgeous swim.

The Dream-Day 86

If you want a great Italian meal in a place that any "made" guy would frequent, you have to go to Parkside. I drove in with my Seth Forman and met Marty Pauker and Al Lercher. We all used to work out together and I've been forever blamed for breaking up the group. Of course, that had nothing to do with Seth and Marty going to another gym and Al moving to NYC.

Before going in, I had to walk across the street to take in the scene which featured an intense bocce game and 6 guys playing cards like their life depended on it.

We ordered a rigatoni pomodoro entree and split that up as an appetizer. I scarfed down my chicken scarpariello, salad, broccoli, and various Italian breads easily despite the constant heckling from Seth asking if I was "allowed" to eat this or that. I had a few biscotti and dipped into the home made tiramisu that was outstanding. Unfortunately, the espresso snob was dissatisfied with their offering.

This morning, I ran 4 x 1 mi at a hard sustainable pace with 1' jogging in between. Hip still sore but didn't play a factor. The last 2 sets were pretty exhausting. Splits were 7:29, 7:21, 7:28, 7:53.

Tonight, I'm in the pool. My ripped up hand will be limiting, but I'm mostly concerned with not swimming hard for the past 2 weeks.

The Dream-Day 85

Back on the saddle after a rest day and it couldn't have been better timed. Wounds will be super slow to heal especially deep upper butt bone bruise & hand pot hole.

On the menu today was a 2 hr serving of hard hill work and strong efforts on the flats. I covered 37 mi at a fairly high wattage and intensity factor for me (182 watts, 224 norm. power, & .93 IF for all you Power Tap'ers). I managed not to get whacked although the a-holes were out early and appeared quite hungry.

Tonight, I'm hitting Parkside restaurant in Corona, Queens. Old world Italian joint that sits across from the Ice King Of Corona (awesome Italian ices) and a small park complete with Bocce. It's a trip watching these geezers play like it's life and death. Oh, there's no way to get in unless you know a guy.

The first time I went to Parkside, I drove into a small lot right next to the place to have it valeted. I asked for the ticket and this gumba says to me, "Your car is safer here than it is in your own garage". Works for me.

The Dream-Day 84

This ride has been quite different than I expected when I registered back in January. I knew it would involve hurdling major swimming and running shortcomings, but overcoming fear of the water, self doubt, training injuries, car induced injuries, etc. weren't on the original game plan. Feeling incredible fortunate to be blogging about this now as yesterday's mishap could've been so much worse.

Today's schedule called for a 90' run and I felt well enough to give it a try. I took off for Sunken Meadow State Park (aka The Ghetto) later than I normally would so I could train in the heat. Other than a deep bone bruise on my upper butt I was good to go. The other areas were well bandaged and, aside from the one on my hand, they stayed intact.  I ran an extra 4' to get to 10 mi the last 2 or so being somewhat uncomfortable. Really glad I did it and happier to be finished.

Went to a graduation party in the late afternoon donning my compression socks. I was gently mocked, but deep down I know everyone wished they had a pair.

The Dream-Day 83

It was back to work after a week recovering from the 1/2 IM and Coach Joe wasn't messing around. 5hr ride followed by a 20' run. Oh, yeah. It's really hot. I was looking forward to it because I learned from the race that I need to incorporate bike/run bricks, train in the heat, and get a better handle on nutrition.

So, off I went, nutrition strategy and route well planned. I purposely took off at 7am so I can spend more time in the oven. I was feeling good and on my return from Rocky Pt, Long Island when it happened. 3 hours and 54 miles in, A-hole of the week decided to play Spy Hunter and clipped my front tire as we were approaching an intersection right in front of JT Mather Hospital in Mt. Sinai. I went down and deposited a significant amount of DNA on the pavement. Stunningly, nobody stopped. Not the A-hole or anyone driving in all 4 directions. Unreal.

I cursed mightily and frequently, collected my bike, and gimped over to the ER. They began to check me in when all I wanted was to clean up and grab some band aides. The nicest nurse, Kathy Quaranta, hooked me up and wrapped my wounds so I could continue. Apparently, she's accustomed to dopes like me as her brother is competing in this week's full Ironman in Lake Placid. I had to improvise my aerobar position but riding the final 34 miles wasn't too bad. Made it home & quickly changed my shoes so I could complete the 20' run.

Ironically, I stopped to take this shot on the way out. Happy they're great at something that's so preventable.

Mostly pissed about having to replace my bike shorts.

Definitely saved my wrist. Apologized for calling it a piece of _ _ _ _ at last wk's race.

The Dream-Day 82

Spent the past few days doing very light recovery work on the bike trainer & pool as well as revisiting resistance training/abs using a few P90X routines.

Getting set to get busy again starting with a 5 hr bike ride followed immediately by a 20 min run brick workout tomorrow. It's gonna be a scorcher which, after this past weekend's 1/2 IM, is actually good news. I must improve thermoregulation (the ability to keep core temp within certain boundries even if the surrounding temp is extreme). Only one way to do that.

A new friend, John Mcphilliamy, posted this funny YouTube vid on FB. Enjoy!

The Dream-Day 81

It's been 5 days since my last post & it's taken me that long to collect my thoughts after the 1/2 Ironman.

Friday
Left for Geneva, NY with Dominique and Roseann. We train together & they were nice enough to give me a ride up. Ro, a nurse practitioner, crashed while biking 3 1/2 wks ago & unfortunately couldn't compete. Yet, she sucked it up & offered to work the medical tent at the event. I registered late & was lucky to get a room at Hobart College, but with no a/c. Dom & Ro offered to share their room at the Hampton Inn (with a/c). Three's Company anyone?

Saturday
Dom & I had some light training to do. We did a quick bike/run brick then headed down to the lake for a 20 min swim. The lake was gorgeous and perfect temp. Only drag was the billions of mussels (non-edible, I understand) that hide under the massive amounts of lake grass. They do make a wonderful cracking sound when you bust open a vein. We finished up, showered, and went to Hobart to pick up our race packets complete with race number, timing chip, and assorted goodies from the sponsor. Went back to the hotel and met my nephew, Paul, who drove down from Rochester to see his 'ol uncle. Took him out for a Florida-like early bird special (5:30pm) with Dom, Ro, Janet, and Harry. The three of us train with Janet and Harry is her lesser half. Hit the rack at 9:30pm, starred at the ceiling, & managed only 3 hrs of sleep. Wonder why?

Sunday
4:45am wake up, ate a little, & headed out to the Seneca Lake State Park at 5:30am. Bluebird day but hot. I set up my transition area just in time (we got there too late) & headed towards the beach for the 7am swim start along with the other 1,000 participants.

Swim: I was in the 4th grouping that got sent off at 7:15. Each group had about 125 athletes. Remarkably, I wasn't the least bit nervous. I set up to the far left just at the start buoy & had a better than expected 1.2 mi swim. I was shocked I didn't get trampled or kicked in the mellon. The cool part about the swim was doing about 3/4 mi in the lake & finishing in a narrow boat channel. In fact, we exited the water on a boat launch.

Bike: Found my bike easily, whipped off my wet suit, dried my feet, slipped on my socks & shoes, jammed some Chamois Butter (critical stuff you apply to the crotch area of the tri shorts for obvious reasons), applied sunscreen, put on sunglasses, put on helmet, & took off for the bike mounting area. Only thing I forgot was a vital part of my nutrition. It was getting much warmer, but since we started out into a head wind running down the east side of the lake, it wasn't bad. The roads were really good except for a horrible 3 mi section of lose gravel that wasn't very kind to my more than sensitive undercarriage. My back was frequently in need of counter stretching & at hr 2 I started to get bloated (= not good). The last hr was fairly miserable & I couldn't wait to get off my bike. I finished about 10 mins earlier than I anticipated & was looking forward to doing the run. That feeling lasted a nanosecond.

Run: After a decent transition into my run gear, I searched & found a nearby porta-potty for a lighting fast #1. Now, I was ready. Empty bladder, great swim and bike under my belt, nutrition in hand. After about 20 strides I knew I was in a Big Gulp size load of trouble. 1. My stomach was still bloated, 2. My legs didn't want to move, 3. It was Africa hot (91+). To make matters worse, my POS Garmin 405 decided to indicate low battery after 1/2 mi although it had been fully charged. About a mi in I added 4. I've only ran 10 mi once before & that was by itself, 5. Hadn't done any brick workouts during my training (biking followed by running), 6. Hadn't trained in severe heat, & 7. Began my running career on April 5, 2011. Let's just say it was brutal. I ran the first 4 mi, morphed into a run-walk-run, & finally, a walk-run-walk strategy. The MVPs were the little kids with sponges, ice, and families that lined the streets with hoses. I did manage to run across the finish line, heard my name and home town announced, promptly found one of several plastic kiddie pools filled with cold water and vowed never to move.

Finish: 6:14:48
Swim 37:50
Bike 3:06:19
Run 2:24:38

My rent-a-wives Ro (left) & Dom.



Finishing up Saturday's swim with Dom.

Getting race packet at Hobart.

 

Wetsuit bush outside our room (McGyver!).



One of my favorite quotes, "Attitude Determines Altitude". Each athlete submitted theirs.

Getting numbered.

Transition area.

Swim start.

Exiting boat launch towards transition.



Starting bike portion. T-2 hrs to cramping.



I must get me one of these!

Our hero about 9:30pm complete with compression socks & trusty remote (wives covered me with a blanket & charged my phone - jackpot!).

The Dream-Day 80

Tapering is awesome. Slept in 'til 5:45am then hit the road for a 25 min ride (no, that's not a typo). 10 min warm up, 10 min straight threshold work, 5 min cool down. Try not to laugh.

Tonight, Mr. Super Anal, will go through the checklist at least 3x to make sure I have everything. Guaranteed to take more time than this morning's ride. Rolling out around noon tomorrow with Dominique & Roseann. Hope there's space for my espresso machine (non-negotiable passenger).

The Dream-Day 79

I can't believe it's the half way point of my full distance Ironman journey. Ironically, my first real test, is the 1/2 IM in Geneva, NY this Sunday. By the end of the week I will have logged about 200 hrs since April 4th.

And what a blur it's been. This has been a period in my life like no other. It began innocently enough with "What the hell did I just register for?"...to injury, doubt, and thoughts of bailing...to finding Joe Petrush, my swim & tri coach...to investing a lot of time and money to really learn how to swim...to realizing the sport is super expensive (WTF?)...to telling everyone I know what I was doing as a way of becoming more accountable to the goal...to getting past major back pain & 3 herniations a few days before my self-imposed deadline to say I'm all in (I vascillated about 700 times)...to going to bed like a 5th grader and setting my alarm clock to an hour know one on this rock should ever have to set it to...to buying a pair of running shoes (still haven't gotten over that one)...to meeting great people of all ages, many of whom have entirely different goals and reasons why they train, learning that I've inspired some of them as much as they've inspired me...to swimming in a veritable washing machine (see today's pics/video below).

Many people have asked what I'll do after Panama City. Anyone have any ideas?

With fly boy, Pete. Yes, those are white caps.



Hey, Pete, this is fun, right?



I'm in there...somewhere.



Setting my lap time with Pete (dark blue cap). Damian (green cap) is up to something sinister & is not to be trusted.

With Laura (Damian's sister)

    

It's like playing golf in Scotland...but on water.



Ella. Big time cutie & open water "watch" dog.

My futile attempt to draft off Damian (green cap).

The Dream-Day 78

Weekend training is over and my sore thighs couldn't be happier.

Saturday, Dominique & I did a 40 mi ride on one of the nicest days of the year, and today, we took off from my house at 6am and ran hilly terrain covering 5.6 mi in an hour. I jammed 1/2 a banana down my gob, popped a few salt tablets, and sped off to 8am swim practice.

My girls left for at 11 for Dance Nationals in Wildwood, NJ. So, I took the opportunity to hold the remote, put my other hand where most guys holding remotes put their other hand, and watched 3 Indiana Jones movies back to back to back with occasional dosing thrown in. Perfect afternoon.

The Dream-Day 77

Last night, did my first super sprint tri at the college before swim training. It was fast and furious. 20 athletes braved the rain and did a 200 yard snake swim, 4 mile bike, and finished with a 1.5 mi run. Pace is the exact opposite of 1/2 or full distance. I came out of the pool huffing and puffing, saddled up and rode hard, and then, with pissed off legs, hauled ass during the run. Came across the line, bent over, and was grateful the pain and misery was over...or was it?

Slugged down some water, changed, and was in the pool for swim training 10 minutes later. Brutal.

Came home, ate, and passed out on the couch 1 millisecond after my last mouthful. Pathetic.

The Dream-Day 76

Met my pal, James Kennedy, at 5:30am for a 50' run around Head Of The Harbor. It's awesome to train with someone else for a change and James and I are quite compatable. Located on the north shore of Long Island by an inlet fed by the Long Island Sound, we ran quiet rural roads dotted with cool old houses, great scenery, and some killer hills. One worth mentioning was 1/2 mi long and had a few 30% grade sections. Cue the chest grab.

James (stud) Kennedy catching some rays in Sun Valley, ID circa 2010.

  

Today's route.

Finished at 6:30am, drove home, and did P90X Ab Ripper X + Shoulders & Arms. Nothing scheduled until the super sprint tri at the college tomorrow night followed by regular swim training. Survey says definitely sleeping in tomorrow.

The Dream-Day 75

Let the countdown begin. Getting all amped up as it's 10 days until I leave for Geneva, NY and my first 1/2 Ironman (Musselman Tri). It feels surreal to me that only 6 months ago I wrote in my iPhone that one of my goals for 2011 was to do a 1/2 IM. It was a few days later, after I apparently lost my mind, that I registered for the full distance instead. Now, the 1/2 is part of my training.

Had a great training ride this morning at Heckscher State Park - 4x20 min holding 190-200 watts with 5 min recoveries. Saw teammate Joe "The Commodore" Biondo" and set a personal best by having 12 deer cheer...er....ah...chew me on (previous PB was 9). Yeah, you could say it's a tad monontoneous going around in a circle for an hour & a half. Go ahead, try it and see how douffy you get.

Joe "The Commodore" Biondo crankin' it out.

This afternoon, I have a call with Wendy Mader (overall female amateur winner at 2008 Kona Ironman) to see if she'll speak to the Bay Shore Swim Club athletes at my place in August. Should be really cool.

Tonight, if you're looking, you can find me in the harsh SCC chlorine at 7pm.

The Dream-Day 74

Awesome sunrise on the way to today's open water swim. It was gorgeous and almost too warm for the wetsuit. Swam the furthest to date (2.5 mi) and decided to drop the hammer the last 200 meters ending in a 50-75 meter sprint. Not a good idea. Upon finishing, I stood up and was totally off balance. Message to self: DON'T do that at IM.

The Dream-Day 73

After a 7 day hiatus, I strapped on the fugly running shoes and hit the pavement for 75 mins slower than 8:50/mi as directed by coach Joe. Gladly, the 3 days off didn't make a noticable difference as he accurately predicted.

Was at the beach by 10:30 and spent 4 hrs peering at the surf through a cloud that never lifted for my daughter. I totally bailed on the thought of going in exclaiming confidently that Joe hadn't put it on the docket. No worries. She hooked up with some other kids leaving me to contemplate my wussiness.

The Dream-Day 72

The pinky toe, the Sargent Hulka of all toes, isn't to be trifled with. That little mother isn't on anyone's radar unless, of course, you mash it.

It wasn't really much of a factor today though. I had a great swim workout at 7am, quickly showered, and then took the Serotta right from there for a 2:45 50 mi solid ride at the same effort I'll do the 1/2 IM in two weeks.

Finally, after 3 months, I broke my weather cherry. I kinda liked riding in the rain and gave my self an "atta boy" for bringing some zip lock bags for my iPhone and sunglasses. Things are lookin' up.

The Dream-Day 71

The Injury-Day 5. Hopefully, my last installment. I rode for 1:15 & inserted 4x2 min at a hard effort to test the quad. It felt pretty good. I heard from teammate Rosann Moran (see road rash post from 6/25), nurse practitioner, who told me to get a massage and use Arnica oinment stat. Who am I to argue? The rub joint squeezed me in and then I hit the natural food place in town for the potion.

In the afternoon, we had all of my daughter's competition dance team and parents over. Great day, well, for the most part. The weather was fantastic. Everyone came with some food and the coolers were well stocked. Lots of laughs. Until...clean up.

I took care of the outside and had everything buttoned down in record time. The only thing left was emptying the coolers. That's when I got cocky and failed to factor in bashing my toe. It was reported that my primal scream startled some wildlife off the coast of New Guinea.

What a week. Good thing tomorrow's training doesn't involve running.

The Dream-Day 70

The Injury-Day 4. Coach put the kibosh on running today. Went to the pool early for the first of several mini sprint events at the college. I didn't compete, but decided to cheer on my mates and take some pics/video. Joe and his gang did a awesome job. Roads were blocked by the cops, the course was well marked, and the volunteers were helpful. Right after, everyone hit the pool for our normal training.

200 yard snake swim start.

Bike mounting area & volunteer that begged me not to take her pic.

Tom leading the pack. Sorry, but I'm throwing a flag for indecent exposure.

Starting the run (bike transition area in the background)

Some of the gang with Coach Joe (2nd from left). Dominique managed to finish despite her counting miscue.