Rev3 Knoxville race recap

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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”…

That lovely quote from ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ aptly describes my weekend in Knoxville, TN for Rev3 Knoxville. This report will be brief. I tend to talk about the course and surroundings more but it’s taken me too long (like 2 weeks) to put anything down to want to elaborate on something I don’t care to remember.

To sum up my race, this is a list of the things that can go wrong in your race:

  1. The water temperature is so cold (below 60) that everything is numb and your lungs get so tight you feel sufficated
  2. The air temperature is hovering around the lower 50s with POURING rain making it so EVERYTHING is numb…and soggy
  3. Your computer will not be able to get a GPS signal from all the cloud cover
  4. Your power meter will stop working 5 miles into the bike
  5. You will launch your only nutrition bottle on the bike around mile 7-9 (no clue when it was)
  6. It’s so cold your hand lock around the handlebars
  7. Your hands are so cold you can not get your helmet unbuckled in T2
  8. You run through ankle deep water a good portion of the run
  9. You are shaking so hard from the cold it feels like a rib is broken and you double over in pain a few times

Maybe there is more but you get the point. The Rev3 knoxville course is really nice, it really is. I wouldn’t call it fair because it helps the faster swimmer (aided by a current) and the person very comfortable with technical descents. The run course is pretty but very tame. I highly suggest riding the bike course before racing though. It’s no joke for an Olympic.

This race, or really the conditions, got the best of me. I was unable to perform and for a few hours and days afterward I was pretty emotionally crushed I had such a poor showing after all my hard work this winter. BUT, when I’m shaking like I have pneumonia out there I suppose I can’t expect anything past survival. My hat goes off to Cam Dye and the others who were able to overcome the conditions though, a few folks really had it in them that day.

I understand now the race was nothing more than a bad day with bad timing. I felt ready and confident but I didn’t have much to give considering everything. If I learned anything from this race it’s to move the hell on because somedays suck and that’s that. You can’t do anything about it except move on to have a good day.

On the brighter side of things Christa and I met an amazing couple (Andy and Jenny) who were our homestay in Knoxville. Talk about some southern hospitality, these folks were, by far, the nicest people I have ever met in my entire life. I can’t thank them enough for opening their home to us and being so generous. It’s people like Andy and Jenny that make this world a decent place to live. If you two every read this… thank you…. a million times over.

And keeping on the brighter side of things, Knxoville was a very pretty town (minus all the rain the entire weekend!, ha). Lots of trees and pretty houses and friendly people. We really enjoyed our stay and are excited to be back again next year.

I must say thank you to Christa for being there for me, dealing with me, putting up with me, and enjoying my first professional race with me. I can’t do this without you and you are incredible!! I need to thank team USPRO TRI and our manager Ryan Bates. It was great to race my first team race with half our team there. It’s nice to have friends on the course when you’re out of town. I also need to thank Free Speed Sports!! My local guys in Buffalo who are always hooking me up and helping me out. Local support means everything and these guys really believe in me, it’s much appreciated. Finally, friends, family, training peoples, and everyone who sent me a text message before the big day. Your support helped carry me through a difficult day. Thank you mom, Bobby, Ted, Carol, everyone at masters, Buffalo Tri Club folks, Score-This!!!, and everyone else.

Next up is a change from the original schedule: Ironman 70.3 Raleigh. North Carolina here I come!

Today is a good day and my next race will be an even better day.

Rev3 Knoxville Olympic Preview

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My first professional race this weekend. It’s my ‘job’ to race triathlons now. I feel like a kid in a candy shop right now. Part of me doesn’t feel like the weight of my dream process is hitting on all cylinders right now while the other part is screaming wooohooooo! Either way, I’m happy. I get to race, but now I can possibly earn some money and represent some companies that feel its worth investing money and product into me and what I bring to the triathlon table.

I’ve got a deuzy of a first race lined up too. As of me typing this out on my phone in a parking lot in Phili on a Thursday afternoon there are 33 elite men toeing the line. We are taking former and current (2012) Olympians, multiple time Olympic distance and 70.3 winners, Toyota Cup champs, and over 10-20 guys who can run half marathons at the pace I run a 10k. It’s exciting and intimidating all at the same time. I know Ive stepped my game up a lot this year with training but you don’t really know how far you’ve come until you lay it on the line in the first race of the season. I’ve certainly got my work cut out for me that’s for sure!

I like it that way. The hard way. I’m always one to choose a more difficult path, always have been. So this fast fast fast race breaks down into an out-and-back swim that receives some decent current aid on the way home. That is followed by a .3 mile run to transition (I never race with short transition runs some how). From there we have the very fast and technical 40k bike course. I believe there are a few category climbs that offer screaming fast, twisty descents. Another transition run follows with a slightly rolling run. Sounds peachy to me!

The swim will be decent. I’ve spent a lot of time working on my swim this year and I’m really hoping it pays off at Knoxville. I’d like to set up a good race with a solid swim here. All signs point to a super cold water temp so I’ll have the opportunity to rock my new Profile Design Marlin wetsuit and that should help matters for me too.

The bike has always been more forte. I haven’t spent a whole ton of time on my riding this year in order to focus my energy on the swim and run so I’m looking to maintain much of what I was capable of last year. The fast guys ride this bike course in 55 and 56 minutes. It would be stellar if I was in that ballpark. I threw down a time like that last year so if I’m ready to rock all signs point to being able to keep up with the field.

Then I run! The big equalizer for good ol Nick! I’m running the fastest I’ve ever been able to in my life these last few weeks. The question becomes is that enough for a good day and money or a just a good day. I’d like to think I have it in me now but there are so many variables and so many fast guys out there this year. The prospect of elevating my running game to match some others is very exciting. I’ve never been in this position before and I’m really looking to make the most of it.

As I’ve said this race is very fast. I’m excited to be able to race the best guys in the sport. I’m not traditionally a fast Olympic guy but I really want to be and I’ve been hard at work to get there. My goal races this year are all 70.3s but Olympic races like this will really help me set up the speed I need to do well at the 70.3 distance.

I’m really excited to race with 4 of my USPro Tri teammates and rock the new kit with some Free Speed Sports gear too. Regardless of the outcome, I’m ready to give this race my all and so excited to begin this chapter of my life.

Today is a good day.

2013 US Pro Tri Sponsorship

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So it’s been official for some time now, but I’m finally writing a post here that I have primary sponsorship this year from US Pro Tri. The team headed up by manager Ryan Bates is comprised of 10 US professional triathletes. The main goal of the team is to improve the standing of results from US professional triathletes. The team allows each athlete to focus on his preference of triathlons but the overall team emphasis is on developing guys to be supported and do well at the 70.3 and Ironman distance (regardless of the particular branded race). The team this year includes the manager Ryan Bates, Adam Bohach, Daniel Bretscher, Me!, Mike Caiazzo, Ryan Giuliano, Jim LaMastra (former Buffalo dude), Kyle Pawlaczyk (another former Buffalo dude), Jack Smith, and Tom Wood. We have a national duathlon champ, a former elite rookie of the year, Med students, coaches, and dudes like me, ha! I’m very proud to be a member of this team.

So what does being on team US Pro Tri mean? All sorts of fun stuff. For starters I have a support group of 9 other guys who are going through the same thing as me and are an email, text, or phone call away. I’ve got 5 or 6 teammates who run an open sub-1:15 half marathon, and some guys go sub-1:10!!! I’ve got some great folks to pull ideas from and share training advice with (but let’s be honest, I’m asking all the questions with runners like that). I’ve got some first year professionals on the team and some seasoned vets who have 4-5 years of professional experience under their belts. Being on this team also means I have the opportunity to race along side some teammates. Each year Ryan, our manager, selects 10-15 races designated as ‘team’ races were some portion of the team will toe the line. This year I’ll be at 6 different races with teammates. Being on team US Pro Tri also means we have a conglomerate of sponsors who support the entire team. In particular we are sponsored by Profile Design, Zoot, Smith Optics, Kenda, Limar and Selle SMP, Champion Systems, PowerBar, and Kurt Kinetic. That’s a pretty sweet line-up if you ask me!

All of these sponsors mean I’ll be swimming in new gear, riding on new gear, have sweet new shades, running in new shoes, be fueled correctly, and be sporting a fantastic kit this year from these amazing companies. I couldn’t be more proud and excited to work with and support these companies this year. Some companies, like Profile Design, are already taking notice of the new guys on the team like me!

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All of these new sponsors means new goodies to try out and race in. With some time I’m hoping to use a post or two each month to highlight something from my sponsors that is allowing me to training smarter and race faster. I’m fortunate to have to ability to work with these great companies so I’m going to try my best to do my part and talk about the gear I’m able to use.

Please check out the team website.

And our blog!

And twitter…and Facebook!

I am about four weeks away from my first professional race. I’m really excited to see what I can do this year and to showcase some of the fitness I’ve gain from this winter and Spring. I’ve got 2 hard weeks left on the docket and some rest before I make my way down to Rev3 Knoville for the professional Olympic race. Super pumped to finish off this training block and have some fun racing soon!

Today is a good day. :)

Winter Training is done!

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Done, done and done! My first winter base training block(s) as a professional have been officially completed. Never mind that winter still has 2 week left, that’s besides the point (and it’s still snowing in Buffalo…). For the first time in my life I have been able to focus the majority of my energy on training and recovery and it has been quiet a journey the last few months.

The first thing I’ve noticed is what true rest and recovery does for you. I know we all read it everywhere on the interwebs but actually doing it and feeling it is a world of difference.  I always tried my best to eat well, stretch, do the recovery shakes, use compression, and yadda yadda all around my workouts. Unfortunately most of that was while walking to work or at work or while I should have been working. Considering my last job had me standing all day, getting the opportunity to put my feet up when I have some time now is a luxury I will not take for granted. Don’t get me wrong I’m not lounging all day and going for a swim, bike and run when the fancy (feast) catches me

My cats love fancy feast

My base training this year took full advantage of my extra time by devoting as much of it as I could to what Simon Whitfield calls “The Relentless Pursuit of Athletic Excellence”. In my case this includes as much course and competition recon as I can possibly do from my computer, making as many industry contact as I can (like…2), planning and executing workouts like I’ve never had the time to before, and (GASP!) attempting to stay even and relaxed as much as possible.

What has base training given me this year? The most fitness I’ve ever had in March (or in my entire life really). I have a new perspective on why I’m racing and what needs to be done to race hard and race well. Base training has also given me a new perspective on what it really takes to make it as someone devoting the vast majority of their physical and emotional energy toward a single goal.

Fitness first. Holy workouts. I never thought I’d be running and biking and swimming so much. I’m still not touching what the elite ironman guys and gals are doing but I’ve hit the ball park of most elite Olympic and 70.3 folks. We are talking a minimum of 5 or 6 rides every week, swimming at least 4 to 5 days a week and running no less than 5 days a week. Sometimes the days are cut but the volume stays the same because other workouts are so long. The pure time commitment to planning it are bit difficult sometimes. Life still happens, I have a girlfriend who I’m with every day, chores around the house, appointments, emails, and all the usual stuff that everyone else has. Except for recovery weeks I haven’t dipped below 20 hours of training in a week in months. I could never touch that type training in a week when I worked ‘another’ job but I am fortunate enough to be able to now. With this time (and 4 years of building to these numbers) my body is now able to absorb this heavy training load and allow me to recover and get faster from week to week, month to month. Before this year I’d hit 20 hours a couple of times a season on my heaviest weeks but routinely train in the 15-17 hour range for most weeks. Added hours means I can finally gain much of the aerobic capacity and durability I was always missing. Some folks can get by on 12 hours a week and destroy an ironman, not me. I need more hours to be able to hang on, I’m finally getting this opportunity. All of this leads to some great fitness I’m experiencing right now. It feels good to be healthy and putting in good time.

Perspective is more important than the training because without it the training is blind and without purpose. My perspective has mainly come from my girlfriend and my monthly fitness testing. The thing is, I’m not training to race for me anymore, I’m training to race for ‘us’ and when I test out every month I get a better understanding of how I can win an age group race but still place in the bottom percentile of a professional race. When people say that professionals take things to another level they are entirely correct. Just the training I do on a daily basis has gone to another level this winter with the understanding of the types of splits I need to lay down in order to be competitive. I’m then driven by the thoughts of what it means to race for us. I’m not planning on making a substantial living from triathlon too soon but I understand that I need to contribute. I love what I’m doing but loving to swim, bike, and run doesn’t pay my bills (not yet). Bills get paid when I place, when I have good sponsors, when I have industry backing, when I can make a name for myself. Doing something for us means all of these things come with the devotion and emotion backing of a second person that believes in me even when I stumble. I don’t ever need to make money from this to enjoy it but I need make something of myself to be where I want to be with ‘us’. That was slightly confusing for even me to read back. Anywho, my wonderful girlfriend supports me 100% and racing is a way for us to live the life we want to live one day. I’m always thinking about us.

And then there is the idea of what it takes. If you are ever looking for a better understanding of what it takes to train and race on an elite level you should watch the documentary “What it takes“. This will show just how hard people can go to achieve dreams and be excellent, and just how hard that can crack a person (the great Peter Reid being a prime example in the film). What it takes for me to be my best has started this way:

  1. Have no ‘real’ job
  2. Living between my girlfriend and mother’s houses
  3. Selling the vast majority of my possessions on eBay and Craigslist (including my car)
  4. Sweating a lot

All of my money and time goes into this. And I love it. I love my life and wouldn’t have things any other way. I’ve never been happier and you’d be hard pressed to hear me complain about any of it (unless we are talking about sore quads then I won’t stop). I’m living, what most wouldn’t call, the American dream right now. There are few places on this earth where I could do what I do now and I am grateful for that.

I’m also grateful for the other folks who help me like Ryan Bates and the US Pro Triathlon Team. USPro_Tri_banner_WEBSITEI was fortunate enough to be picked up by them and added to their 2013 roster for the professional team. This (drum roll) means I have a substantial professional sponsorship this year. Please check out the website and other athletes on the team.  I’ll be writing more about the team and my sponsors soon.

I’m also grateful for the opportunity to share some of my knowledge and insight. I’ve been working with a few folks over the past year and am slowing creating my own coaching platform to help and guide those looking for some direction in the triathlon world. Seeing as I’ve been able to make it to the level I’m at in the last 4 years I feel as if I have a great deal of knowledge to share with folks who are looking to enter the sport or take their training and racing to the next level. In the coming months I’ll be launching a coaching portion of my website and I’m very excited about the opportunity to work with more people.

So my base training is done. Next on the horizon is my first build block of the year and then a lead into the Rev3 Knoxville Pro race (an olympic) and my first ‘A’ race of the season, Rev3 Quassy Half Ironman. I’m excited to start working on my race specific workouts and honing some speed and intensity. The future is looking quiet enjoyable from where I sit but I’m trying not to think about it too much because I’m enjoy today so much.

Today is a good day.

 

Base season and forecasting

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Base season this year was supposed to be a little extra long for me. Little extra long, yes. I was planning to start and finish 4 blocks of base instead of the usual 3 that you see prescribed in most folks training plans. The theory and thoughts were I would spend the first block slowly ramping up the volume so I could spend the 2nd and 3rd blocks focusing on running and swimming. Then in the fourth block I could bring those volumes back down and start to work on my bike volume again. This was a major fail.

I did a few introductory weeks in December and then my own personal health disasters struck…over and over again. Here is the thing about Meniere’s Disease it is completely unpredictable (think like a seizure unpredictable). Then when I have an attack I don’t know how long it will last…maybe 15 seconds….maybe 7 god forsaken hours. Yes, the army of gf and family around me during that one can attest that I threw up so hard it looked like my head was going to explode…over and over again. But the point here (if I really had a point) is that I had a lot of attacks in December. *side note* Another crazy thing about the disease are the triggers (basically anything). In my case, the weather in Buffalo, NY destroys any semblance of balance for my disease. One day its 50, the next day its 15 then it changes a few days later. My meniere’s can not handle those wicked swings in the atmosphere. Thus, I fall over, am forced to take terrible meds so I can stand back up, and then I commence sitting on a couch for the next few days waiting to feel well enough to train. Because, in my mind it is all about days until training, not days until I feel well (here is a secret, with this disease I never feel “well”). This paragraph is not here so I get some sympathy, I do not like to talk about these things actually. This paragraph is to take the place of an entire blog explaining why I didn’t train for the first 1/4 of the winter and to just show you that I share. And sharing is caring. I care about you. HA, whatever.

My attacks came and went, came and went, came and went…then they stayed away a little longer and my always-helpful gf (with her unending knowledge of homeopathic everything) did some digging to find some remedies outside the realm of the doctor’s office that folks take to curb the insanity like I have in my head. I started taking them, and although I still have some vertigo on an almost weekly basis, I do stay upright now (for the most part). One last thing too, I received a script from my specialist in January saying I should get hearing aids. At 27 years of age the hearing in my left ear (I have bilateral meniere’s) is in the 10-20% range while my discrimination is even lower. When I don’t notice you saying hi to me from my left side please do not take offense (my insurance doesn’t cover hearing aids so I’m going without).

Now that we are past all that, I began to train after a few weeks went by in January. Yay training! I still had my main goals of base to ramp up the volume with swim and run, and maintain my bike. My general goal was to keep all weekly hours above 20. In the past I would have given at least half my week to cycling but for the sake of building my swim and run I had to give back a few hours and keep cycling to around 40% of my week in the beginning. Granted this does not bode well for cycling improvement but this past season I proved to myself I can bike a ‘good enough’ bike split to keep up with top-15 pros and win an age group race. I really needed work on my swim and run. While I could swim at the front of any age group race, I was still way too many minutes off the 2nd and 3rd pack pro times. For example, I finally got my 70.3 swim down to a 27:xx time last year but at the same race the 1st pack pros swam 23-24:xx and the second pack pros swam 25:xx. I needed to step my game up. As for running. Ugh. I really like running but in the grand scheme of things I am not fast. The example here follows: I am yet to break 1:30 in a half marathon or 38 minutes in a 10k while in a race (I can break those is single running events pretty well). Most decent pros run a 1:15-1:20ish half and 34-35min 10k in races. I needed more endurance to hang on to those types of paces. I had some speed which I could show in a single running race but it wouldn’t translate to a tri.

Enter volume. Although I set the goal of 20 hours a week I started shooting closer to 22 and 23 hours. I don’t schedule my week by miles/yards/etc, only by hours but I do have an idea of how many miles and yards I really need to log to bring my aerobic base up to an acceptable level. Basically we are taking a minimum of 40 miles per week running (excluding recovery weeks) and 20,000 yards in the pool (not on recovery). This is different for everyone… obviously. I set these goals based on a lot of different factors including percentages of the race distances I would be racing this year, past history in those sports, discussions with folks who are considerably faster than me in one of those disciplines, and recovery time available. So far, after a 5 week block (4 base + 1 recovery) and the start of a second base block I’m holding up very well and….gasp…..getting faster already. I haven’t even introduced any speed work into my run and I’ve seen my average pace for long and hilly runs plummet. The same can be said for my swim. Granted, I used to swim way more than 20,000y a week so once I can get back what I once had I think I’ll be able to maintain that much easier than my run. Still, hard work is being done people, hard work.

All of this isn’t to say I’m working harder than anyone else. I think that in my head while I’m training because it helps me push but I know I’m just doing what needs to be done. I’m honest with myself and my short comings when I race. I have two major issues in my racing: I am a mental case and I need a bigger aerobic engine. What works on those two issues the best? Positive imagery and self talk…. and volume! To be honest, the volume really helps my confidence too.

All of this leads to the questions of how will I do in my first pro season? What are my goals and expectations? Do I really think I belong? How will I afford it all? When will I be on the cover of Wheaties!? Frankly, I don’t ever want to be on the cover of Wheaties (I’m gluten-free!). As for the other questions (in backward order): I will afford this season because I plan to predominately race the Rev3 Pro Series. Rev3 is kind enough to allow professional triathletes to enter their races for free. In my opinion it’s my job to be a goodwill ambassador for their company and races. I turned pro at a Rev3 race, I’m racing most of their series this year, you should race with me. Seriously, this company is amazing and they treat athletes and their families really well at the races. Rev3 is completely and totally worth your money, I promise you that. Next question is about belonging. This is tricky, I’ll know for sure after my first few pro races but I’d like to think so. I’ve spent the last few years making triathlon my life and I’m finally here and racing and training are 2 of my 3 main priorities in life right now. I’m happy and I hope when I actually get to race I only feel better about all the choices I’ve made over the past few years. And I qualified to race pro so technically I belong, ha. Goals and expectations are next. I expect nothing, how lame is that? Expectations at races are so silly for me because they always end up messing with me mentally so I’m trying really hard to take it all as it comes. My goals are pretty varied. I have some times and splits and numbers in mind but the big picture is hitting top 10 finishes. I want to snag a few top 10s this year. I will be happy with that. So how will I do? Hopefully well, but really who knows. Everyone else is putting in the training too. I know I’m not racing for pro wins but I am racing to do well. I want to win but I’m realistic, that will take time.

All of this, the dedication, the hours spent, the sweat, the ‘pro’ status it’s about the same things it was about when I raced my first triathlon. I love to swim, bike, and run. I can’t get enough of it. I always want to improve. I always want to have fun. I don’t need any of this but I am fortunate enough to be able to train and compete. Now I can have even more fun, not only racing against the clock but, always knowing where I stand in a race (a really fast race). I’ll be racing former Olympians and  World Champions head to head. That is just crazy. Crazy awesome!

Today is a good day.

To the point

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I’m going to be short and sweet with this post. There is a lot of gobily-guk out there these days about performance enhancing drugs use, poor attitudes, selfishness, and all sorts of negative ideas behind so many sports I love so dearly. Sports are a beautiful thing people. But this beautiful thing is being tarnished over and over by so many folks who want nothing but pure personal gain.  This is my opinion.

I get how ego gets in the way. I don’t like it but it happens. In my young sporting career I’ve already let it get the best of me a few times. But I see that it happens and I stop it. I’m not in it only to win it. Seriously, I want to win, and I want to win often….but that is not the point.

The point is love. It’s love for the passion and drive it takes to be excellent and impeccable. It is the same passion and drive that take a doctor/researcher to cure folks. It is the same passion and drive it takes for someone to rise from rags to riches in the business world. It is the same passion is takes someone to lose 50lbs and live a longer, healthier life. It is the love that makes you a better, stronger, and smarter person. The love that makes you discover things about yourself and others you would never have seen otherwise. The love that makes your other loves even stronger when you are supported by someone who can see your love.

Maybe this sounds weird but I’ve completed my first month of base training in 2013 as a professional athlete and I’m tired….exhausted….sore….and just beat. AND I’m loving the snikies out of this.

Be happy. Be in love with what you do otherwise ‘it’ will not love you back. Do what you love.

Today is a good day.

That two paths bit is a lie

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My apologies to Frost, the Book of Ezekiel, and all the other literary peoples who like this idea of the choice between two paths, a fork in the road, and how to move past a difficult decision in life.  Life is entirely more complicated that two choices.  Perhaps the metaphor is used to make the whole grand scheme of potentially shifting your life in another direction easier for folks to wrap their heads around, but still, no, it’s not enough.

The text should read more convoluted.  It should include a typhoon that sweeps you down a path you didn’t intend to follow only to have you scratch and claw your way back to the one you originally wanted and see it wiped out forever.  There should be much more disappointment and confusion.  The metaphor should include a vast amount of soul-searching that gets thrown out the window for a rash decision because we ‘want something’.  We should see our traveler fighting so hard and we will think, “what on earth are they doing this for” when we know in our own minds we would be there pretending to have the deepest resolve on earth… when in reality we are shaking in our boots.  I’d like to see a little more chaos and anarchy.  I’d like to see what really happens.  I’d like to know how it ends.

But we don’t know how it ends, regardless of how traveled the path has become because no two people share the same path, same circumstances, same anything.  You might find that one person on earth you want to spend the rest of your life with but no matter how close you walk the path is always, completely different for both of you.  And even if you find yourself down the same path for the umpteenth time, yet again this path is different because, you, my friend, are different. 

Each race, each training day, each recovery day is different.  Each 60-90min recovery ride is different.  Each scientifically engineered sports gel is different. Expectations of what is to come are always different from what does comes.  The metaphors give you a good idea to be an individual and to do what you think is right but who knows what is right.  Who knows what is right for you, for your partners, for your health, for your race plan.

I’ve learned a lot about decisions this off-season.  I’ve learned even more in my intro base sessions.  Each year I promote and live within this lifestyle of triathlon I learn more about my decisions and myself than I have in all my previous years combine.  Triathlon forces someone to be introspective, as many sports do.  Yet so many sports don’t present us with the plethora of paths to take, especially based on our life circumstances; be it family, friends, work, health… 

Now to move away from the philosophizing and on to the points here.  A few things I’ve learned (or re-learned) this offseason:

  • Don’t do anything for a few weeks during offseason. Literally no swimming, biking, and running.  Do nothing.
  • Don’t bother re-evaluating yourself once you come back to training until you’re a solid 4-6 weeks in and even then use those results loosely.
  • Everything sucks when you start back up again.  It does every year, you are not getting slower.
  • The stronger your resolve to be faster or better the more you question everything else (ie. diet, friends, work, money, life choices).
  • You have to decide, again, what you want from this lifestyle because you will only get back what you put in.
  • As great as life can be, it sucks just as much some times.  Everyone gets sick, everyone eats extra cookies, and no one is perfect…or superman(woman).

I haven’t written much this offseason because I didn’t feel I had much to share.  I’ve been working to make some fork in the road decisions lately and I barely had enough resolve in myself let alone the hudspa to write something here about whatever I can spout off about.  I’m going to be racing as a professional this year in triathlon.  This whole concept of being a professional has been rehashed by hundreds (or more) but it is what I will call myself (for various reasons I’ll get into sooner than later).  This is something I want to do and something I think I can do.  I’ve been working to take the necessary steps to be, what I think is, a professional.  This includes my living situation, training regime, job (being a triathlete full-time), and money situation.  It’s a good thing I have everything figured out now too ;)

As I figure things out a little more and begin my season in a few months I’m going to try to share a few more of my insights.  I’ll get back to talking about training and racing too.  I figure, though, that some folks might be interested in knowing about what it takes for a poor, jobless triathlete to make it in this lifestyle with no sponsors, no steady income, and no support beyond his family and friends.  Regardless of the potential thoughts of doom and gloom from my opening paragraphs I’m pretty damn happy about where I am at this point in my life.  I have no clue what the future holds and that includes tomorrow but I like where I might be headed.  And all you really need is hope, right? In that case, I hope I stay healthy enough to race a full season this year, and I hope I have learned enough to make enough good decisions while racing so as to not fall flat on my face, as I have in the very recent past :)

Today is a good day, I hope tomorrow is too.

 

Self Coaching: End of season reflections

Posted by nickbrodnicki in Uncategorized and tagged with , , ,

What a year! Or should I say ‘Oh what a night year’! This was one for the books.  Actually I don’t even know what that means.  I don’t want this year in a ‘the books’.  I want this year as a lovely memory to build upon for the next few years, and then on from there.  This past season I sent out to accomplish one very specific goal and a bunch of other loosely related auxiliary goals. I focused all of my energy and fitness and emotion into that one goal and accomplished it, in the process I fell short of a bunch of other stuff… BUT that’s OK because we can’t have it all.

I believe you need one primary aim or goal for each season.  This could apply to each year of your life too if you wanted it too. There are the long-term goals and the short-term goals but you need one major objective each year to focus on. This past season my main objective and goal was to earn my professional or ‘Elite Status’ card in triathlon.  I’m proud to say I accomplished that.  This goal was actually the culmination of 4ish years and an original long-term goal created when I first started to think about being serious about triathlon. Four years later, here I am.

I began to accomplish earning my pro card this season by choosing a few races that would fit the criteria and that I thought suited my strengths.  I figured it would be smart to try this stuff on a course that might help me out a little.  My first crack was a bust because my Meniere’s Disease kicked my ass all Spring and forced me to stay home for the first few races of the season.  My second crack at the card would then come at Rev3 Maine Olympic, a new race and a distance I don’t consider myself entirely versed at.  BUT it was a smaller goal this season to improve my bike splits in races and a race like Maine seemed to allow me to showcase this improvement if I did, in fact, improve my bike this season. In the end I earned my card at Maine but ended up having a less than stellar bike ride.  What actually saved me was that I actually raced one of the more complete races in my short triathlon-life (and, truth be told, a slightly weaker field).  I had some technical fit problems with my saddle during the race but thanks to a solid swim and one of my better runs to date I was able to pull it off.  I’ve said this a million times before, it is about how you can perform on race day given the conditions you are presented with against the field that shows up.  Sometimes your best day just isn’t enough and sometimes, like for me, you can have a decent day and it turns out to be pretty damn good considering everything else. You don’t question it, you just appreciate it, learn from the mistakes and move forward with a better grasp of racing.

Now my third crack at earning a pro card this year was at another Rev3 race, this one in Anderson, SC. This race, although I didn’t need it, was one I wanted to use to re-qualify for my card and show myself how well I had improved over the year. Turns out it wouldn’t be a very validating day (aside from a very good swim time for me).  I was too sick and too stressed about everything to have the race I should have in SC. I got out of the water in a great place and had to hang on a little on the bike, only to implode on the run due to my own personal racing issues.  Thus, I was 1 for 3 this year in ‘A’ races and I was only able to race two of them.  I’ll take 50% for now then.

So my big goal of the season was to go pro.  Done.  Awesomesauce. Now the smaller goals; the stuff that makes the big goal possible.  Smaller goals this year included a stronger bike split in each race compared to the previous year, slightly improved swim and run splits just due to an increase in training volume, more consistent race results, a more even mind in races, and higher finishes in races than the previous year.  The most important of these smaller goals, to break them down further, was the faster bike, winning, and keeping my head in the game.

I certainly got faster this year, especially on the bike.  Aside from technical issues in Maine, my two other Olympic bike legs were stellar.  My power wasn’t want I wanted it to be but my times were right what I thought I could do.  I biked 56 and 58 minutes respectively and I’m extremely proud of that.  Podium placement was also much better this year for me.  I earned my first two wins of my triathlon career and earned a solid second at Rev3 Maine.  Another top-10 and top-25 helped to round out a better placing season for me. An increase in training volume went a little less well but still happened for me.  You need to increase volume if you want to get faster and build that aerobic base even more.  I started my season with a very solid base phase that was decimated by my second build due to issues with my disease though.  Once I got back on track I was able to keep building for the rest of the season and finish out with a nice 30%ish increase in volume.  A very healthy jump from the year before, for me.  And coming into my 2013 season I’m not even looking to make that large of a jump in hourage, I’m thinking more quality on the bike and just quantity in the water and running.

While a number of things went very well for me this year a few were pretty terrible.  If you are reading this and don’t know who I am maybe you will think I’m nuts because ‘I went pro’ this year and I finish so well.  Maybe you do know me and still think I’m crazy for saying this.  The truth is I can’t get my shit together when I’m racing.  I love love love it but I’m a fricken disaster around races.  I forget everything (even with a list), I’m extremely short-tempered, I get extremely emotional, I get extremely stressed, and I just can not stay even during a race.  They say a race is define not by how you push harder in the good spots but how you are able to push through the bad spots. If this is the case, I’m terrible at racing… just fortunate enough to train enough to be marginally fast.  This, also, relates to my lack of consistent results.  I hold it together sometimes and other times I crumble and watch placings slip away minute by minute.  I won’t win every race even on my best days but if I’m holding 4th and walk while 5th through 9th place pass me I’ve got to reassess my mental game plan.  The worst thing is, I don’t have a problem with anyone else.  Racing as an age-grouper I don’t even know where most of my competitors are in the race, it’s just me messing with my own head.  Frankly if someone did try to mess with me mentally about a race I’d just laugh at them because they couldn’t possible know the amount of pressure I put on myself to perform and how often I let myself down. Yes, I might be kinda fast but I’m a mental case sometimes (most of the time).

Soooo….I did what I set out to do this year even if I didn’t go about it in the fashion I was attempting to originally.  I’m really happy with the way my season turned out and because of my mistakes and issues I have a really good idea of what I need to focus on for next season.  I’m still in the goal-development phase of building my plan but I have some good ideas already.  In reality, it’s just about getting better and being better.  There are lots of ways to be a better person and perform better as an athlete.  Specifically for me next season….

  • Improve run splits (A LOT), which means running volume will increase a lot this year
  • Improve my mental strategies for pre-race and during the race
  • Top-10 finish in the Rev3 Pro points series
  • At least one national pro podium finish (most are top-5) and I have a race in mind for this
  • Improve my swim through ramping up yardage

There are about 30 little goals and ideas I have written down for next year but thus far these are the biggies! I’m planning to use the top-10 goal as my big goal of the season and my run/mental goals as the next biggest.  I’ve got a lot of work to do as I always do but that’s most of the fun. Who doesn’t like continually striving to be better.  Not only do these things help my athletically but they really help me personally.  When I set goals and create plans and understand execution strategies I’m happier and healthier.  When I start introducing structure I create time to do things around the house.  When I work on my mental state for races it carries over into being nicer and happier when I would normally be a grump.  Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Perhaps you made it this far in the post.  Perhaps you think I’m nuts for talking about all of this.  And perhaps I don’t have another perhaps right now. :) I’m writing all of this to give you (yes, you) an idea of how a random triathlete thinks about his planning and life.  Maybe I got it all wrong but the way I go about things seems to be (mostly) working so far.  There is a lot more to be said but these are my thoughts for now.  It’s the time of year to make goals people.  Don’t wait until New Years and come up with something silly to feel better about yourself.  Make goals based on results from this year.  What have you done? What have you wanted to do?  What do you need to do to be the person you want to be?  Some of these things deal with racing, some don’t.  The big thing is to be proactive because you will never get to where you want to go unless you start moving.  Moving and doing.  Always forward.

Today is a good day.

 

Rev3 Anderson 70.3: Race Report

Posted by nickbrodnicki in race report and tagged with , , ,

Last race of the year.  This was good good good and sad sad sad.  Rev3 Anderson was going to be my last race of the 2012 season and my last official triathlon as an Age Group athlete/amateur.  That feeling was kind of sad because so much about racing will change for me next year, but so totally super awesome because I’m making the jump next year to something I’ve looked toward for 4 years now.  Onward and upward!

The before!

Lets take a flight and wake up really early and be up all day and run after the flight and be on my feet too much and not eat enough and yeah.  Who thinks this before a race?!?! NO ONE. But, poor Christa and I had one doozie of a pre-race prep period.  Not only was I sick as a dog for most of the 3 weeks leading up to this race but the few days before the race were not exactly stress-free.  But honestly, who has a stress free life?  AND before a race!

Hotel room silliness…

After a few weeks of being sick with a terrible cold/virus/stupid stinky bug I started to come around the week of the race. Awesomesauce.  A few days before, Friday to be exact, Christa and I woke up at the butt crack of the middle of the night and hopped on a Southwest plane to Greenville, SC.  Man I really love Southwest.  The flight went well.  Rental car and surprise upgrade to some behemoth cross-over was fun.  The drive into Anderson even went swell.

Here is the deal I learned about the South though.  Perhaps this was just a South Carolina or Anderson, SC thing but it was damn impossible to find food we could eat.  We did have a dinner at this fantastic BBQ place on Friday night but finding ANY gluten-free food was impossible.  And we tried, a lot.  So it was rice and veggies and popcorn and chips all weekend.  Now the question becomes; did Nick get enough calories before the race? HELL NO! But what can you do?  We thought we brought enough food but we didn’t.  Live and learn!

Aside from food, a super creepy hotel stay, and minor bike-putting-together stress things went well.  The race site (with TWO different transitions) was easy to find and set up at.  Packet pickup was smooth as always with Rev3, and I even got in a run, ride and swim on the course.  Score!

Morning of the race….

This is how it’s done in Anderson for the Rev3 race.  Drive to T2.  Put shoes and bib and stuff in T2.  Take shuttle with pump and wetsuit and bottles to T1.  Prep your bike and put on your wetsuit.  You get two bags in the morning; one bag for dry clothes and another for your wetsuit/cap/goggles when you transition.  Rev3 has this wonderful thing were they take everything you leave in T1 and bring it to T2 for you at the end of the race.  I’ve never been interested in a race with two transitions but this was damn easy to deal with.  Rev3 has started to convert me to being OK with two transitions….only at their races for now. And only because they had a shuttle to get people back to T2.

Got a good warm up in.  Drank and ate a boat load.  I felt good race morning.  I felt loose. After a quick chat with pro Terenzo Bozzone I was, dare I say, slightly relaxed.

Swim and swim

That beach is just clay!

The water for this race was awesome.  You couldn’t see a darn thing from all the clay around but everything was silky smooth.  No wind, no waves, no ripples!  I had my best feeling swim at this race in a long time.  My overall time was pretty fantastic too, around 27 minutes, but the course was a bit short.

You start the swim on the right side of transition and essentially swim this giant arch around the ‘transition peninsula’ and run in the on the left side.  The entire swim is marked very well, even for a right side breathing guy like me, and the sun was mostly behind you for the swim so you never had to worry about a terrible glare or anything.  This race didn’t have a crazy amount of people in it either so the waves were relatively tame.  I started out in front of my wave and had one or two fellows shoot out ahead of me after the first 500 yards and I was in no-mans land for the rest of the swim then.  I really need to work on holding my starting speed much longer in the swim in order to hold the feet of these faster swimmers for longer.  I have no trouble with the first buoy sprint everyone does but once I settle in it’s just a touch too slow.  I never feel like I’m dying in the water too, I still need to push that envelope more.

T1.

I’ve never ran into a transition where I would need to stuff things into a bag.  This was a little difficult for me.  I was probably 20 seconds slower than I wanted to be because I just had trouble shoving my wetsuit in my transition bag.  Not a huge deal, it didn’t mean anything for my race, but it’s something I’d considering doing a few times before I race this way again.  Running out of T1 with my bike felt good though. I was ready to rock.

Bike the winding hills.

HOLY HILLS AND TURNS BATMAN! This was the most difficult course I’ve ever ridden, I’ll repeat the most difficult course I’ve ever ridden.  There was no big climbs, no gusting wind, no problem with drafting, nothing you would see and think about being life-draining.  What this course did have; rolling hills and an insane amount of turns.  Looking at the course map beforehand I was thinking there were a ton of turns and that might bode well for me.  I consider myself a decent bike handler and like turns on course to help give me 5-10 seconds each time.  I can always hit them just good enough to extend myself a little more. Ummm… yeah, no.

One day I’ll have a non-blurry bike pic ;)

This course is unrelenting. UNRELENTING. It is also AWESOME! I’ve never ridden anything like this course where I am from (Buffalo, NY).  We have some hills in our south towns and plenty of smaller climbs but nothing like the hills of Anderson, SC.  They just didn’t stop.  I am much stronger in a steady-state type of riding environment, these hills and turns made it very difficult to stay even.  You were constantly slowing down and speeding up every few minutes.  I tried as hard as I could to stay away from the brakes but it was very tight out there with no shoulders and two lanes most of the time.  The roads were decent most of the time but we did have a few patches of rough, rough, rough.  You would just go up and down and right and up and left and right and down and up and left and right and down….you get the picture.

In all, I was happy with my riding through 1.5-2 hours.  I worked really hard to stay even, take in some of the beauty of our country’s South and still ride hard.  My power numbers were pretty darn good through 1.5 hours too.  I was dead on where I wanted to be.  My numbers started to drop about 5-10 watts through 2 hours but there was also some nice downhill and my speed was consistent (per looking back at my data) so I can’t complain much here either.  What became troublesome was past the 2 hours mark.  I, honestly, can’t explain what happened except that I imploded a bit.  I wasn’t sore or hungry or thirsty, I just got tired and my power numbers plummeted.  My assumption at this point is that my 3 weeks of being sick caught up with me a bit at this point.  I was still maintaining my position in the field but I was slowing down considerably.  When I finished the bike I just wanted a nap!

My feet were frozen right here…

I’m not sure I can call this bike course fair but I can certainly call it worth while.  This is a challenging course if you don’t ride consistent hills and don’t have a decent W/Kg on short bursts.  I’m not saying you have to floor your power but all of the turns make for a ride that favors someone who can routinely slow down and speed up without wasting too much energy.  This course is a good one but it is difficult.  I like it a lot and really wished I had more like it to ride in my neck of the woods.  Be warned though, Rev3 makes you work for this one…as they should.  AND it is so totally worth it out there.

Tea Time Two.

Quick and snappy.  Bike came in, run shoes came out.  I was very happy to be running.

The art of how not to run a race.

*Shakes head* I’m glad this is my number one focus for 2013.  My run during this race was just terrible.  The course was hilly and windy, very similarly to the bike, but it was extremely fair in terms of the grades and places you could push yourself.  This wasn’t a run course you set records on but you could still have a great run if you ran some hills in training.

I ran hills.  I did tempo.  I was ready.  I was excited to run (for probably the first time ever in a race as biking and swimming are my big strengths)!!  I ran the first 3 miles right in the ballpark.  I was running with a few female pros and we took off at a 6:30 clip and settled in right around there with the up and downhills.  I felt like I could run that pace for a solid 10 miles.  Then my back started to hurt, like, really badly.  My lower back was killing me.  My legs felt like dead weight.  I was so confused.  I thought to myself I need to gut it out through mile 4, when I would get there I would pick a new goal.  I was about 1/4 mile from the mile 4 marker.  I walked.  I caved 4 miles in.  Oh brother.  After that point it was a blur of running most of a mile and walking for 30 seconds to a  minute, and then running again.  It wasn’t there for me, the will to push.  I wanted to so badly but I kept stopping myself.  It was, almost, an automatic reaction to stop and walk.  I could run around a 7-7:30 pace but I just needed to walk little bits.

I was actually running here!

I’m chalking it up to too many things right now.  Lack of calories over the weekend, being sick for the previous weeks, a bike course that took more out of me than I thought it would, and a season of many emotions ups and downs.  I was enjoying myself, I can’t deny that.  I was talking with volunteers, high fiving athletes, smiling when Christa made an impromptu cheering section for me, and just loving the day.  I wasn’t particularly hungry, I felt my nutrition for race day was solid (I ended up taking in extra calories to try to see if that would get me going too), and I sure as heck was ready for the day (as we drove the courses the day before).  It just wasn’t my day. And that’s ok.

Happily after.

I still placed 10th overall on the day for the age group field; not terrible.  I could eat some of the post race food, bonus!  I got to try NormaTec boots and got a super long massage; double bonus!  I was certainly disappointed in my performance but after a long (and late) season for me I know I can’t have em all.  So after some food and massage we packed my bike and headed to Greenville for some delicious, gluttonous dinner. Then it was back to Buffalo on some of the best Southwest Airlines flights I’ve ever taken. AND, I didn’t get charged over-sized fees for my bike either!

All of the awesome people in my life: Thank you.

Christa, you are amazing.  Your support and patience is something special :)   Mom and Amanda (Superfans) thanks for checking in on me and thinking of me.  Alexa, Niki, Stac, and all of my super cool friends, I appreciate the support.  Rev3, I love your races.  Anderson, SC you need some gluten-free foods but you have some beautiful country-side views.  Southwest Airlines, thanks for having awesome flight attendants and getting my bike safely back to me.  To everyone who helped with the Rev3 Anderson race, thank you.

Today is a good day.

Back to the future

Posted by nickbrodnicki in Uncategorized and tagged with , , ,

 

I did it.  The last hard workout of the season.  Ok, it is seriously time for a nap.  I’m so flippidy pumped to be done going hard for a little while now.  No it’s not because I don’t like pushing myself anymore, rather it’s because I’m exhausted.  I have tried hard way too many times this year to push my limits back and I am fatigued. OOOOOOOO-eeeeeee.  Make that sound up for yourself.

I’m thinking about the future.  I love doing this.  I never really thought of myself as much of a dreamer but over the years I’ve fallen head first into future-think.  I’ve done this so much that I often have to write about the need to pull myself back and stay in the present.  I try hard to strike a good balance these days but the truth is when it becomes time to think about the next year, or next couple of years I’m so totally in my element.  I LOVE planning. Apparently I love dreaming too.  AND now I am going to enter a year where I have, essentially, all the tools I need to start making my dreams more reality.

First things first.  The race schedule! Dun, DUN, DUNNNN!  As I sat down yesterday I couldn’t hold back my excitement to fill out the calendar with, oh I don’t know, 40-50 races for next year.  I’m totally going to race them all…even the ones on the same day in different parts of the country.  But really, I wrote down every conceivable race I could do in order to slowly hash out what isn’t worth it and what might be.  I’m not making my decisions any time soon, that wouldn’t make any damn sense given that my current season isn’t over, but to give myself a sense of the direction I could take next year is really exciting to me.  So the races are all listed out.

One of the things that will be on my mind all winter, besides the races I’m training for, is the help.  I don’t mean that movie everyone loved.  I mean sponsor support.  For the first time in my life I am going to go door to door (in an internet sense) to see if I appeal to any of the suits.  No lie, I’ve certainly got a lot to offer any company that would be willing to partner with me, but god knows there are probably 1,000+ sponsor applications going into every one of these companies, each and every fall.  I’m willing to throw enough shit against the fall to see what can stick but I’m hoping someone is willing to see my potential too.  Sending out resumes and letters, and filling out forms is starting to shape how I might race next season any way.  I know some companies might want to see me at certain races, or not at others.  Some races will give me better exposure.  Some races give me free entry and a home-stay (that is certainly going to sway my decision-making A LOT, no lie).  All in all, I’ve got a full business process ahead of me in order to make this professional racing endeavor I’m undertaking viable enough so that I can eat.  I have a mom and girlfriend who are more than helpful in keeping me afloat sometimes but I need to make sure I’m not just wasting everyone’s time.  I’m certainly having fun and I love racing but I am an adult and I need to be responsible for myself.  There is only so long you can hang on to a dream that just doesn’t work. I haven’t given myself any time tables or deadlines yet because I’m rolling along nicely right now but I know this coming season presents an array of choices that can really help me or make life just that much more difficult! So much to think about!!

All this future stuff is fun.  But just getting started as a pro (and not even being a pro until the new year) is making me realize why the big names in triathlon and just about everyone in team sports has an army of suits around them.  Managers, and agents, and staffers, and all those people who seem like clinger-ons some days can absolutely all have a really important purpose in an athlete’s life.  I have me and an amazing girlfriend and we are trying our best to get me going.  It’s really a fun process to learn about, because I don’t know shit about trying to gain sponsors other than to put myself out there as much as possible.  Looking for sponsors isn’t even the half of it too; logistics for racing, finding places to stay, building a brand, blah blah blah.  There is a lot to do to make yourself known.  Granted, results speak for themselves and if I show up to a pro race next year and walk away with a win (not likely) I’m sure people will take notice.  Seeing as I think I’ve got more work than that to do I’m glad I have some time on my hands these days to start tackling this.

Which brings me to my next point.  Time.  I have been presented with a unique opportunity to give triathlon my full attention this coming year.  I guess you could call this opportunity ‘turning a negative into a positive’.  Life has presented me with a few challenges this year and I’ll be damned if they bring me down. So I’m taking the time to give my dream my full attention.  This certainly comes with some incredible trepidation but I’m willing to take this leap because I believe in myself.  Like I said earlier, I’ve got the tools now to give this pro status it’s due and I’m going to try to make my first year in the ranks a decent one.  In the immortal words of a fantastic coach: ‘you don’t half-ass, you full-ass’.  It’ll be everything to the grind stone this coming year.

All of this opportunity and changes brings about some great topics to talk about too.  I’ve done some searching on the interwebs and it’s damn hard to find people talking about going pro.  The whole process of becoming a professional in the sport of triathlon is very mystified in my opinion.  Lots of athletes come up through the ranks racing Olympic-style ITU stuff when they are young but in the US we don’t have a very good system for that sort of thing.  It’s more like, guys and gals get their elite cards and disappear.  The same pro triathletes seem to win everything.  How does one get sponsors?  Get better?  Finish on the podium?  Recover better?  Build a brand? And all that jazz.  I can train to my hearts content but if the next guy has better access to recovery techniques I’m kinda shit-out-of-luck.  So how to I get noticed or break those barriers?  I suppose it’s a lot about who you know just like any other industry but still I’ve got lots of questions.  When I find those answers I’m going to try to pass them along for everyone else.  Considering I have a doozy of  time finding someone who talks about this stuff now.  Thus, this fall and winter will focus on off-season, base, and whatever it means to be a professional athlete in triathlon.  In reality the license says I’m ‘elite’, no professional.  What makes you professional in a sport!? This is getting deep!! :)

So I’ve got one race left this year.  In a few days once my feet have been up a little I’m going to be jumping out of my shorts to get down to South Carolina and race another Rev3 event.  Then I’ve got some time to plot my next moves in off-season.  I’m also going to eat a dessert for the first time in…shit I have no clue…

Today is a good day!!