I simply race as hard as I could and quite honestly, couldn’t tell you ANYTHING about the course I ran. Seriously, I didn’t know when I was going up or down. I just saw blink lights of other runners and as Coach had instructed – “christmas presents” and knock’em down (term “kill” is used for a passed runner and I had 11 in this leg). But I was like, “what the….” and made sure I shined the light at my footsteps. Then a bright light appeared and Moony was awaiting my exchange. I let it rip and off he went into the dark. I hit the 6.1 miles in 5:46 pace. Whoa, this thing is cool. I had all of 2 minutes to jog around and find the crew and back in the van I went. I quickly took sips of my drink to hydrate as now you can see your sweat but I got my compression socks on and once we got to the next point I made sure to get out and jog around for 5-10 minutes. Once Moony finished, he handed to number 7 and then Van 2 which held our 7-12 guys were off. We now had a few moments to cool down and take our time, since we jaunt out to leg 13 for our next rotation. It was exciting as all the teams are in force and the night never sleeps along the route. Cheers, noise, it’s awesome! You start to loose track of time. All of us hit Team pr’s for those legs and we were off to breaking a team record.

As we parked at the exchange area, some caught a few winks, but now we operated on alert since we were on the verge of overtaking the Kahuna 2 team already. Van 2 for us did a great job keeping the pace as sure enough round 2 began for us. We passed our second team on this leg and now it was getting a bit chillier, but still comfortable since all you needed was a hat and maybe 2 layers on top and a good pair of sweatpants. With that, standing around, helping out, and the occasional dynamic stretching helped keep you warm. My next round was at 3;30am!!!!!! Yes, I kid you not, and I donned some gloves for this next round and still raced in my tri top and tights. BOOM! Off I go and heck, start picking more people off. I had some lighting this time as I ran along some streets but then it was back onto the highway shoulder and pitch darkness. But now it was the norm and I just focused on my christmas presents ahead. I couldn’t even tell most of the time how long I was running and there were no mile markers, so I relied on my Polar for feedback on heartrate checked the file after each run. I passed 22 people this time (never was passed either the entire race) and entered the exchange point for the quick replay. YES!!!!!! Leg 17 done – 5.69 miles at 5:43 pace.

I HAD to now at least squeeze a few extra minutes since my inner tight was a bit sore. I stretched a bit in the van since with one less runner there was some room, but now I rubbed BioFreeze on my entire legs. I followed the same recovery routine – hydrate, snack on bars, a few sips of Monster. Got out and once Moony finished, we knew we were on team record pace still. We had time now and took the easy ride to our final meeting place. By the time we got there, the sun was up and slowly warming the sky. Traffic was backing up since now, closer to the end, we are overtaking alot of teams before us and this is usually the case. Many camp out at these van exchange points and some smart Girl Scouts were selling coffee, donuts, snack, and burgers. Yes Burgers (Moody even ate one). Have to give a shout out to the Muscle Milk crew as they were over the course handing out drinks which was a nice recovery option during the trip. Now it was almost over. I didn’t even think that I had already been up for 24 full hours now. AND I felt great. The air was nice, I jogged around and checked in the sights. I was on the lookout for Coach who was handing off to our #1 Road Warrior. Here he comes and off we go for our final rotation. We can taste a PR now.

It got really nice and warm now as my exchange was set for 10:30 by our estimates. The HoneyBuckets (NOT port-o-johns, trust, they look like them, but legendary out here for there sweet smell and comfortable john you will ever use at an event) were plentiful and I used one for a quick relief before each run. My final leg 29 was the toughest – a 6.1 m jaunt with 3 miles of it slowly climbing up and up. I switched sneakers for some added cushion and for screaming the downhill. I finally was able to put on my Swiss Eyes and was ready to rip. All out now, this is it. I grabbed the wrist strap for one last time.

Up I went and the crew passed me yelling some final cheers. I focused on my breathing, arm swing, and tangents. Go, go, go. You know you are climbing but you never see when it ends. I just kept going. I heard some music and knew the top was near. They had a small water stop at the top and I threw a cup of water on my head and took the downhill right away. I rolled and rolled. Make up speed, keep going. I passed a total of 49 people on this leg. I just let it all out and once I saw Moony, yelled “take it!!” and off he went. WHOOOOOOOOOOOOHH!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knocked the 6.1 in a 6:05 pace, breaking all Kahuna records for my 3 legs. I did it! I had to cool down some more but really didn’t have much time. Traffic was really getting bad and we had to go. We had the clipboard and needed to beat Moody down and get it to Van 2 for thir final rotation. I hydrated a bit and sipped half a Gu and we saw Moody but got hit in a stalled traffic jam not long after. We were a good 2 miles from the exchange and looking at  the timers, weren’t going to make it. I volunteered to go and take the clipboard running it to the crew. It wasn’t 1 minute a jogging – trust I had to jog at that point – before Moony yells – “better run faster than that.”

Holy Shhhh, I just jetted and  ran my butt off regardless of how much it may have hurt, all the while trying to make sure I didn’t knock the stopwatch off the board or lose the pen. I dodged the stalled traffic, almost knocked a few people down, and just ran. I actually felt good but it was indeed 2 more miles before I found them. I got them the board and missed Moony by 10 seconds. Good enough and off Van 2 was sound and ready. Our race part was done. I met up with Moony and we walked another 15 minutes before Van 1 came in sight. (of which Moony promptly did what his nicknamed entailed). It was a great cool-down and we all cheered in the van. If they held pace we were on tap to break the Kahunas record by over an hour and get the time Coach wanted. We did our part and were now off to the finish line. Exhilarating and now on 36 hours of no sleep.

So I got a call back in May from a friend I knew if Charlotte. Chris Spano, aka “Coach”, always would ask if I would be part of his Big Kahunas team (nickname he gave me was “Hammer”) in running the Hood to Coast Relay. For those who don’t know, this HTC is one of those running events “you have to do at least once”. I always never could based on time-off, planning, and I never really had interest in the concept – 12 guys running 3 rotating segments of a 197 mile route in a span of 24 hrs.

Well this time, I said yes. Little did I know what I was in for. I have tried the past 3 weeks to prepare for my final 2 events which happen to be half-ironmans and figured a trip out west to Portland would be a good way to break my routine, run ALOT and FAST, and more importantly, get a break from work. I had Gina’s blessings to go and last week we got the rings and yes, I completed my tux rental and walked out of Mens Warehouse with 2 suits!!! You heard. And they aren’t baggy. They do a great job fitting you and it was a fun experience.

So hear I was on a flight heading to the event actually wondering what the heck I was getting into and would it be fun. I was to meet 20 other new people since I only knew 4 from Charlotte. There were 2 teams of Kahunas – one fast, one slow all sharing a house. All with distinct nicknames too, which we wind up referring to over the course of the weekend. The flight was fine, typical and quick since I had no checked bags. Hadn’t been in an airport all year so it made for a long day as I gained time and got up real early to get a run in to wake up.

Met a crew at the airport and took the long drive to the house we were staying. Portland has nice, crisp, air and the temps this weekend were mostly overcast but in the 50-70 range. Very very comfy. I got to the hose and there met everyone who would be my family – Sandman, Coach, Wonder Boy, Curly, Black Jack, Road Warrior, Ghost, Willie, Moony, Rocket, Braveheart, G-Dog, Cajun, Kodiak, Undertaker, and my new adopted “family”. Very quickly we all became quick teammates and gathered for a great homemade dinner. Sandman and his wife Keeley were awesome and short for exceptional in their help planning, organizing and making this possible. Each year, he does this as a birthday gift to himself and is really into it. His goal for the team was a top 5 finish in the OPEN SUB MASTERS division (over 30) and a top 25 out of the 1000 teams in this event. The scope of what was about to happen had not hit me yet, but today was about socializing, meeting everyone, and getting a good night sleep. The house was amazing, huge for all of us (I was too sleep on a leather coach which was just as good as a bed), and it overlooked the Pacific. I am actually writing this now on the back porch in silence reflection.

I woke up and have to admit, the leather coach was comfy and I had a pretty good night sleep. I went out for a 45 minute jog just to loosen up and prepare for what was to come. I knew it would be some 48 hours before I laid back to rest on that couch. I knew I wasn’t going to run my first leg until 8pm so getting a run in was paramount. I stretched and everyone was humming by now, making breakfast, brimming with excitement, and ready to go. We were to depart at 9:30 since it was a 2+ hr drive to Mt Hood. We pulled into a Fred Meyers which is like a huge Walmart/Stop and Shop/ Target combined. Seriously. They also are a big supporter of the event and they have the first exchange point in their parking lot. Here is where you get the atmosphere of everyone involved. Teams were all shapes, sizes, characters, it was definitely a sight. Monster was there so I racked up on some Nitrous drinks for the long haul. I had already prepared my nutritional plan (mixes of nuun, odwalla bars, gels, and the “caff mix”. All geared to keep me awake, help recovery, and just keep things light. The crew decorated the van and it was simply hilarious. Everyone had their own theme and people were having fun. It helped ease the tension.

Each van stocked the supplies – drinks, fruit, bread, peanut butter, water. It was a rush from there to the start since the second team started 2 hrs before us. The drive UP to Mt Hood is 6 miles and 6000 ft high. It was beautiful. The weather got windier and 20 degrees cooler and here, another party was brewing. Teams were going off in 15 minute intervals based on projected time and as many as 15 teams would go off at a time. This was happeneing since 6am that morning!! I put tons of Aquaphor on and lubed it up as I secured my gear for the next 24 hrs – Aquaphor tights and my Odwalla race top. I had my Sugoi gear for warmth and my compression socks and that was all I really wore. I was set and anxious for our team to go. Sure enough, our other team was off.

Now the real excitement began. We had the clipboard with our running time and we were responsible for documenting our individual runs/splits on a race sheet which would be handed in at the end. This was funny in that it had to be shared between our 2 cars (remember – 2 x 6 guys) so meeting at those exchange points was key. We were right on with our game planning. As our first guy lined up, I brimmed with those pre-race eagerness to start ripping. I was Leg 5 so I had time, but was in Van 1, so it was time to start. Sure enough – the race was NOW on!!!

I represented Polar at the Marcum Corporate Challenge out on Jones Beach on August 3rd. It was a first time event for Polar as we had 20 people attend to tackle a fun 3.5 mile run/walk with over 8000 other people from 100 companies based on Long Island. It was a great evening and the challenge was on myself, Wayne, and the young gun David Thompson to represent as a racing team and try to place in the event. Now the key is to do well, but I made sure I stayed in line with my training and didn’t alter my program for this event. I wanted to keep it fun and cheer everyone on from the company. I aimed to be intense with it, but not to the point of hurting or causing me to change the rest of my week.

There was some tough competition out there, and with Runner’s Edge stacked with their young crew, along with Stoney Brook bringin some cross-country type runners, we had our “work” cut out for us. We got right up front. BAM!! Off it went and just as fast - off it finished.  All I could remember was my heavy breathing from the intensity (and it was hot) but also the cheers from our walkers at the turnaround. I ran hard and was pleased with 8th place. It was a scored event so it mattered where Wayne and David placed. I was really in need of a long cool down to recover from the effort and soon both Wayne and David came in to the finish. We placed 3rd as a team and earned Polar a trophy!! My time of 19:03 made me feel good, but plenty sore. See our results and info at  www.marcumworkplacechallenge.com I downloaded pictures too on the site.
We jogged around as everyone was now euphoric so we cheered on the walkers/runners from the rest of the company until everyone was finished. It was a blast and a great day to spend with the crew. A big thanks to Wayne and Theresa from our human resources for putting it all together. Fun times.

Though I have to get use to the sun now rising after 6am, a quick hit of light helps a great deal. I also have to start getting up early to practice running in the wee hours as I also prepare for Hood to Coast Relay. My running assignments on Team Big Kahunas have me doing 2 very hard 6+ mile runs and a 5 mile flat section, all between 7pm and overnight in our 12 man team rotation. The team is trying to get close to a 21 hr finish time and placing in the Open Division. I was invited by Chris Spano who had the task of surround some of the best runners he knew to race in this event. There a guys from NY, NC, and Florida. I look forward to being a part of this team and helping hammer out some running miles in 2 weeks. The www.hoodtocoast.com is on August 27-28th.

This means I spend almost everyday on my bike in some capacity since I will be only running during those 4 days. I started some longer runs and last weekend scampered from Bellerose into Astoria since we had some errands to do there for the wedding. All good. Recovery solid and sleeping like a rock too. The Ironsherpa has kept her keen eyes and we’ve both been chopping out the list of things to be done for the wedding. Invitations have gone out, meetings with church done, so it’s gonna get busy but we’re excited. Work on both ends have been constant as we haven’t gotten away other than local events since Clearwater. But we decided to at last try with a small triathlon I scheduled in Chester, NY.

The SBR Triathlon series is 2 events – one in June and August in Lake Sebago at Harriman State Park. It consists of a 1/2m swim, 16 mile hilly bike ride, and a 3.1m trail run. Seemed like a good way to simulate some type of getaway, even if it was for one night. Being that the race was on a Saturday and only 2 hrs away, we both got out of work early to drive up and stay in our favorite hotel – Holiday Inn. It was about 20 minutes from the race, but logistically, we didn’t do our usual recon and the Ironsherpa didn’t have a chance to really prep (she forgot to pack some basics but it was all good). All we had were directions. We honestly just wanted to get out of our routine, even if it was brief.

Despite the typical traffic leading up to the GW Bridge (it always amazes us how people can sit in that everyday) we got to the hotel just after 5pm. We checked in and promptly enjoyed our spacious suite (upgrade courtesy of being Priority Club members). The bed was the key. Just chillin on the bed – and if there is anything we’d actually request for our wedding it is one of these Holiday Inn beds – seriously. We got quotes since we almost did it last year but moved so it was scratched. We lounged out and took a quick swim in the pool, then a jacuzzi soak all to ourselves. It was a great feel to relax. The weather was cool, in the 60′s, and was sooooo comfortable. We dined out at Brother Bruno’s Pizza, a walk from the hotel and had enough to bring home leftovers! Yes, we have a big cooler bag, and with a fridge in the room, some ice, brought plenty for home!!! Word.

Since the check-in for the race was in the morning, we got to take our time and rest up in the bed. AC humming, blinds shut, and off we drifted. Firm pillow under the head, soft one on the tummy. ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sure it was an early wake up – 5am, but manageable since we didn’t rush. I lathered up in Aquaphor as we packed everything up and headed to the lake just as the sun was rising. They had plenty of parking, a beautiful race setup including a picnic area, calm lake and water temps at 80 degrees! No wetsuit needed. It was a really nice area. One certainly to take note and visit again. Other than the geese poop along the water edge. They got about 500 people easy, and since there were no relay teams, everyone from seasoned racers to beginners were in for a fast race individually. The weather – gorgeous.

They packed everyone in 3 starts and I was in the second wave. A few kisses of G and I was ready to rock. I was finishing a good 17 hr week and the test today was simply trying to go fast on a hilly course. Get some open water swimming in too. No time goals other than a fast run and confident bike ride. I felt I could place in top 10. As we lined up, it was going to be a quick beach run into the water. The wave ahead of us had a 3 minute headstart and I got to get right in front of my line. Unfortunately in that position, I also had 200 guys behind me ready to swim over me if faltered. Looking ahead, a lifeguard started to tend to a distressed swimmer right in the middle of the second buoy. Move to the left MC. Move over, choose a different line. But stay in front.

3 deep breaths and the horn sounds. I churn out and get a good lead in front. No contact. Water nice, warm, and certainly different without a wetsuit. Glide, glide, glide. Nice rhythm indeed – kick, kick, kick. I quickly get into the back of the first group. Suddenly just before the turnaround, a stray swimmer “cuts me off”. I promptly “steer” him out of the way with a shove, though I did hear him apologize. I then get a twack in the head at the turn, but expected that as now I was in the thick of the first group. Ahhh, open water swimming! I got back into a nice line and had a direct hit to the beach. Boom! Sweet sailing right in. It was crazy muddy by the shore, but they set up little kiddie pools to rinse off your feet when you exited. Time: around 14 minutes

I hear Gina give a cheer and head to the bike. No wetsuit to take off so it was in and out of transition. The Black Widow and I were off and rolling. And roll we did – up/down, down, then up, and up some more. The gears were definitely moving more than they are use to and with a good high steady heartrate, I had clear opening into the roads in front. Most of what I heard were the blowing of the wind in my ears and the “tha-dump, tha-dump” of the gaps in the roads before they smoothed out. It was a tough ride than expected but manageable as I opted to forgo my racing wheels for my regular ones. I liked it, and the company of a guy in his 40′s urging on as he got ahead, then dropped back as the hills went up and down. “I know you’ll pass me on the run.” he said, but it got me to keep him in sight and cheer each other on. The big 1.5 mile hill was a doozy.

Back into the park as I finish up and all is good. Hydration is in check and I only needed 3 swigs of my mix. Off the bike I hear G again as she had plenty of spectator space to move all around the park area. I actually almost missed my area where my stuff was, but I still had a quick change, removed my CS600 module from the Black Widow to run with and off I was ready to rip the trails. Legs good – bike time:around 45 minutes

Into the trails I went and it was a nice wide area, plenty of gradual up/downs but I was feeling very good. Don’t ask me why but the A-Ha song “Manhattan Skyline” hit the mental ipod and nothing was in my way as I pac-manned everyone in my sight – but there weren’t many. Since there was an out and back, I saw myself just outside the top ten by the half way point. Once I turned around, I cranked it. The trail was easy to navigate and I chased down all I could. I found myself now in 7th overall as I had a clear shot on my own the last half mile. Down the stretch and into the finish with a run time of around 18 minutes as I averaged 5:30 miles and an overall time of 1:22. I placed 7th overall and 2nd in my age group! I went quickly to kiss G and then right into a cool down as it helped flush everything out. I was comfortable and very pleased. A big confident boost. Results can be found on www.sbrshop.com/triathlons

We spent the next hour just re-hashing the event and enjoying the nice breeze. It was a well organized event and it was a great “trip”. We headed straight home, with some more traffic, but had plenty of time for a home-style brunch before tending to some chores. Done and in bed by 10.

Now the focus is on the Hood to Coast event, then next month, thanks to the event director and Wayne at Polar, get a chance to do the Westchester Toughman Half-Ironman on Sept. 13th. Gina and I will do another one of these “getaways” but plan to operate under the same means we did this weekend. Since it is 2.5 weeks from the main Myrtle Beach Nationals event, I plan to get in a good training day while also representing Polar and Sunrise Tri before the big taper for the Oct. 2nd race.

Gotta get a “tux” too.

I’m use to it now and I don’t mind – in fact I am having great improvements within the conditions but after 4 straight weeks of it – well I am getting a bit heavy legged, drained, and some days pooped. But that’s a good thing because I have been able to regulate it with my Polar Optimizer testing, Ironsherpa’s keenful eye (I have been under 125 lbs each week), and the nailed down hydration protocol that I’ve developed as a result. Gina and I both now make extra cold dishes during the weekend and just eat them as leftovers during the week. No cooking required.

She too has been walking a lot but a back sprain on her hip has been on/off in which she has been able to handle but very cautiously. Some days she’s in bad pain though and I am more than happy to reverse the role of Sherpa. I get a kick out of it since she’s often reluctant to get pampered. But I make her go through the daily stretching, walking, and massage each day (which I enjoy). I handle the chores if need be. She is getting better as she is learning to listen. We even agreed to share Holmes duty walking at 4am. Some days she does it, some days I do.

So with a daily, often multiple dose of Nuun, BioFreeze, Odwalla, and the constant monitoring with my Polar moniotors, I come out of July solid and ready to add to the Pressure Cooker. The next 8 weeks will now be specifically geared towards the Nationals Half-Ironman on Oct 2nd. In between I have 2 events scheduled – a short triathlon on August 13th in Harriman State Park, and at the end of August I travel to Oregon for the Hood To Coast Relay which I am part of a 12 man team each of us racing 18 miles in 24 hours. It is one of those “have to do” races and one I am proud to be asked to be a part of. Team Big Kahunas is the name of the group – www.hoodtocoast.com

This will give me a chance to fine tune my run training and then it’s a month of solid focus on the Nationals. I will begin to pressurize my chamber.

Of course – we also have made huge progress towards our wedding plans. We met with Fr. Hughes to plan our Mass and got some more advice. This weekend we completed our Pre-Cana and had a blast. It was also a hot, humid, weekend, so we weren’t complaining that we had to spend most of Saturday indoors for the class. We were with 46 other couples and it was very informative and taught by a great husband/wife team. Gina and I excelled as we were more than comfortable with the material covered and if this was The Wedding Game, we would have won hands down. Gina had fun seeing the other brides size each other up and tried to make sure her back didn’t go out from all the prolonged sitting.

We have started making the final arrangements and intend to spend next weekend away from it all to have our meetings to discuss it further. We desperately need a getaway. One part of the Pre-Cana we enjoyed to note – we composed love letters to ourselves which they made us hand to each other at the end. We intend to frame them.

Today we got up and headed to Long Beach for the Warriors 5K. I was using this race as a final 5K to see how my tired legs can handle a max effort in this heat (and is my usual Sunday “day off”) but we were suppose to be joined by her sisters and nephews for another family fun run. The weather has been too hot for them so it was only us. We got there and walked around, enjoying the small breeze on the broadwalk. I think we’ll head out here next weekend since it is nice and quiet on a Sunday and the race didn’t start till 9am so no crowds formed yet.

The Wounded Warriors Project has been a theme at most of the races we have done locally so far – actually 4 of the races we did benefitted the program. It was a weekend of events in Long Beach where they provided family and serviceman with a fun time at the beach. It was a first time event and the American flags were flying. They got almost 400 runners show up too! Though an out and around course along the boardwalk, half of it was into a headwind. We lined up and I went through the similar motions. Oddly, no National Anthem was played. Feeling within, I knew I was due for a relax day but I looked forward to ripping it a bit and took 3 deep breaths.

Off we went and I ran behind a kid who was flying. I knew we had a tailwind so I figured I would wait as we were to turn around in a half mile and have a headwind for the next 2 miles. He was clearly a 5K stud as he had the stride and slowly pulled away. As we passed the first mile in 5:10 I knew if I didn’t want to get hurt, I wouldn’t try to chase. Wasn’t worth it. I was moving solid and near max, felt good and no pursuit from behind. As we made the turn and with a tailwind again, I churned it and made sure I hit a good time. I was more than pleased when I crossed the line in 16:54 and under 5:25 pace. Clearly I am nailing what I need to do and under the conditions and training, I am smiling wide.

Gina was walking it regardless of her back and actually was crossing the mile mark as I was finishing and got a great photo. I posted on the site. I turned right around and cooled down as I caught back up to her, took the camera and finished the loop again to cool down. Actually, on this day “cooling down” wasn’t happening. I ran for another 2 miles and then grabbed some water to pour over my head, went back to the finish and waited for Gina. I was gleaming when I saw her come in and finish at 49 minutes!!!!!! Walking! We sprayed water over each other and started to have some fun. Gina went over and started hoarding the Kids Strong drink which she loves and we walked to the car to dump our stuff, walked BACK to the race, and got some more photos while hanging out.

I lost by over 40 seconds and finished 2nd overall – BUT I did win my age group – so another trophy for the case!  We’re on a roll. The last 4 races – win, win, second, second. Full results of this event are on www.flrrt.com under Long Beach Warriors 5K.

We would have stayed at the beach and go in the water, but with her back, we just went home to just relax the rest of the day (she’s actually sleeping as I write this). After a good breakfast, it was all we did. Chill. Watch some 3 Tenors. We handled some chores. We both needed some downtime and on this Sunday afternoon it opened up nicely for us. After a weekend like this and the fun this morning, it was worth it. Maybe some sangria too.

Next up is the SBR triathlon on August 14th, but for the first time Polar is participating in the Long Island Marcum Corporate Challenge. It is at Jones Beach on August 3rd and it should be a fun company picnic and we have a team that can win the 3.5 mile competition of which almost 100 companies on Long Island are a part of. I also got asked to coach the St Joseph’s College Cross Country team’s in September/October and look forward to working with those athletes again.

Thanks all and stay cool.

Last weekend we did a 5K right in our hood. It was called Katie’s Run (www.katiesrun.com) and was a first time event to benefit the McBride family, who lost their young daughter to cancer a year ago and the Ronald McDonald House, of which she stayed during her final treatments. It was surely a fun, family oriented event and they got over 500 people to attend!

Gina was running with her sister Christina and her nephew Timothy. Her brother-in-law Bernie also came out to cheer on the family. It was an overcast but very warm and humid – mid 70′s all around in the morning. We all gathered up and were ready to rock. Great crowd, great organization, and was to be a great time indeed.

I lined up in front but in the mix with some headphone folks and 2 little kids holding water bottles. One teenage asked me what the cop car in front was for and I said – “Pacer”.  Three deep breaths and off we went and I ran as hard as I could in that humidity. I had trained well the week before in such weather so I was fine in it, just makes it heavy. We now have Flex Friday’s at work so I get to come into work later and use Friday’s as my longest and intense training day, so that has held plenty. Being cautious, I quickly got out in front and followed the lead police car and bike. Deja Vu of the Veterans’ Airport 5k race.

By the first mile, I was in the lead and just kept an eye on the tangents. By mile 2, it was all clear and it felt great to romp through the hood. I was all in tune and just before mile 3, I felt my hamstring strain a bit. I understood it to be expected, more so because of the week prior training in the heat, humidity, and intensity, so I adjusted before anything got worse. I made the turn to the finish and cruised it in at 17:05. The race director was there and I shook his hand to thank him for a great event. I high-fived Bernie and turned around to head back and pick up the rest of the crew.

It helps to cool down this way and get in a few more miles so I cheered as I often do as the runners made there way to the finish. I was able to catch Timmy before he hit the 2 mile mark and we ran together. He was feeling good and handling the weather well. He sprinted to the finish in way under 40 minutes and his Dad was really proud of him. We all now were at the finish to cheer on the ladies. Here they came in at 43 minutes! Gina had been dealing with a calf strain for a few days and Christina and her worked together to pace it well. Awesome indeed!!

It was party time as we got to hang out a bit and celebrate while also planning our Sherpa Hospitality Tent for future events. Then we were back to our place where we made our guests the usual weekend breakfast on the patio. Fun times. Christine even created another dessert blast of a cookie crust chocolate/banana/cream pie. Oh yeah. Oh yeah indeed. Tasted even better frozen!!!!!!

Now that Holmes has decided he needs to go for a walk at 4AM each morning, Gina has been up for the half hour tour around the block while I am starting to join them and take the chore on for myself at times. Sun comes up at 5:15 so it is a challenge to either catch another hour sleep or just get up and do training. Working on that one.

This weekend we had a sprint tri in mind and since the weather was going to be a scortcher, we had also planned to spend the rest of Sunday at the Bushman’s and doing the pool dip/BBQ. We got up at 4:30am and in the warm 70′s headed to Eisenhower Park. Plenty of time to park, walk around, and say hello to a few people we knew. Sunrise Tri and Polar were sponsors and it also raised money for the Wounded Warrior Project. A crowd of about 160 rolled into the area which doubled what they got last year. It was a fast race consisting of a 500 yd swim in the high-end Aquatic Center (which is a sweet facility), then a 6 mile ride along the park roads, followed by a 3 mile run within the parks many winding roads.

It was announced an hour before the race started that the run was shorted a half mile so it just meant I would want to go faster. These types of races have been great to test and see how I can handle such speeds within the framework of my current training geared towards my Oct 2nd half-ironman. Everything has been working well and today would be a good chance to let the Black Widow out and practice fast transitions.

We were allowed to seed ourselves in the pool as each athlete started 5 seconds apart and did 10 winding laps in the 10 lane pool. Mind you this is only the second time I have swam this year, the last being in May for Ironclad, but that was open water. This pool water was warm so I lined up around number 15 which would allow me to at least practice open water type swimming and making some contact in the water. I watched several in front of me make some interesting jumps into the water since we started on the deck. Some looked like they hurt and one even did a semi belly-flop.

Gina had a bird’s eye view in the stands overlooking the pool. As I lined up to have my timing device scanned, I took 3 deep breaths and was ready to rip. BEEPPPP! GO!!!!!!!

In I went and smoothed out my stroke and waited until I got to the end of the lane. I pushed off the wall and made sight of the person in front of me. Plenty of room to pass on the left but as I neared the 5th lane, I was quickly approaching two ladies coming to the wall at the same time. Sorry – yes I pushed off the wall, dove deep under one andsurfaced on top of the other and headed to the left making some contact. Nothing big, harmless, but certainly could have been worse. No swings involved.

Soon it was time to exit. I hopped out and into the warm humid air into the transition area. The grassy field made for a comfy surface and Gina gave me a cheer as I headed to the bike. I decided to wear my run shoes again on the bike and ran out onto the bike course and my pedals are wide enough to accompany this so it isn’t that bad. Saves me plenty in transition. On we go with the Black Widow and hammer began. I passed my SunriseTri fellow member Dan and he was doing well. The course was 3 loops and went something like this – hammer for a few minutes, slow down, turn, hammer back, slow, turn, repeat 3x. My heartrate was way high and I churned and ripped. Plenty of room, no cars, well situated. All I heard was my breath and sure enough 3 laps were done and into transition I come again.

The race announcer Terry was great here. I came in transition right behind another athlete and as we both hit the brakes he was yelling play by play of everything we were doing. As I grabbed my visor and made out right behind this guy, Terry was yelling it all out, hyping it up. Awesome. Gina said later it was great and everyone was checking it out. I was ready to rock now.

I made my pass of this guy right away and continued ripping it. I only took one sip of drink the entire race and once I had made the pass early, I saw no one near me. I knew my cadence was well, my heartrate was high, and where I wanted to be. Everything was controlled. I gave a final push and sure enough in the finish comes and I cross in 37 minutes! That was fast!! Turns out I finish 2nd overall by just 22 seconds! Full results at www.triandduit.com under Independence Triathlon.

I ran around for about 10 minutes after a hug and kiss from Gina and then enjoyed the rest of the event. We had time to chill, stretch, I got to speak to Frank at Sunrise and we just cheered everyone in to the finish. Too much fun. It was great, everything is right on par.

My swim for 500 yds was 9 minutes, the bike of 6 miles in 15 minutes (23.5 mph average) and the 2.5 mile run too 12 minutes for a 5:26 pace. All good. In fact if the race run section was it’s origninal 3 miles, I actually might have won it. It’s all good, and everything felt fine. We celebrated the holiday (and day) by going to a diner in Smithtown and as Gina says – “CHILLAXIN”. That was done even more as we jumped in the pool many times and had a great BBQ all at the Bushman’s. We didn’t end our day until 10pm.

As the weather now continues to get hotter, things are looking good towards the ultimate race in October. The Odwalla smoothies are a staple during these times and make for a great end of day recovery shake and meal replacement. Gina is keeping tabs on my weight as I have been at the low end of 125 for 3 weeks now, but the holiday has been a great time to CHILLAX and eat well. Gina and her Long Island crew are planning more 5K’s and I am going to start training the nephews on getting in shape through the summer. Props also to Eimear,Ashley, and Brad as they prepare for their respective events in Charlotte in that summer heat. Shout out to Wade in Texas also for despite a lower back injury, completed the Buffalo SPrings Half Ironman well and is now prepping for Oct 2nd as well.

So another race down, another podium type finish and some more hardware. Our HP computer shares our desk space with the awards from this year and it’s starting to bracnh to both sides of the space saver monitor.
Bring on the heat.

It was also the 5K Gina selected to celebrate her 50th birthday. She was joined by her two sisters – Susan and Christine, along with their sons James and Timothy. It was a warm and humid morning but over 1100 people turned out to have some fun. We were ready to spend a great day hanging out and welcomed the fact that the sun burned through and made for a hot day overall.

Though it took a while for James and Tim to wake up, they were ready to go and the ladies themselves were geared up and excited. Once we all lined up we were ready for the chance to race on a fast, flat course, with some airplanes taking off overhead.

As with any 5K, once the gun goes off it’s all out and that’s exactly what I did. I had my new Odwalla gear to test out and made sure I dropped some hours off the training week to post a good result for G (though Friday’s workout was challenging). And run I did. I simply followed the lead car and nver looked back to bust a win!! I finished in 16:54 and really felt great and elated to break the finish line tape! I simply played Rev Theory’s “Hell Yeah” in the mental ipod and never stopped. It was indeed a great course and an exciting rush of speed.

I had time to jog around a bit and speak to Brendan at Sayeville Running Co. before making my way back to the finish line. I wasn’t able to run back on the course since it was heavily secured so I made a posiiton real close and awaited each one to finish. James came through in 31 minutes, Tim at 38. Awesome runs for both as they honestly never raced more than a mile before this. Chrisitne sprinted the last 100 yards and came in at 45 minutes with Susan and Gina at 46 minutes! That was really good since Gina thought 50 minutes was more realistic, so they smashed that goal!

A great finish for all and the  5K really show the fun, family environments that race’s are made of. I met some runners and chatted up the usual post race experience while walking around getting pictures and soaking up the excitement. I think G and I come back with more swag and drinks/food after a 5K than most of the longer races we’ve done. We got to hang around a bit until the awards and I pumped out 14 chinups at the Marine tent. The awards were unique in that I got a 16G Ipod Nano for my efforts instead of the usual trophy. In fact, all the top 3 runners in male/female divisions won one! Now was the time to really celebrate.

We had a homemade breakfast at Susan’s house afterwards where we spent the rest of the day in the pool, getting sun, and relaxing. It was one of those days you hit the pool, dry off, talk, get warm, jump back in, repeat. We had some dinner and cake before it was time to head back home. But G really appreciated the day and that was what mattered. She didn’t want it to end.

Now got the AC up and humming so summer feels in full swing after the string of hazy, hot, and humid days we have had. We have no set races planned in June and July so it will be all preparations towards October and anything in the next 2 months will be a “jump in” type of event or volunteer endeavor. Stay cool.

We had done this race 4 years ago when they first held the event, but I had done it as part of a relay with FPC since he didn’t want or care to swim in cold open water. We had a great time so it made sense to come back and revisit the race, this time as a individual, but also to get into the race feel of a triathlon and “switch gears” from all the running races this year. We knew it was a top notch organized race since it was under the sponsorship of Sunrise Tri and JP over at TriandDu Sports. They had a big athlete contingent out there and record 500 athletes came out in what made for a great day.

We came out here the day before to pick up my race stuff and we sure had to visit our pre-race Rita’s which is also in Glen Cove. Gelati magic and hydration!!!! It was going to be another warm weekend and even though it was a sprint race, I normally don’t eat or drink anything for these events other than a few sips of my “drink”. It was fun to just chill and hang outside a Rita’s. I shaved down and trimmed the nails for the wetsuit so everything felt nice and slick. Love the pre-race preparations.

The weather that morning was a humid 65 degrees and any ideas I had of doing the race in my wetsuit was diminishing (yes I actually considered it due to the water temp). I did however plan to ride the Black Widow in my run flats to make for quick tranistion from bike to run. Gina and I made the 20+ minute walk from where we had too park to the start and had plenty of time to get settled. It’s a private area hence the parking thing but we had timed the walk the day before (back AND forth) and had no problems navigating where things were. It was the same layout as years past. a beautiful area and campus.

Everything was easy to set up and we caught up with Wayne a bit since he was part of a Sunrise Tri relay team (thanks for the shirt!). Gina gave praise for the signage, announcing, and race crew for all their work from a spectator standpoint. The main thing now was to go by the water and check it out. Mind you I have not been in a pool NOR an open water for a swim since Clearwater back in November. All UBE baby. I went knee deep and knew this was going to be a chiller. Splash the face, jump up and down, well, maybe it won’t be so bad after all. But I had to get out and wait for the start. I was already layered head to toe in Aquaphor so it helped keep me warm.

I was in the third wave with my age group (35-39) which was one of the largest. The wave before us had a 3 minute head start which consisted of 3 age groups, and that was also huge. I gave Gina several kisses as norm and got myself into the water. I was able to line up front and off to the left giving me a nice line to the first bouy. But the sun would be in our eyes once we made the turn so getting out there fast was imperative to avoid any slammin. This felt all familiar real quick. Silence.  Three deep breaths.

Off we went and I quickly made way and got to the bouy no problem. In fact, I was already warmed up thanks to some “relief” and was all focused on catching the group in front while maintaining a clear line. “Nice and smooth, nice and smooth, kick like crazy- damn its cold”. Sure enough I was in with the group ahead and had no problems navigating each bouy and making my way back to the finish. I was churning nicely and quite pleased. Out of the water and then over some rocks and up a hill to tranisition. Gina said I had a great swim and she was right – 15 minutes or so.

I did have some issue getting out to the wetsuit but not much since I wasn’t dazed or disoriented as when you get out of water that cold and it’s just as cold outside. Slipped on my flats and off I went on the Black Widow. It wasn’t long before I was able to crank and the only issue was being that it was a 2 lap bike route, the second lap was now filled with everyone else doing their first. No joke – one guy was pushing hard on his Pee-Wee Herman bike complete with kick stand and going at a good clip. You had to constantly say “on your left”  due to the one lane we shared and other than one close call I had with one car trying to turn and stop per volunteer instructions, of which I almost endowed over, it was a clear ride.

One group of 5 looked like they weren’t lucky as ambulance was attending one dude who hit pretty hard. For the most part, I kept my heart rate high and steady looking at the power data on my CS600. It was all systems go indeed. My legs were fine despite May’s volume/intensity and I focused on keeping rhythm and my flats even pressure on the pedals. I had a 50/50 power rate so I maintained some level of efficiency on a nice rolling course. I only needed a few sips of my Nuun for fuel (but I did have a Jet Blackberry Gu prior to start so was well jacked) as the engine was burning nicely. Soon I was heading towards the finish and ready to rally light it up. Bike time – around 38 minutes averaged 21.7 mph.

Thanks to having my flats already on I made it from bike to run in about 40 seconds. I took my bike computer off and ran with it to keep heart rate tracking and off to the trails I went. I got onto the single track once I opted to hurdle the ROCK. Being that I was going at the speed I was, it was all intense focus as they come. I had to scan and adjust speed on the fly due to the terrain and it made for a great cross country type course. As well marked as they come, you also had to check for arrows indicating where to turn. It was muddy in some areas, branches and roots in others, with a few good hills thrown in.

My mind went something like this – “churn it, whoa, branch, easy back on, mud, whoa, rock, heads up – turn right, and Squirrel!, no wait turn left now, hill, back down, rock, turn right, hop, Squirrel!”
I did start passing a few guys ahead after the first mile and knew my heartrate was around 160-170 range so just kept as focused as I could. I passed about 5 guys in the woods and once I made my way back out, it was only 200 yards to the finish. I passed one other guy before making the final push and completed the run portion in 18+ minutes for a total time of 1:12!!! I placed 14th overall and first in my age group. I posted the fastest run split of the day. Great results, great test, and a great big hug and kiss from G made it a great pre-birthday present for her to come back with 2 medals.

We walked around for a bit, saw Wayne finish and his team came in 3rd. We talked to some athletes, thanked Frank from Sunrise for hosting such an event and got some shade and relaxed a bit before the awards ceremony. At 11 am, we were ready for destination 2 on our schedule.

We walked again the 20 minutes to the car – which is good since such a fast race for me causes residual soreness 24 hours afterwards so moving around is always good even with BioFreeze - and drove to her sister Chris’ house by noon. I only got to munch on an Odwalla bar but was feeling good despite no java. It was getting warmer and we were going to her church’s fundraising picnic in which the baseball field of the school becomes an outdoor tailgate for $5-10 each. Everyone pitches a canopy and bbq’s, hangs out, they give out prizes, while everyone just has a relaxing good time. The fire company had a hose spraying very cold water as a “sprinkler” and was quite refreshing. Then the Mr Softee trucks came and if there are two things people would wait on line for is free beer and ice cream. They had both and the ice cream had at least a one hour line (of which I waited on for of course).

By 5pm we headed on back to her other sister’s house who joined us as we soaked our feet in the pool and demolished her bake off contest entry – a nutella/chocolate ice cream cookie crumb type of thing that really put up a challenge to not only her own peanut butter pie that I love, but the church picnic contest. She won it last year and this year came in second. She won first prize in our books as it capped off a splendid day! MMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!

By the time we got home, we unpacked, unraveled, and after being up at 4-4:30am, were in bed by 9:30pm. One smoothie concoction for recovery and it was lights out. Pictures in the gallery.

Next week, Gina and her 2 sisters from Long Island will be doing the MacArthur 5K Run/Walk to celebrate her birthday. Her 2 nephews will also be going. I get to race the 5K then cheer them on for the walk which takes place afterwards. Thanks to a few items from Brooks, she’s all geared up and a big thank you to YOUBARS as I got to create the IRONSHERPA BAR and get a box for her. A sherpa needs to be fueled and it’s a great bar. (yes there already is a TeamMC bar).

Side note – Polar was recently awarded 22nd out of 40 in the best companies to work for in New York, as voted on by employee surveys analyzed. The new CS500 cycling unit is out as well!

June will be more tri training and now eyes on for the Myrtle Beach Half-Ironman Halfmax National Championships – which I hope to get another personal best in. I also got invited to be a part of the Hood to Coast Relay which is being held at the end of August. I am a member of the Big Kahunas which hope to crack the top 25 out of 1000 teams that take part in this event. It is a non-stop run relay made up of 12 runners that go from Portland, Oregon to the coast. I was asked by Chris Spano who recruited the team – he was a runner I knew from Charlotte and he has a great team lined up. Stay tuned.

We were going to have a great weather weekend so it was exciting to plan a “getaway”. I looked forward to getting the Black Widow out there and taking her through the motions. I started in Babylon which is about 30 miles from here since I was doing the 100 mile route. The plan was to get out to Montauk by noon so Gina and I could have about 2 hrs of hanging out there before making the 2+ hr drive back home. Gina was to SAG to each rest stop for my “check-ins”.

We got up before 5am and made it to Babylon in time for me to start at 6:15 am. We brought the Harris Teeter cooler that John from RITA’s had sent to me and it was a great idea. I stocked with with every goodie they had to offer even though I was set with the fuel I was going to use for the ride. In fact, each rest stop (about 25 miles apart) was like that and we came home with a GNC store’s worth of stuff.

I bundled up as it was in the 50′s still and started my ride. My new Odwalla long sleeved jersey was the move! I was toasty warm and layered with my Polar gear underneath. I only focused on my cadence and power meter since I was to keep it in my Big Gear the entire time, toggling between 3-4 different speeds every 30 minutes. Worked like a charm!

Only thing was it was sooooooooo lonely out there. I thought there would be plenty of riders, but nothing. A few every now and then, but nothing like I remembered. It made for great focus and intense reflection as all I listened to was the sound of my breathing, the wind in my face, and the humming of my wheels. Oh, and also the view of some multi-millie houses and neighborhoods. It got warmer every 2 hours that by the time I made it to the 3rd stop, I had peeled away all my layers. Gina was doing great as she found each stop and we recapped briefly for 5+ minutes each time. I stocked the cooler up with snacks offered by volunteers, did 50 pushups, and off I went.

We remembered each stop and saved the route as these will be great re-visiting locales for our own weekend jaunts this summer. I did get one scare in hitting a small pothole with my front tire but all was good. I thought for sure I busted something or would flat but no. With everything ok, it was the final push to “The End”.

The volunteers did a great job at each rest area and made for a home coming greeting as I hit Montauk at noon exactly and was the second person to finish!! No joke. Unreal! I made it out there on 2 “drinks” (Nuun mixes) and an Odwalla bar. The weather was now at it’s peak, a band was playing in the center of town, and now it was time for kisses, hugs, a few photos, and some hanging with G! We had a great time as I treated her to breakfast, walked the entire town, and were able to head out by 2pm. Sure enough the packs were coming in by then and as we drove home we saw the vast majority of riders who were heading in. We beat traffic, were home by 4:30pm and got to chill and recover, finishing off with dinner and a Netflix. An awesome 100 mile adventure (and then back by car).

Reflective and secure, it’s just now a power forward.

Notes: The new Gatorade product is simply the older version – sucrose based, no more high fructose corn syrup. The protein source in their G3 is hydrolyzed protein and I don’t know how nasty that would taste in a drink and don’t plan on anytime soon. But it’s interesting since they already offered a great line of team sports shakes, bars, and drinks on their website.

Holmes on Homes has become G’s show of choice and have to admit, guy does the job right. She has started planting the garden and we have great flowers already blooming and are pleasantly surprised.

Next up – Ironclad Sprint triathlon on May 30th!

April was another great month to finish up my base period. I was going to do a final tune up at the Long Island half marathon to see how my run fitness is and I also was able to start doing more triathlon type workouts. I have had some changes to the summer race schedule as we won’t be able to go to Texas and visit the Wilson’s after all. We are currently looking at other options between June and August.

I got to celebrate my 37th birthday but as I always say – everyday is my birthday. Nothing special and I don’t “feel” older for sure. And no way NEAR 40 folks (though G has been trying to find my first grey hair).

Gina and I have been able to get plenty of the necessary items and details taken care of for the wedding. As we do with most events we plan, we got the folder organized, items documented, and Gina has been co-ordinating her niece’s wardrobe in fine fashion. We are in good shape with our preparations and happy to be taking things in our control from a planning standpoint.

Bullets for My Valentine’s new album is out and several songs already in the mental ipod. Yes!

I thought I would be able to taper off a bit before the LI race, but I entered that weekend on another high week and have every intention to take an easy week afterwards for sure. Have too, need too. My legs were sore that I wore my compression gear at night and started getting signs of being worn out. But I was still excited about the event and ready to roll with what be.

The weather was nice! Upper 50-60 range, slight overcast and humid. Not much wind either. This event we came to each year before we left for Charlotte and it has now grown into a full weekend event. Some 8000 people were registered for the 10K, Half Marathon, and Marathon. It is a great fun, family event and even for running clubs to gather and hang out afterwards. Wayne from Polar had a tent set up with Frank from Sunrise Tri and it was also going to be a great opportunity to finally meet members on the team.

We arrived an hour early and took the nice long walk to the starting area. Gina and I love to check the scene, different characters, and what other people are wearing (the shoe name game). We saw the army serviceman in full gear getting ready to do the marathon, the big blow up Newsday dog that is a fixture at this event, and took a picture of the 3 guys who were taking a leak in the full open field BEHIND a patrolman on horseback. We saw a glimpse of Wayne as he lined up for the 10K which started at the same time but the race went in opposite directions as my race.

With a norm kiss and hug from G, it was time to line up and run. Sure my legs were still heavy, but I was feeling good and comfortable. Had my RITA’S last night so was plenty hydrated. Let’s rock.

Three deep breaths and – Off we go! I stayed in the first row of folks and it amazes me at most races that still put pace line-up banners at the start line. Works for me since I can draw off the nervous energy of those who don’t belong up front, then bob and weave past them within the first 2 miles.

Once past that point, I’m in rhythm and the crowd thins out quickly. Analyzing around me, 3 groups spread out and soon by mile 5, it was single file type racing with runners about 30-100 yards apart from each other. The course is mostly flat and wasn’t windy at all. Nice set up with several bands every few miles and great crowd support. They have volunteers doing a great job handing out water and organizers recruit mostly teenagers/high school groups.

By mile 6-7, I see 5 targets in my sight. I start to rock the mental ipod as Three Days Grace’s “Break” starts to go on repeat. I pass one, then another. By mile 10, it’s hammer time as I now have a shot at catching 2 others – I think. This is where I focused hard and saw the turnover rate of the runners’ legs slowing up. I increased mine.

I can catch them. I am now hitting sub 6 miles and my heartrate is right in my upper zone. But I am fine. Despite the volume and speedwork this month and the prior day’s soreness, I feel nothing. Totally Innervated. I pass one at mile 12. The other – now looking back – is 100 yards away.

I don’t slow up. The intensity in my eyes were calmly eased by the Swiss Eye shades as I continued to push and sure enough pass him less than half mile to the finish. Down the stretch I go and finish in 1:17+ and break the top 10 – I even placed second in my age group! Excellent run!! Sweeeeeeeeettttttttttttttt.

I walk around to cool down before making my way to G and get that finishing hug/kiss. A great race test, and more importantly, how I managed the race let me know I am tuned in. That was the best part of the run overall. Store it and maximize it for future use.

We walked around and I was handed my finisher’s “goodie bag”. Now this is spot on and a great idea – they give you a take home lunch tote with fruit, bagel, baked good, and some water. Less mess, less crowds at vendor booths, and you keep the tote! And everyone gets a medal. Big thanks and great idea.

We met up with Wayne and we eventually found the tent. He finished in the top 10 and won his age group in the 10K so another win-win for the Polar gang. We met up with Frank, owner of Sunrise Tri shop, and he had the works for all who came by. We talked and I got to see a truely genuine owner of a sporting goods store looking out for the best interests of his customers and their athletic/fitness development.

We also met several other members and there are some funny characters in this group. Always interesting to put a face to email groups but was worth the time to hang out and get to know more people. I intend to take the Black Window in for some tuning up! A fun time overall.

After another mile walk to the car sipping my Nuun to recover with, we hit no traffic and made it home before noon. Our neighbor actually hurt her eye and needed a ride to the drugstore just as we pulled in so it was good timing for sure – she irritated her eye and needed surgery that next morning!

The sun came out and we not only enjoyed a homemade “brunch” outside the patio, but we drank some good sangria for dinner outside that evening! Yeah my legs were beginning to feel it now. I BioFroze everything, had some Rita’s and we literally “chilled”.

I plan on just going easy this week and look over our summer schedule. We have the Montauk Century bike tour next week as BioFreeze is a main sponsor and I should be able to test my Odwalla gear. Yes, www.TeamOdwalla.com is up and I am in the New York team section. It is a great opportunity to promote healthy nutritious drinks/eats at some of the races this year.

Then it’s a sprint triathlon at the Ironclad triathlon in Glen Cove on Gina’s birthday Memorial Day weekend. Gina’s 5k is on June 5th and should be a fun family event.

Since we won’t be going to Texas, we were looking at some options for races in June/July, with an eye towards the US National Halfmax Championships at Myrtle Beach, SC in October, a week before the wedding. I have already qualified based on my time in Clearwater last November, so it would be a great yearend finish. The rest of the schedule should remain the same and I have already adjusted the website to reflect this and added great photos on the 2010 album.

I do have to give a shout-out to Brad Mintz and Ashley Widis. They were part of my run group in Charlotte that I continue to coach. Brad has PR’d his half marathon twice already and is now setting PR’s in the 5K. Ashley gears up for another crack at the marathon this November. She has already improved her half marathon time.

Another shout-out to Brian Leonard – Brooks rep in Charlotte who continues to help out in any requests needed for TEAMMC.  He really helped out in getting a racing sneaker in short notice. Thanks again brother – and yes, I am staying out of trouble!

Finally – Mother’s Day. Though my mom passed away when I was five, as I’ve posted many times in these journals, she remains a powerful spiritual prescence in my being. I now get to visit her at St Charles since we are close and we intend to visit often. But as I extend always in an email and phone calls on this day – those TEAMMC MOM’s are my living Mom’s that I am grateful for in what they have meant to me as I have “grown up”. I thank you all.

Bring it.

The first tune-up was at the Kings Park 15k, where we had that cold, driving rain with fierce wind. Soaked and cold was the name of the day, but there was a good crowd turnout which made for a great run along with time to  see Wayne V., my Polar co-worker. I placed 14th overall and won my age group! But it was rough and put a serious heaviness to the legs with all the training plus it was a tough course. And the shivering afterwards didn’t help either. G and I however got treated by her sister Christine, who came to the race, for breakfast at their house which made for some good family warming up!
Unfortunately all that shivering made for some cramped legs so it was close from an injury standpoint on keeping things in check that next week. I decided to enter the Suffolk County Half Marathon on March 28th instead of the April 3rd half-marathon race, since I wanted to finish my base work before Easter week. This would give me a good month of training in April going into the 3 events I have planned for May and beyond.

This event is small (300+) and though it is mostly flat, is challenging in the course being an out and back type loop with no traffic and wide open roads – perfect for a gusty wind. It was windy indeed (20+ gusts) and under 40 degrees so I opted for the skinsuit under my Polar gear and Sayeville Running top. Special thanks to Brendan at the SRC (www.sayevillerunning.com) for hooking me up with his team. I’m happy to try and earn points for his group in this Long Island series of races. Great guy, great shop.
From the start it was all going to be a mental workout. The plan was to stay in a high heartrate zone and maintain it, while battling the winds. It worked. I came in 4th overall and once again, won my age group. G was chilly once again, but we got to warm up and celebrate another fun race while scoring some more hardware to boot. No soreness, no aches, everything intact (thanks to some BioFreeze after, Aquaphor before, and of course Rita’s the night before with some Nuun after for added hydration!!!) Also thanks to Melissa at IOS for the stock of Espresso gel!!!

So after 3 months, a HUGE, HUGE base has been established and I come away with 2 wins in my age group. I have physically, mentally, and spiritually created the mandate I need to carry me into this race season. This time of Lent has been very rewarding at being able to dig deep within and bring things closer to the surface for review. Now with Easter upon me, it is time to put it to use. Pro-duce. Shed a layer. Time to rise.

Side notes:
We got to tinkle with our artsy side when we were invited by a friend to her son’s lead role in “The King and I”. It was performed by students at the Frank Sinatra School of Arts and I always enjoy seeing such talented students perform at such a level. From the singing, acting, and role of the student’s orchestra, all should be marveled, applauded, and nutured since THESE kids get it. Hard work and dedication pays off. It doesn’t hurt to have Tony Bennett in the crowd either if you are an inspiring arts major. 
We got to tinker with our small back garden to by getting a table for our outdoor “chillin” and also started clearing the way for Gina’s plants. It was a great few days of warm weather before another cold and rain spell came rolling through.
I have also been one of 100 athletes from a pool of 2000 applicants to be selected to Team Odwalla. As with prior team sponsorships, I will be assisting Odwalla in their efforts to broaden their delivery of natural food bars, juices, and drinks to the community through volunteer opportunities and beyond in my racing/training. Their link has been added to the right and the entire team at www.teamodwalla.com

The best news to share comes partially from this time described above. Gina and I have sat down on a number of occasions and really spoke about preparing for the big event. Yes – here it comes folks – we have have set a date to be married!
Saturday, October 16th at 11am at Gina’s parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Astoria will be our official day. I am honored to have my long time spiritual guidance and friend Fr. Frank Hughes officiate. We have started the paperwork process, begun organizing the details we need to address all in the red folder,  and even have Amy’s Bread on board to cater (applesauce donuts anyone???)!!
It will be a small brunch-type reception with family and close friends, but we are keeping it low-key, small, and organizing every aspect of the day ourselves, though I hope to have a bball court nearby so we can hoop a bit and hand out some fun schwag!!!!

So yes – the time has come and we both are looking forward to it. Yes – she said I can race in the meantime too, so the schedule will stay the same for now. We both think of where we’ve been, what we’ve done, and what we’ve been able to experience the past 10 years that we’ve know each other. We down right have nearly traveled the globe and across the U.S. together with all these races, been through 2 relocations, and together we have obtained a wealth of trust, faith, and love for one another that make us richer than any Mega Millions jackpot (but it doesn’t hurt that we still play it).

Heck, we’ve even managed to bring along our kitty Holmes from 600 miles away and get him into the new hood. One just needs to view our “portfolio” of pictures and stories along with the awards won that I firmly would not have been able to obtain or achieve without her “Ironsherpa” persona. That’s not to say we haven’t had our share of bumps, disagreements, “silence time” with one another (one thing we’ve NEVER done is shout at each other). But this has all helped in developing that solid teamwork we now have. I have composed almost a hundred journals on this website and printed them out in a book. It actually takes you back to when we first started dating! We’ve grown from co-workers, to friends, to dating, to enagement, and now marriage. This book of journals and our slide show of pictures will be on display at our wedding. I am even going to display the rough copy of my book that I have pieced together on my goal of attaining Self-Actualization. It’s an event almost 4 years in the making since our engagement, but it will be a blast indeed!!!!!!

I am sending out a mass email to all updating this event. Sure we would like to invite everyone if possible, but we want to at least extend a thank you to all who have been a part of our journey. There is no finish line for this “race”, but we know we both are winners in this one.  

AMOR VINCIT OMNIA