2018 Season Wrap Up

When we left off in the 2017 season wrap up I was certainly in one of the hardest points in my racing career.  I had just finished a season with many DNFs and plaguing injuries that caused me to fall very short of the goals I had outlined for the season.  My mindset was not one of giving up however, and as I said at the end of last year's season wrap up, I was looking for redemption on the courses that had bested me.  

The Road to Recovery

I had continued to go to physical therapy weekly since my injury in June of 2017, and by early 2018 my knee was performing exceptionally well compared to the previous year.  As winter was winding down, I began to plan my year ahead, realizing that a full race schedule would not be possible (or wise) given my current condition.  One day I received an email that Ironman would be holding a relay event for the first time in a full distance Ironman event at Mont-Tremblant.  This event seemed like a great goal for 2018 since I could give my knee a break from running and still achieve something in the sport that I had yet to do.  I was lucky enough to have my better half, Lindsay, volunteer for the run portion and her father, a seasoned Ironman, opt in for the swim; and thus the “Fishy Pinecones” were formed.  The race would take place in late August meaning I had plenty of time to train (as I believe every triathlete mistakenly thinks 🙄).

Beech Mountain Metric

The road behind us has a 25% grade 😧

Despite the craziness that was last years Beech Mountain Metric most of the crew from last year had expressed interest in tackling the grueling climbs again in the event’s fifth year running.  However, I had decided to do the 40 mile distance instead of the full metric century since it would be a more appropriate stepping stone in my training for the 112 mile bike at Mont-Tremblant.  However, the Boston winter extended well into April, which meant not many outdoor rides before the event took place in May.  Regardless, after completing the full event last year, I was confident that the 40 mile ride would be very achievable.  Cut to Raceday, I woke up around 5AM to start my pre-race routines (usually involving a lot of regret and GI issues) only to find an email from the race director saying the race had been cancelled due to flooding caused by heavy rains ☹️.  Feeling 10% relieved and the other 90% disheartened that I would not be taking on the course for a second year in a row, our group decided to ride the backside of Beech Mountain since we travelled so far, despite the conditions.  The ride was a blast, but it was certainly not the check-in that I needed to realize I was not adequately preparing for the 112 mile ride swiftly approaching.

Cohasset Triathlon

While biking the Ironman was my primary goal for the year, I still yearned to complete a full triathlon since it had been almost a year since I had completed one.  I had also been aware of a triathlon sponsored by Vineyard Vines for a few years, and since I was no longer racing in the NECTC I was free to pick my own races.  I sent an email to the race director and received a quick response that there were still a few spots in the sold out field and decided it would be a good place to get those 'first race of the season jitters' out.  I only did two open water swims and two runs before the race but surprisingly the race went very well!  It was the first race that I was actually able to treat as a “training race” and not go all out since I knew my knee was still recovering and I had not done enough preparation to go full force.  I still ended up posting a 9:49 minute swim (1:37 per 100yd) which is a very good pace considering my swim skill and recent training.  My bike was much slower than a typical sprint due to my rare instance of restraint, coming in at 18.8 mph over 14 miles.  The run was unsurprisingly slow as well at 8:32 min/mile for the 5k.  Cohasset certainly was not my fastest sprint race by any means but I felt good about my performance, as well as my mental maturity to hold back when I knew it was the right move.

In classic New England fashion, the water 58℉ ☃️

Flying Solo

With the ‘fun’ races of the year behind me, I finally started to buckle down in my training for Mont-Tremblant with about 10 weeks until the race.  I realized that I had put off training a bit too much, and would only have enough time to peak at a 90 mile ride, which would leave 22 miles as unexplored territory come race day.  However, most distance athletes in modern training plans never go the full race distance during training, but I would have liked to have a few more rides over 80 miles under my belt.  Nevertheless, I started my swift progression of adding 10 more miles every week to my long ride plus a few rest weeks to keep my knee safe. 

It was during this time of training alone that I had to face trials that I had not yet experienced in my prior years.  In the spring, I had started getting odd chest pains (which are never great) and for months I could not identify the cause of them.  Even after going to the ER and having evaluations by a few doctors, the cause of these pains remained unknown and weighed heavy on my emotions when it came to long days in the saddle.  I feared I may have one of these incidents of pain while miles away from any sort of medical help and it caused more than a few rides to end early.  Thankfully, a few weeks before the race my physical therapist identified that the pain may have been coming from a pinched nerve in my back / neck that was caused by my often bad posture, both when working and while training.  Once I was able to identify the likely cause of my pain, I was more confident in my last few weeks of training and my episodes of worry and doubt subsided.

Back to Placid

Even though Lindsay and I trained for separate events, we still found time to support each other during training 

After I was able to sort out my confidence in training, it was time for my 70 mile long ride, and as it happened I would be in Lake Placid to watch the Ironman during that weekend.  I had some difficulty in the previous long rides due to an inconsistent training schedule as well as adjusting to nutrition and hydration for such long workouts, so I was a bit nervous going back out on the course that had proved too much the prior year at Lake Placid 70.3.  Despite my previous struggles during my long rides, my day in the saddle at Lake Placid turned out to be a major success thanks to the advice and support of my relay team.  I was finally starting to figure out how to properly eat and hydrate during extended workouts and it felt fantastic to go above and beyond on the course I dropped out on last year.  From there I went on to successfully complete 80 miles the following week back in Boston and the shadows of my doubts began to quickly fade as race day approached.  I traveled to Connecticut for my 90 mile ride, with my relay team as my support crew.  I had planned a three loop 90 mile course and felt fantastic through 45 miles of the ride before a torrential downpour ended my long ride early ☔️.  Even though the ride was cut short and I would now only have 80 miles as my longest ride before the race, I was feeling more confident than ever that I was ready for the challenge

Ironman Mont-Tremblant

Being back in Mont-Tremblant was another big moment for redemption after how I exited the half-ironman the prior year.  It was so humbling to be at an event that hosts the peak athletes in the sport, and the atmosphere was truly electrifying.  We woke up at 5AM on race morning to see our swimmer off and prepare for the day ahead.  However, the race was delayed an hour due to thick fog on the lake (which made me glad I was not swimming that day 😅).  The delay gave me some time to warmup before the bike, since it was actually quite chilly in the early hours.  Before I knew it, our swimmer was sprinting into the handoff zone wishing me luck on my ride. 

I found Sheila in the sea of bikes and ran out to the course, not really knowing what to expect.  The course was two laps of the 70.3 bike course that I had rode the previous year, so I had planned to take the first lap pretty easy and then make a move during the second lap based on how I was feeling.  Unsurprisingly, I was caught up in the excitement of the race and came off the first 40 miles of the lap with a blazing fast average of over 18mph (I was supposed to be riding around 16mph on the first lap 🙃).  My joy ride came down quickly as I summited the steep climb at the end of the first lap and my pace dropped down into 17mph as I passed the cheering fans going into the second lap. 

Second Verse Same as the First! (but a lot harder)

I enjoyed my halfway sandwich around 3 hours in and started my journey out of town again.  During the second lap, the temperature reached 81 degrees on the open highway and I started to feel like I was fading a bit.  Between 70 and 80 miles I started to feel like I was overheating and my legs began to drop like lead weights.  I learned that during these events that last over six hours, it is inevitable to have some mental and physical ups and downs, and this point of the race was certainly my lowest point.  Despite this, I managed to make it to the turnaround point and took a few minutes to dump an entire bag of ice into my jersey at an aid station.  My commitment to my nutrition plan, and my frantic attempt to cool myself proved to be enough as I started to pick up the pace heading back to town. As I watched my distance tick past 90 miles, then 100 miles, I knew that I was going to finish what I had started.  I went into the final six mile climb and let out all the stops!  My experience at Beech Mountain really shined as I practically flew up the final hills.  After cresting the final hill and turning back towards the finish line, it was all grins on the downhills. 

I'd never been so happy to sit on the floor 

I came into transition feeling absolutely elated and passed on the baton to Lindsay, who took our team home to a sub-13 hour total time.  My ride clocked in at 6 hours and 46 minutes with an average pace of 16.5 mph.  Overall it was a great success and I could not be more proud of my teammates and I'm thankful for friends and family who supported me along the way (as they always do ❤️).

The Road Ahead

I am finishing this wrap up just a week after my success at Mont Tremblant.  I have taken a lot of time recently to reflect on my Triathlon career to date.  Over the past four years I have completed over 30 Triathlons, with 10 age group podium finishes plus the accolades Northeastern Triathlon achieved while I was president of the team.  There is certainly a lot to be proud of, but it has not been without cost; I have spent three years in and out of physical therapy and made a lot of training mistakes on my journey in Triathlon that continue to affect my ability to enjoy the sport as I once did.  My attempt to be competitive in 70.3 distance Ironman racing in 2017 also left me thinking I may have enjoyed short course racing more than long course and these thoughts were confirmed during my time training for the Ironman bike event.  As a result, I will continue to work on building strength in the off season and hopefully be back next year for a full season of short course racing.  I do still plan to complete the full Ironman one day, but for now I will hold off and work to perfect my form in the three disciplines.  I hope to rediscover the joy I had racing during my early days in the sport, and continue to work towards healthy and sustainable training habits both for myself and for athletes I coach. 🏊🏻‍♂️🚴🏻‍♂️🏃🏻‍♂️