Syracuse 70.3

Its official the last triathlon of the 2010 season is over and I will kindly say that I went out with a bang. Now I don’t want to sound cocky or big headed because by no means am I or ever will I be, but I had one hell of a race from start to finish. I am not sure if the triathlon gods were looking after me or what, but I raced what seemed to be a flawless 70.3 miles.
Coming into Syracuse I was growing with excitement and knowing that this being the last race of the season I wanted to come back to Brockport knowing I left every ounce of energy out on that course. Plan and simple regardless of my training volume (or lack thereof at times) I wanted to be content with my effort. I watched Alistair Brownlee (21 year old I.T.U triathlete) on T.V about a month ago and at the finished he completely collapsed from exhaustion. That rang in the back of my head for the entire month and that’s exactly how I wanted to race. I wanted to collapse at the finish line and I basically did just that. The outskirts of Syracuse don’t offer much so Friday night was spent with Catherine eating and walking around the huge Carousel mall. Saturday was family filled and race preparation. It was nice having the family there again because for some reason knowing that they made the trip always makes me want to race faster. I feel as if they put forth all the time and energy to come watch I shouldn’t let them down. So we hung out, moseyed around the mall then went out to eat before bed.
Sunday came with rain clouds and cool weather, much of which was expected. Right before I went off for the swim start my family and Catie’s family all meet up, and I bid my farewell. The swim start wasn’t very chaotic, but the water was FREEZING! Sixty-two degrees is not warm even with a wetsuit on, so after hyperventilating for about the first five minutes of the swim I settled in and did what I needed to do in order to have the fastest swim time possible. I stayed to the inside, and hugged the buoys and believe it or not everybody else was off a little ways so I was on my own. I didn’t have anyone to draft off of so it was just me and my swimming ability which everyone knows by now is pathetic. After making the first turn I was feeling pretty good, but did the one thing I was really trying not to and that was to steer off course. I was following what I thought was one of the buoys but unfortunately for me the wave ahead of me all had orange swim caps which was the same color as the buoys so I started to follow them. Needless to say they weren’t swimming in the right direction so once I figured that out I got back on track and exited the water in 33:18 which was my fastest time of that distance. Upon exiting the water I saw my family and Catie cheering as I ran up to transition one. I got my wetsuit stripped by some volunteers and grabbed my bike gear and off I went for a very cold 56 miles on the bike.
By this time I was telling myself throwing away a personal best swim time would be a shame so I motored on with the bike. There were some pretty steep climbs in the first 15 miles so I just swung it into a spinning gear and cruised on up those suckers and made my way to the flat land. I decided to break the bike into eleven, five mile sections and keep track of my splits that way. I had no idea how this course looked or felt so it was all a mystery to me. Plus when you add in the fog which made it impossible to see twenty feet ahead of you this course really became the unknown. Being one of the later swim waves I was passing a lot of people within the first ten miles, and started to make up time once I hit the twenty mile marker. I was okay with doing 1:05 for the first twenty miles because based on the elevation charts the hardest part of the course was behind me. I started to pick it up and got into a rhythm. Once I was got going on the flat roads the miles began to tick away faster than I anticipated. I did the next 5 miles in 11:30 and that to me was a red light. I was riding way too fast, or at least I thought I was. I decided that I felt better than normal so I figured I’d push the envelope a bit the next twenty miles and sure enough I finished 40 miles in 1:57. This was when the thoughts of me riding to hard would destroy my run, but once again I opted to ride as hard as I possibly could and would deal with the run when it came. I was halted by the burning desire to take a pee so I pulled over, dropped trow, and let loose. I may have lost a minute but damn did that feel good. I am pretty sure I had goose bumps running up and down my legs. Ahhh man that was a relief. Okay back to the race after finishing nature’s call, I had around 11 miles to go on the bike leg and wanted to push it as fast as I possibly could to try to ride under sub 2:35. I was close, very close but I would have to ride a ridiculously fast 6 miles back home. There was a small little hill and as I was spinning up the incline I looked over and saw my family and although I don’t even think I said hi because I was in utter shock they made it out to the bike course I was extremely happy to see them. I apologize family. That right there made me ride the last 5 miles in under 11 minutes. Into T2 I was and the goal was to be in and out under 90 seconds.
Starting the run my legs needed a little time to get rolling. As I approached the first mile I looked down at my watched and ran it in 5:55 and told myself to back off a bit or else I would pay for it around mile ten. As I kept running I noticed that my mile times were all around 6:25 and I wasn’t feeling too bad and at that moment I decided fuck it this was the perfect race to let loose and just let my body do the talking. I felt good, I was ready to run 13.1 and I was going to get from point A to point B as fast as I physically could. Around mile 4 I caught up to a guy who was flying and we chatted a bit and he told me he just got back from the Duathlon World Championships in Sweeden so I figured I would try to hold his pace. We ran about the next three-four miles playing cat and mouse with one another. I ran ahead then he caught me and so on. Once mile seven came around only 44 minutes had added onto my time and I started to feel pretty shitty, but as soon as I began to fall into a hole a spectator yelled out “Great pace, you look the best that I’ve seen so far!” and I thought to myself “Well lady I feel like shit, but if you insist” so I surged on and passed Mr. Duathlete and held that lead for the rest of the race. At every water station I was in “I want everything you have mode” so I drank Gatorade, water and took in Gu every three miles. Around mile ten I spotted another kid in my age group and made it my responsibility to pass him as he was hurting bad and I could tell that. I decided to slow for a few seconds right behind him, gain a little energy and then sprint by him. That way he probably thought I was feeling really good and running really fast when in actuality I wanted to lie on the sidewalk and eat a dozen donuts. I ran past him, and by this time the ten mile marker appeared and I looked down at my watched and thought to myself okay two 6:40 miles and you will break 4:40. By mile eleven I wanted to be done. I ran faster than I thought I ever could up to this point and slowing down seemed like a great option. People always tell me to enjoy the scenery when racing, and take it all in, but seeing how we were running through downtown Syracuse it was quite sketchy. So I decided that I would run faster for my personal safety. I didn’t want to get sniped down 2 miles from the finish. (Just kidding Syracuse is a nice city). Around mile twelve I noticed there was a youngster off on the sidewalk barely walking and I checked out his calf and it read “20”. Ah sweet victory that kid is in my age group so once again I did the whole wait for a few seconds save a little energy and then jet pass him. This time the “jet” was more like a slow jog, but you get the picture. I started thinking man I must be doing pretty well in my age group. Eh not so much. I finished seventh out of 80. Mile thirteen came and I could hear the music playing, the crowd cheering, and the inner harbor was in sight. I started to get goose bumps and took it all in. I started looking through the crowd in hopes to spot my mom, dad, cousins, aunts, girlfriend, but I think I missed everyone but Frankie and Ashley. As I approached the finish line I check my watch 4:38 so I decided what the hell mid as well pump the fist and give a little shout out to Master J (the big guy upstairs).
This race was hands down the best race I have ever had in my entire life. From start to finish I felt like I was made of iron or something crazy like that. I was so ecstatic that I finally showed not only myself but my family what kind of race I could have if things go my way. I was there for them. Also at home was my Granny who is not doing all that well and at 102 she is still fighting with whatever energy she has left and I figured if she is still chugging away why can’t I? I ended a season on a personal record for the distance I went a happy but sore guy. This year has hosted the craziest season ever. I trained my ass off since January. I rode like Lance, I ran like Meb, and swam like a brick. I became an Ironman, I won my first duathlon, I finished 4th overall at a highly competitive triathlon, and had the best race of my life yesterday. Overall I couldn’t have asked for a better season. Although it was myself who put in all the hard work, it was my parents, Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and more over Catie who have been absolutely beyond amazing. Never in a million years would I have imagined a girlfriend put up with my prancing around in spandex for hours on end, waking up before the sun, and throwing away Saturdays so I could ride my bike for six hours. My parents have been so incredibly supportive and I consider myself the luckiest son in the world. So I thank you everyone for the kind words of encouragement. Cheers to 2010.

Ironman Lake Placid

When the going gets tough do you quit or do you give every last ounce of energy you have? This past Sunday I was forced to answer this question in one of the worst ways describable. For the past eight months I have one goal in mind and that was to cross the finish line of Ironman Lake Placid before midnight; meaning I would be officially an Ironman. Well as the months ticked away, I wanted to entertain new goals along the way. Arriving in Lake Placid on Thursday I had the hopes of finishing, and finishing with a decent time across the official race clock. Although I didn’t tell many people I was hoping for a sub 12:30 finish, but deep down inside I wanted to go sub-12. I personally thought that if I had a scotch free race day, and everything clicked sub 12 hours wouldn’t be too farfetched. I had soon come to realize that this goal was unattainable.
If you have never been to Lake Placid during Ironman you are missing out completely. The energy and the vibe that is bouncing around between athletes is incomparable compared to any other event. The mix between nervous energy and excitement makes for those not even participating waiting for that canon to go off race morning. Waltzing around days before the race only made me more excited, and eager for the race to begin. After meeting up with my entire family/support crew for dinner on Friday it was off to the Athlete’s Meeting, where all 2,900 athletes would listen patiently as each course director would explain how things would work Sunday. Though I should have been listening, the only thing I could think about is “How the hell are all of these people going to fit in that little lake?”
As Saturday morning rolled around it was nerves, nerves, nerves. I was stepping into the unknown and eagerly waiting for the day to begin. I couldn’t stop thinking “I knew I should have done this, or could have done that, there was nothing I could do at this point except to race my race.” I did what I thought I needed to do in order to do well at this distance, and now it was just time to execute to the best of my abilities. After dropping of my bags and bike to the Olympic oval, Saturday was nothing but waiting, and mentally preparing for what was about to come. As I knew I wouldn’t get much sleep the night before I opted to take a nap and just watch T.V by my lonesome. The only thing I really wanted to do was have a quiet night with Catherine, eat, and sleep.
Waking up Sunday morning was like Christmas in July. There was no other way to describe it, but sheer excitement and nerves running through my body. I was shaking and could barely stomach a bagel. From what at first seemed like nerves not allowing for me to eat, soon made me realize later that day, and even into Monday morning that maybe the way my stomach was acting was more than nerves. Once Catie, my mother and father headed out to the transition area around 4:45am, I approached my bike and noticed my front wheel wasn’t holding air. I went to go pump it up and the valve shot off like a bottle rocket into the air. The race had even started I had already gotten my first flat tire. No need to freak out, luckily for me there was mechanic tent there, and they even used one of their own tubes. Flat fixed, no harm no foul. Race morning seemed to be a blur of fast pasted, nervous, type-A, triathletes. I decided to just lay low and stay calm. No need to get caught up in all the hype. I figured there was no need to be pacing back and forth thinking about the next 17 hours and how the hell I would tackle the distance. Once the clock struck 6:25 I kissed my mother and Catie good-bye, said bye to my dad, Staci, Mike, and Emily, then headed over to the swim carrel. Once I was in the carrel I waited patiently with the other 2,900 other future Ironmen and once we were allowed to siphon into the water the true fun began. I swam over to the far side in hopes of finding my own area where I would be safe from flailing arms and elbows, but I soon realized everyone else in the race had the same idea. I soon noticed that there were more people around me than I anticipated. Once the canon went off at 7a.m. the fun began. Kicking, punching, goggles getting knocked off, it was everything I expected and more. An Ironman mass start is one of the gnarliest things I have ever been a part of. I just kept saying to myself not to freak out, relax, and take the pace that’s around me. Well the pace that was around me was slower than slow, but there was no way I could get out. It was a ball of swimmers and lucky for me I was in the middle. The first lap I felt like I didn’t even need to swim, I just needed to fight for my space. It was more self-defense than swimming. After coming out of the first lap I read the time and it read 44:XX. “Holy shit you have to be kidding me!” I knew if I didn’t pick it up my swim time was going to be uglier than I originally thought. The new goal for the second loop was to swim, and swim fast. I found a guy I could draft off of so I sat in his slipstream and let him do the work. This lap once again felt effortless, but felt a lot faster than the first lap. I figured if I had a good second lap I would come out around 1:20 which would be alright in my book. Well as I approached the swim exit I stood up glanced at the clock and saw 1:10:22! At first I had to do a double take because I thought I was seeing things, and then it hit me. I did a 26 minute second lap. Now for those who know me, know I can’t swim to save my life, so this was unheard of for me. Stoked with my time I got my wetsuit stripped by a kind volunteer and headed down to transition where I had my first sighting of my support crew.
After heading into the transition tent I noticed it was overly crowded so I did my thing, and got the heck out of there. Packed the nutrition, lathered on the sunscreen, and took off. Simple, easy, and stress free. The cool thing about Ironman is you literally do nothing; the volunteers do everything for you transition wise. They make your day as stress free as possible once you get into transition. After running down the center aisle, I nice lady was waiting with a smile on her face to hand me my bike. I said a quick “Thank You” and she said “You’re welcome, now go have fun.” Fun? Well I guess I will try. The firs loop of the bike was pretty uneventful. A little rain a little downhill a little uphill and before I knew it the first 56 miles were over and done with.
After coming back into town there were thousands of screaming fans and this gave me a little extra boost to recharge the batteries for the next lap, but once the uphill’s towards Keene started I didn’t feel too hot. I started having trouble stomaching my nutrition. A single bite of my Clif bar took almost 5 minutes to chew and it seemed almost impossible to swallow. This was the second sign of what was about to come. Around mile 60 of the bike I just focused on one hill at a time, and looked forward to the 9k descent into Keene. After getting through Keene, and traveling into Jay and Upper Jay I was still having trouble stomaching whole food. I started to troubleshoot and opted to do what I could with GU and Powerbar Perform. I knew once the right turn into Wilmington arrives I would be in for an uphill battle; literally. The climbs into Wilmington started to take their toll and the stomach was starting to toss and turn. I was trying to get any food possible into my stomach and knowing if I couldn’t take in anything I would be paying for it the last thirteen miles on the bike. Once I made it to Wilmington the slow gentle climb began back into town and at this point I had about 13 miles to go and my clock said 5:05 on the bike. I knew I could go sub-6 on a good day, but this day was far from good, so I took what the course gave me and tackled it one mile at a time. Around mile 100 I hit the dreaded wall, and bonked hard. I knew this time would come sooner or later, and lucky for me it came at one of the worst times. From here on out it was damage control mode and I wanted to just make it to town without losing too much time. Once I knew I was at mile 108 I knew there were some flat sections so I was relieved that there was only Mama Bear, Baby Bear and Papa Bear to go. The crowd on Papa Bear will get you up that hill every time so spinning up that hill felt effortless and finally I made it back into town with a bike split of 6:09, not ideal, but I did what I could given my body wasn’t feeling too hot.
I was very relieved to get off my rig and onto my feet. Transition was a quick change of the shoes and an onward march to tackle the final 26.2 miles. Coming out of transition my stomach was in knots. I knew from the beginning this was not going to be pretty. I started off running the first four miles and right away the unpleasant feelings started. At first I thought it was just cramps so I was alright with having to walk it out during mile five, and take in some sodium. Then I realize it was something far beyond sodium deficiency. I tried to eat some pretzels, but I couldn’t even swallow them, so I started throwing pretzels in water and drink it as pretzel soup. This immediately backfired as it was the first of eighteen bathroom visits. I found the nearest port-o-potty and let it fly. At this point I knew this was going to be a very long marathon, but I was determined to finish. The next four aid stations seemed to be the same. I eat, I go number two. After finding a spot in the woods about twice per mile, and my stomach in more pain then I have ever felt in my life I wanted to quit. I really thought this was going to be impossible. Walking at this point was sending my stomach for a loop. I just remembered Joe Meyer telling me that leg camps you can run through, stomach cramps are nothing to toy with. They will give you a one way ticket to the hospital and I wasn’t there NOT to finish.
As I hit mile 8 I had walked about the past four miles, and with the combination of a very slow walk, and consistent bathroom breaks I was at about 18-20 minutes a mile. Now I’m not sure many people can even walk that slowly, but this pace was about the brink. Throughout my years of racing I have felt great, good, perfect, and bad. The feeling I had miles 7-13 is indescribable. I felt like someone was twisting my insides and repeatedly punching them. I stood in the woods wondering if it was even possible to walk the marathon. At this time the race I wasn’t thinking about anything else besides my family. They were probably wondering where the hell I was so I decided to chug along. I walked, and walked, and walked. Sawing those miles tick away was about as painful as it comes. Once I got back into town everyone was cheering, screaming my name, and telling me to run and I just wanted to hide in a corner. There was just no way possible I could run, and I felt like the biggest let down ever. Once I saw my family and friends I just wanted to cry. I felt like the biggest bum ever and hoped they wouldn’t even see me. I told them what was going on and that I had to walk or I wouldn’t finish. My dad told me “Just walk we have all night.” And my Uncle Frank told me “Skip do what you have to do we will be here for you.” That right there made me not want to quit. I had twenty people who came to watch and support me and I wouldn’t be just letting down myself, I would be letting my family down. Once I got back out of town I caught up to another guy from Buffalo and we walked the next 8 miles together talking about everything that was going on. The out and back was slow and the sun began to set and I just kept saying “Keep going, one step in front of another, you will be an Ironman.” After I noticed at mile 13 every time I put something in my stomach in came out seconds later the other end I decided to just drink water and not eat another thing. At this point I had taken in zero calories and hadn’t stomached anything. I had no energy what so ever. Something so simple as walking now became a chore. Then something hit. I was sick of walking and as I approached the end of the out and back at mile 21 I decided to give running a shot. My stomach was far from perfect, but I wanted to get off my feet, and be with my family. I ran back into town, and noticed that my mom, sister, dad, Andrew, Catie, Mike, Staci, Emily, and Uncle Frank were all running to find me to make sure I was alright, and I was so relieved to see them. My mom was balling her eyes out and I started to get a tad emotional. I had about a 5k left and they ran with me for about 200m. I told them go to the finish line I’ll be there in about 20ish minutes. I ran back into town with a crowd a little smaller than the first loop, but low and behold my other family was still waiting for me at the exact same spot as the first loop. I passed a cheering family and said “See you at the line.” Running up Mirror Lake Dr. was unreal. All the training I had put in was finally put into perspective. I did a flashback of the whole day in my mind and it was probably the best feeling of my life once I was on my way into the Olympic oval. My entire support crew was waiting for me and as I rounded that final corner I gave my dad a high five and heard the greatest six words of my entire lifeas I crossed that line; “Skip Kunecki, You are an Ironman!” I crossed the line at 13:32:11 and was greeted at the finish line by an amazing volunteer. I walked through the chute, gathered my finisher gear, and skipped the med tent. Although I probably should have gone I just wanted to see my family, girlfriend and friends. I was greeted with tears and hugs by everyone. Everyone made me feel like I just had the race of my life, when literally it was a race from hell. We all hung out and shared hugs and pictures. I was so relieved to finally be off my feet and be in their presence. I had finished an Ironman. Something nobody can ever take away with me, and something four hours ago deemed impossible.
The next few days after I realized that it was more than nutrition issues. We narrowed it down to a stomach bug or food poisoning, and although I didn’t have the race I wanted too, I accomplished what I had set out to do. I wanted to leave Wheatfield a triathlete and come home an Ironman, and I did just that. There were times were I didn’t think the next mile sign would ever come, and there were times were I didn’t think the next step was possible, but just remember nothing is impossible. Ironman Lake Placid 2010 will be a day I NEVER forget, but it does leave me wondering; “How well can I do if things do go my way?” Needless to say I will be back in Lake Placid in 2012.

Thank You: Mom, Dad, Megan, Catie, ANdrew, Mike, EMily, Staci, Nani, Frankie, Uncle Frank, Mike, AUnt Kathy, AUnt Lori, Uncle Lyle, Nick, Ashley, Jessica, Pete Cerny, Joe, Kevin, and Tri-Spot

When the Going Gets Tough.... Keep Going

Blue skies, mountains every which way, a bustling town, and a place that will always put a smile on my face, we were finally there; Lake Placid. Driving through Main Street with Mirror Lake on your left and the Olympic center on your right, this place never seems to get old. It is a place where miracles have been made, dreams have been crushed, and thousands of men and women have been granted the title “Ironman”.
The purpose of this trip was simple; Train as much and as hard as possible. Minus the sleeping and driving that had to take place in order to make this trip possible I was left with thirty-eight possible hours to train on the actual Ironman course. After setting up camp at the traditional Whispering Pines Campground we headed straight to Mirror Lake to get a swim in. Well when I say “we” I mean Mike and myself, though I would be the only one swimming. The beach seemed to be over crowded with tourists and Mirror Lake itself was like New York City, but instead of taxi’s driving up and down the streets, there were kayakers paddling like children hyped up on caffeine. The course was loosely marked with buoys so I had an idea of where to go and when to start and stop. I started where I thought I would start race morning and that was in back and off to the side. I set sail stroke after stroke, and I finally found a rhythm. I knew I had about three hours until it got dark so I figured I may have to push myself a little in order to finish the 2.4 miles before the sun set. (Kidding) I would love to tell you how long it took me, but I know if people actually read this thing they may laugh at the snails’ pace at which I moved at. Once I completed the two loops I was greeted by some fellow triathletes/teammates who were also there busting there asses for the next 48 hours. We took a little time to talk one another, but soon after I was out on my bike for a thirty mile spin. The main purpose of the small bike ride was to see how I would feel after the 2.4 mile swim, and to loosen up my legs for tomorrow’s 112 mile trek around the surrounding towns.
First day=done. It was now time to shoot the shit with Mike and find something to eat and fuel up for tomorrow’s long ride. We walked, and walked, and walked and found not a single restaurant under $15 per plate. So we opted to hit up Subway and go for the $5 footlong. We were on a pretty tight budget this trip so money was a limiter. Lucky for us after we ate dinner it was 8:30 which meant, back to our 5 star tent and lay our head on a rock hard ground, and try to get some shut eye. After taking Mike down in rummy we decided to wake up and six in the morning, that way I could set sail by 7-7:30. Sounded like a great idea the night before, but when those alarms went off the next day it sounded like torture.
Once I got my butt in gear I laid everything out for the ride and tried to organize what I would need for the day and at what time. 6 packets of GU, 2 Clif Bars, Pretzels, 2 Bottles of Ironman Perform, 1 bottle of Gatorade, and 2 bottles of water. The one thing that was absent was Mountain Dew which I later regret not having. After drinking my coffee it was time to rock and roll. First six miles of this bike are up and down it felt like a rollercoaster. I’m talking constant climbing then descending. There were some decent little climbs that made the legs a little tight so I decided just to spin up these little diddy’s at a slower pace. After all I did have 106 miles to go. After the first ten miles my average speed was a whooping 16.9 miles per hour! Not knowing this course I figure I was going to be in for the worse ride of my life. The next miles came easy, very easy. It was approaching the Keene descent and I was ticking of 29mph which seemed effortless, but I did have a 20mph tailwind which was brilliant. After about 5ish miles the scariest part of the bike course came about. For all those adrenaline junkies who love flying down this hill, I envy you. I was simply scared shitless. It had to have been the steepest, toughest descend ever. I was griping so tight on my handlebars I thought I was going to snap them in half. I was clutching onto my brakes and I was going still 42mph. Holy hell never again. After finally making it into Keene, I quickly thanked my lucky stars and made my first wrong “turn”. I kept going straight when I was suppose to turn left, but I only went about 4 miles roundtrip out of the way. No biggie Ill just cut short the out and back. After getting back on track I was off to Upper Jay, and once again the tailwind became my friend, and I was hitting 27mph on flat land. This section of the course felt extremely fast and is going to be a huge help for keeping a decent average speed throughout the ride. Once I did the out and back to Ausable Forks, I saw a sign which read “Lake Placid 17.” Score! Only seventeen more miles and I’m done with the first lap and my average speed is slightly over 21mph. I’m kicking ass right now, or so I thought. The last 17 miles of this course simply suck. They can break you down and strip you to the core. The climbing is brutal, and the tailwind that I loved oh so much before was now 20mph in my face. Joy. Let this go by extremely fast. Needless to say the next 17 miles took me slightly over an hour. Spinning up Mama Bear and Papa Bear I finally saw the end was near, well for the first loop at least. Once I made the left back into town I stopped quickly to see an eagerly waiting Mike, filled up my bottles, got some nutrition and with a quick goodbye I was off for lap number two.
This lap for some reason felt a lot more relaxed. I knew the course, I knew where to turn, I knew what was next, I knew where to push and where to hold back on. Overall I was ready to go for round two. The once blue skies now turned grey and the wind seemed to be picking up even more! The flags were whipping around the flag poles, the trees were swaying and my speed seemed to be borderline fast. At this point of time I knew it wasn’t the engine it was the wind so I decided to push it a little, knowing this wind was going to be the devil once I make the turn into Willmington. Second lap was pretty uneventful up until the last seventeen miles. Once again the wind was howling and the grey skies were now drizzling rain. Once I finally made it into Willmingotn, I was just hoping to make it back to Placid in one piece. The drizzle now turned into a straight downpour and I was 10 miles out and miserable. I had 102 miles under my belt and only ten more grueling miles to go. I started to get extremely cold and the “F” bombs were flowing like the Niagara River. My first true question of “Why the hell am I doing this?” happened. At this point my legs felt like a tractor trailer ran over them. About eight miles out I caught up to an older couple stranded on mountain bikes. I said, “This is miserable eh?” and the older man said “No way this is a blast.” I was saying to myself “How the hell could be going up this hills in the freezing rain be a blast?” This is fricking stupid, give me a bed and a beer and life would be so much better. Then I stopped for a second and though :This is a blast.” This is what I love to do. I love riding my bike. I love challenging my body. I love climbing hills. I love the sport of triathlon, and all of a sudden when I thought I had nothing left in the tank I got a second wind. I decided to quit complaining and ride. I quickly pushed up the last two hills and was rounding the corner to of then be greeted by Mama bear and Papa Bear once again. I took them slow and just kept pushing knowing that it would be only a matter of minutes before I was back into town. Freezing, cold and tired there was no transition run in my future. Off to the showers and it would then be time to eat.
The schedule for the rest of the day was to hang out with Mike and just enjoy what the town had to offer. We walked around the town for as long as the weather would allow us to. Once again the weather man was way off, as the 70 degrees and sunny, turned into 60 degrees and rain. Awesome! No hotel room, no shelter we were up the creek without a paddle. We ran to our car and weathered the storm (no pun intended). Once the rain seemed to have stop, the sun came out and it was a brilliant day at last. We chilled out, people watched, ate some food and before we knew it, bed time was quickly approaching. One more day. One more training session and it would be time to head home.
Mike and I decided to sleep in a little today and woke up to a 7am alarm, hoping to start the run by 8am. What I had planned was pretty vague, but bare minimum I wanted to run 13.1 miles. After getting in the coffee I started at the Olympic oval and headed out onto the run course. Before I knew it I was running 7:15 miles and soon realized that if I continued this pace I would make it about five miles so I slowed it down to 7:45-8minutes per mile. I figured after yesterdays ride I would be dead tired, but soon enough I noticed the first hour was gone. I felt pretty good, and thought I could go for about twenty miles with not gut wrenching pain. Turning back onto Route 73 I hit a wall and I hit it hard. Only 1:10 into my run and it was like night and day from two miles that had just passed. I knew Mike was waiting for me back into town so I kept the legs moving and kept thinking about how this same scenario would come about in about three weeks. Would I want to stop and walk during Ironman this early into the run? Negative, if I walk this early I would get way to use to walking, so I pushed up the hill back into town. This was one of many times were I pictured the course lined with screaming “fans” and I got goose bumps all throughout my body. As I did the out and back on Mirror Lake Dr. I gave a shout out to Mike and decided to do another six miles on the course. Even though I wasn’t in the best form running those last three miles or so I couldn’t stop thinking about how in three weeks I will be here doing the real thing. Two thousand plus people and I will be trudging along the course all with one goal in mind. To get to that line and to get there as fast as you possibly can.
I learned a lot these past two days. Sure I learned more than how tough the course is or when to push and when not to push, but the big thing I learned was to never give up even when the going gets tough. I have put in countless hours of training to get to the point where I am right now. Even though it hasn’t always been easy, I wouldn’t trade the past eight months for anything. It has been a journey that I honestly may never experience again in my life. I’m not saying I’ll never do an Ironman again, I can promise that in 2011 “Ironman __________” will not appear on my race schedule. I know one thing for sure is I could not have done this without the support of my parents, friends and Catherine. I can’t wait until I get to share this race with them July 25th. I hope once I cross that finish line it will be a minor payment of all the hell I have put them through for the past eight months. In the end I cannot wait until I step foot in Mirror Lake race morning. It is going to be an experience I’ll never forget.

Why I am doing an Ironman

Answering the question "Why are you doing an Ironman?" has been asked frequently throughout the past six months. Up to today I have always given the answer it's just something I want to do before I croak. I put it on my bucket list and I figured 2010 was my year to tackle the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a marathon to top it off. I wasn't waiting any longer. I had made up my mind last July to sign up and I was sticking to my decision no matter what.
Two days ago I went out to dinner with Mike and Sean, something we hadn't done in ages. When Sean asked "What do you do while you ride your bike for that long?" I simply said "Ponder my thoughts." I literally think about everything and anything. You name it I have probably thought about from now until when I first started training for my first triathlon. If I have nothing else to think about, I let my mind wander elsewhere. Maybe that's why I got hit by a dog last week; I just wasn't paying attention. Doubt it. I hate that damn dog. Sorry, back to the topic of discussion.
I woke up bright and early Saturday morning just like every other Saturday morning to get in my long ride. I had 80-85 miles planned for the day followed by a 5k run. I prepped the new rig with water bottles, food, and a credit card, got bundled up with layers upon layers of clothing. I set out to ride, made it about 2 miles and realized there is no way I would be able to do this. I couldn't feel my face within ten minutes of the ride and decided to move this ordeal inside on the trainer. This was the last thing I wanted to do today. So I set up fort and set sail for the next four hours. I tweeted, checked facebook, texted Mike and Catherine, listened to tunes, watched the 2009 Ironman World Championships, and thought about the question of "WHY am I doing Ironmn?".
At first I just figured it was the natural progression of any triathlete; Sprint Half, Ironman(never did and Olympic). I felt I was physically and mentally ready to train and prepare for the 140.6 slogfest in Lake Placid. I then started to think about everything that is going into the race. My family, friends, girlfriend, past teachers, present teachers, the sponsors who have trusted me to do race and do well throughout the 2010 season, and ten thousand of people who I have never meet in my life are all coming to watch. The sacrifices in which they make day in and day out to let me train, the money my parents have invested in the accommodations for the days before and after the race. The travel cost and flexibility of everyone working the race into their schedules. I am not doing this race for me; I'm doing this race for everyone who has supported me for the past three years. I then started to think about what it has taken me to get where I am.
I was in my junior year of high school when it all began. Needless to say I was never the most fit kid in my class. Sure I played sports, and was always active, but when you have a mom like mine there is no chance of going to bed hungry. Eating cookie after cookie, I became quite the heffer. After sitting around the campfire one fall night my dad's friend, Henry, was talking about all the marathons he had ran over the past years. I sat there thinking "Ha yeah 26.2...of running!?!?! not happening" Until that one day after the last day of soccer I just kept running, no not like Forest Gump, but I ran everyday for the next year. It may have only been 2-3 miles, but sure enough it was a start. Now to this day everyone thinks I started losing weight for a specific girl, but I can assure you it was not the reason for the change. Believe it or not it was one random day when I was watching the movie Gease when I realized it was time to get my fat ass in shape. I worked hard on eating the right things, exercised daily and the pounds began to wear away. After six months had passed I lost seventy pounds and was the lightest I had been in probabaly ten years. Now I was also one of those "funny fat kids", so I was determined to be the same person as I was before. I had no desire to change who I was on the inside. I still had a desire to be the "funny skinny kid." To the best of my knowledge I think I am still the same person I was all of five years ago.

I sit here typing this five years later and realized that to me, finishing the Ironman will be more than crossing a line in the road, it will be the final straw to show I have made a complete 360 degree turn with my lifestyle. From not being able to run two consecutive miles, to being able to swim, biking and running 140.6 would be the ultimate cherry on top of the sundae(and everyone knows I LOVE ice cream). I am going to line up July 25th in Mirror Lake with one goal in mind. To get to the finish line not only for myself, but for everyone who has been there for me each and every day. Sure I am the one who logs all the miles in the pool or on the road, but it's those who give the motivation to me when I just feel like laying on the couch doing nothing. Those who tell me I'm "good" when I know I am far from it. I may be the one doing the race, and the bib may say my name, but I every step I take on July 25th is for my support system. Without them I wouldnt be nearly as far along in triathlon as I am today.

Ironman Lake Placid 2010 Goals

Ironman Lake Placid 2010 Goals
Family & Friends
Maintain a healthy relationship with girlfriend (If I have one)
Make family time at least twice a week
Help out Mom, Dad, Sister and grandparents when asked too
Hang out with friends at least twice a week
Attempt to stay out late once a week with friends
Don’t talk about Ironman/training unless asked about it

School
Finish ALL work on time and make sure it’s well done
Do work any chance possible even if it’s due down the road
Main focus is still school; get good grades
Study just as hard as I would train
Go out and enjoy being a college student once or twice a month
Converse with roommates daily
Take 15-45 minute naps daily
Life
Work 25-35 hours a week
Get a good night’s rest at least 4 days a week
Plan big training days around family/friend special events
Focus on doing the most possible in the least amount of time
EAT HEALTHY!



Ironman Lake Placid 2010 Training
What to focus on:
• Improve swim time/stroke (UB Masters Swim)
• Swim with Brockport swimmers while at school (Cailey)
• Possibly take a swim class here at Brockport
• Stay consistent on bike training. (4-5 days a week)
• Hit 3-4 high mileage weeks prior to taper
• Hill train 2 times a week (2-4hrs long minimum)
• Hit three 100 mile rides and two 110-125
• Work on nutrition on the longer rides
• Have 3-4 long runs 19-22 miles
• Have a big run mileage week 4 weeks out from race
• Hill/Interval train once a week
• Work on nutrition while on long runs
• Run with Aaron Foote or Cerny whenever possible
• Make at least one trip to train at Lake Placid
Ironman Goals:
• FINISH
• Go easy on the first 10 minutes of the swim; don’t freak out.
• Be confident in the training I’ve put in up until the race
• Enjoy the day
• Focus, don’t dwell over the things you cannot control (i.e. weather)
• Thank Family Members and friends who have sacrificed just as much as I have
• Thank Volunteers

Back At It

Early morning's, unlimited food, and countless hours of sweating, smelling, and repeating. If you're thinking about an early rendezvous with your significant other, I'm sorry to say; you're wrong. Instead of burning calories rough housing with your women, it's training for Ironman Lake Placid and I'm back at it harder than ever. The daunting thought of swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112, and running a full marathon rings through my head daily if not hourly. Sure some people don't support the idea, but the people that mean the most to me, back me 100% and to have that support is unbelievable. There is also a new support crew out there with Catherine Horan. Everyone I have talked to they state having a girlfriend (or wife) and training for an Ironman can be one of the toughest things someone can do. Yet I am bound to make it work, and she lets me train whenever I want and does support me, well at least I think so. Hey, she hasn't dumped me yet so I must be doing something right.
Recently my (entire) family just rented out a seven bedroom, three floor mansion in Lake Placid and will be there for Ironman weekend routing and cheering me on for the entire "race". There has also been talk about my friends coming to support me that weekend which will probably make me the athlete whose cheering section is the loudest and biggest. Out of all of the chaos I think not wasting my energy picking on Mike will be the hardest. Though he may enjoy the time off, he is completely mistaking if he thinks he's going to get away scotch free that weekend. I always have energy to rattle the cage with you boy. So building up to the race, I know that there are people back home routing for me day in and day out. To me, this is all the motivation I need to get up and swim bike run everyday.

Since the beginning of 2010 a lot of things have been happening to lead up to where we are today. Landing a few sponsorships for the 2010 Triathlon season, I have something more to race for other than myself. Something is telling me this is where I should insert a plug for my sponsors. Tri Spot, triathlete or not, go there it will blow your mind. This store is like no other in the Northeast and the employee's there and top notch. They will help you with any questions you may contain and point you into the right direction. Now that I have committed to the team, it's easy to say I am probably the least experienced and "weakest" on the male side of things. The males on this team are all Ironman vets and have shown to be the best at every race they have entered. Needless to say I have a lot of work to do. I better stop drinking beer on the weekends...that may be tough. How else am I suppose to see Gwii without his shirt on, or break Sean's limited edition Coke glass? For all of those ladies that do care, Gwii does in fact have a full head of hair...on his chest. (Dont kill me Gwiisome chicks dig the chest hair).

Onward march to Brockport and it's doings. Typical sights and sounds here at the port. I'm pretty sure we are the only school the celebrates national squrriel day. That's our claim to fame, having massive amounts of squrriels roaming our campus, oh and having the highest STD rate. There is faulty data though from other schools so it is not a distiguished difference between schools. Other than that it's the same old school with the same old weekend parties in which the cops will bust in the matter of minutes. So on that note, stay well, be safe and enjoy yourself.