Full Circle

I feel like a kid again.

I stumbled into the world of triathlon back in 1995 thanks to my love for bike riding, which incidentally came about thanks to a short hiatus in my running "career" (I started running back at the age of 8 or 9). My first real steed was a Trek 950, purchased at Seaside Cycle in Manchester, MA. back in the early winter of 1994. Although I possessed little experience when it came to life on 2 wheels, that didn't stop me from getting hooked on MTB, and shortly thereafter, XC racing. One thing led to the next and before I knew it my bike "collection" had expanded to include my beloved MTB and a left over Specialized Allez road bike (steel). A pair of clip on aero bars followed suit and the rest is history; MTB faded away as I took to the roads and pursued life as a triathlete.

Well, 15 years later and just when I thought the novelty of the multisport "lifestyle" had come to an end, I can emphatically state that I feel like I'm 19 years old all over again (as my friend Julie will attest!). I'm having the time of my life blazing the trails on my Gary Fisher Paragon 29er. Be it a solo night ride with my trusty lighting system or a 2 - 3 hour day light ride with my buddy Eric, I just can't get enough saddle time. I can't remember the last time I actually looked forward to riding my bike in 15 - 20 degree weather, but things have changed ever since purchasing the new bike from Seaside this past Spring.

"Training" as of late has been a real blast and I feel like I've been reconnected with the excitement that got me into multisport to begin with. I'm still plotting my course for next year's event calendar, but I'm certain that it's going to include some off road racing as well as my work on the road. There are a few marathon and ultra MTB events that I'm really looking forward to hitting up next Summer. Although it may be a bit of a deviation from the norm to insert them into the mix, I think that the mental stimulation that will accompany training for and competing in them will help me to stay connected with the "fun factor" that's so easy to lose touch with when you get a little too focused with your training for too long.

In the mean time... check out the video below from the Gary Fisher website as he talks about the 29er design. Having spent a lot of time on 26 inch MTB wheels back in the day, I know full well just how much more effective the big wheels are when handing the rugged NE trails. I'm currently on a hard tail, but with a little luck, I'll be able to pick up a Superfly 100 before I start in with the long 5+ hour rides and ultra MTB events this coming Spring and Summer.

I better start saving my pennies :)

In the mean time, looks like we're going to get slammed with a snow storm tonight, so it'll be back to the treadmill and some hard FT work tomorrow. I hope that the trails don't stay too snowy for long though!

The Struggle

Although "the struggle" to succeed is pretty much behind me now (I've got to admit that I'm pretty damn happy with with the way things stand these days and am more or less fully content across all fronts) I know full well that it's the process of rolling the dice, taking the path less traveled and chasing your dreams that can make life seem both incredibly hard yet incredibly rewarding at the same time. For some, it's the struggle that becomes the addiction... the ultimate high. Aspiring writers, artists, musicians, athletes, coaches, etc. ... they all can relate.

I came across this little gem on Youtube. Cool track by the artist Shing02 that more or less sums up the myriad of emotions that those who aim high and aspire to achieve greatness must deal with on a daily basis.

The Landice L8 Executive Trainer...

..has arrived and I have already started putting this bad boy to good use! Stay tuned to www.landiceblog.com as I document my treadmill based training this winter and provide training tips to beginners and seasoned vets alike.

Grinding It Out

Inspiring... Check out this awesome article/video from the NY Times about Wiens before watching the video below. Goes to show that you can lead a "normal" life while competing at a high level.

New Affiliation

www.landiceblog.com

70.3 World Championship

Another season has just about come to a close (Susanne Navas: You're my last athlete standing in '09 and IM Cozumel is calling!). Michelle and I headed down to Clearwater late last week to support 8 of my athletes who were all competing at the 70.3 World Championship. Once the dust settled, we had a slew of big PRs. Everyone PR'd for that matter and we even secured a podium finish thanks to Crystal Anthony's efforts; 20th woman (including pros)/8th amateur overall. Not too shabby. Crystal had the fastest bike/run combo of all amateurs and one of the fastest of the day compared to the pros too. Nothing new here, as it was the same case when she went top 10 overall/1st overall amateur at Lake Stevens 70.3 this past August.

Michelle posted a nice little weekend recap if you'd like to read more, but it was a great day all around and I had a great time meeting up with everyone. We snapped some nice group pics that I'll post once they're forwarded my way, but in the meantime, here's a nice shot of Crystal and I at the awards ceremony.
As for me, slowly but surely I'm getting back into shape. The gradual increase in training volume and frequency is helping me to shed the 13 pounds I gained during my 5 weeks "off" after Pumpkinman. I'm 34 at the end of this month, so it's time to get r' done next season and step up to the Ironman distance. I'll be working hard this winter, so that extra "chub-chub" around the mid section will provide some much needed insulation when I'm grinding out my long runs and rides in the midst of the oh-so-fun New England winter!

What does a 1:09 Ironman PR look like???

Perfect Pacing + Perfect Nutrition & Hydration = Perfect Performance (with a 7 minute OPEN marathon PR in the process!!!)

Nice work Dawn!

Shout out to Dawn's husband Greg for finishing despite losing nearly 2 hours on the bike (double flat) and to Maris DiTolla - sliced tire at mile 4 of the bike and no way to keep the tube/tire inflated as a result. Neutral support was long gone so she had to walk back to T1 only to be told that her day was done as there was nothing anyone could do to help her.

There will be more Ironman events in your future Maris.

Next Stop: Clearwater Florida. I have 8 athletes racing this weekend. I'm looking forward to getting out of NE for a few days.

How We Roll

One key to long course success is learning how to put your inhibitions aside, roll the dice and simply "Go For It" on race day. For VA based triathlete Joel Myers, who is Clearwater bound and ready to ROLL, this was his idea of an "inhibition reduction session" as (publicly) demonstrated at the Wicked 10k in Virginia Beach last weekend