Big Training Block

I haven't posted anything in awhile, so I thought  I would take a chance to talk about my most recent training block during the month of January and early February. This was my biggest base period ever, and encompassed all three sports fairly evenly. I firmly believe a huge base will get you 90% of the way to your potential, and is completely necessary if you want to sustain a triathlon season from March until October!

Some of my personal obstacles during a huge block like this include the affinity I have to over- train. I will admit, I am easily caught up in huge numbers, and have worked toward breaking that problem. During my sophomore season of track (2011), I did not race to my potential because I was too concerned with 100- mile weeks, and not resting up for races. I am trying to accommodate this by taking serious down weeks every 3-4 weeks. Here are some examples of my winter workouts. You can feel free to message me if you have any questions on training for triathlon.

The swim: During January, my goal was to get myself as close as I could to where I was when I quit swimming at age 17. I managed to average 25K/week in the pool. I absolutely am not a fan of swimming alone, but most of this yardage was logged solo. When I did get the chance to swim with a masters group on the occasional Saturday morning, I was able to throw down a 3:09 300 free at the end of a 4k long practice. Competition really makes it so much easier. I believe I am getting close to my high school self, when I could break 5:00 for the 500. I attribute this to a leap I made in terms of making much more of my yardage quality at a 1:10 pace/100 for shorter stuff or up to 1:15 for 1500 repeats (which also help mentally). I put a lot of emphasis on stroke technique during the summer (and also maxed out around 13K for swimming). Both the increase in volume and intensity has helped my swim a lot.

The Bike: I realized last year that biking was my weakness (which made sense since it was the only sport I hadn't done extensively before). By the end of the season, I could time trial pretty well as shown at AG nationals and Nation's Triathlon, but my ITU opener was lackluster in the bike leg (as well as the broken wrist!). To address these, I have tried to log upwards of 200 miles/week on the bike keeping 2 days higher quality and a longer 3-4 hour ride on weekends. I try to ride with groups as often as possible for ITU simulations, but it is tough in Delaware as a lot of people go indoors for the winter. I am much happier with my bike fitness and bike handling at this point then ever before.

The run: This has been going great for me. I averaged 66 miles/week during January, and consistently had 2 hard days/week plus a long run of 15-17 miles. I was able to run a great bike/run brick session with the hard run segments being 2 miles, 1 mile, 1 mile, 1 mile and keep them all below 5:10 pace, and all the miles at least 5 minute pace. This bodes well for me as I haven't done a lot of specificity below 5 minute pace. I have some time to address the speed, which is something I always have had to work on. I am excited to run off the bike in Clermont in 2 weeks and put up a great race.

Also, I came across this video recently from my first (and last) conference cross country race I am in the white Delaware singlet with Blue shorts in the lead group (for the first 3 of 4 laps):

A few cool things

The past week has been a whirlwind for me, but in a great way. It started out when Triathlete.com magazine asked to have an interview with me. They published it online the following week, and can be found at this link. Triathlete.com

I also had a friend, teammate, and fellow runner, Mark Hannagan make a "how to" movie for his photography class. He used me as the 'talent' for a how to train for triathlon video. It is really well done especially considering it's his first video.


How to Train like a Professional Triathlete from ART 280 Video Site on Vimeo.


Lastly, I acquired a number of new sponsors, all listed in the post below. I am extremely grateful to all of these fantastic companies, and am honored to align myself with them.

New Sponsors for 2012

I am very pleased, honored, and excited to announce that I will be working with Power Bar, CycleOps and Kiwami this upcoming season. The final logistics are still being finalized, but I am excited to use CycleOps power tools, including their new heart rate based power meter. Also, I have competed in the Kiwami Amphibian suit, which is an incredibly fast suit. I am very excited to be partnering with these two excellent companies. For anybody that knows me, I eat a lot, and love power bars, so it only made sense to work with Power Bar team elite for the next two years!

Also, a local law firm, Bifferato Gentilotti Law will be a chief financial sponsor for the coming year. I am working hard to be the best at triathlon, and they are the some of the best attourneys in town. I am so ever grateful for their help, as it is impossible to get into triathlon without financial help. In addition to this law firm, I have Delaware Orthopaedic Specialists financially backing me. Dr. Townsend, at Delaware Ortho, was the doctor that performed the surgery to fix my wrist. i am deeply grateful for both these companies.
I am also greatly thankful for personal friends that have provided support to me in any shape. I cannot begin to thank them enough!

Bifferato Gentilotti Law Firm

www.cycleops.com

http://www.kiwamitriathlon.com/

Icicle 10 Miler

This morning I made my 2012 race debut! It was a fun 10 mile race called the PSIC Icicle 10 Miler, and I went to the race with my training partner, Andy Weaver. The course is one of the hilliest in Delaware, http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=2114
and it tends to fall on the coldest and windiest day all year! This was no disappointment to the rough conditions. Race time temperature was 22 degrees and swirling winds.
 Below is my race report for the race and will have more pictures to come.

Registering bright and early

Deej, Weaver, and myself at 1 mile (4:57 downhill)

2 mile shake out at 6:10 with Weaver, 2 mile warm up, some drills, 3 minutes at tempo effort about 10 minutes before the gun.


Deej took the first 2 miles out hard. I felt comfortable, but was weary as I've never raced 10 miles before. He would surge downhills and my quads (and downhill form) were not happy. He and Weaver gapped me during the very uphill 4th mile, I just lost concentration, and they were up the road. Didn't let them slip away, and kept them in sight for most of the run. Was 20 seconds down to 
Deej at 7 miles and 40 to Weaver. The last 2 miles were screaming downhill except this awful hill right before the finish. Happy with the overall result, stayed in the race after being dropped and never gave up. The last 2 miles could have been better- never have been a great downhill runner and these 2 definitely revealed that weakness. 

Weaver and myself Post Race w/ awards

 from PSIC

Cooled down a VERY slow 20 minutes after. DRC racing team swept 1-4 spots on the podium and the top 3 all broke the existing course record of 54:03. Splits:
4:57
5:18
5:23
5:37
5:32= (26:44 half way)
5:24
5:14
5:25
5:195:35= 53:52


After the race, I slept awhile and headed to the pool for 5.5K at night. I was happy with this season opener, and excited to get back to racing especially after watching the Olympic Trials marathon yesterday. Will need a lot of time on the trigger point therapy grid/recovery kit as well as zoot recovery tights to get back at training tomorrow!

Goals

I wanted to take some time to hash out my short and long term goals as well as detail some of this month's training.

Short term: The upcoming season I have several realistic goals.
1. Qualify for World University Games, Top 8 finish at the games
2. Win Collegiate Nationals (April, Alabama)
3. Win U23 Nationals (Buffalo, NY in September)
4. Qualify for, and top 10 finish at U23 Worlds (October, New Zealand)
5. Qualify for Project 2016

Long Term
1. Make 2016 Olympic Team
2. Race the pro race at Kona
3. Be a top short course and long course triathlete in the world by 2017

With lofty goals, one needs to couple arduous training and strict discipline. This means what an athlete does all day matters- not just their workouts. Going to bed at 10 pm on a Friday night because you have a hard Saturday morning workout is often required. Such is the price to be a top athlete, but it is not a hard price if you keep your goals in mind.

The training I have been doing this month has been geared for building a huge base in the pool, in the saddle, and on the run. During The first three week in December, I have been fortunate enough to run with former XC runners at UD, and have consistently logged 60+ mpw. I have included some longer, steady runs such as 10 milers in 58 minutes just focusing on working hard, as well as a hill workout where I do 10 hill repeats up a .35 mile hill. This leaves me and my workout partner Andy Weaver running 7 miles up and down a 6% grade hill (tough mentally and physically). There are also the requisite 17- 20 mile long runs that help physically and mentally.  In the pool, I have been 23,000 plus yards each week and have thrown in some harder swims such as a 500 from a push mid practice in 5:43 and a sub 5:00 400 IM. I am logging 8-12 hours on the bike trainer per week in 5-6 sessions. I will be able to venture outside soon when my wrist is fully healed, but right now I feel as though I am in great shape from my CycleOps magnetic trainer. I have been seeing some threads on message boards about collegiate nationals in 17 weeks, and all I can say is that I am excited to race after my first winter of swimming/biking.

I will be doing a low key race in January, a 10 miler on a hilly course. I will follow up with an indoor 5k, then Clermont ITU sprint championships. I can start to begin feeling races coming up and it makes me ready to go.

I would also like to thank DogFish Head brewing company for giving me some training/racing gear for the 2012 season. They are a local brewery that is now internationally recognized. I am truly thankful for their support! Happy Holidays to all those out there, remember champions are made in the off season!

College Living

Today's topic is somewhat tangential, but I thought I'd take a minute to describe the glamorous life of a pro triathlete living and training in college. First off when I say pro, I have earned my pro license, and intend on training full time post collegiality, but I am not referring to some 252 million dollar contract.. ahem should have become a baseball player... only kidding. Most pro triathletes are not making a huge living but we do pursue this sport because we love it and have immense passion for advancing it. I truly can say I love triathlon, and this passion is what wakes me up in the morning to get a swim/bike/run in before class even when the house is cold (more on that later).

Since I am in college (should be finishing up a year from now and graduate a semester early), I often fit training around a long day of classes and tests. My degree will be in Kinesiology and applied physiology with minors in Chemistry and Spanish with ultimate aspirations of going to med school.. that is after making the US Olympic team.  Taking Monday, December 5th for example, I had class from 9:05 until 11, then again from 2:30 until 3:30. During that day, I ran 10 miles in about 60 minutes before class, managed 4500 yards swimming at lunch, and then 2 hours on the bike trainer after my class at 3:30. Doesn't leave a lot of time for recovery, but all the running around makes an athlete mentally tough! Also, living the college lifestyle is sometimes funny. For instance, the heater in my house has been broken...for one week. The ambient temperature in the house hovers around a cozy 45 degrees and dropping. One positive thing about this is my roommates don't mind my indoor trainer rides because it warms the air a little bit! All of these little "blips" could hinder some athletes' training, but it adds character I think. Some other funny instances that surround my particular college town include a man being sighted running around with nothing but a flannel shirt on! I also live next to a fraternity that gives me a lot of odd looks when I'm biking on the trainer on our porch at 7:00 AM after they were partying all night and still awake! These are some funny instances and times that I would not change for the world. Also, the camaraderie of living with runners (and former teammates) is something I believe a lot of triathletes don't get a chance to do later in life.

Anyway, it is time to study some more for finals, I hope you enjoyed some of my life schedule. Happy Training!

2012 Race Schedule

Here is my tentative schedule for racing tri's in 2012. Some of the races will depend on funding to travel to them, and I may have the opportunity to extend the season after October, but will not know until later. I am looking to finish my undergraduate studies next fall, so I may have to take some time to finish the requisite credits.
About the races, I am excited to race collegiate tri nationals and a REV3 race as I have heard great things about both races. I am looking to race as many ITU races as possible so I will travel to Clermont, Fl; Dallas, TX; Magog, Canada; Kewlona, Canada; and Buffalo, NY. Upon qualification, I will be racing World University Games in Taiwan, which will be my mid season big race in late June. Also pending qualification, I will race U23 world championships in New Zealand in October. I will also be doing 4-5 local races in the Piranha Race Series, where I will be looking to help out a local Tri team, Brick's Multisport, earn some points to earn the team title. the winner of the series is also awarded some money, which will help to fund some of my travel! I listed 5-6 of the races in the series (with * to denote that I won't be able to do all of them).

3/3/12	Claremont ITU	Sprint
4/21/12	Collegiate Nationals	Olympic
5/8/12	Rev3 Knoxville	Olympic
5/20/12	Escape from DE*	Olympic
6/3/12	Dallas Cont. Cup	Olympic
6/9/12	Lavalove Triathlon	Sprint
6/17/12	Washington DC 5150	Olympic
6/24/12	Philly Tri	Olympic
6/30/12	World University Games	Olympic
7/15/12	Magog Cont. Cup	Olympic
7/27/12	Pittsburgh tri*	Olympic
8/19/12	Lums Pond*	sprint
8/19/12	Kewlona	Olympic
9/15/12	Buffalo Cont. Cup	Olympic
9/16/12	Marshman*	Sprint
10/14/12	Cape henlopen*	Sprint
10/22/12	U23 World Champs	Olympic