"Dapper" Pete Curtin

On October 10th, Pete Curtin, one of my closest friends, collapsed while racing the Baltimore Marathon and later died. Words cannot begin to describe the calibre of Pete's character, but suffice to say this could not have happened to a nicer guy. I am better for having known him and cannot imagine this world without him.

Dapper,
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Rest well, my friend.

Race Report #9: Montauk MightyMan 70.3

They say a picture speaks a thousand words. Well, in this case, it really doesn't. This year's MightyMan was the best race that I've ever had. Hands down. And here's what I looked like after it:



(For those who want to skip the boring stuff and get to the real story, jump to the run section of this report... yes, the run, not the bike.)

From January 2nd onward--the 1st wasn't all that pretty--my year has been all about Ironman Arizona. I want to go out there, give it everything I have and, in my last year of M18-24, hopefully qualify for Kona. Anyone who sets Hawaii as their end goal has to put in the effort, so I haven't by any means done anything special. But, this year I've started working with a coach, focused on consistency and technique and have cleaned up my nutrition--I feel like a real athlete for the first time in my life.

Unfortunately, my race results so far this season haven't really pointed to much progress. I've had some decent road races, but my performance at the Jerseyman 70.3 in April was sub-par (see: 30 minutes roadside because of a very stupid setup for my spare tube, followed by a crappy run) and my one Olympic race this summer wasn't anything to write home about.

Enter, the Montauk Mightyman. My goal last weekend was to wrap up four hard weeks of training with a solid race, then recover this week and prepare to be crushed for a few more weeks before Arizona taper. I've spent a fair amount of my training this summer and fall focusing on race execution: attacking the beginning of the swim, controlling my power on the bike, setting a reasonable but aggressive run pace. This race was going to be the test and, if everything went well, I'd have a little boost of confidence headed into my A race.

I'll try to keep the details short (seeing as my preface is already too long).

Pre-Race:
- Woke up earlier than usual and got down more calories than usual--this ended up working out really nicely and I felt fresher and more charged to go when the race started

Swim:
- Headed out in the first wave and really tried to attack the first 500 m.
- Despite being a mediocre swimmer, this technique really helped me out and I was able to catch a good draft group from 400-1700m--this was a first!
- Lost the draft in the last 200m because it got a little fast--in retrospect I should've probably surged with them.
- Came out around 31 minutes... nothing amazing but pretty solid for me.

Bike:
- Coming out of the water near the leaders was a huge boost for the beginning of the bike.
- As per Coach, I pushed hard for the first 15 minutes and then settled into a rhythm.
- Managed to pace with a group of about 4 guys and at every turn around I marked the race leader and age group leader's splits. I've never focused on strategy like this but it really helped to pass the time and keep me focused.
- The pace group I had started to get a little hot and they definitely started drafting--every time I passed them, they'd settle in right behind me and eventually pass and force me to either drop power or end up in a drafting position. It was really frustrating but good practice for the tightness of biking on an MDot Ironman course... In the future, I think I'll try to surge a bit to open up a little gap.
- I reeled in my age group leader (a Princeton buddy and D1 swimmer) from about 7 minutes down to 1 or 2 minutes.
- Got off the bike feeling fresher than usual and my power had been pretty consistent. ~2:34--not bad given how hilly the course was.

Run:
- "Wow!" That's all I can say. Came off the bike and immediately settled into 6:40/mi. I couldn't believe it. It didn't even feel fast. For reference, I am used to getting off the bike and being sluggish and having to struggle to work up a mediocre pace.
- Spent 3 miles trying to slow down to 7:00/mi but everything just felt good and given how short the race was, I figured I might as well take some risks and hold on.
- Rolled through "murder hill" and it definitely hurt but I felt good... The AG leader was only about 1 minute up on me and I was closing now! If things went well, I was on track to win my age group and finish around 3:38-3:39--amazing for me!
- Everything was working out perfectly. My swim was strong, my bike was tactical and I was cruising on the run.

And Then...
WHAM! SMACK! BOOM! WAPPO! It was an episode of Batman but worse. Somehow, a cyclist heading into T2 at about 25mph down a hill swerved into the run course and nailed me. All of a sudden I was down on the ground trying to figure out what happened. I'm not sure if I blacked out, but when I got my wits about me I started yelling for help. Once I was sure I was ok, I just started yelling at the cyclist to see if he was all good. He was out cold. Shortly afterward, we were surrounded by firefighters and paramedics. The biker was so bad that they didn't even realize I was down.

I spent about 5 minutes on the ground and then tried to get up. Legs were ok but my side hurt a lot and there was a fair amount of blood coming out of my elbow. A race official told me that an ambulance was on its way to get the cyclist and then they'd get one for me. At that point, I assumed that I was going to be pulled off the course but I figured why not ask if I could finish... I mean the race was going so well, I wasn't dead and only a few people had passed me...
Me: "Can I keep going?"
Her: "You want to keep going?"
Me: (I don't know if I want to keep going...) "Well, can I?"
Her: "Your back is pretty torn up."
Me: (My back is torn up? I only thought my elbow was bad.) "Well, can I?"
Her: "Umm, I guess, but you really need to see medical as soon as you're done."

I'm not sure what compelled me to do it, but I gave her a hug and thanked her for letting me keep racing--she looked at me like I was nuts.. And then I was off. The next few miles are a blur... This other athlete Jamie had seen me get up and decided to run with me. He was far out in the lead for M40-45 and didn't mind sticking with me. Anyway, around mile 10 I came out of my haze and started to feel the effects of the crash. The body hurt but I wasn't tired... if anything, I was just frustrated with myself for not having the heart to give more.

Jamie and I jogged through the second loop--I think we held 7:45-8:00/mi but I'm not sure. The two of us chatted about racing and our coaches and our jobs. And then, around mile 11, I looked at him and said, "You know, I'm really starting to hurt... I wouldn't have had it in me to finish this if you hadn't stuck with me." He smiled and said that he had done his best to keep my mind off the crash and hoped it hadn't been too bad. I told him to go on and finish up without me and that I'd just roll in, but he insisted that we cross together. So we dropped the pace back down and wrapped it up. We hit the tape at 4:48. He had won his age group and I still managed to pull 3rd. Oh, and I PRed by 43 minutes.

Afterward:
Once I had had the chance to thank Jamie and catch up with my Princeton buddy (who ended up winning M18-24), I headed to the medical tent. They doused me in hydrogen peroxide and then sent me to the ambulance to get fixed up. Turns out I was worse than I had realized. My side ached a bit and they told me that I had probably bruised my ribs and should go to the hospital. Of course, being an intelligent M18-24, I brushed off that advice and just got checked out by Sean's dad later on in the day. They also told me that the cyclist who had hit me was in the hospital and may have broken his hip. Poor guy--what a crappy way to end your day!

After cleaning up, I headed back to the finish to watch a bunch of SBR folk come in. Andre cruised through with a really solid finish--he's all set for Arizona! I met a newer member of the team, Kevin, and I also got to see Sean and Peter finish their first halfs. MightyMan was my first long-course race and it was really special to be their to share in their days. A few tears to add to my blood and sweat?

A week later, my body is feeling pretty good. Road rash is healing, my elbow has closed up and my ribs feel much better. I'm about to settle in for 3 brutal weeks of training and then it's taper. Time to go get some in Arizona!

A quick but important set of shout-outs.
Jamie: You made those 7 miles fly by. Couldn't have finished without you.
Sean and Jack: Really appreciate you getting me to and from the race and giving me a place to crash. Was awesome to be out there racing with you.
D'Ambro: Way to crush your first half and take 1st!
All the other SBR finishers: You guys looked awesome and really represented the team well.
My coach, Alex: All I can say is that your program is magic. Really pumped for the last 6 weeks of the season.
All my training buddies: You've had to put up with me obsessing over and worrying about Arizona for 10 months... Well, I'm finally starting to feel ready. Thanks for all the support this season and for some really good times.
And of course, unnamed cyclist who crashed: Sorry that your day had to end like it did... Shit happens--I hope you heal up quickly.

A little road rash

I'll have a race report up soon, but just a little preview of this year's Montauk Mightyman...

At least I still had a smile after it was all said and done...

Race Report #8: New York City Half Marathon

A few months back, I signed up to do the NYC Half with my buddy Clarke. It was going to be his first half marathon and he was pretty excited to train up for it. We did one or two practice runs together and I could really tell that he was taking it seriously which was pretty cool to see.

As the race approached, my coach Alex and I talked and decided that it was ok for me to run it provided that I throw in a little mileage at the end and didn't lay down a race effort. So, the plan was to put down a soid 90- to 100-mile ride and short run on Saturday and then just treat the half marathon like a supported Sunday long run. I could get a mile or two in after finishing and, hopefully, still catch Clarke's finish.

Race weekend, it was very hot and very humid! I put down a solid effort on the bike on Saturday but was completely wiped in the afternoon from dehydration and too much sun. When I woke up Sunday, I still felt pretty crappy from the day before and would have rather waited to run a little later in the day. In the end, doing the race worked out for the best because it allowed me to get my training in before it got really hot.

I corralled up around 6:45 and started the race with my buddy Michael. Around the 6-mile mark we came across a pro passed out on the side of the road... that's when I started to realize how hot it was. As we exited Central Park, Michael was feeling really good and I didn't want to push things so I let him take off.

Once out of the Park, we go to cruise down 7th Avenue through Times Square. What an experience! It was completely empty save for runners and you just flew through Midtown.

When I hit the West Side for the last 4 miles of the race, the heat started to get to me and I felt the fatigue form the previous day. At that point, I just cruised to the end and finished easy. There were no chips but by my watch I ran about 1:37.

After getting a little water and food, I jogged back down the course to watch Clarke finish. As he came in, I jumped back on the course and sprinted to the line with him. He had a solid finish of about 1:49--not bad for his first race!

After a little cooldown, Clarke and I met up with his girlfriend and headed home for a snack, coffee and (eventually) a beer. Not a bad start to a Sunday.

Some pictures from the race.

Cruising through Times Square. Streets are completely empty save for runners.

Coming in for the finish.

Crossing the line.

Training update

Just about a month ago, I took a look at the calendar and realized that I was just over four months out from Ironman Arizona. I've been doing a solid amount of training and racing since mid-January, but now is the time to really dig in and start prepping specifically for my biggest race of the season.

From my experience last year, I don't think it is possible to successfully train for an Ironman for a full year--you lose focus and motivation. Not to say that you shouldn't be training, but more that you should train and race and have some fun and then firmly dig in once the Ironman is on a more immediate horizon.

Anyway, had hit a bit of a plateau in my performance and really wanted to give this race my all, so I spoke to a few friends and decided to put myself under a formal coaching program. After chatting with my teammate Jason--who, as an aside, just qualified for the Ironman World Championships--I decided to see if his coach Alex McDonald would take me on. Alex raced as a top-notch age grouper (winning Ironman Lake Placid for age group men back a few years ago) and he is now racing as a pro.

Alex and I spoke a number of times and it really seemed like his attitude and approach to training and racing was perfect for me. He's all about consistency, working hard (but smart) and really not overdoing intensity. Why train at 5km pace / crit pace / do 800 repeats, if you're going to be out on a course for 9, 10, 11, etc. hours?!

Anyway, after a month of working with Alex, I'm already seeing huge improvements. I feel healthier and more rested despite maintaining a high volume. I hurt less, feel fresher during my workouts and am no longer stressing out about organizing a training plan. It's interesting, working with a coach, I feel less brutalized and more rested yet I am getting faster. Who would have thought!

Anyway, looking forward to a solid four more months of training and seeing how this season will work out! More to come.

Race Report #7: New Jersey State Triathlon

New Jersey State has become a staple of every season for me. It was my first triathlon and I've raced it ever since.

It wasn't really an A priority event but I was hoping to continue my finish time's 3-year downward trend.

Back in December, my dad signed up with me--this would be his first triathlon ever. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to end up joining which was a really, really big bummer. He had trained really hard (especially on the swim) and I was incredibly proud of him. Hopefully, we'll get to race together sometime soon--maybe even back in Canada.

Given that my dad wasn't going to be there and that this wasn't an A priority, I simply hoped to continue my finish time's 3-year downward trend.

Prep
On Saturday, I met up with my buddy Sean--a recent Princeton grad who was going to be racing NJ State as his first triathlon. We tore our bikes apart and cleaned them completely up like new. I also threw on some race wheels for flare points. My roommate, Nando, required that we take a "sun's out, gun's out" shot before we headed out.






Jumped the train down to Princeton and, for the first time ever, people didn't seem to mind that we took up a bunch of space with our bikes. Sean's brother was a huge help and he picked us up at the train station and loaned us his car for the weekend. Made everything so much easier.



The rest of Saturday was spent with the usual more-time-consuming-than-expected-pre-race protocols: check-in, driving the course, getting nutrition ready and doing an easy spin on the bike. Was fun to head out on the bike and check out some old haunts that Sean and I had ridden back in school. We opened up a few times on the ride and I definitely felt nice and fresh from taper.

Saturday evening, we grabbed dinner in Princeton with Sean's brother and my buddy Ben. Ben's currently training to get back into the NFL and his first comment upon seeing my "gross skinny ass" was that I needed to eat a sandwich. After dinner, Sean and I made a few final preparations at our hotel and passed out.

The Race
We were up at 5AM sharp. At this point, we were both getting a little nervous--Sean for his first race and me for an improved finish on last year. The drive into Mercer County Park was plagued with triathlete traffic (as usual) and we barely had enough time to get into transition. Once we were all setup and had scouted the competition--Sean was there to beat the snot out of his brother's roommate, another first time triathlon--we headed back to the car to relax. Unfortunately, the Sprint waves all leave ahead of the Olympic racers so we had over an hour to kill. As we relaxed, stretched and warmed up, the temperature and humidity started to climb and climb.

The Swim
Usually, NJ State is not a wetsuit legal race (since the temperature is usually in the 80s). This year, with the cold summer we've had, the water was spot on 78F which made is just legal. In retrospect, I made the stupid move of using a wetsuit with the mindset that "if you can wear one, you should." (Wetsuits significantly increase buoyancy and really speed you up.)



As we got into the water, Sean and I wished each other good luck and then we were off. The first part of the swim went well. I opened up hard to avoid getting caught between swimmers like I had at the Jerseyman. I quickly found my rhythm and things seemed solid. I have worked hard on my swim the past two months and was glad that things were going nicely. Halfway through, though, I started to feel really warm... The water wasn't nearly cold enough for a wetsuit and heat was just getting trapped right next to me. Every time I hit a cold pool of water, I would cool down slightly, but in general I just got hotter and hotter. I felt nauseous and a little woozy. I sprinted the final 400m just so that I could get out of the suit. As I exited the water, I was a bit faint, but I just tore the wetsuit off and bolted.

As I ran through transition I checked my watch. I swam a 27:00 which was a great swim for me--check! I also had a heartrate of 182bpm probably due to the intense heat in the wetsuit--check minus....

The Bike
I did transition as fast as possible but my heartrate kept me from flying through. Once I mounted my bike, I threw down some water (knowing I was going to be hurting from the hot swim). I quickly found my cadence and started flying by fellow racers. The bike is always a strong point for me and a good chance to catch up with stronger swimmers. My race wheels felt great and the whooshing noise they make added to my sense of confidence.

There were a lot of turns, but I took them well and pumped a bit out of the saddle to get back up to speed. At one point, I saw a guy take a turn way too fast and bite it. It was gnarly... you could hear his helmet smack the ground. Sucks a lot.









As I wrapped up the bike, I was happy with my pace and was feeling strong. My heartrate had been significantly higher than normal but I figured that this was just due to the heat.

The Run
As I ran through transition, I saw my teammate Nate who had won his age group in the Sprint race. He cheered me on as I took off. The first 3 miles of the run were solid and I held a decent pace. I could tell that the temperature was really starting to climb but felt pretty good.

As I hit mile 4, things started to go bad... and quickly. The temperature climbed and my right quad started to cramp up. As long as I kept moving it was fine, but I could tell I was short on fluids and salt. Of course, the next thing to happen was for my heartrate to skyrocket. By 4 miles, my heartrate was firmly set at 183. (I normally race an Olympic around 172.) I slowed a bit but just couldn't get it to come down. My legs felt fine but I was just dying inside. I doused myself in water at the aid stations and guzzled as much Heed as I could but things just wouldn't get better. I dropped my pace completely and just plodded through miles 4.5-5.5. It was miserable, I was light-headed and of course I was starting to doubt my fitness: "This is just an Olympic.... I'm doing an Ironman in 4 months, get better!" My heartrate came down a bit during this slowdown and I was able to do a decent kick for the finish.


By my watch I finished with a 2:18 which was a course PR for me. Still, I wished that I had gone 2:10.




Sean ended up having a really solid race and finished around 2:45. Not bad at all for a first timer! He had a rough swim, nearly 50 minutes, and was a little bummed out about that. I was pretty impressed because all he has to do now is clean up his swim and he'll have a very solid racing platform.


Lessons Learned

• Wetsuits are meant to keep you warm, not to make you float. So,, wetsuit legal doesn't mean "wear a wetsuit." Temperatures matter a huge amount.
• When it's hot, overhydrate on the bike. I've had minimal heat training this year and have gotten very lazy with my fluids and salt. I need to practice this because it'll be a huge factor in Arizona.
• Olympic races are hard. They may be short, but they hurt.