Greenwich Tri Bike Course Update

For those people racing Greenwich this weekend, the bike course has changed slightly.
Due to Road Construction:
From Valley Road, cyclists will now turn right on Dandy Drive, left on Clover Place, then right on Bible Street.
Cyclists will also detour from Tomac, right on Lockwood, Left on Sound Beach Avenue, then right on Shore Road
& back to the Point.

Ironman Lake Placid

While the rest of my TT buddies have been busy racing this summer (Yoke- 59 races), I have been training for my one "A" race and watching from the sidelines. Weekends when I could have raced sprint and Olympic distance races, I have stayed disciplined and made sure I got in my long rides and runs. The nice thing about racing frequently is that if you don't like your performance, you only need to wait a week or 2 for the next race. This year, all of my proverbial eggs were in 1 basket. I did race the Rev3 Half (and DNF'd after going off course... on the run!), but that was it. After this race, I also had no plans and had not signed up for anything else. So, yes, I was a little nervous going into this race and was definitely pushing in all my chips.

After a stellar tune-up of my Cervelo P2C at TT, my bike and I headed up to LP on Wednesday where I would enjoy time with family and friends in the most spectacular setting anyone can imagine. I felt good race morning and tried to not get bummed or freaked out as the skies opened up around 6:30, a half hour before the race start. Fortunately, the rain was short lived and there was no repeat of the torrential rains from LP08. My swim felt solid and I managed to find some toes to draft now and then. I was out of the water in 57:27 and was feeling pretty good about my start to the day. Once out on the bike, I intended to ride stronger in the beginning then I had at Ironman Arizona as I feel I may have given away too much time to competitors. Well, I may have went a bit too hard on the first loop but was really feeling strong as I came back into town and got huge energy from seeing my wife, kids, parents, and friends. (2:38:41, ) Reality set in on the second loop of the bike. I accidentally threw away my salt tabs at the end of the first loop (don't ask) and also did not plan for the Powerbars on the course to be the 1 ounce, 2 bite, sample sizes. Yikes! Low on nutrition and no salt is not very smart! Also, the wind definitely kicked up a bit on the second loop and I suffered badly over the last 20 miles of the bike. That is a decidely uphill section of the bike and I was getting passed and struggling to find any power. Emotionally, this was definitely my low point as I kicked myself for my earlier mistakes and felt like I was watching the wheels come off the bus. Also, the looming marathon did not seem like something I was ready to attack. My second loop ended up being 2:48:08, roughly 10 minutes slower than my first loop for a total bike split of 5:26:49.

Apparently my body was thrilled to get off the bike and have a go at running (must be my Newton's!!). I felt strong and comfortable for the first loop of the run and completed my first loop in 1:34:36 (7:13/mile). While this was a good 17 seconds per mile faster than my target time, I really didn't feel I was "pushing it" and any point and figured I'd run while I was still feeling well. Similar to my experience on the second bike loop, things began to get tough on the second loop of the run. I believe this is where some of my earlier nutrition mistakes may have really hurt me as I began to have some cramping and then dizziness after mile 20. Unfortunately, the last six miles also possess the 2 biggest hills on the course. While the wheels didn't completely come off, it was really close, as I managed a 1:48 flat for the second loop (8:14/mile). I certainly hadn't planned on running my first loop a whole minute faster than my second, but I was happy with my run time of 3:22:36 (7:43/mile). My final time: 9:53:56. I was hoping to scare 10 hours and thrilled to have met that goal. Following the first loop of the run, my wife screamed to me that I was in 5th place in my AG. Having gotten passed by a few guys on the second loop, I ended up 8th in the AG and 36th overall, good enough for a spot to "The Show" in Hawaii.. I secured my spot the following morning and am now making plans for my family and I do go to Kona this October 10th. A dream come true for me, and something I have wanted since I began this sport. A huge thanks to everybody at TargeTraining for supporting me along the way and helping me to reach my goal.

Swim Session Canceled for Tonight

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 8:00 PM EDT
for Fairfield County, CT. Due to this, the swim session tonight has been canceled.

Congrats to Mitch West who completed the Lake Placid Ironman this past weekend finishing 9:53 landing him 36th overall and 8th in his division. He also now qualifies for Hawaii. Way to go Mitch! Hoorah

30K Sherwood Island Time Trial Test

Time Ave.Speed MPH
Rob Weiss 43:12:00 25.9
Rob Labanca 45:22:00 24.7
Mike Wallace 48:53:00 22.9
Ed Parker 50:05:00 22.3
Andy Kaplan 50:50:00 22.3
Marc McCoy 50:51:00 22.0
David Burns 52:00:00 21.5
Josh Cooper 58:10:00 19.2