As most people know by now, I decided to come out of Ironman retirement this year and tackle the distance again this November at IM Florida. I knew I needed a lot of time to build up for this event. People think I’m nuts when I say this. I often hear, “you are so fit, you dont need a lot of time!”. Yes, I am a fit individual. In the past 5+ years since I retired from the sport I have remained active and fit. I can jump into an Olympic distance race and do reasonably well, but there is a difference between being FIT and ACTIVE and actually TRAINING! For the first time in over 5 years I am training and guess what? It works! In the back of my head I have wondered if I can get back to, and even exceed, where I was back in 2010. Im 39 now and I haven’t “trained” in a long time, so this has been an unknown. So, I got myself back into a training schedule. I started remembering what it’s like to “suffer” again, which is a necessary component to training. I started getting back on the bike 4-5 days a week instead of “when I wanted”, and in a few month’s time I’m seeing wattage numbers similar to when I raced pro back in 2010! It’s magic! Except it isn’t magic…it’s hard work, and dedication and training SMART! I see this with the athletes that I coach. If you are putting in the hard work, and listening to your body, and resting when you need to you WILL see results!! Seeing result is fun, and rewarding! So, keep up the hard work.
Speaking of results, here are some from the past couple of months!
Jose Hernandez, who will be competing in the infamous and grueling event American Zofingen this May, has gotten his running form as good as it’s ever been. Here he is at the Caumsett 25K where he placed 2nd in the 40-44 age group:
Jose raced again in the Brooklyn Spring Duathlon placing 1st Overall!
Frank Fiorello, who always represents in the warmer climates raced the Puerto Rico Half Marathon:
Also, Ernest Martinez took on an early season race at the IM Puerto Rico 70.3 posting a PR! He’ll be competing in Ironman North Carolina (Beach 2 Battleship) in October!
In addition to racing, we had the NY Tri Expo, which was a great success! Hilary Topper is a true Professional and had the vision for this event just last year. Hilary and her staff pulled off an incredible event! I had the opportunity to speak on a few panels, which was a blast. Matt Dixon gave a spectacular talk as the keynote speaker, and I was honored to introduce Matt Long who received the “I Will” award (named after Matt's I Will Foundation)! Here are a few pics from the day:
Noah, Jose and I at my booth:
One of my panels, "Crushing It on The Bike!":
Event Organizer Hilary Topper with Matt Dixon and Matt Long:
Jose crushing the Computrainer Competition (after winning his Duathlon that morning):
John Landino from Death Row Velo (the BEST custom jerseys and gear on the market!):
We have a few races going on this weekend and just like that race season is in full swing! Time flies…
Happy Training and Racing!
Dee