Wait, I have to what?

Over the last few years, at least once a year, my father has mentioned the race where you jump off the back of the Cape May/Lewis Ferry. The first time I looked it up, it did have a great deal of appeal to me; not only was it given high ratings by athletes who participated, but it was on home soil. Once I had made the decision to move back to New Jersey, I signed up for this race. How cool to start a race by jumping off the back of a ferry; right? One small detail slipped my mind at the time, I am afraid of heights and this was a 12 foot drop. Oh crap! I have fought this fear my entire life. Back in my surfing days, I would struggle with dropping in on big surf, especially when the tide was out and you could see the bottom and know there may only be a foot or two of water if you wipe out. There were times I would back out, but most of the time I would just close my eyes and go. When I worked at

the Fantasy Island Amusement Park in High School, I would ride the Sea Dragon and sit on the end where I could see the ocean. Dying a little each time when my end went high in the air. So all this to say, as the race got closer my anxiety about jumping was going through the roof!

The week before the race, while talking to my parents, my mom decided to take their trailer to a campsite in Cape may, which turned out to be a great idea. It is a place they have been going to for years and is only three miles from the ferry. This would turn out to be a great decision as I had to be onsite by 4:30 in the morning, and had we not done this I would of had over an hour drive to the race. Also, the campground was awesome: very clean, great food and surprisingly quite by 9:30 at night. I highly recommend the SeaShore Campground if you are looking for a site in Cape May.

I drove down on Saturday morning and headed to packet pick up.  Once I had everything, I headed over to the campsite to get my bike ready. The initial plan was to go for a practice swim, a quick bike ride, run and then call it a day. Once I got everything ready I just decided to ride my bike back to the race site and run back, instead of driving over and completing my workouts from there. I also decided since I did an open water swim on Friday, not doing that and running a little longer wouldn’t be a bad idea. Once the bike was all secure in transition for the night, I started to run back. Running on Route 9 was not a pleasant experience, so I decided to take another route to get back.  Of course I choose the wrong road and got lost. LOL This added an extra 2 miles to my run but, oh well. After I got back, I ate dinner and drank a beer to help me relax, then headed to bed.

The next morning, I was awake at 3:45 and arrived to the parking site to get the shuttle by 4:30. Once on site, I set up transition, pumped tires up and spent the rest of the time trying to fight off the anxiety about the jump. A friend, Mike D’Ambrosio, from back home was also racing. As 6 A.M. approached, he and I walked over and stood in line to board the ferry. Once on board, I was excited to find Porta Johns on the lower level. Seriously people, you can NEVER have enough of these at a race. Once that was taken care of, we went upstairs and found a booth inside and relaxed. Thank you Mike, you really helped me keep my nerves in check!

Leaving the dock

That is not me but the first guy off

Once the boat started moving, I got my Xterra Vortex wetsuit on and made my way outside and downstairs. The plan was to try to move close to the front of the group and just get the jump over with, LOL!

As I waited, the DJ (yes there was a DJ), started to play Thunderstruck by AC/DC and it was really getting me pumped. The race director counted down and the horn of the boat sounded. The first guy flipped himself off the deck and then the entire crowd moved forward; things became tight. At this point, I just focused on the music and kept working my way forward. It took maybe two minutes for me to work my way to edge. As I walked forward, the guy stopped me, told me where to jump (aim for THOSE bubbles, thanks man!) and I just stepped off. The fall felt like it took forever and my heart was feeling like it would beat out of my chest. Then I was in the water and the first thought that hit me was “It’s time to get to work”.

I took off hard and settled into a nice rhythm. After a few minutes, I think the adrenaline must have worn down because my breathing became erratic. Every time I would put my face in the water it felt as if pressure was forcing water up my nose. I tried breathing every stroke; that was not helping, I even stopped for a second and swam the breaststroke. Still nothing was working. It also felt as if no matter how hard I was swimming, I was not moving forward. So I actually stopped, took a deep breath and cleared my mind. It took another few minutes, but things started to click. Next thing I knew, I was at the yellow buoys that I had to swim between and I was heading for shore.

As soon as I stood up I started to take my wetsuit down to my waist and I heard my dad yell my name. I looked over and right away saw my parents, my girlfriend Lori and her friend Brooke. All the bad thoughts about the swim vanished and I just could not wait to get onto the bike.

With it all said and done, I had one of my fastest swims ever for a 1 mile distance.

Swim 20:42

I hit the beach, then the path, then the grass, then the pavement….how fricking long is it to transition, damn! I turns out it was just over a quarter mile. I reached my bike, pulled the left leg out of the wetsuit, but the right heel got stuck. Finally pulling my foot out, I put on my helmet, took some Base Electrolyte Salt and headed out.

T1 3:26

The bike was a two loop course, with a lot of turns. The longest stretch of straight road was just over 1 ½ miles. All the other segments were just under a mile before having to slow for a turn. Knowing this going in, my plan was to take it relatively moderate over the first loop and hit it hard on the second. For the most part I did exactly that.  As I came back towards the ferry on the first loop, I saw my support crew on one of the corners. As always, it immediately picked me up.  I made the turn for the out and back portion of the course, which is along the beach, and decided now was as good a time as any to eat a Clif Bloks and take some more Base Electrolyte salt. I kept the watts down over the stretch to give the legs a break. As I came back out onto Route 9, I saw the support crew again and decided it was time to drop the hammer, well somewhat. I really started to fly on the second loop, and as the ride went on, the stronger I felt. As I came back down from the out and back along the beach, the support crew changed sides of the street and my Dad was yelling for me to “slow down”, that the turn back to transition is a tight curve. I am so glad I listened. After that, I popped up a gear and spun the legs out.

Bike 59:58

The second transition was over in a blink. The only holdup was moving other racers crap from my spot. I put on my Salming Race 5 on, grabbed my hat and race belt and headed for the run out sign.

T2 1:16

Going into the race I knew I would have to run on the beach four times for about a block. I was not sure what to expect, so I kept the pace easier for the first mile. Almost right away, after leaving transition, was the first beach leg. As I ran down the dune, there was the support crew! I waved and headed down the water line hoping the sand would be more compact and easier to run on. The guy behind me yelled up to take short strides. By doing so, you make less contact with the sand and don’t dig in as much. That worked great! Once I was back on the road, I made sure to keep the pace dialed back. My plan was to negative split the out and back part of the run. Especially since running on the beach really dropped the pace, so trying to gauge by mile was not going to work. After mile two, was the second beach leg and it went the same as the first. On this leg, I noticed people running up by the dunes. As I ran back onto the road, I was running next to a women who played a little tag with me on the bike course. She told me she was running on the broken reeds and it was much easier. A short time later we hit the turnaround point. This was as good a time as any to switch gears and perform the Otstot hat turn.

I picked up the pace and was really happy how I was feeling and the pace I was holding. I tried running up along the dunes, and damn it if didn’t work. Not only did it make for a shorter distance, it was much easier. The only downside was running up the dunes really sucked! I cruised along the rest of the way and was so happy to see the turn to the finish line. I knew this had been a good race and could not wait to see my times.

Run 38:46

Overall 2:04:07, 13th overall, 1st in my age group and a new PR (personal record).

 

This turned out to be a great day! It was so great to have so much support on course today and after. This was the first time my parents were able to see me make it onto the podium after a race. I met some new faces from the Snapple Tri Club, Mike had a good day as well. I later enjoyed a few nice, cold Cape May Brewery IPAs and enjoyed some food.

I would like to thank Base Performance and Salming for all their support, the Snapple Tri club and all of their amazing sponsors for helping to keep me training and racing and Coach Otstot who had me ready to race and in top form. A big congrats to him as well, he was 7th at Ironman 70.3 Raleigh.  A huge thanks to Dr. Phil Crane for helping keep my body functioning.

I can never thank my parents enough for all their support and showing Lori the ropes of being a sherpa. Lori and Brooke, were at a concert the night before, which they returned home late from,  woke up earlier and were still on site by 6 A.M. (with over an hour drive to get there). Thank you for everything, the great company, laughs at lunch and for my first two beers!

My parents and I

me and Lori

Salming couple

This link is to the Atlantic city Press, check out pictures # 6 and 15! 

Next up, I travel back to Hampton Roads to race Rev3 Williamsburg Olympic!  

A long time over due!

Well hey there sports fans, long time! Thanks to a few little setbacks in my racing plan from last year, this will be my first post since March of 2016. In late May, at a training camp (2 miles into the first ride) I had a tiny crash which broke my collarbone, punctured a lung, bruised (maybe broke) some ribs and suffered a slight concussion. Go big or go home; right?   

Day after the crash in the Hospital

Taken Right after the crash

Jamestown Int!

Addison Recital

My doctor and I decided to not go the route of surgery which would have included inserting metal plates to stabilize the bones, because he felt the injuries would heal on their own. I was all for going that route as I didn’t love the idea of surgery. This did cause the healing process to take longer, but in the end I think it was worth the time. By mid to late August I was back training. Well to be honest, I was on the trainer within two weeks and running by late July; I didn’t get into the pool until August. By September though, I was back running 5K’s and a beer mile (so much fun!).

Rock-n-Roll Va Beach 5K

My going away from VA Beer Mile

During this time i went through some major personal changes. In July, my stepson welcomed his second child, Jaxon.  I got divorced and decided, in mid-September,  to move back to my hometown in NJ. Training was off and on during this time, especially after my move, as my new house needed many restorations.  By late January, things got back on track. Also during this time, I was honored to be selected as an ambassador for Base Performance and Salming. Good things started to come my way in 2017!

Since returning to NJ I have reconnected with old friends and met a lot of great people. I have been lucky enough to find a great group of people to train with who are part of the LBI Tri Club. The community here is awesome just like the amazing group of people in Virginia. They already have been helping me push my limits and I have been introduced to the cutthroat Strava section arena that live in Ocean Acres.

This year I have a few races planned that I deferred from last year.  I signed up for some great looking events here in NJ as well and I will be racing the Chicago Marathon. The plan for Chicago is not only going after another Boston qualification, but a time that will insure me a bib! Along the way this year, I have entered some events last minute and I am sure that trend will continue as the year progresses.

Speaking of last minute entries, in late April I signed up for my first cycling time trial: 13 miles of all-out cycling. How could this be my first time trial you ask?  Well, this is my first solo bike race since 1980-something. Yup, I’m old! I was a bit nervous for this race but also very excited to see what I could give this race.  With no run after, I knew I could push hard since. This was also a special race because the newest sherpa to #TeamAdam (she started using this hashtag), my girlfriend Lori, would be getting a glimpse of what a race was like, as well as learning some sherpa duties.

I arrived to the race site early and got my trainer set up for a warm-up, 30 minutes spin, mixing in some quick ramp ups and recovery then a sustained effort at just under race pace. Once that was done, Lori and I made our way over to the startline. Getting up on the starting deck (not sure what it is called) was interesting. There was a clock in front of me counting down after the last rider left and a gentlemen holding my bike as I clipped in. The time wound down and the green light illuminated. As the guy let go of my bike, I didn’t know what to expect and almost rode off the side of the ramp. LOL. Once I survived that, I was off and I went out hard. Too hard actually. I pushed the pace really hard over the first 5 files and I caught a lot of riders, but about mile 7 it started to catch up to me. The next 5 miles had a few small inclines that hurt much more then they should have and I went into pain management mode. I stopped watching my watts and concentrated on heart rate until I saw the sign for mile 12. At that point I pushed everything into the red until I crossed the finish line. It was awesome as I got closer because I could see Lori off to the left, and that gave me an extra burst to finish strong.

Final: 0:30:50

When it was all said and done I took third in the Cat 4-5 division, set a new FTP by almost 20 watts and held an average of 25.7 miles an hour. I got a nice bottle of wine and a great breakfast with Lori after, so win-win in my book.

As Memorial Day approached Coach Adam had given me a swim-bike brick workout to do over that

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weekend. Logistically, with the holiday and living near a beach town, this was not going to work out too good.   It was then when I came across a sprint tri in Hammonton NJ. After talking with Adam, this was not only going to be a good alternative, but a good way to shake the rust off. I have not completed a triathlon of any distance since September 2015 (Ironman 70.3 Augusta.). I got my bike all ready, packed my transition bag and headed down on Saturday morning. Once I got my packet and transition set up, I found Lori, who was able to stop by to see the start of the race. After we talked a bit and I got my warm up done, we headed down to the lake to wait for the start. My Xterra vortex wetsuit felt great, but I was feeling nervous. Getting in the water for a quick swim really helped calm my nerves.

This swim was a quarter mile, so the plan was to attack the first 100 meters hard, cruise the next 200 and go hard over the last 100. As the horn went off for my wave, I was sticking pretty close to the plan. I went out hard and got in front of the group. There were two guys ahead of me and one guy who started off wide and made a beeline for the buoys, practically running me over to get there. By the time I hit the turn buoy, my arms and quads were feeling very heavy and I decided to stop kicking for a bit. I didn’t want to lose too much momentum so I picked up the cadence with my arms. Shortly after the turn, I started to feel better and just attacked the rest of the distance to shore.

Swim - 5:47 19th out of 222 overall

Coming out of the water

As I came out of the water I felt smoked and started to worry. I struggled to get my wetsuit unzipped and down around my waist. I was also walking trying to catch my breath. I saw Lori after a moment and I heard her yell to me to get moving; so I did. (Already she knows to kick me in the ass when I need it). I ran into transition, got to my bike and proceeded to fumble around getting my wetsuit off. It got stuck on both heels and it took forever to get it off. I got my helmet on and headed to the mount line.

T1 – 1:50

leaving T1

On my way

I hopped onto the bike and just could not think. Normally I put my feet on top of my shoes, which are already clipped on and start pedaling but for some reason I tried to put my feet right in the shoe. Stupid, as without momentum I almost fell over.  Quickly I realized what was wrong and started to pedal. After that things clicked, feet into shoes, strap pulled down, took a drink of my Base Performance Hydro and I was off. My goal for this ride was to have a good ride but not push too hard like I have done in prior races. I wanted to save a lot for the run. I took the first 5 miles fairly easy, I was about 15 watts under my target range but riding mostly on a downgrade so the speed was up. About mile 6, I found my watt range and just started picking off riders. I caught one guy I knew was in my age group as I had him in my sites since we left transition and just kept pushing. When I hit the turn-around, I could see he closed the gap a bit so I hammered it out of the turn and put a nice sized gap between us for the rest of the ride. My quads were hurting but my breathing wasn’t labored and I was feeling pretty good.

Bike: 31:50 12th out of 222 Overall

Going into the second transition I was feeling much better than the first. I did struggle to get my socks on, almost falling over a few times then slipped on my Salming Race 5’s. Once that was done I ran the wrong way out of transition. I had to turn-around, run the length of transition and head out onto the run course.

T2: 1:07

The run started off okay. I kept the running pace a bit slower, as my goal was to try to negative split each mile. I also wanted to give my quads a bit of time to get happy. They were not so happy coming off the bike. I took some Base Electrolyte Salt to help my legs and keep any cramping at bay. About the time I got to the first mile marker I was caught by the guy in my age group I had passed on the bike. I did get passed by a few other guys but he was the only one I saw over the age of 45. I picked up the pace a bit to keep him in sight hoping maybe he would tire or I would get a second wind. As I made the turnaround, my watch beeped to alert me I hit the second mile, I was pleased to see I was 16 seconds faster that mile than the last. I quickly performed the “Otstot” hat turn (This video will explain that best: https://youtu.be/kvB2RW9i7w0) and gave all I had left. I never caught the guy who passed me but I did catch a few younger guys, and I was able to go 10 seconds faster than the last mile (meet my goal) and crossed the finish line feeling like my old self again.

Run: 21:16 43rd out 222 Overall

Final: 1:01:47 3rd 45-49 Age group, 22nd overall.

This was not only my first race since 2015, it was my first sprint since 2012. I set over a 5 minute personal record with this time and made the podium in my first race back. I am pretty happy with that. Lori was only able to stay for the swim but it was great having the support and a photographer for the start of the race. I learned a lot from this race which will help me going into my next race, especially practicing the art of taking my wetsuit down, performing the “flying mount” onto the bike and getting my socks on quickly.  Speaking of the next race, it is the Escape the Cape Olympic distance triathlon in Cape May, NJ. This will be fun as the swim start is a jump of the back of the Cape May/Lewis Ferry! This race is one week after the Hammonton Sprint and will be the next post to come out shortly. Wish me luck!

A big thank you to Base Performance and Salming for all their support. I also want to thank the Snapple tri club and all of their great sponsors. Coach Adam Otstot and all the hotshots for always having my back. The LBI tri club for welcoming me back home;I can’t wait to train and race with you this year.

Thank you as always to my family for all your continued support and a huge thank you to my beautiful and amazing girlfriend, Lori.

I can’t wait to see what happens this weekend in Cape May!