Stretching Boundaries
One of the lessons I’ve learned over the last 10-or-so months since I’ve been training for Lake Placid is that I am capable of doing things that I never imagined possible. I have been consistently stretching the boundaries of what I believe I can achieve athletically. Last summer, and even last fall, it was an…
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“Emmanuel’s Gift”
In the few months that I’ve been raising money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (the link to my personal fundraising page is here), friends and family have sent me articles and pictures and stories about challenged athletes and their incredible achievements. However, there’s one recommendation that has really stood out because of the number of…
Read MoreNew York Living
There are some days when I absolutely hate living in New York City. On those days, the noise and the grime and the lights and crowds make me want to get as far away as possible. And then, there are days like today, when I cannot imagine there is a better place in the world…
Read More“Off” Day
It’s Thursday, right? That means that it’s been four days since I finished my monster cycling weekend. Nearly 96 hours of mostly rest and relaxation (including an awesome massage Tuesday afternoon). Then how come I felt like I did during this morning’s run? I was tired and heavy and slow and frankly, winded. Those are…
Read MoreMonthly Summary – April
Here’s April: Swim: 24,050 yardsCycling (outdoors): 306.3 milesCycling (indoors): 14:25 (hours)Run: 83.0 milesStrength Training: 2:53 hours Approximate monthly total training time: 54:00 (hours) Weight: 167.5 pounds (2.5 pounds down from last month – not bad considering the week I’m coming off) Another strong month. Again, I didn’t have any forced time off and nailed my…
Read MoreMantras
“Willpower” and “Mind over Matter“ I must have repeated those phrases to myself about a thousand times during my four hour ride today. I knew that there was no physical limitation that would stop me from doing today’s ride. And therefore I had no excuse whatsoever. In his book, “The Athlete’s Way”, Chris Bergland discusses…
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Long, STRONG ride
Now that was a workout! As I wrote earlier in the week, this has been a bike-heavy week. Coming into today, I’d already spent 4:15 on the bike, all of it indoors on the trainer. This weekend, I have long rides scheduled for both today and tomorrow. Fortunately, we decided to come out to Long…
Read MoreSleep vs. Training
I had planned to get up and ride this morning. My schedule calls for a 90 minute/25 mile ride on a rolling course. A ride up to Central Park plus three laps and then home would have been just about perfect. BUT, I’ve been pretty tired this week and haven’t been getting to bed as…
Read MoreApril 22 Already?
Today is April 22. That means that I have three months to go. Thirteen weeks. I think it’s twelve more weeks of training, a week of taper, and then, it’s go time. It’s just about 7PM today, I don’t even want to think about where I’ll be on race-day, twelve hours in. Today was another…
Read MoreWhat a Day! And Reality Strikes
I’ve been confident recently. I’ve tried not to show it too much, but I’ve been feeling good about my training and my levels of strength, speed and overall fitness. Last night I was talking with Elizabeth and thinking out loud about how well my progress and preparation were going and thinking optimistically about race day….
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