Jersey State Championship recap

Onward and upward.  There is no rest for the wicked.  For me I only have a few weeks and it was back to racing again.  This time it was Jersey State olympic distance.  This was a race that I did last year and I did very well here so I was pumped to go back. This is a very competitive race and I was really ready to go out there and drop the hammer coming off of my fitness from 70.3 training.

This was an olympic race, I had been here before and I was super excited.  I had a few race nerves but I was ready to go.  I knew which restaurant I was having dinner at, we got to the hotel. Everything went well.  En route to the race we passed a tree down in the road and I didn't think anything of it.  Little did I know this was right in the middle of the bike course so this meant a shortened bike course(foreshadowing for a later decision fyi).

I got suited up and headed over toward the swim start.  I watched my buddy go off with the elites and I just couldn't believe how some of those dudes were flying through the water.  Next thing I knew it was my turn to go.  So waddled down like a penguin in a flock getting ready to jump in.  I jumped in and did a few strokes up to the line.  The water was great and it was go time.  I could hear my Dad whistling for me from the start, I had no idea they were coming so that was a pretty rad feeling. The gun went off and there we went.  Swim felt great.  I didn't crush my time from last year but it was right around the same but this year was without a wetsuit which made me feel pretty good.  I still have a lot of work to do on my swim though.

From there it was off on the bike. I knew that the course was shortened by three miles and I decided to hammer my bike and just hold on for the 10k.  Well hammer I did. I think at the end of the day I held somewhere around 24-25 mph for the bike leg of this race.  I hammered it alright and I wasn't even ready for the pain of this run.

The pain came and it came quick.  The heat was almost unbearable, I am not using that as an excuse because everyone had to battle the heat, however I did not fair well.  It became clear that I was not going to PR this run very early on so I went into survival mode.  I poured ice anywhere and everywhere I could, I drank water and I covered myself in towels.  Thankfully Stefan found me from earlier.  He pushed me along for a few miles and was very helpful.

Stefan however faired much better than I on the bike and so he lost me soon after.  I crossed the line and felt defeated.  Not in a good way though but in the man, I just messed that one up and I shouldn't have done that kind of way.  But hey you live and you learn, I realized that my the nutrition attack I had for this day didn't work, I realized I couldn't push the bike that hard in the heat and most important I realized I had an amazing support system in people I might only see at races.

Thank you John and Stefan for helping me through this run, Thanks Mom, Dad and Jamee for coming out to support again and thank you to my sponsors and supports for enabling me to do something I love!

Next up is Atlantic City International Tri and I'll give you a sneak peak, its a good one!

Until next time my friends,

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself.

I don't post on here daily but feel free to find me else where!

Escape The Cape 2015

Hello all you beautiful people! I am currently sitting in the airport on a 4hr delay thanks to Spirit (never again) but thats another story for another time.

In just two short days I will be toeing the line of my first 70.3!! Challenge Atlantic City half is on sunday and I am a ball of nerves/excitement.

The race season does not begin there however, it began two weekends ago at the Escape The Cape triathlon down in Cape May NJ.  Many of you may have heard of this iconic race where the start is from the back of a ferry boat! Its pretty sweet, a little scary and a ton of fun all at the same time!

I was wondering how this race would go because I have been training a lot different that before.  For one I had a plan, normally I would just swim bike and run three days a week and rest one but it wasn't really structured.  The other thing was that I was training for a half and that was WAY different than training for short course racing.

The morning started a little rough with a down pour.  I was in transition and I remember saying to myself this sucks and I started letting it get to me and I stopped. I knew I couldn't let myself get that negative on race morning so I just embraced it.  Unfortunately we had about a 30min delay getting out of the terminal.  When it comes to the swim I made two key mistakes again this year.  Mistake number 1 bring more food.  I had breakfast at 4:15 and then one cliff bar 4 hours later.  For me that isn't enough. Number two get off the boat early. Once the international athletes start jumping I need to be down low on the dock and ready to go (more on that later). Either way, amazingly fun way to start a race and you honestly cannot beat it!

Now for the bike.....eh is my feeling on my performance here and it is mostly due to rain and crowds. Because I was in the back of the pack on the boat, most people were out on the bike course along with the international athletes.  On top of this the course was wet. I am not a risk taker on the bike, its just not my style. I race, I push but I will always reach for my break going into a turn and there were people who didn't want to do that.  I remember this guy specifically who would pass me on the outside at every turn and then I would get him on the flat.  Coming into one of the final turns he took it way too high, lost control, crossed into the on coming cyclists and then into the guardrail he went.  Just not cool and that made me hold back on the bike a bit more than I wanted to.

On to the run and I'll be honest with all of you about this run course because I love you....It SUCKS!  There are two sand runs for the sprint course and I am not talking nice flat hard sand runs, NO! soft sand, high dune, full suck runs.  I was holding a good pace on the flats but those sand runs just punished me.  I could remember looking down at my watch and just thinking man this isn't gonna cut it today.  The owner of my company has a house right along the run course though and it was super rad to hear him yelling out there.  I could remember hit the turn and heading back and thinking I couldn't let him see the struggle! Pull it together!!  I got back on to the road and I knew I had 800 meters to go and I just dropped it and went for it.  I almost collapsed after crossing the line and that's how it should be.

Once I handed in my chip and got some water and settled it was time to hit the results tent.....Well it was time for someone else to hit the results tent.  For whatever reason I like the element of surprise so I have someone check it for me and let me know if I need to stay for awards or not.  I knew I had to stay but I had no idea where I stacked up against my field.

They went through the international awards first and then went from oldest to youngest.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.  I knew in the back of my head I was going to get my time on the stage but I just wanted to know if I was going to get to step on that RedBull podium for top 3! Finally my AG came up and I made my way towards the stage. They started with 5th, not me, then 4th not me and I knew right there I would get to stand on the podium. I took 3rd overall and I was happy.  I wanted to have times closer to 1st and 2nd but I had to tell myself that training for long course is way different than training for the short course. I was satisfied with my times but for my later season short course stuff I really need some speed work and hard runs off the bike if I want that top spot!

For now it is on to Challenge Half in a few days and like I said at the start I am just a ball full of all kinds of emotions.  There are a lot of unknown factors that come with a new distance but I am sure that I followed my plan and it will just be another day at the office on Sunday.  If you are interested in tracking me you can find me on the other social media forms!


Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself!

Feeling Off in the Off Season

It's March and as I sit down to write this my entire town is covered in ice scratch that, we are now covered in 7+ inches of snow.  If you know anything about me, you can only imagine the effect this has taken on me haha.  It is killing me, but March comes in like a lion right? I can only hope so.

So let's get to it.  It's the off season.  It gets cold, it gets dark, it gets just down right miserable here on the east coast.  I had a plan to combat this though! I was doing more racing this past season so that I could make a bit of a name for myself and apply for a team this off season.  Going into a new season with a new team, a team that I always dreamed of would give me that "high" to carry me through this off season and get me to the spring ready to rock.  As you may have guessed things did not quite go as planned.  I applied to two teams. I will not put the teams on bast but one straight up denied me and the other "never got my application".  One of the teams is one that I have had my eye on since I started this sport.  Maybe it's a sign, maybe it's not right but nonetheless it was a hinge moment for me.  A moment that made me reconsider a few things and a few different approaches.

As you may know I had a GoFundMe account set up at the end of this summer to help off-set the cost of a new bike.  So I began to focus on that and how I could maximize the amount of support I received from family and friends.  It was absolutely incredibly how supportive people are and I am still, to this day, beside myself and cannot thank everyone enough.

Between the let down of not getting on to two teams again and the training break I took after the Marine Corps Marathon things started to spin out of control.  I ended up loosing interest in my training among other things.  Luckily enough I caught myself and I could right it before things got completely out of control and get back on track!

One day a good friend said to me "Yo man, why don't you apply to Xterra Wetsuits to be an ambassador."  I figured hey it couldn't hurt so I did. I applied to them and heard back pretty quickly and after talking with the East Coast regional manager I was in!  This got my brain working.  I started thinking of brands I use and love and I started reaching out to them.  Some I heard back from and others I did not.  It got me back on track though! I am now an ambassador for Xterra Wetsuits, Delmo Sports Elite Events, and Infinit Nutrition.  All brands that I know, use and love and I couldn't be happier with the results.  If anyone has any questions or needs help I would be happy to assist in any way that I can.

Now at this point you may be thinking wow, this guy is certainly tooting his own horn here.  Confession time.....not my intention at all! I am using this for two reasons, first, according to a very smart man, Jon Acuff, I had what was called a hinge moment.  Something was going on that I didn't like and I had to change it.  I had two options, I could really let this get to me and just hang it up.  Say you know what forget it, I don't have what it takes to make it on these teams so why am I even doing this.  As much as I don't want to admit it, that thought crossed my mind a time or two.  My other option was to find a better way.  That's what I did. I took the advice from a friend and I ran with it.  You have the same choice.  It could be with your job, relationships, training, or all of the above.  Whatever it is you may do, sit down, think about it, bring it up to people you trust and really put some thought into it.  I promise things will work out if you put the time in and take the time to figure it out.

As for training, Monday marks the start of a 16-week block leading up to my first 70.3 race in Atlantic City.  I am anxious, nervous, and excited all at the same time.  I can't wait to get things moving and I can't wait for this season to really get under way.

Thanks for reading and thanks for the support!

All for now.

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself

"You're insane, I could never do that" Marine Corps Marathon

It's December 14 and its almost 2 months post my first ever 26.2 journey.  I have been neglecting this post for long enough but there are some reasons behind that.  I have started to structure my "race reports" different and I don't want them to be a play by play of all the events leading up to the race.  Instead I am attempting to recreate the feelings leading up to, during and after the race.  This race had a lot of feelings behind it so I wanted to get my thoughts together before I put it all down.  Today someone said to me, "I still can't believe you ran a marathon!" and I thought there was no better time than the present to get things down on the screen.

Let's start with a few facts before the race, leading up and in training.  I was a complete rookie and I made every mistake possible so I want to get that all out for people to learn from.  Over the summer, after Atlantic City I began ramping up my running.  My first long run was a 13 miler and I decided to make it 13.1 to complete my first half.  This was a different first half because there were no aid stations, no cheering, just me and the rode.  I packed a couple gels and completed the run in under two hours.  I was thrilled.  From there things went down hill.  For about three weeks in a row I pack the SAME amount of gel or maybe one more and ONE water bottle.  I couldn't figure out why I was hitting a wall every time and couldn't get through 2 hours of running.

Fast forward and after many phone conversations with seasoned runners I came to terms with the fact that I was under fueling and under hydrating for the demands of marathon training.  I ordered a bag of custom Infinit Nutrition (check it out here) and waited anxiously for it to arrive.  It came and I threw every time goal out the window at this point and my main goal for the day of the marathon was merely to finish.  Leading up to Marine Corps I had one 18 mile long run and one split 20 mile long run.  This will come into play later.  Unfortunately due to time constraints this was all I could push my body to do in order to recover properly for the marathon.

The race was on Sunday and I left the Thursday before for Washington DC.  The expo was friday and I was advised to get in as early as possible and I am glad I did.  I met some amazing people for the first time who had helped me through training and they reassured me that I was ready and I WOULD finish.  Aside from the normal expo shannanigans it was business as usual.  My cousin had just recently moved to the DC area from California and so I got a chance to see him for the first time in probably about 4-5 years.  He is an active duty Marine so it meant a lot to me to see him before the race.  As we were walking back from a late lunch he said something to me that stuck with me for the rest of the weekend.  He looked me dead in the face and said "Listen I know a lot of people have told you a lot of different things about completing this race.  I am not hear to over load you with any new information, I just want you to remember one thing, don't ever stop moving.  He looked me dead in the eyes and said listen to me DO NOT STOP MOVING!" This resonated with me and I took it very serious.  Little did I know how useful this would become.

Saturday came around and I wanted to stop back by the expo to exchange a shirt I bought the day before.  We got of the metro at the exit and before we even got to the top of the escalator I could see the line.  I said to my girlfriend "Thank god we came yesterday!" we turned around and got back on the subway.  It was off to some sight seeing for the day.  So we explored DC and saw all of the sites.  Another key mistake on my part.  At the time I did not realize it but later that day I knew I made a mistake.  We walked EVERYWHERE that day and by the end of the day my legs were tired.  Not to the point of exhaustion but I knew that they were tired.  I knew it was a mistake but I couldn't change it at that point.  I met with my parents, had a wonderful dinner and it was off to bed.

I woke up the next morning full of nerves.  I tried to eat as much as I could but it was a struggle.  With every bite I felt like I was swallowing a boulder. I dropped of a bottle of nutrition with the facebook crew in the lobby that I would exchange around mile 20(another key point) and it was off to the metro.  The rest of my bottle were in a bag with my family and I would exchange them along the route.  We followed the crowds to the start and it was a long walk through the parking lot. From there it was just a waiting game.  I made my way over to the start and I was overcome with emotion.  It was time, I was about to embark on the hardest journey of my life.  I waited to see my mom and sister before I started because they wanted to send me off.  I saw them and then began walking up to the start line.  I was way in the back of the pack for the start.

Largest flag ever used in a jump!

Here we goooooooo!

A few miles in I had to pee so bad.  I didn't want to stop but it got to a point where I knew I wasn't going to be able to fight it anymore.  I found a tree, relieved myself and continue on.  I had one bottle in my pack and an extra bag of Infinit just incase I missed my family for a bottle exchange.  The miles ticked by and I felt good. I got to mile 10 and I had some tummy problems and I got nervous.  I thought man if this is an indication for my day, its going to be a long one.  I tried to sip some nutrition and just stay calm.  Luckily it subsided and I was back on track.  I was not going as fast as I wanted to but I knew I had a long journey.  I saw my family around mile 11 and did the first bottle exchange.  They were incredible and I cannot thank them enough for being a part of this journey.   The last thing I want to say about this point in the race was that I was heading back from one of the turn arounds and the "straggler bus" passed me on the other side of the road.  I remember telling myself this was the first and last time you would see this!

After mile 16 or so we made our way out by the Potomac River.  This was the hardest part of the race for me.  The mental game really began.  I just remember seeing mile 18 and thinking, OK I have 8 more to go, I can do this.  If you remember from earlier, 18 miles was my longest run leading up to this race.  So here began the run walk.  I had a bottle from my family and I knew I just needed to make it to the party at mile 20 to see the Red Felt crew.  I started to really look forward to seeing this party.  I remember hitting 19 and thinking ok, one more mile and I will see them, then it is just a 10k to the finish.  I remember seeing people stopping and stretching out.  I wanted to stop and stretch my calves so bad.  I thought "I could stop just for a minute, what's it going to hurt?" Then I remembered the conversation with Michael, NO!!! NO STOPPING!!!  I hit mile 20 and I couldn't find them.  Not anywhere.....this hit me hard. I was mad, I was stunned, I just didn't know what to do.  It got in my head really bad.

I needed to just continue on and finish my race.  I remember being in the middle of the bridge and thinking for the first time, am I even going to be able to finish this.  From miles 20-23 it was a mental game.  "You can do this" to holy cow, how am I ever going to finish this all in the same breath.  When we got back to Crystal City I dumped the bag of nutrition into my bottle and filled it up with water.  I knew I had this in me.  The energy through this city was like nothing I have ever felt before.  They carried me to mile 25 and my walking at this point was minimal.

I remember getting to mile 24 somewhere and people started saying "just one more mile, you got this!"  To those of you who run, you may be able to related to how I felt at this point.  I wanted to smack these people in the face.  DO NOT tell me I have one more mile when in reality I don't.  It was a false sense of security for me and I did not like it.  I powered through and looked forward to that mile 25 sign.  I remember passing it and reaching up and smacking it.  We were almost there.  For the last mile of the race, I don't know where it came from but I ran the entire thing.  There were two things I heard about this race.  One I wasn't sure of and the other I knew was going to be there.  The first was the magical man with the keg of beer around mile 24 or so, but I never found him =/.  The second was the uphill finish.  I rounded the corner of mile 26 and it was there, starring me in the face.  I knew my family was at the top of that hill and still to this day I don't even remember feeling it.  I ran up the hill so fast to see my mom and girlfriend there.  This is where the tears started.  I remember approaching that finish line and just bawling like a little kid.  I had done it.  From a 300+ pound couch potato to a marathon runner in just over 2 years of blood sweat and tears.  I crossed the line and just stood there for a minute.  I kissed my hands and just threw them up to the sky and said thank you.

When the Marine put that medal around my neck and saluted me saying "Congratulations Sir!" I could have lost it.  I wanted to hug him but I thought that might be weird so I refrained.  I remember them pushing everyone to keep moving when all I wanted to do was sit down!! I found a curb and sat down for a second.  I just wanted to take it all in.  I took off my shoes and got out my phone so that I could find my family.  Having my phone on me the whole race was key.  I could keep in contact with my family and find them after the race.  I did not use it for music because I didn't want to kill the battery which was key and I also know that service can be touchy throughout the race so I had an iPod for that.  Smartest 50 bucks I have every spent!

Post race the only thing I wanted to do was drink my chocolate milk and take an ice bath. Luckily my hotel was less and a quarter mile from the finish.  This was HUGE! The last thing you want to try and do is navigate public transportation after such a large race. Unfortunately I guess do to safety concerns you cannot plug the tub in hotels.  So I settled for a shower and my wonderful 2XU compression tights.  I remember receiving a congratulations text from a friend and she offered some words of wisdom.  I was laying in bed when I got this text and all I wanted to do was stay there.  She said "GET UP!!!" another key piece of advice.  I got up and continued moving as bad as it hurt.  I walked and got food and walked around a bit more.  It hurt but I am so thankful that I did it.  Plus it gave me a chance to go out in my new jacket with my new hardware ;).

I remember walking back to the metro with Jamee and she told me again for the millionth time how proud she was of me.  She has been there from the first day I met her and I am so thankful for that.  I said to her:

"You know, I'll be honest, it did not go the way I planned.  I did not hit my time goal, but there is one thing I did do and that is complete a marathon.  It is something I swore I would never do, it is something some people say they want to do but don't and its something some people will never be able to say they did.  No one will ever be able to take that away from me."  

It is completely true what they say, you will never forget your first and I believe it to this day.  Two months later and I still feel the same amount of joy writing this as I did that day.

If you have skipped all the mumbo jumbo in between and got to this point please just read this paragraph.   Years ago I remember talking to someone and telling them I would NEVER run 26.2 miles just for fun.  On October the 26th I did just that.  Something I thought I could never do in a million years.  If you have something that you have always wanted to do and said you never would, please take my advice an consider doing it.  I promise you that you will not forget it.  It will be the most rewarding thing you have ever felt in your entire life.  It was not an easy journey, it was a fight every day, but god I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I made some key mistakes along the way but it has made me better for the next one.

I thank you all in advance for reading this extremely long and over worded post. I hope you find some motivation or inspiration in this to do something that you have always wanted to.  Lastly I thank everyone for their constant support.  Without you I would Have never been able to complete such an amazing task.  I cannot even begin to list the people but you know exactly who you are.

Next up I have some exciting things that I can't wait to tell you all about!

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks for your support!

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself!

Atlantic city International Triathlon

So the season has come and gone, are you satisfied with you results? What did you accomplish this season that was a challenge you were focusing on? What are you going to do different for next season?  For me my last race of the season for triathlon was the Atlantic City International Triathlon (my first race ever).  I am going to structure my race "recaps" a bit differently.  I am going to cut out some of the boring details and just focus more on how I was feeling before, during, and after the race.
Atlantic City is a special place for me.  It has a lot of significance.  I have been there in many different points in my life and for many different reasons.  From 21st birthdays, to bachelor parties and now my most recent journey triathlons.  No matter the reason I love going there.  On saturday before the race, I was driving across the bridge and I saw the city and the swim start etc for the race and an instant joy came over me.  I was ready to go for this race.  After pre race check in, bike, marking etc etc I just went to my hotel to settle in.

Race morning came early as always but I was ready to go.  I woke up ready to go.  I was looking for some strong results for this race.  Last year I went 1:05 which was solid for a first timer but this time I was looking for more, I wanted to shave about 5 minutes to get closer to that hour mark for a sprint race.  Unfortunately I knew the bike leg was going to be tough because it was a windy day.  I got all my gear set and was just listening to music, getting in the zone and getting ready.

Unfortunately I was not paying attention and couldn't hear Steve on the mike too well so I missed being one of the first in the water.  Once I got in I realized it was going to be a challenging swim.  It was dead low tide, there was a ton of sand and it was just a tough swim.  When I rounded the bouys and started heading back I was feeling good.  I went to climb out and sunk into the mud!  Thankfully there were guys there to help us out which was awesome of them.

Candid post swim shot!

On to the bike and I was feeling strong.  I had that hour mark in the back of my head and I knew I just needed to red like the whole time.  The wind on the way out was a bear.  I had zipps on my bike that I borrowed from a friend and I was still only about 30 seconds faster this year because of the tough wind! Coming off the bike I looked down at my watch and I knew I was so far off that hour mark I just had to hammer the run to finish with a solid time.

Bike leg from AC.

The run from t2 to the start of the run course was a bear so I just started easy and then hammered the course.  I knew I wasn't going to hit my goal but that was out of my control to a point(more on that in a min).  The run is completely flat and I knew I could drop the hammer.  When I crossed the finish line I knew I left it all out there and that is my goal for every race.  When I stopped my watch I was almost scared to look.  1:08 was my final time for the day which was good enough for a 4th place finish in my AG.  It is not what I wanted but it was still better than last year.  Yeas my time was 3 min slower but that 3 min was in the swim alone.  I know from my races this year, my swim is what I really need to focus on this year.  The bike leg is what it is, I can't change the wind and I was still faster than last year.  

The greatest moment and memory from this race was when Steve called my name to come get my AG medal.  He gave me a huge shoutout in front of the entire crowd for my weight loss and is was incredible!  The crowd erupted with cheers and it was like nothing I have ever experienced.  Yes my times were slower over all but it was a learning experience and I still walked away with two medals.

AG podium shot.

Receiving congrats from the mayor of AC!

The last thing I want to share is this photo.  This is one of my favorite pictures of all time.  Blog family, meet my wonderful and amazing girlfriend.  She is at every start, every transition and every finish line for me.  I can hear her screams louder than anyone on the course.  She has been through so crazy times with me including freezing her toes off on this morning all to cheer me on.  She motivates me and keeps me going through all of the rough training spots.  More importantly she understands the long training hours that are needed to accomplish what I want to do and she supports me every step of the way.  She is the most amazing girl I have ever met and I can't thank her enough for being there every step of the way.  Love you!

Next on the list is Marine Corps Marathon Recap. My first ever 26.2 so settle in for that one.  

Until then thanks for reading and sharing!

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself!

I do not post on here on a daily basis but feel free to catch me on other social media!

Focus On the Good

Since Jersey State Triathlon things have been fairly normal as they go.  I have been on my bike, I have been running, I have been swimming.  Training, hanging, and enjoying my summer, honestly I wouldn't have it any other way.  This summer has been absolutely amazing for so many reasons, I have met some great people who are a part of my life now, I have strengthened some relationships with people I knew and I have reached some goals already as far as racing goes.

When I started this blog, I started it to detail my story in becoming an Ironman.  I try to keep most of my personal life, personal and just keep it to racing.  However this has become my outlet and at times I must use it for just that.  This week I got news that I had lost three people in my life in the course of about four days.  Two of which lost a hard fought battle with cancer and one of which lost their battle with depression.  It is always hard to hear of these things but three in the matter of time that passed rocked my world.

Unfortunately this is not the first time my world has been rocked by the loss of a young life to suicide.  Before I started my journey to Ironman, I lost a great friend to the same thing.  When I learned of this, I began to relive this nightmare all over again.  I felt all of the same emotions, sickness and anxiety that I felt only a few short years ago.  It was hard, it put me down and I didn't even want to come out of my room let alone my house on Monday.  There are a lot of things I carry with me from day to day from the first time I was ever impacted by this disease.  I never thought sitting in high school health classes that my life would be affected by this disease, let alone twice.

Through all of this I have been told something that I have heard a million times and something that I did not really want to hear at this moment.... "Focus on the good." It seemed like everything was right on track and then it spun off so fast.  I had a job lined up, I had everything going right and them boom, It felt like I ran into a wall.  There were complications with the job and that sent me into a tailspin.  I have goals that I want to accomplish and a time line that I need to follow in order to reach those goals.  Knowing that I could possibly not have a full time job and having to cover bills makes me anxious about getting a new bike in order to reach my ultimate dream of becoming an Ironman among so many other things.

Yet I had so many people telling me to focus on the good.  Well this morning I decided to do just that, focus on the good and forget about the rest.  I have a great time at my part time job right now, I am helping people and inspiring people to better their lives, I am having an amazing summer, the list goes on.  Yes I hit some road bumps but I cannot let them derail the things that I am focused on.  I truly believe that I am being tested in order to make the victories taste even sweeter.  I am also making new goals.  In order to reach my goal I have started a Go Fund Me account in order to help offset some of the cost for my bike.  This is a dream that I have shared with so many people and I know that it is something that I cannot do alone.  I ask that if you read this and feel compelled to help please help in anyway that you can, whether it be a donation or just sharing my story for other people to learn about it.  I know I have the support of so many people and I can't thank you all enough, you have been simply amazing and any little thing that you can do to help me will be so greatly appreciated.

Marathon training has started here, looking at races for next year and so many other plans.  I can't thank everyone enough for their support a long this journey.  The messages and praise I receive daily are so rewarding and I thank you all so much.  I wish that I could meet every person who has touched my life and give them a hug, I like hugs.

Until the next time, thank you for everything that all of you do and please keep it up, I appreciate it more than you could ever imagine.


All for now
Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself




I do not post on here on a daily basis but feel free to catch me on other social media!

New Jersey State Triathlon Race Recap

This past weekend I raced the New Jersey State Triathlon in Mercer County NJ(settle in, this is a long one).  This race is a championship race for the state of New Jersey and I was excited going in but nervous at the same time.  My training had ramped up significantly since my last tri.  I had some long runs, some speed work and a few long rides going into this race.  I knew my training would get me through but would it be enough?

As I pulled into the park and headed to packet pick up the day before the race I saw A LOT of expensive bikes....this could only mean one of two things, people with lots of money or people who were very serious about racing, but it had to be one of the two.  Either way I rolled in and picked up my packet.  We could not leave our bikes there which was ok, but we still got a chance to walk through transition and check things out.  I knew that historically this race was not wetsuit legal although I optimistically packed mine.  I stopped by the TYR tent and picked up a Toqure speed suit with anticipation of wearing that morning of.  As I finished the pre race meeting was still going on so I sat down on the lawn to listen in.

New speed suit

Pre race meeting

Numbers on the rack are always nice.

Checking out the swim course.

Now I don't consider myself a pro at this in any sense of the word, but when I started to listen to some of the questions, I knew it was time for me to head out.  I still needed to check in to the hotel and find an italian restaurant for dinner.  

After finding the hotel it was time for dinner.  I went and had a delicious meal at Tre Piani, which was a small place right near the hotel.  From there it was time to head back.  I went back and got my things together for race day.  I put my numbers on, set up my chip etc. and got ready for bed.  The night before is never anything exciting, but when you have nerves and a 4:30 wake up call what do you expect?

My favorite alarm!

The next morning came early and fast.  I was nervous.  I packed my things, got in the car and it was off to the park.  Once I got there, I set up my water bottles, put air in my tires and walked over to transition.  As I was walking through the field I heard some guy yelling but I couldn't hear what he was saying.  As I got closer he said it again "IT'S A WETSUIT LEGAL SWIM!! WATER TEMP IS 77 DEGREES!"  I thought to myself, this man is lying, there is no way the water dropped three degrees over night.  I had my suit in my bag anyway so I continue on to transition.  I racked my bike and filled my bottles. After one porter potty visit, the waiting game started.  I knew I needed to get in the water with this speed suit on and then I heard the guy on the loud speaker "Well folks for one of the first times in history today's race will be wetsuit legal, the water temp is 77 degrees!" So I knew I didn't need to put the speed suit on.  I was a little pissed the I dropped the coin on it but I knew I was wearing my suit.  

Setting up in transition.

Swim Course.

7:10 rolled around and it was time to head down to the start.  As I started walking, I saw someone racing for Wattie Ink who I follow on Instagram and I wanted to introduce myself so bad and tell her how much I love following her and her team.  I have loved this team and my dream is to one day race for them but I was just too chicken to say anything and I didn't want to bother her on race day like that.  After the national anthem and some pre race stuff it was time to zip up the suit and get in the water.  An in water start, another first for me but I have practiced them and I had a game plan.  I went out to the line and took my spot on the left side.  5, 4, 3, 2, 1......GO!!!

As the swim started, I quickly found out I was racing with the big boys.  My wave was huge, it was men 29 and under plus one of the older male waves all together.  I was running into people left and right for almost the first 200+ meters.  It seemed like I couldn't get into a groove.  After I settled in I knew I made a mistake right away, I started to get hot.  From then on I took the swim 100 meters at a time.  At each 100 meter mark I would take a few breaststroke and then continue on to the next buoy.  It got to a point where I just wanted to swim to end so bad.  I saw the 1300 meter mark and I knew I only had 200 to go, I can do this.  From there a few of the females from the wave behind me had caught me.....if that wasn't a confidence crusher! I hit the boat ramp and it was into T1.

As I looked down at my watch, I saw my swim time...31:XX, not what I had hoped for but not awful either.  I ripped my wetsuit off and was out on the bike.  Once on the bike course, my stomach was still settling from the swim.  I knew I needed to wait at least 15 minutes before I could take in any sort of nutrition.  By the time that hit I was so ready for some gel.  I slammed my first gel and starting laying down the hammer.  My goal for the bike in this race was more time in areo.  In the first lap I found myself in and out of areo, getting a feel for the course.  As I hit the sign for the second loop I knew I needed to hammer harder and spend more time in areo for the second lap.  From then on I was in areo for almost the entire second lap.  Slamming down hills and crushing flats, for the first time I felt like a "real triathlete."  As lame as it might sound, I thought of Dave Mirra who I have been looking up to and I knew I needed to stay down in areo and ride as he would.  As I was going through the course for the second time I could tell some of the later swim waves had found their way on to the course.  I was getting smoked by some dudes on $10,000 setups and holding my own with others.  I came into the finish and just hammered through the park to T2.  Finial bike time of 1:14:XX for 25 miles.  

T2 was quick, bikes shoes off, run shoes on, nutrition, belt, GO!  After Escape, I knew I needed to ease into the run.  As I left transition and headed onto the course I heard them announce the winner with a time of 1:57 and I just laughed.  The run course is through the park and again is flat and fast.  As I looked down at my watch I could see my pace bouncing between 7:30 and 7:15/ mile.  I just kept thinking my legs around going to give out at some point, they have to, but I couldn't slow down!  

About half way through the run!

The run was getting hot and hard.  My pace slowed in a few spots to somewhere up in the 8's but then worked its way back down.  I hit the five mile mark and knew I only had one left.  I wanted to finish it in 48 mins.  As I dropped the hammer one last time, I saw the 6 mile marker.  One of the beautiful things about this race was the volunteer presence along the run course.  All the people in blue shirts pictured above were volunteers who came in to cheer us on.  I was coming up to the tail end of the race and it was just packed with people yelling and screaming.  As I headed into the chute I heard a guy yelling and then he just started laughing hysterically and said "Nice hat man!!" I couldn't help but start laughing!  It was down the finish chute and I gave it everything I had.  Finial run time was 48:29.  I missed my goal by 29 seconds.  

Coming in hot!

Hitting the misting tent.

Post race.

 Post race I went to look up my times.  The first attempt there was nothing there so I thought I was too early.  I went back to my car and changed and came back again and still nothing.  I found a woman in the results tent and asked her why they wouldn't be there.......she said "Did you check the DQ list?" and with that my heart sank.  I felt like a school aged child checking to see if I got the lead in the play.  I went up and down the sheet of paper three times.....NOTHING!! Thank god, with that I went back to her and let her know I was not on there.  She informed me they had some issues and it would all be posted later.  With a finial time of 2:37:56 I was 16th out of 30 in my AG and 309 out on 1139 overall.  It wasn't what I had hoped for but it was a good race.  I knew going in that this race was going to be competitive, but I had no idea it would be this FIERCE!  With everyone gunning for nationals, I got a look at how competitive this sport can really be! 

One thing I left out from the run, was quite possibly the coolest part of the entire day.  As I was headed for one of the turn arounds I saw this guy coming towards me, I noticed that he was starring at me for a good while.  I thought nothing of it, but out of no where he yelled out "HEY!! I know you!"  I figured out that it was a follower from my instagram page that I had gone back and forth with a few times.  He recognized me on the run and was motivating me every time we crossed paths.  It was so cool to see someone who knew me and knew my story out on the course.  I remember reading a post from NYC Running Mama about her experience with this and I thought it would be so cool if that ever happened to me and it did!

Post race meeting Stefan for the first time.

I later found out that there were more people who recognized me along the course and yelled at me but unfortunately I was so in the zone that I did not hear them.  It is one of the coolest feelings in the world knowing that there are people out there reading my stuff and following what I am doing!  

All in all it was a good race.  Big time learning experience but I wouldn't trade the weekend for the world.  I had an amazing time with some amazing people and I loved every second of it.  I thank everyone for their support a long the way.  As always for all the texts before, during, and after the race.  The support on the course from both people who knew me and people who didn't and from my readers.  Next up is AC International Tri sprint distance in September!

All for now.

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself

I do not post on here on a daily basis but feel free to catch me on other social media!