Most triathletes ask the same question; what is the “best” shoe for triathlons?

The typical answer is; “It depends”.

It depends on what?  The athlete’s foot size, structure, width, arch, strength.  The athletes calve and leg strength.  The types of races the athlete is planning to use them for.  The weather conditions.  The stride and cadence and foot strike of the athlete.  Any injuries or abnormal physicality’s.  There thousands of variations and deviations to consider, but it really doesn’t need to be that hard nor technical.

We now have shoes for every foot type available.  We have special gadgets to take a simple shoe and make it incredibly high tech and, for lack of a better word, complicated.  Sometimes simple is better.

When people ask about the “right” shoes for an event, especially triathlons, they really have a lot of common traits.  A shoe should be light weight, flexible, drainage holes, breathable, comfortable when sockless, common last design for standard insoles, easy entry and exit, quick and easy lacing, comfortable, and above all else, secure to your foot.  Variables that are really specific are cost and heel to toe drop.  However, costs will level themselves out; if priced too high, no one will buy it, regardless of how great it is.  And heel to toe drop seems to be leveling out around the 4-8mm range.

So now what?  Well, we try every shoe that looks remotely usable.  And I have.  Saucony, Adidas, On-Running, Zoot, K-Swiss, Nike, Asics, Vibrams, Newtons, Mizuno, and many others.  For a long time, the Saucony Kinvara 1 and 2’s were my favorite shoe.  Light weight, flexible, 4mm heel to toe drop, but they lacked a few key points like drainage holes, speed laces, and sockless foot liner.  All things that are manageable on your own with a drill, a pair of socks, and an Amazon.com account.  Drill holes, buy speed laces, and throw on a pair of socks.  All set.  But then the Kinvara 3 came out and they changed the flexibility and sole and I was on the hunt again.

I had always liked Zoot’s products and the story behind the company, but I couldn’t find a good pair of shoes since the Ultra Race 2’s, and those were long discontinued.  So imagine my surprise when a new shoe from Zoot came out, the Ultra Kiawe.  Low toe drop (6mm), thin padding, easy to put on, sockless, comfortable, and VERY light.  My appreciation for Zoot was re-born.  But only for a racing shoe up to a half marathon.  Not really ideal for distance training and high weekly mileage.  I wanted the same shoe but with more padding.

Introduction to the Zoot Ultra Race 4 was love at first sight/run.  With the new boa lacing system and redesign to have a more forefront strike, these shoes were a dream come true.  More padding and better longevity for training.  Still very light weight and easy to put on.  Not as thin as the Kiawe, but great for weekly mileage.  But I still want something for the Sunday long runs.  I want the Ultra Race 4 feel and look, but a bit more padding for the long hauls.  I would even sacrifice a bit of weight and the drainage holes since it’s for training and not for racing.

Hello new Ultra Ali’i 6.0.

The Ultra TT 5.0 lowers with the Ultra Race 4.0 uppers.  Fantastic idea!  The last shape is the same as previous Ali’I models but the toe box looks to be curved up a little bit more than previously, but maybe that’s just my odd view of the new shoes compared to my older version.  The soles still have drainage and the carbon span which gives a nice solid road feel when you push off.  There is also a new “Zoot” design for the treads.    The heel is the same with the lower profile and strap for putting on in transition.  There is no Achilles chaffing as in older “high back” models.    The shoes are sockless and extremely comfortable even over a 16 mile training session on the asphalt.  The sock liner is the same as previous models with only 2 seams on either side of the ankles, which is not a typical rubbing spot.  The weight seems to be a little different with the prior models weighing in at 9.1 ounces per shoe in size 10.5 (without insoles) versus the new weight at 8.7 ounces, so a bonus for us!  For reference, the Ultra Race 4.0 is 8.2 ounces in size 10.5.  The boa system is quick and adjustable on the fly and firmly holds your heel in place when running which gives a very secure “one with the shoes” feeling.  If you look closely at the lacing system, you’ll notice the Boa system has a strap that goes around the upper part of the heel to keep it in place.  I almost expected this to hurt but it was the exact opposite.  It made the shoe that much more comfortable.  And the black and yellow design is very cool and matches the new Ultra Team kit colors and design with a bit of Hawaii floral pattern.  There is also a “30” on the toe area which I assume is for the years supporting triathletes.

My only true complaint, the heel to toe drop is a bit off.  It would be nice to see another 2 – 4 mm taken off the back end (again, maybe I need to take out the power tools?).  Now, why did I mention a special appearance by Specialized S-Works Tri-Vent?  They both serve the same function for their respective sports.  And they both get some flak for being a gimmick not worth the price.

So are they worth it or just another expensive gimmick meant to deceive the triathlon community?

I suggest they are the most important thing a triathlete should be looking at.  Take the bike shoes.  Roadies will forever claim that tri shoes are worthless on a bike and especially when climbing as your foot is not held securely in place and the rider gives up a lot of power.  Triathletes make claims for faster transitions into and out of the shoes.  But both can’t co-exist right?  Wrong.  Having the heel open makes the shoes great to slip on and off in a triathlon, but utilizing the Boa system, the rider can crank down the dial and secure the heel to the shoe and making the S-Works Tri-Vent a road worthy shoe.

Runners make the same claims as roadies.  A real shoe uses laces and is tied securely to the foot.  Triathletes need to slip on shoes on the fly and sometimes when wet.  They need easy entry.  So the same thing for the Zoot Ultra Race 4 and the Ultra Ali’i 6 run shoes.  With the boa system, the triathlete can easily slip them on and then ratchet them down until snug.  What’s even better is how easy it is to relieve some pressure when your foot swells and pop the Boa dial to open the laces a bit.

Last year at Ironman NYC the weather was hot and humid and my feet swelled so badly that I had to open up the Kinvaras to give my feet wiggle room and in doing so made the shoes very sloppy going up and down stairs and hills.  My feet moved around too much and I ended up with blisters and lost all my toe nails.  The new Boa systems on the Ali’I 6 and the Race 4 will help prevent that from happening again.

I highly recommend the new Specialized S-Works Tri-Vents and the Zoot Ultra Race 4 and Ultra Ali’I 6 and propose that the Boa System is not a gimmick rather a foot and power saving tool that is much needed for the triathlon community.

And no, I’m not sponsored by either company, I just have a large admiration of the products and companies that work hard to serve the athletes well.

Last summer I spent most days in the open water trying different wetsuits to see if anything was as good as the BlueSeventy Helix. I went the entire summer in rubber and nearly baked from the heat.

As I have qualified for 70.3 Las Vegas, I’m in need of a swim skin, so this summer will be spent without rubber.  I was already familiar with the B70 PZ3TX, which is again the standard, in my opinion, when it comes to swim skins.   I started looking around and of course landed on Monty’s swim skin reviews on slowtwitch.  The only problem, he was a professional athlete back in “the day”.  How does his review work to my benefit when I’m a slower swimmer and have different needs?  Time to test skins for the average triathlete swimmer (yes, a big difference between swimmer and triathlete swimmer).

Huub (www.huubdesign.com) had sent me an Archimedes 3:5 last year for me to test.  Huub has come through again and sent me a few different sizes of their SKN-1 swim skin.  Upon first look it seems like the others.  Black fabric that feels like paper with a red back on it.  Rear zipper with no leash.  Upon closer inspection, it looked like there was more material going across the chest than other skins I have seen or tested.  The legs and groin looked like there was a thin Teflon tape going in specific patterns, but I couldn’t figure out what the pattern was.  Huub defines this as part of their X-O Skeleton.  Huub believes in compression on the specific muscle areas.  They do this by stretching certain panels more and locking it in place with a seam.  However, they use flat weld tape instead of raised stitches which is a HUGE comfort factor.  I also realized why the zipper didn’t have a leash on it for easy access; it is a break away zipper, a simple tug and it comes apart.

Quick background, I’m 5’9” and I’m now 2 months into the post season and have gained a bit of weight, so I’m at a nice 160lbs.  About 10lbs off from normal weight, 15lbs of race weight.  I have broader shoulders than most triathletes and a slightly bigger neck.  It becomes a problem with tight fitting gear like wetsuits and skins.  And mind you, skins are supposed to be SUPER tight.  I’m an average swimmer and usually perform better with pool toys like paddles and fins.  I also perform much better with a wetsuit.  I barely kick and mostly use upper body to get through the water.  I need to work on efficiency as I try to muscle my way through swimming.  I am usually a sub 30 minute 1.2 mile swimmer with a wetsuit on.

About the same time as the suits arrived for me to try, I injured my back and throughout L3 and L4.  Swimming was not an option for a bit, so I asked my crazy Irish buddy to try the suits.  He is also a triathlete, same age as me (37, a week apart from each other), same height at 5’9”, but built slightly different.  He has a bigger chest, barrel like, but narrower shoulders.  He is a talented swimmer, much faster than me in a pool, a bit faster than me in open water.

The test was to be 1000 yards warm up then 5 x 100 yards without the swim skin, 5 x 100 yards with the swim skin, 5 x 100 yards without again.  Record them all and take averages.  My buddy, Eugene, swam short course yards with these results:

Without – 1:12/1:12/1:11/1:11/1:12

With Huub SKN-1 – 1:07/1:07/1:07/1:08/1:07

Without – 1:12/1:12/1:12/1:12/1:12

Eugene wore the medium size SKN-1 and reported that the cut for the chest was a bit odd and it dug into his arm pits a bit and would prefer to have a thinner strap over the shoulders and have the chest material cut in towards the nipples more, making the arm holes bigger.  He also noted the leg grippers put too much pressure on the groin and hindered his kick a bit.  He feels that the weld tape over the hamstrings might actually be more of a benefit.

I wondered if his results were more due to psychological than actual.  5 seconds on average is pretty significant between a speedo and a swim skin.

After 4 weeks, my back has recovered fully.  I have been back in the pool for 2 weeks and can now do flip-turns off the wall at 100%.  It was time for me to try the suits out.

I have been swimming 2 days a week in a long course meter pool since July.  I took the suits with me on Tuesday and performed my 1000 meter warm up.  I asked the master’s coach to time me and performed my test.  I only did 3 intervals each as I was running short on time.

Without – 1:28/1:28/1:27

With Huub SKN-1 – 1:21/1:22/1:22

Without – 1:28/1:28/1:28

The master swim coach and I were amazed at the time difference.  I thought for sure I would be around 2 to 3 seconds faster, but not 6 seconds.  That seems unreal, but maybe for the swimmer with bad form, the time savings is more than the efficient swimmer.

As for comfort, I wore the size small.  I thought the extra material would chafe me but I was wrong.  It was super comfortable and unnoticeable in the water.  There was no problem with the arm holes and the chest wasn’t too tight.  Breathing was not hindered at all.  At no time did I feel like it was helping me with float or buoyancy and I really wondered how this suit was going to help me, but the times talk for themselves.  Oh yeah, they say the leg grippers/tape don’t create bulges, but my over-sized turkey drumstick legs looked like sausage links.  Oh well, time to lose some weight.

I want to try a few more suits, including the TYR and Zoot, but I really like the Huub, especially since it would cover a tri top completely as appose to the B70 PZ3TX which leave the tri top slightly exposed.

Tri season always starts off so promising.  You have a schedule of races you want to dominate.  You have a training plan.  You have nice new shiny equipment.  Your training buddies are waiting for you.  You are in good shape even after the “off season”.  Life is good, this should be a great season.

Then, as you start building up your training, the tiny pains settle in.  Then maybe a bad race throws your confidence.  Your equipment isn’t as new or shiny.  And it’s only June.

Such was my season.  The “A” race ws Ironman NYC.  Leading up to that was AmZof, Harriman Half, and Rev3 Half.  Sprinkle in a few other local races and you had my season.  It was all to end with a top 10 at Ironman NYC and a ticket to Kona.

Oops.  Turns out 20th place at Ironman doesn’t get you to the big dance.  This was a bit upsetting, but my team mates at Targetraining pulled me out of my Zombie like stare and told me to join them in some training rides and runs.  A few swims with the boys and girls of Target (yes Frank and Tara, you are Target people), a few long rides in the dark, and a few LONG runs with Mitch and Jim Irvine.  It did wonders for me.

I got race numbers at the last second for the Westchester Oly and Ironman Poconos 70.3.  Westchester didn’t go so well for me.  My BMC TM01 was still broken and I had to use my Look 596 without a powermeter.  Big bummer.  And then my run was not up to par for speed at the 10k distance, I couldn’t break 40 minutes.

Ironman Poconos was different though.  If you ever saw the movie “Hot Tube Time Machine”, then you would know the scene at the Poconos in Pennsylvania.  Hotels not updated (nor likely cleaned) since 1980.  Locals walking thru town with rifles and hunting bows.  Nachos made of tostitos and velveeta cheese.  I was way too afraid to get in the sheets in the bed.

Poconos 70.3 is a multi transition race.  THe swim start and finish line are not in the same location.  So you have to rack your bike and run bag the day before, 15 miles apart.  It makes it a little difficult.

I got my TM01 back from Targetraining on Thursday and did one small ride on Saturday with it.  The fork had broken at IMNYC and took a bit of time to replace from Switzerland.  On Saturday afternoon when I went to rack my bike, I noticed my fork was loose.  Actually, Eugene was with me and he noticed it.  Nothing brings your world to a halt as a broken bike.  I walked the bike to the mechanics in the transition area and sheepishly asked the locals if they had ever worked on the BMC TM01.  As soon as I said it, I apologized immediately.  What a jerk thing to say.  Anyhow, the mechanic took it and fixed it in 5 minutes.  Good to go.  I racked the bike, then racked my run bag, and checked into the hotel.

Scary hotel, scary food, nice people.  That sums it up.

Race day:

Swim start was a bit chilly at 45 degrees, so I threw on my Nineteen Rogue wetsuit to keep warm until my wave went off an hour later.  The water was 65 degrees, so a bit nicer.  The plan was to find the swim leader and stick to his feet.  We were the second to last wave, so there would be some traffic.  Within 200 yards of the start, the sprinter fell away and only a few of us remained.  Then there were just 2 of us.  I had to close the gap to get on his feet and then I stayed there until the last 300 yards of the swim.  I sprinted for it and emerged from the water first in my wave.  I’m listed as 3rd in my age group, but one guy had a 15 minute swim, so I assume he cut the course, and the other guy beat me but he was in the other wave, so I never saw him.  So really 2nd in AG for the swim, first in my wave at 25:15.

The bike was going to be cold, so I planned to wear my long sleeve bike jersey and gloves.  After jumping on the bike, it was a game of leap frog passing the other 10 waves before me.  The plan was to hold 220 watts and slip stream between all the other riders in front of me.  I had 2 guys in my age group go by me, so I assumed I was in 3rd place.  I nailed my plan down and didn’t push it to catch the other 2 guys.  Off the bike at 2:26:37.

I got off the bike feeling pretty good and switched to run mode.  I threw on my Zoot Ultra Kiawes without socks and took off.  Now, here is where those long runs with Mitch paid off.  He got me to think about high cadence and forefront striking.  I worked really hard on this for 6 weeks, even during our epic 21 mile run in the Rockies.  It paid off big time.  I kept a fast cadence and forefront strike the whole way.  The plan was to run a sub 1:30.  I started out at just sub 7 pace and held it going up and down hills, passing the remaining age groupers in my way.  It was awesome to catch so many people on the run without having anyone go by me.  About 1 mile to the turn around I saw one of the guys in my age group that passed me on the bike.  I think I swore out loud as the guy next to me said “tough break buddy” as he must have seen my age and the other guys age on our calves.  I picked it up a notch but then settled right back into sub 7 figuring 3rd place is where I would stay.  I was pissed as I thought that there were only 2 spots for Ironman World Championships for my age group.  At mile 8.5, I saw the guy again and blew by him.  I figured I was in second place now.  At mile 9.5 I caught the other guy in my age group and he tried to stay with me for about a tenth of a mile, so I picked it up until I knew he was in back of me not giving anymore ideas of chasing me down.  I caught one more athlete at mile 10, not in my age group, and we ran for about a quarter mile together before he fell off.  At mile 10.5, I started to slow a bit to just over 7 pace.  My knees started to hurt and there was a tiny stone in my shoe.  I considered taking my shoe off, but didn’t want to chance it, so I flopped my foot around until the stone moved out from under my toes.  At mile 12, the guy that I ran a quarter mile with caught me again and ran in front of me for a mile, but right in front of me.  As he and I both turned the corner for the finishers chute, we both went for it sprinting down the lane.  The towns people were cheering wildly (they had no idea that we weren’t in each others age group), they thought they were witnessing a photo finish sprint.  I edged him out at the line.  A few high fives later with the other guys at the finish line and off I went to get my bags.  There was a local YMCA allowing us to shower there.  It was a GREAT shower!!  Ran in 1:31:30.

Total Time – 4:27:31.

I got dressed and went back to the finish line where the town was having Oktober Fest with a live band, grills, beer, tents, the whole thing.  Euge brought me up to date with my times.  I was third in age group.  Damn. For gigles, I checked out with the officials about championship slot allocations.  My age group had 3 slots.  Hot damn, I auto-qualified for Ironman 70.3 World Championships and Podiumed!!

A few minutes later, I was sipping a micro-brew and getting my spot at 70.3 Vegas!!  Awesome way to end the year!!

Thank you again to my wife and kids, my mom and my in-laws, Eugene Doherty, TargeTraining, Mitch, Frank, Jim, Baxendale, Schinto, Tara, Stephen, Colton, Gio, AnnMarie, Ed, Chris Kinney, Matt Baldwin, and all the endurance athletes at TargeTraining.  A big thank you to Jordan Rapp for dealing with me for the past 3 years.  Also a thank you to Kathy at Chelsea Piers Masters for always giving me feedback on my swim.  And Nick at the YWCA for getting my swim up to speed over the past year.

A few years ago I was a Zoot fanatic.  I had everything Zoot except for the wetsuit.  Shoes, tri suit, swim cap, swim suit, transition bag, suitcase etc.  Then over the past year or 2 I switched over to Saucony Kinvara’s for shoes, Dolphin Uglies for swim suits, Skinfit and Skins for tri suits..  I wanted to like Zoot and I would buy their new shoes, but they just didn’t seem to fit right for me.

After Ironman NYC, I decided to just go out and have fun running, swimming, and cycling again.  Slow down the pace for the run and focus on forefront running.  Go out for OWS’s with friends and not masters class.  My tri bike fork is cracked so I switched over to a road bike and actually like it.

Over the past few weeks I decided to really focus on my running mechanics.  I bought a whole new arsenal of shoes to try out.  Turns out that Newtons are great for forcing yourself to run on the forefront. shorten the stride, and to have a higher cadence.  They build up the calf muscles well.  However, I tried to run fast in them for 13 miles and that was a real challenge as well as some minor soreness.  I tried the same tempo runs in the Zoot Ultra Kiawe and the results were dramatically different.

What a great shoe.  The Zoot Ultra Kiawe is sub 7 ounces, has drainage holes, has a 6mm heel to toe drop, and a great feeling sockliner.  I switched out the laces for locklaces which seems a bit better.  I opted for black laces over the red ones, a bit tacky if you ask me (which you should always ask me as I’m SOOO fashion coordinated).  The shoe is like running in a slipper, which is nice if you have lost your toe nails due to an Ironman run and have also beaten up your feet from running home 6 miles barefoot pushing your bike (ala transition style) due to a flat tire and lack of common sense (otherwise known as I forgot to carry my cell phone and spare kit as it was “only” a quick 1.5 hour ride to “test” a new build, what could go wrong?).

These Ultra Kiawe’s are light, comfortable, have a great toe box and sole for the push off, and enough heel distance to not strike the heel first when running on the midfoot.  Fantastic shoe for 10k to half marathon.  Under a 10k and I use Saucony A5′s because I think I’m fast enough to rock a track shoe (wow, I made it through that sentence without spitting water all over my keyboard, that is impressive).

This go me to thinking about other cool Zoot gear.  The Ultra Rn Shorts are great and the back pocket is really handy for long runs.  The crotch liner does a great job of keeping everything in place.  The Recovery Flip-Flops are awesome and used more than any other shoe I have, including my work shoes.  They even survived a puppy attack from my new border-collie heinz 57 dog.  The TT Socks are a great fit with most shoes, but especially with the Zoot Ultra TT 5.0.  The new visor is great looking too.  I just wish it had a bit more ability to keep the sweat out of my eyes.  The sweatshirt is stylish as ever and really comfortable.

I have yet to get back into a Zoot Tri Suit as my season is just about over, but I would love to try them on again for next year!!

If you haven’t given Zoot a look at in a while, now is the time!!

While it’s still fresh in my mind, I better write this all down.

This journey started well over a year ago.  Ever since my first Ironman back in 2009 at Lake Placid, I have not felt satisfied in my performances.  I took all of 2010 to learn to “race” through the 70.3 distance with a goal of going to 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, which I accomplished.  I then trained straight through to 2011 in preparation for Ironman Lake Placid 2011.  The broken collarbone in May 2011 was a set back for my performance at Lake Placid, but under the circumstances, I performed well enough to give me the motivation to give Ironman one more try to see if I could qualify for Kona.

I set my sights on Ironman NYC for a few reasons.  The first being its’ close proximity to home.  I could train there all year round and know the course.  I could be ready for the weather as I live near by.  I could easily get to the race and back home again if I needed anything.  My family was within quick driving distance.  Also, this was a new race, no upper hand to those veterans that knew “tricks” to courses.  It was also a big qualifying race with more Kona slots than most other races.

I dug deep for training.  Really deep.  Master swim classes every morning for a year.  Intense workouts on the bike through TargeTraining.  High run volume all through Fall/Winter and mostly into Spring.  I planned all my early Spring races to gear me up for Ironman and performed well enough that I assumed all was on track.  My coach planned it all out for me and I performed as it was written for me.

Some where along the line I started to lose focus on having fun.  I realized I was spending much more time training alone and looking at it as work.  As something I “had to do”.  The only times I had fun are when friends like Frank, Mitch, Tara, and John would text me to join them for work outs.  I really enjoyed those, but started dreading the longer alone time stuff.  6 hours on a long ride by yourself sucks.  Big time!  Long runs under the hot sun with traffic trying to take you out is no way to go through life.  I started looking forward to the end of this madness.  But yet I stayed true to my plans and workouts.

Everything was on track.  Great wetsuit (BlueSeventy Helix), great bike from TargeTraining (BMC TM01), my trusty shoes from Saucony.  Nutrition was dialed in.  Health was good.  Body weight was down.  I had no reasons why I shouldn’t perform at my best.

Three weeks before Ironman and I changed my tri-suit for comfort reasons.  I also was advised to switch my gearing for the bike and move to a slightly tighter group.  I was riding a 12-28 cassette and was advised to move to an 11-23.  I figured with 3 weeks left, what is the harm in trying it out…

Two weeks before my Ironman was the Lake Placid Ironman and I went to train and cheer on friends (Mitch, Frank, Steve, Tara, Stephen, Kevin).  I went up with my buddy Eugene and we went out for a 2 loop swim in Mirror Lake.  It went well.  We then went out for a 2 loop bike on course.  After the first loop, Euge decided to drop back and take it easy.  I still had training to do and was suppose to increase watts for the second loop.  Unfortunately, Lake Placid has steeper hills than the NYC course.  On the second loop I increased my watts as I was suppose to, but I still had on the 11-23 cassette.  I spiked my watts on the hills and started feeling a bit uncomfortable.  I finished up my training and went back to the hotel to rest and assess any damage.  Nothing seemed that bad, just some aches.

The following week my knees really started to bother me.  While out for a run I happen to pass by my surgeon that worked on my clavicle from last year.  She asked how I was and I told her about the knee discomfort.  She told me to stop in to see her.  The following day she had me in the office and it was determined I had some pretty bad tendinitis in the knee around the quad attachment point on the inside of the knee.  She gave me an anti-inflammatory injection for both knees.  This was about the worst pain I had felt in a long time.  A 6″ needle passing through muscle and then into inflamed tendons.  Lovely.

The week before Ironman and my knees started to feel better.  The tendons seemed to not be as inflamed.  I went out for one of my last long-ish rides (3 hours).  The tail end called for another harder effort.  This didn’t go well.  My hip felt like it was on fire and my knees ached again, but this time it wasn’t the tendons, it was the quad muscles at the attachment point.

So now with just a week before Ironman, I’m running around looking for miracles.  Massage everyday.  Kinesio tape, all brands.  My surgeon tells me to take Aleve, 2 in the morning and at night.  She also tells me it’s ok to take during the race, just to stay hydrated.

Wednesday before Ironman.  I go into the city with Chris Kinney from TargeTraining and we get our packets and check out the expo.  I check out the Rock Tape both for some Kinesio tape and it seems to work well.  My right knee feels ok, my left knee is still a bit sore.

Thursday I rest.

Friday I go into the city with my wife, Jenn, and we rack my bike and go to the hotel to relax.  My bags are packed, my food is ready, my tri-suit is laid out.  I’m good to go.

Saturday – Race Day!!!

2am, out of bed and eating 1000 calories worth of eggs, potatoes, bananas, and gluten free waffles.  3am I roll down to the shuttles that bring us to the ferry for transition.  4am I’m on a ferry on my way to Ross Dock in NJ for transition.  5am I’m in line for body marking and to check out my bike and inflate my tires.

This is my favorite time in a race.  Right before the storm.  The looks on peoples faces.  They are scared out of their minds.  Hardly anyone smiles and hardly anyone is breathing normally.  I love this.  The anxiety of it all.  I of course need to be the jackass that makes jokes to see if I can snap people out of their zombie like approach to pre-race strategy.  It doesn’t usually work, I usually just get glares cast in my direction, but it seems to keep me occupied from the tasks at hand, like, “what’s that brown stuff floating in the water we are about to swim in?” and “what’s that smell?”.

6am we board the ferry to travel 2.4 miles upstream to the barge from where we will jump into the toilet, I mean river.  It is very odd to see a 2.4 mile swim course in a straight line.  It doesn’t seem that far all of a sudden.

6:50, the pro’s dive in and are gone.  7am, the rest of us jump in and take off.  The water doesn’t taste nearly as bad as it looks.  I don’t feel the current yet.  Luckily I breath to my left and the buoy markers are to my left.  I feel very strong with my swim and start to wonder where the hell the tide is that is suppose to carry us down stream faster.  Oh wait, there it is.  t the halfway point I notice the buoys going by a lot faster.  I change my swim stroke to more of a glide to take advantage of it.  It’s starting to get very warm in my tri suit.  I concentrate on my breathing and stroke to make sure everything stays on target.  I am doing well.  Passing a lot of people and I don’t notice anyone passing me.  I do notice I haven’t pee’d yet in my wetsuit.  Something I do often.  Oh well, no big deal…

7:45, I’m out of the water and sprinting for my bike bag and changing on the fly.  I see Chris Budden in the changing tent and tell him to shake a leg, no time to waste.  I run to my bike and get out of there.  Up the transition hill (the worst climb of the day) and get out on course.  The plan is to stick 200 watts for all 112 miles.  Right away I notice there are very few of us out here on the bike course, so I must be doing well.  I pass a few guys and settle in all by myself.  Strange, 2500 racers and I am all by myself.  Anyhow, I pass 3 guys speaking what I thought was German.  Definitely a set of twins and another guy, same jersey’s and 2 guys had the same bike.  This goes on for 4 hours.  They were working together badly on the bike.  I would pass them on flats and downhills.  The lead rider would then catch me and pass me with another guy in tow up a hill.  He would then look behind him to see where his twin brother was and sit up to wait for him.  This would force me to stand up out of the saddle on the hills to pass the 2 guys so I didn’t get caught for drafting.  This BS went on for the entire bike section.  No damn marshalls to be seen.  My knees were starting to ache.

I performed as I was suppose to on the bike.  It was nice seeing Chris Budden on the course as well as Chris Kinney.  Kristen Budden was cheering out on the course as well, which was motivating.  But these damn drafters were really bothering me and messing up my hill strategy.  I just couldn’t shake them.  My left knee finally gave out.  I popped 2 Aleve and settled back in.  My nerves started to get the better of me as I wondered how I was doing physically.  My watts were good at 200, my cadence was around 93 rpm’s, my normalized power was around 206.  Everything seemed in check, but I noticed, I hadn’t pee’d on the bike yet.  I usually pee about every 15 minutes or so when racing.  I double checked in my head about my drinking and nutrition and everything seemed right.  Salt tabs every 45 minutes, a bottle of Perform every hour, water at every aid station all over my body to keep cool, and Bonk Breakers every hour.  Everything was as planned, I’m just not peeing.

At the end of the second loop of the bike I looked down to see my time.  I was around 5:15 for the bike, which meant I was doing really well.  Hell, a total of 6 hours into the race???  Just a run left to do??  8 pace will get me to 9:30.  9:30 will get me to Kona!!!!

I grabbed my run bag and popped 2 more Aleve, my knee was throbbing.  I took off out of transition and back up the hill again.  My plan for the hills was to shuffle, so I stuck to my plan.

The first 14 miles are hell.  Up and down hills.  The plan was to hold on around 8 pace or a bit more to just survive the 14 miles before the GW bridge.  Again, I noticed I was alone out there.  Really the only ones ahead of me were the pro’s and a few other age groupers.  It is very odd to be in a leading position in a race of this size.  It’s also nice as the aid stations are still full and have ice for the first few people that make it there early in the race.  I took Perform and Coke at each station, I dumped water over my head and shoved ice in my jersey.  It was getting stupid humid out and hot.  I noticed I still hadn’t pee’d….

I started slowing down on my second loop of the run after seeing Chris Gio on course.  Things were starting to go wrong.  I pushed through it and shuffled along.  I realized my pace was around 8:30 or worse, but the math in my head said to get across the bridge and then settle into an 8 pace and drop it from there for the final 10 miles when it gets flat…

On my way past the 2nd turn around I made my way up the “last” big hill to get to the bridge.  No one was around.  I decided I had to force myself to pee.  I concentrated and finally let  loose.  Not much to report there.  Hardly anything.  My knee really hurt and I popped 2 more Aleve and shuffled up the hill to the bridge.

My race was crumbling before my eyes.  I made it to the stairs of the bridge and could barely walk.  I climbed the metal stairs to the bridge and started my crossing.  The wind smacked me in the face and at first it was a really welcoming gust.  No shade, but the wind made me feel better.  Now, I’m not afraid of heights and I don’t mind bridges, but I started to get a bit of vertigo going over the bridge.  My stomach locked up and I wanted to throw up.  The world got a bit dizzy.

I made it to the other side and down the staircase.  It was at this point I realized my feet had swollen and my toes were jammed up against the toe box.  I also felt blisters on all my toes.  This had never happened in training.  My toes really hurt going down the stairs and down the ramps.  There were a lot of ramps.  A lot.

I finally made it to the green-way and started my final approach to the finish line.  Every step hurt my toes.  Every step my left knee screamed.  The world was still dizzy and my stomach cried for mercy.  My brain started to give up on me.

Now, here is the really hard part of an Ironman.  It has nothing to do with training.  It has nothing to do with your equipment.  It has nothing to do with health.  It has to do with heart and being strong minded.  The bitter pill to swallow is the realization that you don’t possess these traits.  For all the hard work, all the early mornings, all the sacrifices, all the money spent.  All nothing compared to heart and mind.  Two things I was weak at.  I say “was”, but I mean “am”.  I am weak.  This realization hit me like a ton of bricks.  It was good to admit it to myself and I felt a bit of relief, but at the same time it was pretty depressing.

I realized I had about 9 miles to go.  I also realized no one had passed me yet, so I had to still be in pretty good standings.  Maybe still a shot at top 10?  Time to shuffle forward.  Shuffle, pick up the pace to jog, then stop to re-assess the damage.  Damn, now someone caught me.  8 miles to go.  Keep on keeping on.  Shuffle, jog, stop.  Each aid station was like an oasis with promises of something to fix me, but nothing did.  What I really wanted was a shower at each aid station to wash off this feeling of misery.  Like dirty skin, I just wanted it to be showered off so I can get going like new.

7 miles to go.  Damn this sun is hot. 6 miles to go, WTF?????  Where did these hills come from?  It’s suppose to be flat??  Why am I going up hill?  More stairs?  Why am I climbing more stairs?  Dear god make it stop.  Uh oh, I’m about to pass out.  Hold on dude, this is going to get bumpy.  More people pass me.

4 miles to go.  Here is the zig zag pattern in the run course that was suppose to be flat. They lied.  Up and down.  Each step my feet and knee are killing me.  More people passing me. Spectators cheering me on, lying to me about how great I look.  Please, I know I look like an extra from Michael Jackson’s Thriller video.

1.2 miles left to go.  I look at my watch for the first time since the bridge and realize I’m still at sub-10 hours.  But barely.  Hell dude, move your damn feet!!!!  Come on, you have trained so hard for this.  You know this is your last one.  Kona is out of sight now, too many guys passed you.  It’s all over, just move your damn feet.  Think of your wife.  Think of your kids.  Think of your family.  Dammit MOVE!!  Don’t worry about the disappointment, it’s okay, you won’t go to Kona as an athlete, you can go as a vacationer.   It’s ok, you just aren’t that kind of athlete.  Maybe it’s time to find fun in swimming and biking and running.  Maybe it’s time that you NEVER go out and “train” alone again, only with friends.  Maybe it’s time to take a break.  But most of all, it’s time to FINISH  THIS DAMN RACE.  NOW MOVE!!!

And then I heard it.  The sound of the finish line.  Like angels welcoming you home.  A beacon in the darkness that had me locked away.  Each step brought me closer.  Louder.  Cheering.  And then my new favorite part of Ironman.  The finish line.  When you realize you gave all you were going to give on that particular day and you are finishing up a race that by other peoples standards you have done well.  Kids and grown ups reach out their hands in the finishing shoot to wait for a high-five.  This had never happen to me before.  I must be one of the first few finishers?  Top 100?  I took FULL advantage of this and high-five EVERYONE that stuck their hand out.  That was so much fun.

I shuffled through the finish line, got my medal (somehow by-passed the t-shirt and visor), grabbed my gear bag and jumped in a taxi.  I didn’t stay for anything.  I wanted to see my wife, take a shower, eat, and pass out.

As soon as I got in the cab I wanted to throw up.  I threw a $20 at the driver and sprinted (ok, it was more of a glorified hobble) into the hotel.  Almost threw up in the elevator.  Made it to the hotel, said hi to my wife and found home in the bathroom.  What happened next is not fitting for words.  But at some point I did pass out.  I also came to understand why I didn’t pee during the race.

The Aleve shut down my system.  My bladder and liver were in bad shape.  My stomach was in knots.  My toe nails black and toes blistered.  Not clear blistered.  Blood blistered.

It’s done.  It’s over.  My results are my best so far, but I don’t have the heart for Ironman anymore.  I hope to find fun and fitness in training with friends at TargeTraining.  I hope to help others in their training.  I hope to stay competitive in the 70.3 distance.  But I’m not going to sacrifice my life with my family and friends to do so.  I want to have fun doing this sport.  And I hope to do it with all of you, my friends, my family.  Thank you all for being there with me.

Swim – 43:18 – 10th Place

Bike – 5:17:12 – 10th Place

Run – 3:59:27 – 20th Place

T1 – 3:37

T2 – 2:54

Overall – 10:06:28 – 20th Place

I am constantly on the search for the best equipment out there.  Swim, Bike, Run, Recovery, Nutrition; you name it, I have likely tried it or want to try it.

Besides my bike, there is still a lot of tri-area I need to cover.  The perfect tri-suit still eludes me.  The perfect sneakers are still only in my mind (why won’t the manufacturers listen to me???).  The wetsuit is still just a touch away.

So after a years worth of 5am masters classes, I think I finally got my swim where I want it to be.  I’m not going to be the first out of the water at major events, but close to it at local stuff.  Usually mid-FOP for national stuff.  So with my stroke smoothed out a bit, I need to find the right suit.

I have been swimming in a Blue Seventy Helix for 3 years.  GREAT SUIT!!!  But I need a new one every year as I get micro tears in the rubber and such.  Kind of annoying.  I was going to buy another one when I decided to see what else is out there.

I stopped by my LBS to see what they had on the racks.  I’m a big fan of Zoot gear and wanted to try it out, especially since a friend is on the Zoot Ultra Team and he offered a discount on suits.  There was only 1 suit in my size at the store, an old Zenith 2, the one that looks like a batman suit with ab’s.  I threw it on and it seemed to fit well….in the store.  I took it out for a spin on the water and I immediately found the neck Velcro to come loose.  Water rushed in and I became a bloated seal waiting for a shark attack.  I felt like a giant water balloon.  Oh well, no Zoot for me, let’s keep looking shall we?

A friend of mine said he had a good deal with Aquasphere, so I took him up on it.  The suit arrived in a briefcase.  Ooooohhh, this has to be good.  Threw on the wetsuit and noticed all sorts of cool gadgets.  First was a back brace of sorts.  Yeah, I know, weird, but sounded cool, let’s try it.  Then I noticed arm bands.  Yep, 5mm arm bands to make my biceps look less puny.  It has the same reverse zipper as B70, so that was cool.  It makes it easy to zipper yourself up…if your flexible like a circus freak, which, luckily, I am.  I was really digging this suit.  I got out a quarter mile and loved how the extra 5mm band around the arms forced me into a high elbow.  But the love affair started to fade when the neck kept rubbing me and my suit started to bloat with water and made it difficult to swim when water pooled around the lats, chest, and arms.  And then when I took off the suit, the seam tape started to come off from the inside of the suit.  I was kind of upset with this.  I tried the suit 1 more time and it happened all over again.  Too bad.  I chalked it up to a bad trial.  However, not all is lost.  A rep from Aquasphere asked me about the suit and I explained everything.  The rep has communicated with me a lot about the suit and the issues I faced.  I took pics of the seams and all.  Without me asking, he offered to replace the suit and maybe try a size smaller (Me??  A size Extra Small??).  Ok, I’ll play ball again.

In the mean time, I was contacted by the owner of Nineteen Wetsuits.  He asked if I had tried their new high end suit, the Rogue.  Now there’s a name I can get behind.  A few years ago, my buddy and I went out for an open water swim at the same time a swim clinic was being held (at a public beach).  We waited for the clinic to take off and then we went around them after waiting 15 minutes.  As we passed them, the group decided to follow us instead of the clinic leader.  This apparently upset the clinic leader as he swam off in a huff and outed on the beach.  My buddy and I were later emailed in a nasty-gram about our deliberate attempt to de-rail the clinic and how we had gone rogue.  We later adopted the name and called all of our OWS’s “Going Rogue”.

Back to the Nineteen Rogue; the suit sounds like all the right things I’m looking for in a suit, especially the flexible arms and chest.  However, that was a few weeks ago and I haven’t heard from the owner since.  Oh well.

I’m still sitting idle with a hole-y wetsuit and an Ironman race in 6 weeks.

Flash to this morning when I get an email from an athlete that I have met a few times and was a former Pro Triathlete.  It turns out that he is a rep for a new wetsuit company called Huub.  I had just heard of Huub recently on slowtwitch.com and checked out their website.  I inquired about demo’s via their contact list, which prompted Chris’s email this morning.  He stated he would get a demo out to me soon.  I’m really hoping it’s the Archimedes 3:5.  The suit sounds great.

So as it stands, I’m waiting on Nineteen, AquaSphere, and Huub.  I’m looking forward to anything at this point.  I’m pretty happy with the communications from these companies and their reps, it sounds like they really stand behind their products and want to please the customer or potential customer.  I can appreciate that.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

This one is for my family tree; the Pratts, the Winegars, the Kleins.

Cancer runs in the family.  Almost like the disease itself it has branched out into our family tree and made its’ roots known.  As the generations pop up like new buds on a limb, we hope the disease will stop and the tree can grow healthy again.

We have lost many and cured a few in the families.  My mother included.  My mothers siblings.  My grandparents.  Those that didn’t make it were my great grandparents.  Maybe this is a sign of the times that we are getting closer to a cure.

Little Grandpa (Great Grandfather) died from bone cancer; it started as prostate cancer and was not treated so spread to his bones.

His wife, my Great Grandmother, died from colon cancer.

My Grandfather had bladder cancer. prostate cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer.

My Mother had basal cell carcinoma skin cancer.

My Uncle Gregg had melanoma skin cancer.

My Great Grandfather, my Mom’s mother’s father, died from a blood cancer.

Lately there has been a surge of friends and family of mine that have been donating to LiveSTRONG.  I am so proud to know them.  It makes me want to do more.  In fact, I had this epiphany:

Livestrong has teamed up with a lot of big events, like the NYC Marathon, several Ironman competitions, and numerous other cycling, running, and triathlon events.

I am already in a lot of events these year, but none of them are connected to LiveStrong foundation.  So if I want to do any charity found raising  under the name of LiveStrong, then I have to get permission from LiveStrong and get the event approved (their grassroots program).  I’m currently approved to start my grassroots effort and have the Ironman NYC event as my approved event.  My friends and family have already donated a lot towards my fundraising goals, but I’m looking to do more.

I want to get the family and friends involved and NOT collect money, but collect people.  I want to get people to agree to be on a mailing list that will only go out when I really need their help, like a small army.  The idea is to raise awareness about kids with cancer and getting adults with cancer into activites that are approved by the American Cancer Society.  I want to start with a general awareness program in the Greenwich School systems.  Get kids to understand what kids with cancer go through and that they are NOT freaks with missing hair or frail bodies.  Get school kids to understand that they are LUCKY to be out playing while kids with cancer can not go outside for fear of getting sick.  Come up with programs to keep kids with cancer involved in schools and the community.

The next step would be to get a local large gym, like a ywca or the new big gym going in around here, Chelsea Piers, to start a summer camp for kids with cancer.  If the program is successful, then maybe get them to offer year round activities for kids with cancer and have an educated staff on hand to help.

In order to try to pull this off would require the family to be involved and have the backing of a lot of people.  Start a social network via Facebook.  But you would need followers and to get people to sign up for things like facebook and be part of an email group.  You would need this to show gyms and schools that there is an interest in this information and activities.  It would require adults and children to voice their opinions to motivate a place like Chelsea Piers to start a program.

It would also take a bit of research to find out how many children with cancer live within a 10 or 15 mile radius of Chelsea Piers.  Then to get their contact info to ask them if they would be interested in a camp or activities specific towards their needs.  Once you get enough to be interested, then to go to chelsea piers and see what needs to be done about staffing and such.

There is a lot to do and it will take a LOT of time.  And I don’t plan to do this unless my wife and kids are on board.  Otherwise I can just raise a few dollars and feel good about myself and go one with my life.  But I’d rather do a big project with the family and friends; sounds like fun.

Something to think about.

Over the next month I plan to showcase a family member or friend that has been affected by cancer as a way to shed some light and awareness on the disease that is running rampant in our lives.  The really scary part is anyone can get it, regrdless of how healthy you think you are or how much you excercise.  Genetic, lifestyle, whatever, everyone has the potential.  Scary stuff.

This week, it’s Dad.

Ok, the pic looks like a glamour shot and it’s from the 70′s, but that’s dad.  I have to guess that was at Lake George, where we have a family house there still and my brothers and I frequent at least yearly.  Dad grew up there and ultimately brought my brothers and I there all the time to swim, boat, fish (well, not me, I’m afraid of fish), and relax.  Our favorite thing to do was swim all day, jump off the rocks at West Dollar Island, then go to Franks for hot dogs and shakes, and the trip into the village for mini-golf and the House of Frankenstein.  Dad was an amazing swimmer and taught us all to swim by through us in the lake.

Dad took care of us.

We would go to St. Maarten every summer.  The man loved to swim in the ocean as much as possible, his favorite, and my brothers and I too, area was Guana Bay, where the waves were huge every day.  The nights brought Pina Colada’s and burgers and french bread.  It also brought friends over to our time share and lots of memories.

Apparently speedos run in the family.  I would post a pic we found of my brother Tim in a banana hammock, but we didn’t want to admit he was our brother afterwards.

There were other vacations, most rememberable were the New Jersey boardwalk trips.  Well, memorable for me as I was 7/8 years younger than my brothers and they would use me for moving target practice with toy guns that shot yellow plastic b-b’s or round flying disc’s.  It was always followed by a walk to the ice cream shop and more swimming in the ocean.

In the winter we became the ultimate ski family.  Most weekends up at Gore Mountain.  My brothers and I would bomb down the mountain getting in trouble with the ski patrol.  Dad would cruise with style.  Mom would make it down in a nervous rage.  Chili for lunch and then the ride home with a bag of chips and a soda.  Dad would drink a beer (way before DWI was in place), eat some sour cream and onion chips, grab a fig newton, and play Jim Croche on the 8 track in the Caddy or the old Blazer while my brothers and I passed out.  Mom was still nervous, but the beer helped.

Dad took care of us.

Over the years my brothers and I played sports and various other events.  Dad would throw ball with us, often bruising our hands from throwing a baseball too hard while he used an old mickey mantle glove.  Or taught us the hook-shot playing basketball.  Or how to shoot a rifle while hunting in the adirondacks.  Or tackling us playing a “friendly” game of nerf football.

Later we would all go off to college.  Dad mandated it!  He went to Fredonia, Columbia, and Georgetown to become a teacher and then a Dentist.  My brothers and I went onto Cornell, VMI, The Citadel, UMass, SUNY Albany, Monterey, and NYU all in an effort to keep up with dad.  A Doctor, a Naval Commander, and an Executive is what he nurtured and guided.  Not bad.

Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer.  He was always afraid of making it to 62 years old because his dad passed at that age.  He was worried about stomach cancer, but the lungs did him in.  Dad was a smoker, but had quit at least 5 years prior.  It didn’t help.  TO watch a man that was a giant to me and my brothers, at 6’2″, 200+ lbs, avid swimmer and athlete, shrink down to nothing was miserable.  My dads final days were spent in a bed with an oxygen mask whithering away.  My brothers and I were able to surround him most weekends.  His best friend, MaryJane, was by his side EVERYDAY, to take care of him.

Dad passed January 2011 from lung cancer.

This is for dad.

Please consider raising awareness or donating to LiveSTRONG and join me in fighting cancer, raising awareness, and donating to research to help find a cure.  THe link to LiveSTRONG is to the right of this article if so inclined.  However, I realize times are tough and everyone is looking for donations.  So instead of money, raise awareness.  Everytime you don’t feel like doing something, please realize there are many that “can’t” do something.  If you go out for a walk, run, bike ride, swim; please wave and smile and say “hi” to others you see on the street.  It might be enough to bring a smile to their face.  They might be affected by cancer too.  And since we don’t have a cure yet, a little brightness might be enough to keep someone going one more day.

After much thought I have finally setup my LIVESTRONG fundraising site.  The monetary goal is $2500, HOWEVER, the real goal is to raise awareness, especially for kids with cancer.

A lot has happened over the past 2 years that involves cancer and I finally decided to act on it.  My dad passed away from lung cancer last year.  My mom had a scare a few years ago.  My great grandfathers died of cancer.  A co-worker and family member has been diagnosed with cancer and battling it now.  And worst of all, a friends young daughter has cancer and has been fighting it for awhile now.

That’s the one that bothers me.  I think of cancer patients as old or adults, people that have already had the opportunity to live their lives.  Not a 10 year old girl.

Anyhow, I was watching the movie 50/50 last night and it got me thinking about all the emotional rollercoasters the person with cancer goes through and then all of their family members as well.  Like in the movie, I was unsure if it was okay to joke about it with my dad or to feel sad for him or be angry.  I didn’t want to offend him and so I would keep my distance so I didn’t have to walk on egg shells around him.  Eventually I didn’t care and just laughed and joked with him like…..like I was his son and he was my dad.  Like always.  Why should cancer destroy 35+ years of a bond?

Screw cancer.  Let’s live our lives and make the best out of what we have right here, right now.

And if you have a few dollars to spare and want to feel good about doing something, click on my LIVESTRONG link to the right of this post.

Last year was a pretty bad year for me, emotionally.  Lost my dad, broke my collarbone, lost a friend.  These are my ghosts.  They haunt me, taunt me, and chase me down.  When I swim or feel like half-assing something, my dad steps in to remind me of the right thing to do.  I’m constantly comparing my training I’m doing now to what I was doing last year “before the break” and wondering if I’m as good as I was before I broke the collarbone.  And the hardest one is my friends ghost.

I have equated a song by The Foo Fighters, Long Way to Ruin, to his ghost.  I have it on my ipod and run to it daily.  However, my OCD takes over and has made a rule for this song when I run.  GCG was running sub 7 pace at the Philly marathon when he collapsed a quarter mile from the finish line, which would have sealed his bid for qualifying for Boston.  My rule for the song is that GCG is there running with me and therefore I can’t break 7 pace.  This proves to be REALLY hard when you are doing a long run and the song comes on when you are on a hill or dead tired.  But an OCD rule is a rule that CAN NOT be broken.  So I run sub 7 pace for the song.

The song is fitting as CGC was a triathlete, a family man, a pillar of the community, and the all around cool guy.  He trained mostly around the Adirondacks and the Catskills.  He was better than me.  A lot better.  Quick witted and sharp tongued but also quick to include you into his life.