Housatonic Valley Sprint Triathlon

I had originally heard about this race through my father back in May or June. He saw it advertised at work and it grabbed his attention. My dad recently made some serious life changes for the better and my brothers and our mom couldn't be more proud. Not only did he quit smoking, but he changed his diet completely in order to lower his cholesterol, better control his blood sugars, and also lower his blood pressure. To date he has lost over 40 pounds and now works out 5-6 times per week! When he saw this sprint tri posted it gave him something to potentially work towards accomplishing.

Fast forward to late August when my dad decided he had better wait another year as he felt he was not ready yet. At this point I was already registered so that if he decided to sign up I could do it with him. Even though he postponed it, I was still going to race.

The sprint was a 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. Advertised as a hilly bike followed by a run with one serious hill and some rollers. I was in the first wave and looking forward to blasting through the swim. When the gun went off I did just that. As I rounded the final orange buoy and turned for the beach, I looked up to pick my line. As I did so, I saw the cones on the beach and headed straight for them. In the process I swam to the right of a tall white buoy that I thought marked the swimming area of the town park, but as it turned out it was included as race course buoy. I was out of the water first, pulled off my cap and goggles in time to hear a volunteer tell me I missed a buoy and would have to go back. Que the anger...

I threw my goggles back on and went back out around the final buoy and back to the beach and lost about 45 seconds total. As I got through T1 KJ could tell I was not so happy so she just kept shouting positive things to try and cheer me up. I tore out on the bike course on a mission to catch the lead biker. 12 miles and 32ish? minutes later I hadn't seen him, that is until I was approaching T2. As I was going into T2 he was exiting. Some more frustration while trying to get my run shoes on warranted some more positive comments from KJ, and off I went.

Keep in mind this race had a cash prize and I wasn't about to let a swim error cost me some serious dough! I went through the first mile in 5:47 and had the leader in my sights. I slowly tried reeling him in while still making sure I would have enough to make the pass and hopefully put time into him. I caught him just after mile 2 (5:35), and after we exchanged some friendly comments I pushed forward. Within in the last 1.1 miles I was able to put 43 seconds into him and take the win!

It was a special win because this was the first race I have won with my parents being there and it was nice to celebrate with them. The only down side to the day was I had missed my perfect race because of my swim error. My idea of a perfect race is to win the overall while also having the fastest swim, bike, and run splits. I had just missed this in the Chicopee Speedo Challenge when a 17 year old beat me out of the water by a few seconds.

I am super thrilled with my year so far, especially as of late with back to back victories in the Speedo Challenge Sprint and this Sprint. Up next is a race that really matters, the Mighty Man Half Iron in Montauk, NY. This will be my final tune up for Ironman Florida and will give me a much clearer picture of my fitness going into my "A" race for the season.

Park City Mossman Oly and a Wedding!

After another solid block of training following Prov 70.3 it was time to race again. This time it would be the Park City Mossman Oly in Bridgeport CT. I would have loved to do a half for my August race, however my wedding day fell on the same days as Timberman so I bumped my race up a week. I was really looking forward to this race because the Mooseman Oly got cut short and I really wanted to see how my total race would go, especially my 10K split.

Ochoa met me down there on race morning and what a day it was. Water was fairly calm, air wasn't too hot and it was a pancake flat course. 5 Loop bike and 2 loop run, pretty standard oly distance. The other part of this race that I was looking forward to was racing the CT crowd. Its funny, considering how close MA and CT are, there isn't a ton of overlap at races. More specifically I was looking forward to racing Dan Theleen and Tim Steiskal, both 20-24 year olds that are on the rise in the sport and have already had some great success this season. The last was Chris Thomas. Chris races for Team Timex and is legit. So legit in fact that he could be pro. I saw him on the run course in Prov on his way to a top 10 finish, pros included. I knew this was going to be a challenging day.

All the men started in the first wave and I expected Tim and Dan would be out of the gate fast as they are both collegiate swimmers. My plan was to push my swim, stay steady on the bike, and work the run. I came out of the water about 30-45 seconds behind Dan and on the heels of Tim, we were the first 3 out of the water. I passed Tim on the way to transition knowing that he can ride and I want to get as much time as I can on him. Once on the bike course you could keep an eye on everyone you wanted to. While Tim and I danced back and forth for about 2 1/2 laps (until I passed him and put in an effort in order to avoid being passed again) while Dan managed to stay ahead of me the entire bike. I came into T2 on Dan's heels and left T2 in the exact same position.

At this point John Babcock (who has spoiled a race or 2 for me) was in first with Chris in second, Dan in third, and me in fourth. I was curious to see how this run would go because I have noticed that Dan has improved his run. We took the first mile out in 5:44 at which time I thought "I want to get on the podium, lets see how long I can maintain..." Second mile was 5:48 and Dan and I were still together. During the 3rd mile I managed to pass Dan and never looked back. I was able to maintain my pace over the entire run and pulled out a 36 minute 10K split (PR by 6 minutes) and held on to third place overall! I was thrilled with this race, my run especially as it has given me a new found confidence in any race.

Now that the race was over it was time to get some training in and prepare for my wedding the following weekend!

Wedding festivities started on Friday with a huge rehearsal barbeque that had about 140 people. It was a little overwhelming when all those people are there for you and your fiance! I barely had time to eat! After closing down the bars with brothers, cousins, and friends it was finally time to hit the hay. I had to get up early the next morning because I was meeting Seth and Ochoa for a portion of Jim's 120 mile ride to VT and back.

Most people thought I was crazy to go for a bike ride the day of my wedding, but I was going to go crazy if I just sat around the entire morning. We were able to get in 40 miles and be back in time for breakfast. The rest of the day went perfectly. I really couldn't ask for a better bride with a better family. It may be cliche and it may sappy, but I truly feel that the Shaw/Quimper Family is a complete reflection of the McCloskey's. We had the most amazing time celebrating and dancing. I really wish we could do it every weekend (just without the tuxedos).

Now its on to my new life in Belchertown with Kara Jane and our bikes (no pets for us thanks). Up next is the Chicopee Speedo Challenge...cant wait!

Providence 70.3 Race Report

Finally I GOT MY REVENGE!!!!

This race got the best of me last year. It chewed me up and spit me out. With a whole new artillery of resources at hand I decided to have another go at this race. This year I was in much better shape, more specifically about 25 pounds lighter than last year, and looking to do some damage.

Race Day:
Once again I was one of the last waves to go off so I was able to see all of the pros finish the swim as well as most of the age groupers. I took a look at the finishing times of the pros and determined that I wanted to be within 2-3 minutes of their swim splits when I got out of the water. Canon went off and so did I! I took the first 200 meters of the swim like it was a 50 meter sprint, and yet one guy in my age group still got out ahead of me. No biggie, I would just find my rhythm and keep moving forward. I didn't have any problems and was out of the water in a reasonable amount of time and currently second in my age group.

Whipped through transition and hopped out on the bike same time as Ed Van Zandt, a teammate of time that started a wave or 2 ahead of me. We exchanged some encouragement as well as went back and forth passing each other several times. My plan was to ride with an average heart rate of 163 and that's what I did. It gets tough to stick to the plan when you don't feel like you are working that hard and you are getting passed by fellow age groupers. The good news is I knew exactly where I stood at all times. I rode in second place, caught first, then got passed by third, (was still in second) and stayed there until the end. The entire ride I was doing math in my head figuring out what I would have to run in order to break 4:30 (the ultimate goal). Once I got to T2 the math took a back seat. I arrived in T2 right behind first place in my age group, and after confirming that we were in first and second, we both took off for the hill run course that Providence had to offer.

As I was going through mile 1, I was getting my garmin adjusted and trying to figure out what pace I was at (even though it was staring me right in the face! a little bit of a brain fart if you will) 5:30! SLOW DOWN!!! My race execution plan that Coach Tim had put together said to head out at 7:05s and eventually settle into 7:20s. First mile 6:24, second mile 6:30...uh oh this is a little faster than the plan! I checked my heart rate and it was right where Tim said it should be so I decided to maintain that pace as long as I could. I backed off a bit going up college hill, then picked it up a bit on the flats and downhills. The great thing about this run course is that it is spectator friendly. That came into play as I got to see Kara 3 or 4 times over the 13.1 mile course. With constant boosts of confidence and encouragement from her I was able to maintain my pace, and ended up averaging 6:41s!

I stayed in second place in my age group and finished in 4:34. I was thrilled, it beat the hell out of my 4:58 last year. My time this year was good enough to qualify for the Half Ironman World Championships in Clearwater FL in November, however because I am already signed up for Ironman Florida (one week prior to worlds) I passed on my slot.

Over all I am thrilled with the race and very grateful to have Kara supporting me the entire way. Up next is a vacation followed by the Park City Mossman Olympic in Bridgeport CT in August (one week before my wedding!)

Lake Waramaug Sprint

After having the swim cancelled at Mooseman I decided I wanted to throw a sprint onto the schedule prior to Providence 70.3 in order to test out my new Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit. I used to have a sleeveless, so with the addition of this new full body wetsuit I wanted to get a race under my belt that way I would be comfortable with T1.

I headed down to Lake Waramaug on a Friday afternoon for this sprint that I have done twice. The last time I did it I had the lead until about a mile and a half to go on the run. It was at this point that I was passed by one pro and one former pro. I was able to make a final push to finish within a minute of both of them, however I was still disappointed with giving up the lead. This year would be different.

I had an unusual confidence going into the race as I had put in some significant base mileage compared to years past. I went through my pre-race routine (check in, set up bike, transition, scope out competition, etc) and was getting very excited. Two buddies of mine from college were there to watch their mom do her first race which got me excited to see her as well. After a few motivating words for Maureen I headed down to the swim start. It was going to be women and relays followed by the men 4 minutes later. Gun went off and so did I. My plan was to hammer, hammer hammer.

I made my way through most of the wave ahead of me as well as my wave. I came out of the water first in my wave with only 10-15 women or teams ahead. I made it through T1 safely and hit the road pedaling. There is a 2 mile downhill followed by a right turn and a very flat and fast loop around the lake before making a sharp left turn and hitting the 2 mile uphill back to transition.

I was making my way through the women and teams looking for the lead biker. Nobody had caught up to me until just before the climb back up. I noticed someone behind me that initiated the pass, almost came up next to me, then dropped back behind me. I was sure if he was drafting so when we hit the hill I decided to crank it up a bit. As I got to the top I took a quick look back and saw that I had gapped him fairly well. I continued hammering up the climb to T2.

I went out for the run feeling good and knew I would have 3 opportunities to see who was in front and in back of me. I saw 2 people ahead of me (both teams) and the same guy from the bike behind me but couldn't tell if I was gaining or loosing. When we made the final turn with a mile to go I saw that I had a pretty substantial gap to second place and tried to put in a hard kick to go for the course record. I crossed the line in first with a new course record by about 3 minutes. WOOHOOO!! This was the first record I have ever set and was thrilled!!

Overall the race was a huge success and it got me even more excited for Providence 70.3 which was now about 3 weeks away. For now though, its back to the training

Mooseman Olympic

This season I decided to switch up my races a bit. Rather than doing the normal sprints and olympics around here that are part of the FIRM series, I went with a few new ones. The first was the Mooseman Olympic. This was on a Saturday and was followed by the half iron on Sunday. I knew a good group going up, some racing the oly and the rest racing the half. I stayed with my good friends Andy Salmon, and Jim and Kelly Sullivan. We had an awesome condo right on Newfound Lake.

Fast forward to race morning, there were showers and thunderstorms in the forecast so it shouldn't have been a surprise when we were woken up to thunder, lightning, and torrential rain at 3am on race day. Kelly and I were doing the oly so we were up and having our race breakfast as we were looking at the radar. Race is scheduled for 8, but it looks perfect around 9:30.

We venture over to race start to set up transition only to find there has been a 90 minute delay, no swim, and they are shortening the bike from 26 miles to 17 and keeping the run at 10K. The bad news: swim is my strongest leg, bike is next strongest, run is weakest. Good news: we get to race. The race will start in order of race number and we will begin on our bikes in 3 second intervals. I decide that I am going to hammer the bike and try and hang on for the run.

All goes well and according to plan and I feel like I am cruising right along on the bike. The weather is nice and so is the pavement. I move through the pack and hop off the bike in second place about 30 seconds down to the leader. I hit the road running, and as I do so the leader appears to be gapping me big time. I get passed by a few more racers including coach Pat and try as hard as I can to not loose too much time. I turn into the park, head for the shute and finish 3rd in age group and 7th overall. I was able to average 25.1 mph on the bike and 6:19 per mile on the run. Overall I was very pleased with the results given there was no swim.

With the next scheduled race being Providence 70.3 it was time to get back to the plan and have a serious build for my only scheduled half of the season.

Changes from 2009 to 2010

Sorry about the last post, ADD must have kicked in so it was never completed. I am going to try and bring you all up to speed on the 2010 season as it has had some pretty big changes.

In November of 2009 I decided to get myself a coach for a year and give Ironman racing a really good amount of dedication and effort before really setting down, starting a family, and increasing my responsibilities tenfold. Since hearing about Quantitative Training Systems (QT2) Triathlon coaching I have been very much interested. They have a very methodical and calculated approach to the sport that has yielded some incredible results. Most importantly they have a very detailed nutrional approach with is something that I believe too many triathletes overlook or dont take seriously enough (myself included). It is for these reasons that I signed to have them coach me for the winter of 2009 and more importantly for 2010 and Ironman Florida.

I was told Pat Wheeler was going to be writing up my program, and after burying the hatchet from seasons past, I couldn't be happier. Pat is a very accomplished triathlete that is in my age group. As I write this he has placed 4th in age group at Lake Placid in 08, won the age group in 2009 thereby qualifying for Kona, raced Kona in '09, and most recently won his age group at the inaugural 2010 Ironman St George once again picking up a Kona slot. This all while under the wing of QT2. If that doesn't sell anyone, I don't know what will.

My winter block was going to be from November 2009 to March of 2010, culiminating in the Westfield Half Marathon. Without getting into too many details, the winter block went well and I was able to PR at Westfield with a 1:25. That was a 13 minute improvement for me! I then took 2 weeks off before starting a 30 week block for Ironman Florida. With the training comes some intense nutrional changes. At this point I have lost about 25 pounds since November and dropped my body fat from 24% (tons of fun) to around 14% (a little more lean). The goal is to get somewhere around 10% by November for the IM. I have already noticed a tremendous difference and look forward to seeing future improvements while onboard with QT2 coaching services and Coach Pat

aaaaannnnnnddddddd I'm Back!