I forgot to publish this post before Ironman Kona. Here’s what I had to say (written on the flight on October 6):
A long flight from NYC to Kona means I can finally recap how my 2014 triathlon season unfolded.
Most people dream of going to the big island of Kailua-Kona…but my mission to qualify for the Ironman World Championship was secured at this year’s Ironman Lake Placid on July 27th. A month prior, I had set a personal best half ironman performance at Toughman Tupper Lake Tinman.
After Lake Placid, I took time off, which lasted a few days. Qualifying for Kona was a relief, but at the same time, I knew that my training schedule would have to be readjusted with additional training load.
On August 9th, I completed the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race. It took me over 10 hours to complete, and was possibly the toughest day I’ve experienced in the saddle. I earned the famous LT100 finisher’s belt buckle (which now sits on top of the fireplace mantle, placed next to my IMLP award)
On August 23rd, I raced the Tobay Sprint Triathlon in Oyster Bay, NY. You can read more about it here.
The month of August flew by. Training was on schedule and everything was falling into place – life couldn’t be any better.
September marked the start of grad school, which I won’t get into much, but if anyone is considering grad school + Ironman training + working full time, you’re going to need to dial back on something. I learned that the hard way…hey, you live and learn, right?
An event I could not miss was the TOUGHMAN Half Ironman up in Westchester, NY. This marked my 3rd consecutive year racing, having won my age group in the previous years. And the result of this year’s race was no different. After a dismal swim, I made up a ton of ground on the bike course and left T2 in the Top 15. The TOUGHMAN run is my favorite, partly because of its scenic course, but also because it’s hilly! Last year, I ran 1:30 off the bike and took a top 20 overall finish. This year, I ran a 1:26 half marathon to chase down 5th place overall!
A week after Toughman, I got careless and crashed. Tons of road rash, and as I’m writing this…the wounds are still in the healing process.
But the crash didn’t stop me from completing the inaugural IRONMAN Maryland on September 20th. The swim was beautiful, the bike course was flat, windy and boring, and the run course was a 3 loop tease-fest; you run by the finish line 5 times before you can actually make the right turn onto the finishers’ chute. I owe it to my teammate Jill, who was very adamant in convincing me to do a 140.6 mile training race, 3 weeks out from Kona. That weekend was so much fun!
And so you have it, between Ironman Lake Placid and Kona, I’ve done: Leadville 100 + Tobay Sprint triathlon + Toughman Half + IRONMAN Maryland.
And all of this wouldn’t be possible without the continued support of my family, friends and sponsors.
Brickwell Cycling & Multisports
CEEPO Triathlon Specific Bikes
ISM Saddles
Headsweats
Team Chocolate Milk
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