Happy Thanksgiving! - Looking Back, 2013.

At a Glance

A Thanksgiving reflection on a breakout 2013 season — a top-5 at Syracuse 70.3, an age-group win at the NYC Triathlon, a defended Toughman title, and a 10:01:46 podium finish at Ironman Florida — all with deep gratitude for family, friends, and coaches.

HIGHLIGHTS

Ironman Florida: 10:01:46 and 3rd in age group on the podium
Won his age group at the NYC Triathlon (2:09) — his first competitive Olympic-distance race
5th in age group at his season debut, IM 70.3 Syracuse
Defended his Toughman Half Ironman AG win with a 4:43 finish
3rd in age group at the Westchester Triathlon

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Gratitude first: the season’s success rested on unwavering support from family and friends
Coaching pays off: holding back at the right moments avoided peaking too early
Resilience matters: being hit by a car on 9/11 cost training days but built mental toughness
Consistency compounds: winter base work set up a long, successful season
Second year, big leap: hard work turned potential into podiums

There are so many things that I am thankful for. The ones that are on top of my list goes to the unending support of my family & friends throughout my journey into triathlon.

thank you for listening to my unending talk about training
thank you for not judging me when I ate double meals
thank you for trying to understand why I compete
thank you for being there

I wanted to take this time to quickly reflect on my 2013 season…

This was only my second year competing in triathlons and the hard work has definitely paid off. The training through the winter months of late 2012 and early 2013 got me mentally and physically strong for the long season. I debuted my season at IM70.3 Syracuse and finished in 5th in my Age Group. At the time, I was training for my debut Olympic distance race; the NYC Triathlon. If you had told me at Syracuse that I would later win my AG and finish the race in 2 hours and 9 minutes, I would have given you a quick laugh. Winning my age group wasn’t new to me, but I considered the NYC Triathlon as a competitive race – I was super nervous during the 2+hour swim start wait…

A week after the NYC Tri, I tried my luck at the NJ State Triathlon. Same distance, different venue, and a much hotter day. The swim was one of my bests, considering that the lake we swam in was in the upper 80’s (no wetsuit). I finished strong but had left much of my legs out on the bike course, leaving me a bit wobbly during the run.

The humidity of August came. No racing, just more training. I locked down a cycling coach. I was suddenly doing workouts that continually tested my mental strength. I dug deep. (Thanks Jim)

September was a critical month, which started off with the Toughman Half Ironman in Westchester, NY. It was my chance to defend my age group win from 2012. Jim had me hold back so that I wouldn’t peak too early in my training. And so, I held back on the bike, and ran my way towards a 4:43 finish, successfully locking in the AG win. On 9/11, I was hit by a Mercedes GL – the road rash hurt, the bruises spread, but it made me stronger. I lost a couple days of training, and gained two very long trainer rides. That sucked, but I finally caught up on some movies. By the end of September, I was fully recovered (at least that’s what I told myself, repeatedly) and competed in the Westchester Triathlon. 3rd place in my age group was good enough…didn’t peak too early.

October, more training and fought a pretty nasty week-long cold.

November proved to be the best. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I lived with two other Team Refuel teammates. We spent the weekend, “joined by the hip”! The fun culminated to a 10:01:46, Ironman Florida, and a spot on the coveted age group podium (3rd).

Thanks for reading.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!