Blog 2015

 I wanted to recognize our November race results, followed by the 2015 Year in Pictures!

Shelley Bache:  Shelley finished her first marathon at the Philadelphia Marathon.  She had a great race which gives her the confidence going into 2016 as she trains for Ironman Maryland!

Jose Hernandez and Shayne Lewis both competed in the “Something Wicked at Cathedral Pines” 6-hour Mtn. bike race (see picture below)!  Shayne crashed and sliced open is leg on his first loop.  He had to go to the hospital where he got 13 stiches and 13 staples!  He recovered nicely, however and is back ready to rock!  Shayne is training for Ironman Maryland this year!  Jose did great, finishing 7 laps (70 Miles!!).

Jose also competed in the Prospect Park Duathlon where he finished first in his age group as well as the first overall in the fat tire Division!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackie Lott flew to California to race the “Avengers Weekend”, a 10K Saturday followed by a half marathon Sunday!  She did fantastic in both!  Season best in the 10K, followed by strong half marathon!  Then she jumped into the Philadelphia Half marathon the next weekend and bested her half marathon time from the Avengers weekend!  Jackie is now taking a much needed and deserved recovery period of lighter workouts and reduced running!

 

 

Frank Fiorello continued his streak in Florida where he always places in his division!  This is him in the Clermont Sprint Triathlon!

 

 

**We have been so fortunate with this mild weather which has enabled us to get in great group workouts like this trail run that even Salty joined in on!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now, the year in pictures for Iron Fit Endurance!  Thanks to all of my athletes for a GREAT year! 

January:

 Group ride at The Hub!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February indoor Training at "The Warehouse":

 

 

 March:  More "Warehouse Sessions" with Peter and Donna Morandi and Hilary Topper's warm weather season kick-off triathlon

          

 

 

APRIL Group Rides:  The ALS Ride for Life and the CWC warrior Ride!

 

 

May:  First open water swim and Bear Mountain Trip!

June:  Christa at the Patriot Half and Irene finishing the West Neck swim:

 

 

 July:      

Cross Bay Swim with Erin and my kayaker Shayne Lewis: and Susan in the Montauk Sprint that same weekend:

        

                                

 

 

 

August:

Riverhead Rocks, Hilary at Nationals and Laura Giardino at TOBAY and Christa, Peter and Irene at Timberman:

 

 

September:

Me at the Steve Tarpinian Memorial Mighty Hamptons and Susan at IM Augusta 70.3:

 

October:

Gordon at IM Louisville:

 

 

November:

Paulina and Noah at NYC Marathon:

...and Jackie and her son Aaron at the Hershey Half Marathon:

 

December:

Me after riding in my new SHORTS from Death Row Velo:

Thanks again to everyone who helps to make Iron Fit Endurance a success!  Happy New Year!

Dee

My last Ironman race was back in 2010.  I needed to re-qualify to keep my Pro card, and I did, at Ironman Florida.  My Professional license was good for another 3 years!  I knew I was starting to get burnt out with racing at this point, but I trained for another race because that’s just what I did (I was training for Ironman Wisconsin 2011).  My friend Erin came with me to be my support crew in Wisconsin (Erin, my “lucky charm” also came with me to Ironman Austria, which happened to be my Ironman PR, a 9:38, placing 6^th overall...see pic below).  I was not into my training for Wisconsin...I just didn’t have that “edge” and “focus” that I normally did, but I travelled to the race, because that’s just what I did! 

I started the swim and felt terrible right away.  I even started hyper-ventilating and began unzipping my wetsuit to get some air!  I was panicking!  Then I stopped and did some self-talk, “get a grip Danielle!  You are a Pro and you have been swimming most of your life!!”  That helped me to snap out of it.  I finished the swim, but I exited the water dead last in the Pro field.  I remember heading to transition only to see my bike and no others on the Pro rack!  Part of me just didn’t care while the other part of me was embarrassed…  I hopped on the bike and began the 112 mile journey only to realize that I felt worse than I did in the swim!  I couldn’t hold anywhere near my Ironman wattage.  People were passing me like I was standing still.  Again, I just didn’t care.  I remember thinking, “there is NO WAY I can ride for 112 miles!  I just don’t want to do this!”  I finally decided that I would pull over and abandon the race when I saw my friend Erin, and that’s exactly what I did.  At mile 40, when I finally saw Erin, I pulled over and told her I was DONE.  “Are you sure you want to do this?”   Erin asked?  “Absolutely.”   I said.  I felt zero guilt or remorse over my decision.  In fact, we went back to the finish line to cheer on the other Pro Women in the race.  I left Wisconsin and decided to hang up my “Ironman shoes” for good.  This was a tough decision for me.  This is what I did!  I had been racing seriously at that point for 10 years of my life and I didn’t know what to do without an Ironman race on the horizon!  I still had two years left to race as a Pro, but I was done.  15 Ironman races was it for me.

 

I never looked back.  I started focusing on building my coaching business, which I love and feel so fortunate to have.  I love the sport, and I am thrilled that I can keep Ironman and the sport of triathlon in my life by helping to coach and motivate others.  In my 18 years in the sport I have learned so much, and I am still learning!  I coach such an amazing and wonderful group of athletes…  I feel SO lucky to be able to do such a thing!  I have truly been blessed in my life. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though I gave up racing Ironman, I still continued to race shorter distances at a less-intense level.  I got in training when I could, but certainly not near the same level that I used to train at. Towing the line at a race with the “lack-of-fitness” that I am used to is sometimes nerve-racking for me, but I know that’s just my ego talking, so I go for it anyway.  I just finished my 18^th year in a row racing triathlon.  Some races I win and some I don’t.  I remember telling my life partner, George that I will never again race an Ironman as an amateur.  After racing Pro I just wouldn’t want to race amateur again…BUT as George said to me back then, “you can NEVER SAY NEVER!”

I just turned 39, and I am coming to the realization that in a just few years, breaking 10 hours in an Ironman could be impossible for me…  I have 2-3 years to have the ability to race a PR Ironman.  Also, the more I think about it the more I realize that I’d love to go back to Kona and race to win my age group.  I guess I was short-sighted when I said I would never race Ironman as an amateur again! Back when I raced Kona in the 25-29 year age group, the year before I turned Pro, I placed 2^nd in that age group and 4^th amateur overall (see pics below). How great would it be to come back to race in the 40-44 year age-group and try to get that 1^st place spot!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, I am officially signed up for Ironman Florida 2016 to try and get that spot to head back to Kona.  Florida is a familiar race for me (I’ve don’t it 4 times and it was my very first Ironman back in 2001).  I’ve always raced well there and I am going back.  I am also signed up for IM Atlantic City 70.3 with a bunch of my athletes and many other Long Island triathletes, it seems!  It should be fun to see familiar faces, and all of the different Long Island tri groups out there on the course.  I’m excited to put in long training rides with my group and to race together down in A.C as well as other races locally!  Event Power always has a great line-up for local races, so I will certainly be at a few of their events!  It also looks like “Race Awesome” has some new events this upcoming season as well!  I’ll also be heading to Mont-Tremblant to cheer on two of my athlete’s race, and get in some great training while I’m at it!

I will approach this Ironman a bit differently….coaching is my number 1 priority.  It is my passion and it must come first, but I am lucky to be able to work and train!  Also, I have fallen in love with surfing and I love boating with George and our dog Salty.  I plan on having a much more “well-rounded” existence than I did back in the day….this is also a priority for me.  It will be interesting to see if I can race at a similar level and have a more well-rounded life.  I think I can and I encourage my athletes to do the same!   

 

 

 I am very lucky to have a very supportive family.  George is always 100% behind me, and always has been.  There were many days when I was a Pro that he headed out on his commute to work as I was hopping on my bike or as I headed to Arizona or Florida to train for a few weeks.  He was never anything other than supportive of what I was doing.  My parents and most loyal support crew are also on board and looking forward to it!  They have travelled to and watched 13 of my 15 Ironman races.  Though I raced on the Zoot Team, my parents were a large part of financial support back then.  It was a crucial part of being able to travel and race in a sport where only the top percentage of athletes can actually make a living doing it!  I am looking forward to a great year with Iron Fit Endurance and am excited for whatever lies ahead!  Dee

Gordon Lewis competed in his first Ironman down in Louisville!   Two and a half weeks out from the race, while running in the trails with me, Gordon threw his back out.  It was so bad that we had to completely shut down training!  The week before the race (after seeing Dr. Larry Lembo who treated Gordon) the back was feeling better, but his reoccurring knee injury was giving him trouble as well.  I have to admit that I was nervous. Gordon had been killing it in training and racing this year, and the timing of these injuries was unfortunate.  However, Gordon has been dealing with the knee issues on and off for the past 30 years (after an accident at work) and he was mentally prepared to take on the Ironman! 

Come race day Gordon had a strong swim and bike, but after the bike, in his own words, “I knew I was done.  I ran the marathon on one leg”.  Knowing that he was in major trouble with his knee, Gordon spent the necessary time in transition to wrap the knee and put a brace on to get through the race.  In typical Gordon fashion, he toughed it out and finished his first Ironman!  His family was there to watch and cheer him on.  2016 will be a focus on getting the knee back to working condition as well as racing shorter events to focus on speed before his possible attempt at another Ironman the following year. 

As we all know, each long race is a learning experience that has its share of ups and downs.  I’ve found that the best athletes can learn to adjust and modify the plan when the “downs’ come…Gordon is one of these athletes.

As we all know, the NYC Marathon was this past weekend!  Paulina Ballaban and Noah Lam both competed on Sunday!  Noah has been running better and stronger than I have ever seen him run and while he didn’t do what he had hoped (or what he is ultimately capable of), he had a great race.  Noah came down with something right after the race, so I have to wonder if this is what affected him during the event!  Either way, Noah toughed it out and was able to see his very supportive wife and kids on the course, which is the best part.

Paulina Ballaban finished her very first marathon in amazing fashion!  Paulina was nervous going into the event after traveling and then getting sick during the last crucial weeks before the race.   Because of this Paulina missed some of the last long runs, but I knew that she was in great shape going into the race.  Paulina finished with a sub-5 hour race!  I should note that Paulina stopped to help a fellow competitor that was very sick on the side of the road, because that’s what this nurse does!  Paulina spent at least 10 minutes with this woman to help her out!  That makes Paulina’s finish even more impressive!  Congrats to her!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other race news:

Frank Fiorello has been racing down in Florida, where he finished 2^nd in his division at the Longboat Key Triathlon as well as 2^nd in the Marco Island Triathlon.  He’ll be racing again down in Florida this weekend at a draft legal event!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christa Dwyer, Susan Roman and myself had a great time a few weeks ago doing the “Race for Ridley” 5K.  I don’t usually report about 5K’s, but with this pic, I had too!  Congrats to Christa on a PR too!

 

Ken Krill has been suffering from hamstring cramps off the bike in his races this year.  After narrowing it down, we figured it was his bike fit.  So he had a bike fit redo from Mike Monastero and finally remedied the cramping problem that he has been having at every event!  He competed in the Cedar Creek Duathlon, besting his time from last year by 4 minutes and finishing 4^th in his age group and the best run he has done off the bike with NO hamstring cramps!

Irene and Noah Lam, along with their two sons competed in the Wildwood Warrior Triathlon.  Irene was one of the few to brave the COLD temps in the morning by opting to do the swim!  here's a pic of their sons during and after the race!

Jackie Lott had a fantastic race at the Hershey Half Marathon, surprising herself!  She is doing the “Avengers weekend” which consists of a 10K Saturday and a Half Marathon Sunday!  Also, good luck to The Lott’s son,Aaron who will be heading to boot camp for the Marines that weekend (pictured below with Jackie after the race)!

We have some more marathons coming up:  Peter Morandi and his wife Donna and Shelley Bache will be running the Philadelphia Marathon on the 22^nd!

Also, Shayne Lewis and Jose Hernandez will be competing in "Something Wicked at Cathedral Pines", a 6-hour Mtn. Bike event on the 21st!

The winter months will be spent doing outside rides when the weather cooperates and group trail runs when the weather starts to get colder.  Winter is also a great time to really focus on strength training, which will be a major focus for IFE athletes.  I am lucky to have help of DPT Susan Roman for her guidance in this matter! 

Here are some pictures from training rides this month.  The first in Head of the Harbor with Chrisa Dwyer and John Burgess and the second is Bear Mtn. with my friend and Iron Fit Endurance athlete Erin Miller!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Training and Racing!

Dee :-)

SEPTEMBER 2015

Triathlon is coming to a close in the North East with just a few races left for Iron Fit Endurance athletes.  I wanted to take some time to THANK the athletes that I am so fortunate to work with!  I truly have a diverse group of athletes and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to create a training plan that WORKS for each individual.

I just finished up my 18^th season in a row racing triathlon and I’ve been reflecting on my experiences racing first as an elite amateur triathlete, then a Professional Triathlete and now as a coach.  Throughout my career, I have worked with a variety of coaches…some with very big names and resumes!  However, my most successful years were with my coach that I had a very communicative relationship with…One that I rode with, saw often and communicated with often.  I am thankful that I had that experience because it is that relationship and communication that I strive for with my own athletes.  I want to thank the athletes that put their trust in me and THANK you for making Iron Fit Endurance’s second year a successful one!  October starts year #3 and I can’t wait!

…and now, race results for September!!

September 6th/7^th:

We started off September with “Big George” Triathlon:

 

Frank Fiorello had a PR in the Olympic distance and finished 2^nd in his division!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Shayne Lewis finished his first half Ironman distance and placed 3^rd in his age group! (Pictured below): 

 

September 12^th/13^th:

Erin Miller was the 2^nd Masters finisher in the Patriots Olympic distance! 

 

 

 

 

 

Hilary Topper travelled down to Washington DC with the other team she belongs to (The All Women’s Tri Team).  This was the last race of a very long season that started back in March!  She posted her best swim and bike of the season and her highest finish in her age group as well!!  Read about her race HERE…as always Hilary has a great recap!

 

 

 

Hilary is also producing the NYC Tri Expo which will be held at Citi Field March 19^th!  You can pre-register for a discounted fee.  It’s going be a HUGE expo with speakers and vendors that you don’t want to miss!

 

 

We had a few athletes who did the Suffolk Half Marathon as a training day:

 Susan Roman and Noah Lam (pictured here...he also PR’d!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shayne Lewis (against my better judgement and advisement) ended up pulling off a very strong marathon (yes the week after the half Ironman and with no marathon training runs under his belt!)…he showed me with a great result despite my discouragement...his talent shined through! ;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOUGHMAN:

Brian Clark finished out his season toughing out cramps and bike mechanical issues (a broken spoke) to finish very respectably in the Toughman Half!

John burgess competed in the Auqabike Nationals held at Toughman.  He finished strong and was only a few months out from his hip replacement!  John is very humble and doesn’t ever use this as an excuse, but I think it’s an amazing feat!! 

September 19^th/20^th:

Shelley Bache had a great race in a local sprint (Marsh Creek Triathlon) out in Pennsylvania where she lives. She had a PR by 2 minutes and finished 3^rd in her age group!

MIGHTY HAMPTONS

We had a great weekend at the Mighty Hamptons!  This is my favorite race on the island and this year was even more special being the 1^st Steve Tarpinian Memorial Mighty Hamptons.  It was incredible to be a part of this event, with past winners and legends of triathlon that came back to this event in Steve’s honor.  His family, friends and Event Power did an incredible job making this one a very special event.  I have to say that I kept Steve in my thoughts throughout this entire race.

Ken Krill had a GREAT swim and bike, but had some cramping on the run…he toughed it out and finished strong…We have remedied this issue and he will be ready to ROCK in his next event!

Jackie Lott had a great day and a PR!

Gordon Lewis had a PR and finished 3rd in his age group!  He will be racing IM Louisville next weekend! 

He is pictured here alongside his girlfriend and race support Patty:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finished first overall, my third win at this race, my first win being 9 years ago!  This was the sweetest of them all given the significance of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 September 26^th/27^th:

Erin Miller was the 1^st Masters finisher down in NC at the 5K “Swim the Loop” (pictured right):

Shelley finished out a long and successful triathlon season at the Quakerman Plus.  Next up:  Philadelphia Marathon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Roman (pictured below) finished a long triathlon season in her typical fashion…another PR!  I am always amazed with Susan.  This has been my 2^nd season coaching her.  Susan’s focus, attention to detail and prep for races is incredible!  She is an athlete that ALWAYS brings it on race day…Read her recap HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THANK YOU to THE HUB for their INCREDIBLE support of my group this year!

THANK YOU Death Row Velo for making me the BEST jerseys out there!

I have some fun plans for my third season…In the meantime; check my calendar for the weekly group training that you can be a part of!

Thanks and happy training and racing :-)

Dee

Throughout my years racing first as an elite amateur, and then as a Professional Triathlete,  I always took some much needed “time off” at the end of the season.  I would take 4-6 weeks after my last big race of the season to do what I wanted when I wanted.  I needed some time off from following specific training schedule and found that the mental and physical break did wonders for me!  This period of time, over the years, became something I really looked forward to!

As a coach of my own coaching business (www.ironfitendurance.com) I encourage many of my athletes to take a similar break.  This can be scary to some!  In fact, to many coaches this can be scary as well…fearful that the athlete will not come back to coaching after the break! 

However, I find that a break from a training schedule is necessary for many reasons: 

1. Many athletes start to feel burnt out by the end of their season.  A break from following a training plan gives the athlete time to “miss training” and can help the athlete to remember how exciting and fun training can be!

2. A break gives the body and mind time to RECOVER!

3. A break is time for the athlete to reflect on the season and appreciate what they accomplished, something that is hard to do in the midst of training and racing!

4. A break gives the athlete a chance to talk to their coach about what they need to work on to improve in the upcoming season.  This may be strength training, swim technique, power on the bike, mental focus, confidence in oneself, or speed on the run!

5. A break from training gives the athlete time to write down goals and figure out a smart race plan with their coach for the upcoming season.

6. A break gives the athlete a chance to do something other than swim, bike, run!  Exploring other athletic endeavors can be fun, but often athletes don’t have the time to fit them in during the season.  The off season gives athletes the chance to stay fit and enjoy other activities!

I do have some general guidelines for the “offseason break”:

1. During the break, avoid doing nothing!!!  Staying active is very important!  The break is not time to take off from everything!  This will make starting back very difficult.

2. Try to get in at least one swim, one bike and one run each and every week of the break!  You don’t want to take off completely in any discipline as you will be starting from scratch when you do get back to training!  Getting in a couple of workouts in each of the three disciplines will ensure that you don’t lose too much.  Find the joy in doing the workouts in whatever order you like and on whatever day you want!

3. Avoid very tough workouts that you feel like you are forcing yourself to complete!  Try to “enjoy” each workout that you do, whether that be a trail run, or a bike with friends.  Workout “as you feel”, meaning you can push it if you feel good on a particular workout, but don’t force yourself to complete a hard workout if you are not into it physically and mentally!  

If you find that you are feeling burnt out and unmotivated, or if it’s just been a long season, don’t be afraid to take a break.  It may be the best thing you do for your upcoming season!

Happy training and racing!

Dee

www.ironfitendurance.com

 There are MANY races to cover for August, so I’ll jump right in!

AUGUST 1^st/2^nd:

SMITH POINT:

Ken Krill had a PR by 11 minutes…wow!

Susan Roman placed first in her division!

The Lam kids WON the High School relay division, and dad Noah Lam raced alongside his kids proudly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VA Culpepper Sprint:

Erin Miller was 1^st in her age group!

Erin will be competing in two Olympic Distance events this fall!

 

 

 

 

 AUGUST 8^th/9^th:

Shelley Bache had a PR in the Steelhead Olympic!  This was prep for Timberman the following weekend!

 

Hilary Topper competed in the USAT Olympic distance Nationals in Milwakee!  This was only her second Olympic distance event after competing in the NYC Triathlon a few weeks prior!  Hilary had a great race against the toughest field in the US!  Read all about her experience here!

 

 

 

 

 

RIVERHEAD ROCKS (Thanks Event Power for a great event!): 

Deepak had a strong race before flying to California for work that same day!

I managed to have a repeat of the prior year in which I crossed the finish line first, but actually got 2^nd overall.  I must say I was pleased despite my lack of fitness heading into this one (This was my longest run since September 2014 due to a battle with plantar fasciitis).  I am almost 100% healed now and I do plan to be more prepared for the next race coming up!

Shayne Lewis finished 6^th in his age group here.  He will be competing in his first half Ironman this weekend!

Jose Hernandez finished 4^th in his age group!

Ken Krill had yet another PR on this day, this time he finished his fastest ever Olympic distance!

Gordon Lewis, who has finished first in his age group and has PR’d in EVERY event he has raced this season, managed to finish 1^st yet again with, you got it, another PR!  I must note that Gordon was hit by a car on the run!  He was bumped hard by a car toward the end of the run and had to walk for a bit to regroup and alleviate a cramp that instantly developed after being hit.  Gordon is a Marine and his toughness is extraordinary.   Gordon managed to start running again and was able to finish strong despite the major setback!  He will be competing in Ironman Louisville this October and his toughness will without a doubt pay off in that event!!

August 16^th:

Jose Hernandez was able to help score the overall win for his Mineola Bike teammate in the Prospect park Summer series!

TIMBERMAN 70.3:  HEAT and HUMIDITY!

 

Shelley Bache finished her first 70.3 event in amazing fashion!  Her confidence after finishing this event helped her to believe that an Ironman is possible, which she will be doing in 2016!

 

Christa Dwyer had an awesome race, her second 70.3 of the season!  She will be doing another Ironman (Mont-Tremblant) in 2016!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Morandi PR’d in the 70.3 distance by 17 minutes!  His talent in the longer events is apparent as he had limited ability to get in much of training after his performance in Quassy 70.3 in June…incredible!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Irene gets the "perserverance" award for this race as she not only threw her back out 2 weeks prior to this race (and didn’t run after that), but Irene struggled with back trouble the entire season, which prevented her from getting in the proper amount of long runs throughout her training the months leading up to Timberman!  Irene was determined to finish the event, so we decided to rely heavily on swim and bike training to prepare her.  It was paying off too…her bike and swim got stronger and stronger!  Irene had a great swim in the race only to fall off her bike and scrape up her knee coming out of transition!  She got back on, but never felt like she was moving very fast on the bike for some reason.  Irene finally realized that her brake was rubbing from the crash! At mile 35, a man helped her to adjust the brakes, and Irene was on her way.  This GREATLY affected her bike time!  Irene got into transition and was determined to finish (before the race she told me she would crawl to the finish if she had to!)…well, Irene finished allright!!  You can read all about her day here.  Congrats Irene!

 

 

AUGUST 23^rd:

John Burgess competed in Aquabike Sprint and finished 9^th overall (they do not do age groups here, but John beat many competitors 10-20 years younger than him!).  The most amazing thing about John just had a hip replacement a couple of months prior to this!  His focus and upbeat spirt enabled him to work hard and recover after the major surgery and now John is simply rocking!  John will be competing in the Aquabike National next weekend! 

AUGUST 29^th/30^th:

Laura Giardino finished 3^rd in her age group at the Tobay Sprint!  Her goal is the NYC Triathlon next year!

My good friend Nancy Cattabiani of Runners Edge finished first!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Roman headed up to Maine to compete in the Challenge Maine Olympic Distance.  Susan never ceases to amaze me in her ability to race!  Since I started coaching Susan last year, she has PR’d in nearly EVERY event she has competed in!  From 5K’s, to 10K’s, to half marathons, to 70.3 to Ironman.  Her attention to detail and race preparation is unmatched!  Well, you guessed it…Susan PR’s YET AGAIN!  You can read all about her experience here.  INCREDIBLE!  Susan will be competing at the Augusta 70.3 in a few weeks!

Iron Fit Endurance athletes have exceeded my expectations throughout this season!  We still have a couple of months of racing ahead, but I wanted to thank every single athlete that I coach.  Not only are they a wonderful people to know, but each and every person adds a different level of excitement to my job.  As the athletes grow and improve I am challenged to develop a training plan that will bring them to the next level.  It is so fun!

Group training continues and changes throughout the year, so check out the calendar on this website if you would like to be a part of that!

Thanks to The Hub!  They agreed to give out gift certificates for ever PR this season!  They have a lot to give out, as you can see here!  Their generosity and support is very much appreciated!

Happy Training and Racing!

Dee

:-)

JULY 2015

July flew by WAY too fast in my opinion!  Training has been excellent despite the hot temps:  Hecksher Bike Intervals Tuesday's at 5:30AM and a trail interval Run followed by an open water swim at Sunken Meadow Thursday's at 5:15PM.  The weekends have been different each week:  Head of the Harbor ride a few weeks ago, a layered brick last weekend and hill repeats this weekend at Sweet Hollow and Hartman Hill!

I'm super psyched about the performances for Iron Fit Endurance athletes this month!!  Without further ado, here they are:

Shayne Lewis started off the month with a great race at the Pat Griskus Sprint Triathlon!  This race is one of my favorites.  It’s up in Middlebury, CT and it starts at 6PM on a Wednesday evening!  Shayne did fantastic, finishing 3^rd in is age group and just 10 seconds from 2^nd place!

 

 

That same week was The OWS Fire Island Ocean Swim.  Bryan Krut does a fantastic job organizing this one-of-a-kind event!  The swim starts at Atlantique Beach on Fire Island.  There is a 1 mile, 5K and 10K distance to choose from.  Shayne Lewis finished 2^nd  overall and 1^st in his age group in the 1-Mile swim, Susan Roman won her division in the 1-Mile swim and Christa won the wetsuit division overall for the women in the 1-mile swim!  I did the 5K swim as prep for the Cross Bay Swim the following weekend!  We had gorgeous conditions for the swim this year!  Here are some pics from the event!

 

 Jose Hernandez traveled up to Albany that weekend to race a cycling event called the Ravenna 46 Miler where he and his cycling team had a great day!  He has also been racing weekly out at Riverhead on Friday nights, Prospect Park and Floyd Bennett Field as well as a mountain bike race last weekend.  Here are some pics from his various endeavors:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Event Power's Mighty North Fork Triathlon was a huge success!  We had a bunch of people racing that day:

Gordon Lewis had a PR and won his age group!

Ken Krill had a PR!

Irene lam had a PR by 16 minutes!

Noah lam had a PR by 26 minutes!

Laura Giardino placed 3^rd in her age group!

Hilary Topper had a fantastic race as prep for the NYC Triathlon the next weekend!  Read her race report here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following weekend also had a bunch of racing despite SUPER oppressive heat and humidity:

Susan Roman had a magic day where everything came together in the Montauk Lighthouse Triathlon.  Of course she had a PR too!  Read her take on it here!

         

 

 

Shelley Bache had a PR in the NJ State Triathlon!  She used this race as prep for Timberman!

Jackie Lott also raced the NJ State and had a great day and a PR despite the oppressive heat!  Here's a great shot of her and her friend out on the course!

Frank Fiorello was 1^st in his division in the Englewood Beach Triathlon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hilary Topper finished her very first Olympic distance triathlon at the NYC Triathlon where she had an incredible day!  You can read her report HERE to get inspired!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My good friend Erin and I did the Maggie Fisher Memorial Cross Bay swim again!  We had gorgeous conditions this year...  Thanks so much for our kayak support this year Shayne Lewis and Scott Robertson!!       

            

                                                                             

 

There have been so many races and great performances in June...  We have been training hard to race fast!  We have had group training sessions each week:  Tuesday bike intervals at Hecksher, Thursday interval run followed by an open water swim (alternating one week on the south shore and one week on the north shore), and just this past Saturday we did our first “monthly” layered brick workout pictured here.

 

 June’s Race Results for Iron Fit Endurance!

Challenge Quassy Half!

Husband and wife Peter and Donna Morandi both competed in the race.  This was Peter’s 2^nd half Ironman and he had a great race despite some nutrition issues on the bike!  He posted and awesome swim and bike, but the lack of nutrition before the race and on the bike ended up affecting his run.  Regardless Peter was able to get a second wind finishing strong!

 

Donna finished her FIRST Half Ironman on what is to be considered the one of the toughest courses out there!  Donna trained HARD for this race and exceeded her expectations that she had going in!  She had a GREAT day out there!!!

 

 

Superstar Jodie Robertson also competed her first half Ironman at Quassy…it was also her first ever triathlon!  She accomplished what very few can as the overall female winner!  Jodie is a major talent in the run, qualifying for the Olympic trials in the half and full marathon, but she proved at Quassy that she is just as talented in triathlon, and maybe even more so!  Jodie came off the bike 9 minutes down on the lead woman, only to catch and pass her, winning by over 3 minutes!  The only person to run faster that day was the lead male….and that was by a matter of seconds!

 

Irene Lam competed in the Olympic Distance the day before but had an unusually tough swim that day, which ended up contributing to her just missing the bike cutoff by a matter of minutes!  She is even more determined to prove herself in the next event:  Timberman 70.3!  Irene is a hard worker and has already improved greatly from last season.  I am proud of her for talking one of the hardest courses out there up in Quassy!

Escape from Alcatraz!

That same day Shelley Bache competed in the legendary Escape from Alcatraz!   This already grueling event was even more grueling this year due to the conditions…Shelley had a great race in all three events.  Congrats Shelley!  next up:  Timberman 70.3!

Cedar Beach Duathlon

On Saturday June 6^th, Jose Hernandez competed in the Cedar beach Duathlon.  He placed 2^nd Overall! Jose is already a huge talent on the bike and this race proved that he is also a great runner as well! 

Jose has been racing the Riverhead cycling races on Friday nights and doing very well with them placing top 3 and top 5 two weeks in a row, as well as the most recent Time Trial there where he placed 1st in the division and 5^th overall in the A group!  He did this after forgetting his shoes too...luckily Anthony Snobel saved the day and had an extra pair for Jose!

 

 

 

 

Eagleman!

Frank Fiorello headed to Eagleman and had a fantastic race in what we all know were absolute brutal conditions!  A non-wetsuit swim, followed by a bike and run in 90-100 degree heat (some say over 100!) with zero shade!  Here he is before and after...he's looking good for such an oppressive day out there!

 

On Saturday, June 20th, Susan Roman and Christa Dwyer headed up to Massachusetts to race the Patriot Half Ironman.  They both had awesome races!  Christa (pictured here) was not far off from a PR and Susan did PR (she has a knack for that!).  Susan also placed 2^nd in her division! 

Here's a picture of Christa’s husband Kevin, their cheering squad!

 

 

 

 

 Paulina Ballaban, who is training for the NYC Marathon, raced the Shelter Island 10K that same day and had a strong race!

 Syracuse 70.3

On Sunday the 21st, Jodie Robertson competed in her second ever triathlon up at the Syracuse 70.3.  She proved to everyone that Quassy was not a one-time occurance.  Jodie went up against stiff competition at Syracuse and was the overall winner once again!  Her run split: 1:22 was the fastest of the day for both male and females!  Jodie posted one of the fastest bike splits up there too!  Jodie now has her sights on Ironman Lake Placid.  She will surely make a statement on the triathlon world in this event.  Jodie has a bright future in the sport!

 

 

 

 Saturday the 27th was the 4 mile Run Around the Lake.  Susan Roman had a strong race, just missing a PR and Gordon Lewis ran a very fast race running 1 minute faster than the year before!

Christa Dwyer and Irene Lam headed to the West Neck Swim on Sunday the 28th.  The night before saw heavy rains that made the water conditions at West Neck, an already chilly swim, frigid!  Irene had an awesome 1 mile swim proving that she has what it takes to pull out a great swim in Timberman!  Christa won the 2 mile wetsuit division overall for the females!

 

 

 

 

Jackie Lott had a great race at Challenge Atlantic City Half Ironman!  She had a great day posting a PR!  Jackie has been training hard and we have already seen improvements in just a short time!  She will be competing in another Half Ironman this fall.  Here she is getting hosed off after the swim!

 

 **My sincere apologies for forgetting Hilary Topper's 10K race in NYC!!!  Here is her race report!  Hilary did a fantastic job and used this race in her training for the NYC Triathlon as well as Nationals!