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 2nd in his division at the Longboat Key Triathlon as well as 2nd 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 4th 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 22nd!
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 :-)