Blog 2017

This is my mantra lately.  Ive always believed it, but lately I've been contemplating it more. For those who write down their goals and put in the work necessary to achieve those goals, results come!  The hard work involves sacrifices and suffering but the results are so sweet. Suddenly, when you reach your goals those sacrifices and tough training days all become worth it!  I have seen this many times over with my athletes.  The results we have seen this season are proof of that!   Think about your season.  If you did not reach your goals ask yourself honestly, "did I really put in the work to reach my goals?"  If the answer is 'No", that's OK, but you cannot be disappointed in the result.  Instead, reflect on what you need to do to achieve those results if that is what's important to you! 

The end of the season has been just as exciting as the beginning.  Iron Fit Endurance kept on riding that wave of great results, PR's and podium spots. Check it out:

IRONMAN Maine 70.3

Barbara McCoy:  She went into the race with an injured foot.  Before the event she swam, biked and water jogged.  Race day came, and the goal was to finish the event and that's what she did. She swam, biked and walked the run because she was determined to finish the event.  Next season will be exciting for Barbara as she will be injury-free!

Jackie Lott (above): She decided to really get serious this year and work on her weaknesses.  She improved on those weaknesses due to the HARD WORK!  She had a fantastic race as a result of that hard work and goal setting.  This was her first half Ironman since being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis!  Go Jackie!

Scott Janicola posted yet another incredible race with a PR run (this was his PR in a ½ Ironman and stand-alone 1/2!).  Talk about impressive!  This was another huge result on the way to Ironman Italy.

Michael Mancini ended his season with an incredible race and guess what?  A PR race result and a PR run!  Another example of hard work and dedication paying off!

Shayne Lewis (above):  Rocked a PR race and killed his PR run!  I was so excited about his run and guess what?  He's capable of much faster!  I can't wait to see what he does this summer!  Shayne entered Mighty Hamptons 2 weeks after Maine and set a PR and finished 2^nd in his Age Group!

That same day Jeffrey Reynolds finished off an incredible season with yet ANOTHER PR race. This time at TOBAY!

Kurt LaForest (above) also raced that day with a PR and he placed 3^rd in his age group!

Ernest Martinez competed in Ironman Wisconsin!  Ernest had a great day on a tough course!  Ernest felt that the time he put in doing strength training this season really paid off.  He'll be doing another tough course next year:  Ironman Lake Placid!

Then came Ironman Lake Placid 70.3:

I am impressed with every athlete that competed that day. The air was in the 30 degrees!  Brrr!! 

Amanda Mancuso finished her first half Ironman in fantastic fashion!  Amanda has come a LONG way this season and has big goals for 2018!  I'm excited for her and excited to be a part of her journey!

Darlene Scilingo (in the middle of the pic above) also finished her first half Ironman finishing it off with an impressive run at the end.  Darlene is another example of hard work which paid off.  I am excited to be a part of Darlene's journey too...it's been fun to watch her grow as a triathlete.

Sal Scilingo (at the right) also finished his first half Ironman up there as well as Raphael Tovar (below pictured with Peter):

Congrats to Rafael and Sal who juggled their training with major travelling for their jobs.  They did a great job juggling hectic lives.  I adjusted their schedules as best I could so these guys could compete despite their crazy schedules.

Peter Morandi (above) headed up there as well and posted a PR race!  He also has a busy schedule juggling it all with a smile on his face.  Peter is such a generous person and he's been a pleasure to work with for the past 3 years!

The following weekend was Ironman Atlantic City 70.3:

Shelley Bache was on her way to a huge PR but had mechanical troubles on the bike.  She solved the issue and finished a strong race anyway.

Jeffrey Reynolds posted YET another PR race at Atlantic City.  What a season for him!  He PR'd in nearly every event that he entered!

That same weekend Hilary raced the aquathon at Tobay.  She'll be racing Miamiman in November!

John Burgess entered an aquabike in NJ to prep for Aquabike nationals in November!

Gordon Lewis (pictured at the beginning of the blog) went to Savageman.  This is well known as THE toughest half Ironman out there is.  In fact, one hill is so steep that many people get off their bike to climb it!  If you stay on your bike you are awarded a brick.  Unfortunately, Gordon had major troubles in the swim when his wetsuit tore and water came rushing in.  He finished the swim about 25-30 minutes slower that he normally would and was totally spent when he exited the water. Of course he didn't quit.  he doesn't know the meaning of the word... he finished the event AND was awarded that brick!

September ended with another weekend of incredible results at The Great South Bay Run:

Shayne Lewis finished 7^th Overall and 1^st in his age group with a PR run!

Jose Hernandez finished 1st in his age group with a PR run!

Nadine Pat finished 3^rd female overall!

Nadine and Jose ran most of the race together!

Rafael finished with a PR run and his wife ran too!

Laura Giardino finished the 10K first in her age group!

Kurt competed in another Olympic distance triathlon to end his season.  The result: a PR and 3^rd in his age group!

Nadine and Jose also competed in the Knuckleman... this is an "unofficial triathlon" that raises money for a great cause.  Well, just as expected they finished 1st and 1st, or 1st and 2nd?  Either way they had a great day.  Here they are with Shayne cheering them on:

Scott Janicola (above) headed to Ironman Italy.  Before leaving for the race I told him what times I thought he was capable of. He said I was crazy!  I knew those times were not unreachable for him... Well he went over there and he PR'd the event with a PR swim, a PR bike and a PR run (despite suffering with and enduring major quad cramping throughout most of the run)!  He posted a finial time of 11:18!  

I headed to Chattanooga (along with my dad) to watch my friend Erin Miller compete in Ironman Chattanooga.  I had been coaching Erin and this was her first Ironman.  She crushed the event with a sub-13-hour race!  This exceeded my expectations for her!  As she was running to the finish, less than  a ¼ mile away we ran together holding hands for a few seconds...we were both in tears.  I was so excited for her and couldn't believe she was about to break 13! Way to go Erin!

That wraps up September for Iron Fit Endurance!  What a month and what a season!‚ Don't worry...we had more podiums and PR's for October too!

Happy Training and racing!

Dee

Last year was incredible. I turned 40 and decided to race Ironman again after retirement as a Professional Triathlete and 6-year hiatus from the Ironman distance. The goal: Get back to Kona. I did exactly that: won my age group and signed my ticket back to the Big Island! I remember the week after Ironman Florida, driving to the pool and having that moment of realization that I had pulled off exactly what I had set out to do! It was a great feeling! Fast forward to May of this year: I had been dealing with a bout of Plantar Fasciitis and went out for an easy 3-mile run, when I tore the plantar. I knew my Kona dream was over.

I went to Dr. McGuiness (the best podiatrist on Long Island) and he put me in a boot, "I'd like to take you out of the boot after 4 weeks, but expect to be in it for 8 weeks".I asked him if Kona was still a possibility and he replied, "No." and then said, "could you do it? Maybe but it would be ugly." So that was it for me. I was super disappointed.Then I started getting some other opinions, "you can recover from that and still race!", so that's what I set out to do:  train on the swim and bike as if I were doing Kona. I made a deal with myself:  if it healed and the foot was good and healthy to run I would still do the race, undertrained in the run, but able to pull off a good race.  If it were not good to run, I was out.

Well, I just made the decision that it is not well enough to run.  I healed quickly (I was out of the boot in 4 weeks), I got the OK to start jogging at 6 weeks, but the truth is that the foot is not ready to run 26.2 miles down Alii Drive and the Queen K.  Again, I am disappointed I've worked SO hard the past 2 years, but I know it's the right thing to do!

So, here I am, my 20th year in a ROW racing triathlon, but it hit me the other day that the streak is broken!  It's actually 20 years with 19 years in a row racing triathlon!  This year breaks my streak of racing a triathlon every year for 20 years straight.  So, again I am disappointed, but I believe there is a saying that streaks are made to be broken, right? 😉

On another note, have I mentioned what an incredible group of athletes I have?  Well they are fantastic in so many ways.  I am SO fortunate to have the group that I do.  They are supportive of one-another and wonderful to work with.  I feel so lucky!  Without further ado, here is the summer (July and August) recap for each of them:

Shelley Bache:  Shelley lives in PA.  She has raced Ironman and is focusing on Olympics and 70.3's this season.  She completed the NYC triathlon in the exact goal time that she wanted, then she raced a PR in Rev3 Poconos and raced a sprint with her daughter Caroline the following weekend.  Caroline placed 2nd in her age group in her first triathlon!

Laura Giardino: What a summer! She started with an age group win at the Roosevelt island 10K, then she completed the 400-meter west neck swim (it was a rough day and Laura has been working on her open water swim so this was a huge accomplishment!). The following weekend was an age group win at Smith Point triathlon and the weekend after that was an age group win at the Whisper 10K!

Scott Janicola: Scott is training for Ironman Italy and is as fit as I have ever seen him! He placed 2nd in his age group at Rev 3 Williamsburg! I should also mention that Scott had a PR day with a 5:01 and a PR run! Scott is one of the most dedicated athletes I know and the PR's are proof of that. I can't wait to see what he does in Italy!

Kurt LaForest got married this summer! Here is a pic of Kurt and his lovely bride, Suzanne...oh, and he raced a 5K the morning of the wedding!

Irene Lam did an awesome job at the Rev 3 Williamsburg Aquabike and then got 3rd in her age group in the West Neck swim! Her swimming has come a long way due to her hard work!

Gordon Lewis has also had an incredible winning streak this season: 1st in his age group at the Carl Hart Duathlon with a PR, 4th overall in the Jamesport Aquabike and then an age group win and PR at Smith Point! I should also mention that Gordon is setting these PR's at the age of 63!

Shayne Lewis had a great race at the Pat Griskus Tri placing 1st in his age group. He raced Jamesport sprint the next weekend. He has been training really hard and focusing for IM Maine 70.3. I will update his fantastic results on the next blog! There he is in the pink!

Jackie Lott set a PR at the Williamsburg Olympic! Jackie is a great example of someone who would not let a diagnosis of RA get in the way of her life. Instead of feeling sorry for herself Jackie decided to fight and set major goals. She has worked so hard and I am really proud of her. Here we are after practicing entries and exits in the ocean in prep for Ironman Maine 70.3!! #SUCKITRA

Michael Mancini (A.K.A. Tool Box) has made huge gains in the sport in just one year! He raced Rev 3 Williamsburg and PR'd by over 1 hour in the 70.3 distance! Mike has worked hard and t has really paid off! Only time will tell just how fast Mike is actually capable of!

Amanda Mancuso is another athlete who has made huge gains! She started out this winter as a beginner. She wasnt biking at all, wasnt running at all and had to take breaks after each lap in the pool. Well, she made a huge transformation. She is getting stronger each day and has completed a major training block for the Ironman Lake Placid 70.3 in September, and she is going to do great! She had a rocking race in Jamesport and she will do the same in lake placid!

Barbara McCoy has had quite a season raising money in her mother's name and working towards the goal of racing a triathlon in every state She placed 2nd in her age group at the Hayden Sprint Tri in Idaho and then she crossed the state border and placed 3rd in her age group at the Spokane Washington sprint triathlon THE NEXT DAY! Her journey sounded incredible!

Erin Miller, my close friend and fellow swim teammate from college also raced Rev 3 Williamsburg. She had an awesome race and is on her way to race her first Ironman in Chattanooga in a few weeks! I'll be there to cheer her on and I can't wait!

Nadine Moores and I have been friends for 15 years, we raced Kona together twice. I was honored to coach her for her Ironman comeback this season! Nadine took 10 years off from racing Ironman to start a family. She has two beautiful daughters. Nadine is stronger than ever and PR'd by 11 minutes in Ironman Lake Placid! She posted a 10:55 and placed 6th in her Age Group!

Jeffrey Reynolds has had a PR season! A PR in Eagleman 70.3, then a PR at Town of Huntington triathlon and then another PR at Smith Point! I can't wait to see what he does at IM Atlantic City 70.3!

Darlene Scilingo is another athlete who makes huge gains almost daily! Darlene is a fantastic runner but was a newbie biker and swimmer. Darlene has been training for Ironman Lake Placid 70.3 and has made a transformation from "runner" to "runner and triathlete" She rocked every event she entered this season including the Jamesport Sprint Tri and Smith Point in preparation for her debut 70.3 race in a few weeks! I am so psyched to see what she can do! *Darlene pictured far left

Sal Scilingo (pictured far right), Darlene's husband, is also racing Ironman Lake Placid 70.3 and has also made big gains over the course of his training.  Sal came back from a major injury last year with the realization that he may have to just do the swim and bike in IMLP 70.3, but I am happy to say that he has progressed tremendously and finish the entire event!  He also raced Jamesport and Smith Point and is ready to rock IMLP70.3 with Darlene!

Hilary Topper has been leading the way for her tri group WeRTriathletes as well as her run group using the Galloway method.  She is an inspiration to so many and it is so wonderful to see her blossom from newbie to one who leads!  Hilary focused mostly on running in the beginning of the summer, completing the Ice Cream run 10K with a PR along with her Galloway group and then she did her first triathlon of the season at Smith point with a PR!  Check out her race report on her AWARD-WINNING BLOG HERE.  Hilary will be racing Mighty Hamptons and Miamiman Olympic triathlons this fall!  Along with Hilary's race pics from Smith point I included a great shot of her, Jackie and Laura at Bryan Krut of OWS open water swim at the lighthouse.

Rafael Tovar seems to set a new threshold record with every workout he downloads into training peaks!  He is another one who has really come into his own and gets stronger every day!  Rafael had a strong race at the Town of Huntington triathlon and will have a strong race in his 70.3 debut up in Lake Placid in a few weeks!

We have a lot more racing to come (including ROCKING results from this past weekend) as well as an update to come on our 1st Annual Unofficial IFE World Championship triathlon that we had in August!

Happy Training and racing!

Dee

Iron Fit Endurance athletes have been busy this summer with a races and epic training sessions.

Here is a quick recap on May and some of June!

May 20^th/21^st:

Big run weekend!  Peter Morandi ran a PR at the Brooklyn Half Marathon, Ernest Martinez also did the Brooklyn half in a great time, while Christa Dwyer ran a strong 15k!

Meanwhile, Steven Kalata raced the epic “Tour of Battenkill bike race:

Rob Toedter raced the XTERRA “Way Over Yonder” Saturday and “Singlespeed-A-Palooza” the following day!

I finally did the Gran fondo NYC and ran into my friend Charles at the start!  What a gorgeous day and an epic event!

For Memorial Day, Hilary Topper did the famous Boulder Boulder 10K.  Read her report on the event here.

The following weekend Kurt LaForest won his age group in a 5K!

June 3^rd and 4^th:

This was a big weekend for triathlon racing!  Peter Morandi, Deepak Chopra, Michael Mancici, Maureen Lundquist, Darlene Scilingo and Sal Scilingo all headed up to do the rev 3 Quasy Olympic triathlon and Aquabike. They all did fantastic!

The next day, Rich holden PR’d in the Rev 3 Quassy Half!

Down in NJ Barbara McCoy, Jackie Lott, Noah Lam, Irene Lam and Shelley Bache all did the Escape the Cape Sprint and Olympic races!

The following weekend was the Montauk Olympic triathlon where Christa Dwyer rocked it (there was a mix up in awards, but we believe she placed 2^nd in her age group…we are still awaiting word from the director).  Also, Mike Scanlon PR’d!  He is getting ready to race Ironman Lake Placid!  Darlene and Sal Scilingo also had great races out in Montauk.  Here is a picture of Michael Mancini and I who went to Montauk to cheer these guys on.  What a gorgeous day for a race and a ride!

Meanwhile down in Maryland Jeffrey Reynolds had a PR in Eagleman 70.3!  Scott Janicola also PR’d with a rocking time and placed 11^th in his age group in a very competitive event!  Eagleman did not disappoint...it had the typical oppressive conditions for these guys as it does every year!

That same weekend Shayne Lewis qualified to earn a spot as a Jones beach lifeguard and Hilary Topper competed in the “mini” 10K in NYC with her daughter Zoey:

Also, Laura Giardino placed first in her age group at the Tri One On Duathlon!

On the training side, we had an epic training weekend in Lake Placid!  We were so lucky to have gorgeous weather every day!  Here are some shots of Ernest Martinez, Scott Janicola, Michael Mancini, Michael Scanlon, Darlene Scilingo, Sal Scilingo, Amanda Mancuso and Gordon Lewis.

And another couple of shots...the first was taken after swim session with John Burgess and Jackie Lott and the next was prior to bike intervals at Hecksher with Scott Janicola and Michael Mancicni:

We have many races and training sessions planned for the 2017 season...looking forward to some epic adventures and fast races!

Happy training and racing!

Dee :-)

I wanted to start my first blog since my Ironman Florida race report with a few tips.  This is my 20^th year racing triathlon…over the years I have gained knowledge in my own training that I take with me in my day to day workouts, but as a coach I see my athletes struggle with decisions and ups and downs in training and racing that I have learned to take in stride.  Here are a few tips off the top of my head:

1)     Every workout can’t be your “best”.  I have bad days.  I have days where I’ve had to bail on a workout or effort because my body just isn’t responding the way I had planned or hoped.  I used to get upset about this…sometimes it would ruin my day.  I have many athletes that feel upset or depressed if they can’t hit the wattage goal for that day, if they feel too tired to complete or start a particular workout, or if the workout didn’t go as well as they wanted.  As a coach this can be tough to witness because I know that it’s all part of training, however, my athletes can be so hard on themselves...   I’ve learned to move on and count it as part of the training process!  It’s impossible for every workout to be the best and it is too much to expect perfection in every workout every day!

2)    Injuries happen!  Over the many years of training and racing Ive had my share of injuries.  They can be depressing…no one likes to disrupt the day-to-day plan.  No one wants to cut a workout short due to an injury!  Remember, they happen to everyone…even the best athletes in the world get injuries.  How you deal with injuries is what counts.  STOP doing what you are doing when you feel pain that is not the “normal” pain or discomfort that you may feel from a workout or training session.  If the pain or injury is lingering get it checked out and diagnosed!  The sooner you find out what is ailing you the sooner you can follow the necessary steps to fix in and get back to normal training!  Follow the instructions of your Physical Therapist and/or Doctor!  So many people stray from the directions or plan they are given to get better, then they find themselves with an injury that lasts so much longer than it should have!  Nip it in the bud, follow your instructions or treatment plan and get better!

3)    Set realistic race goals and expectations based on your training!  I can put this in a way that sounds harsh, but it’s true:  You can only expect so much out of a race if you haven’t done the work!  Often times life gets in the way of training and that’s OK and it’s normal for most athletes!  However, you must sit down, look at your training and talk to your coach about what is realistic going into your race!  A good coach will be honest with you and let you know what a realistic goal for that race is and the steps necessary to improve that goal!

4)    HAVE FUN, STAY POSITIVE and ENJOY THE PROCESS!  Most of us are racing because we enjoy the challenge, we get a certain amount of joy out of the training and racing, we enjoy the comradarie of the sport, etc.  Think about why you do this and what drives you to do this.  What gets you out of bed in the morning and to the pool?  If you are not having fun, if you are stressing over the training and racing or over what you friend is doing compared to you then you are losing sight of why you are doing this!  I coach a very experienced and talented older athlete and he always talks about the importance of staying positive and I couldn’t agree more.  In my experience, the athletes who have the highest success rate have one major quality in common:  they adjust and stay positive through ups and downs!

5)    You can’t make up for missed workouts!  I can’t tell you how many times I hear that someone is going to “double up” on a workout because they missed their prior workout…this is NOT the right thing to do!  If you missed a workout your coach can certainly adjust your training, but piling one workout onto another is NOT the answer to “make up” for missed time!  Move forward and continue as planned!

I am really looking forward to the season ahead…  Here are some Iron Fit Endurance Updates!

Thanks to the generosity of Peter Morandi, we had a wicked facility for an indoor training session throughout the winter!  We ended our indoor sessions with a “layered brick workout” and BBQ!

The first triathlons of the season have been successful for Iron Fit Endurance.  Barbara McCoy competed in the first triathlon down in Mississippi!  Barbara’s goal is to compete in a triathlon in every state and this was her 8th state!  Barbara rented a bike from a local bike shop and finished 2^nd in her age group!

Mini Mightyman was next: 

Gordon Lewis was first in his age group!

Zachary Lam who competes as a Wildwood Warrior won 1^st in his Age Group!  Dad Noah helps to coach him with triathlon, but Zachary is also a high school runner.  Mom Irene also competed along with brother Elijah!

Jeffrey Reynolds scored a PR!  What can be better than that?

Darlene and Sal Scilingo did a fantastic job starting off the season with the end goal of a great race at Ironman lake placid 70.3, which will be their first 70.3!

We have been training hard, including a trip up to Bear Mountain with some Wildwood Warriors as well as a recent trip which included repeats up the famous Perkins climb!

I am so excited that 2017 triathlon season has started...this season will culminate for me at the Hawaii Ironman in October...I will send my training and racing updates along the way as long as updates for the rest of the Iron Fit Endurance crew.

Happy Training and racing!

Dee