Zach's Blog

Sittin’ on the dock of the bay… July 27, 2010

Getting bored. The summer is cruisin’ by too damn fast. I think I need a Sprint to make me feel better.

My next race is Timberman in August, then Westchester, then Clearwater. Three races, that’s it. I’ve raced 8 races already. I feel like a kid about to go back to school for the Fall. That sick to the stomach, “I can’t believe the summer is over” dread. It’s that feeling you get when you are on vacation somewhee really nice and on the 2nd to last day you get sick thinking about having to pack up and go home, you don’t even get to enjoy the last couple of days you are so distraught thinking about it.

I got that feelin’.

I went for a long ride the other day and my route brought me up to Route 100 where the TT’s are, where I spent a lot of weekends in sub-freezing weather getting ready for the 2010 season. The area where I pooped myself after a nasty brick. The place where I wished I was anywhere but there. The place I swore I would NEVER return to. The place I hated with all my heart because it was NEVER a good day for a brick when it’s windy, snowing, and dark in the middle of winter.

It’s been 6 months since those horrid days. It is only 4 months away until I have to do it all over again.

Yep, sick to the stomach like a kid going back to school in the Fall….knowing the school bully took steriods over the Summer and he hates you for a joke you made about him in the first grade because you caught him picking his nose and eating it. Yep, that sick.

So to shake these Summer Blues, I think I need a Sprint Tri. Yes, I think it’s what the doctor would perscribe me right now. A good shot of high stress, anxiety, adrenaline, and testosterone all mixed into one. Sounds good to me.

Put me in coach, I’m ready to play. I’m tired of watching the tide roll away.

Nothing to see here… July 19, 2010

Just spent a weekend at NYC Tri volunteering and being….gasp…..a spectator. It was difficult, but I survived.

I have absolutely nothing useful to say about racing right now as I’m bitter that I have to wait until Timberman for my next race.

I did write an email to the parents of Jon Blais to see how I could help raise awareness for ALS and they responded pretty quickly. No mention of money or anything else, they asked me to call them so we could talk by phone. I REALLY like them. I really hope there is a way I can help them and raise awareness for ALS (still no cure).

I have been playing around with different shoes but everything just re-enforces my love for Zoot Shoes. The TT 3.0′s are awesome.

All that said, I have never really talked about my family, and they have been weighing heavily on my mind. I am VERY fortunate to have a beautiful wife and 4 children, 2 boys, 2 girls, and a LARGE white german shepherd. I love them all very much, even when I feel like swimming into chum filled waters in Great White territory sometimes with the yelling and the messes and the fighting. But when I see my daughter Taylor help my youngest son William by reading to him at night, it makes me very happy. When I see my son Alexander make a sandwich for his sister Emma, I feel very proud. When Emma comes to me at night to say she is scared and I have the rightful duty of telling her that “everything is going to be okay, daddy’s here to protect you”, she kisses me on the cheek, looks at me with big doe eyes, and prances off to bed, I want to cry.

That’s the thing….is everything going to be okay? The world seems to be crumbling around us. The economy is as sea-worthy as the Titanic. People aren’t helping each other out like the Amish, instead we are turning on each other to make sure “I got mine first”. New electronics are making us weaker and lazier. Hell, I get strange looks when I mention anything about exercising more than an hour a day. “A run, in this heat? 8 miles? Are you crazy? Why, do you want to lose more weight?”. Nope, just want to clear my mind.

When I get nutty, which is a daily occurence, I use to grab a cigarette and a Dr. Pepper. That was 208 pounder grande royale with cheese fat-ass me back a few years ago. The funny part was that I tried to continue to run while smoking. It didn’t work too well. So now when I get insane, I put on my shoes and go for a run or swim or bike ride to drain my energy and get the thoughts sorted out. When I get back home, I’m calm again and it seems “everything is going to be okay”.

Maybe everyone should put down the bad habits and go for a run or swim or bike ride. Maybe everything would be okay if everyone shook out the cob-webs and drained their energy out and nothing left to argue or fight with.

I don’t know, I just hope for all of our sakes that life does get better and the economy straightens out and our children grow up happy.

So the next few times I write in this blog, it will be pretty much the same mind-numbing crap until I get to race again.

Good luck to all the athletes doing Ironman Lake Placid this weekend, I’m skipping out on it as I am not competitive enough at the Ironman distance. Maybe next year…I think I’ll try my luck in Arizona!!!

Finally July 12, 2010

After 1.5 years of some pretty hard work and 3 coaches, I have finally qualified for 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater.

Ironman Rhode Island 70.3 – July 11th, 2010 – Eugene and I hit the road Saturday morning at 5am. Breakfast at Cracker Barrel and back on the road. 8am we arrive at Providence and I get my athlete packet at 9am. We leave to go to Naragansett, arrive around 10am and I get in a swim. The entrance and exit for the swim are coated with rocks that will cripple the field and it’s almost impossible to get in and out of the water without wincing. Next is a bike ride and it seems flat and hot, but good roads. I park my bike in T1 and get ready to drive to Providence again. Some dark clouds come rolling in and then just stop before they reach us. Good thing too because I was determined not to put the bikini top back up on the Jeep. Drove to Providence, checked into the hotel and went out for a run. 20 minutes later I’m back in the hotel, setup my run bag, drop off the bag at T2, and get some food. 8pm, final check on bike and swim bag, go to bed.

3am Race day morning. Wake up, brush teeth, get dressed and walk out to find the shuttle that will bring 1000+ athletes to the swim start in Naragansett. 4am – the suttles leave and I ftry to sleep as the dude next to me nervously jabbers about something. 5am, setup transition for the bike and go out for a run. I love the morning of a race and looking at all the “athletes” with their looks on their face. Scared, nervous, way too intense. Funny as hell. Breath and smile, kind of like shock and awe to others. Get on my wetsuit and of course, I immediately need to pee. I haven’t even gotten into the water yet and I need to pee. Oh well, I’m not taking off the wetsuit to get the job done. Go for my warm up swim and get the pee out of my suit, only to pee again. I see Chris Thomas getting ready and say Hi (Chris Thomas is number 2 in the World for amatuer triathletes).
Race time – I line up right behind Chris Thomas for the swim. THe canon goes off and we leap into the water like Salmon heading upstream for mating season (kind of weird because we are all dudes). The water isa bit choppy but it doesn’t really affect me. I see 4 other guys in front of me in my age group. A few minutes later there are only 2 in my age group. Then just one. Chris!! Time to get him. Next thing I know, I round the corner and head for home. I’m leading this pack. And someone is slapping my feet. I take a quick peek. Chris is slapping my feet and drafting off me. Me!! I plow through a few of the waves/fields in front of us and run out of the water. This is when I lost the lead as Chris went flying by me out of transition.
The bike was hot and we had a head wind. Roads got tough. Climbs weren’t bad. Saw a few guys drafting pretty badly (792 and 793, I know who you are you bastards).
Got into T2 and out onto the run. Noticed right away my right hamstring was pulled. Not a good start for a hilly run. I take all my pills and move on. I run up the crappy hard hill and still feel okay. I switched up my stride to accomodate my hamstrings. I’m still passing my age group (2 waves and I was in the second wave, so I am catching guys that started 5 minutes before me). Second loop and I hate running at this point. It’s hot and humid. I’m a pro at the aide stations and grab everything like a champ, even doing 360′s to make sure I get it all. Water in the mouth, over the head, down the shirt, sponges, and a thank you to all.
The last 2 miles of the run are pure hell and I consider just sitting down. I have nothing left. What started as a 7:15 pace is now an 8 pace. But I really want that damn Clearwater spot. I push it up the last hill and come to the finish line and remember that I promised to do the Blazeman roll. I drop and give it a roll. I hear the announcer call it over the PA and when I stand up, their are John’s parents and they give me a big hug and a thank you. I felt really good about that.
Eugene takes care of me like a child afterwards. I really don’t know how I survived races before Eugene. He’s proabably more of the reason than anything that I finally qualified.
Anyhow, I get down to awards and they start calling out slots for Clearwater. It gets to my name and I jump up and down and go up to get my spot.

Finally, I have made it to Worlds 70.3!!!

Thank you to my family, especially my wife Jenn for all the support, my coaches, Doug, Juan, and now Jordan for getting me from where I was to where I am. Huge thanks to Eugene and Sandra for everything they do for me. Thank you to my kids for understanding all the missed mornings where I was biking. Thank you to all the volunteers to every race out there. Thank you mom for all the support. Thank you Brian for helping me run long distance. Thank you Budden family for being a target on my race list. Thank you slowtwitch for all the info, whether it was useful or not.

Thank you.

No skin left on the feet July 7, 2010

In just a few days I have my next BIG race that is a qualifier for 70.3 World Championships. Ironman Providence 70.3 on Sunday. I think I’m ready, but my feet are trying to committ sucide on me.

2 weeks ago I raced an Oly that made the athletes look like a mass wave of Jesus wanna-bes as we walked on water for most of the swim portion. It was ultra low tide and the muck just under the surface of the water had clam and oyster shells everywhere. Most people on course had red shoes that day and the med tent earned their money and the guaze supply in Stamford CT became scarce.

I thought I had escaped injury, but on the bike I felt my toes starting to sting. Then on the run it got a little uncomfortable. Then the last mile was unbearable. My shoes were bleeding.

Nothing a little super glue can’t fix.

The next day I realized my shoes were old and I needed a new pair before the big race. The only problem is that every athlete must think my shoes are the bomb as there is no stock on my size in my shoe. So I switched brands after 2 years.

With my new shoes, I went for a sockless run and 6 miles later my feet tried to committ suicide by slicing the heels. It was just a cry for help as it didn’t go too deep and never made it to the achilles heel. Some more super glue was in order.

A couple of days later, armed with a water proof bandage on my heels, I went for a 1.5 hour run and my toes decided to paint my white shoes pink. So now I have cuts on my toes now too.

I guess I have to get use to it as the race is in a few days and the shoes are still looking to take the remaining skin on my feet.

I hope I get my qualification to Worlds this time.