The off-season is here! After a few days of doing little to no exercise after my last race, I start itching to get a little structure and routine back. The key is to keep a mix of things going that are light and fun, yet still active and rejuvenating. Here are a few ways I recommend getting that blend:

1) Sign up for a fitness class- for me, that is Pilates. It’s something I don’t get to fit in as much during my season. It’s hard work and uses all sorts of muscles. I feel great when I’m finished but never overworked. You could also try Orange Theory, Switch Playground, or other fitness programs you have near you. Plus, it’s a great way to meet new people.

2) Get into a healthy meal-prep routine. During the season, I find it hard to do all the meal prep I want to do. I always think I will have time but it rarely happens. For the off-season, I am taking some of that extra time to roast a bunch of veggies for the week. This week it was a head of broccoli, an entire cabbage cut in half and roasted, chick peas, carrots and onions. I will eat that for lunch and dinners throughout the week with some brown rice. The off season is a good time to take a break from all the carbs I usually eat to sustain my training.

3) Go on friend-dates. Schedule in some time to see friends who you don’t get to see as much during the season. I am making plans to see my friend and her new baby and to check out another friend’s art studio. Stepping out of your zone and being enriched by others is so rejuvenating.

4) Take some time for yourself. Go to the movies (there are so many great movies out this time of year), organize your closet (that’s what I will be doing!), make a spa appointment…and focus a little on you. During the season, I find I do a great job of focusing on myself for swim/bike/run but everything else gets pushed off. Now is a great time to recharge, and set things up for next year.

5) plan for next season. While you are recharging, relaxing, eating healthy and exercising for fun, make sure to keep your goals in mind. It’s a good time to explore options for new races, different coaching or training, new equipment or any other changes you have been thinking about.

Enjoy the off-season and see you on a starting line next spring!

Embrace the local races because this might be where you may achieve your best performances. You’ll be able to focus your energy on the race, rather than the logistical stress of travel. In addition, the boost from being cheered on by family and friends and the local tri community is huge. Plus, there’s no motivation to dig deep like earning local bragging rights.

Work with the seasons, not against them. Plan your races so that you don’t have to worry about training during the holidays. If you live in a place that is frozen in winter, use these months for maintenance training or skill building. It’s the perfect time to get hungry to train when the weather becomes nice. The goal is be fresh and ready to go when the weather is more inviting.

Go short, even if you are going long. Not all races have to be long triathlons. Mix things with sprint distance tris, 5k road races, bike time trials, etc. These races allow you to experience pure racing and to replace holding watts or paces with the pure grit of fighting to the finish line. Short races hurt, but are fun and create an opportunity to practice racing skills without putting the stress on your body.

Make your coaching work for you. Find a coach who understands your lifestyle outside of triathlon and who is willing to build a training program around it. Training programs should not be a cause for stress! Build a training program that embraces what you are easily able to do while minimizing the things that cause stress. For example, if you live really close to a pool, build your aerobic base by swimming more. If getting to a pool is hard for you, swim less and build dry land swim training into your program. There isn’t one set training program that works for everyone, so be willing to embrace something that is built specifically for you.

Gift the athlete in your life MOTIVATION this year. How do you accomplish that? In the form of new gear, a ground-breaking new fuel source, an exciting new race, or even a new coach.

1. Race Entry: give your triathlete the gift of motivation this holiday season! Nothing keeps you going to the gym like having a race on the schedule. A fun race entry to consider gifting is Challenge Daytona in December 2020. At this event, held at the iconic Daytona International Speedway, there are sprint, Olympic, and half distance races, and even a pro-am relay where you can compete alongside your favorite professional triathlete.https://challenge-daytona.com/race-information/entry-fees/

2. XRCEL: introduce a triathlete to a new race fuel source for the 2020 season by gifting an XRCEL Athlete Fuel 6 pack. This is the gift that will keep giving and giving all year long…in the form of bonk-free and mentally charged racing and training. https://xrcel.com/product/xrcel-orange-6-pack/. USE Code XRCEL4U for 30% off. Offer valid through 12-30-19.

3. Fleece Cycling Jacket: make winter riding outside that much more bearable and have the perfect thing to thrown on for those chilly race mornings (or dog walks!) https://wynrepublic.com/collections/keep-the-peace/products/thermal-cycling-jacket-joni

4. Private Swim Instruction: whether your triathlete needs a complete stroke overhaul or some minor changes, private swim lessons will give the gift of faster swim splits. Everyone’s dream, right?? In the New York area, contact Asphalt Green to set up a lesson with pro triathlete Laurel Wassner http://bit.ly/LWSwimLesson Thinking your triathlete could also benefit from some added inspiration and motivation to super charge your New Year, check out elite cyclist, personal development coach, and XRCEL ambassador Christine D’Ercole https://christinedercole.com/

5. Garmin Forerunner 945: this is the gold standard in endurance sports watches. It has a built-in heart rate monitor, accurately tracks miles in the bike and run, yards in the swim, and even will track your sleep. You can also listen to music and receive text messages through it. https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/621922

Justin Hughes – Amateur Triathlete

I’ll preface this race report with a few thoughts…

• This was my first ever attempt at a full-distance Ironman. 
• The goal was to just HAVE FUN. If I finished in 17:01, but I had fun, then I’d say the day was a success. If I happened to finish in under 17 hours, that’d be an added bonus.
• I’ve done my fair share of 70.3’s over the last few years, but a full had been on my bucket list for a few years and IronMan Maryland fit the calendar for 2019. 
• I’ll try to make this entertaining, but if you’re looking for a real knee-slapper, check out Josh Amberger’s Kona Recap. If triathlon doesn’t work out for him, stand-up comedy should be his next endeavor.

Saturday morning the alarm went off at 3:00am. I typically don’t sleep well before races, but surprisingly, I slept rather well given the nerves and circumstances. I threw the final preparations into the car and scarfed down the usual pre-race breakfast (toasted everything bagel with peanut butter).  From where we were staying, was a good hour drive to Cambridge. Once we arrived, we parked in the pre-paid parking area right at transition (PRO TIP: highly recommend doing this option as parking is very slim in the neighborhood surrounding transition). Dropped off special needs bags, topped off the tires with air, and loaded my nutrition onto the bike. My fueling strategy for the day was the following:

• Swim – 1 XRCEL Peach Tea bottle just prior to swim start
•  T1 – 1 XRCEL Peach Tea bottle
• Bike
  • First 60 miles…
    • 3 XRCEL Orange bottle
    • 2 small PB&J sandwiches
  • Special needs bag…
    • 2 XRCEL Peach Tea
    • 1 small PB&J sandwich
•  T2 – 1 XRCEL Peach Tea bottle
• Run – 4 XRCEL Orange bottles (throughout)

I put my wetsuit on, grabbed my trendy aqua eyewear and walked over to the swim start. I lined up in the 1:40-1:50 group, again, looking to just cruise the swim and conserve as much energy as possible knowing I have conservatively another 11+ hours ahead of me. Threw back 1 XRCEL Peach Tea just prior to the gun going off. Took a deep breathe and waded out into the water. Now the fun starts…

For anyone that’s done Eagleman or IMMD, you’re familiar with the Choptank River. For those that haven’t, lets just say it’s called the Choptank for a reason, key word here is ‘chop’. For the first 400m you really don’t feel the current, but once you make the first turn, you quickly find yourself in a brackish washing machine on max spin mode. The current however wasn’t the star of this year’s race. 

Due to the warmer than usually water temps, coupled with no rain fall in the weeks leading up to race day, the swim course was full of jellyfish. My first loop they weren’t too bad, a few stings here and there, but the second loop, those little buggers were ruthless! I’m assuming all the fast swimmers pushed them out of the way on the first lap, and then the second lap the jellies came back with a vengeance against the back of the packers like me. Once I made the final turn and neared the swim exit, I was excited to be back on dry land and away from the jellies the rest of the day. 

Swim: 1:32…

I took my time in T1, ensuring to not miss anything. Doused my arms and feet in vinegar to ease the jellyfish stings before lathering on the sunscreen. 

Having done Eagleman many times in years past, I knew what I was getting myself into with the bike course…

• • The scenery – while absolutely breathtaking through the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, it makes for a very lonely ride (i.e. spectator-less). 
• • Flat as a pancake – no hills means constant pedaling and zero coasting. 
• • Wind – hands down the biggest defense this course has. Most sections are very exposed meaning no break from the seemingly always present headwind no matter what part of the course you’re on. The longer you’re out on the bike course into the early afternoon, the stronger the wind gets. 

Not too many highlights on the first hour or so of the bike. My power was right where I wanted it to be and my stomach was agreeing with my nutrition strategy. I was in the groove and humming right along to Lizzo’s newest summer hit (not the song I would have chosen, but the only one that would come to mind).  

At what seemed like the blink of an eye, I cruised into special needs at mile 63 feeling surprisingly well, and so far everything was going to plan (excluding the jellyfish). Grabbed my 2^nd bottle of 2 Peach Teas that I froze and placed in my T2 bag, along with the next round of PB&J. I remember thinking to myself “my legs feel good”, but knew the wind was only bound to get stronger.         

In the early goings, the miles were flying by. Once I hit the 85ish mile mark though, that’s when my mind started to wander. Each 5 mile ‘beep’ of the Garmin seemed like an eternity. The wind was really starting to blow at that point and I told myself just put your head down and keep pedaling, no matter what the power meter read. I cruised back into T2 and was met by some familiar faces (family and friends) who had been waiting anxiously for my pedal-fest to finally come to an end. 

Bike: 6:47…

In full transparency, I had never run a marathon in my life prior to this race, let alone after having just rode 112 miles. When I got off the bike, my legs still felt surprisingly ok. Tired yes, but not absolutely deflated. Again, I took my time in T2, ensuring to grab everything and load up on the sunscreen as it was really starting to heat up. I took it out really easy the first few miles, just focused on keeping the heart rate low and getting into a rhythm. 

Fast forward to miles 8-13 and that was my first “dark” moment. Due to the looped layout of the run course, you actually pass the finish line 5 times before you get to run down the red carpet. The first time through was exciting to experience the crowd cheering on the elites as they were finishing, but during the 2^nd time, it really hit home how much longer I had ahead of me. I also felt I was getting a bit low on liquids and was slowed to a walk. I took in some extra fluids at the next aid station and let the body “recover”. Within a few minutes, I was able to increase the pace back to a light jog and get back into the groove. 

I honestly don’t remember much between miles 13-23. Just keep telling myself to put one foot in front of the other, because as long as I kept moving forward, no matter what the pace, I would make the 17 hour cutoff. Fast forward to the last 3 miles and was completely shocked as I found myself still running after nearly 14 hours. At mile 25 I made my 5^th and final pass by the finish line before I would enter the finish line chute.   

Run: 5:45

If I had to summarize the advice I received from folks I spoke with in the days/weeks/months leading up to the race, they all said some variation of … “slow down once you get to the red carpet and soak it all in, you’ll always remember your first time.” While the lady in front of me crossing the finish line may have slowed down a little too much, to the point where my finish line pictures are of her not me, those 15 or so seconds coming down the finish line chute is a moment I will never forget. It was the culmination of countless hours of training … the realization of a pipe dream … the celebration of many sacrifices. Ironman Maryland was my victory lap. 

Overall 14:27

In closing, I want to give a big shout out to the entire XRCEL team. Thank you for continuing to support me throughout this journey. I couldn’t have done it without you!

By Laurel Wassner, Pro Triathlete

Racing a triathlon is not an easy endeavor on its own, but throw in a rainstorm, or brutal heat? Well, things become even more difficult. But, you’ve signed up, paid the entry fee, hotels, done all the training… so there’s no backing out now!

Here’s a few tips on how to carry on when unexpected weather or other changes happen:

1) Keep calm. 

Don’t let the change in events rattle you. Remember, you have put in the training, you are fit, you are ready to go. Stay positive and carry on.

2) Be flexible and adapt.

You wake up race day and it’s pouring rain, these things happen.  Go on with your routine, BUT make some changes based on the weather. Don’t be afraid to pack some extra clothes to put on for the bike ride. Take a little pressure out of your tires. Be a bit more careful around the corners. Be mindful of the little changes that will carry you far.

3) Rethink your nutrition strategy.

Have the temperatures soared above 90F? Or, have they dropped below 50? These are times when you are going to have to look at your nutrition plan and make a few changes. When the weather is extreme you must make sure to get enough and in some  cases even more fuel than you think. Did your swim take longer because the waves were really big? Add an extra bottle of XRCEL when you come out of the water. When it’s very cold, your body is using energy to stay warm, so make sure you have enough fuel on board the bike to adapt for that. Pack more XRCEL than you normally would. When it’s hot? Well, you may not feel like eating. That’s where XRCEL is handy – it’s easy to get down (and stays down!). It’s better to have too much than too little in these circumstances.

4) Stay steady all day.

If you have made the adaptations in your fueling plan, you should be able to have the energy to stay strong throughout the day. Keeping a steady pace, rather than going out hard and fading, is a good strategy for racing in extreme conditions. You want to be the one who is still going when the race gets tough. If you stay steady, you will find yourself passing people who went out too hard.

5) Be smart.

Extreme cold, heat, wind, etc can be dangerous. Be smart about it, race accordingly. Adjust your paces, add 20-30 seconds a mile to your goal running pace and be ok with that. 

6) Don’t quit. 

A positive mindset will help get you through even the worst conditions. Remember everyone else is going through the same thing. Be the one who doesn’t quit!

By Rebeccah Wassner, Pro Triathlete

Bike packing. Even after 15 years as a pro triathlete, it still makes me nervous. It’s a dreaded, but necessary part of the job, but like most elements of triathlons, you can always get better at it. Here are some tips for making the process easier.

Do it yourself!

If you are traveling to the race by yourself, then pack the bike yourself. The very first time I traveled with my bike was to the age group nationals in Shreveport, Louisiana in 2003. My roommate, who knew more about bike mechanics than me, helped me pack the bike. But when it came time for me to put it back together I was frozen with fear. To the point where I felt like everything I was doing was going to break the bike. The struggle was real! To avoid that stress in the future, I practiced taking apart and reassembling my bike a few times before my next trip (…because at that race, once my bike was properly put back together, I qualified for World Champs in Queenstown, New Zealand). 

Consider the bag or case.

We prefer for the bag itself not to weigh very much because this makes the whole package that much easier to lift (on/off luggage belts or in and out of cars). One perk of a soft case, like those from the company Scicon is that they collapse down and don’t take up much space in a hotel room. Also, Laurel and I have often built our bikes in rental car parking lots so to that we could collapse the bags down and fit all of our stuff in the car.

Purchase pipe insulation + masking tape.

Cut the pipe insulation to the exact size of the tubes you are using it to protect and label each piece. Use the masking tape to secure things in place. We recommend Doing this even with a hard case because you never know what happens one the case leaves your sight. Things always move around.

Plan.

when you are going to pack your bike. Allow enough time so you aren’t rushed and, if you can, do it while a bike shop is open for business…just in case you run into a problem. True story: one time I could not get the pedals off for the life of me. They had been cranked down by a mechanic during my last tune up. I ended up having to track down the super from my building to help.

Pack your bike in an out of the way place where you won’t be distracted. 

Once I had the great idea to pack my bike in the front yard and every few minutes someone would stop and wonder what I was doing. A dog even ran over and got in by box. Cute, but I needed to focus on getting my derailleur off!

Consider what else you put in there with the bike.

I like to put my wetsuit in as extra padding. I also pack a lightweight pump (wrapped up in pipe insulation), my bike shoes, and my XRCEL supply.*

*Note: I also put some back up bottles of XRCEL in my rolling suitcase. No matter what happens, you’ve gotta have your race nutrition!

By Scott DeFilippis, Pro Triathlete and Head Coach, KIS Performance Team

When I first came into the sport of triathlon I was extremely lucky to run into the world’s best coach, Brett Sutton. I spent 5 years under his tutelage as an athlete and budding coach. The lessons I learned from this man are invaluable and so many of them stand out like a sore thumb. But the one that continues to ring in my ear day in and day out was him hammering away to his squad of 20+ all hailing from different countries, speaking different languages, and coming into the sport with varying sporting backgrounds…I can remember his words like it was yesterday, “The term, ‘overtraining’ is the most misused and overused term in our sport! Do you know how hard it is to over train a human being?”

 This was during my first heat camp in Subic Bay, Philippines. For 3 months we lived on the former U.S. Army Base training day in and day out all the while he used himself as an example of just how hard a human being can work. Running sometimes 3 x per day Brett would show up to our training sessions dripping in sweat after running under the hot tropical sun for 1,2, sometimes 3 hours, “Look at me, this fat old man, logging 40kms today. If I can do it, so can you! Don’t tell me, you are tired or over trained. The human body can handle so much more than you think it can,” Ready for this…”As long as there is fuel in the tank! Put the petrol in and you can go all day long!” Wise words from the crazy Australian!

Over the years I have done a ton of experimenting on myself much like the great Australian run coach, Percy Cerutty (Please note I am not comparing myself as being at the level of a coach as the great man himself).  I’ve trained in all sorts of environments, hot places, high places, wet places, and perfect places (like my current home in Southern California). No matter what environment you are faced with, the constant lesson learned is, keep putting the petrol in the tank! There is a current fad going around, ‘low carb, high fat’. If not done correctly and under a physician’s guidance, it will prove to be a very slippery slope! This sort of diet is very, very extreme and although it may work for the very few, it will no doubt leave athletes burnt out in 18-24 months, if not sooner!  A warning to all age group athletes, YOU DO TRIATHLON TO ENHANCE YOUR LIFE, NOT TO CONSUME YOUR LIFE! TRIATHLON IS NOT WHO YOU ARE AS A HUMAN BEING SO PLEASE STEER CLEAR OF SUCH FAD DIETS!” 

Keep it simple! Eat normally; when your body is craving something, you are most likely missing something in your diet…Craving meat? You are low on iron. Craving cheese? You are low on calcium! Craving fruit or vegetable? You are low on Vitamin C or magnesium…LISTEN TO YOU BODY!

But, back to my point…When one is over trained or under fueled, the feelings can be very similar. The difference is, if someone is really truly over trained, they would need a serious reboot, I’m talking months of off any kind of aerobic work other than a brisk walk will only set you back to where you started.  If, however, someone is feeling similar symptoms (weak, unmotivated, high heart rate, achy) Chances are, they have strung together too many days with way too many calories put out without being replaced. A simple way to fix this problem is pull up to a McDonald’s drive through and order a Happy Meal.  If you don’t eat meat, order the fish combo with a milk shake!   

Most people training for an ultra-endurance event of 4 + hours are most likely burning the candle at both ends. What do you think gets overlooked first? Yep, eating…we forget to eat as we are too distracted with work, errands, picking kids up at school or sport activities. All the while trying to balance their own personal endeavors in sport…Thus, most endurance athletes are already riding that slippery slope of not having enough fuel in the tank. 

This is why I personally always carry an XRCEL with me for any training session over 1.5 hours, just in case I start to feel that bonky feeling in the brain.  

Within our own KIS Performance Squad based in San Diego we try to swim first in the day at least 3 x per week. Why? Because in triathlon we swim first so it makes sense to get your body used to being horizontal while forcing it to be in a hypoxic state before trying to ride a bike or run. Just like on most race mornings, before swim training it is hard to eat and if we are carrying fatigue of a heavy load of training, for example a Saturday long ride, Sunday long run, Monday am we might be under fueled. This is a great time to carry an XRCEL or other carb source with you at the pool. You will notice that during the warm up you might start to feel a bit bonky in the head. If, so…take an XRCEL gel before the main set… You’ll save yourself from getting the week off to a bad start and most likely save your next session.  

Here’s another example. 9 months out of the year our San Diego squad typically does a long aerobic brick (BIKE/Run) on Wednesday. We then back that up with a long fartlek or steady run on Thursday. Because the Wednesday session is relatively easy in intensity it’s sometimes easy to overlook fueling. (Please note that such sessions its best to try and consume half the amount of energy or carbs that you would in a long distance event.) This is a way of teaching your body to be more fat adaptive without the use of an extreme diet.

But, sometimes we get lazy or if the weather is bad in the winter months we push on and don’t stop for fuel…slowly a hole is being dug…Then we get up the next day for our run and bam, like a ton of bricks, you have very little left in tank and struggling to put one foot in front of the other.  Again, this is a perfect situation to carry a carb source such as XRCEL with you so you can save your session. I can’t tell you how many times XRCEL has saved stopped sessions such as these from going sideways…

Please note I am not a physician but through experienced based coaching, I’ve seen enough athletes come and go to recognize when someone is under fueling and not over trained. There are ways to make you more fat adaptive, which will help you in your long distance racing but only follow the advice of a trusted sports doctor who also has plenty of field experience advising endurance athletes!

Happy Training

It is no secret confidence comes from being prepared, and by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.

In endurance racing we train ourselves every day to prepare for race day – what we eat, what equipment we choose, what physical and mental training we do. Everything we do prepares us for how we will perform when race day comes. But, there are some things we just cannot prepare for through our training, things that are out of our control, things that we aren’t expecting, things that happen in a split second that can ruin our hard work and leave us feeling completely shattered. Things that come to mind, for me personally in my racing experiences and for which I have not been prepared for, have been as small as simply going off course, to more significant like leaving my entire bike nutrition in transition, to catastrophic events such as crashing my bike in Embrunman 2018. Sometimes, I will admit, things happen that we cannot recover from, and all that can be done here is learn, don’t dwell, and look forward to giving yourself another opportunity to test yourself. But many times, we can recover, do our best problem solving in that moment, and still have a great day – perhaps an even better day because you know you went beyond what you had prepared for and challenged yourself in a way you have never done before.

Here are a few tips to remember if on race day you find yourself in a position you may not be prepared for:

Stay calm.

The best way to be able to make rational decisions is with a calm mind. Remove emotion from what is going on in that moment and then make your plan to move forward.

Act, don’t react.

Or react, then go back to step one, and act again in a better state of mind.

We all quickly react with emotion when something happens that is out if our control. But it is important to not get caught up in just reacting to the situation, but to ACT, and fast. If you find yourself wasting valuable time simply reacting to what happened to derail your race, stop, breathe, take a moment, and when calm, make your plan to move on.

Be positive and confident. Back yourself.

This can be a hard one when things go pear-shaped. Most of our confidence comes through training, but when things go wrong, it is easy to forget everything we have trained ourselves for, and react in a way we would not usually plan for. This is a time when you need to trust your instincts, even trick yourself to be confident, be positive and when you carry on, do so with confidence and don’t look back.

Be present.

Everything I have just mentioned about how you can navigate an unknown situation really comes back to being present. Not letting your emotions carry you away into thinking of outcomes that you can control in that moment if you deal with them IN that moment. Your race is not over, you have not failed, you can still do this. Take the emotion out, stay calm, bring yourself back into the moment and SEE what is happening. Deal with it with a calm mind. And move on.

When it is all over, reflect, learn and know you are a better athlete and person because you were able to take something out of your control and make lemonade out of lemons. In endurance racing you can NEVER be prepared for everything. It is impossible. So, don’t try. Train, prepare, be confident and ALWAYS trust your instincts.

XRCEL: What sport did you first start participating in as a kid? 

Ricky Miller:​ I started swimming very early, around six years old. I swam for very competitive teams throughout my childhood. We would swim two hours a day and do dry land workouts. This was huge, building a solid foundation, that has helped me get away with swimming very little. For triathlons now I only swim a couple times a week in the ocean for 20 to 30 minutes max. I swam for Montclair State University in college and would usually swim the 100, 200, 500 free and 100 and 200 fly. 

How did you first get interested in triathlon? 

I got interested in triathlon during my junior year of college when I had shoulder surgery. I bought a road bike and started to ride a lot. That summer, I signed up for the race series in Long Branch, NJ and raced a lot. This was very helpful and got me used to triathlon racing and tactics. 

We know you and your wife are very talented triathletes. How do you support each other in balancing life, kids, work, and training? 

Jill started to get into triathlons around the same time as I and quickly progressed. She has made the age group team USA for non-draft Olympic distance. We used to occasionally ride and run together before we had kids. Now we will sometimes run together and one of us will push the double stroller. Another new addition is using our Kickr trainer with Zwift. This allows us to ride during our children’s nap times and early in the morning. It’s one of the best training tools we have for being efficient with our time. 

How has being a triathlete prepared and continued to help you as a father and husband? 

Being a triathlete has helped me stay in shape and have the energy to chase my kids around. One huge adjustment is time management and planning the workouts with my wife. I used to just ride and run whenever I felt like. Now we have to figure out who’s going to work out and when. One plus is the kids don’t mind the stroller and seem to be ok with our bike trailer. I pull them around with my fat tire bike, which is a good workout in itself. 

How does your family’s support benefit your triathlon training? 

Family is very important and both kids seem to enjoy watching us ride and run around. When they are at races with us, they both smile and clap a lot. It’s very motivating because my daughter loves going onto the podium, which forces me to go fast. 

What happened when you were injured last year and how did that change your perspective on triathlon? 

I had a bad bike accident which broke my collarbone and ribs. I was able to ride my trainer pretty quickly after having surgery. Before the accident, I ran the Boston Marathon in the spring, so I had a big running base. During the Atlantic City half distance triathlon, I knew I would be able to swim decently and ride well. After I got onto the bike, I was able to get into the lead and push the bike pace. The looped course is very hard when your average pace is 26mph and you are passing people going 20mph. It’s non stop passing and avoiding people. As the run began, I knew I was going to hold on and was able to finish in 2nd place overall, which was amazing given that it was a big race. 

Why do you like being a part of Team Zebra and what benefits do you feel you gain? 

Being on Team Zebra is great because of the fun and creative workouts they have us do. By participating in their splash and dashes, you can practice quick transitions and running hard each week. 

You currently won the Vincentown Sprint tri and were 2nd at LAVAROCKS Sprint. How did you use XRCEL during these two races? 

This year I have raced Lava Rocks, Vincentown, and the New Jersey State Triathlon. For the first two races, I took one XRCEL before the race and just used water the rest of the time. This to me is perfect because you’re not trying to over complicate your nutrition plan. For the New Jersey State Triathlon, I took an XRCEL before the swim and another one during the run. Results from this years racing have been pretty good with this formula. I ended up 2nd overall for Lava Rocks, 1st for Vincentown, and 6th overall for the New Jersey State Triathlon. 

What is it like having your wife and kids at your races? 

The New Jersey State Triathlon was the only race I didn’t have my kids at because of the heat and it was my worst race of the season. Having them at the races allows me to push a lot harder so that they can stand on the podium with me! 

Besides racing triathlon, what are some of your and your family’s hobbies? 

Besides triathlons, I enjoy surfing, kiteboarding, and mountain biking. We also have a boat and the kids love going out on the water. 

What advice would you give other triathletes who are trying to balance family life and racing? 

My advice to balance family and triathlon is utilizing nap time and early bedtimes. This allows you to work out when the kids sleep so you can spend time with them when they are awake. I also bought a bike trailer and running stroller so I can take them on workouts with me. 

Summer produce is hitting its peak in upstate New York’s Hudson Valley, where Laurel and I have been training for the last several weeks. We often plan our runs to end at the local farm stand so that we can refuel with just-picked peaches alongside our Peach Tea Xrcel. Or we’ll make pit stops while riding to fill our bike jersey pockets with enough vegetables to create a big salad or pasta dish. 

Here are some of the recipes we’ve been fueling our training with this summer. 

Try this for breakfast, lunch, post-workout snack, or as a no-cook, no-fuss dinner. 

Tomato Toast

Here’s how to make it:

On a slice of whole-grain toast, layer the following:

whipped cream cheese

sliced tomatoes

sea salt & pepper

drizzle of olive oil

Corn And Peach Salad with Mini Peppers and Mint

Serves 4 as a side dish

3 large ears of corn, kernels cut off (*the fresher the better)

2 firm, but ripe peaches, skin on, diced (or 3 donut peaches)

8-10 small “snacking” sweet peppers, chopped (or 1 regular red pepper)

1/2 small shallot, minced

juice from 1 lime

pinch of sea salt

10 mint leaves, chopped

Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Or, put all ingredients in a container with a lid and shake.

Note: For more of a meal-sized salad, add cubes of fresh mozzarella. For a kick, top with a few slices of fresh jalapeno. 

Pasta with Peas and Ricotta 

1 box of penne pasta

1 cup of reserved pasta water

Olive oil

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 cup (or more) peas

red chili flakes

Salt & pepper

1 cup ricotta

1/4 fresh mint, chopped

Boil large pot of salted water. Add penne and cook, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Drain pasta and put in large bowl. Add a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together (especially for #glutenfree pasta).

Return pasta pot to stove and heat up 3 tbs of olive oil. Add shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes until they are soft.

Add peas, salt, chili flakes and pepper to taste. Cook until the peas are bright green and still crunchy.

Add pasta back to pot. Add ricotta and reserved cooking water and combine. Heat up will pasta is warmed and coated by all the ingredients.

Remove from heat and add the herbs and lemon zest and mix well.

Put in bowls with more herbs on top and eat!

Fancy Fruit Salad

Cut a rope cantaloupe in half and remove the seeds. Use a melon baller to scoop out spheres of fruit. Return balls to scooped out cantaloupe, along with blueberries, strawberries, and whatever seasonal fruit you have on hand. Top with plain yogurt, a drizzle of maple syrup, and fresh mint leaves.