No Crappy Excuses

(Photo courtesy of Farm Experience staff)

“But I’m not gonna break and I’m not going to worry about it anymore.” – Counting Crows

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you’re familiar with my MO by now. If you’re new, I’ll summarize it — if it looks or sounds like it could be fun, I’ll try it even if I’ve never done it before. That willingness to try new things has allowed me to participate in so many amazing opportunities.

In that vein, when I received the invitation from Joe De Sena to come to his farm, I immediately said yes. This was without knowing what to expect — and as we all found out in June, none of us would.

Between accepting the invitation and arriving in Vermont, I did the prep work that I could. I’ll admit that it was a little bit nerve wracking to not have any idea of what to expect. Sure, we had minor frameworks (like ‘practice carries and planks’), but nothing definitive. The only other two pieces of concrete information we received were a gear list and shuttle/meet up info.

I think the best way to summarize the weekend Farm Experience is “Death Race 101” (which I heard it referred to several times). The Hurricane Heat (24 hour), the Death Race (ended up being 46 hour), and the Mount Sparta Challenge (24 hours up and down the mountain) were all going on throughout the weekend. We ended up getting mixed in with all of these events and having an opportunity to experience parts of them.

I’m not going to go into the weekend in a lot of detail for a few reasons. The main one is to respect the hard work that is done by so many. Even though I’m sure that every Death Race is different (and thus any surrounding Farm Experience would be), I don’t want to ruin the specialness of it. What I will share is a brief overview of my time.

During the experience, I learned a lot about myself and being able to push my own boundaries. As I’ve talked about in the past, continually finding the ability to be “comfortably uncomfortable” throughout the different experiences. I also had a personal experience that in the past would have mentally broken me. But in this case, once I had some time to regroup, my answer to Carlos’s question of “how are you doing?” wasn’t “Ok” or “I’m better”; it was “Let’s get up the fucking mountain.” (as the group was getting ready to go up).

Because it had started raining Saturday morning (and then kept raining), Mount Sparta became a slippery mess before day’s end. As a result, I did respect and accept the safety limitations about not going up to the top and Shrek’s. I hope there will be other, safer opportunities to do so… Maybe Mother Nature will cooperate during my next visit to the Farm.

Even though I was unable to make it to the top, I was still there in spirit. The sunrise video where the group included me is one of my favorites from the experience. 🙂

While there were challenges for me throughout the experience, there were also a lot of successes. And I believe the latter far outnumbered the former. I am extremely glad that I accepted the invitation, and even more glad that I didn’t let some of the challenges “break” me. I also came away with a list of things to improve upon for the next time I get an opportunity to visit the Fram (like my Rubic’s Cubs skills…)

I am extremely grateful to Joe for the invitation and opportunity, and to Don, Carlos, and everyone else within Spartan who made the Farm Experience possible!

(Photo courtesy of Dare2Tri staff)

As I have mentioned several times in the past, what was supposed to have been a “one and done” Triathlon in August 2015 grew into years of racing because of Dare2Tri.  Without that meeting at the Shamrock Shuffle and Keri’s generous offer to attend their camp, I might not have had the opportunities to train and race throughout the country over the last 9 years!

In that first camp, I showed up with very little; this year, I showed up with a lot of gear and bruises sustained from falling onto train tracks.  At this time, that’s all I can or will say about that part.  

Like last year, Andrew was my guide.  He knew about the injuries going into camp, which helped him to help me throughout it.  

Day 1 started with a triple brick (simulated swim in -> T1 -> 3 mi bike -> T2 -> 3/4 mile run x3).  After Andrew had everything put together with the bike, I got on to try the fit.  When I played around with the starting clipped in left foot first, it felt OK.  However, with my normal starts (right foot in), I couldn’t get up onto the seat because of the ribs.  Andrew made some adjustments, and we focused on different mounts and starts/stops until I was comfortable with the adaptations.  Once that was done, we did 2 shortened bricks before packing up.

During the afternoon, we were in the lake instead of inside in one of the pools as usual.  I liked that change, and it was nice to have the extra space.  During the swim, I had to stop several times to catch my breath — the ribs were an issue at times.

Day 2 started in the lake again.  Prior to getting in, Andrew helped to partially rebuild the swim tether, as we had been bumping into each other a lot the prior day.  The swim on day 2 went a lot better, and I believe I only had to stop twice due to my ribs.  

Prior to doing a course preview, we had to have our goggles and tethers reviewed by officials (Leigh Turner checked ours).  

The second half of Day 2 included bike skills led by Aaron, breathwork, and an ice bath.  We came back from the bike skills a little early because my ribs started really hurting.

The evening ended with the traditional fire pit and s’mores.  Shortly after things broke up, the non-traditional tornado alarms started going off.  While the storms passed, it was still an eventful 40+ minutes.  In that time, I found out about YouTube tornado live-streaming, which I had never heard of.  Very interesting to hear it, and very informative.

On race morning, we arrived by 5 AM and started race setup.  By 6:15 AM, we were all ready to race and headed down towards the water.  Because there was an in-water start with holding times after you went over the mats, I believe that the swim times were off.  

We started after all of the Championship waves as a group of twenty (ATD1).  Without meaning or intending to, I went out way too fast.  When I surfaced the first time because of my ribs, Andrew told me that I was swimming 2:00/100s.  That was about 30 seconds faster than intended — and I paid for it throughout the rest of the swim.  Between the ribs hurting and not being able to get / keep enough breath, my swim from 200 to 750 meters was the equivalent of a “run / walk” in the water.

T1 went a lot more slowly than normal.  As I had mentioned earlier, not being able to get full strength from my upper right side caused issues.  So it took longer to get the wetsuit off and the bike gear on (by about 2 minutes).

We got out on the bike and had a successful 14.3 mile ride.  We did have to stop and dismount because of how narrow the u-turn was.  We only lost about ten seconds from it though.  On the way back, I tried to tuck in, but could only get about 75 percent of the way to Andrew’s back because of the ribs.

T2 was a little more in line (although about 45 seconds longer) as normal than T1 had been.  

We headed out onto the run, which became more of a walk/run because of both the calf and rib injuries.  But Andrew helped me to find a way to power through the run through his continual encouragement.  While I did speed up a little going into the chute, I couldn’t get the normal kick I have in the last 60 – 75 yards.

While it wasn’t the race I had planned, it was still a successful one.  Because of Andrew’s help with the adaptations for the bike and encouragement throughout, I was able to finish.  And I did podium (ATD1 VI Male – 2nd)!

Again, thank you to Andrew for all of his help throughout the weekend.  And thank you to Dare2Tri for all of their support — not just at this camp, but since 2015!

(Photo courtesy of ND Football Staff)

“When I run dry, I’ll stop awhile and think of you.” – Simon & Garfunkel

If you haven’t read last year’s camp blog, here is a link to it: https://nocrappyexcuses.com/index.php/2023/06/22/pot-o-gold-2023-notre-dame-football-fantasy-camp-6-4-6-8-23/

Like last year’s blog, I want to mention that this post will be a bit different.  For years, I’ve gone into a lot of detail on everything related to that post.  For this particular one, there are large parts that I’m not going to focus on.  For the simple reason that I believe going through every single detail spoils the special aspect of this experience.

Also, there are several public items that I will reference:

[1] Mike Drosieko’s videos – Day 1 Recap (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O8zZDvdX8Q), Day 2 Recap (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfiLlfVx1oo), Day 3 Recap ()https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a1XkIxB_wA, Game Day Recap (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PHMhoYeLic).

[2] North American Golden Domers S2E20 (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3VgB7e5e6Z6j8Qi8OGhRpy ).

[3]  NDFFC Itinerary (https://fightingirish.com/notre-dame-football-fantasy-camp-information/) (this is now showing the 2024 version, but from memory the prior detailed 2023 one mirrored the compressed 2024 view).

To get a good overview of what went on in more detail, please take a look at [1] and [3].  The two combined, along with the below should give you a really good idea of what you’re in for if you can make camp work in 2025!

As I’ve mentioned in the past (and shared during camp), I first found the Notre Dame Football Fantasy Camp (NFFC) in 2006.  At that time, it was run by Global Football (Patrick Steenberge — who I learned during last year’s camp was a former ND player).  At that time, it wasn’t feasible.  17 years later and multiple false starts, I was finally able to attend camp last year.  During that 17 year interim, there were times that I feared my ‘borrowed time’ of vision would run out before I could attend at least once.

I was fortunate to have an opportunity to be back again this year for my Sophomore season.  It was great to see so many familiar faces along with new ones.  And yes, given my vision, I know how odd that sounds… 😀

One of the first familiar faces that I “saw” was Chris Zorich.  I had enjoyed talking with him a lot last year, and he was one of the people who found me on the field after last year’s game.  This year, he “bookended” things — in being one of the first people I saw at camp, and one of the last I saw before I came off the field this year.  Always great to see him!

After talking with him, I went through the process of checking gear and doing the lifestyle photo shoot.  I really like how they came out!

I know that when you hear someone say “I ran into [person] at the store”, you think , ‘hey, that’s great, you saw [person]’.  But when I say I almost ran into Reggie Brooks in the locker room prior to the first practice, I mean that literally. 😀  Thankfully, my “seeing-eye Judge” helped to ensure that that didn’t happen.  The photo with Reggie ended up getting shared by the Holtz’s Heroes Foundation after camp.

Day 2 also included a welcome by Coach Freeman and the coaches, along with meetings.  It ended with an amazing talk by another ND alum (Bryant Young) after we had eaten dinner under the Dome.

Day 3 was our two-a-day practice day.  Because of potential storms, both practices were at the IAC instead of just the afternoon one.  After one of the practices, we had an opportunity to see what the new facilities will look like.  Very, very, very impressive presentation by Ron Pawlus.  It also included the blue-gold draft (I was on Gold again), meetings, and a visit to the Grotto.

Day 4 (game day) included our final practice / walk through, a meal at the training table, mass at the Basilica, and meetings with Coach Freeman prior to the game.  

As mentioned in [1], there were a lot more people there this year.  While the total count was 63 campers, I believe the player count was about 48.  That’s in comparison to last year when there were about 30 players.  

Last year, prior to the game, we had to do some quick work to get a proper pant/belt fit.  This year, I had tried the pants on Day 1 and made an adjustment.  So I thought I was fine for game day.  However, there were issues with the flag belts not being long enough.  So the solution of connecting two didn’t work properly for the first couple plays I was on the field.  But I was able to sort it out relatively quickly.

The game was a defensive struggle this year, with both teams intercepting the opposing QBs.  It also somehow featured a Mack truck on the field… Wait, my apologies; that was just Ron Jones.

With about a minute left, the Blue team was driving down for a score.  After they didn’t convert on the 4th down, I was brought in for a final play, and scored an 80+ yard TD!  I also won a MVP award later in the evening at the banquet!

As mentioned in [1], we gathered at Brothers.  At some point in the evening, I was looking at my phone using VoiceOver.  I have already let Andy know that his conspiracy theories in [2] will be properly addressed by my attorney, Miles T. Cat…. 😛 😀

I am extremely grateful to all of my ND brothers who helped me out throughout the week (especially Judge). I am also extremely grateful to Coach Freeman and the entire ND football program (including current players and alumni) for an amazing and special week.

Registration is open for 2025.  Just remember, this one week in the sun makes up for months of having to eat raumen to make it work.  I hope to have an opportunity to be back for my Junior season in 2025!

GO IRISH

(Photo courtesy of Paul)

“Trust, but verify” – Ronald Reagan

Before registering for a new race, I have my guide look at the course. If it looks good, then I’ll reach out to the RD with specific questions.

Part of that process for Knoxville showed that the run course had “rolling hills”. So between that and responses from the RD, I believed we were good to go. However, that turned out not to be the case…

The swim was a snake swim course (250 yds). The RD was kind enough to hold the rest of the racers until we got out of the pool. Very cool to hear everyone cheering for us as I climbed up the ladder.

T1 went as normal, and we headed out on what I thought would be a challenging, but decent bike. That was not to be… THe “rolling hills” were actually very steep hills.

While I’ve estimated them as 8% and 9% grades, on reflection, I believe they may have been even steeper. I say that because I have done Gold Camp in Colorado. While it’s been a slog up (especially from the second observation to the top), I have not had to stop. During the race, we had to go on the last hill.

I would estimate that that hill was at least a mile, and had at least two false flats. Before we physically stopped, Paul said that we were at 1.4 MPH. We ended up having to walk the bike the last 50 feet or so before using the downhill. And even with the 30+ mph on some of the downhills, the uphill part of those steep hills ended up keeping us well under 15 mph as an average. That’s in comparison to the normal 18.5 – 20 that I average (depending on hills).

After a relatively normal T2, we headed out on the run. This was an out-and-back. That would be fine if it was on a road — or even out on the road and back on the sidewalk. However, it was almost all on the sidewalk (minus road crossings and the portion headed towards the turnaround). Also, I was told there were a lot of areas with steep drop offs on the side of the sidewalk.

All of this caused a lot of challenges for us. Combined with my legs being a bit trashed from the hills, it was a very ragged run/walk instead of the more consistent run I had hoped for.

While it wasn’t the race I had hoped for, I am grateful to Paul for all of his help throughout the weekend, and to Para Guide for all their support!

THANK YOU to Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) for their continued support of my athletic endeavors! Their generous grant will enable me to attend many training opportunities that I couldn’t otherwise!

I am extremely grateful for their continued support and continued belief in my progress forward!

Since the beginning of my Triathlon endeavors, the Naperville Noon Lions club has supported me. I am extremely grateful for their continued support and continued vote of confidence in my success on the race course! THANK YOU to the entire Club for your support!

If you would like to donate to Naperville Noon Lions, please visit napervillenoonlions.org.

February was bittersweet for me. While I was really happy for Coach Joe that the ET Indoor Tri had sold out, I was disappointed that I didn’t get to race. So I made sure that I registered in plenty of time for this race in March.

The Experience Triathlon Indoor Tris have been the most consistent indoor ones I’ve done since 2016. Not only does Coach Joe and his staff put on an amazing, well run event, but they’re a lot of fun. I STRONGLY recommend that you look into doing one of the 2025 races!

Coming off of the LifeTIme Indoor Tri a few weeks earlier, I had benchmarks for this race.

I was able to essentially match the swim (the last length didn’t count even though the actual swim was 435yd ballpark).

In past years, I have lost 2-3 minutes off of the bike because of T1. It always takes me more than 10 minutes to get upstairs, get changed, and then get back downstairs. To try and minimize loss of time on the bike, I decided to go barefoot downstairs and put on shoes/socks there.

However, it still didn’t help. It seemed that they held our bike wave until everyone was there. This meant that even though I was on the bike and ready to go within 10 minutes, I still lost about 3 minutes on the bike. Between that and not being able to adjust the resistance, this bike was shorter than last month (8.86 mi).

After a short break, we moved over to the treadmills. While it was still a struggle, it went a little better than last month (1.33 mi).

This was the second year that my mom did the Indoor Tri with me. I was also really glad to hear that ALL 3 Triathlons had sold out! I hope to see some of you in 2025!

(Photo courtesy of Natalie)

This year, my Triathlon season started with an Inddor Triathlon hosted by Dare2Tri in Lake Zurich.

The format for these races is typically a 10 minute swim, 10 minute T1, 30 minute bike, 5 minute T2, and 20 minute run. Because they’re done in an indoor pool, the waves are 4 – 8 people.

I participated in the Adaptive wave with other Para athletes. Because of the awards ceremony for the prior wave, we started late. But once we did, the swim went really well, with me setting a PR (400m).

After changing, we headed up to the bikes. It took a little bit of time to find the right place, and I believe they waited for everyone to show up, even though it meant a T1 of greater than 10 minutes. This bike leg was different than most of the others I’ve done.

Typically, the spin bikes will be set and locked at a consistent resistance. So to get a long distance, you’re having to really push on the pedals. But you could adjust the resistance level on these bikes. This helped a lot, and most likely led to another PR (10.35 miles).

After a short T2, we headed to the treadmills for the run. Because of my vision, I have always strugged with treadmill runs. Most have narrower bands, which leads to me hitting the sides if I run as “normal”. So it ends up making it harder. The run was 1.22 miles.

Overall, it was a great event and a lot of fun. I did finish 2nd in the Adaptive wave! Thank you to Dare2Tri for organizing the event and to LifeTime Fitness for all their support!

(Photo courtesy of Anna)

As I talked about last year, the last 4+ miles of the Half were beyond painful. It took everything I had to get some sort of mild jog in place during the last 150 yards or so so that I wasn’t just walking across the finish line.

As the intervals had worked so well during camp in November, I planned to use a 3/1 interval to “save” myself for the later miles. I believed that this would also give me the opportunity to hit my time goal.

To help achieve this, I asked both Paul and Jamie to help with watching the pacing. The first 5 miles went really well — both in terms of pace and overall feel. Between miles 5 and 7, I had to go to walk/run intervals at times, but it still felt fine. But by mile 8, my legs started to really tighten up.

This meant having to walk for about ten to fifteen minutes to try and stretch it out (around the turnaround). But by doing so, I was able to get back to a walk/run interval by the time we came out of the turnaround.

So this year, miles 9 to 13 weren’t as bad. I still couldn’t fully run them as hoped, but at least it was far better than last year. Instead of limping in pain and having to stop every few minutes to stretch, I was able to run in spots.

Also, what REALLY helped with the Team Catapult cheer and “hydration” station at about 12.5 miles. That shot of Fireball was a great boost for the final push!

Thank you to Team Catapult for all of their help and support throughout the weekend! Thank you to Jamie and Paul for all their help and guiding!

(Photo courtesy of Paul)

As I mentioned, when I ran last year, on-course hydration led to issues. At that point last year, I was on track to PR. But with having to stop every 100 feet or so after the aid station because of flem getting stuck in my throat, that went out the window. So this year, I planned to completely skip it, opting for pre-race nutrition instead.

After having met up with the rest of Team Catapult, Paul and I headed to the start line. We were able to start up front, which helped with clean running space for most of the first 1 1/2 – 2 miles. As I didn’t have a “blocker” this year, that helped out a lot.

My goal for this year was to negative split while trying to PR.

Paul helped with the pacing as I tried to obtain both of those goals. However, I ended up going too fast at some points. The 2nd mile was slower than I had wanted it to be.

Even still, it was a much more consistent run over that final mile. I did pass on the aid station after last year, and sprinted into the finish. It was a great “warm up” for the following day.

Thanks to Team Catapult for all their help and support, and to Paul for guiding me!