Triathletes Showcase Versatility

By Jim Gazzale

No one likes change, especially when it’s forced upon them. Endurance athletes have earned the Type-A personality stereotype. We’re very good at keeping our heads down, focusing on our goals, and eliminating any and all distractions to get there. When the coronavirus pandemic took hold of us, and area triathletes saw their meticulously planned race schedule go up in smoke, it was also an opportunity to highlight our ability to be versatile, much like how we are in training for three disciplines.

Local clubs make adjustments – The Capital Region is popular for endurance sports, namely triathlon. The four triathlon clubs, and countless other running clubs, within a 50-mile radius is evidence enough. These clubs provide an opportunity for organized activities, including open water swimming, mentorship of new and young athletes, along with community building. Unfortunately, the virus has greatly impacted local clubs. Much like their athletes, club leaders have had to adapt as well. 

As president of the Capital District Triathlon Club, the largest of the four clubs in the area, I can tell you it’s been especially challenging. Our open water swim training typically begins the first Tuesday in June. However, this year we were excited to welcome members back to Crystal Lake in Averill Park a week earlier, at the end of May, so they could get at least one swim under their belts before Ironman 70.3 Connecticut.

As our monthly board meetings became conference calls in mid-March, all our pre-planning and coordination to open the water earlier than normal was for naught. The conversation quickly went from, “Geez, the water is going to be cold that early in the season,” to “Will we even have a swim season this year?” to then, “How can we welcome members back to Crystal Lake while ensuring a safe environment.”

Following state and local guidelines, we were able to host our first open water swim training on July 7. Around 50 members showed up, and felt safe with the social distancing and cleanliness measures the club put in place. Weeks and months of planning had paid off and CDTC members were appreciative of the effort. Swims are planned every Tuesday through August and may even stretch into September if the weather cooperates; a small sign of normalcy in an otherwise unusual year.

The Bethlehem and Saratoga triathlon clubs have made adjustments to their typical summer offerings as well. BTC is not taking memberships and will not be swimming at Warner Lake in Berne as it has in years past. Club president Steve Vnuk said, “The club swim home is a residential lake. The local community has been gracious enough to host us since the founding of the club. The board has made the difficult decision to forgo swimming at the lake this summer for the safety of our members and to avoid any discomfort with the local residents.” 

The Saratoga Triathlon Club has canceled the rest of its open water swim season at Moreau Lake State Park. STC president Jeremy Davis says members are taking it all in stride, “While there is some disappointment, everybody understands why. In the meantime, you can still swim at Moreau on your own, we can’t do it formally as a group. Many members are still training or doing other outdoor sports, including hiking and mountain biking, that they otherwise may not have much time for in a usual year.” Jeremy added that the STC is encouraging its members to take on some self-supported workouts, and virtual events, and plans to reward those participants with recognition.

Area athletes find opportunity in adversity – Each of the most popular triathlons and duathlons for area athletes have been canceled. Ironman Lake Placid, Lake George Triathlon Festival, 70.3 Connecticut, 70.3 Maine, Crystal Lake Triathlon, and the list goes on. As these races began to fall off the calendar athletes were left with a few choices: continue to train and hope a race later in the year will still be available; use 2020 as a springboard to 2021; incorporate some non-traditional triathlon training; or simply give up on training altogether.

For Nick Marcantonio, 27, of Glens Falls, this wasn’t the way he expected his first season racing professionally to go. “I had initially planned to race Ironman 70.3 Texas in April, Ironman 70.3 Mallorca in May, and Ironman 70.3 Eagleman and Mont Tremblant in June,” Nick said. “After that I had planned to take July as a bit of a mid-season down period and then build back up for races in the late summer and fall.” Instead of competing for podiums, Nick shifted his focus. He’s spent the last few months building a base of fitness he needs to compete at the top of the sport. “I began to change my focus to base training when I realized this pandemic was going to vastly jeopardize the likelihood of races taking place this year,” Nick added.

The last four months for him have been strictly base building workouts. It’s consisted of zone 2 training in terms of heart rate, pace and power. The goal of this type of training is to build the aerobic engine. The hardest workouts Nick says he’s done have been tempo workouts on the bike or in the run, and nothing at his true top-end speed. The results so far have been promising. “With the extra time to put in more volume, I have seen my zone 2 heart rate drop while being able to hold higher power on the bike and pace on the run, which lets me know I am working more efficiently than in previous years, and I haven’t even remotely started prepping for races,” Nick said. With his first pro race looking to take place in 2021, Nick says his goals remain the same, “My goals for 2021 are to establish myself as a legitimate professional triathlete in the racing scene and build myself in both triathlon and everyday life, while promoting the sport of triathlon.”

Jessica Lamendola, 30, of North Greenbush, was excited to build on her successful 2019 race season in which she finished multiple 70.3s, including a PR performance at 70.3 Maine last August. “I was definitely disappointed, but I understood that the races were being postponed or canceled for our own safety,” Jessica said. 

As Jessica’s coach, I can personally attest to her dedication. Her calendar in Training Peaks is a sea of green, completed workouts. As we made adjustments to her training plan, it was important we continue to improve and not let things slip into neutral. “Since the races I was registered for were not all canceled at once, I just started focusing on the next one that still had the potential for happening,” Jessica said. Now, with no races she’s finding training to be a bit more fun and flexible. Adding, “I’ve kept running, biking and lifting, and more recently open water swimming. I go on more walks now, have more time to do yoga, and I have tried mountain biking – turns out it’s not for me! I’ve gotten into more gardening, vegetables and flowers.” Looking forward to 2021, she plans to continue training because, “There is nothing like crossing the finish line after completing 70.3 miles. I don’t doubt that I will be back out there once we can all do so safely.”

Despite cancellations, Ironman is offering virtual race opportunities to give athletes a goal to shoot for. Each weekend for the last several months a new series of workouts make up these VR races. Some even offer qualification spots to World Championship races. We don’t need to dive into the controversy around that, or the ability to manipulate equipment with minimal checks and balances on these virtual races, but for the everyday athlete it’s a fantastic opportunity to focus on a target and build your fitness. I’ve participated in a few of them and found a series of workouts over the weekend to be motivating. I’m not competing for championship honors. Instead, I used the VR races to challenge myself and take stock of the fitness I’ve been building. 

Eric Bergin, 48, of Guilderland had his A-race, Ironman Mont Tremblant, canceled a few months ago. He admits he acted like a five-year-old who had their favorite game taken away when he heard the news. Since then, he adjusted his focus to the Chicago Marathon – which canceled on July 13. “Now, I’ll follow the Cody Beals rule of 24 hours of letting my emotions play out,” Eric said. “Regardless, I’ll continue to swim, bike, run, and strength train for the remainder of our peak season. It is important for me physically and mentally to continue.”

Triathletes often speak in terms of hours per week of training. When hitting upwards of 12-15 hours per week or more of swim, bike, run it tends to leave little extra hours for other cross-training activities. The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent canceling of races however has allowed some triathletes to embrace other forms of physical fitness, whether that be through weight training or hiking, for example. Others are seeing this race-free season as a chance to sharpen skills and enjoy the freedom of training.

After finishing three 70.3 races last year, Deanne Webster, 44, of Albany was preparing for her first full Ironman in 2020 and initially felt sad that her race calendar was now empty. However, she’s taking this opportunity to, “Enjoy exercise for what it is, a huge stress reliever and provides me with happiness.” Deanne added, “Throughout this whole pandemic, I’ve found a renewed love for running again. I found two really good friends that I train with on a regular basis. Granted our marathon was cancelled, but we decided to stay positive, and keep training anyway. I love working out, I won’t let cancelled races stop me or deter me.”  

Leave it to triathletes to adapt and show off their versatility in a challenging situation. It’s a testament to their resiliency, which is built through living a multisport lifestyle.

Jim Gazzale (gazzaljp@gmail.com) of Troy is president of the Capital District Triathlon Club and owner of SENS Fitness, an online nutrition and endurance coaching company. He’s accepting new clients in his signature “Wine and Weight Loss” program, which helps men and women lose weight and get into race shape while drinking wine and eating whatever they want.