When I crossed the finish line at Kona last October I was very pleased with my results and didn't think I'd come back for 2014. I had secured a spot for 70.3 Worlds in Mont Tremblant and that would be the years A race. Then my High Performance Training sisters, Noga Ruttenberg and Jenn Zopp, kicked ass at Ironman Florida and my plans changed. The idea of sharing the Kona experience with my sweat sisters sent me back to Eagleman with a mission. For someone spending a majority of the spring riding and running indoors Eagleman is a perfect qualifier. Eagleman was my first chance to wear every piece of Coeur Sports clothing In my closet, so I took every opportunity for costume changes. Love love love that stuff! My momager/sister Tammy and I joined a good chunk of the team and my favorite assistant coach, Robbie Ames in Cambridge! Ta and I were lucky enough to bunk with Ed, Julio and K Dubs (Kristin White). I love the atmosphere in the big orange HPT tent when we're all together. Thanks to a flawless plan from Coachulio and some terrific training weekends with my HPT teammates Eagleman was a success. A small glitch with my new ride from Argon 18 (who needs handlebars that stay put) hampered my bike time a little, but I made up any lost time with a solid run. Kona slot in hand, I headed back to the Adirondacks with a mission!
Having Jenn, Noga and K dubs to commiserate with made Kona training so much easier. At HPT we aren't just a bunch of people getting programs from the same guy. This is a real team/family where we can lean on each other and take care of each other. In mid July Julio and Noga brought the team north for a Lake placid training weekend. I rarely ride the Ironman Lake Placid course because I have such great, quieter roads in Tupper Lake, but for these people I would ride endless laps of that course! The biggest day of the camp was a long ride with a bonus trip up the Whiteface Memorial Highway followed by a quality run. The ride up Whiteface was among the hardest sustained hours of my life! I never would've made it without Noga and the team hammering away together. We celebrated at the top before heading down and putting in several more hours. We were cautious descending but somewhere about halfway Noga hit a frost heave and flew off of her bike. I braked hard at the sight and did a little endo. When I got up Noga was out cold. Ed, Jenn and Dr. Sergai handled the situation beautifully and before too long Noga was responding and on her way to Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington, in a helicopter. It was scary seeing my strong, vibrant, funny friend out like that but we all remained positive that her strength and sense of humor would pull her through the rough time.
.jpeg)
Noga's biggest worry when we got to her in Burlington, was that everyone got their workouts done, not how badly she was injured or how much pain she was in. A true coach right there! I knew Noga was tough, but the way she soldiered through the pain and still had her sense of humor and so much compassion for the rest of us made us all realize that she is in fact superhuman! I went home the next morning unsure about what to do next. The best sight that I could have seen on the way home was 4 of my teammates running down Main St in Lake Placid together, thank you Kevin, Kristen, Laura and Nick for making my day. I'd give myself a few days to lick my wounds, heal my separated shoulder and then get back to work for my friend who could not.
The end of July and August weren't easy. I spent a lot of time asking myself what the hell I was doing. I'd lost Stu the summer before and very well could have lost Noga, but every time I spoke with her or thought about them I would realize that not trying and sulking wasn't helping anyone. The High Performance Training family banded together and took such good care of each other, they made prepping for Mont Tremblant and Kona so much easier!
