Fighting Bulldogs - From Paris Island to the finish line. Preparing to meet your Demons With three months left before my Ironman event I find myself in daily conversation with two demons. One is purely a conversation about dialing back; easing back or settling in on the pace and the other is pushing past wanting to stop …
Author: fergysun
I'm Don Ferguson, I live in the coastal New England town of Newburyport Massachusetts and blog to track memories, sports adventures, create stories and to pursue interesting ideas.
Riding with a Wing Man
Yes, there are days when it is nice to break out for a roll on your bike, free with no one but your own thoughts to accompany you... but let me tell you on those long 70+ mile, 4 hours or more weekenders there is nothing like riding with a good wing man. Today's ride …
Running in the State of Distain
This is our yellow lab, LooLoo who had been my loyal running partner up to the start of this year's Ironman training. My runs are too long for her now and I'm uncomfortable for anything beyond 5 or 6 miles for her. She is enjoys an early morning run through the State Park and especially loves diving in the ponds, …
New Watch – Data Anyone?
Just received a Garmin 920XT this week and took it out for a run. I got a ton of data from the Garmin but did not know how the data related to me specifically. Listed below are some interesting comments from Coach Sue about the initial data output: OOOH, fun-- the 920XT!! First off, nice 10-- …
Running under a Honey Moon
It's 05:30 on a cold dark 23 degree March (feels like 10) morning in New England. If that isn't enough to make it sound inviting the 15-20 mile an hour winds, snow pack and black ice make this mornings run a Epic battle Man vs Elements... Started out the door this morning red blinkers flashing, neon …
Pearls of Coach Wisdom
Swimming - 3/4/2015 (After submitting a swim data spreadsheet) I have always noticed you have a very consistent repeatable pace, you don't fade much, if at all-- your fast pieces are more variable, which I feel like is an artifact of thinking-- the first fast swim, you just get after it, then I'm guessing you …
Maiden Voyage – Spring is around the Corner – 1st Ride Outside Today
Spring is in the air the temp at Noon here in the NE warmed up to 40 degrees and it was awesome. The Lunchtime ride group here made it out today for the 1st outside ride of the year! It was fabulous the roads are full of potholes, cracks and frost heaves but who cares …
Continue reading Maiden Voyage – Spring is around the Corner – 1st Ride Outside Today
Snow Days – “but I have promises to keep”
Unlike when I was in school "Snow Days" don't count during your winter training sessions. You just have to get out there and get it done no matter what the day brings. The roadways are often difficult when having to dodge cars, ice patches and slushy road side segments. Having said all that I do Love …
Signed Up for the Quassy Half Iron 2015
Quassy sits on the south shore of Lake Quassapaug and inside the Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, Connecticut. The Challenge Quassy course itself is challenging but there is time to enjoy the scenic view of Lake Quassapaug or the rural beauty of Middlebury, Connecticut’s Historic District.
Trails I Love
The trails I run in Maudsley State Park and along Emerys Lane are among the most beautiful areas on the North Shore. Crossing over stone and old Mill bridges these pathways help my mind shift and bend away form the task at hand and send it off to the days when settlers cleared this land …
Izzy’s Letter to Shelly the Christmas Elf
The letter above is a note from my daughter to Shelly the Elf on a shelf that visits us during the days before Christmas. Each day Shelly moves to a new location about the house and commits pranks that amuse Izzy each morning. Listed below is Shelly's response to Izzy's letter...Enjoy. Shelly's Response: Dear Izzy, …
HR Heart Rate Spikes
I have noticed that at the beginning of most runs my HR will spike even though I don't feel that I am all pumped up. It takes a mile or more sometimes to get the rate to drop and settle into the target HR for the session. I used to think it was because of …
Base Training
One of the hardest concepts I am trying to get my head wrapped around is the concept of base training. It not intuitive to me from a running and biking standpoint but strangely enough doesn't bother me on the swim part of my training. I suspect it is because I don't have an ego around the swim. Slowing …
Coaching Session – Hey how you doin?
Not being familiar with the process, I journeyed into my 1st conference call style coaching session with a few written questions and a sense of dread for not knowing the expected outcome. My 1st obvious question was, "How am I doing"? which you'd think I should know above all others because I monitor me every …
Coach Sue
It took years for me to admit I needed a coach. I think it was a combination of taking on more than I could imagine getting prepared for (IronMan Lake Placid 2015) and being scared out of my freakin mind at the thought of what I would have to go through pre-race that pushed me to …
Feeling Fatigued Post Thanksgiving Week
Thanksgiving is over, our guests have all gone home the furniture has been put back in place. The Christmas tree is up and we are slowly clearing out the leftover pies, stuffing, turkey and breads. Getting back into my routine is difficult because I have a heavy sense of fatigue that may have something to …
I’m No Rinny…
You'd think I'd be happy to have finished the Marathon after all those long runs in the heat up and down the hills in West Newbury..but I have been feeling a little flat about the run. After watching this years Hawaii Ironman and specifically the amazing effort of the Australian Mirinda ‘Rinny’ Carfrae who pulled …
Marine Corps Marathon 2014
The race was awesome and things went well from a health perspective aside from the bubble in my head that comes on after any run past 11 miles. I wish I had opened up sooner by lining up closer to 4 hour start team. But to be honest I'm not sure how much of an …
Count down to the Cannon
2014 MCM Marine Corps Marathon With 10 days to go until the start of the 2014 MCM - I am reminded of the 1st time I tackled this beast. I was 24 in 1979 and ran a 3:36:38 for my 1st Marathon ever with a little more than few months training from coach to starting …
Going to the Well
The well builds on the day's you don't feel like working out ...... It's 5:30 AM and I'm using a headlamp to light the roadway and two red blinkers to keep me from being run over by traffic. I have to make up for the Weds Thus off days so the target is 8 Miles today. …
Taping into My Drive
What drives me? The Alternative I’m not totally sure why exactly but when I am off my weekly routine of workouts, to and up from bed early then I feel in poor health, cranky, irritable and listless. Is it to Get Fit Then? I do recognize then that staying fit contributes to a better …
Success and Failure
I have always believed that I was motivated by the fear of failure. Especially before a big race I would be tied up in knots with anxiety and dread...which as you might imagine takes a lot of the fun out of the event. Triathletes are some of the most incredible human beings to share a …
Josh Billings Runaground 2014
Team RWB Marines dedicate our Josh Billings Ironman Finish to: Kate Coakley who told us about her son Lance Cpl. Roger W. Muchnick Jr., 23. Muchnick was one of eight members of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force killed a mortar shell exploded in its firing tube during an exercise at Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada. …
4 Keys to Ironman By Rich Strauss | Endurance Nation
Execution, not Fitness All you've done for 9 months is build a vehicle. Ironman racing is about how you DRIVE that vehicle, it is NOT about the vehicle. The majority of athletes on race day are fitness-focused (look at my T-shirt, look at my abs/veins/etc, look at how fast I can go in the first …
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I’m Grateful for My Life
I know I may not show it much but I really am grateful for my life. This morning while running along the boardwalk I was treated to a sky painted by shades of red, blue and pink. ..to be moving, through the streets of Newburyport Ma, early in the morning as the city wakes and to see …
The Bow Legged Blogger 