johnhirsch.org

Weekly team training runs begin Tuesday, April 6 at 6 PM Every Tuesday at 6 PM Meet at the Columbus Circle entrance to Central Park

We welcome you, your running buddies and potential team members• Runs are approximately 1 hour• Groups for beginner, intermediate, and elite runners

Training tips and advice from team coach John Hirsch and team physical therapist Jason Klein• Someone will be on hand to watch your bags and belongings

Join Team Continuum for your guaranteed entry into the2010 ING NYC MarathonTeam Continuum can get you to the starting line.  Our team coach and team physical therapist can help you get to the finish line. You’ll run with a remarkable group of people and raise funds for a great cause. So, in addition to getting into the race, you’ll be assured of a really rewarding time. Benefits include access to coaching, race day great, and private pre-race pasta party. Register online now:

www.teamcontinuum.netContact InformationLetty Simon, Chief Operating Officer: letty@teamcontinuum.netFor Training Information

John Hirsch, Coach: coach@teamcontinuum.netJason Klein,P.T, Physical Therapist: jason@teamcontinuum.net

(Pic: We gots tents people! TENTS!!!) Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

“The apex of my consquence is dying here tonight. I cut my needs into my heart, I tear it all apart.” -Slipknot

The weather got back to normal, cold and windy. The wind is a circular saw that cuts the pro/1/2/3 field of coxsackie into pieces. Its a well known secrete and the strong men use this to hurt the weak.

The race got going with the normal series of attacks and chases. Celtic is rolling mob-deep and strong. Its one thing to have 10 guys, its another to have 10 guys at the front. They launched attacks, counter attacks and chased down every breakaway that didn’t meet there needs and after 20k of bunching the race in the face a group finally got away.

Things only slowed a hair for the next hour as people tried to bridge, chase, and just plan out drive the peleton out of malice and ill intentions. Amazingly all this suffering seemed to pull back the break and next thing I knew with 20k to go everyone was back in the race and thinking they were gonna win. The problem with thinking is that thinking is generally dangerous. I caution against it.

You can feel a crash coming. Its weird but you look around and you see the conditions for it. After 2 hours of puke-hard racing, legs were tired, people bonking and everyone was a little less clear headed. Now with a fresh round of meaningful attacks starting people were getting a bit wayward. A few folks touch wheels, and next thing I know some guy is very high in the air. It kind of reminds me of someone stage diving, well, stage diving with a bike. Oh and not onto people really, more into pavement. Oh and a big difference is that most stage divers aren’t going 35 mph. BUT the rest was like stage diving.

I went right and found a lovely field. Sadly this detour took me a few seconds and I lost contact with the race. It wasn’t all bad as I got in a sick hard effort trying to chase back on. In fact I was riding exactly the pace of the field for a while and could see them like a carrot on a sick in front of me. Sadly things never seem to end well for a donkey and I blew up with 10k to go.

A nice swim post race and then I treated myself to a guest list spot for Samisdat a killer indy-rock project here in nyc made up of a close friend who filled in for my band back in the day. The swim put me at 17k done mostly in a long course meters pool which makes it even more rad. I normally swim 20k when fit but its only March. In fact I am pretty sure this is the best march I have had in terms of swimming in my life.

(Foto: Grant and I about to go hard and long at Coxsackie.) Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Reminder: sign up for Strong Like Bull’s super awesome early reg deal ends April 1st. Here is the details again.

Reserve your spot before April 1st and the cost is only 925 bucks for 9 days in Spain (it goes up to 1025 after that and 1125 after October 1) . That’s all transportation within Spain, food, housing, sag wagon, coaching and yoga classes.

To sign up email us at info@stronglikebulltraining.com

(We require a 300 non-refundable deposit)

See you in the sun next winter!

(Pic: Jeff Gibbney inventor of the Gibbney challenge. Do two sessions and we give you 2 days free if you don’t die!)

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My friend send me this email and I wanted to post it. email me hyctn at aol dot come if you want to help.

This morning walking to the park with our dog, my husband and I found a small brindle pit-bull mix tied to a street post in Harlem. Shop owners indicated that she had been left there overnight and, to put it mildly, she has not been well-fed. So, we took her with us. After a short walk in the park and stop for some water and food, we left her with the vet and have set about trying to find her a home. We are calling around to various no-kill shelters and are willing to make a substantial donation for her care. Nevertheless, because she is part pit she is likely to be hard to place or even foster. My husband and I already have a jealous Shepard mix as well as my brother’s newborn in our household and are not in a position to take her in. But, in the hour or so I spent with her this morning, she seemed very sweet, playful and good with people, and, as a general matter, I am not a huge fan of pits or pit mixes. The vet thinks she is probably only about a year old. It would be an absolute shame to see her put down.

If any of you are interested in the dog — even in caring for her temporarily — please contact me. I’ll have a picture later today to send around. I have always believed that you don’t find your dog, your dog should find you. And as someone who took in a starving and abused dog two years ago, I can tell you how rewarding it has been to see her turn into such a healthy loving pet. Maybe this is your opportunity, or a great opportunity for someone you know, to experience the same thing.

Also, please pass this on to anyone you think might be interested.

“I am broken.” -Pentera

I know I am not as fit as I have been in March. Its by design so I am not upset. But going into my first bike race of the season I didn’t think I could explain myself to the hardest men (and women) of the Northeast and get them to be gentle. Coxsackie is an amazingly wonderful hell. Located near nothing but close enough to everyone it often draws the best from NYC to Canada and all of New England. Also insanely long for this time of year, its insanely popular with the insane who can’t find this kind of madness elsewhere.

In fact I pick the Coxsackie race series because its the hardest, longest series around, double the length of all others and just evil in terms of pace, tactics and riders who show up.

I rolled up to the start with CREW mad man Grant (see pic). He was doing Coxsackie then the nyc half marathon with www.teamcontinuum.net. That makes him offically a “bad man.” It was oddly nice out, normally this race is cold, very cold, and windy. There was wind but with mild temps it wasn’t ripping through my skin and striking my bones.

I was nervious at the start fearing the worse; that I would get shelled and dropped quickly. Driving 4 hours for 4 minutes of racing.

But as the first and normally, the hardest 10k came and went I found I was comfortable. After another 20k I had hope. 30,40,50,60 and 70k rolled by and I just kept on keeping on. I was really pleased with my riding. In the past I had to stand and sprint a lot more, this year with an early season focus on strength I stayed seated and just churned out some nice watts using my cycling muscles and not my running ones.” At 75k done and 15k to go I was still in the main field. Roadies smelling victory get aggro and I could sense the mood change. Hyper motivated roadies with tired legs means crashes. So I decided I needed to go off the front of the race or off the back.

I tried to shift into over-drive but didn’t have that gear. My “attack” was pathetic but in fairness 7 guys from a big team called Celtic were controlling the race and and keeping the temp too high to allow breakaways. I didn’t really have a prayer against em. My attack lasted a k or so and the only person I buried was myself, but that was good enough for me as bike racing is a form of self flagilation.

Smashed and cooked I was spit out the back and followed the race from a safe distance until its end staying out of the glory seekers way, happy I hung strong for 15 rounds of heavy weight boxing and took a sound beating without going down for the count.

(Pic: Uncle Grant with Coraline. Grant is the first person she malled with love outside of her Owners.) Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

“You bury your secrets in your skin. Come away with innocence and leave me with my sins.” -Slipknot.

I landed at JFK to the normal post SLB storm of work and life. As awesome as the simple life of focus training in Spain is, it serves to be a sharp contrast to the daily madness that is My American life.

The post Spain protocol is always an attempt to balance recovery and productivity. Tasks include setting up SLB 2011, digging out my law office, and catch up on coaching work for Team Continuum and the CREW (thanks for the patients CREW). All of this while wanting to melt into my sofa and sleeping for a month, a year, or maybe longer!

There is also a strong desire to catch up with personal stuff and important relationships. Some people had babies, some people had hearts broken, some friends found jobs, some lost them, but after a month of being MIA I needed to connect with it all.

On the recovery side of things Christine made sure we ate well, and I made it a priority when she wasn’t around to make sure I got in the healthy foods I needed. SLB gives you every tool you need to kill yourself. You can dig a proper grave there if you don’t recover as hard as you trained. Pro roadie Dylan McNicolas kept talking about “putting a dent in the sofa” when we got home. Too many people come back to the USA motivated and pumped only to find themselves in the doctors office. Respect SLB or it will smash you. I learned that the hard way in 2007. So I took 9 days very easy.

Rested up; it time for the next phase. Serious work on the bike. I am gonna let the Northeast’s finest roadies beat the crap out of me for a month or two. I am also upping my swimming and running, though I am keeping my run efforts low for a bit as I increase the volume.

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“And we never get away, and we never take the easy way… Shame on me, for all I have done. May god have mercy of me and my black hearts.” -NIN

My sister Kate had a baby. She is my “little” sister and so I find it amazing that someone my junior could teach me so much. Nevertheless I have watched and admired her over the last 9 months.

(I am soooo not the expert on babies. In fact when people talk about their baby’s I start talking about my dog as a form of self defense. )

What amazed me is that she never complained. Not when her body changed and even rebelled against her. Not when she couldn’t do what she wanted with it. Not even when the day(s) came and she had to put in serious efforts and pains to bring her son into the world.

It dwarfs ironman. 9 months of training and sacrifice for 1 day for ironman seems much easier. The Ironman race, the big day, as painful and filled with suffering as it is, is small compaired to that. My perspective has forever been changed; and if I ever complain again I need only think of my little sister and my nefew Gavin and be reminded to enjoy the process as much as the reward, no matter how hard that process might seem.

All my love Matt, Kate and Gavin.

(Pic: Kate and Koa a week ago) Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Want awesome training and racing wear? Wanna pay wholesale prices (half off)?

2 easy steps: 1) check out the gear here for sizing prizing and info.

2) Email me hyctn (at) aol (dot) com and tell me whatcha want.

(Pic: the CREW sporting the sweet cycling shorts and top.)

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Ironman Bobby once again addressed the awesomeness of his trip to Spain for Strong Like Bull 2010. Check it out at www.ironmanbobby.com

Also reminder: April 1 is the deadline for cheapy reg! 925, yes that’s all food, transportation within Spain, coaching, sag wagon and route guilding! To sign up info@stronglikebulltraining.com. For info: www.stronglikebulltraining.com

(Pic: me and some Spainish mountains.) Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

www.ironmanbobby.com put out another video podcast about Strong Like Bull.

Pic: The return of “Milo”. Milo was the name we gave to a cute and tiny puppy who ran with me 2 years ago. All grown up now but still just as sweet! Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T