Support Crew...

The other day I had a bike workout to do that included some intervals that were not going to be “killer”, but it was definitely a workout that I wasn’t “Gung Ho” about. In the morning, before the ride, I went to Sunken Meadow Park on the north shore and met up with my friends Bill, Nancy and “Heads-up Mike” for an open water swim. Mike got the nickname “heads up Mike” after the first time he swam with Bill and Nancy 2 years ago. Back then he could only swim with his head out of the water. Now, he was trailing close behind me. What a huge improvement from that day 2 years ago! Mike is training for Lake Placid as well and is one of the most enthusiastic people I have ever met. Guess he has to have a lot of energy…he and his wife just had their 3rd child!
The morning was beautiful. The water was clear and flat as it could possibly be. I love mornings like that and I felt totally recharged after finishing my swim. It was great to meet up with people, as much of my training is done solo. Being that my schedule is “open” (I do much of my biking and running when others are at work) and I live on Long Island, I don’t exactly have much opportunity to meet up with people for a workout mid-day. If I were in San Diego, I may run into Kate Major out on a ride or countless other pros with “open schedules” as well, but here I only get to coordinate with other athletes every now and then. I REALLY look forward to it when I get to train with other people as it is great for a quick mental energy boost! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy training solo as well and I find that it enables me to really appreciate when I can train with others.
After heading home and eating copious amounts of food (heavy training=increased food intake!) I headed out on the bike. There are MANY days that I hop on my bike and feel “giddy” and “free”…excited to be doing what I love (riding my bike and training)…this was NOT one of those days. I headed to Hecksher State Park to do my intervals, and decided to stop and use the bathroom before I started my intervals (procrastinating). Who did I run into, filling up her water bottle? Nancy Cattabiani! Twice in one day! Nancy is one of my dearest friends and hands down one of the most incredibly special people that I have ever met. Nancy is the type of person that you feel lucky knowing. She was at Hecksher with Bill, who was off on the loop doing some intervals. After talking with her for a good 10 minutes (procrastination), we headed out on the road together. After soft pedaling and chatting for about 5 minutes, Nancy finally said, “OK…you should get going now”…did I mention I was procrastinating? We were laughing about it. Then, as I was about to start an interval, Nancy says, “You look incredible… like a real pro”…then she added, “You are going to have a fucking great race!” It caught me off guard, but amused me and got me instantly pumped at the same time! Did I mention that Nancy is going to be 60 years old this year and has finished Ironman as well as countless other races? She is also one of the toughest people I have ever met as well as one of the most selfless. I did the intervals thinking of my friend and her bold statement. My legs felt stuffed, but I hit the numbers I wanted to hit (suffered a bit) and headed home feeling awesome.
So, that got me thinking of my “support crew”. The people that help me do what I do. The four most supportive people that instantly come to mind, the people that I draw upon throughout my races to get me going and stay in the game are: My mom and dad, my boyfriend George and my great friend Nancy. All four of these people possess qualities that make them stand out as extra special. I know what you are thinking reading this, “she’s biased”…but I’m not, really! Each one of these people is amazing in their own right. I don’t have enough room to write about all the incredible qualities that these four share, but I will say that as far as I am concerned, they provide unwavering support for me and what I do, and they always give me advice with my best interest at heart. What more can you ask for?
Recently, I was reading an article written about Olympic swimmer Dara Torrres and the countless people that she employs as her support crew. Now, while I don’t have the sponsorships she has to pay the $100,000 each year in support crew and coaches alone, I was thinking of all the other people that support me on a regular basis. Here are some of these people:
Bill Romas is my massage therapist and friend. He is Nancy’s husband and provides the same type of love and support that Nancy does, as well as gives me wicked-good massages every week for the past 6 years. Bob Cook, the owner of Runner’s Edge is also a great friend and part of the “family” that I belong to (which he created) at the store. I’ve worked for Bob for the past 3 ½-4 years (although he jokes that if you add up all the time I’ve actually worked it is equivalent to 1 year!) Where else can you find a boss that enables you travel when you want, train when you want and fit in working at the store when it works for you? Not many places, I can promise you that. I also spend holidays at Bob’s house, along with his family and the “store family”. Funny thing about the store is that there are SO many people that work there at different times of the week and it is a niche that I feel lucky to have stumbled in on. Aside from Nancy and Bob, I have had the pleasure to work most with Gary and Dave. They too have become friends. I can go on and on about everyone at Runner’s Edge, but I’ll just say that it’s a special place.
Chiropractor and A.R.T therapist, Larry Lembo has also become one of my “support crew”. I go to Larry once a week, always with something that needs to be “worked out” and Larry always has the magic touch. My potential injury is a thing of the past when I walk out the door! My friend, Don Rourke has also been a great help with healing major injuries as well as keeping my core strong! Don has even made “house calls” to go over different stability routines in order to make it more convenient for me. Recently, he caught a cold, so instead of meeting up, he enrolled me in an internet program that showed video of the core exercises I should be completing on different days! Pretty cool…. Mike Monastero has been a friend of mine for about 4 years and up until recently, was my coach for just about 3 and a half years. He is always someone I can go to bounce ideas off of regarding my training as well as a great riding partner. With Mike, I really learned how to train with power and I saw great improvements in my training and racing. Mike is one of the most coveted coaches on Long Island. I also want to mention Rick and Beth Ferriola who run the Masters Team that I have swum on for the past 7 years (Rick is the coach, Beth is his wife), as well as Jen Gatz who is an awesome coach and an incredible source of knowledge as well as a great person.
I could go on and on, but along with these people there are SO many other people that are always “on my side”. From two of my best friends: Erin Miller in Washington D.C and Jess D’Amato in Boulder (as well as Simon, Ingrid, Jim and Danielle in Boulder); to Ray Farrell and Geoff Cassell who dedicated themselves to helping me in my open water swimming last year; to my great friend Michelle in Tempe who said I always have a place to stay in Arizona; to my fellow pros (and great friends) Nic and Wolf Guembel and Tara Norton; to all the people who are on the Runner’s Edge Team that always stop and ask about what I am doing next and how I did in this race, or that race. I know that every athlete has their story of the people who matter most to them, who support the tough quest they are on, but I just wanted to recognize those people in my story and thank everyone for being there.
Top left picture: Nancy and I at the Tobay Triathlon 2007.