stevemaas.com – AG Triathlete and Person

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C26 Crushing Iron Volume & Intensity Triathlon Camp 2021

Lake Morey Ice Trail – Open Lake Ice Skating in Vermont

Craftsbury Outdoor Center – January 2021

Backyard Ice Skating Rink – Episode 6 (Night Skating!)

Backyard Ice Skating Rink – Episode 5 (ShopVac Zamboni Build!)

Backyard Ice Skating Rink – Episode 4 (First Skate!)

Backyard Ice Skating Rink – Episode 3 (Building a rink-side bench!)

Backyard Ice Skating Rink – Episode 2 (Averting disaster!)

Backyard Ice Skating Rink – Episode 1 (Setting up Ice N'Go rink kit, filling and measuring ice)

GoPro Color Grading Test 1

Lake Iroquois Plunge

KOM Attempt: 7 Years in the Making

KOM Attempt: A Gravel Chain Buster

Solo Race Up a Mountain: Spruce Mountain 10K

KOM Attempt: Graniteville Beast (25-Minute Effort!)

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Recent Posts

maasvt

One thing is for certain, @toughmantri lives up to

One thing is for certain, @toughmantri lives up to its name. I don’t know of a harder 70.3. It’s the hardest race I’ve ever done, and this year was next level hard. We started with a weird 2-mile run, which was hard to know what to do with. I went with the flow and tried to pretend it didn’t exist. Then it was down to business. Last year was well executed. That’s all well and good. But we are in this to grow, right? And that means learning what happens when you put yourself out there. I went after it. 4th fastest AG split on the bike and a whole lot of fun. This course is not for the faint of heart at high speed. Where would that leave me on the run? That was a question I was keen to answer. I knew I would dig a hole. Instead of just following the safe plan for success, I wanted to put myself at risk and see if I could find my way out of the hole. It’s been a theme this year. The run course starts demonically, down a giant hill which we then run back up. It’s honestly diabolical, not least because the same hill features again, up and down, at mile 10ish. It felt appropriately bad, but at the summit things evened out and I found a good groove for several miles. The run is literally uphill both ways (don’t ask me how but it’s true) and I started feeling it early, around 7-8. My quads were screaming on the revisited demon hill, and coming back up it was the stuff of nightmares. At times I wasn’t sure if I was even moving. I made the top and my pace had suffered but there was still a chance to save it, I projected around 2 hrs for the run if I could keep it together from that point.
I couldn’t. There were numerous factors. Coke at the aid stations saved my run last year; the guide said they’d have it. They didn’t. So my sugar levels plummeted. So did the temperature, especially with the wind off the lake. On a soaked tri kit, that was a recipe for disaster at these temps. By mile 11 I was shivering for two distinct physiological reasons and retching. Walking climbs by 12, delirious and hypothermic from then on. Sobbing in the chute, tripping over the line. The medical staff were great. I’m ok now. And it was enough. Title defended. It was tough, man. #triathlon

I ran an all-time 5k PR today. It wasn’t fast en

I ran an all-time 5k PR today. It wasn’t fast enough to podium but I did win this fairy light bulb at the race raffle. #dadwin

Can’t exactly call it FOMO when you opt out. Not

Can’t exactly call it FOMO when you opt out. Not sure what this feeling is. But Team USA is competing at the World Triathlon Championships in Slovakia this weekend, right alongside the Collins Cup. What an amazing opportunity to both represent your country and also be up close watching the greatest pro triathletes in the world!
After qualifying at @toughmantri last year, I was all in and ready to be part of the team. Ordered my parade of nations uniform, my team kit, and started looking at logistics for Vienna once the location was finally announced.
Then a whole bunch of life happened. Russia invaded Ukraine (right next door), flights skyrocketed, and my own life became a bit of a roller coaster for a myriad of reasons.
It just didn’t make sense to go. It was a hard decision, but I’m confident I made the right one.
My focus now is on September when I will try to qualify again, this time for Spain in 2023. Mostly, though, I want to remember that I stayed true to my priorities and that is what will get me through. If I can keep that up, the races will sort themselves out.
Onward.
#triathlon #teamusa #usatriathlon #worldtriathlon

I totally mountain bike. You can tell because of t

I totally mountain bike. You can tell because of the flannel. Right after this I did a huge jump. I was so stoked about how epic it was. It really happened I promise.
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#realactualmountainbiker #notagroady #29ermtb

Colchester is where I got my start in triathlon, i

Colchester is where I got my start in triathlon, in 2018. I made lots of mistakes. I wore gloves, socks, a mirror; I had never raced in open water before, I got a pinch flat and running the 3 miles in less than 30 minutes was an accomplishment. I was hooked.
I planned to return in 2020. We all know how that goes. By the time the opportunity came around again, it had suddenly been four years. As it turned out, it would be the last chance. This year was its final edition, it was announced.
🏊🏻‍♂️: I seeded myself at the front, in the middle. Perhaps the most nerve wracking part of the whole day, that. I’m not usually one to toe the front of a mass start pack. But I knew that position was key in this race. I couldn’t afford to waste time crawling through the crowd. So it was go with the big dogs. I went. And was immediately hypoxic. It was a thrash pit, lots of contact and no space given. Despite feeling like I was going to die constantly, I held the fast feet reasonably well and emerged 13th out of the water. 9ish minutes of hell behind me.
T1: I mostly walked it because it’s a giant stupid hill. But the kiddie pool for rinsing your feet was clutch.
🚴🏻‍♂️: Time to rip. Catch and drop, don’t look back. I overtook 7 of the 12 ahead of me, moving into 5th. The top 4 were nowhere to be seen though. I kept it hard and steady but still in control, averaging about 24 mph. 3rd fastest bike split overall. My best execution on the day for sure.
T2: I am always slow in T2. I have to tie my shoes right. Sue me.
🏃‍♂️: I had no idea where I stood at this point. I was totally alone, no one ahead or behind that I could see. I was hoping to hold 7:30’s but had been dealing with inflammation in my toe so I knew it might not happen. Hopefully my bike split would hold off the field behind me. Just three miles to go, as hard as I could. I saw nobody until just inside the last mile, when one guy caught me. No chance of going with him; I just pushed with what I had to the finish. The next guy was only six seconds back at the line, but ran out of real estate.
6th overall, 3rd in age group. A far sight better than 2018. And a fond farewell to my first event.

Because life is hard, but sometimes it’s really

Because life is hard, but sometimes it’s really nice to feel like a kid in a candy store for an afternoon
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#wings #sprinks #wrj

More from @c26_triathlon camp, these shots stolen

More from @c26_triathlon camp, these shots stolen from friends’ posts. Grateful for these memories.
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#c26triathlon #nashville #triathloncamp

@c26_triathlon camp is friends, fun, swim, bike, r

@c26_triathlon camp is friends, fun, swim, bike, run; in that order. If your triathlon life goes differently, you might be doing it wrong.
#c26triathlon #crushingiron #nashville #triathlon #triathloncamp #swimbikerun

Found this interesting piece of history at @theran

Found this interesting piece of history at @therangervt this weekend. I’m as old as that high water mark. So much has happened since then, yet that marker remains.

My bike has also been through a lot. More than 10,000 miles now, a car wreck and rebuild, so many parts and repairs. It’s a weird assemblage of its former self now; a frankenbike of sorts. Dura-Ace crank on one side, Ultegra with a discontinued power meter on the other. One Ultegra shifter, one 105. Mismatched wheels on one set. A backwards seat post.

We pick up things as we go. They change us and we become something new. But the core of us is always there.

Sometimes it just takes finding it.

#1978 #tunbridgeworldsfair #therangervt #gravelbike

“Swim your potential, bike smart, run like hell.

“Swim your potential, bike smart, run like hell.” These have been the guiding words I’ve received from my coach @c26_triathlon before every long distance race I’ve done. I wanted a piece that would, on the surface, capture this essence of triathlon. But the sport is more to me than three activities strung together (some might say nonsensically) in succession. It’s about learning and growth over time. About how transitions are part of life, and how one seemingly distinct element of experience actually blends into others, with effect backward and forward. It’s about integrating complexities to form a manageable whole. It’s about water, wind and earth, and about finding your centered self in all possible environments. Being yourself and staying yourself despite the circumstances. Staying true and finding an ordered way through the chaos.
Over a surprisingly enjoyable two days, Mace @mace_tattoos took all of this and made it speak through a piece of art for my arm. And I couldn’t be more satisfied.
📸: @mace_tattoos
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#triathlontattoo #triathlon #armtattoo

When missing a stage of #tourdezwift on @gozwift f

When missing a stage of #tourdezwift on @gozwift feels unacceptable but you’ve got structured workouts to do…the @wahoofitnessofficial Elemnt Bolt comes quite in handy. Load the workout on the Bolt, log in to the Zwift ride with the controllable trainer option switched off, and proceed to confuse the heck out of the peloton as you surge for your intervals at bizarrely inappropriate times.
#zwift #tdz #intervals

With December finally over with, it’s time to ge

With December finally over with, it’s time to get back to work. Winter is my favorite training season; pressures and expectations are comfortably far away, the climate is agreeable with the inferno that is my core temperature and possibilities for variety in training are boundless. Snowshoe running, for example — a challenging but effective way to get in the woods and see the countryside while getting a heck of a workout. For me it’s like trail running but with less worry about injury from when I inevitably fall down, oaf that I am. Rocks are sharp; snow is comfy. More or less.
#snowshoeing #snowshoerunning #trailrunning

There are a lot of stupid things in the world righ

There are a lot of stupid things in the world right now, but @sarahcmaas isn’t one of them. Lucky me.

Finally escaping the doldrums of early winter. It

Finally escaping the doldrums of early winter. It can feel like a useless season without snow. And then overnight, a blanket of possibility appears. You never know what a new day may bring.

The 2021 @centralvermontrunners Leaf Peepers Half

The 2021 @centralvermontrunners Leaf Peepers Half Marathon came just a week after my 70.3, so I had very few expectations and didn’t really know what would happen. Great circumstances for my mental state, if nothing else. This race is always fun, and I was fully prepared to have it.
The hardest part of any half, I find, is the pacing. The mental control it takes to moderate your effort until the right moments can be as difficult as running the distance, if not more so.
The mistakes I made this year were telling myself it’s flat (it’s not) and forgetting where the turnaround point was. Things I would never have done if I hadn’t been so casual about the lead-in, feeling so much pressure already off from putting the 70.3 behind me. But nothing that terribly ruined my performance.
I managed a negative split trend, I had legs to kick the last 5k and mile 13 was my fastest. I’ve never achieved those things before in a 13.1.
It was just a few minutes short of a PR, but that PR was set with a small taper lead-in and I absolutely destroyed myself achieving it. This was fast, strong and smart.
I’ll take that any day of the week.
#leafpeepersrun #leafpeepers #leafpeepershalfmarathon

2021 @toughmantri @usatriathlon Long Course Nation

2021 @toughmantri @usatriathlon Long Course National Championship:
🏊🏻‍♂️: an honest course with nowhere to hide. Straight out and back, the rising sun on one side. I was with the leaders most of the way. 6th out of the water in my wave with a 1:37 pace. Happy with that.
🚴🏻‍♂️: basically controlled chaos. Punchy course with hardly any flats, just up and down all day long. Not a closed course, so throw in cars and motorcycles, all going both directions at the same time, down harrowing descents, into roundabouts, all the while dodging potholes and cracks and rough spots. Lots of gravel riding courtesy of @greenmountaingravel meant that all of this played to my advantage, where others suffered. Pushed too hard the first lap, was way over target watts. Finally calmed down and relaxed for the second and ended up very close to my watt targets. Broke a spoke at mile 51 and could do nothing but grit my teeth and hope she’d hold together. By luck or the Force, she did.
🏃‍♂️: 13.1 miles, all uphill. At least that’s how it felt. The course was unforgiving, unrelenting and punishing. Very proud of my pacing though, as I exercised restraint and stayed within myself for the first half. Kept it solid for the next 4, then at mile 10 I still had fuel in the afterburners to kick it up a notch. Alas, the terrain had other things in store. Namely a hill climb on a rocky trail. As if we were suddenly doing an Xterra race. Extremely hard final 5k. I had the strength to push through but we Clydesdales can only go fast up hills for so long. Gravity always wins, eventually. Still, my wife was waiting for me at the final 0.1 and I could hug her and she ran me in, and that was a boost I sorely needed. Made it in under 2 hours, which I considered a victory on a course this tough.
The tracker lumped all Clydes into their age groups so I had no idea where I placed. Surprised to hear my name called, even more so to hear I won it. 1st place. Clydesdale Long Course National Champion. I couldn’t believe it.
Thanks to my family and friends for support, coach @c26_triathlon for guidance & patience, @thegearhousevt for so much tech support. Now I wait for details on the World Championship!

Barn, meet hay. A final dress rehearsal today of

Barn, meet hay.
A final dress rehearsal today of a 2 hr ride with 3x10 min at threshold, followed by a short run off the bike to remind the body what it’s in for. The work has been done, and in a sense I’ve been doing it for two years now, not just for a race build.
The last long distance race I was able to do was in 2019. In a week, knock on wood, I’ll finally be able to toe the line at a 70.3 again — at the @toughmantri @usatriathlon Long Course Championships.
I’ll be glad and grateful to race. Just being able to compete in this sport is a high privilege.
That said, we shouldn’t have to make posts like this. We shouldn’t have to wait two years to compete, regardless of how privileged an opportunity it is in the first place. Get vaccinated, wear a mask. It’s not that hard. Be compassionate and protect others. It shouldn’t be controversial.
One day I hope there will be in person athlete briefings again, even though we hate them. And mass starts, even though they can be terrifying. And races all the time, everywhere.
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#triathlon #whitemenonbikes #maskup #ɢᴇᴛᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ

Race to the Top of Vermont — an epic charge up V

Race to the Top of Vermont — an epic charge up Vermont’s highest mountain in support of @catamounttrail . It was a wet day, with a downpour just before our wave started, but it passed and I only got a bit sprinkled on during the ride. Made for some rougher conditions on the road, but nothing too terrible. My goal was to ride hard without blowing up. The very steep sections didn’t leave much room for control of pacing or effort — it was just get up them in the climbingest gear, however I could. I recovered as best I could on the less steep sections. But at 11% average for the whole hill, there weren’t many of those. I pushed hard but steady; had enough in the tank for a final surge to the finish, but not much else left. Pretty satisfied with the effort.
4th in my age group again! Always the podium maid, never the podium.
It was also a great day for @greenmountaingravel as it was our first in-person vendor event experience, which went swimmingly. We got to hang out with friends and make some new ones. A lovely experience.
Onward and upward!
Oh and on the way down I was elected Safety Marshall and given the power to disqualify anyone who passed me. With great power…
Finish line 📸: @granitestateraceservices
#racereport #hillclimb #vermont #gravelrace #mtmansfield #rtttovt2021 #rtttovt

My typical payload for a weekend’s long ride: 2

My typical payload for a weekend’s long ride:
2x @honeystinger PERFORM
2x water
2x @pickybars (always Mint Condition)
4ish @honeystinger organic gels
1-2 performance chews
The honey-based gels and fluids and the real-food Picky Bars seem to be kindest on my GI system.
Assuming it’s not too hot and the elevation is not insane, this will get me through about 4 hours. Otherwise, I rely on Vermont country stores, farm stands, the kindness of strangers and/or roadside foraging to get me home.
Lately I’ve been working on my on-the-bike fueling because it’s been a weak point in my nutrition strategy. Today I managed to get all of this down except for one gel.
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#hshive #sweetentheburn #fueling

September races mean training in August — a big

September races mean training in August — a big vacation month here in Vermont. I appreciate the opportunities vacations provide for branching out, breaking structure and finding new adventure. Open water swims across remote lakes, bike rides over beaver dams with old friends, and the everyday exercise that is camping with kids from two families. Flexibility pays dividends a rigid training plan never could — of memories, life experience and fun.
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#vermont #camping #stillwater #groton #traininglifebalance

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