Ironman Augusta 70.3

Finished Ironman Augusta 70.3 with a PR of 5:49.  The swim made it faster but I was relaxed on the ride (which was fun).  The run went great.  Felt like a million bucks for the first 6 miles.  Then I started have GI issues.  Stomach cramps and I could not drink or eat anything.  I deserved it.  I broke the cardinal rule of racing "DO NOT DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT ON RACE DAY".  Well I ate some oatmeal in the morning and I think it prevented my system for working naturally and gave me cramps.  I have never had this happen before in practice or other races.

The race went as expected. The weather was great.  Overcast most of the day and no rain, at least while we were racing.  The rain eventually came down but not until later. The swim was slower than expected but I spent more time on form than speed. The CL was keeping an eye on my run pace.  I did  good.  The run was 2:22 the fastest I have ever done in a half Ironman and this race, as the CL pointed out, was not my A race.  Also for the record my best half marathon time is 2:04.

The knee was fine. It did not bother me at all and was fine after the race.

Monday I was very tired.  Much better today.

Two hilarious things happened at the race.  First, after the race I had a bag of ice for my knee.  I had it on there then took it off.  I was walking down the sidewalk and went to put the bag on my knee inside a compression sleeve I had on and the bag popped.  Water came gushing out. A guy walking towards me stopped and took a step back. I know what he was thinking. He thought I pissed my pants.  I assured him it was ice water.

Then I saw a woman with the best shirt slogan on it.  It said, "If I collapse, please pause my Garmin." :)

Today I ran 4 miles per the CL.  The first 2 were hell, then I settled in and started to feel better.

46 days to go.  A lot of training left to do.

Train Hard, Train Smart,

XXX

Waiting for the CL

57 Days to the Ironman. We're doing a open water swim this morning.  It's going to be 4000 m. Half of it's going to be in a wetsuit. It's going to be hot. I'm riding over to swim with the CL and I'm out on my front porch right now waiting for her. This training is really wear me down. So are the mosquitoes starting to bite me.  I'm not sure I'm going to  last very long out here. Yea she got here.

So the swim went really well. 4 crossings at Lucky's.

On Sunday I did a 60 mile bike ride.  It weny well.  With 15 miles to go I separated from Preston, Traci , and Ken. I was just riding mt pace but then I got stopped at every light. Then they would catch me and just laugh. Then we would do it again and again.  I finally got in front of them and finished maybe 4 minutes in front. Oh well!

Looking forward to Augusta.  Just 6 more days.

Train Hard, Train Smart,
XXX

Augusta 70.3

Next race coming up is Augusta 70.3.  The CL tells me to swim bike and run hard. More specifically swim as fast as I can. Bike 20mph. The run is the ? .  It's hard to predict how my knee will feel.  I may end up walking.  We shall see. I thinking of doing a modified IM walk run. Like 5/1s.  What pace? HR zone pace or a set min/mile? I have time to think about this.

Training last week was hard. Very sore. All better now.

Had to order a new wetsuit. Lost my other full sleeve wetsuit. ?? I do not know where it is. I can't find it.

Train Hard, Train Smart,
XXX

Depressed

Why? Is the real question.  For all the training I am doing I am not losing any weight. Things would be better on my knee if  I could drop 10 to 15 pounds.  Took my body fat this am and I am a ridiculous 23%.  This was done by calipers. So I have ordered every fad diet on the Internet and will start them this weekend. This should get the weight off.

And if you believe that I have some dry land in the Everglades to sell you.


Still I am not happy. Don't know what to do. The CL will roll her eyes and get another gray hair   She needs this like another role in her head.

I started an advocare cleanse this am. I need to rest my body chemistry.

Bright spot for the day was beating Andres in the team swimming relay.

Swimming another reason for depression.  I should rule in swimming but in races I do not.  I need to work on this.  For IMAZ I want to be in the top 25% of swimmers coming out of the water. To do thi am going to have to be warmed up and be prepared for the Cold water on my face and body's reaction to that.  Looks like some face down ice baths coming up.

This is temporary. I will overcome.

Train Hard, Train Smart,
XXX

First weekend of September

Saturday started at the UCF campus 15 of us started the ride. Some were going 37 miles 60 miles and the rest 90 miles.  Scot G led the A group and myself  and 4 others.  We were moving out at 21 mph we rode around Ft Christmas a few times met up with the others at the fort. On the way back to UCF I let us miss a turn. Oops. We ended up at the back of this neighborhood seeing UCF just over a creek.   Well we found a walking bridge and got across to the campus.  Our shortcut reduced our extra mileage by a couple of miles.  Oh well.

We got back to UCF and Scott G has to go. We headed out again and ended up at Ft Christmas.   At the fort it was the CL, Hairy, and Preston. We headed out and decided we needed water and other supplies. So I found a circle k about a mile down sr 50. We went down there went and found ourselves in another world. Yes we were no longer in the city. We were in the country and we were the odd people.  Well we stocked up and left.

The CL had to stop for a rest at the fort. We then headed home to UCF. On the way back I was leading but the CL was having problems. Hairy and Preston stayed with her and I went on.  I finished strong.

I then ran 3 miles. No knee pain. Yea

Sunday was a rest day for me.  Yea.

Train Hard, Train Smart,
XXX

Last week - First day running and some riding

August 25 

This was an 85 mile ride.  Great ride. Scott G is the bomb.  He is very very strong cyclist. He was leading the A group and we came up on what looked like a stick but it was a SNAKE. It was huge. About 6 to 8 feet long and it started moving after Scott G went past it. I still do not know how autopsy got by without being eaten.

August 28
Went running for 3 miles. Felt great. No knee pain. The knee did swell but ice does wonders.  

Ended the week with some recovery time at the US Open tennis tournament.

Train Hard, Train Smart,
XXX

I can't Count

Today was swimming. The team shows up to the pool and the CL tells to start warming up with an 800 yd easy swim.  Nothing like a15 min swim to warmup with.  Is there?

Then she tells us to do the following:
100 mod
800 projected race pace

100 mod

800 projected race pace

100 mod

800 projected race pace

100 hard

200 cool down back

So I get to the race pace and ask the CL what I should do. She says 15mn per 800.  Then my brain goes on hold and any cognitive thought resembling mathematics leaves my brain. Because I then determine that 2mn per100 for 800 is 18 mn. Not really, but thats what I was thinking.  Because I want to swim a 1:45 per 100 I then subtracted 2 min to get 16mn, but The CL told me 15mn? Well I decide to do the 15 min and swim each 800 hard.  However I was tracking my laps by time thus because of my math error and counting lap, I was doing 1:40 per 100. Well this equates to 900 yes not 800.  Instead of swimming 3800 today I swam 4100.  

Oh joy!  I will have to come up with a better way to count laps.  

Train Smart, Train Hard,

XXX

90 Days to Go!!

Well it is 90 days to go.  A lot has happened over the last 60 days. My left knee ( the one with 3 surgeries on it ) started hurting in early June.  It has since pained me in a variety of ways.  At first I could still run, but could not go up stairs.  Then it was I cannot run and now I can go up stairs.  I have been reduced to all my runs on the elliptical.  The CL has told me I may be doing all my runs on the elliptical up to IMAZ.  I am thrilled :(.

Finally I figured out that just 2 or 3 weeks prior to the pain I put some shoe shims in my left bike shoe to help me keep my left knee in while cycling. I have since removed them and the knee is feeling better.  Note: there was hardly any pain while pedaling.

I have kept up cycling and swimming.  I am extending distance and speed.  I will be ready for these two events.

With all this I have become comfortable, but not happy, with the likelihood that I will swim 2.4 miles hard, bike 112 miles hard, and walk a marathon.

Ps I did a sprint aquabike this am. Did ok in the swim. I need more warm up. I need to figure that out. The bike was great.  No problems with the knee til later in the day.  It just started to ache and it is still aching.  :(

Train hard, train smart
XXX

Week ending June 1

This week has been a rough week.  Bike trainer workouts on Tuesday and Thursday were tough and followed by some core workouts from hell.  Thanks CL and Elaine.

The most interesting workout was the swim on Wed.  Warm up was 200 yd pull and 200 yd kick. The main set was 10 - 200s alternating hard and easy.  Then 4- 25s hard and 200 back for cool down.  I could not understand why we had to go hard and easy.  Well I was tracking my time and on the hard sets I was swimming 1:30 per 100 and on the easy sets I was swimming 1:45 per 100.  I had to get out of the pool and think about it but then I realized that at a 1:45 pace I would complete the Ironman swim in 1hr 12min. which would be great.  I talked to the CL about this and she said "Duhhhhhhhh!"  She wants me to swim easy so I come out of the water feeling good in AZ.  It may work.  She is sooooo smart.

Today I ran the stretching class.  It was fun but leading the class is hard.  I don't know how the CL does it all the time.

My biggest problem is that my left knee has been bothering me.  It is swollen so I am icing it all the time.  I got a sprint race coming up on Sunday.  I hope it stays stable.  The icing and the electroshock therapy is working.  We will see.  I looking forward to having a good race on Sunday. I will report on Sunday night.

Got small warm up brick tomorrow am then off to the race.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Missing in Action.......

That's exactly where I have been.  It's time to get back to business.  Understand I have been training, just not blogging.  I could bore you with the usual, like " I have been working" or "It has been busy around the house" or "I really needed more rest than blogging".  Oops, I guess I just did.

I have been training and even participated in a relay at the Ironman Florida 70.3.  I watched Lance win it.  He is something else.  I ran the half marathon leg.  It was hot.  I hope Arizona is not this hot.  As a team we did it in about 7 hours.  We all did our weakest sport.  For example, I did the run my weakest event.  Steph swam and improved her time and Thing 2 did the bike.  Those hills were murderous to her.

Ran 8 miles this morning.  Almost tripped and fell.  I saved myself, but it wasn't pretty.  I walked a bit after that, then started running again.  It was a good run.  Summer is here.

Train Hard, Train Smart.
XXX

Another tough week of training

After my last post I ran 8 miles on that Sunday.  It was a zone 2 run with Ken and a few others.  We did it running and walking as we are planning to do during the ironman.  The run went well.

The following day we swam 3,000 yards.  Then later on that Monday I was on a plane for London.  After 8 hours a plane and about 5 hours of sleep I walked around the Battersea park, Hyde park, and Kesington Gardens. I spent the next 4 days working, but more importantly I was able to get in two 6 miles runs.  I only almost got hit by a car once and it wasn't because I was looking the wrong way.  This car was across the street and decided to turn down the side road I was crossing.  Fortunately I was not hit.

One thing of notice was the number of people that ran or biked to work in London.  There is a lot.  They are all crazy, too.  Riding a bike on those narrow streets is  ridiculous.

I got home on Saturday and was out running again on Sunday for 8 miles doing the run/walk thing.  The week went really well. Here is a summary of this week's workouts.

Monday - 2900 yards in the pool with a 30 minute recovery which I did at a zone 3 pace.  I also used the Compex machine on my shoulders.  They were hurting after the swim.

Tuesday - Bike trainer workout for 1:15 followed by a core / TRX workout.

Wednesday - 2700 yards in the pool in the morning.  In the afternoon lifted weights and rean 4 miles in zone 3. That was hard.

Thursday - Bike trainer workout for 1:15 followed by a core / TRX workout.

Friday - today we stretched and did core work.  Core had a test for 3 minutes, which I passed with flying colors.

I felt good all week and lost another 2 pounds.

Tomorrow we are doing a 65 mile ride.  Looking forward to it.

Next week I am going to Bermuda.  Oh joy.

Train Hard. Train Smart
XXX

It's been a while.........

Sorry for delay in not blogging for a while. Life has been happening at full speed.  We have been working out hard and doing a few new things.  The CL decided that we more strength  training and engaged Elaine aka Drill Sargent or the DS.  The DS uses the TRX system, medicine balls, and all forms of floor exercises.  These exercises strengthen our core and all the secondary muscles related to triathlon.

Today we did a 50 mile ride and a 6 mile run in zone 2 or a brick.  We started off having to go back by my house so I could get my cell phone.  My loving wife brought it to me.  We then started off on the ride.  All went well no incident we stayed together and rode in zone 2.

The most notable tidbit of the day was the naming of Snacky's new bike.  This part is going to be quite suggestive.  This is no longer PG rated. Snacky was riding with Gator Bait and MiniMe.  MiniMe suggested that it be "Richard" or its associated nickname.  It was noted that Snacky was not riding "Richard" today and it was probably lonely.  It was questioned when Snacky would next be riding "Richard" and for how long.  Also how would "Richard" feel with Snacky cheating on it.  Then there was the circumstance how Snacky would feel if someone else rode "Richard".  If Snacky uses "Richard" for the ironman, then she will be riding "Richard"for 112 miles.  As you can tell we had a little bit of fun with this.  Snacky is a great sport.

We did our 6 mile run in zone it was great.  We all did good.  Even Crampy did not cramp.  Good for him.  We had a our post race snack.  It was great. Thanks Snacky.

The day ended with us having a happy hour at the Tap Room. Woo Hoo!!

That is it for today.

Train Hard, Train Smart.
XXX

Swimming with Snacky, Wings, and Paddles

Monday we show up to the pool pull the covers off and get started swimming.  I ask CL which lane I am in.  She puts me with Snacky and Wings.  Both are phenomenal swimmers.  I look like I am standing still when I am swimming with them.  So that is how I did my 2600 yds in 55min.  Basically being lapped by two fish.

Then to add to it the CL has us use paddles which tears up your shoulders.  Those things hurt.  This better be worth it.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Being Sick Sucks

So I finished HITS on Saturday, the 24th.  On Sunday I rested and a short recovery walk.  Monday went to swim.  Felt ok but was not at 100%.  Monday night the sh_t hit the fan.  I started a fever and a wicked post nasal drip.  Tuesday I went to the doctor got some antibiotics and went home to be in misery for the next two days.  Tuesday through Thursday I was out of commission.  It sucked.  BTW.  Do not ever get an antibiotic shot in the arm it hurts for a long time.  I would have rather had in the a__. You know I was sick because I missed a spring training game my sons and I were supposed to go to.

Friday I went to stretching.  It was hard but low cardio and impact.  It was the perfect thing to get back into the  swing of things.

Saturday I went to Clermont and rode 22 miles on the hills.  That was incredibly hard.  I did everything I could not to get worn out on those hills.  I helped Snackie and MiniMe(new nickname for Bulky.  She showed up on Friday dressed just like the CL and then started espousing fitness stuff like the CL.  Also, count that she is less than 5 feet tall and she became MiniMe.)  We finished at Elaine's house and then went for a swim for 800 meters.  I was pretty much swimming with Snackie. She is such a good swimmer, so the fact that I was even close to her was great.  I think that was because we were having a tough time siting. With all the zigs and zags I was able to stay close.  At one time she bumped my thigh, I thought I would have some fun with her and tell she hit my a__.  Needless to say we bumped into each other a few more times.

I rode with the CL, Snackie, and Rainbow out there.  We determined that the CL is looking for a guy that looks like Adam Levine or Blake Shelton.  Snackie said something like that would work for her too.  I will have to see what I can do.  I wondering if I get a dude with an Adam Levine mask, if that will work.

Sunday I was not supposed do anything but I did anyway.  I jog in zone 2 for 2 miles.  Just trying to find my groove again.

Fortunately, I was only sick for 3 days so I think I have recovered pretty well.  I tell you how that goes in my next post.


Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

HITS Triathlon - Olympic

Did the Olympic triathlon at HITS in Ocala this morning.  It was a well run race.  More on that later.  First I have to be chronological.

Friday afternoon I come home early from work and started putting my tri stuff together.  It was the first race of the season and I was totally discombobulated or a CF. My oldest son was doing it too.  So I was making sure he did not forget anything. We finally got loaded up, out the door, on the road, and arrived there at 5:20.

Bulky and Rainbow were there.  We walked around and checked out the venue.  It was nice. We found out that the run was a trail run.  This was going to be challenging.  The CL laid out a plan for me for the race.  Overall time did not count.  I was supposed to swim HARD, bike easy, and run HARD.

So the four of us are looking at the dinner the race was providing and opted out.  I just do not trust food prepared in mass like that.  There was chicken and pasta, etc.  A lot of good stuff but just did not want to take a chance.  Then we went to Cracker Barrel.  Never again.  Food was ok but not what we needed.  Then I spent the next hour driving around the area completing my nutrition fill for the race, because I forgot a bunch of stuff in Orlando.  Bulky and Rainbow gave some gels and drink mix. Thanks girls.

The morning getting ready was uneventful.  We got to the race without incident parked and got ready.  Transition was really nice.  They had wood boxes that held your bikes and stools.  Yes I said stools.  Here is a picture of one.

One more thing about this race.  On Thursday or Wednesday a young girl drowned in the lake we swam in.  Very sad story.  I knew this but did not tell any one because it would do no good.

Finally, its race time.  #1 son takes off in the sprint and I get to see him come out of the water.  Very proud of him!  Now its the Olympics start.  It is a mass start of about 100 people.  The horn sounds and we take off.  I am swimming hard and then realize I cannot breathe and I begin to panic.  Not good.  On one of my gasps I notice there is a guy running in the water.  REALLY?  its that shallow.  So I put my feet down and hit bottom.  So I adjust my wetsuit and relax while I am walking along and then start swimming again.  Much better.  I know what happened I did not warmup properly, so when I started out hard, I screwed my body up.  NOTE:  you need to warm-up.  Need to talk to the CL about this.

The rest of the swim was uneventful.  Tried to catch a few people but couldn't.  Came out of the water in 31 minutes.  Slower than expected but I do not think that the course was measured right.  I was 21 out of the 100 so I was exactly where I was supposed to be.????

I get to my bike and start my easy ride.  It was not as easy as I wanted because there were some hills to deal with especially right out of transition. There was one long downhill I got up to 31 mph with a HR of 125.  That was way cool.

Got back into transition and sat down on my stool to put on my running shoes.  That was very nice and started the run.  I got to the trail and stayed on the sides to avoid the soft sand.  The CL wanted me to run 6.2mile in under one hour.  I think she knew this was trail run.  I did good from the outset except when I almost stepped on a snake in the middle of the bleeping trail.  Walked the water stops and ran the rest.  Finished strong.

All in all 2:55 to do the whole thing.  HITS gives out 1st place awards for each age other than the awards for  the overall.  I won my age, but I was the only one in it.

It was a good day.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

CLs Training Secrets Revealed!!

I found it!  This is what she uses to create our workouts.

Who would have thunk?  Boy are we dummmmm!

Thursday - Bike Trainer workout or not

Today we show up at 5:30am or o'dark thirty.  The CL was not feeling well and was not at practice.  She tried calling and texting me but I did not look at my phone this am.  I hate getting sucked into work stuff before I workout.

We got to run one mile then we did this really intense bike workout. After that we got to run 2 miles at a 10k pace.  Nice.

We all did good.  Bulky and I were jabbing back and forth. Snacky ran the bike workout.  We got a great group.  A lot of us are racing this weekend.  I am doing an Olympic distance on Saturday. 

CL gave me my race plan.  Swim hard, bike easy, and run hard.  I need to run the 10k in less than an hour. I am pretty sure I can it that goal.  Stay tuned to my blog on Saturday for the results.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

A little lifting, stretching, and swimming

After the Tour de Cure I had a business trip which took me pretty much off the grid for 2 days.  I did lifting, stretching, and resting during this time period.  Wednesday I was back in the pool swimming 2,550 yds.  The CL took it easy on me today and put in a slower lane.  I was not having to compete with Snack Lady and the other speedsters.  Once I got my breathing down, it was a good day in the pool. 

The CL is making us bring running shoes on Thursdays bike training.  This does not bode well for us.

I will let you know tomorrow.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX 

Tour de Cure Ride

Today was Tour de Cure.  Our team rode a variety of rides 25 to 102 miles.  I went 77 miles.  We all hooked up at the start and started just before 8am.  As with most mass starts it was chaos in the beginning but it soon thinned out.  The roads got narrower as we road so we had a nice pace line. The CL was enforcing a doable pace of about 16 mph.  My heart rate did not get over 100 for a long time.  That was due to being in the pace line and the low speed. 

At one time I pulled into the wind for about 8 miles.  It allowed me to get into aero and just ride.  I kept the speed steady which is hard at the front of the pace line.  If you go too fast you lose the line, too slow and they pile up behind you.  The CL eventually told me to go to the back of the line.  I may have stayed out there all day long.

Well, we hit a rest stop and Stevbra wants ease the chafing in his pants so he puts on some chamios butter.  What he did not realize is that the kind he bought had menthol in it.  So it started a kind of tingling burning in places that are uncomfortable.  After a while he said it felt kind of nice.  He now had a pair of cool balls.  So his new nickname is Cool Balls or CB. 

If that was not enough CB, then comes up to a red stoplight and forgets to unclip and falls.  Not a good day for the CB.

We get to the last rest stop and have 9.5 miles to go.  I jokingly say to the CL that we should not go less than 20 all the way back. She is in front and throws down the hammer.  Bulky and I respond and hang on.  We are into a headwind and she is going about 20 to 22 mph.  We hit a light bad and loose the rest of the group.  The CL, Bulky, and I just keep powering on.  Finally, the CL lets up and I move up to the front and put the hammer down. She had pretty much wasted herself trying to drop me and Bulky.  My legs were just too fresh.  I still feel fine from the ride. 

CB, Snack Lady, and Hairy Scary catch up to us and we finish strong. 

It was a good day. 

The CL tells me later that she was purposely trying to drop me to test me to see if I had taken easy during the day.  I guess I passed. 

Later we had drinks and food at the Tap Room.  It was a good time.

That is all for now.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Week of 3/12

This week was filled with swimming and running.  A lot of leg work was done.

Monday - Swam 1800 yds and ran a mile.
Tuesday - Bike trainer workout
Wednesday - Swam 2700 yds and ran 2 miles at 10k pace.  Rolled my ankle too.
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Ran 60 minutes no HRM on the beach. It was fun. No ankle problems.
Saturday - Ran 6 miles - First mile in zone 2 then 4 miles at 10K pace and then last mile at zone 2.

Not a bad training week for being out of town for 2 days.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Ironman Florida 70.3s bike ride

So we drive over to Haines City and go out on the bike course for this half ironman coming up in May.  There was about 12 of us.  The route is a little bit hillier than I thought it would be.  Mostly rollers none the hills that I am not accustom to.

Well we are about 35 miles out and one of the girls starts to bonk and have mechanical issues.  We have a work around on the mechanics, thanks to the CL, but the bonking is a long fix.  About this time I am fed up with the pace line, too.  I let fly some choice words.  I was pissed.  So I just decided to hang with the CL and this girl and get her back to the start.  It took some time, but we made it.  We even had to walk up a hill.

I then got some more water and rode backwards on the route to meet up with the group.  I was about 5 miles out and met up with them.  We then rode back.  On the way back we lost Crampy to cramps.  He stopped and we had to go back in a car and get him.  Crampy refuses to hydrate properly and not overpush when riding.

We then started the long trip home.  It was a good ride.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Garmin's HRM

Garmin makes a great Tri GPS watch in the 310XT.  The new 910XT is that much better but I have a 310.

So this past week the heart rate monitor (HRM) decided to stop working.  I would be running or walking and it would show a HR of 50.  So I did all my zone training by pace.  It worked out but was not optimal.

So I ended up buying a new one from Amazon.  What a pain!

Garmin, if you read this your HRM needs to last more 8 months or you need to lower the price to $25.

Where the H..... have I been?

Wow! What a week!  My last post was Saturday, March 4th.  Sunday was filled with a lot of family obligations and just other things.  I did manage to run 5 miles at a zone 2 pace.

Monday we swam at the Lake Nona Y pool for the first time in weeks. The water was warm, but it was 50 degrees on the deck.  We swam 2750 yds.

Tuesday was a rest day, but I went out of town on an annual quail hunt and managed to shoot 49 quail with my hunting buddy that morning.

Wednesday, I was hunting again.  35 this time.  Came home and ran 5 miles at varying paces.  That was hard.

Thursday was bike class.  Fun as usual.  Over an hour on the bike.

Friday was a 3 mile run in low zone 2, stretching, core, and weightlifting.

Saturday is a long story.  See the next post.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

50 miles on a bike in the wind

Today we rode 50 miles in what seemed to be a gale force wind.  We went out towards the airport first.  On the stretch to the end of the airport loop we were into the wind.  A few of the team went strong and hammered into the wind.  They were definitely outside of zone 2.  I hung back and let them go.  When we stopped a prearranged point, I rode up to them and told them that the CL was not going to be happy.  I moved away from the group when CL showed up.  I did not want to get any shrapnel (sp?) when she exploded on them.  And she did.

We stayed together from there on out except for when PD got a flat.  CL hung with him and we met at a prearranged rest stop.  The rest of the ride was uneventful. There was the usual bantering back and forth.

CL pushed herself to hard.  She such a good coach, but like most coaches thinks she cannot show any weakness.  I told she needs to do her workouts and I was going to keep her honest.  Her job is to keep me honest.

Distance: 51miles
Time: 3 hours 16 minutes
HR I have no idea the damn monitor stopped working
Calories: Garmin says 1500 but the internet says 3000

We also ran 2 miles off the bike.  It was hard.  It was hot.  I took about 20 minutes to do that.  It was a zone 2 run.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Swim Pacing

CL told me today was going to be about pacing.  So I start the day early again.  4:45am sucks, but it is necessary.  We get to the pool and CL tells me to get in the lane with Snackie.  Snackie is fast.  This does not seem to be good for me.  So we do a 500m warm up - 300 pull & 200 kick.  We get done and CL tells this swim about  T-pace, Threshold pace.  T-pace is the pace we tested for 3 weeks ago.  Mine is 1:50 per 100m.

The workout is T-pace plus 5secs for 10 - 100m with 10 second rest.  Then do another 10 - 100m with 20 seconds rest at T-pace.  So Snackie and I get started.  I am on fire. I swim the first 100 at 1:30.  Oops!  This goes on for another 3 or 4 100s and then CL comes over and starts getting mad at us.  PS Snackie was faster. I try to slow down but it just is not happening.  I end up doing my slowest lap at 1:40.

I am sure I will hear about it tomorrow.   We finished with another 100 kick and 200 back.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Monday a day of .....

REST!
A much needed day.  I stretched in the morning on my Grid roller.  Worked hard all day and then got ready for Tuesday.

Sunday's Almost Brick

On Sunday a bunch of us went out to Clermont to ride 50 miles and then run 2 miles off the bike.  It was a little chilly so we were bundled up somewhat.

We were riding on the West Orange trail.  Most of the time when it crosses a street there is a pole in the middle of the trail to prevent cars from turning on to the trail.  At one the intersections after we were about 7 miles out. J just forgets about the poles and runs into one.  It was a horrible sound.  Fortunately, he and his bike were ok.   so for the rest of the ride we not only were calling out runners and other cyclists on the trail but every pole too. I still can't believe he rode into the pole.

At 20 miles we had come back to the place we had started and it was raining.  The radar had rain in the direction we were going to go to finish the 50 miles.  So we decided to do our 2 mile run and go get breakfast at Waffle House.  That breakfast was great!!!

No stats.  Garmin screwed up on me.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Let's Swim and Run

So we head over to Lucky's Lake to do an open water swim.  We took our wetsuits.  I also had my oldest son who is 16 with me.  We picked up Snackie and Little T at the Y headed over to Lucky's Lake.

It was hilarious to watch people get into their wetsuits.  The best one was Bulky.  She broker her birdy finger at work the day before but she was determined to do a swim.  So there she is trying to get her wetsuit on.  Well she needed help.  So Steph and Snackie pitch in and start pulling this wetsuit up her body.  It looked like they were molesting her. It was hilarious.  They pulling and grabbing all over her.  Bulky seemed to enjoy it, but I am not sure.  Eventually, they got it on her.  Where was my cell phone????

The swim went well. Number 1 son made it over and back and signed the wall. I did a second crossing on my own.

Then we went for a 75 minute run in zone 2.  That was fun.  It ended up being 7 miles.

Pace 10:25 min/mi
Time: 75 min
Avg HR: 135

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Thursday's Swim

Today was swimming. I got put in the fast lane.  That was funny.  The slow fat guy in the fast lane. Now that's hilarious.  It started out harmlessly with some kick and pull, then we started doing drills. Ouch.  Nothing like swimming with tennis balls in your hands and a kickboard sticking out between your legs near your butt.  My favorite drill was a new one.  It was a one legged kick with the other leg sticking up in the air. I felt like a flipping ballerina in the water.

PD and Snackie were good to me.  We swam well together.  PD and I just drafted Snackie as much as we could.  At the end the CL had us 4 fifties on the minute.  That is you swim 50 meters and when you finish you rest until one minute is up you then do the next fifty. After the fifties then we did 4 twenty-fives on the 25.  The only good news about this is it was only one minute forty seconds of hell.

We finished up and started the rest of our day.  CL says we are going to do the ballerina drill more because it strengthens our core. We will see.

That is it for tonight.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

A bike ride and a run

Today was a bike trainer workout.  It was a force workout that Joe Friel talks about in his book, "Your Best Triathlon".  A lot of simulated hills.  It was a challenge.  However, after an hour on the bike, I got off and then went for a 30 minute run in zone 2.  It was a good run.  I was running quick.  Better than I have before.  CL says I am getting more efficient.

Avg. Pace: 10:15 min/mi
Avg HR:  134 bpm


The funny for the day was my Garmin picked up Snackie's HR during the bike training.  Her HR is very high.  She was routinely in the 180s.  If my HR was that high I would be dead or in the hospital.  Of course, she is a bit younger.

Swimming 1.8 miles

So we get the pool on Tuesday and we get started.  CL gives us the warm up and the rest of the workout.  It was 10 - 50s with 10 sec rest, 2- 500s, 2 - 400s, 2 - 200s, and a 200 backstroke. All of this is in meters. This distance equates to 1.8 miles.  It took me a little over an hour to finish the workout.  Then I sat down and ate my nutrition.  Oh joy.

It was a good workout.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

The CL is hilarious......

As I have written we went riding for 60 miles on Saturday.  At the end of the ride Snackie had the chocolate milk, bananas and Nutella. We were all enjoying our post ride snack.  Then the CL proclaims that starting this week we have to start bringing nutrition to the pool to eat after we swim.  Then she had to say it again as usual with this group.  This time she said " You all need to have food on you when you swim."  I just could not resist.  This was a softball lobbed up for me to smack it out of the park.  I immediately said rather sheepishly, "Then won't it get all wet and soggy."

I could not look at her.  I knew she wanted to commit murder at that point in time.  The worst part was I was standing right next to her.  She did not hit.  I would have hit me.  Anyway it was fabulous and we all got a good laugh.

The CL is a great coach. We just have to keep it light.  The training is hard but we should be having fun too.  She let's us do both.  She is da bomb.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

The 8 Mile Run

Ran this morning for 8 miles.  Had everything:

HR monitor  - Check
Water  - Check
HEED  - Check
Music  - Check
Garmin Watch - NOT

I did the run without the watch.  It was kind of interesting.  I can't tell you how many times I held up my arm to check my progress only to see my bare wrist.  Graciously, Hairy Scary kept track of my ultimate time and I knew how far 8 miles was.

Mileage: 8mi
Pace:  10:10 per mile
HR:  About 130's (checked every 2 miles)

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Saturday's Ride - People, a Veteran, & a Fall

Today was a 60 mile ride from the Y.  We showed up at a usual time and there was a ton of people there.  I am telling you a lot of people.  There were at least 25 if not 30.  The ride was broken into two 30 mile parts.  The first part went back into Isle of Pines and ended back at the Y.  We refueled and stocked up, then went out for the second half.  The second half was up to Lee Vista and out to the airport.

As we were heading out to the airport we had to stop in a cut out to wait for a couple of people that got stuck at a traffic light.  This veteran tooled up on his electric scooter.  He stopped and started talking to us about how he was an army vet from Pearl Harbor. He certainly looked old enough but he was talking so fast I could not make out half of what he was saying.  He was funny and certainly broke up the drudergy of the ride.  God bless him and thank you for his service to our country.

Just down the road we had to make a left.  There were a lot of cars and it was hard getting over.  As we moved over into the left turn lane, two of the girls bumped into each other.  How do I know that? I was right behind them.  Well, one stayed up but the other fell.  Yes, right in front of me.  I had no where to go.  I was braking but ended up stopping on her rear wheel.  Then I fell fortunately I had no speed.  I was able to unclip and just enjoyed the ride to the asphalt.  I pulled my arms in and fisted my fingers. I hit on my right back and rolled.  I popped right up.  I was fine as was the girl that fell in front of me.  After checking ourselves and bikes, we were able to continue the ride.  I wonder if I am going to be sore tomorrow?

Avg pace 17.3mph
Time  3:34 hrs
Avg HR 104bpm

A good day on the road.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

In anticipation of Saturday's ride

I saw this shirt and took a picture.  This is going to be my motto tomorrow.

XXX

Where did the week go

Wow!  Is this what it is going to be like??  Sunday I was doing an  8 mile run and now its Friday night.  It was just a blur.  Between the workouts and work that is about all the time I had.  So let me summarize.

Sunday - 8 mile run. Zone 2. Avg HR=125. Avg Pace 10:48  It was cold. We ran at 6am from DD.
Monday - A day of rest.  Stretched with that god awful Grid.
Tuesday - Swam 2,200m then ran 30 minutes at a long run tempo pace.  Avg HR=136. Avg Pace 9:53
Wednesday - Bike training - 1:15 h on the bike and then lifted weights.
Thursday - Swam 3200m  or 2 miles (rounded from 1.98).
Friday - Ran 30 minutes zone 2. Avg HR=136. Avg Pace 10:06 & Stretching & weight lifting

Now for the good stuff.  Tuesday's swim was uneventful.  Hard but uneventful. Wednesday was biking on trainers. CL was not feeling well so Snackie aka Katswim and I lead the class.  I was having a hard time with the music because I do not have any playlists on my iphone.  I do not like how the iphone handles them so it is hard to play good tunes all the time.  There is the false rumor that I played "Let's get started" by the Black Eyed Peas 3 times in a row.  This is not true.  Then PD was keeping a double secret check on the time.  So I was challenged to do good music and keep the time right.  Well, apparently I did none of the above.  I have a picture of a couple of people in class.  No wonder I had such a hard time.  Look....

Thursday started off bad.  I had a business dinner meeting on Wednesday so I ended up getting home late and decided it was better to sleep in than get up swim early.  I was able to swim later that day after work. 3200m is a long way.

Friday was good.  Got up and went down to the Y. Just before our run CL introduced us to a new guy.  He was wide eyed and has no idea what he is in for.  Usually most new people come to their first practice and the practice is one of the hard ones.  Well we never see those people again.  That is unfortunate because if they stuck with it they would understand what happened that first day.  The new guy should do ok

Then there is the usual antics.  PD was behind me and we had to rollover on the grid and stretch our thighs.  I was facing PD but he was still stretching his hamstrings, so his feet were at my face (bare feet).  Ode de bare foot at 6:15 in the morning is not appealing.  PD quickly moved his feet.  Then CL asks Shadow if he would like a longer one? I thought the entire class would completely come apart.  She meant a longer GRID, but it sure was not interpreted that way.

It was a good week but it was blur.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Saturday, a brick, CL's trick, & Katswims Treat

Kind of feels like Halloween...............

We had a bike and a run scheduled for today, aka a brick.  That is what it is called when you combine 2 or more of the disciplines into one workout.  So that is the brick.  It is a very technical term for a painful workout.

CL's trick was misleading us on the ride distance.  She told us it would be a 25-30 mile bike.  What she did not tell us was that she was going to makes warm up at 14mph (very slow) for 8 miles.  So it was really a 33 miles.  She is quite devious.  It was a little chilly and windy, too, but not too bad.  The run was really nice.

Finally, the treat was Katswims treat or snack at the end of the brick.  She had chocolate milk, bananas, and juice.  It was really good.  Thank you, Katswim.

The ride was good except for when we realized we were going 33 miles instead of 25.  The first 8 were at warm up pace.  Then we were let go to ride without drafting in zone 3.  That is about a 19 to 20 mph pace for me.  What was problematic was the wind. There were five of us that took off  and we traded the lead back and forth but eventually spread out.  It was fun.  Some of the lighter guys would rock downwind but then would fall back upwind.  Me being a heavier guy would not get as much help downwind but I had the power to muscle upwind.

Once we got to the run I averaged a 9:20 min/mile.  Unfortunately, most of the guys I was riding around run a lot faster than I do. Oh well.  I managed that pace well within zone 3 which I supposed to do.  It was good day.

Bike
Avg speed:   18.7mph    not bad for the winds we had - does not include the 8 mile warm up.
Distance:      24.5 miles
Time            1:22
Calories       1000

Run
Avg Pace    9:20 min/mile
Distance     3.2 miles
Time          29:55
Calories     400

Friday, February 10th

Still out of town.  I just stretched and did some weightlifting.  Thursday night I tried my Compex muscle stimulator on my shoulders and arms.  I had the intensity up too much.  I ended up waking up in the middle of the night not being able to sleep because my arm and shoulders were sore...  Ouch!

Note to self:  DO NOT DO THAT AGAIN!!!

Thursday, Feb 9th

Today I am in Columbia, SC where it is 37 degrees out at 6am in the morning.  Great weather for a run.  NOT!!  I almost did not go but felt it was important to go.  I started at 6:30 for a 6 miler that the CL had me scheduled to run.  It was a zone 2 run.  It is cold outside.  They have hills in Columbia.  Nothing like those in FL where I run.  

Avg. HR 136 bpm

Avg. Pace 10:53 per mile

Time:    1:09

Calories:  800

Columbia and a 6.4 mile Run

I traveled out of town yesterday to Columbia, SC.  It is cold up here.  The low this am was in the 30s.  I was supposed to a 6 mile assigned by the CL.  So I started out at 6:30am.  It is hilly up here.  It was a good zone 2 run. 

Coming home tomorrow.  Ready to ride on Saturday.

Distance: 6.4 miles
Avg HR: 138

Swimming Threshold Test

We done the run and the bike tests.  The only thing left was swimming.  I show at the pool this am at o'dark thirty and ask the CL which lane I need to be in.  She points to the lane with all the fast people.  I did not want to hear that.  I get in anyway and warm up.  The test was a 1000 meter swim as fast as you could go.

There are 5 of us in the lane: Katie, Jen, Dave, Andres and me.  The CL starts us.  Katie goes first.  Jen will not go because she has not been swimming for a month or so.  Katie and Jen are part fish. So I know I am slower than Dave and Andres, so I tell them to go.  Seconds are ticking off and we have not started.  Finally, Dave goes then Andres and then me.  Jen goes last.

After the first lap I knew I could pass Dave and Andres but not in a 50 meter span and if I did could I hold it.  Probably not.  So I practiced my drafting.  Dave, Andres and me all bunched together. Andres drafting Dave and me drafting Andres.  At 6 and half laps Dave stops at the wall.  He looks spent. Andres and I continue and Dave follows me.  Andres picks it up a little bit and I stay on his draft for about a lap then he looses me.  Oh well! It was good while it lasted.  So the last 2 laps were on my own and hard.

Finished in 18:23 or 1:50 / 100 meters which is better than I had planned on. CL says I can go faster.  IMAZ is wetsuit legal.  I will be faster.  Also, note this test was in meters.  Our last test was yards.  If you compare the times on a comparable basis then today's test was a 1:41 per 100yds and the last test was 1:42 per 100yds.  I got better!

All in all, I did good.

Train hard, train smart,
XXX

Monday / Rest Day

Today was a rest day.  I slept in a whole 10 minutes longer than usual.  Yea!  Saw the boys and the wife off to school and work, respectively. Then rolled out with my Grid.  All I can say is OUCH!!!!

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX

Sunday Run

The CL wanted me to run 5 miles without electronics.  No music, no HR monitor, nothing more than my clothes and shoes.  Clothing was optional but the cop in the Tijuana Flats parking lot for sure would have arrested me.  So how does one run 5 miles if you do not know how far you have gone?  I do not know.  So I wore my Garmin (no HR monitor) and turned my screen to distance only.  I set the pace based on how I felt.

All in all it was a great run.  Easy pace not breathing hard.  Now I know how far 5 miles is.  Dianne passed me in her car on her way to the threshold test.  She did not have to wait long.  I was administering the test.

Time: Unknown
Pace: Unknown
Distance: 5 miles
HR: Unknown
Calories: Unknown

Train hard, Train Smart
XXX

Saturday, Feb 4th - 55 mile bike ride

Like any other long ride Saturday we convened at the Lake Nona Y.  It was cool out but not too bad.  I did not wear any cold weather gear.  So we got started at 7:45.  It was a beautiful day out until the wind started blowing.  Holy crap!!!!  This was a zone 2 ride and it was an absolute struggle.  Finally, we finished.

Now we are about mile 40 on this ride and the wind is just beating on us. We are in a double pace line and I am behind Jessica Sch.  She is about 4'11" and has a zero profile on the bike.  There is no such thing as drafting behind her.  It is like riding in the lead. So I yell at to her that she needs to bulk up. This is the last thing you say to a woman.  I wish I had been able to see her face. She starts stammering and asking what the hell I was talking about.  CL got it immediately.  Jessica then got it and asked how the draft was?????  Later that day after our 4 hour bike ride we were at Tijuana Flats for lunch, Steph dubbed her "Bulky".  Sorry Jess, your stuck with it. 

The day was good, but I could done without the wind.  Here are the stats:

55 miles

4:05 hours (We did stop often and at one point stopped for 16 minutes to help one our own to change a flat)

Approx 16 - 17 avg mph

1,100 calories burned ( I am not buying this number I do not think Garmin is working right.)

Friday, Feb 3rd

Friday was a stretch day with the Grid rollers.  OMG I never knew such an inanimate object could inflict so much pain in a person.  Here is a pic of one.  Essentially you roll yourself around on this thing and get pain.  So I show up for the 6am class and notice everyone is sweating and they are all grinning at me.  Then they start razzing me about not showing up for the run.  What run?????  I misread the email.  Crap!!!  So after stretch and weightlifting, I went home and ran. That sucked.

Here are the stats.

2 miles

20:30 minutes:seconds

137 Avg HR

Fire Drill

So this post is a little tardy but funny none the less.  Last Friday we were in stretching class and the fire alarm goes off.  We are told it is a test, so we just keep stretching with the grids trying to ignore the ear piercing alarm.  After a few minutes we figure out that this test is going to occur for quite some time.  Finally, I go up to the alarm with my work out towel and cover the speaker.  It dampened the sound to annoying but there I was standing there on top of a box holding a towel over a fire alarm.  Katie goes to get tape, but she had to weave all over the building because the fire doors were closed.  She finally gets back with tape and her and Jorge tape the towel over the alarm just in time for it to turn off.  It looked hilarious.  It was truly a team effort.  After class we took the tape and towel off.  Here is a pic.

Sleep Talking, Swimming, & Waking up early

Today started out really weird, then got normal then I found out why it started out weird.  Let me explain.

For the third day in a row I awoke at 4:45am.  I knew I had a restless night but I was rested.  I did the usual morning routine.  Coffee, banana, getting dressed, etc. Kissed the wife and drove to the aquatic center to swim.  The swim workout was 2,500 meters or 2,732 yards.  Not too hard, but hard enough.  I am actually kind of doing the cool down much to the pleasure of the CL.

I then got showered and went to work.  A normal day right. Later today I got a call from my wife. She asked if I was ok. I said I am fine.  She then said I had quite an evening talking in my sleep.  Of course, I asked what did I say.  Well, it went like this according to her.  "The training is too hard."  "It's just too hard."  Well, we all know what training I was talking about.  She said I was quite animated and upset about it.  I do not remember a thing.  What a night!

This waking up at 4:45am has got to end.  I am too tired. Tomorrow is stretching at 6am I get to sleep a half hour later.  Whoo hoo!!!!!!

That's all for now!!

Train hard, train smart,
XXX

Cycling Lactate Threshhold Test

The CL was back at it today.  Last week it was the running Threshhold Test TT.  This week it was cycling.  Since nutrition is called the "fourth" discipline of triathlon, I can't wait for that test.....

At some ungodly hour I awoke to drag myself, my bike, and my trainer down to the Lake Nona Y. We were meeting at 5:30 am.  I was the second one in the gym and started setting up my bike.  The only thing everyone could say to me when they came in was "Scot you are here early.?"  Yes I am normally a little late.  Anyway CL showed up and we eventually got started.

For 20 minutes we pedaled and for 15 minutes I complained about my HR monitor not working.  Finally the CL says do you have the strap on right?  I said yes.  I lift up my shirt and the pads are showing, ie they are not on my chest.  Oops.  I hated when she does that.  I am going to have lift up my shirt from now on to prove to her I put my damn HR monitor on correctly.  I know what happened, when I took my sweatshirt off must have gotten caught and rolled.

Now after the 20 minute warmup we pedaled for 30minutes as hard as we could go at a cadence of 85rpm or greater.  At the 10, 20, & 30 minute mark we told the CL our HR and cadence.  My were:
10 minutes - 147 HR, 97 cadence
20 minutes - 152 HR, 97 cadence
30 minutes - 152 HR, 99 cadence

What does that mean?  Well you average the HR look up your average in Joe Friel's book Going Long to get your training HR zones.  The CL said you back a few heart beats off the average. So if you do that my cycling HR training zones are as follows:

Traing zone 1 = <117
Traing zone 2 = 117 to 131
Traing zone 3 = 132 to 137
Traing zone 4 = 138 to 146
Traing zone 5 = 147 and up

Swimming tomorrow, Stretch, core, and lifting on Friday, and riding 55 miles on Saturday.  IMAZ here I come.

Train hard, train smart
XXX

Swimming......

Well, I should thank the CL for having us swim at the Aquatic center this morning.  Apparently the 528 was a nightmare during rush hour.  It had accidents and heavy traffic from a convention in town.  Since I was driving it before 6am, I missed it all.

Swimming was fun today until we got the part where we had to do 6 50s (that's meters not yards, so it is longer) on the one minute.  This means you have to swim hard to the other end of the pool under a minute.  Any   time in the minute left you can rest.  When the minute is up, you are swimming again.  That is hard especially in meters.

Speaking of early start times, the CL called practice at 5:15 so we can run before stretching.  Is she nuts?  Well  I am going to bed now.  Nite nite...

Train smart not hard
XXX

Lactate Threshhold Test

Today was a hard day.  We had a lactate threshhold HR test.  What does that mean?  It is a test that when you are done you will be able to determine your HR training zones.  It is more precise than using 220 minus your age.

So you warm up for 10 minutes then you run as hard as you can for 30 minutes.  The idea is to run the same pace for the entire 30 minutes.  At 10, 20, & 30 minutes you take your heart rate.  You then avg those numbers.  The average specifies your heart rate at the bottom of zone 5.  From that number you can calculate your zone 1, 2, 3, & 4 HR ranges.

The test was grueling. I started out at a good pace.  The usual suspects went flying by me.  Suspiciously, there was one person that stayed behind.  It was my new shadow, Steve.  As you may remember he haunted me in the 1 mile test a few weeks ago.  He was back.  He stayed within 20 yards of me the whole time.  At the end he over took me. I just could not run any faster.  Good job, Steve.

The results were:
Ran 5500 meters in 29.5 minutes. (I stopped running at 29.5min because I felt like I was too close to my max HR.  Better to be safe than sorry.)  This was 3.41 miles.  Broken down in 5k time, I ran a 5k under 27minutes which is a personal best. More importantly my HR average was 163.  This means that my zone 2 training ceiling is 144 bpm.  I had been using 120 per the 220 rule mentioned above.  I do need to have the CL confirm this.

All in all I will be able to train at a faster pace from here on out.  This makes sense since 2 years ago I trained for a half ironman and trained at 140HR pace for the run.  I was definitely ready for that half ironman.

We are swimming tomorrow.  I will be getting up early, so I am going to bed early.  Good night!

Last week - Training sucks on the road

So last week I was on the west coast of Florida for a conference and then went to Columbia, SC for a business meeting.  Well, training while traveling can be quite challenging.  Fortunately, the hotel in FL was on the beach (good for running) and had a nice but short pool.  So I got some swimming in and running.  Columbia is a whole different story.  First it was cold and then the treadmills sucked.  Forget about a stationary bike.  It was difficult to say the least. I am going to have to evaluate my out of town trips a little more.

Nevertheless, I returned to Orlando to do a 50 mile zone 2 ride on Saturday and an 8-mile run on Sunday, also in zone 2.  All in all, it could have been worse.

Train smart not hard.
XXX

Finally a countdown timer

Well, it has taken me a lot of time and some help from a friend (Thanks Katie) and my son to get the countdown timer on the blog.  OMG.  Can web development be any more complicated?  Enjoy.

307 days to go

By now there is quite some repitition in my blog titles.  It is my own way of counting down, since I can not find a countdown gadget that will work in this blog!  If anyone knows how to do this, I would be eternally grateful. 

This weekend was more base training.  45 miles on the bike and a 7 mile run all in zone 2 on Saturday and Sunday, respestively.  The bike ride was cold.  It had to be about 40 when we started.  I was dressed in my ninja warrior outfit, so I was cool but not cold.  Ninja warrior outfit??  Well, it means I am dressed as follows:  helmet, balacava (full face, only the eyes show and I had sunglasses on), wind proof jacket, gloves, UA heatgear tights, and wind proof shoe covers. Other than the helmet, everything was black. 

We sometimes train with the CL's team in training team.  They are a great group.  Except on Saturday there were 2 new people that were not only dealing with the cold but also dealing with this thing called triathlon.  I am sure they are wondering what the heck they got themselves into.  I really felt bad for them.  It was cold and not fun for them.  Hopefully, they will hang in there.  It always seems like new people come to the hardest practices the very first time.!!

Sunday's run was cold too, but not as bad as the bike.  Wind on the bike = BAD.  Wind on a run sucks but does not ruin the day.  Accomplished both the bike and the run well in zone 2. 

Also finished my tests for the CL last week.  The results were:
Waking HR was 50-55 each day.
# of consecutive push-ups = 33
# of consecutive sit-ups = 28
3 minute step test - HR recovered 40bpm in one minute and an additional 10 bpm the second minute.

All in all I am reasonably fit, but need a long endurance base built up if I am ever going to tackle IMAZ.

Train Smart not Hard
XXX

315 Days to Go

Yesterday, Saturday, 1/7, we had a good size group go riding.  I would say there was at least 15 of us.  It was 40 mile zone 2 bike ride.  We all were good and did not go into zone 3 except when cresting Mount Nona.  In this kind of ride you get to ride with almost everybody and some point in time and you chat it up.  

Folks who are not around me too much really take me way too seriously.  We were talking about how far we had already gone.  We had gotten separated into 2 groups but had come back together.  My group had gone farther.  So my mileage, was about mile further. Julie and Pam's was less.  Pam jokingly said that I must be weaving.  Real indignant, I say I was not weaving.  At this time Julie and Pam have this look OMG we have struck a nerve.  Then I quickly say I do not even know how to knit.  They were quite relieved and amused.

Well, that was a good one.  Sorry girls, it was just fun to tell that story.    

Good Training.

XXX

Ironman, Stretching, & XXX (yes porno)

What do those three things have to do with one another?  Well, the answer is simple if you put some groggy, probably tired, and sore triathletes in a room with one another with nothing else to do.  Whoa! Check that dirty thought right there. You need to hear the rest of the story.

So its Friday 6am and a few of us are waiting for the CL to show up and torture us with the damn rolling grids.  She says they help.  What???  I have not figured that out.  Perhaps its that insatiable desire to see grown men and women scream in agony or maybe it will ultimately relax our muscles and allow them to train/perform better.  I am not sure, but I digress.

So we are waiting and Lynn turns to me and says when you are stretching you sound like you are starring in a porn movie. She was dead serious.  Now several things went through my mind. 1. How does Lynn know what a porn movie is like?  She is older than I but not what I would expect from her. Hmmm!  2. Do I really make that much noise?  I know I am a first class whiner, but really. 3.  Is this a topic/road that we can really go down being that we are sitting in the main exercise room of the YMCA?  Naturally, I opt for number #3 and I vehemently deny I make that much noise and I am sure that the sounds are nothing like a porn movie.  CL shows up during this and we all have a good laugh and the hell, er I mean stretching begins.

And it gets better, Saturday, 1/7, we are going for a 40 mile zone 2 bike ride.  So we are all riding together slow keeping our heart rates down, we stop half way through and the CL informs that Steph has dubbed me triple XXX for a nickname.  OMG!  This is going to be around a long time.  This is going to be a long season.

Well, that is how you put those 3 things together.

Good Training.
XXX

320 days to go

The new year is here and training has begun.  I think this year will go quickly maybe too quickly.  We will see.

So far this year/week I have run 4 miles and swam a little over one.  Biking tomorrow.

Just taking it one day at a time.

320 days on the wall, 320 days, take one down, pass it around, 319 days on the wall......

News Flash

The pool heater has been broken at the Y, so our swim practices were switched.  This means that today we ran instead of swimming.  It was 4 miles in zone 2.  Or dog slow as I like to put it.  It was a comfortable run and the weather was pleasant.

Obviously that was not the news flash.  The CL ran today!!!!!  I actually saw her run for the entire distance.  Up until this day I had never seen her do a run workout with us.  To put this in perspective  she began coaching team Vortex January of 2010.  Almost 2 years.  She did really good.  BTW she pointed it out to me.  I hadn't even noticed.  What can I say?  I am a GUY!

We had a good group out this am.  It was a relaxing day as most of us did not have to work today as it was the official holiday for New Year's Day today. 

So the new year begins, on a good note and a pleasant surprise.  Swimming tomorrow in a heated pool.  Yea!!  It is supposed to be 35 degrees out in the am.  That is way too cold in FL.

Good Training.

New Year's Resolutions

2012 is here.  What will be my New Year's Resolutions?  Let me think about this.

Probably should be something about the Ironman.  What about some family items? Work related? What should I resolve? I took most of the day to think about this and really didn't get anywhere.  So here it goes.

My New Year's Resolutions (yes, it is plural)

1. Finish Ironman AZ and be prepared to do it
2. Stay married while accomplishing #1
3. Support my sons while accomplishing #1
4. Stay employed while accomplishing #1

At the end of the day simple is better.  I probably could have spent days thinking about this and come up with some really mind blowing resolutions, but that would have just been too hard to do.  Why spend the time and energy on just bs. 

So what do the resolutions mean, IMAZ is front and center in my life this year but at the end of the year if I finish IMAZ and lose my wife or my family or my job then I failed.  This year is going to be about balance.  An old wise man saying says, "An accountant's life must always be in balance."  :)

I probably should resolve not to give CL such a hard time at practice.  Not!  I will continue to have fun, not at her expense but at what she wants us to do.  She is a fabulous teacher and friend.  I am simply having fun.  If we can't have fun then I do not want to practice.  Don't get me wrong I am all about practicing hard, but it needs to have purpose and be fun.

I hope that CL will endure the never ending question of why why why!!

Good Training.