Catching up

Well last week came and went. Being that it was recovery week, I took it easy and seemed overly tired. I got a morning swim on Tuesday and a morning bike in on Wednesday. Couldn't seem to get a run though as the week just flew by.

Saturday was Luray Oly and I did okay. I took off early from work on Friday and went down to Luray, VA with Mark. We did all the things we would not normally do with our women. We ate dinner at the Luray firehouse where they had a great spaghetti dinner for the triathlete. Then afterward we went to see District 9 - some scifi movie I knew nothing about but turned out to be one of the better movies I have seen in a long time - note that Carol continues to rent chick flicks and the latest being I'm a Shopoholic - so District 9 brought me back to reality.

The race on Saturday was at this park in Luray. Water temp was 80 degress so I swam no wetsuit and had a slower swim time then usual. This was due to no wet suit and me still struggling on my stroke technique. The bike course was hilly and it was hot but bike split was a little faster then columbia at around 16.7mph. The run course was again hilly and it was roasting and I averaged about 9:13's but it seemed slower then that. I had good transition times and my overall time was 3:05, about 7 minutes slower then Columbia in May.

I need to start getting move of my runs in and continued to work on my stroke technique. My biking is coming along but there is always room for improvement.

Totals for last week were:

Swim: 2.2 miles
Bike: 33.6 miles
Run: 6.2 miles
Total: 42 miles, 4:42 hours

Next two weeks are going to be tough!

I think this ride left a scar...

Man, it was hot and humid today on the bike! We did the Apple Blossum ride, same one we did back on May 6, 2007. Just read my posting from then and it looked like I had one of the best rides at the time before CDA. However, at that time, we did 112 miles and the temp was between 40 and 50. Certainly not the case today. 95 degrees hot, sunny and humid! I was doing well, had a good pace but felt groggy the whole time. I started to push the pace around mile 70ish, thinking we only had 8 miles to go and wouldn't you know - we missed a turn because of a slight error in the cue sheet. At mile 79 we came to the realization - where the hell are we and how far do we have to go? I was spent, Mark was wiped, and Brian was definitely shot, but we were lost. So after riding in circles for a little bit, we found a few others from the team and they lead us back to the school and we ended up doing 83 miles. Yeah yeah, I hear ya, how bad could it have been to go 4-5 extra miles - Let me tell you - IT WAS TOUGH AND LEFT A SCAR!

However, overall my pace was better then two years ago, granted the distance was less, but the weather was worse. I am quite pleased with today's ride, no euphoric feeling like in May 2007, but it was solid. Also, used new nutrition for the ride - www.infinitnutrition.com where you mix your own formula and you don't need gu's or any other food. I think it worked well today and I avoided cramping however, I think need some solid food. I'll call them this week and find out what they recommend.

Totals for the week:
Swim: 2.7 miles
Bike: 118 miles
Run: 8.4 miles
Total: 129 miles, 11:24 hours

This week coming up - RECOVERY WEEK and Luray Oly on Saturday!

Slighlty bruised...

To catch up - Had a good ride home Thursday night but skipped the run. Therefore, I got no weekday runs in for the week, but at least I was able to spend time with Carol. I rode my bike to work Friday morning and was taking it easy until I passed this guy and he started drafting off of me so I picked it up - why is that?

This morning I did a trail run with Kerri and ran just under 9 miles. This trail is beautiful and takes you right along the Potomac that has waterfalls, rock climbs and even a switchback that make your legs burn! During the first few miles of the run I just happened to trip on a rock and fell and landed on my left hand/shoulder. The shoulder is okay but the palm of my hand is pretty bruised up. nothing seems broken, which is good. Trail running definitely beats your body up in a different way, but it is so much fun. To go 9 miles, it took us 1:50 minutes because of the hills, climbs, etc... What an awesome workout. It will be interesting to see how tomorrow goes - it is going to be brutally HOT and HUMID and I hear it is a tough route - 80 miles, my longest in since CDA!

solid swim this morning

Couldn't get my run in last night so no work out yesterday. The time I got home, watched Thomas, made dinner and Carol got home at 8, knowing I had to get up this morning for swim, i decided to bag the run.

Solid swim this morning as I focused on extending my left arm out. Got in roughly 2200 yards with some good zone 4 work. now going to bike home and possibly try to get in a run.

Yesterday's workouts

Up at 4:30am to make swim at 5:30am. On the way, called Mark to make sure he was up - just like old times. Got a pretty good workout in expect I kept pulling myself under water when I went to breath (had coach Ed look at my stroke and it turned out I was pulling to soon with the left arm - need to work on that). Swim was an hour, shower, and head to work.

At the office by 7:30 and worked to 4:00, left early today to get home by 5 and check on Dad watching Thomas for the first day since Carol just went to work part time. Watched, played, fed, hung out with Thomas, made dinner for Carol and I. When Carol got home at 8, I jumped on my trainer for a 45 minute bike workout, showered, ate dinner and in bed by 9:30pm.

It was a busy day!

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Just add a little soap to this WET ride!!

Sunday morning, waking up. Uggggggggg. 5:30am the alarm goes off - sore, knowing I need to go ride 75 in a couple of hours. I forgot these mornings. Legs are sore, body is aching but somehow I get up, pack the car and head to the ride.

Today’s ride was pretty solid, although I felt like a wet rag for most of the ride as it rained except for the last 30 minutes or so. The rain actually felt pretty good since it was warm outside and it beat being under the hot sun and then getting a lecture from my wife for not putting enough sun tan lotion on. I rode the first 55 miles on my own since there was no one at my pace that I knew of and my buddy Mark, who I was suppose to ride with, DOGGED! But that’s okay – it was good for me mentally. Around mile 55 I did start riding with the couple, Ron and Courtney, who I guess got lost and ended up next to me. It helped big time the last 20 miles because I was getting tired and the rain really started pouring for the next 10 miles and then it started to clear up. With 5-6 miles to go, I totally slowed down going up this hill and they slowed down for me to catch up, I almost waved them to just go, but then I dug deep and caught up telling myself, just keep up, I don’t have that far to go. It turned out to be a solid ride today. In total, I averaged about 16.3 on the bike today and was pretty consistent the whole ride.

Totals for the week:

Swim: 1.4M
Bike: 101M
Run: 19M
Total: 121 miles, 10:32 hours

Saturday's run...

Saturday’s run was good, be it hot and very humid. I stuck to my plan of running a mile, walking a minute for the entire time and averaged 10:30’s. I never thought I would be pleased with an average of 10:30’s on a long run. It seems my run time has slowed down about a minute per mile since last year. Not sure what the cause of it – maybe because I have not been running as frequently or other issues. In any event, I would be very happy if I can average 10:30’s on the run during Ironman.

So, after a nice long run, how do you spell relief? I C E B A T H! Ahhhhh, I took a long ice bath in my Jacuzzi tub and listed the Grateful Dead on XM for about 30 minutes. Aside from the shrinkage, it felt really good to get me ready for the next day’s ride.

Made the AM Swim!

Well - I made it to swim practice this morning - 5:30am! yeaaaaah. Walking on the pool deck and there was Mark, just like old times! I knew Roy and Linda wouldn't be there because they had an excuse - just did IMLP. Harriet - where was she? and did see Banks and Jen and Paul - everyone else - know idea who they were as they looked as me as I was a newbie.

Well, one thing I had going for me this morning was Thomas never woke up in the middle of the night for a feeding so now the next challenge will be to wake up in the middle of the night, feed my cute son and THEN goto swim. Until that time, I will enjoy the fact that my workout is done, focus on staying awake at work and feel guilty because my wife will not be able to sleep in a little today.

churning along...

Had a great ride home from work last night and kept in Z4 for most of the ride. Got home about 6:30, ate dinner, spent a little time with Thomas and then worked on my fitness room in the basement until 9:15, read a book to Thomas for awhile and feel asleep around 10pm. Woke up at 4am to feed Thomas, back to sleep around 5ish, up at 6:15 ish, and had a steady bike to work. Showered and now ready to start my day at my deck. I tell ya, you do whatever you can to fit it all in!!

Tomorrow morning's goal is to wake up and make the 5:30am swim practice. I have yet to do it this season but did so religiously 2x per week when I trained for CDA. Heck, if I can get up at 4am to feed Thomas, I can just stay up and leave for swim at 4:50am, right???

Hot & Steamy!

It is going to be a hot and steamy week this week. I ran just under 5 last night and it was pretty humid! Man, what is the deal with me running and having to go number 2. AGAIN, last night in the middle of my run I am scurrying around for a bathroom! I finally got to one and RELIEF!!! I need to make sure the system is cleared before I go running again because there will not always be a bathroom!

Congrats IMLP!!!

Congrats to all those who raced in IMLP on Sunday! You guys did awesome! It was great tracking the race online and wish I was there to cheer! Also, on TV was the Hawaii IM world championship from 2008. I seem to get all choked up watching these races and watching everyone cross the finish line. It reminds me of when I volunteered for Florida IM last year and worked the finish line. It was an amazing experience watching racers cross the finish line and realizing they just completed their dream knowing the time and sacrifice they put into training to make that moment possible. It is an incredible moment that one cannot fully appreciate it until it happens as it did with me in CDA.

Drama!!

Well not to go into too much specifics here but apparently I need to watch what I say to people. At least that was the message to me in a very surprising email from a friend of mine. Now I know that at times I just so happen to say the wrong thing or have been known to "stir the pot" so to speak. But in the case, I can clearly say that I was being supportive in my actions. Emails like that are touch to receive because they just cause tension later on. We shall see.

Recovery week

Ahhhhh, the beauty of recovery was last week although I certainly didn't feel like i was recovering. I realized on Thursday/Friday that I was over tired and was not getting enough sleep at all. I suppose 3-weeks of good training combined with getting up in the middle of each night to feed Thomas caught up to me. On Friday night, both Carol and I passed out on the couch at 8:00pm we were so tired. Needless to say, I was able to catch up on some sleep and feel a little well rested.

Over the weekend, instead of doing run on Sat and bike on Sun, I just did a brick on Saturday so I could hang out with the family on Sunday. In total, I rode 20 and ran just under 6 on Saturday and ran into Gayle and Harriet in the park.

Here are the totals for the week:

Swim: 1.5 m
Bike:45.2 m
Run: 5.7 m
Total: 52.4 m, 5:04 hours

A nice solid week!

Had a good week of training and felt like I'm starting to get into a groove as I got in 6 workouts. I was able bike to/from work one day this week. If I can do that one to two days per week it would be huge to get those bike workouts in like that! I try to go hard and keep it in Zone 4 so I feel like I am getting a little speed workouts in. Thursday I woke up at 4am to feed baby Thomas and after I got him to bed, I put on my running clothes and went for a run at 5:45am! That was a first for me but I need to keep doing that to get my workouts in. Yesterday I ran 6 miles and today biked 61. That was the longest I have gone since Couer d'alene! Today's ride was in Gainesville, VA and was pretty hilly. The scenry was beautiful and the weather was perfect with low humidity and in the 80's. It feels good to be out there training again and still be home enough to be with Carol and Thomas.

So, next week is recovery week already! AHHHHHHHHHHH. Here are the totals for this week:

Swim: 1.7 Miles
Bike: 86.4 miles
Run: 11.7 miles
Total: 99.8 miles, 8 hour, 32 mins of training!!

Decent swim last night

Finally - a decent swim at the pool and a busy night. Swam at Takoma Swim Center and got in about 2700m as it was a nice workout with a little speed work as well.

Parents! They just don't understand...

SO this past Sunday we went to my mom's house for my dad's birthday and we had a nice time UNTIL I made my announcement that I am training for Florida IM. You talk about a party killer, you think that I told them that I was moving out of the country and never returning. Their reaction still really bothers me as they were grunting and moaning asking why I want to do this and I'm never going to see my son because of the training - blah blah blah. They didn't want to listen how I plan to train to maximize my time at home. Man I was and am still pissed. You know, it's one thing not to have their support but to act like that is beyond me. How about a response like, hey, that's great, we know you will do well. I tell you, it is reactions like that, the naysayers that motivate me more to do it. It's always at the hardest part of a workout or towards the end where you need to push yourself just a little more that the naysayers come into mind and forces you to push harder and go a little further.

Sunday's Ride

Today's ride was nice as we did the Harwood route through Southern, MD. I always enjoyed this ride in the past. The humidity was somewhat low but you definitely felt the heat and the hills towards the end. We road just under 50 and the sag support was awesome. I rode mostly with Mark and his new tripped out tri bike! Below are the totals for this past week:

Swim: 1.3 M
Bike: 59.5 M
Run: 18 M
Total: 79 M (7:40)

Trying hard to get those workouts in

Monday - went to swim and was only able to get just over a mile in before the life guards closed to pool down for some unknown floating object - i didn't stick around to see what it was. Not sure if I'm going back to that pool again.

Tuesday - nothing - had to work late and wanted to get home to see Thomas.

Wednesday - ran the hills of Rock Creek - got in about 6 miles

Thursday - early am - woke up at 4am to feed Thomas and after I got him back to sleep at 5:30 I jumped on the trainer and rode an hour. Glad to get the workout in! Also, I went to the Doctors to get a physical. Carol is worried about my health and getting ready to seriously abuse my body the next 4 months. Doctor said I'm in great shape and wished all his patients were this healthy. Nice smooth heartbeat, low blood pressure - so far so good - i get blood work next week.

Friday - massage - awwwww felt so good. My hamstrings, quads, etc... were very tight and I still have this issue with my lower back. May need to get a massage more ofter to keep things lose.

Saturday - long run. Finally got started around 9am so it was little warm and sunny. Ran in Rock Creek doing 1 mile run, 1 minute walk and averaged 10:10/mile. Not bad but I could not keep my heart rate down. Need to keep working on that.

Gearing up....

I traveled down to Florida last November and registered for Florida IM 2009. At the time, I knew Carol was pregnant and was on the fence as to whether I should sign up. I knew with a newborn coming in May, training was going to be difficult. Somehow I managed to train for Columbia, then 2 days later Thomas was born and 3 weeks later I'm in the water at Cambridge at the start for Eagleman Half Ironman. Both races went well for me and somehow, I was able to fit in the training. For the past few weeks I have been experimenting with my training, figuring out ways to work out and still be home to see my wife and son. I have come up with schemes to bike to and from work, go for a run or swim in between Thomas taking naps and still trying to figure when I can get my long runs and rides in let alone be able to sleep. My wife is on board, but remains skeptical that I will be able to keep up with everything. Most important to me is spending time with her and Thomas as I train the next 4 months!



This past week, I rejoined Team Z, and signed up for Luray Oly and Bassman 1/2. Now that I have gotten my schedule squared away, its time to get in some serious training. This past week was a recovery week for the Team. I used this week to continue my base work. Below are my totals.



Swim: 1.6 m

Bike: 69 m

Run: 13 m

Total: 83.4 m, 7:39

One Year Later...

So, it is now one year later and not a day has gone by in which I have not thought about IMCDA and how I can manage my time to do another Ironman. Carol asked me the other day why do I feel the need to do another Ironman and my response was simple, "the distance calls for me." In other words, once you have been there, you just can't wait to do it again and again and again. Currently, I am only running and training for two fall marathons as I do not have the time to swim and bike but hope to be in the next few months. Will 2009 be an opportunity for a second IM or will I need to wait until there is more time to train. We will see. In the meantime, I will keep running, staying in shape and looking forward to training and crossing that Ironman finish line. Good luck to all of Team Z who is going to Placid in July. I wish you the best and I will be thinking of you every moment of the day.