I should have swam, instead

Funny how plans can take on a mind of their own. So, tomorrow I'm going to wolf down some Thai food with Eric, Chris, and Mendy. That means my normally scheduled Friday pool suffering has to shift. That means the brick I was thinking of doing after work had to move, too. So, the plan was to knock out the brick at lunch, and then swim after work as early as possible so Mendy could get to the tri clinic.

It was all going to plan, until I got a flat. See, the last time I rode my tri bike, I broke a spoke on my training set of wheels (yes, I'm that freakin' awesome!), so I had to mount a spare wheel. This was the first time riding it, and the wheel, tube, tire, and cassette (gears) went together moments before the ride. I normally have zero time to spare on a lunch brick, doing about 13.3 miles on the bike and 2.4 on the run. As soon as the road started feeling bumpy and the bike started to fishtail, I knew what it was. Damnit!!! So, do I change it and go home? Do I walk it home and use my sailor words the whole way? Do I quickly change it and continue with the brick? I chose the last option, but cut the bike route short (to 9.5 miles).

As if that wasn't enough, at the turn-around point on the bike I went to take a drink from my bottle, and sprayed Powerade right into my eye and all over my body and the bike. Are you serious? I was mad enough to quit, but I didn't. I could still salvage this! I hammered it home and went out for the run, which actually went rather well. The weather was beautiful (71-72) with almost no wind! And my run time was only 13 seconds slower than the stupid morning run I did yesterday, and that was without cycling prior. Yay!

Another interesting thing happened. Some mystery box arrived at our house around lunch time.

I wonder what the contents could really be?

It's probably not a prom dress; we are WAY too old for that, and still too cool to be chaperons to a prom. Hmmm, maybe Mendy can fill you all in this evening...

Update: nevermind! Swimming still sucks worse than changing a tube in the middle of a ride. Doing speed intervals when you are dog-tired, after doing a bunch of pull ups, is worse than changing tubes and attempting to blind yourself with blue, sugary, electrolyte drink!

He swims with the fishes

Though you may expect me to just make a thin reference, but then proclaim how I swam super fast with super fast swimmers, this is not the case. I firmly mean this in the mafia sense, as in I felt mostly dead after swimming drills yesterday. I showed up to the pool and tried my best to talk my way out of them, but my swimming mentor and head executioner...er...coach, Pam, wasn't having it. You see, Nick and Pam were recently giving me "the business" about my purple line (swim minutes) being very puny and weak. I just wasn't swimming enough, but for some reason was expecting miracles in the pool come race time. Nick and I competed hotly last year in the SCTS races, and is looking strong this year. Pam is just some kind of fish, while trouncing all the other ladies in her age group in biking and running. She's fast. REALLY fast! As I mentioned, I lobied hard to just swim distance. Pam gently twisted my arm, and I was then on a path to certain drowning.
1700 yards, just under an hour, heart rate probably about 327 at times, and these evil little bands that go around your ankles to limit your kick amplitude. I meekly sulked away, proverbial tail between my legs, truly humbled. Pam was, in contrast, doing 3600yds of evil drills in 1.5 hours. Did I mention she's a fish?

To top it off, I have decided to try and incorporate 5 sets of 5 pull ups every day I'm at work (5 days a week, usually), no matter what other exercises I'm doing. This started Tuesday, but was immediately regretted on Wednesday, after the drills. *sigh*

Today was a nice brick. Now this I can handle! I took the bike out and cranked it HARD. I beat my course record by about 30 seconds, and then cranked out a strong run. Unfortunately, I had to guess at the time, and do a little reverse calculations based on estimated start time and bike time. I think I was around 6:46 per mile. Not Paul pace for a brick, by any means, but not bad for this stage of the season for me. And I finished strong with gas in the tank. I'm again hopeful for the season...as long as Pam doesn't kill me in the pool!

In other news, I get to spend Good Friday with Grace tomorrow, since her day care is closed. We are going to sleep in (ahhhhhh!) and then go to the gym. She'll enjoy some child care for a bit while I do some laps (not enough punishment this week?) and then she'll join me for some fun times in the pool. Yay!! Mendy should be showing up to do laps around that time, which should be good.


I'm looking forward to my body adapting to this level of training, but first I'm very much looking forward to a day off. I've had 1 full off day in the last 20, and 2 days off in the last 27. "Stimpy, my friend, I'm BUSHED!"

Oh, and a big shout out to my bro, currently stationed in England. Apparently he's been stalking my blog and keeping tabs on the training. I'm sure he's jealous, since the weather there is absolute poop for outdoor activity 9 months out of the year. Anyway, hi John! Our love to Robin, Lexi, Victoria, and Olivia, too! Hopefully we'll get a chance to get over there and visit for some REAL food. :-)

I'm trying to stay up with the rest of you guys, but time runs short. Looking forward to jogging the CRBR with Mendy and Tiff in a couple of weeks, with lots of pics and fun stories to follow. Eh, I guess I better start running longer distances again, huh? Later, peeps! Catch up wit youze as I can.

Not so much a brick...

but more of a block...of ice that is. Yesterday I went out for the first real brick of the season, and it just happened to be a balmy 37 degrees, with 8mph winds. I was feeling kinda hard-core for doing it, not seeing anyone else out on the roads running, riding, walking...or doing anything for that matter. As I pondered this while thawing in the post-exercise shower, it occurred to me that I may have been less hard-core, and more idiot. Come on, spring!

Thankfully, I can report that I'm feeling all my extremities again (even if Mendy refuses to feel some of them)! I was planning on running today, but may just take a rest (or core/weights) day. Probably ride tomorrow, and run Sunday. Then back to the wretched pool.

Have a great weekend, all. And have a great race, Mendy!!

Happy Hump Day!

Hope everyone has a humperiffic day today, and may all your humpiness be humptastic!

I have to swim today. Well, I don't have to, but my tri friend Pam is giving me a bunch of crap about having no purple (swim minutes) in my training log graph. Apparently, as she reminded me, swimming is actually part of triathlon. CRAP! Okay, so I'll go do some laps. I'm thinking I need to run this afternoon, since the weather will be nice. That may not happen if it's too windy, though.

So, with the pre-season essentially over, I'm starting to think about multiple workout days (i.e. bricks, swim lunch/run evening, etc). I'm anxious to get going, but with any big change in routine it's best to do ramp up, not just jump in. I'm WAY more inclined to do the latter, but I'm determined to play it smart(er) this year. So, I will probably start with a couple of swim/run days, and then maybe a couple of bike/run days, and then in a week or two start doing a brick every week or two. As the season gets going, I will be doing at least one, but probably two +, bricks per week. I really got a lot of benefit from that last year.

I also need to fix my back! I've had a couple of vertebrae out of alignment for about a year now, and it's most likely what's causing the upper ham/lower glute pain I get after running hard. The sensation is very similar to slipping on the ice and falling on one cheek hard: sort of a deep tissue soreness. I just need to suck it up and go to a Chiropractor, though I'm sure there will be much laughter when he examines my wonky back.

Which reminds me: why is it that EVERYONE knows a good Chiro? Nobody ever says, "Man, my Chiropractor is a total POS! He's really rough and doesn't seem to know his butt from a hole in the ground!" In fact, nobody ever even says, "My Chiro is pretty okay, I guess. You could do better." No, it's always, "Oh, I know a GREAT Chiropractor! You should totally go see him!"

Resume mental state of training

Because sometimes I do think I'm mental. Seriously.
This morning I got up super early for a run: 6:20, and out the door about 7 minutes later. Okay, so maybe that's not too early for the truly insane (Robin, Marcy, Jess, I'm talking to you 4:30 weirdos!), but it's a full 40 minutes before I have to wake up, which is the equivalent of paying money to receive hemorrhoids in my opinion. Regardless, I did it (the wakeup, not the 'roids). I had to make up for yesterday, when I skipped my lunch brick to go eat Thai with Mendy. Good trade, but the crazy hot food stuck around and I just wasn't feeling it after work, so I sat around like a turd. Anyway, you morning runners are officially out of your minds! Running early in the morning is like running at night, except the people are more hungover, less awake, and in a bigger hurry. I would like to say my pace suffered due to watching - and occasionally dodging - homicidal commuters. It probably had more to do with being half asleep, empty stomach, and just a touch of erratic pace. I honestly felt like I was going faster than the numbers, though:

4.28 miles in 29:55 @ 6:59/mile

The cool thing was that all day the run seemed like a dream, as if I hadn't actually done it. Weird, and cool. I again skipped my lunch workout, this time to lunch with my mental training mentor, Chris G-Man Giordanelli. The Greek food was great, but didn't compare to the sharing of training ideas, goals, history, fitness philosophy, upcoming race schedules, and some other chit-chat to fill in between talk of running, swimming, and cycling. We talked a bit about the wreck, and Chris shared how he was pleasantly amazed I had missed flying over the edge to the creek below, and how much the whole scene is still very vivid to him. I'm still/again very thankful that he, Clay, Cynthia, and the others were there to help me. Can't imagine if I was alone.

I left again inspired to push harder, break down barriers, and never quit striving for a new dream. I already had it in my mind to do something after work, probably swimming. After checking on Mendy's plans, I decided to ride to the gym to swim. That morphed into swimming and riding. Hmmm, what's left to do after swimming and riding? Might as well do a mini tri! What is wrong with me? Anyway, the stats:

500yd swim in 18:23 @ 1:41/100yd
13.95 mile ride in 41:06 @ 20.36 mph
2.4 mile run: 17:06 @ 7:08/mile

I'm now officially tired. I'm still planning on doing the group ride tomorrow, but I don't plan on setting any land speed records. Plans, schmans!

Good times, bad times

We all need reminding (none more than me, I sometimes think) that not every day can be great, and certainly not better than the last. Training just isn't always linear in an improving pace/speed value tangent. But I do believe firmly that it's important to push hard on those days that you just aren't as fast, or the miles just aren't coming along as easily.

Variables? Well, the fueling, rest, recovery from last workout, and preparation certainly play huge roles. If you have not put (the right) fuel in your body, you can't expect to do as well as you hoped, and probably shouldn't push yourself to attempt your goal. That's just reality: a car doesn't go as fast on no or low-grade gasoline. Neither do athletes. Likewise if you did nothing to come down from your last hard workout and did nothing to come up for the current workout, there is no right to expect excellent results. It may happen, but it will be the exception as opposed to the norm.

Such is the case today for me. I'm not sure the percentages of the above factors, but I know fuel was a huge portion. I drilled this morning (after sleeping less than I would have preferred) in the reserves, and afterwards decided it was far too nice a day to not ride...and run. Now, keep in mind that I plan to do a publicity ride tomorrow morning with a local Pro 1/2 race team, of which a friend of mine is a member. I hope to do the 66 mile, but may do the 35 mile ride.

Anyway, around 2pm I set off on the bike after preparing my "transition area". I was doing pretty well, but I was becoming progressively gassed on the hills. This route has several short, steep hills on the way out, and lots of long shallow hills on the way in. As I found, the return was more taxing for me without appropriate fueling prior. I did okay, but was spent for the run, and my pace was WAY off my norm, by about 1 min/mile. Anyway, the stats:

Bike: 20.92 miles in 1:00:28 @ 20.76mph (on my tri bike)
poky 1:23 trans
Run: 2.4 miles in 17.55 @ 7:28/mile

What did I learn? If I don't prepare, I'm gonna suffer, and I shouldn't give myself a hard time. Just learn from it, press on, and do a better job next time. We will have good days, we will have bad days. It just happens, and none of the people reading my blog have the luxury of tailoring each day around their athletic endeavors, like a pro athlete would. And life sure happens. Often!

Take care, all, and have a great weekend! I'm fitten' to raise up and get my movie on. :-)

In the name of health!

I was contemplating breakfast this morning: Honey Nut Cheerios, with some skim milk, and about 2/3 cup fat free PLAIN yogurt on top. It made me notice (but not quite question) my dedication to eating healthy things on purpose, at the expense of any sort of flavor. Seriously, fat free PLAIN yogurt is something that I would never wish on anyone as a noticeable ingredient. It would be okay as part of a curry dish, or maybe with a lot of additions for taste, but as a prominent flavor...blech. Still, I eat this stuff, and often.

Now, I'm no monk when it comes to food. I will occasionally be seen eating pancakes, or even scrambled eggs with cheese and ham (gasp!). I enjoy some barley sodas in the evening, or a nice wine. I do eat fairly tasty food for dinner often. Truth be told, I LOVE food. As much as or more than any person I know, and I relish rich and (pleasantly) flavorful foods. I guess I just have a weird suffer gene when it come to choosing meals that really don't matter for flavor, but matter a ton for correct carbs, light texture and food weight, low fat content, and overall health. Does that make me weird? Perhaps just dedicated? I do enjoy great food intensely when I get that kind of treat, perhaps more so due to the "suffering". I don't mind so much.

Anyway, yesterday I did take Robin's advice and layed off the calves after work, having only done a swim at lunch. I did hit the roller a little, and just relaxed. Anyway, stats are:

1500yds in 26:34 @ 1:46/100yds

Not bad, but not what it was. And my endurance was off, as my pace suffered in each successive 500yd split. And it was difficult. I felt beat afterwards.

Today was a new day, and I decided on a brick at lunch. The wind was about 14-16 mph, but I decided to do it anyway. Do race directors stop the wind? Uh, no. So, here was the result:

Bike: 14.23 miles in 40:30 @ 21.08mph avg
Trans: leisurely 1:36
Run: 2.4 miles in 16:56 @ 7:04/mile

My pace was off, probably due to the wind, which likely affected my run also. It was weird, though, since I felt like I was hammering on the bike and hitting higher speeds at the key points on the route that I normally monitor. Hmmm. Oh well, I guess it makes me stronger for next time. I can look forward (with tongue firmly in cheek) to swim drills tomorrow. *sigh*

It was a typical Florida early morning...

...when I set out to do my pre-race brick yesterday afternoon here in South Carolina. (What is David talking about today? He must be back on the pain pills!) Let me explain: the temps were in the mid to upper 70's, but the humidity was in the upper 80%'s. The air was thick and sticky, but fortunately it was overcast. Seemed a lot like the weather Jess describes for her early morning runs. So I jumped on my bike to perform my first brick in over a month. I wasn't expecting a lot, and was a bit concerned about the afternoon rush hour traffic, but had to get it in for a Friday rest prior to Saturday race. I was pleasantly surprised!

Bike: 14.21 miles in 39:34 @ 21.55 mph average

Run: 2.4 miles in 16:41 @ 6:57/mile average

That's only 7 seconds off my PR for the bike course, which was done not as a brick workout, but rather a simple Time Trial back on July 4th. And the run felt much easier than it had, even though there was a bit of wooden leg in the beginning. This gives me some hope for Saturday's race, indeed!

In other news, I just noticed yesterday that I'm now linked off of Carolina Triathlon's website as a local athlete, so I guess I need to clean up my act for all the passers-by. :-) It really surprised me, and I'm honored to be included in fine company. I do wave the CT flag to anyone locally that's looking to get into either cycling or multisport anyway, so hopefully I can add some real content to this blog to validate the listing.

I hope everyone racing this weekend has an excellent time and finishes strong. Wes, rock that 5K brother! Catch you later with a race report, folks!

Today's word: hyperhydration

a.k.a.: water intoxication or water poisoning

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

Marcy had asked a while back if I weigh myself before and after every run or ride. The truth is that I do try to, mostly because I have become concerned with my fluid weight loss and staying hydrated. And with that, hydrated properly without the risk of killing myself. Seriously! It's common for me to experience a net loss of about 5-6 lbs of fluid (considering approx 3 lbs of fluids consumed during ride) or 3-5 lbs during a 4-6 mile run in the heat (with no intake), or more with a longer run of 10-13 miles. So the immediate reaction is to just blast down a bunch of water, right? Well, we have to ensure the electrolytes are being replenished; they help balance fluid retention, cooling abilities of the body, and maintain proper muscle function. There is a very real and serious danger by either not replenishing them, or drinking so much water that you are essentially displacing the vital electrolytes in your system. As you all know, your heart is a muscle. The fibers are much more refined than skeletal muscles, however: they are smooth muscles that have an incredible amount of endurance for their density and weight. But if you rob them of what it takes to balance function, problems can arise. Please educate yourselves on this nutrition phenomenon, and hydrate appropriately. Steady water intake over long periods (vice blasting down a couple of gallons within a few hours of exercise) along with periodic moderate dose electrolyte replenishment (more so after long and/or particularly sweaty exercise) is what I would recommend to everyone as a base plan. Know your body, know the signs, and know when to stop.

So, other than that, I've been going at a pretty decent pace with the training. Last Thursday I essentially had 4 separate rides: a brick at lunch of 14.25 miles followed by a 2.4 mile run, a ride to the tri clinic of about 9 miles, 11 miles of sprint and coast with the tri clinic "students" trying to assist as many riders as possible and guide traffic, and then about 9 miles home. I was beat! Next day was a difficult 1500yd swim. By the time Saturday came around, I was happy that the group ride fizzled out due to rain: only about 5.25 miles and a lazy day.

Feeling lazy and inspired by the multitudes of people out riding and running (including Mendy's brother and his friend), I decided Sunday was a great day for hill repeats on the bike. I doubt I could have picked a more muggy day, however, especially as the sun came out and liberated all the recent rain from the grass and roads. I did okay, and knocked out 5 sprint repeats up a really steep and hateful climb, and then 2 more up a longer, more steady climb. Could/should have done more, but wanted to get back in case Mendy wanted to do something.

Yesterday was a "rest" day, mainly because Grace was out sick (congestion and boogers), so I couldn't really do anything during the day. After Mendy got home a nice thunderstorm decided to come out and play. Oh well, I guess there's nothing to do but go to Moretti's and get an Italian Flag pizza. Delicious! The guilt from that meal inspired me to do a quick 2.4 mile run at lunch (way off PR, BTW) and the Tuesday night group ride with the local tri/bike shop. We hammered pretty good for most of it, but also had to stop or ride slow many times for people to catch up. Still, a solid 31.5 miles with a lot of sprints, hills, and high speed pace.

I have been needing some bike work of late, so I'm glad to have ramped that up. I am feeling the need for running speedwork and long runs, however. I think about the G-man's pace for long runs and I wonder how it's humanly possible. He has reported holding a ~6:30/mile pace for 13 miles. One day, maybe, I'll be there too. At least I'm not too far off his swim times! :-) By the way, Chris, thanks for the props on your site!

Well folks, that's the high-level view of the last week. I honestly hope that, if you read anything, read and research the hyponatremia information. Especially you freaks living really close to the sun out in Arizona.

Hello? Anyone home?

Blogland is awfully quiet, so I'll keep this update short. Plus, I think I'm suffering the same kind of affliction that Jess is. Looks like someone has a case of the "Mondays". I need to go to Chotchki's and get some coffee. Wanna come with me?

Yesterday:
(Attempted) baseline on bike TT route
14.28 miles in 39:27 @ 21.72mph average

Followed by transition reinforcement .8 mile run in 5:02 @ 6:17/mile pace

Not a significant improvement over the day before, but nutrition, hydration, and rest were absolutely not optimized. Plus, the wind was higher. Anyway, that should be my goal for every TT from now on. The run was good (albeit short), and I felt really strong at the end.

Happy 5th of July, everyone. *blech*

Gotta love mini-Friday!

Even though I was super busy today, I was so happy it was a mini-Friday, or day before a mini-weekend. I still don't have complete plans for what we could do tomorrow, but it should be a fun day at any rate. I just hope Grace doesn't get too scared by the fireworks.

I was fortunate to have several snippets from the Monster Ballads commercial stuck in my head all day, but the recurring offender was Warrant's "Heaven". And the complete joy of this affliction is that the songs only play in 5 second increments, just like the commercial. I shake my fist angrily at that gosh darn commercial!

I apologize for that ugly outburst.

:-)

In other news, it's been a great few days for my personal performance, on the path to being the greatest athlete the world has ever known. If I can live to be 130 years old, and not age for the next 40 years, I'll nail that for sure! Bored yet? Probably. Anyway, Saturday I did another long brick. I planned for a longer ride, and absolutely a longer run, but at about 20 miles into my ride I noticed my seat post was sinking into the frame. I hadn't tightened the bolt enough after a last minute adjustment, and now my efficiency was going way down with my speed, and my knees were aching. I turned around and found a tractor repair place where I could move the post back up. That held up for a while, but the bolt holding the post was stripped out a bit, so I couldn't tighten it completely. To make a long story longer, I was beat by the time I got home, and my knees were killing me (proper bike fit is VERY important!) I was pushing so hard to get the run done, I started overheating badly. A tough workout, for sure. Here's the results:

Bike - 40.54 miles in 1:56:51 @ 20.82mph average
Run - 4.01 miles in 32:18 @ 8:03/mile

Sunday was lazy day, and Monday was a swim day. At lunch Mendy and I were able to get some good laps in, and I was again trying to focus on refining my stroke. I think this is starting to pay off, and the times are slowly improving:

1500yds in 26:00 @ 1:44/100yds
1st 500yd: 8:32 @ 1:43/100yd
2nd 500yd: 8:49 @ 1:46/100yd
3rd 500yd: 8:38 @ 1:44/100yd

Then I decided to do a baseline time trial run of my normal 2.4 mile brick run route right after work. I probably could have warmed up more, but I'm fairly happy with the results:

2.4 miles in 15:00 minutes @ 6:15/mile (128 feet of climbing)

Today was a brick, and what a brick it was. Man, I felt ON today. The bike started off kinda slow, but I kept pushing harder and harder. For some reason, I felt I had been foolin' myself about my previous attempts. Ah, f-f-f-foolin'! Yep, Def Leppard in the brain today. Oh well, the bike rocked, but the run REALLY rocked! It also started a bit difficult, but got stronger and stronger:

Bike - 14.19 miles in 39:49 @ 21.38mph average
Run - 2.4miles in 16:00 @ 6:40/mile

Thats a PR for the brick workout, and the transition was only :45 today. Nailed it all around. My neighbors think I'm nutz, though. I came around the corner with my bike as they were outside smoking on the back deck. I said hello, as did they, and ducked under my deck. Less than a minute later I'm running back out without a bike, but with running shoes on, and say hello again. Oh well, maybe I'll inspire them to quit smoking and/or get more active (hopefully "and").

I hope you all have an awesome 4th of July. Happy Birthday, America! And many moooooooore...

Stay safe, don't drink and drive, and run/bike/swim like it's your last time ever!

Jukebox hero

I'm not sure if it's come across yet, but I'm seriously guided by a strong internal jukebox. Most times it seems to be stuck on the 80's or early 90's, but sometimes tosses in some 70's. I actually play a game with Mendy (this is the clean one, actually) wherein I ask her what band it is every time a Led Zeppelin song comes on. She's caught on and knows what to say now (since I only do it for Zep songs), but she's often amazed by the variety of their music.

Anyway, when I'm out doing the do, exercising and pushing myself, I have a lot of grunting and groaning, a lot of sweat, and a lot of self-talk. I say stupid little things to encourage myself or validate my efforts. Many times, surprisingly, this puts some song in my head that would otherwise make me want to climb a water tower with a high powered rifle.

Yesterday I did a lunchtime brick, and as is customary during the recent ones, I'm pushing hard in the heat. Motoring. Just like Sister Christian. Yep, that gets locked in my nugget as soon as I tell myself, "Yeah, really motoring on now! Motoring, David!" Stick a fork in, I'm done. Anyway, it wound up being a decent brick:

Bike - 14.21 miles in 40m 07s @ 21.25 miles/hr
:54 transition
Run - 2.40 miles in 16m 45s @ 6m 59s /mile
Clear, sunny, wind 7mph, 48% humidity

Today I went to the pool (finally!) and got some laps in. I'm still trying to get comfy with my new swim style, and embed it into muscle memory. It felt okay, I suppose, and the last 500yds I progressively increased my effort. The last lap was full on sprint, and I was loving the feeling. Anyway:

50yd warm up
1st 500yd: 8:27 @ 1:41/100yd
2nd 500yd: 9:02 @ 1:49/100yd
3rd 500yd: 9:11 @ 1:50/100yd
4th 500yd: 8:35 @ 1:43/100yd
50yd warm down
2000.00 yards in 35m 18s @ 1m 46s /100 yards - avg 8:49/500yd

I wanted to run this evening, but I got tied up at the car dealership after lunch and didn't get to leave early. The plan is to do another long brick tomorrow, so hopefully that will work out with Mendy and I's collective plans.

In other news, I'm quite happy to now have a copy of a pic saved to my computer with Marcy jamming one of her digits somewhere into her sinuses. I wasn't in need of much uplifting before, but now I'm giddy! I hope she doesn't get the song Sister Christian stuck in her head now, as she motoring around in her runs and on the rower. :-)

Stagnation

Well, after the great gains I had seen last month in pace for running and swimming, I seem to be at a plateau. I guess it should be noted (here, and in my mind) that I am trying some refined techniques in both areas, attempting greater efficiency. While the running seems to be less draining, it's not speeding up. The swimming, however, is working different muscles harder, so I'm tired in all new and exciting ways! The short of it: for running I'm trying a shorter stride with focus on forefoot action, and for swimming I'm trying to reach full or near full extension before my hands enter the water. Both seem much more efficient, but the change is causing me to step back a bit in progress I suppose. Stats from last 2 days:

Wed:
Brick - bike 14.18 miles in 40:24 @ 21.06 mph
transition 1:05
run 2.4 miles in 16:36 @ 6:55 mile
10 mph wind & 82 deg

Thur:
swim 1750 yds in 30:07 @ 1:43/100 yds
run (non-brick) 4.25 miles in 29:01 @ 6:49/mile

Strangely enough, the brick run seems to be easier than the regular run, since I would expect a significant difference between the two paces. In fact, it seemed like an easier run, with more speed available had I wanted. It's possible my legs were still recovering from the great ride and good run yesterday, but the didn't feel like it. Oh well, speed work should fix it I guess.

I'm looking forward to the 5K this weekend, but I fear I won't do as well as I hope to. Of course I want a PR (duh!), but I want it to be by a minute or more. My last 5K was in January I believe, and it was a PR by about 4 minutes, but I trained a lot in the 9 months between those two races. I'm probably over thinking it, really. It's 3 freakin miles, for goodness sake! Okay, that settles it: I'm blowing the doors off of it!

Come on Friday! Work has been a drag lately, and I live for the weekends. Just like that old Loverboy song. Yeah, you know the one... (now just try to get it out of your head, ha ha ha!) Since I shouldn't really do a long ride Saturday morning, perhaps we'll have a big family breakfast instead! Man, I love doing that. Reminds me of special times as a little guy, and I want Grace to have those memories also. Of course, Grace doesn't get to experience the super unhealthy crap I used to enjoy (sausage, fatty bacon, regular eggs, instant pancakes, etc...) I hope she grows up without the need to find a healthy diet, though. If things go as I plan, it will be ingrained in her. Well, with some pizza thrown in, but only in moderation. Right? :-)

Hammock or bicycle?

I gots the shakes, I've been a way so long! I guess that means I had a great weekend, right? Even extended it a day, as Mendy noted. Well, for a quick catch up, Saturday morning started later than I had anticipated. It had been many weeks since we had a Saturday morning family sleep-in, and I just didn't want to miss out on it. So, after slowly getting out of bed and a leisurely morning routine, I set out on my ultra brick workout. I planned a great bike route, and wound up doing about 49.5 miles. My plan for afterwards was a long (8-10 mile) run, but some right quad cramping cut it short. I'm just not looking to incapacitate myself with a stupid injury in the middle of the season. Here's Saturday's stats:

Bike: 49.46 miles in 2:22:15 @ 20.86mph avg
Run: 4.0 miles in 31:32 @ 7:53/mile (about 2 min slow transition)
Consumed 6.5 lbs fluid, but lost 12 lbs fluid gross, and est 4,328 calories burned

Bring on the wings!! We went out with Scott and Robin for some delicious treats at Wild Wing. I had no fear of calories for the evening. What a great time, and especially when they came back to our house for some more beers and some pool in the Man Lair. If I had a keg cooler in the room I think Scott would leave Robin for me. :-) Then again, maybe not...

Sunday we played hooky from Church and had a nice family day. Sadly, that usually means shopping until we have visited every single store in town. It was still fun, though: we met the F-I-L and B-I-L at Mellow Mushroom for some eats and bev's, and escaped the heat for a while. It was a really fun time, and a great way to spend Father's Day. I decided to take an unplanned but much enjoyed rest day, and grilled up some chicken, squash, and corn cobs while Mendy was off experimenting with Biofreeze. :-p

Monday morning started late. Mendy woke me at 7:45 asking me if I heard her before when she said to get up. I said, "Huh?" Then she told me that she had previously said to get up and my reply was "What?" I'll let you decide if I actually heard her. Anyway, I suddenly was overcome with rectal glaucoma: my butt just couldn't see getting out of bed. Yay, 3 family mornings in a row! The plan was to get some chores done, but we just screwed around all day and had fun. We finally made it to the Y to swim, but it was packed. Mendy did some laps, but I gave up and ran home. A couple of tough climbs, but it was a decent run in the 87-ish degree temps.

4.38 miles in 30:48 @ 7:02/mile

Today was back to the pool (and work..blah) for some much needed laps. I'm trying to clean up my stroke and overall style, but it's leaving me feeling like I'm working my butt off while not going any faster. I hope this starts to pay off soon.

1500 yds in 25:57 @ 1:44/100 yds

Oh, and for the title, we were trying to decide this weekend if we should get a hammock for mommy, daddy, and Grace to enjoy, or a bicycle for Grace to try and enjoy and daddy to develop hunch back teaching her to ride. Which do you think won?

If only every day could be a taper day

*Sigh* Today feels so peaceful and relaxing. Well, besides the vaccination shot I got just after lunch. Mendy and I are at the reserve center today, catching up on some administrative things and whatnot. She had to to her PRT run, and I got to be her pacer/motivator/coach/running partner for it. This is good, because if she weren't here I would likely have gone and done something silly like a long ride or run. With only 2 days until the Festival of Flowers Olympic Triathlon, I can't afford to be off my game. I'll let her talk in detail about the run, but I clocked my run at

1.5 miles in 12:08 at 8:08/mile

It was good to go out and stretch the legs a bit. We came back and decided to keep the fitness train rolling, so we jumped on our bikes and did a lap of Donaldson Center. I wanted to help Mendy focus on shifting and technique to become more efficient, and while she was concentrating on that she wouldn't get to worry so much about traffic...and I get to check out her booty in the bike shots. Yummy!

7.14 miles in 33:55 @ 12.63mph average

Then Mendy surprised me by wanting to do a brick run immediately after. She confirmed right at the end of the ride, so I had my stopwatch ready. As soon as the bikes stop, we were in transition. in a scant 1:51, we were running. Not a world record transition time, but not bad for changing shoes, stowing the helmet and gloves, and getting the running hat and Garmin on. Way to go, Mendy! We had a very short run, but it was just to get a feel for the brick workout. It ended on a pretty good uphill grade, and I could tell the pre-ride banana Mendy ate wasn't working with her. She finished strong, and we had a lot of fun. And we got paid, like pro athletes! (thanks taxpayers ;-) )

.79 mile in 8:49 @ 11:09/mile

Last night I did a tri clinic group ride, which was a lot of fun. I rode there, did a quick run, then went on the ride in sort of a mentor/example/herder role, but got some great feedback on my form, technique, and abilities. The guy leading the ride is a Pro 1/2 racer, and he took me out for a quick lap to see my position and technique. He told me afterwards that I've improved tremendously over the last year, and looked great on the bike, but was a little cramped on the bars. I thanked him, and said I just didn't want to be boring for him. He laughed and said I had actually pushed him much harder than he wanted to go. Cool!

Stats: bike computer error (stupid rider) so no accurate data. ~27 miles in 1:27:54 combined time, with brick run in the middle @ 18.43mph average

It was a good time, and I look forward to helping out with the tri clinic that both Mendy and Scott will attend. Having just started this year, I hope to impart some "newbie" experiences and learning points to the clinic that perhaps more seasoned athletes have forgotten. Anyway, caught a ride home and went through the evening routine with Grace and preps for today. She was a little bear last night, but we survived and hopefully she'll be good for Grandma this weekend.

A "hump"-less brick!

I recently learned my friend Lenna occasionally stops by to read. I'm sure that title will make her a little cautious to continue. It's exercise related, so don't worry! :-)

Last night I finally had a wonderful thing happen: no big "hump" to overcome after my transition from bike to run during a brick workout. (Make sense now, Lenna?) For those that haven't ever done a bike/run brick, the feeling of heavy legs, almost like they are made of wood, is a very odd feeling. It can cause you to stumble, and absolutely can foster injury if you try to over stride right out of the gate. The only way to reduce the feeling? Repetition! And last night I finally had a brick run that really didn't have any appreciable hump in it. I kept looking for it, and adjusted my stride/cadence for it, but nope. Just a smooth transition. Sweet! Here's the stats:

14.69m bike in 41:58 @ 21mph average
:54 transition
2.4m run in 16:48 @ 7:00/mile

Nice average on the bike, and good feeling run even if it wasn't a PR. It was also about 90 degrees out! I'll take it.

I didn't get around to blogging my swim on Wednesday. I went for some distance again, and it felt very comfortable. Again I had to quit only because of time, not physical limitation of endurance. Hooray! Well, that's a half victory: apparently that means I need to do some pool speed work. Drat! Here's the stats:

2000yds in 34:46 @ 1:44/100yds
1st 500yd: 8:34
2nd 500yd: 8:47
3rd 500yd: 8:56
4th 500yd: 8:28

Ah, Friday. Sadly, this means I will have to spend 2 days away from the office. 2 days without addressing IT audit requirements, excessively loud conference calls on speaker phone, meetings with the "what does this have to do with me" people, and of course private toilet experiences without any of the issues detailed on Tuesday. Gonna fire up the grill over the weekend, I'm sure. I'm looking forward to another raceless weekend, though I'm sure I have a bunch of chores to do, which is okay. They need to get done by someone, right? Mendy and I are also trying to figure out our weekend exercise schedule, so it may come down to a best-of-three pea knuckle match, or maybe a rock/paper/scissors showdown. If one of us doesn't blog next week, you know who won.

I wish for great results and (most of all) fun races for Robin, Marcy, and Jason. Go out there and have a blast, guys! And everyone else be safe and train hard.

Tough brick to finish the week

I skipped Friday, mostly because my schedule didn't really get me to the point where I could squeeze in a workout. I didn't mind because an evil plot was developing in my mind. I was going to do the group ride today, and I had it in my mind to do a little run after. This will probably be my MO for the rest of the season, not wanting to waste an opportunity to sneak in a brick. So, after every ride I plan to run, even if it's short or slow.

The group ride departs at 8AM, and is broken up into A group (speed demons and sickos), B group (fairly fast, but lots of non-fast trying to come up from C), C+ group (sometimes, relaxed but not complete newbies), and C group (noobs, mountain bike riders, and those just out for a leisure ride). I am one of the front guys in the B group right now, which averages around 19-21mph over 35-45 miles, per the pre-ride breakdown from the shop staff. We hammer and then wait for slower dudes to catch up. Fun, but can be annoying if you are waiting at every stop for a long time, stiffening up.

Anyway, it was a great ride at a good pace even including stopping for some downed riders, putzing around at stop signs, and a few tough climbs. Many times we were humming along at 21-26mph for miles on end. Awesome! I wound up logging:

43.36 miles in 2:11:19, for an average of 19.81mph

I get home, kiss the ladies, and switch into some running clothes. I opted for the road bike since I knew there would be hills, so subsequently I wore full-on bike shorts and jersey. Can't run in those! My "transition" took several minutes, so it wasn't really a transition, but rather two back-to-back exercises. Shoes on, Garmin working, Ipod on, glasses and running hat on, I'm out the door.

My brick runs to date have been after a hard 14.7 mile ride, and have been 2-2.4 miles just to get over the hump and push myself a bit more. Today I wanted to go further, to reach into the reserves of my endurance. I went 4 miles on the nose, and it felt tough. The air was hot by this time, and my legs were beat from the sprints and hill climbs on the bike. I managed to do:

4 miles in 29:54, for a 7:29 average pace.

Absolutely not my best, but not bad considering the ride. About half way through the run I was wishing I had blasted 6 hot laps around Donaldson center on my tri bike and ran. Sure would have felt better, and wouldn't have been so beat. I figured later that I lost about 6 lbs of fluids total between the ride and run. Fortunately I consumed 2 24oz bottles on the ride, and inhaled a 32oz Gatorade immediately after the run, which left me still about 2.5 lbs down from the start, which is how I guesstimated the 6 lbs. I'm going to start researching methods of fluid retention and dehydration factors. That really concerned me today.

After that, it was go time for calories! I had a protein smoothie from GNC, went to the running shop, ate some hot chicken strips (Chicken Feathers at Wild Wing Cafe), a frosty Yuengling, big coffee at the tri shop, and a huge bowl of pasta for dinner. Ahhh....

Tomorrow starts a new week; I think it's a run I need. Hopefully get some miles in, since it's steaks tomorrow night accompanied by some high-calorie beverages. Hope the weekend is going as well for all you guys!

Self inflicted fitness

Wow, I feel beat down! The intensity at work has picked up this week, but that has actually left me feeling rewarded and as if I've accomplished something. No, this is from the intense exercise ramp-up I'm imposing on myself to make the most of the 3 weeks in between the last sprint triathlon and my next tri, an Olympic distance (1500m swim, 26 mile bike, 10k run). Just so happens we also had our YMCA WellnessWorks appointment today. Not much in-and-of its self, but a taxing segway between intense workouts.

At lunch I busted out a nice little brick. The winds were nice at about 6-9mph, partly cloudy, and mid to upper 70's. Peeeerrrrfect! I wasn't looking to set any PRs, just a solid brick with my normal routes. The bike is a light to moderately hilly 14.7-ish route that rewards with at least one downhill tailwind section, but plenty of headwind uphills. There are also a few "gotcha" traffic lights that usually strike at the least opportune times. The run route starts with a nice climb out of the neighborhood, then flat for just over a half mile, then down and up some short hills, flat on the return, and back down toward the house, heart pounding out the chest and sweat blinding me. Well, at least recent with the increased temps and pace.

Bike:
14.65 miles in 42:13 @ 20.82mph average (caught at least 3 red lights)
45.48s transition
Run:
2.4 miles in 16:35 @ 6:55/mile

Back to work, quite pleased at the ease at which I had attained those numbers (6-7 rpe), I replenished lost calories and water (I lost 4 lbs during the brick!) and wrapped up some loose ends. Escaped the office a few minutes early and got home at the same time as Mendy. We walked up to get the toddler terror, and got ready for the gym. Man, I'm hungry again. Sitting in the office, now about 6 PM, I'm feeling like I hadn't eaten in FOREVER! It had actually been about 3 hours, but since I eat small amounts just about constantly (which has helped boost my metabolism), this was quite a stretch. Ah, some Gatorade for calories!

I wasn't sure how hard I was going to do the WellnessWorks tests, since I planned to jam out a quick 1000yd swim afterwards. I wound up setting a record of sorts, or at least the highest overall score (and several individuals) that the fitness coordinator, Christine, had seen. Woo hoo! I wound up doing 70 bench presses of 80lbs (as many as you can do, at a determined tempo, unlimited time) and 80 half sit-ups. Not bad, considering my recent activity. My body fat was still at 10% somehow. Oh well, I'll take it. Resting HR was 50 and BP was 108/70. Sweet!

On to the pool: it was pretty packed. A nice older lady let me share her lane. I was thankful, but had to keep dodging her and the haphazard dude in the next lane. (in my best Napoleon Dynamite) IDIOT! Gosh! It wasn't the easiest swim, but I kept a decent pace and tried to concentrate on stroke efficiency. Plus, I was back in the royal blue olive smugglers!

1000yds in 16:46 @ 1:41/100yds

By default, we again chose Mexican food, which entails a gigantic DosXX for me! Like the Red Stripe guy says: Hooray beer! Good meal, Grace was in a great mood, and we had sure exercised a good bit today. Time to go home. Mendy gets the crazy idea of running home, but fears she may un-swallow by the time she gets there. I convinced her to hold onto that thought, let it burn in her (the feeling of meeting the goal, but wanting to do a touch more), and let that feed tomorrow's efforts. And we also agreed to jog to the Mexican place soon with Grace in the jogging stroller, eat, and slog (slow jog) back. Mendy asked if I would stay with her on the way there, and I asked if she would stay with ME! Then I joked that my stroller pace was probably 7:30/mile. Yeah, lost some points there. She knows I'm kidding around, and that I would stay with her. Besides, she doesn't give herself enough credit and certainly doesn't tap into her potential...yet.

Tomorrow I think I may try some LSD. No, not Scott's favorite cereal topping, but rather some Long Steady Distance. Not too intense, since I plan to do the Saturday morning group ride at the LBS (Local Bike Shop) and maybe a brick run after with/somewhere behind the G-Man. Take care, and see you all later...

A little rest, some calories, and then back at it!

I planned to take Friday off. I didn't plan to take Saturday off, but it was raining and I didn't feel comfortable going for a long ride in it. Too many folks around here seem to lose all sense and good measure when the clouds open. So, we worked in the house on Saturday instead. I did move a bunch of stuff, including our (still in boxes) Smith machine, so I guess I did get a bit of exercise for my back. :-)

Sunday was planned for just some swimming, but I began to hope for a nice ride back from Clemson, only about 36 miles, to home. I was all ready to do it, but the wind was kickin' like karate and I wussed out. Good thing, since Mendy developed a ripping headache by the time we left Clemson.

I failed horribly to accurately time my swim, but it didn't matter much since we didn't know the exact distance. It was estimated at 400m for the loop, and we did it thrice, so 1200m via 400m x 3. I timed the middle one, and figured that was my average which gave me 1m 07s per 100m. Hmmm, either there really IS something to this wetsuit thing, or the distance was WAY off. Oh well, I'll take it.

After the swim, Mendy and I bent the ear of Chris Giordanelli (The G-Man) for a while about the sport, cycling, age, etc. He's a truly great guy, very patient, and full of knowledge. I do hope to take him up on his offer of the lake swims, and maybe even the bike travel case...some day. At any rate, I look forward to doing some more training and racing with him in the future. By the way, he had a crazy workout that day (which I termed a bizarro-athlon): 13 mile run, with the fastest at the end; 67 mile bike ride, again with the fastest in the last 9 miles; and the 1200m swim with the group. Yikes!

By the time we got home, I had it in my mind to do a scorching brick workout (well, relative to my ability) to round out the day and make up for Sat. I know I have to start tapering a bit by mid-week, so I sold Mendy on the idea. It was too early to eat anyway, so she gave me the blessing. As I mentioned, the wind was blowing pretty well, but I managed to crank out 43m 15s TT on the standard 14.7 mile route. That was a 20.41 average. Overall, down from last Wednesday by a bit over a minute and about 1/2 mph. 1m 04s transition and on to the run...

I did my standard 2.4 mile brick route, that has 1077 total feet climbed in the route. I started very conscious of my stride and cadence, based on this T3Coaching.com Brick article, making sure my stride was short and quick. This helps me immensely, and I highly recommend anyone doing bricks or multi sport to at least try it. About 1/2 mile into my run I was at full stride, but still trying to stay conscious of my stride and heel strike. I'm trying to run with a flatter foot/heel strike to be more efficient. Anyway, on the return I was feeling really good so I cranked it up. And up. And UP. SUCCESS!!! I finally broke into the 6's on a brick run: 2.4 miles, 16m 39s, 6m 56s/mile. w00t!

I was pretty jazzed by the time, but I could feel it. Time to celebrate with some blistering hot chicken "wings". I say it with quotes because we opt for a meal called Chicken Feathers at the Wild Wing Cafe. They are simply boneless and skinless breast tenders, grilled on a skewer, and basted with your favorite of the 30-ish sauces. Mine is the wicked-hot Braveheart sauce. Burns ya twice! Washed it down with a Thomas Creek Red, and went home to watch the rest of Happy Feet. Eh, not my choice, but Grace liked it a bit. A fun family night, so it's worth it.

Today I was feeling pretty decent, despite some dubious rumors and news at work, so I did my normal distance swim at lunch. Not any world-record pace, but decent. I managed to swim 1100yds in 21m 44s, for a 1m59s/100yd pace. Not bad, considering I had my big baggy shorts on (sorry Scott).

Tomorrow I may go for a nice little run, 6 miles or so. Have to fit it in at lunch, so I can't go crazy or do a long ride. Perhaps another brick on Wednesday, or just a casual ride, and lay off Thursday and Friday for the big race...

Clemson Triathlon on Saturday!!! The field will be pretty deep, so I need to do my best. I am currently sitting in 3rd place in points for my age group in the SC Tri Series, which I'm pretty happy about. I'd like to hold on to that, and improve if possible. We'll see...

The PRs continue: crush those times!

I went out for my hard core lunchtime brick today. The sun was out, winds low at 6-10 mph, and the weather was perfect for a heat monger like me: 81-83 or so. My normal route is a rolling hill 14.7 mile route with only a few stop lights and signs, and a couple of semi-decent climbs. Nothing too serious. The run is a 2.4 mile route with about 1000 total feet of climbing that is great for the transition. I try to do this once a week at least.

Today I rolled out the "chariot of dreams" (aka my tri bike) with the training wheel set and a non-aero helmet. I didn't even use the aero water bottle that lets me stay on the bars. I rocked the ride, got in for a decent (but slightly long) transition, and then shot out for the run.
Last week my times were:
Bike - 44:09 (20.03 mph avg) Run - 17:49 (7m 25s pace)
This weeks times:
Bike - 41:55 (21.04 mph avg) Run - 17.38 (7m 21s pace)

That's right, sports fans! I knocked 2m 14s off my TT on the bike (that's with switching back to regular wheels and non-aero helmet) and a measly 11s off the run. But, I felt better after the run, and could have pushed harder. At any rate, I'm excited about the bike time/pace.

I realize I need to get some more distance in with running and biking, and really need to get in some running speed work. Bricks are quickly becoming my favorite, though; I really feel like I'm pushing myself closer to the limit, and I like that. Better, stronger, faster, more! I haven't lifted in months, other than a couple of low weight/high rep swimming workouts, but I don't really care to build more fast twitch muscles. It's all about endurance, baby! And the less bulk I have to move around, the faster I go. Power to weight over distance.

It's been less than a year since I started biking seriously. I hammered myself last year, though, and the improvements have shown. I did have the benefit of 15 years of exercise and running as a base, however, and that has helped me. This is a new level of intensity for me and I feel great for it. I'm pushing back the hands of time. This ROCKS!