Friday, December 25, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
I love recovery time
I have flopped around the pool a few times. I ran for the first time the other day. I felt great. I have been walking 2-3 miles everyday with Fina & Kona.
I participated in an Aquatic Rehab/Exercise Class the last 2 days. I will be adding some of the workout ideas to my training plan.
I am just going with the flow. I will start to add a few more short runs over the next couple of weeks. Maybe if I am super bored, jump on the bike.
For the most part, let my body repair & recover.
If you need some reading entertainment, check out http://www.nwguardian.com/105/story/6627.html
I participated in an Aquatic Rehab/Exercise Class the last 2 days. I will be adding some of the workout ideas to my training plan.
I am just going with the flow. I will start to add a few more short runs over the next couple of weeks. Maybe if I am super bored, jump on the bike.
For the most part, let my body repair & recover.
If you need some reading entertainment, check out http://www.nwguardian.com/105/story/6627.html
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Almost forgot
I can't believe I almost forgot to thank the most important person of all. She watched my dogs for almost 2 weeks. How insensitive of me! The only thing is I can't remember her name...
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Ironman Arizona 2009
SWIM-59:18
I am always amazed at how many people sprint in front of me only to be passed in 200-400 meters. No real problems until I neared the turn around. Somebody decided to pull my goggles down. No big deal, I treaded for a few seconds and replaced them. At the first turn buoy, a double d (dum dum) decided to use me as a platform. I went under water as he went over me. When thing like this happen, all I can think is that Karma will get you. I felt great on the way back. I passed a lot of people. I exited the water and quickly found a wetsuit stripper. I ran by my bag, grabbed it, and hit the tent. I quickly put on my Oakley's and Spiuk Kronos.
It was amazing how great I felt running through transition. I dropped a minute off my transition from last year. This is the first ironman where I didn't feel tight in the upper body and my breathing was relaxed. I grabbed my Lynskey and headed out of transition
BIKE-4:53.04
I quickly got into a nice rhythm. My plan was to drink every 10 minutes and take a Succeed Salt tab every 30 minutes. The first loop, there was a head wind out and a tailwind back on Beeline Highway. I saw Karen on the way back. She was wearing a cheerleader outfit with a big red M dot on the front. She definitely played the part. On the second loop, there was a head wind all the way out (19 miles) and a tail wind back. I felt very slow going out. I don't remember how many times I got out of the saddle. I found a guy who seemed to be riding at the same speed, so we worked together the rest of the race. He ended up winning the 40-44 age group. On the third loop, the winds were the exact opposite of the first loop. Two guys caught up to us just after the second loop turn around. I liked their pace, so I decided to ride with them. I went to grab water at the aid station and they took off. They placed 1-2 in my age group. I know I could have rode with them. Would it have affected my run? I started feeling hungry with 10 miles to go. I drank 1700 calories on the bike. I definitely need to add more. I took in 5500mg of salt.
As I neared T-2, I got my feet out and mentally prepared to start running. I quickly dismounted, ran by and grabbed my bag. I didn't have any luck with volunteers having my bag ready today. The way I look at it is, if they have it great, if not then be ready to grab it. This is why I do a quick run through the day before, so I have a mental note where I need to be just in case. I took off the Spiuk. I put on my Newtons, grabbed my bottle & visor, and headed out. I quickly asked for sunscreen on my shoulders.
I took another minute off my transition. It could've been faster except one of the volunteers decided I needed sunscreen on my face too.
RUN-3:29.46
My left foot was numb and my back felt super tight. I walked a bit hoping it would loosen up right away. It took almost 5 miles before it loosened up. I drank coke & water every aid station and drank Powerbar Endurance every mile marker. I also took a salt tab every 4 miles.
I was able to get into a nice rhythm for the entire second loop. I started drink coke & water at every aid station. Karen was all over the place. She stayed at the same spot on the bike, but not on the run. At one point, it almost seemed as if she had teleportation powers. She was at 2 different spots within seconds. She told me I was in 7th and the guy in 6th was right in front of me. She said it loud enough that the guy turned and looked at her. I think he gave her the how could you stare.
One of the pros who finished fourth passed me near the end of his run. I didn't change my pace and it seemed we were running at the same pace. Maybe I did pick up the pace, something about male ego. If I had my watch on I could verify that. My watch came off around mile 5 as I was turning right. The band came off both sides and one of the pins vanished into thin air. I don't really use the watch during the race. I use it more to see splits after the race.
I mentally broke on the third loop. I also started cramping in my arms. Was it because I did not take enough salt. I used to drink a different liquid that had more sodium in it. I completely brain farted on that one. I looked for reasons to walk. I pulled it together by the end of the run.
9:26.25 5th 35-39, 15th Amateur, 43rd Overall
I finally put it together. I qualified for Kona. It took 5 tries, but I did it. I still remember Heidi telling me it is a long process and me not believing her. It has been a great year of training and racing. I look forward to next year. I will continue to challenge myself. Kona here I come.
I want to thank:
Jason - Getting me into triathlon
Heidi - Writing my first training plan and giving my lots of wisdom that I would evetually accept
Guy - Getting me through my first Ironman
Mark - A different training philosophy.
Karen - Race Support and crushing me in the pool (Yes, you are still the faster open water swimmer)
Crowieto - Making be a better cyclist and all of the trash talking to push me further
I want to also thank all the companies who have supported me:
Bear Naked Granola
Lynskey Performance
Newton
Oakley
Spiuk
Powerbar
Succeed S!Caps
Xterra
Shimano
HED
ZIPP
Wheel Builder
I am always amazed at how many people sprint in front of me only to be passed in 200-400 meters. No real problems until I neared the turn around. Somebody decided to pull my goggles down. No big deal, I treaded for a few seconds and replaced them. At the first turn buoy, a double d (dum dum) decided to use me as a platform. I went under water as he went over me. When thing like this happen, all I can think is that Karma will get you. I felt great on the way back. I passed a lot of people. I exited the water and quickly found a wetsuit stripper. I ran by my bag, grabbed it, and hit the tent. I quickly put on my Oakley's and Spiuk Kronos.
It was amazing how great I felt running through transition. I dropped a minute off my transition from last year. This is the first ironman where I didn't feel tight in the upper body and my breathing was relaxed. I grabbed my Lynskey and headed out of transition
BIKE-4:53.04
I quickly got into a nice rhythm. My plan was to drink every 10 minutes and take a Succeed Salt tab every 30 minutes. The first loop, there was a head wind out and a tailwind back on Beeline Highway. I saw Karen on the way back. She was wearing a cheerleader outfit with a big red M dot on the front. She definitely played the part. On the second loop, there was a head wind all the way out (19 miles) and a tail wind back. I felt very slow going out. I don't remember how many times I got out of the saddle. I found a guy who seemed to be riding at the same speed, so we worked together the rest of the race. He ended up winning the 40-44 age group. On the third loop, the winds were the exact opposite of the first loop. Two guys caught up to us just after the second loop turn around. I liked their pace, so I decided to ride with them. I went to grab water at the aid station and they took off. They placed 1-2 in my age group. I know I could have rode with them. Would it have affected my run? I started feeling hungry with 10 miles to go. I drank 1700 calories on the bike. I definitely need to add more. I took in 5500mg of salt.
As I neared T-2, I got my feet out and mentally prepared to start running. I quickly dismounted, ran by and grabbed my bag. I didn't have any luck with volunteers having my bag ready today. The way I look at it is, if they have it great, if not then be ready to grab it. This is why I do a quick run through the day before, so I have a mental note where I need to be just in case. I took off the Spiuk. I put on my Newtons, grabbed my bottle & visor, and headed out. I quickly asked for sunscreen on my shoulders.
I took another minute off my transition. It could've been faster except one of the volunteers decided I needed sunscreen on my face too.
RUN-3:29.46
My left foot was numb and my back felt super tight. I walked a bit hoping it would loosen up right away. It took almost 5 miles before it loosened up. I drank coke & water every aid station and drank Powerbar Endurance every mile marker. I also took a salt tab every 4 miles.
I was able to get into a nice rhythm for the entire second loop. I started drink coke & water at every aid station. Karen was all over the place. She stayed at the same spot on the bike, but not on the run. At one point, it almost seemed as if she had teleportation powers. She was at 2 different spots within seconds. She told me I was in 7th and the guy in 6th was right in front of me. She said it loud enough that the guy turned and looked at her. I think he gave her the how could you stare.
One of the pros who finished fourth passed me near the end of his run. I didn't change my pace and it seemed we were running at the same pace. Maybe I did pick up the pace, something about male ego. If I had my watch on I could verify that. My watch came off around mile 5 as I was turning right. The band came off both sides and one of the pins vanished into thin air. I don't really use the watch during the race. I use it more to see splits after the race.
I mentally broke on the third loop. I also started cramping in my arms. Was it because I did not take enough salt. I used to drink a different liquid that had more sodium in it. I completely brain farted on that one. I looked for reasons to walk. I pulled it together by the end of the run.
9:26.25 5th 35-39, 15th Amateur, 43rd Overall
I finally put it together. I qualified for Kona. It took 5 tries, but I did it. I still remember Heidi telling me it is a long process and me not believing her. It has been a great year of training and racing. I look forward to next year. I will continue to challenge myself. Kona here I come.
I want to thank:
Jason - Getting me into triathlon
Heidi - Writing my first training plan and giving my lots of wisdom that I would evetually accept
Guy - Getting me through my first Ironman
Mark - A different training philosophy.
Karen - Race Support and crushing me in the pool (Yes, you are still the faster open water swimmer)
Crowieto - Making be a better cyclist and all of the trash talking to push me further
I want to also thank all the companies who have supported me:
Bear Naked Granola
Lynskey Performance
Newton
Oakley
Spiuk
Powerbar
Succeed S!Caps
Xterra
Shimano
HED
ZIPP
Wheel Builder
Race morning
I woke up every hour on the hour. Nothing new. I beat my alarm by 15 minutes, so I decided to drink 2 boosts. I put my gear on and decided to reset the alarm. I thought I could get a few more zzz. No luck. I decided to get up and double check I had everything. Karen dropped me off at transition just before 5am. Yes, I like to be early.
I pumped my tires and placed my bottles. I dropped off the rest of the drinks in the bike & run bags. I asked someone yesterday about putting shoes on the bike. The volunteer said it would be okay. I was all done with everything when I hear the announcement, "Only pros are allowed to have shoes clipped onto the bikes." This is why I like to be early. I take the shoes off and place them back in the bike bag.
It was a little before 6AM. I gave Crowieto his pump and found a spot to sit and relax. Someone asked, "How can you be so calm?" I replied, "It's just another day." He smiled and hopefully it calmed his anxiety.
I chewed on my Powerbar Raspberry Gel Blasts. If you haven't tried these, you are missing out. They are awesome. It is the last thing I eat before racing. I put on my Xterra Vendetta wetsuit and put body glide everywhere I thought chafing would be possible except one place. My feet. Will I pay for that later?
I stood in line while the pros got ready. One of the pros was doing jumping jacks. As I was waiting, Crowieto snuck up behind me and said, "I find you." If you haven't watched Wedding Crashers you are missing out on one of the funniest movies of all time. We walked down to the dock. Crowieto jumps in. I look at my watch and decide to wait a few minutes. I finally jump in and move toward the front. We don't start for about 15 minutes. After 5 minutes, I hear, "I find you." It was Crowieto with a stalker look on his face. All I could do was laugh. We tread water for a little longer then the gun fires.
I pumped my tires and placed my bottles. I dropped off the rest of the drinks in the bike & run bags. I asked someone yesterday about putting shoes on the bike. The volunteer said it would be okay. I was all done with everything when I hear the announcement, "Only pros are allowed to have shoes clipped onto the bikes." This is why I like to be early. I take the shoes off and place them back in the bike bag.
It was a little before 6AM. I gave Crowieto his pump and found a spot to sit and relax. Someone asked, "How can you be so calm?" I replied, "It's just another day." He smiled and hopefully it calmed his anxiety.
I chewed on my Powerbar Raspberry Gel Blasts. If you haven't tried these, you are missing out. They are awesome. It is the last thing I eat before racing. I put on my Xterra Vendetta wetsuit and put body glide everywhere I thought chafing would be possible except one place. My feet. Will I pay for that later?
I stood in line while the pros got ready. One of the pros was doing jumping jacks. As I was waiting, Crowieto snuck up behind me and said, "I find you." If you haven't watched Wedding Crashers you are missing out on one of the funniest movies of all time. We walked down to the dock. Crowieto jumps in. I look at my watch and decide to wait a few minutes. I finally jump in and move toward the front. We don't start for about 15 minutes. After 5 minutes, I hear, "I find you." It was Crowieto with a stalker look on his face. All I could do was laugh. We tread water for a little longer then the gun fires.
Last two days before the race
It was a nice relaxing day Friday. I had no workouts scheduled. My body wanted to sleep, sleep, and sleep some more. I finally got up and cleaned my bike. We went to get Karen from the airport. For Lunch we ate sushi. I chilled the rest of the day. For dinner we ate at Claim Jumper. I had a Jamaican Jerk Chicken in a sweet potato. It was very good.
Saturday morning. I had three short workouts. I felt great in each. Karen was super motivated. She swam 2.4 miles. After getting cleaned up, we dropped our bikes off in transition. I decided to put the Bad Ass Coffee sticker on my bike. I figured it would only bring good luck. We went to lunch. Any guesses? Sushi!!! Can't go wrong. Chilled some more. We went to the Olive Garden for dinner.
Saturday morning. I had three short workouts. I felt great in each. Karen was super motivated. She swam 2.4 miles. After getting cleaned up, we dropped our bikes off in transition. I decided to put the Bad Ass Coffee sticker on my bike. I figured it would only bring good luck. We went to lunch. Any guesses? Sushi!!! Can't go wrong. Chilled some more. We went to the Olive Garden for dinner.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
I didn't sleep as well last night. Probably because I didn't have any workouts yesterday.
We got in line for some ART right before the swim. The guy I had was much more knowledgeable. He worked on me for 15 minutes. Crowieto did not fare as well. His guy was in training, so the ART lasted a whopping 2 minutes.
I swam in the canal. The water was a nice 64 degrees. I swam 15 minutes out and turned around. This drunk ran into me in the first 100 meters. Actually, it was Crowieto.
We got on the bikes and headed out. There was a headwind out on Beeline Highway. The good news about that was the tailwind coming back. We were flying. Our speed stayed above 28mph. Our overall time was 1 minute faster than Tuesday. Average speed for 1 loop was 23.3mph.
We quickly transitioned out for a run. I started out a little fast because Crowieto was next to me. Once I tuned him out and slowed the pace down a few seconds I felt much better. I stayed nice and aerobic. I ran for 34 minutes.
It was a good day.
We rushed back to the hotel and showered up. We picked up Guy at the airport. He was waiting for his bags. We yelled at him, but he couldn't figure out where the voices were coming from. It's probably due to the fact he has too many cousins coming out of the woodworks.
We went to lunch for some more sushi. Good stuff. Then over to pick up our race packets. The rest on the night will be low keyed.
We got in line for some ART right before the swim. The guy I had was much more knowledgeable. He worked on me for 15 minutes. Crowieto did not fare as well. His guy was in training, so the ART lasted a whopping 2 minutes.
I swam in the canal. The water was a nice 64 degrees. I swam 15 minutes out and turned around. This drunk ran into me in the first 100 meters. Actually, it was Crowieto.
We got on the bikes and headed out. There was a headwind out on Beeline Highway. The good news about that was the tailwind coming back. We were flying. Our speed stayed above 28mph. Our overall time was 1 minute faster than Tuesday. Average speed for 1 loop was 23.3mph.
We quickly transitioned out for a run. I started out a little fast because Crowieto was next to me. Once I tuned him out and slowed the pace down a few seconds I felt much better. I stayed nice and aerobic. I ran for 34 minutes.
It was a good day.
We rushed back to the hotel and showered up. We picked up Guy at the airport. He was waiting for his bags. We yelled at him, but he couldn't figure out where the voices were coming from. It's probably due to the fact he has too many cousins coming out of the woodworks.
We went to lunch for some more sushi. Good stuff. Then over to pick up our race packets. The rest on the night will be low keyed.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Crowieto eyes are failing him
After our second breakfast, I set up my race wheels with new tubes and tires. I had to replace the rim tape on one wheel. Good thing I am doing the wheel inspection now. Race wheels are race ready. Check!
Finally, Crowieto is starting to listen to me. His bike computer has been on the fritz. The company was supposed to send out a new one before the race. He found out today that it will be delivered the day after the race. In true bendoverandgrabhisanklesfashion, he tried to use the force. This means throw it at the wall a few times and stare at it until it works. The force is weak in him. I suggested he call Trisports, since they are a local company. He got them to send one to the hotel. Who says u cant teach a dumb dog better things or is it an old dog, same difference.
We went to lunch at Ra Sushi near ASU. We both ordered a sushi bowl with different ingredients. It was awesome. The best part of the meal was when Crowieto thought he was biting into a big piece of Avocado. He definitely had the color right, green. It was Wasabi. Nothing like watchin a grown man cry. I started laughing so hard that I almost spit a mouthful at him. This is the second time his eyes are failing him. I think he needs glasses.
We picked up a few things for dinner at Costco. Chicken and sweet potatoes. Yum!!!
Another chillaxin evening.
Finally, Crowieto is starting to listen to me. His bike computer has been on the fritz. The company was supposed to send out a new one before the race. He found out today that it will be delivered the day after the race. In true bendoverandgrabhisanklesfashion, he tried to use the force. This means throw it at the wall a few times and stare at it until it works. The force is weak in him. I suggested he call Trisports, since they are a local company. He got them to send one to the hotel. Who says u cant teach a dumb dog better things or is it an old dog, same difference.
We went to lunch at Ra Sushi near ASU. We both ordered a sushi bowl with different ingredients. It was awesome. The best part of the meal was when Crowieto thought he was biting into a big piece of Avocado. He definitely had the color right, green. It was Wasabi. Nothing like watchin a grown man cry. I started laughing so hard that I almost spit a mouthful at him. This is the second time his eyes are failing him. I think he needs glasses.
We picked up a few things for dinner at Costco. Chicken and sweet potatoes. Yum!!!
Another chillaxin evening.
Where or where is the computer cord...
Crowieto has been searching for the computer cord for the last 2 days. He asked his better half to check because he thought he left it at the house. She couldn't find it. This morning I decide to kind of peek in his room. He said, "I already searched everywhere. You ain't gonna find it." I decided to search anyway. Everyone knows what's coming next. First I saw some stained drawers. I quickly moved away from the contaminated area. I saw his suitcase in the closet. I found it in his suitcase, outside compartment. He was in complete disbelief. I think Crowieto needs to get his eyes checked. He said there wasn't anything in there.
I don't have any workouts planned today, so I am gonna chill. We might catch a movie.
I don't have any workouts planned today, so I am gonna chill. We might catch a movie.
A day of sun and mid 70s
I wanted to get up around 6am on Tuesday. My body did not. I slept in and went straight to the pool for an easy 2000m. It's great to swim outdoors in a 25m pool. I only wish the pool was a few degrees cooler. I felt better than my swim on Sunday. We quickly changed and headed back before breakfast ended. Crowieto actually managed to eat before, so he got 2 breakfasts.
We chilled for a couple hours before our ride. We rode a loop of the course. Last year it took us 1 hour 45 minutes. This year we were 7 minutes faster. There was even some dude who caught up to us at a light and asked, "Are you guys pros?" I said we were just out riding at race pace. He was like WOW. We kind of laughed. The biggest thing to remember here is DRINK. My mouth was dry. I almost finished 2 bottles of fluid.
I got cleaned up. Crowieto headed over to the pharmacy. I figured he was going to grab an item. I didn't know he was going grocery shopping. I was ready to gnaw my arm off. We hit up KFC. I finished my entire meal as he was starting his second chicken breast. He looks at me and asks, "Were you hungry or somethin?"
We headed over to Whole Foods. We grabbed stuff for chicken spaghetti.
We watched "The Goods: Live hard, sell hard". It was a stupid/funny movie. More stupid than anything else. What do you expect when Crowieto picks the movie.
I cooked us up some dinner. The rest of the night kicked the feet up and relaxed.
We chilled for a couple hours before our ride. We rode a loop of the course. Last year it took us 1 hour 45 minutes. This year we were 7 minutes faster. There was even some dude who caught up to us at a light and asked, "Are you guys pros?" I said we were just out riding at race pace. He was like WOW. We kind of laughed. The biggest thing to remember here is DRINK. My mouth was dry. I almost finished 2 bottles of fluid.
I got cleaned up. Crowieto headed over to the pharmacy. I figured he was going to grab an item. I didn't know he was going grocery shopping. I was ready to gnaw my arm off. We hit up KFC. I finished my entire meal as he was starting his second chicken breast. He looks at me and asks, "Were you hungry or somethin?"
We headed over to Whole Foods. We grabbed stuff for chicken spaghetti.
We watched "The Goods: Live hard, sell hard". It was a stupid/funny movie. More stupid than anything else. What do you expect when Crowieto picks the movie.
I cooked us up some dinner. The rest of the night kicked the feet up and relaxed.
On to Arizona
I got up for a short run at 630am. I took Indy with me. Josh drove by the trail start the night before. I couldn't find it. I asked Indy, but all he did was stare at me. I decided to make a loop of about 1.1 mile and run it 3 times. I ran for a little over 5 miles. I saw Crowieto starting his run, so I passed off Indy to get a little extra.
We ate breakfast, while our clothes dried. We were on to Arizona around 930am. My butt was not happy with several more hours of driving. We stopped every few hours. We just missed a nasty crash. The Lexus front end was smashed and the other car was in the ditch facing the other direction. Both cars airbags deployed. We ate dinner at Baja Fresh. Two Mahi Mahi tacos hit the spot.
We arrived at the hotel at 1030PM. It was a 12 hour day. We unloaded the car and called it a night.
We ate breakfast, while our clothes dried. We were on to Arizona around 930am. My butt was not happy with several more hours of driving. We stopped every few hours. We just missed a nasty crash. The Lexus front end was smashed and the other car was in the ditch facing the other direction. Both cars airbags deployed. We ate dinner at Baja Fresh. Two Mahi Mahi tacos hit the spot.
We arrived at the hotel at 1030PM. It was a 12 hour day. We unloaded the car and called it a night.
Sunday in Monterey
Crowieto and I drove to the local gym for a swim. The pool was nice, 12 lanes. I wish the water was a couple degrees cooler. It was the last hard swim til race day. The main set was 4x(4x100fast on 2:10 + 200ez on 3:00). I felt ok. My body felt like it was in a car all day. Duh! It was. After the swim we found a decent breakfast joint. Bi333y and Josh met up with us. She ran the Big Sur Half Marathon earlier that morning.
Later that afternoon we headed out to ride around one of the most beautiful areas. The Thiel's introduced to a friend who lead us out on the ride. Brian said, "We get to see how the upper 0.05% live." The first part of the ride is slow because we have to ride on a bike path. There are people everywhere. Most of them are oblivious. Then we hit the coast. We were riding along the coast. It was awesome. After a few miles of the coast we hit 17 mile drive. There were homes that were not just big, but enormously gigantic. The views were spectacular.
The terrain was mostly flat until the about mile 10. There was a nice up section that started gradual and got steeper. Just when I thought we were cresting, there was another turn. Can you guess which way? Up of course. The grade did drop, so it wasn't too bad. Then the long cold downhill. The best part is we did the loop twice because we needed to ride for 2 1/2 hours. My navigational skills were right on par on the way back. Luckily one of us was paying attention. Crowieto wanted us to turn. I didn't think it was right, but I decided to oblige him. Sure enough, he was wrong. We turned around and continued on the right path. At the end of the ride there is a short hill 0.3 mile long. Bi333y is gonna get be a great hill climber since she has to ride that hill every time.
After the ride we quickly cleaned up and got dinner at Roy's. It was located on 17 mile drive. We saw an amazing sunset and listened to a bagpiper play.
Later that afternoon we headed out to ride around one of the most beautiful areas. The Thiel's introduced to a friend who lead us out on the ride. Brian said, "We get to see how the upper 0.05% live." The first part of the ride is slow because we have to ride on a bike path. There are people everywhere. Most of them are oblivious. Then we hit the coast. We were riding along the coast. It was awesome. After a few miles of the coast we hit 17 mile drive. There were homes that were not just big, but enormously gigantic. The views were spectacular.
The terrain was mostly flat until the about mile 10. There was a nice up section that started gradual and got steeper. Just when I thought we were cresting, there was another turn. Can you guess which way? Up of course. The grade did drop, so it wasn't too bad. Then the long cold downhill. The best part is we did the loop twice because we needed to ride for 2 1/2 hours. My navigational skills were right on par on the way back. Luckily one of us was paying attention. Crowieto wanted us to turn. I didn't think it was right, but I decided to oblige him. Sure enough, he was wrong. We turned around and continued on the right path. At the end of the ride there is a short hill 0.3 mile long. Bi333y is gonna get be a great hill climber since she has to ride that hill every time.
After the ride we quickly cleaned up and got dinner at Roy's. It was located on 17 mile drive. We saw an amazing sunset and listened to a bagpiper play.
Going down to Cali…
I woke up a little after 4am. We were out the door by 5. I took the first shift (of course it was the longer shift because I am Bad Ass). It was the boring shift. We have two different philosophies on driving. Crowieto is about efficiency. I am about getting there as fast as possible (without getting a ticket). The best part was stopping for coffee. It was called BAD ASS COFFEE.
The Legend:
The native people of Kona, Hawaii remember the days of the “bad ass ones.” The bellows of the donkeys could be heard through the mountains as they hauled the heavy loads of coffee up and down the mountainside. In honor of these hard working donkeys, we name our coffee company. The legend of the Kona Nightingale lives right here at Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii.
It is a definite sign of things to come.
A few minutes later we hit snow in the mountains. Luckily we were driving thru in the mid afternoon.
We arrived into Monterey a little after 8PM. I walked in and didn't think anyone was home. I looked in the kennel and saw Indy. He was quiet as a mouse. I let him out. He remembered me. He has grown. He is a lot thicker. He used to be skin and bones. What a day!
The Legend:
The native people of Kona, Hawaii remember the days of the “bad ass ones.” The bellows of the donkeys could be heard through the mountains as they hauled the heavy loads of coffee up and down the mountainside. In honor of these hard working donkeys, we name our coffee company. The legend of the Kona Nightingale lives right here at Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii.
It is a definite sign of things to come.
A few minutes later we hit snow in the mountains. Luckily we were driving thru in the mid afternoon.
We arrived into Monterey a little after 8PM. I walked in and didn't think anyone was home. I looked in the kennel and saw Indy. He was quiet as a mouse. I let him out. He remembered me. He has grown. He is a lot thicker. He used to be skin and bones. What a day!
Last few workouts before heading out…
What a busy week! It seemed like every time I wanted to be somewhere, I was always delayed. UGH! On Tuesday, I had the hardest ride of the year for me. It was only 3 ½ hours, but felt like a 5 hour ride. The winds were relentless. Whenever I thought there would be a reprieve from the wind, it was only a dream. It seemed like the wind was testing me. All I could do was laugh. I laughed a lot during the ride. It was a little bit easier on the second half, but not much.
I had a strong run Wednesday morning. I warmed up for a 3 miles, ran 6 at tempo, then 2 ez. I met up with the McCurleys for breakfast. Nothing like being hungry and you wait 35 minutes for an order to be taken then wait another 45 for food. Crowieto and I headed up to Triumph to drop off our bikes.
I love taper time. Especially, when you know you have done the work. I went and picked up the bikes. On a whim I decided to something extreme. Some of you will have to wait and see.
Friday morning I swam 2500. The swim felt okay. I jumped on the trainer afterward and completed Chris Carmichael’s (Lance Armstrong’s coach) Time-trial DVD. I was surprised at how tired my legs were while sitting at work later that morning. Later in the afternoon, I hit the track for six miles. A little bit of speed stuff. Afterward, I took the dogs to the vet. The vet said they are healthy. She also wished me good luck with Kona. Her personality is the opposite of Fina. I got everything packed and tidied up the place.
Luckily, Jess was willing to watch the dogs. Actually we traded services. I wrote her a running plan for the Boston marathon. She may not want to have anything to do with me after a week and half. I hope they are good for her.
I had a strong run Wednesday morning. I warmed up for a 3 miles, ran 6 at tempo, then 2 ez. I met up with the McCurleys for breakfast. Nothing like being hungry and you wait 35 minutes for an order to be taken then wait another 45 for food. Crowieto and I headed up to Triumph to drop off our bikes.
I love taper time. Especially, when you know you have done the work. I went and picked up the bikes. On a whim I decided to something extreme. Some of you will have to wait and see.
Friday morning I swam 2500. The swim felt okay. I jumped on the trainer afterward and completed Chris Carmichael’s (Lance Armstrong’s coach) Time-trial DVD. I was surprised at how tired my legs were while sitting at work later that morning. Later in the afternoon, I hit the track for six miles. A little bit of speed stuff. Afterward, I took the dogs to the vet. The vet said they are healthy. She also wished me good luck with Kona. Her personality is the opposite of Fina. I got everything packed and tidied up the place.
Luckily, Jess was willing to watch the dogs. Actually we traded services. I wrote her a running plan for the Boston marathon. She may not want to have anything to do with me after a week and half. I hope they are good for her.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Last long training weekend
It rained hard all night Friday. I was shocked to see no rain when I woke up. The weather was trying to taunt me to ride outside. Luckily, I waited just long enough and the buckets of water began to drop. I bought a new spinerval, Harcore 100. It is 5 1/2 hours long. I rode for 5 hours. The sets were very boring, but the time went by quickly. I was calling at my lap splits, "Lap 1 1:35 check, Lap 2 3:10 check, T2 4:45 check". I jumped off my bike and ran to grab by shoes. Crowieto said, "What took you so long, I've been running for a few miles, slow poke." What can I say, this guy is a broke joker!!! I got back on to finish 5 hours. My knee felt good. I headed out for a quick 30 minute run. I felt really good. My knee started to act up. I turned around and started back. I knew this was a pace I could run off the bike at Arizona. As I hit mile 2.5 I saw Crowieto running toward me. Did he run to the same point? Of course not. He decided to run with me. The funny thing about this guy is that he ran with me for about 10 seconds then took off. I laughed because he barely runs 6:30's for a sprint tri. He thinks that will be his pace at Arizona. If you go that route, enjoy the death march. It will guarantee a smack on the butt as I lap you.
On Sunday, I wanted to start my run by 630AM because I had to work later that morning. My body wanted a little extra sleep, so I started just after 7. I felt pretty good. It rained for the last 40 minutes or so. The real question is if I started on time would I have stayed dry? My knee was feeling ok. I got in swam 2000 later that evening. The last long training weekend is complete. Woo Hoo!!!
I swam 4500 yards this morning. I felt like crap. I love swimming in 85 degree water. NOT!!! I have four days to get everything ready to head out.
On Sunday, I wanted to start my run by 630AM because I had to work later that morning. My body wanted a little extra sleep, so I started just after 7. I felt pretty good. It rained for the last 40 minutes or so. The real question is if I started on time would I have stayed dry? My knee was feeling ok. I got in swam 2000 later that evening. The last long training weekend is complete. Woo Hoo!!!
I swam 4500 yards this morning. I felt like crap. I love swimming in 85 degree water. NOT!!! I have four days to get everything ready to head out.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Only in Washington
Wednesday, I went to the track for my last speed running workout. It was the first workout in 8 weeks I had no knee pain. Finally, my body is recovering/repairing. The main set was 3x1 mile repeats. I have done this set two other times. My pacing is much better this year. I was only a few seconds my PR for the workout.
Only in Washington does the weather change so fast. It was 60 & partly sunny Wednesday. Thursday, it was pouring rain & wind gusts, so I opted to sit on the trainer for 2 1/2 hours. The whole time I was on the trainer it didn't rain. I know if I changed my mind, the weather would do the same. The first hour I rode watching TV and standing on commercials. The last 1 1/2 I did Totally Time trial 14.0. It was a good moderate workout.
I had another great swim Friday morning. The main set was 6x(3x50 on 35 + 200ez on 4:00). I did the same set a month ago and struggled. This time around, I could actually hold my stroke together. Crowieto and his better half decided to join me for the last 4 rounds. I dared both of them to swim a set without me. Karen accepted the challenge and made it with ease. Crowieto knew he couldn't make it, so he made up some story about why the chicken crossed the road.
Only in Washington does the weather change so fast. It was 60 & partly sunny Wednesday. Thursday, it was pouring rain & wind gusts, so I opted to sit on the trainer for 2 1/2 hours. The whole time I was on the trainer it didn't rain. I know if I changed my mind, the weather would do the same. The first hour I rode watching TV and standing on commercials. The last 1 1/2 I did Totally Time trial 14.0. It was a good moderate workout.
I had another great swim Friday morning. The main set was 6x(3x50 on 35 + 200ez on 4:00). I did the same set a month ago and struggled. This time around, I could actually hold my stroke together. Crowieto and his better half decided to join me for the last 4 rounds. I dared both of them to swim a set without me. Karen accepted the challenge and made it with ease. Crowieto knew he couldn't make it, so he made up some story about why the chicken crossed the road.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
He who laughs last, laughs best
On Monday, I could tell my legs were tired from the weekend. The number one sign is the walk down the stairs to drive to the pool. I figured my swim was going to be rough. I swam 6100 yards. The main set was 3x1200 descend 400's. I actually had a great workout. Even though my body was telling me one thing, my mind decided that was unacceptable. Karen actually swam all 3 too. I think it's one of the longest workouts she has done all year.
I was hoping to start my ride around lunch time on Tuesday, but work wasn't cooperating. I finally got out on the bike around 2:30. The weather was low to mid 50's. The wind has really picked up the last few weeks. I am not sure which is worse, hills or into a head wind. The main focus was 3x(2' hard, 15"ez, 2'hard, 15"ez, 12' hard, 2.5'ez). I felt good. I decided not to run off the bike. My knee did not bother me. That's the first time in several weeks.
I had a great swim Wednesday morning. The main set was 3x(3x200) followed by 9x100 descend every 3. I descended each set and progressively got faster during the workout. I had a "broke joker" in my lane. He decided to try and start 10 yards in front of me on the fastest 200 in each set. My favorite part was he would only swim 150 yards. He even shouted, "I won, you lose." That's ok. He who laughs last, laughs best. The last 200 of the set, I caught him at 125. I don't think he counted on me swimming my fastest 200 by 5 seconds. He also tried to swim on my feet during the cool down. I hope he decides to draft off me. I think he will be in for a special treat.
I was hoping to start my ride around lunch time on Tuesday, but work wasn't cooperating. I finally got out on the bike around 2:30. The weather was low to mid 50's. The wind has really picked up the last few weeks. I am not sure which is worse, hills or into a head wind. The main focus was 3x(2' hard, 15"ez, 2'hard, 15"ez, 12' hard, 2.5'ez). I felt good. I decided not to run off the bike. My knee did not bother me. That's the first time in several weeks.
I had a great swim Wednesday morning. The main set was 3x(3x200) followed by 9x100 descend every 3. I descended each set and progressively got faster during the workout. I had a "broke joker" in my lane. He decided to try and start 10 yards in front of me on the fastest 200 in each set. My favorite part was he would only swim 150 yards. He even shouted, "I won, you lose." That's ok. He who laughs last, laughs best. The last 200 of the set, I caught him at 125. I don't think he counted on me swimming my fastest 200 by 5 seconds. He also tried to swim on my feet during the cool down. I hope he decides to draft off me. I think he will be in for a special treat.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The volume is starting to come down
I had a solid bike ride on Tuesday. The main set was 2x(15' hard, 5' ez, 5' hard, 2' ez, 10x(45"accelerate + 15"ez), 6'ez). I was glad to stay dry.
I felt tired in the pool Wednesday morning. The bike ride zapped me. I got on the track before the rain came. My knee was feeling good through the warmup and the start of the main set. I decided to skip the fast 400s.
Crowieto and I rode just under 70 miles. We stayed fairly dry. Some of the roads were wet and it rained a little, but all in all no real complaints. We faced a steady head wind out and a small tail wind back. I decided to do my share of the work, so I pulled 5% and stayed on the Crowieto express for 95%. We have a great chef on our staff. She hooked us up with a chicken curry.
I was surprised with my swim Friday morning. My main set was 60x50 odds ez and evens fast. I was able to swim the ez 50s on a sendoff that was 5 seconds faster. This means I am recovering faster. 2 goonie goo goos tried to swim with me. Unfortunately they couldn't make the fast 50's and didn't really go ez on the slow ones just so they could say they made the workout. I guess that's good enough for some people. I was going to go into work for a couple hours, but decided to just call it a day and relax.
We were teased Saturday morning. It rained hard all night, so wasn't sure what the weather would bring. On my drive over, it was blue skies and sunshine. Crowieto and I were in no hurry since it was going to be our longest ride of the year. Our first stop was 39 miles in at the Texaco. We were getting ready to leave and it started pouring. I couldn't believe it. We headed out toward Bucoda. I thought someone was sitting on a cloud above us and dumping a never ending bucket over us. At one point, I was so cold that I thought I wouldn't make it through the entire ride. Luckily, the rain slowed and it warmed up as we were leaving Tenino and heading toward Olympia. For the most part the rest of the ride was manageable. Crowieto bonked with 5 miles to go. We ended up with 129 miles. I was exhausted after the ride. Thank goodness Karen had food ready for us. Otherwise I was gonna see what my arm tasted like. First dinner was spicy. We went out for second dinner and a few games of chess.
It was so cold this morning. My legs were tired. The plan this morning was to have a solid run. It took me 6 miles before I could change gears. After mile 9, I finally got into my race pace effort and held it for the next 11 miles. I went to the pool at 5pm. One of my swim partners decided she was gonna put the smack down on me. True competitors want people at their best and others will take what they can get. I wish I could run 8 miles in one hour and fifteen minutes then hit the pool. But hey, she beat me in the pool today. Victory!!!
I can honestly say, my body is tired. I feel physically exhausted. I am so glad the volume is coming down. I can tell it is time for my body to start prepping for an amazing race.
3 weeks to go.
I felt tired in the pool Wednesday morning. The bike ride zapped me. I got on the track before the rain came. My knee was feeling good through the warmup and the start of the main set. I decided to skip the fast 400s.
Crowieto and I rode just under 70 miles. We stayed fairly dry. Some of the roads were wet and it rained a little, but all in all no real complaints. We faced a steady head wind out and a small tail wind back. I decided to do my share of the work, so I pulled 5% and stayed on the Crowieto express for 95%. We have a great chef on our staff. She hooked us up with a chicken curry.
I was surprised with my swim Friday morning. My main set was 60x50 odds ez and evens fast. I was able to swim the ez 50s on a sendoff that was 5 seconds faster. This means I am recovering faster. 2 goonie goo goos tried to swim with me. Unfortunately they couldn't make the fast 50's and didn't really go ez on the slow ones just so they could say they made the workout. I guess that's good enough for some people. I was going to go into work for a couple hours, but decided to just call it a day and relax.
We were teased Saturday morning. It rained hard all night, so wasn't sure what the weather would bring. On my drive over, it was blue skies and sunshine. Crowieto and I were in no hurry since it was going to be our longest ride of the year. Our first stop was 39 miles in at the Texaco. We were getting ready to leave and it started pouring. I couldn't believe it. We headed out toward Bucoda. I thought someone was sitting on a cloud above us and dumping a never ending bucket over us. At one point, I was so cold that I thought I wouldn't make it through the entire ride. Luckily, the rain slowed and it warmed up as we were leaving Tenino and heading toward Olympia. For the most part the rest of the ride was manageable. Crowieto bonked with 5 miles to go. We ended up with 129 miles. I was exhausted after the ride. Thank goodness Karen had food ready for us. Otherwise I was gonna see what my arm tasted like. First dinner was spicy. We went out for second dinner and a few games of chess.
It was so cold this morning. My legs were tired. The plan this morning was to have a solid run. It took me 6 miles before I could change gears. After mile 9, I finally got into my race pace effort and held it for the next 11 miles. I went to the pool at 5pm. One of my swim partners decided she was gonna put the smack down on me. True competitors want people at their best and others will take what they can get. I wish I could run 8 miles in one hour and fifteen minutes then hit the pool. But hey, she beat me in the pool today. Victory!!!
I can honestly say, my body is tired. I feel physically exhausted. I am so glad the volume is coming down. I can tell it is time for my body to start prepping for an amazing race.
3 weeks to go.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
A "crack" in his armor
I did nothing on Tuesday and my knee appreciated it. I had a really strong swim Wednesday morning. I did three rounds of descending 200's on a short rest send off. I picked up the speed each round. My knee felt so good, I was actually tempted to run. I didn't. It feels like my knee is back to normal.
Crowieto decided to join me for a zone 5 bike workout. My knee felt great until a little over half way thru the workout. The workout was tough. I was hoping to push harder on the second time through, but my legs were dead and my knee was starting to get worse. We cruised back and then I went for a quick 30 minute run.
Friday morning I had a sprint workout in the pool. Aerobically I felt great. Muscularly, each 100 got harder as my pecs & lats started to get really tight. I wasn't going to run, but my knee felt good after physical therapy. I ran for 90 min. I am amazed at how easy my runs are this year. The second half is always faster.
It was in the low 40's for the bike ride Saturday. It is the first time I put tights on since March. My legs did not feel good. Was it because I ran last night? Umm... Yeah!!! That along with my knee bothering on and off. I decided to ride the Crowieto express. There was a steady wind going out and a little tail wind on the way back. We saw a Vizsla out on Johnson Creek Road. It was almost as tall as Oden. The Crowieto express averaged 21.8 for 113 miles. He actually let me pull 1% of the time today. The most exciting part of the ride was when we were on Reservation Rd. I was in la la land, when all of a sudden I saw a blur go by me. It was Crowieto. He caught me completely off guard. I laughed and said, "That m... f..." I put it in overdrive to catch him. He decided to ease up and let me catch him. What a bum!!! I wanted to give it a go. O well. I did find a "crack" in his armor. It is very noticeable. Especially when you sit on his wheel 99% of the ride.
I had to run early Sunday. It was in the low to mid 30's I had a beanie, long sleeve shirt, mittens and tights. Suffice it to say, I still froze!!! My legs felt tired, so I just ran. I took a page from Forrest Gump. Crowieto came by later and ran Fina for an hour. It was good because she was snoring lights out afterward. I went back to the pool later that evening for an easy 1600 meters.
This morning I swam a lot. I cannot remember the last time I swam 6700 yards. I think it has been over a decade. My main set was 3x1650. I felt good. I was surprised with my first one and disappointed with the last one. That's ok. Less than 4 weeks to go.
Crowieto decided to join me for a zone 5 bike workout. My knee felt great until a little over half way thru the workout. The workout was tough. I was hoping to push harder on the second time through, but my legs were dead and my knee was starting to get worse. We cruised back and then I went for a quick 30 minute run.
Friday morning I had a sprint workout in the pool. Aerobically I felt great. Muscularly, each 100 got harder as my pecs & lats started to get really tight. I wasn't going to run, but my knee felt good after physical therapy. I ran for 90 min. I am amazed at how easy my runs are this year. The second half is always faster.
It was in the low 40's for the bike ride Saturday. It is the first time I put tights on since March. My legs did not feel good. Was it because I ran last night? Umm... Yeah!!! That along with my knee bothering on and off. I decided to ride the Crowieto express. There was a steady wind going out and a little tail wind on the way back. We saw a Vizsla out on Johnson Creek Road. It was almost as tall as Oden. The Crowieto express averaged 21.8 for 113 miles. He actually let me pull 1% of the time today. The most exciting part of the ride was when we were on Reservation Rd. I was in la la land, when all of a sudden I saw a blur go by me. It was Crowieto. He caught me completely off guard. I laughed and said, "That m... f..." I put it in overdrive to catch him. He decided to ease up and let me catch him. What a bum!!! I wanted to give it a go. O well. I did find a "crack" in his armor. It is very noticeable. Especially when you sit on his wheel 99% of the ride.
I had to run early Sunday. It was in the low to mid 30's I had a beanie, long sleeve shirt, mittens and tights. Suffice it to say, I still froze!!! My legs felt tired, so I just ran. I took a page from Forrest Gump. Crowieto came by later and ran Fina for an hour. It was good because she was snoring lights out afterward. I went back to the pool later that evening for an easy 1600 meters.
This morning I swam a lot. I cannot remember the last time I swam 6700 yards. I think it has been over a decade. My main set was 3x1650. I felt good. I was surprised with my first one and disappointed with the last one. That's ok. Less than 4 weeks to go.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Getting Closer
My knee has been a little more tweaked than normal. I must be getting closer to the race. Athletes generally tend to walk on the tightrope of training. We try to push ourselves to the point of breaking. We do this so we can have an amazing race.
I took Tuesday off. My knee was not happy with me for all of that cycling/running last weekend.
My body was still feeling the effects on Wednesday, so I swam an easy 3500m. I was supposed to do a track workout. Instead I decided to just go out and run. I do not recommend eating 12 danish cookies before hand. At one point, I almost stopped and made myself puke. As for my punishment for eating stupid food before training, I ran down to the bottom of Solo Point hill. The interesting thing was once I got to the top, my running pace picked up and I felt better. I ran a little under 11miles.
I lucked out with the weather on Thursday. It sprinkled just a few times. I basically stayed dry. I felt pretty good. Afterward, Crowieto and I had a I-Sushi feast. I ordered 4 dishes and we split them up.
Friday morning, I chose to swim at work. The "Y" group doesn't challenge me at all on the short stuff. It took several sets before I felt strong in the water.
I was going to ride 6 hours on Saturday. It was pouring. We set up the trainers and went to work. A couple of times, Crowieto decided it was better to turn the fan off and see how long before I noticed. My knee was not feeling good, so I stopped at 5 hours.
I had an awesome run on Sunday. I have never felt this good for a long run. The first mile was 7:19 and the average for the entire run was 6:44. I ran 22.22 miles in 2 1/2 hours. The last 10 I was averaging 6:30. During my long runs last year, I could start a decent pace. After 90 minutes or so, my pace would slow and my legs would feel heavy. This year, my fastest splits are on the second half. The best part of the run was when Crowieto was ahead of me and laid a challenge down (no, he was not running faster than me. I was adding loops into to get extra miles.). He yelled out, "I'm running 6:50's, catch me if you can." At that point I was running 6:35's. He thought I was going to run all the way to the top of Solo Point. I didn't need to because I already had enough miles. I figured he had about 90 seconds on me. I picked up my pace 10-15 seconds. I caught him 2 miles down. The first reason, he is like Fina (he has to mark his territory or has a small bladder). Do you think once I caught him, he would let me pass him? Of course not. If you said yes, you don't know Crowieto at all. Every time I tried to pass, he would throw in a little sprint. I laughed. I let him play his little game. He did this for about a 1/2 mile and then said, "I'll let you have it this time."
I got a text this morning telling me how sore his legs are. LMAO!!!
We went for a short swim to loosen up and headed out to visit Melissa's new place. It was really nice. We ended up taking the long cut version, which added 20+ minutes to the drive. The highlight was getting back to Lee's and hearing a hissing sound from my tire. Luckily we made it back. It was late and they were kind enough to let me crash and deal with it in the morning.
I didn't sleep well, so I swam at lunch time. It was okay. I didn't eat enough. I was going to run later. I don't want to take any chances with my knee, so I will skip a run and a bike over the next 2 days.
Less than 5 weeks to go. Getting Closer...
I took Tuesday off. My knee was not happy with me for all of that cycling/running last weekend.
My body was still feeling the effects on Wednesday, so I swam an easy 3500m. I was supposed to do a track workout. Instead I decided to just go out and run. I do not recommend eating 12 danish cookies before hand. At one point, I almost stopped and made myself puke. As for my punishment for eating stupid food before training, I ran down to the bottom of Solo Point hill. The interesting thing was once I got to the top, my running pace picked up and I felt better. I ran a little under 11miles.
I lucked out with the weather on Thursday. It sprinkled just a few times. I basically stayed dry. I felt pretty good. Afterward, Crowieto and I had a I-Sushi feast. I ordered 4 dishes and we split them up.
Friday morning, I chose to swim at work. The "Y" group doesn't challenge me at all on the short stuff. It took several sets before I felt strong in the water.
I was going to ride 6 hours on Saturday. It was pouring. We set up the trainers and went to work. A couple of times, Crowieto decided it was better to turn the fan off and see how long before I noticed. My knee was not feeling good, so I stopped at 5 hours.
I had an awesome run on Sunday. I have never felt this good for a long run. The first mile was 7:19 and the average for the entire run was 6:44. I ran 22.22 miles in 2 1/2 hours. The last 10 I was averaging 6:30. During my long runs last year, I could start a decent pace. After 90 minutes or so, my pace would slow and my legs would feel heavy. This year, my fastest splits are on the second half. The best part of the run was when Crowieto was ahead of me and laid a challenge down (no, he was not running faster than me. I was adding loops into to get extra miles.). He yelled out, "I'm running 6:50's, catch me if you can." At that point I was running 6:35's. He thought I was going to run all the way to the top of Solo Point. I didn't need to because I already had enough miles. I figured he had about 90 seconds on me. I picked up my pace 10-15 seconds. I caught him 2 miles down. The first reason, he is like Fina (he has to mark his territory or has a small bladder). Do you think once I caught him, he would let me pass him? Of course not. If you said yes, you don't know Crowieto at all. Every time I tried to pass, he would throw in a little sprint. I laughed. I let him play his little game. He did this for about a 1/2 mile and then said, "I'll let you have it this time."
I got a text this morning telling me how sore his legs are. LMAO!!!
We went for a short swim to loosen up and headed out to visit Melissa's new place. It was really nice. We ended up taking the long cut version, which added 20+ minutes to the drive. The highlight was getting back to Lee's and hearing a hissing sound from my tire. Luckily we made it back. It was late and they were kind enough to let me crash and deal with it in the morning.
I didn't sleep well, so I swam at lunch time. It was okay. I didn't eat enough. I was going to run later. I don't want to take any chances with my knee, so I will skip a run and a bike over the next 2 days.
Less than 5 weeks to go. Getting Closer...
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Mega Miles #2
The weather was nice Thursday. We started our ride a little after 1PM. We changed up our return route. If you haven't ridden the Crowieto Express, the only thing I can say, "It's one fast train. The train only has one gear. Supersonic" We (actually Lee decided to pull most of the first half) averaged 23.2mph out to the Texaco. I did most of the pulling on the way back. He had the easy part (mostly tail wind), while I had more of the head wind. We ended up with 90.5 miles in under 4 hours for an avg of 22.7.
I swam 4500 yards Friday morning. The main set was 4x(4x100 fast on 2:10 + 200ez on 3:00). I swam progressively faster on each set. All I did was chill for the rest of the day.
It was very cold Saturday morning (mid 40's). I cant remember the last time I put a vest, arm warmers and gloves on. We decided to ride toward Texaco, then Johnson creek, Starbucks, Forza, then back to his house. The winds were stronger than Thursday. I was not able to do much pulling today. I got to experience the razor effect on the crotch. It wasn't too bad because there was only a little bit of blood when I showered up. I sat on the Crowieto express for 70% of the ride. I rode a good portion standing on the pedals. I was hoping we would average 22 for the day. We fell just short. I guess the Crowieto express wasn't up for the challenge. I had a strong run off the bike. The most interesting thing to happen was when I saw a chipmunk standing on 2 legs on the white line. I thought I was about to see a chipmunk pancake. Luckily it darted back into the woods. The funny thing is Crowieto never saw it.
Crowieto told me he was going to run for 50 minutes off the bike. I didn't believe him. He decided to run with me. I could hear him behind me until the my watch beeped 1 mile (6:43). Then I heard, "That there Asian must have some Kenyan in him." I continued to accelerate the pace until my thirty minutes was up. I am amazed at how my breathing was very comfortable. If I could run like that in an ironman, I would be worthy enough to call myself a pro. Can you guess how much Crowieto ran? If you guessed two miles, you win. If Crowieto ever tells you he is running for 50, you should run with him. It's only 15 minutes.
I thought it was cold Saturday. It was even colder Sunday. I started the run in the upper 30's. I could feel the cumulative effect of the bike miles. I tried to settle into a good pace. After 15 miles, I decided to pick up the pace and finish the last four miles at 6:40 pace. I think you have to be flexible because you never know what the race day will throw at you.
I decided to go to the pool for a short swim. I wanted to flush my legs. I felt very tired. Crowieto looked strong in the pool. It must be nice when you get to cut the run short and swim with fresh legs.
We went and watched "Couples Retreat". I am a big Vince Vaughn fan. I thought the movie was funny. It doesn't beat the best comedy of all time "Wedding Crashers". It was nice to unwind.
I did not want to get out of bed to swim this morning. I woke up at one point hanging off the bed and sleeping sideways. No more movies that put me in bed at 10pm when I need to get up at 415am. Being the disciplined athlete that I am, I pulled myself out of bed. I could tell my legs were getting heavier each day. I swam 5x1000. After the first one, I thought the workout was gonna be horrible. It actually turned out to be pretty good considering how broken down I am.
Guys talk trash. Something about testosterone. Now when a chick talks trash, there really isn't much a guy can say. Unless this chick swam at college. I think my favorite quote from her last night was, "I am going to smash you in the pool tomorrow." What can I say, she was a distance swimmer. She started half way through on #2. She swam #3 with me. She started #4 with me. It was pull. I started pulling away after the 500 mark. I left for #5 and she had just touched the wall. She decided to kick instead of swim. It must be nice to be in off season mode. I guess the smashing will have to wait for a more convenient time.
I refueled with a bagel, pop tarts, and mocha frap. We got on the trainer at 830am. We put on "Have Mercy" spinerval. There were parts that were tough (5 minutes straight in big 15 of 4sec all out, 4 sec ez). After that I watched a three 30 minute segments of triathlon and Star Wars III. For every commercial I rode standing. I finished up with 5 hours.
I am glad the weekend is over. I am tired, hungry, and exhausted.
I managed 12,000yards of swimming, 14+hours of cycling, and 24 miles of running.
4 more weeks of consistent training then 2 weeks of taper.
I swam 4500 yards Friday morning. The main set was 4x(4x100 fast on 2:10 + 200ez on 3:00). I swam progressively faster on each set. All I did was chill for the rest of the day.
It was very cold Saturday morning (mid 40's). I cant remember the last time I put a vest, arm warmers and gloves on. We decided to ride toward Texaco, then Johnson creek, Starbucks, Forza, then back to his house. The winds were stronger than Thursday. I was not able to do much pulling today. I got to experience the razor effect on the crotch. It wasn't too bad because there was only a little bit of blood when I showered up. I sat on the Crowieto express for 70% of the ride. I rode a good portion standing on the pedals. I was hoping we would average 22 for the day. We fell just short. I guess the Crowieto express wasn't up for the challenge. I had a strong run off the bike. The most interesting thing to happen was when I saw a chipmunk standing on 2 legs on the white line. I thought I was about to see a chipmunk pancake. Luckily it darted back into the woods. The funny thing is Crowieto never saw it.
Crowieto told me he was going to run for 50 minutes off the bike. I didn't believe him. He decided to run with me. I could hear him behind me until the my watch beeped 1 mile (6:43). Then I heard, "That there Asian must have some Kenyan in him." I continued to accelerate the pace until my thirty minutes was up. I am amazed at how my breathing was very comfortable. If I could run like that in an ironman, I would be worthy enough to call myself a pro. Can you guess how much Crowieto ran? If you guessed two miles, you win. If Crowieto ever tells you he is running for 50, you should run with him. It's only 15 minutes.
I thought it was cold Saturday. It was even colder Sunday. I started the run in the upper 30's. I could feel the cumulative effect of the bike miles. I tried to settle into a good pace. After 15 miles, I decided to pick up the pace and finish the last four miles at 6:40 pace. I think you have to be flexible because you never know what the race day will throw at you.
I decided to go to the pool for a short swim. I wanted to flush my legs. I felt very tired. Crowieto looked strong in the pool. It must be nice when you get to cut the run short and swim with fresh legs.
We went and watched "Couples Retreat". I am a big Vince Vaughn fan. I thought the movie was funny. It doesn't beat the best comedy of all time "Wedding Crashers". It was nice to unwind.
I did not want to get out of bed to swim this morning. I woke up at one point hanging off the bed and sleeping sideways. No more movies that put me in bed at 10pm when I need to get up at 415am. Being the disciplined athlete that I am, I pulled myself out of bed. I could tell my legs were getting heavier each day. I swam 5x1000. After the first one, I thought the workout was gonna be horrible. It actually turned out to be pretty good considering how broken down I am.
Guys talk trash. Something about testosterone. Now when a chick talks trash, there really isn't much a guy can say. Unless this chick swam at college. I think my favorite quote from her last night was, "I am going to smash you in the pool tomorrow." What can I say, she was a distance swimmer. She started half way through on #2. She swam #3 with me. She started #4 with me. It was pull. I started pulling away after the 500 mark. I left for #5 and she had just touched the wall. She decided to kick instead of swim. It must be nice to be in off season mode. I guess the smashing will have to wait for a more convenient time.
I refueled with a bagel, pop tarts, and mocha frap. We got on the trainer at 830am. We put on "Have Mercy" spinerval. There were parts that were tough (5 minutes straight in big 15 of 4sec all out, 4 sec ez). After that I watched a three 30 minute segments of triathlon and Star Wars III. For every commercial I rode standing. I finished up with 5 hours.
I am glad the weekend is over. I am tired, hungry, and exhausted.
I managed 12,000yards of swimming, 14+hours of cycling, and 24 miles of running.
4 more weeks of consistent training then 2 weeks of taper.
Getting ready for Mega Miles #2
Monday afternoon, I went to see the physical Therapist for my left knee. The doc decided I have bursitis. The PT used the ultrasound then some electrical stimulation for 15 min. My knee felt better. I went for a nice ez run that evening. It sure is getting cold at night.
I had a good bike on Tuesday. I got in just over 55 miles.
Wednesday morning I had a good swim. Lee actually beat Karen on one of the fast 200s. I'm not sure what to make of that. I felt off all day. I had a great run even though I had an issue with my feet going numb at one point. My night ended with Kona using my bed as a port-a-potty. Joy!!!
I changed up the plan for mega miles to save my knee. The hardest part about training right now is staying healthy.
I had a good bike on Tuesday. I got in just over 55 miles.
Wednesday morning I had a good swim. Lee actually beat Karen on one of the fast 200s. I'm not sure what to make of that. I felt off all day. I had a great run even though I had an issue with my feet going numb at one point. My night ended with Kona using my bed as a port-a-potty. Joy!!!
I changed up the plan for mega miles to save my knee. The hardest part about training right now is staying healthy.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Recovering from the last race before Arizona
I am very surprised at how fast I recovered from the race. After Lake Stevens, I felt like it took almost a week and a half to get back to the grind. This time around, I felt great after a day or so.
On Monday I started swimming with my new stroke. It is definitely much faster. The hard part is gauging effort. I knew how to stretch out the workout by feel. I almost feel like I am starting over. The good thing, there is plenty of time to adjust. I got in an easy hour ride. There was a nice head wind out and a tail wind back. After the ride, I dropped my bike off again for repairs.
I had a good one hour run on Tuesday. Kona is picking up things very quickly. I just wish she wouldn't get so startled at night when she is outside.
I had a strong swim Wednesday morning. I adapting to the new stroke very quickly. 20x100 on 1:30 in short course meters averaging 1:23. That is the first time I have done that, so I was happy. Later that day I ran for an hour and half. I was surprised that I was already running at full speed. Now I know how the pros get so much racing in. When you have a solid base and lots of training, recovery is quick.
I picked up my bike Thursday morning. Being a heavy sweater is not good for the bike. I have to do a better job of cleaning my bike immediately after rides. The salt is destroying the components. I went out for a ride at 1:45. Even though I ride a lot of the same roads, the conditions are never the same. You never know what kind of winds you'll get for the day. Nothing but a head wind to the Texaco. I avg 20.4mph. On the way back it was smooth sailing. I avg 23.4mph. I got a little wet toward the end. I don't mind the rain when I am out there. Especially at the end of the ride. I would prefer to stay dry, but I'll take what i get.
Friday morning I swam 5000. The main set was 8x(3x50 on 35 + 150 on 3:15). I think my legs were a little tired from the 75 mile bike ride yesterday. I made the first three sets. I missed the fourth. I made the last 4 sets on the dot. I am glad nothing for the rest of the day. I went and saw the doc for my knee. The X-rays looked good. He said to be smart about my training. If you need an orthopedic sport doc, who is board certified, he is great.
It was raining Saturday morning, so we decided to sit on the trainer for 5 hours. We watched a 3 hour Spinerval then some college football. The bad part of the ride was Kona only had 2 potty problems in the house. One was on the hard wood. I kept getting off the bike every 30 minutes or so and letting her out with great success. I decided to give her a treat every time, to reinforce outside not inside. There was a couple times Kona went to the car first for the treat. I told her to go potty and she would. Potty training is hard work. I felt very wiped after the ride. I always feel hungrier when I ride the trainer versus outside.
I ran at 6am Sunday because I had to be at work. It is the first time I have put a shirt on since May. I even wore long sleeve. I thought about getting gloves. I had to get gloves half way into the run. I could not feel my hands at all. I had to use both hands to squeeze the water bottle for a drink. It was a solid 2 hour run. I did a lot of mental training for Arizona. It was my fastest 2 hour run. It felt really good. I was just shy of 17.5 miles. Not bad for a guy trying to be an athlete. I am not sure what I ate, but my stomach has been weird all day.
It was in the upper 30's this morning. I had a pretty good swim. My calves were a little sore. The main set was 8x500 with short rest. I got in 5500. My stomach is still not feeling right. I have physical therapy later today and a moderate run.
Less than 7 weeks to go. A few more weeks of hard training, then taper time.
On Monday I started swimming with my new stroke. It is definitely much faster. The hard part is gauging effort. I knew how to stretch out the workout by feel. I almost feel like I am starting over. The good thing, there is plenty of time to adjust. I got in an easy hour ride. There was a nice head wind out and a tail wind back. After the ride, I dropped my bike off again for repairs.
I had a good one hour run on Tuesday. Kona is picking up things very quickly. I just wish she wouldn't get so startled at night when she is outside.
I had a strong swim Wednesday morning. I adapting to the new stroke very quickly. 20x100 on 1:30 in short course meters averaging 1:23. That is the first time I have done that, so I was happy. Later that day I ran for an hour and half. I was surprised that I was already running at full speed. Now I know how the pros get so much racing in. When you have a solid base and lots of training, recovery is quick.
I picked up my bike Thursday morning. Being a heavy sweater is not good for the bike. I have to do a better job of cleaning my bike immediately after rides. The salt is destroying the components. I went out for a ride at 1:45. Even though I ride a lot of the same roads, the conditions are never the same. You never know what kind of winds you'll get for the day. Nothing but a head wind to the Texaco. I avg 20.4mph. On the way back it was smooth sailing. I avg 23.4mph. I got a little wet toward the end. I don't mind the rain when I am out there. Especially at the end of the ride. I would prefer to stay dry, but I'll take what i get.
Friday morning I swam 5000. The main set was 8x(3x50 on 35 + 150 on 3:15). I think my legs were a little tired from the 75 mile bike ride yesterday. I made the first three sets. I missed the fourth. I made the last 4 sets on the dot. I am glad nothing for the rest of the day. I went and saw the doc for my knee. The X-rays looked good. He said to be smart about my training. If you need an orthopedic sport doc, who is board certified, he is great.
It was raining Saturday morning, so we decided to sit on the trainer for 5 hours. We watched a 3 hour Spinerval then some college football. The bad part of the ride was Kona only had 2 potty problems in the house. One was on the hard wood. I kept getting off the bike every 30 minutes or so and letting her out with great success. I decided to give her a treat every time, to reinforce outside not inside. There was a couple times Kona went to the car first for the treat. I told her to go potty and she would. Potty training is hard work. I felt very wiped after the ride. I always feel hungrier when I ride the trainer versus outside.
I ran at 6am Sunday because I had to be at work. It is the first time I have put a shirt on since May. I even wore long sleeve. I thought about getting gloves. I had to get gloves half way into the run. I could not feel my hands at all. I had to use both hands to squeeze the water bottle for a drink. It was a solid 2 hour run. I did a lot of mental training for Arizona. It was my fastest 2 hour run. It felt really good. I was just shy of 17.5 miles. Not bad for a guy trying to be an athlete. I am not sure what I ate, but my stomach has been weird all day.
It was in the upper 30's this morning. I had a pretty good swim. My calves were a little sore. The main set was 8x500 with short rest. I got in 5500. My stomach is still not feeling right. I have physical therapy later today and a moderate run.
Less than 7 weeks to go. A few more weeks of hard training, then taper time.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
What a week!!!
Kona sleeping post race.
Kona out cold.
Kona still sleeping.
Kona out cold.
Kona still sleeping. On Monday I had a nice 4000m swim. I was going to call it a day, when Ted asked if I wanted to do some 25's of fly. I told him I was going to sprint the last one. I think he was a little shocked. I have two speeds for fly, all out for a short distance or slow for lots of fly. I rode the bike in the early afternoon. I focused on some pace work for the half. I dropped of my bike for a tuneup.
I took Tuesday & Thursday off from workouts.
I had a good swim Wednesday morning. I went to pick up my bike. There are a few issues. It will have to go back. Once I got back, I rode my bike and ran with the dogs.
On my drive to work Friday morning, I saw a porcupine in the parking lot. I thought it was a raccoon because of the size. I stopped the car and looked closely. I didn't know we had porcupines in Washington. I swam enough just to get a feel. I have so much leave left, that I have to start taking a day off every week, so I decided to head home and get a quick bike/run in. I have a special relationship with valve extenders. I went to pump up my race wheels and figured out the stem valve shut. I had to take the tire off and broke a tire lever in the process. I put the wheel back together. I headed to Enumclaw to pick up our packets and drop off our bikes. At first they weren't going to let me, but after enough sweet talking they agreed.
Lee and I met up for dinner at my fav sushi spot in Dupont. He wanted to go check out the Viszla puppy at the pet store. I knew if we went, we were leaving with the puppy. Sure enough, I walked out with a puppy. I couldn't put her back in the small space. On the drive home we named her Kona. I picked the name because of her unpredictability and the race I will be at next year. My suggestion for anyone interested in a puppy. I wouldn't buy one the night before a race. I took he out several times through the night. The highlight of sleeping is waking up wet. It wasn't from sweat. :-(
RACE MORNING
I headed out the door at 5:30am. I met up with Lee and Karen. On the drive up, I forgot to grab Gatorade for my run bottle and the pump. I think it was due to erratic sleep. We pulled into the parking lot just before 7. We all agreed that it was nice not having to worry about loading & unloading the bikes. We chilled in the car and took Kona out of the kennel. Luckily, Jess was only swimming and could watch Kona during the race. We set up our transition area and then back to warm up again. I love having lots of time to not stress about a race. I headed out for a short run to warm up at 8:30AM. I made sure everything was good to go and donned my wetsuit.
SWIM - 29:45
It was a little crowded at the beginning of the race. I am always amazed at how many people sprint in the first 200meters and then die hard. I passed a lot of people before the first buoy. I felt pretty good. I saw a few people ahead of me and tried to close the gap with no luck. I picked up the pace on the second loop. I cannot figure out why my swim is over a minute slower than in 2005&2006. I was 10th out of the water. I had the fastest T-1 time by 21 seconds. There were guys who out swam me by 30 seconds, but their transition times were slower by double. I remember looking at one of the guys as I was heading out. I think he was looking at me with disbelief.
Bike - 2:22.42
I was passed by a guy within the first few miles. He ended up winning. It took several miles to get comfortable. Then another guy passed me. After mile 20, two guys passed me. I had enough. I decided it was time to get into the race. One of the guys was a relay guy, we'll call him IOARSCIC (I'm on a relay so cheating is cool). Can you guess who the other was? Crowieto. The pace felt good, so I let them do all the work. I was worried about drafting, so I kept a good distance. The IOARSCIC drafted and blocked. I am pretty sure he didn't get any penalties. He would pass and then stay next to the center line or he would get passed and draft then repass within a few seconds. The funny thing is Crowieto was called for drafting. We caught and passed everyone in front of us except for the eventual winner. He looked strong. Crowieto finally got tired of IOARSCIC, so he jumped on a hill. I wanted to go. My motto was, "Bike for show, run for dough." I watched him ride away. I figured he put 2 or so minutes on me. IOARSCIC and I kept playing the pass/repass game. I finally decided to stay behind IOARSCIC and to mentally prepare for the run. I was in and out of transition with the second fast T-2. I knew there were two guys in front of me and a relay. Scratch that one guy. Crowieto was in transition with his clothes on. I knew he mentioned he would probably only run a few miles then pull out. I didn't think he would stop in T-2.
RUN - 1:28.53
I started with a cramp in my side. After a mile or so, it was gone. I knew there was someone behind me, but not sure how close. At the first out and back I figured he was a minute behind me. I got into a nice groove after 4 miles and started to increase the gap. Now the guy in front of me was doing the same thing to me. I finished 2nd overall.
My goal for the race was (28:30, 2:23.00, under 1:30 on the run=4:25.00). At first I was a little disappointed because I thought my time was 4:28. When I saw the results I was very ecstatic. The time was 4:24.11. I looked at my watch and saw my run time. I was looking at the minutes not hour. Duh!!! The bike, run, and total time were all lifetime bests for the half iron distance.
Karen had a great race too, considering that her shoe had a lump in it. She was 6th overall and 1st in her age group. Almost forgot, she was the fastest female swimmer. For Christmas, I ordered double doors for every entry way in their house.
On our drive home we stopped at Sonic for a shake and burger. It was yummy!
Last night, I slept well and stayed dry. :-) I tried to clean house with little luck. Kona decided to pee a few times and poo once in the house. :-( I swam 1900m. Karen and Lee helped me with my stroke. Karen also video-taped me, so I could look at it later. I changed my body position, which translated into higher turnover, but faster swimming. I added two strokes per 50 but subtracted 4 seconds. Hmmm, will this work. I think so. I changed my swim goal for Arizona 55:41. Qualifying for Kona is the real goal, but this would be icing on the cake.
I'll use this coming week to recover. Less than 8 weeks to go until Ironman Arizona, watch out.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Getting ready for another half
I felt pretty tired Monday morning. I ended up with 5600 yards. I was actually surprised that I kept my pace throughout the workout. Then main set was 4x800 + 6x150. Later in the day I went out for an easy one hour ride.
On Tuesday, I biked 55 miles. Nothing like having a plan in your mind for the route and then changing it because the road was closed. I ended up making a 16 mile loop that I rode through a couple of times.
I had a good swim Wednesday morning. The workout was a pyramid of 100-500 and then back down. After the 300, I maintained the same pace throughout. I was a little faster on the way down. I saw a lot of clouds coming in and figured rain was near, so I moved my track workout to 1pm. I haven't done a track workout in a few months since preparation for Vancouver Marathon. After the first 400, I was able to settle into a nice pace holding strong and then picking it up for the last few.
Thursday was like Tuesday, except I made a 5mile loop that I repeated too many times to count. I hope they reopen the road soon. The workout was good. I quickly transitioned out with both dogs for a 30 minute run. I am not sure why, but Fina just doesn't seem to want to run like she used to. For the last 1.5miles I had to say "go" on every exhale so she would stay on pace.
The last few workouts seem to catch up with me on Friday. My swim in the morning was 60x50. It actually goes by very quickly. My favorite part was some swimmer, who decided to join me on #35. As we were nearing the end of the set, she called me out. Lesson #1 little lady - count. Lesson #2 - you don't win anything because you are swimming faster on the easy 50's. Lesson #3 - Don't talk trash if you cant back it up!!!
I heard rain in the middle of the night, so I was thinking that it would be a long trainer ride Saturday. We started with a 3 hour spinerval. It was good that I scheduled my bike for a tune-up this week. I cannot get into my small ring. I'm thinking it might be the cables. If you haven't done a spinerval, you are definitely missing out on a challenging workout. The easiest gear I could get into was Big 23. Lucky me. For the last 2 hours of the workout we watched college football. We agreed to stand during commercials. There wasn't a commercial for fifteen minutes during the first game. We switched over to Crowieto's Gators and there was a commercial every 3-5 minutes. I think we stood more than sat during the last hour and half or so. We both headed out for a quick run. Crowieto tucked in right behind me. I heard footsteps for the first mile or so. After that they disappeared. He was having cramping issues. I felt like a million bucks! My legs felt like as a feather and I kicked up the pace by 36 seconds. I maintained that pace for the next 3.7 miles. Actually I was getting faster. We finished off the workout with an awesome curry. Complements to the chef. It was awesome!!!
This morning a friend was supposed to run with Fina. I put her in the kennel and headed out. I had a great run. It felt like I wasn't doing any work. I decided to do 7x(1mile on half ironman pace then 1 minute easy). I got back to the house and poor Fina did not get a run. My flaky friend decided to sleep in. Luckily she made up for it later and took Fina around 1100am for 6 miles. Have you ever seen a Vizsla not get her exercise. She is out of control. After my run, I met up with my brother for breakfast at the new pub. They ended up sending me a cold dish and service was not the best. I didn't even get a chance to complain and they comped the entire meal. I saw a couple other people I know come in later. I talked to one of the girls before I left. She said her service was great. I think they were intimidated by me. What can I say?
Less than 9 weeks to go and it's GO TIME!!!
On Tuesday, I biked 55 miles. Nothing like having a plan in your mind for the route and then changing it because the road was closed. I ended up making a 16 mile loop that I rode through a couple of times.
I had a good swim Wednesday morning. The workout was a pyramid of 100-500 and then back down. After the 300, I maintained the same pace throughout. I was a little faster on the way down. I saw a lot of clouds coming in and figured rain was near, so I moved my track workout to 1pm. I haven't done a track workout in a few months since preparation for Vancouver Marathon. After the first 400, I was able to settle into a nice pace holding strong and then picking it up for the last few.
Thursday was like Tuesday, except I made a 5mile loop that I repeated too many times to count. I hope they reopen the road soon. The workout was good. I quickly transitioned out with both dogs for a 30 minute run. I am not sure why, but Fina just doesn't seem to want to run like she used to. For the last 1.5miles I had to say "go" on every exhale so she would stay on pace.
The last few workouts seem to catch up with me on Friday. My swim in the morning was 60x50. It actually goes by very quickly. My favorite part was some swimmer, who decided to join me on #35. As we were nearing the end of the set, she called me out. Lesson #1 little lady - count. Lesson #2 - you don't win anything because you are swimming faster on the easy 50's. Lesson #3 - Don't talk trash if you cant back it up!!!
I heard rain in the middle of the night, so I was thinking that it would be a long trainer ride Saturday. We started with a 3 hour spinerval. It was good that I scheduled my bike for a tune-up this week. I cannot get into my small ring. I'm thinking it might be the cables. If you haven't done a spinerval, you are definitely missing out on a challenging workout. The easiest gear I could get into was Big 23. Lucky me. For the last 2 hours of the workout we watched college football. We agreed to stand during commercials. There wasn't a commercial for fifteen minutes during the first game. We switched over to Crowieto's Gators and there was a commercial every 3-5 minutes. I think we stood more than sat during the last hour and half or so. We both headed out for a quick run. Crowieto tucked in right behind me. I heard footsteps for the first mile or so. After that they disappeared. He was having cramping issues. I felt like a million bucks! My legs felt like as a feather and I kicked up the pace by 36 seconds. I maintained that pace for the next 3.7 miles. Actually I was getting faster. We finished off the workout with an awesome curry. Complements to the chef. It was awesome!!!
This morning a friend was supposed to run with Fina. I put her in the kennel and headed out. I had a great run. It felt like I wasn't doing any work. I decided to do 7x(1mile on half ironman pace then 1 minute easy). I got back to the house and poor Fina did not get a run. My flaky friend decided to sleep in. Luckily she made up for it later and took Fina around 1100am for 6 miles. Have you ever seen a Vizsla not get her exercise. She is out of control. After my run, I met up with my brother for breakfast at the new pub. They ended up sending me a cold dish and service was not the best. I didn't even get a chance to complain and they comped the entire meal. I saw a couple other people I know come in later. I talked to one of the girls before I left. She said her service was great. I think they were intimidated by me. What can I say?
Less than 9 weeks to go and it's GO TIME!!!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Recovering from Mega Miles #1
So far the only issue I have is my left knee is a little sore. I ended up skipping my short run on Tuesday and relaxed with no workouts.
Wednesday, I had a really good swim. The main set was 1000, 5x200, 10x100. Sometimes I jump in and feel strong from the first stroke. Other times, I can tell it will be a long workout. It was one of the good days.
Later than afternoon, I had a really strong run. 5 mile w/up, 6 miles at Half Marathon pace, and then warm down 2 miles. I basically descended my speed. There was interesting moment after a deer crossed the street. Out of no where I hear a noise sounding like a chain bobbing. I look to my left. It was a pit bull running at warm speed. I think he was getting ready to have some Asian food for dinner. We exchanged glances at each other and then he turned around. I figured I was chopped Bruce for dinner. I might be running pretty fast, but there was no way I could out run him. Whew, close call. Maybe I should carry a taser. Anyone have one for sale?
On Thursday, I had a good ride. The sun was out and so was his best friend, wind. I thought it was windy on Monday. Nothing like doing short intervals and going as hard as you can into a head wind. Not sure what is worse. Riding into a head wind or up a hill. Or the ultimate head wind uphill. Yes, I have experienced those on St Croix. I had a good run off the bike.
Another good swim on Friday. 100's with 1:00 rest. I felt pretty good, not great. After lunch, I took Oden & Fina for a short 30 minute run. Nothing like having to pull the dogs to the finish. I kept encouraging the dogs. The heat seemed to drain them more than me. This was my moderate run too.
It's hard to believe that it was nice and sunny in the middle of September. I think the high was in the mid to upper 80's. We had our longest bike of the year on Saturday. We were just shy of 120. Karen was racing at Black Hills. Somehow we timed everything right to pull into the finish area and watch her finish a minute later. If we would've rode any slower, we would've missed the finish. Great job Karen!!! 4th female and 2nd in her age group. Back to the ride. The heat was getting to me. I drank a lot at each stop. I looked at my shorts and knew I didn't consume enough salt. At the end of the ride, I was ready to collapse. I was super hungry, thirsty and tired.
When you don't refuel well after a tough workout you will feel it later. It might be the next day or a couple days, but it always catches up with you. Lately I have been forcing myself to eat. Not sure what that's about. I only ate one scoop of my rocky road ice cream. I cant ever recalling leaving any ice cream in a bowl, especially rocky road. I started my run feeling good. After 5 miles, I was able to get comfortable into my pace. That only lasted another 6 miles. I dropped Fina off and had one more loop of 10.3 miles to go. This was the longest 10 miles I have run since my stupid 3 hour run after a huge hangover last year. It started out as run a mile walk a few seconds and eventually turned into run 1/4 to 1/2 mile and walk almost a minute. I was able to finally finish the run. It ended up being 21 miles. Last week I felt great running 19. Lesson of the week, YOU HAVE TO EAT TO TRAIN!!!
Wednesday, I had a really good swim. The main set was 1000, 5x200, 10x100. Sometimes I jump in and feel strong from the first stroke. Other times, I can tell it will be a long workout. It was one of the good days.
Later than afternoon, I had a really strong run. 5 mile w/up, 6 miles at Half Marathon pace, and then warm down 2 miles. I basically descended my speed. There was interesting moment after a deer crossed the street. Out of no where I hear a noise sounding like a chain bobbing. I look to my left. It was a pit bull running at warm speed. I think he was getting ready to have some Asian food for dinner. We exchanged glances at each other and then he turned around. I figured I was chopped Bruce for dinner. I might be running pretty fast, but there was no way I could out run him. Whew, close call. Maybe I should carry a taser. Anyone have one for sale?
On Thursday, I had a good ride. The sun was out and so was his best friend, wind. I thought it was windy on Monday. Nothing like doing short intervals and going as hard as you can into a head wind. Not sure what is worse. Riding into a head wind or up a hill. Or the ultimate head wind uphill. Yes, I have experienced those on St Croix. I had a good run off the bike.
Another good swim on Friday. 100's with 1:00 rest. I felt pretty good, not great. After lunch, I took Oden & Fina for a short 30 minute run. Nothing like having to pull the dogs to the finish. I kept encouraging the dogs. The heat seemed to drain them more than me. This was my moderate run too.
It's hard to believe that it was nice and sunny in the middle of September. I think the high was in the mid to upper 80's. We had our longest bike of the year on Saturday. We were just shy of 120. Karen was racing at Black Hills. Somehow we timed everything right to pull into the finish area and watch her finish a minute later. If we would've rode any slower, we would've missed the finish. Great job Karen!!! 4th female and 2nd in her age group. Back to the ride. The heat was getting to me. I drank a lot at each stop. I looked at my shorts and knew I didn't consume enough salt. At the end of the ride, I was ready to collapse. I was super hungry, thirsty and tired.
When you don't refuel well after a tough workout you will feel it later. It might be the next day or a couple days, but it always catches up with you. Lately I have been forcing myself to eat. Not sure what that's about. I only ate one scoop of my rocky road ice cream. I cant ever recalling leaving any ice cream in a bowl, especially rocky road. I started my run feeling good. After 5 miles, I was able to get comfortable into my pace. That only lasted another 6 miles. I dropped Fina off and had one more loop of 10.3 miles to go. This was the longest 10 miles I have run since my stupid 3 hour run after a huge hangover last year. It started out as run a mile walk a few seconds and eventually turned into run 1/4 to 1/2 mile and walk almost a minute. I was able to finally finish the run. It ended up being 21 miles. Last week I felt great running 19. Lesson of the week, YOU HAVE TO EAT TO TRAIN!!!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Mega Miles #1
Wow what a great weekend!!!
I have to say Crowieto has helped me become a stronger cyclist. Last year, I used to feel guilty sitting on his wheel for most of the rides. Every time I would try to pull, he would pass me back within a minute. My pace was never fast enough for him. Hopefully, I proved myself worthy this weekend.
I started with a solid 3500m swim Friday morning. I was able to swim 50s five seconds faster than last year.
I texted Crowieto and wanted to move the ride up because rain was predicted. He came through. I have never seen him get in and out the door that fast. We had an amazing bike ride. I felt awesome!!! We averaged 23mph for 73 miles. It was crazy!!! I can honestly say that I did my fair share of pulling. I am no longer a draft whore.
It was a slow start Saturday morning. Rain was predicted all day. I brought my trainer over just in case. We lucked out for almost all of the ride. We stopped in Olympia at Guy's favorite coffee joint. You can count on some strange characters. The winds were stronger than Friday. We biked 110miles at 21.6mph.
Yesterday, there was good and bad. I wasn't sure what to expect after 2 days of cycling. I was very surprised. I felt really good. It took me 5 miles to warm up, then I averaged 6:49 for the next 13 miles, and warmed down. It rained for almost all of the run. At one point I couldn't tell if the rain was coming from the ground or sky. My favorite moment was on my last strong mile. The sky dumped buckets of water on me. All I could do was smile. Can you guess the weather at the end of my run? Sunshine and no rain. Only in Warshington. I ran 19.4 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes.
We started today with a swim in the Lake. I decided to just stay in cruise mode. That is until I felt a toe touch. There is only 1 person I know who likes to touch my toes. If you guessed Crowieto, you win!!! He must enjoy drafting off me because he did it again. I decided to pick the pace up considerably. All I know 300 meters later he was no where to be found. I tried to swim with Karen. She swims like Crowieto bikes. All over the place!!! One second we are going left, the next we are going right. Imagine how fast she will be if she figures it out. I ended up swimming about 3 miles open water.
We were on our bikes within an hour to start the last long ride of the weekend. To say it was windy would be an understatement. Every once in awhile I looked at my watch and saw 19mph. It was tough for the first half of the ride. The second half was faster. The rain gods decided since we lucked out most of the weekend, it was time to get wet. Crowieto decided to test my top speed. Not just once, but four times. He almost got away from me on the last one. He finally realized that I wasn't gonna let him drop me. We averaged 21.8mph for 91 miles.
We biked 274 miles for 3 out of 4 days averaging 22.04mph. We have one more mega miles weekend in 5 weeks. 300+miles.
10 weeks to go till Arizona. O Yea!!!
I have to say Crowieto has helped me become a stronger cyclist. Last year, I used to feel guilty sitting on his wheel for most of the rides. Every time I would try to pull, he would pass me back within a minute. My pace was never fast enough for him. Hopefully, I proved myself worthy this weekend.
I started with a solid 3500m swim Friday morning. I was able to swim 50s five seconds faster than last year.
I texted Crowieto and wanted to move the ride up because rain was predicted. He came through. I have never seen him get in and out the door that fast. We had an amazing bike ride. I felt awesome!!! We averaged 23mph for 73 miles. It was crazy!!! I can honestly say that I did my fair share of pulling. I am no longer a draft whore.
It was a slow start Saturday morning. Rain was predicted all day. I brought my trainer over just in case. We lucked out for almost all of the ride. We stopped in Olympia at Guy's favorite coffee joint. You can count on some strange characters. The winds were stronger than Friday. We biked 110miles at 21.6mph.
Yesterday, there was good and bad. I wasn't sure what to expect after 2 days of cycling. I was very surprised. I felt really good. It took me 5 miles to warm up, then I averaged 6:49 for the next 13 miles, and warmed down. It rained for almost all of the run. At one point I couldn't tell if the rain was coming from the ground or sky. My favorite moment was on my last strong mile. The sky dumped buckets of water on me. All I could do was smile. Can you guess the weather at the end of my run? Sunshine and no rain. Only in Warshington. I ran 19.4 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes.
We started today with a swim in the Lake. I decided to just stay in cruise mode. That is until I felt a toe touch. There is only 1 person I know who likes to touch my toes. If you guessed Crowieto, you win!!! He must enjoy drafting off me because he did it again. I decided to pick the pace up considerably. All I know 300 meters later he was no where to be found. I tried to swim with Karen. She swims like Crowieto bikes. All over the place!!! One second we are going left, the next we are going right. Imagine how fast she will be if she figures it out. I ended up swimming about 3 miles open water.
We were on our bikes within an hour to start the last long ride of the weekend. To say it was windy would be an understatement. Every once in awhile I looked at my watch and saw 19mph. It was tough for the first half of the ride. The second half was faster. The rain gods decided since we lucked out most of the weekend, it was time to get wet. Crowieto decided to test my top speed. Not just once, but four times. He almost got away from me on the last one. He finally realized that I wasn't gonna let him drop me. We averaged 21.8mph for 91 miles.
We biked 274 miles for 3 out of 4 days averaging 22.04mph. We have one more mega miles weekend in 5 weeks. 300+miles.
10 weeks to go till Arizona. O Yea!!!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Getting ready for a big cycling weekend
I started having pain around my knee cap, so I cut my run short on Monday.
I had a strong bike on Tuesday. I rode a little over 53 miles. I did some zone 4 work.
My swim felt ok Wednesday morning. I descended a set of 300s and 150s.
I ran late afternoon with Fina. I felt like crap for the first five miles. Fina did not like the heat, so I dropped her back off at the house. It was easier to run 1 minute per mile faster than to warm up. Weird. I ended up descending miles 6-10 (6:49-6:26).
I took it easy on Thursday and ran for 30 minutes in the afternoon. I got into my pace right away and felt strong all the way through.
Time to rest up for the big cycling weekend.
I had a strong bike on Tuesday. I rode a little over 53 miles. I did some zone 4 work.
My swim felt ok Wednesday morning. I descended a set of 300s and 150s.
I ran late afternoon with Fina. I felt like crap for the first five miles. Fina did not like the heat, so I dropped her back off at the house. It was easier to run 1 minute per mile faster than to warm up. Weird. I ended up descending miles 6-10 (6:49-6:26).
I took it easy on Thursday and ran for 30 minutes in the afternoon. I got into my pace right away and felt strong all the way through.
Time to rest up for the big cycling weekend.
Monday, August 31, 2009
A great week of training.
Monday, I swam strong on 8x400. I felt good and was able to descend.
Tuesday, I had a good bike workout followed by a short run.
Wednesday, I had another great swim. It was a lot of 200's. I finished up with a few fast 100's. I had a good run. It took a few miles to get warmed up.
Thursday was back to the mid/upper 80's. I had a great ride averaging over 22mph for the workout of 2 hours. The run was not fun. I have to keep up on the salt intake.
Friday, yet another great swim. Lots of fast 100's.
Saturday, I started the ride in the rain. After 30 minutes, we stopped at Forza for a hot chocolate. After an hour of relaxing, we decided to get back out there. Luckily, there was no more rain. The roads were wet for awhile. My legs were covered in dirt. I averaged 22.3mph for 92.5 miles. My riding partner was keeping the pace strong for the most of the ride. That is until about mile 79. We were climbing the last hill out of Lacey. I was half way up the hill and looked back and saw him in the distance. He bonked hard. I've been there, it's not a good feeling. I waited for him after the crest. After that I made sure not to ride too far, to make sure he would make it to Forza for a recharge. He was good to go for the last 10miles. I had a strong 20 minute run afterward.
Sunday, I ran just under 17 miles. My legs were tired from the bike on Saturday. It took me 5 miles to get into a nice pace. I averaged 6:55 for the next 10 miles. I ran with no socks and no blister issues whatsoever.
What a great week of training!!! Especially since I had a nagging cough all week. I am amazed that I was able to train at a high level and not get sicker.
It finally caught up with me this morning on my swim. My main set was 6x600. I wanted to be faster. My body was refusing. I swam 5000m. I have a short easy run later.
11 weeks to go and game on!
Tuesday, I had a good bike workout followed by a short run.
Wednesday, I had another great swim. It was a lot of 200's. I finished up with a few fast 100's. I had a good run. It took a few miles to get warmed up.
Thursday was back to the mid/upper 80's. I had a great ride averaging over 22mph for the workout of 2 hours. The run was not fun. I have to keep up on the salt intake.
Friday, yet another great swim. Lots of fast 100's.
Saturday, I started the ride in the rain. After 30 minutes, we stopped at Forza for a hot chocolate. After an hour of relaxing, we decided to get back out there. Luckily, there was no more rain. The roads were wet for awhile. My legs were covered in dirt. I averaged 22.3mph for 92.5 miles. My riding partner was keeping the pace strong for the most of the ride. That is until about mile 79. We were climbing the last hill out of Lacey. I was half way up the hill and looked back and saw him in the distance. He bonked hard. I've been there, it's not a good feeling. I waited for him after the crest. After that I made sure not to ride too far, to make sure he would make it to Forza for a recharge. He was good to go for the last 10miles. I had a strong 20 minute run afterward.
Sunday, I ran just under 17 miles. My legs were tired from the bike on Saturday. It took me 5 miles to get into a nice pace. I averaged 6:55 for the next 10 miles. I ran with no socks and no blister issues whatsoever.
What a great week of training!!! Especially since I had a nagging cough all week. I am amazed that I was able to train at a high level and not get sicker.
It finally caught up with me this morning on my swim. My main set was 6x600. I wanted to be faster. My body was refusing. I swam 5000m. I have a short easy run later.
11 weeks to go and game on!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Pics from the last few races
Lee & I chillin after the 70.3
Finishing 70.3
Lots of bike pics
Exit 70.3 swim
Yep, this is what the start of 70.3 looked like
Torchlight - very humid
Seafair Finish
Seafair bike
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