Sunday 05/16/10

A pretty good week for training.

Monday was to be a day off, but I went to a 2 hour spin class. These workouts really seem to be helping my endurance. I felt strong on Monday and I was soaking wet when the class was all said and done.

Tuesday AM was a swim and a long swim at that. 4250 total yds between the warm up, work out, and cool down. Now my event is 2.4 miles which is only 4224 yds. Yes, that is correct, I swam 26 yds more than my event distance. It made for a long morning but the swim went well.
Tuesday PM, I met Mentor Michelle over at the base of Mount Diablo for an evening climb. Took just under an hour to get from the soccer field on Blackhawk Drive to the junction. But then the fun begins and I get to go downhill for a long time. I love descending.

Wed was to be a run only. I decided to do Thursday's brick workout instead. I started with an hour spin class and then went for a quick 2 mile run. Both went well. My plan was to make up today's run on Friday and do Friday's swim on Thursday, but more on that soon.

Thursday was another swim. Not as long as Tuesday's, but still pretty lengthy. 3800 yds later, it felt long enough.

Friday, I was to make up the run. Well, work happened on Thursday (nice excuse) and surprise, the run did not happen. What a shocker!!!!

Saturday, we were back in Sonoma County for an 80 mile Bike around the Vineman course. My bike fit felt better on Tuesday, but still not right. On this day, it was about the same. I did not have any pains, back, butt, or foot. Coach Dave led us out and kept us at a reasonable pace for the first 15 miles. After that, it was hammer time, I mean, race speed time. I felt strong all day. I had, what I would call, my best day on a bike so far. I felt strong throughout. I kept up with my Carbo-Pro/gatorade mixture and drank 1 bottle per hour (336+ cal./bottle) I could have used a fifth bottle, but unfortunately, I only packed 4 total. Note to self, pack 1 more than you think you will need. I will probably need 7 on event day.
I felt great was the ride was done and again, I did a quick brick, and went for a 2 mile run. This was not on the schedule but I thought the extra running would help me. Also, if I run on Saturday, I can rationalize Sunday.

Sunday was an Open water swim and run, but the American Motorcycle Association was racing at Infineon Speedway and I wanted to go see the races. Not a bad way to spend the day. I got up early, dusted off my motorcycle, rode up to the races, and watched men (and women)do crazy things at very fast speeds.
Those racers make training for an Ironman seem sane.....

Sunday 05/09/10 Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's out there!!

This week was pretty good for me. I actually got a couple of runs in, which is a step in the right direction.
Monday was to be a day off, but I went for a double spin class. Up at 4:30 AM and to the gym by 4:45 AM for the first class at 5:00 and the second at 6:00. This is a pretty good workout and I am drenched in sweat by the end.

Tuesday was a swim workout in the AM. A ladder workout of 2450 yds. Went well. I am feeling comfortable in the water finally. Tuesday PM was a bike and run, but I didn't have my new bike shoes yet, so I blew off the workout.

Wednesday was a spin workout at 5:00 AM. I only did the one session as I had to get to work.

Thursday was a run workout but I went for Friday's swim workout instead. 3850 yds, a little over 2 miles. Went well, but I was tired when I was finished. My event is 2.4 miles, which is 4224 yds. My yardage is catching up on that number very quickly.

Friday was the swim workout and I should make up the run I missed on Thursday, but I decide to go for a 2 hour spin class again. Again, it went well and I was drenched in sweat when it was over, but I cannot continue to blow off this many runs. Meenu starts to call me Aquaboy, since I have been missing so many runs. She is busting my chops that I am only going to be able to do the AquaBike. I cannot continue to miss the runs. I am getting too close to the event to miss more runs.

Saturday we go up to Napa and ride the Silverado Trail. 56 miles, out and back, and for some reason it is in to a head wind both ways. I don't know how that works but it does. I ride with Haakon, Tony, BK, Jim and Les to start off with. I had my new shoes on and had switched my seat the night before to a narrower seat. I thought I had put the new seat on in the same position, but after a few miles, it was apparent that I did not have the set up correct. I felt like I was reaching for the handlebars and for the pedals. My lower back was killing me at the half way point. I made a slight adjustment to the seat at the water stop and that improved the pain, but something was still off. I will continue to work on that to get it right. I finished the ride in about 2 hours 45 minutes. I was happy with the time since the pain I was in. We had a very short 2 mile run after the ride. BK and I ran that together. Brian is a much better runner than I, so I struggled to keep up, but I managed to finish the run with him (I think he slowed down for me).

Sunday was a 12 mile long slow distance run. I met some teammates over at the Iron Horse Trail. I take off with Haakon and Nic. MISTAKE!! They are both too fast for me to keep up with through 12 miles. I keep up for the first 3 miles, but then my day starts to go downhill. The rest of the run goes, but I have to change from running a 9 min run:1 min walk to a 5:1.
Not the way I want my runs to go.

I have 11 weeks or so until my event. Which gives me about 8 weeks to get ready for the marathon portion. Time to start running......

Tuesday 05/04/10

A fairly uneventful week for training.
My butt has finally healed. I went and bought new shoes but they are not yet in. So, I have not been back on my bike. I miss her.
Monday was our usual day off, which I gladly took.
Tuesday was a swim in the AM. The swim was not real long, only 3250 yds, but it seemed a lot longer. I was supposed to bike in the evening but that didn't happen.
Wednesday was supposed to be a run, but I made up my bike workout instead. 5 AM spin class, what fun!!!
Thursday was a Brick (bike and run), I swam. I do not seem to be getting this schedule thing.
Just not cutting it for me. There was a swim on Friday's schedule, so I could just say I did it early. Yeah, that's the ticket!!!
Friday AM comes along and I am a Brick workout and a run workout down for the week.
I could make up one if the two but not both. And the choice is...............................................
Neither, I went with option C - No workout!!
Meenu and I drove up to Grass Valley to visit with my brother, Brock, and his wife, Cathie.
We stayed over night on Friday to continue our visit on Saturday, but I brought my running clothes. Saturday AM was supposed to be a 30 mile bike, but I am going to run or...................
Choice D - Stay in bed
I am beginning to see a trend here.
Sunday is a 10 mile run. Somehow, I am surprised when the run doesn't go well. What a shocker!! I make it through the 10 miles, but it takes me almost 2 hours and I am really tired through the run.
Perhaps, I should read the warning signs here.
What do you think..........

Sunday 04/25/10

This week was known as a recovery week. We go through three tough weeks followed by one easier week. I was looking forward to an easier week. Monday was the usual day off.

Tuesday was a swim marker. I did the usual warm up of 1000 yds and then did my 2000 yd marker. I finished in 37 minutes 16 seconds. That would work out to a 79 minute 2.4 mile Ironman. I would not be disappointed with that time. I think I can improve on that time over the next few months but we will see.

Wednesday was a spin workout. The usual, no excitement.

Thursday was another swim. This morning did not go as well as I would have liked. I just did not feel great. I did the usual warm-up and then started to do the marker again. I just wasn't feeling it. I eventually decided that I was going to run at night instead. That evening I went for a 6 mile run. I felt OK during the run.

Friday was an Athlete's Choice day and I choose to do Nuttin'. A day of relaxation.

Saturday was an open water swim in the bay. Yep, the San Francisco Bay. I met my teammates at the Aquatic Park and we were in the water by 8:30 AM. When I first got in the water, the cold freaked me out a bit. I was having a hard time relaxing with the water in my face being so cold. I finally got my face in and kept it in the water long enough to numb up, so I could relax. We were to swim for 60 minutes, as far as we could. I did 3 laps around Aquatic Park. Exact distance cannot be determined, but it was about 2 miles. After the initial shock, I felt pretty comfortable and relaxed. My swimming has improved dramatically over the last 5 months. We finished our day with 30 minutes of core and stretching on the beach. Not a bad way to start a Saturday.

Sunday was another short workout. We met at Heather Farms for the Brenda Donato 5 K Race. I met my teammates early for a 5K warm-up. I ran out with Jim, BK, Coach Dave, Phil, Sara and Nic. This was just supposed to be a warm-up. Maybe for those guys, but not so much for me. We ran the 5K in 28 min. 30 Secs. Not flying, but not slow and easy. After about 20 minutes, the actual race was to begin. Off we went, I felt pretty good for most of it, but felt I had gone out too hard between the warm-up and the first 2 miles. I faded in the end but completed the marker in 26 min. 18 secs. I will forward that time to Coach Simon to see where I am, but I have a pretty good idea. I need to run more often!!!

We got together this afternoon over at Coach Dave's house for our honoree potluck. Lots of food, drink and conversation. It was a good way to end the week of recovery workouts.

After a day off tomorrow, we are back at it full tilt....

Sunday 04/18/10 A Long Week

OK,
Been too long since I have written. I will try to get better. Lots of information to write. First and foremost, I bought a new bike!!!

Isn't she pretty!!
Beats the hell out of the $100 bike I've been riding for the last 2 1/2 years.

I missed all the training two weeks ago. I was sick as a dog and could not manage to get it done. Unfortunately, it was a boot camp weekend and I missed a lot. My team mates did a swim, bike, run, swim, bike, run, swim bike, run, etc.etc. Sprint Triathlons back to back, as many as you could do in 5 hours. Ouch!!
Fortunately, it was Masters weekend and I could watch Phil Mickelson take it home! It was beautiful.
This week was a bike focus week. I took Monday off to give me another day of recovery. Not that I really needed it, but why take a chance.
Tuesday I was at the pool. See the proof. Belinda scared the crap out of me by being at the end of the pool when I was finishing up my warm up. I pop up at the end and BOOM, there she is with her camera in hand
I swam 3300 yds on Tuesday. Tuesday night, I go to the spin workout which is no longer spin, but let's go climb Mt Diablo. We start at 6:30, so we will not be able to summit before it gets dark, but we do ride uphill for a solid 45 minutes.
Wednesday, I take a spin class in the AM. No excitement
Thursday, I am back at the pool for another 3600 yd swim. This swim just seems long today, but then again, it IS. That's almost 2 miles.
Friday AM, another spin class, and again, NO excitement.
Saturday AM, I drive down to Gilroy, the Garlic Capital of the world, for the Tierra Bella Century. My plan is to get in the 200K, (120 miles) because I missed last weekend. I have Lara (my new bike) with me. This is her inaugural ride. We roll later than we wanted to. We were shooting for 7:00 AM, but left about 7:30.
Lara gets on to the road and off she goes blazing down the road at a speed I have never felt before. I feel really good going out. She handles well going uphill and downhill. And there was plenty of those on this particular day. On the second climb of the day, Henry Coe State Park, there is a spot 3 miles from the top, that has a cattle guard across the road so you have to slow down to cross and then immediately after, there is a short 15% grade. OUCH!!!!
Here I am still smiling after that brutal climb. A glutton for punishment.
Things start to go downhill from here, both literally and figuratively. With my new bike, I also bought new shoes. I ordered extra wides (EE). Not wide enough. My toe box starts to cramp. That does not make me a happy camper!!
Also with my new bike came a new seat, not the cushy type that was on my old bike but a light weight (NO padding) racing seat (Double OUCH!!)
I end up not doing the 120 miles but settle for the 100 miles and 6400 feet of climbing. I have a sore butt and sore feet, but in the end, I am still smiling. I finish the day riding with Tony and Coach Dave, both people I would consider stronger riders than myself. I complete the 100 miles in 7 hours and 9 minutes of ride time. Lara is thrilled to be let loose. I am ecstatic with my new bike!!
Sunday is an active recovery ride. 60 miles with some hills. We roll at 9:00 AM. I have the same set up as yesterday, so I know I will have some pain. The first 1/4 mile is bad. My butt is screaming right from the get-go. I go sock-less, so my shoes are a little less tight.
But, but, but,... I still have pains in my Butt.
Most of the ride is rolling hills with one climb at mile 50. The ride goes well until I am coming down the back side of the one significant climb. Somewhere along there I lose my directions.
I get to the first T in the road and I have no idea which way to go. I sit there for about 10 minutes waiting for someone to come up. No one does. I decide to go one way. I follow the road until it intersects and then I decide to double back to the first T. I wait an additional 10 minutes to see if someone comes up behind me and finally, Meenu and Lisa drive up in the SAG vehicle. They lead me back to our starting point.
Not a good way to end my rise, but overall a pretty good day. My feet feel better than yesterday, but still not good. My butt just plain hurts..

I am looking forward to a day off from training tomorrow. Going to the bike store and buying shoes and a seat....

Sunday 03/21/10 I coulda had a V8, NOT!!!

Friday morning was a sick day from work. I used the time to drive on down to Lake San Antonio. Rocky, Claudia, Phil, Meenu and I drove down south of Monterey for the Wildflower Half Ironman Triathlon. The actual yearly event is going on in May, but we are going to simulate the event this weekend and do the same course. This will be 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and a13.1 mile run. This course is considered the 2nd toughest in CA or the country (I am not sure which), but either way this day will not be easy.
We set up camp, which meant putting a table cloth on the picnic bench and hooking up the RV.
We are really roughing it!!! We relax most of the day and stay off our feet. I take my bike out for a 10 spin but nothing hard. We have a meeting with our coaches who are preparing us for what to expect and then eat some dinner. BK and Jim join us for dinner. It is time for some sleep, but we all know that sleep will not come easy.

5:00 AM comes way too early. Coach Dave is walking around all the campsites with his boom box playing bagpipe music. I am not sure I was ready for that. Our RV was freezing. We figured out that we had a nice cross breeze by leaving windows open on both sides. Smart? NOT!!!
Rocky, Phil and I have our pre-race breakfast. Each of ours is slightly different. I am sticking with what works for me, and that is 2 whole wheat bagels with peanut butter and a banana.

At 6:00 AM we head to the transition area. Meenu and Claudia take all of our bags and the 5 of us ride our bikes down to the start. It is an exhilarating ride because it pitch black, all down hill and freezing cold.

We all make it safe to the lake and start to set up our transition areas. The bike is lay down(no stands) and I get my area set. Meenu made most of my drinks yesterday, so I just had to lay them out accordingly. Put my Bike bottles with my bike. Get the fuel belt bottles next to my running shoes, etc.

Next I put on the wetsuit. I put on lots of body glide on my neck so I do not have chaffing like I did a few weeks ago. We get down to the water for our 7:00 AM start. We actually have to wait for Emergency Services to get on site before we can start. The ambulance pulls up and we get in. The water is not as cold as the air and actually feels surprisingly warm but then again last week we swam in SF Bay (brrrrr!)

Soon Dave starts the countdown, 10, 9, 8, 7, .....go. This is my first mass start (not that mass, since there 75 of us) and I swim about 100 yds and start to panic. I think my day is going to end before it even starts. I float on my back for a bit and then I do the breast stroke. I calm my breathing down and then get started. I have some trouble spotting and feel like I am all opver the place. But before you know it, I am at the halfway point and turning around. 38 minutes later I am being pulled out of the water, not because I was drowning but because I had finished. As I run to the end of the dock, I see Brian and Jim. They had been pulled out right before me. We walked together up to the transition. What a great swim I just had. It didn't start out that way, but it ended well.

Transition was smooth. I had a warm electrolyte waiting for me. Warm up the inside as well as the outside. I heard BK ask Jim if he had drank his V8(not a joke). I use V8, but not during a race, only as a recovery (more on that later). I get out of the transition and off I go.

I am not clear on the course direction and after getting turned around a bit, I am on my way. Follow the yellow arrows and that is what I do. Unfortunately I follow a wrong yellow arrow, climb a short but steep hill and end up on a dead end street. I double back and bump into Jim, who apparently also took a wrong turn. We find our way and off we go. We soon start to see some of our fellow riders, so I know we are on course. I feel great on the ride. The Carbo pro mix I am now using feels great. The ride to Nasty Grade goes well, I feel strong. Nasty Grade really doesn't seem that nasty after the Death Ride. But the descent sure is fun. 40+mph. Big long sweeping turns that you can see all the way through, a speeders delight.

I roll into transition after 56 miles and I feel awesome. Time to strip the bike shoes and work on putting on the running shoes. What a great bike I just had. It didn't start out that way, but it ended well.

I clip on the fuel belt that holds my water and electrolyte/carbo pro mixture and then I make my fateful error. Oh lookie there, there is my V8, Brian drank his after the swim, I should be OK after the bike. So I slug down my V8, not the 6 oz size but the 12 oz. Not a smart move. I get out of transition and get about a half mile in and my stomach starts to turn. OUCH!!

This run is extremely challenging on its own. Very hilly. The run does not become easier when dealing with an upset stomach. I end up walking most of the hills and running the flats and the downhills. Mile 9 and 10 are mostly downhill to the "pit" where you must turn around and run back up that same hill. The last mile is mostly downhill to the start/finish line. I am relieved to get to this point. My stomach finally feels better. My legs feel strong as I make my way down that final hill. As I cross the finish line, I am very excited to have it all said and done. I cannot say that was a great run, but I did have a run.

It was great to have Meenu there at the end and at various places through out the day. She is a truly amazing woman and I am a much better man for having her in my life. I can never thank her enough for supporting me through this adventure.

I cheer on my fellow triathletes to the finish line and swap stories about our various days and how the event went and what we learned about ourselves.

I can say a few things about my day and my first half Ironman.
"Just say NO to V8 at transition"
"What a great event I just had. It didn't start out that way, but it ended well."
and my time was 7 hours and 28 minutes and
" No matter what the clock says, it was a great time......"

Sunday 03/07/10

What a week! I made it to most of my trainings and feel pretty good right now. Tuesday was my first swim at the level 3 workouts. Last weekend, I did the level 3 Marker. 2500 yards with out stopping. 46 minutes 7 seconds That would equate to a 78 minute 2.4 mile swim. I would be totally psyched with that. So I moved up to a level 3. I am not as fast as most of these swimmers, but I want to do the longer workouts. So Tuesday was a 3100 yd workout. For the most part that went pretty well. Wed AM was a spin and core workout. Again went pretty well. Thursday AM was another swim. This time it was 3500 yds. That's 20 yards short of 2 miles. Well screw that! I am doing the extra yardage. So I did 2 more laps to bring my total to 3550 yds. I swam just OVER 2 miles that morning and I felt great. The swim was not continuous, but just the same, it was over 2 miles. Friday was again a spin and core workout.
So I swam twice during the week and did spin twice with a core workout. Hmmmm! What seems to be missing in my TRIathlon training..

Oh yeah, that other sport, running. Yes, I missed two runs this week. Oops!.

Saturday we were back at Lake Del Valle for some open water swimming and more. The water was colder than my first open water swim from a few weeks ago. The water was at a brisk 52 degrees. This was my second swim in cold water and with a wet suit. I was not as freaked out as I was the first time, but still pretty freaked out. The cold takes some getting used to and not being able to see the bottom is a bit unnerving. But plug away is all you can do. My first lap took about 25 minutes. That was about a half mile in that time. NFG!!! The second lap went better and I felt more comfortable. I saw Coach Sedonia on the return leg of my 2nd lap and she asked me how it was going. I told her better than the first time and better than the first lap. She had her usual words of encouragement. She is just the bomb of a coach. I am so thankful to her and Mike for the help they have given me with my swimming. I can honestly say that in the start of this adventure, swimming was my weakest point and I was not sure if I could make it through the swim. Now, I am confident in the swim and know I can make it. I actual belive that the run is now my weakest point.
After we were done in the water, we hoped on our trainers. 40 minutes of spinning. We got off our bikes and on to the trails for 20 minutes of running. Back from the run and we hopped on our bikes for 40 minutes of hill repeats. Finished up the hill repeats and then off for 20 more minutes of running. End of workout!!!
We ended the day with a chat about our next triathlon. We are doing a Half Ironman in 2 weeks. This is the same course that holds the Wildflower Triathlon every year. We are just doing the course a month earlier. I am excited about the event. It should be lots of fun and a good challenge. I will be interested to see how it goes with my present fitness level.
Sunday was our long run day. I saw on FaceBook that BK, Jim , and Rocky had already completed their run. I commented that I was still sitting on the couch drinking coffee, living the life of luxury.
I finally got motivated and got my butt moving. I borrowed Meenu's Fuel Belt as I cannot find my old one. I have decided that I hate using a fuel belt less than I hate using a hand held water bottle. I ran an out and back course covering 12.13 miles in 2 hours. That is a little slower than I would like, but then again, I haven't put a lot of time in my running so far. I will take it. I ran 12 miles. I haven't run any where near that far since the Rock N Roll half marathon in San Jose in 2007.
So overall, a good week. I got some good fundraising in this week and a lot of training. I feel good.

Tomorrow is Monday, a day off from training. I am going downstairs to watch the Oscars and to have a beer......

Wake up, you fell asleep at the keyboard....

No, I haven't been asleep all this time, but I have been busy.
Life happened. Something had to give.
I kept on training, I have a goal...
I kept on working, I have to earn a living..
I kept on being a husband, She's the best thing that's happened to me...

So the blog and the time it took to write, got cut.
I will try to fill in the holes through the coming weeks and have plenty of stories to share.

The saga will continue....

Sunday 01/17/10

I woke up late from the party last night. I guess I won't be making up the workout from yesterday. I will go to the gym tomorrow to get the swim in. I think I will watch football today.
That's a good way to spend a day.....

Saturday 01/16/10

Today is Lohri, the bonfire festival, a traditional Indian holiday. Wikipedia defines it as:
Lohri (Punjabi: ਲੋਹੜੀ (Gurmukhi), लोहड़ी (Devanagari), لوہڑی (Shahmukhi)) (sometimes spelled Lodi) is an extremely popular winter festival in India, especially North India. Lohri is usually celebrated in the outdoors by friends and family who get together and have a bonfire in the evening. Lohri signifies onset of intense winter in Punjab and surrounding areas. Cold weather is good for wheat hence farmers celebrate Lohri so that their crops lead to a good harvest.

During the day, children go from door to door singing folk songs in praise of Dulha Bhatti, a thief in folklore who helps the poor and fights for their rights. These children are given sweets and savories, and occasionally, money. These collections are known as Lohri, and they are distributed at night during the festival. Some may be offered to the sacred fire. Peanuts, popcorn and other food items are also thrown into the fire as an offering to the God of Fire, Agni.

We had a Lohri celebration at the house so I blew off workout (bike) today. Got to get ready for the party!!

I can make it up on Sunday and Monday.....

Friday 01/15/10

Friday AM brings what is supposed to be just a core workout. I need to get the bike workout from yesterday in, so I get to the gym before 5:00 to take the early spin class. The teacher's microphone doesn't work but she says she can work it without the help. She has a booming voice, it will not be a problem hearing her.
Spin goes off with out an issue. The guy next to me is training for the Vineman Half Ironman which happens a few weeks before my event. I still don't care for the teachers at the San Ramon gym, but maybe I just need to get used to them.
I finish up with 40 minutes of core which I complete in 20 minutes this time. I do a little bit more of the workout then I did earlier in the week.
Overall, this week has been good. I have felt stronger in both my swimming and my running. We are still building base and I feel that I have a good base to build on.
More to follow....

Thursday 01/14/10

Thursday AM brings forth a swim and bike workout. The swim was the longest of the season so far. We started with the usual 300 yds of warmup and 450 yds of drills. The main set is 12 x 100 yds timed swims. The objective is to be consistent throughout. I end up with 12 numbers between 1:45 and 1:55. I am pretty happy with that for consistency. I will email those numbers to Sedonia to see if she agrees.
I see Coach Simon at the start and ask him about the Achilles pain I have. I tell him it feels like a bruise. He refers me to Coach Dave. I go about my swim. As I am finishing up, I notice that my legs are crossing over and I am kicking my own achilles with my shin. No SH!T, no wonder my achilles is hurting!! Light dawns on marbled head.....
I work with Coach Mike on how to not kick myself. It seems simple enough, STOP KICKING!!!!
I finish up my workout and this is by far the best I have felt in the water.
So exciting.....
I move the bike workout to Friday AM. More on that tomorrow....

Wednesday 01/13/10

Today will be a double workout of Spin/Core in the AM and Run in the evening. Ooops, make that a triple workout. I wake at 4:35 to get to the gym for the 5:00 spin class. I miss my spin teachers from Oakland 24 HR, I liked the way they taught. Maybe I will switch to doing the class over there. Something to think about.
Anyways, the class goes well and I move to a spin cycle outside of the class to spin for an additional half hour. I got my 90 minutes of spin in and moved to the 40 minutes of core which I finished in 10 minutes(OK so I blew the core workout off)
The run part was a 6 mile tempo run. Slow and steady. I feel a dull pain in the back of my heel where my achilles is(I guess everyone's achilles is there). Either way, the run goes well and I feel pretty good. Actually, the run felt as good as any run has ever felt.
Note to self about the heel. Need to keep an eye on that....

Tuesday 01/12/10

Tuesday AM swim time. Today is supposed to be a double workout. Swim and Spin. We shall see.
I am at the gym to swim by 5:00 AM. The workout is shorter than normal, only 1900 yds for group 2, but I woke up last night and didn't sleep well because I was worried about this swim.

I started with a 300 yd warmup and another 450 yds of drills, than it was off to the main set. I was supposed to do 50 yds, breathing every 9 strokes, (Yikes)100 yds breathing every 7 (I ), 150 yds breathing every 5(am), 200 yds breathing every 3(starting), 250 yds breathing 3, 5, 7, 9(to ), 300yds normal breathing(panic!!!). I am a mess just thinking about it. I talk to Coach Mike and he gets me on another path. I will do the distances but not the breathing exercise. I will just switch breathing left for one lap and right for the other.
The rest of the workout goes well after I got over the silly breathing exercises. But, as I said before, this was a shorter workout.
Wednesday will be a different story.....
I forego the Spin workout and will do a double workout tomorrow.....

Monday 01/11/10

Its another Monday....another day off....
Screw the Boomtown Rats....
I like Mondays....

Sunday 01/10/10

Sunday morning, cold and foggy, another day in paradise. What is up with this CA weather?
I leave the house around 8:00 for a short run. Today was to be 6 miles of trail running. I am not traveling anywhere to run, so my run will be hills but no trails. I plan an out and back from the house. I take off and quickly realize that I hate to run with a water bottle in my hand. I need to work that out for the future.
The run goes OK and I realize I need to increase the amount of running that I am doing. Have I really missed that many training runs? I don't think so, but maybe I have. Something for me to keep an eye on.
Anyway, the run goes well and I am at home, showered and ready to watch football in plenty of time. Meenu makes me a great omelet for breakfast and football is on. I am excited about the playoffs and eager to watch the Patriots.
The Patriots all had beans for breakfast, because they stunk up the joint. Awful.....

Saturday 01/09/10

Another cool and foggy morning greeted me this am. I was out of the house at 7:15 am to go to Pleasant Hill. I notice as I am in the car that I need to get gas. No problem, I will stop at the Shell Station on the way there. I am pumping the gas and I realize, I do not have my sunglasses. Crap!!! I know it is foggy now, but an hour from now the sun will be out and I will be blinded by the light.
Not a good feeling. Back to the house to grab my glasses.
I am leaving the house again at 7:30 and I am still OK. It will take about 25 minutes to get there and I already have my swim suit on, so I'll have plenty of time.
I pull into the parking lot at 7:55 and all I see is my fellow teammates getting on their bikes.
SH!T!!!
In a hurry, I get my bike ready to roll. I already had the tires pumped, my water bottles filled, but I had to get my nutrition on to the bike and my clothes changed.
I was ready in an instant and we were rolling. We were doing an out and back on Pig Farm Hill. It is not a lot of climbing (compared to the DeathRide) but it is some. The first ascent of Pig Farm Hill is longer and steady. I struggled a bit on the first climb but managed my way up without incident. I enjoyed the descent as I always do.
Phil, Rocky, and I made it out to the turn around together and started our way back. We were working against the wind on the return trip and tried our best to paceline. After a few hiccups, we got it together and moved along. The back side of Pig Farm is a much shorter, but substantially steeper ascent. We plugged away and got to the top and got to enjoy a very long gradual descent. I love this type of descent. The legs keep moving but you never have to pedal hard and you get to go really fast.
Part two of the day is a swim. We are in the water warming up our swim muscles by 10:30. I don't feel great at the start, but I know it will come. We do our warmup and then some drills and on to the main part of our swim. I finish up the first set and we have a choice of doing another set or going to learn flip turns. Do I want to swim hard or go goof off learning flip turns...
After a couple of internal debates about what I needed most, I stuck with the swimming and did the second set. By the end of the second set, I felt good. I am more confident in the pool than I ever have been. I still don't feel great, but I am no longer hating the pool.
I actual finished the set fast enough that I slid over to the flip turn lanes and received a quick lesson on a proper turn. I certainly didn't master it, but I know how it is supposed to work. This could come in handy in two weeks when I do my first practice triathlon.
The last part of the day was core training. I know this area needs work for me. I need to not blow off these workouts any more. It was so bad, that I asked if I can go back to the pool to swim.....

Friday 01/08/10

Took the day off to celebrate Elvis' birthday....

Thursday 01/07/10

Another foggy day this am. It has been a bit eerie lately in San Ramon at the butt crack of dawn.
I got to the gym at 5:00 to prepare for another 2350 yd swim. The warm-up (300 yds) and drills (450 yds) again were on the sluggish side.
The meat of the workout was a selection of 300 yds drills. 5 sets of different strokes.
The first set was DPS (distance per stroke). The goal is to take as few strokes as possible for a lap. It is relaxing in that you are not moving alot because you are trying to coast.
The second set was breathing every 3 strokes. NOT my comfort zone. The drill is done to improve breathing on both sides, just in case you have to. My issue is that I can't relax if I breath every 3 strokes, I tense up. So I spoke with Coach Mike and he said work on breathing on your left on the way down and on your right on the way back. Problem solved!!!!!
The third set was increasing speed every 100 yds from level 3 to level 5. Level 5 is race day speed (a speed I can maintain over 2.4 miles).
The fourth set was breathing every 3 again and I changed that up like I did before.
The fifth set was increasing speed every 100 yds from level 4 to level 6. This part was comical as I tried to swim at level 6 after swimming 2000+ yds. That did NOT happen!!I was back to being a tugboat.
I finished the 100 yd cool down and felt pretty good about the workout.
The distances are steadily increasing, but I am feeling OK with them so far....

Wednesday 01/06/10

Today was a spin workout. I didn't get to the gym in time for the 5:00 AM class so I spun on my own. Doesn't seem to have the same intensity. I spun for an hour and then did some core workout. Overall, it was not an exceptional workout. Just kind of blase(spelling?).

Still not sleeping well, worried about my.....

Tuesday 01/05/10

It is a swim morning. What does that mean? I am off to the gym at 4:50 AM to get my swim in. It is another foggy day in San Ramon. There is an eerie fog settled on the town. I cannot hit the snooze button anymore or else I will not be able to complete the workout as they are getting longer. Today's plan is for 2350 yds.

The pool is cool(unlike the sauna we swam in on Sunday). I didn't sleep well last night and I feel it as I am getting into the swim. The warm up does not go well. I feel sluggish. I plug away and get through it and then on to the meat of the workout. The rest of it goes well. I complete it with time to spare. Coach Mike has been a huge help in my swimming.

Remind me to buy that man a beer......

Monday 01/04/10

A much deserved day off......

Sunday 01/03/10

Today was a three sport challenge. I was up at just after 7:00 am, thankful that I could sleep in a bit since I didn't have to travel far for the training. The training was 5 minutes away at the Dougherty Valley High School. I like that kind of commute.

As I am getting ready and pulling my stuff together, I am thinking to myself about the progression I have made as an endurance athlete(I use the term loosely). Not about the progress I have made, but the amount of crap that I now must carry. When I started running 6 years ago, it was grab your running shoes and go. Then 2 years ago, I decided to try biking. I dropped my running shoes but added bike, bike shoes, helmet, and a variety of clothes all depending on the weather. Now I am still holding all my bike supplies, picked up my running shoes and lets throw in the swimming cap, googles, and soon enough, a wet suit. Triathletes have to be in great shape, just to carry all their crap.

I get to the pool by 7:45 am and we are swimming by 8:00. I feel pretty good today. Working out with the group 2s. We start with drills which go fine. We do a ladder progressing in length and increasing in speed. All goes well. We then do 2 100s working on something specific the coaches give each of us. My focus is breathing every 3 strokes. CRAP!!!! This is what was giving me the drowning sensation before, I couldn't relax. Double CRAP!!!! I make it through it, but I felt exhausted after 200 yds. I felt better after doing the 1050 yds ladder. Overall the swim goes well and I am excited by the improvement that has occurred here.

Off to the bike for a quick 20 miler. We are doing Collier Canyon, a ride that I am very familiar with. I ride off with the lead group and away we go. I get about 5 miles in and I realize that I am breathing too hard and I need to back off a bit. I do just that and let the speed demons race onward ahead. I struggle up the first part of the canyon mostly because it is straight into a head wind. I get to the top of the first part and now I seem to get into a groove. I take an extra loop around Collier's Canyon which adds on an extra 3.5 miles. I know the extra distance won't hurt. I ride well through the second loop and back home.

Now its time to run. We don't run a long distance, but it sure seemed like it. 2.5 miles never felt so long. My feet felt like bricks. Heavy to pick up and stiff and inflexible when they came down. I made it through but it wasn't pretty.

We ended the day with a core workout. OUCH!!!!

Overall, I felt great afterward.
Tired? Yes
Sore? I am sure I will be tomorrow
Excited? Absolutely

Today was our first recommittment.
I guess I am going to do the damn thing.....

Saturday 01/02/10

A fairly(relatively) easy workout today. A 20 mile bike marker. The marker is actually 5 miles in the middle of the ride that is timed. I rode my bike to the meeting place about 5 miles away. I arrived around 8:45 am and noticed that I had forgotten my water bottles. (Nice move, mental midget). I call Meenu and she is, as usual, a trooper and brings my bottles down to me.

We get the ride started around 9:00 and off we go. There is a steady mist, but not a rain, covering my glasses. The only thing this effects is visibility. The mist is more bothersome than a problem, so we venture on.

I faded a little at the end of the marker, went out too hard again. I am kind of sick of writing the same crap. Maybe I will work on pacing myself better. Anyways, I finished the marker in 20 min 37 secs. I passed on doing the last marker, so I have nothing to compare it to. We shall see in about 3 weeks if I improve any.

The rest of the ride went without incident and I was home by 11:00 am so I could spend some quality time with a special woman....

Friday 01/01/10

Today was a 40 minute Run Marker.
To continue on my streak of not listening to coaches, I did a 9+mile hill run at Lake Chabot. This week was supposed to be a recovery week, easier mileage, slower paces. I took the start of the week off (not what I was supposed to do) and ran too far and too much hills today.
Lake Chabot is beautiful, but the trails are hilly. I was out there with a bunch of present and former TNTers. There were 7 other Ironteamers out there, so I was not the only one breaking the rules.
Coach Mama Lisa announced that she is has been diagnosed with cancer and will find out the prognosis this next week. My thoughts and prayers will be with her and Coach Al.
Both the run and the announcement kicked my ass....

Thursday 12/31/09

Wow, what a rough stretch this has been. Sunday was to be a 8 mile run, I went to the bar, drank beer and watched the Patriots( GO Pats!!!!) Monday was a day off that I gladly took. Tuesday was a bike workout but again I took the day off. Wednesday was a swim marker and I.....
took the day off.....
Note to self.. remember the words of wisdom from Coach Al "you can't fake conditioning". I need to remember those pearly words.
Thursday was a Strength/Core workout and I finally got my ass up and did the swim marker. A 1000 yds. without stopping. I got about 8 laps in and started to think I will not be able to make it. Dory(my often referenced buddy) came to mind "just keep swimming, just keep swimming.."The next thing I knew I was at the half way mark. I kept plugging away and before I knew it, I was finished.
20 minutes 40 seconds
I am pretty excited by that time. A few weeks ago I did an 800 marker in 22 minutes. Longer distance in shorter time. Nice!!!
Tonight is New Year's Eve. I know this year was difficult on a lot of people, but this was a great year for me. The most amazing woman said "Yes" to marrying me, and she went through with it.
I am so blessed.....

Saturday 12/26/09

Today was a 45 mile bike ride. We met early in the AM and it was a little chilly. The ride went well. Phil and I finished the ride in just under 3 hours which translates to 7.5 hours for the Ironman. I would like to get that down to sub 6 hours. I am not sure how realistic that goal is, but I will be keeping that number in mind.