CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS

bull riding and a coyote

2012-02-06T05:34:00.000-08:00

I biked a little, swam a little more, and ran even more. The sun came out Wednesday afternoon and stuck around for the week. I rode a mechanical bull for the first time. I cannot imagine riding a real bull. I don't know how long I stayed on, but it seemed like an eternity. I definitely would recommend wearing gloves.

I wasn't sure if Kona wanted to run yesterday afternoon. I let her run off leash earlier than normal, until I saw a coyote 100 meters ahead. I put Kona back on leash. I started running in that direction. The coyote ran into the woods when I was within 25 meters. He wasn't very skinny, so I assumed he has been eating well. I looked back as we passed the area and nothing in sight. I am sure he was watching us. (o--o)

I was rooting for the Patriots in the Superbowl yesterday. It was a close game. There were a couple of good commercials. My favorite was with a Great Dane and Doritos.

water gun

2012-01-30T06:26:00.000-08:00

I did not sleep well Wednesday night. It seemed like there was someone standing outside my window with a water gun. UGH!!! After work and a short nap, I got on the trainer for several anaerobic repeats. I felt pretty good. I lost the fan on the last one. The puppy knocked it down and I did not want to stop the workout, so I suffered in sweat.

I had a good workout on the bike Thursday. Lots of short anaerobic intervals with short rest. I lost the fan on the the last one because the puppy knocked the chair down.

Friday morning I felt good in the pool. My pulling speed is slowly starting to come back. I with 3.6k. After work I took the dogs for a short easy run. It was sunny and chilly. I dropped the dogs off and finished up with 15 minutes of plyo. I had to use the rails on the stairs to get back inside.

I swam 2000 meters Saturday morning. It was a short workout with a little intensity sprinkled in. Once I got home, I jumped on the trainer for almost 2 hours. The rest of the day was spent relaxing.

The rain rolled in the wee hours of Sunday morning. My legs were sore from Friday's plyo. I ran early, so I could make it to work on time. I had a few intervals at 10k pace. I finished with almost 11 miles. After work, I swam an easy 2k.

It was a good week.

snow is almost gone

2012-01-25T16:20:00.000-08:00

Monday I jumped in the pool for 3k of swimming. I didn't feel great, but somehow managed to swim faster as the workout progressed. After a work and a short nap, I took the dogs out for an easy 3+ mile run. The roads were mostly dry as most of the snow has melted.

After work Tuesday I took the dogs out for a short 35 minute run. I hoped to stay dry. I ended up getting soaked in the last few minutes. I chilled for a couple hours then hopped on the bike for a 45 minute ride. I did several 1 minute repeats with short rest. My legs were numb at the end.

I swam 3600 meters Wednesday morning. The main set was 3x (4x100 on 1:30 + 100 easy on 2:05). I felt fine cardio-wise. My legs were quite the opposite, heavy like lead weights. I finished up with some pulling and a cool down. After work I took the dogs out for some speed training. Kona did all of the intervals with me. Indy did most of the intervals. Fina may have only done half. She knows where my turn-around points are so she just waits in the distance. No reason to run any further than necessary. Smart dog. I totally lucked out with the weather, partly sunny.

Snow week

2012-01-23T06:01:00.000-08:00

Se got several inches of snow last week. My dogs love the snow.

Monday was a holiday in celebration of MLK. I swam 3100 meters. The main set was 5x400 pull on 6:00.

Tuesday I was feeling under the weather so not much of anything.

Wednesday the snow dumped. No work or training. I did take the dogs for a 4.5+ mile hike through Dupont. They had a blast. We did several snow sprints. My toes were not happy with me for the next several days. I guess hiking boots aren't designed for sprints.

Thursday the freezing rain came. This made things slippery and caused all kinds of havoc on trees, power, etc... Smaller trees and bushes were touching the ground from the 1-2" of ice on the branches.I lost cable, but had power. I rode the trainer for 40 minutes. I did several very hard 30" effort. It doesn't matter how much rest you get, these hurt.

Friday I went to the movies to watch Haywire. This had the least amount of talking I have ever heard in an action movie. No training and the 10k was canceled for tomorrow.

Saturday was a big day of training. After breakfast I swam an easy 2000 meters at the pool. I jumped on the bike for a 2 hour ride with a few intervals of Olympic/70.3 efforts. I ate lunch and chilled for a couple hours then went out for an easy run. The side roads were crappy. I had to stick to the main road and do a couple of loops.

Yesterday I went to the pool in the morning and swam 2800 meters. The main set was 2 rounds of 4x200 descending. The second set was pull and I held the same pacing for both sets. I headed out for a long run just before noon. I did a few 5 minute intervals at tempo pace. I had to cut the second one short because a dog came up to us. He broke his leash and wanted to say hi to Kona. Unfortunately ever since Fina was bitten, Kona has no desire to be around unfamiliar dogs. I added another minute to the third interval. The rest of the day was good.

Vizsla fartleks, 72 pull-ups, and snow

2012-01-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

I did not feel great in the pool Wednesday morning. I think it was due to poor sleep. The main set was two sets of 5x100s on short rest. I did the first set on 1:30 averaging 1:20.6. The second set was on 1:35 averaging 1:28.8. My arms were useless. I finished with 3.5k.

After work I took the dogs out for a sunny, but chilly run. Fifteen minutes in we started 30 seconds on/off. This was very entertaining. The dogs did want me to beat them. Fina kept looking back at me, "Does this human think he has a chance?" The other dogs laughed. The best part was once I slowed to a jog, so did the dogs. They figured out the workout very quickly. The dogs were wasted after the workout. Once home, they went straight to sleep. I relaxed for 2 hours and then did 45 minutes of p90x, Cardio.

ThursdayI got on the trainer after work and took another stab at the workout from last a week ago. My legs were totalled after the last one. It was hard to stand up. Does this mean I worked hard?

Friday morning I felt okay in the pool. The main set was 12x100 on 1:35 descending every 3 and 3x400 pull 10". I finished with 3.6k in under 58 minutes. After work I took the dogs out for a short easy run, 3.8 miles. Once my brother got home we started p90x. The focus was legs and back. I finished with 72 pull ups and almost sprained my ankle during plyometrics.

Saturday morning I went to the pool for an easy 2000 meters. It took half of the workout for my upper body to loosen up from the pull-ups. After a long 2.5 hour nap, I jumped on the trainer for 105 minutes. I caught up on shows.

I woke up this morning to snow. I took the dogs out for a long run. They had a blast. Kona was out of control.

made 10 but fell short

2012-01-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning, I swam 2700 meters. The main set was 4x400 pull on 6:05. I felt a little tight from the p90x on Friday. After work I took the dogs for a short run to get them out of the house. I finished up on the track with a fast 100 and 2x200 very fast. I felt strong.

I did not sleep well last night, so I stayed in bed a little longer this morning. I have felt tired all day. After work I took the dogs out for an easy 30 minute run. The sun came out and felt awesome. I chilled for a couple hours before getting on the trainer. Same workout as last week. My goal was to make all 10 this time. I did all 10, but fell a little short of the power goal. Next week I will make them all.

First week of 2012

2012-01-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

Monday was the last day of vacation. I ran easy for 25 minutes and did p90x (back and arms). I finished the workout with 42 pull-ups. I also learned a new way to do it, corn row pull up. You pull yourself up shift your body to the right, left, center, backward, forward, then down. Yea that's only one pull-up.

First day back to work for 2012 was Tuesday. I squeezed 3.2k in the morning. Some fast 25s and descending 400s pull. My lats were sore. They must have grown because I ended up chafing underneath my armpits. Nothing Bodyglide can't fix. After work I jumped on the trainer for a short intense ride with several 1 minute efforts @ greater than VO2 with 30 seconds rest between. My legs were not ready for the shock. I made 5 then spun easy for 5 minutes. I made one more attempt to squeeze in a few more. I finished with only 7. Next time I will get in 10 or more.

I was back at the pool for another 3200 meters of swimming Wednesday. My lats were more sore than Tuesday. The main set was 10x100 on 1:30. Eight was all I had in me. I averaged 1:24s. I will get my speed back in a few weeks. After work, I went to pick up Linkin. I walk into the house and smell poop. He pooped all over his kennel. UGH!!!. I got him cleaned up only to have him poop again in another kennel. After his second bath he slept for almost 2 hours. I wanted to run sooner, but did not want to take the chance of him exploding into another kennel. I went out for a short 35 minute run. I felt good going out until I turned around. It was a nice headwind. I didn't even realize I was running with a tailwind. I threw in several fartlek efforts 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off. I quickly dried the dogs and myself off. My brother was waiting to start p90x. I picked Yoga. I was getting very hungry, so we stopped after 35 minutes. My brother admitted he has a new respect for Yoga.

Thursday, I got on the trainer for another short intense workout. After a short warm-up and two all out 10 second efforts I was into several rounds of 30 seconds very hard + 30 seconds very easy. These things destroy the legs quickly. My goal was to make 10. I missed 2 of them. Next time I will get in 14 or more.

I felt much better in the pool Friday morning. My lats had finally recovered. The main set was 9x100 on 1:35 descend every 3 (1:27-24-20, 1:27-23-19.5, 1:26-23-20). My average speed was better than Wednesday's workout. I finished up with 3.2k. After work, I went out for a short 25 minute easy run. The dogs were excited to get outside. I put in the DVD for p90x (chest, shoulders, triceps, abs). I like the challenge of the workout. I also added 2 plyometric exercises for the legs.

The original forecast for the weekend was partly cloudy. I woke up Saturday morning to wet roads. I got on the trainer for 2 hours of mostly easy riding. I had a few rounds of 5 minutes at Olympic effort with 5 minutes cruise. Sunday was the opposite of Saturday, all sun and no clouds. I had to work, so ran early in the cold for 75 minutes.

It was a good start to the new year!

2012

2012-01-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

It has been nice to do and eat whatever the last several days. 2011 is in the rear and I am looking forward to an awesome 2012!!!

P90x

2011-12-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

I had a friend lend me the P90x collection. I decided to throw in a few workouts. My body was in a little bit of shock. I am adapting very quickly. Last week I did 2 workouts and even managed to run for 47 minutes on Sunday.

I am slowly getting back into training. The plan is to start back with a few swims, bikes, and runs. I will continue doing P90x three times a week for a month or until I need something different.

Yesterday I swam 1.5k. I threw in a few 50s on 45. My goal was to hold 39. I held 37s for five and then swam easy. I haven't lost all of my speed.

During the next couple weeks, I am going to figure a race schedule for 2012.

Will be sorer tomorrow

2011-12-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning, I jumped into the pool and participated in PT with the Soldiers. The workout wasn't difficult. We did a lot of push-ups and ab work. In the evening, I did another workout. My brother wants to get back into shape and had a DVD with some guy from Biggest Loser. This workout was a little harder than the morning workout. We did a lot of lunges and squats. I think 30 minutes of the hour had leg exercises.

I felt okay this morning. As the day progressed, the soreness progressed as well. I am 100% sure I will feel sorer tomorrow.

longest break

2011-12-05T05:24:00.000-08:00

This is the first time I have taken 2 weeks off from training since I started competing in triathlons. It has been nice. I did sneak in a very short swim on Monday to make sure I didn't forget how to swim. I didn't want crazy dogs, so I walked every day last week. Most of the walks were 20-60 minutes long. Yesterday, I walked for almost 2 hours and the dogs had a blast.

After 2 weeks of no training, it is time to get back to light easy workouts.

Nothing but eating

2011-11-27T19:35:00.000-08:00

I didn't workout all week. I replaced training with eating. I ate and ate some more. I plan to start getting the blood pumping tomorrow.

Congrats to Lisa Matson. She ran a personal best at the Seattle Half Marathon and placed 2nd in her age group.

The race that wasn't

2011-11-21T07:15:00.000-08:00

RACE MORNING
I was up at 4AM. I drank 2 Boosts. I arrived at the race site by 5. It was more of a maze then I remember to get around. I set up the LYNSKEY (Green Machine). I dropped my special needs bags off then got body marked. I was done with everything by 5:30. I passed off my pump to Elizabeth and Caroline. I relaxed for the next 40 minutes listening to tunes and sipping on NUUN. I started donning the XTERRA VENDETTA. They let us enter the water at 6:45. I jumped into 62 degree water and warmed-up. They started the pros at 6:50 and us 10 minutes later.

SWIM - 59:37
We were packed in like sardines then boom. It was rough for the first 400 meters. I got hit in the throat and head several times. Someone even managed to hit my goggles, which then filled up with water. After 800 meters, I was able to get into open space. I felt good. I felt even better after the turn-around as I started to pass several swimmers dying from starting out too fast. I also saw a couple of eagles flying and a V formation of birds. I exited the water with assistance from a volunteer. I looked at the clock and thought really. I expected to be 3 minutes faster especially since I swam 3000m two weeks ago at 1:27 pace. I finished with 1:34 pace.

T-1 - 3:27
The wetsuit strippers were so close to the swim exit, I didn't have time to peel down the wetsuit. The volunteers ripped off the wetsuit and I was off to grab my bike back. I had to get it myself because the volunteers were too busy. I ran into transition and put on my SPIUK, OAKLEYS, and SHIMANO tri shoes. I ran over to grab the LYNSKEY and headed out.

BIKE - 5:06.58
I was feeling pretty good at the start until around 5 miles. I took a left turn and felt my front tire grabbing the road. As I straightened up, I notice the air pressure was very low. I know I didn't have a flat because it held pressure all night. I stopped and decided to only re-inflate. I used a new inflator and could not figure out how to make it work. Finally after fumbling around for a minute or so, I inflated the tire. I was back on the road and figure I lost a couple of minutes. No big deal the day, there is plenty of time to make it up. Out on the beeline highway we had a head wind going up and a tailwind coming back. The winds switched directions on the second loop. I started cramping in my right quad. I thought this is odd, so I tried to drink more water. The cramping only got worse. The make things harder the winds picked up on the last loop. I really struggled on the 3rd loop. It seemed like an eternity to get back to transition. I knew this was going to be a long day. In 2009, I peed on every loop. This year zero on the bike. I was drinking a lot. Too little too late.

T-2 - 1:17
The volunteers were great, they grabbed my bike and had my run bag ready. I put on my NEWTONS and grabbed my visor & run bottle.

RUN - 3:54.11
The first couple hundred meters were great with all the spectators. I was cramping under my ribs, so started walking for most of the first 2 miles. The cramping started to go away, so I was able to run more than walk for the next few miles. I walked through every aid station grabbing coke. I also had a major hot spot under my the ball of my left foot. I was taking S-CAPS every 2 miles. The hot spots disappeared around mile 8. That's when I could finally feel my feet. I started to get into a nice groove for the next few miles. I finally went to the bathroom around mile 11. My left knee started to hurt too. Then the cramping came back around mile 14. I could not get them to go away. I did a lot of walking for the next 6 miles. I started to play with my breathing and was able to run more than walk. I had to breathe more deeply and it seemed to keep my cramps manageable. I kicked into another gear for last 1.2 miles. I passed several people in the last 400 meters. It was mostly out of frustration for the race that wasn't. My pace at the end was well under 7 minute miles.

10:05.30 - 15th Division and 153rd overall
This was my worst performance in Arizona. 2011 turned out to be my worst season of triathlon. I went into this race with big expectations of myself. Back to the drawing board.

Congrats to Elizabeth Thiel, one of the athletes I coach. She had her fastest bike & run splits and overall time. She placed 2nd in her age group, 5th amateur female, and another trip to the Big Island. Congrats to Caroline, her little sister, for completing her first ironman and getting onto the podium.

2 more chill days before the race

2011-11-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

I was up at 5:40 yesterday morning. After first and second breakfast, I headed to the race site to run the remainder of the course. There were a few minor changes to the course, nothing I can't handle. I felt strong on the run. I finished up with 3.43 miles averaged 7:18. I kept telling myself to slow down and save it for race day.

I walked over to get some A.R.T. done on my glute and foot. I had a different guy work with me. He was good, but not as good as the Richard. I drove to Whole Foods for lunch. I went with Spicy Tuna and Spicy Salmon rolls. I also stopped for a COCOMO (chocolate and coconut coffee).

I switched out my training tires for brand new CONTINENTAL tires. I chose to go with the ATTACK for front and 4000s rear. I also switched over to VITTORIA latex tubes with 60mm extenders. I chilled for a couple hours then headed to the Slowtwitch gathering at TRIBE MULTISPORT. I chatted with Meredith Kessler, who is one of female favorites on Sunday. I saw some sweet pro bikes. I drank a glass of SHOCK TOP, good stuff. We didn't win anything from the raffle, but walked away with Lindsey Corbin beer, a pint glass, and a SHIMANO hat.

For dinner, I went to Whole Foods for a couple of pizzas and snacks. I spent a couple of hours cleaning my bike, then off to bed.

I woke up this morning at 4:50 and started reading. After 30 minutes I felt tired, so climbed back in bed for another hour. I switched up my breakfast this morning to eggs and a bagel with peanut butter & honey.

After breakfast, I drove out to Tribe Multisport to get the shifting dialed in. The mechanic ended up not showing up. I waited around for almost 30 minutes until one of the other employee's tried to fix it. I rode my bike to the race site and squeezed a short swim. I got in the water 1 minute before they stopped allowing people into the water. I swam for 10 minutes.

I still was not happy with my shifting. Elizabeth was also having issues, so she walked over to the Specialized tent and one of her friend's looked at our bikes. Then I walked over to the check in my bikes and gear bags. This is the first ironman I have participated in where they took pictures of the bikes. Odd?

I did my usual thing for lunch, iced coffee and sushi. I finished "I'm here to win!". It was a good read. I have much respect for Macca. My plan for the rest of the day is absolutely nothing.

Green Machine

2011-11-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

I was up at 5:30 this morning. I continued reading "I'm here to win!". It has been very good reading so far. I ate my usual breakfast then back to the room to surf the web. I headed to the pool for a short swim. I felt better than yesterday and finished with 1.3k. I decided to get a smoothie on my way out. It was called Green Machine, which I thought was very fitting since it is the name of my bike.

I drove to the race site to pick up my race packet. I checked out a few of the vendors. I talked to Mike from XTENEX. They make awesome laces that I have been using the last 2 years. The line for registration was long, so I walked over to ART (Active Release Technique) tents and there was no line. I met Richard, who worked on my left glute and foot. I left there feeling awesome. I picked up my packet and drove over to RA SUSHI for lunch. They make a sushi bowl that is simply amazing.

I headed back to the hotel and saw a DUTCH BROTHERS COFFEE on the way, so stopped by for coffee. Back at the hotel, I relaxed, surfed the web, and read. I got a call from TRIBE MULTISPORT that my bike was ready. I picked up my bike and drove to Shell gas station. This is the turn to for the long out and back stretch along Beeline Highway. The workout was short with a few 1 minute intervals. I somehow managed to average 24mph for the out and back, 19+ miles in 47.5 minutes.

I tried to switch out my cleats, but was missing longer screws because of the shims I use. I drove to ACE HARDWARE. They were very helpful. I stopped at WHOLE FOODS for dinner. I chose a slice of turkey, chicken curry salad, and mozzarella pasta salad. I also grabbed 2 dark chocolate chip walnut cookies. The rest of the night was spent setting up my race bags/bike, surfing the web, and watching TV.

Travel, workouts, and interesting...

2011-11-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

Workouts have been going great. It has been nice to be in Tempe, AZ. The weather right now is in the low 70s.

Several months ago, I booked a good deal for my flight through Southwest Airlines. Yesterday morning, I checked a bag and bike box and paid $50. I landed in Phoenix just before 1PM. I picked up my bags and bike then caught the shuttle for the rental car. I got a pretty good deal through Priceline. It was my first time using the website. A mid-size SUV cost $20 per/day. I checked into the Residence around 2:30PM. The had some major renovations last year. The hotel looks much nicer. I assembled my bike and drove toward the course.

It was a short ride with several 1 minute intervals at Olympic effort. I felt strong. The shoulders were full of debris. I was playing a video game trying to dodge glass, rocks, and crap. It was hard to see on the way back from the Beeline Highway because the sun was shining in directly into my eyes. I finished with almost 25 miles averaging 22.6mph. I drove back to the hotel and cleaned up.

I took my bike to Tribe Multisport to get it tuned up. There store is very big. They sell a lot of triathlon gear. There were several athletes on their bikes in one of the rooms. It was a definite sweat fest going on in there. I gave the mechanic my bike and knew I needed a new chain. I also found out the cassette needed to be replaced. Thanks Andres for making it easy. On my way back, I stopped at Whole Foods to grab dinner. I ate a green chili chicken breast with mozzarella pasta salad and udon noodles. I needed a snack and grabbed a bag of fig newtons.

After a good night of sleep, I walked over for breakfast. I ate a Belgian waffle with blueberries/strawberries and scrambled eggs. I washed it all down with a glass of orange juice and a coffee. I surfed the web for a bit then headed over to the race site for a run.

It was short run. The race course is 3 loops. I managed to run most of the course except 2.5miles or so. It felt so good to run in the sun. I had a few short intervals at half marathon pace. I stopped by Starbucks for an iced grande black and white peppermint mocha and a bagel with cream cheese. Yum!!!

I chilled at the hotel for awhile before driving to the pool. I have always wanted to check out Lifetime Fitness. The facility was amazing! They are so many options for working out. They have an indoor and outdoor pool. I chose outside because I need to take advantage of warm sun while I can.

The swim was only 1800 meters. After a short warm-up, I swam 2 rounds of 100 fast straight into 400 race pace (1:15-5:49 and 1:11.5-5:37). I was slower on the first one as my body was still warming up. The second was faster than anything on Monday and I averaged 1:24.25 on the 400. As I was leaving, I saw a smoothie bar. I ordered a smoothie. It was awesome.

I was craving sushi for lunch. I headed over to Whole Foods and saw a sushi bar. I walked in and asked for a sushi bowl. She didn't have it on the menu and wasn't going to try to make it. I walked over to Whole Foods and picked up sushi there. Whole Foods is becoming my home away from home. I grabbed spicy salmon avocado and spicy tuna avocado. It was definitely better than what I would have received from the restaurant next door.

I headed back to the hotel and saw a truck, Quick Fire Response Protection. I had never seen a truck like that, so thought it was interesting. That is until the guy rolls his window down to light a cigarette. Things that make you go hmmm...

Something

2011-11-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

After packing the bike yesterday, my throat started to feel a little weird. I immediately began taking Zicam. I slept really well and felt good this morning. I swam 2100 meters. The main set was 3x (100fast + 300 Ironman pace). It felt easy to hold race pace (1:13-4:19, 1:12-4:15, 1:12.5-4:13.5). The last 300 was averaging 1:24.5 per 100. I started to feel a little under the weather after the swim so back on the Zicam.

I made sure everything was in good order before leaving work. I ran for 40minutes. I took the dogs for over half of it then headed to the track for 2x800s at half marathon pace. I just missed my goal on the first one and made the second one by 2 seconds.

6 days to race day.

Are you kidding me?

2011-11-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

Friday morning I swam 4200 meters. I felt great in the water. It took very little effort to go fast. The main set was 9x200 on 3:00 descending every 3. The first 2 sets went quickly, the last was a little more challenging. My fast 3 were (2:41, 2:41, 2:39). I finished the workout in 66 minutes. I inhaled a Honey Stinger waffle then went for an easy 50 minute run. It was very windy. I assumed it was going to pour on me because the clouds were very gray. I did get somewhat lucky. It rained lightly on and off for the last 40 minutes of the run. It poured after I finished. I ended up with 6.47 miles.

Yesterday morning the weather was cold, upper 20s. There was frost on the houses. The good news was the roads were dry. The weather called for a storm around 2PM. I assumed that I could stay dry, so headed out the door at 9AM. It wasn't too cold at the start. The warm-up felt hard (I looked at my data later and realized I must have been in a head wind). The workout was 2 rounds of pacing for next weekend. I used the same strip of road so I could compare rounds. My numbers were 1% higher on the second round. The winds picked up considerably. The rain also made an appearance. My feet slowly became icicles. It felt like someone was shoving ice cubes into my socks. I only managed to average 20mph for the 45+ miles. I took off all the wet clothes and grabbed my run gear. I felt like I was running on air. The goal was to run no faster than 7:30s. First mile 7:03. Are you kidding me? It did not feel that fast. I told myself to slow down. Next mile 7:13. Really? Now I felt like I was running really slow because it felt like I was taking small steps. Last mile 7:27. Close enough. It took me a couple hours to turn my feet from white back to normal.

I headed to the pool this morning for the only workout of the day. It consisted of a warm-up, some fast 25s and a long cool down. I put up the fastest times of the year on the 14-15. It always feels so easy to swim fast after fast 25s. I did 2x400s pull on 5:40 after the 25s. I finished up with 2.5k.

The rest of the day will be spent packing and relaxing.

Last warm sunny day...

2011-11-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

I started the morning off with an easy 1500 meters. I felt a little sluggish in the pool. I had another long day at work, so I took a long lunch and squeezed in a 90 minute bike ride. It was sunny and warming up. This will probably be the last warm sunny day of the year. I started with a 25 minute warm up, 4 thirty second builds, 15 minutes cruise, 25minute at Olympic effort and finally 20 minute cool down. The 25minute felt so much easier than last week. I felt great for the first 15ish minutes. I negative split the effort by 15 watts and averaged 23.4mph. My improvement from last week was 1%. I ended up with 31.29 miles.

Last long swim and run...

2011-11-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

Monday morning I swam 4.2k. It was the last long swim until race day. I felt strong. My 600 splits (8:46-8:42-8:41-8:43-8:44) for an average of 1:27.2 per 100. It was almost 1 second per 100 faster than last weekend with an extra 500. After work I skipped the nap because clouds were moving fast. I took the dogs out for an easy 30 minute run.

Yesterday, I adjusted my schedule at work. I squeezed in a short nap and a 24+ mile easy bike ride. I was glad the weather stayed dry. It was a long day.

This morning I ran for 90 minutes. I felt really good. I had a few short intervals at half marathon pace. Somehow my average pace was 7:18 per mile for the run. It felt really easy. I swam an easy 2000 meters at lunch.

Cold weekend

2011-11-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure what to yesterday morning about my 5 hour ride. The temperature was low 30s when I woke up. I don't do well on the bike when it is below 40. I contemplated during the workout on the trainer. I dragged my feet until 9AM. The girls were going to ride outside, so I put on as many layers as possible and donned the most important items (Sugoi Firewall bike gloves and Pearl Izumi Amfib tights). It was cold, upped 30s when I finally started. My legs felt heavy and tired. The workout consisted of varying intervals and intensity. I added 15 minutes to the ironman effort to make it work with my first stop. I hit my power numbers on the first round. I stopped at Texaco to eat a Honey Stinger Vanilla Waffle and drink a hot cup of French Vanilla Cappuccino. I decided to do 2 loops of Johnson Creek road because there are minimal stops and very little traffic. I just missed hitting the numbers on round 2. That was all she wrote. I was very hungry so I stopped and wolfed down a Honey Stinger Waffle. For the rest of the ride, I just rode. After 2 loops, I was back at Texaco to eat another Honey Stinger Waffle and Cappuccino. I was lucky to this point about staying dry. As soon as started the last hour, it started to sprinkle. I was glad it was short lived, Ranier to Yelm. Cold is one thing, but cold and rain breaks me. I finished the ride with just over 100 miles. I changed clothes and grabbed Kona for a short 30 minute run. I expected to feel horrible since over half the ride was challenging. Instead, I felt great. I had to tell myself to slow down. My last mile was well below my goal pace. Oops. The run was so effortless. I finished with 4.02 miles. The rest of the evening was spent recovering and eating. I saw TOWER HEIST. It was entertaining.

This morning I woke up to temps in the mid to upper 20s. BRRR!!! I headed to the pool for lots of fast 25s. I felt good in the pool. I averaged 15.5s on all forty. I always feel good after swimming fast 25s. Last set was 400s pull cruise on 5:45. I finished with 3800 meters. After taking a nap, I headed to the track for a few mile repeats at half marathon effort. I put in another solid workout. The effort was the same as last week, the speed was faster. I finished with 7.22 miles in 49 minutes.

Less than 2 weeks til Ironman Arizona.

31 degrees

2011-11-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

My appetite was back to normal on Tuesday. I rode nice and easy for almost 25 miles. The temperature has dropped steadily over the past week.

It was a nice, warm 31 degrees Wednesday morning. I was out the door by 5AM for a 2 hour run. I felt strong for the first 75 minutes. I threw in a few 4 minute intervals at stand alone marathon pace. I picked up the dogs for the last 45 minutes. Actually Fina didn't make 1 minute, so I turned around and let her back in the house. My pace slowed 20+ seconds per mile. I guess the dogs don't like to run fast when it is so cold. I was just shy of 16 miles. I cleaned up, made a smoothie and coffee, and was off to work. I squeezed a short 2k easy swim at lunch time. My legs felt a little tired. After work, the clouds decided to make an appearance. I skipped the nap and headed out. The dogs were tired. I let them run off leash, so I could run at race pace. The first was a little rough. I settled into my pace for the rest of the run. I finished up the day with almost 22 miles.

I swam an easy 2000 meters yesterday morning. I felt better in the pool. After work and a nap, I got my stuff ready for a 2 hour ride. Since my favorite cogs were bent I needed to switch out cassettes. I thought I was tightening the cassette on my first attempt, so I switched directions. Only to figure out, I was really tightening the cassette. I got it on my third attempt, which was the same as the first. I headed out at 4PM. It was cold and dry. There were some ugly clouds in the distance. I warmed up with a few 30 second efforts, rode easy for 10 minutes, then went into 25 minutes at Olympic Tri effort. My legs felt tired from the running on Wednesday. I hit my goal power number. It was only 2 watts lower than last week, but 5 minutes longer. The weather was weird. The road I did most of the ride on was dry. A road that parallels was completely wet. It was dry in Dupont as well. Only in Washington.

This morning I swam 3.6k. I felt sluggish at the beginning of the warm-up. After several hundred meters, I was ready to knock out 6x200 on 3:00 descending ever 3. I swam faster times on a faster send-off than last week. After work, I went out for an easy run. It was nice and peaceful seeing the Puget Sound. I stayed dry and finished up with 7.6 miles.

No appetite

2011-10-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, I swam 3800 meters before work. I felt sluggish in the warm-up and great on the 40x25s sprint. After work, I ran a few errands and snuck in a short nap. I hit the track for a few mile repeats at half-marathon pace. The first one was a little off target. I descended the rest. There was group of teenagers playing rugby on the field. It kept me entertained.

This morning, I swam almost 3 miles. The main set was a 2500 at Ironman pace. I clicked off 1:28s for almost all of the swim. The 500 splits were 7:21, 7:19, 7:20, 7:20, 7:19. I had to force myself to eat afterward and for the rest of the day. I ended up having a last minute meeting at work that went much longer than expected. I also had an appraiser coming out to the house. This meant a long nap wasn't happening. Instead I settled for a 10 minute nap. I took the dogs out for an easy run, just shy of 5 miles. I forced myself to eat some pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie.

drop out jammed into cassette...

2011-10-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

I assumed it was going to be a trainer day because of the weather yesterday. I was happily surprised to see blue skies when I took Kona out for her morning ritual. The temp was in the low 40s at the start of the ride.

It was supposed to warm-up to mid 50s. I wore ear, arm, and knee warmers. The workout was 4 rounds of 70 minutes of pacing from Olympic to Ironman. I felt okay on the first round.

I felt much better on the second and third round. My power numbers were so much higher than any of the other long rides. It was a dramatic shift. My ironman efforts were producing the same watts as my half-ironman efforts from last week. It felt so easy. It worked out well to use the Johnson Creek Loop for the second and third interval, minimal traffic and long enough to complete the interval.

After the third round, I ran over a rock while switching out bottles. I flatted in seconds. The good - it happened after the interval. The bad - the gas station was only 0.5 miles away. After fixing the flat, I started back toward Fort Lewis for the last round.

Everything was going as planned until the bridge. As I came to a stop, my back wheel locked up. I got off to fix it and noticed the drop out was jammed into the cassette. I guess I didn't tighten down the skewer very well. Elizabeth and I could not figure out how to get the wheel out because the chain was stretched to the max. Either I was going to break the chain or have to call for a ride. I pulled just hard enough to get the cassette free then pushed the wheel to the side and it came off. The 15&16 cog were useless. I was actually very fortunate because I was averaging 30+mph coming down the hill. That would have been a nasty crash.

I finished up the last interval. I didn't realize how much I like the 15&16 gear. My choices were high cadence or low cadence. I opted for 90+rpm instead of less than 60. I finished the ride averaging over 20.7mph for 5.5 hours.

I switched clothes, grabbed the dogs, and went out for a short run. I felt strong. I had to let Fina off leash because she didn't like the pace. I finished with 4.00 miles in 30 minutes.

This was my best long workout ever. I felt strong all day and the effort was low.

Springer Spaniel jumped in front of me...

2011-10-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

I jumped in the pool yesterday morning for an easy 1500 meters. I felt better in the pool than Wednesday. After work, I went out on the bike to enjoy some sun. In the first 2 minutes an off leash Springer Spaniel running around through the neighborhood jumped in front of me. I slammed on my brakes and stopped an inch from the dog. That would have been ugly. I felt okay through most of the ride. I had a few short 30 second bursts and then cruised for a while. Then, I did a 20 minute Olympic effort. My legs felt tired. The effort felt way harder than the power numbers showed and the speed was only 23.3mph. It was windier than I thought. I reviewed my data later and saw that I was very constant with my power.

This morning I swam 3.6k. I felt like crap during the warm-up. I felt a little better on the 6x200s descending. After work, I changed clothes and tried to get out for a run before the rain. No dice. The winds were blowing hard and it started to sprinkle at the beginning of the run. It was a mixture of cold rain and winds the entire run. I felt good and finished up with a little less than 8 miles.

33 degrees

2011-10-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

I rode nice and easy for 75 minutes yesterday. It was cold. I probably should have worn more gear.

At 5AM, it was 33 degrees this morning. I wore a long sleeve shirt, tights, beanie, and mittens. I felt great on the run. I finished with 14+ miles in 105 minutes. I squeezed in an easy 2.4k in the pool at lunch time. It was still chilly after work, so that meant long sleeve shirt and mittens. I was a little tired at first. Once I threw in the 4x4' at HIM pace, I felt much better. I ended the day with a little over 20 miles.

Trainer love

2011-10-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

It was very windy with horizontal rain Saturday. I decided to do my workout on the trainer. Elizabeth decided to join me for the duration. We lasted 4:45. I felt great in the first 3 hours. I slowly started to fade at 3:20. I thought it was a nutrition issue so I ate a bag of PowerBar Gel Blasts and drank a glass of Nuun. I got back on the bike. It took almost 40 minutes to get my power numbers back up. I felt better for the last 45 minutes. I took the dogs with me for a short 20 minute run. I felt great for the first mile and then horrible for the rest. I forgot my water bottle. I was worthless the rest of the day.

Sunday morning I ran for 1 hour. I felt great. I averaged 7:18s, miles 2-8 were within 2-3 seconds of each other. It was very easy. After a nap, I headed out on dry roads for a quick ride. I almost turned around in the first few pedal strokes. I felt a weird pop under my left knee. It went away after a few seconds. It was nice and easy on the way out and ironman effort on the way back. I felt awesome, averaged 22.5mph.

I did not feel great this morning. My legs felt heavy in the pool. I didn't use a pull buoy for the 2000m straight. My time (29:25) was almost a minute slower than last week. I somehow managed to negative split the swim. I finished up with 4600 meters. After a nap I headed out for a short easy run. I felt good. I think the dogs were tired from running yesterday. They were dragging.

In the zone on the track

2011-10-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

I felt awful in the pool this morning. Somehow, I still managed to swim fast. It was a solid workout.

After work, I picked up my bike. Once home I took a short 15 minute nap. I grabbed the dogs for the warm-up then headed to the track. The workout called for 5x1 mile repeats with a 400 recovery. I felt strong. I picked up the pace on each one. It's great when you are in the zone. I didn't check 400 splits. I just ran. I checked my time after each mile repeat. I finished up with a little less than 9 miles in 60 minutes.

Will it be a trainer day tomorrow or will the weather hold?

Legs feeling stronger

2011-10-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

I swam 2k today. My shoulder was tweaked from that dumb rock. I will be good to go for my swim tomorrow.

After work and a nap, I headed out for a 2 hour ride. I wasn't sure if I was going to stay dry because of the ugly gray clouds circling. I was happy to stay dry. My legs are definitely feeling strong again. I warmed-up and did several 30 second efforts to get the legs pumping. Then went into 2x10min at Olympic effort. My speed for the first one was 24.9mph and 24.88 for the second. My power was identical for both. I finished up with 42.4 miles.

I quickly washed my bike and took it into the bike shop. I found out the bottom bracket bearings were shot. I got in touch with ROTOR. They sent a new one out immediately. None of my workouts would be affected. I will have my bike back tomorrow. I am glad all of these issues are being discovered now and not in 4 weeks. Thanks Rich at Joyride!

Upper 60s in October

2011-10-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the temperature was in the upper 60s with sun everywhere. My injuries were a little more noticeable from that crazy rock. I went out for an easy ride after work. The hardest part was up-shifting and grabbing the bottle for drinks. I finished up with 18 miles.

This morning I headed out for a 90 minute run. I felt strong until I grabbed the dogs. I decided to run most of it solo and grab the dogs for the last 35 minutes. Fina lasted 15 minutes. The other two slowed my average pace down by 20+ seconds per mile. I averaged 7:20s. A small blister decided to form on my left foot.

I jumped in for a short easy 2k swim at lunch. I felt okay. I found a couple more bumps and bruises from the stupid rock.

After work and a short nap, I went out for a 45minute run. I almost thought about leaving the dogs at home, but chose not to. I was going to turn around after a few minutes. Instead I took them off leash and let them run. My pace improved by 20+ seconds. After 3 miles the blister became more annoying. It did not affect running forward, only turning. I dropped them off after 35 minutes and finished the last 10 minutes solo. I ended up averaging 7:18 for the run and 18.4 miles for the day.

Who put a rock there?

2011-10-17T17:38:00.000-07:00

I did not expect much in the pool this morning after the long weekend of training. I had one of my best Monday swims of the season. The main set had 2 sets. The first set was 2000 straight. I swam 28:39 averaging 1:25.9. I even negative split. The second set was a few fast 400s. My upper body was a little tight. For the first 2, I could not go any faster than my last 400 of the straight swim. I found another gear on the last one and negative split that as well. I finished up a couple hundred meters under 3 miles.

After a nice nap, I took the dogs for a very easy 35 minute run. I was feeling good. All of sudden, I hit the ground hard. I clipped a rock with my right foot and landed hard on my right side. I ended up with a few cuts on my knee, elbow, and palm. After a minute of trying to figure out who put a rock there, I got up and finished the run. My palm is very sore. It is difficult to hold anything in my right hand. I have been icing on and off. I am hoping this is minor and gone by tomorrow.

5 weeks til AZ

2011-10-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

I did not feel good during the warm-up in the pool Friday morning. Surprisingly, I swam as fast as the previous Fridays. I finished up with 3800 meters. I was short on time after work, so no nap for me. I took the dogs for 20 minutes, then headed to the track for mile repeats. I felt sluggish during the repeats. I descended the first three. My right quad was super tight, so I skipped the last repeat. I quickly rinsed off and headed to physical therapy for a short session. Then I was off to the bike shop. A part of my head set cracked and the replacement was ready for installation. That is until they tried to take off the fork. There was so much corrosion in the headset, that the entire head set had to be replaced. It sucks being a heavy sweater. I was very thankful to Rich for taking the time to fix the bike. He rigged the cables, so I could get through the weekend.

Yesterday, I woke up at 4:30AM. I felt completely rested, so I got up. No reason to lay in bed and stare at the dogs. I headed out at 7:40AM for a long bike ride. It was cold, 39 degrees. I was glad to grab my ear warmers. It was cold and gray for the entire ride. The first section of the ride went through Fort Lewis, then to Spanaway and back. I started the intervals on the way back. I nailed my numbers on the first one. I missed my target on the second one. There was nothing in the tank. My quads were feeling very tight every time I tried to get out of the saddle. After 80+ miles, I stopped to top of the bottles and eat a snickers bar. After a few miles, I started to feel a little light headed. I thought about calling my brother to pick me up. The feeling was short-lived, so I finished up. I ended up with 102+ miles with an average of 20.5mph. I quickly transitioned for a short run. I felt great on the run. The effort was low and I got into ironman effort after a few minutes. My brother and went to run a few errands. He said I looked like crap. I totally felt like it.

I did not get out out of bed til 6:55AM. I normally wake up around 5AM. My body was tired. I was moving slow all morning. I rode with the girls for just over an hour. I rode the rest of the ride at ironman pace. I felt so much better than yesterday. I ended up with 56+minutes averaging 21.5 mph. After I few hours of chilling, I headed out for a run. It took me a few miles to loosen up. I settle into my ironman pace after 4 miles and felt strong. I rinsed off and headed to the pool for an easy 1k of swimming. My legs felt tired.

Chilly... no rain

2011-10-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

Fall generally brings the rain back as well as the wind. It was chilly this morning and throughout the day. I actually had to grab a sweatshirt. First time this year. The good news was no rain.

I squeezed in an easy 2k this morning. After work I went out for a ride. It was windy out there. The great thing about the range roads is whatever wind you have in the first 2 miles, you generally get the opposite at the other end. I started my 30 second intervals into the wind. I don't know why, but I really struggle with head winds. I am great with tailwinds. I started the 15minute interval with a tail wind and finished into the head wind. I was 7 watts lower than last week even though I maintained the same speed (24.3mph).

Pain free bike ride

2011-10-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

The weather was crazy yesterday, so I jumped on the trainer for some Olympic effort intervals. The first interval of 5minutes was very hard. I adjusted the next 5 rounds to 4minute intervals and finished with 4 rounds of 2minutes. This was the first pain bike ride in several weeks. FINALLY!!!

This morning I was up early for a 1 hour run. I did not feel great for the first few miles. I finally started feeling good around mile 6. I finished with 7.91 miles. I jumped in the pool at lunch for 3700m. I felt good in the pool. The main set was 15x100 on 1:30. I averaged 1:22s. I felt like I could have swam all day. After work and a nap, I went out for a 45minute hilly run. I ended up descending my miles even with a hill at mile 4. I finished with 6.33 miles at 7:06 per/mile.

Portland Marathon

2011-10-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

Doris emailed me over 5 months ago about completing her first marathon and hopefully qualifying for Boston with a time under 4 hours. Boston changed the registration procedures. Basically, the faster runners get to register first.

I designed a 20 week training plan to help her accomplish her goal.

She completed her first marathon in 3:34.06, well under the Boston Qualifying time and second in her age group.

Awesome race, Doris!!!

wet or dry?

2011-10-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

The weather was unpredictable last week. I never knew if it was going to be dry or wet.

Monday (DRY) - I ran easy for 30 minutes.

Tuesday (WET) - It was dry when I left work. I decided to take a nap. As I got everything ready to ride the bike, it started to sprinkle. I took a chance and jumped on the bike. It rained for most of the ride. I rode 37 miles. I felt good for the first 2 intervals. My glute started being weird on #3. It was weirder on #4, so I decided to just finish the ride. I ended up riding at near 70.3 pace. It actually felt like Ironman effort.

Wednesday (WET) - Same as Tuesday. I debated on running after work, but was very tired. Nap won and so did the rain. Actually, it was horizontal downpour. I ran for 45 minutes. I swam 3.7k in the morning. I felt fine aerobically, muscularly I didn't have it. I tried to swim 10x100 on 1:25. I made 3 and swam the rest touch and go averaging 1:27.

Thursday (DRY) - I swam 2k easy in the morning. After work and a nap, I rode 38 miles. I started with several hard 30 second efforts followed by 1 minute recovery. Then cruised for 18 minutes. Last interval of 15 minutes at Olympic effort. I averaged 24.23mph on the range roads.

Friday (DRY) - I felt great in the pool. Lots of speed work followed by 400s pull. 3.8k. Later that day, I went to the track for 3x1mile repeats with 400 easy jog. This was my first workout on the track in 6 weeks because of my injury. I started ultra conservative and tried to make each one faster. I managed to descend the set and have no pain. Finally!

Saturday (DRY) - It was a little cloudy at the start of the ride. The sun made lots of visits throughout the ride. The workout was intervals consisting of Olympic, 70.3, 140.6 and easy riding. I felt strong on the first two rounds. Maybe too good. I missed my goals on round 3. I refueled and cruised for 30 minutes. I made an attempt at the last round. Nothing doing. I started at the bottom of the hill and struggled to get up. My watch confirmed what my legs were telling me. YOUR DONE! I finished up the rest of the ride cruising. My quads cramped with 30 minutes left in the ride. I stopped for a second and gulped down most of my water bottle. I made it home with no more cramps. I probably should start carrying salt tabs during the longer rides. I rode for 4 hours averaging 21mph. I switched out my gear and headed out for a quick brick. My legs felt a little heavy, but loosened up after a few minutes.

Sunday (WET/DRY/WET) - The morning started with rain/mist/dry/mist/rain. I ran a little under 7 miles at7:21 pace. I felt pretty good. I felt a minor twinge above hip when walking around. After second breakfast and a nap, I went to the pool for 4.4k. I was a little tired. I did not swim as fast as last weekend. I was surprised it was only 1-2 seconds per 100 slower. I actually considered stopping after 2. I ate a bagel with pumpkin cream cheese. It tasted just like pumpkin pie. Ninety minutes later I was out for wet/dry run. Since the first run was flat, I made sure the second was hilly. I was only 2 seconds per mile slower than the morning. It was a long day.

Monday (WET) - I went to the pool for my longest swim of the year, 4.6k. Just shy of 3 miles. I pulled 2000-28:50 then swam 3x400s on 6:00. I was tired at the start and even more fatigued by the end of the workout. I grabbed a steak, egg, bagel sandwich afterward. I went out for an easy 40 minute run on the trails. My body is tired. I am glad I have the day off.

20k+ swimming last week

2011-10-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

A lot of swimming last week. There has been a definite shift in the pool last week. I swam 800 meters more than the week before and it only took another 4+ minutes.

I had 2 great swims. On Wednesday, I squeezed out 15x100 on 1:25 averaging 1:19.7. Sunday it felt so easy to swim fast. I swam 4x500 as (200 on 2:50 + 150 on 2:10 + 100 on 1:25 + 50 on 1:05) and averaged (2:41, 2:00, 1:17.5, 37).

The bike rides were chill for the week. Two 90 minute rides and a 3 hour ride.

The runs were low key. I felt great on my second run Sunday evening. 6.29 miles (7:17, 7:11.00, 7:11.00, 7:10.00, 7:05, 7:08). It was effortless.

This morning's swim was the opposite of yesterday. It was hard to go fast. I ended up pulling all of the main set. I finished up with 4.4k.

19,600 meters

2011-09-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

I did not ride my bike at all last week. I hope the week off will get the glute back on track. I did get a little swimming done. Mon - 4400m, Tue - 3700m, Thu 3000m, Fri - 4100m, Sun - 4400m = 19,600 meters for the week. When you have to cut out a sport, sometimes you have to compensate in the other 2.

I got a little running in too. I felt great on my second run yesterday, after I dropped Kona off. My pace sped up 30+ seconds. Nothing like having a dog slow you down.

Today I swam 4400m. I felt better than last week. I felt awesome during the warm-up. I swam 1800 straight and felt the piano on back as my pace slowed down 1 second per 100 every 400. After the long swim, I tried to pull a set 400s. My upper body was worthless. The muscles were smoked.

After work, I went out for an easy run. It is definitely fall. The winds were strong. I didn't discover that until I turned around. I thought I was running in place several times throughout the run.

The rain is back...

2011-09-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

It has been nice the last couple month of no rain. It seems like the last workout I completed in the rain was back in May.

I swam 3.6k Friday morning. I felt great in the pool. The main set was lots of 25s and some longer pulling at the end. After work, I took the dogs out for an easy 35minute run. Later that evening I caught up a few shows I recorded during the week. I wonder if I have what it takes to play the game of Survivor.

I took the dogs for a walk Saturday morning before starting my ride. I felt a few drops of rain. I thought it was going to be a light sprinkle. It started to pour. I sat in my house and debated with myself to sit on the trainer or ride in the downpour. It was a hard decision. The rain started to let up, but previous experience told me it was only a teaser. Sure enough the downpour came back. I set up the trainer for 2.5 hour ride. I threw in a couple of intervals of Olympic/70.3 effort. The goal was 3. I felt a twinge in the hamstring halfway through the second, so I spun easy after completing the second interval. I quickly jumped out for a very short brick run. Of course the rain stopped and the roads dried halfway into the workout. It actually stopped raining for the next several hours.

Sunday morning I heard the rain making puddles outside. I don't mind running in the rain as much as cycling. I took the dogs out for an easy 40 minute run. I felt good. My glute area was tight at the start, but loosened after a few minutes. I averaged 7:38s. After a few hours of chilling, I went to the pool to knock out 4.4k. I felt great in the pool. My average speed was better and more consistent than last time. I scarfed down a chocolate milk and bagel with cream cheese. I took Kona for the last workout of the day. It was very humid at 4:30PM. I dropped Kona off after 30 minutes. She was slowing me down. I chose a hilly route and averaged 7:47s.

This morning I swam another 4.4k. It has been 10+ years since I have put in 8800 meters in 2 days. I didn't have anything today from the start to the end. I ended up pulling an 1800 straight and 3x400s. After work and a nap, I took the dogs out for a very easy 30 minute run. It was nice to have the sun back. Fina wasn't as happy. She kept the pace down. We finished with 8:29s.

10 minute...

2011-09-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my glute felt great. I ran 6.6 miles after work. I had two 5 minute builds. I decided to do it as 2', 1.5', 1', .5'. My pacing ended up as 6:55, 6:25, 5:55, 5:30 respectively. I was surprised because I went off of perceived effort. I didn't use my watch.

My glute was feeling okay today. I swam an easy 1.8k this morning. After work I headed out for a tough workout. It started with several hard 30" efforts with 1 minute rest between. My average was 5% higher than Tuesday. I spun easy for 8 minutes then rode 10 minutes hard. I might have started a little too aggressive. It did not help starting at the bottom of a hill. It was my highest 10 minute power output of the season. I was going to another one, but my hamstring started to feel weird after 1 minute. I cruised the rest of the ride. I averaged 21.5mph for the ride.

joys of training

2011-09-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday I went out for a 4 hour ride. I was supposed to do 5 repeats with Olympic and 70.3 efforts. I fell short on the first 3. I decided to cruise the rest of the workout because my glute was bothering me. The last hour of riding was hard and slow. I was zapped at the end of the workout.

I went out early for a short 40 minute run Sunday morning. I ran with Chip and his dog, Forest. After a few hours of relaxing, I headed to the lake for 2 miles of open water swimming. No stops, all continuous. I was glad to have a wetsuit on. My face was warm when out of the water, but nice and cool in the water. After a nap, I went out for another 40 minute run. I felt much better even though it was much warmer.

Monday's swim was tough. I didn't feel great. The main set was 2x (3x400 on 6:00 + 4x50 easy on 1:00). It was a struggle. I swam the first one then pulled the next 2. I finished with 3.8k. After work I took the dogs out for an easy 30 minute run. Fina did not want to run. At about the halfway point, she stopped and waited for Kona and me to run 2 minutes out and back.

I swam 3.4k this morning. I wasn't sure how the workout would feel based on the last couple days. It was the best set I have done. The main set was 10x100 on 1:25. I averaged 1:17/1:18. My previous best was earlier this year back in January. I did them on 1:30 and averaged 1:18.5. I felt strong on the entire set. I improved my speed and dropped 5 seconds of rest. After work I headed out for lots of 30" hard intervals. I felt so much better today. I still had a few twinges in my glute. SO FRUSTRATING. I ended up averaging 21.3mph for the workout.

The weekend was filled with lows. Then out of no where I kill a swim set. It seems like the carrot is always dangling out in front and every once in awhile you catch it. The joys of training.

Manual labor sucks

2011-09-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

The last few days I have been moving big items around at work. This morning I woke up to sore hamstrings and lower back. It did not affect my swim at all. I managed 3.6k in the pool. I felt great on the first round of fast 25s. The second was a little more difficult. The last six my strokes shortened due to muscle failure. After some more manual labor I took a short nap. I headed out for an easy 35 minute run with several accelerations in low to mid 80s. No glute issues what so ever. It is kind of weird that I felt this way last Friday as well. I am hoping to be 100% very soon.

Legs have been tired

2011-09-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

My legs were tired Tuesday. I got up early and ran before work. By the time I warmed up the run was over. I snuck in 3.2k of swimming in a 69.5 degree pool. BRRR!!! I was supposed to do 10x100 on short rest. I tried to do them on 1:25. I made 4 and just missed #5. I decided to pull 3x500 with short rest. Sometimes the pull buoy is a life saver. I descended them down to under 7 minutes. It took me the next few hours to warm up. I usually run the A/C all day when home. I didn't turn it on until after 2 hours. I went out for another run before dinner. I felt much better, even in the 80ish degree heat.

My longest swim of the year was Wednesday, 4.4k. The main set was 250s broken on short rest and descending the effort. I felt much better in the water compared to Tuesday and was able to maintain speed for the set. I took the dogs for an easy 35 minute run around 6PM. I felt pretty good except for a few twangs in my glute.

This morning I hopped in the pool for an easy 2k. I felt strong. After work I went out for a 34 mile ride. I started with several hard 30 second efforts with 1 minute between. I felt okay during that set. My glute wasn't bothering me much. I tried to do a couple of 10 minute efforts at threshold. I didn't even come close on my first one. Since my glute was acting up, I decided to call the workout and ride back easy. I just didn't have it today.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

It was sunny and 65 at the start of the ride on Saturday. Several people showed up for the morning ride. It was the first time I rode with Chip all summer. We decided to push the pace and test each other for the sprint line. I had pulled 70% of the 6.5 miles. I was stuck out in front with 0.5 mile to the line. I knew the only way I would get him at this point was to slowly increase the speed. He came around with 200m to go and we were both at max speed. He edged me by a nose. I would get my revenge later at the next sprint line. He was pulling the last mile. I came around with 100m to go and went by him. After riding the 50 mile loop, we decided to ride to Chambers creek and back to finish up the day. I finished with 74miles at 21.1mph.

Yesterday morning I went out for an easy 25 minute run in the morning. Ninety minutes later I was at the pool swimming an easy 2k. After a few errands and a nap, I ran an easy 35 minutes.

I was up early this morning to ride with Chip and Elizabeth. I had to wear arm warmers and gloves because it was in the upper 40s. It was a chill ride. I made a deal with Elizabeth to ride Pot Hill road. It was the first time I have been on that strip in 2 years. The road has deteriorated significantly. I was cruising downhill and saw a pot hole at the last minute. I hit the brakes and tried to avoid it. My rear wheel locked. I started skidding. I tried to get the bike under control, but ended up going down in some soft brush. I checked out me bike and saw the rear wheel had come off. I was lucky to figure this out and have a soft crash. On the downhill decent back home, I accidentally ran over a twig. It hit Elizabeth in the ankle. The rest of the ride was injury free.

After ninety minutes of chilling at home, I went out for another ride. I kept it very very easy. I ended the day with over 4 hours of riding. It was a beautiful day in the northwest.

testing the glute

2011-09-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

Tuesday - I went out on the bike to test the glute. It was feeling good. I mentally prepared to do a 20 minute hard effort near the ranges. I was feeling strong. That is until my sunglasses fell off my helmet. I stopped the interval to turn around and pick up them up. I was averaging 25.6mph. I rode easy for several minutes and tried again. I did not feel as good on the second attempt. It was my best 20' for the year so far, averaging 24mph. I grabbed the dogs for an easy 30 minute run immediately after.

I swam 4.2k Wednesday morning. The main set was tough 10x (75 on 1:05 + 50 on :45 + 25 on :35). The goal was to descend effort on each distance. I averaged 1:00, 39.5, 18.5. I finished up with 3x500 pull descend. I lost count on #2, so I took a 50 off the last one. After work, I headed to the track with my athletes. I wanted to try and test the glute with a little bit of speed. The glute felt okay, not great. The workout totaled 4 miles.

Thursday, I swam an easy 2k before lunch. After a busy day at work and a 90 minute nap, I went out for a ride. I started the workout with 10x30 second build-ups then into 10 minute efforts at threshold. The first one did not feel as good as the ride on Tuesday. I averaged 25.6mph. My glute wasn't hurting. I had a few weird twangs, so I decided not to do another effort and rode home. I averaged 21.3mph for the ride.

Yesterday I headed to the pool at lunch. I felt strong on the 25s. The main set was lots of 25s followed by even more 25s. They were all fast. The first set felt much easier than the second set. You think that swimming 25s with almost double the rest to work would be enough. Not on the last half of the workout. I was breathing hard. I kept all the 25s at 16 seconds. I finished with 2.6k in just under an hour. After work, I grabbed the dogs for an easy 35minute run. It was sunny and mid to upper 70s. The dogs had their tongues hanging out and dragging on the ground after a few minutes of running. I let them run off leash for 20 minutes. I put them back on for the last bit home. Fina was tired. My pace slowed down considerably in the last mile home. Finally a workout without any kind of twinges or twangs. I showered up and headed to physical therapy. My flexibility has improved dramatically from the previous week.

Glute is healing s l o w l y

2011-08-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

I went out for an easy ride on Saturday. It was a great day to ride, 85 and sunny. I was sweating a lot out there. I decided to flush out the engine with a couple of efforts below Olympic distance pace. The first was 19 minutes long near the time trial route. I averaged 23.9mph. The second effort was after the stop sign to range 93. A group of roadies started before me. I decided to play a game. How far could I let them go until I could catch them. After a mile of easy riding, I went after them. I caught them at the rolling hills and passed the last guy on the last hill. I averaged 24.6mph for 14 minutes. I wanted to do a 20' power test, but knew that would not be the smartest thing. I rode easy for rest of the ride. At one point, I thought 2 big rottweilers were going to get lunch, me.

Yesterday I took the dogs for a short easy run. Two hours later I headed to the pool. The main set was 12x100 desc every 3. I progressively slowed down each set. The water was warm like soup, 87 degrees. I finished with 3.4k.

This morning I took the dogs out for an easy 30 minute jog/walk. It was a little humid out and glimpses of sunshine. I predicted the clouds would burn off. It is 4:30PM and no sign of sun.

Less than 12 weeks to go until Arizona.

glute is healing

2011-08-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

I have kept things low key trying to allow the glute to heal. It has been hard with the great weather we are having here in Washington.

I swam an easy 1.8k on Monday and an easy 3k on Tuesday.

On Wednesday I swam 3.7k. The main set was 10x100 on 1:30. I averaged 1:18 through 6 and then the piano dropped.

Thursday I jogged/walk for 12 minutes to test the glute. I felt pretty good. It feels like the glute is healing. It is not 100%, but getting close. I rode an easy 70 minutes and the glute felt the same.

Yesterday I headed to the pool for an easy 1k. I took the furkids for an easy 20 minute run. I ran laps around the field. The dogs started figuring out ways to run less in the 80+ heat. After lap 1, they waited at the start line for me to run 200 meters then sprint down to catch up. Fina was a little smarter. She knew I was running a square, so she cut the square diagonally.

glute day 2

2011-08-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

My glute was bothering me all day. I decided to try and ride to see how it would hold up. I could not get into aero because it caused more pain. I attempted the first set of 8x (30" hard + 30" easy). I rode sitting up. After cruising for 6.5 minutes, I started the 15 minutes at race pace. My glute felt fine at first then started to act up, so I stopped the interval 2.5 minutes in and cruised back home. It is very frustrating to be back to training and have an injury holding me back. GRRR!!!

Left glute

2011-08-17T18:45:00.001-07:00

This morning I jumped into the pool for 3.7k. I love it when you can actually feel the water. The main set was 10x150 (100fast/50easy) with 15 seconds rest after each. I averaged 1:15.2 on the set. I felt strong in the water. You gotta love these days.

After work I headed to the track. It was 80 and sunny. I had to ditch my sunglasses after the warm-up. I needed the air flowing on my face to dry the sweat. The set was 12x200 with 25 seconds rest after each. I built into the set and was feeling good until #8. My left glute started to hurt. I backed off and decided no more fast 200s. After a mile of cooling down, I cleaned up and sat on a bag of ice.

Back to training after mid-season reset

2011-08-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

I used the last two weeks to get my body ready for the next phase in gearing up for Arizona.

Yesterday I swam an easy 1.8k. I felt good.

Today I rode for 70 minutes. The main set was 20x (30" hard + 30" easy). I started second guessing the number I completed, so I ended up doing an extra repeat. I felt good on the entire workout. My legs started to tighten up after 12. I maintained my power level all the way through. After the ride, I took the dogs out for an easy run.

Finishing up the easy weekend

2011-08-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went for a 55 mile ride. It was nice to be able to ride to the bridge then Ranier. The range roads were closed for most of the summer. It was the first time I climbed the hill past the bridge this year. I felt pretty good staying in the big ring all the way up. After the ride I took the dogs out for an easy 25 minute run.

This morning I took the dogs out for a 1 hour run. I wasn't sure if Fina was going to make it, but she held strong.

14 weeks til Arizona

Thanks to NW Guardian for wanting to write and article about me

2011-08-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

NW Guardian Aug 12

Open Water Race

2011-08-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

Last night, I headed out to Kent for an Open Water Race. There were 3 distances (0.5mi, 1.2, 2.4) and with or without wetsuit. I found out the water temperature was going to be in the mid to upper 70s. I chose not wetsuit. There were 3 waves. The 2.4mile started first, five minutes later the shortest distance, and then my wave. The course was 100 meters to the first buoy, 850m to second, 100m to third, and 850 to finish. It was a nice rectangle. After a short warm-up, I lined up in the front.

The starter blew the whistle and we were off. Several people sprinted out. I wanted to start smart, so I chose to let them go and catch the draft. I think there were 10 people in front of me to the first turn buoy. I slowly began to pick them off and build my speed. I moved into fifth by the second turn buoy. I split the 2 wetsuit swimmers after the last turn buoy and swam between them. I actually thought I was in first because I could not see anyone in front of me. I thought I was drawing a bad line because a wetsuit swimmer was paralleling me 15 meters away. I remembered that if you followed the buoys back the line back would not be straight. I closed in on the finish and sprinted up to the mat. I wasn't sure of my placing because Chris was standing in front of me taking his wetsuit off. I could not find Karen, so I assumed she was changing. I somehow managed to be 3rd overall with the 2 guys beating me both wearing wetsuits. I was first non wetsuit and won an apple pie. Karen finished a little behind me and ended up third female.

Another low-key week

2011-08-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

It has been another low-key week.

I swam 1k easy on Monday.

On Tuesday & Thursday, I rode easy for 90 minutes and ran the dogs for 20.

Wednesday I swam 2k in the morning and ran 35 minutes after work.

I think my body is feeling very rested.

Aquathon

2011-08-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

Karen talked me into racing an Aquathon today. The race took place on the waterfront in Tacoma. It supposed to be a 2k swim and 5k run.

It was a cold swim (58). It was a out and back course. My goggles were foggy and I had trouble sighting on the way out. It seemed like the buoy was staying in the same place forever. I didn't realize we swam against the current out. It was supposed to be 2k. The watch had 1.4 miles. My time was 35+. I was second out of the water behind Karen. I started the run with a stitch, so I backed off my effort. I ended up going off course and added 0.32 miles to the run. That put me at second at the half way mark. I pushed myself to catch the guy. My last 1.5 miles was just under 6minute pace. I ended up passing him with 100m to go.

Easy week

2011-08-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't done much all week. It has been a nice easy week. I am trying to let my body recover completely and fully.

Federal Way Escape

2011-07-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

I arrived at the race site 90 minutes before the start. It was plenty of time to pick up my packet, set up my gear, warm-up, and have a few minutes to chill. I put on XTERRA VENDETTA and headed to the water.

SWIM - 5:24 watch (5:32 including run up to mat)
I ran into a swimmer, who was on a few of the all-star teams I coached, before the start while warming-up. I lined up for a straight shot to the first buoy. At the start there were a few people in front of me and around me. I tried to build the effort to the first buoy and then keep it strong the rest of the race. I turned right at the second/last buoy. I tried to sight with no avail. I was completely blinded. I thought it was my time and was heading to the light. I tried to make a line back to shore. I saw 2 swimmers going way left. I wasn't sure if I picked the wrong line or them. It ended up being them. I was still unsure, so I started swimming toward them until I could see the exit. I ran out and saw the 2 guys ahead of me. I grabbed my LYNSKEY and passed one before I left transition.

BIKE - 31.12
I saw the guy who was in first just ahead of me. I tried to keep him in sight, but couldn't. I was having trouble getting my breathing under control. It took a full loop before I felt better. There was a guy who would pass me on the hills and I would pass back on the flats. He ended up being a former swimmer on the club I use to coach. I entered transition in second. I quickly racked the green machine and put on my NEWTONS.

RUN - 20:08
I started the run with a stitch on my right side. I was passed by a guy in the first mile. It took me 2 miles to get rid of the stitch. I finished 3rd overall.

16 weeks to Arizona

Weird chest pain

2011-07-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

I didn't do much of anything outside of work Monday. I didn't sleep well Monday night and felt very tired on Tuesday, so I took the day off from work.

I woke up to weird chest pain Wednesday morning. It lasted from 5-11am. It felt like my heart was working hard and I was doing nothing. My pulse seemed to stay the same. I went to the doctor and he said the EKG was normal. He sent me for some blood work. The lady had no luck in my right arm. She managed to get blood out of my left arm. I didn't feel anything the rest of the day.

Thursday, I felt like I had worked out on Wednesday even though I didn't. Another day of no work.

I went back to work this morning. I felt okay. I got a weird feeling as the day progressed, so I went home early.

Strange week.

YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM!!!

2011-07-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

I was up at 3:15AM and out the door 20 minutes later. UGH!!! I headed up to Seafair with Lisa and Karen. We were nearing Federal Way when a cop flashed his lights behind me. I assumed he was after someone because I wasn't doing anything wrong. Nope, it was me. I pull over. He walks up to the car and said, YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM!!! WE GOT YOU ON CAMERA!!!" I had no idea what I did wrong. He told me to step out of the car. He takes me to the back of the vehicle and tells me my lights are being hidden by the bikes. I apologize and he proceeds to tell me that is unacceptable. I am thinking wow. He evens asks the question, "How is a car going to know you are in front of them?" I figured they should have their headlights on, but did not want to take a chance. I kept my mouth shut. He let me go. Crazy, right?

We arrived with plenty of time to get a good parking spot. All three of us got the first pick on the racks. After setting up all of gear, we walked back to the car to chill until the race started. The Olympic race started at 6:30AM and my race was scheduled to start at 7:30AM. Everything was delayed by 10 minutes. Lisa and I watched Karen start the Olympic race. There was guy who was swimming pretty fast out there as he put 50 meters on them in the first lap. He was the eventual winner. Some guy ran across the swim mats after only 1 loop. He was signed up for the sprint. I am not sure how he didn't hear them announce multiple times which race was occurring. The funny thing is it happened twice. The second guy was smart enough to figure out he had done something wrong. The race officials told him, "That will count as your warm-up." I think he swam again later because I saw him at the finish line later. Karen had a great swim, she was 3rd out of the water and first female. Nate had a great swim as well because he came out right behind her.

Lisa and I were getting cold, so we put on our wetsuits to stay warm. The XTERRA VENDETTA is not only a super-fast wetsuit, but it also kept me from getting too cold while I waited to start my swim.

SWIM - 10:26
I started on the left side. I noticed one familiar face, a former college swimmer, to my right. The air-horn sounded and we were off. A few guys took off. I tried to get into their draft, but the pace was a little out of my comfort zone. I let them go. I felt strong on the entire swim.

BIKE - 30:39
I quickly stripped off the XTERRA, put on my SPIUK aero helmet, grabbed my green machine LYNSKEY, and headed out of transition. It took a couple miles to get my breathing under control. I passed several people including the swimmer within the first few miles. There was a guy just in front of me in this stretch. I forgot how steep the hill was getting onto I-90. I was slowly reeling the guy in and passed him just after the turn-around. I saw a shadow close by. I assumed he was drafting off me. He re-passed me after the steep downhill. I passed him and Lisa at the same time. My intent this time was to make sure he wasn't going to get any more easy riding. It worked. I never saw him again.

RUN - 19:03
I re-racked the green machine. I put on my NEWTONS and grabbed my visor. I felt good at the start. I felt like my pace was nice and steady. They put a nice hill right in the middle of the run. I wish there would have been people to race around me.

I won my age group and was 3rd overall. I competed at Seafair in 2009. My swim was much faster while the bike & run were a few seconds slower. Overall I was 16 seconds faster this year. I still have lots of work to do.

Nice weather the last few days

2011-07-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Friday morning I went to the pool for 3.6k. I swam a lot of 25s. Forty to be exact. The send-off was 45 seconds. It was broken up into 2 sets. I felt strong on the workout. After work, I went out for a short easy run with the furkids. I think it was a little too hot for Fina. She ended up with blisters.

Saturday morning, I swam an easy 700 meters and biked easy for 20 minutes. After the workouts, I headed up to Seattle to pick up the race packet. It was fairly uneventful.

hamburger knee

2011-07-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

My core was a little tender today after three consecutive days of sitting in the kayak. It could also be the cumulative of the tough bike, swim, and run workouts.

I wasn't planning on taking a nap after work today. I was laying on the couch watching highlights from the Tour de France. I ended up falling asleep. My body must have needed a little recovery. I jumped on my bike and headed out for a few intervals. The main set was 4x (1'@ very hard effort + 1' cruise + 6'@ Olympic + 3' cruise). I felt pretty good out there even though the wind was blowing hard if not harder then Tuesday. I ran into Ellina after my 3rd interval. We chatted for a bit and then I took off to finish the last one. I knew it was going to be tough to finish the last interval without having to turn around. I cut the last 6' interval short. Instead of riding easy for a couple of seconds to the gate, I chose to take a hard left into gravel. Not smart. I had to over correct and went down. My knee absorbed most of the fall. My knee looked like hamburger.

Fast efforts with short rest

2011-07-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

The theme of the day was fast efforts with short rest. The day started with 3.2k in the pool. The main set was 20x100 on 1:30. During warm-up it felt like I was going to average 1:23s, but somehow managed to average 1:20.6. It was hard. I love it when a guy swims next to you and he is doing 50s with lots of rest.

It was back to the kayak for rest of the morning. I heard a great line from a Sergeant Major. "You're about as sorry as a TV dinner on Thanksgiving." After work, I decided a nap was in order. Ninety minutes later it was time to hit the track.

I grabbed the dogs and ran them during my warm-up. I dropped them off and headed to the track. The main set was 24x200 on 1 minute. I felt good at the beginning of the set until number fifteen. My left quad started tightening up. After that it was survival mode for the next nine. I cleaned up, ate dinner, and went over to watch my niece play soccer.

Consistency

2011-07-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

It was a very busy day between kayaking in the morning and sitting in a long meeting at work. After work, I was a little tired. I laid down on the couch for 5 minutes and decompressed from the long day. I wasn't sure what to expect in the workout.

The winds were blowing today. I knew there was going to be stiff head winds and big tail winds. The main set was 10 minutes at Olympic effort then 4 minutes cruise, 4 times through. I chose not to look at my watch on the first set until the end of the interval. Needless to say I was very surprised. I then proceeded to keep my power within a few watts of each other. My average was 4 watts higher than the last time I completed this workout.

The most important thing I have learned over the last five years of triathlon is consistency in training. Some days the workouts will feel easy. Some days they will feel hard. Some days you will hit your target in the workouts. Some days you don't even come close.

No juice today

2011-07-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

I had no juice for my swim today. I felt okay, just didn't have speed. The main set was 2x (3x400 on 6:00 + 4x50 cruise on 1:05). I finished up with 3800 meters in under 62 minutes.

After work I took the dogs on a short sunny run. My legs felt a little sore from the run yesterday. The dogs are still panting and we finished almost and hour ago. It was only 3.7 miles at just over 8 minute miles.

swim then run in rain

2011-07-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

I was up at 5:30AM this morning. I ate breakfast and headed to the lake for 2 miles of open water swimming. I felt okay. I worked on increasing my stroke rate. After the swim I took the dogs out for some running. It was Fina's first run in a few weeks, so I only let her run 24 minutes. I dropped both dogs off and conitnued to run for another 30 minutes. I picked up Kona to finish off the run. I ended up with 10.7 miles.

Pity Party Over

2011-07-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

I was down in the dumps early in the week. I was very frustrated with the fact that I haven't raced well this season. If you were to look at the training log, you would expect otherwise.

I swam an easy 1k on Monday. I rode easy for 1 hour on Tuesday. Nothing on Wednesday.

Thursday morning, I ran an easy 30 minutes before work. I felt okay. Kona looked happy to be running early. After work, I headed out for some interval work on the bike. The Quarq died 5 minutes into the ride, so no power numbers for the day. I based everything on effort. The workout was 1 minute at a very hard effort with 30 seconds of recovery then 6 minutes at Olympic pace with 2.5 minutes of recovery, eight times through. I know speed is not an indication of the difficulty of the workout, but I managed to average 22.4mph for 90 minutes.

Friday morning, I swam 3.55k. The focus of the workout was quality, 50s & 100s very fast with lots of recovery. I averaged 31s for the 50s and 1:09s for the 100s. After work, I got lucky and managed to sneak in a dry run. The workout was 8 minutes at half-iron pace with 3 minutes recovery, four times through. I felt ok on the run. It was a little humid and I was completely soaked at the end.

I worked the triathlon Saturday morning. I was planning on riding, but did not feel great. I was going to take a short nap and then head out. Two hours later, I decided it would be best to skip the workout and let my body rest.

Rev 3 Portland - Recap

2011-07-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Raced Rev3 Portland. I had an ok swim. Stripped off wetsuit grabbed running shoes and ran to T1 (0.4 miles). I start having trouble getting air. I stop to try to catch my breath. I start feeling dizzy, so I sit down. I was also feeling nauseous. It took a couple minutes, but I finally get my breathing under control. I get up and attempt to jog again. I am forced to walk most of the way to transition.

Something is not right. I get into T1 and contemplate pulling out. I decide to see what happened.
As for the rest of the race, when I tried to put any effort into the bike & run my heart wanted to jump out of my chest. My bike numbers were low. My average power was equivalent to an easy ride.

So far it has been a miserable season!

2 short workouts today

2011-07-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

I felt much better in the water this morning. It was only 1.2k. A few fast 25s was all I needed to get my stroke back in sync. After work I went out for a quick run, 3.26 miles. No dogs to chase Kona into the woods.

change in weather

2011-07-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was sunny and mid 80's. This morning I woke to mist and fog. After work, the clouds started to clear as the winds picked up. I went out for a short ride. I had a few short intervals dialing in my power for the upcoming race. I felt good.

Still missing...

2011-07-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I jumped on the bike after work. The main set was 5'@ Olympic + 3' recovery, four times through. I felt okay. I looked at my numbers after the workout and noticed I need to do a better job of pacing. I am working too hard in the first couple of minutes. My numbers were a more consistent as the workout progressed.

I took a lunch break and headed to the pool for 2.1k. The water was nice, 74 degrees. I am still missing something. I swam 9x100 on 1:35 descending every 3. I didn't have the feel in the water that I normally have. After work, I took Kona on a 30 minute easy run. The temp was in the low 80's. Kona was dragging after the first few minutes, so I let her run off leash to my left. She was pretty good about listening. That was until we ran into a couple of dogs (German Short-haired Pointer & unknown). She ran into the woods and hid. I coaxed her out after 5 minutes. We finished up and she was very tired. Heat may be her kryptonite.

Zapped

2011-07-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

I headed out at 8AM on Saturday to do some pace work for the half coming up. The main set was 5'@ olympic effort then right into 25'@ half effort with 15' of recovery three times through. I was consistent all the way through the workout. I had a weird cramp along the groin. After a short stop to stretch out the leg, I was good to go. Now that the summer is here, I will start carrying SUCCEED Salt tabs during training. I averaged 21.7mph for the 66 mile ride. I drank some coke before heading out for a short run. I did not feel great on the run. I had to walk a few times. At one point, I stumbled and almost fell over. I was completely zapped at the end.

I took Sunday off. Yesterday, I headed to the pool for 4000+ yards of swimming. I felt okay.

Who put the brick wall there?

2011-07-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

It was a very busy morning at work yesterday. I had several projects due. I finished them all. I snuck away at lunch time for a swim. I tried to get around a vehicle parked in the middle of the road. I pulled forward and knew I couldn't make it. I started to reverse and hear scraping. My bumper is being pulled off by a brick wall. Who put the brick wall there? I really thought I had more room. UGH!!! I decided to go off road to get around the vehicle.

I was glad the pool was on the cold side, upper 70s. I needed to get out some frustration out. I finished with 3.2k and averaged 1:26.99999 on the 2000. I grabbed a few zip ties and fixed the bumper so it was drivable. Thanks Karen and Lisa!

After work, I grabbed Kona for some tempo work. The temperature was in the mid 70's. I adjusted my route, so Kona could run off-leash. I ended up running 30 minutes at sub 6:45. It felt really easy. I finished with just under 7 miles (6.99).

Hard, Hard, and more hard

2011-06-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I swam 2.2k. The main set was 10x100 on 1:30. I averaged 1:20. It was 1 second slower than last week. It felt much more difficult than last week. After work and a nap, I headed to the track for 20x200 on 1:00. I love how this set creeps up on you. I started out very conservative and managed to run the last 5 at a decent speed. My average was 1 second slower than last week. Even though I ran 5 more, it was another failed workout.

Today after work and a nap, I jumped on the bike for a puke set. The set was 8x(2'@ very very hard effort with 2' between). I started strong, but faded the next 7. I took a little extra rest to try and find something left in the legs. The last one was into a headwind. UGH!!! I made 2 of 8, 25%. Another F (failed) workout.

No power today

2011-06-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

I ran for 75 minutes Sunday morning. It was a gorgeous day! The dogs were happy to hit the trails because it was a little warmer than normal. I then headed to the pool for an easy 2k. It was a warm 87 degrees. I was so glad the workout was low key.

I had no workouts yesterday. I went to watch Green Lantern. I was disappointed. I would wait for DVD.
The weather forecast for today was rain. I decided to ride before work. The main set was 2x (20'@OLYMPIC + 4' cruise). I produced no power today. My legs had no snap. I average 21mph for the workout.

Redemption

2011-06-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

Last week I failed on my swim and run workouts.

Wednesday morning I swam 2.2k. The main set was 10x100 on 1:30. I averaged 1:19. I felt strong on the entire set. After work I headed to the track for 15x200 on 20 seconds rest. I blew up last week, so I made sure to start smarter. The set creeps up on you. My breathing was labored on the last 6. I quickly showered, so I could take my niece to Wild Waves. I could tell my legs were tired, especially when I climbed stairs, stairs, and more stairs.

I went to solo point for 15 hill repeats on Thursday. I felt awesome. My power numbers were almost 10% higher than a couple months ago.

Friday I went to the pool for 3.2k. I felt okay during the workout. After work I went out for an easy 46 minute run.

This morning I headed out for a 3 hour cruise ride averaging 21.1mph. My glutes were sore from the hill repeats. It was most noticeable when I had to ride up any length hill. I was glad the sun came out and the runs stayed dry. I quickly transitioned. I took the dogs for a short 15 minute run.

Riding with a group

2011-06-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

I worked the few hours of Saturday morning. After work I was so tired, I took a 2 hour nap. Motivation was low to go out for a 3 hour ride, so I switched my long run and ride workout days. I went out for an easy run just under 10 miles.

This morning I headed out for an easy ride. I linked up with a group (Chip, Allen, Vince, Lisa, Elizabeth, and Mark). Chip and I were catching up and pulling the train. We pulled off to let others pull through. Everyone slowed down. I decided to up the ante. I jumped back in front and picked up the pace. I decided to give them a nice change of pace for 2 miles. It was nice riding with a group of people. I was told not to come back to future rides. All good by me. I will be back at intervals and higher efforts next week.

Super swim today

2011-06-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

I decided to swim outside and take advantage of the sun. The main set was 2k for time. I wasn't sure what my time would be because my legs were a little sore. I opted to not check my splits and swim. It felt like the first half was faster than the second half. My legs and upper body tightened up. I looked at my watch and saw 28:50 averaging 1:26.5 per 100m. It was a PR for me. Probably because I typically don't swim straight sets unless racing.

After work, I took the dogs out for an easy run in the sun. We managed a little over 5.5 miles. The dogs were super tired.

Idiot!!!

2011-06-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

After work, I grabbed a bite to eat and took a nap. I woke up to Kona's head laying over my neck. Crazy dog. I jumped on the green machine and headed out for several 1 minute anaerobic intervals with 1 minute rest after each. I felt very good on the set. The last time I did a similar set, I had to use the solo point hill to generate power. Today, I did it all in aero on range road.

Over the last several months, it seemed cyclists were being hit by cars. They were usually at the end of their workout and some jackalope decided to turn out in front of them at the last second. I was less than a mile from the house finishing up the ride. A car decided they were going to do a U-turn in front of Farrelli's. I hit the brakes. The back wheel became squirrelly for a second as I shifted my weight to prepare for the impact. Luckily I was able to maneuver my bike to completely miss. Idiot!!!

0 for 2 today

2011-06-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

The "green machine" sat in the bike box until yesterday. I decided it was time to put it back together and head out for a ride. The main set was 5x (6'@OLY + 3' cruise). I felt good on the set. My lowest power output came on the last repeat. I love trying to generate watts with a tail wind.

This morning I jumped into the pool for 3.2k of swimming. The main set was 10x100 with 10 seconds rest. I felt great for the first 5. Then someone dropped the piano on me and my pace slowed considerably. 0 for 1.

After work, I headed to the track for 12x200s. I felt good for the first. Then repeat of this morning. I decided to shut it down after 6. No sense in trying to make something out of nothing. My left quad was so tight that it took 3 laps around the track for it to loosen up. 0 for 2.

Today was not my day.

Kicked off the...

2011-06-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

I kicked off the start of the second half of the season today with an easy 1.5k swim and a 30 minute run. It felt like I had worked out in a week. Probably because I hadn't. It should take a few days to get the feel back.

163 days until Arizona

2011-06-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

The season is half-way done. I am enjoying no routine and relaxing. I haven't done any workouts all week. I was thinking about racing at Boise. I know I would have a good race. I don't have the desire to drive 9+ hours each way and spend $$$. I will try to sneak in a few races in the next few months.

Next week, I will start the path for Ironman Arizona. I have big goals and a lot of work ahead of me.

Can you believe I snapped this shot?

2011-06-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

Catching a wave

Race Logo

Car packed and loaded with 5 bikes.

The condo

2011-06-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

We stayed at the Outrigger Fairway Villas. Here are the pics:

King Bed - Girls

Girls Bathroom

Jared's Queen Sleeper

Ross - 2 twins and a bathroom

Dining Room

Living Room

Kitchen - Lisa, Ross, Karen

Beach & BBQ

2011-06-06T22:49:00.000-07:00

Ready for the Beach - Ross, me, Jared

Jared ready to catch some waves.

Ready for frisbee

Getting some rays

Chef Ross

Hawaii 70.3 recap

2011-06-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

I woke up 3 minutes before the alarm went off. I set up all my stuff the night before, so I could maximize sleep time. We were out the door at 4:35AM. We waited 15-20 minutes for the buses to take us to the swim sight.

PRE-RACE
I pumped up the tires, set my shoes, placed the OAKLEYS in the SPIUK, and started to set up my water bottles. I left the strap to keep the aerocup in place at the condo. DOH #1. Luckily, Lisa had black tape. I secured the cup after several wrap arounds of the cup. I applied lots of body glide and Vaseline to make sure I would have no chafing issues. I learned my lesson from Kona last October.

SWIM - 31:01
The water was very calm. After putting on my XTERRA swim skin, I waded into the water to get a short warm up. I felt good and saw a crab. I lined up at the line. Everyone starts at the same time including the pros. I felt good during the swim. My pace seemed to be increasing as I continued to pass people. Some dude decided to use me as a wall on a turn buoy.

T1 - 2:22
I started peeling my XTERRA skin suit off during the run-up to my LYNSKEY. This was a tough transition. It was all uphill.

BIKE - 2:55.23
I was glad I started my gearing in the small chain ring. It was uphill for the next 0.7 miles. I did not want to start too hard. I passed Karen in the first mile. I was passed by several people on the first few hills. I would pass them right back on the downhill. Somewhere near Hawi, I heard an interesting noise. It sounded like a tire lever was bouncing on the ground. At the start, I moved my salt container into my back pocket and forgot to close the aero bag. DOH #2. I remember seeing several people on the side of the road and thinking that would suck if it was me. I was feeling strong coming back from Hawi. I saw Scott and Julie, OOMPH, after the Hawi turn-around. I make a right back onto the Queen K and start to notice my front tire bobbing. I have a slow leak. I have no tire lever. My only option was to re-inflate and cross my fingers. It was only 5 miles to T2. No dice. It was flat again 1.5 miles later. UGH. I started walking my bike. I wanted to ask for a tire lever. It wasn't an option with riders going down the hill at 25+mph. A guy threw me a Pitstop. That didn't work at all. Foam was everywhere and now my hands were sticky. I saw a race vehicle on the other side of the road. They called in tech support. A rider stopped to offer me his wheel. He said his legs were toast. I told him he couldn't quit. I think he was looking for a way out. As I was walking uphill a girl asked me what I needed. I said everything. She threw me a ziploc bag full with 2 tire levers, CO2, tube, and inflator. I hope she had a great race as I did see her later. Tech support arrives within seconds of me pulling off the front tire. There ended up being a piece of metal in my tire. Ross and Karen go flying by me. Bike Works crew saved my butt again. After giving up 25 minutes, I was back in the race.

T2 - 1:32
I passed off the LYNSKEY to the bike catcher. I ran to my bag. The volunteer gave me the wrong bag. We looked for my bag. I had no idea where to go and almost ended up in the women's tent. I slipped on my NEWTONS, grabbed my visor &water bottle, and headed out.

RUN - 1:59.21
At this point, I was looking forward to the rest of the trip. I caught Karen in the first mile. She was not doing well. I decided to run with her. We saw Ross, Jared, and Lisa several times throughout the course.We thought it would be so cool if we crossed the line together. After 10 miles, I knew Ross was 6 minutes up the road. I asked Karen if she was good for the last 5k. She was and now my goal was to hunt Ross down. I saw him 600 meters ahead at mile 11.5. I knew it was going to be close. I ran up next to him at mile 12.5. I didn't say anything and he didn't notice me. He finally realizes it's me and we run together to the finish.

Pre race pics

2011-06-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Race meeting- Lisa, Jared, Ross, Angie

Jared needing alone time.

Lisa, Karen, Ross, Jared, me waiting for the shuttle to the beach.

Getting all the gear ready.

Karen, Ross, Lisa body marked.

Buddy's home

2011-06-03T21:26:00.001-07:00

What a great morning!!!

2011-06-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

The winds were calm this morning. I had to make 2 pots of coffee. The first one was watery. The second turned out better. Next time, I think it is going to take 6-8 scoops. After breakfast we headed to the beach for a short morning swim. I saw 2 turtles, a stingray, and several different kinds of fish. It was awesome!!!

The crew ran back to the condo. I did not have a run, so I drove back. I took my bike out for a quick spin to make sure everything was in working order.

Breakfast buddy

2011-06-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Jared with morning coffee

Karen, Ross, Lisa at breakfast

Breakfast buddy

Ross ready to swim

Hawaii shopping trip

2011-06-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

Jared, me, Lisa

Check out these leis

Jared, Ross, Lisa

Looking at some Poke

Race week

2011-06-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

I didn't do any workouts on Monday unless you call packing 2 bikes into a bike box a workout. It's nice to have a day off here and there. I went in to work to make sure everything was squared away.

Tuesday morning I arrived at the airport 2.5 hours before my flight was scheduled to leave. I lucked out with the bike box, no fee. The line for security took 30+ minutes. I found a spot for breakfast and surfed the web. Did you know some airports charge to use the internet? Not Sea-Tac. I looked down at my watch and noticed the plane was boarding in 10 minutes. I walked over to the gate and saw only a few people left. Not only did they board early, we left early and arrived almost an hour early.

More time on the island. I picked up my bike and waited for a Thrifty car shuttle. I walk up to the first one, full. I see the second one approaching, full. Finally, I see an empty shuttle. I am the last one to get on the shuttle. Lifting 75+lbs onto shuttle is work, especially if you have to do it several times. If you ever use Thrifty, I strongly recommend signing up for Blue Chip. It is free. As we were driving along, the driver asks if anyone has it. I am the only person out of 10. I tell him my name and he radios it in. Everyone gets off at the first stop. I have to unload the bike box, so everyone can get off. We load it back on and he drives me to a different spot. I give him a big tip for all of his help with bike box. I walk into Thrifty and there is no line. I am in there less than 3 minutes. I walk out and the minivan is waiting in front with the keys already in the ignition. Awesome!!! Do you remember me mentioning 3 shuttles full of people were in front of me. I would have waited in line with them. It took me awhile to figure out how to lay the seat down.

On the drive south, I stopped at Costco to pick up bottled water. Next stop was the bike shop to pick up a new aero bottle. I couldn't find it before I left. I pulled into the hotel at 1:30. I unloaded everything, took a quick shower, and changed into shorts and a tee shirt. I headed over to my favorite stops, BASIK. They make the best Acai bowls. I put my bike together and went out for a quick spin.

In the first few minutes, I had trouble shifting gears. Luckily I was on the bike for only 10 minutes. I put the bike away and got ready for a quick run. I was supposed to do a few intervals at race pace. After 10 minutes of waiting for GPS, I said oh well. I ran by perceived effort. I felt really good in the heat.

I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. I ate dinner at Lava Java. I had fish tacos. More relaxing and then out cold before 8PM.

Wednesday morning, I headed to the pool for a short swim. I felt really good. I finished with 1900 yards. I drive straight to Lava Java for breakfast. I had a Belgian waffle, eggs, and iced americano. Great way to start the day.

I took the bike to Bike Works. The cables busted. I'm glad I decided to take the bike to the shop before the workout. It would have sucked to be 10 miles away and be stuck in one gear. While waiting around, I ran into the Scott and Julie, who are the owners of OOMPH SPORTS. They showed me some of their new gear. Their arm coolers piqued my interest.

Thanks to Nick and his crew at Bike Works for getting my bike squared away. I headed out for a short ride on the Queen K. I had a few intervals to make sure I had my pacing nailed for the race. The cross winds were no fun. Last year the only time I noticed cross winds was in Hawi. The cross winds made for excitement whenever a large truck would drive by.

Once cleaned up, I headed to Lava Java for lunch (poke wrap and iced americano). I met a couple of guys (Frank & Miguel) from Miami. It was there first time here. There are here seeking the coveted Kona slots. After lunch it was back to the hotel to get the feet up and relax. I chose to eat at the hotel for dinner. I ate a chicken burger with a sweet onion bun. Later that night I got a craving for chocolate. I headed to the ABC store for dark chocolate covered macadamian nuts. Delicious!!!

This morning I went out for a short run just before 6AM. I ran a few intervals at pace. I felt good. I am at Lava Java. I chose the breakfast stack. It is 2 over easy eggs with bacon, avocado, tomato, and arugula on top of home made wheat toast. Awesome!!! After some internet surfing, the plan is to drive down to Waikola. I am going to pick up my race packet and check-in. Shortly afterward, I will pick up the crew.

more shut eye...

2011-05-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

I was up early again this morning. I still felt tired after breakfast, so I decided to go back to sleep. The dogs were happy about getting some more shut eye. I headed out at 8:30AM with the dogs for a nice easy run. I picked a looping course, so the dogs could run off leash. We finished with a little over 9 miles in 70 minutes. I ended up jamming my thumb as I grabbed a fence to get over the dirt faster. The funny thing is I didn't know it hurt until I tried to squeeze my water bottle during my bike ride at 5PM.
After work and a few errands, I jumped on the trainer for another suffer fest. It wasn't as bad as last Thursday. It was still difficult because of the cumulative training from the last few days. Nothing a few slices of pizza can't fix.

Last long workout before Kona 70.3

2011-05-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure if I was going outside to ride because the forecast called for rain. I woke up at 5:21AM and saw the roads were dry. I ate breakfast and chilled out on the couch for a couple hours before heading out. I knew I was rolling the dice because of all the grey clouds in the sky. I decided to take my rain vest just in case. I ended up not even needing it.

The workout felt hard. My legs are tired. Every time I got out of the saddle, my quads felt like bricks. After almost 54 miles, I jumped off the bike for a quick run. I settled right into pace. I have to remember to carry more nutrition if I am going to ride without a stop. I was starving after the workout. This is the last long workout before Kona.

The clock told me...

2011-05-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

This morning I did some pace work in the pool for the race next week. I thought I was swimming at a decent speed during the warm-up. The clock told me it was slow. UGH!!! I thought no big deal. I went into 3x500s and ascended my times. There was a gorilla on my back for the last one as my time slowed down 19 seconds from the second 500. I finished with a couple fast 50s. They weren't too fast, but that's all I had in the tank. I finished with 2.9k.

I lucked out with my run and somehow managed to run with sun almost the entire duration. I did 6.6 miles of tempo work in prep for next weekend. This workout did not feel great either. The bike workout from yesterday is still kicking my butt. I finished up with a little less than 10 miles in 70 minutes.

Racing slow and training fast

2011-05-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

I am usually very sore post race and it takes a few days for me to get back to training hard.

Monday evening I had an easy swim 1k to loosen up.

Tuesday morning, I ran an 2.5 miles. After work and a nap, I jumped on the bike for some intervals. The main set was 4x (10'@FTP with 4' easy between). I got stronger on each interval and put up season best numbers.

Yesterday morning I swam 3.4k in the pool. I felt okay. The main set was 3x (3x200 10" descend 1-3). The set was more challenging than I thought it would be. I swam much better a couple weeks prior on a similar set. I hit the track on a lunch break. I was hoping to miss the rain, but no such luck. I had a couple of fast 200s and 1000s.

Today after a long day of work and a nap I jumped on the trainer for one of the hardest workouts ever. At the end of the workout, I clipped out and had to hold onto the bike because I felt light headed. It took 20+ minutes to stop sweating. That was including a cold shower.

Quack Quack pics

2011-05-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

LYNSKEY

XTERRA - Swim Start

Bike

Running to the finish in my OOMPH Race suit

Post race with Guy

Awards - me, Angela, Miki

Quack Quack

2011-05-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

I travelled down near Eugene, Oregon for an Olympic triathlon. I needed a tune-up race to see if I still knew how to race. I also got the chance to meet up with a good friend driving up from Monterey, California.

The morning drive was dry, but short lived. It sprinkled most of the morning. The roads were nice and wet. I was glad I packed extra rain gear. It came in handy during the warm-up.

SWIM - 24:11

I put on my XTERRA VENDETTA a few minutes before the start. The right side of my wetsuit near the calf was flared out, so I cut it off. I didn't want any extra drag. I felt okay on the swim. It was hard to find the buoys because everyone was wearing different caps (the race did not provide caps). At one point I was swimming next to Ross and another point I was next to Karen. It was a 2 loop course. I think if they didn't make us loop all the way back to shore the course may have been dead on for distance. Instead it was long. I came out just behind Ross and Karen. I had trouble getting my wetsuit off because my hands were frozen (water temp 55). Luckily, I have pretty decent transitions and I passed both of them immediately.

BIKE - 1:05.20
I quickly put on my SPIUK helmet and grabbed my green steed, LYNSKEY. The course was rolling for almost all of the race. I could not generate power. My legs had no snap. I was passed by a few strong riders. I later discovered that the guy who won my age group is a CAT 1/2 cyclist. Near the end of the ride I passed 2 guys. I dismounted and racked the bike

RUN - 42:09
I had trouble slipping on my NEWTONS. I could not feel my feet at all. Add the numb feet to a stitch on my right side and it made for a fun run. NOT!!! I was passed my one guy within the first mile and two more after mile 4. I was definitely glad to see the finish line. The run ended up being a little long.

I ended up 11th overall and 2nd in my age group.

After the race, I got a chance to talk to the winner, Jesse Thomas. He won Wildflower Half Ironman a couple weeks prior. He was very cool! If you are interested in a new gluten free bar, check out PICKY BARS. They taste great!!!

Karen, Lisa, Jesse, me

Sunny and 65++

2011-05-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest. I had an easy 1.5k in the pool this morning. After work, I went out for a quick jog, 4.1 miles. Life is good!

Sunny and 65+

2011-05-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

It was a nice day today!!! Sunny and 65+

This morning I swam 3.1k. The main set was 15x100 descending every 3. I felt ok during the set. The first set felt easy, the second set felt good and was faster, then it started to get hard.

After work and a nap, I headed to the track for some fast 200s and 1000s. I felt blah during the warm-up and somehow managed to run some of the fastest times to date. A snuck in a 33 for the 200 and a 3:29 for the 1000. It was nice to run without a shirt.

Legs still a little sore

2011-05-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I swam an easy 1.5k.

This morning I ran as the sun was rising. Everywhere I looked it was blue skies, picture perfect. It was an easy 30 minute run. The dogs were happy to get out and breathe the fresh air.

After work, I had a short ride with a few short intervals. I felt okay. My legs were still sore from the long run on Sunday. It did not affect my bike ride. The wind reversed direction from last week. I made all the intervals.