BestonAdventures

January Totals and thougts

2012-02-06T16:52:00.000-08:00

Weights 1:35:00
Swim 0:35:00 1700
Bike 34:27:00 665
Run 14:48:00 113
51 hours 25 minutes.
5 days off, 33 workouts.

Well, another good January. Almost all the biking was on the trainer pushing 65-70 rpm for 2-3 hour sessions at about a 19 mph outside effort. This is one of my key tactics every year. I can't do a treadmill so I have to make up for it somewhere. My one swim had two 50 yard efforts in 32 and 31 and then a 5x100 on 2min in 1:22 and that was after 3 hours on the trainer earlier that day so I decided to keep focused on base until I need to hone that swim a bit more.

Looks like Muncie 70.3 is gonna be my only shot for a pro card this year so I am working toward that right now with a May 5 sprint being my other A race. Gonna try and race more and have fun. Weight is still over 180 so gonna have to deal with that but I went from 186 to 178 before getting sick and packing on a little more.

Feb is going to see an increase in running if the weather holds.

2011 Year Totals

2012-01-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

2011 Year Totals
Weights 4:10:00
Swim 38:07:00 109400
Bike 148:33:00 2772.5
Run 135:18:00 1027.35

Total 321:58:00

Averages

0:53:00 workout per day.

6:18:00 workout per week.

Weeks over 10 hours: 11

Biggest week Jan 22-28 : 15:31:00

Swim 2103 yards per week. 9100 a month

Biked 53 miles per week. 231 a month

Ran 19.75 miles per week. 85.6 a month

Days Off: 126 (2.4 per week)

Workouts: 356

Triathlons: 3

Running Races:5

Well, swimming was about the only thing to improve this year and while I feel more confident, my execution in the water was lacking. Biking felt strong but always on the cusp of something great. 2012 will be a banner year for both the bike and the run. If I can bring the swim around everything should be good. It was a very stressful year with going from working 60 hour weeks and going on crazy awesome hikes to being a stay at home dad with a 3 year old and not knowing out future but I think I have things worked out. The mental side of things has always been a weakness/strong point for me and this year was a roller coaster.

The main goals this year are to just get out there and hit it every day. One regret of the past year was the finish and thus the total days off. 126 days is a lot of room to make improvement bc many of those days I was just lazy or feeling sorry for myself and not from over training or injury.

The biggest regret is only getting in 8 races and only 3 triathlons. This will come up this year at least. The only problem with the new year is planning until July 30th with the possible move.

Aug and Sept Totals

2011-10-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

We moved in mid August and got settled into Kirksville in September. I think from here on out the totals will be a little bit better.
August
S: 1:03:00 3200
B: 15:10:00 242
R: 10:27:00 79.6
26:40:00
Days off: 16
Workouts: 28

September
S: 2:20:00 7200
B: 8:36:00 165.5
R: 14:34:00 109.9

Days off: 11
Workouts: 28

While the totals are entirely lacking I am pretty happy with the amount given the days off that I have had. I feel like it was a mini off-season and am starting to treat October as such. Gonna try to ramp up the running as the biking is hanging right there as usual.

NEMO Triathlon: Fastest bike split by 1:20!

2011-09-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

NEMO is the big local race that I have been looking at for the past month since we moved
here. The course is .75miles, 18 miles, and 5 miles. The bike split includes a decent grass
hill run-up and your first and second transition.

The swim is the only part of the race that went bad. After pushing a couple people to get
sleeveless wetsuits (which they did and swam great) I used my full sleeve wetsuit and
could just not get enough shoulder rotation. It felt like my recovery stroke to put my hand
back in the water was harder then the actual stroke. At the time I guessed a two minute loss
plus the proverbial matches burned going at redline trying not to lose the race on the swim.
My time 21:16 (1:36 pace),first was 18:16 and a team guy from Truman went 14:00!

Onto the bike and I just felt flat. I never did get the feeling and shifted about 5 times more
then I normally do. I had a team guy just blast by me like I was standing still about a mile
into the ride.
My split 45:16 which was 43:33 (24.8mph) on my watch. Next best was 1:40 behind and the
team split which had easier transitions was only 1:20 in front of me so I don't know how I
pulled that off. Left some time on the course there as well. It kinda felt like wind in both
directions which would explain the slower times this year on the bike portion.

Onto the run I felt pretty fast at first and held on pretty well. There was a good runner behind
me and I got caught with about .5 miles to go and he just sat there. In retrospect I should have
went right then as he took off with 400 to go and put 20 seconds in me there.
Run was 31:59 (6:23) and that was good for 3rd best as the run is really hilly. First place had a
29:45 and he is known for his running.

Overall was a 1:38:31. I am really happy with this race as I am 15 pounds off of a heavy race
weight as I am right at 180 pounds right now. Thats worth 1:15 to 2:30 minutes off the run
alone without any sacrifice on the bike. A better wetsuit is also going to be KEY. At least I felt
like I pushed myself the entire time pretty well without folding. Could have done the race again
today so my top gear wasn't there. Had a bad headache after the race every time a beer wore
off as well.

It was great to have a lot of friends racing and cheering me on and to have fun at the awards
ceremony. I won a $50 savings bond and a $150 entry to the Hy-Vee triathlon next year. Really
want to race again but that might be the last Tri of the year :(

Form Evaluation and 5K report.

2011-09-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the start of a 5k with me taking off with a very fit and "pure" runner that has about 40 pounds on me. I am still slightly overstriding but my arms, front leg, foot strike and lean are all great. Just need to kick up the turnover a tad. In order to really do that and start utilizing my engine I really need to cut those pounds. I am about 179 in the race. That is just pure speed on the table. I am beyond even being able to tell my potential at this point. I know this is a recurring theme on the blog but in the interest in science and performance I really need to bring it up again. I ended up fourth overall and only one place out of where I should have been. I still think the tri will go alright after a couple of full days of training. The run course is a power course and I will be ready for it by then.

Tri-ng to Help Race Report (Course Records!)

2011-08-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

The race in Quincy IL is a 400M (or 437 yards) pool and is a 5 sec per participant serpentine swim. The lanes where pretty wide so it ends up being 464 yards if you want to figure out your pace. With only 50 participants this was pretty good as no one passed me and I didn't pass anyone. This was good bc a 12 year old girl started right behind me. (may have went out a little fast bc of this). The run to the bikes was a little long and winding and I almost fell on the slippery grass.

The 13.1 mile bike course is where it gets interesting. Definitely the toughest tri course I have ever done. I pre-rode only half of it so I could see "Ghost Hill" which I supposed is because you are ghostly white at the top from lack of O2. I slightly missed geared in my second lowest gear, a 42x21 and had to walk about 50M of the hill during my warm up. That messes with you a bit. During the race the course is decent sized hill after hill with two turnarounds and 8, 90 degree turns so it is fairly slow. There is only one somewhat flat mile in the whole thing and the descents have turns at the bottom. Wanted a 22mph avg with the new chipsealed sections and added turnaround. Coming into the big hill I got in my low gear, stood and cranked as hard as I have ever gone in a race and took a minute of spinning to regain composure which was less then I planned bc the minute was all uphill still.

My second transition went well and I was off on the run. I quickly knew I had pushed too hard on the bike and with the rising temps I just wanted a solid run. The run course is ALL rolling hills and the downhills felt good so I knew I wasn't myself. I stayed strong the whole time and got really hot but held on.

Results Link http://www.mattoonmultisport.com/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=151&Itemid=66

This was the 4th year for the event and the only difference is that the bike course had an added a tiny out and back turnaround which kinda sucked. Humidity was really high.

Swim 7:43 Best in the top 29 overalls. (~1:35 pace with the long run to T1)

T1 :36

Bike 34:26 Course Record by 44 seconds even with new slower course. 22.7 mph. Next two best were 20.7 (37:30) and 19.9 (39:09)

T2 :31

Run 20:21 (6:34 pace) Course record was set today at a 20:04 which shows how tough the bike course is as an team runner knocked out a 19:33.

Total 1:03:40 Course Record by 1:19 and with the added turnaround it should stand for a while I hope.

Kirksville MO, June and July totals

2011-08-19T05:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, its been May since I last posted. Only did one race which had some water temps in spots in the 40's so my swim was a 38 and I dropped out after a lackluster bike. A little way into the year my wife found out she got a job at Truman State Univeristy (our alma mater) so we were moving to Kirksville MO. My job with the prairie dogs got a little crazy and I got a little lazy. Since being back in Kirksville a week, I am loosing weight, signed up to two tri's and getting in some real quality work on the bike.

June

7:17:00 18900

12:10:00 236

12:04:00 82.5

31:30:00

Not too bad for swimming but nothing really to write home about.

July

0 0

16:12:00 299

7:50:00 58.1

Yeah, thats a big fat zero for the swim. After another DNF due to cold I just couldn't take it anymore. Should have bought the booties and caps and crap. I am just too cheap sometimes.

New Goals. I have a lot of little races planned and I think that is going to be really good for me. I have already started working out with the Kirksville Multiport Club and running my old trails and biking my old routes. Prolly won't give the pro card a go until next year unless I make it down to Branson after a win at our local tri bc that would pay for the entry since my volume is not there.

Race Depression before race even scheduled

2011-05-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Well, Provo 5150 was cancelled. That was what was keeping me going in this windy and cold spring. I swear Jan and Feb were better. It is just unsafe to ride in the wind here, and even running hurts with the sand.

All of a sudden the roads surfaces are terrible. They always were but I wasn't road riding for pure fun. I can't even get to Kolob climb bc of construction on the Interstate. Yes I ride on the Interstate.

I have gained 8 pounds in about as many days. Work is long and tiring. I am also waiting to hear if we will be moving in 2 months. Combine this with the car fiasco and I am burnt out. The only problem I am having is figuring out how to break the spell. I tried a mountain bike ride and my bike is a POS when I try to crank on it in the granny gear. I even set the derailluer to stay in the granny in two positions and I was still ripping it down the cassette. That just made me even more angry.

There are four things I get from training.

1) Fun. I am tired of the same routes and lack of a trail system. I am not getting in enough of those runs like I had in Moab on those trails. Pushing in the wind is getting real old. We have the most days over 20 mph in the nation but the gusts are just frightening when riding. 2 out of 10

2) Social aspect. Well I have one training partner who is on the mend and I have two triathlons under my belt in the last YEAR. 2 out of 10.

3) Challenge. I am not racing enough and in my past races I am going for the course record and to not loose. I really need to just race more but can't right now. 0 out of 10

4) Nature Deficit Disorder/Societal Congruence. I have to get outside pretty much every day. Training helps with not having woods in my backyard to go trompsing in looking for bugs, mushrooms and the whatnot. I do not like living in an apartment in town. I miss my tent. 8 out of 10. I am sitting getting out, but I also work outside.

Life is moving too slow and too fast for me in many ways. I guess I just have to wait.

Total Race Calendar Change

2011-05-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

On the way to Moab, and the Moab Tri, our Subaru blew a rod. Only took the mountain bike as I really wanted to ride the slickrock and figured I was too stressed to race. I did the practice loop and chickened out. You need knee pads and elbow pads to ride this. My eggbeater pedals are also crap and I forgot to switch them out before so I basically couldnt unclip. The grades are seriously granny gear stand and sprint. There are ZERO climbs anywhere like this. I just didnt want to get injured. Got in a crazy 2.5 trail run as well then.

Anyway, we bought a 2008 Hyundai Elantra that is getting great gas mileage and the next race planned is now a 1600M open water swim followed by the Provo 5150. The wife has two job interviews they are flying her out to MO and IA for so we may be back in the area as soon as Aug 15.

I have been uber stressed lately but plugging away ok and losing weight. I also found out I am 5ft 10.75 inches instead of 10.0. I hadn't measured in a long time and my posture has improved dramatically with the vibrams. I have about a 2cm leg diff but it may not be as much as I thought. Brings my BMI down to 23.7. For Ironman I would need to be 163 pounds, or 23.0 BMI to be competative and that is finally within reach.

As of May 23 I will have 3 weeks without the family and the training will be epic. It will be a hard base type session with 12K a week in the pool, 150 on the bike, and 45 on the run. Should set me up for Provo just perfect from where I am sitting now. Just need to supercharge the bike and tweak the run. The swim is about there already.

May and April wrap ups and updates.

2011-05-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

Man, had another sickness. Went out for a group ride and literally rode off the front after I held the first 4 mile pull into the wind. Made it 4 out of 5 miles solo before being gassed. Some of the trucks out here spew black smoke that can actually be a hazard to see through and I was holding 39.5 the whole time this truck tried to pass but we hit an incline and I only slowed to 37 and he just held there. I fell apart after that. Rode more and then went home and couldn't eat. Woke up the next morning and moved from the couch about 4 times.

These sicknesses, stress from finances, and starting work again have really played on my psyche. Looking back at my log the workouts that I complete are rocking so that is a good sign.

I just bought a Profile Design Wahoo wetsuit that fits great and has catch panels on the forearms. Even with this I can't bring myself to sign up for the race next weekend. The OLY's around here have all gone over 100 bucks. Call me elitist but I don't want to "race" unless the prize for first is at least the entry back. Thats really all I want bc I like the fun of it but it is getting ridiculous in my opinion. Can't wait until Provo. Gonna be racing with a chip on my shoulder that no one is gonna knock off.

Not gonna do a write of of the months but they are in my training log on the 2011 Months tab. Just gonna have to start from scratch. The big change for the month is swimming 4 days a week in a row in the mornings now that I have 5am pool access and running sucks in the dark when you actually have another choice. More harder runs as well and if not hard then a 6.3 mile stroller push so I have the recovery to push the run workouts.

The Sickness and 5K.

2011-04-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

Well, the day after the race I managed a great 14 mile run and then started work the next day. Thats when the chest infection began (4/4). I finally kicked it on 4/22. I was able to get some training in. Actually still averaged around 8 a week, but it was rough. I raced a 5k last sat and ran a 19:25 for first place. Got a 50 dollar massage gift cert for the 60% lung capacity effort. Could have went under 19 but knew I had a 50 mile group ride with a good climb coming. After that ride the next three days were completely off.

It wasn't until next Sat that I felt 100%. Did a 62 mile ride with a 2 mile run with Shay. We knocked out a 12:23 and then a short cool down. Played softball afterwards and WAY overdid it. I was just hyper from being able to breath. It almost felt like I was high on O2.

Got a new pool membership so that I can swim at 5:40ish instead of 6:10. Will be a lot more relaxed as I won't be time crunched for work. This month was supposed to be "adjust to work" month but I have been sleeping in and the few morning runs I got in were terrible so I must overcome that mental barrier since I was sick. Its just really dark. I need to find the best solution for lighting. Thinking one of those LEDs that go on the ball cap. If anyone has suggestions let me know.

Race Report: SHAC

2011-04-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

400 yard swim, 10 mile hilly bike with three 180 turnarounds and two more 90's. 3 mile hilly run with 3 turnarounds.

The day did not start well. Some time around 1 in the morning a smoke or CO detector beeped twice. I went to investigate and it didn't go off. Go back downstairs and 10 min later it happens again. This time I think I find it. This basically goes on until 3:30 in the morning bc the intervals got longer and I had more trouble going back to sleep. At that point I was just up and left for the race at 4:30. The good news is that it didn't effect my performance but I couldn't go for a ride afterwards in the beautiful weather.

My race did not start until 9am as there is just a line and you get in when someone is done swimming their laps. I didn't think I had much competition but I wanted to put a lot of time into a couple friends and try and get as close to Ben Hoffmans record of 50:45 as I could. There were 330 racers in the race.

Swim 6:04, goal was 6:00. 7th overall

There is a run in and out of the pool that prolly lasts 15 seconds. I am disappointed bc 6 was supposed be me my easiest goal to hit the way I have been swimming. Need to work on pace and no chance for a warm-up is what I think did it.

T1 0:50, goal was 1:00 Tied for 1st. (Rory, I know you beat me by .024 or something)

I blazed this. Put on my shoes at my bike and ran out of there. I had my bike at the near end so I had to push it through transition since I would have my shoes on anyway and this be able to make up any lost time .

Bike 25:40 goal was 26:00. 1st by 1 min. Course Record that should hold for a while.

I hammered the 2.5 mile uphill out section and recovered the way back bc the course is so tight it is just hard to get time anywhere. Just a second here and a second there. Worked well even though I was a little worried for the run.

T2 :40 goal was 40. 5th

Thanks Brian for the tip on the baby powder. It worked really well. Can't go any faster then this.

If you put both transitions together I got on my other competitors.

Run 17:42 goal was 17:00 4th overall

The run is two loops (2 out and backs actually) and I felt not so great on the first one but thought my form was decent. It just felt like I had pushed the bike a little too hard. I saw my training partner and 10 min steeplechaser Shay Asay about 5 minutes back and looking good. I was hoping to see him near the same spot on the second loop and he had indeed only gained about 5 seconds and looking even better so I knew I was running ok. From there I just cut loose. My abdominals where screaming right below my sternum and below my right pectoral. A little higher then normal. Hard to say whether I had biked 20 seconds slower if I could have made up 33 seconds on the run to take the record. I think not. I am still over 170 and all of the research and calculators out there say a weight of 165 would have netted me the record. Between that and a lack of tempo workouts is my new found motivation. I think my running will really come around in the next two months even.

Overall: 50:58 goal 50:45 1st overall of 330 by 2:22 seconds.

Really happy with the overall time. This speed puts me up there with the faster pros. This has always been my biggest concern since I can train for distance fairly well without loosing speed. I really needed this race to get my focus back. This was my best from the gun race as well. Hurt the entire time. I think the hurt only gets worse bc with the increased fitness you are able to push harder and further. At least it doesn't last as long as the time before. The results are at www.milliseconds.com but their site is down today so you will have to click on SHAC on the right side of their page when it comes up.

I got the plaque which is nice, the wood carved medal is my favorite medal yet. It smells good and the detail is amazing and I hope I captured it in the picture.

Gonna use this to get another pair of Saucony Kinvaras. Really want another pair of Vibrams but will need to move to a place where I can hit soft trails more.

I am not soft anymore

2011-03-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

At least in regards to the Weather. This picture is from a week ago. The standard stroller push.

Been hitting some good swims and bikes, also doing ok when I hit speed as long as I dont go over about a min. I know at a low altitude I will be rocking though. This post is mainly a preview for the first race of the season. The SHAC. Last fall I had a breakthrough race so this is gonna be really tough.

Last year for 400 swim 10M bike and 3M run.

Swim: 6:20

T1: 1:15

Bike: 26:16

T2: 0:41

Run 17:41

Total: 52:18

This year I want

Swim: 6:00 (~1:25 pace with timing mat locations)

T1: 1:00

Bike: 26:00 (~24mph with timing mat locations)

T2: 0:40

Run 17:00 (5:40 pace)

Total 50:39

The course record was nest 1 year ago by Ironman Lake Placid Champion Ben Hoffman at 50:45 so I am really shooting for the stars.

There are a few things I am going to do different for this race. I am gonna use swim bands during my warmup. I am not using socks. (Finally over my blister fiasco from years ago.) I am using a standard wrist stopwatch to check my splits. 7 on the bike, 14 at turnaround, 20 at next, 27 at next, and then 36:10 at the second turnaround. I still have a shot if that time is as high as 36:40. Oddly the thing I am most afraid of is the bike. I am in a lot better shape but there are TONS of turnarounds and turns and I didn't get caught behind anyone and I was in the right gear every time last time. I may have pushed a little too hard last time as well. Also the weather lead in is terrible. No motivation to run today in the sleet/snow after riding almost 2 hours in it. Basically can't wait for the first race of the season so this is my whole-hearted attempt at over-analyzing it.

New and improved workout blog and homemade bike modifications.

2011-03-05T06:47:00.000-08:00

I am going to make a concerted effort to provide more useful information along with pictures of stories instead of just updates. Updates will still happen on a monthly basis. To start off the new blog I will show what I did to my bike that involved some hacksawing and lots of dremeling.

I basically wanted to create my own internal cable routing while adjusting the cockpit to to the bike. I took 1 inch off my aero extensions. I dropped my pads by 12.5mm and moved my seat forward about 1/4 of an inch. My seat is now 15 cm above my elbow pads. My seat nose is 3.5cm in in front of the bottom bracket. My effective seat tube angle (sitting back in the saddle) is 80.81 degrees.

Here is the dremel hole that I made in the bullhorns. There is also one right under the white bar tape exactly where it needs to be. Oddly I actually like where the bullhorns are in relation to the rest of the cockpit which is good bc that is one thing you cant do anything about except buy new ones and these where only 10 bucks.

It took quite a while to dremel through. I used a grinder to get a grove going and then an engraving cutter to do the rest. The hard part was getting the tubing through (since real internal routing has little funnels to help I had to reverse thread the wire and then tape it to the real wire and then lead it through. I messed up a couple times with either the shifters or housing not in the right order so I had to unthread. Here is the final product.

The homemade computer mount fit in the same place since the tape isnt as far back this time. I also leveled the water bottle cage and purchased a locking bottle from camelback since it tends to leak in this position. I was also able to level the armrest pads bc I had them tilted down so the extensions felt right. Basically everything changed bc I have not gotten to it for ever. The biggest thing is that the bullhorn grips are about 1/2 as thick as they used to be and it just feels so much better. It will be great for the turnarounds and sprint hills at my next Tri.

Here is the final product. I have the trainer tire on the disc so I dont have to change cassettes to ride outside.

The only thing I haven't done is to cut the steering tube above the stem. This is for two reasons. One, it is really hard to get it level without a pipe cutter and two it helps keep the water bottle cage secure and provides a better attachment point for it. Now that I am dialed in I should be plenty fast this year. Will try and get a video of me on the bike to check my positioning sometime in the next couple weeks.

February Totals

2011-02-28T14:46:00.000-08:00

February Totals

Swim 6:40:00 20000

Bike 16:35:00 309

Run 13:56:00 109

Weights 0:35:00

Total 37:46:00

Key Workouts: 2/10: BRICK 2:30 bike 5x400 (79, 79, 78, 78, 78)

BRICK: 3 hrs with 200, 800, 400, 200, 400 in (38, 2:56, 1:19, 35, 1:22)

Med pace 500 in 7:39, 5x100 on 2min (1:20) and 100 in 1:07!!!

BRICK: 20M TT in 50:12 (23.4, out in 20.7 back in 28.2. BRICK into 5m run

February sucks for month totals bc of those stupid 2 days. Every year should be a leap year. Anyway I had some motivational issues which lead to most of those days off this past week.

I cut back the cycling due to hitting most of my indoor numbers that I have set and the 20 mile TT at just a tad under 24mph with a HR of only 156. I don't think I need that many more workouts until I get actually get outside some more.

Swimming is coming along very nicely even with the two workouts I missed bc the pool was closed again. I am down to 1:07 for 100 and :32 for 50. Finally broke the 3000 in a single swim and I think I will be able to hit that a couple more times. I want to get that up before work starts so I can get in a good workout before 7-7:30 am.

Running continues to be a chore but I think it is just the weather. I did have a couple good runs and my endurance is still there so I cut back the long run to try and reign in the weekdays.

Overall not too bad and I think I can build off of what I have learned. I had to have Restart/Reset #1 which means I lost FOCUS. I capitalize bc this single word I have written in various places bc it best reminds me of the state of being that I need to be in. From planning to execution to eating and resting. This month should be a major month and I will rest the last couple days going into the sprint tri on Apr 2. Also planning a mock race, 500y TT, and 1-2 cycling TT's. There will also hopefully be some new changes to the blog with no more weekly updates but a few "articles" and more pictures and videos. Hoping it comes together for a better read.

Real Swim Progress

2011-02-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

Had a bad couple weeks with the dog screaming at night. Had to move kennel down into the bedroom which isn't the most optimal use of space down there. Luckily the wife doesn't mind having it right up on the bed next to her. Had some REALLY bad night of sleep so my training, as per usual with lack of sleep, has suffered severely. The bright shining spot has been my swim though.

Today I did a 500 warm up and then a med pace 500 which I came in at 7:39. This used to be faster then my PR not too long ago. I decided to see where my speed was at with an all out 100. This has been a good indicator of my swimming in the past. I came up and saw 1:07 and was kinda shocked bc it felt like my best ever. The things that were different were that I didn't swallow any water, and my strokes caught water every time instead of windmilling through the water. I can almost always split a good 50 but that 100 has eluded me until now. Who knew that regularly putting time in the pool is a good way to get faster. Still not convinced that super tons of yardage is the best but 2500-3500 should be my sweet spot.

Did a 20 mile TT as well (was planning a 40K or 24.8) but I went out in 20.7 miles per hour bc of the wind and just wasn't having it. Came back in with an elevation gain at 28.2 mph on a fairly hilly course. Ended with a 23.9 with a HR of 156. Felt pretty good about it since whenever you have that much wind, even with an out-and-back you could have gone much faster. At leas tri's are in the morning around here. Gonna start to cut back on the bike to 2-3 rides a week at most since my run is lacking quite a bit right now and I want to be recovered for some faster workouts. Also with the lack of sleep thing I feel pretty fatigued so I want some time to re-adjust before I start back up to work in April.

The only bad thing is I gained about 5 pounds and am now sitting at 175.3 so I know my running woes are still sitting right there.

Jan Totals and Update

2011-02-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

Weights 1:25:00

Swim 4:10:00 11100

Bike 23:50:00 443

Run 18:46:00 147.65 (Bettered any 2010 month by 25 miles)

Total 48:11:00

Days off: 6

Workouts: 47

Key Workouts: (5x5min TT 27-27.4, HR 159, 80rpm) (1:23:09 Half Mary)

(1/11: 10M TT in 22:33, 78rpm, 155 HR, then 8x240 @ 5:40 pace)

(16M run with 1/9: Series of 7:00, 6:48, 6:42, 6:32, 6:41, 6:51)

(500y TT in 7:10 with first 100 in 1:17)

Swim rank was 2nd and bike was as well. Massive month in all for Jan. Had 2 Swim PR's a run PR for 13.1 and a bike PR on the trainer. Feeling great in the pool and nominal on the bike. Endurance is definitely there as the 3 hr trainer rides are getting almost east to knock out. Need to keep on the run mileage right now bc speed is just gonna come later. I must get some stuff under 6min pace in though. That really hurt me during the half as I was trying to run the whole thing faster then I had run since Nov in a triathlon. This week kinda sucked bc the dog has been having night terrors or something. Being terribly angry at 1 and 3 and 5 in the morning throwing things is not the way for me to sleep and as I have mentioned before sleep is one of my true strengths as an athlete. So not too bad. Ready to keep pushing the mileage on the run and swim and start uping the biking intensity already.

Weekly Recap: 15 hours 31 minute

2011-01-28T14:13:00.001-08:00

This was my second biggest week ever. Got in 4100 swim, 166 on the bike and 40 running. I wish there had been another swim but my pass ran out and forgot to renew it (complicated process of course). Next couple weeks I would like to stay around 150 on the bike but up the swim and run to 7000 and 50 miles a week and hold that for a while and get some efforts when the weather is better. I also want to have a rest run day on Mon after a long run which I messed up this week. I think around this volume I should be able to loose a tad bit more weight. I am realizing more and more that I just have tons of trouble with weight loss. It was also a stressful week bc the kiddo is now throwing food on the ground again and bashing her head on the ground in parking lots and fitting like mad. It is really bad and I hit quite a low the other day so we shall see how this manifest in my general mood. I have finally found a training partner but they had to go out of town. This should help a bit as it was really nice seeing people down at the SG half marathon.

Race Report SG Half Marathon

2011-01-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

I am going to preface this post with a video of my child. Just put this on repeat with food throwing and loud screaming for the past 10 days. She lost 3 pounds off her 30 pound frame in 6 days. She is having her independence struggle and is doing it for a long time. It is finally turning around but as you will see my brain was totally fried which lead to some mistakes. (BTW Squawkwalla is a nickname from a type of lizard in Death Valley, we are science nerds)

So I woke up and got in a 15 minute spin on the Bike before heading down to SG. One thing I was worried about was making the distance at the speed I wanted so I didnt want to warm up too much . Well the above mentioned shorted my brain and I just stood around until race start with no running warm up. Oh well I thought bc then I would have to start slower.

I went out in 3:01 and then a 3:03 and then started to slow. I had two half miles of 3:26 and 3:31 in there for my 6:22 total. My final time ended up being 1:23:09 and I weighed almost 174 which is completely unacceptable. Seeing that I should easily weigh 163 on my 5'10" frame that puts me at a 6:02 pace just based on weight alone. That puts me at a 1:19:05 which is much more in line how I felt. I will take the 50 second PR though since I have had biking and swimming PR's this month already and it is Jan. The only thing I am behind on is the weight which is so tough with the above mentioned.

I could talk most of the race just fine and my breathing was fine even though I got a side stitch at the beginning but that was the lack of warm up and trying to run out of my ability so quickly. Quads are a little sore but got in a 1:47 stroller tow and a 53 min stroller push the next day so that is pretty good. Joints and the rest of the body are good though.

I think I learned a lot about what needs to happen to take my running to the next level so that is the most important thing here. We will see.

Breakthrough week.

2011-01-10T08:44:00.001-08:00

Big news is that I set a new trainer PR on the 10 mile TT. I went 22:33 at 78 rpm at 155 avg HR. 26.6 mph I think I finally hit the nail on the head with my start. I did an outdoor TT this spring in 25:13@144HR using a low cadence and not starting too hard obviously. I have also noticed that I can ride around 22 mph on an out and back 50 miler at when I am just out for a ride. On Tues I made sure to note when I really felt like I was pushing it and when I was not. IT was when I was around 83 rpm and my HR was at 162 is when the red light on my RPE turned on. I was hitting miles in 2:19 at the begining and then brought that down. Normally on an indoor TT I am all over the place. After the halfway at around 11:33 I really kicked it in and ran through some 2:10 miles. The hurt was there but it was constant.

This is the single biggest breakthrough in cycling that I have ever had.

Went to the track and knocked out some 240's (indoor 160M track) at about 5:40 pace afterwards. Outdoor track is clear now thankfully.

Sunday I got out for a long run up the canyon. Starting at 5600 ft and running up to 6800 ft in 8 miles before turning around. Threw in a 41 minute 6 miler (~6:45 pace) coming back. Didnt even feel good until mile 9. Glad I stuck with it. Longest run since moving down to Utah.

Tied my 100 yard swim PR with another 1:15 at the end of a 2400 yard set.

The late post is from a trip to Death Valley with ZERO workouts for 4 days due to the kiddo deciding to throw every single bit of food given to her onto the ground while camping and then being pissed all day long. The sites were great and still glad we went but it was super stressful and my body felt more tired and strained from this then when normally working out. So I dont really have any big expectations for the half except for a good mental battle.

Weekly Recap

2011-01-04T16:06:00.001-08:00

I have devised a set of workouts that I will try to work towards with specific goals in mind. The first one I came up with is 5x5min on the trainer above 26.4 mph. I choose this because I hit this workout in Missoula when I was hitting the trainer a lot but when I came down here to altitude I couldn't muster even 3 this hard.

Sat was a recovery day from staying up to late so Sunday I decided to hit this interval set to see how I would do. This is one of the sets that a lot of people do but I think that I execute much better. Sorry about the ego trip there but my training seems lacking severely when compared to others doing the same speed or way higher then others in the same range. The workout takes 50 minutes to complete and I want to quite every minute after the second minute. The recoveries don't seem long enough and the intervals are terrible about 30 seconds in. Normally I prescribe to the part about liking to train but I love to see the numbers at the same time so I can get through this workout. I managed averages 27-27.4 mph at 80 rpm and a 159 HR which would top out at 170 for the last couple minutes.

Still struggling with the weight loss but after lunch I have only been eating workout drinks, a bowl of low cal chili, and a glass of bourbon and water in the evening. Occasionally I will have a 100 cal hot cocoa right before bed. The snow on the ground is terrible here. Stupid lightest snow on earth crap.

Swimming is coming along nicely and I have been using the bands to do a modified front lat pull down that turns into a tricep pulldown and then traditional lat pulldowns. Worked up to 50 lat, 20 mod, 50 lat, 20 mod before I rest. Will see how that works.

Got a PR on the 100 free when I had a lifeguard watch my form. I hit a 1:15. I really really need to remember to stay relaxed bc that was what I picked to focus on when she was watching. Finished the day with a tough 6 mile recovery run. Need to pick up the run frequency so I don't have to run as many 10 milers in the cold.

Year Totals: A long post.

2010-12-31T15:54:00.000-08:00

Weights 2:07:00

Swim 24:34:00 70800

Bike 192:42:00 3539.5

Run 165:32:00 1266.7

Total Time 382:48:00

Averages

1:o3:00 workout per day.

7:20:00 workout per week.

Weeks over 10 hours: 11

Biggest week Dec 25-31: 12:56:00

Swim 1316 yards per week. 5700 a month

Biked 68 miles per week. 294 a month

Ran 24.4 miles per week. 105 a month

Days Off: 89 (1.7 per week)

Workouts: 367

Triathlons: 4

Running Races:2

Link here to my breakdown of the year in a more raw form.

Things that I like to see are the monthly breakdown where Sept was my lowest totals but I hit some faster workouts at the time as well.

Easy things to pick out are getting my highest week in the end of Dec.

Swimming so little. I would like this to get to 3000 a week yearly avg.

89 days off is about 37 too many.

I would like to bike 100 per week but that can be tough so not too unpleased with the 68

Running needs to get to at least 30 if not 35 over the year

Wins

Overall: 2

Amatuer: 3

Losses: 1

Winnings out of $240 in entry fess.

$50.00

120.00 in Shoe Gift Certificates

A cookbook and a 5.00 gift cert.

Major developments

Wife got PhD.

2 year old is impossible and frustrating in winter. Stress levels very high.

Finances have hit an all time low.

I have a plan to get my professional triathlon license so that I can actually do some races seeing as money is still going to be a problem for a while. Now I will list the reasons why I do triathlon.

I need physical activity and challenges.

Triathlon lets me use my scientific mind.

Triathlon allows my adventurous side to be calmed and leave out the epic that is both dangerous and time consuming. This is more important that it might seem.

I like the comraderie that triathletes share as I have had trouble finding friends otherwise and in Utah in general. Thanks internet buddies.

Triathlon is an outlet for frustrations of daily life and an opportunity to challenge myself. I really felt this part in my last two races when I was able to push to new levels within myself. This is what gives me the drive.

I have built my triathlon career carefully and I am ready to go full force seeing as my racing plans are crap for a while bc I have no idea where I will be living or how much money we will have so this is the time to go big. At the end of it if I fail then things will have settled down and I can go back to entering every 5K and small local Tri. I can do either mentally but with the pressures I need a challenge other then the local stuff.

Lots of snippets.

2010-12-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

Going to start doing a weekly report that will surmise workouts from Sat-Fri but since I have some stuff I thought I would get that out now.

Managed a hilly 14.2 mile run and didn't feel too good on miles 5-10. I have been noticing that a little bit and just need to get that figured out but it seems like a lot of people get that on long runs in the winter so no biggie. Also really on the weight loss push this time. Seriously I now don't have the excuses and my focus is really tightened bc of the upcoming race calendar is something that I will actually be able to do for once! This is really huge bc I really don't race that many tri's. Before this year I have only completed 2 tri's (one after 2 weeks out and still hacking phlegm) since 2006! Just crazy to me. Props on all my friends who race so much. Anyway it finally feels great to be at a point in life where I can get back to racing.

Did what I want to be my bread and butter workout this year. This was just an endurance effort with 1 hour on the trainer at 65rpm in high Z1 followed by a run to the track and 4x1 mile on the 7 min. It was pretty cold but managed (HR in parenthesis) a pretty good 6:34(146), 6:37(159), 6:44(161), 6:27(165).

I will eventually start working in efforts on the bike and then get up to 6-8 repeats on the 7. Coming down out of altitude with these times I should be rearing to go. The plan will also include some 200's in 38-39 seconds to bring the neuromuscular speed around for races. I think I can finally take living at 5800 ft and bring it around for races even though some of my run times are :15 secs per mile slower which can be frustrating and must be why I vent here about it all the time.

I also came up with monthly goals and Jan is find a training partner and swim 2x per week besides the big weight shedding since it will all be in vain otherwise.

3 hour trainer ride then run.

2010-12-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

Had to hop on the trainer for 3 hours today at about a 60-70 cadence most of the time. Went pretty well until the last half hour. Watched the 2009 and 2010 Ironman Champs on YouTube to pass the time. The trainer is physically harder then outside at 2 hours for me. The outside weather was 37 degrees and light rain when I went for my run. I ran about .7 to the track and then hit a mile at 6:19 and was too cold and wet already to hit the second mile so I went home. I was on pace for a 6:12 and didn't let up or feel anything on that last lap so I really knew it was time to be done. Need to take more cals in next time when biking that long. Really trying to stay on the weight loss and as always I overdo it. I had a big blueberry pancake breakfast and just didn't feel hungry.

Anyway this early in the build it felt great considering my trip to Disney World was full of activity but only one workout.

November Totals and PhD

2010-12-12T06:52:00.000-08:00

Weights 0:17:00

Swim 0:51:00 2700

Bike 14:49:00 272

Run 14:45:00 100.5

Total 30 hours 42 minutes

Days off: 9

Workouts: 33

Key Workouts: 11/10: 4x100 (1:17, 1:19, 1:19, 1:19)

Had a super good lead out until the awesome triathlon and then a few good days after that before the weather hit and I had time to think that I had ZERO race plans for next year. I really want to get into some better races as I am now expecting to break any bike and overall course records down here in southern Utah. My wife also defended her PhD so she is now a doctor so that means more time to train. Pretty good numbers this month with the 9 days off (my offseason).

There are two 5150 race in the area next year (Provo and Vegas) in June and Oct. The main thing about these races is that they offer $20,000 dollars to the pros. That means a top 3 age group means you can get your pro card. This has been a goal for a long time but I think that I have finally figured out how to race well on a given day. I was 3/4 this year and the day day I finally learned enough.

Now that life is getting back to normal I can finally train more then 7 hours a week. I have some really good plans for developing through the winter (leaving run speed until spring though). I start work again in April so until then I will be full gad looking at June 25 for the OLY in Provo. The Oct Vegas race is just a back-up so I wont get depressed if I get 4th-last.

I am also gonna find some people to train with this winter. There is a kid in town who runs sub 2 for the 800 and 26 something for 5 miles that is getting into triathlons (done one and has a road bike) so that should really help my running which will be limiting next year if my new swim plan continues to grow as it did this year. I am finally getting comfortable swimming and can see a breakthrough season approaching. My bike is also on the verge of busting through on an OLY course. My run is still the odd man out as far as achieving the consistency I need but the last sprint told me it too is laying there in waiting. Finally excited about a new year and have real goals and ideas on how to achieve those goals.

Course and Bike Records fall at Turkey Tri.

2010-11-13T17:56:00.000-08:00

The Turkey Tri is a pool 400 yard swim, 10 mile bike, and 3 mile run. 360 people were in the race.

Swim- 6:20 (1:35 pace) 12th overall. The pool was 88 degrees (normal pools 78-82) and the air right above was thick but there was also about a 10 second run to get in and then again to get out so prolly right around 6 flat for the swim. T1 was a slow 1:15 bc i had to run a long way in my built up bike shoes for my short leg bc there is no time to ride on the shoes and the grass was wet

and frosty earlier.

Bike- 26:16 (22.9mph) 1st overall. Beat the bike record so I finally have an official bike record. The course has three turnarounds and 2 big hill after left hand turns. There was actually some wind today so I was pretty happy. Ben Hoffman rode this course in the spring in 28:20 with T2 included (which he is fast at) and I went 41 secs so take what you will. All I know is that I went way faster then this spring (28:30) and it hurt accordingly. And it is a tri and he can still out swim-bike-run me any day of the week. Hills were about 360 ft of climbing (garmin says 560). The bike portion was 25:36 according to the garmin which was wicked fast.

Run- 17:41 (5:53 pace) This part hurt. My first out on the out-n-back was brutal. My upper diaphragm was killing me. I think I need to pull back and relax for just a tiny amount of time bc after the downhill coming back in I hurt but could push finally. Second half of run was much better.

Overall course record was a 52:18 (Previously the record was 53:55). Second place was 53:50 and third was 55:26.

I won a $100 gift cert to the running store. I know the guy who owns the running store and he is signed up for IMSG but doesn't want to do it. (No training and signed up on a whim the day after.) so I am gonna see if he would try and get his entry transferred to me as a business thing since he is big in the community and sells tri stuff so it would be good to have a representative. Any thoughts on this would be helpful.

I am super duper excited about the bike given the training I had been up to. I think the aero helmet helped to be honest. Glad to run like I did after that hard on the bike. On a side note I didnt fall asleep until like 2 something which is 4 hours later then normal. Don't think it affected me but in a longer race it would.

Big week with coaching.

2010-11-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

Had my biggest week yet with a 12:34:00. Got in zero swimming bc I found out the pool is closed for highschoolers when I can go bc they tore down the only other pool in town. Anyway I hit 125 on the bike and 42 running. The best part is that I had a lot of efforts in there as well.

I am being coached this month by Daniel Bretscher from Indiana. I saw a opportunity on his blog for a free month of coaching and I thought it would be good for the both of us. I told him I wouldn't be able to afford to actually get coached but I think he is looking to refine his long distance coaching (seems like he does a ton of cool stuff for local people) and he hit a training lull so it seemed fun. Things are going good except for the pool thing. I may change things up a bit from prescribed this week bc of the race on Sat. He had Fri off which just doesn't work for me personally so no fault of his at all. I am also going to up the swimming since I have only been in the pool something like 10 times since early June. Just trying to get more times in the pool with easy efforts between workouts.

The best thing I have gotten out of coaching so far is it is nice just having someone to report to and then actually doing workouts instead of just miles.

2010-10-31T09:41:00.000-07:00

Weights 0:25:00

Swim 3:45:00 9900

Bike 16:02:00 312

Run 14:05:00 112.3

Total: 34:17:00

Days off: 4

Workouts: 33

Key Workouts: 10/17: Brick: Stroller pull then 5m tempo thru 5k at 19:40 for a 32:30 HR 166

10/6: Track 6x400 (86,83,82,79,77,74)

10/14: 5x400 in 1:24-1:27, 400 in 6:20.

10/19: Track 10x1/3M (69,57,57,56,53,52,48,48,49,47)

Oct Goals Report

Do two 5k's of which I want them both under 18. (WIN, not under 18 but placed well)

Swim 15,000 (Fail, pool closed for a week)

Bike 300 (WIN)

Run 140 (Fail, need to hit 35 at least)

Finally got in some good track workouts and swam a little. Some quality on the bike and just some miles. Also started to get the 1:45 or more run in a couple times which is nice. In November I am using a coach for the first time. Daniel Bretscher from Indiana is going to try coaching me. The first week is a little funky but that is more of my fault due to how my stay at home schedule has worked out. I will also need to modify some of the running to be done with the stroller. Its hard to convey how hard it is to push 50 pounds while you are running.

Nov Goals

Win sprint triathlon and go 52 minutes. (53:45 this spring)

Swim 15,000 and better quality.

Bike 300 Seems like a good distance right now.

Run 140 Need to get ramping for the weather turn.

I really need to be under 168 the whole last week of the month.

Motivation Issues

2010-10-22T05:07:00.001-07:00

Up at 5:35 again today and just sitting here not wanting to go to the pool. Maybe this free coaching this can get me through that hurdle. That and the stinking 171.8 that I weighed in at today. Maybe it was just snapping my chain halfway up a mountain yesterday and ending my big bike for the week that I had so been looking forward to.

I may need to find another time to swim or just pick the morning a little more carefully. Only 2 out of 8 swims have been decent and only one of those has been what I would call good and complete. I just feel tired. I think for a week I may change it up and sleep in until 630 and not worry about swimming in the morning unless that is the only workout for the day.

The weather has also turned kinda to hell with feezeing temps and possible rain everyday. At least this is about how bad it is supposed to get all winter with just a little drop in temps and less rain. It just went from perfect to this. It is also perfect at random times throughout the day and I think I really just wanted that free bike ride. I do still like to have fun at this whole thing day in and day out. Maybe thats the real problem.

No work until April!

2010-10-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day off work and start of stay at home dad.I did work 2 hours but I still got in a 60 mile bike ride. I am weighing in at 170.3 (pizza) so I am looking to get that down under 168 for the winter. I hooked up the stroller to the bike and took it for a 90 minute ride hitting all the big hills in town. The rest of Oct is jut gonna be getting used to being able to workout quite a bit and getting food going again. Will also have to see how much the kiddo wears me down. I am sure that will get tougher as the winter rolls in.

I am going to have a pretty regular schedule bc the wee one is in day care for 5 hours one day a week so everything will revolve around that. Next week I am gonna start really getting in the long run and may do a simulated half ironman on my b-day. I am also looking to hit the pool 4 days a week and run 6 with 2-3 bike rides in there. The bike rides will be pretty specific and so will the swims. I am going to focus on mileage and a track workouts. Not much else to report on right now.

5K Race Report

2010-10-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

The race was the Parowan Fall Fest 5K. I rode my bike 21 miles in 1:15 out to the race site (all uphill into the wind so felt more like a 25 mile effort). I was still hacking up phlegm on the way out so I decided to just race as hard as I could. The whole high school cross country team was there and I said I was worried about them and they said they were worried about me bc of my triathlon shirt. I thought that was really funny.

The race started really hard and I was immediately in 5th position. I moved up to 3rd my the 1/2 mile and got stuck there. The race was a little chilly and at 6000 feet. The first mile was a 5:37 (downhill) and then it just slowed from there. a 6:19 and a 6:39 and a good kick meant a 6:10 pace for a 18:47 which was a minute off first and about 7 seconds off second.

Best of all I WON $50.00, a $5.00 gift cert to a local store, and a cookbook written by the community. I am supposed to spend the 50 in the town (2800 people) and I will, just slowly, bc I hit up the local bakery quite a bit and bring people out there all the time so I figure I do my part for local business.

I got to see some big wigs that I work with so that was fun too to show we can all get together and not argue about prairie dogs all the time. I may do a 5K this weekend that has an uphill start which works better for me. I am already ready for the tri in Nov.

Swimming and Track

2010-10-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

Finally got back into the pool. Just 1200 and 1500 each day. I am almost hitting the times that I hit since I was last in the pool. May!!! Eikes. I need to really stay on that if I wanna call myself a triathlete.

My track workout was cut a little short bc of the downpour of rain just getting to me (been raining, and I have been running in the rain for days) I did 6x400 a little faster then the planned 10x400. Warmed up pushing the stroller and then dropping it off and doing 2x100 in 18 secs each. Times were 86, 83, 82, 79, 77, 74. I was really pleased with this especially since the 5700 ft of teh track really gets you on these. My HR got up to 176 on the last and 174 on the second to last. That is super high for me but didn't feel that bad. I think that is a good sign and will really look forward to racing at 2800 for my tri in Nov.

I have a 5K this weekend and really want to run under 18. I am planning on biking 60 the day before and then 21 out to the race so it should be a good goal. I cant waste a day off with the baby at daycare. Not really too concerned about times at this alt esp after watching the US indoor champs at this same alt. Just slower. Can't wait to crush it lower though.

September Totals and an "I'm back" bike ride.

2010-10-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

September Totals

Swim 0:30:00 1200

Bike 7:32:00 136

Run 13:29:00 98.8

Total: 21:22:00

Days off: 16

Workouts: 18

Key Workout: None

Dislocated finger and family Stomach flu means little biking and 10 days lost running.

Work was also pretty long.

Man, this month seemed terrible but then I look at how many days I had off (nine was most all year in a month) and then to almost hit 100 running is pretty good. Had quite a few 10+ mile runs in there. The stomach flu effects lasted quite a bit longer on my GI then I had hoped. This really make me pull back and some days I just felt tired.

The first workout of October was a controlled 53 mile bike at 21mph with some easy spinning in there. One of the best bikes I have had in a very long time. If I can get that natural ability back trained I should be able to rock some races. The one swim I did went very well as I was almost where I left off.

Sept Goals

Swim NONE (WIN, I got one swim in!)

Bike 300 (DRAW, w/o stomach flu would have had it)

Run 135 (DRAW/WIN, w/o stomach flu would have had it and then some)

Oct Goals

Do two 5k's of which I want them both under 18.

Swim 15,000

Bike 300

Run 140

IM St George a No-Go

2010-09-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

Cost IM Non IM

Race 629

Wetsuit 180

Helmet 120

Fuelbelt 50 50

Shoes 100 100

Nutrition 50

Tires 140 30

TOTAL $1269 $180

There is also the problem that my front wheel is a cyclocross wheel. I feel like I am unfortuntately at the point in the sport where a couple pieces of equipment can really make or break me. Mostly in the terms of risk/reward. I feel like I would need to race at a 1-2 out of 10 good finish to walking ratio then the 9/10 ratio that I could go with the equipment.

I really like the science behind the sport and the cost/benefit of a lot of things like positioning, in training, and nutrition but there is a point. I think that a new wetsuit (mostly fitting, i bleed in 3-4 places every time i use it even with chafe stuff)) and aero helmet (also for warmth as that is a big limiter for me) are huge. At least 3-4 minutes on a IM swim from the wetsuit as it would also help with the cold. The helmet should provide 3-5 minutes depending on speed. Then there are just a couple more things like new race tires (mine are 7 years old) and more gels and stuff to train with that I can normally stay away from. I also think my budget for the items I want is pretty low so its not just that I want the best but rather those are just the cheapest.

I am thinking about getting these two things and going for Branson 70.3 when I return home.

August Totals and Dislocated Finger

2010-09-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

First the dislocated finger. I did it catching a nerf football at the company picnic. Nothing I wouldn't do again and I would toss this ball to my 20 month old. Silly and just caught it all on the pinky. This is not the actual x-ray but it looks EXACTLY like the one I had. Pretty gruesome actually. I still haven't really felt any pain. Just a 1 out of 10 so far. I hope my super healing properties work on an injury like this. The doc said it might and that it would prolly mean it would be super duper stiff though. Was able to do 4 pull-ups today and push the stroller 9 miles so training should be fine. Should be able to ride by sunday. I have to have the brace on for 6 weeks though! So swimming is out of the question. Will prolly bring the bands back out.

August totals.

Swim 1:25:00 3700

Bike 29:03:00 527

Run 14:55:00 112.5

Weights: 0:10:00

Total: 45 hours 33 minutes

Days off: 8

Workouts: 29

Key Workouts: 8/26: 7x1mile @ 7:30-0:10 until 6:30 (7:20, 7:10, 7:00 ect) all on a hilly grass course in Vibrams. That was the "key" part if that workout.

August goals.

Swim 20,000 Big FAIL (No motivation without race)

Bike 350 Big WIN Got some good miles in this month

Run 140 Small Fail Not too bad.

This month I ended up with a fairly good volume. I lost a lot of motivation after deciding not to race a sprint in early sept and a half iron late in the month. In lieu of that it was a pretty good month. Feel like I finally got in some cycling since the baby came along. Feeling like I will be ready for IM training. I have been building a training program that really starts in Oct and then runs until mid Dec and then a month break before kicking it up again. I will post that in a few days prolly.

Sept Goals

Swim NONE haha stupid finger.

Bike 300 This could be lofty with camping for work or pretty low.

Run 135 Really need to hit 40 a week to be ready for IM training so this is the main goal.

Weights are going to start up again. This I mainly want to get in some good sessions. Oddly weights are more qualitative for me then anything as how intense and how they fit into the week.

Racing plans IM in the works?

2010-08-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Looking at my race calendar and our life calendar it seems we will be in Cedar City until next August. Now Cedar is a pretty sweet place to train esp with the escape to St George in the winter to bike bc the running here is awesome weather wise. Going to Vegas or Salt Lake for a 1/2 ends up being a 300 dollar weekend though with the hotel (camping is nil) and gas. IM St George suits me and gives me a shot at a Pro Card which I so desperately want.

So last year the top AGer was a ski world record holder looking for a pro card and the second guy is an ex top 5 IM pro who is 40. Given that the time for a top three is a 9:41 or a 9:35 first, and then it jumps to a 10:01. This year was also cool and calm winds (which a lot of people would be suprised to hear).

Ben Hoffman raced a 4:53 for the bike loop. Give him 2 minutes per 10 miles and that puts me at a 5:15 bike since I have biked with him and only lost 15 seconds on him in a sprint of 10 miles. The best AG was a 5:08. I think at 1 minute over 5 miles has got to be possible for me esp given the course. 21.3 mph even on a tough course just does not seem that daunting given the long rides I would need.

Give me a 1:05 with a 5:15 bike I really think I can hit 7:30's on the run bc that has been my breakdown pace lately which may be my best training development recently. With 6 min worth of T1+2 that puts me at a 9:42:45. I would be gambling that those big names like chesney or hola show up and I think that is gonna be the case as the race has not filled yet.

I will keep you all updated about how this goes. The other thing is that as of Oct 15 I will be a stay at home dad again until next April it looks like. The job market in Cedar is terrible but the wife is teaching at Southern Utah Univeristy so she is getting a TON of experience so I need something to get me through the winter bc my personality is like that of someone getting a PhD. Any comments would be welcome or any advice from my training. I plan to do a 2 month swim/weights block and get in some big running miles while keeping the engine on the bike reving but not worrying about many miles. Mostly 40 min workouts and then the long rides until spring. I also HAVE to get to 162 pounds. If I get there then watch out. My 182 from last august to 167 now is crazy awesome but now every pound feels like my run is gonna break through especially if I can fuel properly instead of being hungry all the time.

Race Report: My own half iron.

2010-08-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

Well the day started like crap. Standing on the shoreline in my wetsuit watching a huge storm cell with lightning coming in. First time all year that has happened in the morning. Of course it was clear on my side of the hill when I left. Sulked until 9am and then decided to head out. Made it 16 miles and then the gusts of 30-35 mph came in. Immediately turned around for home. Luckily I was only about 4 miles from bc of the course I took. Threw the bike on the trainer in the backyard and started the sweatfest from hell. I mean really sweating and I normally like the heat. The trainer is actually a tad slow down here compared to the road but the lack of shifting and steering prolly made it equal. I took in almost 150 ounces of water on the bike. Thats 9.3 friggin pounds and I weighed the same as this morning after the bike.

The run started really well with a hilly 6:46 then a 6:26 and then I evened out to abotu a 6:46 for the first 10 miles. Then the wheels came off and only made it 12.55 miles. Lost 6.3 pounds on the run after drinking a little after getting back. The WHOLE workout felt like hell except for about 10 miles in the middle of the bike and the first 3 miles running. I ran a 7:01 pace for what I did run though.

I dont know really what to take from this. I had my biggest week in about 3 years so I think it is good. Problem is I feel like hell and spending 36 miles on the trainer and running mile laps for water has taken its mental toll and the dehydration has taken its physical toll. Have a three horu drive ahead of me so I better get some stuff ready for that.

My own Half Ironman

2010-08-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend I will attempt my own half ironman. This week still has one day left in it and I am at 12 hours already which is 2 hours past my biggest week in about two years and gonna hit 56 hours working. I am using this as a mental toughness workout and a nutrition practice. I also dont race enough so I need that mental edge. I wont be able to do this swim perfect so might just end up swimming for 35 minutes and calling that good unless I get my GPS in my swim cap ok.

The bike I want to hit a 2:40 or 21 mph which could be a little tough without race gear wheels or tires and not a closed or controlled course.

The run I want to break 1:30 with a minimum of 1:40. I would really like to run in the 6:40-:45 range just to see how that feels with nutrition so I may just go out that hard. Should be interesting either way.

Been crazy tired this week. The long days at work and the solid training are tough. Mentally starting to slip. Gonna take 3 easy days after Sat to try and get back in the game mentally. Just so little time for everything. September 1 is when work gets easier and I will find time to swim which is really what is bothering me. 2:17 in the saddle doing hill repeats and my mind call sme lazy when I look at that swim column but just too tired at night to go to the resivoir. Oh well

July Totals

2010-07-31T05:50:00.000-07:00

Swim 1:15:00 3600

Bike 20:19:00 339.3

Run 16:09:00 123

Total: 37:43:00

Days off: 8

Workouts: 29

Key Workouts: 15M w/ 6x2/3M (3:59, 4:03, 4:02, 4:04, 4:03, 4:08)

40M w/ 3x8M TT (20:32@146cad73, 19:28@150cad75, 19:28@153cad76)

10M@7:30pace, 8x400 up/down (93, 91, 94, 89, 93, 88, 94, 82)

Lund 10M TT Z2 (25:16, HR 144 cad 74)

Goals set last month.

10,000 swim (FAIL)

300 bike (WIN)

140 run. (FAIL, w/o sickness would have been close)

Two runs over 15 miles (WIN, 14 and 15 but with sick intervals)

166 pounds (WIN)

Biggest month so far and there was a good amount of efforts thrown in there. I am finally getting close to race weight

This months goals.

Swim 20,000 Getting close to race time and now is time to learn to swim.

Bike 350. Stick with about what I got and get just a few more efforts in.

Run 140 Last big month to hit that total. Want more track efforts really as well.

Weight: 164. That would put me at a race weight I can be happy with.

In honor of the TDF I got the flu

2010-07-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

Lost three days of training due to a temp of 102 and feeling overheated the whole time. Day 2 back also sucked but I usually come back to hard and was worrying about my weight. I had been sitting around 166 and feeling like a breakthrough was about to happen. I was hitting workouts left and right. I plan to pick back up where I left off. I need to kick the swim into gear as well. My volume and even intensity are looking good and I just need some single long efforts in there. This weekend begins my hell week as the wife and kid are out. Gonna do a half iron duathlon at the end so I can work on my mental side and recovering from lows. Also gonna ride the course at some point.

Bigger week and race effort TT

2010-07-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

Finally had a week over 10 hours without a big day. Did a half iron race pace 10 mile TT effort today with an avg HR of 144 and maxing out at 148 at the turnaround. Tried to stay zone 2 for the effort. Time was 25:13 for 23.7 miles per hour. Finally the cycling has come back to being easy at such an effort. This bodes well.

June Totals

2010-07-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

Swim 2:52:00 3900

Bike 10:32:00 189.5

Run 12:36:00 100.2

Total 26:00:00

Last months statements;

I want to get in more sleep mostly. ( DONE)

I am also going to fuel better during work. ( DONE)

I want 3 quality track workouts and two 4 hour rides and 1 TT. (1x three hour ride, 1 TT)

Totals I want to hit 12000 in the pool (FAIL)

400 on the bike (FAIL)

and 130 on the run (FAIL)

This month I want to hit 10,000 swim, 300 bike and 140 run. I am cutting back the first two goals and upping the last. The main problem is that bc of work I will only be able to workout during work when I have down time. This could be a super crazy good thing or mean hardley nothing at all so there we go. I do want 3HR+ rides and two runs over 15 miles. We will see. The other main goal is to get to 166 pounds.

Half Ironman Training Begins and Golfing.

2010-07-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

Golfed for the first time in 8 years. Played without any woods and was 2 over after the first 5 holes which had the two par fives. Shot a 48 so not too bad. Just got a set of Mizuno blades and have a driver on the way. Golf is oddly relaxing and challenging at the same time and it gets me loose and outside. We shall see how it progresses.

I started my Half Ironman training for Sept 26 with a 12.4 mile run on good tough terrain. Need to eat more the night before these. Don't have a set training plan in place with work constantly changing but I want a lot of 16-18 mile runs in there and to ride at least 4 hours 4 times by then. I will also be able to ride and run the course twice the first week of August. The second time around I will try and simulate race pace for the run after pacing the bike.

Buckle Down

2010-06-29T04:51:00.000-07:00

169.9 today. This is basically the main think holding me back still esp without unlimited time to train. It is all in my head as I know what works for me to loose weight (which took a while and a lot of calorie and activity tracking). Now it is time to buckle down and get that mental chip off my shoulder. There is a good read of a pro triathlete who has gained 20 pounds while being injured here at Jp's blog. At least at the higher weights injury is really never a problem and I will be grateful for this fact in about 15 years.

Steeplechase and High Jump

2010-06-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

3000 meter steeplechase was the first event on the docket today. I got in a 40 minute bike ride with a couple big hills for a warm up and that was perfect. There were 21 solid hurdles to clear and 7 hurdle/waterjumps to clear. The 2000 boys was rough to watch bc the kids that were strong last night in the 3000 race were struggling bad.

I really wanted to hit my pace that I had for the 5k last night. I made it in 12:13 which is only 1 second per mile off my effort last night. All but two of the hurdles felt good and those two I just had to stutter step a bit. All of the water jumps were to the 6 inch water portion of the pit and I was running the last two. I am very pleased with this effort and it is a VERY tough race with all the solid jumps. I got 3rd overall and 1st in my age group as I was the only one in it.

Next was the high jump one hour later. I was trashed after the past couple days and just didnt have any juice. I think doing another OLY tri would have been easier bc of the pace. Anyway I started at 4ft just to get my bearings and some practice jumps. I cleared that and then 4 ft 2 by about a foot. I then passed to 4 ft 10 and then cleared until 5'4 in which I had a fault but still made it. I was getting tired and hungry by that point and narrowly missed 5 ft 6. Well rested and with something other then wet racing flats from the steeple (high jump shows have spikes on the front and heel for grip) I may be able to clear 5'10 which would be my height. I got 3rd in my 19-29 year old age group of which there were 5 people.

The whole weekend was a lot of fun and I would like to do the steeple and esp the high jump again. I will try the 400 again sometime after I have been doing regular speed work.

Humbling Track Race so far

2010-06-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

Ran the 400 in 66 seconds, a full second off my PR. Burned like hell from my arms to my legs and lungs. Winner was 53 and 3rd was 60. I was fourth way back.

Had a 90 degree 5k at 6pm and windy. My time was 20:13. The winner who has recently ran a 1:07 half marathon (converts to a 14:30 5k) only ran a 16:43 so I am actually fairly happy. I should have been around 19 flat though but just not prepared enough. Still fun and learned a lot. Have the 3000 steeple tomorrow followed by the high jump. I think I am going to need a stronger word then humbling to describe tomorrow I think.

First Olympic Triathlon Win!!!

2010-06-20T06:02:00.001-07:00

Finally a race that lived up to expectations. Well almost. The day started out great and really felt ready to race and even ready to swim. I knew I would want to go fast but pace the bike bc the run was going to be over 80 degrees.

The OLY race only had about 75 people bc the sprint had over 150 due the past weather issues I believe. A lot of the fast looking people where doing the sprint so I am going to use their times to compare to.

SWIM

The swim started great. The first buoy has about a 130 degree turn so I wanted to make the first group and actually went 2nd! around the first buoy. Then the sun was directly in line and everyone, i mean eveyone, was all over the place bc there were tons of boats around that would grab you eye when trying to site. Most did a lot fo breaststroke through this section of about 200m. The only bad thing I did was but my swim cap under my goggles for some idiot reason so I got some leakage. Only really dumb thing all day though. Came out of the water in 19:06 so a good 300m short. But the good news is that I was only down 1:02 to the first two guys and in 5th place!

1:16 Had the second best transition most likely due to my barefoot running ability bc the asphault was very sharp. Got 30 seconds into many people and 6 seconds into first place.

BIKE

This is where the story gets interesting. There is a 450 ft hill that puts me standing in my granny gear not long after transition. A 400 ft section lasts over 5 minutes and you have to be careful not to blow up. I paced myself to catch the leader at the top which is 5 miles into the course and I did just that. Very sad to not see a pace car though. Then about 3 miles in the hard to see signs showing where to go start. This is NOT the course of 3 years ago and NOT the maps online. Crap. There are also NO volunteers to help guide through a twisty turny neighborhood with 2 very very steep hills. I actually get excited a little bc I am a good handler. But then there was a sign saying to go left around this loop again that couldnt be. So I went right. Then I saw guy and yelled and he said "two" so I turn around and went back up that stupid huge hill until I caught that guy and he had meant two out and back sections but by then I had crested the hill and had to do another turnaround. Nevermind I was in the wrong gears the whole time to be doing this. I set off to make up my lost time bc i was PISSED. After checking the garmin I lost 2:20 roughly by doing this. One good reason to have a graphing computer on the bike. After the race the sign was wrong but the 2nd place guy knew the race director and had talked about the course that morning. Lame.

I couldn't tell how many people had passed me but I knew at least 1 had. I sped up and caught him at mile 11. I burned WAY too many matches doing that as I made up a 1/4 mile in about 1.5 miles on a good biker. 5 minutes of way past redline was stupid. It took me 4 more miles to put a gap of more then 200m on him. Then back up the big hill which went well bc I had calmed down and started to panic about the run bc my 40 ounces of water were already gone.

My time was 1:04:43 which was still good for second on the bike and a 1:02:23 . The course was only 24.0 miles but with 1200 ft of change and all the turns and pacing I am really happy. So a 23.1 mph avg. The sprint course winner (race was more competative) avg was only 22.5 and the best bike split was also 23.1. I was rocking the bike at the time of the incident and my goal turned from time to WIN.

Posted a time of 56 seconds with putting socks on and getting in some separate drinks of water. Lost a little time here but I know the run is brutal.

RUN

Started out at a 6:13 mile trying to demotivate my chasers. The second aid station did not have water and only super concentrated gatorade I couldn't drink at a walk. First on there so it must have settled in the cooler, GROSS! At the turnaround aid station I was able to get a bottle of water and very slowly drank it and poured some on my head. I ran with it for a while bc I knew the middle aid station had no water. Went out in 20:30. I had a 4 minute lead so I just shut down into 6:45 pace mode for the hills and to let the water I drank absorb. Going back the middle aid station found water so I got some there and just jogged it back in for the WIN! My final run time was 42:09 which was second best on the day by 5 seconds but I celebrated at the end instead of sprinting so it was worth it. The run course has 400 ft of hills and two sections of 130 ft climbs that are steady to its hard to get a rhythm. The short course winner was 18:05 but biked the equiv of a 1:07 and the next best was 19:30. To place in the top 50% you could run over 1 hour for the 10k portion. I had hoped for a 38 which I think I was on pace for before the bad turn and absent aid station.

In the end I am very pleased with my adjusted time of 2:05:55 which puts me a full 5 minutes ahead of second place. Full Results are on the link. I have read many posts in the past about how bad it is to lead a race and now I know why. I never even thought about the gatorade settling or not having the stuff set up. There was no aid station on the bike set up either which was bad for the slower finishers as I ran out with my 40 ounces. Very bad race directing and I was sad to just get an age group medal for the overall and nothing else but that is just my personality so to make up for it I wrote this bragging post.

As far as things to work on are. Swim: New wetsuit. I getrubbed really really really bad and extension is horrible. 10 year old suit needs replaced.

Bike: Endurance so I can have enough left for the run.

Run: Longer runs and 40 mpw mileage.

OLY tri this weekend

2010-06-14T18:19:00.001-07:00

Signed up for the Utah Summer games triathlon on Sat. This race is hot and hilly and the bike course is slow. The record is only a 2:08:10 and the race is at least 10 years old. This is thus my goal. 25 minute swim, 1:02:00 bike and 38:00 run. I would want a faster run but it is hilly and usually almost 90 out by then. That gives me 3 minutes for transitions to take the record. My race plan is to take out the first bouy quite hard and then relax until after about mile 6 of the bike after the huge hill. I cranked too hard on it and it is such a slow hill it is oddly hard to get time there bc you can easily go WAY over threshold and have to take way to long to recover.

I also signed up for a 4 event track meet bc it was only 20 bucks more. so the weekend after the Tri I get to do the 400M, and 5000M on the track on the same day and the next day I do the 3000M steeplechase (should be interesting and hoping to get video) and then the high jump bc I did it in grade school. Should be a "relaxing" event bc it is so out of character. I need more events like this.

Also thinking of wearing the HR monitor for the race but still unsure.

May Montly Totals

2010-06-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

Swim 3:30:00 11900
Bike 14:15:00 286.5
Run 13:02:00 101.7

Days off: 7
Workouts: 30
Key Workouts: C trail Cycling in 28:59
5/7 BRICK 1:06:20 40K Z2, 4x600 (2:04, 2:01, 2:03, 2:04)
Trainer 1 mile in 2 minutes
OLY Race: See Race Report

Been super duper extremely tired this month due mostly to work and poor sleep habits. Didn't really set goals for this month so for next month I want to get in more sleep mostly. I am also going to fuel better during work. I want 3 quality track workouts and two 4 hour rides and 1 TT. Totals I want to hit 12000 in the pool, 400 on the bike, and 130 on the run.

Ups and Downs

2010-05-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

Had some really good workouts at 8500 ft with some cycling up to 10400 ft with some 7:30 pace running afterwards. Then I did a climb with the same exact profile of 7.9 % grade as Alpe d'Huez of Tour De France fame. I managed a 29:00 for the 4 mile climb which is just past 1/2 of the aforementioned climb. I did it on my forward seat road bike and that kinda sucked. It starts at over 6000 which is higher the the top of the Alpe so not too bad.

The weather here has sucked to say the least. Gusting at 45 about everyday and so bad it is even too tough to run (esp with the stroller) bc of the blowing gust of sand bringing you to tears. Weight gain is in full force yet again. I HAVE to nail down lunch at work. Need to switch to protein and fat instead of so much carbs which has done me so well on the weekend. 10 hour days in a car sucks. Need the weather to get better so bad. I would even do back to 4 inches of snow bc then I could at least run. Well, hopefully I am done feeling sorry for myself but it is getting too much to get it in after work with the wee one. Looks like a lot of 5am mornings in the future.

SGTri Race Report

2010-05-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

After having a day to mull over my experience I am quite a bit happier with my results and how to really nail it next time. My main mistake was not taking in enough calories before the race. I woke up on race day at 168.5 which is pretty good but I have been yo-yo ing down and just got into the loose weight mode too close to race day. I am fine with that bc maybe I can actually get to race weight at some point. I had a clif builder bar and a banana 3 hours before the race and about 70 cals of sport drink. I took on another 250 on the bike. On to the race.

1500M swim, 20.5 mile bike (this was on purpose for just one turnaround), 6.5 mile run (course was long, supposed to be 6.2)

I also got to meet David Warden of Tri-talk. He is a really nice guy and glad he was racing the sprint. More compared to him later.

Total time 2:04:04 8th of 357 finishers

My goal was 1:55 but the run course made it 1:57:00 which would have won it all.

Swim was 24:25 which was only 3 minutes out of first and 2 minutes out of second. The course was a 2 loop triangle. Here is a map.

The orange blobs are the buoys. I started on the right side and made my first loop in about 11 minutes. I know this bc the second wave left 10 minutes after and I got stuck behind and boxed into the slow people in that wave. The green X is where I started fighting. The green X on the left is where I had to fight back through to get to the outside to ramp. At the time I thought this cost me about two minutes and my time of 24:25 with 11 at halfway proves me right. The course seems accurate bc no one went under 20 and most fast times were around 23 so I am still VERY happy with my swim. The leaders were able to beat the group which was a bummer but I just have to get better swimming.

The bike is where I was starting to feel like I just didn't have it. I managed a 54:12 (22.7) for 4th best. 53:12 (22.9) was first. My 44x23 gearing was not enough (would have been any other day) for the big mile long hill. The course is VERY VERY rough. Enough so I am wondering about an event there in June but it is the only local place for triathlon. I may have needed a second water bottle but I think the nutrition is really what did me in.

The run started really well with a 6:03 off the bike for the first mile but I was just gassed and then the abs went from just pushing too hard with out enough energy and I faded. Official time as 43:40 but that was for 6.5 miles so a 6:43 pace as opposed to a 7:03. Was 4 minutes out of first which is what my first mile pace was at. Still 6th overall on the run somehow, it is a tough course with big long hills the whole way though.Sad thing was the first mile was a controlled mile.

I beat 7th place (he was 30 secs ahead this time) a month ago by over 4 minutes in a race half as long. If I had beat him by just 6 minutes this time I would have been in first. All week I just felt sluggish and the weather was snow and sleet all week so it was easy not to get in enough effort. I only had one real workout with only 5 minutes hard. I REALLY need to remember that I can train harder into a race. Resting before is about 0 for 7 now. At least I have a TON more confidence for my next race after having time to reflect on my race. Thats the trouble with doing as many races over 6 years as many of my friends do in a year.

David went 13 in the swim so I bettered him there and he went 23.1 on the bike so my time was not too far off and he went 6:23 on the run (I am fairly certain the short course was accurate bc my gps was still matching up at that point. Pretty stoked to be so close in times to the venerable David Warden)

April Totals and a misplaced blog entry.

2010-05-02T18:34:00.001-07:00

Swim 1:22:00 4300

Bike 14:10:00 256.7 (18.2 mph)

Run 12:05:00 94.7 (7:40 pace)

Days off: 8

Workouts: 6

Key workouts

SHAC Triathlon 2nd Overall

BRICK 2x10 Mile 24:59, 24:57 (75, 79rpm 152 HR into 3.9 stroller run

3x5min TT (28, 27.5, 27.9 HR 161, Cad 82)

BRICK 25M 1:25:00 then 6x600 1:54, 1:58, 1:57, 1:58, 1:59, 1:55

BRICK 40k 1:07:20 then 6x600 1:58, 1:58, 1:57, 1:58, 1:57, 1:56

Totals were a lot lower then I wanted esp in swimming. I got in quite a bit of quality though and had a good race at the start of the month. Weight was up and down all month with the last day being a pound heavier then the first day. The eternal problem. I will get down to 159 sometime before August.

Here is the write up of the blog I missed. One of my better insights I think.

My mental, physical and emotional breakdown workout.

It may not seem as hard as it sounds but 3x5min on the trainer is pure agony. It so draining that it is hard to get psyched for. The avg speed is a set metric that stares into your brain telling you hey, last month you went 26.2 three times. You can go 24.9 for 23 minutes (rested slightly) so you at least have to hit that you weakling. A couple months ago you struggled to hit 26.6 but by number 3 you dropped to 25.5. You have even quit every time you finally hit 27 for the first one but it was just too much. My brain is not very nice when it is in cahoots with the stats of my workout log.

The numbers tonight

28 mph

27.5 mph

27.3 mph

Made it! Cadence was 82 and HR avg was 162 for all three sets. Was up at 169-170 for the ramped up parts though. I always think I will never do this workout again until I remember that is is the best for simulating a race with the anxiety, aprehension, and toughness required.

Fri and Sat Bricks!

2010-04-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

Fri was a 1:30:00 towing the stroller ride and then my 600's on grass with a turnaround. (6x600 1:54, 1:58, 1:57, 1:58, 1:59, 1:55) for 3.6 miles.

Today I got to the pool and CLOSED. Suck, this happens triathletes all the time. Better make something of it.
Did a 36 mile ride with TWO 10 mile TT's not going into Zone 4. Avg HR for both was 152 and Cadence was 75 then 79. Did a south to north route and then a west to east route. 24:59, and 24:57 for 24.0 mph on each of the efforts. Got some work in away from them as well and some good rest but still held a 21.8 for the whole ride so need to hit more rest so the intervals can get up a bit. Did a stroller run of 3.9 miles in 30 minutes. Need to work on nutrition on the bike and keep getting in at least 35 miles in on the Tri bike. Swimming is gonna be big in the next few weeks as race day is May 15 and the bike is shortened to 33K.

March Totals a little late.

2010-04-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

Been too busy to crunch the numbers but here they are.

Swim 6:13:00 20400
Bike 11:42:00 206
Run 15:03:00 114.6
Total: 32:58:00

Days off: 9
Workouts: 43
Key Workouts: 7:10 pace for the Loop (5.6 mile very hilly with stroller)
4x(5min Z4, 800) 2:44, 2:47, 2:48, 2:48
500 Yard PR 7:23

The swimming was big but I have realized I need to hit the pool a good six times the two weeks leading into an event. With the move in this month I feel pretty good. My run mileage has dropped and hoping to keep it above 30 for the remainder of the season which isn't bad with the stroller.
For April there was some moving adjustment and the couple weeks to get used to 5800 feet elevation. My mile stuff and higher is off but my 600's I did were good which is in line with the science so those will be my speed workouts for the rest of the year.

Sweet Action Brick

2010-04-16T19:42:00.001-07:00

Went out for a 34 mile ride with a 40K TT in the middle and then 6x600 on a grass field with a small hill in the Vibrams and a turnaround. 4.1 miles total

Hit the ride in 1:37:00 for 21 mph overall and 22mph for the effort. This was the wind mostly and fading hard at the end. Went out in 39:30 and came back in 26:50. That return was with a VERY bad fade at around the 20 mile mark. I tried to ride at around 65-70 but on the way back I was HAULING in my 56x11 quite a bit around 85-90 just sitting at 34-36 mph for long stretches. Avg Cadence was 72 and HR was 145 for the total effort. I downed two bottles during the ride and one had 350 cals of Sustained Energy in it.

That intake helped with the following 6x600. I hit these in 1:58, 1:58, 1:57, 1:58, 1:57, 1:56. This made up for feeling like hell on the bike. I finally feel like my run off the bike is a true strength. Going for the Peter Reid strategy of running just as fast or faster off the bike as in an open race. I like this workout and am gonna go for just hitting more of the 600's or not having a semi cooldown at the end of the ride but the wind will dictate that

Race Report: So Close!

2010-04-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

400 yard swim, 10 mile bike, 3.1 mile run.
Final time was 54:01. 2 overall to Ben Hoffman who was 50:45 and got second at the Desert Du and went 8:24 at IM AZ. so out of the 3:15 down I lost 2:15 on the swim, 15 seconds on the bike and the rest, 45 seconds on the run. The course was tough with 3 turnarounds at the bottom of hills and a 90 degree turn at the bottom of a hill. I was stoked to be so close to Ben. I beat another Pro who has a 70.3 PR of 4:09 as well. Granted they had had a big week though. 26:07 for the bike on the garmin for 22.9 mph as well.

I would have scored the course record so I will now claim the Amateur Course Record. I also missed a $100 dollar gift cert and only got the $20 buck and I have to buy shoes. Oh well. There was a lot of talk about Bens overall time not being legit so I feel a little better. I broke 18 on the run without being able to use my feet the first 1/4 so a good score there. I was either 17:54 or 17:24 bc of the timing and I messed up my garmin. The second half of the run was a 8:34 but I was much slower on the first 1/4 and the second 1/4 was downhill so the finish was the best finish of any race I have ever had. This race has me really pumped for the rest of the season.

More Utah training:
Did Kolob Canyon into the wind in 26:16 for 5.1 miles but no elav data this time. This is a perfect killer climb with everything and a little decent after about 17 min in. Made it 46 miles total and pulled the stroller in the main canyon for 2:45 of riding. Also been playing tennis (Normann Stadler style) to mix things up.

Good stroller workout 5x800

2010-03-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

Had to take 4 of the last 5 days off due to stomach cramps and then coming back too hard with 2 hours 40 minutes the 4th day. Hit masters for 2300 yards this morning so I was a little tired for my run about 90 minutes later. Did 9.1 miles in the Vibrams and hit 5x800 in 2:56, 2:53, 2:54, 2:48, 2:50. I was aiming for at least 3:00 or at least doing them all or with a higher goal of 2:55's. This is by far the best stroller workout I have had. When I started I was up in the 3:20's this past summer. Need to really come up with a plan to get in race shape in a week two with trying to fit in non stroller workouts and hit the speed then.
Since I know the stroller running translates to decent biking I just need to get the time in the TT position and work on the footspeed in the 5:40 range. First race in only 8 days away and we are moving in 4. Pretty exciting times. It will be nice to get to do a sprint so I can gauge how I am coming along since I can "fake" a sprint and still do well I can really push it and fight for the finish.

Officially signed up for TWO races!

2010-03-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

I am doing the Sprint SHAC Triathlon in St George UT on Apr 3. Ben Hoffman (second at Desert Du and Calgary 70.3) is signed up so there is at least podium spot gone. The distances are 400 yard pool swim (25yard pool), 10 mile bike (2 loop so three 180 turns) and then 5K. I want 6 minutes, 25 minutes, 18 minutes.

The second race is May 15 in St. George and is an Oly. There I would like 24, 1:03 (tough course), and 38.

There are my predictions and I can't believe I am signed up bc I have not completed a triathlon (over 40 minutes) since June 2007 (same course as the May 15 Oly). Pretty crazy since I call myself a triathlete.

3 Swim PR's and some sweet 800 intervals.

2010-03-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

Masters workout today at 9:00. Set a Pr in the 100 at 1:14 only to break it later down to a 1:13. I was pretty stoked. Then I hit a 34 for a 50 and it didn't feel too bad. The rest of the swim was also good for 2300 yards.

Then a Noontime 10 mile bike pulling the trailer in 50 minutes.

Then the evening intervals. 2 mile warm up in 13:46. Then 4x5min Zone 2 really high resistance into an 800. The splits were 2:42, 2:39, 2:40, 2:39. This is blazing fast and all but the last couple laps of the last one felt controlled and there were about twice as many people on the track at that point.

I need to get some more time on the Tri bike for racing and I should be set. Since biking is always my fall back I should be good to go for some races coming up.

Foiled Again!

2010-03-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

Things have been getting in the way this week but I pretty much keep coming back when in the past I would have missed at least 4 workouts. Only 1 was less then ideal. Today was the first day that I could do a 40k/10k brick bc of the weather.

Had a good warm-up and then hit the throttle. Made it through the turnaround at 20K in 29:10 (the 180 was already completed and back up to speed, hate those) and was gonna hit 22-23 mph on the way back BUT I flatted by one of the rock slides that always has a lot of rocks and I just couldn't miss them all today and hit a small but sharp one. I cooled way down and only had a 28-32 tube so I took my time trying to get it in perfect so I couldn't get back up and running fast. I pretty much 56x12ed it home and took a break. I am 99.999% sure I would have hit home between 1:01 and 1:03 and I was aiming for a 1:04:59/39:59 split. Gonna try that one again next Sat hopefully.

After a week like this I was toast mentally and took an hour break before heading out in the Vibrams to push the stroller. Did 9.1 miles in 1:11 and the middle 7 were about a 7:35 pace so pretty happy there. I had blood squishing out the vibrams bc I have some hot spots and started too fast in them inside on a high friction track and just have not let them heal so I had to throw them in the wash tonight.

Gonna be getting some good numbers for March and gonna stick with it.

New 500 yard PR by 26 seconds!

2010-03-04T09:39:00.000-08:00

Got my time down to 7:23 during masters today. Trying this post from my phone so I will keep it short. I am charged about swimming though. Masters is the bomb.

Masters and Killer Brick/track workout

2010-03-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

Lots been happening lately. Did Masters for the fist time today. It was fast (I missed the long warmup and will NOT do that again). First 100 in the set was 1:20 and then I slowly got slower and then crashed at the end. 2300 yards total but much much faster then I am used to going. On thurs we are doing a 500 TT so that should be good and get me in the right lane. Today I got a small miracle bc there was only one other in my lane. About 40 minutes total.

The track workout was 2 mile warm up (13:50) then 4x(5 min Z4 with very fast trans into an 800) The Z4 bike intervals today felt like I was at a 9 on the wall chart they have in the gym which states "So hard I cannot go any more" That thought ran through my head on sets 2-4 the entire time. The first 2/3 of the 800's were not bad the the ends were rough. Had about 5-7 minutes total in between sets. Before going in I was wanting to run McMillan steady state intervals at least which is a 3:08 bc this workout tears me up mentally. I ended with 2:44, 2:47, 2:48, 2:48. I am going to keep the intensity down the rest of the week except for the 500 TT and try to up the volume some. Like I said a lot has been happening but my race calendar is falling apart. We will see how that goes. Total time was 45 on the bike and 25 min running. Solid day.

Feb Totals

2010-02-28T17:58:00.000-08:00

Time Distance

Swim 1:21:00 4500

Bike 20:30:00 353

Run 12:21:00 101.1 (7:14 per mile)

Total Time: 34:12:00

Days off: 4

Workouts: 40

Key Workouts:

24:27 (24.5) Outdoor 10 mile TT (1 sec faster then last year and 4 beats lower Avg HR, 157)

Ran about 14 miles in the vibrams.

2x1000 yard swims

With 3 less days and 1 more day off I was fairly pleased with the results. Gonna pull back the bike and really up the swimming and the running to at least 40 a week. Swimming is gonna go through the roof next month.

Another Post but a New 10 mile TT PR

2010-02-27T18:44:00.000-08:00

Was feeling sorry for myself about skipping the 1/2 marathon (good idea in retro as I crashed about race time due to lack of sleep and still have some gas while running from the sodium phospate). It was a little cold but I managed a 24:27 which is 1 second faster then last year and at 157 avg HR which is 4 beats lower then last year. I felt terrible though. It did a 5 mile run with in the stroller in my vibrams in a little under 40 minutes about 15 minutes after getting off the bike and that felt good. My calf soreness must have been from the damn phosphate as well.

This is great news bc I have not been spending near as much time on the TT bike and I was having trouble with my neck and back on the way out to the course. I did have a false start of about 1.5 miles bc I hit my lap button and did not hit the start button so I had to go back. I had a better start the second time though. My stomach was pretty turned and there was no way of running afterwards but that was expected before I started bc I felt like crap all day (well the past 4) I think I am entirely past the sodium phospate stuff so I will stop talking about that but I think it is all coming together. Just need to get some better efforts running in and get the mileage up and start swimming which begins tomorrow.

Vibram 5 Fingers

2010-02-27T11:52:00.001-08:00

Got some Vibram five finger the other day the KSO for 75 bucks and then went and did 3x1 mile on the track inside. I did them in 6:10-6:20 trying not to go too hard. My calves are pretty sore. Skipped the 1/2 marathon today bc it was supposed (still could be) awesome weather in town today and the Sodium Phosphate is still leaving my system so no use going up there to end up walking. At least biking keeps the GI fairly competent. More to come on the 5 fingers. I have been trying to get back my efficiency in running that I think I used to have.

Other news is I am still trying to figure out a race calendar this year. Gonna skip the first one bc that is our moving week and I will have some free time to take the wee one out for runs and bikes all the time.

Sodium Phosphate

2010-02-25T13:48:00.001-08:00

Sodium Phosphate is a supplement that you can take that helps buffer lactic acid. The studies show you can take 1-3 minutes off your 40k TT with them. I got some from Hammer nutrition and the problems I read about using it came true. I got two night good sleep and still needed two naps. I also had a case of bad smelling gas. I got off of it after 2 days and feel much better today. Guess I won't be trying this stuff again.

Cold weather makes me weak.

2010-02-21T13:22:00.000-08:00

Did a hard 62 mile bike on cross tires in 3:30:00 in the cold yesterday and then today it was 17 when I got up. It was 24 when I left for my long run, started out with the stroller for 6.2 miles and then was gonna drop it off and continue but I couldn't find the motivation. I was sweating but cold and I just don't enjoy it in the least bit. No more long runs in the afternoon. I am 1 for 1 in the morning and about 0 for 9 in the afternoon. I need spring. Gonna focus on the indoor workouts this week. Don't want to run the Half Marathon this weekend but I know it will be good for me. Oh well.

Utah Race Calendar

2010-02-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

Well, Brian posted the question of whether I am moving and I guess I forgot to post about that on here. I am moving to Cedar City UT on March 30. I will be relocating protected prairie dogs like I did three years ago while Julie finishes her PhD. Here is the race schedule for the rest of the year. The position ends in Sept so we don't know where we will be living after that. The riding is a little windy at times but there is TONS more opportunity with the bike trailer. Just did a 800 ft, 3.2 mile climb the other day and the training is gonna be pretty good with it down there. I also get to hit up a Tri the week we get down there. Bought the wife a bike yesterday as well. A Raleigh Grand Sport in a 47 cm bc the top tube is short enough and it is a Compact with external BB cups. It also has 165 mm cranks. The next bike I found with just these specs was about 3000 bucks. I will put a full write up once we get it.

Snowjoke 1/2 Marathon Feb 27 Seeley MT

Wheat MT 5K Mar 20 Missoula MT

SHAC Sprint Tri Apr 3 St George UT

SGTri Olympic Tri May 15 St George UT

Summer Games Cycling June 18-20 Cedar City UT

Enoch 10K July 4 Enoch UT

Provo 1/2 Iron Aug 28 Provo UT

Training Block

2010-02-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

Only 40 more days until Utah when my training will turn upside down. That means Masters tues and thurs and the rec brick repeats tues, thurs, fri with a long ride Sat and long run Sun and then a run and bike on Wed with a recovery bike monday. Gotta really try and make it through this without missing any more workouts. Might not get to keep our dog moving so there has been a lot of stress and garages are about 200 bucks a month more it seems which is depressing for someone like me with bikes and the giant stroller that is always caked in mud :) Seems like every blog I read, even the pros hit, hit a lull here so hopefully mine was just one day. Keep on it everyone!

20.8 Mile run

2010-02-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

Went with the Boston group. Managed a 7:24 pace for the run and I fell off the group on the 4 mile race pace hill (they made it 21 miles total) as I fell off the last .5 pretty bad seeing as we still had to run back home in an out and back format. The hill was 400 ft in two miles. I rocked the downhill part at least. Tried to focus on form and talking for quite a bit of the run outside of the hard 3.8 miles I did. Used 2 scoops of Sustained Energy in a 16 ounce water bottle. Bad eating regimen yesterday though.

Felt pretty good except for that part and some chafing now so that is a pretty good sign. Yesterday I did 15:30 in cross tires for a 3.15 mile climb of 840 feet which my two old times were 18:05 and 18:03. Pretty big week inside as well so now to take it easy til Tues.

Workout I don't want my enemies doing.

2010-02-09T18:08:00.001-08:00

Back to the bread and butter workout. 6x(5min Z4 bike, 20 sec transition, 800 run). 5 min active rest between intervals. Indoor track at 5.25 laps for an 800 so lots of turns. The first interval was Z3 for the bike and the last run was at a pace I thought I could hold for at least 2 miles bc there were about 20 extra people crammed on the track.

Results: 2:52, 2:54, 2:53, 2:54, 2:52, 3:04

This workout is really rough. Ramping up to Z4 quick on the bike is prolly the worst part. I tried to make it in 1 min but ussually was at 3.8 or 3.9 for 15-30 seconds longer. The power was prolly right though.

I wanted to quit during the second bike and had planned on quitting after 5 but pulled one more out. Total time was 1:37 with a mile warmup and a short bike warmup. 48 minutes of really high intensity. The plan is to start backing up these workouts with some real race results. I think I finally have the season planned and the motivated work began tonight. Having the kid in day care during these workouts really helps get me in the zone bc I can't say oh I will just do this tomorrow. I also had to switch Lemond spin bikes bc I couldn't crank the brake down far enough and it kept clicking. As my title implies there is not much more I want out of this workout and Tony you can't do it. I am still trying to load stuff from Garmin training center. Mark if you read this can you let me know.

Killer workout. Bread and Butter here.

2010-02-02T18:38:00.001-08:00

Able to use the rec center bc they have cheap daycare and hit the LeMond spin bike (with spd and almost exact TT position) and the indoor track (kinda crowded).

The Workout:

6:44 warmup mile (I was excited to not run in snow or with the stroller)

5 min bike with 1 min build into Z2 and then an 800 on the indoor track (1 min transition today bc I forgot speed laces). Recovery is 5 min total from the lap end (so about 3 min spinning after getting back to the bike)

Numbers

2:46, 2:53, 2:50, 2:50, 2:49 with this last one the last 3:30 of the bike was Z3.

I needed a bottle of water bad and will do 6 intervals from here on out. This si my bread and butter bc I am really all about being able to run after the bike. Just gonna work on getting the Zones higher and higher on the bike as I keep the same splits or at least under 2:55 or 2:50 preferably. Haven't felt this good about a workout in a long time.

January Recap

2010-01-31T14:08:00.000-08:00

Distance Time

Swim 1900 0:30:00

Bike 319.5 16:31:00

Run 104.7 13:17:00 7:37 /mile

Total Time 30:18:00

Days off: 3

Workouts: 34

Key Workouts

23:51 Indoor 10 mile TT

500 yard swim TT in 7:49 (PR by 2 seconds)

Need to work on next month

Fatigue: Get calories before workouts figured out.

Swim more

Long runs

Training Pics and Stuff

2010-01-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

Here is the view from the no heat (not attached so no radiant heat, no electric other then 1 bulb and no airflow. I think my intervals have been a little high and been wearing myself out so I am gonna look at the data today.

This was my run on snow and ice the other day. 7:43 pace for 8 miles so pretty good bc a couple were at 8:20 when not on the straight trail.

Did 2x5min intervals today at 27.1 and 27.3 at 81 RPM and 156 HR AVG. Also working on a testing protocol for my aero helmet.

DIY Homemade Aero Helmet V2.0

2010-01-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

Well, this was based on what the riders at the 2009 Tour de France were wearing bc I could get specs on them. My dad had an idea for a foam cutout for the rear that would be lightweight and be able to be taped over yet sturdy enough. I will have to look more into fiberglass cloth and some other options for the final version bc this one is SWEET!

This is trying to show the curve to the underside.

This photo you can kind of see the curve back under the around the back of the neck and out.

Homemade Aero Helmet DIY

2010-01-24T12:14:00.000-08:00

Well, here are the pics. I am pretty sure I am gonna refine with an actual plastic shell. Any comments or suggestions are more then welcome. This should be better then the Ski conversion kit bc I don't need too real of tools. A dremel should cut it.

10 Mile Trainer TT

2010-01-21T12:15:00.001-08:00

This is the hardest workout that I do and I don't do it often. The conditions are essentially the same every time so it is a great test. I had a little more then 3 beers last night so today was prolly not the "best" time to try but I need to get better about both testing and hitting workouts when I plan for them.

I hit 23:51 with a HR of 163 and cadence of 79. I was the same weight as a year ago and my HR was up 7 and cadence up 3 and I took 2 seconds off my time. The HR was prolly due to not as god an effort overall. I died more then then this time so this time if I did 10 more minutes I would have come out a lot better. I also had a different tire on (need to get a conti yellow). From this effort I am going to adjust my LT HR down 2 beats to 165 as that is where I sat at most of the time with a max of 168 when I hit the last .4 miles killer hard (belched up some stuff from the stomach in true give it all fashion).

After not biking after KS (6 months) and just 2 weeks in the saddle with the TT bike and a tough day yesterday and some other good stuff this week I am very pleased. It is odd that I am hitting my biking and swimming right on while running has been the focus and I am not hitting those marks. I think that is due to the low volume of speed work due to the stroller. The running feels like it is there but it is too hit and miss. Want to do some mile repeats coming up.

First swim in 7 months and a 500 yard PR!

2010-01-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

So, no swimming since Kansas at all but I have been reading and thinking about it a lot. That is funny but it is meant to be serious. I have also been doing bands at home while thinking hard about swimming. Really thinking. Anyway I broke my 500 yard pool time by 4 seconds! I took it down to a 7:49 with no flip turns. Also hit 4x100 in 1:24-1:29. 1900 total which is pretty sweet.

New motivational poster

2010-01-15T08:39:00.001-08:00

Got on the trainer and did 30 minutes of 56x11 at 52-55 rpm in aero position. Starting to feel it all come back. Might actually be ready for the TT effort here soon.

First Real Trainer ride with TT bike

2010-01-11T09:03:00.000-08:00

Took the bike to the clubhouse since I dislike the cold garage (not attached and no sun).

Did 2x1 min to warm up, then 2x5min (26.7@157 cad 90, 26.4@158 cad 76 ) then 1 leg each leg for 1 min then 5 min 56x12 gear at 55rpm. Went through 1 and 3/4 bottles bc it was too hot in there. Here is a crappy picture I took of myself in the mirror.

Yearly Totals

2010-01-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

Run: 1465 (28 miles a week)

Bike: 1975 (37 miles a week)

Swim: 9.6 (311 yards a week)

Races 8, Triathlons 1

Seeing as year one of having a child is over I would say this was a successful year in light of those totals. I wish my weight had been more under control and the consistency really needs work.

I would like to run the same amount while getting in more biking (have to see how towing the stroller goes for miles in). Get in 50 miles swimming will also be a goal as it can be hard to get away from daddy day care. I also want to do 4 triathlons next year and at 12 races.

Weight is still the number one priority especially with the 9 pound gain during a 15 day span. STUPID.

The good and bad of being your own enemy.

2009-12-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

(This is a little old but I had a draft sitting here but I think I will just publish it as is)

The other day I ate at chik fil a and ate like I would want my enemy to eat. To rectify the situation I went out and did the workout that I would not want my enemy to do.

It was cold and pouring rain and I got in 7 good miles with 8x100 100 yard strides at 18 seconds each. I then knocked out a 65 second 400 in my trail shoes. I matched my PR when all the circumstances were wrong. I collapsed on the track in the dark and then did a cool down lap before just standing in the moonlight with the cold rain beating down on me until I started to cool down too much.

I am going to hang on to this moment because it is truly at the heart of what I do. It is the why. The why is something that I struggle to explain to myself and others. It is why I need it but also want it. "It" is different to many other people. It is a journey (pardon the pun) to mentally become the person that I feel I am.

New phone and more running

2009-12-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

Posting this from my blackberry of which I alsi tweet my workouts to the right of this blog. Julie will also be able to track me with gps when I ride. Have 44 mile in 4 days and it is adding up in my quads. Wish I had my scale for weight management.

No go on Chariot ski conversion

2009-12-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

My homemade contraption failed. But at least I saw a guy who had one and said that you really need a groomed trail and that snowshoeing with it might make it a little too bouncy against the stomach which was my main problem. So a big no go.

I have a lot of motivation right now but the weather is just too sucky to get good workouts in. Hitting the trainer 1.5 hours before I am normally in bed doesn't seem like much of an option. Gonna have to try hard to figure something out. That was the purpose of this whole snowshoe thing.

Planning mt trainer rides and building a ski kit for the Chariot.

2009-12-14T07:29:00.001-08:00

Have my races pretty well figured out whether I am in Utah or Missouri. We are leaving this weekend to go to STL until Jan 2 and then I will have my Garmin sensor back and my Tri bike by the end of January. I checked last year and got my times and stuff down.

10 mile TT: 23:52 (25.1) HR154 cad 79

Best workout: 5x5 minute intervals with ow at 26.4 mph

Best single interval: 27.6 @ HR 157 cad 86

I am using 167 as my LT so either it is too high or I am not going hard enough.

I am gonna hit the 10 mile TT right away. Get in 3 interval workouts and then do a 20 and then 3 more and another 10. Then 3 more and a 40K. Those 13 workouts will show me what I need to work on. Gonna keep hitting base until then.

Got two kids snowboards that have pre-drilled holes and some aluminum window sliders to build a ski kit for the chariot so I can pull it behind me when I am snowshoeing. Should be interesting and a killer workout either way. Will put pics up when I am done. So far I have spent 10 dollars and hoping to keep it to 15. The kit is $275 from REI.

Race Report: Too cold for Montana even

2009-12-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

Well it was 10 degrees and 20-25 mph winds. They cut the 1/2 marathon to a 10 mile run. I have NEVER had a decent race in the cold. Give me 100 degrees and I am golden. That said I went out the first 4 miles holding back at a 6:10 pace, around 31 minutes for 5 miles, and then came through six miles at a overall of 6:19 since there was into the wind running. . The next 4 my avg shot up to a 6:44 avg and I had to walk bc I threw up a little bit running at a 7:40 pace. I was just on fire cold. With my legs at different lengths the cold just kills my circulation. A guy who can run a 1:09 half went 58:15 for this 10 mile so my 1:07 wasn't so bad. Should have done the 5K. Prolly would have set a PR.

My running partner Dale Reese was only a minute behind me and had the best race of everyone by far. Congrats!

Turkey Trot 5 Mile

2009-11-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

30:13 for 5 miles. My placement between two 16:43 (5:34 pace on a tough 3 mile course) high school runners was the real result. I lost by only 10 seconds to the person who won the Mount Sentinel Hill climb over my 3rd place by over 1 minute.

Did a 3 mile warm up with 2x100 and 2x400 in 73 and 74. It was 32 degrees and fairly windy with an upgrade going out. Splits were 5:55, 6:12, 6:10, 5:55, 5:56. Was 169.6 this morning so if I can get back on track this bodes well. Will have some pictures from a friend later.

The only thing is that I still do not know how to run the 1/2 marathon. I think I will just let the weather and how I feel decide and go with whatever feels comfortable.

Review: Teva X-1 Evolution Trail Shoe

2009-11-17T07:45:00.000-08:00

I am a HUGE fan of Teva sandals and have even run 14 miles in the desert at once in them. I had high hopes for their trail shoes.

Paid $54.99

PROS

Lightest trail shoes on the planet.

Awesome soles and traction design.

The heel is non rubbing, a big issue with me.

CONS

Lasted 250 miles before the sides about 1 inch back from the pinky and big toes started busting out. This is my limiting factor in shoe wear and it usually happens later.

They run a 1/2 size small so I am a 10 normally and a 9.5 in these so Internet ordering could be problematic.

FINAL

I really want to try Tevas again someday and if you dont have the same shoe issue break point as I do then these are pretty sweet if they fit. You could prolly get your 400 miles out of them. I did do a 2:40:00 run in them and they worked well. A little toe bumping but I was cold and it was a 7 mile downhill run to finish.

Next shoe: Saucony Grid Excursion TR 3 that I got from returning the tevas and paying 15 bucks bc I only got 50 back on the Tevas. $64.99. I race in the A2's so I hope these are good.

Track and then food poisoning

2009-11-15T09:32:00.001-08:00

Did an 11 mile workout with 8x400 in 86, 74, 73, 74, 73, 74, 73, 70 so 2 miles at a 5 minute mile. The first was slow bc it was so cold. I am not fast in cold so this 5 minute nile thing might be a stretch if the weather doesn't warm up.

Got home feeling a little bad and Julie was over her bucket. 15 minutes later the stomach cramps come on. 12 hours later and losing everything from both ends and only a sprite for food I finally got something down. Still recovering and taking care of the wee one puts a little damper on recovery. First time being full time parents has been a bad thing since she would scream non-stop if we left her somewhere. Oh well, feeling better today.

RACE!!! Mount Sentinel Hill Climb

2009-11-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

2000 feet of gain in 2.3 miles. I really hope that pain is weakness leaving the body. I managed 3rd overall of about 50 and beat my two marks. My time was 27:45 which is awesome. I thought I had a long shot chance for 28. There was another kid and me trading places the last 1/3 really running on each others heels. ON the super steep finish I walked a tad to get behind him so I could get some speed to pass. I blew by and since he didn't respond my brain had time to think and I barely made the finish. Least left at the finish ever in a race. It was cold and the lungs were burning. Everyone went out too fast. I was in 6th for a while until I started to pick people off.

My fitness is really there and as soon as this weight is gone and the sleep gets a little better I will be gunning it back in the Midwest. Can't wait. Gonna try the timed mile this week with this race still in my mind. Jogged down real real easy so not as sore as you would think.

Track and my role model.

2009-11-03T16:36:00.000-08:00

Saw 82 year young Bob Hayes today and asked if he was doing the hill climb. He said he just got done running the M trail (20 something grade for .7 miles) to "get in shape". Awesome.

Did a track workout today with 8x100 with 100 recovery on the minute. Then 4x800: 2:37, 2:40, 2:35, 2:31. Really awesome bc it was a dirt track and these times are better then last year and without anyone around for pacing. My HR Avg and Max were both the highest during the first one so that is something to learn from for sure. I think I went out just too fast. The style of interval warmup I think really did help though. Without the stroller it might have been better. I also only had a minute recovery from this set before the set so that could have also played a factor.

Missed weight target

2009-10-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well, my birthday was wed and so by fri I was way up for the week. Started "The Daily Plate" calorie tracker over at Livestrong. Gonna go for 2500 calories a day for a week and see what that does. I will eat more on Sunday for the long workout though.

I am feeling super strong in the hills lately although my back threw me for a loop this week. ON track to hit 65+ miles this week and will cut back next week a little bc of the race. Fri and Sat will be a little easier. This weight loss really needs to stay on track bc I am starting to feel really good running and I am getting stronger with the stroller at the same time.

Race up Mount Sentinel next Sun. Brutal, 1950 ft in 2.3 miles for 16.1 % grade with the start being around 20 %. Going for under 30 minutes. 28 would be in my dream world bc last year I ran 25:03 for 1.75 miles up a steeper route which ends up being faster at these grades.

Wallman trail and updates.

2009-10-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

Down 10 pounds from Aug 15. Updated my measurements and my quads are getting bigger in respect to my calves. That bodes well for triathlon, up to a ratio of 1.56 from 1.44 this year. Must be the jogging stroller. Measure again in January and compare every 3 months after that. ALso lost .5 inch on my waist. Also did chest a measurement too. my BIO is all updated on the right of this page.

Hit Wallman trail (3200 ft gain manually, 4100 garmin) and rocked the climbs. 11.4 miles all together but more like 13-14 with the hills and trails. Need to do some long stuff and some really fast stuff for the half mary coming up in Dec. The hill climb on Nov 8 should go really well and then need to get ready for the Turkey trot so I know what I need to try and pace the 1/2 at. Worked really well last year so will just do the same this year.

Snow Already?

2009-10-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

26 degrees out and snow yesterday during my run. The wind was the only thing that makes these temps troublesome. Baby Journey and I braved the elements for our 10 mile run. The stroller is nice bc you can wear whatever you want to start and shed stuff and have a place to put it quick and easy and get back on if you need. Now everyone out there thinking about not going out in any weather has to wait until it at least gets worse then these conditions.

Weight loss is coming along and I am 6.8 pounds down from Aug 15 and it will start getting tough in a little while esp as the temps drop. I am starting to look for an Iron to do to keep me motivated to loose the weight on track.

Cyclocross Sucks

2009-10-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Well its 85 for the series instead of 25 bc of the insurance that I was supossed to know about since 3/4 events I have done have NOT had it and since MBRA gets money from it then the race should be listed on their website right? Wrong. Oh well. Missoula sucks more and more. The race was a wash bc I wasnt able to get to the start fast enough to line up and the race was over from there. To narrow to pass until I was already 1/2 mile behind the leaders. Stupid. Need a bigger ego and to cheat and get on the outside just like 70.3 races riding in the other lane. Oh well, the midwest is better.

People are actually arguring that bulbouts that recently caused a racer in down to go down bc of being pinched between it and the bulbout. People are saying that cyclists pretty much have Zero right to the road. Wonderful that cyclists hate cyclists. Can't wait to get out of here.

In other news my weight loss is going on track and running is going pretty well but my speed is truly gone. Gonna have to find a way to deal with that. Next race is Oct 17 and is a flat open trail 5K.

Runnig with the Buffaloes

2009-09-28T07:31:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading "Running with the Buffaloes" by Chris Lear. It follows the Colorado Cross Country Team the season Adam Goucher won the national title. There is a person in the book that really resonates with myself. That person is Chris Severy. He was a Biology major who loved cycling but gave it up bc of the tactics and people. He loved running and cycling hills and taking risks. An atheist who could not understand faith or having something "in Gods hands" the only faith he could grasp was that hard work would pay off. He lived in an off the grid cabin 2500 ft above campus bc he believed it would enrich him personally.

The similarities continue on a more minute scale until one occasion. He decided to start bicycle commuting to school. I decided the same thing living in a tent in Utah also 2500 feet up from town. On a Monday morning I hiked 300 ft down the mountain to the road and got on my bike all dressed and clipped in. Then I decided it was too cold to use my brakes properly (hands would be cold and I would be riding in fists) and I could not wear my sunglasses bc it was too dark and not wearing them would make my eyes freeze. I walked up to my car and drove down. Chris did not make that same decision and never made it down his mountain. Something caused him to veer off the roadway and hit a tree killing him instantly.

I haven't really figured out what to do with this message. Maybe it was the way the book was written when it mentioned Sev's death. I guess I will just run.

Testing shows progress.

2009-09-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

Been a week since the 5 x 1/2mile repeats. Went faster (3:08,3:06,3:05,3:06,2:49)Z4 7:15 Z5 1:45. I was in Zone 4 for 1:45 less and Z5 for :15 more then last time and took a total of 10 seconds off the work effort. This is important bc sometimes those 2 seconds per 800 don't seem like much. The first four are always controlled and then I try to stay in the first half of zone 4 after .2 miles. This just works best with the stroller and provides a decent baseline for testing for faster efforts at a similar HR. Got up t0 182 on the last one. Only get that high about once a year. Also easy to repeat. There was some smoke in the air so I also took it a little cautious.

Cross practice was last night and this series is going to be AWESOME. Weekly races to report on as well. The competition here is really good so just hoping to have solid efforts.

Stay on Target, Stay on Target.

2009-09-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

A little Star Wars reference to start off. Training has been going alright but I almost lost focus on the weight loss. You see, I think I have accomplished about what I want to sitting around 180 and at 5'10". My low weight since adulthood I believe is 163 twice and running felt sweet. I know I can get lower then that and it would be nice ot see what target I can hit. I also think I will be less injury prone (not that I am) and less fatigued (not trying to loose weight all the time).

Here is the science. The site I use also has a predicted time that show 4 different models to get you a predictor and the rest of the site is pretty awesome as well.
http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/weighteffect.php?metres=21100&hr=1&min=23&sec=59&weight=172&weightunits=lbs&Submit=Calculate

In my own research in recent years the "beefiest" triathletes to do well are Andy Potts, TJ Tollakson, and Raynard Tissnik. They all sit right around 22.4 BMI. TJ is also 5'10" and my build and he weighs in a little more then 156 most the time but gets down there on his best performances and has talked abotu his struggles with "performance: wieght quite a bit. I think I just want to hit the upper end of this and get to at least under 160 to see how my performance can improve.

At 172 I set my 5K (18:00) and 13.1 (1:24:00) records and if I were to get down near 156 I would be in the mid 16's and 1:17 for the half. I also truly "feel" like I would be able to hit these.

The best race I ever had in comparison to others in the Mountain climb. The worst was a downhill 1/2 in Bryce Canyon. When I am light the downhills get better. I think I transfer over the hills from cycling. My build and weight is somewhat close to Lance so it makes sense that I can hold my own cycling uphill but not running. I am always in the constant battle to train well (which I know you need to be properly fueled, which means not loosing weight for me) and being lighter. I know other people also struggle with this as many of our current weights are healthy bc of our lifestyle btu maybe not in performance.

5:26 timed mile and new motivation.

2009-09-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it wasnt in the cards. Today was a low weight day. Historically intervals on a day like today are bad to say the least. I ate a lot this morning to try and get some fuel back in me but still felt like crap (it is hit/miss on track night at 6 pm, typically either awesome or horrible). Warm up was prolly too short and my flying start 100's were only around 19 seconds.

Went out in 35 (4:40 pace) and around the lap in 73. Bad idea. Then 2:35, 4:00, 4:26. I had had almost as fast uphill 1/2 mile with the stroller earlier in the week. It was the lungs that were the weak link. That makes sense given the training I have been doing. I am going again in two weekends on my own terms and with a much longer and better warm up. Gonna use this time to really hit the intervals hard. Gonna try and get some more Zone 5 stuff going.

Real workout in quest for 4:59 mile

2009-09-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hit the packed gravel trail with the stroller today for 9.3 miles with 5x 1/2M intervals trying to hit Z4 by .15M into the interval. Managed 3:06,3:07,3:09,3:10,2:53 with 9 min in Z4 and 1:30 in Z5 all on the last interval. I think that is around all you can manage with a stroller in the conditions that I was in. Maybe might be able to hit 2:45 on a good day but that would be it.

On Tues I go for one of the Tony Rigdon challenge goals. (actually he missed this obvious one but added it after I said something. The goal is a sub 5 minute mile. Now I have never done this before so it is a little more elusive and my training has not been up to par for it. I think it is short enough though that I will be able to push through. That last interval today was meant to simulate how it would feel. The only thing I think will hold me back is just an off day or not having the speed the first 400. If I make it 3 laps it should be in the bag. We will see.

Off to Glacier National Park for the weekend to hike to a glacier before they dissapear.