You’ve got mail–Big Block Running Volume

I got an email from Ginny at Happy Feet 26.2 inquiring about some big volume blocks that I did last year.  I have run with Ginny may times over the past couple of years.  She is a good friend.  Ginny also does a heck of a lot of volume herself and she went to Boston last year.

Hello James,

I am working on my training for Snickers in March.  It will obviously be a shortened program because of Huntsville [Ginny just did the Rocket City Marathon].  I am not worried about the shortened program at all, because I think I have maintained my fitness and will come back fast.  Just trying not to, come back too fast.

Anyway, I wanted to ask you about the workout you did, something like 15, 15, 15 in 3 days, or something similar.  First, do you think that helped you in your training?  When did you do this in relation to your race date?  I'm always looking for new things to try, and love some variety.  With the high mileage that I ran before Huntsville, I think I would be up for something similar this time.  In the past, I would not have attempted it for fear of injury, but now I feel my mileage has been, and will be, high enough to give it a try.

Please share what you can with me about it, or any other  things you feel "really worked well" for you in training.

I will continue with tempos, intervals, and long runs, but just looking to mix things up a little.

My reply:

Hey Ginny -

I got idea from hearing something about increasing your mileage for running an ultra.  Most ultra runners do not do many long runs longer than what we do for marathon training they just do more back to back mileage.  Since I have time off over the holidays I decided to get some major volume blocks.  I thank I got 3 blocks of right at 50 miles [15 – 15 – 20].  This was all LSD type running – I mean completely conversational comfortable running pace.

I can’t really say if it helped me in my marathons but it certainly did allow for me to adapt to running on tired / fatigued legs.  In fact, I just finished up a couple of more large running blocks.  I had two 6 day blocks that just kissed 70 miles.  Just this week I have decided to shut down the high volume with 6 weeks left before my A race marathon.  Now I will be concentrating on much more intensity.  It will be 3 challenging runs each week – intervals, tempo and long run at marathon or near marathon pace. 

If you do a block of high volume I think you have to shut down the intensity.  If you do speed and volume I think you are asking for trouble.

James – See you at the Steam Whistle 12K

I think the large blocks have helped in my running.  They have allowed for me to adapt to running on fatigued legs. 
My belief is that running with the tired legs should allow for you to push the wall further back in a race.  When I ran the Mardi Gras marathon last year I did not hit the wall – sure the race got harder (much harder) around mile 22 / 23 but I was able to maintain pace – or enough of my pace to reach my goal.  The race was pretty evenly split (1:34:00 / 1:34:44).  This year’s race is going to be very difficult and I hope that my extra volume blocks will push that wall back even further – I’m trying to push it back somewhere in the vicinity of mile 27.

You can see the traces of the wall just after mile 20

(you also turned into a head wind at about mile 23 – nice).

Projected 2011 Mardi Gras Marathon – NO WALL.

A quick disclaimer:  I get the holidays off from work.  This lets me recover fully from this high volume blocks of running.  In truth, I really needed down time last year when I ran big blocks.  I would take an ice bath while sipping a recovery shake.  Then maybe even a nap.  This year I have run the high volume faster and the recovery has bee much easier.  Your mileage may vary. 

Volume DOWN / Intensity UP–Steam Whistle Race Strategy

I went for the first bike ride in a couple of months on Tuesday.  The temperature was in the high 40’s.  Having not even really ridden the trainer or anything I was in for a wake call.  The pace was not blistering but I could really tell that my form was off.

The four of us got off of the trace and hit the biggest hills around (still not much).  There were a few surges but also nothing to write home about.  However, I could really feel the fatigue in my legs.  I never took a pull.  I never surged ahead.  I just stayed in the draft.   I enjoyed the ride but it reminded my of how far off my bike gets in the winter.  After about 35 miles I started to get cold – my feet and hands were hurting.  I also started to think a lot about food.  This is never a good sign.  I was fantasizing about a big hot bowl of soup.  I could almost taste it.  Sam also started to talk about food.  When we stopped for water he called ahead home to have a couple of pizzas put in the oven and some hot soup on the stove.  I went over to his house after the ride and chowed down.  Then I warmed up next to the fireplace.  It was a good end to a cold bike ride.  There is a big hilly bike ride on Thursday but I don't think it would fit into the training plan (I'm just not up for it).

If you remember, a few posts back I talked about how many bike rides you can have while training for a marathon PR – the answer was zero.  So what was I doing?  Well, the BIG volume portion of my training plan has come to an end.  I was able to point together a couple of 70 mile weeks and now I move into the intensity phase of the program. 

The program will switch from the high volume comfortable pace portion to a FIRST (Furman Institute) high intensity phase.  There will be 3 challenging runs each week consisting of hard intervals, hard tempos, and long runs at marathon or near marathon pace.

I did the first short run I have done in a while.  It was actually shorter than I had intended.  I want to run 5 miles at sub 6:30 pace (7 miles total with a mile warm up and a mile cool down).  When running at intensity I tend to run by pace and not heart rate or feel – just by pace.  This has been slapping me in the face the past couple of runs.  This intensity is really testing me – I should be able to run these paces but they have been putting me on the ropes.  My running course is slightly uphill for about 6 miles.  This is what has been putting it to me.  So this faster run today was cut short.  I did the warm up mile at 7:30ish and then picked up the pace.  I ran the first mile and turned around.  The mile was at 6:29 pace but felt much too hard to continue an additional mile and half before turning around.  However, the next two miles, after having turned back, were much faster (and slightly easier).  These next two miles clicked off in the high 6-teens (like 18 and 19).  I need to be a little smarter when doing these run.  I need to get the necessary mileage without blowing up.



This course that I run is also part of the Steam Whistle 12K that will be taking place on the first.  Looking at last years race I averaged 6:39 pace.  The first two miles were 6:34 / 6:35.  Then it looks like I blew up a little – the next two miles were 6:49 / 6:54.  Then the turn around and running slightly down hill brought the rest of the miles at 6:40 or less with the fastest being 6:31.  Knowing that the race is faster on the ‘back’ portion I need to settle on a hard effort on the out and really push the pace on the back.  I’m not looking forward to the intensity but I am looking for a PR.

Christmas running and TRX

We spent some time in Texas this past week visiting my father and my sister and her family. It was a lot of fun. I did get two hilly 8 mile runs in and a short visit to the gym. My father has found some friends from the Master Gardeners club who frequent a local gym. This has motivated him to start a training session. We are all very proud of him for taking these steps. I have told him to simply start the habit of going to the gym and then we would work on the program. He is meeting with a personal trainer at the beginning of the year for an assessment. My father also signed up for a smoking cessation program at the gym (which is associated with a medical center).


After we got home it was more running. On Christmas Eve the weather was cold (low 40’s) and I went for a quality session. It was difficult. I wanted 14 miles with 10 of them fast. I did my warm up and then kicked it into high gear – high gear for me anyway. The 10 miles I wanted to run at my hope to be new half marathon pace – 6:35 minutes per mile. This pace only worked for a few miles before I started to implode. I always try to push the pace knowing that there is a slight incline heading out. I usually train on the Long Leaf Trace which is a rails to trails. There are zero hills on the rails to trails but very long slight inclines. It is much more noticeable on the bike than the run; however, the incline is evident as soon as you head back.

Well, I always try to push the pace and I usually fail. And I did fail on this run. However, I did adjust and made the run of a longer interval type run. After the 4 miles at projected pace I shut it down and ran my comfortable pace for a mile (comfortable being 8 minutes per mile). I then ran several sets of 2 mile intervals at pace. I just simply tried to keep the pace as fast as possible which was in the 6:30’s and 6:40’s. I wrapped up the session with 13 miles at an average of 7:30 minute per mile pace. Although the session was not complete as prescribed it ended up being a challenging run.

On Christmas day I went for an easy run. Once again the pace would be comfortable. I was running by heart rate so the pace would settle in around 7:30. The temperature had dropped from the day before and the wind was rather brisk. I wanted to turn around after the first mile. I was cold and running into the wind was tough. I persevered and came up on another running out on the trace. I yelled at him from a good distance – I hate startling people at on the run. He had his music blaring and did see or hear me until I passed. He jumped a bit. He was running a little bit slower than me. I slowed a little bit and he picked up the pace a little bit. He was here visiting family from New Orleans. There are few strangers when out running. We ran the next 5 or 6 miles and just talked shop. We had both done the Jazz Half in October and the Mardi gras marathon back in February. We were evening matched in pace. Oh how I prefer some company when out on these runs. Talking with Scott from New Orleans allowed for both of us to push the pace and get our miles. This run was easy and I ended up with 10 miles at a 7:20 minute per mile pace.

Later, on Christmas day I tried at the TRX for the first time. I set up the trainer in my garage with an older TV and DVD player. After I watched the introduction video it was very easy to set up the TRX suspension trainer. In addition, adjusting the suspension trainer for the various exercises was a piece of cake. The system really is easy to go from one exercise to the next. I also liked how you can make each exercise harder or easier with simply the stance or your proximity to the anchor. The workout was comfortably challenging. It was very different from one of my typical weight workouts. It was more fluid and, sorry for this, “Zen like”. I felt like my body really was working as a complete unit – none of the isolation that I experience with normal strength training. In addition, the workout had several stretching routines at the end. I normally do not do any stretching but I could feel it throughout my body. It was positive experience. I am excited about adding this suspension training to my normal workout routine. I believe that strengthen my core via suspension training will help with triathlon – the swim, the bike and the swim.

High Frequency / High volume running

I have been working my frequency with the running. After the Baton Rouge Beach Half Marathon I took a day off from running. But I have run every day since. This gave me 11 days straight and a total mileage of just over a hundred. In these 11 days I ran 16 separate sessions. However, the run volume was weighted on the backend. For the past 7 days I have run 6 – 11 – 12 – 6 – 18 – 12 – 6 for a total of 71 miles. In this 7 day stretch I ran 10 times. The shortest run was 6 miles and the longest was 12 miles.

I never felt any soreness. There have been no signs of overuse or nagging aches and pains. However, after the 18 miles on Tuesday (these were 3 runs at AM / NOON / PM) I did start to feel fatigue. My legs were getting tired but that is something that is not uncommon. The fatigue would go away after the first couple of miles of the next session.

One thing to note about every one of these miles since Baton Rouge is that they have all been at a comfortable pace (just under 8 minutes per mile). There have been no tempo runs, no intervals and really not even any strides. The Wednesday before last I did run the coliseum steps (basketball stadium) on campus. This workout equates to very hard and steep hill repeats of short duration. This was a real challenge. The repeats (45 of them) were run with very little recovery (about 10 seconds). I had planned on doing 60 repeats but I was overcome. That is the first time in training that I really thought that I was going to throw up. I can get that feeling in races but not in training unless the heat index is 110+. The coliseum was comfortable – it was just a really hard workout.

For my taper I took yesterday off from running. I did however join some friends for some mountain bike riding. The air was brisk and the temperature was in the 40’s. I was riding with buddies that have better mountain biking skills than I. I also decided to put a pair of old road bike clip less pedals on the mountain bike. This would be the first time with clip less pedal off road. Would this be a mistake during a taper for a half marathon?

Of course, I knew it would be. I had 3 low speed crashes out on the trails. Nothing major, I am good at falling. The first two falls were at very low speed while climbing steep sections of the trail. I just lost momentum and fell over sideways. There was no harm and no foul. However, I am not sure what happened the last time I crashed. We were actually heading out of the woods and we were ready to call it a day. I think I just lost concentration and my front wheel turned out from under me. I went down harder than the other two falls. I banged my shin on the left leg and my foot on the right. When I got home I took a look and there was a pretty big bruise on the top of my right foot. It was sore all night. Fortunately, today the bruise is barely noticeable.

The Ole Man River Half is tomorrow and I still think I will be able to give this race a run for its money. The temperature should be a little cooler than Baton Rouge and the course is definitely flatter. There are no hills around City Park in New Orleans. I blew up at this race last year. I was chasing a friend that went out way too fast for me. I basically ran much too hard for 2 miles and then suffered for the next 11 just trying to hang on – it was a very difficult race for me. I did end up with a PR but that is not the fastest way around the track.

It will be an interesting test to see if the higher volume of the last week will allow for me to push the pace and achieve another PR. When asked what are the goals for the race I always say, “To run as fast as I have ever run before.” This has been working for me so far.

Running for breakfast

The temperature was in the low 50’s on Saturday. The group road bike ride was starting at 10AM. I wanted a few running miles before holding a wheel in the cool weather. I was planning on an easy 6 miles. At Clyde Station I ran into a Kevin. Kevin and I did NO70.3 together last year. I decided to grab a few miles with him. We chatted about training and upcoming races. The Mardi gras marathon will be Kevin’s first full marathon.


At about 4 miles into the run I ran into Sam, Robin, Dan and Steve. They were working on the tail end of a 10 mile run. I jumped on with them. There was more training and running talk. I knew that I was going to miss the group ride but I was okay with that.

We ended up at Sam’s house where he treated us to eggs, bacon, pancakes and coffee. It was such a get together. Believe it or not I did not eat too much – I still had to run home. We sat and talked for a while and then I headed home. I ended up with 11 miles for the morning.
Sunday I wanted to do my hard, long weekend run. The weather turned much cooler and the wind really picked up. I started out and wanted to turn back after the first quarter mile. I was cold and the wind was burning my face. For you Northern people- it was only like 45 degrees but I was cold. I persevered and got 12 miles for the morning – none of them fast. It was a comfortable run and I averaged right around 7:30 pace.

Just after lunch I met up with the guys for a mountain bike ride. There was a group road bike ride taking place at the same time but the cold temperatures and wind kept me away. An hour on the mountain bike friends proved just about right.

For the week, I ended up with 51 miles running and close to 3 hours on the bike.

The triathlete’s dilemma

For many triathletes the off season means getting back into the weight room and base building. This is a time to work on weaknesses and limiters. It has been a tough couple of months of fitting in 3 swims, 3 bikes and 3 runs. For me the off season means running – and lots of it. Ask the experts and they will tell you that an off season marathon does nothing for ironman – not to mention for sprint or Olympic distance triathlon. However, it is the premier running distance.
Last year I decided to put together a solid effort at the marathon. I had never run a marathon but I was determined to Boston Qualify. I went from a half marathon time of 1:37 and dropped it too 1:29:30 – A solid 7 minute gain. I got my BQ in my first and only marathon at Mardi gras with a time of 3:08:44 – evenly split mind you (1:34:00 / 1:34:44).

However, during that run period my cycling suffered. Looking at my triathlon races this past year my cycling did improve but it was incremental. Compared to my compatriots I lost time on the bike.
My dilemma is how much cycling can you do when you want to put up the best possible time in a marathon? I have been riding the trainer two mornings each week and then hitting the group ride on the weekend. The trainer sessions have been purposeful. I have been attempting to ride 2 x 20 minutes at FTP (functional threshold power). FTP is the maximal power that can be maintained for 1 hour. The 2 x 20 minutes sessions are based on a percentage of this FTP.
Being in Australia for the month of November I was not able to keep up with my bike fitness. In addition I also increased my run volume. I have been unsuccessful in my trainer sessions and seen little to no progress.

So back to the question at hand – How many times can you ride each week and still put together a PR marathon. Unfortunately the answer is zero.

Kicking the habit

I have been slacking again. Just not working the plan.


Instead, I have been playing games – Racquet Ball (say that like NEWMAN). I have played racquet ball almost every day this week. Sure it has been fun and I dominate like nobodies business but it is just a dang game. It really is just exercise. It will not improving my running, biking or swimming. Sure, I enjoy destroying and humiliating my co-workers on the court but I am only hurting myself.

I have a half marathon at the end of this month but it not an A race. But it is a benchmark race. You see, I will use this race to see where I am in my running and base my paces off of this race. I believe that I can be successful in this race (PR) but I have not trained effectively for it.

However, today my racquet cohorts were occupied and this worked out for the better. I went for a 6 mile run at lunch with Chad. The weather was beautiful and it was good to get outside. We started out easy and I pushed the pace – just a little bit. Each mile was progressively faster. It felt good.

I am on Day 1 of kicking the racquet ball habit.

This running thing is really just a mental game.

I love it when a plan comes together! - John 'Hannibal' Smith

Are we success junkies? I used to work in management – a long time ago. When I had to fill a position there was always a length interview process and all of that stuff. But most of the time it came down to the person. You can teach most anyone a skill set. It is much harder (near impossible) to try and change someone’s basic philosophy. Are they a ‘go getter’? Do they take pride in their accomplishments? Do they attribute their failures to external factors? I was late again because of the traffic, I did not get the report done because … we it doesn’t matter – the bottom line is you did not complete the task.

Anyway, I digress. I think most of us in this same blog-o-sphere like to succeed. We put ourselves in positions so that we reach our goals. And I am not talking about little easy goals like getting out of bed or holding down a job. We set goals that are out of our reach – goals that would have been impossible weeks, months, or years ago. But we plan them out and we achieve them. We do this because we like to succeed. And, as we know, success breeds more success. You meet you goal for a 5k and the next thing you know you want to go faster. Now you want to go further and faster!

On Thursday night I failed. I had planned on running home from work – about 6 miles (funny, I say about six miles but I know exactly how far it is – it is like someone asking you what your PR is for whatever – Oh yeah, my ironman was something like 11:18:14 – something like that – I can tell you the splits - lol). I set myself up for failure. I put this workout at the end of the day when I know I am statistically less likely to be successful. On top of running late in the day, after two prior exercise sessions, this would be a demanding workout – I wanted to run home and I wanted to run fast.

I ended up skipping the workout – failure. I was given an opportunity to get home and I took it.
This affected me Thursday evening. I mean, I was not devastated but I was disappointed in myself. I needed a victory. Instead of Adult Swim this morning I put the run back on the docket. I was going to run into work and I was going to run fast. Oh, wait a minute – this was going to be a hard workout and what if I failed? I need to ensure success but it still had to have some meat to it – it could not be a walk in the park. Well, I did a quick evaluation. Tuesday night (yes night – after work) I had some success. I ran 6 miles and 4 of them were fast – miles 2, 3, 4 (that was the success – 3 consecutively fast miles) and mile 6 (6:30 minute per mile is fast for me right now). This was a hard workout for me. I decided to call up the ole virtual nemesis on the GPS but I was going to be successful – I need 5 consecutive ‘pretty’ fast miles. I plugged in the numbers for 5 miles at – wait for it – 6:45 pace. What? Slowing it down? I think it would have been difficult to my ego to fail on this run. I don’t do this often but sometimes success is more important than breakthrough runs.

Anyway I started out and very little warm up and me and the nemesis were neck and neck. I started to put some distance between us. I was running comfortably hard but I was not overdoing it. I was cruising along. The gap between us widened some and then he started to fall back a little bit. I never looked at my pace but I knew that I was a little faster than 6:45. I was able to keep the pace for the entire 5 miles. This was a solid victory. I was back on track. I had almost guaranteed success. I need a win.

After the run into work I looked at my pace for the 5 miles. Well, they were all faster than 6:45 and many were faster than 6:30 – I ran the 5 miles at an average pace of 6:31. This was huge. This was a very solid run at a very solid pace. Now, I have to ask myself, “What would have been the results if I had needed to run 6:30 for success?”

I needed a W in the win column and I got it!

Sometimes you have to alter the goals – remember it is the big picture that we are after and these are just the day to day steps to get there.  This running thing really is just a mental game.

Are you a success junkie?

Biking, running, biking and unplanned eating

On Friday I went to Adult Swim. There were not a whole lot of us and Coach Steve took it easy on us. The volume was down and the intensity was down. However, there was a whole lot of drilling. Overall it was an easy session. At lunch I played a little bit of racquet ball with the ‘Pros’. I got schooled. They were impressed in my ability to run down some of their shots but – I got schooled. When I play racquet ball I am strictly a defensive player. I do not make shots I just keep the ball in play and wait for the other guy to miss a shot. This works pretty well against lesser players. However, when playing someone that can make the shots – well – I got schooled. The easy day on Friday set me up for a good bike ride on Saturday.


A smaller group met up on the south end of town and we ventured forth. This ride was not spirited. There were no big breakaways. No big gaps to bridge. But it was a good solid ride with good solid pulls. I got in one or two really good pulls – really good pulls for me. I have made it a priority to pull for at least a mile at intensity. The good part is that the faster you ride the shorter the duration. Mind you, this is all out for me. I usually have to dig deep and limp back on the pace line. I’m going to have to start pulling my time instead of distance to increase my endurance.

Sunday morning I met up with Dan and Chad for a longish run. They were getting 12 miles and I would have to run to met them. I do these runs on an empty stomach (just 2 cups of coffee). I left the house at 6AM with two gels on me. We (I) talked the whole time and really enjoyed the run. It was not overly taxing and I ended up with 14 miles averaging in the mid-to-high 8’s. I went home to recover. I was still planning on doing the Wednesday afternoon ride. I had a post workout shake and a bowl of oatmeal. At lunch I had a half pound of carrots and some humus.

I got ready for the afternoon ride and looked outside and it was pouring down raining. Not complaints here – we have not had any rain all month. The grass is brown and the plants are suffering. The rain let up a little bit (all in all we did not get very much rain but some is better than nothing) and I headed out the door. Due to the rain the Sunday group was light. I met up with four and then Raland joined us. No one wanted a spirited ride - including me. My legs were dead. Many times they will wake up after a few miles. But with the rainy road spray and the wind blowing hard we were not on our game. I think I got one good pull in and jumped back into the draft. We turned around at Sumrall. Butch, Matt and Raland put together some really strong pulls and sprints on the way back. All of these efforts were in the high 20’s (like 27 and 28 and 29) with one of the sprints at 31. I was just holding on. I rotated quickly out of the pulls.

I made my way home a little early – only 25 miles. I was in a calorie deficit when I started the ride and now I was ready to devour the house. I had set myself up for failure. I ate for about the next 4 hours. There was nothing bad in the house but the volume was impressive. I started with grilled chicken and stream vegetables. A little bit later I had some cottage cheese with fiber one cereal. A little bit later I decided to make some pancakes (high fiber pancakes – a small batch with powdered sugar). And then to finish off the night I consumed two Greek yogurts with honey. After the first meal I really was not hungry I just wanted to consume. I must take care of my nutritional needs better. I should have had a much larger meal between exercise sessions and then ate sensibly after the bike ride. Oh well, live and learn.

Run the trolley tracks

While in New Orleans I did get a couple of runs in – one was a quick 5k at the hotel fitness room and the other was with a new friend along the St. Charles trolley lines. The trolley run looks like a lot of fun, however, it had rained while we were in class and there were lots of puddles.

So I was running along with fellow triathlete Mark who is doing Branson 70.3 this weekend. As usual I was flapping my gums. I really can just go on and on with the talking. Especially while exercising. Since he has the race next weekend I said I could run any pace. This meant we settled into my comfortable zone hovering around 8 minutes per mile (maybe a hair over). It was fun dodging the puddles and yielding to the trolleys. Mark was suffering some from the 100% New Orleans humidity.

However, right at 1.5 miles Mark kicked a hidden post or something and nearly went down. We stopped immediately. He was limping a little bit. I told him (repeatedly) that this was his workout – not mine and that we could turn back at anytime. We ended up walking a half mile and running a mile for a total of 8.5 miles. A lot of the last miles were walking.

Since last month when I opened up it has been liberating. Almost complete 180 degree turn around. This is allowing for me to be more honest – to show more of who I am. Anyway, during our run / walks Mark asked me if I was married or had ever been married. I said, I am not trying to be heavy or anything but yes I was married and all of that stuff. It felt awkward. I mean that is some heavy stuff to just throw out there. No one wants a ‘fun run’ conversation to have substance.

So I have gone from telling no one to telling complete strangers. Wow. Anyway, it was not a downer for the rest of the run and I felt more genuine. In the past I would have just said nope – never married.

After the run my ‘Prickly Heat’ made more one last ditch effort of making me miserable. I showered and did the baby powder thing. Since that run last Saturday, I am happy to say that this ailment has subsided. The itching and redness has completely gone away.

I left New Orleans in the early afternoon. I enjoyed riding with Bill and we talked about the clinic. These network connections are valuable in and of themselves. I made it home just in time for Beer Club. It was a beautiful day and the Beer Club had a fair showing. My good friend Charles did show up (still on crutches) and we enjoyed chewing the fat. I think he is going to enter the homebrew contest next month.

I was exhausted from the weekend. This caught me off guard. I mean, I did not do any of the traditional New Orleans debauchery or anything. I just sat in class all day and did some moderate exercise. Sure, beer club did not help but it was also in moderation.

I skipped Adult Swim on Monday morning. This is not like me. Generally when I have a commitment I am going to make it come hell or high water. There was just no way that I was going to get up at 4:30AM and ride to work. So I missed the swim. Instead I made all of my meals for the week. I got to work and I was still feeling tired. It did not help that one of my co-workers has been suffering from a cold for the last week – all last week and still snotty this week.

I think that I started to feel the effects. So I have been slacking this week. At lunch I have played racquet ball the last two days. On Tuesday I rode the bike in and actually felt chilled. I think I will have to pull out the arm warmers. To make up for the lack of running I decided to run home after work. It was hot out but the humidity has subsided somewhat.

This would be an easy 6 mile run – just like I always do. I started out at my comfortable pace. My heart rate was in check but when I looked at my speed it was slow – like a minute slow. My heart rate climbed a little bit and my pace fell into place but my legs were killing me. They felt like I had run long the day before. I continued to run in this easy heart rate zone but nothing about this run was easy.

After three miles I called it quits. I walked the next three miles. I have never done this. It was demoralizing. I felt like a failure. I was not blown up. I was not too hot. I just did not want to run. Looking at my training for the last week I know that I am not over extended. And I actually do not feel sick – just tired. After the hour plus run / walk home (ran the first 3 miles at a low 8 pace and walked the next 3 at a 17 pace) I made myself a recovery drink.  I know that I did not need it from this session but I wanted to curb of any further decay.  I mixed up a protein shake with a health dose of BCAA's with some almond milk.  It was delicious and hopefully it will add in getting me back on track.

So here I am on Wednesday morning and I have decided to skip another Adult Swim. I am still tired and when I went to get a cup of coffee my legs were achy and fatigued.  fortunately I don;t have any races on the near horizon so I have the luxury of riding it out.

I am sure I will spring back in the next day or so and be ready to tackle a new training plan.

Running mileage and the Wednesday Night Ride

I am already signed up for the Mardi Gras marathon at the end of February and I will soon sign up for the Boston Marathon on Patriot’s Day (April). So I have started to increase my running mileage. I have really been slacking in the mileage. And on top of that all my runs have been at intensity. I have been running stadiums, tempos and intervals exclusively. I have enjoyed the intensity but I have dwindled my base.

So, over the next 3 months I have going to increase my running mileage to approximately 50 miles per week. After that I am going to cut back for several weeks and then resume training. I would like to run all of the build races that I did last year leading up to the Mardi Gras marathon. However, this time I would like to max out at close to 70 miles a week. If I can accomplish these goals progressively and injury free then I truly believe a sub 3 hour marathon is possible.

The heat has been overwhelming but I have managed several runs at the noon hour. The heat has taken a toll on the pace but they have been solid runs. My mileage this week is at nearly 20 miles.

Now back to the current. I have received so many positive responses’ regarding http://hattiesburgmultisport.com/ . I have added a calendar of standing group rides, runs and swims. The calendar has really filled out. Just a little bit of PR has gone a long ways.

The Wednesday Night Ride Race had a huge turnout! There were 13 people who showed up and the race did not disappoint. The peloton was primary pulled by only two people and everyone else was holding on for dear life. The group did eventual get split in half but it was a lot of fun for everyone. I do not know the exact mileage or speed but there were several stretches at 28 – 29 MPH. It was challenging, brutal and a whole lot of fun!

When I got home I looked like I had just gotten out of the swimming pool. I was soaked to the core from the intensity.

38. BFD.

I had a package on my door step. My father had told me that it had stuff that I would not purchase for myself. This peeked my interest. In the box were all kinds of ironman goodness. It had all things IM Louisville – socks, stickers and bandanas. It was pretty neat stuff; my father was right – I would not have purchased the items myself but I will definitely wear them. In fact the ‘head sweats’ IM thing is simply awesome under my helmet. No more sweat dripping in the eyes!

Jodie got me a new unitard but it was too big. She also got me a lot of stuff for organization. I have been complaining that I want to be more productive and now I have a lot of the tools to make this happen.

38. BFD. - not photoshopped

On the exercise front I sent an email out to the crew to for a cycling Time Trial for Tuesday morning. When I woke up but my legs were dead tired. I looked at the alarm clock and it was already 5:30 AM – I had about 5 minutes to be out the door. Oh yeah, there was also a light drizzle. I did not make the ride. I did however jump on the trainer for a recovery ride. This was an easy 45 minutes while watching yesterdays Tour de France finish.  The legs did not want to go even at the easy pace.  After about 15 minutes they felt better.  I was glad I did the trainer ride.

At lunch I met up with the running crew and did intervals. Even if my legs are tired I can always get them to perform while running. We knocked out 6 quarters, 3 1000’s and 6 200’s. These were all solid.

Running, Biking, Master's Swimming?

I have been happy to get back into my routine. The travel is fun but consistency is the key. I got back on the mountain bike and the road bike over the weekend.

It looks like a garmin ad - but these are our mountain bike trails!

I also won a cool camera from Jason at Tech-Tri! Jason had a contest and he asked for ideas regarding his taper.  He gave me and a couple other people extra entries for the plans.  I got lucky and won the camera!  I hope some of my suggestions help Jason meet his goals at the Rhode Island 70.3!  Jason is also raising money for make a wish - click here to help out.

Also, make sure you check out his blog and cheer him on!  Last week he did a brick consisting of a 3 hour ride followed by a 2 hour run - I am sure he is going to ROCK IT!

Cool camera from http://tech-tri.blogspot.com/

Speaking of contest - I have added a gadget on my sidebar to list some of the current giveaways! Check it out. 

The Tuesday / Thursday morning group ride has been powerful. This has been a lot of fun. Unfortunately the Wednesday ride (I mean race) was cancelled due to the rain. Also, trace intervals started back up on Thursday. We mixed it up a little bit – 6 x ¼ miles, 2 x ½ mile and then 4 x 200 concentrating on high leg speed. The rain started just as we finished up. We were already soaked from the solid workout!

I also got back in the pool for two really good sessions.  I have been working on breath control.  I hate doing this but I am seeing progress.  Not faster but the same speed with less effort - that is solid improvement!

Speaking of the swim, I recently met the new aquatics coordinator at the Payne Center. This is the fitness center here on campus. This is my base camp. If I did not have this facility I could not run or ride into work. Having a locker to store my work close is fantastic. However, it has made me reluctant to join the master’s swim team at the YMCA. You see, I know that I would benefit from the undertaking but I dread the idea of getting in the car and driving across town.  The coach at the YMCA has a great reputation.

So, I met Jessi Hobart, the new aquatics coordinator at the Payne Center. She recently contacted the running club inquiring about places to ride. We spoke a couple of times on the phone and she has made it out to several of the group rides – she even took a spill last weekend. It happens to the best of them.  A couple of weeks ago I mentioned to her how a master’s swim team would be great on campus.

Well, she did a whole lot of leg work and it looks like it will happen in the fall. This is all unofficial – I am not a decision maker - but it looks like the swim coach at the YMCA will be able to conduct the master’s swim sessions at the Payne Center -  Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings! The travel to the YMCA has been my only hold out to joining the master’s swim team. I know that my swim CAN and WILL improve with direct coaching and competition!

These are preliminary numbers but we need to have 13 people commit to the sessions to keep the cost reasonable ($150 a semester). If we get more people - the cost is even less. I think I know about 8 people already. Let me know if you are interested and I can get you more information.  I bet we can get a great team going!

Mountain bikes - when it rains it pours!

Check out the Tech-tri blog .  Jason is giving away a cool Canon camera!

I have been looking for about a year to find a good deal on a mountain bike. The last two bikes that I have bought have been off of eBay and they have been incredible deals. I am willing to wait until I find the right bike for the right price. I also bought some cycling gear.

So, as time sometimes happens – everything falls together at once. My helmet fits me great but the padding is starting to break down badly. Also, you should replace your helmet about every 3 years. I am a helmet proponent! I have crashed and hit my head and walked away with just a little bit of road rash. In fact, just last week one of my friends went down at the end of a group ride. He cracked his helmet through on the temple area. He was not any worse for the wear. I wear a helmet and I replace them when they get long in the tooth.

So, last Thursday I ordered a new helmet. On Friday I bought a 1 year old mountain bike on Craig’s list. Everything was looking cool. However, the more I adjusted and tinkered with the mountain bike the more I realized that it was just too big me. It looked big for me and against my better judgment I went ahead and purchased it. I just wanted a mountain bike that bad. Well, I was bummed out some but I knew that I got such a great deal that I could ride the bike for a few months while I looked for a new bike and still get my purchase price out of it (or at least most of it).

Then on Saturday I got an email from Raland. He was at the Treasure Hunt – the local salvage store. This place is a flea market wonderland. They get stuff from store closing and damaged goods. The stock turns over constantly. Anyway, Raland said that they had the goods from a bike store in Nashville – water damage.

I took a drive down there and I ran into a practical who’s who in the cycling / triathlon Hattiesburg scene. I talked the talked and walked the walked and picked over the stock. I ended up getting a new road helmet (Giro Atmos), a mountain bike helmet, a couple of new race ties, some tube patch kits, some bar tape and another mountain bike. I bought 2 mountain bikes this week!  You don't know me - don't judge!  I am finding homes for two of my bikes - that should help keep the stable to an acceptable number.  There is an old joke - What is the optimum number of bikes.  The answer:  Current + 1.

For exercise this weekend I did a 40+ group road ride, two mountain bike rides and a fast 5 mile tempo run. I will be out of town all this week in Boston for work. I hope to find a few people to run along the emerald necklace.

These trails are a quarter mile from my house!  Time to learn some real bike handling skills!

Trading Volume for Intensity

It is that time of year where I have traded volume for intensity. There are not many LSD (Long Slow Distance) rides or runs. The weekend of intensity started early with the first time trial of the season. Sure, I was a few seconds off of my best time but it was a solid effort. In fact it was easily my best ride of the year. I gave a good hard effort for the entire ride (30:43). I analyzed my ride and I should have pushed harder for the last mile or so – that is what I did last year and that would have allowed me to post a PR. Still, I was pleased with the effort.

I followed up the cycling TT with a longer swimming TT at lunch. Although my swimming has quickened in the last few months this is where my endurance is suffering. Last year, while training for Ironman Louisville my shortest swim would be 3000 yards with several in the 4000 yard range. This year I have been calling it quits at about 1500 yards with my longest year to date being 2500 yards. I still stuck to the intensity over volume for this time trial and just did a hard effort 1500 yard effort. Swimming is not my strong suit and I did not push this TT as hard as I could. It seems like in the swim the difference between an all out effort and an easy swim is just a couple of seconds. I finished up the 1500 yard time trial in 23:30 – not fast by many standards but pretty quick for me. I will take a 1:34 100 yard average for that distance. When doing 100 yard repeats my average times have dropped to 1:30 give or take a second. These are good swim times for me.

Friday I knew that I had a work commitment for lunch so I needed to get a good workout in before work. I planned ahead so that I could run into work. This is a 6 mile run along the trace right to campus. It was warm and humid and I had an aggressive game plan. I wanted to run the 6 miles in 39 minutes – a 6:30 pace. This would be challenging but not too far out of reach. But I blew it. I started out a little fast and then picked up the pace. I was feeling strong but it was not sustainable. I ran the first 3 miles in just under 19 minutes (6:23, 6:11, 6:22). It was that second mile that blew me up. The next 3 miles were just trying to recover. They all clocked in at just over 7 minutes per mile. I finished the 6 mile run in 40:42 – way off of my goal pace. I need to work on my pacing.

Saturday morning I met the group for a long ride just south of town. This would include a few hills that you just do not get while riding on the trace. There were a few solid hills that I tried to attack and some good long breakaways. It was an eventful ride. We had a broken spoke, a flat and later a crash. I was able to break away from the group in the later miles. It was a good effort but JD wanted to make sure that I mentioned that I was chased down by him (the Diesel) and Butch. It was a hot fast ride. I had a blast. Unfortunately Jason had a tip over about 10 feet from the end of the ride. I saw him walking his bike and he had a shiner near his right eye. I gave him a towel and noticed that his helmet was cracked. Wow. That is why you wear helmets!

Sunday I wanted to redeem myself for the botched run on Friday. I was going to attempt the 6 miles in 39 minutes. This run did not work out either. Although I hit the trace in the morning the heat and humidity was unbearable. The conditions zapped any speed that I might have had. On top of the heat my legs were feeling the ride the previous day. Six miles fast turned into 2 miles fast with a struggle just to get home. I 86’d the run. I finished with 4 miles in 29 minutes instead of 6 miles in 39 minutes. When I got home I submerged myself in a cold bath to release some of the heat.

Not every workout was successful but the weekend as a whole was solid.

Workout recap.

The following is a quick recap of my recent training. Well, as you know I did not do the Crawfishman (well no one did) so I had a good day on the Saturday before. The weather was still raining so I jumped on the trainer. For what ever reason it was unbearable!


I only rode for 30 minutes and decided to brave the mists out of doors. I ran a conservative pace for 8 miles. I was soaked the entire run but I did enjoy it. As soon as I got home I had a message about an open water swim.

I prepared a recovery shake and headed out the door. I had wanted to get an accurate measurement of our secret swimming lake. I bagged my GPS watch in a sandwich bad (I actually doubled bagged it) and put it under my swim cap. You have to remember which way you oriented the watch so that you can hit the right buttons to start and stop the watch. But once I started the watch it recorded my speed and distance just fine. I would say that it is accurate and it looks like I actually swam fairly straight!  The swim is 0.25 miles each way.  We have been doing it twice for a mile of OWS.

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Secret training lake!

Today I was in the pool and did a lot of 100’s. I seemed to be getting a little faster. It was a good swim but I definitely need to be more consistent with the swim. After the swim I tested the bench press again for the pump and run challenge.

I think that I have refined my technique. I have been altering my grip placement on the bar. Obviously the closer the grip the more it works my triceps and the further out the more it works my chest. I am trying to find a balance that allows me to get the most repetitions. In addition, I am now aware that the bench press is actually a skill – not just brawn!

After work I jumped on the trainer for a much feared 6 minutes all out power test! Man I hate these. I warmed up for 15 minutes and then I started the 6 minutes of fury. This all out test is so dang painful. I had some techno music cranked up and I was suffering. I am sure that I was making primordial grunting and moaning noises. When I finished I just had to sit still for a few seconds. My legs were on fire, It has been months since I have done that test and I am happy to say that my wattage increased by 8 percent. This number also reflects not just power but performing the test better. Still, I will take an improvement any day!

Tuesday will be a group ride in the morning and a group running interval session at lunch!

Race Report - RUN - 70.3 New Orleans - 2010

T2: 1:54

The run – TIME: 1:46:08 SPEED: 8:07 RANK: 218

I stopped just short of the dismount line. I unclipped from the pedals and put weight on my legs for the first time in two and a half hours. The legs were strong. There were no wobbles at all. This gave me confidence for the start of the run.

I ran with the bike through the transition area. I passed several people that were walking. One person was walking with their bike in my transition row and I politely said on your left. He moved over and I sprinted to my bike. I quickly racked the bike and took my helmet off. I also sat down to put socks on for the run. I did not want my feet to be the limiting factor on this run. I removed the gps watch from by bike and carried it in my hand. I would put it on my wrist while on the move. Socks on, shoes on, visor on and a gel stuffed in the back pocket of my unitard. I was off.

I looked at my watch and did some quick calculations. My stop watch indicated that I was 3:22 into this race. In my fantasy world I wanted to run close to my marathon pace – that is about 7:10 – which would be just less than a 1:35 half marathon time. I had a couple of minutes to spare.

As I had planned all along, the run is where I was going to “WIN” this race.

I thought to myself, “You have put yourself in position. Now just execute!”

And execute I did. I ran out of transition at a solid pace. Everyone seemed to be running well. In many races, at this distance, there are people walking and cramping right out of T2. This did not seem to be the case this time. Everyone was running well. Everyone was running right around my pace. I could feel the heat. Looking back I did not notice the temperature on bike at all. The bike was not like some of the middle of summer rides were you are dripping sweat on the top tube. I did not even wear a head band or anything on the bike. But at the start of the run I could definitely feel the heat.

Feeling strong

I started to slowly gain on some of the runners but it was slow going. I looked at my gps watch and I was a little faster than I wanted to be – I was running at a 7:05 minute per mile pace. I also needed to pee. I saw a single port-a-loo at the 1 mile water stop. I ran up to it and it was occupied. I knocked on the door and someone said just a second. Thankfully they were quick. I jumped in and unzipped my unitard. Let me tell you – using the facilities in a unitard is not the easiest of endeavors – but I managed. I have never needed to use the bathroom in a race except for the ironman. I guess I had drunk enough water during the bike (and probably some during the swim). It felt like I was in there forever. Actually it was only a minute. Yes – I timed the break. From stop to start it took almost a minute and half for this pit stop. I ran out of the port-a-loo and grabbed a cup of water at the water stop.

From that point on I never saw low 7 minute miles. I knew that I still had a shot at sub-5 but it was going to be difficult. I tried to draw from my training and dial back the run, but only a small amount. I was not going to give up much. Mile two clicked off at around a 7:30 minute per mile pace. If I could maintain it would still be close – real close.

The heat was now really starting to be a factor. I was not sure why I was not able to maintain my paces. After all, I had run a low 7 minutes per mile pace for an entire marathon only a couple of months ago. That is when it hit me. I had run that race when the temperature was in the 50’s. Not only that but I had finished that race by about 10AM. This half ironman run did not start until noon.

I was drinking ice water at each water station to cool off. I saw a lot of people dumping water over their heads. I was already starting to hear squishy shoes as I passed people. I never douse myself with water. I cannot stand water logged feet on a long run. To me that am just asking for trouble.

At this point, I guess from all of the water my stomach started to ache. Once again, I have never had these kinds of issues during a race. I was still very hot by I tried to limit the amount of water I was taking on. I was still drinking but not as much. I did discover a solution. At first I was holding the ice in my hands as I ran. From experiences training during the summer I know that my hands act as radiators for my body. It really has a cooling effect. However, the ice in my hand was not lasting long. It was melting fast and dripping all over the place.

Sprinting it out

The solution that I settled on was to run with the cup of ice and hold it in a claw like fashion. I put my fingers inside the cup and clamped the outside of the cup with my thumb. The ice lasted longer and I still got the cooling effect. It is kind of gross but, if necessary, I was also able to drink while running.

The ice was still melting fast as it pulled heat from my body but it would almost last until the next water station. Now, I was only drinking when I was taking gels. The stomach was still hurting but I knew that I had to continue to fuel my body. Last year I was doing walk breaks later in the run. I was stronger this year. I kept up my revised pace and I would not allow for myself to let 8 minute miles slip away. In the end it did but …

Over and out.

Running down Esplanade I only had a few miles left and I thought to myself, “There will be no walking during the last 3 miles of any race!” When crossing the mile twelve marker I made the decision. I picked up the pace. This was the fastest mile since mile 6. I knew I had a little bit in the tank and I wanted to tap it before it was too late. I was not able to run as fast as I wanted to but I did see improvements in my physical and mental abilities.

TOTAL TIME: 5:08:32 RANK: 235/1655

Good Friday BRICK

Having the day off for Good Friday allowed for me to get a Good bike ride! The weather was beautiful and I headed out with just a touch of chill in the air. I wore a sleeveless jersey but with arm warmers. You know this style is all the rage with the elite runners – yeah right. I was planning on a hard effort to try and determine my pacing for the 70.3 New Orleans half ironman – which is only two weeks away. I have not built much cycling fitness this past winter season. In fact, I believe that my bike is suffering and I am just a little anxious about this race. I have some aggressive time goals for myself and the bike is the limiter.

I headed out and I bumped the intensity by 5 beats per minute as compared to last weekend. I was able to maintain. I was taking splits at all of my known cross roads – Epley, Sumrall, and Bassfield. This let me know if I was on my paces. At Sumrall, the 10 mile mark I was making good time but lost a minute and a half do to traffic. This is unheard of! This is a little town in the middle of no where. But then I remembered that this was Friday and not Saturday or Sunday. I guess these sleepy little towns have more activity during the week.

I continued on to Bassfield which is another 15 miles away. Remember, this is Mississippi and I am on a rails to trails so there are no hills. But there is a gradual increase in elevation from Sumrall to Bassfield. This is the slowest part on my 50 mile loop. I continued to push the pace but still ride at my predetermined heart rate. I felt comfortable and strong. Last week my legs were feeling it – but that was probably from the BRICK the previous day. Sure, I did a hard running interval on the treadmill on Holy Thursday but I digress (and yes, that is what Thursday is called – I looked it up).

I arrived at Bassfield a full 7 minutes faster than last weekend. Seven minutes over the course of 25 miles is huge (that is a nearly 1.75 MPH faster average). I also only took 2 minutes for the rest stop. I could have been faster but I always like to take round number pit stops because it makes the math in my head easier. So I departed Bassfield at exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes into the ride. I was doing the calculation in my head and feeling pretty damn confident about getting a PR on this ride. I know that this is foolish. I’m not going to get a PR when I am not riding as hard as I can. I have ridden this out and back at a much harder pace and that nearly killed me. But, I did a 1:08 back last week. If I add that to my 1:15 out (which included the water stop) I get 2:23 for the ride. I am not sure if this is a PR but I would have to think it is near the best that I have ever ridden for the distance. For complete honesty, for the last few years I thought the Home to Bassfield loop was right at 50 miles – well actually my cyclometer always read around 49.XX (but high XX’s). Now that I have been using my GPS I know that it is actually a little shorter – more like 48.4 miles round trip. I still use this route and I compare it to my previous times but it is not quite 50 miles. This distance is just a benchmark.

Anyway, I turned around at Bassfield and felt the wind. I was being pushed (sideways by the feel of it) out to Bassfield. I was a little bit deflated by the wind. I would have fight this all the way back home. So I would not be getting a huge PR today but I was not actually expecting a huge PR during a zone 3 ride. I continued to keep my cadence up and keep my heart rate where I wanted it. I did negative split the ride by a minute (1:13 + 2:00 water stop + 1:12 back = 2:27 total) – it is not difficult to negative split this ride. Average speed for the ride was 19.7.

When I got home I performed a quick transition to the run. I simply ditched the bike shoes and helmet and put my running shoes on and a visor. No socks, no nothing. I was going to give the feet a trial by fire. A friend of mine taught me the term ‘summer feet’ a while back. That is conditioning your feet to running around bare footed like you did when you were a kid. This is critical for the transitions in triathlon. So I slipped the running shoes on with no socks. I am actually pretty good at running without socks. When racing anything short I will never put socks on but during this half IM I will be wearing socks. That is just too long of a run if your feet go south (like they did last year). Now back to the brick.

I really like the virtual nemesis on the GPS watch. I had already dialed in the workout for the brick prior to even getting on the bike. It was not going to be overly aggressive. I have failed too many times and simply blown up pushing these bricks – that is pushing the bricks after high mileage bike rides. I have been too aggressive and it has compromised some of my workouts. I was not going to let this happen this time. I wanted to make sure that I was going to get a solid 5 mile brick on this Good Friday.

I had set the trainer for 5 miles at a comfortable 7:30 minutes per mile pace. I should be able to run at this pace. By setting an easily obtainable goal I was freed to run at what ever pace felt comfortable. I quickly started to put time into the virtual nemesis. Although the first half mile was hard it was not unmanageable. I was able to clock the first mile at just over 7 minutes per mile. The next 4 miles were right around the same pace. I did lose close to 30 seconds stopping for a drink of water at Clyde Station. I finished up the 5 miles in 35 minutes and change. I felt like I could have continued on for a few more miles. Probably not 8 more miles but definitely a few more. This was the best BRICK that I have ever had after a substantial bike ride.

So the bike was solid and the BRICK afterwards was even better. When I finished the ride I took a post recovery shake and cold bath (no ice bath this time of year).

Routines ...

Although I enjoyed visiting my sister and her family I was ready to get back into my routine. I am a creature of habit. I also gained a bit of weight while I was away. Even though my sister and family eat a very good diet I was still out of my element.

At my sister's, very little comes out of a box and she is actually eating a gluten free diet. However, there are many grazers in the household. This does not work well for me. I have to have my portions controlled. While I was boxing up dishes or moving furniture I would pass through the kitchen and grab a hand full of almonds. Nothing is wrong with that unless you do it several times a day. The calories quickly add up!

So once I was back home I weighed 7 pounds more than when I left. I realize that the weight will come off but it is disheartening. So back to the routine it is.

I woke up early and jumped on the bike trainer. I dialed in the workout from the week before and started to churn out the miles. It was hard. I did not complete the workout. I had told myself that these next few weeks would be very bike intensive. Well, I 86'ed the first workout.

At lunch I did a good tempo run on the treadmill. An easy 1 mile warm up and then 3 miles at 6:30 pace followed by a 1 mile cool down. This run was not super difficult but my heart rate climbed a little higher than I wanted it to climb. After the run a did a couple of sets of chin ups.

With 70.3 New Orleans less than a month away it will be difficult to get into my racing shape. I think the swim and run will be where I want them but the bike is another story. I have to really rack up the miles the next few weeks.

I just wish the weather would participate a little better. The low 40's in the morning are too cold for me!

packing and loading - with some fun thrown in

Remember, I am still in Austin helping my sister and her family pack up the house to move to Australia.  In between the packing, boxing and loading (we are taking a load of furniture to my Dad'd house) I have managed to get in about 4 runs.  This is Ausitn and it is the hill country.  The runs have been solid.  Also, we have been able to take a few breaks and go to the gym.  I had a good swim session consisting of a warm up / cool down with a 10 x 100 meters working set.  In addition, I was swimming with my brother-in-law who is a bit faster than me.  This always makes me work harder.  I also played around and practiced drafting off of him.  It is amazing how much of a difference that can make.  I would lose him in the turns and have to go all out to catch back up and them I could sit in his wake.  Another turn and all out once again.  These were great intervals with in the intervals.

We went rock climbing last night - just my brother-in-law, my nephew Dan (5 years old) and me.  We climbed for more than a hour.  Now, that is a heck of a workout. As always it is more of an upper body workout than it should be but fun was had by all.  After the shower and a quick visit to the steam room it was back home to more packing.