Riding in the rain

Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?' - Peter Maher, Irish-Canadian Olympian and sub-2:12 marathoner

I rode the rollers in the garage for 15 minutes and then hit the trace. It had been raining and there was a light mist in the air. I got soaked almost immediately.

The workout called for a 10 minute warm up followed by ten minutes of hard (at LT) followed by 2 minutes easy recovery - time 5. I did not do so well with this workout. I am not sure of my cycling LT level. I had to do several short LT sessions of 2 or 3 minutes with the last one being 10 minutes. These were fast no doubt but not sustainable. Maybe it was the rain or maybe it was the heavy legs from all of the hill work this weekend. I only rode outside for 30 minutes. I would like to try this workout again in the near future. I know that I can do better.

At lunch I did 30 minutes of easy spinning followed by chest strength training. I had intended to add an extra swim session at the end of the day but I thought better of it - it was not scheduled and I was very tired and still had a ballroom dancing class later in the evening.

I have an hour of easy spinning in the morning and I am going to try to do most of this on the rollers - it is mentally as well as physically demanding but I believe it will enhance my bike handling skills.

At lunch I have the following:

Run TT - KEY WORKOUT - Assess Fitness - 55 minutes
After 10 minute warm up, you are going to run for 30 minutes as hard as you can for the entire 30 minutes. After starting the run, hit your 'Lap' button so you record the average HR over the last 20 minutes. This can be run on a track or on a measured course. 15 min CD

In January I ran (I added 5 minutes to the cool down for an even 1 hour) 7.7 miles in an hour with 4.5 of those miles being during the time trial. I took my heart rate average for each 'set' - for the second part of the time trial I averaged 174 beats per minute. You can read about that LT TT here. 4.5 miles in 30 minutes is a 6:40 minute / mile pace. 4.6 miles will be a 6:31 minute / mile pace. This will be tough.

I have another swimming class after work tomorrow.

Swim class - week two

I had a nice outside run a lunch today - about 6 miles. The weather was perfect - mid 70's, sunny, easy, breezy, beautiful. It was hard to go back inside to work.

The second week of swim class started tonight. Coach Mary had me work on speed. There were lots of sets of 50's working on drills, some kick and pull work (with my new paddles).

At the end of the session I was asked how I felt about doing a 100 yard time trial to get a bench mark - I took the challenage. I set a 100 yard PR by a mile - 1:24. My previous best was around 1:35 - Early last year it would have been in the 1:50's (two years ago it would have been everything to just finish the damn 100 yards and it would have taken me more than 2 minutes - with lots of gasping and choking and much water swallowed). I can't wait to see if this drops a little bit more in the next couple of weeks.

Beautiful days and lots of biking

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle. - Ernest Hemingway

I swam for an hour at lunch on Friday. It was hard to stay indoors. The weather has been in the high 60's / low 70's for the past few days. I'm not sure of my speed in the water but while doing the 'Swim Golf' drill where I count my strokes I am seeing definite improvement. Last year it took my right around 20 strokes to go the 25 yards across the pool. I know - that sucks. I was able to get it down to right around 17 strokes by the end of the year. After last week and making some minor adjustments to the way that I pull I was hitting 14 strokes when I concentrated. Once, with a hard kick - and I do not have a hard kick - I was able to do the length in about 12.25 strokes. This is not sustainable but I do see improvement. I made up for the indoor sessions this weekend.

I met up with Sam, Chris and Shawn on Saturday for a trace ride. We got off of the trace and did some hill repeats. We found a hill that was just about a mile long and dropped into a gear that would allow for us to spin up it. We repeated this 5 times. The first couple were pretty easy but they got harder. Shawn was hacking up a lung left and right. My goal was to stay ahead of him. Mission accomplished - phlegm free. The total ride ended up being about 35 miles.

I did a very easy 30 minute / 3 mile brick following this bike ride. Nothing hard. I did not push anything. I am going to have to do some hard bricks in the near future. I used to look forward to these runs but I am feeling a little afraid. I just need to HTFU!

Sunday was also good weather. I am continuing to try and learn to use the rollers. I rode for 3 sets of 10 minutes with my road bike and clip less pedals. Not too bad. I had to stop every 10 minutes wipe the sweat streaming down my face. I am not comfotable enough to lift my hands from the bars.

Then I got back on the trace and replayed the route from yesterday minus the 5 times hill repeats. I went out a little further and got a total of 30 miles.

I met the group ride as they were heading out and jumped on the end of the train. It did not take long to get near the front. John and Ty were really hammering and I was just trying to hang on. We regrouped at Epley station and I realized that everyone else was really strung out behind us. It was only John, Ty and I at the front.

As luck would have it, for the third time this weekend I rode the exact same hills. I did not stay at the front of these at all. I let the fast guys rise up out of their saddles and attack. I just stayed back.

On the return trip it was my turn to pull just past Clyde depot. I was giving a strong effort at just about 24 MPH. I had pulled for about 1.5 miles and was nearing my limit when Ty pulls up next to me and yells for me to 'Did deep' or something like that. He was passing me easily. I told him I would just grab his wheel. And that is what I did - I did indeed need to dig deep just to grab on to that wheel. It would not have been a big deal if I had just not completed my pull.

Now firmly on his wheel we were going 27 - 28 MPH for several miles. My heart rate had descended to a more comfortable range and we just cruised. We had to slow for an intersection (the road I turn off on) and I noticed that once again no one was behind us.

It was a fast ride!

5 questions

Five questions from Marci at Triathlete 4 Life - a great triathlon blog by the way. If you would like to be interviewed please check the end of this post.

1. How did you get into the sport of triathlon?

I had enjoyed running for a while, however, I was not able to run as often as I wanted - if I ran everyday then my legs would ache - I was tempting injury. I discovered cycling to cross train. Well, once I had two out of the three I decided to look into triathlons. Considering that I had never really swam any kind of distance, this was a daunting task. I was pretty scared of the open water swim. If fact my first two open water swims were in races (almost a year apart) and both were horrible – complete panic.

2. What are you hoping to get out of your Ironman experience?

I am very goal oriented. I like to challenge myself. Setting the bar high and trying to improve incrementally is exciting to me. The Ironman race will allow me to know that I can achieve almost anything – mentally or physically – if I set my mind to it.

3. What motivates you to get up in the morning?

I like to hit the ground running. To be better than I was yesterday.
To try and to improve. I really believe that if you are not going forward you are really going backwards. You go backwards fast when lying on the couch or bed.

4. What has been your biggest accomplishment in your triathlon career?

Setting the goal of my first triathlon (Sunfish 07/07/2007 – my birthday) and completing that goal.

5. Who is your favorite athlete and why?

I am not a big fan of many sports stars. I don’t believe in celebrity. I went to elementary school with a bunch of kids whose parents were professional baseball players (Texas Rangers) and realized they were just parents. Maybe they had a little more money but... I also do not the the salaries were what they are today. They had nice houses but not MTV Cribs. With celebrity you place these people, and they are people, on high pedestals and they disappoint. However, I have been a fan of Muhammad Ali for a long time (I love the documentary When We Were Kings) and more recently Jens Voight and Chrisse Wellington (she has a great story). If you have time these video's are great (I watched them on the trainer the other day) -

To play along:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by giving you five questions. (I get to pick the questions.)
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

First swim lesson

If you want to learn to swim jump into the water. On dry land no frame of mind is ever going to help you. - Bruce Lee

The first swim lesson was awesome. There was only one other person that signed up for swim lessons that already knew how to swim. The rest had never really been in the water. They were bobbing up and down. I heard their instructor say, "It looks like everyone is afraid to put their face in the water. Who wants to touch the bottom with me?" I think it is great that these adults are learning to swim.

I grew up with a swimming pool (in Texas) and was in it my whole life. However, I never really swam. It was mostly playing around and tossing a ball or diving for pennies. About three years ago was the first time that I started trying to swim laps at the pool. I was only doing this because I wanted to fulfill a dream of completing a triathlon. So I guess I had to learn to swim.

It was very hard to get started. I felt that I could run (slowly) for as long as I wanted but the swimming zapped my strength after only a few laps. I was not breathing right and was exhausted immediately. Fast forward a year or two and I am a much better swimmer. My times are coming down. I no longer panic in the open water swims. I still want to improve. Get faster. Get more efficient.

So Jennifer and I are the only ones in the swim class that know how to swim. I know Jennifer from the pinebeltpacers running club. She also either does or wants to compete in triathlons. So instead of being a liability, Jennifer and I get our own dedicated swim coach. Mary is a grad student here at USM. She was a competitive runner and swimmer in high school and college and teaches / coaches swim camps in Texas all summer long. Pretty cool.

I believe that I take instruction well and asked Mary to simply tell me where my stroke or form was having problems. She immediately helped me better position my head a little higher in the water. She also was helping me with my pull. I could feel the water better.

I did a 1000 yard time trial last week so that I can better judge my progress. I'm excited about the class.

LT run and swimming lessons

I did an easy 30 minutes on the exercise bike yesterday at lunch and then 30 minutes of back strength training. After I got home from work I attempted to ride the rollers again. My goal is to be able to ride them for 30 minutes with clip pedals by the end of the month - 13resolutions.

Today was a LT run on the treadmill. I warmed up for 0.5 miles and then increased the pace. I did not want my heart rate to go above 175 beats per minute. This is at the upper end of my aerobic zone. It is hard to maintain. I started at about 7:03 minutes / mile and increased every 0.5 mile or so by 2 tenths of a MPH. My heart rate hit 175 beats per minute at around 6:30 minutes / mile. I did not want to but I had to back off the pace for the last mile to maintain my heart rate below 175 beats. The results are as follows:

WU 0.5 miles 4:21- 126 HR AVE
1.0 mile - 6:46 - 158 HR AVE
2.0 mile - 6:31 - 170 HR AVE
3.0 mile - 6:50 - 173 HR AVE
CD 0.5 miles 4:14- 161 HR AVE

The total was 4 miles in 28:44 for a combined pace of 7:11 minute / mile.

I have my furst swimming lesson in about half an hour!

Broke the TT bike out

Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia. - H.G. Wells

For Sunday I did break the race bike out (Giant Trinity A1). This was the first time that I had been on it in about 4 months. I have been riding my road bike exclusively. The road bike feels like a Cadillac compared to the race bike. Nice and smooth and stretched out and stable. The more up right seating position is so comfy.

I did a little 20 mile time trial out and back from my house. I have done this route so many times. The trace was crowded (beautiful day) so I had to slow down a little a couple of times. The race bike is faster, but you have to work at it harder. The steep seat angle and aero position just simply cheat the wind better.

That being said - I has so miserable and hurting during this 20 mile ride. The hard aero angle is a killer on the 'soft tissue'. The biggest hurdle was the different muscles that this bike requires you to use. My quadriceps were screaming at me the entire ride. My heart rate was reasonable but the legs were aching.

Last year I rode the race bike from May until October. I never got off of the bike. I rode it as commuter, time trial, group ride - you name it. I was really surprised at how different it is to ride.

I am glad that I got it out early so that I can incorporate it into my training.

After the 20 mile time trial (in just under an hour - 59:20 - way off from my PR of about 54:xx from last summer) I parked the race bike and jumped on the road bike for the group ride. I did not want to push it any harder that I already had. I got another 35 miles in a spirited ride with the group. I was glad to be done with the ride when it was over. Got 55 miles for the day and 108 for the weekend.

Not sure why but my nagging right hamstring was bothering me all last night. Not much better today.

Spring is in the air -

The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine. - John Howard

*** New resolution at 13resolutions ***

I had some bicycle seat time to make up from last week so I got on the trainer yesterday morning. I churned out 20 miles in right around an hour. It was nice to get it out of the way early. I was going to ride the bike outdoors when the weather warmed up a little but I did not want to just mill around the house waiting for the sun.

I did meet up with Chris and Sam for an afternoon ride. There was a little confusion of where we were going to meet so we ended up crossing paths about half way through the ride. So I was on my road bike on and off the trace hitting the hills. These are the hills that I found just last week with the group ride. I was able to power up them and it felt good. The air was brisk but the sun was out. The heat of the sun felt good on my black arm warmers.

I started to head back after about 16 miles and that is when I crossed Chris and Sam. They were both on their race bikes (Sam even had his race wheels on his bike - I don't think they ever come off of the race bike). These guys are fast. I was having to draft off of Sam just to stay up with them. There were stretches of road where he was maintaining 27 MPH. Sure he was on his tricked out race bike with tricked out race wheels - but still, maintaining 27 MPH. This is an area of the trace that is relatively flat (maybe a very slight down hill) that I can, if I push it, maintain 22 - 23 MPH. Sam was flying. Sam is the local fast guy (that just happens to be the same age as me). If he shows up at the 5k's or any other race that just means I am racing for second in my age group. Sam is also a great coach and is quick to help you out in your training. He helped me out a lot last year. He was sizing me up for the race season and asking me what I averaged on the bike last year in my races. I told him that it was 21 - 22 MPH. Being that this is only my second full season of triathlon he believes that I will make great strides.

I had to go back and double check my bike splits for a few races to make sure that I was not exaggerating. I had four races last year and the last two I averaged more than 22 MPH (Sunfish - 18 miles in 47:41 for 22.65 MPH and the Heart of Dixie - 27.5 miles in 1:13:50 for 22.35 MPH). FYI - I love athlinks! I ended up getting about 53 miles for the day.

Today I am anxious to get out my race bike and get some seat time. Time Trial / triathlon bikes feel much different than road bikes.

13resolutions - 1 month update

Albert Einstein, who discovered that a tiny amount of mass is equal to a huge amount of energy, which explains why, as Einstein himself so eloquently put it in a famous 1939 speech to the Physics Department at Princeton, "You have to exercise for a week to work off the thigh fat from a single Snickers." ~Dave Barry, Dave Barry Turns 50

The NO-S DIET did not have the results that I had hoped for. I do not blame the diet. - 13resolutions. I will keep at it but I also get to start a new resolution tomorrow!

Lunch running

Good judgement is the result of experience, experience is the result of bad judgment. - Mark Twain

I had a nice 7.5 mile run at lunch today (58:40 - 7:49 min / mile). Nothing fast or blistering but a nice run in the cool weather. My training plan actually called for an easy 75 minute recovery bike ride. It is just hard to get some of these bike rides in during the week. I may ride the trainer tonight but that is not likely. I will probably just add the time to the Sunday ride if the weather is nice or jump on the trainer for an hour or so this weekend.

Easy week - great swim

The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it. - Woodrow Wilson (1856 - 1924)

I had a great swim at lunch yesterday. It was only 1500 yards but I am improving. Not fast by any means but improving. I'll take that any day. I warmed up for 250 yards and then did only one set of 1000 yards and then another 250 to cool down. I don't wear my glasses at the pool so it is hard to see the minutes on the clock (I only use the second hand anyway) but I am not sure how fast I swam the 1000 yards. I swam the distance in either 16:20 (1:38 / 100 yards) or 17:20 (1:43 / 100 yards). Either way that is a record any way you cut it. And on top of that it was easy. I was not trying to swim fast. I was 'feeling' the water rush over me and 'feeling' my hand and arm catch the water.

Swim lessons start next week and I have high hopes for the times dropping.

Running into work.

I ran into work this morning. The weather was a little brisk (39 degrees).

Ran 6 miles in 46:42 (7:47 min / mile pace)

Swim at lunch.

Coliseum again

My hill run consisted of the Coliseum stairs again. The times are noted below (pretty consistant):

Coliseum stairs
4:55
4:52
4:53
4:55
half lap 2:17

Still very challenging but I will need to either increase the number of laps or the duration of the laps (maybe a circle and a half around the coliseum would be one lap).

Swim video

You know, the courts may not be working any more, but as long as everyone is videotaping everyone else, justice will be done. - Matt Groening (1954 - ), The Simpsons

I nailed the swim session yesterday a lunch. It was 2400 yards of a lot of easy / hard repeats. Good stuff.

Today was supposed to be an off day - these are hard for me. So I rode the bike into work for the first time this year. I am good at the commute during the spring and summer - not so much in the cold and dark. It is nearly 6 miles each way on a rails to trails (just happens to be in my backyard). Once the sun starts to come up around 6 AM I meet a group of guys on Tuesday and Thursday for an hour or so ride before work. I cannot wait.

So I got to work and did some strength training. I did not get much of that in last week due to the high volume of training.

At lunch I was going to do some light running but ran into a friend who had just come out of the pool. Another one of our friends was in the pool with an underwater camera. He was taking video of us swimming for a 'swim coach' to help identify our trouble spots. Pretty cool. I did end up getting an easy 2 mile run in plus a little strength training.

Cold hills

Be careful that victories do not carry the seed of future defeats. - Ralph W. Sockman

I had a really good bike ride on Sunday. Only 40 miles but we got off the trace and hits some nice hills. No really, they were nice hills and I do not even have to put the disclaimer that they were nice for Mississippi. Sure they were not huge hills or small mountains and the hills did not have names but they were nice. Okay, they were nice for Mississippi.

It was about 50 degrees for the entire ride. I had my arm and leg covers on and I was under dressed. I should have worn a base layer and full finger gloves. My feet and hands were blocks of ice.

There was a good turn out - about 8 people. This was the first time in a couple of months that I have done the Sunday group ride without running at least 10 miles before hand. I was not really feeling any stronger but I was. During my pulls I dropped everyone - I did not really mean to but it happened. I was able to pull a little harder and pull a little longer. The exertion was the same but it was a little faster and I pulled a little further. As they say, "It is not how far you go. It is not how fast you go. It is only how far fast you go!"

First brick of the season...

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. - Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)

Yesterday - I was proud of myself for getting on the trainer. I rode it for an hour. The time passes much quicker if I have a plan. I did a warm up for 10 minutes and then 20 x 1 minutes intervals with 1 minute rest then a 10 minute cool down. My trainer has a 'power' meter gauge. I believe it to be consistent and do not really care about the accuracy. So my warm up, rest intervals and cool down were at 160 watts and the intervals were at 260 watts. I prefer to spin at a high cadence so the times at 160 watts were at 90 - 100 RPM and the 260 watts were at 75 RPM. Take the power numbers with a grain of salt - they only relate to me on my trainer. Who knows 260 watts could really be 100 watts (or even 500 watts - dreaming). I really can't go much lower than that - this was supposed to help build leg strength. The time went by quick.

Just for fun I did an EASY, SLOW 3 mile run - the rain was light. This was the first 'BRICK' that I have done in a while. With the slow pace the brick was super easy and I felt strong - I could have ran much faster, much longer, and much harder - but I didn't.

Today - The rain has stopped so I will get to go on a longer bike ride, however, it is cool outside. I know, 48 degrees is not that cold - many people across the country would kill for that weather. But it is cool for here.

Swimming and Running -

Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. - Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

I had a good work out this morning. The swimming is coming easier. I followed the plan to the T. It had me do a lot of easy 300 yard sets with the 4th of the 6th laps at a hard pace. This require the next two laps to be at active recovery (also 10 x 100 yards with the first 25 yards hard the next 75 yards easy). This was a really good workout for me. I remember getting winded in races and not being able to settle down and 'catch' my breath. These drills really stressed the recovery from the hard exertion.

My times are getting faster with the same effort in the pool. I will be starting swim class next month and I am looking forward to getting the time down even more.

Last January my swim times for 100 yards (SLOW - self taught swimmer here) would have been very close to 2 minutes. Now at a comfortable pace they are low 1:40's!!! - that should shave quite a few minutes off of the 1.2 mile swim time in my up coming 1/2 ironman - that is huge to me!

I'm excited!

I had a good run at lunch. Some co-workers (Chad and Vic) and I did a 7 mile run in the sunshine (wonderful day) in just under an hour. I love nice group runs - the pace was a little fast - just a little - A nice end to the week - 3100 yard swim and 7 mile run - the weather will be nice tomorrow and I will get a good bike ride in - for the total as a week it has been good - one day was a little too hard and I knew when to call it ! I'm learning.

Don't make fun - but ballroom dancing tonight!

Working smart - harder than it looks

Everyone is a genius at least once a year. The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together. -Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 - 1799)

Yesterday only called for an hour bike ride. Hilly but most of the time spent in heart rate zone 1 / 2. In other words an easy workout just spinning along. NOT ENOUGH. So I did my entire workout plan and was done prior to the start of the work day. I still had my lunch hour to work out. As noted earlier I did the coliseum stadium stair run. This is some major intensity. It is a race against yourself as well as your cohorts. Tough workout so to speak. You have to 'bring it' and I'm good at bringing it. In fact, when I need to bring I just have to look outside. There it is sitting in the driveway. Tank full of gas and the engine doing that soft loping idle - just raring to go. In other words, when they say bring it - it is usually already brung.

Today's workout calls for a 45 minute swim and a 40 minute hill run. I like to swim at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays because a group of experienced swimmers meet at that time. They are very encouraging and always offer helpful tips. It is improving my swim skills measurably.

So I got out of bed for the 40 minute hill run. Specifically it called for a zone 1 / 2 with 6 x 30 seconds hard hill charges. Quite a bit easier than the coliseum. I was glad that I had the extra 20 minutes and enjoyed my coffee in bed. Feeling good I got on the treadmill and programmed my benchmark settings - 40 minutes at MAX 8.5 MPH with MAX 12 slope. This would be harder than the run prescribed by the plan. I started out strong but remember, like the XFL, there is no downhill on the treadmill - only less up hill. The heart rate was staying low and steady and I was still feeling strong. When I got to the MAX 12 slope it was hard, just as it should be. The heart rate had been slowing climbing to right at LT level (about 174 beats per minute). The problem was that this level of exertion felt harder than it should. The problem was the the heart rate did not drop on the less up hill. The problem was that my legs were tired. The problem was that I was tired. So, being here before, I looked at the window. There was nothing in the driveway. I checked the street - still nothing. The hills said bring it but it was nowhere to be found. I called it a day at 20 minutes.

Maybe I should try to follow this training plan thing... Still looking forward to swimming at lunch.

On a side note I am down another two pounds - 162.0 - 13resolutions

Coliseum stairs

I have climbed out of bed all week (yesterday and today) to exercise. I am trying to build a routine. I did an hour of bicycle hill climbs on the exercise bike at the gym. This was probably too easy. I read a book while I was doing it. I am still glad that I 'got it done' but I need to work on the intensity.

The intensity was brought at lunch. Another powerful workout with the gang. We ran the coliseum stairs and I brought my stop watch (actually heart rate monitor). When you have to compete in a measured amount of time it is much more demanding. With Chad close on my heals I clicked off four rounds (down - up - down - up all the way around the arena). All rounds were completed in 5 minutes or less with a 2 minute recovery walk in between. My times are noted below:

5:00
4:46
4:55
4:54

Next up were abs. A lot of Swiss ball crunches, bicycles and planks.

Swimming - looking for improvement.

I have stuck to the diet all day today without any trouble at all (the evenings are the problems). I got in the pool for about an hour at lunch and did a ton of 100's and 50's. I wore my jammer (not the drag board shorts) and felt pretty fast. It is hard to remember all of the different skills (feel the catch, high elbows, constant exhale, kick with your whole leg, etc).

I also signed up for Adult Swim lessons for next month. They will meet Tuesday and Thursday starting Feb 03. I am going to work on Stroke Development, Stroke Improvement and Stroke Refinement.

Time Trial - running

Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!

- Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass"

I followed the diet yesterday even though it was a holiday - I did not get the results that I wanted 13resolutions.

I took yesterday off as a complete rest day - I never do this. The training plan called for a 75 minute easy spin on the bike. I hate days like that - it is hard for me to do the easy stuff and I almost always go harder that I should. So I skipped it by justifying that the training plan did not call for a 4000 yard swim on Saturday and only an hour run (not the 1 1/2 hour run that I did) and only a 2 hour bike ride (not the 2 1/2 hour bike ride I did) on Sunday. So I took the holiday off and did some yard work. I put pine straw out in the flower beds and chopped on some stumps with the axe - and practiced axe throwing for fun - I was better in the fall. I also followed the diet pretty close.

This morning I did a 30 minute running time trial (TT). These are hard. They are mentally hard. They are physically hard. I woke up early and got to the gym by 6:30AM - no breakfast - just running on empty. I jumped on my treadmill - I always use the same one - and did an easy 10 minute warm up (real easy 10:00 minute / mile pace). At ten minutes I pushed up to a 7:00 minute / mile pace and held this for another ten minutes. This is were it gets hard. You take your average heart rate for the next 20 minutes. At the end you should feel like you have given everything. Not easy to do on a treadmill when you are not chasing someone or there are not wolves or bears chasing you. So twenty minutes into the run (10 warm up and 10 harder warm up) I pushed the pace to about a 6:27 minute / mile pace. I was able to carry this for about ten more minutes and then I had to back off just a little. I was, however, able to finish strong for the last five minutes and slowly, incrementally, increase the speed - by a tenth or two at a time. I finished running the last minute at a 6:00 minute / mile pace.

This was not my best time trial - my best was outside running to work last spring. The distances do not matter only the heart rates (but the working set of 30 minutes I covered 4.5 miles and 7.7 miles for the hour.) The last twenty minutes of the Time Trial I averaged 174 beats per minute (that is just about were I was last spring). Theoretically this should mean that I can carry that heart rate for about an hour without blowing up. Easier said than done. I will try this heart rate out in a tempo run some time in the near future.

Swimming at lunch.

Working the plan in hopes for some speed in the spring.

11 mile run in 1:32:07 (8:37 min / mile pace - I did stop and talk with someone briefly) - My volume has been high but I feel slow. I have a 30 minute run time trial on Tuesday.

The sun came out in the afternoon and I met up with the Sunday group ride. It was the biggest turn out that I have seen in a couple of months. We, including me, Mississippians are fair weather riders. I hear people talk of the unbearable cold - 40 degrees - and how it is impossible to get outside. It was not that long ago, when I lived in Indiana, that 40 degrees would be a heat wave. I remember weeks on end of sub-freezing temperatures. You would see people out and about in short sleeves and shorts if the temperature got above freezing.

But I digress - the group ride was a lot of fun even though there was one heck of a head wind going out. We made it to Sumrall in no where near record time. Even going down the hill to Sumrall was slow - probably about 4 - 5 MPH slower because of the wind in your face. This just meant that getting back to town would be fast.

I usually do not do long pulls but prefer short intense sessions. On one such pull I was easily (I say easily but I was pedaling my heart out) hitting 29 - 30 MPH. This is fast and furious and is so much fun. Taking the back roads back from Sumrall throws in a few hills and the day was perfect. Bright, sunny and the temperature with arm warmers was just right.

Cookies and beer for dinner - 13resolutions

Still swimming -

I went to the gym today (Saturday) to do an hour run and a light swim (just because it was open and I could). Some how I decided to do the swim first. Because of the holiday on Monday the gym did not open today until 2PM. I got there right when they opened. There was a pool party just getting started but there was one lane marker still in place. I had it mostly to myself - there was a guy rehabing his knee and kind of walking around in the lane. Nice guy, he sucked to the side every time I swam by.

It was recommended that I start wearing my swim jammers again. That the regular trunks were acting like drag shorts and that I did not need the resistance. So I wore the jammers for the first time in months - Still Tight!

I felt fast in the water. I swam 250 yards (5 laps) in 4:00. 48 second average for 50 yards is fast for me. I was not going all out or anything - just kind of swimming. This is encouraging. Everything was clicking good in the water and the water was rough with the pool party. The diving board is near the lane that I was swimming in - there was a chop in the water.

I ended up swimming 4000 yards (80 laps). This is the furthest that I have ever swam in the pool (and I think ever - anywhere). My times are noted below (the first 8:42 set was because of a child in the lane - the second was because I was getting tired):

RI - 30 seconds rest after each set

250 yards - 4:00 (50 yard average 48.0 seconds)
250 yards - 4:06 (50 yard average 49.2 seconds)
500 yards - 8:18 (50 yard average 49.8 seconds)
500 yards - 8:22 (50 yard average 50.2 seconds)
500 yards - 8:23 (50 yard average 50.3 seconds)
500 yards - 8:26 (50 yard average 50.4 seconds)
500 yards - 8:42 (50 yard average 52.2 seconds)
500 yards - 8:29 (50 yard average 50.9 seconds)
500 yards - 8:42 (50 yard average 52.2 seconds)

Unfortunately the run did not go well. I hopped on the treadmill for the hour run and I just was not feeling it. My stomach hurt - from water and hunger. I only ran a mile (low 8 minutes) and called it a session.

Swimming - 9000 yards (for the week)

I completed all of my training plan this morning with the 7.5 mile run so lunch was dealer's choice. I guess I have really missed the pool so I grabbed a little more. The pool was empty except for Sam - the local fast guy. We chatted for a little bit and then swam some sets together. Sam consistantly smashes everyone in the swim - and by a large margin.

He was just swimming slow today. We warmed up with 500 yards and then 6 x 200 repeats with a 50 backstroke thrown inbetween.

It was a good 1950 yards. 9000 yards for the week is more than I swam in all of December.

Rise and Shine

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. - Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)

The seat on my trainer road bike has been giving me some trouble on rides of 45 minutes and more. No major discomfort but when I am on the trainer I am looking for any reason to jump off. So I swapped out the seat, the one with the big cut-out, for a normal seat. The bike was easier to ride in the same position and I could actually sit upright and churn away on the cranks. I rode the trainer for 45 minutes at an easy pace while reading a book. Not too bad. It will take a few more sessions on the trainer to see if the seat swap makes any difference.

I also got out of bed this morning in time to get to the gym for an hour of exercise. This is the first time that I have done this in months - since running, biking and swimming outside.

It is a lot harder to go to the gym in the morning than to go outside. My training plan only called for an hour of running at a moderate pace. I cruised along on the treadmill adjusting the pace as necessary and clocked 7.5 miles at just under an hour.

Even though it is not scheduled I think I will jump back in the pool for lunch.

As a side note: I am continuing to drop a little weight - just in time for the weekend - 13resolutions.

It seems too early in the year for a holiday but I'll take it - a three day weekend should be fun even though it is a little cold.

Swimming - 2 a days

I am down 5 pounds year to date: 13resolutions

I did get that trainer bike ride Time Trial in last night. Not the best workout but I am glad I did it. I warmed up for 3 miles (a little less than 10 minutes) and then did a 5 mile time trial. I tried to maintain my heart rate between 160 and 165 beats per minute. This is challenging but not too hard. I was dripping sweat by the time that I finished. I wrapped up with a 2 mile cool down. Nothing ground breaking but it was completed.

I had a 1 hour swimming session scheduled for today. An hour in the pool is difficult for me to complete. Not the the actually swimming but just the block of time. I was not successful in climbing out of bed early enough to get the hour swim. However, I am please that I decided to get up and do what I could. I put in 1500 yards this morning - 250 warm up, 10 x 100 work set and 250 cool down.

To complete the hour I got back in the pool at lunch. I just did 6 x 250 yards (with 30 seconds rest). I'm not fast but I am making progress. The times are noted below.

1. 4:15
2. 4:21
3. 4:19
4. 4:23
5. 4:23
6. 4:21

I also did strength training. ** Note to self - bench press after swimming is not the best idea. ** I'll be smarter next week. The training plan for tonight calls for an easy 45 minute bike.

Swimming and Stadium running

I got a good swim in yesterday at lunch. Nothing too taxing but a lot of drills. I warmed up with 250 yards and then did 20 x 50 yard repeats at 60 seconds. Every few reps I would do a different drill. The drills consisted of finger tip drags and catch-ups and swim golf (time of number of strokes equals your score - lower is better). Interesting, when I did the finger tip drag my time and stroke count decreased. The finger tip drill is intended to to keep your elbows high on the recovery which makes you rotate more on the stroke. I hit the weights for arms and abs after the swim. Did more of the catch-up drill to cool down.

I could not get out of bed this morning to do a bike time trial on the trainer. These time trials take so much physical and mental energy. I am going to try to get it in this evening. No promises.

At lunch I ran the stairs at the basketball coliseum - it was cold outside. These stairs are shorter than the football stadium. There was a lot less recovery going down the stairs. We 4 complete circles of the coliseum. After the stairs I did an extensive ab workout including Swiss ball crunches, bicycles and planks. This was in addition to the medicine ball sit ups.

Not quite jumping...

FYI - I was down 2.8 pounds since yesterday - the diet is getting back on track (13resolutions).

I went to the gym again last night to make up my cycling that I missed due to the (surprise) pool being back open. I got to the gym just after 5 PM. School started back up yesterday and the gym was packed. This is typical - all the students trying to lose the holiday weight or the freshmen 15 (I actually think it is more like 20 now a days).

The only exercise bike that was available was a recumbent that did not have all of the foot straps. I was in my cycling shorts so I was committed. Besides, I had brought a book with me and the session only called for 1 hour at low intensity.

Even reading the book and listening to fast techno music (podrunner) I was bored by about 30 minutes. I lasted until 45 minutes and then decided to mix it up. I jumped on a just available treadmill (the good thing about the new students at the gym is that they do not last long) to do a BRICK workout. I have not done a BRICK since, I'm guessing, before Thanksgiving. A BRICK is moving from one exercise to another with very little time in between - usually from biking to running. Your legs feel funny - like bricks.

It must have been the change of pace or the easy riding but the BRICK felt good. I started out at 8:30 min / miles for 2 minutes. Felt good. I went up to 8:00 min / miles for a couple of more minutes. I cranked up the music and I settled into a 7:03 / 6:53 min / mile pace for the rest of the 2 miles.

For an impromptu BRICK I was pleased with the sub-14 2 mile endeavor. It sure made the last 15 minutes pass quickly.

This morning I did not exactly jump out of bed but I did get going early. I was able to complete a slow 6 mile run at the gym in just under 48:00 minutes (about 8:00 min / mile). Getting the run out of the way will allow for me to get the swim in at lunch.

Ballroom dance class this evening.

Swimming again

Went to the gym today at lunch planning on spinning on the exercise bike. I noticed that the signs saying that the pool was closed were no longer up. Headed to the pool and it was indeed full water and in fact people were swimming. Rushed to the locker room and pulled on my swim trunks. I braced myself for cold water. Much to my surprise the water was perfect.

The swimming was hard. For the first 500 yards or so my arms, shoulders and back ached. It started to get a little better. I ended up doing 50 laps (2500 yards) and was proud of my effort.

I also saw that the gym is offering swim classes next month. Now, I won't drown or anything in the water but I can definitely use some improvement. They have the following class levels:

Level I - Elementary Aquatic Skills
Level II - Fundamental Aquatic Skills
Level III - Stroke Development
Level IV - Stroke Improvement
Level V - Stroke Refinement
Level VI - Swimming and Skill Proficiency

I think I will be somewhere in the Level IV or V. I'm pretty excited.

On a side note I will get the bike ride in this evening. It is just an hour of easy spinning. I brought a book.

Cold weather riding -

Sunday called for a 4 1/2 hour ride. I checked the outside temperature and it was 48 degrees. I was going to go on a 50 mile bike ride and meet up with the Sunday afternoon group for another 35 - 45 miles. I put on my arm warmers, leg warmers and shoe covers. I packed lots of calories for the ride.

I hit the trail and I was immediately aware of how cold I was. I should have worn something else to keep my core temperature up. I made it to Sumrall and my feet were blocks of ice. I was not having any fun. I thought that I would turn around and ride the trainer in the house for an hour and a half until the group ride formed. Once I got home, I did get on the trainer. I had a 20 mile route programed in with lots of intervals. I took off the arm and leg warmers and changed my jersey top. I put a long sleeve technical shirt on to limit the puddle of sweat that would form under the bike.

I only made it 30 minutes (about 10 miles). My body did warm up. I did start to sweat. My feet were still cold. On top of everything I was bored.

I jumped off of the trainer and into the bathtub. I took a hot bath to get my temperature back to normal. There was definitely a lack of motivation with the training this weekend. I was looking for any excuse to not put in the time. The weather did not help.

Looking back, I do not know if this makes a difference, but I have not had a training day off this year (11 days and counting). It is hard for me to take time off. I looked at my training plan and there are no scheduled days off until 01/28 although today only calls for an hour long bike ride.

I will just have to play it by ear.

Trail running

Once again, no swimming was done.

The training plan called for a hilly run today. It had rained much of the night and the ground was wet this morning. There was also a light mist coming down. I decided to head to the gym and do my hill work on the treadmill. I have established a base line with the 'alpine trail' on the treadmill. It is a challenging workout. However, there is never any down hill on the treadmill -only less up hill.

Got to the gym at about 9:00AM and it was closed. Completely dark in there. I had assumed that the gym would be open on the weekends even though classes are still not in session. Well, you know what happens when you assume - sometimes you are wrong.

Ran my errands and by the time I got home the sun had started to peek through the clouds. Put on some old trail running shoes (I need a good pair of trail running shoes - yeah, like I need more shoes) and decided to run the only hills that are nearby - the mountain bike trails. It was fun but I was soaking wet and muddy and grimy almost immediately.

After about 12 minutes I made it to the circuit that I like to mountain bike on. It is hilly with several switch backs but pretty short. I ran the first lap and timed the effort (4 minutes). I took a 60 second rest interval and repeated. This time I clocked in 30 seconds faster - I was now reacquainted with the route. Again and 8 seconds faster than the previous. I did this a couple more times. The rain started to pick up and my glasses were fogged up. I headed home and called it a day with about 5 miles delivered. I would like to get just a little bit of seat time on the bike trainer this evening. We will see.

Long bike ride for tomorrow (4 1/2 hours) .

Back to the routine.

First week back after the holidays is in the books. Tuesday there was a slip on the diet but the training has been in check and followed pretty close. Except there has been no swimming. The pool is still closed for the drain modification. I was also supposed to do a LT time trial run on Wednesday but I was under the weather. Instead I ran the football stadium steps albeit much slower than last year. Today I got in a five mile run.

I have a long run and a long ride (4.5 hours) planned for the weekend. I also hope to get out to a lake for an OWS in the wetsuit.

Stength training for the new year.

Hitting the weights for the first time in weeks is really killing me - so sore...

Getting back into the routine is enjoyable. Ran the stadium yesterday - the best hill repeats in Southern Mississippi by far - and the calves are killing me. Hit the push-up and chin-ups and my back is killing me. Hit the medicine ball and Swiss ball and my abs are killing me. I am sure that I will not be able to lift my arms tomorrow after the chest today.

Good times - but still missing the swim.

Still not swimming

Last month I read an article about many pools closing due to the need to modify the drains but I did not think that it would effect me - well it does. The pool will be closed for a least another week. I am still thinking about braving the open water swimming. I need to get a temperature reading from the lake and put the wetsuit on and just do it. I am sure the lake is much cooler that the usual 84 degrees of my closed indoor pool. I really have to start getting some time in the water.

Luckily, I always have a back up plan (meaning clothes in my locker at the gym). I did the alpine trail on the treadmill. This is still challenging to me. I only set the hill program for a max speed of 8 MPH with a max incline of 12 for 30 minutes. I did not have my heart rate monitor but it was a good workout. Next was a strength training session of back and abs. Also pretty tough after the holiday break.

Did an hour long cycling session on the trainer after work. The program called for a low cadence. Low for me is 70. I usually spin at right about 100. This was a tough session.

The diet is still in order!

Long Slow Distance and SORE

I have really enjoyed the holidays (I work at a university so I have been off for about 2 weeks) but I am ready to get back into my routine. With family visiting and travelling myself my training plan has really suffered. I went for two 3 mile runs earlier in the week and then jumped back on my training plan. Yesterday it called for a 2 1/2 hour run. This should not have been much of a problem. Trying to be smart I decided to do the run slow. I kept my heart rate in zone 1 and just trudged along. About 1 1/2 hours into the run it started to rain. Then thunder. Then lightening. I would normally not mind running in the rain - in fact some of my best runs have been in the rain. But at about the 2 hour mark the run got really hard. My right hamstring started to tighten up and my feet and ankles did not feel great. Soaking wet I must have weighed a couple of pounds more than normal. My shoes were heavy with water. Luckily no blisters or hot spots developed. I took some nutrition with me on this run - a power bar type thing and a gel. I consumed the bar at 1 hour and the gel 30 minutes later. I thought this might help and I did not bonk or anything.

I allowed myself to recover the entire rest of the day and I needed it. I took an ice bath (well cold water bath) in the jacuzzi bath tub to try and reduce the recovery time. There was no immediate relief. I was so sore. My legs were aching most of the evening. After a good nights sleep my body feels much better.

I would guess that I was sore because of the time off and jumping right back into a long run. Today calls for a 4 hour bike ride. My legs will be tired after this ride but they are never sore like after running long.

On a positive note - I am down 3.8 pounds and 2 body fat percentage for the new year - 13resolutions

Holiday is over - back to the plan.

I can not wait for the gym to open back up after this long holiday break. Even though it is tough and I generally dread it - I have missed the swimming. I am excited about getting back into the pool. My training plan is only calling for swimming on Tuesday and Friday of the coming week but I think that I will have to supplement that with a few extra days. It might take a little time anyway to just work back up to the prior volume. I am sure that my upper body has atrophied some during the past couple of weeks.

The training plan calls for a 2 1/2 hour easy hill run for today. I will run in Heart Rate zones 1-2 - just long and steady. There are not many hills here in Southern Mississippi so it will just be along the rails-to-trails. I might be able to venture off the trace for a little hill work but it has been raining. The horse and mountain bike trails will be muddy - (read slippery, standing water, the fall down and get hurt slick kind of slick). There is a chance of more thunderstorms later in the day. This will be wet, hard day. I am actually looking forward to it!

Starting the third day and still doing well on the NO-S Diet: 13resolutions

Rough start to New Year

I went to bed last night with a sore throat and woke up with an even worse one this morning. I was not able to make the Steam Whistle 12k race. It was a cold 35 degrees and the sore throat combined with a feverish headache and the race was just not meant to be.

In addition, I was just looking for an excuse to not perform well. Little to no exercise this holiday week. I have enjoy my sister and her family visiting but my schedule has been off.

We went to the zoo one morning. Also, exercise wise we did go kayaking the last two days as well as climbing the ROTC tower and ropes on campus.

I have started a new diet that I am chronicling on 13resolutions.

New Year's Resolutions - how about 13

I am constantly reading self-help books. I read nearly every diet book at the new release section at the library. All of the exercise books - running, swimming, cycling, triathlon, juggling - I mean everything. I can not get enough of these, however, I rarely implement the plans that the books call for. I do incorporate small parts of each book into my specific philosophy. I'm not sure if this is really working out.

I even read self-help books about self-help books. I read the book Helping Me Help Myself: One Skeptic, Ten Self-Help Gurus, and a Year on the Brink of the Comfort Zone last year by Beth Lisick. It was a fun read. I am in the process of reading a similar book - Practically Perfect in Every Way: My Misadventures Through the World of Self-Help--and Back by Jennifer Niesslein. I'll let you know how I like them.

So I have decided to track my resolutions. I have had a lot of success in the past. Blogging about them will 'up' the accountability factor even higher. Not all of my resolutions will be fitness / athletic related but obviously this will be a major theme - It's what I do. I am going to pick a new resolution every 4 weeks for the next year and document them here - 13resolutions.

Trace intervals -

A little stir crazy and not prepared for my New Year's Day race (Steam Whistle 12K Run/Walk)I decided to do some intervals. I ran a few on the 1/8 mile inside track at the gym the week before Christmas break with Vic but not really any speed work since then. Where I live out on the trace there are only mile markers, nothing smaller than that. Little orange cones in hand I set out for the trace. My plan was to do a slow warm up jog for about 8 minutes - about a mile. Drop a cone and continue for another 2 minutes and call it a quarter. I was wanting to do 10 1/4 mile repeats with 90 seconds recovery. While jogging on the trace (battery in the heart rate monitor replaced - FYI) I saw that there was a stenciled mark on the pavement that read 1 1/2 mile. I dropped my first cone. I jogged for longer than 2 minutes but no new marks. I finally came upon a 2 mile stenciled mark. I dropped the second cone and my water bottle. My 1/4 mile intervals turned into 1/2 mile intervals. I thought I might do six. There is a very slight gradual slop in this area of the trace. It would be interesting if my times would vary much.

The first interval would be up the slight slope. I completed it in 2:54 - a good sub 6 minute mile pace. To make an uneventful story shorter I ended up doing 8 1/2 mile repeats and each one got slower. The last couple were at a 6:30 - 6:40 minute pace. There was no correlation between the runs up hill or down hill. They just got slower. My times seem so slow compared to last summer. I guess that is why they call this the off season. However, I was pleased at how well my heart rate dropped after each interval.

A slow jog home put the cap on the running session at about an hour. Tired but not exhausted I decided to put a few miles on the bike. I have trouble keeping the rides slow - my heart rate was up and I was reeling in the few bikers out on the trace. I did pass and slow to talk with Mike V. - a local triathlete that lives in my neighborhood. He did Ironman Switzerland last year. I noticed that he was on a new bike. He said that the BMC fit him much better than Cervelo. I slowed down and rode with him to Sumrall. Mike is a fast runner and biker. The only reason that I had to slow down to ride with him is that his new bike (the BMC - not sure which time machine) also had a new power meter. Mike was trying to keep his power in zone 1-2. He is new to training with power and it will be interesting to see the progress he makes this year.

Training - this is not hard work - it is hard play...

Back from travelling and spending time with family. Got home late Monday evening feeling a bit sluggish from little to no exercise. About all that I got over the weekend was a long walk with my sister (good talk but it was about 30 degrees outside).

On Tuesday I went for an hour long run followed by an hour long bike ride. Nothing too taxing or strenuous. It was good to get back to the grind. On Wednesday, Christmas eve, I went for a slow one hour and twenty minute road bike ride followed by a 30 minute mountain bike ride. I do not posses much mountain bike skill. This was actually the first time that I had been on a trail in a couple of years. It was about 65 degrees and the sky looked like rain. After a slow warm up just getting used to the trail I found a challenging loop - challenging for me anyway. A single track trail that weaved up and down some slight hills. I was tentative the first time I did the loop. As always, I decided to time the loop the second time. Just over three minutes. With no rest I did it again. It had now started to rain pretty hard. There was pine straw strung all about the trail. With the rain the trail was getting slippery. Riding hard I cut about 8 seconds from my time. I knew in the back on my mind - subconsciously - that I would continue to get faster and faster until I hurt myself. That is my general modus operandi. Sure enough, on the forth loop I slipped off of the pedals in the rain and busted my right ankle. I had to push the bike up one of the hills. Demoralized I called it a day.

Pride a little damaged I made my way home - just another 10 minutes or so and I was home. While washing the bike off I noticed the nice red stain that was produced on my sock. A little older and a little (very little) bit smarter I was able to call it quits before any serious damage done. In past years the carnage would have been much worse.

Exchanged gifts on Christmas eve and everything that I received was training related - go figure - this is a lifestyle. I got enough GU gel packs to get me through my 1/2 Ironman in New Orleans and a really cool TYR triathlon transition bag. This bag should allow for me to pack every possible item and in addition each item will have its own specific space. Should cut down on pre-race packing stress. In fact, I am going to use the bag to permanently store much of my race gear - like my race number belt, transition towel, etc.

Christmas day I decided to go for a bike ride. The temperature was in the 60's and overcast. I started off and soon noticed that my heart rate was all over the place. It was reading much too low and then at times reading zero. Must be time for a new 'watch' battery in the strap. I hate these little specialized batteries but they are so much better than having to send the entire strap back to the manufacture for replacement. So, no heart rate to gauge my effort. Passed Sumrall (the 10 mile mark) and because of the cool weather I did not need to fill any water bottles. Pushed on to Bassfield ( the 25 mile turnaround ). I had thoughts of riding a little further - maybe 70 miles total. About 2 or 3 miles out of Sumrall my bike started to get a little squirrelly. The back tire was losing air quickly. I stopped on the trace near a small house. I thought about simply filling the tire with CO2 and heading back - the tire was not completely flat. While removing the wheel and getting my tube, tire levers and CO2 out of my seat bag I noticed that the tire was completely flat. I examined the tire and sure enough there was a very small flat sharp rock embedded in the tire. These little rocks are every where. Every time that I have had a flat these rocks are the culprit. They look like very small shark's teeth - I will have to get a picture next time - and I am sure that there will be a next time. I put the new tube in the tire and and puffed it up with the CO2. All was well with the world again even though the tire was a little under inflated with just the 12 gram cartridge. I keep an extra cartridge on me but I though to myself that I might need it if I have another flat. I never filled the tire completely up to pressure even though I knew that I was all out of tubes. I used to carry a frame pump with me. The pump would allow for me to put a little air in the punctured tube to locate the hole so that I could patch the tube. Now that I have a different bike - and a bike that the frame pump just does not fit I will have no way to find the puncture. I better reevaluate my repair procedures.

Anyway, I pushed on to Bassfield which was another 12 miles away. I had visions of doing this 50 mile ride on bonk (well not complete bonk since I had a small bowl of oatmeal earlier for breakfast). I'm not sure why I think like this. What is the benefit of not taking any nutrition in and is it possible to really come back after bonk? At the 1 hour 30 minute mark into the ride - past half way with an hour to go - I start to lose power and feel funny. I put some Gatorade sugar water in my water bottle and took a big swig. I did not feel better immediately. Soon I had some of my strength back but not like I should have had. I started to get a little cold. The ride was hard. I stopped again with only 20 minutes left in the ride and put some more calories in my water bottle and drank the entire bottle. I was pretty slow getting home but I persevered. I am glad that I did not just turn around an call it a day after the flat. The 50 miles did me good. All things considered this was a very good Christmas ride.

Later I went to PBJ (Paul B Johnson) state park and walked around the lake. I thought about bringing the wetsuit and trying out the lake. Glad I did not bother. The park service was in the process of draining the lake. Not sure why but the lake was too low to get a swim in. It actually looked really bad. I am ready to get back in the pool before all of my swimming endurance is gone.

I am the motor.

When I was a kid I dreamed of having a motorcycle. Specifically the Yamaha FZR600 that was winning all of the superbike races while I was in high school. I read all of the magazines and lusted after all of the pictures. These sport bikes were in my dreams. I read the reviews over and over. There was no way that my mom would let me have a scooter much less a super powerful, break any speed limit motorcycle.

After I became an adult I still wanted a motorcycle. By this time the FZR was a little long in the tooth compared to the latest and greatest (GSRX’s, CBR’s, Ninja’s, etc) but it was still my ’65 Mustang. I frequented the dealerships often and fantasized a little more. I ran the numbers and I could just barely float the payment if I cut out every non essential expense – include food, housing and books for school. I could always sleep in my Fiat Spider with the motorcycle parked next to it. Then I got quotes for a sub 20 year old, unmarried, male rider for a sport bike. If I remember correctly, just about 3 years of minimum coverage would pay for the bike. Yeah, the insurance monthly payment would be more than the bike payments. Dream dashed for good.

Or was it? Scroll forward about 5 more years and I found the exact make, model, year and color of my dream bike. I was living in Indiana and some kid had the bike and a baby on the way. It was January and there was about 6 inches of snow on the ground. I couldn’t test ride the bike but I did load it up in a truck and take it to the local Yamaha dealership to have a mechanic eye ball it. He started it up and said a few things and he asked me how much. I told him the incredibly low price and he said ‘How can you lose!’ The deal was sealed. Regarding insurance – what a difference a few years can make – for both me and the bike. Full coverage was $110 a year. Wow.

I rode the bike a lot for the first couple of years – several thousand miles. The bike was extremely uncomfortable at any sane speed. The pressure on your wrists would eventually lessen at ‘just a bit more’ than highway speeds. As a stop-light-to-stop-light vehicle it was nearly unbearable. On top of that it got pretty old always having to carry a backpack to have anything with you. I mean, nothing fits on a motorcycle. I was having to bungee cord softball bats and gloves to the seat.

I did have an adventure moving the bike to Mississippi. It was touch and go as to whether it would make it but there was just enough room in the back of the biggest U-Haul truck. I felt like Fonzie having to ride the bike up the ramp and several very sharp turns to wedge it in between a dresser and a mattress.

Now two years into Mississippi and the bike sits in the garage. Sure I have ridden it a dozen times. But my mentality has changed. If the weather is nice enough to ride the motorcycle then it is nice enough to ride the bicycle. I get a lot more satisfaction from the bicycle with so much less risk. The bicycle provides so much more than the motorcycle – mental and physical.

I guess I got to the point with the motorcycle that my health is just more important than a 10, 15, or 50 mile pleasure ride on the motorcycle. Bad things happen. I don’t think I could accept damaging myself in a way that would not allow for me to do the things that I now enjoy so much. A quick trip to town and a minor fender bender could put you out of commission.

So the motorcycle has been retired. I gave the bike to a friend at work (Tina – what a cool mom) whose son is of that age that he thinks of motorcycles. My dad will be happy that the bike is gone also – he does worry.

Unscheduled off day and kittens revisited.

The company holiday party threw a wrench in the training plan. Wednesday was supposed to be my off day (the first in about 12 days). The volume has been high and after a so-so run on Saturday and a bike that I probably pushed too hard on Sunday I just went with the flow. Had a good time, played 'Dirty Santa', and ate too much. Fortunately I did not eat 'Way Too Much' like I can do at these events. It is pretty hard for my body to adjust from 6 small meals a day to 2 large gut busting meals. Since last Friday my weight is up just about 10 pounds - that's about 7 percent. I know that it is not real weight but I do feel the bloat.

No holiday party today but snacks abound. We will, however, have another holiday party (departmental) tomorrow.

The good news is that with the holiday break I can get some real volume in training wise (in between the travelling) of course. I should only be gone for 4 or 5 days have have another 14 or so days at home. Too bad the pool is closed.

I almost forgot. When we found the kittens a few weeks ago I had to rush home for a bag. Its seems that every other race gives you a nylon bag to hold the race numbers and swag. I grabbed one of these bags off of the shelf and rode back for Jodie to put the kittens in something. If you look in this picture there is a card in the bag. I am sure I would have never seen this card had we not found the kittens. It is possibly the best swag that I have ever received. The business card is from a great local tavern (and now ultra-micro brew pub)the Keg and Barrel. And on the back of this business card -

Working the plan...

Saturday's two hour run did not go as expected. I put the time and miles in but I had intended to run at comfortable pace of 90 minutes and then accelerate to a tempo pace for the last 30 minutes. I ran out for 65 minutes and then turned around. at the 90 minute mark I tried to pick the pace up but I was not successful. I just could not sustain the faster pace. I am not sure if I am not fully recovered from the 1/2 marathon two weeks ago or that my volume has been too high or that I am not doing the easy stuff easy enough. The run ended up being a little longer than 2 hours.

On Sunday I road 20 miles solo and then another 37 miles with the group. This could have been (maybe should have been) another easy ride but I am not disciplined enough to keep the pulls light. I have been pulling like I am doing intervals. I really am going to have to try and make the easy stuff easy.

The diet is still suffering. Three holiday parties this week at work and then the holiday with family. Good thing that there is a New Year's day race on the first.

Covers pulled tight.

I slept in today and enjoyed the rest. I generally do not like to waste the day but it was cold out and I decided to do my 2 hour run this afternoon. It was really quite easy to make that decision while under the blankets in the warmth of the bed. The run can wait.

I was playing around with http://www.wordle.net/ this morning. You can enter any text and it will create an image. Fun stuff.

Snow in the Hub City

'The Rock'

Having lived in the midwest for more than a decade I am not as enamoured with snow as most Mississippians. A light dusting is very pretty in the morning but as the winter drags on that pure white snow becomes dingy and grey. Not for me. This snow that fell this morning actually closed all of the public schools and almost none of my co-workers made it to work. I would classify this as a wintry mix at most and possibly just a heavy rain. In fact, it has already turned to rain and will be gone in no time. I do, however, understand the mentality. My father lives in Texas and the area has been in a drought for many years. Therefore, my father will hardly leave the house when it is raining, storming or even a chance of precipitation. I guess that is just different perspectives.

I had a fair LT run on the treadmill yesterday at lunch. Not fast and my hamstring was still noticeable. I did a really, really slow first mile (10 min) and then 4.25 miles in the next 30 minutes (only 7.03 min / mile pace)followed by another really, really slow 10 minute mile.

Today I have an easy hour on the bike and an easy 45 minutes on the treadmill. I have heard and read that most self-coached athletes never go easy enough on the easy days and never go hard enough on the hard days. I am sure that my training falls right in the middle of this adage. I am going to make the easy days truly easy and work on pushing the hard days.

I do hate the snow.

This is my preferred commute to work (The Long Leaf Trace).

The last day of exams. These students are very proud of their snowman.


Maybe a 'snow' eagle.

Snow covered bushes in front of the 'Dome'.

This is about all of the snow that you can expect in southern Mississippi.


Not quite Lambeau field - I think that I have seen it just a little more snow covered. Still, this is where Brett Favre got his start.

Swimming through the holidays - NOT

I just noticed that the pool will be closed starting this Friday through the first of the year - something like 20 days! That is going to take a toll on the swim plan for the rest of the month. Over the holidays I may brave the open water with the wetsuit and see if this is indeed possible during the winter months. I’m not looking for the OWS to be toasty but it has to be tolerable. That being said I have been getting my swimming in just fine. Having a 'real' schedule plan is forcing me to 'work the plan' and nothing is being missed.

On Monday I swam for a full hour - this was the first time since OWS in August. I can’t say that I am enjoying the swim and looking forward to it but I am not dreading it either. I’m counting that as progress.

This morning I actually pulled myself out of bed to go to the pool. I can generally motivate myself for a bike or run but the pool is a little different. Part of it is that it is just so dark right now in the morning (and afternoons for that matter). To reward myself I opened a new pair of swim goggles that I purchased sometime last year on clearance. Little things do motivate me sometimes.

My training plan called for a slow warm up and then 500 yard time trials. I am not fast by any means but I gave it a good effort.

Warm Up – 300 yards (bilateral breathing)
1:00 minute Rest Interval
Working Set –
500 yards @ 8:48
1:00 minute Rest Interval
500 yards @ 8:49
1:00 minute Rest Interval
Cold Down –
500 yards @ 9:08

The cool down was much easier than the working sets. I felt like I could continue swimming indefinitely. With that time it should give me a slow but doable ironman swim (2.4 miles or 4000 yards) of swim time of sub 1:20. I am continuing to work on the swim and hope to see these times improve over the next few months. With the pool and gym closed for much of the holiday I believe that only the swim will suffer. The running, biking and strength training can all be done in and around the house. After all, the Long Leaf Trace is in my backyard.

Common Triathlon Swim Distances & conversions
25 YARD POOL

1 length = 25 yards (from wall to wall)
2 lengths = 50 yards
4 lengths = 100 yards
¼ mile = 500 yards = 20 lengths
½ mile = 800 yards = 32 lengths
1 mile = 1700 yards = 68 lengths
1.2 miles = 2000 yards = 80 lengths
2.4 miles = 4000 yards = 160 lengths

Back on the diet

Last week was the start of a new diet program. I was to loosely follow the 'Body for Life' program. It was a failure! I actually think that I ate worse starting the new diet program than when on my normal, everyday diet. I usually eat oatmeal several times a day, tuna or grilled chicken for lean protein and steamed vegetables for dinner. I can follow this diet fairly easily. It is the sweets and refined grains that kill me.

Anyway, last week I cut my portions down a little and as the week progressed I got into a major calorie deficit. This always happens. It becomes very difficult to control portions and stay on the diet. The holidays did not help the matter - Kyle and Tina brought cookies into the office last week and I had a get together at the house where Brad brought pizza. Friday night I stopped at the store and bought a cake - what was I thinking. Not much will power on these days.

So I have revamped the diet for this week. I am going to increase my calorie consumption and try to keep from getting into a massive deficit. I generally eat too little scheduled calories and that is when I get into trouble. I am trying to be smarter and account for the calories up front this week.

It has been a week since the Gulf Coast 1/2 Marathon and my legs feel completely recovered. I have also analyzed the data from the race. All things considered I am satisfied with my performance, however, I do see lots of room for improvement. Having not run more than 5 or 6 miles at a time for the past 2 months definitely is not the correct training plain. It was the correct action to take to allow my hamstring to heal but not the best plan for performance. I have ran much longer (20 miles) in training in the past just not much this fall.

I ran the race by what I thought would allow for me to finish the race without hitting the wall or having to struggle the last few miles. This was achieved. However, I really believe that I could have gone much harder for longer. My running LT is right around 170 - 172 so I wanted to keep my heart rate below 170. I did this for about 28% of the race. I picked up the pace and ran in the 170's for just less than half of the race. I did not take into account that my heart rate would be elevated in a race scenario. If I had brought my heart rate up into the 170's sooner I believe that I could have shaved a few minutes off of the total time of the race. In the race, I finished strong and passed a number of people in the last 3 or 4 miles. In reality I ran a 10 mile tempo run with a 5k finish. I did receive third in my age group for the effort, however, I was beaten for second by 5 seconds and by first by less than two minutes. I am having second thoughts about a spring marathon but I am strongly considering another 1/2 marathon. I would like to better the 1:37 time from this race.

It was cold and windy here in Mississippi again - cold for Mississippi anyway. I followed my training plan to the tee this weekend and got the long run in on Saturday and the long ride in on Sunday. However, I did have to split the bike up. I rode 25 miles on the trainer and then immediately headed out the door for the group ride where I got 42 more miles.

Total for the weekend:
RUN 12.5 miles
BIKE 67 miles

Road race to recovery

I have read that recovery after a road race takes approximately 1 day per mile raced. This being said then the 1/2 marathon race last Saturday would take about 2 weeks to completely recover. This was the longest road race that I have competed in (I have done triathlons where the total time was longer - for example - The Heart of Dixie was 1/2 mile swim, 27 mile bike, and 7 mile run - 2:22). I do not remember the recovery for that race lasting more than just a few days.

So this week following the 1/2 marathon last Saturday my legs have been hurting and very tired. I only swam or rode the bike trainer until Wednesday (4 days after the race). On Wednesday I ran 6 miles into work at a very conservative pace. This run should not have had hardly any effect on me. It was probably one of my worsts runs ever. I felt as if I was dragging my legs every step of the way. My time was at about an 8 1/2 minute per mile pace - any average training run.

Later that day is when we got out on the field for a little football. This was humbling. I run a lot - long runs, fast runs, intervals, etc, but just running around the field was hard. There is a different intensity when you are chasing someone and even more so when someone is chasing you.

Everyone was sore the rest of the week. I stayed off of my legs. So at this point I am not sure if I was sore after the football because of the lack of recovery from the 1/2 marathon or if the intensity of the football was really that high.

My training plan called for 1:45 minute run today. I was not sure how this was going to go and I was not looking forward to it. The temperature was low for Mississippi at about 35 degrees. I bundled up and hit the trail. Surprisingly the run went well. My legs worked themselves out and I was able to complete the prescribed 1 hour and 45 minute run with few difficulties. My right hamstring did get tight at the 10 mile mark but it worked itself out. Total mileage for the run was 12.5 miles for a just under 8 1/2 minute per mile pace.

I have been planning a full marathon for the spring of next year. Considering the recovery I am now having second thoughts. The recovery for a full marathon could cause my fitness to suffer.

Kicking 101

Got a group of guys out to 'The Rock' during lunch for some fun and games. Did some field goals, punt returns and three on three. The place holder is Kyle from Atlanta while Kevin (also from Atlanta) watches on. Unfortunately some of the 'out of towners' are now hurting.

I have been riding the trainer indoors a lot lately. It is just too dark in the morning to hit the roads. I also believe that I am becoming quite Southern. This 40 degree weather is not very comforting. I still have all of my cycling clothing from living up north for so many years but the ride is just not very fun. I can not wait until spring returns and the group morning ride resumes. This adds a fun and aggressive 40 - 60 miles a week on the bike.

I am getting better about riding the trainer. I have my old road bike permanently set up in my office. The trainer hooks up to the computer and is challenging and motivating. My training plan requires several hour+ rides during the week. These rides can pretty much only be done indoors. I think that the trainer will be more entertaining once I get past the base build period and start doing more intervals and threshold rides. I do believe that the trainer will build my cycling this winter. The long rides will still be outside and generally with a group of people.

I am excited to see how my local Time Trials will improve this spring.

Kittens no more and the off season has ended.

Well as cute as they were - the kittens have been taken to a better place (better than my house anyway). They were dropped off at the 'no-kill' shelter and I am sure that they will be adopted just in time for the holidays.

I started my 'official' 1/2 ironman training (I signed up for the plan at http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/ - I really like the site) this week with Monday being a day off - alright!

I did a strength training workout and let the legs continue to recover. They were not bad but still a little sore from the race. Today was just a 75 minute recovery bike ride. I got up in time and hit the trainer with a movie in the DVD player. Damn, an hour and fifteen is a long time. I was only able to complete 45 minutes of the ride. I think it would have been easier with intervals to break up the monotony. I will have to hit the trainer for half an hour this evening.

I have a strong swim session scheduled for lunch - I believe that structured swim sessions will allow for me to make swim progress faster.

In addition, we have started a diet routine to help with the holiday excess. It is a slightly modified 'Body for Life' plan. Basically you just try to eat clean and often and limit processed foods. I have been eating this type of diet for quite a while. I find it pretty easy to eat by schedule - especially at work. At home is another story. As the week goes on I find myself in a calorie deficit and go a little crazy. Jodie does not seem to have the problems with self control that I do. With both of us adopting this diet routine it should help me to stay on track. I definitely do not want to put on any extra weight this holiday season.

SWIM WORKOUT:

Easy swim
40 minutes - 2000 yards
Warm Up: 500
Main Set: 500 pull, then 10x50 on 1:05
Cool Down: 500 easy swim.

Pull Drill - Focus will be on learning to 'catch' the water with your forearm and pull yourself through the water. If you feel your lats (the muscles under your arm pits that go down the side of your back) engage, then you are starting to get it. If your shoulders are tired, then you are still using too much shoulder and not enough lats.