From Fat to Tri

Post Season Update

2009-12-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are in December already. How’d that happen so fast? Since my last post I was sick, I fell on my face while running and had a sweet black eye for a few weeks. I did Ironman AZ, and now I am counting down the days until we leave for Dubai. That’s the last few months summed up. Here are a few details:

Pre Ironman:
Training was going great until I got sick on what was supposed to be my biggest week of training. I was on the couch for 4 days and wasn’t fully recovered for about 10 days. I managed to scrap together the last couple weeks of training though and was in decent run and bike shape leading into my taper. 10 days out from the race I did my last long run in the dark. I didn’t see the large lip in the sidewalk and managed to land eye first. After much blood, swelling, and swearing I made it back to the car with Rob’s help. My eye swelled up pretty good and the scab that formed prevented me from wearing goggles. So I missed the last 4 swims workouts prior to the race.

Race Time:
Even with all of this drama I felt confident race week. I had a race plan and was looking forward to see how the run was going feel. My goals going in were to nail the nutrition on the bike and continue it on the run, hoping I would be able to crank out a good run split. I was thinking I could go about 3hrs 40 mins if I was feeling good. I wasn’t sure what would happen on the swim. I had a new wetsuit that I had never swam in and I felt like I was in terrible swim shape. Overall the swim went ok. It was very physical and I felt like I was always fighting somebody off. Overall time of 1:06 and change was about a minute off of my PR, so I can’t complain too much about that.
The bike went about as I had planned. I was able to ride good the first lap but my watts fell off on the second lap with the strong headwind on the way out. The wind shifted on the 3rd lap and I was able to recover some of the lost time. Overall I was never really comfortable on the bike. My IT bands were tight and low back was sore. That’s the problem with this course though. It’s like riding on your trainer. Since it so flat you rarely get up out of the aero position. That’s why I like the Canada and Wisconsin courses more I think. But overall I was happy with a 5:03. It was a 27 min on this course. Granted conditions this year were much better than last year.
Onto the run I felt dynamite. Legs felt fresh, HR was in check. I was running about 20 seconds per mile slower than I thought I would but after a few miles I settled in. On the second lap I started to loose a little steam but most of it was mental I think. My legs still felt good and my HR was still in zone 2. My stomach felt good so I started asking myself what’s the issue here? I couldn’t come up with one so I forced myself to pick it up. I ran by Dave at mile 13 and he told me to start picking it up at mile 16. At mile 19 Ann and Jen were yelling at me. Telling me if I didn’t run 8:20’s I wouldn’t break 10 hrs. I gave them a thumbs up but thought “there’s no way I can run that for 7 miles”. At mile 20 I decided to pick it up and see what happens. I managed to run 7:35 pace the last 6 miles and it felt great. That’s my biggest area of improvement I think. I need to push through the mental part that tends to get me at about mile 9 through 18. The other area of improvement is to actually stop at special needs on the run. I ran right by it and didn’t even realize it until about a mile later. So I did the only thing I could do. I called myself a dip shit and laughed. I would just have to take gu from the aid stations until I ran back by special needs at mile 20. It all worked out. That’s one the big keys to long course racing, dealing with adversity calmly. If you think of all of the things that might go wrong ahead of time and make a plan then when shit hits the fan you’ll be prepared. Running the last quarter mile I didn’t know what the total race time was but I knew I pushing the 10 hr mark. I rounded the corner to the finish line and saw 10:00:55 and for a second I was disappointed. I crossed in 10:01:21 and was stoked. Mostly because I felt great and I actually ran the marathon. It was a huge break though for me and all of the goals I had set for the race had been accomplished… except for the one about breaking 10hrs.

Post Race:
The Monday morning after the race we headed to Vegas. We had a great trip and did our part to support the local economy. Since then Coach Dave has had me on a no workout regimen. This is a 4 week ban on workouts to allow for recovery before the 8 month build to IM Canada in August. I have high hopes for this race. I’m planning to be pretty focused on preparing for it, much more so then I’ve been in the past. I am finally starting to realize the level of effort I’m going to need to put into training to really get the results I want. The best part is I am finally excited about doing them again.
Next up is Dubai for Christmas to visit Garren and Jen. Other then the super long flight it should be a great trip.

Redefining Willy T.

2009-09-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

7 weeks until IM AZ and things are progressing well. Since my last post I have made a few key changes in my training. Since late 2006 I have been working with Scott McMillan (Factor9 Coaching). Prior to working with Scott I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Scott really helped me progress my fitness and get me to a level I never thought I was capable of. I decided after doing the Hulaman Half IM in August that it was time to mix things up a bit. After almost 3 years I felt like it was time to go it on my own. At the time I had made this decision I hadn’t signed up for AZ. My plan was to do Cyclocross this year and maybe a winter marathon. Once I decided to do AZ the task of self coaching became a little overwhelming. I started talking with Dave C. (Summit Coaching and head of our tri team). He and some of his other athletes were also doing AZ (they are actually the one’s that peer pressured me into doing it :), you know who you are!) so he offered to take me on as well. This seemed like a great opportunity to try some new methods and work with someone that I train with on a regular basis with anyway. Also, to be on the same plan as those I was training with makes training for an Ironman much more appealing, especially this late in the season.
My last race before AZ was this last weekend up in Washington at the Black Diamond Half Ironman. A couple of weeks ago I had lactate testing done (nothing to do with breast milk) to determine what my power ranges on the bike are. Dave worked these numbers into a race plan and all I had to do was execute. The race went very well (7 min PR) and I have never felt so strong at the end of a half Ironman. Needless to say this is a huge confidence building leading up to AZ. In past races my plan had always been to go out and push the bike as hard as I could then hang on for the run. This always resulted in a miserable 13 miles, and made it hard to get excited about racing because I knew how much it was going to hurt. By holding back on the bike a bit I felt great on the run. I was actually able to catch someone and pass them. That never happens. But this does mean swallowing my pride a bit and letting go of this thing I have about proving myself on the bike. This where Willy T. comes in. Willy T was my racing alias in a few events this year. Willy’s key strength is the bike. He is proud of this and does things like wears gold bike shoes, and talks about himself in the 3rd person. Some may confuse his confidence with cocky-ness. He’s a bit of a show boater. Sure it’s nice to have a solid bike time, but it does get a little tarnished when you can’t back it up on the run. So Willy is learning it’s more about balance across all three disciplines. Sure that sounds obvious, but he’s a slow learner. It’s hard to find that fine line of pushing your area of strength up to the point that it doesn’t affect your areas of weakness. Every race is different too. The course, the conditions, you just never know. I guess that’s what keeps it interesting… Willy T plans to make one last appearance at AZ this year before going into retirement.

What else is new??? We booked a trip to Dubai to visit Garren and Jen in December. This is a huge trip for us since the farthest we have ever flown is to Florida. Our flight from Atlanta to Dubai is direct and I think takes 15 hours? Maybe 12? I can’t remember, but it’s a really long time. I can’t wait though. I think it’s going to be an amazing experience and a great opportunity to see where Garren and Jen are living. Should be a great trip!

Famous Last Words

2009-07-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

Quick catch up since Boise... Two weeks after Boise half IM I made the last minute call to jump in on Pac Crest half IM. I thought it would be fun to give it a go with no minimal prep and no expectations. It went ok; the altitude was a major factor for me. The bike course climbs up near Mt. Bachelor to I think around 6700 ft? Not positive about that, but the air sure felt thin. The best part about the day was running pain free. No more calf issues! But due to heat, dehydration and altitude I ran 8:00 min pace with my HR in upper zone 5 for the entire run. A little frustrating but at least I know now that I can hold that HR for that long. Overall it was a great learning experience.

Last weekend was Hagg lake Olympic. Known for its rolling terrain, it is a challenging course as well. With the last 6 weeks being tapper, race, recover, repeat, I wasn't sure how this race would go. The week leading up was busy at work and I was feeling like crap. In that past this usually leads to a pretty good race. I haven't figured that one out yet... The race itself went much better then I expected. My swim is still much slower then last year but the bike felt great. With my current lack of run fitness due to the calf issue, things went better on the hilly run then I thought they would. Overall I was pretty happy with 4th OA and first place AG.

As for the famous last words... those would be "I will never race AZ Ironman again!!" I've stated this on many occasions and I have to say I was pretty convincing. I even believed myself. Well, "never" appears to fall on November 21st 2009. I wasn't planning to do it but over the course of this week I have changed my mind. There are some major things that I have never nailed down when it comes to the long course racing and training. The biggest is the nutrition during the race. This is perhaps the biggest issue I have, and the biggest thing slowing me down. My goal for IMAZ is to focus on this in training and figure it out once and for all. Other things like pushing myself mentally, racing the swim, and improving my general day to day nutrition are all things I am making progress on this year. Well, ok so my swim times don't reflect that but I feel like I'm being more strategic. In addition to all of these things I just want to enjoy it. No expectations other then that. If my main goal is to nail the nutrition then everything else should fall into place. Oh ya, and there is the quick trip to Vegas on the way home after the race. Not that I considered that when making my decision. Well, maybe a little.

Boise 70.3

2009-06-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

With no full Ironmans planned this year, Boise had been my focus through all of the early training. I have had some break throughs this year with my running, and my bike fitness has remained consistent with what it was late last season. Swimming has been a mystery though with some recent visits to Dennis Baker for feedback. He had given areas to focus on, and much like golf you get worse before you get better. At least for me anyway. So really for the last month my swimming has been improving, but I still have a lot of work to do. With all of that being said I was pretty confident that if all went well on race day I would have a good shot at the podium.

Thanks to technology (Facebook) most are aware of the drama that occurred during the two weeks leading up to the race. Two weeks out I wrecked on my bike coming down Logie (steep descent in the West Hills) and cracked my frame on my TT bike. I loved that bike. Athlete’s lounge quickly hooked me up with a new frame and had me rolling again within two days. In an effort to get dialed in on the new bike I went for a fitting. The new bike (Scott Plasma 2) has a solid carbon seat mast that is “cut to fit”. During the process of getting fit the seat mast was accidently cut too short rendering my new frame useless (at least for me). The fitter took full responsibility for the error and replaced the frame as quickly as he could. I picked up my bike (second new frame) the night before we left for Boise. The other piece that made this race a challenge was the tweaked calf I was trying to fix the week leading up. I had run some intervals with a few guys that are much stronger runners then I and it resulted in a very angry calf (leg muscle, not baby cow). I don’t remember the names of the tendons I pissed off but they apparently play a big role in one’s ability to run. I rested the calf for four days and tried a short easy run on Tuesday before the race. The first 2 miles felt great no pain… but then it went and I had to walk it in. Frustrated and desperate I went in for one last round of electro-stimulus and ultra sound treatment before heading to the race. My next run wouldn’t take place until I came off the bike in T2.

Through all of this I was all over the place emotionally. At first with all of the bike issues I was ready to call it quits with this race and even triathlon. At times I was questioning why I was wasting all of this time, energy, and money on a hobby. Hobbies are supposed to be fun and this wasn’t fun anymore. Fortunately Jen is around to talk me down when I throw my pity parties. By the time we left for the race I was pissed, but in a good way. I had decided that I was going to run until I ether finished or my leg physically came off. So off to Boise we went.

The race went pretty much like the weeks leading up. The conditions were perfect until 10 mins before I started. The winds picked up as a storm moved in. The white caps formed and the swim felt like I was in a washing machine. I started at the front and was quickly passed by a good size group. Between the wind and the rescue boats the swells were large. It made it challenging to stay on the feet of those around me. After dumping out the goggles a few times and throwing up a little frm taking in large amounts of water, I was finally in a groove. Out of the water I felt good about my level of focus and my form. I was a little surprised at my time when I glanced at my watch. I was pretty disappointed with my 39 min swim but was able to move past it and keep the focus on T1. With the long run to the bike I could feel the calf already. I tried to ignore the tightness but I knew it was there in the back of my mind.

The bike was a combination of thunder, lighting, hail, and intense down pours of rain. It was pretty intense, but I was feeling really good. With only having ridden 10 miles on the bike prior to the race it felt like I had been ridding this bike for years. I’m still amazed at how comfortable it is. The bike went by fast due to how much focus was needed to maintain my watt avg in such challenging conditions. Overall I biked what I thought I could on a good day so I’m encouraged with how I did given the conditions. This is the first long course race I’ve done where no one passed me on the bike. It did help though that the 26 through 34 year olds started in waves before me… But still… :)

Off the bike into T2 I felt great. Feet where numb and I was soaked and cold. But I started the run feeling strong. I held back on the first mile and kept the pace steady to allow my calf time to warm up. First mile was a 7:02 with my HR avg in the low 150’s. My plan was to slowly pick it up and go for it at mile 6. At mile 2, just like on my last run, the shooting pain hit. From the back of my knee to my Achilles. I slowed a bit and shortened my stride. I focused on running and not limping. I knew if over compensated then other things would start to hurt. I found I was able to hold my pace at about 7:15 to 7:20 without the pain getting worse. When I tried to increase my turn over though or lengthen my stride I noticed I would start to limp, which hurt even more. I kept this pace up until about mile 10. That’s when two guys in my age group passed me. I watched them run away and decided to pick it up. I was able to run the last 3 miles at just over 7 min pace and caught 3 guys in my age group along the way.

Overall I finished 9th in my age group. With a faster run split I would have had a shot at a podium spot but based on everything that happened along the way I’ll take a PR. I also decided to grab a roll down spot to Clearwater. I had told myself prior that I wouldn’t take a roll down, but I felt like I had earned this one. Overall I’m happy with how I managed the pain in the race and was able to keep my focus. In the past I have struggled with this in long course races. I’ve come out of this experience with a renewed appreciation for the sport. Not only because of the places it takes me emotionally, but also because of the amazing people I have met along the way. I think the best part of this race was having so many close friends there experiencing the same things. Everyone has a different perspective and their own set of challenges, and everyone overcame them successfully. For me the biggest difference this season over previous is my confidence level. I’ve never been a confident person and I think it’s a very hard characteristic to learn. As I’ve tried to become more confident I’m always worried that it is going to come off as cocky. I’m finally starting to realize though that confidence is something that you have to build over time and is the result of reaching goals through hard work and determination. I’ve already accomplished so much more then I thought I could 5 years ago. It makes me want to work harder and learn more to see what I can do over the next 5 years and beyond.
Shout outs:

- My Jenny… 37 min PR? Unbelievable! Her focus and determination this year has amazed me and has kept me on track as well. I am excited to see all of that hard work pay off.
- First timers: Anne B, Taylor B, Stacy S. (I think that’s everyone) Congrats! Strong work on such a tough day. It was cool to be a part of it.
- Chris V!!! I’m glad you’re back on the horse… literally and figuratively. (please upload the picture soon)
- Ann C and Gio. Best cheerleaders ever, but I’m looking forward to you guys racing again soon.
- Dave C. thanks for all of the advice and for letting me be your step athlete. 16 seconds on the bike… bastard!
- Folske, thanks for kicking my ass all winter in the west hills. I hated you then, but I’m loving you now.
- All of the other Ironheads: It’s motivating to see so many friends on the course. Nice work out there.

How's it going?

2009-05-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, it’s amazing how time flies. A quick catch up from the last few months: We’ve done a few races so far this year. I did the Jack Frost TT in February. We did the Shamrock run 8K, Race for the Roses Half Marathon, and the HF Sprint Tri. So far Jen and I have had good races with new PR’s at each event. Our next big event is the Boise Half Ironman on June 13th. Since I’m not doing a full Ironman this year this race has become one of my key races. So far my running and biking are on track. My swimming… Well, it’s a work in progress. I started going to see a swim coach, Dennis Baker. He has me working on some key elements of my stroke. Unfortunately these are things that my mind wants to change but my body doesn’t. I am learning how uncoordinated I really am. But with some patience I’m sure things will come around. The question is will they come around before Boise… We’ll see.
Other then training it’s just been work. No new cars, only two new bikes this year Jen got a new Scott Plasma 2 Limited TT bike. It’s a sweet looking bike that has become a permanent fixture in the living room. I upgraded my road bike to a Scott Addict R3. Now I need to get in on some road races this summer after Boise. This is the other advantage to no Ironman this year I can try some new stuff. Next month the short track Mt. bike races start up at PIR, so I think I’ll give that a go. I think this will also be the year for me to try Cyclo-cross. I’ve been putting it off for two years now. It’s time to man up. I’ve also been kicking around jumping in on the Portland Marathon. It would be nice to grab that Boston spot early so I could get signed up and not have to worry about it this winter. Who knows, depending on how Boise goes I may take a spot for the 70.3 championships in Clearwater FL if I qualify. So many options, so little time.
No new updates other then that. Life has been pretty mellow at the Thompsons’. Today is our 13th wedding anniversary though. Talk about time flying! What are our plans for tonight you ask? How about 3 by 12 minute threshold hill repeats on the bike up Old Germantown road. We are saving the real date night until this weekend when we can really enjoy it. Not the all out hill repeats aren’t romantic.
Well, I guess that’s all for now. I’ll try to check in more frequently since we have a lot of fun stuff coming up in the next couple of months.

The best I can do

2009-02-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

Once again it’s been a while. I think now that I’m on Facebook I don’t want to talk about myself too much. That’s probably why my updates here are so few and far between. What’s new? Well, work is finally slowing down. It’s been a busy two months, but things should be much calmer until mid summer. Even with the increase in work I’ve managed to keep up the training. This has required 5 days a week of morning workouts, but I’m adjusting. I am actually enjoying it. Granted I don’t have to be out the door to workout until 6:30, but it is nice to get in a workout first thing. If I had to be up any earlier it probably wouldn’t be happening. The new job is still exceeding expectations. Even with how busy I’ve been I love the environment, the people and even the job responsibilities. I just hope I can survive the recession… So far no talk of any cut backs, but these days you never know.

On the racing front, last weekend was the first racing I’ve done this season. Saturday we went up to Mt. Hood for a snow shoe event. It was a “Race For the Cure” type event on snow shoes. There was a 3k race and a 5k hike. It worked out so I was able to do the race and finish in time to do the hike as well. The race was pretty small with only about 15 people. They promoted it as a fun run but they still awarded 1st through 3rd with prizes. I managed 2nd, which I’m ok with since my snow shows are pretty big. Not the easiest thing to run in. I managed a 6:24 pace 3k and won a free pair of shoes. After the hike we headed up to Timberline with the Perkins for a beer and some lunch. It was nice to get out of the normal “long ride Saturday, long run Sunday” routine.
Sunday was the Jack Frost Time Trial at Vancouver Lake. It is a 20k out and back bike race. The weather turned out to be much better then expected with only a moderate east wind during the race. It’s hard to complain about that in late February. I’ve been anxious about this race because I had no idea where my fitness really was. It’s hard for me to tell in the winter since there are so many factors working against you in training this time of year. With cold temps, wet weather and layers of cloths it tough to get an accurate read on fitness. Overall the race went well. I felt great going out with the tail wind and was ahead of what I projected half way through. On the way back though the head wind was stronger then I thought it would be so I was quickly nearing max HR with 6 miles to go. With a lot of grunting, snot and drool I managed to maintain my effort level and finished 2nd in Cat 4. I tried to up to Cat 3 prior to the race but they wouldn’t let me. You have to earn a move to cat 3 which makes sense. But in this case had I been in Cat 3 I would have gotten first. Not really a big deal though. It was really the time I was shooting for. I really wanted to go under 28 mins and I managed a 27:47, so goal accomplished. Next race is Banana Belt road race then the Shamrock run 8k. I love racing again!!

I promise I'll try to be a better blogger.

2009-01-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

First off – Happy New Year! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, obviously. We survived the holidays and the “Arctic Blast 2008” which brought 15” of snow. I’ve plunged into the new job head first and am adjusting to the new routine. So, all and all things are going well. The only downer news is our cat Chief had to be put to sleep. He was almost 14 and suffered from thyroid problems. Over the last 6 weeks he really went down hill and wasn’t living a very dignified life anymore. We took him into the vet and they agreed that it was probably time. Chief and I have never really gotten along. He was very head strong, as most cats are, and so am I. We had our struggles over the years, but we were family. I had always joked about taking him to the woods to party with coyotes, or giving him away as a gift as Christmas. But when it actually came time to make the decision to have him put to sleep I struggled. That is not an easy call to make. I don’t feel like I should have that kind of power over anything more then a fly or a spider. But we did it and I am glad that he is not suffering anymore. He lived a good life and was there with us through a lot. We got him before we even lived together. It’s strange now that he’s not around bugging me like he always has. The house is much quieter now, and I miss him a lot more then I thought I would.

As far as training goes, I’m hopefully getting back on track. Between the tendon issues, the weather, and a really good chest cold, I am way behind where I had hoped to be at this point. But this week is starting out good. I’ve started swimming in the morning and it is going very well so far. Due to work being busy most workouts have to happen before or after work. Only the occasional lunch time run is possible at this point. But I have options and if I plan ahead it seems to work out. So as long I am organized and motivated I should be able to get back into shape soon.

End of an era

2008-12-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

One more day to go here at Intel. I'm getting anxious to start at Columbia. From what I hear it should be pretty busy there, I'm looking forward to serving a purpose. Tomorrow is a formality. I come in and hand over my laptop and my badge. Then I'm out the door. It really hasn't set in yet. 15 years is a long time, especially when your only 34. I've basically grown up here. Being 18 when I started, then meeting Jen. I've spent more time here then I did in school. Probably the thing I am most excited about is the change. EVERYTHING will be different. My route to work, my co-workers, where I swim and run during the day. It's a fresh start, something I could never get by staying with Intel. Based on how excited I am about that alone just proves how ready I am to make this move. Regardless of what happens in the long run I have zero regrets about giving this a go. And did I mention the employee store? We went on Sunday to check it out. I walked in and there were fleeces everywhere. I admit, I love fleece! I walked in and felt like I was home, finally! No regrets!
Training has been going well. I am still having Graston done on my Achilles but it is pretty much pain free at this point. I've decided not to do the marathon since I have missed so much training. Instead I am switching focus to the California Half Ironman in April. I love this course and I think I can have a good race there. My swimming is going really well right now, and I'm thinking about joining a masters team. I'm starting to get some bike fitness back, and the running seems solid even after a couple of light weeks. The key will be sticking to it once I start the new job. It will likely take a little time to adjust to a new schedule, but others are able to do it with much more demanding jobs. I'm looking forward to the challenge of making it work. I'm starting to get excited about next season!!

I Suck At Blogging

2008-12-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

So much going on, let me bring you up to speed! Since my last post we went to AZ to visit family and watch the Ironman. Christian, Aleck, and Sarah M all kicked some major ass. Actually watching the race kind of made me think I want to do another one next year...maybe!

On the training front - While training for the RnR marathon on Jan 16th I managed to develop tendonitis in my Achilles. Ok, so maybe it was actually from running the beer mile. Not sure, but finally today I went to see John Foland, a local Chiropractor, for a treatment called Graston Therapy (http://www.grastontechnique.com/). I think it worked, or at least is helping me move in the right direction. After the treatment I was able to come home and run 6 miles with very little discomfort. In the last 2 weeks I haven't been able to do more the 4 miles at a time without significant pain. More ice and another treatment I should be good to go. Now the question is can I get the lost fitness back in time to actually run a fast marathon. Only time will tell.
Perhaps the biggest development since my last update is my new work direction. Yesterday I officially accepted a position at Columbia Sportswear as a Senior Supply Planner. This is a huge change for me since I have only ever worked at Intel. After 15 years I am definitely ready for a change. I think Columbia is going to be a good thing for me for many reasons. Mainly, I really feel like I need a fresh start. That's something you can't ever really get when you change jobs within Intel. Also, I'm excited about working for a smaller company. I think Columbia has 2200 people world wide compared to Intel with over 95k. I'm expecting a period of adjustment, but long term I think it is going to a good move. It's nice too that I'm not leaving Intel as a disgruntled employee. Quiet the opposite actually. Intel has allowed me to do so many things and has been a great place to work. Trust me, I am definitely not taking this opportunity for granted. With the way the economy is right now I am SO grateful to have this option available to me. I am expecting to have to make some sacrifices though with my training. No more will I be able to work from home one day a week. And in the short term no more hour and half swims at lunch. But that's ok. Most people are able to train without those luxuries, so more early mornings and time on the trainer. I think it's going to be worth it if it means a job that is at least some what rewarding. Exciting times!

I think that sums it up. I have been wanting to update, but didn't want to give updates on things that were still in limbo. I hope to be better as I start my new adventures.

The Fountain of Youth

2008-11-12T08:42:00.001-08:00

I found it! It's on SE Hawthorne and 29th! Dr. Nathan Pool's Chiropractic office. He specializes in ART, or Active Release Therapy (activerelease.com). Ever since I slipped in my socks on the freshly polished hardwood floor last week my back and hamstring have been a mess. Last week I should have gotten in ~45 miles of running, instead I did 18. Not good 10 weeks out from the marathon. So I asked around and Dave C. recommended Dr. Pool. I went in yesterday and in a 30 min appointment my hamstring is 100% and my low back feels so much better. I can actually touch my toes again. Not sure why, but that's my indicator on how tight my legs and back are. The best part is insurance covers 20 visits a year. So once a week for the rest of this year is the plan. Next is the calves, and then the periformes (ass tendons). After that I will drop down to once a month adjustments and maintenance.
Last night I put my new hamstring to the test. I met the Perkins' at Dunniway and we did 4x3 min hill repeats up Terwilliger. It felt amazing! No pain at all. Even before I injured it I always had tightness when I was running. It never felt good. Last night it didn't feel at all, like it's supposed to. This new found youth couldn't come at a better time with age 34 looming on the horizon I need all of the help I can get.
Other then that not much else new. The annual Ironheads Beer mile is this weekend. Another reason I am happy about being able to run again. I hope to finish a little better then 5th place this year. I've been training constantly with the beer portion of the race, so we'll see what happens. The big question is what to wear? Costume or no costume... It seems too early to bust Wonder Woman out again...

I Witnessed it...

2008-11-05T09:32:00.000-08:00

I'm not one that discusses my religious beliefs or political views very often. However, last night left a big impression on me. On my flight up to Washington this morning on the Intel shuttle I had some time to think about the election. Ever since I was in grade school I have learned about all of the significant events in US history that have led to progress. I've always been a little jealous of the generations before mine that have witnessed these milestones. Up to this point in my life the only true monumental events I've experienced have been tragic. Watching the election coverage last night and seeing people brought to tears of joy over something that we as a society voted for was amazing. I will admit up until this point I have never really felt a true connection with my country. I've always felt that if we are such a great nation then why are we so hated around the world? Just last week I learned of a co-worker traveling to Venezuela. For safety reasons she had to purchase a Canadian passport cover so people wouldn't know she was from the US. It's hard to be proud of your country when you have to pretend you're from another. But last night proved to me that we are heading in the right direction. Even if Obama sits in the Oval office for four years with his feet on the desk and does nothing things will still get better. I don't think anyone person can fix things. But the excitement and hope that he has created within my generation and others, I think will re-inspire people to make positive changes. Don't get me wrong, there are still a huge number of people that are against this move, and I don't think that will ever change. But personally I love change. I thrive on it. I liked when Brian Williams held up a poster of the previous 43 presidents last night and they all looked the same, old and white. Change is good once in awhile. Thanks for listening to me ramble.

Beer and Bike Ridding

2008-11-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

Another week gone and another Monday morning at my desk with sore, tired legs. Last week was a good week of training and a some what successful Beer Crit on Saturday afternoon. I believe this was the 3rd annual, but the first time I have participated. The race was held at Powell Butte park. The course was about 3 mins long and was mostly smooth single track with some tight turns and a couple steep little climbs. The required beer for the men was Guinness, approximately 14oz per cup. The format was drink a beer ride a lap, repeat 4 times. Yep, it's as hard as it sounds. That's a lot of Guinness to dump down your gullet in that short amount of time. I'll spare the details since it's mostly a blur. Overall I finished 3rd out of 8. Folske smoked it with his super-human bike abilities, and Jay Chech was 2nd thanks to his superior beer chugging. On the women's side Erin P. dominated almost catching Dave C. on the last lap. Next up, the beer mile in 2 weeks. Good times!

On the training side, still running! Last week ended up 5 days and 38 miles. A little light on the mileage, but there was some good quality. I started hill repeats, those hurt. The long run yesterday was good, but the legs were feeling it. 16 miles @ a 7:25 ish pace with HR avg in upper zone 2. Not as fast as last weekend, but better then expected after the beer crit and the hill repeats. Saturday morning was a reality check, summer is gone. Rode out to Sauvies Island in the rain and wind. The only plus was that it wasn't that cold. It was a harsh reminder of what the next few months are going to be like. There's always the indoor trainer I suppose. Swimming, well, it is what it is. I'm still getting it in but I'm feeling a little slow these days. I've been avg'ing about 8k a week. Not bad I guess. It's hard to stay motivated when there's no race on the immediate horizon. I did sign up for a swim clinic in a couple of weeks. I think I am ready for some feedback on form. Hopefully this gets me motivated again.

Bever Fever Duathlon

2008-10-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

It almost didn't happen. Sunday morning at 5am when the alarm sounded I was so close to turning it off and rolling back over. But I laid there for a second and thought about it. I knew if I skipped the race I'd check the results next week and regret not doing it. So I threw my feet on the floor and staggered to the bathroom. We arrived in Philomath just before 8am. I had just over an hour until race start. So I had plenty of time to set up my gear get registered and freeze my ass off. It was a chilly 38 degrees but sunny and clear. So the race started pretty close to on time. The first 5k was a loop around town with a couple rolling hills and one short steep climb. I came into transition in 6th with a new 5k PR(18:19). Once I got my helmet on I was off. Within the first 3 miles I had climbed up to 2nd and begin the hunt for first. The 18m course was nice country back roads with rolling hills and 2 pretty good climbs. I was able to get within sight of the first place guy but wasn't able to close the gap he had on me. My legs were not happy today after doing a tough ride the Friday night before with Grant. Typically in a race of this distance I should be avg'ing ~310 watts. Instead I was struggling to hold 290. Into T2 I was about 50 seconds back from the leader. But based on his run split on the first leg I knew my chances of catching him were slim. The last 5k was on the Philomath high school's XC course. It was 2 laps and had a lot of sharp turns and varying terrain. It was painful but fun and it went by fast. I finished about a minute and a half back from the leader but managed to hold on to 2nd. I was happy that even with tired legs I was able still able to crank out the fastest bike split. The downside was that I have beaten the guy that won in 2 other Tri's this year. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

Run

2008-10-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks I have started to appreciate running again. It's been a while since I have had the opportunity to really focus on it and make it my priority over the bike and the swim. The only downside is the loss in fitness in the other areas. I am having a bit of a hard time letting the bike fitness go. I am still riding, but not nearly as much as I was. Since the bike has become my strength in Tri's I am very hesitant to neglect it too much. With the base I've built over the last year though I should be able to bounce back pretty quickly after RnR marathon. It's good to be a runner again though!
This coming weekend I am planning to get a race in and us some of this fitness I have been trying to build and maintain. The issue I am having is trying to decide which race to do. There is a half marathon downtown on Sunday, but I don't feel like I am ready for that yet. It would be fun though since so many Ironheads will be doing it. Or there is a the OSU tri club's Beaver Fever Duathlon (run/bike/run) in Corvallis. This sounds the most tempting since I could break up the run with a little 18 mile ride. This may be better then an actual Triathlon for me since I wouldn't have a swim to slow me down. Who knows, good thing for day of race registration I guess.
Earlier this week we were in Disneyland with our twin nephews for their 8th birthday. Good times... I love Space Mountain! It's always nice to get home though, the crowds get a little old after while. Disneyland would be so much more fun if there wasn't so many kids there :) Fortunately while we were there I did manage to run everyday. On Tuesday we drove down to Huntington beach and I ran from there to Newport beach and back (about 10 miles). Flat, but great scenery. It was nice to get away from D-land for a few hours. The other two days were running around Anaheim. Not the ideal place to run. Both times I got a little lost and found my self a little concerned for my safety. But when your lost and a little scared the time flies by! Like I said, it's nice to be home...

Hunnington Beach

Flakey

2008-10-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

So yes, I am feeling a little like a flake lately. A couple of posts ago I was all fired up about doing the SOMA Half. Shortly after I decided, Scott posted my training plan. I don't know why but I just wasn't feeling it in the workouts. I was getting them in but was dreading the actual race. I'm not sure if I was just getting burned out a bit or what. Anyway, I've changed my mind again and I will not be racing. I decided I didn't want to waste the time, energy, or money for something I was excited about. Since I made that decision the workouts have been feeling outstanding again. Today will be my 6th day in a row of running, and I should get close to 50 miles this week. I've backed off of the riding a bit, but am still getting 3 rides and 3 swims in per week. It feels good to be getting the running endurance back though. Right now I am getting over the hump of sore and tired. It's the point in which you think "how am I going to run today with these tired legs" but when you start running they feel great. The last 3 days have felt like that and each day the runs get faster and feel better. RnR Marathon is still a long way off so I really need to stay focused on not over doing it like I have in the past. Nightly stretching and recovery drinks after each run have been key.
Speaking of marathons, last Sunday we went down and watched the Portland Marathon. It was a harsh reminder of how hard marathons are. Trying to run that hard for that long hurts. Especially with the goals I have in my head for January, it's really going to hurt! But it was great to see so many friends coming in looking strong. There were, of course, the train wrecks that pushed beyond their limits and paid for it. Like the guy who was projectile vomiting as he ran up the street to finish. He was under 3 hrs, but it was not pretty. Then there was the lady with what looked like mud running down her legs. Needless to say it wasn't mud... I'll admit I gagged a little as she passed. Why do we do these things to ourselves... Oh ya, cause it's fun!

The Great Tuna Adventure

2008-10-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday Rob P and I set out to the coast. That afternoon we fished the Neacanicum River just off hwy 26. This is where I caught my biggest fish up to that point. It was a 10 inch trout. I was very excited. After few hours we continued on to the booming town of Hammond just outside of Astoria. We met up with our guide Jad, Capt Chuck, and the other two guys that were fishing with us the next morning. The goal was to head out before dawn, stop for some bait and out into the ocean in pursuit of Tuna. The unique thing about this trip was the fact that we would be using fly rods rather then normal rods. The main difference is the length. A normal rode is much shorter and stiffer which gives you more leverage once you hook into the fish. With a fly rod the pole bends almost completely in half and makes if difficult to get the fish up to the boat. Especially when it's a Tuna fish.
So we were up at 4:45, mostly because we couldn't sleep. We loaded up the 36ft boat and headed out. A quick stop in Ilwaco for live sardines (bait) and we were off. The Columbia river bar is one of the roughest bars in the world and this was my first time crossing it. I was excited to experience it, but a little nervous about getting sea sick. I have never had the issue before, but my actual time out in the ocean is very limited. As we progressed towards the mouth of the river the swells grew and it became a noticeably rougher ride. It was amazing, the sun was just coming up, it was clear and relatively calm. It was a perfect morning.
We arrived at the fishing grounds at about 9:30 in the morning, about 30 miles out at sea. On the way out we saw a whale and some sea lions. We dropped the lines and started fishing. Within 20 mins we started catching fish. It was crazy at first. One person would get a fish on and yell "fish on" and everyone else would start reeling in their lines as quickly as possible to prevent getting tangled. Through out the day we had a fish on every 20 to 40 mins. Typically the goal is to find a large school of fish and throw out the live bait to attract them and bring to the surface. Then you cast your line into them and hope they take your fly. In this scenario it is normal to have multiple fish on at once around the boat. Unfortunately the wind had picked up so much that it was impossible to see the schools or really use the bait. But total we still ended up with 10 fish caught and 3 others that got away before we could get them to the boat. Not a bad day at all.
Overall it was an awesome trip. It is unbelievable how strong and fast a Tuna fish is. I had no idea. Also, just being out on the water that far off shore is very cool. You see so much more wildlife. I can't wait to do it again next year. Unfortunately the season is pretty short since the Tuna travel with the warm currents. So they really only show up from mid to late July through early October. But, I think that makes it that much better, makes you appreciate it more when it's so limited. In the meantime it will be back to the river in search of those little guys. Everything is going to seem little after this...

Here's a video that Rob put together:

http://perkwire.com/tunafishing

And some photos:

But wait, there's more!!

2008-09-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought my Tri season was over I decided to do one last race. I tried to get into IMAZ, but no luck. So I am going to do the Soma Half IM in Tempe on 10/26. Jen and I did this race last year and it was REALLY hot. I remember finishing that race thinking "well, at least the full Ironman won't be this hot" and it was... So when I tell myself that there's no way it could be 97 degrees 2 years in a row I catch myself knocking on the nearest piece of wood. It's kind of nice to have the fitness to decide to jump into a half IM 4 weeks prior. I think it will work well. Scott has me running a lot right now as I build a base for Marathon training leading up to Rock N Roll marathon in January. My bike fitness seems to be hanging in there and the swim is feeling pretty good right now. So why not race?

On the job front, still not very busy. Should start to pick up again next week. I've been continuing my search outside Intel and have stumbled upon some interesting leads. I'll update ya'll on those later if they workout. Keep your fingers crossed!

Jeep update - I LOVE this vehicle! It has changed my life. I am a much happier person now that I own a Jeep again. I can't explain it... But there's definitely a connection there. It's strange because it is probably one of the slowest and clumsiest vehicles I've ever owned, but I always look forward to driving it! I got some new shoes for it yesterday. After taking it in the sand a couple of weeks ago I was unhappy with the lack of traction with the stock tires. So I found some mud terrain tires that are stock on the Rubicon version and swapped them out. Once I sell the stock wheels/tires on Craig's list I should just about break even. Let the wheel' in began!
My next post should include pictures of REALLY big fish! This Sunday is the big Tuna trip. Weather looks perfect...

P.S. I was just proof reading this entry before I posted it and I realized how strange I am. What a weird mix of topics. Not sure how I got this way... Wait until I post my list of top 10 favorite songs to do trainer intervals too. I'll give you a hint, it contains music from Crosby Stills & Nash, Disturbed, Lil Wayne, Johnny Cash, and the Greatful Dead.

Post Sabbatical

2008-09-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

Two weeks back at work and it's not so bad. Work has been really slow though. It's been a busy two weeks outside of work. Last weekend we were at the beach camping, fishing, and crabbing with the Perkins'. Had a beach fire and hung out, good times. Last Sunday we jumped into the Pints to Pasta 10k at the last minute. The first 2 miles felt great, then my legs reminded me that I was only 2 weeks off of IMCA and 5:30 pace was unacceptable. So I watched Rob and Chris V quickly pull away as I suffered the last 4 miles. But this is the only time of the year that drinking beer before 10am is ok. The result is usually a nap from noon to 4, but it's worth it, the beer is free after all.

This last weekend was a tough but fun Mt. bike ride up at Browns Camp. I only had a couple notable wrecks this time, but I feel like I've been in a car accedient. I am sore in the strangest places. I'm sure part of it is getting old. Overall it was a lot of fun though. Other then that not a lot new. Starting to pick the training back up to a sustainable level. It's nice to get be back on a routine even if it is reletively light.

So what's next? Thinking about doing the Run Like Hell half marathon at the end of October. The main focus starting next month will be the Rock 'n Roll marathon in AZ on Jan. 11th. I hope to qualify for Boston and check that off the list. Right now it's looking like the next triathlon won't be until next April when we do the California Half Ironman. I am bummed that the season is over, but on the other hand I'm not craving to race one right now. The running races seem to be enough, and I hope to try my hand at Cyclo-cross soon while I still have the bike fitness.

In other news - Rob P. and I will be heading to the coast on Sept. 28th to fly fish for Tuna. It is supposed to be very intense. Check out the video on Rob's website: http://www.perkwire.com/oceanfishing.html. It should be interesting since to date the biggest fish I've caught on a fly rode is about 6 inchs long and these tuna are usually about 2-3ft long. Should be cool.

Finish Video

2008-09-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here's my finish line video from IMCA....

Sabbatical Summary

2008-09-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

So I've been trying to think of the best way to summarize my sabbatical. I've come up with a couple ways to quantify it. Pictures and numbers. The numbers are the best way to wrap up the training I was able to do. The pictures below are from my many adventures over the last 8 weeks. It sucks to come back, but at the same time it was a great opportunity that most people never get. This is what I keep telling myself today anyway. So far it's working OK...

So here's sabbatical by the numbers:

Training:

Miles Swam - 39

Mile Biked - 1057

Miles Ran - 236

Amount spent at Starbucks - $226

Miles put on the Jeep - 3014 (mostly to and from Starbucks)

Pictures:

#1 - Murphy on one of our many adventures together...

#2 - Training in Penticton the month before the race with Scott. One of the few places I could live other then Portland

#3 - Chris V in Canada the day before the race. Chris is great to have around when you need to lighten things up.

#4 - The best post race meal to date! The Rusty burger (2 patties, double cheese, double bacon).

#5 - What better way to commemorate a shitty race then by getting a tattoo of it, and no it's not on my ass (but in hind sight...)

#6 - The hardtop hoist project. Much more time consuming then first planned, but well worth it!

Searching for that Silver Linning

2008-08-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

The thing about Ironman is sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. Going into yesterday I was in the best shape I've ever been in both physically and mentally. Then on top of that the weather was perfect! Unfortunetly though the week leading up to the race I wasn't feeling right. Extreme fatigue and light headedness seemed to persist daily without ever getting better or worse. It wasn't until Saturday afternoon when things went downhill. It was likely the stress of the race made things worse. By Saturday evening I had a light grade fever and major aches and pains. I thought for sure I was going to wake up with a full blown cold or flu. Instead I woke up at about 2 am after a really hard sleep and soaked in sweat. I think the slight fever I had broke and I was actually feeling better. At 4 am when the alarm went off I felt a pretty good. So off to the race we went.

So fast forward to the race start... The swim was good. I found a spot towards the outside and in the very front. I normally wouldn't start in the front but no one else was stepping up. So I figured I would go for out. Right before the gun went off I turned around and there wasn't very many people behind me. The cannonn blew and I jumped in and went hard. Within seconds a wall of people washed over me. Not sure why they didn't start in front but I would rather get pushed out of the way then try to climb over people. The swim went by fast and wasn't too physical. My time was almost identical to AZ. I was very happy with that based on how Lake Stevens went.

On to the bike I was feeling pretty good. My HR was lower then usually out of T1 which has always been a big issue for me. About an hour in I started getting blurred vision just before the headache set in. It was a good one! Not sure what brought it on, but it hung around in my temples and eyes well past Richter (The first major climb). Shortly after the climb I took a little caffine gu to see if that would help and it did. The pain dulled a bit and became much more tollerable but never fully went away. Just before mile 60 I was cruising feeling good. It was looking like I was on track for about a 5:20 bike split until I heard that dreaded noise. The sound of 130 psi of air leaving your tire in less then 10 seconds. I quickly came to a stop and assesed the situation. I managed to stay pretty calm, but I knew this would have a major impact on my bike split. I quickly pulled the wheel off and went to work. One leeson learned here, make sure your valve extender on your spare is long enough for your deepest wheel. I didn't realize mine was too short until I got the tire on. So I had to pull it off and take the one off the flat tire. Unfotrunetly I had broke it when I ripped the flat tire off the wheel. With some tweaking and a little luck I was able to get it too work. So 8 minutes later I was up and rolling. Since I was on a downhill it felt like 500 people passed me while I was fixing it though. Needless to say I was a little pissed. My first instinct was "screw it, I'm going to push the rest of the bike as hard as I can". Then I did the math and realized I still had 52 miles to go. So I backed off a little but did keep a steady pace. My legs felt good, but my nutrition started to fail toward the end. I would take a drink of water or Infinite and it would come right back up.

Off the bike I actually felt pretty good. I laid off the nutrtion until mile one and things were going well. Mile 1 was a 7:45 and my HR was right on. This was the one! Things went well the first 5 miles. Then I started to slow a bit as the headwind really picked up. At times it was strong enough to almost blow my visor off. Just before the turn around the wheels came off. My stomache cramped and my jog turned into a walk, then a sloooow walk. This is when the emotions flood in. It's a mix of falling short of personal expetations, the bitter sweet of seeing all of your friends and team mates excel around you, and the months of prep that go into these races feeling wasted. Needless to say it was a long lonely 8 mile walk in the rain. But it gave me time to quit feeling sorry for myself and put things in perspective. I had thoughts of dropping out, but I'm sooo glad I didn't. It pretty much came down to finishing what I started. I thought of how Jen pushed through her race in AZ and was out there a hell of a lot longer then I was. I felt like I would be letting her down if I gave up. So I started trying to jog off and on as much as I could. As I passed the mile 25 marker I saw Jen and got a little choked up. Then there was Chris V with a A&W Chicken bucket on his head! This was exactly what I needed! He handed me the bucket and I put it on my head. The last mile is an out and back so it is packed with people. Needless to say when you have a chicken bucket on your head that says "Chubby Chicken" you get a lot of attention. These cheers pushed me to run the entire last mile.

So in the end it was a tough and somewhat dissapointing day, but it is what it is. Number 7 done!

BIG congrats to all of my Ironhead team mates that kicked ass out there!

Here's another random picture of me hanging with the locals in Levenworth on the way to Penticton:

Here we go

2008-08-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Lucky #7? Guess we'll find out soon enough! IMC starts in 16 hrs. Not too sure how it's going to go at this point. All week I have been feeling like a turd. Very tired, no energy. Not sure whats up. I am hoping it is just the taper, but I've never had this issue before. I figure if I was getting sick it would have hit me by now. So I am going to go out there tomorrow and give it everything I have. Hopefully I snap out of it once I jump into the water. I guess there always has to be something. After all, this is Ironman. Thanks to everyone that has wished me luck and supported me along the way! It's time to get it done.

Life's a beach

2008-08-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, after a tough couple weeks of training Murphy and I thought we would treat ourselves to a little R&R today. We woke up this morning and decided to take a little impromptu trip to the beach. We loaded up and headed out. We ended up at Delray Beach just north of Seaside. One of the few beaches in Oregon that you can still drive on. After much ball playing and hole digging we made a quick stop in Cannon Beach for salt water taffy and caramel corn before making the quick trip home. There are times when I am driving to work and I think to myself "I would sure love to pass the exit off hwy 26 to work and keep on going to the beach". Today was that day. These are the types of things I wanted to do on Sabbatical. So far so good!

Like I said, the last few weeks have been pretty good training. Last week was the last "big" one. A few notable highlights were my long run. It was 2 laps around Hagg Lake (~21 miles) after a 2800-ish yard open water swim with Christian. What a great place to run in the early morning during the week. Lots of hills and wildlife (4 deer and a coyote), and very few cars. The day before that was another 5 hour ride. I went into this ride with tired legs, but ended feeling pretty good. Then on Sunday morning bright and early I had an 11 mile run with 3x10min threshold intervals. I hate running early in the morning, then to have to do threshold repeats?!? I had been dreading this workout but it ended up going very well. I managed to finish up in time to make it to Salem for my Niece's 3 year old birthday party!

This week is still some good volume, but a little lighter on the interval side. I still have some threshold stuff and 5 swims scheduled though. Next week we head north! I am really looking forward to toeing the line for IMC! I don't think I have ever felt this prepared both mentally and physically. Now if I could just figure out how to not go back to work...

Blue Lake Oly Tri and Fishing Report

2008-08-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Blue Lake Triathlon. This is the same course that the June race covers. This race is usually a good bench mark since it is a flat course and the conditions are usually pretty consistent from race to race. In June I went 2hrs & 7mins and change. My goal this time was to break 2hrs & 5mins, improve on my bike split and push the swim as hard as I could. Finally I was able to do all of the above. The only downside to this race was loosing 3rd place with less then a tenth of a mile to go. Chris Bell passed me (again) and surged hard enough that I couldn't stay with him. He is a strong runner and ended up beating me by 14 seconds. Oh well, not much I can about that. But this is the second race he has done this. Lesson learned, I need to push the bike extra hard when he is in the race. Here's the whole story:

Leading up to the race I have had some big weeks with some tough workouts. On Saturday before the race I was a little concerned because my legs were tired and heavy. With a couple easy workouts and a long ice bath that Jen forced me to take I was able to bounce back by Sunday.
Race morning we arrived at the venue early. After a warm up run with Grant F. (the overall winner) I suited up and headed to the water.
The swim started out good and I was off the front with the lead pack to the first buoy. Around the first buoy I lost the pack and ended up with no feet to draft on. I really tried to focus on my form and pushing as hard as I could. There were a few times I would let up a little, but I was able to catch myself more quickly and stay on track. After talking with others is likely the swim course was a little longer then it was in June. This race has the reputation for inconsistent swim courses. Oh well, ether way it was a PR, 24:17.
T1 was good, no issues. As usual Trevor was in out much quicker then I was and we headed out on the bike together. In the past I have always feared that while mounting my bike I would catch my crotch on the back of the seat. Well... guess what happened yesterday... Yep, the crotch of shorts got caught but my feet managed to clip in. Not good, especially with a hundred spectators standing around. Fortunately I unclipped my foot just before I fell over. So I didn't go down, but I'm sure I looked pretty darn stupid.
The bike was pretty much the same as June. The only difference was my HR was a little lower and my legs never really felt tired. At both turn arounds There was Trevor, on my ass. In the end this is likely the reason I pr'd the bike. I was a little frustrated actually because I didn't want to push as hard as I did. Mentally I think I was feeling a little lazy I guess. I'm glad he was there though, I needed that. In the end though he ended up beating my bike split by one second and taking the "fastest Ironhead Oly bike split" record. Well deserved though, he has been racing very well this year. My time was 57:20.
T2 - I sat down, as I usually do, to put on my socks. With numb feet I struggled a little get them on. It didn't help that Trevor was running out of T2 already. Crap! I got my shoe on and took off after him. I caught up quickly and surged ahead in an attempt to control the pace a little. Within the first half mile my feet warmed up and I clicked into a groove. This never happens this early! My legs felt like springs and I felt my stride relax and stretch out. What a great feeling, FINALLY! About a mile in I saw someone ahead and realized it was Dave Campbell. This guy is fast when he's having a good day. He started in the wave before me so I knew I had a minute on him if I could finish with him. I managed to get within 20 yrds, but could never completely catch up. My goal within the last mile changed to "just keep him in sight". As I stayed with him he begin to push. I think I negative split most of my miles thanks to him. As we passed the mile 6 marker I began to hear foot steps. I tried to push but my HR was maxed and my breathing and form began to fall apart. Chris passed and I tried to hang on but had nothing left. I did managed to stay within 30 seconds of Dave though so 4th was were I ended up. My run time was 39:53.

Ironheads kicked ass as usual. Grant "g-funk" Folske smoked the race and won overall. In the process of pushing me Trevor came in 3rd in our age group with a great race. Jason K, AJ, and Taylor also raced well out there. Congrats to Taylor on his first Oly distance. In the Sprint race Darrin Smith had a huge PR and Aleck once again dominated by defending his overall win from last year (when he kicked my ass in the swim and held me off on the bike and the run). Amazing how much he's improved over this last year! I'm anxious to see how he does at IM AZ in November. I have a feeling he is going to murder it!

Jen also raced the Olympic distance for the first time. After not feeling very good for the last week she toughed it out on race day and finished strong. She's really become a seasoned pro out there. I'm very proud of her toughness and strength.

On the fishing front... No "big" news to report, but I did catch my first fish! Size isn't supposed to matter right? I'm going to go with no this time. My fish wasn't very big in size, but he had a lot of fight! I caught him on the Clackamas last Monday with Rob P. my fishing mentor. Thursday we headed out to the Wilson and did some fishing there too. Great scenery, but not many fish that were hungry. The water was clear enough that you could see some of them though. Not sure if that is a good thing or not. I'm looking forward to getting back out there soon. The fall run of cut throat should be heading up the Wilson next month. I may have to take a sick day or two...

Week #3 - Almost half way...

2008-07-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the end of another big week of training. 4 weeks until Canada. Last week ended up being just over 20 hrs and 15 workouts. This week ended up being 22 hrs in 14 workouts. Lots off biking and running over the last two weeks with a total of 435 miles on the bike and 89 miles on in the running shoes. For the most part the workouts have been feeling good. This coming week is a bit lighter and will allow for a little fishing. Next weekend is the Blue Lake Olympic tri. I'm anxious to see where my fitness is for this race after a light week. This will be my last race before IMC.

Other then that not much new. The sabbatical life is a good one. It does have me contemplating what I want to do career wise. Realistically I will likely stick with Intel for a while, but I think I will start to monitor the Nike postings and see if anything interesting pops up. I guess it never hurts to look.

In other news Jen and I made it out to see a movie last week. We saw Step Brothers with Will Ferrell. I would suggest saving this one for a rental. It would be perfect for a rainy day trainer ride. I think that's it for now. I hope to have an update soon with some fishing pics. I have yet to catch a fish on a fly rode. This could be the week! Stay tuned...

Tales From Penticton

2008-07-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been in Penticton BC since Thursday. We rode the course on Saturday at a blistering pace (105 miles in 5hrs) then ran a total of 2hrs and 50 mins today. And did I mention the swimming? This has to be one of the best places on earth to swim. This morning was perfect! The water is perfect temp, calm, and clear and there are no sharks! I have one last swim tomorrow before I head back home on Tuesday. Overall it's been a really good trip. I've met some very cool and very fit folks here. The number of elite triathlete's in this town is amazing. We watched a "local" Olympic distance race this morning. Wow, these guys and girls are fast! But they know how to put on a race here. Prize money for the top 3 finishers and a really good announcer. It was the same guy that is known as the "voice of IM Canada". Overall a much different experience then say, a race at Blue Lake or Hagg Lake. I guess that's all for now!

Sabbatical - Week 1 Done

2008-07-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

What a week! It started with spending a few hours at my Mom's house for her birthday. On Wednesday my Hard Top hoist was delivered by the UPS guy. Within 2hrs the top was off the Jeep and hanging from the ceiling of the garage.

Friday was spent at the Portland International Raceway with Rob P. We went to watch the Historic Car Races. The highlight was getting to ride in the passenger seat of a brand new BMW M3 for two laps around the track. It was $20 that was in support of a local charity. On the back side of the lap we hit 108 mph. It was amazing how fast it could take the turns. Rob was the VW R32 in front of us. Here are a couple pictures.

After that it was Bud Light and classic stock cars. I've always wanted to check these races out. It was a good day. I felt very manly!

Saturday was spent spectating at the Hagg Lake Triathlon where as usual the Ironheads kicked ass. It was fun to be out on the course and cheer people on. Sunday was my fly fishing class on the Clackamas river. No pun intended here, but I think I'm hooked. I didn't actually catch anything, but I had a few strikes, and that's enough to keep my coming back for more. It's cool to go do something new like that and notice things going on that have always been there but I've never noticed. For example when we first got there we had to check out what the fish were feeding on. This required us to flip over some rocks in the river and see what types of bugs were developing. Also, we watched what types of bugs were flying around above the water. Then the key is matching up a fly in your fly box to what is in the water. It reminds me of 8th grade science class.

Mixed in all of these activities there were of course a few workouts. Not too many this week because of Lake Steven last weekend, but there were a few. I did a 12 mile run on Friday morning before the car races and was able to avg a 7:30 pace with my HR in zone 1. My fitness is good right now. Next week I head to Penticton to train with Coach Scott on the IMC race course. I'm really looking forward to that. So, back to business! two heavy training weeks coming up. It's to focus more on resting betweens workouts. Of course I'll need to sneak in some fishing now and then... Fortunately the rivers are cold so its good for soaking the tired legs.

Lake Steven's

2008-07-09T07:13:00.000-07:00

Lake Steven's Half Ironman was this last Sunday. We drove up with Rob and Erin early Saturday morning. We hit the expo... the expo was a booth to buy parking passes and a booth selling bike jerseys, that's it. We attended the mandatory meeting and picked up our packets. From there we headed out to the lake to get in a 30 min spin and drop off the bikes. As Erin and I were out riding my bike started having issues. It kept skipping between gears and the rear cassette was rattling. I assumed it was loose. When we got back I headed over to the local bike shop and had them take a look. Apparently I wasn't the only person with bike issues. The shop was SLAMMED. Total chaos! So I dropped it off and we went to get some lunch. I came back an hour later and it was more crowded then when I dropped it off. Even Sister Madonna (the 78 year old nun) was there trying to get her tires glued up. Fortunately for me my bike was fixed and ready to go. I took it for one last spin up and down the street before checking it in.
Sunday morning came early. We were up at 4 and to the race site by 5. I got everything setup and was ready to go by race start at 6:38. The water was warm and pretty clear. The swim start was a little crowded. You had to jump off a dock and tread water, but we were packed into a pretty small area. When the gun went off it took a few strokes to get some space. Once out I found the underwater rope that runs the length of the course. This was nice because you didn't have to look up to sight much. The down side was I kept running into to slower folks from the wave that started in front of me. Overall the swim felt good. I felt like I was actually racing it for the first half rather then just getting through it. After making the last turn I started to get tired and lost focus for a couple minutes. This definitely cost me some time. Once I realized and snapped out of it I picked it up again to the finish.
Through T1 and on to the bike was smooth, no issues. Once I got going on the bike I noticed my heart rate was still pretty high as it usually is out of the swim. I decided to focus on my watts and not to worry about my HR. As expected after about 20 mins it started to come down. I had heard this course was hilly, but wasn't sure exactly what to expect. There were a lot of short steep hills with a couple longer sustained climbs. Scott had given me power ranges to stay in when hitting the hills and this was key on this race. It was frustrating on the first lap as people would fly by me on the hills, but I always caught them on the flats. Usually once I passed them back that was the last I saw of them. The entire ride I kept coming up on team mate Jason K. I would get within 50 yards of him then we would hit a hill and he would take off again. This happened up until about mile 52 when I finally caught him. He passed me back right away and that would be the last time I would see him until the out and backs on the run. Overall the bike went very good. I got in all of my nutrition and my pacing allowed me to run better then I have in the past.
Off the bike my feet were numb and they hurt as I tried to run through T2. Once out on the run they warmed up quickly. The run went by really fast on this course. I had a bit of a side cramp for the first 3 miles, but it went away after I backed off the amount of water I was taking through the aid stations. At about mile 6 another team mate, Jake, caught me and passed me easily. I knew he was coming and I knew he is a much faster runner then I am, so I accepted it and encouraged him as he went by. Right after that another guy in my age group passed me as well. This sent me into a mini pity party. I was in a funk for about 2 miles before I got my second wind. I think I was between miles 8 and 9 when I decided to push it for a while and see what happens. At this point in the race I had not met any of my goals. I had not broken 2:30 on the ride, I had not swam under 32 mins, and I was likely not going to break 4:40 over all. The only remaining goal was a PR. I knew I needed to pick it up if I was going to do this. The last 4 miles felt outstanding. I pushed my heart rate into zone 5 and my legs wanted more. In the last 5k I managed to catch back up to Jake. This gave me that little extra boost I needed to push the last hill. I came in at 4:43:33. This was a 1 minute PR over Hula man last year. I think this course was much tougher though. Overall the race went very well for me. Except for the couple of little things I am pretty happy with how I executed my plan. As always though I wanted to go faster...
Props to the entire Ironheads team! Congrats to Kaytee as the overall female age group winner. Also congrats to Jake B on his 45 min pr, and Heather R with her 56 min PR! Also, thanks to Jake and Jason K for keeping me motivated out there. These events are so much more fun when you have that comradery and friendly competition. I am so lucky to be part of such a great group of people.

Free at last, free at last...

2008-07-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

Well, off I go. I just finished packing my office (It's moving to a different area of the building while I'm out). My email inbox is down to two messages, it's typically over 30. I guess it's almost time to take the victory walk out the door. It still hasn't totally hit me that I don't have to think about work at all for 8 weeks. I think Sunday afternoon it will set in. I'm pretty focused on Lake Stevens HIM right now. I really want to have a good race. I'm ready for one. No excuses this time. I'm recovered, well rested, and feeling good. My swimming "feels" better. I think watching the Olympic trials has helped. The visual images in my head when I'm swimming of Michael Phelps hauling ass definitely make me feel faster. I hope to use this on Sunday during the race. That guy is a machine! I love watching good swimmers, it makes me want to become a better swimmer. I guess the same goes with the running and biking. I can't wait for the Olympics!

Ok, I'm outta here. I'll post a race report next week. Have a fun 4th of July!

Sabbatical: So close I can smell it...

2008-06-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

And it smells gooood! Less then 4 days to go. I realized today that this will be the first summer I've had completely off (no school, no work) since 9th grade. My sophomore year of high school I started my first job and have been working ever since. This weekend will be a good kickoff too. We head to Seattle Saturday morning and I am racing the Lake Stevens Half Ironman on Sunday. I am really looking forward to this race! My workouts have been feeling great over the last two weeks so I'm thinking a PR is possible (So yes, I believe :)). The conditions are looking favorable so we'll see what happens.
The build to Canada is coming along. This last week was the biggest since March I think. It was capped off by a great long ride on Saturday with Kaytee and Jennifer W. We rode from Troutdale up into the Mt. Hood area. We climbed most of the way up to Lolo pass. Total climbing for the ride was ~6k feet in 83 miles. Here is a picture from where we turned around:

Sunday was an 18 mile run broken up between the waterfront and Forest Park. Totals for the week looked like this:
Swim: 12900 yrds - 4 workouts
Bike: 143 miles - 2 workouts
Run - 55 miles - 6 workouts
Total - 18hrs 20 mins

Hot off the press

2008-06-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

Here is the article I mentioned in my last post:
http://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/sports/story.php?story_id=121435270709437100. Most o the facts are accurate. Only a couple little things are off. Now that I'm famous maybe I should start looking for an agent?!?

Too many factors!

2008-06-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

So last week was another solid week of training. On Saturday I had another big brick workout. My last one was two weeks ago and I had crapped out on the run. After chatting with Scott about it we narrowed it down to not enough calories on the bike and probably not enough water. So I upped my malto intake on the bike and added in some gu on the run to see if that helped. So Saturday started with a ~1800 yrd swim in Hagg Lake. Then I rode 60 miles in 3 hrs followed by a 2 hr run. The run was supposed to be 2hrs 15 min but I had to cut it short. Once again I felt like crap. It was different this time though. I started out the run feeling good, but within 3 miles my HR was through the roof. It was about 85 degrees and felt very humid. Last time I did this it was only 70. So that was probably a big factor. As I continued on my run I started wheezing and was struggling to breath. Fortunately for me Jen offered to meet me half way through the run with more water since it was so warm. At this point I was out in rural Hillsboro in the middle of the big grass fields. I turned around and started to head for home and continued to feel worse. Jen had stopped a couple times on my route home to make sure I was feeling ok. At about 10 miles I was ready to quit when I met her near Athlete's Lounge. I had a mini meltdown and acted like a big baby for a second then sucked it up and continued on. I made it 14 miles total before calling it a day. I was disappointed in how the run went, but I didn't feel like I was buying myself anything by pushing those last two miles. Once home I noticed I was broken out in hives. So I am blaming this week's defeat on the heat and allergies. I think the nutrition was much better since I never really felt sick or hungry. It was just the breathing and the super high heart rate that kicked my ass. Yesterday was some Mt. biking up at Brown's Camp with some very strong Mt. Bikers. Normally I like to be pushed, but my legs wouldn't have it yesterday. I cut it short and headed home to rest up for this week.

Totals for the week:
15hrs 21 mins
swim - 10600 yrds - 4 workouts
Bike - 150 miles - 4 workouts
Run - 27.6 miles - 3 workouts

In other news... I have an interview with a journalist from the Forest Grove News-Times paper about triathlons today. Apparently there are plans in the works for Ironman Oregon and the paper is doing an article about it. They also want to do a campanion article about someone that participates in Ironman events. So my name was offered up. Should be interesting, I've never been interviewed before... I hope I don't say something stupid!! I think the article is coming out on Wednesday or Thursday of this week? Not sure about that but will keep you posted. Other then that nothing much new to report on. Sabbatical is just a week and a half away. Only one more Monday to go after today!!

Things that bug me...

2008-06-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

There's really no point to this post. Just one of many things that I think about when I'm on a long ride or a run. This is what happens when you have way too much time by yourself to think. It's just a list of things in no particular order that get under my skin a little. It's not meant to insult anyone or call anyone out. So if you do things that are on this list don't be mad at me or offended, just write it off as me being a freak:

1. Morman kids riding bikes in suits. Why do they make these kids wear suits? It's bad enough they have to knock on people's doors and get yelled at and insulted. At least let them do it in some thing that wicks moisture.

2. Car culture/decorations: These include "baby on board" signs, those family stickers with each member represented by a stick figure, stuffed animals are Kleenex boxes in the rear window, and CD's or Dream Catchers hanging from the rearview mirror. I don't get it.

3. People that throw their cigarette butts on the ground. The fact that your smoking in the first place is bad enough, then you just throw your crap on the ground. This is one of things that usually results in me yelling at the person and or honking my horn like a crazy person.

4. People that are not courteous. This encompasses a lot of areas, from driving manners to holding the door for the person behind you. I think this is my biggest beef in life. I tend to form my opinions of people pretty quickly based on their manners.

5. Advertising your religious beliefs on the back of your car. Why?

6. People who leave there shopping carts in the middle of the parking lot. Walk your lazy ass over to the cart coral. There are exceptions to this of course, mom's with multiple kids and no coral close. But most of time it is laziness I think. This really gets me when the cart is actually touching my car. I'm afraid of what I might do if I actually caught someone putting that cart against my car.

7. Strangers who want to chat in the locker room or the bathroom. there is an etiquette here that needs to be followed. If I am naked or pee'ing and you don't know me please do not strike up a conversation with me. Along with that, guys in the locker room at the gym with only a shirt on, it's cool to wear pants.

8. Bees, I hate bees!

9. Cyclists with rearview mirrors. I'm sure there is a safety side to this, but I haven't figured it out yet. If a car is about to hit me I would rather not know. At least I won't tense up as much. I tried the mirror thing once and I spent more time trying to adjust it so I could see. I think that was more dangerous then actually turning my head when I need to make a left hand turn.

10. People who don't pick up their dog's poop. Again there are exceptions, like way off in thick bushes or weeds were no one will ever see it or step in it. This would not include my front yard! Or the park by my house where I step in your dog's poop all of the time because it's dark when I take my dog to play there.

11. Chap stick that has SPF 15. Why only 15? Why not 50? I don't really want a tan on lips. (This one came to me during IMAZ while on the bike. Obviously I lost focus for a little bit...)

Again, no real point, and just my opinion. Now that I've got that out of my system I'll start thinking up a list of things that are more positive. Now that's a challenge, it's so much easier to complain about stuff!

Hilly Swim Course?

2008-06-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

Sooo... this past weekend was the Blue Lake Olympic race here in PDX. It is probably one of the most competitive races in the Portland Metro area. There is typically a strong showing from places as far away as eastern Washington and Idaho. Although not as competitive as last year there were still 3 guys under 2 hrs. I went into this race with one goal, that was to break the Ironheads Olympic distance bike record (58:06). The only reason I really focused on this was because I know my swim fitness isn't great right now and my running is still coming back. The bike has been feeling really good though. So I figured I would push the bike as hard as I could and see what happens. I really didn't feel like I had anything to loose since I could count at least 10 names I new in the pre-registered list that were faster then me. So I thought it would be a fun and potentially painful experiment. The race overall went pretty good. My swim felt faster then it was (I think the swim was a false flat). I thought for sure I was going to be under 24 mins, but I ended up at 25 and change. On to the bike, it took me a good 6 miles to get my HR under control. I started out pushing as hard as I could. Towards the middle I started to chicken out a bit. I realized how painful the run might actually be if I don't back off a little. So after the last turn around I eased up a little and cruised for couple miles. With about 5 miles to go I started to get a second wind so I took some nutrition and decided to push it again. I managed to keep my mph over 26 for the last 4 miles until I reached the park and prepared to dismount. The run started out rough as it usually does in these early season races. My feet get so numb on the bike they feel like bricks for the first mile of the run. Once the blood started to flow again I was able to settle in and keep a pretty consistent pace. Mile 4 to 5 I started to get tired, but I was able to keep the wheels from falling off. Had it not been for the pack of IH team mates running me down I would have likely let up those last couple of miles. But I knew that Jason K, Ryan J, and Trevor were all right behind me and running faster then me. So running scared is a good thing I guess. Fortunately for me the run was only 6 miles otherwise I would have gotten run down. So compared to last year I didn't PR as much as I had hoped. I think I was less then 2 minutes faster this year. Since my swim and run were slower this year only the bike was faster. There may be a balance somewhere in there. If I backed off on the bike a little maybe I'd more for the run? Or do I play to my strengths and try to push the bike as hard as I can and hold on for the run? Who knows...

2008-06-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

So... As I've been driving around in the Jeep over the last week I keep asking myself "how the hell could I have gone this long without owning a Jeep". I LOVE everything about this vehicle. Even the things that most people would consider reasons not to buy it in the first place. It's funny because there are not very many people that would find the joy in such a basic (by today's standards) mode of transportation based on how much you have to spend. There is some satisfaction in knowing that at anytime I could swerve off the road and explore any trail I wanted too. Have I ever done that? Not since High school, and I got stuck in the mud. But the idea of it is cool. I think what it comes down to is DNA. I think the Jeep thing is ingrained in me. My sister has the same condition. Over the years we have gone to dealerships together and test driven Jeeps on many occasions just because. Here are some photos of the Jeeps that have influenced me the most:

Here are a couple of my baby pictures. I don't remember this Jeep, but apparently we spent a lot of weekends in it with the local Jeep club.

When I turned 15 my first car was a 1976 CJ7. It was a great car, but always had "issues":

In my mid twenties I bought this one from my sister, who had originally bought it from my aunt. It was a great Jeep and I have always regretting selling it:

So that's the story. My issues run deep, but at least there's a cure!!

Ramp up to IM Canada

2008-06-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

With 11 weeks until IM Canada it is time to start the build. Last week was my biggest week since IM AZ with a total of 17 hrs of training. Up until this week my running and swimming had not been going very well. Then, all of a sudden early last week my legs came back. Not sure why, but all week they felt great. Yesterday was the biggest day of the week. I started the day with a 3600 yrd swim then did a 3 hr zone1/2 ride immediately followed by a 2 hr run. The swim and the bike felt great. I focused on getting in my nutrition on the bike to see how the run would feel based on my current plan. Something didn't go right. I felt good on the first half of the run, but on the way back started to bonk. I was out of nutrition by mile 11 and suffered the last 3 miles. Based on how I felt once I finished I think I got dehydrated. It was much warmer then I anticipated and it seemed humid. Calorie wise though I was able to take in 840 cals on the bike in 3 hrs and 323 on the run. I felt like I could have probably taken more especially with more water. So it's all about learning from those experiences and applying your findings. In the past I would have viewed yesterday as a set back and gotten discouraged. But now with what I have learned from Scott and those that I train with, I'm able to better analyze these situations and figure out how I can improve. Here's the totals for the week:
Bike - 4 rides - 180 miles
Run - 4 runs - 32 miles
Swim - 3 swims - 10200 yrds
Total - 17 hrs.

What's next... Including the Blue Lake Olympic race this coming Sunday this week is another 17 hrs. I am really looking forward to the race. After the Duck Bill race a couple weeks ago I am anxious to see if I can execute the swim and run a little better. Plus with 24 ( I think) Ironheads racing it should be a lot of fun.

Sabbatical countdown - 18 work days left. I am trying not to rub it in too much. I will really need to be conscious of this while I'm actually on sabbatical and posting updates. I know there are a lot of folks that check up on me while they are at work. I think there are even more that have jobs that don't allow them the time are means to surf the web, so they take time from their personal lives to read this. For that reason I will try not to boast too much. Based on the counter on the left side of the page I am feeling the love! I hope I can continue to keep you interested.

Opps, I did it again.

2008-06-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Last night I continued my life long quest for the "perfect" vehicle. I returned to my roots and bought another Jeep Wrangler. This one is a 4 door with fancy stuff like airbags, power windows and AC. Options that until last year were unheard of in a Wrangler. So far after 33 miles I couldn't be happier! Could this be the one? You never know, lucky #18 (that's how many cars I've had since I was 15 years old when I got my first Jeep). I do have to say though the GTI has been my favorite car up to this point. I think having that and the Jeep could be the perfect combination. We'll see. Fortunately Jennifer is a VERY patient and supportive spouse. Most would have left me by now! She's a keeper :) .

Just back from Boise on Monday morning. Went to be support crew and spectator of the new Boise 70.3 half Ironman. It was a great race and a fun weekend. I think I could get used to this spectating thing! Jen kicked ass as usual. The swim was REALLY cold and choppy. She made it through that and threw down a solid bike and run. It was fun to watch her over come things that used to be big obstacles. She's getting stronger every race.

The rest of the Ironheads had a strong showing as well. A couple age group placings and some Clearwater championship spots. Like I said, it was a lot of fun to watch!

After spectating all weekend I am ready to get out there and race some more! Blue Lake Olympic and Lake Steven's half IM are just around the corner. Fortunately I am starting to feel "normal" again. My legs are starting to get a little life back in them. I finally have a little bounce in my step again. The swimming is coming back as well. Once I take more then a few days off from swimming I tend to lose my feel for the water. Finally today I could actually grab on to it again and pull it through. I was starting to get a little worried if it was ever going to come back. This is great timing, hopefully I can keep it going through Blue Lake next weekend. Based on last year this is a very competitive race. Even with a significant PR it is likely I won't make top 10. Depending on who shows up top 20 may even be tough. But with 20 plus Ironheads racing it should be a lot of fun. I think that's it for now.

Out of my comfort zone

2008-05-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I entered into a sport I know nothing about. I went to the local Fly Fishing shop and picked up a rod and reel. Now I know how those folks that come into the Tri shop and look around like they are completely lost. I had no idea what most of the items in that store were for. I promptly signed up for a two day class in June so I could hopefully get some idea what I was supposed to do with my new toys. I think it will be a good outlet this summer on those light training days leading up to Ironman Canada.

On Sunday I did a Olympic distance race in Eugene called the Duck Bill Thrill. It was put on by the U of O tri team. It was a small but very well run event. The course was great, but WOW the water was cold. I never think to bring a swim cap to races since I never swim in one when I train and they typically provide one at the race. Big mistake on my part! The water at best was low to mid 50's. I jumped in to warm up and my head started pounding. I returned to shore and had doubts about if I could do the full distance or not. Once into the race (2 lap swim) I was seeing stars and trying to ignore the shooting pains in my temples. By the second lap my head was numb, unfortunately so were my feet and my arches were starting to cramp. I tried to focus on my form and made, unfortunately much slower then I would have liked. When I checked my watch (30:14) I figured the course was a little long in addition to me being slow. T1 was pretty quick considering how cold and disoriented I was. Once on the bike I started to warm up. I quickly started catching all of those swimers that smoked me in the water. My HR quickly came up to zone 5 and it felt easy to and comfortable to hold it there. It seemed I always had someone in my sights and I think this helped me to push the entire bike. I ended up with the fastest split by almost 3 minutes. T2 was also quick, but I had zero feeling in my feet. As I started running out of T2 the same guy passed me that had passed me at the HF sprint ("shirtless guy"). He had a shirt on this time though. He was the first of 4 to pass me on the run. My legs were just not there. I did catch one guy though, every little bit helps! I ended up 8th overall and 3rd in my age group. I was 2nd until the last 0.2 of the run. As the guy passed me I got on his heels but could hang on. Very frustrating! But due to the size of the race I would have had to win my AG to qualify for Nationals, and he was over 3 minutes ahead. So, overall it was a good race, I clearly have some work to do to get my running and swimming back though.

Finally, a good workout!

2008-05-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

After 5 days of crappy workouts last week I went into the weekend expecting the worst. On tap was the Reach the Beach 100 mile ride from Beaverton to Pacific City on Saturday and a 15 mile run on Sunday. My Thursday 1 hr. 15 min run turned into a 50 min run at an 8 min pace with my HR in zone 3/4. This kind of summed up the week with only a couple "good" points during various workouts since my little weight lifting mishap. Finally on Saturday it started coming together. The weather for the RTB ride was amazing! A little warm, but oh so nice. Felt strong from start to finish and never really felt tired. It seemed like we cruised it, only picking up the pace a couple times when the competitive side of me would take over. It took an 5 hrs. & 10 mins to do the ride with my HR avg in zone 2. Sunday was a an hour and 50 min run from PRC. I was also not looking forward to this run after my last run on Thursday, but it came together. 15 mile out and back up Terwilliger. It was a GREAT run! Warm, sunny, and already a distant memory as I look out the window this morning...

Also, we had to say goodbye to Garren, a good friend of ours, on Saturday as he makes a big move to Abu Dhabi in the UAE. It's an amazing opportunity and I am happy he took it! Jen and I are looking forward to making the trek over to see him next year and to check it out.

What else? Yesterday was our 12 year wedding anniversary. It's crazy how quick it's gone by. Who are those crazy kids?

Long Term and Short Term

2008-05-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

As many know, I LOVE cars. Not just cars but vehicles in general. I've always been fascinated with everything from sports cars to 4x4's. At last count I have had 17 different vehicles since I was 15. I think the type of vehicle I appreciate the most is one that was made to serve a purpose. Whether that purpose was to fly down the road at crazy speeds or to climb over a pile of rocks, it doesn't matter. I think my loyalty to VW and Jeep are a result of that attraction to purpose. Unfortunately over the past few years both brands have made some questionable direction changes in an effort to stay relevant. But it's their history that keeps me coming back. Recently Chris B blogged about his dream car (http://chrisbracing.blogspot.com/2008/05/my-dream-car.html) and it caught my attention. I started investigating this company called Sportsmobile (http://www.sportsmobile.com). After checking out their site I found what could be the perfect vehicle for me. Surprisingly it's not a VW or a Jeep, but a Ford. I know... a Ford. But this is no ordinary ford. It is a rolling piece of purpose combined with freedom. Something you can drive anywhere in and live in if needed. This would be the perfect vehicle for traveling to races or road/camping trips. Even day to day it would be perfect. There has been more then one rainy day were it would have been nice to have somewhere to change after a wet run at Forest Park. It is a diesel so the gas mileage is decent. The only down side is it probably wouldn't fit in a parking garage. Other then that I'm sold. Oh ya, it's kind of expensive too. I still need to figure that part out. But when I do be sure to stop by and I'll make you some popcorn in my microwave and get you a beer from my fridge.

Until then I am going to have to go with Plan B. Still working out the details, but I hope to pull the trigger soon:

Frustrating week

2008-05-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

So coming off of the race last weekend I was feeling pretty good. Not too sore. I was looking forward to a good week of training, getting myself back in the groove. I had accepted that I wouldn't be able to swim for a few days because of the tattoos, so I was happy to see that Scott had thrown in some strength training this month. I hit the gym on Tuesday at lunch and cranked out a good 50 mins of weights and core. By the end I was definitely tired and my legs were a bit wobbly. I haven't done squats or lunges in years! That evening I hit Fairmont and did 2 loops (~ 7 miles). By the end my legs felt like they run a marathon. It got worse from there. Even today I cannot walk down stairs without having a death grip in the hand rail. My quads, inner and outer, are beyond trashed. So essentially the only thing I've been able to do since then is light spins to and from work on my bike. Even that is risky since I can't get up out of the saddle or put my foot down unexpectedly. As you can probably tell by my tone I am a little frustrated. I am hoping today I will start to feel some improvement since it's been over 48 hrs. I decided not to ride to work today and will likely only do some light arm weights at lunch. If things don't feeling better soon I may have to seek some medical advice. I don't think it's normal to have muscle spasms and throbbing IT bands. I'm a little concerned it's more then just soreness... We'll see how they are doing tomorrow.

Other news: I've been threatening this for a while, but I think I'm there. No more Ironmans after this year for a while. I decided this yesterday when I was trying to plan out July while I'm on Sabbatical. I was trying to squeeze in a half Ironman in Washington, a 4 day trip to Alaska, and a few days in Canada for training. Scott pointed out the obvious that if I wanted to have a decent race in August I needed to not cram so much in. I think the Alaska trip is going to have to wait. This is VERY disappointing as I have always wanted to go there. I guess it's not going anywhere but I'm still being a baby about it. This is what has lead me to declare no Ironmans in 2009. I want to take fly fishing classes and maybe a sailing class. I would also like to try some bike racing and qualify for the Boston Marathon. So I'm not planning to sit on the couch and watch my ass grow, I still want to race triathlons. Just not full Ironmans. I think a year away will help me appreciate it again. I have done at least one per year since 2004. So that's where I'm at. I am looking forward to racing my guts out in Canada in August!!

Here are some pictures from the HF sprint last weekend:
http://www.backprint.com/go.asp?31822941

Goals - How to set them

2008-05-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

I think I am finally learning something about Triathlon and competition in general, and that's how to set goals. This past Saturday was the HF sprint triathlon in Hillsboro. Last year at this race was the first time I had ever gotten an overall podium spot (I was 2nd). This year I knew 2nd would be a challenge since I was only 3 weeks from IM AZ and the competition I did know is really strong this year. As a goal I really wanted to finish in the top 3, but that's one of those things you don't really have much control over. If there are more then 2 people there on that day that are faster then you... you're screwed. So based on what I knew about the course and my current fitness level I decided my main focus would be to break an hour. From the Ironheads, Garren (defending champ) and Aleck were both racing. Both are much stronger swimmers then I am. We are all pretty tightly matched on the bike and the run. And that's how it played out. I did have a swim PR by 37 seconds, but I was still way behind. As expected I wasn't able to make up much time on the bike. On the run I was able to get close enough early on to see Garren and Aleck battling it out. About a half mile in as I'm enjoying the race going on in front of me I heard the dreaded sound of foot steps. I could tell who ever was coming up on me was coming fast. As he passed I knew that was it. You can always tell who the fast runners are in these events. I had passed this guy on the bike and thought to myself as I went by "Uh oh, he could be a runner". I guessed right. He took off and ended up catching Garren as well. So, like I said in my last post, you never know who's going to show up. As I approached the finish line I looked at my watch and realized I had 30 seconds left if I wanted to break an hour. I picked it up and was able to squeak in at 59:55. That last mile was painful! The Ironheads overall had a great showing. It's so much more fun to do these races with a dozen of your friends rather then hanging out by yourself not knowing anyone, like I used to do.

Tattoos - We did it! We went on Saturday after the race and got some ink. Jen was a trooper and went first. In honor of her two Ironman finishes she went with the M-dot:

Next it was my turn. I had Murphy's paw print done on my leg:

And I also had my old Rhino tattoo touched up. It had gotten pretty faded from too much sun over the last 8 years:

44.5 work days and counting

2008-05-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Sabbatical is just around the corner. It starts on July 3rd and ends on September 2nd. Now that IMAZ is well behind me and I don't need to plan a Kona trip (yet), I can focus on what I want to do for 8 weeks. As usual the summer is already starting to book up. Between races and vacations the weekends are getting full. That's one crappy thing about living here, most outdoor activates have to be crammed into a 4 month period. As it looks right now most of the 8 weeks will be spent training for IM Canada. It will be so nice to get up everyday and get my workouts in with only needing to worry about when to fit in a nap. I think I will also plan a few days up in Penticton to train with Scott on the course. Other then that the only other major adventure will hopefully be a trip to Alaska to do some fishing. Did I mention it's only 44.5 work days away?

On tap this weekend is the HF sprint triathlon. Not sure how that's going to play out yet. I have yet to have a "good" run since IM AZ. The bike and swim have been slowly returning to normal, but the run is just not there yet. Oh well. I like the event and it will be fun to race with some of the other Ironheads. If I'm going to get my ass handed to me I'd prefer it be from someone on the team... but you never know who else is going to show up.

Here's a pic from IM AZ that Melissa's sister took:

The week after

2008-04-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

After I posted the "summary" from AZ I realized it really wasn't a summary. It was pretty long! For that reason I won't ramble on anymore about the race. It's done and in the history books. Now comes the fun of evaluating what I did and trying to improve were I can in Canada. Scott has suggested I go to a place in Seattle called Performance Medicine (http://www.seattleperformancemedicine.com/aboutus/index.html) to have some metabolic testing done to see how many calories my body is burning during these races. This will help me dial in my race nutrition better so I don't have as many energy drops during the race. I am shooting to do this in mid June.
The last week has been the typical post race week. The first week after is always tough for me. All of that focus for so many months, then BAM, it's all over. Especially when we come back to winter weather. I have all of this free time but I can't get outside to do anything!! So, needless to say the house and garage received a good cleaning this weekend and we made it to the bowling alley for a couple frames. Finally today I am feeling "normal" again. My legs have a little bounce in them and I'm not as tired. I'm planning to go for a run at lunch, my first since the race. Other then some tightness in my Achilles everything else feels good to go. Good to go for an EZ run anyway. Towards the end of the week I will start to introduce some very short intensity stuff back into my workouts. Emphasis is on short though. None of workouts planned are longer then an hour. I do have the option this weekend to extended my light ride to 2 hrs if I am feeling good. If the weather holds Jen and I may do the Monster Cookie ride in Salem on Saturday. 62 miles and the single speed and a big ass cookie! Sounds good to me...
Oh ya, one last update! Jen and I made an appointment with our tattoo guy. Yes, that's right, I have a tattoo guy. How cool am I? Anyway, we are set for May 3rd. Jen is getting an M dot and I am getting Murphy's paw print. I'll also be getting one of my other tat's touched up. It's gotten a little faded from the sun over the past few years. I'll post pictures once we get them.

IMAZ Race Photo's: http://www.asiorders.com/go.asp?31254479

IMAZ Quick Summary

2008-04-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

What a week! Now that we are back home and I am avoiding my work email I thought I would post a quick update from the race on Sunday. I'll post a full race report later for those that are interested.
This race was a some what of a break through for me. I was disappointed for the first 36 hours after, but yesterday on the plane coming home I was listening to my ipod thinking about it again. Then a song came on, I think it's called "how far we've come" by Matchbox 20. It made me think how far I've come. Not only because of my times but my approach to it and my expectations. My first race in 2004 was all about finishing (as your first usually is). This time I was expecting a top ten finish in my age group. Unfortunately the conditions were not ideal and there were a couple errors I made that effected my performance. All things considered though I am finding a lot of positive things the more I think about it. Here's a quick summary of the day:
The things I did right...
Made a solid plan for the entire day and stuck with it:
This included everything from getting to the race early to staying within my zones all day (HR and Power). I have to say this is the first race where I never felt nervous before the cannon went off. The only thing that made me nervous was that I wasn't nervous... if that makes sense. I think this was because I had a plan that I had trained to. For the most part everything went according to plan.... Almost everything...
Dealing with "situations":
Ok, so a few things came up during the race that were not according to plan.
1. Due to a very bumpy section of the course I lost a nutrition bottle at about mile 30 of the bike. This left me with no nutrition for an hour and 20 mins. Fortunately I had planned for this! Dave C had mentioned awhile back that he always carries 4 gu's in his pocket in the bike just incase he looses a bottle. So I had 4 gu's in my pocket. This got me to special needs were I was able to get my two remaining bottles for the rest of the ride.
2. Once I got those two bottles I realized how warm it was getting. Nothing like 90 degree malto! I really had to choke that nutrition down. It was terrible. What I learned - need to use ice packs around the nutrition bottles. This includes run nutrition, but I'll get to that in a minute.
3. On the 2nd lap the same stretch of bumpy road claimed my spare tire from under my seat. Fortunately I didn't need it. But I decided to stop by special needs again on my 3rd loop to grab the tire I had left in my bag. I had a feeling if I didn't I would regret it even though I only had about 10 miles to go. It hind sight it probably only cost me 30 seconds. Better then 40 minutes waiting for a sag vehicle I guess. What I learned - strap the tire down more securely. Most courses are only 2 loops so special needs isn't an option that late in the ride.
4. On the run grabbed my nutrition in T2 as I ran out of the change tent. I realized when I put it in my hand that it was blazing hot. It was a 10 oz Fuel belt bottle with a hand strap. I had used this in training and it worked great. Training though had typically been 50 degrees or less not 95. Once again, hot malto. After taking my second drink I failed to close the lid on it all the way and over the next mile the entire bottle emptied on to my leg and shoe. So nutrition that was supposed to get me to mile 13 was gone at mile 3. So with a few swear words I tossed the bottle and proceeded to use Gu and Coke from the aid stations. This got me to special needs were I had another flaming hot bottle of malto. I carried this one for 5 miles until I decided the Coke and Gu was actually working better for me.
5. So those who have not used malto it is essentially like glue once it dries. So by mile 8 of the run the malto that had squirted on to my shoe had dried. My sock was now literally glued to my foot. Fortunately I had placed a fresh pair of socks in my special needs so at mile 13 I was able to peel off my malto sock and put on my new ones.
The things I did wrong:
With all of the nutrition issues my sodium plan was screwed. I had put extra sodium in all of my nutrition bottles and since I didn't use some of them I started getting depleted half way through the run. I had extra salt pills in a coin purse in my jersey but with all of the water I had dumped over my head trying to stay cool they had gotten wet and were no longer usable. I think this is what caused me to bonk a bit on the 2nd loop of the run. I was eating but not really able to absorb it quick enough.
Could I have pushed a little harder on the bike or on the run? I think everyone asks this question after the fact. As I was laying on the ground outside the medical tent on Sunday evening after they poured me out of the wheel chair I would have said "hell no! That was all I had." Today I think maybe? Who knows. This is one disadvantage to doing such an early season race. Not having raced since October it's hard to get that sense of how hard I can push and be ok. Especially in such warm, dry and windy conditions. So if I had to change something here I guess it would be to push a little harder on the bike next time. Specifically during the 70 to 85 mile section as this is were I always seem to crap out a little bit and loose focus.
So overall I am pretty happy with the outcome. I didn't get a Kona spot, or break 10 hours. But I broke 11 hrs and PR'd by almost an hour. Last time I did this course it was in 2006. It was hot that day, but not as hot as this year. There was no wind ether and the courses were pretty much the same. this is how the two races measured up:
2006:
Swim - 1:13:27
Bike - 6:02:32
Run - 5:02:20
Total - 12:32:11
division place - 104/267
overall place - 613/1726
2008:
Swim - 1:05:51
Bike - 5:30:32
Run - 4:10:20
Total - 10:54:11
division place - 26/266
overall place - 181/1689

I think I'm getting there. I'm looking forward to some local and regional races in the next couple of months leading up to Canada. The Kona train hasn't left the station yet. Hopefully I can grab a seat in Penticton.
Congrats to all of the other Ironheads that competed in AZ too:
Kelly H, Kelly M and Dave C did awesome all getting Kona spots and spots on the podium! You guys inspire me to keep trying.
Chris V - You are an Ironman! Even with a 20 minute nap in the shade at mile 19! Congrates on your first.
Erin P - Smoked by me on the run as I feared she would in CDA last year. Sick in bed with a head cold last week, 10th in her division this week, one of the toughest chicks I know.
Garren W and Rob W - My bike time was only as fast as was because you guys pushed me without even knowing it. Congrats to a great race!
And of course my wife... What a day she had. I am choked up just typing this. After a huge PR on the swim and persevering on the bike in crazy wind and heat. She pushed through the run throwing up several times and having to walk but never giving up. Her strength amazes and humbles me. I am so proud of what she has accomplished in such a short amount of time.
And to those Ironheads that started the journey but were unable to make it - I know each of you well enough by now to know that you gave it everything you had. I have no doubt that you are already planning that next race and anxious to get to training again. I can't wait to get back out there with you. I think the biggest thing I got out of this race was the relationships I've made through training for it. It's funny how 3 hr rides in 38 degree rain/snow can bring people together (Or too much beer after a big training week in Palm Springs).
Other props I'd like to throw out:
Ann C - I'm so bummed you couldn't race on Sunday after your bike crash earlier in the week. Those 35 -39 women have no idea how lucky they are. You'd would have crushed them! But rest assured your enthusiasm and support helped all of us on Sunday. You are an amazing athlete and I can't wait to see you compete in Kona!
To my Mom and Sister and Jen's family - Thank you as well! For all of your support and for being there to cheer us on all day. You pain and suffering are also much appreciated. I know it's not easy enduring those conditions as a spectator ether. These events wouldn't be the same without you.
Like I said, I put together a more traditional (and shorter) race report soon. I had a lot of random things I wanted to get down today before I forgot.

Quote of the day

2008-04-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

I bought a bottle of green tea today at New Seasons to have with my lunch. On the bottom of the lid it has famous quotes. The quote on my lid seems very fitting for not just this Ironman but all of them:

If you are going through hell, keep going.
-Winston Churchill

Speedy...

2008-04-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well, speedy looking anyway. I got the new wheels put together today and am ready to take them for a spin out on Sauvies Island tomorrow with all of my race gear (TT helmet, uni, ect). They sure do look fast, but they are only as fast as the poor slob pushing the pedals. So hopefully I can do the Isaac justice on race day.

Going Mental

2008-03-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Almost two weeks out from Ironman AZ. This is when the mental struggles begin for me. In the past I would have started thinking back on my training and wonder "did I do enough". I also typically start worry about my nutrition plan and my bike setup. I basically start to question everything. This year is a little different, but not entirely. I had a little heart to heart with myself in the sauna yesterday after my run. I had been studying the AZ results from last year trying to figure out what I could do. I think this is ok, but too much focus on the numbers is not good. I've decided to shift my focus now. I have a plan and if I execute it well then my time is what it is. I have confidence in my fitness level this year, more so then I ever have. I have a nutrition plan that I have used on all of my long runs and rides that seems to work well too. Having a power meter on the bike gives me the ability to monitor my effort real time rather then relying on HR and perceived effort alone. So that just leaves the things I cannot control. It looks like the weather is going to be warm. The avg temp over the last few weeks has been ~ 85 degrees. There has been some wind out of the southwest everyday, so those two things will play a major role on the day. But I am ok with that. I feel like I made peace with the wind in Palm Springs, and with a power meter I can manage my power expenditure much easier.
So the next week will be tying up all of the loose ends such as getting my new rear wheel and prepping it. Doing a test run and ride with all of my race gear to make sure everything works. Then comes the packing. It will be nice to have a full week in AZ prior to the race to get settled and make sure we have everything in order. I'm expecting big things out of this race, and by big things I mean I expect to execute my plan to the best of my ability and make adjustments along the way as needed. So I'm still putting pressure on myself, but not based on how fast I go according to the clock, but rather how focused I stay on my plan and how well I push through the "rough" patches. I've learned more this year then ever thanks to a lot of talented people that have been where I want to be. So now I will concentrate on applying all of that and getting it done! Oh ya, and having fun too...

Adjusting...

2008-03-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

Last week was tough trying to get back into the groove of work and crappy weather. I know I'm not going to get much sympathy though. Palm Springs was a great week of training and weather but the lack of sleep and transition back was harder then I had anticipated. I think I averaged 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night and during the week most of workouts were only so. Finally by Thursday I started feeling like I was getting caught up. The weekend training went well. I did a 4 hr ride Saturday with 3x45 min race watt intervals all on Sauvie's Island. I was hoping to maintain 250 watts for these intervals, but 240 seemed to be were I settled in. Even at 240watts though I should squeak out a pretty good bike split PR in AZ depending on conditions. Off the bike I had a 20 min transition run that felt much better then expected. My HR is usually a little high going into these but it stayed in zone 1 today even at a 7:30 pace. Sunday was an 18 mile run at Forest Park in the rain. We took it easy on the way out and picked it up on the way back. Spent the rest of the day cleaning the house, making lists for the race trip, and gluing up tubulars. What a pain in the ass that is! It's been a year since I've had to worry about it. Now I have a new tire for my new wheel (Blackwell 100 with a wireless PT hub) and 2 spares (one to carry on the bike and one for special needs). While I had the glue out I decided to throw an extra coat on my front race wheel as well. What a messy frustrating process. I'm sure it's one of those things that gets easier the more you do it though.

This week will be a decent amount of training still, but will also be a lot of packing and rest. It's amazing how many little things you have to do to prep for an Ironman. I do miss the simplicity of just running. Traveling for a marathon meant you needed your shoes and some shorts and a couple different shirts in case the weather changed a little. Now with Ironman we have a 20 ft trailer that will be full of bikes and gear heading down to the race. Jen and I are also shipping a large box of stuff and we have two huge suitcases. It is so much easier to drive to these events! Oh well, I guess AZ is probably easier then an international race.

Less then 2 weeks until we leave for AZ, less then 3 weeks until race day...

You can never have too much inspiration

2008-03-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

Today I was looking around on a friends website at some pictures he had posted from our camp last week. On the top of the page I saw a link that said "Fight MS", So I clicked on it. Before I go on let me give you a little more background here. I met Rob about a year ago on an Ironheads group ride. Since then we've become good friends. In conversations we've had I've found we have a lot in common. One of the things is how we got involved in Triathlon. My journey started when I watched my Mother in-law finish her first marathon. Seeing her accomplish something like that made me wonder if I could do it too. And here I am today. Without her leading by example and providing so much support who knows how unhealthy and unhappy I'd be. Rob has a similar story involving his Dad. This is were the "Fight MS" link comes in. Rob is doing the Janus Charity Challenge as part of Ironman Arizona. I've done this a couple of times before and managed to raise a couple thousand dollars for the Oregon Humane Society and for the Phoenix Children's Hospital, so I know how challenging it can be to round up donations. So if you have a sec take a look at his story (http://perkwire.com/fightms.html). It's a good reminder that there are people out there that can face adversity head on and not use it as an excuse to give up.

Days 9 and 10 and camp summary

2008-03-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

We made it! Camp is officially over. I am sitting in the Palm Springs airport now waiting for my flight to arrive so I can head home. Here is the low down on the final two days of camp.
Day 9:
The day started early with Mitch picking us up at 6am. We headed to Palm Springs and did the same group ride as last Saturday. This week I decided early that if I was feeling good I was going to try to hang with the lead pack of the A ride. As we headed out of the town we turned onto a long uphill with a 20 mph headwind. The group quickly broke up. I tried to hang on but the gusts of wind were coming in at an angle so I wasn't getting any draft from the riders in front of me. I dropped out of the pack and took in some nutrition. Decided to try and hold 300 watts and see how long I could last. I quickly started catching others who also dropped from the lead pack. Once we reached the top of the 20 min, 4% climb I turned around and found I had been pulling about 10 people. As we approached the right turn that signified the top of the hill two guys stood up and sprinted by me. My competitive instincts kicked in and I went with them. I passed them as I rounded the corner and dropped into my aero bars. I looked down and my watts were at 860 and my HR was at 180. I looked back and the guys were about 25 yrds back. I could see the lead pack about a 1/4 mile in front of me so I continued to push until I reached them. It took me about 5 mins and I only caught up because they were not pushing it. Once I got there they started to surge again. We were on a long section with little rollers. We had a tailwind and were cruising at about 35mph. I hung with them and we were taking turns pulling. Once it was my turn to be in front I pulled up and was ready to go. Just then I hit a bump and my bike started making a horrible noise. I had to pull over. I watched as they quickly rode out of site. About 5 mins passed before the rest of the group came by. Mitch stopped to help me. My rear derailleur had broken from the impact of the bump. Mitch was able to bend it out of the way enough so I could continue on. Once we joined back up with the IH group we headed out to a long stretch of flat road for our 60 min time trial. The goal was to ride 60 mins while holding zone 4 watts. Based on this and one other TT my zone 4 watts are between 285 and 300 watts. We had a 20 mph tail wind on the way out the same headwind coming back. It was the best ride of the week for me. We finished with 81 miles. Later in the day we did a steady 5 mile run.

Day 10:
After a late night of drinking and dancing at a local bar I was up early to finish packing. Those of us with later flights drove to Palm Springs and ran from there since it was about 15 degrees warmer then it was in Yucca Valley. We did 18 miles then hit the shower at the pool before heading to the airport.

Camp Summary:
The numbers –
Bike – 391 miles
Run – 69 miles
Swim – 19800 yrds
Total hours of training – 35:52

These last 10 days have been amazing! Mitch runs a great camp. The food (all of which is provided and included in the price) was outstanding. Most of the main meals are home cooked when time allows. The weather and the terrain have been ideal for IM AZ prep. I think for the best part has been getting to know the other IH’s that were also here. It’s hard to find a group of 10 people that you can spend that much time with and not get tired of any of them. I am sooo looking forward to the upcoming season and of course IM AZ. Based on what I saw this last week the Ironheads are going to kick some major ass! And that’s all I got to say about that… I’m looking forward to getting home and wrapping up training. We head to AZ in 3 weeks.

Days 6, 7, and 8

2008-03-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the intermittent posts. The internet access here at the Yucca Inn is occasional at best. So I thought I would combine the last couple of days into one update. On Wednesday we took a break from the pool and rode from the hotel out to Joshua tree to do a 50 min TT. The goal was to hold Zone 4 watts for the 50 mins. This for me turned out to be 285 watt avg for the 50 mins on a road that had a slight grade on the way out. It was an out and back so it was hard to hold a low cadence on the way back and still keep the watts up. It was also at about 4500 ft elevation so my breathing felt high but my heart rate was only in mid zone 2. Later in the day we did a 6 mile steady pace run also from the hotel.

Thursday: After a morning 3500 yrd swim the plan for today was to ride out to Idyllwild. The first 15 miles of this 100 mile ride consist of about 3500 ft of climbing. The avg grade felt like it was 7 to 8%? Not sure exactly, but it wasn't terrible. The hard part was the 40 mph wind gusts that were hitting us head on and sideways. There were 3 different instances where I was slowed down to less then 5 mph and almost went into the ditch. Once at the top those of us that made it waited for everyone else. After about 20 mins of waiting we knew something was up. With no cell service where we were we Mitch rode back down a little. It turned out that everyone else decided not to continue on because the conditions were not safe. This was totally understandable since I am one of the largest people here and I almost got blown over multiple times. So those that weigh 70 lbs less then me could have easily been blown into traffic or off the road. So one of the coaches went back down and got the van and we loaded up and rode from the bottom of the hill back in and around Palm Springs and Palm Desert. Ended up with just over 50 miles total. After the ride some did a quick 30 min transition run. Then a stop at Rubio's for fish tacos!!

Friday: Another morning swim of 4500 yrds then an easy 25 mile ride from the pool. We were going to head out to the north valley area (I think it was north) and ride by all of the wind mills. There are 3000 wind mills out there. So I guess it would be a surprise that it was a bit windy out there. Once out of town on the highway the wind kept getting stronger. We lined up in a single file line and were taking turns leading 2 minutes at a time. We did this for 15 minutes and only made it about 2 miles. We decided to turn back at the point when I was leading. I was generating 300 watts and going 6 mph. When the gusts would hit I would slow to 2-3 mph and almost fall over. Going back however was well worth the effort to get out there. On a flat road I was coasting at 42 mph. We traveled the two miles in a couple minutes. It was rad! After that we just cruised around town. Then we ran for 40 mins at race pace. It was another hot day, about 83 degrees. Yesterday felt like it close to 90. It's going to be hard to transition back to low 50's when I get home. Here are a few pictures from the last couple days:

The top of the climb on the way to Idyllwild:

Chill'in at Mith's before after the Joshua Tree ride on Wednesday

The windmill farm:

Day 5 - EZ Day

2008-03-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Another 8:30 am swim. More technique work today. I can really feel improvement based on the feedback I've been getting. After the swim was a 60 min run with a 1 minute pick up to zone 3 heart rate every 5 minutes. It was 82 degrees and sunny. Felt good starting out but about 15 mins in the heat started to raise my heart rate a bit. I backed off the pace a little and was able to stay within my ranges for the workout. I think over the course of the run I managed to average about 7:30 min per mile. After the run in was bbq for lunch then back to the hotel for a nap and laundry. Oh ya, and some blog updates too.

Day 4 - Hot and dry!

2008-03-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

This morning was an 8:30am 4k yrd swim at the Palm Springs pool. Did some threshold 100 repeats with the coaches watching. I got some great feedback on my stroke that I think will help me tremendously. After the swim we headed out on a 4.5 hr ride. The course was flat, hot and flat. It was a perfect practice ride for the race. It gave me a good chance to get in my aero bars and try to maintain a constant power range. I kept it easy though knowing that we have a lot more riding to do. Everything is going and feeling good though so far. I feel like I am starting to get some what acclimated to the dry hot climate. Today was 85 degrees on the ride but it never felt intolerable. We'll see how the run goes tomorrow in the heat.

In unrelated news... On the way back to the hotel tonight we got rear ended in the van we ride around in. It wasn't major, but hard enough to leave a large dent in a pretty thick steal bumper. The worst part is as we pulled over to get the guy's info he took off. So we took off after him but couldn't keep up. We managed to get his plate number and called it into 911. I'm not sure if they've caught the guy yet, but the CA hwy patrol just called my cell to get my account of what happened for the police report. Exciting stuff.

Here is a picture of the pool.

Day 3 - Joshua Tree

2008-03-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning was up early and on the rode by 7:30. It was a relatively short drive to the park. What a strange (in a good way) place. The landscape looks like something you would see in a roadrunner cartoon. We parked and hit the road running. We ran on paved roads for the first 40 mins before turning off onto a dirt road. This part of the run was at about 4000ft. At the end of the dirt road we hit a trail. It was steep and very technical with mostly loose rock. It was a lung burner to the top of the hill (about 5000ft). Once there the view was amazing! Unfortunately I didn't carry my camera... But the Perkins' did. Once I get them I'll post them. After taking in the scenery we headed back. A few of use pushed the pace n the way back down. It was one of those runs where one wrong step would have been a bad fall of a sprained ankle, but it was too much fun to resist. The run ended up being just over 2 hrs. Here's a few pictures from after we finished.

Later in the day we did a 2 hr, 30 mile ride up into the hills behind the hotel. It was a pretty tough little ride with the short steep hills and the headwind. On the way back Chris V. took a detour and 10 mins later rolled into the motel parking lot with a KFC drumstick in his mouth and a box of fried chicken stuffed in the front of his jersey... I'll have to post the picture of that too once I get it.

Here are some other pics:

Let the camp begin

2008-03-08T21:23:00.000-08:00

We arrived yesterday only to find a large bright sphere in the sky that made my eyes hurt. I think it's called the sun? Ok, I guess that's not fair. It' been pretty nice in PDX the past few weeks. But the warmth was foreign to me. Low 80's with a light breeze. We went straight from the airport to the local pool for a swim. It's so nice to swim outside! We did a good 3500 yrd group workout. Felt great. Then headed to Yucca Valley to the hotel. Yucca is about a 30 min drive up the hill from Palm Springs. I think it's about 2000 ft higher in elevation so the temp is about 10 degrees cooler.
Home sweet home. We are staying at the Yucca Valley Inn. It is a "rustic" motel. It has a lot of character. Here is a picture from my doorway. I took this yesterday
and it is still there. Good stuff. Click on the pic for a full size view. Last night was a tasty dinner at Mitch's and back to the hotel for bike assembly and bed. By the way, the bike made it safe and sound. For those that didn't know the Isaac is too big to fit in a conventional bike travel box. So... Dave at Athlete’s Lounge had to make a custom cardboard travel case. It worked great. The only issue I faced was the teasing from the other Iron heads as my "ghetto" bike case rolled down the conveyer at baggage claim.

Today was a 67 mile 3.5 hour ride with the local bike club. It was a good ride of about 60 to 70 people. Three of us got split up from the rest of the campers and ended riding with the slower group. The plan was to ride with the A group for a more challenging pace and course. It worked out though. After about 47 miles we met back up with the rest of the group and continued on. We rode up a nice 45 min climb to a lookout on one of the sounding hills. It was a great view... Right after ride was a 35 min transition run. What a shock to the system to run in mid 80's and sun. My heart rate was pretty high. I think it was a good reminder what AZ will likely be. Tomorrow morning is a 2hr 20min run in Joshua National Park on some trails that lead to an abandon gold mine. Then a 2 hr ride in Yucca Valley later in the day. Stay tuned...

4 cans of Pabst, 1 mile, and Superman equals...

2008-03-03T13:31:00.000-08:00

The beer mile! Saturday night was my first ever attempt at the beer mile. I have to admit I was expecting the worst. For those not familiar the format is 1 12oz beer then one lap around a 1/4 mile track, repeat 4 times. There were 11 men and 4 women competing. The first Pabst went down smooth until I started running. I think I burped all the way around the track. I was a little disappointed with my time (7min, 31 sec). I was about 15 seconds off of what I thought I could do. But I definitely under estimated how challenging it would be to chug a beer after sprinting a 1/4 mile. It's hard to breath and drink at the same time! It was fun though, the winner (Jay) did it in 6:22. Oh, and Superman came in 3rd (that would Dave E in a Superman costume). It always sucks to get beat by someone in a costume! Oh well, Dave's fast, so that takes a little of the sting off. At least he wasn't wearing a fairy costume (probably next year).

I was a little concerned going into this because I had a 2hr 40 min run scheduled for Sunday morning. SO my plan was to purge after the race in hopes of by passing the after effects of 48oz of beer in 7 mins. Can't say I didn't try! I even stood next to others that were honking their brains out and I couldn't get nothing to come up. Within about 10 mins I could start to feel it. I had a good buzz for most of the evening but hit the water hard (and the pizza). Was in bed by 11 and up by 7am on Sunday. Feeling tired and little hung over Jen and I headed to Forest Park. I managed to squeak out 21 miles in 2:42 and felt surprisingly good. Headed home for a hard nap and a 4500 yrd swim later in the day. Tough swim, 4x1000 IM race pace with a little warm up and cool down. Half way through I was invaded by a beginner swim class of about 15 people. It was chaos all round me. It reminded me of the scene in Caddy Shack when the caddies invade the pool at the country club. Total anarchy for about 20 mins! People in t-shirts trying to do the butterfly. Some dude in an American flag print Speedo. I guess it was good practice as I tried to stay focused on my form and pace. Saturday was a 70 mile ride with 2x25 mile race watt intervals. Rode out to Sauvies and did them there. Ran into one pretty good shower, but only the one. Rode with some Ironheads I came across on the island for about 30 mins. It was a pretty good ride overall. Totals for the week:
Bike: 146 miles
Swim: 16200 yds
Run: 44 miles
Total: 18hrs 21 mins
Friday I fly to Palm Springs to start the CPC camp. I think it is going to be a very rewarding week of training! I bought a new camera yesterday and I' taking my laptop so I'll post pictures and updates regularly.

I thought this was Oregon?

2008-02-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

Everyday I am amazed at the weather... I know that any day now it's gonna turn to crap again, but I think I've been taking advantage of it as much as I possibly can. Last week was a recovery week, which was much needed. After my Tuesday night 18 miler I was toast. With a lot of sleep and only a couple light workouts I was good to go by Saturday. I rode with the Perkins' from their place out through Sherwood, Newberg and Aurora. I love that ride because we get to ride the Canby ferry. It never gets old! Amazing weather, upper 50's and sunny with no wind. Did 3.5 hrs and 60 miles with a hilly t-run after. I had planned to get my swim in the afternoon but we ended up at the vet. Murph pulled a tendon in his shoulder. Based on how much pain he was in I thought he tore something, but fortunately that was not the case. So after some x-rays and a lot of waiting we came home, ate and went to bed. Sunday was a 11.5 mile temp run in 1:20 with some zone 4 and zone 5 intervals at Forest Park. Felt great, and again the weather was outstanding! Finished the day with an ez spin to the pool on the single speed then to my Mom's. Looks like there is a few more sunny days in the week ahead...
Bike update: The new ISAAC frame was last seen in Hodgkins IL on the back of a UPS truck. Should be here by Wednesday.
That's all for now, it's Thin Mint time. I was ambushed by those damn Girl Scouts outside the grocery store this afternoon! I'm trying something new tonight though. Take a Cookies and Cream Skinny Cow and open it up. Place two thin mints inside and put it back together. I'll let you know how it goes.

When are you too old to throw a temper tantrum?

2008-02-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

After a great weekend of riding on the new Isaac I was cleaning it up last night. I had plans to throw the race wheels on it and snap a couple of pictures to post. That's when I found it... A 3 inch crack down the back of the seat mast. "Son of a bitch" I believe is the first words that came out. My first instinct was to throw myself on the garage floor and spin around in circles while crying hysterically. Kind of like I used to do as a child when my mom wouldn't buy me Fun Dip at the grocery store. Instead I took a deep breath and calmly called Jennifer out to the garage. I needed someone to validate that this crack was real. It was. I do have to say that I stayed pretty calm the rest of the day. I was pretty concerned about how this was going to play out. I was scheduled to do the Jack Frost TT this weekend, so I knew that was out. Also, the Yucca valley camp is less then 3 weeks out. That was the biggest concern. I knew that Athlete's Lounge (Larry) would take care of me though. Just like I thought I was in AL when they opened this morning and Larry had a new frame on order and my old bike being torn down within 15 mins. If all goes according to plan the bike should be ready by early next week. I am so grateful to have a good relationship with such a great shop! If this was Gateway Bikes I would have gotten F'd in the a-hole for sure!
As for the last week and weekend, training is on track. Saturday was the 'Big Brick" which was run/bike/run/bike/run. Total of 15.5 miles of running and 61 miles of riding. Sunday was an EZ paced long ride which ended up being just over 100 miles in 5:35. This week is all recovery starting after my 19 mile run tonight. But even that is EZ pace. Everything is feeling great (knock on wood). I'm even starting to enjoy the swimming!
What else is going on besides training and bike issues... Today is Murphy's 8th Birthday!! He is an old man. Yesterday he got to go to Hagg lake to swim and run in the sun. This was followed by a walk to Starbucks and nap in the front yard while I washed the cars. Here he is with his Birthday present.

What happened to last week?!?

2008-02-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

All of sudden last week is over. Where did it go? It's a blur! Like I mentioned in my last post I don't want to get hung up on hours or distances covered in training, but last week is kind of an exception. In this case the time and mileage were the result of a great week of training that really helped me realize where I am in my progression. Also, once added up I realized this was the most training I have ever put in in one week. So the fact that I was able to run 15 miles yesterday @ a 7:15 pace in zone 2/3 and feel really good after a 27 hr week is a big step for me. The whole weekend in general was a big mental boost. Saturday I was up early on the trainer then out the door by 7:30. I met up with a couple of Iron heads and we hit the hills. About an hour into the ride my bike started shifting on it's own. I pulled over to check it out. Grant circled back to find me. We pulled the rear wheel off and the cassette feel off the wheel. With some MacGyver like thinking Grant was able to get me up and running enough to make the 12 miles to Athlete's lounge. Along the way my front derailleur cable pulled loose. Also my rear wheel became so out of true that it started rubbing on the frame. Needless to say it was a long 12 miles. Once there though Larry fixed me up and I was back on the road in 30 mins. From there I was able to finish up my ride for a total of 7 hrs and 123 miles. Did I mention the weather? Oh the weather. It was amazing how nice it was, mid 50's, no wind, a little sun. It was a GREAT ride! Totals for the week:
Swim - 10500 yrds
Bike - 280 m
Run - 50 m
Total Time 26:52
16 workouts
The first half of this week will be recovery focused. Wednesday will be the first bit of intensity with some Z5 hill repeats. This Saturday will be another funky workout that should mix it up a little. It's a 40 min run/2hr bike/40 min run/2hr bike/4o min run all back to back. Then a 5:45 ride on Sunday. Right now there is hope for another dry weekend... Just over 3 weeks until the Palm Springs camp. After that it's less then 4 weeks until the race, I can't believe I may have survived the winter!! Spring starts on April 5th for me this year (The day we fly to AZ for the race). After that the weather can do what ever it wants in Oregon and I won't care. At least not until I have to start training again for Canada (or Kona?).

Life as a "normal" person

2008-02-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

Last week was a good recovery week. Actually did some things that normal people do. We went to a movie, the auto show, and bowling. It was nice to get out and do social things that didn't involve working out. Bowling was an adventure. We checked out Grand Central Lanes with my Aunt and Uncle. It is a newly renovated bowling alley that is now a restaurant/bar/bowling alley. The lanes have big leather couches and coffee tables to put your beers on. It is a very cool place. The crowd on a Saturday night was mostly mid thirties and after 11:00pm everyone is hammered! We got there about 7:30 for our dinner reservation and were told we couldn't get on a lane until 11:30. So through out dinner we continually hassled our waiter and the girls running the bowling lane reservations. My Uncle was able to get the waiter to hook us up and we were told at about 10pm that the next available lane was ours. Some how in the all of the confusion we went from the "Thompson Party of 4" to the "Norm Thompson Party". Apparently at Grand Central it's all about who you know, or who they think you are. As it turns out our original lane reservation was called (to my cell phone) at 11:45pm. So to summarize, it's a very cool place to bowl, but if you go on Friday or Saturday make sure are ether with or pretend to be someone famous.

Now back to reality... This could be the biggest volume week I've ever done if everything goes right. So far I have 4.5 hrs done with 23.5 to go. That's right, 29 hrs total! I think I am going to be able to get most of it done, it's the 7 hr ride on Saturday that will be the biggest challenge due to the weather. We'll see what happens. But like Dave C. says, "No one cares what your log looks like." He's right, big deal if I throw down a 29 hr week if I can't buck up on race day. It's your race results that count. For that reason I'm not hung up on reaching the magic number as much as I'm focusing on quality workouts. If along the way this week I need to make adjustments based on how I'm feeling then I will do so. I think that's one area I am starting to get. Making those key workouts count and keeping the recovery workouts light. I am much more aware of how I'm feeling now and I have enough confidence to allow myself to recover even if it means missing a workout here and there. I think the plan is working. I did a threshold run today (3x10 min zone 5 w/ 4 min rest) and was able to avg a 6 min pace. This is about where I was going into Soma, but the big difference now is my HR. Before this pace produced ~175 HR avg, today the avg was at 169. The hardest part right now is not being able to race. I have this fitness, I want to go use it! Winter sucks, I can't wait for the season to pick back up in a few months so I can see if my times improve at all.

Pro Triathlete career on hold yet again...

2008-01-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

Well it's official, I'm officially NOT unemployed (at least until the next round of layoffs). At 8:30 yesterday morning I was pulled into a conference room and informed that I was not impacted by the current head count reduction. So I guess I can hold off on selling my kidney for now. I wasn't sure how to react when my boss broke the news. I had assumed I wasn't impacted so I wasn't surprised. Hearing it from him though was both a relief and a disappointment. Relieved that I don't have to worry about the stress of deciding what to do next. But disappointed that I'm not being forced to explore what else is out there. I also felt a little bit of guilt as some of those I work with that actually need and/or want to work here found out they were loosing their jobs. It made me grateful that I'm in the situation that I am. As far as timing goes it's probably better to not have the stress right now since AZ IM is so close. I found that with CDA IM last year when we decided to close on our house the week of the race and had to move the week after. I think the stress related to the whole buy/sell/move process had some impact on my race. So I am back to business as usual. Training, eating, sleeping, and more training. Just over 5 weeks until Palm Springs training camp. I think I am looking forward to that just as much as the race. The weather has been so bad this year I can't remember what it's like to ride in shorts.

Training is going very well. My running has really improved in the last month. I've gotten to were I can do my long runs (15 to 16 miles) at a sub 7:30 pace while keeping my HR below 150 avg. This is about 30 sec per mile faster then I was able to run 11 weeks before IM CDA. I think a big contributor to this nutrition. I think I finally have it dialed in. The bike is the mystery to me right now. With the weather being the way it is I am having a hard time telling were I am. If I am able to ride outside it's ether really cold, really wet, or both. This usually impacts my energy level and my ability to ride for longer then 3 hrs (because I get sooo cold). Now that I have a power meter though I should be able to start getting a better idea from ride to ride on how I'm doing. This week is a recovery week so things are light. Only 10 workouts totaling just under 11 hrs. It's been nice mentally to have some extra time to get some domestic duties taken care of.

Well.... back to work!

First ride on the new whip.

2008-01-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

I picked up the new Isaac on Tuesday night from Athlete's Lounge. I couldn't wait to ride it so I threw it on the trainer for an hour and half. It is soo comfortable! I also got the new Power Tap installed and working for the most part. It seems a little temperamental especially when subject to below freezing temps (more on that in a sec). While riding on the trainer I did notice some flexing of the bottom bracket while pushing the bigger the gears. The Isaac frame is designed to be pretty thin to keep the weight down. For this reason I don't think it's ideal for a trainer since the trainer locks down the rear stays increasing stress on other areas especially during harder workouts. So Jen had a brilliant idea! Build up the old Guru frame for trainer use only. I have most of the parts needed, I just need to dig up a crank and some derailleurs. I think this will be a good use for the old Guru, and if the frame breaks the worst thing that can happen is a little carpet burn.

Yesterday I was able to get the Issac out on the road for a couple hours. I'm still amazed at how well it fits me and how light it is. I wasn't able to tell how fast I was going as the Power Tap was only working intermittently. Once I was home I went to do some trouble shooting and it was working fine. Upon further investigation into the owner's manual I found the a note that mentioned that the PT may not function properly in temps under 32 degrees. It was definitely colder then that yesterday at 11am in North Plains! All and all though I think the Isaac was a good choice. I'm looking forward to the next dry opportunity to get it outside!

Colder then a witch's teat

2008-01-22T09:03:00.000-08:00

Wow is was cold this morning. In two hours I am heading outside for my tempo run (5 x 3 min zone 5 with 2 min recovery). One hour total with warm up and cool down. Should be nice and chilly. My fingers are crossed that the Isaac will be ready to come home tonight. My road bike doesn't fit on my trainer so I have been very limited on my riding for the past week. Larry at Athlete's Lounge has been diligently working to get it put together and ready to go. I have 90 min spin tonight and 2.5 hours tomorrow. Based on the outside temp I would rather not have to do all of it outside. Of course if the new bike is ready I will have to ride it for as long as I can outside since tomorrow could be the last dry day for weeks.

With the bike "issues" last week I unfortunately missed a significant amount of time in saddle. Scott had me scheduled for 12.5 hrs of riding last week and I only managed to get in 6 hrs. The Saturday ride that was supposed to be 6 hrs ended up as only 3. It was a tough one. Mid thirties and rain made it very challenging. It was nice to have a group to suffer with though. If I had been by myself I would likely have pulled over to the side of the road for a good cry. Knowing I was only going to get in half of the time I tried to push the pace and effort a little more. After the ride I was definitely tired and my legs were done. Because of this I'm not too worried about the time missed. I think the quality was there. Total for last week was 15.5 hrs with 48 miles of running, 13k yrds in the pool and 107 miles on the bike.

On a different note I have a terrible confession to make. I am hooked on a new TV show that is some what embarrassing. No, it's not American Gladiator (although this is a good show to watch on the trainer). It's Celebrity Rehab on VH1. The only reason I am publicly admitting this is because I found some relevance to training and nutrition while watching the show recently. The show is about a group of B list celebrities that come into rehab for various addictions all while being filmed. What I found interesting is how they talk about the drugs and alcohol. Describing how they would take the pills or what they would drink with so much enthusiasm. It reminded me how I am with sugar. I LOVE sugar! Nothing better then a big piece of Pumpkin Cheese Cake or a big 'ol hot fudge sundae. When I talk about it I am reminded of how some of the people on the show describe taking a handful of pills with a Jack Daniels chaser or smoking a big fat blunt. Granted you can't compare a piece of cheesecake to a line of cocaine, but I think the addiction part is pretty similar. There are times of the day and certain situations when I crave sugar. It's like this part of my mind takes over and I can rationalize it with no issue. Whether I tell myself I can have a piece of chocolate because I am running in couple hours or maybe it's the Snicker bar on the long ride that's ok because I've been riding for 3 hours. For the most part I eat pretty healthy compared to the average American. Even when I do splurge I'll have frozen yogurt instead of ice cream or a Skinny Cow instead of a real ice cream sandwich. I just found it strange that I was able to relate to these hardcore addicts at some level and see some of the same traits. Not really surprising I suppose, as I've have a history of addictions. I guess it started with food, which is how I got so over weight early one. Then there was smoking. Now it's caffeine and exercise in addition to sugar. All things considered it could be much worse, I guess I'm lucky I've made the decisions I have (triathlon over meth). With that being said I'm off to finish my coffee and go for my run!

Guru - The final chapter

2008-01-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

Motherly instincts are a little scary sometimes. After my last debacle with the Guru (my Tri bike) being damaged on the flight home from AZ I had it inspected to ensure there were no hair line cracks anywhere. Cracked carbon is a very bad thing. From what I've read and heard Carbon doesn't slowly come apart once cracked. Instead it explodes like a 1977 Ford Pinto that's been rear ended at a stop light (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcNeorjXMrE). Ok, maybe it doesn't actually catch on fire, but it is still supposed to be pretty dramatic. Anyway, I was having issues with the headset continually coming loose even thought the bolt was tight. I took it in to have it fixed and they found the spacers in the head tube were oval'd. It appeared it was caused by some sort of impact to the front fork. Well... my bike case is the fork mount type and based on the previous damage the impact occurred at the front of the case. So this issue was also likely caused by the same incident. Upon further inspection they also noticed a pretty big crack on the down tube behind the front wheel just below the head tube. Based on were the crack is it also appears to have been caused by the same impact. I typically keep my bike pretty clean so I think I would have noticed this in the past. This is why I think the crack through the paint is relatively new. So... I think the Guru saga has come to an end. I am going to test ride a new bike tomorrow. Fortunately I can salvage most of the components so I only need to replace the frame. I think it will be cheaper and much easier then trying to get the Guru fixed. So back at the beginning when I mentioned instincts... After the Guru was damaged initially my sister ( the mother of my 2 year old niece) told me she had a very bad feeling about the bike and wanted me to get a new one. I figured she was just paranoid because my brother-in-law's new steel road bike had broken causing him to crash pretty hard just a couple months earlier. Guess she was right. So what am I looking at as a replacement? Well, Athlete's Lounge has an Isaac (made in the Netherlands) http://www.isaac-bikes.com/uploads/pics/Aerotic_white-Kopie.jpg. If that doesn't workout then I will look at the Scott Plasma http://www.scottusa.com/us_en/category/71/plasma or the new Wilier Cento http://wilier-usa.com/#id=bikes&bike=centoc. Kind of a pain in the ass so close to the race and to have to have to spend the money. But much better then face planting into the pavement at 22 mph in the middle of nowhere. Since I'm a trophy husband I've got nothing if I loose my looks!

Here comes the sun!

2008-01-14T09:14:00.000-08:00

After a much better then expected weekend with regards to weather I am anxiously awaiting more sun and dry weather this week. I am heading into my biggest week since spring and am ready to hit it. This last Saturday was forecasted to be a day full of crap (rain). Jen and I decided we needed to get outside as we had spent too much time on the trainer during the week. Expecting the worst we headed out after a swim. It was one of those days when that big patch of blue sky follows you. We managed to get in just under 3 hours with no rain at all. It was a Christmas miracle.

Yesterday was an 11 mile run in the fog and an EZ spin in the afternoon. Good stuff! This week looks sunny and dry. 18 mile run tonight, 5300 yrd swim tomorrow, and a 4 hour ride Wednesday. I'm obviously not going to be working much this week... This weekend will be a 4300 yrd swim, 6 hr ride and a "hilly" 14 mile run. Oh ya, and some Football!!
Nothing much else going. I'm starting to get that car "itch" again. It's almost two years since I bought the GTI, that's usually the amount of time it takes me to get bored. I still love the GTI, but am ready for something totally different. Trying not to think about it too much right now since we have no free time go look at anything. Also, if I do end up getting laid off I will be looking at having no car... Good thing I like biking so much!

When old enemies become friends.

2008-01-09T10:08:00.002-08:00

Last night's tempo run was a good one. It was 1 hour broken up into a warm up, 15 minutes in HR zone2/3, 20 minutes in Zone 4, ending with 10 min cool down. Since it was cold, dark, and raining (Again) I decided to do it on the treadmill. I have always HATED the treadmill (this would be the enemy I mentioned in the title). But this year I've turned over a new leaf. I'm starting to find some benefits to running on it. Over the past few weeks I've done my tempo type runs on the treadmill and have noticed a few things:

1. I'm not as sore or tired the next day since the surface is more cushioned then running on the road.
2. When running at faster paces I am able to really focus on form, stride, and breathing. I've found that if I really concentrate on breathing and keeping my form relaxed I can drop my HR up to 5 beats without changing the speed at which I am running. Being able to focus on this with the real time feedback of my HR in big read numbers on the treadmill is great. I'm finding I am able to hold a more constant relaxed stride for longer periods of time since I've been focusing on it.
3. I also find that I am more likely to push myself a little when there is 50 other people around me on treadmills and stair climbers. Realistically I know no one is paying attention to what I am doing, but when I start to get tired I tell myself that everyone is watching so don't slow down.
4. When I'm done I have a whole area right there designed for stretching with all of the tools I need. So I usually get in some really good stretching. When I run outside and get home I am usually cold and wet and the last thing I want to do is stretch. Not to mention the dog is usually waiting at the door expecting his evening exercise. He's not very patient.

So, I am pretty surprised that the treadmill and I have worked it out. Granted it's only one run a week that I'm on it, but that's one more then I have been able to do in the past. Now if the indoor bike trainer and I could just be friends... We are still trying to work out our differences.

Also, last night while running at the gym I had a "moment". There was a husband and wife working with a trainer in front of the treadmill I was on. It looked like their first session. They were both middle aged, some what over weight and seemed unfamiliar with many of the things the trainer was having them do. This got me thinking back to when I first started working out and trying to loose weight. I realized it's been 9 years this spring... Wow how time flies. But damn am I glad I did it when I was young. Seeing this couple now in their early 40's made me realize how fortunate I am that I fixed things when I did. The longer you wait to change the harder it is to actually make the change. Even by changing my lifestyle when I did it still took me 9 years to get to where I am today... I still feel like I have a long way to go. Ok, so I will probably never actually "Get" to where I want to be. The goals always seem to stretch as you make progress. I guess that's what keeps me going. Personally I would have a really hard time having an active lifestyle without some kind of goals to work towards. If there is anyone reading this that is thinking about making big changes, Get On it! The clock is ticking...

Recovery Day, YES!!

2008-01-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

Well, I survived last week and am feeling pretty good today. I think my plan worked. I managed to get in all of my workouts (except a 3000yd swim) and I think the cold is almost gone. Saturday's ride was probably the toughest because of the weather. I managed 3:15 outside and 2:45 inside. The outside portion ended up at 47 miles with 3600 ft of climbing. Not much rain, mostly snow since much of the ride was spent on or around Skyline. Sunday's back to back workout went well, especially considering the lack of sleep and quantity of beer consumed at the IH party the night before. The run ended up being just under 16 miles at a 7:34 pace with my HR avg in zone 2 (147 bpm). That last hour of riding on the trainer after the run was the hardest part. I was tired, cold and very hungry. I survived though and slept like a log last night. Totals for the week ended up at 21 hrs which included 206 miles of riding, 34 miles of runing and 12k yrds in the pool. Now today is all about recovery. I have a 2100 yd swim this afternoon and that's it. I decided since the weekend was so crazy that I would take a sick day from work and get a few things done around the house. Murph and I also went up to Forest Park this morning for an easy 4 mile hike on Wildwood and Saltzman. It was perfect! It was snowing and foggy, and very quiet. Murph had a ball carrying around a big ass stick he found in the bushes. He has been very neglected the last couple weeks so I felt I owed him. Today so far has gotten me very excited for sabbatical, except when I'm on sabbatical it will be sunny, warm and daylight at 6 am!!

When is a cold just a cold? Only one way to find out!

2008-01-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

So, it's been almost a week since this head cold set in. It hasn't really gotten that much better or worse. Up until yesterday I've been able to get in all of my workouts including a very wet and muddy 1hr 45min Mt. bike ride on New Year's Eve. Also another 1hr 45min big gear interval workout on my TT bike on New Year's Day. Both felt very good, but the BG workout was sooo cold and windy! I decided to take yesterday day off as it feels like the cold is now migrating south to my chest. I don't feel much better today, just well rested. It is getting frustrating as my legs feel completely fresh and ready to go, but I'm struggling with the worry of doing 1+ hour runs in the cold rain and long swims in a chilly pool because I don't want to make it worse. I'm to the point now that I am ready to see what happens if I do push it. I plan to run 10 miles at lunch today followed by a 3200 yd swim after work. Then depending on how I feel when I get home I may jump on the trainer for an 1.5hrs. This will be my test to see how serious this cold really is. I think I can take it. After all if I'm strong enough to fight 24 5 year olds at once I think I can whip this cold.
In unrelated news I find out in 4 weeks if I'm getting laid off. Up until now I have had my fingers secretly crossed hoping that I would be let go. The package that is being given is a pretty sweet deal. I would essentially be on the payroll as an employee from the end of March through mid July. But I learned from an inside source yesterday that it's "highly unlikely" that I'll be affected. At first I was a little bummed but after letting it sink in I was actually a little relieved. Although I'm ready to move on, 2008 is going to be a big year with racing and traveling. This equates to a lot of expenses, so it's probably better to have a constant income flowing in right now. In an earlier post I mentioned I didn't know what my dream job was and I didn't want to jump ship until I had a direction to swim. I think I am making some progress there. I have been thinking a lot about what I truly enjoy and have figured some stuff out. I am planning to explore these areas a little more over the next few months to see if it's really something I want to pursue. I'm not going to spill the beans yet. I've learned over the last year that being too open with some things really forces me to put a lot of pressure on myself if I decide to change direction at the last minute (which I often do). I will say this though, the path I'm looking at is in no way a lucrative one. It would mean a major pay cut, at least for a while. But if I could find the right situation I think it would be pretty cool. Nothing else new right now, I've got a 6 hr ride on Saturday and a funky workout on Sunday (1hr bike/2500yd swim/16 mile run/1hr bike all back to back) that should fill the weekend nicely. 14 weeks to go...

Another week, another head cold...

2007-12-31T09:16:00.001-08:00

Saturday I awoke to a stuffed up head and no energy. Another damn head cold. I'm averaging about one a month these days. Not sure what's going on. Anyway I decided to head out for my 4 hr ride anyway. The first hour was ok, cold but not raining. After that though the rain came, and it was heavy. I ended up making it 3 hours. This was followed by absolutely nothing for the remainder of the day. Sunday I woke up and was completely stuffed up. Fortunately I still have prescription Sudafed from a previous cold so I popped a couple of those. Met up with some of the group at Portland Running Company to see how long I could make it. To my surprise I was able to run the full 2 hrs. (16 miles). I was a little slow (7:47 pace) but happy I got it in. This too was followed by more napping and football watching. I did manage to do an easy hour on the trainer in the evening though to make up for the shortened ride on Saturday.
What now? Scott just posted my January calendar and wow... I'm going to be in good shape for AZ. I have a 23 hr week this week (which includes a 6 hr ride on Saturday) and another in two weeks. I think it's doable though. It is going to require some major time management and maybe a vacation day or two from work, but it can be done. The one thing I think I need to re-evaluate is my bike to work frequency. I am wondering if it is contributing to my constant head cold battle? I do have to get up about an hour earlier and it seems to always be raining. Not sure. I think during these bigger weeks I may need to cut back to once or twice a week. It's still good on the days when I have EZ recovery rides. It's a good way to get them done. I just feel bad because I don't want to be responsible for killing anymore Polar bears by driving my car. This is the picture I try to visualize when I drive now. It makes me not feel so bad. I'm actually saving a seal or two!!

I love the Internet...

2007-12-27T14:09:00.001-08:00

Above is a test I found from a link in Sarah McMillan's blog http://roadcycling.loopd.com/Members/Sierrra/Home.aspx. It is a website with a bunch of random quizzes and calculators. The link she had was used to calculate the value of your body once you die. That is funny. I also liked this one, how many 5 year olds could I fight at once. Not bad, 24. Makes me feel tuff! Bring 'em on!

One Down, One to go

2007-12-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

Not that I'm happy x-mas has passed, it just serves as one of the major milestones on the road to AZ Ironman and summer (a.k.a Sabbatical). New years is the last major holiday before the 3 month stretch of big volume training weeks with only President's day to break it up a little. Of course there is the 9 day training camp in Palm Springs in March that Santa left in my stocking...
Last week went well from a training perspective. It was relatively light, 12 hours. Key workouts where a 12.5 mile TT on the bike and a 5k run TT. The point of both was to see how recovered I am from last season and to get a baseline for my fitness level going into 2008. It went pretty well I think. The bike TT was done on a mostly flat course, no wind, and no rain. Avg MPH was 24.2. HR was low zone 5 and my legs never felt tired. I was very happy with the out come. The run also went well. I was able to avg a 5:57 pace per mile on the Leif Erickson trail between mile's 2 and 3.5 (out and back). This is the flattest section of the trail. I was able to get my HR up into upper zone 5 (max 188). Again, legs never felt fatigued. Last year about this time Scott had me do a 5k tt and my avg pace was 7:15 with my HR about the same. This gives me hope going into 2008.
This week is a 17.5 hour week with a good mix of low intensity long runs and rides with a few mid level intensity workouts thrown in. The big emphases this week is swimming. Scott has about 15k yards planned. I've got 7700 done already, so I should be able to get them all in before the weekend.
One more weekend of questionable eating and drinking before the switch gets flipped! Then it's all business...

Blah... Here it comes again...

2007-12-20T09:22:00.001-08:00

Every year I get to a point when winter starts beating me down. It's like the cold damp moister finally seeps through my skin and moss starts growing on my soul. Wow, that was dramatic! OK, so it's not that bad. This year that depression has come early. I think it is due to multiple things. I am training more right now then I ever have in December. Commuting to work has put me out in the elements more then usual, and it seems like it's been extra cold and rainy this year. Yesterday was the toughest yet. It hit me after I got to work and took my musty damp cloths off and headed up to my desk. All I could think about was how am I going to make it to April? It seems like forever from now, especially with a couple hundred hours of training ahead. Rather then working I found myself on the weather channel looking at the forecast in AZ and trying to figure how I could spend a month or two down there.

But as I sit here and type this entry there is sun streaming through the window and into my gray little cube. It's SO amazing how much difference a little sun light makes. After growing up here I've come to learn that days like yesterday come and go. I know I just need to keep my head up and not let the weather defeat me. Most days when I am riding to work and it's cold, raining, and windy I feel like I am winning the battle. I'm not giving in and letting the dark dampness beat me! Besides, time goes by so fast these days, it's going to be July before I know it. That is when I start looking at the AZ forecast and think "I am so glad I live in Oregon". Someday we will hopefully have condos in both OR and AZ. Migrating would be ideal! Until then, Head up, rain gear on, and plenty of long weekends in AZ staying with family!

Weekend Wrap up

2007-12-17T13:35:00.001-08:00

Dyno-mite! As JJ from good times used to say. That's how my weekend went. Saturday kicked off with a long ride from Athlete's Lounge. We had really good turn out, 13 people showed up. Four of us split off about 2 hrs in and headed up to Skyline via Logie Trail. We dropped down to hwy 30 and headed back up Newberry. That's a steep little climb. By the time I got back home I had ridden 3hrs 45 min w/ 3300ft of climbing. Once home I persuaded Murph to get out of bed and go for a short 20 min transition run with me. It was definitely an EZ pace as he was dragging behind for most of it. It was good though, nice to have the company. Saturday night was low key with a movie, spaghetti and some prep work on the new bike. Sunday was a 4 hr. Mt. Bike ride at Forest Park. What a mess! I don't think I have ever been so dirty, but it was a great change of pace. Nothing like bombing down a muddy trail with dirt flying up your nose and Bob Marley playing on the iPod.

I stayed on the major trails for the most part since it was so muddy. I ended up with 3hrs and 45 min on the trails and 15 mins from Saltzman/Skyline to home. Worked out to be almost exactly 4 hrs. Wow what a workout! I was beat when I got home. Took a little nap then hit the gym for a 40 min treadmill run and some weights/core work. The evening was topped off with an hour of bike maintenance and some stretching. I think we ate dinner somewhere in there too. It's hard to recall as I haven't been that tired in a while. Total for the week ended up @ 21 hrs.

The new bike worked out perfect! The only adjustment needed was the seat height. A 4 hr ride isn't bad for it's first time out.

I think it looks best dirty:

Here's the "clean" shot:

A good year, and I'm not talk'in tires...

2007-12-14T13:00:00.000-08:00

Working in a corporate environment I am inherently indicator driven. I'm comfortable with spreadsheets, and like to see my data graphed. So after listing some highlights of 2007 in an earlier post I started trying to think of what tangible data I had to show that 2007 was a success. I thought maybe it's a financial indicator? That's too predictable, and something I would not typically share with everyone who stumbles upon this blog. Then I started thinking about my race times. They did improve significantly this year, but I still have a long way to go. Truthfully, they'll never be good enough, I'll always want to go faster. Then it hit me!! The "success" indicator for 2007 is.... drum roll.... How many new bikes did I purchase. That's it! As I've mentioned before, I LUV bikes. So what better way to sum of the year. Besides, the numbers have meaning. If you think about it, each new bike represents a different type of racing, or training. Each bike presents new opportunities and increased fitness which in turn should improve my overall fitness and allow for faster race times. So here's the breakdown corporate style:
2007 -
As a family: 5 New bikes
Personally: 4 New bikes
Bikes:
Guru - I won't go into that whole story again. Update though, I got it inspected and it's good to go. Bought some fancy black finger nail polish and you can hardly tell there was a scratch. I can, but most cannot. And my toes look pretty.
Jose - Bianchi single speed - This may be the best overall purchase I have ever made in my life. And it was by far the cheapest bike this year. I love this bike. It is the most fun to ride and it is the perfect commuter.
Scott Road bike - Finally a road bike that fits me. Unfortunately it's identical to Jen's. Oh well, nothing wrong with being a "cute couple" I guess.
Scott Mt. Bike - This one will be ready Saturday. When it arrived, the shop opened the box to find that the fork had been damaged in shipping. The good part is Rock Shock sent an upgrade as the replacement. Over a pound lighter then the one that was damaged. So it all worked out.
In the end 2007 was a major success. I'm hoping to get some pic's of my rides soon. Now I just need to find room for the them all. The old Mt. bike will be going to the CCC (http://www.communitycyclingcenter.org/) and hopefully be joined up with someone that can put it to good use.
Other updates:
My personal commuter challenge is in it's 2nd week and going well. So far I have only driven to work 1 day since I started. I picked up a bacterial sinus infection over the weekend. Fortunately I got on it quickly and hit Urgent Care Saturday morning for antibiotics. By Monday I was feeling better, but decided to give myself one more day of recovery before braving the cold temps. Other then that just training away this week. on my way to a 22 hr week and feeling pretty good. This weekend will be a challenge though with 4 hrs of riding on both Saturday and Sunday. Both days are supposed to be in the hills. I decided to mix it up a little and do Saturday on the road and Sunday on the new bike, up on the trails in Forest park. It's nice to have options. I should have close to 200 miles of riding, 30 miles of running, and 11k in the pool. Oh, and the other thing... After lying around all weekend sick, I had a lot of time to think about IMAZ November 2008. I (with Scott's help) decided not to do it. 3 races in 8 months is too many if I want to do well at any of them. I need to be able to focus on Canada and not have to worry about another race 8 weeks later. I need to let it all hang out on race day. Basically I would rather go for quality over quantity. My fortune cookie that came with my teriyaki chicken today sums it up best "Enough is as good as a feast".

Saving the planet 30 minutes at a time

2007-12-06T08:22:00.001-08:00

I am at 2 days in a row now of ridding to work! Huge milestone I know. I decided to ride yesterday as a way to get in a workout. I forgot how much I enjoy it. It's only about 30 minutes each way on a mix of bike lane & neighborhood streets, so it's a nice ride. Unfortunately the weather people in PDX suck at their jobs and it was raining on the ride home, it was supposed to be dry until next week. I don't mind riding in the rain when I'm prepared for it, but yesterday I was not. I was on the single speed with no fenders, no foot covers, nothing but a wet ass and cold feet when I got home. I did stop on my way home though and picked up some full length fenders. What a difference! I was toasty and dry this morning on the way in. My new goal... See how long I can go without driving by myself. I've decided using the car to run errands on the weekends with Jen or at night is ok. But if I need to go anywhere on my own, I am going to try to ether run or ride. We'll see how long I can go. I figure by just riding to work I'll save about $60 to $70 a month in gas alone. I am also so much more relaxed when I get to work in the morning. I forget how much stress driving can cause. It's also nice to come up with a new routine. Packing my bag the night before, getting up a little earlier. Being strategic and leaving certain items at work so I don't have to haul them around on my back. We'll see how long I can make it.
Other updates... Not much going on. My new Mt. Bike is in and is being assembled. Should be ready in the next couple of days. Starting to crank up the training a bit. on track for 16+ hours this week. I am fired up too! After watching the IM world champs in HD this past weekend I am ready to hit it. Also, fellow Ironheads Dave and Ann Ciaverella ROCKED IM Western Australia on Saturday. Check out Dave's race report: http://try3sports.blogspot.com/. They are amazing, and I am so fortunate to get to train and learn from them. I had a crazy idea this morning... IM AZ in November!?! This year they are holding the race in April and in November as it makes the transition to a fall race only next year. I was looking at the calendar and wondering if 8 weeks is enough time to recover from Canada and be ready for AZ. The jury is still out on this one. Need to talk to the two bosses (Jen and Coach Scott). It's up to them at this point, If they say go for it then I'm in. Why am I such an idiot?!?

Year in review...

2007-11-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

Last night I had a really hard time falling asleep. As I laid there I started thinking about the past year and ALL of the things that made it such a great year. Everything from fun road trips to experiences that I'll never forget. Here is a list of 10 things that came to mind in no particular order (except #1 is #1):
1. Jen finishing IMCDA - I have never felt so much pride and relief as I did when she emerged from the darkness that night with a smile on her face. In Feb this year the farthest she had ever ridden on her bike was 25 miles, 4 months later she's an Ironman...

2. Winning my first race - Scoggins Valley sprint tri: Had a good ride and came into T2 first. Took a second to look around and see what an empty T2 looked like. I hope to have that experience again some day.

3.My second group ride with the Ironheads- Garren got 45 flats that day, ok maybe not that many, but it felt like it. I ended up riding home with the Ironhead ladies. This was a little shocking. I remember being out on some road, not sure where. I was 2nd in the line behind Kaytee struggling to stay on her wheel at 24 mph. I was SO relieved when someone in the back yelled up to slow down. This was when I realized how strong the folks on this team really are. Since then I have learned so much from so many people. I have also made some amazing friends in the process. I always look forward to the group workouts now on the weekends. I'm not sure that I would keep doing tri's if I had to do all of training alone.

4. My Mom's new ride - I arrived at my Mom's house this past Monday after Vegas to pick up Murphy. When we pulled into the drive I was floored! A brand new Lexus SUV. If anyone deserves a new luxury car it's my Mom. Her first real new car ever I think. I credit my love for cars to her, she's just conceals her affection for them much better then I do.

5. Niece and Nephews - I talked to my 2 year old niece on the phone recently. This was the first time we exchanged words back on forth. It's amazing how she has gone from a baby to a little kid in a few months. My nephews experienced their first triathlon this year when they came to the Soma Half. It was very cool to see them on the course during the race cheering for me and ringing their cow bells.

6. Ride up Mt. Lemon with GW: Talk about an Epic ride. Mt Lemon in Tucson. 26 miles of climbing from desert to ski slopes with snow. Garren and I stopped for the best and biggest cookies I have ever had at the Cookie Cabin. This was an awesome day.

7.Trip to Victoria: A great trip! Even though I felt like crap Chris V. managed to make the half marathon fun. Stood in the rain and watched Rob & Erin finish the marathon strong.

8. Road trip to Canada Ironman w/ Garren: 3 bikes, 3 people, and a whole lot of crap. Who would have thought living out of Jetta for 4 days could be so fun. Same time next year, except I'll have a hotel room and a race number.

9. Mt. Biking @ Brown's Camp - Sure I sucked and I fell a lot. But it reminded me how much I love it! My new bike should arrive next week. Xterra next year?

10. Sleeping on the couch last week next to Murphy after he had tooth surgery - This was a long and stressful night. He had an infected tooth pulled last Monday and was still out of it from being under. Since he couldn't make it upstairs to sleep on his pillow in our room I decided to sleep on the couch next to him. He was so out of it, I couldn't help but think that this is what it could be like when he gets old someday. It really scared me, but also made me realize that I need to appreciate my time with him more. He is such an amazing dog, it's crazy how attached I am to him.

So that's the list. That's what kept me up late last night. Not bad, I'd rather be sleepless thinking of all the good things then stressing about the bad. Looking forward 2008!

What the hell was I thinking?

2007-11-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

This was the thought that kept going through my head yesterday as I rode along Skyline in the snow/rain mix for 2 hrs. The harsh reality of IM AZ training hit me hard and all of a sudden I remembered why I swore to never do this race again as long as we lived in the NW. Oh well, I'm registered, not much I can do about it now. Expect more complaining in the months to come about the weather. With that being said, I'm anxious to get back to a heavier training load. We are back from Vegas, well rested and well fed. For every pound I gained around the waist I lost from my wallet! The black jack gods were not kind on this trip. The only time I was ever really ahead was when I won on the slot machine at the airport on the way home... Other then that the trip was perfect! We ate at a number of new places and watched a lot of football and basketball at some really cool bars. For workouts we did a swim in the Bellagio pool where we stayed. I used the http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ website to zoom in on the pool and figure out the length. It is 55 meters long. What a great workout. I need to get in more workouts in a 50 meter pool, it makes a big difference. Here's a pic of the pool.

On Sunday we hit the gym at the hotel and did a treadmill run. 12 miles - 1.5 hrs, painful! I hate treadmills! This was by far the longest I've ever run on one, it went by pretty fast though.

Now the base training begins. Scott posted my schedule for December, he isn't messing around. It starts with 16hrs next week then up to 20 hrs the week after that. Not much intensity, just volume. I'm looking forward to it though. I'm anxious to see how next year pans out. Fitness wise I am so much farther along right now then I was a year ago. AZ IM will be here in no time!

Knee Update

2007-11-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

My 40 min run the other night turned into a 20 min walk. Murphy was a little disappointed. I went to the doctor today just make sure there wasn't anything going on that I could potentially make worse by "testing" it every couple days. After an exam and x-rays he confirmed that it is a severe contusion and that I need to hold off on biking/running until next week. I don't think I can wait that long. I'm going crazy!! Sure I can swim and do core work, but it's not the same. I really don't like swimming and my core is weak enough that I can only do it a couple times a week. I've been hitting the ice and Ibu's pretty hard and hope to see some improvement by Saturday. I really want to make the group ride Saturday morning from Athlete's Lounge if I can. I only plan to ride ~ 30 miles, so hopefully my knee cooperates. I was planning to do the Hillsboro cross race on Sunday, but I guess that's out. Hopefully I'll be able to at least run a little by Sunday, we'll see. I'm just relieved it isn't something more serious!!

Old and Fragile

2007-11-13T16:09:00.000-08:00

After a rad Mt. Bike ride on Saturday I am still recovering. Rode at Brown's camp with some really talented riders. It was wet and a little muddy, but not too bad. The trails have a lot of roots though. With little practice and too much air in my tires I literally fell victim to the roots. One fall in particular resulted in a pretty good bruised knee. It hurt, but was manageable. I really felt it the next day on my long run. I was supposed to go an hour and a half but cut it about 15 min short because it was so sore. Tried to spin on the trainer last night and no go, still very sore. My swim today went well. I'm hoping for a 40 min jog tonight, we'll see how that goes. No regrets though, the ride was outstanding. I can't wait to do more!! I just need to not try to ride over everything. I learned that toward the end of the ride. Apparently I'm not as agile as I used to be... Which brings me to my birthday...
On my way to work this morning I heard a song I really liked on the radio. I knew the voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. After it ended the DJ came on and said it was Bruce Springsteen. I really like a song from the Boss. No offense to any Bruce fans, but his music is not something I usually associate with. Don't get me wrong, I love music from almost every genre. But there are a few bands that I have always associated with an older audience, and he is one of them. Other bands that fall into that are The Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, ect.. All legends, I just never got into them. Anyway, my point is I found myself really enjoying something I have always thought of as something an adult would listen too, not me. I still do not consider myself an adult. I was almost mad that I liked the song. Kind of felt like someone tricked me! I know it's not that big of a deal, just one of those days. On the bright side though, I decided I want a skate board! I used to skate when I was in Jr. High. I was never very good, but I liked it. They make long boards now for cruising on. I don't see myself riding at the local skate park or anything (especially after my Mt. biking experience), but I think it would be cool to cruise up to Starbucks or the store on it. Or use it to get the dog some exercise. Maybe Santa will bring me one...
Other updates:
- I was supposed to provide updates on my weight, but I decided I was spending way to much energy on stressing about that right now. For the most I eat pretty healthy, so I shouldn't do too much damage between now and January. That's when I think I will really focus on it. Seems easier to flip that switch after the new year.
- Guru - Thanks to those who answered the survey. 100% for a new frame... I love it, just can't afford it. So, for now I am going to have it inspected and probably do some touch up on my own. It probably won't look great, but it should get me through a couple more seasons. Besides, I kinda want a new Mt. Bike now, and some body armor!!

Inspired by Murphy

2007-11-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm in the dreaded off season I'm finding that I am starting to gain a little weight. It's scary how fast it starts to come back when the workouts lighten up. So I need to take action now before I gain much more. This morning I weighed in at 178. When I race CDA in June I was at 173. Prior to that, during my peak weeks of training in Late March I was at my all time lightest of 168. I'd like to get back down to the 160's if possible prior to starting IM AZ training. Not sure how I am going to do that yet, but there are a few areas of my diet I can improve. Murphy, our yellow lab, inspired me yesterday. We took him to the vet for his yearly vaccines yesterday and he had lost 8 pounds since our last visit back in mid July. This is largely attributed to his new diet and more exercise. Although his new diet is much more time consuming and expensive, it is so rewarding to not only see the long term benefits, but he goes crazy with excitement before every meal. It makes his day. So my goal over the next few weeks is more lean protein, veggies, and fruit. This also means much less sugar, fat, and processed foods in general. Since I am in recovery mode right now I want to try to avoid increasing my workouts. Scott has November laid out for me, so I want to stick to his schedule as much as possible. Right now it's about 8 hrs. of week of low intensity. I guess that means some major calorie counting. As much of a pain in the ass as it is, in the past it has worked the best. My thinking right now is to post updates here every few days. I think this may hold me accountable. Nothing like public humiliation. My goal is 170 by the end of November. This should be challenging with my birthday and 5 days in Las Vegas mixed in. We'll see how it goes.

Also, Here are some race pictures from the Soma Half IM.

The Curse Of The Guru

2007-11-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most of you have heard of my trials and tribulations with my TT bike that I bought earlier this year. My struggle to get the fit right, how Gateway Bikes screwed me over on the front fork, yadda, yadda, yadda. Well... the troubles continue. Upon returning home on Monday night from AZ I opened my bike case to find some pretty serious damage to the top tube. I inspected the case and found some deep gauges in the outside of it. I pulled the bike out of the case yesterday and put it back together. I can't find any structural damage to the frame, but the top tube has a very large nick in it that goes into the carbon fiber. I did some research on line and found the process to repair something like this requires many complicated steps and materials that I have no idea how to work with. I called Guru today and they have requested I send the frame back for a thorough inspection just to make sure there is no unseen damage that could cause the frame to fail. I think this is wise since the impact required to create this level of damage had to have been severe. The dilemma I am facing is if it's only cosmetic do I pay the money to have Guru fix it or do I do some half ass repair job myself? To have Guru fix it will cost me at least $1k since the entire frame would need to be repainted based on were the damage is and how deep it is. If the top tube needs to be replaced it would likely be an additional $500. Or do I buy some paint from a hobby shop and doctor it up myself? The other option is I find someone local that can paint it a basic flat black. Something durable and plain so I don't have to worry about it looking like crap. Not sure what to do at this point. I guess I'll wait to hear back from Guru on what they find. One things for sure, I'm getting tired of buying nice things only to have them get damaged because of someone else's carelessness. Whether it's the bike getting damaged, or the door dings and scratches on my car. Makes me want to ride/drive an old piece of crap just so I don't have to stress about this kind of thing happening anymore!

A Look back at Soma & Look Ahead to November

2007-10-30T10:56:00.001-07:00

Soma Half IM 10/28 - Temp AZ
I wanted to right up this summary ASAP while the day and my feelings about it where fresh in my head. This turned into my key race for the year after IM CDA didn't go as I had hoped. The last 3 1/2 months of training have been focused on this race. Like I've said, I had big hopes going into it, but I think I was also realistic. Having done more races this year then in any other year I have a pretty good idea of what I can do on a good day. So... I guess what I was really hoping for was a "good day".
We arrived in AZ on Thursday evening. We wrestled our two bike cases, wheel case and luggage to the rental car. The mini van was the only option since we had so much crap. Friday I did an hour ride on some long straight sections of road out in rural Chandler east of Phx. It still amazes me how flat it is there. In the afternoon I did a 20 min run. That was when I started realizing that the heat may be a factor on Sunday. My HR on this run was high. It was about 92 degrees. Earlier in the week the weather channel had been predicting ~89 as the high on race day. Friday the prediction was up to 97. This would tie the record for that date.
Saturday we did one last run, only 15 mins. Then we went to watch my twin nephews' soccer game. It was a great way to take my mind off the race. After the game one last ride to make sure the bikes were dialed in. We then loaded the van and headed to the race site. We checked in the bikes tested the water and grabbed some lunch. We decided not to do the pre-race swim in the lake. It is more of a big ditch then a lake and it is as clear as mud. Unfortunately none of the local pool's schedules worked out for us ether.
Sunday morning came quick. Up at 3:30 for breakfast. We loaded up the van and got to the race by 4:40. We setup out transition stuff, loaded up on sun block, and chatted with some folks around us. The time went by fast, all of sudden it was time to wetsuit up! There was a "Quarter Man" Going off before the half, so we headed to the swim to watch the start. I was in the first wave of the half, so I jumped in the water to warm up at about 7. With only 30-34 men and pro's in my wave it made for a mellow start. Most of the swim I felt like I was alone. The water temp was a perfect 70 degrees. The water was so murky though I couldn't see my watch to check my HR. To exit the swim there were volunteers grabbing you by the arms and lifting you up onto a platform. They had to have been tired after that... On to the bike, the course was 3 loops around Tempe. It was a really fun course since you went through the downtown area so much. There were a lot of tight turns and turn arounds though that did hurt the avg pace a bit. But the long straight aways that we did have were north to south. This provided a direct head wind one way and a good tail wind coming back. Going out I was slowed to ~22 mph. Coming back though I was using less effort to go ~28 mph. My HR and avg for each lap was very consistent. The last 10 miles I could start to feel the heat. Once into T2 running with my bike I realized how hot it really was.
Out of T2 into the run My heart and lungs thought I was running a 6:30 pace. But my legs were only moving at maybe an 8 min pace? Hard to say since they had NO mile markers on the run. This is my biggest beef about the race. Right away I was passed by 3 people. My legs wanted to go with them but my HR was mid zone 5. So I forced myself to back off to the point I felt like I was barely running. This was my lowest point in the race, miles 0 to ~ 4 as a number of others passed me. I went through everything from disappointment, anger, and at one point almost dropping out. About mile 4.5 I saw someone ahead walking as I approached I realized it was someone that had passed me at the run start. This picked me up. I started to tell myself that it's not me, it's really F'ing hot out here. Maybe I'm not doing so bad. Soon after that I passed another person that went out too fast. Now I had hope. This continued for the rest of the run. I focused on hydration and nutrition through each aid station and continually increased my effort. As I started the second lap there were tons of folks just starting the run. This really helped me. I couldn't believe how many people were walking. By the last 2 miles my HR was in zone 6 (~185) and I was going for it. The last half mile was the toughest physically. I started to feel like I was hyperventilating. I crossed the finish line and had to immediately site down to catch my breath. I have never pushed myself like that before. The volunteers were awesome, some lady was scooping ice water out of the large bucket that they had coke in and she was pouring it over my head as I sat there. Once I caught my breath I was good. I ate a PB&J and went to watch for Jen. She kicked ass! She started in the last wave, so by the time she was running it was ~96 and getting hotter. She toughed it out and finished strong. I am SOOO proud of her and how strong she has become.
On Monday morning I was up early even after 2 18 oz margaritas. I sat in Jen's sister's back yard with my legs in their pool watching the sun rise and drinking my coffee. Up to this point I had been disappointed with my race. But reflecting on the experience the next day I realized the positives. My bike split was right were I had hoped. The swim was what I expected based on current training. On the run I think I found a new level of self awareness which is big for me. This is probably the one thing I've noticed most in the really strong athlete's that I've met in the last year. The ability to really understand what you're feeling and why. Once you have this awareness I think you are able to know when you can push and when you need to hold back or drop out completely. Being able to separate the mental limiters from the physical one's maybe one of the biggest barriers in long distance racing for me. This weekend I feel like I made a small step toward lowering this barrier. I'm even more hungry now for next season. With two Ironmans and a bunch of other events I hope to make more strides in not only my physical development, but mental as well.
November:
This will be my first attempt at an "Off Season" since I started doing Triathlon in 2004. I am really looking forward to it. I hope to get in some fun local running events, some mountain biking, and maybe a cross race or two. I also owe Murphy (our yellow lab) some serious attention. Thanksgiving will be in Vegas this year. My other favorite endurance sport - Blackjack! Also mixed in the month is another step toward middle age (my b-day). Every year I look forward to it a little less. I don't mind getting older, I just don't want to get "old".

Out of Hidding

2007-10-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

Well I've been refraining from posting anything this past week because I knew it would be whinny and bitchy. One week ago today after a wet & windy run I started to feel like I was getting sick. The next day it was a full blown head cold. I was a little dissapointed but figured it would pass quickly as they usually do. No luck. After taking a lot of time off I wasn't feeling any better yesterday. So I decided to go to the doctor (first time in many years) and see if it was a sinus infection. Turns out it is not, just a very aggressive head cold that needs to run it's course. I went for a run last night and felt ok. My HR is still a little higher then it should be, but it was ok.

Soma: We fly on Thursday to AZ and the race is Sunday. During the last week I missed most of my workouts, however I did manage a 1.5 hr ride on the trainer Saturday morning followed by a 20 min t-run on the treadmill at the gym. It wiped me out for the rest of the weekend, but I am happy I did something. Not sure how much missing the last week will impact me on race day. I'm sure I've lost some fitness though. My bigger concern at this point is getting back to 100% before the race so I my HR returns to normal and I can race as well as my current fitness will allow. Forecast right now is for sunny and a high of 89. That should put it at ~80 degrees during the run.

Two weeks ago I had hopes of breaking 4.5 hrs and maybe even placing in my age group. Now I just want to feel good and race the best I can. So I guess the cold has taken some self induced pressure off, but I am really fighting back the frustration. I know it could be a lot worse. Hopefully I wasn't too whinny in this update. Just a couple days ago I was moping around the house driving Jennifer crazy. Last night I officially declared that "I'm no longer sick". We'll see if a positive attitude speeds up recovery.

Back on track

2007-10-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

Not sure what was up last week with my training. I have to assume I was on the verge of catching the sinus infection Jen had. That's the only explanation I can really come up with for why I felt crummy all week and felt so bad in the half marathon. As a comparison I ran 17 miles yesterday and the last 13 miles of it I was only 1 min slower then I was in the race. The big difference was heart rate. In the race my avg was 171, yesterday it was 154. That's a big difference for only 1 minute. Oh well, I would much rather have that issue on a training run then in Soma next week. Hopefully I got it out of my system. My swims were down this week. I had a tough workout on Thursday with 1800 yrds of paddles out of 3700 yrds. Afterward I had some shoulder pain that was a little concerning. I decided to skip my Friday workout to let it heal. I swam today and it's good to go now. This week's summary:

Total time: 16:39
Bike: 139 miles
Run: 46.5 miles
Swim: 7100 yrds

As I drove to work this morning in the rain I was bummed that the nice weather is over. At least until we get to AZ next week (forecast is Sunny and 90). This weekend was perfect. 70 mile ride Saturday near Estacada and Boring with some good climbs and great company! Immediately following was the 5+ mile run with 600 ft of climbing (including 300+ stairs). Needless to say I was down for the count when I got home. Nothing better then laying on the floor in the sun half asleep listening to football on a Saturday afternoon. Sunday after the run and breakfast we watched Garren race his first Cat A cross race. This was also a scouting mission for me to observe the proper method to mount and dismount. The only issue is the cat A guys make it look way too easy. They are good to watch for the technique, but I think I need to watch the Cat C guys too so I can see that not everyone is so smooth. I don't want to be the only bumbling fool out there who can't get his foot out of his cleat fast enough and bails into a barrier. Or worse yet, times the mount wrong racks is doo-dads on the back of the seat. As you can probably tell, I am a little stressed about this whole cross thing. But I'm going to try it!! I just hate trying new sports when there are spectators around, because I know when I see someone fall down I laugh.

Victoria Half Marathon Summary

2007-10-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

I love Canada! Both trips up there this year have been really fun. This adventure started Friday after work. We drove to Seattle leaving much later then planned. I stated to Jen as we started the trip that I was going to speed until we ether got a ticket or reached the hotel. Fortunately we made it to the hotel with no ticket, but made it there in 2 hrs and 45 mins with a gas stop. I love the GTI!! We stayed in a cool hotel on the water front called the Edgewater. We had a good meal with Rob & Erin then headed to bed. We had to get up bright and early to catch the Clipper to Victoria. The boat ride was fun and went by quick. We got to Victoria in the late morning and checked into another kick ass hotel called the Oswego. This place was a small boutique hotel 1 block from the start line. It was brand new and was the size of a 1 bedroom apartment. We bummed around Victoria and hit packet pickup. Finished with lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Always a safe pre-race meal. It is sure nice to only do the half marathon, and to only do it as a training run. Makes for a stress free trip.
The race started at 7:30 so we didn't have to get up too early. Especially with it only being a block away. We met up with Rob & Erin at the start. They were doing the full which didn't start until 8:30. Also met up with Chris V who was also using this as a training run for a Half Marathon in CA the following weekend. There were just over 4k people at the start, not too big. Weather was perfect. I felt crappy, not sure why. HR was high, stomach ache, side cramps, ect. Never really felt good. I thought I was going to honk (throw up) multiple times. Got through it though. I was happy to be done. It helped to run with Chris. Went back to the room, took a shower, ate breakfast and watched football. Jen finished a short time later. We headed back to the finish line about the time we expected the Perkins to finish. The rain was pouring down now. Tough finish to the marathon. They both came in just over 3 hours looking strong. After the race we went to the awards ceremony to see Erin get her 3rd place AG award then grabbed some beers and lunch. We headed back to Seattle on the evening Clipper and stayed in one more hotel. Another cool one. This was called "W". Very hip and dark. The lobby was like a night club. The room was cool though. Slept in Monday and drove home. A very good trip all the way around!

Last week Summary

2007-10-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Last week was the biggest week I've had since CDA Ironman. Here's the stats:
Swim - 12900 yds
Bike - 151 miles
Run - 48 miles
Time: 19hrs 45min

Many of the workouts this week had some sort of interval/speed work. So all things considered I feel pretty good today. The other highlight of last week was how my workout schedule lined up with some of the other Ironheads. I was able to do 5 of my workouts with others. This really helps to mix it up a little and running/riding with so many fast people I find I push myself more then I probably would if I was alone. But, I never feel the pressure to push beyond my limits. It's a great environment to train in and I'm very lucky to be a part of it.

Follow on to the Peach Of Century Ride on the single speed:
I was doing some math in my head the other day when thinking back on the Century ride. There is a guy the works at Intel named John that did RAAM (http://www.sabertoothsalmon.com/adventures/2007/RAAM.html) on a single speed. Some of you know the story and may know him. What he did is incredible. After riding only 100 miles I am even more blown away at what he did. He rode over 3000 miles on his single speed, so that would be similar to doing the Century ride that I did 30 times non-stop. Not to mention he did a lot more total average climbing on his route. I can't imagine the mental toughness and strong will to finish he must have in addition to his physical strength. I hope I can do something in my lifetime that few have done or even want to do just to do it. Not sure what that is yet, but I'll hopefully come up with something :)

Going waaaaaay back

2007-09-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

Another funny picture that I thought I'd share. This was x-mas 1987. This my first road bike. It was a Centurion Accordo RS. This was a great bike until I ran it into the back end of, ironically enough, a parked Honda Accord on the way home from the local ice cream shop one warm, and very dark summer night. Fortunately it was a hatch back, so the angle I face planted at only resulted in a fat lip. The frame of the bike bent just behind the head tube. It never handled quite right after that.

This Picture is good because it answers a couple potential questions:

1. Yes, I have always had a bike fetish (probably the beginning of the car "issues" that still haunt me today).

2. No, I was not an athletically gifted child.

Should I Stay or Should I Go...

2007-09-24T13:31:00.001-07:00

About a year ago I made the decision that I was going to leave Intel and go back to school. At the time I was hating my job because it was not challenging or rewarding in anyway. Jen supported my quarter life crisis 100%. But she also helped me realize that this process needed to be done in steps. We've completed many of these steps over the last year (down sized our expensive SUV, downsized to a condo, ect...). Doing all of these things has freed up a lot of money. Now that we are in the position financially for me to quit I am starting to notice something. Suddenly my job isn't terrible. It's still not very challenging or rewarding, but I am able to get 20 plus hours a week of training in with no issue. Also, there isn't that financial monkey on our backs that is beating on my head everyday as I drive to work reminding me that I have to go sit in my gray cube for 8 hrs so we can pay the bills. The pay is great, especially with no degree, and the benefits are very good too. The other big thing I struggle with is I am eligible for retirement in 14 years. Intel has the rule of 75 (age + years of service). Since I started here at age 18 I am eligible at 48. After talking to a lot of people about my situation I am starting to realize how good I have it. There is something to be said for taking a chance though and going for your dream. But I am finding that I don't know exactly what that "dream" is yet (well, besides being a race car driver). There are things that I think sound interesting, but nothing that I absolutely, without a doubt, want to do with my life. I think that's what concerns me the most. I want to be able to retire young, or do something I LOVE for a living. I don't want to wind up working somewhere I don't like, that doesn't pay well, and not be able to retire until I'm old. I think I am going to wait and see. Maybe someday that dream job will become odvious. Until then I will definitely stay with Intel until my sabbatical next July (8 weeks off paid, another perk) and see what happens. Worst case if my job changes and I can't deal with it we are in the position now that I can tell them to shove it! Ok, I might not do that, but it feels very good to know that I could if I really wanted too.

Peach of a Century

2007-09-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday 9/23 Jen and I rode the Peach Of Century. This is a 100 mile ride starting in Salem and looping south (http://www.salembicycleclub.org/majrides.html). Great course, about 3000ft of climbing mixed with some long, flat, straight sections. This would be a great course for IM AZ training (weather pending). The weather yesterday couldn't have been better. A little cool at the start, but no wind and partly cloudy all day. It was fun to ride it at a relatively relaxed pace. I ate my share of cookies at each aid station. I rode Jose (http://www.bianchiusa.com/07_san_jose.html), so I got a good workout too. It was fun passing the older fat guys in their Primal Wear jerseys on there expensive carbon bikes going up the hills with only one gear. Most people where cool about it, but there were a few that wouldn't even look at me when I said "good morning". Jen kicked ass! Only the 2nd time she's ridden over 100 miles, the first being Ironman CDA. She is getting so much stronger on the bike!

What's up?

2007-09-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

Not much... Jen and I are in the meat of training for the Soma half Ironman on 10/28. I am currently averaging about 17 hours a week training. I am finding now though that it's not really the number of hours per week that matter. During the spring when all of my training was at aerobic pace (slow enough I could have a conversation), and I was building a good base level, hours were key. But now many of my key workouts are high intensity and relatively short in duration. The base training allows the higher intensity training to take place with less chance of injuries (as long as it's done in moderation). I think this was my issue in the past when I was getting hurt all the time. I didn't have the base fitness or strength to be able to recover from the high intensity stuff. Also I didn't know how much or for how long to do the harder workouts. Once again, having a coach is well worth it!! Now I find I am able to do the workouts even when I am tired and I seem to recover from them pretty quickly. There are some exceptions though...
9/9/07 - Pints To Pasta 10k. My second favorite local running race. This is the third time I have done this race in the 5 years it has been going on. My 10k personal best was set on this course (38min 40 sec). This year a few of the Iron Heads ran it as well, so there was a lot of friendly trash talking going on. Race day was perfect, mid 60's, partly cloudy and a tail wind. This course is pretty fast, no real hills to run up, only down. And the best part is the beer at the finish. Even at 10 am it goes down real nice. Anyway, the race went well. I ran 36 min and 41 sec. Almost 2 mins faster then last year. But, as in most running races, I was no where near placing. I ended up 6th in my age group and 30 something over all. One big reason I like Tri's :). Also, this was my 2nd race I've ever run averaging a sub 6min pace. The first being the 5k we ran last month. Oddly enough my pace was also 5:54 there... Harder course or am I in better shape? Not sure, little of both maybe. Recovery from this race was not quick though. Towards the end of the race I pushed pretty hard because I knew Garren was on my heels. Turns out he was only 5 seconds back. I think it was that push in the last mile that fried my legs. It was 4 days later before I even started feeling any sort of recovery. I think it was good though, it gave me a good idea of where I am with my upper heart rate zones. Should give some confidence going into Soma.

What's up next... Going to Victoria BC in 3 weeks to do the Half marathon there as a training run. I had to promise I wouldn't race it. Taking the Clipper from Seattle with nothing but back packs. Should be fun. We found a pool near our hotel, so we can get our swims in. Depending on weather we may bring bikes too. Should be fun! After that it's the AZ race, then off to Vegas to do some cross training (Black Jack) over Thanksgiving.

Funny Picture

2007-09-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

I found this picture of Jen and I from about 10 years ago maybe... The not so good old days.

We've come a long way...

Scoggins Valley Sprint... Finally!

2007-09-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the Scoggins Valley Sprint Triathlon at Hagg Lake. I didn't start the day out the on the right foot. Usually I like to get to the races very early. I hate being rushed when setting my stuff in transition and when putting on my wetsuit. For some reason I didn't allow much time to drive out there when making a plan for when to leave. We ended up getting there with only about 40 mins to spare. I was out of it for some reason. I tried to rack my bike in the wrong row. I tried to put on my wetsuit over my cargo shorts. I was a little worried about how scatter brained I was. I got in the water to warm up after the Olympic distance racers started and swam around. I felt good, but wasn't my normal nervous self. I was just kind of there. The race started and I went out hard to the first buoy about 250 meters out. There were 77 guys in the men's race and we all started together. It also felt like we all reached the first buoy at the same time. I got a little beat up try to go around it. Major traffic jam. After making the turn I was still stuck between some folks. I started having a hard time getting a good breath of air and felt like I was hyperventilating. I slowed my stroke and calmed myself down. Within a few strokes I was in a rhythm again and started to pick up the pace. I rounded the last buoy and picked it up again to the swim the finish. Out of the water my heart rate spiked. We had to run up hill to the transition. I quickly changed and jumped on my bike. While in transition I saw Trevor. We are usually pretty evenly matched at this distance and have done several races this year. I knew he would give me a run for my money. I passed right away on the bike as he was adjusting his shoe. Within in a mile he passed me back but slowed a bit right after. I picked it up to see if he could hang with me and passed him again. That was the last I saw of him on the bike. I felt great, I hammered the hills, both up and down and tried to keep my HR at about 175. Since the Olympic distance race was already in progress I couldn't tell if the people I was passing were in my race or not. With about a mile to go a motorcycle passed me and slowed. At first I thought he was watching to make sure I wasn't drafting, but there was no one around. He just hung in front of me. Then I realized I must be leading. I came into transition and there were no other bikes there. What a weird thing to see. I had a quick transition and took off on the run. As I ran out of the parking lot onto the road I saw Trevor coming in on his bike. I had about 2 mins on him. After about a mile my legs loosened up and I was able to pick up the pace. The run course is an out and back so once I turned to come back I would be able to see how far ahead I was. After turning I didn't see Trevor until almost 3 mins. At this point I figured I had it. But I didn't want to back off just in case. I made sure to keep my HR at 180 knowing this was about as fast as I could go. I ended up finishing the race in 1 hr. 7 min and 20 sec. My goal was 1:08. It felt really good to finish so strong. Next Triathlon is Soma in AZ o 10/28.

Canada IM

2007-09-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

It's been over 2 weeks now since our trip to Penticton Canada. We went up to watch some friends compete in the Ironman and to sign up for next year. It had been a while since we had done a road trip. It's about a 9 hour drive. We loaded up the Jetta with 3 bikes, camp stuff and running/swimming/biking gear and headed up with Garren as our co-pilot. We got up there Friday afternoon and setup camp at the Lost Moose resort http://www.lostmooseresort.com/ and headed into town to grab some dinner.
Saturday morning we went for a swim on in the lake. It was awesome! There were dozens of others out doing their pre-race swim. The water was calm, very clear, and only about 6 feet deep even about 200 meters out. We swam for an hour then went for a ride on the course. It was nice to see the course and ride the climbs. It was very windy on the second half of the course. Major head wind!! Rode about 90 miles total. I was cooked when we got back to the car. I don't think I ate enough for as hard as I was working against the wind.
Sunday we got up early to come down and watch the race. We saw Scott take off on the bike then we headed out for our run. We ran out and back on the run course, about 14 miles. It is a very scenic course along the lake. Of course we had more head wind, but it's not so bad when you are running vs riding. After our run we headed over to see where registration was for next year. Usually you have line up the night before to ensure you are in. I was shocked to see about 20 people all ready in line 24 hrs ahead of time. I jogged to the car and got a picnic blanket we had thrown in and put that down to save my spot in line. We then drove back the Lost Moose and torn down our camp site. We brought it all back to the line and set up the tents. It worked out great! Once set up we were able to come and go. We watched the end of the race then came back and crashed. It was hard to sleep with all of the other people around and the work crews breaking down the finish line. I was up about 6 am along with most others in line. by about 7 everyone started forming the actual line in front of the registration tent. At about 8:30 they started registration, it was perfect! I was in and out by 9:00 am and we were on the road. A quick stop by Scott and Sarah's then back to PDX. A long crappy drive because we were all tired. The highlight of the drive back was stop at Rusty's world famous hamburgers for a hot fudge sundae.

Hulaman Half Iron Man

2007-08-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

This was the inaugural race for the Hulaman half IM. It was a strange course, a point to point bike ride and a two lap run. The swim was at Hagg lake. Once out of the water you rode to the Hillsboro stadium. Then you ran two loops around Shute road and Ronler Acres.
I was up early, about 4:30. Had to stop at the stadium to set up my run gear. Then off to Hagg Lake to set up my bike and get in the water. It was raining pretty hard all morning. It started to let up just as we got to the lake. Jen was dropping me and she was headed back to run the half marathon. After getting everything setup I headed to the water to start warming up. The trek from the water to the transition area was long and steep. You had to run up the boat ramp and across a asphalt parking lot with lots of little rocks.
Once everyone was in the water I realized how small this race was. Only 59 men total. That was ok, less congestion on the course I guess. The air horn went off and away we went. The swim was 1.2 miles and went by pretty fast. There was no wind, so the water was smooth, and pretty warm. Got in a groove about 300 meters in and cruised. Found some feet in front of me to draft on for a while, but the guy was all over the place. I found I was using more energy to keep track of him then it was worth, so I broke off and paced myself. I was out of the water in about 32 mins. then it took me another 3 mins to get to my bike and out on the road.
Once on the bike the rain started up again. I had flash backs to my wreck at Beaver Freezer, so every corner was taken with care. I quickly started catching the "swimmers" of the race, and by the end of the first lap around the lake I had passed 4 of them. After the first lap you start a 2nd lap, but then exit the lake and head toward Hillsboro. On the second lap this guy on a road bike passed me. He would stand and crank up the hills every time we would hit one. Scott and recommended that I sit and pace myself up these hills early and focus on keeping my HR in zone 3 (150 - 160) otherwise I would crap out by the end of the ride. I did this and on every flat and down hill I would catch the guy, but then on every hill he would pass me back. This went on until about mile 26 when we hit some long flat sections. This is when having a TT bike and a disk wheel pays off. I was able to put my head down and crank away. Avg speed on the flats was ~ 23 -24 mph with my HR in check. It felt great. Being such a small point to point race though I had no idea how many people were in front of me. At mile 33 just before the big climb I passed another guy. He must have been a fast swimmer to get this far in front. Once up over the Clapshaw hill road I couldn't see anyone in front of me so I figured I was leading. At about mile 45 I passed a guy on the side of the road fixing a flat. He also had a disk and one of those long pointy TT helmets. He looked fast. I was very lucky he had a flat as I probably wouldn't have caught him. Mile 50 came and I passed a volunteer who yelled to me that I was in the lead by about 2 mins. I had a feeling since I hadn't seen anyone in so long, but I wasn't sure until now. This was great, I had never lead anything. How cool would that be to hold on and actually win a half IM!! I came into T2 feeling great. As I racked my bike I heard the announcer say "Our 2nd place male has just come in. He's about 5 min back from first place". First I pissed that I wasn't leading! Then I was pissed that I was 5 mins back!! I quickly put on m shoes and got out of there to see if I could catch him. As I was leaving T2 I looked back and saw the road bike guy just coming into transition. I was a little worried because he looked like a little runner guy.

Mile 1 of the run came quickly, too quickly. I was trying to pace myself to stay over 7:10 per mile for the first 3 miles. I didn't want to go out too fast. Time check at mile 1 and I was 7:06. Not bad, HR was right at 160, so I was ok. Just then my worries were confirmed. Here comes road bike guy. I may as well have been standing there spectating. He flew by me. I was mad at first, but quickly realized that this guy was much faster then me, not much I can do about that right now. Mile 2 time check, 6:56. HR still about 160, but running harder because I had just gotten passed. I slowed a bit to try to stay in control for one more mile before picking it up. The course was good, long flat straight sections really allowed for getting into a groove. Took a shot of GU every mile at the aid station with some water. First time doing this, worked great. After mile 5 I picked it up to Zone 4 HR (160-165). Pace stayed about the same, 7:12. Stayed here until mile 8. At this point Scott said to picked it up as much as I can. I let my HR rise to 170 and held on. Miles 9 to 13 were all under 7:00 min pace. I was able to hold off the guy behind me (he ended up 4 mins back) and I put about a 1 min 20 sec into the guy that beat me off the bike. So I ended up 3rd over all and first in the 30-34 age group. I felt better once I found out that the road bike guy caught the leader and ended up winning by 2 mins. He ran a 1hr 28min half marathon, pretty darn fast compared to my 1:33. Overall it was a great race though. My nutrition was spot on. My pacing on the bike and the run was very good as well. This has me excited about IM AZ. I think I may be making progress on the nutrition front. This is the biggest thing holding me back at this point. Next big race is the Soma Half IM in AZ on Oct 28th...

3rd week of August re-cap

2007-08-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Busy week this last week, but "fun" busy. It all started with last Saturday. A 5k running race in Tualatin with Rob & Erin followed by a 2 hour ride out to Canby and back. The race was fun, but really hard. Who would have thought 3.1 miles could seem so long. Set a new personal best of 18:25, 30 seconds faster then my fastest race at this distance. Also the first race I've ever averaged a sub 6 min pace (5:54). The ride was good, I rode the single speed. It was fun trying to keep up with everyone else, especially on the hills! After the ride we headed south to Anna's (my niece) 2nd b-day party!She had a piñata, which I ended up breaking open all over the front yard. I kick ass at piñata breaking! After too many cup cakes and some root beer we headed home.

Sunday was a long run at Forest Park with Aleck, the Perkins' and Chris. Aleck and I turned around at 7 miles to get in 14. Felt really good, avg'd a 7:40 pace. Still sore from the 5k. After the run I got home and laid down for a few minutes, that turned into an hour and a half nap. It was goood! Nothing like a Sunday afternoon nap. Then a short easy bike ride in the rain. I was heading out to Hillsboro to watch the Blue Angels, but they didn't fly because of the rain.
Tuesday night was dinner at the Lucky Lab with the Iron Heads after a 90 min ride and an hour run at lunch, and a 3200 yrd morning swim. Wednesday was a big day! I picked up my new road bike from Cyclpath. It's sweet, but not too fancy! It's a Scott Speedster: http://www.scottusa.com/product.php?UID=9816. Should work well for group rides and winter training. Looking forward to riding it. Now I need to get my old road bike and my Mt. bike on Craigslist ASAP. Jen's new bike should be in next week and we are out of room. Her bike is the same as mine though, not looking forward to matching (Go Team Thompson!).
Starting to rest up now for the race on Sunday. Weather is looking questionable, but it's only rain I guess. You gotta love Oregon...

A real life lesson on nutrition

2007-08-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

The last week has been a huge eye opener for me on how much general nutrition effects your quality of life. Sure I know the basics about a healthy diet, but to see how quickly changes can happen is amazing. A little history: A couple weeks ago I watched my Boxer cousins (Bobbie & Dylan). They are fortunate enough to get homemade meals each day. A took a couple meals for me to get it down to a routine. Once I knew how to make the meals it took no time at all. That same weekend we had to take Murph to the vet for a follow up on an ear infection he has been fighting for a long time. It comes and goes. After discussing Murph's diet and weight with the doc we decided to start making Murph's meals as well. We also did some research and ordered a couple books about animal nutrition. Interesting stuff. They go into detail about what pet food is made of. Not good, things like beaks, eyes, heads, road kill, ect... Sooo now for dinner he gets chicken, carrots and a little organic kibble for nutrients that may not be in the other items. Breakfast is also a little kibble and 1 raw egg, a handful of blueberries, and a serving of plain oatmeal. It's been a week now and the changes in his coat and skin are amazing. He has always shed A LOT year round. While he is still shedding, the amount of hair coming off is significantly less. He used to scratch all the time, rarely does anymore. His skin is not nearly as dry as it used to be. His ear infection is gone as well. It makes since that he should be eating more meats and veggies since he is a carnivore, but I've always had it in my head that dogs eat dog food. The cats are next. hopefully it solves some of their issues as well.

OBRA TT Champs & Count Down to Hula-man

2007-08-07T09:17:00.001-07:00

Less then two weeks to go until the first annual Hula-man half IM. This should be a fun race since it basically covers all of the areas I train on year round. Swim in Hagg Lake, ride to Hillsboro, and run around Intel. Normally this might seem boring since I cover the same ground all the time. But in the race I'll be suffering most of the day so I won't really notice my surroundings. But it will be nice to know which corners I need to brake on and which I can take at full speed. My training seems to be coming along well after Coeur A'delene. I did a 40K Time Trial bike race in Corvallis this last Sunday with no taper leading up to it. It was warm and sunny, but windy. It was an out and back on a flat stretch of smooth road. Tail wind on the way out made for a fast ride (between 27 and 31 mph for most of the first 12 miles). On the way back though...ouch... major head wind. I was lucky to hold 23 to 24 mph. The last 4 miles were tough. My HR was near max and my legs were dead. I managed to take first in my category (4/5) out of 20. Barely escaping Garren who was only a few seconds behind. Average speed was just over 25.5 mph I think, total time was 58:09. This was a good confidence builder going into the half IM. After the race I came home and ran 12 miles at a steady pace (8:00 min pace) with my HR below 150. I felt much stronger Sunday then I did a week ago at Blue Lake.
This week is more tempo pace type workouts (zone 3 HR, about 150 to 155 bpm). Should be about 18 hours total for the week. Should be a good week to fit it all in, not too many commitments. Then towards the end of next week I will start to taper for the race. The bigger plan is to structure my training so that my fitness is peaking for the Soma half IM in AZ on October 28th. So there will be some more big weeks coming up. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE having a coach!!

Blue Lake Sprint - Always the Brides Maid...

2007-08-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

Blue lake Sprint last Sunday, July 29th. Went into the race with high hopes of a top 5 finish (secretly wanted to win it). This was one of my goals for the year. The best I have ever done on this course was 17th with a time of 1:10. It was not the Tri NW qualifier this year so I figured the competition wouldn't be as tough as previous years, so I had to associate a time goal as well (sub 1:07).
Swim:
Went out hard to the first buoy. Made the turn and noticed a set of feet in front of me. I stayed as close as I could and held on. My pace felt right on and felt I was working to keep up. Worked out pretty well. PR'd the swim by almost a minute.
Bike:
Once on the bike I cranked as hard as could until I got up on to Marine drive. Once on the road I settled in put my head down. My HR seemed on the high side today. Probably still recovery from the damn hill repeats at the Perkin's! Passed 4 people before getting the 205 bridge. After passing the last person I couldn't see anyone else in front of me. For about 2 mins I though for sure I was leading the wave. Just as the turn around came into sight I noticed someone rounding it. Crap! Apparently I wasn't leading. As the guy passed heading back I started to do the calculations. I was really going to have to push to catch this guy. I rounded the cone to head back and put my head down and cranked as hard as I could. With a little tail wind pushing me I was able to keep it over 26 mph all the way back with HR over 180 all the way. As I swung my leg over to dismount I feel the wobbling. I knew it was going to be a tough run. AS I was running into T2 Aleck (the leader) was running out. T2 was pretty quick for me and out I went.
Run:
HR was really high now (and you thought 180 was high) about 183. I could see him in front of me for the entire run but he never got any closer. After mile 2 I realized I wasn't going to catch him as I was running as fast I could and not making up any ground. I finished 2nd overall by 25 seconds. Looking back there was nothing I feel I could have differently. I lost it in the swim and ran out of road to make it up. I'm happy with second but definitely not satisfied! Back to the pool! After the race I chatted with Aleck briefly, turns out he is also training with Scott McMillan. That made me feel a little better. Met my goal of top five, had the fastest bike split and went sub 1:07 (1:06:48). Not a bad day overall.

IM CDA Race Report

2007-07-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

Swim start:
It was a very strange experience this year. Standing on the beach with Jen looking out at what could have been the ocean with 2200 other people, cold and anxious. Then Mike Reily came’s on and says that anyone not wanting to swim could just do the bike and run. This would not count as unofficial finish, but would allow those that wouldn't be able to complete the swim to participate at some level. I believe Jen's response to this was along the lines of "there's no way in hell I'm not doing this swim. I don't care if I don't make the cut off. I'm at least going to try". This kick ass attitude is what got her through a very challenging day. She kissed me and headed to the back of the crowd. It got me a little chocked up. Weird how emotional these things can make you. With so many months of prep and training coming down to the 10 sec countdown before they blow the cannon. Very intense, even after you do a few.

First ½ mile of the swim was directly into the wind which was blowing at 15 to 20 mph. The swells felt like they were 10 ft tall at times, but were probably only 2 to 3 ft. Was never able to get into a groove as my goggles kept filling with water and I had to breast stroke a lot to sight the buoys. Around the first buoy on the backside of the rectangle the sun was in our eyes and swimming became even tougher due to the waves coming in sideways. On the way back in it was like body surfing. Still wasn’t able to get in a groove though. Waves were coming in at an angle that kept pushing me towards the sea wall. The second lap felt better since I was warmed up and new what to expect on the way out. My second split ended up being a minute slower even though it felt faster. Oh well… HR average for the first lap was 151, second lap was 148. Almost 7 minutes off my PR, which was CDA 2005.

T1:
Out of the water I wasn’t too tired, just a little dizzy. I jogged through the bag area and into the tent. I swear I spent 60 seconds just trying to get my bag open. I struggled to get my arm warmers on over my wet arms. Still a little out of it, I ran out of the tent to the bike with gloves in hand. It was still a little chilly out so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t too cold on the first part of the bike.

Bike:
I headed out of town up the main street. It’s a little up hill so I stayed up out of my aero bars to try to bring my HR down. Once I was on the flats I settled in and prepped myself for all of the people that would start passing me. Scott had mentioned this in some pre-race advice he had sent me. As people started going by I kept saying to myself “I’ll see you on the run”. By the end of the first lap my pacing paid off. After special needs I was feeling great and really started passing a lot of people. The only issue I was having was the constant urge to pee. I think I took in a lot of lake water in the swim and I couldn’t pee fast enough, or long enough on the bike to get it all out. After nearly filling my shoe and still directing way to much focus to how bad I had to go I finally stopped on the side of the road ~ about mile 60 and just let it out. Wow what a relief!! By mile 85 I had to stop again. Total I calculated I lost about 3 mins total to stopping and peeing. Not sure what I could have done differently there. At least I knew I was hydrated.

T2:
Coming in off the bike I was feeling great, but bummed that I was so far off what I thought I could do. I stayed within my HR ranges and effort level and felt really good, just a lot slower then expected. Jogged into transition and grabbed my bag. Into the tent where I was one of only 4 or 5 people. The volunteer was awesome. I was in and out pretty quick. Had to stop and pee again though, WTF! Took a GU and headed out on the run.

Run:
First mile of the run everything felt good, but I couldn’t get my HR down, Wanted to keep it ~145 to 150 for the first half of the run, but couldn’t get it below 158. The first mile split came in at 8:44. I slowed a bit through town and was able to bring my HR down to 150, but my pace also slowed to ~9:00. My nutrition got screwed up somewhere around mile 4. I was trying to take a gu every 30 min like I had in training, unfortunately the aid stations and my pace screwed up my timing. By mile 10 my pace had slowed to 10’s and my stomach was cramping. This was about the time Rob P. came running by and offered some words of encouragement. He looked strong. I passed Scott and he shouted out a reminder to “keep eating”. By mile 13 the cramps where so bad I couldn’t run. I was pissed because my legs felt so good! I slammed a gu and a cup of water and with a couple minutes the cramps were gone. Then the light bulb came on. I wasn’t eating enough. I started hitting the gu hard at every other aid station. In between I was taking a coke with a water chaser. After a couple miles I was back running 9:00’s. I saw Erin P. after I rounded the last out and back and she was cruising. I had 40+ mins on her off the bike and there she was. I told her as she passed going the other waythat I was going to make her work to catch me. This was more to fire myself up. I thought for sure she would get me. My last 3 miles were sub 8:30’s, I was running scared.

Overall I was disappointed with my time. I had high hopes of breaking 11 hrs. But on the bright side I did PR by 20 minutes in less then ideal conditions. I felt good for most of the day, and I had fun! This is really the first race that I can look back and say I truly enjoyed. I think it was a combo of all of the people that came to watch, knowing others racing, and being much more fit them I’ve ever been.

Key learnings this year:
- Eat more frequently on the run.
- Carry my own nutrition.
- More open water swim practice (sore shoulder)
- Peeing on the bike may not be for me.
- Need a new knot for my transition bags. The “Pad Thai” knot only works on the bag when you get take-out from the local Thai restaurant. Not so cool in T1 when you’re wet, dizzy and easily distracted.