On the ROAD!

Headed down to Redding, CA today to hook up with my wife and kiddos! We'll be visiting K's parents for the remainder of the week! What I'm TOTALLY stoked about is riding down there... the weather is supposed to be AWESOME! It'll be a really nice change from the rain and cold we've been having in Eugene. I was going to post some pictures of the drive down but I forgot my cord... no hooky uppy da camera! Bummer!

So training today was a bit on the light side. Just a bike/run brick at half IM pace. 45 min on the bike followed by 15 min run. I pushed hard on both but it still felt a bit empty... I think I have to adjust the schedule and get longer on the bricks. I would have done a core/weight workout but I ran out of time and had to hit the road... I'll get some core in tonight after I get in. At the moment I'm having dinner in Ashland... if you've not been to Ashland before... I'd highly recommend it... just do it in the off season... it's pretty crowded in Spring/Summer

That's it for now! Photos will be forthcoming!

Breathe

OUCH!

I don't know about you... but I havn't done speed workouts on the track since I was in college! Not to date myself... but that was a LONG time ago! Here's the workout I did:

• 2 mi warm-up


• 8 X 400 meter sprints on 3 min light jog


• 2 mi cool-down

Overall not a bad workout! My splits were between 1:20 and 1:25... I'm not entirely sure if that's fast... but I certainly felt like I was working hard!

Then this afternoon I did some weights and core. Drew H in Bend recommended that I do a bit of weights so that I don't waste away! Drew says... Rob does. Hell... I really don't know what I'm doing... and Drew has been doing this a while so I figured it couldn't hurt. Plus... the weights simply enhance my buff physique! BAH HA HA!

I didn't do this ride today... but I just figured out how to map it and post it... this was the ride I did last Saturday! Check it out!

BRICK tomorrow! YES! Then I'm heading down South to meet my wife and kids! YIPPEEEEE!!!!

When the cats away...

What does any "normal" tri-dork do when his wife and kids leave for a few days? He sets up his trainer in the living room, throws on a nice violent war movie and gets TO it! YEAH! And we're not talkin some Saving Private Ryan/Flags of Our Fathers/America is so great and can do no wrong/all our boys love dying for their country and you should too b/c if you don't wanna you're crazy type movie! Nope... we're talkin some hard-hitting, thought provoking stuff like: The Thin Red Line! Whew... sorry about that... I digress.

SO! Today I hit the pool in the morning doing the following:

• 400 yd warm-up/drills
• 8 X 100 yd. sprints on 30 sec rest
• 400 yd cool-down

Felt most excellent in the water and the BEST news is that I didn't cramp at all! I posted my concerns about that on Triscoop and within a half an hour I had a TON of suggestions on how to deal with them. Basically I made sure to hyper-hydrate yesterday and did some very specific stretches b4 getting in the pool... worked like a charm! Big thanks for CoachAdam and miCampers on Triscoop for the help!

Then... this afternoon I spent an hour and a half on the big wheel in my trainer. Basically working on my pedal stroke... keeping it even and using big gears to torch my twigs! It was awesome and the time really flew watching my movie!

That's it for today...

Rest is a CRUTCH!

well... sorta. Today was a "rest" day... and I think I did need a little break. My skinny chicken legs can only handle so much at this point. SO... gues what? Today was the first day of Spring Break for my kiddos and we went out and got some SUSHI!!! I figured that it was MUCH better for us than the massive cheese-laden grease-soaked hamburger I was craving... and believe it or not... I think it was even more satisfying!

Back to training tomorrow! YAY! I predict a LOT of delicious pain.

Ok... so the previous post is actually about Sat. the 24th! Can you tell that I'm new to all this blog stuff?

OK! So today I did an early morning run in the rain and the muck. I swear it was coming down in sheets for about the first 40 min of the run... then it let up. I did the "Pre Trail"... as in Steve Prefontainea couple of times. You always feel a little bit faster than usual when you run on that thing... lots of history there! Overall it was a 1 hr 2 min run at about a 7:30/mile pace. Legs felt a bit sluggish due to the hilly ride yesterday but overall it was nice to be out.

This afternoon was an "endurance" swim. 3oo yd. warm-up, 1,200 yd. main set, 300 yd. cool-down... overall 1,800 yds. Felt really strong and comfortable in the water... I think my stroke is actually improving a bit! The only trouble I had was at about 1,000 yds. into the main set... really bad foot cramp. Basically its right in the middle of the arch of my left foot. I tried to pull through it but had to stop, get out, and stretch it before finishing. Really frustrating! I'm trying to figure out why that's happening... it happened on Tuesday too. I have no idea how to cope with that if I'm out on an open-water swim or in the middle of a race! Gotta figure that out!

Overall it was a really good day! Day of rest tomorrow! I think I need it

Sir Poop A LOT!

So today's workout was a moderate morning run with a 1:30 min ride in the afternoon. Got up at the crack of crack to get the run out of the way. I figured I'd put in 40 min at a 8min/mi pace... I got about 30 min into it and was RACKED with cramps... I HAD to go "drop the kids off at the pool"... but there are no bathrooms anywhere in site! Needless to say, I cut the run short and jetted home... barely making it to the bathroom where I unleashed the fury of my bowels! Too much information huh? I don't know what happened. I rarely have problems with the plumbing. The only thing I can think of is that I'm gradually waking up earlier and earlier to get at least one of my workouts out of the way... so my body is adjusting.

The bike was great! I put in just over 25 miles on an extremely hilly course. Average speed suffered a bit but I did get up to 42mph on the downhill... yes... pucker-factor was really high! I'm trying to figure out my caloric needs on these rides so here is what I consumed: 2 X 24 oz bottles Gatorade + NUUN, 1 Banana, 1/2 Power Bar, and 2 oz Hammer Gel. Overall felt pretty durn good! Getting these tragically skinny runners legs into riding shape is a bit challenging... but I'll keep plugging away.

So It Begins...

Every guy needs a hobby. Preferably an expensive one with lots of different gear to buy. Preferably one that pushes your mental, physical, and emotional limits. Preferably one that makes you run head on into a wall so that you can break through it and realize, "Hey, guess what? I'm a MAN!" Or woman for that matter...

Seriously though, triathlon has been a Godsend for me. Since leaving the military in '96 and starting my career and family, I found it increasingly difficult to be consistent in my workouts. Triathlon is something that gives me a goal and a focus... AND its just plain fun! So this is what this "blog" is about. How do you train and compete in triathlon and still manage your "normal" daily life!

I'm 7 weeks into a 20 week training cycle for the Pacific Crest Half Ironman held in Sun River, Oregon. The idea is to post my workouts and experiences as I progress through the cycle. It ought to be a good time!

You can check out the Pacific Crest here:
http://http://www.racecenter.com/pacificcrest/halftridu/index.htm