Skinny Guys Don't Do Cold...

So the ride that I went on with my buddy Scott last Sunday was pretty freakin miserable. The temp was around 32 degrees and I haven't quite figured out exactly how to dress properly. Then again, maybe being a bit cold is unavoidable in weather like that. Anyway... I'm not a big fan of freezing my ass off. Then again... maybe I'm just a freakin candy-ass pansy whiner baby. Yeah... that's probably it. So Scott and I covered 28 miles in about an hour and a half. Though I am bitching about the cold... it was really nice to be out in the fresh air with a good friend shootin the shit and spinning some mileage.

In other news, the LifeCycle Tri-Team is slowly but surely coming together. We've had an initial meeting with the "pilot" group and I'm meeting a couple of members for lunch today to discuss our direction, team race kits, and delegation of certain responsibilities. I've also started a team blog which is set to launch within the next couple of weeks. That could be a really fun thing and a great way to disseminate information! I'd really like to get a few more solid members to round it out to 10.... you'd think that'd be an easy thing. The quandry I'm in is setting selection criteria that is not terribly elitist. There's also been some talk in having both a team and a club... the team being a bit more "hardcore" while the club being a bit more laid-back. I think its a great concept... just need to iron out the details.

Let's seeeee... OH! Coach Matt Lieto sent me a list of questions that will help him plot out my training for the coming year. Apparently I'm going to be put, "on the program". Let it be noted: Matt... I'm not scared of you and all your professional triathlete training mumbo jumbo. (I may change my mind on that ).

Aggie Update: I hate her today. I'm taking her down to Ashland on a business trip and she better behave or else. BOY! And I thought being a parent could make you feel like a failure on a daily basis... add a puppy to that and you might as well buy a timeshare at the "I'm Inadequate" resort and spa!

Breathe...

Check Out the New Title Banner!

What do you guys think? I love that picture b/c it shows my goofy yet ninja-ish side! KT from PT_Triathlete put it together for me b/c I'm computer-ly challenged... uhhhh... computer-ish challenged? Or maybe just plain challenged! Whatever... you know what I mean. THANK YOU KT! You ROCK dude! If you guys hate it lemme know... I'm sure that KT would be more than willing to spend another couple of hours making something that everyone likes! Bah ha ha... kidding. But seriously... whatdoyathink?

Heading out with my buddy Scott for a couple hour ride this afternoon. I'm hoping that it heats up to above 40 degrees by that time. Either way... its not raining so we are absolutely going to bike today!
Aggie update: She's growing! A LOT! She also thinks she's a lapdog. In the above picture she crawled on top of me and promptly fell asleep... its hilarious! She's growing so much so fast that I think she needs the rest. Who woulda thunk that you could learn a lesson about triathlon recovery from a St. Bernard puppy... rest to grow and get stronger...

Breathe...

Buoyancy....

I'm hoping that after yesterday's gluttony I'll float a little better in the pool!
You wouldn't believe how GORGEOUS it is here in Eugene! For some reason its not raining but perfectly clear and sunny here... although COLD! The whole crew (including Aggie) is heading out for a hike on Mt. Pisqua this morning. After that I plan on getting a workout in. Probably a run considering its been over two weeks since I've done that... time flies I guess. In the interest of not injuring myself I'll probably keep it slow and short... the perfect holiday run.

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was spectacular!

Breathe...

Swim Baby... SWIIIIIIIIIM!!!

Ok... so I mentioned that I did a test set in the pool about a week ago. I also mentioned that I wouldn't post the results b/c I was embarrassed. Then I thought, "Hey dipshit! The point of this blog isn't to make you look good! The point of this blog is to share your unique experiences while training for endurance sports... good AND bad!" SO... whether you want them or not... here are the results (feel free to ridicule, berate, and taunt):

• Test Set: 15 X 100 yds @ 2:00 holding 1:25 (in other words, swim the interval. If you finish in 1:30 you get 30 seconds to rest before you head out on your next one... make sense?)
• Here's what I did: 1:24, 1:20, 1:24, 1:27, 1:26, 1:25, 1:27, 1:29, 1:33, 1:33, legs seized, 1:29, 1:29, 1:30, 1:29
  

Relatively speaking I'm really pleased. I'm pleased not b/c the times completely rock but b/c Coach Gina was able to see when and where I started to fall apart in terms of form and what we could do to correct that. Her comment to me was that my dragging times had more to do with swim fitness than with technique! YIPPEE! Right? I mean... fitness is easy to fix! There's a bright side to everything. As a result she is having me do less drills in the water and focusing on building that swim fitness that I'm lacking.

Here's the swim I did today:

• WU: 200 swim, 100 kick, 100 pull
• Drill:
  
• 4X50 skull/swim @ 1:10
• 4X50 DPS @1:00
• 4X50 FTD/swim @ 1:00
• Main Set:
• 4 X 200 free spin @ 3:15
• 8 X 100 free regular @ 1:45
• CD: Kick/Pull: 2X through whole set
  
• 200 kick
• 300 pull
• Total Distance: 3600 yds
  

I need to get in the pool 4 times a week for a while. It's about base right now right? We're supposed to pick a discipline and work on that right? So swimming is my thing for the next couple of months.

Breathe...

So Profoundly Sad...

Between the Ducks loosing on Thursday, Dennis Dixon being out of the running for the Heisman Trophy, the sleep deprivation from "Mommy", i.e. Tri-Rob, having to get up with Aggie, and my brother leaving this morning... I'm a freakin wreck. OH! It also might have something to do with the fact that the closest I've come to a workout over the last week was jumping into Lake Waldo buck nekkid in 38 degree weather! As I said before... I'll do close to anything if you dare me, just on principle... and it gets even WORSE if my twin brother is around. (Yes... it was his idea and yes... he jumped too).

My last "workout" was a test set in the pool with coach Gina. The test set was 15 X 100 yds on the 02:00 holding 01:25. If you do the math... that works out to be the pace I'd like to swim in a full iron event... completing the 2.4 mile swim in 1 hr. The test set was on Sunday evening and all day Saturday and all day Sunday before the test set I did a really really good job of eating a ton of crap and not drinking hardly any fluids. PLUS... I was feeling a bit of a cold coming on. I'm too embarrassed to post the results. The really terrible thing about it is that I started severely cramping after the 8th set. I basically pulled the last 7. I cramped so hard that I actually pulled muscles in both my calves! Isn't that insane? I gimped around for an entire week b/c of cramps in the pool! Not very happy with myself... yet another "learning" experience that could have been avoided all together.

So my brother has left. It's always tough b/c we don't get to see each other very often... he lives clear over in Japan. Its indescribable how close we are. Its really odd to see the things in someone else that you hate in yourself and also validate the things that you think are good in you... all wrapped in a package that looks extremely similar to you. I just re-read that sentence and it makes no sense. It makes sense in my head though... so I'll leave it there. I just love and miss him... uhhhh... in like a brotherly twin sorta way.

So now its back to the grind. Back to the normal daily routine of work and family and puppy. I promise to put more triathlon stuff in... of course... I'm not sure if everyone likes to read about distances and times or all the other minutia that filters in around that stuff.... what do you think?

We Have a NEW BABY!!!!!

Her name is Agatha and she's perfect!

Breathe....

Good TIMES!

Seriously, I don't know what you people without twin brothers do. I mean, who do you share all the crazy shit that goes on in your head with? Who do you share your darkest freaky deaky secrets with? Who do you pin down and fart on their head just b/c the urge strikes you? I dunno man... you guys are really missin out if you don't have a twin. There's NOTHING like an exact duplicate of your Dioxy Ribonucleic Acid to bring a couple of people super close together... whether you like it or not. It's also pretty fun to have people gawk at you when you're walking down the street too. As you can imagine we take full advantage of the humor in that. We're having a freakin BALL! The kids adore him and he's doing really really well! Healthy, happy, centered... it's a good thing. You can expect more pictures of our adventures over the next week or so.

Training has come to somewhat of a screeching halt... too busy being an immature 12 year old boy with my brother... much to the chagrin of my adoring and beautiful wife. (For some reason we get on her nerves occasionally). I did swim 3,200 yds yesterday and I spent an hour on the trainer today... being teased unmercifully by my brother. We're hoping to get in a good trail run tomorrow.

The LifeCycle Triathlon team is slowly but surely coming together. I assembled and "interviewed" 7 quality triathletes from the local area as a "pilot" to see how things will come together as well as establish a direction for where we want to go in the future. Gilad and Jeff at the shop have been extremely supportive and helpful and have a great vision for what the team could be! Things are moving slowly as I'm finding out that coordinating meetings and group rides/runs/swims can often be complicated by every one's "real" lives. No worries though... things will happen the way that they're supposed to regardless of how much I fret about them.

Big weekend ahead. I don't know what we're doing exactly but I'm pretty sure it's going to involve a hike with the kids, maybe some bowling , and a visit to Unka Bob's gellato shop!

Breathe...

The Most To Gain...

Pictured at left is, "The Beast". In it's day it was the mack-daddy of bikes... now however... it's cool b/c its "retro" and... heavy. It's so old school that the bottle cage bolts are actually integrated into the frame. Freakin SWEET! It's a loner from a friend. He said that I can use it indefinitely which is really cool b/c I can just use it instead of spending a grand or so on a new road bike to train on in the rainy shitty winter here in Eugene! Good stuff...

Anyway, if chose a discipline where I could improve the most and make up the most time in a race... it would have to be the bike! How do you improve on the bike? You get in the saddle for extended periods of time. You can also go ride with guys that are much stronger cyclists and try to keep up. I went on my first official "group" ride yesterday. I use the term "group" loosely b/c there were only 4 guys including myself. I guess that still a group... just a small one. Anyway, I headed out with Scott, (tri-bud), Ken (hubby of Coach Gina), and Erich (young buck and future world champion). All these guys can kick my arse on the bike... which is kinda the point for me. I don't want to go out and be stronger than everyone... I want to be the guy that's working himself until he pukes to keep up. We didn't go out and hammer... but we did climb 3 significantly long and steep hills... which is where everyone seems to pull away. So this morning I sit here with fatigued legs but also with the knowledge that I made some good bike fitness gains. Good times good times.

Total Time: 02:34:55
Total Distance: 42.25 miles
Avg HR: 151

In other news... did you guys know that I have an identical twin? Well I do! And guess what? He's comin for a visit today! YES! You can imagine the claziness that will ensue and I'll do my best to keep you up to date as things develop. He also completely stresses me out! I'll not go into detail but... yeah... it's not always happy happy joy joy if you know what I mean.

Breathe... breathe very very deeply... and while you're at it... breathe a little extra for me.

I Forgot...

... just how cool it is to step out my door on an early fall morning and see the frost on the rooftops as the sun starts to peak out over the fir trees in my neighborhood. That's what greeted me after I suited up for my run this morning. It was one of those mornings where the silence is almost deafening. Where the only thing on your mind is the run ahead of you. There is no job, no mortgage, no yard work, no familial responsibilities. It's just you, your running shoes, the trail, the cold, and the silence. If you read this blog... you've all experienced this to one extent or another... and for me... it keeps me sane.
Good run this a.m.:

• Distance: 5 miles
• Total Time: 32:26
• Pace: 06:29/mile
• Avg HR: 162 (upper end of zone 2)

Felt good. Wore some new cold weather gear. Some Craft stuff as well as some new 2XU compression tights! LOVE the tights! I will say however that guys with legs that look like mine should generally stay away from wearing such tights in public. Not a good look... but I was warm and am now a true believer in the whole "compression advantage" thing.

As for the rest of the past week I did about 9,100 yds in the pool and spent 3 hours total on the trainer. Off season is going well.

My DUCKS take on the Arizona State Sundevils today in Autzen Stadium! My wife and I wll be there to cheer them on!

Breathe...