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...

WhoopDeeDOOOOOO!

I am the masked triathlete! Let not the childish smile lure you in... I will consume your soul and condemn it to eternal hell fire. No really... I will. I'm serious. Don't make me come over there.

Breathe... and eat candy.

Ducks, Alcatraz, and Deep Thoughts...

Saturday was the Duck USC game! TOTAL blast AND we beat USC like a redheaded stepchild! YES! Apparently we Duck fans set some sort of noise record... actually made my head hurt!

GUESS WHAT??? I got a slot to race Alcatraz in June of '08!!!! Don't ask me how but its true. I placed third in a qualifying event... which means I missed a slot by one place! What probably happened is that the guy that got 1st or 2nd probably couldn't go so the slot rolled down! I don't really care how I got it... I'm just pumped that I did! This is a race that anyone that does triathlon REALLY wants to do! I can't believe that I'm actually getting to race it in my 2nd full year in the sport! Freakin COOL! I spoke with Coach Matt about it and he gave me his blessing so its ON! He might actually come down and race it with me too! (Well... not "with" me... mostly in front of me but you know what I mean) In addition two of my great college buddies, Jim and Gary, got slots as well... which means a great time will be had by all! WOOT WOOOOOOOOT!
Had another swim session with Coach Gina and my buddy Scott yesterday. Apparently Gina has seen some improvement since our last session a month ago! I'm really excited about that. You know how it is... we are our own worst critics right? So I kinda thought my swim was suckin! Apparently not! YAY! I thought this picture was pretty cool b/c of the "DEEP" etched in the tile. Just check out the pose Scott is in... there's no depth there whatsoever! The workouts with Gina are worth every penny and I'm particularly interested in getting stronger in the water with the prospect of the swim in San Francisco Bay! YES!

Breathe....

Dark and Brooding...

Not really. I just wanted to mix it up a bit. Keep ya on your toes. Oh yeah... and I'm bored. What do ya think of the new color scheme? I like the black. It's totally bad ASS!

"Training" is going fine. Lot's of time on the trainer this week. Again, I'm focusing on keeping a high cadence and maintaining my HR at the upper end of zone 2. The idea being that I'll continue to increase the resistance on my trainer, maintain my cadence, and keep my HR low while increasing base strength. I think that's what I'm supposed to do. Big time focus on muscle strength and core work.... and of course putting in my time in the pool! I have another session with Coach Gina this coming Sunday which will be great!

In other news: There's something in the works! It starts with a "T" and ends in an "M" and it's it'll be sponsored by a local bike shop. More to follow as things solidify!

Breathe....

p.s. Tell me what you think about the colors!

Donuts... Is There Nothing They Can't Do?

I've been feeding my sweet-tooth like you wouldn't BELIEVE lately! It might have something to do with the weather change... or it could just be that I LOVE sugar! LOTS of sugar. I like sugar like my Father-in-law likes salt! That dude puts extra salt in his canned soup! Crazy huh?

Had a good weekend and managed to get a little bit of training in. Like I said, K had previous commitments so it was all Dad all the time Saturday and Sunday! Saturday was spent hangin out and watching the rain come down in sheets!

After K got home I hopped on the trainer in the tri-cave and threw down some easy mileage! Spent an hour and a half focusing on cadence and form. I kept my cadence up at 96 RPM and averaged a HR of 133 BPM. Pretty happy with that and it also gave me the chance to catch up on some podcasts.

Sunday the weather did a complete 180! It was beautiful out! Perfect day for a long ride or run... which didn't happen for me! When the sun comes out in Oregon... it doesn't matter what's going on... you just get out in it! The kids and I had a ball running around the yard playing tag, climbing the "jungle tree" and diggin holes in the dirt.

After that I gave my buddy Scott a call, shoved a raised glazed down my gullet, (literally), and went for a run with him. He has a great 4 mile out and back route right by his house. The first 2 miles are a gradual downhill... then of course you turn around and come right back up. Scott and I clocked the first mile at 6:39 and the second a couple of seconds faster. At the turn-around I told myself that I wasn't dropping pace... so I didn't. Scott fell back and I kept on. (I should mention that he did an 18 mile ride right before the run... yeah... he's a stud). I missed the split on the 3rd mile and ended the run with a total time of 26:04 which averages out to 6:30/mile. Let me just say that this was NOT the plan when we started out and that the last mile freakin SUCKED. Ya know, sometimes you just wanna go fast and HR zones be damned! Bad Rob! BAD! How DARE I not follow the training plan to a "T"! I gave myself a spanking and went home.

Today I headed to the gym and attempted to lift some weights and do some core. You know what's really fun to do if you're a skinny endurance type guy? Walk up to those really buff meat-head types and ask them how much they bench. Oh... and make sure that you puff out your chest when you do it. They think it's really cool and will embrace you as their own. Do you think they liked my mini-skirt?

Breathe...