Ride around Winnepausakee

Our team biked around the lake today. A cool 60 mile trek. Very tough ride considering all the hills. We stopped every 15 miles or so to regroup and I think that maybe why my knees are throbbing right now. The last 10 miles were so painful.

I am starting to get really fustrated with my body. I just can't seem to shake the injuries. I really think I need to train more and stop going so hard. I really want to improve my speed, but in doing so I am making things worse.

Anyway, enough complaining. Here is a cool pic from the ride. In the pic I am the rider leading the pack up the hills. Notice the funny helmet... A buddy let me use his aero helmet. Pretty cool on flats and descends.

Can't quite get back on it

Both the blog and training have been tough lately. My legs are still messed up and I am tired all the time. I am listening to my body and just taking it easy. I don't think I will be too bad off for Timberman half in 3 weeks.

I have done some light running and a little biking the last week and a half. I think that is just what I needed though. I am heading out for a 10 mile run today and we will see how that goes. Oh yeah, I have a 60 mile ride around Winnepausakee tomorrow as well.

The blog updates will become more regular now that the training should be back on track.

Swim and Bike

I swam for 40 minutes on Tuesday and felt good. I golfed on Monday, so my back was a little tight from that. But overall a good swim.

On Wednesday evening I rode to Nubble light house and back. Great ride. Round trip is around 35 miles. Some nice rolling hills and beautiful views. A lot @sshole drivers though. Only the strong surive!

Lets go already

After the injury at Patriot, I have been chilling out a little bit. Well not too much. I did a 56 mile ride on sat and also some run/ bike workouts on Sunday. Feeling pretty good. My body is just tired. I am letting it rest and waiting to drop the hanmmer. I am eargerly anticipating a strong month and a half.

I head out to Lake Placid this weekend. I am so pumped!!! I am not even participating, but I am so excited. I can't believe a year from now, I will be one week a way from competing in an IRONMAN. Life is good.

Patriot Half Triathlon

July 5th was the Patriot half. Here is how the day went:


I was up at 440 in the morning and feeling pretty good. My legs were OK, but definetly not great.

After driving in circles for a little while, we made it to the site. Perfect weather for a race - slight drizzle and overcast. That sounds sarcastic, but it really is ideal. That way it isn't too hot.

After setting up my bike and transition area, I went for a 15 minute run. Legs were feeling pretty good and stomache is fine. The muscles are warm and it is time to get in the water to do a warm up swim. The water is a little gross, but not to bad. (sort of slimey) I swim for around 5 minutes and then end up talking more then swimming. I always do this.

The race is about to begin - I am in the 6th wave out of 7. Perfect. I love to start towards the back. That way you can be the chaser as opposed the chasee. My wave walks into the water. I try and pick the most direct spot to the first buoy. Its almost time. A little anxious as the 10 second count goes, but feeling ok.

GO!!! Arms and bodies everywhere. I am trying something new this race, I am breathing every other stroke rather then every third. More oxygen that way, but I will have to sight better. As the first buoy approaches I feel a little anxious, but still swimming fine. I always think I am farther back from the leader then I really am.

Basically all I am thinking is breath,stroke,stroke, breathe, stroke, stroke, breath sight. Yes for the entire swim, that is what I am thinking. I make it to the halfway point and I have caught other swimmers from not only the wave that started 5 minutes in front me, but 10 minutes as well. Feeling good and push it a little harder. Final stretch.. I am cruising now and catching guys from my wave that started to hard.

I run out of the water and see Tony and Kate. Feels great to see them! Sneak a peak at the watch, 38 minutes!! 5 minutes faster then my last race at this distance!!I take a look around the transition area and there are quite a few bikes still on the rack, so I know I did an alright job on the swim. Strip the wetsuit, grab my bike and helmet and I am off.

I hop on the bike and clip into one of my peddles. As soon as I put some force down to clip into the other one, someone complety cuts in front of me. The other peddle slams into my shin and it immediatly swells. I take a peak for blood, but nothing yet. Normally this would absolutely kill, but with my adrenalin pumping it only kinda hurts. I push out of the way and I am off.

Cruising out on the road I feel good. I drink some water and start to spin at a high cadence to wake up the legs. I climb the first hill and then drop into the aero position. I pick up the pace. Check the HR, 165. The course is progressive rollers and I continue to hammer up and down. I check to see how far I have gone, but my bike computer got screwed up when the peddle hit me. Annoying. I am thinking I am around 3 miles in and have 55 more to go.

I am rapidly passing people and feeling strong. I need to continue to hydrate and eat while on the bike. I broke up an energy bar last night and have the pieces stuck to my bike for easier consumption. It is ok for bar standards, but still hard to choke down.

As I am flying down a hill I hit a pretty good size pot hole. "Please don't flat, please don't flat", is all I could think. No hissing, so I am in the clear. The best part, I hit the pot hard enough to do something to my computer. It is now working!!

I am roughly 3/4 done on the first loop and I decide to step it up again. My knees are tight, but I feel so strong. I contiusly pass people with bikes that cost more then $5000. I am loving this! (It would be nice to have their wheelsett like theres though) The aero wheels give them such and advantage. I climb the hills and pass a bunch of people just to have them whiz by me on the decsend. Oh well, I am saving my pennies and some day.

I make it to the first pass where all the spectators are. Kate and Tony are there, so I give them a smile and a hang loose sign. I am going really fast now and decide to keep motoring on.

The rest of the bike was pretty straight forward. Push hard, keep hydrated and begin to think about the run. My knees seemed a little tight, but it is a 58 mile ride and I am averaging a slice under 21mmph.

Coming back on the bike and into transition I have my feet out of my shoes and hop off the bike. There doesn't seem to be anyone around from age group, just people I caught from earlier waves. I run in, throw my bike on the rack, put on my shoes, visor and race number and I am off.

Heading out on the run I see Kate and Tony. I shoot them a big smile and take a look at my watch. If I run an average 1/2 marathon, I will finish close to 5hrs!! I run with a high foot cadence to wake up the run muscles. Not a lot of runners around, so I know I am doing well.

At mile 1- I just ran an 8 minute mile. A little slow, but I intend on running negative splits. My left knee is starting to feel warm, and between my quad and hamstring on my right leg is starting to feel tight. Every step hotter and tighter, hotter and tighter. I am at mile 2 and I just ran anothe 8 minute mile, but I feel like I pushed it really hard. My HR is low, but my legs are burning.

Another step, pain increases. I am at mile 3 and I am shaking my head because I can't believe this is happening. I refuse to walk, but I am getting slower and slower. People are passing me every other minute.

Mile 4. 36 minutes into my run. I have taken an emotional defeat, I am walking through the water station. All the people I passed on the bike, are now returning the favor. Crushing. My knees feel like they have a knife cutting in with every step. My hamstring and ITB burn. My lower back is so tigh I am leaning slightly forward. I am physically defeated.

For some reason all I can think of is Roman times. When your body failed in the Collisium, you died. I try to use this as motivation, but nothing will work. I am running for a few minutes then walking.

I am right around 7 miles and have stopped at every water station to hydrate. I thank the volunteers for their support with a smile. I am in so much pain, but smile to show them my appreciation. The races would not happen if it wasn't for these people.

I continue to run and walk until two of my teammates catch up with me. They offer me elctrolytes and kind of run with me. I thank them and ask them to please go on without me. Very kind of them to run with me, but it would only make it that much worse for me. I ask Dave to tell Kate, I am fine, but having issues.

It is to the point where I know I would never quit, but my body is begging me to. I stop jogging around mile 10 and lay down on the ground to do what is called the pigeon stretch. It relieves the tension when I am down, but the minute I stand I constrict again. So many people have offered me electrolytes, asked me if I am ok and told me to dig deep. Such an amazing sport.

I hit the ninth mile and it hurts just as much to run as to walk. So the way I look at it, if I run, it would be over that much sooner. I press on and stop going to aid stations. I am actually starting to catch up with a group of runners. The competitive nature in me has kept me going and this small accomplishment makes me feel a little better.

As I come into the finish, I see that I have run a 2:10 half marathon. Half an hour longer then an average run. I see Tony and Kate, smile while gritting my teeth and finish the race.

Of all the races I have done, I am the proudest of this one. I have never wanted to stop and quit something more in my life, but I refused to do so. I now know the potential I have and will use this as a learning experience. This is why I love this sport and everything it has taught me.

Way too long

It has been quite a while since my last posting. I am going to start it back up ASAP. Two races since my last post and I will update shortly.

Mooseman Race

1st Tri of the year.

445 am - Wake up 15 minutes before the alarm clock

450 am get up and start the process. I pretty much prepped everything last night, so it was pretty quick.

500 am try and eat the bagel with peanut butter, but my gag reflex is outta control. Takes me 30 minutes to eat. Also drink some bad coffee.

545 am Get to the race. No where to park, but these really nice people move there car around a little and we slide in.

600 am Set up the bike and my transition area. I am smiling and feeling good.

630 start to see some freinds and my nerves are running high.

645 Go for a quick run with Kate to start the process. I am still a little tired from the Duathlon the week before.

7:00 Throw on the wetsuit and head to the water. Holy Sh-t the water is cold! I put my face in and my breath is taken a way. I am talking so friggin cold it hurts. Keep going under to try acclimate.

7:15 Take a look around and I cannot see the second buoy. Water stil cold, but getting better.

7:30 Race is postponed for 1 hour. This stinks.

8:30 It is announced that the swim is shortend by a third due to visibility.

8:35 - Race starts! Immediatly I start way to hard, again. I am breathing really hard and cannot see a friggin thing. People every where and I cannot see the buoys. Anxiety is completey out of control. Make it to the first buoy but cannot see the second. I continue to swim and follow the pack and finally make it to the second. I have to take off my goggles to get my sense of direction. This suck! I cannot see the the third buoy at all. After 10 minutes I finally get to it. Now I am swimming to the shore and I am in the home stretch. I am very comfortable and in the rythm.

8:55 Out of the water and in transition. I use the wetsuit strippers but they cannot get it off my ankles. I rip it off and head to the bike.

8:56 I am running with my bike and blasting out of transition. I have really improved on my transitions.

8:57 - Have a hard time clipping into my pedals at first, but I am now gone. Roughly 2 or 3 miles in I lose my water bottle, tubes and pump. Perfect. No hydration for the ride and I better not get a flat.

9:20 In an alright rythym, but tired. I should feel better then I do, but push forward. I am passing people but getting passed as well.

9:40 Damn Hamstring. Definetly barking at me.

10:00 Only 7 miles left on the bike and I feel pretty good. I want to get to the run and start passing people. I know the run is my strength and I am excited to get to it.

10:15 Heading out on the run and feel ok. I am running at an alright speed but feel like I should be running faster. I need to due more brick workouts. My legs feel heavier then they should.

10:35 Halfway point on the run and I feel good. I am heading back and start to see a lot of people I know. So motivating.

10:55 Finish the race and hear my name being called. Goosebumps instantly.

10:56 Mom, Dad and Shan are there! Feels so great to see them. I am a little sore, but the excitement of them numbs the pain. Some of my old co-workers are there and it is great to introduce them to my family.

11:00 Kate crosses the line and she looks like she is going to be sick. She pushed it so hard at the end, she almost lost her stomache. Complete nut job, but that is why I love her!

I gotta catch up on this thing.

Lots of races and work. But more to come shortly.

First race of 2008

I decided to sign up for the duathlon in Rye. With Mooseman a week a way, probably not the best idea, but why not. The race was a 3.2 run, 17 mile bike and another 3.2

On Friday night, I had a beer and a glass of wine with my dinner. Not the best prerace meal. I started to watch the Celtics and ended up watching the whole game. Take a look at the clock, midnight. Perfect, race in 6 hours!

I woke up at 5am and took care of Wonder Dog. He was a good boy, so that made it easy.

I threw on the back pack and rode to the course. I grabbed a good spot in the transition area and then went for a run to wake up the legs. On the warm up, I was a little sluggish and my stomach was noisey.

Race start - I do not want to sound like a jerk, but people need to be more considerate to those who are faster then them. I am roughly 50 people from the front and there is no way some of these people should be even close to the front. It is a narrow start shoot, without a lot of room to go around people. The gun goes off and people who run 9 minute miles are saying to each other, this is way to fast of a start. My point exactly! Move back to where the people who run 9 minute miles are. I know this sounds cocky, but I would never go to the front of a open water swim race and slow others down.

So, I go way to the outside and pass around 30 people in the first minute. My heart is jacked and I am running hard. Five more people drop behind me and I am now in the lead pack. We quickly break a way from the herd and fly down the road. This is the first time I have ever taken off in the lead pack. I usually stay in the front of the large group, but this is an awsome experience! It was so cool to be running behind the lead police car. I couldn't help thinking one of these guys is going to win and I am running with him!

We rip through the first 3.2 and I have my sights on the 14 people in front of me. Of those 14, 4 people are only running the 5K road race. So I am actually in 11th.

I fly through the transition and do a quick head count. Damn it! No one is in before me and out after me. In the first mile of the bike I pass one. I start to flirt with the idea that I might have a chance for a top ten finish. Mile 5, just passed an Ironman racer. I immediatly start to think, am I going to hard? Either way, I am now in the 9th place!

Mile 6 - Hit route 1-a (coastal road) and a wall of a head wind. It felt like there was an elastic band tied to my bike. The harder I pushed the more I stretched. Same conditions for everyone, so gotta go hard. I know my strength right now is on the bike, so I have to pour it out. I clench my teeth and push harder.

At mile 13 I see two more riders, they continue to get closer and closer. My hamstrings are screaming. My left butt cheek feels like I have a knife in it. I pass the first guy and use the emotional boost to catch the other guy. I am now in the seventh place and I see another rider.

All of a sudden I get passed by two guys!! Where the hell did they come from?? A little fustrating, but I am now in 9th place. I take a quick look behind and I don't see anyone. The rider in front of me that I have been watching, also gets taken out. Only two miles left and I can't catch him.

I cruise into the transition area and I already have my feet out of the shoes. I fly in, drop the bike off and start running. My legs feel like concrete.


Out of now where I get passed by two more guys. My friggin hamstring is screaming and I am fustrated. So I push harder and end up catching one of the two guys who got me on the bike. In my head I think I am in 10th place, when in actuality I am in 9th.




I want to be in the top ten, not tenth so I push harder and start to close on another racer. It is the other guy who passed me on the bike!

I get about 10 feet from him and pace off him for a mile or so. I think I wore him down mentally. He looked backed several times, slowed slightly and then I knew I had him. I wasn't doing it completely on purpose, but I didn't want to push to hard and pass early, just to have him return the favor at the finish line. As I passed him, we had a friendly chat and we wished each other a good run. What an amazing sport!

The last mile was a steady pace in. I knew I couldn't catch the guy in front of me and I had built a cushion for myself from any attackers.

Kind of funny side story - There were some people heading in from the bike as I was finishing. I was asked by a gentleman with a look of astonishment, "are you actually finishing this thing?" I smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He returned the smile and just shook his head.

I finished in 8th place and really proud. The training is definetly paying off.

An amazing experience

Tuesday PM - I had a technique ride today. I rode down the coast and did one leg drills for 32 minutes. This is to make sure both legs are equally strong.

With a 10 minute warm up I was now 13 miles from home and 45 minutes into the ride. With the drills and head wind it was a very slow steady ride south.

I turned around at the boardwalk in Hampton and decided I was going to ride hard back. That headwind has now turned into a tailwind and I felt strong. After 3 minutes of riding, I knew it was an opportunity for me to absolutely shred this ride. I had my cadence at 100 and I was moving at 25mph.

Something clicked in me and I felt like a machine. I have never felt this strong on the bike. I kept up the cadence, but shifted into a harder gear. Still spinning fast, but pounding out power as well.

I flew through the Hampton wall section and realized that this was going to be a breakout ride for me. My teeth were clenched together and my mouth was open. I had to of looked crazy.

5 miles into the ride back, a car pulled out in front of me and I would not let them pull a way. I kept up with them until I hit mile 10 and I was three miles from the house. I rode the 10 miles in 22 minutes. I averaged 27 mph! Granted there was a tail wind, but what an experience. For 22 minutes, I felt like a pro. Absolutely amazing.

Finally back on it

I swam 2000 yards and felt pretty good. The last couple of weeks I have been very consistant with swimming. That is the complete opposite from previous years.

Ran with Kate for 40 minutes. I just needed to make sure I still remembered how to run. We got caught in a pretty good down pour. Kind of fun.

A weeks worth of updates.

Not much to write. Awful week.


5-21 Wed.

Ran 30 minutes and weights for 45 minutes. Still tired from the half marathon


5-22 Thurs

Rode the trainer for 30 minutes... Still tired. This is so annoying, I can't build up the energy to train hard right now. In addition Kate is a way and I have two nights of work stuff to do.

5-23 Friday

Swam 1300. Strong workout for swimming. Not a lot of distance, but nice speed. I am supposed to run, but I dogged it. Common theme lately... Not good.


5-24 Sat.

3 hour bike. 51 miles with an average of 17mph. Kind of slow, but I did the Mooseman course. Man, that is such a tough course.

5-25

Swam 2500. Felt good in the pool.

Missed ANOTHER long run. I have to get my ass in gear for the long runs. I was supposed to do a 2 hour run. Moving forward, I am not going to miss any of the long workouts. If I have to miss one, it will be a speed workout.

I swam, but obviously didn't want to bike

I had a nice swim workout this morning, but obviously didn't want to bike in the PM.

I got dressed and was ready to go and realized I didn't have an extra tube. I would have been screwed if I got a flat. So I decided to hook my bike up to the trainer. I went and got groceries for dinner and planned on riding it when I got home. By the time I got home, I was hungry and basically gave up on the idea.

DAMN IT! I now feel guilty about it. I had the time, I just didn't prepare properly. I am annoyed with myself now.

I think my coach is trying to kill me

We swam 2300 yards on Sunday. This was the first time I was able to complete a full swim workout in the hours time. I actually did a little more...

We then went out to the track. That is where she tried to kill me. She had me running a 1000 meters (damn Canadian) or .62 miles in 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Basically a six minute mile. Which I am fine with, but she said it should be a controled pace, yeah right! That is a six minute mile after biking 3 hours the day before and swimming a mile and a half. THe best part was I did five times!

I absolutely love it at the same time. Sometimes it is so hard to motivate myself, but it is all worth it.

Saturday Ride

Kate, Greg and I rode the Moosman course on Saturday. That course is so hard. I never felt like I got my legs. Greg and I did it one and a half times and it wasn't until the second pass that I felt like I was moving.

I was going at a good speed, but I felt it. My heart rate was completly jacked and I was breathing super hard. Fustrating.

The pizza on the way home and a great meal in York ME that night, definetly made up for it though.

Weights only and a night with Kate- Wednesday 5-14

Weights = gross.

I can't believe I used to only lift weights. It is so boring. An hour of weights feels like a 3 hour bike ride. Actually, a six hour bike ride.

So I lifted weights in the am and had wanted to do a ride/run at night. Instead I spend the ENTIRE night with Kate. I am very appreciative of her understanding for my workout schedule. We both work a lot of hours and throw a ton of training in, not a lot of time to spend together. I need to remind myself of that sometimes. (she helps me with that too!)

Ride at my old stomping ground

I had to work in Manchester, so I threw the bike on the roof and rode out from Mom and Dads house at the end of the day.

BIG HILLS.. I worked on my cadence and was able to keep it around 90 rpms the whole time. It was roughly 45 minutes out with a 30 minute ride back. Up hill the whole way out, so a much easier ride back. Round trip was around 25 miles.

The best part of it all, Mom was home when I got back. Got to spend some unexpected quality time and then I was on my way.

Ride with the fiance AKA Captain Kate

I was a little tired from the half marathon the day before, but Kate and I went on a nice 22 mile ride. It was super windy, but the air was great. My legs felt good considering and I had no issues at all.

It is always great to go out with Kate. She is a machine! She never seems to be pushing it to hard, but keeps up just the same. A truly remarkable athlete.

1/2 Marathon

I ran the half marathon yesterday and didn't know exactly what to expect. The last two weeks have been soft for training, but I still felt good.

I started off the first mile a little faster then I had wanted to do, so I had to reel it in a little. The next five miles I tried to keep my heart rate around 15From mile 1 to 5, I was probably passed by 200 or 300 people. I kept wanting to pick it up, but knew better.

At mile 7, I stared to pick it up a little, but was still trying to conserve. I have never been on the course and it was very hilly. The last thing I wanted to do is bonk. From mile 7 to 10, I passed around 100 of those people who had passed me earlier.

At mile 10, I picked it up and was going hard. Heart Rate 170-175. I am now starting to pass groups of runners at a rapid rate. Huge pain in my left calf, right shoulder aches and my right hamstring is gripping. Grit the teeth and push on. I have stopped taking water from the water statons and begin to breath heavy. One thing is on my mind now, finish hard.

The last 3/4 of a mile, I got a huge emotionally lift from a fellow runner. (He had an Ironman tattoo, so you know he was the real deal) He started to verbally push me and was able to motivate me pass around 4 more people. I thanked him after, it was awesome! I did feel a little pukey, but it passed relatively quickly.

Something funny - The fellow runner who helped motivate me,kept saying "you better start running faster you young'n. I better not beat you." All in really good fun and helped to speed it up. The funny part was, he must have thought I was much younger, because I was in the same age group as him! By motivating me, he placed himself lower in his age group. I didn't tell him, but I had a good laugh.

Tough race, but I ran hard and left nothing on the course. I came in 75th of 1500 and feel great about that.

1/2 Marathon on Saturday

First real race of the year. I still don't feel like I will kill it, but I have been doing alright on my training. I am going to try and push a little bit. I would like to get as close as possible to 1:30.

A little fustrated, but good ride tonight

Traveling for work put a major crunch on training. The trip was great, but I really struggled with sleep and that affected my training. Oh well, can't change it now.

I just got back from doing a 56 mile bike tonight. I felt good considering my training has been weak lately. I left my house rode out to UNH, shot west to Lee and then circled back through Stratham/Exeter area.

I was able to catch several people on the ride today. It always makes me feel good to pass someone, but it feels especially good when I already have 30 miles under my belt.

I didn't bring enough calories though. The last 45 were pretty sluggish from lack of energy. It was a little colder then I had expected, so my body was also burning calories to keep warm as well as peddle.

Oh yeah, I almost threw up around mile 40. I took a huge swig of my protein/carb drink and it was awful. It tasted like rotten milk mixed with spoiled fish. (It was warm too) So the minute it hit my stomach it was coming back up my throat. I really wanted to blast it out, but I needed the damn calories. So I choked it back down. Friggin awful, but pretty funny now.

Loud snoring over here

Man, I am wiped today. I went for a swim and I only lasted around 15 minutes. I am supposed to do a bike, but I am going to pass and rest a little.

On Tuesday I swam 2000 yards. I felt great and speed was ok.

Wednesday -
Lift in the morning for 45 minutes.
Evening - do a 1:05 bike at a very moderate pace. Beautiful ride.
After the bike put on the sneaks and dropped the hammer and did a very fast run. My heart rate was around 165, yet no real pain.

I have a 2hr and 15 minute run tomorrow that I am going to do in Manchester. Get in some different scenery for a change.

Killer Weekend Workout

It is Monday morning and I am kind of limping and dragging. In a good way, if there is such a thing. After a tough work week, I really dropped the hammer this weekend. I did a 40 mile, 2 hour ride on Saturday. I was pretty pumped to average 20mph for my first longer outdoor ride. My form felt pretty good and my legs were strong.

On Sunday I swam 2500 fast at our team training. We did a fair amount of sprint work tied in with distance. Great for the race enviroment of the heart rate going up and down.

After that we did track work outs. My run workout went like this,

Run 1 Mile at a 6:00 pace (jog a quarter mile after)
Run a half mile twcie at 3:10 pace (jog a quarter mile between and after)
Run a Quarter mile 4 times on 80 seconds (200 meter jog between each)

Basically I ran 3 miles in 17:40, a 5:53 pace with a mile jogging split in between.
That is a very fast pace for me and probably the biggest reason I am so tight today. In some sick way, I love it....

Craziness

I went to CA last week and to say it was easy would be an understatement. My first flight on Tuesday am got postponed for 9 hours due to the engine was leaking oil. My next flight we had to do an emergency landing because a gentleman had a heart attack and died on board. Terrible.

I had to spend the night in Detroit and was only in CA for 36 hours. So I only got one run and one bike during the trip.

Another great ride

Today was supposed to be an off day, but I squeaked out for an hour ride. I am heading to CA in the am, so I gotta get in a little more before I go. I will actually get up at 5am tomorrow and get a swim in as well. That will hopefully knock me out for the flight.

Plan for CA:
Stay a way from all the rich food
Run at least an hour a day
If possible get a swim in
Drink wine!!! (I gotta enjoy myself)
Try not too miss Kate too much
Not ask Kate for a ton of text pics of my Reggie
Come home without a cold

Plan to ride the Mooseman course on Saturday!!!

Still going well

I ran 12 miles on Friday and the did a 2 hour bike ride on Sunday. My hamstrings have been barking a little, but nothing too bad.

Sunday I trained with the group and it was a pretty challenging day. We swam around 2500 yards and it was all at a pretty intense clip. After that we did some run drills and warmed up with a 20 minute run.

Then coach Suzan dropped a hammer on us, a two mile time trial. I haven't ever run at a "race" speed for that distance ever. I run longer distances, so sprining is pretty foreign to me. I really didn't know what pace to go out at, but I figured I should try and keep my 400s around 1:45. (7 minute mile pace) After the first couple of laps I felt good and ended up finishing 2 miles in 13:03 (6:30 pace) Not blazing, but my legs were tired from the days leading up and an hour swim before hand. So I was really pleased with that. Running on tired legs is obviously really important and it seems to be my biggest strength in the sport.

My buddy Dave was making fun of me for pounding a 20 oz endergy drink before running the time trial. Not the brightest idea, but fortunatly the old stomach of steel hung in there. A few burbs along the way, but I kept my cookie...

Cool numbers

Below are my totals so far this year. I have a few weeks missing out, but it gives a rough idea. I am little let down with my bike time. That should be up around 30hrs. Looks like I know where I will be spending more time....

2008 totals
Bike: 19h 23m - 306 Mi (will hopefully be around 3,000 miles by the end of the year)
Run: 23h 33m 52s - 159.75 Mi (hopefully around 800 miles by the end of the year)
Swim: 24h 22m 27s - 53193.61 Yd (30 miles)
Strength: 30h

Funny to think it is literally four full days of working out. The even more crazy part is that an Ironman takes anywhere from 10 to 15hrs!

Great bike rides

I hit the road yesterday and today. I was with two buddies yesterday and solo today. It was absolutely beautiful. I was a little tired today, but still pushed through.

My legs feel pretty good. I am working on trying to keep and 85 cadence. (Number of times one foot does a full rotaion in a minute) I tend to be a "smaher", low cadence with high resistance, but that is not the way to be on longer events. Everything is a work in progress.

Still plugging along

I have been traveling some lately, but I am still doing well with the training. The sun has been popping its head out, so that makes life a lot better. I have to travel to CA twice in the next three weeks, a little nervous about that for training. I will just need to really focus on running.

Next race is May 10th, 30 days a way. That will be a half marathon. I am hoping to run it around 130. We'll see....

Big swim and good run

We had a team training and coach put us through the ringer. I felt really good and my speed has definetly improved. We then did a five mile run over the hills in Gilford. I actually enjoy hills more then the flats on the seacoast. You get to work different muscle groups.

Neck is still a little sore, but I will get through it.

Great week

I finally had a really good week of training. I made a few adjustments to my schedule and I was able to commit. Awsome.

Here are the weekly totals

S: 6700.00 Yd
2h 42m

B: 71.00 Mi
3h 50m

R: 16.45 Mi
2h 27m

Stength

1H 30 min

Total workout time 10hrs and 40min. I would like to get that to 15-20hrs of working out. SICK!

Thursday

I have been super committed to my training as of late. My IT band is a little sore from running 9 miles and swimming 1.4 miles. I will be biking for an hour today and that should stretch it out. Great week so far!

Finally a good workout

The last two weeks have been tough, but today I had a really good workout. I swam, ran and a little weights. I am amped up to get back on it. Some of my teammates are a head of me right now in training and I am jealous. It is time for me to have no exscuses and put this body forward. I am not going to train angry, just driven.

A set back in training

Kate has been ridiculously sick lately, 104 temp, bronchitas, flu, etc... So I have been taking care of her and trying to stay healthy myself.

To add to it, I pulled a muscle in my neck that is killing right now. I wish it was doing something cool, but of course not. Drying my hair with a towel! My hair is about a quarter of an inch long right now, so that adds to it even more.

Seeing how I am complaining here, what is up with the SNOW!

Alright, that is off my chest. I am going to hit the pool tomorrow and possibly ride the trainer this afternoon.

Good swim this am

I had a really good swim this morning. My breathing is getting better and my form is as well. A little shoulder pain, but nothing too bad. I have eaten much healthier the last two days.

I am planning on adding a tri in July. The Patriot half ironman. Money is tight, but it is $75 less then all the other ones and I can split a room. Still need to run it by the boss lady, but should be a lock.

Getting back on track.

The last two weeks have been junk. Training has been ok, but I have been traveling and eating poorly. Today I am back on it though. I am buying groceries for the week and really going to step it up in that department.

I spent the weekend in Phily. We had a great time. Visited the Philly art musuem and walked around a little. I also got to see my "future" niece and nephew. Such good kids. LOTS OF ENERGY!!

I feel good to get back on track though. Weather should be breaking soon and I am really looking forward to logging some miles.

End of week numbers

For some reason this was a fustrating week. (work, training and socially) The worst part is nothing bad happened, I was just a little grumpy. I need some nice weather I guess.

I have finally started to stretch again. My own fault, but I have been really tight lately.

Today I lifted for 45 minutes at the YMCA, biked for an hour and a half and the ran 20 minutes. After all that I ate junk lunch. What a dummy...

While on the trainer I watched No Country for Old Men. Killer movie, no pun inteneded....


Week totals
Ran 26 miles
Biked 47 miles
Swam 2.4 (that just happens to be the Ironman distance)

Yosemite - I have to go back!

Fast forward

Its been a few days since I made an entry, so I am going to summarize. I went to a Birthday party on Sat. night so I had to shift Sundays workout until Monday.

Monday - 30 minute swim and a 9 mile run
Tuesday - 1 hour bike
Wed. 30 minute swim and an hour run


Feeling really good. Still need to work on the nutrition!!! Its not tragic, but I could be doing a lot better.

Starting to feel good

I think I am roughly in the same shape now, as I was in May of last year. I am feeling pretty good and everthing seems to be clicking. My only issue is tightness in the knees and hips. That is being caused by muscle development and fatique. I just need to work on stretching more.

I swam just over a mile yesterday and it was a nice swim. The water is still a bit chilly at the pool, but after the initial jump in, it is fine. Still waiting to get to the next level, but I know its close.

My run yesterday was killer. Once I got down the road a little, I knew it was going to be a good run. At the turn around, I decided to not only extend it, but increase the speed and push it. I felt really light on my feet and my lungs were strong. It is on runs like this, that I think to myself, remeber this on race day. I never do , but it does help me on that particular training day.

Reggie Taking in the flakes.

A rash and running over the interstate

So this morning I swam at the YMCA. They recently had to fix some pipes, so it was shut down for a few days, but reopened yesterday. For starters, the water was so cold it took my breath a way. So that was fun for an hour long swim. But my favorite part was when I got out. I had BRIGHT red spots all over my body and I was starting to get itchy. They must have been shocking the pool and in the process my skin as well. Everything is fine now, but seeing how it is inevitable to not take in water, I wonder how my lungs look.

My second workout for the day was a hill/run workout. One negative thing about living on the seacoast, is the lack of hills to train on. But I found one, an overpass for Interstate 95. Not what you would call picturesque, but served the purpose. It is actually a really good hill to run up regarding size and grade. I ran just under a spint and it took me a minute and 15 seconds to climb. So I did that 8 times to get a complete workout. All I could think of was, "Run Forest! Run!"

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention I came within inches of being hit by a car when walking Reggie. It really was a crazy day!

Tough week

I had a really hard time training last week. Work had been really busy, So I got in half the workouts I had wanted to. I can't change the past, but still a little fustrated. This week will be good though.

I feel pretty good physically. The counting of my calorie intake has been really useful lately. The surprising this is that I am actually not eating enough. With amount of exercise, I have been negative 200 to 300 calories a day. I love to eat, so this won't be a problem.

Weekly totals 5 hours 20 minutes

S: 3900.00 Yd 1h 45m

B: 51.00 Mi 2h 35m

R: 6.50 Mi 57m

Bike Trainer

The bike trainer is definetly the weak link in my routine right now. I never thought the day would come when I would prefer to swim for an hour rather then ride the bike trainer. Tonight I did it for one hour and it wasn't bad. My legs and lungs are getting stonger, so that makes it easier. The lack of breeze and keeping myself entertained is pretty tough. I did not ride the trainer at all last year, so I am hoping I will make large gains this year on the bike.

Tough couple of days

Last two days have been nuts for work. Crazy at work = no working out and eating poorly. Good stuff has been happening at work, so that is a great thing. I just get a little fustrated when I can't workout. Back on it in tomorrow!!!

Good day

Today was a great day. I got my swim in by 9am and then ran an hour with my buddy Dave. My favorite run partner, Kate, came along as well. An absolutely stunning day for a run. The sun was warm and the air was nice and crisp.

I also took Reggie our for a mile long walk. Thats like running 10 miles for the 130lb pup!

After the run we went over and had some Mexican at Loco Coco's. AWSOME MEXICAN.

I did some cleaning when I got home, read a little and then took a nap.

Kate was having 10 lady friends over to watch the Academy Awards, so I needed to disappear. I went into Portsmouth and decided to go and see a movie at the Music Hall. A great old vintage theatre.

The movie was "Into the Wild". I read the book about a month ago and as the cliche goes, the film is never as good as the book. I still really enjoyed the movie and my time to unwind. No worries from this guy about relaxing and checking out a movie alone.

Got home while the awards were still on, so grabbed my dog and book and headed off to bed. Nothing short of an absolutely wonderful day. It is ridiculous how fortunate I am.

Swam 1850
Ran 6 miles

Totals for the week

Swimming 3 hours
Bike 1.5 hours
Run 2 hours
Weights 2 hours
Total 8.5 Hours


I feel a little let down with these totals. I had 2 off days this week, but still feel like I worked out more. I think the most upsetting part is that I am pretty tired for a "recovery" week.

Heading out to dinner tonight with Bryan tonight. We met through my first race and Team in Training. Tomorrow I am going to do a ruen with Dave, who I met on the Granite State Triathlon Club. It has been really great to meet so many great people because of this sport.

Almost broke 6000 yards .

I almost swam 6000 yards this week, but I was 350 off. I kind of want to go to pool in the AM just to hit that number. But it looks like I will be around 6500 next week, so no need. Even though it is a short month, I have never swam more in a month. Very happy to type that.

Today is another off day, I actually had 2 this week. I feel pretty good, just need to get a good night sleep for a nice workout tomorrow.

Works been super stressful, but the workouts help relieve that.

First Brick of the year!

Today I did my first brick workout and it went really well. A brick is when you do two workouts back to back. It prepares you for the races.

I biked for 45 minutes and then went for a 30 minute run. I set the resistance on the bike really high, so it was a muscle building workout as opposed to a lung workout. The run went well after. Sometimes my legs are a little stringy after the bike, but today they felt strong. Only issue was I biked on my trainer inside and then ran outside. I was pretty sweaty from the bike, so the run was chilly!!!

Bike 45 minutes
Ran 28 minutes

2-19 (quick fragmented notes)

Another pretty solid swim day. I also ran and I feel like I am getting faster.

My weight is starting to drop again. (155lbs) The weight lifting regiment will slow that down though.

Swam 2100 meters - 1 hour
Ran 4.5 miles(speed workout)- 40 minutes

Tough training day yesterday - But good

I trained with the team yesterday and the coach put us through a pretty tough workout.

We started off by running. Of course I left my running sneakers at home, so I had to run in my trail sneaks. It wasn't too bad though. We did some hill workouts, stairs and drills. The drill part is something that I only do with the team, but really need to start doing it on my own.

After an hour of running it was off to the pool. I really don't like swimming with other people, especially when I have to lead. For some reason, I get really anxious and my breathing gets all screwed up. Then the temper and fustration kick in and I start to question why the hell am I in a freezing pool on a Sunday morning. Like everything else, I learn to get over it.

We did slow easy laps and drills for around 20 minutes. We then started to do sprint workouts. Sprinting is by far my strength in the pool. When I am swimming hard, everything seems to click. I don't think about anything, I just go. Basically it means I have the tools, I just need to stop over thinking my every stroke. Kind of encouraging.

Today is a recovery day, so no workouts planned. I feel pretty good, my lats are just a little tired.

Sad News

I read an email yesterday that a man passed a way during the half martahon I ran on Sunday. He had a heart attack at mile 7. If that doesn't put it into perspective, I don't know what does.

Note to self - Don't swim after you run

I had to get up yesterday morning at 5am to be in VT for a meeting. So I drove up, and after a 45 minute long meeting, it was time to head back. Yup, 7 hours of driving for a 45 minute meeting. Not the greatest time management, but I was more bothered by the senseless damage to the environment. A total waste of gas and an unnecessary release of green house gases.

My training was run 40 and then swim 1400. I made it home just in time for a run outside. My other option was to swim and then run on my enemy, "the treadmill." Outside it is.

On the run my hamstrings and quads were still tight. Man I really beat myself up at the half. It was around 20 degrees, but I was really enjoying it. The sun was setting, the air was crisp and I was happy to be out there. The wind picked up a few points, but other then that, it was a great run.

Off to the pool. I knew this was going to be a tough swim. One thing I realized is that sometimes I need to just go and swim and not analyze my every stroke. Ideally everything should come together and that has started happening.

Not yesterday. I have a poor kick in the swim and running 4 miles before does not help it. I was supposed to swim 1400 meters, and instead I cut it at 1250
I was completely beat and reinforcing bad habits. I really try and do the complete time/distance of every workout, but sometimes you are doing more damage then good. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Finally back on it.

Still a little sore from the race on Sunday, but I have started to workout again. I was able to lift yesterday for around 40 minutes and then run at a painfully slow pace for 1/2 an hour. It was on the treadmill and I really wanted off after 10 minutes. Stuck with it though. I would much rather run 10-15miles outdoors then run on a trainer for half an hour. Definetly felt a hell of a lot better after. It is crazy to think the best way to get rid of sore legs, is by running and flushing out all of the lactic acid.

This morning I swam 2000 meters and will ride the trainer for an hour tonight. It was a great swim day for me today. That is a relatively rare thing for me, but they have been happening more and more frequently. I used the paddles, zoomers and pull buoy, so that helps break up the monotony.

I am now trying to focus more on the nutrition portion of my training. I made Chilean Sea Bass last night and it was pretty good. A lot of garlic, soy and fresh ginger. Tonight being Valentines, I might have to head off the path a little bit....

Myself, Mom and Eyan

I love this picture. We are enjoying the festivities after Timberman 70.3. I don't have a pic of the whole group, but I think this picture reflects the mood of the day. The weather was absolutely stunning, the crowd was great and the race was nothing short of kick @ss.

Funny thing is, I think it is so impressive for my family and friends to not only travel, but to stand all day just for a glimpse of me cruising by. I usually try and throw a quick smile of appreciation, but it really doesn't do justice for how thankful I am.

Pictures of past events are always great motivation to get out and train when the weather is junk. Today included....

Monday 2-11-08

I am really sore today, but fortunately it is an off day. I ran a half marathon yesterday and did pretty much everything I shouldn't have. I woke up nice and early, made some pancakes and shared a few bites with Reggie (He's my Bullmasiff) This was around 630am. I then messed around for while, went and grabbed my registration packet and had a coffee. The race is only 8 miles from my house and starts at 11am, so plenty of time.

I got to the race early enough for a warm up run. I only ran about 1/4 of a mile and instead of running more, I decided to look around to see if I knew anyone.... Dumb. My muscle were still tight from lifting and training this week.

So it now has been around 4 1/2 hours since I ate. It was way to close to race time to eat, so I had to just go for it. Dumb #2

I was thinking that it was a really flat course and I should be able to keep a 7 minute pace. Target goal was around an hour and a half. I started with that pace and in the first 2 miles I knew this was not going to be good. Instead of realizing that this was going to be a bad day, I tried to press on at a pace I couldn't keep. Dumb #3


At mile 6 now, and the 730 pace guy just passed me. My heart rate is at 173 and I feel like I could puke. It was time to lay off and just "finish" this thing. First intelligent move of the day.

From mile 7 on, my right hamstring was really sore, calves were like rocks and my legs felt like they weighed around 200lbs a piece. Also light headed from lack of calories.

Mile 8 - It is now snowing, sleeting and the wind coming off the ocean is really frigid. These conditions are the same for everyone, so I can't complain.


Finish the race at 1:44, (14 minutes off goal). I grab a slice of pizza and I am outta here. The final dumb move of the day, not stretching. I did ride the trainer later in the night to loosen up though. That was a good move.

I have to say, I am not that upset. I sometimes beat myself up after a race and I did not do that. I did everything wrong for the race and I got what I deserved. I should not have tried to push it so hard and realize that bad planning = bad results. Kind of a no brainer.... I can smile now, take my lessons and train for another day.

After everything was said and done, there was a bright spot for me. I was in a fair amount of pain for the majority of the race, but I refused to let the pain get to me and walk. It hurts to walk today, but it would hurt more today, had I walked yesterday.

Paul's Training Log

I created this blog to help keep focus on my training. I am by no means savy with the blogging thing, but I figured I would give it a shot.

Right now I have two triathlons scheduled, Mooseman International in June and the Timberman 70.3 in August. I really want to do a race in July, but I will most likely just run some road races. The old cash flow is pretty tight this year, so gotta watch the funds.

I am heading out to volunteer for Ironman Lake Placid in July and will be signing up for 2009... CRAZY! This year Timberman is my key race, but I am also using this year as a build up to Lake Placid next year.

Thank you Mom, Dad, Shan and Kate for being so supportive. Not only in regards to training/races but everything I do in life. You make everything so much easier and keep a smile on my face.