I just wanted to wish everyone who reads my blog and all my training partners a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) don't pig out!!!!! I, for one, plan on a nice 4 mile run prior to Thanksgiving dinner. I also tried to do my part by teaching a tough spin class this Tuesday. So to everyone this Thanksgiving, enjoy the festivities and then go RUN!!!!
Peace, health and happiness....
Rob
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
The Long Season ends, The Long Season begins...
Well I vanished for a while on everyone. I missed you all greatly, I hope you missed me as well. I must admit I was glad to see the "season" come to an end. I only recently started thinking of my racing as belonging to a season. This past year I had "A" races, "B" races, goals, peaks, valleys, surprises, disappointment and felt like I actually did this for more than just "fun". It was quite an experience.
The Recap:
Training started off badly last year as I was swamped by work. I managed to get in enough training to head into my first race, St. Anthony's Olympic distance triathlon, with a good idea of my level of fitness, but less confidence than I would have liked. My goal was 2:59:59, my time 3:06:59. Grade B-.
My first goal race of the year. The real challenge I thought would be the swim. This is clearly my weak leg. I was shooting for about 38:00 minutes or so. The tide would be an obstacle as I made it to shore in 41:36. My goal on the bike was 1:15:00, I rolled home in 1:15:44 so I consider this a success. I left the transition at almost 2:00:00 on the nose knowing I had to run a 59:59 10k to hit my goal. I imploded somewhere around mile 2 from a combination of inadequate calorie intake and the Florida sun. Lesson learned, I gotta eat more on the bike.
Mountains of Misery: 100 miles , 10,000 feet of climbing. Grade A. I finished, nuff said.
Tri-to-Win Sprint Triathlon: Grade A-. A replay of the first triathlon I ever did. While I improved on every leg over the first time I was hoping for a faster swim for the 400 meters. Other than that I rocked. I was actually able to push on the run, something I haven't been able to do in quite some time.
So now I was supposed to rest, which I did for a little while until I decide to hop into some bike racing. After such a long layoff from straight up bike racing I wasn't expecting much but I was competitive and managed to snag 12th place at one race. Overall a great experience and lots of fun. Grade B.
After July I began to turn my attention more and more toward running. I began preparing for my first 1/2 marathon. My goal was to break 2 hours. To push myself a bit I entered a contest to guess your own time. I guessed 1:56:56 and ran 1:56:50 good enough for a $25 gift certificate.
The long run training was probably the toughest thing I did all year and I can see how it will be beneficial next year. Grade A-. I actually think I can run this race faster next year, and I intend to try.
After the 1/2 I pretty much did NADA.... In fact I did so much NADA I gained 5 pounds in about 2 weeks. I'm not worried though, as I begin to ramp up for next year I'm sure I will shed the extra five.
Lessons learned:
You can't eat too much during a tri!
More long runs and swims.....
Preparation is better than desperation.
I had planned to try the move up to the 1/2 Ironman but I am putting that on hold until I master the Olympic. I also want a few more 1/2 marathons under my belt. I plan to kick off formal training on December 1st for the Columbia Olympic distance triathlon. I picked this as my first "A" race of next season for a few reasons. First it's later in the year so I have longer to get ready. It also means no travel which is another level of stress avoided. In addition, I ride part of the bike course fairly regularly, so I know the bike course. I probably wont break 3 hours for this event since the bike and run are both pretty hilly, but I will try to make a reasonable estimate before the race rolls around.
Other news:
Whenever you get a chance check out my new website Clarence Cycling. It's devoted to all things cycling including triathlon. I'm looking for feedback so all comments and suggestions are appreciated. Now that I plan to be back on a regular training schedule, I should also be back on a regular blogging schedule. One passion drives the other is seems.....
Until later...
Peace and keep training.....
Rob
The Recap:
Training started off badly last year as I was swamped by work. I managed to get in enough training to head into my first race, St. Anthony's Olympic distance triathlon, with a good idea of my level of fitness, but less confidence than I would have liked. My goal was 2:59:59, my time 3:06:59. Grade B-.
My first goal race of the year. The real challenge I thought would be the swim. This is clearly my weak leg. I was shooting for about 38:00 minutes or so. The tide would be an obstacle as I made it to shore in 41:36. My goal on the bike was 1:15:00, I rolled home in 1:15:44 so I consider this a success. I left the transition at almost 2:00:00 on the nose knowing I had to run a 59:59 10k to hit my goal. I imploded somewhere around mile 2 from a combination of inadequate calorie intake and the Florida sun. Lesson learned, I gotta eat more on the bike.
Mountains of Misery: 100 miles , 10,000 feet of climbing. Grade A. I finished, nuff said.
Tri-to-Win Sprint Triathlon: Grade A-. A replay of the first triathlon I ever did. While I improved on every leg over the first time I was hoping for a faster swim for the 400 meters. Other than that I rocked. I was actually able to push on the run, something I haven't been able to do in quite some time.
So now I was supposed to rest, which I did for a little while until I decide to hop into some bike racing. After such a long layoff from straight up bike racing I wasn't expecting much but I was competitive and managed to snag 12th place at one race. Overall a great experience and lots of fun. Grade B.
After July I began to turn my attention more and more toward running. I began preparing for my first 1/2 marathon. My goal was to break 2 hours. To push myself a bit I entered a contest to guess your own time. I guessed 1:56:56 and ran 1:56:50 good enough for a $25 gift certificate.
The long run training was probably the toughest thing I did all year and I can see how it will be beneficial next year. Grade A-. I actually think I can run this race faster next year, and I intend to try.
After the 1/2 I pretty much did NADA.... In fact I did so much NADA I gained 5 pounds in about 2 weeks. I'm not worried though, as I begin to ramp up for next year I'm sure I will shed the extra five.
Lessons learned:
You can't eat too much during a tri!
More long runs and swims.....
Preparation is better than desperation.
I had planned to try the move up to the 1/2 Ironman but I am putting that on hold until I master the Olympic. I also want a few more 1/2 marathons under my belt. I plan to kick off formal training on December 1st for the Columbia Olympic distance triathlon. I picked this as my first "A" race of next season for a few reasons. First it's later in the year so I have longer to get ready. It also means no travel which is another level of stress avoided. In addition, I ride part of the bike course fairly regularly, so I know the bike course. I probably wont break 3 hours for this event since the bike and run are both pretty hilly, but I will try to make a reasonable estimate before the race rolls around.
Other news:
Whenever you get a chance check out my new website Clarence Cycling. It's devoted to all things cycling including triathlon. I'm looking for feedback so all comments and suggestions are appreciated. Now that I plan to be back on a regular training schedule, I should also be back on a regular blogging schedule. One passion drives the other is seems.....
Until later...
Peace and keep training.....
Rob
Monday, August 18, 2008
Focus, focus, focus
Last week was one of my best training weeks of the year. Not withstanding that I haven't swam a lap in 2 weeks, my running was solid and my cycling was, well FUN! For only the second week in my training I actually completed my prescribed run training to the letter. No missed workouts, no dialing down the intensity. Just followed my training to the letter. As I enter the last 4 weeks until my 1/2 marathon I am feeling stronger and stronger. My running as improved greatly, and I am even starting to feel like my sub 8 minute miles may be returning to me (hopefully for good).
I had started to ponder the eventuality of losing fitness due to age. Then I chanced across this weeks Washington Post magazine which told the story of two African-American brothers ages 84 and 89 who were competing in the Senior Olympics. These guys have been swimming for 50 years or so and apparently have no plans of stopping! I figured if these guys can keep going then I have no excuses. That, coupled with the fact I went on a 50+ mile ride and ended up being the YOUNGEST rider, made me feel I have a long happy athletic career ahead of me.
On October 4th the 12th annual Becca's Run 5k takes place in my Woodmoor neighborhood. The start is up the block (literally) from my house and I have made it a tradition of hosting a post run coffee and donut party (donuts from the FABULOUS Woodmoor bakery) at my house. All are welcome, all you have to do is trudge the 3.1 miles and RSVP with the number of donuts you wish to eat. Showers are available as well. Please arrive early if you do attend as the streets are closed off to accommodate the race.
Coming soon to Tri-ing Times Ahead.... Calculators!
Ever wonder how fast you need to go to say finish that 12 mile ride in 40 minutes? This is the type of thing I ponder all the time before races. So to make that a little easier for me and all those involved, Tri-ing Times Ahead will be adding calculator gadgets for swimming, running and cycling in the not to distant future. I hope you find this helpful the next time you need to calculate your next 40k time trial (or 5k run, or well you get the picture).
Random Thoughts....
Summer seems like a great time to plan your winter schedule so I am planning a few winter indoor training sessions. Trainers provided but you need to bring your own bike...... My wife made me a deal the other day, if I could get ride of three bikes, I could get a new one. Well 1 bike is gone, another I have a buyer for so 1 to go..... Now I just have to figure out what other bike I want. Of course these are the types of problems I like to have........
Peace and keep training.....
Rob
I had started to ponder the eventuality of losing fitness due to age. Then I chanced across this weeks Washington Post magazine which told the story of two African-American brothers ages 84 and 89 who were competing in the Senior Olympics. These guys have been swimming for 50 years or so and apparently have no plans of stopping! I figured if these guys can keep going then I have no excuses. That, coupled with the fact I went on a 50+ mile ride and ended up being the YOUNGEST rider, made me feel I have a long happy athletic career ahead of me.
On October 4th the 12th annual Becca's Run 5k takes place in my Woodmoor neighborhood. The start is up the block (literally) from my house and I have made it a tradition of hosting a post run coffee and donut party (donuts from the FABULOUS Woodmoor bakery) at my house. All are welcome, all you have to do is trudge the 3.1 miles and RSVP with the number of donuts you wish to eat. Showers are available as well. Please arrive early if you do attend as the streets are closed off to accommodate the race.
Coming soon to Tri-ing Times Ahead.... Calculators!
Ever wonder how fast you need to go to say finish that 12 mile ride in 40 minutes? This is the type of thing I ponder all the time before races. So to make that a little easier for me and all those involved, Tri-ing Times Ahead will be adding calculator gadgets for swimming, running and cycling in the not to distant future. I hope you find this helpful the next time you need to calculate your next 40k time trial (or 5k run, or well you get the picture).
Random Thoughts....
Summer seems like a great time to plan your winter schedule so I am planning a few winter indoor training sessions. Trainers provided but you need to bring your own bike...... My wife made me a deal the other day, if I could get ride of three bikes, I could get a new one. Well 1 bike is gone, another I have a buyer for so 1 to go..... Now I just have to figure out what other bike I want. Of course these are the types of problems I like to have........
Peace and keep training.....
Rob
Monday, August 11, 2008
Re-evaluating the season. Again......
It's been fun competing this year. I achieved most of my goals or came very close. So now with all of my goal races for the year finished, I started to consider how best to use the rest of the season. Since running was a weakness I decided to focus on running for a while. I have probably run more in the last two months than I did in the last six. Hopefully this will pay off on Sept. 14th when I attempt my first half marathon. So far my speed work has been encouraging and my endurance has been OK. If I can stay consistent for the next 5 weeks, hopefully my goal of a sub 2 hour race will come to fruition.
Looking back on the season is often overlooked as a means of improving your FUTURE performance. By reading over my training journal, I realized that one of the main reasons I suffered such a poor 10K at St. Anthony's triathlon was because I failed to take in enough fuel. I also didn't adequately hydrate on the run. Part of that was due to the fact that the swim and bike took place while it was relatively cool. However by the time the run rolled around the temperature had risen 5 - 7 degrees. This was enough to significantly increase my water intake needs. By carefully scrutinizing my diary I was able to correct this when I did the mountains of misery and I never felt drained for energy the whole ride, despite the fact that it was a significantly longer event. I also realized that scheduling a race so early in the season was probably, if not a mistake, then an over estimation of my ability to train adequately during the cold Maryland winter. Accordingly I have schedule my first Olympic distance race a month later next year. If I can train more diligently during this winter I will consider returning to St. Anthony's in 2010.
Having reviewed my training for the year, and still possessing a fair bit of fitness, I plan to try to participate in a few bike races or duathlons just for fun to finish off the season. However, before I begin to focus to much on next year a few acknowledgments are in order. So without further ado, I present the Rob's Training Awards for 2008 (hell everyone else has an award show, why not me?....)
Best Training partner: Jeff - Aside from his ride anywhere, anytime, mentality, he's a good friend to boot and since I can't drop him any more he pushes me just as much as I push him.
Best Non-training partner: Lisa, my wife, has been very supportive , what with the long hours in the pool, on the bike etc. That said, next year I want you to take the Best Training partner award HONEY :-)
Most missed training partner: Miguel, I know you had your first born, but we MISS you man! Drop all the running and get back on the bike!
Most improved: Mike M. Very impressive Mike, now if you can cut down those 8 minute transitions you may just win your age group!
Of course I enjoyed training with everyone, remembering the funny stuff, and trying to forget the suffering.
One pet peeve for the year tho..... no one wants to come with me on the Sunday fast ride, c'mon guys, I know it's fast but hey we've all been dropped before, no shame OK?????
Gadget review:
As I mentioned in a earlier blog this year I purchased a Real Axiom trainer. Over all I have been pleased, but since the weather has been so nice I haven't used it that much. I have used it more than the last time I blogged so here are a few more things of interest.
I dropped $40 on the Alpe D'Huez DVD. Now I have actually ascended the Alpe twice. I must say the actually climb is MUCH HARDER! Now this shouldn't really be news. Its hard to completely and accurately reproduce any real climb on a trainer. One of the more obvious limitations of the Real Axiom trainer is it only reproduces grades up to 8%. Of course the Alpe has grades up to 12% and has an average grade of 8.5% so that explains some of the discrepancies. The course is easy to install and the video is of very good quality. It's a bit amusing watching the "real riders" who are struggling up the climb. In fact, watching some of the video riders will give you an impression of just how hard the climb really is. At 8.5 miles it a good hill climbing workout. On the Real Axiom sight some people have posted times in the 32 to 33 minute range for the climb, which is impressive and makes me think they don't really need the trainer! On little thing I missed are the switchback signs. On the climb up to Alpe D' Huez each switchback has a sign that tells you what number it is and they counts down all the way to 1. This was a great source of motivation as I got closer to the top of climb when I did it 1994. Unfortunately the signs are not really visible on the video. I did, however, see the grass I laid down in when I bonked on my first attempt in 1993. I have to admit, I had to chuckle as I zipped by it on the video. Since Alpe D' Huez is such a monumental climb and such an icon of the Tour de France, after the season winds down I will be throwing a ride the Alpe party featuring French wine, cheese, baguettes, and an opportunity for those so motivated to ride the Alpe (on the trainer of course). Best time wins a bottle of wine!
I'm still working on a full review of the Real Axiom, probably to arrive sometime in September so stay tuned. And if anyone out there has done any LAN racing with it yet I would like to know. I tried a preliminary setup but couldn't quite get it to work. I'm stubborn though and I haven't given up yet.
Peace and keep training.....
Rob
Looking back on the season is often overlooked as a means of improving your FUTURE performance. By reading over my training journal, I realized that one of the main reasons I suffered such a poor 10K at St. Anthony's triathlon was because I failed to take in enough fuel. I also didn't adequately hydrate on the run. Part of that was due to the fact that the swim and bike took place while it was relatively cool. However by the time the run rolled around the temperature had risen 5 - 7 degrees. This was enough to significantly increase my water intake needs. By carefully scrutinizing my diary I was able to correct this when I did the mountains of misery and I never felt drained for energy the whole ride, despite the fact that it was a significantly longer event. I also realized that scheduling a race so early in the season was probably, if not a mistake, then an over estimation of my ability to train adequately during the cold Maryland winter. Accordingly I have schedule my first Olympic distance race a month later next year. If I can train more diligently during this winter I will consider returning to St. Anthony's in 2010.
Having reviewed my training for the year, and still possessing a fair bit of fitness, I plan to try to participate in a few bike races or duathlons just for fun to finish off the season. However, before I begin to focus to much on next year a few acknowledgments are in order. So without further ado, I present the Rob's Training Awards for 2008 (hell everyone else has an award show, why not me?....)
Best Training partner: Jeff - Aside from his ride anywhere, anytime, mentality, he's a good friend to boot and since I can't drop him any more he pushes me just as much as I push him.
Best Non-training partner: Lisa, my wife, has been very supportive , what with the long hours in the pool, on the bike etc. That said, next year I want you to take the Best Training partner award HONEY :-)
Most missed training partner: Miguel, I know you had your first born, but we MISS you man! Drop all the running and get back on the bike!
Most improved: Mike M. Very impressive Mike, now if you can cut down those 8 minute transitions you may just win your age group!
Of course I enjoyed training with everyone, remembering the funny stuff, and trying to forget the suffering.
One pet peeve for the year tho..... no one wants to come with me on the Sunday fast ride, c'mon guys, I know it's fast but hey we've all been dropped before, no shame OK?????
Gadget review:
As I mentioned in a earlier blog this year I purchased a Real Axiom trainer. Over all I have been pleased, but since the weather has been so nice I haven't used it that much. I have used it more than the last time I blogged so here are a few more things of interest.
I dropped $40 on the Alpe D'Huez DVD. Now I have actually ascended the Alpe twice. I must say the actually climb is MUCH HARDER! Now this shouldn't really be news. Its hard to completely and accurately reproduce any real climb on a trainer. One of the more obvious limitations of the Real Axiom trainer is it only reproduces grades up to 8%. Of course the Alpe has grades up to 12% and has an average grade of 8.5% so that explains some of the discrepancies. The course is easy to install and the video is of very good quality. It's a bit amusing watching the "real riders" who are struggling up the climb. In fact, watching some of the video riders will give you an impression of just how hard the climb really is. At 8.5 miles it a good hill climbing workout. On the Real Axiom sight some people have posted times in the 32 to 33 minute range for the climb, which is impressive and makes me think they don't really need the trainer! On little thing I missed are the switchback signs. On the climb up to Alpe D' Huez each switchback has a sign that tells you what number it is and they counts down all the way to 1. This was a great source of motivation as I got closer to the top of climb when I did it 1994. Unfortunately the signs are not really visible on the video. I did, however, see the grass I laid down in when I bonked on my first attempt in 1993. I have to admit, I had to chuckle as I zipped by it on the video. Since Alpe D' Huez is such a monumental climb and such an icon of the Tour de France, after the season winds down I will be throwing a ride the Alpe party featuring French wine, cheese, baguettes, and an opportunity for those so motivated to ride the Alpe (on the trainer of course). Best time wins a bottle of wine!
I'm still working on a full review of the Real Axiom, probably to arrive sometime in September so stay tuned. And if anyone out there has done any LAN racing with it yet I would like to know. I tried a preliminary setup but couldn't quite get it to work. I'm stubborn though and I haven't given up yet.
Peace and keep training.....
Rob
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Where I was, where I am, where I'm going and my apologies for being gone so long....
I've missed blogging..... but I have been busy. So a little catching up is in order. When last we spoke (or I spoke I guess) I was preparing for one of my A races and reviewing gadgets. My legs were also rubbery for climbing all Memorial day. So what happened?
Tri-to Win Sprint Triathlon June 15th Westminster MD.
The race went well for me. I set a new PR for the course taking 2 minutes off my bike time and running slightly faster than 2 years ago. My swim time was only slightly faster which was disappointing, but I plan to devote significant time to swimming in the near future since this is clearly my limiting discipline. The other cool thing was I convinced a couple of friends who had never done a tri to participate. They did great although one of them had an 8 minute transition time due to having their race number blowing away a few times! Other than that, the race was great. We had great weather and the race organization did a great job as always. I plan to participate next year as well.
Once the Tri- to Win was over I had accomplished most of my major goals for the year. I was a little lost. I hadn't planned anything for later in the year so I just decided to relax and go with the flow, ya know, run when I felt like it, swim when I felt like it, ride when, well you get the picture. With the improving weather and longer daylight I decided to resurrect an old ride that used to take place a few years ago.
Thursday thunder is now a staple for myself and a few friends. This ride hits just about every tough hill in Rock Creek park. Its a great test of your climbing legs and a great way to get your appetite ready for Thursday's dinner. Climbing with your friends builds great camaraderie (or animosity depending on their climbing ability and gearing).
After doing a few weeks of this I started to notice my fitness was improving. Realizing I was near a season peak I decided to jump into a training race in Greenbelt. This series is run every Wednesday evening from April through August and is a great way to test your bike form. I went into my first bike race in over two year not really expecting anything. Bike racing form and triathlon form can be very different things. Despite this, I managed to hang with the lead group and managed to finish 16th. My 16th probably could have been better but I forgot some golden rules of road racing. First and foremost, be in the first 5 to 10 riders and avoid using all the unnecessary energy that results from having to chase past riders being dropped from the field. I spent WAY TOO MUCH time in the back of the field doing just that. I did eventually move up but I was toast by the time the sprint started. I went back two weeks later hoping to improve to a single digit placing, but was instead rudely dropped with 3 miles to go. I managed to chase hard enough to snag 20th place. Not great but at least consistent. It also struck me that if I want to do more road racing I need to change my training to adapt to the much less steady pace by incorporating some shorter harder intervals.
All this lazing around made me decide I needed to add a goal or two for the end of the season. Since my run had let me down to some extent at St. Anthony's I decided a 1/2 marathon would be in order to get some run focused work into my training. So on Sept. 14th I will participate in my first foray into the double digit running world. I'll keep in touch and let you know how that works for me. I was also looking for a late season triathlon but nothing really fit into my schedule so I had decided to just bag any more serious training until next year, when I came across an add for a triathlon in Jamaica in late October. Hmmm seemed perfect, the wife wanted to take a vacation this might be a good chance to get a last race for the season in. I also ran across an add for a race in Bermuda, so there may be some warm weather races in my future.
Gadget Update
I have been using Garmin's forerunner 305 quite a bit lately so I wanted to give everyone an update. In my last post I noted a few minor quirks let me update them.
1) Heart rate is so small as to be useless. Well as it turns out you can change what is displayed on each and every screen. I put heart rate into a window which made it easy to read and created a display with all the data I was interested in seeing.
2) Too many options to remember the correct sequence of buttons to push. Well the ability to create screen with the data you want to see more or less solved this problem. The good thing is the instructions are pretty clear and helpful. You can set the watch in the mode you want BEFORE you head out making the need to switch the display more or less unnecessary.
3) With time you don't forget to switch sports, however, if don't reset the watch after switching sport a run and then a bike on the same day ends up showing up as a multi sport workout instead of s separate run and separate bike. I find this somewhat annoying.
I did have the opportunity to record a course (that is, save a workout over certain terrain for reuse). I could then compete with myself over the same course. This is a good way to push yourself when running alone. I will test the workout feature this month and get back to all those who are interested. Oh one other thing, when I started using the Garmin on my bike I didn't remove my bike computer. It was interesting to note that my bike computer's speed readout seems to accurate for instantaneous speed, although I think distance wise the Garmin is more accurate. I still have a lot to learn about the Garmin but the more I do the more pleased I am. I may even splurge for the cadence accessory (although at $40-$60 I think it's overpriced).
Future stuff.....
I'm planning an Alpe d'Huez party. Since this year Tour de France was decided on Alpe d'Huez (apologies to my wife who became a tour window for 3 weeks) I decided to invite folks over for French food, French wine , famous Alpe d'Huez moments (including some of my own) and offer them a chance to ride the fabled mountain. My trainer has a video of the fabled climb so any one wanting to make the climb will be more than welcome. I did the actually climb in 80 minutes in 1994 (about twice as long as it took Carlos Sastre this year's winner on the Alpe). There will be a bottle of wine in it for the fastest to the top.
Well that's all for now.... I'll be back much quicker this time with news, ideas, stories, and general trivia for all who are interested. Send me some feedback about what you like, what you don't, and what you'd like to see included. I'll do my best to include it.
Peace and good training....
Rob
Tri-to Win Sprint Triathlon June 15th Westminster MD.
The race went well for me. I set a new PR for the course taking 2 minutes off my bike time and running slightly faster than 2 years ago. My swim time was only slightly faster which was disappointing, but I plan to devote significant time to swimming in the near future since this is clearly my limiting discipline. The other cool thing was I convinced a couple of friends who had never done a tri to participate. They did great although one of them had an 8 minute transition time due to having their race number blowing away a few times! Other than that, the race was great. We had great weather and the race organization did a great job as always. I plan to participate next year as well.
Once the Tri- to Win was over I had accomplished most of my major goals for the year. I was a little lost. I hadn't planned anything for later in the year so I just decided to relax and go with the flow, ya know, run when I felt like it, swim when I felt like it, ride when, well you get the picture. With the improving weather and longer daylight I decided to resurrect an old ride that used to take place a few years ago.
Thursday thunder is now a staple for myself and a few friends. This ride hits just about every tough hill in Rock Creek park. Its a great test of your climbing legs and a great way to get your appetite ready for Thursday's dinner. Climbing with your friends builds great camaraderie (or animosity depending on their climbing ability and gearing).
After doing a few weeks of this I started to notice my fitness was improving. Realizing I was near a season peak I decided to jump into a training race in Greenbelt. This series is run every Wednesday evening from April through August and is a great way to test your bike form. I went into my first bike race in over two year not really expecting anything. Bike racing form and triathlon form can be very different things. Despite this, I managed to hang with the lead group and managed to finish 16th. My 16th probably could have been better but I forgot some golden rules of road racing. First and foremost, be in the first 5 to 10 riders and avoid using all the unnecessary energy that results from having to chase past riders being dropped from the field. I spent WAY TOO MUCH time in the back of the field doing just that. I did eventually move up but I was toast by the time the sprint started. I went back two weeks later hoping to improve to a single digit placing, but was instead rudely dropped with 3 miles to go. I managed to chase hard enough to snag 20th place. Not great but at least consistent. It also struck me that if I want to do more road racing I need to change my training to adapt to the much less steady pace by incorporating some shorter harder intervals.
All this lazing around made me decide I needed to add a goal or two for the end of the season. Since my run had let me down to some extent at St. Anthony's I decided a 1/2 marathon would be in order to get some run focused work into my training. So on Sept. 14th I will participate in my first foray into the double digit running world. I'll keep in touch and let you know how that works for me. I was also looking for a late season triathlon but nothing really fit into my schedule so I had decided to just bag any more serious training until next year, when I came across an add for a triathlon in Jamaica in late October. Hmmm seemed perfect, the wife wanted to take a vacation this might be a good chance to get a last race for the season in. I also ran across an add for a race in Bermuda, so there may be some warm weather races in my future.
Gadget Update
I have been using Garmin's forerunner 305 quite a bit lately so I wanted to give everyone an update. In my last post I noted a few minor quirks let me update them.
1) Heart rate is so small as to be useless. Well as it turns out you can change what is displayed on each and every screen. I put heart rate into a window which made it easy to read and created a display with all the data I was interested in seeing.
2) Too many options to remember the correct sequence of buttons to push. Well the ability to create screen with the data you want to see more or less solved this problem. The good thing is the instructions are pretty clear and helpful. You can set the watch in the mode you want BEFORE you head out making the need to switch the display more or less unnecessary.
3) With time you don't forget to switch sports, however, if don't reset the watch after switching sport a run and then a bike on the same day ends up showing up as a multi sport workout instead of s separate run and separate bike. I find this somewhat annoying.
I did have the opportunity to record a course (that is, save a workout over certain terrain for reuse). I could then compete with myself over the same course. This is a good way to push yourself when running alone. I will test the workout feature this month and get back to all those who are interested. Oh one other thing, when I started using the Garmin on my bike I didn't remove my bike computer. It was interesting to note that my bike computer's speed readout seems to accurate for instantaneous speed, although I think distance wise the Garmin is more accurate. I still have a lot to learn about the Garmin but the more I do the more pleased I am. I may even splurge for the cadence accessory (although at $40-$60 I think it's overpriced).
Future stuff.....
I'm planning an Alpe d'Huez party. Since this year Tour de France was decided on Alpe d'Huez (apologies to my wife who became a tour window for 3 weeks) I decided to invite folks over for French food, French wine , famous Alpe d'Huez moments (including some of my own) and offer them a chance to ride the fabled mountain. My trainer has a video of the fabled climb so any one wanting to make the climb will be more than welcome. I did the actually climb in 80 minutes in 1994 (about twice as long as it took Carlos Sastre this year's winner on the Alpe). There will be a bottle of wine in it for the fastest to the top.
Well that's all for now.... I'll be back much quicker this time with news, ideas, stories, and general trivia for all who are interested. Send me some feedback about what you like, what you don't, and what you'd like to see included. I'll do my best to include it.
Peace and good training....
Rob
Monday, June 9, 2008
Miserable Mountains, Gimmicky Gadgetry, and Hellish Heatwaves,
Well, it's been a while since we last blogged together. Not to worry, I have been thinking about you and I have many things to tell you. When last we spoke I was preparing to tackle the Mountains of Misery. A 101 mile ride with 10,000+ feet of climbing. This eventful ride takes place in Southwestern Virginia very close to Virginia Tech. Before I get into the gory details of the ride let me first give thanks to the people who made the ride possible. First and foremost, my wife for being understanding during those long weekend hours I spent on the road and in the gym. She was quite helpful, being very supportive of my training and I can't thank her enough. I also want to thank my buddies, Jeff and Chris, who did the ride with me and made a long day in the saddle not only tolerable but enjoyable. All these accolades beg the question, "How miserable was it?" Surprisingly, not nearly as miserable as I had anticipated.
The day started out ... COLD! Evidently its cold early in the morning in the mountains. I was decked out in my King of the Mountains climbing outfit for the day and the only thing that kept me from freezing my gonads off was the, imagine this, constant climbing. We went barely 200 yards before the first climbing started. As we were climbing for the first hour I saw an old guy (not me or my buddies) weaving up one of the easier climbs. Since we were less than 20 miles into the ride I couldn't help thinking, this guys is in for a BAD day.
After climbing more or less steadily for the first 20-25 miles we hit what is probably the highlight of the ride, in terms of fun, a 7 or 8 miles switchback descent. It reminded me of being in France and swooping down the Alpine descents. At the bottom was one of the friendly rest stops stocked to the brim with everything a hungry century rider could want. Fruit, PB and J, water, Gatorade, all kinds of stuff. This was also the point where you had a fateful decision to make, 101 or 124 miles. I looked incredulously at some of the riders who followed the 125 mile sign and set off in the other direction. The next 30 miles or so were rolling hills but very manageable. This despite the fact that my riding partners were by this time cursing me out for convincing them to do this ride. I would have felt worse for them, except that I DID NOT convince them to carry enough gear to sustain a small army. Granted my jersey pockets were stuffed with food but I think Chris had a KFC restaurant in his back pack (more on that later...).
At mile 55 or so you hit the last rest stop before the first BIG climb. Now I have done some big climbs in my day so I should have remembered that some of the worst climbs start with the what seems relatively easy slopes. So when I began cruising up this first BIG climb I should have been suspicious. NOPE, I just kept going at a good pace oblivious to what might wait ahead. The slope curved slightly to the left and into the trees, still cruising, up ahead I started to see people walking hmmm... Slope now turns slight right OUCCCCCHHHHHHH! in what seemed like 2" the slope went from 4-5% to 12-15%. Talk about leg burning! I saw (no lie) in the 10 feet in front of me, about 10 people walking, 2 people fall from the sudden slope increase, and a carbon fiber recumbent rider stuck in the middle of the rode unable to get started again. So now I'm dying, trying to avoid the mayhem in front of me (did I mention I only had a 39x27) and then this guys comes cranking by me, hits the now STEEPER part, gets a cramp and rides right off the rode! No he wasn't hurt, but it gives you an idea of how hard this particular section of the climb was. Luckily there was a rest stop right over the top. This was the only rest (other than the finish) that I REALLY REALLY needed. About a minute of 2 later Jeff and Chris roll over the top cursing me for the next, oh, 10 minutes or so.
Luckily for us the next 10 miles or so are downhill or mostly downhill and it also took us back past the start line. Chris who by now has been complaining about feeling dead decides to put the rucksack he was carrying on his back in the car. Feeling 10 pounds lighter he began to feel better (imagine that...). This was the very deceptive / demoralizing part of the ride. From mile 80 to about mile 90, some of the steepest climbs in the entire ride reside. These would have been bad enough in a 40 or 60 mile ride but at mile 80 they really sap your strength. I felt proud that I got over all of them but I would pay later.
Mile 90 to 95 is kinda cool. Mostly downhill, you would think this is good except for the fact it makes you climb the last 5 miles out of the hole you just descended into. The first mile or so, not so bad..... the next 2 miles, uh tough, but manageable. The last 2 miles, I think I have blocked them out like any bad experience. It took me 30 minutes to go the last 2 miles. It was also the only climb I really had to stop and rest on. I really needed out about another 30 gear inches or so. What the made the entire experience worthwhile was
1) Getting my shirt
2) Getting a massage at the finish.... (the food was pretty good too)
What sucked...
1) Some guy did it in a bit over 5 hours ( 8.5 hours ride time for me).
2) Jeff and Chris couldn't get shirts to fit them (somebody copped em first)
Would I do it again? Ask me in a year.....
Gadgets......
I love gadgets. I am a geek I confess. Bike gadgets are some of my favorite gadgets but I must confess they have a history of letting me down. So it was with some trepidation that I purchased the Garmin Forerunner 305 (on sale at REI). The forerunner is a GPS enable running / bike computer. It will tell you how far, how fast, your pace, your heart rate, your elevation gain/descent while running or cycling (you can also get cadence with an accessory). It also comes with some cool software to let you download all the information onto your computer. So here is my impression so far.
The Good
1) Its much smaller than the previous Garmin GPS running computers. Still a bit bulky, but significantly better than previous models.
2) The software works really well. Downloads are easy and the information can be viewed graphically to impress your friends!
3) The GPS mileage is much more accurate than guessing how many miles you ran.
4) One option allows you to pace yourself or race against yourself, very helpful for speed work and tempo runs.
5) There a bunch of other features I haven't even tried yet but they look promising, such as creating workouts with the software and uploading them into the watch for use when you train.
6) The battery seemed to last much longer with the newer model.
7) You can now record a brick workout with 1 device!!!! YEAH!
8) Moving the watch from the bike to the my arm for the run is easy with Garmin's multi-sport accessory.
The Bad (minor stuff mostly)
1) Heart rate is VERY VERY small and hard to read making it practically useless when running.
2) With so many functions it can be tough to remember the correct sequence of buttons to press to do something.
3) If you forget to switch sports on the watch your run can end up looking like a REALLY slow bike ride (which I did once by accident).
Even with those minor problems I think the Forerunner is worth the investment.
Another gadget I've been playing with is training peaks software which is supposed to give you all kinds of revolutionary information about how your training is progressing. I will give a complete report once I have used up the 14 day free trial.....
The HEAT IS ON!!!!!!
During the mountains of misery ride we were blessed with near perfect weather. However, the last few days have been anything but! I went running Saturday and didn't stop sweating until almost Sunday! Sunday, as luck would have it, I was doing the Bicycle Place ride so at least the ride was done by 10:30 AM. With less than a week until my last scheduled triathlon of the season I plan on waiting out the heat even to the point of getting on the treadmill if necessary. This next race is somewhat special since this race was the first triathlon I ever did. I hope to better my course time, at least in the swim, since that is by far my weakest link in the sport and the one I have the best chance of improving on. I'm just hoping the weather cooperates.
Until we get some relief from this heat.....
Stay frosty......
Peace & Luv,
Rob
The day started out ... COLD! Evidently its cold early in the morning in the mountains. I was decked out in my King of the Mountains climbing outfit for the day and the only thing that kept me from freezing my gonads off was the, imagine this, constant climbing. We went barely 200 yards before the first climbing started. As we were climbing for the first hour I saw an old guy (not me or my buddies) weaving up one of the easier climbs. Since we were less than 20 miles into the ride I couldn't help thinking, this guys is in for a BAD day.
After climbing more or less steadily for the first 20-25 miles we hit what is probably the highlight of the ride, in terms of fun, a 7 or 8 miles switchback descent. It reminded me of being in France and swooping down the Alpine descents. At the bottom was one of the friendly rest stops stocked to the brim with everything a hungry century rider could want. Fruit, PB and J, water, Gatorade, all kinds of stuff. This was also the point where you had a fateful decision to make, 101 or 124 miles. I looked incredulously at some of the riders who followed the 125 mile sign and set off in the other direction. The next 30 miles or so were rolling hills but very manageable. This despite the fact that my riding partners were by this time cursing me out for convincing them to do this ride. I would have felt worse for them, except that I DID NOT convince them to carry enough gear to sustain a small army. Granted my jersey pockets were stuffed with food but I think Chris had a KFC restaurant in his back pack (more on that later...).
At mile 55 or so you hit the last rest stop before the first BIG climb. Now I have done some big climbs in my day so I should have remembered that some of the worst climbs start with the what seems relatively easy slopes. So when I began cruising up this first BIG climb I should have been suspicious. NOPE, I just kept going at a good pace oblivious to what might wait ahead. The slope curved slightly to the left and into the trees, still cruising, up ahead I started to see people walking hmmm... Slope now turns slight right OUCCCCCHHHHHHH! in what seemed like 2" the slope went from 4-5% to 12-15%. Talk about leg burning! I saw (no lie) in the 10 feet in front of me, about 10 people walking, 2 people fall from the sudden slope increase, and a carbon fiber recumbent rider stuck in the middle of the rode unable to get started again. So now I'm dying, trying to avoid the mayhem in front of me (did I mention I only had a 39x27) and then this guys comes cranking by me, hits the now STEEPER part, gets a cramp and rides right off the rode! No he wasn't hurt, but it gives you an idea of how hard this particular section of the climb was. Luckily there was a rest stop right over the top. This was the only rest (other than the finish) that I REALLY REALLY needed. About a minute of 2 later Jeff and Chris roll over the top cursing me for the next, oh, 10 minutes or so.
Luckily for us the next 10 miles or so are downhill or mostly downhill and it also took us back past the start line. Chris who by now has been complaining about feeling dead decides to put the rucksack he was carrying on his back in the car. Feeling 10 pounds lighter he began to feel better (imagine that...). This was the very deceptive / demoralizing part of the ride. From mile 80 to about mile 90, some of the steepest climbs in the entire ride reside. These would have been bad enough in a 40 or 60 mile ride but at mile 80 they really sap your strength. I felt proud that I got over all of them but I would pay later.
Mile 90 to 95 is kinda cool. Mostly downhill, you would think this is good except for the fact it makes you climb the last 5 miles out of the hole you just descended into. The first mile or so, not so bad..... the next 2 miles, uh tough, but manageable. The last 2 miles, I think I have blocked them out like any bad experience. It took me 30 minutes to go the last 2 miles. It was also the only climb I really had to stop and rest on. I really needed out about another 30 gear inches or so. What the made the entire experience worthwhile was
1) Getting my shirt
2) Getting a massage at the finish.... (the food was pretty good too)
What sucked...
1) Some guy did it in a bit over 5 hours ( 8.5 hours ride time for me).
2) Jeff and Chris couldn't get shirts to fit them (somebody copped em first)
Would I do it again? Ask me in a year.....
Gadgets......
I love gadgets. I am a geek I confess. Bike gadgets are some of my favorite gadgets but I must confess they have a history of letting me down. So it was with some trepidation that I purchased the Garmin Forerunner 305 (on sale at REI). The forerunner is a GPS enable running / bike computer. It will tell you how far, how fast, your pace, your heart rate, your elevation gain/descent while running or cycling (you can also get cadence with an accessory). It also comes with some cool software to let you download all the information onto your computer. So here is my impression so far.
The Good
1) Its much smaller than the previous Garmin GPS running computers. Still a bit bulky, but significantly better than previous models.
2) The software works really well. Downloads are easy and the information can be viewed graphically to impress your friends!
3) The GPS mileage is much more accurate than guessing how many miles you ran.
4) One option allows you to pace yourself or race against yourself, very helpful for speed work and tempo runs.
5) There a bunch of other features I haven't even tried yet but they look promising, such as creating workouts with the software and uploading them into the watch for use when you train.
6) The battery seemed to last much longer with the newer model.
7) You can now record a brick workout with 1 device!!!! YEAH!
8) Moving the watch from the bike to the my arm for the run is easy with Garmin's multi-sport accessory.
The Bad (minor stuff mostly)
1) Heart rate is VERY VERY small and hard to read making it practically useless when running.
2) With so many functions it can be tough to remember the correct sequence of buttons to press to do something.
3) If you forget to switch sports on the watch your run can end up looking like a REALLY slow bike ride (which I did once by accident).
Even with those minor problems I think the Forerunner is worth the investment.
Another gadget I've been playing with is training peaks software which is supposed to give you all kinds of revolutionary information about how your training is progressing. I will give a complete report once I have used up the 14 day free trial.....
The HEAT IS ON!!!!!!
During the mountains of misery ride we were blessed with near perfect weather. However, the last few days have been anything but! I went running Saturday and didn't stop sweating until almost Sunday! Sunday, as luck would have it, I was doing the Bicycle Place ride so at least the ride was done by 10:30 AM. With less than a week until my last scheduled triathlon of the season I plan on waiting out the heat even to the point of getting on the treadmill if necessary. This next race is somewhat special since this race was the first triathlon I ever did. I hope to better my course time, at least in the swim, since that is by far my weakest link in the sport and the one I have the best chance of improving on. I'm just hoping the weather cooperates.
Until we get some relief from this heat.....
Stay frosty......
Peace & Luv,
Rob
Monday, May 12, 2008
The year ahead.....
With my biggest race of the year behind me, I had to decide what to do with the rest of the year. Being a personal trainer I often have too convince my clients not to try to do too many things so they can maximize their goals. So of course, what do I do? I try to train simultaneously for a 101 mile century with 10,000 feet of climbing and a sprint triathlon. I knew this would be tough since trying to do enough climbing and endurance work would ultimately blunt my speed and make speed work on the track more difficult. So taking my own advice, I decided to make my sprint triathlon a lower priority and concentrate on the century. If I can't practice what I preach, I might as well stop preaching.
The ride I'm doing is called the Mountains of Misery. I haven't done a century in quiet some time and this is a tough one. It ends with a 5 mile climb. Check out the link for all the gory details.
My training has been going pretty well. I have been feeling strong on the bike and the last few weekends I have done upwards of 50 miles each day with lots of climbing and felt pretty good at the end of the ride. For those of you familiar with the climbs along Beach Drive, I have even started going up Forsythe Ave. on my way home just to try to get an idea of how to suffer at the end of a tough ride (for those not familiar with Forsythe Ave, it is about a 20% grade with speed bumps!, Ouch!).
I plan to take a short break after my June 15th Sprint triathlon and then start preparing for my first 1/2 marathon. I realize that my weakness in triathlon lately has been my run ( I know my swim is my weakest event, but I have been steadily improving in that event). My running seems to have been deteriorating a bit so I decided to focus on it for a while in an attempt to finish strongly in any other tri's I decide to do (either this year or next).
I have been trying to include more and more of my friends on my weekend rides so if I don't have your e-mail address, drop me a line and I will include you on my weekly e-mail ride list.
Hope to see you all soon.
Peace and keep training.....
Rob
The ride I'm doing is called the Mountains of Misery. I haven't done a century in quiet some time and this is a tough one. It ends with a 5 mile climb. Check out the link for all the gory details.
My training has been going pretty well. I have been feeling strong on the bike and the last few weekends I have done upwards of 50 miles each day with lots of climbing and felt pretty good at the end of the ride. For those of you familiar with the climbs along Beach Drive, I have even started going up Forsythe Ave. on my way home just to try to get an idea of how to suffer at the end of a tough ride (for those not familiar with Forsythe Ave, it is about a 20% grade with speed bumps!, Ouch!).
I plan to take a short break after my June 15th Sprint triathlon and then start preparing for my first 1/2 marathon. I realize that my weakness in triathlon lately has been my run ( I know my swim is my weakest event, but I have been steadily improving in that event). My running seems to have been deteriorating a bit so I decided to focus on it for a while in an attempt to finish strongly in any other tri's I decide to do (either this year or next).
I have been trying to include more and more of my friends on my weekend rides so if I don't have your e-mail address, drop me a line and I will include you on my weekly e-mail ride list.
Hope to see you all soon.
Peace and keep training.....
Rob
Monday, April 28, 2008
The Day After.....
Well my first big event of the year has come and gone and like most of life there was were some good things and some not so good things. Let's start with the good stuff.....
The Triathlon....
2 big thumbs up, WAY UP! For an event that has 4000 + participants, this is one of the best events I have ever entered. I fully intend to enter this event next year. Every thing was well organized, every thing went off on time and the event and sport expo was great even if I didn't buy anything.
The Competition
Every once in a while a pro or top level amateur shows up at an event I do, well there were at least 3 whole waves of both at St. Anthonys! When I arrived at the transition area on Saturday I came across Faris Al-Sultan. For those of you not familiar with Faris he is the 2005(?) Hawaii ironman world champion. I also noted that Faris' bike was probably in excess of 10 grand (hell his handlebar assembly looked to be around 2 or 3 grand. There is nothing like riding with the big boys to get the adrenaline pumping. U.S. Olympian Matthew Reed ended up winning in the ridiculous time of 1 hour 46 minutes and change. Andy Potts who finished second completed the swim in a ridiculous 18:21! When I entered the swim - bike transition I heard the race announcer say the Greg Bennett was chasing the two leaders (mentioned above) while running at a 5 minute per mile pace! So make no mistake, there were some amazing athletes present.
The Course
The swim was in a bay so that was a good thing. The day prior to the race I saw a dolphin jumping around so that was kind of cool as well. The water temperature was a comfy 74 degrees. So what could go wrong you ask? The waves were a bit high so it made getting a good rhythm going tough, and when we turned for shore the tide was constantly pushing me away from the swim exit. I actually ended up swiming perpendicular to the swim exit to compensate and I ended up getting out of the water in 41:38 about 3 and a half minutes better than my previous best. So I was happy about that.
The Bike.
Rumoured to be completely flat, the bike was MOSTLY flat. There were some stretches of false flat but you really couldn't ask for much flatter. The one downside to the bike course was the number of turns which made it a bit hard to keep your speed up. All in all, a very doable course, I was slightly off my projected bike time, but only by about 1 or 2 %. Coming so early in my season I really can't complain about that.
The Transitions
When you do a race with more than 4000 participants the transition area is HUGE! Most of my bike - run transition was just getting out of the transition area! I will say that the speed laces I purchased must have knocked a good 30 - 60 seconds off my transition, so I highly recommend them. I will also highly recommend Body Glide for the swim - bike transition. For one thing it prevented the nasty neck rash that I developed the last time I did an olympic distance tri, a result of the wetsuit rubbing as a turned my head to breathe. It also made getting the wetsuit off immensely easier.
The Run
OK the run is on a nice out and back course, it is also under the BLAZING Florida heat! When I got off the bike I was right on schedule to break the 3 hour mark (my goal for the race). I needed to run a 9 minute mile for the 10k, something I normally can do, no problem. Somewhere during the run (by my recollection about mile 1.5), someone cut off the power and I struggled to a 1:03 10K. Arrgh! I missed my mark by about 6 minutes! that was the minute per mile that I lost in the 10K. My last Olympic tri I ran 56 minutes for the 10k so I guess I have to focus on the run for next year.
The Miscellaneous
We found a good English pub before the race and I had the best mixed drink I've had in years. It's called a dark and story (Dark rum and ginger beer very invigorating). They also made excellent black and tans (they received a 1999 perfect pour award from Guiness), top that off with the Guiness burger (beef marinated in Guiness and onions) and you everything a hungry triathlete needs post race.
Random thoughts...
2 days prior to the race there was a report of a triathlete attacked by a shark in San Diego. This seemed like a bad omen, but the sharks evidently were alarmed by having 4000 people in the water and they left us alone.
Use tri bike transport.... I used the service this year which allows you to drop off your bike locally and pick it up at the race. As someone who has traveled frequently with my bike, I must say, this saved alot of time and effort. On top of that it's only $25 more than the airlines charge and it's a whole lot more reliable, plus there's no need to assemble / disassemble your bike, a nice perk.
Pre-Race neurosis....
A race buddy of mine, who shall remain nameless, evidently was a bit perturbed that the hotel they were staying at had the nerve to book a wedding reception the night before the big race. After verbally abusing the hotel staff my buddy managed to compose themselves enough to actually try and get some sleep. Alas, all the water my buddy drank to hydrate for the race, undermined their effort by forcing them to wake up every hour on the hour. Moral of the story: Be nice to others or the race Gods will get you.......
Things to icky to comtemplate....
What do you do at the 750 meter mark in the swim if you have to pee???? Well if you ask most guys they will say just pee..... If you ask most women, apparently, the thought of having their own urine in their wetsuits with them makes them say "I'll just hold it..." We did find one woman who admitted to peeing in her wetsuit and we noticed no one was willing to carry her wetsuit for her. The moral of this story: If you're a girl just lie about it.....
In conclusion.....
Well it was an EXPERIENCE....... I look forward to it again next year (after I get over the soreness). Now I move onto to my next goal, a century in four weeks time (more on that later). Till then keep safe and keep training.....
Peace
Rob
The Triathlon....
2 big thumbs up, WAY UP! For an event that has 4000 + participants, this is one of the best events I have ever entered. I fully intend to enter this event next year. Every thing was well organized, every thing went off on time and the event and sport expo was great even if I didn't buy anything.
The Competition
Every once in a while a pro or top level amateur shows up at an event I do, well there were at least 3 whole waves of both at St. Anthonys! When I arrived at the transition area on Saturday I came across Faris Al-Sultan. For those of you not familiar with Faris he is the 2005(?) Hawaii ironman world champion. I also noted that Faris' bike was probably in excess of 10 grand (hell his handlebar assembly looked to be around 2 or 3 grand. There is nothing like riding with the big boys to get the adrenaline pumping. U.S. Olympian Matthew Reed ended up winning in the ridiculous time of 1 hour 46 minutes and change. Andy Potts who finished second completed the swim in a ridiculous 18:21! When I entered the swim - bike transition I heard the race announcer say the Greg Bennett was chasing the two leaders (mentioned above) while running at a 5 minute per mile pace! So make no mistake, there were some amazing athletes present.
The Course
The swim was in a bay so that was a good thing. The day prior to the race I saw a dolphin jumping around so that was kind of cool as well. The water temperature was a comfy 74 degrees. So what could go wrong you ask? The waves were a bit high so it made getting a good rhythm going tough, and when we turned for shore the tide was constantly pushing me away from the swim exit. I actually ended up swiming perpendicular to the swim exit to compensate and I ended up getting out of the water in 41:38 about 3 and a half minutes better than my previous best. So I was happy about that.
The Bike.
Rumoured to be completely flat, the bike was MOSTLY flat. There were some stretches of false flat but you really couldn't ask for much flatter. The one downside to the bike course was the number of turns which made it a bit hard to keep your speed up. All in all, a very doable course, I was slightly off my projected bike time, but only by about 1 or 2 %. Coming so early in my season I really can't complain about that.
The Transitions
When you do a race with more than 4000 participants the transition area is HUGE! Most of my bike - run transition was just getting out of the transition area! I will say that the speed laces I purchased must have knocked a good 30 - 60 seconds off my transition, so I highly recommend them. I will also highly recommend Body Glide for the swim - bike transition. For one thing it prevented the nasty neck rash that I developed the last time I did an olympic distance tri, a result of the wetsuit rubbing as a turned my head to breathe. It also made getting the wetsuit off immensely easier.
The Run
OK the run is on a nice out and back course, it is also under the BLAZING Florida heat! When I got off the bike I was right on schedule to break the 3 hour mark (my goal for the race). I needed to run a 9 minute mile for the 10k, something I normally can do, no problem. Somewhere during the run (by my recollection about mile 1.5), someone cut off the power and I struggled to a 1:03 10K. Arrgh! I missed my mark by about 6 minutes! that was the minute per mile that I lost in the 10K. My last Olympic tri I ran 56 minutes for the 10k so I guess I have to focus on the run for next year.
The Miscellaneous
We found a good English pub before the race and I had the best mixed drink I've had in years. It's called a dark and story (Dark rum and ginger beer very invigorating). They also made excellent black and tans (they received a 1999 perfect pour award from Guiness), top that off with the Guiness burger (beef marinated in Guiness and onions) and you everything a hungry triathlete needs post race.
Random thoughts...
2 days prior to the race there was a report of a triathlete attacked by a shark in San Diego. This seemed like a bad omen, but the sharks evidently were alarmed by having 4000 people in the water and they left us alone.
Use tri bike transport.... I used the service this year which allows you to drop off your bike locally and pick it up at the race. As someone who has traveled frequently with my bike, I must say, this saved alot of time and effort. On top of that it's only $25 more than the airlines charge and it's a whole lot more reliable, plus there's no need to assemble / disassemble your bike, a nice perk.
Pre-Race neurosis....
A race buddy of mine, who shall remain nameless, evidently was a bit perturbed that the hotel they were staying at had the nerve to book a wedding reception the night before the big race. After verbally abusing the hotel staff my buddy managed to compose themselves enough to actually try and get some sleep. Alas, all the water my buddy drank to hydrate for the race, undermined their effort by forcing them to wake up every hour on the hour. Moral of the story: Be nice to others or the race Gods will get you.......
Things to icky to comtemplate....
What do you do at the 750 meter mark in the swim if you have to pee???? Well if you ask most guys they will say just pee..... If you ask most women, apparently, the thought of having their own urine in their wetsuits with them makes them say "I'll just hold it..." We did find one woman who admitted to peeing in her wetsuit and we noticed no one was willing to carry her wetsuit for her. The moral of this story: If you're a girl just lie about it.....
In conclusion.....
Well it was an EXPERIENCE....... I look forward to it again next year (after I get over the soreness). Now I move onto to my next goal, a century in four weeks time (more on that later). Till then keep safe and keep training.....
Peace
Rob
Monday, April 14, 2008
28 #&@!!#^ degrees.....
Sorry about the blogging delay, but with my first big event of the season coming up (not to mention taxes and family) I have been a bit preoccupied. So what does the title of this months entry mean? Well that was the temperature at start time of my first race of the season, the Central Park Duathlon (March 30th). Yeah it was that cold! Luckily (if you can call it that) I had brought clothes to change into after the race and I was able to use those to stay warm in the race itself! I had hoped to better my time from last October when I did this same race. The weather, however, had other plans. In addition, I found out one of my tri buddies, Eric, was injured and would have to miss both this race and the St Anthony's tri in April. I felt bad for Eric knowing how hard he was training. At least he can defer the St. Anthony's race until next year. I did however, have his sister Melissa for company and she soldiered on with me in the brutal conditions. What amazed me more than anything about the race was the insane racers in SHORTS! Yes, people we racing as if the temperature was in the 60's not the 20's! I managed to finish in a respectable 1:19 for the 2m run, 12m bike, 2m run. My bike time was almost identical from last year, but my runs were substantially slower (it was really hard to get and stay warm). Anyway I tried out my reconfigured Kestrel (replaced the drop bars with cowhorns and aero bars) and the new setup worked OK. I say only OK because, the bars were slipping just a bit and I still think I am a bit too stretched out. I may go to a shorter stem for a bit more comfort.
Other than the trials and tribulations of racing, training seems to be rolling along well. I took 5 days and jetted off to St. John with the wife for a relaxing vacation. Nothing like splashing around the Carribean to take the edge off. This was a recovery week in a big way. I came back feeling refreshed and rested and my first time back on the bike the legs felt great. I am looking forward to renewed vigor for the remaining weeks of training. Hope to see you all in Tampa.
Peace
Rob
Other than the trials and tribulations of racing, training seems to be rolling along well. I took 5 days and jetted off to St. John with the wife for a relaxing vacation. Nothing like splashing around the Carribean to take the edge off. This was a recovery week in a big way. I came back feeling refreshed and rested and my first time back on the bike the legs felt great. I am looking forward to renewed vigor for the remaining weeks of training. Hope to see you all in Tampa.
Peace
Rob
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Unremarkably consistent...
As a personal trainer, I always tell my clients that the one thing that will benefit them, above all, is consistency. Well I have been unremarkably consistent for the last 3 months and I have seen the benefits in a few different ways.
1) I have dropped about 5 pounds from my high of 183 pounds.
2) I have increased my continuous swim length to 800 yards (about 1/2 my projected swim).
3) I have steadily increased my intensity.
So while my training hours have stayed more or less constant, I have started to push the pace a bit. Of course I would have done well to remember the old driving safety commercial, "Speed kills". Ignoring this has caused me to experience all manner of small aches and pains. A sore back here, tired arms there, sore Achilles etc... U get the picture. Some of this was due to the sheer enthusiasm I have experienced at being able to go and actually ride my bike OUTSIDE!!!! While I am enjoying my new trainer, there is no substitute for the great outdoors. I went out on one of my favorite (hilly) rides this weekend and felt great... until about 5 hours later when my back began to acknowledge the stress of riding up and down actual grades. Still it was worth it to experience that "wind in your face feeling...".
I am planning to really push the next few weeks racing both this weekend and the next. I will be attempting my first USCF race in 2 years followed by an easy run. Then the following weekend I head to NYC for a duathlon. These races are just a way of seeing where I am in my preparation. In fact, the duathlon is approximately 1/2 of the St. Anthony's tri so it will give me some perspective on my race legs, even if there is no feeling quite like the second run in a duathlon.
After pushing myself for the next 2 weekends I plan to jet off to St. John in the Caribbean and take a much needed rest. This will be the start of my taper for Tampa. I feel fairly good about my progress, but now I need to get serious about my nutrition to make sure I have the fuel necessary to make the most of my training. Here's hoping everyone is doing the same.
Peace,
and good training....
Rob
1) I have dropped about 5 pounds from my high of 183 pounds.
2) I have increased my continuous swim length to 800 yards (about 1/2 my projected swim).
3) I have steadily increased my intensity.
So while my training hours have stayed more or less constant, I have started to push the pace a bit. Of course I would have done well to remember the old driving safety commercial, "Speed kills". Ignoring this has caused me to experience all manner of small aches and pains. A sore back here, tired arms there, sore Achilles etc... U get the picture. Some of this was due to the sheer enthusiasm I have experienced at being able to go and actually ride my bike OUTSIDE!!!! While I am enjoying my new trainer, there is no substitute for the great outdoors. I went out on one of my favorite (hilly) rides this weekend and felt great... until about 5 hours later when my back began to acknowledge the stress of riding up and down actual grades. Still it was worth it to experience that "wind in your face feeling...".
I am planning to really push the next few weeks racing both this weekend and the next. I will be attempting my first USCF race in 2 years followed by an easy run. Then the following weekend I head to NYC for a duathlon. These races are just a way of seeing where I am in my preparation. In fact, the duathlon is approximately 1/2 of the St. Anthony's tri so it will give me some perspective on my race legs, even if there is no feeling quite like the second run in a duathlon.
After pushing myself for the next 2 weekends I plan to jet off to St. John in the Caribbean and take a much needed rest. This will be the start of my taper for Tampa. I feel fairly good about my progress, but now I need to get serious about my nutrition to make sure I have the fuel necessary to make the most of my training. Here's hoping everyone is doing the same.
Peace,
and good training....
Rob
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
No time for.. blogging.....
I must confess I have been deficient in my blogging, but for good reason; I have been training! I have been able to get very consistent with my training and now with a little over 8 weeks to go, I am starting to feel good about my fitness. My weight has dropped (I'm down 6 and a half pounds since early January), my running has gotten stronger and even my abysmal swimming seems to be improving. Make no mistake however, I am still dreading that mile swim.
I have started my 2-a-days (meaning two workouts in one day) and I have begun to feel some of the fatigue I anticipate in Tampa in April. This is good though, because at least I'll be prepared for it. Last night in my swim class, my legs were dead from running and it really showed, my 600 yard time was a minute and a half slower than my previous best. I have been gradually increasing my long swims until eventually, I'll be up to 1650 yards in the pool. Hopefully by then I'll start to feel confident.
The weather in Maryland has started to cooperate and I am now able to do my runs outside; stationary training is VERY, VERY boring as I'm sure anyone training during this part of the year must know. I was speaking with another triathlete at the gym who does Ironman distance races and he told me he does 2 to 3 hours on the treadmill to prepare for early season Ironmans (Ironmen????). I would have to be committed to even run 45 minutes on one of those things.
On the bike I have been keeping my spin classes going and also using my new indoor trainer, the Travel Trac by Real Axiom. I promise a full review in an upcoming blog. The trainer has actually kept me working really hard on the bike and I feel I have my best January fitness in years. I even took the radical step or renewing my USCF (United States Cycling Federation) license and planning some road races to get the competitive juices flowing. I am looking forward to a strong start to the season.
Good luck to everyone out there and....
keep training :-)
Rob
I have started my 2-a-days (meaning two workouts in one day) and I have begun to feel some of the fatigue I anticipate in Tampa in April. This is good though, because at least I'll be prepared for it. Last night in my swim class, my legs were dead from running and it really showed, my 600 yard time was a minute and a half slower than my previous best. I have been gradually increasing my long swims until eventually, I'll be up to 1650 yards in the pool. Hopefully by then I'll start to feel confident.
The weather in Maryland has started to cooperate and I am now able to do my runs outside; stationary training is VERY, VERY boring as I'm sure anyone training during this part of the year must know. I was speaking with another triathlete at the gym who does Ironman distance races and he told me he does 2 to 3 hours on the treadmill to prepare for early season Ironmans (Ironmen????). I would have to be committed to even run 45 minutes on one of those things.
On the bike I have been keeping my spin classes going and also using my new indoor trainer, the Travel Trac by Real Axiom. I promise a full review in an upcoming blog. The trainer has actually kept me working really hard on the bike and I feel I have my best January fitness in years. I even took the radical step or renewing my USCF (United States Cycling Federation) license and planning some road races to get the competitive juices flowing. I am looking forward to a strong start to the season.
Good luck to everyone out there and....
keep training :-)
Rob
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Chaffing, Kickboards, and other training gremlins...
I know it's been a while, and ironically enough it hasn't been because I've been TOO busy. Actually quite the contrary, I have gotten in some quality time training the last few weeks. I have gotten some helpful training aids (more on that later) and I have had mostly productive training sessions. Despite all the good fortune, there is always a training gremlin (like those buggers in Bugs Bunny or the Progressive commercials) lurking, ready to pounce. Mine caught up to me last Sunday on my first run over an hour. It was a little chilly and I threw on the first pair of tights I could find. Bad idea. They were kind of old and a bit tight, I ignored it. About halfway through my run I felt a sharp stinging in my groin area. Not really pain, just kind pin pricks so I ignored them like all guys do..... Another bad idea. I got home to find my base layer blood soaked and my skin chafed to the bone (ok not quite but it certainly felt that way!). To make matters worse I had swim class the next day and of course we started out just kicking. Nothing like a tight swimsuit and constant kicking to give the raw groin area some stimulation!
OK but enough of my problems, outside of that bad one two punch I have started to feel pretty good with my progress. My hundreds in the pool have started to fall, and my running is certainly stronger. My only laggard at the moment is my cycling which is traditionally my strongest discipline. Mostly due to the weather, I haven't spent much time on the bike. It has been my intention all winter to get a CompuTrainer. This highly recommended training aid however, was somewhat out of my budget at almost $1700. So I decided to get a cheaper alternative. The Performance Travel Trac Real Axiom trainer. This trainer has alot of the same features that the Computrainer has, but with the 20% discount Perfomace was throwing in it turned out to be about a third of the price. So far I have only played with it, but my initial impression so far is favorable. I plan to do a full review in a future tri-ing Times blog.
Notes:
A blog or two ago I was chatting up Polar's personal trainer FREE web site. So far I still approve, but recently the website has been unavailable for no apparent reason. Being in the IT field I know this happens but I was still surprised at the frequency it was happening to polar's site.
A number of my tri buddies have been sick lately so I'm sending out my best wishes... Get well everyone and get back to training!
I made a couple of new tri buddies in swim class so hopefully I will have some new riding partners when the good weather finally rolls around.
Peace and keep training......
Rob
OK but enough of my problems, outside of that bad one two punch I have started to feel pretty good with my progress. My hundreds in the pool have started to fall, and my running is certainly stronger. My only laggard at the moment is my cycling which is traditionally my strongest discipline. Mostly due to the weather, I haven't spent much time on the bike. It has been my intention all winter to get a CompuTrainer. This highly recommended training aid however, was somewhat out of my budget at almost $1700. So I decided to get a cheaper alternative. The Performance Travel Trac Real Axiom trainer. This trainer has alot of the same features that the Computrainer has, but with the 20% discount Perfomace was throwing in it turned out to be about a third of the price. So far I have only played with it, but my initial impression so far is favorable. I plan to do a full review in a future tri-ing Times blog.
Notes:
A blog or two ago I was chatting up Polar's personal trainer FREE web site. So far I still approve, but recently the website has been unavailable for no apparent reason. Being in the IT field I know this happens but I was still surprised at the frequency it was happening to polar's site.
A number of my tri buddies have been sick lately so I'm sending out my best wishes... Get well everyone and get back to training!
I made a couple of new tri buddies in swim class so hopefully I will have some new riding partners when the good weather finally rolls around.
Peace and keep training......
Rob
Sunday, January 27, 2008
3 months, time to get serious...
Well my calendar says I've got 91 days left until race day. Now that I have some solid training behind me and I'm starting to gain just a tad of confidence, I'm starting to actually set some goals for the race. For me it's not enough to just finish the race. Since I know I have the base fitness to complete the race, I want to strive for something more; I would like to finish in under 3 hours.
To accomplish this feat I first need to accurately assess where my fitness is now and how much I can/must improve over the next 91 days. To that end I have scheduled tests (i.e time trials) in two sports for the upcoming weekend. I intend to do a series of 3 mile time trials on the my newly configured Kestrel. I tested myself on a particular stretch of rode about 4 months ago when I was preparing for a duathlon so I have a good idea what kind of time I should be capable of. I suspect I will be a bit slower due to a decrease in saddle time and some adjustment to the new bike, but I know I will improve once the weather cooperates and warms up. After all the bike is my string sport.
More of confidence builder for me will be my 300 yard time trials in the pool. I need to get an idea of where my swimming workouts have gotten me so far. I plan to repeat these test every 3 -4 weeks to gauge progress and fitness. I plan to do my running time trial next week. Running fast for me is bit more mentally challenging then the other two sports so I try to set it apart so I can concentrate on just that workout for the week.
I had my first long (for me anyway) run today. I actually felt pretty good. While swimming is the sport I have the least confidence about, running is by far the sport it takes me the longest to feel comfortable with (I guess it's that whole weight bearing thing). So far though, I have felt pretty good and since I seem to be staying close to an 8 minute mile in training I'm hoping for some good times in the next few weeks.
While I haven't really started practicing, in the back of my mind are those dreaded transitions. I have already been sold on lock laces to speed up my previously snail-ish bike to run transition. I also plan to invest in a healthy supply of Body-Glide to get that damn wetsuit off (provided of course I get to use it).
Other random thoughts:
I need a training partner, this training alone stuff can get lonely......
Lifting has really helped.... I should keep this stuff up.....
Can vegan cake be considered good nutrition? I had the best cookies and cream vegan cake the other day (please say yes....)
My wife is great but why won't she ride her bike in the cold????
Peace and good training...
Rob
To accomplish this feat I first need to accurately assess where my fitness is now and how much I can/must improve over the next 91 days. To that end I have scheduled tests (i.e time trials) in two sports for the upcoming weekend. I intend to do a series of 3 mile time trials on the my newly configured Kestrel. I tested myself on a particular stretch of rode about 4 months ago when I was preparing for a duathlon so I have a good idea what kind of time I should be capable of. I suspect I will be a bit slower due to a decrease in saddle time and some adjustment to the new bike, but I know I will improve once the weather cooperates and warms up. After all the bike is my string sport.
More of confidence builder for me will be my 300 yard time trials in the pool. I need to get an idea of where my swimming workouts have gotten me so far. I plan to repeat these test every 3 -4 weeks to gauge progress and fitness. I plan to do my running time trial next week. Running fast for me is bit more mentally challenging then the other two sports so I try to set it apart so I can concentrate on just that workout for the week.
I had my first long (for me anyway) run today. I actually felt pretty good. While swimming is the sport I have the least confidence about, running is by far the sport it takes me the longest to feel comfortable with (I guess it's that whole weight bearing thing). So far though, I have felt pretty good and since I seem to be staying close to an 8 minute mile in training I'm hoping for some good times in the next few weeks.
While I haven't really started practicing, in the back of my mind are those dreaded transitions. I have already been sold on lock laces to speed up my previously snail-ish bike to run transition. I also plan to invest in a healthy supply of Body-Glide to get that damn wetsuit off (provided of course I get to use it).
Other random thoughts:
I need a training partner, this training alone stuff can get lonely......
Lifting has really helped.... I should keep this stuff up.....
Can vegan cake be considered good nutrition? I had the best cookies and cream vegan cake the other day (please say yes....)
My wife is great but why won't she ride her bike in the cold????
Peace and good training...
Rob
Friday, January 18, 2008
100 days and counting....
Well there you have it ladies and gentlemen. Just 100 days to go. 100 days never seemed so short. After battling some adversity the first week or so of the year, not to mention a bad cold, I have had 2 solid weeks of training. I am happy with my progress in the pool, many thanks to the swim instructors at Montgomery aquatic center for the pointers, and my running is starting to come along. Since I had some time and some money, I took my 18 year old Kestrel (the original all carbon fiber bike I might add...) and added some time trial bars, aero bars, aero brake levers and created a time trial machine! I took it out for it's inaugural ride last Saturday and it felt pretty good. I need to tweak my riding position a bit, but other than that it should be good to go for April. No more standard rode bike for time trials!
Speaking of April, how do I know today leaves me exactly 100 days before the race? Well I stumbled upon the Polar personal trainer website. This website lets you track your workouts, heart rate related stats, fitness measure and, to some extent, your events. What makes the site even better is its FREE! Just go to site and register, enter some personal profile information and you are ready to use the site. You can even register your Polar heart rate monitor (which I highly recommend) if you have one . The site will also devise a program for you based on the information you provide. While not a foolproof way to plan your training, it will at least point you in the right direction. One limitation I found with the site is you can only enter 1 event. It would be nice to be able to enter your entire racing program, but I guess you can't have everything.
In my attempt to keep work from derailing my training, I have joined the free gym in my building. At least now on days I need to stay late, I can hit the treadmill and/or the weights at lunch or in the evening. This strategy has already paid dividends as deadlines approach. Although I don't exactly look forward to the treadmill, it sure beats running in the rain, snow, sleet and cold the area has been getting lately. I hope everyone else's training has taken a turn for the better so I leave you with this thought: Great fitness is just around the bend....
Peace
and keep training....
Rob
Speaking of April, how do I know today leaves me exactly 100 days before the race? Well I stumbled upon the Polar personal trainer website. This website lets you track your workouts, heart rate related stats, fitness measure and, to some extent, your events. What makes the site even better is its FREE! Just go to site and register, enter some personal profile information and you are ready to use the site. You can even register your Polar heart rate monitor (which I highly recommend) if you have one . The site will also devise a program for you based on the information you provide. While not a foolproof way to plan your training, it will at least point you in the right direction. One limitation I found with the site is you can only enter 1 event. It would be nice to be able to enter your entire racing program, but I guess you can't have everything.
In my attempt to keep work from derailing my training, I have joined the free gym in my building. At least now on days I need to stay late, I can hit the treadmill and/or the weights at lunch or in the evening. This strategy has already paid dividends as deadlines approach. Although I don't exactly look forward to the treadmill, it sure beats running in the rain, snow, sleet and cold the area has been getting lately. I hope everyone else's training has taken a turn for the better so I leave you with this thought: Great fitness is just around the bend....
Peace
and keep training....
Rob
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
More Tri-ing Times...
Hey Everyone,
I know the last few blogs have been off the training topic a bit, but that's how life is sometimes. Just today I found out one of my training buddies, Duston, is off to Iraq. So I wanted to take this time to wish him safe travels as he goes to sacrifice way more than I can imagine. I wanted to give him my gratitude and wish him and his wife good fortune as he embarks on his perilous journey. While he's away I can stand losing a good training partner, but I can't imagine losing a good friend. Safe travels Duston, my thoughts and prayers are with you.
While I eagerly await Duston's arrival back on home soil,I thought about the importance of having a good training partner. I've had a number over the years and I have to admit each one brought out something different in me. Some made me work harder, some made me rest when I wanted to hammer and still others instilled in me there are times when a bike or a run is just good therapy for what ails you. So that's my advice for this week, go find a good training partner. Someone you can hang with, someone who'll push you, someone who will just make sure you get to your workout. Whatever you need somewhere out there is a partner waiting to fulfill that need.
On that note, I wanted to say a cheerful G'day! to my old training partner and Aussie Alain, who I spoke with on New Year's eve. Alain departed for sunny California about 2 years ago and I miss his enthusiasm and insanity everytime I get on the bike. I MISS YA MAN !!!! Come back to the east coast and let's do an event together!
Peace
Rob....
I know the last few blogs have been off the training topic a bit, but that's how life is sometimes. Just today I found out one of my training buddies, Duston, is off to Iraq. So I wanted to take this time to wish him safe travels as he goes to sacrifice way more than I can imagine. I wanted to give him my gratitude and wish him and his wife good fortune as he embarks on his perilous journey. While he's away I can stand losing a good training partner, but I can't imagine losing a good friend. Safe travels Duston, my thoughts and prayers are with you.
While I eagerly await Duston's arrival back on home soil,I thought about the importance of having a good training partner. I've had a number over the years and I have to admit each one brought out something different in me. Some made me work harder, some made me rest when I wanted to hammer and still others instilled in me there are times when a bike or a run is just good therapy for what ails you. So that's my advice for this week, go find a good training partner. Someone you can hang with, someone who'll push you, someone who will just make sure you get to your workout. Whatever you need somewhere out there is a partner waiting to fulfill that need.
On that note, I wanted to say a cheerful G'day! to my old training partner and Aussie Alain, who I spoke with on New Year's eve. Alain departed for sunny California about 2 years ago and I miss his enthusiasm and insanity everytime I get on the bike. I MISS YA MAN !!!! Come back to the east coast and let's do an event together!
Peace
Rob....
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Start the new year, by looking back...
With 2008 well under way I was contemplating how this year would be different. How much better my training would be, how much better I would eat, etc. All those thoughts led me back to thinking about 2007.
Last year was a tough one for myself and my family. In the space of one weekend I lost my best friend and my sister to various ailments. In October my dog lost a long battle with kidney failure and just recently my wife's mom died and my father was diagnosed with cancer. What does this have to do with training you may ask? It shows how trivial our training can be when compared with the much tougher job of living life. I know for a fact that anytime I start to suffer even a little while training or racing, I can draw great strength from remembering how my sister fought cancer for 7 long years. I know that any pain I may be feeling is trivial compared to what she went through and what's more, I can stop it any time I wish. She rarely had that choice. I can also feel a certain amount of joy that my lifestyle has up to now allowed me to enjoy great health. As I've watched many friends and family struggle with cancer and diabetes, I have had the great fortune to be relatively healthy. Many times I have tried to cautiously persuade those close to me about the great benefits a healthy lifestyle can bring, but everyone must choice their own path. As I reflect on these things I try to also keep in mind that those close to me are also trying to break me of my own bad habits and I resolve to be more diligent about listening to their advice. With these thoughts in mind I intend to dedicate the 2008 season to all those that we lost prematurely in 2007.
So for Sis, Steve, Chrissy, and Joyce I'm gonna do my best to improve and honor your memories. I remember you all and I miss you all greatly.
Peace & Love
and keep training.........
Last year was a tough one for myself and my family. In the space of one weekend I lost my best friend and my sister to various ailments. In October my dog lost a long battle with kidney failure and just recently my wife's mom died and my father was diagnosed with cancer. What does this have to do with training you may ask? It shows how trivial our training can be when compared with the much tougher job of living life. I know for a fact that anytime I start to suffer even a little while training or racing, I can draw great strength from remembering how my sister fought cancer for 7 long years. I know that any pain I may be feeling is trivial compared to what she went through and what's more, I can stop it any time I wish. She rarely had that choice. I can also feel a certain amount of joy that my lifestyle has up to now allowed me to enjoy great health. As I've watched many friends and family struggle with cancer and diabetes, I have had the great fortune to be relatively healthy. Many times I have tried to cautiously persuade those close to me about the great benefits a healthy lifestyle can bring, but everyone must choice their own path. As I reflect on these things I try to also keep in mind that those close to me are also trying to break me of my own bad habits and I resolve to be more diligent about listening to their advice. With these thoughts in mind I intend to dedicate the 2008 season to all those that we lost prematurely in 2007.
So for Sis, Steve, Chrissy, and Joyce I'm gonna do my best to improve and honor your memories. I remember you all and I miss you all greatly.
Peace & Love
and keep training.........
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