picking up steam....

The offseason didnt go my way. So what. In this phase of my year I want to build some endurance and strength. I want to make this year the fastest one yet. I have the Charlottesville 10 miler and Olympic distance RAGE. PR's are on the way. I felt very strong this week. The best week I can recall in a long time. What is nice, is I am not concentrating on speed and I have not done any time trialing and I am faster. I dont know what is different but I feel different. Here is how the week went:

Monday-Training ride. High cadence, short duration. I stayed a gear or two down and just tried to get my legs going faster. I got a hot spot on the lateral aspect of the Right foot, and my feet were very uncomfortable. I need new shoes. I ran out of light too. I am ready for the time to change. Cardio was very good legs were pooped. 17 miles in 1:04. 15.4 mph average.

Tuesday-3 mile run. Finally training run. Not worried about calf, just running. Me and sully out and about. His loose leash running is getting to be pretty good. He is not as well behaved on different routes but he gets it together. He has a tendency to drag ass when he is curious. Sometimes he pushes me, sometimes I pull him. He is a good partner.

Wednesday-Core. I have incorporated the UNLV track team core program by Khadevis Robinson. He is a big proponent of training fast to run fast and believes that you must have the strength to do so. It is challenging.

Thursday-Training Run. 4 miles. Sully's longest run to date. He was pooped the last 1/2 mile. I felt awesome. I ran my regular 4 mile loop prior to the marathon and I couldnt keep the pace I kept today. I am able to get to the top of these hills, recover, and then pick it up down. After looking at the splits it turned out to me a progression run. With the last mile in 8:50. That even includes the 1/4 mile up to my house that is quite a finish. A kick builder of a hill on the way home.

Friday-Rest

Saturday-Long Run. 6 miles. 3.5 with sully and 2.5 without him. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I havent had that good of a run in a long time. Sully wasnt feeling it and he kept me slow. Once I dropped him off I was able to take off. I felt strong. Not terribly faster although that might not be fair. The courses are very different out here so I cannot compare times. I did find a rather flat road. I did have a second of calf fatigue that was eery familiar but recovered very quickly. I had slight leg soreness and It was amazing to have some quad soreness. Seems like a long time since I ran hard enough to get some muscle work.

Sunday-Long ride. The entire olympic bike course. My goal was to attack the downs and pace the ups. Not too fast, not too slow on the ups. I put my new shoes to work. Last years race time was 1:38:26. Today I did the same course in 1:38:52. I wasnt even pushing it. I am amazed by that. My legs are tired and sore but I didnt even mash. I am happy with that. 26 miles at 15.6 mph. Quote:

“A cookbook must have recipes, but it shouldn't be a blueprint. It should be more inspirational; it should be a guide.”

Thomas Keller

No schedule, no plan just get out there and go. Feels good.

Defending the clearwater change to vegas...

I am on blogger. I am on facebook. I am trying to network. The latest news is that Ironman has changed Clearwater to Las Vegas. I have noticed a lot of unfortunate words used to describe this change. I do not know clearwater. I do know this valley. I do know these athletes. Everyone has an impression of "Vegas." The truth is this community is 2 cities in one. I have the option to go to "Vegas" any time I want. When there is a concert, nice restaurant, show, etc. The rest of the time I live in a place with tons of outdoors activities. We have lake mead. We have Mt. Charleston. We have Red Rock. We have the Colorado River. All within an hours drive. We have snow close in northern NV or California. The beach is 4-5 hours away. There are literally 1000's of cyclists and runners in this valley. If you went to Red Rock/Lake Mead on a Saturday morning you will see 100's of athletes. Fast/fit athletes to people who are learning to be athletes. So this community if VERY active. It is VERY outdoorsy. I think it was Adventure Magazine rated Las Vegas as the TOP active place to live. The course change is something they complain about too. The Silverman was rated by Triathlete Magazine as one of the top 3 HARDEST triathlons on the planet. In the Silverman promo video Macca says its the hardest course hes raced. Many experienced Ironmen have said if it was on the Ironman circuit it would be hardest. Recently the St. George folks may have something to say about that. Why do we want a super fast, flat, boring course for a World Championship? Kona isn't easy. The Xterra World Championships is ridiculous in Maui. Why not have a challenging 70.3 course?

Sorry (off soap box). Back to me. My Silverman experience is not a championship caliber endeavor. It is me against me on a very challenging course. Less than a month away. I am so pumped. I am ready and this weekends will be the last big weekend until I taper. I will run Ragnar Las Vegas as part of that taper. Here is how my week went:

Monday-Scheduled 4 mile easy. Pushed secondary to cold. Been sick. Swapped Rest day with tue.

Tuesday-Bike Quality. Tried my best to sprint the sisters again. I didnt have much energy and I moved some phlegm (lol). I actually felt better after riding.

Wednesday-Easy 4 run. Felt strong. I wasnt sure if going out instead of sleeping would help the cold but it did. Happy to do it. Strong 4.

Thursday-Rest

Friday-Rest

Saturday-Long swim. Made it open. About 1800 or so with the wetsuit. It has been a while since it was cool enough for a wetsuit. Truth be told it wasnt cool enough. It wasnt too bad though. I forgot my watch so no time data. I felt good. Fast at times and bored at times.

Sunday-Long Run. I have been managing my week to get to this day. I felt about 95% over the cold and I wanted to have a good run. For the first 8-9 I felt awesome. Then this ugly blister popped up on the arch of R foot. I made a run to the local running store for new shoes. NB 760. I figure since I lost so much weight the "old" style shoes were over posting me. Hmmm we will see. So I banged out all 15 but the last 6-7 were miserable. Especially since my cardiovascular system had no problem. Even more especially since my musculoskeletal system was ready to go as well. Stupid blister. Overall happy with it. QUOTE, actually instead of my normal inspirational quote I leave you with a link to that Adventure magazine article about Las Vegas:

LINK

More on recovery....

I am happy to be easing back into triathlon training. After a few months of working on my aerobic base with lots of running I am ready to work on the bike and swim. I pumped up for a bike time trial but it may be a week or two to get back to the lake. This weekend was a good one. here is how it went:

Saturday-had to scrap the first brick of the season secondary to 30 mph winds. Ran instead. Do the words BABY GIRAFFE mean anything to you? My first run in the last 6 days and my legs felt like rubber. Good times, good times...lol.

Sunday-I drove my wife, sister/brother in law to the lake for a brick. Their first brick ever and my first of the season. I had a blast. Got my wetsuit...wet. We swam 500 yards. Water was a chilly 54 degrees. Followed shortly by a 12 mile bike ride. 6 miles out and back. 1 hour out and 12 min back. Yes hills up and hills back. It was my sisters first cycling experience on the highways or to climb. Fun to watch these newbies get into it.

So I havent mentioned my up coming races. I have the "Virginia 10-miler"in Charlottesville, VA. I am going to back to the same course I went to last year. "Running Medicine: Running Throughout the Ages." It is at the University of Virginia. It is becoming my dream job to have a place like UVA has. The Nevada Center for Endurance has a nice ring to it. They have a place called the Virginia Center for endurance. Runners, cyclists, swimmers, triathletes, etc., where a team approach allows these athletes to have all of their needs met whether it is performance or if they are injured. This will be my 5th or 6th running continuing education course. This race is very popular in VA and is quite picturesque. Followed shortly by RAGE. Olympic distance triathlon. I want to crush last years time. The San Diego Marathon as a relay. I run with 4 couples and the dudes are one team, the ladies are another. Then I have Wasatch. The Salt Lake Ragnar relay. That should be interesting. Lots of hills on my leg. I am hoping for the Independence Day 5K. Las Vegas Triathlon, the Olympic again. I have a bone to pick with this race. Then between August and Silverman (November) Half Iron again. I would like to mix in a few other races, may be even a bike race. I would like to get my bike miles way up. I need to get faster on the bike too. What should I do this week? Strength training, kettle bells, swim intervals, hill repeats on the bike, softball, and a run too? Lets do this!

“Nothing is secure but life, transition, the energizing spirit.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

ahhh the transition....I am starting to get energized again.

Recovery is boring....

As I review this week (sorry for no mid-week post, I have been thinking of a review topic, more on that later) I am reminded at how much I didn't do this week. I just felt distracted. I cannot wait to get back into triathlon. I realize now that I am more of a triathlete than just runner. I am enjoying my running but on my bike ride today I realized I love the bike. I had a swim this week too and it was a lot of fun too. Unfortunately I cannot say anything about puking but big ups to tridiesel anyway. Here is how my week went:

Monday-30 min swim. went very well. I also bought a used tribike. K2 Red Zone. It has Vision aero bars, carbon forks and seat post, and Shimano 105 components all around. I got it for A LOT cheaper than it retails or any other used price I saw. I will get some pictures posted soon. It was a scary ride today. I have some core strength to work on, as well as, some balance. I was a shaky ride. It was shaky and fast. I will take some getting used to but I am excited.

Tuesday-Softball only

Wednesday-6 mile run that turned into a 3 mile run.

Thursday-Strength training only

Friday-Rest

Saturday-Softball tournament 4 games.

Sunday-10 mile run that felt very strong. I ran hills that I normally struggle on. Felt good. I also went for a leisurely 12 mile bike ride with my sister and brother-in-law. It was the first bike ride on their new bikes. So fun to teach them to shift and safety. Joni is going to do Irongirl with my wife and Andi. We are excited for them. Fun day today.

2 weeks to race day. I am already looking forward to training for Ironman. I am very confident in my ability to do this full marathon. I am not looking past it either though. It is quite a feat and the festivities surrounding the LA Marathon will be very memorable. I cant wait.

I am thinking of writing a post somehow touching on the subject of symptom maintenance. In my practice, I do not build the athlete/patient up to need me. I think the athlete/patient should be given the tools to keep themselves pain free and functional without any gimmicks. I also do not want to fire anybody up. I do not want to fire up other professionals or people who require "that thing." I just want to raise awareness about how sound biomechanical training helps people perform better and have no symptoms Any thoughts? Run easy, recover, sprinkle in swim and bike, and enjoy the ride.

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

William Arthur Ward

My life's goal is to inspire. To show someone that a little bit more is possible. i am proud to do that for my patient population. I am very proud to help these newbies out, as well. And diesel if you get that mentoring program up, I will help any way I can.

My first Marathon taper is underway...

But first a funny story. Random lady at the store says "OMG did you do a triathlon? You certainly look like your in good shape"...I was startled since she was kind of behind me. I turned, looked at her and told her I did this triathlon (I was wearing my SILVERMAN finisher shirt). She proceeds to ask the basic questions lay people ask, distance, where did you swim, temperature of the water, HOW LONG ON THE bike?, how did I feel?, was I sore, what do you eat, 5 min long interview by the way. As the ambassador of triathlon I happily addressed her questions. When I my wife arrived she asked her if she did them too, Julie said "naw I run marathons though." WOMAN SAID YOU TO ARE INSANE and her eyes rolled back into her head. We smiled turned and I said to my wife, "Yes, yes WE ARE INSANE." We laughed. We talked about how this lifestyle is so foreign to people. I also realized its the first time in about 10-15 years a stranger has commented on my physique and my fitness level. I was proud.

Another 20 miler in the books. 2 in 2 weeks. I felt about 90% recovered and given the time its taken me to recover, my wifes foot/ankle, the timing was right for another 20 miles. It went much better than the first one. 17 min faster too! This time there was no tending to my wifes injury so I am wondering how much time was spend doing that 2 weeks ago. Also I am a lot closer to my nutrition strategy. With my sugar issues, the heavy sugar products kill me. But may be it isnt so much the sugar as the lack of protein. I just do better every time I have a liitle protein. The change I made was Accelerade instead of other drinks and a few sharkies instead of shot blox. The sharkies do not seem to be a sugary. I did not start any until 2 hours in. i am still trying to train my body to use as much fat as possible. The result was NO cramping at all. It was still slow, but I did go 20 miles. Here is how the rest of the week went.

Monday-3 mile run

Tuesday- Softball

Wednesday-8 mile run. Felt very strong considering my legs dont have that extra gear.

Thursday-Missed the polar bear loop (group ride with my brother and friend Art) and then missed my afternoon run too. Life is funny sometimes.

Friday-rest

Saturday-20 mile run

Sunday-25 min easy swim. Probably 20ish laps. Didnt keep track, it was nice. Cut my soreness in half.

My weight 230. 19 pounds lost since Silverman recovery. A new 15 year low. I am thinking of riding in the Tour De Fire. A road race out here in NV. It has a bunch of distances but it is on the same highway that all the tris are out here. It would be my first bike race. Could be fun to sprinkle in amongst the marathons, other running events, triathlons, softball, and other races like muddy buudy. SO FUN!

"Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded."

How thick do you think random lady at the stores cloud is?

Long Run....

My journey to the LA marathon is coming nicely. Is it fast? NO. What it is is long and steady. The route we have been using contains longer, steeper, and more hills than the race. It is fair to say that I am not having any pain but I did have the overwhelming feeling that I should get off my feet. I didnt want to stand, walk, or run anymore. That said I pushed it. Another thing I find very interesting is how easy it comes to push. When I stood back and guessed what would be harder as I progress to Ironman I thought the 1/2 Iron distance would be easier than a marathon. So far not the case. I went 18 miles and if I was pressed to go longer I could have. Slow, may be walk some but I can go longer. My wife was able go 16 with some tightness and slight pain but handled it well. I am proud of her for her fighting spirit. She is tough.

I have 2 weeks to Surf City and when I looked down at about the 1/2 marathon time I was 10 min away from my goal. I had walked some with my wife and troubleshooted her ankle and also stopped for traffic lights and water. I am thinking that I am going to be able to give it a go. I have a shorter long run next week, then the 1/2 marathon. This week I will have a recovery run on monday, gym/weights/spin?, wednesday speed?, thursday easy?, rest friday, and saturday may be long progression run?

I am sorely missing the bike and swim right now. I am taking an unorthodox approach to triathlon offseason or now preseason but I am concentrating on my fitness. My resources tell me that the run fitness will translate to swim and bike but not the other way around. I hate the trainer and I hate the cold too. Quote:

“The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion. It is the man who carefully advances step by step, with his mind becoming wider and wider - and progressively better able to grasp any theme or situation -”

Alexander Graham Bell

Progress

I am feeling the progress. I am not sure if its the 15 pounds lighter or the body chemistry change or both but boy I feel good. My running this week was effortless and fast. I started a little speed work this week. There is not a time goal for the LA Marathon but there sure is for Surf City. I want to be faster than 2 hours. Here is how the week went.

Monday-Recovery run of 4 miles.

Tuesday-Spin class and core. This particular spin class I decided to be 2 full turns of resistance ahead of the instructor. I felt awesome. No muscle fatigue at all.

Wednesday-4 mile regular old run. Kept it around 9:30.

Thursday-Hills. 4 miles. I found this trail about a mile and half from the clinic and decided I would run it. Its a gnarly up to the trail and even more up once you get to the trail. About a 400 foot gain in 2 miles! I finished the second mile in 8:30. Too fast but I felt it so I went with it.

Friday-Rest

Saturday-Long run of 12 miles. I felt really good. My wife and I run together and she wasn't feeling great. Our time does not indicate how fast we ran. Officially we averaged 10 min miles but that includes a lot of walking and hills. I was able to run this hill I usually put on the end of runs I cant normally run. I felt great. I felt SLOW at 9 min/mile pace. This week I will do more speed and see what happens. QUOTE:

“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.”

Peace Pilgrim

Im getting there.

SILVERMAN: My Race Report, and blog name change

In the days leading up to the race I felt like a high energy dog with no where to use all this pent up energy. I just knew any minute I was going to get into trouble with chewing on the couch or digging holes or something. I did not expect to sleep the night before but I did. I woke up with a sense of calm and confidence. However, since there are many details to consider as far as equipment and 2 transitions areas I was reluctant to let myself roll with that confidence. I get to the lake and I am greeted with very calm water, beautiful weather, and very well organized event. My plan was in action and I made the decision to let it all go and enjoy myself. Im ready. Lets do this.

SWIM

When I looked at the swim set up at the Lake I realized that the area between the buoys and the marina was very slim. That meant that if I am in the sprint to get through the bottleneck I may go out too fast and if I get lagged back then I might have a slow swim OR I could get into the mix. Buzzer goes off and I mixed it up baby. For triathlons that means the washing machine of arms, legs, water, and jockeying for position. I mixed it up. It was the first of my 4 races this year I had the confidence to stick my face in there and swim. I made people swim around me or through me. As i get through the bottle neck its a clear shot to the first buoy. I started to think as I swam my ass off. I thought about BoBs 3 words and I came up with my theme for the race. STRONG, MOXY, BELIEVE, (I added a 4th), and GRIND. I repeated it over and over. Its funny how that came to me and funny how those words dictated my behavior the rest of the day.

I like it when training translates to performance. The groove I find myself in occasionally came quite easy. I killed this swim. I was not afraid of anyone. I let myself go all out. I figured I would let it all hang out. When I sat down to discuss goals for the race, I decided that since I have routinely been around 50 min at this distance in training that I would set 45 min as my goal. The rest of the swim went very well. Sight, swim, and stick my face in there. I didnt "rest" like I have in other races and put my best foot forward. I exited the water ready for the bike. Im gonna have a good day.

1.2 mile swim in 44:09.

T1

My goal was to get nutrition, get a smidge of rest, and make sure that I have everything I need. The bike has been my hardest discipline to get up to par and I wanted to perform well. I had never been in a changing tent so I didnt know what to expect in there. I have never done an event like this so the entire day of nutrition would be a learning process. Out in 7:52, a little slower than I thought but for me this would not be a day of seconds and a few minutes.

Bike

I exit transition with the mindset of get to the run. Once I get to run I will make it just fine. There is a nice climb right out of transition so as I climb Im thinking boy I feel strong. My legs are fresh and I am going to get after it. This course if grueling. Many experienced triathletes around here questioned this as my first 1/2 iron. I wanted this one though. As I made it through my first checkpoint I am 15 minutes ahead. I take inventory and I feel great. I am climbing well and descending quickly. I am passing fitter looking people with much more elaborate bikes. The next checkpoint comes and I able to keep this pace. I look around and I realize that it is very hot. Id guess 80 degrees. Even though I am 30 miles in and feeling very strong will I be able to hold it? Then the cramping begins. Quads, hamstrings, and adductors slowly locking up. Uh oh. When I stand on the pedals they cramp. I dont have any climbing legs. The 3 sisters are OUT then. I didnt even attempt them. I felt so much better not even going there and it turned out to be a good race strategy. I ended up passing 4 guys that tried and failed to climb them. I didnt see them the rest of the day. Through 45 miles I am now a bit slow on my timeline. I dont have the high gear I need for speed, but I grind. I trained into this plan. Get off the river mountain loop trail in a position to grind it out. I have visualized this so many times that I am very relaxed knowing where I am going with this. STRONG. MOXY. BELEVE, GRIND. I am 15 min slower than I wanted to be at this time and I decide to take T2 very slow. Rest, cool off, let this sugar get to my legs. Regroup.

56 mile bike, 4:15:42

T2

Regroup. I am changing and I am considering my options as far as nutrition goes. What do I need? Water, gatorade, electrolytes, salt, and sugar. So this transition area took a lot longer than I wanted to. I thought if I rest now that will translate to turning these legs over to running legs. I was out in 8:19.

RUN

Just get to the run. Here I am on the run and now what. Im tired, crampy, hot and tired. Here I am on my most confident discipline and given my last race experience I can get through anything. This is nothing compared to that day. So I decided to enjoy it. Im gonna finish but in how long? Im not close to my goal time and it is an automatic PR, so enjoy it. There is not one flat surface on this whole course. Brutal. What was the worst part about it was that there were no spectators(except for MY people but I will get to them soon enough). I am slow for a 1/2er and the very fast full-ers were the only ones around. Translation, lonely. I ran as strong as I can, I showed some moxy and I didnt let the pain influence my experience, I believed that I belonged there, and I grinded out a very hilly course on a hot day after a lot activity. Was it slow? Yeah. I dont think I ran an entire mile without walking from start to finish. I would get about 1/2 to 3/4 a mile and start to cramp. The aid stations saved me. I would be good for a while then cramp. I spent the whole run in pain and cramping but I never quit. I have mentally visualized the silverman carpet now for a year. This was the first time on top of it. It was the culmenation of all my hard work. I earned it and I am proud I finished.

13.1 mile run: 2:55: 16.

Total: 8:11:17

WHAT CAN I DO BETTER?

Get fitter. Before that I need more strength. I am going to keep up the running and the time I spend on my fitness will not change (except for a little break). I will concentrate on strength building and running. 2010 will have some triathlons but it will have at least 1 marathon. May be multiple 1/2 Iron with a plan on Ironman in 2011? I dont know and I think it is too soon to decide. Faster 5K? faster sprint or olympic? I am proud of where I have come from but at the same time I am not content. I have some nutrition and health issues to work through since I did not lose a single NET pound in 2009. That influences my performance. I am not happy at the end of the age group/clydesdale list. May be a cycling coach? I need some training partners too. Long rides and long runs to run with.

THANK YOUS:

The volunteers were phenomenal. The race was well organized. The weather was awesome except that heat part. My friends and family literally lit up the race course. As far as I am concerned the support I received from them and having them in my corner is on par with my race. There was NO ONE out there except the "Gallaghers Groupies." The had a boom box, they sang, they danced, and they had many athletes comment how they changed the race for them too. They had a sign contest. They were flat out awesome. There is something to be said for them participating in my daily life and supporting me on a regular basis. Thank you guys, I could not ask for more support and I could not have finished with out you.

Karl (who you can get to from my list) is a huge source of support. He is always level headed and smart. His brain works so scientifically and is not as emotional as me. He helps me tremendously from a personal and performance standpoint. I would not have changed my life if it wasnt for his leadership. He is a model man, husband, father, physical therapist, and runner. We may just hook up for a relay some time.

My wife. She was the ring-leader for the groupies. She knew how much this meant to me and out did herself. She is my rock and my inspiration all year long. She put up with me when I made quirky decisions about fun vs training. She always supported me when I had to sacrifice. She had to sacrifice right along with me and she did it because she loves me. Every step of the way she has been there to encourage me and support me. I want her in my foxhole any day of the week. I know that I can count on her. I LOVE YOU honey. Quote:

"We live in deeds, not years: In thoughts not breaths; In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart throbs. He most lives Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best."

David Bailey

Whats important in life? Friends, family, and living life to the fullest. 1/2 Iron-CHECK.

Note: I am totally stealing Karls idea or he gave it to me....I have been thinking about changing it for a while. He just gave me the spark I needed.

Plugging away....

Since the disneyland half marathon I have not needed any rest. My legs are not sore but lack the extra punch they most often times have. I am getting very comfortable with my new nutrition plan and I feel great. I am noticing that I am not hungry throughout the day. I am never jittery and my brain function seems to be in control. (when my blood sugar is low I am a bear). My training feels different with it. I am using virtually no sugar pre or during like I was. Really helping. Here is how my week went.

Tuesday-Recovery run, no watch, not timed. Felt a little overall fatigue but legs felt great. Softball practice went well too.
Wednesday-21 mile bike ride in 1:25. I rode the run course of the Silverman twice the second time not the flat easy parts. It will be somewhat hilly but the hills are in the middle. I will be running this course right after word since the biggest hill is only 2 miles away. Hmmmm hill repeats anyone? My legs felt stronger today. I am climbing a lot better. I am hoping for another date with the 3 sisters this weekend. See how my climbing is going.
Thursday (today)-6 mile easy run. I am happy to say that I had a great run tonight. Not because I felt good or anything because my brother ran the first 2 with me. He is beginning to change his lifestyle and get more fit. SInce he has moved in with me in 6 months he has lost 70 pounds. He is going to try a sprint distance triathlon in October called Pumkinman. I am so proud of him. i got my six in. Tomorrow easy swim. Saturday brick swim/bike, hoping for 45ish miles all on the race course. Sunday 6 or so mile. Its next week I go for 14 miles. Ohh and pictures are on the way from Disney...just give me some time. QUOTE:

Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.
Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog

feelin the heat?

What a difference a year makes....

YES YES what a difference a year makes. Its too bad that I dont have a post for last years race because I have grown leaps and bounds as a runner and person. For some reason I do not show up on official results of the race. I assure you I was there on the heals of my wife as we finished in about 2:15. It was a new course record for me, trumping last years time by 10 min. I cruised. I walked with her, I ran with her, I felt no fatigue or pain. Today i am sore but no more sore than any other long run. I looked around, I took pictures, I hung out with my wife. She struggled. She had a lot of trouble breathing and "pressure." She is the only person to ask a medic for a kleenex. Most runners just snot rocket. Not my wife until the medic had no kleenex. Funny.

I have to give it up to DIsney. The know how to run/organize a race. They start on time, they plan the corrals well, they have excellent volunteer support including local people, cheerleaders, marching bands, mariachis, and other groups. They also have a good course which included a route through California adventures, Disneyland, throughout the streets anaheim, around the Honda center (where the anaheim ducks play), and this year since the Angels are out of town a "victory lap" through Angel stadium, finally finishing back through Disneyland and Downtown Disney. It was awesome. Angel stadium was the best part since the whole stadium had cheerleaders, boy scouts, various other loud yellers so when you entered the stadium they were loud. The announcer said as many names as he could over the loud speaker and the jumbotron was in full effect. Awesome.

One thing brought to my attention was that no bloggers knew that I run with a big group. All in all, there are 9 runners in my group from Las Vegas and it is our second half marathon as a group. We have some creative people in our group who designed t-shirts that we all rock together. The girls had pink ones and guys wore black ones. They all had our "RUN CLUB" logos on the back. A turtle with a caption that reads "slow and steady wins the race." In the front we modified the fight club movie logo on a bar of soap to say run club. We get a lot of comments about them. We enjoy them. Special thanks to Chuck for hanging out and running a bit with us after his 1:31 time. Way to go chuck! Pictures to come.

So where does this fit in to my training? It means that the next chapter is purely getting ready for Silverman. Start a big block and get my overall mileage up. Lets do this.... quote:

“The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life - mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical.”
Julius Erving quotes

Its fun to realize the growth.

Coasting mode.....

I have had a good week and I feel like I am starting to coast. I am really enjoying my daily challenge. I am getting good rest and eating very well. Here is how it went this week:

Monday-easy recovery swim of 1000 meters (20 laps). 26:12. As I am swimming an easy pace I am simply wondering....what the hell am I getting out of this? I mean it is nice to shake the soreness out by getting in the water but is there a better idea? I decided that I would rework my plan and drop easy recovery swim day and add another bike day. After all the bike is my limiting discipline. So for every 10 days I will do 4 bike efforts, 2 swim efforts (long and interval), and 3 running efforts. The distance change of the Olympic distance swim and half iron swim is not very different.

Tuesday-Easy recovery run. 4 miles in 37 min. Decent pace easy-to-slightly moderate effort. No pain which is a good change.

Wednesday-Low mileage/hill repeats. 13.75 miles total. I rode 5 miles to the hill that was about 8% grade and roughly 0.46 miles from where the start was to where I turned around. Ok, 5 miles there 4 X up or on and 3 times down, after the 4th just headed home. Here are the splits:
1:10 on, reaching 23 mph/1:32 active recovery,
1:31 on, 24 mph/1:38 active recovery,
1:17 on, 21 mph/1:25 active recovery, and
1:37 on, at 22 mph. Finished with 5 miles home. Legs where tired but I got home in OK time. I might have gone for 1 more but it was getting dark and I didn't have my head light. It hasn't been dark here at that time. Must be getting to be fall...my favorite time of year.

Thursday (today)-Long swim. 2000 meters. As I started I decided to set my bar for this distance swim. My best friend Karl proposes that 6 weeks of interval training will demonstrate huge benefits. I am going to try that. I did 8 sets of continuous 250 meter increments (5 laps.) Here are the splits: 5:32, 5:48, 5:53, 5:53, 6:56, 6:25, 6:57, and 6:42. For a total of 50:09, ave 6:16. Remember a few weeks ago when I wondered how many sub 6 min/250 meters I could do? I did 2 then and today I did 4. But then today I pooped out. I just wanted to see how many I could do during a long swim. I definitely could pace that better so the second half is more consistent but I wanted to go out fast. While I was swimming I was thinking that in the beginning of the year 2000 meters would be more than my weekly total. Today I was able to swim that consecutive with no breaks and even go fast. Im happy with where my swim is at today.

One of these weeks I am going to give you some literature review. I have pulled a total of 5 articles/studies of different topics but just haven't sat down to read them. My man Karl (and clay too) put together a heckuva presentation on interval training and all the physiology that is involved. I pulled a few of those articles. QUOTE:

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Dale Carnegie quotes (American lecturer, author, 1888-1955)

by the way I DO WORK was supposed to be funny....I cracked up....I GET BUSY