DOUBLE D'S TRIATHLON

Good Week

2012-01-23T08:48:00.002-06:00

It wasn't a great week, but I got in a couple of weight sessions and some Ike rides. My hope for today is to get into the gym, but I don't think my wife is going to be home until late today, so it may be a bit of a struggle for me to get it in today. I will do a bike ride along with the Death Crawl during the kids nap.

Overall, happy with the way things have been going, but still have a lot of work to do to be in race shape.

Right Direction

2012-01-17T14:25:00.002-06:00

Signed up for my second 2012 event (Bunker Hills Du), as well as getting in two bike rides in two days and a decent workout (Death Crawl). My motivation is slowly coming back, but still having some issues getting myself to the gym. I had nothing but excuses today and will need to change that.

Plan for the day is to do another ride, get to the gym tomorrow and finally do a run also. So I'm getting there, but far from the finish line.

Like Mud

2012-01-14T06:18:00.002-06:00

Well it's been a month since my last post and not much has happened. I've still been working on this motivation thing, and just can't seem to pull myself out of this stink that I've been in. I think 90% of the battle is that I need to come up with a training plan. I've been doing my workouts by the seat of my pants, and I need some more structure right now.

The goal for this weekend (home alone with the kids for 4 days) is to get on the bike twice for easy 30min rides. Secondly, get my race schedule finalized. Third, get a training plan down on paper. If you don't hear from me soon, then you know things aren't going well...

Weight Training

2011-12-13T12:26:00.002-06:00

For the past three season I've been saying that the one area that I need to improve on is my weight training. I'm good in the hills, but I could excel if I hit the weights. I have decent speed, but I could have better speed if I hit the weights. I have some tendencies to fade, but if I hit the weights I could eliminate this.

So my second goal to focus on for this season is consistent weight training. My plan will begin with week one next week with a 4 day a week plan. Two days on the legs and two on the upper body. I didn't think that an upper body routine would be needed for running, but I did notice back, shoulder and arm fatigue after long runs.

As for my race season, I'm still debating doing a second Triathlon later in the season (end of August) and the Oakdale Du is still in the air. At this time, the only race I've signed up for is the Blaine Tri, so the real training doesn't start until I sign up for more.

Race Season

2011-12-02T10:32:00.002-06:00

So I'm beginning to get a picture of my early season.
5/12: Oakdale Du
5/19: Blaine Tri (already signed up)
5/26: Bunker Du

This will be a rough three weeks of racing, but my Marathon schedule (If I decide to do Twin Cities again) will begin 5/21. So these races will be a good way to build a base this winter and get me into a workout routine before the start of the running season.

The rest of my season will be
6/30: Du @ the Dam
8/11: Gopher to Badger Half Marathon
10/7: Twin Cities Marathon

Not much scheduled during the summer, but this will give me time to spend with the family before I get into my long runs.

Lessons learned from last year that will have to be incorporated into this year will be:
More time in the gym
Focus more on my speed work
Don't miss ANY long runs.

I think last year without doing enough weights and missing so many long runs that my body just fell apart at mile 21. By putting in the speed work and incorporating weights and doing my long runs, I hope to be able to improve on my 3:29:50.

Planning for Next Year

2011-12-01T11:52:00.002-06:00

I read a number of athlete's blogs, and you can always tell when one is in the off-season or when training isn't going well, they stop posting. My last post was October 10th and now I'm back at it.

I've done a couple of runs since my Marathon, but I've been taking care of house work and spending time with the family since I don't have my time consuming runs. But after eating like my life was coming to an end this last week, I'm ready to get back on the wagon.

I don't have a set plan in place, but that will be my task once I leave work today. I'm also going to have to make a hard decision of what events I'll take part in next year. I would do a Marathon every year if it wasn't for that 20 weeks of training leading up to it.

So I'm begining to sit down and look at the 2012 race schedule and try to decide what events I'm going to compete in and what my goals will be for 2012. Much more to come as decisions are made and more workouts are completed.

End of Year Stats and Off-Season

2011-10-10T09:03:00.002-05:00

It's been a nice last week. No workouts of any kind and eating anything I want, I now feel like your average American! I will be doing a run today and I'll start to get active once again this week.

End of year stats:
Run Distance: 615mi
Run Time: 91:15:00
Calories: 52,000
Weight Lost: 5lbs
Body Fat Lost: 6%
Looking back on 2011 I realize that I don't like those "Adventure Runs". I'm used to the Adventure Races like the Eco-Challenge or The Beast of the East kind of runs. These, in my opinion, are fun ways to get people into running, but have very little use for me and the types of runs that I do.

2011 was a successful training season, but some lessons were learned:
1. I need to make a better effort to get in my "long runs". I had a number of these runs that I missed this past year and I think that was part of the reason why I collapsed at the 21 mile mark.

2. I need to focus more on speed at the appropriate time. The biggest mistake that I made this year was that I started on speed work when I wasn't scheduled to do it. This resulted in an injury that put me on the shelf for a week. Not a huge loss, but another contributing factor to my breakdown in the race. Second, I was skipping some of my stride work that needs to be worked on more next season.

3. While my diet was great, I need to focus more on keeping myself on track. I give myself one cheat day a week and I need to use this as a reward for hard work instead of saying, "I think today would be a good day to cheat".

4. Getting in a run is sometimes more important then getting in your scheduled run. When you just don't have it for your run, just get out there. Sometimes you'll get motivated to do your scheduled run, and other times it will be good just to get out there.

So my plan for 2012:
1. Begin to do Duathons again. I'll focus on these on the early season (April & May).
2. Do the same Marathon Plan, but sticking more to the plan then I did this year.
3. Run the Twin Cities Marathon again wit a goal of 3:20:00.

Race Report: Twin Cities Marathon

2011-10-03T09:01:00.002-05:00

Night Before: Had a bit of a hard time falling asleep, but that isn't anything new. I did initially set my alarm for 0600 when I was planning on getting up at 0400. Thankfully I looked at my alarm one last time and caught it before it was to late.

Race Morning: I got up at 0400, took my shower and got my food ready. I took in plenty of water and watched some ESPN until it was ready to get out the door. My plan was to be on the road at 0630, but we were out at 0636, not bad. The big hick up was that as we were heading out the door I realized I didn't have my shoes. HA!

Pre Race: Found parking easily and met up with Russ. We got ready and headed to the starting line with Karina, Amy and the kids. I felt ok and didn't have to many butterflies. Russ and I parted ways with Karina, Amy and the kids and Russ and I walked to the start line. We then wished each other luck and went to our respective corrals (like a bunch of cattle going out to be slaughtered, which we were in some respects).

Opening Gun: I had a concern here about moving through the packs, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Once we made the left onto Hennepin Ave. a nice head wind hit us right in the face, but that was more due to the tall buildings and not the actual weather. During windy days I've actually been stopped in my tracks with the wind coming down Hennepin Ave.

The Race: I went out quicker then I was planning, but I was keeping a good pace (7:30s) and was feeling good. At mile 8, I began to get a pain in my right ankle which was new for me. All my issues during training was with my left leg, so I had some concerns about this, but it wasn't anything that was going to stop me.

Everything was going according to plan until mile 16. It was at this point that I had to concentrate to continue my 7:45 pace. I had over a minutes of grace time, so I was ok with the couple of seconds I was losing a mile, but it was getting harder and harder each mile.

My wheels then came off during the 21st mile. I was concerned about this and I was trying to push my body to get back to 7:45, but mile 21 was 8:04 and 22 was 8:21. I was doing everything that I could to continue to move forward, but my legs felt like bricks. This was the wall. I knew that if I stopped running that I wouldn't be able to get moving again.

After a mile 23 pace of 8:30, I decided that my goal of 3:23:00 was no longer reasonable and I began to focus on finishing, and loose goal of 3:30:00. I decided that once I hit the 26 mile mark that I was going to leave it all out on the course. It was nice since the finish was downhill. I saw Karina and the kids as I was approaching the finish line and had a huge hit of euphoria as I knew i was going to cross the finish line strong.

My final time was 3:29:50! I'm thrilled with my performance.

Post Race: As soon as I crossed the finish line and stopped for my medal I could barley put one foot in front of the other. I usually want chips after a race, but I couldn't stomach ANY kind of food. I had a few Poweraids, as well as chocolate milk, but I couldn't stand solid food.

I found Karina and we went back to the car. As we are walking I see a Stain on my left shoe. We get to the car, I take off my shoe, but my sock is stuck to my foot. I had sliced open one of my toes, and the dried blood glued my sock to my foot. It wasn't a serious injury, but it looked bad.

What's Next: Right now I can't think of doing ANY kind of racing right now. I'm still trying to get my appetite back and I have some severe pain in my right ankle. I'm hoping a day of relaxing will fix most of these issues.

For now I'm taking off the next 3 weeks to recover and get some sleep. After that, we'll have to wait and see....

Race Plan

2011-10-01T08:45:00.002-05:00

My carb loading is complete. I'm now eating a very bland diet that is low in fiber. I've had the last of the caffeine that I'll have until after the race and have begun taking in more salt and water to help with hydration. Tomorrow is going to be in the low 50s at the start of the race and with a forecasted high of 74.

I have a light run scheduled for today that I'll do at 11, then lay low for the remainder of the day. Dinner will be some fish, rice and white bread with water. I didn't sleep all that well last night, so I'm hoping to be asleep around 9 with a 4am wake up call. I think I'll set my alarm to adult contemporary (Seinfeld reference).

Tomorrow morning I'll follow my race morning plan that I've done for my triathlons. Begin drinking water as soon as I wake up with a shower to get the blood flowing. No shaving since I have a superstition about shaving on race day (dork). I'll then make my race morning breakfast (eggs, milk, white english muffin). I'll continue to take in fluids and be out of the house at 0630.

I'm planning on being downtown at 0700 and will then have some toast and meet up with Russ. Some warm up laps and then I want to be in my corral early so I can position myself to get around any slower runners that may be there.

I'm looking to run at an 8:00 mile for the first two, then to open it up from there. My goal is to have an average pace of 7:45, but as with my half marathon, I'm going to go on how my body if feeling after the first 2 miles. I expect the field of 12,000 to have opened up a bit after that and I shouldn't have to dodge to many more people. This is my big concern about the start of the race is that I'll be slowed up WAY under the 8:00 mile with having to dodge people.

My second concern is from mile 21 on. My legs have really started to get weak here and this is also the point of the race that there is an uphill run from mile 21.5-24.5. I'll need to dig deep here and push my way up this hill to keep my pace.

Once the race is finished, Karina has a bag of potato chips for me, then it's home to sleep and the kids will get all the movies that they want for this one day.

Under 24 hours to go...

Race Weekend

2011-09-30T21:02:00.003-05:00

This is what I've been working toward all year. I have my race packet and am packed and ready to race. I've carb loaded today and will eat nice and simple tomorrow, get in a run and relax the rest of the day to get ready for Sunday morning.

I'm certain that I'll be able to maintain my pace for 18 of the miles, but I'm going to have to dig deep to keep it up for the remainder of the race. The key will be to fight through the pain and finish strong. It's a mental game that I'm ready to beat.

Thanks to everyone for your support over these past 20 weeks. It's been a long road, but very successful. I feel strong and I'm ready for this race. 26.2, here I come.

Last 4AM Wakeup!!!

2011-09-28T10:41:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling ready for this race. Had a great run yesterday and another one this morning. It's been a great training and race season, but I'm ready to start sleeping in and getting to know my bed again. So today was my last 4AM run and I can now officially put away my night running gear.

It's been a great ride, but having additional time to spend with my family and some time for myself will be amazing. Four days and counting...

When the Common Cold is not the Common Cold

2011-09-27T12:27:00.002-05:00

On Friday I started to feel as if I was coming down with a cold. Sure enough, by Saturday I had the runny nose and on Sunday I slept until 1130. I skipped my 5k Saturday run hoping to beat the cold, but I wasn't able/willing to skip my Sunday 1:30:00 run. I got it in, but it didn't look good.

I slept forever again into Monday and went into work. My head was swimming all day and I decided to take today off. It was fortuitous that I did since Karina had an allergic reaction on her foot and needed to go in and see the doctor.

That aside, I came down with a migraine last night that went into this morning. I believe that it's stress and caffeine related. Once I relaxed some and got some coffee in me, I began to feel better.

I did my run with the main set of 5 x 3:00 (3:00 WR) and I felt amazing. I was easily able to keep a 7:38 pace so it's a great step in the right direction. The rest of this week I have a 45:00 run tomorrow with a massage in the PM. I'm off Thursday and Friday with another easy run on Saturday with race day on Sunday.

Off Day

2011-09-22T08:22:00.003-05:00

My run yesterday was rough. Though it was only an hour I felt as if I had weights tied around my legs. I got through it and am now enjoying the off day. I also need to schedule a massage sometime this week.

My weekend is scheduled to be a 3x12:00, 5K Time Trial, and 1:30:00. It's amazing that a 1:30:00 is right now considered a "short" run. I was looking back on my training log from this year and my first long run of 9x10:00 (1:00 WR) almost killed me. My legs were burning, and I was actually having a hard time putting one foot in front of the other.

Sundays run will be easy. Some leg pain will occur, but that will be it. Looking forward to race day.

The Nightmares

2011-09-21T07:19:00.003-05:00

Well they have started. I had two dreams last night about race day. I was at the wrong location without my race pack, no shoes, no timing chip, the only one at the start line, and finishing last. Can't wait to get this going...

Three Runs, 2 Weeks to Go

2011-09-16T07:28:00.002-05:00

The weather here went from summer to fall in two days. Instead of 90s we now have 60s and this switch happened from Monday to Wednesday. So my morning runs are not happening at this point.

Not a big deal. Today's run will be a little more difficult since I'll have to do it after the kids go to bed since Karina had foot surgery on Tuesday and she'll be unable to take care of the kids.

The weekend will be interesting with Karina's friend coming into town. Once she arrives, things will get a bit easier since I can then get my 5K TT in on Saturday and then my 2hr run on Sunday.

Next week starts my 2 week taper. As I've said in past posts, I'm ready mentally and physically for this race. 16 days to go...

Adidas to Nike

2011-09-10T20:15:00.002-05:00

It's interesting how your affiliation can change from one company to another. For all my life I've been an Adidas man. It wasn't a commercial, or an athlete that got me hooked on Adidas, it was soccer. I grew up paying soccer and Adidas was (and still is in my opinion) still face of soccer. Thus all I ever bought was Adidas and wore it everywhere.

Fast forward to this year. I've been focusing on running with my Marathon coming up. I now find myself looking more and more at Nike gear. I've always worn Nike shoes for my triathlons because of how they fit and feel. Before I knew it I was wearing a Nike shirt, Nike shorts and shoes.

I guess the marketing worked on me...

Three Tough Weeks

2011-09-08T08:38:00.002-05:00

I did my hour and a half run last night, and it was tough to get through. I'm mentally and physically ready for this race and thus it's been getting hard to get my runs in, but I've been doing them.

So I have another tough run this Sunday (2:45:00) and then I believe a 2:00:00 the following Sunday, and finally 1:30:00 on the Sunday before race day. I know that I was planning on taking a week off before beginning my off-season plan, but now I'm planning on playing it by ear for the first month. If I feel like doing a workout I will, if not, then I won't. But beginning in Movember (spelled correctly) I'll start a regular weight lifting plan and I really want to get back on Lisa (my bike).

Again, I have a lot of work in front of me, so I don't want to look ahead too much. Off day today, two good runs on Friday and Saturday and finally my long run on Sunday.

Fitness Improving

2011-09-07T09:25:00.002-05:00

I had a hard run yesterday and I felt as if I could have pushed it much harder. I think this is a good indication that my fitness is heading up as my fatigue is coming back down. My hope is to hit a low fatigue point while hitting a high fitness point on October 2nd.

These last two weeks are going to be tough to get through since I'm mentally ready to both race and be done with the training. But now is not the time to let that fire go out and I need to push it through these days. I have a two week taper then it's go time.

Four Weeks to Go

2011-09-05T07:06:00.001-05:00

This is the home stretch. I feel ready for this race. I have some concerns about keeping my planned pace (7:45), but I think once I hit the course, the race adrenalin will kick in and I'll have to hold myself back for the 26.2 miles.

This week is my final tough week with several Effort Pace runs and a long run of 2:45:00. Once I'm through that next week is more Effort Pace and the long run is down to an hour and a half. I then move onto my two week taper and then it's race day.

I'm currently working on my race plan for the days leading up to the race and then the race day itself. I keep playing with the idea of trying to qualify for Boston, but my training hasn't been up to that level and there is to great of a possibility of me not even finishing the race.

I've also begun to look ahead to 2012. I think I'll get back into triathlons and race a Half Ironman. During some of my long runs I've found a couple of small lakes that I should be able to swim in. I also want to look into the local YMCA to see about their pool times.

My two issues with my tri training was the swim and getting good bike times. I've read a couple of articles (unable to find them to link them here) about doing more of your bike training on the indoor trainer and less work on the road. This change in my training will allow me to get in my rides early in the morning or later in the evening.

Second, the swim. The gym I was going to was to far away and it was difficult to get to and from and get the kids to daycare and get myself into work. With these open waters that I've found will allow me to do these and be closer to home. Also, if the Y has some good swim times, I'll be able to go there and then get into work on days that my wife is home with the kids.

Still some details to work out and some weight work that I'll need to focus on this weekend, but these are issues to think about on October 3rd. For now, four weeks to go!!!

Fighting the Battle

2011-09-02T13:16:00.003-05:00

It's been a rough race season. While I've had some amazing success (first place overall 10K finish) with focusing only on running, I'm missing the triathletes world. I miss training for all three sports and the competition with myself.

That being said, I'm ready to battle through this latest wall. The 21mi run last weekend really did my legs in. I know that I'll be stronger in the long run, but it's been tough to get back on the road.

I've made the decision to focus on doing evening or mid morning runs. I haven't been getting enough sleep as of late and when I do run early in the morning I haven't had it in my legs to get any speed up. So these last 4 weeks will be more evening runs on work days and mid morning runs on the weekend.

Just over 4 weeks to go with a race goal of 3:23 (7:45 pace).

Longest Run Done

2011-08-29T13:36:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my longest training run of the year(3:15:00) an I did 21.07 miles. It felt good to get it done and now I need to co us on keeping my speed up. My goal has changed, and I want to finish this marathon in 3:30:00 or less (7:45 pace).

I think this is a realistic goal, but I have some concerns about the last 5 miles since mile 21-24 is all uphill. I'm hoping not to bonk on this section of the race. Five weeks to go...

Longest Run of the Season

2011-08-22T10:41:00.002-05:00

I had a 3hr run yesterday. I actually had pre-race jitters the night before this run. I got up early (0350) and was on the road at 0400. The first three miles was a real mental game. Once I got those miles in I just went into a zone and got in the first 10.5 around 1:45:00. At that point I was back at the house to refill my water bottles and to take some more GU.

Again it was tough to hit the road again and just the couple of minutes I took standing around turned my legs into weights. After a mile I was good to go again and began to question if I was going to be able to make it back to the house at the 3hr mark.

I kept an eye on my watch and tried to figure out how far I was from the house along with how long it was taking me to do each mile. By the time I got to a mile from the house I was about 8:30 away from the house and running about a 9:30 min mile.

It was a good run to get in and put in that kind of miles (around 19.7) at a good pace (9:21). My legs and my head were off for the rest of the day, giving me a bit of an idea of what I'm going to have to deal with on October 3rd.

This is my last rough week with a 3:15:00 run on Sunday. Once I get through this week, most of the work is race specific and some additional focus on speed work. I'm looking forward to the down time of the off season, but I know after the pain goes away, I'll be looking for the next challenge.

2011 Gopher to Badger Half-Marathon

2011-08-14T06:05:00.002-05:00

I'll begin with my stats:
Time: 1:40:51
Place: 95/588
Age Group: 27/100
Males: 74/282
Pace
Mile 1: 7:57
Mile 2: 8:01
Mile 3: 7:54
Mile 4: 7:47
Mile 5: 7:26
Mile 6: 7:50
Mile 7: 8:00
Mile 8: 7:50
Mile 9: 7:46
Mile 10: 7:35
Mile 11: 7:26
Mile 12: 7:18
Mile 13: 6:48
Mile .1: 6:00

Night Before Race:
My plan had been to race a slow race and finish around 2:00:00. However, I felt well the night before and my pre-race diet felt great and I decided to change my plan. I would start off to finish around a 1:50:00 and see how I felt to gauge the Marathon.

Race Morning:
My nerves were less then they had been in the past. My thought process was honestly, "not a big deal, only 13.1 miles". I've been putting in the miles and getting in my rest, so I should be able to run this entire race.

We got to the course around 7:15 for an 8:00 start. I had 2 Gus with me (1 pre-race, 1 for during the race) and a sleeve of Cliff Shot Bloks (6 in a sleeve). During my training I noticed that I enjoyed chewing the Blocks over the GU, so I thought it best to have both with me.

I watered some of the bushes (bathroom lines were to long), took my GU and took off for the start line.

The Start:
I set myself up with the 1:50:00 group and we were off. Karina was there with the kids and was there to cheer me on at the start, but that was the last I would see of her until 15min after my finish.

Going up the first hill I decided that the 1:50:00 pace was going to be to slow, so I caught up with the 1:45:00 and decided to stick with them for the race. I felt good and the slower pace was helping to warm up my legs. For some reason I didn't like following the pacer. I wasn't listening to by body to see what it was telling me I could do. So we started to talk. No pain, high energy and 10 miles still to go. So I move past the pacers and decided to take the race on my own.

The Heart of the Race:
Once I left the 1:45:00 pacer behind me I felt good and slowly picked up the speed. I had a great mile 4-5, but mile 5-8 was a bit rough. I wanted to be sure that I had enough matches saved for the end of the race, but there were times I felt that I was going way to slow. Now the run up to mile 10.

When I started mile 9-10 I decided to pick it up. My legs still felt good, I had a couple of aches, but nothing that was of any concern. So I finished mile 10 with a 7:35 pace. I got to the 10mile marker and thought, "This is easy! I have only 3 miles to go!" So why hold back? I opened up the engine and pushed it to the finish line. I didn't have a rabbit. I didn't need a rabbit.

The Finish Line:
The end of the race was steadily down hill and then I remember to think about my form. Great time to think of form, at mile 11.5. So I lean a little forward and pick up some more speed. I'm not thinking about my finishing time, I just want to pass the finish line with no matches left.

Coming up to the finish line I had 5 people in front of me and I wasn't leaving anything in the tank. I've always finished my races strong with pure determination to pull in anyone who is in front of me. Most people see the finish and pull up. I see the finish and speed up. If you want to finish in front of me you're going to have to work for it.

I was determined to pass them all, or collapse trying. I flew past the first 4 with little trouble, but I had used all my matches and I was now running on pure heart. I had one last runner in front of me and I passed her. Now I needed to be sure that they stayed behind me so I ran through the pain.

I crossed the finish line with the 5 runners that I passed :21/:32/:35/:37/:59 behind me. One of my strongest finishes yet. My legs were shaking trying to take off the timing chip, but I felt good.

Twin cities marathon is only 7 weeks out!!!

Run Baby Run 10K

2011-08-07T07:27:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I ran the Run Baby Run 10k. As always, I had some nerves going into the race. Sleeping wasn't a huge issue since I went to the Twins game Friday night and came home tired. Race morning was a bit of nerves, but packing for a run is much different then packing for a Tri. So I had shoes, heart rate monitor, watch and ready to go!

I get to the race play with the kids and Karina and do some light warming up. At the start gun I make sure that I don't go all out, but keep a close eye on the people ahead of me. After the first half mile the field breaks up and I have 4 people in front of me. One is an older gentleman who looks like a serious runner and I do have some concerns about him. The next is an athletic triathlon looking guy in red who I don't think I have a chance to catch, but he's still in my sights. And the last two are a 19 and 20 year old that are out of sight before the mile marker.

I do catch the older man but he looks strong as I pass and I know he's going to stick with me. The man in red is in front of me and I mark him as my rabbit. Then the good news, I see the 19 and 20 year old coming back my way. "They're running the 5k!" and I don't have to worry about them anymore.

I continue to try to catch the red man but he keeps pulling away from me and I'm not sure I have it to catch him. As we approach the turnaround for the 5k I see him make the turn. "Hold on. This puts me in first for the 10k!" I've been pushing a 7:08 min mile for the first two miles and I start to wonder, "can I keep this up?"

It's a wired feeling being out in front. There's no rabbits to chase. YOU ARE THE RABBIT! Push, push, push. I get to the first water stop and grab my water and keep running. My legs feel great and I'm good with this pace.

At the 2.60 mile mark my shoe comes untied! I remember tying the shoe and thinking, "don't forget to double tie it" and of course that is what I do, forget. I contemplate my plan and stop, double tie and get moving. I don't look behind me because I don't want to know if there is anyone on my tail.

As you come up to the turn around there are a few rolling hills and now I'm beginning to feel my legs. My heart rate is up, but I don't look at my monitor because I'm worried about freaking myself out more and pushing my heart rate up even more. So I keep pushing it through the hills and get to the turn around with a pace of 7:27 a huge drop off. Time to pick it up. Now I can see who is behind me. I see the guy chasing me down and I look at my watch. I have a 23 second lead on him. Not bad. This race is now in my hands and in my head. I control this now.

Back through the rolling hills. I tell myself, "push it up these hills. Make him work up them. Let him know that you are still strong and make him fade." A great motivational talk, but after these hills I can really feel the pain.

Back onto a flat part and I'm loosing some of my wind. I want to look back, but I tell myself that he's right on my heels reeling me in and that I need to push. I see a volunteer and ask, "how far is the runner behind me." He tells me, "2 football fields". I'm feeling good and keep going. At the end of mile 4 I'm back to a respectable 7:11 pace. There's a saying that you only have so many matches to use during the race. Once you strike your last one, you're done. I'm wondering, "did I use to many to open the gap on those rolling hills?"

I'm back at the water stop and I grab my H2O and get some extra wind in my sails. I see that my pace has gone from 7:11 to 7:22. I still think this is fast enough to keep him behind me, but I'm not sure. I keep telling myself, "he's not fading. He can sense you're slowing down and he's reeling you in!"

My legs are now floating under me. How many matches to I have left? I'm digging deep now and pushing. But no matter how hard I go I still lose another 2 seconds on my 6th mile (7:24). Is this enough? Is he closing in? I again refuse to look behind me. I'll get a chance as I'm closing in on the finish line to look back and see where he's at. As I get to the turn where I can see behind me I take a peek. NO ONE! He's no where to be seen! This race is mine!

I strike my final match and I'm proud of what I've accomplished. I cross the finish line with a time of 45:38 (7:16 pace). I walk over to Karina and she tells me how proud she is of me and the race director congratulates me on winning the 10k. All the hard work of this summer has paid off with today's race. Keeping a 7:10 pace to qualify for Boston is going to be a huge commitment, but I may be up for it in 2012.

Quick Post

2011-08-04T05:56:00.002-05:00

Sorry that I haven't posted in so long. It's not the lack of anything to talk about, but a lack of time. My workouts have been going beyond well. I did a 15.88 mile run last Sunday and felt good about it. This is a bit of a recovery week, then things get really tough for the next 3 weeks.

I'm racing a 10k this weekend and it is part of my training schedule. I'll go into more detail later, but wanted to let everyone know that I'm still alive and working out.

Hot Run Today

2011-07-27T16:14:00.003-05:00

Well my three runs this weekend were very successful. I had some discomfort on my hour and a half run on Sunday, but I slowed the pace down and didn't have it again. So I'm looking to get back into the grove this week.

That being said I mistakenly took my wife's advise and didn't get up early to do my run, but slept in. As a result it is hot and humid out this evening and the run is going to be difficult (9x10:00 (:30 WR)). I'm determined to get in my full workout this week to help get me back on track (Sunday's long run is going to be cut down to help get this done).

Overall I feel good and stretching has helped keep me healthy. I think a few more massage sessions may be in order to keep me there, but I think it's worth the money and time.

Back at it Today

2011-07-22T07:10:00.002-05:00

I'm feeling much better. I can still tell that there is some tenderness in my calf, but I'm not sure if this will hold back my runs. So the plan for the weekend is to hit the road today for a 30min easy run. This run will dictate what I'll do for the remainder of the weekend.

If all goes well I'll be doing a 45min run on Saturday. Then an hour and a half on Sunday. If things don't go well tonight, I'll hit the gym, get on the bike and set up a doctor appointment for next week.

Crossing my fingers.

One Step Closer

2011-07-20T09:48:00.002-05:00

So I had my massage yesterday focusing on my legs. The work was great and I feel as if I have a greater range of motion. My plan is to continue to stretch and workout the areas of concern to try to get better by this Friday. If everything goes as expected, I'll do a 30min run on Friday to test it out and get back into my runs over the weekend.

I've modified my plan to take into account the missed week. The only major effect will be the long runs on Sunday that will be cut down by 15min or so. Again I'm having to remind myself to focus on finishing the race in a good time and not a great time. I always want to go fast, but I may need to focus on finishing at this point.

Stretch and Then Stretch Some More

2011-07-18T10:05:00.002-05:00

So I attempted a run on Saturday that resulted in a .25mi total distance due to calf pain. I've begun stretching a number of times during the day to help relive this issue. My hope is to loosen my hamstrings and relive the sciatic pain to allow me to run by the end of the week.

After my day of stretching yesterday, I've noticed the sciatic pain has significantly diminished. The calf pain I don't feel until I run, so I'm not sure if that issue is improving. Right now I'm dying to go out for a run to see how it feels, but I know that if it isn't 100% yet that I'll just set myself back.

So I'm going to hold off until Friday when I'll attempt a 30min run so see how I'm doing. The other thing that I'm going to need to focus on is keeping my speed around a 9:00mi. Right now by goal is to finish the race under 4:00:00 and not for qualifying for Boston (3:10:00).

This is going to be the hardest week that I've had yet with my training, but I know that this issue needs to be resolved if I'm going to have any kind of a race season in 2011.

1.5hr Run

2011-07-13T09:24:00.002-05:00

I think I have my motivation issues kicked. I'm scheduled for a 1.5hr run today and I can't wait to get it in. The only reason why I didn't get it in this morning was because I was home alone with the kids and I'm sure it wouldn't have been a good idea to leave them home alone.

I bought a foam roller and the Trigger Point message system last week and my sciatic issues have decreassed significantly. I'm still working on doing it on a regular basis, but when I do do it I can feel the difference for some time.

Off day tomrrow then back at it for the weekend.

Another Rough Weekend

2011-07-11T15:59:00.002-05:00

With the best of intentions to get in all my workouts, 2 hours of sleep on Saturday night prevented a good workout on Sunday. On the up side, I had a great Effort Pace on Saturday with a 7:21 pace. I'm a bit concerned that I've missed a number of long runs, but I'll correct that error beginning this week.

I've begun to notice a body fat loss with my workouts. I'm also changing how I track my diet some. I know what to eat, and for the most part I eat what I should. My issue is snacking on what I shouldn't, or on to much. So that is now what I'm focusing on. I'm still recording everything that I eat, but I highlight the food that I eat that I shouldn't. I'm then recording these foods at the end of the week.

I'm also beginning to pack snack food for me at the beginning of the day. I've been bargaining up a serving of whatever it is that I'm going to want to snack on. That way when I want it, I already have as much as I'm allowed to have. This should prevent me from going back time and time again grabbing another hand full of whatever.

Today I'm home with the kids. During their nap I got in a good 12.25mi bike ride on the trainer. I'm currently 22mi behind on my Tour de France challenge, but I'm sure I'll be able to make up that time before the end of the Tour.

Injury & Recovery

2011-07-07T13:31:00.002-05:00

During my Saturday run I came up lame. I was a the tail end of a 45min run when I felt a pop just under my left calf. I wouldn't say that it hurt, but I wasn't able to put my full weight on the left to walk or run. I tried some stretching and took in the rest of my water (a very hot day) but I still couldn't put my weight on it.

I didn't do my long run on Sunday because of the injury, but I was able to bike without any pain, so I put in 27.5 on the bike. By Monday I could feel where the pop happened, but had minimal pain in the area. I did a light AM run, then lost my mind in the evening with a bike, run, bike, run, bike workout.

With that being said, I'm doing well with my 10% being slightly over right now. I'll be taking this evening off, so I'll be close to the 10% total after that. These two-a-days have been rough on my legs, but they will payoff in the long run with my run performance.

On the up Swing

2011-07-01T09:50:00.002-05:00

My leg is feeling much better. I've been doing my stretching and taking back-to-back days off has really helped. I just ordered myself a black foam roller as well as the trigger point package to help. I think adding these three will help keep the pain at bay.

We've hit a bit of a heat wave here and the run this evening is going to be tough. It's a simple 30min run, so I'm not to worried about it. My plan was to work on speed during these 30min runs, but with my recovery still going with my sciatica I want to take it easy.

Tomorrow is a 45min run and that will be followed by a 12mi bike ride while watching the opening of the Tour de France. The rest of the weekend is going to be spent trying to get everything pained in the basement so we can get ready to move my room down there. Par of me is looking forward to it (change is sometimes good) but all the additional work is going to be tough.

Have a great 4th and I'll update during the weekend.

50% Increase

2011-06-30T05:46:00.005-05:00

So two weeks ago I missed my long run on father's day due to some family health issues. Not thinking about the "no more then 10% increase in running from week to week" I completed my entire running routine last week and as I was looking back at my number, I realized that I had a 50% increase in my run time from week 5-6. As a result I took yesterday off. My sciatica has been bothering me to the point that I'm having some serious pain in the lower part of my leg.

Now the pain may be something else (shin splints or a stress fracture) but I believe that the pain is from the sciatic nerve. I'm planning on doing a light indoor bike ride today to keep up with my exercise as well as substituting some of my Tour de France rides for runs during these next 3 weeks. My hope is that this time off my feet will help some of this pain.

My next course of action is to get some stretching in 3-4x a week. This is something that I typically don't do, but with this injury I believe that it is time to start making it part of my routine. I'm also looking at getting a foam roller to help with the pain. Finally, I'm going to set up an appointment for a massage to help.

Tired, Da

2011-06-28T14:41:00.003-05:00

Not much new to report on the training. I'm tired and have some leg pain with some DOMS that comes and goes, but I'm running a lot so Da. Not sure if this is smart, but it's what I'm going to do. I'm going to bike 10% of what is done in the Tour de France. So after the 3 weeks I'll have biked 216 miles.

Again, I'm not sure if this is a smart thing to do to add these additional miles to my legs, but I am looking forward to it. Much more on this new mission later.

Go Commando, Go Away

2011-06-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a very long week, at work, home and my workouts. But to top it all out I ran the Go Commando 5k Adventure Race. There is a ton that I can say about this event, but to make a long story short, do your research before running any Team Ortho event.

I was having a hard time this week getting up early to do my runs, so I was having to do them all in the evening, but I was able to get them all in. Today will be the difficult day with a 1hr 45min run on the schedule. My goal is to get that done this morning so I have the rest of the day to relax.

Sleeping will be a bit of an issues coming up with the 4th. We live in a bit of a red neck neighborhood and there will be fireworks being shot off all night for the next couple of weeks.

Monsoon Running

2011-06-22T05:26:00.003-05:00

As I said yesterday, I didn't run in the morning because of the monsoon rain and the thunderstorm rolling through our area. So I saved my Fartlek run for the evening and while there was no thunderstorm the monsoon that hit me during the run was wild. I was able to get in my warm-up and my stride work then the sky opened.

I had a pyramid Fartlek scheduled, and coming down the first pyramid I gained 20lbs of water in my clothing. I've given the formula of Calories in - Calories out = Weight loss/gain. Now for a new formula Running + Wet Shoes = Blisters. So I was able to get in two pyramids, and the majority of an all out pyramid when a blister started to form on my left foot. I decided to retreat and fight another day.

This morning my feet are not all that bad. Minimal pain and some light swelling, but nothing that will stop me from running again tonight (1hr 20min). I'm scheduled to run a local Go Commando race, but the organizers (Team Ortho) have not been up-front about all the charges and I'm considering not running it. It's an adventure race that a 5k, so nothing that is a must do, but I have others that I'm running with that I need to take into consideration.

Ready to Quit

2011-06-21T05:35:00.002-05:00

It's been a rough couple of days. I'm sure those of you out there that have trained for an endurance event have hit moments like this. My running is going fine, but outside issues are weighing on me. So the thought goes through your head, "I'd have so much more time and be more relaxed if I stopped training". In reality, not training would kill my mood even more and not running the race at this point would be a huge failure on my part.

So what do you do? You push on. You get through this tough phase. You run though your problems. You race.

So as if god knows that things are going tough for me, he tests me with a huge thunder storm, heavy rain and not safe conditions to run in. So you push on. You through on your cycling shoes. You put the bike on the trainer. You ride. It wasn't a great ride (I had issues getting my watch to pick up my speed) but I got it in and did something.

That being said, I think for the next couple of months or so I'll have to do my Tuesday and Wednesday workouts in the evening. The reason is that I have Fartleks and hills on the schedule for Tuesdays and I'll need to do a bit of a drive to get to hills for my runs and I think this will be better done in the evening.

So I'll get through this down time. I need to race.

Nothing Went Right

2011-06-20T05:37:00.001-05:00

I'm going to have a bit of a struggle getting back into my training. Yesterday I wasn't able to do a single thing that I wanted to do, including my run. My motivation just hit rock bottom.

I'm going to go to bed super early tonight to try to get my energy level back up and hopefully that will get me back on track. I'm scheduled to do a Fartlek tomorrow,and I'll have to wait and see if I'm able to get myself back on track.

Fuel In, Fuel Out

2011-06-19T06:51:00.003-05:00

I've been talking a lot about my exercise over the past few years and I'm going to continue to do that, but I think that it's time to bring the second factor of healthy living to the game and that's diet. I'll talk about what I'm eating and the struggles that I have on a daily basis, but also what I've found about diet and what I think you should know to help you continue to live a long and healthy life.

This is a news story that was shared with me a couple of years ago and I think that it's an important story, especially with some of the myths that are out there regarding running.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I'll be going more into this study later, but it's a good starting point and will give you some background into the study.

Long, Tough Week

2011-06-18T16:42:00.002-05:00

So my low motivation caught up with me this week. After an off day on Monday I had hill repeats on Tuesday and got through those ok, but had no desire to do my 1:10:00 run on Wednesday. I was tired and had no motivation and thus I stayed in bed instead of getting up early on Wednesday. I went to the Twins game that night, so there was no doing the run after work.

So I made Wednesday my off day and did my run on Thursday instead. Even though Karina and I were on vacation, I've still been able to get in the rest of my runs this week. I'm not looking forward to tomorrows 9x10:00 (1:00) run, but I'm looking to get it done with early in the morning so I can have a nice relaxing rest of my fathers day. By the way, happy fathers day to everyone out there.

My runs on Friday/Saturday were interesting. I live in a flat area and we are having our little vacation in a very hilly area, so I've gotten some additional hill work in. I've actually planned my route to take me up some difficult hills since it's something that I don't get to do on a regular basis. I think these runs were good for me.

My diet this week has been poor, but that's what vacations are for, right? So I'll need to get back on track tomorrow when I get home, but for tonight, I'm going to make one last pig of myself and enjoy every second of it.

Fitness Improving

2011-06-12T16:22:00.002-05:00

A couple of good runs this weekend with some obvious fitness gains. I've run 3 45min runs. My overall pace for each run was 829/819/805. The run this Saturday I felt good and had a bit of a spring in my step. I need to continue to with getting in all my runs to be sure that my fitness continues to improve.

This will be a bit of a rough week with Karina and I going out of town. I'll have several days out at restaurants and I'll need to do my best to stick to my meal plan. The runs won't be a huge issue until Sunday when I have a 9x10:00 (1:00) run. I'm hoping to get the run in later in the day. Depending on the weather I may get it in around the noon hour.

I was going to record my monthly stats, but I think I'll wait until I get to the end of this 6 week base period.

Cool, Wet Morning

2011-06-10T05:54:00.002-05:00

After having a 102 degree day, it's in the 60s today and rain. This is life in Minnesota. The run this morning was good at a comfortable pace (822/831/830). This was a workout that I was considering not doing due to some fatigue issues, but I felt good this morning and decided to get it in.

I do love running in the early morning since everyone else is still in bed. There are no cars to have to worry about and you can just run. I also like being able to have the evenings to lay back and relax and not have to run out of the house as soon as the kids go to bed.

I have the Twins game tonight (weather permitting) that will most likely result in a sleep in day tomorrow and an afternoon run on the schedule. I have my long run on Sunday (1:15:00) and the typical yard work that needs to get done.

Salad Dressing Out, Olive Oil In

2011-06-09T08:21:00.003-05:00

As I was eating my spinach salad at lunch a couple of days ago and I started taking a closer look at the label on my salad dressing. It was fat free, so that was all I was concerned about, but then I see that it has 480g of salt. I'm looking to try to include olive oil in my diet and why not use it salad.

So I've started using a combination of olive oil and balsamic vinegar in my salads. My wife and I joke that if we were trapped on an island that the one thing that we would need to have with us is balsamic vinegar. I think this will be a good change.

I'm thankful to have an off day today. As with last week, it feels like having two days off since I did my run yesterday morning and had the evening off to relax. Tonight it's just me and the kids again, so that is always a bit of a struggle getting dinner ready and trying to get things clean around the house. Not sure what I'm going to do with my off day. I may just have a beer and watch some TV.

Hot, Hot, Hot

2011-06-08T11:20:00.002-05:00

Since I don't watch the news all that often, our 102 degree day took me by surprise. The wind was so hot that it felt like you were standing in front of the largest hair dryer in the world. So it was a good thing that I decided to do my workout early in the morning.

Tuesday's workout was a Fartlek with some stride work and easy runs. Overall my Fartleks went really well (622/608/554/627/629/635/700/652/646/657/630/647). I really felt the drop off from lap 3 to 4 as well as lap 7. It was tough to keep my motivation up with as much as my legs were hurting still from Sunday's run. But I felt good getting through it.

Again I was up early this morning getting in my 3x15:00 (:45). I took this nice and easy (916/922/903) and I'm looking forward to laying around on the couch for the next two days. I'm a little concerned about over training, so I'll need to evaluate where I'm at on Friday morning to make a determination if I want to take another day off, or do the easy 3X10:00 run.

Putting in the Miles

2011-06-07T10:06:00.002-05:00

So here's a recap from the past weekend:

Friday and Saturday:
A mistake, but I decided to push myself and see what I could do. After almost 3 weeks of running (not including my prep runs) I wanted to open up this engine and see what was inside. The schedule for the day had me doing 3x10:00 (:30). The plan was to push it for the first 10:00, open it up for the second and see what I had left for the third. My paces were 8:08/7:20/8:14. I felt good after it and was happy with my times this early in the season.

Saturday morning was a 45:00 out and back. Again, I wanted to see what I could do so I pushed it a little harder then normal. My overall pace was 8:19 and I felt good about this run. Now with hindsight being 20/20 this was a mistake doing so much effort work with a 9x10:00 (1:00) run on Sunday.

Sunday:
Because of our schedule, I wasn't able to get my run in until 3:30PM and it was a hot day. I'll start off with my 9 splits:

7:57

8:13

8:22

8:39

8:48

8:49

9:06

10:07

10:00

The run stated off fine taking the same route that I did on Friday. I had my Fuel Belt with me (32oz total) and had enough water to get me through the run. I was doing well until around the turn around (44min & 5mi) when my groin muscle began to hurt a bit. It wasn't anything bad, but I noticed it and thus I was keeping an eye on it to be sure that it didn't get any worse.

By the 1:06:00 and 7.5mi mark I was desperate for some water to help cool me off. I had brought some GU as well as water (but I didn't put any ice in it so it was all warm by this part of the run) but didn't have any emergency money with me. I started to pray that someone was watering their grass. I wasn't in trouble, but I could feel my energy level falling off quickly.

I had a bit of an up-hill climb and for me it was my Heartbreak Hill. I was beyond happy to get to the top of that hill and I was on a 1:00 break when I got to the bottom. I'm now on my 8th lap and all I wanted to do was walk, but I knew if I did that I wouldn't be able to get moving again. So I did what I could to just keep moving forward.

I saw a man power washing his house and I actually considered asking him to hose me down. Ya, it would have ripped my shirt and most of my skin off of me, but it would have helped cool me off. He never saw me, so I had to keep moving on.

On my last lap I thought I heard a sprinkler in the distance and considered altering my course to see if I could find it but I kept moving forward. I see a sprinkler but it's in the middle of the yard. Do I dare run through it? While it would have given them a hell of a story, I decided I should just move on.

I've used up the last of my water, I'm about 7min from home, I need to just push thr.... what's this! A sprinkler right at the edge of the street!!! Sweet cold H2O! I dip my hat into the water and soak it and then dunk my head into it for a few seconds. I had a spring to my step for the rest of the run. The cold water running from my hat to the back of my neck was amazing and I finished the run strong. I kept my pace under 10:00 and even had a nice stretch of around 8:00.

A great run, but I'll be hurting tomorrow.

Monday:
I needed to pull my paint leg of my left leg to just get myself up the stairs. Making dinner was a struggle and thankfully by the time I got to work my groin was tight, but not painful anymore. My legs barked at me all day to remind me of my run. The lesson has been learned, take it slow, there will be time for speed work later in the year.

Diet Focus

2011-06-04T05:52:00.003-05:00

As I've been running more and with my loss of body fat, I've been focusing more and more on my diet. The change in my diet over the past 4 years has been a slow transition.
1. Increase workouts
2. Removed calorie dense/processed foods
3. Cutting portion sizes
4. A well balanced diet

This wasn't a quick change, but something that happened slowly. My weight started at 210 and I dropped down to 185 with little problem by just starting to workout as I had in the past.

Next I began to watch what I was eating. I stopped eating so much junk food at work, but I was still snacking a lot at home and the result was no weight loss. I decided that I was just eating to much and that I needed to cut my portion size. Doing this resulted in a huge weight loss of 185 down to 170.

I'm now in the final step of eating a well balanced diet. I have a form that I keep every day with 16 type of foods that I need to eat every day (i.e 2-4 helpings of Green Veggies, 2-3 of Whole Grains etc.). This form has helped me keep on track. If the food isn't covered on the list it's considered a cheat food. I need to be better at recording when I "cheat", but things are going in the right direction.

The one thing that I've been struggling with is my alcohol in-take. It isn't an insane amount, but I've been struggling with if I should cut it out of my diet completely. So I've been doing some research regarding this and this is what I've found:
1. Moderate drinking (4 drinks or less for men, 2 or less for women) can help you live longer and cut the risk of death by 18%.
2. Reduction of inflammation and increase HDL.
3. Reduces the chances of Heart Disease.
4. The type of alcohol doesn't matter, but to much negates all the benefits.

So what is to much? According to the Mayo Clinic one drink is:
-- 12oz of Beer
-- 5oz of Wine
-- 1.5oz of Spirits (80 proof)

Now for me, 4 drinks would be to much for me. My upper limit is 2 drinks and I try to keep it at that. With my diet log, I record my alcohol intake with my food. This helps me keep track of what I'm having and how much and thus keeping me on track.

Just some thoughts that I wanted to share.

No Weight Loss, But...

2011-06-02T09:44:00.002-05:00

As I was taking my shower this morning I felt a little different, lighter. It was an odd feeling and I'm not really sure how to describe it. I looked a little lighter around the mid section so I decided to jump on the scale. I had a "cheat" night last night, so my weight was at 168, but my body fat was at 18%. Now this scale I don't really trust with body fat since I've seen it bounce from 20-22% in a day and I'm not sure that that's physically possible.

But I've seen my bf consistently going down and the way I feel and look tells me that something positive is happening. I think with the combination of the change in my diet as well as consistently running for 4-5 weeks now is starting to show.

I'm currently looking to get some compression gear. Compression is the latest craze in the sports world and I've heard some positive things about compression socks for recovery. There are some questions if compression actually works, or if it's a placebo effect. I've been fighting some DOMS issues the past couple of weeks, and after my two runs in less then 8 hours, I think I want to give it a try.

I must say that it was nice getting my run done yesterday morning because it seems as if I have 2 rest days (yesterday night and today). I'm looking forward to having a good comeback run on Friday morning with as bad as my run was yesterday.

FAIL...(But Not Really)

2011-06-01T09:39:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting over the weekend, but just a bit overwhelmed with trying to deal with getting a new vehicle and dealing with everything from the accident.

My 45:00 run on Saturday was a great run. My average pace was 8:25 and I felt as strong as ever. Sunday's run was a bit of a different story. It was a 5x15:00 (1:00WR) with an average pace of 9:11. Not a bad run at all, but just a bit of a let down after doing so well the day before. I had checked the battery on my watch before I left and it said I had 32% left, more then enough for the 1hr 20min run.

However at 1:10:00 I get a warning of a low battery and then the watch shuts off. I ran the rest of the way home, but I missed the stats as well as about 5min of running. Overall it was a good run and I was shocked with how far I'm able to go and still feeling good (7.66mi that day).

Tuesday I should have been up early to do my run, but I decided to sleep in (not sleeping well again) and I did my run in the evening. This run was a 3x15:00 (:45WR) and it went well. It was a very windy day here so I was having a tough time running into the wind as well as getting a face full of dust.

The down side of this run hit me this morning when I got up to do an hour run at 0415. I had less then 8 hours between runs and I could feel it. First I didn't do a proper warm up and that set me back a bit during the early parts of the run. Second, my legs were barking at me starting at mile 3. My pace for the 5.89mi run was 9:46/9:30/9:42/10:01/11:11/9:48.

Once my legs got warmed up I was doing well, but then the wheels fell off and I had to start walking. I was able to catch my second wind on mile 5, but still had to walk the last 3min or so. The plus side of this run was that I:
1. Got out there and did it despite no desire to do it.
2. Completed the hour run even though I wanted to quit around 45min.
3. Was able to catch a second wind and break through the wall.

One of my biggest concerns is hitting the wall during the Marathon. I really never hit any big walls in my Triathlon races, and I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to fight through it. This was a good test.

I have a Scotch tasting that I'm going to today and a nice rest day tomorrow.

0608 Wakeup Call?

2011-05-27T10:08:00.005-05:00

I saw a commercial this morning for 5 Hr Energy and the guy is having a hard time getting out of bed at 6:08AM. I'm up regularly at 4:00AM, have done a run, had breakfast and am surfing the Internet, watching ESPN and drinking a cup of coffee at 6:08AM. I've seen this commercial several times and it just hit me today.

It was another cool morning and I wasn't looking forward to the run in the cold. Again, I thought about getting back into bed where it was nice and warm. I have a movie coming today (Run Fatboy Run) and I really want to lay down and watch it tonight, so the run won out.

Besides being cold, I like the morning runs. There are less cars out on the road, and thus that many fewer drivers to watch out for. I'm safe when I do early morning or late evening runs by wearing a reflective vest as well as a red flashing light on my waist. But nearly every time people get attracted to the shiny stuff and drive right for you.

The run was a simple 3x10:00 (:30WR). My energy level was low and I didn't do nearly enough of a warm up, so by pace was a slow 9:47. But since I got it in this morning I'll be able to relax a bit tonight. Maybe a quick trip to the gym and then movie time with the wife. Speaking of Karina, she is doing really well despite the accident. I thought she would be hurting much more then she is, but she's doing great.

This will be a buys weekend. We'll have to buy a new vehicle, and we're going to a baseball game as well as a birthday party this weekend. We'll need new car seats for the kids and that shouldn't be a big deal, just more money out the door. Two runs again this weekend, with a long run on Sunday.

I'll Run Tonight

2011-05-26T11:07:00.002-05:00

Well Karina was in a car accident last night coming home from work, so my workout took a back seat (a bit of a pun since the trunk was in the back seat). Karina is ok and the kids were not in the car, so we are lucky and all we need to replace is the car.

I was able to get my run in, it was just late. I ran 6.63mi in an hour and I was very surprised that my average HR was 147. I'm amazed how far I was able to go. I should have done an out and back, but I wasn't feeling up to it. So I just ran around until my hour was up and walked the rest of the way home as a cool down (maybe 5min of cool down). I'm also shocked that I was able to fall right asleep when I got home. I did have the runner's high, but sleep won out.

Called in sick today to take care of all the insurance stuff. We'll be out some cash with having to buy the new car as well as new car seats for the kids, but we'll get some kind of reimbursement. Good thing today is a "rest" day.

Praying for Sun

2011-05-25T13:28:00.003-05:00

Well so much for my morning run. I woke with no motivation and a bit stiff in the legs. It was a cool morning (40s) and I really didn't have the motivation to do a warm up, so I got back into bed and decided to do the run this evening. Not a big deal, but that just means that I won't be able to watch Mythbusters like I wanted to, but it was my decision.

I have an infected right ring finger that hurts like the dickens. I was doing some yard work yesterday and I'm sure something poked me and infected it. I'm not worried about it, and don't even think about it until I brush it against something. I've started reading Ultra Marathon Man hoping to get some of my motivation back. I know that it's work that's just beating me down right now, but bills need to get paid. Wish I could just walk in and quit, but I know that this isn't a reality, and where else can I get paid and blog.

One hour run this evening and I hope the sun is out!

I Remember this Thing Called the Sun

2011-05-24T15:24:00.003-05:00

And I haven't seen it for some time. I had an ok run today. My legs are a little sore and so are my calves from the 7.3mi run on Sunday. So I took it nice and slow (9:44) and got in my 3x15:00 (:45WR).

I was thinking of going to the gym today, but the grass needed to be cut desperately and some other yard work had to get done. So I got all that done and spent the rest of the day trying to relax. I'm hoping to get some of my motivation back, but there's just so much that has to get done around the house and at work that I just never feel as if my head is above water.

An hour run is scheduled for tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to watching Mythbusters tomorrow evening. I'll get my run in in the early morning and that will give me the evening to watch some TV. I'm looking forward to my off day on Thursday.

Week One in the Book

2011-05-22T20:29:00.002-05:00

A great first week.
Distance: 25.32mi
Time: 4hr 10min
HR: 139
I'm considering not recording my cool down since it will sqew my average HR numbers. I started having some symptoms of DOMS yesterday, but no real issues today. I ran my furthest distance in years today (7.30mi) and it felt really good. The one thing that I've tought myself is to have a detailed schedule. This was one problem that I had with my Tri training and this Marathon schedule has reinforced what I need to do when I continue with Triathlons.

I was very happy with my splits in my 6 laps (8:24/8:58/8:49/9:17/9:31/9:11). Ofcourse I started off fast and got into a good rhythem and kept it around the 9:00 pace. My legs were barking at me during the last lap, but I felt good.

For now I'm off to bed and a rest-and-recovery day tomorrow, then back at it on Tuesday. This week I'm going to focus on not increasing by more then 10% on my time, getting to the gym, and continuing to keep my diet on track.

3x15:00 (:45WR)

2011-05-21T12:19:00.002-05:00

Between storms I was able to get out for my run. The streets had a good amount of standing water, but no rain, just a mist. As with my Wednesday run, I see another runner right out of the shoot, so I start off with a 6:00 pace and yes, that is way to fast. I do this for a quarter of a mile and finally come to my senses and back off to about an 8:25 pace. My 3 spits were 8:33/9:14/9:14. I finished at 5.30mi and 50min.

I had a bit of right calf pain right from the start, but that may be due to me coming out to hard. Overall I felt great and I'm ready for tomorrow.

Motivation Issues

2011-05-21T06:08:00.002-05:00

I've been having a rough time at work and thus my motivation has been directly effected. On the plus side, I've still been getting my runs in. This is a good sign of things to come since I know my motivation will increase along with my runs becoming longer.

Another rainy day here in Minneapolis. I'm planning on doing my run around 10:00 or so and it will be only a 45:00 run or so. I'm no longer having the fear of suffering any kind of an injury. I'm having some minor aches during my runs, but nothing that I haven't had before when training for triathlons. So it's nice not having that fear anymore.

30 Min Run

2011-05-20T20:10:00.002-05:00

A very easy run today. I was planning on doing a run or the gym this morning, but I had to take some NyQuil last night and that killed me for the morning. On the plus side, I got 9 hours of sleep last night.

A bit of rain this evening, but I got a good run in. A 3.57mi run in 34min with a 4min cool-down. I didn't bother with the warm up since I'd been moving around so much today, that and I just don't like warming up.

Two more runs left for the week.

Two Runs, Two Days

2011-05-19T15:49:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted. Here are my last two runs:

Tuesday 5min WU/CD, 3x10:00 (:30WR)
Time: 41:32
Distance: 3.61mi
Pace: 11:29

This run had a lot of walking in it and with it being such a cool morning (I ran this at 4:45AM) and I was also beginning to fight a head cold, this run wasn't the best effort I had. But I still ran around a 9:57 in my 3 10min splits. A good first day training run.

Wednesday 5min WU/CD, 45:00
Time: 53:00
Distance: 5.53mi
Pace: 9:34

I was really fighting the head cold today, but I was feeling better when I went out on this run. I hate the warm up and gave up after 3min and just started my run. My splits were: 8:07/8:50/9:19/9:08/8:27. I would like to keep these splits a bit more consistent with each other. So usual, start off strong and after the first mile I realize that I need to slow it down.

I was happy with the next three splits, but then the high school track team was out on the road with me and I couldn't let them stay in front. After passing them and jump starting my heart I had a 8:27 split.

Overall I'm very happy with my runs and how I've been feeling. My diet was going well until today when I slipped up a little. Not a big deal, but I like to keep my cheat days to good food that's bad for you, not what I did today which was bad food that was bad for me. Lesson learned.

Today was a rest and recovery day and I have an easy 30:00 run tomorrow. Due to my schedule and this cold, I haven't been able to hit the gym this week. I'm hoping to overcome that by getting in a session tomorrow.

And on the First Day He Rested

2011-05-16T16:35:00.002-05:00

This is without a doubt the hardest part of training. Wanting to get out there, but it's a rest day. We're having some amazing weather here today and I'm excited about getting to my plan, but the fact is my plan is being followed by resting.

I got OK sleep last night, but not as much as I would have liked for a rest day. I had a class on the other side of town and had to get up early to leave early for the day. My diet has been amazing today. There were donuts at the meeting (of course) and I was able to say no to them all day. I'm worried that they will bring beagles tomorrow and that may just crack me.

So my official starting weight is 167.2 and I'll be checking that on a weekly basis to be sure that I'm not losing to much weight. I'm going to be increasing my calorie count with this new diet, so I'm not anticipating a big drop off. Slow and steady is the planned course.

Tomorrow's workout will be done before the break of day. It's a 3 x 10:00 with :30 WR and a 5min WU/CD. What does that all mean? A 5min Warm Up (WU) with 3 10min runs (3 x 10:00) and 30sec Walking Recovery (:30 WR) between sets. So I'll update tomorrow.

Ready to Run

2011-05-15T13:15:00.002-05:00

Had my final prep run today. A good 4.82mi out-and-back run. I had a great pace going out, and when I came back the head wind let me know why my splits were so good going out. Such is the nature of an out-and-back.

I have a training on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. It will make things interesting in the opening days of the training season, but not a big deal. My workouts for the upcoming week are obviously light, but I'll be putting in more time this week then I have any of my past weeks.

It's funny. Four years ago you never would have caught me running like this, or exited about it. I was 210lbs, and while I loved to work out, I hated to do runs. Rollerblades, Bike, Skateboard, anything with wheels I'll take, but I hated to run. Now out of the three Tri sports, it's the one I like the most. How things change.

Two Days Left

2011-05-14T12:48:00.002-05:00

I'm almost at my first day of the 20 week training program that I'll be doing for the Twin Cities Marathon. I got in a nice run this afternoon. It was a 3.82mi run with a pace of 8:13. It's much faster then I wanted to be going, but as I was running I began to think, because what else are you going to do mile after mile? I felt good, I didn't fell as if I was pushing myself to hard and I liked where my leg turnover was at. So why force my body to slow down if this pace is slow for my body?

So I kept a great pace for the entire 3.82mi. I'm excited about what I can do. Maybe a 7:30 pace is possible? I'm in such uncharted territory that I just don't know. I'm looking forward to this voyage that I'm going out on.

Tomorrow will be another run and a gym workout, then it's game time sports fans!

Rest and Recovery

2011-05-12T05:54:00.000-05:00

This is one of the two hardest days of the week. After a couple of good days of workouts, today is a hard day to just sit around and not use my legs. I understand the benefits of it (muscle recovery for one) but it's still difficult.

THe plan for the rest of this week is a weight workout tomorrow, then back to back runs again this weekend. I'll also get in a second weight session. Once that is done, then I'll begin looking ahead to next week. My schedule is already written, but I'll work out the detials of when I'm going to do the workouts.

I've been updating how I work my logbook. I'm a number guy, so I've been placing my numbers into an Excel spreadsheet. I'll take those totals and do an end of the week summary. I'm also taking daily notes that I'll incorporate into that end of week summary.

As for my diet, things are going well. I haven't grazed at all and I haven't had any late night snacks like I had in the past. I think I may initially go through a bit of a weight gain since I've increased my callories and I'm doing about the same as I have in the past physically. Once my training gets going I think I'll begin to lose some of the weight that I want.

More to come this weekend.

Great Slow Run

2011-05-11T20:24:00.000-05:00

Today's goal was to take it nice and easy. With a run in yesterday, and only getting 5.5hrs of sleep last night, I wanted to be sure that I wasn't taxing myself to early. So I took this nice and easy.

Most of my run was around a 9:30 pace. I was feeling good and I decided to go to a nice flat stretch and open it up back to the house. The last .25mi of this 2.43mi run I ran around a 6:50 pace.

Tomorrow is a rest and recovery day. We're having some issues with one of our cars, so we'll have to take a look at that, but I'm hoping that I can put off doing the grass until Friday.

PS: I was at the MN Twins game today. There is no reason for a 9 inning game to go almost 4hrs. Great weather though for once.

PM Run Yesterday

2011-05-11T05:52:00.001-05:00

What a great day here yesterday. Would have been a good day to stay home "sick" but I was still able to enjoy the nice weather. Some bad storms were rolling in, so Karina kicked me out of the house (in a nice way) and I was able to get in my 3.55mi run.

My legs felt a little heavy during the run, but that makes sense since I did a weight workout in the morning. I was also feeling a little winded, but that may also be due to the AM weights.

I haven't decided how I'm going to incorporate weights into my training yet. I think I'll do a leg workout on Tuesday since that will be my light run day. The other two weight days will focus on upper body as well as core work. I'll see how this goes over the next two weeks.

Gym and Run

2011-05-10T06:04:00.002-05:00

Early morning at the gym focusing on the legs. I was going to do a run also this morning, but it's going to be in the 90's today (FYI we had snow here on May 2nd). So I really want to get outside and get in my run in the nice weather.

My new diet plan worked well yesterday. Less grazing and I took in some better calories. It's going to be a strugle not snacking at night, but I think with me giving myself two nights to snack on anything I want will be a positive motivation to not do it on the nights that I'm just looking to graze.

More tonight on the run...

Done with Basketball

2011-05-09T06:04:00.002-05:00

If you saw the Lakers/Mavs game yesterday that's all I need to say. Punks.

After not getting a lot of sleep over the weekend and back to back runs (6mi) I got a good 9.5 hours of sleep last night. It was much needed and I feel much better this morning. As for back-to-back runs, I'm doing very well. I have minimal leg pain and nothing in my knee or ankle. I'm not officially training yet, but this is a good sign of things to come.

I'm also starting my diet this week. I eat very well as is, but I'm looking to improve on what I'm doing now. I graze too much and snack to much in the evening on foods that aren't that healthy and that is the big change that I'm looking to make. Overall I'd like to drop down to 160 and drop body fat.

On that note, I was going back through my old workout log (pre-Triathlon). It was a 2007 log and my first goal was to lose 25lb in the year. That goal loss would put me at 180lbs according to my notes. I wish I had pictures of myself, but it can be done. Since 2007 I lost approximately 40lbs. I didn't think I looked that heavy, but I do remember laying in bed and thinking that I felt heavy. This weight loss took 4 years (10lbs a year) and not overnight like you see on The Biggest Loser.

So get out there and do something. Don't count calories, it's to difficult. But you know what is healthy and what isn't. Eat more healthy foods then non-healthy and you'll be on your way.

One Week to Go

2011-05-08T13:17:00.002-05:00

Starting to get excited to get into my daily training. I did a 3.25mi run at a 9:10 pace. I felt good during the run and could have kicked it into another gear and also could have gone longer, but that's a good sign that I had a good pace going.

I had a very sight pain in my knee as well as my ankle. Nothing that I'm concerned about, but something that I just want to note and keep an eye on. Overall I feel great. I'm a bit nervous about 20 weeks of training, but I have a plan in place and now I just need to stick with it.

One more week before it officially begins.

Early AM Run

2011-05-07T06:07:00.002-05:00

Got up nice and early and got my run in. It was a nice morning and I saw only 2 cars out during the entire run. I was able to slow it down a bit (9:34 pace). It also helped that my legs were still tired from the gym workout, and that encouraged me to slow it down.

A slight change to my schedule, I'm running the Gopher to Badger Half-Marathon instead of my Duathlon. I would like to get a race in this year with Lisa, but I think with my bigger goal to finish the Marathon, the Half is a better fit in my training plan.

Still trying to keep myself from going out to hard and strong since I'm not even in prep period for my training. Just over a week away for the start of my season.

Trying not to Run

2011-05-05T09:46:00.002-05:00

I've been enjoying getting out and running, it was difficult for me to take the day off, but I know it's a must. I'll be hitting the gym tomorrow to lift some weights then back to back runs on Saturday and Sunday.

Rashard Mendenhall has no Brain

2011-05-04T08:26:00.002-05:00

I'm taking a bit of a turn here with this blog, but I must post on this. Mendenhall's first tweet was:

"What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side ... "
Ok, I'm not sure if Mendenhall actually went to class when he was at Illinois, but I've seen Bin Laden speak on several occasions. He was sending out videos on a weekly basis after 9/11. And second, what is his side? This entire tweet is moronic.

His second tweet was:

"We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style."
Ok, he's a conspiracy theorist. Like they said in the South Park episode, "25% of people are stupid". But this is the tweet that he deletes later in the day. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

Now onto the important maters in life, racing. I ran 3.54mi yesterday at an 8:43 pace. I felt as if I was going much slower, but my speed was up. I need to work on going slower over the next couple of weeks.

I also hit the gym this morning and I now need a plan for the gym. Since I switched gym memberships, I was trying to get used to the machines and where they are at. Now that I'm comfortable with that I need to have a plan. So I'll be working on that tonight so I have something in place for Friday.

To help build up to my scheduled Marathon plan, I'm going to take Thursday off and run on Saturday and Sunday. That will give me 3 runs for this week. I'll do 4 runs next week, then I start my plan that has me at 5 runs a week.

Getting Ready

2011-05-03T08:47:00.002-05:00

My official first day of training for the Twin Cities Marathon is May 16th, but I've been doing some ground work the past couple of weeks. Getting in 30min or so of running 2x a day with 2 days of weight lifting. My goal is to do one duathlon to help encourage me to keep on the Lisa (my bike for those who don't remember her name).

My goals for this season are:
1. Finish the Twin Cities Marathon with a time of 4:00:00.
2. Get my weight down to 160lbs (I'm between 166 and 168 now depending on the day).
3. Keep to my training plan (I've had some issues with this in the past).
4. Two bike rides and Three gym sessions a week.
5. Have fun.

I'm glad that I've decided to do this Marathon. I'm not as excited about this as I am about Triathlons, but it's a move in the right direction until I'm able to get back into it. I still have Ironman on my mind.

It should be an interesting start to my training season since I have a meeting that's on the other side of the cities for the first 3 days and then Karina is out of town the following week for 3 days. Should be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to it.

Back and Better then Ever

2011-05-02T08:34:00.002-05:00

It's been some time since I posted. I've been trying to decide if I'm going to have a 2011 Triathlon season. It's been a long and difficult decision, but I've decided not to race in Triathlons in 2011. Several reasons came into play.

The cost of the gym was beginning to add up and without a pay raise for a 4th straight year and gas nearing $4 a gallon, we needed to free up some funds.

Time was a huge issue. I wasn't able to make the gym on a regular basis and with the swim being my major limiter it was going to put added pressure on my time.

Raising twins has put a massive amount of pressure on me as well as taking away from my time.

So in the end I realized that something had to give and decided to not race in 2011. To make everything easier I've decided to race in the 2011 Twin Cities Marathon on October 2nd. I never thought training for a Marathon would be easy, but after training for triathlon, I believe that it will be.

Much more to come on this developing story.

Run, Slip, Run

2011-01-03T05:51:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was one of those days to remember for the rest of the season. I had no desire to do any kind of workout yesterday. But I got out of the house, put up with the near 0 temps and got in a run. Or was it a slip?

We had a bit of a thaw here then rain, sleet and snow interchanged. Thus the streets were a bit slippery, but the sidewalks were horrible. So I spent most of my time on the street taking it nice and slow. The important part of this workout was that I got it in.

A quick note on loss of fitness. I did a 30min bike ride at the end of last season and my numbers were:
Distance: 6.33
Avg Speed: 12.7
Avg HR: 119

I did the same 30min ride on Saturday and my numbers were:
Distance: 6.10
Avg Speed: 12.2
Avg HR: 126

I know that there are many other factors that I'm not getting into here, but looking at the HR is a huge indication of what kind of fitness I had after a year of training. I'm slowly getting reved up for the season, still trying to get up for the swim though.

Log Work

2011-01-02T08:05:00.002-06:00

In past years I've used the paper and pencil method for doing my log. Overall I found that I did this very little. I would have a couple of weeks of good recording, but fall off. This year I've placed my log on a flash drive so I could always have my log with me and I can record more easily.

This week was a trial period for me to workout some of the problems. So far it is looking good. I'll work on it some more next week and that should get me ready for my first Prep Period.

As for last night, I got a horrible nights sleep. I'm not sure what was keeping me up, but I just couldn't get myself to sleep. As a result I'm very tired this morning and very low motivation to do a workout. My scheduled workout today is a light run, so I should be able to get it in even with the low motivation.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T07:37:00.002-06:00

Not much to report. A light bike ride today and a kid with pinkeye as well as an ear infection. I'm ready to get into my training next week, still some concerns with the swim, but I'll have to nip that in the bud when I come to it. No real motivation to type today...

Rough Start

2010-12-28T12:08:00.002-06:00

Well once again the wife was right. She thought it would be to much to start my training the same week of her surgery. I thought I would have some more time with her parents in town, but with 20inches of snow on the ground, they were late getting into town and I was responsible for getting all the meals ready and taking care of the kids at the same time. Needless to say I ran myself into the ground and am now sick thanks to the kids.

So I'm trying to re-evaluate my 2011 season. Do I still want to or have the motivation to do a Half Ironman, or do I stick with the Olympic distance? Right now I think that if I'm going to have any kind of a season at all I'll need to focus on doing the Olympic Distance and save the half for another year. My concern is that I'm not going to have the drive to continue the training that is needed for the longer distance and that I won't race at all. Right now the .9mi/25mi/6mi seems much more reasonable.

This is going to take some time to figure out, so I'll continue my training (or to be more truthful, start my training) and look at my plan and make a second one for the Olympic Season. Back to the drawing board!

Day 1 in the Books

2010-12-13T15:53:00.003-06:00

The hardest part of the day was getting myself out of bed. Day 1 of 14 to form this new habit. I did 60min on the bike keeping my RPMs at 80 or above and my HR no higher then 140. Overall not a bad ride, just very boring sitting there.

I was also going to do a short run today, but the temp is on the wrong side of zero and not sure that I want to deal with that. On the flip side, I don't want to have to make this up later on, so since it's only 30 min I'll head out and get it in.

Swim and weight day tomorrow!

Tri Season Starts Monday

2010-12-11T08:33:00.002-06:00

I'm having some trouble getting motivated for the 2011 season. I'm really trying to work on getting my mind in the right place to begin training. I know that it takes 2 weeks to form a habit, so these first two weeks are going to be important to get ready. I know once I get started that I'll be ready to get rolling.

I got a comment on my last post regarding BMI:
"BMI isn't an effective measure of correct weight for very fit strong people. This is because muscle is heavier than fat. Waist measure and body fat are better measures for those people"

I agree completely with this statement. However, these people are already "fit" and thus their BMI is of much less importance. I'm referring to the 90% of the population who think that their weight is in the norm. I'll get more into this later.

It's been some time since I posted last, so I wanted to drop a quick line, but I'll be posting much more once my training gets under way.

60 Degrees in November

2010-11-09T11:59:00.002-06:00

What a past couple of days. I did a run yesterday and I'm trying to think of some kind of an outdoor activity to do today. I'll be doing a swim tomorrow and I'm off work for the next four. Thursday morning I'll do weights and another swim on Friday. My swim kit (paddles and pull buoy) so I'll do some work with that on Friday to get used to it.

I'm coming up with another post regarding my weight loss and some of what is fueling that is a good article in this months Men's Health called, "I Hate Fat People". So before I get into that, what is your BMI (CLICK HERE)? At my heaviest I was 27.7 and in the overweight category. When I was at what I was calling my "Ideal Weight" it was 23.7-24.4, nearing overweight, but still in the normal weight category. Now I'm at 22.4 and I was a little surprised that my ideal weight was so close to the overweight.

So what is your BMI? I'll get back to this on a later post.

Day 2, No Caffeine

2010-11-05T11:33:00.001-05:00

This is my second day without any caffeine and my head is killing me. I thought things would have been worse yesterday, but they started off well and gave me a false sense of security. Then last night all hell broke lose and I'm no hurting.

As I've said in the past, I'm not sleeping well and I'm starting to think all the coffee I have in the morning may be a contributing factor. I've attempted to eliminate my morning coffee and then I'll see how I'm sleeping. If my sleep improves I'll start having my coffee with decaf in it in the morning.

Not much else to report on. Off season training is going about how you would expect, slow, but still hanging in there.

Americans Against Food Taxation

2010-11-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

I'm up on my soap box, so get ready...

I first heard a commercial for Americans Against Food Taxation (AAFT) on the radio a couple of weeks ago. I decided to take some time to think about this as well as read some of their webpage. I have the same feeling now that I did when I first heard the commercial, “bring the tax”.

We already tax things that the Government and others say are not healthy for us (i.e. tobacco and liquor) why not food that has zero nutritional value (pop). For the record I do drink pop and this tax would impact me. So my first question is, “what nutritional value does pop have?” Can you think of anything? Right now I’m drinking a Dr. Pepper (one of my 3 pops I allow myself to have in a week. It’s a 12oz can with 150 calories, 40g of sugar with the top 3 ingredients being water, high fructose corn syrup and caramel color.

So besides the water, there is nothing of any good in this can. So why do we drink it? It tastes good and sugar is addicting as anything on the planet. Ever see a kid the morning after Halloween? They’re running around the house looking for any kind of sugar like a crack head coming down.

I have changed my initial opinion that AAFT are a bunch of quacks (some changes to the commercial would have altered my opinion). They have a great page regarding education on food that I agree with. Though pop may not be THE factor for obesity in the US (I’ll save that for McDonalds and Burger King), it’s a food that provides nothing.

I’ll leave the juice for another day since I don’t have a great opinion of it, though I do see it in the same category of pop. So for now you can assume what I said above is the same for juice, but I acknowledge that there are differences that I have not looked into.

Now for flavored milk where I’m at a bit of a crossroad because of the “milk” part of the equation. There is a ton of nutritional value in milk (milk does the body good, pass it on), but the issue comes with the “flavoring” in it. I guess here I would have some initial issue with taxing it. As opposed to pop where all the calories are sugar (approximately 4 calories per gram of sugar 40g x 4 = 160cal so not sure of where the 150 comes from the can of soda, but 10 calories is within reason for me) there are additional calories that you are getting from the milk.

So I did a Google search for 12oz of skim chocolate milk.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 12 oz

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 31
Calories 214

% Daily Values*
Total Fat 3.4g 5%

Saturated Fat 2.096g 10%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.119g

Monounsaturated Fat 1.021g

Cholesterol 10mg 3%
Sodium 208mg 9%
Potassium 578mg

Total Carbohydrate 35.52g 12%

Dietary Fiber 1.7g 7%

Sugars 33.82g

Protein 11.02g

So the grams of sugar is only 7g less, you are getting additional benefits to the protein in the milk (plus other nutritional gains). So I guess this is where you get to the slippery slope. Now we are taxing the sugar, but we are now also taxing the milk. Hmmm.

So Double D, stop dancing around the issue, where do you stand? I’m ok with a tax on it, but I strongly agree with AAFT with the education portion of the equation. The reason I’m ok with it is that there are so many parents out there that DON’T educate their kids (look at the size of them) and maybe a tax on it (or at least the threat) will make them at least educate themselves and be able to pass that on to their kids.

Imagine having to tell your kid why we can’t afford pop anymore. If the parent would tell the kid the truth (no nutritional value and we don’t have enough money to pay for that and dinner) then the kids get the idea that they need to think about what they are eating and in what amounts. But I know this is an ideal world and in reality parents would just blame someone else for why they can’t buy pop.

What I don’t agree with AAFT is the “Health Economy” argument. It’s very simple; don’t buy the product if it’s a financial burden on you! Your kid won’t drink milk unless it’s chocolate? Buy skim milk and some low sugar chocolate mix and make it yourself. You kid loves pop? This may be a good time to learn that you don’t get everything you want in life. This is ALL very simple. Calories in, calories out. Money in, money out.

Also, do you really think the pop industry will go under due to this? With all the ads and education against tobacco, I still see people smoking EVERYWHERE (especially at a hospital, and I’m talking about the guys and girls in the scrubs). I’m sure the pop industry will do just fine.

The chocolate milk, pop, McDonalds, Burger King etc. are not the bad part, it’s the amount and the lack of exercise (calories in and out). So bring the tax. I still drink my Scotch with the tax, and smoke my 3 cigars a year with the tax, and I’ll continue to drink my pop and chocolate milk with the tax. I’ll just have to think a little more about how much of those I’ll be buying in the future, and in the end it’s not a bad thing. And maybe a parent will take the time to actually talk to their kid about health eating and economics.

Swim 1 Sleep 0

2010-11-02T09:54:00.002-05:00

Well I did it. The biggest battle was getting out of bed early to be able to make the gym, and get home to get the kids and myself ready for the day. It was a success.

I did a simple 25min swim, but it was something. I'll need to buy some tools for drill work, but I know that now and I'll be making that purchase today. I started off by just getting in a bit of a warm up and then did a quick test breathing only from my left. I did 100m in 2:27, horrible. Then I did some work with breathing only from my right and noticed that once I started to get used to it that I "seemed" faster. I then did some 3 stroke breathing, but realized that I needed to work on getting the muscle memory of breathing off the right first.

So I did a test with breathing only from the right and my 100 split was 2:23. A nice 4 sec improvement that would result in saving 58 seconds in an Olympic distance race. Still not a great time, but now I have a baseline. I've done 2:10 on race day, so I know I go much faster there then in the pool, but now I have an idea of where I'm at for future tests.

I also had a great morning by getting that workout in, but I need to be careful not to burn myself out before I hit the core of the race season.

Swim, Swim, Swim

2010-11-01T13:45:00.002-05:00

I'm going to the gym tomorrow to swim. It will be a quick hour with a warm up and a heavy focus on bilateral breathing. I know that I don't rotate enough on my right side, so by doing this bilateral breathing I'm hoping to get some more rotation in. After that I may do some drill work and get home.

I'll do a second swim on Friday focusing on much of the same. I think my main problem this next season is going to be getting in enough swim time. Actually not getting it in, but having the motivation to get out of bed early to do something I don't like to do. I have some nerves about biking 56mi and running 13.1, but I know I can get in the work. I know I can do the 1.2mi swim, but I need to do it faster. I know if I can just get to the pool 3-4x a week that I'll be able to improve my swim.

I had way to much candy....

Weight Workout

2010-10-31T21:08:00.002-05:00

A very short post here. I had a good complete weight workout today with some good ab work in the middle. I still have not gotten to the pool and I have just finished my schedule for next week that will get me there 2x. I have 2 complete off days (Monday and Saturday) that should help with the motivation problems I've been having.

I don't want to have to much structure in the off season, but with my limiters in the swim, I NEED to get there sometime soon. After that I have my 2 weights and then FINALLY getting my band work in. I've been spending to much time watching the World Series.

Man, Monday tomorrow....

Monday December 13th

2010-10-28T16:31:00.002-05:00

That is the scheduled day for my 2011 training season. I've been working hard at trying to get things finalized so I can sit down with Karina and go over the plan. For now I have a 12 week prep period focusing on weights and swimming. After that I begin my increase of 10% running (total run time of 50 hrs with 12hrs in the prep stage).

I'm still working on getting some of the details down, but it's all starting to come into place. I've already increased some of my run time since I started writing this. Right now I think the hard part will be getting in enough swim work to improve without taking to much away from other activities.

Calvin has the cold Lucia had earlier this week (temp of 103.6). Should be a long and busy weekend. Hoping to get in a swim in the AM tomorrow since Karina will be home late tomorrow.

2.5 Hour Commute

2010-10-26T19:54:00.002-05:00

It took me 2.5hrs to get home from a class that I had today. I don't know how some people do that every day. Getting in wasn't bad (1hr), but that ride home was horrible. I was out of the house for 12hrs with 3.5 being in the car.

As a result I'm spent for a workout tonight. I'm planning on doing a bike ride in the AM and then watch the baseball game in the evening and practice doing the band work for swimming. Since I've never done most of these exercises before I'll spend some time getting to know them before I start putting them into my routine.

If you don't hear from me for some time, it may be because our house blew away. We must be having 40mph winds here tonight!

Good Weight Session

2010-10-25T17:11:00.002-05:00

Once Lucia was out I hit the weights. I lowered the amount of weight and focused on form, especially getting low in the squat. It was still a good workout and it helped that I did a 10min warm up on the bike. The squats have been rough without a warm up, so this will be an addition to my routine. The only exercise I missed was the 15min of ab work, but Lucia wasn't asleep long enough to get that in.

I'm hoping this will be a spring board into better things. I haven't been doing all I want to and some of it is due to trying to be careful with how hard I push it in the off season. However, I still want to be sure that I'm getting in some good workouts.

I have a training tomorrow, and there are some swim specific workouts that I've found using the bands. I may give those a try tomorrow night.

Long Weekend

2010-10-25T11:22:00.002-05:00

It was a very rough weekend here for me. Friday Lucia came down with a fever and has been sick all weekend and into today (I'm home with her right now). Then on Saturday we had a wedding and I had just a bit to much to drink. Thankfully I was ok Sunday morning, but Lucia's temp got up to 104, so we took her to Urgent Care.

Today she's still up at 104, but the Dr said she's ok, just keep fluids in her. So I'm hoping to get in a workout once she takes her nap here in 15min. I'm not sure what my plan is going to be for the rest of the week so I'll need to work on that as well. Things have been tough trying to keep up with things around the house and still get in workouts.

Doing Better

2010-10-22T08:40:00.002-05:00

My motivation is up a bit. I got in a nice and easy 20min ride on Lisa and some very light weight lifting on the legs. My plan for the day is to watch the baseball game tonight and put together 2 home weight workout plans and one for the gym. Once that is done I can begin to put a schedule together that will be weight and swim heavy for the off season.

Not much else to report on this end. I have a lot going on over the next few weeks, but nothing that is over taxing. Nice short post today...

Sleep- 8, Fatigue- 2, Motivation 0

2010-10-21T13:50:00.002-05:00

I had a hell of a morning. While I was in bed for 8hrs, I was up all night long with every sound in the house. We typically have a fan running in the bedroom, but with the temp dropping as much as it does at night, we haven't had it running as of late. For some reason last night the house was just way to quiet, and as a result I was waking up to every sound I heard.

I was scheduled to do my Masters Swim Class today, but just couldn't get myself moving this morning. I'm having some of the typical issues of not having a solid plan in place and thus losing some motivation. As a result these are my swimming goal for the next 4 or so months:

Swim 3x a week
Focus on drills and bilateral breathing
Work on swimming at a faster pace
Attend one swim class a week

I'm hopeful that this will get me kicked into gear for 2011. I enjoy setting my own schedule and constructing my own workout plans, but there is a degree of difficulty with it that is a bit taxing at times. I sometimes wonder how I'm ever going to be able to get in my workouts and help keep the house clean these next two years. It's going to be a challenge, but I know that I really need to get in my Ironman before the kids get involved in sports.

Karina is out of the house tonight so it'll be me and the kids. After they go to bed I'll hit the bike and put in 30min or so. I'm off to see if I can sign up for any of the 2011 races...

Lisa is Ready

2010-10-20T15:56:00.003-05:00

After puncturing two more tubes on Sunday, I took my wheel in to have the professionals do it. So I have Lisa set up ready to rock and roll. My weight workout was poor yesterday with some knee pain doing the lunges and some shoulder pain in the push ups. I'll give it a couple of days to see how everything goes and hit it again.

I have a swim class tomorrow that I'm not all that excited about. It's tough being the slowest in the class, but I know that that is why I'm there to help pick up that speed. If I can learn some good drills and use those at the pool on the days that I don't have class I should see a significant improvement.

My plan is to take a few more classes and then ask the instructor if she has any suggestions for what drills I should be concentrating on with my weaknesses. I'll then take those to the pool and my plan is to do 3 swim sessions a week. If I can pull my splits to a sub 2:00 I'll be thrilled.

As for tonight an easy 15min on the rowing machine to get myself back into that, and maybe some time on the bike for the fun of it.

Great Night, Long Morning

2010-10-19T09:22:00.002-05:00

Had a great night with the kids yesterday. They ran around the house playing with each other and they each had some good down time playing with blocks, books and so on. I really should have done a workout last night, but a bottle of Scotch was calling my name and I just couldn't take my eyes off Cliff Lee.

This morning was a bear trying to get out of bed. I wanted to get up early, but I was in bed a bit to late yesterday. I'm thinking about listening to the ball game on the radio today and get in a weigh workout and maybe finish off with a row.

Back on Track

2010-10-17T12:48:00.002-05:00

Well it's been a month since my last weight session (way to long) and I was able to get a light one in today. I did some work with the bands on my shoulders to help get them back in shape. I'm still having some pain in my left shoulder, but it's much less then it's been over the past week.

Right now I'm sitting down trying to figure out my week. For sure I'll do two weights, a swim (Masters Class), and a row. I'll consider a short run and some time on the bike, but this will be bonus work.

I had a rough day yesterday trying to get Lisa ready for the indoor season. I punctured 2 tubes and my third tube didn't have a long enough stem. I tried to patch one of the tubes, but completely messed it up. So Karina is going out with a friend and is going to pick me up some tubes. Wish me luck!

Karina and I are both fighting something, but it hasn't been to bad. I have a bit of a sore throat and a bit of a cough, but nothing bad. I also haven't been sleeping well (some horrible dreams), so maybe that will change this week.

Spinning My Wheels

2010-10-16T11:15:00.002-05:00

I bought a number of Spinnerval DVDs and I'm set for the upcoming winter! I'll maybe buy two more but I have a good base for getting in a good winter cycling season. I've been doing some easy spinning this week in 30min segments while watching some DVDs I got from Netflix.

I need to begin to hit the weights again this weekend. The swim instructor on Thursday had us doing some lunges at the end of the class and I'm hurting way to much for that simple workout. So today will be another light spin, and weights and a very light 2mi run. I'm hoping that this will keep my legs from hurting after the next class.

Next week will be more of the same, doing one swim class on Thursday, 2 weight sessions and some other cardio thrown in there from time to time. I think I want to start using my rowing machine more since that will help with some of my swim skills as well.

First Masters Swim Class

2010-10-14T13:21:00.003-05:00

Well as expected, I was the slowest in the water without a doubt. The instructor asked me, "So what's your experience?". So myself and a couple of others who are not up to speed worked on some drills (6x25 speed, 5x100 pull, 6x50 kick) and some lunges, sit ups and push ups to wrap things up.

I have some concerns about my left shoulder. I was having some pain before the workout and now more pain after the lesson. I'm going to try to do some exercises to see if I can help ease the pain, and if not, then it's off to the Dr. I'll wait to see how my shoulder holds up before I make a decision about doing more swimming between classes.

Tomorrow I'll work on my shoulder and do about 30min on the bike. We have an appointment tomorrow with Calvin's speech therapist, so we should have a clearer picture of what is going to take place over the next few months.

2011 Set

2010-10-13T10:18:00.002-05:00

As you can see on the left I've set up my 2011 season. I would like to do more races, but I know that I need to also be realistic. Each weekend that I'm racing is a weekend that I won't be able to sleep in and that has some added stress.

My big A race is the HIM that I'll be training for all year. I'm also looking forward to Buffalo to set a PR since that was my first triathlon that I ever did. I'm ending the season with the Turtleman since it's so close to my house and I think that will be a great way to end my 2011 season.

My first swim lesson is tomorrow and that could be interesting. It's going to be a rush leaving the lesson and getting home to rush the kids to daycare and then getting into work and taking a shower here. But with as much improvement as I need in the swim, the time spent will be well worth it.

I Keep Telling Myself it's the Off-Season

2010-10-11T12:53:00.002-05:00

But I had such a bad 2010, that I want to hit it hard now. But I know that I need to take it easy so I have something for 2011. I did a 5mi run on Saturday (a huge mistake) and a 30min bike ride today. My goal for the off-season is to focus on weights as well as swimming.

I'll be taking my first master swim class this Thursday I think. I'll then hit the gym on Friday to put to practice what I learned. I'll also do a weight session on Wednesday and Saturday. I'll keep doing some light running (no more of this 5mi BS) and biking to keep my fitness up.

I've signed up for the Tri-U-Mah in-door triathlon for February. I'm also putting the finishing touches on my 2011 plan so I can sit down with Karina and we can see if it is doable for our schedules.

Off to eat some Sushi!

2011 Season

2010-09-16T08:16:00.002-05:00

The plan for 2011 is coming along smoothly. I'm now at the point I'm trying to determine my yearly and weekly hours based on my races and race schedule. I've eliminated the Apple Du from my schedule since I've made Buffalo an A Priority Race. I didn't want to race in back to back weeks in a peak/race period.

I didn't do a weight workout yesterday do to being over tired and on Wednesday's Karina is home with the kids. So I've adjusted my schedule to do weights today and on Saturday. When I'm at my conference over the weekend and into next week, I'll get in a run and I'll bring P90X with me and get a workout that way.

Race on...

Weights Going Well

2010-09-14T05:49:00.002-05:00

Another simple weight workout yesterday. I added some weight to a couple of routines and kept the one set going. I'll have the next two workouts this week (Wed/Fri) at the same weight/sets/reps and then go up to 2 sets next week. I'm hoping this weight workout will not only help me in the hills, but pick up that .5 - 1 mph that I'm looking for. I'd like to average 23mph or so next season.

I'm looking forward to getting off this 0600 shift. I have liked it since I've been able to get the kids from daycare early and (like yesterday) was able to play with them at the park for some time.

No workout or anything planned for today. I'll pick up season 3 of the Big Bang Theory (one of the few tv shows that I watch) and sit down with that tonight. I'll also be continuing to work on my 2011 plan so I can let Karina know what kind of time commitment we're looking at for the Half Ironman.

A Great Day for a Run

2010-09-13T05:47:00.002-05:00

I did my weight workout on Friday and that went well. Still went with an easy weight and did only 1 set per exercise. I'll continue that this week doing 3 workouts total. Next week I won't have access to my weights the first two days, so I'll do 2 workouts total, but up the sets to 2 as well as an increase on the weight.

Sunday was an amazing day out. I did a 3.5 mile run and felt really good with an easy 8:40/mi pace. I've been doing runs the past couple of weeks just to get myself outside, but it's starting to get harder without a training plan in place. I'd like to continue to do one run a week to keep some sort of run fitness.

So the bulk of my plan for the week is 3 weight workouts with a couple of cardio workouts in there as well. Once again we have a very busy weekend (every weekend is busy here for the next month) and then I have an easy work week next week.