A good day!

After the Gloucester Fisherman Tri Sunday my back was at it again - that painful L4/L5 arthritic/disc annoyance that comes and goes with certain activities.

I am pretty sure I can blame this one on the over-sized backpack I loaded up for the race Sunday... it was way too heavy to be throwing on my back and riding around with. For all the years, on and off, I've been doing tris I still can't seem to figure out just what I NEED to bring with me to transition and what can be left behind at the car.

For Timberman I am vowing NOT to use the Zoot backpack but rather will opt for the USAT Timbukto bag. It's smaller and thus will force me to pack only what is absolutely positively needed... (we'll see how that goes).

So because of the pain I was having quite a lot of trouble even sitting at work and moving around the last couple of days. And because of that I missed my big Tuesday bike wkout. So today I was able to sneak out of work a little early to take ky boy to the dentist - and rather than go back to the office I multi-tasked and watched email from home while I set up the trainer on the back deck (it was beautiful out and most enjoyable) and got my 2hr BSTs in, with pleasure (followed by a 40min T-run)! Very happy about that!

Timberman is 11 days away. Not where I'd like to be with my fitness but it is what it is a this point - not much else I can do now but get the rest of the workouts in, eat well, avoid further nagging ass aches and get ready to work hard for 4+ hours.

Oh yeah, and the minor BP spill on the basement floor, the one I thought was from my Speedplay because I couldn't find anything indicting it was from the trainer (the fluid trainer... I know), well I used my other trainer today and sure enough... no leakage. So it must be the Cyclops... Hopefully I can get this fixed quicker and easier than that "other spill".

(my first thought is to nuke this bitch rather than dick around with it for a while...)


work2Bdone

2010 Gloucester Fisherman Tri

2010 Gloucester Fisherman Tri
1/3 Swim / 11.7 Bike / 3 Run
1:01:12

1st AG
6th OV AG
22 OV (with pros/elites)

Splits:
Swim (w/T1) - 10:49 (27th OV - I'll take that I guess considering includes pros/elites)
Bike - 30:08 (26th OV - NOT GOOD! actually sucks! legs were a bit dead)
Run - 19.27 (good for me at this point, not great, but didn't think had much more to give; I'll take 6:29 pace)

Next up - Timberman 70.3!

work2Bdone

How 'bout a quickie...

Scale read 185.4 this morning!

I lost 5 lbs after yesterday's brick and fully expected it to be back at 188 this morning - ate and drank well throughout the day.

Was thrilled/surprised to see 185.

Maybe we're close to something big here... Timberman IS just over 2 weeks away - will appreciate all good signs here on out!

work2Bdone

How soon we (ok, I) forget...

Been feeling like ASS the last 2 weeks...

After a great Lake Placid training weekend I returned home and proceeded to experience 2 weeks of carb-induced coma and minimal training - fatigued!
Hmmm, begs to ask the question: which came first the chicken or the egg???

The body was tired the first week back... work was very busy... and I just had the hardest time getting out of bed in the morning to train. Barely managed a few workouts that first week back - UGH!

Okay, so Coach PW says dump the Marlboro Sprint in favor of a good solid training weekend - yes! That's what I wanted!

So I set out Saturday morning looking to do a 4 hr+ ride and 40-60 minute T-Run. With an early wake-up "call" of 0400 (too early, had to wait a bit for some daylight) I set out solo for Mt Wawa (my staple long ride). Figuring I could gain back what fitness I lost the previous week in just one weekend (precursor to trouble...), I went out in Z2 and actually felt pretty good. Excellent! Let's keep it going... hills, no problemo! Motor up! No Power Tap means we'll just push, push, push. Everything seems good and it's a beautiful day! La-Di-F***ing-Da!
(dumb - dumb - dumb)

I was cruzing along with fluids and food in tow; however I did NOT practice good nutrition during the ride. I noticed at one point I was 75 minutes in and still had 1/2 my first bottle left = Half Full or Half Empty? The answer soon became clearly evident.

I got to the top of Wawa feeling fine - no problem taking on Mile Hill Road. Turned around and headed back down thinking I would put one more rep on it before heading East. Bagged that idea and started pushing home.

Well, as I should have known, the legs started to tire and the eyes started seeing stars. Damn! As fast as it came on I knew it was too late to salvage so I backed off some but not too much as I wanted to get home to crash and burn in anonymity.

This is how I used to train - w/out knowledge, w/out a plan or at least with the wrong plan. And I would wonder WHY am I tired? WHY am I sick? WHY do I need to take a year off after last season?

So not only did I wreck myself for my post-ride run but I was still trashed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday (WTF?), Wednesday (are you freakin' kidding me?!?!)... Bonking doesn't just ruin what's left of that day but clearly it affects a number of days following. I should have just drunk a case of beer and ate Doritos all weekend cuz it would have had the same ending (but would have tasted so much better!)

This is why I hooked up with PW and QT2 Systems - to learn and improve, be smart about what you do each day (eating, training) and compete at another level. I'm still trying to get to that other level but it ain't happening with setbacks like last Saturday's ride.

So we put that behind us and move on... the good thing is by Thursday morning something clicked - I wasn't expecting it when I climbed on the trainer in the morning but the 90 minute ride was effortless - and the run was strong and easy... so much so that I actually had to scale it back. I felt great again (hopefully not to be short lived...) - got home, weighed in as the humidity was like pea soup = dropped 5 lbs in the 2 hours. Figured it would all come back but as my last message read I weighed in this morning at 185.x. Whoa! Probabaly not completely "real" but I'll take it for now.

This weekend I'm heading North to race the 2nd Annual Gloucester Fisherman Tri. Janda Ricci-Munn put on a great show in '09 and it looks even better this year. Weather is set to be perfect and after yesterday's wkout I am excited again.

Then it's on to Timberman 70.3 of course...........

work2Bdone

Wiped! And other reflections...

First, great training weekend at Lake Placid:

Thurs - 6 hr bike with recov run after;
Fri - 2.4 mile TT swim (2 loops = 1:07 ish = a$ beatin'); recov ride and recov run in the afternoon;
Sat - 1 loop swim; QT2 team breakfast (carbo-load throw-down); hard 1-loop run on the run course (more a$ beatin') = knees bothered me a bit last third of the run and low back tight from all the swimming - but otherwise the L hip was strong.
Overall a great training weekend and fun to be around all the activity pre-race.

Since I wasn't staying for the race Sunday and sign-up Monday my original thought was to try and register Monday if it made it online... it didn't, for me anyway. Only thing left was community slots at $1,100. Well, even prior to that morning I pretty much decided NOT to go IM next year - the kids are still to dependent on mom and dad so taking more time to train away from time to parent isn't right for me (not at this point).

Instead, I will go back to what my plan for 2010 was supposed to be - heavy 70.3 racing (at least 3) in 2011 to build better durability to handle an IM later - if that's 2011 IM Kona then GREAT! If it's not till 2012 or beyond, so be it. 70.3 is fun, you can still go fast (-ish) and you can manage your life around the 10-20 hour training weeks. Others might say you can still do it, but for me, this is a better target moving forward. (but there still is that desire to race IM... when the time is right...).

So, continue on with the 2010 season. It's been flying by me this year as I got the late start, missed several early races and now it's August and only 3 weeks to Timberman 70.3.
Raced Old Colony with decent results (of course most of the top talent was either at Providence 70.3 that weekend or resting for LP - 'cept for Pat Dwyer, who killed it - dude is solid);
I bagged the Marlboro sprint to focus on training (that didn't' go well...) but will do Gloucester this coming weekend (good talent expected there - Team Psycho athletes for example). It will be good to see where I am among all that... only thing I'm really worried about is the 700+ athletes registered - much traffic to be expected with that many on a sprint course.

Last weekend I did very stupid thing on my Saturday ride (to Mt Wawa) - I went out hard, stayed hard, didn't properly feed/drink during the ride and ended up killing myself to the point
of bonking 3:40 into it. Damn! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! This is how I used to train (solo) and why I was always sore, sick, burning out before the end of the year and needing to take a year off... old way of dong it = NEGATIVE AFFECTS!

So not only did the bonk kill the rest of my Saturday - no run off the bike or even later in the day - but it destroyed me for Sunday as well. On Monday I STILL was feeling it's effects during my 60 minute Z1/Z2 run - felt great going out but the legs got tired at 45 minutes and for the FIRST TIME all season/year my L hip started to bother me. WTF?!?!?! Now I'm really pissed!
3 weeks to Timber, a sprint this Sunday where I won my AG last year, and now I am sore and hurting. Great - nice going jack-ass! There was a very specific reason for turning to Coach PW and QT2 Systems 2 years ago and that was to take the next step in triathlon, train right, train smart and continue to enjoy this sport for many, many more years to come (at a competitive level of course!).

So, now I will re-focus, get my sh*t together, get back on the plan and put the mistakes behind me (although I'm still sore and sluggish - lesson learned??? Oh yeah, lesson learned, this won't happen again!).

Moving on... next up is the Gloucester Sprint this Sunday. Looks like some minor course changes on the bike... and the run was short last year of the advertised distance but looks on paper to be a true 5k now (last yr just when I was ready to throw down the hammer and sprint the last 1/2 mile I was at the finish line - not this year... it's balls to the wall the whole run!).

After that its 2 weeks to Timber... not where I'd like to be in my fitness but will focus and see what happens.

Then Pumpkinman (sprint or half, not sure yet since my son's b-day is the half date and I haven't sprung it on the Mrs yet that I would be gone... oops!) - then the Baystate Marathon in October (first marathon ever...). We'll see how the body holds up over the next 2 months.

Started thinking about a race schedule for 2011 already... more later.

That's it for now.

work2Bdone

Lake Placid Training next week

Yup - very psyched to be heading up to Placid next week to do some QT2 training with coach Pat Wheeler and QT2 guru/founder Jesse Kropelnicki. I missed the VT camp last month so when this popped up and the family schedule was clear I made the plans!

I just saw Pat's blog post on the agenda ( http://pat-wheeler.com/ )... a very solid 3 days including a 6.5 hour ride (longest has been 5:20 so this will be a teat, especially since were in the hills of LP) and a 2 hr run.

It will be nice to be up there as the race is getting set to go on that Sunday - unfortunately I won't be staying for race day, having to head back Saturday night. But none the less, it will be a great 3.5 days up there with all the athletes.

I will be hooping for an online application acceptance on Monday after the race as I want to make Lake Placid my 1st IM! Last year it sold out before going online... could mean community slot!

That's it... had a good day in the pool and a recovery run. Tomorrow includes a tempo ride (trainer) and 66 minute run with BOUNDING! (plus CORE WORK!).

It's all about Timberman 70.3 now - Mission Top Step!

work2Bdone

2010 Old Colony Olympic (FIRM)

2010 Old Colony Olympic (FIRM)

(power numbers added)
(Note: most studs were at Prov 70.3 or hanging back with IMLP 2 weeks away). Still, there was a race to be run:

2:07:06
5th OV
2nd AG
(lost 3rd OV and 1st AG by 2:58 => 3:05 on swim and 1:27 on run);
Swim - 22:38
Bike - 58:58 (24.4 mph; 251 avg watts - seems low to me but is what it is.... tried to keep around my Timber numbers for '09)
Run - 45:29

Highlights and Lowlights:

• Slow swim!
• 2nd fastest bike (on new Kestrel 4000 Pro) – behind Pat Dwyer by :21
• Slowest run of the Top 10 finishers! (but felt good in that no muscle cramping and held around 7s the whole way (6:53 avg pace)
• Had no idea JP was ahead of me so I thought 1st AG was easily mine... not the case = much disappointment = but to be expected with those swim and run times = not deserving of 1st AG or 3rd OV.
• will update with power numbers once downloaded (but think avg was 257 watts - considering the flatness of the course I would say my legs and fit are not near where they need to be...)

First race for Team QT2 Systems!

Much work2Bdone for Timberman 70.3 podium (Mission Top Step!)

WT: 189/190 race day (up from weeks numbers thanks to carboload day before)

work2Bdone

B-Day today!

Birthday today - aged up to the new group... 45-49!



Did a lot today...

• Bagged worked...


• Met with Coach PW (Pat Wheeler), recent AG winner at IM St George (Utah) = Kona slot! 2nd yr in a row. The man is on his way up up up!!! Thrilled to have him coach me!


• Thought more about the Specialized vs. Kestrel 4000... (leaning K now);


• Signed up for Pumpkinman Sprint 9/11 (70.3 on AJs b-day, cannot race that day);


• Signed up for Tim Crowley's Marlboro race 8/1 (2nd AG last yr);


• Signed up for Baystate Marathon 10/17 = first marathon on this crickety 'ol bod -- pre-curser to first-ever IM in 2011. Time to do IM LP! Who knows, maybe I get lucky with roll downs and all...


• Speaking of IM LP, talked to 2008 winner Cait Snow;


• mowed lawn and got the tractor stuck in the woods for 15 minutes (again);


• Short run;


• Finished taxes (yup, took advantage of the flood extension afforded middlesex county);


• Celebrated b-day with the family tonight = good being all together and laughing!


• Wrote this blog - first time since New Years. Said a lot back then about 2010 tri goals... work/life (excuses) kinda derailed initial plans (no IM Cali 70.3 in March or Eagleman in June); but there's always Timberman... which I still will win my AG!

That's it... off to bed.

No telling when the next post will be - but starting back up with Coach PW next week will sure to give me things to think about, ponder, pontificate...

Oh yeah, one last thing...


work2Bdone


193.5
14.0?

Happy New Year!

Good bye 2009 - Hello 2010.
2010 just flows off the tongue better, don't you think?

There's usually many reasons, both bad and good, to say good-bye to the year that's passed, like...

- my wife getting diagnosed with breast cancer and having the bulk of her recovery at the beginning of the year = BAD

- my wife kicking it's ass and hitting the one-year mark feeling great = GOOD (duh)

- having a job where you sell a service that's most profitable when companies are hiring - in a down economy = BAD

- having a company give you an opportunity to make up some of the lost revenue by the end of the year - and doing it = GOOD

- hooking up with a great tri coach to lead you through a "comeback" season = Good

- grabbing some age group hardware = Good

- crushing the bike at Timberman 70.3 and feeling great while doing so (thanks Coach Pat) = Good

- blowing up 1 mile into the run at Timberman after feeling so great on the bike and almost dropping out = Bad

- manging to run the 2nd loop at Timberman with a badly strained hamstring a mile-a-minute faster than the first loop (again, thanks Coach Pat and QT2 Systems) = Good

And on and on I could go.

But without a doubt nothing can beat having my wife sitting next to me and our 4 beautiful kids today at the movie theater, 14 months after first learning she had breast cancer. I'll happily accept the balance of nature as long as I can celebrate another New Year with her at our side.

Thank You God!

It's a New Year and a Happy, and seemingly Healthy, one so far. One day in.

Now if I could just shave a minute off my swim and nail my nutrition on the bike so I can run issue-free at Timberman this year...

BTW, we saw Alvin and the Chipmunks - the Squeakquel, today. I give it 2 thumbs down.

Thanks for reading.

191.0
10.3
work2Bdone