Donate Now!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Nice Fall so Far

Well, since IMLP I have not blogged that much nor have I trained a ton.  Since my last blog I have completed some more events.  Specifically Sloppy Cuckoo Half Marathon Trail Run, Pocono Ironman 70.3, NEPYA 5 Miler, and the October Lauf Fest Half Marathon.  About the only things I have done since IMLP is enjoy life, help get the kids settled into school, and try to be some what normal again.

The Sloppy Cuckoo was awesome.  I had not done a trail run in a long time, about 13 years.  This was a nice local trail run in Penny Pack Park not far from my house.  The thing most interesting at the start was trail runners are way different than road runners and triathletes, very natural.  The trail was an ass kicker with plenty of log jumping, steep inclines, water crossing, and switchback sections. The single track sections were really tough.  I knew it would be hard, but it was really hard.  Finished in 1:53:54.  Not to bad for a trail run.  The funniest part was passing a guy dressed as a banana on a soft sand section, he was dying from the heat, but ran the entire thing as that banana.

Ironman Pocono 70.3 will be a great race.  This year was the first year, and like most first year races they will learn each year.  Mind you the organization, race venue, terrain were all fine with me, I mean the locals will learn.  There were lots of complaints from locals I heard about the road closures and such.  The race organizers did everything to educate the locals, I guess some just don't read the local papers, watch the local news, or listen to the local radio.  This first year was really tough because of mother nature also.  All the rain made the course wet, cold, and disasterous.  The swim was cancelled because of the raging river.  Many people were complaining in T1, that is until the sun came up and you could see the river and how fast it was.  No more complaints!  Time trial start on the bike was ok with me but not the 50degree temps.  Cold in the A.M.

I had a pretty good race on a really hilly course.  It was in the Pocono Mountains after all.  I had done no road riding except for the Atlantic City Triathlon.  All my rides were on a stationary bike and none lasted longer than 90 minutes so I was clearly undertrained on the bike.  I had a pretty good run time of 1:47, with even splits.  All in all it was a nice end of season event.

Had a nice local 5 miler after Pocono.  Close to my house again.  Finished the short out and back run in under 35 minutes to take 2nd overall.  There must be lots of slow pokes who live near me.

The last race of the year turned out to be the October Lauf Fest Half Marathon organized by the same group who did the Sloppy Cuckoo and at the same location.  This was a road race with a short 1.25 mile single track trail section.  This came into the course at the 11.85 mile section and I knew the terrain was going to slow everyone down.  I had a great day running in 1:34, placing 23rd overall.

The finish of the year I cut way back on training and ate whatever I wanted.  I am carrying an extra 20 lbs right now, about 190 total.  Since IMLP everyone has said I look healthier now but I feel heavy and my clothes are tight.  I signed up for the Disney Marathon as way to help me shed some pounds and keep working towards a gaol of another marathon.  Before I know it, February will be here and I will once again gear up for Ironman training.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Atlantic City International

Well I have not yet written my race report from the Atlantic City Triathlon so here it goes.

Atlantic City I had signed up for pretty late.  I was still feeling a little unmotivated from IMLP and needing something to shot for in the fall.  In addition, my parents live south of Atlantic City so I had a free place to stay and figured Cathy and the kids could come with me for a nice family weekend at the beach in September.  Unfortunately, the weather was crappy and cold.  It rained all day Saturday, but was supposed to be ok for race day on Sunday.  This race was to be an ocean swim, a 22 mile bike ride on the ATLANTIC CITY EXPRESSWAY, and then a 6 mile run along the AC Boardwalk.

Standing on the beach waiting for my wave to start, the first wave in the water, I could tell the waves were getting taller and the current was moving really fast south.  The start was delayed 30 minutes because the roads still had traffic moving and closing the AC Expressway is not easy.  By the time I completed a warm-up swim I could tell it was going to be a dog fight on the swim.  I never felt a current like that.  I started a good 50 yards wide of the turn buoy  knowing I would be pushed back towards it.  

Getting out past the waves was nearly impossible.  The waves were 10 feet tall, with a quick moving southbound flow to them.  I was pushed, but past the turn buoy and it took me about 15 minutes to get to it.  I heard them start the second wave, but only saw a few other swimmers in the ocean.  The waves were going so fast and tall going southbound with the current that you could only see the swim markers when the wave lifted you up.  As I passed a lifeguard boat, I heard them say to start turning towards the shore.  I was still 200 yards from the next turn marker and was near a pier.  I didn't turn right away because I feared I would be pushed into the pier.  Once I did make the turn marker, I realized why the guards were telling everyone to turn early.  I was being pushed way past the swim exit point because of the surf.  On my way in the waves were crazy.  My goggles came off 3 different times from the force of the waves crashing over me.  By the time I made shore, I was running back to the swim exit and was informed by some ladies that the swim had been CANCELLED after the 1st wave went into the water, of course my wave.

The rest of the race turned into a Time Trial start on the bike, but I had already done the swim as well.  Standing at the new TT start line, we were already sharing "war stories" of the swim.  The bike was uneventful.  Winding road out to the expressway then a straight out and back for 2 loops.  I did have some good karma when I saw a fellow athlete with a flat.  I asked if he needed help and he said he was just going to ride in since he used both his tubes.  I rode slightly ahead then pulled over.  I gave him one of my extra tubes I had since Lake Placid.  Finished my ride back to town then hit the boardwalk for the run.

The run was a straight out and back along the boardwalk.  Nothing special except for the looks from the gamblers with all these triathletes running down the boardwalk.  It was pretty funny.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Its been a long break

Well, its been a long time since my last post.  The Ironman is long gone now, just over 6-weeks ago I was highly motivated and charging along.  Since IMLP I have really taken it easy.  I think I needed the rest and recovery.  The first week after I only walked and rode the stationary bike.  By week 2 I went for a few runs and rode the stationary bike, but I was really tired.  Then August came and I really enjoyed sleeping in past 6am.

Once the middle of August came I was settled into a nice groove of enjoying the summer with my kids, wife, and family.  I enjoyed many weekends at the beach, playing in the sand and surf!  I attended a summer reunion with old College Basketball team mates, that was great.

By the end of August I was ready for our family vacation in Corolla, NC, along the Outer Banks.  We again were interrupted by a hurricane, this year it was the beginning of the week that got cut by HC Irene.  We went with the Ellison Family again this year.  Our house had a pool and we were only 100 yards from the Ocean..perfect.  Below is our "Highlight Movie Trailer."



We returned home from vacation on Labor Day, so September had arrived.  I was ready to get back to training however, but a speed bump came along.  The start of the school year and jury duty for 3-days.  Admittedly after IMLP my motivation dropped like a brick in the water.  So I did what any normal age group triathlete does...I signed up for an Olympic Distance Tri, a 13.1 mile Trail Half Marathon, and a 70.3 Half Ironman Tri.  All this to officially end my season, if I don't decide to do the Philly Marathon in late November.

Thanks for all the encouraging comments during the past year of training for IMLP.  I am already looking forward to next year.  I will still continue to post along the way.


Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Ironman Race Week Reflections

My week in Lake Placid was awesome.  My plan called for me to leave Philadelphia on Thursday July 21, 2011 by 8:30 AM.  Before I left I did a 14 mile Bike, 3 mile Run, then went for a .5 mile swim.  Luckily, Cathy and I had packed the clothes, the in-car cooler, and cooler for the weekend the night before.  While I was training, Cathy had the kids fed, dressed, and ready to go.  Cathy was not coming with me, so I would be relying on my parents for help once I got to Lake Placid.  
It is a 6-7 hour ride so each child picked two movies and had plenty of toys to keep them occupied in the car.  We made it to a rest stop 30 minutes into New York State before we stopped for a bathroom break and to meet my parents.  We decided to get North of Albany before we ate lunch.  The ride was pretty easy and the kids were really good considering the excitement.
We arrived in Lake Placid by 3:30 PM, checked into Art Devlin’s and went over to the expo.  I knew I would not do athlete check-in until Friday morning, so I just wanted to get a feel for the town and race venue on Thursday afternoon and grab something to eat.  We walked Main Street, had some dinner, and returned to the room early to get a good night sleep since it was a long day.
Team support!
Friday I was up early with excitement.  After breakfast, my parents came to my room and we went to the Athlete’s Check-in.  Once I received all my goodies, we returned to Art Devlin’s for an afternoon of the pool and to have some Pizza from Mr. Mike’s Pizza.  The kids also had their race.  It was a perfect afternoon for a stressed out Ironman to be and two nervous parents.  Later we headed to the Athlete’s Welcome Dinner and Meeting.  The meal in my opinion was over priced and not that great, but they are trying to feed 1,900 people, so I understand and I wanted to experience everything.  The athlete’s meeting, Mike Reilly, and Matt Long were great.  I really enjoyed Matt Long’s and his story.  I had already read about him before so I knew his story, but his IMLP story was great.  The worst part of Friday was waiting for the shuttle because someone told my parents how bad the traffic was and that I should not drive, so instead I waited 45 minutes for a ride back to town from the free trolley, only a 1.5 mile ride I later found out.  Oh well.
Saturday was an early day for my parents.  I needed them to be at my room by 7 AM so I could get in my last workouts.  I wanted to swim at race time to get a sense of the conditions for race day.  Mirror Lake was pretty crowded obviously.  Everyone was burning off the stress of pre-race day jitters.  I did a short swim, 20 minutes in total then headed back to the room to get my bike.  I wanted to ride the run course, but I missed the turn at River Road so instead I rode out for 20 minutes then returned back to town and my room.  Another quick change into my running shoes for short run around Mirror Lake.
After my workout I headed to the High School Gym to sign up for next year.  Sign up for next year without even completing this year.  How crazy is that?  I was not alone however as the line was pretty long but moved fast.  The rest of Saturday I tried to relax.  We went to lunch at my parents place and took the kids to the pool.  I then returned and tried to take a nap and relax for a while in the afternoon.  I went back to my parent’s hotel to drop off the kids pj’s and other things, then grab something to eat myself.  Main Street was busy, so I just got pizza and went back to my room.  I usually would eat pizza the night before a long workout, so I knew I would be ok with that meal.  I sent out some emails, talked to Cathy, and then wrote my parents a "Thank You" note.  The note would be on the table when they came to the room before seeing me on the run course.  I thought it would be something nice for them to read as I was out on the course.
Race day was great and I have already posted that report.  Overall I was happy with sub 12 hours for my first Ironman.  Next year I plan on going sub 11.  I figured that I can knock 30 minutes off the bike with better bike training, 20 minutes off the run, and 5 minutes off the swim.  Lofty goals for 2012, but I don’t plan on being hurt next year just before.  I did not sleep that well on Sunday night.  By the time I took a shower and settled down to eat, I just could not relax enough to sleep.  I took the kids outside at 10:30 PM to give high fives to those runners still out on the course.  That was awesome.  The video is from my Mom, not Spielberg but listen to the conversation...hysterical.
Monday was recovery day.  I was up early again to get to the merchandise tent for a finishers jacket.  I knew exactly what I wanted, so I was on a mission.  The rest of the day was eat, sleep, eat, relax, then eat again.  We had tried to get into Lake Placid Pub and Brewery but that was a 60 minute wait, and my kids can’t wait that long.  We went for a nice meal at the steak house right across the street from the transition area, it was empty.  After dinner it was early lights out as we were leaving on Tuesday morning early.  
Before leaving I let Art Devlin’s know that I would be back next year, so I asked them if I could have the same room.  It was a perfect location for me.  The ride home was easy, except for when I had to get out of the car, my legs were stiff.  I was glad to see Cathy when I got in the house.  She gave me a really nice card to celebrate my accomplishment.  That night we had pizza and cold beers and I told her all about the week.  It was an awesome night for me.  The video is the finish...I hear my name at 11:52:24 on the clock.


Ironman Preparation Reflections

Now that Ironman Lake Placid is over and I survived a 27 week training program, a dislocated shoulder suffered on 6/1/11, and missed countless adult beverages, I have had some time to sit back and reflect on my entire experience.
First of all, I would have never made it to race day without the support of my wife Cathy.  I hope she realizes how much I needed her support.  She knew after the Disney Marathon in January 2011 that I would soon be shifting to Ironman mode.  Neither one of us had ever gone through an Ironman season before, so we had no idea what to expect.  We knew there would be sacrifices, but agreed it would not be done at the expense of our children.  I also tried to make sure I would be home everyday no later than 5pm.  During the winter there was the occasional time I needed to ride the trainer at night, but I tried to do it once home work, showers, and family time was over.  
Needing rest at a BBQ!
I would not have traded the past 7+ months for anything.  The entire experience of training for an Ironman is life changing.  You sacrifice so much in getting ready for the day. When it is freezing outside and you have to go for a run, you learn a lot about your dedication.  There were many mornings that I wanted to roll over and sleep in, but I always thought about having my name called and that usually motivated me out of bed.  I spent numerous Sunday mornings in a cold shed, watching some of my favorite movies riding the trainer and thinking about my life.  It was rewarding, crazy, and difficult all at the same time.  Riding a trainer for 4 hours in my basement watching NCAA Basketball games  built my mental stamina and focus in so many ways.  I developed a love/hate relationship with the trainer!
My yearly training program was written well in advance of August 2010.  Almost as soon as I registered for IMLP I began planning my year.  The races I chose all had one purpose, get me ready for Lake Placid.  Being a USA Triathlon Level I Coach has its perks.  I had access to some great resources from USAT that would assist me in preparing for IMLP.  Having 16 years experience in Health and Fitness, I have written thousands of exercise/running/triathlon programs, but never one this detailed for myself.  I also read numerous triathlon specific books, blogs, and web sites specific for Iron distance training, so I felt pretty good that what was on paper would get me to the start healthy and ready.
Reviewing my total training volume I need to be completely honest with how it went.  Not just during one block of training, but the entire year because the total training is what makes the plan work, not just one section.  I realistically missed 50 sessions of training.  Most of those sessions are considered optional or recovery sessions, but I still missed them.  In reviewing the last 84 days of training, the most important time, I missed the most amount of sessions.  Most of that was because of the separated shoulder, cracked ribs, and generally sore neck I suffered in the bike accident on June 1, 2011.  Over three weeks I missed 34 sessions of training, got slower on the run due to the lack of mobility on my right side, got weaker in my legs, and did virtually no swimming until July 5, 2011.  Would those sessions have made a significant difference, I believe so.  Would they have lead to a 10.5 hour IM, I highly doubt it.
241 Total Sessions
Swim Sessions:  47
Bike Sessions: 77
Run Sessions:  93
Weight Training Sessions:  24
Total Distances in Miles:
Swim Sessions:  64.4
Bike Sessions: 2,819.56
Run Sessions:  768.46
Weekly Averages in Miles:
Swim:  2.8 
Bike:  122.6 
Run:  33.4 
Session Averages in Miles:
Swim Sessions:  1.37
Bike Sessions: 36.62
Run Sessions:  8.26

Sunday, July 31, 2011

IRONMAN LAKE PLACID RACE REPORT



What an awesome event it was.  I have been lucky enough to be a spectator at some killer sporting events, The Master's, Final Four, LSU v Florida Football, Phillies World Series Win; but nothing was like being at or competing in an IRONMAN!

EASY TOTAL:
Swim 1:21
Bke 6:10
Run 4:07
Finally after 7 months of training!
Post race recovery

VIDEO REPORT:
Check out the video report on the Sites I like to Visit link on the left.

RACE REPORT SWIM:
Race day weather was great.  It was a wet-suit illegal race due to the water temperature of over 76.1 degrees.  You could wear a wet-suit, but if you wanted to win a Kona slot or any awards you could not.  I was not aiming for Kona or any award, so I had mine on.

I started out all the way to the right in the lake.  When the cannon fired, I took 5 really deep breaths before starting my swim.  I followed the advice of many experienced swimmers at Ironman Lake Placid and I stayed far right during the swim.  I was about 25-50 yards off the buoy's for most of the race.  I stayed there so I would not have to fight for space along the "line" of the buoy.  At times I felt like I was the only one swimming as I could not hear or feel any other swimmers near me.  I completed the first lap in just under 39 minutes and headed out for lap 2.  I followed the same plan, and stayed right again.  This time I stayed about 25 yards off the "line".  I exited the swim in 1:21:03, good for 1,500th place.  Overall my shoulder felt pretty good, only a few twinges when I would make an attempt at freestyle.  I basically breaststroked the entire race.

RACE REPORT BIKE:
I exited the swim and made the .20 mile run to transition with relative ease.  I found my swim/bike bag quickly, made it into the change tent and a volunteer immediately started to help me get ready for the bike.  Once I was dressed and ready I headed out of the tent.  The I realized I had no sunscreen on.  I made a u-turn back into the tent for that.  After the sunscreen I re-exited the tent.  A volunteer had my bike ready for me, so I had little problems getting to my bike.  The bike mount area was really congested.  You funnel down into a small area to mount you bike, and once on the bike you go down a hill with a quick left turn, so I think everyone was just being really timid.

The bike is 2 loops of 56 miles.  The first loop you can over cook yourself, then die on the second loop and marathon.  My plan was simple, take the bike easy so would have enough on the run.  The views in Lake Placid are fantastic, so at some moments, I actually sat up on my bike and took it all in, the views, the sounds of a nearby stream or river, the Moose crossing signs, and the deer in a field that I saw.

The first few miles out of town are rollers with a pretty good climb.  I got some fuel into me and made sure I started to hydrate right way because it was going to be pretty hot on the course later in the day.  I hit the screaming 7 mile down hill into Keene.  I was probably too conservative here looking back, but my plan was to try and conserve energy on this big downhill and stay in control.  The road is not completely flat so I did not want to risk a wheel wobble.  After Keene, it is pretty flat into Jay and Wilmington, only a few false flats, rollers and such so I focused on getting in fuel.  No real climbs.  Coming out of Wilmington you see the signs for Lake Placid 10 miles and you know what is coming.  These last 10 miles are tough because you know you are climbing back into town.  The "three bears" awaited me as I attempted returning to Lake Placid.  The last hill is Pappa Bear, a tough climb under normal circumstances, but at an Ironman it is really tough.  Once I conquered that last hill, I made the right turn and start heading towards Mirror Lake and the Special Needs bags.

I made the stop at my bag to get some additional food for my bike and he second loop.  I also downed a small bottle of Sprite just as a way of giving my body something different other than Gatorade, Ironman Perform, and Water.  Quickly I mounted my bike and heading towards the Olympic Oval to repeat the loop.  As I entered town the crowd really is going crazy for you.  It felt like I was in the TDF!  Now all I had to do was repeat everything.  Total on the bike was 6:10.


On the bike taking it easy

RACE REPORT RUN:
I had a simple plan for the marathon, have 26 one mile runs.  Essentially run aid station to aid station.  While at the aid station, take sponges, ice, water, cola, and then any food I think I may need.  Only start running again when I am ready.  Walk when my HR went above 155 on the hills.  Pretty simple.  My back was pretty fried when I got on the run course.  I guess after 6:10 on the bike that was to be expected.    Luckily my family was at Art Devlin's, and it's only .2 miles from the transition area so I got to see them 4 times and that provided alot of motivation for me.

The run course is deceptive.  The first 2.5 miles are easy and full of support.  Then you hit the River Road loop.  It is pretty isolated out there, not much crowd except or the local home owners and volunteers from the aid stations.  It also seems longer than a 3 mile out-3 mile in loop.  Coming back into town I walked up 2 of the 3 hills, so I could keep my HR down.  Heading out down Mirror Lake Drive is nice and shaded.  It is also where special needs bags are for the run.  I took mine just so I could get the food out of it.  I passed by the Olympic Oval knowing that all I needed to do was repeat the first loop and maintain my nutrition and I could finish in under 12 hours.  The second loop was similar to the first, just slower.

As I came down to the last mile I was hurting some.  The crowd around the finish is awesome.  As I started to pick up my pace coming down to the Oval, I was smiling and clapping my hands.  I wanted to soak it all in because it is that awesome.  When I came around the oval, I made sure I was not next to someone because I wanted to have my own moment coming around to the finish.  Right after I crossed the finish line, I heard my Dad yell to me.  They were right at the finish line and were able to see me come across.  Marathon time 4:07.
Right after the 1st lop, only 13 miles to go!
OVERALL REPORT:
It was a great experience for me.  Obviously I enjoyed it all because I already signed up for next year 2012!

My overall time was 11:52:31.  I was a little off my goal of 11:30, but I was happy because my number 1 goal was to finish healthy and smiling, and I did just that.  I had a great time on race day, followed my plan, took in all the sights, and had no lingering issues in the days after the race.  I actually felt great and better than I have after open marathons I have run.

Monday, July 18, 2011

FINAL WEEK

Well it all comes down to this.  The last week in training for Ironman Lake Placid.  To be honest I am a little worried and I am not even at the race sight.  I am only nervous that my shoulder has set my swim back to far.  I believe I'll get through the bike and run on my plan, but the shoulder has me worried.  Six weeks ago to dislocate my shoulder, and I have been working hard in Physical Therapy to bring it back, but I still cannot make the freestyle motion.  I guess I'll be breaststroking the whole damn thing.

How did the final weeks of the Prep block go?  Well I think it went pretty good.  The last 2-weeks call for 4 race intensity based workouts, and many recovery type workouts.  I think my running has finally come back because my speed, effort, and HR seem to be back to where they were pre-crash.  I did manage 6 swim session in the last 2-weeks, non longer than 45 minutes however.  Now you can see my concern for the swim.  I have 4 sessions still to go before the race, so I still have a chance.

The last 6-weeks have been a little tough because of the injury and fatigue setting in.  I am starting to feel fresh right now.  This week will be nice and easy with 4 days of workouts(with race intervals) then the race itself.  The workouts get progressively lighter each day starting Tuesday.  I'll make Friday a complete rest day.  Saturday, real light with pre-race swim, bike the run course, and finally run the final 3 miles of the marathon.  Sunday should be a great be play day!!!

On the fundraising efforts, its been a great time.  So far over $3,000 raise for special needs children.  It has really nice having all the support from so many people.  I am hopeful some additional funds come in after the event, but if it does't, thats OK, its been a great first event.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

The Princess Returns and The Taper

First of all, it was a really quite week in our house as Kristina was away at overnight camp but returned on Saturday.  She loved camp again!  We are so happy she enjoys it.  The camp staff all seemed to enjoy having Kristina with them this week.  When I picked her up to come home, she must have hugged every camp staffer we passed.

Here is Kristina with one of her "boyfriends" at camp.

Her is Kristina and her camp staffer Chantelle along with another camper Nicki.


Chantelle is from London and was great!  She really seemed to like having Kristina as her camper.   She followed our advice on how to deal with Kristina, but also used her own head and evaluated the situation.  We hope Chantelle enjoyed Kristina as much as Kristina enjoyed her.

On the training front, I am starting the final weeks of IMLP training.  This past week was week one of the Peak Training Weeks.  These weeks you perform four Race Prep Workouts spaced out over 14 days, each one having a different focus.  This workout is performed, then you have two days of recovery workouts.  This lead right up to race week Monday.  This section you are either working out at race intensity or in Zone 1-2.   I had the first one on Thursday.  It was a short bike, 45 min, followed by a 90 minute run.  The temperature outside was HOT and HUMID.  I must have lost 6 lbs on that run.  The rest of the runs and rides are pretty standard and in Zone 1-2 for HR.

Good news was I got into the pool three times this week.  I didn't push to hard on the shoulder.  I still can't do freestyle swimming so I guess I will be doing breaststroke for 2.4 miles of fun.  I was able to do a nice steady pace of 2:05 per 100.  I figured that if I can keep that pace 1:20 at IMLP is possible.

I dropped a few lbs the passed 3 weeks, now around 166-168.  I know during the taper I will get back to 172-175, which I think is a good race weight for me.  Below 170 and I feel somewhat weak, which is probably more mental than physical, since 5 lbs is not that big a deal.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Forget the Shoulder

Now that July 4th is over I need to get in the pool.  I know my shoulder is/will not be 100% for IMLP, but I need to get back in the water.  Even if I just utilize the kick board at first, I just need the sensation of being in the pool and being horizontal.  I'll try some breast stroke but not really look for speed of any real force yet.  I don't want to set myself back this close to the end, but I need to feel comfortable with the arm.

This past week was pretty good, 15 hours 20 minutes of exercise time and it would have been over 18 hours if I was allowed in the pool.  I did almost 50 miles of running this week.  That included a long 20 miler on Saturday morning in just over 2:31.  I feel pretty good with that pace and hope I am only slightly slower at LP.  The runs during the week were still slower than normal.  My ribs are almost healed, but I still don't have a full arm swing during the run and my shoulder feels a little unstable even with the tape added for support.  I did perform 2 brick runs during the week.

The bike sessions are still varied.  I utilize the trainer at work most days.  This week I split the sessions from the trainer and the road.  The long ride on Sunday was 5:11 in total time.  Not especially fast but effective since the weather was horrible.  It started to rain as soon as got on the bike.  I knew it would, having checked the weather channel as soon as I got up in the AM.  There were two huge downpours during the ride and it rained for at least 75% of the ride.  I wanted to go on the ride because I wanted to evaluate how my bike handled the rain.  The weather in LP is unpredictable in LP, so I need to be ready for anything.

On the home front, Kristina went away to overnight camp on 7/3/11.  This is her 4th year attending Elks Camp Moore.  It is a camp for special needs children and she looks forward to it each year.  The staffing is perfect for any child; 1 counselor for each child.   The camp allows the kids to experience as much of traditional overnight camp that they can handle.  Each year she attends is a blessing to us.  We feel so lucky to be able to give her this experience.  It is a special week for her.  Without lying it is also a good break for all of us in our house.  It does make for a quite house.  We all miss her but we know she is having a great time.

Monday, June 27, 2011

GETTING CLOSE

Its under 30 days now until IMLP and I can't wait.  The past week my shoulder has slowly started to get better.  Still not allowed to swim, but the Physical Therapist thinks it should be OK to start and swim by July 1, 2011.  That will only give me 3 weeks to test it out with some long swims.  I know I will not be getting any faster, but I need the endurance to get through the swim.  One good thing is that my arm can almost straighten all the way, I have only a minimal bow in it right now.

This past week I logged 12:46 in total time.  This included the 2nd Big Day workout in my plan.  I feel like my running is getting back to where it was before I got hurt.  I figure maybe by July 4th week I should be back to the times I had seen at the end of May.  I still have limited range of motion in the shoulder, so I don't have much arm swing and you need that when you are running for speed.  The pain is pretty limited and I only take over the counter medicine before I workout.  I started Physical Therapy on Wednesday and our plan is range of motion exercises until July 1, then try to get it stronger for swimming.

This was the first full week the kids were out of school and they started camp right away.  Emma and Kristina are in the same camp, and Conor is in a little kid camp.  This gives Cathy a nice break in her day to have some alone time and take care of herself.  Emma really help Kristina at camp because there are some things the staff cannot do, like help her out of a bathing suit or be in a bathroom stall with any child, so Emma takes on that responsibility.  Its alot for an 8 year old but she says she is ok with it and doesn't mind.  We hope she means it and she does realize that Kristina needs help certain times.

My Big Day workout was Saturday this week.  First thing is that on the bike first, there is more traffic on a Saturday than Sunday.  Especially around the shopping centers with Home Depot and Lowes.  It was a good workout and dress rehearsal again.  I felt good and my shoulder seemed OK.  My nutrition was basic again, every 30 minutes rotate Gu, Clif Bar, and Banana.  I had 3 bottles of Gatorade and AquaCell full of water, and drank when thirsty.  That seemed just right for me, no bloated feeling or GI fatigue.

The run was a little tougher.  My shoulder really didn't want to loosen up after the rest from the bike.  The weather was perfect, so I can't complain about that.  On the run I was feeling pretty good on my legs, the shoulder was different.  After 75 minutes I realized that I still had not finished my 20oz of Gatorade, so I fear dehydration was already on me.  After 11 miles I stopped inside an indoor ice skating rink to fill up with water.  Good plan, but I drank it all in the next mile, 20oz of water in 8 minutes.  I stopped again in the next fast food place I passed, in the next mile.  Another refill and bottle empty within a mile.  Good thing was I was just about home at that part.  I stayed pretty close to my goal pace of 8 minute miles.

Overall I felt pretty good about my effort on this workout.  Over 7 hours in total.  Saturday night I ate a reasonable meal and washed it down with a few cold ones at our friends Brian and Nicole's house.  Brian had just returned from 2 week in Europe, Hong Kong, and the Middle East for work so he had some great stories.

Sunday was the Philadelphia Triathlon.  I was registered to race but obviously didn't because of my shoulder.  I think I could have, but IMLP is my goal and didn't want to risk it.  I signed up to volunteer, so I went down and did body marking and helped at the swim exit.  Now I now how the volunteers feel at all the races I have done.  It was great, many people thanked me and were glad to hear me say "Your out of the Water, smile."

Monday, June 20, 2011

Weekend Report

Well now that I am back on the training wagon, still no swimming however, I finished a nice strong weekend.  Saturday we had 3 base/softball games so it was an early wake up call.  The plan was for me to take Kristina to her last Challenger Baseball game and Cathy would take Emma and Conor to their games since they are at the same park and overlapped slightly in time.  Big busy day.  Saturday night we took Cathy's Dad out for fathers day diner.

I think I started my run Saturday morning at around 5:45 AM.  I do love running that early because it is so peaceful and much cooler.  It took a while to get my shoulder loose.  The pain is still pretty intense and it forces me to be much slower right now, but it forces me to be down at race pace on long runs.  This was the first long run that I took some Gu along and made a pit stop to buy some extra Gatorade.  It came in handy.  It was a 16 mile run in 2 hours, 40 oz oz of water/Gatorade, and 2 Gu's.  It was pretty warm by the end and I was dripping with sweat when I got home.  I followed Cathy's request and took all the dripping sweaty clothes and hung them outside in the yard on the clothes line.  This way I don't stink up the house.  Overall it was a good run.  My ribs/shoulder still hurt when I run, but it is getting more manageable.

Sunday I planned to ride for 5 hours, covering as many miles as I could.  It was more of a test of my shoulder than anything else.  It was also a chance for me to rehearse my nutrition plan for Lake Placid on the bike.  Overall I felt pretty good.  I didn't cover as many miles as I would have liked, around 85, but my shoulder held up pretty good and my nutrition plan did not revolt against me.  My route was nice and rolling with some good steep climbs, steady climbs, and rollers; trying to simulate what I may encounter in LP.  The nutrition I tried was basic.  Every 30 minutes alternate between a Gu Product, Clif Bar, and Banana; rotate all 3.   This should give me plenty of fuel for the bike and the run, without causing stomach fatigue.  I also had my Aquacell full of water and had three 20oz bottles of Gatorade in bottle holders.  By the time I was done the ride, my water/Gatorade was just about empty, and I still had 1 Gu and 1 Clif Bar remaining.  I ran 2 mile OTB just as a way to check my leg turnover.

After the ride and run, I celebrated Father's Day with my gang.  I got some nice new grill utensils, the movie "The Fighter", and the best gift from Conor:  a pair of Batman boxer brief underwear.  He was so happy to give them to me.  He said I could wear them when he wore his Batman pajama's to bed.  He thought we would be super hero's together.  It was perfect from a 4 year old boy.  We then went to a family BBQ at my Uncle Gene's house.  He has a nice house with an in-ground pool.  The kids were in the pool all day, and the cool water felt great on my legs.  I ate so much and never felt full.  I guess the 5 hour ride will do that to you.

Here is Conor jumping into the pool and onto a float.  Its a new swim jacket so he was happy!

Friday, June 17, 2011

TGIF

Thank god it the end of the week.  My legs are smoked from hitting the training hard.  Just like when you have not exercise and you start, all muscles are sore and rebelling against you, thats how it is right now.  I finished the week pretty good and I am starting to turn the corner on the shoulder.  I got 3 good runs in and 3 good trainer sessions.

This weekend is an easy plan.....long, slow, & steady.  Saturday will be a 2 hour plus run if I am feeling good.  I'll do 16 miles at minimum and possibly 20 if I am feeling good.  Saturday afternoon, I need to do an easy 20 mile recovery ride.  Sunday calls for a long 5 hour ride.  This will be the first ride of that length, and the first real ride since I dislocated my shoulder.  I am anticipating that it will hold up.  It is feels unsteady, I'll cut it short.  I don't need any setbacks right now with it.

Happy Fathers Day to all the dad out there!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Back at IT!

Ironman Lake Placid is fast approaching.    I feel like I can still have a great time and race well even with the shoulder injury coming at a terrible time.  I will focus completely on bike and run until the arm feels good enough to push the swim.  I ill not sacrifice a set back in my arm just to try and swim slowly.  I had a good couple days.

Monday I only did the stationary bike.  Tuesday I was able to get in 10 miler in 1:17.  Not my slowest 10 mile run.  Not bad considering I was fighting the pain in my ribs, and having virtually no right arm swing.  I'll take it.  Wednesday was better.  I still don't want to risk a setback in the shoulder, so I rode the trainer bike pretty hard, HR at 135.  After the ride I went right out for a BRICK run of 6 miles.  The run felt better today than yesterday.  Faster and less pain.  Hopefully I have turned the corner.

Below are pictures of my helmet from the crash and my 2010 Philadelphia Triathlon Jersey that the ER had to cut off me when I arrived there after the crash.  Make sure you always wear a helmet.


Monday, June 13, 2011

42 Days to go until Lake Placid

Its only 42 days until Ironman Lake Placid.  I have not swam, biked(stationary bike doesn't count), or ran since 6/1/11 because of the bike crash and dislocated shoulder.  Last week I did ride the stationary bike at the Y everyday for an hour or 90 minutes to try and maintain my fitness level.  I now fear my fitness level dropping like a boulder in the ocean.

I went to Eagleman with my daughter Emma over the weekend.  We had a great time just the two of us.  It is not often I get that much time with her alone, so it was great.  She was a real trooper through it all.  I was totally brought down at athlete check in when I told them I was not racing, and they took all the numbers and bib out of my packet, I guess thats when it really hit me.


Camping was exciting, especially since neither one of us had ever done it before.  It was really great when the 90-minute thunderstorm passed through us and we had to retreat to the car for shelter.  Once the storm passed us by I went out and dried the inside of the tent so we could sleep.  It was fun for us both, no TV so we sat and talked about all the stuff 8 year old girls like.  We also talked alot about how people will treat Emma since she has a sister with Down Syndrome.   She shared stories with me of time she was teased or felt embarrassed by Kristina.  I shared stories with her as well.  I tried to tell her that it will not get easier for her and some kids don't understand what it is like to have a brother or sister who is diffent.  It was a great 2 hours for me.  This was us right before I declared "lights out."


When we got home on Sunday morning, Emma didn't want to stay for the whole race so we left after the pro's exited the swim, I tried to go for a run.  I couldn't run because of the pain still in my ribs.  So instead I walked for the 1:10 workout.  I figured the walk was better than nothing.  I plan on testing the shoulder with a bike ride on Monday morning.

PS--tried to ride my bike on the road this AM and lasted less than .25 miles.  The shoulder felt fine, the bike didn't.  The handle bars seemed "shakey" and the rear tire seemed off.  I went to the Y and rode the stationary bike for an 1 hour then came home.  I took the bike to Guy's Bicycles to have them look at it.  The head mechanic fixed the handle bars and said my rear tire just had a "worn out" section from when I locked up my brakes in the crash.  He handled both the issues for me for free.  I guess when I walked in and the owner says "We were just talking about you the other day, about your crash", the mechanic felt like they owed me one.  The are super nice at Guy's Bicycles and I am a good customer for them.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Big News from the Orthopaedic Surgeon

Well I went to my doctors appointment today with the shoulder specialist at the Orthopaedic Surgeons office today.  It was the classic "I have good news and I have bad news appointment".

The good news was I do not need shoulder surgery.  My injury is a 2nd degree shoulder dislocation at my AC joint.  No torn ligaments or broken bones in my shoulder area.  All the pain in my ribs is residual pain most likely from bruised ribs.  That will go away over time.  The treatment plan for this injury is a sling, pain medication, then physical therapy.  Not to bad considering how hard I hit the ground.  The injury could last a month.  Not good considering IMLP is in 6 weeks.

The bad news is no real training for 2-weeks.  No swimming for probably 3-weeks to a month.  Not until I have full range of motion in the shoulder.  I can ride a stationary bike or trainer as long as I can tolerate the pain, but no aero position yet.  Running will be more difficult. I can run, but only as long as I can tolerate the pain from the motion of my arm swing and the bounce in my step.  This means NO EAGLEMAN this weekend.  I was really looking forward to that race especial since Craig Alexander and Miranda Carfrea are going to be there.  Not because I think I can out race them, but it would have been neat to be in the same field as them.

Since I won't be racing I am still going to attend.  Emma and I are going to make it a weekend for us.  I am not sure how she will handle the camping portion because she is the typical 8 year old princess.  I think she will be ok, but who knows for sure.

My plan now for the next week is to get better.  I will listen to what the doctor told me and rest the arm as much as possible.  I am going to try the bike, and if that works I will stay with the bike and just log miles and fitness improvement that way.  Its not perfect but without swimming or running yet I know the bike can help maintain my fitness level, and help improve my bike endurance.  This will also force me to clean up my nutrition since I won't have the luxury of workout to burn off junk calories.

I am really upset about the injury.  Just when I thought the training was going great and Eagleman was on the horizon as a good test and warm up, I flip my bike and dislocate my shoulder.  I guess I need to get over it and focus on what I can do about it.  Train on the bike as much as I can and once I can run then run.  The swimming was going to be my limiter no matter what.  Now I need to refine the bike skills and get faster on the road.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

CRASH

Yesterday I had a major crash on my bike just .3 miles into my ride.  The short version is I flipedp over my handle bars while braking.  I opted to brake rather than get hit or hit the trash truck that cut in front of me.  He said he did not see me, but he never stopped at the end of the driveway he was coming out of to make the left turn.

Anyway I flipped off my bike, landed on my head and right shoulder and laid in the street before crawling over to the side, and I really mean crawling.  They called 911 for me because I knew I was hurt.  Thankfully they took me to the Hospital I work for so my care was great.  Without much details, I have a 2nd degree dislocation of my AC joint in my right shoulder, cracked my helmet (thank god I was wearing it), and scrapped up my right shoulder blade pretty good.  No broken bones on the X-ray's, but I see an Orthopedic Surgeon on Monday afternoon to rule out torn ligaments and surgery.

Eagleman 70.3 Triathlon is next weekend 6/12/11, and I doubt I will be able to do it.  If I can't, I will turn the weekend into a camping trip for me and Kristina.  Hey, its a chance to see Crowie and Miranda race.  This has been my biggest fear during training, getting hurt and I can't race.  It is a real bummer right now.  I am trying to keep my spirits up, especially since I am not allowed to work while I am injured.

Ironman Lake Placid is the goal and my A race for this year, so If I have to miss some time and skip Eagleman, than so bee it.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Big Week Over

Well I finished the big week no worse for the wear.  I finished at 17 hours and 28 minutes of exercise time for the week.  Without a doubt my highest week of the training program so far.  I finished the week with my "Big Day" yesterday.  I won't lie, it was an ass kicker.  The logistics of the day were made easier because Conor and Kristina's games were cancelled becasue of the Memorial Day Weekend.  We only had to worry about Emma, and my sister watched Conor to make it easier on Cathy so she would not have all three kids by herself while I am out training again.  Thanks to my sister and brother in law for watching Conor for me.

Summary of "Big Day Workout"
I tried to wake up at the time I will on Ironman Lake Palcid morning around 5:15am.  For a meal I had a Clif Bar at 5:30am, the a Gu at 6:45am.  I started with the swim right after 7am.  I maintained a nice even pace of just under 2:00 per 100 yards.  I think at Lake Placid my adreneline will make me faster, but in the pool by myself I was shooting for under 2:00 per 100, and I made that goal.  After the swim I ate a PB and J sandwich and drank some Gatorade, then put my feet up until 9:30am.  I felt good during the swim and think I can hold that pace for all 2.4 mile in LP.  If I do that, I should be able to complete the swim between 1:15 and 1:20, which is my plan.

I was able to get on the bike by 9:35am.  I had a multiple loops planned to get in the 4:30 I was shooting for on the ride.  I used my house as the main point, then planned on loops from home, just in case I needed to stop at home since I had never gone that far on the bike before.  Overall the bike was good and I learned alot.  During the first 1.5 hours I got a flat, I had a chance to practice changing a flat on the side of a busy rode.  Now I just have to remember to get another tube.  I thought I had enough fluid with me but I had to stop and buy some extra.  It was really hot and humid, so I went through alot of fluid.  I went through three 20oz bottles of dilluted Gatorade and a 64oz Aquacell bottle.  When I stopped I bought another 32 oz Gatorade and a soda.  I was feeling a little stomach fatigue from the gatorade, so the soda was a good change.  Fuel: I was well prepared I think.  I took in 300-400 calories per hour between Clif Bars and Gu.  I feel like I had enough nutrition to help me on the ride and prep for the run.  When I got done with the ride, I got home, took a quick shower, then put my feet up for a rest.

The run was tough.  I had eaten mostly light after the bike just like I would do at LP.  I ran with my 20oz water belt on filled with Gatorade to start.  At mile 6 I went into a Wendy's to refill with water.  I was keeping about a 8 mph pace during the entire run.  After 75 minutes, I had to run past my sister's house and refill my water bottle again with water from her garden hose because she was not home.  It was a quick pit stop, as it had just started to rain and felt so good cooling me off. As the run came to a close I could really feel myself running out of energy.  I had not eaten anything on the run and probably needed to.  Lesson learned.

Overall I think "Big Day" #1 was a great training tool for me.  It let me know how my body would respond to some of the stessors of an IM, not all of the however.  It is boring being out there for 8 hours alone.  I will be eager to see how much more energy I have during an event.  Eagleman 70.3 is in a few weeks so that is my next good training tool to check my progress heading into LP.

Recovered all day today with good food at my parents house at the beach.  I took the kids to the Boardwalk and spent time riding the rides, playing games, and people watching.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Good week going on

So far its been a really good week of training.  I am at 10:19:36 in total time.  I say this because tomorrow is my first "Big Day Workout" according to my plan.  Big Day is 1 hour swim at race pace, 90 minute break to eat light and recover, followed by a 5 hour bike ride at race pace, then another 90 minute break to eat and recover, then finish with a 2 hour run at race pace.  It gives me a chance to take in 8 hours of training at race pace, practice my nutrition plan, and see how my mental state is during the day.

This is a critical workout and I skipped going to the beach so I can get it in.  I already have 2 good swim sessions in, 30 miles of running in, and over 70 miles on the bike.  I am sure I will be glad when its over.

Check back to see how it went.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Riding a good groove

Last week may have been my best week of training to date, over 14 hours of training.  The weather has picked up, so I am getting outside for rides more often.  I put a dual water bottle holder on the back a few weeks ago and am having trouble keeping the bottles in it.  It seems after some good bumps the bottles start to move up than drop out on a really good bump.  I guess I need to adjust the angle of that thing because I hate stopping to retrieve a bottle after it falls out.

I am in a point in my training program that calls for more race specific workouts, so thats my focus right now.  It was a tough week to stay disciplined.  Cathy had oral surgery on the left side of her mouth and it really has knocked her out.  She can't eat or open her mouth too much, so all she eats is jello, banana, pudding, all soft stuff.  I had to be Mr Mom a bit once I got home from work so Cathy could go and rest and take her pain medicine.  Thursday and Friday it wasn't so bad because I workout in the early AM, and swim in the afternoon after work.  The weekend was tougher.

All three kids had games on Saturday, so we had a tough decision to make on Friday night, how to be in 3 different spots at about the same time.  Thank god for some rain because Emma and Conor had their games cancelled.  Kristina still had her game so I packed everyone up, left Cathy at home to rest and went to Kristina's fields.  Kristina plays in a challenger league, so I like when Emma and Conor get to see some of the other kids playing, it really shows them how much fun "other" kids can have playing sports.  Once we got done the game, we went to the playground at the fields for about an hour, good daddy time for me.  We had a nice afternoon.

When I got home I told Cathy I had to go for my 2 hour run.  I could not miss it.  I put a movie on for the kids, I figured I would get home when it ended.  It was a good run, 16 miles in under 1:54.  I did this run around 1:30 pm, I usually run in the early AM, so this was different; hot and humid.  Later that night I had to go to a graduation party for one of my cousins.  It was a late night for me and the kids as we did not get home until 11PM.  Luckily I stayed away from the bar most of the night.  Cathy stayed at home resting.

Sunday I rose early and went for a 3:30 bike ride.  I covered around 62 miles during the ride over a hilly/rolling terrain.  I am making sure I pick routes that are hilly to rolling, as IMLP is one tough mother of a bike.  I started the bike around 6am and ended and stretched by 9:50AM.  Again, I was Mr Mom.  After I ate some breakfast the kids and I went to the movies to see Rio.  Cute little movie for kids.  At one point Emma pushed my arm and said "Daddy you are snoring!"  I think I dozed off for like 10 minutes.  I wore my compression socks to help aide recovery, and they worked pretty good.  I am still not sure if I will wear them during workout, but after I think they help.

This is a important week coming up.  Normal workouts planned during the week, but on Saturday is my first "Big Day" workout.  Big Day is 1 hour swim, followed by 90 minute break, followed by 5 hour ride, followed by 90 minute break, and finally a 2 hour run.  I can't miss this workout so I think we will be skipping going to the beach for Memorial Day Weekend.  I know my parents understand.  Plus they live in a beach town, so we can go when ever we want.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Off to a good start!

Well I am off to a good start this week.  On Monday, I did a nice upper body weight session followed by a 30 minute walk session.  I just wanted to flush my legs some from yesterday's ride, so I did a little walk.  My program calls for a day off and weights are optional, but I needed to do a little something.  I figured getting 60 minutes in was a good thing, even though it was very light.

Tuesday started back into a regular training week.  I am in week 2 of Build I training block.  I went for a nice 10 mile run in the morning rain.  People at my work must think I am crazy when they see me heading out for a run in the rain.  I decided to go out in the rain even though I am battling a nasty sore throat.  I figured once out there and I am wet, I can't get any wetter.  And besides what if it rains on race day.  I need to know how my feet will hold up and what clothes to wear.  My pace, speed, and HR all were within my normal 10 mile run range, so the rain did not slow me down.  I wore my normal running gear except for a shell jacket that is water resistant.  On my way home from work I stopped at the Y for my swim workout.  Sometimes I think the other swimmers in the pool think I am slow.  They don't realize this is my 2nd workout of the day.  I swam for 45 minutes, going 1.5 miles.

Wednesday I have the day off from work because Cathy is having a medical test done, so I need to be Mr. Mom.  Kristina also has her IEP today at her school, and I need to get to that session.  It is still raining/drizzling so I went for a 40 mile (1:36) session on the trainer followed by a 8 mile run OTB.  I am amazed that my run time OTB seems to be just as fast as my stand alone run time.  I guess the bike really has my legs ready.

Kristina had a great IEP.  She is way smarter than Cathy and I give her credit for.  Her teacher says she is such a good student and follows her directions well.  We have some life skills to work on this summer, tying shoe laces, zippers, buttons, etc but all things considered she is doing great.  Much more than any doctor had told us she would be able to do.  After all some doctors had warned us she may not make it through the birthing process.  Now we are trying to prepare ourselves for puberty.  Good luck with that process for me.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Getting Back on Track

Now that the Golf Outing is over, we raised $7,200 for Our Lady of Confidence Day School, a school serving special needs children, I am getting back on track.

Friday I helped end the week with a swim at the Y (1 mile) and when I got home from work I went for a nice 18 mile bike ride.  I really did not want to swim because I was still beat from the Golf Outing, but forced myself to go and I was glad I did at the end.  The bike ride, I only had to convince Cathy that I would get home for dinner.  I did.  Saturday I went for my longest run in a month, a 14 miler in the early AM.  We had such a busy Saturday, that I was on the road before 6AM.  My Garmin 305 was not working, so I ran without a pace watch, just my Timex HR watch, so ran soly based on HR and not speed.  It was a good run to do like that since I know the 14 mile route very well.  After that run, we had 3 kids baseball/softball games in 3 different locations.  Cathy had a bridal shower for a cousin, so I had to fend for the last 2 games alone.

Once those games were over, I had promised the kids some daddy time.  They chose McDonald's with a playground.  I said ok, as long as it was the one next to the bike shop I frequent, Guy's Bicylces.  This way after lunch we could go in the shop since I needed a get a rear mounted water bottle holder for my Felt B16 bike.  I had a planned 3 hour ride Sunday and wanted to break it in on the ride.  Saturday night, Emma still had to attend a birthday party; so that made it 4 activities in one day for 3 kids.  While she was at the party I still could not get my Garmin 305 to turn on, so I went to Best Buy to purchase a Timex Global Trainer GPS.  They were selling it for $359.00, but online it was $249.00, so I printed the online price and went in to get it.  Of course when I got home from picking up Emma I was eager to play with the new Timex GPS.  As luck would have it, my Garmin was now working, I guess the battery was  so low it needed time to charge.  I returned the Timex watch on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday was my longest outside ride of the year, a good 3 hour ride over hilly, mostly rolling terrain in a cool misty rain. Could have been easy to roll over, but it could be like that on race day.   My training plan called for a 3-4 hour ride and I did the lower end as to not over train this week.  I finally crossed back over the 10:30 hours for the week in training time.  It was 4 weeks since that happened.  Now that my life has calmed down some, I fully expect to crank it out now.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The End is Near!

The end is finally coming to an end.  The past 3 weeks have been really crazy/busy in my house.  It all comes to an end with our Annual Golf Outing.  The outing raises money for a school that teaches special needs children.  We hope that this year helps us surpass $30,000 raised to date.  The school, Our Lady of Confidence Day School, must use the funds we provide to them for their Tuition Assistance Program.  This ensures that those student who need the help with their tuition can get it.  The weather looks great for Thursday, May 12, so we hope to have a great day.

With the golf outing finally passing by, I can now get back on track on the training front.  I am a little tired from last weekends 50 miler, New Jersey Devilman, but am getting through it.  I ran a 10 mile in under 1:10 today on very heavy legs and a real tight right hamstring.  Thursday is a planned day off and I am looking forward to it.  Once Friday comes its balls to the walls with the training plan.  I need to start logging long miles on the bike.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

New Jersey Devilman Done

Just a quick not about today's race.  It was the New Jersey Devilman in Cumberland County New Jersey.  This was my first event of the year in triathlon for me, so I was eager to put my training to a bit of a test.  The event is advertised as a Half Lite 50 Mile event.  Below are the splits.
Swim .80 miles
Bike 40.3 miles
Run 8.8 miles

My GPS total were off big time.
Swim .80 miles
Bike 41.18
Run 9.10 miles

I know my GPS is usually off some from the total, but this seemed a good amout.

I have realized I am just not that comfortable with the swim.  I seem to run out of gas or get a lazy with the free style stroke.  I revert to breast stroke to quickly.  I need to get past this and need to figure out why I do it.  I guess I just feel better with the breaststroke because I know I can do the distance without killing myself.

The bike was ok.  I thought I would go faster, but on the return loops we had a good headwind that slowed me down to 18 mph.  On the out loops I was at 23 or 24 mph.  I think I had a good plan for nutrition on the bike, 2 Gu's and half a Clif Bar, 30 oz of Gatorade and 10 oz of water.  I needed to experiment  this because I have Eagleman in a month.  I thought I had enough fuel in my system to finish, no bonking or fuzzy feelings.

The run is by far my best event so I did ok.  I passed alot of people on the run and had the 23rd fastest time on that part.  I averaged 8.7 mph, so around a 7 minute mile.  Only needed 1 Gu on the run and a diluted Gatorade of 20 oz.

Truthfully I was around 14 minutes slower than I had anticipated, but am still happy.  I was aiming for 3:15 as a stretch and under 3:30 to be confident in my training program.  The event was well run from Piranha Sports.  Nice tech shirt and hat as swag, normal stuffing otherwise.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Tough 2 Weeks are Over....84 Days!

Well its 84 days until Ironman Lake Placid, 42 days until Eagleman 70.3, days until New Jersey Devilman 50 mile triathlon and first of the year for me.  According to Joe Friel's book, Your Best Triathlon:  Advanced Training for Serious Triathletes these are the most critical days leading into an Ironman.  Admitidly having never raced this distance before, I have jumped into Joe's methods and philosophy.  I am a certified Personal Trainer, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Sports Performance Coach, and USA Triathlon Level I Coach, but I learned so many valuable tips for Ironman training in this book.  After reading it, I had adjusted my training plan to follow Joe's outlined Ironman plan and Bobby McGee's Run Workouts for Runners and Triathlete's pretty closely.

The past 2 weeks have been pretty poor on the training front, each week logging only just over 10 hours and missing 3 or 4 sessions in total.  We have been really busy with baseball starting and some home improvement nightmares are finally being resolved, still need to go to small claims court however.  I know these are weak excuses, but they have thrown me off the training plan slightly.  I am not a "pro" or "elete" triathlete, so I still try to be a good dad to 3 small kids.

The crazy 2-weeks ended yesterday with Emma's First Holy Communion and party.  She had worked so hard the past few weeks to get ready, and looked beautiful on April 30, 2011.  Below are some pictures of me, Emma, and Cathy before the ceremony at church.


Here is Emma and Kristina before we left for the church.  Kristina turned 11 this year and Emma is only 8, so you can see how small Kristina is which is a typical for a Downs kid.  Emma had a great time in church and even played an instrument during the ceremony, which she did not tell us about so we were surprised.  She really liked the party after, especially when she opened a new American Girl Doll, Kanani.  She is the Hawaii Doll.  I only wish the doll and Emma would have been going to Kona this year, but maybe next year. 


Based on some runs this spring, I know my fitness level has improved dramatically, especially running.  Since the Disney Marathon, I have PR'd 2 different 10 mile road races.  Today was the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia, a fast slightly downhill point-to-point run.  Last year I ran this race in 1:10:03, a PR at the time.  This year was WAY better.  My time was 1:03:25, which is a 10 mile PR by 00:4:40.  I was 316 out of 25,197 finishers, the 286th man, and 24th in my division.  Triathlon season for me starts next weekend with a 50 mile triathlon.  This should be a nice start to the season for me.

As May 2011 comes in, I have made a deal with my team support at home and work.  The have agreed to keep my nutritional plan in check by throwing out any food I should not be eating or drinking, like cookies (any more than 3 at a time), soda (not more than 1 in a day), and not eating out for lunch more than 2 times in a week.  This will force me to bring in fruits and salads more often.  84 days will go by really quickly if I am not careful, so I need to be focused during these final weeks.  


My goal is still to finish healthy first of all.  After that I have some time goals.  I think I can break 12 hours!  I think I may even be able to break 11 hours if its a really good day.  I have the results of a true Ironman hanging in my office, Bryan Payne.  He trains hard and party's just as hard.  I have his results hanging because it reminds me that you can train really hard for an Ironman, and still  live a great life.  Bryan's blog posting's were legendary.  Not all about training, but life and how much fun he was having, even when he was revealing his darkest secretes to his followers.  I never met him, but I followed his blogs and race reports once I found them just last summer. Thanks Bryan, hope to catch a beer after IMLP this year, while we laugh at the meaning of life!

April Totals!!!
Strength:  3.75 hours
Swim:  24,900 yards, 8 hours
Bike:  520 miles, 20:52 hours
Run:    149 miles, 17.81 hours

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Tough weeks need to end

It was another rough week on the training front.  I did pretty good during the week, even with some minor construction going on to fix our storm drain pipe, but I missed another long ride.  I was able to get in 10 sessions this week, but did miss my Saturday long ride, a scheduled 90 miler.  I have vowed not to miss another one.  This week coming up is real busy, Emma makes her first Holy Communion on Saturday, so I know I will only get a run in on that day.  I have so busy I have not logged very interesting posts, but my crazy life will settle down after this week.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

So much for a great week

Well what a crappy week for training.  Everything was going along ok.  I had planned about 14 hours or just under for the week.  But life completely got in the way and I never recovered from it.  I did manage 10.5 hours with 11 sessions, but I did miss my long weekend ride.  I am planning on making up half of that on Monday AM, and will use today, Sunday, as a complete day off, I'll explain that in a minute.

We have been having a problem with some home improvements at our house this week, so I have had to cut some workouts short or deleted the optional ones all together so I could get home early.  Friday I left work so I could met the mason and he never showed up all day.  Saturday night I spent shop vaccing our basement for 6 hours to remove water that was flowing into our house.  This caused me to miss my long bike ride on Sunday morning because I needed to sleep and clean up from all the water that was in our house overnight.  I did get in all my runs and swim, but was short on the bike.  I had planned on missing some weight sessions for longer runs or BRICKS, but not the bike.

The sessions I did get in felt really good.  I am really working on the swim, but still fear I will breaststroke most of the swim.  Some how I just can't seem to swim freestyle for long distance, but can breaststroke forever it seems.  Most of my bike sessions I am trying to follow up with some run sessions now.  My running speed is coming back with the weight dropping back down to last seasons number.

Baseball season has started in our town, so I need to really focus on getting my daddy time in with the kids.  It makes for a busy time of year, swimming classes, baseball/softball, and training.  I think I need to be cloned right now.

Weekly totals:
Weights:  .75 hours, 1 session
Swim: 2.45 hours, 3 sessions, 7,700 yards
Bike: 2.69 hours, 2 sessions, 66 miles
Run:  4.65 hours, 5 sessions, 38.93 miles

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Rest and Recovery over, Base 3 starts

Last week was rest and recovery week.  Only 12 hours and 53 minutes of training time and I felt like I hardly did anything.  Most of the workouts were pretty light, except for the testing sessions.  During last summer prepping for a half Ironman I don't think I hit 12 hours often, now a recovery week is over 12 hours.  This week I am scheduled for 14.5 hours if I hit all my workouts.

My stress level has been through the roof, not due to training but due to a bad contractor that came to Brick Point our house.  It is suppose to be a pretty easy improvement, but just like most things it has turned into a disaster.  I believe the guy used the wrong cement or got a bad batch of cement because my drain is clogged with cement.  He is claiming it is not cement but rather a ball, doll, or kid toy that the cement dust could not pass through in the drain and has solidified.  I am not a mason, nor do I play one on TV, but I know what cement looks like and there are cement "drippings" all over my steps, grass, mailbox, light fixture, and wall.  I have been dealing with this since April 5 with no luck from the contractor.

Each time it rains, I get water in my basement, water flooding my back yard because that drain flows through my front drain, and water filling my front driveway.  Now the contractor is avoiding me.  Thank god I have been documenting everything in writing, photo's, and video.  I have a bad feeling that I will wind up in court.  Oh yeah and it has rained about 5 times since the drain became clogged.  So much for making my house more energy efficient.  Just one of the little things that takes away from training.

My first tri of the year is only 4 weeks away.  I really need to get outside on the bike more, but it is going to rain a few times this week.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

March 2011 Totals

Totals for the month of March 2011.  Looking back I think I had a pretty good March.  I am really trying to stick to the plan I have written for myself, which is not easy being a self-coached athlete.  We all know the dedication it takes to train for an Ironman, so hopefully the warm temperatures come soon so I can get out on the bike consistently.

I have missed some of the optional workouts, and was really sick for 1 full day.  In March I dropped 30-minutes from my strength training sessions, which is normal as you start more race specific training.  Swimming is my limiter and in March I logged 16,600 yards, or 5.5 hours.  I increased that to 27, 802, or 8.83 hours in the pool.  I always smell like chlorine it seems.  Biking increased from 332.89 miles to 486 miles.  Running went from 93.10 miles to 144.22.  I started to include specific Brick sessions the last week of March as a normal training days.

My weight is tracking down and I feel like I am regaining my speed from last season as the weight drops some.  I am down to 174 right now, and figure on race day I will most likely be 165.  At the end of March I had a 10-miler at the beach and had a nice PR.

Totals--54 total sessions
Brick Workouts--42 miles...2.21 hours
Weights--6 hours
Swim--27,802 yards...8.83 hours
Bike--486 miles...20.70 hours
Run--144.22 miles...17.41 hours