ironman CDA 2008

a BIG shout out to all my friends competing this morning in ironman coeur d' alene. i've been in tune with the race since the canon went off this morning at 7:05 AM. you too can get live coverage & video at http://ironman.com/coverage/?race=coeurdalene&year=2008. you can even watch live race coverage! the sights & sounds really bring it too life.

i talked with my buddy ed (he's racing this morning) yesterday & he said that CDA is awesome. he said the course was spectacular & beautiful. a good majority of the bike & run course line the lake & mountains. the weather is supposed to be great today & the water temp even warmed up a bit (high 50s still).

please join me in wishing this great group of athletes from austin a great race - they've trained hard & deserve nothing but the best from today's race:

- ed hughey
- greg edwards
- noah bartsch
- jill berman
- eryn wike
- maggie caldwell
- colleen wilson

good luck to all of you & enjoy this race day in beautiful CDA, idaho!

new kicks

i picked up my new asics nimbus 9s this afternoon. it's either a great move or a *really* bad move to be running in new shoes for my upcoming & first half ironman this weekend. trust me, i tried getting them before last weekend but timing & posted store hours for the new rogue run store (really cool place - glad to see some competition for run tex) didn't jive well. anyhow, i'm returning to the nimbus 9s after a couple of years of bouncing between mizunos & brooks running shoes. i bought my first pair of nimbus 9s back in 2004 just prior to running my first 1/2 marathon (the 3M) & they rocked & were the best pair of shoes ever. i'm really not sure why i switched to something else after i wore those shoes out. i think i was looking for something cheaper & for a support shoe versus a comfort/cushioning shoe. anyhow, the mizunos that i have now have really done a number on my feet & ankles so i'm looking forward to being back in a pair of nimbus 9s - they even match the t3 colors - white/grey/blue!

i took them for a test run as soon as i picked them up today. i had just finished lunch at casa with kristin & i needed to burn off my 4 plates worth of food. plus the sun was out & i could use a bit of a tan. they felt great, however, like breaking anything else the 4-mile run resulted in a small blister on my right foot. i figure i'll wear them on the plane tomorrow & around san diego prior to the race & they should be fine. plus i plan on getting in a short jog tomorrow or friday so come race day they should be good-to-go.

regardless, i'll berunning in them on race day - it can't be any worse than what happened at the austin tri last year when i ran without socks & zip laces for the first time. i've still got the scars on both feet & the blood stains on the mizunos to prove that it wasn't a pretty sight.

tri packing

packing for an out of town triathlon is a lot of work. i packed less for a 3 week vacation to europe. for once i can give kristin about all the stuff she's packing because i've got way more with me than she's ever packed for a trip :)

consider that i need all the goodies for an open water swim (wetsuit, goggles, swim cap, slippers, & towel), a bike ride (bike, bike shoes, tri shorts, tri top, food while on the bike, bike box (we'll talk about this one in more detail) sun glasses, water bottles, helmet, & maybe gloves), a run (running shoes, socks, visor, more nutrition - gu packs), & of course a bag to lug all this stuff around in. i'll also need some workout clothes prior to the actual race (t3 coaches say i still need to get in a run on thursday/friday & a decent bike ride). then there is the "normal" packing. i need day clothes & night clothes especially if we want to visit some nice restaurants. & of course these days no one can travel anywhere without your iPod & your laptop too.

out of all these goodies you got to bring with ya i've still got to be super good about my nutrition so we may be packing some stuff just to ensure i've got the right type of protein bars, gus, shakes, etc.

the best & most scary part of all this packing was packing up the bike. i think next time i'll definitely pay to have the bike shipped in one piece. i borrowed a bike box from my buddy ed. i was expecting the bike box to be this BIG box that had the perfect foam cut-outs for a bike. instead it's a tiny box (in comparison to what i was expecting) with basically just 3 pieces of foam inside. you practically have to take your whole bike apart to get it in there. i wasn't prepared to do this at all - thank goodness for the guys at Jack & Adam's!

even with the expertise of the Jack & Adam's crew i'm still very nervous about my bike. both wheels came off, the seat posts comes off, the pedals come off, & the handle bars come off. then the wheels are placed in the box between two of the three pieces of foam & then the bike is jammed on top just barely fitting into the box. to close the top of the box you are basically crushing the entire bike which is sort of a good thing because at least nothing (the seat & handle bars) should move around inside.

after all that work to get my new B12 & get it setup just perfectly to fit me i'm nervous about getting it put back together & having everything work/fit perfectly when we arrive in san diego. i've also got race wheels for this race that i've never been on before so i'm hoping everything synchs up well when they are put on the bike. danielle, a friend who is also doing ironman california, has an appointment for us at a local bike shop to get our bikes put together. thank goodness because i don't think i could do it right. at the end of all this we've got to repeat this entire step of breaking the bike back down & putting it back together when i get to austin. please oh please don't let anything happen to my bike!!!

off to the races now!

week 11 - CDA training in 2008

this was a solid, yet relaxed week of training. coming of the 100 mile ride & 21 mile run this weekend made anything less feel easy. i only worked out with t3 once this week - an afternoon swim & a track practice). this was my first track practice with t3 & i did enjoy the intensity & will make it a point to attend at least one every other week as this ironman training continues. i also hopped into the quarry for this first time this week on easter sunday. while the quarry isn’t as “cool” as barton springs i do enjoy that it feel more like an open water swim & i don’t have to watch out for other swimmers (head on collisions). i’m thinking it may be time for a new wetsuit – i need something a bit more “pro” than the wetsuit i got from team-in-training last year. week12 training should be interesting as it’s going to be a mix of IM CDA training & preparing (tapering) for my first ½ IM (oceanside) next weekend.

week11 CDA ‘08
mar17 – mar23

mon
- elliptical (2 miles) at pure (20-minutes)
- total body weight workout at pure (20-minutes)
- swim (1000 meters) at pure (20-minutes)
- total: 1-hour
tue
- trainer at home (1-hour & 5-minutes)
- run (2 miles) in neighborhood (20-minutes)
- swim (2500 meters) at pure (1-hour)
- total: 2-hours & 25-minutes
wed
- track (6.2 miles) workout (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- total: 1-hour & 15-minutes
thu
- swim (3050 meters) with t3 (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- spin bike at pure (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- treadmill (1.5 miles) at pure (15-minutes)
- total: 3-hours & 15-minutes
fri
- run (5 miles) at town lake (45-minutes)
- total: 45-minutes
sat
- road bike (50.5 miles) to MD & up & down 360 (2-hours & 45-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 45-minutes
sun
- run (11 miles) at town lake (1-hour & 25 minutes)
- open water swim (1500 meters) at the quarry (30-minutes)
- total: 1-hour & 55-minutes

total training time: 14-hours & 20-minutes
total run: 27.7 miles
total bike: 50.5 miles road & 2-hours & 20-minutes spin bike/in-door trainer
total swim: 5.03 miles or 8050 meters

week 10 - CDA training in 2008

as much as it pained me i took it super easy monday – wednesday while traveling to white plains, NY for work. if i really wanted to i could have worked out early monday morning before flying out & when i got back home wednesday evening. instead i let this trip & time off really F with my head & as odd as it sounds i got really depressed. the worse thing about the trip was my sleeping & my diet were both way off course. given that i wasn’t working out, i could have at least made it a point to catch up on some much needed (& deserved) Zs. kristin (thank you so much sweetie) let me make up for a “rough” trip & let me get to sleep super early wednesday night after returning home & when i woke up thursday i hit “it” hard & haven’t stopped since. i got 3 solid workouts in on thursday & on friday, saturday, & sunday i completed my longest workouts of thus far: friday – 1.2 mile (non-stop) swim, saturday – 100.5 mile bike ride in the miserable wind, & sunday – 21 mile run! also, my achilles is doing much better as a result of the daily icing, making ibuprofen part of my daily meal, & changing up my run stride (thank’s for the great advice coach mo). oh, & i (kristin too) had a great 1.5 hour massage yesterday after my bike ride. i’m also heading out to get a pair of new run shoes this afternoon because after resorting back to a 3 year old pair of asic nimbus 9s my feel have never felt better – so long mizuno wave inspire 3s.

week10 CDA ‘08
mar10 – mar16

mon
- rest – traveling to NY from austin
- total: 0
tue
- total body weight workout at hotel (35-minutes)
- exercise bike at hotel (25-minutes)
- total: 1-hour
wed
- rest – traveling to austin from NY
- total: 0
thu
- run (7 miles) at town lake (58-minutes)
- swim (2900 meters) with t3 (1:17 minutes)
- spin class at pure (55-minutes)
- treadmill (1.2 miles) at pure (10-minute)
- total: 3-hours & 20-minutes
fri
- bike trainer at home (1-hour & 5-minutes)
- run (1 mile) with payton in neighborhood (10-minutes)
- swim (2000 meters) at barton springs (45-minutes)
- total: 2-hours
sat
- road bike (100.5 miles) to san marcos with t3 (5-hours & 15-minutes)
- total: 5-hours & 15-minutes
sun
- run (21 miles) at town lake with t3 (2-hours & 45-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 45-minutes

total training time: 14-hours & 20-minutes
total run: 30.2 miles
total bike: 100.5 miles road & 2-hours & 25-minutes spin bike/in-door trainer
total swim: 3.06 miles or 4900 meters

week9 - CDA training in 2008

now that i have the b12 i can’t complain to much about biking out-doors. if i do, i think kristin will kick my butt :). this was a big weekend both for riding & running. 80+ mile ride followed by a 3 mile brick on saturday & then a 17 mile run on sunday. next weekend is even bigger & then we scale it back a bit. one concern for the week is some pain/tightness around my right achilles heel – i hope it doesn’t turn into some goofy injury that holds me back. regardless if i want to or not, next week (during the week) i am going to be forced to cut back a bit due to a work trip to NY for a few days. my goal while traveling is to stay true to a clean diet & get plenty of sleep.

week9 CDA ‘08
mar3 – mar9

mon
- spin bike at pure (45-minutes)
- run (1.70 miles) on treadmill at pure (15-minutes)
- stretching & light weights at pure (15-minutes)
- total: 1-hour & 15-minutes
tue
- bike trainer at home (1-hour & 30-minutes)
- run (3.5 miles) in neighborhood (30-minutes)
- swim (3500 meters) at pure (1-hour & 25-minutes)
- total: 3-hours & 25-minutes
wed
- run (4 miles) with payton at the lake (35-minutes)
- light weights & stretching at home (15-minutes)
- total: 50-minutes
thu
- bike trainer at home (1-hour & 30-minutes)
- run (3.5 miles) in neighborhood (30-minutes)
- swim (3200+ meters) with t3 (1-hour & 20-minutes)
- total: 3-hours & 20-minutes
fri
- run (2.5 miles) on treadmill at pure (20-minutes)
- total body weight workout at pure (20-minutes)
- swim (1000+ meters) at pure (20-minutes)
- total: 1-hour
sat
- road bike (82.5 miles) at spokes ‘n spurs with t3 (4-hours & 45-minutes)
- run (3.0 miles) at spokes ‘n spurs with t3 (30-minutes)
- total: 5-hours & 15-minutes
sun
- run (17 miles) at town lake with t3 (2-hours & 20-minutes)
- bike trainer at home as a recovery ride (35-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 55-minutes

total training time: 18-hours & 0-minutes
total run: 32.50 miles
total bike: 82.5 miles road & 4-hours & 20-minutes spin bike/in-door trainer
total swim: 4.8 miles or 7700 meters

heading to CDA on the b12

i just bought a new bike. the felt b12 is finally mine! it is gorgeous & will make me go so fast – it damn well better… good thing we sold the audi when we did :)

since december of last year i’ve taken 7 really nice tri bikes for test rides. if you are going to spend some serious cash on a bike & you plan to be on that bike a lot (say for 5+ hours at a time) you want to really take it out & ride it; not just tool around a stores parking lot.

while i love the folks at bicycle sport shop & i think they do a great job at what they do they can’t compete with a store like jack & adam’s when it comes to setting you up & getting you on the right tri bike. if you need a good road bike, mountain bike, or service on your bike definitely head to BSS – they’ve saved my butt a couple of times.

i did start at BSS back in december. i road an ’07 specialized transition e5 comp. it was a nice bike but it wasn’t carbon & it just didn’t feel all that hot. specialized has actually totally redesigned the transition for ’08 & according to bicycling magazine it’s a sweet ride. given that the transition is the only tri bike that BSS sells i headed over to J&A's put myself in the hands of the pros. right off the bat i knew i found the right shop – there’s no tooling around in the parking lot with the bike – they fit you & give you the keys to take it out as long as you need. need it for a couple of days to get some time in on it – sure thing!

my first ride was on a quintana roo kilo. i like the QR & since my current tri bike is a QR (a really old ’01 QR that i bought off craigslist – got a great deal actually) i figured i would see where seven years of technology/development had brought the kilo. the kilo has an aluminum frame, not a carbon frame & while this bike retails for $1,600 it is still considered an entry level tri bike. i got out on the kilo & while the fit on this bike was much better (J&A’s sized me for a 54 – my existing QR is a 56 (way too big)), the bike itself didn’t feel all that much different than what i’ve got. so after one long ride on the kilo i passed on it.

*** note: just like car manufacturers, bike manufactures change things up from year to year & most new bikes don’t arrive until late Q1 of the new year since in majority of states folks can’t ride their bikes outside because it’s too cold (doesn’t apply to us in texas). so J&A’s inventory was low & they, like me, were just waiting for the new bikes to arrive. ***

given that the racks in the shop were mostly empty jack set me up on a kestrel talon that had a carbon frame. kestrel is a damn good brand & a number of ironman championship races have been won on a kestrel. however, i wasn’t digging the frame or the look of this bike at all. while looks aren’t everything, when you are shelling out BIG bucks for a bike you want to enjoy looking at it. kristin has already warned me that whatever we buy i need to keep for the next 3 – 5 years so i can’t afford to make any mistakes on this purchase.

once i jumped on that kestrel with a carbon frame i knew there was no turning back to a bike with an aluminum frame. a carbon frame is just so much more forgiving on your body & so much lighter too. i told jack (owner of J&A’s – damn cool cat) that from this point forward i only wanted to ride carbon. we had a problem though - that kestrel was the last carbon bike in stock that was in my price range & until the newer bikes were to arrive there was nothing for me to test ride.

after doing some internet research & talking to friends i narrowed my search down to three carbon tri bikes that were in my price range: the kuota k-factor, the cervelo p2c, & the felt b12. all are damn fine bikes with their own little perks.

of the 3 bikes i was now shopping, J&A’s only carried two of them. they don’t have the distribution rights for the cervelo. the folks down the road, austin tri-cyclist, are the only guys in town with the distribution rights to the cervelo (jack, from J&A’s is working on this). while i am no doubt a huge fan of J&A’s, I needed to see what the cervelo p2c was all about. so i ventured down to the austin tri-cyclist shop & i have to say the cervelo p2c is damn sweet. the folks at cervelo hit a home run with this puppy. not only was it sweet, the guys at austin tri-cyclist were offering it below MSRP & they even were throwing in a package deal to include wet-suit, new shoes, new clips, & helmet for a $100 bucks over what the MSRP was on this bike. at this point i hadn’t ridden the kuota k-factor or the felt b12 (because they hadn’t come in yet) so i didn’t just want to move on the p2c without giving these bikes a chance.

the kuota k-factor was the first of the two bikes to arrive at J&A’s in january. jack called me up & that saturday we scheduled a fit & a test ride. when saturday rolled around i couldn’t wait to get down there & pick-up the k-factor. i ended up taking the k-factor on the 360 loop & back. while a nice ride, i wasn’t impressed. it was the cheapest of the three bikes i was now considering & while it had a carbon frame it just was lacking in so many other spots. i returned to J&A’s & told jack that i’d hold tight until the b12 was in.

at this point i was really getting sick of riding my QR. it didn’t fit me & i now knew what a real tri bike was supposed to feel like.

when the b12s finally arrived in early february i reserved the first available 54 (my size). i scheduled my fit for a friday night; that way i could take the b12 on a long ride with the t3 the next saturday. after work i gave jack a ring & told him i was on my way in to get my fit down. he had bad news – one of the guys goofed the scheduled & let someone else take out the one b12 in my size. i was devastated & a bit pissed because i’ve been waiting almost 3 months for this bike to arrive & when it finally did i still couldn’t get my hands on it. jack could tell i was bummed & that i was getting sick of riding my QR.

jack & i talked later that night & even though they were closing he told me to come down to the shop & he’d hook me up with something very fun to ride the next day. when i got there he had pulled the top of the line kuota kalibur off the rack for me. this was a very high-end tri bike - $4,000+ & if you add race wheels you are easily looking at a $6,000+. this bike was hot & i was looking forward to hopping on it in the morning. i ended up talking to jack for about the next hour while we dialed this bike in to fit me perfectly – no reason to ride a bike this sweet if it didn’t fit me just right. i learned a lot about J&A’s, jack, & the whole austin tri/athletic scene.

needless to say, the ride on the kalibur the next morning was awesome. i was riding the audi (i’m an audi guy – what can i say) of bikes. i was almost nervous that after being on this nice of a bike that the b12 wasn’t going to be all that i had expected it to be. it didn’t matter though – neither kristin nor i were going to spend $4K+ on a tri bike.

that third weekend in february it finally happened; another b12 in my size arrived & jack had it reserved for me. i was pumped to get out on it. unfortunately it rained the saturday & i my first “ride” was indoors on my trainer. the next day was the AT&T marathon & i crashed that race to get in my 15-mile long run. however, later that afternoon i did a recovery ride on the b12 down south with kristin around the veloway & the s. mopac loop - while only a 19-mile ride it felt good. i called jack & he told me to hang on to the bike until the following weekend so i could get a real ride on it. that next saturday the weather turned bad & i found myself indoors with t3 on the trainer for 3-hours – again, not how i wanted to spend my time on the b12. the next day, prior to our long run, ed, noah, i got in a 20-mile ride & we spent a little time on bee caves (fast, hilly, & good turns) & the b12 felt awesome! i called jack right away & told him i’d take it.

it took almost a full week until i was able to make some time after work this past wednesday to make it to J&A’s to get my official fit & actually hand over the cash for the b12. jack gave me a great deal on the accessories that i purchased with/for the new ride along with some other additional goodies for both kristin & i.

it took almost 4-months to find the bike that worked for me. never before has buying something involved so much work, yet so full of fun along the way. a BIG thanks to jack & the guys at J&A’s for working with me on this one. i am one happy client & i’ve got one kick ass bike! coeur d’ alene – here i come & i’m coming on a b12!

week8 - CDA training in 2008

this was a rough week for numerous reasons. i couldn't seem to get my diet/nutrition under control. i'm hungry all the time so i find myself eating all the time. as a result i was constantly feeling bloated & is if my belly was hanging low during workouts - not a good feeling. i also didn't get outside & ride once this week. i was jazzed about riding saturday morning but the weather went south & i found myself indoors with 20+ other t3ers on trainers for 3 hours. i did a late long run on sunday & again the weather conditions weren't favorable - strong winds & dark clouds along with a lack of food/water prior to the run made those 15-miles absolute hell. i wanted to cash in a number of times but knowing some days are going to be good & some not so good i pushed on through. the one highlight of the week is that my mileage in the water was at its highest so far - 5.25 miles! i'm really having to work my butt off to stay in the t-two lane. i still find myself muscling it more than i need to be & i'm trying to slow it down & really focus on my form.

week8 CDA ‘08
feb25 – mar2

mon
- spin class at pure (1-hour)
- total body weight workout (15-minutes)
- total: 1-hour & 15-minutes
tue
- swim (3400 meters) with t3 (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- spin bike at pure (1-hour)
- run (1.75 miles) on treadmill at pure (15-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 30-minutes
wed
- run (3 miles) around rosedale (30-minutes)
- elliptical at pure (30-minutes)
- total: 1-hour
thu
- trainer at home (45-minutes)
- spin bike at pure (30-minutes)
- run (3.5 miles) on treadmill at pure (30-minutes)
- swim (3400 meters) with t3 (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- total: 3-hours
fri
- run (7 miles) at townlake with ed (55-minutes)
- total: 55-minutes
sat
- trainer with t3 (3-hours)
- open water swim (1600 meters) at barton springs (30-minutes)
- total: 3-hour & 30-minutes
sun
- run (15.5 miles) at townlake (2-hours & 5-minutes)
- spin bike at pure (30-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 35-minutes

total training time: 14-hours & 45-minutes
total run: 30.75 miles
total bike: 0 miles road & 6-hours & 45-minutes spin bike/in-door trainer
total swim: 5.25 miles or 8400 meters

week7 - CDA training in 2008

it was nice to have a slow week compared to the hours i put in the previous week - i needed the rest. in the weeks to come i'm really supposed to begin bumping up the weekend miles both on the bike & the run. i'll also be adding some significant brick training to the weekend schedule. this week included my first open water swim & i'm actually looking forward to future swims at barton springs.

week7 CDA ‘08
feb18 – feb24

mon
- elliptical at pure (7.5-minutes)
- pure pump class (total body workout) at pure (1-hour)
- elliptical at pure (7.5-minutes)
- total: 1-hour & 15-minutes
tue
- spin bike at pure (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- run (1.7 miles) on treadmill at pure (15-minutes)
- swim (2600 meters) at pure (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 45-minutes
wed
- hill run (4 miles) + cool down on 46th (45-minutes)
- light weights at home (15-minutes)
- total: 1-hour
thu
- swim (3000+ meters) with t3 (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- spin class at pure (45-minutes)
- spin bike at pure (15-minutes)
- run (2.5 miles) on treadmill at pure (25-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 40-minutes
fri
- yoga/pilates at pure (1-hour)
- total: 1-hour
sat
- open water swim (2000 meters) at barton springs (45-minutes)
- road bike (45+ miles) the dam loop (2-hours & 25-minutes)
- total: 3-hours & 10-minutes
sun
- road bike (20 miles) from J&As to bee caves & back (1-hour & 5-minutes)
- long run (10 miles) at town lake (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 20-minutes

total training time: 14-hours & 10-minutes
total run: 22.2 miles
total bike: 65+ miles road & 2-hours & 45-minutes spin bike/in-door trainer
total swim: 4.75 miles or 7600 meters

ironman training interferes with weekend tradition

when preparing for an ironman (especially your first ironman) it’s easy to let the ironman consume so many aspects of your life. when you aren’t training, you are preparing to train. you’ve got to plan your workouts, track your progress, prepare water bottles & nutrition for each workout, pack gym bags, eat right, get to bed early, etc. weekday (mon – fri) training depending on which phase of your training schedule you are in consists of 1 – 3 hours daily. it is those weekend training days when the hours really add up & we refer to these workouts as our “key” workouts.

during these key workouts we are supposed to be ready to perform at our best so it’s imperative that we don’t overdue it during the week. the weekends are our opportunity to log both the long miles & time. we begin to introduce some serious brick (swim + bike or bike + run) workouts into these workouts too. these workouts closely resemble the actual mileage that we’ll have to put in on race day. so for an ironman we are talking 100+ mile bike rides & 20+ mile runs. while we don’t move slow, we don’t hit these workouts at race pace either which means that many of these workouts will consume 6 – 8 hours of our day. since this season’s training has begun i’ve begun to wonder – where did my weekends go?

t3, the training group i’m with, schedules our long rides on saturday & our long runs on sunday. this weekend’s schedule included a 65 mile ride followed by a 30 minute run on saturday & a 15 mile run on sunday followed by a 1 – 2 hour “recovery” ride. we normally kick these workouts off first thing in the morning so we are done by mid afternoon. we of course spend the rest of our day recovering from that morning’s workout & preparing for the next day’s workout – sounds fun huh?

for the past two sundays i’ve been fighting back! while it’s great to meet up with the group prior to each workout i often find myself running by myself at my own pace on long run days so beyond the initial meet up i don’t get much from the group. as a result i’ve taken my sunday morning’s back!

for the past 4 – 5 years kristin & i have gotten into a groove on sunday morning’s. they are our special little time to spend relaxing with one another & enjoying the simplicity of things. we’d wake up around 7:30 AM (what used to seem early to both of us – not early anymore) & make a BIG pot of coffee. when it is cold outside we will bundle up with blankets & when the weather is nice we open the doors & windows & listen to the sweet morning sounds. we’ll go through waves of making the same breakfast dishes weeks on end until we get bored with it & then we’ll repeat this cycle until we begin to get bored with the next meal. some of the longest running dishes included ham, cheese, & mushroom omelets (no ham anymore since kristin is now a vegetarian), whole wheat pancakes, buckwheat buttermilk waffles with peanut butter, even plain ole’ cereal had its run, & now oatmeal is king. by 8:00 AM we’’ll sit down together with our cups of coffee & breakfast & watch the CBS sunday morning show with charles osgood. the sound of that morning trumpet from abblasen makes me smile from cheek to cheek. CBS sunday morning is such a simple show – mostly just good hearted news with some interesting & fun facts along the way. when the show concluded an hour & a half later (9:30 AM) with nothing but a scene of nature from somewhere beautiful in this world kristin & i were relaxed & looking forward for tackling those remaining weekend to-dos.

since ironman training & beginning to bike in general i’ve missed a many of sunday morning’s with kristin. i am happy that today i was able to steal back another sunday morning during this ironman training & now that i’m up between 5:30 / 6:00 AM i am beginning to enjoy the texas hill country reporter show that comes on just prior to CBS sunday morning. if you were to ask me what i’m going to enjoy most about not training for an ironman i’m positive i’ll tell you that it’s having my sunday morning’s back with kristin, our BIG cups of coffee, our ritual breakfast meals, & what our friends call our “old people” TV show.

BS!

i am not referring to bull sh*t, i'm referring to beautiful barton springs in austin, TX! i should have started my open water swimming in barton springs a couple of weeks ago. with the cold weather & knowing that the water at barton springs is cold to begin with i've stayed clear of those training sessions - that isn't the right ironman attitude & i know that.

at some point i knew that i would have to "jump in" to barton springs - heck i've got a half ironman that is just 5 weeks away. anyhow, this is the weekend of bricks! swim & bike today & bike & run tomorrow.

ed, noah, & i agreed to meet at barton springs at 8:30 (nice late start) this morning for a 2000 meter swim & afterwards we would ride the dam loop (40+ miles). i was up early, ate well, chatted it up with kristin, & then hopped in the shower to warm-up. after my warm shower & knowing that it was 50 degrees outside i put my wetsuit on at home before leaving the house. not only would having the wetsuit on now keep me warm, it was just easier to pull that puppy on at home rather than outside in the cold by the water. if you've ever worn a wetsuit you know what i'm talking about.

i made it to barton springs on time (noah who bailed on us due to having one to many beers last night) & waited by the water for ed to arrive. after ed arrived i put on my swim cap & stepped into the water expecting it to be freezing & miserable. to my surprise the water felt great! the sun was up, there were a good number of triathletes already in the water, & the view of the austin skyline from the springs was just rockin!

it took me 15 - 20 minutes to get used to swimming in the wetsuit & open water again. sighting (popping head up every 5 - 10 strokes to see where you are going) was the most difficult part to get used to, but after the first 1000 meters i was really feeling comfortable. the springs continued to fill up with texas iron folks who showed up around 9am & other than having to work hard to avoid a head on collision with another swimmer it was a relaxing swim & it felt good.

*** the workout: 1x 1200 & then 2x 400s = 2000 meters ***

i feel more confident about the open water swim now & i am actually looking forward to my next open water training. tomorrow i'll have to settle for a bike & run though - a training schedule exists for a reason!

week6 - CDA training in 2008

the weather & my wanting to run the AT&T austin marathon this weekend put a dent into the riding miles i should have obtained this weekend. the "plan" suggested a 3.5 - 4 hour ride or 70 miles. i ended on the road for only 1.25 hours & on the trainer at home for 1.5 hours. i did finally get to test ride the B12 & i love it & the AT&T marathon (well, the 1st 14-miles of it) rocked! this was also the week that i got bumped up to t-two swimming.

week6 CDA ‘08
feb11 – feb17

mon
- light weights at home (15-minutes)
- spin bike at pure austin (30-minutes)
- elliptical at pure austin (15-minutes)
- total: 1-hour
tue
- 3200 meter swim with t3 (1-hour & 30-minutes)
- spin bike at pure (1-hour & 45-minutes)
- treadmill (3+ miles) at pure (30-minutes)
- total: 3-hours & 45-minutes
wed
- total body weight workout at pure (1-hour)
- treadmill (7+ miles) at pure (1-hour)
- total: 2-hours
thu
- 2500 meter swim with t3 (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- spin bike at pure austin (1-hour & 30-minutes)
- treadmill (2+ miles) at pure (20-minutes)
- total: 3-hours & 5-minutes
fri
- run (6-miles) at townlake (55-minutes)
- yoga/pilates at pure (1-hour)
- total: 1-hour & 55-minutes
sat
- 2700 meter swim with t3 (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- trainer at home (1-hour & 30-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 45-minutes
sun
- run (15-miles) as part of AT&T marathon (2-hours)
- road bike (19-miles) veloway & south mopac (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- total: 3-hours & 15-minutes

total training time: 17-hours & 45-minutes
total run: 33 miles
total bike: 19 miles road & 5-hours & 45-minutes spin bike/in-door trainer
total swim: 5.25 miles or 8400 meters

week5 - CDA training in 2008

and to think that this upcoming week is the looooonnnnnggggggg week! luckily the following week (lucky week #7) is going to be a rest week which means only 11+ hours of training.

week5 CDA '08
feb4 – feb10

mon
- recovery ride at pure (45-mins)
- pilates at home (20-mins)
- light weights at home (15-mins)
- total: 1-hour & 20-mins
tue
- 3000 meter swim with t3 (1-hour & 30-mins)
- spin bike at pure (1-hour & 45-mins)
- treadmill (3.2-miles – 380cals) at pure (30-mins)
- total: 3-hours & 45-mins
wed
- light hill run in rosedale with pup (3.5-miles) (30-mins)
- total body workout at pure (50-mins)
- total: 1-hour & 20-mins
thu
- spin bike at pure (1-hour & 45-mins)
- treadmill (3.1-miles – 400cals) at pure (30-mins)
- 2500+ meter swim with t3 (1-hour & 15-mins)
- total: 3-hours & 30-mins
fri
- town lake run (7-miles) with ed (1-hour)
- yoga & pilates at pure (1-hour)
- total: 2-hours
sat
- 2000+ meter swim with t3 (50-minutes)
- 70+ mile ride with t3 (3-hours & 30-minutes)
- town lake jog (3-miles) with payton (40-minutes)
- total: 5-hours
sun
- long run (14-miles) at town lake (2-hours)
- total: 2-hours

total training time: 18-hours & 55-minutes
total run: 33.8 miles
total bike: 70+ road & 3-hours & 45-minutes spin bike
total swim: 4.7 miles or 7500 meters

week4 - CDA training in 2008

mileage & training time are really beginning to ramp up. i rode 56-miles yesterday & hopped off for a 20-minute run afterwards - the notorious brick workout! then this morning ran 11-miles. given that i've been fighting off a cold since thursday morning these past few days haven't been all that easy. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that i wake up tomorrow with no more symptoms. i've also got to work extra hard to keep some weight on. since jan. 7th i've lost almost 7 pounds!

week4 CDA '08

mon
- trainer at pure (45-mins)
- 2600 – 2900 meter swim with t3 (1-hour & 10-mins)
- total: 1-hour & 55-mins
tue
- pure pump class at pure (50-mins)
- trainer at pure (1-hour)
- 1.8 miles on treadmill at pure (15-mins)
- total: 2-hours & 5-mins
wed
- 2700 meter swim with t3 (1-hour & 15-mins)
- 5.5 mile run with ed around the lake (45-mins)
- total body workout with ed (1-hour)
- total: 3-hours
thu
- spin class at pure (50-mins)
- 1.75 miles on treadmill at pure (15-mins)
- total: 1-hour & 5-mins
fri
- yoga/pilates at pure (1-hour)
- 2300 meter swim at pure (1-hour)
- total: 2-hours
sat
- 56 mile ride with t3 (3-hours & 15-mins)
- brick run after ride with t3 (20-mins)
- total: 3-hours & 35-mins
sun
- 11 mile long run with t3 (1st 7 (53-mins) & remaining 4 (30-mins)
- total: 1-hour & 23-mins

total training time: 15-hours & 3-minutes (those additional 3 minutes were really special!)

getting back into biking

over the past few weeks i haven’t looked forward to a single bike ride. i attribute this lack of excitement to three particular things & the good thing is that i know i can overcome them all.

1: i rode a few weeks ago when it was 36-degrees out & basically froze my ass off! a few weeks prior i had a similar experience on the bike so i headed to bicycle sport shop & jack & adam’s to pick up some full length riding gloves, a head warmer, & long tights. these three things worked very well, however, i forgot about my feet. if you didn’t know, bicycling shoes have open air vents on the top & bottom of them so that cold air stings your feet all over. when i got back to my car after that 45+ mile ride i was utterly miserable.

2: i’m riding an older (’01) QR tri bike i bought off of craigslist about 9 months ago with the intention of using this as a training bike only prior to spending the big bucks on a tri bike for coeur d’ alene. near end of last year i went tri bike shopping & more importantly tri bike fitting. not knowing how a tri bike should feel/fit prior to this i was shocked to find out that the QR that i’m on right now is two sizes to big & the aero bars are about 4-inches longer than they should be. i’ve take a few new tri bikes on some test rides & now knowing how a tri bike should feel/fit i’m miserable when i get back on the roo.

3: there is just a lot of prep time involved in biking. pull the bike off the wall mount, load it on/in the car, air up the tires before you ride, make sure you got your tools, (extra tubes, air gun, hex tool, etc.) make sure you got your helmet, gloves, the right shoes (i’ve got one pair of biking shoes for my tri bike & another for the road bike), sunglasses, water bottles filled with some combination of nuun, accelerade, or perpetuem , nutrition (hammer gels, cliff bars, builder bars, etc.), phone, ID, & some cash in a zip-lock bag, (in-case it rains) & finally the biking clothes (bib & tights) & when it’s cold add arm warmers, long tights, full-length gloves, head warmer, wind breaker, & finally booties – which i still need to buy.

so how to get rid of these biking blues?

1: the weather is getting better in austin. i was out in it yesterday & minus the wind it was awesome!

2: i’ve narrowed it down to 3 bikes & if J&A’s would have had one in some months ago i could have already made my choice (it isn’t J&A’s fault – the bike manufacturers don’t normally release their bikes until the new year & due to the cold weather this time of year you can’t bike in most states so rushing the bikes to the store isn’t a norm). the 3 bikes i’ve narrowed it down to are & in order the felt b12, the cervelo p2c, & the kuota k-factor. i’ve ridden every bike except the b12 & lucky for me J&A’s just got one in & i’m set to pick it up this friday & i’ll take it on my long ride saturday morning.

3. i’ve just got to prepare better. make water bottles the night before, now that i’ve got the 4runner throwing the bike on the bike rack is easier because i don’t have to take off any wheels, keep all my gear in what i’ll call a tri tub that i can just carry from the house to the truck, lay clothes out & pack nutrition up the night before too.

i think just being on a bike that fits & feels good & is much lighter & faster than my current tri bike will make a significant difference & will be enough to really get me excited about getting out on the bike.

week3 - CDA training in 2008

i learned the importance of recovery this week & the need to get in bed early. a busy week at the office kept me up a number of late night's at home. also, i probably need to get some more run miles logged underneath me (i think i was holding back this week due to the 3M this weekend). i'm happy with my 7500+ meters in the water & my diet continues to rock. i didn't get on a real bike once this week, something else i'll have to handle this coming week.

goals for week4: at least 3-swim workouts, get a yoga class in, get on the bike, log more run miles, & more sleep! also, start using that more sophisticated workout log that ed sent me so i can easily track mileage & time.

week3 CDA ‘08

mon
- total body workout at home (30-mins)
- total time: 30-mins
tue
- hill repeats with ed (1-hour)
- 2500 meter swim with t3 (1-hour & 15-mins)
- total time: 2-hours & 15-mins
wed
- spin class at pure (45-mins)
- treadmill at pure (20-mins)
- total body workout at pure (30-mins)
- total time: 1-hour & 35-mins
thu
- spin class at pure (45-mins)
- treadmill at pure (15-mins)
- 2500 meter swim with t3 (1-hour & 15-mins)
- 2-hours & 15-mins
fri
- 3-mile run with payton at the lake (30-mins)
- elliptical machine at pure (20-mins)
- total body workout at pure (15-mins)
- 1-hour & 5-mins
sat
- 2700 meter swim with t3 (1-hour & 15-mins)
- spin bike at pure (1-hour & 30-mins)
- 2-hours & 45-mins
sun
- 3M ½ marathon (1-hour & 29-mins)
- 1-hour & 29-mins

total training time: 11-hours & 54-minutes

week2 - CDA training in 2008

mon
- pure pump class + abs (1-hour) (6:30 am)
- spin class at pure (55 min) (5:30 pm)
- 2-mile on the treadmill (20 min) (6:30 pm)
tue
- 3,000 meter swim with t3 (5:45 am)
- 7-mile jog on the treadmill (53 min) (8:15 pm)
wed
- 3-mile lake jog with payton (30-min) (6:30 am)
- bike trainer at pure (1-hour) (7:30 pm)
thu
- spin class at pure (45-mins) (12:00 pm)
- treadmill at pure (15-mins) (12:50 pm)
fri
- yoga/pilates at pure (45-mins) (12:00 pm)
sat
- 11-mile run from town lake to 46th & back (1-hour & 20-mins) (9:00 am)
- total body workout w/ focus on legs at pure with ed (1-hour & 30-mins) (11:15 am)
- 3-mile run with cisco the local neighborhood dog (30-mins) (2:00 pm)
sun
- 2800 meter swim with t3 (1-hour & 15-mins) (8:00 am)
- 43 – 44 mile mansfied damn loop from lost creek & 360 (2-hours & 30-mins) (10:15 am)

total training time: 14-hours & 42-minutes

twenty six

i wish i was talking about a marathon... oh btw, i don't think i'm doing the AT&T full marathon. maybe the 1/2 marathon just for fun & to get some of the energy that comes with a race of that size.

the twenty six i'm referring to was the temperature this morning. my buddy colleen blogged about her morning too & she was reporting 18 degree weather - i think she was just being *extra* dramatic or maybe her temperature gauge is just broke :)

yesterday was already a pretty cold morning too, but i didn't have to strip & swim & then jump on my bike & ride in it. i suppose sometimes you just do what you've got to do! i was at lost creek country club to swim with t3 just before 8am & i was in the water 15 minutes later. when that tarp comes off the water & the steam rises from the pool all you want to do is jump in. we swam for about an hour & 15 minutes. ed had setup a mansfield damn loop leaving from lost creek & 360 so we quickly changed over into our warmest biking gear after jumping out of the water & we took off.

the full finger gloves, long tights, & head band i purchased paid for themselves BIG time today. i still need some booties or something because my feet were frozen for the whole ride. it wasn't my best ride (more to come in my next blog) by any means; it was however a good mental experience for me & for that i'm very thankful that i got out there & did it!

how many more months of this cold weather?

official week1 - CDA training in 2008

adjusting to the schedule & workouts. i wish the weather would warm up. running wilke tuesday morning in the rain & cold with kearney sucked.

mon, jan 7
- 3 mile run with payton around the lake (28 minutes) (6:45 am)
- chest & arms workout at home with some abs mixed in (1 hour) (9:00 pm)

tue, jan 8
- wilke hill repeats (7 hills) 1 hour (6:00 am)
- t3 2,800 meter swim (7:15 pm)

wed, jan 9
- spin class at pure (5:30 pm)
- 15 minutes on the treadmill (6:15 pm)
- 30 minute total body weight workout at pure (7:00 pm)

thu, jan 10
- t3 3,000 + meter swim (5:45 am)
- 1 hour & 5 minute spin bike at pure (7:00 pm)

fri, jan 11
- 10 mile lake run with small t3 group (6:00 am)

sat, jan 12
- 3 mile run with payton around the lake (7:30 am)
- kuota k-factor test ride on 360 (1 hour 30 minutes) (12:30 pm)
- 15 minutes stretching at pure (3:45 pm)
- 45 minutes spin bike at pure (4:00 pm)
- 15 minutes stretching & light weights at pure (4:45 pm)

sun, jan 13
- 30 neighborhood run (7 46th st. repeats) (6:30 pm)
- 15 minutes stretching & misc. weights (7:00 pm)

5 to 5

5 to 5, no i don’t mean 9 to 5. i’m talking about 4:55 am. that’s what time my alarm went off for the remaining workdays (thursday & friday) last week & 5 to 5 will continue to be the time my alarm sounds through the remainder of this ironman training season. one of the coaches at t3, maurice, taught me the 5 to 5 saying. 4:55 am just sounds too early to be waking up where as 5 to 5 doesn’t – it’s a mental thing.

so what kind of training am i waking up for? thursday morning was a 3000+ meter pool workout & friday morning was a 10 mile run. knowing that i’ve got to get these workouts in to stay on track, i am safer working out first thing in the morning because work & other things can’t get in the way. of course, to meet my training goals i’m sort of dependent on working out two times a day so this approach won’t really mean much – it will ensure i get at least one of the two workouts in a day that i need. just during this first week of training i have worked out twice on monday, tuesday, wednesday, & thursday. surprisingly this weekend’s workouts have been more relaxing & i’ve been able to sleep in a bit.

i’ve noticed that there are some really cool things about getting up early (especially in austin). like seeing the city from south 360 in the morning, seeing the steam come up off the lake, watching the rhythm of the sculling teams on the water, seeing bikers on the road with their lights beaming, & the sunset from almost any angle. not to mention that you get to hear most NPR stories twice because they recycle the 5am stories around 7am so if you the news didn’t sink in the first time you’ll have a second shot at it. oh & the last really cool thing is coming home & enjoying a cup of coffee after you’ve been out working out in the cold.