Tim Gautreau

Little River 10 miler (a little late)

2012-01-24T17:39:00.000-08:00

I am not in shape and wasn't ready to run this race. But I figured I suffered through 14 miles and much blood and blisters to get through Run at the Rock, might as well do this. Plus I was racing for FS Series and there were only 4 of us, so I had to run and finish. SO I tried to get up for this race, here is the extent of my motivation when the alarm clock went off.

So after crawling out of my slumber, I tripped down the stairs and downed what mountain dew I had left in the fridge. (Which just happened to be a 2 litter minus one glass). After that and a PB&J Bagel, I was ready to go, or Dave had showed up to pick me up, one of the two. Once we got there, I decided I needed a good warm up, so I cranked the seat heater up as high as it would go and sat in the car. After I was good and warmed up, it was time for the cool down, so I walked from the car to pickup my number. Cool down was a success. After 20 more minutes of debating, Dave and I went for a run in the woods to preview the first part of the race. For some reason my head still wasn't in the race and I was not exactly sure what I needed to wear. So I put my racing shoes and gloves on and started walking to the line, then I remembered I needed to take my long pants off, put on my long sleeve shirt and race singlet, and head band. Ok now I am really ready. Off to the line, Ugghhh, I guess a number would be good for identification purposes when I pass out in the woods, back to the car. Ok now I am ready.... blister spot on heel hurts. Guess I need to find vaseline and band aid pretty quick. So I ran around asking all the race officials. Everyone seem to think everyone else had the first aid kit. Mental note, don't get injured here, no one has a first aid kit. Finally I found a band aid and made it to the starting line with 2 minutes to spare. Now for the strategy. Start slow? Fast? Medium? What about my limit, I know I am going to crash around 45-50 minutes. That is the extent of my endurance right now. So the gun goes off and I just start talking to Jason. We converse about how serious everyone else is, having fun because it is supposed to be fun, who is dumber a guy that starts out to fast or the dumb ass that knows a guy is starting to fast and follows him anyway (names and race omitted to protect identities. Although I will say in said race, I may have been the guy that started too fast). Next thing I know other than David Roche (super fast shirtless douchebag (ok, he is a nice guy I am just kidding), Jason and I are leading the rest of the pack. Not sure how that happened but I will roll with it. About 18 minutes in, Jason left me to go chase down a high school kid. I opted to stay back and try not to really bonk the last 3 miles. The next few miles are basically, turn right, turn left, right, left, yada yada, Still holding 4th place though so I am feeling good. I look down at my watch and I see what I already knew, danger zone. 44 minutes. On one of the switchbacks, I was trying to see if I could see Dave and shout some support at him, and forgot a little detail like lifting my feet. So I took a face first slide. BUT, I tucked my head and rolled and in one graceful move, I was back on my feet without losing my position. At this point I feel like this guy.

But shortly after that I guess the other guys knew I was toast and one after the other I got the dreaded "on your left". And I dropped back to somewhere in the 7-9 range. Now all I can think about is getting to the finish, lift my feet and OUCH my heel hurts. It feels like the vaseline and band aid are not helping. Pre race I had decided that at 50 minutes, I would be in a 10 minute all out surge and hold on. That plan was out the window, the new plan was now. 1. Don't pass out 2. Don't walk. 3. Find a happy place, find a happy place. I finally cross the trail meaning I have about 3-4 minutes left. Yet I decide there is no reason to push it. Some guy goes by me and I wish him luck. When I pop out the woods and make the turn for home, there is one guy in front of me. Knowing that I have less than 60 seconds left, I put in a mini surge to over take him. To my surprise I cross the line in 1:12:28, which is actually a PR for this course for me. That means 3 straight years I have managed to not be in shape in January. You would think I would do something about that? But I had fun and got some exercise so it is all good. And team FS Series won the team competition so my efforts were not in vain! Oh yeah. After the race I felt like this guy. But maybe that was because of all the people pointing at me and laughing? Hmmmmm

Back in the saddle

2012-01-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

I am trying to officially kick off my training for next season. I am trying to get my base fitness up and of course as soon as I started I got sick :( So now I am trying to get over the fatigue right now and back into a rhythm. I am running only until Jan 15 (day after little river). Then I will start a full time schedule of running, biking and even (gasp) swimming. My goal is to get a March half marathon, a few early season Tri's and then A race White Lake. After that, nonthing specific, but I want to get a few more tri's plus one more half, in and then a late fall marathon. If I stay healthy all year and race well, I am targeting a late season Ironman in 2013. I also plan to start blogging regularly again. Might even throw some non racing posts in there. I am debating on whether or no to write a long winded non racing related post now or not. Good Luck to all in the New Year!

Run (ish) at the Rock

2011-12-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of Thunder Road

I always enjoy doing this race. I skipped it last year in favor of running the Thunder Road Marathon. For those of you who follow my blog, you know how well that turned out for me. See Picture. This year I did not come into the race in shape due to the notorious recurring calf injury. I was unable to run so the three weeks prior, I got in 2 runs and a few bikes leading up to the race. Race morning I was not too motivated to run and was a little slow getting out the house. Maybe I should have taken that as a sign? When the gun went off, I found myself starting way too fast so I backed off and tried to settle into a pace closer to what I needed. Mile 1 was a 6:15. Normally that would not be a problem, except this is not the road, bad footing, and I am not in form. So yeah it was going to be a long next 13 miles. Mile 2 was more normal but I was already mentally out of it. I was already contemplating when I was going to call it a day. I could take a short cut back to the main road, I could dart off course at mile 3. I call myself a quitter and a few expletives which I can't write on here and keep going. At mile 4, I followed 2 guys in front of me off course and across a creek. We get turned around and have to go back across the creek. I now have wet shoes. I stop here and contemplate calling it a day. But convince myself to run the last 3 miles back to the start. By mile 5 I can feel the blisters on my heels. It really starts hurting and I decide to just run one lap. By the time lap one is almost over my heels are on fire, my legs are dead and I am mentally still in Atlantic City at the poker tables. I tell myself to stop but after another round of insults in my head and even more expletives, I keep running. Great, now I am all alone with 7 miles to run. The last lap was a combination of anger at my calf injury which cost me fitness and disappointment as I knew from the splits on my watch that I would not meet my goal time. By mile 11, I can barely stand up. My legs are rubber and my feet are torn up. As I got to 13.5 a young guy comes racing by me. Only to turn around a hundred yards later to see if I am chasing him. If he would have asked I would have told him he could power walk and I would still not try to chase him. As I cross the finish line, I collapse and look down at my black shoes which are now red. Yikes. That is going to hurt for a while.

Both heels looked just like this.

E3 XC Challenge

2011-11-02T03:56:00.000-07:00

True Story- I had the love of XC running knocked in me. My freshman year of high school during track I was struggling with the decision of returning to my first love (soccer) in the fall or giving it up to continue running and transition to Cross Country. While my coach was trying to convince me how cool cross country running was we ventured into the woods for a run. There were 5 of us and I was the tallest one by a few inches, so when we came to a part of the trail that had a tree branch hanging down, one by one everyone ran under it without ducking. Then came my turn so I ran under it without ducking and received a nice gash on top of my head. Apparently this blow and that run in the woods was enough. Shortly after that I made the decision to leave soccer and run cross county. I now had a new love. I am still a cross country runner at heart. I would much rather be in the woods running that on the roads any day. This brings us back to last sunday. For the first time in a while I ran a true cross country race at Dorthea Dix Park. 8000 meters of grass, hay bales and uphill climbs. It was a fun race, when we started I couldn't resist giving Brian and elbow shove (hey this is much nicer that most things that happen in the woods in cross country races). It was a 4 lap race and after one lap my legs were hurting and weak, I really don't have the strength to race on grass right now. Nor did I feel like jumping hay bales 8 times (ok the last few were more like step overs than actual jumps). I started out quickly and tried to settle into a pace but it wasn't happening as my legs had no energy or pop. At the end of lap 2, Brian took the lead from me (what a jerk) and put a gap between us in the next kilometer. This made that half mile long hill on the back stretch seem REALLLLLLLLY long on the 3rd lap. From there we ran pretty even over the last couple kilometers as I held on for a second place finish. It was a fun race and good workout and should be a good lead in to some of my upcoming trail races. Hopefully I can run build my base up really well in the off season and make 2012 a great year of racing, see everyone in the woods!

Late Race Report

2011-10-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

Oct 15th I had a free day so I decided I would do a last minute triathlon. I didn't register until the morning of because I was unsure if my calf would hold out. This meant I had to be at a race at 6:45 ish to regsiter but wouldn't race until 9ish. yayyy. So after registering I rode my bike a bit to make sure I remembered how. It has been since August that I was last on my bike. Then I sat around and watched all the pre registered people, swim, get out of the pool, head out on the bike and come back. Finally it was my turn. My plan was to take long smooth strokes and go easy. Somewhere in the first 25 meters this plan got abandoned. I found my arms moving too fast and was indeed in race/burn out mode. Of course after not swim training since June my arms were shot by 150. So the last 250 meters was spent wondering why I was doing this and taking long pauses at each wall. Finally the swim ended. t1 went by pretty quickly. I was stoked! All that time without training and I totally nailed T1. Yeah take that all you over trainers :) Then I turned out of the parking lot and up a hill :( I was actually moving failry well on the bike through the whole race but I knew that I did not have that extra uuumph in my legs that I would need to contend for the top 5. I knew that I would have to bike a high 31 at worst and that was not possible today. I just concentrated on keeping my legs spinning and passing people. I really started getting tired at mile 10 but knew I was almost done. 1 long incline to go and then I could coast down hill to the finish. After a sweet dismount I was in T2. Again I nailed it! Oh yeah, I may just become a professional transitioner. Can I make a living just doing that? Starting the run, I had ZERO legs. I thouhgt it was going to be a long 5k. The first 3/4 mile was tough but once I made the turn at the top of the cul de sac hill, I started to finally loosen up. I opened my stride up a bit more here and my cadence was increasing. Then I saw a guy who started 30 seconds behind me. He was up on me by about 45 seconds of real time. So the 2nd lap I focused on him. After the 2nd cul de sac hill, I had eaten away about 20 seconds. When I made the u turn to head home, I opened my stride as much as I could. I was almost at full speed trying to catch him (altthough technically I would have to beat him by 30 seconds but whatever). Charging up the final hill I knew I was going to come up short. I crossed the line about 2 seconds back of him. But I turned in the second fastest run at 16:50! Good for 10th place. Not a bad off season showing. Now just got to find my motivation to get back to full time training.

We have a Tim sighting...

2011-10-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

So I set a goal date of Oct 1 to start training again. I have been doing well. So far I have forced myself to get out there every day and run. No love for the bike or the pool yet but I will be back on the saddle and in the water soon enough. In the meantime I am going to race a triathlon this weekend. Nothing like doing a tri when I have not been in the pool since my last Tri and stopped swim training in June. Which is also when I stopped Bike training, and aside from spin class at the gym, I am off that since June as well. It looks like my soleus is acting up again. I was on a run in the woods on friday when my calf locked up again. It looks like I have a massage coming my way soon. This morning with a sore calf, I did manage to go to a "5k" or so I thought. I didn't feel like getting up in the morning so I found a "race" at 2pm at SAS. Except when I show up there is no Finish line, no clock, no numbers, and a 6 foot wide starting chute. Uhh?? Turns out it is actually a 5k walk with optional run fund raiser for the prevention of teen suicide. I wasn't sure if I was going to run since my calf locked up again. So I spent the next 30 minutes massaging it and stretching. When the event started the first two were the mayor of Cary and the organizer of the fund raiser. And no one seem to want to pass them. Ummm..... So I did. One guy came with me since I am now feeling guilty about crashing a 5k walk, we chatted and ran together for 3/4 of a mile. He then told me to go ahead, ok.... so I cruised along to a 6:00 first mile. Being that it is SAS, the next 1 mile rather uphill(ish) but I just tried to stay comfortable and not push it too hard and hurt my calf. At mile 2, I was at 12:00, so another 6 minute mile. My calf is tight but I decide to pick it up a bit for the last mile. I got to mile 3 and stopped my watch at 17:45. From here, I ran in with Ryan and Brayden. The loved it. They enjoyed "winning" the race and Ryan said this was the coolest thing he has ever seen. So woooohooooo, I made my 5 year old happy. That makes it a good day. Since my calf is now hurting, I put my cool down clothes on and limped to the car.

Clear to train....sort of

2011-09-01T07:02:00.000-07:00

So I went to have my stress echo done (again) and was given the all clear (again) and now I can resume training (again), sort of.... So the echo is always entertaining. I am assuming most of the people that go for those tests are not in shape athletes. After the first 3 minutes (which is a painfully slow walk) they were commenting that it was going to take a while to get my heart rate up to 159 (some 220 minus my age * 85% formula). The test lasts for 24 minutes every 3 minutes the treadmill gets faster and steeper, ending up at a decent training pace and 22% grade. I wanted to go the full 24 minutes but they stopped me after 19 since my heart rate was just high enough and they were concerned that my excessive sweating was going make the leads fall off. Go figure, in a 70 degree room with 2 fans blowing at high directly on me, I still sweat too much :( Anyway, the Doctor said my heart is great, which lead me to what is always the next question. The interaction went something like this
Dr: "Why did you come in for this test?" (sounding annoyed)
Me: "I am going to go with the chest pains that won't go away"
Dr: "Your heart is healthy, nothing wrong with it at all"
Me: "So why does my chest hurt?"
Dr: ....blank stare
Me: "Seriously, can you tell me why my chest hurts?"
Dr: "I don't know but it is not because of your heart"

Well that doesn't really make me feel any better. So again, I have been assured that my heart is fine. And yet no one seems to care that a healthy 33 year old male seems to have chest pains that come and go with no explanation since he was 19. Ok, maybe I should have gone to medical school so I too could tell people what is not wrong with them.......

Then I describe where and when it hurts, to which the

Resume Training soon?

2011-08-29T04:55:00.000-07:00

So despite my training going from 15 hours a week to 4 if I am lucky, I feel like I am holding a "decent" base. Now that base is rapidly decling but what can you do. Having a new baby and altering your schedule can leave little time for training. Then once we got things settled, I got injured and then once I got over the injury my old friend the unexplained chest pains came back. For the past 3 to 4 weeks, I have been having some chest pains when I workout. Nothing so bad that I have to stop but bad enough that I want to stop just because it is not normal. I followed up with my Dr and he said it looked fine but of course I got the follow up referal to the cardiologist anyway. I have a long history of this issue going to back to when I was 19. Every few years it pops up, I get a stress echo, they say all is well, then a few weeks and some anti inflammatories later it is gone. I have my 4th stress echo in 14 years scheduled tomorrow. Hopefully all will continue to be well, if so I am hoping someone can finally tell me why this keeps happening. Anyway based on what the test reveals hopefully I can resume full time intense training again. I would like to be back in shape by November and knocking out some half marathons, long bike rides and swims so that I can get back to my mission of going sub 4:40 on a 70.3. If I can do it on a non current swim race that would be even better. I just want to start feeling normal again and get back into my exercise/racing routine. Until then at least College Football is back. GO NOLES!

Old school (cause I am too busy to write anything)

2011-08-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

A lot of stuff going on, I promise I will find way to the blogosphere again soon. Just busy with a lot of things right now. On a training hiatus right now while I work out some chest pain issues again. Here is an old school clip. Let's see how many of you remember this?

Needed: One good soleus

2011-07-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

Daddy's little girl

I have been slacking on my blogging duties. Two reasons. 1. Gabrielle has pretty much taken up all my time for the last 2 weeks and 2. I just haven't been that motivated in my training and as a result, not a lot of blogging material. In fact right now, Gabby is sleeping on my while I write. A very delicate process, hopefully my typing doesn't wake her up. So my old nemesis has struck again. I was in the middle of a good track workout last week when out of nowhere, the soleus locked up again. This is a frustrating injury that sometimes will not heal and usually derails me for a few weeks. I did immediately get a massage to help out and my calf has been feeling better over the last few days. So after a week of biking/no running I am ready to test it out again. I have also started my 9 week buildup to Augusta. I am going to hit the bike, pool and roads as much as possible over the next 9 weeks and cross my fingers that the 4th time will be the charm. As usual I am struggling to find my motivation, especially after Eagleman. I took time off, had a 3rd child and training just took a back seat. I am hoping that I can stay healthy and get back into and hopefully be in top form in September. I will race a few times in there and try to be as tired as possible when doing so. I think it may be sub 4:45 or bust time. Either I get under my goal time or I just give up halves altogether. The second option does seem easier, but I never was a big fan of the easy way. I am even toying with the idea of writing out a schedule this time, so I can make sure I get the amount of swimming, biking and running that I need in. This really goes against my no planning, make up my workout 10 minutes before I do it philosophy but maybe I am in need of something different. Otherwise I think I will be falling into the technical definition of insanity. Hmmmm......

Smile Train Report

2011-06-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

Since I am currently multitasking (and by that I mean I am sitting on the couch waiting for Angela to go into labor and waiting for Burn Notice to come on. Whichever comes first). I figured I would give writing a race report a shot. This was the first year I have done this race fresh. I normally get home from the Ultimate Runner at midnight, jump in bed, and then up by 5am to head to Wake Forest. This year was nice, no muscle fatiguing track events and no lack of sleep. I still managed to oversleep. By the time i got there, no parking was available so I made my own and it seems like everyone was there and racked but me. I managed to get my number setup my stuff and get about 10 minutes of running in. I was slated to start 32 so I was worried about the pool being crowded but it worked out well. No one passed me and I only passed one person on the last length. My swim still sucked but thankfully it was only 250 so the time of complete suckiness was cut down to a minimum. Once on the bike, my legs just weren't there to start out with so while on the first few hills, I was in an easier gear. Once on the main road, I got going and was passing people but not quickly enough. I knew that my passes were not fast enough to be going the speed I needed. So I really hammered the flat and down sections trying to make up for the rest of it. I got to the turn around ok but saw that my main 2 competitors were biking faster than me and moving away. At mile 8 I was making ground on a guy in front of me. But it took me until 10 to over take him. He then proceeded to pull one of the best drafting jobs ever. Didn't even try to hide it. He jumped 2 inches off my wheel and rode. He pulled ahead of me at 11.5 and we finished side by side. I debated saying something too him but I figured he wouldn't get it anyway so I let it go. Once on the run, I really started hammering early. I was on a mission to run a fast time. The cool weather and the new course to eliminate the big hill we had to run twice would help. By the turn around I had passed all but 2 people. The eventual winner I knew it was unrealistic to beat but with a good bike, I could have pulled 2nd. I knew that didn't happen so I had to hammer and make sure I held third. The run felt GREAT this year. The bike and swim were not really all that different fresh but my run was a ton better not having the stress of a night of track racing on them. By the time, I crossed the finish line, I had held on for 3rd and ran a 17:19 5k. My time of 55:38 was my best time by 3 minutes on that course. Before the race I had said my goal was 55 and I did that so you would think I would be happy? But since I thought I could pull a 31 on the bike and I pulled just shy of 33, I was a bit bummed. But it is definitely a great race and something to build on.

Lack of updates...update. Race report tomorrow...maybe

2011-06-28T04:35:00.000-07:00

So I know it has been a while since I have done regular non race report updates. This is for several reasons. 1. I am lazy. B. I suffer from writers block 99% of the time. F. I have to self edit what I write for fear of getting beaten by Angela, disclosing too much personal information in a semi public forum and well if I let everyone see all sides of me then there is really no mystery. It seems easier to only display what I want to display and then force you to make conclusions about who Tim is based on limited information that I control. What does that mean? I either have no clue or it means that if you think I am an @## then obviously it is because I want you to think that, if you think I am the best thing since sliced bread then I want you to think that too, or if you have no opinion one way or the other, then clearly you just don't care enough about me nor have you taken enough time to get to know me and hang out with me. (Sorry I forgot to warn everyone to pack for that guilt trip). Or I could just be rambling on about nothing while wishing I had more friends and less acquaintances. Either way, I will get on with it and stop wasting your time. At the time of writing this, there is still no baby. So could everyone do me a favor and stop asking Angela about this? Because there is one rule to life that never changes. When any pregnant woman is days away from her due date, she does not want to be reminded by everyone she comes in contact with that she is still pregnant. Trust me, the novelty of being pregnant and all the joy that goes along with it has long worn off by 8 months and is replaced by impatience and a short temper. (If I end up with a black eye after hitting the Publish button, my official statement is "I fell down some stairs") Life is actually weird at this stage. I am never more than 2 inches away from my phone. I run with it, I bike with it and I don't go swimming unless Angela comes to the gym with me. I also bike either on the trainer or on a very short loop around the house. Plus it really helped that my two weeks of rest time (post Eagleman) fell the last 2 weeks so I really didn't train much anyway. And I will probably hold off on any longer training until after the baby is born. I really don't want to be 4 miles into Umstead out of cell phone coverage when Angela goes into labor, or riding my bike in Chatham county. Then I would have to double time it, or hitch hike with a passing car that will A. stop AND B. has a bike rack. Which seems like it would really limit my choices. If I were a driver passing by, I wouldn't pick me up. Ryan and Brayden are looking forward to meeting their new baby brother/sister. As for any feelings one way or the other? With so much being different this time around than with either boy, I am convinced we are having a girl. Me raising a daughter...hmmm that would be interesting, that might have to be a new blog all together.

Eagleman 70.3

2011-06-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Just to start off with, I was racing in this race through the Blazeman Foundation. If you don't know what that is, it is in honor of Jon Blais who lost a battle with ALS. But before he passed, he inspired people with his determination to live life to the fullest. He wanted to complete an Ironman and said he would finish if he had to roll across the line. So when he got there, that is exactly what he did. If you have never heard his story watch the 2005 Hawaiian Ironman. Also visit WaronALS.com.

Well I am not sure how to judge Eagleman. If getting your fastest time over a given distance is the measuring stick then it was a success. This was my best time by 12 minutes over the distance.The problem was that I swam 12 minutes slower than in my first half 2 years ago and 10 minutes slower than 1 week prior. If success is measure in dealing with adversity and staying mentally focused, then I did well. If success was finally being able to run off the bike, then again I did well. So why is is that I feel so blah and unhappy with my race? Maybe because my expectations were not met. Maybe they are too high, maybe I had a good day but not great. Who knows. Anyway this is how June 12th, 2011 went for me.
I woke up way to early (4:30) since we were staying about 35 minutes away from the race, and transition closes at 6:45 even though my wave is not until 7:50. I dilly dallied for a while and finally got everything in the car and we were off. I lollygagged in transition. After making sure everything was laid out like I wanted, I grabbed my swim suit, goggles and cap and headed to the 30 minute long bathroom line. .. Now that that is over, I watched the Pro wave finish their swim. One guy had a decent lead out of the water and a pack of 5 guys was not too far behind. After watching them exit, I made my way to the water for some warm up strokes. I felt ok, I was able to get in some long(ish), smooth(ish) strokes and was rotating my body well. Finally we lined up in the water and waited for our wave. Now it was just me and 250 of my closest friends in the water. When the wave started, I got kicked, pushed and run over. So I decided to make my way to the far inside of the course where there was clear water. On my way there I ran over top of someone and knocked his goggles off (I have to apologize now, since I didn't have time to do it then). I made it through the first 2 buoys fine. As I got to the first turn buoy I realized I was too far inside, and had to cut back. Also swimming though gasoline is awesome. Making the turn, I was not comfortable my stoke was too short, I was working too hard and I could only kick with my right leg. My left leg was just dragging and I had no rotation. I knew it was going to be a long swim. The 33 I was aiming for would probably be more like 38. Then the purple caps went by me and I was too far out uh oh, this can't be good? They were 8 minutes back. Then I ran into a dead fish, at least that is what I think it was. I ran over something thick and slimy, so I sped up. Then I swam beside someone. Even though I didn't touch them they must have not liked me being close because I got a two handed shove. Then I caught a bad cramp in my calf. So bad that i almost had to flag down some help. I couldn't straighten my toes and I was having trouble staying afloat. So I turned over and backstroked. After a minute or so my leg loosened and I resumed "freestyle". After was seemed like an eternity I could touch the bottom. So I slowly walked out of the water. Knowing I was wayyyy behind, I tried to stay focused and prepare for the bike.
My bike was all alone on the rack so it was easy to find. I grabbed it and headed out, only to be stopped and reminded I needed my run number on. So I put the bike down and grabbed it. Then my aero bottle fell off. Knowing that was a must have, I took the time to secure it properly. Finally I was off. And...... into a headwind. Once onto the open road, there was a slight headwind and I felt like I was not moving. But I was passing people so I stayed in the fastest yet most comfortable gear. Being in such a big race and soooo far behind there was always plenty of people around me so it was easy to stay focused. About mile 25, I met up with the inevitable group of people that I always play leap frog with. This is when I know I am not picking up speed anymore because I can't accelerate away. So for the next 25 miles, I played leap frog with a 36 year old guy, a 40 year old woman and a 31 year old woman. At mile 45 or so there was a water handoff. The girl handing out bottles couldn't have done a worse job. She didn't move her body or the bottle and had a death grip on it. So my shoulder got pulled out of socket. At mile 50, my pack of 4 became a pack of me. The depressing part was the last few miles of the bike, I rode right by the runners. There was already a large pack of people on the road and also on the final 6.55 miles. Finally I got into T2 and put a smile on my face to try and remind myself to relax. I racked my bike and put my watch on, so I could track my run. On the way out of T2, I grabbed several cups of ice water and then it was time to run. Mile 1-6:22. Oh yeah!! Legs are feeling ok. Mile 2- 6:32-Wooohooo, 2 good miles. MUCH better than either of my other 2 halves. Mile 3-7:53. Cramps had set in but not in the normal spot. The outside of my right leg and the upper inside of same leg were locked up. Just keep your legs moving, I told myself. My goal was just to make it to the turn without walking. But now my goal was just make it through mile 4. I missed mile 4 sign so I couldn't walk so I decided to keep the legs moving til mile 5. Got to mile 5 and my last miles were 14:48. Ok that was not bad, let's make it to 6. So I got to 6 and I realized I was sooo close to the turn, can't stop now. Just go to the turn. Once there I would just go to 7. Once I got to 7, there was no stopping. Although 6 and 7 were just over 8, I was still moving. I tried to pick it up but I was TIRED. However I did come down to 7:53. My next few miles rattled off at 7:40. I held that til 11. Then energy was done, heat exhaustion had set in and legs were locked. I slowed to an 8:40 ish for my last 2 miles. But I accomplished a big milestone of not walking. As I got to the finish line, since I was racing through the Blazeman foundation, I rolled across the finish line in honor of Jon Blais. My final time was 5:08:02. I gave Bob Blais a hug and thanked him for all the work they do. Then I went and passed out on the ground somewhere. I fell short of my sub 5 hour goal and fell far off of my run and swim goals but overall the race was a good step forward. Hopefully the next race will see me under 5 and closer to my goal of sub 4:40.

6 days and counting...

2011-06-06T04:47:00.000-07:00

I hate the days before a big race. Too many questions, too much free time to think about the possibilities. The water temp is fluctuating between 78 and 81. So unless it cools down this week (fingers crossed) wetsuits will be allowed but will effectively get you "DQ'd" as you will not be eligible for awards or Ironman slots. Also you will be starting last which means getting off the bike in the midday heat. That is another problem, I don't start until 7:50. Was hoping to start closer to 7 so the sun will not be directly overhead and blazing in the middle of my run. Then you get the have I done enough questions. Have a I trained enough, did I run enough, swim enough, bike enough? Will my legs cramp up coming off the bike again? So far I am 0-2 in being able to play down the type of run I am capable of doing coming off the bike. Will that streak continue or will I finally conquer the full 70.3? When I am running on the course will Craig Alexander yell "Good job Tim" (ok that one won't actually happen). I just hope that 1. Angela doesn't go into labor before the race is over, and 2. That I finally can walk away from a half, happy with my performance. I feel like I have put in enough work to accomplish my goals. I just want to be able to see the results of hard training, rather than walking away from yet another half asking myself "Why the hell do I do this?"

Doughman time

2011-05-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I will finish my 3rd "race" this week. I say that because on tuesday I hammered at the track. 1x5000 and 3x 1mile. Then on thursday, I raced the foxhunt 5k. Now on Saturday, I will put my eating/running skills to the test again. I have to eat 2 lambie joes and then run 2.3 miles. Immediately, I then have to eat a dessert and sprint to the finish line with my teammates. What is a lambie joe? I have no clue but it can't be as bad as downing 12 kripsy kremes. Can we win? Probably not. The race organizers as incentive to raise money have set money/time goals. So if your team raises 1500 dollars they get a 6 minute head start. Word has it one of the top 2 teams from last year has done this. So in my mind, if we lose to them by less than 6 minutes, we will be the real "winners" and I will call them a bunch of scaredy cats for not starting with the rest of the field. Seriously though it should be a lot of fun. Our team is a good group of guys, who like to have fun and drink beer, which is always a good combo.

Getting close...

2011-05-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

Eagleman is now right around the corner. I thought I was done racing before June 12th but I may do a 5k just for fun on the 26th. Yeah a 5k on a thursday night, weird huh? Perhaps. I will be tired as usual. Not much change over the past 5 weeks. I have been going as hard as possible as often as possible to keep myself run down and trying to train through it. Hopefully when I do start my taper, I will be nice a refreshed on race day. The only hesitation right now is the damn water. All my eggs are in the bike/run combo basket at this point. I have really been trying to make sure I will be able to run well off the bike finally in a half. I just hope I can keep it together enough to have a good swim nd keep the time loss to a minimum. I also just found out that Craig Alexander will be there. That will be pretty freaking awesome. I am hoping that I can get my picture taken with him one of the days before the race. If I do, I will be sure to share it with everyone as soon as possible. Meeting a two time world champ has got to be pretty cool right?

Run for the Warriors Half Marathon Race Report

2011-05-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

If you know me well, you know that I like racing. Racing back to back weekends is something I used to do all the time. But now that my schedule is busier and I am not 20 years old anymore it can be more difficult. That being said, I was not particularly thrilled about running a half marathon this weekend. But I HAD to do it. I needed to know what my legs could do "fresh" so I can set/adjust my expectations of what I can do off the bike at Eagleman. This week of training was up and down for me. I had to work the night shift so I really only got in one hard day on Monday. The rest of the week was fit in what I can when I was not sleeping. Most of it was at night since that is when I was "awake". And due to time/exhaustion I missed training on wed and friday. Saturday morning I had trouble getting up but finally rolled out of bed. By the time we got to the race site, got my stuff, and I was able to warm up, my legs were not there. This was my big fear was my legs not showing up. This was my key race before Eagleman and I needed to stay focused. When the race started there was a 21 year that shot out like he was racing a mile. Everyone let him go and I settled in behind who I picked out as the probable best runner there. Turns out I was right(He went on run 1:11 and change). Only a half mile in, I just didn't feel comfortable trying to run his pace so I backed off and tried to find my own rhythm. However my legs were very heavy and I was very sluggish. But after 2 miles, I found my self out of contact with the leader and finally passed speedy gonzales. So I ran solo for a while. At mile 5 a guy moved passed me and I tried to match pace but just couldn't do it. But I tried to keep him in sight. After mile 5 it got interesting. There was no mile, 6 or 7 marker and I thought I was just slowing down. I started to get winded and felt my stride shortening. Finally I saw an 8 and realized I was not that bad off. However two more people went by me, one guy and the women's race leader. They gapped me pretty quickly but after that we stayed about the same distance apart. I told myself to stay strong and since I had no watch on, I just thought if the people in front of me are running 1:17 pace then I am still ok. Almost to mile 8.5 I passed a church and just as I did the bell rang.. Hmmm, so top of the hour and and I 50 minutes in. I am right on pace. I felt refreshed and tried to stay as smooth as possible. At mile 10, I tried to tell myself only 5k left. And 5k's are short. At mile 11, I tried to pick it up just to try and get back into it. It worked for a bit but I really started dragging at 11.5. When I saw mile 12, I tried to go but the legs were just not there. I had nothing left in the tank. It was all I could do to hang on. I crossed the last intersection and we were back to where we started a long straight stretch. Except this time I had to weave in and out of 5k runners like a slalom course. Having to dodge baby strollers, walkers, kids, and a girl dribbling a basketball for the entire 5k can be difficult. Finally we made the turn onto the track, and I got excited. I thought I had fallen to 1:25 or so and I saw a 1:18 on the clock. I picked it up as much as I could and crossed at 1:19:01. I was under my ultimate goal of 1:20 and just missed my secondary goal of 1:17. So overall I was very pleased and am confident that I can run what I need to off the bike in June. When I finished I figured I was 4th. Only to find out 5 guys had crossed the line?? Huh? Turns out Speedy Gonzales cut the course, and didn't tell the race director. So when they posted the results and he was 2nd overall, I was not happy. But he was a nice enough guy about it, I informed him he needed to tell the race director he cut the course and he did. So I was 4th right? Well when they posted the results and did the awards, I was 2nd? Huh??? Ok now I am confused, I know there were 3 guys in front of me. So I am not sure if they were rogue or what happened? Official results won't be posted until Monday. And for now I have the 2nd place plaque, if I need to send it back I will do so. If the runners were rogue, why do that on a race to raise money for wounded veterans?

White Lake Sprint Report (or something like it)

2011-05-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

This was the first round of Biggs vs Gautreau. The race within the race. Since Jason and I both decided to race Open for fun of it. With my legs not feeling great on Saturday I needed to find some way of getting into race mode. Could half a beer and beer pong be the key? The night before the race we stayed with Jason's sister in the middle of nowhere. No cell phones, no internet just Beer Pong! I am not a drinker before a race but I did play a few games. The plan was for my partner to drink all the beer and I just toss the ball. During the first game he bailed on me and I had to drink my half of the beer. After the first game I did play 2 more but made sure to pass on the beer drinking portion. This had serious effect on my win-loss record. Which by the way was 0-3. The next morning we got up at O'dark 30 and headed into White Lake. Once I got there I setup my TA and then headed out on the bike. First I couldn't shift my big cog then it locked up on me. My rear tire was wedged up against the frame. After taking it into the bike tech, I had a bent set screw but it was rideable. So I racked it back up and opted for a run instead. Once done, I made my way to the fogless lake to ready for the swim. This is always interesting. The conversation level varies from the race, the party last night, some completely random as far from the race about happen topic, to complete silence. Each person is different. I always like to joke and observe. It was interesting to see the top two competitors line up next to each other for the swim. Mason was very quiet, focused, in his own world and staring very robotic like straight ahead at the buoys. While Richard decided to jump and and down, make some pterodactyl like arm movements and generally do his best to draw attention to himself and get Mason to notice he is there. Pre race tactics always did make me laugh. Anyway back to the pre race betting. Since I decided to wear and FS Series swim cap as opposed to the standard issue Setup cap, we were giving odds on to if I got a penalty somehow. Finally the race goes off and I shoot straight to the back. What? It is the swim, my worst event, where else would I be? I tried to focus on what I had been working on, staying loose, lengthen my stroke, rotate, keep my arm in, and push all the way through to my hip. I established a pretty good rhythm and tried to find the straightest line possible. At the first turn I knew the leaders were long gone and every red cap that I could see, I checked to see if it was Jason. Well it is next to impossible to identify anyone while swimming so I just assumed that every red cap was Jason and tried to stay with them. I felt really tired and sluggish through the 400 meter buoy. At 500 I made the turn for home and tried to spot the finish. My goggles were a bit foggy but I managed to spot the dancing man. Finally after a loooooong time I made my way out of the water. After getting off the pier, Marty informed me that I was up on Jason, oh yeah! Then I proceeded to suck in T1. First I couldn't get my wetsuit off and then couldn't snap my helmet. I wasted 20 seconds or more in T1. Finally I was out and on the bike. I just started going as hard as I could go. My plan was to catch anyone I could see and hold Jason off for at least the first lap. The race was going as plan and then disaster struck. A squirrel ran out into the road and things started to go in slow motion. He stopped, ran back, turn around, ran across, turned around ran back, paused, then darted right in front me me. Bump...... I hit the squirrel. I didn't look back and it helps me to sleep tonight thinking I just ran over his tail. Jason in the meantime, took advantage of my stress and vulnerability and overtook me. Sheesh... a serious breach of etiquette (if not it should be). I tried to go with him but couldn't. So I continued playing leap frog with Kari instead. Plan B became, just keep Jason in sight. Once we made the right onto 701 I got caught behind 3 riders and had to sit on my brakes, and lost sight of Jason. So now Plan C is downshift and hammer and hope to minimize the damage. Does it seem like I am only racing Jason?? Nahhh, I am sure it is just your imagination. I pass the dreaded squirrel zone and think I could vaguely hear the sounds of a PETA protest forming. It was a good thing, I didn't have to go by that spot again. I got into T2 and quickly put on my shoes and headed out the quarter mile long transition. As soon as I cross the mat I push the pace to get my legs moving. Again Marty hooks me up with the damage report. Only 1 minute down, I feel better. I make the turn onto the road and I can see Jason. I relax and start pushing and try to close the gap quickly but efficiently. When I get to the first water station, I grab a cup to cool down and continue to look ahead. I pass what seems like a very short "1 mile" and cross the sandpit. After making the left hand turn to the turn around I make the pass. A quick good job and pat on the back and I make the pass. Now I focus on these other people that seem to be racing as well. I have two people I can track. I caught one at mile 2. The other I came up 18 seconds short on. But I did end up 3 in the open division, good enough for a podium spot. And more importantly I own temporary bragging rights over Jason! It was a very fun race, and I will say that having a friendly rivalry in the race and a fun cheering section definitely makes the race more enjoyable. Can't wait for Round 2, which will be an Olympic Distance. Should be interesting.

Training going well

2011-05-04T03:01:00.000-07:00

I have been busy biking and running. And both are going really well. My running has really come around and I am happy where I am at. My long run endurance could be a bit better but I am getting there. My biking is taking shape, I am still not fast enough to hang with the big boys but I am probably closing the huge gap. Swimming... Well 2 out of 3 ain't bad right? I will probably get a tune up swim in tonight and hope that White Lake turns out to be wetsuit legal this weekend. It will probably serve me better to not be because EagleMan won't be but I am a wimp like that. Other than that, I am still trying to get the Blue Ridge Relay team together. I have 4 solid commitments, 1 weak maybe and 1 one don't ask me. Hopefully I can find my 5 and 6 soon. Other than that not much is going on. We recently put the boys back in separate rooms and they like it. However the hope that when one gets up they won't both ened up in our room doesn't quite work out. Although it is not as bad, since Brayden wakes up a lot, occasionally they both migrate to our room in the middle of the night. At least Ryan is a sound sleeper, Brayden is a roller, kicker, and hitter. When he ends up in our room I end up not sleeping. I am ready to meet baby number 3. Less than 2 months from the due date which will undoubtedly be early. As long as he/she waits until after Eagleman. Keeping my fingers cross that I finally turn in a good half. Makes for a VERY LONG day when you are suffering on a post bike half marathon.

6 weeks and I need to get in gear

2011-04-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

So I realized that it is only 6 weeks til Eagleman and I **probably** have not been biking enough. So my solution is to bike more. I know it sounds simple but getting on the bike usually involves motivation I don't have. This is where my new best friend comes in. Duran is biking like a man possessed these days so we are going to start biking together. This will solve my boredom problem, get me off the trainer and allow me to get some good road riding in. I am also going to implement a couple bricks per week. I got a good 40 mile bike plus 10 mile run in today. The run was hot but I still managed to hang 7:00 pace so I was happy. My legs hurt a bit including the area right above my knee which is always my downfall in the half distance. I am keeping my fingers crossed that with enough bricks, I can get that taken care of. I will also have a busy 3 week period soon. White Lake sprint on the 8th, a half marathon on the 14th and then Buckhorn on the 21st. After that train, train, train and train some more until Eagleman. Then have a baby, and who knows from there. Currently there is only one race planned for post June 12th and that is Blue Ridge, assuming I can get all the guys back. So far 4 are in, 1 maybe and one I need a few weeks before asking in order to forget the Palmetto 200.

BeaverDam: a good idea or not?

2011-04-20T06:06:00.000-07:00

Coming off of a very tough relay doing BeaverDam a week later may not have been the best idea. My week before the race consisted of short SLOW extremely painful runs. My hamstrings were tight and my body was hurting. But I was determined to get this race in since it was an Olympic Distance and I need the work for Eagleman. My schedule this year consists of Olympic April 17th, Sprint May 8th, Sprint May 21, and half Iron June 12. I might try to squeeze a half marathon in but it would have to me May 28/29 so I am not sure what my options are. Back to the race. The water was cold but once I got in it and got used to it, my sleveless wetsuit was not an issue. Starting out I felt great, my stroke was smooth and I felt comfortable. About 600-700 meters in, I started getting a little tight and the water was chopping so I was getting tossed around. I tried to stay straight but my goggles were fogging up and I could not see where I was going. I found the first turn but had to stop and clear my goggles. Made the 2nd turn without issue and got passed by a few people and tried to stay on their feet. But I had to stop and clear my goggles again. Water in the eyes, ugghh stop again. Finally they stayed relatively clear and I made the last turn and got passed by the top women. I thought to myself, if they are swimming fast my time might be ok. I made my way out of the water and slowly up the hill to T1. I got on my bike and headed out. But my shoe was flattened and I could get my feet in once I got going. So I had to stop, take my shoe off the slip, put it on and then start. I settled into a good cadence heading out of the park and then the wind came in. I was getting blown all over the road. The wind was making it very hard for me to handle my bike in the aero position as a result I had to sit up alot including every down hill. Which defeats the purpose of aero bars I think but I opted for the safe route. The bike was bad, my legs were tired, I could generate no power and couldn't control my bike. Once I got back into the park, I was dreading the run. I was in and out of T2 ok and started very conservatively. My hamstrings were really sore and so I couldn't stretch my stride out fully. I had to run the whole 10k with a shortened stride. My legs were toast at this point. It was all I could do to get up the hills on the back road. On the last mile, I saw a few guys in front of me that were finishing and decided to chase them down. I managed to get by but had to back off because if I opened my stride anymore I was risking a hamstring pull. Thankfully I was able to hold them off and salvage a decent run split. I finished 10th overall at 2:24:02. It was a good effort while tired and hopefully will help me down the road.

Palmetto 200 Recap

2011-04-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to the Palmetto 200 for a long time. I was a little nervous a few months out that I would not be back in shape in time, but some great track workouts and some decent races put my mind at ease. We loaded up the van on thursday afternoon and headed up to Columbia. I could tell it was going to be a fun race as we were very loose and jovial all the way down. One of the most fun thing about these types of races is the camaraderie. This trip did not disappoint. After a pasta dinner at Fazolis we headed to the starting line to wish a Two man team well. 6 is tough but a 2 man team is crazy! They each ran 8 hour legs. That must have been a long brutal journey. After talking with Nick, a very energetic kid, he was off. We cheered for him around the track and wished him well as he headed out onto the open road. The next day we tried to sleep in as long as possible but 9am was the best I could do. So I opted to get up and grab some breakfast. Checkout time was noon so we got to the starting line a bit early. It was fun though we got to watch the 1:00pm teams start and chat with the other two teams we would be starting with. Finally it was our turn, and I couldn't have bee happier with our start. I will give the first leg run down and some highlights. Dan was the perfect choice to start the relay off. He ran his own pace and didn't worry about the other teams who wanted to race the first leg. We had a loooooong way to go. Dan came into the first transition right at 6:29 pace, foreshadowing of our entire relay? Maybe.... Brian was down 4 minutes after the first leg and I told him to take it easy. So Brian of course makes up all 4 minutes by the end of the 2nd leg. And his 6:20 pace for 6 miles may have been the slowest he would run for the rest of the relay. I am glad he was on our team! Mike had a BRUTAL first leg. 8.5 miles, nice rolling hills, and HOT as heck sans shade. After he finished he said he would never run one of these again. Yikes?? Only one leg in. For the rest of the trip our goal was to get Mike to smile. Just once. Brad had an easy 2.5ish mile leg to start and gained some ground. My first leg was my longest a 6.3 mile run. I was only a minute down or so after Brad handed off and my plan was to take it easy and make up 20 seconds a mile. So naturally 5 minutes in, I passed the guy. I was going to just settle in and run with him but was not sure of what the Clemson team was doing behind us or anyone in front of us. So I ran my own pace and finished up at a 6:28 pace. Good thing too because one of the two Clemson studs decided to run a nice 36:10 for 6.3 miles to start off with. Duran was next up and had a 5 minute lead or so and was running well. But the other Clemson kid wanted to run 5:30 pace for 7.5 miles and that was about as slow as he would run all relay. That was pretty much how the rest of the relay went, we would fall behind, then lead by Brian would regain the lead. The nighttime running was FUN. After each leg, I ate my new favorite snack. Nutella and pretzels! (thanks Dan). Running with a headlamp is a different experience, running with a headlamp in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere hearing strange noises is unique. All of the guys ran REALLY well. By the time the daylight came back, we had regained the lead, no one had gotten lost or hurt and Mike had still no cracked one smile. 2 of the three of those things would change before it was over (sort of). On leg 30, we still were holding onto a few minute lead on Clemson, when disaster struck. Someone had pulled a turn sign and Duran ran about 3/4 of a mile by it before we turned him around. It wasn't just the physical toll but mentally that drained him as well. We would lose our lead on Clemson for good. On the next leg, it got a bit worse. Dan was up on a 7.7 mile leg and it was HOT again. He was running REALLY well per his GPS splits. But the water ran out and the heat caught up. Luckily another team we had been running with saw him, and gave him water. He made it in safely but we had to hydrate him as fast as possible. Heat exhaustion is a scary thing. Luckily Dan was OK and done running. Then Brian started his last leg and got stopped by a drawbridge that was up. We lost another 3 or 4 minutes there. Mike and Brad both ran really well in the heat on their last legs in the heat. Clemson's lead also shrank on Brad's leg due to heat exhaustion again. One of the Clemson kids dehydrated and barely made it. By this time, we knew we had at least an hour on the next ultra team and I had just seen two guys almost pass out due to heat. So I shut it down on my last leg rather than risk it. Good thing too because Clemson's next guy almost passed out as well. This time luckily our team was there to give him water and make sure he got in ok. The last "Exchange zone ahead" sign that I saw was the best thing I had seen in 22 hours! I ran in to finish my last leg with a smile from ear to ear. Duran did the smart thing and cruised his last leg as well. We were too far behind Clemson with their 5:30 guy running and well ahead of the 3rd place overall team as well as the 2nd place Ultra team. We all met Duran in folly beach and ran into to finish in 23 hours and 15 minutes! A new Ultra record by 2 hours and 20 minutes! Good for 2nd overall. So 205.8 miles, 23 hours 15 minutes, and a lot of sweat and exhaustion later (and still no smile from Mike) we were the champs! I had a BLAST on this trip and want to thank all my teammates as well as Grant (our van driver) for making this a very fun and successful trip. Next up Blue Ridge Relay! (If we can convince Mike and Duran to give it another go)

It's RELAY TIME!!

2011-04-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning we pack up the van and head to our neighbors down south for the Palmetto 200. This is a 206.7 mile team relay that we are doing as a 6 man team. The legs are 31, 34,37,37,26 and 38. I am doing the 26 since I had a setback in training in January. I wish I was doing the 31 or 34 but didn't realize I would get back into decent form so quickly. I am not in peak shape yet but I am biking really well. Running is going extremely well right now and swimming is.... did I mention running is goign well? I am REALLY looking forward to this race but am nervous as the same time. The last relay I did, we had to cut it short after one of my teammates,who shall remain anonymous (BRAD B) got lost. Before that though I had completed 4 legs totalling 29 miles averaging 7:00 pace in the mountains. 6:40 on the fist 2 legs (11 miles and flat) and 7:20(ish) on the second 2 legs (both all uphill). I am in better form now that I was then so I am condient that the distance won't be an issue. Just a little worried about lack of sleep and all the stopping and starting. As long as I can hold off the cramps that took over my body after leg 4 last time, I will be ok. I think we have a very very good chance of winning the ultra and overall competitions. 3 of the guys are in great shape (Dan, Brad, Mike), 1 guy is almost there (Brian) and 2 of us are good enough (Duran and Me). **Note** Duran's "good enough" is still pretty good but he seems to think he is a month away from where he wants to be. I will try to make some facebook posts during the race (especially the night legs to keep me awake) on our progress. Hopefully we all have fun (goal #1), finish (goal #2) a win (goal number #3) would be SWEET.

I'm famous! (Ok Not really)

2011-04-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I ran the Run for the Pig. I got interviewed by East Wake Television after the race. Check it out at Here. It is under the Wendell Weekend show. The piece on the race starts around 8:15 and the interview starts about the 10:40 mark. I think hollywood will be calling really soon.

Racing, Training, and somewhere in between

2011-03-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

Well I feel pretty good about where I am at right now. I still have a long way to go in order get to where I want to be but if I stay healthy and stop skipping extra workouts, I will be ok. So far, I am only getting one swim and 2 bikes in a week on top of running. I plan to increase that to 2 and 4 as well as picking the running up. Now that the weather is warmer, I can definitely get my long road rides in on the weekends. My running is going well. I really feel that for the first time since I came back my leg speed is improving and my endurance is catching up. My training is going really well right now and I am keeping my fingers crossed that this will translate into good times. Regardless of what I do betwen now and then, my main goal is still to run sub 1:25 off the bike at Eagleman. If I can accomplish that, I am fairly confident that my bike and swim will be where they need to be in order for me to reach my goal. Palmetto relay is almost here! We leave for the race in 15 days. I think all the guys are in form right now. Admittedly 2 of us are not in peak shape but good enough for the relay I think. The estimated times came out and we have the fastest seed time. Of course this is just our estimation (whether accurate or overly ambitious is yet to be seen). I may have even found a driver, although, I will be cutting it close. I had another 5k this weekend and I won, woohoo x3. I was trying for a sub 17 run but a few things got in the way. 1. The wind. With about 5 minutes till race time the wind starting picking up big time. A few places it completely stopped my momentum and blew me backwards. 2. There were no mile marks. My biggest problem with a 5k right now is all mental. I get too relaxed after mile one and fear keeps me from pushing through. My plan for this race was to go out on pace for mile 1 and really work mile 2, trying to negative split. And then 3 I figured would probably take care of itself. Well I saw mile marker signs go into a car and that car drive out onto the course. But the signs apparently never made it. So I first glanced at my watch at 5 minutes and kept waiting for the mile mark which never came. 3. While a win is nice, running solo is never a good way to hit times. Honestly I would feel a greater sense of accomplishment right now, if I ran a sub 17 and finished last that I would running upper 17's finishing first. And I am no genious but in my pursuit of finally going sub 16 again, I am pretty sure that I have to make a stop in the 16's first. I could be wrong. But with my training finally getting back into full swing I maybe this time next year I will be there. Balance is the key though, In my pursuit of running times, I need to stay focused on the fact that there are 3 disciplines in a tri and not just one. Which reminds me, I think I have a ride scheduled tonight. Ughhhh

Hodge Podge

2011-03-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

Friday is my 5 year Anniversary. I know what you all are thinking, how could I put up with Angela for 5 years? Well it isn't easy but since I am such a sweet and loving husband, I somehow manage. Wait, what do you mean that is not what you were thinking? Oh how does she put up with me? I am not sure on that one. We are headed to West Virginia again, back to the Greenbrier. Training is going well. I am starting to get my legs back under me, and have been running well at track on tuesdays and feeling pretty good on all my other runs. I am also ramping up now and my biking and swimming so hopefully my training log will reflect a busy mixture of all 3 on there. If I want to be in peak shape in June, I need to start now putting in the non running work that i usually slack on. I had a decent brick workout last weekend but was weaker off the bike than I wanted to be and by the time the wrokout was over my legs were jello. All in all though I can't complain about where I am at given the injury and flu that I have dealt with recently. I am gaining confidence that I will be able to hold my own on the Palmetto 200 relay that we have coming up on April 8-9. I will be doing the "short" leg of 29.4 miles rather than the 32.1 mile leg I wanted to do. But given that my teammates are all in better shape than me right now, I feel it is best to "only" go 29. Last year the winning team average 7:34 or so and I think the 6 guys we have can do better than that. I was averaging right at 7 through my 4 legs of Blue Ridge which included 10 miles up Grandfather Mountain and another 7.5 mile climb through Spruce Pine. Given I am about the same shape now as I was then and the course will be significatly flatter. I am looking forward to it. Which reminds, me. Hotel reservations. I probably need to get on this. Guess I better go.

Green Hope 5k

2011-03-01T05:51:00.000-08:00

As with most of my road races these days, I decided to run this race just a few days out. I never know when I am goign to be in the mood for a road race so I usually don't put much planning into them. We had a nice warm weather trend that decided to reverse itself, leaving the start of the race somewhere around 40 degrees. Yay. We got there early and I decided to warm up. I was not feeling very good. My legs were heavy. I weas beginning to wonder if the previous days workout had something to do with it? I was feeling good on my normal woods loop and ran it 1 min 20 sec faster than I have ever done it. When you are feeling good, you can't check it so I just rolled with it. Or maybe the chicken wings and beer(s) are not good training food? I got some strides in before the race and I started to feel a little better. When the gun went off I was surprised to find myself in the front. I didn't really want to be there and was worried about my lack of fitness so I backed it off a bit and settled into a pace. I figured if someone came by me I would just go with them. I refuse to wear watches in a race so I have no clue what my first mile was but I was in the lead just ddin't know by how much. When we hit the U Turn I was able to gauge my lead. I had a decent gap and tried to just stay as steady as possible. I almost went the wrong way as I didn't realize the course went through a neighborhood but I followed the lead bike as I figured he must know where he is going. If not, maybe everyone would follow me the wrong way :) But the HUGE chalk arrows in the road lead me to believe we were going the right way. Once we crossed back over morrisville parkway I think we were about 2 miles in. I was feeling pretty good but still determined to stay comfortable. I was hoping that I was not slacking off and allowing a charge from behind. After what seemed like a really LONG strecth down Carpenter Upchurch, I turned back into the school. From here it was about 700 meters to the finish and I was able to glance at my lead. It seemed to be about the same as it was at mile 1. Once we got onto the track, the wind was picking up and I got a little lazy rather than fight the win. When I rouned the last curve and saw 17:45 on the clock, I knew I was not breaking 18. I crossed the finish line at 18:03. A good effort considering my run training right now and my first win in a while so I was very pleased. Now to keep it up so I can be in good shape for the 200 mile team relay in about 5 weeks or so.

Ups and Downs

2011-02-25T04:38:00.000-08:00

So I was exicted to get back out on the track last Tuesday. I did a 5x1000 workout not really knowing what to expect after being out for so long and then being inconsistent with my running since being back. I was happy to say that I was able to run with my training partners and kept all my efforts under 5:40 pace. I was extremely pleased. Then I took my rest day on Wed since I didn't sleep well the night before and couldn't keep my eyes open after work. Yesterday all I got in was what little swimming I could squeeze in at swim class. I will say I feel like my form is getting better and everything I am working on makes sense while I am working with Greg but it seems to not be as easy when I am on my own. Hopefully my muscles will remember the proper form eventually. Even if my times stay the same or only improve marginally, if I can do it with much less effort it will pay off. I have a "race" tomorrow but I still need to get my regualr workouts in. So I am going to romp through the woods in a bit and then hit the bike tonight. I think I will still have enough legs to get through the run tomorrow and get in 4 or 5 miles after. I am putting the over/under at 18:30. Anyone wants to place your bets? On New Years Day on what may have been a long course I did and 18:17 (felt like 17:45 effort). Given the time of running and trying to come back I feel this is a good over/under time. Obviously I would like to be back in the low 17's as I was at this time last year but I am where I am I guess. I am not really sure if I am going to take the over or the under. If I run a 5:17 opener as I did on New Years, I am def going to take the over cause I will meet my good friend Mr lactic acid and he will bring his pet monkey that likes to hang out on your back. If I can just take it easy and hit a 5:45 first mile, I might take the under. Who knows?

Just wanted to post this. I miss my TTX :(

I forgot to Blog :(

2011-02-22T08:24:00.000-08:00

So it dawned on me the other day that I have neglected my blog and all 5 of my readers. I hope that you will forgive me and that you found something else to read that was of the same high informational, grammatical and entertaining standards as my blog. Ok so none of that last sentence is true but in my mind the pulitzer is in the mail with my name on it but they must have had an address mix up. What have I been up to since? I have had 7 runs since being rid of the boot. How is it going you ask? It SUCKS! Since coming back I just can't get comfortable. Granted I came back on the tail end of the flu and couldn't breathe. But other than that my stride is off, I can't get into any sort of fhythm and I feel like I am fighting my own mechanics just to run. Hopefully I will get it figured out soon. I have a fitness test coming up (which I will fail). I am going to "race" the Green Hope 5k. I use the term "race" very loosely. I will be out there in a racing outfit, with racing shoes on and my feet will be going one in front of the other faster than a training pace but that is about where the similarities end. It will be good at least to know where I am at fitness wise. But I will continue to poud away on the road, pedal on the bike and do boring lap after lap in the pool until I am happy that I am in "Tri shape" or until June 12th. Whichever comes first I suppose. Other than that I am skipping my first Tri of the season in favor of playing poker. Why? Because that is how I roll. I was going to race the Sampson County Sprint but will instead travel to WV again to compete in a poker tournament. I would like to start playing some real tournaments in hopes of making out to Veags eventually to play in some WSOP events. I figure this tournament is close enough (4.5 hours) with a low enough buy in to really find out where I am at and if I can play with the big boys yet. But I will get some more HILLY runs in on the completely AWESOME hiking trails. It starts at 2000 feet elevation and climbs to 2800 feet in 2 miles before coming back down. It makes my legs a little tired but the view is phenominal from the top of the mountain. Maybe I will take a pic and enter it in Shannon and Anthony's photo contest?

KK recap, general complaining, Boot update,

2011-02-07T04:50:00.000-08:00

First let me start off with... THE PACKERS WON, so suck it steeler fans. And no I am not really a packer fan but my disdain for Rothlisbooger and steeler fans is somewhere between my disdain for OSU/USC fans and um/fu fans. But the range there is broad from the "your fans are slightly annoying and full of themselves therefore I dislike you" to "I can't stand your team, your colors, your school, your mullets, your row boats from cuba..." ok, I need to stop but I could go on and on about the lizards and mighty ibis lovers.

So I completed my first Krispy Kreme challenge. Despite the freezing cold, the rain and the stuffing down 12 doughnuts as quick as possible it was not too bad. I guess I started in the wrong chute since I was right behind some overly enthusiastic high school kids. One of whom decided it would be a good idea to race in underoos. I was slighlty uncomfortable, so it is just as well that that the guy on guy gyrating that ensued was kept a safe distance from me. When the race started a few of us ran over the rain slicked round about and I had to dodge the 2 guys that fell in front of me. Once I settled into my pace, I felt pretty good. I wanted to push it hard but was wary of my ankle which was hurting a bit so all the turns I took very slowly. By the first mile, I couldn't feel my hands or my arms and my legs were stiff. I arrived at KK with the first pack of runners. It took me a while to get my box opened. but once I did I became a dougnut devouring machine. Numbers 1-9 were done in less than 3 minutes. Then came 10-12. These were not so easy. I was having a difficult time, my water ran out, my jaw hurt and I felt like I wanted to hurl. What felt like an eternity later I was finally done and headed home. I was in a good pace and tried to stay steady on the way back. I started passing A LOT of people which made me realize I was one slow doughut eater. When you come into the doughnut stop in the top 20 and you leave outside the top 100 something went wrong. But I made it home, puke free in 38:22. I immediately put my dry clothes on and went to the car to warm up. I guess I need to practice my eating but have no desire to shove 2400 calories down several times so I can get faster at it. So I will stick to one time a year scenarios.

**COMPLAINING PORTION OF THE POST**
The logisitics of this race from a timing perspective were terrible. There was not "split" for the two runs at all, nor the eating portion. Instead they rely on catching your number as you come out the backside of KK to get a "Doughnut split" and then you get a finish time. And if the "spotters" don't get your bib number when you are running out (like me) then all you get is a finish time. This is TERRIBLE planning and complete lack of planning by the timing company. I can't believe this is even acceptable. It is very easy to setup a split time, coming into and leaving the KK. This way you can get a first run time, a doughnut eating time and a second run time. The lack of effort is just laziness of the timign company. If I was in charge of this race, I would ask for portions of my money back from them and look elsewhere for timing next year. But I am not in charge so what do I know?
***END OF COMPLAINTS***

I head to the Doctor in about 2 hours to get the prognosis on my foot. It felt "ok" during my one and only run (KKC) over the past 3 weeks but it was a bit sore during the run. I would like to be out of the boot today and able to resume a normal training schedule but we shall see. Hopefully a good news update with be forthcoming.

Doughnut time! and a Mini Vacation

2011-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Well I am still stuck in my boot but I have been getting some good saddle time in these past few weeks. I managed to get my first road ride in this past weekend and have had lots of good trainer rides. My ankle is still a bit sore and not there yet. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can resume a full time training soon. Since April will be here before I know it. However I am going against Doctors Orders and running in the Krispy Kreme Challenge tomorrow. I figure it is only 4 miles, I have already paid, and it sounds like fun. So why not. Plus as long as my ankle doesn't bother me too much, I can get a good check of how my biking is helping to maintain my run fitness. The goal is to see if I can crank out a couple 5:40 miles fairly easily, then scarf down some doughnuts and try not to throw up on the way back. It should be a good time for all. I am also looking forward to the 15th. Angela and I are headed to West Virginia to stay at the Greenbrier. It is a really nice resort that used to be an emergency bunker location for congress. They still do bunker tours, which I will probably take. But they also recently converted part of the underground space into a casino. So for 3 days, I can relax, play some cards, swim and unwind. Should be a lot of fun.

Boot boy

2011-01-18T06:41:00.000-08:00

So it looks like I am going to have to train on the bike and pool exclusively for the next month. As of right now Krispy Kreme Challenege is out but I am not ruling out taking off my boot for 4 miles. 1 time before my follow up visit can't hurt right? I have pretty bad inflamation (ok so the Dr used the term severe) of the Posterior Tibial Tendon. I have no medical degree but I am going to say it happened on December 11, 2010. Something just tells me that was probably it. I have to wear this monstrosity all day except when I swim or bike. I have been through this before, when I had my IT band problems and was off running for 2 months. So I really need to concentrate on pushing the bike hard as well as my swim workouts. This week will be a challenge though since Anglea is leaving tomorrow to go to California. I might have to try to use the exercise bikes here at work and then swim at night. Or I may have to cram a swim and a bike in during my 2 hour day care limit per night at the gym. I will figure something out. In the meantime, if anyone wants to get together for a ride (even if indoors on a trainer) I am available.

Little RIver- The same as last year

2011-01-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to run Little River this year but decided as long as I can stand the pain, lets go for it. David and I got there about 7:30, picked up our packets and then hung out by the heaters to get warm. About 8, we ventured out into the woods to check the trail out. It was snow and ice and the more snow and ice. My ankle was already hurting and slippery trail conditions is not what I wanted to see. But the footing was actually not that bad, there seemed to be a layer or snow over most of the ice and in other parts it was slush. When the race started I was determined not to start too fast like last year and put myself into lactic acid mode. Somehow I think there is a median between my start last year and my pedestrian talk to everyone start this year. After the first half mile, I was buried in the middle of the pack and had to pass a lot of people going up the hill before we got into the woods. Once we got into the woods, I am guessing I was around 20th place or so. But I was wayyyyyy back of the leaders. I had to pass 6 people once I got into the woods, then I came onto a pack of 4 including the lead woman. I passed 3 of them right at mile 2 but the lead guy in that pack was able to get separation before I could get around and so I lost sight of him. We ran together until mile 4.5 when we hit a road section and I was able to open my stride and pull away. The next 5.5 miles was pretty uneventful. I passed one more person and was able to see a few guys ahead of me on the switchbacks but had no clue how close I was to them. I didn't see any mile markers after 4 so I never quite knew where I was at. Until I saw the 1 mile to go sign. I tried to pick it up as much as I could with one mile to go. I didn't have a watch on but felt I was probably running about like I did last year. Which means I did better on the back section but not as well on the front. All in all it was a good race. I finished 10th again with a 1:14:15 on the 10.1 mile course for a 7:21 avg. Maybe next year I can get my goal of sub 70. But I feel like my base building is going well. Later on today I will hope back on the bike again, so I can give me ankle a rest until I find out the report tomorrow.

The Ankle saga

2011-01-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

So it turns out my awesomely brilliant decision to wear new shoes the day of Thunder road may end up really biting me in the backside. I went to the Ortho today and they have scheduled me for an MRI. Which I am not looking forward to as I have been told this is not fun for claustrophobics like myself. But other than that whole phobia thing, it will tell me what is wrong with my ankle. Right now it looks like there are three choices. 1. I could have a stress fracture since there is tenderness on the bone. Out 12 weeks. 2. A tear in the posterior tibial tendon since all my pain rides along that path. Which would require surgery. 3. Inflammation of said tendon, which would require anti inflammatories and ice. I am crossing my fingers on that one.

Trying to get Serious (sort of)

2011-01-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

Well my training is going well so far (except for that pesky ankle issue). But I am running 6 days a week and have been biking and swimming more. Hopefully when I get into the full swing of things, I can stick to 6 days of running with a long run, 4 days of biking with a long ride and 3 swims a week. I am really trying to build my base back up to where I need it to be in order to really have effective training. I had a good run at Umstead with Brian on Saturday despite being blinded by the snow for the last 20 minutes. I feel like my sessions on the bike are going well but I need to put my computer back on as well as get off the trainer when the weather will permit. My swimming is holding steady. I am working on being more effiicient in the water right now and not so worried about speed. Hopefully as the efficiency improves so will my times. I am also starting to incorporate some pushups and situps into my daily routine. I have been getting better and am starting to be able to do more with less effort now. I am really keeping my fingers crossed that I can stay healthy and motivated. If so I think I can have a breakout year. I am not quite sure what I will be racing this year as that will all be very last mintute execpt for the the relay in April and Eagleman. After Eagleman (when the baby arrives), I will definitely be playing it by ear. For now, here is a rough(ish) schedule for a bit.

Jan 15th Little River 10 miler
Feb 5th Krispy Kreme Challenge
Feb 13 Marathon relay
March 12 Sampson county Tri
April 8-9 Palmetto 200
April 16th BeaverDam
May 8th White Lake sprint
May 21st Buckhorn
June 12th Eagleman

Relay, my #^&$ foot and woods running

2011-01-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

So we are set for the relay, woohoo. I think we have a pretty good team. We have a 2:44 marathoner, 2 guys at 2:57, a sub 10 hour Ironman, a directionally challenged distance junkie and myself. Last year the winning time was a 6 man team at 25:30 ish with an average of 7:37 a mile. I think that once April rolls around and everyone is rounding back into race form we will be able to compete. That brings me to my next point. Not only am I still cursing my undertrained performance at Thunder Road, I am still cursing my decision to run in brand new stride altering shoes. I am not sure why it seemed like a good idea at the time. So the Kinvara worked as far as my knees did not hurt but my ankles were a different story. Both of them took a beating during the race. Now my left ankle is always stiff, my left arch hurts like hell when I run and no amount of ice or ibuprofen seems to help. I am currently on an endless hold, ring, hold again loop with the Ortho trying to make an appt. I want to get some relief that is not in the form of "stop running". Which brings me to my last topic woods running. Not the greatest terrain for someone having ankle and arch issues but it is good for two things. 1. It relaxes me and is very calming. 2. It forces me to run slower. This allows me to actually have long easy runs and not pound the roads all the time. Anytime I get the chance to run in the woods (and the bridle trails at Umstead don't count) I will take it. Running doesn't have to be a chore or a force activity, sometimes you need to go hard but when you aren't slated for a hard run, find some woods, run, look around and have fun.

Rejuvination! and Need some help (come on you lazy distance runners)

2010-12-28T08:26:00.000-08:00

Sort of... I am running better these days and am doing better getting in the pool and on the bike. I am still not to where I want to be yet but I am trying to get as much quantity in right now as I can. I am determined to build my base back up so I can have a solid foundation when I start hammering in the spring. My goal right now is 3 swims, 4 bikes and 40-50 miles of running per week. I was doing well last week until Christmas came and screwed my diet and training up. I am back on track today though. Already got one run in, will bike when I get home then head out to the track.

It is long distance relay time! After the Blue Ridge Relay last year, I am loving this format. It makes for a LONG LONG day and a lot of exhaustion but it is fun. Right now the 3 amigos (Brian, Brad and myself) are in for the Palmetto 200. We need 3 more crazy people to join us for 200 miles of awesomeness April 8-9. If anyone is curious, check out Palmetto 200 and email me if interested.

T-cup (<-- college roommates nickname for me)

Very Delayed Race Report (Thunder Road)

2010-12-21T06:44:00.000-08:00

Now that I think I am healed from Thunder Road I guess I can talk about it. I started out in my build up for this race very well. I was training like a champ, hitting my mileage. But looking back two very important things happened, 1. I said I was hitting my mileage BUT not quite my schedule and 2. Later in my training injury and sickness took over and I missed too much. I was getting my long runs and my track workouts in but the most important workout each week I was not doing or at least not doing well and that was my tempo runs. This more than anything else was my downfall and something I will have to work on next time around. Not much I can do for injury and sickness except when I can't run make sure I am on my bike or in the pool more. On to the race. I knew heading in that 15 miles was my wall, I was hoping that I could get through 15 at sub 3:10 pace and use adrenaline to carry me. That didn't work out. I started out very relaxed as Brad and I ran easy and chatted like it was a long run. Thing were going well, ratlling off 6:45 miles for the first 8 or 9 miles. At 9 is where I started getting a tad uncomfortable and Brad pulled about 2 yards in front of me. I tried to relax and think pleasant thoughts but I was fighting fatigue. I watched the lock at each mile and thought ok, just stay at 7 pace. 10 miles sub 7-check, 11 miles 77 on the nose. 12 miles, a 7:20 or so. 13 was a 7:40, I picked it up a bit and got it back down on 14 and 15, reaching 15 at 1:49:30 or so. It was all downhill from there, fatigue had set in and I hit some 8 plus miles. Mentally I was done, I saw 3:10 out the window (ok, I knew it was out at mile 12 but held out hope). The rest of the way is a long long long series of run/walk/try not to go crazy. I started listening to the bands at the mile markers and started chatting with as many people as I could to pass the time. I even got a laugh out of the bail bond business that I passed whose slogan was "We're in business with Christ" which I thought was a very odd choice. The legs started cramping pretty badly at 22, and some other difficulties made running or walking not fun. By the time I got to mile 25, I was done. I walked about 3/4 of the last mile which definitely made me the oddity. Everyone was running that final mile making the last push and I was taking my time,. My legs had nothing left and the only goal I had was to finish. My last marathon was a few days after my Grandfather had passed and I was forced to drop out. This race was very personal to me. Running with my Grandfather's ring on, if I had to crawl to the finish I was not going to quit. I finally crossed and passed out on the ground. I was disappointed with my time but I finished and next time, I will do even better.

Almost time to do ...... uh... um.... something?

2010-12-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

Race day is almost here. I am looking forward to it in a wow it is fun to run a marathon undertrained kind of way. But I guess since I have paid for the race and the hotel, I might as well go do it? I have decided to illustrate my race for everyone.
Here will be me before the race.

Once the gun goes off, I will be pretty fresh and ready to go

By the halfway, mark I will be feeling less enthusiastic and ready to be done. This is me hitching a ride

By mile 20, I will probably be VERY tired. I might feel like this

By the time I get to the finish I am sure this will be more like it.

The clock will probably look like this

And that will be my marathon. It is going to be an awesome day.

What an awesome weekend!

2010-12-01T04:05:00.000-08:00

FSU put a beat down on the mullets. It was awesome! Doak Campbell stadium was rocking, people were being loud, cheering and the energy was amazing. I suppose it was not so awesome if you are a fan of the lizards but then again if that is the case, your decision making process is screwed up. Eric and I got a head start leaving out Thursday night and stayed about an hour outside of GA. I got up for an early morning run on Friday. As I got back to the hotel to relax, the fire alarm goes off? Someone had put a bagel in the microwave for 2 minutes and walked away from it. Smoke inevitably ensued. Some people are just not smart. So after grabbing some breakfast, we headed to Tallytown. I will say Eric was a great sport with the whole weekend. A gator going into Seminole country is tough enough but that wasn't it. I signed up for the booster tour of the Moore Center. We first watched an awesome 3D movie of the Seminoles. We then toured the training room, turf room, and Weight room. After that, we got onto Bobby Bowden field and took a press box tour before ending up at the Seminole player sendoff. On gameday we tailgated with a whole lot of Seminoles, there were a few reptiles in there to make Eric feel better. A lot of beer pong, brats, chili and burgers later we headed to the game. After an early 7-3 croc lead, it was all downhill for the mighty jhorts from there. Not sure how many times the warchant was done but I am sure it was not enough. Once the game was over (90% of the gates had left by the 3rd quarter anyway) the Maryland-NCSU was put on the big screen. That was the perfect ending, as the Terps managed to knock of the Pack sending us to Charlotte for the ACC title game. From there we headed back to the greyhound track again for some poker. What an awesome weekend. The only down note was the traffic jam that some people call I-95. Who knew that a major interstate would be jammed up the sunday after Thanksgiving? Weird.

Off to Tally and Thanksgiving thoughts

2010-11-25T06:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I have been running pretty well recently and hope to continue the trend. I had a great 5x 1 mile workout which helps a little bit confidence wise going into thunder road. I know I am still not as prepared as I need to be but when the race starts, I still have to run. At least I will have Brad B there to enjoy or despise the race with me. Once the turkey has all been eaten as well as anything sweet within a 5 mile radius of me, it is time to take my trip down south. I am going to the FSU-uf game with my lizard alum neighbor Eric. Eric is a good friend despite clearly not being able to choose a suitable college. I try not to hold that against him. It does make for interesting conversations thought. Which to be honest as usually nothing more than "my school is better than your school" "nuh uh" "uh huh" arguments'; but whatever works. All I know for sure is that on the car ride home Sunday, one of us will be happy and the other no so much. Now that will make for a LONG trip. But it is all in good fun, unless FSU loses then there is not much fun to be had. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving, be sure to hug your loved ones and tell them you love them. Also be nice to random strangers, as you never know how a seemingly small act towards one person can be a big thing. And don't forget to tell your friends you appreciate them for being there. And never forget to smile and enjoy the ride.

No way I am going to be ready

2010-11-16T06:59:00.000-08:00

My limit right now is about 10-12 miles. As recent evidence will show (i.e. Battleship half), I am not in shape to run a marathon. I am not sure why I can't get motivated. I really NEED to figure out what is wrong. It seems that when I don't have time to run at work, I get home and am faced with the choice of workout or spend time with the boys. So naturally I opt for time with the boys. Then when they go to bed, it is workout or sit on the couch and watch tv. For some reason TV and couch are winning. I used to have no issues starting a bike or a run at 8pm but now I just don't have the energy or desire. I need to figure out my dealio or or force myself to stop missing workouts and then it will become second nature again. I have a marathon that will destroy me in 3 weeks. A possible 20 mile trail race in feb that will be brutal and an A race coming up in June that I HAVE to be in top shape for. All this means I have no time to waste and lots of swim, bike, run to do.

BattleShip Half Marathon "Race" Report (or something like it)

2010-11-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

Not even sure where to begin on this one. I am a bit bummed that I was only an "unofficial" entrant. What is the difference? Well none of the photographers on course took my picture since I had no number and I missed out the cool finishers medal. Other than that there was not much different, I still had to "race" 13.1 miles I suppose. I didn't feel like spending $$ on a hotel since I was not using this as an A race or anything. So I opted for a short night sleep and a long drive in the dark. I got up about 4:45 and was out the door by 5. By 7:15 I was there, except parking was closed. So I had to drive to the hilton, search for a parking spot (since they never advertised that the pay lots were free that day) then head over to the race site on a trolley. Once I got there I went to pick up my number, when I was told "I was not on the list". I know the story of my life. Apparently I was not cool enough to be invited to the party. Turns out there was some static in the line of communication and some packets got dropped and since this is a UDP network there was no retry (ok I just felt like being geeky). Anyhow, the number nazi told me that I could not run as the race was full. I said "just watch me". So I headed to the LONG bathroom line and made it to the starting line with 5 minutes to spare. If you are looking for my reference to the warm up, you didn't miss it, just didn't have time for such minor details. When the race started, I felt decent but wanted to make sure I went out easy. I felt like I was cruising at the mile mark which was hit at 6:15. Since I was only trying to run 1:25 I backed off. The next few miles were ok and hit each in about 6:34. I was starting to wheeze a bit and my congestion decided to break up. So I struggled to breathe a bit but felt ok. I found my rhythm and rattled off 4 miles at 6:42 each. 7 miles down and I am running on the home stretch. No big deal, except I started to feel myself tighten up a bit. So I just tried to relax. Next mile 6:55, ok clearly I am fading but I need to hold on. Mile 9 7:11.....eeeek, I am now north of not where I want to be. That is ok, just hold steady and finish up what was meant to be a nice training run anyway. Mile 10- 7:26...gahhhhhh. Hmmmm 10 miles is enough right? I did miss 10 days of training..... No, I didn't drive here to run 10 of 13 miles. My hip is now starting to hurt, I have a blister on my foot and the ball of my left foot is killing me. (mental note- I need new shoes). Too late to change them though, there is a severe lack of shoe stores on this route. Mile 11- 7:49.... Ok, I have officially run into the wall. An army of monkeys has camped out on my back and a few are clinging to my legs. I also feel a bump in my shoe. I figure it is just a rock, so I scuff my foot a few times. No joy, still there. Ok, I am winded, my hip hurts, I am way out this run mentally so I stop and check my shoe. 1. Good thing I did because a rusty screw decided to come along for the ride and 2. It is a good thing I recently had my tetanus booster. Once I stopped I tightened up pretty good and was forced to shuffle along. I missed the 12 mile marker but it took me somewhere around 19:45 or so to do my last 2.1 miles. I went from 1:24 pace at the half to 1:28 pace at 11, to 1:35:32 at the finish. Yes I lost SEVEN minutes in the last 2 miles from. What can I say, bad days happen. Guess I need to stop missing training runs and hope I don't get any more respiratory infections. But it is still fun and I need to remember that. Just have fun and enjoy myself. That is what it is all about anyway..... if anyone believes that I am capable of thinking that way, clearly you don't know me very well :) Hopefully though there will be better races ahead. As for how I am going to increase my wall from 11 miles to 26 in 3 weeks? All I can say is I am in a lot of trouble.

On Vacation I guess

2010-11-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

So I had to dust of my corner of the WWW and chase away the crickets. I have just been too busy/unmotivated/lazy what ever you wish to call it to post. I am going to jump start my off season and blogging eventually. Once my head clears from this crud that I have now and my whole body doesn't hurt, I am going to start writing again (and training). My goal for the off season is to shed some of the last bit of weight that I have been lugging around, learn to swim, get back on my bike, and hopefully enter next tri season in the best shape ever.

Injured and ALS Update

2010-10-14T04:08:00.000-07:00

First let me start by saying thanks to all who helped. I raised 1200 for the eagleman charity slot! Which means a nice donation to the Blazeman foundation for the War on ALS. Thank you to all for your generosity!

I am injured again. I did something my arch and lower ankle area. It is really swollen and painful right now. I am icing it and trying to keep it elevated as much as possible. Hopefully it will go away soon, in the mean time, I took a few days to rest. Now I will hit the bike and try to maintain my fitness level while dealing with this. I will keep my fingers crossed.

Update-- Donations needed for War on ALS

2010-09-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

So far I have raised 400. Thanks to all who have donated, and I hope to surpass the goal of 750 by the end of the week. Please keep the donations coming!

If you would like to Donate please let me know. If you would like to donate and are not concerend with tax deduction information you can send the money through the paypal link or give it to me directly. If you want the tax deduction letter then email me at nolemonkey@gmail.com and I will give you the information on that. Once all is collected, I will send the donation to the race officials.

Still a lazy blogger

2010-09-27T05:36:00.000-07:00

Well I am married to an IronWoman! Angela finished 5th overall at the Chesapeake Man "Ultra Distance" Triathlon (ironman is apparently trademarked). But it is all 140.6 miles so I guess semantics don't matter. We have been crazy busy every weekend for a year it seems like. I am hoping things can settle down for a while now that we enter the "down" period. I have my marathon coming up December 11th and am trying to organize a 12 man relay team for a race across FL on Nov 19-20. That is about it for me. I was going to race Kiawah but now will be doing Thunder Road in Charlotte thanks to me not registering on time. I am counting on nmy Uber endurance nuts that I call my TAF team mates to come through on the relay. So far we have 4 solid yes's and I am hoping we get 8 more. I would do a 6 man relay but probably not a good idea 1 month out for a Boston Qualifying attempt but who knows. I was just informed as of 7:30 this morning that I have one race left in my tri season. Whoops. I will be doing Lake Royale this weekend. I have not been swimming (lazy) or biking (no bike still) since the end of July. Hmmmm... well I will tow the starting line (assuming I borrow or buy a bike by then) and whatever happens, happens. After that I can focus on two things. 1. Getting my endurance back up to where it was last Feb and 2. Starting my "Double Secret plan" that I have for next season. If things work out like I plan, all I can say is watch out. I will be kicking ass and taking initials. (I won't have time for names) Then I will map what I want to do from there. I have a few ideas but until I can dedicate myself again, I am not sure which road I will travel. But any help with my anti laziness (ie. calling me or emailing me and making me run, bike and swim would be much appreciated).

Blue Ridge Relay Report

2010-09-20T03:41:00.000-07:00

I was not quite sure what to expect from this event, other than a lot of running. My only goal was no walking. I need to work on some things for next year to prevent the cramping and legs locking up. I hydrated very well, and I was getting plenty of electrolytes but still I was hurting. I was the 2nd runner so my legs were 2, 8, 14, 20, 26, and 32. Here is the breakdown.
Leg 2- This was rated as a "hard" leg. It was a net decline which for some reason I assumed meant no hills. We started down a nice hill before taking a left onto a gravel road that was completely covered by trees. So it was really nice running. I wanted to just start out at a nice training run pace so I could get into the race but not get anywhere near AT and risk my legs getting tight. After a few miles, I came a really nice uphill section. We started a climb and when I got to the first hairpin turn I assumed the climb was over. Nope. We kept climbing. But eventually I came to a sign I would learn to love. The "Exchange Zone" sign. My first 7.4 mile leg was done in 49:45. (Number of runners passed- a lot)

Leg 8- This was a "moderate" 4.6 mile run, although I guess it really should have been "easy". It was a mostly flat run, although the profile shows a decline, I didn't notice one. It was an AWESOME leg though as I got to run along a country road surrounded by trees along a river and with mountains in the backdrop. I would like to have just kept running this leg over and over. After I reached my beloved exchange zone sign, I went to soak my legs in the river for a bit. (number of runners passed- 4) (time on this leg 29:05)

Leg 14- "Trek up Grandfather Mountain). This was one of the legs I was not looking forward to. A 10 mile stretch up, up and up Grandfather Mountain. Our team was doing an awesome job moving up in pace and were currently in "third". We weren't really in third overall but were running in 3rd behind a tough 4 man team of 50+ guys and the Tarheels on Wheels. I started about 15 minutes behing 50/50 team and 8 minutes back of Tarheels. Passing anyone on this leg would be tough. I was aiming for sub 70. I wanted to keep my sub 7 pace in tact. I started out conservative to get a feel for the uphills. I also knew the biggestr elevation gain was in the first 2 miles. Once I got settled in, I really started rolling. I felt really good and thought sub 70, here I come. I started to track a runner at what I thought was 9 miles in. Once I passed him, reality hit me. I saw a billboard that said "GrandFather Mountain 2 miles ahead"! Ughhh. 2 more miles, this climb was taking forever. I glanced at my watch and knew sub 70 was out. I really struggled the next two miles and was battling fatigue. This climb never seemed to end, it was almost like I was running up a mountain. When I reached the summit, I was exhausted but had run very well 76:05. (number of runners passed 1)

Leg 20- "Dark, dark and more dark". I started this leg in 2nd position in the race and was determined to move us to the front. I was starting about 5-6 minutes back though on a tough climb and in pitch black. My legs were stiff but I knew I had to just keep moving. After a mile, I made my only turned a started my slow climb up. Running at night in the mountains is creepy. Every house had what sounded like 5 dogs and I was convinced one of the 137 dogs I was running by would run out into the road. All that kept going through my head was the deliverance movie. If I heard a Banjo, I was going to sprint. I was struggling up the hills but just told myself "keep your legs moving". In the spots where I struggled, I kept moving and would find some energy and pick the pace up. Just when I was feeling like I couldn't do it, I saw the team in front of me. We were about 5 miles in and starting the big climb. So I made my charge up the hill. About 5.5 miles in, I moved in front. I pushed all the way to the top of the hill and coasted the 1.25 miles down hill. My legs were cramping a bit but I knew it was all downhill to the finish. When I saw the exchange zone sign, I wanted to pick it up but my legs were in knots so I just stayed steady. (Time 57:34, number of runners passed-1)

After this leg is where things got a a little crazy. Allan took the exchange and completed his leg and handed off to Brad. When Brad took off for his leg we had fallen back to third. He tore out of transition and was tracking the 2nd place runner. They both went the wrong way. Brad passed him shortly after missing the turn and kept on going. We waited at the next exchange zone and when he didn't show after 40 minutes we went looking, and looking, and looking. We called the race director, the next 3 exchange zones, hospitals, etc. We went back to the exchange zone he left from (twice), drove every possible wrong turn and couldn't find him. Finally 2 hours later we get a call saying he made it back to the exchange zone he left from. We went to go get him but he decided to finish his leg (even after running for 2 hours). He was wrecked by the time he got 1 mile from the finish of that leg. He made the exchange but couldn't run anymore. Fred ran his leg after the exchange but we made a call as a team to not continue past leg 23. With one runner down, one runner sick, and Brian and I would now have to run an extra leg, it was best to call it a day. It sucked but sometimes you have to know when you have had enough. We will make a few changes, definitely be better prepared and will be back next year, ready to make some noise.

I might be insane

2010-09-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

So I have always wanted to do a few races. One of them is the Blue Ridge Relay. A team relay race spanning 206 miles. Depending on the team generally completed in the 22 to 32 hour range. Most teams are 12 people. When a spot opened up on a team, I jumped at the chance to run. Then I found out 2 things. 1. I volunteered to be on a 6 man team and 2. I was taking over for the ultra marathoner so I get he longest legs. So Friday morning around 8:30 am, I will start the first of 6 legs that will cover 45.9 miles. I will be tired, sore, and probably a little loopy when I get done but I do need the training (or over training). I know 2 guys on the team and it should be a lot of fun despite all the running. I am looking forward to it, but I have a feeling by my 3rd leg I may change my mind on that. I am also including the elevation profiles for all my legs just for kicks and giggles.

Leg 2- 7.5 miles

Leg 8- 4.6 miles

Leg 14- 10 miles

Leg 20- 7.5 miles

Leg 26- 6.9 miles

Leg 32- 9.4 miles

People are just not bright

2010-09-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

The funny part is the people yelling to throw him out? What?? He may have been obnoxious I don't doubt that but he got hit THREE TIMES and didn't fight back once. And yet they are yelling to throw him out? He held his composure better than most would have.

What was that?

2010-08-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

Before I start, I would like to give a huge shout out to Brad. He just completed the Leadville 100 mile. Congrats on that, I have no clue how you race all those long races but keep it up. Last night was the dreaded 5x1 mile workout. I used to LOVE this workout in college but since I no longer log 75-82 miles a week, I just don't seem to like it as much anymore. I have been really in a rut with my training and was not feeling confident at all with this workout. I did 3x1 mile a few weeks ago and paid dearly for starting too fast and 3 was my limit. How would I do at 5 and did I learn my lesson? Since I am starting my marathon training now I was supposed to target between 10k and half marathon pace. My goal was 5:45 avg and I wanted to be consistent, that was the big thing. The first interval went well, I was consistent in my laps and finished up at 5:45, one down 4 to go. Turns out that all 5 were right on, 5:45, 5:46, 5:48, 5:42 and 5:43. The last one might have been a bit off as far as consistency goes. I got lazy in the first half and had to push the 2nd half to make up for it. But I felt comfortable and never felt out of control or that I had to stop. It really helped to have Brad (not Ultra Brad) running with me. It always makes it easier to have someone going through it with you. So the first good workout I have had in a while. I am feeling a bit more confident now. Hopefully that will be a trend that will continue.

Rex Wellness Race Report

2010-08-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

I am not even sure where to begin with this race report. I don't like racing when I am out of shape. I was going to drop out of this race but Angela said she wanted to being the boys and watch me race. Ok, she played the kids card, fine I will race. Turns out there was a conflict and she couldn't make it due to a long ride but my parents brought the boys so they were able to see me race. Also since I am bikeless at the moment, I had to borrow a bike to do this race. I figured it is only 10 miles, no need to test ride it or make adjustments right? We got there at 6:30 for a 7am start (problem 1) and that was just laziness on my part and desire to sleep. When I got there I put all my stuff in transition and made my way to the extremely long bathroom line. By the time I got back to TA, it was 6:50. So I set everything up real quick and realized that my aerp pads were not on the bike. Whoops. So I ran to the car, and it was locked. Hmmm, now to find my Dad. Ran to the pool (now 6:55) and didn't see him. Ran back to TA, no dice, back to pool. Ahhh found him. Grabbed keys, ran back to car, got aero pads, delivered them to the bike. Gave Dad the keys back and headed to the pool. (7:00). So much for some warm up laps. The guy in front of me seemed to be a good swimmer, so I knew I would not run up on him, all I had to do was avoid being over taken from behind. The pool was great for a pool swim. There was very little passing and I didn't run into anyone head on. My arms got tired on me though and I started not being as quick as I could have been at the walls. But I made it through and headed out to T1. After a quick T1, I was off on the bike. About half mile in, I realized, maybe I should have gotten fit for the bike. The seat post was way too low and I was having trouble on the rollers. I had to stand up on every incline because I couldn't generate or sustain power. I managed to catch a few people but the 3 guys I needed to chase down, I saw were to far ahead of me on at the turn. So the return leg was mainly pretty boring as I could not see anyone in front of me. I was off the bike, and out of T2 fairly well. After saying hi to Ryan and Brayden, I was off. I just was not motivated to run. I knew first place (Dwayne) was not going to be caught unless he decided to lay down and take a nap. I didn't know where 2nd and 3rd were but after a half mile I could see them in the distance. I moved into 3rd at the turn and into 2nd just before 2 miles. From here I went into cruise control. It was more of lets make this hurt as little as possible and maintain 2nd place. Coming back to the finish, I was hoping to grab the boys and run across the finish line with them but inflatable jump houses are way more interesting than Dad's triathlon I guess. So once I finished I went and said hello while they continued to jump. All in all it was a good day. I didn't feel as bad as I though I would but I am more sore than I wanted to be right now. Marathon Training program officially started with my run this morning, so one more tri in October and then hopefully a BQ at Kiawah in December.

This should be interesting

2010-08-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

So I am signed up to race a triathlon this weekend. I forgot all about it, so I am going to borrow a bike and give it a go since it is only a short sprint. I have no been swimming since the Washington Sprint. I have not been on an actual bike since then as well. And I have been struggling physically in all my runs, and have had zero energy. This should be an interesting experiment in futility. At this point in time I don't even know if the shoes I have will fit the pedals on the bike I am borrowing. Maybe I will do the whole thing in my run shoes and just not lift? That should make a quick T2 right? Other than that, after this weekend I am officially starting "Project get my ass back in shape". My friend Sean Kurdys has been nice enough to help me develop a training plan for ramping up to run the Kiawah Island Marathon in December. Why this one? Because I seem to love the Charleston area as I end up there a lot. But this is where Angela and I went on our honeymoon and it will be nice to stay at the same place and have a relaxing weekend there (minus that whole running for 3 hours part). Maybe I can get a BQ and head North in April to hang out with some yankees for a while? I am just hoping that I can find the time, energy and motivation to get back to the form I had in Feb/March of this year and roll that into a successful tri season next year. I am hoping to pimp smack a few half irons in the process. So all I ask from you guys is to invite me on training runs/rides/swims so that I can maintain focus.

Just not into it (A rare serious post)

2010-08-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

Have you ever done something that your heart just wasn't into? It usually doesn't turn out very well nor do you ever accomplish what you would like to accomplish. That is the state I am in now with my training. For whatever reason I am just in a slump. I really don't think I have ever fully recovered mentally from being hurt back in March. It may have started before that. The Umstead Marathon started a chain reaction of events from which I was pulled into the doldrums and I have been unable to pull myself out. That week was not a good week for me. With the passing of my Grandfather, I ran that race with a very heavy heart. I was also drained physically and emotionally. I probably should have sat out that race but I just couldn't do it, I wanted to run that race and do well for myself, my family and my grandfather. Unfortunately I was not able to handle the stress, the pressure that I put on myself and I was forced to pull out at mile 12 just physically drained beyond anything I can explain. For those of you that know me, for me not to finish that race killed me inside. I was determined to get back into it though and signed up for the Tobacco road marathon a month later. 1 week before on a short training workout I injured my soleus. Everything that I had worked for was now falling down around me. It is difficult to explain but I just felt like I had let everyone down. Training has never been the same. I just don't have the pep in my stride anymore, I don't have the desire and determination to push myself but at the same time I don't want to quit. I try to deal with it and make myself do it but as all too often the case, the body will not do what the mind will not allow. As a result I have not raced as much as I would like, I have not trained as much as I need. Now the fact that my bike got destroyed doesn't help. I am too honest a person to lie to get a new one. I was presented with several options to get a new one, none of which I will take because it is not right to lie or deceive in order to get something I want. Integrity is too important to me. Especially with 2 boys that I try to raise the right way. Even if they don't understand, I just can't set that example. I already have enough trouble sleeping these days, my conscience will not allow me to go that route. So I will go bikeless most likely until next year. But I am not done with what I want to accomplish and I still have a obstacle to face next March in Umstead park. Not the race itself but merely what it represents to me now. Will I be able to climb out of my hole soon? Who knows, it may not be until I can finish something I started that I will get through this. The thing about the mind is that it is a very fragile thing. Once an athlete's confidence is gone, it is a very hard thing to deal with and to overcome. Right now mentally, I am beaten man. I feel much like a boxer lying on the mat wondering if it is worth it to get up? Do I have the strength? And if I do can I finish, can I shake these feelings and emotions that seem to be haunting me and get to where I want to be? Who knows, I just hope that I can figure it out soon so I can get back on track.

Tim's Bike Fund

2010-08-09T03:18:00.000-07:00

Since my bike is now no longer with us. I have decided to start a fund to replace my beloved Trek. I figure if I can get enough people to donate 5-10 bucks, then I can resume racing hopefully by next season. Feel free to donate using the link below.

Garmin Giveaway

2010-08-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

Check out this link and get in a completely random drawing that you can lose with me :) Just got to
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/08/garmin-forerunner-310xt-giveaway.html

An Idea and a race report

2010-08-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

As I sit here trying to get over the funk that I woke up with this morning, I had an epiphany. Well it is not really an epiphany but we can go with that. I understand that everyone out there, myself included has bad days, gets in bad moods, etc. But why do we let this affect our whole day? This is my new proposal, it will undoubtedly result in me having less friends but I think I can live with that. If I see you out, at work, at the track, at the mall, etc and I say hello and I am greeted back with an "F*** You" look or something to that effect and it is not me you are mad at, I am going to give you the middle finger followed by a string of expletives. Then at least the next time I see you, and you give me the "F*** You" look, I will know it was justified. My point being, if you are having a bad day there is no need to be rude or dismissive to others. I think if we all do this, we will either have less friends or be better ones, either way is fine with me. (**disclaimer** Since my Mom reads this I will just throw it out there that yes she raised me better than that). On to the race report.

Last year I did the Washington Olympic and there could be no other word to describe it other than disaster. So this year being that I am not in shape and too lazy to train, I decided I would just save myself some frustration and do the sprint. I was really busy before the race and by the time I got around to setting up my bike and TA, I had little time to do more than that. Which I don't think was a big deal. I went for a short (5 minute) ride to make sure the bike was shifting fine. I then headed back into TA, racked my bike, grabbed my goggles and swam for a few minutes. There was an "Open" division which unfortunately only had 4 people in it. So that is depressing knowing that I was going to come out of the water last in my wave. I was a bit frustrated that we were missing a top contender in the Open Wave but oh well. It is what it is. When the race started I tried to stay with Frank as long as I could which was only about 200 meters. But I was surprised to see the gap was not very big when we hit our first Buoy. But once I made the turn I just lost my form, and contact with the other three and drifted back into no mans land. not surprisingly I came out of the water in 4th place :) I had a very good T1 and headed onto the bike. My legs were a bit stiff so I started out in a really easy gear. It took about 5 minutes but I finally was able to drop my gears and pick up the tempo. I just concentrated on passing some of the people in front of me (Olympic Competitors) and was looking forward to the turn around when I could judge if I was making a dent in the lead. When I saw Frank pass me, he had a good lead on Jon but I was shocked to not see Bruce. Once I made the turn I saw my gap on Phillip (he started in the wave behind me) and knew it was going to be close. I lost some steam around mile 13 and tried to maintain my pace as best I could but miles 16-18 really were a struggle as I was all alone. I came off my bike and had a great T2 and sprinted out onto the run. I was trying to run a 5:20 first mile but my legs just didn't have it, I was cramping pretty bad so I backed off into a hard but comfortable pace. As I neared the turn around, i saw Frank and Jon heading back and knew there was no way I was going to be close to them. I tried to hold it together and when I hit the turn I surged. Once I got back onto the main road I saw Phillip running VERY well towards me and judged to have about 2 minutes on him. (I thought he started 3 minutes back) so I started to pick it up as much as my legs would let me. I really cramped badly the last .75 miles and could not open my stride. I guess my laziness on vacation was kicking me in the rump. I crossed the finish line at 1:22:24 and waited. About 2:10 later Phillip crossed and I knew I had lost 3rd place. I found Bruce and found out me missed the turn around which is why I never saw him. I know he was frustrated as he probably would have won but sometimes these things happen. I was pleased with my effort and felt that under the circumstances I had a good race. I just need to work on my motivation and start training more. Hopefully it will come.

Racing undertrained is AWESOME

2010-07-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

I know it is my own fault but life happens and I get too busy to get in all my training sometimes. Most of the time, Angela and I end up with conflicting schedules and I watch the boys since her training is much more important than mine right now. If I miss a few sessions, I can still fake my way through a sprint. I don't imagine one can fake their way through an ironman? Of course other times, I am faced with a training dilemma such as, do I get out of bed while on vacation to workout early or sleep in? Then it is, do I eat my 5th meal of the day, the go gambling or workout? You see the kind of tough choices I have to make. As a result, I get a bit on the out of shape side. Last night was my weekly "track meet". I used it as more of a workout than anything. I went about 85% effort but was a bit disappointed as I thought that effort would have yielded slightly faster times. I am not sure if it was last week, or a heavy monday and hard tuesday which brought on really dead legs yesterday. I also realized that I have done some spin classes, and stationary workouts over the past few weeks but I have not sat on my own bike since I raced last on June 27th.... whoops. And I have a race this weekend. It is a sprint but a long bike leg on the spint (18 miles) because apparently 9 miles is the easiest place to turn around..... sheesh. Hopefully I can get through it as quickly as possible and fight through my training doldrums right now and get back on a decent schedule. It is just hard to find some motivation right now, I think I need a regular training partner.

Back from Vacation

2010-07-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

WHY WHY WHY is the ocean sooooooo blue but yet the beaches of NC, murky dark water? I feel slighted. I loved staring out into the blue when I was on the ship. I never did see any whales but I did see a flying fish which was awesome. We had a good time despite so rough weather (Bonnie) that made us miss our first port of call and then poor planning by Carnival that made us miss half of our next port. I ended up for the week in Hold Em after a first few days of some donkey play and some brutal outdraws. I would have been WAYYY up if not for that. But three card poker, roulette and let it ride were not as cooperative, oh well. It was nice to relax, sleep in, be lazy, eat, drink, and repeat. I managed to get minimal training in, which only puts me further behind in my never ending quest to get back to where I was in Feb-March. But I have decided long ago to scrap this season so I was absolutely not concerned about my lack of working out on the ship. Now that I am recovered and recharged I will have to step it up a bit in preperation for a LONG winter off season. When we came back we had to get everything ready for Ryan's birthday party. It went very well. We borrowed the "Dancing Man" which usually greets the swimmers out of the water in a Triathlon but he doubles as an awesome kid entertainer. We also got Muddy the Mudcat to come by. He played ball with all the kids and then helped with the Pinata and presents. Everyone seemed to have fun and Ryan was happy so it was a good day. Dad helped me with my cable outlet project so I now have a functioning outlet in my office and was able to get my desktop up and running finally. I will post pictures of the party as soon as I can. Hopefully I can also get motivated to get my training back on track. To help me out with this everyone who reads this, when you see me/pass me in a triathlon or road race be sure to ridicule me as you go by and remind me not to miss my workouts. I promise I will not hold it against anyone............. for too long :)

I'm on a Boat

2010-07-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

I got in a tough 7 miles this morning. It was only 84 degrees when I started but the heat index was 104! Yikes with humidity at 100% that run really, really, really sucked.. At some point in time I will get a bike ride in tonight (or at least that is the plan, but intoxication may kick in). And now my theme song for the next week!(which is where I will be by the time this posts :) )

"Believe me when I say I ...... a mermaid!"

Almost Here!!

2010-07-15T04:41:00.000-07:00

2 more days until a much needed vacation starts! When I first booked the cruise I got the X numbers of days until the cruise message. I think it was around 110, which I am not sure is supposed to encourage or depress you. But finally it is around the corner. We leave tomorrow to head out to the port and Saturday is embarkation day! My cruise itenerary (subject to change)... Have fun, have more fun, Eat, Drink, drink, drink some more, gamble, train, sleep. I am hoping to stick to the plan although I may have to bypass pesky things like training on some days. Who has time to do that when you have nothing to do all day? I am not sure if we will do the "tourist" thing much when we get to the ports. Although, I am going to take Angela to Atlantis so she can get to ride the water slide through the shark tank that she missed out on last time (apparently they have a no pregnant women and fast and potentially unsafe slide rule in the bahamas). Other than that I am making no plans, that way I can do whatever I feel like or nothing at all which ever seem easier and requires the least amount of effort. I will miss the boys but it will be nice to have a week without waking up at 4:19 every day and having to go to work and be "responsible" all day. Being an adult is a pain in the rump sometimes. C'est la vie.

More track reports and Bad Days happen

2010-07-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

Last night I made my way to the track again for the wed night series at UNC. I was really really sore from some interval work on monday. Needless to say my whole body was sore. I warmed up a couple miles at 7:20 pace and thought there was no way I was going to run today. When the 1500 came around I actually jumped in heat two but due to a "wardrobe malfunction" and knowing that I should be in heat 3 I stopped. I lined up in heat 3 and the plan was to hit 75. Well I went through with the pack for the first 200 in 33!, so I dropped back immediately and came through in 75. Perfect but I had to speed up after the lap to get back on pace. 800 in 2:31, excellent. My legs were stiff and I felt horrible but I was right on pace. 1200 in 3:47, dropped a bit back so I picked up the pace and came home in 4:41. Right at 4:59 pace for the mile, I was very pleased with the effort all things considered. After a cool down and some powerade, it was time for the 3k. I was trying to convince myself to run, because my legs were just shot. I decided to give it a go because it was supposed to be an interval day after all and what kind of interval workout would 1x1500 be?? So I started and was going to try and hit 5:15 for the first mile, until 200 meters in. I knew I didn't have a 5:15 in me, so I just tried to settle in at 81 per lap. I almost hit it as I came through the mile in 5:29. I did not slow down and managed to hold pace perfectly. I wish this would have been a 5k as I would have been low 17. I finished my last lap in 80 to come in at 10:20. Not a bad workout. Now on to the bad day. As you can imagine, when you are tired, sore, and generally run down and put forth a hard interval session that day, the next day is bound to be a little off right? Well try a lllllllllllot off. I had one of the most miserable runs I have had a long time today. I had to walk (a lot) and do the tired shuffle way too much and ended up calling it a day after 32 miserable minutes. The humidity was terrible but I am just so run down right now. Hopefully after an ice bath and a good nights sleep, I will be ready to go this weekend. If not, I can imagine a weekend of really slow run/walks and some painful miles on the bike.

Marathon Blogging, vacation, and myabe some training

2010-07-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know, Loco Anthony has thrown down a marathon blogging challenge. 26.2 days of blogging. I am not sure how exactly he will measure the .2 but I am sure he will have a very well, satirically written mathematical formula. Yesterday he ate a moth, which can't be very good. So check his blog out and join in the fun. I am too lazy to attempt this without flaring up my carpal tunnels, plus in 11 days my theme song will be I'm on a boat as my vacation commences. The plan is to be a "training" vacation. As my goal is to get about 12-14 hours of training in. A boat, alcohol, no work, a casino, sunshine and general laziness.... hmmm, I may have to set more realistic goals for myself? Unless of course Angela and her disciplined IM training decide to guilt me into putting my liquor down, leave the pool and doing something productive. That just sounds like a bummer, now I am depressed :( Tomorrow is week 2 of my wed night track racing. I think I am going to double the 1500 and 3000. I need the speed work and between warm up, cool down and the events, I am getting in quality and quantity so it is like a win/win. It only costs 1 dollar as a donation for the gatorade. Can't beat that I guess, I can use it as a race like last week or as a harder interval session (this week). good times.

More Track racing, misc ranting

2010-07-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

Fresh off a double this weekend I decided I would give a track 5000 a whirl last night. I ran in the Carolina Godiva track series at UNC. It is a low key "meet", where anyone who wants to run can come and get a race or a workout in. My legs were still stiff as heck but I decided a hard effort for 5000 meters is just what they needed. As soon as I got there and started warming up I thought I was making a mistake. My legs did not feel good at all, even the 800 meter heat that I jumped in as part of my warm up felt like crap and we were only jogging. My goal was to run sub 17, I had a plan to run a whole bunch of 80 second laps. When we started I hit 80 for the first 3 laps but knew based on my effort I could not hold that. I came across 5:24 for the first mile and lost a little mental focus. My laps started drifting back to 88 or so. I was sweating pretty bad but couldn't wipe my eyes since they had vaseline on them (had to make sure blisters stayed off my feet) and I didn't want to get it in my eyes. So I went with the squint and shake method. Didn't work too well. I came across at 11:15 (5:51). I didn't want to drift that much so I started trying to pick it up a little each 200 meters to get my laps back down. I am not sure if I was doing the math right in my head but I thought I was on pace for 5:40 last mile. With one lap to go they called out 16:17. So I knew sub 17 was out of the question unless I decided to run a world leading 400 meters at the tail end of a 5k. But I wanted to get under 17:40. I hit 4800 at 16:59 (5:44) and finished up in 37 seconds for a 17:36. Not what I wanted but I was pleased with the effort and the result. Next week I think I will do the double 1500 and 3000. Should be fun.

And now for house stuff. For whatever reason the dog(s) have been chewing up anything they can get a hold of recently. I am not sure why after all this time they decided to do this. Unfortunately everything they chew up belongs to Angela so she is not happy and wants to get rid of the dogs. I think I may have to turn them into outside dogs and one may be paying for the other one's new habit. I also need to figure out how to run some cable lines. Unfortunately I need two outlets in the upsatirs bedrooms and don't feel like paying 200 bucks for the cable company to come out and do it. Chances are they will want to do the lazy way and run it along the brick wall and drill a hole through. But I want it going through the existing hole and through the walls. I am rating this project getting done by me at 10% before I get frustrated and call someone. So anyone want to save me time and money and help with this?

Ultimate Runner and Smile Train Race Reports

2010-06-28T05:53:00.000-07:00

I am TIRED and SORE! Ok now that I got my whining out of the way, on to the race reports. Sat night was one of my favorite races. The Ultimate Runner. It is a series of track races 1 mile (not 1600), 400, 800, 100, and 5k. By the end of the 5k you are worn out. The race for 23 years has started at 5pm. So Brian and I arrived at 4 and then setup and headed out to get some drinks and chair. We got back at 4:28 and they yelled "runners on the track"??? WTF??? Apparently they moved the start to 4:30. So we had to throw our race shoes on and get on the track. They did start the womens's heat first and then the third heat to allow some late arrivals to not miss the race. So technically we had qabout 10 minutes. But all this allowed for was some stretching. Then "Gun's Up".... "Set".... "(Bang)
Ultimate Runner
1 mile- I started what I felt was a conservative pace but my legs were tight and I had no push. I crossed the line in 71 seconds for the first lap. Ok, just maintain that and I will be good. I started tightening up a bit in the lap 2 but cames across the half at 2:23. Ok, pick it up..... Well that was the plan but slowly I started fading back. 3rd lap was 3:44..... Ughhh, I may not get under 5. As the others picked it up I just had no extra gear and got left in the dust. I struggled home in 4:59.6. I had been aiming for 4:45 so I was really disappointed. Just had to regroup for the 400.
400- The problem with this race is we lost some recovery time as they flopped our heat back to 1st again and my head was still not in it. But I had to recover from a sub par mile. When the gun went off, I settled in 3rd place (behind the 2 ringers) and was feeling good. Hit the 200 mark and all was well. Hit 290 and uh oh.... The wheels just came off. I just ran out of energy. I had no more push, I had no extra gear. I was at a loss for what was wrong? I struggled home in 60, far from the 57-58 I was expecting. I also managed to tweak my hamstring in the final 110 meters.
800- I was done by this point in time. My legs were rubber, my throat was hurting (been fighting off something all week) and I was exhausted already. I was hoping I had enough energy for a 2:15 but I would not be able to negative split as I did last year. When the gun went off I tried to make a play for first hoping bring in front would give me some motivation but I couldn't get around the front 2. And at 300 I was in the back again. I came across in 70 and was fading quickly. The next 400 went by as if I was in slow motion. I felt like my legs were moving but I was not going anywhere. I limped home in 2:25.
100- Due to the number of scratches, there were only 3 guys in our heat of the 100. I started very awkwardly as most distance runners do in a sprint. My first step was actually backwards. The first 15 meters I felt like I was running in mud. I finally got going and found myself out front and maintained my slight lead to the finish. Woohoo, I finally didn't finish last! But my hamstring was not happy with me.
5k- I was hoping to salvage a sub 6 pace 5k. When we started I just settled into a comfortable pace and was concentrating on running my race. I was feeling ok at the start but was running on a completely empty tank. I came across the mile in 5:52. Ok not bad, just maintain that and I will be ok. I maintained through 1.5 miles but I felt my pace start to drift very slowly. I am usually a very good pace guestimator so I could see the writing on the wall and I didn't need to be told I knew I was around 12 at 2. And I was, 12:00 on the dot. Ok, I did a 6:08, that was fine, just hold that to the finish I will be around 18:45. Nooooooope, I knew I was drifting more and today was a day when I could not help it. I hit the track for the final lap and saw the clock at 17:40. Doing the math in my head, I knew I was looking around a 19:15 or so. I tried to just stay positive and maintain my position to the finish which I did and crossed in 19:13. I wobbled to my chair and collapsed. I was tired, exhausted, injured and mentally drained. But for another year I was an ultimate runner finisher. Hopefully next year I can return with an injury free offseason and in shape to make a run at 1st.

Smile Train Triathlon-
This is always a fun triathlon. I have never actually done it ftesh due to the Ultimate Runner being the day before but I don't mind. I figure it gives me a good chance to race tired and try to push myself. I honestly was not sure if I was going to race this year. I was coming off a week of feeling under the weather and was tired and mainly unsure of how my hamstring would hold out. I got to the race at 6:15 (7am start) and had to swap out my wheels, get packets, timing chip body marking and setup TA. I got done at 6:40 and went out for a 5 minute bike ride to "warm up". My hamstring was SORE so I decided that at any point in time if I felt it was going to pull I would pull out. When the swim, started, form wise I felt great but my congestion was bad I was having all kinds of problems breathing. At 200 teh lady behind me tapped my ankle so I stood up at the wall and let her pass then finished my last 50. I could have made the turn at the wall since each lane was only one lap but I figured it more polite to wait at the wall. I got onto my bike slowly and found it tough to get started. My legs were struggling with the hills in the neighborhood that we start in. I had no climbing power. Once I got out of the neighborhood, I thought I was in serious trouble, the only gear I could go in was a very high gear. It saved on my legs but I could not generate any power. At 3 miles I made the turn onto a downhill stretch and lowered my gears and tried to get some speed up. Once I made the turn heading to mile 5 I saw the leader coming back at me. His number was 9. Not good, I should not have seen him that early. I knew my pace was off. Shortly after I got passed by a rider that started after me. I tried to go with him with no luck. I made the turn and struggled to get back to speed. It wasn't until we hit mile 8 that my legs loosened up. This is about when Paul (Minor) passed me. I was able to pick it up stay with him and tried to repass a few times but he held me off. Once we got mile 11, he dropped me going back through the hills. The dismount came up on me when I was not expecting it so I had to keep my bike shoes on in T2, that slowed my transition down a lot. I came out of T2 and my legs were fried. I entered "protect your hamstring at all costs mode". I ran very conservative to the turn around focusing only on the two runners I could see in front of me. As I made the turn I ran into Tim (Surface) and Dan (McGowan). I tried to pick it up to hold Tim off for a little while and try to pull away from Dan (he had 2 minute cushion to me). Tim passed me at 2 miles and I decided to not run with him, I didn't think my hammy would hold. I knew I wouldn't beat Dan either but I tried to gap him a a bit he was running very well and there was nothing I could do. I crossed the line and didn't know what my start differntial was but knew I would be in the upper 58 minute range. I was officially 58:58, good for 5th place. I was only 6 seconds off of last years pace so I was pleased with my effort. Angela told me that the course is a lot easier if you don't do that track races the night before, but I would rather not find out. I enjoy doing both too much :)

Time to upgrade :)

2010-06-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

I have been putting off upgrading my bike but have decided to start specing out what I want. First to be upgraded is going to be my crankset. I am not sure what I am leaning towards right now. I have looked at DA 7900 and SRAM force thus far. I think I am leaning towards SRAM. The issue is I have been on the fence with what to do with my bars. I want to get a fully integrated aero bar but that can be pretty pricey it seems. I could just get rid of my current aero bars in favor or the s bends. Then I need to decide on whether or not switch out my shifters along with my derailleurs. Too many pieces involved. This is why I am being lazy. Just thinking about it makes me want to take a nap.

Bug Swallowing, legs not moving update

2010-06-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

To all the Bugs, birds, other animals in the woods. I understand that when I run through the woods, I am entering your territory. However, I am there only a peaceful passer by. That being said, you don't have to swarm around me, sound the alarms, run in front of me, etc. I will leave you alone if you leave me alone. Spiders, I promise to stop knocking down your webs if you promise to stop spinning them across the path. Bugs, I promise to stop swallowing you, if you promise to stop flying in my mouth. Horsefiles, I promise to stop swatting you down if you stop landing on my head. Deer, I am not going to bother you so no need to run full speed across my path. Birds, I am not going to bother you so stop sounding the alarm to all your friends. Canadian Geese.... GO THE *%$# back to canada, no one wants you here!!! Black Bears..... ok you can do what you want, I will avoid you at all costs as evident by this weekend. But seriously, what the heck are you doing in coastal NC? Now that all that has been said. My freaking legs are TIRED. I finally got in a full longer week of training, including a 4 hour ride sunday. However I am run down right now. Last nights track workout went ok but I just had no lift or drive, today's run was a tiring effort including my battles with nature. Tonight is spin class, and Suzy will probably beat me up again. I know I need to tough it out so I can get to where I want to be but I just felt like whining and complaining. Thanks for listening.

Gary Kirby Race Report

2010-06-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

Well I was hoping to repeat as champion but it was not meant to be and it was all my fault. We got there early enough to get our bikes racked and transition setup. This time I actually had plenty of time for warm up which was nice. I rode the bike course and felt good, I knew that my bike leg would be there today. Once we got in the pool, I felt comfortable on the swim so I though I could improve on the 4:30's that I had been swimming. I was aiming for 4:15 in the water. Once the race started, I pulled my typical tense up in the pool routine and by 75 meters in my arms were tight. So I decided to scrap going fast and just conserve my energy for the bike. I didn't get passed which was nice but there was a huge gap between me and the people in front of me which meant they were pulling away. I got out the water and on the bike pretty quickly. I felt ok on the bike but not as powerful as I thought I would. So I decided to just stay relaxed and work as hard as I could. At the end of lap 2 I got passed and hung just back of him for the next 2 laps. Here is tactical mistake #1. I had the chance to blow by him midway through lap 4 and didn't do it. I got lazy at the beginning of the lap and let him pull away a bit. But on the incline I made all of it up and didn't pass. I decided to just sit and pull away in the run. Tactical mistake #2. When your swim isn't there, your bike legs weren't there and you have raced 3 weekends in a row, don't assume your run legs will be there. We came out of T2 and I didn't feel good at all. It took me a half mile to settle into a pace. I didn't catch the leaders until mile 2. Now here is the biggest mistake I made all day and you can call me a wimp for this. At mile 2, I was in the lead but knew I needed to cross more than 1 minute ahead of the #2 guy who was stalking me. I should have just sold out and 100% busted it in the last mile and tried to drop a 5:20. Instead I chose the route of stay in my comfortable pace and not hurt. So I crossed the line first but ended up 2nd by 30 seconds. And I guess it serves me right, if I wasn't willing to make it hurt then I didn't deserve to win anyway. Congrats to all the participants who competed and more importantly helped raise money for cancer research which is why we were all there. See everyone at the next race.

Time to Build back up, Weekend

2010-06-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

Well I finally feel like I am getting my legs back which is good. Now all I need to do is build my endurance back up to where I was in the off season. This means time to start my 10-15 mile Umstead weekend runs again. I think I will start with my favorite 7.5 (ish) mile run on the trails and see if I do the route in close to the same time I used to do it in. Hopefully, that goes well and I can go back to feeling normal and not getting so tired after a few weekends in a row of racing or a few track workouts. I still want to make sure I can race the SteelTown Marathon in October. This weekend is the Gary Kirby Triathlon. It is one of my favorite events. It is a small event put on by Scott Kirby to raise money for cancer research, in memory of his father who lost his battle with cancer. It is a short pool swim, followed by a 12.4 mile bike (4 laps) around a neighborhood. There are a few tricky round-abouts and usually a few unsure drivers to deal with. There are always a lot of people out there to cheer for everyone. At mile 2 on the run handing out water are Gary Kirby's grandkids. They are a very excited bunch and make the last mile a little easier. Plus the race site has a playground for the boys to play on which keeps them entertained. Last year I won and I hope that I can put a good enough race together to defend my title. On sunday we we going to drive up to the Kerr Lake triathlon to watch the FS Series grudge match between Jason Biggs and Mike McConeghy. Should be an entertaining race. Angela has a 4 hour ride to get in so maybe I will have to squeeze a run in during the race. Should be a fun but busy weekend as usual.

Woodlake Race Report

2010-05-31T03:21:00.000-07:00

Weekend number 2 of project Motivation is in the books. I decided to get up and travel to the thriving metropolis of Vass, NC to race in the Woodlake Triathlon. It is a small race put on by the community. We went last year to watch some friends and I decided to race it this year. While setting my stuff up in transition, I met John, over and over and over again. John was "in charge of the transition area" as he reminded everyone, EVERY 5 minutes. I literally heard his speech around 14 times. But on to the race. I warmed up on the run course to see what it was like. The problem with off road runs is when it rains, the footing sucks. The course was mainly on soft sand and the footing was very soft and you had to use a lot of energy to push off. I knew this leg was going to be tricky. The race was wetsuit legal so I put on my suit and waddled down to the starting line. I got a few minutes of warm up in before the race started. I was the second wave out and as soon as they said go, it was like I was shot out of a canon. I have never started that fast and when I looked up about 100 yards into the race to sight, I looked right (I started all the way to the left) and there were no purple caps in front or beside me. Maybe I started too fast :) By the time hit the first turn the water was really choppy and very crowded. I was running over top of wayyyy too many people. Still I was feeling great until halfway down the backstretch. My start seemed to catch up to me. I tightened up and my breathing was off. I still made it to the finish 3rd out of the water in my wave. After a quick T1, I was off on the bike. I tried to settle into a pace and found the biking much easier at the start than last week. That would soon change. Once we got out of the community we made our way to the hills. The course is not super hilly but there always seemed to be an incline. And my RPM's and MPH suffered because of this. Being out of bike shape sucks, beign out of bike shape on a hilly course sucks even worse. I tried to make the best of it but pushing the downhill and few flat sections to try and offset the climbs. As I approached the turn around I saw the leaders and decided I was not too far back yet so I started pushing. I was able to hammer for a few miles until we hit the big uphill. This hill was AWESOME to ride down on the way out, not so much fun to go up on the way back. I stayed in my saddle and made it to the top with as little effort as I could. From here we were not too far out from the finish so I picked my pace back up and tried to hold it to the finish. My legs got a bit tired in the last mile but I had a good exit off the bike and quickly go out onto the run. I went hard to first half mile as I wanted to make up ground but I also feel the first half mile is the most important. I wanted to charge out quickly to get my legs going but also establish a fast pace so when I settled down I would still be in good rhythm. I found the running to not be as bad as I thought. I tried to stay towards the edge of the trail next to the trees where the footing was a bit better. I could see people in front of me and so I focused on catching them. As we came out of the woods we had to run past the cul de sac onto a long straight stretch. This seemed to take forever and I slowed here a bit as I was thinking that this was a LONG turn around. When I finally hit the turn I knew it was not 1.55. I finally caught teh 4 people I had been chasing right here and tried to power past them. Once off the dirt road, I was about to go back into the woods when I realized we just had to run back down the road instead. This made the long "halfway" turn around make more sense. So I picked it up to the finish, ending up in 4th place.

Buckhorn Race Report

2010-05-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Not even sure where to begin on this one, other than to say that sucked. I knew I was not going to have a stellar showing when warming up I just could not generate any power on the bike. Not a good sign, it is always nice to be warming up and have a spring in your legs. So I parked the bike and headed out for a short run. Once I got that done, I put on my most favorite wet suit in the world (always seem to swim well in it) and headed down to the water. I got there just as we were being lined up for the swim and got about 3-4 minutes of warm up in. Once the race started, I got beat up pretty bad the first 100 meters. I got kicked, hit, and a few people took a forearm shot from me. So I swam to the inner most line and out of traffic. I felt pretty decent after the first turn and was in a good rhythm. On the 2nd turn I had no trouble sighting the finish line and made a bee line for it. I came out of the water feeling strong. A quick stop in T1 and I was out. Here is where the trouble began. I struggled with my legs coming out of the park and the first incline we hit 2 miles in, my legs were already burning and I had 0 push up the hill. I tried to settle into a pace. A biker passed me about 4 miles in and I hung onto him (in a draft legal position) for the next 3 miles but going up a hill he lost me. I was still trying to focus on a good ride then stupidity took over. A rider passed me and was telling how difficult I had been to catch. We hit a hil and were pushing each other up the hill when I decided while standing up to switch to my small chain on the front. Well my chain dropped and I fell off my bike. Luckily I was able to fall into the grass. Unluckily I fell into some pissed off ants who did a number on my leg. I got my chain fixed, got back on my bike and tried to salvage a good ride for the last 4 miles. But I was too dejected at this point. I did have a good T2 and came out onto the run well but mentally I had checked out. I need to really work on staying focused when things go wrong. There were a few guys in front of me that I knew I would catch and once I caught them I just put it in cruise control. I was still pissed about the time I lost on the bike to focus on the run. I wanted to split sub 6:00 pace but without my head in the race, I came in at 19:17 on the run and finished 9th overall at 1:22:16. Not a bad result given my fitness at the time. Hopefully I will continue to find my form and by late August/Earl Sept be ready to go.

Three weeks in a row, I need more time in my day

2010-05-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

SO I have decided that I will go ahead and start racing more again. Maybe my lack of motivation is my relatively lite schedule? So I am now racing this weekend at Buckhorn, next week at Woodlake, and the week after at Kirby. Maybe I will kick myself in the rear enough to finally stop skipping my workouts and get on it. I know I sound like a broken record but I need to figure out something. I just don't have enough time in my schedule anymore for my bike it seems like. It is extremely frustrating and I need to figure out a way around this or I am seriously going to get left behind. I just really don't want to crank out a 2 hour bike ride starting at 7:30 at night, call me crazy. I am going to make a May resolution, a minimum of 3 bikes a week through August. I guess from now on, I will climb on the trainer at 8pm if needed. If you haven't guessed I missed my bike last night :(.

That sucked, and bring on the belt buckle!

2010-05-19T04:35:00.000-07:00

So I am a bit rusty I think. I am trying to get back into my regular training regiment that I was in before I got derailed by injury. This has been tough but I am determined to get there so that by the end of this Tri season I can commence with my plans for having my best season next year. Last night I shook of four days in a row of not running and had a difficult track workout. We were doing time intervals, 2,x4:00, 3x3:00 and 4x2:00. I was hanging 5:20 pace for all of them but it just didn't feel comfortable. This includes the 2 laps that I did on my 2nd interval with one shoe. My legs felt heavy and I was a bit winded which was a huge change from how great I felt last week. But I guess that is what I get for not running for four days, and not sleeping all weekend. My next race is the weekend which is Buckhorn. It is a bit of an odd distance "sprint". It is a longer swim which puts me in a bit of a hole to begin with followed by long bike for sprint at 17 miles. From the times last year it looks like a good bike course and hopefully I can hold up on this with limited saddle time. And the 5k should be a good one. Last year first place got a big ol belt buckle. Hopefully I can bring that home this year.

My training is better than your training!

2010-05-18T02:28:00.000-07:00

I know that I set a high standard and it is hard to keep up with but over the last 2 months my training has ROCKED! And by that I mean it has completely sucked eggs. I missed a lot of running in the early april time frame with my calf injury then I have struggled with motivation/time since then. Sometimes I just don't have all the time I need. If I don't get my run in at work I usually can't make it up. Since Angela got a new job, I have the boys from 2:30 until she gets home at 5:30 so I usually try to squeeze my bike in once the boys go to bed. The problem is sometimes I am just too tired and/or lazy to get that done. Swimming is a once a week effort if I am lucky. And I know that the bike is where I am going to make up the most ground in my attempt to be competitive and yet over the past month, I may have been on my bike a whopping 6 hours. Let's take last weekend for example (granted it is a bad example since I was solo this weekend). Friday I got a brutal workout in. I walked up the stairs and carried both poker chip cases down, that was a good quad and shoulder wokout. Then with my legs burning, I made another trip upstairs to get the cards. Tired, wobbly legged, I summoned the strength to make one last trip upstairs to carry the poker table downstairs (with assistance). Pure exhaustion had set in at this time but I had to muster up all the strength I had left to make 3 more trips upstairs to bring down the folding chairs. Most normal humans would call it a day after that but not me! No, I then proceeded to drink not 1 but TWO large red bull colas. After that I was spent. On Saturday I should have rested but no I decided to do do some abdominal work. At least 20 times I managed to sit up on the couch, walk to the kitchen and get myself and the boys snacks/drink at various times. On Sunday, my lungs burning, eyes fuzzy and I can barely stand I had to call for help and had one of the neighbors hold the pinata for the kids to break. My arms just couldn't hold up anymore. I really don't even know how I am not one big know right now. I guess this is just a product of all the hard work and perseverance that I have put in recently.

Time to stop being a slaker *(note I am even too lazy to spell check)

2010-05-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

I really need to get out the funk that I have been in when it comes to training. I have managed to skip so many workouts it is not funny. Although I did almost get 2 full workouts in yesterday (the swim got cut off by a water aerobics class). I am going to attempt over the next month to get back into shape and into the groove again. Hopefully this means no skipping workouts and as a result better more efficient racing. I REALLY need to make myself get on my bike more. This is where I can pick up the most time in my triathlons. There is a direct correlation, the better my bike, the better my overall place. Seems simple enough, hopefully I can find a wave of motivation and ride it for a while. Since I have scrapped all plans for long races this tri season, I will have a full year to get ready for some long races next year.

That is more like it (Race report)

2010-05-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

I did my second triathlon of the season and I am encouraged by the results of this one. I am trying to get back into the swing of things training wise and hopefully I can get back to a twice a day routine soon. However the results today were encouraging with what I have been able to get in. I decided to race the Open division at the Try Charleston sprint. I wanted to see how well I would swim relative to the open competitors. It was a mixed bag, I think. I wasn't really nervous for this race since in my mind this was just a fitness test. The area I wanted to put emphasis on was the swim since this is where I seem to spot the most time. I came out of the water 3rd in the open wave which would normally have been encouraging. Except the first two swimmers were really good and about 1:20 up on me, then it was me and about 3 other open wave people. I made it up the hill and slowly out of my wetsuit (i really need to get better at that). Once on the bike, I decided to hammer as hard as I could. I did a really good job with this and held on to a 26 MPH avg for the first half. At the turn around we had to bike into a head wind I dropped about 3.5 MPH. I still ended up with a 23.5 avg which was just a bit shy of what I wanted but a really good effort. Once on the run this is where my race went downhill. I know that sounds odd because this is my strength. I just wasn't into the race mentally today. A masters open biker passed me on the last half mile and I let him go because "he wasn't in my division". Coming out of T2 I had two "catchable" guys in front of me, one open competitor and one masters open. I chose to run down the open guy and let the masters guy go. I am not sure why, I just didn't have my killer instinct today. So the run became more of a "as little effort as possible" which I am disappointed in myself for. I think it may have just been my mindset before the race, so I will definitely work on that. Still I ended up with the 3rd best run and a 5th place overall finish (2nd in Open division). I was encouraged by a few things. One I had a top 10 bike split which was a great showing. Two, my swim is getting better and if I get a bit faster I will feel much more comfortable racing with the top triathletes. Three, my fitness level is better than I thought it would be right now and when I am able to get back on track, I think I can build to some of my endurance goals (half iron and iron) in the next couple years. Next up is Buckhorn (depending on how my abdomen feels on tuesday).

Am I insane? I might be..

2010-04-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

So I decided to race this weekend. Since I am having outpatient surgery on Monday to remove a couple tumors from my abdomen (Dr has stated they are benign), I am not sure how long if at all this will cause me to alter my training. I am not in the greatest shape right now as you all know with the injury, I also can't breathe that well right now due to sinus issues. So add that all together and that equals race in the "Elite" wave this weekend right? Yeah I know that is why I am insane but I signed up for the elite wave to see how well I can swim with these guys right now. I would like to be able to make the move to the elite waves next year and wanted to know what I am in for. I may finish last in my division tomorrow and that is ok, but I have never shied away from a challenge anyway. I figure my swim will be what it is, and with a 12 mile flat bike, I can fake it. And the 5k won't be as fast as I want it to be but I am confident that I can still run a respectable time and then the race will be over. I just can't race again in the SCS unless I plan on racing Open again. But I don't planning on racing again this season in the SCS so all will be alright. I will give an honest assessment on my blog tomorrow about how the race went....ughhhh

I might race this weekend with the alligators.

2010-04-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

So I am not going to do the half this weekend but when I went to the race site today to check the water temperature info, I saw they have a sprint. And the race is not filled up and registration on site is available. So I am going to bring my stuff and I may give it a go. I can hold together for an hour I think. Since my training is really sucking eggs right now, I have decided to skip any long races this season and just do some sprints while trying to get my endurance back. Once I got back from injury, I am struggling with motivation. I am skipping too many workouts and I need to get my focus back. I have also been sick which doesn't help. Anyway back to the gators. When I was checking the race website for info I see in BIG RED CAPITAL LETTERS something that says Alligator info. Apparently the lake that is hosting the swim had some reptiles in it that had to be relocated and a news station ran some wild story about a gator infestation. They assure us that everything is safe but I will keep an eye out for any reptiles just in case.

Weekend recap..Nickelback, workouts, lack of sleep

2010-04-20T04:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a long weekend. Friday night I did a short brick workout to get some biking and running in. It was a good workout but my legs were a bit run down resulting in a slower run than I wanted. Saturday morning we got up early to workout (thanks Mom and Dad for babysitting all weekend). Angela had a 4 hour brick and I had a 56 mile ride to do. I ended up in Johnston County but the roads were fairly clear most of the way. Once we got back, I headed out to help the FS Series guys setup for the TOA triathlon. After a few hours of setup, we hit up Sammy's for some beer or 4. After that I had to run pick up bagels then home. After saying by to the boys were headed out to Greensboro for the Nickelback concert. We had AWESOME "seats". We were on the floor about 5 feet from the stage but there were no seats so we stood and jumped around for 4 hours. Angela fell asleep on the way home. After rolling in at 12:45, I jumped in bed. Up at 4:30 to make it to the race by 5. A few hours gettin everything in the right place and all the racers down to the water and then took my place near transition area. Towards the end of the race I ended up doing backup timing at the finish line and fell asleep in the chair. So I hope all the chips worked as they were supposed to :) A few more hours of clean up and then off to Natty Greene's for the first food of the day and another 4 to 6 beers. Home by 3 and then I hung out with the boys, ate dinner, cleaned up the house and made it to bed by 9 pm. Whew.... What a long but fun weekend.

Vacation is Booked!

2010-04-14T04:44:00.001-07:00

Woohoo!!! My vacation is officially booked. Now all I have to do is wait until the end of July for a week of relaxation, fun, and intoxication.

BeaverDam Race Report

2010-04-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

I went into this race fully intending to DNF. I wanted to get a swim and a bike in and call it a day. But predictably things never quite work out that way. I decided to do a 2 mile run warm up to see how my leg felt. It felt pretty good after the warm up so I decided to go ahead and put my run shoes in transition just in case. I was really busy all morning and forgot to get my chip, by the time I got my wetsuit on, got my chip, I had 3-4 minutes before the start of the race, so I got in a few minutes of warm up swim. When the race started I tried to settle into a comfortable rhythm. However I can't ever seem to feel as comfortable in the open water as I do in the pool. About 400 meters in, my goggles fogged up and I had some guy coming up behind me who clearly could swim a straight line and seemed intent on climbing over me. Once he was clear I couldn't see very well so I just followed any swimmers I could see. About halfway in, I got passed by the first yellow cap and tried to stay with him, but it was not happening. So I settled back into my pace. When the main packof yellow caps came by me I picked it up again but my hamstring didn't like it. I started cramping and tried to fight it off. When I made my last turn and had about 200 meters to go, the lead women caught me and I came out of the water with them. However my left hamstring was so cramped when I stood up, I fell over. So I tried to straighten my leg and stand again and fell over again. I was successful on my third attempt and just walked out of the water and up to T1. I took my time to get my arm warmers on, and get on my bike. As soon as I got on my legs were toast. I just had no power. Knowing that the back half of the bike was hilly, I rode very conservative for the first 8 miles intending to pick it up. At the 12 mile mark when we hit the first good climb, I tried to power up the hill but had nothing in the tank. Mentally knowing that I was not going to finish the race, I was having no motivation to push. When we turned on Ghoston and started a 2 mile climb, I was done. I was looking forward to getting to T2 and calling it a day. I rode very conservative back to the park. Once in the park I had ZERO intentions of running. When I came into T2, I decided to put my shoes on. My calf was not hurting which was the only reason I was going to DNF. I refused to quit because I was tired, out of shape and getting my butt kicked. So I put my shoes on and headed out on the run. My legs were cramped, i was exhausted and I couldn't feel my feet because of the cold. So I settled into a very comfortable run pace and was hoping my calf would hold. 2 miles in I knew my calf was good and started focusing on passing people. I came through the halfway point feeling good. When I hit the last turn around, my left hamstring cramped again. I had to stop and stretch my hamstring out 4 or 5 times in the next half mile until I got to the main road. Once there and back on the downhill stretch I was able to open back up and get back into the pace I was running. I crossed the finish line, pleased that I did not quit and gutted it out on a bad day. I ended up 18th overall for the guys, 20th for the race and 3rd in my age group. Not a bad showing considering my lack of training. Hopefully I can resume a full training schedule soon and by the time June rolls around I will be back to where I want. But in the mean time, I will not race the Half Iron on May 1, and may not race again until May 22 at Buckhorn or June at Gary Kirby.

Training, Racing, etc

2010-04-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

Well I have been getting in some good bikes and swimming workouts since my calf refuses to heal. I have been feeling decent lately so I decided to test out my calf again. I also wanted to see where I am at fitness wise so I can adjust my schedule accordingly. I did a 1 mile warm up and took a few minutes to stretch then, I did a 5k race simulation. I wanted to see what I could do by myself and try to focus on pushing myself. I had a decent run of 17:59 but two things were wrong. First, my calf started to tighten up at 2.5 miles and by the time I was done, it was locked up again. Second was my time was decent for having missed so many runs lately and been only on the bike and in the pool but it was too top heavy. I went out hard in 5:25 and came home in a pair of 6:00's. Not exactly the consistency I wanted but at least I know where I am at. That brings me to the next item on my agenda. The race on Saturday. I am scheduled to do the BeaverDam Olympic Triathlon. How am I going to do the whole race on a bum leg? Simple, I plan on turning it into an Aqua Bike. I will do the Swim and the Bike and then intentionally DNF. I hate not finishing but I need the race work and my leg just can't take a 10k right now. Duke just won the game, as an FYI. So I will continue to ice my leg, and hit the bike and the pool and try more massge therapy and hope that I can resume a regular training schedule soon.

Time to run again...

2010-03-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well I have now been off my feet for a couple weeks now minus some ill fated attempts. Last week was nothing but biking, swimming and helping a neighbor move some stuff. I did get a 3 hour ride in saturday but missed my 2 hour ride on sunday because I am just lazy and I was cleaning the house most of the day. But I am leaving my desk as I type to go downstairs and hit the treadmill for a few miles and test out my leg. Then it is off to the pool for a few thousand yards and home for date night I think, then I will watch 24 and go to bed. I know, I am living la vida loca.

No TRM for Me

2010-03-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

I did an easy 2 mile run on Saturday night and my leg felt "ok" meaning it still hurt a bit but I thought the pain was manageable. However I went against want I wanted to do in hopes of not injuring myself further and pushing back my tri season. So I was a volunteer only for TRM. it was a fun day and we enjoyed cheering for the Marathoners. I even managed to get a 4.5 mile run in. I didn't clock it but I was going at a good clip (6:20ish) and felt pretty good. I will get a bike in later and look forward to racing Beaver Dam Tri in April.

Opinion Poll added

2010-03-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Added a quick poll, lets see who gets it right :)

Tobacco Road Time

2010-03-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

Well I am usually excited when heading into a race but it is difficult to get excited for Sunday. After my last race (DNF at Umstead) and my calf strain last week, I have had 3 weeks of easy/barely existent training. Not the ideal situation going into a Marathon especially when coupled with uncertainty if your leg will hold up for the whole race. My leg has been feeling better and I have been keeping ice on it all week. I am going to go for my first run (although short) in 6 days. I will run 3 or 4 easy miles to test out my leg and see if I think it can hold up. If it can, I will be on the starting line nice and early with the rest of the field and hope that I have enough endurance and insanity to make it to the finish line in a decent time. Wish me luck.

Silver Lining?

2010-03-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

So my leg is still a no go, I am going to continue my ice and heat treatment and see how it goes. If by thursday morning, I still can not run on it, I am going to bite the bullet and go visit Peter over at Moonshadow. The previous 2 times I have had a soleus strain with race day coming up, he got the job done. The silver lining in all this I am going to be on the bike all week and I have probably the best bike I have had in about 6 months last night. My speed (RPM's) on the intervals was higher than usual with less effort. I stayed very controlled and could have pushed harder and I almost hit 3 miles (2.89) on my 5 minute time race simulation which is about 2 tenths longer than usual. So once I get through this weekend and focus back on the bike and swimming, I am looking forward to racing my tune up at BeaverDam.

I must be snakebit

2010-03-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

I was doing a workout yesterday to just stay fit and try to rest up. 5 miles easy and 2000 meters in the pool. Sounds easy enough right? Other than the fact that for whatever reason I just don't feel comfortable running anymore easy pace seems like more effort than it should all was going well. Then with a half mile to go I could feel it, I strained my right calf again. When I got back I got in the hot water to try and relax it a bit and was able to swim but without kicking much it was more like a pull workout. It was hurting me too much today to do anything so I am just keeping ice and heat on it. Tomorrow I have a massage scheduled at the local place to try and work out the issue. If that doesn't work, thursday I am going to go see Peter. He is always a miracle worker on my calf the previous two times, I have had an issue. I am still planning on being on the starting line on Sunday and hopefully I will be healthy enough to give it a good go. Will update my progress later this week.

Back in the Saddle soon

2010-03-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well for better or worse I am attempting the Marathon distance again a little sooner than I thought. In just less than 2 weeks I will be racing one again, this time hopefully I will have the strength to finish and hopefully do a time that I will be pleased with. I am going to continue pushing this week and can hopefully get a long run in on Saturday then get some active rest next week and hopefully keep my legs race ready but rested. All I know now is that I am tired but there is no rest for the weary. I do have a plan for this race though, hopefully it is a good one.

New Site is up

2010-03-09T04:20:00.000-08:00

I managed to get my website back up since google bailed on me :( But the main site is now at http://nolemonkey.webs.com

Back to the drawing Board

2010-03-08T04:40:00.000-08:00

I am still quite dejected over the happenings of this weekend. I am not sure when I will get over it. This one is going to haunt me for a while and I am not sure what will make me feel any better. If I could get into the Tobacco Road Marathon in 2 weeks I most definitely would, I think it would be good for me mentally. For now, I am focusing on my triathlons. I went for an an easy 20 mile ride yesterday. I wanted to go more but when the sun goes down the ride is over. I think for the next few weeks I am going to switch my focus to be almost exclusively bike and pool. I may still run a few miles here and there (aside from my long run on the weekend and track workouts) but I need to get my bike legs back under me and my arms to used to swimming again. This week though will exclusively focus on anything other than running so I can recover physically and mentally.

Ughhhhhhhh

2010-03-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

There are good days, there are bad days and then there was today. At the Umstead Marathon I just never felt comfortable. I am not sure if it was lack or training, the stress of the past week, lack of sleep, lack of eating or a combination of any of them. My training has been decent, I knew I was under trained but I should have at least been good through 15 and that was far from the case. At the start of the race the pace was a bit slow so I ran about 3 yards in front just to get to the single track section first so I could have good footing. Once we hit the single track I slowed the pace a bit as I knew I was not going to run away from anyone. My legs just never did loosen up and I felt physically exhausted from the start. By mile 5 my body was done. I manged to hold on through 12 but I can't explain it, I just had no energy and nothing in reserve and had to drop out. This was very frustrating because I was in 4th place at the time. If you have ever run Umstead this is not a friendly place to drop out. I had a long walk to where I thought the family would be. When I got there I found out they had been run off by the police. So I sat down and ate a granola bar that the volunteers gave me and downed some gatorade to try and get some energy back. Then I began the long trek back to the start/finish line trying to run what I could to make it quicker. On the way I ran into Brad who asked what happened. All I could say is it just wasn't my day just not sure why. Angela had gotten word that I dropped out and went to look for me but was lead away from the course so when I finally got back they weren't there. So I turned around and walked some more. Finally I ran into Angela and my parents. I just told them that I was just physically worn out and there was nothing I could do. It is extremely frustrating not to be able to finish a race especially this one but hopefully there will be better days ahead and I can use this as a learning experience as soon as the frustration wears off. Anyone want to go for a 20 mile run at Umstead tomorrow?

Umstead time!

2010-03-05T04:18:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the Umstead Marathon. I borrowed this elevation profile from Anthony hope he doesn't mind. It looks like it will be a doozy. I have studied the course map a few times and if I am reading it correctly then my favorite hill which I have dubbed "the B*%^$" is around mile 12. Ii is about a half mile steep climb that does a bit of an S curve. Once you get to the top you have a small down section then another short climb which is always the tough part. The hill after the hill. Then there are a few more uphills on the way to the turn around. It should be a fun race. I hope that I can manage my energy efficiently enough. My endurance level right now is tough to judge. At Uwharrie my limit was about 1/4 mile before the finish so is my limit 20 miles or is it 2 hour 50 minutes? Guess I will find out tomorrow. I am hoping that my limit is closer to the 3 hour mark than the 20 mile mark as it would make finishing significantly less of a struggle. Either way I am hoping to compete well and have fun. Good luck to everyone who will be joining me tomorrow for the fun/pain :)

Misc news and Notes

2010-03-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

I have to start this post on a sad note, on Monday March 1, 2010 I had to say good bye to my grandfather. He will be missed very much but I take comfort in the fact that he in a better place now and can be with his wife again and no longer has to live in pain. Granddad we love you and you will be missed very much!

If you normally get to this page from the main site you probably noticed google pulled a switcharoo on me. So the main site is down for now until I either A. figure out google sites or B. find a new location for my website. Either way I am imagining it will take a few weeks to get things done.

It snowed again last night, thankfully it didn't stick on the road very much but there grass is a different story. I am hoping that the sun will come out soon and melt it all away without leaving the ground too soggy. With Umstead being on Saturday it will be nice to not have to run on soggy single track. I am also hopeful that the temp goes up a bit. My favorite conditions to race in are upper 50's to lower 60's, so I am hoping we get there. I am still trying to figure out a racing strategy and nutrition strategy. I am not sure on either yet and hope I can get it nailed down in time. I am really putting a lot of focus on this race. I am a bit worried when I look at my training and do the math, I am going to be getting ever close to my wall between 18-19. I have still not figured out what I am going to do to manage this most effectively and get through the last 7-8 miles. Hopefully I can pull a rabbit out of my hat. Either way I am confident that I can have a good race and am right on target with where I need to be for tri season. After the race I can focus on my biking and swimming for 6 weeks and hopefully conquer the half iron distance finally. I did have a very good swim yesterday so I am excited for this season once May rolls around.

I have decided to pick up the BeaverDam triathlon as a tune up for the half since my half got pushed back by a week. I am hoping to use this race as good tune up to test some strategy out and see where my fitness is before Charleston. Well. I have to go now, I have a 2 year old jumping up and down yelling "hungy daddy, hungy!" so I guess I better go fix some lunch.

Let the Waiting Begin

2010-02-28T06:41:00.000-08:00

I finished my last "long"(ish) training run yesterday at Umstead. I ran some of the front half of the course to familiarize myself with it. I started somewhere in the middle of the first half and ran various pieces, mainly getting familiar with Company Mill as this is not a trail that I do very often. I love running Sycamore from Glenwood to Harrison and hitting the bridle trails as well. I ended up with a 12 mile run and called it a day. I was going to put on my racers and do a few miles of tempo to break in the new shoes but decided against it as my legs were a little heavy. The rest of the days this week I will just go easy and rest of for the race. I will also have to find some time to break the shoes in as well. Hopefully all goes well and I show up with fresh legs on Saturday and my endurance will somehow get me through those last 8 miles which will be the most difficult for me. I have what you would call A,B and C goals for the race. Hitting A would be awesome, hitting B would be great as well. Hitting A and B would be the optimal and I would be very pleased with only hitting C. We shall see what happens. After Saturday I can then turn my full attention back to triathlon training and head back to the pool and the bike for a while and focus on my half iron in May.

I am in trouble!

2010-02-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

So I have been training well (if I were a runner). Meaning that unless they take out the swimming and biking in a triathlon I am in trouble. I have been concentrating on my base running miles this off-season that my swimming and biking have really taken a hit. I did get a good 2 hour ride in this weekend but I need to up that. However in the next week I have to focus on running as the end of my long running races will be over with the conclusion of Umstead on March 6th. As for that, I am hoping to run around 2:55:00 or less. As for how I am going to do that, who knows. My endurance is OK for where I need to be but realistically my wall is still in the 18-20 mile range. Meaning the most difficult part of the race will be where I struggle. I don't think getting through 16 under pace will be a problem but I am going to have to conjure up some magic after that or pull something out of my.... After that I now have 7 weeks of training time to focus on some hard core biking and swimming to get ready for my half which will now be May 1. I am determined to break 4:50 or pass out trying this time. The week before will be a rest week and I have scheduled a fishing trips the 2 days before. This will be nice for some relaxing time to spend with Dad and Mr Barnes while on that boat and the rest of the family in the afternoon. I think I have built up enough of an endurance base sprinkled in with some speed work that I should transition back to the bike very well. As long as swimming continues to hold where I have been at, I think I will be able to do what I want to do this entire season. Then hopefully next season I can unleash my master plan! I also finally got around to updating my race schedule through the end of June. I am working on July-October right now, should have that done soon.

Valentine's Day Massacre Marathon Relay

2010-02-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

Angela and I were back for our second attempt at this race and hopefully in better shape than the year before. I was anxious about the race after remembering the pain that I had to endure last year. I was a bit out of shape and never really got the hang of staying loose between laps. This race is unique. There are 16 laps and each lap is 1.6 miles except the first lap which was supposed to be 2.2. We got there an hour early which should have been plenty of time but the snow that canceled Myrtle Beach half marathon left many people needing a race so they all drove down for this one. So the registration line was WAYYY too long. Angela thankfully stood in it while I warmed up. When we walked to the starting line I decided to take it easy and not push the first mile like I did last year. I went out at a decent but not strenuous pace but found myself in 3rd place by the half mile mark. I let the first two go and stayed within myself for the first lap, which was extended for some reason this year and ended up being 2.6. During my off lap, I put my sweatpants on, downed a clif shot block and some water and just walked around so I didn't get tight. When I started lap 2 I felt pretty good and was able to settle into a pace pretty easily and before I knew it the lap was over. There was stuff to do between laps, I talked to fellow TAF team members and cheered for everyone. I started getting a little tight around lap 5 and my calves started hurting. I was able to maintain my pace though. On my last lap about half mile in, I was trying to find motivation. So I picked out a runner in front of me who was running well and made it my goal to catch him by the end of the lap. I didn't realize until I pulled up beside him that the guy I was tracking was a fellow TAF team member but we both made a really good charge down the last hill to the finish line. I was pleased with my efforts. I think from lap 2 through lap 8 there was maybe 20 seconds difference from fastest split to slowest. My slowest split was 9:43 which was a BIG improvement over last year. Waiting for them to post the official results so I can see how my times compare from lap to lap. But overall it was a good workout, and I was very happy to be done.

Trying to get back on track

2010-02-09T09:23:00.000-08:00

Well not that I was feeling super last week but now I am still under the weather. I sure my 3 hour romp through the woods this weekend didn't do me any favors. But since my left leg is still hurting pretty bad I am just hoping to be able to get some training in soon. I took the last 2 days off and was hoping to be able to make the track workout tonight but since I am sick and still hurting I may opt to stay home and bike indoors if my leg lets me. I need to get healthy soon. I tapered/took time off the last week and half due to being sick and Uwharrie. And as a result my traininng has gone down hill and I packed on a few pounds. Time to crank up the training and lose the pounds. I wanted to really ramp up my volume starting this week and sustain until April when the half iron rolls around. My goal is 15 hours a week for the next 6 weeks although this week that won't happen. But hopefully I can get better ASAP and starting getting the mileage/time/quality that I need in order to accomplish my goal in late April. I know I have Umstead Marathon sandwiched in there too but all this offseason running is ultimately base mileage anyway.

Uwharrie Race Report

2010-02-08T03:27:00.000-08:00

Not sure where to start with this one, so I will "start" at the end I suppose. I AM SORE!!! Ok now that I got my whining out of the way on to the race. I was a bit disappointed when I got to the race and on the starting line they informed us that the course was being modified. The last 6 miles were being rerouted along a gravel road due to creek flooding. From what I have been told the last 6 miles are the most difficult, especially the hill at 16. But it is what it is I suppose. The race started out the same as last year for me. I found myself running with the lead pack and feeling really good. I was very focused though on running my own pace and not letting the pack dictate for me. We stayed together until 3 miles when one of the packers sprinted to the front and of the 6 of us, 5 went with him. I stayed behind not wanting to pick up the pace that early. Everything was going fine and I was within eye sight of them until around 6 miles. This is where I ran off course for the first of what would be 3 adventures off course. I guess I got turned around when crossing a creek and lost the trail. I had to wait until someone came up behind me to point me in the right direction. Somewhere before the 8 mile aid station I got off course again and ended up about 3 minutes lost due to navigational issues. I was still feeling physically fine but obviously dejected that I lost the pack. The next 3 miles were a bit of a personal burden I think. Last year I limped along this part of the course because of blisters. This year was a bit different. I had now settled into training run mode and was having fun out on the course. Then came mile 10 and another 2 minutes lost. I came to a creek and thought I had to cross. So I did. Another runner came with me and we couldn't find the trail. So we wandered around in circles in the brush trying to find the trail. After a few minutes we were back on course. As I came to the aid station at 11 (where my race ended last year) I told myself that every step I take from here out is better than I did last year. I started catching 40 milers at this point and I could not tell where I was positionally anymore. Not that it mattered really, it was all about finishing at this point. I was really starting to struggle with the rocks, the hills and the water. My shoes were really heavy and my knees were taking a beating. When we got to 14, I was finally able to extend my stride fully and went from the 8:40 or so miles that I was moving along at to around 6:20. I did finish the last "6" miles in 35 minutes but I know I was not running 5:50 miles, 6:20 was probably a better approximation so either the race was short or the "14" mile mark was long. I started cramping badly at 19 and the last mile was a struggle. Just as I was slowed to a crawl because of cramps, a 40 mile participant told me that 100 yards around the next turn was the finish. So I picked it up to get there. I crossed at 2:52:20. I was happy to be done. Next year I am going to go back with the goal of winning.

With Much uncertainty and trepidation.

2010-02-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

Well Uwharrie weekend is almost here. I did not quite find the time to do as many long runs as I would like and I will have to fix that for the ultimate goal of my next half iron. So each weekend I am going to make sure I get in 12-16 mile run from here out. I worry a bit because I am probably good for 15 miles right now so finding the energy to tackle the last 5 miles is a bit of a mystery right now as to how it will happen. I am also not sure if we will be racing on the trails or not. We had a snowstorm roll in and I am not sure if the trails will be runable or not. I am hoping so because otherwise they will move the race to the roads and although the time will be faster I don't know if I am mentally prepared for a 20 mile road trek. I love the woods and would much rather stick to that. But whatever will be will be I suppose and I will roll with that. I was planning on camping out the night before but given the crappy weather conditions I may just forego that and sleep in the comfort of my own bed. I am such a wuss as much as I went camping in college, my friends would be so ashamed of me now :(