ice cream

I love ice cream, and I may be able to get used to working in an office except for being inside when the weather is good, however, I work my brain all day and get the physical release when I swim, bike or run ...3,000 yds in pool followed by 7.2 mile run in the morning...Been training now for almost 7 months so needless to say, i'm kind of ready to start racing again!

days off

I was able to take three days off from training, go off into the high desert of New Mexico and not become a complete and utter pain in the __s! The weird thing is that I start to feel little aches and pains only when I take a couple of days off, maybe that's why they say that during stage bicycle races guys hate to take days off, it messes with their rhythm...You know you're addicted to training when you feel better when exercising then when sitting on the couch...

Anyhow, long story short, back in boulder and getting back on track; 3000 yards in pool this morning and 2 hrs on the bike this afternoon...

brass tax

it's tax time, brass tax time, you know, the time when it becomes the responsibility of yourself to hold yourself responsible for yourself...or something like that...long story short, the tri season is almost here and like the previous two years I feel like i've forgotten how to race, but i'm sure it's like riding a bike...

I got the chance to see a real professional triathlete in practice mode yesterday as Tim Deboom was swimming one lane over....it's pretty cool to live in a town where that can happen.

Wednesday, 2600 yards in pool, then 48 min run with 28 minutes at a threshold pace...

Today was easy 1hr 15 min on bike ( trainer due to fickle colorado weather, it's supposed to snow tomorrow as well!), then 47 min run with 1 min sprints at about a 5 minute mile pace...

Hoping to get in at least one open water swim before june 14, but we shall see...

Where was I?...sunday: 1 mile swim, 1 hr 35 min run later.
monday: 6 hours digging holes for plants
today: 2, 675 yds in pool, then supposed to do 1 hr 25 min on bike when 20 minutes into the ride my tube and tire blew out rendering both useless, my spare tube had been sitting on the back of my bike so long it developed a hole in it, dummy had no cellphone, no money either! Ended up using a phone inside the Sports Authority in Longmont to track down my wife, who was on the treadmill, she came and got me, I changed the flat at home, then rode back to where my car was...so I maybe got an hour in on the bike albeit with a little break inbetween...

need sleep...

mud

I've got an unorthodox core workout for all of you seeking an alternative to the gym: Digging 1.5 hrs in wet clay/dirt about 10 wheelbarrows full from digging a hole for a tree.

Mud slinging was friday, along with 3,000 yrds in pool and hill climbs on the bike. If you live in Colorado, try Linden Ave off of broadway with a tri bike gear ratio, it will have you crying for your mommy! What I mean by "gear ratio" is that, for instance, on my triathlon bike I have a 54/42, big ring/little ring(tooth count) set of chain rings with an 11-23 cassette, not to mention 175mm crank arms which essentially means that it takes longer to make complete rotations of your foot because the rings are bigger to fit all the teeth and there is minimal difference between each gear, so it's more of an ideal set up for flats and rollers, not necessarily straight uphill, but it's fun to try...

Today, Saturday, started off the morning with running sprints on the treadmill, and then completely ruined my legs on a four hour bike ride that was supposed to be easy, however turned into something else. I decided to ride up towards Estes Park for more climbing, I just can't get enough!! I've heard that Ironman Wisconsin has a few hills so it's all good...

Thank you to Vecchio's in Boulder for fixing my gearing as it was shifting like garbage a couple of weeks ago, but seems to have recovered...

thursday

today was the bike/run workout: 1 hr 15 min on bike trainer, then 30 minute run...too tired for any interesting insights, but i'll be back again tomorrow, hopefully with a calm mind and a savage wit...

oh lord

Back in the saddle again (1978 green ford pickup)! 3 hours of hauling, spreading mulch, and even though mulch is considered one of the lighter landscaping products, my back was still in protest, not being used to the particular stooping and lifting motions of shoveling...yet...By mid-september I shall be cognizant of nothing except the satisfaction of my soul.

Oh, sorry, to the point, also 2800 yards in pool this morning, 54 minute run in the afternoon...

back in town

Back in Boulder, back to regimented training, Ironman Kansas in 9 weeks!

I got home to hear my wife tell me that while I was gone my bikes fell inside the garage, where I had them on some inane contraption to save space, right onto the car...I have been living in fear the last, i don't know how long, that this day would come, it's just not a good way to live! Thinking I might put my tri-bike next to my bed at night, just so I know it's alright! Maybe tuck a corner of the aerobars under my pillow...

Working hard on swim stroke, although sometimes I think too much and don't relax in the water....I fix one thing and another gets all out of whack...Needs constant attention, but needing to get to a point where I just get comfortable with a style ( however ugly it may be) and go with it, and leave all the tweaking for the next off-season. I'm never going to blow anybody away in the water, so it's just using less energy, becoming consistent, and improving technique to prevent injury...

People say "you should do duathlons since you struggle with the swim", but I say that it's the challenge of the swim that makes swimming enjoyable. My first triathlon two years ago, I could barely swim 200 yards without going to side stroke or breast stroke, and now, well, it's not much better, but I can free stroke the entire race at least!

Did 1.2 mile swim today follwed by two hours on the bike to see if the thing still worked....it seemed alright.

Washington D.C.

I've been spoiled, seen the good side of life, and reality comes crashing in.  Case in point:  Work on Tuesday until 6pm and I still had 1.5 hours to do on the bike, and was flying to D.C. the next morning and had to be up at 4am, so I said forget the workout, it's not worth stringing myself out before travelling... Am bound and determined not to become one of those neurotic people who get angry and worry about missing a workout, thinking " everyone is getting better and fitter while I had to work all day and now have no time to complete this workout!!"  I will probably be better served in the long run by taking the time off... 

Missing workouts here and there is not going to hurt you at all, what will hurt you is if you ram the workout down your own throat, go through the motions, wake up the next morning angry and tired, and spend the next three to four days trying to recover from your pride tempting you to forsake all intelligence and wisdom.  It's only a sport after all, meant to enhance the quality of your life, not ruin it...

Washington D.C. and a much needed change of scene for training, and just because.  Also seen some rain and heard some thunder.  After wearing out the roads in Boulder, and not seeing a drop of rain in what seems like years, D.C. seems like a veritable green paradise, full of plants and water!  

Theoretically speaking I should be doing a half-ironman race this sunday, so i'm in the last week of a five month program, tapering the exercise down to practically nothing.  Went for 1 hr 15 min run yesterday, and did probably 3,000 yards in the pool this morning.  Have added carrying around my nephew (~40 lbs) to the training regimen this week.  It feels good to be in the early stages of spring and already be in tip-top condition, let's hope it lasts...  

Not planning any more "formal" training sessions, just going to enjoy the time away from boulder with my family....I am going to be working hard enough the next six months, it's time to take a deep breath, enjoy the calm before the storm, so to speak....