Here are a few cool sites I've stumbled across over the last few months that I think you should check out.
Mad Sci Network is a great idea. Get the answers to every question you ever dreamed up. From "What is the meaning of life?" to "Why do I shiver when I pee?" and everything in between. Post questions and get answers from really smart people with time on their hands.
Atom Films is another good one. Its been around for ever and everyone has visited it in the past for its creative shorts. But maybe you are like me (hopefully not for your sake), and something takes you there about twice a year, and you enjoy it, and you try to make a mental note to visit the site more often, but never remember to hit it up the next time you are surfing. Well it is still good, and I think I've solved my dilemma by bookmarking it.
Revision 3 is a great site. I'm a fan of Digg Nation which is housed here, but there are a few other online programs that are worth checking out.
CNet is a great place to go to find cool free downloads in addition to reviews of gadgets and software. Go to the home page, click on downloads and read up on cool stuff that is helpful, reliable, and has all the bugs pretty well worked out of it.
Cellar Tracker is a must for all wine drinkers out there. For no fee, you can load your personal wine collection into your own profile, then read reviews on wines you have or are interested in buying, add tasting notes to the community, get viewer rankings, and manage your own personal inventory. Its a great idea. For a subscription, you can get info on pricing which can help you to identify deals at your local bottle shop if that is your thing. But there is plenty of functionality without paying a dime.
To-Do List is another one I've just stumbled across. I'm still trying to get in to it, but I love the concept. Rather than describe it myself, I'm going to copy the general idea right off of the blog. It is basically a "collection of 100 handwritten lists and the stories behind them. To-Do List celebrates the world of the overlooked and mundane, letting our lists serve as unique windows into who we are. Nothing is more revealing than someone's to-do list."
Check these out and give me your thoughts. If there is anything you would like to add, please do. And don't forget to thanks your respective god(s) when you go to be tonight for giving us Al Gore - Creator of the Internet!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
What Ale's me?
This fall is turning out to be a real challenge in terms of getting the consistent running in that I'd like to.
Work has been busy, and I've been doing a bit of traveling which was not anticipated.
Now I find myself sick and out of commission! I woke up with it on Friday and sitting here blogging on Sunday night, I don't think I've reached the apex of the sickness. I'm hoping I wake up tomorrow and things have made a turn for the better, but we'll see.
We had an arctic blast hit Dallas on Wed. It was 75 degrees on my way in to work, and by that night, temps were in the low 40s. A drastic change like that is bound to bring out the bug in you assuming you've already been exposed, and with my entire office and kids sick for the past month, it was only a matter of time before I succumbed.
I went out in 39 degree weather for a great tempo run on Thursday morning. That must have done it for me.
I was able to get an easy spin in on the trainer on Friday, and tried to go for a light jog on the treadmill tonight (Sunday), but I wasn't feeling it, and bagged it after 20 mins.
I had my eyes on taking my wife's entry into the white rock half marathon in 2 weeks and going for my sub 2 hr goal, but I've missed my long run two weeks in a row, and think I ought to stick to the original plan of shooting for the Houston Half Marry.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving
Long time no blog, I know.
To be honest, I really haven't had a ton to report on. I took my family and my parents to Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. I was sitting on the couch on Wednesday trying to figure out what to do that weekend, and 24 hours later, the plans were set. One of the benefits to working for an airline is spur of the moment trips.
Some know that I lived in Atlanta from 1995-2003, and went to undergrad there. It's a town I'm very fond of for a number of reasons, so it was great to go back and visit.
We were shocked at how much had changed in the past 4 years. Tons of development in town. Urban revitalization at its finest I'd say. Certainly a real-estate developer/investor's dream.
On Sat morning, we headed over to Emory U., my Alma matter, to walk around campus. Like the rest of Atlanta, Emory has been building, renovating, and expanding at a rapid rate. It looks great. We stopped by the P.E. Center, which had a third floor added to the top of it over the last couple of years to check out a Varsity men's soccer game (Emory was crushing Carnegie Mellon U.) then peeked in on the pool and saw the 4 or 5 guys who didn't travel with the team to Savannah, GA for a swim meet that day finish up their morning workout.
I graduated in 1999, and every men's team record has since been re-written since I left. The oldest record on the books was Sebastian Popa's 200 Butterfly record set in 2002, which I witnessed him set. Other than that, they were all 6 mos to 2 years old.
The team went through a drastic change while I was a student. When I was recruited to swim there, it was a sleepy team that didn't field a full squad and had to fight it out for 3rd and 4th place (out of 8 teams) in our conference.
By my Junior year, we had begun transforming into a more "proper" team training more like I did in High School (basically more often, smarter, and harder) and results followed.
No one will admit this, but Emory is now a top NCAA swim program due to the efforts of former assistant Coach Jessica Berkowitz. She was hired during my sophomore year and overhauled the attitude, recruiting, and training philosophy of the team taking us from a team with one top 10 finish at the National Championships ever, to a consistent top 5 finisher and eventual runner-up National Champion (the women's team won a national championships in '06). Without her overhaul, we wouldn't have landed the recruits we began to land, and the head coach we eventually hired who was able to take us over the top.
During my senior year, the men's team won our conference championships for the first time ever bringing down the Johns Hopkins dynasty. That year, we ended up 6th at the National Championships, and we've been top 3 nearly every year since.
Let me be perfectly clear, I feel I had more to do with the success out of the pool than in it. I was a good High School swimmer, but never bettered my best times in my best events, the 100 and 200 backstroke while in college. My PR's were set when I was 17 years old. Luckily, I was good enough as a high schooler to be able to continue contributing and scoring as a collegiate swimmer. We had some amazing athletes who were the reason for the team's success, but I like to believe that as a captain that year along with my co-captain, that we were able to foster an environment that set us up to succeed, primarily by helping to change the attitude of the team from passive and self deprecating to aggressive and confident.
Visiting the pool that morning brought back fond memories for sure. That was the first place I ever saw my wife, and were our friendship began. My closest friends from undergrad were teammates. When I looked down from the bleachers into the water, it was strange. How many hours did I spend in that water? How many miles have I covered in that little 50 meter x 25 yard space? How much suffering did I put myself through in that space? How much was learned in that space? In a way, it was like digging up a time capsule and revisiting old memories.
So the trip to Atlanta was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to visit again.
To be honest, I really haven't had a ton to report on. I took my family and my parents to Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. I was sitting on the couch on Wednesday trying to figure out what to do that weekend, and 24 hours later, the plans were set. One of the benefits to working for an airline is spur of the moment trips.
Some know that I lived in Atlanta from 1995-2003, and went to undergrad there. It's a town I'm very fond of for a number of reasons, so it was great to go back and visit.
We were shocked at how much had changed in the past 4 years. Tons of development in town. Urban revitalization at its finest I'd say. Certainly a real-estate developer/investor's dream.
On Sat morning, we headed over to Emory U., my Alma matter, to walk around campus. Like the rest of Atlanta, Emory has been building, renovating, and expanding at a rapid rate. It looks great. We stopped by the P.E. Center, which had a third floor added to the top of it over the last couple of years to check out a Varsity men's soccer game (Emory was crushing Carnegie Mellon U.) then peeked in on the pool and saw the 4 or 5 guys who didn't travel with the team to Savannah, GA for a swim meet that day finish up their morning workout.I graduated in 1999, and every men's team record has since been re-written since I left. The oldest record on the books was Sebastian Popa's 200 Butterfly record set in 2002, which I witnessed him set. Other than that, they were all 6 mos to 2 years old.
The team went through a drastic change while I was a student. When I was recruited to swim there, it was a sleepy team that didn't field a full squad and had to fight it out for 3rd and 4th place (out of 8 teams) in our conference.
By my Junior year, we had begun transforming into a more "proper" team training more like I did in High School (basically more often, smarter, and harder) and results followed.
No one will admit this, but Emory is now a top NCAA swim program due to the efforts of former assistant Coach Jessica Berkowitz. She was hired during my sophomore year and overhauled the attitude, recruiting, and training philosophy of the team taking us from a team with one top 10 finish at the National Championships ever, to a consistent top 5 finisher and eventual runner-up National Champion (the women's team won a national championships in '06). Without her overhaul, we wouldn't have landed the recruits we began to land, and the head coach we eventually hired who was able to take us over the top.
During my senior year, the men's team won our conference championships for the first time ever bringing down the Johns Hopkins dynasty. That year, we ended up 6th at the National Championships, and we've been top 3 nearly every year since.
Let me be perfectly clear, I feel I had more to do with the success out of the pool than in it. I was a good High School swimmer, but never bettered my best times in my best events, the 100 and 200 backstroke while in college. My PR's were set when I was 17 years old. Luckily, I was good enough as a high schooler to be able to continue contributing and scoring as a collegiate swimmer. We had some amazing athletes who were the reason for the team's success, but I like to believe that as a captain that year along with my co-captain, that we were able to foster an environment that set us up to succeed, primarily by helping to change the attitude of the team from passive and self deprecating to aggressive and confident.
Visiting the pool that morning brought back fond memories for sure. That was the first place I ever saw my wife, and were our friendship began. My closest friends from undergrad were teammates. When I looked down from the bleachers into the water, it was strange. How many hours did I spend in that water? How many miles have I covered in that little 50 meter x 25 yard space? How much suffering did I put myself through in that space? How much was learned in that space? In a way, it was like digging up a time capsule and revisiting old memories.
So the trip to Atlanta was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to visit again.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
US Men's Olympic Trials
The results from the Men's US Olympic Marathon Trials certainly fill me with emotions that scratch both ends of my feeling spectrum.
In January of this year, I ran the Houston Half Marathon. After completing the race, I met up with friends who were out on the course watching and they mentioned that the lead runner who passed them out on the course was all alone, American, and absolutely flying.
That runner turned out to be Ryan Hall, who went on to break the American Record in the half marathon that morning while becoming the first American to break the "Hour" in the half marry with a 59:43. If you've got 15 minutes, this video is a can't miss.
That was Ryan's first half marathon. He went on to run the London Marathon in the Spring (His first full marathon) finishing 7th in a very deep field with a 2:08.24, the fastest debut marathon for an American breaking a record held by Alberto Salazar and Alan Culpepper.
Last weekend, Ryan Hall won the Men's US Olympic Trials with a 2:09.02 out pacing Dathan Ritzenheim and Brian Sell by 2:05 and 2:37 respectively. A very convincing win.
The connection I made with Ryan being out on the same course in Houston with him (though over an hour behind) this past January and the excitement he generated by coming out of nowhere to bring American distance running back on the map will forever earn him a spot in my heart and mind as I am now a loyal follower and fan of his.
Transpose this excitement with the news that Ryan Shay, who trained with Meb Keflezighi and Ryan up in Mammoth Lakes with coach Bob Larsen for a time, passed away during his attempts to reach his Olympic dream this past Saturday, and you can quickly become overwhelmed with confusion and mixed emotions. Though I have not seen results of the autopsy, news that he was diagnosed with an enlarged heart at a young age and other heart conditions in his family lead me to believe that there may be a correlation.
I could write about how we should all be grateful for our health or to visit our physicians regularly to ensure all is well, but at this point it all seems to be trivial or cliche.
We all know why we do it. I look at people doing Ironmans, Ultra Marathons, those attempting to summit Everest, or even something as simple as swimming so hard you puke or faint the moment you stand upright after climbing out of the pool. I get it, and I would never question someone who aspired to push their body to the limit. In fact, I find it more frustrating listening to the lay person talk about how stupid or dangerous it all is. In my mind, not knowing whether or not you can or can't, and not knowing approximately where your limit is is not living.
Ryan Shay 1979 - 2007
In January of this year, I ran the Houston Half Marathon. After completing the race, I met up with friends who were out on the course watching and they mentioned that the lead runner who passed them out on the course was all alone, American, and absolutely flying.
That runner turned out to be Ryan Hall, who went on to break the American Record in the half marathon that morning while becoming the first American to break the "Hour" in the half marry with a 59:43. If you've got 15 minutes, this video is a can't miss.
That was Ryan's first half marathon. He went on to run the London Marathon in the Spring (His first full marathon) finishing 7th in a very deep field with a 2:08.24, the fastest debut marathon for an American breaking a record held by Alberto Salazar and Alan Culpepper.
Last weekend, Ryan Hall won the Men's US Olympic Trials with a 2:09.02 out pacing Dathan Ritzenheim and Brian Sell by 2:05 and 2:37 respectively. A very convincing win.
The connection I made with Ryan being out on the same course in Houston with him (though over an hour behind) this past January and the excitement he generated by coming out of nowhere to bring American distance running back on the map will forever earn him a spot in my heart and mind as I am now a loyal follower and fan of his.
Transpose this excitement with the news that Ryan Shay, who trained with Meb Keflezighi and Ryan up in Mammoth Lakes with coach Bob Larsen for a time, passed away during his attempts to reach his Olympic dream this past Saturday, and you can quickly become overwhelmed with confusion and mixed emotions. Though I have not seen results of the autopsy, news that he was diagnosed with an enlarged heart at a young age and other heart conditions in his family lead me to believe that there may be a correlation.
I could write about how we should all be grateful for our health or to visit our physicians regularly to ensure all is well, but at this point it all seems to be trivial or cliche.
We all know why we do it. I look at people doing Ironmans, Ultra Marathons, those attempting to summit Everest, or even something as simple as swimming so hard you puke or faint the moment you stand upright after climbing out of the pool. I get it, and I would never question someone who aspired to push their body to the limit. In fact, I find it more frustrating listening to the lay person talk about how stupid or dangerous it all is. In my mind, not knowing whether or not you can or can't, and not knowing approximately where your limit is is not living.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Trick-or-Treat
I went Trick-or-Treating tonight with my 2 year old daughter, and 3 of our neighbors and their kids. All in the 2-3 age range.
I tell you what, there is nothing more satisfying than watching your kid go trick-or-treating for the first time. There was something so pure about it.
She started out very unsure of the process and leery of the strangers and their doors decked out in spooky decorations, but with each house she grew more and more confident and really picked it up. By halfway through our night, she would come running back to me from the door yelling "more houses!"
On a seperate note, my son wore his Dodgers baseball outfit. I have enjoyed telling people he is dressed up as Joe Torre for Halloween. Lets hope I didn't jinx the negotiations.
I tell you what, there is nothing more satisfying than watching your kid go trick-or-treating for the first time. There was something so pure about it.
She started out very unsure of the process and leery of the strangers and their doors decked out in spooky decorations, but with each house she grew more and more confident and really picked it up. By halfway through our night, she would come running back to me from the door yelling "more houses!"
On a seperate note, my son wore his Dodgers baseball outfit. I have enjoyed telling people he is dressed up as Joe Torre for Halloween. Lets hope I didn't jinx the negotiations.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Missed Motivation Station
What's up all? Its Saturday evening, everyone is off to bed and I've found some time to drop a note on the blog.
This was an interesting week from a workout perspective. I was swamped on Monday getting caught up after being out a week in Puerto Rico, and had a huge presentation to give on Tuesday, so I couldn't get my mind focussed on training in the first half of the week. For some reason, when stress levels are high I am great at talking myself out of sticking to the plan.
With motivation running low, I didn't get back out to run until Thursday night, and even then, I started my run at 8:30pm and had a Shiner Bock and one Margarita in my system from an after work networking function I was the host of, and therefor could not get out of.
My Friday run was very encouraging. The weather is now cool in North Texas and with that, I can comfortably throw down a bit of speed. I did a 4 mi tempo run, running a 9:52, 9:18, 8:33, then a 4:33 half mi before slowing to a cool down. Averaged 9:23 for the entire run.
Today I was a bit gimpy from the run, so I took it slow in hopes of being able to recover for my 10 miler tomorrow. I know 4 runs in a row, and what is scheduled to be 7 runs in 8 days is not healthy, so we'll see how I feel.
Many of you know I've been dealing with a bad case of plantar fascitis since April of this year. It just won't go away, but I could probably do more to get it better. I just sat with my foot in a tub of ice water for a while, and that seems to helped. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
I'm loving the weather. It is long sleeve dry fit, shorts, and a hat weather. Awesome! If anyone has any ideas on how to stay motivated, I'd love to learn your tricks. I can't get out of bed to train in the morning, am having a hard time getting away in the middle of the day, and have wishy-washy will power in the evening. HELP!!!
This was an interesting week from a workout perspective. I was swamped on Monday getting caught up after being out a week in Puerto Rico, and had a huge presentation to give on Tuesday, so I couldn't get my mind focussed on training in the first half of the week. For some reason, when stress levels are high I am great at talking myself out of sticking to the plan.
With motivation running low, I didn't get back out to run until Thursday night, and even then, I started my run at 8:30pm and had a Shiner Bock and one Margarita in my system from an after work networking function I was the host of, and therefor could not get out of.
My Friday run was very encouraging. The weather is now cool in North Texas and with that, I can comfortably throw down a bit of speed. I did a 4 mi tempo run, running a 9:52, 9:18, 8:33, then a 4:33 half mi before slowing to a cool down. Averaged 9:23 for the entire run.
Today I was a bit gimpy from the run, so I took it slow in hopes of being able to recover for my 10 miler tomorrow. I know 4 runs in a row, and what is scheduled to be 7 runs in 8 days is not healthy, so we'll see how I feel.
Many of you know I've been dealing with a bad case of plantar fascitis since April of this year. It just won't go away, but I could probably do more to get it better. I just sat with my foot in a tub of ice water for a while, and that seems to helped. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
I'm loving the weather. It is long sleeve dry fit, shorts, and a hat weather. Awesome! If anyone has any ideas on how to stay motivated, I'd love to learn your tricks. I can't get out of bed to train in the morning, am having a hard time getting away in the middle of the day, and have wishy-washy will power in the evening. HELP!!!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Back from the Island
Its been a while since I last blogged. As most of you know, I took the family down to Puerto Rico for the week.
We left on Monday morning (10/15), and despite horrible storms in DFW and the threat of cancellations, the flight got out though a bit late.
We were greeted by some real bad traffic as we made our way out of San Juan to Palmas Del Mar, the resort community our hotel was located on.
I had read that Puerto Rico is one of the most densely populated places in the world (more dense than Manhattan NY, and even Bangladesh) so I wasn't sure what to expect. Sitting in the traffic, the stats were confirmed.
Palmas Del Mar is located on the eastern side of the island about 50 miles SE of San Juan. It is a huge developed community with marinas, golf courses, condos, hotels, beach, etc. It was pretty nice. Definitely secluded from the rest of the island.
We laid low on Tuesday hitting up our hotel pool and the hotel beach. Nothing to write home about, so I won't, but the kids had a good time.
On Wednesday, we headed up to El Yunque National Forest, the only Rain Forest in the US National Forest program. The Rain Forest actually consists of 4 different types of forest. The park is on the slopes of a mountain that starts around 300 ft in elevation, and goes up to 3,500 ft, so the forest changes as you reach higher altitudes.
you can drive about 2/3 of the way up the mountain, so you can really see some of the changes in a matter of minutes as you make your way up. We toured the visitor center which was nicely done with some interactive displays. We drove up to La Coca Falls and got out to take some pictures.
Then we headed further up the mtn and got out and did a short hike on the Bano Grande trail.
This park was really well done, and I could have spent the hole day hiking it. I'd highly recommend it.
On Thursday we headed in to Old San Juan to walk the streets and tour the San Cristobal Castle. It was the warmest of the days we were there, so besides getting a little sticky, it was very cool.
We decided to come home a day early, primarily because we had done all that we planned to do, and the hotel pool and beach weren't enough to get us to stay for another day.
We planned to jump on a 9:30am flight on Friday morning, but didn't get on as a flight from San Juan to Tampa was canceled due to a mechanical issue, and all of those passengers got reacomodiated on any flight with empty seats. So we ended up hanging out in the airport until 5:00pm and got on the last flight of the day. We had packed only enough diapers to get us home on our original morning flight, so between rationing water to keep diapers dry, and borrowing diapers from complete strangers in the airport, we made due, but it sucked.
I'll be the first to tell you that flight benefits for airline employees just don't cut it. In this day and age of record high load factors, and an over loaded Air Traffic Control system, traveling stinks, and trying to travel standby just doesn't ever work flawlessly for me. I'd have more patience if I was alone or with Ingrid, but standby with little kids is a disaster wating to happen.
So its nice to be home sleeping in my own bed again. I've got a 10 mile run on the schedule for today, and am searching for motivation to go out and do it. I probably need to start soon or it aint gonna happen.
Have a good week every one.
PS. anyone looking to watch all or parts of the IM World Championships can catch the re-feed here
We left on Monday morning (10/15), and despite horrible storms in DFW and the threat of cancellations, the flight got out though a bit late.
We were greeted by some real bad traffic as we made our way out of San Juan to Palmas Del Mar, the resort community our hotel was located on.
I had read that Puerto Rico is one of the most densely populated places in the world (more dense than Manhattan NY, and even Bangladesh) so I wasn't sure what to expect. Sitting in the traffic, the stats were confirmed.
Palmas Del Mar is located on the eastern side of the island about 50 miles SE of San Juan. It is a huge developed community with marinas, golf courses, condos, hotels, beach, etc. It was pretty nice. Definitely secluded from the rest of the island.
We laid low on Tuesday hitting up our hotel pool and the hotel beach. Nothing to write home about, so I won't, but the kids had a good time.
On Wednesday, we headed up to El Yunque National Forest, the only Rain Forest in the US National Forest program. The Rain Forest actually consists of 4 different types of forest. The park is on the slopes of a mountain that starts around 300 ft in elevation, and goes up to 3,500 ft, so the forest changes as you reach higher altitudes.
you can drive about 2/3 of the way up the mountain, so you can really see some of the changes in a matter of minutes as you make your way up. We toured the visitor center which was nicely done with some interactive displays. We drove up to La Coca Falls and got out to take some pictures.
Then we headed further up the mtn and got out and did a short hike on the Bano Grande trail.
This park was really well done, and I could have spent the hole day hiking it. I'd highly recommend it.On Thursday we headed in to Old San Juan to walk the streets and tour the San Cristobal Castle. It was the warmest of the days we were there, so besides getting a little sticky, it was very cool.
We decided to come home a day early, primarily because we had done all that we planned to do, and the hotel pool and beach weren't enough to get us to stay for another day.We planned to jump on a 9:30am flight on Friday morning, but didn't get on as a flight from San Juan to Tampa was canceled due to a mechanical issue, and all of those passengers got reacomodiated on any flight with empty seats. So we ended up hanging out in the airport until 5:00pm and got on the last flight of the day. We had packed only enough diapers to get us home on our original morning flight, so between rationing water to keep diapers dry, and borrowing diapers from complete strangers in the airport, we made due, but it sucked.
I'll be the first to tell you that flight benefits for airline employees just don't cut it. In this day and age of record high load factors, and an over loaded Air Traffic Control system, traveling stinks, and trying to travel standby just doesn't ever work flawlessly for me. I'd have more patience if I was alone or with Ingrid, but standby with little kids is a disaster wating to happen.
So its nice to be home sleeping in my own bed again. I've got a 10 mile run on the schedule for today, and am searching for motivation to go out and do it. I probably need to start soon or it aint gonna happen.
Have a good week every one.
PS. anyone looking to watch all or parts of the IM World Championships can catch the re-feed here
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Kona Aftermath
What a day yesterday! I started off with a 5 mile trail run on a pretty popular mt. bike trail called the North Shore trail on lake grapevine. I was hoping to get off the concrete for a day, but I find after running on trails that everything below my knee kills as a result. Sore feet and shins, still I enjoyed the change of scenery.
My daughter Reagan had her 2nd birthday party yesterday, which was a success. The best part of little kid birthday parties besides seeing them play together, is that they only last about an hour and a half.
And the fund raising dinner was really cool, although I was on my feet for nearly 7 hours. The trail run and the dinner pretty much tore my feet apart.
So I don't quite know what to make of the race yesterday. I guess that race is humbling in so many ways, including trying to predict the outcome.
I find it somewhat humorous that for the month or so leading up to the race, you hear how everyone's training was on, all of their markers indicate improvement over last year, etc. Then the gun goes off and the IM Live team spends 20 mins of the swim giving you all of the off the record things they know about health problems. Michellie Jones and her buster ear drum, Norman and Faris sick all week, Beke with a sore knee. It makes handicapping the race pretty much impossible.
I was glad to see Chris McCormack finally get his win, but I have to be honest and say that I am not sure what the outcome would have been with the Germans at full health. Macca's 2:42 marathon is legendary, but there was no one of concern pushing him on the bike, so he was able to sit in the pack and wait for the run. His bike split was 19 mins slower than Norman's from last year.
Craig Alexander's effort was inspiring. A 2:45 marathon from him is sick. It will be interesting to see what direction he goes with his racing. Will he switch back to focussing on 70.3, or will he continue to do fulls? In listening to interviews from Crowie, he has made it clear that he is a family guy, and doing what will pay the bills is typically the direction he goes. A $60K payday and a lot of sponsors re-inking or partnering with him might get him to focus solely on full IMs. We'll see.
I was glad to see the American men in the mix. Lieto and Deboom were there all day, and out of no where, Lovato ended up in the top 10 by being Mr. Consistent.
The women's race was equally unique. I really wanted to see the Natascha v. Michelle show down, but it wasn't to be. Instead, we were introduced to (let me look her name up again) Chrissie Wellington. I'd consider myself pretty up on the IM racing scene, but I'd never heard of her before. With a 2:59 marathon, I'll never forget her. My fault for not giving IM Korea any attention. Apparently she trains with Hillary on Brett Sutton's team, so the team fulfilled it's goal of having an IM World Champion doing it in the first year of the 3-4 years they gave themselves to accomplish this goal.
Jo Lawn was there all day, but never rode away from the field, and apparently she was sick all day too. My sleeper Sam McGlone delivered on the women's side. She ran a 3:00 marathon which was impressive. All of my Alexander thoughts above apply to McGlone now too.
From what I can tell, Hillary had an okay day. She ended up 20th, and by her split, had a tough run with a 3:30, but its certainly no shock given her recent race schedule. We'll have to read her race report for the details.
My friend Brian Dunn from Triscoop had a great day with a 9:40. He said he ran past Des Ficker on the Queen K Hwy and she was in tears. He also passed Jo Zieger at mile 4 while she was booting in an aid station. That race is so tough and people go for it as opposed to playing it safe like other IMs.
The IM Live coverage had potential. Lots of good footage out on the course. They even introduced picture in picture on several occassions. The feed outage due to a power outage on the island was a distraction, and the race updates giving "fatal error" messages for about an hour were very frustrating, but all in all, I was pleased when it was working. I left for the dinner about half way through the bike, so I can't comment on coverage while out on the run.
So we are off to Puerto Rico for a week tomorrow. We're hoping for smooth travels, good weather, and well behaved kids. I might drop in during the week if I can get an internet connection.
Have a good week.
My daughter Reagan had her 2nd birthday party yesterday, which was a success. The best part of little kid birthday parties besides seeing them play together, is that they only last about an hour and a half.
And the fund raising dinner was really cool, although I was on my feet for nearly 7 hours. The trail run and the dinner pretty much tore my feet apart.
So I don't quite know what to make of the race yesterday. I guess that race is humbling in so many ways, including trying to predict the outcome.
I find it somewhat humorous that for the month or so leading up to the race, you hear how everyone's training was on, all of their markers indicate improvement over last year, etc. Then the gun goes off and the IM Live team spends 20 mins of the swim giving you all of the off the record things they know about health problems. Michellie Jones and her buster ear drum, Norman and Faris sick all week, Beke with a sore knee. It makes handicapping the race pretty much impossible.
I was glad to see Chris McCormack finally get his win, but I have to be honest and say that I am not sure what the outcome would have been with the Germans at full health. Macca's 2:42 marathon is legendary, but there was no one of concern pushing him on the bike, so he was able to sit in the pack and wait for the run. His bike split was 19 mins slower than Norman's from last year.
Craig Alexander's effort was inspiring. A 2:45 marathon from him is sick. It will be interesting to see what direction he goes with his racing. Will he switch back to focussing on 70.3, or will he continue to do fulls? In listening to interviews from Crowie, he has made it clear that he is a family guy, and doing what will pay the bills is typically the direction he goes. A $60K payday and a lot of sponsors re-inking or partnering with him might get him to focus solely on full IMs. We'll see.
I was glad to see the American men in the mix. Lieto and Deboom were there all day, and out of no where, Lovato ended up in the top 10 by being Mr. Consistent.
The women's race was equally unique. I really wanted to see the Natascha v. Michelle show down, but it wasn't to be. Instead, we were introduced to (let me look her name up again) Chrissie Wellington. I'd consider myself pretty up on the IM racing scene, but I'd never heard of her before. With a 2:59 marathon, I'll never forget her. My fault for not giving IM Korea any attention. Apparently she trains with Hillary on Brett Sutton's team, so the team fulfilled it's goal of having an IM World Champion doing it in the first year of the 3-4 years they gave themselves to accomplish this goal.
Jo Lawn was there all day, but never rode away from the field, and apparently she was sick all day too. My sleeper Sam McGlone delivered on the women's side. She ran a 3:00 marathon which was impressive. All of my Alexander thoughts above apply to McGlone now too.
From what I can tell, Hillary had an okay day. She ended up 20th, and by her split, had a tough run with a 3:30, but its certainly no shock given her recent race schedule. We'll have to read her race report for the details.
My friend Brian Dunn from Triscoop had a great day with a 9:40. He said he ran past Des Ficker on the Queen K Hwy and she was in tears. He also passed Jo Zieger at mile 4 while she was booting in an aid station. That race is so tough and people go for it as opposed to playing it safe like other IMs.
The IM Live coverage had potential. Lots of good footage out on the course. They even introduced picture in picture on several occassions. The feed outage due to a power outage on the island was a distraction, and the race updates giving "fatal error" messages for about an hour were very frustrating, but all in all, I was pleased when it was working. I left for the dinner about half way through the bike, so I can't comment on coverage while out on the run.
So we are off to Puerto Rico for a week tomorrow. We're hoping for smooth travels, good weather, and well behaved kids. I might drop in during the week if I can get an internet connection.
Have a good week.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Kona Prediction Time
Alright! Lets get to some predictions.
I'm very juiced for the race on Saturday. Although I put little faith in the weather forecast as it can turn on a dime, and the race covers such a large area, that temps will fluctuate with the terrain, it isn't looking too bad. It it supposed to rain on Kona on Friday night, which should do alot to cool temps at least early on on Sat morning. It is calling for highs in the mid to low 80s, with a real feel of 86 degrees. Winds 13 mph out of the east with 24 mph gusts. Humidity looks to be the biggest concern.
Although I've got family in town for the weekend, and my daughters b-day party on Sat morning, I should be able to watch the end of the swim and most of the bike. I'm volunteering at a fundraiser dinner on Sat night, so I will miss the finish, which I am not happy about at all, but its for a good cause. We're raising money for servicemen and women called to active duty who have taken a pay hit by having to leave their civilian jobs. The funds raised help to make ends meet for the families while they have a soldier abroad.
And now, for the predictions.
Mens Podium: 1. Norman Stadler, 2. Macca, 3. Marino Vanhoenaker
Sleeper: Timo Bracht
Most intriguing: Craig Alexander
I think Norman is just too good, and will probably ride another sub 4:20 bike and will show another step forward in his running putting down a 2:53 as he is pushed by Macca. The big wild card is the shorty wetsuit. Norman had it last year, and swam out of his mind. This year, everyone has it, so if Norman is out of the swim 3+ minutes back of Macca rather than just 14 secs, it could be a different story. My sentimental favorite is Craig Alexander. I think this guy is the most talented triathlete in the world right now, and would love to see him in the mix in his 2nd IM race ever. You know Llanos, Faris, Beke, Brown, and Bell will all be top 10.
Women's Podium: 1. Natascha Badman, 2. Michellie Jones, 3. Jo Lawn
Sleeper: Sam McGlone
Sentimental Favorite: Hillary Biscay
Natascha has been on fire this year. Just look at her Eagleman results. That is blazing. I think she's got redemption on her mind, and will have the nutrition dialed in, and will crush this one. Jo Lawn was dominant in her IMNZ victory, showed improvement on her swim, and we know she can bike. Sam McGlone is going to be my sleeper, and she very well could end up pushing Michellie for the #2 spot on the podium. This will be Sam's first ever IM, so only experience will hold her back. Many know that Hillary Biscay and I have known each other since we were 11 years old, and swam club together for many years. She is the toughest woman in the field, but IMHI will be her 3rd IM in 7 weeks, which is absolutely insane! We'll be pulling for a top 10 finish for her. She is such a stud! Two other women I want to mention, although I don't have a spot for them are Belinda Granger and Des Ficker. Belinda was dominant at Lake Placid, and assuming she has recovered, will be in the mix. Des is also a sentimental favorite given the TX connection and that I've raced with her at 3 different events, but she has had some health issues this year and has a history of blowing up at races. You can't fault her aggressiveness however. Besides folks I've mentioned, I'm sure Bentley, Kehr, and Major will round out the top 10.
Have fun watching everyone. IM Live has promised better coverage than ever before. Apparently they will have feeds from the NBC cameras out on the course. It should be good.
I'm very juiced for the race on Saturday. Although I put little faith in the weather forecast as it can turn on a dime, and the race covers such a large area, that temps will fluctuate with the terrain, it isn't looking too bad. It it supposed to rain on Kona on Friday night, which should do alot to cool temps at least early on on Sat morning. It is calling for highs in the mid to low 80s, with a real feel of 86 degrees. Winds 13 mph out of the east with 24 mph gusts. Humidity looks to be the biggest concern.
Although I've got family in town for the weekend, and my daughters b-day party on Sat morning, I should be able to watch the end of the swim and most of the bike. I'm volunteering at a fundraiser dinner on Sat night, so I will miss the finish, which I am not happy about at all, but its for a good cause. We're raising money for servicemen and women called to active duty who have taken a pay hit by having to leave their civilian jobs. The funds raised help to make ends meet for the families while they have a soldier abroad.
And now, for the predictions.
Mens Podium: 1. Norman Stadler, 2. Macca, 3. Marino Vanhoenaker
Sleeper: Timo Bracht
Most intriguing: Craig Alexander
I think Norman is just too good, and will probably ride another sub 4:20 bike and will show another step forward in his running putting down a 2:53 as he is pushed by Macca. The big wild card is the shorty wetsuit. Norman had it last year, and swam out of his mind. This year, everyone has it, so if Norman is out of the swim 3+ minutes back of Macca rather than just 14 secs, it could be a different story. My sentimental favorite is Craig Alexander. I think this guy is the most talented triathlete in the world right now, and would love to see him in the mix in his 2nd IM race ever. You know Llanos, Faris, Beke, Brown, and Bell will all be top 10.
Women's Podium: 1. Natascha Badman, 2. Michellie Jones, 3. Jo Lawn
Sleeper: Sam McGlone
Sentimental Favorite: Hillary Biscay
Natascha has been on fire this year. Just look at her Eagleman results. That is blazing. I think she's got redemption on her mind, and will have the nutrition dialed in, and will crush this one. Jo Lawn was dominant in her IMNZ victory, showed improvement on her swim, and we know she can bike. Sam McGlone is going to be my sleeper, and she very well could end up pushing Michellie for the #2 spot on the podium. This will be Sam's first ever IM, so only experience will hold her back. Many know that Hillary Biscay and I have known each other since we were 11 years old, and swam club together for many years. She is the toughest woman in the field, but IMHI will be her 3rd IM in 7 weeks, which is absolutely insane! We'll be pulling for a top 10 finish for her. She is such a stud! Two other women I want to mention, although I don't have a spot for them are Belinda Granger and Des Ficker. Belinda was dominant at Lake Placid, and assuming she has recovered, will be in the mix. Des is also a sentimental favorite given the TX connection and that I've raced with her at 3 different events, but she has had some health issues this year and has a history of blowing up at races. You can't fault her aggressiveness however. Besides folks I've mentioned, I'm sure Bentley, Kehr, and Major will round out the top 10.
Have fun watching everyone. IM Live has promised better coverage than ever before. Apparently they will have feeds from the NBC cameras out on the course. It should be good.
Monday, October 8, 2007
10.6 Weekend Observations
Well, well, where do I start. Saturday morning got off to a good start. I did a nice 8 mile run in the mist. It wasn't hot but obviously was humid. I felt pretty good, and could have kept going, but definitely felt as if I was pushing my bounds a bit. Not aerobically, but more like I could feel my joints and lower legs growing fatigued by the stress of running. Anyhow, it was a good session before heading into a recovery week.
My good buddy Woody's wedding was in Plano on Sat. It was an amazing time. I knew a bunch of my fraternity brother whom many I had not seen in ~5 years would be there. The reality was that pretty much all save 2-3 from my class where there, and we had a good time. Its funny to see these guys now as Doctors, Lawyers, or having other successful careers. There were times when I wondered if any of them would live to see 30. Everyone looked good too. Father time has been kind to us.
Speaking of successful careers. One of my buddies Dan G has an interesting story. He dropped out of school after our sophmore year because he wasn't doing well in his classes. I think he was pre-law or something which was a mistake given his character. He was the freest of spirits and it was a bad fit. He moved to Missoula Montana "because it looked cool in 'A River Runs Through It" to deliver Pizzas. He kept in contact, and we were able to convince him to come back to school after a year and try a different course of study in the arts, so he took us up on it riding his Motorcycle back to Atlanta in the dead of winter (think Dumb and Dumber). He started taking theater type courses, and actually excelled at it. Turned his grades around and graduated with the rest of us after busting his hump taking a heavy load and summer courses. Anyhow, he has had some random roles on screen, and has a steady job with a theater group that pays the bills. He is most famous for being Luke Wilson's Ass double in 'My Super Ex-Girlfriend.' It was good to see him still doing what he is passionate about.
So many, many, many drinks later, I caught a cab home (wife left early) and hit the hay at 3am. Not ideal for a long morning ride. Despite my efforts to keep the hangover bug away, I was not so lucky, and spent the day yesterday eating and drinking on my couch while watching football.
I'm back at it today though, I promise.
A week from Today, I'm taking my family to Puerto Rico for 6 days. We're going to do a bit of beach sitting and reading mixed in with some sight seeing. I'm told there is a National Park on the island that is worth seeing, and old town San Juan is neat to tour. Let me know if you have recommendations. We'll be staying on the east side of the island, but will have a car. I plan to read Greenspan's 'The Age of Turbulence,' and if time permits, 'The Paleo Diet for Athletes.' I'm pretty sure many, many, many drinks are not part of the diet, but you never know.
I'll be making my Ironman World Championship Predictions later this week, so check back for those.
And now, for my weekend observations:
- Am I the only one who doesn't know the words to Journey's 'Don't Stop Believe'n?'
- White guys can't dance
- Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders can (First hand witness at the wedding. Thats right!)
- I have no sympathy for the Chicago marathoners who crumbled in 88 degree weather. Welcome to Oct in Texas.
- A 45,000 person marathon is a recipe for disaster.
- Congrats to David on his 2nd Half IM finish in 7 weeks.
My good buddy Woody's wedding was in Plano on Sat. It was an amazing time. I knew a bunch of my fraternity brother whom many I had not seen in ~5 years would be there. The reality was that pretty much all save 2-3 from my class where there, and we had a good time. Its funny to see these guys now as Doctors, Lawyers, or having other successful careers. There were times when I wondered if any of them would live to see 30. Everyone looked good too. Father time has been kind to us.
Speaking of successful careers. One of my buddies Dan G has an interesting story. He dropped out of school after our sophmore year because he wasn't doing well in his classes. I think he was pre-law or something which was a mistake given his character. He was the freest of spirits and it was a bad fit. He moved to Missoula Montana "because it looked cool in 'A River Runs Through It" to deliver Pizzas. He kept in contact, and we were able to convince him to come back to school after a year and try a different course of study in the arts, so he took us up on it riding his Motorcycle back to Atlanta in the dead of winter (think Dumb and Dumber). He started taking theater type courses, and actually excelled at it. Turned his grades around and graduated with the rest of us after busting his hump taking a heavy load and summer courses. Anyhow, he has had some random roles on screen, and has a steady job with a theater group that pays the bills. He is most famous for being Luke Wilson's Ass double in 'My Super Ex-Girlfriend.' It was good to see him still doing what he is passionate about.
So many, many, many drinks later, I caught a cab home (wife left early) and hit the hay at 3am. Not ideal for a long morning ride. Despite my efforts to keep the hangover bug away, I was not so lucky, and spent the day yesterday eating and drinking on my couch while watching football.
I'm back at it today though, I promise.
A week from Today, I'm taking my family to Puerto Rico for 6 days. We're going to do a bit of beach sitting and reading mixed in with some sight seeing. I'm told there is a National Park on the island that is worth seeing, and old town San Juan is neat to tour. Let me know if you have recommendations. We'll be staying on the east side of the island, but will have a car. I plan to read Greenspan's 'The Age of Turbulence,' and if time permits, 'The Paleo Diet for Athletes.' I'm pretty sure many, many, many drinks are not part of the diet, but you never know.
I'll be making my Ironman World Championship Predictions later this week, so check back for those.
And now, for my weekend observations:
- Am I the only one who doesn't know the words to Journey's 'Don't Stop Believe'n?'
- White guys can't dance
- Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders can (First hand witness at the wedding. Thats right!)
- I have no sympathy for the Chicago marathoners who crumbled in 88 degree weather. Welcome to Oct in Texas.
- A 45,000 person marathon is a recipe for disaster.
- Congrats to David on his 2nd Half IM finish in 7 weeks.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Hoops Lose Again
I went to the US Open Cup Finals last night at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco Texas. For those who don't know, I am a bit of a soccer fan. I had a room mate one summer in college who was on my school's varsity soccer team, and it happened to be the summer of the 1998 World Cup. I watched all of the Cup games with him, and he gave me some insight on strategy and the star international players. with that background, I was soon hooked.
My favorite side here domestically is FC Dallas, and I try to go to a handful of games every year. FC Dallas (aka the Hoops) played host to the New England revolution last night, and lost 2-3. For the most part, it was an entertaining game. The highlight in my mind was the return of Kenny Cooper, the young Dallas native striker who was returning from a fractured Tibia. He only played the last 20 mins and didn't do much, but it was good to see him back. He was given a standing ovation as he entered the game by the fans in the know.
Training is going alright this week. I missed my swim for the second week in a row last night in order to go to the game. Since I have to be home tonight so my wife can go to Bunko, and got home too late last night to allow for an early rise this AM, I'm taking my rest day today and will do my run and lift tomorrow.
This weekend, I've got another long run and ride planned. My good buddy Woody is getting married on Sat, and I'll see some College friends I haven't seen in years. I'll have to put myself on hangover watch on Sat night so that I can still get out there for the ride on Sun.
Have a good weekend everyone. If your training this weekend, go get it.
My favorite side here domestically is FC Dallas, and I try to go to a handful of games every year. FC Dallas (aka the Hoops) played host to the New England revolution last night, and lost 2-3. For the most part, it was an entertaining game. The highlight in my mind was the return of Kenny Cooper, the young Dallas native striker who was returning from a fractured Tibia. He only played the last 20 mins and didn't do much, but it was good to see him back. He was given a standing ovation as he entered the game by the fans in the know.
Training is going alright this week. I missed my swim for the second week in a row last night in order to go to the game. Since I have to be home tonight so my wife can go to Bunko, and got home too late last night to allow for an early rise this AM, I'm taking my rest day today and will do my run and lift tomorrow.
This weekend, I've got another long run and ride planned. My good buddy Woody is getting married on Sat, and I'll see some College friends I haven't seen in years. I'll have to put myself on hangover watch on Sat night so that I can still get out there for the ride on Sun.
Have a good weekend everyone. If your training this weekend, go get it.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
9.28 Weekend Recap and Observations
Another weekend nearly in the bag. I did a 6 mi run on Sat morning over on the trails on the south side of Lake Grapevine. This was my weekly long run, although 6 miles is hardly a “long run.” In due time. This morning I rode 35 miles around the south east side of Lake Grapevine. It was the first ride I have done since my last Oly Tri 2 weeks ago. I felt sloppy, and my HR was pretty high given the wattage I was putting out. I guess riding once a week for the rest of the fall/winter is not going to remedy this problem, but I have to remind myself that riding is not the focus right now.
So I ran 16 miles this week, which will be the starting point for my slow climb up to 30+ miles per week. I’m trying to follow the “10% rule” and build it up gradually with every third week backing it down.
The lifting is going well. I’m already seeing benefits, particularly in my core. The good thing is that I’m stronger this time when compared to the last time I entered a strength training phase.
And now for my weekend observations:
- USC looked sloppy against Wash and will not beat Cal or Oregon on the road playing like that
- If FL beats LSU next weekend, the USC v Cal game on 11.10 could be a #1 v #2 matchup
- 2 year old lips bleed like stuck pigs when they bump them
- All is well in Big D with the Cowboys playing like this
- I still love guacamole
- I look strange running with an ipod, garmin 205 GPS wrist monitor, and helium fuel belt on. Especially for only 6 miles
Have a good week everyone.
Friday, September 28, 2007
IMNA Races Change Entry Process
After reading this, I have come to accept the fact, no matter how frustrating it is, that the only way to ensure yourself a spot in an IM North American race is to show up in person to register the day after.
Boulder, CO - Over the past few years, entry spots to North America Sports full Ironman Races have become highly sought after by the triathlon community. In response to this NA Sports will be instituting the following process for entry to their full Ironman Races going forward.
Athletes entered in the event for the current year will be allowed to register for the next year's event the DAY BEFORE the current event. Entries will be accepted, on-site at the race site, from 9:00 am - 11:00 am, athletes will be required to present photo ID and their athlete wristbands at the time of entry. Athletes will only be able to register themselves.
General entry for all others will be made available, on-site at the race, from 9:00 am - 11:00 am, the morning following the race. Participants may register themselves at that time, they will not be able to register another person at any North America Sports event. ID will be required at the time of entry.
It Burns so Good Today...
I've made it to my rest day after a week of running and strength training. I have to be honest, I am sore today. I did a 3 mile run last night with 5x15 secs of high knees. This is a great drill I did earlier this year and I felt it had some immediate results. It gets you landing on your toes and seems to add a bit of spring to my stride. After the run, I immediately went in for my lift.
The intent was to stagger these workouts, but I slept in, and didn't run during lunch, so they ended up being back to back. My own fault.
Today I'll rest, then I've got a 6 mile run on Sat, a 2 hour bike on Sunday, and another lifting session on Sunday night. I may also try to sneak in a swim since I had planned on swimming this past wed, but got stuck at the office late.
The intent was to stagger these workouts, but I slept in, and didn't run during lunch, so they ended up being back to back. My own fault.
Today I'll rest, then I've got a 6 mile run on Sat, a 2 hour bike on Sunday, and another lifting session on Sunday night. I may also try to sneak in a swim since I had planned on swimming this past wed, but got stuck at the office late.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
How Did We Get Here?
I thought I'd put my current state in a bit of context. After all, if you are coming along on my journey, it might help to know how we got here.
As I write, I am one week into the triathlon off season. The 2007 season in my mind was a bit of a transitional season. I would consider my 2005 season to be the best of my short career. I was finishing up grad school, had some extra time on my hands, and no kids. I did several Olympic and Sprint races, and capped my season off with the Redman Full Iron Distance Triathlon in Oklahoma City. Ironically, the 3rd edition of that race is being held today.
I was so eager to get an Ironman under my belt in '05, that I rushed the training and did the race with a solid 6 months of training under my belt, but no real foundation for which that work was built on. The race was a great experience, but I was very glad to be done and back on the couch for a while after I finished.
Four weeks later, my daughter Reagan was born, and my priorities shifted to career and family.
As it happened, 2006 was a lost year from an athletic perspective, so 2007 was a year when I got back into the swing of training and racing.
This year, I did the Houston Half Marathon in Jan, the Lone Star Quarter Ironman in Galveston, TX in April, the MS150 Houston-Austin charity ride in April, and the Old College Tri at the beginning of May. My son Jake was born on May 25th, so I took a few weeks to spend time with him before getting back into the swing of things. I did the Disco Duathlon (the swim was canceled) in July, and my "A" race for the season, Timberman 70.3 in New Hampshire in August. I finished up the season last Sunday, Sept. 16th with the Dave Scott's Texas Man Olympic Distance Triathlon.
None of my races resulted in earth shattering performances. I had some good races and some bad races, and for the most part was happy with my effort, but I finished the season up more motivated to improve than I was proud of my results.
So that brings me to where I am today. I really wound things down after Timberman, hung on to enough fitness to do the Texas Man, and am coming off a week of R&R.
My focus now is on building my leg strength back up, dropping this gut I have developed and slowly adding on some running miles. You learn that I am the world's worst runner in no time, so I'm really going to try to get the mileage up this fall and winter to see if it helps. We'll see.
The plan going forward is to run 4 days a week, lift 3 days a week, cycle once, and swim once for a while. I'm going to keep the runs slow while I build up the miles over the next 4 weeks, then will drop 1 weekly trip to the gym and start using one of my 4 weekly runs to do some speed/tempo work. I have a history of running injuries (shin splints, IT Band, and most recently Plantar Fasciitis) so I'll really have to be careful here.
Yesterday I ran 6 miles down around Town Lake in Austin, TX while there visiting my parents. Town Lake in my mind is the best place in the US to run. Today, I hit the gym for a weight training session focusing on legs and core.
I'm ready to be sore tomorrow, but so be it.
As I write, I am one week into the triathlon off season. The 2007 season in my mind was a bit of a transitional season. I would consider my 2005 season to be the best of my short career. I was finishing up grad school, had some extra time on my hands, and no kids. I did several Olympic and Sprint races, and capped my season off with the Redman Full Iron Distance Triathlon in Oklahoma City. Ironically, the 3rd edition of that race is being held today.
I was so eager to get an Ironman under my belt in '05, that I rushed the training and did the race with a solid 6 months of training under my belt, but no real foundation for which that work was built on. The race was a great experience, but I was very glad to be done and back on the couch for a while after I finished.
Four weeks later, my daughter Reagan was born, and my priorities shifted to career and family.
As it happened, 2006 was a lost year from an athletic perspective, so 2007 was a year when I got back into the swing of training and racing.
This year, I did the Houston Half Marathon in Jan, the Lone Star Quarter Ironman in Galveston, TX in April, the MS150 Houston-Austin charity ride in April, and the Old College Tri at the beginning of May. My son Jake was born on May 25th, so I took a few weeks to spend time with him before getting back into the swing of things. I did the Disco Duathlon (the swim was canceled) in July, and my "A" race for the season, Timberman 70.3 in New Hampshire in August. I finished up the season last Sunday, Sept. 16th with the Dave Scott's Texas Man Olympic Distance Triathlon.
None of my races resulted in earth shattering performances. I had some good races and some bad races, and for the most part was happy with my effort, but I finished the season up more motivated to improve than I was proud of my results.
So that brings me to where I am today. I really wound things down after Timberman, hung on to enough fitness to do the Texas Man, and am coming off a week of R&R.
My focus now is on building my leg strength back up, dropping this gut I have developed and slowly adding on some running miles. You learn that I am the world's worst runner in no time, so I'm really going to try to get the mileage up this fall and winter to see if it helps. We'll see.
The plan going forward is to run 4 days a week, lift 3 days a week, cycle once, and swim once for a while. I'm going to keep the runs slow while I build up the miles over the next 4 weeks, then will drop 1 weekly trip to the gym and start using one of my 4 weekly runs to do some speed/tempo work. I have a history of running injuries (shin splints, IT Band, and most recently Plantar Fasciitis) so I'll really have to be careful here.
Yesterday I ran 6 miles down around Town Lake in Austin, TX while there visiting my parents. Town Lake in my mind is the best place in the US to run. Today, I hit the gym for a weight training session focusing on legs and core.
I'm ready to be sore tomorrow, but so be it.
One Small Step for Man
After a few years of reading and enjoying a handful of great blogs on all sorts of topics, I've finally made the leap into the blogging world myself, and have set up this page.
A little about me. I'm a 30 year old husband and father of two. Reagan who is 23 months and Jake who is 4 months. I work for an airline so I travel more than the average joe, and at one time, was a collegiate swimmmer who now still thinks like a competitive athlete, but rarely am I confused for one. Still I tri!
Come with me while I parent, travel, and train for triathlons and other endurance races and adventures.
Dinger
A little about me. I'm a 30 year old husband and father of two. Reagan who is 23 months and Jake who is 4 months. I work for an airline so I travel more than the average joe, and at one time, was a collegiate swimmmer who now still thinks like a competitive athlete, but rarely am I confused for one. Still I tri!
Come with me while I parent, travel, and train for triathlons and other endurance races and adventures.
Dinger
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Timberman 70.3 - 8.19.07
So here is the story. All in all, a good race for me. I think I did about as well as I could have given what I took to the party.
By Sat morning, the hot weather was long gone, and it was 42 degrees with 15-25 mph winds. The lake had white caps and I was glad to not be doing the Oly distance race. By Sun, it had moderated. 50 at the start, and winds cut in half. Still cold if you ask me, but better.
The day before my buddy David and I went to the Q&A with the pros. Pretty cool. Simon Lessing (eventual winner), Michael Lovato, Bjorn Anderson (defending champ), Spencer Smith for the guys and Karen Smyers (defending champ), Kate Major, Desiree Ficker (eventual winner) and Dede Griesbauer were all there. Pretty cool. The girls were cool, the guys were clearly playing mental games with each other. Although not pros, certainly more famous were Dick and Rick Hoyt who did the race, and had a booth set up at the Timberfest raising money for Cerebral Palsy (http://www.teamhoyt.com/)
The swim was a wave start. I was in wave 9 of 12 with 200 of my closest friends. It was an out 0.5m, over 0.2m, and back 0.5m swim with right turns. Water was a nice 74 and was pretty calm. It was easy to get a good spot in the line, and we were off. It was hard to spot the turn buoy at the start given how far off it was, and the 2 mid way markers had drifted off course, so I don't think any of us had great routes to the first turn, but we made do. I started catching prior waves after about 8 mins, and it was dodging folks the rest of the way. The second leg was right into the rising sun, and was impossible to see the next turn buoy until we were right on it. I tried to stay calm and not race, and for the most part did so. Swim 30:59.
T1 was okay. Up the beach, over to the wetsuit strippers, and into the racks. I noticed I was breathing hard, which is normal for me. For some reason, when I go to standing from swimming, my heart rates skies. So I stopped running and tried to walk and breathe to lower it. It was cold, so I opted to wear socks on the ride, and arm warmers. I'm glad I did, though it took some time getting them on me while wet. T1 3:30.
My nutrition plan was to get in about 350 cals per hour on the bike, and as much as I could on the run. I stuck to the plan on the bike pretty well. 1 cliff bar (250 cals) at 45 mins, 1 gel (100 cals) every 30 mins there after starting at 1:15. Starting at 1:30, I did 1 cliff shot block (33 cals) and did this every 30 mins there after. Lots of water to keep the cals diluted in the stomach to keep GI issues at bay. And Gatorade endurance about every 10-15 mins as I could remember to drink it. No real problems on the bike. One 2 min period where I got cramps but I sat up straight, took some deep breaths, chased with some water, and they were fine.
The bike was pretty hilly. I knew it would be. You pretty much climb out of T1 for the first 12 miles, then you gradually give back most of that gain over the next 16 miles before you hit the turn around, the you go back up at mile 44, and down to T2. It is not that gradual of course. Lots of ups and down. One nasty climb on the way out. Probably about a mile long. I was pushing about 270 watts and was only going about 9mph. It took maybe 6-7 mins to summit. It hurt. Once we got over that hill, we made our way to a long stretch on RT 106 were about half of the ride took place. On the way out, we had a nice tail wind, that wasn’t overly apparent. I couldn’t tell from the grass blades if it was true, but knew that sitting at 22-23mph while only pushing 150 watts wasn’t normal. Plus, all of the pros coming the other way looked to be laboring a bit.
Course Elevation
After the turn, the wind was there but wasn’t bad until about 10am or mile 40ish. The wind picked up, was hard in our face, and it was miserable until we turned off RT 106 to go back into the mtns.
I think I averaged about 175 watts for the ride, and 18.2 mph. Harder than I wanted to put out, but it was hard not to with the hills. My buddy David passed me at about mile 14-16. He is a billy goat and I knew he’d be there not long after we came out of the hills. We chatted a bit, were both in good spirits and glad to be out of the mtn, and he went on his way. There were some fun downhills. I definitely saw 42mph on my computer, and am interested to see what I topped out at. There was one lost opportunity to crack 40 but I was behind cars with no shoulder to pass on. I ended up getting around them but played with fate a bit to do so, and would rather not gloat. What goes around comes around.
My legs were pretty tired by about mile 40, but I never remember feeling winded. My HR started off at 175 coming out of the swim, and sort of hovered in the high 150s low 160 depending on whether I was going up or down. Bike 3:04.53/18.2mph
T2 was cake. Gimped to my rack. Put on my shoes, dropped the arm warmers, grabbed some gel, and another pack of cliff blocks, and was off. T2 3:23.
So I was out onto the run course, not really knowing what to expect. My goal was to run the entire thing, with exception to walking the aid stations. I didn’t care how fast I ran. I just didn’t want to walk. But you never really know how you are going to feel. Heading out onto the course, I was tight, a bit bloated, and had some gas. I just tried to get my running legs under me, and to see what happened.
The run, like the bike was hilly. It was a 2 loop out and back course, so you basically passed the same spot 4 times. Going out, the first 1.5 miles is a gradual uphill, then a steep 0.5 mile downhill, then some up and down for a 0.5 mile, then down 0.5 mile, then flat for 0.25 mile. Then just reverse that and that is 1 loop. It was on roads, through neighborhoods along the edge of the lake.
I was hurting pretty bad when I sumitted the gradual hill at 1.5, but really recovered nicely on the downhill and was in better spirits knowing that I had the ability to come back from a bad spot. By the turn around, I was hurting again with some GI issues. I grabbed a banana at the turn, and it seemed to help with the cramping. I was going along okay until I got to the steep climb at mile 5. I told myself that I was going to let myself walk 60 seconds, and that I could choose where I wanted to use it, but that if I used it too early, it was tough luck. So I ran along and only at the steepest part, aloud myself to use the “walk credit.” Luckily, I was close enough to the top, that I only needed 30 seconds of it. I happened to see David during this 30 sec. spot, and he got me running again with some good encouragement.
Again, I recovered really well on the long gradual descent to the end of loop 1. At the turn, I saw Ingrid, Reagan, Jake, Chikako (friend from b-school), and Sarah (David’s wife) and was feeling pretty good.
My first loop split was 1:08, or roughly 10:30s. I thought I might be in the hunt for a sub 6hr race, which in the back of my mind was my best case scenario goal. I thought it was a stretch, so I didn’t want to use it to dictate pace. But according to my hazy calculations, I thought I had a chance. I think I decided I needed to run a 1:11 second loop to go sub 6hrs.
I told myself not to look at my watch, run strong, and we would check again when I got to the base of the steep hill at mile 11. If I was still in range, I could make a go at it. But between mile 8 and 11, I just needed to give it to myself as best I could to put myself in a position to have a chance.
Things were going well. If I had to guess, the 3rd quarter of the run was my fastest, but again, I wasn’t looking. At the final turn before heading in, I was really hurting. I hoped my banana here might help, but my walks at the aid stations were getting longer, and it was taking more will to start back up again.
At mile 10, I decide to look and see what I needed to do for the last 3.1 to go sub 6hrs. According to my hazy math (it is amazing how difficult this was to figure out. With my swimming background, I’ve been doing on the fly pacing calcs since I was about 13. I can do this stuff in my sleep, but my faculties were clearly departing) I needed to run the last 3.1 in 30mins. Sub 10s was going to kill me, but I set out trying. I think I was about 9:45 from mile 10 to 11, but it took it all out of me. As I hit the hill at mile 11, my hams started to tighten up, and I was reduced to a walk. I mustered a few more good efforts, but it was clear I was not going sub 6. I did a 1 min walk, 1 min run for the last ¾ of a mile, and came in at 6:08.16. Run 2:25.33
The strange thing is that my watch had me at 6:05, so either the timing system was hosed up (not likely), I some how stopped my watch for 3 mins (not sure how this was possible), or the stop watch is bad. Go figure. Anyhow, it turns out I wasn’t as close to going sub 6hrs as I thought. But it sure kept my mind occupied on that last loop.
The finish was nice. I mustered a good run the last 2 mins or so and crossed at a good pace for the cameras. I saw Ingrid and Reagan right before the finish. It was awesome.
I of course was hurting badly, and immediately pulled some recovery powder out of my bag and mixed it in with some water, and sat down in an ice bath to start the healing process. It actually worked pretty well. I’m sore today, but I’ve been worse.
All in all, a good race. My swim, bike, and T1 and T2 were faster than planned. The run was 7 mins slower than planned, but overall was better than my worst case goal.
I am shocked at how fast this race was. I have never felt slower than running in this thing. Clearly something I need to work more on. Either that, or stick to races where the swim makes up more than 8% of the race.
The guys who run this race are first class. It was a ton of fun. They had things for kids and spectators all day long, bands, food, etc. I’m glad they do 2 races a year in TX. I’ll continue to race in these guys’ races.
So the best part about this race, and really my goal for the year was to get back in shape after a wasted 2006, not get too injured, and finish this race wanting to train some more, which was not the case after the ironman in 2005. I’m still motivated to race. I might slip in one more tri in Sept if I heal correctly over the next week or two, and am eager to tackle some half marathons this winter, and officially crack the 2hr mark there. Hopefully that effort this winter improves my running for next year.
As for NH. It is amazing. I’ve written this entire race report while sitting on the balcony of our condo over looking Paugus Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee. It is probably 68 degrees, and I’m sipping some Wing Walker Pale Ale watching wake boarders go by and water planes take off and land. Beautiful country. I didn’t intend to do this race again. I thought I would experience it, and then try another 70.3 like Lake Stevens or Vineman next year, but I’m having second thoughts. Might make this a ritual. We’ll see what Ingrid thinks when we’re home and the travel inconvenience has slipped away.
Thanks for reading!
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