medium kind of tri guy

Volunteering at Redman

2011-09-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't updated my blog since IM Lou. A few things have happened in the interim, including getting sworn into the Oklahoma Bar.

(Try and find me. Good luck)

I've also had some issues dealing with my left knee. I took three or so weeks off to let it heal. It hasn't really, but I'm working on it. I've also started some strength training. We'll see how that goes.

And, finally, this past Saturday I volunteered at the local Redman triathlon. You may remember that Redman was my first Oklahoma triathlon and first half-iron distance race. Since my season is done, I thought I'd see about volunteering for the race. After signing up and attending Friday's meeting, I was all set to report in at 5:00AM race morning.

(All those bikes set up and ready to rock)

Before the race, I had the chance to walk around and see the different ways people set up their transition areas. I saw a lot of sweet bikes, too. I also saw this:

(Something doesn't seem quite right with this bike)

My job in the beginning was to help with body marking. Pretty uneventful. Soon enough, it was time for the swim.

(Lake Hefner was a little low)

I then helped direct racers to their bikes after the swim. After the mad dash to T1, this is what the transition area looked like:

(deserted transition area while everyone is out riding)

Once the 70.3 racers returned and racked their bikes, we helped direct them out on the run. The masses started to thin out and I walked around for a bit. I saw this guy's bike coated in spilt sports drink:

(Bees like this guy's bike)

Before I left, I helped get the full distance racers ready for the run. Once we knew what numbers were coming in, I'd grab their bag and get their gear ready in the changing tent. It was a lot of fun. I liked being able to help in a concrete and tangible way. Plus, the racers were pretty tired from the bike and were thankful for the chance to sit down and rest.

All in all, it was a good way to spend twelve hours. I met some good people, helped some folks out, and learned a lot from watching. I'm glad I had the chance to help out. I'm pretty sure Redman 70.3 will be an annual "A" race for me.

Ironman Louisville 2011

2011-09-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

This race report has been a long time in the making. Because I don't anticipate attempting another Ironman in the near future, I'm probably going to be long winded in this blog post. I want to capture my thoughts and experiences throughout the last five days. It's been a whirlwind that has taken so long to get here, but has flown by so fast. With that said, here's my race report for Ironman Louisville 2011.

Prerace

Travel
Paula and I left OKC on Thursday night after work, hoping to make Springfield, MO by nightfall. After a brief dinner with friends in Tulsa, we arrived at our hotel for a quick rest. The cool Missouri air was a relief from the oppressive heat we've been experiencing in Oklahoma. We hit the road the Friday morning, knowing we had to get to Louisville before 5:00PM for check-in. We made it.

Check-in
Check-in was quick and easy. After figuring out where the expo hall was, we made our way to the tables. The process itself is quick. Give your name, get a card with your BIB number and head on in. Then you get wristbranded, grab your gear bags, activate your chip, and get on your way. Smartly enough, the line empties out into the Ironman Merchandise Store. We purchased a poster that has every participants' name listed in the shape of the M-Dot. I'll have to take a picture once we frame it. I debated purchasing "finisher" products, but didn't want to jinx myself. I figured I could grab something on Monday in the event I finished the race. (Well, to spoil things a bit, there wasn't much there Monday afternoon after I finished).

After check-in, we headed to the hotel I booked ahead of time in Indiana. Well, upon arrival, we determined we couldn't stay there. The Galt House gave us an extra night at the discounted rate, so we headed back into Louisville to check in. I highly recommend staying in the host hotel for the duration. It takes the hassle out of moving around and keeping your belongings together. I got my bags and bike ready:

We then headed to the dinner where we sat with a couple other thousand people. See, I wasn't the only crazy person doing an Ironman:

Saturday
I woke up around 8AM and headed down to the practice swim in the Ohio River. It was a well-run affair with plenty of support. The water itself was cleaner than the lakes I've been swimming in here in Oklahoma. It was a quick 15 or 20 minute swim. Paula and I cleaned up and went out to drive the bike course. While stopping in La Grange, Paula stumbled upon a Yarn Store:

She was very excited to enjoy the town and the shops while waiting for me to come through town during the race. When we returned to the hotel, Paula had to run a super secret errand, while I headed down to transition to turn my gear in. I met a nice volunteer who had raced Louisville the previous year and he gave me some advice: Enjoy the race. It'll be over before you know it.

After milling about for a bit, Paula and I went to Glassworks with the intention of making some glass art. Unfortunately, the employee didn't seem real interested in helping us while we were making magnets and a pendant. What was supposed to be a fun crafting experience turned into a quick and frustrating activity. The shop will mail our final pieces after they've been fired and processed. So, hopefully we'll have some classy mementos to remember our Louisville trip.

That night, we ate Italian food at Buca di Pepo's. Fairly uneventful meal. It sure is nice to have a reason to eat four plates of spaghetti and a bunch of breadsticks.

We headed back to the hotel and I tried to get some sleep. I think I passed out around 10:30. Four alarms and a wake up call were scheduled to wake me at 4:00AM.

The Race
Wake up call at 4:00AM. Contacts in. Banana, bagel, OJ, and yogurt forced down. Water chugging commenced. Battle uniform on. Final gear check. Wife up and ready to roll. Hoping Irene doesn't destroy South Jersey.

We headed down to transition around 5:15AM. Paula took a quick shot of me on race morning:

The Swim
Ironman Louisville has a unique swim start. While the pros have a mass start at 6:50AM, the commoners line up and start heading into the water at 7:00AM via two docks. Your time starts after you cross the timing mat and shortly before jumping into the river. As a result, you have to line up. And I'm pretty sure I was toward the back of the line. I met a couple veterans who gave me some advice. Again, I was told to take a moment and enjoy the race because its over before you know it.

Once the line makes it to the piers, it gets exciting. Your race is about to begin. Paula grabbed a good shot of me just as I was starting my watch:

Once I jumped in feet first, I notice my goggles had dislodged. I took a moment to adjust:

Then I was on my way. The swim itself was very pleasant. There was minimal contact; probably the least contact you'll get in an Ironman swim (or at least I'm told). I kept my strokes long and smooth. I wasn't trying to go fast. I was trying to conserve. When nature called, I was graced with a sudden sand bar which allowed me to stand for a moment and take care of business. Sorry to those behind me. Face back down in the water, and on to the turn around buoy I went. Once I turned, it was slow and steady again:

I'm pretty sure I swam further than I needed to. The line of buoys marks the path to the swim exit, but I kept drifting left (south). I wasn't immediately concerned because there were others further south. Once I figured out where I needed to go, I took a direct route to the nears buoy and got back on track. It got a little busier with all the other swimmers, but at least I was on track to the swim exit.

Coming out of the water, I looked at my watch for the first time and saw that I was right on schedule. Paula spotted me coming into T1:

Time: 1:16:49
Pace: 1:49/100yds

Swim to Run Transition (T1)
Well, here's where my race went astray. I was planning on taking my sweet time in T1. I grabbed my bike bag from a volunteer and headed into the Men's changing tent. Musty and warm. Super. No worries, though. Found a clear spot and dumped my bag out. Bike shirt, shoes, helmet, food, heart rate monitor: check. Garmin watch? Negative. I left my Garmin in my hotel room charging. I left the one piece of equipment I've used in every training session, every run, and every bike ride. What to do? Well, there wasn't much to do, but accept it and race without it. I put my gear on and headed out. A quick trip to the sunscreen tent and bathroom later, I was ready for the ride:

Time: 8:46

Bike
The bike route has three main sections. First, there's a long flat ride along the river. Then there's an out and back through some hills. Next, the course takes you on a loop (which you do twice) that travels through horse farms and country, as well as the town of La Grange (see above). Finally, you take the flat section back to Transition.

During the flat portion, I conserved as much as I could. I didn't know how hard I was working (no heart rate monitor). At the first aid station, there was a wreck right behind me. A woman went down and took 3-4 people down with her. Scary.

The hills weren't terrible, but they didn't feel great either. Again, it was a matter of getting up them without using too much energy. I think I did a pretty good job of riding them out.

I set my watch to tell me to eat every 30 minutes. Beep: fig newton. Beep: gel. Repeat. Water and Gatoraid throughout.

I was really looking forward to seeing Paula in La Grange. When I got there, there were hundreds of people lining the streets. It was so fun. However, I didn't see Paula. On the second lap through, I caught a glimpse of her and said "Hey!" That was it. Turns out the shuttles to La Grange were overwhelmed and she waited over two hours to board one.

At the special needs bag, I grabbed my spare tube and food. I didn't want to leave it behind. I also waited a few minutes to use the rest room.

Back on the bike I went. The rest of the ride was uneventful. My left knee started to really ache around mile 75 or so. Also, my right toe would alternate between hurting and going numb. By the time I made it back to Transition, I was ready to get off the bike.

Time: 6:17:57
Average: 17.8 mph

Bike to Run Transition (T2)
I walked to my gear bag and the changing tent. I sat down next to a guy who needed medical because he was overheating. I got my act together and changed into my running top. I grabbed some more sunscreen and headed out for the run.
Time: 8:35

Run
The run begins with a trek out of transition. Paula caught me right before heading out onto the course:

We chatted for a bit. At this point, I was feeling great! My legs felt steady and my stomach was solid. I knew it wouldn't last. I thought I'd make it to mile 5 or so before I fell apart.

I headed out onto the bridge and made the turn around. On the way back, there's a really cool view of downtown Louisville. Again, I saw Paula:

Still feeling good and trucking around a 9:30 pace while walking the aid stations. Sure enough, I began to fall apart. However, I was doing well until mile 10 or so. My stomach began to disagree with me and didn't want to take any more Perform or Gels or Bars. On top of that, my left knee really started to hurt. At this point, I started to walk. I didn't have a lot of motivation to run because I knew I'd finish even if I walked the rest of the marathon.

Here's a shot of me walking towards the end of the first loop:

Then I notice there's a camera, so I fake some running for a little bit:

At the end of the first loop, you can see the finish line. It's such a tease. I made the right turn away from the finish, and headed back out for a second loop. There was a lot of walking. I met some people that had just started their first loop and they were concerned about making the time cut offs. I knew I could make it, so I didn't really hustle all that much. I tried running four cones and walking one for a bit. That worked. Then I would run for five minutes and take a break. All the while, I ingested Coke and water. That's about all I could handle.

Towards the end, I bumped into some guy and we started chatting. Turned out we had a lot in common. We used each other for motivation and ran a good portion of the final part of the race. After the last aid station, he met another friend he knew and I decided to take off running. I only had about a mile or so left, so I trucked it in.

The bright lights and sounds of the finish line were awesome. The crowd was cheering a bit louder for me because I was hauling it in. Paula caught a quick shot:

I think I heard my name. I think I was told I was an Ironman. That was really cool. I sort of wished I took my time finishing so I could remember it a little more:

Run time: 5:14:57
Run speed: 12:01min/mi (eek!)

Final time: 13:07:04.

Once I finished, a volunteer congratulated me and gave me my medal. Awesome. He then grabbed me by the arm and wouldn't let go. He kept asking if I needed medical attention. No, sir, I'm OK. Can I go hug my wife? Thanks.

Here I am after it was all done:

Here we are eating a well deserved meal:

Paula surprised me with some local cupcakes (the super secret errand from Saturday) and my birthday present she's been (and continues) working on: A scrapbook of all my triathlons since I started way back in 2006. So cool. I will share it on this blog once its ready. Such an awesome and crafty wife:

Overall, I'm really happy and pleased with the Ironman experience. My training allowed me to complete the race in relative comfort. Apart from some knee pain and a briefly upset stomach, I made it through great. I raced "blind" (without my Garmin watch and HR monitor). I didn't hit my time goal, but I'm not so worried about that. It looks like my result is right on average with the mean time of all IM Louisville finishers. So, I truly lived up to my "Medium Guy" name. Average in all respects.

I have so much more to say about the race, but this entry has gotten out of control. Thanks for reading, and please leave me a comment if you have a chance.

Its hard to believe this Ironman journey is at an end. I have no plans to complete a 140.6 triathlon in the near future. I'm ready for the next challenge, endurance related or otherwise.

Thanks again for reading.

Tune up ride

2011-08-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

I squeezed one in before the massive pack for the trip out to Kentucky. Easy hour or so out on the lake.

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

2011-08-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend will be the pinnacle of my triathlon journey thus far. On Sunday, I will attempt to complete Ironman Louisville. I thought, in the free time my taper has thrust upon me, to document my journey to this Sunday's race. For me, completing triathlons is not about the actual race. Rather, the race is a means to an end. Having a race is motivation to get out there and train. It encourages me to eat healthier and get more sleep. The race itself is a celebration and enjoyment of the hours and miles put in during the previous months. Therefore, I thought I would document the past few months of training and see what I've accomplished. Whether or not I finish (in 12:00 hours? fingers crossed!) IM Louisville, I've already achieved my goal.

So, one way of looking at my progress is to look at the actual training numbers. I signed up for IM Louisville on 10/31/2010. Since then, I've:

Run 1,127 miles in 161 hours and 48 minutes (7 mph)
Biked 1,963 miles in 143 hours and 19 minutes (14 mph) [This includes my bike commuting]
Swam 92 miles in 52 hours (1.8 mph).

At least, that what I recorded in my Garmin account. I'm sure I've missed workouts.

Another way of looking at my training, is to document the various events I've completed in training. So, I:

Ran the Cowtown Marathon
Ran the Oklahoma City Marathon
Completed a few Splash and Dashes with TriOKC
Biked the Tour de Meers
Biked the Tour de Pain
Biked the Norman Conquest
Biked the Spin Your Wheels Ride
Raced the Route 66 Olympic Triathlon
Raced Buffalo Springs 70.3
Raced Arcadia Sprint Triathlon

But wait, there's more! What do you do when you train all alone with no one to talk to? You listen to Podcasts and free Audio books from the library. So, in the past few months, I've listened to:
Many many episodes of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, Zen and the Art of Triathlon, This American Life, Left Right and Center, and Car Talk. I also discovered Filmspotting. As for books, I listened to: Moby Dick, Thunderball, Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, a few Sherlock Holmes books, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Great Gatsby. I also maxed out my free Pandora subscription listening to the Tool station.

Oh yeah, I also took the Oklahoma Bar Exam in July, but that doesn't really fit into things.

Well, if you've made it thus far, I think you have the stamina necessary to complete an Ironman yourself. I suppose the point of this post is to confirm that my personal triathlon experience is much more about the journey itself, and not the destination. I'll try to remember that 10 hours into Ironman Louisville.

Arcadia Triathlon RR

2011-08-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

I've been fairly busy trying to squeeze in as much time on the bike, in the pool, and on my running shoes as I can before taper time.

I went on a long ride out to Jones with the good people of BikeHers. Paula's spin instructor led the ride and I was able to meet a couple of good people with a lot of biking experience. I also met a fellow triathlete who has participated in many, many Ironmans.

This past Saturday, I rode in the Spin Your Wheels 62 mile ride. I rode 10 or so miles to the start, and another 12 or so back. In all, I got in about 90 miles. I highly recommend the ride. Well staffed and supported.

Quick aside, though. Do groups of triathletes draft each other when out on training rides? Unless they're training for the Tour's Team Time Trial, I don't really get it. Train as you race, and drafting is a no go. I ask because on each of these rides I've done, I've seen pacelines full of TT bikes. Seems dangerous. /rant

Yesterday, I raced the Arcadia Triathlon put on by TriOKC. I signed up on a whim, thinking an extra open water swim would do me good. Paula was also able to join me, which made it all the more fun. Here's a quick race report:

I warmed up by swimming the course twice, putting in 1000 meters before the race. Since today was a training day, I wanted to get my money's worth out of a supervised lake swim. After setting up my bike, I headed down to the water.

Swim
The swim was a clockwise triangle that started on the east side of the beach. The swim was pretty uneventful. There was a little bumping and grabbing, but nothing substantial. I exited the water feeling pretty good.

(Very quick video of exiting the water)

Bike
I took my sweet time in transition. Again, not racing but getting everything together. Once on the bike, I decided to see what was left in my legs after yesterday's 90 miler. I was a little sluggish up some of the hills, but felt solid overall. My Garmin wouldn't turn on and I took that as an excuse not to pay attention to my heart rate. I'm sure it was through the roof.

Just after the turn around, another racer and I would exchange places. I was faster on the flats and descents, and he was quicker going up hill. After cresting a modest hill, something happened to his bike and he pulled off the road. I slowed and asked if he needed help. After stopping and seeing what was going on, I handed him my bike tool. I wished him luck and said he could return the tool after the race. Back on the bike I went and pedaled into T2. I figure I lost about 45 sec to a minute helping him out. But again, this was a training day. Right?

Run
I managed to catch 4 or 5 racers that passed me when I pulled over. Heading onto the run, I was right behind another guy in my age group. I figured this 5K was going to be a battle royale, but he wasn't up to the challenge. I settled into a 6:45/6:50 pace or so and just kept grinding. I picked off a few people, and kept it steady into the finish. Before I knew it, the race was over and I was eating Oreos and sipping on Gatorade.

Post-Race
I checked the tenative results, and I placed 3rd in my age group. Sweet. Check out the prize. I love practical awards:

(I've always wanted a pull buoy. Honestly.)

Paula and I ate some breakfast at Pops and then continued on with our day. All in all, it was a good race and experience. Would race again!! A++

So, with less than two weeks until IM Louisville, the taper has begun. But not before I completed 4250 yards (2.4 miles) at the YMCA tonight. Slow and steady and finished in 1:16:18.

Now, time for all the chores around the house I've been putting off during training.

First hill climbed - second fast approaching

2011-07-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday and Wednesday, I took the bar exam in Oklahoma City. See:

(no rules were broken in the taking of this picture)

Here's a quick video I made on the run the day before the bar exam:

Needless to say, my workouts suffered from the studying. In the grand scheme of things, I really needed to put my best effort into the bar exam. Passing it allows me to take a job that I really want. Failing it means Paula and I have to scramble. I can afford to DNF IM Louisville. I don't want to, but given the choice, a DNF is preferrable. As a result, I missed a buch of workouts. I was able to swim here and there. I even participated in the Norman Conquest in Clevland County, OK. I also ran some, but with the heat and my studying schedule, I need more miles under my shoes.

I'll find out my bar exam result in September. Fingers are crossed.

In other, but sad news, I had to retire my favorite water bottle:

This was my first water bottle I purchased when I started riding in 2004. I used it on nearly all my rides and many races. Well, during the Norman Conquest, I was coming down a hill going about 35-40mph. The road was a tad bumpy and the bottle ejected itself. I immediately stopped pedaling, and waited to see where it fell on the road. Weird thing was, it hadn't hit the road. It was balanced between my chainstay and my left pedal. At this point, I was going around 25-30mph with a line of dudes on my back wheel. Gracefully, I pulled out of the line, trying to keep the bottle where it was, when all of a sudden it fell into my rear wheel's spoke and locked the wheel up. The water exploded and I was able to come to a complete stop. Luckily, no spokes were broken. Unfortunately, there was a small hole in the base of the bottle. Bummer. That bottle has been with me since the beginning of my multi-spot journey. Next time I'm in New Mexico, I'll have to pick one up.

So, back to the training without my favorite bottle. I'll survive. I'm pretty sure I have accumulated 15-20 other bottles in the interim.

As for the training, I went on a 5 hr ride with a quick brick run yesterday. Here's an unlucky fellow I met on the way back:

(Bummer. Looks like he just had a meal.)

Today, we're in Dallas and I squeezed in a two hour run. So hot. I'm going to try and squeeze a swim in tomorrow and maybe another spin on the bike or a run. Can you tell that I'm struggling to get in as much training as I can? IM LOUISVILLE IS LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY!!!!!

Norman Conquest

2011-07-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. I'm knee deep in bar studying notecards and MBE practice questions. Workouts are suffering, as expected. I was able to squeak a long run in this morning.

And yesterday, I completed the Norman Conquest. I felt a lot stronger this year over last. I pushed the pace a little more than I will in Louisville, but I didn't have time yesterday to go for a 5-6 hour ride like the training plan called for.

I've got my work cut out for me in terms of bar studying for the next few days. I'll see you on the other side.

Tour de Payne

2011-07-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

I completed my first century today. I then I rode 4 more miles. This morning was the Tour de Payne. Here's my Garmin data:
Moving time: 5:43; Avg speed: 18.1 mph

It was a good ride. There were a bunch of rolling hills and it got fairly hot toward the end. There were well-stocked aid stations. As for the ride itself, it was crowded until the 60 and 100 milers split off. Afterwards, it was fairly lonely out there. One thing I learned - roadies don't like getting passed by solo triathletes. Nearly every group I passed decided to crank it up a bit and repass me a little later. That's fine and all, but it got annoying when those groups would then slow down in front of me. No big deal though, everyone was friendly.

I was planning on going for a quick jog after the ride, but I was feeling pressed for time (and my legs wanted the afternoon off).

So, century completed. Now, more bar studying and triathlon training. But first, being the Fourth and all, it's time to drink beer and blow up cheap Chinese gunpowder.

Twas the night before . . .

2011-07-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

the Tour de Payne. I'm going to do the 104 ride tomorrow. It'll probably be hot. The most I've ever ridden is 70 or so miles. So, first century!!!

I might even try to follow up with a quick run to see how bad my legs will feel on race day. Then it's beer time in celebration of our country.

70.3 Race Report

2011-06-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

This blog entry is going to be a good ol' fashioned race report. Nothing fancy.

Last weekend was the Half-Ironman in Lubbock, TX. I picked this race as my tune-up for Ironman Louisville because it was relatively close, it hit the calendar at about the right time, the conditions are similar to IM Louisville, and I am familiar with the lake. I raced the course in 2009 as part of the University of New Mexico Triathlon team at College Nationals.

The race was on a Sunday, so I headed down Saturday morning. I planned on camping to save some money and hassle in the morning. Paula stayed in OKC and enjoyed her weekend to herself. The drive was uneventful, and I ate some really bad for you road food on the way.

After paying my camping fee and setting up my tent, I headed to the expo. It was fairly understated and smaller than I though an M-Dot event would be. Back to the campsite to get my gear ready for the next day. After some bar exam studying, I decided to go to bed around 10PM. Little did I know there'd be a few loud and late parties out on the lake. It was hard to get to sleep, and before I knew it, it was time to get up. A quick meal of oatmeal (during which I had to fend off four raccoons) and some tea got me ready for the morning. I loaded my gear up, and rode my bike off to the start.

Setting up transition was uneventful, except for some fire ants that disrupted some racers a few rows over. I hit the bathroom, sipped my gatorade and downed a gel 20 or so minutes out. I threw the wetsuit on and headed down to the beach.

Here's where things get a little confusing. I was given a green swim cap for the 25-29 age group. My time was registered in the 30-34 age group. If you look at the results, my swim time is off by a few minutes. Turns out the 30-34 age group left a few minutes before the wave I was in. So, that accounts for the discrepancy. Not a huge deal, but the posted time is off a little.

As for the swim itself, it got off to a weird start. The gun went off before I was ready, so I started near the back. I threw my goggles on and tried to start swimming. It was a little rough out there. Unfortunately, my googles were totally fogged up and I couldn't site at all. A few times, I stopped to tread water and wipe away the fog. It was temporary. So, instead of sighting, I just swam where everyone else was going. I also took a good shot to the face at one point. To top it all off, I dropped my goggles in the water just before hitting T1. Not a good swim at all. Poor sighting and tentative swimming with all the bumping out there resulted in a time of 35:30.

T1: I thought I went real slow, and I did. Jogged up the carpet, grabbed my gear, and walked my bike out.

Bike: The plan was to go real steady with low to moderate effort. I ended up going too hard at Redman and suffering for it on the run. So, I tried to keep my heart rate about 140 and just relax. I also had a new aero bottle that helped out. The plan was to take a hit off my GU flask every 30 minutes, electrolyte pills every hour, and Gatorade/Poweraid throughout. I stuck to that and felt good.

The beginning of the ride involves two pretty sharp hills getting out of the lake onto the county roads. After exiting the park, you head north for a mile or so, and then east. We had a wind from the Southeast, so you could really haul if you wanted to. Plenty did. I did not. We turned south and hit a sizable hill. Again, I just spun up the incline. I was surprised at the people I was going by, but knew they'd catch me on the flats. Around mile 30 or so, my back started to ache a bit, but that was really all the discomfort I had. I stayed aero for nearly all of the ride.

The highlight of the ride (apart from hitting nearly 50mph on a downhill) was seeing the pros absolutely flying on the course. Those guys (and girls) can ride hard.

The very end of the ride involves the earlier hills in reverse, including a final quad burner just before you get back to transition. I came in feeling pretty good.

Time: 3:00:52 - Slower than Redman for sure, but wind, hills, and patience accounted for the slower time.

T2: Don't really remember much about it. I didn't have to change socks. Grabbed my nutrition. As I was heading out, I still had my GU flask. I put it down near a fence, hoping to remember where I put it on the way back.

Run: The plan was to run as long as I could and improve on my Redman time. I started with a few fairly quick miles which slowed accordingly. There were two long hills in the early going. I kept moving up them. Once out of the park, we ran on a long, straight road to the turn around. It was agonizing. I kept thinking I'd soon see the turn around, but it took forever. Once I turned, I thought about pushing the pace, but today was a training day. I kept my HR right where I wanted it, around 160/165. Back into the park, I started thinking about walking. Mistake. I started to walk. Whoops. Eventually, I got back into it with the encouragement of another racer. We pushed ourselves to the finish.

One quick note: the aid stations were awesome. Ice, ice water, coke, ice towels, and more. Also, along the way, houses turned their sprinklers on for us. It was so nice.

Time: 2:05:13 (not great, but an improvement).

Total race time: 5:48 and change.

I cooled down with two cans of Coke and a dip in the lake. Many people got an IV, which struck me as peculiar. Did that many people actually need and IV, or is that just what triathletes do when they finish a long hot race? Not this guy - unless a medical professional tells me to do so.

Afterwards, I mulled around for a bit. I couldn't find my gel flask. I gathered my stuff, and rode over to my campsite. I had already packed up, so I threw on some clean clothes hopped on the road back to OKC. A couple tanks of gas and a Braum's trip later, I had returned to OKC.

Reflections on the race:
Overall, I thought the race went well. I wasn't trying to go hard. The purpose was to see what IM Louisville might feel like. I think I got my pacing and nutrition down. I gained some confidence for the race. I also had a modest PR of 5 minutes over my Redman time on a tougher, hotter, windier course.

Maybe I'll try to put in a proper showing next year.

A brief return to the Land of Enchantment

2011-06-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

Paula and I visited New Mexico to see my mother for her birthday. It was a quick trip, but we managed to squeeze in a few of our old habits. Friday morning, I was able to hop on the bike and ride the Jemez Dam route. I wanted to ride some hills and get some miles in.

Here's a quick video I shot:

Then, I drove on down to ABQ proper and met up with Dave for a morning run. We had a good few miles in the gloriously beautiful Sandia foothills. Too bad I didn't bring my phone to take some pictures. And in proper New Mexican form, we followed up with a Golden Pride breakfast burrito. So good.

It was good to see my mother, sister, her husband, and my cousin and her fiance. We had a real good dinner in Santa Fe and spent some quality time together. Its rare for multiple members of our family to congregate, given our various geographic locations.

I managed to hop on the bike for one more ride up to the Jemez Dam and a short run before jumping in the car for the 8 or so hour drive back to Oklahoma.

Back to the relative grind. Next week is Ironman 70.3 Buffalo Springs Lake. I'm hoping for a solid, injury-free finish.

El Reno Races

2011-06-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

In the past week, I raced in El Reno twice.

Last Tuesday, I competed in a "Splash and Dash," which as the name implies, involves a quick open water swim and a run. It was a 470-480 meter swim (a little short of 500m) and a 2 mile run. I did reasonably well. I finished 4th overall out of 55 people and I had the second fastest run. My transition time killed me. Wetsuit, socks, and tying shoes - it takes a while.

I also ran a 21:04 practice 5K after a day filled with bike commuting and a swim workout on Wednesday. I plan on doing this each Wednesday night. Sub 20 minutes, here I come.

On to today (Sunday). I raced the Route 66 Olympic Triathlon in, again, El Reno. Paula was unable to make it, and I still don't know anybody here, so I was all by my lonesome.

Pre-race
The venue is about 40 minutes away, so I left around 5:30 or so with breakfast in my belly and coffee in my cup. I arrived around 6:10 or so, parked and made my way to transition. After I pumped my tires, I noticed that my front carbon HED wheel was losing air. So, just before transition closed, I grabbed my spare practice wheel and threw it on. I'm anxious to see my pics on the course because my TT bike will look a little silly with mismatched wheels. After a mandatory meeting and potty stop, I waded into the water ready to start the race.

Swim
The swim was a two lap 750 meter swim with a triangle buoy set-up. I started on the left and was right up at the front of the crowd. The gun went off and we started. There wasn't too much bumping and thrashing. I had some difficulty sighting, but generally it went well. I kept my pace even and steady, breathing on every stroke. I felt good.

I finished the first lap in around 13:30 or so. I jogged it around and got right back in the water. This time I could hug the buoys and draft off some faster people that sighted better than me. Nothing much happened on this loop. Again, I took it easy.

The water was pleasantly warm and clean tasting (you can't help but inhale / swallow some during a swim). It was very cloudy and I couldn't see past my elbows when I was swimming.

I finished in 26:08 (1:35/100 yds) (fastest yet!)

T1
I rinsed my feet in the kiddy pool and then was stripped by a couple of ladies. Threw my gear on and off I went. I took my time in transition, electing to run in my cycling shoes and clip in after the mount line.
Time: 1:26

Bike
The course involved two loops about 12.5 miles each. It was the flattest course non-sprint course I've done. During the first loop, I hammered a little too much and had my heart rate up pretty high. I traded places with a few dudes. I don't really have much to report on this ride. It was a nice course with some scenic farm views; and some pungent manure smells.

Towards the end of my second loop, I started passing some people on their first loop. I passed this one lady that yelled at me for not announcing I was approaching on her left. That was odd. I passed (and was passed) by a bunch of people and not one of us announced it. This wasn't the trails at Hefner Lake. This was a race. Expect to get passed.

Bike portion finished in 1:10:15 (21.35mph)

T2
I changed socks, couldn't find my rack, and took my sweet time.
Time: 1:25

Run
It had started getting a little windy at this point. So, running south on the two 3.1mi looped course was a little tougher. I wanted to average about 7:00 min/mi and see what I had at the end. Secretly I knew that if I ran a 50 min 10k, I was on my way to a PR. So, I didn't have a real sense of urgency out there.

I slipped into cruise control after the first 6:45 mile. I was clicking them off around 7:15/7:30. It felt good. After the first loop, I was going to pick it up a bit, but I never really did. Maybe I didn't have anything in the tank. I dunno. Still, I felt solid, if not a little fatigued. I didn't kick or sprint at the end. I kept it smooth and eased on to the finish line.
10k time: 44:41 (7:11min/mi) not too shabby.

Total time: 2:23:54
23rd out of 135 males (there were some seriously fast dudes out there).

Post race
Grabbed some water, hot dogs, brownie and sun chips. Then waited for about an hour and a half for the awards. I placed "First" in my age group because (1) the first place 30-34 year old placed first overall; and (2) there aren't a lot of fast 30-34 year olds. The award was a really cool license plate with the race logo and events on it. Too bad I had already gotten one at the earlier Splash and Dash. Oh well. Its nice. But what do I do with two?

Post race thoughts
This was my fourth olympic distance race (College Nationals; Elephant Man; Grady Williams). Because each course is different, its difficult to compare times. Still, this was the fastest race I've had by far. My training is paying off. I feel smoother and faster in the water. The bike is better, but not where it needs to be yet. As for the run, I'm maintaining what I have. There is no way I'll be able to maintain these speeds for longer races.

The race itself was planned and executed very well. The weather was nearly perfect and the organizers had everything in order. Apart from waiting a little too long for awards, it was a real fun race. It doesn't hurt that its so close to Oklahoma City, too.

Next up - Buffalo Springs 70.3

Bottom of the Hill

2011-05-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

Do you know that feeling when you see a long, steep hill approaching on a bike ride? Usually, you're coming down a little downhill awaiting the incline of the rise to take your speed away. Soon, you're going to have to start pedaling. Worse still, you'll have to downshift and put a little extra effort in to get over that hill.

Well, I'm just about at the bottom of the hill. You see, I'm about to begin studying for the bar exam while continuing my Ironman Louisville training. And, I'm working a 40 hour a week job. Doubtlessly, the next 8 weeks until the bar exam is going to require downshifting, getting out of the saddle, and cranking up the effort.

I think I'll be OK. My job has allowed me to put in 4 ten hour days, thus freeing up one day. I've also put together a schedule that should allow me to manage my time. I've gotten pretty good at getting early morning workouts in. Plus, I've got the NM bar experience under my belt, so I know exactly how ugly the test will be.

I should be up the hill in no time.

Speaking of hills, Paula and I climbed our fair share of climbing this past weekend during the Tour de Meers.

Paula completed the 22 mile route, while I did the metric century. It was hot and a little windy.

(Wind farm in the distance)

The route was a scenic tour through the Witchita Mountains in Oklahoma. The organizers did a good job ferrying us over cattle guards and supplying watered down gatorade. I would have finished strong except for my miscalculation. I thought the ride was 62 miles, but it was 68. So, pushing it hard around miles 58/59 was not a good idea. Still, I know I need more time on the bike.

Here's a quick (and windy) video after the finish.

Up next: A Splash and Dash at Lake El Reno, the Route 66 Olympic Triathlon, and Buffalo Springs 70.3. Oh yeah, and a whole lot of studying.

Out on Lake Thunderbird

2011-05-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

Quick update while on the bike.

2011 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Race Report (Cold and Wet)

2011-05-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I ran the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon with my friend Dave. You may remember Dave from a past Xterra race. This was his first marathon. I was coming off the Cowtown Marathon and was also suffering some knee pain, so this race was going to be a challenge for both of us. Little did we know, the weather decided to make it even harder.

Backing up a bit, our weekend started Friday night when Dave and Ayesha came into town. We grabbed a meal at a local pizza place. It was good to catch up and hang with friends. The next day we picked up our packets and drove the course. Dave and I relaxed watching hockey and English soccer while Ayesha and Paula did some errands. That night we had a nice pasta dinner and got our gear ready for the next day.

Sunday: Up at 4:15 or so, I downed some coffee and ate some peanut butter toast, yogurt, and a banana. We left around 5:30 and were a little concerned about the cool temperature. It was about 40 degrees or so, and raining. On the way downtown, we saw some lightening. Uh-oh. Getting a little worried. We learned the organizers delayed the start, so we were able to take our time parking and warming up in my office before we trekked down to the start. Here's us just before the race:

Getting into the corrals was a big time hassle. There were hundreds of people trying to enter through a very small opening. It probably wasn't where we were supposed to enter from, but I didn't see any other option. We finally got in, and started our march to the start line.

The first few miles were uneventful. There was a wind from the Northeast that cut through my jacket pretty good. It was cold. But, I was going to warm up, right?

I guess I drank too much water, because I had to use the bathroom from the start. The crowd was pretty full still, so I didn't know how I could hit up a porto-potty, and still find Dave afterwards. Soon, I had no choice. I stopped at a bathroom and did my business. I then proceeded to hold a 6:10 min/mi pace to catch up with my friend. Sure it was a neat feeling to fly by some people, but it hurt a little. Around mile 7, I had to go again. This time I took it easy catching back up to Dave.

As with any marathon, the first part of the race felt easy. We chatted some, drifted apart at times, and generally took it easy. It was raining a little and my hands were cold, but things felt good.

Around mile 9 or 10, I began to ache. Dave was running strong, and I was concerned I wouldn't be able to hang with him if he kept it up. The rain stopped for a bit once we hit the lake. But once we hit mile 17 or so, it came back with a vengeance. Big fat drops of water with sporadic rumblings of thunder. If there's one thing I'm scared of, its lightening. I want none of it.

My watch shut off around mile 20 (totally my fault - charging issue).

Around mile 21 or 22, Dave started cramping up. We stopped here and there and he stretched. Running down Classen was long and slow. We made the turn into a residential neighborhood, joining with others who, like us, were digging deep to reach the finish. Eventually, we made it to the final stretch on Broadway. About here, I lost feeling in one of my fingers. So cold. We finished up, stopping the clock at 4:20:15.

Both of us were cold. We huddled in the medical tent for warmth, until we were kicked out:

After the race, I met up with Paula at a local church. She, with me, went back to the finish to find her friends and so I could grab my finishing shirt (and a free Carl's Jr. burger!). I went back to the church to warm up. I was sopping wet and cold. The church took pity on me and gave me some dry socks and coffee to warm up with. Eventually, Paula, Dave, and Ayesha joined me:

Afterwards, we enjoyed some steaks. Mmm, cow.

All in all, it was a fun race and a good time with friends. The weather sucked, no doubt - but at least it wasn't real hot and humid. I finished feeling strong. I'm feeling good today (Tuesday) so I think I'm recovering well. I went for a modest swim today and I'm planning on an easy run tomorrow. Because I ran at a slightly slower pace, I'm feeling better a few days out.

Now, only a few more months until I have to do a marathon after warming up with a 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike. No problem.

Pre race thoughts - OKC Marathon

2011-04-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update during my lunch run.

Update

2011-04-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

Lake Hefner near sunset on a run (low water!)

After a visit to the doctor, I'm back on track. Turns out I've got some ITB issues in my left knee. A little stretching and I should be good to go. However, its a really hard part of your body to stretch.

I completed a 20 miler last week with relative ease, so I signed up for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. I'm running it with a good friend from ABQ. I'm pumped! Still, this is the "least" prepared I think I've been for a marathon.

Also, my training plan has now entered the "build" stage. I've got an extra swim workout and a few more bricks throughout the week. It seems manageable so far.

One more thing, I'm considering this for my next goal after IM Louisville. Whatdya think?

Setback

2011-04-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

I had a few solid weeks of training and I was settling in to the routine nicely. Then, I suffered a set back. I've got pain in my left knee when I run. I noticed that my knee felt a little different for the last few weeks, but it wasn't troubling at first. Then on Wednesday, during my run commute in, I felt some more intense pain. Since then, I can feel some swelling (I think) even when I'm stationary. I feel it when I bike, too. Not good.

The bad news: I doubt I'll be able to run the Oklahoma City Marathon with my friend from ABQ on May 1. But who knows?

The good news: I have an appointment on Friday with an orthopedic doctor that has a very good reputation in the runner / triathlete community. So, hopefully I'll be in good shape.

Until then, more swimming, lifting, and (eek!) elliptical. I need to do this right so I'll be in good shape for Louisville.

Training days

2011-03-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have marked a transition into full on Ironman training. After the Cowtown Marathon, I've eased back into the first phase of my plan. So far, so good. Here's my standard week for the next few weeks:
Monday
Recovery day, maybe some yoga

Tuesday
Bike Commute, AM Swim, Lunch Weight Training, PM Run

Wednesday
Bike Commute / Brick Run

Thursday
AM Swim; PM Bike Ride

Friday
AM Run; Lunch Weight Training

Saturday
AM Bike Ride, PM Run

Sunday
AM Long Run

I'm planning on running the Oklahoma City Marathon on May 1, so I'll need to amp the running up a bit. The hardest part of the training right now is to go slow. Apparently, IM training is all about building slow, long endurance. After all, I'll be "racing" for at least 10 hours. So, keeping my heart rate low means swallowing my pride when it comes to the paces/speeds I'm running.

Also, I had a freak injury over the weekend. Paula and I traveled to Tulsa to see Boston University ~~beat~~ lose to Kansas. On the way, I noticed a discomfort in my upper back. Many hours later, I learned it was a strained rhomboid muscle. It hurt like the dickens. I'm just now feeling normal. I hope tomorrow's swim goes well.

Ouachita Backpacking Trip

2011-03-09T18:50:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, I had the chance to go backpacking with my brother-in-law Jim. Paula was away on a knitting adventure, thus freeing my weekend. We decided to head to the Ouachita Forest and hike the Horsethief Springs Trail to Ceder Lake. I packed up the Deuter, put the dog in the car, and met Jim at the Talihina State Park.

Our trip started on a cold and windy Saturday afternoon. As we drove to the trailhead, we saw frost on the windblown trees. What were we getting ourselves into?

We headed out on the trail around noon. It was well-marked to start, with white and yellow blazes indicating where to go. We slipped into conversation and hiked along, staying warm. Soon enough, we had to make a choice. One yellow trail headed down a hill, and another yellow and white trail continued on. We went down the yellow to start and quickly had to make a decision once it hit a road.

We hiked back up the hill and hopped back on the white and yellow trail. Again, in the midst of conversation, we hiked along. After an hour or so of uneventful hiking (with me in the lead of course), we hit private property. The trail dead-ended. We missed a turn.

This is where my Garmin kicked out. Here's the link to the hike thus far.

Turning back, we picked up where the yellow trail made a turn we missed. It was getting a little late and our 6 or so mile planned hike was getting longer and longer. We kept on trucking. We took a break and Jim's phone indicated he had service. I took my (new) IPhone out and sure enough, I had service too. Jim started researching the trail system and I booted up a Google map with our current location. We were seriously off course. Jim learned that the yellow markings were various equestrian trails. We were supposed to follow the white. D'oh! After some more research, we made a plan to get to Cedar Lake before nightfall. A little bushwhacking and road hiking, and we were on our way.

We made it to camp a little before sunset. After gathering firewood, setting up our tents, and building a fire, we were eating grilled cheese sandwiches and smores. Luxurious. The lake (the next day):

The night was cold. So was the morning. Soon enough, we were on our way back on the trail. But this time we were armed with knowledge of the white markings. We decided to take the "scenic" portion of the trail, which divided at this sign:

However, it was really hard to follow. Leaves covered the ground and the white markings were becoming fewer and fewer. At one point, we made it to a ridge but couldn't find any white markings. Crap. We went back to the split off for the scenic trail and went back the non-scenic route. A few more hard miles later, and we were back to the car.

(tired dog)

All in all, the trip was real good. I got to spend time with Jim and I was able to get out of the concrete and into the woods. The trip was a good way to transition back into my training plan. I have five months to get ready.

Cowtown Marathon 2011

2011-02-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

So I ran a 3:46, which is a PR (personal record). I should be happy, right? I'd be happier if I didn't fall apart for the last five miles. Still, its progress, and that's good. Here's my race report:

Paula and I drove into Dallas on Friday night to stay with her parents. We spent Saturday picking up our packets, making our respective marathon mixes, and drinking plenty of water. A pleasant pasta dinner with the family and a last minute check and we were ready for the morning.

I woke up at 4, ate some peanut butter toast, yogurt, a banana and some OJ. We hit the bathroom and left at about 5:40. Arriving around 6:10, we found an easy parking spot and walked to the starting line.

Paula and I recorded our thoughts on the race about 15 minutes from the start. Here's mine:

As for the race itself . . . we started about 10 minutes late. The weather was pleasant. Overcast, humid and warm with a southerly wind. The start was unsurprisingly crowded. Initially, my plan was to hang with the 3:30 pacer. I never saw him. I did see the 3:35 pacer, who was rocking a 7:40-7:50min/mi pace (entirely too fast). I was so focused on running at an 8 minute pace and staying with the pacer, that my heart rate got out of control. I didn't understand why it was so high.

For the first few miles, I felt good. I plugged in the latest podcast from Zen and the Art of Triathlon and just enjoyed the sights. We made it out to the Stockyards, where I saw Paula's parents. I gave them a drive-by hug and kept moving on. Again, I was feeling good, albeit with a high heart rate. At mile 9 there was a long uphill, but nothing unmanageable. I don't really remember much for the next few miles. Once the half-marathoners split off, there was quite a lot of space to run in. I settled in, passed the 3:35 pacer and felt good. I clicked off a bunch of 8:00-8:10 miles. I felt some soreness in my knees and hamstrings, but that's marathon running right?

Come mile 18-19, I just wanted to make it to mile 20. I made it, but not much further. My pace dropped off sharply. I couldn't power my legs how I wanted to. I'm pretty sure I walked a few aid stations and some sections before mile 24. My mantra was just to keep my legs moving and make it to the next mile marker. At mile 24, I was walking a bit more. I couldn't get motivated to push it for the last two miles, mile, or .2 miles. Oh well, I figured. The 3:35 pacer long left me. I saw the 3:40 pacer drift by. At the finish, I followed the 3:45 pacer in. After the race, I met up with the family. It was great to have them out there in support. Paula did great, improving her half-marathon time by 20 minutes! Awesome! We went out and ate some food, cleaned up, and hopped in the car for the 3.5hr drive home.

Overall, not a terrible showing, but I wanted to hit 3:40 at least. I need to learn how to keep it together over the last few miles. I figure it means paying closer attention to my heart rate and upping mileage during training, which shouldn't be a problem for next year. Here is a video I shot with some other thoughts on the race:

Up next, the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on May 1, 2011.

Until then, I'll savor the Cowtown experience.

Cowtown Marathon is a go

2011-02-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

Paula and I are set to travel to Ft. Worth this weekend and run the Cowtown Marathon and Half-Marathon. It'll be my third marathon, and I'm hoping my training will carry me to a substantial personal record. All I have to do is run 8min/mi and not quit when it gets tough. Easy, right?!

Here's a video from my last training run:

(Sorry for the wind noise)

In case you want to track us, here's a link to do so:

http://www.mychiptime.com/searchevent.php?id=5368

Here's hoping for a postitive race report as the next post . . .

Getting a little worried

2011-02-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

The winter weather in Oklahoma City is getting me a little worried about my marathon training. This week was supposed to be my biggest week of training for the Cowtown Marathon at the end of February. I haven't been able to run outside because of the roads, and the Y was closed two days of this week (and had restricted hours on other days). Weathermen are calling for more snow and cold temps next week. I hopped on the bike trainer a few times during the week, but I'm not sure its enough. Today I'm going to put in around 15 miles on the treadmill in the AM and some time on the trainer in the P.M. I'll put some more miles in tomorrow, and possibly Monday.

I'm worried because this week has reminded of my first ever long training run. It was back in February of 2005 in preparation for my first marathon - L.A. I lived at a BIA school and had a co-worker drop me off 20 miles from the school. As I started running back, a snowstorm moved in. I became so cold and wet that I stopped at the laundrymat six miles from the school to warm my hands up. A Navajo woman took pity on me and offered me a ride back. As a result, I didn't get my necessary training run in. My L.A. time suffered.

I'm a much different runner than I was in 2005. But the worry remains - if I don't get these runs in, how will I do on raceday? How much of it is mental, and how much is physiological? I suppose all I can do is run as much as I can until its time to taper. The problem is that I really don't like the treadmill, or the basic cable programs that accompany it.

Snow Storm

2011-02-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

We got a snow storm last night. No work for two days. And since I'm soft, no running or biking in 10 degree weather with 15-20 mph winds.

My Dog needed a walk.

Dreadmill runs

2011-01-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

I've been running on the treadmill a lot recently. There are things I like and things I don't. I like that I was able to run 20 miles today w/o going outside in the cold. (10 before work and 10 afterwards) If I could take my dog with me, I would.

Quick update - I had 10 or so miles scheduled for Saturday, and decided to tag along with Paula to the OKC Roadrunners first training session. They had 6 miles planned, so I ran there to pick up the extra few needed in my workout. Well, I made it there on 7:20s, which is a tad fast. And wouldn't you know it, I decided to "race" the six practice miles. I have this nasty habit of pushing real hard when there are other people around. I started at the planned 8min/mi pace, but ended up dropping it to 6:20 or so for the final 3.

I was supposed to run my 20 on Sunday, but my legs were fried. So, on the treadmill I went this morning and evening.

Lesson learned: If I'm going to make it through my workouts, I need to stay at my own pace and swallow my pride.

Bike Trainer

2010-12-30T22:08:00.000-08:00

I set up a little space to rock the trainer during the winter. I'm going to need some workouts to quell the boredom.

Oh yeah - that's totally my Torts case book under my front wheel.

Week 5 and an Idiot Mistake

2010-12-12T15:44:00.000-08:00

Training this week got a little tougher with the addition of another commitment - indoor soccer. I agreed to play on a team at work before the schedule was finalized. I figured we'd play at night. Well, we sort of play at night. But we also play in the early morning. Our first game started at 11:50 PM. The second half didn't start until the following day. So, needless to say, I'm going to have to figure out how to handle a disjointed sleeping scheduling right in the middle of the week.

As for the Idiot Mistake referenced in the title, you'll have to read on to see my blunder.

Holiday lights in Nichols Hills as seen on bike commute

Monday
Morning Swim: (was late to pool, only got 1000 in; 25:00)

Tuesday
Lunch Run (4.5 mi; 37:28; 7:30 min/mi)
Evening Bike (so dark and a little rainy. went slow out of self-preservation. 21 mi; 1:15; 16.7mph )

Wednesday
Bike Commute (17.3 mi; 1:07; 15.4 mph)
Soccer game (50 min)

Thursday
Lunchtime lift
Evening Run (7 mi; 1:01; 8:45 min/mi)

Friday
Lunch swim (36:00; 2000 yds)
Evening Treadmill Run (4 mi; 33:00; 8:14 min/mi)

Saturday
Easy morning Run (8 mi; 1:10; 8:40 min/mi)

Sunday
Well, I thought I was going to run in a 10k race today, but it turns out the race was on Saturday. What an idiot. Somewhere in my weekly planning, I thought the race was on Sunday. I never checked it for sure, and on Sunday morning, I spent a few minutes driving around looking for the start line. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Granted, I'm the same guy who once showed up to the airport a day late for a flight.
Decided to salvage an epic fail with a quick trail run.
Morning trail run: (37:38; 3.74 mi; 9:59 min/mi [I went slow, but I didn't realize that slow]

Totals:
Swim (two workouts; 3000 yds; 1h)
Bike (two workouts; 38 mi; 2h 22 min)
Run (five workouts; 27.25 mi; 4h)
Total (eleven workouts; 7h 22 min + other workouts)

Thoughts: Having the soccer game in the middle of the week screwed the my weekly plan up in two respects. (1) my sleep pattern was off and (2) I was sore. Real sore. This week, I'll focus on getting morning workouts in.

Even bigger display of holiday lights in Nichols Hills (although blurry)

Ironman Training

2010-12-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

Is this what I have to look forward to for IM Louisville training?

Weeks 3 and 4

2010-12-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

The Thanksgiving holiday threw my schedule off a bit, so here's my progress for the previous two weeks.

Week 3
We traveled to New Mexico on Wednesday night to see my mother for Thanksgiving. We also saw some friends, and ran a 5K Turkey Trot on Thursday. I missed a few workouts, but had a good time.

Sandia Mountain from the Jemez Dam

Monday
Lunch Swim: (2500 yds; 40 min)
Lift at Y after work (30 min)

Tuesday
Bike Commute (34:31; 8.78mi; 15.3mph)
Lunch Run (4.5 mi; 35.23; 7:53 min/mi)
Bike Commute (8.3 mi; 31:02; 16.1mph)

Wednesday
Nothing (travel day to NM)

Thursday
Albuquerque Turkey Trot (ran with Paula: 34:05; 10:53 min/mi)

Friday
Run with Friend (7.07 mi; 55:20; 7:49 min/mi)

Saturday
Missed morning swim with UNM Masters.

Sunday
Quick run, was late to hit road (2.33 mi; 20:23; 8:46 min/mi)

Totals:
Swim (one workout; 2500 yds; 40 min)
Bike (two workouts; 17 mi; 1h 05 min)
Run (four workouts; 17 mi; 2h 25min)
Total (eight workouts; 4h 40 min)

Thoughts: numbers were down, but that was expected with the holiday and this being a recovery week.

___________________________

Week 4
Pretty standard week. I still need to wake up on time to get the morning workouts in. First full week with the new running shoes. Its getting cold.

Sunday's Long Run at Lake Hefner

Monday
Lunch Lift (30 min)

Tuesday
Morning Run (4.1 mi; 33:00; 8:01 min/mi)

Wednesday
Morning Run (6.0 mi; 52:11; 8:41 min/mi)
Lunch Yoga (45 min)

Thursday
Bike Commute (8.56 mi; 35:16; 14.6 mph)
Morning Lift (30 min)
Lunch swim (1600 yds; 30 min)
Bike Commute (8.33 mi; 32:17; 15.5 mph)
Evening YMCA Treadmill Run (4.5 mi; 34:00; 7:30 min/mi)

Friday
Afterwork run (7.01 mi; 56:53; 8.07 min/mi)

Saturday
failed bike ride. (3 mi; 17:06)

Sunday
Long run (14.31 mi; 2:02:23; 8:33 min/mi)

Totals:
Swim (one workout; 1600 yds; 30 min)
Bike (two workouts; 17 mi; 1h 05 min)
Run (five workouts; 36 mi; 4h 58min)
Total (eleven workouts; 8h 20min)

Thoughts: A couple times a needed to get miles in, so I just sucked it up, and headed out. Boring on the treadmill, but workouts needed to get done. Long run felt good. Again, I need to wake up and get the work in before hand. Also, with the weather turning, I'd like to get on a bike trainer.

Week 2

2010-11-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

This Wednesday, we leave for New Mexico to see family and friends for Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to it. I'm also eager to see what its like to run at altitude after being in OKC for a few months. Paula and I are running a Turkey Trot together on Wednesday. Just a little 5K. Don't expect a PR out of this race.

Monday

Lunch Swim: 1700 total; 30 minutes

Tuesday
Bike Commute to work (32:17; 8.60 mi; 16.0 mph)
Lunch Run (33:19; 4.24 mi; 7:51 min/mi)
Bike Commute from work (32:21; 8.42 mi; 15.6 mph)

Wednesday
(no bike commute because of car issues)
Morning run (47:46; 6.00 mi; 7:57 min/mi)
Afternoon swim (25*100 @ 1:45/100yd; 2500 total)

Thursday
Bike Commute to and from work (1:02:34; 17.10 mi; 16.4 mph)
(no lunch run because of work engagement)
Indoor soccer (30 min)

Friday
none (sore from soccer)

Saturday
Easy Run (42:26; 4.77 mi; 8:54 min/mi)
Easy Bike (1:13:13; 21.63 mi; 17.7 mph [so windy!])

Sunday
Long run (1:42:14; 12.01 mi; 8:30 min/mi)

Totals:
Swim (two workouts; 4200 yds; 1h 15min)
Bike (three workouts; 56 mi; 3h 20min)
Run (four workouts; 27 mi; 3h 45 min)
Total (nine workouts; 8h 20 min)

Thoughts on the week: I missed a couple workout because of work stuff, not waking up promptly, and being sore from playing soccer. I'm going to work on waking up on time.

Week 1

2010-11-08T11:00:00.001-08:00

Monday:
Lunch time swim. Had a lane all to myself. Free swim for 30 minutes, finishing up with 5x25 all out with 25 recovery back to back.

Tuesday:
Bike Commute (to work: 39:11; 8.5 mi; 13.2mph; real windy)

Lunch Run (33:35; 4.2mi; 7:59 min/mi; 10 pushups each mile)
Bike Commute (to home: 31:14; 8.34 mi; 16.0mph; tail wind!)

Wednesday:
Morning run (48:31; 6.0mi; 8:04 min/mi)
Bike Commute (total: 1:12:34; 17.1 mi; 14.2mph)
Yoga
Swim (2300 yds; 200w/u, 100 kick, 20*100yds on 1:45)

Thursday:
(no work)
Bike ride to town (15:43; 4 mi; 15.4 mph)
Bike back from town (13:47; 3.8 mi; 16.4 mph)
Easy run, first part with Paula, last part solo (39:54; 4.2 mi; 9:27 min/mi)

Friday:
AM Swim (cut short because I was running late; 1300 yds; 22:53; 1:45/100yd)

Saturday:
AM mid distance run @ marathon pace (48:21; 6.2 mi; 7:47 min/mi)

Sunday:
Long run @ marathon pace +45-60sec/mi (1:24:28; 10.0 mi; 8:25 min/mi)

Totals
Swim: 5300 yds; 1h 10min
Bike: 42 mi; 2h 20min
Run: 30.6 mi; 4hr 14min

Weekly hours: 7h 44min

Running form throughout week felt good. Need more time on bike.

Upcoming Year

2010-11-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

I've signed up for Ironman Lousiville. Life goal coming up. I'm excited for the challenge.

I'm starting my training with a marathon in February, 16 weeks out. Then its 26 weeks to IM Louisville.

Past week's workouts:

Mon: 4 mile Lunch run
Tues: Bike Commute; Lunch swim
Wed: Bike Commute; PM Yoga
Thu: Bike Commute; 5 mile Lunch run (got real real hungry 4 miles in)
Fri: Rest
Sat: 6 mile AM run; 2200 yd PM Swim [in Dallas]
Sun: 8.5 mile AM run [in Dallas]

Another quick note - I love being a member of the YMCA. Great facilities, good vibes, and you're able to use Ys in different cities.

Ironman

2010-10-31T18:32:00.000-07:00

I just signed up for Ironman Louisville.

Redman Half-Iron RR

2010-09-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

I raced the Oklahoma City Half-Iron Redman this weekend. It was my first half-iron distance and first Oklahoma race. I wasn't real sure what to expect, other than I'd be real tired.

Training:
I had planned on completing a half-iron since about March or April. However, I thought it would be the Prarieman. That was back when I thought I'd still be in New Mexico. A new job and a move to Oklahoma, my new goal was the Redman. It fit into what was left of my training, given the disruptions. I wasn't too terribly undertrained for the race, but I could have been fitter.

Race Day:
The start is about 1.5 miles away, so if I didn't have to rack my bike the night before, I would have ridden to the race. As it happened, I had breakfast (peanut butter toast, OJ, and yogurt), watched TV, sipped some coffee and put everything together. Paula dropped me off and I got ready. I got everything ready in transition, sipping on water the whole way through. A gel about 20 minutes before go time, and I was ready.

Swim:
I haven't been swimming consistently since the move. I've managed to swim in Arcadia lake once a week for the past three months, but that's it. I knew my time would suffer for it.
I started with the second wave after watching the first wave "wade" through the first leg of the swim. I tried to swim, but with my hand hitting the bottom, I decided to walk. Many other did the same. Throughout the swim, I felt lost. I've been sighting pretty well in practice swims, but based on where everyone else was, I thought I was zig zagging. Either way, I was worried I would have a real slow swim. However, that didn't concern me too much. Today was about finishing the distance.
Time: 39:49 (1:53/100yds)

T1
First time with wetsuit strippers. Awesome. Glad my shorts didn't come off with the suit. Quick hello to Paula, and headed to the bike racks. I went super duper slow. Had to make sure I remembered everything.
Time: 2:14

Bike:
Right out of T1, I notice my rear wheel was rubbing. This annoyed me. I had it tuned up for a decent sum of money and noticed the brakes were rubbing during my pre-race ride. I thought I took care of it. Also, the rear derailleur wasn't properly adjusted. That's another gripe I had with the tune-up. I'm not hitting that shop up again.
Oh, yeah. I had to pee right out of the gate. Luckily there was a well placed porto-potty.

The plan was to keep the HR around 145-150 for the first half or so and 155-160 for the second. I was caught up in the excitement of the first few miles, but settled in nicely. The course was well marked with plenty of support in the form of cops and aid stations. I took the first 28 mile loop in about 1:24/1:25. Pretty uneventful second loop. My back started hurting, and I also decided to ease up on the gas heading into the run.
Time: 2:51:38 (19.58mph)

T2:
Took my sweet time. Needed new socks. Decided against fuel belt. Stretched back. Thought I had everything, but forgot my race number. In the end, it didn't matter.
Time: 3:29

Run:
Wanted to start slow, but steady. First mile was a sub 8. I knew that was trouble. I eased up to about an 8:30 pace, but by mile 5, I was hurting pretty good. It was hot and my shoes became water logged. Eventually, the run became a zombie march to the aid stations, followed by an unnecessarily long walk nursing a gatorade cup. I traded places with one guy for a bit and we chuckled at how slow we were going.
Leading up to the race, I knew it was going to come down to the run. If I could post a sub 2hr run, I thought I'd have a decent time. After I fell apart, my goal became a sub 6 hr race.
One more note, as sad as my half-marathon time was, it was faster than 1/2 of my first marathon time in LA.
Time: 2:16:36 (10:25min/mi, eek!)

Total time: 5:53:45 (97th out of 227 males; 15th out of 29 in AG).

(glad that's done!)

Thoughts:
While I'm not unhappy with my time, I hoped to be around 5:30. I want to try another 70.3 race and put a dent in that time. I now know what to expect.

As for the race itself, it was run very well. Its a great venue for the race. Spectator friendly and flat. I'm not sure about making Redman my first 140.6 race (given the four loops on both the bike and the run).

I'm not sure what's next. I think I'll lift some weights and work on my run. We'll probably join the Y for the pool. I'd like to get my swim form back.

thanks for reading!

Weekly progress (8/23-8/29)

2010-08-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Fairly good week with a few interuptions.

Monday: Yoga in morning; OWS at Arcadia Lake (bike in, 3 laps, 40 minutes total)
Tuesday: Morning run (41:42, 4.86mi, 8:35 pace); No bike commute (raining and court)
Wednesday: Commute to work (31:50, 8.53mi, 16.1mph); Commute home (38:38, 9.04 mi, 14.0mph)
Thursday: Commute to work (33:23; 8.57mi, 15.4mph); Lunch run (47:55, 6.05mi, 7:55 pace); Commute home (34:08; 8.48mi, 14.9mph)
Friday: Morning run (49:43, 5.59mi, 8:54 pace)
Saturday: Long ride (3:52:16; 66.51mi; 17.2mph); brick run(12:43; 1.62mi, 7:51 pace)
Sunday: Long run (1:38:19; 11.17mi; 8:48 pace)

Totals: 29.29mi running; 101 miles biking; 40 min swim

Thoughts: I need to get up when the alarm goes off. I feel pretty good about the week's workout, but I'd like to get a week night bike in. Swimming is super limited too, so I need to make Monday nights worth it. Birthday on Wednesday messed up a planned run. Ate more junk than I needed to.

Weekly Progress

2010-08-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

New goal: post training progress from the week.

Monday: 35 min. OWS at Arcadia.
Tuesday: easy 1:15 run.
Wed: Bike commute to work. Yoga at lunch.
Thu:Bike commute to work. Missed lunch run.
Fri: 4 mi lunch run.
Sat: 60ish miles nice and steady. Disappointed in avg speed, but I have nowhere to go, but up. Felt real sluggish on hills. Good rolling hills out there. Followed up the ride with a quick brick 10 min run.
Sun: Planned 2 hour run around Hefner. Left too late. 5 miles in started walking. Ran out of water, but refilled at water fountain. Once I started walking, it was all over. So hot, my shoes were sweat logged. Not a good run at all.

La Luz Trail Run

2010-08-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is a race I've wanted to do for awhile. The La Luz Trail Run is a hard race. I've seen a few of my friends complete it and I've been super impressed. If you don't know about the race, you should learn. You run up a mountain. This year I lotteried into the race, got a few practice runs up the trail a bit in May, and was feeling good.

Then I moved to Oklahoma and fell off the training bus.

Still, Paula and I made a trip out to New Mexico to see some friends and see if I could survive the mountain. So, a couple tanks of gas later, I found myself at the start line.

When the gun went off, I started running as slowly as I ever have in a race before. It was funny how slow I was going. I didn't know how the altitude and the incline would beat me up, so I took my time. The first two miles were uneventful.

At the trailhead, we bottlenecked for a little bit, but fell into a steady pace line. I was right behind a guy, and there was a dude right behind me. The pace was slightly slower than I wanted to go. I thought about busting through and getting into my own rhythm, but I decided to let the pack slow me down. I needed to conserve and not waste energy fighting the crowd. At one point, some dude came bashing through without announcing. Since it was a narrow rocky trail, it was annoying. As he went by, I said to myself, "I'll see you later up the mountain."

Once my watch hit 50 or so minutes, right before the second aid station, I decided to break through. A couple "on your lefts" later, I was solo. I was feeling good and enjoying the views. Again, I was holding back and hoping I might have something in the tank at the end. I met that dude from earlier and gave him "the look" as I passed him.

"The Look"

After the next station came the rock garden. It sucked. The rocks were slippery and jagged. My contacts were playing tricks on me, so I couldn't see all that well. Also, my legs were fatigued and I couldn't really put my feet where they needed to go. Running wasn't happening so I walked the rocks.

At the junction towards the end, I tried to HTFU, but couldn't. There was a set of stairs, totally out of compliance with the ADA. It ripped my legs apart. I pretty much walk/runned the last bit.

Just before the finish, there was another runner right behind me. He and I were hanging together. Once I thought there wasn't much left, I encouraged him to follow me to run to the finish. He agreed and we started hustling. Unfortunately, immediately we rounded a corner, there was the finish line, about 20 yards away. We "kicked" too late.

Paula and my Mom met me at the finish. It was fun all around.

I had the pleasure of driving back to OKC with an altitude induced headache. Some fried chicken and Braum's ice cream later, I was ready to start the work week.

Oh yeah, my time was 2:12:50. I'm not proud of that, but I'm glad I finished in relative comfort. Strangely, I felt nearly nothing in my legs the next day. Fried chicken helps recovery.

Now I have to see if Redman is possible.

OKC - Settled in

2010-07-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

I've settled in for the most part in Oklahoma City. I moved here for a new job in June and I've been here for a month or so. I'm afraid I've fallen off my training a bit. There are a couple of reasons for that.

First, there's a ton of stuff you have to do when you move 500 or so hundred miles and start a new job. Its really tiring and time consuming.

Second, I have just figured out places to work out. There's Lake Hefner near by (but don't blow through the stop signs, or you'll get a ticket like I did), and Lake Arcadia with open water swims. I took part in a 100k bike ride in Norman, so I've learned a couple places to bike. I think I'll join the Y for some consistent and convenient swimming, but that's a few paychecks away.

The third reason for falling off the training is the weather. Holy smokes its hot and humid. The sun doesn't rise until 6 or so, and it sets around 9, which makes it hard to avoid the heat. I've resorted to hot lunch runs, I've done two so far (one) and (two).

Finally, nutrition. I've been eating like crap. There's no excuse apart from laziness and novelty.

Tomorrow I think I'll try to ride to work. Its about 9 miles. And this weekend is the La Luz trail run. I lotteried into it. I've wanted to race it for awhile, but I'm afraid moving to the lower altitude and my fall off the training wagon will make Sunday's race hard. It'll be nice to return to New Mexico.

One more thing, I'm training for the Redman. Here's hoping I can get into form by September.

I'm hoping to have a training plan in place within a week.

Deja vu

2010-06-27T09:09:00.001-07:00

Again, eliminated by Ghana. Decided to watch game at bar because I don't have any soccer buddies in Dallas, where I'm staying for the weekend. Should have stayed home.

Highlight of game:

Still gonna root for the netherlands and argentina.

Moved

2010-06-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

I now live in Oklahoma City. I have no idea where to work out. Help.

Xterra Four Corners 2010

2010-06-07T19:59:00.001-07:00

Whew. That was a tough race. But real fun. Here's my RR.

My buddy Dave and I have talked about doing this race for awhile. We signed up, tested the course, and were ready to rock the race. Paula, Dave, and I drove up to Farmington on Friday, watched the Flyers game and rested up for the race.

Race morning: Woke around 4:45AM, downed a dry mini bagel, yogurt, banana, and a Luna bar. Headed out to the course and set up our bikes. Then drove to the lake and set up T1.

The race is similar to the Grady Williams Triathlon, in the sense that there's a lake swim, and then run up to Lions Park near San Juan College. This race had a 20 mile mountain bike course instead.

Swim

After we got set up, I warmed up with a couple strokes in the lake. The swim was 1.5km, split up into two 750m counter-clockwise laps with a little jog in between each. I planned on starting on the right near the front. I wanted to expereince a little pounding in the water to get used to mass starts for other races. Once we started, I was right in the thick of things. I was able to set up a little space for myself and attempt to get into a rhythm. However, about 200 yards into the swim, I felt terrible. I couldn't breathe, I felt constricted, and I had a tough time sighting. I was considering quitting. Still, I told myself that if I still felt this badly after the first lap, I could reevaluate things. Sure enough, once I hit the first buoy, I was OK. The rest of the swim was pleasant. The water was a good temperature.
1500m: 28:14 (1:43/100yds)

T1 (swim to run)

During this transition, I purposely took my time. I wasn't in a big rush and wanted to give my HR a chance to settle down.
time? Probably rolled into my run time.

Run

My plan here was to RELAX. Get into a Zone 3 or so pace and grind it out. I had to resist the urge to keep up with someone in my age group who passed me (and who probably went on to post some crazy fast time). The first 4 or so miles were uneventful. Some hills and soft sand. The last leg of the run, however, was ridiculous. I understand the whole "off-road" part of the race, but seriously, the race directors sought out the deepest soft sand and steepest short hills to navigate. After zig-zagging through it all, I finished feeling OK.
Time: 6 miles, 49:11 (8:11/mile)

T2 Run to Bike (1:54)

I took my sweet time again. Put on my gloves while standing around, banged some sand out. Tried to gather myself for the impending doom of the 20mile mtn bike ride.

Bike

Thankfully, Dave and I had ridden the course already, so we knew what was coming. What I didn't know was how slow I am on a mountain bike. I started the bike in 40th or so position and finished in 70th or so. Dudes (and plenty of women) were flying by me. I couldn't pull over enough to allow the masses to pass. I don't know if it was my 30lb bike, lack of experience, or fear of wiping out that kept me slow. Either way, I didn't do well at all. At the end of the first loop, there's some climbing. I was too tired to focus on getting a good line up some of the technical stuff, and I had to walk my bike a bit. I was feeling fatigue in my legs and didn't know how much gas I could give it. I decided to go at a medium pace and focus on staying upright. I was waiting for Dave to pass me at any time. One bright note: on the pavement, I was able to TT' it and pass a few folks. Sure enough, they passed me right back once we got onto dirt.
time: 19.5 miles 1:52:22 (10.2 mph)

It was a fun race. The volunteers were helpful and there was a great atmosphere. There were also a bunch of fast people from out of state. My friend Dave finished strong and we went out to the local brewery after the race for a well-deserved beer.

(kudos to Paula for all the pics and support!)

Mountain biking

2010-05-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

I've stepped up the mountain biking in anticipation of Xterra Four Corners. I forgot how fun mountain biking is.

Last weekend, I went with a friend to Farmington to preview the bike course. It was a lot of fun. So fast.

Yesterday I went up into the foothills. Also fun, until I had a run in with a cactus:
The cactus won.

Tomorrow I head to White Mesa with Mr. T, an unbelievably strong mountain biker. I'm in trouble. Especially after a 50 miler this morning.

Jay Benson 2010

2010-05-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is one of those races where I had high hopes, and nearly had them dashed right in the middle. I ended up with a 2 min PR, which I attribute to calmer winds and better training (oh yeah, and this bike:)

Paula and I showed up at the race around 6:20. We set up shop, hit the restrooms, and waited. We set our bikes up together and I thought I counted the racks properly for easy access in T1.

I started in the second wave and moved right up front. I kept the HR up with some light bouncing I picked up from my days wrestling in high school. We set off and I tried to take it easy. I remember blowing up pretty early on the run last year after trying to stay with the leaders. I kept a 6:20ish pace and tried to relax. I finished the 3 mile run in 19:14. (6:25min/mi pace).

Here's where I screwed up. We entered the transition area from the east. I counted nine racks, made a left, and looked for my bike. Crap. It wasn't there. I saw another Quintana Roo Seduza and thought, "Someone took mine thinking it was theirs." Nope, Paula's bike wasn't there either. I looked around, confused and lost. Then I remembered Paula telling me that our bikes were 3 or 4 racks from the front. So I looked to the front and realized I was in the back half of the transition area. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I HTFU'ed to my bike and changed as quick as I could. I was a little flustered and had to fix the straps on my shoes. Oh well. Out to the bike. T1: 1:33 (25 secs of which were the longest I've had in a race)

The bike felt great. It was my first race on the QR frame, but not on the wheelset. I easily hit 27 mph without too much effort, soon realizing I had a tailwind. I kept my cadence steady and slowly shifted to harder gears. I know I can go faster with proper interval/fartlek training, but I managed ok to start. At both turn arounds, I got behind someone who took their time. That slowed me a bit. Also, the rollers weren't terrible, but I didn't manage them as well as I should have.
12 mile bike: 31:40; 22.7mph

T2: another hiccup. I got my Garmin, socks, helmet, and shoes off quick. I grabbed my goggles and ran to the pool. Just before entering the door, I went to put my goggles on and they broke. Crap. What to do? Swim w/o them, or go get my spare pair. I went back and got my second pair. That probably cost me about 20 secs.
T2: 1:28

Swim: Pretty uneventful. I passed a couple folks and one dude passed me at the wall. On the last length, there was a dude around 10-15 yards ahead that I knew I would be stuck behind right at the ladder. So, I dropped the hammer and sprinted past him to the ladder. Fairly slow time overall, but a tad better than last year.
Swim 400 meters: 7:47; 1:46/100yds

Total race time: 1:01:41
I'm pretty pleased overall, especially because my T1 and T2 errors didn't cost me my goal of a sub hour race. I suppose I lost 40 or so secs overall, but it felt like an eternity out there.

Paula had a great race too! She shaved 6 minutes off her time from last year. Fun times all around.

Tuesday Night Crit Virgin

2010-05-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

My buddy dragged me out to the local Tuesday night crit. I've wanted to race it for sometime now, and he made it happen. Holy crap it was tough.

I raced the "C" race. There were about 30-40 racers. We lined up and rode around Balloon Fiesta Park. My friend told me to stay at the front, but I started at the back. I didn't want to wreck and bring everyone down. Once we got going, I tried to hang on to the wheel of the guy in front of me. Little did I know that he wasn't keeping up. I got dropped about 1.5 laps into it. My goal was then to keep from getting lapped. The ride turned into a personal TT. I started picking guys off here and there and was doing ok. Sure enough, though, the train of leaders came rolling around and lapped me with 1/2 a lap to go. Bummer. I didn't realize it at the time and kept racing while everyone was on a cool down lap. That's embarrassing.

In total, it was a lot of fun. I biked at maximum effort for 20+ minutes. My lungs were on fire. After it was all done, I suffered from "crit-cough." So did a lot of other people.

I'm planning on doing it again, but not for a few weeks. It was a little expensive so I have to ration it out. Next time, I'll try to stay with the pack for at least a couple laps.

Run for the Zoo 2010

2010-05-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

I had lofty aspirations for the Run for the Zoo. I wanted to see if I could run a 40 min 10k. Well, I didn't. I finished in 43:08, a new PR. I had some serious right foot pain about 2 miles in. I considered DNF'ing, but thought I'd cruise for a bit and see how it felt. I even walked a little bit. Eventually, it went numb. I hustled it up a bit more, and finished under 44min.

Here's what I learned from the race:

I need to focus on nutrition more.
I can push through pain.
I need some more speed work.

Overall, fairly good showing on my part. Its just that I was disappointed with the foot pain that slowed me. There's always next year.

Quick update

2010-04-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

My big goal this year is the Prarieman Half-Iron Man (they call it a "long distance triathlon" so as to not infringe on the M-Dot peeps). I need to formulate a training plan. I've got a book and some ideas, but I'm also exploring some public plans. I'm not sure what will work for me. I suppose I need to first determine what my goal is for the race. Time? Comfort? Just to finish? I think I'll set a 6 or so hour goal time. That may change with some training.

Here's what's on tap for this season so far:
5/2: Run for the Zoo (10K PR goal)
5/9: Jay Benson (PR goal)
6/5: Xterra Four Corners (goal of not making an ass out of myself)
7/4: Grady Williams (goal of avenging last year's dismal showing)
8/1 La Luz Trail Run (depending on the fate of the lottery system)
8/8: Socorro?
8/22: Los Alamos?
9/12: Prarieman. Get some.
9/26: Elephant man. (goal of placing in AG)

As soon as I have a training plan, I'll throw it up on the blog.

One more thing. I had the pleasure of driving 16 hours over the past two days. I filled the monotony with some podcasts from Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Pretty good stuff.

First Swim Meet

2010-04-11T11:22:00.001-07:00

I had my first swim meet this morning. I signed up for the 1650yd (mile) swim.

My time: 26:09 (1:35/100yd). Not bad at all. Masters swimming is paying off.

She will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine

2010-03-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

I decided to head to Sportz Systems and check out their bike fest on Saturday after my long run. I intended just to pick up body glide. I ended up drooling over this:

Its not that the 2008 Quintana Roo Seduza was the slickest or most tech savvy bike there. Rather, the Seduza was within my price range. After a quick call to Paula (who gave me her support) and Mr. T (who was 40 miles into a 100 mile mountain bike ride when he fielded my call), I pulled the trigger. I put that sexy machine on layaway. Time to start making payments. Soon, she will be mine. Oh yes, she will be mine.

It'll be nice to have a proper TT bike.

St. Patrick's Day Triathlon

2010-03-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was the St. Patrick’s Day Triathlon in Keller, TX. Keller is very close to my wife’s family, so we made the trip to Dallas for a quick visit. This was our second year running the race. Here’s my brief report from last year.

I had a few hiccups before actually racing. First, I suffered (another) soccer injury last Sunday. This is particularly ironic when you consider that I stopped playing soccer because I didn’t want to get hurt. Since then, I watched a little too much FNC and Champions league and was insprired to return. I did, and last Sunday I knocked shins with another dude. It bruised up nicely and it hasn’t really healed.

Second, I broke my chain the day before the race. I threw the race wheels on and took it for a spin to make sure it was ready to fly. The rear derailler was poorly calibrated and the chain got caught in it. Its a little hard to explain, but it split a link. No worries, though, I got it taken care of at Mad Duck Cycling.

As for the race itself, Paula and I headed down to Keller around 5:45. We arrived a little past 6AM and set up transition. Thankfully, it was warmer than last year. My Master’s swim coach advised me to warm up with at least 500m, which I did about 20 minutes before start.

Swim

My plan was to start steady, breath every other stroke, and focus on form. I was going to build the pace each lap. Largely, I followed that plan. I felt strong(ish) in the pool, and probably could have gone harder. I finished feeling good. However, my swim time was a bit slower than last year. That might be due to having to run into the pool at start. I doubt it. I was more efficient and wasn’t as tired.

T1
Went to wrong rack. Not having glasses will do that.

Bike
My plan was to go pretty hard on the first lap and drop the hammer on the second. I felt strong and was able to stay aero most of the time. I don’t really know how much harder I could have gone, but perhaps some.

T2
Fingers cold. Tough time putting shoes on.

Run
This is where my training paid off. I remember last year waiting for the run to end. When you’re heading back on the course, you can hear the Irish band playing at the finish line. Unfortunately, you have to snake back to the finish and the music is a tease.
This year, I felt good. I had my hR monitor on and stayed around 180bpm for the first half. I was flying by people. On the way back, my HR drifted up to 185. I kept my turnover quick and breathing steady. Honestly the course seemed shorter this year.

I finished with my fasted 5K time ever. That includes the 2 stand alone 5Ks I’ve run.

300m swim: 5:28; T1: 1:30; 12 mi bike: 34:46; T2: 1:21; 5K: 20:01
Total: 1:03:07

Overall: 26/600
Age group: 7/52

Sum.
Paula did great and finished strong and in good spirits. We had family there to support us and it was a good time. The race is a whole lot of fun and I think we’ll do it again next year.
Now I’m going to the doctor to check on my ankle.

Before I forget, here's my tentative race schedule:
Jay Benson
XTerra Farmington
Prarieman
La Luz hopefully
Run for the Zoo / Shiprock Marathon

Mt. Taylor Quad

2010-02-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, I headed over to Grants to volunteer for the Quad. The Quad is a crazy, bike up, run up, ski up, snoeshow up, and everything in reverse race for 40+ miles up and down Mt. Taylor). I had two reasons for burning the gas it took to make it there.
1) Volunteer at a race in an attempt to give back for all the races I've done with great volunteers.
2) Learn about the quad so I know what to expect.

I know this much - the Quad is no joke. There are some serious athletes and determined participants.

I arrived in Grants around 7AM. I touched base with the staff and caught a shuttle to the bike/run transition area. There were a group of us just hanging out, waiting for the next pick-up truck to take us away. I rode on the back of some burly truck up to the next transition area. When I arrived at the run/ski transition, there was a nice warm fire ready. Initially, I wanted to volunteer at this area, but I decided to hoof it up to the next area - the ski/snowshoe transition. I figured I could learn the most there.

Silly me, I hiked it up the 2 or so miles in regular hiking shoes. Slow going in the snow, esp. Heartbreak hill (below).
As for the transition area, it was run by a no-nonsense snowmobiling couple. They had volunteered for many years and had the program down pat. We dug a couple pits for a fire and set up the timing mats.
My job, after shoveling snow, was to direct the racers up the hill. Soon enough, the elites came charging up the mountain. And even sooner, they had sumitted and were coming back down. Then came the masses.
And before I knew it, the cut-off time came and the racers stopped coming up. I helped pack up and we headed down the mountain. I'm leaving out the hour long snowcat ride, frostbitten toes, tortilla hot dog, altitude sickened racers, straggling racers and portopotty experience. All in all, it was a real good time.

So, from this, I am determined to complete the Quad solo. Its a goal. It will happen. Oh yeah. T-minus one year.

whoops

2010-02-08T19:17:00.001-08:00

Looks like my blog has fallen into disuse. Got a little busy with things, thats all. I'm still out there running, biking, and swimming. I'm going to get consistent with keeping up to date with things. In the meantime, here's a pic from Rock and Roll PHX. I finished 26.2 in 3:53. Not great, but progress. And I could sit down without pain in a few days! More to come . . .

Raptor Triathlon

2009-10-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I headed down to Alamogordo to race in the Raptor Triathlon. I've done a lot of the Southwest Challenge Series races this year, was close in the standings, and didn't want to lose out on a spot without giving a little more effort. I booked a hotel room and registered before I learned my Mom would be out here. No worries - she came along for support.

The morning of the race, we headed down to the Air Force base, which we were told would take 1/2hr. It took ten minutes from Alamogordo, so we got there real early. I set up, jogged a bit before the race and lined up. The race was a reverse tri - run, bike, swim.
The run wasn't as fast as normal. I think the fastest 5k time was 19:23. It was a flat 5K on a street and then a running path. I came in around 21 minutes. I took entirely too long in T1 and got on my way.
The bike portion was as flat as any race I've done in NM. I overheard a woman say she thought there was a big hill. There wasn't. There was a little bump that required shifting a single gear. You could stay aero going up it. I was averaging a pretty good time until the last three or so miles. That's when the wind picked up. I could barely keep the speed up around 18/19mph. I really need to work on the bike portion.
The swim was an outdoor, 700m snake style swim. Stupid me, I swam two laps in a single lane, and was on track to swim 800m by the end of the swim. Thank goodness a race volunteer noticed my mistake, and allowed me to skip a lane, thereby keeping my total distance at 700m. I felt ok in the pool, but the arms were really sore. From what, I'm not sure.

I tagged the wall, and called it a day. I finished 1st in my age group! (out of two). My time:
5k run: 21:04 (6:46min/mi)
30k bike: 52:06 (21.47mph)
700m swim: 15:01 (1:57min/100yd)
Total: 1:28:11 (good enough for fourth overall)
The times include transitions.

We ate some good, free food at the base, and then headed to White Sands.
(obligatory medal shot on dunes)

Up next - Duke City Half Marathon. I'm hoping for 1:40, but I have no idea what will happen.

Elephant Man

2009-09-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

So, the Elephant Man. A race I've been too scared to do in the past. I'm so glad I did it this year. It's a wonderful race with a tough course and great volunteers. Here's my RR.

I camped the night before with a friend after carpooling with a fellow racer. We woke up and headed down to the race start. After getting set up, I went for a quick warm up swim. The water was a nice 72 degrees and not choppy. I was told it smelled/tasted like fish and/or motor oil. I tasted the motor oil, but not the fish.

I was the second wave to start the triangle swim. It wasn't too rough getting out of the gate and on my way. I think I did a pretty good sighting, but I saw people all over the place. It kept me second guessing my line to the buoy. At one point, a dude swam perpendicular to me and I know I was heading straight to the buoy. He swam over me and grabbed my legs in frustration. I was so confused. I waited to get passed by the torpedo speeding women who took off in the wave after me. Sure enough they did. I tried to draft, but when you swim as slow as me, it doesn't work. I got out of the water in about 32 minutes. Slow, but I haven't been swimming.

T1 involved running up the beach, and then having your feet sprayed to get the sand off (that was nice). I took my sweet time in an attempt to get my heart rate down.

Out onto the bike. The course was pretty challenging but not terrible. Sure, I went slow, but that's my fault, not the course's. There were rollers out to a ridiculous hill. I put it in my granny and laughed my way up it. So silly. Why so steep? After crossing the highway, it flattened and slopped a bit downhill. I buried my head and cranked what I had.

T2 was uneventful. But it was nice to have all the volunteers cheering you on. Got out in a reasonable time.

The run was not good. I started a bit too fast and had to walk up the steep sand hill. I maintained a decent pace to the turn-around, with my plan being to crank it for the last half. When the time came, I declined. I decided to limit my losses and take it easy. It was super cool getting to run on the dam, which I'm told is off-limits due to terrorism threats. I finished the 6mi run in 50minutes. So-so.
Result:

Total: 2:47:54    1mi swim: 32:15   T1: 2:47
26.5mi bike: 1:21:17  T2: 1:00 6mi run:  50:37

After the race, I ate some great homemade bagels, banana bread, cookies and brownies. So good. All in all, the race was a really good time. I think I'll try and do it again to see what I can do about my time. 2:30 here I come!

I got third place in my age group. Sweet. More mugs for my beer. Exhibit A:

California Living

2009-09-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Paula and I headed over to California for a bit of relaxation and my sister's wedding. Aside from the crazy traffic and wildfires, the highlight of the trip was swimming in La Jolla cove. Holy schnikies, that was a good time.

For those of you who haven't been there, go. La Jolla has a beautiful marine preserve that is used daily by the locals for open water swimming. There is a dedicated swimming channel with lifeguards and distance buoys. From beach to beach, its 1 mile.

I made sure to check out the La Jolla Cove Swim Web Page. It has a bunch of good tips for swimming in open water and how to swim in the cove.

I was a little scared of the swim. There were a bunch of studs and studettes going in and getting out of the water. I made sure to use a bright colored swim cap, so the life guards wouldn't have trouble finding me. I also threw on the wetsuit. For the first swim, I planned on doing a mile. But, instead of swimming out to the 1/2mi marker and back, I went out to the 1/4mi marker twice. I did this, just in case I couldn't hack it out there.

It took me 16 minutes per half mile that first day. I navigated kelp and other swimmers. It was such a blast. It felt great. I worked on my sighting and form. I liked it so much, I did a straight mile the next morning. Second mile took me 30 minutes. Slow, but I didn't want to tire out in the middle of the cove. Also, word of advice, don't even think about thinking about sharks. Bad idea.

La Jolla is a great time.

Oh yeah, San Diego is nice too.

Gila recovery trip

2009-08-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

I took a break from life in general and headed down to the Gila Wilderness for a few days. Ja'dii and I hiked the Middle Fork Trail to the Meadows, and then hiked over Big Bear Canyon to the West Fork trail.

It sure was a good time. Just me and the dog for a few days - dodging rattlesnakes (actually, only one; see evidence below) and avoiding bears and lightening.

Sure I missed a bunch of workouts, and sure my long run this morning suffered, but I'd like to think it recharged me. I start my real job-type job on Monday. It involves commuting to Santa Fe for the foreseeable future. I'm concerned about getting my workouts in with the schedule. Any tips? I'm planning on swimming a few days during lunch up there at a city pool. Should I workout before the day starts (like 5AM?) or should I wing it in the evening? Decisions decisions. A few days ago, all I had to decide was when to stop hiking and munch on some jerky.

Socorro Tri - post bar celebration

2009-08-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

I just finished racing Socorro this past Saturday. After participating for the first time last year, I think this will be a staple in the triathlon schedule. Its a whole lot of fun. An outdoor 50m pool, great volunteers, a good bike course, and a great pool of people racing.

I was a little worried, however, going into Saturday's race. I just finished my epic study-a-thon for the NM bar exam. I missed a whole bunch of workouts. Heading into this race, I think I was pretty unprepared.

[Pic of me trying to remember all the subjects on the bar exam]

The race began with a snake style swim start. I was number 79, and thus, about the 79th person into the pool. I decided to "take it easy" during the swim, and just focus on form and steady rate. I was also wearing my heart rate monitor for the first time during a race. Everytime I kicked off the wall, the strap slipped further and further down my torso. That was an odd feeling. I passed one or two people, and was passed by two. I hustled up to transition and caught two people.

T1 was slow. Real slow. Socks. Mountain bike shoes. Helmet. Sunglasses. Jeez, I'm a diva. Anyway, I headed out and wanted to build up a good speed to maintain. I noticed, after adjusting my heartrate monitor, that I was hitting about 180 bpm. Couple deep breaths later, I lowered it a bit.

The course did not seem nearly as hilly as the year before. I caught a few people, and was absolutely obliterated by a member of Enderance Endeavors on a fly tri bike. After hitting the last hill, another guy and I traded spots a few times.

Heading into T2, I threw the shoes on and started running. Soon enough, the guy, whose name turns out to be Dave, and I started a conversation. Turns out we've been side by side before in other races. It was good to run alongside someone with the same pace. He ended up having a little more in the tank than me, and I just tried to keep him just in front of me.

So I finished. Total times:

Total        Swim    T1     Bike     T2     Run
1:07:26.3    7:15    1:34   35:24    1:05   22:11

I did alright. I bettered my time from last year by about 6 minutes.
[last year's times:

1:13:37.1    7:37    2:06   36:56    1:04   25:57 ]

I also placed in my age group. Here's the evidence:

Paula also raced and did a great job! She's working on running and hasn't been swimming or biking as much as she usually does. Kudos to her for getting out there and getting it done.

Here's us after the race:

Next up? I think the Patriot in Rio Rancho. Elephant Butte fo sho. And a half-marathon in Oct. Oh yeah bob.

And, my job starts in a week. I'm taking my last vacation as a quasi-student tomorrow and heading down to backpack in the Gila. Hopefully, I won't wonder into Iran.

toughest race so far

2009-07-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

Whew! The Farmington Olympic Triathlon is no joke. Its tough. Hilly and unforgiving. At least for me. This race was the first time in recent memory that I wasn't actually racing - I was trying to finish.

I set out for Farmington on Friday with my wife Paula, hitting the road about noonish. Paula and I had our first date in Farmington, back when we were teachers on the reservation. Farmington brings back good memories for both of us, and we were exicted to return.

I met up with an old law school buddy that was also racing. We drove the course (scary hilly), and had dinner. Paula and I stayed at our friends' house that currently put up for sale. We slept (sort of) on an air mattress and shared a single pillow. I was thankful when the alarm went off. A quick bagel, yougurt, and out we went.

The race begins with a 1.5k swim, then a 10k trail run, and finishes with a brutal 25mi bike. The strange order, coupled with different T1 and T2 locations, makes this race a departure from the norm. I had been warned about the hills, but I guess I wasn't paying attention.

The swim was fairly uneventful. There was a little bumping and kicking, but nothing substantial. My problem was being unable to see the buoys. I was sans contacts. I swam a good more than I needed to. After rounding the first buoy, the sun was right in my eyes when breathing to the right (which is the only side I use). After the second buoy, we were swimming right into the sun. Wow. If I couldn't sight before, I certainly couldn't now. I would look for the wake of other swimmers and stay on their tails. I thought for sure my time was going to be terrible. Although I had a good rhythm and felt strong, I was swimming all over the place. I ended up with a time of 28:35. Pretty, pretty good. I might be able to salvage a respectable time after all.

A quick sandy change of clothes, and off for the run. I tried to start slowly, and certainly did. But I was only going to get slower. My back tightened up, and I didn't have the spark in my legs. Also, I had an injury from a soccer game the week prior, that ached with each right step.

I ended up walking at the water stations. I had to stop and stretch my back out too. I was getting passed left and right. If I wasn't running up a hill, I was running down one. The scenery itself was great. After a washerboard road and paved street, the trail turned into a mountain bike path. I had a good half-mile run on that trial all to myself. I was loosening up, and my ankle was starting to go numb. In short I was feeling good(ish). But when I finished with a time of 55:10, I knew I wasn't going to beat my Lubbock time of 2:42.

Off on the bike I went. I was pretty excited. I knew it started with a downhill and I was going to put up some good speeds. Sure enough, I passed a good number of people on the bike and put up a solid 12.5 mile split of 35:00. My law school buddy was a good few miles ahead of me and was looking good, but not great. Once I turned around, I quickly realized why. We had a headwind that slowed everything down. I was hurting going up the hills, and couldn't build up speed on the downhills. On about mile 16, I stopped racing. The thought was: finish this thing and race another day. The bike ended up taking 1:24:27.

The whole race took me 2:51:12. I think I'll take this race and look forward to improving on it last year. Even though I was suffering, I really enjoyed the course. It was a well-run race (an improvement from years past, according to reports). The views were great and the course was challenging. It'll give me the motivation to hit the hills and trails.

As for my lawschool friend, he crushed the race. And took one of my age group spots away. One day I'll be able to keep up with him.

Total Swim T1 Run T2 Bike
2:51:12.6 28:35 1:52 55:10 1:07 1:24:27

Gallup Triathlon Part II

2009-06-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

I like doing this triathlon thing because I'm starting to repeat races. I raced Gallup last year with my friend Nat, who is now on to bigger and better things (although he should be back for Farmington). Here's a pic from the race last year (before I had a tri top):

Last year's times:

 Total     Swim     T1    Bike     T2      Run

1:13:50    6:51    0:48   41:00    1:05   24:03

This year's times:

 Total     Swim     T1    Bike     T2      Run

1:09:55    6:31    0:48   38:55    0:51   22:46

Overall, pretty good improvement. I chalk it up to the training. As for the race itself . . .

I woke up at 4AM and put together two mugs of coffee, two bagels, and a breakfast drink for the 2hr drive to Gallup. I got there around 6ish, entirely too early. I picked out a spot for the bike, and tried to pass the time waiting for the start. On the drive over, one of the pads on my aero bars blew off somewhere on I-40. I rigged up a spare pair of socks over the arm rest. Worked out alright.

It was a snake style seeded pool start, with a 20 sec interval. I was surprised that I was the 5th person to start. I waited to get passed in the pool, but it never happened. I didn't have a super time, and I was pretty winded after the swim. I think I was inefficient in my stroke.

Once out on the bike, I felt terrible going up the hills. Absolutely awful. Again, I waited to be passed, but it never happened. My computer pooped out 3 miles in, so I really didn't know how I was doing.

Out on the run, I felt alright to start, but was crushed by the San Fran style hill on the course. I kept my effort up all the way to the top, but had to walk for a few seconds. I was suprised I ran a sub 23 5k after the walking. I was pleased to finish under 1:10.

If the race was scored like last year (with top three finishers overall as ineligible for age group awards), I would have placed first in 25-29! Third wasn't bad either, but is a little strange when you finish 6th overall.

I really like coming back to Gallup. I spent three years of my life on the reservation, teaching social studies at a BIA (now BIE) school. It would have been nice to spend more time there, but I had to get back after the race. It was good to see a couple friends from the old days running the race.

Up next - Farmington Triathlon on 7/4. And a lot of studying for the bar. But not too much.

Jay Benson

2009-05-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I ran in the Jay Benson Triathlon on Kirtland Air Force Base. I have wanted to do this one for a long time. It is so close to our house.

My Time:
Total Run Pace T1 Bike Mph T2 Swim
1:03:19.20 20:30 6:50 1:12 32:15 23.1 1:20 8:05

I had a pretty good result. I came in with better training than races past, except that the past week or so, I've been slacking due to law school finals. I wanted to build some confidence before the race, so I went and PR'ed in the pool the day before (6:20/400yds). It certainly gave me confidence, but I think it wrecked my arms during the swim.

My goal was to break 1:10min, and maybe 1hr5min. I really wanted to place in my age group. I met my first two goals, and missed my third by 20 secs. Oh well.

As for the race itself, I started running with the main group. I think I began at about a 6min pace, but quickly slowed up. I need to work on maintaining a fast pace in these short events. When I was hurting on the run, I was dreaming about the bike. I knew it would feel good to get on the bike, and it did. I had a strategy to work hard for the first 6 or 7 miles, and then crank it for the last 5 or 6. But when the time came, I just couldn't push harder. I think it was more mental than physical, so thats another thing to work on.

And the swim. Well, my arms didn't feel like they had much in them (thanks to the previous day's workout). I passed a few folks and got passed by one. I really wanted to open it up, but again, my mind stopped me from doing it. I lost few seconds waiting to get out of the pool.

All in all, I think I did well. My training is paying off, but I need to focus it more. I'm not sure what the next race will be. I have graduation and the bar exam looking at me now, so it may be awhile.

Congrats to Paula for doing the race! And thanks to Mike for supporting us and taking pictures.

Run for the Zoo

2009-05-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Today I ran in the Run for the Zoo race here in Albuquerque. Its a huge 5/10k race benefitting our local zoo. I didn't train for the race specifically, but wanted to see how good of a 10k I could put together.

I PR'ed the 10K with a time of 43:51. I set a goal of finishing under 44min. Sweet.

I also ran the 5K with Paula. We had a good time and finished strong.

Cross Train

2009-04-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

I've heard its important to cross train, which seems inherent in triathlon training. Still, I think its important to break out of swimming, biking, and running. That's why I play ping pong. But as you can see from the video, not very well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNSmmdtsZdg

Maybe in my next graduate career, I'll win the pong tourney.

Fixed and Farmington

2009-04-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly sure when I suddenly wanted a fixed gear commuter. I found myself looking through singlespeed How-To's and pictures of fixed gears during class. So, I decided to "build" a fixed gear for commuting. First, I should make my intentions clear. I'm not looking to wear girl jeans and put crap in my spokes. I put a front break on and I wear my helmet. The bike is meant to help me with my pedal stroke and climbing ability.

So, I asked my buddy at the law school to help me out. A friend had an old Peugeot frame, and my buddy had some other parts. We also used some of my old Trek bike parts, and this is what we came up with:

So, I've been riding this to and fro. Its a bunch of fun. And hard. Its a 52 (or 53) to 20 or so ratio. I can feel myself getting stronger already.

I think I've figured out my next big race. It'll be the Farmington July 4 Olympic distance triathlon.

So, that gives me about 10 weeks to train. I'll have a workout plan in place in the next day or so.

Until then.

New Direction

2009-04-19T16:54:00.001-07:00

This blog, as it has fallen into disuse, will be taken in a new direction. I'm going to post my triathlon goals, training, and progress. I don't expect anyone to care about this sort of thing, but I need to get better at keeping track of my progress.

So, before I start, I'll recap my recent triathlon adventures. I began this season with the St. Patrick's Day Triathlon in Keller, TX (near Dallas). I didn't feel fully trained and posted a decent result of around 1:10:30. I can't find the exact results.

I raced the Spring Fling in Rio Rancho, and had another decent result:

 Total: 1:21:44.75   5K run: 22:21   T1:1:06   
15ish bike:49:12    T2:1:14    400m swim: 7:54

I just got back from nationals, held at Buffalo Srpings Lake in Lubbock, TX. I was pretty intimated. It was the most competitive triathlon I've done, and my first olympic. I ended up with a solid time of 2:42. The swim was very cold, and I think I went off course a few times. The bike felt fine (avg'ed 19.9) but the run wasn't good at all. My back hurt and I couldn't get myself to move faster. I was in damage control. I ended up with 8m miles for a 49m 10k, including a potty break. I need to focus on the run more.

I also hurt my knee the night before the race. I went to take a shortcut to the bathroom and attempted to clear a guard rail. I didn't, and gashed my knee up pretty good. It needed stiches, but I decided against it, in order to race the next day. No worries though, I had it looked at today, and it should be fine.

So, I need to plan out some goals. I'm racing the Jay Benson, and Elephant Man. I was thinking about Farmington, Santa Fe, Gallup, Soccoro, and Santa Fe. However, I'll be studying for the bar, and won't have disposable income for the race fees. We shall see. I know now, that I want to complete an olympic with a sub 30m swim, 20mph bike, and sub 40 10k. Yes, lofty goals, but here we go.

olympics

2008-08-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

I took time out of my day to say this. NBC sucks. Their coverage of the olympics is further evidence of their "we'll show you what we want when we want to" approach. We are the only country in the world unable to watch the opening ceremonies live. Its this American-centered view of the world that urks me.

So, off to non-NBC sites I go to watch the world's games.

procratinating

2008-01-21T19:52:00.001-08:00

. . . its what i do. i'll tell you all about it later.

The Story of Ma'ii

2007-12-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

I decided to transcribe an entry from my journal. Here is the story of my little Ma'ii (coyote)

The sad bit of news is the passing of Ma’ii. I have only touched on him once in this journal. That, is a shame. He has made a lasting impact on my life. He made me so happy and asked little in return. Ma’ii was a loving, loyal, well natured dog. He had no enemies and was friendly with everyone. The little pee-factory. The licking dog. My little buddy . . . is dead. A few words on the cause of his passing are necessary. Two days ago, on Saturday morning, I woke in the same manner I had throughout the week. Ma’ii liked my face around 5:30 AM, signaling his need to go outside for his morning pee. I soon fell back asleep and woke later (about 8:30AM) to see the Tour de France highlights from that day. I decided to give Ma’ii some exercise with a bike ride to he windmill that morning before it became too hot. Before I left, Ma’ii and I wrestled for a few moments. I distinctly remember thinking, “he makes me so happy.” Off on our bike ride we went.

I took a different route from normal. I headed to the windmill from the south. Traveling with me were Took, Shaggy #2, and the black female dog. Of course, Ma’ii was with me. I made it to the windmill and looked at little Ma’ii. The other dogs were roaming around, but my little buddy came right up to my bike and looked at me with anticipation. I remember looking at him and saying, “Alright little buddy, here we go!”

I pedaled a few times until the decline of the hill carried my speed. My bike was traveling very fast down the hilll. I thought how much fun it was and how I would do it again. I waited by the main dirt road for Ma’ii and the other dogs to catch up. After a few moments, Took, Shaggy #2, and the black dog appeared. I waited, wondering if Ma’ii had lost the trail. This didn’t seem very likely at the time. A car passed me. I decided to stop waiting and go up the hill to find my dog. All sorts of thoughts entered my mind.

Then the surreal - I saw a pack of dogs growling in the ditch by the side of the path - maybe 4 or 5 of them. I jumped off my bike with a distinct fear. I scared the dogs away and before me was a picture that I will not soon forget. A dirty pile of fur with its eyes half open remained. The dog was dead - no doubt about that. I knew it was Ma’ii but I could not comprehend what I saw. Then I saw the new collar on him that I gave him the night before. I picked him up, not sure of what to do. I became angry. I put him down, looked for a weapon, and sought out the sheep dogs. I knew it was futile, and so did they.

I returned to my fallen Ma’ii, still shocked. I had to get him back to my house. I threw him over my shoulder and rode home. My head became clear and I began to grasp the gravity of the situation. I came home and put him on the floor, weeping openly. I gave him a bath and dried him off. I put him in a pillow case with a toy, rawhide, and handwritten note. I got a shovel and set out to bury my fallen friend. It was so hard to drive, I was overcome by grief. I picked a spot by the ruins and began to dig. The digging helped me regain my composure. It was tough, the ground was hard, almost unaccepting of the task. I placed him in the hole and poured the dirt over him. I stacked a few rocks over the grave to mark the spot.

. . . .

that was the journal entry I made in tribute to Ma'ii. I thought putting him on my blog might help to perpetuate his memory.

1/2 way there

2007-12-10T19:49:00.000-08:00

Thought it was time for a quick lil' update. I just finished exams for fall of my second year of law school. This semester was a little more busy than last, and I'm not sure if I handled the time properly. Less time on reddit.com and more time briefing and outlining for sure next semester.

Other than school, things are good. Paula and I are doing well. She's in town and that's great. In fact, I'm sitting next to her right now. I'm looking forward to a good time this christmas with a trip up to boston with her.

Not much else to disclose; I'm really a simple man. I think I'll make a tribute post to my late dog in my next entry. That should be something.

facial hair nastiness?

2007-12-08T17:08:00.001-08:00

Is it that bad?

musings without direction

2007-09-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

I begin writing this entry without knowing exactly where it'll end up. something to consider about this, everything i write must be done under the assumption that everyone will read it. this is not some sort of egotistical bend; rather, what you write and post is there indefinitely. at the law school, the student email list serve has been cluttered with a discussion about a man who took down and ripped a mexican american flag which was flying in honor of mexican independence day (i think i got the facts right). one student posted a message the accused flag ripper posted on myspace. it was ripe with his opinions of hispanics. not good. so, with that in mind, i'm less likely to discuss things of consequence. but in the end, is anything of consequence?

every once in a while, my head hurts. not like a head ache, but some pulsing sharp pain. i feel powerless when i get the pain. for other pains, like muscles or skin, you can exercise a degree of control over it. but, when the vessels in your head start acting strange, time to brace for impact.

alright, status update. second year of law school. easier to manage, will get a lot busier. have a writing topic that can't take the traditional wackenheim all-nighter. gonna have to front load that project. paula and i are good. she's getting back tonight. i'm waiting for her to call now so I can leave the law school and pick her up.

other than that, not much happening. i'm getting older my the moment. one day, i won't be able to hack it anymore. until then. . .

shit

2007-09-16T21:12:00.001-07:00

i used to be a better goalie.

minor update

2007-07-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

i think its time i updated this. just enough for a status check, no times for musings on life, the universe and everything.

i have a job in which i draft complaints for foreclosure. i also do research.

paula moved to abq. super. its lovely being able to visit her without taking on rations for the journey.

i'm considering the los alamos tri. uh oh.

more to come later.

been a little while

2007-01-31T15:47:00.000-08:00

so i've been instructed to update this blog. its been a long time.

i've just finished my first semester of law school at unm. on the whole its been pretty good. i'm using that brain of mine again which had been dormant for so long. i spend a lot of time reading and struggling to remember what i read out of fear i'll space on something during class.

the first semester went well. i had some interesting professors, and some not so interesting professors. i've learned what this law thing is all about (which, to be honest, i should have looked into before signing up for a three year deal. i feel like i haven't read the contract). i'm not so sure about being a lawyer type lawyer after all of this, but there are so many different ways i can go. i need to find something for this summer to occupy myself with. i'm sure that will lead me in a direction. finally after 25 years, i'll have some direction in my life.

aside from unmsol, what else? well, i'm back to playing soccer. and i'm feeling old. not as sharp as i used to be. i have a part time job working on mass tort litigation at a firm in abq. that's pretty draining. i'm trying to make my weekends as free as possible to spend time with paula, so my weeks are pretty busy. i don't get to workout as much, which is a bit of a drag.

speaking of paula, things are going pretty well. i love her and miss her during the week. if you're reading this bootler, smelly butt loves you. aside from that, she and i have to make some gametime decisions soon about next year. but i'm sure it will all work out. it always does.

well, thats enough for now. don't stay tuned, because the next post will likely be just before my graduation in 2009.

twas the night before law school

2006-08-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

and so it begins . . .

tomorrow i wear my freshly ironed khaki pants and indiscriminate gray short sleeved collared shirt. i will walk to unm and begin my journey as a law school student. i am not real sure what to expect, but, i know i'll be surrounded with a diverse group of people. really, its been a long time since i've sat down and did a substantial amount of homework. this will be a real test. eye on the prize wackenheim . . . get the best grades you can. you can mull over the morality of the socratic method later. for now, play ball. (does that last sentence make me a sell out?)

let us hope i still have the idealism in three years.

committed

2006-07-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

i've signed up for a triathlon. hmmm. . . .here's to hoping i don't drown. i've been in the pool almost every day for the last two weeks. i'm getting much better at swimming, but i'm not sure how the three events will all come together. the triathlon is on sat aug 5 in brigantine, nj.

as for other things . . . italy won the world cup, my job is continuing, and i'm ready to head back to nm. my manager at work is convinced he can make me stay longer. he lacks perspective. i'm working at a dying casino. its a shame really, but the property is on the way out. it just can't keep up with the borgata and the other properties.

law school is approaching. uh oh. i can't help but think i'm unprepared. is it possible i'm getting dumber this summer? well, it'll kick in. i just hope i can find an apartment.

paula and i continue to converse about how crappy our conversations are. we'll be back together soon.

4 years . . .

2006-06-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

the us managed to lost to ghana (which wasn't hard considering how good a side ghana is). therefore, i have no real favorite to win the cup this year. the game was frustrating to watch. after the us goal, i was super psyched and back into the game. then the ghanians had to win a silly penalty. it was back to that france 98 feeling for me. oh well. we can hope to do well in another four years.

the grind

2006-06-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

so here i am in one of my two days off from work at the deck. its been taking a toll on my physically. i don't get to work out as much, although i've ridden to work twice so far. i like doing that. but, paula and i have been struggling as of late. she's down for a number of reasons, and my schedule is not conducive to an active phone relationship. i decided not to carry my cell phone one night and she became concerned that she was unable to contact me. it really upset her. i handled the whole thing in the wrong manner. still, we talked it over and worked it out. she's feeling better, and we both can't wait to see each other. right now i'm looking for some apartments. and tomorrow, i get to take my mom to philadelphia for an immigration meeting. hopefully she won't get deported. that would seriously suck. thursday the fun starts again at the deck. oh yeah bob.

caught in the crossfire of a bikini contest

2006-06-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

who's that good looking guy in the back?

the beginning, but not really

2006-06-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

yesterday was my first day of work at the deck in atlantic city. the deck is a seasonal restaurant at the trump marina, one of trump's three properties he has in ac. the menu is a glorified snack bar with emphasis on beverage. we make money on beer. my job is as a supervisor / manager. i make sure the guests are taken care of and all the staff are doing what they need to. i've done this for two other summers, 2002 and 2003. so, i've been away. i'm surprised at how little has changed. the staff is made up of young good looking girls as wait staff. we also have bartenders, bar porters, kitchen staff, music, and the whole shibang. i remember when i first started working at this outlet as a bar porter in 2001, i was awed by the servers. they were so beautiful and the like. i even went out with one. but, as i went to work yesterday, i have come to understand how much i have matured since those pot smoking binge drinking days (by no means am i denegrating those experiences - i feel everyone should try most things for themselves). i am now an adult. officially. i'll still whoop up on a 8th grader at pintado in basketball, but i'm an adult now. some of these servers are just graduating high school.

as for the job itself . . . i think i'm gonna try to detach myself from it as much as possible. i'm telling you . . . its hard work. long hours. its not so busy right now. when its busy, you just plot the course and make a few corrections as you go. you can't really stop the beast once it gets rolling. my coworkers are an eccletic bunch of folks. sheila, a puerto rican is a very smart and connected manager. she has a way of doing things and doesn't want to be crossed. i think shes gonna do a lot of good things at the deck. ayanna is another manager. she is intelligent and thoughtful. i think she'll do a great job as the inventory person. adam is a recent graduate of esu's management program. he reminds me of myself in ways. he likes the night life and is taking his job seriously. this is to be applauded. mark is the general manager of the whole shibang. he's coming from inside the building. he's a funny dude with an afflication for foreign girls. i'm not sure how he'll do under pressure, but i'm here to take orders. none of these folks have worked in this outlet before . . . which is where i come in. i'm not sure if there is any resentment at my arrival, but i'm only here to help. i have no ego to contend with, no motivation outside of personal pride and a paycheck to contend with. so, i'll do whatever is asked.

i've told myself that i would not think about the restaurant outside of work. however, as it will be a major part of my summer existence, i fear most of my posts will relate to it.

i miss paula. and i know i have to get better at talking on the phone. one little thing will set me off. i have to get over that. so, paula, i'm sorry for being a buger on the phone.

off to the gym. oh yeah bob.

leg talk

2006-05-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

this is my leg. there are many like it but this one is mine.

not so good

2006-05-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

scene deleted

irrelevant

2006-05-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

if my blogging was consistent, i wouldn't have to provide reasoning for creating a new post. as it is, i am in denver on a field trip with my 8th grade students. tonight is the last night, we will eat dinner at the staple pintado restaurant - old country buffet - and then relax at the hotel. i will most likey pummel some weaker children in the pool then retire to a night of sim city. i'd like to think i've worked hard to get here. i'll return to school thursday night, rush to see paula, say my farewells to the kiddos the next day, and hope to dodge unpleasant company in a bbq on friday. then goodbyes to paula and a long car ride with two pets across the country. perhaps i should feel a little more reflective at times like this. there are so many things in the next three days that i will be doing for my last time. still, i seem to live in the present. one last summer in the sun at the deck, and then air conditioned homework sessions with big law school books. oh yeah bob. until next time.

end of the line

2006-05-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

i am sitting in my classroom, manually decomposing my last three years of work and effort. with a simple depression of the delete key, i erase my blood, sweat and tears of teaching from the computer. i am about to cleanse my classroom and prepare it for the next soul to enter my profession. i'm going to miss this lifestyle. yes teachers work hard, and yes we have a near impossible task out here, but i'll miss my free time. its time to give this law thing a whirl.

oh yeah, just so i don't forget, yesterday i blabbed a fairly significant secret of one of my friends all over. i did it without thinking; i had forgotten it was privledged knowledge. sometimes i am such a knuckle head. i hope this doesn't do permant damage.

time to destroy the last three years of work . . .

unclear

2006-04-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

well, here i am sitting next to paula. i need to decide whether or not i wish to attend unm law school. i'm honored i've been accepted, i'm just a little unsure about returning to school. i've been schooled for my whole life . . . so whats another three years. the larger questions . . . do i want to get a jd, do i want to give up my existence i've cultivated? who knows? i will the next time i post

initiation

2006-04-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

hello. this is me.

i'm not quite sure what the direction of this space will be. i know that i'm creating it now as a result of one of my flaws . . . procrastination. here i am with a year long research paper due tomorrow, with little of it completed, and i'm setting this up. well, that's who i am.

well, here's to my entry into the cyberworld.