Triathlon invades pop culture

Rhymes with Orange

Rainy Afternoon in Georgia

Well, my afternoon ride was cancelled due to thunderstorms and torrential rains.  Fortunately I was inside when the storms happened, not out on my bike getting ambushed by the weather like a few weeks ago in some town in Texas that shall remain nameless (*cough*Lubbock*cough*).  

I did get in a good run this morning, though.  It was a day for a tough run: 75 minutes at just under lactate threshold heart rate.  I felt solid the whole way, though my pace started to slow at the end.  I still maintained an average HR of 153, right inside my target zone of 150-155, and kept an average pace of just under 8.30 min/mile for a total distance of 8.8 miles.  As I spend more time focusing on running and specifically at running these heart rates, my speed and distance should increase with no rise in HR.  I'm working on a much longer post where I will explain all of the theory and planning to my run training this summer.  More to follow.

I finally backed up and tallied the numbers from last week.  Considering I spent the first part of the week packing and traveling, I put in a decent if unremarkable amount of work in the last few days.  In Thursday through Sunday I totalled four hours of training, evenly split between the bike and the run.  Not bad considering I hadn't done anything in the week and a half prior to that.  Those numbers are going to get a whole lot bigger over the next few weeks, though.  The idea will be to put in 2-3 hrs per day or more.

Yesterday was a forced rest day of sorts.  Mom and I completely cleaned out my room, most of which had been left untouched since I left for college five years ago.  It needed doing, but it set off my allergies big time, so I spent the rest of the day in a Benadryl-induced nap.  No training at all.  I'm feeling good today, though.  Shame the weather is so uncooperative.

Until next time, train hard, train smart.

Memorial Day

I hope everyone has a wonderful day today as we remember and give thanks for those who serve, and especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice.  I will never forget those all-too-frequent times during my two years at West Point when the First Captain would call the Corps to attention and give us all the somber news of another member of the Long Gray Line killed before his or her time.  

The one that hit the closest to home for me, the only one that I had the blessing to know, was then-Cadet Command Sergeant Major Emily Perez.  Perez was Cadet CSM for my plebe year, and in the few passing interactions I had with her--usually when I had messed something up and she was chewing me out for it--I left with an amazing feeling that even in the midst of giving me harsh criticism and correction, she genuinely cared about me, about my development, and about my success as a soldier.  A Second Lieutenant, she was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb in September 2006.   There are too many more like her, and we must remember them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/sports/24westpoint.html?scp=5&sq=west%20point%20perez%20killed%20iraq&st=cse

They shall not grow old,

As we that are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them,

Nor the years condemn,

At the going down of the sun

And in the morning

We will remember them.

-Laurence Binyon

 

    Is it worth it?  That the U.S.A. should take on such onerous obligations and risks in order that we as a nation, and most of the world, may live without fear from any enemy?

    Is it worth it?  Is it right?  Should we go on doing it?  Each time in the future, whenever that question is asked, the beloved memories of the men…will stand before us all.

    And each time we should consider what their answer would have been…  Fellow Americans, these were military men.  These were the greatest of Americans.  Patriots.  Men of honor.  Men of duty.  They were not ordinary men.  And their answer would have come without hesitation.  Is it right?  Yes.  It would always have been, yes.

-Patrick Robinson, Nimitz Class

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

-John 15:13

Guest Post: Tail Tales

[Editor's Note: I take no responsibility for any of the following content. ]

I got to go for a run today with Daddy!  We went for a car ride, and he rolled the windows down!  We went to this place called Chattahoochee.  I don't know what that is but I guess it means we go outside in the woods and stuff.  We got there and Daddy took FOREVER putting his socks and shoes on.  He kept telling me to "wait" in the car but there was so much to do and see outside that I just couldn't wait to get out.  I kept inching forward more and more until finally he put my leash on and let me go outside!  Then we ran into some people and I tried to sniff them and some other dogs and I tried to sniff them too and there were so many things on the ground to sniff and there was one big doberman who I wanted to say hi to but was just too good for me I guess because he just stuck his pretentious nose in the air and didn't even acknowledge me.  Stupid Germans, why can't they be more friendly?  Then Daddy counted "1...2...3" and we were off!  I wanted to run fast but Daddy had me on the leash and told me to slow down and pace myself.  I don't know what that means.  He talks to me a lot, and most of the time I have no idea what he is saying.  But that's ok because I was having fun.  So we're just trotting along on this soft gravelly path and then all of a sudden he turns and we head up into the woods!  We passed another dog but that dog was down at a creek and we didn't stop to say hi because we were running!  And we ran up and down and up and down and I don't know where Daddy was going but he kept stopping every once in a while and looking at his watch and muttering something about his heart rate.  I don't know what that is.  But we kept going after a second and it was so exciting and fun and all sorts of things to see and do.  Well there really wasn't much to do because we were running and I knew I was on a leash so I didn't try to run off in different directions (too much) and just stayed close to Daddy.  We got to see a squirrel and it ran across the path and I tried to chase it but Daddy said no.  Later we saw this big ol' blue bird that Daddy said was a very big and pretty blue jay.  Daddy told me that one of the great things about running in the woods is getting to listen to all of the sounds of the birds and animals, and see beautiful things like that blue jay flying through the trees.  And we ran for a while and I was having lots of fun and my tongue was hanging out everywhere and then we got to a river that Daddy called Sope Creek.  (He said they spell it funny like that, but I don't know why.)  And I got to run in the river a little bit and cool off and get all wet and fun.  I love playing in the water.  It's my favorite thing, along with running and eating and napping and playing and licking things and sniffing around and meeting new dogs and people and... you get the idea!  Then after a little while we went back and started running again.  On the way back we came across this silly guy who had big headphones on his head - the really huge ones that cover your whole ear.  Well, not my whole ear, I have big ears, but human ears.  Daddy yelled at him to get out of the way because we were trying to run through, but the man couldn't hear anything because of the things on his head and so we had to run around him as he looked surprised to see us.  Daddy just shook his head and muttered something about the stupidity of taking a walk through the woods but putting on headphones like that so that you're not even listening to the nature that you're walking through.  I know what he meant - I love listening to everything and perking my ears up at even the smallest sounds!  Then we got back to where we started and I was really tired and panting hard and my tongue was flapping everywhere but that's ok because it was lots of fun and I got to go play in the woods with Daddy!  When we got back to the car he got me some water and petted me and told me how proud he was of me and what a good job I did running and something about how we went more than six miles!  I don't know what a mile is.

We're back home now, and I'm pooped.  I think I'm going to go take a nap.

Woof woof,

Dixie the Lab

Back in the Saddle

I don't know where I stumbled across the "In The Bleachers" cartoon strip, but I've been following it for a while now and they sometimes have some pretty good stuff.  This is one of them.  I've never done a marathon but I've definitely hit the wall a time or two in training, and anyone who has been there knows that you don't need to ask for directions!

I'm starting to get back in the saddle.  Both literally and proverbially.  4 mile Big Peach run on Thursday evening with the Peachtree Tri Club crew (followed by the usual: a slice of white and a slice of hawaiian).  An hour mountain biking with Ted on the trails by Chattahoochee and Sope Creek on Friday evening, where we got so completely lost that we ended up running into a dead end: the "NO TRESPASSERS" sign/fence for the Atlanta Country Club golf course.  Another hour fifteen riding around the roads in Sandy Springs, including going around Chastain and up the big hill on Northside Drive (aka "Huff and Puff Hill").  Today is long run day, although my long run at this point is not very respectable.  Maybe 6 or 8 miles or so.

I'm beginning to put my plan together for the summer, though obviously it will change based on near-term travel plans and the availability of resources once we get to Montana.  But for now it looks like this.  It's a 10-day "week" since I don't have any formal time constraints (like a job).  Two 10-day cycles plus a rest day gives me a repeatable 3 week schedule:

Mon: Swim, Run easy, Strength

Tues: Bike hard, Run hard

Wed: Swim, Run easy, Strength

Thurs: Bike hard, Run easy

Fri: Swim, Run long

Sat: Bike hard, Run easy

Sun: Swim, Run hard, Strength

Mon: Bike easy, Run easy

Tues: Swim, Bike hard, Strength

Wed: Run long

(end of cycle #1)

Thurs: Swim, Run easy, Strength

Fri: Bike hard, Run hard

Sat: Swim, Run easy, Strength

Sun: Bike hard, Run easy

Mon: Swim, Run long

Tues: Bike hard, Run easy

Wed: Swim, Run hard, Strength

Thurs: Bike easy, Run easy

Fri: Swim, Bike hard, Strength

Sat: Run long

(end of cycle #2)

Sun: Rest day

THEN REPEAT again and again and again in order to slowly see improvements.  That's the theory anyway.

I have a few specific swim workouts I'm going to be repeating in order to measure increased fitness.  Biking is, at least for the first few weeks, just going to be unstructured time in the saddle, not any specific or focused workouts.  Once we get to Montana, I think the workouts will probably be as simple as "hey, let's go ride up to the top of that mountain, down the other side, and see where it takes us!".  I have a much more structured plan for my run training, which I'll explain in a later post.

For now, however, it's time for breakfast.  Gotta fuel up for the run later this morning!

Back in Atlanta

I'm back in Atlanta for the next few weeks.  I hope to see a lot of you Georgia folks while I'm down here.

NEW BIKE

I JUST BOUGHT A NEW BIKE!!!!!!  I'm really excited about it.  It's a 2009 Scott Plasma 10.  Chuck and Wayne at the Bike Rack just set me up on this great new ride.  They're ordering it and will put it together for me while I'm in Atlanta, and then when I come back through DC in June, I'll pick it up from them and be able to ride on it all summer.

I'll also be sporting a great Bike Rack cycling kit all summer long.  Thanks, guys!

Two Pics from the Party

A couple of pictures from my party at Madita's house, courtesy of Sarah.

(Andy, Meag, Sarah, Alex, Michelle, Alicia, Moi)

Graduation

So it's official.  I graduated.  Whoa.

Pictures to follow once I steal them from my parents' and Alicia's cameras.

Bike Fit

Just got done with a bike fit down at CycleLife DC.  Spent over four hours getting fine-tuned on a super-adjustable stationary bike, all of which just lets me know what bike to start shopping for.  That's right, it's official: I'm bike shopping.  My current bike, Roxanne, has been a faithful steed since I got her back in 2006, but it's time for me to move on to a carbon fiber bike that fits me better.  I'm going to be putting LOTS of miles on two wheels this summer, so I want to be riding a bike that I'm 100% comfortable on.

$O... any contribution$ to the graduation fund AKA BICYCLE FUND will be greatly appreciated (wink wink).

Also, any of you slowtwitchers out there who have any suggestions for a bike in the $2500 range that is somewhere around 575mm stack and 390-400mm reach, please let me know.  I'm definitely open to ideas.

Happy riding!

Team photo from Kinetic

Here's the team photo we took after yesterday's race.

Kinetic Sprint Tri

Race yesterday morning was lots of fun.  My last race with the Georgetown Tri Team... hard to believe.  I drove down to Lake Anna, VA, Saturday afternoon and camped overnight with Alex & Michelle and Dave Solomon.  Dixie came too!  (And promptly got into something pretty stinky, but I got her rinsed off in the lake so she's better now.)

Race day was beautiful.  The water was in the mid 60s, and air temp warmed up into the 70s.  People before the race were calling me crazy for not swimming with a wetsuit, but as I got out into the swim I realized that I definitely wouldn't have wanted one - I would have overheated!  The bike was scenic and the roads smooth for the most part.  A few rolling hills, but nothing major.  The fact that I haven't been on my bike since Nationals three weeks ago definitely caught up with me, however.  I would feel strong for short stretches and then WHOA... that's what tired legs feel like!  My front tire flatted about a mile from the end of the bike.  I kept hearing this strange clicking sound and then POP.  But I was close enough that I just rode it in carefully.  I didn't have a flat kit with me anyway.

The run would have been much better if it hadn't taken me three full miles to get my legs to stop feeling like lead bricks, leaving me only a few hundred yards to actually "race", but I had no intention of pushing really hard during this race anyway, so I was plenty happy to just keep chugging along at a steady pace.

The drive back home was quite possibly the roughest part of the whole day.  The monotony of the highway was trying to put me to sleep, but Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper (and one boston creme donut) were my friends!  Dixie and I made it home safe and sound, then slept until dinnertime, ate, and slept until morning.

Kinetic Sprint Tri

750 meter swim, 18 mile bike, 3.1 mile run

Swim: 12:19

T1: 1:53

Bike: 55:58

T2: 1:29

Run: 27:16

TOTAL: 1:38:52

P.S. I'll try to post some pictures from the race and our post-race team photo when I get a chance.

Dixie Says Hi, Too...

...or she would if she weren't passed out under the bed. That's my girl!

It Starts...

Here goes nothing... the start of a blog. I'm mostly doing this to keep friends and family updated on what I'm doing once I launch into hardcore triathlon training this summer in preparation for Half-Ironman Lake Stevens on August 16th.

I'll try to blog enough to let everyone know that haven't died from training or just straight-up disappeared into the Montana wildlands or something, but I'm not much of the blog extrovert type, so we'll see how it goes.