The Pain Game… Eagleman 70.3 – 2016

Well my first big race of the season came and went this past weekend. I signed up for the race in hopes to get my training kicked off early in the year, in preparation for Superfrog and IM North Carolina in September and October respectively. I will say that it was an effective strategy. However, basically taking the month of May off didn’t help my cause on race day. That being said, I made it through a rough day and now can focus on my “A Race” in September.

A quick race report: Blue, sunny skies were the call for the day and some major heat. I think it got well into the 90’s by the afternoon, which would explain the large number of walkers during the run (including myself). The water was nice (74 degrees), wetsuit legal. I had a good comfortable swim from start to finish, which I moderately enjoyed. The bike route was very flat, but a bit windy. I had a little lateral knee pain on both knees for about half the ride (might be a bike fitting issue I need to address), but subsided later into the ride. I was hoping to average 20 mph for the 56 miles, but could only squeak out 19.34 mph. SCOTTY… WE NEED MORE POWER!!! I JUST… CAN’T… DO IT, CAPTAIN! <----- for you Star Trek nerds. Coming off the bike my quads cramped for the first two miles, which was extremely annoying and painful. After eating copious amounts of salt the cramps subsided and then I spent the next 11 miles playing the run/walk game and feeling like complete crap (both mentally and physically). I spent most of the winter working on my run and was hoping for a good showing this weekend. Well, they can’t all be homeruns. I’ve had better races and I’ve had worse ones. I’m going to chalk Sunday up as a good hard workout. (see pictures on the "Race Pics" tab)


Swim: 00:38:42 (02:00/100m)
T1: 00:03:42
Bike: 02:53:43 (19.34 mph)
T2: 00:03:39
Run: 02:48:51 (12:53/mi)

Total: 06:28:36

This weekend I’m doing the Luray Swimfest. The races consist of three distances, 750m, 1500m, and 2250m, with the option of doing one, two, or all three distances. The starting times are 0800, 0845, and 0945. I’m doing all three, so the faster I swim the longer my breaks. It should be an interesting day. That’s a lot of swimming…

Thanks to all my well wisher for last weekend’s race. I really appreciate the encouragement and all the positive thoughts! Ya’ll rock!!!  And of course, I couldn't haven't done it without my support team... Love you Fonda and Loki.

Cheers,

Scott

Commit, Achieve, Inspire

The Struggle is Real

For the couple folks that read my blog, you may (or not) have noticed I’ve been a little lax on writing for the month of May. Well, May was pretty much a wash for training: 20 out of 24 days of rain, work, aches, pain, laziness, and life in general… choose your poison. Aren’t excuses a bitch?!?! Except for my elite athlete friends, I think everyone struggles with periods where life bogs down their fitness and health goals. Sometimes those periods are called Happy Hour. J Although, I’m sure even my superstar friends have some days they wish they could get back. Set backs are a part of training, just as they are with life, but how you deal with them is really what really matters.

That being said, how am I dealing with a crappy training month… how about a half Ironman! That’s right kids, Eagleman 70.3!!!  Only six days until the race and its happening whether I like it or not. So, here’s a scene setter for Sunday, June 6^th:

-          Depending on the day, I’m between seven to ten pounds over my weight goal for the race (185lbs goal)

-          I haven’t rode over 45 miles yet this season

-          I haven’t run over 10 miles in a month

-          I have only swam 2000+ meters a couple times this season

Now that’s what I call exciting! Why do I do Ironman training… the challenge of course! Well, I think I’ve set myself up for a challenge this weekend. I will admit that these aren’t the most optimal conditions for a race, but I’ve been in far worse places and in far worse conditions (I’d like the thank the Ranger Regiment for putting into perspective how bad things can actually suck… but still love ever second of it. RLTW!). This will be just another obstacle to climb over, dig under, or run around. Or, there is always the fourth and my favorite option:

This weekend, I choose RUN, RIGHT, THROUGH it!!!

For those playing at home, my start time is 7:12am, June 12^th, bib number 1083. I’ll be the one in the light pink swim cap. 

Send those positive thoughts my direction on Sunday... I'll need them!

Cheers,

Scott

Rumpus in Bumpuss... Oh yeah!!!

That’s Bumpass, Virginia for those playing at home. I capped off last week off with an international (Olympic) distance triathlon, which I’d say went pretty well (at least for me). For those who aren’t familiar with international distance triathlons, it’s a 1500m swim, 24 mile bike, and 10k (6.2 mile) run. I used this race as a good warm up to get the tri-gears going in preparation for Eagleman 70.3 in June. I will spare everyone from a detailed race report, but will give you some highlights. (Also, see Race Pics Page)

The weather was perfect, overcast and low 60’s for the whole race. The swim was straight forward, unfortunately my swimming wasn’t very straight. I probably ended up swimming an extra 300m from all the zig-zagging I was doing. The bike was relatively flat, with a few rollers. It did take about five miles to get my biking legs under me, which resulted in a slow start.  Not to worry though, I caught up and smoked most of the folks who passed me early on. Fortunately, the really fast folks were already in front of me. The run went well. I ran faster than expected, coming off the bike, and felt like I was only really suffering during miles 5-6. My legs were getting tired and I started feeling the blister on my heel. I raced in some sockless shoes that I've been training in and for some reason got a blister. I think my feet were wet, but I'm not sure if that was the actual cause.

All said and done, I thought it went well. My “optimistic” estimate was 3 hours (ish). I ended up finishing at 2:50 and I’m very pleased with that. A special thanks to one of my training buddies Ginger for making race day enjoyable. You rock girl!

Swim: 34:56 (1:57 min/100yd)

T1: 3:54
Bike: 1:14 (19.1 mph)
T2: 2:20
Run: 55:42 (9:03 min/mi)

Total: 2:50:36

Looking into the future. I need to keep improving on all three disciplines, but for the next four weeks I’m going to specifically focus on my swim (four week swim block). It took me a good 600m or so to get comfortable at the race. It felt like my wetsuit was completely constricting my breathing and I couldn’t get into a good rhythm. I’m not sure if it was the excitement of the start or my wetsuit was actually too tight. Either way, I do need to get some pool time in because I’ve neglected swimming quite a bit.

Eagleman 70.3 is in six weeks… and its coming quick.

Cheers,

Scott

Commit, Achieve, Inspire

The Good, the bad, and the ok…

Starting with the good, I finished the GW Parkway Classic (10 miler) on Sunday in 1:31. That’s a 9:03 average minute per mile pace, which puts me ahead of schedule for my running goal of 9:00 minute miles (for 13.1) by the end of May. I owe Sunday’s time to my training buddies, both during training and on race day.  Thanks ya’ll. You rock!!! Hopefully, if I can keep knocking down the time, I’ll be at 8:00 minute miles by mid-summer and 7:30 or better by the end of the summer. Only time and training will tell.  

Jumping to “the ok”, my training schedule was intentionally light this past week; however, it got even lighter as the week went on. I missed my two swim days, one because I slept in and the other because the lifeguard didn’t show up.  I did do some swim specific strength training with thera-bands and some much needed upper body work and stretching. I really needed to get some pool time in, especially since I’ve got a tri on Saturday. Fortunately, it’s only a 1500m swim and I can muscle through it.

And for the bad… I gained two pounds. I’m hoping it’s the carb loading and all of the water and Gatorade I drank all weekend in preparation for the race and post-race. If that’s the case, I should at least get back to 198lbs; if not, I just need to keep buckling down. Beer is a carbohydrate, right?

For this week’s training schedule, I’ll be back to a pretty regular schedule. I’m not going to taper very much like I did for the 10 miler. I’m treating Saturday’s triathlon like another training day and am not going to allow myself to use it as an excuse to “rest” beforehand, or eat food I don’t normally eat.  It’s only an Olympic distance race and I should be done with it in about three hours (finger’s crossed).

I enjoyed my rest day today and look forward to crushing it this week.  Have a great one!!!

Cheers,

Scott

April 18 - 24

Monday
Rest Day

Tuesday
AM - Weight Training/Core
R - 1 :00

Wednesday
S - 2500m
R - :45
B - 1:00

Thursday
AM - Rehab/Stretch
R - Track (Speed Work)

Friday
S - 2500m

AM – Swim specific strength training
B - 1:00

Saturday
R - :30 (easy)

Sunday
R - GW Parkway Classic (10 miler)

Total Time - 5:45 4:45
S - 2:00
B - 2:00 1:00
R - 1:45 3:45

Training Sponsored by the Letter "L"

What a great first week back...

Last week’s training was sponsored by the letter “L”, as in: sore Legs; Lots of hills; Lack of off-season riding; Lamentation of the women (no wait, that’s Conan the Barbarian), Lamentation about my sore Legs... and LOVING IT!!!

Over all, I’m happy with last week’s training, besides the aforementioned lamentation. I was a couple hours short of my projected training goal, but I still got in some great training. Highlights include my first outdoor ride on my bike since November, repeats at the Masonic National Temple (gnarly hill training) with my running buddies, and finishing the week with a ride in the beautiful, but chilly Prince William National Forest. Lowlight… an eight and half mile run the day after enjoying a wonderful evening with the neighbors (good wine and champagne). The run was brutal, but I got it done. I’m getting too old for those kind of shenanigans.

Based on last week I’ve made some tweaks to the schedule and will continue to do so as I work my way up to Eagleman in June. My goal is to get two swims, three rides, and three runs in each week. Additionally, I’d like to get in one weight training session and one rehab/stretching session. That being said, this week’s schedule is tailored down a bit in preparation for the GW Parkway Classic 10 miler (Sunday). I’d like to have some fresh legs for the race and hopefully pull off a sub 95 minute finish time.

I hope everyone has a great week. I'm looking forward the GW Classic and the post run BBQ... but mostly eating!

Cheers,

Scott


April 11 - 17

Monday
S - 1500m
B - 1:30 (Brick)
R - 1 mile (hard)

Tuesday
R - 1:00

Wednesday
S - 1500m
B - 1:00

Thursday (Speed/Strength)
WT/Stretch- Back, shoulders, chest
R - National Masonic Temple stair repeats (x7)

Friday
S - 2000m
R - 1:00 :30

Saturday
B - 2:00 (Brick)
R - :30 1:30

Sunday
B - 1:00 (Brick)
R - 1:30 1 Mile (hard)

Total Time- 10:40 8:20
S - 1:40 1:00
B - 4:30 3:30
R - 4:30 3:50

At It Again...

Hello Everyone,

I’ve been putting this off for over a month now. I didn’t do a blog last year and debated doing one this year as well. However, I decided in order to meet my (lofty) goals this year, I needed to do it. For various reasons, both known and unknown, I found that holding myself accountable for training last year was tough.  As a result, I slogged through three 70.3 races and dodged Ironman Maryland due to a hurricane. Two of the three 70.3’s were pretty painful. I’m really too dumb to know when to stop or quit… both a curse and a blessing.
Ironman training is difficult enough, but I’m sure as others will attest, training for a 140.6 mile race without a training partner, a coach, or a team can be even more challenging. This is especially true in the accountability department. It doesn’t take much to talk myself out of a five hour ride, in lieu of sleeping in or a nice glass <or two> of wine.

So why not get a training partner, a coach, or join a team? Good question, I’m glad you asked. I’m all about training partners. I do rides and runs with some phenomenal folks who really keep me going and help me push myself. However, finding another crazy person to do the amount of training required for an Ironman is another thing entirely. That being said, I’m ecstatic every week I get to run or ride with my training buddies. As far as coaches go, I guess I’m not ready, to get that serious. Maybe when I think I have a shot at a Kona slot (Ironman Championships in Kona, Hawaii), but until then I’m going to save my money. As far as tri teams go, I think they can be great. However, I don’t think a team is right for me, at least right now. I’ve found that many of those folks, who are great people, just take it wayyy to serious. I probably talk about tri stuff more than I should/want right now; so adding an entire social network devoted to triathlons would be too much.

So… what does that leave? I guess “blogging” (I hate that word) to the few folks that entertain me by reading what I’ve written. I seriously dread having to record missed workouts and bad dietary choices, especially if others are going to read it. Avoiding the dread of admitting to my “bad days” helps me stay on track, which in the long run will help me accomplish my goals.  I know there will be set backs, but that’s what life is about. Nobody is perfect, but staying the course and being accountable helps one make it through, no matter what the challenge.

This year I’ve signed up for three major races, two half Ironman distance races and one full. It’s going to be an exciting year of racing and I’m looking forward to it. To get the season started off right, I’m doing Eagleman 70.3 in Cambridge, MD. Following that, I’m super stoked about racing with my brother again, this time at the Superfrog 70.3 in San Diego, CA. Superfrog will be my ‘A Race’ this year and hope to smoke my previous personal record (PR) of 6:15 at Ironman Texas 70.3, by finishing under 5:15. Dare I say sub five hours? I’ve got lots of work to do either way. Finally, a month later I’ll be doing Ironman North Carolina (formerly Beach to Battleship) with some old Ranger buddies. This is the full meal deal, 140.6 miles, and I can’t wait to feel the pain with some old friends.

I’m going to wrap it up here.  I just wanted to get some thoughts on paper, get some folks in my corner, and get this year of racing kicked off. I look forward to hearing your comments, your cheers, your jeers… and of course the ball busting. More to follow...

Cheers,

Scott

10 pounds short? Just add carbs!

So, I’m currently sitting between 185-188 lbs. That’s just about ten pounds short of my 178 goal by race day. <Insert sad face here> I had some distractions the last couple of months and really couldn’t get back into the groove once I dropped below 190 lbs.  I’m not sure what those 10 lbs will equal on race day, but I do know the 20+ pounds I did loss should be pretty significant.

That being said, starting tomorrow I begin carbohydrate loading.  That means about 75% of my diet will be carbohydrates.  Unfortunately, that does not mean I can have a steady diet of Twinkies and Little Debbie’s, all though that does sound pretty good.  What it does mean is about 1 cup of Bulgar wheat, 3-4 times a day until the race.  I’ll also be supplementing the Bulgar with pasta to change it up a bit.  All said and done, it’ll be about five meals a day for a total of 600g of carbohydrates, about 2400 calories in carbs alone… ouch!  I wish some of those calories were Margaritas! No worries, I’ll still be getting my protein though.

Carb loading saturates the muscles with glycogen (energy to the muscles) which helps keep you moving and preventing the dreaded “BONK!” which is one of my biggest fears for such a long race.  Fueling the body is critical and without the fuel, it could be a short day or a very, very long painful day.  This will also cause me to retain water, which means I’ll probably be even heavy at the start of the race.  Not a big deal since the first hour and half I’ll be swimming and the water in my muscles will slowly absorb as the day presses on.

As far as the last ten pounds, it’s not over after the race.  The goal will be to finish off the last ten pounds by the end of June.  I haven’t done any strength training since I started training for the Ironman and I am really looking forward to getting back into the gym.  Studies have shown that the best way to lose weight is combination of cardio, strength training, and a clean diet. So, I’ll hit weights, stay on the cardio, and keep it clean.   I’ll be shredded in no time!  We’ll see about that…

Wednesday is three days and a wake-up!

Week 30 - This Is The End

The End - The Doors

This is the end, beautiful friend
This is the end, my only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes, again

Can you picture what will be, so limitless and free
Desperately in need, of some, stranger's hand
In a, desperate land

Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane, all the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah
There's danger on the edge of town
Ride the King's highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby
Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
The snake is long, seven miles

Ride the snake, he's old, and his skin is cold
The west is the best, the west is the best
Get here, and we'll do the rest

This is the end, beautiful friend
This is the end, my only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes, again

Can you picture what will be, so limitless and free
Desperately in need, of some, stranger's hand
In a, desperate land

Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane, all the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah
There's danger on the edge of town
Ride the King's highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby
Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
The snake is long, seven miles

Ride the snake, he's old, and his skin is cold
The west is the best, the west is the best
Get here, and we'll do the rest

The blue bus is callin' us, the blue bus is callin' us
Driver, where you taken us

The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots on
He took a face from the ancient gallery
And he walked on down the hall

He went into the room where his sister lived, and, then he
Paid a visit to his brother, and then he
He walked on down the hall, and
And he came to a door, and he looked inside
Father, yes son, I want to kill you
Mother, I want to, fuck you

C'mon baby, take a chance with us
C'mon baby, take a chance with us
C'mon baby, take a chance with us

And meet me at the back of the blue bus
Doin' a blue rock, on a blue bus
Doin' a blue rock, c'mon, yeah
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill
This is the end, beautiful friend

This is the end, my only friend, the end
It hurts to set you free
But you'll never follow me
The end of laughter and soft lies
The end of nights we tried to die
This is the end

 

 

Week 28: Texas 70.3 review and some other stuff

Well it’s been a few weeks since Ironman Texas 70.3 and apologize for the delay.  I started a race review when I got back from Galveston… well, it didn’t make the cut. I noticed it was a long and drawn out account of my race, which seem overly wordy.  Not to mention I want out of town for a couple weeks, immediately after returning from the race. So I regret that the review kind of got pushed aside.

Here are is the Cliff Notes of the race:

What: Ironman Texas 70.3

Where: Galveston, TX
When: April 6, 2014
Who: Me and my brother
Why: Crazy?
How: Standard 70.3 race (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run)
Finish Time: 6:15:16
Weather: Overcast, air temp 70’s, water temp 69 degrees

Details:  Overall not a bad race, considering it was my first half Ironman.  I finished at just over six hours.  The swim did not start off very well.  My age group was wave 13 of 20 and we started at 8am. I broke my wetsuit 15 minutes prior to entering the water and I decided to go without the suit.  The water was cold (69 deg F), but I’ve been in colder and didn’t think it was too bad.  That is mostly because I was concerned about the insane amount of chop that I was swimming headfirst into for the first 550 meters.  I made it out of the water unscathed, but a lot slower than I would have liked.

                                                                 Going in (one of the last)

 

                                                              Age Group Mass Start                                                             

 

                                                                         Donzo!!!

The bike went well.  The route was very flat and we had a tail wind on the way out and back (not sure how that happened, but it was nice).  I found an impromptu team mate and followed her for about 38 miles before I had to hit the port-o-john.  All said and done, I averaged 19.5mph for the ride and I don’t think I could have asked for anything better. 

A rough dismount

 

And I'm good!

 

 

To the run… it was very slow.  I pretty much committed myself to running everything, but to walk  the water stations.  They were about a mile apart; so, it was a good mental goal as I tried to finish up the race.  It was three loops with multiple U-turns... I wasn't a big fan.  However, the good thing about the three laps was you had lots of folks cheering you on the whole run.  Very cool.

                                                                      One more lap!!

                                                        With John (He finished 5:29:40)

All in all, not too many hiccups for the day. The wetsuit was obviously a big one. One minor mishap did occur prior to the start on race day.  Somehow we missed that the transition area was closing at 6:30am. I didn’t start unit 8am and John not until 8:15am; so, we were in not hurry as we arrived at 6:22am.  That’s when we heard the announcer say that all athletes had to be out of the transition area in eight minutes.  Needless to say, we had to run into the transition area, drop our stuff, get our swimming gear and get out, with barely a minute to spare.  So, neither of our transition areas were ready prior to the race.  That led to a very slow T1 time (7 minutes), but I wasn’t overly worried.  I was just trying to catch my breath and not forget my helmet as I got my bike gear together.  I also broke my bike computer sensor off at about 1/8 of a mile out of the transition area… not a good way to start the ride. However, it turned out well, so no biggie.

 

                                                                       Race breakdown

 

Only 19 days until the big race.  Am I ready... yes and no.  Yes, I'm ready to get that sucker knocked out.  But... no, I didn't get all of my training in and I'm going to pay for it.  However, because I know that, I'm that much more mentally prepared for the suck.  I can hardly believe I paid to do this!

 

So with three weeks until the race, I'm pretty much trying to get in the rest of my workouts and mentally prepare.  I don't have anymore work trips and my schedule is clear, thank goodness!  Here's to good weather. Cheers!

 

 

Week 24: Back from outer space... I will survive

Or at least, let's hope so. So my three weeks away was horrible for my training, both physically and mentally.  Obviously, I missed out on some pretty significant training, but psychologically it’s done some damage as well.  I’m seriously starting to worry about the race in May.  Only 45 days left!  Now don’t get me wrong, it is going to happen. Although it’s going to be a whole lot more painful than I would have liked.  One of my life rules is coming to mind: You can’t cram fitness.  I guess I’ll need to add an addendum to that rule: However, you sure as heck can try! (Safely of course)

So that being said, I had a pretty good week of training last week.  I got most of my workouts in, including the weekend long ride (60mile ride + 45min run) and long run (1hour ride + 2:15 run).  They weren’t all that fun and not quite where I should be at this point in my training; however, I didn’t think it was too bad considering the long break.  I also got some time in with the wetsuit, which obviously feels a little different, but isn’t too bad and very buoyant (bonus!).

I’m sure some of you are wondering about the weight loss.  Luckily, I guess, I stayed pretty steady throughout three weeks of hotel living.  This past Monday morning I weighed 189.6 lbs.  I believe the boat for the sub 170lbs by race day has sailed.  I’m not even sure what’s doable at this point.  I really just need to make it through the race.  Maybe sub 180, who knows?

This weekend I have the Texas 70.3 in Galveston.  It’ll be a good test to see how I am physically, but I also need to keep in mind that’s only half of a full Ironman.  However, things are not looking good for the race.  Thunderstorms are forecasted (99% chance of rain), starting in the morning and going through the afternoon.  I HATE RIDING IN THE RAIN!  What concerns me is the heightened chance of a crash, which could wreck my bike, wreck me, or any combination of the two.   Normally not a huge deal, but it’s getting really close to the big race in May.  So if you thought the weather was bad enough, who would have guessed that a barge would collide with a ship, spilling 160,000 gallons of oil in to Galveston Bay. Seriously?!? Sooo, is Someone against this race from happening? I’m still going, but when the frogs start dropping from the sky, I’m officially out.  As of now, the swim is still happening.  We’ll see how things pan out and hopefully it’ll be a go. 

So, the hits keep on coming.  I’m going on a trip for two weeks, starting next week.  I will have my bike and I don’t foresee having as much work to do as I did on my last trip; however, it’s still going to be a huge distraction.  The key is to stay focused and to keep my eye on the prize. Although, I can’t keep from feeling like I’m on a sinking ship.  Life vest anyone?

FYI, I've been humming this song for the last hour... you're welcome!

At first I was afraid I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side
But then I spent so many nights
Thinking how you did me wrong
And I grew strong
And I learned how to get along
And now you're back
from outer space
I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed that stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
If I had known for just one second you'd be back to bother me
Go on now, go walk out the door
Just turn around now
'Cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
Do you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die?

Oh no, not I. I will survive
Oh as long as I know how to love
I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give and I'll survive
I will survive,
I will survive!

 

Time away

So, I will start by apologizing for lack of posts over the last couple of weeks.  I've been away for work and have been living in a hotel, which has been problematic.  Unfortunately, any reports on training or diet would only be negative; so, I'll just leave it at that.  For the last two weeks I've worked everyday for approximately 12 hours a day.  It's been extremely hard to squeeze anything workouts in for several reasons.  First of all, my day is packed with unavoidable deadlines and meetings and secondly, its just hard to get motivated to do anything with a schedule like that. I do have another week and half of hotel life and hope I can get somewhat back on track. 

That being said, I'm not sure how much these last few weeks will throw me off of my race.  I've made some moderate time goals for myself, but at this point I may just have to be satisfied with finishing the race.  We'll see though, all hope isn't lost.  Wish me luck... I'm going to need it.

Week Seventeen Complete

Week seventeen is complete and it wasn’t too bad.  I only missed two workouts, which is good, but unfortunately missed my long ride this past weekend.  Though getting all my workouts in during the week is important, I feel that my long rides and runs (weekend workouts), outweigh my weekday workouts considerably.  Two factors kept me from my ride this weekend. One was the weather and the other, I hate to say, was laziness.  It was raining all morning, so I waited for the weather to pass.  Once it did, I just couldn’t muster up enough energy to do a three plus hour ride.  It was a nice day of doing absolutely nothing, which I don’t see very often.  I guess you need that sometimes; although, I can’t afford too many more.  I have six weeks until Ironman Texas 70.3 and twelve weeks until the full meal deal. Yikes! Storms-a-come’n!!!

For this week’s training it was suppose to be pretty light, with an Olympic distance tri on the weekend.  Well, tri season hasn’t started yet and I felt it would be better to move on to the next week, instead of putting on my own personal Olympic distance event.  Skipping over this week will actually put me back on track anyways.  It seems I miscalculated by a week when I started, which was actually 29 weeks out from the race, instead of 30.  No biggie, but I get to look forward to a four hour ride this Saturday. I think I’ll make it an 80 miler!!!

Monday
Rest Day

Tuesday
S -500m warm up, 8x50m drill, 4 x 200m @ 20sec, 6 x 100m @ 15sec, 8x50m drill, 300m cool down
R - 1:00 Z2 (at 0:10, insert 3 x 6 min Z4 @ 2 min jog)

Wednesday
B - Trans: 0:45 Z2 (QC)
R - 0:30 Z2

Thursday
S - 500m warm up, 8x50m drill, 16x25 @ 10sec, 600 pull, 8x50m drill, 300m cool down
B - 1:15 Z2 (at 0:10, insert 6 x 5 min Z4 @ 3 min spin)

Friday
S - 500m warm up, 8x50m drill, 10x50 @ 15sec, 4 x 100 @ 20sec, 10x50 @ 15sec, 8x50m drill, 300m cool down
R - 1:15 Z2 (at 1:00, insert 10min Z4)

Saturday
B - 3:30 Z2 (QC)
R - 0:30 Z2

Sunday
B - 1:00 Z1 (100+ RPM)
R - 1:15 Z1 to Z2

Total Hrs: 14:00
S: 3:00 2:00
B: 6:30 3:00
R: 4:30 4:00

Tale of the Tape: Week Seventeen

Tuesday Morning Weigh-in

Starting Weight: 208 lbs

Last Week’s Weight: 191.8 lbs

Current Weight: 190.1 lbs

Weekly Difference: -1.7 lbs

Total Lost: 17.9 lbs

Even with a spectacular four-day weekend in Colorado, I still managed to drop another 1.7 lbs.  The biggest factor was a good week leading up to the trip, and not completely over doing it to during my travels.  We did spend Saturday and Sunday carving up the slopes, which was fairly taxing at times and a pretty considerable workout.  I assumed my cycling and running would have helped the legs and calves… nope.  Specificity is a bitch!  Skiing has its own brand of leg torture, but I love it.  So we kept the meals pretty light both days, except for dinner.  We did keep warm with a flask of Gentleman Jack; so, there were some empty calories consumed throughout the day, but what are some calories shared among friends? I’ll tell you what it is... AWESOME!!!  By the way, if you’re not a fan of the bite that usually comes with Old Number 7 Jack Daniels, I recommend going with the Gentleman Jack.  It costs just a little bit more than regular JD, but is totally worth. Very smooth and can be enjoyed on the rocks or neat; or, even better in a cold flask on a ski lift!

Including this week, I have seven weeks until my half Ironman in April.  At my current rate of loss, assuming I can maintain it, I should be able to break the 180 lbs barrier by race time.  Following the half, I’ll have six more weeks of training and potential weight loss before the Ironman in May.  Best case scenario, I’ll break the 170 lbs marker by race day: very doable, realistic, and healthy.  It’s hard to imagine what it’ll be like to have 40 less pounds while riding and running.  I’m sure my knees and back will throw me a party!

Hope everyone has a great week. There is no try…DO!

Week 16 Complete

I just got back from an awesome four day weekend in Colorado. It wasn’t a great week for training due to the weekend travel and the weather again.  Though the temperatures were pretty moderate all week, it rained and thunder stormed Tuesday and Wednesday. That kept me out of the pool except for Thursday and kept off the road and at the gym. 

On the bright side, I spend eight hours skiing on Saturday and six hours on Sunday.  It was a great weekend with some awesome friends. My legs and calves are utterly destroyed, but totally worth it.   Unfortunately, this was the last weekend of fun until my race in May.  I say unfortunately, but it’ll be a good thing when it comes to hitting all of my long weekend runs and rides. 

This week I am really going to focus on hitting every workout.  It has been awhile since I’ve completed all my workouts for the week, but this week it’s happening!  Come hell or high water!

Monday
Rest Day

Tuesday
S -500m warm up, 8x50m drill, 200-300-400-500 @ 45sec, 8x50m drill, 300m cool down
R - 1:00 Z2 (at 0:10, insert 5 x 3 min Z4 @ 1 min jog)

Wednesday
B - Trans: 0:45 Z2 (QC)
R - 0:30 Z2

Thursday
S - 300m warm up, 8x50m drill, 12x100 @20sec, 8x50m drill, 200m cool down
B - 1:00 Z2 (at 0:15, insert 5 x 5 min Z4 @ 3 min spin)

Friday
S - 3,000 straight swim
R - 1:00 Z2 (at 0:45, insert 10min Z4 @ 3 min spin)

Saturday
B - 3:00 Z2 (at 2:50 insert 5 min Z4) (QC)
R - 0:30 Z2

Sunday
B - 0:45 Z1 (100+ RPM)
R - 1:30 Z1 to Z2

Total Hrs: 13:00 4:15
S: 3:00 1:00
B: 5:30 1:45
R: 4:30 1:30

Tale of the Tape: Week Sixteen

Monday Morning Weigh-in

Starting Weight: 208 lbs

Last Week’s Weight: 193.5 lbs

Current Weight: 191.8 lbs

Weekly Difference: -1.7 lbs

Total Lost: 16.2 lbs

So I’m about a week past the half way point and I’m pretty much on glide path for my 178 lbs goal by race day.  Things seemed to be going really well until January.  Once I hit 195lbs, I was there for about four weeks or so.  That really put a damper on my weight loss progress and brought me back to my one pound a week projection.  I guess that’s good in way, but I was hoping for a little bit better results.  The one pound a week was very conservative, but health and realistic.  Below is my progress so far:

 

 

I really feel like I could easily get to a sub 170lbs, which would be awesome for my race.  That’s a realistic goal, but I’ll really need to buckle down.  I figure that’s just a hair less than two pounds a week, for the next 14 weeks.  My biggest challenge will be living in a hotel for three weeks in March and two weeks of April.  I will just need to plan out my meals throughout the week and avoid all the restaurants my work mates will be dining at every night.  Oh yeah, the other challenge, I haven't weighed less than 170lbs in over 17 years.  It'll be a good race weight, but I don't see me sustaining that weight much more after the race and I don't think I'd want to.

I'll really need to keep it clean throughout this week because we're headed to Colorado on Friday.  That'll mean knocking out black diamonds and potentially some really good (meaning really bad) food and spirits in Vail, CO. The upside is that we normally keep breakfast and lunch fairly light and we'll be skiing all day.  The downside, it's easy to have way to much fun at Vail!!!  But I guess that's the point.

Cheers!

Week 15 Complete

This week’s training wasn’t that great.  I did get all my runs in and most of my rides, but didn’t make it to the pool.  Between the weather and work again, it just didn’t happen.  We've got some more crappy weather coming in this week, I'm going to have nut-up and swim anyways. I had a pretty decent long run on Saturday and a good ride on Sunday, at least until it was cut short.

I had some bike issues this week, which affected my weekend rides.  I put on some new carbon wheels (Reynolds), but couldn’t get the wheels to settle in correctly.  I am not bike mechanic by any stretch of the imagination and it really showed this weekend.  Google and Utube are my go to moves, but I couldn’t figure out the issues.  So, I ran on Saturday and moved my bike to Sunday.  This gave me time to switch back to my other wheels.  Unfortunately, Sunday’s ride was cut short due to a flat at the midway point, which sucked because I was feeling really good and was averaging about 20 mph up to that point.  Normally flats are not an issue, but I left my bike leavers, which assist in getting the tire on and off, back at the house.  I’d been messing with my new wheels and forgot to return my leavers back to my bike bag.   That’ll learn me.  I rarely get flats, but you always seem to get them at the worst possible moment.  Mine happened to be halfway through a four hour ride, in a Dollar General parking lot.  I still don’t know what caused the flat, but my lovely wife came and got me.  Thanks again honey.

So… I had a first on this ride.  I actually had someone throw something at me.  As a white pick-up truck screamed by me, one of the passengers threw a plastic cup full of Coke at me.  Luckily it wasn’t too close to me, but it was definitely close enough to not be an accident.  I replied to the gesture with some choice words and some hand gestures of my own.  I’ve had more problems riding in Louisiana than any other state I’ve ever road in… that’s 17 years of riding and about seven different states. So I ask you Louisiana, why are you the biggest bunch of A-holes when it comes to cyclists?  Any Louisiana natives want to defend their red-neck, inbreed brothers?  This is why I hate riding off post.

I’ll be headed to Vail next weekend to hang with some good friends and hit the slopes; so, I’m not sure how I’m going to manage my workouts.  I’m definitely going to focus on the swimming and maybe I’ll be able to get my long ride and run in before I take off.  We’ll have to see.

Monday
Rest Day

Tuesday
S -500m warm up, 8x50m drill, 4x200 @20sec, 6x100 @15sec, 8x50m drill, 300m cool down
R - 1:00 Z2 (at 0:10, insert 2 x 6 min Z4 @ 2 min jog)

Wednesday
B - Trans: 0:45 Z2 (QC)
R - 0:30 Z2

Thursday
S - 500m warm up, 8x50m drill, 16x25 @10sec, 600 pull @ 10sec, 16x25 @10sec, 8x50m drill, 300m cool down
B - 1:00 Z2 (at 0:15, insert 4 x 5 min Z4 @ 3 min spin)

Friday
S - 500m warm up, 8x50m drill, 10x50 @15sec, 4x100 @ 20sec, 10x50 @15sec, 8x50m drill, 300m cool down
R - 1:00 Z2 (at 0:45, insert 7.5 min Z4)

Saturday
B - 4:00 Z2 (at 3:50 insert 5 min Z4) (QC)
R - 1:50 Z2

Sunday
B - 1:45 Z1 (100+ RPM)
R - 1:30 Z1 to Z2

Total Hrs: 14:00 7:50
S: 3:00 0:00
B: 6:30 3:30
R: 4:30 4:20

Tale of the Tape: Week Fifteen

Tuesday Morning Weigh-in

Starting Weight: 208 lbs

Last Week’s Weight: 192 lbs

Current Weight: 193.5 lbs

Weekly Difference: +1.5 lbs

Total Lost: 14.5 lbs

Well I followed a bad week of training with a 1.5 pound increase in weight.  Ugh! Though it wasn’t the best week of food intake, it wasn’t that bad.  I did have some pizza, a hamburger, and a little crappy food at a Super Bowl party, but come on!!!  I still got in seven hours of cardio!  My body hates me. 

The only thing to do this week, is make it a better one.   

Week 14 Complete

Ouch… not a good week of training.  With two snow days mid-week and an uber busy work week, I missed a lot of training. On the bright side, I did salvage my Friday run and both Saturday and Sunday workouts.  Saturday’s ride was my longest solo ride ever, just about 60 miles.  Though my legs were wasted afterward, it felt pretty good.  Sunday's run wasn’t too bad.  It was raining and windy, but I knocked it out and I wasn’t the worse for wear. 

 

Monday
Rest Day

Tuesday
S -500m warm up, 8x50m drill, 200-300-400-500 @45sec, 8x50m drill, 300m cool down
R - 1:00 Z2 (at 0:10, insert 2 x 4.5 min Z4 @ 1.5 min jog)

Wednesday
B - Trans: 0:45 Z2 (QC)
R - 0:30 Z2

Thursday
S - 500m warm up, 8x50m drill, 7x125 @ 20sec,7x75 @ 15sec, 8x50m drill, 300m cool down
B - 1:00 Z2 (at 0:45, insert 7.5 x min Z4)

Friday
S - 3,000m straight
R - 1:00 Z2 (at 0:45, insert 7.5 min Z4)

Saturday
B - 3:30 Z2 (at 3:20 insert 5 min Z4) (QC)
R - 0:30 Z2

Sunday
B - 0:30 Z1 (100+ RPM)
R - 1:15 Z1 to Z2

R +:15

Total Hrs: 13:00 7:00
S: 3:00
B: 5:45 4:00
R: 4:15 3:00

This week will be better work wise and the weather doesn’t look too bad.  I really need a good solid week!

Tale of the Tape: Week Fourteen

Monday morning weigh-in

Starting Weight: 208 lbs

Last Week’s Weight: 194.7 lbs

Current Weight: 192 lbs

Weekly Difference: -2.7 lbs

Total Lost: 16 lbs

To go along with my training week, I didn’t have a bad weight loss week either.  Just over two and half pounds is pretty good… I’ll take that.  I averaged about 40% Carbohydrates from total calories throughout the week, which isn’t bad.  I really picked up the carbs later in the week and throughout the weekend, in order to prep for my 10 miler on Saturday and the long ride on Sunday.  I had about three days where my protein intake was less than 20%, which is about half of what I’d like to see it at.  I really need to plan a little better this week to make sure I’m getting all the protein I need. I think a nice filet mignon might be in order.

The food log hasn’t been too bad of an ordeal.  I repeat a lot of foods, so it makes it easier to cut and paste on excel.  I haven’t broken out the scale yet and have been pretty much eyeballing my quantities;  I’m sure my micro nutrition counts might be a little off, but I’m close enough to get an idea of my food intake.  

                         
Lowest calorie day: 1134 Kcal
Whole Egg
½ Whole Wheat Sandwich Round
Avocado

Chili with lean beef

Saltine Cracker (8)

Almonds (23)

Chicken, Skinless Thigh

Mixed Salad
Carrots

Extra Lean Hotdog (2)

Ketchup

 

Highest Calorie Day: 2311 Kcal  (10miler day)

Greek Yogurt
Banana

Stinger Energy Wafer

Banana

¼ Supreme Nachos w/ Chicken (BWW)

Buffalo Wings (5) (BWW)
Fat Tire

Chicken, Skinless Thigh
Brown Rice
2% Milk
Pinot Noir (4oz)
Glenlivet (2oz)

The trip to Buffalo Wild Wings (BWWs) was the killer, with over 1300 calories from BWWs alone.  I pretty much negated the entire 10 mile run that morning in just 30 minutes… ouch.  I don’t know if it was worth it, but I haven’t been to BWWs in months and it was pretty damn good stuff. 

 

I do like having the food log because it helps keep me honest.  I hate having to write down bad food, so it helps me not give in if I know I'll have to write it down.  I plan on sticking with the log through the race in May, but hopefully I won't need it after that.  Although... it might help me keep that six pack! <fingers crossed>