I've mentioned on here a few times about how I've changed my perspective of the sport of triathlon this year. The sport has changed me a lot, and has changed my mentality towards it, in very good ways.
As mentioned a few posts ago, my time last year in the My Way or the Tri Way was 2:10:56. 750 meter swim. 14 mile bike. 3.5 mile run. In 2:10:56. Did I finish? Yes. Was my time something to boast about? Hell no. Let me break down the numbers further:
Swim - 27:04 for a 58:04 per mile pace
T1 - 2:29
Bike - 58:19 for a 14.19 mph pace
T2 - 1:39
Run - 39:49 for a 11:22 per mile pace
T3 - 1:38
Yeah, not impressive, is it?
This year, I trained better. I trained harder, better, faster, stronger (cue Kanye west and Daft Punk). Most importantly, I approached this triathlon season with a sense of respect. I have tremendous respect for the sport and the athletes that participate in it. I approached it with a more humble attitude and an understanding that finishing a race isn't guaranteed. You have to work at it.
We arrived in Cheyenne the day before our triathlon at about 6:00. We drove towards the park where the triathlon would take place so we could get an idea of what we were up against and have some idea of how to get there (we were planning on riding our bikes to the tri that following morning). We dipped our feet in the lake (cold!) and chatted very briefly with the race organizers, who seemed to be packing up after finishing a race meeting that we missed (oops).
We then drove to our hotel (ghetto!) and checked in. We hauled our bikes to the room and then ventured out to explore Cheyenne and find food. We were going to drive back down to Fort Collins for Famous Daves, but we both determined the drive would be too far and settled on finding something in Cheyenne. However, that was easier said then done. Our options were Village Inn, Mexican food, or Arbys. I'm serious on that. We kept looking in vain for another place and finally settled on Village Inn. Not ideal, but allowed for some protein consumption and some salad consumption. We then drove to the Taco Johns event center (yes, Taco Johns) and played some mini-golf. Hooray for me getting two holes in one!!!!
Then we headed back to the hotel and wound down. We watched some Legally Blonde 2 and some Million Dollar Baby, then crashed out.
We woke up Sunday morning and got ready to go. We determined if we left the hotel by 6, we'd be fine for transition and whatnot. Waiting on continental breakfast could push that back, but the front desk guy the night before told us that it is usually put out by 5:30 each morning, so no biggie. Yeah...
The breakfast was your choice of cereal, some sort of pastry, and oatmeal. That's it. No eggs, not even hard boiled. No bread. No bagels. Not a good way to start off the morning, considering T and I both need protein in the morning.
However, we manned up, ate what we could, and rode our bikes to the park. Didn't take more then a few minutes to head over there. We found a spot in transition right next to each other and dropped our stuff off, then headed over for packet pick-up and to get marked. They gave us pullover jackets, which was pretty cool, and we got body marked with our numbers + smiley faces, in a shoutout to our very good friend Steve in a Speedo. Then we grabbed our timing chip and headed back to transition to get our area set up.
With transition set up, we hit the porta-potties, then I got into my wetsuit. T wasn't wearing hers this morning for reasons she'll explain, but I was very glad I had mine. Some lady behind me was saying she needed some goggles, so I tossed her my spare pair and said if she returned them, great. If not, no biggie. Then we listened to the race director remind us about the drafting rules and other fun triathlon stuff.
Then it was time to head to the swim start.
The girls/women went first, followed by the guys. It went in descending age order, so I had quite a bit of time to wait. First though, we were able to get a quick swim in and get used to the water. It was cold, but not horrible. Both T and I felt ok. Then T got herded into the starting gate while I stood by and watched. As the women took off one by one, I waited for T to start. When it was her turn, I hugged her, told her good luck, and smacked her on the butt (hehe!). Then I watched her go. I didn't have much time though, as then I was herded into the starting gate.
I chatted with a guy behind me about triathlon in general and he said to just have fun. I told him he was going to be done with the bike by the time I was done with the swim and he laughed. Then it was my turn to go.
My triathlon season was underway!
I walked into the water, not running. I felt this would help keep my heart rate and anxiety down, which it did. I also waited to begin my swim until I was at least chest-deep, which helped me further stay calm. I knew anxiety was a big reason I struggled last year, so I did my damndest to control it. I started swimming slow and just was enjoying the swim, but within the first 100 meters, felt that my breathing was not good and was beginning to get anxious.
So I slowed down, told myself to relax and just enjoy myself, and to not worry about it. And it worked! I was able to breathe the way I like to breathe, my sighting was great, and by the time I made the turn around the giant duck (a big rubber duckie, which was maybe 200 meters out) I was into a nice groove. I started passing people and actually felt myself getting stronger on the swim. Talk about a confidence booster!
As I turned for shore, I knew that there was going to be no problems and began to think about T1. I continued passing people as well. Finally, I saw people around me standing up. I however decided to wait until my hand touched the bottom of the lake. When it did, I came to my knees to stabilize myself, then stood up. I jogged out of the water and unzipped the top half of my wetsuit. Running into T1, I slipped off my swim caps and goggles.
T1 was interesting. I felt myself get a little lightheaded, which was probably just due to the rush I had, but regardless, I had to slow myself down. I told myself to relax and take a couple breaths. I got into my cycling stuff, sprayed myself with some SPF50, and headed out of T1. My time wasn't great in T1, but I wasn't too worried about it. The most refreshing thing was seeing that T's bike was out of transition, meaning she completed her swim and was on the bike course.
The cycle, again, was something I looked forward to. Two schools of thought there. You're out of the water, which feels good, and riding your bike, quite frankly, is just fun! The course started nice and flat, which was nice. I felt myself in a nice groove and began to rehydrate. I also downed a gel packet.
This course was definitely hilly though! Man! Again, my weakness on the hills showed. As much as I tried to power my way up the hills, I struggled on them. The whole time though, I kept repeating to myself, "energy management". If I was going to be a triathlon coach, the first thing I would teach my athletes would be energy management. It's fun to get up to 40 miles an hour on the downhills, but you're going to wear your legs out quicker. It's fun to get a cadence of 110 going, but that's a waste of energy. Keep your cadence between 80-100 and you're getting the most out of your body and your bike. That's what I forced myself to do.
Near the turnaround point, I saw T. She looked strong and yelled something to me that I couldn't understand. I learned later that it was she wanted to murder the hills. Ok then.
The ride back was quicker and more downhilly. Hooray downhilly! I roared back on the 2nd half of the ride with a fury. I was damn bound and determined to get back to T2 and start my run. I was feeling great, if not starting to feel a tiny bit fatigued.
Coming back into T2, with about a quarter of a mile to go, we were in a coned area, and I was stuck behind some hooker peadaling way too slow for my taste. Not wanting to lose any time, I hustled around her and beat her into T2. I don't think she was too happy about it, but really, I'm racing here, people! I got into T2 and again, I felt pretty good. I racked my bike and changed into my running stuff. I ran out of T2 nice and slow to regain the feel in my legs and I was off!
Whether it was a different mentality or my training has just been that much better, the run was hiccup free! I was passing people left and right! I had rabbits throughout the whole course and was picking them off left and right. I never walked and was really proud of that fact! When I got to mile 1, I knew I was going to have a good rest of the run. As much as I wanted to pick it up and go faster, my legs were not allowing it to happen. But still, I was just feeling jubilation.
Coming into the finish, a guy asked me how to pronounce my last name, then I heard BRANDON GEIST IS COMING INTO THE FINISH! I picked it up slightly, then I finished in an interesting way. Right before the timing mat, I walked for a second or two, pointed towards the time, put out my arms, and stepped across the mat. To me, it was such a rewarding feeling that I didn't feel the need to barrel my way across the finish line. T and I differ on that, but that's another story. :-)
Anyway, here's my times from the Cheyenne Sprint Triathlon:
Swim - 13:33 for a 36:20 per mile pace
T1 - 2:39
Bike - 52:08 for a 16.11 mph pace
T2 - 2:00
Run - 32:28 for a 10:26 per mile pace
Total time? 1:42:48.7
Very respectable, in my opinion. :-)
The fitness adventures of two Ironman triathletes
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Race #3 of the Season: Lone Tree Firecracker 5K
Okay, so since this race happened on July 4, obviously I'm a bit behind. Hell, I've done my first tri since then. However, I wanted to wait until I had photos and now I do. So yay.
Anyway, this is the fifth year Lone Tree has put on this race and the fifth year I've run it. This is my hometown/neighborhood race and the first 5K I ever ran. So as much as the course sucks (as it has all the hills i always bitch about around here), it holds a special place in my heart. Somehow.
Regardless, this year was going to be fun as I not only talked my dad into doing it again (year #3 for him!) as a walker, my brother, his girlfriend Nicole AND her mom did the race, too. My mom hung out, but as the designated photographer. The vast majority of the photos you'll see in this post are thanks to her.
Now that that's out of the way ... story time. Though we registered ahead of time, Lone Tree decided to do things differently this year and have packet pick-up day of. They also decided to do chip timing, which was AWESOME. So, morning of, we walked down as soon as packet pick-up opened, got our stuff, and walked back home to eat and change.
About a half-hour before the race was scheduled to start, we hoofed it back down to the park.
Brandon hanging around.
Lisa (walked), Nicole (walked/ran), Stefan (walked/ran), Mom (photog), Dad (walked/ran(!))
Me hanging out.
Stefan, Dad, Mom, Nicole, Lisa ... and Brandon wandering off.
Stefan, Dad, Mom and Nicole. Dad's wearing the shirt from year one.
At that point, it was ready to line up and get ready to go. One thing that was awesome already was that the weather was nice and cool, in the low-60s. This is a race that I've run in 90 degree weather in years prior, so the fact that it was cool made me happy ... even if it was a bit humid.
Brandon and I waiting for the start. And yes, that's my lovely, scarred arm. Weee.
Dad, Nicole and Stefan in the walker wave a few yards behind us.
Then, we were off!
Those two tall guys on the right are my dad and brother.
The best thing about this year was that they reversed the course to what it was in year two. Instead of going up Lone Tree Parkway (nasty, long, gradual hill), they took us up the trail that runs behind my brother's house. That hill sucks too, but it's shorter and steeper ... which I will always 100% take over long and gradual.
Brandon and I ran together with the plan of sticking together only for the first mile. I'm a better pacer than he is for that opening mile, making sure we don't go out too fast. Mile one was just over a 10:00/mi, which was super-duper fast for us, but it felt good. Mile two may have been a little short (which I say because it was a 9:something/mile), but it still felt good. Mile three, running down Lone Tree Parkway, doing the loop in front of the library and back into the park to the finish ... was where I started to hurt a bit. Brandon felt a lot better than I did, so he peeled off right after the library loop.
Obviously he finished before me.
Brandon after reentering the park, right before the final curve.
Still, I was 10 seconds behind.
Me at the same point.
This was the first year I finished this damn race in under 30:00, which I attribute to several things ... mainly the great weather and the course reversal.
Final numbers:
Gun/Chip Time: 29:29
Net Time: 29:43
Overall Place/Total: 128/284
Pace: 9:35/mi
Sex Place/Total: 54/155
Division Place/Total: 10/24
However, there were still others to finish ...
Nicole, in purple on the right, came in next. She was going to walk, but according to her, her competitive side kicked in. She finished in 32:29.
Who knew my brother was a runner? He whines about it soooo much ... but I guess we Spisaks are just too competitive. He and dad kept going back and forth with running/walking all race ... and Stefan ended up beating him, with a time of 36:23. (and he's sticking his tongue out at mom and a cheering brandon and i, i'm sure.)
Dad! Dad, the walker, who somehow ended up running it into the finish. I'm so proud. *sniff* Although, to be fair, the man did say he wanted to run this thing by age 60 and he's 60 ... Anyway, he only finished 30 seconds behind my brother with a time of 36:51 which is about 10 minutes quicker than the first time he walked this race five years ago. Go Dad!
Lisa, Nicole's mom, as the last one to cross. She's got serious knee issues, apparently, which restricted her to walking only. She crossed in 42:47.
So that was our family affair Firecracker 5K. We dispersed to shower, convened back at my brother's for a barbeque ... and then Dad, Brandon and I went back to the park to watch fireworks in the pouring rain. Totally awesome, I know.
Next (hopeful) update: tri post!
Anyway, this is the fifth year Lone Tree has put on this race and the fifth year I've run it. This is my hometown/neighborhood race and the first 5K I ever ran. So as much as the course sucks (as it has all the hills i always bitch about around here), it holds a special place in my heart. Somehow.
Regardless, this year was going to be fun as I not only talked my dad into doing it again (year #3 for him!) as a walker, my brother, his girlfriend Nicole AND her mom did the race, too. My mom hung out, but as the designated photographer. The vast majority of the photos you'll see in this post are thanks to her.
Now that that's out of the way ... story time. Though we registered ahead of time, Lone Tree decided to do things differently this year and have packet pick-up day of. They also decided to do chip timing, which was AWESOME. So, morning of, we walked down as soon as packet pick-up opened, got our stuff, and walked back home to eat and change.
About a half-hour before the race was scheduled to start, we hoofed it back down to the park.
Brandon hanging around.
Lisa (walked), Nicole (walked/ran), Stefan (walked/ran), Mom (photog), Dad (walked/ran(!))
Me hanging out.
Stefan, Dad, Mom, Nicole, Lisa ... and Brandon wandering off.
Stefan, Dad, Mom and Nicole. Dad's wearing the shirt from year one.
At that point, it was ready to line up and get ready to go. One thing that was awesome already was that the weather was nice and cool, in the low-60s. This is a race that I've run in 90 degree weather in years prior, so the fact that it was cool made me happy ... even if it was a bit humid.
Brandon and I waiting for the start. And yes, that's my lovely, scarred arm. Weee.
Dad, Nicole and Stefan in the walker wave a few yards behind us.
Then, we were off!
Those two tall guys on the right are my dad and brother.
The best thing about this year was that they reversed the course to what it was in year two. Instead of going up Lone Tree Parkway (nasty, long, gradual hill), they took us up the trail that runs behind my brother's house. That hill sucks too, but it's shorter and steeper ... which I will always 100% take over long and gradual.
Brandon and I ran together with the plan of sticking together only for the first mile. I'm a better pacer than he is for that opening mile, making sure we don't go out too fast. Mile one was just over a 10:00/mi, which was super-duper fast for us, but it felt good. Mile two may have been a little short (which I say because it was a 9:something/mile), but it still felt good. Mile three, running down Lone Tree Parkway, doing the loop in front of the library and back into the park to the finish ... was where I started to hurt a bit. Brandon felt a lot better than I did, so he peeled off right after the library loop.
Obviously he finished before me.
Brandon after reentering the park, right before the final curve.
Still, I was 10 seconds behind.
Me at the same point.
This was the first year I finished this damn race in under 30:00, which I attribute to several things ... mainly the great weather and the course reversal.
Final numbers:
Gun/Chip Time: 29:29
Net Time: 29:43
Overall Place/Total: 128/284
Pace: 9:35/mi
Sex Place/Total: 54/155
Division Place/Total: 10/24
However, there were still others to finish ...
Nicole, in purple on the right, came in next. She was going to walk, but according to her, her competitive side kicked in. She finished in 32:29.
Who knew my brother was a runner? He whines about it soooo much ... but I guess we Spisaks are just too competitive. He and dad kept going back and forth with running/walking all race ... and Stefan ended up beating him, with a time of 36:23. (and he's sticking his tongue out at mom and a cheering brandon and i, i'm sure.)
Dad! Dad, the walker, who somehow ended up running it into the finish. I'm so proud. *sniff* Although, to be fair, the man did say he wanted to run this thing by age 60 and he's 60 ... Anyway, he only finished 30 seconds behind my brother with a time of 36:51 which is about 10 minutes quicker than the first time he walked this race five years ago. Go Dad!
Lisa, Nicole's mom, as the last one to cross. She's got serious knee issues, apparently, which restricted her to walking only. She crossed in 42:47.
So that was our family affair Firecracker 5K. We dispersed to shower, convened back at my brother's for a barbeque ... and then Dad, Brandon and I went back to the park to watch fireworks in the pouring rain. Totally awesome, I know.
Next (hopeful) update: tri post!
Lone Tree 5K Recap
Why this has taken me this long to recap, I have no idea...laziness?
Whatever. Deal.
On July 4th, we woke up ready to attempt to conquer the Lone Tree 5K. This race is my nemesis and a race that I have been determined to crack 30:00 in since I have done it. Why? Because it's in the neighborhood I run in over the course of the year. It's also a beast. You gain nearly 300' of elevation over the course of a mile. *eek!* It's a race that I have wanted to beat into submission for awhile.
Problem is, it's in July. July in Colorado = hot. July in Colorado = lots of sun. Lots of sun and heat = bad run times for me. Also factor in that my running training didn't go as well as it should have in June and you have the perfect storm for me not cracking 30:00 in my nemesis 5K.
Well...we woke up on July 4th to a pretty special treat. It was cloudy. And it was "cold". By cold, I mean about 60 degrees. 60 degrees and clouds = hoorayness for running! Humid, yes, it was...but I could deal with that. The best part of the race? They flipped it around this year! Meaning instead of running the first mile up brutal Lone Tree Parkway, we would run the last mile down it. The first 1.6 or so of the course would be uphill, but a lot more gradual then that brutal .9 or so that Lone Tree Parkway is.
We walked down to the park to get our stuff and then walked back. All the while, I kept thinking and saying that a sub-30 minute 5K was in our future, while T was a little more skeptical of this. We got back and quick wolfed down some breakfast, changed into our running stuff, and walked back to the park with T's mom and her dad, who was planning on run/walking the thing in his continued quest to lose weight (he's lost like 80 lbs).
Down there, we met up with T's brother Stefan and girlfriend Nicole, who were both doing the event, as well as Nicole's mom. We did a few fun stretches with these really giddy women who were leading this calisthenics group. After that, we headed to the start line. I reminded T that I was going to stick with her the first mile, as she would set a great pace that would allow us to have some energy in the two miles after.
The gun (siren) went off and off we went. T set a great pace that made it easy to fall into a groove. We took it slow, letting people pass us for the most part. I had a couple rabbits early on that I was determined to pick off, but was content to hold off for a bit.
When we hit the first mile, I checked the pace and saw 10:06. Great, I thought. We're in fine shape to crack 30:00. During the next half mile, we continued to wind uphill but I was feeling good. When we reached the top of the hill and looked down Lone Tree Parkway, I knew 30:00 was in our grasp. I asked T if we could pick it up and she agreed.
Running down Lone Tree Parkway, I was feeling jubilation (and sweat rolling down my back). I knew by mile 2 that the only way we weren't cracking 30:00 was if some sort of act of God happened. T was struggling a bit, so we dialed it back, but I wasn't worried.
We came to a point in the course where you level off, then turn around and head back towards the park and finish line. At this point, I didn't want to take any chances, so I asked T if I could take off and she said yes. I picked it up slightly and had one more rabbit to mow down. As I came around the corner, I passed her and took off for the finish line. I hit the timing mat and stopped my watch and was relieved. 29:19! I did it! I quickly turned and looked for T, who was roaring in. She crossed and we got in line for our shirts, knowing we had achieved what was previously unachievable.
I can officially retire from that race, but I won't. :-)
A great massage was waiting for me and some delicious other goodies. I was very proud of both of us.
Whatever. Deal.
On July 4th, we woke up ready to attempt to conquer the Lone Tree 5K. This race is my nemesis and a race that I have been determined to crack 30:00 in since I have done it. Why? Because it's in the neighborhood I run in over the course of the year. It's also a beast. You gain nearly 300' of elevation over the course of a mile. *eek!* It's a race that I have wanted to beat into submission for awhile.
Problem is, it's in July. July in Colorado = hot. July in Colorado = lots of sun. Lots of sun and heat = bad run times for me. Also factor in that my running training didn't go as well as it should have in June and you have the perfect storm for me not cracking 30:00 in my nemesis 5K.
Well...we woke up on July 4th to a pretty special treat. It was cloudy. And it was "cold". By cold, I mean about 60 degrees. 60 degrees and clouds = hoorayness for running! Humid, yes, it was...but I could deal with that. The best part of the race? They flipped it around this year! Meaning instead of running the first mile up brutal Lone Tree Parkway, we would run the last mile down it. The first 1.6 or so of the course would be uphill, but a lot more gradual then that brutal .9 or so that Lone Tree Parkway is.
We walked down to the park to get our stuff and then walked back. All the while, I kept thinking and saying that a sub-30 minute 5K was in our future, while T was a little more skeptical of this. We got back and quick wolfed down some breakfast, changed into our running stuff, and walked back to the park with T's mom and her dad, who was planning on run/walking the thing in his continued quest to lose weight (he's lost like 80 lbs).
Down there, we met up with T's brother Stefan and girlfriend Nicole, who were both doing the event, as well as Nicole's mom. We did a few fun stretches with these really giddy women who were leading this calisthenics group. After that, we headed to the start line. I reminded T that I was going to stick with her the first mile, as she would set a great pace that would allow us to have some energy in the two miles after.
The gun (siren) went off and off we went. T set a great pace that made it easy to fall into a groove. We took it slow, letting people pass us for the most part. I had a couple rabbits early on that I was determined to pick off, but was content to hold off for a bit.
When we hit the first mile, I checked the pace and saw 10:06. Great, I thought. We're in fine shape to crack 30:00. During the next half mile, we continued to wind uphill but I was feeling good. When we reached the top of the hill and looked down Lone Tree Parkway, I knew 30:00 was in our grasp. I asked T if we could pick it up and she agreed.
Running down Lone Tree Parkway, I was feeling jubilation (and sweat rolling down my back). I knew by mile 2 that the only way we weren't cracking 30:00 was if some sort of act of God happened. T was struggling a bit, so we dialed it back, but I wasn't worried.
We came to a point in the course where you level off, then turn around and head back towards the park and finish line. At this point, I didn't want to take any chances, so I asked T if I could take off and she said yes. I picked it up slightly and had one more rabbit to mow down. As I came around the corner, I passed her and took off for the finish line. I hit the timing mat and stopped my watch and was relieved. 29:19! I did it! I quickly turned and looked for T, who was roaring in. She crossed and we got in line for our shirts, knowing we had achieved what was previously unachievable.
I can officially retire from that race, but I won't. :-)
A great massage was waiting for me and some delicious other goodies. I was very proud of both of us.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
June Round-Up
So, remember back last month when I wrote the following:
"Anyway, June is a new month and even though it hasn't started well due to work exhaustion, I know that I'll be able to kick May's ass at some point ... which will be impressive given May's numbers"?
Ha. Right.
June, in a word, sucked. Let me count the ways how ...
* ONE, only ONE two-a-day.
* My streak of running at least once a week, that had been going on for just over a year ... got broken. I managed about a mile in the middle of the freezing winter this year ... and my streak died. Pissed me right off, too.
* Work stress, compounded with Brandon being gone and a whole bunch of other stuff resulted in me going through a depressive phase ... which means no motivation to work out or do much other than dick around on the computer while on the futon.
* Open water swimming completely demoralized me ... and made me realize that my beautiful wetsuit is pointless until I learn to properly master the crawl.
If you look through the workout logs, you'll notice only 11 days off. HOWEVER, there were quite a few workouts that were craptasticly awful. Take, for instance, our first open water swim of the year. I managed one lap on the course (so 200 yds) and called it quits. A workout? Technically ... but a crappy one.
That being said, I'm going to try and see if I can find any perks to June ...
* Despite what was said above, we did get in a few open water swims which will definitely serve us well later on ... especially because we've continued to do so.
* I got in a sprint workout for the first time in forever.
* My body got a lot of rest which will hopefully serve me well later this year.
I'm clinging to that last point as my only justification with being okay that my month went to hell. Maybe we pushed it too hard in May; maybe I was just lazy. Maybe both. In any case ... I can't let myself have another month like that for the rest of the year.
Anyway, onward to numbers!
Running: 17.92 miles (average went down about three seconds/mile)(smallest mileage month this year)
Swimming: 2.01 miles (average went up about two minutes/mile)(damn ows's)
Cycling: 56.39 miles (average went down a whole mph)
Lifting: two sessions (*siiiiiiiiigh*)
Other: one yoga session, two softball games, one sprint workout
July isn't off to the greatest start, but I do have a neighborhood 5K PR so far (blog post forthcoming once i upload photos) and my best open water swim yet.
July just has to be better than June. That's all I'm hoping for.
"Anyway, June is a new month and even though it hasn't started well due to work exhaustion, I know that I'll be able to kick May's ass at some point ... which will be impressive given May's numbers"?
Ha. Right.
June, in a word, sucked. Let me count the ways how ...
* ONE, only ONE two-a-day.
* My streak of running at least once a week, that had been going on for just over a year ... got broken. I managed about a mile in the middle of the freezing winter this year ... and my streak died. Pissed me right off, too.
* Work stress, compounded with Brandon being gone and a whole bunch of other stuff resulted in me going through a depressive phase ... which means no motivation to work out or do much other than dick around on the computer while on the futon.
* Open water swimming completely demoralized me ... and made me realize that my beautiful wetsuit is pointless until I learn to properly master the crawl.
If you look through the workout logs, you'll notice only 11 days off. HOWEVER, there were quite a few workouts that were craptasticly awful. Take, for instance, our first open water swim of the year. I managed one lap on the course (so 200 yds) and called it quits. A workout? Technically ... but a crappy one.
That being said, I'm going to try and see if I can find any perks to June ...
* Despite what was said above, we did get in a few open water swims which will definitely serve us well later on ... especially because we've continued to do so.
* I got in a sprint workout for the first time in forever.
* My body got a lot of rest which will hopefully serve me well later this year.
I'm clinging to that last point as my only justification with being okay that my month went to hell. Maybe we pushed it too hard in May; maybe I was just lazy. Maybe both. In any case ... I can't let myself have another month like that for the rest of the year.
Anyway, onward to numbers!
Running: 17.92 miles (average went down about three seconds/mile)(smallest mileage month this year)
Swimming: 2.01 miles (average went up about two minutes/mile)(damn ows's)
Cycling: 56.39 miles (average went down a whole mph)
Lifting: two sessions (*siiiiiiiiigh*)
Other: one yoga session, two softball games, one sprint workout
July isn't off to the greatest start, but I do have a neighborhood 5K PR so far (blog post forthcoming once i upload photos) and my best open water swim yet.
July just has to be better than June. That's all I'm hoping for.
June Recap
June... it was interesting...
June began as a kind of perfect storm. And in perfect storm, I mean in the negative way. I was getting ready to begin a sim time that was completely unorthodox for me (10 pm to 2 am) and both T and I were still coming off our high of finishing the BolderBoulder. Take that into play and you have kind of a recipe for disaster.
Which June sort of was...
I take a look at my monthly totals, and they are, to say the least, embarrassing. I knew my running total would be down because of a knee issue I was working through and because it was very difficult to run in St. Louis. My swimming was down just based on logistics. The one bright side was my cycling. My cycling increased from the previous month, and I feel like it is coming together nicely. I also did a lot of yoga early in the month.
So, the totals are:
9 runs
4 swims
4 cycles
3 yoga
2 lift
1 recumbent bike
Yeah, as I said...not too impressive. Going into my workout log though, and looking at the days I took off, it's pretty consistent that sheer exhaustion is the reason for the off days. Be it from taking a red eye to get to work, being up until 4 am in the simulator, or just general exhaustion. I read my workout log and it's not like I missed any workouts for any other reason. In case you're wondering, there were 10 days that I didn't work out. Unacceptable, I know.
As I mentioned in a previous post though, I feel like everything triathlon is coming together. I feel very confident heading into this weekend where we will open up our multi-sport season. I'm guessing the hard work of April and May didn't let June drag me down too much, and in all honesty, it's not like June was a complete throwaway.
July needs to be better though, and there is no doubt in my mind about that. Since we ran the Lone Tree 5K and finally cracked 30:00 in that damn race, my running motivation is back and happy. Plus I'm sitting reserve in Denver this week and not some far off locale, so I have the potential to get a lot of working out in, which is good leading up to my tri.
That's it for now...like I said...I know it wasn't a good month, but not horrible.
June began as a kind of perfect storm. And in perfect storm, I mean in the negative way. I was getting ready to begin a sim time that was completely unorthodox for me (10 pm to 2 am) and both T and I were still coming off our high of finishing the BolderBoulder. Take that into play and you have kind of a recipe for disaster.
Which June sort of was...
I take a look at my monthly totals, and they are, to say the least, embarrassing. I knew my running total would be down because of a knee issue I was working through and because it was very difficult to run in St. Louis. My swimming was down just based on logistics. The one bright side was my cycling. My cycling increased from the previous month, and I feel like it is coming together nicely. I also did a lot of yoga early in the month.
So, the totals are:
9 runs
4 swims
4 cycles
3 yoga
2 lift
1 recumbent bike
Yeah, as I said...not too impressive. Going into my workout log though, and looking at the days I took off, it's pretty consistent that sheer exhaustion is the reason for the off days. Be it from taking a red eye to get to work, being up until 4 am in the simulator, or just general exhaustion. I read my workout log and it's not like I missed any workouts for any other reason. In case you're wondering, there were 10 days that I didn't work out. Unacceptable, I know.
As I mentioned in a previous post though, I feel like everything triathlon is coming together. I feel very confident heading into this weekend where we will open up our multi-sport season. I'm guessing the hard work of April and May didn't let June drag me down too much, and in all honesty, it's not like June was a complete throwaway.
July needs to be better though, and there is no doubt in my mind about that. Since we ran the Lone Tree 5K and finally cracked 30:00 in that damn race, my running motivation is back and happy. Plus I'm sitting reserve in Denver this week and not some far off locale, so I have the potential to get a lot of working out in, which is good leading up to my tri.
That's it for now...like I said...I know it wasn't a good month, but not horrible.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Registered...and ready
T and I are both registered for the Cheyenne Sprint Triathlon, which takes place on July 11th. We're both pretty excited to finally get our multi-sport season underway.
It's kind of interesting for me to sit here and reflect on where I am this year as to where I was last year with my triathlon. Last year, I took the plunge into the triathlon world, completing the My Way or the Tri Way triathlon. I finished in 2:10:56. Certainly not a finishing time to boast about, but whatever, it was my first tri, right? No biggie. I can puff my chest out and say "I'm a triathlete!" I can look down my nose at people and proclaim that I am better then them, simply because I completed a triathlon.
Yeah...um...
I review my training logs from last year, and my training was, for lack of a better word, pathetic. I'm not going to share my numbers, because quite frankly, I'm embarrassed. I'm embarrassed that I let my training go that poorly. I'm embarrassed that I was forced to will my way through that triathlon. I wasn't ready for it. I was simply approaching it as another box to check. Just like the people I have lamented about on this blog. I was one of them.
I've always been interested in the sport of triathlon. It's something I've been fascinated with for years, even though I never ever thought I would do one. Yet the tug of the sport, my (somewhat) athletic ability, and dating T led to the desire to finally complete one. For me, it was a chance to prove to myself I had chased away the fat kid and to embark upon a new challenge.
When I signed up last year for the tri, I had all the intentions of training hard and showing up ready to race. And I think there were some moments that showed that. I did a lot of running in May '09, completed some difficult cycling, and hit the open water once. But there were too many moments of slacking. Too many moments of "oh, I'll do it later." I paid for it the day of the tri. Darly. I wasn't physically ready to race. Mentally, yes. But physically, I was nowhere close. And as I said, I paid for it with my pride.
Now, there are a lot of people who say that if you finish, it's a victory. I believe that to an extent. Yes, finishing a triathlon is an accomplishment, regardless of distance. But as I like to say to them, I did what I was supposed to do. I was supposed to finish! I was supposed to cross the finish line! Finishing was never in doubt! That's what to me was so frustrating.
This year, I approached training with a different mentality. The fear and excitement of doing my first tri was gone. I've been there before. Just finishing to me is not acceptable. No more. Now, it's time to step it up. It's time to finish respectably. I was riding down the C-470 trail this morning and I was thinking of what I would teach a friend of mine who wants to do his first tri this fall. I The first thing I would teach him is energy management, but that's a post for another day. The next thing I would teach him, and more importantly, is respect for the race. Respect for the course. Respect for the sport of triathlon. Triathlon was created not to be easy. It is not meant to be something that everyone can do. Training should reflect that. And to train the way you should, you need to respect the sport.
I learned that the hard way last year.
It's kind of interesting for me to sit here and reflect on where I am this year as to where I was last year with my triathlon. Last year, I took the plunge into the triathlon world, completing the My Way or the Tri Way triathlon. I finished in 2:10:56. Certainly not a finishing time to boast about, but whatever, it was my first tri, right? No biggie. I can puff my chest out and say "I'm a triathlete!" I can look down my nose at people and proclaim that I am better then them, simply because I completed a triathlon.
Yeah...um...
I review my training logs from last year, and my training was, for lack of a better word, pathetic. I'm not going to share my numbers, because quite frankly, I'm embarrassed. I'm embarrassed that I let my training go that poorly. I'm embarrassed that I was forced to will my way through that triathlon. I wasn't ready for it. I was simply approaching it as another box to check. Just like the people I have lamented about on this blog. I was one of them.
I've always been interested in the sport of triathlon. It's something I've been fascinated with for years, even though I never ever thought I would do one. Yet the tug of the sport, my (somewhat) athletic ability, and dating T led to the desire to finally complete one. For me, it was a chance to prove to myself I had chased away the fat kid and to embark upon a new challenge.
When I signed up last year for the tri, I had all the intentions of training hard and showing up ready to race. And I think there were some moments that showed that. I did a lot of running in May '09, completed some difficult cycling, and hit the open water once. But there were too many moments of slacking. Too many moments of "oh, I'll do it later." I paid for it the day of the tri. Darly. I wasn't physically ready to race. Mentally, yes. But physically, I was nowhere close. And as I said, I paid for it with my pride.
Now, there are a lot of people who say that if you finish, it's a victory. I believe that to an extent. Yes, finishing a triathlon is an accomplishment, regardless of distance. But as I like to say to them, I did what I was supposed to do. I was supposed to finish! I was supposed to cross the finish line! Finishing was never in doubt! That's what to me was so frustrating.
This year, I approached training with a different mentality. The fear and excitement of doing my first tri was gone. I've been there before. Just finishing to me is not acceptable. No more. Now, it's time to step it up. It's time to finish respectably. I was riding down the C-470 trail this morning and I was thinking of what I would teach a friend of mine who wants to do his first tri this fall. I The first thing I would teach him is energy management, but that's a post for another day. The next thing I would teach him, and more importantly, is respect for the race. Respect for the course. Respect for the sport of triathlon. Triathlon was created not to be easy. It is not meant to be something that everyone can do. Training should reflect that. And to train the way you should, you need to respect the sport.
I learned that the hard way last year.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Sometimes, you gotta enjoy the downtime
Being a pilot is hard. Aside from dodging the FAA who is constantly looking for reasons to violate me and take away my license, I have to deal with rest regulations that are laughable (if I showed them to you, you'd be shocked), management that looks at me as just a number, and the joys of commuting to work. And that's all before I get on the airplane.
Being a pilot is also a great job. I get more days off then any 9-5er. I have gotten to see some great areas of the country and some really cool things from the air (seeing Air Force One). It's a job that does allow a lot of downtime and a lot of time to relax and reflect. Unfortunately, this downtime doesn't come easy, as it is away from my friends and my family.
When I get home, often the first thing I want to do, after hugging and kissing the fiancee, is get on my bike and go riding or head over to the pool to do some swimming. Because being on the road doesn't allow access to pools (at least ones that I can get some decent swimming in) or bikes, so on the road, I try to get long runs in and some yoga or lifting. This generally works well, but it does lead to some problems.
For example, sometimes all I want to do when I'm home is cuddle and lay low. Of course, I hate myself for feeling this way, but seriously. I train, I train, and I train, and sometimes, you forget about the things that matter. As much as I love the sport of triathlon and the lifestyle it brings, at times, it's the last thing I want to do.
You see, the other member of Team Baby Dinosaur makes me so happy and is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me. Even though she and I train together and can share our joy of multi-sport together, there are times when we don't want to be training when my time at home is somewhat limited.
Finding a balance is important, and it's easy to remember there's 24 hours in a day, which allows for a lot of time to do everything you want/need to do. But sometimes too, it's important to enjoy the downtime and forget about training. At least for one day. :-)
Being a pilot is also a great job. I get more days off then any 9-5er. I have gotten to see some great areas of the country and some really cool things from the air (seeing Air Force One). It's a job that does allow a lot of downtime and a lot of time to relax and reflect. Unfortunately, this downtime doesn't come easy, as it is away from my friends and my family.
When I get home, often the first thing I want to do, after hugging and kissing the fiancee, is get on my bike and go riding or head over to the pool to do some swimming. Because being on the road doesn't allow access to pools (at least ones that I can get some decent swimming in) or bikes, so on the road, I try to get long runs in and some yoga or lifting. This generally works well, but it does lead to some problems.
For example, sometimes all I want to do when I'm home is cuddle and lay low. Of course, I hate myself for feeling this way, but seriously. I train, I train, and I train, and sometimes, you forget about the things that matter. As much as I love the sport of triathlon and the lifestyle it brings, at times, it's the last thing I want to do.
You see, the other member of Team Baby Dinosaur makes me so happy and is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me. Even though she and I train together and can share our joy of multi-sport together, there are times when we don't want to be training when my time at home is somewhat limited.
Finding a balance is important, and it's easy to remember there's 24 hours in a day, which allows for a lot of time to do everything you want/need to do. But sometimes too, it's important to enjoy the downtime and forget about training. At least for one day. :-)
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