Photos, recovery, and waves - 2.8.2007

The waves were fun this morning, but it was kind of cold. It took a couple hours, a large java special, and bowl of oatmeal to thaw me out.

I read a lot of blogs... I mean a lot. Most of them are those of endurance athletes (triathletes, moutain bikers, cyclists). Some are from the pro/elite perspective and others are from people who fit their training in around daily like (work, family, etc.). The ones I like the most are the ones with a lot of photos. So I have made the decision to start adding a lot of photos to my blog. Right before I went to Maui I bought a brand digital camera. I made sure to get one small enough that I could slip into my pocket or the back of a jersey. I have been lagging in using it as much I would like, but from here on out I am going to fill this blog with photos. I go back an look read my old entries from last year to see what I was doing at this time a year ago and would be a lot more fun if I had photos.

My recovery week is going by pretty fast. I am still really liking the 3 week blocks (2 weeks build, 1 week recover). Physically my body is responding very well and I am getting to a level I have never been before. Last year I was a little over zealous when I signed up for races early in the year. I raced a lot, probably too much. It made it hard to put in solid training blocks and also to allow for proper recovery. This year I will be racing less and making sure I can train hard and recover in hopes that I can finish the season strong. The 3 week blocks are also easier to tackle mentally. Knowing that after 2 weeks of crushing myself I will have a mellow week makes it easier to push it to the max in the build weeks.

Ever since my brother moved back out here in the begining of January I have been surfing more than I had been and that's a good thing. For one, I love surfing and another good thing is getting used to the cold water in preparation for the cold swim at the 70.3. If my schedule stay relatively the same throughout the summer I should be able to get in the water a lot.

Training so far this week:

2 swims, 1 run, 1 bike, 1 core session, 2 surf sessions

more later...

Weekly Recap (Build 1.29.2007 - 2.4.2007)

"All smiles and sunshine, a perfect world on a perfect day
Everything always works out, I have never felt so great" - Rise Against

Things are continuing to progress. Last week, just like the week before, set a new record for volume for me. When everything was said and done I was just over 18 hours. Even with all this work my body is recovering incredibly well.

Total Training Time: 18:10

swim: 13,500 yards (2 Masters, 1 Work pool, 1 open water)

Bike: 134.5 Miles (1 trainer, 1 road, 1 TT)

Run: 43 Miles (5 runs, 2 off the bike)

Strength: 2 Sessions (1 upperbody/1 lowerbody)

Core: 3 sessions (2 w/ strength session, 1 solo after swim)

As usual the weekend had the biggest workouts. I rode for 77 miles/4:10 on Saturday and followed it up with a 6 mile/40 min run off the bike. The bike was very tough. I rode Camp Pendleton again. I now officially hate this ride. It's so boring but I can get in long intervals without having to worry about stop lights and too much traffic. While on Pendleton I rode 4 x 20min at race pace and felt solid. On the way out of C.P. I had a tail wind which was nice but then I headed up the coast to Del Mar. I turned around at the 3:30 mark and was now riding home in 20mph headwind. It was crushing me, mentally and physically. I finally made it home and headed out for the run. The run was solid.

On Sunday I ran longer and further than I ever have, 18miles/2 hours. I ran with the group that leaves out of Cardiff and we headed out pretty quick and ran to the top of Torrey Pines, a loop around the trails and then back to Cardiff. I felt great and even led the run up TP. The run was defintely a confidence builder.

This week is a recovery week. I got a nice hour massage last night that I thought was going to kill me. My legs, especially my IT bands, were super tight.

I will be running the San Dieguito half marathon on Sunday. I really don't know what to expect. I haven't really been doing any kind of speed work so I am not sure of how fast I will be able to go. I know the endurance is there but we'll see. I am looking at it just like a training run. If at any time I feel too uncomfortable I will back it off. There's no reason to bury myself into the ground right now.

Weekly Recap (Build 1.22.2007 - 1.28.2007)

Last week was probably the best week of training I have ever had. It was definitely biggest week from a volume standpoint but I had some real breakthroughs. For one I am starting to get my nutrition dialed, both on the bike and pre-workout. My body is also responding and recovering like never before. I know it's partly due to the fact that I have pretty much eliminated alcohol from my diet, cut WAY back on the caffeine, and continue to eat healthy. I have dropped 5 pounds in the last month without even trying. I am not worried about my weight at all as long as I keep getting faster and stronger.

Total Training Time: 17:05

swim: 13,850 yards (2 Masters, 1 Work pool, 1 open water)

Bike: 128 Miles (1 ss mtb/trainer, 1 road, 1 TT)

Run: 38.2 Miles (5 runs, 2 off the bike)

Strength: 2 Sessions (1 upperbody/1 lowerbody)

Core: 3 sessions (2 w/ strength session, 1 solo after swim)

I really feel like everything is starting to come together and it has me really motivated to get out and keep doing what I am doing. The weekend was huge. I had a 4 hour ride followed up by a 40 min run. The ride consisted of a 1 hour warm-up, 2 hours @ tempo/race pace (continuous effort), and then an hour of cool down. I felt really strong over the tempo portion. I rode an out an back course on Camp Pendleton which is the first half of the 70.3 course. Over the 2 hours I was able to avg just under 23 mph which was unexpected. I didn't know if I could hold that pace. I was definitely faster going out due to the fact I had solid head wind coming back. The run off the bike was solid as well.

I was kind of nervous to wake up Sunday morning because of how hard I worked on Saturday. Surprisingly my legs felt great. I ran with a group of really fast guys and will continue to run with them on Sundays. I ran 15 miles in 1:45 with some fartleks at the end. I followed that up with an open water swim in La Jolla and it was COLD! The first 5 minutes were horrible but I definitely felt better as I warmed. My open water swims have nothing to do with fitness. I have Masters for that. It's about being acclimated to the cold.

I am going to post again in a couple days about my nutrition because it's something I want to document. I know it was the key to my solid weekend of training.

Time is flying...

I have a little countdown timer on my desktop (on both home and work computers) that is counting down the days unitl Ironman California 70.3. Right now it's reading 63 days, 22 hours, and 45 minutes. It's seems like just yesterday it was at 90 days. Needless to say all this hard training and being busy at work is really making time fly. I have a couple more blocks (2 weeks build, 1 week recover) and then it will time to taper.

I am really looking forward to the 70.3, but I am also pretty amped about my the two races I will be doing leading up to the race. The San Dieguito half marathon on 2/11 will be a good gauge of where my running is at. I am not sure what I will be doing the day before so who knows how fresh I will be but I defintely want to run sub 1:20.

The Desert Classic Duathlon will be two weeks later in Phoenix and will be the first "real" Duathlon that I have ever entered. I have done a couple with the Triathlon club of San Diego but have never paid to do one. Again, I don't know how rested I will be but it should be a good time. Both of the runs are trail runs and the ride is on the road. I really don't know how fast I am right now. I don't feel like I have the turnover that I did towards the end of last season, but I feel much stronger. I think there would be a problem if I was feeling "fast" right now. I don't really want to hit my first peak unitl the Xterra West Championships and then hopefully carry it into the race in Richmond.

The 70.3 is just going to be a learning experience. I only have two goals for the race. Swim sub 30min, run sub 1:25. The bike, as always, is the wildcard for me. Hopefully with all the miles I have been putting in, time spent in the weight room, and just having a full year of cycling under my belt will make a difference this year and I won't always be playing catch up on the run.

Big Weekend ahead!

Weekly Recap (Recover - 1.15.2007 - 1.21.2007)

Last week was a recovery week and I defintely took advantage of it. In past I would have tried to tack on some extra mileage and add a swim, but not this time. I have some BIG workouts coming up in the coming weeks so I definitely need to pace myself and make sure I recover so I can absorb the training. I also got a 90 min massage on Friday. It was torture on the legs(i'm a wimp), but it defintely helps. I can feel myself getting stronger, and that is giving me a lot of confidence. The numbers:



Total Training Time: 13:05


Swim: 12,100 yards - 3 swims(3 Masters)

Bike: 77 miles - 2 rides(1 road/SS MTB, 1 road bike)

Run: 22.5 miles - 3 runs

Strength: 2 Session (1 upperbody/1 lowerbody)

Core: 2 sesssion (2 w/ strength workout)


I hit masters 3 times this week and felt good in all the sessions. My pace is improving on the longer interval sets. I am not as fast as some of the people I swim with, but I can usually out last them. When we do 300+ yard intervals I can usually keep up with them and then drop them as the swims get longer. My favorite workout of the week had a main set of 4 x 800.


I defintely cut back on the riding this week. Just two rides. My long ride on Saturday was a mellow 3 hours/52 miles. It felt good to just have a 3 hour ride on Saturday. I slept in and didn't get out on the roads until 10am and then came home and took a solid nap.


Nothing hard running this past week either. I got in a solid 1:28/12 mile run yesterday and the pace was very easy.


That's it. I have big week this week. It should be a good one.


Oh yead and I am buying this. I am going to start doing some crazy core work.
http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/index.php

a new weapon...

I have added weapon to my arsenal. i scored an incredible deal on this off of craigslist.

It's a 2005 Aluminum Redline Monocog in immaculate condition. I have been looking for one of these over the past couple of months, but didn't want to spend a lot of dough. This one popped up on craigslist and I was able to deal with the guy and got for half off the original price and $100 less than he had it listed for.

I took it out for 30 minute spin on my neighborhood trails Wednesday after my scheduled 60 min road ride. It was a blast and climbing was tough but I am sure it will help my strength. My legs were defintely feeling it the next day and I was only on it for 30 minutes and didn't do too much climbing.

I am gonig to upgrade a couple of things but it doesn't need much. I am going to get a Thomson seatpost and stem and also put on the Easton Carbon Monkey lite riser bars that I already have. Once I upgrade the cranks on my Stumpjumper I will also put the Truvativ from it on the SS.

As far as training goes, it's a recovery week... and I needed it. I still have got in some solid efforts but the volume is down. I have another ride and run to get in over the weekend. I will be running with new group on Sunday. There will be some solid guys out there. Hopefully I won't get dropped!

Recap on Sunday or Monday.

another photo.

Weekly Recap (Build - 1.8.2007 - 1.14.2007)

It's a dark day in San Diego. The Chargers blew it yesterday in the playoffs. Everybody is bummed.

There's no way to say it other than "training kicked my ass this week." This was the biggest week I have ever put in and I was feeling it. Saturday after my big brick I was in bed by 930pm and last night I passed out on the couch at 6pm (partially aided by the beers I threw back during the game), slept til midnight, and went up to my room for another 6 hours. 12 hours of sleep. It's been years since I have slept that long in one stretch.

Total Training Time: 16:20
Swim: 13,800 yards - 4 swims(2 Masters, 2 work pool)
Bike: 114 miles - 3 rides(1 trainer, 1 MTB, 1 TT bike)
Run: 34 miles - 5 runs (2 off the bike)
Strength: 1 Session (1 upperbody)
Core: 2 sesssion (1 solo, 1 w/ strength workout)

The biggest sessions of the week were a 4.5 hour/78 mile, 30 min/4 mile brick on Saturday and then a 1:45/14.5 mile run on Sunday. These workouts were tough both mentally and physically. The ride on Saturday was cold and windy, but I felt good running off the bike. The long run on Sunday started out rough. I negative split it (55 min out,50 min back) and felt way better the second half. It really took a lot to get me going. I think I was still down from a calorie/hydration standpoint from the day before.


The length of the these workouts are new to me and I am not used to actually struggling a bit. Last season my long rides typically topped out at 3 hours and long runs at 90 min. So training for a longer race is defintely taking it's toll. I usually can just grit my teeth and get through a hard running interval or tough climb on the bike, but staying in the saddle for 4.5 hours and running for 1:45 is quite a bit different.

As much as I am looking forward to the 70.3 I can't stop thinking about how much stronger this training is going to make me for Xterra. I am going to be in way better shape for my early season races as compared to last year. I am really anxious to see how much I can take off my times from last year in repeat races.

Big Weekend and a couple of races...

This weekend is going to be a big one and I am not just refering to my workouts. The Chargers play the Patriots @ 130pm on Sunday and I will be glued to my couch with snacks and a beer.

Training this week has been solid. I had to work late last night and didn't get home until 11pm. I got to bed around 1130pm and still made my 6am Masters workout this morning and actually had a good swim. I feel like I am starting to get some speed back in the pool. I kind of felt a little slow last week but felt a lot better this week. I am really not focusing on speed right now. That will come as I race day approaches.

This weekend should be pretty interesting. I will be doing a huge brick on Saturday and then Sunday I am going to have to get on it early. I need to get in a 1:45 run, 30 min Swim, and a strength session(lowerbody/core) all before 1pm.

I have also decided to do a couple of races prior to the 70.3. I will be doing the San Dieguito Half Marathon (2/11) and the Desert Classic Duathlon (2/25). I ran the San Dieguito half last year and it will be my first "repeat race". Last year I ran it in 1:21:47 without even really knowing what I was doing, and I rode 35 miles the day before. I will defintely be training through this race and will probably have a big bike the day before, but I still think I am very capable of running much faster than last year.

The Desert Classic Du should be a good time. Again I will be training right through this race but I am still going to just go for it. Jim won this race last year and it usually brings out a solid pro/elite field. I will just be racing AG but it's always cool to see how my times stack up.

Off to the trails for an easy easy 30 min run... Go Chargers!

Weekly Recap (Build - 1.1.2007 - 1.7.2007)

The first week of my build up to the California Ironman 70.3 is in the books. It was a big week that included my first brick in months. I hadn't run off the bike since Xterra Worlds back on 10.30.2006. Jim has me working in 3 week blocks (2 build, 1 recover). Here's how the week brokedown:

Total Training Time: 16:17
Swim: 13k yards - 4 swims (2 Masters, 1 work pool, 1 open water)
Bike: 102.35 miles - 3 rides (1 trainer, 1 road bike, 1 TT bike)
Run: 24.5 miles - 4 runs (1 off the bike)
Strength: 2 sessions (1 upperbody, 1 lowerbody)
Core: 3 sessions (2 mixed w/ strength sessions, 1 solo)

The biggest workout of the week was my brick on Saturday. I rode for 3 hours/53 miles and then ran 20 minutes/3 miles off the bike. It was my first outdoor ride on my TT bike since early Novemver and I felt really good. I ended up riding an extremely hilly route and feeling it at the 2.5 hour mark. I was looking forward to the run off the bike and was curious as to how my body would handle it, and to my suprise I felt really good. After the first 100 meters (and when my knees stopped knocking together) and I just got into my stride. I don't feel fast right now but I am confident that will come.

First thing on Sunday morning I got in my long run of 1.5 hours covering about 12 miles (just a guess). My legs were heavy from the big workout the day before but I felt how I though I would. After that I headed down to the Cove and got in a 30 minute swim with Tom and Colin. The water felt pretty good.

For the next couple of weeks Mondays are rest days so I am taking full advantage and letting my body recover. I'll be back at it tomorrow.

It does make a difference...

Well I know it's only been a couple of days since I cut back on the caffeine but I can defintely tell the difference. I have been limiting myself to 1 cup before my morning workouts and then another around 9am at work. I have not had a single diet coke all week either. In the afternoon at work I start dragging and there is always a fresh pot but I have been able to abstain. Instead I have been drinking a 20oz bike bottle of Crystal Light lemonade and it seems to kill the coffee craving. The best part of it is the sleep I have been getting. I have been in bed no later than 930pm all week and have been just passing out and sleeping super soundly all night long. I am defintely going to keep this up.

Training has been good. I just finished up my third swim of the week and will be heading into a solid weekend of workouts. I don't want to go to much detail about my training right now because I plan on doing weekly recaps leading up to the 70.3. I will probably post these on the following Mondays(rest day).

I was looking at my training log and here's are some totals from last year. My training log only goes back to the end of May so there are 5 months missing from this. To me, considering it was my first year, these are some pretty solid numbers. I will be using the same training log for the whole season this year so I should be able to get an accurate count for 2007.

2006 Totals (end of may - dec):

total time: 417:35
swim: 309,450 yards
bike: 2,430 miles
run: 707.29 miles

The total time includes weight/core sessions as well but I don't have an exact number for that. I would like to hit 5k miles on the bike and the 600k yards in the water this year. I really don't have a goal for running, but I am sure I will probably be near or over 1000 miles.

It's on...

So this is officially the start of my second season of triathlon. I am definitely happy with how my first season shaped up considering I had no expectations for myself and really had no idea what I could accomplish. This year will be quite a bit different as I have set the bar pretty high and am planning on working harder/smarter than I ever have.

This past week training has been hit or miss for me. I tried to get in most of my workouts but moving took up a lot of time and energy. Yesterday I kicked off the new year with a 2.5 hour mountain bike around my new place. There are some killer trails practically right out my back door. There is one climb that is very similar to black mountain and will be perfect when I am training for Xterra.

Today is the first day of my specific training for the 70.3 on 3/31. I have my plan for the next 5 weeks and I am really looking forward to it. It's definitely longer workouts than I have ever done before. I knocked out 4k yards this morning at Masters and felt pretty good and will be hitting the trainer tonight.

so everybody does it... New years resolutions. I don't know if the following things are resolutions but they are things I want to improve on/change in 2007 in hopes that it will make me heathier, faster, and stronger.

1. Cut way back on the caffeine.

I know I drink way too much coffee right now and it's not just for the caffeine fix. I love coffee and esspresso. I would say I average between 3-6 cups a day, and some days more. I usually have atleast one diet coke a day too. Since it's gotten cooler I often have a cup of coffee in the afternoon and another in the evening. It's no suprise I have had some trouble getting to sleep as of late. So the plan is to cut back on the coffee to 2 cups a day (one before morning workout and then another once I get to work), completely elminate any kind of soda, and no caffeine after noon. I even bought some Decaf and have been getting Decaf when I go out and get coffee.

2. Cut back on the drinking.

Anybody that knows me knows that I enjoy drinking beer and the occasionl whiskey. It's easy to justify knocking back a couple of beers on weekends after a hard workout but I am curious to see what happens if I really reduce my intake. I am not planning on totally eliminating alcohol because there has to be some balance. But in weeks leading up races and time of really intense training there will be no drinking. Leading up to the 70.3 the plan is to not have any alochol after 2/4 (superbowl) and 3/31 (race day). With the Chargers in the playoffs many of my friends will be having parties that I will definitely be attending, but still keeping things in moderation. There will be no drinking during the week from here on out. This is more of an experiment than anything. I want to see if I feel a noticable difference in how I feel and how I recover.

3. Really focus on recovery

I have a tendency to want to do too much and by doing this I probably don't let my body adequately recover. I have already scheduled massages/adjustments every 2 weeks from this Friday through March. Regular massage and chiropractic work has done wonders for me. The neck problems I used to have a year and half ago are pretty much non existant. I also want to get more sleep. I am going to try and sleep in on weekends prior to my big workouts. I have a problem sleeping in. Even when I have nothing to do I am usually up by 630 am. I would love to sleep until about 8 or 9 and then head out the door for my weekend workouts around 10. I also want to try and take 45-60 minute naps on the weekends post workout.

I think that's it. I am really looking forward to 2007.

Will it ever end?

I am ready for the holiday season to be over with. I am sick of drinking and eating like crap. It's hard to abstain from the alcohol and junk food when it's everywhere you turn.

I had a great time with my family over Xmas and even got in all my workouts. Now I am back at work but it seems like I am the only one. I will be moving over the next weekend and then with the start of the new year also comes my focused training for the California 70.3.

Yesterday I got I my longest run in a while, 1:18 with 20 minutes at tempo. I forgot how much I like running long. It felt great.

Time to start packing... I hate moving!

It's Official...

Yesterday I finally registered for the California 70.3. I missed a couple of races last year because I procrastinated when it came to signing up. So I dropped the $215 and there's no turning back. I am pretty stoked about doing a 70.3 and what's even better is that my parents are coming out to visit and watch me race. The only race they've witnessed in person was the Xterra East champs in Richmond last summer. They really enjoyed watching me race and are extremely supportive of my racing.

My workouts this week have been solid and I am still feeling really good in the pool. I think my swimming is just about at the level it was prior to Xterra worlds. This mornings swim was a tough one though. One of the reasons is because I went out with some friends last night, had too many jack and cokes, and didn't get to bed until 1130pm. When my alarm went off at 5am this morning I almost shut it off and went back to sleep. I was super tired but I made myself get up. Once I got in the pool I felt good. I ended up having a really solid swim and after the session the coach even mentioned how much stronger/faster I am getting. Maybe I need to go out and have a couple of drinks everynight before I swim.

After my ride tomorrow I will be heading out to Palm Springs to celebrate Xmas with my family and then coming back Sunday morning. Since me and none of friends are going back east/home for the holidays we are going to have a Xmas party/bbq on Monday (it will probably start Xmas eve). Nothing like celebrating on Xmas day with grilled meat, beers, whiskey, friends, and football.

Eventhough Xmas day is a rest day for me I may go for a mellow MTB ride before the festivities. I just got some new shifters put on and I want to give them a go.

Cheers.

Cold.

Getting out of bed and heading down the street to swim at 6am is getting harder. Not because I don't want to swim, but's it's been cold. My morning rides have been pretty cold too, but I have all the right gear so I stay relatively warm. I would rather be a cold little than suffer away on the trainer for two hours.

Last week was solid and things are slowly starting to pick up. It's hard to believe the California 70.3 is only 14 weeks away. I'm really looking forward to training for a longer distance race. It will be new for me. I may actually have to consider pacing myself, but I really just want to try and hammer the whole thing.

Saturday Jim held a swim clinic for all the athletes he coaches and it was cold. I froze my ass off and immediately changed, cranked up the heater in my truck, and headed to the nearest Starbucks.

Today I had my second meeting with Kim Muller, a local Sports Nutritionist. I really want to nail my pre-race and race nutrition. I thought I did an alright job on my own last season, but after talking with her it seems like I was making some major mistakes. By the time my first key race of the year comes around I plan on having a solid nutional plan.

I will be heading of town for the weekend to celebrate an early Christmas with my relatives in Palm Springs and then moving the following weekend. Between that, work, and training these next couple of weeks should be super busy.

back at it.

Monday was a much needed rest day. After a week full of work outs and drinking too much beer watching the Chargers clinch that AFC west on Sunday I needed to just relax. My legs were also pretty sore after hitting the gym on Sunday. Lifting with my legs always crushes me and it usually takes me atlest 3 full days to recover.

Yesterday I had a ride in the morning and then got in a 30 minute yoga session in the evening. The ride was a good one, but went a little longer than I had planned. I headed out from my apartment at 6am to an empty parking lot a couple miles and worked on cornering and accelerating in and out of turns. After a solid 30 minutes of that I rode to where the new condo I am moving into the on the 29th is to check out the roads around there. I made a couple of wrong turns and what was only going to be an hour ride turned into 1:45. No worries though it was a good time.

Back when I was just surfing and running all the time I used to do yoga quite a bit and really like it. Since I have a little extra time in my training schedule this time of year I am going to try to get in a couple of yoga sessions a week. I am sure it will help in the long run. I am also getting in the weight room twice a week and try and add some muscle, especially to the lower half of my body.

This moring I was in the pool with Masters and knocked out 4000 yards.

Last week I finally started eating healthy again and could immediately feel the difference with how much energy I had. I forgot how good my morning protein shakes are... here's the recipe:

Post workout shake:

1 Banana
1 Scoop of super green (wheat grass, spinach, etc,... good stuff)
1.5 scoops of chocolate proten powder
1 cup of light vanilla soy milk
5g glutamine
1/2 tbsp flax oil
ice

totals: 415 calories, 11g fat, 50g carbs, 35g protein

Swimming...

This week has been solid. Eventhough my schedule was relatively light getting back to regular training took a lot out of me. I think I crashed every night at 9pm, and even 830pm last night.

I swam a Masters workout on Monday and it was solid, and then swam by myself on Wednesday in the pool at work. The Wednesday swim was first time I have done a solo workout on a long time, but it gave me a chance to slow things down and really concentrate on drills and form, which is what I need to be concentrating on right now. My plan typically has 3 swims per week and I think I am going to hit Masters twice and then also make sure I spend one day swimming solo. I know I still have a lot of room for improvement in my stroke.

For no apparent reason I woke up anxious this morning to get in the pool. Friday is typically a speed workout with the squad that I swim with so I was kind of interested to see what my current speed was like after not really doing anything hard for about 6 weeks. After 2000 yards came the fast set.

4 x 25 hard - add time of each 25 to get 100 time (1:03)
100 easy
100 hard - trying to hit 4x25 time.. yeah right.
100 easy

We did this set twice and somehow I swam my fastet 100's ever. Just prior to leaving for the Maui and the Xterra Worlds I swam a 1:14 which was my PR for a 100 then. This morning:

1. 1:12
2. 1:11

So there's my benchmark.

I was kind of in shock, but am stoked. How much faster can I go once I am back in shape? I really think a winter of swimming and all next year that my swim can continue to improve and it will continue to be a focus in my training.

Maui really did alot for my confidence swimming. My mindset prior to the race was just to "get through" the swim and start going for it on the bike. Worlds was the first time I felt like I was racing in the swim and had the best swim of my life. I can't wait for my first race next year and actually committing to racing in the swim.

I have to do a run later on today and then that's it. I am stoked it's Friday.

day one.

It all started today at 5:15am. My training for the 2007 season is on. After a weekend of partying in Vegas and not getting much sleep getting up was hell. I almost hit the snooze button one more time but was able to drag myself out of bed.

Last year at this time I had just gotten my first road/TT bike and could not break 1:50 per 100 yards in the pool. I was running a lot but with no focus. I had no plan. This year things are going to be way differnt. First of all, I have a successful season under my belt and have dramatically improved at all the 3 sports.

Jim gave me my training plan last week for the next month and I immediately thought it was kind of light. This is where it pays off to have a good coach in your corner. If I was going about this on my own, and being the kind of person I am, I would probably nuke myself early on in the year and pay for it at some point. I defintely need someone to talk some sense into me and keep me from overtraining. This month is all about skill/technique with volume slowly increasing as we move towards the first of the year. At first I was kind of disappointed with the lack of volume early on but I know it makes the most sense.

I swam a 3600 yard Masters workout this morning and it kicked my ass. I got through it and didn't push too hard. I was definitely feeling all drinking/lack of sleep from the weekend. I have a couple more swims this week and some relatively easy rides and runs. On the weekend I have couple of riding and running skills workouts. It should be a good time. I am stoked to be back "officially" training. A month of not really doing any structrued workouts was tough. I was in the best shape of my life prior to Xterra Worlds and then just to shut it down was harder than I thought it would.

That's all...

back at it... sort of.

Well it all starts tomorrow... kind of. For first time in about a month I have something in my training plan, but then it's off to Vegas for a weekend of partying. So I am really going to consider Monday, 12/4 as the start of my training for 2007.

For the past month I have just been doing whatever I've felt like. For the most part I have just been riding my bikes. I got a new road bike and I am super stoked on it. I also did quite a bit of mountain biking. Just fun stuff. I ran and swam a handful of times each, but nothing hard.

My nutrition has been less than ideal but I think I really needed that. I am normally really healthy but have been just eating and drinking whatever I want. That all changes Monday. I am ready to start eating healthy and cutting way, way back on the drinking.

That's all for now.

Done.

My season is now officially over eventhough I have already been taking it really easy since I got back from Maui a couple of weeks ago. My body has been feeling really good and all the day to day aches and pains are pretty much gone.

The XC championship went pretty well. I talked with Jim before the race and based on his recomendation I went quite a bit more conservatively than I have done in past races. This worked pretty well and I finished strong. I probably should have made my final move about a 1/4 mile sooner as there was one guy that was fading fast and I just ran out of room to catch him.

USATF Championship 4 Mile - Morley Field November 11, 2006
22:03 14th Overall

I have not been doing any focused training but I have been riding my bike a lot. I have just been going and riding for as long as I want and some good neighborhood loops. It's been just for fun and when I am over it I head home. I don't plan on doing any running until sometime next and then it will some easy 30 min runs until I hit December. I also got in the pool for and easy 2500 yards yesterday morning and will probably swim again sometime this week and just keep it mellow.

Long week/Last Race

This week is finally ending and it's been a long one. Weeks are a lot more fun when they are filled with hard training rather than long hours of work.

I have my last "real" race of the season tomorrow. It's the San Diego USATF Open Championships. It's supposedly a big deal and there should be guys flying in just for this race. My motivation is kind of lacking for this one but I am going to try to just go all out. Our team moved up into second place in the standings and we are within striking distance. I would be pretty cool to pull out a first place in my season running for Mizuno.

I rode once this week, swam twice and ran 3 times. I am just taking it easy. I have also havent been eating to great and can defintely feel the difference, but whatever. I am not worried about things right now. I figure I will just keep up a similar schedule over the next couple of weeks until after Thanksgiving. I'll probably end up riding more with very little running. I think my legs need a break. Everything at a very easy pace. I will also start doing yoga twice a week starting next week. I hope to be able to keep that up all winter.

Monday:
Swim - masters 2550 yards
30 min easy run

Tuesday:
2 hour easy bike - 32 miles

Wednesday:
45 min run with 3 x 3 min hard, descending

Thursday:
Swim - masters 2400 yards

Friday:
30 min run with numerous strides

starting the offseason... kind of.

The Xterra Worlds was my last triathlon of the season and I am defintely ready for a break. I am not necessarily ready to stop working out altogether, but just doing some unstructured stuff and whatever I feel like will be nice. I do have a race next weekend. It's the Xc Championship race and it's a pretty big race. My team has moved into second place and we are in striking distance. So I want to run a strong race, but I have to admit that mentally I am done. My plan is just to totally blow it out for the 4 miles and see what happens.

Today I volunteered at the B&L Aid station for the San Diego Triathlon Challenge that is put on by CAF (Challanged Athletes Foundation). I had a blast handing out Gatorade bottles. There was some pretty amazing stuff going. It's pretty rad to see some of the people race and the attitudes they have.

On another note, my coach killed it at IMFL. He finished 3rd overall in 8:37 in his first ever IM. Pretty damn impressive. I am definitely very stoked for him. He had a lot of bad luck this year and to end his season like this is very well deserved.

I did get in some training/workouts this past week.

Monday: off - Travel back to LA
Tuesday: 40 min easy run, shake off the jet lag
Wednesday: 60 min easy ride/core workout
Thursday: easy strength/stretching session
Friday: 30 minute run
Saturday: 1:45 MTB - easy and fun at Daley Ranch
Sunday: 60 min run/50min mtb on neighborhood trails

I am just basically doing what I feel like and staying active. No intensity. I am have been eating and drinking a lot. I went out and partied with my friends on friday night and drank way too much and topped it off with late night mexican food right before passing out. I felt like crap in the morning but it was to get out and not have to worry about getting early for a workout.

I have to travel for work this week. Taking the red eye Tuesday night to New Jersey... not fun. I am going to hit the pool in the morning and just cruise.

Xterra World Championships 10.29.2006 - Maui, HI

I am back home in San Diego after what has seemed like a really long week. Traveling to Maui and getting the chance to race in a world championship was incredible.

Just to get an idea of hard this race is here are some quotes from the winners:

Hamish Carter:
"It was really tough, a lot tougher than I thought," said the 35-year-old from Auckland, winner of the 2004 Olympic triathlon. "At one point during the run I didn't even know if I could finish."

Melanie Mcquaid (3 X world):
"Never has this race ever been longer or harder than this year and I am absolutely stunned to have had the race I did on Sunday."

Thursday:

Our (my sister and nephew went on the trip with me) flight at 7am from LAX. After what seemed like and endless flight we touched down in Maui at 9am local time. We picked up out rental car (jeep commander) and headed for out condo in Kihei. We checked in and then head down the coast for some snorkeling and exploring. Later on I went for an easy 40 minute run and was feeling great.

Friday:

First thing in the morning we head down to the Maui Prince (host hotel and race site) so I could check in, pre-ride the practice bike course, and then go for a swim. You are not allowed to pre-ride the actual bike course which adds significantly to the difficulty of the course. The practice course was pretty short. It only took me 30 minutes to do the loop but it was blazing hot out there. After the ride I went for a swim. The swim was great and I felt really good in the water. When I got about 400 meters offshore I came across a reef and a bunch of sea turtles. It was killer. After the swim we grabbed some lunch and then drove to the top of the volcano.

Saturday:

We headed back to the race site and my sister and nephew went snorkeling and I got in a 20 minute run and an easy 750 meter swim. I was feeling really good, completely relaxed, and ready to go. That night we went to the pre race dinner and I really began to realize how big of a deal this race was. I already new that there was a big international presence (out of the 33 guys in my AG only 10 were american) but seeing all the countries represented at the dinner and all the videos from the races was mind blowing. I really felt fortunate to be there and knew that I had really accomplished something... and the food was awesome.

Sunday: The race.

i was up a 5:15 am without an alarm and got a really good night sleep. I had a cup of coffee and then a Snicker's Marathon bar and a bottle with 2 scoops of carbo pro and a NUUN tab. This was different from my normal pre-race meal. I usually have a whole wheat bagel with natural peanut butter, honey, and a banana. I have had some stomach problems in my last few races so I changed it up.

I got to the race site, set up transition, and got body marked. The race was supposed to start at 9 but got pushed back to 9:15. I sipped on water mixed with NUUN, and took a gel about 8:30. I got in the water and swam about 500 meters to warm up and was really feeling good in the water. After I warmed up I talked with my sister and the got blessed by the Hawaiian priest. I was feeling completely relaxed, not stress. It was kind weird how calm I was, even my sister noticed.


The swim: 2 x 750 meter laps w/ a 50 yard between laps

I lined myself up right behind a group of pros and when the canon went off I charged it. I quickly found a good draft and really didn't caught too much with anybody. I hit the first buoy feeling really good and got around it in a big crowd. I stayed calm and just kept on pushing and staying on peoples feet and knees. At the end of the first lap I knew I was having a good swim. I looked around on the run between laps and I had pro men and women all around me. The second lap went really well too. I felt relaxed the whole time. The swim felt easy and I was stoked running up to transition... and I was even more stoked to see most of the bikes still in trasition.

swim split(2 x 750m, 50 yard run, 75 yard run to T1, T1): 24:46

Bike: 19.8 miles

This by far hardest course I have ever ridden but I was feeling really confident after a really good swim. I immediately started passing people on the climbs. The course was treacherous. All the descents were filled with lava rocks big and small. I just opened it up as much as I could and flowed. I saw a lot of people crashing and people stopped fixing flats. I have never seen so many people go down (including a number of pros), and these weren't minor crashes. Some of them were nasty leaving people waiting for assistance off the volcano. I got passed and also did my fair share of passing. After the last downhill I hit the paved road that led back to trainistion. I was so stoked to have made the whole ride without going down or having any mechanical problems. It thanked the Hawaiian preist for this at dinner.

Bike split: 2:02:41


Run: 6.9 miles

I felt pretty good leaving T2 and knew I had some work to do. I think I was in 11th or 12th place in my AG heading out on the run and knew there were a couple guys within reach. The first 3/4 of a mile are on a golf course and paved road with rolling hills. I started passing people right away. At the 1 mile marker it turns uphill for 3 miles of relentless, hot climbing. This is where I made my moved. I was dropping a lot of guys on the climb, including guys in my AG. I had moved up into 6th place once I reached the top and I was with a pro male as I hit the aid station and started the rocky descent. At this point I was caught by a guy in my AG and he dropped me on the downhill. I was in shock. For the first time I couldn't respond to his surge. This had never happened to me before. This kind of broke me mentally. After the descent I hit Makena beach. This is where I fell apart. The beach is a mile of super soft sand and there was a 20mph headwind. It took everything I had to keep moving forward and not breaking down and walking. Then we headed into the "spooky forrest" and I was concentrating on turnover, but I was bonking big time. Then it was back onto a black sand beach, again with super soft sand and wind. I was crushed, but I kept moving. Soon enough I was running over the rocks and corral, back onto the golf course, and then onto finish. This was the hardest run of my life. I hit the wall but luckily only got passed by one guy.

run: 53:07


Overall: 3:20:34 - 7th in AG (of 33), 62nd overall (of 575)

As soon as I crossed the finish line the heat hit me like a ton of bricks and I was out of it. I was walked directly to the Med tent and draped with cold towels and given fluids. They were about to give me an IV but I started coming around. Nothing has ever felt that good. I finally left it all on the course, but wish I had more to give. I think I really blew it by not eating enough before the race. I was bonking hardcore over the last 2 miles. If the race would have been another mile I would have had to walk.

Overall I am very happy with my race (and first season). I had a breakthrough swim for me, and my bike was solid. For once my run wasn't there which I know will not be a regular thing. I still have tons of room to improve and I hope I can qualify and get back there next year. I want a podium finish in 2007.

Slacking...

I have been slacking... just on the blog. I have been putting some good training sessions and work has been keeping me really busy. Also the World Series is on so instead of jumping on my computer in the evenings I have been watching some baseball.

I am ready for Maui. It became really apprent this week. I have been really cutting back the volume since the begining of last week and I am starting to feel really, really good. Monday in the pool I swam my fastest 100 (1:14) ever, and it was on the last interval of a 3800 yard workout. Yesterday I drove out to Black Mountain, warmed up, and then rode the climb. I finished in 12:55, again the fastest I have ever done. I woke up this morning and couldn't wait to get in the pool. After a quick swim (2200 yards w/ 3 x 500) I hit San Elijo Lagoon for an easy trail run. I felt strong and quick. I am ready.

I am all packed and after I get a massage/adjustment I will be heading up to LA to my sisters. Tomorrow morning I will be on a plane for Maui. I can't wait.

Numbers.

My workouts this past weekend were tough. Physically and mentally. Luckily it was the last real hard stuff before the Xterra Worlds. I do have some big swims on tap but most of the intense stuff is done.

On Saturday I ran in the Balboa Boogie XC 5k. Again, these races are always tough with a bunch of fast guys coming out. It rained on Friday night so the course was nice and muddy. Just for fun I decided to wear my HRM during the race just to see what my body would be doing while I was running pretty much as hard as I can. Here's the numbers:

5K (3.1 miles) XC race: 16:30
AVG HR: 196 bpm
MAX HR: 202 bpm

Mile 1: 5:05 (I actually ran by the guy calling splits at 5:01)
HR: 197 bpm
AVG HR: 191 bpm
Ascent: 40ft

Mile 2: 10:30 (lap: 5:24.4)
HR: 198 bpm
AVG HR: 197 bpm
Ascent: 20ft

Mile 2: 16:30 (lap: 6:00)
HR: 198 bpm
AVG HR: 199 bpm
Ascent: 40ft

I went out pretty hard, and looking back, probably too hard. Mile 2 was really tough, and mile 3 was a mud pit, but I did have a nice little kick over the last 1/4 mile. Overall I finished 10th once again. Later on in the day I got in a 2hr Mountain bike.

On Sunday I did a really tough brick workout on Fiesta Island. I warmed up with 4 easy small loops (10 miles) and then turned it up. I did 3 sets consisting of the following:

bike - 2 laps (2.5 miles each) HARD!
run - 1 Mile all out right off the bike
bike - 1 lap easy

Here's my splits (just the hard intervals, I didn't include the easy lap):

#1:
Bike (2 laps): 13:18
run: (1 mile) 5:34

#2:
bike: 13:59
run: 5:38

#3:
bike: 14:12
run: 5:34

This workout was extremely tough and I was still feeling the prior days race in my legs. As hard as it was I really enjoyed it and it's something I will do often in the future. I would like to get the "hard" bike splits down aroung the 13:00 and run around 5:15. We'll see when I do this fresh.

This morning I was back in the pool for a Masters session. I tacked some extra yardage and got out of the pool after 4700 yards.

it's been a while...

I haven't posted anything lately and it's just because I have been busy. I took a couple days off when I got bact from Tahoe and then got a couple good days in last week/weekend, and this week has been a big one. I am really looking forward to getting back out and racing. Nationals didn't necessarily go the way that I wanted but it was good learning experience for sure. I will definitely have a different approach/attitude when I toe the line in Maui in a couple weeks.

Here's what went down over the past week:

Monday:
AM: swim - masters - 4200 yards
Lunch: strenght - core/uppebody(light)
PM: run - 60min - trail run - Fartlek

Tuesday:
AM: swim - masters - 4000 yards
PM: ride - 2.5 hour MTB w/ 2 x Black Mountain

Wednesday:
AM: swim - masters - 4000 yards
Lunch: run - 60min easy

Thursday:
AM: run - easy 30min
Lunch: strength - core/stretching
PM: swim/run - Club Aquathlon - 1000m swim/3 mile run

Friday:
AM: swim - masters - 4000 yards
Lunch - strenght - upperbody (light)

I am feeling suprislingly fresh today. The aquathlon was a good time last night and I took third once again. My swim is continuing to improve and I keep coming out of the water in a better position with less people to track down on the run. Last night I was the sixth person out on the run and ran my way up to third. Jim and Marc finished first and second once again.

I have some pretty intense stuff lined up for the weekend including a XC 5k, but I might have to get a little creative with scheduling as it is supposed to rain for the first time in months.

Xterra National Championships - Tahoe - 10.1.2006

I don't even know where to start. The last week has been kind of nuts. I'll just go over it day by day. I have a lot more on my mind about this race that I will have to save for another post.

Thursday:
AM: swim - Masters 2500 yards
PM: ride - easy 40 min spin on mtb

On Thursday I got got all my gear ready to go and got in an easy swim and bike. While I was on my ride both of my quads started cramping up. It was really weird because I never cramp up. Luckily I had a massage lined up for later in the day.

Friday:
PM: ride - 3 hr Pre-Ride of bike course

We got on the rode at 3am and arrived in Tahoe around 1130am. The weather was perfect and we headed out on the trail around 1pm. The ride was epic. The view from the flume trail that overlooks lake tahoe is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. As killer as the scenery was the ride was tough. Tons of climbing and it was really sandy. There is a lot of single track on the course and even where it was double track there was really only one line due to all the sand.

Saturday:
AM: run - 1 loop of the run course (easy) - 5k
PM: swim - easy 1000m swim in the lake

We headed down to the race site on Saturday morning to watch the start of the Xterra Nevada Sport race. They were racing the same course but with only one loop (750m) of the swim and one lap (5k) of the run. We hung out and watched the race and then headed out for an easy run of the course and then hit the water for a swim.

Saturday night we went to the Xterra dinner and it was killer. Great food, cool awards presentation, and slide show of all the races. There we even a couple of photos of me from the race in Richmond, VA. I got a couple of strange looks when I headed up to the bar and ordered an ice cold Sierra Nevada. I hung out with quite a few of the guys from my AG and they were all really cool guys. The vibe at Xterra races is quite a bit different than the road races that I have done. Everybody is more laidback and just ready to just lay it down on the course.

Sunday: The Race

Pre-race:

The race started at 9am so I was up a 6 for some coffee and breakfast. It was cold outside. It was about 40 degrees when we got to the race. Everybody had beanies and gloves on. It looked more like everybody was going snowboarding as opposed to swimming, biking, and running. I warmed up with a couple of miles of running and the put on my wetsuit and got in the lake. I did a longer swim warm-up than usual. I really wanted to acclimate to the cold water and lack of oxygen.

Swim: 1500m (2 x 750m laps w/ 150 meter run in between)
Time: 30:34 (swim,run to T1 - 1/3 mile,T1)

With a couple minutes to go before the start I spotted a quite a few of the guys in my AG so I went and got in the mix with them. We were to the far left and lined up right behing a group of pro men. I was really loose and relaxed prior to the start. When the cannon went off it was mayhem. The first 250m to the first buoy was rough. Everybody was all over eachother and combined with the lack of oxygen due to the altitude it made breathing tough. I was able to hang with the guys in my AG througout the first lap. When I hit the beach and started to run the 150 feet to start lap two my legs were super heavy. I tried to run but felt like I was barely moving.

Lap two was pretty uneventful. I didn't feel like I was swimming fast but I was consitent and didn't get dropped. After the second lap it was a 3 minute run to T1 and my feet were completely numb.

T1:
Pretty standard. I had a bit more trouble getting my bike shoes on because my feet were numb but other than that I was in and out.

Bike: 32k
Time: 2:07

A mile out of T1 you hit Tunnel Creek road and then it's 1600ft straight up(2500ft of climbing on the course). The climb was tough and super sandy. It is a double track road, but due to all the sand it rode like single track. For most port there was single line with limited areas to pass. This is probably where I made mistake on the day. I wasn't aggressive enough. I should have passed more people before I got to the flume trail (all single track/no passing). I got passed on the bike by some guys but also did my fair of share of passing during the 32k, but I wasn't nearly aggressive enough.

T2: In and out - Passed a guy in my AG in T2 and never saw him again.

Run: 10k
Time: 37:50

The run course was pretty fast. There weren't any hard climbs just a lot of twisting, turning, and obstacles. I passed a lot of people on the run and finished with the 19th fastest run split overall and 3rd amateur on the day. I felt pretty strong on the run.



Overall: 3:16
8th AG
74th overall

I am not very satisfied with my performance. From a physical standpoint I felt great but I didn't "race" hard enough. It's all mental. I don't know way to say it. I didn't take the chances I needed to on the bike. I could have made more moves on people and really pushed the pace on the climbs. I felt physically capable of doing it, but I held back. I raced safe and racing with that mentality on this course is not going to cut it. My coach called me out on it too. I am stoked to have a coach that is not going to sugar coat anything and will tell me how it really is. I have a lot of work to do and it's just not in the water and on the roads and trails.

Rest, Rest, Rest

I am really trying to take it easy this week. This is my my first A race in quite a while so it will be nice to go in fresh. I am still learning how body reacts to training, resting, and racing. Hopefully with everything I have done this year I will figure out how many days out I really need to start cutting things back. If I don't feel 100% on Sunday maybe I need more rest (longer taper) or if I feel flat, maybe I need to include more shorter intensity stuff during the final week before the race. Like I have said before this year is all about learning in hopes that I will have it all dialed in next season.

I am really focusing on my diet and nutrition this week. I am already pretty strict with my diet but this week even more so than normal. I am making sure I am eating really lean protein, good carbs, and even cutting back on the caffeine. I also will not be having any beers this week until after the race. I even turned down going out with my friends last night to the local sports bar to watch the Padres game and Monday Night Football. I don't think I could have resisted the temptation to knock a couple back while watching the Pads take on over the Cards.

I had a pretty good talk with my coach Sunday night and was feeling pretty good about everything. He has raced on the Tahoe course a couple of times and gave me some good tips for the swim/bike/run. He says with the way that I am running right now that I should me able to make up a lot of time on the run. It's a flat run with alot of turns and obstacles. It's all about turn over. I just can't wait to go for it. This is the biggest race I have ever done and I am just want push harder than I ever have on the run.

Yesterday morning I woke up and my legs were reallyu tired and achey from running on Sunday. I may have pushed a little to hard on the way back from my run. I negative split the run by 7 minutes. It was a rest day and that's what I did. I hit the gym at lunch and rode the stationary bike for 15 miinutes to loosen up my legs and then stretched for 20 minutes. After the games last night I took and epsom salt bath and crashed around 10pm.

Monday: Rest
Lunch: 15min spin/20min stretching
PM: epsom salt bath

Tuesday:
AM: swim - Masters - 3300 yards

I felt great in the pool this morning. I only did 3/4 of the 4200 yard workout and was swimming pretty fast. I shut it down before I started to feel fatigued. I am not going to gain any fitness this week and I just need to maintain the feel. That's all I am doing today and my legs are feeling much better than yesterday.

Padres are up by 2 games over the Dodgers with 6 games to go.

Race Week

By this time next week I will have finished my biggest race of the season (until Worlds 10/29). Last week's training was solid and I am defintely feeling pretty good. This week is really mellow so I am really hoping that I feel ready to go for it next Sunday morning. The only that has me concerned is the race day weather. More on that later.

End of last week and the weekend:

Thursday:
PM: Club Aquathlon - 1000m swim/3 mile run - 3rd Place

As usual the race was fun and I found myself in a similar predicament. I was probably 8th out of the water and ran my way to third place. The only people I couldn't track down were Marc and Caue (a local pro). Watching them go head to head was awesome. They are both really strong swimmers and were shoulder to shoulder throughout the run and ended in a sprint finish. Caue just edged out Marc. Good food afterwards.

Friday:
Rest: - Massage

Saturday:
AM: Ride - 2:13/37 mile - Hilly Loop

Solid ride and pushed it quite a bit. My legs were feeling good and I was solid on all the climbs.

Sunday (today):
AM: Run - 71 min/9.85 mile - Negative split - 39 min out/32 min back

I felt really good on the second half of the run. I actually held back quite a bit and ran just over my 10k pace. I am ready to throw down a hard run at Natl's.

My schedule this week has a couple of swims, a run, some pre-riding and that's it. The Forecast for the weekend is highs in the mid 60's and lows down into the upper 30's. By looking at the hour by hour forecasts I am guessing it will be right 40 when the race goes off. The water temp right now is somewhere between 58-60. To say the least it's not going to be warm. I am still trying to figure what I am going to do to try and stay warm. I don't like the cold, especially when I am on the bike.

Here's a comment from the Xterra message board regarding weather for the upcoming weekend...

" I measured the water temp this morning 9/24 at 9:30am and it was calm and 57 degrees.

It is 10:30am now and 49 degrees outside. Warm in the sun, cold in the shade.

It looks like it's going to warm up some this week, so we might see 70s during the week. Still lows in the 30s.

Bring something to keep your feet warm and dry while you set up transition, just in case there is frost on the Village Green. A beanie and gloves would be a good idea too. Otherwise, I agree with the previous post. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Bring layers."

Last "hard" ride...

I was up at 5am this morning as usual and was really anxious to get out and ride. I have really been having good offroad rides lately and this morning I got in my last "hard" ride before Xterra Nationals next Sunday. I have another ride lined up for the weekend but it's not going to be offroad or too hard. It's starting to get a little cold in the mornings. I was stoked I brought my arm warmers. I guess it's time to find all my winter gear. I am not looking forward to it!

Tuesday:
AM: swim - Masters - 4000 yards
PM: run - 70min/intervals - 10x3 min hard w/ 1 min recovery

The swim yesterday was solid. Not many people have been showing up to Masters (I am guessing because it's getting colder in the AM and racing season is coming to an end). I had my own lane which is always nice. I swam everything averaging a 1:24/100 pace. After smashing myself in the pool two days in a row it took a little bit of motivation to run hard after work. Once I got to about my 3rd interval I started coming around and I finished the last 5 feeling stronger than the first 5. Good sign. I started my run from Fletcher's cove so I could jump in the water and swim around for a bit afterwards. It felt great.

Wednesday:
AM: ride - 2.5hr/28 mile mountain bike
Lunch: 20 min recumbent bike/20 min stretching

I am feeling really good lately on the bike. I have been working on my bike handling quite a bit and it's really starting to come around. I am feeling a lot more confident blasting down technical, rocky descents. I rode from the west end of PQ canyon all the way out and to the top of Black Mtn and back. I felt really good on the climb and then blasted the downhill. Sitting in my office after my ride my legs were really starting to tighten up. So at lunch I hit the gym, loosened them up on the stationary bike, and then stretched for 20 minutes. They feel much better now. I will defintely be hitting and ice bath tonight.

Tomorrow will be my last hard run which will come on the second half of the club Aquathlon, and it's the only thing I am doing tomorrow.. well that and maybe surfing in the morning. I am really looking forward to the club race. Aquathlons are just a good time. They only take about a half hour, I get to try and catch Marc and the other fast swimmers, and the food afterwards is killer.

Time to get back to work so I can head out and go for a surf.

Padres are back in first.

busy weekend...

Another solid weekend in the books.

Thursday:
AM: Swim - Masters - 4000 yards
Lunch: Strength - Core/Stretching
PM: Swim - 1.5 mile ocean swim - Torrey Pines
Run - 45min/6 mile trail run

A lot of swimming on Thursday. I did my normal Masters session in the morning but then met up with Marc and Mike for and ocean swim after work. After the swim Mike and I headed out to PQ canyon for and easy 45 minute trail. I felt good through out. After the run we headed back to Marc's for some food and beer. It was a long day and I think I was in bed by 930pm.

Friday:
AM: Swim - 2 mile ocean swim - La Jolla Cove
Lunch: Strength - upperbody
PM: Ride - 2hr/22mile MTB - PQ canyon

Friday was another solid day. I met Marc and Mike at the Marine Room at 7:15am. Marc and I swam 2 miles while Mike got in a run. After the swim they headed out on a 112 mile ride and I was off to work. During lunch I got in the gym and got my last weight workout before nationals. After work I hit the trails for a ride that was scheduled for Saturday but I wanted to head down to Coronado Saturday to watch the Superfrog Triathlon.

Saturday:
AM: Run - 75min/10 mile run w/ Intervals

This was supposed to be a group workout but nobody showed up. I ended up running on the beach near Torrey Pines and then all the way down to La Jolla cove. I felt really strong on the run.

Sunday:
AM: Run - 90min/12 mile run - nice and easy

I woke up early on Sunday morning and went and surfed for a hour and then hit the trails. I needed to get my run in before 1pm because both the Chargers and Padres were playing and were televised. The run was mellow. I ran all through San Elijo Lagoon and RSF. After the games I surfed again.

Monday:
AM: swim - Masters - 3800 yards
Lunch: strength - core/stretching
PM: ride - 80min/24mile - Steady pace with Sprint intervals

Monday mornings are always rough for me in the pool. I was really sluggish in the pool for the first half of the workout and then picked it up for the second half. With nationals coming up I am done lifting weights but I am still going to hit the gym at lunch a couple times this week for core workouts, and that's what I did today. After work I got in a 24 mile ride up and down the coast. Felt good all day.

That's it for now... Monday night football is on and so are the FIRST PLACE PADRES!

Taking it easy and feeling good...

After feeling so tired and flat last week and weekend my coach kind of scaled things back this week. Which I think I needed. My last block of training was the hardest that I have put in. Both in volume and intensity. I think it just all caught up with me last week and at the race on Sunday. At the begining of the week Xterra Natl's in Tahoe was just a short 3 weeks away. So the plan is to take it relatively easy this week, put in a solid week next week, and then really cut it back the week heading into the race.

Here' what I have been up to:

Monday:
REST! No Workouts.
Massage/adjustment/epsom salt bath

Tuesday:
AM: surfed - 1.5 hours
PM: run - 30 min super easy

Wednesday:
AM: surfed - 1 hour
Lunch: Strength - lowerbody/core - light on the weights
PM: ride - 2hr/22mile Mountain bike

Thursday:
AM: Swim - Masters - 4000 yards
Lunch: Core - hard (still to come)
PM: Run - 45 min - easy/mod "run how I feel"
* I also may get in a mellow ocean swim

I am feeling really good. I felt really fresh on my ride yesterday. Probably the best I have felt in the last couple of weeks but still held back a bit. I didn't want to smash myself. This is also the last week I will be lifting weights until after Tahow. I was planning on doing a XC 5k this weekend but the coach didn't think it was a good idea. He wants me to take a break from racing so I go into Natl's fresh.

They posted the official results of the LA tri and I finished 10th in the Male Elite Division. By far not my best race but I'll take it. It defintely fueled the fire to train hard, especially in the off season. I want a top 5 in LA next year.

And in case anybody was wondering if I do anything besides train. Here's a photo of me and my brother a couple of weeks ago. Nothing better than beer and a baseball game.

Los Angeles Triathlon - Race Report

The race is over and I have never been so happy to just finish.

This race was a pretty big deal. Lifetime Fitness is really doing something awesome to promote triathlon and give back the amatuers trying to compete at the highest level. This was the last event to qualify for the Elite Amateur Championship race next summer at the Lifetime Fitness Tri in Minneapolis. Next year they are going to have 4 qualifying events (nyc, chicago, liftime fitness, and LA) and then have championship race in Ocotber '07 on a brand new course in Dallas. It's all still in the planning stages but at the Elite meeting they gave us the inside scoop.

back to my race...

Saturday:
I headed to the expo to check in and attend a mandatory meeting for everyone competing in the Elite Amateur race. At the meeting they went over the rules, qualifying, and the point to point course. They also went around the room and had everyone introduce themselves and tell everyone what some of their triathlon accomplishments were. Wow... there were some accomplished, fast dudes there. National champs, sub 4:20 half Im'ers, Kona qualifiers, and former LA tri winners. It was nuts and kind of intimidating, but everyone was really cool.

Sunday:
I watched the start of the men's pro wave and then went to the holding bay. The elite wave went 5 minutes after the pro women. I was actually really loose and not really nervous. I figured I didn't have anyting to lose. While I was standing there waiting for the women to start my stomach started cramping out of nowhwere. I need to go to the bathroom (something that couldn't be taken care of while wearing a wetsuit) but I didn't have time. I was going to have to hold it. Great.

Swim: 1500m
So we're off... a full sprint to the water. There was a pretty good swell in the water and I was just diving through the waves. the swim was pretty uneventful. I really didn't push very hard and just kind of cruised. I really don't know why I didn't swim harder. I came out of the water in the middle of the pack and then ran 100 yards to transisiton.

swim time: 24:59

T1:
I got to the race and some knocked my bike almost off the rack and my stuff was everywhere. I got my helmet and glassess on and then fumbled stuffing my wetsuit into the bag (it was a point to point race so you had to stuff everything in a bag after the swim).

T1 time: :59 (worst t1 ever)

Bike: 40k
I booked out of t1 and jumped on my bike. I had my shoes already in the pedals and kept in place with rubberbands (typical set up for me). As I started pedaling there was a ton of resistance. I looked down at my front brake and it was rubbing on the rim. So I jumped off tweaked it back so it wasn't rubbing and then had to rip my shoes off the pedals and put them on because I had already broken the rubberbands by pedaling on top of my shoes. All I can think is theat when whoever knocked into my bike they hit my front brake becuause it wasn't like that prior to the race.

As soon as I got on the bike I knew it was going to be a long day. I felt like crap. I posted earlier this in my blog that I felt tired and flat all week and I still did. I had nothing in my legs. No juice at all and my stomach also began cramping like crazy. I pushed through it and the course was pretty challenging. There were a lot of false flats, rolling hills, a couple good climbs, some super fast descents, and the roughest roads that I have ever ridden on. Even with as bad as I felt I only got passed on the bike by one guy and he was in the 30-34 AG that started 5 minutes after my wave. He was hammering.

Overall the course was pretty awesome. Riding through Hollywood and downtown LA on closed roads was pretty cool.

Bike time: 1:07

T2: Uneventful. In and out.

run: 10k

By now I was really feeling bad. I usually love this part of the race. I always look forward to getting off the bike and laying it down. Not on this day. I was hurting. My legs were completely dead and the stomach cramps were getting worse. My stomach was so bad that I actually considered bagging the run but I couldn't let myself quit. I pushed through and passed a couple of guys in the elite division and the guy that passed me on the bike. While on the run I also saw Greg Bennet and Craig Alexander finishing which was rad. They were hammering. The run course was pretty tough with a lot of hills including one long steep climb right out of t2.

After 4 miles I had caught all the people that I was going to be able to so I pretty mush shut it down. I had a big enough lead that nobody behind me was going to catch me so I just cruised to the finish.

run time: 35:57

Results: 2:09:44 - Place ??

I was the 12th elite to finsh, but 3 or 4 guys ahead of me got DQ'd for missing a turn on the bike course and cutting off about 4 miles. So once things get sorted out I will probably have finished 8th or 9th. I was just so happy to finish. I am really glad I pushed through it. This was the first time I have ever had to deal with anything like that. I am also stoked that I was able to run a 35:57 10k without even pushing it. I know now that I am defintely capable of running in the 33's when I feel good.

If I wouldn't have raced Elite I think I could have won my AG even with how I felt. The winner of 25-29 went 2:09:02 and ran a 37+ 10k. I am pretty confident that if I would have been able to push myself on the run if I was racing in the same wave as the winner and contending for the win.

I learned a lot from this race and am glad I raced elite. Putting the pressure on myself and seeing where I stand with top amateurs was way more valuable than placing in my AG. It's the reason why I like racing. It's not to collect placques and trophies. It's to push myself as hard as I can and go as fast as I can. Racing faster guys is the only way I am going to find my limits.

Next season I am really going to focus on the Lifetime Fitness Series and try to qualify for the 2007 champs in Dallas.

I need to figure out why I felt how I did all week. This race was a last minute thing so there was really not tapering. My big races are coming in the next couple of weeks and I need to make sure that I dont' feel then how I did yesterday.

It's almost GO time...

Well the week is coming to an end and I have had a relatively easy week. Here's what went down:

Monday:
AM: swim - 1.5 mile open water

I did this solo at Fletcher's cove Monday morning. The water was perfect and I felt good.

Tuesday:
AM: swim - Masters - 4000 yards
PM: run - 60 min easy w/ 15-20 strides

I felt really good in the pool and it was my last full swim workout before the race this weekend. The run was standard. Didn't feel bad, didn't feel great.

Wednesday:
AM: swim - Masters - 2700 yards
Lunch: 10min Stationary bike/stretching/light core
PM: Ride - 1:20/22 mile - easy with spin ups

I was still feeling really good in the pool. I put in some hard efforts but cut down the volume. It helps having good masters coaches helping you with your taper. I was really tired heading out on the bike. I felt ok once I got going, but never really got "into" the ride. I was just waiting to get back home and eat.

Thursday:
AM: run - 40min easy
Lunch: 15 min stationary bike/stretching
PM: swim - Coached open water swim workout

I felt good in the morning getting out an running first thing. I have always like running in the mornings. By the time the afternoon rolled around I was exhausted. I headed home frow work took a power nap and then headed down to Pacific Beach for the swim workout. The swim workout was solid. We worked on surf entries/exits, drafting, and did some hard efforts. Once I got in the water I felt good and then felt a lot better after I ate dinner.

Friday(today):
AM: bike - 55min/15 mile - easy ride with 4-5 short race pace efforts
Lunch: STRETCH!!!(still to come)
PM: Transition practice - just a few run throughs with my shoes already in my pedals (after work).

I felt really good on this ride. It was my first ride with race wheels. My friend Matt let me borrow his Zipp 404's for this race. They defintly make a difference. I rode my normal route and was about 1-2 mph faster than usual. I don't if it was wheels or what, but "whoosh" sound was pretty cool. I need to get some for next season.

It's almost time to race and all my work has been done. I was kind of tired all week. I think having family and friends in town all last week and weekend along with getting all my workouts in really caught up with me. I also don't think I was eating enough. I have been super busy at work and skipped some feeding times due to meetings and bad planning on my part. I feel much better today after nailing my nutrition yesterday.

I am just going to go for it in the race. My plan is just try and find a pack on the swim and draft, draft, draft. I am going to really push myself to keep up with the lead pack. The Elite amatuer wave starts at 6:55 am right after the pro men (6:45) and women (6:50). Once I get on the bike I am just going hammer away. No pacing. Just seriously try to give everything I have and not worry about saving anything for the run. I know even if I am tired I can put in a good run. My goal for the run is sub 34 minutes. i won't be happy unless I am @ 34 min or under.

I have also made a decision not to carry any tools or "flat kit" on the bike. I am racing for a top 5 spot, not to see if I can finish. If I flat I am done. Plus I am riding tubulars that I have never changed before. I know it's a gamble, but that's how I am looking at this whole race. I am going to have to give everything I have to hang with these guys.

Game on.

Less than a week...

For the past week I have been going nonstop. My brother and his girlfriend were in town but I was still able to get in all my workouts and still hang out... and drink too much beer.

Here's what I have been up to training wise:

Thursday:
AM: run - 60min easy run

Friday:
AM: swim - 1.5 mile open water
PM: bike - 90 min ride

Saturday:
AM: Balboa 4 mile XC race - 22:22 - 4th AG/10th Overall
30 min warm-up
22:22 race
40 min cool down

The race was solid. I was feeling ok but I was defintely feeling the fatigue from my week of workouts. I had a better strategy going into this race. There was a guy who beat me by 30 seconds last time and I was just going to stay on his hip as long as I could. The course was really tough with a lot of steep climbs. I was able to hang with this guy until then and passed some guys on the final hill. We ended up in a sprint finish and I just did not have the distance to complete the pass. It felt good to run that hard and I am really starting to like "running only" races.

Sunday:
PM: bike - 3:04/50 mile ride

My ride yesterday was solid. My sister and nephew were down the night before, along with my brother still being in town, and they all left around noon. I wasn't feeling very motivated to get out on the road in the heat, especially after downing too many beers and chicken wings at the Padres game the night before. The goal for the ride was to get out and ride, get in some climbing, descending, cornering, and some sprints. Once on the road I started to feel good and had a great ride with a lot of climbing. I didn't attack the climbs. I just kept it steady and powerful.

This week is going to be relatively light with the LA Triathlon on Sunday. It was good to be so busy this past week as I did not have time to think all the mega-fast guys I will try to hang with. Either way I am just going to try to have fun with the whole experience.