Here We Are!

Well, in 24 hours from now I should be in T2 getting ready to run 3.8 miles to the finish line of my first Triathlon. I must say few things in my life have captured my imagination the way Tri has. The very essence of life and training is found in Tri. It becomes a complete commitment to fitness and well-being. A commitment to never doubt yourself and be all you can be (Yeah, I know Uncle Sam).
I know I haven't posted very often at all so I am going to explain how I got to this point.
Right after my last post somewhere after April 7th I found my old surfing wetsuit and began training in my backyard lagoon. While the water was cold, the suit worked as it should and the training became bearable. While Lava Man only calls for .33 on the swim, I am training at 1/2 mile simply because of the shape and design of my lagoon. It was just easier to swim one end of the lagoon to the other.
The bike was easy, the guys over at Padi's Pedal Power got my bike tuned up and re-fitted to make the road course much more easy and comfortable. I mapped out a 2 lap 14.5 mile course encompassing 2 neighborhoods around my house with most of the course on the scenic Barnegat Bay. I feel I may be able to make up some time on the bike. I was averaging 56 miles a week for this race. Not much but I do feel ready for tomorrow.
The run......ahhhhhh, my old companion. Running back in the 1980's for me was a lifestyle but marriage, kids and running 2 companies took time away and running fell to the wayside. Shame on me for letting that happen. I am back with a vengeance though. Miles upon miles have been run in preparation for this race. I shifted locations and distances to simulate different conditions and I am getting my groove back (although my days of 6:05 miles are long gone, I think).

Taken in it's entirety, Tri is a purely cerebral sport. Your mind has to see your body through the race. Your mind has to be able to read the body for any warning signs and your mind has to devise a strategy to best conquer that course in front of you.

Thanks Coach Aque or putting me in a position to finish my first Tri. From you I learned it ain't about winning, it is about looking good for the photo at the Finish Line. I will see you all at the Finish Line tomorrow morning.

Tri has scooped up another convert.

Catching Up

A lot has happened since last we spoke. Spring has finally arrived and I have been taking full advantage.

Friday April 2
Bike 10 miles
Run 3.1 miles
Today I had a lot of "Hand of God" Resistance Training (wind).

Saturday April 3
Bike 10 miles

Monday April 5
Run 3.1 miles

Which brings us to today April 7th

It was a 10 mile bike ride on a new course with a lot of "Hand of God" Resistance training

Over the next week, I will be moving my training to Lavallette to get a feel for the course so it is familiar on race day

I am gonna start up more strength and conditioning work and will attempt to pick up a wetsuit as my lagoon is starting to almost be warm enough to jump in with a wetsuit.

Nutrition has been alright. I think I am going to start a vitamin regimen.

I know I am losing a ton of weight as none of my clothes from last summer fit anymore.

Keep working, keep training!

Good Run Today

Things are beginning to come together. 5k at 30:55. Not terribly fast but 3:50 faster than my horrendous time at The Jingle Bell Run. Breakfast was coffee, Irish Soda Bread and a banana. Lunch was a light pasta and a bottled water.
Tomorrow I will bike.
I can feel my stride getting stronger and the times will come down.
What beautiful day to run. Not a cloud in the sky and temps in the mid 50's. If only everyday could be like this.

Just That Much Closer

What a great day!!! I only need to find if I can swim 584 yards and I am good to go. I did the 10 mile bike this morning as well as the 5k run. What a great feeling. I need to get used to T2 (bike to run), the pain was unique and lasting a little longer than I would have liked.
No matter, a solid diet of meditating on "Put one foot in front of the other" and the run was done.
It was such a beautiful day that I could have trained all day but alas work calls.
It feels good to know I can finish the distances with little trouble. Now it is time to start finding "the faster".

I will probably bike on Friday and do strength and conditioning on Saturday morning.

Just Put One Foot In Front of The Other

I just finished Dean Karnazes' awesome book "Ultra Marathon Man - Confessions of an All Night Runner" and was inspired beyond belief. While I took a lot out of that book it was one thing he talked about which has truly helped me is the thought "Just put one foot in front of the other". As I increase my distance and increase the intensity of my intervals I have come to believe that a long race is really just a series of shorter races. As opposed to running 5.5 miles, I am racing to the next telephone pole or to the next street corner. I recommend this book to anybody who wants to improve their life no matter whether you are an athlete or not.
This weekend was great for my training;
Friday - 1 hour of speed, agility, strength and conditioning work at All Star Sports Academy. The work out included ladder work, cleans, TRX pikes, single arm stability ball dumbbell presses, medicine ball granny tosses, kettlebell swings, vertimax jumps and plate pushes.
Saturday - I played 2 hours of indoor soccer with my buddies.
Sunday - This was the day. I refereed 2 ice hockey games in the morning, watched the USA hockey game (Blame Canada) and then ran 5.5 miles.

I did pretty good with my nutrition but I am having problems with energy so I will be working with Phil Hueston a NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist to improve my nutrition intake.

It looks like the weather is starting to break so I will get more bike rides in and get in more runs.

I really believe I will finish my first tri. It all comes down to like my cousin Aque says...it's all about finishing and looking good at the finish line.

Back In Business

Wow, I hate snow. You can only do so much speed, agility, strength and conditioning work. You want to get outside to run and ride. Well yesterday I was finally able to get outside and run as the streets were clear of snow and ice enough to make the travel safe.
I ran 5 miles yesterday. I know I can do the 5k consistently well so now I am upping the mileage. As I am upping the mileage, I will begin interval training on the 5 mile distance til I have it comfortable and confident.
My ultimate goal is to have the ability to complete a half marathon by LavaMan.
I will probably try to get a ride in on Thursday as we have rain coming in which should melt any remaining snow on the roadsides.
Nutrition has been ok. I could have been better. I am eating sort of right but the sweets around the house tempt me :)
That's it for now. My plan is to run tomorrow.

Not Much Happening Right Now

Well a bunch of things have managed to combine themselves into one big slowdown in my training. Last weekend I refereed 6 ice hockey games over a 2 day period. I also managed to get in a game of indoor soccer at our facility. I took 2 days to rest and get my strength back but now with my mother in law in the hospital, that has taken time which leads us to...
Now with 2 feet of snow on the ground and another couple inches forecast for Tuesday into Wednesday, I am not sure when I will be able to restart my training. I can only do so much speed, agility, strength and conditioning training. I need to log in mileage both in running and on the bike.
I have set up a blender in the kitchen and have begun healthy smoothie breakfasts.
The diet is holding up still, I ma not having too many bad days or mistakes.
I just need the snow to go away so I can keep this thing moving.