1.31.2006

100th Post

Hey everyone! My 100th post -- for those who've been counting.

Just a training update. I spent 25 minutes on the cycle doing intervals at the club and 25 minutes in the pool tonight. It felt great. I felt so much better after working out tonight. No more dump truck.

January was a banner month. Here's the breakdown:
Swim: 6h 5m 29s - 20,153.98 Yd
Bike: 7h 56m 50s -
141.59 Mi
Run: 15h 38m 56s - 93.76 Mi


I'm very happy with these results and I'm well on my way to BSLT.

See ya out there...

3's company

Lots of 3's in my life this week:
  • 3 days of running. I feel like I've been run over by a dump truck - full of wet, soggy mud. Even M has started asking me if I'm ok as I hobble around the house. But - It. hurts. so. good.
  • Family of three. M, T and Raider. We've been having a real ball lately. T spent almost 2 hours roaming around the house with the broom last night. He swept the kitchen, the living room (including the carpet), the walls, and Raider. It's the best cleaning job our house has had in 3 years. Finally - this kid thing is working out! Hey M - the house needs painting, let's have another one!
  • 3 meetings. Only 3 meetings on my schedule at work this week. Oh crap. That means I actually have to work this week.
  • 3rd decade. On Saturday I turn 30. Note from my sister: "I can't believe my brother is turning 30!" Great. Now, I'm too old for my young friends and too young enough to know enough at work. *SIGH*
  • 3 weeks to race day. 3 weeks until the Freescale Half Marathon. I am sooo ready. My BT stats show I ran over 93 miles this month! 93 miles?! More on that in a future post. BTW, did everybody see that the 3M course was mis-measured? I heard the winner did 13 miles in a little over an hour. Geez.

Short swim and cycle at the club planned for this afternoon. Ok. Time to work.

See ya out there...

1.29.2006

Salt lines and gear casualties


Whew. Just got back from a loooong run today - just a hair over 13 miles. Awesome weather - it was about 34* when I left and in the mid-60's when I finished. We had some rain (finally) yesterday and it seems to have cleaned everything off.

I had to do my bike workout at the club yesterday. Man - I'm so glad I did. I did 90 minutes on the cycle. The whole thing was automated and even integrated with my HRM! I did 60 minutes of interval training. I started in the mid 120's then the bike told me I needed to get the HR up to 135, then back to the mid 120's, then up to 153. It was great - the bike kept track of all the time and HR. It even changed the resistance level automatically to help me get the HR up to the right level. Awesome. After 60 minutes of intervals I switched to cardio and spent the final 30 minutes at 153 - the bike kept it all in check by changing the resistance automatically to help me keep my HR in the right zone. Very cool. I finished everything out with a 10 minute jog on the treadmill to shake out the legs.

I was soaked by the end of the workout. I'm a salty sweat-er. I had these great looking salt lines on my hat and shirt. You can always tell you had a good workout when there are salt lines involved. Same thing today on the run - I had a great salt line.

About an hour into the run - right at the end of the GYGO podcast - I had a little gear incident. Turns out I found a major design flaw in the Amphipod. If you drop the flask from about 2.5 feet, the plastic top will crack and drain all the fluid you have dragged with you for 6 miles. Yes, that's right - dropping the plastic flask will ruin it. Arg! I was a little worried about dehydration because I only had one more flask with me and I was at the farthest point from the house. No worries - I still finished really strong. But, I need to replace that flask.

So, the long workouts are in the bag for the weekend. Nice. As a nice reward, we're headed to Freebirds for a beer and burrito today. Nice. Next week is a recovery week. Nice.

See ya out there...

1.28.2006

Meals of the triathlete

I've been posting a lot lately about calories and food. Blah Blah Blah.

I've been really disciplined lately, my weight is on a downward trend (again) after the holiday, I'm tracking my calorie intake. Good for me. Turns out I've been going at this all wrong. Let's take for example the another part of my triathlete meals - those I dine with. My son eats like a 13th century king. Tonight was "Bar Burger" night at out house. Check out the pictures...





M takes great joy in seeing The King feeding himself. He is in the smashing phase right now. Eating has 3 distinct steps. Let's review:

  1. Everything goes through a thorough smashfest in this phase. M takes great care to cut or tear all food for The King into bite sized chunks. Upon arrival to his tray, The King quickly smashes every single piece - no matter how many times I assure him that the Bar Burger is dead.
  2. All food is then "submitted for approval". In this step the smashed food is moved from the tray to the general vicinity of The King's head. Food may be touched to the nose, ear or eye before it is place in the mouth. Then, in an amazing chemical reaction, the food is either "approved" or "rejected" in a split second. Approved food is quickly chewed and swallowed - often followed by a gallon of water from his goblet. The King removes Rejected food from his mouth by using his tongue. Rejected food lays on his bib and shirt like warriors on a 13th century battlefield. In fact, the whole tray-bib-head area reminds me of a scene from Braveheart.
  3. Reload - need I say more. The spoon is also used at various times through the feeding process -- as a catapult. Reload.



After dinner we quickly proceed to "decontamination". This involves the removal of clothing and a complete wipedown. Tonight, T resembled a character from Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer after decontamination. But, he was full and happy. Mission Accomplished.



So, what can a triathlete learn from a nightly audience with The King? Um. Well, I don't know. It doesn't appear the he is too worried about calories or discipline. So, I guess just have fun.

See ya out there...

1.27.2006

Friday Jumble


OK - My post on Tuesday couldn't have been more correct. At least in my little world.

  1. Everyone is losing steam and patience at work. Even the people who do nothing all the time have resorted to a slug level far beyond anything I could have imagined. M seemed tired out this week too - she's normally a well of energy.
  2. T turned up sick yesterday - fever. This required us to make another deposit into the college fund of our favorite doctor. M is hanging with him at home today. I kept him last night and seemed fine. Can a 15 month old fake sickness to get out of school?

In other news - today is a rest day. Ahhhhhh! I actually got to "sleep in" a little this morning. How relaxing. Although, I can already feel the energy building. I'll be hard pressed to rest tonight. Tomorrow I'm probably going to head to the club early and get in at least an hour on the spin bike - thunderstorms are forecasted all day. Ug. Sunday I'm planning a long run. Next week is recovery week. Woo Hoo!

Of course, next week is also party week. Woo Hoo, again!

I finally decided on part of my new bike gear. On Wednesday, I ordered some new pedals. I decided on the Look P-396 pedals. Everyone seemed to be in agreement that the wider pedals are best for (relatively) new cyclists. Performance Bike had a great sale, so I jumped on it. I guess that means I need to work on getting some shoes. Maybe I'll make a Saturday afternoon trip down to Austin Tri-Cyclist this weekend. I'm still shopping for clip on aero's and a wetsuit in addition to the shoes. Perhaps I could bribe my sponsor with a little Chuy's. Hmm?

The half marathon is right around the corner -- 2/19/06. This weekend is my last really long run before the big event. I'm planning to take about two weeks to taper and get the legs back to 95% beforehand. I'll probably focus a lot on shorter more intense runs starting on 2/6. I'm kind of ready to switch out of run focused training and get back to balanced diet of swim/bike/run miles. I can already tell I have some real work to do on the bike. I'm ready.

And finally... One of the podcasts I listened to this week talked about The Triathlete's Training Bible. I think it was Brett over at Zentri. I looked this book over early last season before I really had any understanding of triathlon. I didn't end up getting it because, frankly, it was a bit scary. I think I need to pick this up and read it. I noticed that Amazon has a deal for both the TTB and Training Plans for Multisport Athletes for only $27 and change. Sounds like a good deal.

Ok - have a great one everybody.

See ya out there...

1.26.2006

Flip Turn Mania

I started incorporating flip turns into my swim workouts on Tuesday. First, let me just say that this is something I have never attempted before. It has turned into a pretty fun way to swim. Here's the story...

I normally head to the club early for swim workouts - like, really early. Usually, I am the only person except for one guy. He is always there before me and still swimming whenever I leave - no matter how long my workout is. In fact, it could be entirely possible that he never gets out of the pool. Wait, lets hope he gets out of the pool for some things. *shudder*

Anyway, this guy looks like a retired Marine or a Navy Seal. I call him "The Swimming Soldier". I'm a little scared of him. I try not to splash in fear that at any moment he could jump the lane rope and quietly send me to the depths of Davy Jones' Locker. His form is perfect, flip turns are perfect, this guy has to be training for an Ironman - he has never stopped swimming long enough for me to ask.

The Kahuna issued an order a while back for all of us to start flipping. So, I've been watching the Swimming Soldier's flip turns quite closely for the last few weeks - watching, planning, waiting. Well, Tuesday was the day. I felt really strong and decided - "Today's a good day to die". The first one was, well, interesting. My nose burned like I had just stuck a firey torch up it. But, I had survived! Survived! How exilarating! So, I continued flip turns at the far end of the pool. Hoping to hide from more experienced eyes - as though my public flailing wouldn't attract attention. But, I pushed on.

At the end of Tuesday's workout, I had worked out a system and learned a thing or two. What was that feeling... ah yes... something many triathletes feel as they build, step by step, toward a goal - confidence.

Fast forward -- Today -- 4:30AM and The Swimming Soldier was already churning water like a motorboat. I started out with a warm up of 250M, flip turns at the far end of the pool. Confidence. OK - self, time to close the loop here. for the next 4x500's I did flip turns at each end of the pool - stopping only 30 seconds at the end of each 500 to recover. Amazing. Confidence.

I finished out with a strong 1000M's to round out my long swim workout for the week - flip turning every chance I got.

So, here I sit drinking coffee at the LTF cafe. More confident. This was a good swim week. I updated my training log. Holy Smokes - my average time -- 1:55 / 100M. Could that be right? Is the almighty flip turn responsible for shaving nearly 3 seconds per 100 off my normal average split?? Well, I'll take it.

See ya out there...

1.25.2006

Medium run?!

I ran 8 miles tonight. 8 miles?! When did 8 miles become my medium run?! Well, this run was not fun. I really had to gut this one out. Thanks to Brett & his Zentri podcast for getting me through. One good thing -- I can already tell that I am going to sleep like the dead tonight. I'm already nodding off. Hopefully, I still have enough energy to pack for the swim tomorrow morning. Let me tell you - this is a recipe for disaster. Tiredness and preping for tomorrow do not make for good things. Just wait - tomorrow, I'll end up with one sock, no pants, or I'll get to wear flip flops all day because I forgot my shoes. Mark my words : I will forget something.

So, if you see some poor guy wandering around tomorrow in a swimsuit and tie - you'll understand. Please understand.

See ya out there...

These are magic beans

Ok - you're 53 miles into a Half Ironman. Your mental focus is beginning to wander. It's time for a boost. What do you reach for? Jelly Belly Sport Beans!

How cool is this? I gotta try these out.

Check it out! Turns out Jelly Belly is becoming a multisport sponsor too.

1.24.2006

Busy times

Shnikes - it's been a while since I've posted.

Lots of stuff going on - not much to write about. The winds of a new year have caught the sails at work. Things have been picking up steam and are now approaching a frantic pace. I read an interesting article this morning (sorry, no linkage) about how this week is the statistical beginning of new years depression. Here are the highlights as I remember them...

  • psychologically the holiday freshness wears off this week
  • mundane work days are beginning to stack up resulting in a slight drop in productivity
  • 60% of employers don't have another holiday scheduled until May
  • winter illness spikes during this week every year
  • most new years resolutions are modified or discarded during this week.

Well, at least it's not Monday.

I've been keeping up with training pretty well- although I did ditch a bike ride for some pretty weenie reasons on Sunday. I needed the rest so it all worked out for the best. Yesterday, I had a nice evening run and followed it up at the club this morning with spinning for 30 minutes and swimming 1800M.

Anyway - see ya out there.

1.21.2006

Thoughts from a long run...

I ran 11 miles today. Wait- let me check that - yep 11.05 miles. (thanks Gmap) Holy Crap! I ran 11.05 miles today!! My new longest run ever. Whew. Next weekend I hit the 13 mile mark. Should be fun.

I branched out and ran a dream route I've been eyeing for months. Oh man - it was awesome.

I had just under 2 hours to think a lot of thoughts. Here's a synopsis...

The new Kahuna / Wil podcast is great. Very entertaining, informative, and interesting. I spent the first half of my run completely submersed in this podcast. Iron Wil has the greatest voice for this stuff.

The Kahuna brings some great energy to the show. If I remember correctly, the Kahuna's real job is a journalist. Man, I would love to be a journalist. Maybe I'll get a masters in journalism, break out of the project management world, and be a researcher / writer. I think I'd be most interested in writing for a magazine and/or a column. I wonder how to get started here?

Clif Shot Bloks continue to be a great resource. I used these again and felt strong the whole run long - and I didn't have to choke down any gel.

My right heel has started acting up. I'm hoping it isn't Plantar fasciitis. I've always had massage therapists tell me that I carry all my stress in my calves - a contributor to Plantar faciitis. Ug.

AC/DC continues to be the best workout music for me. I also added my university fight song to my MP3 player. (Well, not the version I linked to) Man, that music brings back so many great memories. I swear I get an adrenaline rush just hearing it.

Endurance Radio has had some great podcasts lately. I listened to 2 new ones during the run today. Interesting stuff

I need to get my bike pedals and shoes. The bike leg remains the most uncertain portion of BSLT. I can't wait to get the bike stuff back in gear. It'll probably rain tomorrow (our first rain in like a month), which will result in a cancelled long ride for the week.

I need to start the Core workouts. Like now! I am dreading starting this up again.

Ok - enough randowm thoughts. The run today was great. Really great.

See ya out there.

1.20.2006

Traffic Update



Apparently the economy is rebounding. I followed a Lotus Elise to work today. Of course, I only followed for a couple of minutes - then I left him in my dust. (No, not really.) It kind of reminds me of the car on that 80's TV show Hardcastle & McCormick. (Don't lie - You remember the show. We all watched it.)



Pretty slick looking automobile - Motor Trend says these babies go for around $40,000 - $45,000. $40,000 for a Lotus?! Man, I thought it took some serious green to put a car like that in your garage.

Hey Amers - aren't you in the market for a reasonably priced sports car?

Swim like a dolphin

I swam 3300M this morning. My longest swim ever - Ever! It felt awesome - I could barely walk or lift my arms afterward! Now I'm sitting at the LTF cafe enjoying some coffee and an egg sandwich - the spoils of a great workout!

The only bad part of the morning is a giant TV screen with Katie Couric staring at me - *shiver*. That lady is scary. She has quite obviously spent a great deal of her $9M salary on some fresh plastic for her face. *Shiver*.

Yesterday I split a 1h:20m run into a 30m morning run and a 50m evening run. Yipes - I was completely wasted after run #2. I came in cooled down, drank a bunch of water, and passed out around 8:30PM.

I'm continuing to track my calorie intake. It's pretty interesting. Turns out I'm eating between 1600 and 2600 calories a day and expending about 2900 - 4300 calories per day. Also, I'm getting about 50-75% of my calories from carbs!? I have no idea what that means. I've lost about 3.5lbs in 2 weeks. I'll probably keep going with the tracking for another 2 weeks or so to get some good data to work from.

So far I've learned some cool stuff : Given my extremely busy workdays, most of my nutrition comes from packets - packets of oatmeal, granola bars in packets, Clif Bars in packets, Snickers Marathon Bars in packets, and water in a... bottle. I probably would do much better to try to get more fresh food and less pre-packaged stuff, eh? Anyone have any thoughts on this?

And Finally...

Still no word on the fate of the CapTexTri on Memorial Day. At least nothing on their website - everything still shows the schedule from last year. I found another Oly length race on April 9th - Austin's Cactus Challenge. This one encourages the use of wetsuits. I'm thinking that it would be a great building exercise going into BSLT. Hmmm.

Have a great Friday - See ya out there.

1.18.2006

Cool Gear

O-M-G!!!

I can't believe it has taken me this long to get a post up about this....

My in-laws spent a week in Hawaii at the beginning of January. They brought me back an M-Dot T-shirt from the best known triathlon locale on the planet : Kona, Hawaii.

It is sweeeet! I haven't even washed it yet because I've worn it like everyday since I got it. It is awesome. So, thanks guys - I love it!

Anyway - I'll get a picture up as soon as I get one snapped.

See ya out there.

More fun today

I swam this afternoon. It was a truly great swim. Some my fastest times in the pool in a long while. 1250M in before they kicked us out so they could clean the pool... at 4PM... after closing it last night for 8 hours... 4 of us.

Arg. Today just wasn't my day.

Security Checkpoint

OK. Today was one of those forget everything - everything gets in the way days.

I forgot my cell phone and my security badge today. I left them in the "other" car yesterday. But, that's a whole other story. I also hit just about every red light in a 35 mile radius on the way to work. Turns out people aren't terribly helpful today either...

I showed up at the office super early today. I had to follow someone into the building to get a day-pass to replace my forgot security id. This replacement consists of a sticky avery label with the word "Staff" printed on it - I should have stopped at Kinko's and made my own. So, I walk into the security "bunker".
Sidebar: I call it a bunker because the security folks use a lot of cool
70's CHiPs terms like "10-4", "over", "Come in HQ". They have an office with
lots of TV screens and a wall full of buttons. But, they are rarely awake. It
resembles an actual seen from a movie, and, needed a cool name like"bunker".

So, I walk into the security bunker to ask for a pass.

Me: "I forgot my badge. I need a temporary one."
Security Officer: *DEEP SIGH*
Me: "Is something wrong?"
Security Officer: "What kind of car key do you need?"
Me: Ahem, "Car Key"
Security Officer: *SCOWL*, "what kind of temporary badge do you need?"
Me: Just the paper sticky one.
Security Officer: "How did you get in the building?"
Me: "I followed someone in."
Security Officer: "You aren't supposed to do that."
Me (in my head): If you'd been awake, you probably have seen me walk through the front door.
Me: "Well, how would I have been able to get a temporary pass without coming inside?"
Security Officer: "The doors don't unlock until 7AM."

I look at my watch - it's 6:57.

Me: "Ok?"
Security Officer: "Who should I call to check you in?"
Me: "I have an office upstairs, I've worked here for 2 years."
Security Officer: "OK", *DEEP SIGH*

Anyway, this goes on and on for 10 minutes until I get my official temporary sticky badge.

This person in no way ever asked me my name, checked a credential, or verified what I was telling her. I feel safer already! Well, off to work...

Unannounced and Unplanned

Ok you know how I love to plan. I'm also easily annoyed by lack of it.

I arrived at the club late this morning. Darn. I forgot to set an alarm for 4:00AM today. I had planned to do 30m of spinning on the spin bike and 40 minutes of swimming. I walked in and found 2 signs. The first one read something like:


The pool will be closed from 10PM on 1/17 to 6 AM on 1/18. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Arg. Well, it was 5:30. So, I should be right on schedule to finish up the bike work and then get into the water shortly after 6AM. A great bike workout today. I'm glad I started doing the short bike workouts on the spin bikes at the club. Maybe I'll sit in on a spinning class next week.

6AM rolls around. I decide to check the pool before getting changed. There were at least 2 people per lane and several waiting. Looks like all the early risers had to push back pool time on top off the late risers. Great. Ug. I decided to cut my losses, get to work early and stop in after work to get the swim in. Only, that is where the other sign comes in:
The men's locker room will be closed beginning at 12:00PM on 1/18 and reopening at 6AM on 1/21.

1/21?!?! What the heck are we supposed to do? Hose off around back? Geez. I stopped at the desk on the way out to complain find out more information. Turns out the showers are the only part of the locker room that will be closed. Guys will have to use the "Family" locker room showers for a couple of days. OK. Well, I guess I can live with that.

Anyway - the plan is only partially shot. I think I can adjust and still make the goals for the week. Whew.

1.17.2006

Night Run

I just got back from a 1h low intensity run. I tried to keep my HR at 145 or below during the whole hour. I did pretty well. It was an interesting exercise because I could feel my upper torso get tense and my heart rate would shoot up into the 150s. I worked a lot on keeping relaxed and focused on good form.

Afterward, I was actually more mentally tired than physically. I felt a little like an air traffic controller tonight. Running at night presents its' own challenges to begin with, add constant HRM checks, focusing on form, and trying to regulate my pace with the inclines/declines.

It was pretty fun. Tomorrow - Spinning and Swimming. Cool.

See ya out there.

1.15.2006

Aero Helmet

I went for a long bike ride today -- my son grew an aero helmet. Look at it in all its glory...

100_2627

We took him for his first haircut today. I can't believe it was time for his first haircut already. It was the best $15 I've spent for 3.5 minutes of work. (not joking about the $15) Anyway, he looks great.

100_2642

Big training week this week. Lots going on. See ya out there...

1.14.2006

Sign my Melon

Have you seen [this] commercial?? I've been watching the playoffs this afternoon and they keep playing it. Makes me laugh every single time.

Speaking of great commercials - have you heard of Nate Torrence? You may not "know" him - but you really do know him. As the loveable CaptialOne guy, HEB trainee and "Moose" the high school grad - he has got a lot of attention. How can you not love this guy. I hope he pops up on a TV show in the near future.

Today I'm a runner

Hey everyone -

Today I'm at Cafe a la TTUTri - my kitchen. I just made breakfast #2 and flipped on the Texas Tech v Iowa State basketball game. I ran for 1h:45m earlier this morning and managed to cover just over 10.5 miles. It was a great run.

I loaded up the MP3 player with AC/DC, The Beach Boys, and 2 interviews with Triathlon icons Dave Scott & Peter Reid. I know - you're asking "The Beach Boys?" I dunno either. For some reason I figured "Good Vibrations" or "Fun, Fun, Fun" would get me pumped. Just for the record - The Beach Boys have a moderate pump-up factor. However, I'm starting to think my unofficial theme song this season will be Highway to Hell by AC/DC.

Living easy, living free
Season ticket on a one-way ride
Asking nothing, leave me be
Taking everything in my stride
Don't need reason, don't need rhyme
Ain't nothing I would rather do
Going down, party time
My friends are gonna be there too

I'm on the highway to hell

No stop signs, speed limit
Nobody's gonna slow me down
Like a wheel, gonna spin it
Nobody's gonna mess me round
Hey Satan, payin' my dues
Playing in a rocking band
Hey Momma, look at me
I'm on my way to the promised land

I'm on the highway to hell
(Don't stop me)

And I'm going down, all the way down
I'm on the highway to hell


For the record, this song has an extreme pump-up factor.

The weather was great. Pretty cool morning when I started out - about 31*. I wore some cotton gloves and one of those ear warmer bands. I also wore a fully stocked Amphipod with some water, Endurance Gatorade, Clif Shot Bloks and my cell phone. Finally, I strapped on the HRM and off I went. Whew.

I had a MacGyver moment on the trail. Around 5 miles or so, the sun had been up long enough that the temperature had risen to (what felt like) the mid 40's. Time to strip off some clothes. I'll have to remember to load some Motley Crue on the MP3 player next time - Then I'll have some stripping music!

First to go - the gloves. I couldn't figure out what to do with them so I stuffed them in my sleeves right at my wrists - and totally forgot about them. The ear band slipped nicely under the Amphipod belt. Suddenly I had transformed from a cold weather runner to a cool weather runner. I did all this without missing a single step. Well, needless to say I was pretty proud of myself. Then, I made a canoe from chewing gum and paper cups! OK - not really.

BTW - I responded really well to the Clif Shot Blok. I just can't get all those Gu type products down the hatch. For whatever reason these went down without a hitch. I didn't have the rush of energy like the Honey Stinger products, but turns out I didn't need it. I felt strong the whole way today. Give these a shot - pun intended.

Overall, this was a really strong run for me today. I was happy to rebound to such a great high after the mid-week breakdown. Tomorrow I'm off for a long bike ride. Should be fun.

I just remembered that the Cafe a la TTUTri has no waitstaff or busboys. Well, it does - but those people are me. So, I'm off to clean up to be ready for the lunch rush.

See ya out there...

1.13.2006

Planning

Howdy, from the LTF Cafe. I just finished a 30m spin session and 2800M swim. I feel great.

Like any good project manager I'm constantly planning. The beginning of a new year seems to always require lots of planning exercises. Something about the roll-over of the year counter seems to trigger the need for people who don't plan to suddenly need to plan. I don't know why.

Right now we are planning fools at work. Actually, we are always planning fools. We constantly spend our days thinking about what will happen next week/month/year. Upper management has been really busy asking planning questions, which makes us sit down to demonstrate what it actually means to plan. They appear to have no idea. Whatever.

As you've seen in my other posts my triathlon race season is already 80% planned. Training has been planned for a while and I'm already measuring results and exercising corrective actions - so I don't get hurt or die. :-)

It's interesting how often I use some of the principles of project management in triathlon. There are so many things to manage!
  • Budget - Need I say more? Unfortunately, I have not made my first million (yet) or won the lottery. So, to keep from going broke, expenses have to be planned, prioritized, and tracked.
  • Time - I submitted a change request to God for an extra 2 hours a day. He is still doing an impact analysis. (A small PM joke for those of you who get it.) Living as a triathlete pushes the balance of time management to the very limits. Time has to be constantly planned and managed.
  • Communications - M has to be aware of my training & work schedule. We have to coordinate coverage for T, Travel plans have to be made. Etc.
  • Resources - Not people - Gear. Bike tires, tri shorts, shoes, cycling shoes, pedals, goggles, gatorade, Clif Bars, etc.

I can go on and on. I'm a PMP and a geek.

I've been thinking about publishing a weekly post on applying project management principles to everyday life - especially triathlon life. Maybe I should move ahead with this. It would help me keep my head on straight - and maybe I'll learn something in the process.

Ok - the plan says it's time to go to work.

Just kidding - kind of. :-)

1.12.2006

Good Morning

I slept like the dead last night. Holy smokes I was tired. I set up shop at Starbucks for a short while this morning to grab a quick cup of coffee and re-think the training plan for the next few weeks. Yesterday gave me a scare. I ran across an interesting looking article about targeted workouts. I haven't had a chance to read the whole thing yet, but maybe I can refocus a bit. I think I'll continue running three times a week until Freescale, but I'm going to cut down the time on the "short" and "medium" runs just a bit.

There is such an interesting stream of people who come to Starbucks. The line for coffee currently looks something like this: ".Com throwback guy" - orders a machiatto something while talking on his cell phone loudly - you know the guy, two very attractive 20-something ladies - both appear to be searching for the meaning of life on their cell phone screens, an army officer in the "new" green fatigues (I presume he's from Camp Mabry), a college student who didn't have time to comb his hair, a 260lb mechanic with a braided ponytail, a school teacher (M is a teacher - I know the look), a hippie, one lady - post workout, another lady pre-workout, a nurse, a blind guy (the Texas school for the blind is across the street), and finally a clean-cut guy in a dark business suit with a phone thingy hanging off his ear - and a flame tattoo climbing up the back of his neck from beneath his collar. Geez, only in Austin.

1.11.2006

Out of gas

I ran out of gas last on my run tonight! It's never happened before. I honestly felt like I was doing more harm than good in trying to go on. I suddenly developed this sense of perspective: "Should I really worry a whole lot about dropping 20 minutes from a 1h:25m, mid-week run 5.5 months out from the big race?" The answer was a resounding - No. It's not worth injury, burnout, or worse this early. I know I have the power to make 13.1 miles on the 1/2 marathon in February. By cutting this one short, I still have a chance to re-center and make the long workout count this weekend.

OK enough of that.

1.10.2006

More Blog Housekeeping

More housekeeping...

A couple of weeks back, a buddy turned me on to a new web based blog reading tool. Now I'm addicted. I used MyYahoo! for a long, L-O-N-G time - but I've converted.

Anyway check it out - and use the new button on the right to subscribe >>

Food - By the numbers

Part of my HIM goal is to slim down by another 15 lbs. or so. This will actually put me below my high school weight, but will firmly place me in the normal BMI "zone" as prescribed by the CDC. For whatever that's worth. I also seem to pick up about 1-1.5 mph on my bike for each 10 lbs I loose. The same is true for running, I saw my times come down 15-30s per mile last year for each 10 pound increment. (Not sure if it's a weight thing, a training result, or a combo - but I'll take it!)

If the same rule holds true for this last 15lbs. - it will put me right on track for the speeds I'll need to achieve my 'aggressive' HIM goal time - 5h:30m. Right now I think I'm capable of a barely sub 6h time, but I'd like to do better.

I was looking through my calorie intake tonight trying to ensure that I am on track to loose "the final 15". I found a pretty good calorie calculator on the web. (well, functionally anyway. I haven't cross checked the numbers yet.) This thing claims that I'll burn on average about 3500 - 4000 calories a day based on my activity levels & planned training distances for this week.

Wow, that sounds high!?!

Weekday Analysis:
Turns out I take in about 1000 to 1250 calories during the breakfast, lunch, and pre-dinner times of a typical workday. Of course, this leaves me starving by the time I arrive home and I tend to go a little nuts at dinner time. Even at nutso I don't go over the 4000 mark. So, my plan is to up the daytime calories slightly to reduce the nutso factor at night. The target calorie mark will hang at 2500 - 3000 calories daily which should result in a reduction in tonnage by a couple pounds per week.

Weekend Analysis:
Oh Crap. Weekends. I tend to click into nutso mode on Friday night and pretty much eat all weekend. Saturday usually includes a post workout big breakfast followed by a big supper. Sunday's sometimes include brunch out at Mesa Rosa or Trudy's. Ug. Well, yummy! But, Ug. I have to get this under control.

I used the export feature from BeginnerTriathlete.com to look at my weight over the last 8 weeks. I seem to be in a rut where I loose 2-3 lbs during the week, then gain it back over the weekend and turn around and loose it again over the week. Getting weekends under control is the key to making my goal. I'm going to try to chart my food intake in my log over the next 3 weeks to see if it will keep me honest and on track.

Looking ahead:
In March, Phase III of the training plan kicks in. Mileage, mileage, mileage. I tried to use the trusty calculator to forecast a little. Turns out that the projected weight loss and increase in mileage seem to offset a little and the needed calories remains almost unchanged?!?

I'm not sure what that means. Looks like I'll have to check in every couple of weeks to get a good idea of where my intake should be.

There you have it. I've managed to take all the fun out of food and eating for the next 12 - 20 weeks in one post. Go me!

1.09.2006

Grinding away

Back to the grind tonight. I just got back from my "short" run this week - it came in a little under 7.25 miles. (Go me!) We had a light cool front moving in just as I left that made for some interesting wind conditions. All in all not a bad time. The new running shoes worked out great!!

The bike gear quest continues. I checked in with all my trusted sources and read just about every review posted on the web. Here's the result : I'm going with a wide pedal - probably something like a Look or Specialized brand. Shoes are still up in the air. Everyone says if you can get carbon soles for a "decent" price - go for it. Now I just gotta shake loose the funds, then - more shopping.

Did anyone see the article in Runner's World magazine this month on ab/core exercises? It's a pretty good article with some different exercises than I've seen before. Not sure if the exercises are "running" focused or are good for folks focused on triathlon too. Working my core is my least favorite activity. I'll try the new exercises in the name of a little variety.

In totally unrelated news, the in-laws get back tonight from a "working" week in Hawaii. For working, they sure did get some nice pictures! They stayed in Kona - or close to Kona - or on Kona. Whatever, it looks beautiful. I'm sure they could feel the energy left by all the IM triathletes.

Well, back to the grind.

1.07.2006

Tri-turday

*Grin*

I went tri-shopping today.

*Grin*

Well, OK. I did a kick'n brick tri-training session first thing. I got in just under 20 miles (Bike/run). It was great tri-weather and it felt wonderful to be out and about. My only complaint was the Cedar Pollen. It was off the charts and inhaling it deeply for 20 miles makes for a long day with my allergies.

After T had lunch and a nap, we gathered up some duplicate Christmas gifts and headed out for a day of tri-shopping. First stop : Runtex. I some Christmas returns to make and decided the best purchase right now would be new running shoes. I've had Saucony Grid Trigon running shoes for the last 6 months and managed to put a little over 275 miles on them. Looking forward - I need to get some new ones and break them in before the races start up.

Runtex is a great shop - any of you non-Austinites should keep this place in mind if you're ever in town. I started out buying another pair of Trigon's, but after I filled in my shoe person on the plan this season, she suggested I upgrade to the 3D Grid Triumph. These are little more supportive and will last longer - but they're a little more expensive. They offered me a 10% discount if I turn in my old shoes - which I plan to do on Monday. After the returns and discount I got a great pair of shoes for an awesome price!!


So, farewell old running shoes. You've been awesome. Monday, I have a date with the new shoes and the open road.



Stop #2: Bicycle Sport Shop. Items: More shoes and some bike pedals. I found a great pair of carbon soled cycling shoes. A little pricey, but very nice. There was another pair, same brand - Specialized, for about half the price with just about the same features - without the carbon sole. I have no idea how important a carbon sole is to an age-grouper like me. But I decided to wait a little longer to purchase. Any help out there? Flatman, you got an "in" somewhere on a great pair of cycling shoes??

I haven't decided on pedals yet - I found a good pair of entry level Shimano pedals that will work nicely. Any thoughts?

Our final stop was at the grocery store. It was not as fun as our previous stops.

After shoes, my next buy is a wetsuit. I'm thinking I'll head down to Austin Tri-cyclist for some guidance in this area.

*Grin*

Isn't tri-shopping fun?

*Grin*

1.06.2006

Race History

I decided to create a new "page" to keep track of my race history. Enjoy...

2006

06/25/2006 : 2006 - Buffalo Springs Lake Triathlon 70.3 (Lubbock, TX)

  • 1.2Mi/S: 56Mi/B: 13.1Mi/R: T:
05/30/2006 : 2006 CapTexTri Olympic Triathlon (Austin, TX)

  • ?Mi/S: ?Mi/B: ?Mi/R: T:
04/09/2006 : 2006 Austin's Cactus Challenge (Austin, TX)

  • 1500M/S: 21:15 26Mi/B: 1:20:40 6.2Mi/R: 59:34 T: 2:47:46
  • My first Olympic Distance. Some uncertainty in the swim. Overall a great race.
02/19/2006 : 2006 - Freescale 1/2 Marathon (Austin, TX)

  • 13.1Mi/R : 1:59:58
  • An amazing event with some of the best running of my life.

2005

12/17/2005 : 2005 - Frosty's 5K (Round Rock, TX)

  • 5K/R: 23:50
  • A NEW PB for me!
12/10/2005 : 2005 - Lifetime Fitness Reindeer Run (Austin, TX)

  • 5K/R: 25:18

  • A PB for me!
11/24/2005 : 2005 - Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot (Austin, TX)

  • 5Mi/R: 45:57

  • Nice Run. This course was crazy hilly!
09/18/2005 : 2005 - Sea World Splash Sprint Triathlon (San Antonio, TX)

  • 800m/S: 16:22 12Mi/B: 43:40 5K/R: 32:13 T: 1:38:49

  • I did OK. I got really dehydrated during the race, but I learned a bunch.
09/04/2005 : 2005 - Jack's Generic Sprint Triathlon (New Braunfels, TX)

  • 500m/S: 11:42 14.8Mi/B: 52:35 3Mi/R: 30:54 T: 1:39:36

  • My first triathlon - ever!
08/27/2005 : 2005 - 5K for Clay (Round Rock, TX)

  • 5K/R: 27:05

  • My first race - ever!

1.05.2006

Present, Past & Future Training and other stuff

Present:
I just finished a really strong run through the 'hood. Wow - I always forget how much my body needs a good recovery week. Just cutting back the volume for a couple of days lets me catch up and get rested. I honestly felt like I had to hold myself back tonight.

Past:
The run on Tuesday felt really terrific too. I haven't yet started my core exercises. Shame on me! Soon. Very Soon. M and I talked and decided to nix the masters swim class. It was just to darned expensive with all the bike gear I need to get over the next couple of months.

Future:
I'm planning to swim in the morning (followed by a nice breakfast and some blog reading at the LTF cafe). Then, a bike / run brick on Saturday morning. Next week everything ramps back up. I'm really looking forward to it. This weekend I'm hoping to head to Runtex to trade a duplicate Christmas gift toward some new running shoes or some other running treasure. I'm also hoping to stop in at Bicycle Sport Shop to see about some pedals and shoes. Lots of sales going on right now so I better snap it up while I can.

Other stuff:
I've been taking the MP3 player along with me lately. It seems that everyone is posting their "theme" songs (Kahuna, Wil). Great music! Kahuna has chosen Eminem. This song is pretty deep, but it really gets things in perspective. I can't place the Moby song from Wil's website, although I have heard it before. Maybe... the closing credits to the Bourne Identity? I, on the other hand, have no theme song. I have turned to some good hard metal to keep me motivated. Can anyone top AC/DC for workout music?

Good Morning National Champs

I hope the whole country stayed up for that amazing game last night! What an amazing football game it was! I think everyone had a small fear in the back of their minds that this would be a first quarter blowout (on either side) and we'd be forced to sit through 3 quarters of boring 2nd and 3rd team plays before the crystal football was handed out.

This was most certainly not the case. Congrats to the University of Texas Longohorns on the win over USC last night. This game was historic. Vince Young was amazing. The Longhorns are National Champions!

Austin was alive and buzzing (quite literally in some cases thanks to plenty of beer) all night. I went to bed around 12:30 AM and could still hear sounds of fireworks in the 'hood. The news stations reported that the "Drag" was one big party until the wee hours of the morning.

I was greeted by an amazing burnt orange sunrise on my way to work today. I guess even the man upstairs approves. As I turned off 183 on to Burnet road and south into downtown, I could see the UT tower still brightly lit. It's almost like some kind of curse was lifted last night. You can feel it in the air. At the stoplights, I could see bleary-eyed commuters - all with wide smiles on their faces. I stopped in at Starbucks for a quick cup of coffee, because caffine is the ONLY way I'm going to be worth anything before 11 AM today. The place was packed with early risers. Even more than normal. The normally quiet atmosphere was a bit louder - fans out early to share in the excitement. Along the wall, a row of people reading the morning papers were already deep into the back sections disecting the game stats. The headlines from the raised papers looked like a makeshift victory wall "Forever Young", "InVinceable", "ConVinced", "Texas-Size Title", "Perfect Finish", etc.

Austin is happy today.

Congrats Longhorns. You did it! Thanks for a great game, season, and title.

1.04.2006

Hook 'em

M and I just set down to watch the big game tonight. Longhorns v. USC, can you believe it?? We can feel the electricity throught the TV.

All of Austin is decked out in orange and white today. Everyone at work today was wearing the colors and talking up the big game. I personally know at least 10 people at the game.

OK - bookmark this post. I don't say it often, but : Go 'Horns!

Keith Jackson wins the best line from the pregame: "We're gonna play football. Yippee!!!"

You're my boy Blue!

Sniff Sniff

You "Old School" fans can feel free to cry along with me.

1.03.2006

Feed Updates

Hey everyone - a little blog housekeeping...

I recently "burned" my feed. - I have no idea what that means.

Seriously, there is some cool stuff available for those of you who read my blog using My Yahoo!, Bloglines, or any other aggregator (you know who you are!). So, if you're interested - you can update your feeds using the links on the right.

Thanks...

1.02.2006

Nice Kick



You have to be kidding me.

The Red Raiders lost today in a last minute field goal. Ug.

Great job this season guys. Thanks for a great time! Next season I promise to make at least one home game.

Party Time - Excellent

Yesterday we had an awesome block party to ring in the new year. Party Pat and Jen hosted the big event. All the folks from our street with little ones turned out and it turned into quite a carnival. T had a ball playing with all the kids and chasing the dog. A great time was had by all.

I managed to get a 90-minute ride in early yesterday. I had planned to make up my short swim too - but LTF was closed when arrived. Arg- I got my tired butt up at 4:45 and they're closed. Sheesh. The ride was pretty nice. The weather is terrific for mid-March. I couldn't ask for - wait, it's January!! Shouldn't I be shoveling sidewalks and scraping my windshield?? Anyway - it is great training weather.

This morning started a nice recovery week. Whew! I completed a short swim and a short bike. I know, I know - two rides in two days!! I love holidays - working out when the sun is up gives me so much more energy.

Right now I'm watching the Red Raiders play in the Cotton Bowl. It's been pretty fun to watch so far - even though they're loosing. There are 4 bowl games on right now. Football on just about every channel.

I hope everyone is off to a great new year so far. I'll leave you with my favorite quote from bowl game watching today:

Setup : (Both Texas Tech and Alabama are wearing red uniforms)
M : "'They' really need to coordinate the uniforms better, you can't tell which team is doing what?!"