Strength

Another hefty week on the horizon. I think training will suffer a bit.

Hopefully things will settle in the next 10-days or so.

Triathlon is truly a blessing. I've never felt stronger than I do right now - mentally or physically. These past few weeks have been really crazy - I think maintaining a full life has taught me lessons on how to effectively compartmentalize, divide, and conquer.

Focus on the important things, the rest will work themselves out.

See ya out there...

Stressed

Today has been a really long day. You know the kind. The kind of emotionally and mentally draining day that leaves a mark.

4:41 AM my mental alarm went off - 4 minutes before the alarm clock. I knew today would be big - I think I slept with one eye on the clock all night, but I felt rested and ready. Swimming on the schedule today - meeting up with Brad to knock out 1.5 mi in the pool at 5:30. Swim went OK. The build weeks are taking their toll on me physically. Brad didn't show.

By 7:10 the day was underway and just kept going.

See ya out there...

What the?!

Earlier this week was the bear story, now this:

Read on...

Is this some kind of sick trend between man and mother nature?

Watch your step out there...

Wednesday Knock Around

Busy times these days around Casa-de-TTUTri. Between work stuff, home stuff, training stuff, and all the other stuff that pops up I've barely had time to relax. This past weekend was awesome. Saturday, I did 40 miles around Georgetown & Florence and finished out the day with a cookout with my riding buddies. Sunday - Tour de France, baby. It was a lot of fun watching the final stage. M is absolutely clueless about this race. I spent the better part of two hours trying to explain it all - then I realized: "How twisted am I that I DO understand all this stuff??!?" Isn't addiction great?

This week has been busy. I'm deep into week 2 of 3 build weeks in my training plan. Let me just say WOW. I haven't worked a plan this aggressive before and it is really challenging me. Hopefully, this work will result in some good times at the Prairieman Half in September. Tomorrow the real fun starts for the week : 90 minute tempo run followed by a short ride. So far so good - I'm still really enjoying the varied workouts. On the down side my nutrition and weight are all over the map. I've picked up about 8 pounds (!!) since BSLT and it's been a struggle to get them back off. Pizza and cookies are NOT helping. Looks like I'll have to start tracking calories again. Guh, I really hate doing that.

I signed up for Jack's Generic Triathlon the other night. I know, I know. Overload? Maybe. I now have 2 races during the first week in September. A sprint and a Half IM. Pair that racing schedule with all the craziness you can possibly imagine in my personal and professional lives scheduled for that week and suddenly I have a very full schedule. It's all about balance right?

On the horizon, I have 2 big things in the pipeline. #1 - my first century ride. In the next couple of weeks I'll be signing up for the Round Rock Outlaw Ride in October. I did the 100K course last year, this year I'm challenging myself to finish the century ride. #2 - Round Rock Fit. That's marathon training baby. I have my sites set on a sub 4-hour marathon finish next February. It's just about time to get REAL serious about running.

See ya out there...

The best tri story ever

We all have our war stories from the field of battle. I dare to say this person will top every single one you have ever had. Read on...

I must meet this person.

See ya out there...

Training recap

Yes, oh, Yes. I've been training.

I took advantage of a quiet week at home to really dive in deep to my training plan. Normally, I tend to customize the heck out of the plans I find on the web to suit my taste. This go around, however, I've decided to try to stick pretty close to the plan and see how I do.

So far, so good.

Tuesday night I did a 60-ride / 30-run brick in the heat of the afternoon. I was extremely dehydrated at the end. I even had the chills - it was a little scary. The humidity was killer and I was sweating way more than normal. This actually turned out to be a pretty good exercise. I actually knew I was going to get dehydrated, but I pressed on anyway just to see if I could take note of how my body responds. I know now what to watch for and I think I even may now know some how it feels to go through several stages of dehydration and how it felt to rehydrate afterward. It takes more than just drinking.

Wednesday was an off day - which was good because I spent the whole day recovering. I also stopped off at RunTex and picked up a new fuel system for my longer workouts. I decided on the Ultimate Direction Access Plus. I was looking for 2 specific features and came away with that and a bonus. First, I need a BIG bottle. The Amphipod I have is great for shorter distances, but tends to come along for the long part of the ride on my long runs - meaning the bottles are completely consumed within the first 1/3 of the workout. Also, there is a terrible design flaw that makes me a little worried about relying too heavily on it. I need something that can keep up on 9 - 15 mile runs. Second, storage. I need room for a cell phone, gels / shot bloks, mp3 player, etc. This system had both, and an additional gel flask!

Thursday started off with a 90-minute run. I got up early to eat and drink. Then, loaded up the UDAP with all the necessities. I was back before 6:30 AM. It was humid and hot - but I did manage to run a nice RPE 3 pace and still have energy for a strong RPE 5 pace for the last 15 minutes. I was rewarded with a nice sunrise at the end.

Thursday afternoon I hit the pool for a recovery swim. I've been swimming in the afternoons at the LTF outdoor pool. It sure does beat the ball-numbing water temp at 4 AM in the indoor pool. I so needed a break from that nightmare. The change up is showing in my swimming, I've turned in 2-3 second faster splits on each workout. I like to see that. The other change up is that I'm closely following the swim workouts prescribed in the plan. I've never done that before, but it provides some interesting brain food while I'm swimming. I like it.

Tonight, I'm planning on another long swim at the outdoor LTF pool. Then, I start making preparations for what is shaping up to be a TdF weekend! Saturday morning I'm riding with a whole cast of characters for about 2 hours or more. Yes, Party Pat, is scheduled to appear! After the ride, I'm going to go on a quick 30-minute run to finish out the brick. Saturday night we're meeting up for a BBQ and (what I hope) turns into a TdF time trial viewing party. On Sunday, I'm planning to watch the finish on TV and round out my off day with a nice nap.

So, chances are we'll be out on Parmer again this weekend. Comment / E-mail me if you want to join in.

See ya out there...

Greatness

I'm sitting here watching the evening replay of the Tour. They keep talking about how Floyd Landis turned in an epic ride today that will be remembered for a long time.

It got me thinking about Julie Moss's finish of the 1982 Ironman.

Isn't it amazing how one single act can inspire thousands? I can already forsee Parmer road packed with cyclists this weekend. Every year I seem to notice more cyclists on the roads during the Tour - trying to connect to that energy that drives those men over the french mountains. After Lance won, they seemed to come out of the woodwork. I wonder if a Landis win will do the same?

For many sports nuts, their interaction with the sport is done through the television. For others, it means finishing in the middle of the pack during an occasional race. One of the coolest things of triathlon is sharing that course with the pro's, marveling at their wins, and, still, sharing in their appreciation of the sport.

See ya out there...

Baby Update

Shifting gears into being a proud papa...

M is approaching week 17 of pregnancy (or is it 18 -- or 19??, I get confused). Wow, time flies. In following the footsteps of any good product lifecycle, we have codenamed the baby - "BABY #2" or "B2". We went for another check up on B2 last week and M got some tape of the heartbeat. I listened to it with T and posted the audio. Pretty cool stuff. (Click here to listen.)

We also made "THE" appointment. You know, the one where we find out if we need to buy a blue bike or a pink bike. I'll be happy with either a boy or a girl, but I'm (not so secretly) pulling for another boy. Most importantly we pray for a happy and healthy Baby #2. We'll find out more on August 4th. Stay tuned...

The doctor makes a DVD video of the ultrasound. I'm still working on a way to YouTube it.

After the August 4th appointment, things will kick into high gear on the baby front. We'll start renovating the guest room and turning it into another nursery. Paint, Trim, Colors, Bumpers etc. - all the important stuff the determines the future existence and mental stability of our newborn.

See ya out there...

Motivation

Motivation
Originally uploaded by rellim.

Now get out there and train.

Happiness is...

It's absolutely crazy out there in the world folks. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, switch on CNN for 10 minutes.

I feeling pretty thankful for the life I have.

Just a few notes to (hopefully) lift our spirits...

• Congrats to the Kahuna and all others who raced the weekend.
• Congrats to Carrie on her big announcement.
• Congrats to Hunter Kemper. 1:49:44 = $200K. Nicely done.

The ride today had a great turnout! Two of us! Including me. I met a great dude from the BT boards and we road about 30 miles. We have a ton in common - both have young kids about the same age, both have another one on the way, training, swimming at LTF, training background, etc, etc, etc. Cool times.

And finally...

Happiness is being a triathlete and knowing you'll use all 5 bottles of gatorade you bought at the store. This. Week.

See ya out there...

Weekend Plans

Hooaah! Friday again.

This is the end of my first full work week in a while. It's been pretty busy. I also managed to spin back up into a regular training schedule. Holy Heck - why did I ever take time off?? It's been a good week.

I worked on my bike last night. The silly thing has been acting up ever since I got it back from the LBS before BSLT!! I adjusted the seat and tweaked the rear derailer. Man it is amazing how small adjustments can make a big difference. T helped out by toodling around in the garage and then jumped on my aero's for a quick trainer session with me.

Hey - for you Austinites -- I posted on the BT forums trying organize a ride tomorrow morning from the Walgreens on Parmer / Avery Ranch. If anyone shows, we'll meet at 8 AM and head north from there. Hope you join in!

OK - so I need some good weekend options. I'm kind of in the mood for a cool weekend outing. Normally, we hit the grocery store and Target. Woopee. We may also go to the Bed Bath and Beyond - but I don't know if will have enough time.

Any thoughts?

Next week, M & T are headed out of town. I'll be bachelor'ing it for most of the week. Let's see. What does that mean? Dinner over the sink? Check. Sleeping with the TV on all night? Check. Spicy Food? Check. Hopefully, I'll get to check out a movie once or twice -- in a theater.

Wait do they still do that?

See ya out there...

70.3 Gear - Where have you gone?

Where is all the 70.3 gear??

I've been surfing around for days looking for a jersey, hat, anything with the 70.3 logo on it. I found very little.

What gives?

You would think that with the new Ironman 70.3 Series the WTC would have flooded the shelves with branded gear, right? Well, maybe. But good luck finding the shelves. Even the Ironman Store doesn't really have any 70.3 stuff. The BSLT folks finally posted some gear on their site - but it's limited. Very limited.

Maybe it's a brand thing. Are they trying to brand both Ironman 140.6 and 70.3 races under the same M-Dot logo? I don't know maybe it's me. But, it just seems like you have to cover 140.6 to truly claim Mr. M-Dot.



Even at the BSLT expo I expected to find everything including tooth floss with the a 70.3 on it. That was really was not the case. In fact, anything that was really worth buying was sold out. I asked one of the tables for a website address so I could order online, they didn't have a website. No website?! What the heck?? She asked me to write down my number and she would call me when they had a chance to make more. Uh, what?

Then, I found out that most of the gear posted on the BSLT site is sold out. What?!

It's obvious that there is some serious demand here. In fact, I would guess 70.3 gear would sell as well as Ironman gear -- or perhaps even better?

So, it obvious I need to start a business to fill this void. I think I'll call it - LongBrick or, maybe SaltLines. I'll focus on carrying shwag for all the big tri events. If anyone is keeping track, I'm now looking for investors for my two start ups:

1. T-Zero
2. LongBrick / SaltLines

I'm only half kidding.

So, If I'm the only person on earth that doesn't seem to know the ulta-secret spot for locating 70.3 gear. Please clue me in, otherwise visit us soon at SaltLines.com.

See ya out there...

Forgotten Items

I have to know if this happens to anyone else...

It's 9 PM. The kids are finally asleep, the house is picked up (again), the kitchen is cleaned, and you've just finished putting away your cycling shoes and helmet from a quick evening ride. You glance at your training schedule. A 30 minute swim awaits you in the morning. For a split second you contemplate rearranging your schedule for the entire rest of the week in the interest of catching an extra hour of sleep in the morning.

"Well," you tell yourself, "it's time to get packed for tomorrow."

It's now close to 9:15 and you realize you will be leaving for the entire day at 4:30 - just 7 short hours away. You roll through the mental rolodex to the "Swim Checklist". Shoes, Socks, Pants, Shirt, trunks, goggles, water bottle, protein bar, toothpaste, gel, wallet, keys, etc. Then the "Work day" checklist - Laptop, paperwork, lunch, schedule, ID, etc.

You fire up the iron and start ironing clothes for tomorrow - today's clothes are still in a pile at your feet along with your cycling jersey from the ride that ended just a few short hours ago.

"Do I have everything?"

"Oh yeah - my ID for the club. Don't leave home without it." - Snicker to yourself

Another pass through the mental checklist.

And Another.

Something is missing...

After 4 more passes you have sufficiently convinced yourself that you have everything.

It's now 10 PM. Everything is set up for a quick transition from sleeping to swimming in the morning. Now it's time to get a few work details tied up then off to bed.

4:30 AM - Sleep to Swim transition - 40 seconds.

Wait. I'm forgetting something.

You go through the checklists again. Nope all set.

Nice early morning swim - the day is already off to a great start. The pool was so cold you doubt your ability to have any more children.

You head to the locker room for a quick shower and transition for Swim to Work.

The locker opens and...

Crap.

I forgot my belt.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not all THAT concerned with my appearance. Matching socks is a good fashion day for me. But seriously, now I look like a fifth grader wandering the halls at school looking for my other gym shoe.

*Sigh*

Does this stuff happen to anybody else?

See ya out there...

Back in the saddle again

If I were half as cool as some of you out there I'd have the Aerosmith video "Back in the Saddle Again" playing on my blog today.

Oh man, I must say it is truely amazing how much fitness I lose by just taking a few days off. I didn't even take them completely off and I still feel like I'm starting all over. But I am back into the swing of a regular routine. Yesterday I did a short run and short bike. I just finished a short swim a while ago. Nothing spectacular from any of these sessions, but man it feels good to be moving again.

There's just something about having a 70.3 mile race hanging over my head that motivates me.

I spent part of the evening last night in deep negotiations with my "official sponsor", M. There are 2 races coming up that I have my sights on... Jack's Generic Triathlon & the Marble Falls Triathlon.

I really feel the need to do Jack's Generic because it is anniversary race of my very first triathlon. The timing is a bit quirky. You see the race is on Labor Day -- a Monday. Prairieman is the following Sunday. On paper, I'm supposed to do a workout that will pretty much match my times that day anyway - but should I be racing any distance that close to a Half IM??

Marble Falls is later this month - July 30th, I think?! I'm going to check to see if Party Pat is up for that race.

And Finally...

My first subscription issue (Thanks M!) of Triathlete magazine arrived this past weekend. They had a pretty good interview with Peter Reid about his retirement announcement. Check it out if you have the time. Funny Story - I was talking to a guy the other day about the article and he looked at me kind of funny and asked: "Isn't Peter Reid a porn star?". *geez*

Lastly...

How long does USAT take to process applications? I turned in my app and $$ at BSLT registration. I haven't heard a peep from them. Should I follow up or are they just slow at processing apps?

See ya out there...

The next big thing

I've been bitten.


September 10th, 2006 - another Half Ironman. I just signed up 10 minutes ago.

Vacation is over ladies and gentlemen. Tomorrow I go back to work - both to my day job and to training.

It begins early tomorrow morning with a tempo run.

Bring it.

See you out there...

Vacation

Ahhh. Vacation.

I've been enjoying some time away from training and work this week. Yesterday we headed out to San Antonio. We spent the day exploring Sea World. It was lots of fun to spend some time with M & T.

This weekend I'm going to get a plan in place and be back on the training path next week. Training for what? We shall see.

See ya out there...

BSLT 2006 : Run

It's been a whole week and I'm just now getting around to finishing this up.

Gimme a break. I'm on vacation...

My run began with some terribly wobbly legs. It took about 20 minutes or so to find a good stride - but I found it. I met up with a really cool guy from Austin about 10 minutes into the run. It was really great to talk with someone after 3 hours of solitude on the bike. I never did get his name or race number, but he really helped me get on track.

In retrospect, my plan was a little too conservative. I was downright scared of the half-marathon. I walked through each aid station and gave up almost one minute per mile. I wish I would have pushed a little harder, especially in the first 6.5 miles. I had a really great moment at the half way mark. At this point I knew I would finish. I stopped thinking in terms of 6-miles left and shifted into 63-miles completed. It was a great feeling!

The run course was really challenging. Several really tough hills. I tried to run them all, but ended up walking good portions of them. The best water stop was at mile 4 / 9. They had a great location right at the bottom of a pretty tough hill. Lots of energy which really got me moving.

The toughest section of the run was at mile 10. The course descended back into the canyon, alongside Buffalo Springs Lake. I could see runners ahead of me across the lake, people out in boats enjoying the beautiful day, and could hear the finishline announcer in the distance. I knew I only had about 5K to go, and the finish seemed so close but still pretty far. I knew that with the splits I had, I still had about 30 - 35 minutes of running. An eternity. I started thinking back to all the tough runs I have had over the last 6 months - all the Saturday morning bricks, the time sacrificed with my wife and kid, the changes in my life over the past year. How did I ever get here?

Around me I could see lots of folks beginning to crack - an ambulance taking someone in just 3 miles from the finish; lots of people reduced to walking. The active, excited conversations had gone quiet. It seemed that everyone had gone inside their heads to gut it out. Me too. I decided that I was going to finish out strong. No more walking. For the first time all day I was passing people. I tried to offer encouragement to everyone I passed. A couple of the Texas Iron folks kept running ahead and stopping to walk. We leap frogged a few times. I don't remember who finished first.

With about 1.5 miles left all the pros started riding past us heading back to the campgrounds. They were really cheering us on. It was pretty inspiring, I could only muster a smile. Lots of spectators were out too. "Only 800 meters to go!", "Keep it up! You're almost there!" "Lookin' strong 271!". We rounded the last turn and I could hear the announcer. It felt great to see the finish line.

I have to say crossing that line was the most challenging physical thing I have ever done. It was an amazing experience. It was also the most rewarding thing I have done. I wish everyone could have a feeling like that in their life. M met me at the finish line. I gave her a huge hug and told her I loved her. The emotion of the day finally spilled through. I was so happy to see her. She told me I had missed T by just 20 minutes. He had fallen asleep waiting for me to finish. If I had one disappointment of the day - that was it.

Finally, I want to thank some really important folks.

• M and T - You sacrificed many things to get me to the finish line. I love you both so much.
• Robert, Kathy and Amers - Thank you so much for being here. Your support and encouragement has made all the difference.
• Mom - Thanks so much for making the trip. You and Dad are great roll models and you seem to always turn up at my big races. Thanks for your support!
• My blog friends - thanks for telling your stories. I've never been much of an athlete and your stories and experiences have helped me figure it all out.

So that's it. I consider this the end of the first chapter in a journey to change my life. I've learned so many things this year. I've changed for the better and I'm proud of this accomplishment. As always there is room for improvement. Actually I've left LOTS of room for improvement! I've already started planning for Ironman. Right now it looks like summer 2008 - probably IMAZ or IMFL.

See ya out there...

Vacation Time

Vacation is in full swing. I think I'm actually busier than when I'm at work! The final post from BSLT is in the works. I'll have it posted later today.

Hope everyone had a great 4th. We spent ours on Party Pat's balcony watching a pretty impressive fireworks show from the amateurs in the neighborhood. Good Times!

I've been slacking pretty bad in the workout department. I have nothing to train for!! Arg. That too, will be fixed very soon.

See ya out there...