Well I'm finally here! I still can't believe how fast this weekend has come. I also can't believe it's already 6:30 PM EST. Where has the time gone?
So for starters, so far my time spent in Nebraska has been fun...but that almost wasn't the case. I arrived Friday night (late of course) thanks to United airlines, and coach picked me up at the curb. My bike had made it in one piece, and my luggage made it too. Once coach picked me up we headed to his gym, a very nice 24 hour fitness. Once at the fitness center coach wanted to see me swim. OH NOOOO!!! "Let me see you swim 100" he said. After I swam a 100 he began to tell me everything I was doing wrong. haha. That's what I came here for right? He videotaped my swim, and played it back to me. All of the sudden I saw how I was swimming, and he then began to show me some drills that would help improve my stroke. I think my main problem is I don't keep my elbow bent as I start to pull. Anyways, we swam (mainly coaching stuff) for about an hour and then changed into our running clothes. A nice path lead straight from the 24 hour fitness center in Omaha, and we ran an easy out and back 40 minutes.
After the run it was time to set up the bike. Coach has a little off-site biking studio equipped with big screen TV, and two Computrainers. It was pretty cool. It was time to take out the bike and get it together for the long indoor ride tomorrow morning. You see, the rain must of followed me from Pittsburgh, and the forecast for Saturday called for rain all day. I began to put my bike together, pedals on, aerobars on, seat clamp on........SNAP!!! The seat clamp sheared right down the middle and broke into two pieces. OH NOOOOO!!!! What now we thought. We had the night to sleep on it, but our options looked pretty grim. Who else in Nebraska has a Felt DA? Bingo, we'll go to the local Felt dealer, and just get him to loan us a seat post clamp for the day. Problem solved! Time to go to bed.
I got a really solid nights sleep and after we woke and ate breakfast, we headed to the studio. Kevin was meeting another tri guy there and told him that the plan was to start at 8:00 AM. No worries Kevin said. You can just run a quick 8 miles while we start our bike ride. I ran a very solid 8 miles and by the time I got back to the studio it was time to head off to the Felt dealer.
It was about a 20 minute drive and we pulled into the parking lot right on schedule. We told the mechanic my situation, and he said you're in luck. I have a 2008 DA bike and you're more than welcome to use it for the day. We took off the clamp and what do you know.......Felt changed the design for 2008. You see my bike is a 2007, and the new clamp would not line up.
Plan B.....we didn't have a plan B. Our plan A was flawless. After much deliberation, we finally came up with an idea. I'll just say it was a combination of Saran wrap, and zip ties. I bet you have never seen an expensive bike held together with Saran wrap!!! I'm sure you'll all laugh at this one, but here are the pictures! So I was in business. We headed back to the studio and biked on the trainer for just about 4 hours. So in a hard days work I got a solid 5 hours of training in with Coach Kev!
This week seems to have come and gone. Tomorrow morning I board a plane to Nebraska to see coach Kevin. But first let me tell you about the past 3 days of training.
Tuesday 4 1/2 hour bike (a little crazy for a weekday)
Wednesday 2000 yard swim (my shoulder is starting to hurt. Hope it's just sore from lifting and feels better tomorrows) 90 minute run - semi hard
By far the craziest mid-week workouts I've done so far all in succession. So to sum it up in the past 3 days, I've spent over 10 hours of training, and am beat to a pulp. I'm completely exhausted, but in a good way.
I'll let you all know how my weekend at Coaches goes!!! VERY EXCITED!!!
Nothing new to report today. Life at work is going okay as I transition jobs. I have a feeling the next month or two are going to be crazy because I'll be doing both jobs for a little bit. Anyways, today after work was my longest swim of the year. 10 x 500 intervals was actually easier than I thought. After the swim I headed upstairs at the YMCA for my first weight workout in some time. It felt good lifting again, but I have a feeling it was a one time thing for now. This week marks some very long workouts. Tomorrow is a 4 1/2 hour bike ride (which I have no idea how I'm going to get that in), and Thursday is a 4 1/2 hour brick - 3 hr bike / 1.5 hour run. Then it's off to see the coach. Friday is going to be very exciting. Coach plans on video taping me in the water (so I can see how bad my form really is) haha, and then we're going to do some long training over the weekend before I head home late Sunday. Only bad thing is Coach Kevin has been sick now for about a week straight, and hopefully he starts feeling better for the weekend.
If I don't blog for a couple of days you'll know why. I'm going to be a very tired boy the next couple of days. :)
Well it's a week after the race, but better late than never. The morning started off very early as we had to catch a bus to the start. The buses left downtown Monterey between 4:00 - 4:15 AM, and we didn't want to be late. The long school bus ride took about an hour, and we were stuck sitting in front of these two girls that just wouldn't shut up. I was half tempted to tell them to quit down, but I didn't. I let them enjoy their marathon moment.
Once we arrived at the marathon starting line village it was time to find a place to sit, relax, and eat. I forced down about 400-500 calories before the start and figured I'd be good for the next couple of hours. I had a seeded number so it was very nice being able to warm up and do some strider's rather than being penned up in the mass of people. The start began with the National Anthem, a gentleman playing bagpipes, and the release of about 20 white doves. The gun went off, and I shot off like a cannon.
The first 10K of the marathon flew by. A good majority of the first part of the marathon was downhill, and I decided to take advantage of the terrain. Two of my first three miles were sub six, and I knew I was running on pure excitement and adrenaline, and it was time to back off and settle into a nice calm pace. I came through the first 10K mark sub 38:00, and was well on my way to a good race.
Around the five mile mark you pop out of the woods and can see the ocean in the distance on Highway 1. I tried to take in the scenery but knew I had to stay focused and on track. I maintained a steady pace trying to keep the flatter miles around 6:30 pace, the downhill miles sub 6:00, and the uphill miles sub 7:00. I used this philosophy up until mile 10. As soon as you hit the mile 10 marker you begin your climb to Hurricane Point. This is where I knew I would do my damage on the rest of my competition. I threw down the hammer and pushed it hard up this 2 1/2 mile hill. In 2 1/2 miles you climb over 500 vertical feet and people were dropping off like flies. I must of passed at least 9 or 10 people up the hill! Feeling good as I crested the top, the next two miles were downhill. Running sub six miles again I was able to make up the time I lost on the hill. As I came through the halfway point I glanced at my watch and it read 1:25:59. I quickly did the math, doubled the number, and knew I already had 8 minutes in the bank to go sub 3:00, and had a good feeling about this one! Feeling strong, I continued to run sub 6:30 miles on the flats / downhills all the way up to mile 19. The next five miles started to hurt, but I was still running 6:50 miles, and still under my goal pace. The last couple of miles creped a little over 7 minute pace, but I was running the race of my life. There were two guys that passed me at the 1 mile to go mark and I wasn't going to have any of that. With 400 yards to go I gave it everything I had and sprinted as hard as I could. The two guys that had passed me earlier had no response. The clock read 1:55:59, 18th place overall, 3rd in my age group, and even better, I PRed by 9 minutes and six seconds (21 seconds faster per mile).
It's hard to believe that weekend is already over. Lately life has been stuck in fast forward and days turn into months and the months will turn into years. My weekend started off Friday after work with a nice easy 40 mile ride outside. Saturday was also a busy day. My friends Paul and Doug came over bright and early at 7:00 AM and we set off for a long ride. Things were going good until about 3 hours into the ride. Doug had some major bike issues to the point where he could no longer shift, and was stuck in the 11 cog. Around here it would be impossible to get home with only one gear so he called it quits and Paul and I rode on. We took the shortest way home but knowing Doug he'd find a way home before we did. Here he came blazing by in some ladies truck...whom I guess he hitch hiked with. I just laughed and kept going. So we finished up with a little over 4 hours for the day and a lot of climbing (including the famous 3 mile hill). This thing never ends!!!
As for today, Jen and I were up early again for our long run. Being only a week after the marathon, I was worried my legs wouldn't fair too well especially after a long ride, but it was quite the opposite. Even though I ran easy for 90 minutes, not once did I get cramped or sore. Very excited legs! Not long after I got home my friend Mike picked me up and we headed into town. The car left my house at 10AM in route to the Penguin game. We got some lunch at the local pizza shop and then watched an incredible hockey game. The Pen's won 3-2 in overtime and won the series four games to one against the Rangers. I'm looking forward towards the Eastern Conference Finals and wish them well!!!
Well it's now 6PM, and I still have to ride the trainer for an hour, eat dinner, and hopefully squeeze in a nap all before I go to bed.
So it's been five days since the marathon and I'm already 100% recovered. It's been a sort of light week for training, but that's a good thing because just when I think my life couldn't get more hectic, more stressful, more crazy, I get a call Monday afternoon by a guy at work that puts my life into absolute mayhem.
Ok, let me back up a little bit to last week. As you may or may not know, I work for Westinghouse Electric Company (we design, service, and build nuclear power plants) as a Quality Engineer. I've worked in this position now for about 3 1/2 years, and have enjoyed every second of it. I've been to San Francisco, Austin, Miami, Lake Tahoe....you name it, chances are this job has taken me there. Life on the road was fantastic but it was time for a change. A friend who works in another part of Westinghouse came to me a week and a half ago saying that there was a job that opened up in his group. I figured what the heck. I'm not really looking for a new job, but I figured I'd give it a shot. So last week before we left for Big Sur I met with the hiring manager for an interview. Interviews are always interesting. You know they ask you those silly questions like "What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses". "Give me five reasons for why we should hire you". ....you know stuff like that. I went into the interview very confident knowing that I still had a job if I didn't get it, and most importantly I still had a job that I liked very much. Getting this job was a long shot I thought. I was interviewing for a Project Manager / Project Engineer job, and thought at first that it was way out of my league. So the interview went well, we left for Big Sur and that wen't well, and what do you know as we boarded our plane for our return flight to Pittsburgh my phone rang. Yep you guessed it, it was the manager I interviewed with telling me that he'd like to make me an offer to join his group!
I was shocked, somewhat stunned, and had to tell him that the flight attendant was making me get off the phone because we were backing out the plane. I told him to give me a day or two to think about it, and I'd get back to him. Let me tell you, I've flown a lot and that flight home was the longest flight ever.
Once we got home I had some serious decisions to make. When we got home Monday night and finally made it to bed, I swear I don't even think I got a solid hour of sleep in. This was one of those life changing decisions that I had to make, and had less than 48 hours to make.
All I could think about at work the next day, was "What am I to do". I had talked to my parents, co-workers, other managers, and my wife, and they all said it sounded like a good move. The more I thought about it, it began to seem like a no brainer. Humans in general have a hard time adapting to change. Just the thought of change is sometimes terrifying.
So Tuesday after work I had to burn off some of this stress. I ran a very easy run after work and headed directly to the pool. Usually when I swim I think about Ironman, drafting off of the imaginary guy in front of me, but never work. Triathlon is my special time, and all of the sudden it was filled with work thoughts. I had to make a decision, and I had to decide fast!
Tuesday night was another sleepless night, thoughts of the new job once again filled my head, but I had made a decision. Wednesday I decided to tell my current boss the news. I really respect my current boss, and the guy is incredibly intelligent, and he reacted as I would have expected. He was very excited for me, for my career, and for the new opportunity to succeed at a new challenge. He even told me that if things don't work out, there is always a home back where I came from. When he said this, my stress level went from 10 to 0.
As I reflect on the week, and what happened, I tend to attribute a lot of my success to the sport of triathlon. Triathlon teaches you to be the best you can be. Triathlon teaches you what it takes to never give up. If you never give up, keep dreaming big, keep working hard, life will take you down a path of forever happiness and endless success.
Expo and Packet pickup took place on Saturday. Jen and I slept in till around 8:30 or 9:00, and after a nice big breakfast we headed over to the Big Sur expo. I was very impressed with the vendor selection. They had an entire Asic's area (which I just loved). I didn't really buy much except for a pair of socks, but none the less I loved looking at all the new cool gear. I also got to chat with the Polar guys about new Tri watches that will be out on the market for next season. Sounds like some really neat stuff.
So after the expo yesterday we headed back to the hotel for a quick 20 minute jog and threw in a couple hard 20 second bursts just to loosen up the legs. Afterwards we headed back down to Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey for lunch. After lunch we found a nice bench near the shore and relaxed for about 30 minutes. It was really cool because there sea lions swimming all over the place.
After we left the wharf, it was time for our afternoon nap. I really think that rest the day before a big race is key to having your best day. I must of slept for a good 2 hours, before it was time for dinner. We drove to Carmel and found this quaint little Italian restaurant. Both Jen and I had pasta and it was really yummy! That about summed up Saturday. We slept, ate, slept, ate, and slept some more.
Now for Marathon Sunday!!! The morning started off super early at 3:30 AM. We had to be downtown by 4:00 AM in order to catch the buses to the starting line. There were massive crowds and it took about 20 minutes before we even got to board. Once we were on the bus, we had a 30 mile trek to the starting line.
Race morning went really quick. Jen and I got in our last 100 calories the hour before the race, and our last sip of Gatorade.
Now for the race......we'll actually you're going to have to wait to get the full race report, but here's a little taste of how my day went.
First off, I came through the 10K in sub 38:00, ran a 1:26 first half, and finished in 18th place overall (3rd AG 25-29) with a time of 2:55:59......not to mention I PR'ed by 9 minutes!!!!
I felt good through out the entire race, and was happy with my time given how touch the course is. The hilly, treacherous Big Sur Marathon, with its 560-foot climb at Hurricane Point, is considered one of the hardest marathons in North America, and I thought it was a piece of cake! That just makes me think that I'm in pretty good shape right now, and I'll even be better shape come June and July! Here's me after the race! The massive crowds gather at the awards ceremony.
Day 2 of our adventure started off again in Berkeley, but was quickly moved to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 along the San Francisco Bay. The Sea Lions are one of my favorite places to visit in San Fran. They sleep all day long, and occasionally bark making an "arf - arf" sound. A definite must see if you ever come here.
Fisherman's Wharf is filled with many unique little shops as well as famous chain stores. Beware because this area is a tourist trap (I admit we got trapped).
Both Jen and I are left handed, so we had to take a picture of our new favorite store. Left handed scissors, Pens, tape measures...you name it, they got it! Very cool!
Another one of my favorites is walking through the fish grotto and looking / eating the fresh fish. This stuff piratically came right off the boat. Jen and I were still full from breakfast, and I didn't think squid at 10AM would agree with the stomach, so I decided to pass today.
After Fisherman's Wharf, it was time to head on with our trip down to Monterey Bay. Monterey Bay is about a 2 hour drive south of San Francisco, but well worth the drive. The Penguins played the first hockey game of the 2nd round playoffs tonight against the NY Rangers so we just had to find a bar so we could watch the game. We drove into town and parked on Canary Row. Canary Row is about 5 blocks long with shops, restaurants, and more shops. The closest thing we could find to a sports bar was this place called Sly McFly's. We ate a late lunch here, and then cheered the Pen's to a 5-4 victory as they overcame a 3 goal deficient. Way to go Pens!!! I'm sure Jen was loving the fact that we were watching TV on vacation, but she knew what she was getting into when she married me right? Pittsburgh sports teams always come first!
So that about wraps up day two. I'll leave you with a nice shot of the bay and Monterey Peninsula! PS: Only 1 1/2 days till the marathon!!!
Day 1 in San Francisco was definitely fun! The day started off early as Jen and I both woke up around 5:00 AM right off of these roads that are very bike friendly. I had to go to work, and my goal for the day was to get to work around 7:00 AM, work through lunch, and finish up shortly after that. That's just what I did! When I got back to our hotel, I picked up Jennifer, and we were off on our journey! Our hotel was located at the Berkeley Marina right outside Cal University, and also situated right on the San Francisco Bay. Actually when you look outside our hotel room, you can see the Golden Gate across the bay. Very cool!!!
So our trip today set off form Berkeley across the Bay Bridge. We wondered if they ever held a race over the bridge, because that sucker is huge. We clocked it at close to 4 miles from end to end. So by now both Jen and I were starving, and headed over to this little town on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge called Sausalito. I've been here before, and love how quiet and quaint the town can get. After walking around in search for a good lunch stop, we came upon this little bakery and cafe. It was awesome sitting close to the water outside the cafe, and oh yeah, the food was awesome. After lunch we walked around and just had to stop here! Ice Cream straight from Hawaii. It had to be a good omen right as we're training like mad for Lake Placid. I decided to go on the light side and substituted ice cream for a yogurt cone. It was still very good!
After Sausalito we drove along some local roads and up to the golden gate lookout. It was Jen's first time up here, and is by far still one of my favorite scenic lookouts I've ever been to.
If you keep driving up the the mountain, you eventually come to the other side, and can go all the way down to the coast. The roads as you can see are very windy. I was wishing that I had my bike. After our car tour, it was time to see San Francisco at a little faster pace. We drove south along the coast and through the city until we came to the entrance to Golden Gate State Park. We parked the rental car, changed into our running clothes, and went on a very relaxing 40 minute jog. We ran past a old Chinese Pavilion, saw some amazing birds flying overhead, and even saw some very interesting people. The hippies! They must all gather in one centralized spot within the park in this small open field. We ran through that area rather quick mainly because they were all smoking (and not always cigarettes). We then ran past the conservatory and rose garden. We looked at our watches, and couldn't believe we are already done with our 40 minute jog. Time really does fly when you're having fun. After the run we headed back to our hotel. We drove up to the Berkeley campus in search of some good food. We decided to eat at this really cool sushi bar. The food was reasonably priced, and tasted good as always. We walked around near the campus and decided to call it a night.
By now both of us were still on East Coast time, and even though it was only 9:00 PM PST, it was past our bed time. We drove back to the hotel and called it a night.
Jen and I set off today for San Francisco. San Francisco is by far one of my favorite cities to visit. We plan on hanging out near the city through Friday night, and then we head south to Monterey. The Marathon is on Sunday, and we're really looking forward to it. Our flight leaves tonight at 5:30, which means we don't get into SFO till really late. More to come!!!
Since my 20 miler on Tuesday, every day has been a struggle. Wednesday was a really busy day. I was still in Manchester, and had a full day of work ahead of me. We (my co-worker Mike and I) woke early, and headed into the office. The work day flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to call it quits. The Penguins played Wednesday night, so I had to squeeze in my recovery run, and recovery swim in before the start. I ran first, then swam at the downtown Manchester YMCA. I really enjoy swimming out of town, mainly because even though it's still a lap pool, it's something different. After my two workouts, Mike and I headed to a local pub for the game. As it turned out, the Penguins beat the Senators, and swept the first round series. It's the first time we swept a series since 1992 (and we all know what happened in 1992).....okay, we ALL don't know.....but put it this way, the season ended with Lord Stanley's cup in Pittsburgh!!!
Thursday was yet another hectic day. We still had work to do, and had to catch our flight home by 1:30 PM. We went into the office around 7:30, worked till noon, and caught our flight just in the nick of time. Our flight took us through Philadelphia (my least favorite city to fly through). Surprisingly, we boarded 5 minutes early and departed on time. When we touched down in Pittsburgh it was 5:30 and I was anxious to get home for my long mid-week bike ride. Little did I know that as soon as we got onto the parkway we sat and sat and sat in gridlock traffic. Normally it takes me about 50 minutes to get home from the airport....tonight over 2 hours!!!
As I finally walked through my front door, the temperature outside read over 70 degrees but the sun was setting, and my chances of riding outside were slim to none. Great I thought. It's 70 freakin degrees outside, and I'm going to do another 2+ hour ride on the stinking trainer. I realized my fate, hooked the bike up to the trainer, and turned on the tube. Luckily Thursday nights are my favorite nights for TV. All of the shows that I like seem to air on Thursdays. I watched Survivor, My name is Earl, 30 Rock, and the Office. I called it quits after 10PM, and made my way to bed.
Friday morning started off early with a warm up 2 mile jog to the local track. Not only was I still asleep during the warm up, but my body was in no mood to do a speed / track workout. Plus my legs were extremely heavy from the 20 miler Tuesday, the long flight home Thursday, and the trainer ride Thursday night. Oh well, just get through it. Most of the time track workouts like this one are 100% mental. So after our run Jen and I hurried to get ready for work. My plan was to call it a day shortly after lunch, but instead I got pulled into a conference call with a supplier of ours at 4PM on a Friday. And to make it worse, the call was delayed 20 minutes. So by the time it was over, it was 5:30. After work I laced up my shoes for another run. Tonight was an hour negative split run, and my turnover was much better tonight than earlier.
Saturday morning, the alarm went off early (no rest for the weary) and Jen and I headed to the pool for 3300 yards at 7AM. We had a full day ahead of us so we knew we had to get the swim out of the way. We rushed home after our swim just in time for my friend Paul to pull into our driveway on his bike. We headed out on the bike and by the time we stopped for our first water stop we had 23 miles in just over an hour. We had a feeling we were going fast, but we also knew we had a tail wind that pushed us the first hour and the next couple of hours would be tough. To put it in perspective, there is no such thing as an easy course around here. We picked the flattest 70 mile course we could think of, and still climbed 6300 feet. The temperature rose to around 80 degrees today, and I knew that nutrition was very important today. I was drinking around 200 calories an hour, and about 200mg of sodium / electrolytes so I wouldn't cramp. We finished the ride in just under 4 hours, and averaged 18mph. Today was also a little brick workout too, so I transitioned for a 15 minute run. So to sum up Saturday, it was just plain HARD! After the long running week, 5 1/2 hours of training today was exhausting. To make it worse Saturday night was our running banquet in Bridgeville. We had about 2 hours to relax before we drove to Bridgeville, and what a drive it was. I had no idea that the Parkway was closed, and our 50 minute commute turned into a 1 hour 40 minute commute. We were a little late for dinner, but we made it. By the time we got home it was past 10PM, and time for bed.
The only thing planned today is a long swim, and another track workout (10x800's)....blah
We slept in till 9:00 AM, ate Jen's newly famous whole grain blueberry waffles with pure maple syrup, and drank 24 oz of my favorite batch of Dunkin Donuts coffee!!!
Sooner or later we'll make it to the pool.....most likely later. :)
Oh yeah so you all saw my busy week, and so far this week is no exception. Monday started off with a bang. I had planned on going outside, but last week I told myself I refuse to ride outside with multiple layers on. Well guess what. It was again only 30 degrees. Bummer I thought!!! So I climbed on the trainer and did a Coach Troy DVD. Those suckers never get old. Afterwards I got my car inspected (it was due 2 weeks ago) and got to visit mom and dad for about an hour. I had promised them lunch, but things were running late and I had to rush off to the airport instead. My friend Mike picked me up (he's working here with me), and we headed to PIT. I was so hungry as always, and ordered a ton of food at TGI-Friday's, but it took forever to come, and I had to leave half of the meal on the table or we'd miss our flight. Mike and I rushed to the gate since the board said the flight was "on time", but of course it wasn't. They finally boarded the plane about 20 minutes late and not even 2 minutes after everyone boards the pilot comes on the overhead speaker and gives us one of those office space talks. You know one of those talks that goes "Hello, Peter. What's happening? Uh, we have sort of a problem here. Yeah, you apparently didn't put one of the new cover sheets on your T.P.S. reports." But instead it was "Ummmm, ya, we sort of have a problem here. We were given a ground delay and we're going to be stuck on the runway for at least another hour." All I kept thinking was that salad and french onion soup I left sitting on the table at Friday's half eaten. Thanks again US Air. So after an hour of sitting on the plane doing absolutely nothing, we were off to Laguardia. We had a really big lay over so we had about an hour to kill in New York. I was still hungry so Mike and I went to this little Irish pub. We both ordered a beer and a cup of soup, and our bill came to $24.78. You have to be kidding me I thought. The soup was terrible by the way. It was one of those soups where you could just tell it's been sitting around forever. Our plane to Manchester was exciting. We flew on this little prop plane that couldn't of held more than 15 people. It was loud, bumpy, and an awful flight. Plus I think our flight attendant was smoking crack. She was all wired, and making very weird comments to the passengers. Now that I think of it, it was actually entertaining. We finally made it to Manchester, and found a local bar and watched the Pen's game. Pen's won AGAIN and are up in the series 3-0!!! I'm sooo pumped.
So today went well. Mike and I are staying in this Hilton Garden Inn that overlooks a minor league baseball field. Here's a picture from my window. There was a game tonight and I've been watching it on and off. I'm not a very big baseball fan, but it's sort of cool watching it high above the outfield.
So now for my big run of the day. My longest run of my training so far. The type of run that separates the men from the boys. Yep the 20 MILER!!! I've run plenty of 20's so far, but typically I'll run at an easy pace well off of my marathon pace. Today however was an exception. Coach wanted me to do the run in zone 2, and negative split the last couple of miles. As it turns out I was consistent every mile, and kept every mile within 10 seconds. Not really sure if I negative split the last couple, but I know it was close. I started to get a little sore about 17 miles in, but simply blocked out the pain and pushed on. If you're ever in Manchester staying in the city, I recommend running a variation of this route.
Wow, it's been seven days since my last blog post. For a while there I was on a roll with blogging almost every day, but for some reason (my typical too busy schedule) kept me from posting. So here's a quick recap of my week.
Wednesday: Well today was a very long day. Jen and I were up early (5ish) and headed to the pool for a 3100 yard swim. After the swim we both went our own ways and headed to work. Our Wednesday bike night rides continued with a smaller group than normal. One of our bike riders is training for Boston (next week), and didn't want to chance injury or crash, but we did have four people and managed to get in a solid 1:50 of riding. Wednesday night was the first Pen's game, which the won!!!
Thursday: Today was by far the hardest workout(s) I've done so far this year. The day started with a 60 minute easy run at lunch time, and then after work it was time to get serious. After work I warmed up for 30 minutes on the bike, then began a 1 hour step up interval meaning you step up a HR zone every 15 minutes. Here's my avg HR for each interval. Z2 = 145, Z3 = 157, Z4 = 162, Z5 = 171. After the 1 hour interval I cooled down in zone 1/2 for 29 minutes. After the bike I transitioned to a 20 minute run at 10K pace. OUCH!!! After the 20 minutes I backed off, and ran a total of 5 miles.
Friday: Tonight I had tickets to the 2nd Pen's game, so I had to get in my run at lunch again. Today's run was a 90 minute tempo run in zone 3...this was very hard considering Thursday's workouts. The Pen's won again, and had a 2-0 advantage against the Senators.
Saturday: This morning started off with a bang as Paul and I headed out for our 3 hour ride. It was very windy today, but we managed to have a really nice and dry ride. Paul was very strong today and actually dropped me on a couple of the hills and flats. Then again I had some really hard workouts this week!!! After the bike ride, Jen and I ate at Panara then headed to the pool for our 2500 yard swim of the day. Nothing special to report here. Now for our favorite event of the weekend. Beth and Oscar invited us over their house to watch the Clearwater race on NBC. It was a really cool race, and I really hope I qualify this year and I get to go in November. Oscar's friend Ben came over too, and he's just getting into Triathlon. It was really cool talking to a "newbie" and I remember when I was in his shoes. You have so many questions about the sport, and it's really awesome to see someone else with such drive and interest. Besides the Clearwater race, Jen and I really enjoyed just chatting about Triathlon, hockey, trips, and everything and anything you can think of. Again, we had a blast.
Sunday: What another long busy day. The morning started off early as today was my annual 5K/10K race at Oak Hollow Park. This is the 3rd year in a row where I directed and managed the race for the Pittsburgh Road Runners. The morning was a little chilly, but we still had around 25-30 people show up for the run. It was really fun to see all the runners challenge themselves on the Oak Hollow Beast. The hill is never ending. After the race, Jen and I went to the pool, and swam another 3400 yards. As soon as I got home, I ate dinner, then went out for a 12 mile run. Again very busy busy busy day.
Well that's all I have for now, I'll have to write more tonight after work....or after my 20 mile run. I'm in Manchester NH right now, and am looking forward to a long run in an unfamiliar town. Lucky I have the GPS!!!
Tonight was my first day back on the track for some solid speed work since my little flu bug that set me back for almost 2 weeks....and boy did I feel good. After an easy 20 minute warmup I jumped right into the main set of my workout of 10x800's in descending order. My only issue with the workout tonight was the other people that were out. Today marked one of the first nice plus 60 degree days in the Burgh, and the snow birds came out of the wood work. The walkers were everywhere. Not that there is anything wrong with the walkers, and I think it's great that they're out getting in some exercise opposed to watching Jerry Springer, but c'mon people. When you see people going all out, running for real, do not walk in lane #1. No matter how many times you seem to yell "TRACK", they keep walking and walking, and just don't budge! Anyhow, besides that nothing else really is new. I'm just really glad to be over my cold, and feeling close to, if not 100%.
The past three or four years I've never really slept in on the weekends. This was mainly due to the fact that I always would do my long runs (or rides) with a group of runners or bikers. However this spring has been a little different. All of my workouts, especially runs have been geared towards running a specific way, for a specific time, at a specific pace or heart rate. In order to do this, I've had to stray away from the group runs and do my runs on my own. This has some pros and cons. The one con that comes to mind is a 2 or 3 hour run gets pretty boring by yourself. The one pro that comes to mind is I GET TO SLEEP IN. So when Jen and I went to bed last night, we didn't set the alarm, and didn't roll out of bed till 8:30 or 9:00 AM. Once we were up, we weren't rushing. We at a nice long breakfast with tons of coffee. Once everything digested it was time to strap on the running shoes. By now it was 12:30 and the sun was shining and I was able to wear shorts and a T-shirt! Summer is almost here I thought!
Today was my first run that had a little intensity to it. Although not a very long run (only 14 mi today), it felt good to get back into the groove of things. I still felt a little congested and sluggish, but that's normal for being sick for almost 2 weeks I guess. Coach Kevin has really kept my hopes high telling me that taking 2 weeks off from this cold really wont hurt me. See I'd really like to break the 3 hour mark at Big Sur in a couple weeks, but now realize that even if I don't, no worries. It's not my biggest goal right now. Getting back to Kona is the main focus of my year, and my real race isn't till July (IMLP).
So to change the subject a little, today was the last game of the season for the Pen's. They finished 1st atop the Atlantic Division, and will match up against the Senators the first round of the playoffs. I'm planning on going to a game or two, and can't wait to see how far they go this year after a disappointing year last spring.
Also, I wanted to throw this out there for all you cable and high speed internet subscribers. If you've had internet and cable for awhile (typically more than a year), it's time to give them a call. There are so many offers out there that you should never pay full price for your cable or internet bill. For example, this is what I did today to save close to $500 dollars a year from my bill.
1. Do your research and see what the competitors are offering. (i.e. DirecTV, Verizon, Dish Network, etc.)
2.) Call Comcast (or whomever your cable provider is). There should be an option to "cancel" your service. Select this option (even though you have no intention of canceling).
3.) Simply tell the customer service agent that you were considering swithing to DirectTV or Verizon since they are offering a better deal then you currently have. Explain how you've been a loyal customer and deserve to get the same benefits and perks new customers get.
4.) Chances are the agent will place you on hold and once they return they'll have a offer for you. For example, here is how I made out! Current monthly Comcast Bill: Cable + Digital Pkg + DVR / HD + HBO = $94.88 High Speed Internet = $45.95 TOTAL = $140.83
New Comcast Bill (only took a 5 minute call): Cable + Digital Pkg + DVR / HD + HBO = $65.89 High Speed Internet = $34.99 TOTAL = $100.88
SAVINGS OF $39.95 / MONTH SAVINGS OF $479.40 / YEAR
Being struck with boredom this afternoon, I knew I had to get out and do something. We had already cleaned the house (well Jen did most of the work), my bike was somewhat clean from the ride this morning, and there was absolutely nothing on TV today to watch. I called my friend Rob, and he invited me to a pick up hockey game in Delmont. I haven't been on the ice since December, but figured what the heck. We had about twenty guys, and it was really fun just messing around for fun. It really took me back to the days growing up where we didn't keep score, we played hockey simply for the love of the game. Although I've shifted my interests more towards Triathlon, I still love hockey, and hockey will always be a big part of my life.
After another day of rest yesterday, it was time to get back in the saddle for my long ride of the weekend. This weekend was supposed to be a big one on the bike with a 5 1/2 hour ride, but due to this dang illness that just about killed me, coach scaled it back to only 4 hours. So this morning I met up with my biking buddy Paul and we were off. The temp this morning was a toasty 41 degrees. Not too warm, but defiantly warmer than it's been the other weekends I've been out, and best news of the morning was the fact that I didn't have to do the ride indoors on the trainer!!! :)
The plan was to stick close to home just in case I wasn't feeling good, but after we got into the ride for about an hour, I knew I could go the distance, so we did one of my favorite loops out to Twin Lakes. We didn't really ride a hard pace this morning, but then again I wasn't supposed to. We averaged mid 17's, which isn't too bad because there are so many hills around here.
As we rode mile to mile, I kept waiting for some hard core leg cramping to occur. I was shocked when I got home, 70+ miles in the bag, and the legs felt great. I could go for a run, but we'll save that for tomorrow!
Good thing I can do a lot of my job from home, because I was in no shape or form or was ready to go back to work. I had a little bit better sleep last night, but am still not 100%....not even 80% if I were to give it a scale. However, I really think I'm on the mend, but still am feeling really congested, and still have this nagging cough warehoused deep in my lungs. If things go well this afternoon I'm going to try and get on the bike for a little trainer ride.
So last night was my big public speaking debut. Haha. I really thought it went well. There was a lot less people than I expected, but it was still a decent size crowd of around 100 people. I started off the speech by showing the Ironman video "You will do this".
I continued on by drawing the parallel's between Triathlon racing and how hard work and dedication towards any goal can pay off. If my speech inspired just one kid in the room then I feel that my night was a success.
I"m really starting to think that I have something major wrong with me because I'm not getting better. My head is still congested, I'm blowing my nose ever 2 minutes, and coughing non stop. Today was the last day of antibiotics and if I don't start feeling better by tomorrow, I'm going to make another doctor appointment. On the flip side, Jen is now sick too (since Friday) and our house has been just a germ infested mess. The only good news out of this, is the fact that this virus we have must be immune to cat's because our fat cat Thai is still full of energy. I really think this thing would kill him if he were to catch it!
So today both Jen and I called off sick from work. Both of us our very committed to our jobs, and we really hate calling off, but I'm sure they understand. I went to work yesterday and got yelled at all day long until my one boss finally said to go home. Unfortunately I had an important meeting I couldn't miss from 3-4:30, so by the time I left work yesterday it was already time to go home. :(
As the day progressed I actually started feeling better (about 60% if I were to grade it), and I knew I just needed to get outside. I put on running clothes, laced up the shoes, and strapped the Heart Rate Monitor around my chest. As soon as I glanced down at my watch, I was shocked to see the readout. My resting / standing heart rate was 105. That's over 40 beats higher than what it should be I thought. Regardless I went outside for a very easy jog. My goal was to run 30 minutes, but after 8 I decided to turn around. I was running 10 minute miles, and my HR was 155-160. Umm, this is what my heart rate reads running 6 minute miles, WTF! I called coach after the run to give him a report, and he keeps assuring me that once I get better I'm going to be back on track, and won't even loose a beat. I hope he's right.
So the moral of the story is, although feeling a little bit better, I'm still sick.
I don't think I've mentioned this in my blog before, but tonight Jen and I are heading to Franklin Regionals High School ice hockey banquet. I was asked to be the guest motivational speaker, and figured this was a great opportunity to make our sport better well known in Western PA, and to show how dedication and hard work can make you reach your dreams no matter what they are. I just hope I can go 10 minutes without coughing or blowing my nose!!!
Frustration with this cold of mine has reached an all time high. Not only did I NOT workout today, my cold and cough are still here. This has to be the most inactive I've been in almost 5 years. Besides cleaning up the garage this morning, I haven't moved from the couch. I couldn't even go on a walk today because I was afraid of having nature call blocks away. Let's hope I feel better soon!!!
Today makes day number 4 of being sick, and it's no fun what so ever. I can't even go 2 minutes without coughing. To make things worse, I must of slept wrong last night and it hurts to turn my neck. My chiropractor is going to make a special Sunday morning visit to help straighten things out. Also to make things worse, the weather is not getting warmer. I'm sick of doing my bike rides indoor, and need to get outside. 30 degrees with a 10mph wind is no longer fun biking weather (actually I'm not sure if it ever was fun)...
I went to the doctor yesterday and got some antibiotics for the cold. So far, they aren't helping. :( The good thing is I don't really have an appetite since getting sick, so I haven't put on much weight. I'm sure I lost a little fitness from having my butt parked on the couch or indoors all week.
Monday night I departed from PIT in route to LAX. Once I got to the LAX airport, I met up with my boss and co-worker Mike and we drove to the hotel. We got in sort of late, but I was starving and hadn't eaten in some time. I had something small to eat at the hotel, and it was off to bed. I set the alarm for 4AM PST, so I could do run #1 for the day. When I woke up, my throat had a little tingle, but I thought nothing of it. I proceeded to lace up for my tempo run, but something just wasn't right. I managed to work through the workout, but my throat kept getting more sore by the minute. By mid-day Tuesday, it was official....I was sick. :(
We worked a really long day at the factory, and didn't get back to the hotel until around 6pm. Mike and my boss Terry wanted to go out to dinner at the beach, but all I wanted to do was go to my room and sleep. But I sucked it up, and thought that it would help if I go out to dinner with my boss since we typically have little interaction. The plan for dinner was seafood in Long Beach at a restaurant called "Parker's Lighthouse". Terry had eaten there before, and had rave reviews, and boy he wasn't kidding. The food was fantastic. We started off with some raw oysters, and sushi as an appetizer, then all three of us had a 8oz Ahi Tuna fillet, and a piece of cheese cake for desert. I'm really glad I went, and was praying that I wouldn't regret it in the morning. And best yet, the restaurant was right across the harbor from the Queen Mary.
As the alarm went off Wednesday morning, I knew I had a long day ahead of me. By this point, the cold had gotten worse and not only was my throat sore, but I now had a wicked cough. We put in almost 13 hours of work, and I was running on fumes. After work I drove my co-workers to the airport, went back to the hotel, and was fast asleep by 9PM.
Day 3 (today) in LA had to be the worst. When I woke up this morning, not only was my throat still sore, but I was now getting the typical flu symptoms (aching body, congestion, that feeling that your head is compressed in a vacuum). NOT FUN!!!
As soon as I was done with work I drove straight to the hotel, and got my butt in bed. I managed to get 1-2 hours of solid sleep in prep for tonights long flight. I'm currently at the airport in LAX, awaiting my 10:35 PM flight. I arrive in Pittsburgh tomorrow morning, and plan on spending another day in bed, and am very excited to get home to my wife. The past two weeks have really been hard.
Talking with coach this morning, he made sure to tell me that I rest up, relax, and do not workout. With that said, I haven't worked out since Tuesday morning, and feel like a complete slacker. Tomorrow is a big 4 1/2 hour workout day and I really hate missing it, but I need to get better first before I get back into things.
I knew last night that today was going to be an extremely busy day for me. The alarm went off this morning at 5AM, we snoozed for an hour, and I finally got up, dressed, kissed Jen goodbye for the week, and was off to the pool. Today's workout was really good with a bunch (and I mean a bunch) of 300 intervals. After the swim I headed home and braved the cold elements outside once again. I checked on the internet and the outside temp was a chilling 30 degrees with 5 mph winds....not too bad, so I went for it. I decided to stay close to home just in case I really started to get cold, and that's exactly what happened about 45 minutes in. The wind started to pick up and it was time to call it a day....or at least a call it a day for outdoor activities. I headed home, ate a quick lunch then climbed on the trainer for the rest of my 3 hour bike ride. I'm really addicted to renting movies off of pay-per-view, and the movie of the day today was something called "Hitman". A gun-for-hire known only as Agent 47 hired by a group known only as 'The Agency' is ensnared in a political conspiracy, which finds him pursued by both Interpol and the Russian military as he treks across Eastern Europe. Sounds exciting right? Well it was. Non stop action which really made the time fly by as I spun and spun my legs downstairs. So another 4 hour training day is in the books, and I'm now sitting in the Pittsburgh airport waiting to board my flight to Los Angeles. I'm really looking forward to another week of 70+ degree weather, but hate being away from home and Jen. Coach has some good solid running in store for me this week and I'm looking forward to another hard week of training!
Since I got home Thursday afternoon it's been non stop training. I got home around 5PM from Fort Lauderdale, and strapped on my shoes for a quick and hard 8 mile run. I was off work on Friday afternoon I went out for another run. This time it was a little longer and I racked up 12 miles total. Friday night I took Jen out to a new Japanese restaurant in Greensburg for some raw fish (my favorite!!!). Now for the busy, busy, busy, days (the weekend). Saturday started off with a bang and Jen and I along with a crew of about 10 other runners set off on the long run of the day. I was very surprised at how my legs felt after another long week of training, and they responded quite well. The first 5 miles of the run were somewhat of a warm up with the group. The 8 minute mile pace was a little too slow so I decided to break off from the group and run my own run. Over the next 3 to 4 miles I picked up the pace and ran a couple miles closer to 7 minute miles. Once I hit mile 10, coach wanted me to run 20 minutes at 10K pace. I picked it up and knocked off 2 1/2 miles at a 6:30 pace. Again, the legs were responding well to the high miles. I finished the morning run just shy of 16 miles, and met some of the other runners at Panera for a much needed coffee and bagel. As the morning came and went, so did we. We were wisped away in the Honda in route to the pool. Nothing too crazy today in the water, just a typical hour swim. After we got home it was time for my nap. I was out faster than a light and woke up around 7PM, just in time for the Penguin Hockey game. I still had one more workout before calling it the day, and climbed on the trainer for a easy 90 minute recovery spin. It actually went by rather quickly, the Penguins won BIG, and it was time for bed.
As Sunday morning arose the schedule called for a 4 hour ride. It's been again cold here in Pittsburgh, and I dreaded the though of a 4 hour trainer ride, but unfortunately I had no other choice (so I thought). Jen and I started off the ride biking to the new Will Smith movie "I am Legend". It was ok, but I'm not much of a movie critic. After the movie I looked at my watch and it read "1:36". Are you kidding, I thought. I'm not even half way. Ok, enough is enough I thought. I'm going to put on my cold gear and brave the elements and no one can stop me! The temperature still read in the 20's, but there wasn't any ice on the roads, so it was a go. Over the next 2 hours I managed to enjoy life in the saddle OUTSIDE. By the time I got back home it was hurry up mode, as we were heading over to my parents house for Easter dinner. Dinner was really good this year, and it was really nice having the entire family get together as usual.
So tomorrow is Monday, and again I have a lot on my plate. My plan is to wake up early, swim an hour at the Y, home by 8:30, bike for 3 hours, head to the gym for some weight training, pack for my work trip, drive to the airport, board a plane to Los Angeles by 6:15, arrive in LA by 11:30 EST, drive 45 minutes to the hotel, and go to sleep, then do it all over again on Tuesday. And people out there say I have it easy..... :) Good night all!
So I was in business. We headed back to the studio and biked on the trainer for just about 4 hours. So in a hard days work I got a solid 5 hours of training in with Coach Kev!
