Random Thoughts....

I'm sitting here at my computer browsing the internet as I get ready for my last long run before Kona. I was reading through some posts on Slowtwitch (Tri Forum) (and there are never a lack of posts on this topic) about how someone got divorced because of thier commitment to triathlon, or how their family isn't supportive...you get the picture. This makes me realize how lucky I am to have a wife who does support me. This is a woman who spent 3 separate "vacations" in Panama City Beach, Florida (the "Redneck Riviera") so I could race Ironman Florida....and never a complaint (although she did tell me she wasn't going back:)). This is a woman who waited 5 years to visit Hawaii, because I told her I wouldn't go until I qualified to race in Kona. This is a woman who schedules her social life around my workout schedule. Jenn is not only my wife and best friend, she's my training partner. Without her, I never would have gotten where I am. Nowadays she is travelling quite a bit for work. She's currently in China. When I tell people this, the response I get is "well, at least you get to train as much as you want"....and my response is..."I do that anyway". Only now, I get to do all of the "other" things around the house, while she is gone...."things" I'm not so good at anymore! I stopped by the grocery store last night to grab some things....it was my third trip this week and I probably need to go again! I'm not sure when I became "that guy" who can't shop. Perhaps it was the dehyration from my previous 6 hour workout...but more likely the fact that I rely on Jenn to do these things for me. I'll be happy to have her home next week. I mean...who's going to help me pack my things for Hawaii:) Okay...only 21 miles to go....

-P

Follow me on Twitter...sort of.

Ok, let me first say that I have absolutely no intention of tweeting about what I'm doing on a daily basis. I mean....who the hell cares? Even I don't:) But, I thought Twitter might be a cool thing to use while I'm in Hawaii (and on my travels). So, if interested, follow me while I'm in Hawaii (click on the side bar). Who knows...I may have a tweet or 2 before I leave. It's like anything, I need to practice! I'm trying to convince Jenn to tweet during the race...stay tuned.

-P

One more....

Only one more big training weekend before the taper begins....and I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad about it. I guess I'm just feeling like I haven't had a lot of prep time for this. This past weekend was pretty good. Jenn's in China...again....so all I have to do is train, rest and take care of my pets, Billie and Tinley. Unfortunately, I had to deal with another rain drenched Saturday (2 out of the last 3 weekends). So, I moved my long ride to Sunday and did my long run on Saturday. I was very happy with my run. I drove over to Fresh Pond in Cambridge to run the 2.5 mile loop around the pond. I wanted to be able to grab drinks, etc during the run. I also wanted to jump in the Fresh Pond weekly race which started at 10am. I was hoping to get 5 laps in before the race (12.5 miles), but only managed 4 since I got there late. I was happy to see that I kept my pace under 7 minute per mile pace for the 10 without really trying and without getting the HR above 150. I jumped in the race, which was rather large due to 4 HS teams racing. It was the biggest turnout I've ever seen at the race. My goal here was to keep this very conservative. I went out fairly controlled (but still a little fast) and went through the first lap in 15:40. About midway through the second lap I could feel my piriformis acting up so I shut it down and ran fairly easy through the finish. I ended up with 31:30....which was faster than I thought I'd run (I was hoping for 32). I ran another lap+ to get in 18 miles. All in all a good day....and my avg. pace was around 6:50 pace. Sunday was a long ride with my buddy Matt. It was still fairly wet when we started at 6:30am. But, the sun came out and it started to dry up. The ride was uneventful....just getting it in. I definitely didn't drink enough which was quite apparent when I tried to do a short transition run afterward. I weighed myself after the run and I had lost 4lbs. I definitely need to focus on my nutrition more. I rode the couch for the rest of the day and watched football. I jumped on my treadmill in the evening for another 6 miles. I'm feeling like my run is very close to where it needs to be (IM is all about the run). I would like to drop another lb or so before I leave. I only have 3 weeks before we fly out. I guess it's salads for dinner this week:)

What to do with a 3 day weekend....

....how about 190+ miles on the body. I had planned on a long training weekend, capped by a 25K road race on Cape Ann. However, that plan quickly changed on Friday, when Brian Hughes and Dede Greisbauer put the bug in my ear that they were racing the Aquabike at the Plymouth Rock Ironman Distance race. My first thought was no....stick to the original plan. But, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. So, I emailed the director and got myself in. Since the race was on Sunday, I still had a Saturday to kill. So, Saturday was a 50+ mile bike w/a 50 minute run (approx. 3.5 hours). I did my best to rest up and get ready to race the next day. But it was hard, as we had my inlaws in for a visit. I tried not to treat the race too seriously...but it's hard not to get a little anxious....it's still a long day. I woke up at 4am on Sunday and made the trek down to Plymouth. Man, it was cold and windy...very windy. In fact, while I was registering, my bike blew over in transition...and I lost one of my bottles of Powerbar Endurance. I made my way down to the swim start and hung with some freinds. Since all of us were using this as a training event, everyone was chatty and having fun. We jumped in the cold water and the gun went off. After about 50-100 meters of swimming, my hands were just digging into the sand (we swam along the jetty). I couldn't swim. So, I stood up and starting swimming sideways to get out in the open water a bit. The rest of the swim was somewhat uneventful. I swam pretty good, considering that I haven't been focusing on it like other years. Also, I definitely didn't give the swim a full effort...since I technically wasn't racing. Don't get me wrong...I swam hard....but probably could have been a bit faster. Onto the bike. I took the bike out relatively easy. The last time I rode 112 miles (or more), was at Hawaii the previous year. The course rides for about 5 miles into the Miles Standish State Park....where we proceeded to do a 25+ mile course 4 times. The course was very windy...up and down....and the roads were terrible....pot holes and bumps everywhere. In fact, I broke my aerobar armrest about 50 miles into the ride. I felt good early in the race. But, I think I spent too much time going up and down the hills and against the wind in my big chain ring (not to mention the brick the day before). About 65 miles in, I was cooked. I held on until just before the last loop (30 miles to go)....then all I wanted to do was finish....and hold off the guys riding behind me (which I did). I wound up finishing 6th...but place really didn't matter to me. This was a good race rehearsal for Kona. And, the conditions were very tough. It may have been the hardest iron distance bike I've done (including Kona)...mostly because of the wind and the rough road conditions. It also made me think about other tweaks I need to make before Kona...like bike setup, helmet choice, etc. I followed Sunday up with an 1:47 trail run this morning. I don't know why, but I really like running on fatigued legs. I did a second 45 minute run in the afternoon. Actually, my legs felt really good for the second run....and I ran fairly quickly. Suffice it to say...my body is shelled right now. Tomorrow is a much needed day off.

Timberman; and only 6 weeks to go!

Last weekend was the Timberman 70.3. I've done this race 6 times...with mixed success and failure. After my first Tman back in 2003, where I finished off the podium, I've gone 3rd (2004), 5th (2005), raced elite (2007), and 3rd (2008) in my age group. However, I've either had a good swim and bike or a good run, or a mix, but never a solid 1-2-3 race. I was hoping to change that this year. On race morning, I definitely wasn't feeling great. My stomach was a bit out of sorts and I made several trips to the bathroom. In fact, I really needed to use it right before my swim start, but that wasn't going to happen with a huge line of people and only 4 minutes to go! So, the gun went off and so did I. I got a good start and was one of the first swimmers to get to the first buoy. Although I felt very good and felt like I had a strong swim, in retrospect, it's easy to see that I'm just not in good swimming shape. I came in around 29:30. But, many people who I can typically swim with and/or beat swam 45-60 seconds faster than me. Oh well. As I got on the bike, I decided to be very conservative early, so I had something on the way back. I went back and forth with some guys in the beginning. I felt decent on the bike. Around 11 miles in, the eventual AG winner, Chris Thomas came blowing past me. It's a bit disheartening when a guy who starts in the wave behind (they split up the AG) catches up so fast! But, it wasn't entirely unexpected since he did the same thing to me earlier this season at Rhode Island 70.3. A couple other guys in my AG went by me after that. That's when I made the call to dig a little harder and stay with them (legally of course). I sat about 3 bike lengths back and paced. Doing this and staying "legal" is not all that easy. It's easy to drift into the draft zone. I definitely did this a couple times and wound up having to sit up in the bars. On the way back (it's an out and back course), I was basically riding w/3 other guys....again I think we were doing our best to stay "legal". But, the headwinds made this difficult at times and there was definitely some "bunching up". In hindsight, I should have pushed a little harder. I definitely left some minutes out on the bike course. But, I definitely felt like I had good legs going into T2. I had an uneventful transition...and then out onto the run course. BTT had the team tent set up right on the run course and it was good to hear the cheering. However, when I'm racing, I'm usually hurting so bad, I don't even like to spend the energy to acknowledge! A couple of the pros were heading out on their second loop of the run, while I was heading out on my first. But, I was one of the few age groupers out on the run course at this point of the race (w/so many waves starting later). I quickly passed pro Bjorn Andersson. But, at the first mile, I was really struggling and my stomach was a mess (see swim start:)). So, I stopped at the first portojohn and conducted some business. After about 90 seconds, I was back on the course and felt a lot better. I was running fairly well and quickly passed Bjorn again, along with some age groupers from an earlier wave. Just before the first turn around I heard some footsteps. It was the second place male (some guy I've never heard of). I picked up my pace a bit. I think he was surprised that he didn't just go by me. He eventually inched up and passed me. I stuck right on his shoulder. Again, I think this surprised him. I basically ran the next 2.5 miles with him before he put about 25 meters on me. The first loop was okay (except the last mile). But, the second loop killed me. I struggled more here than I have in recent memory in a 70.3 race. I've done hotter races....but maybe it was just the humidity. Or, maybe it was just that I wasn't expecting it. Anyway, I walked most of the aid stations. By the time I hit the last turnaround, I just wanted the race to be over with. Aside from the heat and humidity, with all of the sloshing going on in my shoes, my feet were really torn up. I crossed the finish line in just over 4:30 (about 5-8 minutes slower than I wanted or expected), but still good for 14th amateur overall and 3rd in my AG). Although I don't plan to do this race next year, with Lake Placid on my schedule, I will be back at some point to conquer that course.

Post Tman has been okay. I've been struggling with energy all week. I'm hoping it's just post race related fatigue and perhaps a bit of dehydration. But, i'm a little concerned about it. I'm also really concerned that I only have a few more weeks of hard training left. I'm just feeling very underprepared. I left work early yesterday (Friday, 8/28) to get my long ride in.....but only managed 63 miles due to the weather (TS...or is it hurricane? Danny). And, to be honest, I just wasn't "feeling" the ride yesterday. So, today is a long run in the rain. And, tomorrow I'm going to try to ride long again. I kind of feel like I have to take a test....but I haven't been to class all semester!

My Trip to NJ Shore...and the 555.

This past week I made the pilgrimage back home to Cape May, New Jersey to visit family and freinds. I did get some training in during my trip, including a 100 mile solo ride. Even though I prefer to ride with others, I really do like doing a few solo rides. It makes you mentally tougher. The highlight of my trip was the 555. I know, I know...what the heck is the 555? My buddies Chad and Terry came up with a unique benefit (race) consisting of a 5 mile ocean swim, 5 mile beach cruiser bike, and a 5 mile run. It's to raise awareness (and some $$$) for cancer, and in memorium of Terry's mom and step father who both lost their lives to the disease. It was a true grass roots event. Only 20 or so people competed (all invited). Most were Cape May locals and/or lifeguards (or in my case, ex-lifeguard). It was a ton of fun.

Now that I'm back in Massachusetts, I'm trying to figure out how to kick start my training. I feel like I keep getting derailed. Today I woke up with shooting pain in my back and neck. Unfortunately, this prevented me from swimming. Hopefully, I'll be able to get on the trainer tomorrow and be able to run in the evening. Sometimes it's an effort to just get out the door!

Here We Go Again!

Okay....it's been a long time since my last post. I got lazy...very lazy. After racing at the Ironman World Championships last year, after many years of striving to get there, my motivation to train had dwindled. I decided that this year I wouldn't do anything longer than the half ironman distance (70.3)...mainly I was focusing on Timberman 70.3 in August. However, when Providence 70.3 added Kona Qualifying spots at some point in April, I quickly pulled the trigger and registered. Although I was not close to being at top form for the race, which was held on July 12th, I finished 5th in the tough 35-39 AG and (w/some luck) got a spot to the big dance again. You can read my race report here. Although I had no intention of training for an ironman this year, I really, really wanted to go to Kona again. So, I wasn't about to pass up the chance....since there's no guarantee that I'll qualify again. So, now I have to start squeezing in my 100 mile rides and 15-20 mile runs....fun! Like last year, I plan to periodically post about training related thoughts...and then give the blow by blow on race week.

Right now, I'm feeling very much undertrained. I'm in okay shape...but work has been busy and is definitely taking a toll on my training. Here's the thing...I don't want to just go back to Kona...I want to have a better race. Notice, I'm not putting any "time" goals....since the conditions there can be brutal. Who knows? Maybe the heat and super strong winds we faced there last year were normal...and that this year they'll be difficult (I hope the heck not!). Regardless...I have a lot of work to do. My first long ride following Providence was a couple of weeks ago, and it was tough. It was only a week after racing 70.3 and my legs weren't there. My second long ride was last week w/Tim Tapply, who's training for IM Canada. That ride went much better. Right now, the bike is not what worries me.....it's the run. I need to start getting my long runs in. Stay tuned!!!!