Chasing Lightning

I took Monday off since I spent 10 hours of the day driving back from Augusta to DC. Tuesday I took off because I was still exhausted. That was the only rest allowance though. Today, I went out for a 5 mile run and it felt good. A third-of-the-way through, the Thunderstorm clouds rolled in, along with the lightening. I knew there wasn't really any place to take cover between my current location and home, so I sprinted the rest of the way.

Kids, trying to sprint just under 5 miles when you are not in shape may cause this sensation called nausea and will make you extremely out of breath. I did not want to stop until I got home because it was wicked out. I blew through the door and cussed everything in sight, just because I was so out of breath. But damn, it felt good after I calmed down!

Did some kettle swings, a few abs, and a good start to a hard month!

Millions of peaches, peaches for me...and a 70.3

1.2 Mile Swim + 56 Mile Bike + 13.1. Mile Run x [3 pool swims, 5 days of cycling, 2 8-mile runs,, 1 4-mile run] + little sleep = a surprisingly okay race result...and more importantly, a finish.

I was hoping this race - ESi Augusta 70.3 Ironman - didn't sneak up on me, but it did. I was close to bailing, but the thought of an already-paid-for hotel room at the Augusta Marriott Convention Center made me reconsider. Once down there, I reconsidered dropping out after seeing all of the triathletes with 1% body fat and realizing I may be the biggest one there. Standing in the registration line, I snapped out of it, reminding myself that at every race I pass people who "look like triathletes" because I have talent, I just need to tap into it and be consistent about training. One day, I too, could not only race like a triathlete, but "look like one". Once I walked my bike along the Riverwalk to the transition area, reminiscing about the crew spring training practices spent along and on the Savannah, I was pumped. I knew this wouldn't be a PR race, but I vowed to go with it and see what happens...and to finish the best I can under the circumstances. No excuses. Just race.

I wouldn't recommend the Savannah to anyone as a swimming destination, unless one enjoys water moccasins, large river plants that grow to the surface, and some type of river weed that ends up wrapping itself around arms and sticking to goggles. The current wasn't as strong as in past years, but it enabled me to finish 24th in my age group. I won't go into an entire race report but I will say: The tortoise would have passed me in the transitions, I got mentally bored on the bike (shiny object bored), and the Georgia humidity was painful and caused my run time to be something of a crawl.

Swim time: 26:50 (1:24/100m) 24th
Bike Time: 3:09:51 (17.70 mph avg) 70th
Run: 2:31:57 (11:35min/mi) (egad!!) 80th
Total: 6:16:13
1694 overall
80th in division/141 finishers

I was 15 mins off my first (and only) 70.3 from 2009 (I trained for that one). However, I PRd in 2 disciplines:
33:11 (1:43/100m)
3:23:19 (16.53mph)
2:01.12 (9:15min.mile)
Total: 6:01.35
Progress? In a way. A fire lit under me for the next race (B2B)? You betcha.

A week without running is a week of regret

I participated in a 4-day, 280+mile cycling ride from NY to DC, so I thought I'd give my legs and body a chance to catch up for a few days. I hit the pool, did a spin class, and slept.

As impatient as I am, I dove right in again and decided, yesterday, to do a hilly 8 mile run. Today I am walking like I rode a horse for 7 hours. The legs are tight but it's step 1 again.

Hurts so good. Let's see what today brings.

Zero to 60 in a month

70.3 Beach to Battleship, here I come, roaring down the abbreviated road- ready or not.

After much contemplation, I sucked it up and registered for the Beach2Battleship 70.3 in Wilmington, NC at the end of October 2011. With all of the travel I do for work, I spend more time on a plane than on land or in a pool. I am going to have to be consistent and creative to get the most out of my workouts.

My three goals for B2B are:
1. Train Consistently
2. Train Effectively
3. PR (beat my 6:01 from Mooseman, Bristol, NH)

I have a short time to train for end of October. Therefore, #1 and #2 are most important to me (and in my case, are usually the hardest to maintain). I am hoping this log will help me keep on track. Plus, it will keep me from killing trees by manually writing logs (that's for all my Earthy friends in the world...makin' ya proud! :))

One month of training?

I thought, this may be a crazy idea, but as Jimi said: "You have to go on and be crazy. Craziness is like heaven." So, crazy I go.