New Blog Setup

See those links up there, right above this entry? I have set up an RSS feed to my blog on www.allthingstriathlon.com. Each of those links is a blog post. Click away!!!

Shane

We're Live!!

www.allthingstriathlon.com has been re-born!

We've launched the new site. Go check it out if you have a minute.

The whole idea behind the new site is that it's a social site. A place for triathletes to learn, interact, and share.

Hope you like it!

Shane

PS: Training for Ironman Coeur d'Alene is going well. Last week's numbers:
Swim: 8000m
Bike: 158.9 miles
Run: 29.6 miles

A little tired/sore and VERY, VERY hungry. Definitely beginning the harder part of the ironman training cycle.

If You Read Nothing Else, Read This!

We are coming down to the wire with the all new http://www.allthingstriathlon.com/ website. We are set to launch this weekend with the newest community triathlon site on the web. If you haven't taken our survey yet, please click here to do so:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=raywNJTSgDebVyNQmazLdA_3d_3d

We've gotten fantastic response from our triathlete friends! We're asking what everyone would like to see in the shops. Here's a couple things people said:

"Triathlon clothes on sale, discontinued lines for us beginners, bike parts- second hand and discounted."

"plus size clothing, or at least a greater variety of sizes. There IS a market for larger triathletes who aren't a size 2 :)"

The second one is my favorite, and you guys said it more than once. We're listening, and this comment (and the others like it) is going to go straight to Zensah clothing. Oops, I guess I let one of our new lines "out of the bag", so to speak. We are going to be carrying Zensah's line. If you haven't tried them, you should. Well, wait until this weekend and buy them from us! ;) But, check them out here: http://www.zensah.com/. You can find a couple reviews on our site, and all are positive. Their clothing line is fantastic! Comfortable, fits well, and breathes well.

Anyway, back to the survey. We also asked if there was anything you wanted to tell us - you know, an open-ended invite. Here's a couple samples of what we heard:

"...-i LOVE your word of the week, LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! Looking forward to the site launching." (note: this entry edited as it mentions another site in a less-than flattering way)"

"Can't wait to see what you will have to offer!!"

and... "I definitely do not want, or need, to join any more groups. Love your site."

Yeah, that last one's probably true for a lot of us. Between running, swimming, biking, lifting, family, work, on and on - it's tough to keep up with everything. The good news is that we thought of this before ever getting the comment!!!!!

One advantage to the new platform is that it can integrate with current blogs, and YOU will have the ability to add race reports, product reviews, or links to other sites. (All links will go through an approval process, so don't get any crazy ideas!) What does this mean to you? It means you won't have to go to 20 sites every day. You can go to one. http://www.allthingstriathlon.com/, and launch to the rest of your triathlon surfing from there!!

If you haven't taken our survey, you only have a couple more days. Click here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=raywNJTSgDebVyNQmazLdA_3d_3d

Shane

The NEW www.allthingstriathlon.com

We are re-launching www.allthingstriathlon.com next week, with a complete makeover, new options, and a community feel. As part of the process, this week's Word of the Week (A regular feature of the site) was replaced with the following special announcement & survey. Please take a minute to read it, and complete the survey so we can create the best site with everything you want!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In lieu of the Word of the Week this week, we are instead sending out a special message. We have been working furiously on finalizing the new allthingstriathlon.com website, and it will be unveiled next week!! The new site is more typical of a social networking community site, and here are a few of the new items that will be available to you:

Blogs: You can create a new blog, or use our mirroring option with a current blog!

Gallery: You can have your own picture gallery to share with your friends!

Forums: We will have a full compliment of forums, including classified ads!

Downloads: Have a great pace calculator you want to share? Add it to our download site.

Race Reports & Product Reviews: We have set the new site up to allow your participation. Let your voice be heard!

Store: A more complete store including clothing, nutrition, and other items.

Since this is a community site, we also wanted to give you the opportunity to have a say in things. Please take a couple minutes to complete the survey at the link below. It is only 4 questions and should only take you 2-3 minutes to complete. Here's the link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=raywNJTSgDebVyNQmazLdA_3d_3d

Thank you, and here's to a new look and feel for 2008...

Week 4 and 1 Crazy Relay

Ironman Coeur d'Alene Training Totals for Week 4:

Swim: 4500m
Bike: 66.2mi
Run: 27.3mi

If you compare the totals to last week, you'll see that swim and bike went down. That's because of the Ragnar Relay Del Sol race over the weekend. The basic story is that you get 12 people, 2 vans, lots of food, maybe an air freshener, and run a relay race over 24 hours or so. Each person runs 3 times. My legs were 4.5 miles, 6.2 miles, and 6.8 miles, and I ran at about 1:45pm Friday, 12:30am Saturday, and 6:30am Saturday. Our team finished at just after 1pm on Saturday, 24hours and 4or5 minutes total.

What a blast. It doesn't necessarily sound like it would be a lot of fun, but it really is. Lots of laughing, lots of driving, NO Sleeping, and beer at the finish line. What more can you ask for? Well, the beer could have been free, and the horrible, horrible band at the finish could have had a power outage, but other than that it's a great time! :)

So, I missed one swim and one bike ride to complete the race. But, I..was...FAST!!!! Like really, really fast. I went all out. It was great. I follow MarkAllenOnline training, which is fully aerobic in this stage of training, so it was nice to let loose and tear it up. Hopefully it will kick start my fitness a bit as well.

Swim jumps up this week, and I already did my long swim today at 3000m. No looking back now. I am getting very excited for this Ironman.

(Late) Week 3 Recap

I'm a little late on my week 3 recap for Ironman Coeur d'Alene training. Sorry about that. The numbers:

Swim: 6500m
Bike: 112.2mi
Run: 26.8mi

Things are going pretty well, for sure. I feel like I'm starting to get back into pretty good shape, and my pace is increasing within my heart rate zones. That part... I LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I added one thing to the routine in week 3: Spin Class. K has been begging me to go for a very long time. I finally broke down and went for my tempo ride. Holy. #$%^!!!!!! I don't know if it's the music or the instructor or what, but I was pushing harder than I ever have on an indoor ride. I could barely stand up after I got off the "bike". WOW!!!

So, I'm sold. My tempo and speed bikes are now going to be at spin class. I'm hopeful I can get a little stronger since, you know, I'm not at home on my trainer reading a book or whatever with a heartrate average of like 120. It's more like 150 at class. I'm hooked, it's fun. I actually can't wait until the speedwork phase of training, so I can let the heartrate go. This will be fun!! ;)

I've also been working hard at making some dramatic changes for our website, www.allthingstriathlon.com. It may be down for a bit, but it's going to be soooooooooooooo worth it. Keep your eyes out for an announcement of the new site. Since my former web developers took it upon themselves to take the site down once I told them I was making a change (not exactly the most professional move ever, but the fastest they've ever reacted to ANYTHING), I will likely get it back online in a basic stage, and build it back up while live. Stay tuned...

A Mid-Week Post??????

I know it's not like me to post mid-week, but I just had to share this one with you. What's wrong with this picture?











Could it be that a part is missing?

Here's the story. We were about 50 minutes in to a 2 hour Tuesday ride, traveling at about 26-27mph on a slight descent when I hit a bump. Upon striking said bump, my right arm rest was gone!!! K was right behind me, and she said it kinda flew by her head. Luckily, neither one of us ended up with misc. bike parts hitting wheels or anything. It was a little crazy for a second, but I managed to stop without incident.

So, K posted that she thought the holiday weight gain may have been an okay thing. My arm rest might disagree. Turns out I sheared off the bolt that holds it in place. Somebody must have been putting a leeetle extra pressure on the arm rests... ;)

Week 2 of 20

Here's a recap of week 2 of training for IronMan Coeur d'Alene triathlon in June:

Swim: 6500meters
Bike: 92 miles
Run: 22.8 miles

And here's the strangest part. I swim Mon, Wed, and Sat. Swimming is usually a chore for me. Especially on Saturdays (my recovery swim) after a long ride or brick. But, for some reason, I felt myself craving the swim like I do a bike ride or run. What is going on?!?!?!? Anyway, I'll take it. It is 1 out of 3 of the events in triathlon, so doing some training is probably a good idea. :)

K and I watched the 2007 IM championships on Tivo yesterday. If you haven't ever watched those shows, I cannot recomend it highly enough. Talk about motivation! The highlight for me was to watch a guy named Scott Rigsby become an ironman. He raced with us in Couer d'Alene last year, end-o'd on his bike, and ultimately dropped out. I saw him out there running and he helped me limp through my ever-so-slow marathon. I didn't know it at the time, but after his bike crash the volunteers literally duct-taped his legs back on. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the dude had both legs amputated like 20 years ago. You read that right. A guy with no legs finished the IM world championships. If that doesn't inspire you, I don't know what will.

He inspired me to make a decision I was on-the-fence about. I decided that I am indeed going to race the 2008 Rage in the Sage 1/2Ironman triathlon. It is a tough, tough, tough course. On the website, presumably to "sell" the registration, here is the quote about the run description: "This course is sick! Nothing like it!". Thanks, Scott, for giving me the courage to go for it. I knew I would do at least the Olympic distance (which I've done before), but now I am committed to the 1/2Iron. Anybody else interested in joining me for this torture & suffer-fest? Um, I mean cool race??

1 Down, 19 to go!

So, I survived week one of training for the 2008 Ironman Coeur d'Alene triathlon. Here are the stats for the week:

Swim: 5000m
Bike: 107.5 miles
Run: 17.8 miles

As I mentioned in a previous post, the week started a little rough. But I switched my Friday off for a Monday off, and did all my workouts. I'm very happy about that! And I will be VERY ready for a rest day on Friday.

This week my bike drops down, but swim and run bump up a bit. The swim is the only sport I'm having any trouble doing the distance. I was a little burned out on following that black line back and forth last year, so I pretty much got out of swimming shape. I get my schedule from Mark Allen Online, and he is very fond of long swims, so I know I'll make up for lost time.

Feels good to be back to being a triathlete. I even shaved off my "winter coat" of hair yesterday, and now I even look the part. :)

It's ON!!!

Training for Ironman Coeur d'Alene started this week! Well, pre-training started at the beginning of the year, but the official 20 week schedule started this week. How did it start? Not so well...

First off - congratulations to the New York Giants. They earned that game and deserve to be champions. Bravo. The bad news is that K was driving, and I was really into the game and what it stood for. So, I wasn't really paying attention to how much I was drinking. Or that I really hadn't eaten much after my 10mile run in the morning. I think we all know where this is going. So, my training for this session started with, believe it or not, a REST DAY!?!?!? Not by choice, but I was in no shape to go to the pool. The rest of the gym goers would thank me for that if they knew.

So, rough start. But. There are 140 days of training. I just shortened it to 139. :) Yesterday the bike was a bit rough - flat, lots and lots of red lights. But my run was fantastic! It was a tempo run and I was fast and effortless. Very, very happy about that.

This year I'm going to be more specific about training, distances, all of it. Yesterday we rode 32 miles and I ran 5 miles. Here we go!!!!

Super Sunday

I love the Super Bowl. It's the one time - EVER - that we look forward to commercials. It's the one time all year that virtually everyone watches football. And, invariably, we all try to gather with friends and make the game an event.

And this year, the Patriots are trying to make history. I have been a Pats fan since I knew what a football was (I grew up in New England), so I'm looking forward to watching the game more than ever before. I was there in 1986 when the Bears destroyed the undermatched Pats. I was there through years and years of dismal, horrible seasons when the once great Celtics were terrible, the Red Sox couldn't win the series, even the Bruins sucked for awhile. I even have an old school, old logo Patriots jersey tucked away in a box somewhere - you know, the one with the minuteman in a football uniform and stance. It would never fit, so I'm not even trying to look for it. :)

So, love them or hate them, you need to let us die-hard fans enjoy this time. The last few years have been a fantastic time for a fan of Boston/New England sports. After decades of heartbreak, the flood gates of success have opened. Good luck, men. You have a chance to do something the announcers called "impossible" every season I can remember. And, as I get close to 40, that's quite a few seasons.

We're going to Big J and Momo's house to watch the game. Or, as it's also known, enemy territory. Big J called while I was on my run this morning already talking smack. That's okay big guy, the Giants are a perfect opponent. They earned their way to this stage. They have played brilliantly. They deserve to be where they are. It's going to be a great game...

Blissfully Unemployed

Okay, I have to say that my new lifestyle is hard to beat. My newest term: Blissfully Unemployed. And unemployable, but that's a topic for another day.

Without distractions like, oh I don't know, a job, it's a lot easier to fit all my workouts in! I've discovered that I'm more out of shape than I thought, but consistent workouts should help that problem disappear fairly quickly. I have managed to shed about 5 of my holiday pounds, so I'm already a third of the way there. Of course, they'll get harder now, but that's okay.

As we round out the month of January, I'm definitely starting to settle in to the new routine. And I like it! It may have been crazy to leave my business when I did, but it was very clearly the right move for me to make.

It's hard to believe, but training for IM Coeur D'Alene officially begins next week! Crazy. 20 weeks and counting. I will have to ask K to help me figure out how to post my workouts/log. She's got the tech side pretty dialed in.

Speaking of that, I realized we accidentally happened upon a masterplan for training! See, we gained a bunch of weight over the holidays ( and my hernia recovery). So, we've been riding "heavy". And man is it HARDER!! Then it dawned on me... We are creating our base fitness carrying (for me) 10 extra pounds (after losing a couple). Once that drops off, we'll be stronger, lighter, and faster! Brilliant!!! Wish I could claim it was intentional...

Life Goes On

So much has happened since my last post that I don't know where to begin. Consider this a sneak preview for the next Word Of the Week at allthingstriathlon.com, which makes its return very shortly.

On January 1, at 12:01am I sold my half of my business to my business partner. I'll save some of the reason why detail for the Word of the Week, but the ultimate result is.... I'm unemployed!!! By choice, but it's still a big difference. See, I'm used to working 8-6 as just a normal day. More when we were busy. Then, trying to train on top of that. Those of you with kids may consider that a vacation, but I found myself always behind and never getting anything done right. I have a lot of respect for everyone keeping anything close to this (or busier) schedule. K and I returned from our Mexico adventure on Jan 6, so I've now had about 2 weeks being on my own. And I can train...whenever I want. It's fantastic. It's perfect... well, almost. There's that whole "no income" thing, but we'll save that for another time.

If you've read any of K's blog, you know we, um, really enjoyed ourselves in Mexico. And I can't decide if I'm ashamed or proud of the fact that there are like 20 pictures of me taking a tequila shot while wearing an IronMan shirt. Don't get the wrong idea, not all 20 were on the same day, and I brought a couple shirts, but still.

So, once we got back it was time to get back to training. Not "Rock Star Apprentice" training like Mexico; triathon training. And it couldn't happen soon enough. I've gained, ahem, like 12 pounds, and it shows. First week back - 2 swims, 1 bike, 4 runs, and crunches/abs 4 days. Week 2 (barring something weird this weekend) 2 swims, 2 bikes, 4 runs, and crunches/abs 4-5 days. Strangely. Surprisingly. My body is happy to be enduring this "discomfort" during my transition from alcohol-soaked Shane back to IronShane. I feel like myself. Vacation was fantastic. Unemployment seems to suit me. And I'm back to training. To quote a very good friend's catch phrase "Life Is Good!"

Shane

PS: For those that remember, I seem to finally be past all my hernia-related issues. That was the jump start to the weight gain, but it's more fun to make it sound like it was all from our trip.

PPS: For those of you that are going to send K sympathy letters about her deadbeat husband, I have more going on that I'm letting on. Although it is true that I don't have an income at the moment, and no intention whatsoever of ever having a j-o-b again, it doesn't mean I'm not working. As projects are closer to launch, I'll let you know more. Fun, exciting times are on the horizon.