(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...