How to Start a Fire!

       I was happy with the way last week went. I had a good 10.5 mile run on Thursday, followed by a mile swim on Friday. The weekend was nothing short of excellent. Saturday was a 15 mile ride followed by a 3 mile run, then a 30 mile ride followed by a 6 mile run. Sunday, Chris, Charlie, and I rode with a spinning instructor from Charlie's gym. I think I averaged about 18 mph... we did about 45 miles. Later that day Chris, Gina, and I had a 1.2 mile open water swim in the lake. This was the first open water swim for Chris and I. It went better than I expected. Swimming with a wet suit is really easy. It helps with keeping your body very buoyant. We really lucked out because Sunday was a beautiful day and the water was calm. I expect my next open water swim to be a little more intense and I hope to see some bigger waves just in case the water is not that calm for race day.This week is another week filled with three bricks and a long run tomorrow. Next week is the last week of intense training before the race. I look forward to finishing the Half Ironman so I can continue training for the next shorter race, the 5150 series. 

"catching the fruits of our labor
Holding our hearts in our hands
Waiting for you to sound a prayer in the form of an anchor
Reply by holding you up in a ??
Lets set this city ablaze
We'll learn to start a fire" - further seems forever

       

So last week I did not make a post. It was a really boring week filled with a little burn out and a week of solid active recovery. This week has turned out to be quite the opposite. I just started a new phase of training. This week consisted of a 1.25 mile swim on Monday. Wednesday was another 1.25 mile swim and a 60 minute bike. Thursday I rocked a 10.5 mile run at a really good pace. Friday was a 1 mile swim. Today started with a 15 mile bike immediately followed by a three mile run. After I repeated another bike of 30 miles and then ran 6 miles after. So I was out for four hours today biking and running. Needless to say, I am a little sun burnt and tired. Tomorrow, Chris and I will meet Charlie at the Levee for 8 am and ride 50 miles. Then we will grab our wet suits and meet Gina at the Lake for our first open water swim.....! How exciting! I am tired, sore, sun burnt to a crisp, hungry, and loving every second of it. My awesome girlfriend and I are gonna meet some family tonight for some delicious wild game. Then cruise over to say hello to Blaine for his B-Day party.

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Here it comes again!

         Last week consist of some pretty intense workouts. Friday was a 12 mile run, Saturday was a 2 mile swim, and Sunday was a 20 mile bike and 3 mile run repeat 3x .... I only was able to complete two repeats because Natalie and I threw a party for the St. Patrick's day parade. Last week was intense. It left me feeling a bit tired and a little burnt out. I need to get with it and get back to a good mental state. Things are getting to be a little tough..... managing work, family life, hunting dogs and a triathlon is getting to be too much to handle. I don't think I have played guitar in weeks and I really just want to spend a weekend taking time to just relax. It's a good thing this week is an active recovery week. I have the whole weekend off and light workouts Tuesday through Friday. I brought my bike to the shop to get a tune up. The guys face didn't look to good when I showed him how my crank has been wobblin from side to side. I really hope I don't have to spend any more money on it. I am gonna go broke soon. Tonight I am gonna hit the gym do a core workout and spend sometime on the stationary rowing machine. I am doing my best to gain some mental stability this week while I try to maintain a healthy diet.


“The hardest thing you can do is smile when you are ill, in pain, or depressed. But this no-cost remedy is a necessary first half-step if you are to start on the road to recovery.”

Can you say?????????

      Last week was pretty awesome. My diet has been very good and my energy level is super high. Friday afternoon I ran 6 miles and introduced a new type of speed work that I had read about in Triathlete magazine. I modified it a little. I ran 2 miles at an all out pace I repeated this twice and then did a two mile cool down. Saturday morning Chris and I met up once again for a big swim. It felt as if we swam... and swam... and kept swimming for about 2 hours. Sunday it got a little cold so I had to do my bike run brick on the trainer inside my parents house. ( Bike 15miles, Run 2 miles immediately after bike) repeat 3x) These repeats really start to kick your ass after a while. This week is the last week in the endurance phase of training. I have a big week to get through and next week is a rest and recovery week. I am really not looking forward to resting. I know that my body probably needs it.

“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.” - Buddha

The End of Another Month.... tic toc tic toc tic toc!

The endurance phase doesn't give you much time to live on the weekend. These days I spend most of my weekends swimming, biking, and running. After work on Friday I pushed myself out of my front door and hit the street running. My run on Friday consist of mostly speed work........I ran 2 miles at a pretty fast pace for my warm up. That was followed by 3 to 4 200's and 3 100's of mind blowing sprints! I finished with a one mile cool down. Saturday morning Chris and I met up early and swam... and swam.... and swam some more! I felt a little bit water logged the rest of the day to say the least. Swims are usually fun. They are typically a variety of distances at different intensity levels. I think the total distance we swam was probably about 1.75 mi. Sunday began with a nice breakfast with my beautiful girlfriend and was interrupted by a phone call by a text from Chris stating that he wanted to get rolling. I hurried home packed my bike and running gear and headed over to the Homer residence. When I got there Chris immediately came outside ready to roll with bike and full tri attire. We got on our bikes and rode for about an hour and a half. When we finished the ride we put our running shoes on and ran 6.5 miles with a fartlek series after the first warm up mile. Fartlek is just another way of working on your speed. It is really just interval training.... fast, slow, fast slow. You get the point! I was a bit dehydrated after we ran. It took until Monday morning to start feeling better. I need to remember to drink as much water as possible. I lost about 6lbs during that day. It got pretty hot on Sunday!

          So... we are about 7 weeks away from race day. I feel comfortable, healthy, confident, and my mental state is good. This week is similar to the last. Today is a short swim day, tomorrow is a 40 mile ride, Thursday is strength training and rowing, and Friday is speed work which I  might replace with a distance run. (8 miles) The weekend gets a little crazy with a 2 mile swim on Saturday and three consecutive bike run bricks on Sunday...... and a whole lot of parading. The biggest thing I need to work on is my eating habits. New Orleans and the way we were raised to have a good time makes it hard when you are trying to do a big race. Happy Mardi Gras! 

"It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Some Things to Never Forget

      This weekend was jam packed with craziness! It started on Saturday morning. Chris and I got in the pool at about 7:15 am and swam about 2500 yards. We did a ladder workout. That is short distances to larger distances then back down the ladder ...all at a pretty high intensity. As soon as we were done we got packed up for our 35 mile bike ride and got on the river where it was super foggy. We started riding and my legs were immediately not cooperating because of the speed work we did on Thursday at the City Park track. I pulled it all together and we ended up banging out the bike averaging about 17.2 or so mph. (I have to check the garmin to know for sure.) I got to be really tired and cranky on Saturday night.
       Sunday, I got up at 6 am and got ready to meet Hard Inc., Charlie, and Chris at the run clinic with Nate Singleton from the San Fransisco 49ers. I got there a little early and was able to get in a 3/4 mile warm up on the track. Soon after everyone else showed up and we got to work. Nate showed us many agility drills, proper running technique and form. He was also VERY VERY motivational. He spoke about attitude, confidence, negativity, and hard work. He stressed that you need to believe in yourself, and bring a confidence with the way that you present yourself that makes everyone notice. He told us that it is very important to not let negativity on any level into your head. He used the example of training on a really hot day. The second you start to tell your self its really hot out is the second that you allow negative thoughts to develop in your mind. Everything Nate said was very informative, and I am sure that I will use every bit of his training for as long as I can use my legs for running.
       Later that day Chris, Jonathan, and I met up at the park to do some bike run bricks. We ended up only having enough daylight to finish two of the three bricks. We rode 15 miles then ran two right after and repeated it twice. My little cousin Jonathan came along and rode the first 15 with us and ran as much as he could after. He did a great job! I really was impressed with his work ethic. He has come a long way with his knee injury and is now getting really interested in this madness of a sport. Chris kicked ass as usual..... he made everything look really easy. He is improving tremendously in his running. It is awesome to watch someone get better and better every week. I feel myself getting stronger in every aspect of the three disciplines. We have been training really hard and it is starting to really pay off!

GET OFF MY PORCH! You can't be up here!

          This weekend is gonna be tough. Tomorrow is a 2100 yard ladder swim followed by a 30 mile bike. Earlier this week Charlie invited Chris and I to a  Nate Singleton from the 49ers is doing with Hard Inc on Sunday morning. After the Clinic I am gonna try to push out a 15 mile bike and a 2 mile run and repeat it 3 times( Total of  45 mile bike 6 mile run) That is one huge bitch of a weekend workout. Things are getting a little tough to say the least. Wednesday, I rode 38 miles. I think I averaged about 17.5 mph. Yesterday, was speed work on the track : One mile warm up then 4x 200 meter sprints followed by 400 meters at a 5 sec slower pace... repeat 4x! Ouch that shit sucked! I love running but sprints hurt! Today is an off day. I think I am gonna go run the dogs when I get off work.  What an awesome challenge for this weekend! This should be fun!

"Pull that shit out of you and get that motivation to not give up and not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse." - Eminem