It’s been a busy couple days since we welcomed the new addition to the household. Thought I throw up a few pics before the in depth review.
At the shop:
Safe at home:
After a few hours of further dialing in the cockpit for comfort:
I came, I saw, and I…survived. As I sat in my cage Monday for the prescribed once a week recovery day, with a wholesome zen-like peaceful fatigue, repairing the damage by continuing to stuff whatever edible item within reach into my mouth (interrupted only by the previous night’s sleep), realizing not only did I survive, I was wanting more. With approximately 13 hours of the hardest consecutive days of training to date this year, you’d think my mind would be far from yearning for the same, but it kept flashing images of the roads of Connecticut. I’m sure this wouldn’t be the case if human beings had the capability to remember actual pain (physical), but there was no other place I would’ve rather been…
What an awesome weekend from all perspectives, including great weather, company, food, and ice cream. We headed up Friday evening, and after a fairly uneventful drive out of the city, packed it in shortly after unloading at the Labbe’s household around 10:30PM or so. My plan for Saturday was to do the entirety of the ride that I wussed out on a few weeks back, i.e., from Bethany to Quassy, ride the Rev3 course, and ride back. Somewhere in the range of 98 miles was the plan for the day. 98 miles in Connecticut hill country mind you.
Having my cue sheet still handy (but knowing a little over half of the route already), nutrition dialed in, and beautiful weather, I set off around 7:30AM the following morning. Arm warmers were all that was needed, and as the day climbed into the 80’s, even those found themselves rolled up and put away shortly after heading out. The ride from Bethany was still pretty fresh in my head, and for the most part dialed in with little need to reference any directions. Approximately 20 miles put me at the start of the Rev3 course, which today I had every intention of finishing.
I was still feeling pretty fresh when I started the course, although the heat was creeping up pretty quickly. It was just a little too early to be so hot, and without any acclimatization time it seems this year, it only felt hotter. I soon found my way onto new roads as I continued past my previous turn around point. I’d like to point out, that albeit this is reading very easily, this ride was a suffer-fest. I wish I could recollect exactly where the toughest of the hills were, and I probably could if I took the time, however I think the more appropriate thing to note here is that it’s all hills. I do remember route 254 heading north to be a particularly long climb, so I’ll make a physical and mental reminder for that one.
The turnaround point just south of Litchfield is where I got somewhat lost. Thus, I really didn’t get to complete the entire course as it turns out when I retraced my steps and mapped it this morning. However, I got more than an adequate taste, and have concluded that it will be a tough, tough day, which has set a little natural apprehension about what lies ahead. Although by the same token, I absolutely can’t wait and can’t continue to stress enough, even while suffering, I never regret it for a moment. I love riding up there with endless roads to explore off the beaten path, vineyards, farms galore, etc. Its rural America at it’s best. So while everything may hurt, at least I’ve had the scenery to soak up, no traffic, and rarely another cyclist.
I really love cycling again. Thank you Connecticut, and despite all your damn hills, I love you too.
The day wrapped, with me rolling into the driveway, as Jason put it, going so slow that I could’ve tipped over, at approximately 94 miles and over 6,300 feet of climbing. I lost the route somewhere, but got a good long day in hot, hot weather. Excellent practice, but I still had one more equally tough day to go.
After stuffing my face continually for the remainder of the day, topping it all off with some amazing homemade ice cream, we called it a night after a quick route check and cue sheet for the following day. That next morning, Sunday, shaped up to be an amazing but even warmer one. We started the day at Lake Waramaug for my first open water swim with the new wetsuit. Upon arriving at the lake around 7:45AM accompanied by two very gracious sisters to keep me company, we quickly found our original plans awash. Hordes of people, were packing into the state park area of the lake for a crew meet, which also happened to be the original place planned for me to swim from. Alls well that ends well, as shortly thereafter we agreed upon another location, and after suiting up, I began the first leg of my brick around quarter to 9AM.
The wetsuit is pretty amazing. I felt like I could swim all day in that thing; it certainly makes for less effort. However, the initial shock of the cold water wasn’t something I was expecting, and for a short time it altered/strained my breathing until I settled in and warmed up a bit. I continued fairly close to the shoreline at an aerobic clip for 35 minutes thoroughly enjoying myself. Upon exiting I suited up, this time in cycling attire, said my good-bye and thank you (!) and set-off on the planned route of the day for a total of 60 miles finishing back in Bethany.
I found some amazing hills that day. Big surprise right? Turns out the route directly back to Bethany to the south wasn’t quite the amount of mileage I needed for the day, so I first headed north. I apologize for keep coming back to this point, but there was no shortage of inclines. Even though as a whole the ride would be easier today, with only approximately 3,500 feet of climbing, it did not disappoint. Further good news came with the realization that even after yesterday my legs still felt O.K. O.K. enough that is for a steady, but not too crazy clip.
Sunday climbed well into the 80’s, and for anyone who rides a bike, knows quite well the heat radiating off the pavement certainly cranks it up even a few more notches. I was glad for a change of pace, as my last two long rides up in Connecticut had been on the Quassy course or en route. I started of around Waramaug, heading back towards the direction of the state park entrance where I caught of glimpse of the crew teams now in the water, toeing the line.
Almost immediately I headed up a pretty serious climb as I popped off northwest of the lake. What was interesting is that shortly thereafter as I turned on to the very appropriately named ‘Brick’ School road, I entered my first true dead area with no cell phone coverage. Pretty amazing. It happened sporadically throughout the day north of the lake, and if I could digress for a moment, it dawned on me that it had been years since that happened. It could only make me smile however when I soon realized how attached I had become to the maps to help pinpoint myself should I miss a turn. Ross and I never did that! If getting lost meant adding miles, or finding awesome new stretches of road, how could you really call that getting lost? Funny how technology can make you second-guess yourself. That same bit of technology did however, despite no cell coverage, allowed for this very cool picture. Guess you can put two and two together on why those Connecticut old-heads named it Brick School road. That’s 1798.
The conclusion of the ride, despite my best efforts to skip a road of serious inclines, only took me on one of even more serious inclines. I guess that’s what I get for trying to wuss out. But know this Blackberry road, you and I will do battle again. I ended the day on my way back up Miller road at a little over 60 miles, and this time it wasn’t at tip-over speeds. After parking, dismounting, and drinking copious amounts of water that was left for me on the front entry way (I stupidly underestimated water consumption today, and got an emergency txt in that requested such. Thanks guys!), I laced up, changed tops, and was off on a planned 5 mile route that Melissa had printed out for me.
The legs were fine, but wow the heat was wearing on me. It did reach high 80’s that day, and knowing this is the best type of practice for Kentucky, I took off down the driveway. What is really cool, is that I’m truly learning the science of adjusting and regulating pace in different scenarios. Sunday was definitely one of those scenarios, and after two tough days, a hilly run, and a very hot start around 12:45PM, I knew I would have to slow things down. That being said, the run actually turned out to be fine. I slowed it down to an 8-8:15 pace, and cruised comfortably (as comfortably as I could) through a little over 5 miles.
And that was a wrap.
Lastly, I’d like to take just a moment to say thanks for all help everyone. I don’t say it enough. I couldn’t do this for a second without you. I mean that. It can be a selfish pursuit when it comes right down to it, so I appreciate all the support, and all the forms it takes…just like the title and parting photo, courtesy of Labbe & Labbe.
Another week has slipped by…dang!! Hopefully the lapse between posts won’t incite riots amongst the hordes of followers! But seriously, thanks for keeping me in check. What I do hope is that the wait hasn’t built up any unrealistic expectations of grandiose or even super-human training days. Nope, just some rock solid awesomeness, and as I recall: an awesome ride in the hills of Connecticut (only hills it would seem) surveying the Rev3 course, two welcome bricks, and a gaggle of the fuzz.
Last week, despite my best efforts for this continuation, was incredibly busy. A slow/recovery week it was, but Michelle and I had my Mom and aunts in for the majority of it for a lovely visit. I am however not sure if I got my 10 hours of sleep; not that I couldn’t have, just don’t think my body will allow my to sleep at all past 7 anymore. 7 is the new 10.
Anyway anyway, let’s get to it. Going two weeks back now to 4/10, for what was the start of my first back-to-back long weeks. Something I was a little nervous, but equally excited to get under way. These type of training weekends were to set the stage for months to come, and was anxious to see how far I’ve come. That Saturday took us up to the country retreat courtesy of Melissa and Jay (can’t thank you enough) in Bethany, CT for some serious riding. Truthfully, I hadn’t a clue just how serious the riding would be. I had every intent to do some recon on the Rev3 Quassy bike course, leaving directly that morning from the Labbe homestead, heading north. I mapped it the previous night, for a grand total of a very realistic 95 miles, shooting for a 6 hour spin knowing ‘some hills’ were in store. HA! That was a grand understatement…
Connecticut owns me.
The riding was amazing, just absolutely beautiful. What a treat it is to go for a ride for 4-5 hours and not see another soul (cycling) along the way. It’s a wonderful reminder that the only reason I’ve become disenchanted with cycling these past few years is because of geographical locale. (Luckily, we’ll remedy that sometime soon.)
Connecticut is such a beautiful place. That same night before the ride, I made a cue sheet so I wouldn’t get too lost along the way. Although, I seem to remember some of the best rides I’ve ever had involved getting lost. Then again that probably had something to do with the company as well. This day however, cue sheet in hand, I set out on a fairly brisk morning in the low 50’s, around 9AM. How quickly reality came crashing in as not two miles into the ride I was heading up the first series of climbs of the day (still excited at this point). Didn’t feel so brisk out anymore after that climb, which immediately set the tone for the day.
I rode some beautiful country roads, and some crazy-town hills for all of 70 miles. Recon on Quassy did eventually happen, but the 95 mile ride was cut fairly short as I worried about saving some in the tank for first brick coming the next day. Before starting Rev3 course, I took a moment to survey the park lake, which happened to be open, envisioning race day excitement not more than 8 weeks away. As I started the course after leaving the park, I immediately realized everything I heard was true, i.e., it will be a tough day. I was hoping the 20 miles or so up to the start of the course from Bethany was some alter-universe-type anomaly, where near every street name I came upon ended with ‘Hill’, and surely didn’t disappoint in delivering on that promise. However, that was not the case, as Quassy proved to be just as demoralizing.
In a good way of course. Hell, just being out of NYC is a day worth shouting about. I eventually cut the course short, but not before seeing a few like-minded tri-geeks out there doing the same. The ride back to Bethany, proved to be just as lovely, and the wind was much more forgiving heading south (which can be a bugger in it’s own right). I must say, again, it’s beautiful country up there. Cut the prescribed 6 hour ride to 4.5, and called it a day with an awesome dinner concocted by the power of 2.
Inaugural Brick.
After making our way back to the city that night from the highlands of Connecticut, we fueled up at our favorite local Tex-Mex joint and called it a night. I had some anxiety about the next day, as it had been sometime since I had bricked anything (approximately 10 years), and never the three together. Thus, food in belly, sleep was the next item on tap.
Sunday started at 6:30AM with my usual power-slam breakfast of oatmeal, raisins, walnuts, bananas, and Greek yogurt. I would have gladly started the day much earlier, but the swim as it turns has dictated otherwise, with the gym not opening its doors on the weekend to practically noon!! Well, 8AM really, and in my warped perception of time, equally midday. Good weather was in the forcast, I believe with temperatures reaching the low 70’s, which would surely make things all the better. So I hoped.
The brick started officially somewhere around quarter to 8AM when I found myself pedaling to the gym for an on time 2000 swim start to the day. Nothing too exciting to report and after a smooth 30 minutes, I popped out immediately and made my way to the locker for a quick change and pedal home for the commuter to trusty steed bike swap.
After a nutrition check for a long day, essentials in jersey pockets and onboard bottles, I headed out the door shortly after 9AM. All and all, despite being somewhat of a mind-numbing repeat ride, I had a really good day on the bike. I did however go just a little too hard I believe (more on that later), but the sun was shining and it was hard not to be just a little amped. That day’s ride took me by way of Nyack, NY up 9W. Pretty standard for these parts, but I opened it up in a few places to kill the boredom. On that note, strangely my legs felt just fine from the killer hills the day before. That in itself was a welcome reassurance of the four months of base paying off.
I activated Michelle when back in Brooklyn for the planned bike/shoe swap. This pretty much entailed a ‘The Eagle has landed’ conversation as we reconfirmed our planned meeting location in Prospect Park. We met shortly thereafter, and after hopping off my bike, lacing up, changing to a singlet, a big sweaty kiss on the cheek, and a self-assuring ‘This is fine’ spoken aloud, I took my first steps…a very gelatinous first few steps. That was my indication that I went just a little harder than I was aiming to. I did however find my pace after approximately a mile or so – and kicked it over with a comfortable 45 minute 5 miler.
That was it. I did it! Overall I felt a little tired, but not trashed. About a 7 hour day in total.
Fuzzbusted.
So, I’m going to skip the details largely of brick part two, as in day-long format the two are identical. Rather in all the natural anticipation I’ll get right to the heart of the matter, i.e., the explanation of the title. Funny thing is, in the week and a half since that happened most of you have already heard it’s explanation. Ah well, here it is again, documented for history…
So coming into this week, I had a new approach for the ride after some real world experience and some sage advice from John. Basically that entailed nothing more than pacing myself. I’m quickly finding out how much of this is about just that. It’s a long day out there, and it’s the combo that counts, i.e., you can’t go out and kill yourself on the ride, and blow up on the run. It’s a fine line refined only by experience.
So again, 9W was the plan of the day. However I had decided to switch it up a bit with a ride along the Palisades Interstate Park for a change of scenery. What I didn’t know was that the apparently areas of this beautiful stretch are off–limits for bicycles. Really? In a park? On a road traveled by cars?
So how did this occur to me? Well I was heading up a really nice long climb in said park when I happened upon not one, not two, but three(!), yes a grand total of three NJ police cars. Your (NJ) tax dollars hard at work! In all seriousness, as I made my way up to the blockade, reminiscent of international border security, cop A entered the scene by extending his arm into a very forceful stop signal followed by a verbal ‘Halt’. Yes, sadly, I’m being honest. Some of the standard ‘Do you know why I’m stopping you?’, and ‘Do you have your ID?’ came shortly thereafter. ‘No’ to the first, ‘Yes’ to the latter. So as cop A disappears to a car to check-up on me, another cop, we’ll call him cop B starts chatting me up:
‘Are you from the city?’
‘Yes, Brooklyn’, as I remember the brim of my Brooklyn cycling cap plainly visible saying just that extending from under my helmet.
‘So dey don’t let yous guys ride in central park?’
’90 miles get’s pretty boring really quickly.’
Shortly thereafter cop A returns to lecture me on this road being prohibited for this or that reason, with a sign being somewhere that I must have missed, and I had to walk my bike for the remainder of the hill up to 9W. After which, he mentioned in passing to cop B that he was done for the day after handing me a very appropriate 50 dollar fine.
Lovely. Suppose that was bound to happen. Just glad it took 15 years, however I really wish it could’ve happened under different circumstances. Like how about all those times when I was breaking the speed limit? Really, wouldn’t that be rad?
Posted: April 27th, 2010 | Author: Terrence | Filed under: Bike, Life, Run, Swim | 4 Comments »â€˜Yeah I got a speeding ticket yesterday.’
‘Really, I thought you didn’t own a car.’
‘I don’t.’
To all my loyal following I do apologize for the huge gap between this and my last post! My ‘populous’ is waiting as Michelle says. Anyway, in all seriousness, it’s been a tiring two weeks on and the 2-3 hours a day that I had to myself these past weeks before I found myself drooling on the couch half-asleep at 9PM, despite the best intentions, left the blog gathering dust. I can however say there is a lot to update on, primarily being my first two long days totaling out at nearly 8 hours, and one killer ride in a state that grows hills. Let’s get to it.
These two weeks on started somewhat frustratingly (to put it nicely) back on the 6th with a way overly crowed morning swim. I guess you can’t not expect this every once and a while living in NYC, but it does make workouts a near impossibility, as you have to default to lap swimming, and on this particular morning with 4 other individuals. Truthfully, it was the first really nice day of Spring, abnormally nice if I remember correctly topping out at 80+, which brought people out of the woodwork to go for a swim. Cest la vie. I liken it to the start of the year in gyms across the country, i.e., crazy town. With time, it returns to normal. I have confidence the same will happen with the pool.
Besides that, weekday training was spot-on, with everything really clicking into place. Generally I feel great albeit pretty wiped come end of day, but I guess that’s to be expected. The interesting thing I’ve started to notice is how much volume I’m able to do now, and still feel fresh the next day. I was trying to narrow it down after a few surprising examples I’ll get to, but I truly believe its just my base fitness/adaptation continuing to increase. I’ve never done over 4 months of base, so it feels pretty amazing to have a really tough day, completely recover, and do it again the next. Of course it’s not that easy, and nutrition and rest factor into this 10-fold, however it certainly has gotten easier these days.
As an aside to that, I can say without the slightest hesitation that I feel better than I’ve ever felt in my life. The best. Stronger, healthier, leaner and happier (can’t attribute it all to being a triathlete of course). It never crossed my mind that I would ever tip the scales at a lean 163, a morning resting heart rate in the upper 30’s, healthy strong lungs with not a hint of asthma, etc., etc. If you know me, you know I’m only saying this out of excitement, excitement that all this is just a result of doing something I’ve found and truly am more passionate about than anything I have ever been before. Even in what I thought to be my previous healthiest points in 15 years of cycling, I came nowhere near as close to where I am now (and I have still so far to go!). I love the diversity the 3 sports, being an endurance athlete, and the physical and mental limits it can push you to. It’s addictive, and more satisfying than any high, natural or unnatural, I’ve ever had. That, and I wish I found this sooner, but to be cliché, better late than never.
And who would of thought, in addition, swimming would be something I’d actually look forward to? Yeah, really, I’m nearly there. Really enjoying it that is. Swimming continues to improve for me, with noticeable improvements in stroke and breathing efficiency. My swim totals were approximately 9500-1000 each week, and continue to consist of two targeted 3500-4000 strength/endurance, with a new weekend addition of 2000 as part of my first bricks (more to come on that). My 2000 aerobic (not killing myself) time is just a little over 30 minutes now. Few things to round out here over the upcoming weeks, mainly pertaining to some open water practice in my wetsuit, but I’ll get there. Both are on schedule for the upcoming months in the lakes of Connecticut.
Running. Man I still love it. Who would’ve thought? Anyway, my two 20 milers on these past Wednesdays went status quo, with comfortable long pace times at 7:30-7:45/mile. Shorter Friday runs the same, but with the shorter hour on, pretty much are base/recovery runs. Changed it up a little on this past Wednesday with a new route up to Chelsea and back. Good for a change of pace and next week I’m looking into just running to work. I wish I could report more here, but things continue to improve, with the satisfaction of a good run never waning…
So what does the title of this post refer to? I think I’m far enough behind to break this update into two parts. I’ll get to that and the weekend details come tomorrow. Way past my bedtime, but then again, it is a recovery week…
Posted: April 19th, 2010 | Author: Terrence | Filed under: Bike, Life, Run, Swim | 2 Comments »Knock Out. Knocked Out. With certainty, I found myself on each side of the acronym found in the title of this post this past week or so, and like other themes in this blog, it may go without saying that this title carries a few different meanings of it’s own. It seems odd saying that a lot has happened since the last post, but thankfully some the lot being the lack of random blizzards every other week with multiple feet of snow, and the return of sunshine and sixty degree weather.
Starting from the ominous Friday of my last post, written as Brooklyn again got pummeled with a blast of winter dumping some 12 inches of the white stuff with drifts upwards of double that. Followed immediately the next day by an exciting trip to the country that lightened my wallet significantly, to yet another two-plus hours running in freezing drizzle, root canals, with a triumphant week end bed-ridden flu-ish finale while I slept the first near 60 degree sunshine away (and missed my first training day). Which brings me to today, and with the near completion this afternoon of travel plans for Kentucky locked and loaded, and sans some in between details, that about covers it.
First things first, let me introduce you to the newest member of the family. Due in three, actually two, short weeks. I’d like you to meet…
Argh. Yeah, this purchase was coupled with some serious guilt. But to back up a few weeks, or months rather, I knew coming into this season, and getting into triathlons, that I would be looking to purchase a new rig this year. Sadly, it was hard to believe looking back that it had been near five years since my last bike purchase (and serious cash departure); the S-Works that I built from the frame up and still serves as my primary road bike.
But if I may digress for a moment, there is probably enough behind that (bike lust lapses) for a whole separate post being as I rarely went more than a couple years between purchases. That, largely being also the host of reasons for the distance that grew between myself and cycling over the past half of decade. Well, the passion is back, along with a few others now, namely running. And do you know what all of that can again be attributed to? Having someone that believes in you, supports you, shares your passions, and encourages you every step of the way toward realizing your goals. Yeah, she’s rad.
Now, where was I? Ah yes, well coming into this season, I knew a tri-rig was on the horizon for me, and I also knew that fitting myself for a tri-bike was not something I even wanted to get into. The geometry and nuances of this bike position were something I had never once approached in 15 years of riding. (Of course that’s probably because I always thought tri-geeks were a bunch of tools.) I had a few options, and with weeks to months of research (surprise), ended up going with a pretty renowned fitter via a recommendation from Joe yet again, in Bethel, CT.
Based on that recommendation, I made an appointment with the owner of Bethel Cycle, Greg Pelican, approximately three weeks back. Greg a world-class duathlete himself, and a stand-up guy with an amazing shop that I can’t not recommend, took over two hours with me dialing me in with a preliminary fit on the Serotta Size Cycle. We discussed options, which ultimately came down to the Cervelo P3 or the Cannondale Slice. Both of which I somewhat came to my own conclusion before coming up should they be viable options after the fitting. Well the Slice was Greg’s weapon of choice (not that I’m in his league), and seeing as he has lunch with the lead engineer for Cannondale (also headquartered in Bethel) it was a no-brainer.
And the guilt? Well that is two-fold. Cost surely, but secondly was the realization that I had become one of those guys that can afford a bike beyond his (current) athleticism, especially if I go for the HED hoops, which is a very likely scenario. We’ll see. There is only one person I’m out to prove wrong, and that’s me. I can also be assured that that bike will be motivation in itself. It’ll beg to be ridden hard. It’s a damn sexy bike and I just hope I can do it proud.
So that, a nice visit in the country with Melissa and Jason, and two tortuously boring four hour trainer rides ended the last week of February.
Other highlights of last week included another (imagine that) cold and rainy long run on Wednesday. Michelle and I thought back over a year of training, and looking at my logs, it’s kind of scary how many long runs have been in the rain and/or inclement weather. And despite my blog entry about being optimistic, man does it start to wear on you. The run was good, but two and a quarter hours in the rain/freezing drizzle left me feeling especially fatigued, and probably kicked off a chain reaction. However, I knew I had a recovery week coming (which I’m in at present), so I trudged on, finished a root canal on Thursday with a night over in Jersey, which led to a few nights of staying up just a bit too late, loosing routine, and being surrounded by the onset of change-of-season colds in NYC.
So, ignoring a morning sniffle was all it took as I set out this past Saturday on my long weekend spins, on what also happened to be the first beautiful and warm (55 degree) day of the season that I wasn’t about to miss. Absolutely gorgeous, but I slowly unraveled through the hours. I remember wondering why I felt more tired then I should have, and probably as a result stupidly pushed myself a little harder to compensate. Well, that four-hour ride sent things disastrously in the wrong direction, and took the last bit of energy I could have had to fighting a cold, and threw it to the wind (so to speak). That afternoon, the cold came on hard, and what was meant to be a fun night with tickets to South Pacific, only culminated with me getting worse, and again staying out too late.
Well, Sunday hit near 60 I think, but I really couldn’t tell you how nice it was. I spent the entire day sleeping. Michelle woke me up twice to stuff my face (thankfully I never lost my appetite fully) and then immediately sent me back to bed. The rest worked wonders, and two days later I’m nearly recovered 100%, not to mention being fully recharged.
I know what some of you are probably thinking, and that is that I’m doing too much. Well, that’s one way to look at it. But it’s not the case. The approach was right, however I made some nutrition and sleep mistakes that week, in addition to factors outside of my control, that nudged me just enough in the wrong direction. Good news is that I’ve learned from my mistakes, and will be able to spot the warning signs earlier. Whether I heed them is a whole other story.
And here we are. That about brings us up to date more or less. Enjoying a rest week, and finally booked and locked in for Kentucky this afternoon. It becomes more and more real every day. How awesome is that?
Posted: March 9th, 2010 | Author: Terrence | Filed under: Bike, Life, Run | 3 Comments »Well, depending on who reads this, this entry’s title could take on a number of meanings. In fact, it indeed has a number of meanings, so let’s see if we can catch them all… Today, by my calendar reads February 21, 2010. That means six short months to go to the big day in Kentucky, which precedes the biggest and best day (insert many other equally rad adjectives here) by just three weeks! (There is another blog for that coming soon.) What a year this is shaping up to be.
Kentucky is the ultimate goal, but of course to keep things interesting there are a few little fun small bumps along the way so far here, here, and here, and maybe even here again for a fun run. And few others that may pop-up. Needless to say I’m very excited about the racing season and the challenges that lie ahead. To catch everyone up, I’ll take a small jump back to the end of November, last year. Well even further perhaps, to October where a friend of mine, in an innocent AIM chat gave me just enough motivation to register for Ironman Louisville. Why not? I was in the middle of marathon training realizing that really anyone can do these things if you just focus, center, and apply yourself. I tend to have a very focused personality, and once I set my mind on something, it’ll be hell or high water before I get steered off course. Of course it helps if you love it too. Always a positive.
So jumping back ahead to November, I ran the Philly marathon, hired a coach (thanks John) via that same friend that got me into this, took three weeks break, and jumped back in with the training December 12, 2009. Maybe at some point I’ll get a snapshot of the schedule, but taking a quick look the last couple months consisted of recovery/adaptation for the first 7 weeks (2 swims/3 runs/1 ride/1 rest), to the present base training at heavier volumes of 2 swims @ 3,500-4,000, 2 runs now @ 2 hours/60 minutes, 2 rides at 4-5 hours each, and lifting a 2 days a week. One of my swim days also includes a ride in the evening now for an hour. While the swim distances are remaining steady, my Tuesday long runs increase by 15 minutes a week, and rides increase every 2 weeks by an hour approximately. Basically just a lot of volume conditioning, increasing as the season progresses. That and a lot of early mornings.
All my training has been done outside throughout the winter, as I’m no fan of the gym. With the exception of the pool and lifting of course, which I combine days so to limit my time there. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have to catch the subway over there at 5:20AM, in the cold. Least the trains run consistent that time in the morning. Outside of that, for all of us, we all know how damn cold it’s been this winter, so most of my runs have either been in or in the residual affects of this:
There is something really nice about it however, despite the few treacherous days where I probably should have headed to the gym. Definitely quiets things down out there, not to mention being incredibly peaceful. I finally got some quasi trail shoes to handle the winter, and it’s been an incredible help. The newest additions to the family are some Brooks ASR 6’s. Maybe I’ll post-up a review of those after a few more runs. Today that definitely wasn’t the case, as the mountains of snow are finally starting to melt. It’s funny how running has moved to the forefront as one of my most enjoyable sports. I know cycling got me into this all, and in fact…well I’ll save that post for another day. Anyway, today was a balmy 36 degrees. Wow, that felt nice.
Swimming was a little bit of a worry at the start, as I literally hadn’t done any real lap swimming since I was a kid. Wow, besides conditioning, it really just came back to me immediately. I mean I am no expert of course, but the mechanics were definitely still in there. Even in a short couple weeks the kick-flip confidence came back. I guess I have my folks to thank for putting me on, and enforcing those few years on the Yorklyn swim team back in good ol’ DE.
And lastly those rides…
Let’s just say 3-4 hours on the trainer is painfully, tortuously boring. Yesterday after approximately 10 weeks, I was finally able to get out there as it was not snowing nor was it 20 degrees with a wind-chill in the teens. Again a balmy mid to high 30’s, made for an awesome ride. Couple of us headed out, and even though it was a down week for me with a easy 1-2 hours scheduled, I agreed to an easy spin up to Peirmont. Well, let’s just say I had no idea how easy it would be. I don’t think 65 miles has ever taken me in my life as long as that took. That’s good though I suppose, as those two 20 minute waiting breaks for someone to catch-up really assured an easy day! Zing!!
If you’re a cyclist, I think you’d appreciate those. Thanks for the tip Joe, and you know I’m going to enjoy busting your chops all the way up to game-time. However, with you, I know the feeling is mutual.
I think that about brings us up to the present. But I can’t sign-off without thanking enough, nor can I believe how blessed I am to have the most wonderful, supporting, loving partner that is with me every step of the way. I really not in a million years could do this without her. My day-to-day coach and nutrionist in training and life! You rock lom-face.
Stay tuned.
Posted: February 21st, 2010 | Author: Terrence | Filed under: Bike, Life, Run, Swim | 2 Comments »So here it is: the first post, my first foray into the world of blogging.
The idea of sharing the day-to-day humdrum of one’s life always seemed a little odd to me, even somewhat conceited with a blog such as this aspires to be. Why would anyone care? But the hypocrite I am, I found myself reading about others daily; those I share a common interest with, philosophy, etc. Of course, you say. Well that’s just it.
The web has become a living breathing social anomaly, rhizomatic even, with each new piece of information spawning n number of new connections. What am I getting at? Well, in a nutshell, here’s my attempt at creating, even breathing, some further life into what has become such a large part of all of our lives.
Sure, this may be the ultimate Reason, but I hope to share a million more along the way about what makes a self-proclaimed athlete tick. Yep, this is another one of those training blogs, about some guy, nuts about some crazy endurance sports, and all that goes with along with it.
And it’s just that simple!
Posted: February 18th, 2010 | Author: Terrence | Filed under: Bike | 1 Comment »