under 60 minutes

rode into work today - started out thinking it would be an easy ride since I did my first (in a while) running speedwork last night

I felt pretty good on the ride and when I reached my halfway point in 28:30, I knew I had a shot at breaking 60 for the first time this year - finished in 59:07 -

I guess starting out easy and relaxed paid off.

Last night I jogged over to the Y for a swim, then over to the track (which was locked up), so after a 2mile jog, a 1 mile swim, another 2 mile jog, I ended up at home on the treadmill for my speedworkout - 8x3mins at 10, 10.2., 10.4, 10.6, 10.8, 11, 10.6, 10mph - it was very tough and I had to take it easy on the last 2. (11mph is a 5:27min/mile pace)

Olympic Distance tri in less than 3 weeks. Gotta get ready.

serenity now!

sitting on the deck looking at the koi pond.. just changed the filter - had a lot of problems with the pond pumps this spring - my brother once came to visit and as I went from task to task required to maintain the garden, he pointed out that I spend an awful lot of energy creating a relaxing environment, but I rarely sit back and relax - hmmm -

riding home today, my legs felt really good, but I had a sharp pain in the chest that wouldn't go away, so I kept the heart rate below 140 as much as possible - probably heart burn - of all the muscles I stress regularly, I've got to believe my heart and lungs need a full recovery because they get stressed daily

So, tonight I try to relax

Memorial day weekend

busy weekend. Put in a tile backsplash in the kitchen which took about 15 hours spread out over the weekend.

Swam early Sat with the Masters Swimmers at the Y.

Did a 75 mile ride with WCCC after swimming. The WCCC group makes 2 stops stops and waits for stragglers, so it took most of Sat morning. Spend the afternoon doing the backsplash.

Ran 12 miles Sunday morning, did the tile backsplash for a few hours, then drove into Philly for Dim-Som with Sena. Was hoping to check out the Philly Tri Bike course I'll be doing in a few weeks, but roads were closed.

Finished up most of the backsplash on Monday morning. Eliptical and weights in the afternoon.

bought a bike cargo case

Stopped by Bikeline on my way riding home from work. Checked out a bike case they had on-line on sale. Seems to be a better design then previous years models, so I bought it. I hope it holds up. Need to pick it up one of these days, but no rush - don't need it until Hawaii.

I wanted to run at lunch today, but work got to busy, so I jumped on the treadmill when I got home and did 3 miles - felt really good. It's pretty strange how I actually run better after a bike ride these days - it doesn't take me so long to warm up. As long as I'm not trying to run too far.

Peace.

run along the schuylkill

Had to drive into Philly yesterday to give a presentation. Finished up about 5, did a nice 6.5 mile run along the river, then met up with the group I presented to for Dinner at the Rose Tattoo at 6:30.

I used to do this run at lunch when I worked in the city years ago. It's funny how a 4 mile run at lunch seemed like a looong run back then. It took me forever to warm up, but then I finally got into a grove after about 3 miles. I noticed that I was running faster than a 2 man crew boat - I wonder how fast they normally go? It was a nice change to run with all the other people out there - a lot of things to look at.

Dinner was good, really good pasta appetizer, a big fat steak and potatoes, a couple of Guiness Stoudts and a couple of glasses of wine over several hours. By the time I got home I was exhausted. Slept like a baby.

1-2-3, rest-2-3

Riding home from work today, I remembered a little trick I devised last year. I found that if I pedal at a constant rate over a long period, I gradually lose speed and momentum due to leg fatigue. On the other hand, if I find myself getting into this rut, I can push hard for 3 pedal strokes, gaining some momentum, then soft pedal for 3 pedal strokes. This approach has several benefits:
- helps me refocus on the ride
- gives my legs some short rests
- increases my average speed over a long ride

This tends to work best on flats or slight inclines.

The rhythm of training

I ran 5.5 at lunch and swam after work today. I'll try biking to work tomorrow with a lunch time run - that is always a challenge, but makes me strong. The weekends should be Swim/Bike on Sat, then Bike/Run on Sunday.

I'm starting to get back in the groove. A detailed structured training plan doesn't work for me - my life is too busy and the way I feel from day to day really drives my training. I have some principles I follow and some weekly goals that I try to meet. How I fit it in really depends on how I feel, the weather, and what else is going on in my life. I generally know how my body is going to respond to things - never ride hard 3 times in a row - don't run the day after a long run or speedwork.

In the end, it gets pretty simple if I don't try to over think it. My big downfall right now is that I stopped my training log and use the time for this blog. That means I forget when I need a down week. In the end, all a down week for me is is less volume one weekend a month. Normal life demands naturally creates a down week for me periodically (i.e. last weekend was Jim's memorial and Mother's day).

A meaningful ride

So I did the 60+ miles cancer ride yesterday. Went out early, ended up with a pretty fast group. At about mile 10 I took the lead and somehow lost the pack. Saw a few people in front that and caught up with them. Followed them into a rest stop, but the bigger pack I was with just kept going. It took me 15 minutes of solo hard riding into the wind and up hills to catch up. They decided to stop at the second rest stop, but I said I'm happy to keep going... there was only one taker. So Ed and I went ahead expecting the bigger group to catch us - they never did. Ed was a nice guy - same riding style as me - ride hard and steady with very little soft pedalling. Turns out he is a stage 3 testicular cancer survivor since early 90's - his story was pretty amazing. He now rides over 250 miles a week - I don't think I've ever ridden that far in a week - he was strong as an ox throughout the ride.

So there I was, doing a ride for cancer with a cancer survivor in memory of my brother-in-law.

killing cancer

Ran 6.5 miles through Valley Forge on Friday at lunch - cool single track along the river - I'd like to take Rachel sometime on MTB ride - I think she would like it.

Friday was a restless night - teenage daughters - need I say more?

I got up this morning feeling sluggish and my ride was pretty weak. I brought running shoes with me and stopped by Downingtown West HS to run some laps with run club friends in the Relay for Life, American Cancer Society event. Most people were walking the track, including the folks from the run club. I didn't realize how big of an event it was, and fortunately, Bill D. let me lock my bike in his car since I didn't bring a bike lock.

So I rode 60 and ran 6 - good day, but my legs felt pretty weak on the ride. When I got home I donated some money to the event in memory of Jim Walker.

I'm considering doing a 63 mile ride with the Bike Club tomorrow - another fight against cancer event - Chester County Challenge Bike Tour.

I should be swimming more - oh well.

Obtrusive Forklift

Riding into work this morning I was moving pretty good. There is a point on my route that, if I get there under 30 minutes, I know I have a shot at getting to work in under 60minutes. I got there in 29 minutes. Unfortunately, there are many potential 15-30sec delays that you can't control without risking life or limb.

So I get delayed a few times, but I had a full minute to play with, so it's going to be close. I'm finishing my final 1/2 mile thinking I'll definitely break 60mins, when I come around the bend and there is a forklift across a narrow back drive and I have to go very slowly around him, getting mud in my cleat. I still attempt a strong finish, but my cleat won't hold because of the mud - I finish in 1:00:20. Maybe another day.

The good news it was a comfortable ride, and it is early in the season.

What was different:
- I did strength repeats on Tue morning
- I took a shot of Hammergel before I left (I usually do my ride into work on water alone)

Running at Duke (wearing a USC shirt!)

Tuesday morning I did 20 miles on the bike trainer + 1 mile run on treadmill.

Headed down to RTP Tues night. Had to attend a Conference on Wed to get an Award for some work I did last year - cool award (spinning crystal globe) + some extra cash.

Got to the hotel at 10:30p, then got up at 6a to run. Found a bloated tic on my hip - I hope I don't get Lymes disease.

There is a nice crushed limestone loop around a portion of the Duke campus about 1 mile from the hotel. The loop is about 1.5 miles. I did the loop three times. I was wearing my University of So. Carolina shirt and got some funny looks. My legs are still not 100%, but better than last week.

Return flight was delayed - got home after 10:00.

smoke on the water

Drove to VF Park early to avoid traffic and did about a 6 mile run (I forgot my Garmin at home, so not quite sure). I took the trail along the river and the early morning fog coming off the river reminded me of Lake Placid Ironman and the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the water". It was very peaceful and my legs were starting to feel normal again, but I didn't push it, just ran a nice easy one. I may need to do a trip down to RTP on Wed. which is going to throw my week off in so many ways. Oh well.

mothers day

Didn't get much training in this weekend due to Jim's memorial service and mothers day. My legs needed a rest anyway. I did manage to get a quick 30 mile ride in on Sunday and my older daughter (now home from college) asked me to go for a short 1.5 run with her.

It was great to see my brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews on Saturday at the memorial service. I managed to get 60 minutes on the eliptical on Saturday night, but did not get a chance to swim in the ocean, even though I was right there at Cape Henlopen (weather turned bad and no one wanted to stay).

Jim's memorial service

Jim's memorial service was 10:00am Sat. We got up early to drive down to DE. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony and I learned so much more about Jim as friends and family told their heart felt stories about how Jim changed their lives.

I was truly impressed and am even more motivated, not only to finish the Ironman in Jim's memory, but to help people around me enjoy life to it's fullest.

Rachel's mad mtb trail

I come home on Tuesday and my younger daughter offers to show me her favorite off-road trail, about 3/4 mile from the house. I've been trying to convince her to wear a helmet, but she's too cool (17 years old - helmets are gay).

Leaving my house there is a steep down-hill to a T in the road. She is in front of me and goes into the opposite lane to make the left turn, I see a truck coming @ 40mph from the left, she hits the breaks, skids on some gravel, but fortunately her tires catch and she doesn't get totally creamed. I see her life flash before my eyes. Scary.

Anyway, we get to the bottom of the hill, then she pedals up a huge hill. I actually didn't think she was that strong on the bike because she maintained a good pace all the way up and she doesn't have cleated pedals or anything.

At the top of the hill, we get to this hidden single track and she tells me to go first because I'll probably be faster. It is a really nice run and it makes me happy that she asked me to go. I fly through pretty quick, ducking the branches and making some tight gravelly turns.

We go home and we are proudly splattered with mud. Overall a good time. Gotta get her to wear a helmet.

over dressed

2 days ago my fingers were frozen riding into work. This morning, I had to take my jacket and ear warmers off 6 miles into the ride. They really need to make velcro ear warmers that you can take off without removing your helmet. I had this problem in Florida IM where the start of the ride was low 50s coming off a 2.4mile swim, but warmed up into the 70s... I had to take my helmet off to remove my ear warmers - need to come up with a better plan - ear muffs ; )?

Bad drivers suck. I'm riding on a 2 lane country road with no shoulder at 6:30am. While it is very unlikely that a car passes me in both directions at the same time. Usually the car behind me will slow down enough to let the on-coming car go first so they can give me a little room. This morning, the car behind me softly toots their horn, so I get as close to the side of the road as I can. He passes me, but there is a driver tailgating them who I'm sure did not see me and was trying to give the on-coming car as much room as possible, which means they were VERY close to me. Lesson to drivers - don't tailgate on narrow country roads - duh!

I did get a mile swim in last night before the swim lessons started. I really have to swim more often.

lemonade stand

On the way riding home from work yesterday, I saw 2 little tikes and mom out selling lemonade. I like to stop at lemonade stands because as a kid it meant so much to me when someone stopped to buy my lemonade, and as a parent, it meant so much to me when someone stopped at my kid's lemonade stand.

So I pulled out a dollar and the mom helped the little boy figure out how to make change, and I guzzled the lemonade like it was the best thing in the world. The kids stared at me in bewilderment, the mom thanked me and I rode away with a smile on my face as I climbed my way out of Great Valley on a sugar rush. It was a good ride home.

misquitos, tics, and ants oh my!

Tried to do a recovery run today - ouch - my lower calf muscles were killing me. I stopped several times to rub the hurt out of them, and after awhile, the pain was tolerable.

I decided to run 2 miles, then jump in a stream and VF park and let my sore muscles cool off. After a short bushwack, I got in the water and noticed a few life-sucking misquitos on my arms and legs and got them in time. The water looked clear and was very refreshing. I was in about 2+ feet and notices some minnows scurrying about, confused by my big white feet stirring up the bottom. I then noticed a fat tic on my leg and snuffed it out. Glad it was big and fat since tiny ones are the ones that will give you lymes disease. Getting out of the water, I had to clear my shoes of ants that must have liked the smell of my feet.

A one mile jog back to the office probably un-did all of the cool water recovery I did, but it sure felt good at the time.

blinding sun and frozen fingers

Rode into work this morning. Whenever I'm riding into blinding sun, I'm get very nervous that the cars behind me won't see me, so I get very defensive. Fortunately I ride in on the roads less traveled, avoiding the likelihood of a car passing me during that period where the sun is at just the right level to blind you.

Unfortunately, I brought the wrong gloves this morning. It was colder than I thought and my fingers were frozen throughout most of the ride. There are a lot of twists, turns and hills, so I don't get too many chances to warm my fingers against my body... brrr.

Savage Revisited

No exercise today, but I wanted to post a few more things I remembered about the Savage adventure race.

- the shock of sprinting into ice cold water
- paddling for an hour without my arms getting tired (good technique)
- a strange black water bird (looked like a loon, but was too fat)
- feeling like Lt. Dan from Forest Gump when fighting the waves and wind
- pedaling through under-water bike trails (couldn't see the rocks and roots)
- carrying mountain bikes through 3-4 feet of water
- getting advise from another racer on how to go downhill faster when we were going slow so we didn't miss a shortcut (we found the shortcut and it probably saved 5-10 minutes)
- carrying Chris on my back (that explains my sore quads!)
- almost crashing into a young lady as I tried to follow Chris through a drop-creek crossing-rise and she pulled her bike right into the middle of the trail and stopped cold
- so many racers with confusion on their face
- running up hill to check points while Chris waited below (navigator priviledge ; )
- twisting my ankle and running a tad slower just to make sure it was nothing serious
- trying to get someone's attention as Chris and I came across the finish line
- going back in the ice cold water to sooth my aching legs (I should have stayed in longer)

sardines, side stitches and high-fiving the sideline...

Pre-Race
Got up early to take my wife to the airport on the way to the Broadstreet 10-mile run. She is helping my daughter move back from college while I run a race - I am a lucky man.

I get to the race parking an 2 1/2 hours before the race and try unsuccessfully to sleep in the car. I put on headphones and watch the cars slowly fill the lot. It is a cool, windy morning and I am in no hurry to get to the start, where I will have to sit outside and shiver.

Eventually I make the move, and run into several run club members. We go to the subway together and all find a seat on the first car. Another friend from work sees me and asked if this is the local or express. When I tell him it is the local, he says it would take longer, so I get up to go to the the other car and my run club friends follow me. On the way to the other car, they all decide that both subway cars would use the same track and the local will leave first, so we might as well go on the local. By the time we get back, we lost our seats - bad Jesse. The car eventually is packed like a tin of sardines and we eventually arrive at the race about 45 minutes before the start.

I find another group of run club friends and chat while we stretch. With 25 minutes until the race start, I start my warmup jog. A few minutes into it I realize I had better make a toilet stop and this burns precious time. Next thing I know, they're singing the national anthem and I haven't gotten my backpack to the buses yet. I wade through throngs of tightly packed runners to turn my back in, only to realize on my way to the starting line that I forgot my hammer gel flask AND my race watch / heart rate monitor - no time to go back. Such is the hectic nature of the Broadstreet pre-race.

I run into a few people I know at the start, and have to skip my normal routine of pre-race striders - no time.

The Race
Before you know it, the race starts. There is a strong tail wind and the race starts on a downhill. I run at a comfortable (not too comfortable) pace and the first few miles go by quickly. At the first water stop, I decide to run behind the water table and skip water. Bad move as I dodge several volunteers and actually colide with one of them. The first race clock I notice on the course is at mile 3 ; it says 17:21. Considering I expected to do 6:30 pace, I had run the first three miles in better than 5:50 pace and was feeling pretty good.

At the half-way point (29:25), I'm feeling even better. My cardio has caught up and I should be able to actually go a tad faster when I hit mile 7 or 8. Why not - I'm keeping my hamstring in check (although I feel it tugging for the entire race).

The Side Stitch
At about mile 5.5 I get a massively painful side stitch. I try to run through it, stretching while I run - touching the ground while I run. Finally I stop, stretch, walk, then start running again. I lose about 45 seconds, but it is still bothering me, so I slow down a bit until it is manageable.

The Recovery
At about mile 7 (42:10), although I probably lost over a minute to the side stitch, I start feeling better, so I decide to slowly add some more speed. I pass mile 9 in 54:07, which means I need a 5:48 or better to fininish under an hour.

The Finish
I pick up the pace and, as I get about a half mile from the finish, I see a bunch of kids on the sidelines, bored stiff, looking for mom or dad. I like to high-five kids during races - I don't know why, but it gets me out of the grind of races and makes it all more enjoyable. The kids, teenagers and adults all love it. I've got a big smile on my face as I hear a guy say, 'now that's the spirit'. Most of guys in front of me would never think about slowing down just a little to high-five the sideline, but I get a huge charge out of it, and I keep doing it it for at least 400 meters (the sidelines at the finish are packed!).

As I turn the corner and see the clock, I realize I had better crank out the final 200 meters if I want to hit the 60 minute mark. As I sprint across the finish line, it looks like I have just about made it, but when I get home and check the results, I see that my chip time is 1:00:01.

But you know what, I am sooo happy with that time, and if I had to do it again, I would not have skipped the high-fives just to break an hour. Really fun finish for me.

The fox and the cat

Had a great ride home last night 66minutes of ride time - last week it took me 74 minutes. Coming home is always slower as I work an appropriately named area called 'Great Valley'.

Unfortunately I got a flat about a mile from home. I had to stop and fill it twice to get home.

After a quick burrito dinner, we went to my daughter's National Honor Society induction. We're so proud and blessed to have two very intelligent children. The school principle gave the key note - 'it's not enough to be smart, you have to do something with it', encouraging action and volunteerism.

Getting home I fixed my flat tire and my daughter's flat tire while watching survivor, then headed to bed pretty wiped out.

At 2am we are wakened by this god awful sound - it sounded like a wounded animal. We have 3 cats and we were afraid one of them got hit by a car or something. So we do a pet inventory and all cats are home. We take the car out and spot a fox in the bushes at the base of a tree. We try to scare it away from a distance, but it wants nothing to do with us. We go back in the house, thinking we can throw something at it from the deck, but by the time we get out there, the fox is gone. We point a flashlight and see two eyes climbing down from the tree into the bushes. The dark shape of a cat emerges and runs for saftey. I climb back to bed and thankfully fall asleep straight away.

I got up this morning, drove to Valley Forge park and ran 5 miles and barely got back to the office to shower and make it to my first meeting.

Sleep - I need more sleep.

on the discipline of stretching...

It isn't enough to get the run, swim and bike miles in. To me, that is the fun part and I tend to make the time for these things. Weight lifting - not so much. Sleeping - never enough. Stretching - the worst.

I got pretty good last year, but somehow, between seasons, I get out of the routine, and then my muscles become tighter than a fat, new rubber band. I usually pay for it (like my hamstring or my hip). I'm feeling it now and have started getting back to a good stretching routine. It better be good or I'm toast by mid- season.

Here is my goal: make time to stretch after a workout, even if I have to cut the workout short. Stretch 10 minutes into every workout. Light stretching before bed, light stretching when I wake up. And finally, stretch every chance I get. This all seems to work, as long as I don't stretch agressively when I stretch.

warping time in the zone

64 minutes biking into work this morning - 1 minute faster than last week - my fastest time last year when I was in prime shape was under 60 minutes. Let's see if I can break 58 minutes this summer!

It is amazing to me how fast (or slow) time can pass when training. Riding my bike in this morning, I got in the zone - I have no recollection what I was thinking about, but before I knew it, I had ridden 50 minutes and was practically finished with my ride. There are times when I'm not in the zone or just tired and minutes drag on - most of this depends on my fitness level, but man it feels good to just let the mind go...

Swam last night - I've got to remember to avoid the pool between 5:30 and 7 on Wednesday nights. 2 or 3 swim classes use all the lanes except 1. All the lap swimmers share the same lane. Of course everyone is different speed and skill. Fortunately I started about 5:00, so I got about 40 minutes in before I gave went home.

Beautiful day out there. Looking forward to the ride home!

peanut m&ms

That vending machine across the hall from my office has me hooked on peanut m&ms as a late afternoon pick-me-up. yum yum.

I barely squeezed in a 25 minute run at lunch today and was still sweating after my very fast shower throughout my 1:30 meeting. Too much going on at work, but at least I got the run in and it felt pretty good. Legs are about 70%.

I did get my 30 more minutes on the bike trainer last night, followed by 40 minutes on eliptical, followed by weights. I accidentally erased ALL my recorded Tivo at the end of my workout - oh well.

back to work

dead quads walking...

man oh man, that race on Sunday did a number on my quads - especially going down stairs. I forgot my post race protein drink, and I'm sure that didn't help. The 5K on Thursday probably didn't help either. The canoe start caused my quads to cramp right from the get-go, but I didn't think I would feel it 2 days later.

That said, I swam yesterday evening for about a mile (lost track of distance, but it was 45 minutes, and I can usually cover a mile in 40 minutes with rests). I also got up this morning and did an easy 30 minutes on the bike (indoor trainer) - call it active recovery. I plan on lifting weights tonight, maybe eliptical and maybe another 30 minutes on the bike. Hopefully I can do an easy run tomorrow. Broad Street 10 miler on Sunday - ugh - what was I thinking when I put my race plan together! (probably that I would be in better shape by now)

keep the comments rolling...

I got an e-mail from my sister today. She joined a 'getting healthy' competition with some big prizes for the winner.

She reminded me that one of the reasons she was admitted to the competition is through her essay where she said 'if my older brother can do the Ironman World Championships, should could lose a few pounds'.

She is really great and we are working toward our goals together. It helps me stay motivated when I'm motivating others.

Her e-mail was really nice and I got another really nice e-mail from my mom.

I'm hoping I can get more of these as comments to my blog, even if it is a quick comment that says 'go Jesse go'.