Thursday, run and swim

Woke up late. Ran the route to catch up to B and C.

swam
200 warm-up
75 free / 25 drill
50 free / 50 kick
50 free / 50 pull
repeat entire sequence 3x

12.5 moderate / 12.5 sprint
10 moderate / 15 sprint
25 sprint
repeat entire sequence 3x

Not as bad as you may think

it's early. it's cold. after all, it is the last week of November. but, the water is kind of warm. Once your in the pool, it's not as bad as you may think.

200 freestyle warm-up
100 free / 50 kick
100 free / 50 kick
50 free / 100 kick
100 free / 50 kick

100 free
50 kick
50 drill (catch-up)

Track work and then turkey

This holiday is all about food and family, two of my most favorite things in life. Well, I figured before I spend the majority of the day indulging myself I would get a good workout in. And get a good workout I did.

Sabino track
four - 2x2s (200 sprint, followed by 200 jog)
six - 1x1s
core work
line jumps (base side-to-side) 3x50
balance abs
crunches
supermans

Tweaked my back a bit, had to stop the line jumps. In conclusion, throw in some strength training to round it all off:

dumbbells: shoulder press, dumbbell bench and curls

Pit barbecued turkey, Aunt P's Dressing, fresh cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie... oh man, I am going to enjoy this.

Hasta, El Tour

Today is (was) the El Tour de Tucson. An event, you will recall, which was one of my goals for the year. Well, it has come and gone without my participation. Alot of different things conspired to make this the situation. Not the least of which was Soccer, scheduling, etc. In any case, I did not participate in the El Tour.

Chris, Dan and I have committed to riding in the Tour next year. The entire 109 miles, no less. So, starting now, I have 52 weeks to prepare.

Another morning river run

My second Thursday morning river run with Barbara and Charlene.

Up very early, still got a late start. Had to leave early, have a CPR/AED class to get to at 8:00.

Up all night... make it a rest day

Woke up and couldn't really breathe. Ended up awake all night.
Decided to take Monday off.

Tuesday swim (and invite)

As the mornings are colder and darker, it gets harder to get up and out to start my early morning swim workouts. But, today I managed to do it.

At Udall by 6:05. BCJ are already in the midst of their swim warm-up. The temperature outside is cool, but the pool water is actually kind of warm (it's nice). I complete a good warm-up and then a nice workout. Although it took a significant effort on my part to get here today, I'm glad I came and glad I have completed my workout for the day.

Just as I am collecting my gear and about to make my exit. Barbara and Charlene (the B and C of BCJ) tell me that they have a weekly Thursday run and swim tradition in which they meet at Barbara's house at 5:30am and go for a run. Then reconvene at the pool for a swim. This week, I am invited to come along. I gave Barbara my email address and she says she will email me with directions and further details (Barbara also has info for me on the name/number of a lady who runs a masters swim program on the eastside).

I tell B to send me the email and I will see if I can make it. I don't typically run with anyone else, so I am not sure if I would be comfortable in that situation. But, I guess it's worth a try.

Strong Monday run

It's Monday evening again, which means I am with my daughter at TVSC soccer practice. I am in my running gear and have my ASICS Kayano's on, which means that at the first opportunity, I will take off from Lincoln Park and try to get an evening run in.

It's about 7:15pm before I can break away. I exit the Lincoln Park parking lot, and head south on Pantano. It's dark out, but there are streetlights lining both side of Pantano Rd. in this area of town, so I shouldn't have any problems.

I feel strong throughout my run, my only issue is the limited time I have available to run. Soccer practice is over at 8:00pm, so I need to make sure I am back in time. In order to do that, my run has to end sooner than I would like. Even with that, I did 3.5 miles and I am happy with today's workout.

Here is a link to today's run/route

Colossal Cave attempt

Sunday mornings always seem like a good time for a morning bike ride (especially since my Saturdays at this time of year are always wall-to-wall soccer). This Sunday morning was no different. Dan and I planned a morning ride out to Colossal Cave. A few months back we were making this ride at least once a week, but it's been a while since our last.

Got to Dan's house at 7:00am and we were on the road shortly thereafter. The weather was a little cool, but not too bad (not yet anyway). The ride from Dan's house out Old Spanish Trail to the Colossal Cave Mountain Park entrance is just about 15 miles. So, that gives us a 30 mile ride round-trip. As we are heading east(ish) on OST, we pass Saguaro National Monument East, and begin the slight descent into the Jeremy Wash which runs through that area.

As we get to the bottom of the wash, the temperature drops at least 10 degrees. It's freakin' cold down here. Just as you get past the wash is when you round the corner and head almost due east toward Camino Loma Alta Rd, Vail and Colossal Cave. Just before reaching the corner, a jogger who is heading the other direction yells out "you will have company ahead with the 1/2 marathon today". Oh yeah! I had forgotten that the TMC Old Spanish Trail Half Marathon & 5K was being run today. The race starts at the Rincon General Store and heads east to Colossal Cave. With that race being run there is going to be no way for us to ride out to the cave.

As I am exiting the wash, Dan catches up and asks what the jogger said to me. I told him about his info regarding today's race. As we round the corner about 1/2 mile away from the store, we see that cars are already parked along the side of the road, people are milling about, and what looks like race marshals clad in reflective vests are directing street traffic. It is at this point that we decide to make a U-turn and head back.

We rode back past Saguaro Park and turned right onto Freeman. Down Freeman (which was much more downhill than I realized) to speedway, and Speedway west to Ridgeside. Then Ridgeside south to 22nd. East on 22nd to Melpomene and west on Old Spanish Trial. Back to Dan's place.

Total distance was somewhere in the 25 mile range (I forgot to reset my computer, so I can't be more accurate). It was a nice ride and I was glad to get back out on the bike again.

Back in the swim of things

Well, after taking yesterday off, it was time to get back to work today. I was in bed early last night. Mostly due to neck pain and a headache. But, feeling better this morning and ready for my Tuesday morning Udall swim.

I got to the pool around 6:15am and as expected, the Udall Swim Crew (Barbara, Charlene and Jeanne) were already there and mid-way through their workout. They stopped for a few minutes to talk with me about the Tri. Just like me, apparently, Charlene and Jeanne also PR'd, which is great.

Nothing to heavy this morning, just some light stroke form work and kick work. Something to get me back in the flow of things. This was a nice and easy workout. No need to push the intensity, there will be plenty more of those workouts to come.

PR!

Chris and I arrive at the U around 5:30am. A fair amount of people had already racked their bikes and set-up their transition area, but there was still plenty of space open. Chris and I racked our bikes and some what obsessively (at least on my part), stagged our transition area.

The transition area is a small area next too, or slightly under (if you are considerate) your bike, where you layout all the things you will need. Helmet, cycling shoes, sunglasses for the bike and running shoes, shirt (hopefully) and race number for the run. The obvious idea being that you put everything where you can get to it quickly and not forget anything. I have done 3 or 4 of these sprint triathlons in the past, always pinning my race number to my shirt. This time I picked up a race belt. It's just a simple belt with a plastic quick-clasp that holds your race number. Easy on and easy off.

Time for body marking. Which is a weird name and even more weird in practice. In short, it means that a group of volunteers with permanent markers stand around and wait for you to come up to them and tell them your race number. At which time they write that number on each arm/shoulder and each leg, just above the knee. In addition, they write your "race age" on your calf (according to USA Triathlon rules, your race age is the age you will be on December 31st of the year in which the race is run). To make this process even more uncomfortable, it's a bit cold outside. Which means I am wearing sweatpants. Which means that when I walk up to the nice lady to get marked, I have to drop my pants as she kneels down in front of me. Like I said, even more weird in practice.

Body marked, bikes racked, gear stagged, now we wait. The first wave is scheduled to start at 6:30am, Chris and I are in wave 3, so we have some time before we need to report to the pool. So, we do a little walking around, also watch some of the people swimming before us. While wandering aimlessly, we run into Barbara, Charlene and Jeanne (the Udall swim crew). I introduced them to Chris. Only Charlene and Jeanne are competing, Barbara said she planned on being on one end of my swim lane cheering me on.

It's about 7:15 (I think) and the lady in our lane in the previous wave is the last one out of the pool. Which means that I don't have a whole lot of time to warm up (foreshadowing). As I jump in the pool, I decide to take a quick swim down and back to get loose. Well, it turns out, I didn't have enough time for that. On my way back my wave starts! Uh oh, I'm behind already. What an auspicious start to this triathlon I have been so looking forward to.

I can't be sure, but my guess is that I started about 30 seconds after everyone else in my wave. Now, 30 seconds might not seem like a lot, but when you are trying to race the clock and achieve your Personal Record time, it can be considered significant. Not to mention the mental anxiety of such a bone-head move. But, it happened, it's over and there was nothing I can do about it. I did a pretty good job of putting it out of my head and just swimming my race.

A couple of weeks ago, I started teaching myself how to do flip-turns. In the beginning, they were awful. Over time, they got better (still not great). I used the flip-turn in this race. Some were better than others, but during the 33 lap race, only once did I use the open-turn (non-flip-turn, because I ran out of breath).

At the time, I had no idea how long the swim had taken me, but I was out of the pool before Chris. During the slow jog to the transition area I tried to catch my breath and shake loose the cobwebs in my head which seem to always follow a swim. I got to my area, stepped on a small hand towel I had to wipe my feet. Put on my socks, strapped on my cycling shoes, locked the clasp on my helmet, put on my sunglasses and took a little longer than I wanted to putting on my gloves. As I was finishing with my gloves and pulling my bike off the rack, here came Chris into his area right next to mine. As I exited the transition area, I yelled my first words of wisdom to Chris. "Nice Job Baker". I would get this opportunity a couple of more times over the course of the day. However, not sure that the message ever got more motivational.

Out on the bike and heading down Campbell. The fist stretch is a little downhill which is a perfect opportunity to catch my breath and get my bearings on the bike. I felt good the entire time on the bike. Passed quite a few people, only got passed by one guy. Also, never saw Chris. I did see Tina, Jackson and Sophie at the top of the U of A Mall each time I passed by on the Campbell stretch. As is well documented in this blog, Dan, Chris and I did a large amount of cycling over the last 5 months or so. The results of this training; I was as strong as I have ever been on the Speedway steady uphill climb from Euclid to Campbell. Without knowing my time, I was very happy with my ride.

Back to the transition area for T2. My second transition was much better than my first. Off with the cycling shoes, helmet and gloves. Slide on my running shoes, complete with my new Yankz . Re-situate my sunglasses and begin my run. Once again, Chis is right behind me in the transition area. I'm on my way out, and he is on his way in. Already running, I turn and yell over my shoulder "Come on Baker, catch me". It wouldn't be long before he did exactly that.

As I exited the transition area, the race spotters asked what my number was. It was at this point that I realized I had forgotten my race belt. Bone head move number two on the day. Spend all that money on the thing, then forget to put it on. Anyway, I told them "98" and they let me pass. Somewhere around a 1/2 mile into the run, I am running along the mall, Tina, Jackson and Sophie are on the grass and I turn to see Chris about 100 yrds behind me. Still running and still not yet comfortable, I hear Chris call Jackson over to him. I am convinced this is the part where Jackson passes him some super-fuel or something. Some human form of Nitro that Chris learned about while trolling cycling blogs for blood-doping how-to tips. But no, it turns out Chris picked up my race-belt that I had forgot. Jackson ran ahead and delivered it to me. That was much appreciated.

By my guess, it was less than 200 yards after that that Chris passed me and never looked back. I felt good during the run. Tire. But good. Wasn't real sure my pace was wear it needed to be, but I was pushing pretty hard. It was about a mile into the run before I really settled in and got comfortable. By the two mile mark, Chris had gotten more than 150 yards ahead of me and seemed to be pulling away. The whole time I kept thinking that I need to say with him through this stretch if I am to have any hope of catching him.

About half way through my second loop around the mall, an older lady (I think her calf said 45) came running up along side me. As we are running there, she says to me "I have been looking at you butt for the last two miles". My first thought is, that is an odd thing to say. But I laugh politely (as much as I can laugh after a swim, bike and half of a run) and I reply "well, I hope it was a nice view". She smiles back and says "It was great! But, now it's to to pick it up. So, let's go". I was able to pick it up a bit, but not to her satisfaction I guess. Because she continued on pulling away from me and after we made the second loop around Old Main, she caught up to Chris.

We were in the final stretch of the mall section. Soon we would make the turn around the library and onto Cherry Street heading for the finish. I knew if I was going to catch Chris, it was now or never. Besides, this was the end of the race, nothing to save it for now. So, I picked up my pace, going as fast as I could. But, Chris was still 150 yards in front of me and I had no idea if I would have enough to catch him.

I seem to be getting closer (I think). Yep, definitely getting closer. As I reach the library, I know that not only can I catch him, but I will catch him. It was right at the corner, turning on to Cherry that I caught up to Chris. Just before doing so, I yelled "footsteps Baker, here I come". Which was intended to be motivational, but upon reflection may have appeared to be more like taunting. Out in front of Chris now, I had Voyeur lady in my sights. She made the turn around Cherry Street garage and I gave chase (I would find out later that Chris was right behind me).

Mike, from TriSports, was on the PA (as usual) barking out finishers names and words of encouragement as they approach the finish line. He called out the Voyeur ladies name (I don't remember what it was) and then said, "and following right behind... or wait, make that just proceeding her is Collier Hill". I had caught her in the last ten yards (literally!). And Chris was still, right behind me.

Man, I was spent. But, took a seat, some deep breaths and recovered fast. Again, another sign that all my training had paid off. There are some great pics of me and Chris , taken by Tina.

And, the most impressive thing. The 2008 Tinfoilman Triathlon results. BTW, you can read Chris' version of these events in his BakerBlog.

My overall time: 1 hour 28 minutes 38 seconds
Chris's overall time: 1 hour 28 minutes 41 seconds

To recap my goals:
swim under 17 -> negative 17:18
bike under 45 -> positive 42:23
run under 30 -> positive 28:57
Tinfoil Tri under 1:30 -> positive 1:28:38

That is the fastest I have ever completed this race. This is what we call a Personal Record (PR).

Needless to say, I was VERY happy with the results. This was a great race for me. I'm not sure how much more I can improve. I will never be a guy in the sub 1-hour range, but, I wonder if I can get down under 1:20? Seems a little daunting. I have no idea where I could shave 8.5 minutes from. But, I guess they wouldn't be worthwhile goals if they were easy. Anyway, this is a good win for today. We shall see what's up next.

Race day

It's 4:20am and time to go. Checked my gear (again!). Sipping a little coffee I just brewed. Also enjoying a Carrot Cake Clif Bar. It tastes nothing like Carrot Cake, but is tasty in it's own right.

Just a few quick thoughts on goals:
I would like to swim under 17 minutes
I would like to bike under 45 minutes (this includes both transitions)
I would like to run under 30 minutes
That would be a total time of 1 hour 32 minutes.
However, in the perfect situation, I would like to be under 1 hour 30 minutes. That is my goal.

Anyway, time to race. See you on the other side.

Nervous energy

I really need to go to bed. But, I can't seem to wind down enough. I have checked my equipment and my bag at least 6 times to this point. Oops, make that 7. Just checked it again.

Bike rack is on the car, and my bike is mounted on the rack. I am going to go by and pick Chris and his bike up in the morning. Just trying to make sure everything is ready so I can just get up and go.

Some of my anxiety is probably due to the empty house. My wife and kids left for Safford earlier today to visit her mother. I'm always a little more anxious when they are not around.

It's getting late. I'm going to try and get some sleep. Alarm clock set for 4:10am. Back-up cell phone alarm set for 4:15am.

A taper run

Well, it's the Friday before the race. I'm still trying to stay active without overdoing it. The statistics on how many amateur athletes get sick the week before a race are staggering. Mostly due to over-training combined with lack of rest. Believing they need to get in one extra "big push" before the event. When, in reality, the exact opposite is true. The week before the race is when you want to cut back a bit on training. Get a few sessions in, stay active and make sure you get enough rest. So, this is exactly what I am trying to do.

Today's training agenda calls for an easy run. Sunnywood 5K should fit the bill nicely. On the road by 6:30am with all the usual gear. Wearing my Asics Kayano XI's, which I have decided will be my race-day shoes as well. I feel good throughout the entirety of my run. But, the surprising thing is my pace. I hit the Sunnywood turn-around point at 15:51 on my watch (fyi, I just figured out how to use my Triathlon watch to do splits). If I recall correctly, I have never made it to this point faster than 16:30. Still feeling great, I continue on. As I approach my driveway, I hit stop on my watch, look down, and find that the run has taken me exactly 32:00 minutes(actually, watch reads 31:59:99).

A little stretching during recovery and I think I have just completed my final pre-tri workout (I don't plan on doing much of anything tomorrow). FWIW, this was a good one to go out on.

Hey coach.... (a.k.a Scurran & stadiums)

So it's Wednesday night and I am at Lincoln Park for my daughter's soccer practice. I had a good swim this morning, and my plan is to get some running in tonight. It appears that going forward, Wednesday night soccer practices will one of my best opportunities to train.

From Lincoln, you can see the lights of the Santa Rita football field. I have been looking for the chance to get some stadiums in and I think this might be the perfect opportunity. Time to check it out.

I jog out the Lincoln parking lot, down Pantano to the Santa Rita entrance and head toward the football field. As I enter the school, I see the football team out on the field practicing. And there is Scurran, my old high school football coach. I enter the gate, jog across the track and onto the field heading straight for coach. As he looks up, I smile and extend my hand to shake his. "Hey coach. How you doing? Do you mind if I run your stadiums". His surprised expression lingers for just a little while before he replies. "No, of course not. Wow, you look great. You wanna play". Already heading for the bleachers, I turn and look over my shoulder. "Not today coach." Throughout this process, I notice and recognize a couple of the other coaches on the field, including Manny Olegue who appears to be coaching the defense.

Reunions over, time to get to training. I start with simple stadium runs. Ten times up. Then it's time for the more 'advanced' stuff. Stadium hops. I used to hate hopping up bleacher stadium steps, still do, but have found few things that give you a better workout. And, even though I hate it, I also kind of love it. For today, four times up on stadium hops is good enough. Finish off this stadium session with four more runs. At this point, my legs are a little shaky and I will probably be feeling it for the next two days.

With my stadium work done, I take a couple of laps around the Santa Rita track and head back to Pantano and Lincoln. It's about 7:45pm and soccer practice should be over in around 15 minutes. I am happy with the level of work I was able to get in today.

Sunnywood loop

If you have been reading my blog for any period of time, you know that one of my standard runs is the Sunnywood 5K. A simple out and back run along Catalina Hwy, which measures approximately 5 kilometers, with the turn-around point being a street called Sunnywood. Well this morning, like all Saturday mornings for the foreseeable future, I have to complete my workout early enough to get to a (or multiple) soccer games. So, I am up and out early.

While running this morning I decided to change my route a bit. So, I turned left (west) on Houghton, not knowing exactly what to expect. What I got, almost immediately, was a fairly steep hill to climb. As I reach the top of the hill, I notice that the descent down the back side is at an even greater angle than the incline. After making my way about half way down the hill I look to my right and see a street sign for Sunnywood Rd. It's then that I realize that Sunnywood must run through the neighborhood and exit at Catalina Hwy. That seems like the perfect route for me.

My run continues as I make the turn onto Sunnywood and wind through this quiet neighborhood. Just as I expected, I end up at Catalina Hwy. With just about perfect timing, I make the turn for home.

I have discovered a new route: Catalina to houghton,left on houghton to sunnywood, follow sunnywood through neighborhood and exit on Catalina Hwy, back home.

Jog into my driveway, cutting it close. Gotta get ready for the game.

whoa! that's cold

At Udall for a early morning swim. Into the pool and wow, the water is cold. Better get used to it though, I think this is what to expect at this time of year.

I begin with my standard breast/freestyle combo for 50 yards to get warmed up. Then, zero my watch. Today will be a time trial of sorts. Going to see how fast I can swim 400 yards (that is half the distance of the sprint triathlon swim next month). I hit the stop/start button on my Timex Indiglo and begin. Two-hundred yards in I am feeling good, strong and trying to push myself. Assuming I kept an accurate count, which is always a bit of an issue with me, I complete the last of the 16 lengths and stop the timer on my watch. My watch reads 8.41.86. I'm a little disappointed. I thought I would swim faster than that. It appears that my lack of swimming over the last few weeks has really impacted my time. Well, no panic. I have a few weeks to get my swim times back to where I would like them to be.

I finish off this mornings workout with 200 yards of stroke work using a pull-buoy and 50 yards with the kick board. That gives me a total distance of 650 yards on this swim training session. Time to hop out and start my day. Boy am I ever ready for a weekend. T.G.I.F

Tired and sore

It's kind of late and I just don't think I am going to get any kind of workout in today. So, today will be a rest day. FWIW, my quads and gluts are screaming, most likely from yesterdays lunges. My calves are also sore, probably from jumping rope.

It's almost like two-a-days

That's right, my second workout for the day. Working out twice in one day takes me back to high school. It's almost like the way we would start off every Fall. You know it's Fall when you are out on the football field twice a day, doing workouts to prepare for the upcoming season. Ah, those were the days.

Well, this time it's not about football, but it's still a familiar feeling. Once again my daughter is at soccer practice and I can use training to occupy my time. I spend the first 30 minutes just watching practice and trying to decide what I am going to do. I finally settle on sprint work and at 7:00pm I am ready to begin my routine. Six gassers, followed by 100 lunges (50 per leg).

Gassers and lunges took me about 20 minutes. My heart rate is elevated and my breathing shallow. Then I hit the jogging track for a mile run. Complete the one-mile loop in just under 10 minutes. Thirty minute workout complete, and overall I am happy with the effort.

Note: Both knees are a bit sore (although in different places, which is a bit weird). This could be lingering effects of previous days jump rope work. I will definitely ice when I get home tonight.

Familiar swim

I skipped the group lunch at Nico's today and made my way to the Morris K. Udall Center instead. Why you ask? Because the Tucson Parks and Recreation center named after Mr. Udall has a pool and that pool has lap swim from 10:00am - 2:30pm each day during the "winter season". It has been too long since I have been in the pool. So, it seems like the perfect time to get a swim workout done.

Kind of like the get-me-over fastball post, the idea of today's swim workout is to just get in and get comfortable. A relatively light and easy workout.

In the pool, right around 1:00. A couple of laps to get warmed up and then I start my workout. Today's workout consists of eight 100s with 30 seconds rest. Followed by two progressive two hundreds. A progressive 200 is the name I have given to the 25 yards slow, 25 yards medium, 25 yards fast and 25 yards faster (then repeat) thing. I'm sure it has an actual name in swim circles, but I don't travel in swim circles, so I don't know what that name is. Hence, I have dubbed it the progressive 200. You might recall this workout is very similar to a swim workout from the Free Swim Coach post. This is where I got the idea.

I finish the training session with two 100s and a cool down. For those of you keeping track at home, that is a total distance of 1400 yards (not including warm-up and cool-down). Total time in the pool was 50 minutes. A nice little workout if I do say so myself.

Jump in!

Up early this Tuesday morning with a little strength training on my mind. Once again time is limited, which means I will need to get to the gym, get through my workout and back home quickly. I am going to have to compress this strength training session to about 45 minutes.

It's right around 6:00am when I arrive at Gold's. With no time to waste, I head straight for a 10lb plate. I tend to start almost all of my weight training sessions with a tri stretch, shoulder stretch and shoulder rotation using a 10lb plate. Extremely beneficial, in my opinion.

Once I get my arms and shoulders warmed up, I dive into today's workout.

• Flat bench dumbbell press: 1x10@50, 4x8@80
• Incline bench dumbbell press: 4x8@50
• Bent-over dumbbell row: 4x10@35
• Bent-over dumbbell reverse flye: 4x10@20
• Dumbbell clean & press: 4x8@35
• Jumprope: 500reps
  

Chalk it up to a good start to the day. This is the first time I have done any jumprope work in years. Not sure what kind of impact that will have on my knees and ankles. I guess I will know in the morning.

Technical Difficulties

With all the kids going in so many different directions, sometimes I have to get a bit creative to find the time to complete a workout. Today, for instance, I have to take my son to soccer practice at Old Vail Middle School. The time while he is at practice will be my best opportunity to train today.

I came prepared with my Kayanos and my mp3 player. As the team works on their defense, I take off across the field, out the OVMS back gate and head west down Mary Ann Cleveland Blvd. MAC takes me past Cienega High School and the surrounding housing developments. I'm probably over 3 minutes into my run before I realize that I forgot to start my watch. It's about 5:45pm and I need to make sure I am back before the scheduled practice end-time of 6:30.

With my watch now started, I try to push my pace a little bit. Not really sure how far I am going, or how fast, but I feel pretty good today. This part of MAC has a slight incline and as I crest the hill and reach a bit of a plateau, my watch hits 15 minutes. This is the perfect place to make my turn and head back.

I make my way back down MAC, into the back gate and across the grass of OVMS at about 6:20. Just in time to see they are wrapping up practice. I'm not sure how long it is before I realize I forgot to stop my watch at the end of my run, just like I forgot to start it at the beginning. So, it would appear the theme of toda'y run is technical difficulties. For what it's worth, the watch time was 39:05.

On the ride home, I do my best to calculate the distance ran. Not sure how accurate it is, but I came up with something in the range of 1.8 miles from the OVMS gate to my turn-around point. Which would give me a total distance of 3.6 miles. This seems about right.

Me and my boy make the journey home. The sun is setting, workout complete, soccer practice complete and my son excited that the team chose a name today... Wildcats.

update: I would find out later that my wife also chose the 'captive time' to get her workout done. She walked at Lincoln Park while my daughter was at soccer practice today.

Does yard work count?

Well it's Sunday and Sunday is typically a ride day. But, Dan is out this week. Chris bailed on me late last night (I think he has a sore knee). So, my initial thought was that I would ride today anyway. But, then I reconsidered. Decided to sleep in instead.

With no ride today, I had more time this morning and more energy. There are some things I could get done around the house (this will make my wife happy). Yard work and household chores are not exactly a workout, but I wonder how many calories I burned.

Here is my list of today's chores, with my guess at calories burned (fwiw, I have no idea how accurate or inaccurate my guesses are).

Today's tasks:
making family breakfast (25 calories)
{Bacon, eggs, biscuits and country potatoes; if you were wondering}
fix cable (50 calories)
clean out garage (150 calories)
move storage boxes to shed (200 calories)
mow lawn (200 calories)

If those numbers seem high to you, I agree. They seem high to me too. Anyway, that is the extent of today's caloric output. Other than that, it's watching NFL football and posting blog entries. Caloric output for those activities would have to be negligible.

Quick run

This time of year all my family's Saturdays are filled with soccer. Today is no exception. With our first soccer game at 8:00am, any workout I am going to do this morning, I need to do quickly.

With that in mind, I pull on my Asics and head for the door. It's 6:30am and time allotted for this run is less than 30 minutes. So, I have decided to run a shorter route and push the pace a bit. I wonder how quickly I can make it from my place to the 4-way stop at Houghton and back (just over 2 miles).

As I get going, I feel pretty good (but not great). Music is loud, pace is fast and my breathing is hard. Climbing the hill up to Houghton is hard. Trying to do it quickly is even harder.

I reach Houghton 11.5 minutes into the run. Jog across Catalina Hwy and begin the return leg home. Still trying to push the pace as best I can, I reach the end of the run 22 minutes and 13 seconds after I started. It's almost 7:00am and I don't really have any time to stretch. It's going to be a quick shower and off to the first soccer game of the season. From Tri Chill to Coach Hill. Wish me luck. :-)

Quick run

Irresponsible parents and lazy kids

The teachers at my kid's school are unhappy with their contract for the year. As a result, they have decided to stage a 'sick out'. For me, that means an increased level of stress on my wife, my kids and me.

My eldest called from high school and said that none of her teachers came to school today, so would it be alright if she came home. I had no problem with this. No point in my kid staying at school with no teachers, just administrators waiting for the school day to end.

So, my wife went down to the school to pick her up. As my wife is in the office, signing our daughter out of school, the office secretary starts chastising her on "irresponsible parents and lazy kids these days who go home for now reason". Now, I am the first to wonder about the attitude of kids these days, but this is not the situation which you call my (or my wife's) parenting, or our kids work-ethic, into question. My wife called be, extremely upset (she had every reason to be). Just another way these people are making my life today difficult.

This is TriVida, and not a place where I will vent my frustration about TUSD and the education of my children (suffice it to say that I am unhappy). But, more than anything, the events of the day drained my of all desire to train. So, this will go down as another day off.

Coaching workout?

More work leads to another day without training. It looks like it's possible that this will be just one of those weeks where there are not enough hours in the day.

I did spend two hours coaching soccer tonight. I wonder how many calories per hour I burn while coaching?

Get-me-over fastball

I've been so busy with work and soccer this week that I haven't been able to train the last two days. I think I am starting to feel the effects (willing to concede this could be 0% physical and 100% psychological). Nevertheless, I am determined to get a workout in today. Even if it's a short one.

So, it's 5:00pm and I need to leave by 6:00pm to take my daughter to TVSC soccer practice. Followed by an AYSO meeting which probably won't get over until after 9:00pm. So, it's now or never for today's workout.

Not to worry, I should be able to get a quick 3-miler in before I need to get ready to go. It's been a while since I have worn the ASICS Kayano's, so I pull them out of the closet and lace them up. Then find a pair of shorts to wear. You know, I really should keep track of the shorts I like to run in. There are some which I think would be good, then I get out, get going, and hate them. Inevitably, I don't recall which ones they were and I end up doing the same thing all over again. dumb. Today I pull out a pair of the grey mesh Old Navy's, these should be good (I hope).

At about 5:15pm I am out the door and on my way. music is good, weather is great. Only five minutes in and this run is hard. I feel heavy and sluggish and even though I'm not sure what my pace is, it has to be slow. I reach the turn-around point at Sunnywood 17:30 into the run. Yep, slow. But, I'm working and I feel good about that.

This run is like a get-me-over fastball. You know the time when the pitcher gets down in the count, and you just need something good to work from. A new starting point. At that point, he is not looking to throw the best pitch in the world, just something to get over the plate for a strike. Something to build on. Today's run was my get-me-over fastball.

I stride into my driveway just under 35 minutes (34:57:32) after I left. Not much time before I have to go. Just enough time for a quick cool down walk and stretch. This workout wasn't especially pretty, but it was good.

More Recovery

It's late... really late, and as you can tell, I didn't get any training in today. Not from lack of desire though. I have been trying to find time to get my workout in, but it's just not happening today. I have spent every free moment working on the website for my children's soccer organization. I've made a lot of progress, but I'm not done yet. So, today is a lost training day. I will have to make up for it later in the week.

Recovery

Yesterday's ride left me drained. I slept great last night. Even slept in a little bit this morning (kind of rare for me). But, reality is, I'm still a little tired today. So, no training.

My appetite is still going crazy. Sounds like we are headed to El Sur for lunch. Just going to take it slow and easy today. Enjoy a break.

200+ miles and 1 flat

Nice and early Sunday morning. It's just before 6am and I'm almost ready for today's 1/2 century ride. As the sun begins to rise, I can see the light of day through the living room windows. I have all my gear, now I need to check my ride supplies. Two water bottles, two spare tubes (into a jersey pocket), one Vanilla Accel Gel and one Espresso Love GU Energy Gel for in-ride nutrition (into a different jersey pocket) and finally, 3 or 4 tissue and the mp3 player in the final jersey pocket.

No time for coffee this morning. Instead, I am drinking water and munching on a Vanilla Crisp PowerBar. In reality, I only eat about half of the PowerBar. The other half goes in my "nutrition pocket" with the gels.

So, looks like I am almost ready. The only thing left to do is go and check the air in my tires. While I am outside checking tire pressure, it appears as though I missed a call from Chris. Oops! I was outside and didn't hear the phone ring, but I bet my wife did. Anyway, the message is exactly what I expected. Just a heads-up to let me know that Dan was there and that they are on their way.

It's not quite 6:30 when I see Chris and Dan roll into the driveway. So, here we go. Looks like this big ride is really going to happen.

As it turns out, it's going to be a few more minutes before we leave. Tom was running a bit late and is going to meet us at my house. We don't have to wait long, as Tom rolls up about five minutes later. So now, the gang is all here and we are ready to go.

We head south on Catalina Hwy and I think to myself. Wow, we kind of look like a team. Four guys on road bikes is kind of impressive. It's kind of a leisurely pace to start. Chris and Tom are paired off in front while Dan and I ride just behind. These guy's rode from Dan's place so they are all ready warmed up. I will need a mile or two to get there.

We make the turn and head east on Tanque Verde, over the bridge and make our way towards Sabino Canyon Rd. As we pass by Udall Park, we see another "team" of three guys riding. Chris and Tom passed them and they gave 'chase'. North on Sabino Canyon and the other team of guys was still with us. Our ride continued past Cloud, past River and we bare right on Sabino Canyon and make the climb up Sabino Mountain. Just on the other side of Sabino Mountain, somewhere around Snyder, I lost sight of the other group (I think they turned off). As we approach the Sabino Canyon and Sunrise intersection, Chris and Tom have come to a stop. Looks like it's time for the first water break.

We spend a couple of minutes here drinking and resting. Time to head west on Sunrise. As is the case with most re-starts, pace is a little slow to begin. This gives us time to talk a little college football (Oregon looked good. Notre Dame and Michigan looked awful). As we pass the Ventana Canyon entrance, it's not long before we get into the rolling-hills of Sunrise. The up and down nature of the road is pretty consistent all the way until we reach Campbell and make a right turn, right by La Encantada shopping center. Apparently, we are headed to Dan's folks place. Not exactly sure where it is, which means I need to stay close to Dan.

A couple more turns (and an extremely steep downhill) and we are pulling into a driveway. Yep, Dan's (and Tom's, of course) parents house. we hang out in the driveway for a few minutes and then, go in to get some water/ice refills from Dan's mom. This was my first time meeting Mrs. Sivilli. She was a very nice lady, with no complaints about fat guys in bike shoes (i.e. ME), click-clacking around her kitchen. I didn't look at my watch when we arrived, but I think we spend about 20 minutes here. This serves at the turn-around point for our ride.

It's not too hot yet, and I feel pretty good. Dan had some Strawberry Clif Shot Bloks and I tried one while we were stopped. Tasty! Rested and re-fueled, we make our way back to Sunrise (I think it may actually be Skyline at this point. Not exactly sure where it changes) and begin the rolling-hill journey back the way we came.

As we pass La Paloma and just before we get to Catalina Foothills H.S. we pass a couple of other riders. One stays with me for a while and wants to talk about the ride. He ask where we have been and where we are headed. Then he tells me that they are on their way back from a ride out to Ina. The conversation was short and very bikeguy-ey. My newfound bike mate wished us well and made his turn onto Swan. We continued on.

Down Sunrise toward Sabino Canyon. At one point, I lost sight of Dan behind me. Had to stop and make sure he didn't get caught by a traffic light or something. Nope, there he is. Chris and Tom are waiting at the Sabino Canyon intersection, but no real stop here. We continue on down Sabino Canyon, over Sabino Mountain and bare left at the North Kolb split, heading toward Tanque Verde.

Dan and I have done this ride before, and this turn from Sabino Canyon onto Tanque Verde is the worst part. Three left turn lanes, crossing two lanes of traffic to get to the left turn lane and just a general high volume of traffic. This morning, however, it was not too bad. Still early enough that traffic was lighter than normal.

While riding west on Tanque Verde, there is a slow and steady climb out of Tanque Verde wash, just after crossing the bridge. That gets us to Catalina Hwy where we hang a left and head north. Up to this point, I'm doing good and feeling fine. I'm not sure if its psychological, but all that changes as we pass by my street. I just got incredibly tired. A few hundred yards earlier, Dan asked if I was going to continue on with them, or just head home. I will continue I said, but I felt great at the time. If he had asked about 2 minutes later, the answer might have been different. In any case, it's too late now. We have passed my street and I am committed to completing this 50+ mile ride.

We make the turn on Prince and head north. Chris and Tom are quite a ways out in front (I have actually lost sight of them). I am trailing Dan. A few minutes after we pass Houghton, Dan pulls off to the side of the road, saying that he needs a break. I continue on for now, I would like to catch Chris and Tom so that I can have them stop for a group water/rest break.

Chris and Tom are waiting at the Prince/Melpomene intersection. I tell them that Dan is coming behind me and I need a break. At this point, it is officially HOT! We find a shady tree off to the side of the road and camp out under it. I'm nearly drained at this point and not to help matters, running extremely low on water. With my energy level down (and the fact that we are over three hours into a ride), it seems like the perfect time for one of my gels. So I reach into my nutrition pocket, and pull out the Vanilla Accel Gel. As I down the gel, we discuss the specifics of the remainder of the ride. Besides the stop at Dan's parents place, this is clearly the longest break of the ride.

Eventually, everyone is ready and we head out again. South on Melpomene to Ft. Lowell. Then east on Ft. Lowell to Conestoga. Conestoga winds it's way south and ends at Tanque Verde. The short jog west on Tanque Verde to Tanque Verde loop. The ride on TVL is not too bad. Lots of tree coverage for shade and the air seems cooler as we pass through the riverbed.

From TVL, Dan and I make the right turn onto Speedway and we will go left on Ridgeside. Once again, we have lost sight of Chris and Tom. But, just as we turn onto Ridgeside, we see Tom. He has gotten a flat and is replacing his tube. I hit him with one of the customary "got everything you need?" lines as I slowly pass by (I'm tired enough that everything I do at this point, I do slowly). Dan and I slow and circle for a bit. But Tom says to go ahead and he will catch up.

So, once again, I begin the Ridgeside climb towards Broadway. Every few minutes, I glance down at my cyclocomputer. My average speed at this point, fluctuates between 5 and 8 mph. Like I said, everything is done slowly. As I reach Broadway, I HAVE to stop. No sign of Chris, Dan and Tom are behind me somewhere, and I need a break. I drag my bike under a little Mesquite tree and in front of a bush. Whatever I can do to get out of the sun at this point. I'm there leaning over my bike, eyes closed for about 5 minutes before Dan rolls up. Deciding that I have found a good location for a break, he joins me under the shade of the Mesquite. Not too long after that, Tom arrives.

We take a couple more minutes to collect ourselves, and then we begin again. At this point, I am 40+ miles into this ride (Dan and Tom are 45+). It's damn hot, everyone (except maybe Tom) is tired, but we are almost done. Less than 5 miles to Dan's place. The climb from Broadway to 22nd on Ridgeside seems to be even more steep and winding than I remember. I reach and make the left onto 22nd (still no sign of Baker). Down 22nd to Melpomene and head south.

I'm completely out of water. Was going to stop at Chris's for water and rest, but Dan and Tom kept moving and Dan's house is close enough that I think I will just refuel there. I make it to Old Spanish Trail, and enjoy a bit of a downhill as OST heads west toward Houghton. Past Houghton, down to 29th and finally Dan's street.

Dan and Tom have reached the end of the day's ride (and if I can get someone to give me a ride home, perhaps I have as well). I ask Dan for some water and a sit down. The water at Dan's is cold and he has the Eagles v. Packers game on the tube. I'm not sure I want to move from this chair anytime soon. I down two water bottles of some of the best water I have ever tasted and I'm feeling MUCH better. Enough so, that I decide I will make the ride home. So, about 20 minutes after arriving at Dan's, I exit for the last 7.5 mile stretch to home.

Riding, but still not moving very fast, I make my way north on Houghton to Tanque Verde. West on TV to Catalina Hwy, and the last straight away, on Catalina Hwy. As I pull into my driveway, in addition to exhaustion, a great sense of accomplishment washes over me. The distance on my cyclocomputer flashes 52 miles. This is the longest single ride I have ever completed. AND, probably the hardest. FWIW, kind of amazing, given our history, that all totaled we rode over 200 miles and only the one flat tire for Tom.

No matter how much I want to, sleep is not in my immediate future. It's late already, after 11:00, and I have things I have to do today. So, I shower and take my wife to Poco & Mom's for lunch. Then errands which include a trip to Sports Authority for a new set of soccer boots, shinguards and ball for my son. When we get back home, I really need to work on the AYSO Region 217 webpage, but that is not going to happen just yet. A nap is in order as I crash on the bed.

For the rest of the day, I can't seem to eat or drink enough. Dan would ask me later how many calories I think we burned on that ride. I have no idea, but whatever the number, it was A LOT.

What a day. What a ride. So, if this is what happens when we ride 50+ miles, I wonder if Chris still wants to do the whole 109 of El Tour De Tucson.

Today's ride link

Rest and prepare

I spent most of the day trying to figure out if I was going to train today and if so, what was I going to do? I didn't get a swim in this week and that might be a good and relatively easy thing to accomplish.

But, in the end, my legs are still a little sore and I decide to spend most of the day watching college football and relaxing. I don't feel too bad though because we have a 50+ mile ride scheduled for tomorrow morning. That is definitely going to be a challenging workout.

Outta gasser

It's Friday afternoon and I am waffling. Got most of my work done for the day, and I was considering and afternoon training session. But, it's still kind of hot oustside and not sure I want to go out an run in this heat.

In the end, my goal-oriented side wins out and I lace up my Adidas University TR turf shoes for a little fast-twitch work. I make the short drive down Harrison to McDonald park (looks like the Sabino cross-country team is here, doing a little speed-work as well).

I gingerly jog across the soccer field, looking for a good place to "do my thing". I notice that my legs are not necessarily sore, but a little tired from lifting this morning.

There is about a 40-yard space between the end-line of the soccer field, and the fence of the baseball field. The grass is a little long, but this should be a good place to run. It's gasser time. And, FWIW, I don't think I have done gassers since I was in high school.

For those who never got to experience the joy of the gasser. It's simply a series of runs within a well-defined space (say, 40 yards). So, you start at one side (we'll call it point A), run to the other (we'll call this point B), touch the ground with your hand, run back to your original starting point (A), again touch the ground with your hand, back to point B, once again touching the ground with your hand and finally back to point A and the finish. That is 1 rep!

So essentially, it's 4 times back and forth to complete one gasser. FUN huh?

Today's workout called for 6 gassers. So, I ran 6 x 40 yrd gassers. I'm sure that my heart rate has been this high and I'm sure that I have been this out of breath before, but I don't recall when. OMG... I'm dieing here. Eventually, I get my heart rate and breathing under control.

I do some general feel and form work to finish off the day, 5 x 50-yard half speed run, walk back. Sounds easy, but still elevating my heart rate and heavy breathing.

It's been a long time since I have done anything like this. My form is a little awkward and I just don't feel comfortable sprinting. It will probably take a little while and some more workouts for this to come back to me. I'll keep at it though, 'cause that is just what I do.

Friday morning iron

As the days get shorter and sunrise keeps getting later, its going to be hard to find ways to train on weekday mornings ( I may have said this before). 5:30 this morning, on my way to the gym, and it's still completely dark outside.

The good thing about weight training is that I can do it regardless of the time of day, no daylight required. The bad thing, as it were, is having to take a 15 minute drive to the gym to do it (I KNOW I have complained about this before).

Once again, since the number of lifting sessions per week is limited, I will work on training multiple body parts in this session. I start with a little bit of leg work. The crucial thing here is to not overdue it. It's been a while since I have trained legs, and the legs, with all the large muscle groups, is the area most prone to DOMS. It's already Friday and if I go to heavy I will be sore for the next two days and not be ready for the big ride planned for Sunday.

Here is today's workout. You will notice some legs, chest and bis work.

Cleans: 4 x 4 @ 135
V squat: 1 x 8 @ 135, 3 x 8 @ 185
Barbell curls: 4 x 10 @ 65
Bench press: 4 x 8 @ 185
Dumbbell curls: 2 x 8 @ 30, 2 x 8 @ 35
Pushups: 4 x 15
Bosu Ball squats: 4 x 10

Approaching 6:45am and I am wrapping up today's training session. It was nice to get some work in, especially to work out some of the soreness from Tuesday's workout.

Rest, and a toast

Still just recovering from whatever was wrong with me yesterday. I'm sure it was mostly due to lack of sleep, but I still feel a little "off". So, I'm going to give it another day before I get back to training. The last thing I need is to get sick or hurt.

FWIW, I slept well last night. At this point I can find no pattern to my insomnia. Although I want to know why and how, I must admit, that if it would just go away and not come back, I would be happy, despite not understanding it.

I wonder if it has anything to do with diet? Not sure, but regardless, I should eat better.

Raise your glass. Here's to hoping that tomorrow is a better day. A training day.

Eggo's @ 2am

Had trouble sleeping again last night. Got up at about 1:30am and wandered into the living room for some TV time. Once again my stomach is just, not right. These sleep and stomach issues are very annoying.

After sitting on the couch for about 30 minutes, I got up and dropped a couple of frozen waffles into the toaster(Homestyle. I don't like the blueberry). Hoping that some good ol' fashion carbs would help to settle my stomach. It helped a little (I think).

As was detained the last go-around with sleeplessness, show selection at 2am is slim. You can only watch SportCenter so man times. I spent 2 or 3 hours on that couch, before I finally went back to bed and lay there until I fell asleep.

As is to be expected, I felt awful the rest of the day. Persistent stomach issues, head in a fog. This day can not get over fast enough. Needless to say, no training today. going to try and get some sleep tonight and hopefully feel significantly better in the morning.

Gold's, I barely know you anymore

I've been so focused on the swim, bike and run that I have almost completely neglected my strength training. There was a point a few months ago that I was lifting weights 6 days a week. Now, it's been more than eight weeks since I have even been to the gym to lift. That, is NOT GOOD!

So, this morning, I am going to change all that. Seems like the perfect time (it's still dark outside. Since the days are getting shorter, it's harder to workout in the morning). I have to be done with my morning workout in time to take my daughter to 7:30 volleyball practice. So at 5:15, I'm up and out. Get to the gym by 5:30 and that gives me an hour and fifteen minutes to get a good lifting session in (need to leave by 6:45 in order to make it home by 7:00).

Like I said before, its been a wile since I lifted. And, since I know I'm going to be sore for the next day (or two), the idea is to just get in and get a good all-around workout. Not worried about going heavy. Experience note: when starting a lifting program for the first time, or re-starting after a long layoff, ease into it. Low weight, lots of compound movements, let your body get used to the stress of resistance training.

Like a kid who found a favorite toy which had been misplaced months before, I enthusiastically worked through an upper body program: Chest, Back, bis, tris and shoulders. Now I remember why I love this stuff so much. Nothing like and elevated heart rate and a good muscle pump.

So, here is my routine from my first day back in the gym:
Chest: Bench, Incline Bench
Back: Seated cable-row, Lat pull-down
Biceps: Chin ups, Barbell curl
Triceps: Skull crushers, Press-downs
Shoulders: Seated press, Upright rows

The workout was great, but the ideal situation would be if I was able to lift at home. The time and effort involved with taking a trip to the gym is the largest drawback to a lifting program. Unfortunately, I just don't have the space or money for an in-home weight lifting solution. This is something I will need to solve someday.

Difficulty of up > ease of down

It's Monday (Labor Day) morning and after taking the day off yesterday, I am do for a kind of long run today. Not exactly sure how far I plan to go today, but I would like to get at least 5 miles in. Since I am heading north on Catalina Hwy, towards the base of the mountain, that means I will need to get to Snyder, at a minimum.

It's about 6:15am when I get started. Legs feel pretty good and it doesn't take me very long at all to get comfortable. I know this is a longer run, so my pace is intentionally slower. At the 18 minute mark, I am just passing Sunnywood (the turn-around point for my 5K run). I drop my arms, shake out my hands and make sure I am still feeling good. check!

As I approach the 4-way stop at Snyder, I have decided to go further. This will be my longest run in quite some time. After Snyder I notice my pace slowing even a bit more. The incline is getting to be significant and as a result, I am beginning to feel a strain in my Tibialis Anterior . Nothing major, but it is definitely noticeable. I reach Mt. Lemmon Short Rd 42:44 into my run. Wow that is slow! But, I have decided not to concern myself with that. The idea for today is to concentrate on distance.

The journey home starts out with quite a bit of downhill. The 'ease' of the downhill is somehow not proportional to the difficulty of the uphill. And again, I am feeling the stress in my right Tibialis Anterior. The discomfort tends to make me place more concentration on my form and foot-falls, just to make sure it's not poor mechanics which is causing this. However, form and mechanics aside, I am still feeling pretty good, breathing easy and striding comfortably.

I finally lose myself in the music and other thoughts. This, in my opinion, is the best part of my runs. When I can let my mind wander to other things besides the difficulty of running, it's fantastic. One hour and twenty-five minutes, after I started, I am hitting the start/stop button on my Timex Triathlon Indiglo and beginning my cool down walk, which takes me in a circular pattern around my cul-de-sac. Stretch the calfs, quads, hamstrings, IT Band, etc and that concludes this 7 mile run.

My post workout protein drink seems especially good today. I set my self in front of the TV. Ice on both knees and my sore right Tibialis Anterior, sipping my icy beverage.

And on the seventh day...

Yesterday, my son and I spent most of the day at my brother's house, watching college football. A disappointing performance by UofA, an impressive showing by Cal, and some kid from University of Tennessee who's parents named their Black son Arian. (This is ridiculous).

On the agenda for today, McD's breakfast (the boy's choice) and FFL draft at Chris'. No time to train, so we will chalk it up to another day of rest.

The 8:15 to L.A.

I have almost no time to ride this morning. Chris and Dan are going to meet at my house at 5:45am. From here we will ride the mountain. Or at least that was the original plan. But, my mom is coming by at 6:15 to pick up my wife and daughters for a girl's weekend in Los Angeles. They have an 8:15 flight to L.A. Which means I need to be back before they are ready to leave so that I can stay with my son. I initially thought they had a later flight and I would have more time. But, such is not the case. So, I will have to make the most of what I have.

About 6:40 I'm outside and ready to go. A silver car I don't recognize pulls into my driveway... hey, it's Tom. I didn't realize Tom was going to ride with us today. A few minutes later both Dan and Chris pull up. As everyone is getting ready to ride, here comes another white truck I don't recognize. Ah, it's the newspaper lady. After a very laborious demonstration of how not to navigate a cul-de-sac, almost hitting Dan in the process, she engages Dan in conversation by asking if this is his house. He explains that it's not his house, but it IS his friends house. The poor driving newspaper lady hands him my newspaper, suggesting that he may deliver it to its final destination.

More awkwardness ensues as she then gets out of her truck to place my neighbors newspaper in the sun bleached and weather-cracked orange Arizona Daily Star container precariously strapped to the underside of his mailbox post. I remember when I was a kid, everyone on the street had one of these containers on their mailbox. My neighbors remains the only one left standing. After completing this ridiculous and archaic ritual, paper lady climbs back in her truck, has more trouble navigating the second half of the cul-de-sac, finally completes the turn and (in a more traditional manner) tosses papers in the driveways of the remaining subscribing neighbors.

Now that the street is clear of bad-driving paper ladies, everyone is ready to ride. As Chris, Tom and I turn onto Catalina Hwy, Dan apparently has a problem with his chain and ends up falling. Now, I didn't see him fall, but it seems appropriate. As described before, everyone who is new to clipless pedal must fall at some point. It's a bit of an initiation thing.

Well, Dan is alright. No major damage done. Chain fixed, and we are back on our way. We make our way north towards the mountain. It's about 5:55am right now and I am going to have to turn around no later than 6:05 if I am to be home by 6:15. About 1 mile in, I notice that Chris and Tom are setting a bit of a faster pace and have gotten out in front of Dan and I by about 150 yards. Realizing I don't have much time, and I need to get some work in, I decide I am going to pick up the pace. Increasing my pace just a bit, I catch up to Chris and Tom about 1/2 mile from the base. It's time to sprint! The last half mile to the base of the mountain is a good steady incline, so I drop the hammer and go as hard as I can for as long as I can. A glance at my HRM shows that my heart rate reaches 166bpm and I'm breathing heavy.

It's 6:08 when I reach the Mt. Lemmon milepost 0 marker and I gotta hustle home. So, there is no let-up as I make the turn and begin an all-out sprint for home (all be it, mostly downhill this time). It's 6:17 when I pull into my driveway and my mother is there loading luggage into the trunk of her car. A couple of minutes to bid farewell to the females in my family and to wish them a safe trip.

My son is still asleep. It will probably be another hour before he wakes up and we can officially start our "guy's" weekend. I have lot's of stuff planned. It's the first weekend of College football so we will enjoy football and food and whatever else comes our way.

I is for Insomnia

I feel terrible this morning. Didn't sleep well last night. Woke up at 2am and my stomach was uneasy. Couldn't get comfortable. Flipped and turned for about an hour before I finally just got up.

I hate not being able to sleep. It's in my top five of worst things ever. As a matter of fact, here is my current list (it is my right and duty, to change this list as often as I like).

Worst Things Ever

1. Cancer
2. Applebee's commercials
3. Insomnia
4. T.O. & Drew Rosenhaus
5. Wal-Mart shoppers

Honerable mention: Adam "pac-man" Jones making it rain

So, what do you do when it's 2am and you can't sleep? You watch bad Matt Dillon movies like Factotum. For what it's worth, this will do nothing to help with the insomnia or the queasy stomach.

All indications are that this is a "lost" training day. I guess we'll shut it down and try again tomorrow.

In retrospect, not the greatest of plans (wind didn't help)

I am pretty much a brilliant guy (at least that is what my mom used to tell me). So, as a brilliant guy, I know when I hear a brilliant idea. And conversely, I know when I hear and idea which is, not so brilliant.

If the above hypothesis is true, which it is, than I have no explanation for what happened this morning. The plan was that Dan would leave his house at first light and ride to Chris' house. Then the two of them would leave from there and ride to my place. Together we would ride kind of a loop taking them back towards their houses, I would "drop them off" and then ride home. At least, that is how I understood the plan.

We are usually pretty good with specifics of times, locations and routes. Not so in this case. I assumed Dan would leave his place around 5:40am and history suggests he can get to my place in just under 30 minutes (OST to just past Speedway is all downhill going north).

I want to be ready when they arrive, so I gear up and go outside to wait. As I exit my house, I notice it's a very windy day. Not sure how much this will effect the ride. Just after 6:00am, I ride to the top of my street and begin riding back and forth on Catalina Hwy between Harrison and Prince. Figuring I would see them coming and could ride to join them. It is at this point that I notice a brutal headwind when going north on Catalina Hwy. The force of the wind was completely amazing, as it whistled through the spokes of my front wheel. Riding in this was not going to be easy.

Thirty minutes later, when I am already a little tired from fighting the wind, and there is no sign of them, I begin to get worried. As I ride back to my house, I wonder if something has happened to them (flat tire? Javelina attack? we have a history, ya know... with tires. Not Javelina). I decide to call Chris to check status. He answers (kind of a surprise) and says they are on Soldier Trail, just about to turn west onto Ft. Lowell. "Ft. Lowell?" I say. I had no idea they were going out that far. I assumed they were coming down Houghton.

Since I know where they are, I decide I will ride out to meet them (A couple of minutes later, Chris calls back to suggest I ride out to meet them). I ride out Price, down Houghton and find them on the corner of Houghton and Ft. Lowell. By this time its nearly 7am and traffic on Houghton is too heavy to ride south (no bike lane or even shoulder on Houghton between Ft. Lowell and Tanque Verde). So we decide to go east on Ft. Lowell to Conestoga. There is a bike lane on Conestoga that I had not clue was there. Interesting! It doesn't go 'to' or 'from' anywhere, but it's there. We reach Tanque Verde and make the short jog west to Tanque Verde Loop. South on TVL to Speedway on over to Ridgeside. Again, another nice bike lane on Ridgeside all the way to 22nd. As usual, the ride south from Speedway to 22nd is a steady climb (in this case, winding as well) and a good workout. As we reach 22nd street, it is about 7:10 and I need to head home.

Chris and Dan head west on 22nd, as I begin a reverse traversal of my route. Approximately 25 minutes later I'm pulling into my driveway, and I'm not sure how, but the wind was just strategic enough to make every north AND east leg of the trip 2 times (or maybe 3 times) more difficult than usual. I only got 18 miles in this morning. This just didn't seem to go as planned. But perhaps the problem was not with the plan, but with my understanding of the plan. Live and learn. Mental note: more detailed plan = better ride!

Juggling time and training

It's been a really busy week and I have had to make adjustments in my schedule just to get my training in. Today is another example of that. With no time to train this morning, I will get my workout in tonight.

Like every year at this time, it's time to get the soccer season underway. That means a number of meetings, long weekends, and some late nights. As a matter of fact, there is a coaches meeting at the Clements Center tonight @ 7:00pm.

Arriving at the Clements Center about 45 minutes early allows me time to hop in the pool and get a swim workout done. I start off with 100 yds of breast/freestyle to get warmed up. Then I go into the main body of the workout, an 800 yd freestyle session. Just under 20 minutes later I complete my workout with a 50 yard cool-down. This session wasn't too difficult, just a bit of a recovery workout.

Time to get cleaned up and head into the meeting. Boy it's hot and humid today. I hope they don't mind too much if I sweat through me t-shirt a little bit.

workout:
1 x 100 warm-up
1 x 800
1 x 50 cool-down

Same day, different workout

I have to take my daughter to Lincoln park for TVSC soccer practice. I will bring my gear, because this seems like the perfect time to get a sprint workout in.

The grass at Lincoln is a little long and needs to be cut. It doesn't help that I brought my turf soccer boots, but they will have to do. ( I've got the Adidas Beckenbauer #5's which I have been wearing forever. They are as old as Methuselah).

Since I brought my soccer ball out, I start off with some dribbling drills. In the process, I attract the attention of a guy and a kid who want to "have a kick". So, we end up passing the ball around for about 30 minutes. But, soon it starts to get dark and I have to get started if I am going to get my workout in.

Eager to complete the task at hand, I bid my passing session partners farewell and I start my workout. Beginning on the endline of the full-size field, I do five sprints to the center line. Using the jog back to the endline as my rest period. This amounts to sprinting 5 x 50 yards with about 30 seconds rest between sprints. At which point, I am sucking some serious wind. I take a few minutes to catch my breath. Then use the area bounded by the endline and penalty area to do some agilities: lunges, side shuffle and some grapevine work.

The sun is almost fully set. Coach is wrapping up practice, and it's about time to head home. I'm glad I was able to get some work in. Now, let's see how I feel in the morning.

30 seconds may not seem like alot

I have decided to go for a run this morning. I have also decided that the Sunnywood 5K course will do quite nicely. After a couple of days off I am feeling good. Since I know I can handle the distance without any problems, I think today I will focus on attempting to increase my pace.

I am going to try and run without the Tifosi Slip sunglasses today. Not sure how this is going to work out. I generally like running with the sunglasses. The problem is that I am constantly having to take them off to wipe the sweat from my face. And, a couple miles into the run they tend to fog up and stay that way for the remainder of the run (at that point, I have no article of clothing on my body which is dry enough to clean them off). So, this will be an experiment.

In a related development, I am carrying an handkerchief on this run as well. The logical thing would then be to suggest that I could use the handkerchief to clean my sunglasses, which is true. But, I will still go sans Tifosi (at least for now).

I start my run like I start most runs; hit start on the Timex, play on the mp3, and long strides, just trying to get comfortable. At a little over a mile in, I am approaching the Houghton intersection and feeling good. I think I am doing a good job of pushing the pace, but I'm not sure. That is, not until I reach Sunnywood Rd (the turn-around point). My watch flashes 16:30 as I begin to make the turn. NICE! If you have been reading TriVida for long you may realize that I consistently make the Sunnywood 5K turn at 17 minutes. So today, I managed to get to the same point 30 seconds earlier. Now, 30 seconds may not seem like a huge improvement, but I think it's significant. So, I am pleased with this accomplishment (no matter how small).

So, as I make the turn for home (feeling quite pleased with myself), I notice, just ahead of me, a lady that I see quite often when I'm out running. She is traveling in the same direction and has a pace slightly faster than my own. I use her pace to set my own and allow her to "pull" me on my return leg.

As I slow to a stop in front of my house, I stop my stopwatch and look down to see a total time of 33:26. Not too bad. The first leg, up to the turn-around point, is what I am most pleased with. The chase-aided return leg is less significant and a bit artificial (anyone who has run a race before will tell you that you can run faster times when "chasing" another runner with a faster pace).

By all accounts, today's run was a success. Time for some stretching, a little protein and a good size breakfast. Jeez I'm hungry today.

A day off #2 (and a li'l reading)

I'm going to double-down (or would it be double-up) on the day off thing. I feel a little bad about it, but I think it will be okay. I don't want this to become a habit or I may lose my intensity.

Anyway, I will use this opportunity to catch up on some reading. I am just finishing reading Your first Triathlon by Joe Friel. It is a short read, just over 200 pages, with tips and a 12-week training plan for preparing to compete in your first tri. Now I know it's not my first triathlon, but this is a really good book with lots of info I wish I had had when training for my first tri (as well as things that are helpful in my current training). In addition to the standard swim, bike & run chapters, Joe also covers nutrition, strength training and Heart Rate Monitors, among other related topics. Some consider Joe to be America's top tri coach and this book is well worth the read. What better way to spend a day off from tri training, than reading about tri training?

A day off

I think it's about time for a day off.

Went to Vin Tabla last night. Dray and M are moving to Corvallis, OR (home of the OSU Beavers). So, the crew got together for a little going away dinner. I had a good week of training and some wine last night. Figure this is the perfect time to sleep in a bit and enjoy a day of rest.

Blame it on the rain

It's early Saturday morning, about 5:15am, and I am just about ready to head out for a long ride. Around 2:00am last night the rain woke me up and I was concerned it might still be raining this morning and we might not be able to ride. But, it looks fairly clear outside and not especially wet either. Should be a good day to ride.

About 5:40am and I call Chris to tell him that I am heading out. The plan is that Chris will ride over to Dan's and I will meet them there. From Dan's we will head south on Houghton to Mary Ann Cleveland, make the left and Head east to Wentworth (Colossal Cave Rd). From there we will head north to Pistol Hill and take Pistol Hill to Old Spanish Trial which will take us west, back towards town. We can then make a right on Freeman, just after Saguaro National Monument Park, and head north again, up and around the northeast side a bit. Eventually, we will emerge on Catalina Hwy where my journey ends at my house and Chris and Dan continue the final 7 or so miles back to their houses. All in all, the route we established is just over 50 miles. It will be the longest ride for all of us and almost twice as long as any ride Chris has done.

My ride takes me down Catalina Hwy to Tanque Verde and south on Houghton to Dan's crib. As usual, it's about a 35 minute trip. When I arrive, Chris and Dan are there waiting. In that first half-hour I had a few sprinkles but no real rain and the overcast sky made for a nice ride.

As the three of us set out, everything looked good. I think everyone was a little worried about riding on Houghton. But, the thought was that riding south early on a Saturday morning would probably be the best time to do this. It was only about 5 minutes into the ride, with Chris leading the team, that the first car going south on Houghton passed us. Just as she got beyond Chris, the car drifted slowly across the lane, across the bike lane, and into the dirt off to the side of the road. The driver slowly corrected and there was no harm done. But, Chris turned to look back as if to say "WTF? Did you see that?". I did indeed. This was weird and a little disconcerting, but we pressed on.

The bike lane on Houghton was surprisingly adequate. At least until we reached the Civano area. It is right here that the Irvington right turn lane merge onto Houghton takes place. Coincidently, this is also the place where there is no bike lane and no road shoulder to speak of. So, of course it was just as we reached this section of Houghton that a full-size truck towing a full-size horse trailer went rambling by us at top speed. Whoa, that was not cool! But, after that point, the bike lane resumed, and we had plenty of room to ride.

As we traveled south on Houghton, it started to sprinkle again. It was not a big concern, as a matter of fact, it was kind of nice. However, as we approached Valencia, that all changed. The rain started to come harder now and I was getting soaked. I had taken the lead position a mile or two back and kept checking on Chris and Dan behind me. As we approached the Fry's shopping center at Rita Rd. I decided it was time to pull off into some shelter and see if we could wait out the rain. We gave it a few minutes, but decided it might just be one of those rainy days. Chris ended up calling his dad to come and pick us up.

Yet another planned long ride which didn't work out. Chris, Dan and I seem to have a hard time getting together for long rides (you might remember the Arivaca debacle). Chris' pop dropped of Dan and then me. I was really disappointed we didn't get to complete today's ride. But, at least I got 15 miles in. Dan and Chris only got about half that.

Whoa... that is twice!

It's 5:30am and my traditional Friday ride/swim/ride is underway. On the Motobecane Super Mirage, headed toward the base of the mountain. Got out of the house on time today, so no need to make the turn for Udall too early. Just past Houghton (and yes, I stopped at the stop sign. As usual.) approaching the Mt. Lemmon mile post zero marker. I hear what sounds like a large truck coming up behind me. The sound of traffic is to be expected and something you get used to. However, just as the truck passes me, the dog, which I later realized was hanging out the passenger side window, starts barking. Holy Snikeys Batman! That scared the bajeezus out of me. However, apart from the HRM spike, I continue on, unfazed.

Completed my ride to the base and back to Udall. Now for a dip in the pool. Since I am a good poolizen, I use the deck shower before entering the pool (I know it's just pool water, but noone wants sweaty guy who just rode his bike here, jumping in the lane next to them). For some reason the pool is less busy today, I even get my own lane (the only unoccupied lane available).Today's swim workout consists of a 200yd warm up, followed by two 400yd sessions. Nice and easy nothing too intense. A 50yd cool down finishes off a nice workout. Time to hop out, suit up and make my way home.

The ride home was pretty standard. 7:00am traffic heading east on Tanque Verde is not too bad. Over the bridge and navigate the steady climb toward Catalina Hwy. Then the steady climb of Catalina north(ish) approaching my place. I'm in the aero tuck position, head down, eyes up, trying to force every last little bit of speed and effort out of the end of this workout. As I crest the hill just before me street, I begin to raise up to a seated position, breathing hard, relaxing my effort. In changing hand position, I gave a little wobble and the bike drifted toward traffic just a bit. Not usually a big deal. But, in this instance it happened to be right at the same time as a Jeep was passing by. He layed on his horn and for the second time this morning I had a Bajeezus moment and a heart rate spike. I need to get into the house where it is safe.

Just a little bit farther

The idea today is to take my run just a little bit farther than the last few times. So, I'm not exactly sure how far I will end up going, but I will turn around somewhere around the 20 minute mark.

Jeez, today's run seems hard. I have been running for a while now and can't seem to get comfortable. Wondering if I might still be a little tired from the workouts of the last two days. I usually don't have this much trouble. Anyway, I press on.

At about 23 minutes I reach a street (good stopping point) and make the turn for home. 46:40 and I have completed today's run. Not one of my best, but I'm glad I went and glad it's over. Time for my post-run protein shake and a cold shower (it's really hot, even this early in the morning). Also, my knee is a little sore. Might need to back-off my distance a bit and give my body a chance to adjust. Something to keep an eye on.

Link for today's run: 08/23/2007 Run

Look, Dan is clipless

It's Wednesday and this week, that means it's mountain-day. Plan is for the standard 5:30am start. And, since we are riding Mt. Lemmon, we will meet at my place. Dan rolls in with some new Pearl Izumi cycling shoes and Look pedals. Nice! He is now part of the clipless pedals contingent.

It's just past 5:40 and we have started to ride the 3.5 miles from my crib to mile post zero. We stop at MP0 for a few minutes, something we didn't do last week, and it will mean that we won't be able to go as far up.

Just like last week, I only have a limited amount of time and need to start heading back at about 6:50. Today, that means we will only reach mile post 4. I try to push myself a little harder than normal this morning, and as a result, do more climbing out of the saddle than usual. At one point my heart rate hits 176 bpm, that is the highest I have ever seen on the bike. Even on our descent, I work hard enough to keep my heart rate in the high 150s.

We finish our ride with no major (or even minor) glitches. A good thing. I slowly sip my post-ride recovery protein shake, which this morning consists of Nitrean, half a banana, plain low-fat yougurt, apple juice, water and ice. I just completed a Nitrean re-up as my supply was getting low. Another Training secession complete, and I'm feeling good. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

An alarming start to the day

Nothing real special about today. Up kind of early (5ish) watch a little TV, and pay a few bills. As the sun starts to come up, I realize that I am feeling pretty good and today might be a good day for a morning run.

'Bout 5:45 I hear my alarm go off. Oops, I thought I turned that off. By the time I get into the bedroom, my wife has reached over and turned it off (she is not going to be happy about having to do that). Predictably, she gives a low groan (more of a growl) as I fiddle with the morning annoyance which has already interrupted her sleep. Thirty minutes later I hear her alarm clock sound. No telling if she was able to go back to sleep in the interim. If she was, or if she wasn't, either way, I will hear about it.

As 6:30 approaches, I have made the decsion that I will in-fact run today. So I pull out a sleeveless dri-fit Adidas shirt, a pair of shorts, and lace up my Mizuno Wave Inspires. Just add a couple of decent size drinks of water and my mp3 player and I'm ready to roll.

I have decided to run the Sunnywood 5K route today. As I get started, I am feeling pretty good (my glutes are still really sore... damn lunges). Pace is very similar to the same route last week, right around 17 minutes when I reach the turn-around point. I maintain about the same pace as I make my way home. Complete the run in just under 34 minutes (that's about a 10.7 minute/mile for those of you scoring at home). Overall, a good run to start the day.

At some point, I am going to have to work on increasing my pace. But, I suppose that can wait for now.

08.21.2007 run

Taking a break

No training today. It's an off day for me.

Fast twitch (the day after)

I have to be up early again and across town for another 7:00am start. It's 5:50am and my alarm just went off, I'm staring at the clock, but I'm not moving a whole lot. OMG am I sore! This is ridiculous. I had no idea the sprint work we did yesterday was going to effect me THIS much.

At one point last night, I shuffled gingerly across the family room, ice pack in hand, sat down on the couch, placed the ice on my knee and groaned as I lay back. My wife asked with curious tone in her voice "was the class too physically demanding for you?". I think she thought that was a silly question. And, silly or not, I dismissed it quickly. "No" I said, "it was just hot and its been a long day".

Today as I get out of bed, my knee is sore, my lower legs ache and my glutes are screaming. Don't get me wrong, I have been exercising forever, this is the kind of thing that happens with a good workout after a long layoff. I just didn't expect it in this instance. I swim, bike or run six days a week (on average). I should be in pretty good shape. But, the reality is, it's a different kind of fitness.

After I get out on the field again, go through some warm-up and get loose, it's all good and I'm ready for another day of soccer. But, I am now more convinced than ever that I need to do more fast twitch work. I'm thinking at least one and sometimes two sessions a week, we'll see how it goes.

BTW, I completed the class, passed the exam, and am now a certified Intermediate Coach.

Lemonade, Lemonade...

There is no training significance to this post (unless you consider my 'diet' last night consisted of a pretzel, nachos, lemonade and In-n-Out burger).

Bug and I went to the UofA Meet the Team as promised. He was more amused by the inflatable obstacle course and football throw, which were part of the pre-game festivities, than he was with the game itself. However, he had a great time at the game talking and laughing with the boys.

The title of this post is in honor of the concession vendor who worked the stands at the game. He was a large Black man who shouted calls of "Lemonade, Lemonade, like grandma made" as he made his way through the stands. As it turns out, the lemonade wasn't really like grandma's, but I appreciated the creativity and the effort.

We concluded our 'boys night out' with a trip to In-n-Out for burgers and shakes. This is what having a little boy is all about... seriously!

Fast twitch cross-training

It's early Saturday morning and I'm headed to class. Yes, I said class. I am in the middle of attending an Intermediate Level coaching course for the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). I have been coaching at least one of my kids in soccer for the last nine years. This Intermediate Coaching course will instruct the attendees on soccer terminology, required skills and laws of the game. It is a 19 hour course which extends over 3 days. We started with a three hour classroom lecture last night. Today, we follow up with ten hours of field work and then conclude tomorrow with six more hours of field work and the exam.

Now, I'm up early so that I can make it across town to the Northwest Neighborhood Center by the 7:00am start time. A little bit of coffee and an Egg McMuffin on the road (I realize this is a terrible breakfast, but it will have to do). We start the day off with a little jogging and agility drills to warm-up. One of the instructors has brought some of the players from his team out to demonstrate some of the drills and skills we will be covering.

A couple of hours into the day the players are excused and it's time for the coaching certification candidates to run the drills. I have been doing endurance training for the last six months (and felt pretty good about it). This is the first time I have done any sprint work in a long (long... long...) time. We spent the next eight hours running, sprinting, jumping... playing soccer, in the hot sun. And believe me, it was hot!

I had been considering incorporating some fast-twitch work in my training, but this makes it official. It is absolutely necessary. By the time we were finished for the day I was spent. Dragged myself home in a heap. But, my day wasn't done yet. I had promised my son that I would take him to the UofA football meet the team. So a quick shower and a handful of red seedless grapes and we were out the door again headed to meet Chris, G$ and the crew at the U.

Free swim coach

It's Friday and you know what that means (or at least you should). It means I start the day with a ride and swim. I got to bed on-time last night, so at 5:15 I'm up and ready to go. Shorts, jersey, goggles, $1.50 in quarters and I'm almost completely geared up and ready to go, when... Whoa! I forgot to clean up the kitchen last night. Damn it! Well, I gotta do that before I go.

The kitchen is clean, but its 5:40 before I get out the door. Already running a little late (you have to get to the pool as close to 6:00am as you can, or all the lanes will be taken). So, because I was late getting out the door, I need to cut my Catalina Hwy ride short, won't be able to go all the way to the base of the mountain. Instead, I turn around at Houghton and begin making my way to Udall.

It's 6:05 when I roll into Udall and just as I suspected, it's packed. There is 12 lanes and all are being shared by two people. Except one. I get the final spot. Score! (BTW, once I claim my lane, there are 3 or 4 other people just wading in the deep end, waiting for a lane to open up). Strip out of my bike gear, take a quick rinse under the pool shower (because I am a good pool citizen) and into the water I go.

Decided I was going to do 100s today. So I'm doing my 100s (4 lengths) with rest in-between. When Barbara, a lady I have seen and talked to a number of times while swimming at Udall, who is swimming in the lane next to me, tells me that I am resting too long in-between 100s. "you get 15-seconds rest" she says jokingly. She is a nice lady and a beautiful swimmer, so I assume she knows what she is talking about (I kind of new this already anyway). I agree to comply and go back to my 100s now with only 15-seconds rest. After completing eight 100s, Barbara suggest another training tip. Two 100s with no rest between, with the 8 lengths done in the following fashion:

length 1 & 5: slow/recovery
length 2 & 6: medium
length 3 & 7: fast
length 4 & 8: sprint

1000 yards complete, elevated heart rate, heavy breathing, nice workout! As Barbara is leaving, I tell her that maybe next time she can teach me how to do flip-turns ( I really need to learn those).

With my swim complete, it's time to hop back on the Motobecane and make my way home. It's about 10 till 7 when I leave Udall and fifteen minutes later, I am in my driveway (sprinting the last mile,of course, like I always do). Another good workout to start the day. This is getting to be a habit... a good habit.

Quick and yet effective

Dan is out of town this weekend, so we decided to do our Mt. Lemmon ride on Thursday this week. Only problem is, with the kids going back to school this week, my weekday morning training window is significantly smaller. So this will have to be a rather quick ride.

We left my place by 5:40am and were at the base before 6:00. About fifty-five good minutes of climbing later, I was approaching mile post 5 and Dan was not far behind. What is even more amazing, as I turn around to check my position, is that Tom is right behind me. Where in the hell did he come from? Apparently, Tom was supposed to ride with a friend at 5:00am. The friend couldn't make it, so Tom just decided to ride across town and catch us as we rode the mountain. Wow!

A couple of minutes pass and Dan has arrived where Tom and I are stopped. We take a few minutes for everyone to catch their breath and begin our descent. Fifteen minutes later we are pulling into my driveway just as my wife is pulling out to take my eldest to school. Perfect Timing!

We had a good workout with a nice climb in a short amount of time. Mission accomplished. Tom still has the 18 or so miles back to his place. I think I will start calling him Vinokurov (Vino or V for short).

Morning mile

On today's training agenda; a Udall morning swim. Leave my house at about 6:00am and I'm in the water by 6:20. A couple of laps of breast stoke to get warmed up and I'm ready to start my workout. forty-five minutes and 1700 yards later, that's 68 lengths in a 25 yard pool (short course), I'm done! Feelin' good.

Gotta get home. It's time to prep the kids for today's school runs.

update: I realize that 1760 yards is one mile, but that didn't divide into 25 evenly, so...

Sunnywood 5K

It turns out that from my house, north on Catalina Hwy, just past the Houghton intersection is a street called Sunnywood. And the round-trip from my crib to Sunnywood and back is almost exactly 3.1 miles, or 5K. So, from this point forward that run route will be known as the Sunnywood 5K.

Now that we have established that background. I ran the Sunnywood 5K for the first time this morning. Mostly on the dirt along-side the bike path. Not an especially fast pace, but had a good run. you will find more run details in the link at the bottom of this post.

Tuesday's Run

5 miles, easy like Sunday morning

Bright and early Sunday morning. Outside the Lines is talking NFL concussions and the Sports Reporters are on next (Lupica is such a geek). Time to lace up my ASICS Kayanos, I have decided to go for a long run. A little bit of elevation and hill work is in order, so I head north on Catalina Hwy.

Running against traffic, spending most of my time on the outer edge of the bike lane. Pass a few cyclists that have already done their mountain ride for the day and are clearly headed back to the warm confines of the LCS (local coffee shop). Just as I pass the two mile mark, I see a familiar sight. Hey... that is a tall guy on a Bianchi. It's Tom! Pull out one of my mp3 earbuds and let Ludacris slowly fade out of listening range as I slow my pace to a stop. I now entertain Tom with tales of long drives, blown tubes and missed ride opportunities of the day before (clearly, all stuff he has heard before, but he is polite and listens to my versions of the tales anyway). I ask him to send me an email so that I can make sure to include him in our next planned grand adventure, and we are off in our opposite directions.

After that pleasant distraction, the rest of the run is rather uneventful (except for it being difficult). I reach the 4-way stop at Snyder and make my U turn for home. More hills to climb on the return trip, and the realization that my toes kind of hurt in a tingly sort of way. It's possible that running on the road is a bad idea.

The run was difficult, but satisfying. Five miles is the longest I have gone in quite a while. Today was a good day.

Sunday's Run