Opening my own running and tri shop!!!

I have been gone for a while but for good reason. I have decided to open my own running and triathlon speciatly store. This has been in the works since last November so many months of hard work are coming to fruition. I am planning on opening my doors early September. Store will be located in Lake Mary, Florida which is more of the Northern Central Florida market just North of Orlando.

The store is called Front Running Sports. If you are ever in town drop in and visit me!

Florida 70.3 - as a spectator

Craig Alexander on the way to winning Florida 70.3.

Once again this year I found myself as a spectator at another event. This time it was the Florida 70.3 that took place yesterday morning. Its been an interesting year for me. After coming off the high of my first IM I have been relegated to being a spectator this year because of continued foot problems. At this point its starting to look like there may be no racing for me until next season. At any rate this is the first year that I have gone out to races as a spectator and not a competitor. Its been a very interesting experience and one I would recommend to any racer. It has given me the opportunity to see more sides of the races. I have spent more time supporting others and cheering on people I dont even know. Its been pretty good despite the fact that I am not racing. Yesterday I also saw for the first time people in tears as they were told they missed the swim cutoff and would not be allowed to continue. It was different than being pulled out of the water because they completed the first task. Its was pretty heartbreaking to think these folks put in what they felt was time and effort and probably had support of family and friends only to feel like they let others and themselves down. You just wanted to give them some sort of reassurance they would be back to try again another day.


Katja Schumacher (middle) on her way to winning Florida 70.3

Other notable sightings.


Karen Smyers - she took 2nd place.


Simon Lessing - 2nd place at Florida 70.3

As far as my opinion on this race, Disney has never done a great job in offering a good course and its always a pain getting around because you have to take Disney shuttles, but the real issue is that its not a Disney race, so in some senses you can tell Disney doesnt care that much. Its more an Ironman race and Ironman just rents the Disney property. I have done this race 2 times and mainly just because its in my backyard, but its not one I would recommend to others. I wish Ironman could find a new venue for Florida 70.3. On a positive note it was near perfect weather conditions.

Band of Brothers

I watched the other night the "Band of Brothers" mini series, which chronicles the journey of Easy Company in World War II. If you havent seen it, its worth your time. Anyway, it reminded me for obvious reasons of the King Henry V's speech that Shakespeare put into literature, and I thought it would be fun to modify a small part of it tailored to the Ironman journey. So tell me what you think.

For I am not covetous for gold, nor care I for material flourishments. But if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for today that shares this pain with me shall be my brother.

He that finishes this day, and comes safe home, shall stand a tiptoe above all others. Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, but he'll remember, with advantages, what feats he did this day. This story shall the good man teach his son, and forever in their flowing cups will it be remembered; from this day to the ending of the world!

- Shakespeare's King Henry V's battle cry to his weary soldiers before the battle of Agincourt. Modified for Ironman.

Training Stats

Just for kicks I went back to my training logs for IM Florida. For a period of 6mos this is how it broke down.

Swim - 151,600 yards ( I think thats 86 miles give or take)
Bike - 1,644 miles
Run - 311 miles

Thought it was kinda fun to take a look at it again. I will say it almost looks like I barely did any run training. So what does this mean,,,,well lets see.

It means at its most narrow point I could have swam the English Channel 4 times.
I rode my bike the equivalent of Orlando to Boston (and then some).
I ran the equivalent of Orlando to Tallahassee, FL my home town, with 50 miles to spare.

Its not always about triathlon!!!

Ok, I just took this pic right outside my glass sliding door. This is what you get when you live on a lake. Its a double edged sword. I DO NOT like snakes, but we dont want to kill him because when you live on a lake, snakes like this keep the small rodents away from the house.

The worst part is when he saw me, he went underneath our washing machine,,,,,and I have wet clothes in there. Maybe I will give him a little time to leave before I put my clothes in the dryer :).

St. Anthony's Triathlon

This past Sunday was St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, FL. I decided defer my entry this year because of the foot problems I have been having but I still went to support Amy. This was the first year she has done this race and I was happy to be there to help out where I could. Overall Amy did really well. The swim in the the salt water Tampa Bay and conditions were perfect, the bike is good and flat and the run is a flat course too that is an out and back that runs through some nice neighborhoods in the area.

Here is my thoughts on the race. I think the race is a great venue and well organized but at this point I feel they have allowed it to get too big. For the last 2 years they have continued to grow the field so this year it was at 4,300. Its so big that although the race started waves at 7am, Amy's wave didnt even go off until 8:50am,,,,thats ridiculous! I guess they are making alot of money so they dont really care, but I think there are safety issues and I dont think they should hand out alot of drafting penalties because the bike is getting so crowded sometimes its unavoidable.

So whats the bottom line. I would still recommend the race because its a great venue and well organized overall. But if you decide to do it be prepared for the large field. It can be a little frustrating.

Swam at Lucky's Lake for the first time

Here in Central Florida there is a well known weekday and Saturday morning open water swim at "Lucky's Lake". The lake is actually called Lake Cane and is located within a stones throw of Universal Studios Orlando. "Lucky" is a local doctor that has a very nice house and piece of property that he opens up to whoever wants to come swim the lake. He is a former competitive swimmer and still swims on the Masters level I think.

Anyway alot of local triathletes head out there because its a safe group swim and it gives you a chance to get some open water experience. Weekday swims typically start at 6:30am and Saturdays start a little later, 7:30 or 8am I think. Today was my first day swimming there. Amy has been out there numerous times as have some other of my friends. To one side of the lake and back is around 1k. Most folks just swim up and back but those training for longer distances will go back and forth 2 or 3 times.

Normally I am faster than Amy in the water but I must admit, today keeping up with her kicked my butt. We swam in wetsuits because the water is still a bit cool but for some reasons my arms were really tired and I was breathing hard. Probably because I havent done an open water swim since November. Oh well, Amy did good today and I sucked wind. I will live to fight another day at Lucky's.

Going to try taking time off again

I am getting desperate again with my foot. I am going to attempt to take some time off of running again for a few weeks. I will focus on my bike and swim. I have been sleeping in a night splint for at least a month now and it seems to not be helping except feeling better in the morning. Other than that everything is still the same with the whole plantar fasciitis thing. Its very frustrating,,,,I am tired of pain.

As a spectator

Yesterday was the first time in about 5 years that I was out at a race as strictly a spectator. Typically I am in the race or I am not there. Amy raced yesterday at one to the Tri-America series races in Clermont, FL. She did the long course which is a new distance that falls between Internation and Half Iron. It was a 1.2 mile swim, 60k bike, and 15k run. Anyway the weather was not in the racers favor yesterday. There was literally a squall line of weather that came through bringing lightning and heavy downpours for about 45 minutes and this was the time they were on the bike.

But what left an impression on me were the folks that quit or couldn't finish. Particularly the ones that didnt make it out of the swim. Since I am usually in the race I dont see who gets pulled out of the water, I just hear about it later. I really felt for those that had to come out of the water. You could see the disappointment on their faces. Assuming they thought they prepared well enough it was a crushing blow to be pulled out. One man especially left an impression as I watched him walk up to his wife and kids who where waiting for him to come out of the swim finish. His wife's eyes said it all as she looked at him feeling so bad for him as he explained to his young son and daughter why he couldnt finish the race. I watched his wife put her hand on his arm and just to give a little reassurance. His kids looked really let down. I wanted to walk up to him and shake his hand and tell him that most people never would have even started the race and that I was sure he would be back another day to complete what he had begun. It was really pretty heart wrenching to watch.

The good part of the day was that Amy finished the race after enduring alot of adversity. The winds were really bad, the rain and some lightning (that actually forced some to stop), and to top it off she had 2 flat tire with only 2 miles to go on the bike. She only had one spare tube so ended up riding the last mile or so on a flat. That part is hard for her because she was having a great race up to that point. She still ended up catching and passing a couple of her teammates on the run that passed her while she changed her flat. So although she was disappointed with some bad luck, I was proud of her for enduring.

I am usually not one to endorse quitting but if you had seen how bad the weather was you would have agreed, no shame yesterday for those that quit during the bike.

Not Dead,,,,Just Busy

No I am not dead and I have not given up on triathlon. Just really busy with some pretty big things on the horizon. More to come later.

Feeling Less Pressure,,,,its a good thing

I received my deferral from St. Anthonys so I will not be racing there this year. Admittedly I am feeling very good about the decision to put off racing until later in the season. In one sense I am feeling a bit slack because I see others that have already started racing this year and I feel like I am just sitting on the sidelines. I am still training but it has been nice to be able to feel like I can take it slow to get back to where I need to be rather than rushing my training and risking injury just to make the St. Anthony's deadline.

I am looking forward to racing later in the season, but I will probably not until August at the earliest, unless I feel like trying to squeeze in a sprint. Aside from the training set backs at the beginning of the year, I have been going through possibly a very big career change and that has affected my finances. As we all know, training and racing in the sport of triathlon is not always cheap. Lately I have had to be very careful about where I spend my money and how much.

This morning was a good one. I swam with Amy and we were in the pool at 7:45am so it was nice to be outdoors on a beautiful morning. Although the sun was up it was still rising so it was great after we got done swimming to sit in the sun for a few minutes. Thats one of the parts I like about training. The time when you are done and you can just relax a little outside.

Waiting on response

Since I have been sick I requested a deferral from St. Anthonys to 2008. Bottom line is I just dont feel I will be ready to race how I want to. I am not competing for any sort of age group award but at the same time I want to be happy with my performance. I am pretty much recovered from being sick however because I lost so much training time I just thought I would wait to race at a later date this season when I felt ready to go.

If St. Anthonys grants the deferral then no worries, but if they say no or charge me a fee to defer I may just go ahead and race and chalk it up to a casual race outting and just not worry about time issues. St. Anthony's typically will give you a one year deferral but I think my request may have been a day late.

As far as training, I am still "getting back on the horse" with my running and cycling. Swimming I usually always bounce back pretty quick so not too worried about it.

Trying to get back in the saddle

It has been two weeks since I have done any active training because of illness. Seems like things just arent in my favor for training this year. I am trying to get back in the saddle this week with some training. Because of my own lack of judgment I put myself a few more days behind with sickness.

The other night a buddy of mine invited me over to watch some of the NCAA tournament and play Texas Holdem with some other guys. I have never played before so I thought it would be fun. Of 8 guys starting I managed to stay in the game to one of the last 3 guys. I ended up coming in second which I was happy with considering the guy who won the most money once placed 3rd in a Vegas tournament. It was only a $10 buy in, so what that meant to us was we were the only two to win any money. He won the biggest with over a $40 profit. I won $17 but I figured as long as I didnt lose all my money my first time out I was doing pretty good, especially considering I beat guys that had played more than I ever did.

Anyway, bad part is I ended up being there until 3am. That is not good to a body recovering from sickness and I have felt it the last few days. I have vowed to be smarter and take better care of myself. No more late nights like that for a very long time!

Stumbling through training this year

I realize alot of times people go through rough patches with training but I have just about had my fill. I took alot of time off at the beginning of the year because of my plantar faciitis, and it didnt really heal up, so then I started back and was happy to be training again and within a couple weeks I get sick. I know some folks are able to train through sickness, but I am not one of them. My body does not react well,,,I have tried before. It usually just makes me sicker because of the immune system breakdown. So I have been sitting around for a week doing nothing as far as training goes.

I was really hoping to have a strong race this year at St. Anthony's but it is a forgone conclusion that hope is gone. I will still compete but it will be more like a jog at the park type pace rather than any sort of competitiveness. Its is very disappointing to me. Once I get through that race perhaps I will focus on another one later in the season to try to have a better showing. I just really sucks not to be able to get into any kind of training groove especially after coming off a first time Ironman high.

Whats worse is that I enjoy training with Amy (the G-friend) and I havent been able to as much as I have wanted because of all the injury and sickness. Ok, enough bellyaching for this post,,,,,,just had to vent a little frustration.

Been Sick

Sorry no new posts lately. Been sick the last few days. More posts once training starts up again or something actually interesting occurs. But sitting around trying to get over this crap isn't all that interesting.

Fickle Weather

I hate not being able to guess correctly. I was supposed to ride with a friend this morning and I agreed to call her at 5:30am to let her know what the weather looked like since she had to drive further than me to our starting point. It has been forecast to rain her for the last 2 days but has yet to do so. It looks like it will with overcast and some wind but never does. We have these two fronts just lingering around us.

I got up and looked at the weather radar online and saw rain bands heading our way but it was a toss up if they would come across here or miss us. When I told her it was a gamble she bailed on me, so as result I didnt feel like packing up and heading out so my ride was on my trainer,,,at this point hoping it would rain.

Well I guessed wrong. Its now 10:30am and it still hasnt rained although its crappy looking outside. I guess she and I could have done the outside ride and we wouldnt have gotten wet. Oh well, at least I got something in this morning.

The mental game

For years it was hard to convince me its more mental than physical but every since Ironman training and the race I am a believer. Probably because I have never been that fast and always felt like I couldnt push myself over that speed hump to get faster. Perhaps genetics arent in my favor, but regardless that doesnt mean someone cant do it.

Case and point, this morning I got up and the plan was 30min on the bike trainer then hop off and run for 30min. A small brick but at least an hour workout. I got off my bike, put my shoes and shorts on and walked outside to find the wind whipping up and not looking like conditions I wanted to run. My immediate reaction was forget this I will run later on the treadmill, and walked back inside. I was inside about 5min and got frustrated at my attitude. I thought what if this was race day, I couldnt just quit if I didnt like the conditions. At Ironman the currents were hard, the wind was there on the bike, and it was cold but I had to take what I was given. So I got my head back into it and headed out the door. And in true fashion it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be.

Our heads can always play games with us. It told me that it would be hard and not worth it. Its that little demon inside that sometimes keeps us from feeling any success. When I finished the run, I couldnt have been happier that I went ahead and did it. My workout for the day was done and I can focus on other things. So keep your head in the game and try to keep a positive thought. 8 times out of 10 its not as bad as your mind will make it out to be.

Time is flying and I gotta get focused

I cant believe today is March 1st already! I know we are still early in the year but this is the month that Tri season starts up again in full force. At least around here it does. Which tells me I gotta get more focused if I want to enjoy this season. I have been dabbling in training since Ironman because to be honest just got a little burned out during training. But with St. Anthonys only 9 weeks away, time to get on the horse again.

I think this weekend I may head out to the hills of Clermont again because after last weekend my legs felt pretty good and pumped after that ride. Climbing hills is like doing squats in the weight room but more fun and I dont think quite as hard on the knees. Now I am not saying I like climbing hills, just how I feel once I get to the top.

Anyway, happy March 1st and happy beginning of the season to all!

Some Hills and a pool time trial

Normally I take Sundays off of training but it was going to be a nice day out so me and 3 other friends decided to head out to Clermont for a afternoon ride. The intent was to try to get in at least 2 hours or around 35 or more miles. It didnt really work out that way. Not a big deal though as we all agreed this would be more of a fun ride than training. There is a bike trail in Central Florida called the West Orange Trail that takes you from one area of Orlando out to Clermont. Clermont used to be the home of the USAT National Training Center but USAT split from that agreement so now its just a REALLY nice facility called the National Training Center. Clermont has been a hotbed of triathlete training for years because of the lakes and hills.

Anyway there has recently been an extension of the West Orange Trail further into Clermont so we all decided to take it to see what it was like. It was very nice and also added some hills to our ride which I liked since I dont get alot of hill training around where I live. But once we got out further into Clermont I recognized where we were from some of the races out there so I diverted the group to a rather large climb. We decided after that climb to head back. We only got 25 miles in but we figured with the added hills and it being Sunday afternoon that was fine with us.

This morning Amy and I hit the pool for more of a "recovery" type swim as our legs were still feeling it from this weekend. But at the end of the swim I decided to go a quick 100 time trial. I was hoping to beat IronJenny's 1:09 but to no avail, she smoked me on the water. Best I could do at the end of the workout was a 1:15. Nothing wrong with a little competition :)

First run in a while

This morning I did my first run in probably 2 months. I warmed up good on my bike trainer for 20 min before I headed out for a short 20min run. Didnt want to pile up a longer run since its been a while. I have injured myself in the past by doing too much too fast. The first 8 to 10 minutes was a bit of a labor. I think after that my legs got into a better rhythm. My breathing was a little rough but I will chalk that up to lack of conditioning on the run. All in all I would say not too bad for my first day back. Good warm up, took it easy, and stretched good.

Think I am actually happy to be back on the road.

Running to commence on bad Plantar

Today after my Physical Therapy on my foot my friend Ed (my physical therapist) basically said it didnt seem like it was getting better anytime soon so there was really no point in taking any more time off. He just advised me to take it slow and be sure to warm up good and stretch alot.

Even the doctor I went to see a few weeks ago didnt really object to me running again. He basically said sometimes it will heal up in spite of what we do. He did tell me that he couldnt predict how long it would take to heal even if I took time off....could be months. Sorry Doc,,,,I dont have months. Already paid for races and cant flush money down the toilet. So I appreciate the advice and well wishing but its time to get back on the road.

Ahh,,,to live in Florida

You have to indulge me this time of year to hold my nose in the air a bit since I live in Florida. As I look at other parts of the country dealing with ice and snow and hearing about people spending most of their bike time on the indoor trainer because of weather I appreciate what Florida offers this time of year. I swam today,,,,,OUTDOORS! Thats right, February in the Orlando area gave us a beautiful 80 degree day today and instead of hitting the indoor pool I thought how novel to be in the swimming pool in February outdoors. It was great! I much prefer as I am sure many others do, to swim outdoors in the sunshine.

So to all my northern friends, dont get too mad,,,,afterall when you all are training in beautiful summer days, I am battling brutal heat and having to start runs at 4am just to avoid heatstroke in August. Thus is the reason I must crow this time of year,,,to live in the Sunshine State! Happy Training.

Today's Workout:
Swim 1500

The Mystique of Ironman

I could write for 2 hours on the mystique people seem to associate with doing an Ironman,,,bottom line is you just cant understand it until you have been there. I love the reactions I get when people find out I have done an Ironman since they usually view it as some unreachable goal. However there are a few things I like about the reactions the most,,,but most recently one in particular.

I had never done a marathon until I did Ironman. Conventional wisdom and thinking says that I should have done at least one marathon to know what I was in for prior to the race. But I didnt think conventional wisdom made any sense in this case. You see I looked at it very simplistically. If I train for and prepare for an Ironman, what difference does it make if I have ever done a marathon prior? My answer is it doesnt...and to be honest,,,,,it didnt make any difference.

I love the reaction I get from people when they ask me if I have ever done a marathon and I say yes, and then of course the follow up question is which one, to which I respond, Ironman Florida. It usually takes them a minute to register because they are trying to figure out which "Marathon" I am talking about. Then I get the big eyes and WOW factor. They cant believe that I had never done a marathon before I did Ironman. I am temped to never do one unless its in an Ironman,,,,but that probably will not happen.

So people ask what are some of the cool things about doing an Ironman....well one is definitely the reactions you get from others when they find out.

Today's Workout:
Swim - 1250 yds

Pretty Cool Huh?

Some of you may already have something like this but I think its pretty cool. I jumped on my handy design software and did up this MDot look to place on my computer desktop. I like it alot as it reminds me everyday of the Ironman. If you want it for your desktop, just let me know and I will send you the file.

No more time to wait

I have officially run out of time on my Plantar Faciitis. What I mean is I cannot take any more time off of running. I have tried and it is still there. I have to run now in spite of it. That means I am sure it will take forever to heal, but I have St. Anthony's coming up at the end of April and I am so far behind on my running its not even funny. Even though I bike and swim still, I am gaining weight which will make it all that much harder also getting back into the run.

At this point I am fairly resolved that St. Anthony's will just be a day to finish and hopefully legs will feel ok. Perhaps I will be better to focus on having a good race later in the season. But I will still have fun at St. Anthony's, it is a great race for anyone who has never been there.

Today was cold out so I rode my bike trainer for an hour this morning. Wasnt bad since the movie Rocky was on TV!

Good Swim today

Got in a really good swim this morning. Last night I put together a workout for Amy and I to swim this morning. The workout main set was using a 1:50 base/100m. I dont think Amy had done one like this before so I told her she needed to bring her watch. Just in case it was too fast for her I also had an alternative 2:00 base schedule that would allow a longer rest break. Well wouldnt you know it,,,as we jumped into the pool Amy "Forgot" her watch!!! Now its only a little crucial that you have this to effectively do the workout. She thought she could use the pool clock but as we looked at it we realized it was not working correctly.

Now of course I know it was an honest mistake that she forgot her watch but I have to give a little bit of a hard time about it. So the decision was made that she would stay with me as long as possible to use my watch and times. She did really well until we got to the 4th set and she started to tire. At that point she shifted to the 2:00 base times. But I was proud of her. Her swimming will continue to improve and I told her in the car as we left that she was going to be kicking her friends butts coming out of the water. Too bad you cant win a race on the swim :(

I also spent 20min on the elliptical today because I havent been running because of my Plantar issues. I hate that machine but I guess I need to be doing something to start getting my running fitness back.

Todays swim: 1,550yds
WU - 200 (50 swim/50 drill x 2)
MS - 150/250/350/250/150 on 1:50 base times
CD - 200 with pull buoy

DVD different than Television Broadcast

First let me say I am still a supporter of the Ironman brand. However I was very disappointed when I received my 2006 DVD copy of the world championship only to discover the background music in the video was completely changed from the NBC broadcast. Now you may think this is no big deal, but I say watch the NBC broadcast then stick then DVD in and you will understand. We have digital cable at our home so as I waited on my DVD to arrive I had watched the show probably about six times. Its motivating, keeps me in the mode to train to race. And I thought they did an awesome job with the production this year, the music was very inspiring and fit the competition.

Then I get my DVD and very excited to have it now commercial free, I stick it in only to hear what I would refer to as "stock music" in the background that was enough to put one to sleep. I have been around enough productions in my career to know what cheap sounds like and unfortunately that is what Ironman did in this case....they pretty much cheapened out. My biggest disappointment in them although was I thought I was buying what I saw on TV and its not. Its like hearing a song on the radio, then buying the CD and the song is different.

Ironman you are still good, but you botched this one!

Swimming with the G-friend

Yesterday afternoon Amy and I swam together. Last time we swam together she was with another friend in her lane so I was in my own lane. We shared a lane this time. One of the things I have learned about Amy is that sometimes she gets a "little" competitive. I noticed it the first time we ran together a while back, whenever I pulled just a hair ahead she would catch up to stay as even as possible or just a foot stroke ahead. I actually find it all kind of funny.

So in the pool she knows she is not going to beat me but it was great to see her push herself harder to keep up. And I gotta say she did a really good job. Ok, yes, I lapped her once but she kept pushing and when we got done with the workout she told me she thought it was good for her to swim with me because she pushes harder. I was happy to hear that because I want her to get better and feel like she is faster come race day because I know that would make her happy when she crosses the finish line.

Yesterdays Swim:
WU - 200 (50 swim/50 drill x 2)
MS - 300/400/300 w/1'break
CD - 150/pull buoy
Total= 1350 yds

Props to Desiree Ficker!

About a week ago I sent Desiree Ficker an email through her website on behalf of my girlfriend Amy. I sent it to Desiree because I read an article in Triathlete Mag that she mentioned she has wheat and gluten allergies. Amy, in the last year has discovered she also has the same type allergies, which many times makes it difficult to transition to eating very different. Amy is also training for her first Ironman 70.3 so nutrition will play a role in how her body responds. Honestly I didnt think we would get a response but I put Amy's email address for Desiree just in case.

This morning I received an excited thank you email from Amy as she forwarded Desiree's response. And best I could tell it was a personal response. It encouraged her for her training for the upcoming 70.3 and then Desiree went into telling Amy some good food options for her to consider. This is why Triathlon is so great in my opinion. Because even the Champions are part of us. I feel pretty confident had I sent that to a professional NBA, MLB, or NFL player their agent would have hit the delete key.

So props to you Desiree! Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to offer some encouragement and tips to help another aspiring triathlete along her way!

Riding in the rain is no fun

This morning I went out with some friends for a 30mile training ride. The weather was supposed to be cloudy but no rain until later. I told my friend that at 5:30am if I rolled over and heard rain I was out. I dont mind if once I am riding I get caught in some rain but I hate starting out in the rain. Well it took about 30min to drive to our starting point and about 5min out it started to rain. Holy Crap!!! you've gotta be kidding me.

Well since we were up already and all the way out there, and the rain slacked off by 7:30 we began the ride. That was the last time we were dry. The rains came down for pretty much 80 percent of the ride. On top of that it was in the 50's temperature. So we were cold and wet. My feet were so cold when we got done I took my socks off and they were red.

It wasnt entirely miserable, but I would prefer not to have to do that ride again in those conditions any time soon.

Remembering my first triathlon

I saw on another tri blog site someone answering some fun questions, and the first was recalling your first triathlon. I thought this was a good one because it helps all of us remember where we started, so I figured I would answer this as well.

My first triathlon was back in 1995 I think. I was still in graduate school and a few buddies thought it would be fun to try one. One was my roommate so his job was to get me out of bed in the morning for our runs, even back then I was the slowest runner in the group. The race was in Panama City, FL and it was a Sprint distance. I was so pumped that I got some of my family to come out for it. When we drove up and saw some of these other competitors I thought this could get interesting. All four of us were so green it was funny. I was the only one of my group that had aero bars on my old bike and they were bright yellow,,,the bike was red (I still have that bike). None of us had a clue. We looked around and saw others with these tubs of water and figured out what they were for. A friend's dad rushed home to his garage and grabbed some containers for us to put water in. The race was so disorganized that my friends and I just racked out bikes together to share a couple of tubs of water. We didnt even wear race numbers other than body marks.

Swim:
I think we were the only ones in baggy swim suits. Back then most guys were wearing Speedo type suits and all I thought was if thats what I have to wear for this sport, this will be my last race. Thankfully fashions evolved by the time I took up the sport again five years later. When I looked at the swim distance (1/4 mile) course I thought, oh crap, can I swim that far. The gun sounded and all the men went first, I was freaking out. I think after about 20 yards I was exhausted. I spent the rest of the swim doing every stroke and float imaginable just to get through it. I also couldnt believe all the women passing me in the water. Now of course that is no big deal to me anymore because that is just part of triathlon with everybody being mixed together. We got out of the water and had to run up the beach and a boardwalk to get to our bikes. I grabbed my bike shorts and pulled them on over my bathing suit,,,yep you read that correctly. Put my cycling shoes on, helmet, and took off.

Bike:
I honestly dont remember much about the bike except it was flat. And I caught up to my roommate that left on the bike before me. That part was fun because he was ultra competitive and hated being caught and passed.

Run:
Finished the bike and pulled off my cycling shorts to go for a run in my bathing suit. Put my shoes on and took off. This was the first time I had ever transitioned from a bike to run so my legs felt really weird as I had never done a brick workout. The run was hot and flat. And as usual I was slow so I felt like everyone was done except me. I got every bit of water on the course that I could.

Finish:
To this day I have no clue what my time or place was in the race except to know that I wasnt last. The race was so disorganized, that when I crossed the finish line I was handed a Popsicle stick with a number on it and told to go hand it to somebody. I did and that was it. I dont remember the number on the stick. Of my 4 buddies I finished last. Yes, my roommate caught me on the run (story of my racing life). But interestingly enough, I am the only one of the group that took up the sport again and progressed all the way to Ironman. So now that 1/4 swim doesnt seem so bad:)

New Years Still Makes for Crowded Gym

I screwed up on my schedule yesterday morning so I had to go do my swim about 7:30pm last night. When I walked into the gym I could tell that everyone's New Year's resolution to join a gym and work out was still at its peak. To me its more funny than bothersome. Afterall these people are not taking up pool lanes. They are all crowded into the gym with the weight and cardio machines. Usually the free weight area is pretty normal too. I remember a couple of years ago I overheard a gym employeed giving a tour to a prospective member and it was around November I think. I remember laughing because I overheard her saying to the prospect...."It will get crowded at the first of the year, but give it about 6 to 8 weeks and it will clear out and get normal again."

Funny yes, but at the same time sad. I think it speaks of how many people dont stick with their commitments anymore. Being in an active lifestyle takes commitment but it also helps to have some encouragement. So next time a friend of yours wants to lose weight and get in shape, encourage them and dont just roll your eyes, sometimes it takes a push in the right direction. And you never know maybe they will end up racing a triathlon with you one day!

Last nights swim - 1,000yds
300 WU with drills
500 MS free at 1:40 base/100
200 CD with pull buoy

My dream bike

Ok, not to show any lack of respect for my Klein because that trusty steed did get me through my first Ironman, but the other day I saw this bike in a local bike shop and I stood there drooling for a few minutes. There are those times that I wish I had the money to burn to have a tri bike and a road bike. Currently I have a Klein Quantum Race road bike that is converted for triathlon. But as I saw this Specialized on display with its wheels, shiny cool red and black paint job and overall sleek design, I couldnt help but to picture myself on this flying down the road. The only thing I would have to change on it is the aero bars. They are a new single bar design which I dont like and wouldnt be able to use my aero bottle on, but no matter, I wont be bringing this one home anytime soon. But always ok to look!

Some things are more important than training

I didnt do any training yesterday. I planned on going to the pool late yesterday afternoon. But early afternoon I found out a friend of mine was sent into surgery at the hospital for a minor but needed procedure that if not taken care of could have caused a very serious internal infection with major organs. I decided it was more important to go visit her and spend some time at the hospital instead of training.

So I called another mutual friend and we went over and spent a couple of hours with her in the hospital room just talking and joking about stuff. I remembered what it was like years ago when I was hospitalized and how much it meant to have friends stop by. So I didnt get my swim in,,,big deal. Sometimes there are things more important than swimming biking or running, and I spent an hour on my bike this morning so I really dont think I lost all that much by not swimming yesterday:)

Taking time off plays with your head

Taking time off truly plays with the head of a triathlete. Its pretty simple really we all feel like we are losing our edge, losing fitness, which in some cases may be true but it gets to the point of ridiculous how much we worry about it. Yes sometimes its hard to start over building your base, and yes it can be demoralizing when you think, hey I just did an Ironman less than 12 weeks ago and now its a labor to run 3 miles.

But ultimately its not that big a deal to have to take some time off. It lets pains heal up, lets you get back in touch with other people in your life as well as just letting you have a deeper appreciation of the work you put into your training. Burn out can be a pretty serious thing for athletes and you need to be careful not to get to that point. When you cant find a little fun in what you are doing I think its time to take a break. So for all those that have had to take some time off of training, keep your chin up, its only temporary and eventually you will be back in the saddle.

Legs feeling a bit wobbly

I have taken too much time off of running as a result of the plantar issues and some knee issues as well. So I may as well be starting from scratch. I ran for the first time on the roads yesterday in a month and it was a very short 20 min run just to see how my legs and foot would feel. My legs felt ok, but my foot pain is still there. As I stated in an earlier post, this plantar faciitis stuff really sucks!

At this point I am resolved to just start building my running back and deal with the plantar issue and try to heal it up best that I can as I train. Thankfully I am not planning any Ironmans this year. I was hoping however to become a little more competitive in my running in 2007 but it may look like just a year of participating in racing much like I have done in the past.

Pro Sports and Triathlon

Last night as I watched the Indianapolis Colts overtake the Patriots to advance to the Super Bowl, I couldn't help but to feel good for Peyton Manning who has taken so much criticism for not being able to get his team to the big one. But at the same time it reminded me why I have become so disenchanted with big time professional sports thus increasing my appreciation for sports like triathlon and those that compete in triathlon. As I watched the game come to an end it occurred to me that somebody was missing. Yes, that would be the former running back for the Colts, Edgerrin James. A very talented back, that is now sitting at home, after playing for a losing team, watching his former team play in the Super Bowl because he went for the big time paycheck. Its attitudes like this that are killing pro sports and actually make me marvel at a team like the Patriots who have managed to hold the talent together for so many years.

But you don't really see this in a sport like Triathlon. This is not to say that triathlon doesn't have its own troubles. We cant forget some have been caught doping and that can put a black eye on the sport. But ultimately most people in the sport are there for the pure enjoyment and accomplishment that comes from working hard to achieve a goal. Even if you take the top elites in the sport, they are not signing multi-million dollar contracts and then whining because they deserve more money. You don't see the second string athletes in Triathlon making league minimums of 6 figures just because they are on the team.

In the sport of Triathlon I can stand on the same starting line as the elites, I can walk through an expo and stop and say hello to a world champion. I can even pass a former world champion in a race, yeah that happened. Oh yeah actually she (Karen Smyers) was finishing the run as I was starting,,,,,but I still passed her,,,just going in opposite directions :) The bottom line is sports like triathlon are still for the rest of us and not put out of reach. Although I watch pro sports sometimes on TV I am just not a fan anymore.

I really could have cared less who won last night. And to be honest I couldn't have told you who was even in the playoffs except for hearing about it in the news. Thats how much I keep up with big time pro sports anymore. And you wont catch me paying their ticket prices to attend.

But if you ask, I can tell you the last 5 Ironman World Champions.

Great Commercial!!!!

Triathlon Start - Funny!

Add to My Profile | More Videos

First Real Swim Since Ironman

Now I have been in the pool a couple of times since Ironman but just for very casual swims to remind myself of my technique. But today was the first day I felt like I really did a good workout for my "first time back" swim. Today's workout was as follows:

WU: 300 as 100x3, 50 swim 50 drill.
MS: 500 build with negative 100 splits
CD: 200 swim with pull buoy

I have to say other than feeling it a little in my muscles if you get down proper technique in your swim its easy to bounce back from being out of the water for a while. All the more reason to focus on technique and form more than speed. Once you get the technique down it becomes easier to work on your speed.

Plantar Faciitis Sux

I have finally gotten tired of dealing with my plantar issues. Most of last year during Ironman training I struggled with Plantar Faciitis. Most athletes that do some sort of running are familiar with the condition. It is an inflammation of the tough fibrous band of tissue (fascia) connecting your heel bone to the base of your toes. After dealing with the pain for so long I am trying to be proactive to get rid of it. I am seeing a physical therapy friend at ProFromPT to get some ultrasound and deep tissue massage on it, but I am also trying to take some time off of running. I am trying pool running for the first time to still try to get some running in as I have heard that is the next best alternative if you have to take time off. I have St. Anthony's triathlon in April so I dont have the luxury of taking too much time off if I want to race. For those that may stuggle with this condition here are a few tips.



1. Take some time off.
2. Stretch your calf muscles really well.
3. Roll your foot on some sort of ball (like golf or tennis) to massage the tissue to loosen it up.
4. Apply some ice but also some heat to loosen the tissue up for stretching.
5. Anti-inflammatory medicine.

I'm Back!!

Well its a new year and I am officially an Ironman for life! On November 4 2006 I completed a 15 year dream of doing an Ironman. I finished the Ironman Florida in Panama City Beach in 13hrs, 15min and 43sec. I had another blog that I used for tracking my training in 2006 but left that blog name and went to a new name and look post Ironman. So I will do my best to stay on top of the Triathlon world and my training posting now and again for those that are interested in 2007.

I think it will be a light year for me. Right now I am only planning on doing 3 international distance races. St. Anthony's in April, Disney in September, and another one if I can find a good one in the Southeast hopefully somewhere in the middle of Summer. I may mix in a few road races like 5k and 10k's but overall a pretty light year compared to 2006. Last year was a long road of Ironman Florida 70.3 (debacle), Disney Inernational Distance, then capping the year off with Ironman Florida in November. That all adds up to a ton of training time last year and I just am not up for that much this year. Maybe 2008 I will look at possibly doing a second Iron distance event.