I suck at getting out of bed. Maybe it's because I am training and I'm tired. Or maybe it's because I am a lazy ass. The one thing that does get me out of bed is Pain. If I tell her I will be at her workout in the morning you better believe I will be there. I have had some days where I ended up sleeping in and I felt soooo bad for not getting out of bed. She just has to give me that look of disappointment and I am crushed for a few days. It's worse than getting scissor kicked in the back of the head or being attacked by a cougar named Karen.
So moving along.......
Rolled out bed this morning, stopped by Starbucks for Pain's coffee and made it to the spin workout @ 6:00 a.m. I have not been on the bike in 3 weeks but I felt ok. I just kept thinking to myself, "just finish this workout and you'll have a full 24 hours off from training." Yes.... this is how I think.
After work I coached the T3 track workout and it was most enjoyable. Big shout out to Riggs for dropping the hammer on Mo. She crushed him and the entire time she had a smile. Nicely done..... now all we need to do is work on some pacing for the girl. :)
Another early morning tomorrow. Swim @ 5:45 a.m.. Massage @ 9:45. HOL repeats @ 5:30. I am stoked for the repeats this week. I am up to 5. We'll see how that goes.
I spent 47:02 on the phone with Pain this evening and while I did that I ate a 1/2 pint of Ben and Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream. It's 350 calories per serving!!!!!! No wonder I'm not loosing weight.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Not a morning person this week
Today was the second day in a row that I decided to skip core class and sleep in. I'm motivated to go but just tired @ 5:00 in the morning. I'm going to try and get to Pain's spin workout in the a.m. Just the thought of missing her workout when she knows I said I would be there scares me. I'll make it!
Today was a solid run for me. No land speed records were set but I am not about speed right now. It's about building strength and power in my legs so that the hills of Bandera won't kill me. So that is why I run hills all the damn time now. I hope this pays off. So after work I drove over to the PTC and started there. I ran down to the trail via Dawson/5th St and headed West on the South side of the river. Once @ the 1 mi marker I cut under the bridge and ran to Barton Hills Loop and onto Wilke. It was a nice 4.5 mi warm up with hills involved. Once to Wilke I did my 5 repeats that I didn't finish yesterday. The one BIG thing I did differently today is that I only rested once in between repeats. I just kept rolling into the next one. I really enjoyed that and I'll make that part of the next Wilke workout for the team. When I finished I ran back to the PTC and that got me about 7.5 miles. I was pleased with this workout and will do it again next month or so.
Things in general:
-I have seen Fish more in the past 4 weeks than I have in the past 4 years. Everywhere!!!!! It's always a pleasure but it's really weird.
- I can't stand people who try and one up another person. If you are one of these people.....get a f'ing life.
- My little sister has taken up aqua jogging @ the Y. April..... you are a better person than I because I could never do that. I would loose my mind! Keep it up..... it will only make you stronger and healthier.
Oh................... Beer Mile will be the Saturday after T-Day @ Circle C Metropolitan Park. 4:00 p.m. Bring your own beverage and I'll supply the course. No GLASS!
Today was a solid run for me. No land speed records were set but I am not about speed right now. It's about building strength and power in my legs so that the hills of Bandera won't kill me. So that is why I run hills all the damn time now. I hope this pays off. So after work I drove over to the PTC and started there. I ran down to the trail via Dawson/5th St and headed West on the South side of the river. Once @ the 1 mi marker I cut under the bridge and ran to Barton Hills Loop and onto Wilke. It was a nice 4.5 mi warm up with hills involved. Once to Wilke I did my 5 repeats that I didn't finish yesterday. The one BIG thing I did differently today is that I only rested once in between repeats. I just kept rolling into the next one. I really enjoyed that and I'll make that part of the next Wilke workout for the team. When I finished I ran back to the PTC and that got me about 7.5 miles. I was pleased with this workout and will do it again next month or so.
Things in general:
-I have seen Fish more in the past 4 weeks than I have in the past 4 years. Everywhere!!!!! It's always a pleasure but it's really weird.
- I can't stand people who try and one up another person. If you are one of these people.....get a f'ing life.
- My little sister has taken up aqua jogging @ the Y. April..... you are a better person than I because I could never do that. I would loose my mind! Keep it up..... it will only make you stronger and healthier.
Oh................... Beer Mile will be the Saturday after T-Day @ Circle C Metropolitan Park. 4:00 p.m. Bring your own beverage and I'll supply the course. No GLASS!
Monday, September 28, 2009
New and not so new.
So as you can see my shoes are a little dirty. Can you believe that working out can actually make them dirty? Go figure!! I picked up a new pair of Avi Stoltz trail running shoes by Avia over at Hill Country Running Company this past weekend. The store is owned and operated by my friends Jamie Cleveland and Andrea Fisher. I had not been there before and I thought the store looked great with plenty in stock and there was this warm feeling there. It's hard to explain but I really felt welcomed. I think the place was very homey in a runner sort of way.
I usually put anywhere from 250 and 300 miles on a pair of running shoes. I am not sure if this will work for trail running shoes as the pair on the bottom are already showing signs of wear. I'm pretty sure that's because of HOL repeats and the lack of traction there. I have to be careful as these types of shoes run $120 bucks a pop.
Tonight was the Monday night hill workout. I had the group do Wilke repeats. I did some of the workout with them and I ended up doing 5 repeats. I planned on doing 10 but my legs were tight and didn't have the pep I hoped they would have had. I plan on running after work tomorrow so I'll plan on running by Wilke during my run and kick out the other 5 repeats. I wouldn't want to cheat myself.
The ups and down me and IT.
The ups: I posted my first video Thurs. on Youtube.
The downs: My 2nd video I posted on Youtube never worked and I tried all freaking day Sat. trying to get it to work. I really dislike technology!
So I has this really great post from Sat. and it was deleted when i tried to upload a video this this damn blog. WTF!!!!! This shit should be easy but no such luck for me.
Here's my training from the weekend.
Sat. I ran with Syd on the GB for an hour in and an hour out. Once I dropped her off at her car I went back in for another 20 minutes in and out. Towards the end of the run I was tired. I then soaked in the free end of Barton Springs. It lasted about 3 minutes and then I saw 2 snakes. So I screamed like a little girl, grew wings like a Pixie and walked on water like a god. It made for a good laugh.
Sunday I ran 14 miles with Jess. She's doing Chicago in a couple of weeks and she is going to kick ass. The run was good but it did start to get a little warm towards the end. We averaged about an 8:35 pace. I felt strong the entire run and that was a bit of a surprise to me. The rest of the day I spent cleaning 5 bikes, talking/texting with Pain and grocery shopping. My life is sooooo exciting.
I received some cool news this morning. My good friend Sebastian is doing the 50k @ Bandera as well. He's training with Rogue and I think this is awesome. It's good to have him back out training again.
The downs: My 2nd video I posted on Youtube never worked and I tried all freaking day Sat. trying to get it to work. I really dislike technology!
So I has this really great post from Sat. and it was deleted when i tried to upload a video this this damn blog. WTF!!!!! This shit should be easy but no such luck for me.
Here's my training from the weekend.
Sat. I ran with Syd on the GB for an hour in and an hour out. Once I dropped her off at her car I went back in for another 20 minutes in and out. Towards the end of the run I was tired. I then soaked in the free end of Barton Springs. It lasted about 3 minutes and then I saw 2 snakes. So I screamed like a little girl, grew wings like a Pixie and walked on water like a god. It made for a good laugh.
Sunday I ran 14 miles with Jess. She's doing Chicago in a couple of weeks and she is going to kick ass. The run was good but it did start to get a little warm towards the end. We averaged about an 8:35 pace. I felt strong the entire run and that was a bit of a surprise to me. The rest of the day I spent cleaning 5 bikes, talking/texting with Pain and grocery shopping. My life is sooooo exciting.
I received some cool news this morning. My good friend Sebastian is doing the 50k @ Bandera as well. He's training with Rogue and I think this is awesome. It's good to have him back out training again.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Hill of Lifw video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYMmDRqUqCE
The video feature for the blog was taking too long so I uploaded it to Youtube.
Didn't workout today.
In the morning I have a 2.5 hour run on the GB. Gonna be a good morning.
The video feature for the blog was taking too long so I uploaded it to Youtube.
Didn't workout today.
In the morning I have a 2.5 hour run on the GB. Gonna be a good morning.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Show and tell day
I was able to get out of bed this morning with plenty of time to make it to core class. Living 4 minutes from the PTC helps out a lot! Tasha did her duty and put me through some pain. Opre and Landon were there this morning so I had some good laughs with them. Opre was telling me how he had some stripper lotion on and he wanted me to smell it. No way dirty old man!!!!
After work today I drove over to the HOL. Changed quickly in the X and jumped on the trail. It had rained all day here so I wasn't too sure what to expect. Well the gate was locked so that should have been my first clue. Never the one to obey a locked gate I jumped the fence, put down my water and started running. In order to do this workout from where I enter I actually have to go down the HOL first before I get to the trail. So I more like walked down the HOL first. Once at the bottom I jumped on the Greenbelt and ran 5 minutes out and 5 minutes back. That was my warm up. I was pretty cautious my first couple of repeats today because there wasn't much traction with the wet rocks. Going down was a little hairy and my foot slipped a couple of times but I managed to stay balanced and never did fall.
I did 4 repeats today. 4 up and 4 down. I could have only done 3 down but Jess called me out on not doing the same amount for up and down. I wouldn't want to upset my educational wonder!!!
Here are my times:
Up: 5:31, 5:31, 5:35, 5:24
Down: 4:28, 4:27, 3:59, 4:10
The 3:59 was a cool one. I found myself in a good grove and my timing was on. Finding the right spots to run came easy and I was picking up my feet. I felt really good and wasn't too concerned with the wet rocks.
After my 3rd repeat I met up with a lady named Nancy who was just out for a nice trail run with her dog. We talked for a few minutes while I explained that I'm not rude I just won't shake her hand because I don't want to catch the flu. Is that rude? I'm not thinking so if you explain yourself. She was a multi time Ironman finisher who was taking the year off and had actually done the swim clinic 4 years ago with T3. Small world.
More pics posted of the HOL and GB. I also took some video so we'll see how that turned out.
I am still working on getting photos in the right place. My skills lack in that dept.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Let it rain
It rained all day today and it was awesome!!! We are in such need of rain that I stopped caring about when it rains just as long as it rains. Today was bit odd with that it was raining and 60 degrees @ 6:00 p.m. today. I'm surprised that the city offices didn't shut down. But it did make for small track workout this evening. Only 6 people showed up. The pic posted shows Noah, Jess and Geeeeee-um warming up.
My workouts today almost didn't happen. I didn't get out of bed this morning. Somehow I convinced myself at 5:30 a.m. that I didn't need to ride because I am not tri training right now. My mind is my worst enemy in the wee hours of the morning. At lunch today I actually went to Courtyard for a swim. Now it was only 30 minutes and I totally sucked but at least I got into the pool. The pool water was off the chain today. Wayyyyyy too much chlorine. I mean my teeth are whiter now but I'd like to leave that to the dentist.
So in the morning I am expecting myself to get my ass out of bed @ 5 so I can make it to core by 5:30. After work it will be HOL/HOD repeats. I am working up to for this week so we'll see how that goes. I plan on bringing my camera to take some pics of what it looks like. I hope I remember the damn thing.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tools of the trade
So I am not a gifted athlete. I don't have the genetics or the body to go out and crush every workout and dominate at every race. I consider myself a blue collar athlete. I work my ass off for results that work for me and I don't give a shit what other people think about my race times. If you are faster than me then fine, if you gloat about it you're a jerkoff. So I need all the help I can get and that is why I use the hell out of my TP massage kit. The thing I use the most is the small roller and the block thingy for my calves. God blessed me with ankles that don't move and calves that are the tightest in the history of man. The TP stuff totally helps with my tight calves and I try to roll them once a day like in the above pic. It saves me trips to Performance Wellness and ut feels kinda good once I hit the right spot. You can check out TP massage @ http://www.tptherapy.com/ and Performance Wellness @ http://www.performance-inc.net/
Training:
I woke up this morning @ 5:20 to moderate rain so I sent a text to Pain saying I wasn't headed to the pool and I got an extra hour of sleep. I didn't need it but it was nice to have it. I guess only 2 people showed up for the swim this morning so I don't feel too bad for missing it.
After work today I did something I don't normally do. I ran....... about 11 miles! I set out to run 90 minutes and that's what I did. 1:29:12. That's 90 minutes in my book. I didn't kill myself for 2 reasons. 1- Trail running isn't so much about speed a it is balance and power. 2- It was a training run so I used it to build strength and to work on my aerobic base. Basically it was to help me loose some weight. But it worked and I was pleased with how I felt afterwards. The temps here in Austin today were a high of about 75. Beautiful day with lots of rain. I love running in the rain so bring on all the rain we can handle.
Business:
I booked an announcing gig for October today. I think I may be taking this trail running thing a little too serious. Instead of being paid cash I made a deal with the race director for trail running shoes instead of being actually paid. I did this for a couple of reasons. The RD is a friend and I really didn't want to charge them my normal rate and she also happens to own a running shoe store that carries the type of shoes that I run in. I figured it was a good deal for both of us.
Motivation:
I found this vid on this new website called Youtube.... maybe you've heard of it. Anyways, this is a great vid on training for an IM. I thought it was awesome that this girl had this done and the fact that she was running on a snow covered road totally rocked!! You want balance...., go run on ice and snow and see how that works for you.
Monday, September 21, 2009
At work so this has to be short
Yesterday I ran the Town Lake trail for about 1:30. Actually a bit less than that but I stopped my watch at the water stop and forgot to start it again. So it was about 10 miles. I ran the first loop with T-rav and 2 new folks. Everyone kept up and the new folks seemed to enjoy themselves. I was using this as a recovery run so no hard stuff. Plus my toe was bothering me from the fall on Sat.
This morning I jumped out of bed and realized my toe was pretty much f'ed. It's swollen and turned all different colors. Yeah it hurt but what the hell am I going to do? I will not stop training and there isn't much you can do for a toe so I sucked it up and headed to core class with Tasha.
It was freaking humid this morning because I was sweating after about 1 minute. There have been some small improvements in the strength dept. but still a long ways to go.
This morning I jumped out of bed and realized my toe was pretty much f'ed. It's swollen and turned all different colors. Yeah it hurt but what the hell am I going to do? I will not stop training and there isn't much you can do for a toe so I sucked it up and headed to core class with Tasha.
It was freaking humid this morning because I was sweating after about 1 minute. There have been some small improvements in the strength dept. but still a long ways to go.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Hitting the trails
Yesterday I woke up a bit early and headed to Natasha's core class. Of course she killed me but I'm pretty sure I'm stronger because of it.
This morning I woke up just as early to meet Sydney for a trail run on the Greenbelt. Well 6:00 came and no Syd. After a quick text message and then a phone call she reviled that she over slept and would be there by 6:30. At 6:36 we took off in the dark for a quick 20 minute out and back run. She had to be at work by 8 so we had to cut it short. We turned on our headlamps and were off. It was a good run but way too short. Once back to the cars she took off and I reloaded some water and a Carboom to take off for a 40 minute out and back. About 6 minutes into the run I drove my toe into a rock I didn't see (it's daylight by now) and took a spill. I collected myself and inspected the damage. Nothing broken but my toe does hurt and look......awh shit.... my water bottle top came off and all my water was gone. I gathered myself and headed back to the X to reload. I filled up with water I had left in the X and headed back out onto the trail. Instead of a 40 minute it turned into a 33 minute out and back. I haven't run the GB in a long time so I wasn't exactly sure where to go but I surprised myself and kept to the trail without any detours. I went pretty slow and I was running low on water so I was suffering a bit. But I did manage to make it back to the X @ Barton Springs.
It was too late to get into the springs for free so I went to the overflow side and sat down in the water there. I watched some guy throw the ball for his dog about 50 times. That damn dog went apeshit everytime the guy threw the ball. It was fun to watch. After a quick soak I ran into Paladino who just ran 15 miles. Thatta boy Johnny. He told me my old running crew was headed to Dario's for breakfast. I hadn't been to breakfast with the Ship in a long time so I drove to the east side and found Dario's. I sat down right next to Al and he was in form this morning. Man the guy cracks me up with all the shit he talks. I had 2 cokes and miga's. Mmmmmmm good!!!! The miga's were ok. I have had better and cheaper. $9 bucks for miga's and a coke!!!!! But the company was worth the price I guess.
After Dario's I made my way to Rogue Running and bought a new head lamp. The one I bought yesterday from RunTex sucked. And I also purchased a new running water bottle. I saw 2 people on the trail this morning running with 2 bottles so I thought I would give that a try.
Running and tri's are very much a like. One thing is that you experiment all the time with different things such as nutrition, running shoes and accessories. So I'm gonna try the 2 bottle theory and see how that goes. Thanks to Syd who works @ Rogue for the hook up today. They didn't have any lights out front because they have been broken into twice in the past 10 days so she found one out back for me. It's the same as hers and I thought hers was pretty bright this morning.
So overall I ran 2 hours on the GB today with a 10 minute BS soak. Hopefully next week I'll stay on my feet more and I'll get my nutrition down a bit better. I didn't feel very good after I fell but I managed to push through and finish up instead of turning back early.
This morning I woke up just as early to meet Sydney for a trail run on the Greenbelt. Well 6:00 came and no Syd. After a quick text message and then a phone call she reviled that she over slept and would be there by 6:30. At 6:36 we took off in the dark for a quick 20 minute out and back run. She had to be at work by 8 so we had to cut it short. We turned on our headlamps and were off. It was a good run but way too short. Once back to the cars she took off and I reloaded some water and a Carboom to take off for a 40 minute out and back. About 6 minutes into the run I drove my toe into a rock I didn't see (it's daylight by now) and took a spill. I collected myself and inspected the damage. Nothing broken but my toe does hurt and look......awh shit.... my water bottle top came off and all my water was gone. I gathered myself and headed back to the X to reload. I filled up with water I had left in the X and headed back out onto the trail. Instead of a 40 minute it turned into a 33 minute out and back. I haven't run the GB in a long time so I wasn't exactly sure where to go but I surprised myself and kept to the trail without any detours. I went pretty slow and I was running low on water so I was suffering a bit. But I did manage to make it back to the X @ Barton Springs.
It was too late to get into the springs for free so I went to the overflow side and sat down in the water there. I watched some guy throw the ball for his dog about 50 times. That damn dog went apeshit everytime the guy threw the ball. It was fun to watch. After a quick soak I ran into Paladino who just ran 15 miles. Thatta boy Johnny. He told me my old running crew was headed to Dario's for breakfast. I hadn't been to breakfast with the Ship in a long time so I drove to the east side and found Dario's. I sat down right next to Al and he was in form this morning. Man the guy cracks me up with all the shit he talks. I had 2 cokes and miga's. Mmmmmmm good!!!! The miga's were ok. I have had better and cheaper. $9 bucks for miga's and a coke!!!!! But the company was worth the price I guess.
After Dario's I made my way to Rogue Running and bought a new head lamp. The one I bought yesterday from RunTex sucked. And I also purchased a new running water bottle. I saw 2 people on the trail this morning running with 2 bottles so I thought I would give that a try.
Running and tri's are very much a like. One thing is that you experiment all the time with different things such as nutrition, running shoes and accessories. So I'm gonna try the 2 bottle theory and see how that goes. Thanks to Syd who works @ Rogue for the hook up today. They didn't have any lights out front because they have been broken into twice in the past 10 days so she found one out back for me. It's the same as hers and I thought hers was pretty bright this morning.
So overall I ran 2 hours on the GB today with a 10 minute BS soak. Hopefully next week I'll stay on my feet more and I'll get my nutrition down a bit better. I didn't feel very good after I fell but I managed to push through and finish up instead of turning back early.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Life, death and knuckleheads
Where to start today....... hmmmmmmm. Let's get the crap out of the way first.
Today was the first time I have ever been banned from a website. Beginnertriathlete.com banned me because..... well I'm not really sure. I replied to the knucklehead that posted about the size of the bags @ Longhorn. I just couldn't let that go unanswered. Anyone dumb enough to post a question like that needs to be told.... you're an idiot. Here's my post and the replies I received.
You gotta be kidding
Posted 2009-09-17 10:02 AM (#2411529 - in reply to #2015261) Subject: RE: Longhorn Ironman 70.3: ARENA FINISH!!!!
New userPosts: 1Offline
"OK, I know I'm being OCD here, but do you have dimensions on the bags?"This could possibly be the dumbest thing I have ever heard.It seems to me that KEJ spoils you folks with all that is done at his races and all you can do is ask for more and more. Why don't you just enjoy what is given to you and go with that? I am a triathlete and I can hold my own out there. I never ask for more than what is given and I love the sport. It's people that ask questions like "is T1 going to be in the dirt/grass like The Couple's Tri, or will T1 be in the parking lot/boat launch area?" that boggle my mind. It's gonna be a transition area!!!!! Doesn't matter if it's in a parking lot, on the grass with burrs or on a lava field. You make do with what you are given. Seriously..... You sound like a bunch of whiney bit@ches.Edited by You gotta be kidding 2009-09-17 10:14 AM
JBrashear
Posted 2009-09-17 10:15 AM (#2411567 - in reply to #2411529) Subject: RE: Longhorn Ironman 70.3: ARENA FINISH!!!!
ElitePosts: 2786Offline
Gold member
You gotta be kidding - 2009-09-17 10:02 AM "OK, I know I'm being OCD here, but do you have dimensions on the bags?"This could possibly be the dumbest thing I have ever heard.Yea, why would we possibly want to know the size of the bags as we're preparing for a race we've been training towards for a year? How would that possibly be relevant when trying to prep for what you're bringing into a clean transition area when you've been to an IM and seen that the bags they used were nowhere near large enough to hold a wetsuit? Next thing you know, people might be asking about aid stations & swim waves, how f*cking crazy would that be? What kind of lunatic would ask such an irrelevant, imbecilic question? @$$hole.
dgunthert
Posted 2009-09-17 10:38 AM (#2411630 - in reply to #2411529) Subject: RE: Longhorn Ironman 70.3: ARENA FINISH!!!!
MasterPosts: 2161Location: Austin, TXOnline
Gold member
Wow...really brave to create a brand new account just to make this post. That took some real guts. Guess the irony of whining about people being whiny bi@tches from behind an anonymous post is lost on you? ETA: Marma? Ron? How about a ban for the account and maybe the gutless wonder that created it so they didn't have to use their real one?Edited by dgunthert 2009-09-17 10:43 AM------ Dennis You wonder why I exercise so much. I wonder why you don't.
GregInAustin
Posted 2009-09-17 11:26 AM (#2411778 - in reply to #2411529) Subject: RE: Longhorn Ironman 70.3: ARENA FINISH!!!!
MemberPosts: 39Online
You gotta be kidding - 2009-09-17 10:02 AM Seriously..... You sound like a bunch of whiney bit@ches.Seriously, you sound like a complete jerk. Please let me know what your bib number is going to be for the Half Ironman, so I can say, "Goodbye!" as I pass you.To answer one of my own questions, I see now the updated map for the T1 area is the same place. I can handle the longer run, the rocks and the burrs no problem. Its just nice to know what to expect ahead of time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I replied but they took out all my posts and kicked me off the site. I'm not worked up over it. I understand that the admins of the site have a job to do and that's cool. Hell, BT.com is a great site and I think it holds a bunch of good information. BUT......... there has to be someone who isn't going to blow smoke up peoples asses. You ask a dumb question you are going to get a dumb answer. Enough of babying athletes. Some tri folks have this feeling of "entitlement" and that they are owed more every time they race. These are the people that have never done an honest days work in their lives. Never cut wood, weeded a garden, built a shed or looked at something that is broken and said, "Hey I think I can fix that." The have been babied long enough and if it takes me posting the truth then so be it. I got their panties all in a bunch and I got a good laugh out of it.
One thing I do remember from my post that they deleted was this. "so I can say, "Goodbye!" as I pass you"...... hahahahahahahahah. Thanks for the laugh.
I'm pretty sure that pissed someone off. lol
Now onto training.
Today I started my weekly Hill of Life and Hill of Death repeats. The HOL is a hill located off of 360 here in Austin. It's about a 1/2 mile long and it's all trail. I would have to say that on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most difficult, this is a solid 9 for technical difficulty. This sucker is a killer. It's mostly large loose rock and about 10 - 15 feet wide. There is no direct path up so you do a lot of zigging and zagging while you make it up as you go along. I'd say it's about a 7 -10% grade all the way up with no flats for recovery.
The HOD is the HOL but going down. Meredith suggested that I work the downhills as well as the uphills. Going down is a trip. You have to be careful that you don't get going so fast that you can't control yourself. There is a good chance of falling so that's why it's called the HOD.
Doing these repeats will make me a monster hill runner. There really isn't a way to pace yourself going up so it's just grinding it out.
Here are my times from today. I did 3 HOL's and 2 HOD's.
HOL's: 5:34, 5:23, 5:18
HOD's: 4:03, 4:09
Overall I really enjoyed myself. No one to run around as it was just me out there. I kinda like it that way sometimes when the only one pushing you is you. I think it makes me mentally tougher since trail running has a lot of alone time.
I slept in this morning so I missed core but I there is a class tomorrow morning and I plan on getting to that. Maybe next week I'll bring my GPS and camera to the HOL and take some pics and get some elevation so you folks can see what I am dealing with.
Today was the first time I have ever been banned from a website. Beginnertriathlete.com banned me because..... well I'm not really sure. I replied to the knucklehead that posted about the size of the bags @ Longhorn. I just couldn't let that go unanswered. Anyone dumb enough to post a question like that needs to be told.... you're an idiot. Here's my post and the replies I received.
You gotta be kidding
Posted 2009-09-17 10:02 AM (#2411529 - in reply to #2015261) Subject: RE: Longhorn Ironman 70.3: ARENA FINISH!!!!
New userPosts: 1Offline
"OK, I know I'm being OCD here, but do you have dimensions on the bags?"This could possibly be the dumbest thing I have ever heard.It seems to me that KEJ spoils you folks with all that is done at his races and all you can do is ask for more and more. Why don't you just enjoy what is given to you and go with that? I am a triathlete and I can hold my own out there. I never ask for more than what is given and I love the sport. It's people that ask questions like "is T1 going to be in the dirt/grass like The Couple's Tri, or will T1 be in the parking lot/boat launch area?" that boggle my mind. It's gonna be a transition area!!!!! Doesn't matter if it's in a parking lot, on the grass with burrs or on a lava field. You make do with what you are given. Seriously..... You sound like a bunch of whiney bit@ches.Edited by You gotta be kidding 2009-09-17 10:14 AM
JBrashear
Posted 2009-09-17 10:15 AM (#2411567 - in reply to #2411529) Subject: RE: Longhorn Ironman 70.3: ARENA FINISH!!!!
ElitePosts: 2786Offline
Gold member
You gotta be kidding - 2009-09-17 10:02 AM "OK, I know I'm being OCD here, but do you have dimensions on the bags?"This could possibly be the dumbest thing I have ever heard.Yea, why would we possibly want to know the size of the bags as we're preparing for a race we've been training towards for a year? How would that possibly be relevant when trying to prep for what you're bringing into a clean transition area when you've been to an IM and seen that the bags they used were nowhere near large enough to hold a wetsuit? Next thing you know, people might be asking about aid stations & swim waves, how f*cking crazy would that be? What kind of lunatic would ask such an irrelevant, imbecilic question? @$$hole.
dgunthert
Posted 2009-09-17 10:38 AM (#2411630 - in reply to #2411529) Subject: RE: Longhorn Ironman 70.3: ARENA FINISH!!!!
MasterPosts: 2161Location: Austin, TXOnline
Gold member
Wow...really brave to create a brand new account just to make this post. That took some real guts. Guess the irony of whining about people being whiny bi@tches from behind an anonymous post is lost on you? ETA: Marma? Ron? How about a ban for the account and maybe the gutless wonder that created it so they didn't have to use their real one?Edited by dgunthert 2009-09-17 10:43 AM------ Dennis You wonder why I exercise so much. I wonder why you don't.
GregInAustin
Posted 2009-09-17 11:26 AM (#2411778 - in reply to #2411529) Subject: RE: Longhorn Ironman 70.3: ARENA FINISH!!!!
MemberPosts: 39Online
You gotta be kidding - 2009-09-17 10:02 AM Seriously..... You sound like a bunch of whiney bit@ches.Seriously, you sound like a complete jerk. Please let me know what your bib number is going to be for the Half Ironman, so I can say, "Goodbye!" as I pass you.To answer one of my own questions, I see now the updated map for the T1 area is the same place. I can handle the longer run, the rocks and the burrs no problem. Its just nice to know what to expect ahead of time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I replied but they took out all my posts and kicked me off the site. I'm not worked up over it. I understand that the admins of the site have a job to do and that's cool. Hell, BT.com is a great site and I think it holds a bunch of good information. BUT......... there has to be someone who isn't going to blow smoke up peoples asses. You ask a dumb question you are going to get a dumb answer. Enough of babying athletes. Some tri folks have this feeling of "entitlement" and that they are owed more every time they race. These are the people that have never done an honest days work in their lives. Never cut wood, weeded a garden, built a shed or looked at something that is broken and said, "Hey I think I can fix that." The have been babied long enough and if it takes me posting the truth then so be it. I got their panties all in a bunch and I got a good laugh out of it.
One thing I do remember from my post that they deleted was this. "so I can say, "Goodbye!" as I pass you"...... hahahahahahahahah. Thanks for the laugh.
I'm pretty sure that pissed someone off. lol
Now onto training.
Today I started my weekly Hill of Life and Hill of Death repeats. The HOL is a hill located off of 360 here in Austin. It's about a 1/2 mile long and it's all trail. I would have to say that on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most difficult, this is a solid 9 for technical difficulty. This sucker is a killer. It's mostly large loose rock and about 10 - 15 feet wide. There is no direct path up so you do a lot of zigging and zagging while you make it up as you go along. I'd say it's about a 7 -10% grade all the way up with no flats for recovery.
The HOD is the HOL but going down. Meredith suggested that I work the downhills as well as the uphills. Going down is a trip. You have to be careful that you don't get going so fast that you can't control yourself. There is a good chance of falling so that's why it's called the HOD.
Doing these repeats will make me a monster hill runner. There really isn't a way to pace yourself going up so it's just grinding it out.
Here are my times from today. I did 3 HOL's and 2 HOD's.
HOL's: 5:34, 5:23, 5:18
HOD's: 4:03, 4:09
Overall I really enjoyed myself. No one to run around as it was just me out there. I kinda like it that way sometimes when the only one pushing you is you. I think it makes me mentally tougher since trail running has a lot of alone time.
I slept in this morning so I missed core but I there is a class tomorrow morning and I plan on getting to that. Maybe next week I'll bring my GPS and camera to the HOL and take some pics and get some elevation so you folks can see what I am dealing with.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Excuse me if I sound like a jerk
The last line of this post from a tri forum could possibly be the most idiotic thing I have ever heard.
From poster #1:
We're going to allow you to set up your spot at T1 with towel, etc on race morning. You'll just have to make sure you stuff it all back into the bag before leaving T1 so we can transport it. You're more than welcome to put your helmet on your bike, or on your towel, etc. Same with T2....it's fine to leave your stuff out, if you want The bags are BIG... We're doing this so we can easily transport your stuff back to the Expo Center/Arena, so you don't have to go back to Walter E. Long Park. We're NOT doing this to create a big hassle for you. Trust me, this is WAAAAAAAAY more work for us to do all of this. We need box trucks, 2 crews for 2 different transition areas, etc. BUT, the reason we're doing it is to make the race MUCH better for you. No walking back to your car after the race, air conditioned finish with an incredibly unique finish. It'd been much easier for us to just leave it the way it was. But we want this to be a great race for YOU. The idea is NOT to make it more difficult for you. I really don't think it will be, but it sounds much more complicated than it is.
Poster #2's reply:
OK, I know I'm being OCD here, but do you have dimensions on the bags?
Please Poster #2 don't breed.
From poster #1:
We're going to allow you to set up your spot at T1 with towel, etc on race morning. You'll just have to make sure you stuff it all back into the bag before leaving T1 so we can transport it. You're more than welcome to put your helmet on your bike, or on your towel, etc. Same with T2....it's fine to leave your stuff out, if you want The bags are BIG... We're doing this so we can easily transport your stuff back to the Expo Center/Arena, so you don't have to go back to Walter E. Long Park. We're NOT doing this to create a big hassle for you. Trust me, this is WAAAAAAAAY more work for us to do all of this. We need box trucks, 2 crews for 2 different transition areas, etc. BUT, the reason we're doing it is to make the race MUCH better for you. No walking back to your car after the race, air conditioned finish with an incredibly unique finish. It'd been much easier for us to just leave it the way it was. But we want this to be a great race for YOU. The idea is NOT to make it more difficult for you. I really don't think it will be, but it sounds much more complicated than it is.
Poster #2's reply:
OK, I know I'm being OCD here, but do you have dimensions on the bags?
Please Poster #2 don't breed.
So what have I been doing?
Sunday morning was a 14 mile run with Jess. I have not run anything further than 7.8 miles since CDA. Jess kept me going the last loop even when I wasn't feeling all that good. 14 miles in 2:01:00. Solid pace for where I am fitness wise. The last mile she killed me.
Monday AM was core with Tasha. I'm weak as all hell and hopefully she'll fix that.
Monday night I coached a run workout @ Barton Springs. Had about 15 people and they did circuit training.
Tuesday AM I actually swam. I figured I needed to get back into the pool sometime soon so I chose Pains workout for Tues. morning. I lasted about 30 minutes before I stopped. I was feeling pretty good but didn't want to over do it. I lasted a 600 pull with Audra which is wayyyy better than I thought I would do.
Tuesday PM I ran the 7 mile loop from J&A's. I didn't feel all that great. My legs were sore from core the day before and I felt really hungry. I knew I wasn't but I just had that feeling. I struggled through 5 miles until I ran into Paladino on the trail and we hoofed it for about 2 miles and that dropped my pace per mi down a bit. 7.5 miles in 1:03:20
Wednesday morning I jumped on the bike and did a spin class. 45 mins was all that I had in me today. That'll get better.
Monday AM was core with Tasha. I'm weak as all hell and hopefully she'll fix that.
Monday night I coached a run workout @ Barton Springs. Had about 15 people and they did circuit training.
Tuesday AM I actually swam. I figured I needed to get back into the pool sometime soon so I chose Pains workout for Tues. morning. I lasted about 30 minutes before I stopped. I was feeling pretty good but didn't want to over do it. I lasted a 600 pull with Audra which is wayyyy better than I thought I would do.
Tuesday PM I ran the 7 mile loop from J&A's. I didn't feel all that great. My legs were sore from core the day before and I felt really hungry. I knew I wasn't but I just had that feeling. I struggled through 5 miles until I ran into Paladino on the trail and we hoofed it for about 2 miles and that dropped my pace per mi down a bit. 7.5 miles in 1:03:20
Wednesday morning I jumped on the bike and did a spin class. 45 mins was all that I had in me today. That'll get better.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son"
Well well well....... looks like I need to get my head out of my ass and get this damn thing updated. I have been asked to write an article for a 1/2 IM race packet so I figured I'd get the creative juices flowing by starting here and seeing what happens. Yup..... that's right..... I'm going to get published and I'll have about 2300 readers. Book deal here I come. But onto more important things.
"Where in the hell have you been", my mom (she said this more times that I can even possibly remember). After CDA I took some time off. Needed to recharge the batteries. That turned into going out every freaking weekend and gaining weight. I was trying to train for a race in Oregon (Hood To Coast) but I was often injured with knee, shoulder and hamstring issues. I toughed out the race and did better than I thought. My total mileage was 15 miles and I averaged about a 7:05 pace. Not too hard when you break that up into a 4.18, 4.38 and a 7.8 mile run over 23 hours. Good times as always.
Once I got back from H2C I needed a new goal because I could myself getting back into the post CDA grove I was in. If you have a goal training is sooooo much better. I needed some motivation so I did the only thing I could think of. I emailed Paul and Meredith Terranova and I told that I was doing the trail race in Bandera, TX. A 50k (31 miles American....cause we're in America) trail race over some of the toughest terrain you can get here in TX. I new if I told them I was doing the race I would have backed myself into a corner because they are 2 of the few people I would feel horrible letting down. So I asked them a bunch of questions and the more questions I asked the more I got excited to start training again. Both Paul and Mer are incredible athletes and 2 of the nicest people I know so asking them for help was a no brainer.
Once the information was there I needed to put together a plan. I had some factors that I had to work with.
1- I am fat and out of shape
2- My knee is killing me along with my hamstring
3- I haven't done a serious trail run in almost a year
4- I want to be serious about this but have some fun along the way
So this is what I came up with to address these issues.
1- Stopped drinking for a while and start eating right again. I have been really good with eating well for years now but I slipped for a bit. Not too tough to get back into that.
2- T3 now has yoga and corefit. Corefit is like crossfit with lots of strengthening stuff. Natasha is kicking my ass with it but it will help the weak parts of my body which there are many right now. Yoga is awesome but the only time I have time to do it is Friday after work and since there was a clerical error with the new schedule I am going to have to miss it for a while. NOT F'ING HAPPY ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!
3- Start running the Greenbelt here in Austin 2 times a week along with my Town Lake runs. Mer told me either run the Greenbelt or run hills to prep for Bandera. Right now I am wicked excited about that..... this could change after my first Hill of Life repeat that is coming Thursday.
4-I am very serious when I train. Yeah I joke around to make people get relaxed but when it's time to work you shut the hell up and start working. The fun part is that my friend Sydney is training for a trail race in Dec. so we'll be running together some. Plus, Pain asked me this morning if she could join me for a few trail runs. Ummmm..... hell yeahs you can!
Here's what my weekly schedule looks like for the month of Sept.
Monday- Corefit AM/ Coach PM
Tuesday- Swim AM/1 hr run PM
Wed.- Trainer ride AM/ Coach PM
Thursday- Corefit AM/ Hill of Life repeats PM
Friday- Was yoga but now it's a rest day or maybe something else. Not sure yet.
Saturday- Long run- Up to 2.5 hours On Town Lake until my fitness gets better. Will hit Greenbelt starting in October and that will increase up to 4.5 hours runs.
Sunday- Recovery run - 1.5 hours.
The Hill of Life is a hill that is off of the Greenbelt. It's a mutherf'er! Very steep and very rocking. Insanely techinical. Not for people with fear of falling, snakes, broken toes and weak constitutions. This thing will make a man out of anyone. What's funny about this is Mer told me that I should not only work hard going up but going down as well. Running downhill is an art. Running downhill on a trail is insanity. I'll make sure my will is up to date and I'll let Pain know when I go out there so she'll know where to search for the body.
So I have the plan in place and I started it last Thurs. It's still early in the game but things are already working out. I plan on running my first marathon (outside of IM) the beginning of Dec. and there is an awesome trail race in November out at Rocky Hill Ranch. It's a 1/2 marathon on a good course. Great for beginners and hard enough for the tough guys. I placed 3rd there last year so hopefully my time will improve this year with the solid training that I plan to be putting in.
You can check out the links to the 3 races I plan on doing at:
Bandera: http://www.tejastrails.com/Bandera.html
Dirty Du: http://www.dirtydu.com/
Double Decker: http://www.austinrunners.org/7635425_74071.htm
Right now I am very sore but very happy to be training again with focus on a goal. I am looking forward to making gains in my fitness and becoming stronger through Corefit. Natasha is a great instructor and I see her getting better with every class. Now only if Miah wouldn't hit me in the head with damn medicine ball I'd be all good.
"Where in the hell have you been", my mom (she said this more times that I can even possibly remember). After CDA I took some time off. Needed to recharge the batteries. That turned into going out every freaking weekend and gaining weight. I was trying to train for a race in Oregon (Hood To Coast) but I was often injured with knee, shoulder and hamstring issues. I toughed out the race and did better than I thought. My total mileage was 15 miles and I averaged about a 7:05 pace. Not too hard when you break that up into a 4.18, 4.38 and a 7.8 mile run over 23 hours. Good times as always.
Once I got back from H2C I needed a new goal because I could myself getting back into the post CDA grove I was in. If you have a goal training is sooooo much better. I needed some motivation so I did the only thing I could think of. I emailed Paul and Meredith Terranova and I told that I was doing the trail race in Bandera, TX. A 50k (31 miles American....cause we're in America) trail race over some of the toughest terrain you can get here in TX. I new if I told them I was doing the race I would have backed myself into a corner because they are 2 of the few people I would feel horrible letting down. So I asked them a bunch of questions and the more questions I asked the more I got excited to start training again. Both Paul and Mer are incredible athletes and 2 of the nicest people I know so asking them for help was a no brainer.
Once the information was there I needed to put together a plan. I had some factors that I had to work with.
1- I am fat and out of shape
2- My knee is killing me along with my hamstring
3- I haven't done a serious trail run in almost a year
4- I want to be serious about this but have some fun along the way
So this is what I came up with to address these issues.
1- Stopped drinking for a while and start eating right again. I have been really good with eating well for years now but I slipped for a bit. Not too tough to get back into that.
2- T3 now has yoga and corefit. Corefit is like crossfit with lots of strengthening stuff. Natasha is kicking my ass with it but it will help the weak parts of my body which there are many right now. Yoga is awesome but the only time I have time to do it is Friday after work and since there was a clerical error with the new schedule I am going to have to miss it for a while. NOT F'ING HAPPY ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!
3- Start running the Greenbelt here in Austin 2 times a week along with my Town Lake runs. Mer told me either run the Greenbelt or run hills to prep for Bandera. Right now I am wicked excited about that..... this could change after my first Hill of Life repeat that is coming Thursday.
4-I am very serious when I train. Yeah I joke around to make people get relaxed but when it's time to work you shut the hell up and start working. The fun part is that my friend Sydney is training for a trail race in Dec. so we'll be running together some. Plus, Pain asked me this morning if she could join me for a few trail runs. Ummmm..... hell yeahs you can!
Here's what my weekly schedule looks like for the month of Sept.
Monday- Corefit AM/ Coach PM
Tuesday- Swim AM/1 hr run PM
Wed.- Trainer ride AM/ Coach PM
Thursday- Corefit AM/ Hill of Life repeats PM
Friday- Was yoga but now it's a rest day or maybe something else. Not sure yet.
Saturday- Long run- Up to 2.5 hours On Town Lake until my fitness gets better. Will hit Greenbelt starting in October and that will increase up to 4.5 hours runs.
Sunday- Recovery run - 1.5 hours.
The Hill of Life is a hill that is off of the Greenbelt. It's a mutherf'er! Very steep and very rocking. Insanely techinical. Not for people with fear of falling, snakes, broken toes and weak constitutions. This thing will make a man out of anyone. What's funny about this is Mer told me that I should not only work hard going up but going down as well. Running downhill is an art. Running downhill on a trail is insanity. I'll make sure my will is up to date and I'll let Pain know when I go out there so she'll know where to search for the body.
So I have the plan in place and I started it last Thurs. It's still early in the game but things are already working out. I plan on running my first marathon (outside of IM) the beginning of Dec. and there is an awesome trail race in November out at Rocky Hill Ranch. It's a 1/2 marathon on a good course. Great for beginners and hard enough for the tough guys. I placed 3rd there last year so hopefully my time will improve this year with the solid training that I plan to be putting in.
You can check out the links to the 3 races I plan on doing at:
Bandera: http://www.tejastrails.com/Bandera.html
Dirty Du: http://www.dirtydu.com/
Double Decker: http://www.austinrunners.org/7635425_74071.htm
Right now I am very sore but very happy to be training again with focus on a goal. I am looking forward to making gains in my fitness and becoming stronger through Corefit. Natasha is a great instructor and I see her getting better with every class. Now only if Miah wouldn't hit me in the head with damn medicine ball I'd be all good.
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