Thursday, February 25, 2010

The good and the frustrated

This morning started early with a 7+ mi run before work. I never really got into a good grove as my hands were freezing and I was wearing gloves. I was colder today than I was when I raced in Bandera. It was 35 degrees this morning and usually I am fine but today just wasn't going to be that way. Here's to hoping for warmer weather.
After work I made my way to the PTC for core with Lapuente and then spin with Pain.
2 Things
1- Lapuente's workout was fun for me today. I am starting to get some strength back so the positions aren't as hard as they have been. Plus I love throwing the med ball around. I was paired with Marquette today and I think I made him push himself. I like doing that.
After core I went next door for a spin with Pain. There was a good sized class today and it was warm enough to actually have the fan on and not freeze your butt off. The workout itself was freaking vicious. Lot's of hill climbing. I didn't mind it since I know I need all the work I can get when it comes to hills. Come to think of it.....looks like hill repeats for me on Sunday afternoon. Great workout and I had a solid stretch afterwards.
2- Now.... I love what I do with T3. I like to help people figure out their bikes and how they operate and I like to think when I find a new problem I can figure it out or at least learn from it. I just wish people would understand that when I get on my bike that it's training time and not "Let's bug the shit out of Logan time." I think of it as "A problem on your part does not constitute a problem on my part". Again..... once I am on the bike I am in training mode for Logan. Yes, I am a coach but if you show up unprepared then that's your problem and don't expect me to drop everything to fix your bike or whatever. I totally don't mind answering questions but when I have to stop riding, even during warm up, it drives me nuts!!!!! Yes.... I play favorites sometimes. Heck, the other day Audra dropped her chain and I jumped off my bike to explain to her that she can pop the chain back on without having to get off the bike. I like Audra as she can kick my ass in core and when she's healthy she's a great runner. Being cute helps as well. :) But I do the same for Pain, Guice, Jess and any of my other friends but they have some knowledge of their bikes and get their bike issues worked out before class and before I am on my bike.

I am in full training mode now and I am loving it. Everyday has a purpose and I want to give it my best everyday. I understand that not everyone is like this but please understand that I am. I am intense and focused when training and f'ing around doesn't fit into my training.
Just let me do my thing and when I am finished with whatever I am doing I would be more than happy to help you out.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Short and sweet

Core this morning with Natasha. I suck at core. The end.
Hit the pool @ lunch. I was in a lane with Kim Obermeyer. She killed me but I almost liked it because I have not worked that hard in the pool for a while. She got out 1/2 way through and left me to struggle. I did pull out a 500 that I actually got splits for.
1:49
1:55
1:56
1:57
1:56
Total: 9:35....that's a 28:45 Oly swim.... we'll see if I can improve.

Good crew at track tonight.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Winter in the ATX

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain on my window. I knew it was cold outside so that along with the rain kept me in bed. When I finally went outside to head to work it was sleeting and raining. By the time I arrived at work it was full fledge snowing. Now it doesn't snow all that often here in Austin and today's snow was the most I have ever seen here. It was a nice change of pace.
I had a massage at 4 with Hitner and that worked out well as I didn't have to deal with crazy traffic and bad roads. She really worked me over. I asked if it was ok if I go to the PTC and do a spin class, she reluctantly said yes. Yeah for me.
Got to the PTC and jumped on my bike for what was suppose to be a 90 miute ride but turned into a 60 minute ride. There were some issues that needed tending to so that took away some of my time. Sometimes I wish I didn't care so much about helping others get there stuff squared away. But I feel bad that they don't have the proper equipment, knowledge or that someone said they would fix something of their's and that someone didn't and of course that someone is never wrong and always has an excuse. I am just amazed.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Rain is on the way.

Since the weather for tomorrow afternoon is going to be crappy I have had to change my weekly training plan up a bit. I was going to run after work tomorrow but rain and cold weather have derailed that. So instead I booked a massage for 4:00 and did my run this evening with the team. We did 3 man relays in the hills. My legs didn't have much in them but I feel as though I could have done better.
Before the workout I met up with Jess for a 3.5 mi warm up. Love running with Jess as we talk the entire time and I like hearing about her life and her days at school. When we finished I felt like crap. The same thing happened last week doing the same warm up. Last week I ate something right after the workout and that made me feel better but today I did not want to eat anything since I would be doing more intense running in just a little bit. I had some water and that seemed to do the trick. We'll try again next week with a little more water in me at the start.
Yesterday afternoon I did a 2 hour recovery ride with some interval sets in the middle of it to get the heart rate up. Nothing major and about 1/2 way through I felt as though I was cheating myself a bit. I like training by myself but at that time I needed a rabbit to give me something to do and to push me.
I am wanting to go faster but I have to keep that in check as I don't want to injure myself early on.
Going to Leakey in 3 weeks so that will be the big test to see how my bike fitness is.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Solid weekend so far

My weekend training started Friday morning @ 5:30 a.m.. A bunch of us did our long run on Friday morning so we could trail run Sunday morning. I never felt quite right during the run but I still forced myself to keep going. Ran with Jess most of the way so the conversation was good. We ran through campus and I have never been there. Jess explained all the buildings and it was like a personal tour of UT. Very nice and informative. Finished off with 13.3 miles in 2:06.
Yesterday morning I met Miah @ Applied Materials to get in a quick 20 miles before the team ride. He had to move that day and I needed to check out the course as rain had come in and I wanted to make sure it was safe to ride. I wore my video glasses and caught the first 20 miles on tape. Here's the edited version for that ride:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5UyL9KrjJs
Once back to the start we started out again for the remaining 40+ miles. I took off with the lead group and watched them suck wheel off of each other. I found it amusing that all week I talked about drafting and such and still people find the need to do it. Whatever..... I know when it comes race day I'll be more prepared than someone who drafts all the damn time. It's frustrating to me because the leaders that draft are not setting a good example for the others on the team who aren't drafting.
At about mile 45 into the ride my back started to ache but this has been normal for me for some time now. I am hoping to get stronger on the bike and in core so this pain doesn't come up on race day. We'll see.
This morning we had the team run. We cancelled the trail run because of rain. I did the 7 mile loop and pushed the last 2 miles. Having G-um and Noah running with me helped. I finished off the 7 mile loop in 56:30. That's the 1st time in about 4 months that I finished the 7 mile loop in under and hour. I felt good during the run except for the last 1.25 mi. I was pushing it so it was suppose to hurt. If it didn't then I wasn't doing right.
After the run the Scotsman (Gordon) and I went to Lift for coffee and tacos. Always fun conversation with Gordon. It was even nice enough outside to sit on the patio without freezing our butts off.
Off to take a quick nap and then around 2 I'm off to ride for a couple of hours. I love full training mode. makes my days worthwhile.
Beers tonight with Ms. O'Connor as she has signed up for her first Ironman and wants to chat about that. She's nice, cute and did I mention she's buying!!!!! Never turning down a free beer. :)

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Keepin' it low.

All I did today was core. Now I'm not saying that core was easy. I remember this time last year I could kick out 50 push ups with taking a break, Now I can barely do 10 without seeing stars. I am hoping to correct this. Lapuente not only kicked my ass this afternoon but she looked as only Lapuente could look. Good looks can kill.:)

So this weekend's team ride is kinda of a comeback for me. We are doing the Rosedale Ride. This is the same route where I went down last year. I haven't ridden it since and I am eager to get back out there. I'm a smarter rider than I was last year and this is a proving ground for me. I look forward to the challenge.

On a T3 note. Thank the lord that Mo put his foot down about some shit going down at T3. Now my putting the foot down and Mo's are very different but he did put an end to some shit before it snowballed out of control. It's nothing major, just people not respecting other property. Trainers and other crap. My personal opinion is if you can afford this sport you can afford a freaking trainer. I tend not to rely on others and I feel I'm pretty self sufficient. Others..... well let's just say it amazes me.

2 of my cousins got back to me about my race in Ohio. I now have a place to stay on sunday night and Monday night. Thanks Sheila and Teresa.... I am looking forward to the post race dinner.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Today was a productive day. I actually got out of bed for spin this morning. I am sure Pain appreciated the coffee. I usually get off the bike @ 7 so it leaves me time to stretch, shower and answer questions before I have to leave for the office. Today I decided to stay on for the full workout because I was really enjoying it. We had 23 people in the PTC this morning and that created some energy. Having Pain there always gives me a boost, not that I needed it today. Just a great spin class.
At lunch today I jetted over to Lost Creek for a swim. I swam next to 2004 Olympian Brenden Hansen. The guy has a bronze, silver and gold medal for swimming. Needless to say I was impressed with how he was kicking everyones ass. I was in the same lane as Dionn today and I just love swimming with Dionn. I never know what's going to come out of her mouth next. We did a 20x 50 m pull set. Lots of breath control and we had fun with that. The last 1500 meters were 3x 500. I was spent and barley survived. I need more time in the water..... work in progress.
After work I coached the T3 track workout. Plenty of people and it wasn't too cold.

So.....people have been asking me what races I am doing this year a lot lately. I decided last year that I just didn't want to do an Ironman in 2010. I decided on a race called the Triple T. It's in May in southern Ohio. I have family that lives about 75 minutes from there so I thought making a race/ family trip would be a good idea.
The Triple T was just voted as one of the best weekend tri events in the world by Tri Mag. The event consists of the following:
Friday @ 3:00 p.m. : Super Sprint Tri
Saturday @ 8:00 a.m.: Olympic Tri
Saturday @ 3:00 p.m.: Reverse Olympic Tri (Run/Swim/Bike)
Sunday @ 8:00 a.m.: 1/2 Ironman
I signed up to do all the races. I know it sounds crazy but they have about another 200 people doing it so I won't be the only one suffering.
You can check it out @ http://www.americantriple-t.com/

I also plan on racing Ironstar in Conroe, TX in November. I have done this race before and I liked it. Plus it's a cheap stay as Jack's uncles live less than 2 minutes from the race site.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Mornings :(

Yet again I stayed in bed this morning. I think I need some therapy to get my ass out of bed. Tomorrow will/ have to be different as I am spinning with Pain in the morning and I already told her I would be there.
After work today I ran with the Ship. I ran with one of the top women's masters runners in town, Cindy Salazar. I really like running with Cindy as she can talk but when it's time to work she does it. We kicked out 5 x 1000m repeats.
4:25/ 4:12/ 4:23/ 4:13/ 4:16
I was happy to be out there today. My back is killing me since my quad is all messed up. I foam rolled for 5 minutes before bed this evening and I hope to continue with that for a while. I am back @ Performance Wellness on Friday to have more work done on it.

Check out this great video of Chrissie Wellington @ a Q&A session.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeDmwjEzGi4
I really really like Wellington. Not only is she totally badass but we couldn't have a better ambassador for the sport.

Monday, February 15, 2010

So I didn't drag my sorry ass out of bed this morning to make it to swim. My loss.
I did get to the PW today as my hip as been really bothering me. Sellers got right to me and started working his voodoo magic. My quad is so tight that my hip has rotated into my pelvis a bit. It's making my right leg about a 1/2 inch shorter than my left. He worked my hip flexor and adjusted my back and neck. I felt great leaving but I know it's gonna take a couple of week to work out. I'm not too worried because I still plan on training through it and I have all the faith in the world with Sellers and Performance Wellness. They do fantastic work.
After work I coached a hill workout but before I did I went for a 3.5 mile run with a newer T3'er, Seth. Nice guy and it was a nice an easy pace to burn some calories. Towards the end of the run I totally felt like crap. Not enough calories in me, too cold or just plain old candyassness. Oh well....live and learn or learn over and over again.
Jess got an internship with Whole Foods. It's an actual paying job. Freaking awesome for her!!!!! Now I wonder where she will find free time? Full time school, part time job, she also has another internship going on, her husband, a house, cats and me. Yeah Jess..... I'm a big deal. Don't cut me out of the fun!!!! :)
Spoke with my sister today. She was in a good mood. On the couch in sweatpants watching tv. She told me about her 80 something year old friend from the Y that does water aerobics with her. Her name is Ida. Nothing like 80 year olds as friends. They can put live in a solid perspective for all of us.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Baby Jesus..... thanks for getting me out there this weekend.

After many weeks I have finally felt the need to get out and do some training.
I am starting to see and feel the turn around. I am actually reading my current Tri mag and absorbing what it has to say. I feel a different sort of dedication this time around. More anger in my heart than usual. I'm not a mean person but I feel as though I have slacked off enough to actually get upset with myself. I rode today by myself and it felt great. No one to worry about and I challenged myself just enough to get a sweat going and not to much to get tired.
Saturday I rode with team T3 for 55 miles. I rode the old KHS and loved it. People who just ride tri bikes have no idea what they are missing. I love it when I keeping up with people with $5000 machines when my little KHS is worth about $300 on a good day. It just proves that it's not the bike but the heart and sole of the rider that make it fast. So many people down here think they can buy speed but it's the person that provides the speed.
This morning I ran with Guice for the 10 mile loop around the lake. It was my longest run since Bandera and we went at a perfect pace. I never felt wiped and she let me talk all I wanted. After the run I had breakfast with Amanda and Gordon. Gordon introduced me to vegan breakfast tacos and they kicked ass. We will be having our post run breakfast @ LIFT from now on.
Once breakfast was finished I made it home for a 90 minute nap. Couldn't sleep all that well because of things on my mind but I was off my legs and that was nice. Once I was awake and moving I prepped the KHS, loaded up the X again and made my way to Kiker. I called my mom on the way there to check in with her. She has a cold and I feel bad that she's sick. She's tough as nails but there is no need for her to be sick when she could be enjoying the Maine winter. Wait a sec.... maybe she's better off being sick. Ha!!!!! When I started my recovery ride it was 75 degrees. Absolutely gorgeous! I rode for 26 miles in the wind as a front was moving in. I finished and it was 54 degrees. What's up with that???? I enjoyed the ride as I was by myself. I do enjoy riding with the team but it's the alone time I enjoy more to reflect and think of how I can better perform. I cherish the time I get to spend alone on the bike.....it doesn't come that often.
After the ride I hit the HEB and did my shopping for the week. I sped home and took a quick shower as I was off to Red's Porch to meet up with Haggs for beers and a bite to eat. We had a great time and we were joined by Jenn around 7. It's always a pleasure to spend time with people that enjoy my company and that I respect. Both ladies are just good people.
I am hoping to get up and swim in the morning with Pain. If I do this then I will feel that I am 100% back into the swing of things. Hopefully the beers won't hurt too bad.

Friday, February 5, 2010

By the end of the day.... I think I'm up a bit.

My day today start with a morning swim with Pain. I had a good time. We did a bunch of 100's and this is how I gauge where my swimming is now to where it once was. Today I almost died trying to hold a 1:38. A year ago I could pull down a 1:22. To me that's a big difference. Hopefully with some work and time in the pool I'll be good to go.
Work was hell again today. Ironically, this month is my 6th year at DMI and also the first time I have ever had to take work home with me. Guess who will be working during the Superbowl?
Not all was bad at work today. I received and email late in the day that kinda caught me off guard.
ANNOUNCING AGREEMENT

THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into by and between WORLD TRIATHLON CORPORATION (hereinafter “WTC” and Logan Delaware (hereinafter ANNOUNCER”) and shall govern the terms and conditions under which the consultant will provide consulting services to WTC.

That's right bitches.....I am now a paid employee of WTC. WTC are the folks that put on the Ironman 70.3 racing series all over the world. I have been hired by them to announce 2 races this year. Lone Star and Long Horn. I thought this was pretty pimp and the contract even gets me my own room at the races, along with food and gas money!!! I guess I'm doing something right.
Tomorrow is my first day back riding with the team in a very long time. I'm gonna hurt.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

rain rain

It was raining kinda heavy this morning but I still managed to drag my ass to the pool. I shared the lane with Jess and she mopped me up. Pain was there and was totally soaked. At the end of the swim we had 8 25's left. She had us doing back stroke, butterfly and breast stroke. Needless to say I sucked ay most of it. It was fun and a nice change of pace.
After work I ran the 4 mile loop from O'Henry before the workout. It was still raining but the run was nice.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Hopefully a sign of things to come.

I did my first 3 sport workout out the season.

I ran this morning
Core after work
Spin class after core.

Prince and the Pain.


Monday, February 1, 2010

10:30 snack for tomorrow

Greek yogurt, blueberries and home made low fat granola. Mmmmmm....good!