The fire returneth

So one of the all time great feelings is when one has not been in the pool for a while, swims hardish, and feels pretty good. (I was able to get an employee to take a picture of me, which you can see)

I also ran into a dude who did Escape from Alcatraz last year and chatted with him about it at Gold's last night. That was encouraging and got me fired up to get some races in. In other news, due to their general dumbassness, Gold's will henceforth be referred to as GloboGym.

If a gym chooses to put tv screens and speakers all around the place, I'm ok with that. I'm even ok with them playing music, albeit far too loudly on said speakers. But if these boundaries are crossed, some bastions of decency must remain. Lil bow wow and jojo are not to be played under any circumstances. It's just wrong. And what's with all this teeny-bopper garbage? It's a gym people. Get in. Work hard. Enjoy yourself. Get out. Pretty simple concept. It would be really nice if they could put something decent on these tv's, like Lance crushing some people or some old Iron War footage. All these things, and the commercials have to stop.

The confluence of this nonsense has me extremely excited about the prospect of a new YMCA to be built in east Lex Angeles. Oh it will be sweet.

Apparently, I lack bike fitness...

The weather had been crappy here for about two weeks and I hadn't gotten time to ride the bike much lately. Thus, sunday was the time to take care of such things. And it was a great ride. I'm still not fit in that my HR is a lot higher (I think) on the bike relative to my run numbers. But a large portion of that is likely attributable to the lack of sport-specific training (again, relative to my running).

So the ride was great. It was 36 miles in sub 2 hours. Just working on slowly building time in the saddle. Great day, enjoyed being outside in the nice spring air. The only problem is that roughly an hour after I got done, I was cramping and my legs were totally sapped. I went to stand up and a pain the likes of which I hope to never experience shot down the inside of my left leg. Apparently my hip adductor was cramping (Thank you Amber for saving me from prolonged pain in knowing how to stretch that thing). In case you're curious, the picture above represents the approximate level of pain I experienced in that 5 minutes. And yes, that is the other guy's foot in that tender area.

So the issue I believe is partially bike fitness, but also related to the strength difference between my two legs. I've been trying to strengthen the one that has had the 4 surgeries, but it feels like I'm running into a wall. This shifts priorities a bit to really working on ironing this out. I don't want to be fighting injuries while training. It also really hinders performance. When the left leg is good, i run faster and bike faster ( I think I swim straighter too.). Regardless, Sam needs some help.

Finally

Ah yes. It's about time. Can anybody say bike rides for months? It's gonna be a good summer.

There's a Noreaster moving in...

Sometimes people travel to see friends and still want to get in a little workout. Sometimes they get to said place and the weather has changed. Not wanting to let circumstances dictate behavior, these same people decide to carry on as planned. And oftentimes, these same people have a great time running 7 miles in sleet and wind. The dude in the pictures is Nate, a buddy of mine from college. Nate's getting back into running and is racing a 5-miler in a month or so. This was his longest run in years. Life is good.

Bringing Crazy back

So running a marathon brings a tremendous sense of accomplishment. For me it also brought a tremendous amount of lazy along with it. Putting on 10-15 lbs over the winter didn't help out too much, but crazy sam is on his way back. He's eating better, cutting out dessert all over again and generally stepping it back up to previous levels. I now just wish I had another couple hours in the day to work out more and sleep as much as necessary.

Why I love/hate Triathlons

A few thoughts on the moment.

The excitement surrounding it (before, during, and after)/The pain in the middle of training and racing that allows that enjoyment to come.

I began looking at some training races leading up to St. Anthony's yesterday. They're all pool swims with short bikes, but such is life pre-May in the mid-south. However, as I did it I felt myself getting all pumped up and feeling anxiety that I needed to get out and train. Previously, I had been dreading the races I wanted to do. Now I'm only looking forward to them with a sly smile. It's gonna be a good year. First on the docket. Triple Crown of Running in Louisville. Run myself back into shape and mix in some bike and swim work. Now we just need some sunshine to make the bricks easier.

Sick & Flow

Well, I'm hoping this will be the beginning of some more writing. I went to the gym and did a quick leg workout on saturday; and ever since have been quite sick. I'm coming around, although I didn't sleep at all last night. Not a good start on my new year's resolution to sleep more. Oh well, that's what tomorrow is for. Always believe it.

A friend just finished up a masters degree in Psychology and shared a very interesting paper with me on the subject of "Flow." This could be described to most people as being in the zone. The research noted that flow is most likely to occur at a point where someone is challenging themselves at a high level, has a clear understanding of their goal(s), and is confident they can achieve with their given (or sometimes only perceived) skills.

Looking at this research explains to me some of the phenomena of how a slower, chubbier kid (like me) with a ridiculously huge ego relative to actual physical talent was able to be successful in sports against much more athletic kids. Very few people seem willing to tell themselves that they can and should win because they may fail. The few who continue to tell themselves they're winners in spite of early failures are the truly successful. I believe this principle of perseverance applies to myriad areas of life.

Another interesting thought that flow brings about is how do we achieve an "in-the-zone" like state in our life? I'm not saying we should shut off our brains, but if one believes that they are truly designed for a purpose, but yet do not have clear goals, this state is nearly impossible to achieve. (e.g. "those who fail to plan plan to fail."). What do we do to truly harness all of our potential to truly live with purpose and passion?

3 days

It's a strange feeling for a competitive person to go into a race for "fun." The Chicago Marathon is sunday morning. Lots of people have been asking me if I'm excited, and I suppose I am. I'm excited about the realization of 5 months of training aimed at sunday, of the changes I've undergone in mind and body during this time, but mostly it's just a really long run. I am looking forward to it, but I don't think my body is cut out to do this kind of distance over and over again.

It's a strange question really? Who gets excited about causing themselves pain? I enjoy training more after a workout is done and I'm feeling all the endorphine benefit, but in the middle of the tempo run, it's all out and it's not fun. This is where the competitor departs from the fitness-oriented. I enjoy an easy long run as much as the next person, and these times are great stress-relievers. However, the most enjoyable part of training for me is pushing myself faster than I originally thought possible. You only truly discover your limits if you are willing to push beyond them. I know this is a tangent, but there is great frustration for me in running into so many people who have decided they don't like or won't do something because it is hard. They give reasons such as "well I don't like it" or "I couldn't do that" but have never even given themselves a chance to believe that they could. If you can't believe in your mind that it might be possible, you will never push hard to get there. It's called Faith. If everybody behaved like this, nothing outstanding would ever be accomplished except by chance and dumb luck.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step...so where are you going?

And yes, I'm looking forward to a nice tour of Chicago sunday morning.

Alcon Tri For Sight

So it had been raining really hard the past couple days, and part of the bike course was flooded the day before the race. I was expecting it to be shortened to a 14-mile bike course, but the water receded, and we did the whole thing. Here's the Race Report (800-m swim, 18-mile bike, 4-mile run)

Swim: This was a pool swim set up in 8 50-m lanes. The swim snaked, and so we changed to the next lane every 100 m. This was fun, but everybody started in 10 second gaps, so there was a whole line of people right next to you on the pool deck watching your first 100. This resulted in me swimming a record 100 m and then slowly fading into a not so great swim. The sliding to the next lane thing slowed me down a good bit because I was right behind people coming to wall multiple times, but mainly just went out too fast and wore myself down. Swim Time: 14:44 ( I know, it sucks)

T1: This was about a quarter mile run from the pool to the transition area. I was wet, and still have to improve here. Time: 4:41

Bike: Due to the weather/schedule lately I haven't been getting much biking in, so I was slightly apprehensive about the bike, but it was a decent course compared to some of the roads one could ride on around here. I stopped about 5 miles in to help a girl who (pretty sure it was her first tri) was riding a cruiser and threw her chain going up a steep hill. This cost me about two minutes, but I thought she was going to cry on the side of the road, and we just can't have that :D. The rest of the bike was really good, but wet. I almost tanked it twice at the turnaround in a slick driveway. Thankfully I didn't. I passed about 15-20 people on the bike, and only got passed once by somebody doing the bike leg of the relay. Bike Time: 54:48, 19.7 mph (If I didn't take the two minutes helping with the chain, my bike was 21.15 mph). This would have only changed me one spot in my AG and two/three spots overall, but no worries. I'm glad she had a good race.

T2: Not bad, but I changed into a dry pair of socks as mine were soaked from the bike. Time: 1:19
Run: I'd only done one brick in the last couple months because of marathon training, so I was a little toasted from pushing harder on the bike than I'd been training for. I know the guy who set up the run, and he's a great runner/triathlete. I'm gonna kill him. :p We ran at the UK arboretum, which has no huge hills, but it's tons of quick ups and downs, so really difficult to get into a rhythm. I still had a decent run, but I'm looking forward to more speedwork once I run this marathon. Time: 26:44 (6:41/mile)

Summary: Fun race, and for only my second tri I feel pretty good about where I'm at. With a good offseason in the pool and on the trainer, I think I can improve quite a bit. Hope springs eternal. Overall time: 1:42:14

Side Note: the guy who won overall and my AG swam the 800m in 9:38, biked the course at an avg. of 24.0 mph and ran 5:30/ mile. Smoking!

Ready.

21 miles today. And it felt good. Strangely good. And fast too. Last night, there was no desire to run. Only to sleep. The alarm clock rang at 4:50 and the trip began.

Transformation is a long journey. The last 6 months have been a journey of many miles. There are difficult days, there are amazing days when one feels like Icarus. There are days when you feel like you're running blind and just grinding. Marathon training has been an education in endurance (something I previously thought I fully understood). There is no longer the self-imposed deceit of self regarding the current situation. 21 miles? It is what it is; many steps.

I've also come to realize that all the bad days are preparation for the good ones. And just as important, if not more so. In life, like in physical training, it is the difficult days which shape the people we are and are becoming. In order to overcome, we must take what Churchill said at the greatest graduation speech ever: "Never, never, never give up."

Marathon Shoes

Well the Saucony shoes served me well. I've put around 250 miles on them and they're starting to go. So I had to get a new pair for the marathon to get them broken in. Man I freakin' love running shoes! Check 'em out. Asics Gel Kayano

Keep it Simple?

The trials of a triathlete are manifold: (Don't get me wrong, there's no complaining here. The simple ability to do what we do is enough to be extremely thankful for. But there are some struggles.
Namely, the temptation to gear up like a gun fanatic at a bunker. There's just so much stuff out there I want to have. Auuggh!

So you have to break it down to the things you need and be realistic about it. 1) You're not a pro; 2) Triathlon is a hobby, not the most important thing; 3) It's easier to enjoy it when you don't take yourself too seriously. So to break it down, I'm slapping some aero-bars on my road-bike, trying to find a cheap used trainer, stick with a simple stopwatch, and fight the need to get my lightweight carbon on. Keeping it simple should keep it fun and keep triathlon in its proper perspective.

Fiscal responsibility might have something to do with it as well.

Pulling the Trigger

http://www.triforsight.com/

I know there are those of you among us who have been waiting to see this beautiful sight again...

And now you only have to wait two weeks until you see it again. I'm not promising the same kind of blazing run time for myself (because I'm a bit slowed by all the marathon training). But here's your chance to check out a triathlon if you've never been to one. Sunday Morning @ 7 am, September 24th. It will probably take about 2 hours to watch the whole thing, so you can still make it to various sunday morning locations.

Hope to see you there...

Goat Hope

Who can't get excited about stem-cell research now? It works on goats dude. If it works for them, there might be hope for the arthritic among us.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/15337839.htm

Nothing like it. Getting a Flat. It always happens at the best times too. For instance, it's a busy week at work. I've got 3 submittals that I'm working on for Monday that need to be finalized (It's wednesday the week before, currently). I'm trying to catch back up on the marathon training, so I run 13 after work yesterday. Great run, great weather, and peaceful time.

I decided during my run that it was time to get back on the bike as well. So I got up early this morning and began my work commute. It's roughly a 16 mile ride, and at about mile 15, I was getting geared up for a solid day at work, when BAM!, I'm riding on my rims with a slight piece of rubber between the rim and the road. Love it...

Now I should have had another tube and a CO2 cartridge with me, but I didn't. Hence, I enacted the age old training brick called "walking it in." There's nothing like a mile walk through Winchester, KY with bike shoes on. Oh kentucky, is it really that friendly? How does a guy walk a mile through town and nobody says "Hey bud, can I give a you a quick ride since you're walking with your bike on one wheel and obviously are having some issues?" Thanks KY, Thanks a lot. Maybe I should just start asking people, but I figure since I stop, other people should too.

In KY's defense, a very nice couple stopped and asked if I was ok while I was running 13 during a hot saturday afternoon a month or two ago. So not everybody's bad, but the early AM crowd: no soup for you...

Response to Floyd and Cycling

So here's the deal: everybody wants to crucify Floyd Landis and call him a cheater. There are two things that make this different from one of the Big 3 in the states. 1) The fact that I love cycling, not just watching cycling, and 2) The reality of cycling and running.

Let's tackle #1 first: there's a difference in the love of a sport and the appreciation of an accomplishment for someone who still performs the sport. A 45 year old guy in san francisco who loves the giants, but performs no more physical activity than walking half a mile to the stadium is consumed by Barry Bonds alleged (but obvious) use of performance enhancing substances because his sporting existence is wrapped up in a very passive experience. Let's compare that to your average cyclist who is going 2-3 times a week for 50-150 miles per week. They love cycling because they get out and enjoy nature, because it releases beta-endorphines into their system and because they enjoy the social aspects of going through training with other people. Ostensibly, they love the sport (doing it) and not love the player (idol-worship) and said player's accomplishments.

Now for #2: This works in concert with the second half of point #1. If you don't know (and I understand this doesn't make it any better, but) Santa Claus isn't real, and neither are the easter bunny or the tooth fairy. Let me break it down. These guys are riding about 100 miles a day during le Tour de France. 6 days a week just grinding, and let's not forget conquering two mountain ranges in the course of 23 days. Every single one of these guys is a freak and most (if not all) are doping. Lance doped. Ask yourself if you would believe if an italian won the tour 7 times in a row. You know you'd think he was cheating too. You believe it because he's American and you want it to be true.

Until the UCI (Unione Cycling Internationale) actually steps up and tests everybody all the time, OR just say everybody can dope (I kind of like this one because it's all honest), then everything is illegitimate. There's no way of knowing when the UCI controls release of test results and all kinds of publicity; that is knowing whether somebody is clean or if it's just a better decision to let dirty guys compete. When we hold professional sport out as anything other than a business, we kid ourselves. The teams are sponsored because the sponsor wants brand recognition. Perfect example: all of the sprinters going for the green jersey. Robbie McEwen doesn't care about winning overall in the greatest test of endurance; he simply wants to keep the sponsor (Davitamon-Lotto) happy and get the branded jersey on tv all over Europe for a day.

Parents of children say things like, "What kind of message does it send to the kids?" The message it sends to me is you need to teach your kid that he can respect somebody without respecting everything they do. I would also say that you can educate your children about the kinds of athletes they should respect. I think most of us (including myself) are upset with Floyd (even though he could very well likely keep his TDF victory) because we like him and thought he was the real thing (which he could be, it's just not likely). Essentially what I'm saying is teach your kids to be smart, and tell them the truth. I grew up like this and I still enjoy my life without having fantasies all over the place in my head.

Finally, you can still admire what these guys are doing. The amount of power they put out for the duration they do is absolutely jaw-dropping. These guys really are good, and it's something special to watch. Peace

San Diego athletes have it easy...

Before any of you SoCal peeps start getting all bent out of shape, let me explain. I went to watch james of Xterra dominance fame (http://va2ca.blogspot.com) at the Snow Valley off-road triathlon in the San Bernadino Mountains. I'd already run twice on my vacation. A quick 1.5 miles in the ATL airport on layover and a hilly 3 miler in Valencia the next morning. After a day off and a day on the beach, I was fired up about triathlon. I ran some killer hills and trails for about a 7 mile run in the La Jolla Cove area. Great day right? I hadn't had quite enough, so I went for an easy one to take some pictures the next day. I ran up the hills for some panoramic views, and then down to the south side of the cove, hoping to run around the point, and meet up with my friends....

So I found a small park that I thought led down to the beach ( a bit further south than I was hoping for, but it would work) when wham- I run into a fence. "Crap, no go I guess." But then it became apparent that attached to fence was a glorious piece of rope which allowed would be explorers to rappel down the rock face to the dry kelp and small rock shore which gives under the feet about 4 inches every step. I got down and began to jog again, feeling just a little bit like MacGyver, and thus, very good. I took about 10 steps and to my left I see a beautiful young hawaian woman jogging barefoot in a bikini. She looked at me waved and smiled, and I dumbfoundedly waved back (how'd she get out here?). Before I had time to ask, my would-be girlfriend dove head-first into the pacific and begin swimming out to sea. I figured she was probably a bit young for me (running on a monday afternoon) and continued on. I ran around some smaller inlets and came to a real problem: 25-ft drop-off. Not totally sheer, but only a few small, wet hand and footholds. I began considering my options. 1) Climb down carefully, continue running next 1-2 miles, and hope not to run into any more of this. Not a bad option... 2) Turn back around and run all the way back across that terrible kelp bed. Not a chance... 3) Trespass into one of the three backyards behind me and hope I don't get arrested. Mind you these are NICE houses, probably with security systems. slightly illegal, but should work in a pinch.

I decided quickly that I'd give option 1 a shot. I began to find my first foothold and what I though was rock was hardened soil-it broke off beneath my foot. Deaths usually aren't fun on vacation so I re-evaluated my options and chose option 3. I chose the most friendly-looking backyard and went for it. Through the back yard to the sideyard gate was fine, through the first sideyard gate and BAM! another gate. Oh crap! Through the second gate and BAM! work van with worker in van staring me right in the face. As I shut the fence door, I noticed a 10-digit code pad for a security system and determined the last two miles would not be the same as the first 2. It was time to hammer, bob-and-weave, do anything to avoid the imminent arrest for trespassing in my future. I heard somebody yelling as I got about 100 yards away from the house, and (I think a phantom) car behind me for the next mile. Every time I heard it, I sped up and turned. I made it back to the beach out of breath, with the top of my foot bleeding (tore up at off-road triathlon, for some reason can't upload picture right now, I'll try later. Ask me to send it and I'll e-mail it out to you if you'd like), and happy to get a little relaxing beach time in with the boys before leaving Sunny and Beautiful San Diego for the North.

My point being this San Diegoanites: You live in one of the most beautiful places in the world (I know real estate is insane, but) you better appreciate it. Or team sam is coming for ya.

Why I like Floyd...

"What kind of Crack are you on?" See the Floyd article below about the crappy day at Le Tour

http://www.bicycling.com/tourdefrance/article/0,6802,s1-7-123-14942-1-0-0-0-1542,00.html

Pit Bull

Every now and then one gets to challenge things difficult enough to adopt their own name. Such an opportunity was afforded this weekend while running with the Todds Road Stumblers ( http://www.toddsroadstumblers.com ).

It was time to run 15 miles, Chicago isn't far away and the miles have to increase. The route is affectionately referred to as "Pit Bull" by the members. It features an exceedingly steep hilly section for about 4 miles on Jones Nursery Road, which is followed by about a mile of very steep grade to come back up from an elevation very near the Kentucky River.

I went out and ran a portion of the route last thursday just to get an idea of what I was running up against. 9 miles in the hills with bad rest and too much sugar during the day. I figured Saturday morning with good sleep and better nutrition would be a breeze. Even better, it was supposed to be overcast and cooler than normal.

Saturday morning at 6:30 am, 4 people began the run. After 4 miles, the pack had spread, and I was chasing a Frenchman with a 3:07 marathon under his belt (great idea, moron). But I kept him in sight all through Jones Nursery and chased him up Pit Bull. The issue though, was the sun. It came out. And it was hot. Coupled with the heat was the rain of the three previous days. Thus it was ridiculously humid too. The Frenchman ran 18 miles and made it look easy. I hobbled in broken after 15+. Great day.

Pit Bull is no puppy. He is a dog, and that's Mr. Dog to you...

Oh I love Puns: Recognizing the Bad-arseness

So I'm offically a bike geek now. Since the new bike has come into my life, I've studied the sport of cycling to some degree and decided I wanted Floyd Landis to win the Tour this year. He's been looking Good, in Cali, Nice, and Tour of Georgia.
I've been frustrated with the problems in the two time trials (bad wheel, broken aero bar handles, and just kept saying, "wait for the mountains, that's when it happens."
After yesterday's breakaway by two riders and the large gap they put on the peloton, I was feeling a bit dejected...But today, the hardest stage in the Pyrenees, Floyd Delivers. He finished third, but was outsprinted by the two other guys in the attack group. Floyd now has approximately a one-minute lead, and I am stoked. The picture is especially nice, because it's Floyd (on the left) and Lance on the right (you know I love the Torch) Word.