70.3 Florida is in the books:

I'm home (after a 7 hour drive).
I had a great weekend.
I'll write a post tomorrow and post up a few pictures tomorrow, but for now I need a shower and my pillow.

-Brian

70.3 Florida T-Minus 2 days:

As I write this post I'm looking at my countdown timer for the race and it shows 2 days 20 hours.

WOW, the excitement of it all is starting to set in and I'm starting to get really wired and the double strength Starbucks might be helping.

I've been sick much of the last 8 days but today I feel like I'm starting to come out of my coma!

So much to do and so little time, I need to start making my lists.

I can tell you I was starting to have some real doubts of just how I was going to finish my race. I've missed so many of my workouts in the last two weeks because of the cold it started playing with my mind a bit, you know the mental games your head can play with you. Do I have enough training in, how am I going to make the swim with a head cold, the bike, hell I might not make the swim and all the crazy thought that run through your mind subconsciously.

Now that my cold is breaking up and I'm feeling better each day, my outlook on the race is improving. I know I've got my training in (17 weeks) and sure I might have a little rust because of the last week or so but I know I'll get in some light workouts to break it up. My body is feeling good, I do not have that over trained "I can taste blood" feeling, and by Sunday morning I hope to be close to 100%.

Last night I washed my bike, dried it with a nice clean towel, lubed it up, made a few small adjustments and took it for a quick spin. Once I got back from my spin around the block I start on laundry patrol and washed every bit of workout gear I own, I'm still not sure what's going to get packed.

So today I'm working on printing out all of my directions, making my packing list and creating my schedule.

My race plan, this is something of guess and it's been changing day by day, but here goes.

The swim:

I am going to start the swim in the back and off the main line. It's my plan to take it in thirds, 1/3 go out slow and warm up, 2/3 work up to race pace and keep clear of any trouble, building some speed, the field should be broken up by then, last 3rd go for it, take it up a notch and finish smart.

The bike:

On the bike I'm going to try and stick to the same thirds theme. 1/3 get into my rhythm and get my heart rate under control, eat drink and be merry. 2/3 more of the same but if I'm feeling good start to turn it up a little when I can. I know around mike 30ish I might have some hills but that's ok, hills have been in all my training rides. And the last 3^rd, eat and drink, turn up the speed and start to mentally prepare for T2 and the run. I think the last mile or two I will slow it down a little and work on getting the legs loose.

The run:

This is where the unknowns are, I can run off the bike, but this will be my first time running this distance off a 56 mile bike and a 1.2 mile swim. Will the weather be the projected 91 degrees and humid. My hopes for the run are to run what I can and do whatever I need to finish the race. I know the course is going to be hard because of the heat and running surface and the fatigue that I'm sure to have, but I love a challenge.

When I cross the line I want to do it with a smile, knowing that I I gave it my all and I left it all on the course.

Good luck to all my fellow triathletes, I hope we all have a good and safe race.

Wish me luck.

-Brian

Five more days!

I've got FIVE more days until my race, oh how I've waited to this week to come, and now it's here.

I'm sick this week and I can't believe it, not just sick, but I need a pillow sick.

I when to see my doctor today and I have sinus infection, WTF doesn't my sinuses know I've got 5 days until my race.

So my Doc put me on Zithromax, Singulair and Claritin and an afternoon nap.

It's been a hard few days I missed my last three days of workouts and I feeling a little sad about it.

All this sickness came from my Brother in-law, dip shit, comes to my house for a week and tells me after I start with the runny nose he just kicked a cold.

I hope I've kept it contained, I do like to share but not this stuff.

Someone please say a prayer for me.

Ok, I'm off too bed.

Happy Mothers Day:

Happy Mothers Day Mom (Moms),
Thank you for teaching me to walk and run.
Buying me my first bike, and letting go that first time.
Cleaning all of my bloodied knees, elbows, hands and chin and that one time when I hit the fire hydrant and hit the stem of the bike with my manhood.
For teaching me to swim.
For the smiles I still smile.
For giving me life.

So Mom, thank you.

I love you,

Brian

Taper Time::

Monday was the official start to my taper and was to be a day off so I decided to run my hill 5 mile loop.

I know what you saying, I am a jackass, but this week I am having scheduling issues and I have to swap things around a little.

Life does not run on my training schedule I know this and I have had to swap something around each week, but I have made most of my workouts.

I'm still married, and my kids remember my name, so being flexible is the key to life, and I hope triathlon.LOL.

This week I'm working on the todo list:

• Clean bike
  
• Check out bike to stem to stern.
  
• Purchase new tubs and air cartridges aero drink bottle.
  
• Print out directions to Orlando and to the hotel, print out registration info and create an organized folder.
  
• Create my packing check lists for everything and a transition list.
  
• Relax
  

So my taper looks like this:

WK-17	Begin Taper	Begin Taper	Begin Taper
Mon			60 min p.m
Tue	(#15) 2500 yds a.m.
Wed		30 miles p.m.
Thur	(#9) 1500 yds a.m.		40 min p.m
Fri		20 miles p.m.
Sat	(choice) 1000 yds.		75 min p.m
Sun		50 miles a.m.
WK-18
Mon	(#7) 1500 yds a.m.		40 min p.m
Tue		40 miles p.m.
Wed	(choice) 1000 yds		30 min p.m.
Thur		20 miles p.m.
Fri	(Travel Day)	(Travel Day)	(Travel Day)
Sat	15 min. easy	15 min. spin	30 min walk
Sun	Race Day	Race Day	Race Day

The only thing that will be an issue is getting in a pre race swim it's not allowed.

But I think I might have found an answer to that issue and found a cult classic at the same time.

Check out: http://luckyslakeswim.com/

Train smart, finish strong,

-Brian

Sunday in Acworth:

Today was a great day, I met Wes and Dee Dee at Dallas Landing, but the park closed today, not sure what was going on. Wes knew of another place we could swim, so we turned it around and headed over to Acworth Beach.

We pulled in and I was psyched to about 30 TNT (Team in Training) triathletes doing a mock tri.

While at the beach I saw someone wearing the Zoot/GU tri top, so I introduced myself as a Zoot/GU team member, so out of the blue I got to meet Brian R.

We got to talking and Brian said he is going to race Escape from Alcatraz and Chattanooga River front tri and a few others, I told him my plans for 70.3 FLA, and that I Chattanooga looked like a race I needed to do.

So Wes, Dee Dee and I got our wetsuits on and jumped and started swimming, what a good time.

We all had a good swim, I really enjoyed the new wetsuit, it fit great and I was faster in it.

We got out of the water; I pulled off the wetsuit without any issues, dried off a bit, and got ready.

Got the bike out of the trunk and put the front wheel on, I got to talk to Brian a little more about racing, it turns out Brian raced IM Florida so Wes and Brian started talking about the race.

Dee Dee had to take off, so Wes and I got started, we rode the 12.5 miles loop 3 times and headed back. I liked most of the loop, there is a long section that's on Cobb Parkway this road is a little too busy for me, but when in Rome.

I stayed in the aero position most of the time and had a good time on the bike as Wes proceeded to kick my A$$, that guy can swim, bike and run.

Jumped off the bike stowed the bike and swapped out shoes and a bike jersey for a tank and started a slow run / walk.

This was the end of a great workout, and a great build up to the race, 16 week punched and 2 weeks taper, as I write this its 13 days to race day.

So here are the number:
0:20:00 Swim

0:10:00 T1

2:02:00 Bike

0:10:00 T2

0:30:00 Run

3:12:00 Total

I'll sleep good tonight.

Train smart, race strong,

-Brian

April 08 is in the books:

I started catching up on a few blogs, namely Wes and Kevin, and I saw that they were posting up number their number for April.

I like this, public record, keep me honest post, so here goes.

So my recap for April, the way I recollect it:

The big thing for me way my thyroid levels, I have had a little up and down with it, I was real low for awhile and it was hard to get going. Not that its 100% the fault of my low thyroid but I gained weight during March and the first half April. Add the increased volume of training and the fact that my thyroid was too low, I could add 3 lbs a week, and I just could not control it.

The last part of the Month we had out of town guests come for a week, good times. I did have to cut back on my training because I wanted to spend time with them and enjoy catching up. We spent much of the time dining out, and eating a little on the rich side, see my friends love steak (me too), and there on vacation so what the hell. With the cut back on the training and increased steak intake I've put on 2 lbs and it took me a week to get back to even.

I caught a cold, yup, didn't think I could at this late date, but I got one, and it knocked me down for a few days. It cost me a few key training sessions, but at the same time I was able to recover, so I like to look at it as a bye week.

I learnt a lot about stretching and what things I can do to speed recovery.

My Run, I finished my half mary on March 30, the Georgia ING, had a good race, but I was a little run spent afterwards. I've been fighting shin splints; so I've been stretching and trying to run on a treadmill when I can and keep things light. My running has been very lax, and I need to be a little more run focuses.

My bike was good, I had a couple of long rides and I feel like I'm starting the get some legs. Missing a long ride killed my numbers, but you got to do what you've got to do, and that's keeping balance in the house.

My swim, I can say I feel pretty good about the swim numbers. A few of my planned workouts got changed from drills to just straight swims; I did not have the energy to do a lot of the drills.

This month I got to swim 2.5k straight a few times and It really makes me feel good about myself and raises my confidence levels for the 1.2 mile OWS I've got coming.

So in recap, I need to thank the wife and kids, they have been very understanding of my quest to be a half ironman.

Bike: 13h 18m 26s - 255.5 Mi
Run: 11h 46m 21s - 54 Mi
Swim: 6h 32m 18s - 21300 M or 13.23 Miles

Train smart and finish strong,

-Brian

Good day:

I've been concerned about my swim @ 70.3 Florida, and how I thought I was going to do.
I know I can do the distance, I've done it many times in the pool, but the open water still play mind tricks on me. So this weekend I am going to do an open water swim and try to workout any issues I have before the race.

Sleep, One of my little ones got into bed with us last night, and I just don't sleep as well. On top of that around 4am start coughing and started breaking up everything in my lungs and etc, so one little cough got me out of bed and hacking for about 30 minutes. So my sleep was disrupted and I'm a little cranky. LOL.

I had a good lunchtime swim at Johnson Park I swam 2600m straight , felt tired getting in, after 500 started feeling better, my time was 48:47 for 26:00, or somewhere around 1:53 / 100m.

Tonight's workout is a run, not sure how I'll feel but I would like to get in 90 minutes.

Train smart and finish strong,

-Brian