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

55 mile ride is in the books:

Greetings all,

With it being Good Friday and Easter Weekend I needed to move a few things around to accommodate everything and everyone.

Sunday was to be my long ride, but I'm going to my Fathers for Easter so a 3 hour Sunday ride is out of the question. So my only other option was to get it done today, and my friends today was a great ride.

The hills felt smaller the sun was one my (sun screened) face and the wind at my back, the bike was tight and all I needed to do was ride 55 miles.

I set off at 10:00 am and was making great time; my goal was to negative split the ride and get back to the house feeling like I could run nothing more nothing less.

It was a little cool this morning about 50 degrees (I know it all relative) but sunny and not much wind, I set off on a route that I ridden before but a little shorter than my requited 55 miles, but I added a new loop to get my distance.

Things were going good until I got to a closed road, the road dipped down real low and had been closed due to flooding, so I turned it around, I knew where I was so no big deal, just funny.

I was going to link up with a pal from the office and do a partial ride from his house to the office and get a feel for the route, but scheduling issues arose so we missed, so I road it alone.

What a nice ride, I'm going to enjoy riding to the office, at about mile 2ish it's a good downhill into a covered bridge, real nice, then it's a bit of a long grade uphill, but the covered bridge is real cool.

After that I needed about 20 miles and I needed faster splits, so I got it in gear and went. The sun was getting a little higher in the sky and it was warming up nicely so the added speed didn't feel like work at all, it felt like spring.

I got back to the house feeling great, I didn't get to run off the bike, I was tight for time, and I owed it to the family not to keep them waiting.

So that's the story of my 55 miles ride.

Good Friday and happy Easter to all,

-Brian

Going strong:

Wednesday update,

Today was a good day, I did a swim workout at lunch, 300 warm up, 16x50s (all out speed) 20 sec wall time and a 150 cool down for 1250m.

Tonight was a bike on the trainer for 01:12 for 25 miles, just a steady ride, working on breathing and keeping my HR low (131 avg.), followed up with a 1 mile off the bike run at tempo pace.

So I'm starting to feel real good about my training and need to get psyched up for next week I jump from 9 weekly workouts to 12!

Like most training programs you start out light and a little disjointed and start building and over time some of the dots start getting connected, for me this was the week. My body and mind are getting stronger, I'm getting good sleep and my food habit is now all about choosing good whole things.

Bike talk, for the last two days I've been running off the bike and my legs feel like a million bucks. Take this for what it is, I'm on a trainer ridding a steady but strong 20 mph speed, no hills and no wind, but when I jumped off and ran and I didn't have heavy legs WOW, I just felt great, and I owe it to my training and the Felt b12, I love this bike.

Train strong,

-Brian

Florida 70.3 training halfway point

Update:
I needed so swap Monday for Tuesday, so tonight I rode the trainer.
What seemed like an effort 3 weeks ago now seemed like a rest, I rode for an hour averaging 20 miles per hour. The last two weekends had longer 45 mile rides with lots of hills, so heck ride only an hour on the flats, no problem. I felt so good, I hopped off the bike grabbed my running shoes and blasted for a 1 mile run and it felt so good.

Barring time constraints I’m going to brick of the bike every time.

-Brian

WK-8	Recovery	Recovery	Recovery
Mon	(#2) 1000 yds. a.m	20 miles p.m.
Tue	(#4) 1250 yds. a.m		50 min p.m
Wed		25 miles p.m.
Thur	(#5) 1250 yds. a.m		35 min p.m
Fri
Sat			70 min a.m
Sun		35 miles a.m.

This is the halfway point in my 70.3 FLA training, hard to believe it's here.

I've got a little over 2 months of training left and I am feeling good. The weather is starting get better so long runs and long rides are going to be a lot more fun.

I'm looking forward to getting my wetsuit and starting to get some open water swims in, the pool work is going fine, but it's the open water that need the help in. I want to rip that swim, I want to keep with the mid packers and cruise this swim, I want to have a good time, not the typical panic and exhaustion.

My bike is spot-on for my training Sunday was a 45 miler with lots of long grades and some rolling hills, and I managed to average 17.7 mph. Now my goals for 70.3 FLA are 19 MPH, but for only bike training for 2 months or so I am feeling good about my progress. I will be on the bike trainer tonight for about an hour J

Running is where I need to start getting faster; I have been running a real hilly 6 mile loop around my neighborhood and I've been averaging on 11:30-12:00. I think I've been so worried about the swim and bike that I have been neglecting the run, but that's all changing this week. I have the Georgia ING half mary at the end of the month and I would like to finish in 2:25 or less, that sounds so slow, I might have to revisit this goal as I get closer. So this weekend I am going to watch what I'm putting in my mouth, (going to be hard because the Girl Scout cookies just showed up), and I've going to run, run and run some more.

Train Strong,

-Brian

Hills, hills and more hills:

I find it truly amazing what the body can do if your mind will let it, and today I had a good mind / body day. The day started a little on the cool side, and the streets were still a little wet from last night’s rain (hallelujah we got rain). I could see the trees out front swaying with the wind, and I knew it was going to be a hell of a ride, and I was right. I headed out and thing seemed real easy, on a couple of the hill I road many times seemed much smaller, and I was getting a little full of myself, BLAM. I have a real knack, no a gift for finding the hilliest routes and today’s was some of my best work. At about mile 6 I was feeling good, fully warmed up and ready for action, well, until I turned the corner and then I saw it, Mt Grayson, LOL. I knew in the back of my mind that I had to take the hill easy or risk explosions, and so early in the ride I took it as slow as I could. After paying the gravity bill I got my reward and flew like a bird, the roads we still a little wet so I had to hit the brakes (just a little) or risk death. For the next 20 miles it was big hill after big hill. I was getting my a$$ handed to me, by mile 30 I had to stop off for Rolaids, Liquid, I ate a banana and drank what I could hold and then I was off. Still plenty of hills but not as tall as the first set, and by mile 40 the grim reaper had descended upon me and I was toast. At this point my wife called and asked if I was ever coming home, the kids wanted to see a movie and then go to dinner. Wow did that sound good, get home, shower up sit in the dark movie theater for 2 hours and rest up for dinner (I feel the need for Steak). Oh did mention the strong headwinds and the hills really wore me down. I had seven mile left on my ride and I was in a bad way, I pulled out my trump card, a Espresso Love GU with 2x caffeine, and killed what was left in my bottle. And within 15 minutes I was feeling better, I was still toast, but I had a smile on my face, and the closer to home I got the bigger it got. I made it home and hugged the family, I was told I smelled bad (I’ve got girls) and I needed to shower. I popped to Advil had a tall glass of mike and the rest is history.

Would a flat course of been a better ride, sure, but I’m training, and it’s the hills that are going to make me a stronger cyclist. Do I recommend this route? Only if you have masochistic tendencies or you’re a triathlete (maybe one in the same). All kidding aside, if you’re training and want to get stronger ride hills.

What a ride, I cranked 47 miles in 2:55 for an average mpg of 16.13, and boy was I tired.

Ok, folks I’ve got to get to bed, tomorrow is another day, and I’m sure it has hills.

If I see ya on the road I’ll wave.

-Brian

Florida IronMan 70.3 training

Ok, here it is, next Monday is the official start to my Florida IronMan 70.3 training!
I had been searching for plans all off season and the one that fits me best can be found on Tri Newbies http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_HIM.asp.
It starts out like most plans, starting out slow, building endurance and over time ramping up to race mileage. The first few weeks are real easy and I thought I was way above the effort, but if I can take the early weeks and really focus on form I know I will be better for it. This plan has some room in that will allow me to strength train, last year I saw this as a place where I could improve. So that my plan, and I am going to stick to it!

Post holidays I have been swim focused and I’m having a blast. I’ve been taking it easy swimming 1000 meters at lunch doing drills, 300 warm, 5 100, 200 cool, nothing too hard, just really working on form. Much of my bike has been on the trainer, nothing too hard, just getting used to the new bike, and trying to keep my legs. I started lifting a few weeks back, just working on the basics taking it slow working up on the sets and reps. It’s too early in the year to wear something out, just trying to tune up a bit. Running has been my weakness and I need to get back out on the road, I really miss it. I got a few extra lbs left over from the holidays that I need to work off, lbs that I earned.
I’ve had fun this off season, I really got to spend some time with the family and just hangout.

Now my new season is starting, I am working on my goals, my race schedule and my family. I am excited about what lies ahead of me, I am going to race an half IronMan, who would have thought it. A few years ago I was a pack a day smoker who was as on a crash course, and now I’m going to race 70.3 miles.

I am going to share a few goals, in no particular order:
Race a Half Ironman.
Volunteer at an event.
Turn off the TV for me and the family.
Say thank you to all race volunteers.
Take walks with my wife and hold her hand.
Get two other people into our sport.
Volunteer on earth day.
Recycle more.
Take time off when I need it.
Use sunscreen more.
Open water swim more.
Learn Yoga.
Join a TRI club.
Sign up for IronMan ??? 2009? (Be brave now)

And number one is spend as much time with the family has I can.

-Brian