Oh my! What a brick!! Well, now . . . I had a heckuva work out today! I've been meaning to do a 50 mile bike ride for a while. Well, today, I got it done. I did a 55 mile ride along the "Dam Loop." Not too bad, really, but I'm not used to riding that long. I managed to stay in the aerobars through most of it, but my neck was hurting a bit by mile 40, and by mile 48, my back was a bit sore. I was tempted not to do the run, but I pushed through it. I had planned to do a 5 mile run after the ride, but I limited it to 3 miles. Gonna be rough in 4 weeks if I don't do some more. I figure I'll do the 50 miler at least 2 more times, and maybe a third one the weekend before Iron Star. If I do it 3 times, I'll be SURE to go very easy the last weekend. There's still no getting around the fact that I've GOT to run and swim a bit more, too.

There ya have it, though . . . at least I know I can do the bike portion of Iron Star! It's going to be a very interesting half a day!

Brick-a-brack: Yes, it's all about the brick workouts for me now. I'm convinced that if I can just get my sorry legs used to running off the bike, I might somehow be able to do more than just walk this half marathon at the Iron Star. So . . . I'm taking Steve's advice (banner moment here!) and doing a short run after every bike ride. It's rather hard to force myself to do that when my legs are tired from fighting a 20 mph headwind for 25 miles, but, hey . . . if it was easy, everybody would be doing triathlons.

So . . . yesterday, as I planned, I did my regular 22-mile loop on the bike. The headwind was rough, but I did manage to do a 2-3 mile run after the bike. It was really more of a jog, but at least I did it. In the evening, I went home, took the dogs out for a short romp, and then did another 2 mile run. Probably shouldn't have . . . my legs are tight and sore, but I keep thinking that eventually, my legs won't hurt anymore if I just keep at it.

Today: The plan is a short, easy spin on the bike followed by another short brick. I'm doing the 50-mile "Dam Loop" tomorrow morning on the Saturday ATC taco ride, so I don't want to blow out my legs today. Besides, I'm riding with a co-worker who is slower than I am. That's good for me . . . I don't want to do intense rides every time I go out. So . . . it'll probably be a 15-mile easy spin (a little more than half of my regular 22-mile route), followed by a 2-3 mile jog around Town Lake. Then, tomorrow morning will be "hammer-fest" on the taco ride.

Non-Training Stuff: Things continue to be great with the new digs. Just one thing I've learned from integrating my two dogs into life with Lisa's two cats: Dogs really will eat anything . . . and by "anything" I include both cat poop and cat barf. Reese is no longer allowed to lick me unless he gets a few drinks of water first. On the plus side, we've had a few days now with no temper tantrum shredding incidents from the boys. I don't know if it's because we've been careful to pick up all the stuff they could shred from the kitchen, or if it's because the evening walks are helping curb their anxiety. Either way, Lisa and I are both pleased.

On the home front, Lisa and I have taken a bit of a break from unpacking and finding space for my stuff. It's hard to do during the week, especially when Lisa has to worry about class and I have to get in some training. Tomorrow, I'm sure we'll get a few more things put away in the afternoon. Should be a relaxing evening on Saturday, though. Lisa's friend Becca will be in from Houston to go to a wedding in Salado. Since her husband works weekends, she invited Lisa to go with her. They'll be leaving at 4:30ish, so I'm on my own for the evening. I foresee a nice easy walk with the dogs followed by some prime time college football watching on the big screen!

Well . . . off to do some work. I'll have more updates later!

Training Update: Okay, here's the training update for the last couple of days:

September 27, 2006 - Yesterday was a bike/run brick. I was still a bit sore from my Monday 5-1/2 mile run and there was a stiff 20 mph wind yesterday, so I took it easy on the bike and just tried to get the miles in. I did the normal ride on Hwy 360 which is about 22-miles. Felt pretty good, but my quads were definitely still stiff. I concentrated on spinning easy up the hills. Felt wierd. Because of the winds, I sometimes dropped to 9 mph or so on some of the hills, but my heart rate stayed fairly low, and my legs eased up a bit. It certainly wasn't an intense training session, but I'm sure it did me wonders on maintenance.

I did a 2-mile run after getting back to the Bicycle Sport Shop. It was really more of a jog. My quads were screaming at me for making them run again, but I managed to run through it. There's just not getting around the fact that I need to run more. Heart rate stayed low (150's), and I never really felt tired. I just had sore muscles.

Today: Planning another ride/run brick. I was supposed to ride with a friend, but she bailed on me, so I'll probably do the same route I did yesterday. I think I'll try to make the run 3 miles instead of just 2.

Photograph Troubles and More: Well, after a few more tries, I still can't get the photographs to work. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I follow all the directions and get confirmation that my photos have been added, but when I view the posting, there are no photographs. I guess we'll need to keep at it.

Today's Training Plan: Today is a relatively easy day, particularly because of the continuing uncertainty regarding the trial. I'm toying with the idea of riding at lunch time, but if the call comes in while I'm out, that could be trouble. It'll be a game-time decision, I guess. If I do ride, it will either be a 12-15 miler or a 30-minute session on the trainer, which I have at the office right now. I'm leaning toward the trainer, but don't want to make too much of a racket in here. I guess I'll do a test run to see how loud it is. Something is better than nothing I guess.

In addition to the possible ride, Lisa and I are planning to go to the gym tonight. She's been making comments about needing to get back in there to work out, and I definitely need a swim session. So . . . even if I don't ride, I'll be doing a swim workout. Because my swimming has been so sporadic, I'll start with an easy 300 meter warm-up. I'll do 10 sets of 50 builds with 10-15 seconds rest. Then, I'll probably just swim for distance at an easy pace to see how much stamina I have. I gotta be able to do 1.2 miles at a decent pace. I can't count on hammering the bike at Iron Star if I want to have any legs left for the half mary. I still think I can go 5:45 if I put my mind to it.

I'll post some updates tonight.

Weekend Training Report. News Flash: "It wasn't terribly productive!!" I'm really feeling the "End is Near" syndrome for this training season. Iron Star should be motivating me, but I find it hard to convince myself to get out and train. I've resorted to fear of not finishing, and even THAT is not getting me going as much as I thought it would. The simple fact is that I've done too many races over too long a season. Next season will HAVE to be shorter or at least have fewer races. But, I digress . . . . On to the report:

Saturday, September 23: Today I did manage to do a 33-mile bike ride starting at 7:45 AM. It was exceptionally windy and overcast . . . not good for my motivation. I began with a crosswind for 2.5 miles and then turned full-bore into a headwind for the next 15 miles. I decided to go with intensity rather than watching my heart rate too closely. All in all, it wasn't too bad, even though the wind had to be at least 20 mph. The return trip was slightly more uphill, but with a tailwind, I was not having to push too hard. I finished off pretty tired, but with a 22.3 mph average on a rolling course (not bad hills, though). I intended to run with the dogs for a bit afterwards, but I just couldn't get it going. One of these days, I'm going to run out of time to actually DO a run!!

Sunday, September 24: No training today. I sorely needed to sleep in (which I did). Plus, with church at 11:00 AM, lunch with Lisa and her parents immediately after, and having to get to work by 2:30 PM for last minute trial prep, there just wasn't time. I think I'm glad, though. I needed the rest.

Today: I brought my bike and the bike trainer to work today. I figured that with the trial going on, I could get back to the office after we finished for the day, get in 30-45 minutes on the trainer, towel off, and get back to some serious trial work. Only one problem: we didn't get reached on the docket. Right now, we're on stand-by, so I can't take the bike out on the roads. What if they call me to start up immediately and I'm off training? So, I just have to sit and wait it out. I can still do some spinning this afternoon on the trainer, but I think I shouldn't. My running needs work BADLY. I think if I don't get the call today, I'll take off at 5:00, go home, and get in a 45-minute run with the dogs. They need it as badly as I do. Just have to MAKE myself do it. Anyway, I'll get the training in today. Now . . . if there's no trial tomorrow, I'm DEFINITELY on for a swim workout. I gotta get that working for me again!!!

Update: I ran for 50 minutes today. Took the boys out with me for the first 20 minutes, but after a while, they were tired and were dragging me down. So, I circled back by the house and dropped them off. I tried not to run too hard. Heart rate never got above 150, so that's good. I'm guessing that my pace was around 8:15 to 8:45 minutes per mile, so I did somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-5.5 miles. Not a bad start, but I think I might be sore tomorrow! Lots of stretching and massage will be in order tonight. I guess we'll see how I respond.

Non-Tri Stuff: So, my first week after moving in with Lisa has been pretty darn good. We're making a lot of headway on getting things OUT of boxes and incorporated into the design scheme. One of these days, I'm going to get some pics of the house up so that you all can see how well my stuff is fitting in with hers. This weekend, we got the guest bedroom (formerly her computer room) all decked out. We put her old queen-sized bed in there (mine is now in the master bedroom because it's newer and nicer!!) . We have my small computer cart, a TV table, an end table, and my old dresser in there as well. Surprisingly, it's not terribly cramped. When I get the pics up, it'll make sense! Lisa and I are both very pleased with how it looks.

As for the rest of the house . . . well . . . it's a work in progress. We've got my couch incorporated into the living room scheme, but we're going to put a throw or a slip cover on it. This will do two things: (1) give us a color that better fits her scheme (my couch is a beautiful saffron, but it doesn't fit with the other colors); and (2) make it easy to clean off dog hair while protecting the original couch. We're working on that!! We got my dining table in the kitchen as a kitchen table, along with the butcher block table and the pie safe. It looks great!! You'll see!!

Well . . . that's all for now. I'll get those pics up soon. Also, her cats and my dogs are starting to bond nicely! For some reason, our pics of Abby the cat lounging with me and the boys and with Lisa and AJ aren't coming through. I'll try again later.


Ciao for now!

Getting behind in my blogging!! Okay, so I'm a little distracted by work. I have a trial next week and have been a bit too busy to get my blog entries in on my self-appointed deadlines. Since I'm not accountable to anyone for this except me, I think I'll forgive myself! Anyhoo . . . here's the story for the last couple of days:

September 19: This was a hard training day. I got to work pretty early and planned to ride at lunch. Because of the trial preparation, I didn't make it out at lunch time. So . . . at about 3:30, I left work early and went home. Lisa was going to have dinner with her mom, so I had several hours for training. I was tempted to do a really long ride, but my quads were tired for some reason and besides, I needed to get a swim in. So . . . I mapped out a route from home to the Gold's Gym in Round Rock that has a pool. It was about 16.5 miles away. I rode the bike to the gym to swim. Unfortunately, it took me longer to get there than I anticipated because of a REALLY stiff headwind.

By the time I got there, an aquatic aerobics class for women had taken over all but one small lane of the pool. I shared the lane with another swimmer for about 20 minutes, but it was too hard to maintain a consistent swim. I found myself stopping every 50 yards to let the other swimmer get some distance. Plus, the aquatic aerobics class was very disruptive. They were making a ton of waves and the instructor's yelling kept distracting me from concentrating on what I was doing. I know, I know . . . I should've sucked it up; but, I finally gave up after swimming a little less than a mile. Good thing, too. I made it home only about 30 minutes before dark. By the way, the tailwind on the way back wasn't NEARLY as helpful as I thought it should've been. ;-p

So, the total workout on Wednesday was: 33 miles of biking and about a mile of swimming. At least I got back in the pool! I can't wait until the first week of October when I start up again with Texas Iron! Andrea and Jamie will get my swimming back on track!

September 20: Didn't get any training in today. I intended to go running with the dogs after work, but once again, the trial preparation interfered. I had to stick around at work until after 6:30 PM (the horror!!!), plus, I had to stop at the store to pick up food for dinner. Thursdays are becoming a regular "fish" night, so I cooked again!. Incidentally, Lisa's class was canceled last night, too, so I had other motivation not to go running when I got home. When I finally got back to Leander, I was too tired and hungry to go running immediately. Lisa and I made dinner and watched Grey's Anatomy, and by then, I knew I wasn't going to go running . . . . I know I'm digging a hole for the 1/2 marathon at Iron Star. I still have 5 weeks. I can DO it!!!

Today's Plan: Okay . . . today's plan is to get in a short bike/short run brick at lunch. I brought the Guru to work (the Colnago is on its way to Huntsville to get the crack in the right rear drop-out fixed) and scheduled all my witness meetings with a 2 1/2 lunch break. I'm good to go! Hoping for a 10-12 mile bike at medium intensity, followed by a 3-4 mile easy run. I'll post again this afternoon or tomorrow with my results. Target heart rates are a constant "under 150" on the bike and a constant "under 165" on the run.

I missed posting a training report for yesterday, so here it is:

Yesterday was all about the bike. It was a crappy day at work, started off by a 2 1/2 hour commute to work. Since my new home is only 25 miles from where I work, that's an exceptionally long commute! What did I expect? It was rainy, and we all know Austinites don't see enough rain to learn how to drive in it. Anyhoo . . . suffice it to say that when I got home around 6:00 PM, I was ready to ride hard.

I promised Lisa I wouldn't ride for too long. She was about to start dinner and besides, I felt guilty walking in and then leaving her with my dogs for a long ride. So . . . rather than do distance, I worked a bit on intensity without blowing up. I did a 30-mile ride attempting to keep my heart rate at or under 150 bpm for the entire ride. This meant exerting myself harder on flats and downhills to keep my heartrate from dropping too low, as well as spinning easily up the hills so that the heart rate wouldn't et too high. I was mildly successful.

The flats and downhills saw a few too many lows. At one point, I couldn't even keep my heart rate above 140, and I was spinning wildly at 35 mph on a descent. On most of the hills, I managed to stay at or under 150 bpm, but on two hills, I spiked up to 155 and 159 respectively. All in all, it wasn't too bad. I was pretty spent after the ride, but I got my legs back enough to take the dogs on a short run. So . . . I got in a good brick workout and managed not to overdo it too much.

Today, I plan on doing a 45-minute to 1 hour run if I can get away with it. Lisa and I have a lot of unpacking to do, so I may end up bagging the run today and giving it a shot at lunch tomorrow. I also plan to swim tomorrow night while Lisa does dinner with her mom (a Wednesday ritual). So, my training for Iron Star is not progressing as regularly as I'd hoped, but I still think if I can stay on track and not overdo it on the bike, I'll be in good shape to finish well under 6 hours.

I guess we'll see!

Training for IM Moo . . . a bit delayed. Today was my first day back into training since the Dilloman sprint tri on Sunday. I would have liked to have started up earlier, but I was determined to take Monday off. Then, I had to travel to Dallas for work on Tuesday and Wednesday. Although I got back early on Wednesday, I elected to move a few things up to Lisa's rather than do any training. Besides, my heels were still pretty bruised from running on those rocks on the bike-out and bike-in at Dilloman.

So . . . today, I did an easy 15 miles on the bike. I started out with the usual ride from Lamar and Barton Springs Road over to MoPac to Hwy 360, but instead of going all the way to the 360 Bridge and back, I cut the ride short at Bee Caves Road and took that route back down to MoPac and then back east on Barton Springs. I still managed to average 20.1 mph, but most of that was on the last 2/5 of the ride while I was on Bee Caves, which is mostly a slight downhill. Once you get into traffic and hit the lights right, you can get some serious speed going on Bee Caves!

Anyway, the goal on my ride was to keep my heart rate under 150. I managed that for the most part. There were several hills where I spiked up to as high as 160, but I recovered pretty well and spent most of my time around 145-150. It's hard to maintain a constant heart rate with all the starts and stops at the stoplights. Anyhoo . . . it was good to get back out on the bike, and the weather is just beautiful. It had to be in the mid 80's for the ride. Barely had to drink much at all to stay hydrated.

After I pulled back into the parking lot at Bicycle Sport Shop, I changed into my running shoes, put on a dry-fit top and went for a short run. I don't know how far I went, but I was out for about 25 minutes, not too hard, so I'm guessing I went about 2.5 to 3 miles. The goal here was just to get back into a brick work out. It's been so long since I've done one! Anyway, I kept the heart rate below 165 and just cruised down by Town Lake to First Street, up to Barton Springs, and back over to Lamar. I plan to increase the mileage of both the run and bike by a few miles next time I do another brick.

Hopefully, this will get me ready for the Iron Star I'm doing in Conroe at the end of October. It's my final race of the season and will be my first Half Iron distance race. I'm a bit nervous about running 13 miles, as my longest training run to date has been 8 miles, and was a while ago. If I can just contain myself on the bike and not get too used up on it, I think I'll do just fine. Hopefully, I won't have any lower back issues on the run either. That was a killer in the Ironhead Olympic tri I did back in July. Bad leg and back back made for a sloooooowwwww run! But, I think I'm in better shape now than I was then, and I know not to hammer too much on the bike this time.

All in all, it was a good, easy transition back into the training regimen, and was sorely needed! Now . . . if I can just get myself to get back in the pool!

Countdown to IMMOO 2007. Well, it's official. I've signed up for Ironman Wisconsin 2007 . . . even after reading some of those horrific race reports about the 57 degree highs and the driving rain of 2006. It'll be a family affair as my twin brother Steve and I battle it out in the first ever Perkins Twin Ironman Smackdown! Should be fun!!!!

Dilloman Race Report. Today was the 2006 Dilloman Sprint Triathlon put on by the Austin Triathletes. No pictures available to post for this entry, but I'll get some up in later posts when they become available. Here's my race report:

Short Version (the numbers):

Overall: 12th/458
Age Group: 2nd/42
Swim: 16:02.0
T1: 3:54.9
Bike: 34:29.3
T2: 0:48.0
Run: 23:49.2
Total: 1:19:03.4

Click here for the Official Results (Overall)

Long Version:

The Day Begins:

Surprisingly, I woke up about 5 minutes before my alarm was set to go off, which was 4:30 AM. I wouldn't have set it quite so early, but I learned from last year's Dilloman that an early arrival at Pace Bend would be essential to a good race. Last year, I got there at 6:45 and had a really bad rack position for the bike. Today, I made it by 5:30, just when the park opened, and managed to get an inside position on the second rack closest to the bike out. Very good spot for me.

Not much in the way of pre-race nutrition. Lisa toasted an Ego waffle with peanut butter for me, and I had a little carton of orange juice, but that was it. The only thing I hate about getting to races that early is sitting around transition forever waiting for the darn thing to start. If finally started, but probably about 15 minutes late.

The Swim:

I was in the second wave consisting of men ages 35-39 and 40-44. Except for the fact that the water was very low, the swim was not too bad. I'm a bit surprised by the 2:00 per 100m pace I had because I felt like I was swimming faster than that. There's no getting around the fact that I need to get my butt back in the pool and work on the swimming. I should be able to consistently swim at least 1:40 per 100m. I'm just not working hard enough at it. Surprisingly, however, I came out of the water in first place in my age group.

T1:

This was pretty bad for me -- and really for everyone. The low lake level made it so that we had a long hike -- about 450-500 meters from the swim exit to the transition area. This was over rocky terrain, so it was a mandatory shoe run. It took some time to get my sandy feet into my running shoes and then get my butt from the beach to the transition area. Then, I had a bit of trouble getting my tri top on again. I need to just wear a tri suit or go shirtless. Cost myself about 20 seconds fumbling with the shirt. Also, I had forgotten that the run from the bike-out up to the bike mount line was a rocky, gravely road. That's not fun to do barefoot with you shoes already on the bike! Anyway, I got out of T1 in second place in my age group, though I didn't know it at the time.

Bike:

This is still my favorite part of every triathlon. I just feel at home on the bike! The Guru was freshly lubed and tuned up by David at Jack and Adam's Triathlon Shop. She was running very smoothe, I must say. I got into my shoes pretty easily, and from there, I was passing people left and right. One guy did pass me, but he was from the swim wave ahead of me, and I'd passed him on the swim, so I didn't mind so much.

The two-loop course was pretty hilly. I remember that from last year. At least this year it wasn't pouring down rain! My bike split was a lot better than last year's. I averaged 21.6 mph, more than 3.5 mph faster than last year. I really felt like I was flying for most of the ride. I could tell that I wasn't as fast as some of the flatter rides I've done, though. That Guru just takes alot out of my legs even on short climbs. I really need to find a way to climb more comfortably.

Anyway, the second loop was pretty crowded with all the folks coming in off the swim. I had a couple of close calls and an occasional slow-down because of slower riders, but all-in-all, not too bad. I hit the dismount line in about 35 minutes and proceeded back down the rocky trail to the bike-in.

T2:

I'm proud of this time. Less than 50 seconds in T2. Just dropped off the bike, dropped my helmet, slipped into the running shoes, and I was off! Sure missed my visor, but at least I had my sunglasses on!

Run:

The run was a trail run. Not my favorite. However, I still ran pretty well. It was a bit demoralizing when I'd gone about 400 meters into the run to look up and see the overall winner, Brandon Marsh, heading back in for his final 400 meters. Here I was just getting started on the run and he's in the home stretch! Oh well . . . that's why he's a professional!

I ran pretty well. No back problems this time, but I couldn't get my heart rate to drop. I was up over 170 bpm for most of the run, and I'd rather have been down near 160. It didn't seem to matter too much, though. I still managed a sub-7:30 min. per mile average. This is GOOD for me. Much better than my 10:00 min. per mile average last year.

So overall, I finished in 1 hour, 19 minutes and 3.4 seconds. Good enough for 12th place overall, by far my best finish at an Austin race, and second only to my 11th place overall finish in Orlando earlier this year at a MUCH smaller race. I was pleased with the overall time and finish. My goal was 1:20:00.0 and I beat it by almost 57 seconds!

Here's my comparison of this year's Dilloman with last year's:

2005/2006

Swim: 14:39.2/16:02.0
T1: 2:56.0/3:54.9
Bike: 41:21.6/34:29.3
T2: 1:16.4/0:48.0
Run: 30:08.6/23:49.2
Overall: 1:32:22.0/1:19:03.4

My goal was to hit 1:20:00.0, and I beat that, so I'm pretty happy! All-in-all, it was a good day. Plus, the podium award for second place in my age group was a stuffed armadillo with a blue handkerchief and a medal that said "2nd" on it. I'm pretty proud of it!

Okay, here's the "full" version of the pic below. I wish there was a way I could have gotten more of the Chicago skyline in there.

No training ride today at noon. I just didn't have the will power. Planning to try to squeeze one in after work. Perhaps I can work through what's left of lunch and leave a bit early! I should be able to get a nice long ride in if I can leave early. The weather here has been much cooler this week. Highs today should only be in the very low 90's. That's a BIG difference from the mid 100's a last week.

Inaugural post. Well, this is the first post of the blog, so bear with me. I'm new at this!

I went out for a training ride today in preparation for the Dilloman Sprint Triathlon in Austin this Sunday. It felt good to get back on the hills after doing so many flatter rides. However, I gotta tell you . . . it's amazing how quickly the fitness goes away! My legs are shot. Thank goodness I still seem to have decent recovery.

Anyhoo . . . I'll be interested to see how my time at Dilloman this year compares with last year's. The 2005 Dilloman was my first ever triathlon. I felt like I did okay for a first-timer. Last year, I finished in a total time of 1:32:22.0 (including a 2 minute penalty for blocking -- oops!), which was good enough for 128th place out of 421 total participants. I gotta tell you, though . . . with as well as I've been racing this summer, a repeat performance in that range this year will be a major disappointment. I know I'll have a slower swim time, because I haven't been working the swimming much; but, I expect I should be faster in every other aspect. I guess we'll see on Sunday! Here's my prediction for this Sunday:

Swim: 15:30. I just haven't trained it much lately. Hopefully I'll surprise myself!
T1: 01:45. Last year it was almost 3:00, but I've learned a lot this summer.
Bike: 37:15. Last year there was rain, so if there is none this year, I should have a much faster ride.
T2: 01:30. I've no idea how fast the T2 will be, but I did 1:30 in Chicago with its huge transition area. I figure I can do that here, too.
Run: 24:00. This is the "X" factor. I had a BAD run last year of over 30 minutes. My running lately, however, has been in the 22:50 to 23:30 range. If I keep close to that pace, 24:00 is a decent estimate.
Total: 1:20:00. Assuming no penalties (none since 2005!), this seems pretty realistic. I'd like to do better, but the rolling hill bike course and my lack of swimming doesn't bode well. Even if I just meet this prediction, though, it's still a 12 minute improvement over last year!

Let's hope it goes well!