What have I done?

Got to be the coolest experience ever.. I was the only one who showed up to Tribe on Monday night.  So there I was.... hell the coach was not even the regular coach... Micke was a the cottage, so Jeff was standing in.



So there I was all alone given' 'er in the set. With some serious one on one coaching I was in the ZONE.

Don't you worry about me... I am used to being all be myself on the bike.  Here I am last year in Oliver at the beginning of June.


Speaking of June....

Well there you go.... this blog is about to get a heck of a lot more interesting as I have three months or 12 weeks until my 4th 1/2 iron....

http://www.finalstretch.com/triathlon-events/liberty-triathlon/info/

Check out their site... I am a fan.

Here is the course - it looks like a corker... nice and hilly.

Long Course

Our Long Course (1.2mi Swim, 56mi Bike, 13.1mi Run) will start from the sandy beaches of Lake Rebecca.

Swim: Wetsuits will be allowed per USAT rules and regulations. Participants will swim in a counter-clockwise direction around a triangular swim course keeping all buoys on their left. The swim exit will provide competitors with excellent sightlines and with the tall trees in the background, little to no glare coming into the transition area. Buoys will mark the course and there will be a lead kayak as well as boat and lifeguard support along the way. All participants we'll receive an official Liberty Triathlon swim cap which must be worn during the swim portion of the event. Participants will exit the water and traverse a short grassy stretch to the transition area where they mount their bikes.

Bike: The Long course bike is a challenging and somewhat technical 56mi ride. All bikers must have an ANSI approved helmet to participate and obey Minnesota State Laws. Bikers without helmets will not be allowed on the course. This is a USAT non-draft legal event and race marshals will be patrolling the entire course. Outside assistance is not permitted. A sag wagon will be on the course to transport participants back to transition, but will not be able to offer mechanical assistance. Please come prepared with your own spare tubes and tools. 3 bottle exchange stations will be located along the course at approx. mi 18, 30 and 44. Water and HEED replenishment drink will be available at all bike aid stations courtesy of Hammer Nutrition. There will be an enforced bike time cut off of 12:30 pm. Participants not in the bike to run transition area by 12:30 pm will not be permitted out onto the run course.

Run: The race concludes with a 13.1mi run, mostly paved, out and back trail run. Aid will be available approx. every mile along the run course and will be supplied with Water, Heed replenishment drink, Cola, Hammer Gel, Carbohydrates and Endurolytes.

1MB)

My plan

.... get through this week and then Sunday we start.

Time to stop playing and to get serious about the training and the outcome.

See you Sunday.

Ketchup Blur

I am a little behind....  that sort of running to stand still kind of life.... to the point that I can honestly say that I do not know if I am coming or going.  I can tell you that my mind is definitely the one going in this journey.   Sometimes you just have to make time for yourself in a world that is designed to do the opposite... some times you got to cry without weeping, talk without speaking and scream without raising your voice.... and there you have triathlon in a nutshell.  My legs.. if they could talk... which they cannot, but if they could..... scream they would.

So it is Optimist Band festival this week and I ended out on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday until midnight.  I came in to it all feeling like I was running on dollar store batteries but I know that if I stick with it.... I'll be good.

Last Saturday:

almost 1500 calories and 41k - if you view the details you can see the set broken down into 3 main sections.... section 1 - Cautious Optimism - Section 2 - Left and right foot falls and section 3 - drooling dumbfounded determination....(see what I did there with the wicked use of alliteration.... wink, wink.... nudge, nudge... say no more.. say NO MORE!)



then after the bike I had some strange desire to run out a fast 1 miler and managed a time of about 7:43. Now.. about... well... you see at the Pan Am - 1 mile is about 5.75 laps and my time for 6 laps was 7:43... so about 7:30 maybe.  I was happy, but that was it.. I was cooked.

After that I faked my way through core and some band work.   I took a selfie and this is what I looked like....

Then without any though I was back at Pan am and the week had gone by quicker than a 6 on prom night.

Saturday Part II - Re-Dux

Here it was obvious that I was going through the motions, but all I did was to make sure that I kept it in between the navigational arrows... somewhere between Dead End and No Parking.

Well that was a write off

So we have started the basement rennovation and we are knee deep in it and ultimately when you take on a project like that something has got to give.  In this case it was triathlon.  Drywall, mud, sand, re-mud, sand again, taping and moving furniture and into 3 coats of paint.  It has been busy.

That said, I was able to make it to the Y on Tuesday and give myself a self administered sweat shower. Why is it that I cannot seem to run 5 miles without sweating through my clothes? That is why I prefer to run outdoors... no sweat...... literally.... no sweat... well there is some, but nothing like this.

I did my usual 5 miles with a  twist, I did 1 mile at 6.5 then 1 mile at 7 and then 2 miles at 7.5 and then 1 mile at 6.5.   NO lie... that was an effort and probably accounted for the sweat... hell it was rolling into my ears at the end an blocked off  my music... apparently headphones do not work under water.

The rest of the week was a blur... loads of late nights and early mornings.  Missed the 20 minute TT on Sat.  and I found out last night that Monday was just the usual 2 and the coach...

Made it out last night to the Pan-Am and was able to muddle through a very solid workout.  I liked this one as it had some real race specific skill to it.  3 minutes tempo, 1 minute V02, 3 minutes threshold and then 3 minuted aerobic.  Needless to say there was quite the pool under the bike when I was done.

Throw... not so much as jump.

Well.... Friday's swim was quite the wake up. WOW!!!!!

I am not one to wade into much, so I throw.. not so much as jump into the water.... it's really just a matter of perspective.  Well...  much to my surprise  it was particularly unfriendly.  Alas, what's a boy to do?  Onward and upwards.  A good solid set, nevertheless, with all 11's and I was pleased.

On to Saturday....

With the -42˚C outside it was not big surprise that the #'s were down at workout.  We all had a bit of a time getting in so the workout was fairly jovial.  WE had a hard push, but ended early to try to get to the track before the Syncro meet closed us out, but with an extra set on the end, we only managed 15 minutes before the deck-hands showed up and politely closed the track for the 6 people that were there early.... sigh.  Form the track into a good circuit work out with Tri-Girl and I owning the ladder of justice... I am so old skool that I can remember when it actually was a ladder... thank god for shin pads.   Rounded out the end with some core and we were done.



On a side note, we are renovating the basement and when I got home from all that above, we dove into 5 ours of pushing, pulling, dragging and the like to prep the basement for taping an mud today..... I ache in ways that only Advil can help....either that or tequila.