Plan 2014 and 910XT

I just thought it would be a good idea to post something, especially since my last post was pretty negative.  Things have definitely gotten better since my last post, we are adapting to life without our Willie,  work is slightly better, and my health is much improved. 

I should talk a bit more about my health, and what I think is the result of my getting older.  I mentioned that about two weeks ago my lower back was in bad shape; well, it was and I haven't gone running at all over the past two weeks.  I couldn't believe how much pain I was in, even more than I typically deal with the stenosis I have in my L5/S1.  I went to my sports doc three times over a ten day span to try and make it better.  I am noticing that every little thing that typically hadn't bothered me much is now becoming more than just a nuisance.  I think that it is a combination of age, lack of fitness, diet, and activity (I shouldn't be playing soccer...so painful the following day).  True, getting older sucks, but I think if I can improve my fitness, lose weight and eat better, I will be able to improve how I feel overall.

With regard to training, I haven't been doing too much lately, only where I think I am not going to damage myself.  I got in a couple rides last week which was great (one in Washington, DC - ~30 miles and the other ~48 miles on Sunday).  I do have to point out that my Sunday ride was absolutely miserable.  Around 30 miles in my legs were getting tight, and then at 40 miles I was in full on cramp mode; every muscle in my upper legs were going nuts.  I guess I was a little dehydrated and hungry.  As for swimming, I did manage to get in the pool every other day over the past two weeks which has helped me actually improve my swim a bit.    I hope to do my first run in two weeks tonight.

Racing....nothing really on the calendar for the rest of the year.  I had been planning on doing the Atlantic City International Triathlon on September 15th, but that just isn't going to happen now.  I am in no shape to even try and do an Olympic distance race with any hope of actually competing.  I need to put something on the calendar to get myself motivated and in training mode.

Lastly, I have had preliminary conversations with my lovely wife and family about my next Ironman.  As of right now the plan is to do Ironman Arizona in 2014.  This will give me a solid two years to:

• Save money for the trip (there will be FIVE of us going)
• Train properly, 2013 will be the year of increasing speed and Olympic distance & 70.3 races
• Position myself for a chance at a Kona slot

That is about it for now.  I hope to be feeling good tonight and get in a productive run.

**Oh, I forgot, I ordered and received a Garmin 910XT about a week ago.  I used it for the first time in the pool last Thursday and within 20 minutes it was not functioning properly and there was water under the glass.  WTF?!?!?!  I called Garmin, they confirmed the unit was defective.  I returned it to Road Runner Sports and am awaiting my replacement.  It seemed really cool when I had it, I'll try to give a full review once I get the new one.  Cheers!

Willie & IM NYC

So much to write down, but so little time (I am at work and have a busy day ahead of me).  I supposed I will start with the good stuff.

The Good Stuff
This past Saturday was Ironman NYC, or Ironman New Jersey as it has been more commonly knows.  I watch it off and on throughout the day via IronmanLive and tracked a few people that I knew were doing it.  I couldn't believe how fast the swim times were; I don't think anyone swam slower than 1:15:00, which is absolutely incredible.  I am thinking that this might be the race for me to do in the future considering swimming is by far my weakest discipline.  Hell, I could probably post a 55 minute swim and cut a minimum of 25 - 30 minutes off of my overall time. 

So there were two people that I was tracking throughout the day.  On is a friend of mines husband (they live in the UK), and he was shooting for a Kona spot.  He had a killer race, finishing in just over 10 hours and ended up 8th in his Age Group, no knowing if he had gotten the golden ticket to the IM World Championships.  The other is a fellow Blogger and now kick ass "Ironman" Yaz (NJ Training), who was doing her first Ironman and ended up 4th in her Age Group (11:37:?? or something like that).  WTF?  How awesome is that?  The big questions for Yaz are: Did you qualify for Kona?  If so, are you going?

So as I was sitting there watching the numbers change on IronmanLive and their finishing times become reality, of course I got the itch back.  I had a talk with my wife last night about my desire to do another Ironman race again soon and we semi-agreed that 2013 is too soon (baby is too young, finances, etc.), but 2014 is a good year to target.  So it looks like 2013 is going to be get my ass in shape year (sprint, olympic and Half Iron distance tri's) and then plan for a return to IM and hopefully a Kona spot in 2014.  Thank you to Scott and Yaz for the inspiration!

The Bad Stuff
Last week just sucked.  That is all I can say.  In brief here is what my week looked like:

• Tuesday – My birthday….had to take my nine month old little girl to get blood tests; which mean I had to physically restrain her so the tech could take blood. She cried hysterically BOTH TIMES the tech tried; the second attempt (in her other arm) was successful.
• Wednesday –
• I found out that the job I had been counting on getting, well I got a call from the hiring manager telling me that they have two other candidates that they are going to focus on.  In short, I am out.  F**K!!!!!!!
• My wife took our dog (Willie) for a routine vet appointment only to find out he has a couple months to live. Then when they got home, it turns out he has internal bleeding from “mass” in his abdomen; I rushed him to the animal hospital and after some x-rays and a draw from his abdomen, then a conversation with the doctor I had to make the horrendous decision to have him put “to sleep”. Sitting there with him on the floor as he passed away in front of me was one of the worst experiences of my life. Then, upon arriving home, I have to explain why Willie isn't with me to my two young daughters. The 30 minutes that followed were filled with all of us crying and trying to comprehend what the hell just happened.
  
  
  
The last pic of Willie and I, just before...

One of my favorite pictures of Willie
• Thursday – I spend most of the morning trying to console my distraught children (and wife). I took the day off from work because I could barely hold it together myself.  Then throughout the day I had to collect every dog thing from around the house and hide them in our garage until we can figure out what to do with all of it. 
• Friday – I had a bi-weekly conference call for work, during which I was singled out on for sucking and for not being able to use our internal system properly (I am actually very good using the tool).  Then I am sent an email from our National Sales Manager reiterating that I suck and there is a ":)" at the end of his comment.  Really? 
• Saturday – IM NYC and also check out the Olympics.
• Sunday – I woke up with a sore lower back, no big deal. So then I decide to play soccer and my back is much tighter than normal.  I soldier on and it never loosens up.  I spend the rest of the day walking around like a decrepit old man, taking Advil and suffering.  (I had a doctors appointment today to try and fix it).

So that just about sums up last week; maybe I am being overly dramatic, but then again I live in a house with four females (it is bound to rub off on me).

RR: Born to Tri (Sprint)

Swim (.3 miles): 9:56 (2011 - 9:55) - 83 out of 354
The sky was a bit overcast, but the sun was peeking through. I was able to wear my wetsuit and I felt good getting into the water and spalshing around.  The swim was in the ocean which was also a good thing. Nothing spectacular here, it was over pretty quickly; however, the toughest part was the long run to transition.  Honestly I thought that I would have been faster than my 2011 time, but I suspect the south to north current may have played a bit in slowing me down.

T1: :57 (2011 - 1:05)
I was in and out realtively quickly.  The delay was in getting my wetsuit off, otherwise it was pretty good.

Bike (14 miles): 34:16 - 21.0 MPH (2011 - 34:14 (21.0MPH)) - 65 out of 354
As was the case in 2011, I never felt all that great on the bike.  I should have been faster, but I just didn't have it in my legs.  I haven't been out riding and running much, so that is the simple reason.  In the past I easily could have maintained 22 or 23 MPH on such a flat course, but not on this day. I did the best that I could and that is all that I could ask.

T2 - :41 (2011 - :46)
I was in and out as quickly as I could.  I think I picked up a couple places...although I lost them on the run.

Run (3 miles): 22:22 (7:27/mile)  (2011 - 3.4 miles - 24:01 (7:37/mile)) - 134 out of 354
Of couse this is my weak link as of late.  I trudged along at an easy pace and of course my Garmin 310 crashed on me somewhere before mile #2.   In the end it was a beautiful morning and there are worse places to be than running on a boardwalk with the ocean a stone throw away.  In typical "me" fashion, I finished the last 1/4 mile strong, passing a couple people and not getting passed.   I am certain that the run distance isn't accurate, but I can't confirm that because my Garmin crapped out on me.  If not, dang! good run for me!!!

Final Time: 1:08:14 - 68 out of 354 (2011 - 1:10:02 - 84 out of 279
I am pretty happy with my race overall.  In 2011 I finished in the top 30% of all athletes; this year I was in the top 20% of all athletes.  On a side note, I am sitting at #2 in the Jersey Shore Multisport Race Series 40-44 Age Group Standings.  As a result I am thinking of doing the last race in the series later on this summer so that I might actually get an award.  Ah, who knows what I'll do.

Cheers!

RR: NJ State Triathlon - Sprint

I did my second race of the year this past weekend....the NJ State Triathlon - Sprint.  This race is special in that it was the first triathlon I ever did back in 2006.  That first year I had no idea what the heck I was doing, I walked into Transition without a clue as to what I should be doing.  I was on a newly acquired Cannondale road bike that was a size too small for me and had the shifters on the frame.  The swim was a nightmare, I thought I was going to drown.  I swore I would never do another triathlon.

My oldest daughter crossing the finish line...the day before the race.

So, here I was back from my seventh year at the NJ State Triathlon (six at the Sprint Distance, one at the Olympic Distance), I guess I ended up liking this triathlon thing.  As always it was an early morning, up and out of the house by 5:00AM.  The weather was predicted to be absolutely perfect, cool and sunny.  I arrived at the race site just after transitioned opened and of course there were already six guys on my rack....ugh, what time did they get there?  Any how, got everything set up and putzed around until the swim.

Swim (500m) - 11:04 (253/1136)
The gun sounded for my age group (fourth heat to go off) and I felt great.  I got myself into a good spot, very little contact, and swam a straight line.  I was psyched to see some of the swim caps from the group ahead of me, I was actually swimming well.  Not much to really say other than I was very consistent and steady for the entire swim.  I emerged from the water feeling good, ran the 100yds or so to the timing mat and entered T1

T1 - 1:08 (52/1136)I didn't dally here too long, glasses and helmet on and out I went.

Bike (11.5 miles) - 30:52 - 22.4 MPH (77/1136)
I felt very solid on the bike for the most part.  I am still a bit away from good cycling fitness, but overall my legs felt pretty good and I think I was only passed by two people the entire ride and I was able to pass a ton of folks.  My legs tired a little bit around the final mile or so, but nothing to worry about.  The one thing that I forgot to do was drop to an easy gear and spin my legs out prior to dismount line.  This definitely would have helped my run I think.  Once dismounted, I had a good 200yd run to T2.

T2 - 1:16 (92/1136)
Good transition, hesitated for a minute as to how I should rack my bike (idiot!!!).  Regardless, there was only one other bike on the rack which was a good sign.

Run (3.1 miles) - 24:38 - 7:57 (290/1136)
Ugh, at what point in time did running become my weakness?  This is embarrassing!!!  I can't believe that I couldn't get my legs going any faster than they were.  I tried to run fast but it just wasn't happening.  It didn't help that my Garmin lost its signal 1.5 miles in so I had no clue as to the pace I was running.  I trudged along, trying to run hard and smooth, just to finish it up.  Around 1/2 mile from the finish a pack of four guys from my age group passed me and I had no answer for them (pathetic).  I managed to keep my head up and finish with a smile on my face and my head held high.

Final - 1:08:58 (112/1136)
All in all I was happy with the result and my time.  I did the best I could and I really know what I have to work on now (at least it was proven).  I haven't been running a lot and when I have it was been pretty slowly.  I have to start doing some speed work and get faster.  My bike was significantly improved from my last race which made me happy and my swim was solid.  In fact, all of my time were faster (sans run) than when I last did it in 2010 when I placed 3rd in my age group.  Granted the weather was horrible, temps in the upper 90s at 8:00AM, but still I was in the midst of Ironman training back then. 

Not a lot of time until my next race....this Saturday, Born to Tri in Asbury Park, NJ.

The New Wheels

Here is a picture of my bike with the new wheels....I love them!!!

RR: LavaLove Triathlon

Saturday morning was my first triathlon of the year, the newly renamed LavaLove Triathlon; actually it was my first race of any kind since August 7, 2011.  I really like this race for multiple reasons, first it is in the town where I spent every summer as a kid (and my 'rents live there now), it has only about 300 participants,  and it is flat as a pancake.  I made the trek down on Friday night and managed to fall asleep around 9:30PM which was awesome!

Excuses:  My training over the past year and a half has been less than stellar and it is especially true for the past two months.  Family, work and miscellaneous things have made free time scarce, thus my running/biking has taken a major hit.  Those will be the last excuses I will throw out there. 

Swim - .4 miles - 11:11 (Overall 80/284, AG 5/22)
It was  a beautiful day, air temp was around 65F, blue skies, and a great atmosphere in transition.  The water was pretty warm for early June, around 71F, but still meant I was wearing a wetsuit.  After treading water for about five minutes or so the gun sounded and we were off.  For some stupid reason I positioned my self right in the gnarliest place you can be for the start of a swim, inside front row.  Ugh, I didn't mean to be there, but that is where I ended up.  Regardless, I got the crap kicked out of me for the first 200m.  After the typical mid-swim thoughts of just quitting, I decided to just finish the swim and get on the bike.  So I tried to streamline a bit and made my way for shore.  All in all, not a bad swim for me, I finished in the top 30% of all finishers which is great for me.

T1 - 1:29
My transition could have been faster, but then again I had to strip off my wetsuit.

Bike - 13 miles - 37:42 (19.9 MPH) (Overall  48/284,  AG 6/22)
Oh boy, I did not have a very good ride, and this despite my brand new wheels!!!  With that said, I could have been riding the most aerodynamic bike, with the lightest components, with an aero helmet and a rear disc wheel and it wouldn't have helped all that much.  When you don't ride a bike more than once every ten days, you just aren't going to be fast.  I did my best with the fitness that I had, I passed a bunch of people, was passed by a couple and managed to not exhaust myself in the process.

T2 - :46
A very good transition for me, could have shaved off maybe 10 seconds if I really had to....I will next time.

Run - 3.8 miles - 30:45 (8:06/mile) (Overall 85/284, AG 4/22)
This is the one time that absolutely killed me....over 8 minute miles on the run portion for a sprint triathon is horrible.  It didn't help that my Garmin died about 100 yards in to the run, thus I was running blind.  I managed to hook up with a guy around mile two who helped pace me for a little bit, but he pulled away from me and I couldn't catch him.  I did the best I could and realized that I need to get out running at least four days a week from now on.  With regard to the race, with about 200 yards to the finish I was about to be passed and I decided that I wasn't going to do down like that, so I picked up the pace and beat the guy by about three seconds, preserving my 58th place finish.

Post-Race - 1:21:56 (Overall 58/284, AG 5/22)

I finished right around where I expected to; my run and bike need vast improvements.  Provided I can make the time to run four days a week and bike three/four days a week, I should see improvements pretty quickly.  Next race is the NJ State Triathlon on July 22nd and then after that I may be doing the Born to Tri on July 29th.

Catching Up

The past three weeks have been going pretty well from a training stand point.  I have managed to up my running mileage up every week, I have been in the pool at least three days a week for 1,500 - 2,000m a session and I have gotten on the bike a few times as well (not nearly enough though).  I was able to put in my best run of the year in when I was on a business trip in Erie, PA...6.6 miles at 8:03/mile pace.  Actually, I was able to get in a lot of training (running) on that trip which was nice.

** Lake Erie behind me **

** Looking at the Pittsburgh skyline **

What else is going on....hmmmm, oh yeah, I finally purchased a new set of race wheels!!!!  Profile Design Altair Full Carbon Clinchers 80 - ....and as a part of a promotion received a Profile Design Altair Full Carbon Clincher 52 Front Wheel as well.  I couldn't pass them up, the deal was too good, in fact if anyone out there is looking for a good deal on wheels or other bike "stuff", go to Bicycle Doctor USA, very reliable and trustworthy guys!

 I am still waiting on my tires to arrive from France (Continental Grand Prix 4000s), the cheapest place I could find them.  As soon as I have the tires I will taking them out for a spin....I am very excited.

Oh, I haven't heard anything on the London job yet.  I have been told to sit tight and not dwell on it too much.  I have a feeling that it just isn't going to happen, but I am still holding out hope that I will get another interview and hopefully a job offer.

Lastly, I have my first race of the season on Saturday, June 9th and I am not in any shape to do especially well.  I am going to use that as motivation to get my sorry ass in shape for the rest of the summer.  I am hoping to drop about 5 - 10 pounds before race day in hopes of making me slightly faster....we'll see.

That's it for now.  Cheers!