Triathablog

Training log week of 10 August 2015

2015-08-22T10:48:00.001-04:00

Last week was an unplanned week off -well, sort of. I didn't run all week but that's not to say that I was inactive. I just got back from a week long vacation with the family at a house on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. While I wasn't doing specific run training, I did get in some pretty long days of outdoor activities between hiking and and a ton of swimming. It was a good change of pace and some wonderful scenery.

Training Log: Week of 3 August 2015

2015-08-22T10:22:00.001-04:00

Monday

Rest Day. Mobility work hips and lower legs.

Tuesday

Thunderstorms last night and this morning means little sleep and no running today.

Wednesday

Fasted morning run. Nice temps today and lower humidity. Had a hard time getting my HR up and felt like I was working harder than I should have.

Thursday

Fasted morning run. Cool and clear weather again. Nice run today. Got a better night sleep than I did for Wednesday's run. Kicked out 4 miles and negative split them all. I felt like I could have kept going but had to get ready for work.

Sunday

Nice hour long morning run, 6.5 miles. Thirty minutes out and 30 back and I finished right where I started. Good test to see how well I maintained pace.

Sometimes I am just tired (a warning sign of fatigue)

2015-08-06T07:19:00.000-04:00

Most of the time when I run I judge my effort by feel or Rate of Perceived Exertion RPE. While I am tracking my pace and HR, I don't usually look at the data when I'm running. I just review it afterwards and compare to how I felt during the workout. I am really trying to develop the sense of "feel" so I don't have to constantly rely on the realtime data. Plus, it helps when I actually want to use it (on long runs for example). I don't need to be constantly checking my watch to tell if I'm pushing too hard.

Well, today was just one of those days where things didn't feel right. I was losing mental focus. I felt like I was breathing heavier than I should and needing to push harder than I should just to keep what felt like an average pace.

As it turns out, my pace was right about where I thought it would be, in the low 9 mins/mile. But my average HR was only 133 BPM. That's is lower than I thought it should be. I also usually see a spike in HR when I first start out (especially when I don't warm up first). I didn't see that either.

So what does this mean? Why is my HR not reacting when my body feels like it's pushing harder?

From what I have read and heard, not being to get your HR up is either a sign of increased fitness or increased fatigue. In my case I'm going with fatigue. Sleep seems to be a luxury for me these last couple of days. Also, I just changed jobs at work so that is adding more stress to my life. I think it's just adding up. I will keep an eye on this over the next couple of days and see how it goes. Also, I'll work on getting more sleep.

Training log week of 27 July 2015

2015-08-02T16:19:00.001-04:00

Monday

Rest day.

Tuesday

Evening run. I ran four miles total and pushed the pace on the second and fourth hard. Got my max HR to 180BPM.

Wednesday

Hot and humid run after work. Cut it off at three miles

Thursday

Did not run in the morning. I got blood work done first thing in the morning and I I didn't want it to skew my numbers. I didn't get out in the evening due to some heavy thunderstorms.

Friday

This would typically have been a rest day but instead I did four miles just to put me over 100 miles for the month. I got 102.7 in July.

Saturday

Went out fasted today. Didn't bring any fuel with me either. Just water. Got in 8.5 miles before cutting it off. Felt pretty good the whole time, heart rate and pace stayed steady.

Sunday

No run today. That's just part of the family life.

Total mileage: 19.6 miles.

Training log week of 20 July 20, 2015

2015-08-01T22:17:00.001-04:00

Monday

Rest day.

Tuesday

Still very humid this morning and we had a late night at my daughters swim meet so I was dragging this morning. Did three miles and called it quits.

Wednesday

Quick 4 mile fasted run before work.

Thursday

Quick 4 mile fasted run before work.

Friday

Rest day.

Saturday

Long run day. Got out early and finished a 20 mile run in 3:40. Focused on keeping my HR low and staying hydrated. For fuel I used Hammer Nutrition HEED. I tried to take in about 200 calories an hour. This may have been a little too much for me though. Towards the end I was getting a little gassy and completely uninterested in drinking any of it.

Sunday

Rest Day

Total mileage 31.5

Training log: Week of 13 July 2015

2015-07-21T21:57:00.001-04:00

Monday - Rest Day

I've been struggling with a bit of IT band soreness on my left leg. I rolled it out with the foam roller before bed and that seemed to help.

Tuesday

The IT band was feeling a little better when I went out for my run this morning. I had to cut it short though after only two miles due to lightning. Afterwards, I noticed it was getting little achy again, so I continued massaging it with a softball in the car on the way to work.

Wednesday

My leg felt good in the morning but strong thunderstorms rolled through just in time to keep me from running.

Friday

Well this has been one of those unplanned recovery weeks. Missed another session yesterday because my daughter was up all night with an upset stomach. But today I finally made it out the door. Four miles first thing in the morning. Empty stomach, no fuel. Just some water before I started. No leg or IT pain today. Hopefully that is a sign that the weekend workouts will be good.

Saturday

Well the trend continued. Missed another workout. Blah. What a week!?

Sunday

Hot and humid morning run. No pre run fuel. Just water along the way. Stopped at just under six miles. Tried out the new arm coolers. Pretty nice. I think that they may work a little better if the humidity was lower though or if there were a more consistent wind. When it did blow, the cooling was noticeable.

A Fresh Start

2015-04-02T15:10:00.001-04:00

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says: the best time to plant a tree is 25 years ago, the second best time is now. Basically, it's saying that it's never too late to start. If you want something different in your life then get started. You want to lose weight, you want to save for retirement, you want to start a business. Sure things might be easier if you had started earlier in life. Those kinds if thoughts are useless. You cant travel back in time to change your history. Who cares what you should have started years ago. If you have a goal for your life then get started now!

Great Allegheny Passage Trail Ride

2014-06-11T15:34:00.000-04:00

On Memorial Day weekend, my brother and I set out to ride the Great Allegheny Passage Trail. The GAP is a 150 mile Rails-to-Trails path that connects Cumberland, Maryland and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We gave ourselves three days to finish the ride. It seemed perfectly reasonable to us that we could average 50 miles per day. Also, my sister-in-law came along and provided support throughout the trip. She would drive ahead and meet up with us at various places along the trail. This way we didn't need to pack more than a couple hours worth of food and water. We had it all planned out... Until we started.

Day One: 5:17:45, 45 miles

So the first rule in executing a great plan, is to change it before you even start. This is exactly what we did. Instead of starting our ride in Cumberland as we had planned, we decided to start a little down the C&O Towpath in Paw Paw, West Virginia.

We did this for a couple of reasons. One of which I'm sure is just plain old ignorance. Another being that it was closer to where we had spent the night on Thursday. So we figured what the heck, so what if it adds a couple miles into the ride. We will be able to absorb that, right? We'll that couple of miles turned out to be 30. (Guess we should have looked at that map a little closer.) The day was further complicated by the fact that we started out way later than we had planned too.
So off we were, behind schedule, ignorant and happy. But finally we were on our way - headed west on the C&O towards Cumberland. It is quite a nice ride with lots to see like historic locks and houses and civil war battlefields.

Thirty miles and about three hours later we rolled into Cumberland (our planned starting point). Hungry and a little tired, we stopped for a late lunch at about 3:00PM. We had been making what felt like pretty good time at about 10 miles per hour. But with the late start and the hour for lunch, we were starting to wonder just how far we were actually going to get. We knew the trail was going to start getting harder.

The next 22 or so miles is all uphill. We knew that meant harder riding and slower pace. So, we decided we would stop in Frostberg. There we would reassess our situation. This was an easy, logical decision since it was the next town on the map.

The ride from Cumberland to Frostberg proved to be much harder than Paw Paw to Cumberland. It certainly didn't help that we had the 30 mile warmup. Those 17 miles took us nearly 2 hours to complete. By this time it was starting to get late and we were pretty tired so we decided to call it a day. Forty five miles and five hours of riding wasn't all that bad of a day. The only problem is that we were only 17 miles into our original itinerary. That is about 40 miles shorter than where we wanted to be on day one. I was already starting to wonder if we were going to be able to complete ride.

Day Two: 5:38:00, 58 miles

Day two started out well. We got up, ate and were on the trail early. The plan for the day was to stop more often - every 15-20 miles for a brief rest. Picking up where we left off in Frostberg, we were back on the hill with eight more miles of climbing ahead of us. At least we were fresh. The ride up to the continental divide was great. There were lots of scenic views of the valley. We crossed the Mason-Dixon Line. And rode through the 3,300 foot long Big Savage Tunnel.

It was amazing how much there was to see in just those few short miles. Reaching the Continental Divide was such a relief. Plus, we knew it was all down hill from there (literally). Next stop - Myersdale.
Still trying to make up as much time as we could, we didn't spend too much time in Myersdale. We wanted to get to Rockwood where we planned on taking a longer break for lunch.

After lunch at Rockwood, we decided that we would continue on to Confluence. At that point we would decide if we would go on to Ohiopyle or stop for the day. Our butts were already getting sore and Confluence was another 20 miles (or two hours) away.

By the time we got to Confluence, we were pretty sore on the back end. My legs were not too bad. They were tired, of course, but I had been eating more so I wasn't totally wiped out like I had been on the first day. My biggest problem was my butt. Aside from being sore from sitting on a bike seat for 10 hours in the last two days, it was starting to get raw. We needed this break. By this time it was about 3:00 PM. We decided to go to Ohiopyle and call it a day. It was only 10 more miles and the next stop after that was an additional 20 miles.

Day Three: 6:10:28, 80 miles

Last day. It was all or nothing on this day. If we had to stop short and not make it all the way to Pittsburgh, I would be very disappointed. That was the capstone to the trip - to make it the whole way. It wasn't about the 150 miles (or 180 the way we did it). It was about finishing the ride and completing the challenge.

We had a lot of distance to make up. Seventy seven more miles to go. That is farther than I had ever ridden a bike in one day. I spent a lot of time the night before working on recovering my legs for the ride. Unfortunately, I didn't have a good solution for recovering my sore butt other than staying off of it.

The strategy of breaking up the ride seemed to work well. So, we decided to take it one step further. We would alternate short micro breaks and longer breaks as the day went on. Every 45 minutes to an hour we would stop. The first break would be short and the next would be longer. This would allow us to stay well fed for the long day. Plus it gave us plenty of opportunities to rest our aching backsides. The longer breaks coincided nicely with major stopping points along the way - Connolsville, West Newton, Boston and then on to Pittsburgh. Over the. course of a single day we witnessed an interesting transition from the small towns of Pennsylvania like Connolsville and Smithdale to more urban areas like McKeesport to the center of a major city.

A nice surprise was fact the last 30 miles or so were all paved. (Except for that short stretch near Homestead - What's up with that?). Once we started seeing more and more people on the trail we knew we were getting close. And that was all the motivation we needed. I knew we were going to finish the ride.

The other thing we didn't account for in our planning is where the GAP trail actually ends. I had my mind set on ending at Point State Park and the big fountain where the three rivers converge in Pittsburgh. This is where the trail should really start. It just makes sense. But this is actually about 3 miles from the end of the GAP trail which ends at a place called The Hot Metal Bridge. But nonetheless we finished the ride at the fountain. We made it. Success!! A great weekend for sure.

2014 Week 5 Training Log

2014-02-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

This was a rough week. Life got in the way of training this week. Travel for work, a sick cat and an evening trip to the ER to get stitches for my daughter's foot. I didn't get very much done but sometimes these kinds of weeks happen. Glad this one is behind us.

1/26/2014

Rest

1/27/2014

Bike trainer

35 minutes

137 ave HR

83 RPM ave cadence

498 cals

1/28/2014

Run (treadmill)

Start Time: 0530

35 minutes

3.8 miles

Ave HR 147

1/29/2014

Rest/travel day

Late night getting caught up on work and had to get up very early to catch my flight back home.

1/30/2014

Nothing

1/31/2014

Nothing

2/1/2014

Nothing

2014 Week 4 Training Log

2014-02-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

1/20/2014

Rest day.

1/21/2014

Bike trainer

35 minutes

137 ave HR

85 RPM ave cadence

506 cals

I did some riding on the MTB in the snow around the house. It was a lot of fun riding through 8 inches of snow. And really hard! I had almost No traction on driveway. On the hill in my backyard, I would end up spinning the wheel until I just fell over. Sometimes we have to make the most of the situations Mother Nature gives us - and have fun with it.

1/22/2014

Bike trainer

40 minutes

130 ave HR

83 RPM ave cadence

539 cals

1/23/2014

Run (outside)

5 degrees

Light clouds

No wind

Start Time: 0400

29.5 minutes

3.17miles

Ave HR not recorded

Yeah - it was cold outside today. But I layered up and stayed plenty warm.

1/24/2014

Rest

1/25/2014

Run (inside)

Start Time: 1030

60 minutes

6.9 miles

155 ave HR

1377

Nice run on the treadmill today.

1/26/2014

Rest.

2014 Week 3 Training Log

2014-01-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

1/12/2014

Run (outside)

42 degrees

Light clouds

wind 10 mph

Start Time: 1230

60 minutes

6.7 miles

Ave HR 159

Went out a little fast but quickly settled into a nice pace that I was able to maintain for the entire run. After the run I had a little cream cheese and a yogurt and berry smoothie. Otherwise I didn't use any other fuel for the run and I felt good. For the remainder of the day I wore my 2XU compression socks to help with recovery and reduce soreness for Monday's workout.

1/13/2014

Bike trainer

32 minutes

121 ave HR

82 RPM ave cadence

398 cals

Seems the compression socks helped out yesterday. My legs felt pretty good this morning. But since I did a couple longer runs this weekend, I took it a little easy on the bike this morning for a little recovery. I like the numbers though.

1/14/2014

Rest day

1/15/2014


This is what happens when you forget to bring work shoes to the gym.

Run (outside)

30 degrees

Thick fog

wind 0 mph

Start Time: 0400

35 minutes

4.2 miles

Ave HR 162

815 cals

Lifting 30 mins

Abs

Bench

Push-up

Lat pull

DB curl

DB bench

DB row

It was a very foggy morning run. With he temperature just below freezing the conditions were perfect for little spots of black ice all around the neighborhood. So, if I were smart, I would have turned around and went home after hitting the first patch. No need for injury, right? Yeah well who said I was smart? I just kept on running. I used the opportunity to learn something new.

Today was also my fist day in the gym in quite a while. This year I am adding some strength training into my workout routines. I didn't do anything major, mostly upper body today. I intend to spend a couple weeks using just body weight or light weights. I am doing this to allow my muscles to adapt to the new stress of weights. I don't want to injure myself by going too hard too soon. This definitely something I would have done when I was younger.

1/16/2014

Bike trainer

35 minutes

132 ave HR

84 RPM ave cadence

477 cals

Lifting

Lunges

Free Squats

Light bar squats

Leg extensions

Leg curls

Calf raises

Pull ups

1/17/2014

Rest day

I think the addition of the weights (plus a couple bad nights of sleep) required an additional rest day this week. My body was telling me not to get out of bed this morning. Sometimes you need to listen to what the body is telling you.

1/18/2014

Bike trainer

50 minutes

141 ave HR

86 RPM ave cadence

747 cals

Three Simple Steps for Running on Ice

2014-01-18T15:10:00.004-05:00

So first a little disclaimer:

RUNNING OUTSIDE WHEN THERE IS ICE IS DANGEROUS!

If you are apt to run outside all seasons of the year, there is a chance that you will encounter some ice along the way. If you do, here are a couple easy steps to help improve your chances of coming out injury free.

1. Slow Down
This should be common sense for most people. Sometimes the simple things are worth repeating. (Again - SLOW DOWN). Slowing down gives you more time to react when slipping does occur. Also, if you are out running where there is ice, you are doing it because you enjoy running in the cold - so why unnecessarily risk an injury. Or may be you are being chased by a bear that you woke up from hibernation. If you do find a bear, your probably shouldn't run either so slowing down works here too.

2. Shorten your stride.
Keeping your stride short helps keep your feet under your body and protects your knees from overextending if you do begin to slide.

3. Lean slightly forward
Leaning into the run helps keep your center of gravity in front of your feet. A forward center of gravity can help in several ways. First, when you begin to slide, your feet will likely slip backwards allowing your knee to bend which will lessen the force of your foot on the ice. Less force on the ice will lead to less slippage. Also, with your foot sliding backwards it allows you to pick it up faster and to get it out front again helping you maintain upright. When your feet slide forward, your center of gravity shifts behind you and you begin to fall backwards. Once you start falling backwards it is nearly impossible to get your feet under you again it help you recover balance, and you usually end up on your back.
An additional benefit of leaning forward is that if you do fall, you will most likely fall forward. Breaking a forward fall is less likely to cause serious arm and wrist injuries than if you go backward. When falling backwards most people tend to straighten their arms and lock their elbows. This can cause some serious problems when you hit the ground. Additionally, if your are somewhat skilled at falling, you have a better chance to roll out of it when you fall forward.

Remember if you do run outside in the winter, please be safe. And again, please do not be afraid of the treadmill.

2014 Week 2 Training Log

2014-01-12T08:28:00.003-05:00

I spent a lot of time on the trainer this week. We had a crazy week of weather ranging from sub-zero mid week to nearly 60F yesterday. Lots of rain and ice made the basement a much better option for working out - especially early in the morning.

1/5/2014

Bike trainer

40 minutes

138 ave HR

81 RPM ave cadence

584 cals

1/6/2104

Bike trainer

36 minutes

130 ave HR

82 RPM ave cadence

484 cals

After the ride today when I was putting my bike away, I noticed that the rear break was rubbing on the tire. Too bad I didn't notice that until I was done! That might explain some of the sluggishness I felt this morning. I had just been chalking it up to being my first early morning workout in three weeks. A couple quick turns with the wrench and it's good to go. Ugh! We'll with wind chills expected to be well below zero, I'll probably be back on the trainer again tomorrow.

1/7/2014

Bike trainer

35 minutes

132 ave HR

87 RPM ave cadence

480 cals

Another really cold morning today. So another spin on the trainer. I would say that the little break repair from yesterday was a definite help. With just a quick look at the results, everything is basically consistent including calories burned (based on my HRM) and I had about a 6% increase in my cadence.

1/8/2014

Rest day

1/9/2014

Run (outside)

20 degrees

Light clouds

No wind

Start Time: 0400

35 minutes

3.8 miles

Nice easy run this morning. Just over 9 minute pace. I didn't look at any data during the run (no GPS or HRM). I wanted to run at a pace I feel that I can sustain for an extended time. Even though I only ran for 35 minutes, I still felt fresh at the end and I think I could have continued for quite a while. For a better assessment, I need so do the same on a weekend when I have more time.

1/10/2014

Bike trainer

Start Time 0410

30 minutes

128 ave HR

83 RPM ave cadence

393 cals

Had a late start this morning so had to limit the time to just 30 minutes. Another slow and steady day today.

1/11/2014

Run (inside)

Start Time: 1130

60 minutes

6.7 miles

161 ave HR

1435

2014 Week 1 Training Log

2014-01-05T14:11:00.000-05:00

1/1/2014

Happy New Year!

Weather:

36 degrees and cloudy

Light winds

Very short run today. Headed out at about 11:30am. Ran a little with my daughter to start. She wants to start running, so today I ran some with her first. After she was done I headed out on my own. Shortly after starting out I started getting stomach cramps and felt like hurling, so I cut it short. Not entirely sure what the problem was but I'm thinking it had to do with the fact that I hadn't eaten anything all day except coffee and last night was New Years Eve and involved a lot of junk food. Felt better later in the day but decided not to go out.

1/2/2014

Weather: inside

Workout felt good today. No more stomach issues. I did 50 minutes on the bike trainer with an average cadence of 89 RPM and an average HR of 150.

1/3/2014

Weather: inside

Today I ran for 50 minutes on the treadmill while my daughter had swim team practice. Nice run at a moderate pace. Kept the treadmill at a 8.34 pace for most of the run. I started at 10 min pace for about 3 minutes to warm up. And 9 min pace for last 1:30 or so. Average HR 155

1/4/2014

No workout today. Spent about five hours on my feet timing my daughters swim meet though. That has to count for something, right?

2013 Review

2014-01-01T15:31:00.002-05:00

In January of 2013 I had several goals for myself.

Run	500 miles	Yes
Bike	750 miles	No
Swim	30 miles	No
Presque Isle Tri	1:15:00 or better	No (1:31:09)
Olympic Tri	complete	No

...So what happened?

The Successes

As I look back over the Past year, I am pretty stoked because I did reach my goal of running at least 500 miles. As of December 2, as a matter of fact, I surpassed the half-century mark. And for me, that is a major accomplishment. Also, in the past year I ran several 5K races, a sprint triathlon, a 10K, my first ever half-marathon and first duathlon.

While doing all of this, I was also raised money for two great charities. I was able to raise nearly $500 to support Sebastian Riding Associates. I also signed up with Charity Miles to use my training mileage to raise money for Autism Speaks.

The Failures

I didn't come anywhere near my goals for riding or swimming. Why not? Well, because I didn't put enough priority on those two areas while training. I greatly improved on my results form 2012 but did not even come close to the goals I set for this past year. I also didn't improve on my time for the Presque Isle Triathlon. That I partially attribute to not allowing enough recovery time between the half marathon and the triathlon (they were only a week apart). And no Olympic distance triathlon for me this year either - didn't even sign up for one.

So What Did I Learn?

1. I really think I should focus more on the duration of my training not the total distance. This past year I only spent about 90 hours total doing some form of training (from my workout log on runkeeper.com). In 2014, I want to at least double that number.

2. I need a training plan

3. Recovery is critical.

4. I need to learn about nutrition - and not just race time nutrition.

5. The Six step process for reaching your goals really does work. (I followed this process to reach my running goal - unfortunately I didn't for any other goal.

6. I need to sign up for more races. (See number 5)

Most Inspiring moment of 2013

Hands down this year it was the Im Able Duathlon. This was such an amazing race for a great cause. And what an awesome bunch of people too. The IM Able foundation's goal is to "help all individuals realize the potential to go further and push harder than their preconceived limits". Let me just say, when you are mid-race and your legs are burning and sweat is running into your eyes, and you start thinking maybe I could just pull out of this race. I mean who cares, right? - then you see the guy next to you huffing and puffing harder than you because he is doing the same race as you with just his arms - How can you not be inspired? Any reason you may have had to complain becomes completely irrelevant.

Goals for 2014

1. Olympic distance triathlon

2. Presque Isle Triathlon (If I do it) 1:15 or better

3. At least 2 more sprint triathlons

4. Ride the complete Great Allegheny Passage Trail

Strategy for 2014

1. Train more consistently (follow a training plan)

2. Focus more on duration and quality of training and less on total distance accumulated

3. Work on nutrition. Teach body to better metabolize fat for fuel. Also, work on race day nutrition.

4. Get more experience racing (sign up for more races)

Keep Calm and Train On

2013-10-10T06:03:00.000-04:00

I don't believe in making up for missed workouts.

First of all, I try really hard not to miss a workout. But it does happen. Life happens. And for as much as I would love to think I am in control of my life, I have to realize that I am not. Sometimes I'm just tired, sometimes I'm sick, sometimes the kids are sick... sometimes I'm tired - did I say that already? There is nothing I can do about it. So every once in a while (or a week), workout (... or two) gets missed. I don't try to cram those missed workouts into the rest of my week. First of all, I don't have time for that. I'm doing all I can right now to get in the workouts I do. Doubling up on an day - ain't gonna happen.

So what the heck am I supposed to do when I miss?

Nothing - Bag it.. I like to try a positive spin and tell myself that I'm getting a bonus day of rest. I may shed a little tear or two if I were really looking to that early morning tempo run. After that, move on to the next day.

So What's Next?

2013-09-23T17:00:00.000-04:00

I'm going all the way in with this triathlon thing. Ok, Ok... So, maybe I'm only going waist deep. And at first I'll probably get in just up to my knees. I mean, I don't want to dive all the way in right away. What if the water is cold? What if I freeze up? I already got my toes wet and it doesn't seem that bad. To heck with it! I'm jumping in! ... Well, maybe just to my waist for now.

Remember the classic internal debate from your childhood of whether or not to just jump into the pool. Everyone else is already splashing around having fun. And yet there you are, on the deck, struggling to get more than your big toe wet.

Well that's kind of what has been going on in my head lately. I got my toes wet some sprints and I really liked the feel. The races were a ton of fun. And honestly, I’ve even enjoyed the training. Over the past two years I have seen some significant changes in my strength and endurance. I have lost nearly 50 pounds. I mean really, it's been great. But I see people doing all these other races, Olympic, Half-Ironman and so on and can't help thinking - what else am I missing? Am I just standing here getting my toes wet?

So, I have put a lot of thought into reassessing my work load, my training and my life in general. Am I happy where I am, competing on the level that I do? Can I commit enough time to training to train for longer race? I have come to the conclusion that I'm ready to take it to the next level. I have the desire, that’s never been the issue. I just need to remember to take things one step at a time and I can reach that next goal.

Soooo… My new goal - A Half-Ironman distance race in 2015. What -2015?!? ... Yeah, well I said I'm going all the way in.

... I'm just not starting with a cannonball.

Five Tips for Making Your First Road Bike Purchase

2013-03-22T17:00:00.000-04:00

Spring is in the air. Warm weather is just around the corner. This is when many people start getting the itch for a new bike. Or perhaps your first bike. But if you are new to the whole road bike thing, what do you do? Shopping for a new bike can quickly become overwhelming - and expensive. It is easy to get wrapped around the axle (Pardon the Pun) with all the different brands and components and styles. There is so much information a available on bikes that make it nearly impossible to take it all in and make a definitive decision. Just like any other piece of equipment, buying a bike is a very personal decision that requires some serious thought. And unlike running shoes you are not likely going to have the opportunity to buy and ride a new bike every year so you have to get it right the first time.

Here are 5 basic tips to help you make the best decision you can.

1. Determine your price point
Just how much are you really willing to spend. This will likely at least limit your options. Bikes can range in price from a few hundred dollars to many thousands of dollars. And there is a sea of options in between. Major price points for bikes are determined by the model you buy, similar to cars. Different models have each have their own pros and cons. In general, with the base models you get a standard aluminum frame. Then you move up to light-weight aluminum. Then aluminum carbon hybrids - usually the forks are carbon at this level. Then you move to the all carbon bikes. Each different construction has its own price level. So determining your price threshold will go a long way in refining your decision.

2. Determine what options are important to you
You may not even really know at this point. But think about it anyways. What do you think you want? As you look around and try things out, you may find that your perceptions change. That's OK. If you are a novice that's OK - own it! Admit that you may not know what the heck you are looking for. Ask questions. Any good salesman or bike store owner will spend the time answering your questions. In my experience, they like people asking them for advice. They like sharing their knowledge with a fresh mind. Chances are they have been riding longer than you and know more about bikes than you.

3. Get a fit
At least a basic measurement. Take some time to get at least a rough measurement for the size of bike you need. Most reputable bike shops will do this for you. I'm not convinced that as a beginner you need to go through a full bike fitting. Lots of people recommend getting a full fitting done. and most bike stores charge for this service. I think it is not necessary to get completely fit for a bike before you really know how you intend to ride. The more ride the more you will start to understand what you really want as far as adjustments and body position. Just get the general frame size (56, 58...). I say work out the finer details later.

4. Test ride
Ride more than one bike. Ride more than one brand. Try different component options. You may find that you don't notice a difference between a Shimano 105 or an SRAM gear set. Within particular bike models this is what drives the price. So at this point why pay for an upgrade you see little benefit from. You may find that you don't notice a difference with shifting components, but you want upgraded breaks or different pedals. It's your money, spend it where you see fit. You can ask 10 different people what bike is the best and you will likely get 10 different answers. Picking a bike is really a personal preference. Try several different models out and see what you like. Heck you may even discover that at this point you can't even tell the difference. But at least you know and when you make the final decision you won't be wondering what "what if that Trek was better?"

5. Take your time.
Don't rush. If this is your first bike, you are probably putting down what feels like a considerable amount of money for this purchase. You don't want to be on a bike that you end up not liking. Remember that just because you walked into a store and talked to the salesman for an hour and rode a bike or two, doesn't mean that you have to buy something that day (or from that store for that matter).

Good luck and happy shopping!

January Progress Report

2013-02-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

So far the year has started out pretty well. I got my goals identified right from the start. Once I defined what it is that I want to accomplish this year, I set out making a plan on how to reach those goals. This year the name of the game is accumulate miles. I'm still pretty new to the multisport and endurance world and I think this year I need to get my body used to taking on more and more miles. I need to focus harder on training and figuring out how fit longer workouts into my already hectic schedule.

And, since this year I am setting the bar higher this year than I did last year, I also had to reevaluate my motivation factor for this year. This boost in motivation is really needed on those cold mornings, when my body is tired and it would much rather stay in bed. I'll get to that later in this post.

Over the holidays I asked for a bunch of cold weather gear to allow me to train on days like the one this photo. - 12.2 degrees outside. That's cold. And even though I have the gear, It takes a little extra effort to willingly go out for a run on a morning that cold.

So lets breakdown this months progress:

Running

Running has gone well. I logged 47 miles in January. That puts me on a pace to get to log about 550 total miles for the year. I'm very happy with that progress. I'm planning on keeping up that kind of pace for a couple months. I expect that it may drop off somewhat in the summer so I can focus a harder on the swim and bike.

Biking

I've logged only 55 miles on the bike this month. That pace will only get me a about 650 miles for the year. That's not too far short of my goal. Due to it being January and cold here I've been confined to the stationary bike at the local YMCA. I don't have an indoor bike trainer so riding outside has pretty much been out of the question at this point. Of course, I expect my riding frequency to greatly increase as the weather gets warmer, but this is definitely something I will meet to monitor to make sure I don't get too far behind.

Swimming

I have made great improvements here. This month I logged 2.1 miles in the pool. Although, at that rate I will only swim about 25 miles for the year, I am confident that my yearly goal will be easily reached. With the help of the Total Immersion Swimming DVD, I have made huge improvements in my swimming already. Until recently I had to struggle just to complete sprint distances in the pool. With just a few tweaks in form and technique, my confidence in the water is higher than ever. This DVD has made such an impact already it's amazing!

Weight
So this years goal is to get my weight down to 190 pounds. After the holiday feasting, I gained a few pounds and my weight jumped up to 210. Call it a success (I guess) but I dropped 4 of those pounds and ended the month at 206. That's about where I was at the beginning of December. It probably would have been better but I am a fiend for Girl Scout cookies.
** Note to self exercise more cookie self-control in February.**

The Motivation Booster - Giving back
This year I decided to give myself some addition motivation by dedicating my running efforts to Charity. There are two ways i am giving back this year. If you want more details on the charities check out my Running For A Cause post.

One way is by gathering sponsors on a per mile basis to raise money for my fund raiser Hannah's Horses which raises money for Sebastian Riding Associates a therapeutic horseback riding charity.

The other way I'm giving back is through the use of Charity Miles . Charity Miles is a GPS tracking APP that is installed on your smart phone. The App records your progress and makes a donation of $0.25 per mile to the charity of your choosing. I have been running for Autism Speaks. To date I am responsible for funding nearly an hour of autism research.

So over all I am pleased with the progress I have made this month. And I'm looking forward to February being just as successful.

Running for a Cause, Using the Power of Charity to Motivate

2013-01-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

As i wrote in my 2013 Goals post, I said that one of my goals this year is to run 500 miles. That is a lot of running. ...Well, its a lot of running for me anyways. Last year I only logged about half as much.

So, to keep myself accountable to actually put the miles on the road, I need to up my motivation because there are certainly going to be days when I just don't want to get out of bed and on the road. One of the things I'm doing to stay motivated is right here - telling everyone that I have a goal. It is amazing the difference it makes, when everyone knows what you are doing.

I also have another great motivator that I am using to keep me running this year. I am making my effort count for something bigger than myself. By running for a charity, I feel that every step I take has a greater purpose than just getting me fit. Every step I take is important. What a motivation! Every time I go out for a run, I'm not only making myself better, I'm helping make the world better too. Every time I run this year I will be raising money for two great causes.

The first charity I am running for Is Sebastian Riding Associates. SRA provides therapeutic horse riding to people with special needs. They are an amazing group of people that provide an great opportunity for so many people. To coordinate my fundraising efforts, I decided that I would do some research and see if there are organizations out there that manage individuals trying to raise money for various charities. To my surprise, there are several organizations out there that do this exact type of effort. I chose to go with Razoo because I found their website easy to use and it seems well suited to the way I wanted to raise money. Since I have the goal to reach 500 miles this year, I wanted people to be able to sponsor me on a per mile basis. Razoo was very easy to set up and integrate into this blog. Check out the page I created (Hannah's Horses) to get the word out about what I'm doing. Oh and Hey... please help me reach my goal.

Donate online to Hannah's Horses at Razoo

I am also using Charity Miles to track my workouts and donate to Autism Speaks. Charity Miles is an APP that can be installed on your smartphone. Just turn the app on and select the charity you want to raise money for before you start your workout.

The APP will use the GPS on your smartphone to track your progress and they donate $0.25 for every mile run or walked. They will also donate $0.10 for every mile biked. It's as easy as that! Plus it keeps a log of your workouts so you can see how much if an impact you are making. Awesome!! In addition to that, this APP can be used at the same time as your other workout apps. For example. I turn on Charity Miles and then I turn on Runkeeper as my training APP and they both run concurrently.

So what are you doing to motivate yourself this year?

2012 Progress Report

2013-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have been reflecting a bit lately as I finalize my goals for this year. I have to admit, 2012 was a pretty good year for me. I lost nearly 40 pounds. I ran my first 5k, my first 10k and my first triathlon. Well that may sound great now, but sometimes it's difficult to see the progress we really are making on a day to day basis. That's why it's good to take a look back from time to time and see how far you really have come. So, I checked my Runkeeper log file today to see what kind progress I really have made. On this date, two years ago I weighed nearly 250 pounds. I ran 2 miles in 30:10. That's a pace of 15:05/mile. On this date, one year ago, I weighed 240 pounds and ran 1.5 miles miles in 20:44. That's an average pace of 13:49/mile. The progress was admittedly slow - 10 pounds in a year and a little over a minute off my pace. But it was progress nonetheless. With that, and the added motivation of committing to a race in August, I was really able to turn 2012 into a positive year. As of yesterday, I weigh 206 pounds. My run this morning was 4.3 miles in 35:33 minutes. That's an average pace of 8:13/mile. No only is that farther than I was able to run last year, its a five and a half minute per mile faster pace!And that's the kind of progress I'm hoping to continue on into 2013!

Take a moment and think about how far you have come in the last year. If you are just getting started, think about where you want to be a year from now. Don't get caught thinking "I can only run this far" or "I'll never lose that much weight". It doesn't really matter where you are now. What matters is where will you be. Just remember to take some time to look back once in a while to see how far you have come.

Maybe it's bragging a bit but I actually find it motivating to share my successes with others. I've put a lot of hard work into it and I'm proud of how far I've come. I am also motivated by reading about the successes of others. Feel free to share your progress here.

Lets make this a good year!

2013 Goals

2013-01-12T21:37:00.001-05:00

One of my primary goals this year is to accumulate mileage. After reviewing my last years training, I see that I did indeed make quite a bit of progress. That being said, I think I still have a long way to go - especially if I want improve times and go farther.

Here are my base and stretch goals for this year:

Base Stretch
Run 500mi 750mi
Bike 750mi 1000mi
Swim 30mi 45mi

I like to set a stretch goal because it gives something to keep pushing for beyond my primary goal. It sets that bar at the next level to keep me motivated and gives me no excuse to stop once I reach my goals.

I have two target races this year. I will be running other races, but these are the two i am using to measure my progress. The first is the Presque Isle Triathlon this August. My goal is to finish with a time of 1:15:00 or better. That is a 15 minute improvement over last year.

My second target race is the Blueman Triathlon where my goal is to finish the Olympic Distance course. I've never done more than a sprint distance triathlon, so this will be a first for me.

What are your goals for this year?

Victory For Voices 5K/10K Race Recap

2012-12-07T08:07:00.002-05:00

Date: 12/02/2012

Location: Nockamixon State Park, Quakertown, PA

Distance: 5K or 10K

The Victory for Voices run was started in 2011 to raise money and awareness both Autism and Childhood Apraxia ofSpeech.

Goal: Finish the full 10K race in less than 55 minutes (9:00 min/mile pace).

Results

Time: 51:49

Average Pace: 8:21 min/mile

Place: 36th place overall (8th in Age Group)

Review

The course was a 5k loop around Nockamixon State Park. It consisted of partial road course and partial paved trail course through the woods and next to the lake. At the half way point runners could decide if they wanted to finish with a 5K or continue on for a second loop to make a 10K run. The path portion of the course wound through a nice wooded area and then along the banks of Lake Nockamixon. Although, the fog was so thick that you could barely see what is probably a very scenic state park.

It started out as a cool foggy day. Although, for the second of December, I suppose it could have been much colder. It was a chilly and damp 38 degrees in the morning when I arrived. There was a relatively small turnout (236 runners) and registration went smoothly.

The race was originally scheduled a month earlier but had to be cancelled due to weather. The race began with an almost 200 foot climb over the course of three quarters of a mile (or a 5% grade). That’s 61 meters over 1.2K for those metrically inclined. After the initial climb it was basically all downhill and flat for the rest of the course. The hill was a little bit of a challenge for me on the second loop but I was able to get through it and keep moving.

Overall, It was a nice run. It looks like it would be a very nice park to visit in better weather. There is a triathlon there in next year that maybe I'll run. Independence Triathlon or Quakerman Triathlon

Lessons Learned

1. If you have a GPS watch, make sure your memory is not full before you start the race. I was not able to record my data from the run because I no memory available before the race started.

2. Verify before the race that all your equipment is working. See number one. I did not check my watch and didn't notice that I wasn't tracking any data until halfway through the race when I attempted to record my split time.

3. Turn off audio queues. I had my iPhone on my arm to record my pace I was using my Glympse APP to allow my wife to follow my race progress. I also thought I would use Runkeeper to track my race. The geek in me wanted to do a comparison between the tracking on Glympse, Runkeeper and my watch. I accidentally left the Runkeeper audio queues on. So after a mile I started getting time and pace announcements. And since I wasn't wearing headphones, they were played out of the phone speaker. That's annoying to both me and the other runners so I turned it off.

10 Tips for keeping motivated during the winter months.

2012-11-26T08:34:00.001-05:00

It’s that time of year around here again. The air is getting cold outside. Under the covers on my bed seem more and more appealing every morning. Tis the season for big meals and lots of baking and booze. For me, this is the hardest time of the year to keep up with consistent exercise and training.

Here are 10 motivation techniques to keep moving through the winter.

1. Set Goals for next year

Don't have any goals yet!? What are you waiting for? Get ready for next year’s resolutions. Set a weight goal, a fitness goal, Scope out races for next year. Give yourself something to work towards. If you need help coming up with some new goals, checkout my post on Goal Setting.

2. Focus on your goals.

Remind yourself why you are working out. What are you training for next year? Post your goals in places where you will see them every day. Keep them in mind as you work out. Remind yourself that there is a reason for your madness.

3. Sign up for Races

While you ultimate goal may be that Olympic triathlon next July, signing up for intermediate races in the mean time can be both a great way to stay focused on working out by setting a short term goal to work towards. You can also use these races as a measure of how you are progressing toward that final goal.

Beginnertriathlete.com race finder

Active.com Race Finder

4. Easy on the Booze

Hangovers equal a bad workout (at best) - likely a missed workout. I just recommend planning for the after effects of the Holiday office party. The day after might be a good time to plan a "rest" day into your weekly routine. And of course the obligatory community service announcement - Celebrate responsibly and Don't Drink and Drive!

5. Easy on the junk food

It is very easy to go overboard on the sweet stuff in the winter. All the extra cookies, cakes and pies - mmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Just because it is there doesn't mean you have to eat it.

5b. But, remember to eat junk food too

It is ok to celebrate the seasons with a little holiday food. But wait... Didn't I just say to ease off the junk food? It is ok to allow yourself some cheat time with the diet. If you are staying consistent with your workouts, eating a few extra cookies won’t ruin your progress - and it might just keep you sane. If everyone is eating Christmas cookies and drinking eggnog and you are over in the corner nibbling on carrots and celery sticks, you might start to feel a little bitter. Go ahead and indulge a bit.

6. Ask for new cool gear from Santa Clause

I admit it, I'm a geek when it comes to new gear. Once I get something, I have to go and try it out right away. So ask your honey for some new shoes, or that new Heart Rate Monitor you’ve been eyeing up - whatever it will take to get you moving.

7. Be flexible with your workout schedule

The weather sometimes may limit your outdoor activity or you ability to get to the gym. Have a backup plan. Do a workout at home. Get on your treadmill or have POWER 90 or P90X at the ready. Don't let the weather be an excuse to not work out at all.

8. Continue to record your progress

You can find motivation in seeing your progress, even in the off season. See yourself getting closer to your goals.

9. Keep talking

Keep telling everyone what you are doing. The more you talk about it, the more people you tell what your goals are, the more motivated you will be to keep them. Why does this work? Mainly because of guilt... but it works, so use it. Plus, I find that the more people I talk to about what I'm doing, the more they get involved. It is a great motivator to see people take up exercise because you inspired them. Maybe you can convince someone to do a race with you in the next couple of months, or pick up a new training partner.

10. Put your stuff on and get going

It gets harder to tell yourself no once you are dressed for the workout. Get your gear on, and get moving!

Do you have any special motivation techniques you use to keep yourself going in the winter months? I would love to hear them. Feel free to share.

Six Steps to Getting Anything You Want

2012-11-08T14:29:00.000-05:00

Do you want to reach your peak? Your maximum potential? I believe there is a six step process that successful people go through as they accomplish awesome things. That's it. Six easy steps. This is a summary of the steps - the cliff notes version if you will. Let me know what you think.

Stay Awesome!!

Step 1: Find Your Vision

The first step to achieving anything is to figure out what it is that you really want. What is it that you really want to accomplish? What do you want to be? How do you want to live? This step involves determining what your dreams really are. Remember to think big; but try to find out what it is that you are truly looking for. For example you might say I have a goal of earning a million dollars. But what is it that you are really after. Is it financial security? Perhaps it's a legacy you want to leave to future generations of your family. Think about what it is that is driving you to these thoughts. That is what you are truly after. Knowing the root of your vision will make it more meaningful and more motivating as you begin to pursue it.

Step 2: Set the Stage

Time for a reality check. Time to acknowledge everything in your life that is holding you back. What? Didn't I just say start dreaming? That's right I did. And if you really want to get to the place in life you are dreaming about, you better find out where you are. If you don't know where you are, you will never know where to start. And if you don't know where to start how will you know when you are finished. This is about understanding the negative forces that are working against your vision; it’s also about acknowledging the positive forces as well. You need to see the whole picture, so you can make a plan and measure your progress.

Step 3: Create a Plan

Step one says determine what you want. Find out the end state you are trying to achieve. Step two says figure out where you are starting from. Step three is about connecting the dots between the two. What is it going to take to go from where you are to where you want to be? Your plan should be based in reality of what is reasonably achievable. For example, if you set a goal to lose 30 pounds, don't make a plan to lose 30 in a month. It may be possible but it’s not likely that you will keep it off. Try to spread out the time frame. Remember, you have a lifetime to accomplish your goals. If you extend the time of losing that weight to 6 months, you only have to lose 5 pounds a month, or one pound a week, or 2.3 ounces per day. Now that doesn't seem hard does it!? It's OK to start small and take baby steps, as long as they keep you moving forward.

Step 4: Get started

While it sounds obvious, this can be one of the most difficult steps to take. Taking that first step toward your dream can be a daunting feat. You are about to embark on a quest that could dramatically change your life. There is a reason this is Step four and not Step one. That is because completing the others first makes getting started an easier step to take. Remember by this time you have solidified what it is you want, you know where you are starting from, and you know the path you are going to take to get there. All you need to do is begin!

Step 5: Stay Motivated

i find that successful people find was to keep themselves motivated. When you are in the middle of working toward your goals, it can become easy to lose sight of what it is you are really working hard for. Especially when life throws some unexpected challenges your way. A big key to this step are setting intermediate goals during the planning stage and celebrating your successes along the way. Remember don't celebrate by doing things that work against your goals. If you are paying off debt, don't go out and buy a brand new TV on credit once you pay off one card. Or don't eat a chocolate cake to celebrate losing 10 pounds. While these may sound like exciting ways to celebrate what you have accomplished they can end up being demotivating and the ultimately work against your goal and make it that much harder to accomplish.

Step 6: Repeat!

Say what? That's right it is critical to keep refining this process. You may find that along the way your dreams change, or that life changes them for you. Perhaps you now have a family and saving for college becomes priority number one. Maybe you realize that you didn't set the bar high enough for yourself when you first started. Maybe 30 pounds wasn't that hard to lose, or half way there you see the progress you are making and decide that 50 pounds would make you he healthier person you are striving for. So take another look; go back to step one and go through the process again. This time aiming higher and achieving even more than your thought you could.