MY-TRI-LIFE

Training Update

2009-01-25T12:43:00.002-05:00

After my return from my X-training in Jackson Hole I was pretty wiped but tried to get back in the groove. I had dedicated this week to the bike. It was my step back week for running so it seemed like a decent week to add some extra hours to the bike. I rode every day Wed - Sunday with the longest ride being 1 hour 45 on Saturday, not as long as some are doing right now but exactly where I need and want to be at this point in my training. Hoping the weather cooperates and lets me get outside soon.

Totals for the week..

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Bike 30 with drills
Tuesday - Swim 3200
Wednesday - 4 miles running treadmill with 2 x 4:00 min intervals (ouch)
Wednesday - Bike - trainer 1 hour
Thursday - Swim 3200
Thursday - Bike 30 minutes with drills
Friday - Run 3 miles ez (outside)
Friday - Bike 1 hour trainer
Saturday - Bike 1 hour 45 (watched Children of Men...dark)
Sunday - Biked 1 hour
Sunday 3 miles ez

MISSED WORKOUTS - Yoga Friday morning - Swim Saturday

Next week the miles start to build for running and I'll let you know how it goes. I'm out of town for work this week so I will be dedicating the time to focusing on my run and the Gym.

Weight goal 12 lbs to go before March 22nd.

Train Hard, then train harder, finally do some more training ;-)

Jackson Hole! An Ego Crushingly Good Time

2009-01-25T12:36:00.005-05:00

Well the training is coming along nicely, life is moving along steadily, some good some bad, but moving, and work is keeping me honest.

Recently I joined my buddies Ben, Jon, and Tony in Jackson hole for some quality time, skiing, snoshoeing, drinking, etc. It turns out that after climbing to over 10,000 feet on the pass between Idaho and Wyoming I learned that I can't actually ski. So, with my ego in shattered pieces I walked slowly back down the hill. It was a very steep slope so when I would encounter people coming up I would step to the side and let them pass. Since I was utterly embarrassed I would look off into the distance and pretend I was just enjoying the view and taking a breather. This worked fine until one guy on the way up said to me "Are you okay Sir." OMG. Cut off my manhood, throw away my youth and burn my soul! SIR!!!

The rest of the week I stuck to something I could handle, snoshoes. They don't take much skill and I can wander for hours in the park from right out Ben and Darah's door. It was a good trip. Enjoy the slideshow.

Gift from the folks

2008-12-31T19:37:00.004-05:00

While in Costa Rica Bruce and Becky gave us the below video to celebrate our 10th anniversary. My mother Jean, who couldn't make the trip contributed some horrible pictures of me from my youth. Julie's parents, in suit, embarrassed their daughter just as much. Then Bruce put them together and Jenny and Becky helped add the music until the below product was created. They showed us this video while we were receiving gifts and guests in our Bungalow. It made our day. Thank you all. We love you!

Inspiration and Education

2008-12-29T12:35:00.003-05:00

On another blog site I found the below article that is very inspiring. Of particular interest is the mans weight loss tips at the end of the article. Hope you enjoy! - Shawn

Want New Year's resolution inspiration? One man's weight-loss story: Caterpillar employee goes from almost 300 pounds to a triathlon

No way does John Brown's body lie a' molding in his grave. It's too busy working to stay fit after Brown dropped nearly 140 pounds in a little more than two years.

Brown, 39, Washington, weighed almost 300 pounds in August 2006, when his company, Caterpillar Inc., launched a weight-loss competition. He dropped 50 pounds from his 5-foot 7-inch frame in three months and won.

He was motivated. He needed the cash prize to hire a good divorce lawyer.

"Cash was tight," said Brown, laughing.

Consider Brown's experience if you doubt you can stick with a New Year's resolution to get in shape. Brown couldn't run a block when he started to diet, but he weighed a trim 165 pounds in November when he completed the Florida Ironman competition.

The triathlon required him to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run a marathon distance of 26.2 miles. He finished in about 15 1/2 hours, well below the maximum time limit of 17 hours.

And that was just two years, two months and two weeks after he tipped the scale at 292 pounds.

Brown was thinking about losing weight even before his company launched the biggest-loser promotion. He knew the "secrets" too familiar to people who are super-sized:

"Clothes never fit, the chafed legs, the broken chairs," he said.

Today, his body fat is a very athletic 17 percent. His resting heartbeat is less than 50 beats a minute.

Brown, who tests new technology at Caterpillar, wasn't always overweight. He'd been in shape as a boy, then ballooned up in high school, then lost about 70 pounds and entered the U.S. Navy.

He kept the weight off about seven years during his time in the military before he suffered a hernia lifting weights. He had surgery, and the pounds came back while his activity was limited.

He decided to try to lose the 46-inch girth again when the company announced the competition.

Brown started by carrying a notebook to jot down everything he put in his mouth. He discovered he was eating about 4,000 calories a day, far more than he needed to stay alive.

He actually saw that in a positive way.

"I thought I could cut that amount in half and still have plenty of food," he said.

The diary also helped him to discover something else. He started to ask himself why he was eating things like candy bars when he knew he didn't need them. He realized he must address underlying factors that caused him to overeat.

"We all have unhealthy behaviors, whether it's smoking too much, eating too much, drinking too much ... Why do we do it, to keep people away? Or, is there some other reason we are doing this? The drugs, the alcohol, the food, they are symptoms. Find out what the disease is," Brown said.

"I am eating for emotional reasons. Why do you have that blind spot? Figure it out, and you won't pick it up or at least maybe not as much."

Brown decided to stick with the diet even after the divorce lawyer was paid.

He cut his calories to 1,200 a day at first. Later, he added calories when he became more active. Exercise boosted his metabolism and burned calories.

He'd been a swimmer as a boy, so he returned to the low-impact sport to exercise without stressing his joints.

His workplace also planted the triathlon seed when a corporate vice president took time during a meeting to congratulate a woman co-worker of his for completing the Florida Ironman. Brown recognized her from his pool workouts, and he recalled how fascinated he was about 25 years earlier when he watched coverage of the Hawaii Ironman Championships on television.

"It was beyond my wildest dreams of ever doing," Brown said.

But the co-worker encouraged him to try a short triathlon. He started by designing his own "secret" triathlon in a gym. He swam a mile, rode a stationary bicycle six miles and ran and walked a mile.

When he got home after the workout, he turned on the television to relax. The Ironman from Hawaii was on the screen just like it was when he was a boy.

"I thought that was my destiny. I felt compelled to do it," he said.

Those were big words for a man still far from his ideal weight. But he signed up for the indoor triathlon, where he met Colleen Klein, event director for the Bloomington-based Tri-Sharks triathlon club.

She urged him to sign up for the short sprint triathlon held annually at Moraine View State Park/Dawson Lake near LeRoy, before Gov. Rod Blagojevich closed it recently. Athletes swim 600 yards, ride a bike 12 miles and run 3.1 miles, or 5 kilometers.

In July, he completed the Evergreen Lake Triathlon, where distances were doubled. Along the way, he ran more races.

He also placed 10th in his age group in Big Shoulders, a 5-kilometer swimming race in Lake Michigan at Chicago.

How did he make the transition from shorter triathlons to an Ironman in just 15 months?

"I never stopped," Brown said.

Winters mean running outside or on an indoor track plus swimming and riding a stationary bike indoors. He gets back outside as soon as weather allows.

Brown's advice for weight loss and fitness are simple:

wTell a doctor your plans and get input.

wJoin clubs. Whether running, cycling, swimming or participating in another sport, workouts are more enjoyable in groups. Draw on the experience of club members and others in the sport. Their wealth of experience will lower your learning curve. Club members also share challenges and offer encouragement along the way.

wRead books and view videos from experts. Beginning triathletes often refer to the "Triathlete's Training Bible" or "My First Triathlon" by Joe Friel. Terri Schneider recently released "Triathlon Revolution," which also has great advice for newcomers to the endurance sport. (See today's Outdoor column.)

wDon't be afraid to set long-term goals. But, be sure to set many, many short-term goals as well.

"I had 50 weight-loss goals. Every time I reached one, it was, 'Whoopee!' "

Brown also had many fitness goals.

"First, I'm going to run a mile, then 5K (3.1 miles), then 10K ...," he said. "I've pretty much run out of goals. ... I have to get a whole new set out there to go forward. There is never a point where I will be where I want to be. I will always want to be fitter, stronger, faster.

"I'm actually considering for a long, long range goal: to swim the English Channel."

------

John Brown's Seven Steps to Fitness

1. Accept the truth. You are fat because you're eating more than your body is using. Slow metabolism, genetics and other "reasons" you've been using to explain away your weight are inconsequential compared to that simple fact.

2. Keep a diary to keep track of what you do. Make fitness a priority in your life or die younger; the choice is yours.

3. Embrace the enemy and make it your ally. Food is the tool we use to make us fat, but it is also the key to how we get thin and stay that way. Enjoy food, but do it the right way.

4. Learn to listen to your body and give it what it needs, not what it thinks it wants.

5. Set goals, lots of them -- hard ones, easy ones, weight goals, fitness goals, exercise goals. Make whatever you can quantify into a goal. It feels great to live a life filled with constant and repeated achievement.

6. Surround yourself with people who represent the person you want to be. A support group of people who have achieved what you wish to achieve is more powerful and more permanent than any drug, program, plan or gimmick. They will not let you fail. Join clubs for support and information. Members thrive on each other's successes.

7. Reaching your goal weight is not the end of your journey. See it as the beginning of the next phase. Plan for the future by setting goals beyond losing weight.

Back from Paradise

2008-12-28T19:49:00.004-05:00

Well we are back from Costa Rica after many, many long hours of travel thanks to American Airlines. We DID make it though, and we did have an amazing time. We are so grateful that Bruce, Becky, Jennie, Ben, Colleen, Jennifer, Christina, Caroline, and Joe were all able to join us at what must be one of the BEST resorts in all of Costa Rica, MarySelva, (thanks Martha). I'm posting the slideshow at the bottom of the page but will try highlight a couple photos since there are so many.

The Sisters Campbell (like the soup)

From Costa Rica Final

From Playa Ventanas (windows)

From Costa Rica Final

Mangroves

From Costa Rica Final

WHo Who Who

From Costa Rica Final

The Scarlett Macaw

From Costa Rica Final

Crazy Tree

From Costa Rica Final

Waterfall hike in Corcovado

From Costa Rica Final

Preparing for an interpretive dance

From Costa Rica Final

This dude was throwing sticks at me at our resort

From Costa Rica Final

Zip line ready Julie

From Costa Rica Final

Fashionable Nature

From Costa Rica Final

Lizard shadow puppet theater

From Costa Rica Final

Whale

From Costa Rica Final

The crew plus Gunther

From Costa Rica Final

La Familia

From Costa Rica Final

Grrrrr!

From Costa Rica Final

Work AND Play

From Costa Rica Final

The Slideshow (ENJOY!)

Hope you all enjoyed the pictures. Next up I've cobbled together a half marathon training plan that I intend to share with you and update as I go. You'll see if this works for me or not! YAY!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

- Be FeXY - Shawn

Off to Costa Rica

2008-12-11T11:38:00.002-05:00

Well the countdown is on! Tomorrow morning at 6 am our flight is scheduled to leave Washington Reagan airport; destination Costa Rica. Julie and I will be there to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary with friends and family. I can't even begin to explain all the feelings I am having. 10 years seems, on paper, or when it's someone else, to be such a long time, and if I look back a LOT has happened in these 10 years, but truthfully it feels like a day has passed.

I think of all the things we've done, the places we've been, the friends we've made, the friends we've lost, and all of the memories and I am just floored by their power they have over me. So many people have impacted my life, our life, our marriage and I am so grateful for them. But, in life we have to take the bad with the good, and be ready to adapt whenever life throws a curveball. This year we lost a good friend, and before her others have passed and if not for the memories, well I don't want to think of the IF NOT FOR, cuz we do have them. It's remarkable how even today memories of my dad, for example, pervade my mind and enter my dreams and he always looks like he did when he was happy, (I preferred when he was happy). If I could go back in time and change one thing it would be that Julie could have met my dad, a strange little man; I know she would have loved him the way I do, and he, her. There is just no way to change these things so we move forward with these memories and experiences to guide us to the next step we take. I fear sometimes that we, (me, Julie, friends, family), will get so comfortable in our lives that we will cease to take that next step, that next challenge, that next adventure, God it scares me. I love my life, the people in it, the dailies, and I don't NEED more, but knowing all the great things that have happened because of these often times daring chances (e.g. our marriage to most) you might miss out on something amazing. If not for this I wouldn't be married to the greatest woman I've known. Without her taking a gamble, we wouldn't be here today.

In Costa Rica we will be celebrating not only our anniversary, but the adventures, experiences that have borne the fruits of friendships and family. These two, friendship and family, are synonymous to me. To all of you that know me, if I consider you a friend, I consider you family.

People keep asking me why we are having friends and family join us for our anniversary, "shouldn't it be romantic?" they ask. It's hard for me to explain, but the truth is we wouldn't have each other if it wasn't for our friends and family, so why would we separate the two now. My regret is that we don't have MORE of each joining us. We've seen good times and bad in our marriage, as everyone does, and without friends and family we wouldn't have made it. If we want romance we'll take off for the day. We'll go do our own things somewhere for the day.

For the friends that won't be able to join us during this trip and for the family that can't make it, or in some cases that can't read a map, we thank you both for all you have done to help us in our journey, and we look forward to the new experiences yet to come.

There is a big future, there are so many more things to experience and we can't wait to feast on the bounty with our friends of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Happy Holidays. Pictures will be on our facebook profiles updated a few times during the trip and when we return I will try upload to the blog as well.

As for training while I'm there....well it will happen but no structure, I'll be doing what I want, when I want, for as long as I want!

--Shawn

Setbacks

2008-12-07T11:17:00.002-05:00

Throughout any training plan you are going to encounter a few setbacks, obstacles that at the time feel like they were put there just to mess with you. As if one of your competitors caused it so they would be able to beat you. When these obstacles appear you have choices to make, and rarely are they fun choices. The one choice that is always there is to rest, take some time off of training to give your body a chance to heal. While that is probably the best advice I rarely adhere to it but rather find a way to adapt and change course. Well I am at that juncture right now, trying to make the tough choice of whether or not to continue on my training plan for a March marathon or not. Why? Well, in addition to my two fractures in my arm I am now suffering from IT Band syndrome.

A couple things to take into consideration is that this is NOT my primary goal for the season, while I am hoping to improve my running, I am really training for Ironman France. I am telling myself that the right thing to do is to back off on the running, maintain frequency (if possible) but decrease weekly mileage. This is a tough choice for me when so many of my friends are also training for the Shamrock Marathon.

Tomorrow I see the ART doctor, who will help me make finalize this decision but really with so many other things going on in my life I feel the right thing for me to do right now is to back off and look at the big picture.

Tomorrow I will try update on how the training will progress. Yesterday I managed .5 miles, yes 1/2 a mile before it started to hurt, then did some strength training to burn away the anger. Today I did a short 1 hour walk on the Cross County Trail. This afternoon I will be doing a beer mile, which is probably not a good idea, but right now I just need to add some levity to my training.

Don't waste the gift,

Shawn

Wednesday I pace

2008-12-04T12:08:00.002-05:00

The plan was a warm up run from Worldgate sport and Health in Herndon with Scott, Neva and any other FeXY folks, to mile marker 19.5 on the W&OD trail. The three of us were the only folks that showed up on this cold morning and we headed out. 1.84 miles to the start, not it's time for the fun.

Plan: 4 x 5 min @ I pace with 4 min recovery

My "I" pace (http://runbayou.com/jackd.htm) is based on an formula derived from my most recent running race, in this case a 5k. My goal was to run at approximately a 6:20/mi pace for the 5 minute chunks. Just before the second one ended I had some stomach problems and stopped a little short. I tried for the third but stomach wouldn't allow.

Paces for the 3 I started
1 - 6:12/mi
2 - 6:15/mi
3 - 6:22/mi

As you can see I started out too hard anyway but it's good to know. It was a learning experience as I try to learn better what my body feels like at these various paces.

Even with me stopping early my total mileage for the day was 7.65 miles which was over the scheduled 7 miles.

IT band didn't start to bother me until around the 7th mile and even then it was still at the tolerable level. After the run I did an extensive set of stretches and followed up with the stick, stretching, and compression socks at night hoping to stay on top of the IT band problems. Today I run 5 miles on the treadmill at "E" pace and we'll see how the IT band holds up. I am most concerned about he longer runs and how I will be able to do them without issue. Only time will tell. IT Band

Run Hard. Be FeXY.

Shawn
"Helping to build a FeXy nation one person at a time."

Marathon Mania

2008-12-03T06:14:00.002-05:00

Well I am still planning on doing the Shamrock Marathon in March. This was my first and only marathon I have done if you don't count the one at the end of the Ironman. It looks like Team FeXY (FE=Iron; XY=Man) will also be doing this race so I have lots of people to train with and race with as well. There will be more on Team FeXY as the season progresses and I hope some of you out there that like racing will support the team in some of its endeavors.

The training is a bit advanced, distance wise, for the running shape I am in right now but I think I can manage. It will be imperative that I listen to my body and take rests when I need them so I don't get injured, and it may even mean I have to modify some of the distance to prevent injury. Already, I am feeling the IT band irritation in my right leg that I believe stems from poor running form that I can't seem to correct. To mitigate the pain I have started doing extensive daily stretching, (can't yoga cuz of arm), and I have begun getting painful deep tissue massages more frequently -- once or twice a month--. I am hoping these efforts will enable me to continue with my training.

In addition to these activities I also have some other things going on that will challenge my training plan, which I love. Costa Rica to celebrate the marriage to my fantastically amazing wife Julie --10 years -- from the 12th - 23rd of this month. (anniversary is the 21st is anyone wants to send gifts :-) Then in January over MLK weekend I will be in Jackson Hole WY for some buddy time with Dr. Jon and Ben which will likely be a non-running weekend but there will be LOTS of X-Country skiing to make up for it. Then in February Jon, Shana and Wilson will be coming to visit, which will be lots of hiking --but I still think I will get in my run.

As you can see it will be a challenging and busy beginning to my racing season. I have confirmed two races for the year and have tentatively added 4 more to my list, all of this will be in the next post. For now though I leave you with my training for the day ---

The training plan, which I won't share in it's entirety comes from the Jack Daniels method and utilizes a VDOT score, which can be found at http://runbayou.com/
Today my run will be approximately 7 miles with Warm up and cool down and included in this will be 4 x 5 minute at "I" pace with 4 minute recovery. It should be challenging in the 30 degree weather. :-)

Anyway. I will keep you updated on my goings on, mostly training in the coming months. Hope all of you out there are doing well. Happy Holiday season.

Eat More, Do More, Live More,

Shawn

Back from the Desert and Ready to Train

2008-11-19T18:35:00.004-05:00

Well, the last post was me recovering from the Challenge, which I did thoroughly. I think I spent near a month just sitting on my butt and drinking. I was still biking to work during that time and doing some basic body maintenance but I still managed to gain a solid 5 pounds or so. Either way, the time flew by and before I knew it I was on a plane headed for The Kingdom, this time it wasn't a two week trip but a three month...we'll call it...excursion. I had no idea what to expect in regards to work life, social life, maintaining my relationship with Julie, or my fitness life, I was pleasantly surprised.

The first thing that I had to get used to after arrival was the incessant heat, the days for the first 1.5 months stayed steady at 115 during the day and the mid nineties at night, the few days that dipped below 90 felt felt chilly. I tried running at night and the first couple of runs nearly killed me, not from the heat, but from the dry, dusty air, but after some time I managed to get used to it and started to look forward to my runs. In addition I had a gym I could use, both a testosterone gym and a cardio gym, and then if I was really bored I could hit the pool for some laps. :-)

So I settled into an slow, easy, but fairly consistent routine after the first couple of weeks and was now starting to have my work life pick up. I won't bore you with the work aspect too much, let's just say I was busy, happy, and enjoying it.

The people I met at work there were the best surprise. I expected to get along with people there, as I can usually find someone to hang out with, but the caliber of friends I made while there was amazing. I now have people that I feel I've known for years, even though it has only been such a short time. I am happy to announce that two of these people and one significant other, who I'm sure will fall quickly in this category, will be joining Julie and I in Costa Rica to help celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary!

So a few weeks had passed and I was ready to get serious about dropping some weight and about getting in shape for the upcoming season. Ben, one of the aforementioned, joined me thinking Ironman sounded like fun to him. teehee. He also guilted me, and by guilted me I mean, he went to the gym and my Catholic Guilt made me follow, on a regular basis and I did the same to him for the pool and running. We got into a great rhythem and before I knew it I had dropped 10 lbs. then 15, and finally 20. I was very happy, now at a real training weight I was on top of the world. Then, on a run in downtown Jeddah, which I do NOT recommend, I tripped on a chain and came down HARD on my arm. Results, which I didn't get until I made it home, are that I have two hairline fractures in my arm and at this point can not swim or ride my bike without pain, which leaves only running. I have decided instead of looking down on this as something horrible, I am going to make the best of this and I am going to revisit the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA on March 22nd. This was my only Pure Marathon, the other marathon being the end of the Ironman, and I am excited. My friend Dave will also be doing the race which will make the training all the better.

The next bit of time I will be attempting to highlight my training leading up to the marathon, which will include, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. I will spend this weekend finalizing my training schedule which I will then post on the site, after that I will update as I go, regarding time, distance, and prepatory races. If this isn't your bag, then I recommend not visiting the site for awhile. :-)

Anyway, it is great to be home, there isn't much better than waking up next to Julie knowing that I get to go to sleep with her that night too. I can't believe it's been ten years.

Hope all are well and Happy Holidays,

Shawn

In and Around Arriyadh - The clean city

Recovering

2008-07-29T07:55:00.002-04:00

Well I'm still working hard to recover, not just physically but mentally as well. I think it's coming along nicely. I still haven't run or swum since I got back and the only riding I've been doing is 13 or 14 miles a day commuting to and from work. My legs still feel like they could take some more time off but I think it's time to start testing them a little bit. :-) Mentally, well that is a little different. I feel great that I completed a huge life goal, I feel excited that I am going to do another one next June in Nice, but I struggle with the day-to-day reality of not directly working toward a goal. I will figure it out, it's not like I'm lying around depressed, I just feel like something is missing. You can't help but feel that way when half of your normal daily activities go POOF and disappear. I think a break from rigid training will be good for me, allowing me time to recover and just do some unstructured training.

I am going out of town for 3 months on a work trip which will be good for me mentally as I can pour myself into my work but it will be hard being away from Julie for that long. I'll try to keep you all posted on my trip and if you have skype let me know and we can chat while I'm there. I leave on August 16th and return on November 16th just in time to cheer Julie on in her second marathon, the Philly marathon in, well in Philadelphia. Wish her good luck if you get a chance and come back soon.

shawn

ps. if you don't already have it ... bloglines.com is a fantastic web site that allows you to monitor posts on mulitiple blogs without checking in every day to see if it's been updated.

Pictures from Germany!!!

2008-07-19T12:10:00.003-04:00

Our Welcome!

Meeting of the minds!

Our first brewery tour...the last CITY Owned brewery in Germany. The tour was in German which I didn't understand but the beer was easily understandable.

The Krozers and us enjoying the beer, maybe more than necessary after the tour.

This was a familiar picture during the trip....Mary Beth and a Weiss beer!

Tomorrow shipment ready to go out!

Grand Theft beer glasses!

Dieter showing his German Pride!

Kings of the castle! Kings of the castle! Kings of the Castle!

I....really....don't know God....She just makes me crazy!

The town will fall by daybreak m'lord.

I pretty sure that lady next to me wanted to give me what was on top of my beer.

I've got my eye on you....

Talk about unrealistic standards!

You can really only truly taste the beer properly with the tip of your tongue.

AW! How adorable!

Reid going out for a short spin on his bike....112 mile short spin!

GRrrrrr! No wonder it is so hard for me to ride up hills...time to lose some weight.

THe beer mile!

You know what they say...BIG Hands....

Panaramoriffic!

And now...WE DRINK!!!!

All the pictures were great and you can see them all in this slide show. OR you can go to the album below

Roth

Click on the pictures to go to the WEB album

2009 - Ironman France

2008-07-18T09:42:00.002-04:00

Well I feel like I have another addiction! I just signed up for Ironman France which will be June 28th, 2009. I chose this venue for the scenery and challenge. It sounds like it should be a challenging bike ride with over a third of it climbing. My goals: Finish, improve on my swim, improve on my run, improve on my transition times, and maintain the bike time (harder course).

http://www.ironmanfrance.com/

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/france/?show=results

Quelle Challenge Roth - My First Iron Distance Race

2008-07-16T17:28:00.001-04:00

This is my official RACE REPORT..Pictures are still coming soon. Thank you all

I am sitting on a train heading from Allersberg to Munich while Julie and our friend Hillary drive our rental car with all our luggage so we can spend the day being tourists. I figured as the Bavarian landscape rolls by I should take the time to write down my thoughts about the experience as well as my race report. I have been horrible this year about writing race reports, partially because my races have all been so terrible, and partially because I just don't have much to say. I still don't have much to say, but I've learned so much from the race reports of others, I owe it to the group to at least tell it as it happened.

Arrival to Germany and Days Leading up to the Race:

We arrived on Tuesday morning to give me some time to adjust to the time change. Reid and Mary Beth met Julie and I at Dulles. We didn't have any problems checking our bikes, and they didn't charge me for my bike since it was under 50 lbs. I am not sure how long this policy will be in place with the new regulations but for this trip it really saved Julie and me some money.

The airport was crowded (um isn't dulles ALWAYS crowded?) but we made it to the gate with 10 minutes to buy a snack before boarding, after arriving more that 2 hours before our flight (so it goes). I was glad we had arrived early because I can get pretty stressed out at times when traveling, too many people, too many lines, too many timelines, and just too many things outside of my control, which makes for a grumpy Shawn, which is never pleasant or fair for Julie. The bottom line is we made it onto our flight and it was pleasantly uneventful, I won't bore you with the movies I watched or the food choices. :-)

When we arrived we picked up our rental car, which after taxes had almost doubled in price from the price we had been quoted on line; oh well, it is what it is, we are in Germany. We knew, and still know, nearly no German, and we had never been to the country so if the lady at the counter had wanted to she could have probably taken even more money from us. At this point the Kisers and Clarks parted and headed off to meet our homestay families.

I'll skip some of the details as they are really not worth mentioning here, not to say they aren't entertaining, but you'll have to buy me a beer to hear about them.

I do want to mention that we arrived at our family's house and were greeted by their oldest son, Manuel (sp?), who has just completed his studies (Doctorate). He showed us around the house, tookus to our room, and introduced us to their cats (one of which we named) and dog, and later that day the rest of the family. He and his sister, Regina, would be our more than able translators for the remainder of our stay in their home, and for that we are grateful. It's amazing the language skills they both had, this includes translating berry names, tree names, plants, goats, you name it...simply ASTOUNDING skill.

Preparations for the Race:

I put my bike together only to find out that TSA decided to keep one screw to hold up my seat post and my stem cap. I headed to the local bike shop where they fixed my deficiencies, as well as a few other things I didn't know were wrong. The mechanic also managed to scare the crap out of me telling me how I was going to die if I didn't get a new front wheel. In a deep German voice with broken English he said:

"Ya, This, ya this is bad, if you try to brake during the challenge on one of da hills, this might break more and you go - Pfew - over the bars, it would be not good"

This was in reference to a small crack in my Zipp 404's and since Germans are THE experts in mechanics and the HOW TO stuff he almost had me conviced to buy a new one but in the end they didn't have one and to get one would both take too long and bankrupt me, leaving me broke and divorced so I decided to chance it. So, after getting my bike UN-TSA'd Reid and I managed to get in a bike ride on what we thought was part of the bike course, but would turn out was a SMALL part of the bike course and some other random roads. Looking back after the race I wonder how we didn't get lost. Either way we made it back and I was extremely impressed with the German roads, they were fast and smooth, and better than anything I've ridden on in Virginia. We also had squeezed in a run of about 7 miles with Dieter, the father of Reid's homestay family, his son Florian, Julie and Mary Beth the day before along the part of the run course. I never did get a swim in their stainless steel pools since we went to pick up our friend Hillary who came into Munich, so we picked her up and just ran out of time. This was a common theme on this trip, I almost felt like KK everytime I made plans to meet someone :-); I am almost NEVER late, oh well, so it goes.

Registration for the race meant dropping off our bikes, our run tranistion bags, and then going home. We had a couple meals EXTRA that day figuring the more food the better, and I washed them all down with DELICIOUS local beers, my favorite was a Helles bier made in a little town nearby. Since I was doing an Ironman I told myself to refrain from excess and only ended up having 3 or 4 the night before the race, each of which I washed down with water. (By the way you can buy beer on the train here .. I love this place). I don't recommend the eat-all-you-can-the-day-before-an-iron-distance-race method for anyone that is planning to race above a Z2 effort as it makes for some serious digestion issues; however, for me this was a fantastic, filling strategy.

Race morning:

4:00 AM Julie and I woke up, gathered up the remainder of my gear, I had a bowl of oatmeal and some bananas, coffee and thankfully evacuated my unecessary waste. So far - So Good. Oh wait look out the window, "It's just a box of rain." I had hoped it would stop but no such luck, oh well it's BETTER than HOT. I arrived a little later than had planned due to the rain and turned in my other two bags, (swim - bike bag, after race bag). After dropping them off I had a Cliff builder bar, visited the toi toi, got body marked, and put on my wetsuit to stay warm. The pros were at 6:20 AM and I didn't start until 7:30 ish. I talked briefly with Reid and David, and then went to meet Julie and Hillary for a pre-race good luck and my standard "If I die, I love you." With all my 't's crossed and my 'i's dotted, I headed to the swim start a bit early. Uh OH....Nature on the phone. So I headed into the head, took off my wetsuit and my tri suit, and answered the call. Getting dressed again after was a chore, but not that big of a deal so I just let it roll off my back and got back into the race mindset.

My wave hopped into the water and swam out to the start to await the official "GO!" When it started the 400 some people took off, excited to be on our way, but nervous at the same time. The water looked like a feeding frenzy and at times I felt like I was about to be devoured, but I just kept saying, "Stay calm, it's a long race, it will spread out, you only have to finish." Eventually the swimmers did spread out and I was able to fall into a comfortable rhythm. This race was great because I actually found a swimmer in front of me going my pace, so I was able to draft off him, everytime I thought he was going too slow I would try to pass only to fall out of the draft zone. Falling behind, I said YES! to myself and followed him the rest of the swim. I came out of the water under my - NO MORE THAN - 1:20 goal.

T1 - LONG TIME

The Bike:

I got my gear on and headed out of the change tent to my bike, Eduardo was sitting there in the rain ready to be ridden, nearly taking off without me in his excitement. I hopped on and let him roll, pulling back the reigns occassionally so I would have something left on the run. Ok, so it wasn't quite like that..but I have a vivid imagination.

The course was two loops with 4 or 5 climbs on each loop, none of them too hard, but all combined they made for a challenging ride. There were also an equal number of downhills which made me very happy. I seemed to be near the same people for most of the first loop and was amazed that I would fly by them on the downhills and they would struggle so hard on the uphills to overtake me. I just kept thinking of where I wanted to burn my matches, and the uphills were not the place.

The highlights of the ride are riding through Eckersmuellen (ph), AKA the Bier Mile, where they had lines of tables filled with drinking fans all screaming at you in multiple languages. Solarer Berg, the most popular hill for spectators had thousands of fans lining the streets, braving the freezing cold weather and along with the DJ screaming "hopp, hopp, hopp" as I inched my way by. I got some strange looks too, as I was only wearing my RATS Tri suit while most people had on AT LEAST arm-warmers if not jackets (and aero helmets :-)). I run very hot, so I wasn't cold at any point during the race so I just smiled at the strange looks.

Actually, they may have just been staring at me like that for some other reason which seemed to happen often while in Germany. We even had one woman standing in the middle of a busy road in Munich, clearly on drugs, yell after our car "Oh Ya, Scheisse!" Sorry lady, no room at the inn. :-)

During the bike I had a Clff builder bar on each loop, tough to chew, but it forced me to slow down to eat it, which meant with the exception of the climbs I stayed in RPE Zone 2 (Z1 - 5). I also had a flask filled with Accel Gel which I consumed completely, and an aero bottle with 4 scoops of Accelerade. That is not a recommended ratio so with each aero sip early in the ride I would take a sip of water from my other bottle, filling up the Accelarde bottle with water to replace my sip. That meant that by the end of the second loop I was drinking the correct ratio. I also took bananas at each stop they were offered. It was a cool day so there was more than enough fluid in my body, but I wanted to make sure that I didn't get hungry so I ate and ate and ate. I also managed to spray down my rear wheel more times than I can remember during the ride, while noticing most of the other racers were stopping to pee on the side of the road. As I was riding, unbeknownst to me, my seat was slipping down, which may explain the more than expected fatigue on the second loop. I'm not sure but either way the second loop was tougher than anticipated and I was getting worried about the run. I calmed myself down with David's advice from the day before, "Don't think too far ahead." So, I came back to the now and just rode, finishing the bike under my NO MORE THAN 6 hour time.

T2 - EVEN LONGER (ALMOST 10 MINUTES)....

I was a little hesitant here as it was a coed tent, a 16 year girl was at my feet trying to take off my shoes, and I needed to be naked so I could put on my running gear. I struggled with my shyness and waited until she had moved to the person next to me and then shed not only my inhibitions but my clothing as well. Quickly putting my shame into the dry clothes, I darted from the change tent. I ate another Cliff builder (these are 270 calories by the way) and started Laufen.

The run (Laufen) 4:20 - Goal 4 hours

I started out and felt great. Hmmm, I thought, this could be a good thing, but still it felt odd. I havn't had a good run the entire year, and since I had felt tired on the bike I didn't expect it here. Oh well! First 10k was 54 minutes ish...wow...faster than I wanted but still felt great. I saw Reid who looked strong at this point and we exchanged greetings and continued. I was taking cola and water at each stop and a big pull of another gel flask at each 10k. I stayed Z2 the whole run (RPE as above), and just relaxed, my cheeks bouncing with my feet...(face cheeks)...I was thinking of all the training I had done for this race, I was thinking of all the training I had missed for this race, I was thinking about my wife and how much she had supported me through this race and how I couldn't have done it without her, I thought of all the well wishers, I thought of Dave and the sarcastic remarks through it all and smiled, I thought about Scott, Mike, Kevin, and all the other training partners that had helped me train for this, I thought of Reid who had pushed me and kept me honest throughout and how he was out here suffering in the rain with me just like he had for the long rides, and the hot races - I thought about everything and anything to take my mind off the run. Second 10k 57 minutes - uh oh slowing down but I still feel great. I started thinking about the experience of being in Europe for the first time, I thought about my friend Kelly who passed away a couple months back after losing her battle with lung cancer, I had dedicated this race and training to her, I thought about how strong she had been all the way to the end and I pushed on. Third 10k 63 minutes, woh am I starting to hurt, IT BAND! WTF! That hasn't bothered me all year, DAMNIT... You can do this, Pain cave, Pain cave, Pain Cave...think of real fights, think of real pain, think of happy things, something has to work...OW! IT band realling flaring up, at least it has the other IT band to keep it company as the other one started to bother me as well. Keep running, ok you can walk the water stops, WASSER, WATER, COLA, AGUA, L'EAU!!!, I repeated the phrase the young girl was yelling. Keep running, ok you can walk every time you count 50 people you are beating; but I didn't, I just kept running, I ran everything but water stops until the last 4k when my limp was getting too bad and I started walking/running. I had just enough to make it to the finish line where Julie and Hillary were waiting for me in the stands along with thousands of fans. What a feeling..I did it Kelly...I did it..I did it...I'm an Ironman, I'm an Ironman...holy Sh!t. Now...Wo is die Bier Garten?!

Thanks everyone

Shawn

It's Over! I'm an Ironman

2008-07-14T04:47:00.002-04:00

Well not a lot to say at this moment. I am extremely happy that I finished my first Ironman. There was a lot of pain and many times I wanted to just say screw it but I survived. I had some serious IT band problems that were unexpected since I didn't have any during training. It made me limp the last 10k but I finished. The times I finished in were all right around what I hoped for but truly they are irrelevant as finishing is all that mattered.

We are still here for a couple of days and when we get back we will get our pictures processed and loaded and there will be many more details. I will also provide a race report after I've had a few days to process the event. Bottom line...It's over! I'm an Ironman.

- Shawn

Eagleman 70.3 - Pain then Pain then more Pain

2008-06-12T20:03:00.002-04:00

After missing a little over a week of training due to the funeral, then another week due to apathy I went into Eagleman feeling flat, and unmotivated but I had signed up so I was going to do it.

I arrived on Saturday for packet Pickup and could barely walk to and from my car it was so hot out. I started asking myself if I was insane, but of course, we all know I am so it was a silly question. I was supposed to join the RATS nest for camping at the high school that night but thank GOD Reid and Mary Beth asked if I wanted to sleep on their window ledge, seriously, I slept on their window ledge and it was very comfortable.

We got to the race with plenty of time to spare and set up my transition area. Julie had stayed home to arrange the house for our soon to be new house guest so I was a bit sad but there were plenty of Rats scurrying about and that helped. I got my wetsuit on and lined up for the swim.

Go: 37 minutes and change later I was crawling out of the water, not tired, a little bruised, and upset with my horrible time.

"Shake it off dumbass" I told myself. "There is nothing you can do to get that time back now; just get on your bike and go."

I popped a couple of enduralytes and took my time in transition, finally rolling out after 5 or 6 minutes.

The bike had water hand offs every 10 miles and I made sure that took full advantage of this fact, drinking a bottle every 10 miles, plus some Acclerade, plus some gels that I had squeezed out into a gel flask. I finished the bike in 2:32 and change, just around 22mph. I was hoping for 23mph but when you don't train you just aren't going to show up completely ready. I wasn't upset though as this was still a 7 minute bike PR for me.

I took my time again in transition throwing down a few more Enduralytes cuz I knew I was going to be a sweaty pig. I started the run and was tired before I even hit the timing mat to leave transition so I knew this was going to be a tough one. I tried to tell myself just push through the pain and you can do this, just get out there and run. Alas, my mental game just wasn't there and I couldn't muster the strength to do much running. It really was more of a hot walk with some slow jogging mixed in. Or a tour of aid stations. I don't even know how long the "RUN" took but it was a LONG, LONG, LONG time.

The people of Cambridge had hoses out spraying us down for which I will be eternally grateful. There were some stellar performances despite the heat and I'm impressed by everyone that showed up; I'm also seriously questioning their sanity.

Overall I think that I came into the race physically flat, and mentally wiped. I was and am seriously questioning my Ironman. I will do it, or I'm 90% sure I'll do it and once this box is checked I need a break.

I was looking forward to some shorter races after Roth but work today told me I am going to be out town for two months starting sometime in August. I will miss the next 4 races I had planned on doing, 3 of which I had already signed up for. So, I will miss both of the Luray Triathlons, which I absolutely love and I will miss the Reston National Championships in September which is the race we spent 20 minutes trying to sign up for. These things just can't be helped.

The trip will be a good time for me to try get my head back on straight, I will be doing a lot of running and a lot of swimming but sadly there just is no way to get any biking done. The two months will be a nice bit of money to help us toward our goal of moving into our next phase in life. For those that don't know we have decided we want to be closer to family and will be moving to Minneapolis within in the next year. No dates are set, we still don't have jobs, we have a home here to deal with, and we want to buy a home there so there are lots of things that have to happen before we move but, move we will. :-)

In the meantime there is lots of training to be done, there are lots of people to with which to socialize and more importantly there are more limits to conquer.

- Shawn

Farewell my Friend

2008-05-27T12:45:00.003-04:00

Last night my friend Kelly passed away. She was able to commemorate her love w/ her long time partner, Collin, with some friends and family in a small ceremony in the hospital. She showed me how strong a person could be in her life, in her love for Collin, and her courageous fight to the end.

There are so many things I want to say but this isn't the place so for now I'll just say farewell for now.

Fire on the Mountain!

2008-05-21T12:19:00.003-04:00

Ok..well it's been a long time and then I come back with a misleading title. I really should be chastised for my horrible blog-equitte. I guess I should back up a bit and help you all catch up on my goings-on.

It seems like forever ago but I competed, and I'm using that word lightly, in a 3 mile river swim (see right tab for link). This was the most horrific race experience I've had to date and it likely the reason my distaste for swimming has increased. My goal time was 90 minutes but Poseidon was angry that day and he called on the winds to turn the waters to chop. There were times I threw up while swimming - Gross. It took a couple days before I felt normal. So, like I said 90 minutes was my goal; I emerged from the brackish hell hole 2:20 minutes after I began.

Then the week continued with high volume training ending up with the RATS annual Tour de Skyline. A ride from one end of Skyline drive to the other 110 miles per day for two days. Fire on the mountain was the song in my head but fog and rain on the mountain quickly doused my enthusiasm and I retreated to my pain cave. On day 1 the ranger told us we had to get off the mountain and being the good, law abiding citizen that I am, I crawled into a vehicle after just 15 miles and got a ride up to the middle of the ride where we were all going to reconvene. Several hearty, but lawbreaking rebels toughed out the weather arriving some time later, cold, tired, and hungry. We did manage to ride from this point to the hotel.

Had a bid dinner with the crew and started drinking. Midnight rolled around and we decided to call it a night. In the morning a light crew drove us up to the start and we rode only a 100 miles but they were tough, cold wet, just like the day before. I think I averaged around 15mph for all of day 2 and it was tough but fantastic as always.

Training the follow week was light and designed to recover from the long week of training so on Wednesday while out for a ride I came upon a fox kit on the side of the trail, primed to be run over. I pulled over and cared for him the best I could. I carried him a ways off the trail and left him hoping his mother found him after we left.

Julie had her first Triathlon, not just of the year but EVER and she was Awesome! She has another one in two weeks. Pics from Little pepper will be coming soon.

After Julie's race we were invited to Prince Michel winery, where our friend Lisa does tastings. She set us up in private room and did the tasting herself complete with food from her home. It was fantastic..she treated not just Julie and me but a host of friends as well. By the end we were all a bit daffy.

The times keep flying and this weekend Reid and I leave for Ohio for TTT, 4 races in 3 days. It's going to be a brutal but fun training weekend. We are traveling with 2 delicious bottles of tequila to help us represent for we are "Aero Sombreros: Blessed Children of the Blue Agave." I'll be sure to update when I return.

All please take care and be sure to click on the link of Kelly to donate money to help her fight cancer.

Shawn

Dave are you happy?

Season Openers

2008-04-23T13:12:00.001-04:00

The Kinetic half was the first tri of the season for me and I was very excited to get out there and race. This would be my first race on my new bike, my first race on my new wheels, my first race in my Ironman season, and more importantly my first race to try raise money for my friend Kelly is fighting for her life against Cancer. The last mentioned is obviously the most important first on this list and as background I'm dedicating all my races leading up to and including Quelle Challenge Roth to try raise money for Kelly. If you want to read about her I have a link on the right or you can contact me for more information on how you can donate.

With all these firsts I had high hopes for a great race, shooting for a half PR that was set last June. I knew it would be a tall order to race that well this early in the season but I wanted to try anyway. So I set some tough standards but did so while telling myself that the most important thing was to complete the race and learn from it.

Staying down there the night before was a great idea and I'm glad Reid organized that for us.

We all woke up early and took care of our own morning rituals, breakfast, coffee, bathroom, mixing of our potions, bathroom, setting up our transition area, bathroom, and finally heading down to the water to start.

Swim: Goal: 32 minutes Reality: 34:43

This was my first swim as an age grouper, having swum all of last season as a Clydesdale I was nervous about swimming with a tougher group. It turns out it's less frightening than hopping in the water will all the big boys; I finished further back but was less bruised and beaten up. I wish I could have finished a little faster and I still need to work on sighting and keeping a smooth consistent stroke while racing. I've managed to train myself this winter to have a long, smooth (seems to me anyway) stroke, using the entire stroke but when I got going in the race I would forget all that. So that is 1 place I can improve. Sighting wasn't as bad as Sunday but still needs lots of work.

T1: 3:10 putting on socks took more time but worth it.

Bike: Goal: 2:35-ish Actual: 2:39:20

My original plan was to see what I could do on the bike but after discussing it with my cabin mates it seemed to make more sense to hold back and save something for the run and work on my race nutrition instead. So I took off letting a few people pass me and just held a nice even pace for the first loop of the course. I did push a bit on some of the hills but other than that nice and easy. On the second loop I started trying to just catch up to the next person in front of me, then the next, then the next and so on until I completed the second loop. I drank my Accelerade and took my gels but I think being in the aero position all that just sat in my stomach and wasn't able to digest. In addition looking back I realize now that I didn't drink nearly enough water so when I got off the bike I was not doing well.

T2: 143

Run: Goal 1:45 ish Actual: 2:15:33 "Ow my ego!"

I've always suffered in the heat and my larger belly has always made inclines tough to ride and run up...add that to the fact that I was dehydrated (didn't know yet) and before I even made it up the first hill my quads started seizing, sounds like others had it worse but this was the first time I've ever cramped so it was alarming. I settled into a jog to the aid station, take as much as I could and walk until it was gone, repeat routine that got me through the three laps. It was tough but I just kept telling myself to finish .. it could be worse.

In the end I had a good time. I enjoyed the event and most importantly I've identified some important areas to work on before Roth. I saw some great friends put out some fantastic races Congrats guys!

Donate to Help Kelly FIGHT Cancer!

2008-04-16T16:22:00.004-04:00

Hey all,

I've added a link in the right column under the picture of my friend Kelly. For those of you that don't know her you can read about her on the page. But I can tell you that she grew up in Grafton with me and is currently having the fight of her life. She is strong and staying positive. The friends and family support seem to be great but you can never have enough. Cancer is a tough pill to swallow and she can use support. As the fund raising efforts change, the links will change as well, and I'll keep you updated.

I'm not sure what I'll be wearing yet but I will have something on in Kelly's honor at each and everyone of my races this season. If you see me and want to donate, I'll have a loose change jar and information on where to send the checks if you want to donate more. Everything helps....

Shawn

The race is on....

2008-04-11T12:48:00.003-04:00

Well only 92 more days until I line up in Germany for my first Ironman!!! One could say the race is on to get trained and ready. The last week has been pretty tough and I'm pretty tired right now with a long weekend of training ahead. I LOVE IT.

Monday was a great rest.
Tuesday 25 mile bike - 1.5 hour swim
Wednesday 20 x 200 on the track with some wu and cd
Thursday 25 mile bike (hills repeats) - 1 mile run - 1.5 hour swim
Today is scheduled for an ez 1 hour run...the weekend 3 - 4 hour bike and couple hours of running ~ 15 miles.

The weeks will continue like this and but now the racing starts too. Next weekend we head down to Lake Anna for the early season Half Iron race on Saturday followed by a sprint race on Sunday.

I'm treating the weekend as a training weekend but when the start happens we'll see what my body wants to do. It's going to be a good test of where I am and a great indicator of what areas (endurance-wise) I need to work on. It will also be the first race on Eduardo my Bike and I know he is itchin to race.

Anyway More to follow as my road to Roth continues....

Cherry Blossom Ten Miler

2008-04-08T08:16:00.002-04:00

This past week I was able to get in some good training. On Saturday I rode my bike for an easy paced 65 miles while focusing on Sunday's Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, my favorite race in DC.

The night before I had my normal 6 pack and tequila to wash down my pasta dinner and went home to get some rest. At 2 Am I woke up convinced that I was late and that Dave was going to be mad so I got up and started getting ready. I finally woke up and realized what was going on, scolded myself for being so stupid and hopped back down on the couch for some more sleep, all the while the dog was staring at me like I was losing my mind.

5 rolls around and I get up for real this time, gather my belongings, have a quick breakfast and coffee, scratch the dog for good luck and hit the door. I arrive at the OK corral right on time and soon Reid, Dave and I are on the way courthouse metro/Four Courts parking.

I was in the Red corral which was behind them so off I went to line up with my people. The corral was started and 27 seconds later I was off....to a slow start. The mob was pretty big and I really couldn't get around it at this point, but I told myself to use this time to get good and warmed up; eventually the race had to open up. The first mile was 8:00+ which was truly ok with me as last year I had done 82 minutes I thought that was a fine goal this year too considering I didn't run for two months while nursing a stress fracture.

Well the miles just kept ticking by and I kept telling myself to slow down, and I'd try but something always made me speed right back up. I ran the whole race telling myself to slow down and finished in 1:17 which was about 7:40/mi pace. A 5 minute PR and the best part was my workout for the day was over and I was able to enjoy some Guinness at four Courts with friends. Ahh...Life is grand...

I know it's still a long way off from where I need to be speed-wise, but I'm happy with the improvements, I'm happy I felt strong the whole race, I'm happy that even in an obsessive sport like triathlon I can find drinking buddies, of course it's strange when we get a to a bar as it opens versus stay until it closes but whatever beer is beer.

Shawn

Oh the dreadful wind and rain....

2008-03-21T10:43:00.002-04:00

Well this month seems to be an environmentally challenging one when it comes to training. It seems that Mother Nature is going through some hormonal surges that have the weather in a tizzie. Warm then cold then sunny then rainy and always windy. I know it is the spring, full of new life but tempermental like a child.

We got out last night for the first 'Official' Bike run Booze from our place and only Billy Goat showed up. We road for over an hour then headed back to the house. Since it was only he and I and the run was more the social part we decided to have a couple beers and dinner instead. All in all I'm glad I got out in the wind even though at times I felt like I was going to be lifted off the ground, images of The Wizard of Oz in my head, except with me flying on the broom in the tornado instead of the witch you have a big fat guy on a bike...hahaha...

Then I dragged my ass out of bed (stayed up to watch LOST) and made it to the pool for a quick 3k.

Tomorrow's forecast is for wind, rain, cold, and a 3 hour bike ride....mayhaps I will rethink my no more trainer policy.....

Shawn

Back at it

2008-03-20T11:18:00.002-04:00

Well after a nice Monday off of training I decided Tuesday that I needed one more day of rest. The weather sucked which meant I was going to have to ride my trainer, which I swore was put away for the season. I was exhausted from work so I sat on my butt and did nothing.

Wednesday track workout, first of the season after a nice long warmup we did 4 x (2 x 200, 1 x 400) then jogged home.

Thursday morning solid pool swim for the first time in weeks. It felt tough but manageable. I didn't notice that I was any slower, for sure I wasn't faster. It just feels good to be getting back at it.

Tonight is the bike/run HS repeats which should be fun with 40mph gusts of wind to make it all the more challenging.

- Shawn

Weekend training

2008-03-18T06:11:00.002-04:00

This was a busy training weekend. Saturday we rode down to Lake Anna to preview the Kinetic half and sprint courses. We started rolling at about 1030 and after the first loop (two loop course) we realized we weren't going to have enough time to get in all 70 planned miles so we backed it down to 54, which is both loops of the kinetic half. We followed it up with a 5k on the Kinetic Sprint course. Dave and Reid left me panting in their dust but it was a great warm-up.

Then Sunday, after cheering on some friends in the Reston 10 miler which ran right by our condo, I headed out for my own 10 miler wandering lost through Reston. It was a blast. We decided that evening we would reconvene for the first ever, for us, beer mile. The beer mile was a great success and we hope next time to have more. Basically it is something that you would expect at a fraternity, not adults in their backyard. Oh well, it was fun anyway.

Drink a beer then you run 400 meters, drink a beer, run 400 meters, and so on until you complete your mile. I came in second with a 10:33 which isn't too bad.

Here are some photos of the weekend taken by Dave and Karolina on their i-phone. enjoy