Snow

Backyard, Troy Road

First of the '07-'08 winter has arrived.
Two, maybe even three or 3.5 inches here near Rock Creek. Probably an extra inch due to creek effect.

My do nothing streak may not survive the week, even with the bad weather assist.

Down time and snowmobile suits.

In the quest to stay sane while doing nothing the internet has proved itself an invaluable and unquenchable time sponge. Thank you Al Gore, thank you.

Makes me wonder, how did youngsters survive the 150+ days of darkness that is a WNY winter without it? Building indoor forts. The Guiding Light. Clue, Monopoly and Masterpiece. 500 piece puzzles. Cookie dough. Time consuming attempts to play D & D. And after Thanksgiving....

There was some outdoor time, voluntary or otherwise. No doubt it took a motivated parent to spend part of a day squeezing Pop Tart and Honeycomb fueled kids into more layers than a tray of baklava. The complex layer ordering is under appreciated science, involving two or more pairs of socks preferably including something wool and itchy and something with an exposed red stripe, plastic bread bags (Stroehmann's Sunbeam or Wonder) on each foot. This was key - it was semi-water proof, but was also the grease that enabled oversized foot into boot with something less than a hernia and crying jag inducing 10 min pilates work out for parent and child.

Up from the feet: long johns, jeans/cords, a polyester turtle neck and/or button down oxford shirt, full body snow (snowmobile?) suits or the two-piece option of a coverall style ski pant and jacket, hat(s), mittens, scarf (or 2)... Did I miss a layer? And, later, another 45 mins chipping through the ice encased zippers and shoe laces and stripping the wet clothes when the monsters were allowed back in at sunset.

Back to the internet. A few items I've read recently and partially remember more than 24 hrs later. First, an obligatory fitness item, breaking news: Exercise is good, running spurs nerve growth. Related study ongoing - sloth leads to vacuous blogging.

Extroverts, I think we've got you out numbered. Treat us nicely. Don't make me say it out loud. This is the 2nd time I've stumbled into something from The Atlantic. The first was that Obama piece by Andrew Sullivan, which sticks with me, so here it is again.

Finally, some knee-slapping, choke-on-your-(iced)-coffee funny stuff, at least for cycling geeks. NYC cyclist poking fun at cyclists re reactions to the arrival of autumn weather, and on the snow theme, how to continue not having fun biking when the white stuff hits. It's a small but stubborn niche and this daily blog is king of that little realm.
Check out the right sidebar loaded with new twists. I'm also adding random labels, because I can. Cheap unleaded is $3.29 in monied Montgomery County.

I think I can not... I think I can not...

I'm working on a weakness, focusing 110% on doing nothing. Going all out to find my inner slug. Six days so far. That's some pretty decent consistency, maybe even a new DN PR. I'm no Jabba the Hutt yet, but why not aim high?

The internet is an excellent slugability enhancer. A beautiful blackhole, with an amen corner for every persuasion. Even within the fitnet, encouragement to slack abounds. The body needs a break, and the mind will relish the change, they instruct. Firm up the foundation. Lay the mental and physical ground work for good health next season command the gurus. Even the NYT echos the chorus suggesting there's an upside to just not doin' it for a bit. Ignore the HTFU crowd.

So, go ahead: Find some new interests. Reintroduce yourself to neglected friends, family and/or pets. Gain some weight - don't burn those great holiday meals, build on them. Shop, on line of course, $3.19 for the cheap gas, ouch. Sleep more, blog at great length(ahem), read more, work more? Enjoy some college B-ball (avoid Dicky V.) Restful down time now for fewer down days over the long term. Sounds rational, right?

Taking it easy doesn't necessarily feel better. It feels worse, at least for awhile. And I've yet to make it past awhile. Rest indeed seems to be rust. Sluggish becomes the norm (Jabba) and does wonders for a dipping cranky curmudgeon factor. Yeah, I'm a strong perfomer on the CC achievement scale as it is. But, I'll buy into all the faffle, file it under doing the right thing and claim the mental victory of successfully doing nothing.

I was nudged in this direction, via an ornery achilles tendon and a high chest strain of some sort (never should've raked those leaves). Not hurtin' enough to prevent exercise. Cold weather and diminished daylight gave that nudge some added oomph, more of a stiff-arm. Seven days worth of oomph? Ten days? Let's not get crazy. All things in moderation.

Logging In, Getting the (b)log up to Date

Mon. 11-12
Off

Tue. 11-13 S, R
Swim 6a
Bit of a crap day, just not feeling any spark, neither physically nor mentally "on", not having any good connection of mind to body.
200 warmup
10x50 bilateral breathing, steady/easy effort, form focus, start on 2mins, ~1min per 50.
3 x (100 hard, 200 steady, 50 bilateral easy; :30 rest btwn each) held 1:50 for the 100's, nothing special there.
1750 total

Run 42mins evening, ~5.5mi, foggy, ~55F

Wed. 11-14
Massage
Swim 35mins

Thur. 11-15
Swim 6a-7 Not good. Been dragging all week, no change today.
Felt a little better than Tue. Physically, but big downer re my swim speed.
200 wup
100yds of drill -side swim; -one-arm; -stroke and glide ; -catch-up; -fist
500yd TT 10:29
compared to 9:34 on 10/16 ! WTF!? Did I underswim by a lap on 10/16? Overswim today? don't think so.

100 free with zoomers
100 cool
1500 total

Bike 33mins trainer, cut off session
Core/lift 10mins

Fri. 11-16
Run 42mins, ~5.8mi
Bike QR trainer after run
Swim 38mins

Sat. 11-17
Swim 55mins, trans to run
Run 67mins, ~9mi, pretty frisky.

Great meal at Devereaux - killer soup, steelhead, Ireland tales. Good stuff.

Sun. 11-18
Bike Fuji outdr, 2:30, 44mi
Swim 22mins recovery

Mon. 11-19
Off

Tue. 11-20
Swim 60mins 6a-7a
250yd warmup
3x1min vertical kick, w/1 min RI
5x50 kickboard, w/~30sec RI
Ladder main set w/30sec RI:
500 (w/zoomer fins)
400 (")
300 no fins
200 no fins (1:50-52 100 pace)
100 no fins (1:50)

2000yds total + vertical kick

Felt much better than last week. Was dragging all day everyday most of last week.
Could've done 10min flat or faster for a 500TT today.

Run 57mins in eve, ~7.7mi

Wed. 11-21
Run 37mins, ~5mi, 5min trans to bike
Bike QR trainer
Duration: 1:15:21 (1:15:32)
Swim 40mins

'Snot too Cold

to get out and play. Just nippy enough to get the nasal tap running.
Kinda like this shot from cycling new zealand, minus the the beatiful backdrop.

Tour of Taranaki

Wooden, you say?

Sat. 11-10 R, S
Work in the morning.

Run 74mins, ~10mi, flat Beach Dr path, low 40’s cloudy some wind, pretty frisky jaunt – maybe cool temps and the extra Sat. cuppa?
Miles 6, 7, 8 at 7:00, 6:45, 6:35.

Swim 47mins
Steady form-mindful free as extended warmup (~500),
Side swim and stroke & glide with zoomers;
8 hard intervals with :30sec recovery intervals: 4x100 (~1:57-2:00 splits) and 4x50 (~:55);
3x50 kick bd;
100 easy free cool down.

Sun. 11-11 B, S
Work in the a.m.
Bike Fuji outdr, 1:30-4:30pm, Potomac rollers, ~45-50F, sunny, light winds.
Entire workout (180 watts):
Duration: 2:59:30 (3:02:31)
Distance: 53.513 mi
Min Max Avg
Heart rate: 83 173 139 bpm
Cadence: 22 102 74 rpm
Speed: 2.6 36.1 17.9 mph

MEAT of the ride:
Duration: 2:38:33 (2:41:33)
Work: 1751 kJ
TSS: 202.2 (intensity factor 0.875)
Norm Power: 201
VI: 1.09
Distance: 47.793 mi

Min Max Avg
Power: 0 400 184 watts
Heart rate: 98 173 141 bpm
Cadence: 22 102 74 rpm
Speed: 2.6 36.1 18.1 mph


Swim
Swim ~22mins easy, stroke and glide, side swim, clear the legs out after bike.

Cliffs and Chips

Great Ireland pics over at intomysixties. I'm hankerin' for fish and chips and a pint.

Earlier this week I heard this on NPR.
And went on to read this. The first time I've actually read anything in The Atlantic. Is that good or bad?

My heart and mind are nearing convergence: Obama. Don't know if it'll stick.
Maybe the heart/hope/yes-the-glass-can-be-half-full spirit is pulling harder just now in the internal tug of war. The ticker has been on the O. bandwagon since his Convention speech.

Okay, on to the usual sport material, here's a little some cycling humor.

Cyclists are the biggest sandbaggers and secret trainers around. They'll say anything to soften up a fellow rider. Such as:

"I'm out of shape"
Translation: I ride 400 miles a week and haven't missed a day since the Ford administration. I replace my 11-tooth cog more often than you wash your shorts. My body fat percentage is lower than your mortgage rate.

"I'm not into competition. I'm just riding to stay in shape"
Translation: I will attack until you collapse in the gutter, babbling and whimpering. I will win the line sprint if I have to force you into oncoming traffic. I will crest this hill first if I have to grab your seat post, and spray energy drink in your eyes.

"I'm on my beater bike"
Translation: I had this baby custom-made in Tuscany using titanium blessed by the Pope. I took it to a wind tunnel and it disappeared. It weighs less than a fart and costs more than a divorce.

"It's not that hilly"
Translation: This climb lasts longer than a presidential campaign. Be careful on the steep sections or you'll fall over -- backward. You have a 39x23 low gear? Here's the name of my knee surgeon.

"You're doing great, honey"
Translation: Yo, lard ass, I'd like to get home before midnight. This is what you get for spending the winter decorating and eating chocolate. I shoulda married that cute Cat 1 racer when I had the chance.

"This is a no-drop ride"
Translation: I'll need an article of your clothing for the search-and-rescue dogs.

"It's not that far"
Translation: Bring your passport.

Pubbers land

The Pubbers are back safely.

Spoke to them briefly last night at 8p.m. our time, so 1a.m. to them. Customs let them through and the cats welcomed them home. Will get out to Gaithersburg over the weekend to see some of the many pics and get some stories.

Initial impression shared with me was Ireland has lots and lots of stone architecture and amazingly old structures. Rained briefly once during the whole trip.
Old stone stuff, pubs, fish, potato, bread. All in large quantities, repeatedly. Oh, and beer. Literally a few pubs per block I'm told.

Snow up in the Western Tier of NY I hear. Yikes.

******************
Wed. 11-7 Bike

QR Trainer. Warmup; 4 x 10min blocks (as 7min hard/3min easy); cool
Entire workout (177 watts):
Duration: 1:06:14
Work: 703 kJ
Distance: 22.07 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 305 177 watts
Heart rate: 76 167 138 bpm
Cadence: 34 96 87 rpm

Thur. 11-8 S, R
Swim 6a-7a
Filled the hour pretty well, call it 60mins of workout.
400 warmup free
Vertical kick and twist - 3x
Kickboard - 6 x 50
400 continuous with zoomers as 4 x (25 side swim switching sides half way, 75 free at 8.5 intensity)
400 continuous no zoomers as 4 x (25 stroke and glide, 75 free hard)
100 all out (~1:43)
200 free easy cool down

Total: 1700 + vertical kick

Run in the eve.
51mins again, ~6.7mi, maybe 40F, brrr.

Pubbers preparing to return

The pub crawlers made it full circle back to Dublin.

We made it back to Dublin in record time! We got here by 1pm and had lunch and toured the castle and St. Patricks church and are now having a Guiness, wine and Irish coffee. Headed to our favorite restaurant - Hugo's - for dinner later.

No damage to the rental car!! And no accidents!!

Luck of the Irish, eh?

*************************

Mon. 11-5
Off

Tue. 11-6 S, R
Swim 6a-7a, ~50mins
v 2x50 drills: Side swim ; 1-arm ; Fist ; Stroke & glide
v 10x100yds w/:10 RI (splits ranged 1:52 - 1:55)
v 2x50 w/1min+ RI (:49, :47)
v 100 S&G cool

Run 51mins, ~6.7mi

Weekend wrap 11-4-07

Another tidbit from Ireland via blackberry:

Drove to galway today. Saw the cliffs of moher.
Having dinner at a wine bar on high Steet in galway city.
Very cold and a few thousand round a-bouts
B.

*************
I'm looking forward to pics and tales after they all get back and recover.

Meanwhile, I crossed the border into foreign territory today. Ventured into VA and had a nice enjoy-the-day ride on roads that were all new to me, which was very nice. Thanks to Lawrence and Mike for joining in and navigating the Mt. Weather loop.

All I had to do was get up and down the hills and get a few pics. Passed wineries and fields lined with stonewalls, reminded me of Gettysburg battlefield areas.


Country roads, turning leaves, 50+ temps, sun and cloud mix... about as good as it gets in November.



It's so hard to look suave in cycling gear, esp cold weather gear. Okay, it's impossible.

<- M & L

Moi ->



************

Sat. 11-3 R, S
Run 77mins, beach Dr. Twinge in right groin few miles from home.
Swim 25mins very easy easy recovery.

Sun. 11-4 B, S
Mount Weather ride.
Fuji, hi 50's, mix clouds/sun, low winds
Smell the Roses ride, but some steep climbs and rollers mixed in.
Almost zero groin "thereness," went ahead on the ride and had no problems at all.

Duration: 3:32:26 (3:54:56)
Work: 1864 kJ
TSS: 246.3 (intensity factor 0.836)
Norm Power: 192
VI: 1.31
Distance: 56.225 mi

Min Max Avg
Heart rate: 74 174 132 bpm
Cadence: 21 96 67 rpm
Speed: 0 39.9 15.9 mph

Swim
Easy swim 30mins, drills, and free, after Mt Weather ride.

Freezin' Friday 11-2

Apparently no international incidents have cropped up in Ireland. Here's the latest from B:

Drove to Waterford from the B&B. Not as bad a drive in the daylight. Toured the factory and than drove to the heart of the city and wandered. D got online at the internet cafe while I went to the tourist office and booked rooms for Killkarney and Galway. We than toured a fishing village and had dinner. Today we are eating at blarney castle in cork on our way to killkarney.

**************
Predicted to hit low-mid 30's here tonight, blustery during the day.
Should hit 50's and sunny all weekend, not as windy Sun.

Joining a couple others for a Sun. afternoon ride that will be new to me.
The 55mi Mount Weather loop (aka Blue Ridge Challenge) starts/ends in Marshall, VA, a little over a 1hr drive for me. A crisp day with nice fall colors is the hope.

Looks like I might find an elevated point where I can snap a pic.


An easy/off day today exercise-wise.
Chiro, massage at lunch hr.
Eve – 20mins poolside stretching, then swim.

Swim 40mins drills and very form-focused steady free.

Mon. - Thur. 11-1-07

Traveler update:
The Ireland three have moved out of Dublin. B is behind the wheel, and has already played chicken with locals, to the point of clipping one oncomer's side mirror. Narrow roads she says, very narrow. No significant unplanned detours on the way to Dunmore East near Waterford.

D gets the official Tough Guy award. He pulled off a complete marathon, battling back spasms all the way. 5:47, probably 90mins more than had he been healthy.

Plenty of fish being consumed, haddock, cod, salmon.
No word on yarn shops or distant relatives.

***************
Latest blog I like.

***************

Mon. 10-29
Off

Tue. 10-30 Swim, Run
Swim 6a-7a
200 warmup
Snap/rotate drill - 100
Stroke/glide -100
Single arm - 100
Fist - 150
4 x (150 steady/strong ; 100 all out; 50 stroke & glide) :20 recovery between each; start with the 150 at ~7.5-8 on 1-10 effort scale, go harder from there.
Total ~1650

Me - gotta get my hands along my centerline when pulling, "grab the rope";
gotta get long, arms behind ears, pencil straight body rather than arching back to get hips up, esp obvious with rotate drill; Weak left side/pull
Fight to stay focused on quality stroke, key elements - e.g. thumb passing by belly button on pull

Run 50mins, ~6.75mi felt pretty decent, fairly frisky, or seemed so, maybe cause it was chilly and dark out.

Wed. 10-31 Bike
QR trainer ride, 1hr 25mins

Thur. 11-1 Swim, Run
Swim 6 - 7a
200wup
400 stroke and glide w/zoomers
400 - 300 - 200 - 100 (:30 RI) (400 was in about 7:57) increase intensity as the distances get shorter
150 stroke and glide as cool down
Total 1750yds

Run 51mins, ~6.9mi in GP rollers

Sun. 10-28 Potomac Rollers

Have mercy on the runner!

In an effort to appease the Gods of the Irish Isle I'm putting Irish brew on the menu here in Rockville tonight.

Yes, quite the sacrifice. Hey, I'm willing to HTFU and do whatever I can.
**********

Sun. 10-28 Bike
Worked in the a.m., ride 3-6p.
Fuji, Potomac Sugarland loop same as last weekend, but less warmup on Beach.
Windy! From N/NW, predominantly North, 10-15+mph. Sunny, 50's.
Large banana, .6 clif bar, Perpetuem/HG mix, 1 huge water bottle.

Entire workout (181 watts):
Duration: 2:58:05 (3:02:12)
Work: 1928 kJ
TSS: 227.9 (intensity factor 0.877)
Norm Power: 202
VI: 1.12
Distance: 52.398 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 384 181 watts
Heart rate: 82 167 141 bpm
Cadence: 20 105 74 rpm
Speed: 2.7 39 17.7 mph

Meat:
Duration: 2:36:12 (2:39:09)
Work: 1756 kJ
TSS: 208.7 (intensity factor 0.896)
Norm Power: 206
VI: 1.1
Distance: 46.654 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 384 187 watts
Heart rate: 106 167 144 bpm
Cadence: 20 105 75 rpm
Speed: 2.7 39 17.9 mph

Tue. - Sat. 10-27

Halloween. Bah. It's no good.
A completely manufactured "holiday." Don't give me that historical basis, wickan faffle. NO. Just, no. It's like a Renaissance Fair x 10, let loose on the world, with a whole lot more plastic involved. For example, the 15foot high inflatable ScoobyDoo grinning forth from a front yard down the block. If I had a pellet gun...

Ahhhhhhh, that's better. On to the standard deal.

The crew is safely in Dublin, even got out for a bit of touring straight off the plane.

Tue. 10-23 S; R-B
Swim 6a w/Dan
200 warm up
Vertical kick - 3x~1min, 30 secs rest
1 arm drill 2 x 50
Stroke & glide 2 x 50
3 x 400 free (steady, hard w/zoomers, steady) 30secs rest
Relay 2 x 50 free (william beats me!!)
~1700 total

Run 40 mins steady, ~5.3mi, 5min trans to bike

Bike QR trainer
Entire workout (165 watts):
Duration: 55:19

Wed. 10-24
Bike
QR trainer, had planned to run but raining
Entire workout (165 watts):
Duration: 57:25 (57:35)

Thur. 10-25 Swim a.m.

Lots of dry drills. Touch toes, move up hands extended over head
Touch toes, bend knees to get ribs to thighs, walk hands forward past pushup, hold, walk feet fwd between feet
Wet drills
200 wup
5x50 kick bd, no zoomers
3x50 - Hands together extended fwd, zoomers, rotate side to side (face down), keep hips up so don't have to roll all the way onto back to breath
3x50 stroke and glide
4x200 on 5mins, did 'em in ~3:44-47
100 cool
Dry - sit on ground, back against wall, had kickbd under butt to elevate some, bottom of feet together like groin stretch, raise elbows up along wall to shldr level, hands frwd, rotate hands up so wrist touches wall - repeat, feel it in upper back
Total ~1500

Bike
25mins easy spin

Fri. 10-26
ART and chiro afternoon
Swim 40mins p.m.

Sat. 10-27 R&B; Swim
Run 67mins, ~9mi, Garrett Park rollers
5min trans to Bike
QR Bike on the trainer

Entire workout (167 watts):
Duration: 50:39
Work: 506 kJ
TSS: 48.4 (intensity factor 0.757)

Swim 35mins drills

Taper Tom

Apparently, the word is out.

Get out! They're coming!

Marathon fitness is in the bank, and travel plans well laid.
The crew is ready to tackle Dublin.

Just watch out for crazy Irish cyclists.

Sean Kelly
Irishman and pro cycling legend

Wed. - Sun. 10/21

Terps lose again on national TV last night. Get a lead and then lose in the final minutes.

Painful. Bring on basketball season.

Pulling for the Tribe tonight.

Great meal last night at Devereaux. Homemade soup, all ingredients from the garden. Salad, beans, sweet potatoes and gourmet pork.

Wed. 10-17
Run 49mins, ~6.5mi, start/end at MAC
Swim 33 drills, steady free

Thur. 10-18 S & B
Swim 6a-7a, ~50mins of swimming
200 warmup
2x50 of drills – side swim, stroke and glide, single arm, catchup, fist – all but fist with zoomers
3x400 w/1min rest
100 cool
2000 yds total

Bike - QR trainer ride in the eve.
Entire workout (162 watts):
Duration: 1:11:01
Work: 689 kJ

Fri. 10-19
Visit to the massage (Cody) and chiro (Anna).
Swim 35mins in the eve.

Sat. 10-20
Work in the morn.
Run 64mins, ~8.75mi, flat.
Swim 35mins

Sun. 10-21
Work in the a.m.
Bike 3hrs, Fuji, Potomac rollers loop, ~55mi. No knee problems.
Gorgeous day. Mid-upper 70’s, no clouds, SW wind 8-10mph. Saw more fellow road riders than ever on this route, probably 30+.
Swim 30 mins easy drills

On Pol Blogmeister Jumps to Video

CALL IT A CAMEO?

A fresh gem from On Politics, keep an eye out for the youngest brother/uncle.

Watch Night of the Living Republicans

I hit pause when he appears but there's no stopping him! :)

Tue. 10-16 S, R-B
Swim 6a-7a
200 wup;
2x50 zoomers on, snap rotate drill
2x50 zoomers on, stroke and glide, with finger drag along side during recovery phase

500yd TT - 9:34 Compare to a 10:10 pace for 500yds from 500m TT on 9/27 (11:10)
Didn’t pace it perfectly today, could've gone a hair harder, not as exhausted as I remember feeling for the initial TT on 9/27.

8x100 on 2:30 (did 'em in 1:48, couple 1:50, goal was 1:55 based on 500TT pace, consistent 1:48 confirms could've gone a little harder for 500 TT?? Maybe 9:25-:30)

1700yds total DB - says my right shoulder is causing my over rotate, tight shoulder forces me to rotate farther than should need to do stroke. I was trying not to over rotate, drank quite of water as a result. Argh.

Run 47mins steady, sorta frisky, ~6.3mi, ‘hood rollers
5min trans to

Bike QR trainer, few spurts of 2-3 mins at 200+ watts, easy overall
Entire workout (169 watts):
Duration: 51:02
Work: 516 kJ
TSS: 50.5 (intensity factor 0.771)
Norm Power: 177
Distance: 16.835 mi
Power: 169 watts
Heart rate: 143 bpm
Cadence: 85 rpm
Speed: 19.8 mph

Kona Weekend

Chrissie Wellington
2007 Ironman World Champ

Macca - 2007 Mens Champ
Sloppy post race hydration, but he gets a pass.

pics credit: faz.net

Sat. 10-13 B & S
Work in the morn.
Bike 3hrs (3-6p) Potomac rollers.
~68F, noticeable wind from west, ~8-12mph, sunny. Just warm enough to go without long sleeves, knickers. Riding legs okay, not so strong (duh- little biking for nearly a month). Pleased to be out riding tho. It could have been raining with a head wind and uphill all the way and I'd still have been smilin'. Knee cooperating well, merely whispered 'hello' a couple times in last half hr.

Swim 30mins (7-7:30p) drills, 3x100 (~2:08-:10), cool.

Sun. 10-14 R & S
Work in the morn.
Run 1hr20mins, ~10.75mi; Swim 30mins

Ironman ("IM") Hawaii - It was largely a day of new faces. (Top 10 men and women's splits below.)

Internet streaming is perfect for this kind of all day event, and the 6hr time difference works out well - Work or whatever in the morning, tune in for the pro swim finish/bike start around 2pm EST, get outdoors for a few hrs, watch the bike finish/run start for a bit, step away to do whatever, return to watch the leaders over the last hr of the marathon.

Conditions: No cloud cover but not unusually hot or windy, just the standard Hades.
'06 winners Normann and Michellie (Mick-ay-lee) dropped out, illness and injury.
Norm's rival Chris McCormack from Aus won. "Macca" was 2nd last year by 71 secs, here he won by 3mins over fellow Aussie, Craig Alexander who was in his second IM distance race, hist first being a win at IM Australia. Big Torbjorn (thunder bear in danish) Sindballe forged off the front solo on the bike, established a cushion, and held on in the run for 3rd.

Story of the day was Chrissie Wellington, 33, from Great Britain. Last year she raced Hawaii as an AGer. Four weeks ago she won her first IM race at IM Korea. C-Dub took the lead during the bike and ran very well, looking smooth and smiling all the way to a sub 3hr mary even as she lingered over the last half mile to grab a Union Jack from the crowd, high-five spectators, etc. 2nd place went to Samantha McGlone in her first ever IM distance race.

Craig "Crowie" Alexander
Running to a 2nd place finish.
Previously known for his dominance at the Half IM and shorter distances

Thunder Bear crossing in 3rd. Roar!
He was sportin' knee high white compression socks and long white shorts
as a defense to the sun and heat. It's not how you look baby.

WOMEN

Place - finish time - bib# - name, residence - Swim - T1 - Bike - T2 - Run
1 9:08:45 107 Wellington, Chrissie Feltwell GBR 58:09 2:22 5:06:15 2:03 2:59:58
2 9:14:04 5:20 62 McGlone, Samantha Colorado S CO USA 58:07 2:15 5:10:31 2:20 3:00:52
3 9:19:13 10:28 56 Major, Kate Solana Bea CA USA 58:08 2:22 5:10:16 1:54 3:06:35
4 9:26:47 18:02 57 Lawn, Joanna Auckland NZL 58:15 2:09 5:10:18 2:22 3:13:45
5 9:26:55 18:10 104 Preston, Rebecca Buderim AUS 58:08 2:05 5:17:23 2:07 3:07:14
6 9:27:19 18:34 101 Keat, Rebekah Burleigh H AUS 58:13 2:06 5:16:03 2:43 3:08:17
7 9:33:34 24:50 110 Griesbauer, Dede Boston MA USA 53:27 2:10 5:13:06 2:51 3:22:03
8 9:36:10 27:26 116 Cave, Leanda Trowbridge GBR 53:13 2:19 5:13:46 2:32 3:24:22
9 9:37:54 29:10 58 Granger, Belinda Peregian B AUS 58:07 2:20 5:10:18 2:53 3:24:19
10 9:39:47 31:03 118 Csomor, Erika Szazhalomb HUN 1:03:18 2:31 5:29:10 3:25 3:01:25

Tara Norton finished 12th. Tara won the women's race at Savageman 4 weeks ago.
78 year old Sister Madonna Buder, a Hawaii and all around tri legend, just missed the bike cutoff time. She came into the race after recently breaking a toe. She'll be back, plans to be the oldest Kona finisher ever. She's raced Hawaii 20+ times already.

MEN
1 8:15:34 2 McCormack, Chris San Diego CA USA 51:48 2:23 4:37:23 2:00 2:42:02
2 8:19:04 3:30 17 Alexander, Craig Sydney AUS 51:40 1:58 4:38:03 2:12 2:45:13
3 8:21:30 5:56 37 Sindballe, Torbjorn Horsholm DNK 53:25 1:50 4:25:18 3:34 2:57:25
4 8:22:33 6:59 12 DeBoom, Timothy Boulder CO USA 51:39 1:53 4:38:12 2:23 2:48:29
5 8:23:31 7:58 6 Vanhoenacker, Marino Brugge BEL 53:21 1:59 4:32:58 2:15 2:53:00
6 8:25:49 10:15 9 Lieto, Chris Danville CA USA 51:37 2:11 4:28:10 3:37 3:00:16
7 8:26:00 10:26 5 Llanos, Eneko Vitoria-Ga ESP 51:47 2:01 4:38:04 2:25 2:51:43
8 8:30:01 14:27 16 Van Lierde, Luc Brugge BEL 51:42 1:46 4:38:11 2:56 2:55:28
9 8:33:28 17:55 18 Lovato, Michael Boulder CO USA 53:27 1:50 4:41:24 2:46 2:54:03
10 8:35:10 19:37 10 Vernay, Patrick Noumea NCL 53:24 1:59 4:49:10 2:26 2:48:13

Course Records:
1996 Luc Van Lierde (BEL) 8:04:08
1992 Paula Newby-Fraser (ZIM) 8:55:28

Proper post race hydration form.

Will the Normannator Repeat in Kona? Wed. - Fri. 10/12

Tomorrow is Super Saturday. The Big Kahuna. The Throwdown in Kona, Hawaii. It's the annual Ironman Triathlon World Championship. Hot, humid and usually windy. Swim 2.4mi in the ocean sans wetsuit, bike 112mi, run 26.2. It's hard to fathom anyone really racing over these distances, but they do. The pros start at 6:45, the 1500 or so age groupers at 7.

Cue the dramatic music and the Keith Jackson voice over...

Normann Stadler (German) is the reigning male champ, looking to nab his 3rd title. Michellie Jones (down undah) took her first crown last year. She won with an even race, strong across each discipline, took the lead in the bike and just kept cruising.

They say Normann wins it on the bike, can't run. In '06 he rode away from the field, building a 10+ min gap with a course record bike split of 4hr18mins (!), and capped it with a 2:55 run. In the IM world a sub 3hr marathon is downright fast. Sub 2:50 is amazing, and there may be a few of those. Sub 2:40 has never happened.

This year Normann and Michellie will be marked. Does any lady have the ability to stay in the same zipcode as MJ over the course of the day? The key strategy for the men will revolve around bike pacing. They are not likely to gamble that Normann will leave his run legs on the bike course, he's demonstrated the ability to back up even a crazy fast bike effort with a fast run.

Which is riskier - possibly trashing your legs on the bike to stick with him, or, holding back and hoping you'll have the better run legs sufficient to run down the rabbit? Might Normann blow up if riders stick with him and he goes harder than ever in order to create a cushion on the bike?
Will someone new assert themselves, have a dream day bubble up from within on the day of days?

Online streaming video coverage, ironmanlive.com. How'd ya like to be the color commentator tasked with filling roughly 10hrs?

Wed. 10-10
No exercise. Massage and chiro. Lara went hard on the spot by the knee corner and the achilles.

Thur. 10-11 S & B-R
Swim 6a-7a with Dan B
200 wup
Drills: Hip snap drill swimming with hands together stretched out front, zoomers on, snap hips 1/4 turn every few beats, go all the way around, change direction of snap roll every 25yds.
Stroke and glide - 100
Fist - 100yds
10x50 free on 1:30, alternate hard and moderate intensity (nondominant side breathing on mod efforts); hard efforts were :52-:49
100 Back stroke
Cool 100 free

Run-Bike in eve
Run steady 40mins, ~5.5 mi, relaxed 6min trans to bike.
Bike – QR trainer easy ride

Entire workout (165 watts):
Duration: 44:31
Work: 442 kJ
TSS: 41.5 (intensity factor 0.748)
Norm Power: 172
VI: 1.04
Distance: 14.585 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 243 165 watts
Heart rate: 93 152 139 bpm
Cadence: 32 93 85 rpm
Speed: 3 22.4 19.7 mph

Fri. 10-12 R & S
Run 56/60mins steady, ~7.5mi, 3-4min pause to assist an elder neighbor who was helpless to get a trunk full of groceries inside. Start and end run at MAC

Swim 40mins. Warmup free, Side swim, hip snap, fist, 3x100 on 2;45 (2:10, 2:05, 2:05), 3x50 on 1:30 (all ~:52); 150 kick board, cool free

Tooosday 10-9

DeSoto American Triple T ("TTT"), I'm officially in. Woohoo!
(Gulp.)

Weekend of May 23, 2008. Memorial Day I believe. It's filling fast. First time I've ever registered this far in advance. Plenty of time to get the knee into grade A condition. Feeling good about that, as I seem to be getting a handle on it.

No clue what else I'll treat myself to next year. Would kinda like to return to Savage Mountain at 100% next September. Geneva in July will remain on my radar. That would give me 7 weeks between. Not bad, we'll see. Thankfully, I can hold off till well into '08 before the other two threaten to fill.

I heard a phrase recently, one of those susceptible to broad application. I'll cast it over the notions of perspective and relativity. Roughly, "remember your ceiling is someone else's floor." Or is it "your floor is someone else's ceiling?" Either way. As far as endurance ability and hardassedness, re TTT, I'll be spending 3 days on the TTT course with folks whose athletic floor is my ceiling.

Swim of 45mins this evening. Mix of drills and mindful freestyle.

Weekend of 10-6-07

Haile Gebrselassie, 34 years old, Ethiopa
2:04:26 (4:45 mi avg!!)
A new Marathon World Record by 29seconds
9-30-07 Berlin Marathon

I think I might be a coffee wuss, re my recent post on my java luv.
The Wussification.

Gebrselassie pictured above is a welcome counter to the Marion Jones events. HG has dominated at shorter distances as well. 10K gold in Atlanta in 1996. World Champ as early as 1993. Plays himself in the 1999 film about his life Endurance. Known for his efficient, beautiful run form. This guy absolutely flies and looks effortless doing it. Also holds the current 20K world record.

A nice warm weekend of work and exercise for me. Best bike rides in weeks.
Registration opens today for the May, 2008 Desoto American Triple T weekend of racing in Shawnee State Park, Portsmouth, OH.
Limited to 300 it will fill rapidly. I'm oh soo close to hitting the register button on line. Three days of triathlon (droooool). Starts with short stuff Fri, ends with a Half IM distance Sun.

It's another one of those races on my All Time Must-Do list. Recall that the long distance duathlon American Zofingen was on that list but I opted out of it due to my knee. That will be held for the last time next weekend. Not happening in 2008. So, why not cross the DeSoto TTT off the list in '08? I'll mull it for another 24.

Fri. 10-5 Run & Swim
Run 47mins, ~6.3mi
Swim 43 mins, drills and free.

Sat. 10-6 Bike-Run-Swim
Worked a half day. Mid 80’s, pretty humid.
Bike – Yes! 2hr20min. Best ride since before Savageman. 2hrs before any knee noise, then it whispered “Hello mate, nothing urgent, but I’m still here” now and then over the remaining 20mins. Very happy about this. Longest ride I’ve attempted in weeks. Even did some up tempo but controlled time standing up on the hills.

~6min trans to run

Run ~37mins, ~5mi.
Swim very easy recovery swim, 25mins, low level effort, focus on form, easy drills and fre

Sun. 10-7 Run & Swim
Work half a day. Run 69mins, ~9.5mi, mi 8 in 6:42. Ran it fairly frisky throughout, pushed it intentionally for just a single mile. ~85F, bit of humidity.
30mins stretch and recovery and refuel.
Swim Swim 35mins mix of drills, some with zoomers, easyish free

Mon. 10-8 Bike
(Columbus Day) Worked a short day and got out on the bike for ~90mins.
Another exquisitely knee-free ride! Near 90F. Lovin' it.

Wed. 10-3 & Thur. 10-4

Zoomers

Wed. 10-3
Off, massage and chiro.

Thur. 10-4 Swim a.m.; Bike & Run p.m.
Swim 6a-7a
Dry work to start - yoga type - toe touches, reach for sky, downward dog moves to engage some of the swim muscles.
Into the pool. Lines set up for yards not meters, 25yd instead of 25meter lengths – probably worth at least a couple secs per length for me.

1. 200 easy free warm up
2. 5x50 kick, hands out front on kick board holy hip flexors!
   
3. 5 drills (below) (2x50 of each) (wearing Zoomers)
   
4. 5 x 50 free hard controlled efforts (:52 down to :48)
5. 100 easy free cool down

Kick work of any kind is all new to me. Setting aside the triathletes-don't-need-to-kick playbook. I need to go from one big sloppy inefficient and poor propulsion kick to a tight little flutter with floppy feet and loose ankles. At least that's the goal. I'm not flexible any where, esp not at the ankles, hazard of coming from a running background.

Drills:
Side kick: Kick with one arm extended straight ahead of shoulder, opposite arm by your side, breath opposite of the extended arm. Body position is suspended from the hips, the goal is to stay as high on the water as possible.

Single arm: Stroke with one arm only, with the non-stroking arm by your side, hold the extension phase of the stroke for a couple of seconds, breath to the non-stroking side, rotate from the hips evenly left and right.

Stroke and glide: Stroke with both arms, hold one arm by your side and the other arm extended for a couple of seconds before taking a stroke, breath on both sides.

Catch-up: Leave front arm extended until the recovery arm is extended then stroke (don’t touch hands), breath on your non-dominant side.

Fist: Full stroke, leave your hand clenched in a fist feel for the most resistance against the forearm during the pull (don’t rush the stroke)

The first 3 drills are kicking drills. Emphasis is on keeping the body high on the water. The hips are the hub for all movement. Hand entry should be just short of full extension, and at 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock.

Evening
Bike
QR trainer, short easy ride before run, no knee troubles.

Entire workout (153 watts):
Duration: 46:35
Work: 427 kJ
TSS: 37.4 (intensity factor 0.694)
Norm Power: 160
VI: 1.04
Distance: 14.784 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 209 153 watts
Heart rate: 72 143 130 bpm
Cadence: 38 94 87 rpm
Speed: 3 21 19.0 mph

Run

Run 30mins, ~4mi after 5mins trans from ride.

The Other Vitamin C

Coffee! Yeah for caffeine!

It's not evil. Really. A fairly recent article on the pro/cons. As vices go it may not be so bad.

If you're a coffee drinker you probably have a personal preference for your palate. Me? I'm no coffee connoisseur or java snob, but I do know what I like. I take my tasty rocket fuel cold processed and cold in hand.

1lb of coarsely ground fresh coffee. Choose your fave bean or brand.
Put it all in a big pitcher, add 10-12 cups of cold water. Stir a bit.
Stick it in the frig over night.
Filter the grounds as you pour it into another pitcher, and you're left with a sizable batch of potent delicioso. Condensed coffee. If you haven't killed it in a week or so, pour the remainder into an ice cube tray, and (what else) freeze it.

I pour a half a coffee cup (3-4oz) of the dark nectar into a BIG glass already chock full of ice. Add some soy or cow juice if you like. I use soy, and I add some water to further dilute the mix and top off the glass. I sweeten with a couple drops of liquid stevia extract, no need for sugar or any fake stuff.

The stevia, the lack of heat brewing, the soy milk - these all undermine the acidity that usually is carried with a standard cup of coffee.

Smoothies

The topic of smoothies has come up recently.

I like mine cold and thick, so I use a blender. I don't get too sports geeky with it, but if you're of that mind, 4:1 ratio of carbs:protein is the way to go.

My typical blend is something like:

• 1 sliced banana
• handful of ice cubes
• fruit juice (cran, rasp, red grape) or soy milk depending on mood (fruity or creamy)
• frozen berries (blue, black, rasp, cherries)
• other fruit I may have around (kiwi, frozen mango chunks)
• start blending, add a bit of water as needed
• add a scoop of protein powder as it churns, I use this
• maybe a scoop of Green stuff (I get it much cheaper locally)
• sometimes a teaspoon of Manuka Honey
  

For a few other recipes, click here.

Cousteau? Spitz? Non.

Local news coverage of The Nation's Tri here (2min nbc video). Hey, it's the duty of every tri triber to promote the sport. Just doing my bit. Mayor Fenty raced. The video includes some footage of him racing and a post race quote. Look, the fact of the matter is (TM, J. Biden) it's pretty cool to see a fit urban mayor coming out of the water in a triathlon.

That bargain buy Oregon Action Cam is indeed water proof. Engineered an under water mount and voila - je suis le Jacque Cousteau of the local pool.
















My swim technique, er, lack thereof, will hopefully be much improved come spring '08. I really did not think it was as bad as apparently is the case. Perception is most certainly not reality when it comes to what the body is doing when in water. I sure feel more straight and streamlined along the surface than the video shows. I've seen good swimming, this ain't it.

So, indulge my inner Cousteau (or Clouseau), and the wet vid test, edited down to 25secs starting and finishing a lap breathing to my right and then one breathing left.

Follow our camer-ahz into zee blue chlorine waht-airs in pursoot of zee elusive "finless pale flopp-aire," mannis nonswimmerrus, one of zee breath taking one-dares of the suburban aquatic atmose-fair.

Diz creature is deceptively slow moving despite the fervor of his movements, throwing his limbs about. It is an optical illusion of sorts, as he remains in nearly one spot despite all of this apparent effort. He iz too slow to catch food. How-eff-air, he survives quite adequately scavenging on land.

Once in zee watt-aire he would be easy prey for any predator, eh? Non! Like a drunk Republican ducking a minority audience, he dodges all potential predators. Savvy is this creature. Watch as he throws his feet about, twisting his torso haphazardly while he over shoots his hands to enhance the zigzag effect. Would be predators turn away in fear of contagion.


[annoying Clouseau mode off]

For the runners out there, a distance running highlight compilation. Careful, it just might produce goose bumps and the desire to head out for a feisty cruise.

Inspired on the Sidelines

Spent about 90mins observing runners over the last mile of The Nation's Triathlon (1500meter Potomac River swim, 25mi bike, 6.2mi run).

Worked till 10a, got to Pennsylvania Ave. at 10:30 to see the middle and back of the pack racers. Saw some folks really gutting it out, a handful particularly inspiring, esp a few military guys in wheelchair and below the knee amputees.

Great day for the race, all reports are it went well and may become an annual event. This was year 2, last year was run-bike-run due to swim permit issues.


Headed back to my desk for a little work then a run and swim.
Run 72 min, ~9.5+ mi, including a couple frisky 6:5x miles near the end.
Swim 25 min drills.

Wed. - Fri. 9-28

New Cycling event? "Tour of America"? Sorry sir, but yes, you are crazy.

I just hope you are crazy enough to pull it off. Good luck luring pro teams to a 27 stage 4000+ mile race late next summer. Do that math - some very (shudder) long days. That little 2200 mi tour the frenchies put on in July leaves many a rider abandoning, crawling onto the bus well before the final miles into Paris.

May head into work tomorrow and take a break to spectate at The Nations Triathlon for a bit.

Here's the training update...

Wed. 9-26
Off. Massage and chiro.
Massage - Deep work on the top glutes, fairly deep ITB and achilles. Good movement in the chiro adjustments

Thur. 9-27 Swim a.m., Run Easy & tiny Bike Easy p.m.
Made it to the swim 6a session at GP.
200m+ warmup
Drills focusing on turning from the hips and kick work. Start with swim with hands straight out in front, one on top of another, snap from the hips to turn a 1/4 turn at a time, turn every few kicks, get a rhythm going. Some with and without zoomers.

Next, a best effort 500M time trial - 11:10. My benchmark time to measure progress.

Vertical kick and rotate drill - treading water without using arms (hands at sides) and using a swim flutter kick, snap from hips and turn body a 1/4 turn every 15 secs. 3 x 90 secs. This was tough.

200m easy swim breathing to off side, less dominant side (my left).

Left outer upper knee corner area come-and-go achy before and after swim.

Total actual swim ~45mins, distance ~1200m

Run 44mins easy, ~5.75mi, no Achilles trouble, knee spot not really there either.

Bike very easy ~25 mins while mess around with action camera trying to get an angle to record pedal stroke video looking for horizontal knee movement, alignment issues. Knee spot maybe starting to come on a bit at end.

Also, cooked up a fresh set of the OTC heat moldable SOLE red cycling shoe inserts. 2 mins at 200F in the oven then pop ‘em in the tri shoes. Finally used the 2^nd set purchased in the 2-for-1 deal 2yrs ago.

Fri. 9-27 Swim-Run
Swim - 40mins p.m., catchup, drill: hands forward and rotate body snap side/up switch sides every length with zoomers, mix of catch up & then free to end. Really focused on starting the stroke from the hip, a snap of a rotation, be a turning pencil, stay long. Starting to get the feel for the zoomers and able to notice variances in kick technique.

Run - 45 mins after drive home from pool, ~6mi, felt pretty good kept effort steady, slightly above true easy, no friskiness. No Achilles at all. Knee slightly achey all day, same old story, no bother running, kick work in pool may stress it.