Fitting it all in.

Where does the time go? I am guessing that it is an issue with just about all triathletes. Where do you fit in all of your workouts and still have some semblance of a life? I tried getting up at 4:30am and getting a run in before work...but I have to be in at 7:00 am...........and I am most definitely not a morning person. I try to get an hour in right after work....from about 5:00 - 6:00 pm.....but that is when the kiddo has to be picked up or taken somewhere. So here is my plan....Half IM on intense if not immense training. I am doing 6 workouts a week. Some are at some weird times and some are back to back with others.

Saturday mornings is for shooting. It is a family activity to go to the range for matches. I am not willing to give that up....so it is a long(ish) run Saturday afternoon. Sunday mornings I try to get out on the bike for a couple of hours at least......try that is. Mondays is a lunch time swim and bike combo. Tuesday is quality run day. An hour or so with intensity of some type. Wednesday is long swim day. I am trying to get over 3000m right now with longer repeats. Thursday is quality bike day. Right now its an hour or so at tempo with a few jumps. Time change comes March 9th (yeah!) So I can start getting a little more time in....

Friday.....well I just veg. And maybe go to dinner with the family. How do you fit it all in?

Prep ends....Base 1 starts!

I am a geek. Yah, I know. Big surprise, right? But, I like to plan my training well in advance and have a well thought out schedule for each weeks work outs. To that end, I use a plan outlined by Joe Friel in the Triathlete's Training Bible.

Each training phase is designed to get you to your chosen "A" race in peak form. I have been in Prep phase since October. Lots of LSD and nothing above an aerobic heartrate.

This week is rest and test week. Yesterday, I did a swim test to see where I stand. 500yds done at an aerobic pace in 8:01. Not bad for me....especially at this time of the year. Jan (local pentathalon guru, and good guy) has been giving me pointers and some helpful criticism.(That looked like crap! Do more!....Just kidding....kinda)

Today was a bike test on the trainer to find my aerobic threshold. Found it.........just a bit lower than I would like to have seen. Oh well, it is what it is.

Sunday is a running test on the treadmill to plot AT while running.

Mundane, blah, milktoast....yeah well Monday starts Base 1. I get to build on what I've done and start adding some hills to help prepare me for Lubbock. I am stoked.

And I have learned something from past mistakes. I have my training plan written down all the way to the end of June.....But I don't mind going with the flow. Life is too short to be a slave to a calendar.

Base 1 lasts 3 weeks. Guess I'll see how that schedule works out then.

Intervals with Eddie........

This past weekends weather was a blessing. Mid 60's and mild wind on Saturday meant that I was going long. I filled my jersey with the usuals: gel, cell phone, and pepper spray.....more on that later. All was going great until I hit mile 25 or so. Seems that some of the trailer dwelling members of the community love large aggressive dogs. Pit bulls and chows are the dominant choice. It would be unmanly to actually keep your dog confined to a kennel or heaven forbid you have to keep the gate closed......Now that was a great part of the cinematic classic "American Flyers"

Doing intervals with Eddie in real life isn't nearly as fun.


Sure enough I heard the unmistakable sound of paws manically clawing at the pavement and poof there was a very large, angry looking pit bull attempting to take down some fresh prey...me. I hit the afterburners and realized that the dog had the angle and would intercept me before I could get away. I grabbed my can of pepper spray, aimed it at the beast and let fly a nice long burst of liquid hell.....right into my own thumb. That evil elixir doused my right hand and even a few drops made it to the dog. The dogs will to kill was quashed and I was going to make it. My heartrate went from a nice aerobic 135 to 165 in a flash. Now what do ya do when your glove and hand are soaked in liquid fire? Sure gives snot rockets a new level of excitement.

Tagged.......

I guess I got tagged too. Hmmm.....

1. I found that finding 5 interesting things about me very difficult to come up with. You don't want to sound too much like a braggart or too boring......Yup there's one fact.

2. Along with triathlon I love to shoot competition and train for MMA. The shooting has been a lifetime sport for me. If its a shooting game I probably have tried it and liked it. Right now I shoot action pistol/3 gun matches (basically shooting steel and paper targets as fast as you can with a pistol, rifle, and shotgun) The MMA thing started when I was in my early 20's and was teaching self defense. The competitor in me came out in a big way and I started grappling and boxing as well. Now I don't fight in the cage much anymore...(something about being 40.....) but I still like to train and teach.

3. I put a purple ribbon on my race jersey. Not as a fashion accessory but as a show of support for victims of domestic violence. Hits way too close to home for me.

4. I invaded France once.....Way to much German beer, testosterone, and willing friends resulted in a snowball attack on the border checkpoint.....followed by a somewhat prolonged footchase through the woods.

5. I built a sailboat. Several months of evenings in a very cramped one car garage, lots of cursing, and some good luck, and I am the proud owner and Captain of the Sailing Vessel Lo-Tan. (check out my myspace page for pics of the boat and her christening www.myspace.com/tclark505 )

Running to the sound of my feet.

I have worn an MP3 player or walkman or discman or whatever during my runs forever. Hard hard music always seemed to make the runs go a bit easier. But a couple of weeks ago I was out of batteries and just took off running sans tunes. I ran almost a minute faster at the same heart rate as the week before. I guess it made it easier to concentrate on running with better form.

When I started tri's the run just sucked for me. I have never been fast.( well I ran an 11:17 2 mile when I was in the Army but that was 22 years ago) So this winter is dedicated to getting a running form that is more efficient and thus somewhat faster. Running with a shorter stride, landing midfoot, at a 90 cadence, relaxed upper body, etc... I think I just might be on to something!

Thanksgiving

For years Thanksgiving has been a day of gluttony, football, and naps in my house. This year things were just a tad different. Yeah we ate well. But no overeating. I did take a little siesta after dinner...but just a little one. But, for the first time in years I was truly thankful.

For the last seven months my son has been in downtown Ramadi, Iraq. He is a Marine infantryman. The day before thanksgiving he landed back at 29 Palms, California...with all of his body parts intact. I am damn thankful.

This past summer a sudden medical emergency almost took my wife from me. I got to look across the dinner table and be incredibly thankful.

One of my best friends has been dragged through hell in recent weeks by his 18 year old daughter. I looked at my 15 year old and realized that the worst problems I have had is she forgets to do the dishes sometimes. She is 4.0 in school and a great kid. I am thankful.

I woke up and went for a run in the predawn cold on black Friday. As I ran through the inky darkness, the only sound was my footfalls and breathing. Then it came to me. This is what life is about. I spent a very special Thursday in November being thankful for things that I should be much more thankful for everyday.

So today when instead of being bummed that the pool was closed for emergency maintanance, I just went for a run instead...and ya know what? I'm damn thankful that I am able to do it.

Stuff on the side of the road!?!?!?!?!

Some days on the bike are intense and focused. This time of year I am out doing what Davis Phinney called "guilt inducing easy miles" on the bike. The HRM alarm keeps me on track so all I have to do is ride......and notice the bizarre things people throw on the side of the road.

I'm not talking about the normal stuff like beer cans and garbage...but more like the collection of single shoes. Why are there so many single shoes out there? Not that many people ride with there feet out the window do they? Then there are tools. Over the years I have collected nearly a complete socket set, misc wrenches, and at least a dozen screw drivers. Sun glasses, ball caps, and a few pairs of pants make you wonder what some folks do while driving......which leads me to Sunday's ride. I was 20 miles north of town just about to turn around and saw.....something...laying up ahead on the shoulder. As I approached a very realistic albeit dramatically sized phallic "toy" was just laying there...................what on earth did the owner do to forget her/his toy on the side of US285? I mean you would think that would be something you might just keep track of........I remain just a bit flabergasted and perplexed. (MG ya missed it man). You know how hard it is to keep your heart rate down while riding a bike and laughing deep and long? :-)