Race Day! June 13, 2009

After being up late the night before obsessively going through my gear checklist and packing my transition bags, I had a restless night’s sleep, but awoke full of nervous energy and pre-race jitters. The jitters were similar to those I experience with a marathon, but by 2x. I spent the morning going through my gear yet again and driving both Holly and Ashley crazy with pacing and jabbering.

Todd picked me up, followed by Ryan, and then we met Brent downtown where we needed to drop of our T2 bags. Next we headed up to Lucky Peak, where Todd’s wife dropped us off. We made the climb up the dirt road next to dam to arrive at the race start/T1 area. The whole place was buzzing with athletes and spectators. The vibe was incredible. The weather was overcast, but nice and with little wind at this point.

The Swim
After getting our bikes ready to go at T1, we took our morning bags and wetsuits down to the staging area for the swim. We could see the entire swim course marked out with huge buoys and the distance seemed incredible. We sat around soaking it all in and trying to relax as we waiting for the Pros to start at 2pm.

As the start time neared, the wind began to pick up and heavy dark clouds were rolling in. By the time the first wave of swimmers was in the water, it had gone from relatively calm to rolling with whitecaps. It was a good thing we’d trained in choppy water or this would have been a scary swim for the uninitiated.

Although my wave wasn’t scheduled to start until 2:45, the time passed remarkably fast. A volunteer held up a sign for each age group wave, each wearing different colored swim caps, to gather around them. You then marched steadily toward the water as each preceding wave started. Once my wave got into the water, we had only a couple of minutes to acclimate before our starting canon fired.

I had positioned myself toward the back of my group and close to the buoy line on my right. I knew there would be legs and elbows flying everywhere and I didn’t want to get pummeled by the faster swimmers. As we got going, I was surprised to find that I was able to pick a line and stay on it without too much jostling with other swimmers. I felt relaxed right away, in spite of the large swells. I got to where I could sense dropping into a trough and I simply made sure I stayed down in the water until the swell crested over me, rather than coming up for a poorly-timed breath. As a result, I wasn’t getting swamped and was able to maintain my rhythm. I was also taking advantage of the swimmers around me to maintain my course without having to sight too often. This, along with being a right-side breather, the side the marks were on, also helped me stay on course and in rhythm.

As I rounded the first turn, I had caught up to slower swimmers from the purple wave that had immediately preceded mine. This made me feel pretty good. Later, I began to see green swim caps from the wave behind mine, which didn’t feel quite so good! As I continued along though, I saw white and later red swim caps as well from two other groups ahead of mine, so I knew I was at least holding my own and expected to get a respectable time.

I was feeling great on the final stretch and could sense the water getting more crowded as the field of swimmers around me had to start funneling down between the two docks lining the water exit. Suddenly I could see the concrete of the boat ramp and knew I was there and it was time to stand up. I came up out of the water and could hear the crowd and the announcer, and I sensed the excitement of having stage one finished!

I ran up the ramp while unzipping my wetsuit, got if off my shoulders, and looked for the wetsuit “strippers”. I reached a pair of them and they asked me to sit down. With one of them on each side, they grabbed the suit at my waist, and with one pull they stripped it off me. I stood up, they handed me my suit and I continued up the ramp into T1.

Swim time: 47:39.

The Ride
I took my time in T1, stopping at the porta-potty (which will surprise no one), and drying off a bit as I got my cycling shoes, etc on. Since I was in one of the later start waves, the corral was starting to thin out. Once ready to go, I hobbled toward the exit with my cycling shoes clattering on the pavement. I was glad when I could finally mount up. I made my way across the dam, being careful not to start off pedaling hard. I wanted to let my legs make the adjustment to the bike. I reached the north end of the dam and started bombing down the hill on Hwy 21. I was hitting 36mph here, which is at the upper end of my comfort zone on a road bike.

As I reached the bottom of the hill and started into a pedaling cadence, my thoughts immediately turned to fueling. Even though I wasn’t hungry or thirsty, I knew this was critical for later, on the run.

By the time I started up the first hill toward Gowen Rd, it started to rain. It began with just sprinkling, but soon turned into heavy rain and wind, which dogged us for nearly the entire ride.

I rode the long course with its two significant hills feeling pretty good aside from being utterly drenched. On a training ride this would have really sucked, but with the excitement of the event it really didn’t bother me that much. Gratefully, I had no mechanical issues, or blow outs on the ride, but saw many who suffered with these problems. In the cold rain and wind, it had to have been difficult and frustrating for them.

At around mile 35, there was significant lightening to the south, and I was concerned that if it got too close, they would call off the race. Fortunately that didn’t happen.

As the course took me back to Gowen and then onto Federal Way, I started getting excited knowing I was approaching the end of the ride. As I flew down the hill past the Boise Depot, there were pockets of spectators along Capitol Blvd and within moments I could hear the crowd and the announcer at T2! As I pulled up to the dismount, I saw Trever near the entrance to T2. It was great to see a familiar face in the crowd!

I felt a little disoriented at first inside T2. I was trotting along looking for my parking spot when I realized I wasn’t sure what number I was even looking for! It took me a moment to recall that my number was in at least half a dozen places on my body and bike! I finally found my spot and started going about my switch to the run.

Again, I took my time getting ready. I was sooo glad that I had packed extra socks in my T2 bag since every inch of me was wet. A 13 mile run in wet socks would have been brutal. After another potty stop, I was finally ready to go.

Ride time: 3:23:32

The Run
As I exited T2, I had to be careful not to slip on the wet pavers on the sidewalk. I turned the corner onto 8th St and the crowd along both sides of the street was huge and noisy. As I ran along, the first thing I noticed was that my legs responded immediately. In our training bricks, they had always felt like logs at first. Not sure if it was just adrenaline, but they didn’t feel that way at all. I did purposely hold my pace back though, knowing I needed to ease into it.

As I ran down 8th, I tried to scan the crowd for Holly, Ashley and friends, but everything was a blur. I was hoping I hadn’t missed them, but as I neared the Anne Frank memorial, I saw them in front of me. It was a real boost to see them and hear them cheering me on!

The run was comprised of two 6.5 loops, plus the extra .1 mile at the finish. I made the first lap feeling pretty good, and was averaging just under 9 minute miles. Not good under normal circumstances, but I was more than happy with it at that point.

I finished the first loop and got to see everyone twice more as I made the U-turn to head out for loop two. On this second loop, my legs felt pretty good still, but with my general fatigue, my heart rate was getting uncomfortably high. I’d experienced this on the last big training brick we’d done a couple of weeks ago, so I knew I was running out of steam.

From about mile 8, my pace started slowing dramatically. I was taking occasional short walks to get my heart rate down, and I had to use the porta-john a couple more times. Apparently I’d stayed well hydrated! I was also starting to have some stomach cramps, which were obviously a big concern if an “urgent situation” were to strike between aid stations. The only thing that kept me moving was that I knew each step took me closer to the finish.

As I made the final turn back onto 8th St, the excitement of the finish carried me along. The crowd was a blur and I had tunnel vision on the finish line. I crossed the line and came to a stop. I was done!

Run time: 2:04:53. Overall time: 6:29:00.

At the finish, the efficient volunteers wrapped me in a space blanket, put a medal around my neck, and stuck a finisher’s hat in my hand before I knew what hit me. Another handed me a small water bottle, which I gulped down in one shot. They then lead me along to a photographer who snapped my picture (no idea if I smiled or just looked stunned). I then walked out of the finish area and found Holly and Ashley, and the rest of our gang of BFRs and supporters.

After some quick exchanges of congratulations, my thoughts were immediately pressed back to my stomach issue. It made me anxious to get my transition bags and bike and make a hasty retreat for home. In spite of that though, I was feeling really happy about the whole thing. I didn’t know at that point what my overall time had been, and I really didn’t care. The experience had been amazing. After such a long build up in training, it was all done.

Going into the day, a few of us had been talking about doing the full Ironman in Coeur d’Alene next year. However, after this race, I had deep doubts as to whether I was really even physically capable of it, and was adamant that it was not in my plans any longer. However, after a good night’s sleep and recovery, by the next day, I had changed my mind. So, maybe I’ll be blogging again next winter/spring as I prepare for a full Ironman in 2010!!

Post-Mortem
To wrap up, I certainly learned a lot in the process of training for the 70.3. There were also many ups and downs psychologically. There was so much more to preparing for a triathlon than for the running events I’ve done, but there are real benefits in the cross training. I’ve had a lot of fun with the variety, and I’ve stayed injury free. Something that running 5-6 days a week never seemed to allow.

There are some lessons that I will apply to the other triathlons I attempt in the future:

* More cycling miles. I see now that the key to this event is the long bike leg. You can gain or lose a lot of time here.
* More brick training. Getting the muscles used to the switch between events is critical.
* More lifting/core work. In the interest of time, I sacrificed these elements in my training. I need to keep them part of my overall plan.

* Improve transition times. I didn’t care about them in this event since I really just wanted the experience of finishing. However, my leisurely transitions at T1 and T2 where both over 6 minutes. By cutting those down to something more reasonable, I can save several minutes in my overall time.
* Better nutrition. I was an eating machine. I would have made Jabba The Hut blush. I need to make sure I’m always eating smart, not eating with impunity.

One last closing comment on this whole experience. I want to thank my wife and daughter for being so understanding of my time spent training. These endurance events are really kind of a selfish pursuit. I feel fortunate that they’ve both allowed me to do these things so that I can check them off the Bucket List and be able to someday bore everyone to tears as an old man reliving these experiences. I love you Baker Girlz!

Week 18 - Wednesday

Ryan, Paul, Brent and I met a Lucky Peak for our final open-water swim before the Big Day on Saturday. The weather was threatening thunderstorms again, as had been the case all week, but when we got there the conditions were perfect. There was no wind and the water looked like glass.

We had to start off from Turner Gulch instead of Barclay Bay because race officials were already setting up the transition area and had Barclay closed. We suited up and got into the water. It was cold at first, as usual, but after a couple of minutes to adjust we were off.

With the water so calm, it was easy to focus on technique instead of fighting to stay on course and breathe! I was in a comfortable rhythm, not pushing hard, but feeling good. We reached the dock at Barclay in no time. As we hung out there for a minute, a security guard came down the beach and informed us we couldn't even be in the water at Barclay and that we could be DQ'd. That was enough to get us on the move again.

We made the return trip to the Turner dock, which only took a few minutes. I wanted to make another lap, but we're in rest mode and had plans for pizza and beer at Lucky 13.

It was the nicest swim we've had at Lucky Peak, but in no way what we can expect on race day. Regardless, it was fun and ended our training on a high note.

I'm resting Thursday and Friday, so this is it! The next post I make will be to describe my race day experience! It's amazing to think back over the last 18 weeks with all its ups and downs. In some ways it seems like I've been preparing for this forever, yet in others it's hard to believe it's already here...

Week 18 - Monday

Paul and I did the ol' Jopin route this evening. It's been a while since we've ridden this, but we've certainly put a lot of miles on it over the last 18 weeks.

The weather was awesome, although a little windy out of the northwest. We rode into the wind heading out so we got to finish with it on our side. We planned on doing around 25 miles and I definitely didn't want to ride too hard this close to T-Day.

We rode comfortably and were able to ride alongside each other most of the way with little traffic. When we reached our turn we took a long break so Paul could adjust his aerobars.

Once on the move again, we made good time heading back, especially when we turned south onto Ten Mile.

We ended up riding a little over 24 miles in 1 hour, 26 minutes with an average pace of 16.8mph. Only 4 days to go!

Week 17 - Sunday

Paul and I met Brent and Ryan at Lucky Peak this morning for a swim. It was a little cool when we arrived and the water definitely felt colder as well. We planned on two of our dock-to-dock laps today. On the way out for the first lap, things were good. However, as I made the turn to head back, it was into the teeth of the rolling waves that I hadn’t really noticed on the way out. I immediately started getting swamped on every roll up for a breath and twice took in water that stopped me while I coughed it up. This was a little unnerving since I wasn’t expecting it. It took me a while to regroup and get going again and I was well behind the others.

I fought my way back to the first dock and entertained thoughts of cutting the workout short. Ryan and Paul were on their second lap, and Brent and I decided to head out again as well. Once again, the way out was great, and once again, the way back was a fight to get any sort of rhythm. However, the second time around I was expecting this and had no further trouble. I think swimming in rough water is good training anyway since it will no doubt be rough on race day with all those bodies in the water.

Week 17 - Saturday

Trever, Paul, and I met Kerry, Brent, Trina, Ryan, and Kevin at Glenwood and the Greenbelt for a planned 8 mile run. It was wet and rainy out, but the temperature was nice. Good running weather!

We started off heading east on the Greenbelt. This was my first pure long run since the marathon so I was hoping I’d feel like I was bouncing back. Fortunately, I felt great immediately. We cruised along near an 8-minute pace until the turn, and then I ran negative splits on the way back, finishing the last mile at 7:18 for an average of 7:53 for the run. Not as a good as pre-marathon 8 milers, but I was pleased with it.

I got home just as Holly was heading to the gym, so I did a quick change of clothes and went with her. We warmed up of the stationary bikes for 6 miles, and then did 30-45 minutes of weight training and core work. All this before 11am, not a bad start to the weekend!

Week 17 - Friday

Ryan and I met at Lucky Peak intending to swim. However, when we arrived at the lake, the sky was threatening again, the wind was blowing, and the water was white-capping and rolling. Looked way too dangerous. Another missed workout…

Week 17 - Thursday

I met Ryan, Paul, and Brent at Ryan’s house for what we intended to be a short ride/run brick. Thunderstorms were expected again this evening, but we were hoping to get out ahead of them.

We saddled up and rode less than a mile before the wind gusted up big time and lightening started. We wheeled it around and headed back to Ryan’s for a 1.5 mile roundtrip. So, instead of the brick we had an impromptu birthday celebration for Paul hanging out at the Lund’s. Trina even made a cake on the spot!

Week 17 - Wednesday

I met Ryan, Brent, Paul, and Todd at Lucky Peak this evening for a swim. As we suited up in the parking lot, a large training group was arriving for a swim, so the place was hopping.

The weather was perfect and even the water felt comfortable after a couple of minutes to adjust. We swam out and back between our usual docks, but only did one lap for what was probably ¾ mile at best. The water felt great and it was tough to get out.

Following the swim, we headed over to Lucky 13 for some 12 oz curls.

Week 17 - Tuesday

Mother Nature tricked me today. I wanted to swim after work, but the forecast was ugly and it was raining in the morning, so I didn’t bother packing my swim gear. It rained all day, but by the time I left the office it was beautiful out and I could have gotten in a swim after all.

Disappointing, but I went to the gym instead to get in some weight training and a short run. It was fun to lift weights for a change, something I’ve not done much of for the last few months. I went through two full upper-body circuits using free weights, super-setting to get my heart rate up.

Once I was finished, I got on a treadmill for a short run. My legs have felt pretty heavy and sluggish since the marathon, and the tough brick last Saturday didn’t help with that. I need to get them loosened up again. I ran just two miles at a 7:30 pace and felt pretty good. Something to build on!

Week 17 – Monday

I met Paul after work at Lucky Peak for another open-water swim. The weather was absolutely perfect and the water was calmer than yesterday, although thunderstorms were expected sometime that evening. There were a handful of other tri swimmers there already as we headed down to the water. The water temperature seemed more comfortable today right away. We spent a couple of minutes acclimating to the water and then started off on our first of two planned laps.

The going was much easier this time due to the calmer water. I felt a good rhythm right away, but this was interrupted by my swim mask leaking. I’d switched to a mask rather than goggles a week or so back, and although they are more comfortable and provide a much better field of vision, I’ve had a heck of a time with leakage the last two times out. I had to roll onto my back, pop them off and drain them, and attempt to re-seal them several times on the first lap. This was really frustrating.

As we finished the first lap, I got out of the water and switched back to my goggles for the second lap. This made all the difference in the world. No leaks at all, and I finished the second lap quickly and comfortably. I guess this makes up my mind on which I will wear on race day.

Week 16 – Sunday

Paul, Ryan, Todd, Brent, and I headed up to Lucky Peak for our first swim in the lake. The water was going to be much colder than Clock Tower, so we needed to get familiar with the feeling.
It was windy and the water was choppy, but the air temperature was nice. We suited up and got into the water. It certainly was colder than the pond, but not as bad as we had feared. We gave ourselves a few minutes to adjust to the temperature and then started off from the boat ramp at Turner Gulch toward another dock to the east.
I started off fairly slow and felt relaxed at first. However, the choppy water made it difficult to get into a comfortable rhythm. There were several occasions where I’d get completely swamped by a wave and end up with a mouthful or water instead of air. Either that, or I’d make an arm stroke that didn’t find water initially. This was making for a difficult swim, and I was forced to roll onto my back and regroup before continuing on.
I finally reached the turnaround dock where the rest of the guys had been waiting for some time. I rested there for a minute before starting the return trip.
The way back was much better. I was still getting swamped by waves and boat wakes regularly, but I had adjusted to things and they weren’t as disruptive. I was able to stay with our pack this time.
Although I was pretty slow, I really enjoyed this swim and it was good to experience choppy, rough water. I figure the conditions on race day won’t be any worse than this, and perhaps could be better (aside from hundreds of other swimmers).

Week 16 – Saturday

I was starting things back off with a bang today. We were doing a brick consisting of a 50 mile ride, followed by an 8 mile run. This would be my first run since the marathon, two solid weeks ago. I was feeling much better after a few days off, but still have a nagging cough. Nothing like it had been though.
It was an absolutely beautiful morning when we started off from Bardenay’s parking lot in Eagle. Our group consisted of me, Paul, Brent, Ryan, and Todd. We went north on Eagle Rd, and then turned west on Floating Feather. We followed Floating Feather out to Brandon Rd, where we turned north for a short stretch before turning west again on New Hope Rd. We followed New Hope, which later became Foothill Rd for many miles with virtually no traffic through beautiful farm country. We were able to ride side by side most of the route. We reached Middleton Rd and turned north for a few miles before turning west again on Galloway Rd. Once on Galloway we followed this west, over I-84 and to our 25 mile turnaround point. It was already getting warm when we took a break there before heading back. My legs still felt pretty fresh, but I knew we had the second half of the ride ahead of us, followed by that run. You could tell heat was going to be a real factor by then.
We made our return trip reversing our original route. By this time, there we scores of other riders out on New Hope and Floating Feather, which was fun to see.
We reached Bardenay again and locked up our bikes before heading out on our run along the Eagle Greenbelt. As we started off, my legs felt like stumps. I ran alongside Paul. It felt like we were crawling, but we kept having to hold our pace back at first to ensure our legs could make the adjustment. It was really, really warm at this point. Although my legs adjusted and felt fairly strong after about a mile, my heart rate was running uncomfortably high.
We reached 2 miles and had to take a walk break. This was really defeating psychologically, because I knew race day is going to be at least this hot, probably hotter, and everything will be longer than today’s training. Not a good omen for me.
We continued this walk-run routine for the remainder of the miserable @$%&ing 8 miles. The day had started off so well, and now the run had been a real ass-whuppin’. I figure I need to get some runs in this coming week in the heat, or the run portion of the 70.3 will end up being a long, embarrassing walk in front of a few thousand people.

Week 16 – Tuesday thru Friday

No training. Atrophy and weakness. Pouting.

Week 16 – Monday

Paul and I met Ryan, Brent, and Todd at Veteran’s Pond for a swim. We walked over to the bank, which had fishermen all around it, and the water generally looked like raw sewage to me. We opted to drive over to Clock Tower instead. Once there, we suited up and made our usual two laps around the triangle. For the first lap, my swim was interrupted repeatedly by coughing spasms. I’d have to roll onto my back, cough up what I could to clear my lungs, and wonder what I was doing out there. Fortunately, it got better on the second lap. The rest of the guys were heading out on a 6 mile run immediately following the swim, but I knew I wasn’t up for that. Following today’s swim, I plan on taking a few days off to recover or I will be in no shape to continue.

Week 15 – Sunday

Ryan and I met Todd at his place early Sunday morning for a long 60 mile ride. It rained overnight and was still overcast and cool this morning. I was a little chilly as we started off, and still feeling generally like sh*t. I learned I have a sinus infection, so I’m now on round two of antibiotics in the last month.
We headed north on Linder Rd toward Eagle. We turned east of Floating Feather and followed this all the way to Hwy 55. We crossed 55 and turned south onto Horseshoe Bend Rd. We then passed through Dry Creek Cemetery, where I felt like maybe I should stop and lay down, before turning east again on Hill Rd. We followed Hill all the way to Camel’s Back Park, where we turned south on 13th St and then east again on Fort. We followed Fort to Warm Springs and then took Warm Springs/Hwy 21 all the way out to the base of the dam at Lucky Peak. This was exactly 30 miles and our turnaround point. The sun was now out and it was shaping up to be a really nice morning, with no wind! We took a quick break and fueled up for the return trip. I was feeling ok considering my cough, clogged head, and two steady green streams out of my nose all morning.
We made our return trip reversing this same route and it was uneventful other than Todd’s flat tire somewhere along Hill Rd.
It was a good long ride, but I can tell I’m heading for some more time off to get over round two of my persistent crud.

Week 15 – Saturday

Brent, Ryan, Paul, Jason, and I met at Clock Tower pond for an open-water swim, to be followed by a ride. We swam the triangular route twice, which is approximately our race distance. The swim was much, much better for me this time around. I’ve found that I really enjoy swimming in open water.
Following the swim, we did a transition to the bikes. We rode from the parking lot at Clock Tower west along the Greenbelt to 36th St. We took 36th north to Hill Rd, and then followed that west to Seamans Gulch Rd. There we had to climb a decent hill before blasting down toward Hidden Springs where we turned back toward the east on Dry Creek Rd and then Cartwright Rd. We then made the long climb on Cartwright before another fun descent to town at Bogus Basin Rd. From there we made a leisurely return to our vehicles. The trip was a little over 21 miles and took us 1 hour, 43 minutes. Slow because of the climbs involved. It was a pretty good brick session, which I’d have enjoyed a lot more if not for a second round of sinus and cough trouble.

Week 15 - Wednesday

Well, today was the day of my first open-water swim. I met Ryan, Trina, Brent, Jason, and Todd at Clocktower pond after work. I was more than a little nervous for a few reasons; not knowing what it would be like swimming in open water, not being able to see where I was going, and not sure about the cleanliness of the water. There was also the challenge of getting the wetsuit on properly. As I looked around the parking lot, there was a large group of tri swimmers there to do the same thing, and I was convinced they were all experienced triathletes and that I was going to embarrass myself (or drown).

Once we were all suited up, we got into the water. The temperature was surprisingly comfortable with the suit's insulation. We surveyed the route we were supposed to take, a large triangle to points on the pond's bank. To swim this triangle twice is 1.2 miles, the distance of our IM swim.

After stalling for a few minutes, I decided I needed to nut-up and give it a try. We started off and I immediately got to experience not being able to see anything. The water was cold on my face and murky green. This was not my lap pool! Within about 50 yards, I had no idea where I was on our intended route, but had no experience with sighting without losing rhythm. I stopped altogether to see where I was and felt an odd disorientation and a panicky feeling. I immediately rolled onto my back and kicked gently to regroup. Brent swam up alongside me wondering if I was ok. I'm sure I must have looked wild-eyed.

We decided to swim to the bank of a little peninsula on the pond. Once there we considered our options. My first choice, and I'm being serious, was to swim back to the start, and later sell all of my tri shit and stick to marathoning. We decided to swim a short route between the peninsula and a dock, out of the main route so we wouldn't be in anyone's way, and so that no one could see our little spectacle. We did this a couple of times and then met up with Ryan and Jason who were just finishing their first trip around the triangle.

We talked with them for a bit and then decided to give it another try for their second trip around the pond. This time, I told myself that I knew how to friggin' swim. I've put over 40 miles in the pool since January and my technique was well-entrenched in muscle memory. I just needed to get over the murky water thing.

We started off again, and this time I slowed everything down in my head and stayed relaxed. Low and behold, I was absolutely fine. I settled right into my normal rhythm and felt myself slicing through the water. There was still the issue of not knowing if I was staying on course, so I figured out a way to look ahead occasionally without coming to a complete stop. It's probably not textbook, but it worked for me. Brent and I stuck pretty close and made our way from point to point.

We met up at each point of the triangle briefly before starting the next leg. I was really enjoying myself and amazed at how quickly my opinion of this had reversed.

We arrived back at the start and I was completely stoked. I was once again swimming effortlessly, and although I hadn't made two trips around, I no longer have any doubt about completely the swim leg of the event.

We're meeting again on Saturday for a swim-bike brick session, and I'm feeling re-energized. A nice contrast from my self-pity post from last night.

Week 15 - Monday & Tuesday

No workouts the last couple of days, mainly because work demands are unreal right now and sapping my desire to do anything else. I'm also still suffering from training fatigue mentally. Over the last two to three weeks, this has not been fun anymore. I've instead been stressed about fitting it all in, or that by missing workouts I'll end up making an ass of myself on race day. Either way, I'm no longer enjoying it and will be glad when it's over. I think part of the problem was trying to tackle a marathon at roughly the same time.

Maybe I'll have an attitude adjustment between now and June 13, but at this point, I think I'll be showing up, taking my whipping, getting handed an unearned medal, and going home to nurse my ego.

How's that for a ray of sunshine?!?

Week 14 - Saturday

Today was the Ogden Marathon! After looming on the horizon since training started in January, it was finally here.

The day started by getting up at 3:40am in order to get ready and down to the bus loading zone by 5am. I was only operating on about 5 hours of sleep, but my body was rested from the off-days this week, and I was feeling confident. Once dropped off at the starting line, I met up with Trever, Paul, Brent, Kerry, Lorin, Ryan, and Trina. We had about an hour and a half until the start and it was only 28 degrees. Everyone was bundled up trying to stay warm. When we weren't standing in line for the porta-potties, we used the little chairs we brought with us to rest our legs.

As it neared the 7am start time, we got out of our warm up clothes and headed over to the starting line. Most of us lined up in the 8-minute mile staging area and tried to stay warm for the few minutes remaining. The gun fired and, finally, we were off!

The first few minutes were slow and crowded, which was fine as I was hoping my toes would thaw out. It seemed like it took a good half mile before the crowd thinned enough that you could stride normally. The downhill start felt great though and Brent, Lorin, and I ran together comfortably. However, within the first 3 miles, each one of us had to peel off course for a potty break. All that hydration, combined with race-day jitters, make this a common problem. We were keeping well within our target pace though.

I had my Garmin set for overall average pace, and Brent had his set for average lap pace. His job was to act as our governor, which he had to so several times over the first half of the race as we kept creeping our pace up beyond our plan.

By mile 8, the downhill grade leveled off into the long, flat stretch of the course that works its way around Pineview Reservoir. As we reached the 13 mile mark, we were still on pace and feeling pretty good. The only significant hill on the course is at mile 14, and it was on this hill that I felt the first of creeping fatigue. As the hill leveled off, we resumed our race pace to the dam at just past mile 17. Once past the dam, the course starts downhill again through Ogden Canyon. It was here that I'd hoped to build some cushion for the tough later miles. However, I was really starting to feel it by around mile 19, even going downhill. Brent and Lorin gradually pulled away from me and I knew I couldn't risk trying to close the gap.

As I neared the bottom of the canyon my legs felt like lead and were absolutely pounded from the downhill. It was also getting pretty warm. I started doing the mental math, knowing I no longer had a shot at 3:35, but figuring I could get 3:40. This would still be a PR, so it was worth shooting for. However, as I entered the greenbelt stretch in town, I felt like I was in slow motion and watched my overall pace continue to drop.

At the aid station around mile 25, I was surprise to see Lorin just ahead of me. He appeared to be having as much fun as I was. With about half a mile to go, I caught up to him and tried to encourage him to finish it would with me, but we were both completely out of gas.

As the crowd got heavier near the finish, I dug deep to try and at least appear to be finishing strong. I saw Holly in the crowd on the final stretch and a few seconds later I was across the finish line! My time was 3:45 and change. Not my goal, or a new PR, but still 12 minutes better than last year on this course, and at that point, I couldn't have cared less either way.

Lorin and I grabbed some water and joined Brent and Ryan to watch for the others coming in. Paul and Kerry came in just a couple of minutes behind, and everyone else came in in good shape. Ryan, Paul, and Kerry each had PRs (hopefully I didn't forget if anyone else did), and Ryan barely missed his Boston-qualifying time. Several of the Lady BFRs did either the 5K or the half marathon, and they did great too.

Punishment of the marathon aside, there is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment afterward. It's also nice to now be able to focus exclusively on the IM, about 3 weeks away. I have some work to do there!

Later that evening, we had an awesome dinner and drinks at Mona and Connie's. It was a great way to cap off the months of training and the fun trip with the BFR gang!

Week 14 - Wednesday thru Friday

Resting up for marathon on Saturday. No training at all.

Week 14 - Tuesday

Time to get back in the water today. I was scheduled for 1000 meters. Fortunately, I hadn't forgotten how to swim in the last few days. Once I got started, it did feel good to get back at it. It went by quickly and I was finished in 23 minutes.

After my swim, I went upstairs for a run. With the marathon just four days away, I wasn't wanting to do much other than to just stay loose. I did 3 miles at an 8 minute pace followed by some good stretching, and called it quits. I plan on maybe one more workout tomorrow and then two days of solid rest before Ogden. Can't wait!

Week 14 - Monday

Nada. Zilch. Absolutely nuthin' today.

Week 13 - Saturday

Trever, Heidi and I met up with Brent, Kerry, Ryan, Trina, and Mark at Shoreline and the greenbelt for our last long run before the Ogden Marathon. We were planning on an 8 miler. It was a beautiful morning, but just a bit chilly when we were standing around before starting off. However, once we were moving it was perfect. We headed east on the north side of the river for the first 3ish miles, before crossing over the Park Center footbridge to the south side and into the Habitat Reserve. Shortly after, we reached out 4 mile turnaround point and wheeled it around to head back.

On the way back, most of us stayed on the south side of the river up to Ann Morrison Park, before crossing the footbridge there back to Shoreline. I finished in 1 hour, 1 minute with an average pace of 7:42. I am feeling good physically and really looking forward to the marathon next Saturday!

After getting home for something to eat and a quick change of clothes, I met Ryan at his place for a planned 25 mile ride. We wanted to get a ride in today due to Mother’s Day tomorrow.

It was a little breezy when we started off, and I’d dressed a little cool given the temperature and wind. We headed south on Locust Grove and followed that out to Kuna road, where we turned west briefly before turning south again on Stroebel road. We followed this out until it bent back to the far south end of Locust Grove, where we turned around just short of the dead end.

Heading back to the north we worked our way over to Eagle road. In order to get in the distance we needed, we tacked on a couple of little off-shoots on the way back before working our way west again on Hubbard back to Locust Grove for the final stretch back to Ryan’s house.

It was a nice ride. We finished at a little over 24 miles in 1 hour, 25 minutes with an average pace of 17.7 mph. We got two good workouts in before noon today. Not bad at all!

Week 13 - Thursday

No work out today. I should have gotten in a swim, but I’ve really been suffering from a sudden lack of enthusiasm for getting in my swim workouts. I think I figured out why. Now that the weather is so nice, the idea of working out indoors just isn’t as appealing. Plus, with the marathon just over a week away, that’s been more in my thoughts than the IM for now. I certainly shouldn’t be skipping them though. I need to get my head back in the game.

Week 13 - Wednesday

I went to the gym after work for a short run. I did a quick 3 miles and was out of there before I knew it. The goal right now is to just stay loose and get rested with just over a week until Ogden. I'm digging this marathon taper!

Week 13 - Tuesday

I got to the gym this evening planning to get in a 1600 meter swim. Just the swim, no run, due to the marathon taper. But as I walked in, I just couldn't do it. I've been feeling a little burnout the last couple of days, mainly just at the obligation of training. That, plus the constant planning and logistics to have the right stuff with me, and fitting the workouts in around work etc, has gotten to me right now. I know it'll pass, but for today I skipped the swim and went to the weight room instead. I did a little over an hour of lifting and core work.

I kept my heart rate up by super-setting and going with lower weight and higher reps, so it wasn't a total cardio loss, right?

I should be ready to get back in the water by Thursday. I hope.

Week 13 - Monday

Paul and I met for a ride this evening. The forecast called for a 90% chance of rain, so it seemed maybe sorta likely we were going to get wet. We headed out from my place for the Joplin route. The wind was blowing out of the southeast, which meant we'd have it at our backs for the first half of the ride, but working against us on the way home. My legs felt pretty gassed from the prior two days, but we were going to keep the ride fairly short.

We made good time with the push as we headed north on Ten Mile. As we turned west on Chinden, we slowed a little as the wind hit us from the left side. However, we reached our 10 mile turnaround in no time.

We had a quick drink and started back toward Meridian. The wind was now hitting us on the right side. We reached Chinden again with about 6 miles to go and it began to rain as promised. As we turned south on Ten Mile, we had a full on head wind and the rain to boot. This slowed us down quite a bit, but otherwise didn't really bother us.

We reached my house again in 1 hour, 11 minutes with an average pace of 17.3 mph.

Week 12 - Sunday

Between my travel and the rain-shortened run yesterday, this week's training had been a train wreck, so I was determined to have a good set of workouts today.

I started off in the morning with a 1600 meter swim, my first time in the pool all week. I felt good from the first lap though and finished a decent swim in 41 minutes. From there, I headed up to the weight room and did an hour of weight training and core work. It felt great to do this since I've not been able to do so consistently since my IM training began. I can definitely tell I haven't been lifting though!

I spent the day with my girls and getting chores done while it rained off and on again all day. At times it rained hard with thunder/lightening, but I kept an eye on the hour-by-hour forecast and saw that I should have a window for a ride at 5pm. Sure enough, around 5, the rain and wind let up a bit and I headed out planning to do a 35 miler. Rain was going to threaten the whole time though, but as long as it was just rain I was ok with that.

I headed out for the Joplin route and needed to ride a couple of miles north of Middleton. For the first 9 miles, the wind was a non-issue, although it sprinkled a little. However, shortly after the wind really picked up. It was swirling and was strong enough to knock me one way and then the other. Overall though, it had a definite south-easterly direction. It slowed me dramatically as I neared Middleton Rd and turned north toward town. This was by far the worst stretch, since as it knocked me around on the narrow shoulder, I had cars whizzing by at 50 mph. Once I reached town though it was a little better and I reached my turnaround point at the corner of Middleton Rd and Old Middleton Rd without trouble. As I turned around for home, I was looking forward to having the wind at my back!

At this point the wind was coming either straight out of the north, or at times, north west. It gave me a good push off and on as I made my home. As neared Midland Rd, I saw a large male pheasant just a few feet off to my right in a field. That was pretty cool. By this point the sun was out and I was getting warm.

The rest of the trip home went quickly, although I was starving. The ride took 1 hour, 55 minutes and I averaged 18.17 mph. It was a full day of training, but I felt at least some redemption for the light week. We're tapering for the marathon now, so in the next two weeks I will be de-emphasizing running and, to some degree, riding to ensure my legs are rested for Ogden. I plan to do additional swimming and some weight training and core work during the taper.

Week 12 - Saturday

Trever, Lorin and I were planning to meet up with Brent, Ryan, Trina and Kerry at Barber Park for a 16 miler. However, it had rained all night and was still raining this morning as well, so the dirt paths out of Barber were going to be a mess. So, on the way into downtown, I called Ryan and we made a last minute change to Municipal Park so we would have pavement for our entire route. However, we also had a small mutiny brewing, led by Brent, due to the rain. Rather than an Ironman-like run in the rain, he was lobbying for a mocha-frappa-foo-foo at a coffee shop instead. I assumed he was following this up with a Calgon bubble bath. Anyway, I was opposed, and a great debate ensued under the covered picnic area at Municipal. It was touch and go as the swing votes went back and forth, but in the end the group reached a compromise on an 8-10 miler. I think what put it over the top was that while we debated, we saw at least six other runners, all ladies, pass by who were obviously tougher than our bunch.

We finally headed out from Muni going west on the Greenbelt. Since we were running short, we started off at a stronger pace than we would have for a longer run. Ryan, Kerry and I ran together for nearly all of the run, with the rest of the BFRs not far behind. Somewhere along the way, our 8-10 miler became a firm 8 miler, so when we reached the 4 mile mark just east of the wooden bridge leading to Willow Lane, we turned back around, grabbed a quick drink and started the return trip.

It had been raining lightly for the entire run, but sometime around mile 6 it started to rain harder. It didn't matter though, we were all soaked by this point anyway. We continued along and I reached Muni again with Ryan and Kerry in 1 hour, 2 minutes and an average pace of 7:47. It was a good run, and I had to admit that shorter was a good idea since running further in wet shoes and socks could have caused blister problems for us. However, everyone made it in safe and sound and we packed it in fairly quickly due to chill. I think Brent headed off for that bubble bath...

Week 12 - Thursday

After three unplanned days off, I'll be falling well short of this week's training plan. I am just going to have to deal with that. Anyway, I went to the gym after work for an interval run. With so much rest, my legs felt great as I started my run. Positively springy, like Tigger! So, I beat the springiness out of them with 7 miles of quarter-mile intervals at 6:18 pace.

It was good to get back in the saddle and I felt awesome afterward. Nothing like that feeling!

Week 12 - Monday-Wednesday

On the road for work. Long days+Mental exhaustion*Crabbiness=No workouts for three days.

Week 11 - Sunday

Ryan, Paul, and I met up with Brent, Rick, Todd, and Brian for a big 60 mile ride. We met at the Boise Depot at 8am. It was fairly cold this morning for a ride, 39 degrees and a strong wind blowing south and east. This was going to add wind chill, and since we were riding the Boise IM course, we'd be riding straight into this wind for a good portion of the ride.

We started off from the depot and onto the Federal Way bike lane. After a quick restroom stop a couple of miles in, we continue up to Gowen road and turned west. This was our first taste of the wind, but at this point it wasn't too bad. We continued on Gowen then turned south on Pleasant Valley. We wound our way through the route which included some big climbs, but we all rode pretty comfortably, drafting on occasion when the wind was at its worst. The most agonizing stretches were west along Ten Mile Creek Rd, and then again when we made our return trip north on Pleasant Valley. These two sections were really slow going.

I felt pretty good for nearly all of the ride in terms of leg strength, but the wind certainly made parts of it more challenging. By the time we reached Federal Way again, we knew the worst was over and we could see the barn!

The ride took 3 hours, 48 minutes and we covered 60 miles with an average pace of 15.8mph. Seems a little slow, but fighting that wind was a huge factor. It was great though to have such a good turnout and we all had a good time with smack talk throughtout the ride.

My legs felt used, but not dead afterward, although I was definitely glad I wasn't immediately following it up by running 13 miles! I got a sense of just how challenging that is going to be on race day.

Week 11 - Saturday

Holly and I had a CPR class this morning, so I didn't join the gang for today's long run. They were meeting at 7am for a 12 miler, but I planned to go out on my own for the same distance after our class.

It was about 3pm by the time I made it to the Greenbelt at Bardenay in Eagle. It was sunny but a little cool with a breeze out of the west. After a day off Friday, my legs felt great as I started off. I settled into a comfortable rhythm at a low 8 pace, although I regretted wearing a long- sleeve shirt. I continued along without seeing another runner at all until I got past Glenwood. I reached my 6 mile turnaround and was glad to get the breeze as a headwind to cool me off a bit. As I neared Glenwood again, I finally saw the first and only two runners I'd see on this run.

My return trip passed comfortably as well, and I reached Bardenay again. It took 1 hour, 38 minutes with an average pace of 8:11. My last mile was 7:45, which is good to end a run with your last mile being your fastest.

It was a good run, but with missing out on the group run and running at such an odd time of day, it was a lonely run!

Week 11 - Thursday

I headed to the gym after work for a swim and run combo. I had the pool to myself when I arrived, which is rare on a Thursday night. I was scheduled for 1500 meters, and within the first 500 meters I again began suffering from "leaky goggles" syndrome. I had to interrupt my swim three times to clear them, and it took me 37 minutes to complete 1500 meters. For my last few laps, a real swimmer started in the lane next to me and she absolutely smoked me. She made me feel like Orson Wells in jammers, so I was glad she hadn't been there to rub my nose in it for my full swim.

Once back on dry land, I headed up to a treadmill. I decided to do a 4 mile progression run. My legs felt the effect of yesterday's brick at first, but once warmed up I was fine and wound up having a really good run.

Looking forward to a day off tomorrow!

Week 11 - Wednesday

Ryan, Paul, and I met up for a ride/run brick this evening, planning on a 25 mile ride followed by a 4 mile run. The weather was perfect when we headed out from my place to meet up with Rick, who was doing a 35 mile ride, at Hero’s Park. From Hero’s, we headed to Chinden to take the usual Joplin route. Traffic was heavy on Chinden, but Paul and I made fast crossings with ninja-like precision. Ryan and Rick on the other hand, seemed to be waiting for a crossing guard to appear out of nowhere. Once they finally got across, we were rolling again.

We made great time on the way out, staying around 20mph on average. As we approached our turnaround point for a 25 miler, we decided to join Rick for the full 35 miles. This took us through Middleton, where we got chased briefly by a large dog no one saw coming. Paul was the one the dog targeted, but he narrowly escaped without becoming a chew toy. We continued through town and further north to the intersection of Middleton Rd and Old Middleton Rd at exactly 17.5 miles. We stopped briefly there for a drink and Gu, before flipping around and heading back to Meridian.

There was a front moving in as the evening went on, so we had a headwind out of the southeast on the way back, but it wasn’t too bad and the temperature was perfect. We got back to Meridian and split off from Rick at Ten Mile and Chateau. We got back to my house in 2 hours, 6 minutes with an average pace of 17.5mph. We then made our transition to running shoes. I asked Paul to hold up my bike while I opened the garage door to allow us to stash our bikes inside, but once inside I got so preoccupied with changing shoes etc that I left him out there holding it! He, uh, pointed it out to me though when I came back outside…

Once we were ready to go, we started off on our run with the usual log-like feeling in the legs. Better than last week though. Within a half mile or so they felt fairly normal. At the one mile mark at Tully Park, Ryan took off like a shot. I think it had something to do with running past all the softball players and spectators in his snug Tri shorts.

We made our return trip and arrived back in 33 minutes and an average pace of 8:22 for the 4 miles. Ryan’s was faster, but this is my blog, he can write his own, right? One where he pretends to arrive on time for stuff…

It was a great workout, and it was good to get another brick accomplished. I plan on doing those at least once a week for the remainder of the training plan.

Week 11 - Tuesday

I felt like I needed to give the legs a day off today. I should have had a 3-4 mile run and a swim, but decided to do only the swim. I got to the gym after work and hit the pool. For some reason, the water was much colder than normal. Not fun at first, but once I was warmed up it was ok.

Anyway, I swam a straight 2250 meter swim, no sets. My technique felt really good and my fastest splits were early in the swim. As I neared the end, I could feel some fatigue and my splits slowed a little. Without pushing too hard though, the swim took 60 minutes. I should probably start focusing more on gaining some speed at this point, I think my technique is fairly solid now.

I'm hoping the day off for my legs sets me up for tomorrow's ride/run brick!

Week 11 - Monday

Paul and I headed out on the Joplin route this evening for a 25 miler. The weather was absolutely perfect, high 70s, not a cloud in sky, and virtually no wind. I was a little concerned at first that my legs wouldn't bounce back from two tough days of use over the weekend. As we headed out from my place, I could definitely feel some fatigue, but regardless, we made great time on the way out and reached the turnaround point in no time. We even had safe passage past the "Lincoln Road Hound" that I've had some encounters with. He was out laying in the lawn and didn't even notice us fly by him.

We stopped for a quick drink at our turn before heading back. As we started off to the east though, there did seem to be more wind than we thought. It slowed us a little, but still made good time. I actually felt a little stronger on the second half of this ride than the first. We reached my house again in 1 hour, 28 minutes with an average pace of 17.5mph. It was a good workout and this sort of weather certainly makes road riding a heck of a lot more fun!

Week 10 - Sunday

I woke up this morning with some soreness in my hams and calves from yesterday's 20 miler. But the weather was supposed to be beautiful and Brent, Paul, Ryan and I made plans the prior evening at Robie for our first mountain bike outing of the spring. Technically we should have been logging road miles, but we all prefer singletrack to road riding.

The day started off with Ryan being late. Nothing new there. Plus, the beer-enhanced planning the night before lead to confusion as to timing and exact location for meeting. Clearly it was Brent not paying attention as he showed up a Camel's Back Park, while Ryan, Paul and I went to Fort Boise. By the time Brent joined us at Fort Boise, Paul realized he'd forgotten his helmet. This meant he edged out Brent for today's DF award. Ali was gracious enough to bring Paul his helmet, and we were finally able to getting going, probably an hour later than our planned start.

The weather was absolutely perfect as we headed out down Mountain Cove road. It felt great to be on dirt again rather than having side-view mirrors whizzing past our heads and Cujo trying run us down from every other farm house.

We rode past the Policemen's clubhouse and up to the lower end of trail 5. We planned on reversing that to trail 6 and cutting west to the juntion of Watchman and Three Bears trail. The climb up trail 5 immediately reminded all of us how fatigued our legs were from Saturday. However, the climb was manageable until we reached trail 6. Trail 6 is multi-use, so dirt bikes have thoroughly chewed up the singletrack, making it a sandy mess. This, coupled with the steep grade, made for a brutal climb and a few hike-a-bike sections. However, I kept everyone going with my awesome singing, which they all love.

When we finally reached the top, all of us were more than happy to be done climbing. We were rewarded with an awesome, long descent down Three Bears to the junction with Shane's trail. On Shane's trail, Brent had a tire blow after landing a bunnyhop, so we had a looooong stop as he replaced his tube. It took him so long, I think he must have been coveting Paul's DF award.

Once Brent was ready to go again, we quickly finished our descent via Central Ridge trail and back to Fort Boise. It was a great ride of about 12 miles, which left me ready to hang up the road bike for good if it weren't for this damn half ironman.

Week 10 - Saturday

We had a split group today due to the Race to Robie Creek. Brent, Paul, Loren and I were not participating in that race, so we met at 6:30 am at Municipal Park for our scheduled 20 miler. This was our fourth, and thankfully last of those before we begin to taper down toward race day for the Ogden Marathon.

We started off going east on the Greenbelt and crossed the orange foot bridge to the south side of the river. Just before crossing the bridge, we saw another doe. I never see these things on my own, but fortunately the other guys always point them out to me. From there we followed the dirt trail through the habitat reserve to Barber Park. We had to avoid the bridge construction by running through Bown Crossing and taking the canal bank for part of the route. From Barber we turned back west and followed the trail to the construction barracade before turning around and doubling back to Barber. From Barber we reversed our original route through Bown. This route was Brent's version of a rat maze! The first roughly 11 miles was full of brief stops for various reasons; shoe issues (Paul), dropped water bottles (Brent and Shane), and malfunctioning iPod (Shane).

We ran west on the south side of the river past BSU to Ann Morrison before crossing back to the north side of the river. I needed two restroom stops in the space of about two miles, dealing with GI issues that I seldom have to deal with on a run. Between these two stops and the others earlier in the run, I never settled into a comfortable rhythm. I was running with Brent most of this time, and our splits were all over the place. When we weren't dealing with stops we were maintaining low 8-minute miles, but several splits were much slower.

We continued west and took the dirt path to Veteran's Park and then back onto the Greenbelt briefly before making our turnaround at 15.75 miles just prior to the wooden bridge just east of Willow Lane's softball fields. I was getting really fatigued at this point, and I knew the last 4 miles were going to be a struggle. Brent pulled ahead of me for the rest of the return trip and I tried hard to just keep him in sight.

I finally reached Municipal again and had was able to finish the last two miles a little better at 8:25s each. It took me 2 hours, 55 minutes in total with an average pace of 8:34. This was a bit discouraging to me to finish the last of the big runs on a down note. Oh well, I logged the miles, right?

We all returned home for a quick shower and change before heading down to Fort Boise to see off Trever, Ryan, Kerry, Trina, and Lenae who were all running Robie. After the start of the race, several of us took the bus up to the finish and arrived just in time to see Ryan shortly after he had finished. He had a great race and notched a new Robie PR. We watched the others as they finished and everyone did a great job considering it was a very warm day for this race.

After everyone was in, we joined the party in the park for a beer (or several) and had a great time hanging out. It was a long, but fun day!

Week 10 - Thursday

I was feeling achy in the knees all day today following yesterday's brick training. That, coupled with knowing I have a 20 mile run on Saturday, made me decide on limiting myself to a swim only tonight. I headed to the gym after work for a 2000 meter swim.

After the first 250 meters or so, my goggles began leaking on both sides. Since IAC's pool is basically a concrete box full of chlorine with just a splash of water, this very quickly started to drive me nuts. I was forced to interrupt my swim a few times to dump my goggles, dry off the seals, and try to tighten things up. Each time I thought I had them fixed only to have them fill up again. It was bad enough I nearly cut my swim short.

Finally, about 1000 meters in, they finally sealed up. Of course, by then my eyes were on fire, but I finished the swim as planned. All the messing around though meant it took me 51 minutes to swim 2000 meters. Ugh.

Next, a day off on Friday and then a big run on Saturday!

Week 10 - Wednesday

With the weather improving today, Paul and I decided to get in an outdoor ride followed by a run to get a real sense of the bike/run transition. We when we decided to do this, the temperature was pretty good, maybe high 50s, and the wind was calm. However, by the time we met at my place, the wind had really picked up and was coming nearly straight out of the north. This was going to make the ride interesting.

I jumped on Janis and we headed out for the Joplin route. Once on Ten Mile, we were riding straight into the teeth of what was at least 25mph wind. This stretch was slooow going. Once we reached Chinden and turned west, it was a little easier, but we were getting hit on the right side and had to lean into it pretty dramatically to stay on a straight course. We fought along like this to our planned turnaround 12.5 miles out, and then reversed direction. Because the wind had a slight easterly slant to it, we got at least some push on our way back. The real push came as we finally turned south onto Ten Mile. At this point we were easily exceeding 20mph for the rest of the trip back to my place to end the 25 mile ride. The ride took 1 hour, 41 minutes with an average pace of 15mph.

Once there, we stashed our bikes in the garage, and intended to do a “quick” transition to a 4 mile run. Because I had gotten home too late to really organize things before the ride, it took me a few minutes to even round up my running clothes. The quick transition therefore took a good 5+ minutes. Still not long enough to have my legs adjust though!

From the first running steps, my legs felt like lead logs and my toes felt practically frozen from the cold temps on the ride due to wind chill. This make running feel incredibly awkward. These things nagged at me for about the first mile, and although it felt as if we were running in slow-motion, our pace was low-8, so we were having to intentionally reel that back a bit. I’ve heard from several sources that the key to a good transition to the run is a slow start until your legs adjust, so we tried to follow this plan.

After the first mile, I could feel myself adjusting into a normal, comfortable gait, and we let our pace naturally pick up again. The second half of the run felt good and we arrived back at my house feeling pretty good about the experiment. The run took 36 minutes with an average pace of 9 minute miles. Certainly slow by normal standards, but not bad for the first experiment. I can tell I will need to be doing several more of these, and at longer distances, in the coming weeks.

Week 10 - Tuesday

Nasty day outside. Cold and windy. I went to the gym for a run and swim. However, I got there without all of my swim gear, so I had a choice of heading home to get my stuff first, or just doing the run. I opted for the latter. Now I'll need to make up a 2000 meter swim later in the week.

I grabbed a treadmill and knocked out 4 miles at an 8 minute pace, and felt great. I'm feeling really confident with my running right now, the best I've felt in over a year. Hear me now and believe me later, I will be setting a marathon PR in Ogden next month!

Week 10 - Monday

I was scheduled for 25 miles this evening and had originally been planning to have to ride the trainer due to the weather forecast. It had rained off and on all day, but by the time I left the office, it was beautiful outside. However, I could see the promised storm to west. There was a fairly strong wind that seemed to be coming straight out of the north, but I couldn't bear the trainer and decided I had time to get in a ride. Like Bill Murray in Caddyshack, I told myself, "I don't think the heavy stuff's gonna come down for quite a while."

I decided to take the Joplin route yet again. I've ridden this one now so many times I've decided to name my bike "Janis". So, in the future, if I write about riding Janis, don't get the wrong idea. Especially if you're Holly.

As I started north toward Chinden, it was straight into the wind. I could see some flags along the way and the wind was definitely blowing southeast. At least I'd have it working in my favor on the return trip. For most of the ride out, it was hitting me on my right side. Better than head-on!

I reached my turn around in 45 minutes and grabbed a quick drink before reversing direction. I was hoping the wind would be at my back, but mainly it was now just hitting me on my left side. Nevertheless, I made pretty good time on the way back. As I got back onto Chinden, the wind made for a couple of scary moments as it whacked me in the side. I was down in my aeros and if I leaned into it, it would suddenly let up and I'd drift left. Not good given the traffic whizzing by me at 55+. I was riding with a new helmet-mounted mirror, so at least now I could see the cars/trucks that could flatten me without having to turn my head.

As I turned south onto Ten Mile, I finally had the wind squarely with me and I could open it up. I was back home before I knew it with a total ride time of 1 hour, 28 minutes and an average pace of 17.9mph. Not too bad.

I'm glad to have a day off the bike tomorrow. All this time in the saddle is wearing holes in a place you don't want to be wearing holes. A little condition I call "taint misbehaving".

Week 9 - Sunday

We were at Holly's family's for Easter this weekend. Since I had plenty of time before the festivities, I headed to Gold's in Twin Falls for a swim. I really like their lap pool and was looking forward to getting some swim work in now that I can breath through my nose again.

I had the pool to myself, which is rare. I was comfortable with my technique right from the start and wound up logging my fastest mile ever, 36 minutes!! I was really stoked about that!

After my swim, I changed clothes and did about an hour of weight lifting, followed by some core work, before heading back for a big Easter meal!

I had made plans with Paul for an evening ride once I was back in Meridian. We met at my house at 6pm and headed off for my favorite ride, the "Joplin route". It was sunny and about 67 degrees, with a modest wind that seemed to be coming from the north and east.

We made good time to the Middleton road turnaround, averaging about 21mph. When we turned back to the east, we had a head wind, but not too bad. We didn't press too hard into the wind, and rode comfortably on the way back. We got back to my house in 1 hour, 35 minutes, and averaged 17.2mph for the ride.

It was a nice evening ride. Starting to enjoy this roady thing after all.

Week 9 - Saturday

I was feeling waaay better after a few days of antibiotics and some rest, so I decided to go ahead and join the group for Saturday's long run. We were doing 10-12 miles this week, and it was the last long run before Robie, for those running that race. We were meeting at Glenwood and the Greenbelt at 7am. We had a good turnout, me, Holly, Trever, Paul, Ryan, Trina, Brent, Kerry, and Mark. It was a beautiful morning, overcast and about 4o degrees. Perfect running weather!

We headed off going west under Glenwood, across the bridge, and back onto the Greenbelt. Ryan, Paul, and I clocked the first two miles sub-8, but as we neared the wooded, winding stretch, I doubled back to run with Holly for safety (hers, not mine!). Our pack clipped along comfortably and not stretched out very far from each other. We reached the 5-mile turnaround point just east of Bardenay at Eagle road, and wheeled around to retrace our route.

The trip back went quickly and it was fun to be running with Holly, who was really running great. We met back up at Glenwood, a 10 mile out-and-back, and only Ryan went for the longer 12 miles. We all hung out and chatted for a while, until I started complaining about being cold and hungry. A great run today!

Week 9 - Thursday

Off again today, plus my normal Friday off tomorrow. Hoping to be back in action for Saturday's long run.

Week 9 - Wednesday

A recovery week in more ways than one. Taking at least a couple of days off completely while on antibiotics. Not Lupus after all.

Week 9 - Tuesday

This is a recovery week for me on my training schedule, and it came at a great time. I went to the gym after work for a short 1000 meter swim. I hadn't been in the pool for a solid week, so I expected I might be a little rusty technique wise. However, I felt comfortable and had good form from the first lap. My only issue was that I couldn't breathe out through my nose very well, which is a problem when you need to do just that under water. Anyway, I was done before I knew it in about 23 minutes.

After changing, I went upstairs for a short run. It was beautiful outside, but I wanted the convenience of getting a couple of miles done there and getting home. My quads were really fatigued all day from consecutive days on the bike, but they felt just fine with the change in muscles for a run. I got in a quick and comfortable 2 miles.

Last, I did about half an hour of core work and headed home feeling like I was getting away with something with this relatively short workout. I am expecting that with a lighter week this week, I should be feeling great by Saturday's long run!

Week 9 - Monday

I got back on the horse tonight for a 25 mile ride. The temperature was great, nearly 70 degrees and sunny, but that same wind out of the southeast that tortured me on yesterday's ride was still going strong. Plus, because I wanted to ride the "Joplin route", I would be riding with the wind on the way out and would have to fight it on my way home.

I left the house around 5:30pm and cruised easily at 20-25mph for most the route out, with the wind only occasionally shifting and hitting me sideways. I was as 13 miles before I knew it, just shy of Middleton road. It was a great evening and the farm country around me was beautiful. I stopped briefly at the turn just to look around and catch a drink before turning into the wind for my return trip.

Once I started off the wind was an immediate smack-down. However, I seemed to be more accepting of it today and just found a higher gear, dropped back down into my aeros, and settled in for a long slog home. Like running, road cycling alone leaves you plenty of time for your thoughts. I tried to occupy myself thinking through work and family stuff to pass the time along the way. I occasionally checked my speed and even into the wind was maintaining 14-15mph most of the way. Oddly enough, my legs felt stronger on this ride, even though they'd been used heavily the previous two days.

I got back into Meridian and cut through a couple of subdivisions to avoid traffic. I reached home at 26 miles in 1 hour, 33 minutes. My average speed was 17.3mph, which was better than yesterday's 15.3mph. Not bad with the wind I suppose. Still too slow for my target time on the bike leg of the race, but I still have time to improve on this.

Week 8 - Sunday

I had plans for a 40-50 mile ride today. I knew that was likely to be tough after yesterday's 20 mile run. However, I need to get some of these longer rides under my belt, and the weather was supposed to be nice for the first time in weeks. So Ryan and Todd met me at my place a little after 2pm, and from there we rode to Cherry/Ten Mile to meet up with Brent and Rick.

The sun was out and the temperature was good, but there was a strong wind blowing out of the east/southeast. We decided to take Black Cat south into the wind and ensure we finished the ride with the wind to our backs. We also decided to make the ride 40 miles rather than 50 based on time. I was more than fine with this.

As we headed south on Black Cat the wind was brutal. That coupled with a large hill to ascend within the first two miles did not start things off well for me. I quickly fell behind the others and knew I was in for a loooong workout. Brent graciously hung back with me, but Rick, Ryan, and Todd were flying. As they neared Columbia road a few miles later, they pulled off to wait for me and Brent to catch up. When we did, I had a volcanic eruption of profanity describing my feelings on road cycling, traffic, dogs, and wind. I also described my plans to post a Craigslist ad when I got back home, selling my bike and all the roady crap that goes with it. The venting did me some good!

After a quick drink we started off on Black Cat again and shortly after turned east on Columbia road. Brent and I continued together, with the jack rabbits well out in front of us. We followed Columbia into strong wind for 6 miles and turned south again on Cloverdale. After a mile on Cloverdale, we turned east again on Hubbard. We followed Hubbard for a couple of miles until it turned into Ten Mile Creek road. We followed this for a few miles until our 20 mile turnaround point.

After making the turn, the difference was immediate. We had the wind at our backs and were easily dropping gears and flying! We soon rejoined Rick, Ryan, and Todd, who had pulled over to check out a noise on Ryan's bike. After determining that it was ok, we headed off again, basically reversing the route we had taken out, although staying on Hubbard rather than Columbia. Brent and I stuck together, riding fast and comfortably, but still behind the others. The trip was uneventful other than a dog chasing Brent. Brent was already familiar with this particular dog, and it let all of the rest of us pass, appearing to wait for Brent before giving chase. I thought this was hilarious.

We made good time back into Meridian to the parking lot where we'd started. It took 2 hours, 52 minutes, and my average speed was 15.3mph. Slow, but I was in a much better mood at that point anyway. Funny how that works when you've had the wind to your back, and even more so once you're done. I guess I'll hold off on posting that Craigslist ad for the moment.

Week 8 - Saturday

We were scheduled for a big 20 miler today, our third so far in the run up to Ogden. I was a bit nervous about this one with my lingering head cold, but decided to just stay positive and give it a go. Trever, Loren, Paul, and I met Brent, Kerry, Trina, and Ryan at Municipal Park at 7am. Ryan was late yet again!

It was a little chilly when we started out from the park, heading west on the Greenbelt. I quickly realized I wouldn't be breathing through my nose on this run, but I otherwise was feeling pretty good. As we passed Americana we saw a doe just a few yards from us off to the right. I know there are some living in Kathryn Albertson Park, but it's still surprising to see deer in an urban area.

Loren and I ran together out front for the first 4 miles or so, and then Ryan, who had been hanging back a bit, decided to catch up and take his usual spot in the lead. The three of us ran together to the 10-mile turnaround point about two miles shy of Eagle road. Most of the first 10 miles were at just over an 8 minute pace. I was happy to be keeping each split below 8:15. As we headed back east, we passed the rest of the group nearing the turn and everyone looked to be running well. We weren't strung out very far from each other, which was great.

Ryan pulled ahead after the turn and Loren and I continued along together. I wasn't having any trouble maintaining pace at first, although I could tell my heart rate was running a little higher than normal. This made it seem like I was working harder than I should have been at this stage of the run. As we crossed Glenwood again at about mile 13, I started to really feel like I was laboring, but we held the pace until mile 15, where we took a brief Gu break.

This was where my wheels came off. Getting moving again was difficult for me. By mile 16 I had to take another break and Loren pulled away. I was really ticked at myself for stopping, and resolved there wouldn't be any more. I got moving again, and tried to settle into a slower pace I could hold. I must have looked awful to anyone passing by as I shuffled along. I was hot and had my vest and shirt unzipped Travolta-style, and I had a stream of neon green coming out of each nostril. You won't see me on the cover of Runner's World anytime soon!

With about 1.5 miles to go, I caught up to Loren again, who I think was having as much fun as I was by that point. I picked it up a bit for the final mile, and as I neared Municipal Park again I was happy to see Holly heading west after making the turn on her 14 mile run. I finished mile 20 in 8:17 and an overall time of 2 hours 49 minutes. This was two minutes slower than my last 20 miler, which was also actually 20.75 miles. My average pace for the run was 8:28, 15 seconds slower than the last one, and with all of that difference accumulating in those miserable final 5 miles.

That sort of pace will not get me a 3:35 finish at Ogden, but I know I have one more of these big runs in two weeks and intend to get back on track. As tough as this one was, once I was finished, I really wasn't too disappointed given the spotty training I've had for the last two weeks.

Oh, by the way, Ryan wasn't really late this morning. Just trying to rile him!

Week 8 - Thursday

Took the day off. Trying to recover enough to handle a 20 mile run on Saturday morning.

Week 8 - Wednesday

I went to the gym after work for a run/bike combo. I started off with an interval run session, which I intended to be a 5 miler. However, I was still feeling weak and quickly realized I didn't have the steam to do 5 miles of speed work. I settled for 3 miles and was glad to be done.

I then headed for the 6:30 cycling class. Our instructor was tough on us, which I suppose is what we're there for, but I felt pretty good throughout. I was sweating like a pig though, and felt sorry for the gals on either side of me.

Overall feeling a little better today aside from just a bit weak. Hopefully bouncing back!

Week 8 - Tuesday

Still not feeling well, but sore throat was a little better, so after work I headed to the gym in spite of better judgment. I planned to start off with a 1750 meter swim. Every lap lane was full when I arrived, so I sat around freezing after my pre-swim shower until a lane opened up. Once in the water I felt a little better, but noticed as my swim progressed, the chlorinated water was irritating my throat. It was raging again by the time I was done with the swim, which took me 45 minutes.

I decided to do my run anyway, so went up and hopped on a treadmill. I ran 4 miles, but took it easy and felt pretty good during and after. I know there are different schools of thought about exercise when you're sick, but I felt a little better afterward, especially mentally. Really don't like skipping workouts!

BTW, still waiting for Spring to actually arrive so I can train more outside. It actually snowed today! Ugh.

Week 8 - Monday

Had to take another unplanned day off. Still fighting the crud. I've narrowed it down to either Lupus or a severe case of Wuss-itits. Awaiting test results...

Week 7 - Sunday

Ryan, Paul, and I had plans for a 50 mile ride today, but the weather had other plans, including cold temps and high winds. This meant yet another day on the trainer or stationary, which for me is like getting a frontal lobotomy. There was no way I was going to do that distance indoors.

Holly and I went the gym together. While she got in an 8 mile run, I lifted weights. It was the first time I've lifted since starting the IM training, and I could tell. However, it was a great change of pace. Following that, I did some core work and then went reluctantly to a stationary bike. I rode while Holly finished her workout with some weight lifting, and by the time she was done I couldn't take anymore of the bike. I got in 17 miles, but that is a long way from the 50 I was scheduled for.

I could be in some trouble with the bike leg of the race. Between not digging road cycling in general, and the weather keeping most of my riding indoors, I have been falling well short of my needed cycling distance each week at this stage of training. I know I have time still, and will be cycling a lot more after the marathon, but it seems I'll be counting heavily on my running fitness to carry me on the bike come race day.

Week 7 - Saturday

It was great having yesterday off, but I was hoping my legs would spring back better than they did by this morning. They still felt a little dead when I met Trever, Loren, Brent, Paul, Ryan, Trina, Kerry, and Mark at Fort Boise at 7am. We planned to run a 12 miler on Rocky Canyon road for those getting ready for Robie in a couple weeks.

The light was already pretty good as we left the Fort Boise parking lot and started up Shaw Mountain road. Paul, looking for a weight advantage, jettisoned his water bottle within a hundred yards of the parking lot, but Ryan made him take it back.

I felt better than I expected as we made our way up the first hill. We haven't been doing a lot of hill work this winter, so those that we have done have been challenging. We crested Shaw and started downhill into the canyon on Rocky Canyon road. Once in the canyon, the road rolled with some modest inclines and declines until we reached the end of the pavement. I was in a small pack with Brent, Loren and Mark for most of this stretch, with Ryan out ahead. From there, we continued uphill along the all-too-familiar road and some of us commented about being glad not to be doing Robie this year. In exactly one hour, I reached our 6 mile turnaround point, which fortunately was about 2 miles shy of the summit and the worst of the climb, and started back downhill the way we came. Ryan was a good half mile ahead of us at this point.

The downhill gave us a cardio break, but immediately started pounding my quads and knees. Loren, Brent, Mark, and I made good time on the way down to the east trail head for Shane's trail. That morning, I had suggested taking that route down rather than facing the pavement pounding and traffic on Shaw, so the four of us started up the hill, and Paul, who was flat hauling ass caught up to us as we then turned south onto Central Ridge trail. We followed this southwesterly and then turned downhill on Ridgecrest trail. We quickly descended Ridgecrest's switchbacks and then passed the Toll Road junction and continued to Eagle Crest trail. This meant ascending one last hill, which although short, was brutal at this stage of the run. After cresting the hill, we reached pavement again and quickly descended back to the Fort Boise parking lot. Upon reaching the lot, I was surprised to see some of the others there ahead of us. I knew Ryan was back well ahead of me, but thought we had a few behind the five us who had turned at Shane's trail together. Our alternate route added an extra .75 miles, and worse, an extra hill, so some of the crew opted to retrace our original route. In addition, "Shortcut" admitted to turning when Trina passed him on the way down, shaving .6 miles off his run (I'm keeping a log, like Ryan's "I'm never late" log). All of this gave me a chance to talk a little smack.

All in all, a good run of nearly 13 miles, but the downhill gave me a couple of blisters to deal with for the next couple of days.

Week 7 - Thursday

My legs felt very heavy all day. It's been kind of a rough week. Anyway, I went to the gym this afternoon for a 1600 meter swim. I hit prime time and the pool was rocking, literally. I always think though that this rough water is somewhat like what I'll experience in the race, so I didn't mind. It definitely can impact your breathing when you come up and catch a mouthful of water. I had a good swim though and completed it in 40 minutes.

I then went up for what I knew might be a rough run with my leg fatigue. I only did 3 miles at an 8 minute pace and it was a bit of a struggle. I'm definitely ready for an off day tomorrow!

Week 7 - Wednesday

Woke up this morning still feeling a little worn down, but mad at myself for yesterday's unplanned rest day. Ashley was going to the mall with friends, so I decided to use the time to punish myself for my mental and physical weakness by making up both of yesterday's workouts in addition to today's.

I headed off to the gym and started with a 1600 meter swim. The pool wasn't crowded, yet an older gal insisted on hugging my lap lane and I nearly collided with her multiple times. No idea what she was doing. Regardless, it was another good swim from a technique standpoint, and I felt better getting out of the water than I felt going in. After the swim, I ran 4 miles at about an 8 minute pace.

In the evening, I met up with Paul for an interval run session and the Wednesday night cycle class. The gym was busy and every treadmill was taken. We warmed up on stationary bikes while we waited. By the time a couple opened up, we'd taken up enough of our time that we had to cut the interval run down to 3 miles instead of 4 in order to get to the cycling class on time.

The class was nearly full, perhaps because it was Rachel's last class before she moves away. She's a great instructor, so I'm sad to see her go. She worked us hard with a good mix of hills, sprints, and jumps. I left feeling utterly drained after a very heavy day of exercise, but pleased that I'd made up for the hole in my training plan from yesterday. We'll see if I pay a price for this tomorrow!

Week 7 - Tuesday

Under the weather. Took the day off...

Week 7 - Monday

I got to sleep in a bit this morning with having the week off with Ashley. She had a busy day of her own plans today though, so I decided to take the morning cycling class at the gym. The instructor gave us a 35 minute climb, taking more than half of today's class. It was a real quad buster, but a good workout. Felt great when I headed back home.

Later that afternoon, I returned to the gym for a swim session. I swam 1600 meters, and it was my best swim in a few weeks. The additional sessions this week have really helped. I'll stick with this plan even though it can take me to around 11-12 workouts a week and I know it's going to be hard to juggle it all with work and family.

Week 6 - Sunday

I woke up today feeling the effects of yesterday's 20 mile run, but less so than I expected. More than anything, my legs just felt a bit heavy, but without the soreness than can sometimes follow that sort of distance. I think all this cross training has benefitted me in this regard. I decided I could get in a swim and some time on the bike to loosen up, but wanted to take a bit of a rest day.

After a slow, relaxing morning, I got to the pool at about noon. I decided to make it an easy 1000 meter swim, but it ended up being harder than it should have been with my general fatigue. It was good from a technique standpoint though.

It was cold and really windy outside, so after my swim, I changed clothes and went up to get on a bike at the gym rather than an outdoor ride. I warmed up slowly and my legs felt heavy. After a couple of miles, my legs felt better, so I increased the resistance and picked up my cadence to around 90 rpm. I put in just 10 miles, well short of the 25 I was scheduled for, but better than a goose egg, which is what I planned when I woke up this morning. Still, writing about it now, I'm a little irritated with myself for cutting it short.

I wrapped up the workout with core work. All in all, a decent workout for the day after a big run.

Week 6 - Saturday

Met Paul, Ryan, Trina, Brent, and Kerry for a 20 mile run this morning. We met at Glenwood at 7am with plans to run east on the Greenbelt. I had roughed out a route that would take us off the Greenbelt for part of it to break the monotony. The rest of the gang went along with it, some reluctantly, since it meant a lot of navigation through downtown and the north end.

It was overcast, but in the mid-40s already and nice enough to be in shorts for the first time this year. It was still dark as we started off, which made it a little tricky watching for cracks and heaves in the asphalt. Within a mile or so, it was light enough to see well and by then I already fell into a comfortable pace with Ryan.

After about 4 miles, we stopped briefly at Shoreline for the others to rejoin us before we left the Greenbelt and started north toward downtown. We ran north on 13th, interrupted a couple of times for traffic as we crossed some of the busier streets. We turned west on Hayes then north onto Harrison Blvd. I really enjoyed the tree-lined sidewalk and the great old houses. Next we turned east on Hill Rd and followed that to Camelsback Park. From Camels, we turned south and navigated south and east to 6th St. We took 6th to Fort, then through the Fort Boise parking lot before taking Avenue E to wind our way onto Warm Springs Blvd.

By this point, we were about 11 miles in and Ryan and I were still clocking all of the miles below 8:15, with a couple at sub-8. I wasn't sure if I could hold that pace for the entire 20 miles, but intended to until I bonked, if I did. The only way to improve!

We continued east on Warm Springs until we reached the golf course. At that point, we rejoined the Greenbelt and turned west for the return trip to Glenwood. Ryan and I stayed together until mile 15, at which point he wanted to pick up his pace for the final miles. He pulled away and I maintained my pace. On my own now, I cranked up my music and focused on not letting my pace slip as I felt fatigue set in. Even though it seemed at times I was slowing, my splits were staying where I wanted them, all under 8:15.

As I neared Glenwood, I could tell my route planning was off a bit and I would be hitting the 20-mile mark before I reached the parking lot. I finished mile 20 in 8:01 and decided to continue the run until I reached the parking lot, which wound up being at 20.75 miles. I would take some grief for this accidental route extension by the others later!

It felt great to be finished and even better knowing I'd finished with average splits of 8:13! It has me thinking I can target 3:35 at Ogden, but we'll see how my final two 20 milers go before I commit to that publicly.

Ryan and I stretched as we waited for the others to arrive. Everyone came in in good shape. Collectively, our whole group is running well (and mainly injury free) right now. Long runs like today's have us all confident and looking forward to Ogden

Week 6 - Thursday

Started off with a 1600 meter swim this evening. After Tuesday's awful swim, I decided to focus less on my lap times and go back to focusing on good balance, switch-timing, and lengthening. It was good to get back to basics and I immediately felt more confident in my technique. The laps passed easily and although I didn't care about my overall time, I finished a minute faster than Tuesday's swim, and with no struggle or frustration. Going to stick with this approach for a while and add that extra swim workout per week.

After the swim, I ran an easy 3 miles to round out the week's training. I have on off day tomorrow and will be resting up for a big 20 mile run on Saturday morning.

Week 6 - Wednesday

Met Paul at the gym for a 4 mile interval run. After a half mile warm up, we alternated quarter mile intervals at a 6:18 pace. About 2 miles in, the treadmill I was on fried. What a great feeling to know I burned out a treadmill! Although I guess I feel a bit bad for the gym...

After switching to another pair of treadmills, we resumed our workout and finished with no further technical difficulties.

After a quick drink, we followed up the run with the 6:30pm Wednesday night cycling class. We had a good turnout, which always makes the class more fun. Holly (not my Holly) was our instructor and she worked us pretty hard. My quads felt dead at first, but felt better as the class progressed. My only complaint was that I was staaaarving! But it was a good combo workout and I definitely felt like I'd earned dinner.