Steven's Triathlon Station

Update time

2012-01-07T15:58:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! I thought I'd drop in with a quick race update, my new bike and a cool pair of shoes!

First the race...today I ran the Oregon Road Runners Club 20.12K for the 14th straight year. And this was the first year that I didn't podium or win my age group or Masters category. A little bummed about it but too much because the last 3-months have been all about enjoying a real off-season and letting my body recover from a big racing year in 2011. I just begun training for my next marathon so today's race was about just running how I felt and having fun seeing all my buddies and I did those things. But now it is time to get going on the 2012 racing season and training.

Stats:

20.12K = 12.56-miles in 1:32:08 @ 7:20/m pace.

#6 M45-49

I was recently contacted by Ecco asking if I'd be interested in trying out some new running shoes they just brought to market. Of course, I would I told them. The shoes just arrived and without even putting them on I was impressed. The "box" is actually a hard-sided canvas box with a zipper and carrying strap. Very cool. See the pic:

The shoes themselves are incredibly light and very colorful. I've worn them around the house just a little to see how they feel and they are very comfortable. They are built to help your foot land and push off in a very natural motion and they actually come with a wearing schedule so you can train your body to adapt to them. Pretty cool. I'm going to follow the training schedule and use them for some of marathon training runs and see how they perform. I'll let you know what I think. Here is what they look like:

Lastly...after 15+ years on my trusty aluminum Specialized Allez road bike I finally pulled the trigger on a new road bike. Here it is:

It's a 2011 Cervelo S2 full-carbon, full Ultegra and full on gorgeous! I've only gotten out on it once so far (going out again tomorrow!) and it rides like a dream. The cables are internally-routed, I geared it with a compact 50/34 in the front and a 12/25 cassette in the back and on the one big hill I've climbed so far it is a climbing machine. I love it and cannot wait to put some serious miles on it training for Ironman Canada this year. At least until I break out the tri-bike. but until then I will enjoy my long overdue new ride!

Enough for now! I'll swing by again soon with an update on how the shoes, and the bike, are performing...and I'll let you know how the marathon goes on April 15th.

Thanks for stopping by...

2011 Portland Marathon Race Report

2011-10-11T13:46:00.000-07:00

26.2-miles in 3:08:26 @ 7:11/m pace
#10 of 462 in the M45-49 Age Group
#165 of 8,277 finishers
#155 of 3,959 male finishers

I just completed marathon #20 and it was my 4th fastest one to date. My training for this one was a bit spotty since it took place while training for a late season half-ironman triathlon and my work schedule cut into it just a bit and forced me to be creative in fitting in my running time. My wife and I met our daughter (she was there to run her 9th marathon!) son-in-law and my parents in downtown Portland about an hour before start time. My parents attended my first Ironman back in 2005 but had never attended a big city marathon (or any marathon) until Sunday. We all made our way to the start where we hung out for a bit before Jennifer and I had to make our way to our respective start corrals.

I easily found my way to the 3:05 Pace Setter where I then found my buddy Jamie and his friend Brandon. Shortly thereafter the gun sounded and we made our way down 4th Avenue.
The first 4-6 miles of a marathon are always a challenge to me as I get on my targeted marathon pace and then begin to realize how hard it is and begin to think there is no way I can run this pace for 20+ more miles. Luckily this always passes and by 7-8 miles in I begin to feel much better and can settle into a nice rhythm. And luckily for me this time I had Jamie and Brandon to run with so I was determined to stay on pace and stay with them and a little chatting with them helped a lot.

The middle miles of Portland are more or less flat and include a nice out-back section where you can see other runners and yell out to anyone you know. I did get to shout hello to my daughter and a couple of my buddies in this section. Pretty soon we were out on Highway 30 in the only drizzle of the day and making out way to the longest and steepest climb of the entire day. Just before Mile 17 we started climbing the St. Johns Bridge where we all slowed just a bit but kept the effort level steady and made our way to the center of the bridge which is the top of the hill without any time loss to speak of.

After a short and steep downhill and then uphill we were on The Bluff near the University of Portland and the dreaded miles from 18-22. I usually struggle here and this day was no different. But I was still with Jamie and Brandon and we were still a few seconds ahead of the 3:05 pace group so all was good. But shortly thereafter we reached the Addidas HQ and the long downhill on Greeley Avenue. And this is where I lost touch with my friends and the pace group. No matter how hard my brain said to run faster my body said no and that was that. As they all pulled away I felt myself slowing and hoping I could stop the damage to the clock soon. The climb up to the Broadway Bridge at mile 25 is never easy and on this day that still held true. But soon enough, even though it felt like forever, I down off the bridge and running the final mile along Naito Parkway. I was able to pick it up just a bit and stop the bleeding on the clock. I turned the corner onto the final little hill and saw my wife, parents, younger daughter and her boyfriend waving and yelling for me which was great! I then turned the final corner and crossed the finish line.

And with that my 2011 training/racing season came to a welcomed close. This year was a big racing year for me with an Ironman, 3 half-marathons, a half-Ironman, my 9th Hood-To-Coast and my 20th marathon. I am ready for my off-season!

Next year will be another big one on the racing front so come back and follow along from time to time. And now, I'm signing off the blog again and will be back to post race reports as the races happen in 2012...including Ironman Canada! I can't wait.

Have a great Holiday Season and thanks for stopping by…

Races, Socks, and Ironman #5

2011-09-06T15:04:00.001-07:00

While I haven’t been posting here, I have been training and racing lately so I thought I’d pop in with an update. After some recovery time from Ironman Coeur d’Alene I jumped right back on it and prepped for Ironman Lake Stevens 70.3 which I did on Sunday, August 14th. It was a very fun weekend as I raced it with two good friends of mine so we and our wives (who are also all friends) hung out the whole time and had a great time.

Race day weather was great with calm breezes and no clouds. The lake at the start was nice and flat and I felt really good on the swim. Good enough that I was surprised my swim time wasn’t better. The bike is not a h-a-r-d course, but it is a challenging course with two loops that is a bit crowded with all the other cyclists on it. It did get a bit warm on the run but the run course does two figure-eight loops through town so crowd support is excellent. I ran this one well and actually negative split the run for the first time ever.

Ironman Lake Stevens 70.3 results:
Swim 1.2-miles = 44:20
Bike 56-miles = 3:01 @ 18.6-mph
Run 13.1-miles = 1:38:32 @ 7:31/m pace
#31 of 95 in the M45-49 Age Group.

A bit less than two-weeks after Lake Stevens I ran in my 9th Hood-To-Coast Relay Race from Timberline Lodge at 6,000’ on Mt. Hood to the town of Seaside on the Oregon Coast. For the 2nd straight year I was on my daughter’s team and for the second straight year I was the oldest runner…and the fastest runner…on the team. My first leg was a steep one off Mt. Hood around noon on Friday just as the day was getting warm. My second leg was around 10pm that night along Highway 30 and it was warm and very muggy out there. And finally, my third and final leg was leaving the small coast-range burg of Birkenfeld along Highway 202 early Saturday morning. The temp was perfect and the sky was blue and the sun was just coming up and with the conclusion of that run I was done. We had a fun team and a good time once again.

Hood-To-Coast results:
Leg #1 = 5.67-miles in 35:13 @ 6:12/m pace.
Leg #2 = 6.12-miles in 43:34 @ 7:07/m pace.
Leg #3 = 5.77-miles in 39:48 @ 6:53/m pace.
Total = 17:56-miles in 1:58:35 @ 6:44/m pace.

And finally, less than week after Hood-To-Coast I ran the Oregon Wine Country Half-Marathon on Sunday, 9/4. This is a very well done event put on by Destination Races and it has all the bells and whistles that make it organized and fun. Last year I raced it and finished just off the podium in 4th place for my age group so I thought I’d see if I could improve on that result. I did improve with a time nearly a minute faster than 2010, but I still finished in 4th place…5-seconds behind the 3rd place guy! Oh well, I’m a year older and ran it faster so I can’t complain too much.
13.1-miles in 1:30:15 @ 6:53/m pace.
#4 of 51 in M45-49 Age Group.

I thought I’d put in a product plug here. I was contacted out of the blue by a representative at SofSole asking if I’d like to try out some of their products. I told her yes and a few days later a box arrived with some shoe inserts (which I haven’t tried yet) and 3-pairs of running socks. I used a pair of those socks for each leg of Hood-To-Coast (and a pair at the Wine Country Half-Marathon) and I have to say I love them. This year’s Hood-To-Coast was the first time in running it nine times that I didn’t come away with blisters. First. Time. Ever. Was it the socks? I don’t know…but I’m inclined to think so at this point since that is the only thing different from years past. I will be buying myself some more of them and I recommend them.

And lastly…I’ve signed up for Ironman #5 which I hope to complete in Penticton, BC a bit less than a year from now. It will be my 3rd time at Ironman Canada and I am already very much looking forward to it! Let me know if you’ll be there.

Thanks for stopping by…

2011 Ironman Coeur d'Alene Race Report

2011-07-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd pop in here for a quick minute and post a race report. Hope you are all doing well!
Without further ado...

For those that just want the stats…
Athlete numbers:
• 2,804 registered athletes
• 2,351 race-day starters
• 2,188 athletes finished under the 17-hour cut-off
Race Division numbers:
• My division was M45-49
• 339 registered athletes
• 296 race-day starters
• 241 athletes finished under the 17-hour cut-off

2.4-mile SWIM:
1:34:47, #220 in my division, #1,844 out of 2,351 overall

112-mile BIKE:
6:05:35, #105 in my division, #809 out of 2,351 overall, 18.4 mph average

26.2-mile RUN:
3:51:11, #26 in my division, #228 out of 2,595 overall, 8:49 per mile average

OVERALL:
11:46:06, #65 out of 331 in my division, #526 out of 2,351 overall

This was my fourth Ironman Triathlon and it ended up being my toughest day at one. I set a couple of time goals for myself going into it and while I didn’t make those cut-offs I was able to finish another one. And any time a person can finish an Ironman upright and smiling…you can’t complain too much.

Sunday (Jun-26) - RACE DAY – My wonderfully supportive wife and I were out the door of the hotel at 5:00am and in the transition area about 30-minutes later. Race morning was perfectly clear, in the mid-40’s so a bit cool, and windless which was great considering the awful amount of wind the two days prior to the race. We stood on the knoll at City Park soaking up the atmosphere (and precious warmth from the sun) and a little after 6AM it was time for me to go. I always hate leaving her on Ironman race morning so I always put it off until the last moment but with a long hug I was off to get ready for the day.

SWIM – After an absence of six years I was once again standing on the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene and getting ready for a long swim with a couple thousand of my closest friends. I’d heard all week about how cold the water was but until the moment I put my hands and face in the water I had no idea how cold the water was. It was painfully cold. The temps were stated at being around 53-55 degrees and that was by far the coldest water I’d ever been in. I don’t even drink water that cold! While the mass start of an Ironman swim is a spectacular site to behold for the spectators…it is awful for the competitors. The first couple hundred yards I found myself trying to swim with my head up, which is not an effective way to swim, because I didn’t want to put my face in the water because it hurt so badly. But I finally got over that and started swimming and soon thereafter took a forearm to the head that knocked the goggles askew for the first of two times that day. After fixing the goggles with the one-armed water-treading I tried to find open water but was unable to so resigned myself to full-contact swimming which is never fun. With the swim being two loops with two turns the turns are very crowded and are like trying to swim through a washing machine and in my case required doggie-paddling swimming around the buoys. Also not an effective way to swim. However hard and cold the swim eventually it ended and I climbed out of the lake and headed into T1.

BIKE – Everyone in the changing tent either had blue lips or was shivering hard or both. And we all had numb fingers and toes which makes it a bit difficult to change into cycling gear. I struggled for several minutes trying to put on arm warmers before giving up and just getting on my bike and going. The first few miles take the route out of town and along the lake to a turn-around that is two-big hills away. While the sun was out it still wasn’t even 50-degrees yet so the ride was cold. After the first turn-around the course comes back through town before heading north of town and into the hills. Having had such a poor swim did have one advantage and that is passing people steadily on the bike because they swam faster than me but I was riding faster than them. Karen and I drove part of the bike course the day before the race and I felt pretty good about it. But driving it and trying to race a bike on it were two different things. Like the swim the bike course is two loops so every difficult hilly section or steep hill it climbed in the back of mind I was thinking about how I get to do that section or hill again…with many more miles on my legs. And that also went for the many (36 per loop!) 90-degree or sharper turns. There were way way too many of those for my liking as they force you to slow way down and get out of any kind of a rhythm you might have had going. With the first loop done it was back through town and along the lake to the turn-around before heading back out for loop number two. While I never felt bad on the bike my average speed wasn’t what I was hoping I’d do and I ended up riding 15-20-minutes slower than I had hoped. I want to blame that on the hills and turns…so that’s what I’m going to do. Finally I was headed back into town under the much warmer mid-day sun and then into T2 to start the run.

RUN – My T2 time was 10-minutes faster than T1 since I wasn’t shivering and getting into my run shoes and hat is much easier than putting on all the cycling gear. I headed out of the changing tent and was able to shout to Karen who was standing and waving at the fence which was great! I immediately settled into a pace I felt good at while winding through town and again was passing other runners at a steady rate. The crowd support at this point is amazing as the route winds through town and is hugely helpful. Soon enough the course was out of town and running the same road the bike course used earlier in the day. The same section of the bike course with the two big hills. The same two big hills we did twice on the bike that I now got to run twice during the marathon since the run, like the swim and bike before it, is a two-loop affair. But unlike the swim and bike that are overly-crowded in a two-lap race the run is great with all the runners out there together. There is constantly someone you can say hello to or wave to as they go by the other direction and there is always someone up ahead that you can try to chase down and those little distractions help a lot. The first loop went by right on target pace and soon I was back in town and turn-around to run the second loop. Running back up from the turn-around I was able to grab Karen’s hand for a quick hello before heading back through the crowds and an out of town. While the temperature by Ironman standards was quite pleasant by this point in the day the upper-70’s we’d reached felt like an oven. I think it might have been the lack of acclimating to any form of sunshine during the cloudy, wet and cool spring we’d had! At each aid station I’d make sure to get something to drink and water to dump on myself along with a wet sponge to carry along to the next aid station a mile away. The second loop felt much harder than the first one as one would expect. But the two big hills we had to run over, down, then back over again for the second time were brutal. I’m happy to say I didn’t have to walk them as so many were doing but my pace slowed considerably until I was over them. Once over the last hill I was only 3-miles from the finish line and those 3-miles are through town and crowds of people lining course all the way in. It was awesome to come down a little hill and be able to take the lane that said “To Finish” instead of the lane that said “To 2nd Lap!” Soon enough I made the final turn onto Sherman Avenue and I could see the finish line 4-blocks away. The crowd on both sides of Sherman was huge and loud and helped me picked it up down the final stretch. Once I entered the carpeted chute I was able to take it in, slap several hands in the crowd and then cross the finish line with a smile on my face.

Final thoughts: My finishing time was not what I had hoped for nor trained for but I can’t be too upset. My previous 3 Ironman races all went very well so I was due to be humbled by the distance and I feel that on this day, at this race, I was. I’ll regroup and spend my copious amount of time going over all the what-ifs and woulda/coulda/shoulda’s before letting this go. I know I had a faster time in me fitness-wise but like I said earlier…I finished smiling so it’s all good. Once again I want to thank my training buddies (you know who you are!) And more importantly I want to thank my wife for her support. Training for an Ironman is difficult for both of us but she was always there when I got back from a long day on the bike and she was ready to get up with me to start her day when the alarm went off at 4:30AM most mornings. I loved our road-trip to/from and time spent in Coeur d’Alene just being Steven and Karen…Thank you, Honey!
See you all at the races!

-Steven

Shutting it down...

2011-02-23T08:59:00.000-08:00

After nearly six years of regular blogging I'm going to shut it down. I'd like to say I'm taking a break and will be back again, but I'm not yet sure that that is the case. My time constraints with work and family and swim/bike/run training/racing has just gotten to the point that I cannot take the time to keep this blog adequately updated. So instead of just neglecting it and tossing a post on it from time to time I'm going to walk away...for now.

I've loved having it and I have made some great friends through it both virtually and in-person. I've also gotten noticed by folks that have hooked me up to test running gear, shoes, laces, nutritional items and other assorted things and I've very much enjoyed doing that and hope to do more of it in the future.

For you faithful readers, followers and commenters I want you to know that I will ALWAYS be training and racing. I've got Ironman #4 coming up in June and I've got marathon #19 in October and I've already started looking ahead to 2012 and thinking about what that race season looks like. So just know that while I am taking a break from blogging I will never take a break from training and racing, except of course my yearly break through the holidays to regroup and rest these old bones. I'd love it if you friended me in Facebook so we can stay in touch that way...and you keep up with all my craziness and I yours.

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, keep training hard and racing well, and as always...Thanks for stopping by.

Been Awhile!

2011-01-28T15:06:00.001-08:00

Wow. I’ve really neglected my blog of late. Believe it or not I’ve been too busy to even find a few minutes to update this thing until just now! Since it’s been so long since my last update I’ll spare you the redundancy of listing out each of my swim, bike and run workouts, but suffice it to say that I have the time for those to get done every day! So my training is on track and I’m feeling very good.

I do have a race update to give though. On Sunday, January 2nd I raced the Oregon Road Runners Club YK2 run for the 13th straight year. I always start my New Year out at this race and love it! Each year it gets .01K longer based on the year so this year it as a 20.11K distance which is 12.45-miles. And I successfully defended my Age Group title that I’ve held for the last several years. My times may have slowed a few seconds per mile over the last 13 years, but they haven’t slowed too much so I still got to bring home my annual first place ribbon!

Work has been super busy the last couple of months due to travel and study time for several certification exams I have to take to become certified in Epic. That has meant 2 trips back to Wisconsin in the dead of winter and another one next week! But that should be my last trip back there for a while and the silver lining is that all that airplane and airport time has given me a lot of time read! And I have churned through some great books since my last blog post. Instead of writing my normal paragraph or two to review each book I’ll just give a line or two with my thoughts along with the link to Amazon so you can check it out there, too, if you’re interested.

The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World = A behind the scenes look at the earliest days of Facebook and kids that created it. There has NEVER been a company that has grown so fast, so large or changed the daily lives of so many people as Facebook has.

American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood = I’m a huge Clint fan (who isn’t?!) whether he is in front of or behind the camera. He has created some great characters (Dirty Harry, for example) and some movie lines (“Make my day!” or “Well? Do ya, punk?!) that have become part of American vocabulary. He is a true legend and a true tough guy stud!
Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin = I learned a lot with this book! I was a wee youngster when MLK was gunned down and never really learned much about him other than the obvious things everyone knows. I had no idea that James Earl Ray had broken out of prison and stayed on the lam before even killing MLK. He then was able to escape that and make it all the way to London (trying to get to Africa) before being captured. But nonetheless, he killed a man that had already changed the world and was destined for even great things.

Dead or Alive = Tom Clancy's first new novel in almost 10 years and it was a good one! This is the first time he has brought all of his major characters together in one book. Jack Ryan Sr. & Jr., John Clark, Mary Pat Foley, Domingo Chavez and others all involved in trying to keep a terrorist from detonating a nuke in Yucca Mountain which stores America's nuclear waste. I am a Clancy fan and this one did not disappoint. I hope he doesn't wait another 10 years for his next book!

The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL = This was a fun read and I think the thing I liked the most is that it was the story of two excellent teams locked in battle and players were young men that I grew up watching on TV as older men. Pat Summerall and Frank Gifford are two examples. Vince Lombardi (yes, thee Vince Lombardi) was a coach and Tom Landry was an assistant coach. Johnny Unitas was the break-out star quarterback after the Steelers cut him! It was the first sudden death game ever played and it was a great one. War = This one was written by Sebastian Junger (Perfect Storm) while he was stationed in Afghanistan with the Army’s Second Platoon. It is unbelievable what our soldiers endure while stationed over there fighting this decade-old war. I can’t believe they are able to come back and function in society after going through what they go through every single day. And unless you’ve been there or read this book you have no idea what it is truly like for them. The media coverage we get here in America does not paint the real picture. Each one of those kids is a true hero and deserves our respect and thanks whether you agree with the war or not. And lastly, I’m now reading A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog which is a “biography” of “Trixie” the Golden Retriever that auther Dean Koontz had for 9 years. We had a Golden, Shelby, for almost 12 years and there is not a day that goes by (seriously) that I don’t think of her and miss her. And even though she left us a bit over three years ago I still choke up if I think too long about her. And as I figured it would this book is bringing back some great memories of my Shelby so I’m enjoying reading it.
Whew! I think that’s enough for now. I’ll try not to be such a stranger to this blog in the future. But if you are at all interested I’m on Facebook and update that much more regularly! Just friend me there and mention my blog so I know that is how I “know” you and we can stay in touch that way, too!

Thanks for stopping by…

Still Rollin'...

2010-12-09T16:14:00.000-08:00

Wow. I haven’t posted on here in a while so it seems. I may have been neglecting my blog, but I have not been neglecting my workouts or other things that interest me (my wife, my job, my books, etc…) I’m not going to post a workouts update this time around as that list would be way too much scrolling to get through but suffice it to say I’ve been getting in my swimming, my cycling and my running on a very regular basis and I’m feeling good and the holiday pounds have stayed off so far.

I was recently contact by a representative at Saucony who asked if I’d be interested in trying out a new minimalist shoe of theirs. I told her I’ve been an Asics guy for years but would be willing to give the ProGrid Kinvara a run (pun intended!) so she sent me a pair. I love them. They are the lightest weight shoe I’ve ever run in and they are very flexible and surprisingly cushy given the light weight. They are also very cool looking and the tread pattern is aggressive and helps in the wet weather I tend to run in here. A bit later she also sent my some Protection Gloves and an Epic Run Vest with their new ViziPro technology. They ROCK! Not only are they an amazingly bright shade of orange that can be seen for a long ways but they have built in rechargeable LED lights that can either light the way or blink to alert drives. I use the one attached to the gloves to light the way for me and the one on the back of my vest to alert drives when I am out on a 4:30am run in the dark. They are wonderful and I highly recommend them.

In amongst getting all of my training sessions completed I’ve also gotten some more reading done. I recently finished reading Obama’s Wars and it really made me question how anything gets done in this country from a political standpoint. It seems that everyone within reach of the President is more worried about their title or position or office size or getting face time with him then they are with actually doing the job of running this country. The book was all about the wars that Obama inherited from Bush when he took office and how he is driven to get us out of Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan. We have been at war since September of 2001 and there is no end in sight. I bet we are still fighting these wars 10 years from now. And I also bet Osama bin Laden is still at large since he is no longer the focus of any of the wars and he was the reason we went to war in the first place. It is astounding the mess we are in and yet we keep sending 1,000’s more troops into the fray and they have no chance at success. I also think this whole mess could keep Obama from securing a 2nd term which is also a focus for him. Even as frustrated as this book made me it was a very good read and I’d recommend it.

Now I’m reading The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World and loving it so far. I’ll let you know what I think upon completion.
Next week I get to make my first trip to Madison, Wisconsin…and it’s not even for Ironman Wisconsin!

I’ll be getting trained (assimilated?) at the Epic Intergalactic World Headquarters so that should be fun. But it will be cold, cold, cold.

Thanks for stopping by…

Workouts, the NBA and Wars

2010-11-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

I’ve been following the Endurance Nation Out Season Plan for just over two weeks now and so far I’m liking it. I like the fact that I don’t have to spend tons of time just mindlessly spinning on the bike or running easy miles, but instead each workout is shorter and more intense and that is how I like to roll. I’m seeing my bike average speed over the same amount of time already increasing and hopefully that just keeps trending that way. In between my workouts I’ve finished one book and started another so let’s get to my recaps and reviews!

Saturday the 13th was a brick workout morning. The bike was 2x15 and 1x10 minute intervals after a 15-minute WU. The run was around my ‘hood on a very cold morning!
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 18.2-miles in 1:15 @ 14.5-mph.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 2.4-miles in 17:53 @ 7:24/m pace.

Sunday I was able to get out early enough to get my run in before we went to church. The run was a tempo run of 2m-easy the 1.5-hard, .5-easy, 1.5-hard and the remainder easy again. It felt great to throw some speed work back into the routine!
Stats for Sunday’s run: 6.7-miles in 49:49 @ 7:24/m pace.

Monday the 15th was a swim day and I was in the pool at 5AM. That never gets any easier.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 1,600-yards in 35:20 (36:20 w/rest) 4x400 w/20-sec. rests.

Tuesday was a 4:40AM bike trainer session that also included a 40-minute time trial to determine my Lactate Threshold Heart Rate (LTHR) that I then used to calculate my HR training zones for my training this winter and early spring. I’ll retest in a few weeks and hope to see an improvement.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14.2-miles in 1-hour. LTHR = 162.

Wednesday the 17th was another 5AM dip in the pool and I just tried to hold steady pacing.
Stats for Wednesday’s swim: 1,800-yards in 40:07 (41:21 w/rest) 6x300 w/15-sec. rests.

Thursday I was again on the bike at 4:40AM and my legs were a bit on the tired side. I started with 15 easy minutes then did 2x8 minute intervals at high intensity.
Stats for Thursday’s bike: 13.6-miles in 1-hour.

Friday the 19th I was outside in the early AM on a cold morning. No real speedwork other than 2x1-minute intervals at 5K pace or thereabouts.
Stats for Friday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:10 @ 7:37/m pace.

Saturday was another brick session that began with some intervals on the bike. The intervals, after a 10-min WU, were 2x8 and 2x10 minute Z5 HR spins. After which I was out the door for a short run around the hood at steady effort.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 14.2-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 2-miles in 15:29 @ 7:45/m pace.

Sunday the 21st I ran my longest run since the marathon on 10/24 and it felt wonderful! I can’t wait to get the run miles back up into double-digits. On this run I did a 5K time trial in the middle miles to get my LTHR for the run. This is the number I’ll use to calculate my running HR zones going forward.
Stats for Sunday’s run: 8.2-miles 59:53 @ 7:18/m pace. 5K @ 6:30/m pace. LTHR = 183.

Monday of this week began with a 4:40AM session on the bike once again. After a 15-minute WU it 2x12-minutes in Z5 and then Z4 to finish.
Stats for Monday’s bike: 14.6-miles in 1-hour.

Lastly, yesterday was another bike session and this time the hard part was 3x10-minutes in Z5.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14.7-miles in 1-hour.

I recently finished reading When The Game Was Ours by Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson. I LOVED it. I’m a huge fan of the NBA (Go Blazers!!!) so I loved reading all about the league of the 80’s when I was just getting into it. The book gave some insights into each Superstars childhoods and what drove them to become the two who saved the NBA and ushered it into the place we see it today with billions of dollars in revenue and endorsements and some of the world’s most recognizable athletes. Bird and Magic actually teamed together just before college on the USA National Team but didn’t really become friends there. Then they each went their separate ways to different colleges (all the while keeping an eye on each other’s stats lines) and then eventually met up in the NCAA Championship Game which Magic’s Michigan team won over Bird’s Indiana team. Then as luck would have it they ended up on opposite coasts each playing for one of the two most followed teams in the league – the Celtics and the Lakers. There was lots of great story telling about the epic battles they had with one another through the 80’s where Magic won 5 titles and Larry won 3. I’ve always known Bird and Magic were two of the best to ever lace up a pair of gym sneakers…but I never really appreciated how good they truly were until I read some of the highlights and the stats they put up. Unbelievable stats. The book followed their careers in depth, Larry’s back problems (which led to his retirement) and Magic’s HIV announcement (which led to his first and 3rd retirements) and their reunion on the 1992 Olympic Team where they anchored the original Dream Team that brought home the gold medal without ever having to even call a time-out. The last part of the book tells all about Magic’s business work after the NBA, his failed attempts at comebacks and how he is living with his HIV status. It also tells about Larry’s back surgeries, his head coaching gig with the Pacers whom he led to the NBA Finals (against the Lakers) and now his role as President of the Indiana Pacers. My one regret after reading this book is that I wish I had realized the history that was being made back in the heyday of Magic and Bird. I only really caught on towards the end of their careers and now I know we will never ever see another Larry Bird or Magic Johnson. I loved this book and would highly recommend it.

Now I’m going to read Obama’s Wars by Bob Woodward. It’s been in the press a lot lately and with the messy wars still going on I thought it timely to read this one. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day tomorrow! Get out there and ride or run a few extra miles so you can enjoy a huge meal with a little less guilt. I know I will be!

Thanks for stopping by…

Let's go...

2010-11-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

I very much enjoyed my two-week hiatus from all things cardio after the marathon. All of the little aches and pains that had developed over the course of my 2010 racing season are now a thing of the past, I’m feeling very good and it’s time to get going again. It was a highly successful season and I enjoyed all of it, but now it is time to begin the march towards Ironman finish #4 that I hope to get on June 26, 2011 in Coeur d’Alene, ID. I’ve been doing some reading so let me get a review out there and then I’ll update you on my current training regime and plan.

I recently finished reading The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ. This series of books looks at different beliefs in Christianity and then the author meets with highly-educated scholars or highly-placed members of different religious organizations to prove or disprove the question at hand. The questions in this book were was Jesus real? If so, was he truly born of a virgin mother, did he truly die on the cross, was he truly resurrected after death in a bodily form to walk amongst people again, and did he truly ascend to Heaven in his bodily form? All good questions and all are questions that everyone asks or thinks about from time to time. Of course if you go on the Internet you’ll find the answers you’re looking for regardless of which way you lean. But, according to the professors and church leaders the author met with on these topics and answer to each question is a resounding yes. You can choose to believe it or not – that’s up to you. But I do believe Jesus was real on Earth is still real in Heaven. However, if you aren’t so sure then you need to read this book. You are exactly the type of person it was written for and I’d recommend it.

Now I’m reading Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard that my Regional Director at work gave me. We are getting set to embark on a massive healthcare EMR project at work that will take 3-5 years and $850,000,000 to complete and with that comes some tremendous change within our organization and our entire healthcare system. This book will help us tasked with managing through this change to be better managers and help us deal with the change for ourselves and our teams. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

So I’ve started to get active again this week with some swimming, cycling and running once again. This week was an ease-back-into-it week before I start a new training regime next week. The plan I’m going to follow is an Out-Season Training Plan from Endurance Nation. The Ironman training plan that I used and tweaked for my first three IM finishes worked well and garnered me 11:29 in 2005, 10:50 in 2007 and 10:57 in 2009. But for 2011 I want to go 10:30 or thereabouts so I figured I’d change it up with a new training plan. I’ll follow the EN protocol of spending this off-season (out-season) building my “fast” with a TON of interval work on the bike and the run and then next spring I’ll add my “fast” on top of it. We’ll see how it goes, but that’s my plan!

But, in prep for starting that plan next week I’ve gotten in a few sessions this week to start easing back into things and here are those recaps…

Monday I hit the pool at 5AM for the first time since mid-August! And it sucked. It was hard, I was slow, the water was cold and I shortened the workout. But I was back in the pool so there’s that.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 1,600-yards in 36:28 (37:58 w/rest) 4x400 w/30-sec. rests.

Tuesday morning began with a 4:40AM session on the bike trainer which was also the first trainer session since mid-August! It didn’t suck, but I could tell it had been awhile since I last rode. Then at midday I got my run on for the first time since the marathon 16-days prior. It was wet and cold and windy and wonderful. After the initial shock wore off about 2-miles into I felt great and was loving the fact that I was running again.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:10 @ 8:05/m pace.

On Wednesday I was out the door at 5AM to run once again. It was warmer and drier than the previous day’s run and I was able to run a bit faster and it felt a bit easier.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:44 @ 7:42/m pace.

Thursday was another early morning bike trainer session and this time I did a couple of big-gear intervals but nothing to too crazy.
Stats for Thursday’s bike: 14.1-miles in 1-hour.

And lastly, this morning I was once more back in the cold pool at 5AM. This time it wasn’t quite as hard, I was a little bit faster and it felt a little bit easier.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 1,500-yards in 32:51 (34:51 w/rest) 5x300 w/30-sec. rests.

Thanks for stopping by…

Columbia Gorge Marathon Race Report

2010-10-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

Stats:
26.2-miles in 3:10:59 @ 7:14/m pace
5th place Overall
1st place M45-49 Age Group

Last spring when I signed up for the Columbia River Gorge Marathon I saw on the website that one shouldn’t run this race to set a new PR and shouldn’t run this race against the clock but should instead enjoy the views and scenery of this “challenging” course. That verbiage along with the elevation profile of the course told me this one would be a tough one. And it was. By far the hardest marathon course I’ve ever raced. Going into it I wasn’t sure what to expect due to the course and I also did not make up a pace bracelet or punch a goal time into my Garmin for pacing. With the hills I knew both of those things would be worthless so I figured I’d just run as fast I felt I could maintain at any given moment and see what happened. I know, not very scientific nor a very good race strategy but I figured what the heck. The only thing I told people when asked what time I’d try to run it in is that I was hoping to come in someplace between 3:15 and 3:30 which I did think I could do but wasn’t super confident anything better than that.

Saturday my lovely wife and I picked-up our daughter, Jennifer, and her husband Chris and made the 90-minute trek to Hood River. After getting checked into our hotel we made our way to packet pick-up to get our numbers and race goodies. There wasn’t much in the way of an expo, actually the only expo was a single vendor, so in short time we out the door and off to dinner of pizza and beer. Yep – that is carbo-loading in case you’re wondering.

The race didn’t start until 9:00am Sunday morning so we got to sleep in a bit which is highly unusual for marathon day. And with the first glance out the window all we saw was rain. Lots of rain. But by the time we made our way to the Start/Finish area the rain had stopped and we got sit in a heated tent before it was time to get in the starting chute. After good-bye hugs and a kiss from my wife I made my way to the front of the pack and lined myself up in the second row center. Without a lot of fanfare the race director counted down 3-2-1 and yelled GO! And with that we were off. The first ½ mile is around the marina area right on the Columbia River and then a foot bridge across the Hood River took us into town. I made sure I didn’t get caught up in going out too fast so there were several runners that passed me and I let them hoping I would see them later. At the 1.5-mile mark the course took its first nasty turn on us with a mile long switchback climb up to the Mark Hatfield Trail. It was very early in the race but while climbing the steep grade I was wondering if this course was going to be worse than I thought. But soon enough we were on the Mark Hatfield Trail which is closed to motorized traffic and extremely beautiful. The views down to the Columbia were outstanding as were the views of the Gorge and colorful fall leaves. But this is also the time that we got nailed with a downpour. It was raining so hard it was almost comical. In fact I was running along, soaked to bone in a matter of seconds and I held out my arms, looked to the sky and asked “really?” But a few minutes later the rain slowed to steady drizzle and then stopped for a while and that would continue throughout the race. While on the trail the course took us through the Mosier Twin Tunnels which were very, very cool. I’d never been in them but have always heard about them and they are amazing. They are also very dark! After getting through that stretch it was a steep downhill into the little burg of Mosier and the whole time the road was dropping into town all I could think of was that I have to climb this hill on the way back.

A couple more climbs and drops got us the Rowena Crest area and the gravel road. There was an aid station at a corner there and just after passing the aid station we hit the gravel and a jokingly steep section that felt more like hiking then it did running. But in this climb I was able to catch and pass a runner so cool. The few miles of gravel were not the best. It was a bit loose and it was fairly hard-packed over bigger rocks you had to watch out for lest you trip up on one or twist an ankle. We were up on a bluff surrounded by open fields and I could see runners up ahead which I always thrive on as it gives me a target to focus on. Just prior to the last big climb that got us back onto pavement I was able to catch and pass two more runners. I was now a very long downhill which was tough on the quads but I could see two more guys off in the distance so I focused on them and kept motoring. About 3 miles later I was running with them when we came to another little rise and one of them dropped off the pace. I ran just off the shoulder of “orange shoe guy” as I was calling him in my head and before long were chatting a bit. We came around a corner and there were two women out for a Sunday morning walk and as we ran by I heard one of them say “there goes 8 and there goes 9” so it looked like we were in the Top Ten. As were dropping down a steep and painful stretch back into Mosier “orange shoe guy” were chatting about the race and he made the comment that “…going back up that hill to the tunnel is probably going to do me in..” and I made a note of that. Once through town and hitting the foot of the 2-mile long nasty climb back up to the Mark Hatfield Trail I picked up the pace a bit to see if he’d hang with me. And he did. Bummer. So I picked it up a bit more and at that point I was able to drop him and that was the last I saw of “orange shoe guy” until the awards ceremony.

Back onto the trail the route climbed back up to the Twin Tunnels and an aid station. I thought that was the beginning of the downhill back into town but I was mistaken. Back through the dark tunnels and there was a mile to mile-and-a-half climb to the top before the drop back into Hood River. This is where the marathon and half-marathon course meet up so the rest of way in I would be dodging the half-marathon walkers. Once more I spotted a runner up ahead that I remember from when he blew by me on the foot bridge at that start. He looked like we was running pretty well so I didn’t know if five miles left me enough time to catch “gray shirt guy” but I focused on doing just that through some of the tougher miles. Then at mile 23 I came around a bend to face yet another uphill killer and I could see “gray shirt guy” walking! BooYah! He’s mine. He glanced back and began running again but soon enough I caught up to him and he says with a smile, “Hey, how ‘bout we tie?” I laughed and said, “sure thing but I wanna get done so you better keep up.” And with that I pulled away and started the long downhill back into town.

Of course the last 2-miles were on the nasty steep grade of switchbacks back into town and those actually hurt worse than climbing them at that point. But soon enough I was back down the hill with just over a mile of short steep climbs and drops that brought me to the foot bridge and the last ½ mile. I’d been glancing at my Garmin off and on throughout the race and knew that a 3:15 was within reach but with only a few miles to go I knew I could better that so I was thrilled to see I would do just that with a half-mile of muddy gravel access road to run to the finish area. And just like that…I came around the last corner onto the grass and into the finish chute where I gave a smile and wave to my wife and then crossed the finish line of marathon #18. I stopped my watch, looked down, saw a 3:10:58 and was extremely surprised and equally thrilled.

After Jennifer crossed the finish line (2nd marathon in two weeks!) in an impressive 4:05 we hung out until I could do the podium thing (again in the rain!) and then we hit the Full Sail Brewery and Pub where I had the very tastiest Full Sail cheeseburger w/fries and Amber Ale ever. It was a great day.

Thanks for stopping by…

Viva Las…Race Week!

2010-10-19T13:39:00.001-07:00

It’s been busy since my last post! My wonderful wife and I made a jaunt down to Las Vegas for some unwinding and some hot sunshine. I’ve also gotten down to the last few days before the Columbia Gorge Marathon but before I talk about that or my training let’s talk about Vegas!

We love going to Las Vegas! It’s our time to be Steven & Karen and not Dad & Mom or employees or anything else we want to get a break from. This time we stayed at Treasure Island or The TI as it is referred to there. It’s not the Bellagio, but it was nice and the room was clean and we had an awesome view of the strip! We did not purchase any show tickets this time because we did not want to have to be at any certain place at any certain time. We just wanted to let the day take us where it will and just go with the flow. And it was great. We did meet up with a coworker of my wife’s and his wife for drinks the first night and then we hit the strip after the sun had gone down and the lights had come on. We took the ride up to the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris and we took in the fountain show at the Bellagio and then we just wandered, and drank, and people watched.

The next day before going out to lie by the pool I met up with a long-time Blogger/e-mail/Facebook friend, John Vigil, whom I had never met in person. We met at Starbucks and before I knew it more than an hour had gone by we were just chatting up a storm. Very nice guy and it was great to finally meet him! Later that day my wife and I headed out again and took in a few of the shops Caesar’s Palace. That resort is phenomenal. I’d love to stay there the next time we go. Later that night we ended up at Gilley’s in The TI for some saloon fun and drinks. Although the mechanical bull was in action I didn’t drink enough to give it a try!

On the third day we again started with some pool lounging time before heading out again. This time we made the trek to the Stratosphere and the ride 112 stories straight up to enjoy the views from the observation decks. It was amazing! While we were up there we watched the rides in action but there was no way on God’s green earth either of us were going to give any of those a try. They are unbelievable. We then made our way back down the strip and ended up wandering the shops of the Venetian. That place is fantastic and is yet another one I’d love to stay in some time! The whole canal, cityscape and painted clouds inside are spectacular. But, as the saying goes…all good things have to end and our trip to Vegas did, too. We made our way back to The TI, caught our shuttle to the airport where I upgrade our seats to First Class and brought another awesome trip to Vegas to a close. Until the next one anyway!

All that Vegas fun aside, I do have a marathon this coming weekend and I have been getting in the last few training runs to prep for it and here are those recaps…

Friday the 8th I had a day-off from work to go with my wife to her bikini competition I mentioned in my last post (which she ROCKED and looked stunning in!) so I got my long-run done that morning before we hit the road.
Stats for Friday’s run: 14.3-miles in 1:47:21 @ 7:30/m pace.

Monday the 11th I had an early morning run and for some reason the legs were a bit sluggish but they came around a bit towards the end of the run.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:34 @ 7:40/m pace.

Tuesday I was out the door at 4:40AM again and it was COLD. I started with an easy mile then busted out five at Tempo Pace before ending with an easy one.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 7-miles in 51:25 @ 7:21/m pace.

Saturday the 16th was my first run post-Vegas and I felt a bit sluggish. The combo of three days off from running, all the food/drink in Vegas and hitting the last week of taper conspired against me to make this run feel harder than it should have.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:01:51 @ 7:33/m pace.

Sunday I got in one of the runs I missed while in Vegas. I kept it steady and even though it was faster than the previous day’s run it felt easier and I felt much better.
Stats for Sunday’s run: 6.11-miles in 44:52 @ 7:21/m pace.

Monday the 18th as also a make-up run so I kept it easy. It was 4:40AM again and it was freezing cold again. I wore the long pants, gloves and a beanie cap for the first time this year. Winter is coming.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.13-miles in 47:14 @ 7:42/m pace.

And lastly, this morning I was again outside in the pre-dawn darkness and cold and this time it was for my last true work-out run. It was an easy mile to kick it off then four @ Tempo Pace then an easy mile to finish it up.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.15-miles @ 45:05 @ 7:20/m pace.

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity with my wife’s competition in Southern Oregon, my marathon training and our trip to Las Vegas. But Sunday is marathon #18 for me and then I start TWO FULL WEEKS of downtime with zero physical activity. At least, that is my plan…we’ll see if I can last that long. I’ll post a race-report next week.

Thanks for stopping by…

Two weeks and then two weeks!

2010-10-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

I’ve been training or racing either running races or triathlons since February of this year. And in two weeks I will run the Columbia Gorge Marathon which will be my 18th marathon and starting as soon as I cross that finish line – NOTHING. I am going to take two weeks completely off of swimming, biking and running. Two weeks off to heal these old bones…and tendons…and muscles…everything. I am ready. But, I still have one more race to run this year and I plan to run it hard and go after the Age Group win. In order to have a shot at that I’ve been getting in plenty of training miles and here is a recap on how those have gone.

Thursday the 30th I was up and out the door at 4:30AM for hard effort near-marathon-pace run in the pre-dawn darkness. Even at that hour it was quite warm outside!
Stats for Thursday’s run: 11-miles in 1:19:21 @ 7:13/m pace.

Friday I was able to get out of the office for a midday run on a beautiful fall day. I decided to run the hills of Rocky Butte and it was so nice outside and I felt so good that I turned around and ran Rocky Butte again in the opposite direction. I nailed my pacing target even with all the hills that day!
Stats for Friday’s run: 12.1-miles in 1:30:20 @ 7:30/m pace.

Saturday the 2nd was my last long, long run. And it was a long one. I decided to run along the Willamette River this weekend again which is always nice. I got myself downtown and was running at 6:30am and before long the sun was coming up, the mist was rising off the river and scenery made the drive down worth it. I ran the Waterfront Park seawall section first before crossing over the Sellwood Bridge and picking up the Springwater Corridor Trail. On that I ran several miles out before turning around and running back to the Sellwood Bridge again but this time I continued on the trail to the Eastside Esplanade along the river and then eventually the return to Grand Central Bakery and my car. This was a long ways to run but I was able to negative split the distance, keep running strong the whole time and come in 6-seconds/m under goal pace without really trying too hard. It was an awesome run and I topped it off with meeting my daughter at Grand Central for coffee and food afterwards.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 22-miles in 2:42:48 @ 7:24/m pace.

Monday I was back outside at 4:30AM and this time it was cold! I had to pull the sleeves down over my fingers to keep them from going numb.
Stats for Monday’s run: 10.1-miles in 1:15:58 @ 7:32/m pace.

Tuesday the 5th I actually had to be outside at 4:15AM due to a class I didn’t want to be late to. And again it was cold but this time I busted out the gloves. This run included 4x1m repeats with ½-mile recovery.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 9-miles in 1:05:15 @ 7:15/m pace.

Wednesday’s run was another 4:15AM out the door with gloves and layers on as it was cold! A perfectly clear sky and many stars but cold. I felt a bit sluggish on this one and never really felt like I got it rolling very well. But I got it done.
Stats for Wednesday’s run 10-miles in 1:16:17 @ 7:38/m pace.

And lastly, this morning I got to sleep in a bit and wasn’t outside until 4:40AM. Today’s workout was a tempo run and for that I started out with two easy miles then cranked the pace up for five miles before ending with another easy two miles.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 9.1-miles in 1:06:57 @ 7:21/m pace.

Today is my Friday! I’m taking tomorrow off so I can go with my wife to Seven Feathers Resort and Casino for the weekend. It won’t be all fun and games though because she is competing in her 2nd bikini/fitness competition in the Seven Feathers Classic! I am so very, very proud of the hard work and dedication she has put into getting her body ready for this show. She looks amazing and her diet is not something I could handle so it is very impressive. I really want her to do well in her division and I’m confident she will. She’s done the work.

Thanks for stopping by…

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

2010-09-29T15:10:00.001-07:00

As endurance athletes we tend to find something that works or we like and stick with it for good or bad. Most of the time that is OK, but every once in a while it is good to change things up. When it comes to marathon training I’m one of those that like (needs!) to follow a set plan. I’ve done it for years, but I’ve also changed my plan through my running career as I’ve gotten stronger and faster as a runner, older and wiser, and just more experienced. My last few marathons I’ve followed my plan that keeps me just under 60-miles for my two heaviest volume weeks with my three 20-mile runs spread over six weekends. My half-Ironman race schedule caused me to change that up a bit and I further changed that up by running back-to-back-to-back 64-66-mile weeks with a 20-mile, 21-mile, and this weekend a 22-mile run on three consecutive Saturdays. I’ve never done three 20+-mile runs in a row before…but so far so good. I’m not sure how that will play out on marathon day, but I am looking forward to getting through this last 65+ mile week and Saturday’s 22-mile run.
But, all that aside, I’ve been plugging away at my training runs with consistency and it’s time to get caught up on posting those results. Here are my recaps…

Tuesday the 21st I ran a midday run on a warm and sunny day which can be challenging enough. But, of course, I had to go and add a run up Rocky Butte to that mix to make it even more so. That’s how I like to roll.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 10.2-miles in 1:17:24 @ 7:34/m pace.

On Wednesday I ran the exact same route as the day before, but in opposite direction. It ended up being .1-mile longer…go figure. It was again warm and sunny and my legs weren’t feeling quite as tired and Rocky Butte didn’t seem so nasty.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 10.3-miles in 1:17:27 @ 7:31/m pace.

Thursday the 23rd I had to run at 4:30am due to my work schedule that day and it was a bit cool and wet out there. For some reason I could not get the legs to cooperate and this run felt a bit worse than it should have.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 9-miles in 1:09:58 @ 7:46/m pace.

Saturday morning I headed into downtown Portland to run my long run along Waterfront Park and on the Springwater Corridor. It was an amazingly beautiful morning – just stunning. For the first few miles the city, bridges, and Willamette River were shrouded in fog but as the sun rose and the rays cast eerie beams through the fog the sky was a brilliant blue and it was just spectacular. I ran a nice even pace for the first 10 or so miles then picked it up for the return trip a little. The legs were warmed up, the temps were perfect, I was feeling good and I’m like a horse headed to the barn on the return trip so I was able to negative split the run. It was a great, great run.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 21-miles in 2:37:08 @ 7:29/m pace. See the Garmin data and map here.

Tuesday the 28th I was again forced out of bed at a very unfriendly hour and was out the door for a run at 4:30am. And it was very uncharacteristically warm, muggy, sticky and just nasty. I ran a Tempo run with the first 2-miles being easy then the next 6-miles being just under marathon goal pace and the last 2-miles easy again. Other than being overheated and sweating like a pig even at that hour the run was a good one.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 10.1-miles in 1:14:12 @ 7:23/m pace.

And finally, today’s run was a bit longer than a normal midday run, but I was able to get out and do it. I also used the Virtual Partner on my Garmin Forerunner 305 for the first time and that was very cool! I told it how far I wanted to run and what pace I wanted to maintain and then the little pixel runner guys raced each other. I won even though I fell nearly ½ mile behind climbing up Rocky Butte. Stats for Wednesday’s run: 11-miles in 1:21:50 @ 7:26/m pace.

I’ve got two more tough runs planned for this week and then I get to enter Taper Mode and back-off a little bit. I’m looking forward to that.

Thanks for stopping by…

Run, run, read and then run some more

2010-09-20T10:12:00.001-07:00

Marathon training continues to go well and I’ve had some great training runs of late. I’ve also racked up some pretty big miles with back-to-back weeks of nearly 65-miles per week. Due to my full calendar at work I’ve been doing a lot of very early morning running which is kind of nice, but I do miss the daylight at times. Let’s get to the updates…

Thursday the 9th I was able to run at midday and also able to run a new route that had me climb up and over Rocky Butte for the first time. It is very cool. It is just over 3-miles from the office so I can only run it on longer run days which don’t happen very often from the office unfortunately. The road up/down is narrow and twisty, but the visibility is decent enough that I wasn’t worried about the few cars I encountered. And the views are wonderful! On one side it looks out on Mt. Hood, and then there is the Columbia River and PDX, then going down the other side are views of downtown Portland and the tallest of the bridges off in the distance. Very cool. And even with those significant hills ran I was able to come in 3-secs/m under my target pace.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 10.3-miles in 1:15:26 @ 7:22/m pace.

On Friday I had to be out the door and running at 4:30AM and that is never easy, but one gets use to it. There was a bit of drizzle that morning but the temps were good, I felt good and so I pushed the pace just a bit.
Stats for Friday’s run: 10.03-miles in 1:11:48 @ 7:10/m pace.

Saturday the 11th I ventured into downtown Portland to run my long-run along the Willamette River. And it was a spectacular run! The morning was beautiful and the temps were perfect. Even though that run came at the end of a lot of miles for the week I felt really good, ran strong, and came in under my goal pace without straining. All good!
Stats for Saturday’s run: 18-miles in 2:13:44 @ 7:26/m pace. Click here to see the Garmin data.

On Monday I was up and out by 4:30AM because my run was a bit too long to due at midday. It was a perfectly clear pre-dawn morning, I was able to hold the pace very steady and I came in at 1-sec/m off my goal pace.
Stats for Monday’s run: 12-miles in 1:30:43 @ 7:34/m pace.

Tuesday the 14th was yet another pre-dawn run and this time there was some speedwork tossed in, too. I ran the first 2-miles easy and then cranked the pace down under 7/m for the next 7-miles before finishing with an easy mile to get home. I love Tempo runs.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 10.02-miles in 1:12:42 @ 7:13/m pace.

Wednesday morning I was out early for a steady-pace effort on another beautiful pre-dawn morning. But even at that time it was very warm and within a mile I was wishing I had worn short sleeves! But the run was good and I was just under goal pace.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 12-miles in 1:30:35 @ 7:33/m pace.

Thursday the 16th it was warm, muggy and drizzly when I headed out into the darkness. I think all the miles of the week caught up to me a bit on this day as I was hoping to push the pace a bit then hold it steady to finish at ~6:50/m or so and I just couldn’t quite get there. I held it where I could and pushed as I could.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 11.3-miles in 1:19:26 @ 7:01/m pace.

My long run on Saturday was again along the Willamette River downtown. I ran the first mile with my daughter, Jennifer, and her friend, Brent, to get them to the “real” route then took off. It was a very warm and very muggy morning and it wasn’t long before the sweat was running and I was glad to have one short sleeves! Just before the turn-around I saw my running friends, George, Fran and Cormac, headed back and the chase was on. They had a lead on me and I wanted to keep the pace somewhat tame, but I did pick it up enough to negative split the run. Eventually I caught the guys with ~2-miles left to go and was able to finish strong.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 20-miles in 2:28:25 @ 7:25/m pace. Click here to see the Garmin data.

Lastly, this morning I was back out the door at 4:30am to get my run on. My legs were tired and I never quite got to the pace I wanted to hold. So I just steady and even as best I could.
Stats for Monday’s run: 10.06-miles in 1:17:16 @ 7:41/m pace.

This weekend I was able to finish reading Malcolm Gladwell’s “What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures.” It is a compilation of some of his best work while he was writing for the New Yorker. And it was, as usual for him, fascinating. Each “story” gave an insight or view on something very common, yet in a way that most people would never think to research. I particularly loved the work on “choking versus panicking” and why we see one in sports but not the other. And he also tells how and why JFK, Jr. crashed his plane because of one or the other…I won’t give it away. I also enjoyed his expose on The Dog Whisperer as well as his take on why great college quarterbacks fail in the NFL nearly 75% of the time. He used Joey Harrington as an example and that hit close to home since my daughter went to the University of Oregon while Joey was there winning all those games. Taken #3 in the NFL draft and after short NFL career with the Lions and Dolphins he is now out of the league and Gladwell explains why. His books are thought-provoking and fascinating every time. This one was no exception and I’d highly recommend reading it.

Now I’m going to read “The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ” by Lee Strobel. I’ve read a couple of his books and they always make you re-think what you think you already know. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

Thanks for stopping by…

Relays and Halfs and Books…oh my!

2010-09-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

Time to get caught up on the ol’ blog! I’ve been on vacation and doing fun things and reading fun books but now I’m back at the grind. As far as training updates go…yes I’ve been doing a lot of running but no swimming and no cycling. I’m not going to list out my training runs this time otherwise this post would become way too long. Instead I’m going to give short race reports on two recent races and a couple of book reviews and here we go…
My vacation started out with a bang Friday the 27th and my 8th Hood-to-Coast (HTC) Relay Race. And this was the first one I got to run with my daughter and son-in-law so that was an added benefit for me. For those that don’t know about HTC it was a relay race from Timberline Lodge 6,000-feet up the side of Mt. Hood and winds 197-miles through Oregon to the small beach town of Seaside on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The teams are made up of 12 runners in 2 vans and each runner runs 3 legs of varying length and degree of difficulty. This year I was runner #10 which was not a leg I have done before so I only have 4 more to do and then I will have done them all. Someday I’ll be able to say “I’ve run from Timberline Lodge to Seaside. It took me 12 years, but I did it!” My first run just outside the town of Gresham on the Springwater Corridor and that occurred at ~9pm Friday night. It was still warm out and by then it was dark but my Pez headlamp I found my way. My second run was at ~6am Saturday morning near the very small burg of Mist. It was just getting daylight and sky was a beautiful blue but it was a little cold. Until I started running and my first 2-miles were straight uphill. And my 3rd and last leg was just outside Seaside at ~3pm Saturday afternoon. It was very warm and my legs were not liking it all but I was doing all I could to add to my roadkill (runners passed) count and ended up at exactly 50 roadkills this year. After the finish line activities of crossing the line with our entire team and then getting our photos taken we hit the food vendors and beer garden and both were exactly what I needed! I loved being able to spend that time crammed in a van with my daughter and her husband and their friends and I’m so glad they have chosen a healthy lifestyle like the old man.
Stats for HTC Leg #1 = 6.23-miles in 41:15 @ 6:37/m pace.
Stats for HTC Leg #2 = 6.81-miles in 45:51 @ 6:44/m pace.
Stats for HTC Leg #3 = 4.15-miles in 27:50 @ 6:42/m pace.
Stats for HTC overall = 17.19-miles in 1:54:56 @ 6:41/m pace.

While enjoying my vacation and time spent in Manzanita after Hood-To-Coast, and a few days spent in Newport, OR. enjoying Nye Beach, the Old Bay Front, the Hatfield Marine Science Center, and the Rogue Brewery I was able to finish the book Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi. I loved this book. I played tennis all through high school and into my early 30’s and have always loved it. I gave it up when running and triathlon came into my life and needed more time. I’ve followed Andre and his career since he broke onto the scene and he’s always been one of my favorite players. His book was tremendous! Funny, sad, eye-popping, revealing and a wonderful read! I had no idea that he hates tennis with such a passion. Hates it with all his heart mostly due to his overbearing father forcing it on him from the time he was in the crib. Andre was forced to quit school in 8th grade to pursue tennis. He was forced to leave home and live at a tennis academy he hated to pursue tennis. And he persevered and to become number one in the world more than once and the holder of an Olympic Gold Medal and 8 Grand Slam titles including the Career Slam which means winning the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. Such names as Borg, Connors, McEnroe, Lendl, Nadal, and Sampras have not done that. But Andre did and not only that, he came back from an all-time low ranking of 141 in the world to win two more Grand Slams. He was married to Brooke Shields for two dreadful years but is now happily married to Steffi Graf who is also an Olympic Gold Medalist, a Career Grand Slam winner (won all four in the same calendar year!) and the holder of 14 Grand Slam titles. While Andre’s back has pretty much stopped him from most activities he is now in a good place in life and spends all his time running the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy for children in need in Las Vegas. This was an excellent book.

Now I’m reading What The Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Macolm Gladwell and it is a compilation of his best work while writing for the New Yorker. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

I ended my week off in grand fashion with another race. On Sunday I ran the inaugural Wine Country Half-Marathon put on by Destination Races. Given that HTC was less than a week ago and I had nearly 40-miles of running on my legs by this point in the week I wasn’t sure what to expect from this race. There were several people from my office running it (including two of my employees and my CIO) otherwise I may have skipped it but I showed up and was hoping for something in the 1:40 or so range. The race is a point-to-point and the finish line is in the small town of Carlton ~30-minutes from my house so I arrived there at 5:30am and caught one of the shuttle buses to Stoller Vineyards and the starting line festivities. I must say that this race was a MUCH bigger deal than I was expecting a new race to be! There were close to 1,800 runners/walkers, filming crews, TV coverage and live action coverage from a helicopter. I had no idea. At about 7am we began making our down the long driveway to the start area and after some more loud music and announcements we were on our way. I wore my Garmin Forerunner 305 and I’m not sure if the race was wrong or my Garmin but it was consistently off a bit from the course mile markers. I had 1.2-miles to their 1-mile, I showed 9.14-miles to their 9-miles and ultimately I showed 13.3-miles to their 13.1-miles. Oh well. The course itself was very scenic and wound around the wine making towns of Dundee and Lafayette before winding backroads through the beautiful vineyards of Oregon. There weren’t any monster hills of note but lots of short and steep rollers. And at mile 8 or so we went onto a gravel road that lasted the next 4 miles or so that I didn’t care much for since I could feel my feet slip with each push-off and I knew that was just wasted energy and lost forward momentum! I had some miles from 9 to about 12 that were a bit hurtful and had me wondering if my race planning was what it could be but soon enough I was back on pavement running past the “Welcome to Carlton!” sign and less than a mile to go. I crossed the line several minutes sooner than I expected to and feeling pretty good so I think the race went well and I will be back to do it again next year. But I will rest a bit before it next year!
Race Stats:
13.1-miles in 1:30:57 @ 6:57/m pace. #4 in M45-49 AG, #22 OA
Garmin Stats: click here
13.3-miles in 1:30:57 @ 6:50/m pace. I hit 13.1-miles in 1:29:30 @ 6:50/m pace. And finally, with a wonderful 10-miler this morning (7:25/m pace) under starlit skies at 4:45AM I am now moving into marathon training mode in prep for the Columbia Gorge Marathon on October 24th. That will be marathon #18 for me!

Thanks for stopping by…

Done resting, let’s get moving!

2010-08-23T13:09:00.001-07:00

I’ve enjoyed five days of sleeping in, no swimming, no biking, and no running since Sunday’s race, but now it is time to get out there and get moving again. At least the running part since I have marathon #18 coming up on October 24th. I have gotten started again so I have a couple of updates there and with all of this free time I’ve gotten in some reading so I have a book review, too.

On Saturday I drove into downtown Portland to my run on along the Willamette River. I haven’t run on the waterfront since early April when my daughter and I were training for the Boston Marathon together. It was wonderful to be down there again! The weather was perfect with clear skies and the sun just coming up over Mt. Hood when I left Grand Central Bakery at the start of my run. I was completely solo with nothing but my tunes and thoughts to keep me company and it was great. There were many other runners and walkers and some cyclists out and about but I just motored along and did my own thing. The first couple of miles were a bit rough since I hadn’t run in nearly a week, but I quickly settled into a nice rhythm and the miles and sights just clicked by. See the Garmin data here.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 14.1-miles in 1:48:18 @ 7:40/m pace.

Today my work schedule dictated that I run in the early morning before work or not run at all so an early morning run it was. Way early. I was out the door at 4:45am because I needed time for a bit longer run run at a fairly easy pace. It was dark and cool out at that hour, but it was quiet, peaceful and wonderful with the stars still visible and very little traffic. I kept the pace easy and steady and loved it.
Stats for Monday’s run: 8.9-miles in 01:09:58 @ 7:52/m pace.

Last week I was able to finish reading Going Long: Training for Triathlon's Ultimate Challenge, 2nd Edition. It was very similar to the first edition, but they have expanded the information regarding use old guys…I mean, Masters Athletes. There is also some expanded information on nutrition and on strength training. This book gets way down into the weeds when it comes to Ironman training and talks a lot about the physiological changes that should happen and why. There is good data on what to eat and when and why and how it impacts the athlete. Some of the information was good to read again as a reminder and refresher so I’ll thumb through it again as my training towards Ironman #4 really gets going next spring. But all of that being said, if you already have the first edition of Going Long I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that you buy the 2nd edition because there just isn’t that much difference between the two.

I’m currently reading Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

I’m going to go a little easy on the running this week since I’ll be running in my 8th Hood-to-Coast Relay Race on Friday & Saturday. I’ll give a report on how that goes with my next post.

Thanks for stopping by…

Ironman Lake Stevens 70.3 Race Report

2010-08-16T15:12:00.001-07:00

Way back in January or February of this year when I was planning my race year out I thought with no Ironman on the calendar this year it would be a good time to do some of the races I haven’t been able to get to in the past. So I looked up the Troika Half-Ironman triathlon which has been a staple of the Pacific Northwest tri seen for 30 years and found that it was on August 1st. Perfect - so I signed up. But I knew I’d want to do more than just that one so a bit later I looked up Ironman Lake Stevens 70.3 and found that it was two weeks later. I paused for a moment contemplating the fact that they were two weeks apart, asked myself how hard could that be when I get two weeks between them, and then signed up. Seemed like a fine idea back in February but today? Not so much. But before I give you my race report from yesterday’s fun, let me get caught up on my last week of tri-training sessions…

Tuesday the 10th began with a 4:45am session in the bike with a couple of short intervals tossed in and then a quick transition run around the neighborhood.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.3-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 3-miles in 23:44 @ 7:55/m pace.

Wednesday was another early morning spin on the bike trainer with time spent in the small-ring at a higher cadence. Then another easy run around the neighborhood to finish the workout.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 11.3-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 4.3-miles in 33:36 @ 7:49/m pace.

Thursday the 12th started out with a 5AM swim where I kept the effort level fairly low but steady. Then at midday I was out the office door for a final tune-up run done at an easy pace, on a hot day, with a few strides thrown in.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 1,800-yards in 34:59 (35:59 w/rest) 3x600 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:39 @ 7:7:41/m pace.

And finally, my last triathlon training session of the year was a 5AM swim on Friday morning that was both short and easy effort.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 1,500-yards in 28:25 (29:25 w/rest) 5x300 with 15-sec. rests.

Now, the race report: My ever supportive and ever wonderful wife and I made the trek up I5 to Everett, WA (north of Seattle) on Saturday and got checked-in to the host hotel which was also where packet pick-up and the Ironman Expo were located. After getting settled into the room I made my way down for the mandatory athlete meeting and packet pick-up and ran into my friends Tom, George, Troy, and Adam. After attending the meeting and hearing all the do’s, don’ts and rules I got my race packet and then got my bike numbered and ready to check in. Karen and I headed out to the little town of Lake Stevens, WA (east of Everett) and immediately loved it. A nice little town with some spectacular homes with lake front property and it was beautiful. And hot with temps in the upper 90’s which was great for all the folks out on the water or lounging on their private docks, but not so great for someone like me who knew the next day would be equally hot. I got my bike racked in the proper spot then we made our way back to Everett and a nice dinner in a little Italian place we found.

Sunday we were up at 4:15am and of course there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. We got ready to go and made our way back out to Lake Stevens and I got my transition spot set up, chatted with some more friends, and eventually made my way to the swim start with Karen and everyone else. The morning was spectacular and the lake was still and beautiful while we waited for the race to start. Soon it was time so with a kiss good-bye I made my way to the dock and the start of my race day.

Swim:
The swim start was in waves based on gender and age with my group taking off at 7:06AM. At 7:04AM we got into the water which was very warm but not unpleasantly so. I got my goggles situated and then waited for the horn to sound which it did shortly. Lake Stevens is used by the Rowing Club and there is a white cable about 6-feet underwater that the swim course follows most of the way. The problem is that everyone knows that and everyone wants to swim right over it and not have to site on the race buoys. So there is a lot of pushing and shoving and inadvertent hitting that happens. I was able to see the cable at times, but mostly I was off too far to the side to use it so I was having to try to find buoys in the bright sun. I felt pretty good on the swim and my effort level was good and I thought fairly steady so when I came out of the water I was disappointed to see my time was 5-minutes slower than it was two weeks prior and I had the ominous feeling that this might be a tough day.
SWIM: 1.2-miles in 42:05, #74 of 124 in my age group.

Bike:
I got changed into my bike gear and got headed out of town with a quick hello to my wife as I pedaled past. There is a ~5-mile section that took us out to the two-loop course. The temps weren’t too bad, but with 1,500 athletes taking to the course it quickly became somewhat congested. The route winds through some gorgeous back-country around Lake Stevens and another equally beautiful lake at mile 10. There was some decent shade in spots but also full-on sun in more spots. I knew not too take the first loop to hard based on some tips from friends that have raced this in the past so I just settled into a nice rhythm and kept it rolling. The hills on this course are numerous and of varying degrees of difficulty but most of them were steep enough or long enough that they were not easy. Particularly one very long and very steep hill that was arrow-straight for 1/4-1/2 a mile and completely exposed to the sun. That one hurt and hurt worse the second time. But there were also some good downhill sections that I could get some speed going (top speed for me yesterday: 49.6-mph) but unfortunately there were too many other cyclists too really let it go so I found I was on the brakes when I shouldn’t have been. Bummer. The other unfortunate thing was that I just didn’t feel like I could get going on the bike. I had to force myself to hydrate and take in calories and I just didn’t feel like doing so. That was a first for me. But when half the ride had past I hadn’t eaten anything nor finished a complete water bottle yet I knew I could be in real trouble on the run so I started forcing it down. Towards the end of the ride I was able to do some math and knew I was well off my pace from two weeks ago and ultimately did finish the ride 16-minutes slower. It was a hotter day and a tougher course, but I still think I could have done better here. See the Garmin data here.
BIKE: 56.4-miles in 3:01:51 @ 18.5-mph, I moved up to #59 of 124 in my age group.

Run:
I quickly got into my run gear and headed out onto the run course under what was now a blazing sun. The very first section was right down Main Street and was lined with cheering people which is always fun. I was able to wave to my beautiful wife once again and also saw some of my Ironheads teammates and friends. Right around the first corner was the first big climb of the two-loop run course. Already there were many athletes walking but I just geared down a bit and motored on. Once at the top I got back into a rhythm and began passing people. The run portion of this race was tough. The course is hilly and it was very hot. But I made sure to get some water at every aid station and some water on me, too. I found myself not wanting to eat anything nor take in any Gatorade which are both firsts for me. But, I made sure to drink water and take advantage of the kids that were spraying us with water whenever I could. The course is laid out nicely in that when it really starts to hurt you run back through the heart of town and large crowd and that really helps. And that happens five times so there were plenty of opportunities to see my wife and friends when the going got tough. The run had several smaller climbs but there were two significant climbs that made a lot of people walk. But soon enough I was on the last section and could see and hear the finish line activities across the lake and put on one last push. Even though my run was ~2-minutes slower than two weeks ago it was a hotter day, on a tougher course and I was able to negative split the run so not all was lost. See the Garmin data here.
RUN: 13.1-miles in 1:38:55 @ 7:33/m, I moved up to #31 of 124 in my age group.

Total = 5:29:10, #31 of 124 in the M45-49 age group.

While the conditions were not optimal and I didn’t feel like I was firing on all cylinders it was still a fun event in a beautiful location. I got to road-trip and hang out my amazing wife and I got to hang out a bit with a lot of my buddies and all of that makes it a great time with no regrets. Now, I’m resting my old bones for a few days and looking forward to running in my 8th Hood-To-Coast Relay Race with my daughter and son-in-law.
Thanks for stopping by...

Race Week!

2010-08-09T14:40:00.001-07:00

This is race week again for me as I’ll be racing the Ironman Lake Stevens 70.3 on Sunday. Last week was a combo recovery/taper week so my training load was way down which gave me some reading time in which I finished another book. So, here are my training updates and a book review:

Wednesday the 4th, after two full days off, I hit the pool for an easy paced steady state swim.
Stats for Wednesday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 38:35 (39:35 w/rest) 4x500 w/20-sec. rests.
Thursday I again hit the pool at 5AM for a little longer swim done at just under tempo pace.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 48:32 (49:32 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.

Friday the 6th I hopped on the bike at 4:40AM for an easy spin. No intervals, no huge gears.
Stats for Friday’s bike: 13.3-miles in 1-hour.

Saturday I got outside on the road bike for an easy ride with the guys. The Plasma and Zipp wheels stayed home clean and safe in the garage. I rode out to Gaston with Mike and Jay, where we met up with Troy. All fellow Ironheads teammates. The ride out was very leisurely with Mike and Jay. The ride back with Troy was a bit faster at a little higher average HR, but I felt good and we were still able to chat and get caught up. I ran a steady-paced T-run right off the bike around the neighborhood.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 49.6-miles in 2:58 @ 16.7-mph. See Garmin Connect data here.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 4.3-miles in 32:03 @ 7:27/m pace.

Sunday the 8th I was out the door early before church to get in my “long” run. It was a very nice morning, but warmer than I thought it was so I worked up a good sweat. Kept the pace steady and tossed in a few strides at the end.
Stats for Sunday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:05 @ 7:54/m pace. See Garmin Connect data here.

And lastly, this morning I was back in the pool for my last long swim of the season! I kept the pace steady and just focused on form.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 57:58 (58:58 w/rest) 5x600 w/15-sec. rests.

The book I finished this weekend was Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things. My wife and I recently got caught up in watching some of the TLC or A&E channel shows on hoarders and the struggles they endure. I bought this book for my wife who is fascinated with this whole illness. And the book taught me that that is exactly what this is – an illness. I’ve watched the show and thought these people were freaks. Just throw the damn thing away! How hard can it be?! Well, it is extremely hard for people that have OCD with hoarding and they cannot do it. Some think the items can be used in the future, some think the items will have their “feelings” hurt if they are thrown out, and some think they need all of this stuff to feel loved by them. Sad and strange, quite honestly. The book told the stories of several individuals with this affliction and it is truly amazing the agony they go through by living that way but being unable to do anything about it. And the animal hoarders are equally amazing. If you’ve seen either of those shows then you would like this book, but even if you haven’t seen the shows this is an entertaining and informational book. I liked it and would recommend it.

Now I’m reading the 2nd Edition of Going Long: Training for Triathlon's Ultimate Challenge by Gordo Bryn and Joel Friel. I read the first edition back in 2005 in prep for my first Ironman and now that I’ve signed up for my fourth Ironman, I’m going after a new PR (~10:30!) and this is a newly updated edition I figured I read it again. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

My race is on Sunday and it would be great to improve on my recent Half-Ironman PR of 5:05, but you never know. Different course, different day…anything could happen. Check back next week for my results and race report.

Thanks for stopping by…

Troika Half-Ironman Race Report

2010-08-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

Before I get to the detail of yesterday’s race, let me get caught up on posting my last week of taper mode workouts:

Tuesday the 27th was an easy session on the bike trainer with a couple of short intervals then a run off the bike around the hood.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike = 12.6-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 4.3-miles in 34:09 @ 7:57/m pace.

Wednesday was more of the same but a steady-state bike and a little shorter/faster run off the bike. Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 13-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 3-miles in 22:59 @ 7:40/m pace.

Thursday the 29th was an early morning swim at 5AM with some interval work. Then at midday it was out the door on a beautiful day for an easy run with a few strides at the end.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 1,800-yards in 34:40 (35:40 w/rest) 4x450 w/20-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:09 @ 7:56/m pace.

And finally, my last workout before the race was a short Friday morning swim done at just under race pace.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 1,500-yards in 28:28 (29:28 w/rest) 3x500 w/30-sec. rests.
Troika was my “A” race this year and the one I focused on the most. I was going to go after a new PR at the Half-Ironman triathlon distance and having set the current PR when I was nearly 5-years younger I knew it could be tough. My wonderful support crew/beautiful wife and I made the 6+ hour drive to Spokane, WA. on Saturday morning and arrived in town in the early afternoon. After getting settled at the hotel we made our way to packet pick-up and then out to dinner at an out of the way but great little brew pub called Northern Lights Brewing Co. We then spent a bit of time walking around the wonderful Spokane River Front Park before getting back to the room so I could get my bike prepped and transition bags set up.

Race morning we awoke to clear, but still dark, skies with only a few clouds out on the horizon. We met fellow Ironheads, LeAnne and Ashley, in the lobby where we loaded up bikes and gear before heading out to West Medical Lake where the swim and T1 took place. It was a bit chilly in the pre-race hour but not too bad. There was the usual pre-race transition area set-up and nervous chatter going on. About 30-minutes before the race I looked up from whatever it was I was doing and there was my good friend and training buddy, Jay, standing there with his bike and gear in hand! What a surprise! He decided Friday morning to head up to the race and wanted to arrive in stealth mode which he accomplished big-time! Just before 7AM I kissed my lovely wife good-bye and made my way into the lake.

Swim
The water was very warm which felt great at first. But then I wondered if I was going to get too warm in my wetsuit, but that wasn’t really an issue. When the horn sounded I hung back just a little to let most of the crowd get in front of me so I wouldn’t have faster swimmers climbing over the top of me out there. For the most part the swim went very well and I stayed focused on my form and reach, but it was very crowded. It never really thinned out so there was body contact almost the entire way around the one-loop course. I felt great and kept the pace as steady as I thought I could maintain for the entire distance. I was hoping to complete the swim in 39-40 minutes.
Swim = 1.2-miles in 37:34

T1 = 4:42. Yes, I need to work on this one!

Bike
For this race I’d decided I’d push the bike a little harder than I have in previous races and just hope I didn’t push it so hard so to negatively impact my run. The bike course doesn’t have mega-long (Richter Pass at Ironman Canada) or super-steep (Mt. Bachelor at Pacific Crest) but it has many, many climbs that are short and steep and enough to make it hurt. The bike course itself is as scenic and view filled as any I’ve ever been on but there was a lot of chip seal and rough surfaces that weren’t so fun. I did have the misfortune of getting stopped by a train at a point that I was really in the groove and cruising which was tough. I took that minute off my time, but it was probably closer to 90-seconds but I’ll give those to them and error on the side of being conservative. The parts of the course along the Spokane River were stunning for the scenery, but it was a trail/road that was very rough and had many climbs. But after that it was a push back into town and crowds which there weren’t a lot of out on the bike course! I was hoping to complete the bike in 2:45:-2:50.
Bike = 56-miles in 2:45:44 at 20.3-mph. See the Garmin data here.

T2 = 1:05. That was a good one.

Run
The run, while it hurts the most, is still my favorite and best discipline. I knew when I started the run that most of my Ironhead’s teammates were in front of me but the one I wanted to catch was Jay. Off I went and the first mile is through River Front Park with some good crowds and some shade because by now the sun was out and the temps were climbing. My legs felt OK but weren’t quite firing like I hoped they’d be. At the aid stations I’d grab some water and sponges to soak myself with and I’d alternate water and Heed (nasty stuff!) for drinking. The run course also winds along the Spokane River on the Centennial Trail and is an out-n-back course with very little shade. I got nearly to the turn-around before I saw my buddy Jay who was about a half-mile ahead of me. As we passed each other he says “run faster so you can catch me!” and then the chase was really on. The run back into town while a bit warmer also felt better since my legs had finally come around for me so I was able to pick up the pace a bit. When I hit the 11-mile marker I was beginning to think I wouldn’t catch my friend but then saw him up ahead and picked it up a bit more. It wasn’t until the final half-mile that I was able to catch up to him, chat for a minute, and then pull away to the finish.
Run = 13.1-miles in 1:37:17 at 7:21/m pace. See the Garmin data here.

Total time of 5:05:22 and a new PR by 12-minutes. Who says getting older means getting slower!

The Troika Half-Ironman was a lot of fun and I’d recommend this race. However, while this year it marked its 30th Anniversary it is a very, very low-key event without any of the hoopla seen at other races. But if you’re looking for a well-organized and well-run race in a beautiful location this race is a good one to choose!

Now, I’ll take a couple of days off before training just hard enough to maintain my fitness and do this all again at the Ironman Lake Stevens 70.3 in two weeks. I won’t be chasing the PR again at that one, but it will be fun nonetheless. Thanks for stopping by…

Race Week!

2010-07-26T13:32:00.001-07:00

I’m in my final week of taper/training before I race the Troika Half-Ironman Triathlon on Sunday in Spokane. This is a race that is a staple of the Pacific Northwest tri season and one I’ve always wanted to do so I’m looking forward to it. The current weather forecast for race day is calling for temps in the low-90’s which will be a challenge but since I cannot control that I will not stress over that. My training has gone well and I feel ready. Now, if I can just shake the head-cold my Director brought back from her recent trip to London I’ll be golden. My first cold in 2-3 years and of course I get it now. Oh well, it’s nothing I can’t race through! I’ve gotten in some good taper-mode training this past week and also found some time to get in some reading and relaxing time…here’s the updates.

Tuesday the 20th started out with a 4:45AM set of intervals on the bike trainer and then continued with a midday run done at an easy pace and with cool conditions.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.2-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 48:34 @ 7:50/m pace.

Wednesday was another pre-dawn spin on the bike trainer done at steady-state pace and another midday run. This time the run a whole lot warmer, much windier and done with a fartlek ladder of 1-2-3-2-1-mins w/2-mins recovery after a 15-mins WU.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 19.6-miles in 1:30 @ 13-mph
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 46:34 @ 7:31/m pace.

Thursday the 22nd was a fairly easy day with only a 5AM swim on tap. I was able to lower my 500-yard PR by 12 more seconds!
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 48:45 (49:45 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.

Friday I took a day off from the office to get my training in and head to Manzanita for the weekend. So that began with a 6AM swim done at an easy pace. Then after some breakfast I was out the door for a solo ride. It was pretty chilly at the start but then some hills helped with that and by the time I got to the flats I had some sun and wind to finish it off. See the details from the Garmin here. After getting home I was immediately back out the door for a transition run around the ‘hood and by then it was hot and sunny. I felt good but didn’t push it too hard.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 38:04 (39:04 w/rest) 5x400 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Friday’s bike: 53.6-miles in 3:01 @ 17.8-mph.
Stats for Friday’s run: 4.3-miles in 30:56 @ 7:12/m pace.

Saturday morning I was able to run my all-time favorite running route which is in Manzanita on the Oregon Coast. I absolutely love to run there! The sun was out, it was a beautiful morning and I felt great. Get Garmin details here.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 8.8-miles in 1:08:44 @ 7:40/m pace.

And finally, today is an easy day with only a 5AM swim on tap. That was done at steady effort a bit below race pace.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 59:45 (1:00:45 w/rest) 5x600 w/15-sec. rests.

While at the beach this weekend I was able to finish one book, start and finish another book, and start another book. The book I finished was North by Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters by Captain Sig Hansen from The Deadliest Catch. While I enjoyed the book I was hoping it would be more about the behind the scenes of the show, the other skippers and crews, and what that whole process is like. But instead it was more about how Sig’s Norwegian family came to America and got started in crab fishing. Sig’s father was a very successful fisherman and actually bought the Northwestern brand-new in 1977. Sig began working on it when he was 12 and has been on it ever since taking over the wheelhouse when he was 22. The boat is a family affair with both of Sig’s brothers, Norman and Edgar, also working on it. While the Northwestern is my favorite boat on the show, my favorite skipper was actually the very recently deceased Captain Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie. But, Sig is now my favorite and his book gave a lot of history of crab fishing the Bering Sea and crab fishing in general so it was very interesting.

The book I started and finished also while at the beach was Blockade Billy by Stephen King. It is a very short, quick read and had two stories in it. The first one is about a baseball player with the nickname Blockade Billy who was not who he seemed to be. Literally. But to say anything else could give the surprise away. The other story in the book is titled Morality and was even shorter…and I think better. It is about what someone can be made to do for money and what the repercussions of that decision could be. Both of these stories are very good, keep you glued to them and have surprise endings.

And lastly, the book I have just started is Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things. My wife and I have watched a few episodes of “Hoarders” and “Hoarding: Buried Alive” and are fascinated by them. So this book coming out was perfect timing for us. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

I’ll try to get a Troika race report posted Monday or Tuesday so check back next week.

Thanks for stopping by…

T-minus Two-Weeks!

2010-07-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Less than two weeks until I race the Troika Half-Ironman and I feel ready. A couple more weeks of tapering and then it is game on. Of course I’ve been getting in my training, but I’ve also been doing some reading and I bought a brand new shiny thing so let’s get to the updates!

Tuesday the 13th began with a 4:45AM bike session and then an easy midday run from the office under sunny but not hot skies.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 12.9-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:37 @ 7:41/m pace.
Wednesday was another early session on the bike with a mix of high-cadence and low-gear intervals.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 19.9-miles in 1:30 @ 13.3-mph.
Thursday the 15th began with a 5AM swim working on endurance and focused on form and then continued with a tough midday race-pace run in the heat and wind.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 37:59 done as 1x2,000
Stats for Thursday’s run: 7.7-miles in 54:41 @ 7:06/m pace.

Friday was only a swim day and that one was long sets with steady-pacing.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 58:42 (59:42 w/rest) 5x600 w/15-sec. rests.

Saturday the 17th I had to swap my long ride with my long run due to being out until 2AM Saturday morning and not wanting to make the 7AM group ride on 4 hours of sleep. So after some sleep I did an hour of intervals on the bike and then a bit later did my long run in the heat. I thought it would be good for simulating race conditions since Troika will be hot.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 14-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 12-miles in 1:32:41 @ 7:43/m pace.

Sunday I got out early and rode with a new training buddy and this was our first ride together. The weather was good and it was nice riding with someone instead of solo again. We did most of the climbing on the first half of the ride and then hit the farmlands and headwinds on the second.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 66.3-miles in 4:07 @ 16.1-mph.

And lastly, this morning I was in the pool at 5AM for a steady-state effort done just under race pace. Stats for Monday swim: 2,500-yards in 49:01 (50:01 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.

In amongst all of this training I’ve already managed to finish reading Tour de Lance: The Extraordinary Story of Lance Armstrong's Fight to Reclaim the Tour de France by Bill Strickland. You know, it was good…as Lance books go…and there are a lot of those available. But I didn’t find it anymore insightful or learn anything about Lance or last year’s Tour that I didn’t already know or read in one of the many, many magazine articles currently out there. However, I did enjoy reading about the conflict between he and Alberto Contador – that was worth the read right there! Those guys hate each other. But other than that it was pretty much like some of the other books about Lance that focused on his comeback last year and it made for some fun summertime reading.

Now I’m reading North by Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters by Sig Hansen. Sig is the Captain of the Northwestern which is one of the crab boats on The Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel. Sig and his brother, Edgar, are two of my favorites on the show and this book tells how they got to where they are now. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

And finally, the shiny new thing I got this weekend is a Garmin Forerunner 305 and I already love it! Getting it set up was a piece of cake and I’ve already used it on one long run and one long ride. I plan to start training by HR and will do so as soon as I get my Max HR dialed in. The data analysis one can do with the Garmin Training Center and the Garmin Connect website are awesome and I hope it helps me with my training for Ironman Coeur d’Alene. I’ll post more about it when I learn more about it!
Thanks for stopping by…

Of Training, War, Peace and Lance

2010-07-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

So today is my first day back to work after a weeklong vacation that was wonderful! Lots of sunshine (too much, at times) lots of family time, lots of training done, lots of reading done, saw a good movie, and saw Broadway Production of The Lion King – all good stuff! But now it’s back to the grind and back to the 4:30AM alarm clock buzzing. I’m taking a few minutes between my non-stop meetings today to get the ‘ol blog updated so let me get to it.

Thursday the 1st was an early morning swim and a midday tempo run in the warm sun.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 48:19 (49:19 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 7.7-miles in 57:24 @ 7:27/m pace.

Friday I only had time to get in another 5:00AM swim.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 49:12 (50:12 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.

Saturday the 3rd was a solo ride on a hilly route I haven’t ridden in a long time. I loved it.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 52.1-miles in 3:04 @ 17-mph.

Sunday in Manzanita and ran in my favorite place with my daughter on a gorgeous morning.
Stats for Sunday’s run: 13.9-miles in 1:56:01 @ 8:22/m pace.

Tuesday the 6th was on father-in-law’s cruiser bike in hills of Manzanita then transition run.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 12-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 3-miles in 22:08 @ 7:23/m pace.

Wednesday was back at home with a long swim in the AM and a trainer session in the PM.
Stats for Wednesday’s swim: 3,500-yards in 1:09:09 (1:10:09 w/rest) 5x700 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 20.1-miles in 1:30 @ 13.6-mph.

Thursday the 8th was a mini-tri day done close together during the cool morning hours.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 48:28 (49:28 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s bike: 14.5-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:03:57 @ 7:48/m pace.

Friday was a longer swim followed by an intervals session on the bike trainer.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 58:59 (59:59 w/rest) 5x600 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Friday’s bike: 13.9-miles in 1-hour.

Saturday the 10th was a spectacularly hilly and hot bike followed up with an even hotter t-run. Ouch.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 73.8-miles in 4:28 @ 16.5-mph.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 4.3-miles in 29:22 @ 6:50/m pace.

Sunday was a long, but again hilly, run with a buddy in the very early and cool AM hours.
Stats for Sunday’s run: 14.3-miles in 1:54:26 @ 8/m pace.

And finally, today was back to the 4:30AM alarm clock and a 5:00AM swim.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 48:48 (49:48 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.

While on vacation I was able to finally finish War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Yes, thee 1,412-page tome – done! It took awhile but it was worth it. For the most part it was enjoyable and I think I enjoyed the “Peace” sections more than the “War” sections. The thing I struggled with the most was keeping track of the many (500+) characters in the story. There were a lot of people and the many different interactions were hard to track. But I did like reading about the lives of the main people like Natasha, Andrey, Nicolas, and the different families. Those “volumes” were centered on the families growing up and who was marrying whom and how those relationships were formed and why. The families were most aristocratic and of old money, but there were the peasants and of course you had the rich girl that wanted to marry the poor boy and that caused all kinds of trouble. The volumes about the war were actually about Napoleon Bonaparte and the French invasion of Russia. I’m not sure how factual those sections were, but I’ve read they were based on fact to some degree. War and Peace is hailed as the greatest novel ever written and while it was good I’m not sure I’d go that far. But I’m not a literary expert…I just play one on this blog.

Now I’m reading Tour de Lance: The Extraordinary Story of Lance Armstrong's Fight to Reclaim the Tour de France by Bill Strickland that just came out. After reading the behemoth novel above I wanted something a bit lighter and a lot smaller. And since the Tour de France is currently underway I thought the timing to read about Lance was good. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

Thanks for stopping by…

Ironman #4 Booked!

2010-06-30T13:20:00.001-07:00

I’ve signed up for Ironman #4 which will be Ironman Coeur d’Alene in June 2011. I am already stoked and anxious to go there and race it. That is the one I did for my first one back in 2005 and have since then done Ironman Canada in 2007 and 2009. Let the countdown begin!

But way before that race I’ve got several on the calendar and first up is the Troika Half-Ironman on August 1st. And since my last post on this way-too-far-behind-on blog I’ve cranked out some decent training sessions. I’m not going to write my usual summaries because who has the time to read all of that, but I will list out the sessions for those that want to know…

Wednesday the 16th: Bike = 14.3-miles in 1-hour.

Thursday:
Swim = 3,000-yards in 58:18 (59:18 w/rest) 5x600 w/15-sec. rests.
Bike = 14-miles in 1-hour.
Run = 3-miles in 22:20 @ 7:26/m pace.

Friday the 18th:
Swim = 4,000-yards in 1:19:21 (1:20:21 w/rest) 5x800 w/15-sec. rests.
Bike = 14-miles in 1-hour.
Run = 8.2-miles in 1:00:31 @ 7:23/m pace.

Saturday:
Bike = 75.4-miles in 5:01 @ 15.0-mph.
Run = 4.3-miles in 32:02 @ 7:27/m pace.

Sunday the 20th: Run = 10.1-miles in 1:18:02 @ 7:44/m pace.

Monday: Swim = 2,100-yards in 40:42 (41:42 w/rest) 7x300 w/10-sec. rests.

Tuesday the 22nd:
Bike = 13.1-miles in 1-hour.
Run = 6.2-miles in 46:13 @ 7:27/m pace.

Wednesday: Swim = 2,000-yards in 39:07 (40:07 w/rest) 5x400 w/15-sec. rests.

Thursday the 24th = Bike = 12.9-miles in 1-hour.

Friday:
Swim = 2,500-yards in 49:20 (50:20 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.
Run = 7.7-miles in 56:26 @ 7:20/m pace.

Saturday the 26th:
Bike = 76.1-miles in 4:57 @ 15.4-mph
Run = 4.3-miles in 29:13 @ 6:47/m pace.

Monday:
Swim = 2,100-yards in 40:58 (41:58 w/rest) 3x700 w/30-sec. rests.
Run = 7.7-miles in 59:48 @ 7:46/m pace.

And today, Wednesday the 30th:
Bike = 14.1-miles in 1-hour.
Run = 6.2-miles in 46:58 @ 7:35/m pace.

This weekend is the 4th of July weekend and as we have for every 4th July the last dozen years or so we are headed to my in-laws’ place at Manzanita and I’m looking forward to it. My long run this week will be there, too, and it is my all time favorite place to run. And to make it even better my daughter will be joining me for most of it and my son-in-law for some of it and I’m looking forward to that, too. And next week I’m on vacation and taking a much needed break from work and I’m looking forward to that the most.
Thanks for stopping by…

Swim, Bike, Run, Rinse, Repeat…

2010-06-15T15:49:00.001-07:00

The training yards and miles continue to accumulate and the fitness continues to be improved upon. At least that is the hope. I’m feeling pretty good these days and I’m putting up some pretty good volume numbers and paces so maybe it’s working! I’ll know in August when I have the meat of my racing season happening. In prep for all that racing fun I’ve been hitting the pool and roads pretty consistently and here is a recap of how that is looking…

Tuesday the 8th started out with a 4:40AM brick workout with an hour of intervals on the bike followed by a run on a cool but dry early morning.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.5-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 4.3-miles in 31:29 @ 7:19/m pace.

Wednesday was another pre-dawn session on the bike trainer with some big-gear and single-leg drills. Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 16.4-miles in 1:15 @ 13.1-mph.

Thursday the 10th started out with a 5AM swim and then continued later with a midday run on my newly mapped out office route. My office recently moved from Tigard to NE Portland and it took me a few days of Google Earth and driving around to get a route I was comfortable with and kept me off the major streets but gave me some hills and scenery. Unfortunately my maiden voyage on the route was during a torrential downpour that was comical in its intensity!
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 49:22 (50:22 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2 in 47:10 @ 7:27/m pace.

Friday was yet another 5AM swim and another midday run. But the weather on the run was fabulous so I extended it just a bit and enjoyed it tremendously.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,100-yards in 40:34 (41:34 w/rest) 3x700 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Friday’s run: 9.2-miles in 1:12:01 @ 7:50/m pace.

Saturday the 12th was long-ride day with the guys and it was tremendous. Tremendously sunny, tremendously hilly, and tremendously great. After cranking out a serious ride I topped it off with a serious transition run around the neighborhood and pushed the pace a bit in the hot sun but felt very good.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 77.8-miles in 4:59 @ 15.6-mph.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 4.3-miles in 29:38 @ 6:53/m pace.

Sunday I was out the door at 6:30AM on a glorious day to get my run done before church. And the legs were shot. Not a lot of pop left in them from the day before, but I got it done and enjoyed a beautiful morning run.
Stats for Sunday’s run: 13.6-miles in 1:44:48 @ 7:42/m pace.

Monday the 14th was swim day and again I was in the water at 5AM for some intervals work.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,100-yards in 42:11 (43:11 w/rest) 3x700 w/30-sec. rests.

And lastly, today was once again all about the swim and nothing else today. So once again I was in the water at 5AM and cranked out a pretty decent swim session.
Stats for Tuesday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 49:01 (50:01 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.
My training is on track at this point and I’ll keep at it until the toe the starting lines in August.

Thanks for stopping by…

Change

2010-06-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

Change is upon me. As of Friday, after nearly 3-years of working in Tigard, my office location changed to NE PDX at 44th & Halsey. Being a runner and triathlete, that means the trusted lunch time routes that I’ve been running on for 1,000’s of miles are now a thing of the past and I must now map out some new routes and create some new memories. And I will. Every location I’ve worked at since becoming a runner I’ve been able to find myself some great routes and this time will be no exception. I drove a around a bit just today and I think I may have a 10K route to use already, but I want to explore a bit more first.

I had a big volume training week last week and got to enjoy an epic bike ride on Saturday! But before I tell you about that let me recap the training since my last post…

Wednesday the 2nd was a 5AM swim day and that was all that was on the schedule which was a nice break. I did one long steady-effort swim at near half-Ironman swim pace.
Stats for Wednesday’s swim = 2,000-yards in 39:02. 1x2,000.

Thursday also started at 5AM and again started in the pool but this time it was a bit longer set broken into decent sized intervals. And at midday I got outside for my very last run on my hilly Tigard route. I’ve enjoyed this route and will miss it. It was decent outside so I did a fartlek ladder of 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1-minutes with 2-minutes recovery after a 15-minute easy running warm-up.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 58:22 (59:22 w/rest) 3x1,000 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 8.2 in 1:02:28 @ 7:37/m pace.

Saturday was long-ride day and it was spectacular! I met Robert, Greg, Jay, Mike, and Rick under clear and sunny skies and we set out towards Bald Peak and it’s 6-mile climb. We dropped down the other side to Newberg and then around to Gaston for a loop around Hagg Lake. On the flats of Springhill and Fernhill Roads we had some nasty headwinds but I just tucked into the aero-bars and pulled the train along. After putting 60 miles on the legs I figured it was a good idea to climb Blooming Fern Hill Road and it’s 25% grade and that always sucks until you reach the top. Then it was down to Forest Hills Golf Club and the flats back to home. Robert snapped some pics while riding and I’ve posted a couple of them here, too.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 77.4-miles in 4:56 @ 15.7-mph.

Sunday was long-run day and I awoke to torrential rain. Unbelievably torrential rain. So I decided to run after church which I normally don’t like to do but did this time and actually hit a good window of weather. Not much rain or wind…just more traffic to deal with. But I got it done on tired legs and it was all good.
Stats for Sunday’s run: 12-miles in 1:32:09 @ 7:41/m pace.

And lastly, this morning started out the workout with a 5AM swim that I just swam smooth and steady as a recovery workout after a big training weekend.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:05 (40:05 w/rest) 5x400 w/15-sec. rests.

I hope to have a route ready to go from my new office location in time for Thursday’s planned midday run. I’ll scope out a couple more routes tomorrow and Wednesday and hopefully be ready to rock and roll on Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by…

I Love Recovery Week!

2010-06-01T13:43:00.001-07:00

Last week was a recovery week for me which means a bit less training time and much more resting time. And I truly enjoy those weeks when I get them and so does my wife since I’m around the house more that weekend. But recovery or not, I did get in some decent workouts and here are my recaps…
Tuesday the 25th I was up for a 4:30AM brick workout that started with an hour on the bike then quickly transitioned to a run around the just waking up neighborhood.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.3-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 3-miles in 22:29 @ 7:30/m pace.

Wednesday was another very early wake-up buzzer and this time it was to get in some time on the bike once again. I warmed up a bit then did some single-leg-pedaling drills to keep it fun. Well, not too boring anyway.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 19.5-miles in 1:30 @ 13.1-mph.

Thursday the 27th I was out the door and in the pool when it opened at 5AM. Always sucks. No drills, just some steady-state back-n-forth.
Stats for Wednesday’s swim: 2,100-yards in 40:26 (41:26 w/rest) 3x700 w/30-sec. rests.

Friday also started in the pool at 5AM for more steady-tempo black line staring. At midday I was able to get outside for a good run in which I kept the pace up just a bit. My normal route is a hilly and unforgiving one and pushing the pace is never easy on it. But I felt good that day and was able to keep the effort even in spite of the hills and wind.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 48:13 (49:13 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Friday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:00:18 @ 7:21/m pace.

Saturday the 29th was, of course, long-ride day and with it being a recovery week my long-ride was “only” 3-hours! I love when that happens. I met my buddy Greg and we kept it flat and easy out to Gaston, but on the return trip we climbed up and over Blooming Fern Hill Road with its 25% grade just for kicks. Within minutes of getting home I was out the door for a transition run around the ‘hood to complete the brick. I was done with both and home by 10:45 – that rocks!
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 46.5-miles in 3-hours @ 15.5-mph.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 4.3-miles in 30:10 @ 7:01/m pace.

Sunday’s long-run just over an hour and ran at an easy pace under perfect running conditions. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy recovery weeks?
Stats for Sunday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:02:22 @ 7:20/m pace.

Monday the 31st was Memorial Day so I took advantage of the day-off to get in a couple of my longer workouts that were scheduled for later in the week to make the week a little easier to manage. I hit the pool when it opened at 7AM for a long-distance swim before getting on the bike at home for a set of all-out-effort intervals on the bike trainer.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 59:08 (1:00:08 w/rest) 5x600 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Monday’s bike: 21.4-miles in 1:30 @ 14.3-mph.

And lastly, today I was on the bike once more for a steady-state spin at 4:45AM and then out the office door at midday for a warm and dry run on a couple of very tired legs. I kept the pace very, very easy and just enjoyed being outside running.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.5-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 51:55 @ 8:22/m pace.

The training hours will ramp back up this week and the weekend time and distances are going to be long. But…such is the life of an endurance athlete, right?

Thanks for stopping by…

The Body Knows...

2010-05-24T12:46:00.001-07:00

Sometimes your body knows what it needs better than your brain does. After 3 later (two WAY later) than normal nights for us both my wife and I made the call upon lights-out last night to skip our planned workouts today. So instead of getting up at 4:30am for a 2,000-yard swim for me and a 45-minute cardio burn for her we both got an extra hour of sleep. I already know I benefited much more from that than I would have another 2K swim. And after a big-volume week of training I had no problem skipping one swim. Speaking of big-volume training…here’s how the week went.

Tuesday the 18th began at 4:30am on the bike trainer for some drill work and quickly transitioned outside to complete a brick workout.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.2-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 3-miles in 23:33 @ 7:51/m pace.

Wednesday I was again on the bike before dawn but this time it was a bit longer and included some single-leg pedaling drills. At midday I was out the door for a Tempo Run that was very, very wet. I got drenched but I got it done.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 19.5-miles in 1:30 @ 12.9-mph.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:03:43 @7:46/m pace.

Thursday the 20th I hit the pool when it opened at 5:00am for a medium-long distance and one in which I lowered my 500-yard PR by 2-seconds! And that was all I had time for on that day.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 48:21 (49:21 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.

Friday I once again only had time for a swim and once again it was at 5:00am and this time it was a long swim workout. I just kept it steady and kept the splits even as the swim progressed.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 58:47 (1:00:02 w/rest) 6x500 w/15-sec. rests.

Saturday the 22nd was long-ride day and the weather was hard to call since it is springtime in Oregon. So I wore the rain gear and warmer stuff and was glad I did. I met David and Mike and off we went to ride around Hagg Lake and back. We had some sun, some wind, some rain, some warmth, some cold, some more rain, some more wind…you get the picture. Mike and I rode our training bikes all decked out with fenders and weighing a ton, but the weather called for it. After peeling off from the guys I rode another hour solo and the last 8-miles to home was when I got the most rained on. It was nasty.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 74.1-miles in 4:50 @ 15.3-mph.

Then yesterday I was out the door early to meet Billy for a long-run. He is 18-years younger than me so he forces me to pick it up a bit more than I might do if I ran solo the day after a long, hard ride. We ran the entire Helvetia Half-Marathon course plus a couple of miles tacked on the front and back. The clouds threatened a couple of times to open up on us but they never did so we had dry conditions throughout. After getting home and getting some breakfast and coffee I climbed on the bike trainer for an easy hour to spin the legs out a bit since that really helps after a long run.
Stats for Sunday’s run: 16.5-miles in 2:08:30 @ 7:47/m pace.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 13.3-miles in 1-hour.

To celebrate 22-years of awesome matrimony Saturday night my beautiful wife and I went to one of our favorite places to eat, Henry’s 12th St. Tavern, for a very tasty dinner. Afterwards, we went to the Cirque Du Soleil performance of “Kooza” and it was spectacular. If you ever get the chance to go see it you need to. The performers are incredibly talented and the acts themselves are breath-taking. But the biggest thrill of the night at Kooza was the “Wheels of Death” and that performance was jaw-dropping. Google or YouTube search it – it’s amazing.
This is a recovery week for me so the training volume will be down a bit so this old body can rest, heal, and hopefully get a little stronger and a little faster. That’s the theory, anyway.

Thanks for stopping by…

A lot of training and a lot of years!

2010-05-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

The training for Troika continues to go well. I got to enjoy a 3-day weekend this past weekend and we headed to our home-away-from-home in Manzanita on the Oregon Coast where I got to run in my all-time favorite place to run. But, I need to back up and get updated on the week’s worth of training and what it looked like.

Tuesday the 11th began at 4:30AM with a brick workout. The first part was, of course, spent on the bike doing steady-state work and then I was quickly out the door just as the sun was coming up to get my run on and complete the brick.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.4-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 3-miles in 22:34 @ 7:31/m pace.

Wednesday was a fairly easy day with only a short swim on tap. I kept the pace up throughout.
Stats for Wednesday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 38:54 (39:54 w/rest) 4x500 w/20-sec. rests.

Thursday the 13th again started with a 5:00AM swim of a bit longer distance and I kept it steady-paced. My midday run was very warm and I worked up a great sweat by doing some speedwork. After 15-minutes of easy running I cranked the pace down to 6:20-6:30/m for fartleks of 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1-minutes with 2-minute recoveries.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 49:50 (50:50 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:02:18 @ 7:36/m pace.

Friday I took the day off so we could head to the Oregon Coast, but not before I got my long ride and t-run workout done first. It was a little cold when I started, but it was sunny and warm shortly thereafter and got very warm towards the end. I was solo and kept the effort level up as best I could with the hills around Hagg Lake the two climbs up Blooming Fern Road and its 25% grade! Then within minutes of safely getting home I was back out in the sun to complete the brick with a transition run.
Stats for Friday’s bike: 65.3-miles in 3:55 @ 16.7-mph.
Stats for Friday’s run: 4.3-miles in 31:37 @ 7:21/m pace.

Saturday the 15th found us in Manzanita on the Oregon Coast at my in-law’s home. We got there Friday afternoon and I was very much looking forward to running my favorite running route. Saturday morning it was cool, but the sky was blue and the sun came up over the coast range mountains shortly after I left on my run. From the house I dropped down the hill and climbed Reed Road to the turn-around, dropped down to “downtown” Manzanita then out to Nehalem Bay State Park where I proceed to run some intervals in the flat sections. Then it was up and around the Manzanita Golf Club before once again climbing Reed Road and then finishing with the 23% grade ¼-mile climb back to the house. I love running there!
Stats for Saturday’s run: 11.6-miles in 1:28:31 @ 7:38/m pace.

Then finally, today began with our alarm buzzing at 4:30AM so we could be at the club when the doors opened at 5. I got in a short swim with some drill work in a pool that was freakin’ freezin’! At midday I was out the door from the office for a very sunny and very warm run on a day that was forecasted to be wet and windy. I’m not going to complain. I kept the run very easy and just enjoyed being out there.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 38:55 (39:55 w/rest) 4x500 w/20-sec. rests.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 51:32 @ 8:19/m pace.

This week my beautiful and amazing wife and I celebrate 22 years of wedding bliss. I’m not sure how she has put up with me for so long…but I am so very, very glad that she has. I could not, nor would want to, imagine a life without her in it beside me. Thanks for stopping by…

Time

2010-05-10T12:47:00.001-07:00

Now that I’m training specifically for a half-Ironman and not juggling that with training for a marathon I seem to have some time on my hands that I love. My running is 3-4 times per week instead of 6 times, the long runs are now 12-15 miles in length instead of 19-22 miles in length, and since I’m not racing a full Ironman this year my long rides will not top 5-hours which means no 6-7 hour rides which can kill an entire Saturday! So total training time is down just a bit recently, but frequency remains the same and I’m getting the workouts done. Here’s a recap since my last post…

Tuesday the 4th started at 4:40AM aboard my training bike and trainer. Single-leg pedaling drill fun ensued. I then was out the door quickly for a transition run to complete the brick.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.6-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 3-miles in 23:08 @ 7:43/m pace.

Wednesday I was again on the bike way earlier than anyone should be.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 13.7-miles in 1-hour.

Thursday the 6th was swim day and I could fit in it at 5:00AM when the pool opened so that is what I did. It was also the first time since a Tetanus shot on Monday that my arm would allow me to move it enough to even think about swimming!
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,100-yards in 39:50 (42:20 w/rest) 7x300 w/15-sec. rests.

Friday I was back in the pool and alternated some drills with pull buoy swimming. At midday under sunny skies and with warm temps I was out the door for a great run. I felt good enough the weather was nice enough that I decided to push the pace just a little on this one.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 49:22 (50:22 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Friday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:02:33 @ 7:36/m pace.

Saturday the 8th I had to volunteer from 7:00am to 1:00pm at the Hippie Chick Half-Marathon race in Champoeg Park. It was a beautiful day and very warm in the sun. After standing at an aid station all those hours I got my run with my good friends Mike and Jay on some of the beautiful trails in the park along the Willamette River. We kept the pace sensible and enjoyed some camaraderie!
Stats for Saturday’s run: 11.5-miles in 1:28:57 @ 7:44/m pace.

Sunday being Mother’s Day I had a later morning routine and then we went to a great church service. Early that that afternoon I did get on the bike trainer for a bit while watching the Celtics beat up on the Cavaliers.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 27.6-miles in 2-hours @ 13.8-mph.

Lastly, this morning the rain was back and so was the 4:30AM wake-up buzzer so I could hit the pool at 5:00AM. Really sucks on Monday and today the pool as absolutely freezing.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 40:06 (41:06 w/rest) 5x400 w/15-sec. rests.

This week is only a 4-day workweek for me and I’m juggling my workouts around just a bit. My long ride will happen on Friday and my long run will happen in Manzanita which is my all time favorite place to get my run on. Thanks for stopping by…

A Shift in Focus

2010-05-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

Now that the Boston Marathon and marathon specific training are behind me for now, it is time to switch gears and focus on the upcoming triathlon season. My 2010 tri-season is short this year with only two half-Ironman triathlons on tap and they are two weeks apart in August. So now my run volume will decrease a little bit while my bike and swim volume increase in prep for the Troika Half-Ironman on August 1st. And with that being said, here is how my training has been going since Boston…

Saturday the 24th was my first post-Boston workout and it came after 4-days completely off. It was a solid indoor bike session with 15-minute steady-state intervals and some recovery.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 44-miles in 3-hours @ 14.6-mph.

Sunday was my first run and normally the first run after a marathon sucks, but this one…not so much. It was a beautiful morning and it felt awesome to be running again!
Stats for Sunday’s run: 10.1-miles in 1:17:29 @ 7:40/m pace.

Monday the 26th was an easy day due to my work schedule and the only thing I could fit in was a 5:00AM swim.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,100-yards in 41:20 (42:20 w/rest) 3x700 w/30-sec. rests.

Tuesday was my birthday, but I didn’t change Age Groups. Since we were headed out to a great family dinner that night I made sure to get in two workouts to work off the calories I was going to consume, and did, and it was wonderful. A 4:40AM bike session then a sunny and very windy midday run to celebrate getting another year older.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.6-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 48:37 @ 7:50/m pace.

Wednesday the 28th started out again at 4:40AM for another session on the bike and this time it was the first ride on the new ISM Adamo Road saddle my wonderful wife got me for my birthday for my training bike. Felt OK, but needed some fine tuning and tweaking. Then again at midday I was out for a run that felt good enough to pick up the pace a bit for.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 16.4-miles in 1:15 @ 13.1-mph.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 46:38 @ 7:31/m pace.

Thursday only allowed for a 5:00AM swim and nothing else.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 49:30 (50:30 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.

Friday the 30th I was again in the pool before dawn and again out for a run at midday. I extended the distance just a bit and also tossed in my first speedwork in some time in the form of a tempo run. It felt great, but it was dang windy out there!
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,400-yards in 46:58 (47:58 w/rest) 4x600 w/20-sec. rests.
Stats for Friday’s run: 7.2-miles in 52:58 @ 7:21/m pace.

Saturday was my first extended outdoor ride of the season! It threatened rain all day, but never delivered, but I was decked out in my rain gear anyway! I met Rick who is on my tri-team, The Ironheads, and we rode out to Hagg Lake for a two loops before heading back home and tossing in a climb over Blooming Fern Road with its 25% grade. Ouch. The wind was horrendous all day, but it stayed dry, too. Within minutes of getting home I busted out a transition run that felt strange since I’ve not done a brick in so long. But the legs came around fairly quickly and I held a pretty good pace even with the wind.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 75.5-miles in 4:52 @ 15.5-mph.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 4.3-miles in 30:37 @ 7:07/m pace.

Sunday the 2nd I met with my running buddies, Billy & Steve, and we ran most of the Helvetia half-marathon course which meant many and steep hills. The legs started out a bit tired from the ride the day before, but within a couple of miles I was feeling good and we ran a nice steady pace even with the hills on a perfect running conditions morning.
Stats for Sunday’s run: 12.5-miles in 1:33:22 @ 7:28/m pace.

And finally, today I was at the pool for another swim and this one was short and easy to somewhat let this day be a recovery day.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:41 (40:39 w/rest) 5x400 w/15-sec. rests.

My work schedule will cause me to get creative this week with my workouts to fit them all in, but you know me…you know I will.

Thanks for stopping by…

2010 Boston Marathon Race Report

2010-04-22T12:28:00.001-07:00

A while ago my daughter, Jennifer, told me wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon I told her if she made it I’d run it with her since I’d only done it once and that was back in 2002. Fast forward to May 2009 and the Eugene Marathon where she nailed her first Boston Qualifying time and with mine in the bag there as well we set on our sights on the 2010 Boston Marathon. After nearly a year of thinking about it, and planning for it, and talking about it, and then several months of training for it we finally arrived at marathon weekend this last weekend.

We all met up Saturday morning at o’dark-thirty and Jen’s mother-in-law, Jayne, drove us all to PDX. Jen, and her husband Chris, were on a different flight so we parted ways just prior to checking in. Karen & I got to our gate where we boarded our 5.5-hour PDX-BOS flight and also met up with my tri-training buddy, Mike, and his wife Deb who are both great friends of ours. The flight and travel to the hotel were uneventful and that night we went into the North End for an Italian dinner. A bit later that night Chris & Jen got to the hotel so everyone made it there safely.

Sunday the 18th was the day we had to get signed in for the race and then hit the Marathon Expo to buy our goodies. The rest of the day was spent sight-seeing and wandering around downtown Boston which is an incredible experience. We love that city. The weather was a bit concerning as we had high winds, hard rain, and very cold temps one minute, then sunshine and warmth the next, but I knew it would change for race day. That night we met up at “Bell In Hand” Tavern (the oldest operating tavern in America) in the Back Bay area of Boston for a great carbo-loading dinner of pasta, beer, and good times.

Race day on Monday the 19th dawned clear and cold and with a bit of breeze but no real clouds in sight. After saying good bye to our loved ones, we runners made our way to the “T” and eventually Boston Commons where we boarded our busses for the trip out to the race start in Hopkinton. The sun was shining but the wind had a definite bite to it that made it very cold and worse in the shade. We made the best of it by sitting in the sun and people watching. At 9:30am or so the call was made for runners in Wave One to start making their way to the race start. Then around 10AM the call was made for Wave Two to make their way to the start so that’s what we did. And this is when we started to get comments about our shirts.

Last fall I had two running shirts made that I hoped we’d be able to wear during the race…weather permitting. They were white short-sleeved running shirts and in red letters mine said “Running Boston With My Daughter” and an arrow pointing left (she always runs on my left) and her shirt said “Running Boston With My Dad” and her arrow pointed right. I gave her the shirts at Christmas and we’ve been waiting to wear them ever since. So while walking to the race start we started to get comments about us running the race together and how cool that was (from guys) or how sweet that was (from ladies) and that would continue for the next 26.2-miles! The shirts were a HUGE success and we got many, many more shout-outs then I ever thought we would. We were celebrities!

At 10:30am the gun went off (although we wouldn’t cross the starting line for nearly 2 more minutes!) and we were off and running the Boston Marathon together. Jennifer is a much stronger runner than she was when she qualified and I knew she’d be passing a lot of other runners, but I warned her to take it easy out of the gate and not get too caught up in the rush of excitement and adrenaline of the start. The first several miles of the course are a net drop in elevation and whatever damage you do to your quads in those first few miles of running downhill will catch up to you later on during the race. We were steadily passing other runners, but it was very crowded and we had to be careful to not trip, or get tripped by, other runners. Jen did a wonderful job of running a very steady pace and taking in all the sights and sounds of the race. And there was a lot of sound! The crowds are massive for nearly the entire marathon and it is very loud and very encouraging. The sections through the little towns of Framingham, Natick, Newtown, etc…were hugely supported by the crowds and it is truly amazing to run in that environment. We enjoyed seeing all the beautiful and stately homes along the way, the lakes and rivers, and blue skies…it was a beautiful day.

Soon enough we were nearing the halfway point which means Wellesley College which means the Wellesley College girls. We could hear the roar from almost a mile away and then we were there. And it was deafening. For nearly a half-mile the road was lined with college girls screaming as loud and long as they could! Many of them hold signs for the runners to kiss them for various reasons. Jen and I both loved it. We kept motoring at she was still click off steady 8:15/m miles and feeling good. We hit the aid stations as needed for hydration and a few seconds of walking then got right back to running. Along the way we kept getting many shouts about running with your Dad or running with your daughter and Jen even got one very loud shout from one very boisterous young man to “Run that *hit with your Dad!”

We kept going and the next big thing is the infamous Heartbreak Hill that comes between miles 20 and 21. And it has that name for a reason. It is long, steep, and painful. But to her credit, while many other runners were walkers at that point Jen did not walk and we ran the entire thing. On the other side and a mile or so down the road I could feel the wheels starting to come off just a bit. Our pace had slowed and her knee was bothering her a bit but I kept telling her “we’ve got this” and prodding her along. She’d man-up and away we’d go again. About this point we ran through Boston College and I think it was even louder and even crazier than Wellesley College was. It was so loud my ears actually hurt and were ringing afterwards. Those kids are just nuts! And then we could see it – the gigantic “Citgo” sign which is one mile from the finish. We were both hurting by now and we both wanted to be done but there was no way we weren’t going to cross that finish line together. I knew it would be very close, but a sub-3:50 finish was still possible, so we ran as well as we could manage. And with a sharp right turn and a sharp left turn a block later we are on Boylston Street with the finish line in sight a quarter-mile down the road. She looked at her watch and told me she wanted to get under 3:50 and with that she was gone! We ran stride for stride towards the finish line as fast as we could muster passing runners along the way. About a hundred yards from the finish line we heard Chris yell out “Jennie” very loudly and looking over my eyes fell right on my beautiful wife who was waving big and smiling bigger. So 3:49:56 after we started we crossed the finish line of the 114th Boston Marathon hand-in-hand. A tight hug later and our marathon was complete.

Being able to run the Boston Marathon is a special experience, but running one with your daughter goes beyond special. I loved our long training runs together and I’ve loved watching her become a faster and better runner. Now, I’m hoping my next Boston Marathon will be with my younger daughter so I can do this all again!

Thanks for stopping by...

Beantown here we come!

2010-04-16T12:24:00.001-07:00

The house-sitter arrives tonight, we leave for Boston tomorrow, and the Boston Marathon is on Monday! I’m running the race with my older daughter and both of us have been waiting for it since last May when we both qualified at the Eugene Marathon. I haven’t been to Boston or run the marathon since I did so in 2002 and I’m looking forward to doing so again. I think we’ll have a wonderful time in Beantown with she and her husband, my wife and I, and are good friends (and my tri-BFF) Mike and his wife Deb. I’m looking forward to a good time being had by all. Check back late next week to read a recap here.

On the training front this week has been very light as you would imagine. In fact, the running has been a small amount, biking has been non-existent, but the swimming has been a lot. Here’s the recaps…

Saturday the 10th was the last “long run” for me in prep for Boston and it was a very easy distance run at a very easy pace. I also tossed in a few miles on the bike because the run just didn’t seem like enough for the day!
Stats for Saturday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:02:55 @ 7:40/m pace.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 20.9-miles in 1:30 @ 13.9-mph.

Sunday I hit the bike once again after church while watching my beloved Trailblazers beat up on the hated Lakers on national TV. I kept it steady and tossed in some single-leg pedaling drills.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 24.8-miles in 2-hours @ 12.4-mph.

Monday the 12th I was out the door for a 5:00AM run in the dark and the rain since that was the only time I could go and that was the only workout I’d be able to fit in on that day due to work.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:47 @ 8:02/m pace.

Tuesday began with a 5:00AM swim of long distance and then continued at midday with my last Boston training track workout. The water was cold for the swim and the weather was very nice for the run.
Stats for Tuesday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 59:33 (1:00:33 w/rest) 5x600 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 4.8-miles in 34:46 @ 7:15/m pace.
1mWU = 8:11
4x800 w/400-rec. = 3:13, 3:15, 3:19, & 3:14.
1mCD = 7:26

Wednesday the 14th also began with a long swim done in freezing cold water at 5:00AM and that was all I could fit in on that day.
Stats for Wednesday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 59:27 (1:00:27 w/rest) 4x750 w/20-sec. rests.

Thursday was another pre-dawn swim but this time a bit shorter with some intervals. I also grabbed myself a new PR for 500-yards by 3 whole seconds! And then at midday I ran my very last Boston Marathon training run under sunny skies! The next run for me is at Boston!
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 48:41 (49:41 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:27 @ 7:59/m pace.

And finally, this morning was one more long-ass swim. Have you noticed that I didn’t ride the bike this week? Saving the legs for the marathon and using that time to rack up more easy-on-the-legs swim yards!
Stats for Friday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 59:39 (1:00:39 w/rest) 3x1,000-yards w/30-sec. rests.

And with that…I am outta here and Beantown bound! I’m runner #2716 and my daughter is runner #16388 for the marathon on Monday. Watch on-line for us crossing the finish line together in the matching shirts I had made for us! I’m running it with her and will savor every step that day and the memory for the rest of my life.

Thanks for stopping by...

Juggling, SuperFreak, and a tome

2010-04-09T13:59:00.001-07:00

We leave for Boston a week from tomorrow. The travel and hotel are taken care of, the house-sitter is lined up, my race packet and bib pick-up information has arrived, and all systems are go. And other than a final week of Taper Mode the training is done. While I’ve been juggling training for Boston with some early training for my first half-Ironman tri of the season I’ve made sure that marathon took precedence. With that being said, here are my training session updates for the week…

Last Saturday, the 3rd, I did my final double-digit-miles training run. I stayed around my neighborhood for this one to keep it flat and easy which it was. But it was also a bit on the wet, windy, and cold side. Afterwards, I climbed on the bike trainer for an easy spin-the-legs-out session.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 12-miles in 1:32:01 @ 7:40/m pace.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 13.2-miles in 1-hour.

On Easter Sunday between Church and some family arriving for dinner I got back on the bike for a bit of an extended session. During this workout I had 6-intervals for 15-minutes held very steady-state in the aerobars and also 10x1-minute big-gear standing intervals.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 36.1-miles in 2:30 @ 14.4-mph.

Monday the 5th began with a 5AM splash in the pool where I alternating drills with intervals. Then at midday I was out the office door for a very windy and very wet easy pace on the hilly course.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 38:31 (39:31 w/rest) 5x400 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:38 @ 8:10/m pace.

Tuesday was another early day but this time it started on the bike for a steady-state session. Then at noon I was out the door and up the hill for a track workout in windy, but dry conditions. And it was short…got to love the taper!
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.6-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 5.5-miles in 40:35 @ 7:23/m pace.
1mWU = 8:14
5x800 w/400-rec. = 3:20, 3:22, 3:23, 3:16, & 3:18
1mCD = 7:23

Wednesday the 7th I had to be in the office before 7:00AM for a meeting and I also had a class at church that night so no two-a-day workout for me. But I was able to get outside at noon for an easy paced run with decent conditions and no rain! I ran very easy, but the legs are feeling a bit sluggish right now which is what usually happens to me during a marathon taper so things are right on track.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:44 @ 8:10/m pace.

Thursday began with a longer session on the bike and Cycle-Ops Fluid II trainer and I threw some single leg pedaling drills in for good measure.
Stats for Thursday’s bike: 20.2-miles in 1:30 @ 13.2-mph.

And finally, Friday the 9th started out with yet another 7:00am meeting and another missed swim workout. I may try to make it up on the weekend…but most likely not. No worries. I did get outside at noon’ish for a nice run in decent weather. It was a tempo run split up as 1m-easy then 1.6m @ tempo pace, 1m easy, 1.6m tempo, then 1m easy to finish it up.
Stats for Friday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:51 @ 7:43/m pace.

So I’ve already finished reading SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance and it was alright. I found the most interesting chapters/analysis to be on the first chapter and the last chapter, but all of them were fun to read. I find it amazing that the authors can take the subject matter they do and tie it back to economics in some way. It may be a bit of a stretch at times, but the tie is there and they do make it work in an enjoyable readable way. The best part of the book for me was at the end when monkeys were trained to use “money.” It was fascinating! They were taught how to use money, how to use different amounts of money, and how to work around supply/demand issues. But the best part…they also quickly learned to use money to buy sex and the females learned to use that extra money to buy more food. You’ve got to love that one…monkey prostitution! While this book wasn’t quite as good as the first one, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, it was still a quick and fun read so I’d recommend it.

Now, I have started on the tome to end all tomes and I am reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Yes, the 1,442-page behemoth that is touted as the greatest novel of all time. I’ve had the Anthony Briggs translation on the book shelf for quite some time but just never could bring myself to actually start a book of that size and scope. But with many hours of airplane time coming up soon I figured now was as good a time as any to read a large book! I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice weekend…

Made it to the Taper!

2010-04-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

I always love it when I hit Taper Mode when training for a marathon. Because that means the most difficult training is now behind me and I’ve made it through to taper injury-free once again. Hitting taper time also means I enter into my paranoid stage where I make sure to always use hand-rails on the stairs (I usually do that anyway!) and distance myself from anyone coughing or sneezing. I don’t want many, many weeks of hard training to derailed by a missed step on the stairs or a wayward germ blown my direction. Two weeks from tomorrow we are headed to Beantown for my daughter and I to run Boston together which will be her 6th overall and my 17th overall marathon. This week was week #1 of my three-week taper so here are my workout recaps:

Saturday, the 27th, my daughter and I ran our last 20-mile training run. I let her set the pace and she smoked it. My long-runs with her are no longer easy! We ran the 6-bridge waterfront route along the Willamette River in downtown Portland and once again had perfect running conditions with blue skies and mild temperatures.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 20-miles in 2:41:49 @ 8:05/m pace.

Sunday my legs were tired but not too tired to get in a session on the bike trainer and not too tired to do some 1-minute big-gear intervals while watching a movie.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 28.5-miles in 2:00 @ 14.2-mph.

Monday, the 29th, I was in the pool for a 5:00AM swim and I made it one long endurance building splash around.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:54. 1x2,000 w/0-rests.

Tuesday at 4:40AM I was once again on the bike for a steady-state spin. Then at noon I was out the office door for a track workout in the sun…and the horrendous wind and cold.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.4-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.3-miles in 47:52 @ 7:36/m pace.
1mWU = 8:26
6x800 = 3:17, 3:22, 3:28, 3:30, 3:33, & 3:29.
1mCD = 7:50

Wednesday, the 31st, I was again on the bike way too early in the morning but I still got it done. The midday run was an easy-paced one under much warmer conditions at an easy pace.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 13.8-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:38 @ 8:00/m pace.

Thursday was another 5:00AM swim day and another endurance building session. This time I did take breaks, but I swam a long ways and at a good clip…for me anyway. My lunchtime run was done at an easy pace and under decent conditions.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 58:30 (1:00:30 w/rest) 5x600 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:44 @ 8:01/m pace.

And lastly, today…I took the early morning off and stayed out of the pool and off the bike. But I did get out for a run under some horrendously rainy and windy conditions. It was nasty out there! And to make it even tougher I pushed the pace a little bit and made it hurt just a little.
Stats for Friday’s run: 6.2-miles in 45:09 @ 7:17/m pace.

I received my Boston Marathon Athlete’s Information packet in the mail this week. I’ll be runner #2617 and that is good enough to be in the 2nd corral in Wave 1. But, I am moving myself back to the 3rd corral of Wave 2 so I can run with my daughter. How many Father’s on this planet can say they have run the Boston Marathon with their Daughter? My guess is that the number that can say they have is very, very, very small. But on April 19th I will be able to say that I have!

Thanks for stopping by, have a nice weekend, and Happy Easter…

Training, Born, SuperFreaks, and Tanji…

2010-03-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my last 20-miler of my Boston Marathon training program and after that it is Taper Time for 3-weeks leading up to race day. In amongst the Boston and triathlon training I’ve been getting done I’ve also managed to find time to finish a book and begin yet another one. One of my mottos: People who don’t read are no better off than people who can’t read. So start reading today people! Now, on to my training recaps and book review.

Tuesday morning began with a 4:45AM bike trainer session that included some 1-min. intervals in the big-gear. At midday I was out the door for trackwork under sunny skies and mild temps. There was some wind, but it wasn’t as bad as it has been of late.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.7-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 7-miles in 51:10 @ 7:19/m pace.
1mWU = 8:20
7x800 = 3:13, 3:16, 3:20, 3:20, 3:20, 3:19, & 3:11
1mCD = 7:30

Wednesday, like Tuesday, began with a pre-dawn climb onto the bike and trainer. This session was a bit longer and involved some 1-minute hard-effort intervals. At noon I was out the door on a fabulously sunny and warm day for a run. I ran some modified fartleks in which I ran all downhills and the few flats easy and then pushed the pace on all uphills.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 19.8-miles in 1:30 @ 13.2-mph.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 48:10 @ 7:46/m pace.

Thursday I only had time for an early morning workout and for it I chose to go for a 5:00AM swim. I kept the effort even for most of it but picked it a up at the end to finish two long sets strongly.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:20 (39:50 w/rest) 2x1,000 w/30-sec. rests.

And, finally, today the alarm went off at 4:30AM so I could get in a swim before work…but I bumped it to 5:30 and went back to sleep. I got in two good swims this week and it’s only March so I got more out of the extra hour of sleep. At midday I did get outside for an extended distance hilly run from the office. It was overcast and windy, but it didn’t rain on me which was nice. I kept the effort-level as steady as I could whether running uphill or downhill today.
Stats for Friday’s run: 10.2-miles in 1:18:36 @ 7:42/m pace.

I recently finished reading Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen and loved it. The core of the book is about the Tarahumara Tribe of the Cooper Canyon region of Northern Mexico. It describes their peaceful existence and how they are raised as runners and have been for centuries. They live and run in some of the most rugged and remote and hot country in the world and all of their running is done on trails wearing only hand-fashioned sandals. Not only are they fast, but they can run forever. Once upon a time they came to America and ran, and won, the Leadville 100 but then it started to become a hassle so they quit coming. But the author was sent to the Copper Canyon for a magazine article and became fascinated by the Tarahumara. Ultimately, he met the lone and strange Caballo who set up a race that included themselves, some Tarahumara runners, a fast running hippie couple, and Scott Jurek who is a 7-time Western States 100 and 3-time Badwater Ultramarathon Champion. The race description is excellent but I won’t give the result away here. The author also spends quite a bit of time explaining the science behind running barefoot, why the human race was meant to run long distances, and why Nike has created all the injuries that runners suffer today. All of it interesting and very good reading! As a long-time runner I loved this book and couldn’t put it down, but everyone would enjoy it. And if you are a non-runner when you start reading I bet you’ll want to be a runner by the time you finish it. I highly recommend this book.

Now, I’m reading SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance which is the sequel to Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything which I loved. I’ll let you know how SuperFreak Part Duex is upon completion.

Lastly…a massive shout-out to my beautiful wife who is fulfilling a life-long dream this weekend when she competes in the Tanji Johnson Figure Competition in Vancouver, WA. In 5-months of training for this event she has lost 27 pounds and lowered her body fat % from 28% to 13%. Her dedication and commitment rivals that of any marathoner or triathlete I’ve ever known. I’m so proud of her and I know she will do well this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice weekend…

PS = Whether you are a veteran runner, a newbie, a 5K wannabe, or a seasoned marathoner check out the tips found here. There is some excellent advice to be found.

T-minus 1 Month!

2010-03-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

One month from today is the Boston Marathon and as you know I’ll be there running it with my daughter. We are psyched and very much looking forward to it! Since my last post I’ve run my 3rd race of the year and have been getting in training sessions for both Boston and tri-season. Here’s a race recap and training updates…

Sunday, 3/14 = Portland Shamrock 15K run: 9.3-miles in 1:02:15 @ 6:42/m pace. #12 of 216 in M45-49 age group. The morning was cold, but clear and dry. I had hoped to go 1-hour straight-up, but had forgotten how tough the course, and hills, are. But still, given that I didn’t back-off the Boston training and did some track-work just a few days prior to the race I am fine with my effort. I pushed until it was uncomfortable and then held on as long as I could. Climbing up Terwilliger was difficult, but once over the top and headed back down to the Waterfront I was able to open it up pretty well and run my final four miles in splits of 6:30, 6:19, 6:10 & 6:08.

Monday = Legs were toast, of course, due to Sunday’s race so I took it easy with a swim.
Stats for Monday’s swim = 2,000-yards in 40:20 (41:20 w/rest) 5x400 w/15-sec. rests.

Tuesday, 3/16 = An easy hour on the bike trainer at 4:30AM was it on this day.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.3-miles in 1-hour.

Wednesday = Also started at 4:30AM aboard the trusty Allez currently strapped to the Cycle-Ops Fluid II trainer. Then at midday I got outside for a run and the legs felt pretty good and the weather was beautiful!
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 13.9-miles in 1-hour
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:38 @ 7:41/m pace.

Thursday, 3/18 = one more time on the bike at 4:30AM for an extended big-gear interval workout and once again out the door at noon for a run that included some tempo miles.
Stats for Thursday’s bike: 20.4-miles in 1:30 @ 13.6-mph.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:01 @ 7:35/m pace.

Friday = I only had time for a 5:00AM swim and that was it for the entire day. I hate it when that happens!
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 50:04 (52:04 w/rest) 5x500 w/30-sec. rests.

Saturday, 3/20 = The first day of Spring and I headed out to beautiful Hagg Lake for a Dreaded Hagg Lake Double with my daughter, Jennifer, and my tri-BFF, Mike. It was a cold first lap, a warmer second lap, but absolutely gorgeous for both laps.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 20.8-miles in 3:00:41 @ 8:41/m pace.

And lastly, today began at the pool with a 5:00AM splashdown in the pool and a midday run that had me finishing before it started raining! Legs a bit tired, but it was a great run.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:24 (40:24 w/rest) 5x400 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:24 @ 7:58/m pace.

The training will continue this week and our last 20-mile Boston training run is on Saturday and then it is Taper Time!

Thanks for stopping by…

Workouts, Books, and Racing…

2010-03-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since my last post, again, but rest assured I've been doing some training and doing some reading! To keep this post from taking several screen-scrolls to get through I’ll keep my workout updates very succinct and short…and here they are:

Tuesday the 3rd was a 4:40AM session on the bike trainer and that’s it on that day!
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14-miles in 1-hour.

Thursday I completed my first brick workout in months with a bike session at 4:40AM then out to run. Stats for Thursday’s bike: 14.4-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 46:31 @ 7:30/m pace.

Friday the 5th I only had time for a bike workout and I only had that time at 4:30AM.
Stats for Friday’s bike: 14.2-miles in 1-hour.

Saturday’s long-run was a step-back distance and I kept it flat and easy. I also rode later.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 12-miles in 1:31:11 @ 7:35/m pace.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 14.4-miles in 1-hour.

Sunday the 7th was a bit longer ride, but not the full time I had hoped for!
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 21.7-miles in 1:30 @ 14.5-mph.

Monday I was out in the predawn stillness on a very cold morning to get my run on.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:02 @ 7:55/m pace.

Tuesday the 9th began with an extended morning ride and then a windy midday track workout.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 19.9-miles in 1:30 @ 13.2-mph.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 7.8-miles in 56:39 @ 7:16/m pace.
1mWU = 8:09
8x800 w/400-rec = 3:16, 3:18, 3:19, 3:20, 3:20, 3:22, 3:17, & 3:13.
1mCD = 7:30

Wednesday’s scheduled only allowed a bike workout and only allowed it at 4:30AM!
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 13.7-miles in 1-hour.

Thursday the 11th I was in the pool at 5:00am for the first time in a bit over a week. I was also able to get out at midday for a run in nasty conditions so I tossed in some fartleks.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:19 (40:19 w/rest) 5x400 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:37 @ 8:00/m pace.

Finally, today my schedule only allowed me a 5:00am swim and that is it.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:37 (40:37 w/rest) 4x500 w/20-sec. rests.

I’ve just finished reading “The Desire of Ages: The Devotional Classic on the Life of Christ Updated with New King James Version” by Ellen G. White. My Dad gave it to me to read a couple of years ago, but I hadn’t gotten around to it until now. And I’m glad I did. Although it was not an “easy” read and at times was quite heavy, it was wonderful, thought-provoking, and inspiring. It basically is a biography of Jesus Christ from birth to crucifixion to resurrection to ascension and more detailed than I would have thought possible. The author, Ellen White, was very well-known for being “inspired” or “told what to write” by God himself when she wrote this book. All of the often told and well known stories of Jesus are examined in a much greater detail than I’ve ever seen done before. There were perspectives given from the Apostles and even from some of the Kings of the time. Obviously the book built up to the betrayal by Judas and the Jesus’ being crucified for us. Even though I knew about it, and knew it was coming…that was an emotion and thought provoking section to read. This book was written in 1940 and updated in 2006 so it is easier to read, but it is still a book you really need to concentrate on while reading and it is long at 900 pages. But it was wonderful. It is truly the Greatest Story Ever Told and I would highly recommend reading it whether you are a Christian or not.

Now I’m on to some lighter reading with “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen” which I’ve heard is very good. I’m looking forward to it and I’ll let you know what I think upon completion.

Lastly…Sunday is the annual Shamrock Run in Portland. It unofficially serves as the kick-off of the running season here in PDX. I’m running the 15K which has one of the most challenging courses of all area races because it climbs up Terwilliger and then drops down Barbur. My beautiful wife, daughter, and son-in-law are all running the 5K so we will all be there with 21,000+ of our closest running friends on Sunday morning! Check back for my Race Report, but “official” results for this particular race typically take a week or so to post so I may wait until then to write it up so stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice weekend…

Boston beckons…

2010-03-01T12:50:00.000-08:00

The Boston Marathon is only seven short weeks from today and the training for it is going well. I’m getting the running in that I should, but I’m also doing my thing in the pool and on the bike as well. Speaking of which, here is what I’ve been up to since my last post on the blog…

Thursday the 18th was an easy day with only a 5AM swim on tap due to work obligations.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 49:55 (50:55 w/rest) 5x500 w/15-sec. rests.

Friday started out with another 5AM swim and I also got in a bit longer midday run. It was a beautiful and warm day so I pushed the pace a bit to work up a nice sheen.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 42:30 (44:30 w/rest) 5x400 w/-30-sec. rests.
Stats for Friday’s run: 9.2-miles in 1:07:21 @ 7:19/m pace.

Saturday the 20th my daughter and I headed into Portland’s Forest Park for a long run together. These runs help me get use to running her pace since we’ll be running Boston together. We did toss in some ¼-mile intervals for the entire 2nd half of the run.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 19-miles in 2:36:43 @ 8:15/m pace.

Sunday I got in a session on the bike with very tired legs. I didn’t do any drills or intervals but instead just kept it a steady-state workout.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 31.9-miles in 2:15 @ 14.1-mph.

Monday the 22nd I was back in the pool at 5AM for another swim and also back out the door at midday for an easy paced run from the office.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:07 (41:07 w/rest) 5x400 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:11 @ 8:06/m pace.

Tuesday I could only fit in a 4:40AM spin on the bike due to my work schedule. I hate when that happens, but I just roll with it as needed.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14.4-miles in 1-hour.

Wednesday the 24th I was back on the bike way too early for another spin this time including some single-leg pedal drills. I was able to get out for a track workout for the day’s run training, too.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 21-miles in 1:30 @ 14-mph.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 8.5-miles in 1:02:50 @ 7:24/m pace.
1mWU = 8:19
9x800 w/400-rec: 3:19, 3:24, 3:23, 3:24, 3:22, 3:22, 3:19, 3:20 & 3:16.
1mCD = 7:39

Thursday was a 5AM swim which was my longest swim since Ironman Canada back in August. I didn’t do any intervals but instead just tried to keep it steady as the swim progressed. At noon I was out the door on a gorgeous day that I was so nice it made me run a couple of miles at tempo pace.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 3,500-yards in 1:09:30 (1:12:30 w/rest) 7x500 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 46:18 @ 7:28/m pace.

Friday the 26th was yet another pre-dawn swim and it wasn’t quite as long as the previous day’s swim, but I swam it straight-through without rest. The midday run was a longer-than-usual run that I ran at a very, very easy pace in the wind and rain and general nastiness.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,500-yards in 50:46, 1x2,500.
Stats for Friday’s run: 10.2-miles in 1:26:14 @ 8:27/m pace.

Saturday my daughter and I headed into downtown Portland for another long run. This one was along the waterfront and the Springwater Corridor along the Willamette River. It was an absolutely beautiful morning and the views are outstanding. Having to cross the river 6 times on 3 different bridges was pretty cool, except when we had to wait for one drawbridge to lower and also had to climb to the upper deck of another. But a great run, nonetheless!
Stats for Saturday’s run: 20-miles in 2:44:33 @ 8:15/m pace.

And lastly, today I was in the pool at 5AM once again for a steady-state effort. And at noon I was out the door for an easy, but hilly, run from the office under pleasant conditions. But after a 51+mile run week last week my legs are still a bit tired today.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 40:19 (41:19 w/rest) 5x400 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:32 @ 7:59/m pace.

This week I will need to juggle some workouts around due my work schedule, but juggle I will and get them done I will. That’s how I roll.

Thanks for stopping by…

The train(ing) keeps a’rolling…

2010-02-17T14:44:00.000-08:00

Once, again I see that I haven’t posted here in a long time. I remember in the early days of this blog that I would post something every single day. I wish I had that kind of time again! Now, work dictates my schedule much more than it did back then and that is a good thing as my career has progressed quite nicely since then. However, even if my work calendar prevents me from posting to this blog as often as I’d like, I won’t let it keep me from getting my training sessions in! Some days I have to be creative (READ: get up at 4:30AM!) to get my workouts in, but get them in I do. And here’s what I’ve been up to since my last post…

Saturday, 2/6, I met a few of my running buddies at Grand Central Bakery for a run on a most beautiful morning in downtown Portland. My plan was to run 17 miles before they finished with 14 miles. I’d run the same looped route but I had to add on an additional loop that crossed the Hawthorne Bridge. I decided to do the little loop first then try to catch up to them on the big loop. And I would have if the stupid bridge didn’t rise to let a tug and barge go through just as I reached it! That cost me ~8-minutes. Ultimately, it was an exceptionally gorgeous run on a beautiful morning and I pushed the pace and felt awesome. I ended up finishing about 3-minutes after my buddies!
Stats for Saturday’s run: 17-miles in 1:58:52 @ 6:59/m pace.

Monday’s I typically swim, but on Monday the 7th I had to run at 4:40AM instead…or not run at all that day. And that is not an option. So out the door early I went for an easy run.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:17 @ 7:37/m pace.

Tuesday I was in the pool when the doors opened at 5:00am and I swam a steady-state set. At midday I was out the door and up the hill to do my least favorite track workout – 10x800. That one hurts. But it sure feels good and I know I’ve gotten in a great workout when I’m finished with it!
Stats for Tuesday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 38:56 (39:56 w/rest) 5x400 w/15-sec. rests.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 9.3-miles in 1:08:07 @ 7:19/m pace.
1mWU = 8:12
10x800 w/400-rec = 3:15, 3:22, 3:24, 3:27, 3:26, 3:24, 3:24, 3:21, 3:19, & 3:12.
1mCD = 7:25

Wednesday I had to get in two workouts before getting to the office due to my schedule that day. So I started with an easy run at 4:30am around my still sleeping neighborhood and then got in an hour spin on the bike with some single-leg pedaling drills.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:01 @ 8:04/m pace.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 14.1-miles in 1-hour.

My next chance to work out wouldn’t come until Saturday the 13th. It was a very nice morning with no rain, no wind, and mild temperatures. After no exercise for the previous two days it felt great to be active again and I did a little tempo and fartlek work while out there. Later that day I also climbed on the bike for a spin while watching a movie while my wife was out with friends. Nothing strenuous, but just steady pedaling.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 12-miles in 1:30:22 @ 7:32/m pace.
Stats for Saturday’s bike: 22.6-miles in 1:30:00 @ 15-mph.

Sunday was an easy ride before church just to spin the legs out a little bit.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 11.3-miles in 45-minutes.

This past Monday, President’s Day, I took the day off to spend it with my wife. But I also took advantage of the day off to get in a couple of my longer workouts on tap for the week, too. I started out with my longest swim in months and then after breakfast I hit the track, again, for a 10x800 sufferfest, again. Overall time was a bit slower than last week, but my splits were a bit faster with the recoveries being a few seconds longer.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 3,000-yards in 58:59 (1:01:59 w/rest) 10x300 w/20-sec. rests.
Stats for Monday’s run: 9.3-miles in 1:08:32 @ 7:22/m pace.
1mWU = 7:51
10x800 w/400-rec. = 3:17, 3:19, 3:19, 3:22, 3:21, 3:24, 3:19, 3:20, 3:24, & 3:09.
1mCD = 7:56

Yesterday I began my day with another pre-dawn session on the bike with very tired legs. My midday run was also on very tired legs and it felt like a struggle the whole time. But it was a nice day so I just got it done nice and slow.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 51:41 @ 8:20/m pace.

And finally, today was another early morning bike session that I did some big gear intervals during. And at midday I was out the door in the bright sunshine for another easy run that felt much better than the previous day’s and was run faster, too. A beautiful day to run today.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 21.2-miles in 1:30:00 @ 14.1-miles.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 48:45 @ 7:52/m pace.

So now I’m all caught up on tracking my training sessions! I may be slacking a bit on the posting front, but I am not slacking at all on the training front! I hope your training is going well, too, as we head into the 2010 race season!

Thanks for stopping by…

Still Going and Going and Going…

2010-02-05T14:33:00.001-08:00

I haven’t posted in awhile so I thought I’d get caught up on that, but there’s nothing too exciting to report on. I’ve gotten in mucho training sessions and all running sessions are now geared towards the Boston Marathon coming up in April. So, without a lot of rambling on, here is what I’ve been up to since I’ve last posted.

Wednesday the 27th was my first activity after the race and it was a 4:45am spin on the bike on still tired legs. Then that afternoon it was a nice easy run under sunny skies.
Stats for Wednesday’s bike: 14.1-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 48:22 @ 7:48/m pace.

Thursday started with a 5:00am swim and then another run at noon. A bit longer and with some tempo mixed in to start getting the legs going again.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:14 (41:14 w/rest) 5x400 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:01:48 @ 7:32/m pace.

Friday was another pre-dawn spin on the bike followed by a easy run under cooler conditions at lunch time.
Stats for Friday’s bike: 14.7-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Friday’s run: 6.2-miles in 48:58 @ 7:54/m pace.

Saturday I ran with my boys Greg, Mike, and Jay and we did some loops around the Nike campus and an adjoining nature park which was very nice to run. We kept the pace dictated by Mike’s heart-rate monitor and it ended up being pretty slow, but it was all aerobic so it was all good. And it was good to run with the guys again.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 15.7-miles in 2:22:48 @ 9:05/m pace.

This week started out with a 4:45am run around the ‘hood since my work schedule was going to keep me from running during the day. It was wet, early, dark, and not too fun.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:50 @ 8:12/m pace.

Tuesday started with a swim at 5:00am since I thought I’d be able to run during the day. No dice. I got in the swim, but that’s it for the day.
Stats for Tuesday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 38:38 (41:08 w/rest) 4x500 w/30-sec. rests.

Wednesday I also had work conflicts during the day so I was out the door at 4:45am in the dark and rain to bust out a track workout. That was tough and the conditions sucked, but I got it done.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 8-miles in 1:00:03 @ 7:30/m pace.
1mWU = 8:10
9x800 w/400-rec. = 3:27, 3:25, 3:29, 3:26, 3:28, 3:30, 3:30, 3:30, & 3:25
0.5mCD = 3:44

Yesterday I had an all-day class so once again I had to get my run on at o’dark-thirty. But that is better than no run at all. I did a couple of easy miles, then a couple at tempo pace, then a couple of easy miles to finish it off.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:13 @ 7:37/m pace.

And lastly, today began with another swim and this time it was one long swim with no breaks which actually felt wonderful. And then at noon, under gloriously sunny skies and warm temps I hit the roads for an very, very easy run that was awesome.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 38:47. 1x2000.
Stats for Friday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:06:38 @ 8:08/m pace.

Tomorrow I plan to push the pace a bit on a 17-miler along the Willamette River in downtown Portland so hopefully this beautiful weather holds out for me long enough to crank that out. Either way…it will be wonderful, I’m sure.

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice weekend…

Vancouver Lake Half-Marathon Race Report

2010-01-25T16:52:00.000-08:00

Stats:
13.1-miles in 1:26:15 @ 6:35/m pace
#2 of 34 in the M45-49 age group
#31 of 207 male finishers
#37 of 407 total finishers

Yesterday was the 2010 Vancouver Lake Half Marathon across the Columbia from Portland in Vancouver, WA. The last time I ran this race was 2003 where I set my current (and still standing, unfortunately) PR of 1:24:21. I was feeling pretty good in the days and weeks leading up to the race and if the weather was decent (you never know in January in the Pacific Northwest) I felt I had a good shot at challenging that PR even though I set it seven long years ago.

Sunday morning was not what I had hoped for from the Weather Gods. As I waited for my daughter and my two buddies to arrive at the house it was dumping rain. Big, fat, heavy-drops kind of rain, but at least it wasn’t snowing. We drove north to Vancouver Lake Park and the start and it rained and whole time. And kept raining while we got our race numbers and sat huddled in the Outback. And it was still raining a few minutes before the start when we made our way there. But, a couple of minutes before the start it stopped raining…for a little while. Waiting for the race to start I had a chance to talk to a lot of my Ironhead Triathlon teammates and Mango Project running friends: Jamie, Ed, Troy, Tim, Dan, Pete, Cormac, Anne, and others. Having so many friends and my daughter out on the course was great since there were four separate out-and-back sections where we passed one another and it was fun to wave, holler, and give/get encouragement.

When the horn finally started I ran just behind Ed and alongside Pete for some of the first mile but when Ed started to pull away I decided to leave Pete to his own race and follow Ed as best I could. The course is very, very flat and the conditions were very good headed out the to the first turn-around and I settled into a pace that slightly uncomfortable but one which I thought I could maintain. I passed several runners who started out too fast and before long I was running on the path way along the canal. At this point I found myself running alone with a group of three runners about a 100 feet ahead that I just couldn’t quite catch up to.

I made my way out to the 2nd of four 180-degree turns and headed back towards the start I again got to see Mike, and Jen, and Jay and all the others running their own races. It was here, too, that the wind for the day made itself known. It wasn’t real bad, but it was strong enough that I could tell it was affecting my pace. I was able to catch and pass two more runners on this stretch and then I was running along the path again and running cross to the wind instead of straight into it. Soon enough I passing the start area for the 2nd time and running back out the very section and the wind was at my back. Once I made the 180-degree turn again I saw there was a couple of runners behind me, but I didn’t think they’d catch me (they didn’t) and once again I was running into the wind. I was still on pace to be close to my PR time, but I was beginning to think I wouldn’t be able to break it. I tried to push a bit more, but I didn’t have a lot left in the tank. It helped that many of my friends were running the other way and it helped to see them and shout encouragement, but the rain had come back by then and the wind felt worse and I was tired. One more time through the start area and then I was out towards the final turn. I made that turn and once again was running with the wind to my back and less than a mile to go so I picked it up a bit more (at least I think I did) and pushed hard to the finish under a very heavy rainfall by that point.

I feel pretty good with my results and I’m not too disappointed with not beating my PR since I do have seven years of mileage on these old legs. I came close…and maybe next year I’ll try again. My effort yesterday did get me a 2nd place in my Age Group and bragging rights on the drive home with Mike and Jay! Oh, and my daughter took 6-minutes off her PR and busted out a 7:48/m pace for her race! Next up on the race calendar is the 2010 Shamrock 15K on March 14th.

Thanks for stopping by…

Racing and Reading…

2010-01-22T10:32:00.001-08:00

Sunday is race #2 for 2010 when I run the Vancouver Lake Half-Marathon. This is race that I set my current half-marathon PR at…way back in 2003. I’m going to push it hard, but I don’t know if I can set a new PR 7-years older. But if you know anything at all about you know I’ll give it hell trying. We’ll see. I’m pretty sure I can get under 1:30, I’d love to be around 1:26-1:25, and if I can go under 1:24 then it was a perfect day. The training this week has been fairly light in prep for Sunday’s race, but I have been getting some done. Here’s the recaps…

Last Saturday (the 16th) I had planned to run a loop around Hagg Lake with my daughter but she couldn’t make it so I ran around the ‘hood instead and kept it flat and easy.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 10.1-miles in 1:17:35 @ 7:40/m pace.

Sunday I was able to bust out a quick spin on the bike before Church. No intervals, no big-gear mashing, just steady-state.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 14.6-miles in 1-hour.

Monday I was out for a midday run that I kept short, but tossed in some track intervals to keep the intensity up a bit.
Stats for Monday’s run: 3.8-miles in 28:05 @ 7:23/m pace.
1mWU = 8:18
6x400 w/100-rec = 1:33, 1:36, 1:37, 1:37, 1:36, & 1:31
1mCD = 7:34

Tuesday began with a 5:00am swim and then another midday run. It was unseasonably warm during the run and felt more like late spring than winter. I kept the pace easy and just enjoyed being outside.
Stats for Tuesday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:11 (41:11 w/rest) 5x400 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:11 @ 8:06/m pace.

Wednesday also started with a 4:30am buzzer so I could be in the pool when it opened at 5am. And my midday run was once again a short one with some intensity on the track thrown in to keep the fast-twitch muscle fibers primed for Sunday!
Stats for Wednesday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:51 (41:21 w/rest) 4x500 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 3.1-miles in 22:42 @ 7:19/m pace.
1mWU = 8:16
2x400 w/200-rec = 1:36 & 1:34
2x200 w/100-rec = :47 & :45
1mCD = 7:08

Yesterday was yet one more 5AM swim and that ended up being all I could get done due to my work schedule. I hate that, but it happens.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 2,000-yards in 38:55 (39:25 w/rest) 2x1,000 w/30-sec. rest.

And lastly, this morning at 5AM I was out the door again, but this time for a run instead of a swim. I wanted to make up for the run I missed on Thursday. It was dark and wet, but I kept it flat and easy.
Stats for Friday’s run: 4-miles in 29:46 @ 7:26/m pace.

In amongst the long work hours and time spent training I was able to finish a book and start/finish another book! The first book I finished was the 1,100-page behemothUnder the Dome: A Novel by Stephen King. This story was about an invisible and indestructible dome that came down over Chester’s Mill in Maine. It went into the ground over a 100-feet and extended into the sky for nearly 30,000-feet. It trapped nearly 2,700 people and killed several when it came down without warning and fast enough to cut a hedgehog in half and cut a woman’s arms off at the elbows while she was gardening. Even though the story was very long it never got slow as sometimes happens. But there were a LOT of characters that had to be kept straight in my head. King did help out be listing out the key characters and a map of the town in the front for reference if needed. There was the usual cast of good people, very bad people, and some misfits. Surprisingly, the story was more about the dynamics that took place within the town than it did with the dome itself or the US Governments efforts to break or remove it. Those things were there, too, but the stories mostly centered on a main cast of characters within the town and the very bad things some are capable of doing. Ultimately, we got to learn where the dome came from and whether or not it ever goes away…but I won’t tell you either of those things here. You’ll need to read the book for those answers.

The other book I started and finished this week was Comeback 2.0: Up Close and Personal by Lance Armstrong. This wasn’t a book like his other books where there were a couple of hundred pages to read, but instead was a pictorial documentary taking place in 2009 and covering his decision to come back to professional bike racing, his prep for the Tour De France, and then the Tour itself. And it was cool! Each photo was outstanding and they all had captions written by Lance himself explaining the context for each. It was a quick “read” but thoroughly enjoyable!

Now I’m getting ready to start reading The Desire of Ages by Ellen White. This is one of thee classics ever written about Jesus’ life and has been recently updated. My Dad gave it to me to read a while ago and I figured now was a good time to do just that. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

Swing by next week and see how my race went! I hope to have a race report posted on Monday or Tuesday.

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice weekend…

Another Week Closer to Race #2

2010-01-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

I am just a bit over a week out from my 2nd race of 2010 which is on the 24th. It’s a half-marathon and I plan to push it hard. I set my half-mary PR (1:24) there many years ago and I may try to better that. I don’t know yet. I got several more years and many, many more miles on the legs since I set that PR and I don’t know if try to better it is realistic or not, but you know me…I’ll give it a hellava shot. That being said, I’ve gotten several training sessions done this past week, so let’s get to the recaps…

Last Saturday, the 9th, was my longest run since the Portland Marathon last October. I ran it from home to keep it a bit flatter but by no means kept it easy. I ran the first several miles easy, but the middle 7-miles I pushed to tempo pace and then finished out the last couple of miles easy again. The weather was good and I felt good so all was good.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 17-miles in 2:03:48 @ 7:16/m pace.

Sunday the legs were a bit on the tired side so I did an easy spin on the trusty bike trainer to move some of the lactic acid out of them.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 14.9-miles in 1-hour.

This Monday began with a wet, dark, and cold run around the neighborhood at 4:45am. Those suck. But it was either that or not run at all that day due to my work schedule and, well, that is just not allowed. So out in the rain and dark I went.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 48:51 @ 7:53/m pace.

Tuesday once again began at 4:45am but this time it was on the bike for another spin session. This one was a high-cadence focused session. Then at midday I was out the door and up the hill for a track workout and again it was wet, windy, and nasty. But no worries…just go out and get it done, I say.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14.1-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 7.1-miles in 52:04 @ 7:20/m pace.
1mWU = 8:19
2x1200 w/400-rec = 4:53 & 4:59
6x200 w/100-rec = :49, :49, :47, :48, :49, & :49
2x1200 w/400-rec = 5:09 & 5:09
1mCD = 7:37

Wednesday is sleep in day…if you can call sleeping until 5:30am sleeping in! But at midday I was again outside in even worse conditions for a soggy, windy run. I kept the pace easy, but did toss in 6x100 strides.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:01 @ 7:54/m pace.

Yesterday started once more aboard my Allez currently strapped to the Cycle-Ops Fluid II. More spinning and some one-legged pedaling drills, too. And my midday run was actually under very nice conditions with no rain, no wind, no jacket, no gloves…very nice. So nice, in fact, that I decided to tack on an additional mile and I pushed the pace a bit the entire run.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 7.2-miles in 51:37 @ 7:10/m pace.

And lastly, this morning was one more ride on the bike trainer and I did several big-gear mashing sets. Stats for Friday’s bike: 14.5-miles in 1-hour.

My long run this weekend is only a 1-miler and I’m headed out to Hagg Lake to run a loop around with my daughter. Hopefully we have decent weather, but it looks like it may be pretty wet. But no matter…running out there is awesome either rain or shine!

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice weekend…

Long Live the King!

2010-01-08T16:33:00.001-08:00

In case you didn’t know, I am a huge Elvis fan! I have been since I was kid and I continue to be even now. And today is his 75th birthday so I want to give a huge shout out to The King. He’s the only singer, I think, that was actually given a God-given talent in the form of a most amazing voice. There’ll never be another Elvis.

Now, on to the stuff that you came here to read about. I’m pretty much recovered from Sunday’s race and have gotten some running in this week, but the legs were a bit tired for the first couple. Here’s a recap of the week…

Tuesday I was on the bike for a very easy spin very early in the morning, like 4:40AM early! Then at noon time I was out the door, expecting a cold run, but over-dressed for a warm run. Either way, I kept the pace very easy as the legs weren’t quite firing all the way yet.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.2-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:16 @ 8:06/m pace.

Wednesday I was back outside for a midday run and this time did get the cold weather I was expecting. And on top of that, it was horribly windy. I ran easy again but felt OK enough to toss in a few strides of pretty good effort.
Stats Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:55 @ 8:03/m pace.

Thursday started with a 5:00am swim that I rocked! For some reason I felt great in the H2O and busted out some very fast sets. Well, fast for me anyway! And at noon I was back outside in even colder temps with even worse wind. It was almost comical the wind was blowing so hard. I wanted to get out of the elements sooner so on this run I was able to pick up the pace just a bit.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 38:12 (39:12 w/rest) 4x500 w/20-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 45:19 @ 7:19/m pace.

And lastly, today was another early morning aboard the trusty Allez and Cycle-Ops Fluid II for a session that included some big-gear mashing. Unfortunately, my run time was taken away from me so the bike was it for today!
Stats for Friday’s bike: 14.4-miles in 1-hour.

Pretty low-key week for me training-wise, but that’s nice every so often. I have to let these old bones rest every once in awhile. But not too much rest…tomorrow I’m busting out a 17-mile run with some tempo miles mixed in. No rest for the wicked.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend…

ORRC 20.10K Annual Run Race Report

2010-01-04T16:39:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I ran my 12th straight Oregon Road Runner’s Club Annual Run and once again had a wonderful time. But before I get to the details of that race let me recap some training sessions leading up to it. My blog my rules you know.

On New Year’s Eve day I was on the bike in the AM for an easy spin session that was not too strenuous at all due to the upcoming race. Afterwards, I was out the door for my final little tune-up run and it was done in very cold temps and slushy footing conditions. I kept it slow and easy and carefully watched my foot placement!
Stats for Thursday’s bike: 14.4-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 4-miles in 31:07 @ 7:46/m pace.

On New Year’s Day my beautiful wife and I made our way to the club to start the New Year off on the right foot. She got in a cardio workout while I got in a swim. I kept it steady and even.
Stats for Friday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 40:08 (42:08 w/rest) 5x400 w/30-sec. rests.

Saturday I was again at the pool and kept the kicking to a bare minimum to save the legs as best I could. I also tossed in some intervals to spice things up just a bit.
Stats for Saturday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:13 (40:43 w/rest) 4x500 w/30-sec. rests.

Lastly, today I was at the pool once more but this time it was back to the usual 5:00am splash down. Happy New Year indeed! The legs were a bit sore and tired so again I kept the kicking to a minimum and just glided as best I could.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 42:48 (40:48 w/rests) 5x400 w/30-sec. rests.

So…as previously mentioned, the yearly ORRC 20.10K Annual Run was yesterday. This is a run that takes place on the first Sunday of the New Year every year and every year the distance increases .01K to commemorate the New Year. The first time I ran this race it was a 19.99K and this year (my 12th) it was 20.10K or 12.489-miles. My daughter and I drove out to the small burg of Forest Grove near my place and arrived about an hour before race time. That hour was spent talking to some runner friends and just people watching. With about ten minutes to the start we made our to the start line and parted ways to run our own races.

I made my way towards the front of the pack where I talked with my friend Billy Strick some more and then met Pete Danko. Pete and I have known each other virtually through our blogs and Facebook for a couple of years now but had never been able to meet face-to-face so it was great to be able to finally do so. He was running the 10K so once the gun went off we didn’t get to chat on the course at all. The conditions this year were prefect for running! Not like years past when we’ve had snow, or ice, or temperatures in the low 20’s, or gale force wind, or torrential rain, or even all the above at the same time it seemed! This year it was in the upper 40’s, overcast, and no wind. Soon enough the race started and we all took off like a shot. The first mile or so we ran through old neighborhoods out to Highway 47. Around the two mile mark is where the 10K race splits from the 20.10K race and many of the folks ahead of me turned off for the 10K. A couple of miles later the courses merge once again and that is always a bit of a pick-me-up because I get to pass runners and there is always someone up ahead to track down. But, this is also where the hills start. None of them are real long and real steep, but they are either long and gradual or short and steep and all hurt. Near the 5-mile mark the course once again splits off with the 10K runners turning around on an out-n-back while we 20K runners go straight. And once again I found myself running alone with one runner in sight up ahead and none in sight behind me. A couple of rolling miles later I saw the race leaders coming back and that is where I can count the runners to see what place I’m in to take my mind off of how much it all hurts right about then. At the final turn-around I found myself in 12th place overall and the closest person in front of me was ~1/4-mile ahead of me. At the next aid station I saw my daughter, Jennifer, headed the other direction looking great! She shouted hi and said she was under 8/m pace and I told her to keep it up and finish strong.

Near the 9-mile marker I could still see the one runner ahead of me and I figured if I was going to try to catch him then the time was now. So I sped up as much as I figured I could and still finish and slowly started to reel him in. Eventually I caught him and he hung with me for a bit but I started to hear his footfalls taper off and I picked it up just a bit more to get whatever gap I could. And the 11th position is where I stayed with no runners ahead in a catchable distance and no runners behind threatening to catch me. With a quarter mile left to go I climbed the longest and steepest hill of the day (who put THAT hill at THAT point in the race?!) and made my way to the finish. I was glad to be done and was able to finish about a minute faster than last year. I hung around the finish area talking with Billy and his family and then soon enough Jennifer came around the corner to finish her race ten whole minutes faster than last year! We made our way inside to warm-up, eat some pancakes, and then to get our Age Group winner blue ribbons. It was a great way to start 2010!
Here’s my race stats:
12.489-miles in 1:23:07 @ 6:42/m pace.
#1 of 8 in the M45-49 age group
#11 of 291 overall finishers.

Thanks for stopping by…

Off to the Races!

2009-12-30T13:25:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I run my first race of 2010 which is the Oregon Road Runners Club Annual Y2K10 Run near my home. This year will be the 12th straight year I’ve run this one going back to when it was a 19.99K. Every year on the first Sunday of the New Year the ORRC puts this race on and extends it .01K to coincide with the New Year so this year we celebrate entering 2010 and the race is 20.10K or 12.45-miles. And like every year, I’ll be going for the Age Group win which is always a nice way to start out any year! My daughter is running it for the third time this year so once again it’s a family affair for us.

And since I’m racing on Sunday this week’s training volume has been very light but I’ve still gotten some sessions done. Here’s what they’ve looked like since my last update…

Thursday the 24th I hit the bike trainer for an easy spin before heading out for the real workout of the day which was a track workout. After a 1-mile WU I ran the following set:
2x[400(100-rec.), 1200(200-rec.), 2400(400-rec.) And I finished it off with a 1-mile CD to home.
Stats for Thursday’s bike: 14.1-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 7.7-miles in 54:30 @ 7:05/m pace.
1mWU = 7:44
2x400 = 1:36, 1:42
2x1200 = 4:58, 5:07
2x2400 = 10:13, 10:10
1mCD = 7:45

Saturday morning I headed into Forest Park for a solo run which is usually wonderful. But on this day I’m not sure what it was, but the first 6-7 miles just plain sucked. I felt bad, I felt sluggish, I couldn’t get it going…I think it all the bad (but very good!) food and drink beginning Thursday night and continuing all through Christmas Day on Friday. Fortunately, I eventually felt better and was able to kick it into gear on the way out of the park. I even tossed in 6-miles of ¼-hard, ¼-mile easy intervals.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 16-miles in 2:02:46 @ 7:40/m pace.

Sunday I hit the bike trainer for some big-gear intervals.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 14.9-miles in 1-hour.

Monday was another trip to the track, but this time from the office so the first mile was straight uphill and the last mile was straight downhill. But in between I did a toned down set of 400’s with 100 recoveries.
Stats for Monday’s run: 3.8-miles in 28:14 @ 7:26/m pace.
1mWU = 8:14
6x400 = 1:36, 1:35, 1:38, 1:37, 1:39, & 1:40.
1mCD = 7:35

Tuesday I was on the bike at 4:40am for a steady-state intervals spin not pushed too hard. And my noon time run was freezing cold, but dry since the big non-forecasted snow storm hit later in the day so I was able to get in an easy run beforehand.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:18 @ 8:07/m pace.

And lastly, today I was once again at the track for a short workout to keep the legs firing fast in prep for Sunday’s race. The sidewalks and side streets were fairly clear if I stayed in the tire-tracked area, but the track was still pretty snowy with 1-2” still on it. So I ran a bit slower for the short workout, but still got it done.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 3.1-miles in 23:33 @ 7:36/m pace.
1mWU = 8:33
2x400 w/200-recovery = 1:37 & 1:36
2x200 w/100-recovery = :51 & :49
1mCD = 7:27

I’m hoping we get decent racing weather on Sunday. Last year for the first time I actually trained for the race to try for a Top Three Overall finish only to thwarted by ice on the ground and temps in the 20’s. I really had to watch my footing and that cost me a lot of time so I’m hoping to get only rain this year. And once again I’ll be trying keep my Age Group crown in the M45-49 group. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Have a wonderful New Year’s! I hope your 2009 wasn’t too bad and 2010 is even better! And on New Year’s Eve, remember – if you drink, don’t drive and if you drive, don’t drink!

Thanks for stopping by…

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-23T13:46:00.000-08:00

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season this year. The new job is getting me home later at night, but I still love it and the time of year. My wife is home from school and every day I walk into the house and there are more treats baked, more gifts under the tree, and more reasons to count my blessings…which I do often. What I also do often is swim, bike, run, and read and here are some recaps of those things!

Last Thursday (the 17th) I started the day with a 5:00am swim that I included some intervals in. And then at midday I was out the office door on a nice day for an easy run that included 6x100 strides.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 38:19 (39:49 w/rest) 4x500 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:09 @ 7:56/m pace.

Friday began with a 4:45AM trainer session on the bike in which I included some high-cadence drill work. And then at midday I was once again out the door on a picture perfect fall day for an easy run. Stats for Friday’s bike: 14.3-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Friday’s run: 6.2-miles in48:40 @ 7:51/m pace.

Saturday I ventured into Forest Park for a solo run. I hadn’t been in there in a very long time and I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery and run. I ran solo while listening to music and just felt grateful for having a place like Forest Park to run. It was a long run this weekend and for miles 8-13 I cranked up the pace quite a bit for some tempo work. Those miles clicked off at 7:10, 6:32, 6:14, 6:22, & 5:56! Then it was an easy two to finish up a fantastic effort.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 15-miles in 1:49:33 @ 7:18/m pace.

Sunday was a bike trainer session in which I did big-gear intervals. The legs were a bit tired!
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 15.2-miles in 1-hour.

This last Monday I was out the door at noon for a wet and cold easy run. No intervals this time, just a jaunt in bad weather.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 52:12 @ 8:25/m pace.

Tuesday I was in the pool at 5:00am for an easy effort swim. And then out the door at noon once again for a run that was drier but colder. After a 1.5m WU I ran 2 & 3 minute intervals with 1-min of easy running. Then the last 1.5-miles were easy again.
Stats for Tuesday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 40:19 (42:19 w/rests) 5x400 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 48:01 @ 7:45/m pace.

And lastly, today was yet another 5:00am dip into a freezing pool. No intervals or drill this morning, just steady effort swimming. And at midday I was out the door into some very heavy fog and very low temps. I ran pretty easy but did toss in six strides of about a 100-yards or so.
Stats for Wednesday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:49 (41:19 w/rest) 4x500 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:45 @ 8:11/m pace.

I recently finished reading Trizophrenia: Inside the Minds of a Triathlete by Jef Mallett. Jef is the creator of Frazz for those that may know of the school janitor/Renaissance Man/triathlete. This book was a quick and funny read and is definitely not meant to be educational. Although, for a beginner there are some definite tips on what NOT to do during training or on race day so it does have some educational value. Jef has competed in 100’s of triathlons over the last 20-years and he has some great stories to tell and that fact that he can draw hilarious cartoons to back up a point or to highlight something is even better. There are several times while reading this one that I laughed out loud. If you have ever competed in a triathlon, or aspire to at some point, then you’d enjoy this fun read.

Now, I am reading the 1,100-page behemoth Under the Dome: A Novel by Stephen King. I have read every word that Stephen has put to paper and he is one of my favorite authors. This tome is for sure one of his larger efforts and early reports are that it is also one of his best so I’m excited to get into it. I’ll let you know what I think upon completion.

I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas! Thanks for stopping by…

I'm back. Did you miss me?

2009-12-16T15:11:00.001-08:00

I haven’t posted in a while. Between the new job and a business trip to Boulder for the new job and then a training class the first part of this week I haven’t had time to do much of anything else. In fact, I’ve gotten in very little swimming, cycling, or running which always sucks and starts to make me grumpy after a while. But, with the travel time spent in airports and on airplanes I have gotten some reading done which is always a good thing. So, let’s get to the training (or lack, thereof) updates…

Saturday the 5th I met up with my running buddies in Downtown PDX for a run along the waterfront. I ran the last 3-miles alone and at half-mary pace which felt great!
Stats for Saturday’s run: 14.3-miles in 1:45:32 @ 7:23/m pace.
Tuesday the 8th I was able to squeeze in a 4:45am spin on the bike trainer. But that was it for the week!

Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14.5-miles in 1-hour.
This last Saturday which was the 12th I headed out to Hagg Lake with my daughter for a loop. I love running out there this time of year when there are no fishermen, boats, water toys, or traffic! We saw a massive herd of elk and also watched a beautiful Bald Eagle try to pluck a baby goose off the lake less than a hundred feet from us. He didn’t get one, thankfully, while we were watching. It was great to be out there running after my trip to Colorado and the lack of exercise for the week!
Stats for Saturday’s run: 10.4-miles in 1:31:48 @ 8:50/m pace.

Sunday I rode the bike trainer while watching “Saint Ralph” which is the best movie about running I’ve ever seen! If you haven’t seen it I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 30.4-miles in 2-hours @ 15.1-mph.

Monday at 4:45am I was back on the trainer for a bit easier spin at a steady pace.
Stats for Monday’s bike: 14.3-miles in 1-hour.

Tuesday I was in the pool at 5:00am for my first swim in nearly two weeks. I just focused on keeping it steady and not slowing down as the sets wore on.
Stats for Tuesday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:26 (41:26 w/rest) 5x400 w/30-sec. rests.

And lastly, today I got outside for my first midday run in exactly two weeks! Even though it was dumping rain and I was soaked within minutes of walking out the door it was wonderful to be out there running my hilly course again!
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:09 @ 7:36/m pace.

Since my last post I have finished reading two books and started on a third. The first one I finished was The Associate by John Grisham. After several non-fiction books in a row it was time for some lighter reading. And this book delivered a nice story with interesting characters and an engaging plot. The main character is fresh out of Harvard Law and instead of going to work a small community defending the poor he gets blackmailed to join a very large firm and steal corporate secrets related to a case that could bring a settlement in the 100’s of billions of dollars. The blackmailer works for the company being sued and wants the inside scoop to defend against it. And as is the case with all Grisham books this one gets cleaned up nice and neat at the end and leaves some lingering questions unanswered. However, it was one of his better recent efforts.

I then read Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer. This one was as good as everything he’s written. I’m sure you’ve heard the story of Tillman…he was a star in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals and was on his way to making the big, big money when the 9/11 attacks occurred. Being the man that he was and raised the way he was he felt it his duty to serve his country and avenge these attacks. So newly married he got out of his NFL contract and joined the Army and became a Ranger. He pulled a tour in Iraq in a war he did not believe in or support, but he did as obligated. But his second tour of duty was in Afghanistan and he firmly believed in that one since it was going after Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. As you know, he was killed in an ambush of his convoy while trying to protect fellow soldiers. At first it was stated that the enemy had killed him and he was a hero and award the Silver Cross. Although he was a hero he was not killed by the enemy but instead killed by “friendly fire” by someone in his own platoon. The Army tried to sweep that under the rug and keep it quiet, but Tillman’s very close and very strong family would not allow that to happen nor would his brother, Kevin Tillman, who was serving alongside him at the time of the ambush. So the Army was held accountable and the record was set straight. Krakauer does a masterful job of helping us get to know Pat Tillman, gives great detail about how Bin Laden came into power, and about the inner workings of the US Army. Like all of his books, I loved this book. I highly recommend it.

Now I am on to reading Trizophrenia: Inside the Minds of a Triathlete by Jef Mallett. Mallett is the creator of the comic strip, Frazz, and also a triathlete. This one will be a fun read with cartoons and funny stories and I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

Thanks for stopping by…

Jobs, workouts, books, and Ducks

2009-12-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

Today is my final day as the Manager of the Enterprise Information Services Project Management Office (EIS PMO) for Providence Health & Services. On Monday I begin my new role as the Manager of Clinical Informatics for the entire Oregon Region for Oregon Information Services for Providence. The new role will be very different than what I’ve been doing for the last several years, but it is a terrific opportunity that I could not pass up. It will also be a growth opportunity for me and Clinical Informatics is one of the hot-spots to be in in the Healthcare field. I’m ready to get started!

On the workout and training front I’ve been managing to fit in my scheduled sessions this week even amongst the chaos of transitioning jobs and moving offices. Here is the recap…

Tuesday began with a 4:45AM session on the bike trainer. It was mostly steady-state but with a couple of harder intervals thrown in. Then at midday I was out the door and on the track for a speedwork session. It was clear and sunny but a bit windy.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14.4-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 8.1-miles in 58:11 @ 7:11/m pace.
1mWU = 8:16
4x1m w/400-recovery: 6:31, 6:38, 6:45, & 6:35
6x200 w/100-recovery: :46, :47, :46, :46, :45, & :42
1mCD = 7:50

Wednesday was only a midday run and it was dang cold and dang windy. Luckily it was easy run day so I just pulled my hat down tight and got it done.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 48:48 @ 7:52/m pace.

Thursday began with a 5:00AM dip in the pool. This time it was an endurance session, but I did manage to swim the second interval faster than the first one. The midday run was again very cold, again on the track, and this time the wind was so bad it was almost comical. But it was sunny and clear and I cranked it out as best I could under the conditions!
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 40:04 (41:04 w/rest) 2x1,000 w/1-min. rest.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.8-miles in 47:57 @ 7:06/m pace.
1mWU = 8:19
1x3m w/no recovery = 6:42, 6:41, & 6:33.
2x800 w/200-recovery: 3:17 & 3:12
4x100 strides = 1:34
1mCD = 7:24

And lastly, this morning was another session on the bike trainer and this time it was some big-gear grinding intervals.
Stats for Friday’s bike: 14.1-miles in 1-hour.

So I’ve already finished reading The Runner's Rule Book: Everything a Runner Needs to Know--And Then Some. Actually, it took less than two hours as it was short and had some pictures, too. It was very, very funny and I found it enjoyable. But I couldn’t stop wondering why I didn’t write it! I could have! Dangit! But, be that as it may, it was a fun read and I loved the author’s sense of humor. If you are a runner then you should read it. It won’t take you very long and you will enjoy it. Besides, you may pick up some tips and tricks from it that you can use yourself.

Now I’m reading The Associate by John Grisham. After 5-6 straight non-fiction books it was time for an engaging story and that is what he normally delivers. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

One last thing…a HUGE congrats to the Oregon Ducks for winning the Civil War against the Oregon State Beavers last night and earning a berth in The Rose Bowl! Go Ducks!
Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend…

That week went fast!

2009-11-30T13:10:00.001-08:00

It seem like only yesterday I was walking out of the office on a Friday afternoon and looking forward to nine days off. And then bang! It’s over and it’s back to the daily grind. However, the week was enjoyable, relaxing, and needed. I got some things done around the house, I got in some quality workouts, and got in some reading time. Enough reading, in fact, that I was able to complete the 700-page behemoth I was reading. So, in trying to keep this post from becoming behemoth itself I will keep my workout sessions updates very pithy…

Saturday, 11-21: A great run along the Portland Waterfront with Jamie, Tom, George, Troy, and Cormac.
Stats: 14.3-miles in 1:54:28 @ 8:00/m pace.

Sunday, 11-22: I hit the indoor bike trainer while watching the John Cusack movie “War. Inc.”
Stats: 30.2-miles in 2-hours @ 15.1-mph.

Monday, 11-23: The day started out with an early-morning swim and then at mid-morning I was at the track for the first track-workout in a long, long time. And it felt like it.
Stats for the swim: 2,000-yards in 39:26 (42:26 w/rest) 10x200 w/20-sec. rests.
Stats for run: 8.1-miles in 59:29 @ 7:21/m pace.
1mWU = 8:04
4x1m w/400 recovery = 6:33, 6:45, 6:54, & 6:57.
6x200 w/100 recovery = :44, :50, :54, :49, :42, & :45.
1mCD = 8:01

Tuesday, 11-24 = First brick workout since Ironman Canada. Early morning ride on the bike trainer then out the door for an easy 10K run with some 100-yards strides tossed in.
Stats for bike: 14-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for run: 6.2-miles in 46:01 @ 7:25/m pace.

Wednesday, 11-25: Another jaunt to and around the track for another speedwork session.
Stats: 6.8-miles in 47:51 @ 7:05/m pace.
1mWU = 7:53
3x1m w/no recovery = 6:33, 6:33, & 6:25!
2x800 w/200 recovery = 3:18 & 3:17
4x100 strides
1mCD = 7:54

Thursday, 11-26: An early morning swim just to get in a little calorie burn before the eating commenced!
Stats: 2,000-yards in 39:12 (41:12 w/rest) 5x400 w/30-sec. rests.

Friday, 11-27: Back on the bike and then back outside for another brick run for the hell of it.
Stats for bike: 14.2-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for run: 6.2-miles in 46:15 @ 7:28/m pace.

Saturday, 11/28: I once again ran along the wonderful Waterfront in downtown PDX with Brad, Ed, and Jamie. It was cold, but it was dry and not windy.
Stats: 14.3-miles in 1:53:06 @ 7:55/m pace.

Sunday, 11/29: Just a fairly easy spin on the bike trainer.
Stats: 14.3-miles in 1-hour.

Monday, 11/30: Lastly, today was go-back-to-work-day which meant I had to be in the pool at 5:00am. And then at lunchtime I was out the door for an easy, but hilly and cold, run.
Stats for swim: 2,000-yards in 40:08 (41:38 w/rest) 4x500 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for run: 6.2-miles in 49:12 @ 7:56/m pace.

As mentioned, while on vacation last week I was able to read The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy by Bill Simmons. I loved it! First of all, I am a HUGE Portland Trailblazers fan, but secondly I am a HUGE fan of the NBA in general. I love watching games, I love reading about games and players, and I love just keeping up to date on all of it. So this book was awesome for me and any other NBA fans…or sports fans in general. Bill is an expert on the game from its origins to the game as it is today. He’s a Celtics guy, but didn’t overdue it in his book…too much. But he provided some excellent stories from the beginning days of the league and the stars of that era (Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlin, Bob Cousey, Oscar Robinson, etc…) and also provided stats in an interesting and readable format. He did that for the 70’s (Dr. J, Willis Reed, Bill Walton, etc…) the 80’s & 90’s (Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Isaiah Thomas, etc…) and stars for today (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, DeWayne Wade, etc…) He looked at many, many different play-off series’ and how they affected players and teams afterwards in both good and bad ways. He broke down the biggest rivalries in the sport (Lakers vs. Celtics, Magic vs. Larry, Shaq vs. Kobe, Michael vs. the record books.)

Simmons also explained why the current Basketball Hall of Fame is crap and how to fix it with his Pyramid Method for getting into the new HOF. In doing so, he listed the Top 96 players of all-time and placed each one in a tier from 1-4 with Tier 4 Players being the best of the best. I won’t list all players, but according to him the Best Five Ever are Jordan, Russell, Jabbar, Johnson, & Bird in that order. Hard to argue with that. His pick for the Best Team Ever is the 1986 Boston Celtics with the 1996 Chicago Bulls (72-10!!) a close second. He also created the Best Team Ever using any player from any era in the NBA which was very cool to think about. HINT: don’t pick the 12 “best” players of all time. Needless to say, I loved this book and could go on and on about it. And don’t even get me started on some of his comments about my team (Blazers) and my all-time favorite player (Clyde Drexler) as he was a bit harsh on both, but it is difficult to fault his logic. Damn! I highly recommend this book!

Now I am going to read The Runner's Rule Book: Everything a Runner Needs to Know--And Then Some by Mark Remy. It is one-seventh the size of the Simmons book and will be a quick and entertaining read. I’ll let you know what I think about it upon completion.

Thanks for stopping by…

Thanksgiving and training are here…

2009-11-20T13:08:00.001-08:00

I am on vacation next week! And I’m so ready for it. Unfortunately my beautiful wife (being a school teacher) has to work for three of those days, but I’ll use that time to watch an action flick or two that she doesn’t care to see and get in some reading time. I’ll also be able to get back into the pool since the newest tattoo is pretty much healed up! Oh, and I’ll also start getting some training runs in prep for the Vancouver Lake Half-Marathon I’m running in January. Nothing too extreme, but time to get back on some speedwork running! And speaking of training, actually, more like working out, here’s what I’ve been up to lately…

Wednesday the 11th was a 5:00am run in the dark around the hood. Much flatter route than my normal midday route so it felt easy and I felt great.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 45:40 @ 7:22/m pace.

On Saturday I was actually in Manzanita at the in-law’s on the Oregon Coast and I got to run my all-time favorite running route. I LOVE running there. It was warm, it was pleasant, and there was no rain or wind. A perfect run under perfect running conditions.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 10.3-miles in 1:17:04 @ 7:29/m pace.

Monday began with a 4:45am bike trainer session and then also included a midday run. It was extremely windy during my run, but at least it was dry and I dodged the rain.
Stats for Monday’s bike: 14.6-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:09 @ 7:56/m pace.

Tuesday was another 4:45am bike trainer session and another midday run. It was still windy and it was much colder out there, but once again I dodged the rain and felt good enough to toss in a few fartlek pick-ups to boot!
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14.1-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:31 @ 7:40/m pace.

Thursday was, yep…you guessed it, another pre-dawn bike trainer session and lunchtime run. Once again I missed the rain that was supposed to dumping all day and I kept the pace easy and just enjoyed being out there.
Stats for Thursday’s bike: 14.2-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:33 @ 8:00/m pace.

Lastly, today was yet more of the same. I miss the pool. Be that as it may, I was on the bike early but not as early so I got a whole extra hour of sleep. BooYah! And then out the door from the office for a midday run. It was a bit cool out there today but once again not raining and this time not windy. I felt great so I pushed the pace just a bit today.
Stats for Friday’s bike: 14.3-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Friday’s run: 6.2-miles in 45:36 @ 7:21/m pace.

In amongst all the biking and running fun I did find time to read Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins. It is strictly a book you’d read for work or to learn and not a recreational read. However, my new Director’s Director gave it to me as he has all Managers in his organization read it and I’m glad he did. I did enjoy it and found it easy to read and understand. And, having just gone through a very extensive interview process to be selected to join his organization I found it very encouraging that they selected me and I can understand some of the reasons why. The book focuses on 11 US companies that made the jump from being good companies to being great companies. Yes, only 11. And that is all the companies in America that have been able to make that jump based on his very robust and data-driven analysis. The key things I zeroed in on were the sections about “a seat on the bus” and the “hedgehog concept.” The bus analogy is about making a hire for a key management position based on character and personality traits more than actual knowledge specific to the job. The job-specific stuff can be taught and learned, but either you are the right “person” or you’re not so I am glad they think I am the right person. The hedgehog concept is about finding out what your organizations three circles are and staying within them at all times. Those circles are “What are you most passionate about?,” “What drives your economic engine?,” and “What can you be the best in the world at?” If your organization can find an answer for each of those questions then you are well on your way to becoming great at what you do. Good to Great is a fairly quick read and it is a very thought-provoking read so I highly recommend it!

Now I’m onto a book I’ve been dying to start since I bought it and that is The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy by Bill Simmons. Since I am a HUGE fan of the Portland Trailblazers, and a HUGE fan of the NBA, and the NBA season just got started this is the perfect time to start this 700+ page behemoth since I have plenty of vacation reading time coming up! I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

Have a great Turkey Day and thanks for stopping by…

Career, Fitness, and Books

2009-11-10T15:58:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been a whirlwind for me. Actually, the last few weeks have been. I’ve been pursuing a new position within Providence Health & Services and after a lengthy, extensive, and exhausting interview process I finally received, and accepted, an offer. As of December 7th I will be the new Clinical Informatics Manager for the Oregon Region. I am thrilled to have landed this role and this opportunity. It won’t be without its challenges as I learn the plethora of clinical applications my team supports but I am ready to take those challenges on and get going.

On the fitness front I’m still getting in some off-season workouts just to stay fit and to help alleviate the many calories of holiday food/drink that will be hitting my gut over the next two months! I’m still not able to hit the pool due to the new tattoo still healing, but I am getting in some indoor cycling and some outdoor running. Here is how it’s shaped up recently…
Last Tuesday (11/3) I was on the bike for a 4:45am session and then a midday tempo run in the sun and wind.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 13.9-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 46:28 @ 7:29/m pace.

Wednesday was another midday run in beautiful fall weather at a nice and easy pace.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:15 @ 7:57/m pace.

Thursday was another 4:45AM bike ride with some big-gear intervals and another midday run. The run was wet and cold, but I pushed the pace a bit and was plenty warm!
Stats for Thursday’s bike: 14.4-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 45:11 @ 7:17/m pace.

Saturday was a downtown PDX Waterfront and Springwater Corridor run with Brad, Tom, and Jamie. Nice and steady under blue skies but with big-time wind! But it was still a great run on a nice morning and we missed the heavy rains that came soon thereafter.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 14.3-miles in 1:53:01 @ 7:54/m pace.

Sunday was an indoor bike session done at steady-state pace.
Stats for Sunday’s bike: 14.5-miles in 1-hour.

Monday was a 4:45AM ride which is always a tough way to start the week!
Stats for Monday’s bike: 14-miles in 1-hour.

And lastly, today I was once again on the bike at 5:00AM for a steady hour workout and then a midday run under sunny skies. It was very windy, but it was great to be outside running and missing the rain.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14.1-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 1-hour.

I just finished reading Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters. It is an autobiography and she does spend some time telling about her childhood and family, but the real meat of the book is recalling many of the fascinating people she has interviewed for 20/20 and her Barbara Walters Special shows. She’s sat down and talked with US Presidents, dictators, movie stars, murderers, Wall Street moguls, criminals, and everyone in between. She devoted chapters to such things as the men in her life (married three times), her early years at CBS and then ABC, US Presidents, and her favorite celebrity interviews, and her worst interviewees. Warren Beatty tops that list, by the way. It was also interesting to read about her father who spent years in show business and many of them quite successfully. In fact, in downtown New York City, Lou Walters Way is named after him for all he did for the city during some tough years. Barbara expressed guilt and her feelings about her older sister that was born very mentally challenged and always kept somewhat behind the scenes. Barbara also told a lot about how 20/20 and The View came about, how co-anchors were chosen, and how things behind the scenes operated to get them going and get them successful. I watched 20/20 with Barbara and Hugh Downs for many years and I’ve also thought that it was a classy and stand-up news program. She has had a chance to meet most of the most famous people of the last 30 years and has had an outstanding career in broadcast news during a time when women did not get those opportunities. TV women of today have her to thank for the opportunities they now get to enjoy.

Now I’m on to reading Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins. My new manager’s manager gave it to me to read and he makes it required reading for all managers in his organization. I’ve heard good things about it so I’m looking forward to reading it. I’ll let you know what I think upon completion.

Thanks for stopping by…

Shoes, tattoos, and races…oh my.

2009-11-02T16:36:00.001-08:00

This last week was an interesting one in that I ran in a shoe other than an Asics shoe for the first time in twelve years, I got my fifth tattoo which coincidentally matches the tattoo my wife got at the same time in the same place on our legs, and I signed up for not one, not two, but three 2010 races! Oh, and during all of that I managed to get in a couple workout sessions so let’s start with the recap of those.

Tuesday at 4:45am while my wife headed to the club to get her cardio-burn on I climbed on the bike trainer for an hour of steady-tempo pedaling. Nice and steady was the call that day. Then at midday I was out the door for a run in something other than Asics for the first time in a very long time. And I loved the new kicks! More on that later.
Stats for Tuesday’s bike: 14.3-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:49 @ 8:11/m pace.

Wednesday I was again out the door at midday for a run but this picked up the pace just a bit since the new shoes seemed to work fine the day before. The weather was a picture-perfect fall day here in Oregon.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 45:38 @ 7:21/m pace.

Thursday I was at the pool for my last swim for a couple of weeks since the new tat would dictate I stay out of the pool for at least that long. I alternated fast sets with drill sets and it felt like a great workout. Each of my faster sets was faster than the previous one. The midday run that day was in the rain and soggy conditions so I kept the pace very easy and it was all good.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 1,800-yards in 36:46 (40:46 w/rest) 9x200 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:52 @ 8:12/m pace.

Friday I ran a bit longer at lunchtime and for the first time in several months decided to tack on the BIG HILLS of Botticelli and Touchstone. I remembered quickly why I don’t run them during the training season too often. Ouch. But other than those ascents and descents I felt great and it was a nice day for a run!
Stats for Friday’s run: 8.5-miles in 1:04:51 @ 7:37/m pace.

And that brings me to today which started with another 4:45AM session on the bike and then a midday run. The weather for today’s run was amazing and I felt the same way.
Stats for Monday’s bike: 14.7-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 47:23 @ 7:38/m pace.

So the new shoes are Adidas Supernovas and so far I really like them. I have a long-time friend that is also a long-time Adidas employee that would love to get me out of Asics and into Adidas. So much so that she sent me not one but two pairs to try out…for free! One pair was the 2009 model and the other the 2010 model. The 2010 is an intimidating black color that I may save for upcoming races! I can tell the difference in the Adidas from my Asics GT-2140’s. The way the Adidas guides your foot from strike to push-off can actually be felt and at first I was concerned it would cause me some aches and pains but changing my stride but so far that has not been the case at all. I really like them and I’ve given my friend that feedback too.

Now the tattoos…my wife and I have wanted to get matching tattoos for some time but could never quite find a design that we both loved. And our names were NOT an option as that is the kiss of death in relationships. Finally I found a design for the words “Me & You” that is funky cool and looks the same seen upside-down or right-side up. So Friday night we met with our tattoo artist, Mary Jane Haake (Google her!) and she fixed us both up very nicely and now we have our matching tats. Once they heal I’ll post a pic or two.

And lastly…the 2010 races I’ve gotten signed up for to go along with the Boston Marathon in April and the Hood-To-Coast Relay in August. The first one is the Oregon Road Runners 20.10K Annual Run on 1/3/10 that takes place 20-minutes from my home. This will be 12th straight year running that one. The next one is the Vancouver Lake Half-Marathon that takes place on 1/24/10 and is where I set my half-mary PR at seven years ago. And yes, I’m going for new PR seven years older so a sub-1:24 is the goal! And lastly, I signed up for the Lake Stevens Ironman 70.3 that is on 8/15/10 and will be capper on my tri season next year and hopefully with a sub-5 hour finish! 2010 is going to be busy, busy on the race front. Check back to how the training and then the racing goes!

Thanks for stopping by…

A Creature of Habit

2009-10-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

I don’t know about you but I am a creature of habit and I like to have routines. That applies to many things in my life, but I would venture a guess that the only one that concerns anyone visiting a triathlon-focused blog would be how that applies to the sport. In a nutshell, the off-season tweaks my brain just a bit because of the lack of focused training. I love training. Basically, I race so that I can train. Training for a race is my outlet and my way of coping with the stresses of the world. Sure, I enjoy the off-season in that I can pick and choose my workouts based on how I feel on any given day, but I do miss the structure of a well thought out training plan.

To this end, even in the off-season I try to maintain some level of consistency with my “training.” For sure I back way off the volume, distances, and frequency of the miles and yards I rack up during the spring and summer, but I still try to keep things even-keel which helps me stay even-keel. And getting in some consistent workouts over the next couple of months allows me partake freely in the once/twice-per-year foods that are going to put in front of me over those next couple of holiday months! Typically, my off-season routine looks something like this:

• 2-3 swims, usually Monday AM and Thursday AM and sometimes Friday AM
• 2-3 bikes, usually Tuesday AM and Friday AM and sometimes Sunday
• 4-5 runs, usually Monday/Tuesday noon, Thursday/Friday noon, and Saturday AM
• 2-3 strength sessions, usually Tuesday PM, Thursday PM and Sunday

I have found that this type of schedule gives me both the consistency and structure I want but also allows me the flexibility to skip or miss a workout and not stress over it. So, with all of this being said here is how my last few workouts shaped up:

Thursday I was in the pool at 5:00am for an endurance session. It was nice to go long in the pool for a change. The midday run was on a prefect fall day that was tailor-made for some speedwork. I kept it sensible with fartleks but still got the feel of a hard workout that I was after.
Stats for Thursday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:31 (40:31 w/rest) 2x1,000 w/1-min. rest.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 48:44 @ 7:51/m pace.

Friday I was on the bike at 5:00am and was able to work-up a good sweat with some big-gear standing-up pedaling intervals. It felt good to work a little harder on the bike. And the midday run was nothing like the day before in that it was horribly windy and very, very wet. So I kept the pace easy and just slogged it out.
Stats for Friday’s bike: 14.3-miles in 1-hour.
Stats for Friday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:30 @ 8:08/m pace.

Saturday’s long run was one of those runs that don’t happen very often! The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful, the route was new and fun, and the company was great. Jamie picked me up at 6:15am and we made our way to Sawtooth Bakery in downtown PDX where we met Ed, Cormac, and Fran. The five of us then ran the mile-mile-and-a-half to Alber’s Mill where we met up with Brad, George, Troy, and Linda. We all took off and our route took us on Front Street to the Broadway bridge where we crossed the foggy Willamette River to the Eastside Vera Katz Esplanade. We ran on that to the Springwater Corridor which is about when Troy and Linda turned around and the rest of us continued all the way to the Sellwood Bridge.

After a quick water/bio break we crossed the bridge and headed North back towards downtown. We passed through Willamette Park and the South Waterfront area before getting to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the seawall with the gorgeous views of the river and the city. It was right about here that half of us picked up the pace a bit and half stayed behind and even paced. I decided to go with the breakaway and just hang with them as long as I could. I haven’t run that fast and hard for a long time and I could tell. The four of us would trade off the lead with none of us wanting to be dropped off the back. It was tough but it was awesome! When we all gathered back up at Alber’s Mill Ed’s Garmin told us that miles 11 through 13 were busted out at a 6:05/m pace. No wonder they sucked so bad! At that point the group split up with three of us running the additional mile-to mile-and-a-half back to Sawtooth Bakery where once again the whole group met up for our usual post-run food and beverages!
Stats for Saturday’s run: 14.3-miles in 1:47:28 @ 7:30/m pace.

Lastly, this morning I was back in the pool at 5:00am for a bit shorter swim but done with some drills so it felt harder! Always a good way to kick off the workweek!
Stats for Monday’s swim: 1,800-yards in 37:34 (40:04 w/rest) 6x300 w/30-sec. rests.

Oh, and one more thing…tomorrow the 2009-2010 NBA Season starts! BooYah! I love the NBA and I love my Portland Trail Blazers!!! Expectations for my team are very high this year with anything less than a trip to the Western Conference Finals next spring being seen as a disappointment. But I’m not worried – this team will ROCK this year.

Together. Rise with Us. And thanks for stopping by…

The Road Trip

2009-10-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

My wonderful wife and I enjoyed a fabulous road-trip long weekend that was so much fun. We put 1,100 miles on the Outback and saw some amazing sights, wonderful places, and beautiful country. For this particular post I’m not going to give any workout updates. Just suffice it to say that since my last post I’ve gotten in three runs, one swim, and one bike session. This is the off-season, after all.

So back to the road trip…Day One we left home and traveled through King’s Valley then over the Coast Range to Waldport, Oregon. Then it was a scenic jaunt down to Bandon, Oregon, where we spent our first night in a cheesy little motel that was perfect. Here are some pics from Day One:

On Day Two we completed the US101 route of the Southern Oregon Coast and into Northern California where had lunch in Crescent City and got some information on the Redwoods National Park and what to see/do. We LOVED the Newtown Drury Scenic Parkway, the hike at Big Tree, the Lady Bird Johnson Grove hike, and the night we spent in beautiful Victorian Ferndale, California. Here are some pics from Day Two:

On Day Three we headed back north on US101 and after a quick stop in quaint Trinidad, California we took US199 and hiked the Simpson-Reed Grove and Peterson Memorial Trail and just gasped at the size of the Redwoods which are truly amazing. We continued on 199 through some absolutely beautiful and rugged country along the Smith River eventually into Southern Oregon via Cave Junction and Selma. We then drove through the stunning Applegate Valley before stopping for the night in rustic and old Jacksonville, Oregon. Our gorgeous room in the Jacksonville Inn had a steam shower that was way too hot for me but my wife loved and the pizza/beer at Bella Union hit the spot! Here are some pics from Day Three:

We left Jacksonville and drove to Gold Hill, Oregon, where we visited the Oregon Vortex. It was strange and weird and our tour guide was funny, too, so we both enjoyed it and tried to figure out why balls and bottles rolled up hill and people grew or shrank in space of five feet of walking. Eerie. We then made our way up, up, up to Crater Lake which was stunning! The wind was howling up at 8,000’ and it was very cold, but what an amazing sight. I’ve never seen water so blue and beautiful. There was snow sprinkled around which added to the beauty and the whole area was breath-taking. After leaving Crater Lake National Park we made our way to US97 then onto US58 which was ablaze in fall colors almost the entire way to Oakridge and then in to Eugene. A quick dinner break and then we made the final pull back to home. Here are some pics from Day Four:

We had a wonderful time with beautiful blue skies, temps in the upper-60’s or lower-70’s, low traffic, no crowds anywhere, and time for just the two of us. We plan to do another trip like this next year at this same time but to a different place and we’re already looking forward to it.

Thanks for stopping by…

PS – OK, I couldn’t not post my workout updates! So here they are in abbreviate format:
Wednesday: 10K run in 47:30 @ 7:39/m pace. Early, dark, and wet on the home loop.
Sunday: 8.2-mile run in 1:03:58 @ 7:48/m pace. Very easy on a beautiful fall morning.
Monday: 2,000-yard swim in 39:47, 41:47 w/rest, 5x400 w/30-sec. rests.
Tuesday: 14.1-mile bike trainer ride at 4:45AM for one hour.
Tuesday: 10K run in 48:33 @ 7:49/m pace. Midday on the hilly office loop.

Bikes, Trees, and Lakes

2009-10-13T15:13:00.001-07:00

Saturday I rode the Harvest Century which started and finished less than a mile from my house. And it wasn’t pretty. My pals Jay and Steve met me at my house at 7AM when it was a balmy 39* and together we rode up to the start area where we were greeted by many, many, many more cyclists than I thought there’d be. It took us nearly 45-minutes to get our packets and actually get on the road to ride. And dang! It was COLD. OMG. I had all of my cold weather gear on and within 20-minutes my fingers, hands, and toes were either numb or painfully cold. And I’d stay cold for the next two hours.

The weather other than being so cold was beautiful with bright sunshine and clear blue skies. The three of us met up with fellow Ironhead Tri Team member Kaytee Petross (70.3 AG World Champion!) along the way and made our way out of Forest Grove and towards Hagg Lake. And here is where a route mistake was made that cost us an additional four miles which at the time wasn’t a big deal but towards the end of the day I was wishing I didn’t have those additional miles on the odometer. We had a lunch stop ~45-miles in to the ride and we were very well fed and the warm school cafeteria was a nice shelter to warm up in finally.

We left the lunch stop and turned east and immediately we ran into the East Winds head winds that I knew we’d have since the forecast spoke of them the night before. And the wind was awful and remained the rest of the day. On the other side of Newberg and heading towards Champoeg Park I began to run out of gas. I knew this ride was maybe not going to be easy, but it quickly got pretty tough. Looking back on this now, maybe riding this ride 6-weeks after Ironman Canada and 6-days after the Portland Marathon and without being on the bike since Ironman Canada wasn’t the best decision I’ve ever made.

After leaving Champoeg Park we made our way to Canby and I made my first ever ride across the Willamette River aboard the Canby Ferry which was pretty cool. Until we got to the other side and were immediately hit with the very steepest climb of the day from the river to the top of the hill ½-mile long. It was nasty. Most folks walked their bikes up but for those of us strong (stupid?) enough to grind it out we were going fast enough to stay up right but only barely so. Then it was onto Wilsonville and Sherwood before working our way back towards the finish area via many of the same roads I ride weekly during triathlon training season.

Eventually I made it through the flatlands and winds to get back to Hillsboro and then soon enough the Washington County Fairgrounds where this fun day started. I sat down at a picnic table, in the sun, with Steve & Kaytee, a double-cheese burger, Rouge Brewery Dead Guy Ale, and enjoyed the best part of the day.
Stats for Saturday’s ride: 108.4-miles in 6:46 @ 16-mph.

Monday morning at 5:00am I found myself in a place I hadn’t been since late August – the edge of the pool looking into the cold water and ready to plunge in for some laps. Yes, it’s time to get in some swimming again so there I was. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be, but towards the end of the session I could tell I hadn’t been swimming in two months. At lunchtime I was out the door for my first run since the Portland Marathon and it too didn’t suck as much as I thought it might. It was a beautiful day with cool fall temps and lots of sunshine. I ran a very easy pace and did not push it at all. It was awesome to be out running again.
Stats for Monday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:09 (41:39 w/rest) 4x500 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Monday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:57 @ 8:13/m.

And today I was again at the pool for another easy session. I swam the same distance but tossed in some drill work along the way. Then late in the workday afternoon I was able to get out for run that I couldn’t do at noon due to a meeting. The weather was drastically different then it was yesterday with blustery winds, blowing leaves, cold temps, and just general nastiness. But it felt better than yesterday’s run, it felt easier than yesterday’s run, and the pace was faster than yesterday’s run.
Stats for Tuesday’s swim: 2,000-yards in 39:45 (41:45 w/rest) 5x400 w/30-sec. rests.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:31 @ 7:59/m.

And also today is my Friday! My beautiful wife and I are loading up the Outback and taking a road trip down the Coast Highway 101 to the Redwoods National Park in Northern California and then looping back up to Crater Lake. We have no reservations anywhere and no timelines on having to be at a certain place at a certain time. We have just the two of us hanging out together for a few days, the open road, some beautiful scenery, and a great time ahead of us. I’ll try to post some pics next week.

Thanks for stopping by…

Recovering, Riding, and Reading

2009-10-09T13:55:00.001-07:00

Recovery from the Portland Marathon is going well. It no longer hurts to walk down the stairs or get up out of a chair. I haven’t started running again because I always give myself an entire week of non-running after a marathon, but I do expect to get back out there next week and I do expect the first couple of outings to suck. The first couple of runs always do post-marathon.

However, I have gotten on the bike trainer a couple of times this week to 1) spin the legs out a bit and 2) get some saddle time before the 100-mile ride tomorrow. Yep. I haven’t been on a bike since I handed off to the volunteer at the end of the ride at Ironman Canada on August 30th and tomorrow at 7:00am I am headed out for 100 mile Harvest Century ride with Jay, Rick, and Steve, and Mike for some of it. When I signed up several weeks ago I thought it was a fine idea to ride a Century only six days after IMC. But right now? Not so much. But I will do it, the weather will be a bit cold but sunny and beautiful, and I’ll enjoy the time with the guys. In prep for the ride, here are my very small-volume training recaps…

Thursday morning I had a meeting to attend at the office at 7:30am, but I had already planned to get in a trainer ride that day so I was on the bike at 4:40am. Ouch. And double-ouch that it was my first time on a bike since IMC and I could sure tell. The seat hurt, my legs felt dead, my pace felt too hard…and all of this two days before a 100-miler. Ouch.
Stats for Thursday’s bike: 13.6-miles in 1-hour.

And this morning I was back on the bike super early to get in another hour before work. It didn’t feel quite as bad as Thursday’s effort, but it was still nothing like it was pre-IMC. I pushed a little harder and felt a little better.
Stats for Friday’s bike: 14.2-miles in 1-hour.

With the non-running going on I have had some time to sit and read while recovering and I just finished an amazing book. I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and I truly loved it. In fact, I haven’t read a book this good in a long time and I have read a lot of books. It was one of those rare reads where I didn’t want it to end it was so good. The author was one of the most clever writers I’ve ever read and his choice/manner of narrator was astounding. He wrote the story from the perspective of having it told to the reader by a narrator and that narrator was Death. Yes, Death was the story-teller and an amazing one at that. The story takes place in Nazi Germany during the rise of Hitler and WWII. The main characters are Liesl who is the Book Thief, her foster parents the accordion player papa and hard-to-like mama, her best friend Rudy, Max the Jew they hide from the Nazi’s for a long time, and other colorful characters. When Liesl is very young she innocently happens across a book (The Guide To Digging Graves) and that turns her into a lifelong book lover and reader. But being a young girl in wartime Nazi Germany did not allow her easy access to books or money so she begins stealing them from the Mayor’s wife whom she is delivering laundry to. The author’s use of the narrator (Death, remember?) allows some liberties to be taken on timelines and takes us forwards and backwards to fill in blanks and build the characters. He also cleverly uses paragraph breaks and bolded highlights to make a point, give a definition, or drop a bombshell on the reader. I’ll stop there otherwise I’ll just too much away, but I absolutely loved this book and I cannot recommend it highly enough!

Now I’m on to reading Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters. I’ve had it for quite awhile but just never picked it up to read it but will do so now. I’ll let you know what I think of it upon completion.

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice weekend…

2009 Portland Marathon Race Report

2009-10-05T13:46:00.001-07:00

Stats:
26.2-miles in 3:12:20 @ 7:20/m pace
15/451 M45-49 Age Group
273/3,825 Males
296/8,091 Finishers Overall

Story:
I signed up to run the Portland Marathon early in the year. However, this occurred prior to my gaining entry into Ironman Canada which took place only 5-weeks before Portland. Since my race season plans changed to include another Ironman I had thought about not racing Portland but when a couple of my friends asked me about pacing them in Portland to get them Boston qualifying times I figured what the heck. I wasn’t sure what to expect on race day as far as Ironman race fatigue would play into the marathon but at 5:15am on Sunday I found myself meeting up with Mike and Jay and heading to downtown PDX.

Our plan was to run a 3:10 marathon pace for as long as we could hold it and hope we didn’t blow up somewhere out on the course. We got ourselves lined up near the 3:10 Red Lizard pace group and before too long we were on our way to see what the morning brought. Both Mike & Jay wore Garmins and I wore a 3:10 pace bracelet so we could constantly monitor our progress and pace strategy. The first few miles were of course crowded but we did a good job of running single file and threading our way through the throng. At Mile 4 after already climbing up Harrison and Barbur we were about 30-seconds ahead of pace and running well. For me, this is usually the point in a marathon that lasts a couple of miles and has me wondering if I can really maintain the current pace for 20-22 more miles. Yesterday was no exception and while we were running strong down Front through the crowds lining the street I was beginning to wonder if maybe I’d bitten off more than I could chew.

Luckily, we got onto Front Avenue and the start of several flat miles and soon enough I was feeling good and having fun again. At Mile 7 we saw our first of several Ironheads teammates when Leanne yelled out to us while wearing her Orange Crush shirt, too! The flat miles clicked off out to the turn-around and all the way back towards town. This section is always fun because you can lots of other runners headed the opposite direction. I was able to give a shout my buddy Billy and also a high five to my buddy Jamie who were both looking strong at that point in their respective races. By now we had gained a few more seconds on the pace and were now about 1-minute of ahead of schedule. Winding our way around NW Portland through the crowds was fun and we were running well and before we knew it we were out of the small rolling hills and onto the flatness of HWY 30 with the St. John’s Bridge looming on the horizon. Last year this is where it started raining and stayed raining most of the rest of the race, but this year there was no rain. There was slight wind, but the temps were in the 50’s and it was dry so we had ideal conditions. At Mile 15 we saw fellow Ironhead, Ken, who tried to snap of pic or two of us flying by him. During the long straight miles out to the bridge Jay pulled ahead of Mike and I a bit but we were all on pace with a little time in the bank still. At Mile 16.5 to 17 is when we had a little trouble. That is when the course goes up the long and steep climb to the top of the St. John’s Bridge. All three of us geared down and climbed with Mike opening a slight gap at the turn near the top. I stayed with Jay while we made our way to the bridge apex, but pretty soon Mike was further ahead and we’d lost a few seconds of time. So I told Jay we needed to catch Mike and started to pick it up a bit but either he didn’t hear me or couldn’t pick it up at that point in his day and that was the last I saw of Jay until the finish.

I caught Mike just we were making the steep descents and turns and then climb up onto the Bluff near the University of Portland. The next few miles from ~18 to ~23 are the normally the hardest miles in this marathon, at least for me. The course through here is mostly flat and there is descent crowd support but these are the miles that hurt the most in my opinion. After having run 18-20 miles already and knowing there are still 8-6 to go is just hard mentally, but it was a welcome change to be running with someone and it helped me push through it a bit faster than I might have had I been running solo. We clicked through the miles along the Bluff and at one point saw another Ironhead helping out at an aid station and when Darrin saw me he gave a nice shout. Soon enough we were running through the Adidas Campus and running the long downhill of Greeley. You would think that running downhill would be a welcomed occurrence but you’d be wrong. At this point we’d run 23 miles and the downhill is very long and not very gradual which all culminates in very sore quads. But then it was up and up and up to the Broadway Bridge and the steep descent down to the final mile. And then the train stopped us. Yes, we got stopped by an Amtrak passenger train at mile 25.5 or so. It wasn’t very long and only cost us 30-40 seconds, but just having to stop completely and then get going again was just not a good thing. We took off once the train passed by with a group of 15-20 runners and it was here that Mike had a bit more in the tank than I did. I fell off the pace just a bit and the gap widened as we both motored to our respective finishes. The last ½ mile is always a mix of feelings because I’m so happy to almost be done but it hurts so badly to try to muster a bit more speed and run a bit stronger in front of the large and loud crowd! But finally it was around the final corner and across the finish line and marathon #16 was officially in the books. Mike ended up finishing 40-seconds ahead of me at 3:11:40 and Jay finished 5:28 behind me at 3:17:48.

It was a blast running a marathon with my two training partners and good friends. We accomplished what we set out to do by getting those Boston Marathon qualifying times they were after and having a good race. A good time was had by all.

Thanks for stopping by...

26.2 for the 16th time…

2009-10-02T14:45:00.001-07:00

As you know, Sunday is Portland Marathon day and I’m running it for the fifth time and hope to complete my 16th marathon overall. Portland on Sunday also marks the 10 Year Anniversary of my very first marathon which was Portland in 1999. I can’t believe that tens years have passed since that very first one where at miles 22 to 26.2 I SWORE I would NEVER do this again and this was a STUPID idea and I should step in front of a car to end the pain. Yea, that first one didn’t feel too good. But I’ve learned so much in ten years and now I cope with the pain of the marathon much better…but they still hurt like hell. Of course this week has been very, very light on the training front with only a couple of easy runs and nothing else. Here are the recaps…

Tuesday was my last trip to the track for possibly many weeks if not months. It was short run day with a couple of 800’s after a mile warm-up up the hill and ending with a mile cool-down down the hill. It was cold, wet, and windy and hopefully that is not the case on Sunday.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 3.5-miles in 26:36 @ 7:36/m pace.
1mWU = 8:14
2x800 w/800 recovery = 3:13 & 3:18
1mCD = 7:42

Wednesday was the last pre-PDX run and it was an easy paced one on a nicer day. There was some sun, some rain, some warm, some cold, and some wind which is pretty much a typical fall day in Oregon it seems. I kept the pace easy, slowed myself down a couple of times and just thanked God for getting me through another training season injury-free.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:42 @ 8:10/m pace.

Tomorrow I’ll head out for a flat and slow 2-mile run just to loosen the legs up a bit and then shut it completely down until Sunday at 7:00am when Mike, Jay, and I take off and try to come in around 3:10-3:15. We’ll see how that goes since all three of us are only five weeks removed from having done Ironman Canada. I’ll get a PDX RR posted on Monday or Tuesday of next week so make sure to stop by and read about the carnage. Oh, one more thing…my wife will be out of town the weekend of the 10th. So I figured instead of sitting around alone I’d go for a little bike ride instead. Nevermind that it will be first time on the bike since IMC on August 30th, and nevermind that I signed up for the 100-miler, and nevermind that will be only six days after having run a marathon, I just thought the Harvest Century, which starts and finishes less than a mile from my house, looked like fun. I’m sure it will be a memorable bike ride!

Thanks for stopping by and have a good weekend…

Race Week!

2009-09-28T09:48:00.001-07:00

The Portland Marathon is on Sunday and that will be marathon #16 for me. I’m looking forward to it. My race strategy is still somewhat up in the air since I am pacing a couple of buddies who are after Boston qualifying times. I’m thinking we will go after a sub-3:10, but it may be in the 3:10>3:15 range but I won’t really know until mid-way through the race. All I know is they only need a sub-3:20 for Boston and that we will get. And with this being race week I’ve been in taper mode and have been loving that. I seem to have so much time on my hands with no swimming, no biking, and minimal running at this point. I was able to start and finish a book this week amongst the running I also got in…here’s the recaps for both.

Tuesday I hit the track for a short interval session of miles. I did the uphill WU mile then 3x1 with 800 recovery followed by a CD downhill mile. It was hot and very windy so that affected the pacing just a bit, but I still got it done.
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 6-miles in 45:10 @ 7:31/m pace.
1m WU = 8:31
3x1m = 6:41, 6:55, & 6:56
1m CD = 7:52

Wednesday was easy run day and while it was still warm outside the wind from the previous day was nowhere to be found which was nice. I kept it easy and conversationally paced.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:03 @ 8:04/m pace.
Thursday was actually overcast and cooler which was perfect for a little more speedwork. I didn’t run the usual pace or tempo run but in keeping with the spirit of the Taper I just tossed in a few fartleks ran at 80-85% effort.
Stats for Thursday’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:10 @ 7:55/m pace.

And lastly, Saturday’s “long run” was whole 8.2-miles. Yep, that’s it. It was a spectacularly beautiful Fall day with bright sunshine, no wind, and temperatures in low 40’s for crying out loud. My hands were very cold for the first few miles but then it got warmer. I kept the run flat and easy and it was wonderful.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 8.2-miles in 1:01:23 @ 7:29/m pace.

So the book I was able to knock out last week was The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. It’s his first book since The Da Vinci Code took over the world a few years ago. It was good, but not spectacularly so. It was more or less The Da Vinci Code set in Washington, D.C. this time around. Robert Langdon was of course the star character and he had the usual mix of people with or against him. Some of the main players were the beautiful and smart female interest, the freaky monster man antagonizing them, secret societies (this time the Freemasons,) ancient secrets, symbols and maps to find something that can save, or destroy, the world. You know, usual cast of characters in a Dan Brown book. However, I did find it to be an exciting story that I didn’t want to put down. Every free minute I had last week found me turning pages and loving the story. And I’m already looking forward to the movie that I’m sure will be made soon. This book was a quick read, but it was very entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

Now I’m going to read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This one has started out very interestingly in that it is narrated by Death who comes across as having thoughts, and feelings, and plans, and so far is telling a very good story. I’ll let you know what I think about it upon completion.

The current forecast for Sunday is mid-60’s with showers. Hopefully the temps stay in the 50’s and the rain holds off until after the marathon. But either way we plan to give it hell come race day.

Thanks for stopping by…

Running, reviewing, and reading

2009-09-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

My run in Forest Park on Saturday was one of those runs that remind me why I do this. It was fabulous. I met up with Tom, Ed, Jamie, Linda, and Cormac at 7:00am and in the rain. I ran the first 6 miles with the group before they took off to finish up on trails while I stuck to Leif Erickson and the better footing. The run with them was nice since I hadn’t seen several of them since before I started my Ironman Canada training and the Saturday rides commenced and we were able to get caught up. Once they turned off onto Saltzman I continued out to Mile 7 before turning around and heading back. And the run back was fantastic. It was still raining, but it was warm and beautiful. I didn’t have my iPod the only sounds were my feet hitting the wet Earth and the raindrops hitting the forest. The fall colors are starting to show and it was peaceful, serene, and beautiful in there. I felt great and the running felt effortless…and it showed on my return pace.
Stats for Saturday’s run: 14-miles in 1:46:35 @ 7:36/m pace.
First 7 = 56:36 @ 8:05/m pace.
Second 7 = 49:59 @ 7:08/m pace.

We met back up at Grand Central Bakery for our usual post-run snacks and coffee. George and Brad were already there from their run along the Waterfront so I chatted with them a bit before the others arrived to join us. It was a great way to spend the morning. After getting home and getting cleaned up the rainy weather allowed me to sit, relax, and do some reading. I finished reading Human: The Definitive Visual Guide and was very glad to! This one was a tough read. This book encyclopedia-styled book was full of tons of useful information and unbelievable photographs. It starts with the basic building blocks of life, atoms and cells, and from there explains why were are, how we are, and where we are going as a species. There is a bit of the controversial slant with the huge amount of the front section loaded with how we evolved out of Africa and spread out across the globe. For those that subscribe to Creation (such as I) then this section may not sit well with you, but the science behind it is still fascinating. The large section on the human body and how it works (absolutely every function of birth, living, reproducing, and death) is amazing and truly awe inspiring. Just the act of eating and breathing is such an amazing feat that we take for granted but what the body is doing during the act of living is just overwhelming. I also liked the sections on the religions of the world and the peoples/cultures. We are a fascinating species and we will face some challenges in the future to keep thriving, but a good use of your time would be reading this book and gaining a better understanding of what it means to be Human.

Now I’m reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown…like most of the rest of the world is doing right now. So far it is engaging and enjoyable. And a much easier read then my last book! I’ll let you know what I think upon completion.

Today’s run at noontime was an easy paced one that unfortunately didn’t feel too easy because of the gale-force winds blowing out there right now! It was howling. So when it was in my face I just geared down and ran easier and when it was at my back I flew along with it. The sun and blue sky was abundant but it wasn’t too hot so all in all not a bad run.
Stats for today’s run: 6.2-miles in 49:33 @ 7:59/m pace.

Thanks for stopping by…

Swim? No. Bike? No. Run? Yes.

2009-09-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

I still haven’t been in the pool or on the bike since Ironman Canada. It’s hard to get motivated to do those things if I don’t have a triathlon race on the calendar. But, I do have the Portland Marathon race on the calendar so I have been getting out to run and I even hit the track this week for the first time since April. Here’s how that, and other runs, went this week…

Tuesday was bright and sunny and windy so it seemed like a good day to make my way to the track for the first time in months. And I could tell it had been awhile. I could also tell that I’m only a little over two weeks removed from the Ironman and the legs died out on me fairly quickly after a decent start which was pretty much what I had expected actually. I ran a WU all uphill mile then hit the track for a 400-800-1200-1600-1,200-800-400 ladder workout with each interval separated by an easy 400. Then it was an all downhill mile for a CD. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy a tough track workout…when it’s done…and I can look back on it!
Stats for Tuesday’s run: 7.5-miles in 55:59 @ 7:27/m pace.
1m WU = 8:20
400 = 1:34
800 = 3:19
1200 = 4:59
1600 = 6:57
1200 = 5:17
800 = 3:24
400 = 1:40
1m CD = 7:54

Wednesday I was out at midday for an easier run, but only easier since it wasn’t a speedwork day but the hilly route from my office kept it from feeling truly easy. But it was another nice day, I was outside to enjoy it with a run, and it was all good.
Stats for Wednesday’s run: 6.2-miles in 50:21 @ 8:07/m pace.

Lastly, today was another hilly route day and I also pushed the pace just a bit to see how the legs would respond and all-in-all they did fine. I never felt very smooth or fluid today, but the pace was manageable even with the raised temperatures out there.
Stats for Friday’s run: 6.2-miles in 45:21 @ 7:18/m pace.

I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s run when I will join up my old Saturday running group, The Mango Project, for a conversationally paced 14 in beautiful Forest Park. I haven’t run there in months, or with the group, and I am very much looking forward to both!

Thanks for stopping by and have a nice weekend…