Crank it up!

Actual conversation I had in my head while riding up an 8% grade with 25 mph side wind:

[Huff! Huff! Damn this hill sucks! Huff! Huff! Don’t worry, there’s a reward at the end of the circle. Huff! Huff!

Um! Wait! What did 'I' just say! ...End of the circle! What the hell does that mean? There is no end to a circle!

There is no reward is there!

What happened to my support team? I'm supposed to have a cheerleader with me not a naysayer. I’m looking for encouragement not a koan! If I want peace and enlightenment, I’ll meditate at home!]

And then...the crank fell off my bike. The CRANK! What the hell is that!

It happened to Water Buffalo and now it’s happened to me.

End of workout!

OTN:
The last week was success and a flop all at the same time:

I took two days off at the beginning of the week (although I did get in a nice hike [Cross training right?]), so I felt like I didn’t do anything the entire week.

Monday: Off (Hike)
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: Run 4mi; Weights
Thursday: Swim 850 yards
Friday: Swim 300 yards
Saturday: Run 7.64 mi; Bike 11.88 mi
Sunday: Bike 8.47 mi

I had planned on doing a big swim on Sunday, but the Crank incident ruined my mood. I’ll make it up this week.

California Ironman 2009

Not that I want to contribute to the rumor mill (but apparently I do)…

It’s been said here, that the ever encompassing world of Ironman may become even more ever encompassing.

There’s a chance that the California 70.3 (Oceanside) will become a full 140.6 in 2009!

According to my in-depth research (which consist of hiring two Crack addicts for pennies on the dollar to filter through the Internet for anything resembling California Ironman), there DID indeed use to be a California Ironman.

But it looks like it was only for a couple of years 2000 and 2001. Both were done on the same day as the now California Half-ironman.

Not sure why they decided to change to Half and not sure why they will decide to take it to the full again. But it seems that changing it back to the long course shouldn’t cost them anymore and they’ll just make it a two loop system.

Here’s hoping! (Although at this time in my training, it doesn’t really matter to me)

When you can snatch the pebble from my hand…

Lessons in Patience number Deux

Following my ever faithful training plan, the idea was simple.

Get to the pool, do the required number of laps and reps and be done with the day.

Skinny fast looking chick is there. Someone like Rachel or Rocketpants. You know the type. They just ‘LOOK’ fast. Somehow without actually moving they seem faster than you will ever be.

Then I watched her. She is fast and good. Good form, smooth movement. I'm impressed.

Add to that the plethora of goodies she brought to the pool: Fins; Paddles; buoy. WOW!

F.O.C.U.S.

It’s not about her; it’s about you and your technique. It’s about YOUR workout.

Inevitably, like all pool mates, we are at the same wall at the same time.

F.O.C.US. This is not a race, this is not a competition.

This worked...Really it did.

For the first few hundred times.

OK. One time! One 'race' can't hurt right?!

She pushes off the wall, completely oblivious to my existence, but I know. I know that if I can just stay even with her or beat her to the wall, then…well…I don’t know…I’m ‘good’ right. I w-i-n? (I'm not competitive in the least, I tell you).

We push off together – Damn, she is fast – she looks like she’s hardly moving – Wait, what are those things on her hands? – I’ll be damned, she’s using paddles! – God, this is the longest lap e.v.e.r - look, there’s the flags – Finally, the wall.

I beat her! I beat her!

Umm…how come she’s doing the flip turn thing? Doesn’t she know that it’s over?

NO. She doesn’t know it’s over. In fact she goes on for another few laps. Then she practices without the paddles. Then she does laps with fins. Then she does laps without the fins. Then she…

I don’t know…
I left. Tail between my legs.
Hit the showers.


Patience.

Patience Young Grasshopper

I’ve had two very recent bushes with pathetic-ism that points out my need for patience:

1. The training plan called for 40 minutes at L1. L1 is “supposed” to mean ‘able to talk’. What the hell does that mean?? Um..I’m running, I don’t want to talk. I WANT TO RUN.

Screw it, I’ll try it out. Actually since it’s me running by myself (cue the violins), I decided to run at HR zones.

DID you know that Garmin does HR zone training for you? The little bugger is so smart that it can tell you not to go above or below a certain heart rate.

DID you know that my HR Zone 2 is 144-133?

DID you also know that Garmin ‘beeps’ at you? Go too fast = ‘beep.beep.beep’ go too slow ‘beeep..beeep..beeep’.

How cute!

Did you know that in order for me to stay in Z2…I Have to be asleep!

I mean seriously, what the hell! The second I start running, it jumps past Z2(‘beep.beep.beep’).

In order to be Z2, it’s a fast walk (silence). Not a slow walk (‘beeep..beeep..beeep’).

So cute!

OK...Screw that. I wanted to run, not walk. Let’s go Z3. (133-152).

Fast walk =‘beeep..beeep..beeep’

Run = ‘beep.beep.beep’

Fine! Not so cute anymore!!

Jog? = ‘beep.beep.beep’

WHAT!! Really not cute!!

Slow jog = “ “ Aw, the sweet sound of silence!

So slow jog.

S.L.O.W. jog

Not an ‘almost’ fast jog (‘beep.beep.beep’). So ready to through the thing into the street!

40 minutes = 3.26 miles = SLOW jog




Patience

Stairway to heaven

The plan was to hit the weights. But first, the plan also calls for quick 10 min warm up! Ugh! I hate warming up for weights.

I mean logically it makes sense but still...it’s just weights, the muscles will warm up after the first set (or they’ll hank apart and I’ll be d.o.n.e!)

Not wanting to temp the gods, I decided the warm up was in order.

What to do??

Walk/run: No seems too much like every other day
Elliptical machine: As if!

OK, I got it.

Steve in a Speedo is planning on doing the Empire State Building Run-up which basically means that he’ll run up 86 flights (1,576 steps).

I’ll try out the Stairmaster, that sounds like fun!

First mission is finding the machines. Back row next to wall (perfectly placed so that one misstep will send me flying into the wall, but not to worry, the wall is also a mirror, so that everyone walking by can see my big fat ass struggling up the steps. PERFECT!)

6 machines, three all broken with signs, one machine has Ms. 90 year old grandma, sweating to the oldies, which leaves two machines left. One is right next to her; the other is at the other end of the row.

Not wanting to look like I’m hitting on Grandma, I choose the last machine.

Umm...how do work this thing. As soon as I step on it, it starts moving, bringing visions of me splattered into the mirror. Finally get to the top of the machine and spend the next minute trying to step and read and push buttons only to determine that this machine is also out for repairs.

OK, Fine. Next to Grandma it is.

This time I know the machine will start moving, so I’m prepared. Unfortunately I’m not ACTUALLY prepared and stare at the console so long that Grandma leans over and helps me.

GREAT! Big ego booster.

10 minutes. I only need to go for ten minutes. Pick any program, can’t be that hard for 10 minutes.

1 minute – nothing. So I bump the level up. Say to a level 5.

1 minute 10 seconds – Holy Crap! I want off!

1 minute 15 seconds – I want off and I want off now!

2 minutes – Starting to see stars.

It’s only ten minutes right, just HTFU and get it done. Glance over at Grandma.

Did I say sweating to the oldies? There is not a drop of sweat on her perfectly historically preserved face. Not one (1) drop. Look down at her feet. Step, step, step, step. Perfect form; no rush; no break; great stride. Me? Step…..step..STEP……..step. Yeah not so much.

I try to look at how long she’s been going for but she’s reading her gossip magazine.

Um...reading?? Hello?! I can barely see straight let alone read! Even my instrument console takes some serious concentration to make out.

10 minutes can’t come soon enough and finally when it does, I can’t wait to hit the weights, I can’t wait to do anything besides this machine.

Apparently, I can’t wait so much that I misstep. Yep! Exactly! Mirror city here I come!

Flying through the air, the only thing I can think of is….$H1T!!! (I mean really, all those people who say they think of their loved ones or their long lost dog…CRAP! The only thing I’m thinking of is how much this sucks) (Honey, if you're reading this, I thought only of you, I swear!)

By the grace of God, some Genius put hand rails on the machine. This and my lightning fast reflexes (like Bruce Lee!) save me from seppuku by mirror shard.

Never been happier to be off a machine. Grandma was happy to see me go too (Young whippersnappers!)

OTN:

Second week done for the Training plan!

Week 2 was:

Monday – Run 4.5 mi
Tuesday – Rest (Run 1 mile)
Wednesday – Run 3.5 (tempo); Swim 900
Thursday – Bike 1 hour (spin)
Friday – Strength (Stairmaster)
Saturday – Swim 1300 yds (Also ran a 5 K [10 min/mi!!])
Sunday – Bike 22 miles (First group ride!)

Also, on Saturday, the Las Vegas Tri Group met for drinks and social. There I meet up with Stef and her husband Glenn. Hi Guys! We’ll definitely have to go out and train together someday soon.

Et tu Carl’s Jr?

Crap! Undone by a hamburger.

Who would have known that one (1) burger could pack so much punch.

"Jalapeno $6 Burger"

My diet weeps your name!

My fat-ass tips its hat to you: You the brave, the big, the conquer.

Able to leap over 1000 calories in a single sandwich.

Hizah!

It’s the little things

Strange how the little things get you excited.

It was only a mile; not a race mile; not a fast mile but it was a mile that could have been spent sitting at the desk.

It was only a mile ran, but somehow it’ll be the highlight of the day.

Dual at Sand Hollow - St. George, UT

I’ve added a new race to my schedule.

I’m going to also do the “Dual at Sand Hollow"

It’s in St. George. And it’s at the same location as the SG Tri (which, for those of you playing along at home, is my first Olympic Triathlon).

I hope that with this race I can reduce err...I mean... eliminate my stress for the SG Tri. I’ve never been to this place before (in fact I’ve never gone to a destination Tri before, it’s always been local). So this would be a perfect chance to get a lay of the land and figure out the secrets of the course.

The only problem is I can't seem to find much from their website. It doesn't say anything about the course or the packet pickup or whatever! They have already had a few events and there is no information on any of those.

Perhaps I'll get more information once I register??