SwiCycloRun....tales of an age group triathlete

I Need To Work Harder & THIS Is Why I Have A Coach

2012-02-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

After Lake Placid, and now that I have kicked my knee injury, I have developed a bad habit, or probably more correctly, a bad attitude. I call it the "Eeeeehhhhhhhh, I can do it" attitude, meaning I feel confident that "I GOTS IT!" since I have already done it before (finished an Ironman). Meaning I haven't been putting the 110% effort into some workouts because, "I know I can do it..........later."

How has this fared? I am WAY behind in the pool compared to last year. I am not going to panic about this since it is only early February, but! consider the compounding effect of ground (or is it water?) that I need to make up if I want to achieve certain goals this season.

My coach really lit a fire under my ass the other day when he sent me my next weekly training schedule after reviewing the report I sent him. He wrote this:

"First, great PR on Sunday! The very exciting part is that we really haven’t done much intensity yet running wise. I believe that we can get you under 6 min/mile for a 5K race this spring. In fact, I know it.
Second, you sandbagged the interval run session a bit last Wed. You are racing a 4 mile race at 6:15 pace, which means your 45 sec quick intervals should be at the very least at 6 min/mile pace. Jon, I want you to stop viewing yourself as a mid-pack athlete and begin to have the mindset that you are a front of the packer."

This is why I have a coach! I can write up a pretty nice training plan, coach myself, but then I won't have anyone looking over my shoulder keeping me accountable.

This was our email conversation:
Me: Regarding Wednesday's run: I guess I still didn't have a good feeling for how hard I should have been going for the 45 second pickups. I think now that I have done the 10K at a 7 min pace and now a 4 miler @ 6:17 pace, I now have a perspective and some bearings on where my running legs are now. I can go a LOT faster for these types of intervals.

Him: You are at another level. Most of the time, that term is quite cliché. Not this time Jon. When we first began, I told you I had big plans for you. I think you are beginning to see the bigger picture of what you are capable of.

Me: I'd seriously like to make a sub 40 min 10K a goal this Fall.

Him: Fall? Try spring.

*GULP!*

So I found a few 10K's the 2nd and 3rd weekends of April to go after this new goal.

Even if I come up short, the training involved in accomplishing this is totally going to contribute to the overall mission of this season, so I think its a win-win no matter how things unfold.

This is why I have a coach: He has that outside perspective and he is the one pushing me beyond what I think I am capable of.

Wordless Wednesday: FOOD & PIZZA!!!

2012-02-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

I'm home sick today, so I decided to cook.....A LOT!!!

NYRR Gridiron Classic 4 Mile Race Report

2012-02-06T12:16:00.002-05:00

I finally had that breakthrough race that I have been wanting my entire running "career." That race where you pass everyone, and finish with a pace that you can be damn proud of!!

Yesterday I did the NYRR Gridiron Classic 4 Miler and finished in a time of 25:06, or a 6:17 average pace. Last year I did 28:05. 3 min PR!!! I had two goals for this race: 1) Finish in under 28 minutes and 2) keep all splits under 7:00. I SMASHED both!

Mile 1: 6:12
Mile 2: 6:09
Mile 3: 6:29
Mile 4: 6:14

I also had an unexpected (yet unofficial) surprise and accomplish a goal that I had set for myself this Fall: I (unofficially) broke 20 mins for the 5K split! There was no 5K split marker out there, but I did hit the mile 3 mark at 18:47.37, and based upon my mile 3 split (since the next 0.1 was still in the same terrain area of the park) I hit 3.1 roughly around 19:26, 34 seconds under 20 minutes! BAM!!!

My warmup was actually longer than the race. I did 10 mins steady, then 10 x (20 sec fast, 40 secs easy), 8 mins steady. My average pace for the warmup was an 8:01, so my legs were clearly ready to go fast! I then stood there in my corral for 17 minutes before we got going. Oops!

I facebooked before the race:

I knew this race was going to hurt, so it was more mentally preparing myself to put my body into that pain zone of ultimate hurtness. Embrace the suckage!!

The gun went off, we crossed the start mat, and NOBODY was going for it! I was like, "This isn't a half marathon!! This is a 4 mile race! You should be running this at a 5K pace!!" So I booked it and ran outside of the cones in clear territory and all of the volunteers were yelling at me to stay inside the cones. Why? So I can run slow? HELL NO!!!

I was that guy with the obnoxious breathing problem for the first two miles. I was running so fast wondering when my body was just going to give out. It hurt so bad!!! I was clearly hating life.

When I saw the mile split at mile 1, a 6:12, I was like, "I am running 30 seconds faster than expected. Holy!!! Do I slow down? No no no no, this is a 4 miler, this is SUPPOSED to be happening. Go out hard and hang on for dear life!"

Mile 2, 6:09, I wanted to die again, but I was already half way over and this was possibly going to be all over in 13 minutes.

Mile 3, 6:29, I knew I was going to break 20 mins for the 5K, but I also knew my body was starting to give out. I was in the "hanging on for dear life stage." This was also the hilliest part of the course, and those three uphills really started to take its toll on me.

Mile 4, 6:13, can only be described as copious amounts of slobber coming out of every orifice of my face. I was a mess and hurting REALLY bad. I WANTED THIS RACE OVER WITH ALREADY!!! The last little uphill by 72nd street finally did me in and for the the first time ever I thought I might puke after a race. That quickly subsided, but wow! that hurt!!!

My dear sister even came out and watched the start and finish of the race. Her eyes were wild eyed when she saw the look on my face at just how badly I hurt.

Geez that hurt....

We ran around the bottom of the park to the UES to 77th and Lex to my new favorite bagel place.

Hello ham, egg, and cheese on a whole wheat everything!

You ready for some numbers nerding out?
So exactly 4 weeks ago I did that 10K in the park, where I PR-ed my time by a few minutes to a 43:21 or a 7:00 flat pace. My avg HR for that race was a 181, wheras this 4 miler was a 6:17 avg pace with an avg HR of only 176. So 43 sec/mile faster pace and 5 bpm lower. *disclaimer* it was 48 degrees at the 10K and only 33 degrees at this race. My HR is always higher when it is warmer. * I still think I have become a lot more efficient in the past 4 weeks.

Now here is something new I experienced. I felt completely out of control over my pacing at this race. Of course for a race this short, I don't think you should be in control of your pacing because you should be running all out anyways! I felt a lot more in control at the 10K and even held back slightly in those last few miles. I felt like I was running a LOT harder with a lower HR at this race than the 10K. I guess now it is learning what sub 7 miles feel like?

I am VERY proud of my performance, mostly shocked, but very proud. I never thought I would ever break the 20 min barrier for the 5K split. My coach now wants me to go sub 40 for the 10K this Fall! *gulp!*

Oh, and I looked up the final results. I came in 147th overall, 143 for my gender, out of over 6,000 finishers. Yeah yeah, there is a giant difference between the winner's time and mine, but still, wow!!!

Death by Cinnamon! Here is an ab workout for ya!

2012-02-03T09:32:00.000-05:00

My ab muscles hurt from laughing so hard!

Happy Friday!

Consistency

2012-02-01T09:37:00.002-05:00

January is wrapped!

I know a lot of us go stir crazy when we aren't in our normal routine, me especially. If I don't do at least something once a day, I feel gluttonous, flat, suddenly out of shape, unmotivated. I did at least something once a day, every day over the last 31 days. It feels so good!

January is my month that sets up the rest of the year.

Call me a creature of habit, but if I don't get the momentum going in January, it only gets harder to get that snowball rolling, especially into February. I find my routine in January. Which days do I do which workout? What will my diet look like? How will I schedule cooking food ahead of time? When will I have time to go the grocery store? CLEAN?!?

My knee continues to heal

Over the last two weeks, things changed, for the better! Especially on the run. I injured my keft knee pretty badly 6 months ago, and it really did more damage to my confidence than it did physically, I am now learning. My 10K PR right after the New Year was a complete surprise but I was still not satisfied that my knee was fully healed. After long run after long run and running almost 140 miles for the month, I think my knee is "mostly" healed. It acts up every now and then at the beginning of some runs, but I continue to do an hour of PT on it 2X a week to keep those supporting muscles strong.

I have found my efficiency, finally.

Again over the last two weeks, things changed, for the EVEN better! My overall HR on the run has dropped, signaling that change that I am using less energy to go faster and further. That 14.42 miler on Sunday really qualified this statement. Two years ago I couldn't get below a 155 HR for a 9 min mile. Now I am getting down to low 8's @ 145. My coach agrees and in his weekly email wrote this:

"The great news is that, as I said, you have become extremely efficient for going long. This also suggests that we need to continue to work on your intensity."

A) Gulp! B) Yay! C) This morning I woke up with some very sore and unmotivated legs, and still hammered out my 12 min WU, 12 x (45 sec fast, 75 sec easy), 12 min CD interval run. Hurt so good!

My motivation is back, baby!

Now that my knee injury is mostly behind me and a lingering foot issue is resolving itself, its smooth sailing from here onwards! I have a 4 mile race in Central Park this Sunday and I am aiming for a sub 28 min time and keeping all mile splits under 7 mins for the first time. I went 28 flat at the 4 mile mark in the 10K in early January, so I am confident I can achieve this goal.

BRING IT ON FEBRUARY!!!!

RAWR!!!!

Take THAT!, Maryland! First "big" weekend of 2012

2012-01-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

I escaped NY for the weekend and headed down to the "warmth" of Virginia/DC/Maryland. Warmth in this case = low/mid 50's = RIDING OUTSIDE!!!

I told my coach about this and he gave me a 3 hour ride and a 2 hour run in response. Pure bliss!

I hate riding inside cities and suburbia in general. I like to ride out into the middle of nowhere with as little car traffic and lights and stop signs as possible. Basically the less civilization, the happier I am. Now, I am NOT a hermit, unless I am riding my bike.

So I was directed to head out of Northern Virginia, across Chain Bridge, onto MacArthur and wind my way out to River Road, which is the gateway to nowhere. I did 90 mins out, 90 mins back. PERFECT ride for my rigorous demands :)

My legs on the other hand? NOT what they used to be. Urf. I was mostly ok on the flats, but once I hit the first hill at the end of MacArthur they started mouthing off at me with, "What the F&^@ are you doing! We don't go UP!" They much preferred to ride DOWN.

I turned around here:

My definition of "out there"

On the way back I felt stronger than the way out. YES! But...with 40 mins left, the legs started to die. Fortunately it was on MacArthur where it was pancake flat, but they still hurt. Then I got sucked up into a group of roadies and I just hung off the back and sucked wheel till I made it onto Arizona. My legs were pretty toast by the end! I'll take the 55 miles.

Sunday was a two hour run. I wasn't too sure how my legs would respond, but boy did they ever! I had a great run!

My coach gave me a some guidelines for this one: Stay capped @ 150 bpm. With that HR I was like, ok, that will prolly be a 9 min mile average, so I will plan out about 13 miles of running.

The first mile, my heart rate was spiking off the charts! Great, maybe I will be running 10:00 miles at this pace. Then suddenly my HR drops and then stayed consistent from there till the end.

Isn't that sudden drop bizarre? Happens every time. Anyone know why?

In fact! I was noticing that I was speeding up and speeding up while my HR continued to drop. At times I was actually pushing it pretty hard to keep my HR up! Of course, I think on that stretch I was slightly running downhill WITH a tailwind, but regardless! I was shocked at my pacing considering how low my HR was compared to this time last year.

Wound up with 14.42 miles in 2 hours flat for an 8:19 pace. Considering I just rode 3 hours the day before and it only being the end of January, I am taking this as a success!!

Of course, using a fluffy dog as a back pillow and being attacked by three rabid dogs the night before, may have cured my achy legs!

Waffles

2012-01-25T11:42:00.002-05:00

I bought a waffle maker.

Not just "A" waffle maker. I bought "THE" waffle maker. This thing is NOT a toy. It is "THE" real deal! GET IT!?!?

(source)

It is the Kitchen Aid ProLine Series Waffle Maker and it is one of the most badass appliances I have ever bought. Basically my brother has the same one, just by another brand, but is essentially the same thing. Making two huge belgian style waffles at once will truly ruin you for life.

My brother even brought his up to Lake Placid and they were making waffles topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries while I was doing the first loop of the bike drinking gatorade and eating clif bars and Gu! No idea where I am going with this, but it just shows that this thing is worth traveling with! Heck, I have already been invited over to friend's house for brunch because of this waffle maker.

In terms of making waffles for training? OH YEAH!!! Need some quick energy? Ever had a peanut butter and jelly waffle sandwich? Just be careful, these things can be very calorie dense, but fortunately are VERY filling.

With it making 7.5 inch by 1.25 inch waffles, it uses up a lot of batter. Last night I doubled my waffle recipe and still only wound up with 6 waffles, and the batter wasn't too thick either.

It has an electronic timer that you can set depending on how done you like the waffles and what the recipe is. For my recipe, I finally discovered 4 minutes is needed to get the right done-ness. You will notice the bottom middle one was my final product. These came out to be ~600 calories per waffle, or a pre-long ride breakfast, especially if you add toppings. Told ya they are calorie bombs!!!

These freeze and thaw very well, so I kept a few in the fridge, then froze the rest. The downside to making waffles is that it is messy and a little time consuming and getting the maker out is a pain, so that's why I will make a lot more than necessary to offset the time and hassle costs.

So if you are looking for the ultimate waffle maker where you will NEVER need to buy another one ever again, I HIGHLY recommend this one!

As for recipes, here are two that are VERY good:
Sweet Potato Waffles
Buttermilk Waffles

Bacon

2012-01-24T11:08:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my Dad for sending me this. Clearly #3 is my favorite.

This blog will only go downhill from here.

NYRR Manhattan Half Marathon (Non) Race Report

2012-01-23T08:19:00.000-05:00

Saturday's race didn't happen. I mean, I ran the 13.1 and a little more, but the officials @ NYRR did the right thing and canceled the race turning it into an unscored "fun" run. And fun it was!!! I mean, where else will you get a (mostly) fully supported Half Marathon in a snow storm with gatorade slushies at the end?

We knew that there was going to be some form of rain, sleet, freezing rain, and or snow, we just didn't know what NYRR would do about it. The weather report the night before reported a possible 4-7 inches of snow. At 6 AM they announced that the race was canceled and that it would be only an unscored "fun run." Depending on the road conditions inside the Park, I was going to determine if I was going to attempt a "fast" run to get more of a workout in or just run it. When we entered the park, there was already an inch or two of packed snow and with 1,000+ runners, it was going to get messy enough that trying to run fast in it would NOT be a good idea.

No big deal. I needed to run for 2 hours anyways. Amy needed to run 14-16 miles, and Beth just needed to run long. We made it work and just ran together at an easy pace to get our distances and times in. It was one of the most fun and beautiful races ever! All of the dogs were going crazy with the snow and we saw lots of Weimereiners out there. Amy was wearing a Giants jersey and everyone was yelling "Go GMEN!" so we started a bet on how many times Amy would get a comment. Due to a technicality, Beth won. Otherwise Amy was going to get the win.

So after a 2 mile warmup, 13.1 mile run, and a cooldown, we wound up with just over 16 miles for the day. We held an average pace of 9:36/mile. That pace coupled with the snow saved my legs and after finishing I felt like I could have kept going another 4! We were cold and soaked by that point so we hit up an awesome bagel joint and called it a day. A hot shower never felt better!!

I am NOT disapointed that the race was turned into a fun run. Running for 2.5 hours with friends in a snowstorm was so much fun and great motivation to keep going in those conditions. Overall the race atmosphere was this warm and friendly comraderie feeling. I think everyone thought of everyone else as a winner just for showing up and running. Big thanks to the volunteers for braving the elements! I think staying still is worse. We had it easy because we were at least moving and generating body heat.

Also, there will be more opportunities to set a new Half Marathon PR. This run was a nice surprise in that I can run for 2.5 hours and my legs aren't shelled AND! I don't have to play the recovery game this week. On Sunday I even hopped onto the trainer for 1:45 of intervals followed by sweet potato waffles, bacon, and freshly squeezed OJ. Oh yeah!

It was a good weekend :)

Oh! Forgot to mention, I'm racing a Half Marathon tomorrow.

2012-01-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

Surprise!!!

Well, not that this really warrants a surprise. I'm running two loops plus a little extra in Central Park tomorrow with these two invaders from DC. But! This will actually be my first stand alone half marathon in almost 2 years. The last being the NYC Half Marathon in March of 2010, which holds my PR for the distance at 1:45:19. Since then I have ran 5 Half Marathons, but all as part of a 70.3. Something about a 1.2 mile swim and then a 56 mile bike that wears me out a tad before hitting the 13.1....

Anyways, this particular race, the NYRR Manhattan Half, was the first half that I ran where I broke 2 hours (boy was I a different runner back then!). Considering this course is basically two times what I just did two weeks ago at the NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K plus a little extra, and I did that holding a 7:00 flat pace, I think the 1:45:19 (8:03 pace) is gonna go down.

However! Mother nature is not planning on being friendly tomorrow. Right now it could be anything from rain to sleet to snow or a mix of all three. Maybe the roads will be just wet or maybe they will be slippery. They are calling for 4-7 inches throughout tomrrow. If it becomes so slick that running to my current pull potential could risk breaking my neck and I don't PR this thing, no biggie. I have LOT of season left (*cough* an Ironman *cough*). But if it is just wet and rainy, this sucker is GOING DOWN! No idea to what time though.....I'm just gonna use the plan I used two weeks ago: Go out and see what my body does and there is my result.

Have a good weekend!

Ladies and Gentlemen, "EPIC" has jumped the shark

2012-01-19T08:00:00.002-05:00

Dear Blogging and all things Internet community,

I plead from the bottom of my heart to do ONE thing and one thing only from now until January 1st, 2013. PLEASE STOP USING THE WORD EPIC.

Do you even know what it means?

"A long poem, typically derived from oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of..."

The Odyssey is EPIC. The dude was away from his wife for 20 years!!!

What is it that you have done or eaten or seen that is heroic or legendary?

The first time I ever heard the word epic used in a sentence to describe something athletic related was on a climb in Provence climbing from the village of Bonnieux up to the hilltown of Buoux. We passed by what I called "The Grand Canyon of Southern France. It was a majestic view! But not EPIC.

However, this omelette I am about to consume, is TASTY, but alas, is NOT epic.

That 3,000 yard swim I did last night, was HARD and CHALLENGING, but I'm sorry, was NOT epic,

Me beating Michael Phelps in a 100 butterfly race, would be considered IMPOSSIBLE, but still not EPIC. Him eating me for lunch if he were a zombie would be quite horrifying, yet funny, but alas, NOT epic.

Cervelo's new P5 could be considered one of the prettiest things known to man, but is NOT epic.

Di2 is one of the most wanted things I could ever want on my time trial bike, but still does not come close to being Epic.

Bacon in my opinion will NEVER jump the shark.

I thought EPIC could follow in the foot steps of bacon, but as hard as I want it to, it can't. Bacon wins and is above all things EPIC, needless to say.

So if you will oblige my desperate call for what I am asking, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE put the word down, for another 11.5 months.

Maybe 2013 will mark the return of EPIC? But in the meantime, I don't want to even think of the word.

Sincerely,

Just a guy who simply says, "Thanks!"

Wordless Wednesday: Tortilla Espanola

2012-01-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

and as an added bonus!!!! DESSERT!

Nothing like 3 flights of Laphroaig 18, Talisker Distillers Edition, Talisker 18, and some Red Velvet Cake (split amongst 3 people of course!!!)

Alcatraz Swim Challenge

2012-01-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

So my pool is putting on a challenge, called the Alcatraz Swim Challenge. It's swim 30 miles between January 16th and March 26th and you will be entered into a raffle to win a $200 gift certificate to a nice restaurant here in town. Why they called it the Alcatraz challenge? WHO KNOWS. (isn't it only about 1.5 miles from Alcatraz to shore?)

But swim 30 miles between January 16th and March 26th? Hhhmmmmm, 30 miles of swimming sounds kind of daunting, but! its roughly 10 weeks between January 16 and March 26th. So breaking it down:

30 miles = 158,400 feet
158,400 feet = 52,800 yards
10 weeks = 30 swim workouts for me
52,800/30 = 1760 yards per workout

Um, yeah......considering I usually do between 2500 and 3000 yards a workout, this will be a no brainer. Its not a contest for total yards. Its a contest for reaching 52,800 yards in that period of time and you will be eligible for the raffle. I expect to hit eligibility between and 6 & 7 weeks.

So instead of exiting the pool and heading straight for the locker room, I will take a 15 second detour, log my yardage in the book, and THEN go to the locker room. Pretty tough, eh?

Let's just hope only about 10 people actually follow through with this. Or just me....

In other swimming news! I learned how to do flip turns!!!

Took me only four years. Why was I so afraid of flipping at the wall? Fortunately I had a VERY good teacher and learned in less than 30 minutes. :)

So far I have been doing my entire swim workouts using flip turns. I am forcing myself to NOT do touch turns, even if my flips are sometimes (ok, almost always) absolute crap. But! Each swim the turns get better and better and more and more consistent. Still a few hitches here and there. I am learning that they are easier to do the faster you come into the wall.

But mostly they are tiring me out quicker, but I was warned this would happen at first. But already I am able to increase my yardage again while being more fluid in the water. Mostly the turns have increased my feel for the water, which is something that I constantly struggle with by only swimming 3 times a week.

Now I just need to learn butterfly. Easy, right? ;)

Three Things Thursday: Experimenting

2012-01-12T10:24:00.000-05:00

1) Counting Calories
I have been counting calories since I finished the cleanse last week. This is a total experiment that has been VERY informative because I am learning a lot about what I am putting into my body vs what I am expending through training and learning about the "value" of foods in terms of caloric expense.

For example, olive oil has a lot of good fat in it, except it is VERY calorie dense and is NOT filling. Go slurp down 3 tablespoons of EVOO right now and see if you are full. That right there was 360 calories. Now go eat 3 servings (small bowls) of cheerios with 1 cup of milk. That's 400 calories right there.

Which is more filling? Which will give you more energy to fuel a workout? FOR ME, the cheerios & milk wins out. That is just an example of how I "value" foods with regard to how they will help me train. I do use EVOO, but a teaspoon at a time, to cook eggs every morning for breakfast.

When I am not using packaged products with a nutrition label, I have been using a food scale to determine weight in grams to figure out its caloric content. I bought the EatSmart Precision Pro for $25 off of amazon. Simple, cheap, can measure in 4 different weight parameters.

(source)

So far this has been a VERY informative experiment and I have been enjoying it a lot. Email me if you have any questions about this....

2) Intervals F@#^@&* ROCK!!!
Oh the trainer. Its too dark and too cold this time of year to ride outdoors, so I will be inside on the bike for the next 6-8 weeks. Spinning for 60-90 minutes with a good movie on sort of keeps my brain from going to mush, but I find the BEST way to keep from getting bored on the bike is to mix it up! This is the time of year to be building POWER on the bike, not necessarily endurance. Endurance will follow, but POWER is what you want to be building. GET STRONG! (not fast, but STRONG).

My 60 min trainer this session was 15 min warm up, 12x(90 sec @ 220 watts, 90 sec @ 150 watts), 9 min CD. 60 mins FLEW by!

NOT what I did this morning! haha (I think I did this 3 years ago?)

3) Three Day Weekend!!!
Short work week next week due to the MLK Holiday on Monday! YES! Will be down in The City all weekend saying good bye to some friends, rooting for THE Patriots, and running in Central Park. Its gonna be a busy weekend of training, but I also plan to SLEEP and cook all weekend. Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh.

NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K Race Report

2012-01-09T08:20:00.000-05:00

Gonna do this race report ABC style:

A) I finished in 43:21, a 1:33 PR
B) I haven't done ANY speedwork in a LONG LONG LONG time
C) 10K's still suck, cuz they hurt so bad
D) I had NO idea what was going to happen this morning
E) I set my last 10K PR at this very same race 13 months ago
F) I did a lot of speedwork leading up to the race 13 months ago
G) Do an Ironman. It bakes a certain degree of fitness into your body PERMANENTLY! (I am convinced!)
H) I felt like I worked a LOT harder 13 months ago for a slower finish
I) My average HR was higher during this attempt
J) I hit mile 4 at 28 mins flat, mile 5 at 35 mins flat. This made me happy
K) I remember when I died 13 months ago atop that stupid hill by the boat house on the east side
L) I knew how to tackle that stupid hill this time and survived this time
M) I hit mile 1 at a 7:13 and thought, "How cute! This ain't gonna last!"
N) I wanted to die at mile 4, and again at mile 5
O) Today's Mile Splits: 7:13, 7:07, 6:47, 6:51, 7:01, 7:08, 1:14
P) Mile Splits last time: 7:23, 7:12, 7:02, 7:15, 7:25, 7:04, 1:30
Q) Today's HR Splits: 167, 180, 181, 186, 188, 187, 189
R) HR Splits last time: 169, 180, 180, 181, 182, 181, 185
S) I then went for a 1 hour ride later in the afternoon because it was 60 outside. Its January!
T) My legs were super toasty and sore from the race
U) I won't lie, even though my HR was higher this time, I felt like I worked WAY less hard than last time
Va) I won't lie again, I was in better running shape last March (McMillan says so based off of this 15K!)
Vb) I am excited for what is to come this season!
Vc) I feel like my legs are strong, but my cardiovascular system is lacking a touch
Vd) I am in a good place to start this season!
W) I have made a bet with myself to PR all distances this season (* gulp! *)
X) Sometimes volume and a HUGE base is king
Y) The race turned into a sort of blogger meetup, seeing Jill and Bri, and then Emily (unexpectedly)
Z) I am fired up (and scared) for the Manhattan Half in two weeks.

How did your weekend shape up?

Three Things Thursday

2012-01-05T09:46:00.000-05:00

Resolutioners
Where are they? Maybe they all have rabies and are scared of the water, hence why my pool has been more empty than usual? I will take it....have they shown up at your gym?

Cleansing
At about 4 pm yesterday I almost caved and said "FUCK THIS! THIS IS SO FUCKING STUPID! I JUST WANT TO EAT SOME FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!"

Then I thought I was going to die at about 7PM last night, so I dragged myself to the pool (makes perfect sense, right?) and dropped 2500 yards in the pool. As soon as I got out I was shaking and dizzy. (fun!) So I went and made the last drink of the day, the cashew "milk" and maple syrup drink. OMG it had flavor and tasted WONDERFUL!

I then woke up this morning and ran almost 7 miles in an hour. Crazy stuff!

I was also down 4 lbs in 24 hours. Prolly even more after the run. Don't worry, its all water weight! I went to the bathroom yesterday.......A LOT!

Skyline
Over New Year's I was introduced to one of the most amazing cycling routes on the east coast, Skyline Drive out in Front Royal, VA. We then got a reward that was OH-SO-YUMMY!

We climbed up there

Our reward

I only ate 6 :)

For those of you who don't know about Skyline, it goes 100+ miles from top to bottom (including 12,000 feet of elevation) before it links up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hello cycling nirvana!

click to enlarge

Worldless Wednesday: THE END OF THE WORLD!!!!

2012-01-04T09:48:00.000-05:00

COMMENCE CLEANSE!!!!

I ain't gonna lie....

2011-12-28T16:14:00.001-05:00

2011 was a good year. Not my best, but a good solid year. It was also a tough year filled with lots of hurt and pains (both physically and emotionally), but a few highlights sprinkled in here and there made it a successful year.

I learned a lot about myself and what I want and where I want to go with my life.

I finally hit a wall and realized that I can't avoid that balance of real life vs triathlon life. There is a needed separation between the two, and real life needs to take first chair. Triathlon is just a hobby, after all. (albeit a time consuming one!)

If you are unhappy, first figure out why, then change things so that you are happy!

If there is something that you want, GO GET IT!!!

I finally realized who "my people" are. If you are a beer drinking runner/swimmer/cyclist/triathlete dork who doesn't mind staring at graphs and nerding out over zombies, welcome to my club! (I am currently taking applications for membership....)

I realized that yes, you can spend $22,000 a year on Ironman and triathlon. I did not spend anywhere close to this much, but I realized that it is totally possible.

My pride has been my biggest downfall. My knee injury was prolonged due to my hubris and lack of respect of listening to others. I also wish I had a crystal ball.

Saddle sores suck, and yes, they do prevent you from riding at your potential.

ALWAYS wear sunscreen between the hours of 10AM and 4PM, even if it is pouring rain for 90 mins and even if there is a 5% chance that it will become bright and sunny for the next 4.5 hours. It happened, because there was a 5% chance.

Eating 11 Gu's in one day IS possible. I don't recommend it.

There is no one magic food. There is no one way to train. EVERYONE is different and has different needs/goals.

Going out of your comfort zone sucks, but in the end it bears fruit and you will learn something about yourself that you never knew you were capable of.

If you have a coach, listen to him/her! This is why you have a coach!

If I thought that I worked hard this past season, this next season is gonna make 2011 look like cake!

Don't always expect success 100% of the time.

I find it funny that you figure out how to do something properly immediately after you completely fail at it the first time. Learn from your mistakes, anyone? Unfortunately sometimes it takes 13 months before you can apply that learned mistake!

Avocado and red wine and dark chocolate are some of the best things on earth.

Meeting other bloggers is awesome. Nuff said.

I am proud to say that I have actual friends spread out all across the country, and a lot of them I have met through the internet. Creepy? Fortunately none of you are! (so far....) :)

Finally, I really just want to PR every single distance I attempt in 2012!

Wishing you a happy and fruitful and uber successful 2012!!!!

Random Friday Facts

2011-12-23T08:00:00.003-05:00

Two guys standing next to each other in the bathroom should NEVER EVER talk to one another. It can wait! However, if the other is either an art director or THE director of the film, you HAVE to talk. Sigh.... (and yes, it's still awkward)

Steak + Avocado = YUM

The first time I ordered a Caesar Salad I asked if I could get Thousand Islands dressing on it.

For a time, I HATED Caesar Salad.

Now I LOVE LOVE LOVE Caesar Salad......as long as it doesn't taste "burnt."

I really hate responsible people. Why? They make all of us irresponsible people look bad.

I don't drink coffee in the morning. Unless its on a weekend morning and I am gorging my face with pancakes, bacon, and eggs.

I don't drink coffee in the morning because my AM workout usually wakes me up!

I only drink coffee with copious amounts of sugar (in the raw!) and heavy cream.

Coffee is a dessert on my personal menu.

Black coffee? BLECH!

I was once given hot chocolate in the form of chocolate nibs the size of almonds.

I ate all of the nibs, one at a time, paired with an almond.

I am a strange person when it comes to food, in case you didn't already know.

Exhibit A: I would fly to Savannah, GA, eat a slice of Vinnie Van Go Go's Tomato Basil and Feta, then fly home
Exhibit B: I would fly to Chicago, eat an entire pie of Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Classic, and fly home
Exhibit C: I would fly to New Orleans, eat an entire plate of Beignet's from Cafe Du Monde, get powdered sugar all over me, and fly home

Does it bother you when someone says, "Oh, I LOVE food!" ?!?!

Doesn't this person say it like, "OH! I just reinvented the wheel!"....like they are the first person to ever come to the realization that they LOVE food more than the next person?

That being said....name one person you know who HATES food?!?

I hate biting into a soft apple, or an apple with skin that cuts your gums.

I can only eat an apple now if I have peanut butter to eat it with

I am off my "made at home" all natural peanut butter kick and am back onto the super processed "palm oil added" peanut butter

I can't stop eating citrus. It is SO GOOD this season!

Yesterday was Dec 22nd. The WINTER solstice and shortest day of the year. It also hit 54 degrees. I ran outside in shorts in the morning then went out for an almost 20 miler @ lunch. Isn't that GREAT?!?!

Everytime I go to Target, EVERY TIME, there is some kid SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER while mom and dad are completely oblivious. Target should be renamed to be 'ABC'.......Audible Birth Control.

I'm not gonna lie, I have been in a bit of a blogging funk for oh, the past 3 months. If I haven't commented on your blog as often, don't take it personally! Work has been El Nutso and keeping up outside of work has been even more El Nutso. I am REALLY looking forward to the New Year when everything can.just.calm.the.F.down.

That being said, wishing you have a VERY HAPPY Chrismahnakwanafestivus!

Wordless Wednesday: Chicago Edition

2011-12-21T09:55:00.000-05:00

Visited my sister last weekend in Chicago! Awesome trip and I was even able to sneak in a 12 mile run along the lake. Truly one of the best runs I have ever done. Will be visiting again! Thanks Sis for having me!

2012 Race Schedule

2011-12-15T08:00:00.002-05:00

Here it is! My 2012 Race Schedule:

NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K 1/7
NYRR Manhattan Half 1/21
NYRR Gridiron Classic 4 miler 2/5
National Half 3/17 (or whatever it is now called?)
MonticelloMan Half (70.3 distance) 5/6
Tri Ridgefield Sprint 6/3
Ironman Mont Tremblant 70.3 6/24
Sobe Mossman Sprint 7/15
Ironman Mont Tremblant 140.6 8/19

It is going to be a progressive race season much like my 2009 & 2010 campaigns where I started out the winter and early spring with running races, then progressing into triathlon season, ultimately ending with the grandaddy of the season, Mont Tremblant. It is going to be a fun season of invading Canada twice, and! what is really cool is that I will be doing a race ON the Ironman course, just only half of it 8 weeks out from the full distance! How cool/awesome/spectacular/rad is that?!?!

I am still on the lookout (first invite wins!) for an April (either sprint/olympic tri or running) race. Not too worried about that right now, but its looking like my triathlon season opener will be down in Virginia this year in early May (unless I get reserved for an April race). Even though it is not a race, I will again be attending my coach's June Lake Placid camp. Hello volume and beer!

Here is to a busy 2012!!!

What about you? Have you shored up your 2012 schedule yet? Any big races? New distances?

(random) Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T08:45:00.000-05:00

This is what finally got me from Fort Meyers to Key West after a LONG day of travel

Age Grouping UP!: 29 going on 30-34

2011-12-12T09:42:00.000-05:00

Thank you USAT for the wonderful gift of giving me 5 new birthday ~~presents~~ ages today!

Happy 29th
Happy 30th
Happy 31st
Happy 32nd
Happy 33rd
Happy 34th!

To me!!!

This is actually the first time I am age grouping up. Been battling it out in the 25-29 age group my entire triathlon "career", not its time to show all of those old guys how its done! ;)

Happy 29th, uh, I mean 30th-34th birthday to me!!!

Kidnapped: Tri Key West Spectator Report

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

From the Associated Press

A 28 year old White Plains man was abducted at gun point last Friday morning and flown thousands of miles south to a remote island in the Florida Keys where he was held captive for nearly four days until a ransom request was met.

Monday evening Jon Campbell was found unconscious in a remote regional airport in Allentown, PA and quickly transported to the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY. After an interview with local police detectives in Westchester County, police now have an idea of why Mr. Campbell was targeted and why he was brought to such a remote location.

The suspects are currently on the loose and are believed to be a gang of triathletes and runners abducting those in possession of a new street drug called "Peanut Butter Gu". Police Detective Chris McCormack was quoted as saying, "This new drug is found to greatly enhance one's abilities to compete in a succession of sporting events, such as going from a swim to a bike ride to running a marathon run distance of about 3 or 6 miles. It appears to be the new golf."

A list of suspects was made after Mr. Campbell's interview.

They include mostly DC area folks. A reward has been posted for any of the followings eventual capture and arrest, but unfortunately no last names are known. This is the info Campbell provided:

"Katie"

Did the bike portion of one of two relay teams. Her face has never been seen. She is only known by her backside. Despite thinking she had a poor bike split, she wound up with one of the faster female bike splits of the day and propelling her team into first place in its division.

"Thom"

Married to Katie. He ran and has recently evaded capture at the Philadelphia marathon on charges of literary plagarism. This was his first run since the marathon. Even with a bright orange running shirt, authorities still can't catch this man.

"Beth"

She is known as the "planner" and "brains" behind this troup of criminals. She is known for her "great ideas" and "minimus" training plans. Beth swam and finished with the 6th fastest female swim of the day. She also did NOT use a wetsuit. Her swim set her relay team up for a great win and finish.

"Amy"

Amy was the only member of this crime team to not relay. She did the sprint all by herself. She still can't fool anyone as upon entering the run, her true identity was revealed when a possible bounty hunter yelled, "Wow! There goes a REAL runner!" She did, in the end, fool everyone by taking 2nd place in her age group.

"Lauren"

Also known as the "doctor" and "healer" of the group, her PT background keeps these kidnappers and theives in tip top condition fixing "broken asses" and "disconnected hamstrings". She did the swim for one of the relay teams, also forgoing the wetsuit,

"Liz"

Liz ran the anchor leg of the first relay team, which ended up taking first place in the division. With the cops hot on her trail, she literally burned them up in her red CAR top!

"Wes"

This Rock n Roll Criminal might distract you with his charming music ways, but he can still out bike you! The authorities hope to arrest him at his next show, Jan 10th in Arlington, VA. Hopefully this is enough info to bust him?

Be on the lookout for beer drinking people bragging about margarita trophy's.

Chances are they are this is the group of fast mastermining kidnappers and extortionists.

Finally, another man, who didn't race, and is simply known as "The Spectator" is believed to be the group's "Bag Man" who transported supplies and gave moral support.

Mr. Campbell is still in the hospital undergoing a possible liver transplant and second degree burns from sun exposure. He was quoted as saying that he was "forced to lay in a hammock for hours on end while drinking sweet tropical drinks."

The staff at the associated press wish Mr. Campbell a speedy recovery :)

Mystery Friday: Where Am I?

2011-12-02T15:23:00.000-05:00

Jeff, you don't know! ;)

Three Things Thursday: PEANUT BUTTER GU!!!!!

2011-12-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

Am I going to regret posting this?

#1:

#2:

Someone should auto tune this! haha!

#3:

Non Wordless Wednesday:

2011-11-30T08:19:00.000-05:00

I'm Thankfull For.........YOU!

2011-11-28T15:31:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a GREAT Thanksgiving!

This is the time of year when the big transition from one season shifts to the next. Everyone is wrapping up their fall marathons, some of us are kicking injuries, and our minds are already scrambling for "next year!" We want to continue to train, but at the same time we just want to think about training hard while instead eating and drinking even harder. Hey! Most of you just ran a 5K or 5M Turkey Trot Marathon ;)

But before I continue to look into my crystal ball of 2012, I first want to look back at this season and be thankful for what occurred in 2011.

Mostly, I am thankful for YOU! I have been blogging for over 4 years now and I have connected and met MORE fellow triathlon and runner bloggers in the past 11 months than I have in the past 4 years COMBINED. AND! Its been wonderful :)

You read someone's blog, ~~stalk~~ follow them, then find them on twitter, then you become facebook friends, then somehow you wind up at the same race and meeting in person! What went from a friendly "Nice job! Congrats on that PR! Well deserved! You F______ rock!" comment suddenly turns into a post race "Nice job! Congrats on that PR! Well deserved! You F______ rock!" handshake or hug and a life long friendship has been formed.

I am thankful for the twitter battles between Texas and everyone else.

I am thankful that we actually formed a League of Extraordinary Tri Geeks.

I am thankful that we then matched everyone up as Star Wars characters

I am thankful that we can all be total nerds and appreciate the elbow jabbing we give each other

I am thankful that a LOT of us did our first Ironman all in the same year and selflessly shared our mistakes and successes with each other. (hint: bring pepto and tums pills with you on the run)

I am thankful that EVERYONE had a great season and is continuing upwards and onwards next season

I am thankful that I am about to invade Canada next season

I am thankful that I can bake one thing without screwing it up. (note: I can make amazing Filet Mignon, but ask me to bake a pie? HA! Ur funny!)

I am thankful to have a coach that not only pushes me, but understands that Triathlon should NOT rule your life. I still can't believe I swam, biked, and ran that much that one weekend....

I am thankful for a new group of friends

Finally, I am thankful for the support of family and friends and my dog, Aachen

What are you thankful for this holiday season?

Happy Chrismahanakwanza-festivus!

El Bandito de Philadelphia

2011-11-22T08:00:00.003-05:00

When in DC a few weekends ago I got invited down to spectate the Philadelphia Half and Full Marathons. Easy, right? Just stand there, ring some cowbells and scream as loud as you can for this guy and this girl.

Well, that plan changed, and changed again, and then changed again, and before I knew it, I was suddenly pace rabbit #2 bringing this girl across the finish line for the half marathon!

Considering my recent injury (which is still on the mend), it was decided that I run the last 6.55 miles and be the "new" energy. This was a good compromise as running 13.1 prolly would NOT be the best idea right now.

Saturday I drove down, and immediately met up with Beth, Allison, Katie, and Thom at the expo. Then bumped into Lauren a bit later. Priority #1: Find Peanut Butter Gu. Of course no one had it, and NOBODY even knew what we were talking about. Really people, REALLY?!? You should all be more like us!

The Marathoners

However, we did find mini wrappers of Planter's smooth peanut butter. I may or may not have eaten one of these with a chocolate Gu all at the same time. So good!

Speaking of food, I may or may not have brought down WAY too many cookies! I believe I may have started a cookie drug trade between NYC and DC. Hopefully no wars break out.

This is only half of what was made.

Sunday was a way too early wake up call for the race, but we found primo parking in a lot we think was legal? I did get a tongue lashing for not giving them my car key. Oops! Funny how far you can get with playing dumb sometimes ;)

Ok, now for the race itself. I saw everyone off for the start, then dropped everyone's clothes off at the car, then watched the elites FLY by. So fast!

After a quick 15 min warmup, I awaited Beth and Katie @ roughly mile 7.

Katie was just joking.....about her legs. She still hates us. ;)

From here till the finish, we just provided Katie with some serious pace booty until we got her to the finish. Katie finished with an 8 min PR! Go Katie!!!

I liked the Philly course. Other than a few hills, I think it is a fast fast course that can yield a serious PR for this distance.

But the day wasn't over yet! We now awaited the marathoners to finish. While waiting around the mile 26 marker, we met up with Lauren and Emily, who I haven't seen since the run course of Lake Placid back in July. Lauren brought bagels and I was bonking. Thank God for those bagels Lauren! Also, please stop by Lauren's blog and give her some love and encouragement as she is tackling her first Ironman this coming weekend down in Cozumel!

Thanks Emily for the picture!

Finally, with cowbells in hand, Allison and Thom came flying through. Thom finished his first Marathon while Allison shaved off 40, yes 40!, minutes off of her Marathon PR! Holy crap and way to go Allison!

MOST awesome-est race shirt EVAR!

What a weekend! Had a great time with DC friends in Philly and after getting home, I "maximized my potential" by not moving from the couch watching football and zombies for the remainder of the night.

Till next time Philly!

Random Friday Facts

2011-11-18T07:20:00.002-05:00

I get violent if I am in the grocery store for longer than I need to be

I have a "note" app on my phone that I make my grocery lists. I use the checkist feature. I get satisfaction in having a completely crossed off list.

I swear I am not OCD!

I may have just totally lied ;)

I may have made my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies for four weekends in a row.

There is nothing wrong with that. AT. ALL.

Does this commercial make you want to chop this dude's balls off?

I don't think he has any, because she owns them now.

I REALLY hate McDonald's commercials!

Two crispy chicken snack wraps with honey mustard and a chocolate milk shake is SO FUCKING GOOD!

^^^from McDonald's, of course

A goal is going to be achieved this weekend. Even if I have to carry all 136 pounds of it at a sub 7 pace!!! RAWRRRRRR!!!!

Whenever I have to split a lane with someone at the pool, I want to give them a stupidity test. Most likely they are stupid and don't understand that THIS IS MY SIDE OF THE FUCKING LANE!

I sometimes wish I knew butterfly...

PEANUT BUTTER GU IS FINALLY FREAKING AVAILABLE!!!!! Hoping to find some at the Expo tomorrow :)

You should do a google search for "peanut butter gu"........can you tell me which web-site comes up? ;)

Don't you hate it when your Garmin is searching for a satellite and the bar gets within a sliver of finding it, then it BOUNCES BACK?!?!?

Leftover asparagus is good for one thing, goat cheese and asparagus omelettes!

I can't eat a salad anymore unless it has bountiful amounts of avocado in it. Not lots, bountiful.

Also, nothing its automatic, its automagic; its not humongous, its ginormous. (TWSS)

Saying the word "totes" to me makes me want to retaliate with nails down a fucking chalkboard. Same with "dec"

I am actually a passive person ;)

That's all I got! Have a great weekend!

Non Wordless Wednesday: Happyness

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Weekend Wrap Up

2011-11-14T08:23:00.001-05:00

Another weekend of no sleep. But it was a fun one! I guess I can best describe it as getting things "accomplished?"

Friday night was spent in a seedy dive bar listening to a friend's band play live music. I call them the kings of funk and they are REALLY good! I prolly drank way too much Magic Hat but at least I scored another great bottlecap!

Has the weather this month already made up for all of October and most of September? The past two weekends have been amazing, especially Saturday. I was able to get outside on the bike for two hours. For those of you who know me, I am a creature of habit. Some may think I am a tad insane repeating the same thing over and over again seeking a different outcome. I do this on the bike a lot. Always riding the same course. Well, this time I just decided to start out on the usual route through the mean streets of Greenwich, but then explore roads that I have always wanted to explore. This brought me up a few new hills, including a nice European style switchback. My legs responded as well!

The end of the ride was marked by this:

The last standing tree with all of its leaves on AND in peak color

The rest of Saturday was spent eating hot dogs and car shopping (not for me).

Fortunately I only received one smart ass response (you know who you are! ;) ).

Finally Sunday, race spectating day in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. My Ironman friend Jill was seeking another podium spot and her friend Brie was seeking one as well.

Well, first I ran for an hour around the park for a few laps for my "long" run in anticipation for next weekend. Was it the cool crisp air? Is my knee finally healed? Was I just yearning to run fast again? I don't know, but maybe it is all three? So this happened:

For me right now, this is a HUGE success. I didn't reel like I was pushing it; I just RAN.

Now back to spectating, the race director decided to put on 5 events all at once. Yes, 5! Three difference duathlon distances plus a 5K and 10K run. I can only describe how disorganized this race was by this when one VERY unhappy 10K RUNNER found me on the BIKE course.

Him: "Hey, have you seen anyone else like me with a number out there?"
Me: "Um, I think you are off course!"
Him: "Mother F$%&@#!. Mother F$%&@#! Mother F$%&@#! I know exactly WHICH Mother F$%&@#! I am going to kick his @$$!"

Yeah........

Felt bad for him! But.......I got nothing. Don't you......? Think......? Yeah.....

Anyways, Jill and Brie cleaned up the Duathlon by taking Women's OVERALL #2 and #3. Go Jill and Brie!

And it was also a nice reunion with Jill and I since Lake Placid. Hey Jill! TOMAHAWK! BWAHAHAHAHA!

And finally, running on fumes, I quickly baked up another batch of the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies, and drove to Stamford to watch Zombies get slaughtered.

How was your weekend? Saw lots of you awesome bloggers running long, hitting HUGE milestone PR's and conquering new distances.

Random Friday Facts

2011-11-11T07:43:00.000-05:00

DON'T have a conversation with me in the bathroom at work. Ever.

Kraft Mac & Cheese out of the box was my favorite food when I was 5. It was the holy grail. Nothing was better than that. My mom would lace it with Tuna to make it "healthy." One day I might forgive her for that. Love you Mom!

I had Kraft Mac & Cheese outa the box with ketchup and coined hot dogs for dinner last night.

Except I had no hot dogs. I just lied about 33% of my dinner.

My running shoes are RED.

The New England Patriots are my team.

If the New England Patriots are good, I love love LOVE all things football

If the New England Patriots are bad, I couldn't care less about football

I like to watch ESPN news every morning while I stretch and foam roll after I workout

Right now it sickens me to watch ESPN news because all they show is the Penn State football scandal. What is wrong with people?!?!

"The Walking Dead" is the best show on TV right now.

The only show I watch on TV right now is "The Walking Dead"

I can't remember the last time I bought normal clothes

I REALLY need to buy new normal clothes

I can tell you exactly the last time I bought a workout clothing item

Anytime I listen to Mumford & Sons I want to:
A) Get into a bare knuckled boxing match with a guy with a handlebar mustach
B) Drink a pint. Not a beer. A pint.
C) Wish I was Irish?

Say this word RIGHT NOW, "MoooooooooooSTACH -e-oooooooo" (with an Italian accent)

I want to race Texas 70.3 next April.....but I need a private jet to pull that one off.

Flying with a bike sucks

I once asked my swimming instructor when I was five what would happen if lightening struck the sun

I then asked my parents how God got the skin on people

I am not a 100% normal person, if you don't know that already. Those of you who have met me?

I am heading into race spectator slut season. That means I will be spectating everyone else' races this early winter season. Gotta return the favor!

You gotta watch out for parking garage concrete pillars. Sometimes they just like to jump out at you!

Mmmmmmmmm, beer.

I have recently (and finally) developed a taste for IPA. Basically it has to be Magic Hat (especially Hex).

Ask an obvious question, expect an obvious answer ;)

I can't bite and chew on dark chocolate. Its too bitter. I have to let it slowly dissolve until it becomes sweet. THAT is how you eat dark chocolate.

Woah.......today is 11/11/11

I turn 30 on 12/12/12!!! Eeeeks! But! Send in your requests now for invitation. Its gonna be the party of the Century! Something about renting a huge house down in Costa Rica with live in bar tender and chef?

Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: DC Edition

2011-11-09T09:39:00.001-05:00

Edit: These are RED shoes (the flash makes em look pink). But it doesn't matter if they are pink. I am THAT comfortable with myself :)

I just signed up for 11 Ironman races for 2012

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Kidding! But I hope the title sucked you into this post ;)

Anyways!......you should watch this video (Thanks to Kevin @ IronmanByThirty for posting this via twitter yesterday). Its about the new changes to the Kona lottery. First, watch:

What do you think? Do you think this is good? Bad? Waters things down? Is a good idea?

Personally, it's still a lottery and it's still only 205 slots. The race is STILL the World Championships. If they had increased the number of lottery slots (taken away from overall entry slots), then yes, I think the lottery would water down the "caliber" of the race, but they aren't doing this. It is still a lottery.

Now the question is: Will you do 12 Ironman races (spread out hopefully!) to become eligble and will you in the meantime attempt the lottery now that each time you enter your chances are increased?

Zombie Snowpacylpse!!!!

2011-10-31T09:11:00.000-04:00

What a weekend! A bunch of Zombies invaded the Lower East side.

Killing

Celebrating with nerds

Then mother nature played a trick on the Northeast

Guessing we got 3-5 inches? A lot of my coworkers further up north got 12-18" and lost power! Yikes!

I was supposed to go running with Jill in Central Park Sunday morning, but the heavy snow killed that opportunity:

So I tried to go run out in my neighborhood, got 2 blocks before I realized:

So I attempted it again at noon, and:

But I got my run in, dammit!

How did your weekend shape up? Did you dress up? I think EVERY girl was dressed up as a swan!

What is the difference between a "jogger" and a "runner"?

2011-10-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

Because I don't know!

Both move their legs in a "running" fashion rather than a "walking" fashion.

Does a "jogger" not race?

Do "runners" not not race? (double negative folks, deal with it)

Is a "runner" only a serious runner and "joggers" don't take it serious enough?

Does being a "runner" mean you are above a "jogger"?

Are all "joggers" hippies?

Ok, I am grasping at straws at this point.

Perhaps I am also over thinking this issue and perhaps this sums it up?

Thanks to Jessica aka Copy Chic for sharing this on Facebook

What do you think?

The Top 15 Men & Women At Kona On Their Bikes and Kicks

2011-10-25T09:56:00.000-04:00

Kona this year was a record setter. Crowie broke the men's record and while Chrissie didn't, had she not been injured, could have (and I think would have) destroyed her own record. Chrissie, as usual, gets the badass award for best finish. Cracked ribs? Slow swim? Slower than normal bike? And STILL wins the glory? She can't be beat.......ok, I lied, I think Rinny is cuter ;)

Anyways! Slowtwitch.com did an awesome job displaying the top 15 men and women Kona finishers on their bikes and in their running shoes. You can read these articles in the following links:

Top 15 Men on their bikes
Top 15 Women on their bikes
Top 15 Men on the run
Top 15 Women on the run

My interpretation? Not thinking about time and speed and based upon looks alone (hey, its MY blog!), these are my top picks for badassness-looks-iness. I will also include a "special" award. Special can mean either good.....or.....gross ;)

Bike:

Men's Best: #8 Andi Bocherer

(source)

I have no idea who this dude is, but he showed up matched to race!

Men's Special: #10 Faris (no last name needed)

(source)

Some folks think he is the sexiest man alive. I just vomit in my mouth every time I see the speedo. Sorry Faris!

Women's Best: #2 Mirinda Carfrae

(source)

I think her pint sized super (hotty) awesomeness speaks for itself!

Women's Special: #14 Natascha Badmann

(source)

She is like, 100 years old, rides the strangest fucking bike known to all triathletes, and yet STILL drops a 14th place at Kona! Natascha, you will ALWAYS be a great!

Run:
Men's Best: #5 Timo Bracht

(source)

You get the award because you are the only one displaying a true mid foot strike. Running a 2:47:26 prolly helped too!

Men's Special: #1 Crowie

(source)

Because you are Crowie. Nuff said.

Women's Best: #2 Rinny

(source)

See above^^^

Women's Special: #1 Chrissie

(source)

Chrissie?!?!?! Where and how the F___ is your leg going into your body?

What about you? Who would you pick?

PT Graduation Day!

2011-10-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

This morning I completed my last and (hopefully) final PT session!

(source)

Its been a long haul 6 weeks of the same exercises, but it has been worth it.

We have determined, finally, that my Time Trial bike caused the knee damage, and running merely aggravated the problem, creating a different injury that was compensation for the original injury.

For some reason throughout the season, my left foot on the time trial bike became more and more crow footed. Why? I am guessing a muscle imbalance in my left leg that caused my left foot to pitch inwards to compensate. Over time, I became comfortable with this crow footed position, but it was doing overuse damage to my knee.

Luckily the knee held out until Placid.

However, once I was done with Placid and my body was recovering from the shock, my left knee had had it and revolted. First the pain started in the medial area (inside). It came and went and wasn't anything terrible.

Then I hopped back onto the time trial bike for the first time in over a month and belted out a 2 hour ride at race pace. Bad idea. This pissed off my knee even more. The next day I went for a 90 min trail run and this finally did my knee in. This was the run that the runner's knee fully developed and I went crying to my doctor and the orthopedist.

On August 31st I saw my primary doctor. He reffered me to the orthopedist. I got lucky! After my referral approval from my primary doctor, I called the orthopedist and was asked, "Do you want to come in tomorrow AM at 9:30, or you can wait until October." I got VERY lucky.

So after an X-Ray, a diagnosis, and immediately starting PT, I was on my way to rehab.

Or so I thought.

After a two week improvement via PT, I was readjusted on my TT bike by my coach, and I went out for a two hour ride on that bike. After 60 mins I was gritting the pain and stopped. I basically undid all of the improvement I had gained and was back to square one. The TT bike was the problem. Running pain was just a side effect. I am not blaming my coach for a bad TT fit. It didn't matter if I had the BEST fit in the world! My leg muscles were simply not balanced and strong enough to handle that strain to support the injured tendons in my knee.

So I quit running and biking for two full weeks and stuck to just PT. This finally worked!

I also requested an MRI to make sure nothing else was going on.

The results were a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst. Things were finally healing!

So far this week I have ran 3 times, with a fourth time on the docket for Saturday. I am slated to run ~18 miles this week!

Some things that helped a lot during PT were:

1) Staying consistent with it

2a) Shaving my legs (for the next item)

2b) Kinesio Tape - this gave me a LOT of support without needing a cumbersome knee support device.

3) Ice

So now looking forward?

No more racing for 2011. Lake Placid was enough for this year, and while I am bummed that I am giving NYC another pass, its ok. The down time has been needed. Its been making me HUNGRY for next year!

And this is why I am staying with my coach till the end of time because he understands my injury and is conservatively building me back up for next season. Ironman Mont Tremblant is still a looooooooong ways away, and that is the #1 goal right now.

However! I would like to make a good campaign attempt at the NYRR running circuit this winter and into the spring, as well as some destination races to explore other city's venues.

Have a great weekend!

#winning

2011-10-17T09:45:00.000-04:00

(ignore the "cal"....quite humorous how WRONG it is)

It was a good run. I finally felt like a "runner" again.

How did your weekend go?

Oh. My. God. Dancing Zombie Squid

2011-10-14T12:29:00.001-04:00

I don't mean to totally nerd out on you, but I find this VERY fascinating..........

........and quite disturbing......

......but mostly fascinating! Make sure you have the volume turned on. There may or may not be dancing frog legs....

Uh, Happy Friday!

Edit: Using the Zombie Booth app, I was transformed into a Zombie:

MRI Results and Finishing This Thing Off

2011-10-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

The MRI results finally came in. I won't get started on what it took to get them. Ok, I lied, here is one thing:

But I got them. The short of it is this:

1) No evidence of an articular meniscal tear.
2) solitary small focus of chondromalacia patella
3) mild distal insertional quadriceps tendinitis/tendinosis
4) distal insertional semimembranosus tendinitis/tendinosis
5) minimal left knee joint effusion

First reaction? Well, duh! Only surprise is #4, the semimembranosus. Well, actually, that is where it all started so actually, its not much of a surprise but more of a relief that that IS what started it all.

Big thanks to Amy @ Welcome to Boston's other half, The Tall Girl, for giving me quick feedback and an anatomy lesson via gmail chat. This was a huge help that immediately calmed my anxieties over whether amputation was necessary or not. ;) So thanks Lauren!!!

But I wish I had gotten this done at the very start. I know MRI's are expensive, but I have learned that an orthopedist who takes 5 minutes to diagnose you based upon an X-Ray for tendonitis is NOT the way to make a proper diagnosis. Lesson learned again not to pick an orthopedist who has 50,000 patients. I am sure he is a great orthopedist, but man, the attention I got was NOT enough. And no, I am not some whiny little bitch. Waiting in the waiting room for 2 hours for a 2 min visit is, quite frankly, stupid.

Anyways, one thing that I have NOT blogged about very much around here is WORKING OUT and TRAINING, the entire point of this blog! I have been active, running in fact! Since the last horrible flare up 2-3 weeks ago, I have ran every other day, just 30-40 minutes at a time. No knee pain has shown up before, during, or after.

I have even gotten back to the pool! After taking a full 8 weeks out of the water, swimming 1500 yards is a LOT harder than I remember. Its ok, it will come back, it always does, and I always find a way to get even faster than the year before. Not saying this out of cockiness, its just my history with the pool.

After a discussion with my PT about the MRI results and where I currently am, we have agreed that next week, week #6, will be my "graduation" from PT. This is good, because while its a decent 60 minutes leg strengthening routine, I'd rather spend the time focusing on the bike or running or swimming. But I won't be going cold turkey with it. I have already discussed with my coach that we will be continuing with it for some time, just on my time.

Ok! Enough of the deeeeeeep thoughts. How bout this? (Thanks to my dad for sending me these!)

Note to Self: ZIP UP YOUR DAMN POCKET!!!!

2011-10-10T10:07:00.000-04:00

I got lucky on Saturday. VERY lucky.

Coach said, "Don't run over 30 minutes!"

I ran 5.5 miles instead. Oops!

I didn't mean too! Really!

So my running buddy, Lisa, and I did our usual 2 miles out, 2 miles back routine. Lisa sometimes puts her keys in my car since my key is just a fob.

We run; my knee holds up; everthing is good.

"Easy," right? Well upon finishing the 4 miler I suddenly realize that my car key is NOT IN MY POCKET, and "easy" just got thrown out the window. My shorts pocket has a zipper, to, you know, keep the contents inside the pocket. I failed to zipp the pocket up and at some point along the run the key went flying. Awesome.

What the heck do we do now? I am on a time constraint and need to be home ASAP. Lisa's car is locked with no keys cuz they are in my locked car with a currently missing key. We decide that I will run back up the trail in the hopes of finding my key while she runs the 3-4 miles home to get her husband's car, pick me up in case I don't find me key, somehow get me into my apartment (my house keys were in my locked car) to get my spare car key, then play musical car chairs to get everyone back home.

That didn't happen.

I got lucky. VERY lucky and found the black car key in the middle of the trail less than a mile away.

Then I realized that I had to go get Lisa, who was well on her way running home, except I didn't know which way she was running home. Crap!

So I "sprinted," yes, a sub 9 min mile but slower than 8 min mile counts as a "sprint" for my creaky old knees. It felt good to go "fast" again. It really made me miss running and the running shape I was in when I dropped that 7:06 pace at that 15K last March :'/

But I found Lisa quickly. I started honking at her to get her attention, which does REALLY sound bad and makes me look like a total pervert. Even she said, "Oh great, now some pervert is honking at me to get me attention!"

Haha!

So note to self. ZIP UP THAT POCKET!

RanDUMB: Celebrity sightings and my biggest fan

2011-10-07T09:46:00.000-04:00

Beyonce showed up at work yesterday. Where was I? In meetings. Except I walked RIGHT past her without noticing. A few weeks ago? Pele was here. Why was everyone walking around in their Blue Sky soccer kits holding Brazilian flags? Oh right......Pele. *facePalm*

My claim to fame? I shook Jessie Eisenberg's hand and gave him a presentation on how we groomed the birds of "Rio." (He was the voice of Blu, the main character and I did the feather groom)

I also met the mayor of Rio de Janeiro.

Lots of celebrities pour through here if they are doing vocal talent. Mostly they are out in LA recording, but sometimes they make a short visit. I can't tell you about some of them (which I would love to tell you!) but I'd rather keep my job, if you know what I mean! ;)

Speaking more of Rio, my biggest fan, my grandmother sent me this via the mail yesterday:

Thanks Grandma!

Always great to have that fan base and support!

And speaking of my job! We are hiring! Mostly entry level positions, but if you are in need of one, we are looking for an HR assistant, Recruiter Assistant, and Production assistant. Shoot me an email if curious/interested or seeking more info.

Perks? Free NEW YORK bagels on Monday, Fruit on Wednesdays, Donuts on Fridays, some celebrity sightings, and a huge wrap party with open bar to party your ass off every time we finish a movie.

Tough place, right? ;)

Dear Steve Jobs: Thank You!

2011-10-06T09:18:00.001-04:00

Dear Steve Jobs,

Apparently at the ripe young age of 2, I was able to start up an Apple iie with no assistance from my parents.

This fascination with computers was a theme that started then and continues to this day.

I recall when I was 4, 5, or 6 watching my older brothers playing Lode Runner on this old Apple iie and messing around with extremely rudimentary spreadsheets. What the heck was a spreadsheet meant for?

Then we got our first Macintosh some years later. Carmen Sandiago, Chuck Yeager's Air Combat, Prince of Persia, Sim City filled our lives for many years of game playing.

I was, in fact, a computer nerd :)

But Steve, what you did by rescuing John Lasseter and what made up Pixar at the time from the clutches of George Lucas set forth indirectly a new industry that was to benefit me in the future.

Yes, if it wasn't for Steve Jobs buying Pixar from George Lucas' ILM division for $5 million (he later sold it to Disney for $7.4 Billion), I might be doing something COMPLETELY different right now.

Using your innovative spirit allowed John Lasseter, Ed Catmull, and Alvy Ray Smith explore how to turn this primitive technology into an art, ultimately creating the film "Toy Story" which completely spawned the new 3D Animation business.

Because of them, other competition showed up to this booming scene with Dreamworks and my company, Blue Sky Studios trying to get a piece of the action.

So Steve, THANK YOU for helping spawn my industry because without you, I might not have my awesome job right now!

Best Regards,

-Jon

Side note: When my company was on the chopping block about to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy back in the late 90's, Steve Jobs came by to see what we were all about. He passed, as he already had Pixar which was currently owning the industry. Fortunately 20th Century Fox stepped in, bought us out and financed us through our first film, "Ice Age", which premiered in March of 2002. The rest is history. I showed up fresh out of college at the age of 22 (everyone thought I was 19) and I have been here ever since, about to hit my 6th year on the job.

You Can See Right Through Me

2011-10-05T08:17:00.000-04:00

Hello. My name is Jon. This is me on the outside:

This is where I stick feathers, fur, grass, leaves, and hair onto characters.

And this is me on the inside, specifically my left knee:

Click to enlarge

Anybody know how to read an MRI? I am currently waiting on the results from the professionals. Isn't it amazing how much tissue there is surrounding your bones?

And of course, the original X-Ray

How NOT to do a flying Cyclocross Dismount

2011-10-04T09:01:00.000-04:00

Alexa @ Just Keep Swimming posted this on her facebook a few weeks ago, then Emily @ Speed Laces did a cool post about watching a cyclocross race, so I figured it was time to share this video with the rest of the world.

Feel free to watch a few - hundred - dozen times! Poor guy, but man look at the air he got!

Ouch!

Sasquatch, Charlie Brown, and Darth Vader In One Post?

2011-10-03T10:08:00.003-04:00

Oh yeah!......mostly the title was just to lure you in ;)

Guessing I haven't watched too much TV this year (due to training? HA!) so I have been seeing some commercials that stand out, either disgust me or make me laugh my ass off, or make me smile.

Here goes:
McDonalds Sunday Football
This guy.............JUST. NEEDS. TO. GROW. A. PAIR. Seriously dude!!!! Man card revoked!!!!

VW Young Darth Vader
I always wind up with the BIGGEST grin every time I see this commercial. Its been on since the super bowl last February and I still don't mind watching it over and over again. Basically that little kid was me when I was 5. And it has the greatest theme song of all time.

Planet Fitness "I Pick Things Up and Put Them Down"
Now I just laugh my ass off whenever this comes on. Its so stupid its funny and its a horrible stereotype commercial, but that dude is HUGE!!! Google search determined him as Silvio Kersten, who served 9 years in the German Navy and is a pro body builder and trainer.

Finally, in the spirit of Fall, Football, and Charlie Brown's eternal punishment:

Beef Jerkey, Messing With Sasquatch:

How'd your weekend go? Congrats to those who raced, PR'ed, or tackled new distances in racing and training!

Three Things Thursday

2011-09-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

#1: Kill me at the Dr's Office, Please
Yesterday was my follow up exam with my Orthopedist.

.....or rather my 2 hour wait in the waiting room followed by the two minute actual Dr visit. Yeah....$20 copay WELL spent.

Oh and it gets better! The Asshole family stumbled in behind me, sat next to me with the hyperactive child who for 45 minutes bashed his noise toy against his chair which caused his toy to repeat the same song over......and over......and over......and over......again......

Then the little shit RAN INTO MY LEFT KNEE (the bad knee).....COME ON!!!! Meanwhile Mom and Grandma are each on their cell phones completely oblivious to what their little terror is doing.

If that isn't visual birth control, I don't know what is.

Now back to the Orthopedist. For two minutes I basically explained what I was doing and how things weren't improving, so he asks, "Have you had an MRI yet?".........*face palm*

Why can't my Orthopedist at least be a hot one?

#2: The Muppets Are Back!!!
I love the Muppets, and am looking forward to seeing the new movie this Thanksgiving. The trailers for it so far are flipping AWESOME.

"Hey look, Fart Shoes!".........and they even snuck in Manahmana!

This is the best one:

#3: Wardrobe Malfunction
I got lucky.....VERY lucky the other night. Was changing and about to hop into the pool when I noticed something wrong my swim jammers. Yep, there was a gigantic rip in the seam. Glad I caught it then before I put em on! I got 3 solid seasons out of them, so it was no big deal to retire them.

So my PSA is: Check your gear for holes, tears, and rips every now and then.

Q: Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction in a public setting? Or know someone who has?

This Commercial Makes Me ANGRY!!!!!

2011-09-27T09:18:00.001-04:00

First, just watch:

Maybe I am being waaaaaaaaay over sensitive or just looking to pick a fight, but there is something about this commerical that makes me bang my head into my desk, do many face palms, and get that stomach twisting effect of awkwardness only Michael Scott can provide.

I have nothing against her. Its just something about him. I guess its when he asks, "What is a marathon? 26 point.....?"

and then blah blah blah blah, "Anyone can run 26, its that last......."

Now, you all know I have given up on society knowing what a marathon is, afterall, I just ran a marathon this morning by running that 100 yards to my car.

But if you were a marathon runner, and you were on a first date with a non runner (obviously he is NOT a runner!), and the person opposite you asked, "What is a marathon? (insert guessed distance here)" What would you do?

And yes, I am prolly just trying to pick a fight because I am grasping at straws. But hey! Its a Tuesday, so why not!

Pictures Only To Sum Up My Weekend

2011-09-26T10:01:00.000-04:00

Injury Update: There is Hope

2011-09-22T20:14:00.001-04:00

I had a MAJOR setback this week regarding my knee. Bummer....

Last week was a HUGE turnaround. I ran 4 times and each run got better and more pain free. Last Saturday's run was a nice and easy 40 mins of bliss. I felt like this was it: The Turnaround.

Que Sunday: With my tri bike all refitted and my cycling strength returning I went out for a 60 min cruise. The only thing that hurt were my arms, due to the lack of riding in that position. Unfortunately by the end of the ride I felt "that" pain in the medial area of the knee cap. Crap. Its not the aero position that is causing the pain, its standing up and climbing on that bike that is causing the pain. Must be the cramped position that is causing me to wrench my knee in a bad way. So no more TT bike this Fall :(

I iced and took my anti-inflammatory meds, hoping to nip the pain.

Que Monday: Another easy 40 min run. Although I felt some pain, it wasn't horrible. Later that day at work it got worse, and worse, and worse. The "movie goers" knee returned. Shit. That night I am at PT and they have me warm up for 10 minutes on the stationary bike. I lasted 2 minutes and 30 seconds. WHAT THE HELL!!!!

Que Tuesday: I lasted 20 minutes on the trainer before I could pedal no longer. Fuck.

Que Wednesday: Day off from biking or running. I had finally HAD IT! I did last the full 10 minutes on the stationary bike at PT, but I told me PT I am done for now.

Sooooo after talking to my coach I did nothing today, and nothing tomorrow, and will try a short and easy run on Saturday. If I feel this thing act up ONCE, I am stopping, and walking home, but with my head high and calling it a month with both biking and running.

Before I go COMPLETELY all negative Nancy on you, THERE IS HOPE!!!

After looking at my logs (this is why you keep logs!) the past two years, I have taken a break from running every September. Last year, I ran a total of 20 miles during the entire month of September. That was partly due to a 10 day vacation down in Florida, but mostly due to tendinitis in my left foot. I was still able to rally, and come back stronger than ever in October and ultimately PR a 10K race in early December, before settling into Ironman training in January.

THERE IS HOPE!!!!

Its getting colder out. Have you calculated your Jen's Factor yet?

2011-09-21T13:15:00.000-04:00

The fine folks at Cyclocosm have provided us with a guide to winter wear on the bike, compared to Jens Voigt. I guess it could apply to running as well? For those of you who don't know who Jens Voigt is, he is the BAMF of the peleton. Chuck Norris has got nothing on this guy, just check out the Jens Voigt facts.

Some examples: "The term "sufferfest" was originally coined to describe Jens' rest days" or "Jens Voigt has four heart rate training zones: anger, rage, fury and breakaway."

Back to clothing choices, my favorite "overview" is Jens Factor4:
Overview: ran your mouth and/or lost a bet
Apparel: balacalava, Hampsten Oaklies
Conditions: marginal, rugged, "epic"

But of course Jens Factor 6 takes the cake:
Overview: suicidal herosim
Apparel: spacesuit
Conditions: apocalyptic, biblical, hardcore

(source)

Today's Advice

2011-09-19T09:16:00.000-04:00

That is all....

I'm A Mess, But I am Going to Keep this Positive!

2011-09-16T10:02:00.000-04:00

I am a believer in Karma. Really.

You do something negative, nature is gonna find a way to get even. You do something positive, expect your good deed to be rewarded.

Sooooooo, for every "my life sucks" thing I write, I am gonna counter it with a "my life is awesome" thing. Cool?

Bad News: I met with my coach yesterday for an adjustment to my bike fit and we discovered that my left leg might be longer than my right leg. At PT this morning, we confirmed this. My left leg is 1/2 longer than my right! Son of A....! Its not that my bones are longer, but because my hips are so unaligned. One of my hip muscles is super tight, causing this. More stretches have been added....

Good News: I met with my coach yesterday for an adjustment to my bike fit. He moved the position of my cleats and we adjusted my saddle height, moved it forward, and adjusted the bar height. Unfortunately I need a new saddle and longer 80mm stem. Fortunately! I found a BRAND NEW Selle Italia saddle and 80mm stem in my box of spare parts. Score!

Bad News: Getting anything done at work has been a major pain in the ass. We have had more power outages and network issues this past month than I can ever imagine.

Good News: I am getting a promotion! I am going from a "Fur Technical Director", jumping over the Senior level and straight to a "Lead Fur Technical Director" position. Basically doing all of the feather work on these two birds:

(source)

And the movie making nearly $500,000,000 worldwide helped things out!

Bad News: Tomorrow is supposed to be my first race since Placid, a 4 miler in Central Park. I can't do the race due to my lingering knee issue. Also, I am supposed to do a half marathon in Central Park in 2 weeks, but that race is out as well. I was hoping to PR the distance at that race....it will have to wait until January or March instead.

Good News: Yesterday I had a pain free ~38 minute run! My longest run yet without any pain. Now, I ran at a 9:30 pace the entire time, but I am taking this as a small victory! Seems that running slow is allowing me to run pain free AND keep my mental sanity in check.

Hope you have a great weekend!

A Shave and a Juicer

2011-09-12T14:31:00.000-04:00

Boy is my training mojo just GONE! Its ok, my body needs the break, since it is basically broken.

So now that I don't ride 5 hours every Saturday and run forever every Sunday, I am still trying to find ways on how to be a "normal" person and fill the free time my weekends now provide.

For you guys out there, have you ever gotten a straight razor shave done?

I never have. It was quite the experience! Since this was a straight razor, i.e., no nice Mach3 shave gaurds, my first question to the guy was, "Sooooo, how long have you been doing this?" His response of 9 years was enough assurance.

And talk about a smooooooth shave! I wreaked of coco butter for the rest of the day.

My legs are still smoother ;)

Now, for the rest of you: Have you ever juiced before?

I'm gonna go into greater detail later why I bought a juicer, but holy crap is this thing amazing! It sounds like a freaking nuclear powered jet engine in my kitchen! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I made OJ first. Remember in Indiana Jones when the big German dude gets minced by the airplane's propellers? These poor oranges...it was an instant death!

Then I made apple cider. So the apple didn't disapear immediately until I pushed down on it with the pusher-downy-thing.... BAM! That apple was mush!

Oh! Side note: Did you know that non pasturized apple cider ferments naturally if you can stick into an airtight container that allows CO2 to escape? Well, I didn't, but now I do! And because I have all of this brewing equipment, I could literally start making apple cider TONIGHT.

Tis the season for apples this fall. I'm gonna make so many apple products, cider donuts included, that I am gonna be sick of apples by January!

TTT: GRRAAAARRRRR!!!!!

2011-09-08T09:32:00.000-04:00

(The post of this title came to me on a whim, just like getting your pumick stumped or a dog tagging its wail.)

#1: I have ran two times this week. 30 minutes each, holding a 9+ min/mile pace. Shall we say I am about to start back all over again with this running thing? .....I am not allowed to run more than 30 mins, 4 times a week. Let's also say that my Ironman fitness confidence level has just been zapped. Bummer.

#2: I need to reshave my legs again :(......you know, so the tape holds!

#3: My toenail has yet to fall off......but boy does it want to!

I asked. You Answered. I Delivered.

2011-09-06T08:00:00.003-04:00

And the Diagnosis is IN! Helloooooo Runner's Knee!

2011-09-02T08:17:00.001-04:00

Its sorta anticlimactic that the orthopedist's diagnosis was classic runner's knee (I was hoping for a new syndrome that had never been seen and could be named after me) but at least its a well known issue that can be solved. I think the most frustrating part about this is that it took almost 4 weeks for the classic signs of runner's knee to finally develope. I mean, the first two weeks the pain was in the side of my knee, before it started to move across to the top of the knee cap and then to the bottom of the knee cap.

So yesterday was a whirlwind of Dr's and PT appointments. First, I got lucky with getting the Orthopedist appointment. After I had my general practitioner's appointment, I immediately called the orthopedist and the receptionist said, "I can fit you in either 9:30 tomorrow AM.........or October."

"9:30 please!!!!"

That was my biggest fear, not getting in until weeks or months later.

They were quick @ the orthopedist. X-rays were immediately taken:

This ruled out any signs of a stress fracture

Followed by the Dr's diagnosis of runner's knee. Then a Patt strap was placed on me for Patellar Support

Was prescribed a heavier than advil anti inflamatory for two weeks. Then I was off for my first of a 6 week trial of PT sessions. The first occured 2.5 hours after the Orthopedist appointment!

Taped, iced, and elevated

Lately due to the frustration of not being able to run, I have been taking my rage out on the road bike. I have been eating hills like crazy and the other night I was riding with a few coworkers when this group of roadies comes flying up behind us just as we are all going up this hill. I had had it. So I caught them all and then dropped them all. It felt good.....oh! And your Ironman bike fitness goes NOWHERE for loooong time.

But I still had to ice after that ride and another ride last night.....

At the end of PT, I get taped up with Kinesio tape for extra patellar support. Unfortunately having hairy legs does not play well with tape. It doesn't stick and hurts like heck taking it off. Sooooooo, I had to shave one leg around the knee....

I now know why male cyclists and triathletes shave their legs. They are vain! They just like to look at the definition of their legs ;) Now that I have funky tan lines and a partly shaved leg, should I just shave both legs? Uhg.....

So for three times a week for the next six weeks, I go into PT for leg strengthening. The PT's assessment yesterday was in line with what is causing the pain: My leg quad muscle is too weak compared to competing muscles that attach to the patella. Don't get me wrong! That quad muscle IS strong, just not AS strong as those competing muscles. Get it? It was a huge ego boost when Dr. Zelicof, told me "You are a strong guy, just imbalanced."

"IMBALANCED?!?! I already knew that! ..........Oh wait, you are talking about muscles! My bad!"

hahahahahahahhahahahaha!

Every Dr and PT yesterday asked me what was left of my season and I said NYC Marathon to each. But I have already accepted that unless a miracle occurs, I won't be going into that race in the form that I feel is required for running a marathon and making it count. So if the NYC Marathon doesn't occur, again, then I am ok with that.

Priority #1 is to GET HEALTHY!

And that is already in motion :)

Have a great long weekend and happy training!

The Wedding Weekend of No Training and Waterfalls and a Hurricane

2011-08-30T20:11:00.000-04:00

Knee out of commission? = No training

Wedding weekend? = No training

Enjoying not training? = No training

I went up to Rochester, NY this past weekend to see my running buddy, Lisa, get married to a mountain biker. *GASP!* I kid kid. I lent him one of my old road bikes last year, so technically speaking, he is a roadie. She is as well (I can take credit for getting her onto the bike). It was a perfect match wedding. I mean, just look at the wedding cake!

And for the wedding favor? A cowbell. I almost go a blister on my finger from ringing the damn thing so much to get the bride and groom to kiss. Totally beats dinging glasses with forks.

I really like Rochester. Glad I didn't go to school there (I looked at RIT), but the training terrain there is pretty nice. Lake Canandaigua is nice, including an AWESOME German restaurant called Rhineblick. I got the Weiner Shnitzel with a fried egg over the top! Holy GOD that was good!

Those are not worms. That is Spatzel

Can't remember what it is called, but I shall call it YUMMY!

We also can't forget that the one, the only, the super badass trichick Alexa "Two Ironman in one year isn't enough for me" Harding @ JustKeepSwimming lives there. Met up with her at Starbucks Sunday morning while Hurricane Irene's winds were blowing. Second time I have met her in person, and I guess the second time I lured her with the promise of sugary items? Hhhhhhmmmm......I guess my creepy blogger status is preserved? I think we chatted about ZIPP wheels and carbon bikes for a good 15 minutes. We are total tri nerds....also, we talked about what happened to Google+. Is anyone actually using it? The group video chat feature was cool, but a bit of a novelty...anyways, follow her on her journey towards tackling her 3rd Ironman, and 2nd Ironman in 10 weeks.

Since the hurricane blew out power and closed all roads from Rochester to White Plains (darn!) I had an extra day. Since we were so close to Niagara Falls, we took a detour west and saw them in person finally. So cool!

DAYAM!

I got soaked!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW!!!

They need one of these at the start of an Ironman

Then I drove 6.5 hours home. Blah. The hurricane's aftermath only rerouted me once, but it wasn't bad. Soooooo, did you know that the Adirondacks, especially Lake Placid, Keene, and Wilmington got NAILED with record amounts of rain? Just look at these photos of what the flooding did!


This is at the intersection of Rt 73 and River road on the bike and run course. (source)

WTF?!?! It looks like someone peeled the asphalt off of the ground! This is 1-2 miles down River Road on the run course. I got the "runs" on this section (source)

Um? That is NOT an optical illusion. Half the road is now the river.

There was a bridge that went across this dam! I ran to it during the 12 mile trail run at my coach's training camp in June (source)

Man, this saddens me so much! I mean, a freaking hurricane destroyed the area surrounding Lake Placid! Lake Placid is soooooooooooo far INLAND!!!

I hope they can rebuild quickly up there because even though I won't be racing in Placid next season, believe me, I'll be up there once or twice for some training in that area because it is so epic.

Announcing Ironman Mont Tremblant 70.3. F-YEAH!

2011-08-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Triathlon Gods (in this case WTC) both tempted and teased me yesterday with the announcement of Ironman Mont Tremblant 70.3, yes, a HALF Ironman in the same location as the FULL Ironman.

(source)

And the date couldn't be any more perfect! June 24th! Exactly 8 weeks out from the full Ironman itself.

Talk about doing some 95% car free course recon at race pace. This bad boy won't be a "training day" in my book. Its gonna be a flipping RACE DAY in my book. Go big or go home for this race! 8 weeks is plenty of time to recoup and build back up for the final homestretch leading up the full Ironman in August.

So far the course looks almost identical to the full minus a few changes. Obviously the swim course is only 1.2 miles and the bike course is only one loop, but the way they structured the bike loop is slightly different. They lopped off a bit @ the top by Lac Superior and added a short out and back at the bottom of the course. Who knows why! But as long as the climbing is the same, I'm game.

(source)

I am disappointed in the run course though, but I can understand why they did it. Instead of it being just one 13.1 mile loop (which we will have to do twice in the full) it will be two 6.55 mile loops. The reason why, I am guessing, is to cut down on the number of aid stations, which is fine. I was just hoping to finally do a single loop 13.1 mile run in a HIM for once.

(source)

Even though I hold a hard stance that a HIM is NOT, I repeat NOT!, a great way to test out your Ironman pacing and nutrition, however! this race will help with the race logistics for the Full Ironman 8 weeks later. Bonus points there. I plan to arrive the same day as the full, and depart the same day as the full. Its like a full race walk through minus doing the entire distance, pacing, and nutrition.

Sooooooo, who is with me?!?! You can sleep, wake up, roll out of bed and stumble, no joke, 10 feet to the swim. Heck, you might be able to jump out of your hotel window right into water! (I don't recommend this)

Think of this race as a practice exam for your future Ironman Mont Tremblant 140.6.

Registration starts Monday September 19th @ Noon EST.

Moving Forward...

2011-08-25T11:30:00.000-04:00

Urf, this is not gonna be a "happy" post, but more of a reflection on ~~how much of a dumbass I am~~ what is going on in my knee. This "little" knee injury has turned out to be a not so "little" knee injury after all.

After Sunday's 10 miler in the trails of Rockefeller State Park the shit really hit the fan. It hurt SO bad to walk on Monday that in agony I texted my coach with what to do just so I could WALK comfortably. He suggested Advil. Amazing what 600mg of Advil does when it kicks in. I had a brand new knee!

Unfortunately an NSAID is not a long term solution and only blunts the pain before it wears off.

Tuesday was slightly better.

Wednesday was even more slightly better.

So what is wrong exactly? Seems to be a combination or one of two things: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome(PFPS) or Chondromalacia Patella (CMP).

Basically my knee cap, the patella, is not tracking up and down (it is tracking laterally) and the cartilage underneath the knee cap has gotten roughed up.

The CMP makes more sense because one of the symptoms is "movie goers knee." Yes! That is a real term! Basically if you sit in a chair for an extended period of time, then straighten your leg, your knee gives you the middle finger and makes a cracking sound called crepitus! Guess what? I sit in a chair all day and I actually went to the movies last night. It has hurt like a bitch the last three day standing up from a chair.

At night when I sleep, my leg is straight, so in the mornings when I get up the knee is fine and doesn't hurt.

I chatted with my PT and when she says she is out of ideas, that is not a good thing when she says this. She suggested I visit an orthopedist. This makes sense, because if I push on the inside edge of the patella bone, it hurts, which suggests a possible bone fracture. Only an X-Ray or MRI can confirm this.

Soooooooo, in the meantime, what the heck do I do? Well, I am off to a wedding in upstate NY this weekend so that means more rest, which I am totally in love with! I visit my general practitioner next week and when I see him, I am requesting a referral to see the orthopedist.

Now what if things don't improve and I am out of commision this fall? Well, there goes the NYC Marathon. YES! I know it is still a waaaaaays away, but I have already accepted that not doing this race is not going to ruin my year. I think I have done enough already! Don't you think?

My #1 priority right now is to A) figure out what's wrong, and B) to get healthy for next season for Ironman Mont Tremblant.

A marathon is a cute little thing to run (I kid! I kid!), but I have bigger fish to fry! I am hoping this "thing" goes away quickly, because I would REALLY like to hammer out the NYC Marathon and end the year on a high note.

The Cool Stuff Post

2011-08-24T09:42:00.000-04:00

Training wise, I have NOTHING going on right now. Actually, I guess the only thing I can count is the number of Chocolate covered almonds I have been gorging on. So yummy!

Anyways......since training is at a standstill because I have a possible injury that "is common in adolescent girls" (boy am I gonna get a lot of crap for this! *cough* Jill *cough*)

Anyways!......since training is at a standstill, I might as well shift focus onto some nerdom and recent things in the triathlon world that I find intriguing.

First!
Tri Tats
Alexa @ JustKeepSwimming recently did a sprint race where she was in the elite wave (cuz she is badass is why!) and she was sporting some tattoo race numbers. Totally jealous, I told her rightly so. Kevin @ IronmanByThirty, aka future Ironman-man, chimed in with "you know, you too can get those! (and we will double your order!)" and pointed me to the Tri Tats website.

For either $20, or $35, depending on if you like a larger size (TWSS!), you can get 20 tattoos of each number, which according to the web-site, "will last anywhere from 4 to 7 triathlons depending on the race numbers you are assigned."

So if you don't want a handwritten unprofessional race number on your arm, pick up a packet of these and look pro!

Apparently they give you a tan and bulk you up over night? (source)

Second!
Garmin Vector
Garmin finally entered the world of power on the bike. But instead of crank or rear hub based, this is the first pedal based power meter on the market (as far as I know). They bought out a company called Metrigear and rebranded the product. The pedals are compatible with the Look Keo cleat. The fact that it is made for a garmin cycling computer is a win in my book.

Only downside is the price. So far its set for a $1500 MSRP. Ouch. You can get a proven PowerTap wheel for MUCH cheaper at wheelbuilder.com.

I believe the dongles are for sending data. The sensors are inside the pedals. (source)

Pruis Project
Um, have you ever wanted to change gears by merely thinking, "Uhg, this hill is so steep! I need an easier gear!" Well, according to this, it is possible!

http://www.toyotapriusprojects.com/#/011

RideWithGPS.com
Peace out mapmyride.com! You are tooooooo slooooooooow. I was turned onto ridewithgps.com the other week. It is sooooooo fast! I mapped Lake Placid in about 15 seconds with it and Mont Tremblant in about a minute, vs about 5+ minutes on mapmyride due to just waiting for the damn thing to catch up. Also! It gives better detailed and instant elevation charts. Mapmyrides is a freaking joke and 95% of the time doesn't load. Take a look at these three elevation charts I quickly built using ridewithgps.com. I compiled Placid vs Mont Tremblant vs Wisconsin.

sooooooo pretty!

Finally!
MAD spoofed my last movie, "Rio!" by turning all birds into Green Lanterns. This is so cool and is quite the compliment that a movie I worked on for two years made it into more main stream entertainment.

Three Things Thursday: The Master Plan

2011-08-18T15:18:00.000-04:00

I am a guy who has it aaaaaaallllllllllll figured out. Smooooooth operator here, thank you very much....

My lingering knee issue? Puhleeeeaaaase. Throw something a tad bit more difficult at me! Here are my three ideas on combating it:

#1: Become Robo Cop
The dude is inspirational. The dude is indestructable. The dude is completely monotone. But hey! I betcha his knees don't hurt!

(source)

#2: Become a Terminator
Not the Arnold version. The silver morphing dude. The T-1000. Bum knee? Ok, I'll just morph it into a working knee. BAM!

(source)

#3: Become Road Runner
Ryan Hall has got NOTHING on me! Armed with the tumbleweed run, no coyote can catch me no matter how much ACME TNT he is carrying!

(source)

Got any better ideas? I DARE YOU!

An Open Letter from My 87 Year Old Step Grandfather Re: Triathlon, excess, and balance

2011-08-16T09:48:00.001-04:00

Even though my grandparents are not on the interwebz, that does not mean that word doesn't travel in my family faster than the speed of light. Apparently word quickly reached my step grandfather regarding me quoting him in this blog from his last letter.

Well he wrote me a new letter, and this is another good one. Harry, who we all call him, is a Dartmouth graduate, WW2 vet, and a great writer. I always enjoy the letters and numerous NY Times articles he cuts out and sends to us. He does a great job remembering all of our hobbies and interests and he tries hard to find new perspectives on these hobbies and interests to send to us.

In this latest letter he brings up some good points regarding excess vs moderation. My take away is, "Are we so consumed by this sport that we are missing out on other things in life?"

Dear Jon -

Gran'ma H and I I hope you've made a full recovery - bounce back from whatever physical insults you experienced at and during your "go" in the Lake Placid Triathlon. Sorry I forgot to tell you about Tums; house-brand Walgreen Antacid Tabs are the same and half the price.

It's doubtful anything I said or wrote about your triathlon training and participation warranted quotations in your blog - but an obituary in yesterday's New York Times [he included it with this letter] for 41 year old Amy Martich who died in NYC's recent triathlon must surely pose questions that all triathloners ought to ponder, with or without quotation from your 87 year old step grandpa.

Wherein lies the greater honor, glory, self satisfaction and esteem? Is it in the life sacrificed to the extreme physical demands of the triathlon? Or would it be in the measured in years of normal actuarial expectancy which are dedicated to family, offspring, community and productive employment? The latter, of course, would be a life governed by moderation, not excess.

Would your fellow bloggers waste their time on such questions? I wonder - and I'm doubtful. But no harm asking.

Onward! -H

Harry, if you get a chance to read this, you hit upon a LOT of issues we triathloners think about every day.

I have it easy, actually, not being married, working a pretty cushy job that pays extremely well and requires only 40 hours a week. This is why I refrain from ever complaining about not having enough time and money to train because I know of a number of fellow bloggers who are married, have small children, and have a bit of a commute, and yet they are training just as much as I am and are putting up times faster than me. These are the true heroes in this sport. They have mastered that "balance" that we all crave so much.

And this brings upon my next point: I am doing this now while I am young, injury free (well most of the time!), not married and not tied down by the responsibilities of a family. These are things I want one day, just not now. I want to get this whole triathlon "thing" out of my system before I am ready to settle down and put my energies towards other things.

I know that I limit myself in terms of seeing family due to training obligations, but for large races I try to include my family. Lake Placid was a HUGE success. I tried my best to keep the race separate from our vacation until the last possible moment.

For now, I have another Ironman to train for in EXACTLY one year. This is where my energies are going. I will figure it out from there :)

Since Harry asked the question, what about you?

Wherein lies the greater honor, glory, self satisfaction and esteem? Is it in the life sacrificed to the extreme physical demands of the triathlon? Or would it be in the measured in years of normal actuarial expectancy which are dedicated to family, offspring, community and productive employment?

The Weekend Wrap Up

2011-08-15T08:25:00.000-04:00

Trying to find a theme for this past weekend. Relaxing?

Friday night after work I hit up the gym @ work for my first Kettlebells workout.

not me, sorry! (source)

I only use a 15 pound weight, which really isn't that heavy. If you have never done a Kettlebell workout before, you should know that you are basically swinging that thing around for a good 30 minutes while doing nothing but squats and lunges the entire time. OUCH. Saturday I wasn't sore, but Sunday? OMG! My jaw freaking hurt! And my traps? I didn't know they existed! I am really enjoying strength training right now and I have basically replaced swimming with it. Don't worry, I'll be back in the pool........... ~~next year~~ eventually......

I don't know why I resisted twitter for so long? I am really kicking myself now because I prolly missed out on a bunch of opportunities like this when Amy @ WelcomeToBoston tweeted me Friday night with, "Hey, gonna be up your way this weekend, let's run!"

And a blogger run meetup commenced. 10 awesome miles later, we negative split that sucker with an uphill final 5 miles. THIS folks, is why bloggers freaking rock :)

It was also one of the best mornings we have had in a loooooooong time too. I have picture evidence to prove it!

Really cool photo Amy took from a bridge crossing the Croton Resevoir

It was AWESOME meeting Amy and its SO easy to strike a conversation with a fellow runner/blogger. Did I mention fellow runner/bloggers rock? We marveled at how small our runner/triathlete blogging community is and yet we are all spread out across the country. I think she has me convinced to do the National Half in March down in DC.

Sunday it just poured aaaaallllll day long. Not sure we have had rain like this all summer. Was supposed to ride two hours, but I just did nothing instead ;)

Since I had aaaalllllll of this time on my hands, I sat my butt down on the couch, watched Netflix, and stalked Kevin @ IronmanByThirty and Mathew @ GoSmittyGo!!! compete at Steelhead 70.3. Unfortunately the winds were too crazy causing a duathlon. Nevertheless my blogging buddies DESTROYED that course! Visit their blogs and see how they did!

Since I was still bored, I perused the interwebz for awhile and shockingly came across a mugshot of someone I know!!!

Who knew he had a criminal record! Jeff, what the heck did you do?!?! And Annie? Did you know?

Holy Semimembranosus Sartorius Gracilis!!!!

2011-08-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

You are probably thinking, WTF kind of language is Jon blabbering on about now?

Leg muscles!

A little secret, the "I" word has leaked out, yet again.....injury, how I hate thee!

Bummer.....

And its totally ALL my fault. Swallowing my pride here. Eating a slice of humble pie. Checking my ego at the door. So here goes.

See, even though two weeks out from your first Ironman you think you are fully recovered, guess what? YOU ARE NOT!!!!

Your legs might feel totally fine and you belt out a 9.22 miler @ an 8:08 pace, your fastest run like this in months, but guess what? THEY AREN'T!!!!!

And what happens? You go crawling back to your PT, head hung in shame with the PT shaking her head. You can hear her thoughts, "WTF did this dumbass do now? I just saw him last week and should not be seeing him until November!" (true story!)

Well that nine miler last Saturday did some damage. I ran too hard. I wasn't ready yet! I didn't listen to my coach. He prescribed 75 minutes EASY. Yes. EASY! Why can't I listen? I don't know HOW my ego fit through my front door after that run. *stupid* *stupid*

I ran Monday easy, Tuesday at the track fast, and Wednesday morning for only 26 minutes. I had to stop during the run because it hurt too much. Punishment enough? I don't think so. After a stretch and foam roll, the knee was fine after Monday and Tuesday's runs. Wednesday morning's run pushed me over the edge.

Long story short, the interior of my knee hurts while running. There are three muscles (and probably more) that attach there, the Semimembranosus (a hamstring muscle):

rear view - (source)

The Sartorius (connects from your hip down, wraps around the quads and connects to your interior knee):

front view - (source)

And finally the Gracilis (helps with the adductors and is the inside most muscle of the upper leg).

rear view - (source)

Basically these muscles allow you to cross your leg. How did I strain them so much that they are yanking on their connection points in the interior of the knee? Who knows. Probably at Lake Placid! Or I have a muscle imbalance. Regardless, they need to be stretched out (which isn't so easy for these muscles) and strengthened, so a lot of hip flexor and adductor stretches will be done.

But most importantly, I have a WONDERFUL PT who has gotten me through every injury I have sustained, so much so that I successfully trained and raced through a much more painful knee injury 18 months ago.

Soooooooo, now I have homework. I have two new stretches: Hip Flexor and Adductor.

this is not me! - (source)

still not me - (source)

I also have three strengthening exercises via the resistance band.

Huge thank you to SportsInjuryClinic.net for the images and video of the stretches, muscles, strengthening exercises, and knowledge.

Btw, I find all of this fascinating! So cool to learn how each muscle is connected and what they do. Makes me wanna learn anatomy finally.

At least step #1 is over with: Admit that you are injured.

I just wrote up my goals post leading up the NYC Marathon. An injured ankle and back spasm knocked me out of that race last year. I have a score to settle with the Marathon. Sorry Injury, but I am fighting back! BRING IT!!!

Rounding out 2011: Whats left?

2011-08-10T11:50:00.002-04:00

Normally my triathlon season ends at the end of either September or August.

This year? The end of July! What do I do with myself for the next 4-5 months?!?!? (get fat?)

Fortunately I got an "in" to the NYC Marathon a few seasons ago and put it off until now. Phew! Motivation. Also, holy crap my first stand alone Marathon!

And I will let you in on a little secret: I HAVE NO CORE!

So marathon and no core? What does that mean?

Run focus and strength training! Sayonara pool and bike! (Well, not completely, but it will def be taking a back seat to recovery and XTraining)

Running a 4:34 for my first "Marathon" at IM Lake Placid is fine. Really, its fine! I swear! Don't believe me? You should! Why don't you believe me? I told you it was fine!

OK FINE! I want some fricking revenge and I am NOT satisfied. THERE! I said it...Happy now?

So here goes the rest of my season.

First, strength training:

I drank the Kool Aid and spent way too much money on some nylon bands I prolly could have bought at Home Depot for $5. I went with TRX. It is simple and can work anymore, especially with the door attachment. Also, I don't want to get huge. I just want to get toned.

The downside to strength training is that it can get repetitive quick, like swimming in the pool. SO! To spice things up further, I have three different strength training routines now: #1: TRX. #2: Kettlebells (aka another form of OUCH) and #3: Your standard free weights on a bench circuit. I hope to strength train 3 times a week (because it is different and I like different) and do each routine once a week.

#1 goal for strength training? DON'T GET HUGE! Stay lean. Stay lean.

As for running, I am keeping the racing to a minimum again and focusing on some key races.

Sept 17th, NYRR Fitness Body and Mind 4 Miler. Why? I haven't ran "fast" since June 5th when I had the race of my life at Tri Ridgefield. This will be my first "speed" running race since March and will be a good "break in" race for me. (are you loving me quoting everything?)

Oct 1st, NYRR Greta's Great Gallop Half Marathon. Why? This will be my first "long" distance running race since March and my first stand alone Half Marathon in 18 months. Yes! 18 months! (done plenty in HIM's during that same period) I have a Half Marathon PR of 1:45:xx and its time that this baby goes DOWN.

Nov 6th, NYC Marathon. Why? Because this is the goal!

And from Nov 6th until January 2nd, I am getting fat! :)

The CNN Comments Thread about the NYC Triathlon. GGGGRRRR!!!

2011-08-09T09:27:00.002-04:00

Tragedy struck the NYC Triathlon this past weekend with two deaths in the swim. Yes, TWO deaths. I think it is horrible and I am VERY saddened for the families who lost the loved ones.

The swim was rough. This is the best video I could find of the swim:

The video is misleading. Look at the larger swells. From the camera's perspective, they look small. From the perspective of the surface, boy do they mess with your stroke and ESPECIALLY your breathing!

We as triathletes think we are superhuman who can sustain anything. Fortunately those of us who are comparable swimmers never think about a rough swim as something being deadly. It reminds me from my post yesterday about one of the quotes from my 85 year old step grandfather:

"Congratulations! - Jon - And let's not do that again any time soon. It distresses family noticeably."

I guess we never think about what our non triathlete family and friends are thinking while we are out there with 3000 of our newest and closest friends getting the ever living shit kicked out of us for 1 hour+. Think they are worried? YES!

But at least they "get it". They know our addiction is healthy and long term is beneficial.

And then I read the comments section of the CNN article on the two deaths.

Oh boy.....

I find most of the comments quite Ironic. I found Many MANY "Darwinism" comments posted. Here is a sampling of the best ones:

"Funny. People trying to prove they're super-human and dying like humans. We should offer Darwin Awards to these types. "

"2 dead just for fun! How stupid have people become!"

"Who competes in a triathlon in record heat? Isn't that simply Darwin calling you home?"

"There are other sports that are not so cruel to the body. Common sense, folks!"

"this is exactly why i dont exercise"

"The human body is just not meant to be pushed that hard"

So would you guess that those people who are posting these comments are couch surfing jockeys? Inactive people? Wouldn't logic say that they will probably live a shorter life than we, active people who are doing our best to eat healthy (well, most of the time!) and keep our bodies in tip top shape?

Some guy made my argument for me:

"The probabilities are that the couch potatoes will have a shorter life than the triathletes"

Like the comments from my 85 year old step grandfather, his awesome quote that he wrote rings EVEN louder now.:

"his quest for whatever one quests after under such tortuous requirements of endurance."

I am PROUD to be an endurance athlete!

The Weekend Wrap Up

2011-08-08T08:28:00.000-04:00

I am slowly settling back into reality. Lake Placid was 2 weeks ago? Me volunteering over a year ago seems less far away than the actual race! Strange...

Because I have the NYC Marathon in exactly 12 weeks, I can't tie myself up to a pole and become tenderized meat yet, so I still need to keep trucking.

On Saturday I did my longest run yet since Placid, a 75 min easy run. Well 20 minutes into the run I finally woke up and realized I was pushing a low 8 min pace. I haven't felt this light and fast during a run in about 2 or 3 months, so I just went with it. This turned out to be a test of how recovered I am. I think an 8:08 pace (for me) is a confirmation of full recovery, especially in gross fumid conditions.

Sunday I just rode for 90 minutes naked. What a chafe! No seriously, my Garmin decided to freeze and crap out of me NO JOKE 90 seconds before I started my ride. What? How? Gggrrrr.....

Still turned out to be a great ride. Legs were smooth and I mashed it up a few hills. For you future Ironman, just wait for 2 weeks post race. All of that fatigue will be gone and you are gonna feel like SUPERMAN!

With all of this spare time I now have, I am getting back into another hobby of mine (wait, is Triathlon a hobby anymore?) which is brewing beer. Yep! Making aLk-Ee-hAuL.

5 gallons of pure wonderfullness!

Finally, I am going to leave you with parts of a letter from my step grandfather. Mind you he is 85 and from a MUCH different generation that most of us. He means well and has a lot of good stuff to say, but his misunderstanding of our endurance lifestyle really cracks me up and most importantly, makes me feel PROUD. Here are a few excerpts of a letter he wrote to the entire family:

"Congratulations! - Jon - And let's not do that again any time soon. It distresses family noticeably."

"...to head for Lake Placid to join family rooting for Jon in the Ironman torture to which he subjected himself on Sunday. No word yet on how he survived."

"The total Campbell family was at Lake Placid, NY for a long weekend to cheer Jon on his quest for whatever one quests after under such tortuous requirements of endurance. Best him, not me."

My reaction? The grin on my face right now tells all. I like the "his quest for whatever one quests after under such tortuous requirements of endurance." part. That's good stuff! Might need to reuse that! haha!

Stay tuned for my next post that entails the rest of my 201Ironman season!

Three Things Thursday......for the first time!

2011-08-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Funny, in almost 4 years of blogging I have yet to do a "Three Things Thursday." Q: Who started this trend? Well here goes!

#1) I wrote my own version of "This Little Piggy"

This little piggy went to the market

This little piggy stayed at home.

This little piggy had roast beef,

This little piggy had none.

But this big piggy ran off to the coal mines and got itself the black lung.

#2) I think my big toe is just severely bruised. Would it have fallen off by now 10 days later? Strange too because I felt it around mile 16-17 of the Marathon and yet I have done training runs up to 19 miles and never had an issue, even in the same shoes. The toe and toenail doesn't hurt anymore, fortunately.

Strange.

#3) In non triathlon related news (shocker, right?), I ordered my Lefse Blonde beer ingredients from Northern Brewer. They should be showing up tomorrow! Which means I will brew on Saturday and will be watching a snowstorm of yeast particles going nuts having sex and burping up alcohol and farting out CO2 by early next week. Isn't beer brewing terminology just so elegant? I mean, flocculation and phelonics are totally more proper terms, right?

Zombies

2011-08-03T12:19:00.000-04:00

Call me a creature of habit, but if I don't do something every day, I become the crankiest and moodiest A-Hole you will ever meet. So I ran to the track this morning to test out my legs with a little bit of speed. This is run #3 since Placid.

I got to the track around 6:45 and it was infested with......

ZOMBIES!!!!

OMG they were everywhere! Scattered across every running lane, two, sometimes three abreast just marching slowly along looking for, I don't know, brains?

I had to zig-zag through them like crazy trying to find a clear lane for at least 100 meters and each time I would pass one, they would quickly look at me, probably smelling my human flesh. Good thing I was faster than them!

When do the zombies emerge? I figured 6:45 would be way too early for them. Perhaps I need to go at dusk?

Zombies? Well, they really aren't that bad, until I saw the damn hippies wearing the vibram 5 fingers*!

*I know some of you wear them. I am not making fun of you! Just the hippies.

Happy Training!

Part 4: The Aftermath. Some Celebration! And Some Reflection...

2011-08-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

The next morning I woke up early. My clock was still on "crack of stupid time" and I immediately felt the pain. I can only describe it as best as this tweet:

My legs just felt stupid and sitting up or standing down was ridiculous! I felt like a 90 year old!

But then I saw all of my finisher's swag and IT. WAS. WORTH. IT!

Unfortunately everyone was leaving Monday morning, but as they were packing and leaving, my blogger friend, Alexa came over for her promised cupcake.

We later joked that I lured her over to a stranger's house she met on the internet with the promise of cupcakes. I am also known as her "creepy stalker" blogger friend. Makes sense right? It was nice meeting her in person finally.

A few nights before at the welcome dinner, I met fellow blogger Annie @ Paris Mountain Stridin and her husband, Jeff. She mentioned that she wanted to "throw down" Monday night. Oh heck yeah! Jill @ Simply Tri and her boyfriend, Simon, joined us and we all had a great time swapping war stories and reminiscing about our special day. Aaaannnnd realizing the word "TOMAHAWK" will forever be a funny word, right Jill?

Me, Annie, Jill

And what is even cooler! We all bought the same finishers jackets!

And we continued to have a great time over some WELL deserved beers!

Yes, blogging buddies FREAKING. ROCK!

So that is it! Took me only 4 posts to explain it all, but I hope I gave some of you IronVirgins some helpful info on what to do, and especially what not to do. If there is one thing I would say, it is to make sure you are balanced on your electrolytes throughout the ENTIRE duration of the race.

Now for some reflection....

Lake Placid is a GREAT race and I would highly recommend it to anyone. The town is an excellent (but a tad bit expensive for lodging) venue. Everything you need is here and the community and atmosphere is IronCrack on roids!

If trained, the course isn't terribly hard, but it still is a nice challenge with awesome views. Mentally the run course is easy. I never once felt like I needed an extra aid station.

Now for the serious stuff....

Did this race change my life? No. Not even close. Triathlon changed my life.

Was is it the hardest thing I have ever done? Maybe? There were lots of moments of suckage, but I never once felt like I wouldn't finish. I definitely hated life and the sport at miles 18+, but crossing the finish line erased everything.

Was using a coach a good idea? OH YEAH!

Was knowing the course a good idea? OH YEAH!

Was involving family into race week a good idea? OH YEAH!

Do all of you bloggers rock? OH HELL YEAH!

Part 3: T2 and The Run: Lake Placid Race Report

2011-08-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

If you are doing your first Ironman later this season, please, if anything, read my experience on this run. I made some rookie mistakes, and I hope you can learn from them! I don't want you to relive what I lived during the last 8.2 miles of that run! And the fix is just oh so simple!

If you missed my swim report, go HERE
If you missed my bike report, go HERE

T2: 4:25
This was easy. They take your bike. You take off your shoes and you run. A volunteer immediately opened my bag for me and helped me get sunscreen on, my shoes out, what I needed, what I needed back in the bag. It was great! I can't remember who my volunteer was, but he was AWESOME! So thank you mystery volunteer member!

The Run: 4:34:49
Oh the unknown of the Marathon. I have never ran a marathon before. In fact my longest run leading up to this race was 19.07 miles in 2:45:00. This didn't really mean much, but this distance was an unknown to me, let alone after a 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike.

But I started running and saw my family immediately as I exited. I just shouted to them, "Just gonna run a Marathon now. Cya in a short while!".....I was totally loopy at this point.

During the first two miles I was already questioning life. This run SUCKED. It was hot and my legs were NOT responding. If this is the beginning, is it only going to get worse now? Because I don't want any part of this! But a guy who knows me from beginnertriathlete.com came up behind me and said, "Are you Jon?"

We ran for a mile or so just chatting. That distraction tricked my legs into going smooth and suddenly I felt a LOT better.

And I went onto autopilot. As the miles crept by I felt myself getting stronger and stronger and stronger. Saw Peter at my mile 2, he was at mile 9-ish already and killing it. I saw Jill @ Mile 9. She looked great! Annie wasn't too far behind. At mile 10 I felt just AWESOME. Even the spectators were noticing it. I was getting a LOT of "#918. Looking super strong!"

I knew it. I felt it. My ego was ever expanding.

I even ran up Mill Hill. It hurt, but I kept chugging. I even saw Alexa at the top by the Sunoco station. She came out and high fived me. I told her she had a cupcake with her name on it. That was enough of a mental boost to get me past the diner to the main intersection.

Saw the family at the intersection. And apparently I was a salty beast at this point!

Somewhere between miles 10 and 13 things started to feel different. But I was still trucking. Just the normal fatigue of crossing over the halfway mark, right?

Up to this point I was carrying a handheld bottle and would fill it with ice and water at every aid station. This kept my hydrated (or so I thought) and also allowed me to squirt cold water on my head and down my back (this was WONDERFUL!).

But my innards were a ticking time bomb. I was drinking when I felt thirsty, but the entire time I could only get down so much before my stomach was just too full. It couldn't process any more liquid! If my stomach got too full, I would get a sharp cramp under my rib cage and that would slow me down.

So I was getting water logged, meaning I had enough liquid in me, but that doesn't translate to having the right balance of electrolytes.

And this is where the bathroom breaks started :(

I saw Mandy coming towards me between miles 18 and 19. I said to her, "Keep moving! I will catch up!" Brilliant, right?

My legs were hurting, but I was still running. At the turnaround on River Road all of a sudden I had to stop......or else. Crap! (literally!)

So much for catching Mandy as that would have been the final mental break I needed to get me to the finish line.

I could physically run, slow at this point, but my innards wouldn't allow it. Bummer...

So I would run until I couldn't, then find a portopotty, go, then run until I couldn't, portopotty and repeated that until I basically finished the race.

I did eventually catch up to Mandy around my mile 20 but she was so strong that I let her go and finish her race. Thank you Mandy for sticking with me for those couple of miles! Meant the world to me!

Again, I saw Jill and Annie near the River Road intersection.

The Finish:
The final 2 miles were the worst. I got to the bottom of Mill Hill and basically walked it from there to the finish, where I saved just enough energy (and innards will power) to run the length of the Oval or the last 200 yards.

When I entered the Oval, there were two people right in front of me. I let them go so they could have the finisher's shoot to themselves. I was constantly looking behind me to make sure no one was there. No one was!!!

I had the finisher's shoot to myself. It was pure bliss at this moment.

Then I heard the words from Mike Reilly:

Jon Campbell...

28 Years Old...

White Plains, New York...

For the First time in your life.

YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!!

DONE!

There is a reason why there are finish line catchers. As soon as you finish, your body just releases itself and you turn into a noodle. Its so strange! I was just walking/running feeling totally human not 2 minutes earlier and then BAM! Your body goes, "Thanks for playing! Its been fun! Aaaaaaaannnnnnd I'm out!"

The guy who caught me asked me how I was doing. As soon as I heard those words I blew up.

I. Freaking. Lost. It.

I saw he was a medical guy and I knew I was in rough shape having been to every portopotty from mile 18 to the finish. I tried to explain to him that I had severe diarrhea and it came out as something like this as my lips were quivering:

"I....hup hup hup......have....hup hup hup......gone to every....hup hup hup...bath....hup hup hup.....room....hup hup hup.....since mile.....hup hup hup.......18."

He understood and asked me if I wanted to go the medical tent. I said yes. But first! I wanted my dang finisher's photo! So with all of the strength I had, I stood there, put on one last smile and held myself up as best as I could.

Funky tan lines and all!

Then the space blanket went back onto me. Fortunately a family member was right there and I told them where I was going.

The medical people were just amazing. They took me in to weigh me, and as soon as they took me off the scale, suddenly things got even worse! The world started spinning, I wanted to hurl SO bad and everything was going black. I said, "Uh oh. UH OH! I AM GOING DOWN!" And my legs gave out.

They caught me with a, "I don't think so!" and hoisted me back up and to a bed.

The nurse got an IV into me, took some blood, then started pumping fluids into me.

25 minutes later I was brand new! The legs hurt, but I felt human again. Everything checked out except I was low on calcium, which is an electrolyte. (more on this in a bit)

We grabbed all of my stuff and tossed it into the back of my Uncle's truck with 4 pies of Pizza and I was on my way home.

But first I ran into DROG again! Fitting I guess? Saw him at the swim start and now at the end.

(He dropped a 10:46 on his first Ironman!!!)

When I got home we all tore through the Pizza. My family was hungry too from spectating all day. They even got me a trophy with candy in it! My family is AWESOME!

What I did right for this run:
I believe I paced this as best as I could. I never ran faster than an 8:30 mile and eventually my miles evened out around a 9 min pace. I held this for the most part until the halfway mark. I hit mile 13.1 in 2:07:xx.

Carrying a hand held bottle was a smart move. At every aid station, I would fill it up with water and ice. This gave me liquid when I needed it and also allowed me to squirt cold cold water over my head and down my back. It was bliss! I HIGHLY recommend doing this!

What I should have done better for this run:
I should have taken Endurolytes (which were in my bento box!) on the bike. Then I should have continued to taken the Endurolytes, as well as Tums during the run. I should have used the liquid that I could get into me to get the pills into me.

Remember how I mentioned I was low on calcium? My coach later told me to bring Tums. That would have not only settled my stomach, but it also would have gotten the calcium into me, since Tums contains a lot of calcium, which is another electrolyte. Also, there is a reason why they serve bananas on the bike and run courses. Duh! Ding Ding! Easy calories and calcium!

So lessons learned! Liquid electrolytes can only get you so far. Taking in pills would be something to test during training. I think if I took the pills and tums and bananas on the bike and run, things would have turned out a lot different. I would rather be walking because my legs gave out, rather than my innards forcing me to walk.

What got me through this run:
Well, running the first 18 miles sure knocked off a ton of time! Walking the last 8.2 kinda sucked.....ok, well, it REALLY sucked! Knowing the course and how far I had left really helped. I knew I had plenty of time and I was VERY satisfied with running the first 18 miles of my first Marathon, ESPECIALLY since it was during a frigging Ironman! This is a small victory for me.

Stay tuned for one final post about the next day!

Part 2: T1 and The Bike: Lake Placid Race Report

2011-07-29T08:00:00.002-04:00

If you missed my pre race and swim report, go HERE.

T1: 9:29
Coming out of the water I immediately had my wetsuit stripped, then it was time to begin the looooooooong run to the oval.

However! This looooooong run has you running through the most EPIC crowd of people lined 5 deep behind the barriers.

You feel like a FREAKING rockstar!

I entered the transition tent in the utter chaos state. CHAOS people! I volunteered here last year, and I recall there being a slow trickle of people, and then BAM, the deluge swarmed us. I soon learned what it was like to be overrun by a horde of triathlon zombies.

This time? I was the zombie invader!

I found an open chair, plopped the bag down on it, did my thing, and got the heck outa there as fast as I could.

Before I knew it, it was time to bike!

I found this picture of me in some random IMLP-er's facebook album!

The Bike: 6:06:09
My biggest fear at the start was some yahoo taking me out in the first 30 seconds, where it is all windy and downhill. This did not happen. Phew!

And off I went onto the course...

Because I finished the swim in the time I did, I entered the course at its thickest. There were people everywhere. I was being passed; I was passing. I even somehow passed Emily without knowing it!

Now it was time to swallow my pride and spin........EASY! My coach walked us through this first section, which is all uphill for about 8 miles. "Find your rhythm!" He drilled this into us. "If you can find your rhythm now, you can carry it through the entire bike." So I spun.

And again because I was with the hordes of people, I was worried the first big downhill would have been packed and crazy.

It wasn't!

And it turned out to be one of the easiest descents of that hill. I was calm and relaxed and I let gravity do the work.

As soon as I got onto the flats of route 9N, super stud Ironman, Peter Wickman blew past me. He was looking great and would up with a 10:23 that day and 7th in our age group for his first Ironman! Go Peter!

From here it was autopilot.....until mile 44-ish.

Why mile 44-ish? Well my bike broke!!!! To be exact, my front derailleur broke. And what is worse, I didn't know it yet!

So at mile 44-ish is when the road pitches upwards for the last 12 miles. I needed to shift from my big ring to the small ring in the front. Except stupid me, I did it too fast and the chain got hung. As I was slowing because I could no longer pedal, I frantically was changing every gear I had to force the chain. It worked. I got into the small ring and continued up the hills. A guy behind me witness my debacle and commented, "Nice save!" I felt proud of myself.

But the damage was done. And I didn't know it :(

I quickly learned of this mini disaster when I hit a flat section by the gorge and attempted to switch back to the big ring. I felt like Han Solo starting up the hyperdrive and it was a total EPIC FUCKING FAIL.

Panic set in and I immediately thought of the flats of route 9N on the eastern side of the course. I had a LOT of flat fast riding to do on the 2nd loop and no big ring to crank it! SHIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTT!!!!!!

My head was spinning but I immediately thought of the positive instead of the negative. So I was stuck in my small gear. Its a lot better than being stuck in the big ring!!! Fortunately I didn't really need it for the rest of the first loop since most of the climbing was still ahead of me.

I finished the first loop by stopping to see my family, which I told to be at the bottom of our road. It really helped me laugh it off and get my mind off of the matter.

This video totally cracks me up. My oldest brother was filming, while you can hear my older brother screaming at me, "Keep going!!!........you are losing TIME!"

Just down the road I quickly stopped off at special needs for loop #2, got some more vasoline "down there," chugged a generic Ensure, refilled liquids, and grabbed more food and I was off!

And I quickly realized it sucked to small ring flats and downhills. I figured that my big ring was a no go so I never attempted to try to use it.

Well, by the time I hit 9N on the flats, I was spinning like crazy and burning up my legs. There was no way I could keep up this effort to maintain my speed. I was going to ruin my run with this! So I just grabbed that lever and yanked. And the gear took! I was back in action!

I remained in the big ring until the climb up to Wilmington. Cya later big ring! Nice having you!

This section of the road has a lot of ups and downs, where you want to be able to switch between the small and big ring. I couldn't get it back into the big ring, so I got into a game of yo-yo with this poor girl. I would pass her on a climb, and she would fly by me on the downhill. I felt so bad that I actually apologized to her and explained my predicament. She understood and was cool with it. Phew! Triathletes are so nice :)

Meanwhile my frustration for not having the big ring was growing because there was another good sized section of flats up ahead. Two hills before this section, I had had it again and started wresting with the gears. The big ring took again, and out of fear of never getting it again, I big ringed the last two hills to Wilmington and I was set till the section where I originally broke the derailleur.

Then it was autopilot of climbing back to base.

Despite the mechanical, I did the first loop of the bike in 2:58, and the second loop in 3:08.

What I did right for this bike:
I got the fluids in. I think I went through 10 or 11 sports bottles of 50% water, 50% perform. This helped me stay cool and not thirsty. I also got the food down. Pacing took care of itself when I lost my big ring, however, spinning at such a high cadence did do more harm than good in the long run.

Also, biking this course 6 times in training helped build my confidence for the downhill, and getting to know the course better. I now know where every climb and flat is. I love this course!

What I should have done better for this bike:
This is a bit of foreshadowing for the run, but I should have been taking in electrolyte pills. Yes, I was getting in electrolytes through the perform, but it wasn't enough, I would soon learn on the run.

Also, I should not have been a knucklehead and switched gears too quickly! Doh!

Regarding nutrition, I should have eaten all solids on the first loop, then switched to all gels on the 2nd loop. This would allow time for the solids to get through my system so that by the time I hit the run, my stomach would be clear of any solids. I run better after taking in gels.

What got it done:
Riding lots. I owe this to my coach. He pushed me on the bike, especially by getting those long rides in. His training camp especially pushed my confidence levels to new heights. Remember how I drove up Whiteface the day before the race? During camp, we BIKED up that mountain! He put it perfectly with, "What I am putting you guys through will make race day seem easy."

Now that I look back on it, he was totally right! That 75 SUPER hilly ride we did that day made this 112 seems like cake with yummy frosting.

Stay tuned for T2 and The Run!

Part 1: Pre Race and Swim: Lake Placid Race Report

2011-07-28T08:00:00.005-04:00

I'll be honest, it took a loooooong time for this race to "hit me." I never got the chills or that "oh shit" moment until the night before. I think it was due to having 11 other family members show up and needing to entertain them. This kept me mentally busy and helped me not concentrate on the race. I would highly recommend this for you future first time Ironman-ers!

So what did we do?

We saw a gorge

We shot some guns

My biggest brother. He got 8/10 targets

Did some training swims with some blogging buddies

Ran into some more blogging buddies on the street

We went on a train

I hung out some more KICKASS bloggers at the welcome dinner

We drove up Whiteface

That is Lake Placid

And we celebrated my mom's birthday.

Happy Birthday Mom!

The cupcakes were UH-MAZING! Thanks Mandy for the the recommendation!

THEN I went for a quick walk, chatted with my coach, and THEN it hit me finally.

I was about to do an Ironman!

Morning of:
Because I rented a house on Mirror Lake Drive at the run turnaround, it was an easy walk past the special needs drop off on my way to the Oval for transition. I saw Emily @ Sweat Once A Day on the way. Body marking was quick. I got all of my food into the transition bags and liquids onto the bike. I could tell I could immediately go into panic mode at any moment for any reason, but I knew what I was doing and just stayed calm. I had plenty of time to get into the water!

On the beach, DROG happened to walk right past me, so it was cool to calm the nerves with someone I knew. The water was warm due to the heatwave that enveloped the entire east coast. So warm in fact that if you wanted a Kona slot or AG award, wetsuits were illegal! This was the first time in Placid's history that it was a wetsuit optional swim.

Thats my backside. Perfect 10, right? hahahahahahaha!

The Swim: 1:10:51
I wore the wetsuit. Yeah, it was a bit warm, but I trained for this race wearing a wetsuit and I knew this race would always involve a wetsuit.

So! I lined up far to the right and about 7-10 rows back. It was a good place to start. Maybe it was a tad too far to the right, but the contact for the most of the swim was nothing too too bad. If I even attempted to get near the buoy line, I could see the carnage, so I stayed just to the right of them all.

Funny note, the water temp was kinda nice behind the start line. As soon as you pass the start line, the water temp jumped about 10 degrees! Wanna know why? Well, I am not gonna tell. I think you can figure that part out ;)

Coming out of the first loop, I saw my family, actually stopped and treaded water and waved to them all. They saw me too! It wasn't hard to see them. My family rocks! They made the most AWESOME T-shirts!!! Check these out!

Front & Back

Getting out of the water for loop #2 I was slow. I was hot. The water temp + wetsuit was starting to take a toll. I think it was doing that on everyone. So I trudged on.

Then I got a side stitch. Son of A!!!!! It freaking hurt but I just swam through it. Boy that hurt.....

Near the end of the out on loop #2, I got onto the buoy line! It was great. I really calmed down and had a smooth stroke for the first time all swim. It also took my mind off of that side stitch. After rounding the turn for the final leg home, I figured I would just stay on it. WRONG. People who just slap the water were all around me suddenly, so I drifted back right.

As we all came to the finish of the swim, naturally all of the swim lines started to condense. Out of the entire 2.4 miles, the MOST amount of contact I had was in this last 200 meters. Its like everyone started sprinting and panicking and kicking HARD all at once! I was like, "You have 10+ more hours out there!" So I tried to get to the right, but I couldn't. I was locked into this sea of crazy people and got nailed in the chin twice in the last 2 minutes of the swim. WTF?!?!

It wasn't anything I anticipated, but I survived and you know what? That was physically the EASIEST 2.4 mile swim! I was mentally and physically prepared for that swim more than I ever thought I was.

What I did right for this swim:
Every Friday was a 4000 yard swim. They sucked, mentally more than physically. Ok, physically they sucked too, but knowing that you can swim 4000 yards (not straight!) was a huge mental boost. Actually, starting off the swim with a 2000 yard straight warmup, building to race pace (which isn't fast!) really helped by knocking off 50% of the swim. Then spending the last 2000 yards doing intervals and descending/ascending sets really puts the hurt on, but man do those sets really put money in the bank!

What I should have done better for this swim:
More intervals, but at higher intensity. I won't lie, I had more swimming speed in January and February, then in April. From there, I went flat and actually lost speed. However! My endurance continued to creep up, but I never regained that "sharpness" that I had last winter, and in April. I honestly think I should have taken swimming rest weeks.

In January, my 100 times were getting down to 1:25/100 without even blinking. Heck, I went 14:47 for a 1000 yard TT. Now? Hitting 1:30/100 on an all out 100 is a dream come true! Just don't freak out if some of your speed gets sacrificied for endurance. Also, the accumulated fatigue from the massive volumes of biking and running sap your mojo in the pool as well.

What got it done:
I aimed for a 1:10 swim split, and I got that 1:10 swim split. My training got me there and I was happy with that time! For reference, I swam on average about 30,000 yards/month. A 1:10 isn't a blazing fast swim, and I am not a natural born swimmer, but this kind of volume got me there. In my case, my swim was 1/12th of my day! Was my swim training 1/12th of my overall training? No, but you have to remember that coming out of the swim fresh, which is what I did, only helps on the bike and later on in the run because you haven't blown it all in the first hour of the race.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for T1 and the bike!

Who Is An Ironman?

2011-07-26T17:33:00.000-04:00

Jon Campbell...

28 Years Old...

White Plains, New York...

For the first time in your life...

YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!

-Mike Reilly (The Voice of Ironman)

I got the finisher's shoot to myself and those were the words I heard. Out of all of the things I wanted that day, I wanted to hear those words from that man, Mike Reilly.

More to come!

Surprise! I am blogging while racing an IRONMAN!! Video included....

2011-07-24T12:01:00.001-04:00

First, WATCH!

Did I just say, "Sweatings?" Yeah, I think I did! Hahahahaha! New word? Eh, no....haha

This is me at the start of my first triathlon, the SBR Sprint in Harriman State Park on June 1st, 2008.

To the finish of my latest triathlon

I went from almost dead LAST in my age group to dead FIRST in my age group in a span of 4 seasons. Took me a bit to get there, but I got there and am excited to embark on the last distance unknown to me, the Ironman.

I have met some amazing people:

To burning myself:

To being bit by a dog:

To turning into a zombie:

It has been fun, and it will continue into the future. Thank you for following!

Happy Training!

The Official How to Track or Stalk Jon @ Lake Placid Post

2011-07-18T08:30:00.000-04:00

Wanna follow my progress this Sunday while I attempt my first Ironman at Lake Placid?

Since joining twitter, I guess I upped the dosage of social networking another notch. However! Socal networking is the best way to keep track of people racing, especially if someone is giving up to the second updates.

My entire family will be with me at Placid, and I plan to hand over my facebook and twitter accounts to them (gasp!) and have them do more thorough updates WITH pictures and possibly video.

So here are Five ways to track me this Sunday:

#1: In Person
Are you spectating? Or racing? If you see a 5'7" guy on a Blue P2 Cervelo with Zipp Wheels who looks like this:

I am the short guy in the middle

You have found me. The kit pictured above is the same kit I will be using.

#2 Ironman Live
http://ironmanlive.com

either enter my bib #, 918, or look up by name: Leonard Campbell

I am racing in the 25-29 age group.

Waaaaaaaaiiiiiiitttt a sec? Who the heck is Leonard Campbell? Its my legal name. I go by my middle name, Jon. Fun fact! I share the same initials with probably the most significant historical figure in the past 2000 years. Sorry, but I ain't the second coming.

#3: Twitter
Definitely the fastest way to get up to the moment info when my family sees me and hopefully gets a photo of me.
http://twitter.com/#!/vrljc

#4: Facebook
A bit apprehensive about posting this, but I hope most people who follow this blog are legit. If you are, friend me. Don't be offended if I don't answer your request by race day. Gonna be busy!

#5: The Mystery Connection
Somehow you will hear from me. That is all I am going to say.

Hope you will be able to follow me! I understand most of you are training for you own big races and will most likely be out for a 6 hour workout that day. No worries! I will be out there for 12 :)

Coming to Grips with What is Possible @ Lake Placid

2011-07-15T09:44:00.001-04:00

I don't want this post to sound like I am selling myself short, but I would rather go into Lake Placid with a conservative plan rather than an unrealistic plan. I am heading into unknown territory here!

People asked me a year ago what I thought I would do @ Lake Placid. I told them, "I will let you know three weeks before the race."

Sorry for the major cliffhanger folks! But I didn't know then. How could anyone 52 weeks out?

But I think I do now.

As long as I cross that finish line, I am PR-ing this distance.

Ok, now that that is out of the way, what should I expect? Based upon my training and where I am now (less than two weeks out), here are some predictions:

I first need to mention that I am purposefully forgetting that I have gone a 5:03:xx in a HIM. It was a flat course and it does NOT count! The "take your best HIM time, multiply it by 2 and add an hour" formula just got thrown out the window. The "you will finish when you finish" formula has been enabled

Swim: 1:10+
In training: I did the full 2.4 mile swim 3 weeks ago in 1:10. I did this on my own with no draft. I also followed the buoy line and didn't need to site (which I think saves time). I also ran into three different people and was interrupted.

On race day: Following the buoy line? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Not gonna get near that mayhem! Hopefully on the second loop it will stretch out enough to get on it. Not gonna worry if I don't. I am also not gonna gun it and swim at any sort of high intensity. The swim could be as little as 1/12th of my day. Its NOT worth the energy! I still have a LOT of biking and running to do.

Bike: 6:15-6:30+
In training: I have done this course in hot conditions, windy conditions (from both North and South Directions) and in cold and wet conditions. Other than a tornado and snow, I think I have my bases covered in riding this course in the most extreme conditions.

I have done a single loop in 3 hours flat. I have done two loops in 6:15. I have also done two loops in 6:38. For some reason 6 hours on this course seems to be some standard to break. Did you know that riding 112 miles in 6 hours flat is an 18.67 mph average? So I have averaged 20mph in training on a couple 100 milers. BIG F-ING DEAL. Did I have to run a marathon afterwards? NOPE? Was the terrain super hilly? NOPE! Does this mean I should try to maintain 20 mph for Lake Placid? HELL NO!

On race day: First Loop: My easiest gear is still too hard. My easiest gear is still too hard. My easiest gear is still too hard. This applies specifically the first 8.5 miles of climbing out of town. Gonna be fun watching how many people buzz by me standing up on this first section. It will also be fun buzzing by them on the 2nd loop as their gas tanks reach the big ole "E".

The Placid bike course is one to be respected. Its surely does not have the steepest climbs, but it has the additive effect that bites hard. Its a neat course that somehow hides 6,000 feet of climbing. You also have to remember that there is a 26.2 mile run to be done!

I train with power on the bike, and based upon my last few long ride, putting a cap at 170 watts on the flats will hold me back, yet still allow some speed. On the climbs, its all about RPE. This is holding 40 less watts than my HIM wattage, which is 210. Swallowing my pride with this one! I may have lost some top end speed on the bike this season, but I surely sacrificed it to go long (except for the Ridgefield Sprint where I won my AG. THAT was fun!).

Run: 4:00-4:30+
The biggest unknown. I have swam 2.4. I have Biked 112. I have never ran a marathon. Does this really matter? Not really. My coach explained to me that his first ever Marathon was at Kona and that his longest run prior was only an 18 miler (of course I am still wondering if he is human).

In training: The longest I have ever run is barely over 19 miles, and that took me 2:45:00 to do. I run best in cold weather (I think everyone does). Placid could be hot and muggy to downright cold and rainy. For the run especially, I wouldn't mind a little drizzle and cold.

On race day: My run training is there and I am ready to run a Marathon! I would rather bike a 6:30 and run a 4 hour marathon than bike a 6:00 and run a 4:30 marathon. Is it a pride issue? I think its more of a "my feet hurt" issue. 30 extra minutes on the bike is not that big of a deal compared to an extra 30 minutes of pounding pavement.

What will get me here? A) Pacing the bike. B) eating properly and C) getting fluids down. The bike is the #1 thing that will make or break this run. I hope it makes it.

Transitions: 10-15 minutes for both.
Its a bit of a run from Mirror Lake to the Olympic Oval. Then you gotta get your bag, get your bike gear on, pack your swim gear. Get your bike, run across the oval to the bike out. I am just exhausted thinking about it!

For the bike to run transition, I might need to take a moment and just sit down and recollect my brain. At this point I will be 7+ hours into the race. My brain might be on Mars or Jupiter.

Total Finish Time Estimate:

11:35 - 12:25+

Oh great, even my most conservative time has me freaking out!

Brilliant! The Ice Cream Aid Station. An open letter to WTC.

2011-07-13T10:11:00.000-04:00

Gotta give credit to Kevin @ IronmanByThirty's tweet:

So I responded with:

And the idea was born. So I am writing a letter to the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).......not really.

Dear WTC,

Triathlete bloggers are the coolest people EVAR! Nuff said. So you should listen to us :)

Since Ironman Wisconsin takes place in the dairy capital of the US, there should be one or more ice cream aid stations on the run course. This will not only get easy calories into the athletes but it will also cool the internal cores of the athletes in case of hot and humid temperatures. This idea has been seconded by Kevin @ IronmanByThirty, thirded by Emily @ SpeedLaces, and fourthed by Katie @ "Tri"ingForPro. I think this is large enough of a population sample to show that NO triathletes are Lactose Intolerant.

Thank you for considering this awesome idea.

-The coolest people to walk the face of this earth.

Besides, who wants a finish line picture with a face like this?


(source)

Happy Training!

Ironman will warp your "Perspective" on distance (and your brain)

2011-07-11T08:01:00.000-04:00

I have probably written this post about a dozen times, usually every time I conquer or PR a new distance. For example, I still remark at the first time I ever ran three miles without stopping, then 4, then 5, then 6 (and I thought my arms were going to fall off!) and up to my first 13.1. 13.1 used to be a MONUMENTAL distance that involved taper, mental readiness, and dread. I used to get SO worked up over the distance!

That has all changed now.

I posted on my facebook page on Saturday:

I blame my coach! He sent me a voice mail the other night saying, "So I am gonna have you ride only 4 hours this Saturday. Don't worry, its gonna be a walk in park for you."

I just shook my head and said to myself, "Well, no shit! You dragged us up 230 hilly miles in 3 days only 2 weeks ago! Anything less than 5 hours is gonna be a short day!"

And you know what? He was right! 4 hours on the bike breezed by and that was the fastest (mental time) 30 min brick run I have ever done. Couldn't believe how quickly the time went by!

Oh and speaking of that run, it was a successful one.

I have been struggling with the brick runs lately, and I have figured it out. I wasn't drinking enough fluids on the bike when it was really hot out. I always drink ever 5 minutes, which is pretty often, but when you only take medium sized sips, that is still NOT enough liquid. So my thirst was quenched, but I was still going negative. This time I forced a lot more liquid into me by taking bigger sips. It worked and my stomach didn't revolt. If conditions are hot at Placid, I NEED to get 20oz/hour in, OR ELSE. I also held back on the effort level on the bike by one notch; this will be my Ironman pace.

Of course on Sunday during a short 90 min easy ride, I started going loopy. Somehow I bonked? I was thinking up some funny shit (at least I thought so).

Then I proceeded to sleep the day away. My body was TIRED. I have read a lot about the time during the Ironman taper that your body feels like it is going backwards. Boy I have felt it, especially in the pool. I haven't any consistent swims in a LONG time. Also on the run, there is this underlying dull feeling (could also be the Fumidity). Fortunately I have been told to just gut it out and that it is just your body absorbing the months and months of hard training. Come race day I should hopefully have that snap back......I just can't blow it in the first 45 minutes of the bike ;)

This morning was a "short" 1:50:00 run. I knocked off 12.5 miles . How is 12.5 miles short?!?!?! Mentally it was another quick run.Yes, training for an Ironman has warped everything.

Time to shoot an email to my coach for the next week of training. Curious to see what I will be doing!

Look forward to my next post. It will be a fun one :)

Fumidity: What Is It?

2011-07-08T09:36:00.000-04:00

FUCKING HUMIDITY

That's what it is.

It's annoying
It's gross
It smells like wet dog
It's my Kryptonite
It drives me insane
It can cause 3.5 pounds of sweat loss in 60 mins of moderate running
It allows you to ring out your running jersey (gross)
It makes you feel like you can jump and swim through the thick air
It makes you say, "I am running through a marshmallow."
It makes 66 degrees feel like 666 degrees
It makes you go from super human, to super slug
It even has been known to make grown men in Texas cry (yep! I went there!)

It makes me look this bad:

4 hour ride + 2 hour brick run + 85 degrees + 90% fumidity = disaster that day.

It makes me look forward to Fall and cooler temperatures.

Stay cool and stay hydrated!

My Turn to Chime in on the Tour De France

2011-07-07T10:17:00.003-04:00

Ok, all of the cool kids are posting about the Tour de France. So MY TURN!

I started road cycling in high school in 1999. This is also the first year that Lance Armstrong won the Tour De France. Perfect timing, right?

And from here on out I was hooked on the Tour.

In 2003, I got the opportunity to spend an entire summer in southern France, in Lacoste in the Petite Luberon region of Provence. Yep, it WAS great!

The Tour came pretty close, but we still had to drive a bit to see a few stages. The first stage we saw was on the epic and historic L'Alpe D'Huez. I hiked up to the third switchback (there are about 21 of them?) and staked a spot. It was HOT that day. And at 4-5PM when the riders finally hit the base, it was still hot. So not only had they ridden 100+ miles of MOUNTAINS that day, but they were still sprinting up this climb! EPIC!

Can anyone recognize the two riders? That is me clapping in the blue jersey.

George Hincapie is on the left. He is riding his 16th or 17th tour this year! The infamous Floyd Landis is on the right.

(edit: Thanks to Jason @ CookTrainEatRace for pointing this out. Notice they are NOT wearing helmets? I totally forgot about this! I think the rule was no helmets required on an uphill finish? It was cool at the bottom of the hill. The pros would take off their helmets and throw them into the crowds. Talk about rats (spectators) fighting over a freaking helmet.)

This was also the first time I saw Lance Armstrong in person (I later saw him on the Champs Elysees and at the 2004 and 2005 Tour de Georgias). You can tell when Lance is approaching, because the helicopters start hovering overhead.

He emerged from a shadow of a tree and looked like he was sculpted out of stone. He was freaking ripped and dark. Haven't ever seen a white guy with such a tan before! Even on an 8-9% grade, the lead riders went by in a flash. That day the main group included Iban Mayo, Jan Ullrich, Tyler Hamilton, Richard Virenque, and Lance and many other former greats. Interesting that everyone listed has been busted or implicated in doping scandals...

So this is the era that "grew up" with in cycling: The late 90's early 2000's "class" of riders. I knew them ALL. Which races they won, which teams they had been on, who they were riding for, etc.

In this year's tour? I believe only George Hincapie and maybe Thor Hushvod are the only remaining riders that I can think of personally (I am sure there are many others who rode in 2003) who are still riding.

It's a different "class" now. Alberto Contador has taken over the roll as the "boss" and Mark Cavendish is the sprinter to be feared. I guess I now feel a great disconnect from these riders (possibly because I am older than them!) but also because those "older" riders were what I first learned.

So my predictions for this year's yellow and green jersey winners? It will probably be another showdown between the Schleck brothers and Contador. Cadel Evans will shoot some fireworks, but will falter in the mountains. Cavendish, Thor, Phillipe Gilbert, and possibly Tyler Farrar will duke it out for the Green jersey.

I think Contador will pull it out in the end. He can time trial if he needs extra time. The Schleck brothers can't.

19 + 19 + Pigs = ???

2011-07-05T14:27:00.000-04:00

Maybe you can solve the riddle?

P.S. There is NO answer.

I had (I think) my last big weekend of training. Am I tapering right now? Eh, who cares. My body still feels fresh and ready to rock it. My brain wishes it were 50 degrees outside everyday.

P.S. The heat is killing me and it is not even that hot out...

Soooooooo, Saturday I drop kicked a 102 miler in 5:10:00 while nuking my legs to the point that running was just a funny joke played on ME.

I had another bad brick run......sigh.....

Yes, it was between 88 and 92 degrees outside, but I won't be blaming the heat here. My problem? Went too hard on the bike with the heat (even though it felt great) and I didn't drink enough liquids. Oh wait, I did just blame the heat. I should have drank 100-120 oz of liquids and I only got down 90. Did I mention I didn't pace the bike correctly for the hot conditions? The good news is that I got enough food in me. I wasn't hungry and I had the energy, I was just dehydrated and the legs were shot.

Lesson learned!

And I'm praying for 65 degrees and overcast skies on race day...and a tailwind in all directions.

Then on Sunday it rained. And it was glorious. It was freaking humid out, but not feeling like the ant under the magnifying glass was a nice change for once.

Then I needed a mental break from the training. I blew off an OWS and headed north to Poughkeepsie. We saw pigs and goats!

Heh, triathlon relay team?

Their goat cheese is UHmazing!

And then we went to the William Morse estate. He invented Morse Code and the telegraph machine.

Finally we rounded off the evening with dinner RIGHT on the Hudson.

On Monday I attempted my longest run ever, a 19 mile or 2:45:00 run. Big fail. Apparently the cheese I ate the day before won. Nuff said. Got 35 mins of running and had to stop. So I walked home, slept all day and hydrated and got my stomach back to normal.

Tuesday I won.

Nuff said

That was the most solid long run I have ever done. Just kept it consistent with pace and effort the entire time. Whats another 7.13 miles? Oh brother....I will find out in 19 days!

Half the Year in Review

2011-06-30T14:10:00.001-04:00

Thanks Emily @ Sweat Once a Day. I am stealing your idea! Oooorrr, did you steal my idea since I did this last year? ;)

Regardless, thanks for the reminder :)

Hard to believe that half of 2011 is over, but its been quite the productive year and so far (knock on wood) an injury free year. So here is a quick recap of each month so far this year.

January
I guess the biggest things that got the year going were 2 things. #1: Started off with my coach, Eric Hodska. #2 I got to know my new coach by cleansing my body through his crazy cleanse diet.

This was my breakfast for 2 weeks

This was my dinner for two weeks

I lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks. And I was one angry bitter guy by the end of it. But! It got me light and lean for this season. I also grew a craving for red wind that has yet to stop.

February
Compared to previous years, 2011 is actually a light racing year in terms of number of races. I am making it up by going looooooong. But my first race of the year was the NYRR Gridiron 4 Miler in Central Park. I PR'ed the distance by not meaning to PR it.

You all made fun of me for wearing running pants!

Then you all continued to make fun of me for trying out a snorkel.

I really do bring it upon myself.... ;)

March
March meant sorta getting outdoors, even though my poor feet froze on my bike rides on the weekends.

It also meant learning how to make my own peanut butter.

And it also meant a 15K race in Central Park, which I PR'ed by a good 10 minutes.

I wore tights this time to save the jokes for later.

April
April brought out the beginning of Tri Season......in Texas. I did the Ironman Texas 70.3 in beautiful Galveston. I met the LEGENDARY Jeff @ Dangle the Carrot and his super lovely wife, Annie (she did her first sprint tri that weekend).

I thought Jeff was 7 feet tall! Guess the internet adds 12 inches?

Wiiiiiiiiiiiindy!

I wound up PR'ing this distance, bringing my HIM time down a few more minutes to almost breaking 5 hours. Next time, HIM! Next time!!

May
Nothing on the racing front happened in May, but it was a great time to put my head down and get some uber consistent training time in, especially on the bike, without the interruptions of racing.

This meant I went to up Lake Placid for my first training camp and put some serious training in.

I may or may not have burned my arms to a crisp....

June
Time for triathlon #2! I did the Tri Ridgefield Sprint, my first sprint in two years. Despite training for long course, I wound up having the fastest race, and BEST race of my life!

Rounded out the month by attending training camp #2, this time with my coach. He beat the crap out of us all, but we gained huge amounts of confidence in abilities we didn't know existed.

Funny how the first half year is always the busiest part of the year, and things will fade out from here. I have almost 3 weeks until Placid, and then after that is the NYC Marathon in November (seems years away still...) and then thats it!

For you numbers nerds (like me), this is what I have racked up in 6 months:
Swimming: 191,594 yards
Biking: 2970.47 miles
Running: 795.59 miles

Don't expect me to double that! haha!