Brick, brick, brick

I travel quite a bit in my job. Sometimes I will go to a plant and find they have facilities where I can stick with my normal routine and run at lunch and the ride later that evening. But sometimes that just doesn't seem to work out. Last week was one of those weeks. I'm just one of those people who really does not like to get out of bed before dawn to workout, race yes, train no. As a result, I take advantage of those weeks to do some bricks. I did a reverse brick (run- bike), and standard brick (bike-run) using a hilly out and back course on road near the hotel and a ride on the exercise bike in the hotel. Then I threw in a decathlon brick (run-bike-run) on the machines. Once I got back home I kept my brick week going by doing some biking in the morning then doing a Run-swim brick about an hour later.

Obviously the run-Bike and run-bike -run mimic what you experience in a race and pays direct dividends but the reverse brick is a great opportunity to get your legs used to pacing while your are tired and training for that late race biking. But the one I enjoy the most the run-swim, I think pays a ton of dividend. Normally during the swim you are fresh, but with one of these brick you enter the water tired and it forces you to concentrate on form and staying smooth and getting used to the later stages of a HIM or IM swim.

Each night a good water bottle of EFS during the middle of the workout and a waterbottle of UltraGen with in 30 min of the end and my legs feel great the next morning. Stay flexible, stay thirsty, and have fun.

Recharging my batteries

Most triathletes are type A folks who have a very hard time actually taking a break and "gasp" taking a few weeks off training, paticularly in the middle of reacing season. But this was exactly what I managed to do for a couple of weeks. The family and I recently took our first triathlon or marathon free vacation in 4 years. Now to be honest the family hasn't complained too much getting to hit Panama City Beach Florida, Disney World, The Grand Canyon and Phoniex, London, Scottland, and Wales, and the best trip ever two weeks on the Big Island of Hawaii. In Hawaii we joined a vacation club and periodically they require us to sit thru another sales presentation but then give us a 4-5 day vacation for free for the trouble. So the reward for sitting thru that painful 90 min was 4 days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Well we decided to stay a bit longer and booked a few extra resorts. But the wife made it clear she didn't want the luggage to smell like my gym bag so this was going to be a workout free 2 weeks. Well given the two month leading up to this vacation with a nasty bike wreck, missed training due to food poisoning, and work trips, and even the Revolution double at Quazzy, I actually figured a few weeks off wouldn't be a terrible thing. Well I did manage to get quite a bit of swimming in as the boys lived at the beach each afternoon, and on a couple of great tours. But I also got to swim wiith and ride a Sea Lion, then a few days later do the same with a dolfin. We went horseback riding and climbed about 3000 vertical feet into the Serra Madres above Puerto Vallarta, took a jeep tour thru the Sierra Madres, went snorkling on two islands Mariatas and Caletas, where we saw a few huge manta Rays, many cool fish, and an Zebra Moray Eel. One of our resorts had a water park and each one had some amazing pools, and every where we went there was some amazingly good food. I managed to gain about 6-7 pounds and give myself a black eye body surfing when a wave body slammed me into the rocks. We also got to hit the PV zoo where you actually get to feed the animals, (Vegitarians only) and got to hold and play with a Tiger and Lion cub. A something most people will never be able to say my Tiger cub chomped on my arm. No blood but the bruise complete with fange marks was a pretty unique sovenier.

While I can say my fitness isn't at the top level it was, my chronic aches and pains seem to have disappeared and mentally I feel refreshed. So I got to knock out a bunch of items on my bucket list, and recharge my batteries. I highly recommend it! And if you need a place to stay, I now have a timeshare in Puerto Vallarta. Cheers!

Things I have learned about myself through Triathlons

Things I have learned about myself:

-The majority of my physical limitations only exist between my ears.
-Nothing is more satisfying than doing something you once believed was impossible.
-Without risk there is no reward.
-Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.
-That hollow feeling in your legs after you will your self through a hard race/workout is priceless because it means you gave it your all.
-I am capable of more than I ever imagined.
-You don’t have to finish first to win.
-You always have enough time to do the things you really want to do.
-Almost any problem can be solved with proper balance and proper lubrication.
-Staying in the moment and enjoying the ride will get you through whatever life throws your way.
-The top priority is to finish what you start and have fun doing it.
-Even though I am an engineer, computers still kick my tail.

Andy

Happy Birthday to me (at Quazzy Rev 3)

Last weekend I officially became old, turning 40 on Sunday. But like any good triathlete I had to make sure my thirties went out in style. So I signed up for a completed the Revolution at last weekend's Rev 3 tri at Quazzy, CT. The Revolution involved doing the Olympic Rev on Saturday and then the Half Rev on Sunday on one of the more obnoxiously hilly bike and run courses around.
Things started with a nice drive up on Friday afternoon and got to hang out with pros Richie Cuttingham, Mike Lavato, Dede Griesbaeur, and Carole Sharpless, and probably a few more I didn't even realize while I worked at the Trakkers Booth. Drove the Olympic course and discovered they found a few more hills they missed last year, then headed the the hotel. Saturday, the Olympic race was a blast. Got to start in the first wave, had a nice bike, and a good run, but stayed within myself and had fun. Checked out the scoring and I ended up in the top quarter and was scored in the 35-39 AG and finished top quarter of that age group as well.
Hung out before rechecking my bike for the Half and got to meet Miranda Carefree and Craig Alexander and then headed back to the hotel and got some seroius sleep. Sunday got up early and did it all over again. Had one of my idols Natasha Badman cross in front of my car in the parking lot, and got to listen to Richie Cuttingham talk about racing next week at Eagleman. This time I got to wait for the 5th wave, watch the pro waves head out and then head out. Again the swim went well, but the bike was more of an adventure. The hills start early and just keep going. After about 5 miles I shifted down to my small ring, I get to the top of the hill and I can't get the chain to shift back up to the big ring. I was pretty pissed as I was getting passed on the next downhill, but I was finally able to shake it off and accept I could be worse off that being stuck on the small ring on this course so I lived with it and went on. Rode pretty well, got rained on a few times and ended up only a few minutes slower than last year. The run wasn't a whole lot of fun as the hills on the bike, the Olympic the day before, then bike wreck at Knoxville (28 days earlier) and not having my bike until the Tuesday, and not drinking enough on the bike all can back to beat me up. But I had the body markers write happy birthday on my calf and whenever anyone came by they wished me a happy birthday and it really helped keep me shuffling along. I finished the race and the double, then got some dinner and a cupcake and really felt old.

But I officially became a Master's athlete in style and had a great weekend before driving home to celebrate with the family.
So remember no matter where you go there you are. Have fun and enjoy the ride! Age is just a number.

http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid...
http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid...

Valley Forge National Park

One the best perks of my job is the fact that me office is located in King of Prussia, PA about 2 miles away from the visitor's center of Valley Forge National Park. While I have always been a big American Revolution buff (I used to live in Lexington, MA, rode Paul Revere's ride, canoed under the bridge in Concord, etc) and being able to explore a place where one of the key moments in our country's history took place is amazingly cool. But Valley Forge is also a runners and cyclists paradice. Miles and miles of roads, hills, trails, fields, and breathtaking views to go along with history.

Friday, I took a ride up to the park and ran the multi purpose loop which takes you past Log City, the Masonic Arch, past cannons and statues and past Washington's Chapels. You also climb about 600 feet, pass within a few feet of the local herds of deer, got scoped out by a huge Golden Eagle, Redtailed Hawk, and a Turkey Vulture or two (that wasn't the best feeling). Throw in the bus loads of students, the lunch time walkers, runners, cyclists, the horseback riders, the model airplane pilots, and even a couple of Harleys.

A run like that just charges you up and make you feel glad to be alive, and makes the rest of the day smooth as silk. Location, location, location. I love my job.

Redemption

Redemption (n): 1)Recovery of ownership by paying a sum. 2)To pay off. 3) To fulfill. 4) To make amends for. 5) To save from sin.

12 days ago, I was healthy and in some of the best shape of my life and was about half way through a spectacular race to start of my 2010 triathlon racing season. I had PRed the swim by several minutes, had a solid transition and actual got my wetsuit off in record time, and was mowing people down on the bike leg. 12 miles in and a grand total of 1 person had passed me and felt strong.

Then in an instant my race turning into something completely different. A narrow two lane country road on coming traffic, no shoulder, and a white pickup truck in the lane with the cyclists. I was annoyed by this but as I started closing in on the truck, but just then the driver comes up on a cyclist thinks about swerving out to pass but sees on coming traffic and hits the breaks hard. Suddenly I am on top of this truck with on coming traffic in the other lane and no room to the inside and I jumped out of the aerobars and jammed on the breaks and suddenly was flipping and supermanning onto the pavement. From there, my race turned into a journey about nothing more than seeing this thing to its end. I finished, but underneath the pain from the road rash/brushed ribs/sprained wrist and mangled hands and gashed arms/hands/nose/mouth/and chin, grew another pain. The pain knowing what could have and what should have been. After the physical pain faded, that pain grows deep inside.

After a week off thanks to having to keep both hands clean and dry and baby my battered ribs, I got back on the horse on Monday and did a run at lunch and then a ride on a stationary bike Monday night. I was on the way back. I ran 25 miles this week with alot of hills and did some cycling as my bike was being repaired. What drives me to get back at it, the pain of what could have been. The only thing that will ease that pain is to get back out their and on June 5th at the Rev3 Tri make something happen. I have payed a heavy price, financially and physically, but when we are faced with adversity we find our true nature comes to the surface. The drive to redeem myself to take back the feeling, the pride, and glory that this accident robbed from me. I may not perform to the highest level on June 5th, but the pride to drag myself to the starting line and strive to get the most out of my battered body is my redemption.

Thanks to my Trakkers teammates, my co-worker who think I'm nuts, to First Endurance for providing some great fuel to help my body recover like it never had to before, and to my beautiful and loving wife for nursing me back to health and trying to understand my madness. Triathlon is about stepping up to a challenge and looking deep inside to find the strength to rise to the occasion.

Enjoy the ride. Pain is temporary, pride lasts forever.

Courage?

This weekend I had a very interesting race at the Rev 3 Olyimpic Tri in Knoxville, Tn. See the race report for some of the details, http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=207629 but the key moment was on the bike leg. I was flying on a narrow 2 lane road with lots of traffic in the opposite direction and one truck in the lane with the cyclists, being in the 8th wave you get to pass alot of slower cyclists from the eariler waves which really boosts your confidence, but it worked against me in this case as the truck came up on one of these slower cyclists, could pass due to on coming traffic and hit the breaks hard. Next thing I know I am closing fast on his bumper and no room to pass on either side and I jumped out of the aerobars and mashed the breaks and ended up to getting the fronts first and found myself supermanning over the handbars at 24-25 mph. I took most of the impact on my hands, chest, and chin and rolled off the road. After taking my time on my hands and knees to catch my breath, I took inventory off my head and teeth, I got up and discovered my legs were ok and nothing seemed broken, then I looked at my hands which were a bloody mess as was my chin and nose. My bike was ok except the head set was twisted and I had to straighten that and the big ring shifter was snapped off so I kept it in the small ring. So I found my water bottle, took a drink ( which hurt like heck) tried torinse off my hands, (which hurt even worse), And then popped the chain back on and started walking my bike down the road.

Now comes the momement, someone running back from the aid station I had been approaching asks me if I was the biker who fell and told me an ambulance was in route. For some reason, right then I hopped on my bike and told him, "I'm OK" and started riding. I rode pretty conservatively since I wasn't too sure of my bike but soon I was actally passing people and besides for being limited to the small ring and not getting out of the saddle since my hands hurt like heck. Those last 14 or so miles went by pretty quick and I resolved to finish out the race. Long story short despite several discussions with race officials and medical folks I would not let anyone deny me from finishing this race.

After the race and after my trip and care at the medical tent (which was outstanding), I had a good number of people tell me how couragous I was for finishing and how much of a trooper or inspration I was to refuse to let my accident keep me from finishing the race. Later I visited the ER and got stitched up and took many x-rays and fortunately nothing was broken but I had some serious road rash in my hands, arms, chest, and some on my face, a sprained left wrist and a nicely bruised rib and serveral days off work since I can"t drive with my splint on.

I can't say why I made the choice I did. I know I thought about what a waste to come all the way to Knoxville from Philly only to crash out while I was on the ground, but when I hopped on the bike it was almost an involuntary response. Once I didn't think I would make things worse, I made up my mind to see it out. Many people I greatly admire (Julie Moss, Chris S, and Natasha Badman) have had that same responce to fight on and try and finish even when it doesn't make seanse to a rationale person.

So you judge, was I couragous or stupid. Either way I can tell you, there is a strange sense of pride seeing the race to its end, especially when things really go bad. I discover this at IM Arizona http://beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid... when the act of fighting though adversity gave me something fast more valuable that any medal. And it was 100x stronger at Rev 3.




(knoxville run 1a.jpg)