Matt Grabau

get back on that horse and ride

2012-01-21T21:17:00.000-08:00

Bike fitting can be a frustrating experience. Bike shops provide a range of initial fittings when you purchase a bike—some more skilled than others, and different shops rely on varying fitting equipment sophistication. Then, after you spend some time on your bike, you wonder if you need adjustments. “If I move forward/back, up/down, and lower my bars I can discover more watts, get ‘more aero,’ or just finally get comfortable?”

At this point, I have had the range of fit experiences. With my first road bike, I put my fit in the hands of someone that I did not trust (of course I had no idea what was “typical” at that point). A plumb bob and two TV antenna-looking things, some sweat, minor adjustments, and I was on the road. And, I rode. I didn’t know what to expect and didn’t know why a fit was actually necessary. I just rode.

Replaced my seatpost, added some aerobars, and did what I “thought” was best based on my experience (none). Then, a year later, I added my tri bike to the arsenal. A more experienced fitter at the shop, and I felt relatively comfortable. After a solid time trial, I felt good! Then I made changes—lowered my front end, replaced my saddle, and just rode. Another time trial six months later, and I was slower! Even though my fitness was better! Two months before collegiate nationals, and I was panicked. Time for a “real” fit. So, I finally spent some money for a professional fit. My overall experience was good. Lots of adjustments based on visual observations of my pedal stroke (and a plumb bob and angle-measuring antenna contraption again), and I felt comfortable on my bike again. I did not have any visual feedback, but assurance from my fitter that I was good to go. My time trial speed returned, and I was again confident. For over two years I kept this fit on both my road and tri bikes, and I spent a LOT of time in the saddle. More than 30 races, and 700+ hours of riding. A lot changed over that time. IT band syndrome. I threw out my back at work. After training for Ironman, I just wasn’t comfortable on my bike anymore. I watched my knees when I rode, and had a huge wiggle at the top of my pedal stroke. Time for a change.

I had done some reading on Retul bike fitting, which captured my interest—a computer tracking joint movements; no plumb bob or antenna-outfitted protractor. Instant, visual results. No, it is not cheap. But for the sake of my knees, back, and race results, it was finally time to go for it. I discussed fitting with my long-time coach and recently-certified retul-er, Brian Grasky, and we decided that it was time to go for it.

The fitting started with some background information. Flexibility tests, discussion of issues I had. This included my minor aches and pains as well as my scoliosis (one of the not-so-great genetic gifts I received). Then, time to get going. Onto the tri bike, and fitted with the Retul goodies. Velcro dots at each joint.

I started riding, and Brian slowly increased resistance on the trainer. The software tracks movement of each joint and automatically calculates angles. Pivot 180 degrees on the rotating platform, and do it on the other side. Then, 30 seconds later, Brian and I are looking at the results on the computer. Not only angles, but 3D knee tracking. Seat fore-aft adjustments. Seat height adjustments. Aerobar width. Do it again, and then look at the results again. Height is barely off (talking a couple millimeters), which was apparently unacceptable J Adjust, and more pedaling. Height is good. Now, cleat rotation—something none of my other fitters had thought of. Right foot pigeon-toed. Left foot splayed out. Ride again, and see the results. Seat post rotation (what?!). I was able to see my before-after knee tracking and the drastic improvements on the spot. More minor adjustments, optimizing saddle height for leg-length differences (and a former ankle injury that Brian detected and we discussed), and I was good to go!

Now, it is one thing to have faith in your fitter. It is another to have faith in your fitter AND be able to see your results right away, and actually have the data explained to you. I am a data nerd, so I appreciate that :) Good stuff.

Switched to the road bike, and did it all again. As a final step, Brian digitized all of the contact points on both bikes using the Retul remote (Zinn). The software creates (and stores) all of the fit coordinates. I left the Grasky Endurance Performance Center feeling confident in my fit, and ready to ride.

Months have passed, and I had a little hiatus due to my nerve issues following a DNF at Barn Burner—on my mountain bike. But now, I’m back at it. I had some accidental saddle movements, but an email later, Brian sent my fit coordinates and I was able to get it right. I still have some back issues that I am working out with my chiropractor (and I need to up my concentration on core work). BUT the big change is in the smoothness of my pedal stroke. No hesitation at the top of my cycle, and I just feel the change in power. I have not had any knee issues yet, so I am keeping the fingers crossed.

For now, I am working on getting my fitness back. This means a lot of riding time, and I am enjoying the quality time on both bikes with my new fits. Very soon, I will be racing again. And then, the proof will be in my results. We shall see!

After four and a half years of training and racing, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot be trusted to fit myself. Tinkering left me with slower times, aches and pains, and general frustration. After finally taking the leap to Retul fitting, I would recommend it to anyone that wants to make sure their training translates to faster times, and that they don’t injure themselves in the process. No, it is not the cheapest way to go. But being able to instantly see, not just feel, the results was worth it for me! I do have one regret, though—I should have gotten Retul’d on my mountain bike. Probably would have prevented my DNF at Barn Burner…

If you’re interested in Retul, check out the Grasky Endurance page for more info!

This is my final bow

2011-10-15T07:50:00.001-07:00

Well, after just over four years of training to be a competitive triathlete (and more than 30 races), it is time for a break. A string of injuries, big family and life events, and suddenly growing career responsibilities need to be my focus for a while. Daily swimming lunch breaks aren't working out lately...

In any case, I plan to continue running and mountain bike racing on a recreational level, and see where that goes. I am hoping for lots of endurance-type events in 2012, including chasing down a belt buckle or three. I don't exactly plan to sit around getting fat and lazy :)

A quick reflection on what triathlon has meant to me...

By pushing my body harder than I ever have before, I realized that the imaginary boundaries we put on our abilities are just that--imaginary. In less than two years, I went from struggling through my first aquathlon...

To racing competitively for the U of A and placing in the top 125 collegiates nationally...of course, as an old graduate student, but whatever :)

And in the process, I lost 30 pounds, and really got into the best shape of my life. In high school, my best mile was 7:45. Yes, really. In tri, I started holding sub 7-minute pace off the bike :)

Triathlon has been good to me! It has been a humbling experience to be sponsored by TriSports.com for three years. It truly is a great company that came from humble beginnings to the online retail force it is now. People that look down on TriSports as a "big, corporate company" have never spent personal time with Seton, Debbie, and the crew. I guarantee it. These guys are awesome, and have done and continue to do great things in what in reality has been a very short time. Thank you SO MUCH to TriSports for your support over the years, and I will continue to see you in the store and at the races for years to come!

work and play they're never okay

2011-08-17T22:36:00.001-07:00

So, just a quick follow up to Xterra Snow Valley. I spent the next few days working in southern California. After the race, it was off to San Luis Obispo to work on growing tree seedlings. One day later, mission accomplished.

Then, back to the Inland Empire. Spent Tuesday morning working on a proposal, and then went for a good ride in the afternoon. What could possibly go wrong when you ride in a new place by yourself with directions this good?

Except that I missed the first turn. Oh well, ended up riding to the right place.

Then, back to the hotel to work on the proposal again. Bedtime, then up early for a site visit on the San Timoteo River. Hopefully good things to come!

Then, an afternoon drive to Tucson, and my trip is completed. Safely, successfully, and back to the family :)

Going down to a house in the woods

2011-08-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

And, the racing trend continues. Back in Tucson now, and winding down from a busy week and a half. After a couple weeks of decent training, it was off to XTERRA Snow Valley. Despite what I thought was decent planning, I ended up at home at midnight on Thursday before, realizing I had no clean clothes for my trip to combine work and play. Oops. That meant no Friday journey, and an early departure on Saturday morning for Running Springs, CA. No problem, traffic is easy on Saturday. Oh yeah, except Phoenix...

I rolled into Running Springs around 9:30 pm. Yes, 9:30 the night before the race. At least there was not time to get nervous! I was fortunate enough to share a cabin with a fellow Team TriSports athlete (Chrissy Parks), Grasky Endurance Coaching athlete and verified fast dude Bryce Phinney, and a TriSports Triathlon Club athlete that I have been racing with and against for several years (Ryan Hammerel). Talk about a good group! Unfortunately, though, Chrissy crashed hard on the pre-ride and would have to DNS. She was a good sport about it, and even managed to hike up the hill on Sunday to snap some photos of the descent. Of course, I think she was just scheming to get video of someone else going down... ;)

The race is unique. It is set at Snow Valley Ski Resort in southern California, a couple hours from LA and just an hour or so from the Inland Empire. The race starts at a reservoir...halfway up the ski hill. Get out of the water, go up to the top of the mountain, bomb down to the bottom, climb back to the top, bomb down again. Get off the bike, then run up, across and down a ski run. Go up another SERIOUS ski run, out and back on some double track, back down said SERIOUS ski run, across another ski run, and DOWN a run to the finish. All-around crazy (yet doable) and a justified XTERRA course for sure. Here is a somewhat terrible picture of the course. The bike descent goes down the blue run on the top of the ridge. A moderately steep, loose, and rutted section--the one that claimed Chrissy during the pre-ride.

Now on to my "only in XTERRA" comments. I showed up for packet pickup at 7:15...ON RACE MORNING. The race starts at 9 am!! And I was one of the first people there. No line for packet pickup, and they body marked me on the spot. 15 minutes later my bike was set up, and I walked out to set up T2 at the bottom of the hill. Not exactly football fields large...

Come 8 am, everyone is mulling around in the parking lot. Race coordinator on loudspeaker, "you probably want to start riding up to T1 now. The race is going to start at 9." Everyone casually gathers up their stuff and heads up the hill. And I mean UP. Switchbacks, loose corners, people showing off before the race, me realizing already that my hamstrings are going to be a problem. I don't think it is a good thing show up to a swim start sweaty and cramping... Okay, so I arrive at T1 around 8:30. NO ONE has a westuit on yet, and NO ONE is in the water. Everyone is hanging out in T1, helping each other out, moving over where space is needed, etc. Volunteers and the race director answering questions without rushing anyone. Just generally a friendly atmosphere. I am reminded that I need to race more XTERRA.

I got my wetsuit on and got in the water decently early. A 2-lap swim with a running section. New to me. Oh well, got out somewhat easy (it was at altitude after all), and push for the second lap. Everyone lined up for the deep-water start, and the horn went off a little after 9. No one complained about the late start. I found a good line early, found my groove, and went for it. I found clear water by halfway through the first lap. I lost a gap to the lead group (as always), but was at the front of the chase group. Swim continued uneventful. Off to the bike, and as I suspected, my hammies were shot. I got passed a lot on the first climb. Oh well, now for the major goal, don't go upside-down. The descent was a little slippery, but I felt solid overall. Same deal for the second lap. Climb was no fun, and the descent was good. Off to T2.

I was determined to run the whole thing. The course was determined to prove me wrong. It won. At a certain point (probably something like 20% slope), it is just as fast to walk and save energy. I did. Across the slope felt great, and back down. More walking uphill, trying not to fall down on the downhill, and then a good push into the finish line. Overall, I achieved my goals. Solid swim, no dismounts or crashes on the bike, and survive the run :)

I ended up 7th in my AG. Not outstanding, but I came into the race with an open mind. Have fun and don't hurt yourself. Mission accomplished. There will be more XTERRA and MTB racing in my future. Bryce probably had different goals for the race, but I think he accomplished them too.

Hung out at the awards ceremony for a while, and watched the final finisher get ushered in the by the Devil. And the mini-devil I suppose? The Devil hung out at the steep incline on the run and split duty between heckling and encouraging. It was entertaining to hear everyone talking about the course. "Yeah, where we turned down the black diamond from the blue diamond..."

Finally, a note on the race itself and the race management. These guys did an AWESOME job putting on the race. They managed a 10k and half marathon on Saturday, and then this XTERRA on Sunday. Despite a relatively small field, there were ABUNDANT volunteers at the aid stations. Yes, there was a great raffle. No, you didn't have to wait around for it. The raffle was pre-drawn, so you just show up at the raffle table after the race and ask for your prizes. Good stuff. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The awards (seen from a distance) were incredible. Hand-made and unique. Next year, the tri will be on Saturday, which I think is going to lead to a lot of competition next year for the combined XTERRA and hungover half-marathon time! I'm in! Who's up for the challenge?

And, we'll compare this experience with my latest road tri in the next installment...this was too long. Until next time.

are you dead or are you sleeping?

2011-07-19T20:32:00.001-07:00

It's true, I'm still alive. Wow, it has been a busy three months! And not in the ways I would hope. We listed our house for sale thinking that it would take a while to sell. I mean, with the current economy and being in Tucson, it takes several months to sell, right? WRONG. Four days and a cash offer later, the race was on. We had some idea where we wanted to move in Tucson (a couple options), but we were nowhere near ready to buy. I had already scheduled several weeks out of town for work...and we had 30 days to get out. Whoops... Long story short, we stayed with my brother in law for two weeks, found a 6-month rental, and packed up our house and 7 years of accumulated stuff in a couple weeks. I had to back out of THREE races I had already paid for, take a couple weeks off training, and say adios to the benefits of several weeks of hard work. Oh well, life goes on.

So, I went into Vineman 70.3 on 6 weeks of sub-optimal training (to say the least). I had not ridden my tri bike on a road since the Havasu tri in March, and hadn't run more than 10 miles since Ironman AZ. BUT, I did feel healthy (no aches or pains at all), had four weeks of track workouts, and some decent longer rides. Might as well do it. I planned to go just to participate and hang out with the TriSports.com gang for a couple days. BUT, I found myself on a spreadsheet the night before and realized that if I came out of the water in under 30 minutes I could still go for a modest course PR without killing myself. Decided to just let it play out.

My plan for the swim was simple: get on some feet, and stay there. Keep in mind I had been swimming for only four weeks with an average of around 5k per week. It hurt, but I found my breathing rhythm and just focused on my rotation. I intentionally did NOT kick until about 100 meters from the finish. Couldn't believe the race clock or my watch when I came out. 29:50. Game on.

I knew that last year I did not push hard enough on the bike. No HR monitor this year, so I went by feel. Make it hurt, but not too much. My goal for the bike was 2:30 to stay on track. I came through the 28-mile aid station at 1:22. Not good. I did have the feeling we were in a headwind for the first part, and most of the rollers were during the first half as well. Anyway, not taking any chances. I pushed hard for the second half. There was some rain, a little chill in the air, and a lot of bike traffic. I stayed on my toes and just kept pushing. I came off the bike at 2:33-ish. I had finished all my nutrition, and drank plenty of water. Good to go.

I planned on 8-minute miles on the run, which should have been fairly easy. I did the math in my head, and it was good enough. I started running around 7:45s and it felt easy. I tried to slow down a bit, but it stayed at 7:45s. Oh well, going for it! At least two cups of water and a cup of coke every mile, and I was feeling good. Then came mile 8... I could feel a side-stitch kicking in, and my endurance was fading. I definitely felt that lack of long training. Oh well, put my head down and just kept going. No walking, no jogging. Just go.

Came across in 4:52:33. Not a smoking-fast time by any means, but it was a big victory for me, actually. A course PR on very little training. Just went on guts, instinct, and executed my plan. Oh, and lots of cola. My new go-to on the run after my my experience at Ironman last year.

Feeling VERY motivated, so it's time to get fast again. Planning on at least five more races this year, with a combination of off- and on-road stuff. Looking forward to the journey! Some photos below.

Transition area for a race with 2000+ people is HUGE!

Chris Lieto chatting it up. It is so cool to see the top pros in the world just wandering around and chatting with "normal folk"

Typical Sonoma County backroads.

The mess a triathlete makes of a hotel room...

One of the best parts about racing in CA is visiting the family. Got to see my brother on his birthday, and then spend some time with my sister's family on the way back. My niece is awesome!

don't write yourself off yet

2011-04-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple weeks! The big thing has been a dramatic increase in bike mileage. Those dedicated Ironman fools know how to get some serious work in! Two hours after they got here, we went for a 3-hour hilly ride. The next day was 5 and a half hours and a serious climb (Kitt Peak). Some happy (and cold!) folks at the observatory:

After I ditched this training group for the weekend, they proceeded to put in over 25 hours of training in 5 1/2 days. I think that's pretty impressive. Tom, Matt, and Braydn, hope to see you guys in Tucson again next year. Plan on a trip to Mt. Graham!

Basically, in the first three days I had my new Scott, I put in 10 1/2 hours on it. Yes, I like it just a little bit, and it has encouraged me to ride!!

Then, after a few days of work, I jumped in on two days of a 3 peaks in 3 days challenge with some friends. In three days, these wackos took on Mt. Graham (same elevation change as Lemmon in 20 miles instead of 27), Mt. Lemmon, and Kitt Peak. Friday was Mt. Graham, and it was AWESOME. This was my first time at Graham, and really only the fourth place that I've taken on a serious climb. It is a two-hour drive from Tucson, but well worth it. We parked on the side of the road in front of the prison (safe, right?) and got ready to go.

The climb starts relatively easy (maybe 4%?), but then gets tough--really tough. The switchbacks start around 6 miles in, and the biggest break is probably around 1/4-mile, where the grade is only a few percent, and then the road goes right back to it! At 16 miles, you finally get into some rollers, and the view is just incredible!

After just a few minutes of hanging out (no cookie cabin there...) it was slow going down the technical and sandy descent back to the car. Day 1 (Friday) was done.

On Saturday, Shannon and I packed up the kids to do some neighborhood/house shopping in southeast Tucson. Six hours later, we were back home, and I was off for a hilly 8-mile trail run. I slept GREAT on Saturday night...

Sunday, back to Kitt Peak, only 10 days since the last time I climbed it (note that before this, I had only climbed it once, and that was in 2008). There is a reason. This climb is TOUGH! Between 4% and 8% and it does not relent for 10 miles. If you ride it, do not expect breaks. Don't look around the corners expecting rollers.

What was funny is that it felt relatively easy/fast after Mt. Graham. However, two days later, my legs are still hating me (especially the hamstrings). Oh well, I guess that was the idea. Could be partially due to the rest of my Sunday, which consisted of cleaning, pulling weeds, mowing, etc., etc. to get the house ready for a realtor. Yep, time to move!

Now, my training plan is in hand, and I finally feel obligated to actually get to the pool. Yes, early nights, swimming, intervals, low-cadence repeats...this is what training is supposed to be! Wildflower in 25 days!

Two things I'll be working on for coming posts:

My critter count (look to the right). More discussion of this soon, but my first rattlesnake of the year was seen during my Saturday evening run. This diamondback rattled at me from a good 10+ feet away. Without the rattle, I probably never would have seen him. It was just a quick glance over my right shoulder to check him out as I started an impromptu interval to scoot on by :) He was pretty excited!
Typical training days as a full-time (plus) consultant and dad. People keep saying that they don't see how I keep my schedule without burning out. Stay tuned :)

That's all for now. Off to get some rest before my first day of cycling intervals in a couple months. This is going to hurt in a great way!

I can't complain

2011-03-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the Havasu Triathlon at my hometown of Lake Havasu City. My fourth time doing this race, which was also my first olympic-distance tri. I really enjoy this one for a bunch of reasons. I get to see my parents (and they get to see me race, which is pretty rare). It is a great measuring stick for my early-season fitness, and to see where I'm at compared to previous years. And, most of all, it's just a fun race. There are so many collegiate athletes...and FAST ones...to put you in your place. There is always a big TriCat group (my former team!), as the turnout from a bunch of other universities is great also: ASU, CSU, New Mexico, NAU, US Military Academy (Army), Air Force, the list goes on. CU Boulder, the defending national champ, was there in great form and look to be in good shape to take the title again this year.

Going into the race, I knew to keep my expectations in check. Following Ironman Arizona, I have been taking it relatively easy. Actually, February was VERY easy--two runs and three bike rides I think? Basically, I was going into the race on two weeks of training... Anyway, quick race report.

Swim was good, especially toward the second half (as always because that's when I find my groove). Came out of the water in decent position. Not as fast as previous years, but not ridiculously slow. About two minutes into the bike, I knew it wouldn't be my day. Normally I find my groove early and the bike feels awesome. I found myself running out of gears early and often. I spent the rest of the ride trying to push hard but not burying myself before the run. I found some unsuspecting victims to legally draft on the way back into T2 (three bike lengths means little into a 15+ mph headwind :) ). I think the guy had a little too much pride to let me pass him, so hey, I took advantage. Came off the bike knowing no PRs were going to be set, but I pushed anyway. Coming out of T2, I think this picture summarizes my race:

Hey, at least the new team kit looks awesome! Felt pretty decent after the run turnaround and just tried to push back in. No spectacular results, but that's okay. The season is young (VERY young) and there is a lot of racing to come. This weekend was about hanging out with the family and making tri a family affair.

Went to the awards ceremony that evening knowing I wouldn't get an award, just to hang out with old and new friends. Plus an awards ceremony at a bar is not to be missed! I was able to hold myself back from showing off my pole dancing talents--yes, there were stripper poles. However, I did get to hang out in the hot tub later with some beautiful girls...

Now, back in Tucson, and still in training mode. Greatly enjoying my brand new ride, which is begging to be ridden often, ridden fast, and raced. I will oblige. Looking forward to spending some time later this week training with some Zoom Performance athletes and coaches. Tom and Matt, you might want to come get these!

Time to juggle the "non-traditional" schedule (training all day, working all night). Gotta love it! Then, next week I'll finally have a training plan in hand designed by someone who knows what they're doing (i.e. not me), thanks to Bill Daniel at Grasky Endurance Coaching. With the April-July schedule pretty much set, it's time to get busy!

A vision that was lost that you returned

2011-03-19T12:46:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was exactly what I needed.

A cure to my lack of training enthusiasm ended with TriFest. After training with the TriCats for two years, it is hard to get motivated to train and race for myself. With a team atmosphere, you are racing for your school. When you get down, your teammates can pick you up. If you get cocky, there is always someone there to put you back in your place.

Enter TriFest. For the first time, the TriSports team was really encouraged to come out to Tucson (or stay in Tucson I suppose) to meet the rest of the team, enjoy some team training, and get to know the people and company that support us. Most people got into Tucson on Thursday evening, and the group met up on Friday morning for a large group assault on Mt. Lemmon. The ride was mellow to the base as always, with lots of conversation, meeting new people, and trying not to get run over by cars. I met several of my teammates, and people from random places around the country coming out for some warm weather training and to spend some time at TriFest. A quick stop at the base, and then we took off up the mountain. The group shattered immediately (as always), and the strong cyclists and climbers led the way. Given my lack of base training (and I'm not a good climber anyway), I took it fairly mellow and enjoyed the company and scenery. I think it was my first Lemmon climb in almost a year even though I live in Tucson. That will have to change this year! Headed back to the shop for awesome post-ride goodies and lunch.

After a couple hours break, we were off for a group swim. After the climb, I don't think I was the only one nervous about the workout. The first set did not put my mind at ease... Thankfully, the second set was a mix of drill work and various "fun swimming" (an oxymoron?), including swimmer tug-'0'-war. Good times.

Friday evening was the team dinner. We had I think 24 out of 28 team members show up for a catered dinner from Oreganos (one of my favorite Tucson restaurants!). Team introductions really showed the kind of company I was in. Several pros and very impressive age groupers, most with "real" jobs and several with families, ranging in age from 20 to over 65. Then, a quick company history video. TriSports.com literally started in Seton's garage, and his amateur video really tells the story of how things have come to be. The company has come a long way, thanks to what is truly a family atmosphere, and a growing base of customers. This place rocks. Then a tour of the continually expanding and re-organized warehouse and company offices. Everywhere there is evidence of fun. Plasma cars scattered about from the employee races around the warehouse the previous week, Seton talking about the indoor driving range development, etc. They literally have a massage room...a therapist comes in and tends to the employees. Is that cool or what?!

After a late bedtime, up EARLY for the "mystery workout". We all rode together to the Marriott Starr Pass resort for a team sprint triathlon! No open water in Tucson? No problem. Time-trial start down a waterslide into a lazy river, where we swam...backward. Hopped on the bikes for two laps on the rolling hills around the resort, which brought back painful memories of TriCats race-pace repeats... Then finished it off with a super hilly, technical trail run behind the resort. Check out some of the pictures and a recap here. Overall, tons of fun, and in that crowd, I was happy just not to finish dead last ;)

After enjoying some post-"race" snacks, we took to the roads for a cool-down spin, which it turns out was not a cool down at all. It was more of a mixed hill climb/flat-changing clinic/TT back to the shop to get there in time for lunch. Lunch was spectacular of course--I think most food is spectacular when you've finished a longer than expected ride and are near bonking... Then, I took a trip around the expo to visit with the vendors and check out all the new goodies.

Home for a quick shower, then back for the "VIP dinner". Catered food and open bar, a beer mile, and casino night--TriFest traditions. Then, shall we say, the night went on. Limo ride, visits to various other establishments around Tucson, and late-night/early morning Nicos burritos. It was a good night!! And probably my last night out for quite a while.

This epic long weekend brought back my enthusiasm for triathlon--the community is truly unique. When the retail stores, bike/bike parts/wetsuit/shoe companies (including several competitors), distributors, and athletes/customers hang out like family and truly consider each other friends, that is something special.

So, what is the aftermath? Since TriFest, I have signed up for two more races (Vineman 70.3, Phoenix Triathlon) and the TriSports Triathlon Club. I bought a new road bike so that I'll be able to jump back into cycling group rides and hopefully some races. It is going to be a very busy year, but I'm ready to get it done. Here's hoping for another great year with lots of training, racing, and friendship; and hopefully many years to come.

If you're interested in getting to know the community and culture, you need not wait for TriFest 2012. Get your butt in gear and head up to Show Low for the Deuces Wild Triathlon Festival in June!! Be ready to witness the community that is triathlon in Arizona.

oh oh, what are you waiting for?

2011-02-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

So, I've been conducting an experiment. A hairy one. I decided yet again to grow a beard...well, as much of a beard as I can. I am also growing my hair out...well, as much hair as I have left. The lack of abundance I make up in length. Also, hairy legs. Not much of an experiment for most guys, but definitely an experiment for a "serious triathlete". This is not the first such experiment. They usually start during long weeks of field work when I NEVER shave, and rarely brush my hair. Hey, when you spend your days playing in the mud and trees and applying bug spray and sunscreen, there is no reason for these things.

These experiments also tend to lead to a lot of reflection/identity crises. Hey, if you never question what you're doing, how can you believe in it? I know that is a pathetic rip-off of a movie line, but it's not coming to mind...

I am finally recovered psychologically (well, more or less) from grad school (it only took a year), and definitely getting into my job again (see previous post). The problem is that I tend to be able to focus on one thing at a time (see also previous post). So, the last three weeks have been ridiculously packed with fieldwork/conferences/business development and there has been little training involved. Of course one of the biggest problems is that my company for the last two field trips is a 68-year-old that works circles around me. We leave the hotel at sunset, and return at dark. There is no enthusiasm left at that point (read no training). I have finally been forced into a REAL break from training and thinking about training and feeling let down when I skip a working and am not stressed to know that I'm not thinking about training. With junior staff I feel like I can say "oh, we'll start at 8 tomorrow" or "we'll keep it to a 9-hour day today." Well, Bob is not exactly "junior staff" and when there is work to get done, you get it done!

Anyway, here are the outcomes of my experiment:

Conclusion Number 1: Beards are not aerodynamic--AT ALL. In fact, my beard has made me significantly slower. I'd say good for 30 sec/mile running, and 1 mph on the bike.
Conclusion Number 2: Beards are heavy--REALLY HEAVY. In fact, it appears that mine weighs ~10 pounds.

Now that I have come to those revolutionary conclusions, it's time! I will keep the beard for now just to gain additional evidence to support the above conclusions. But it's time to get back into action. Sorry body, I hope you're ready for this. TriFest this month, an olympic tri that I will not be in shape for, and two months until Wildflower.

I know the me that is only focused on triathlon. He' s a high-strung PITA. I know the me that only thinks about work. He is fat and unhealthy and still a high-strung PITA. It is time to get my head on straight and find the new family-work-training balance. Lots of family time. Lots of restoration. Lots of sweat. Let's do this.

You'll never be what is in your heart.

2011-02-16T21:37:00.000-08:00

If you know me, you know I don't believe that. If anything, I have been (justifiably) criticized for being shameless about wearing my heart on my sleeve. "Say what you need to say"? No problem. Keeping my mouth shut or thinking through things? A bit trickier. When I decided to move to Ajo for work after my undergrad, I think I decided in about an hour. Time to move back to Tucson, go broke, and pursue my MS? I think it took a day.

I think I can confidently say now that my post PhD burnout has subsided, and I am getting generally enthused about the work I do. When you combine my inability to apply a filter somewhere between my head and my mouth (I give all credit to my genes ;) ), the enthusiasm that comes with several years of study on riparian systems in the Southwest, and the amount of intensity that comes from training for four years as a triathlete, it can get a little ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, my attention span is about a mm wide. However, my level of intensity for that mm is ridiculous--think the refraction of sunlight through a magnifying glass. It's funny, as a teenager, I was a baseball pitcher. I dreamed of baseball. I had a hard time falling asleep at night because I was visualizing--baseball. However, for some reason I could not chew gum and pitch (just ask my dad!).

So, anyway, this is how I am about my work. I get research ideas thrown to me, and I stop and start sketching experimental layouts. This happened at the last conference I went to, and I hesitated to show my enthusiasm to potential clients. Don't know why; lack of confidence I suppose. As a scientist/engineer, I don't want to scare people away. Hmmm... Anyway, I was talking to my parents about this last week. I told my dad, "yeah, lots of interesting stuff potentially in the future, but I don't want to get too excited." My dad's immediate response was, "get excited!" I was thrown off a bit, because in general I don't know if my parents really understand what it is that I do. However, I know that my dad knows my enthusiasm, and he was simply reminding me to think like a kid again--shamelessly wear your heart on your sleeve be confident in your KSAs (if you've applied for a federal job you know what I'm talking about). Don't hesitate to be enthusiastic about what you want to do. Share your ideas. I have been working toward this career path for nearly 12 years. Go after it and GET EXCITED. New resolution for the rest of 2011. Get after it, and make it happen. Script your own future, and pave your own path to success. It's go-time.

ain't ever seen the end to no story, 'cause no story ever ends

2011-02-14T20:13:00.000-08:00

So, it looks like we have a definite decision...probably ;)

For the last couple years, Shannon and I have been talking about staying or going. And, staying it is (well, kinda).

After high school in Lake Havasu City, we both came to Tucson for college. Let's get this straight--I don't think that Tucson is impressive at first glance. Especially when you are stuck on and around campus. Coming from Havasu, where essentially everything has been built since 1960, Tucson seems, well, old. And diversity is a scary reality. Diversity in Havasu consists of young white folks, middle-aged white folks, and old white folks. This place takes an open mind and a sense of adventure. After a couple years, we were dating, and no longer living on campus. Instead, we lived in another relatively scary part of town. Yep, still not impressed--SWAT teams busting into apartments in our complex, camera and CDs stolen out of my car WHILE we were moving.

Finished undergrad, moved to Ajo for a year, then back to the UA for grad school. Lived a little farther from campus, and it was better. But, neither one of us got to explore too much. There's something about grad school that keeps you from getting out much, especially when you're both working for some very intense professors... Then, engagement, and the question of where to live. Shannon had landed a job at IBM by then, so Tucson was the place to be. When you go house shopping in this town, you get to know it. Oro Valley to Sahuarita, Vail to Tucson Estates. Let's just say there is good, bad, and everything in between. If you want (relatively) urban, you can find it. Fancy? Sure. Rural with land, and no neighbors? All over the place. Decent prices, awesome scenery, and lots of trail running led to the Tucson Estates area. We have been relatively happy here, but the lack of young families and a good school district made us reconsider. It became clear that we would be moving eventually. Thus the search.

We spent a long weekend in Denver exploring in fall 2009, and we were impressed. It is a different place for sure. After being in Tucson for a while, it was almost uncomfortable to go to a concert in Denver with zero diversity (and few tans). BUT, there is definitely a lot to enjoy. Mountains, prairie, college towns, a REAL winter, water everywhere, etc.

Tucson also has a LOT. Where else can you go from desert at 2000' to douglas first at 8000' plus in a half-hour drive (or 3-hour ride). The cost of living is pretty awesome (as long as you didn't buy a house in 2006-2007). There are opportunities for kids--especially compared to Havasu--so you can't complain.

Then there is the job situation. For the last five+ years, I have been working on restoration projects on the lower Colorado River. The place I grew up, and know like very few others do. It has been more than a little rewarding to spend my time growing trees, playing in the dirt, watching the wildlife, and enjoying the desert sunrises and sunsets. Saying this place is close to my heart is an understatement. I am not sure if I have really become over-qualified or too specialized, but I have sent out literally over a hundred resumes to Denver companies and universities. ZERO (yes, literally, zero) callbacks over the last year and a half.

Finally, training. The roads in Tucson leave a lot to be desired. The pool hours suck during the winter thanks to city budget cuts. The five-month summer and 7-month spring/fall lets you train outside basically all year long. Summers are hot for sure, but I do well in the heat, and in Tucson you can usually count on relatively cool nights/mornings. Winters are not really winters, but it does get cold once in a while. My cold tolerance is terrible...in fact I didn't train at all when the highs were in the 30s and 40s a couple weeks ago. Apparently I am a desert rat after all.

We have been waiting for signs, and I think they have been abundant recently. Work has been going great, and I am excited to see where it leads. The girls are doing great and enjoying their schools. After the Tucson shootings, we were really impressed with the sense of community that emerged. Shannon was lucky enough to find some Ben's Bells in the week that followed. I have been fortunate enough to be sponsored by TriSports.com for the last two years, and 2011 as well.

A lot of it comes down to this: in general, people tend to complain about where they live. Too small, too expensive, too crowded, boring, etc., etc. I think the place is what you make of it. If you are boring, you will be bored ;) But seriously, wherever you move, you are stuck with yourself. We are really terrible at getting out and meeting people, but hopefully that will change with a change in state of mind. I'm ready to accept my job (and the good and bad that comes with it), accept where I live, and get truly involved with the community, meet some new people, and enjoy all the life the lies ahead.

So, here's the scoop: we'll be looking to relocate from the west side to the east side in the near future, somewhere in Vail School District. BUT, we're planning to stay in southern Arizona, and our next address is likely to finish with "Tucson, AZ 85***". Looking forward to getting involved with the community, the triathlon community (especially the new Tucson Tri Club), and watching the kids grow up in one of the best school districts around. Sorry Tucson, you are stuck with us! :)

ride out the wave

2011-01-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

Or not :) I declared this 100-100-100 challenge with good intentions, but the reality is a bit of a struggle. Basically, to do ANY cycling, I have to do 4-a-days (swim, bike, run, P90X). The typical days have gone like this:

Try to get up a 5 am to go swimming. Too spent from P90 the night before, so sleep in.
Work, then squeeze in a swim at lunch. With a 15-minute drive each way, plus 1-hour swim, looking at a 90-minute lunch break... Work for a couple hours, then leave to pick the girls up (read an optimistic 6-7 hour day at the office).
Squeeze in a run before dark, take a shower (non-showered dad/husband at the dinner table is no good!).
Dinner, cleaning up after the girls, packing lunches for the next day, tuck girls in to bed. Suddenly it's 8 pm. P90 from 8-9:30. Cool down, shower (wet towel, argh!), pack for the next day, finally finish my work day, etc., and suddenly it's 11 pm. After that, no wonder it's a struggle to get up 6 hours later...

With no cycling involved and/or if I didn't work full-time, it wouldn't be as big a deal. But, the reality is that my goal is to become a better triathlete through:

increased run and swim fitness (and hopefully speed to come with it over the course of the year)
increased core strength (to help with back issues)
increased flexibility (for my back and ITB syndrome, and to help with swim, bike, and run form)
increased general strength for injury prevention

I guess I have realized that through a more balanced approach, I should be able to accomplish these without sacrificing my strength on the bike. This is going to be VERY important considering my race schedule is filling up quickly with some moderately-serious ("B") races in March, and my first A race in April at Wildflower.

I might revert to a basic P90X program next off-season, but I'll have to start in early November so that I finish the program earlier in the spring. For now, I'm going to a hybrid program, with 4 days of P90X per week, 7-ish runs, and four swims. The good news is that, at this point, I have gained a lot of run fitness (up over 40 miles/week with no aches or pains), and my strength has already improved A LOT (there is no denying that P90X works!). I will be moving on to an early-season run and swim build, while getting back on the road bike in earnest. I have ridden my road bike exactly four times since Ironman Arizona; my tri bike has not moved from the stand since it returned from Tempe... :) Going off-road has just been much more appealing!

Speaking of which (as a side-note), I have started a new group MTB ride in Tucson! We ride every Friday, and finish around sunset (start time is sunset minus 90 minutes). If you're in Tucson, or will be visiting, check out the Facebook page: Tucson West MTB. Many of us will be racing off-road tris, duathons, or just MTB races this year, but we have beginners as well. Come check it out!

I'll be throwing on my new Cobb V-Flow Plus saddle today and then setting the bike up on the Cycle Ops Mag Trainer (no, unlike lots of others, I have not upgraded to the Lemond Revolution). Yes, we sometimes ride on trainers in Tucson too. The days are just too short! I am so happy that the days are now getting longer. I'm savoring the extra minute or two per day!

If not now, then when?

2011-01-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

My plan for the new year is just about set! I will be racing a lot (again), but doing more shorter races. My long-term (over the next couple years) is to be able to realistically chase after a Kona slot. To get there, let there be no doubt. I need to get FASTER. So, this year will be about intensity--getting to that "next level" of fitness; learning to push even when it hurts; learning to turn off the mind and trust the body. So, a lot of short races (oly and shorter) with a few halfs thrown in because I want to (it is my favorite distance after all). In my mind during all races, I will GO FOR IT. Here is a decent article from Active.com on doing just that.

That's all for now. I'll try to get a draft race schedule up this week, and a quick update on my 100-100-100 self-challenge. Sneak peek: it has been a challenge...

This must be it, welcome to the new year

2010-12-20T17:48:00.000-08:00

Well maybe I'm jumping ahead just a little bit. BUT last week I got a text that whipped me into the training mood again.

"Can you model for us next week?"

Kind of a nightmare for a triathlete hitting the off-season HARD, like 10+ pounds gained in three weeks. Oops! :) Oh well, I had been putting of planning ahead for next season. Several races are inked on the calendar and paid for. The focus will mostly be on shorter racing (lots of olys, several sprints, and a couple 70.3s), with no Ironmans in the near future. Ultimately, I hope to have a realistic chance at qualifying for Kona during 2012. I'll be looking to have my first A race at the Wildflower long course tri (April 30th). In the meantime, I need to get my base back. I have been planning my off-season goals for years, and I have never followed through with a swim/run focus. I suppose it's time to make it happen. Goals:

Strengthen hips and core, increase flexibility to try to prevent injury. After a year of IT Band Syndrome in 2009, and a year of back problems in 2010 (repeated chiropractor visits since May...), it's time to get to work!.
Finally put in the pool work to get to the FOP in the water. I'm typically near the lead of the chase pack (for age groupers of course). It's time to see if I can make the jump to get to that front group.
Find a way to gain run speed, through a combination of weight loss, technique work, and just plain mileage. Assuming I can jump ahead on the swim and maintain a good position for the ride, I need to hold on during the run. Time to go from 43 ish 10ks off the bike to 40:XX or better.

So, how do I get there? Because these goals are not specific (i.e. swim a sub-XX at Race X, run a sub YY, and have a 22 pack by April 1st), I need some challenges. Feeling inspired by the Slowtwitch 1oo runs in 100 days challenge, I came up with three challenges of my own to tackle these non-specific goals:

P100X. Yes, I'm going to become one of those. I started on Saturday, and will give myself a 10-day buffer to finish. Trying to be realistic about upcoming vacations, fieldwork, and conferences. I might end up having to double-up a few days to make it happen as well. Based on the first two days, I would say my hips/core/back will be ready!
100 miles in 100 days. Starting today, I will average one mile per day in the pool (1760 short course yards). No rules besides that. Can swim one day per week if I want to (of course that would be 12320 yards of swimming... hahahaha. Not likely.
100 runs in 100 days with my own rules. Minimum of 20 minutes to count as a "run", can do multiples per day, can take a day off per week if I want to. Don't have to if I feel okay.

So, that's it for now. No requirements for cycling, but I hope to ride three days per week, but no stress if I only get two from time to time. No bonus if I ride five days per week. If I stick to it, P90X will be done on March 27th, swim challenge on March 29th, and run challenge will be done on March 22nd. I'll let you know how it goes!

The sun is always in my eyes

2010-12-15T18:38:00.000-08:00

About halfway through a week-long fieldwork excursion. I have been taking a little recovery time after Ironman, but I'm starting to get the itch to train again. So, it's another week of mixing business with "pleasure". The idea is to work like crazy during the day, and get a little "training", which this time of year means carrying a camera and taking pictures whenever I get the urge. For me, at the river, that means a lot of stopping and picture taking...

Sunday afternoon, packed up the rental truck and drove to Blythe. I got there in the dark, which is a good thing (Blythe looks better in the dark!). Fieldwork this week consists of installing and instrumenting a bunch of monitoring piezometers (wells with no pump just used to monitor groundwater elevations and quality). Over the next several years, we'll be keeping track of groundwater and use that information along with irrigation budgets and soil salinity data to try to figure out if they're managing their irrigation effectively. Spent most of Monday siting well locations, and watching them work... Log samples every couple feet, and give them instructions on installation details. Things went smoothly overall, and we got one well finished on Monday. Some progress photos:

10 minutes till sunrise...what do do? Change and start running!! The drillers and my co-worker went back to town, and I took off on the levee road along the river for a 4-miler. Some of the sights along the way:

And, finally, a sandhill crane fly by to say goodnight.

Tuesday, I went to a different site to try to install well instrumentation. I hit several frustrating complications during the day, and spent a good deal of my time kicking and throwing whatever was in my way. Some days are like that I suppose. I did see a ton of wildlife (I was on a wildlife refuge after all) which provided some good distractions:

I debated just going back to town and drinking a beer. Decided instead to go for a run. If I get in a good run, at least part of my day was good, right? Then I can go back to town and drink a beer :) Another levee run along the river. Planned on four miles again, but I got in the groove and enjoyed the scenery.

Spent Wednesday morning at Cibola again (south of Blythe), leading some saltcedar removal crews and taking pictures of experimental restoration plots (planted for my dissertation research, hence my interest in cottonwoods...well actually that's a lie. I've always been interested in them, and I just happen to get to work with these trees. I'm good with that!).

Just a few trees...

Then, drove to Havasu to get ready to work at the Needles field site (on Havasu National Wildlife Refuge). If you're me, you see this sign on the side of the road:

And read "park it and put on your running shoes!" Too bad there's no good scenery...

Bill Williams River near Lake Havasu has the largest remnant native riparian gallery forest anywhere in the lower Colorado River area. To me, that means it's a place to visit. Especially during the winter--if you want to see fall colors in the Arizona desert, find yourself a river with a good stand of cottonwood and willow. I ended up running a little over 7 miles (from highway 95 to the end of the road and back). It was a beautiful day for a long-ish run--overcast, but not cold, hardly a breeze. Just awesome. The run is actually pretty challenging, with hills steep enough to make you consider walking. But nevertheless it's a highly-recommended route. Do it if you're in the area (like after the Havasu Triathlon). It'll knock you on your butt...but the good thing is you'll sweat off your hangover :)

This is when the run gets interesting

A nice view near the turnaround.

View of Lake Havasu when just about back to the car.

It's all I have to give

2010-12-04T21:49:00.000-08:00

Finally getting around to my Ironman Arizona race report. It has taken me a while to sit down and actually do this...as they say, I guess I have the post-ironman blues. You work so hard for something for so long, and suddenly it's over. Strange. Anyway, enough of that! Hopefully I haven't forgotten too much detail in the last two weeks. Unfortunately, I still remember quite a bit, so this is long.

My final weeks of training went really well, and I felt strong and healthy leading into my taper. I ended up skipping only a handful of workouts over the 16 weeks (mostly due to family and work commitments), but somehow I managed to stay healthy the entire time! Only some minor aches and pains, with a bit of back pain after the final build, but overall I felt good!

I headed to Phoenix on Friday morning, two days before the race. I checked into the hotel, and went to packet pick-up at Tempe Town Lake. The site was a little overwhelming. I have done five or so races at the same venue, some with a similar number of athletes. However, Ironman Village was impressive! Basically a mobile triathlon store on-site, with a host of bike shops, and anything you could possibly want to rent or buy triathlon-related. Then, off to the pre-race banquet. It was full of inspiration videos, funny stories, random statistics from Mike Reilly, and a really funny intro from the Tempe mayor. Not the point of the post, so this is all I'll say--say what you want about WTC policies, but they do an amazing job putting on events...and promoting their brand! I will be back.

Good night of sleep on Friday night, and then over to the lake for the practice swim and pre-race brick. Felt good and everything was in working order. Checked in the bike, dropped off my transition bags, and then went to Oregano's for some pre-race pasta! Not exactly an early bedtime thanks to some last-minute prep, and trying to get a 2-year old and 4-year old to fall asleep in the same hotel room bed...

Woke up on time (to one of 6 or so alarms I set). Breakfast, and off to transition. Got everything set up and got some last-minute encouragement from some friends, a PowerGel, and then off to the water! The energy and anticipation was incredible, and I couldn't wait to get started. As soon as they let us get in, I jumped in and headed for the inside edge buoy. I worked my way up until I was one row back from the front. I hoped to go around an hour in the water, and did not want to be fighting through the crowd. Lots of anxiousness for the final few minutes, and then "BOOM". The cannon let us know that it was time to go! Following my plan, I went out hard for the first five minutes or so to try to get into clear water. At the front of the pack, I didn't really find the swim too violent--a couple elbows to the head, but I have had worse. When things opened up a bit (probably about ten minutes in), I just tried to relax and think about nothing but form--rotation, reach, catch, pull all the way through--repeat a few thousand times. I got into the groove pretty quickly, and just kept going. After the turn, I picked up the pace quite a bit as planned (I usually feel better later during the swim). I sighted very often, and tried to see at least two buoys out. It seemed like a lot of people were going back and forth, but it could have been me. About 200 m out (after passing under the last bridge), I backed way off to try to go into T1 feeling good. Out of the water, took advantage of the wetsuit strippers, and off to bike gear bags.

Toward the front of the race, the volunteers were not too busy, so I got my back very quickly. Went into the changing tent, and started my routine. Apparently, the volunteers had other ideas. These guys were literally helping us put gear on-like literally reaching around my waist to put on my number belt for me. It was a different kind of experience! Despite rain in the forecast, the weather was relatively clear for the moment. Ran straight to my bike, threw down another quick powergel and onto the road! A quick aside about transitions...I passed over 20 people DURING T1. What are these people doing in T1 for 5+ minutes? I saw 1:05 and change out of T1, so I knew I had a decent swim. I would have been a little down if I was over 1:10...

This is where things started to go wrong...about five minutes into the ride, I threw up. Argh, no biggie. It's early, legs feel good, just forget about it and keep going. I was surprised how quickly some people passed me early on the bike. My plan was to take it pretty easy-low Zone 2 for the first lap, mid Zone 2 for the second, and let it creep up a bit on the third lap. I knew my chances of Kona qualifying were low to none, so I was out there to race only myself (and hopefully not have a miserable marathon). I started feeling pretty good, so I settled in. Nurtition every 15 minutes, salt every 45, and water when I felt like it. The weather was cooperating, the roads weren't too crowded, and it felt good to be on the bike. Then, about 12 miles in, I had THAT feeling (like get me to a porta-potty NOW). Uh oh. No problem, it's a long day, just stick to the plan. Of course I didn't realize the next bathroom was another 7 miles (at the first turnaround). Dismounted, they my bike to a volunteer, and did my business. Back onto the bike for the descent back into Tempe. My nutrition and water were right on track, but my stomach just felt awful. Not a good sign. I tried to put it out of mind. Stay in your zone, block it out, and just keep riding. My first lap was about 10 minutes slower than I was hoping for (not including the bathroom stop), but okay. By this time the wind was starting to pick up. Dust blowing across the roads, and it was faster to ride uphill (north) than downhill. But, no rain yet. Actually it wasn't even that cloudy. I felt a little better on the second lap (no stops). Finally got some spotty rain and hail at the turnaround (along with a nice rainbow as a distraction). Then, a few miles from Tempe, it got interested. Rain. Real rain. And a driving wind. It made me chuckle a bit. For all of the preparation, speculating race times, figuring out what place you "could" come in, nature shows up and can change everything (hey, a tree might even fall across the road and stop you in your tracks-it's happened before). Hit the Tempe turnaround (this lap just a minute or two over goal time), and out for the final out-and-back. Then, THAT feeling again. Time for stop #2. Made it as quick as possible, and then back on the road. It was obvious that this ride was going to be a bit longer than anticipated, so I had to supplement calories with some PowerGel from the course. No biggie, I had trained for it. The rain had stopped, but the wind was really blowing. At this point, just GET ME OFF MY BIKE. And I LOVE riding my bike. As in I don't really look forward to getting to T2. I found myself in a good group of guys all riding about the same pace, and we stayed pretty much in the same neighborhood (keeping it legal, but still getting some benefit going straight into a 20+ mph wind). Spun down a little for the last few miles, and then into T2-with THAT feeling again.

Porta-potty, then changing tent. Again, the volunteers were awesome. Although at this point, I wanted no help. I know what I need and where it is. I don't want my routine thrown off by help :) At this point, I knew it wasn't going to be my best race day. BUT, I knew I could still nail the marathon. As I've read and truly believe--just keep running. It ALWAYS feels better after a few miles. I tried to go out easy (per my plan), but I just felt GOOD. Mostly it just felt great to be off the bike. Add to that seeing some familiar faces in the early miles, and I thought my goal marathon was within reach. My first lap went about as planned, staying between 7:45 and 8:45 pace. Then, my side stitches started. I tried all of my tricks-belly breathing, jabbing fingers into my gut, etc. Nothing was working. I decided to walk through the next aid station to make sure I was getting what I needed. Another PowerGel, some water, and back to running. About halfway through the lap, my stomach had had enough. I did not want to walk, but I felt like it was a little walking, or throw up again and risk DNFing (not an option). Okay, a little break, but keep moving forward. I could feel my goal marathon going out the window, but it was just one of those days. Another bathroom stop, this time captured on video shown at the finish line area (happened to be right when Tom Lowe was passing me and the motorcycle camera was right there). Oops. That was it, switching to cola. I have never had Coke during a race or training day, but I was desperate. I was at about the halfway point, and it was time. Got some words of encouragement from Brian Grasky at the TriSports.com aid station, and that seemed to help me along. The new plan was water/coke/water while walking through each aid station. About 16 miles in (after yet another bathroom stop), I started to come around. I think the coke did it, because I started feeling MUCH better. I passed my family at the start of three, and was a HUGE lift to see my parents and my girls cheering me on. I was emotional, and I could tell Shannon was too. I took it an aid station at a time, then a light pole at a time. Halfway through lap #3, I felt pretty good. It was time to finish it! I walked through the TriSports.com aid station for the last time, and then set my mind on the finish. There was no more walking. No more water. No more calories. Time to get to the line! And these last four miles were my best of the day. Everything FINALLY started to click, and my pace was suddenly back under 8:00/mile again. With a mile to go, someone asked, "trying to break 11 hours?"

"Would like to, but I don't know where I'm at."

"Just keep going, you'll get it!"

That was all I needed. Put your head down, pump the elbows, and keep the turnover high. As I turned toward the finish, I could feel it. I was there. Passed the family, and turned to the finishing chute. It was 10:58:30, and I knew I had it. It wasn't my goal time, but it was my secondary goal. I'll take it! I got really emotional (as I have for both marathons I've done), but that's me. Everything I have, I leave on the course.

So, I guess that's it! Considering the conditions, my crazy GI problems, and it being my first IM, I'm walking away satisfied. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience, and I will do it again. Time for a year or so of getting faster before going back to IM with a goal of doing my best to qualify for Kona. In my "off-season" so far, I have raced a 5k and spent a lot of quality time getting bloody on my mountain bike. Looking forward to good things for 2011!

Thanks to Bill Daniell of Grasky Endurance Coaching for developing my plan and going over and above his commitment to getting me across the line as quickly as possible and keeping me healthy. I have the feeling I'll be working with you again, sooner than later! A huge thanks to my family for tolerating the training, and endless triathlon talk! It has been quite the 3-1/2 year adventure getting to this point, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Do you remember when 21 years was old?

2010-10-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently my coach decided that he would give me a recovery week for my birthday present. That's what I'm telling myself anyway. Well, that, or he is just preparing me for the final push. I have taken a preview of what's to come and...ouch!

Anyway, week 11. 9.5 hours of training total. 5.5 hours of cycling (i.e. the same as my long ride alone last week), with a long ride of only 3 hours. Of course that 3-hour ride happened to be an ADT ride (no breakfast, no calories during...). 13.6 miles of running, with essentially no long run. Three swims for a not-so-grand total of 5900 yards. So, this should have been an easy week. Well, it was and wasn't. I actually had a little bit of the blues. It felt something like a taper week, where during each of my relatively short workouts, I was just counting down the minutes until it was over. I took care of my longer stuff during the week so that I could spend my weekend hanging out with the family and taking it relatively easy.

But, what does a Grabau do when he is supposed to be doing nothing? He goes crazy for about two hours, then picks a procrastinated project to tackle. The first thing I saw was the broken Malibu light along the driveway. A short trip to Lowes and my dad and I had something to keep us busy for a couple hours. Then, some excellent barbecue (can't go wrong with kabobs), a little too much birthday cake, an hour run on Sunday, and call it a week. My legs feel pretty good (although I feel a little lazy) and ready to get back into serious action.

My final training block arrived in my inbox right on time, and I took a quick glance. There is a lot left to tackle, but at this point, sacrificing my time and pushing through the fatigue for a few more weeks shouldn't be a problem.

On to week #12. Let's do this! A slightly bigger week of training, with my final tuneup race on Saturday--the Pumpkinman Olympic in Boulder. Basically the same bike course as the Las Vegas Triathlon. Here's hoping my legs are ready for the hills this time!

And life barrels on like a runaway train

2010-10-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

So, on my "recovery" weekend, I had some time to think about this whole 30 thing. Apparently people think this is significant? I have heard some people talking about mini-crises and what-not. On the other hand, Shannon is happy to no longer be one of those "20-somethings". In general I don't care too much. BUT at the same time, I think it's meaningful to look back to see what you have done, what has changed, and what direction you think you're heading.

Sometime in my mid-20's I set a few "by the time I'm 30 I'd like to..." goals. If I remember all of them correctly, they went like this:

PhD in...something.
Qualify for Boston Marathon.
Run an ultra-marathon (of 50 miles or more).
Do an Ironman.
Own a company, or part of.
Start a family.

I'm happy to say that I've accomplished 1 and 56because I had the motivation to, and I happened to be with the one I wanted to start a family with. What's funny is that I think 2 through 5 would have been the easiest to accomplish. Maybe I didn't do those because I didn't have the motivation (or a real reason/justification) to do them. Maybe it was because those were the most tangible (I tend to procrastinate the easier things by taking on the difficult). Maybe it was because I found out that the combination of 1 and 6 got me in way over my head. Probably all of these I guess. Finally, I am taking on #4. I don't know that I really have a justification to do it...maybe I just have more time and feel that I need to cross it off my list.

hmmm...maybe my "before 30" list will become my "before I'm 31" list. If not, hey, there's always a bucket list! :)

Okay, now to the point of this post--my life as narrated by cake. No, not the band. The food. Shannon really likes to make decorative cakes that highlight my current obsession. I think they are quite telling, actually. It is also really cool that I can see pictures of the cakes, and they take me back. Something like hearing an old song... Anyway, here goes:

20: Early in junior year of college. The duck is all about my outdoorsy phase. Not that I'm no longer outdoorsy...it's just not my major obsession. Anyway, 18-20 was when I really started growing up. First time living away from the parents. First time having a "real job" (although does the rec center really qualify?). Prior to 20, I was always hunting/fishing/wakeboarding. Shannon and I had been dating for a year, and we were finally comfortable being a real couple. BUT, this was also party time. Flyer parties several times a year. Slapfish playing live at each party, and I would jump in on bass and lyrics whenever I had enough liquid courage. I still vividly remember Shannon waking me up on the roof. "Are you going to class today?" Yeah, crazy times. Workout-wise, I spent several days per week at the gym, but still hated running. After losing my freshman 25, I was working on gaining it back again.

21: Senior year. Finally legal to drink, and my partying phase was fading fast. I moved in with Shannon. I told her she was crazy for running four miles every day. Then I interned in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina. Bears everywhere, deer, turkeys, rattlesnakes, muddy roads. I discovered trail running! Started at two miles per day, and finally got up to 5 per day at the end of the summer. I started surfing, and spent every weekend camping solo on the Outer Banks. Sometimes in campgrounds, sometimes in the back of my truck. Surprised Shannon and signed up for the Tucson Marathon to run with her (to be my first running race ever). I came back from North Carolina a very different person.

22: Tucson marathon completed, and it was a life-changing experience. If you have done a marathon, you know what I mean. Signed up for the San Diego RNR marathon the next week. Had graduated from college. In desperation with a Wildlife Science bachelors degree, I moved to Ajo and started working on the Barry Goldwater bombing range. My job was to look for endangered Sonoran pronghorn (or illegal immigrants) in bombing areas. If nothing, call the Air Force, and tell them to blow up the desert. Had a pronghorn cake (can't find any pictures!!! :( ) Lost my motivation to run four weeks before San Diego, and backed out. Pretty much burned out from running. Spent my spare time studying for the GRE and hunting/traveling.

23: Spend a year in Ajo waxing and waning. Train for a while, get in shape. Get burnt out, spend every afternoon playing horseshoes and drinking beer. Quarter-life crisis inducing. Realized that if Shannon and I were going to stay together, long distance had to end. I came back to Tucson for grad school (Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering). Spent my spare time golfing (no pictures for golf cake either!), and drinking beer and studying (often at the same time). I had a ton of pre-reqs to make up, so it was a stressful time. Got engaged in February, and bought a house a couple months later. Suddenly, no free time. Landscaping, landscaping, landscaping. It was my escape from grad school.

24: Grad school took over. I went through a period of three months where I was not home during daylight hours. In the summer, I decided to start running again for my own sanity. It had been a long time, and I was SERIOUSLY out of shape. My early runs consisted of 1 to 2 miles of walking/jogging. How to get motivated? Sign up for the Tucson Marathon again. It worked. Talked Shannon into signing up again.

25: I trained for real this time (speedwork and all), did several road races prior, and PRd by 38 minutes. Stayed motivated for a couple months, but then got overwhelmed by the combination of grad school and wedding planning. Got married in April, and lazy after. Finally got focused to write my thesis. Played darts in the garage between hour-long focused writing sessions. I spent enough time with darts to justify a cake, so that tells you how much I wrote... Started working at my current company!

26: Really buried myself in work. Moved on from a high-stress advisor to a high-stress boss. High ambition led to high workloads, lots of travel, conferences, meetings, and other all-you-can-eat events. Got lazy (er) and pretty much forgot about working out. Welcomed Rylie to the world, and everything changed. Few memories are as vivid as my first couple days in the hospital with her and Shannon. For some crazy reason, I went back to grad school. Landed the perfect research project at work, and couldn't pass it up (see before-30 goal above).

27: Realized how lazy I had become, and started to go crazy. Remembered my previous fascination with triathlon, and realized I had the perfect chance. Joined TriCats, the University of Arizona club triathlon team. The new obsession had finally arrived, and the team atmosphere only enhanced it. Found out Shannon was pregnant again right around my birthday!

28: Started my triathlon career. Lots of racing, lots of training, a ridiculous amount of schoolwork. Hannah was born in June, so time was very short. I kept it up my optimizing time, and minimizing sleep (not recommended). Time was FLYING by. Shannon realized that my triathlon obsession was not going to die quietly...

29: The recession hit home, and I volunteered to reduce my hours to help keep the business afloat. Not good financially, but it was the first time that I wasn't working full-time while going to class full-time. It was still busy, but I got a little bit of sleep. I trained like crazy, and finally got my shot at collegiate nationals. I was really in great shape (the best I have ever been in). From my highest weight (205-ish), I was down to the high 160's. Something like junior year...of high school! First year sponsored by TriSports.com! Still lots of fieldwork with my cottonwood trees... Then lots and lots and lots of writing. Sleep disappeared, and I let go of some of my fitness. Serious IT band syndrome did not help.

30: FINALLY FINISHED SCHOOL! What else do I need to add? Well, I decided I needed a new goal (or list of?). I signed up for Ironman Arizona, and started riding a mountain bike. And here I am today! The other big change has been the huge focus on family. Our growing girls are suddenly doing all kinds of activities. Gymnastics, parks and rec classes, swimming lessons, learning to ride bikes, track meets. Yes, they keep us busy. But it makes you understand the pride that parents really have in their kids. They are simply incredible. Between their smarts and interest in sports and outdoors stuff (yes, even at 2 and 4)... Children are really life-changing in every way you can imagine.

So what is the point of all this rambling? When thinking about all of this stuff today, I realized how totally different life today is from a decade ago. It is absolutely crazy how much life has changed in ten years. What is crazier? There are still unknown decades left! I can't wait to see what life has in store. I expect that my 30's will bring completion of some goals and letting go of others. Can't wait to see what's coming next!

Might as well throw out some new goals:

Qualify for and race 70.3 and Ironman worlds.
Those other things above.
Settle into a community and really get involved!
um...I guess that's it for now!

I'm going to dizz knee land

2010-10-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

Week 10 was the end of my third big block. And now the work is really piling up. Plus, fieldwork season has begun again. And how do you fit in three-four swims when the closest pool is 1-1/2 hours away from your work site? Easy, you get up at four, swim from 5-6:15, then commute, work your 8-10 hours, then commute back. Repeat the next day. Yep... Ouch. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here are the stats:

16.6 hours of training. 25 miles of running (long run of 13.5 miles), 9 hours of cycling, with a long ride of 5.5 hours (I skipped one easy ride to fit everything else in), 11,400 yards of swimming, with a long swim of 4,700 yards. Put like that, it doesn't sound so bad. But, consider the following: this was my longest swim in 18 months, and my second-longest swim set EVER. I swam it after averaging 6 hours of sleep per night for the previous 3 days, and working in the sun all day.

My long run of 2 hours was on boring roads in mid-afternoon, at 90 degrees in Tucson. It was the first time that I ran my standard marathon long run course since 2004. Yes, I really got sick of that out-and-back. Halfway into this run, I realized that I still hated it... Back to trails next week!

It was my longest ride in 18 months, and my longest ever distance-wise (around 107 miles). My ride was staged from Blythe, CA (my work site), and I rode to Parker, AZ and back on a mix of empty highways, farmland, and Indian reservation. The highlight of the trip was probably when a met an older guy touring across the western US. Apparently he had gotten left behind his main group, and thought they would detour to Havasu when instead they rode straight through to Wickenburg. He was traveling on blown-out tires, in socks and Tevas, with a single water bottle. I was not totally comfortable leaving my Cervelo outside with him while I went in the store for drinks, but oh well. When I came back outside, he started re-telling me his story, and I knew for sure he wasn't all there... And with that, I gave him $5 to buy some food, and hopped back on my bike for the return trip. As a side-note, my first long ride relying only on my customized Inifinit Nutrition mix went very well. I think the new nutrition plan is a hit!

Oh, I also worked 50+ hours...

So, what do you do over the weekend for recovery after such a week? Well, if you have two daughters and a place to stay in Orange County, you go to Disneyland! I'll be honest, I have never been a crowd person. I enjoy having my own space. I hate standing around. I don't really buy into the Disney buzz, or the amusement parks of California. But, what can I say? After an entire day of watching the girls faces light up at meeting all of the princesses, it just might have been worth it. I will concede, though, that my legs were hurting the next day. We pulled into the parking lot at 9:45 am. We left the parking lot at 1 am! :D I guess that's what it takes when you are committed to training, but refuse to sacrifice family focus. My body hated me for a couple days, but my energy finally returned. Plus the following week was a recovery week, so I had time to get my strength back.

Now if I could get "It's a small world after all" out of my head I would be happy...

when I strap my helmet on, I'll be long gone

2010-10-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

Week 9 is also done. Yeehaw!

Monday started off with a day of rest/a full schedule of meetings in Boulder City after the LV Triathlon, followed by a couple hours of driving in my Zoot recovery tights. I actually felt pretty fresh coming off a half the day before--once again I was able to deal with stairs with minimal cringing. I considered doing a recovery run in the evening, but sided with sanity and relaxed with the parents in Lake Havasu. Starting Tuesday afternoon, game on.

Weekly totals: total of 16 hours. 22 miles running (long run of 1:50), 8.5 hours on the bike (long ride of 4 hours, and 12,200 yards in the pool. It was a productive week, with a little reduction in running an riding to recover from the race.

Some notables:
In general I was really tired during the week. Not really sore, but just didn't have much energy. After a couple days, I just accepted that it was the effect of race recovery. Had to take it as it came.

My long swim finally approached 4,000 yards, and I didn't find it overly difficult. The 12X100 with 15 seconds rest, on the other hand, left me tanked.

I have started spending more time on the trainer. VERY effective and efficient, especially for interval work. Plus, no worries about getting run off the road by cars... Here's my setup: CycleOps Mag Plus trainer with front wheel block, a 5' step ladder as a laptop stand, and a little neon mood lighting. Am I the only one that craves crappy beer after a trainer ride? The good thing about always missing primetime TV is that you can catch up on multiple episodes online to cover your 90-minute plus ride...

My long brick on Saturday (schedule for 4:30 plus 20 minutes of running) ended up being 4:00 plus 20, for fear of getting caught in a building thunderstorm. In any case, it was still a great workout, and the weather actually helped to make it pretty pleasant!

Sunday long run felt good. Suddenly it feels like I'm marathon training again (of course I kind of am...). Then a few hours of recovery, easy swim, and then packed up for a fieldwork trip. Out the door at 3 pm on Sunday, and off for a crazy week in California. Interesting stuff to follow, I promise...

But, week 9 was done, and I was feeling pretty good!

Viva las vegas

2010-10-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

p.s. I hate Las Vegas. Too bad I can't recycle the post title from last week...

Apparently I had a loooooong week 8 (that, or this latest block really got to me and I'm suddenly three weeks behind on blogging--You guess). I'll try to catch up with weeks 9 and 10 tonight!

Weekly summary: 14.2 hours, 9,200 yards of swimming, 7 hours on the bike, 29 miles of running. Long ride of 2:50, long run of 1:50. Both of those long efforts happened to be during the Las Vegas Half Distance Triathlon. It was a busy week, mostly because of race and work travel.

The hardest training workout of the week was a set of 4X1 mile running repeats. I overslept a little bit and ended up running in mid-morning (hot part of the day in Tucson). I only met my goal on the first repeat. After that, I was in survival mode.

There was also a brutal 16X100-yard session in the pool. Those long 100 sets (with short rest) put me in my place like nothing else!

Now, a short Las Vegas race report. This was a "B" race for me, meaning that I train up to and through it, but still really "race" like it is an A race. I planned to drive up two days early, but I had a last-minute adjustment for work (a meeting in Boulder City on Monday morning that I had to give a presentation for. yikes!). So, I ended up working LATE Friday, and didn't leave for Boulder City until mid-morning Saturday. 7-hour drive up, packet pick-up, and off to drive the course. Advertised as "the flattest course in Vegas", I expected only a moderately-challenging course. Yeah, not exactly. There is not a flat section on the course, and I saw several 8% grade warning signs... Hills are not my strength, so I didn't know what to expect at all. Finally got to my hotel around 6 pm and prepped my bike. It is crazy that suddenly I don't get all that nervous even for a Half. Asleep around 10:00, and up at 3:30 for breakfast. I was still asleep, even if my bike was already ready to rock!

Had my fill of breakfast, and got to transition about an hour and fifteen minutes before the start. Right on time. Typical stretch, warm-up run pre-race routine, and ready to go! As was my transition area:

The swim was supposedly wetsuit-legal, but it had to be right at or above the limit. I immediately knew I would be borderline-overheating, but tried to keep it out of my mind. I tried to push for a fast start, and found open water almost immediately. I was able to sight the turn buoy quickly, and avoided veering side to side at the guide buoys. I found some good feet to draft for awhile, but realized he wasn't swimming straight, so I set off on my own. I really found my groove about halfway through and pushed it home. I was very happy to be in the top five out of the water (out of 80 or so).

T1 was smoking fast, and I was off on the bike. I was told that there were 3 ahead out of T1, so I looked forward to picking them off. Two minutes later, that plan was out the window. The workouts earlier in the week weighed heavily on my legs, and I had no push up the hills. Not only that, but on descents (where I normally do a lot of my damage), I just couldn't get up to speed. I literally checked my brakes for rubbing. Nope. I just continued to get passed. And the temperature just kept rising. I think I ended up about 13th off the bike, and for once I was VERY happy to get off the bike. For a minute...

The run out of T2 goes straight uphill, for an elevation gain of around 900 feet in the first three miles. At that point, the temperature was in the mid-90s with no shade and no wind. Of course I added a little 1/4-mile "nature hike" about 1.5 miles in. There aren't exactly trees to hide behind next to Lake Mead, so I opted for the closest hill (can you believe there were no port-o-potties on a 13.1-mile run course?!!!). I tried to remind myself that it always hurts less as you go, and tried to slowly increase my turnover and get in the groove. And indeed it did. Around mile 4, I really started to feel descent. My turnover felt good, and I managed to pick off a couple people. Around mile 6, a faster runner passed me, and I committed to keeping him in sight. It kept getting hotter, but there was finally some shade as I passed through the historic tunnels. At the turn to go down the hill, I found my faster friend had cramped up. I shouted some encouragement to him, while silently committing to hold him off until the end. I kept my heart rate up, and kept my pace down despite really feeling the fatigue set in. Pushed through the finish, and was SOOOO glad to be done. It was a tough day! I ended up 11th overall, and 3rd in my age group. Another podium for Team TriSports.com, so I'll take it! Overall I would recommend the race, but probably the shorter distances. Keep in mind that it is no-frills, and there is very little support on a very hot and exposed course.

I celebrated with some good lunch (and a microbrew or two), took a nap, and worked through the night to finish my presentation for Monday morning. As I've said before, T3 is waaaaaay harder than T2...

there ain't no shade, there ain't no trees

2010-09-19T20:42:00.001-07:00

So apparently the snowbird came out of the bingo hall burrow and saw his shadow, because it still feels like summer down here!

Week 7 is done, and it was a busy one.

Weekly summary: 17.6 hours, 10,400 yards in the pool, 10 hours on the bike, 26.2 miles of running (yes, that was an un-planned coincidence). Long ride of 4:00, long run of 1:50. It was a decent jump in running and swimming, resulting in the most training hours I have ever done in a week (over three years of tri training). None of this time was wasted, either. Only three runs: hill repeats, 1000 meter repeats, and a long run. Four rides, including intervals, long hill repeats, and a long ride. Swimming was, well, swimming. My improved speed on Tuesday was a good sign, as I held it there on Friday. We'll see if I can pick up another second/hundred this week!

This week was all about heat tolerance. Instead of knocking out my weekend workouts early, I decided to sleep in (until 7, we have kids after all). I left at 8 am for my long ride (Saturday), and 9 for my long run (Sunday). Both days it was above 100 degrees by the time I got home. I went through a ridiculous amount of water and salt. I really felt it on Saturday, and was wasted when I still had 1:30 left to ride. Sunday was better. At least there was a breeze. I kept the effort easy to moderate for the first hour, and then pushed it for the final 0:50. It was good! But I still managed to go through 60 ounces of water in two hours. I thought this was a little crazy until I looked at the weather for Boulder City (site of the Las Vegas Half Triathlon I'll be racing next week). At 1 pm, it was 106 degrees with 18 mph winds. Yikes!

Gluttony of the week: BJs Brewery on Saturday night. Apparently my post-ride meal was a little inadequate, because I was shaky and starving. 2/3 of a bruschetta pizza, Caesar salad, half-pound burger, wedge fries, and part of a pazookie later, I was good!

Party of the week: The TriSports.com Countdown to Kona Party. It was a send-off of sorts for local athletes going to the big dance. Food, drink, question and answer with some pros, and a presentation of the new TYR WTC-legal swim skins and K-Swiss Shoes. Good stuff!! It is impressive to see how quickly companies can adapt to new rules (TYR), and it is also great to see additional companies joining the tri arena with great products. I managed to avoid the free drinks, and came away from the party with even more desire to get to Kona at some point. I know my odd for this year are long, but maybe I'll take a run or two at it next year. Getting a little ahead of myself, so I'll try to forget about it until November 22nd.

A competition on the side: On Friday, I took a return visit to the chiropractor. My back has been getting really sore for the last week or so, and I was having nightmares about the potential for thowing it out again (like I did this spring). My chiropractor noticed an increase in my flexibility, which I was really happy about. In addition to self-massage with a foam roller (mostly for IT band care), I have been pretty good about stretching. Something like 3 to 5 nights per week. Anyway, the appointment went well, with some good adjustments. Gotta stick to my future appointments and try to keep it at bay. When I was getting ready to leave, he asked me "do you know Leo?"

"Leo Carillo?"

Yes, he was talking about Leo. Then, he started talking about how he likes working with Leo. "Leo's in great shape. He's a 2 percent. Don't get to work with many of those. You're like a 5%, don't get many of those either. But Leo's in incredible shape. You guys are really fun to work on."

It took me a few minutes to figure out what he was talking about. 2%, 5%? I'm guessing he must have been talking about body fat, and that's probably about right, actually. I told him that we train together sometimes, have the same sponsor (TriSports.com), have the same coaches, etc., and that Leo is actually fast. Apparently Leo is modest (as usual) with the doc, and he hadn't shared with Dr. Bub (yes, that's his name) that he's a regular contender for overall podiums.

Anyway, the point of this story is that not only do I get destroyed by Leo during races, but apparently he is a step above me at the chiropractor too! Man, I need to step up my game!

Finally, a side-note that Rylie did get to go on her ride this weekend, and followed it up with a few loops around the cul de sac. Yes, "brick" is now in her vocabulary!

Check this out. Evidence of some of Rylie's first skids. Talk about childhood memories.

A little run to wrap it up.

gotta get myself over me

2010-09-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

Have you notice the explosion of blogs? There's a reason. Suddenly I have this Ironman thing on the brain.....

So, the workouts are starting to click. Swimming is getting easy (well, easy as far as swimming goes) and my recovery between intervals on the bike and run is really improving. I guess I'm getting back into racing shape! Now, the problem is that I'm starting to dwell on the race already. Wondering what outcome I can realistically expect, and what outcome I can possibly achieve if it's really my day. I have the tendency to be over-confident (euphemism for word of your choice), and setting the bar too high (setting myself up for disappointment). That's okay, I'll roll with it.

Also have to remember that I'm not the only part of the equation. On the way home from gymnastics today, Rylie asked, "Dad, why do you and mom get to run every day?". And I told her about how we run to stay healthy, do races, etc. She fired back with, "Why don't I get to run every day?" Hmmmm...

"You do, at preschool and gymnastics, right?" (No more kids' track meets now that summer is over).

"But not on the weekends?"

And it's true, I have been so busy with workouts, and we have been so busy with family trips that we haven't been taking the normal bricks around the block. And yes, I do literally mean bricks. One of Rylie's favorite things to do is ride her bike (with training wheels) around the block, and then park it, ditch the helmet, and run laps around the cul de sac over and over until we get tired and tell her to come inside. Hannah follows what Rylie does, so this has become one of Hannah's favorite things to do too!

So, Rylie and I made a pact. Every Saturday and Sunday, we will run and ride around the block. Awesome, it's a plan.

With that revelation, I'm moving forward with a focus on balance, keeping things in perspective, and being cautiously optimistic about the race. Stay healthy, keep pushing, and see where it goes. Let's see if my swim speed continues to increase, ditto for my bike, and hey, ditto for the run while I'm at it! Maybe I will live up to my expectations of myself, and surprise everyone else. Here is my mantra for the time-being:

Believe in yourself.
Trust the plan.
Follow the plan.
Make it happen!

Believe in yourself.

Time to move on, it's time to get going

2010-09-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

What is it about intervals that drives me crazy? I was thinking about this quite a bit yesterday.

Intervals are not my favorite. In fact, I despise them. Instead of pushing during these workouts, I tend to just check them off the workout list. Make my interval, take my rest, and go again. If I have to miss a workout, usually interval workouts are the easiest to cut out. What does this mean? I think I have finally come to realize that my lack of enthusiasm for intervals might be one of the biggest things holding me back from speed--what keeps me from bridging the gap from FOMOP (front-of-middle-of-pack) to FOP (front-of-pack). I tend to end up in a no-mans' land between the overall contenders and the somewhat competitive age-groupers.

I think I might have figured out my mental game/problem yesterday. For steady or tempo-effort workouts, you're always moving forward, moving toward the end of the workout at a measurable rate (minutes or miles). During intervals, you have to rest. You sit on the wall of the pool, you coast back down to the bottom of the hill, or you stand at the white line on the track huffing and puffing while counting seconds to your next effort. During that time, I don't feel like I'm getting closer to the end of the workout.

What I'm now trying to ingrain in my head that I am moving forward by checking the box next to another repeat. The end of the workout is only getting closer. The additional intervals are actually a countdown to finishing the workout and improving my fitness. If I quit, increase my rest, or back out of a workout, I'm not working on being a better athlete. I'm teaching myself to give up, mentally and physically. During the rest period, instead of getting down about how many repeats I have left, I should be mentally focusing on your next effort. Before workouts, I think about how do I get the most out of my intervals so that I improve during my next event. After all, I'm out there training. :Working out" and "exercising" are only side-notes. It is about getting better!

So, here are some resolutions I'll be trying to follow: take intervals seriously; look forward to knocking off seconds week-by-week, month-by-month, because eventually those seconds will add up to minutes during races; if I skip workouts, they will NOT be intervals (although with my current plan the "junk miles" are few and far between); track my splits for intervals in my training log (I am a numbers geek...), so that I can visually see improvement for a sense of positive feedback.

Yesterday was a good benchmark for this new-and-improved attitude. A breakthrough swim where I knocked off between 3 and 6(!!!!) seconds per 100 yards with 15" rest between (now if I could only have three or four additional breakthroughs with similar gains I would be a competitive swimmer! :) ). After being shocked by my first split, I focused on hitting it time and again. Between repeats, deep breaths and concentration. Push off hard, and nail it!

can't drink cerveza anymore

2010-09-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

That's right, it has gotten serious. As of last Monday, I have sworn off drinking until after IM Arizona. 11 weeks without alcohol would be a new PR, and I'm looking forward to it. It's not that I don't believe in having an outlet in the form of a few beers once in a while. BUT it's harder to get up to workout, and it causes me a ridiculous amount of GI distress. These things mean poorer-quality training, missed workouts, and the list goes on. Not to mention the dinero that these days I should be spending on healthy calories (fuel). Shannon and I have sworn it off until November 21st post-race. Yippee or something. If you see me sneaking a drink at the Kona send-off event at TriSports retail store next week (open bar, yikes!), give me a hard time, okay? Okay. So, that's all on this topic.

Well, after my week of "recovery", I was ready for a recovery from my recovery, and the training plan served it up! 12 workouts in 6 days. My first 3-a-days (Tuesday and Friday) in a long time. Weekly summary: 16.4 hours, 8700 yards in the pool, 10.1 hours on the bike, 24 miles of running. Long ride of 4:30, long run of 1:30. Obviously a huge jump up across the board, although my swimming and running distances were still not huge. All about the bike this week. 1-1/2 hours of hills/flats, 2 hour no-calorie ride, 2 hours of intervals, and, finally, a group ride up Lemmon on Saturday.

Bonk of the week: A tie between my no-calorie ride and the Lemmon ride. Ouch to both.

Hardest workout of the week: Lemmon.

Funnest workout of the week: Lemmon. I guess that's just how these things work. It was a great group ride from the TriSports.com retail store. We probably had something like 50 people on the ride, and it was quite a mix, from serious triathletes like me, Chrissy Parks, Billy Oliver and Brian Stover (fellow TriSports.com athletes) to several people from the U of A Tricats to a couple of the shop guys riding on fixies. It was a no-drop (read painfully-slow) ride to the base, and then a hammer-fest on the climb. At milepost 0, the group shattered and several of us went off the front. Ended up backing it off a bit so I didn't kill myself, but several of us ended up going to Palisades. Back to TriSports for some much-needed post-ride grub, then off to recover at home. It was a good day.

Besides training, work was work, and had some good family time, topped off with a trip to Apple Annie's Orchard for some apple, pear, and peach picking. Of course, the girls' favorite part was the aside of chasing whatever bugs we came across, including this monster cicada! So cool.

Oh, and then there was the epic grasshopper chase. Rylie is apparently learning about persistence hunting. We're not quite at Tarahumara status yet, but we're working on it.

And with that, it's time to get to bed. No rest day this Monday. Time to start knocking out the workouts. Looks like similar riding this week, with a bit of a pick-up in the swimming and running distance. Let's hope I can keep on this roll!

I don't know why we float but I like this buoyancy

2010-09-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, three days late this time and two workouts short? Uh oh :) Finished with a much-needed recovery week, which realistically consisted of five days of training sandwiched by two weeks at the River.

The basics as always: 6.7 hours, 6700 yards in the pool, 3 hours on the bike, 10 miles of running. Long ride of 1:30, long run of under an hour. Pretty weak? Perhaps, but like I said, much-needed. After a lot of training and a lot of stress last week (see previous post), I needed both a mental and physical break. And it worked out perfectly.

My big annual report for work was done and out the door on Monday. After that, the stress of work faded away somewhat. I still had a presentation to prepare for a conference in Tucson (Arizona Hydrological Society), but after 7 years of putting together talks in front of groups I don't know, it really wasn't a big deal. So yeah, Tuesday of preparing for the presentation, Wednesday practicing at the office (free lunch!), and Thursday and Friday at the conference (read "more free lunch"). It is weird to go to professional conferences these days and I recognize a significant portion of the audience. I guess that is the point. Too bad I am TERRIBLE with names. My conversations usually start out with, "uh, didn't I meet you at that conference at that place last year?" Oh well :) Training during the week was nothing really notable. A few swims and some easy runs. Although...I was shocked when I convinced myself to go swimming after the conference on Thursday instead of hanging around for free food and drinks! Who does that?

Friday was a half-day at the conference, followed by a trip to "the River." Spent a lot of time hanging out at "the sandbar" recovering from the night before. Lots of great food, horseshoes, catching up with old friends, and making a few new ones. The girls are really starting to enjoy themselves in the sand and water, just like me when I was a kid I suppose. Too bad water for me now typically involves a pool with a black line to follow (although I admit, we're working our way out of our love-hate relationship). The River for kids can be summed up as follows:

Wake up, then repeat :)

I did manage a good brick workout on Sunday morning. 90 minutes on the mountain bike (only dirt roads and jeep trails out here) and 45 minutes running. Good stuff. The long weekend reminded me that life tends to get challenging, and you end up burnt out (whether it's work, school, training, etc.). It's great to step back, take a deep breath, get reminded of the important things. Mind and body are resilient if you listen to them. And more often than not, you're ready to charge back into your passions.

Returned to Tucson to see that my coach delivered my next five weeks of training. It is a good thing I feel refreshed, because I've got some work to do! Increasing from 9 workouts/week to 12, and everything is getting longer as well (up over 20 hours/week very soon). I'm ready to go. After my first 3-a-day in a long time (plus core/stretching) yesterday, I am excited to be re-focused and take on the tasks at hand.

Nobody said it was easy

2010-08-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

A day late and a workout short, but Week 4 is done enough for me. There was a not-so-subtle change in my workload last week (when it rains, it pours...and it did both figuratively and literally). For the first time, I really FELT that I was ironman training. Sure the workouts were a little longer, but that wasn't the hard part.

First, the basics: 14.3 hours, 9700 yards in the pool, 7.6 hours on the bike, 22 miles of running. Long ride of 4:00, long run of 1:45. So yeah, slightly longer than last week, but that's only part of the story.

The real story is that I worked 40+ hours in four days, got very little sleep, and had to go out of town over the weekend sans bike, sans pool. That means 7 workouts that HAD to be done by Friday, and I HAD to have a rest day. My week went something like this:

Monday, day off training. Drop girls off at 8:30, work at 9. Meetings all morning, meaning no time to work on my HUGE annual report that was due in January. Yeah, that's right, only 9 months late. Work till 3:30, pick up the girls. Wash dishes, pack lunch, help get the girls to bed at 7. Work until midnight.
Tuesday, up at 5 am, onto the trainer at 5:30 for a 90-minute interval session. Breakfast, shower, take the girls to school. Into work by 9 to bust my butt on the report, sandwiching a meeting about why it's taking so long to get the report out. A meeting that, well, keeps me from working on the report... 1:30, off to the pool. Get in, swim 700 warm-up, then a bogus lightning sighting closes the pool (read now I have three swims to do in 3 days, along with a four-hour bike). Work until 3:30, pick up the girls. Home at 4:45, help with dinner, off to run hill repeats, back home at 7. Work until 12:30--notice a pattern here?
Wednesday, miss my alarm (not surprising). Girls wake me up at 6. Breakfast, off to work by 7. Bust my butt until noon, report draft DONE! Off to the pool to celebrate (like swimming is a fun way to celebrate...). EXHAUSTED, but I knocked out a great 100-repeat set. My times are already coming back down. Work till 5, and I'm done.
Thursday, wake up at 5 and IT'S RAINING. Flash flood warnings. Are you freaking kidding me?! This is Tucson. How will I possibly get in my long ride and swim, especially given the hallucination-prone lifeguard. But, a pleasant surprise. It was an AWESOME morning. No lightning, cool, sprinkled on me for half of the ride. Three hours of rest, and then swim. It's still raining, meaning I have 8 lanes of lap pool to myself (plus I get to punish the lifeguards by making them sit out in the rain :) ). Thursday afternoon, report draft is back on my desk. Pick Rylie up at 4, quick visit to TriSports.com, then gymnastics until 6. Girls in bed by 7:30, pack lunch for Rylie, start working on the report. Get it back out by midnight.
Friday, up at 5:30, off for an Aerobic Deflection Training ride. No breakfast. No ride nutrition. Cup of coffee and out the door. Yeah, two hours of riding with no calories the day after a long ride=PAIN. I felt awesome for 45 minutes, then felt like falling over for the next 1:15. I was happy to make it home. Two hours of recovery, then off for a LONG set in the pool.

WOOOHOOO! Workouts for the workweek were done. Off to the River for my mom's birthday and a lot of fun on the water. One hung-over run on Sunday morning (more ouch. when you have two "bouts of GI distress" in four miles, you know it's not a good morning for a run), and a make-up run today (Monday) to knock out my long run.

Highlights and low-lights of the week:

Biggest sacrifice: tie between sleep and sanity. My mental state was simply crappy, and the lack of sleep did not help.
Most painful ride: Friday no-calorie ride. Long ride the day before, lack of sleep, and poor nutrition, so no surprise there.
High point of the week: My rainy swim on Thursday. Yeah, that's right. I actually enjoyed my swim, and had a near-spiritual experience having the pool to myself and watching the rain come down.
Take away message for this week: sleep more!

So, that's it for Week 4. Thank God for recovery weeks, as I am definitely going to enjoy this one. Looks like I'll probably be back at the river this week for three days of extracurricular activities to include some mountain biking, fishing, swimming (the fun kind), horseshoes, you get the idea. Hopefully I'll come back to town feeling motivated and ready to launch into my next training phase. Thinking of no drinking after this weekend until the race, so we'll see how long that lasts...now off to finish my beer before I go to bed.

Oh, wait, I almost forgot to pack Rylie's lunch.

Tie my handlebars to the stars so I stay on track

2010-08-22T20:49:00.001-07:00

Finally getting started on my weekly-ish posts on training for Ironman Arizona. I am going to try to add a new post each Sunday or Monday with basic information on my previous week. The goal is not to brag; I just want to keep track of what I have done, how I am feeling, etc., so that I can look back to see what I have gone through in preparation for the race. Hopefully it'll keep me motivated when I'm feeling down, but we'll see.

So, here goes. Week three is DONE. What happened to weeks 1 and 2? Minnesota vacation. Oops. For week 1, I got in all three bike rides, two of three runs, and no swimming (thanks to my MTB crash). 7.7 total training hours, 13 miles of running. 2:45 long ride, and no long run. For week two, I got in all three runs, one ride, and no swimming again. 6.7 training hours, 23 miles of running. Long ride of 3:15, long run of 1:15.

Week three was time to get back on track. Mission accomplished! All three swims, bikes, and runs are DONE! :) 12.7 hours, 8300 yards in the pool, 6.7 hours on the bike, 23 miles of running. Long ride of 3:30 (plus 0:20 run), long run of 1:30. I actually feel great. Now that I have real heart rate zones set up (and I'm following them), I feel pretty well-rested and fresh for my workouts. The swims were really tough-not at all surprising after 21 days with no swimming! Some other highlights and lowlights:

Most enjoyable workout of the week-long trail run at Starr Pass Sunday at sunset. Hot and sticky, but some rain, rainbows, great Tucson views, and some wildlife. I made myself stay in Zone 2, so I felt good pretty much the whole time.
Least enjoyable workout-Wednesday swim with 100 repeats. Hard workout always, but depressing when you're out of shape. Oh well, I finished.
Scariest moment of the week-A tie between running through a swarm of bees (hit in the head like five times, and then looked up to see a huge swarm-I'll admit, it freaked me out) and having to high-step a coiled up rattlesnake on my Sunday run. The snake was coiled up right on the trail where my foot was headed, but I saw him at the absolute last moment. No rattling of anything. He didn't even flinch!
Discovery of the week-Yoga! I finally tried it for the first time. OUCH! Depressing to realize how inflexible I am, but I'm going to keep trying!

That's all for now. Big week this week followed by my first recovery week.

Gitty up, gitty up, let's ride

2010-08-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to mention one of my new discoveries. I don't post much (enough?) product reviews, but I discovered a product that helped me out immediately. And, hey, I didn't know about it, so maybe you didn't either!

I am a heavy, salty sweater. I have always tried to take in as much salt as possible through PowerGels and Camelback Elixir. However, last summer I realized that I still wasn't getting enough (especially during my cramp-plagued Vineman attempt). So, I have been talking electrolyte pills (Endurolytes) every half hour for summer rides and runs. Last year, and up until a month ago, I was simply carrying a "pill dispenser", which actually works okay. However, it can take two hands to get just one pill out (dangerous on the bike!), and if it rains there is little protection from the elements. Last month, I finally read up on the saltstick dispenser. Basically, this is a handy little tube that can slide inside your aerobar extensions (or handlebars depending on the shape) or even just clip on to your race belt. I installed mine in an aerobar extension in about two minutes, and, now, one caplet is available with a twist. Each tube can hold 6 or 7 caplets (=3 hours for me), so I will be adding one in the other extension to get me through the longer rides I have coming up. Here is what it looks like once installed in your extension:

If you are a salty sweater like me, I HIGHLY recommend this for your bike. You can get the dispenser alone, or get a combo with saltstick caps to save you a few bucks if you want to try their pills. I bought one combo and an extra dispenser. No, these things are not free, but for the convenience and reliability of electrolyte caps at your fingertips, this is an awesome product. Quick video of how it dispenses:

Here we go...

2010-08-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

So, here I go. Training for my first ironman. So my hope is to start posting once a week or so about how my training weeks to, so that I can look back and remember how ridiculous it was, and maybe convince myself not to do it again :).

Let's start with some goals. One of the articles I always think about is a response to a letter in Triathlete Magazine where the authors rip someone asking about goals for a first ironman. The response amounted to: your goal should be to finish while remaining employed, married, and without a trip to the med tent. Indeed, these are my goals (although I don't really care if I end up in the med tent). However, at the risk of sounding brash (well, that's just who I am anyway I guess), I have other goals too. I want to go fast without too much risk of crashing and having a miserable day. I would also like to have the chance to do another ironman next year, although there is really only one other ironman that I would current consider doing... Anyway, can't even think about that yet. I know that training for 140.6 is serious business, and will require sacrifices in other parts of my life. It is not something I want to repeatedly put my family through.

Okay, training report to this point. My journey has begun following lots of advice and a training plan (in progress) from Bill Daniell of Grasky Endurance Coaching. 16 weeks leading up to the big day. Well, the hiccups started before the training even began. As I posted before, I took a hard crash on the mountain bike a few weeks ago, and it turns out that I managed to hurt my ribcage. Long story short, swimming was impossible for two weeks. Then, after three days of training, off to Minnesota for family vacation. No bike, no swimming, just running every other day in record heat and 80%+ humidity. Got back in Tucson last Saturday around midnight, then a 3-hour ride in the heat on Sunday. Good stuff. This week, things have gotten back on track. The training load really isn't too bad at this point--three workouts each for swim, bike, and run. Two runs are short but relatively hard (tempo stuff, hill repeats, or intervals), one is long and easy. Bike workouts are either intervals, hill repeats, or long. Swims are, well, swims. Not bad except that I hadn't swam in three weeks. Swimming shape seems to disappear FAST! Basically, halfway through all three workouts this week, I doubted my ability to finish the sets. Oh well, suck it up and get it done. Good stuff.

My plan is to stick to the plan, trust it, and trust my coach. Do the work and hopefully things will go smoothly...or at least I'll finish. Had to swallow my pride for the first time today. I went for my first group ride in a long time with a bunch of triathletes, and not slow ones. My ride was 3.5 hours of Zone 2. So, what happens? Starting on the first hill, the group blows apart. I know I can hang with the guys in the front for three hours, but that's not my workout. Just let them go. The goal is not to keep with the fastest guys on the group ride. The goal is to be ready for Ironman AZ, even if that means I rode by myself for 2:30 before running by myself for three miles. Long-ish run on the schedule for tomorrow afternoon, and week "three" is in the books, if only full week one for me. "Three" (one) down, and 13 to go. Let's get it done!

Won't give it up until my legs are broken...

2010-07-25T09:49:00.001-07:00

Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that! ;)

Finally got on my mountain bike yesterday after a few weeks off to try to keep from hurting myself before Vineman. Was probably a wise decision... I rode Starr Pass for only the second time (the first was my first MTB ride). It was a blast! I cleared nearly everything, including a ton of sections that I walked last time. All was going well, and I was really feeling it. Didn't have to think about lines, the bike kind of led itself. I ended up in front of a few people who were obviously mountain bikers, not roadies (you can tell by the baggy clothes, fast descending and weak climbing ;) ). On the climb toward the Starr Pass parking lot, I heard "wow, aggressive line!" Was that a compliment? If so I'll take it! Not that I really think about lines...I think, what's the fastest way to get up this stupid hill without falling over?!!

Cruising, cruising, cruising, wipe sweat from face, miss the bars, eat rocks! OUCH! I need to learn not to put my hands out when I fall! Could hardly grip the bars on the way back. Another painful lesson. Speaking of lessons, here are some of my take-aways:

Wiping sweat off your face is a luxury of road riding, not a necessity. Need to not do it. Other luxuries: adjusting glasses, adjusting helmet, opening gels while riding.
If you are new, let some real MTBers lead you on technical ascents. These guys actually know what they're doing.
If the MTBers pass you on technical stuff or descending, no worries. You'll pass them on uphills. If you don't pass them on uphills, you can pass them at the top of the climb where they're sitting around catching their breath :)
Keep your focus. If you can't, rest for a minute. Otherwise the trail will invite you to eat rocks.

So, bruised right hand, sprained left wrist. Guess my road ride this afternoon will be with a wrist brace. Happy riding!

If you go straight long enough you'll end up where you were

2010-07-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

Time for a race/travel report for my first A race of the year: Vineman 70.3. This was my big race of last year. The one that I built up to for a year. I basically trained for collegiate nationals in April, took a few days off, then kept building for Vineman for the final three months before the race. As I used to do, I set unrealistic time goals without a real understanding for the course and the variability of race conditions. When my race (run, specifically) fell apart despite awesome training for the previous two years, I was more than a little let down. My motivation fell through the floor. Add to that a nightmare summer school class, a dissertation, and IT band syndrome, and that pretty much called an end to my 2009 racing season.

This year, I had a totally different mindset. I was not coming off a crazy olympic distance training schedule. I started from scratch in January. I knew the course. I knew that the temperature could approach 100 during the run. I knew that the field would be ridiculously competitive. Moreover, even if I kicked butt, I still wouldn't take a Clearwater spot (I won't race 70.3 worlds unless the venue changes). Finally, I knew this race was to build up for that other A race I have in November... So, how to approach it? How about some fun?! I knew that one of the coolest parts about the race this year would be that I knew several people that were doing it. Four acquaintances-soon-to-be-friends from TriCats were crazy enough to sign up too!

I left Tucson on Thursday morning before the race. I think I left around 9 am, driving my car. No detour through Yosemite this year, just straight through. I pulled into Santa Rosa around 11 pm, stopped at the bank, and then on to Guerneville. Told myself it was too late to waste money on a hotel room, and all of the campgrounds were closed. So, cleared off the back seat and laid down a sleeping bag. Thought about how similar triathlon bums and surf bums (I was one for a summer) are...just triathletes have more expensive toys... Anyway, actually slept pretty well thanks to the marine layer giving some extra shade in the morning. Quick swim at Johnson's Beach (the race venue) to get the blood flowing. Then, off to set up my campsite.

Yeah, camping and racing...it can get interesting. Last year I was lucky. I pulled into a random campground and got put in a nice, secluded overflow spot. I knew it would be a crapshoot this year too. I ended up in and UNBELIEVABLE campsite at the very edge of the campground, which happened to be about 15 feet from the Russian River. Soooooo cool. Check out the view from my campsite. Not telling where it is...if I do this race next year, I want to reserve the same spot! :D

Finished setting up camp, then off to meet the guys in Santa Rosa. Lunch, movie, and then a quick stop by their hotel. Oh, this is how real triathletes do it! Real beds, room service, bath robes (which, yes, the guys actually used...), and re-runs of the Tour de France. Left before too long to avoid getting too comfy, and back to my remote campsite. Little did I know the Russian River is the Salt River or northern California. These people were having way more fun than I was. Luckily, everyone drinks all day, so as soon as the sun goes down--silence :)

Check out the floating slide!

Good sleep, then up for a pre-race brick on Saturday. Nothing eventful, just rode the first 5 miles or so of the bike (just past the first decent hill), and a quick run afterward. I felt sluggish (tapered), but good besides that. Off to packet pick-up. Got there EARLY to avoid the lines, and was in and out in a half hour. That was too easy. What do I do with the rest of my day? Rest, eat, drink, eat some more, cat nap, then off to dinner with the guys at a small Italian restaurant I would have never known about. Had a good time with Mike and Neil's families! All super-nice people, and they somehow know about all the restaurants, etc. to visit. Ended up getting back to the campsite pretty late, but I was still asleep by 9:45. Slept pretty well again, and woke up right away to my alarm clock and the buzz of cars driving to the venue. I had NO caffeine for the previous two weeks (if you know me that is CRAZY), but it was time for coffee! I made camp coffee, and drank the whole pot (~5 cups?). Then I went to Starbucks for more :). I was suddenly in an extremely good/annoying mood!

Quick race report:
Swim was great overall. For the first time, I really pushed the pace off the line and found open water early. Definitely going to go out the same at my next race. I still missed out on the front pack (I tend to start slow and then catch back up), but I was able to close the gap right at the turnaround. At this point, the water is super shallow (i.e. easier to walk than swim), so I stood up to look for someone to draft. Okay, a guy without a wetsuit in a wetsuit-legal swim. He muse be a swimmer! So, I dove in behind his feet and cruised for a while. Suddenly realize how easy I was going, so I veered out to the side. Oops, I shouldn't have stayed behind! Oh well, more or less happy with my time in the water.

On the bike I felt great! It was good to have raced it last year, knowing that the downhills could be taken with a lot of speed without crashing (well, probably). I set a heart rate cap for myself knowing that I did not want to blow up on the run like I did last year. There is not a flat section of this course--if you race it, make sure your derailleurs are in order! I had the feeling halfway through that I wasn't going hard enough, but I wanted to be conservative. I spend a lot of energy cheering other people on, which is really fun! The responses and enthusiasm you get are great! Apologies to anyone that found me annoying. My caffeine buzz was still rocking thanks to a bunch of double-caffeine gels :) Nutrition was great on the bike this year. Finished all of my calories without issue, and took 5 or 6 Endurolytes (new to my nutrition arsenal this year).

Got off the bike feeling GREAT, with a time a few minutes slower than last year. First mile of the run went by like nothing, and they kept going by despite the hills that I had totally forgotten about (still had a heart rate cap). Halfway through the run, I became THAT guy. Cheering on everyone I passed, giving high fives to the volunteers, etc. I did not walk a step, not even at the aid stations.

Coming down the chute I was taunting the crowd, blah, blah, blah. Felt fine after the finish. Food right away, no cramping, hanging out in the trisports.com tent. Hardly sore the next day...stairs are no problem, I feel like going for a run, etc.

Long story short, my heart rate zones were way too conservative, probably because I set them myself, and I should have gone harder. Need to race some TTs and re-set my zones. Nevertheless, I had a GREAT time at the race. I ended up around 3 minutes faster than last year. This reminds me of how fast I actually was a year ago--I was only three minutes slower despite a LOT of walking on the run. Oh well, my goal for the race had been accomplished (lots of fun and a solid run), so I'll call it a success!

The rest of the trip was a TON of fun. Spent the night after the race on a Vineyard outside of Napa. A little too much wine and great food, but hey, that's what the night after the race is for!! Spent the next day with the guys in Santa Cruz and Carmel-by-the-Sea, and ended up in San Luis Obispo (where I almost went to undergrad!). Then, down PCH to Malibu, and finally L.A. One of the highlights of that day was a trip to a roadside strawberry stand. A huge field right off the road, with an honor system for buying strawberries--no joke!! Fresh strawberries are like candy. Now that I know, buying them at the grocery store will never be the same...

the Dos Amigos strawberry stand:

And the guys in Malibu

Dropped Neil off at LAX, then back to Thousand Oaks to visit my sister in her new house. Another good night, and then an all-day drive back to Tucson to finally get back to my girls! It ended up being a 7-day trip with a good race, great food and drinks, and awesome company. Ready for some more racing...but no more week-long trips this year. I'm tired!

Now that I'm back in Tucson, I'm trying to get motivated for work again *sigh*...and getting ready to start training again! My Ironman AZ plan starts on August 1st. It's time to mix up the training, get some speed back, and build endurance! Let the craziness resume...after some serious family time!

And I thank you, I'll always thank you

2010-05-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

So, it's that time of year again. For some reason it took a card company to come up with this holiday... Does someone know if that's even true? Anyway, I have been thinking about parenting a lot for the last 3-1/2 years. No coincidence that Rylie is going to be four in October. I have been meaning to ramble on about this for a while, but I feel especially motivated today :)

Here's the scoop. Pretty much all of us are blessed with two parents. Of course, that's not always the case, but I was a lucky kid. Parents are under an ENORMOUS amount of pressure. This is just a fact. You probably appreciate your parents, and perhaps you even think you appreciate your parents enough. If you're in the latter group, I would guess that you don't have kids of your own. You will never realize how much your parents actually did FOR YOU until you become a parent. Seriously, raising kids is absolute madness! There is constant work to do. If you're sitting still, you're getting behind on cleaning up after your kids, reading to them, packing lunches, changing diapers, applying boo boo bags, etc.

Did I mention packing lunches? My mom was one of those that packed lunches until I was done with high school. I don't know why she did it, exactly. We will do it to save a few bucks, and at least try to get our kids to eat healthy. But I digress... So, my mom seriously packed lunches for me for like 15 years. Think about that! This is a chore Shannon and I already despise, and we've been doing it for 8 months.

Figure something like 36 weeks per school year. Sometimes I had food provided by sports, bought lunch once/week or something I think. A conservative estimate of 36 weeks X 4 days/week = 144 lunches per year. Over 15 years, that's 2,160 lunches. Figure something like 12 minutes per lunch packing, and you're at 360 HOURS of lunch packing. So that is 15 days of life allocated just for lunch packing. Think about driving to/from school, doing laundry, etc., ... and you get the idea. Not even to mention the financial stress...

I feel very fortunate to have been raised by two very involved parents. I've always been a momma's boy (shocking, right?). My mom taught me how to cook. Enough said. But of course there is more. She taught me how to eat! ;) She taught me about getting down to business, speaking your mind, and going for your dreams. My dad taught me about hard work and committing to get things done. He taught me about how much cursing at things helps along the process of construction. He taught me about getting dirty and appreciating the outdoors. If you know me, you know about my environmental interest. You can blame my dad.

Over the course of my life, my parents have contributed enormously to making me what I am today. I consider myself relatively successful at this point, and I would never have had the drive or opportunity to get it done without my parents. When I committed to baseball, my parents would drive me to and from Phoenix all winter to play winter ball. They sacrificed work time to make it to almost all of my high school baseball games. Thinking about this now makes me reconsider my career path. Everything changes when you have kids. Although I've only been a dad for a few years, the sacrifice is worth it for the moments of laughter, love, and hugs.

A final thank you for the parents (sorry, not just the moms) out there--especially my mom and dad, and my wife. I know I don't say it enough, but I thank you more than you know. Mom and Dad, you have made me who I am today. So, you'll have to say both "sorry" and "you're welcome" to Shannon when you get the chance! :D

Happy mom's day, everyone!

we were drinking, drinking, drinking, drinking coca coca cola...

2010-05-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

MTB lessons from a newbie, for newbies:

Never expect an easy ride when you head out to new trails. Today, I went to Robles Pass Trails Park. I've ridden there before, but went further today. When "Pass" is in the name, you can expect technical ascents and descents. I found them today.
If you are not mentally prepared for technical stuff, do not go to a technical area. You have to be focused for a technical MTB ride. If you are not, you will either get hurt or get frustrated and not enjoy your ride.
Trust in your equipment. If you have a decent steed, your bike can handle more than you think it can. You are limited by your abilities, and even more so by your mind (experience).
Go tubeless if you can. Either with tubeless-ready wheels, or with a Stans No-Tubes Conversion kit. I was averaging 1 flat/ride for my first five rides. Switched to no-tubes, and haven't had a flat since (over 20 rides).

More to come. Happy Friday!!

it's hard to remember to live before you die

2010-05-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while, so it's about time for an update!! I have been spending the last few months getting back into racing shape, working, and enjoying the family. A big new development is the filling of our garage with a quartet of bikes. That's right, finally added a MTB to the arsenal. So, now for my first MTB-related post.

My first impression was that it is a pretty ride. And freaking HUGE. I haven't spent much time around mountain bikes since junior high, so it was quite a surprise. Oh, did I mention I haven't ridden a mountain bike since junior high? Why? Because on my last MTB ride I decided it was cool to ride "no-hands" while cruising downhill and home from school. It took exactly no time to hit the pavement when your right grip hits a mailbox on the side of the street. Oops... Spent some time off-road with BMX during high school until I realized how bad I sucked. End of my cycling life, until triathlon 10 years later. However, I did spend a lot of time on ATVs during all of my life, and I hope that has left me with some off-roading skills.

Two days after my bike arrived, I finally got out on the trails. I was planning to head out on easy trails, but couldn't resist turning right instead and heading out to Yetman Trail in Tucson Mountain Park. I know the trail very well from running it once/week, so I figured I'd go for it. MANY thoughts came to mind during the first ride. Among them:

What was I doing for so many years without a mountain bike?
How am I going to force myself to ride my road bike again?
How am I going to force myself to get off this thing?
Oh crap, what time do I need to pick up the girls?!

As I literally laughed out loud on the final descent, I knew that I had a new addiction. It literally took one ride for me to get excited about riding again after a frustrating 2009. So, I have been going for it since in preparation for Xterra West. It has been quite a learning process. I came to realize the extent of hiking in mountain biking. And the extent of blood. I have not hurt myself much (just some bruises, strawberries, and what-not), but come back scraped every time, and leg shaving has become near-impossible. Anyway, ~4 off-road rides per week with a TON of riding, and 29 days after getting my bike, time for Xterra West Championship at Lake Las Vegas!!

The Friday before the race, I took one last ride at Sweetwater Trails in Tucson. It was a GREAT, confidence-building ride, and I felt ready to take on a tough course.

Friday night in Havasu, then on to Lake Las Vegas on Saturday. I got there just in time for "Xterra U", talks and question-answer stuff with Melanie McQuaid and Conrad Stoltz. We're talking world champs here, hanging out, answering questions, emptying their saddlebags to show what they carried on the course, etc.

It was VERY cool. And that was the theme for the weekend. A class event with very cool people. Oh yeah, the course, that was the other theme...

As a newbie, I hadn't seen a MTB "course" before. Not only that, but I had never ridden off-road with anybody before. The main goal of the weekend was to learn stuff. No biggie, just keep an open mind. So, I headed out for a pre-ride. Out of transition, climb, then, climb some more. Then bomb downhill (I ride the brakes), then crawl the gauntlet. Then, when you fall over, get off and hike to the top. Was it really a hike-a-bike? Yes, witness exhibit A, Stoltz and a fellow pro hiking up during pre-ride:

Get on at the top, go as fast as you are comfortable with. Crawl uphill, get off and walk. SCREAM downhill (or just scream, get off and hike down), repeat, etc. Then, about 4 miles of flat single-track around the lake. I called it a ride at that point, and wondered how I would possibly do a second lap and then run a 10k of craziness. Anyway, I tried not to think about it. Off to set up camp and get rested up. Home sweet home...

I laid down on my mattress at 8:15 to browse on my phone for a bit. I woke up a half-hour later. Oops! I guess I'll go to bed now. Up on race morning, and got down to business. It was a totally different atmosphere. Things I've never heard at transition before:

I forgot my chaw!? Does anyone have one?
Overheard on the race directors radio 5 minutes before the Sport/Duathlon start: "Does anyone know where the duathlon starts?" Not saying AT ALL that the event was un-professional. Quite the opposite. Just a totally different feel.

Quick race reports: Swim was actually kind of brutal. A very big wave of people headed through some small openings. Anyway, I survived. T1 was slow as planned. It was a different kind of transition than I have ever had, so I wanted to make sure I had everything. Headed out for what I knew would be a brutal journey. Basically, during the ride I pushed the limits more than I had before. I took more chances in the first three miles than I planned to take all day, and it kept going. It was good stuff, learning to push the limits of my equipment and my mind. It was all about being comfortable with taking risks. Run was crazy also. Lot of ridiculous uphills, cramping, crazy descending, repeat. I need to work on my salt balance for sure! Just like that, it was over. It was a long 3 hours that went by REALLY fast. I learned a ton and am taking the lessons to the trails. Also, building up the training hours on the road. It's suddenly racing season and I'm just about ready!

Xterra #2 in about a month at Deuces Wild Triathlon Festival. Sign up to get your on- or off-road tri on at Trisportsracing.com. Or, go nuts and sign up for more than one event to get a discount. Oly, Half, Xterra, and other options! Also, in May I'll be at Tempe International and Sahuarita. It's go-time!

I’m on my feet I’m on the floor I’m good to go.

2010-01-28T20:58:00.000-08:00

So here it goes. Apparently I'm back in action--up to 3-4 runs per week and 15+ miles, so I guess the body is ready to give it a go again.

For the first time, I'm actually working on my year-long racing plan. Of course signing up for Ironman a year in advance makes it easy to prioritize... I also attended a workshop put on by Grasky Endurance Coaching, which is helping me actually figure out how to plan for a year. The basics are as follows:

A maximum of two "A" races per year. These are THE races. The ones you plan for months of years in advance. You taper. You don't jump off a building if they don't go well, but you don't sleep well either...
A maximum of two "B" races leading up to each A race (i.e. 4 B races per year). You don't taper for these, but once the race starts, you are racing just like they are A races.
LOTS of "C" races. These are races that you want/need to do, but you aren't obsessed with the results.
You should have a goal for EVERY race you compete in, even C races. They can be simple. Something like "have a smooth T1", or "hold back on the bike and see what you can do on the run". Experiment. Have fun!

The first few months of the year I'll devote to getting healthy and trying to get back into the racing shape I was in before 2009 collegiate nationals. This is going to consist of a bunch of local running races and tris I have done before to see where I'm at. Then, I'll build toward a mid-summer "A-race". The second half of 2010 will be devoted to improving over last season, and building up the speed and endurance to get myself where I want to be for Ironman Arizona. Here's the draft list. Not exactly tentative, but not paid for either :) aside from the aquathlon, Vineman, and Ironman Arizona.

TriCats Aquathlon, 2/7/10, a C race to figure out where I'm at to start the year.
Fine Valentine 4-miler, 2/14/10, a C race to work on running PAIN tolerance.
Sunrise Trail Run 4-ish miler, 3/7/10, a fun race with Trifest folks in town.
Havasu Triathlon oly, 3/20/10, a C race and 3rd Havasu Tri (my first oly in 2008).
Distance Classic Half Marathon, 3/28/10, another C race to push myself for a long-ish run.
Sabino Canyon Sunset Run, 4/17/10, a fun Southern Arizona Roadrunners event. Plus you don't have to get up early!!
XTERRA West Las Vegas (tentative), 4/25/10, a C race to be my first off-road tri.
Cinco de Mayo 10k road race, 5/2/10, looking for a 6.2 PR on a hilly course that I have done for the last two years. A GREAT chance to see any improvements.
Tempe International Triathlon, 5/16/10, my first B race of the year, and looking for an Oly PR.
Sahuarita Triathlon, 5/31/10, another C-race. Basically a sprint distance with an open-water swim.
Deuces Wild Olympic triathlon, 6/5/10, a second B race.
XTERRA Dueces Wild, 6/6/10, second XTERRA and a Saturday/Sunday racing weekend. OUCH!
Firecracker Triathlon (sprint), 7/4/10, a C race in Tucson in the middle of summer. Hot, hot, hot!
Vineman 70.3, 7/18/10. My first A race. Looking for a second shot at my goal time from last year of NOYB. Going to take the lessons from last year and be prepared for anything!
XTERRA Snow Valley, 8/1/10. My third and final XTERRA of the year.
Mountain Man Triathlon half ironman, 8/8/10. A B race to work on my endurance after likely not fully recovering from Vineman. We shall see...
Saguaro National Park Labor Day Run, 9/6/10, a ridiculously hilly 8-miler in Tucson, and the longest-running road race in town.
Halfmax Triathlon, 10/2/10. My hopeful 2nd B race leading up to IM AZ, but timing and finances will probably be working against me... :(
Tinfoilman Triathlon, 10/9/10. My most likely 2nd B race leading up to IM AZ, and I'll be going for a PR in the Tucson Tri Series. Goal time once again of NOYB ;)
Ironman Arizona, 11/21/10. THE race of the year. Incidentally, this happens to be on Shannon's birthday. Ooops... :) for some reason neither of us realized it before I signed up. I'll make it up to you!!!

So, that's it. Ambitious, overwhelming, and hopefully more rewarding than I can imagine. We'll know if I'm not burnt out by July... I am sure there will be ups and downs. Surprising pick-me-ups when they're needed most, and let downs when I feel like I can't take them. It's all part of the journey.

One to the people who still fight for the Earth

2010-01-14T21:50:00.000-08:00

Some quick thoughts about environmental stuff and consulting.

As somewhat of an environmentalist, I feel the need to do something fairly important with my career. I think that environmental consulting (aka the Dark Side) generally has a negative connotation, because of who we work for. When I interviewed for my first consulting job, my response was something like "development is going to happen. I hope that we can help people complete their work while minimizing the damage." My latest response is:

In order to do "big" things, you don't always get to work in the prettiest places. Although preservation of these places is obviously important, restoration is required in the "ugly" places. I think that in order to make the biggest impact, you often have to work FOR and WITH the companies/people/organizations who potentially do the most damage to help them minimize their future impacts and mitigate those from the past.

not quite education, only books I didn't read

2009-12-18T21:54:00.000-08:00

So, tomorrow is the day. Piled head deep. DONE. 11+ years in the making, my post high school academic career is about to end. Anti-climactic is an understatement. Put in the words of one of my friends finishing her undergrad, I'm still "looking for a little dénouement." I don't have the heart to spread the word, but there is no such thing, at least from what I've seen so far. Such is the stuff of books and movies, where the plot has to end for the sake of keeping the book under 500 pages or the movie under 3 hours. Our lives follow no such timeline. In the lyrics of RCPM "I ain't never seen the end to no story, 'cause no story never ends."

I remember finishing my MS thesis. "This is it," I told myself. You work for something so hard for so long, and it's all you see, all you think about, and all you stress over. Then it is suddenly over. I moved on to the professional world. You make a huge push for a new proposal. You get the job, and have to do all of that work. For me, that means long stints in the field; some fun, some not so fun. Get back to the office and park yourself in front of your computer. You push again to process, analyze, and interpret. What happens when you finish one project report? You move on to the next proposal, field work, and report. Repeat until you retire, get fired, or die. That's my cynical synopsis for the day anyway...

I obviously find huge analogies in triathlon/running/etc. You work so hard for one goal. One event, one PR, or whatever it happens to be for you. Then you race. After that, guess what? It's OVER. What do you do? You either quit or set a new goal for a PR, distance, etc. Train, race, repeat. Sometimes you reach your goals, sometimes you don't. What happens when you don't? Is your effort unjustified? I don't think so. Every effort, every time you push yourself, you make an attempt to find what you're made of. In the process, you change. Your views of yourself, your limits, the world...they change. And to me that makes it worth it, whether you pass or fail.

In this case I passed. Hooray, let's celebrate for a day. On Sunday, back to simultaneous proposals, analysis, and reports. On Monday, back to training. Life moves forward whether we're ready or not.

Let's try this all again, only faster now.

2009-12-15T20:15:00.000-08:00

Going on five months now, and still having serious knee pain :( After a first [mis-]diagnosis, I think we have it figure out as IT Band Syndrome. If you have had it, you know how much of a nagging pain it is. For a while, I could ride and swim as much as I wanted with no pain. Then, last Saturday, I had to call home to get picked up 30 minutes into my ride. No good! After further research, I finally have a plan: 1) 1 week with no training, no stretching, no weight training...nothing but ice and ibuprofen; 2) follow a stretching/strengthening program based on one published in Running Times a few years ago. Supposedly, following six weeks of stretching and strength training I can expect a 90% chance of no pain, with little chance of recurrence. We shall see.

In the meantime, I have had the chance to plan my A races for next year. First, after volunteering for the late shift at Ironman Arizona with the TriSports.com team, I slept in a parking lot and showed up the next day for priority registration for 2010. Next, I decided to return to the Vineman 70.3 this year. After a tree incident and surprisingly high temperatures last year, it's time to take another run at my time goal.

Besides those two races, everything is up in the air pending my recovery... Really hoping to be able to start easy cycling and swimming on the first of the year, and hopefully a full training schedule starting in February. We shall see!

Kid quote of the day 12/4/09

2009-12-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

Will now be a recurring theme on my blog... On the way to preschool today.

Rylie: "Daddy? Daddy? What rhymes with 'tree'?"
Me: "Free, Glee, and other stuff."
Rylie: "What rhymes with 'purple cactus'?"
Me: "Ummmm, nothing that I know of."

I miss being a kid.

Vineman 70.3 race review

2009-11-12T21:32:00.001-08:00

A friend asked me for info about Vineman 70.3, and suddenly I realized my email was ridiculously long. So here goes...

So, Vineman was pretty cool overall. Kind of weird, but one of the best parts was the drive out from AZ. I went up the east side of the Sierras, camped near Mammoth, and went up and over (through Yosemite). Driving through central CA is nothing special, but it was cool to drive through San Fran because I had never been there before. After San Fran, the traffic was HORRIBLE. If you race there, I would recommend driving up early, like Thursday.

Lodging is reasonable I think, but I ended up camping ($12 per day or something). If you want to camp, make a reservation!! If you want to stay anywhere close it will fill up. I counted on camping in the state park (awesome redwoods!), but they have like 8 camping spots... I ended up camping like 1/2-hour north, but it was cool because Luke McKenzie and company happened to stay in the same place. They were easy to pick out with their rides and official Scott enclosed trailer.

Overall, the venue is cool. Small, touristy towns, and vineyards everywhere! It is strange with two transition areas so far apart, and only two ways to get there. It made for a LONG day.

The Russian River is awesome. It's like a family getaway straight out of the 70's. One campground with tube rentals, beer, etc. right on the beach. The cool part about the swim is that it's fairly easy to swim straight-even easier than Tempe Town Lake. The crappy part is at the turnaround there is like a 50-meter section where it is too shallow to swim. Literally less than 2' deep. The RD said it was "swimmable", but I disagree. If nothing else it was a chance to stand up and catch your breath. T1 is uneventful, but expect rough ground and a long run with your bike. Run your bike up the first hill! Many people fell trying to pedal up the hill immediately after the mount.

The bike course is scenic if nothing else. Lots of narrow roads with no shoulders. Overhanging trees, vineyards galore, etc. Of course trees occasionally fall, but it happens I guess. My biggest complaint was the rough roads. Not as bad as Euclid in Tucson, but moderately bumpy almost the whole time. I lost my nutrition around 10 miles in. A couple moderate climbs in the early going, a tough climb at 40+ miles (a good 5-10 minute climb), then downhill to flat back to T2. T2 is very interesting because you just drop your shoes there the day before.

The run is a nice mix of road and trail (probably 80%/20%), and deceptively hilly. Some good rollers with some flat stretches between. Some shade, but mostly exposed to the sun. It would be very nice on a typical day in July, but not last year when it topped out around 95. The highlight was running through the vineyard at the turnaround. The run-through misters were greatly appreciated!

Post-race was typical for a longer race. Good food, and lots of support. The Trisports.com tent was awesome! Somewhat disorganized for awards because the ceremony goes on while so many people are still on the course. Then I had to wait for 1/2-hour or so to get on a shuttle back to my car at T1 (a half-hour ride). It definitely would be nice to have support out there to give you a ride back to your car.

Overall, it was a great experience for my first branded 70.3 event. If I lived close I would do it every year. Next year, I'll probably be picking a different destination race to try out something new.

Every mushroom cloud has a silver lining

2009-09-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

So I decided to start my training for the Tucson Marathon. How do most marathon training plans start? One week of easy-ish running leading up to the first "long run". For stock beginner and intermediate training plans we're talking about a first long run of 8-10 miles. What does this mean? It means that you go through a week of training before your first real test. In fact, that first day of training is likely a rest day. What?! So you're telling me my first day of training is a day of rest? These days I come up with my own wacky plans...

So what do you do on your first day of marathon training? A long run. Yeah, that's right. Why beat around the bush and put off any real test for at least six days? A typical long run for me these days of 10-11 miles. Let's make it marathon training! The night before: a six-pack, too much fiber for dinner, and little sleep. So what happened? The last 6 miles felt literally like the last 6 marathon miles (if you've been there you know what I'm talking about). Zero energy. Everything hurts. Where is the next porta potty? Anyway, I made it through...BUT, suddenly pain in my left knee. Pain like I haven't felt since my last marathon training four years ago. OUCH!

I think my body was telling me something:
Do you know what you're in for?
Do you remember the LOOOOONG runs?
Do you remember having to run 5-6 days a week with aches and pains?
Running takes over your life. What about that?
Are you ready to sacrifice?
When you are in pain, will you force yourself to take a day off despite what's on the schedule?

So, I took several days off. Started jogging to try it out. Pain=turning around and walking 1/4-mile back home. That hurts the pride for sure.

Six days later a 2.5-mile run. No issues, so let's race! Labor day was the Saguaro National Park 8-miler on the east side of Tucson. A nice jog in the park. Well, except for that 800' incline between miles 3.5 and 5. I decided to go for it!

One mile in, I found myself way too close to Sam McGlone. I must have started too hard. 6:24. Oops! Yes, too hard. Knee pain around mile 3. It's nothing. All in your head. Made the climb to mile 5. On goal pace. Awesome! Then rolling hills. OUCH! My knee says "that's it". Crap, first DNF. Let me tell you, on an eight-mile loop, walking the last 3 miles takes a long time... Watching everyone pass. People saying "you're almost there". No, I'm not. I'm done for today. In fact I'm done for a while.

On the positive side, my brother in law raced and did awesome! First running race ever, and ran 8:30s on a very tough course! Pretty awesome. I'm excited for him and his Tucson Marathon.

Not sure what this means for my Tucson Marathon plans. Will have to take a couple weeks off running (knee feels fine cycling and swimming) and go from there. Two tris coming up in October, so it's healing time. Hopefully I'll be back up to speed soon. Maybe even in time to chase after my Boston dreams...

I ain't got a thing to prove to you!

2009-09-04T22:59:00.000-07:00

Just arrived back home from another fieldwork trip. This time a turn-around trip to my research site on the Colorado River. A nice 14-hour Friday before the long weekend. Woohoo :|

Based on my repeated encounters with law enforcement in Arizona and California, I would like to post a personal letter to all DPS, Pima County Sheriffs, Maricopa County Sheriffs, La Paz County Sheriffs, Imperial County Sheriffs, CBP, and anyone else I missed in this list. If you are one of these folks, know someone, or whatever, please pass on the following. It would help if you could attach a picture of my smiling face to be kept in patrol cars.

Dear Respectable Law Enforcement Officer:

I present the following information in advance of our meeting to clear up potential misconceptions, avoid conflict, and allow us both to complete our jobs effectively and efficiently without wasting time on useless "friendly conversation".

"Nice to meet you on the side of the road like this. I am aware that I am not required to answer most of these questions, but I will be friendly and oblige.

Yes, I am a US citizen. I know it is strange to be driving across the desert in the middle of the night. I am well aware of my speed. I set it on cruise control at the speed I estimated would be most likely to reduce the probability of us meeting. I must have calculated incorrectly.

I have no criminal record. I have never gotten a ticket (aside from some UA parking tickets. Those guys are FAST!). I have been pulled over exactly once before this because a NC police officer did not appreciate me passing him even though I was going below the speed limit. When literally his first words to me were, "I don't know how they do things in Arizona..." I knew I was in trouble. But I digress.

No, I have not been drinking. I am not under the influence of any drugs (besides caffeine). I am regularly drug-tested at work and something tells me a positive would be a bad thing.

No, I do not have any drugs in the car. No, not even a small amount for occasional personal use.

No, I do not own this car. It is a rental. You know this already based on 1) the PERM tag; 2) the "e" sticker; and 3) the fact that you already ran the plate while following me for the last mile and a half.

Why would I be using my personal vehicle for work? Why don't you use yours? I bet your squad car helps you do your job, eh?

Yes, I know it is suspicious that I have had this rental car for several weeks. My fieldwork is consistent but I still can't talk the boss into buying a company vehicle.

Yes, I am a little wiry. My spouse and mother remind me on a regular basis that I am too skinny. No, I am not skinny from taking drugs.

I am a little irritable. I am in a hurry to get my job done and get home to my family. This is a waste of my time and yours. Sure, I'll step out of the vehicle.

My frequent passenger is my good friend Daniel. Yes, he is brown-ish. No, he is not Mexican. Apparently your profiling needs some work. His Spanish is worse than mine--good enough to get into and out of trouble in Puerto Penasco on the weekends, but that's about it.

Yes, I do have a LOT of food in the vehicle. I swim, bike, and run. A LOT. And I get very hungry. No, I do not have the munchies. I do not have drugs in the car. No, not even a small amount for occasional personal use.

I am driving to Walter's Camp, CA or Cibola, AZ. No, you haven't heard of them even though you work 10 miles away. You were trained and plopped down in the middle of the desert. It is close to Blythe. Yes, some people actually set out to go TO Blythe, not THROUGH it. Lucky us, right?

Yes, I am suddenly nervous when you ask to pat me down. I am suddenly aware of the immense power in the hands of a 20 year-old with qualifications that include passing the AIMS test and being able to recite Miranda rights in Spanish. And I just don't trust you.

I am aware that I am filthy. I did not spend the day sitting in my car. I was literally rolling around in soil, repeatedly applying sunscreen and bugspray before rolling around in the soil again in 110 degrees. See? Yes, I do have a beard, and it is ugly. I see no need for a shaving when I spend my days rolling around in dirt.

Can you search my car? I guess, if you'd like to waste more of your time. You'll find a long list of things that would never make it on an airplane these days...a pipe wrench, box cutter, various chemicals, electronics, and a machete (okay I made that one up). If it is March, April, or May, you would find 50+ pounds of native plant seed. Yes, my project is growing plants. No, not those kind. Yes, I am sick of comments about it. Marijuana references have come from my family, my boss, my advisor, the client, and the farmer we contract with. Oh, you weren't joking. No, not marijuana seed.

You would also find a ridiculous amount of spandex, several pairs of running shoes, a wetsuit, swim goggles, and, if there was any extra room, my road bike is packed in there. And likely a wide variety of beer. Yes, this is a strange combination. No, we do not have any explosives or drugs. No, not even a small amount for occasional personal use.

Thank you, yes, I will have a good night. You be safe also. Thank you for the speeding "warning" for going 4 mph above the speed limit."

With this information in-hand prior to me setting out on the road again, I trust that I have cleared up any potential confusion. If you have any questions or would like additional information I am sure you will ask for it.

Thank you for your time. Sincerely,

Matthew Robert Grabau

I'm fine and dandy with the me inside

2009-09-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

So on the verge of a PhD (aka piled-head-deep, aka I-better-figure-out-what-the-heck-to-do-with-myself) it has dawned on me that I had better figure out what the heck to do with myself. On some fronts things are set. For a grad student, I actually have a lot going on outside of school. Married, two beautiful baby girls, and a "real job", whereas it seems most PhDs wait until they're 3o+ to start any life outside of academia. Absolutely nothing wrong with that path, and in some ways I'm envious I guess...it was just not for me. Anyway, I have a job with potential to become a Principal and open my own office; or I could try to teach; or I could put it all on the line and start my own company.

A big part of me thinks a major problem with our generation is that we have too many options and opportunities. My parents were happy to have each other, a family, an a job that would support us. Yet we get to wonder "what else?". I have started to realize that "the grass is always greener" definitely is the case, and these days we can see the other side all too well. The point of all this babble is the following: I came from a down-to-Earth family; I grew up fishing, catching frogs, getting sunburned, and enjoying the rural Arizona/California "niceties". A big question now is, can I find myself, my place, and my career while remaining myself? In other words can I find out where I should go without forgetting where I've been? I hope the answer is yes, but who is to judge? I guess my goal is to be happy, do something "important", and hold onto my roots. Judgment is on me. I might or might not share my opinion... :)

At this point I am in the position to do some great work where my heart is and where I grew up, but it's time to explore. When I find myself wishing for red lights on the way to work, something is wrong. Time to fix it. Adios for now.

I think I'll go to Boston...

2009-08-29T16:09:00.001-07:00

If only it were that easy.

Well it's about time for a temporary change of pace. Four years since my last marathon and feeling the itch to do it again. This time a real, achievable goal: 3:10:59. I had no urge to go 26.2 again until my first (yes there will be a first) Ironman. However, my bro-in-law signed up for the Tucson Marathon and it reminded me of my first time. This was not only my first marathon, but my first running race--period.

I thought about it hard last week, and (while at work) I realized that I had written my own training plan for the next 16 weeks. I also realized that one of my major before-30 goals is within reach, and suddenly 30 is not far off. Oops, I guess I'll do it. I needed a running focus anyway. Starting Monday the run volume will go up and the bike/swim will become cross-training. At least two more tris to come this year to take advantage of my current base, but also an 8-miler, 10-miler and whatever else gets in the way.

Other pre-30 goals are within my sights but no commitments yet... For now it's RUN TIME!

If you don't expect too much from me...

2009-07-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

you might not be let down.

Vineman 70.3 is in the books! I just got back from a crazy tour of California. A few nights of camping and a crazy race followed by a week-long conference in L.A. First things first: race report!

Day before: Expo and packet pick-up at Windsor High School. It was a little weird to have it at a school, but pretty nice also. The sheer number of people was a little intimidating, but besides that it was basically the same as any other race. The TriSports.com expo was pretty nice-basically a mobile tri shop. Some other cool vendors (Avia was the title sponsor) and some pros wandering about. Pretty cool... Set up T2 the day before, which was strange. Basically you throw your shoes under a rack somewhere you hope to find them the next day. How's this for a simple transition area?

At the pre-race meeting:

Then drove the course (run and bike), and it was a little different then I expected. Some significant hills, and definitely rolling throughout. The things that struck me were: narrow, rough roads; trees and shade. crazy!; vineyards. lots of them. something like 50 along the bike course alone. The run had several short but steep hills. They would definitely get your attention. Then, back to the campsite for an early bedtime. Some pics from the drive:

Up early on race morning as always. The part of the morning I look forward to the most: coffee! Especially following a "caffeine taper"--five days this time. This was my first time ever actually using one of those camping-style coffee makers (which I bought at Target the day before). I was impressed with myself; it actually came out great! Quick check of everything at the campsite, then off through the back roads to Guerneville. Unpack my car, and one last look at the setup:

Got set up with plenty of time, and got to say howdy to Craig Pansing and Quinn Borchard, two other trisports.com athletes who were ready to rock (and killed it by the way!!). Wetsuit on at the last minute, and into the water. The swim was good overall. A LOT of punching/kicking/etc., but what else would you expect with a couple hundred people eager to get going. I got in the rhythm and pushed hard. I forgot to start my watch (as usual), but felt good about how it went. They didn't get swim splits, but I my guess is 29-ish. I am happy with that. Over a 6-minute improvement from my last half, so good stuff.

Swim venue the day before:

Onto the bike and got into the groove pretty fast. There was bike traffic, but not too heavy. Hit the first little hill, and spun up as planned (easy on the hills, push it on the flats). Then it got interesting...right at the top of the hill, volunteers were telling us "slow down, crash ahead". So I'm thinking okay, back off, probably someone off the side of the road. Onto a downhill, and there are 100+ people stopped. Yes, stopped 5 miles into a 56-mile ride (race). Everyone was trying to figure out what was going on, and one of the officials finally told us a huge oak tree had just fallen across the road. Totally out of the blue. No wind, rain, snow, ice. Just decided it was time to go. It fell onto two people, busting both bikes. One guy broke his clavicle. The other guy had "several fractures" and caught an express ride to the hospital. Then we got to wait for several minutes while someone cut up the tree with a chainsaw. Then sweep the road off. Then send 200+ people down this narrow, windy road. It was madness. Not to mention any swim advantage is gone. My goal time is gone. I think I was standing around for 6-8 minutes. Some people sat there for longer, some people hardly stopped rolling. The smoking-fast swimmers got through before the crash happened. What a change in the race!

Then, I lost my gel on the road something like ten minutes after the stop (gel flask fell out on a road somewhere). I didn't really have a back-up, so I decided to go for Gatorade at all the aid stations. Not ideal, but you've got to work with what you have available. Got a nice legal pack of 3-4 people from my age group and pushed it. Kept some energy for Chalk Hill, spun up, and then pushed hard back into T2. My overall ride was officially 2:32, so figure 2:26 or 2:27-ish without the unexpected stop (not to mention fighting through traffic for the next ten miles). Pretty much at goal pace, so I am happy with it overall.

T2 was uneventful. Found my shoes easy enough, and then I was off! The cool (and depressing) part was I started my run right as Craig Alexander was coming down the finishing chute. Pretty cool... Mile one and two of the run were great. 7:15, 7:20. A little above pace, but I was hoping to work it down over the miles. Then, on the first hill, I knew there was trouble. My left hamstring was cramping already. From then on it was a struggle. My nutrition plan did not go as planned, and it started to show. I started struggling to make 8 minute pace, and then I just had to hold on to whatever pace I had left. Started walking aid stations, massaging my hamstrings. I pushed it, and I can still feel it a week later. Ouch. Anyway, the run was around 1:52, basically six minutes slower than my last half. I blame it on a lack of salt. I did not expect that heat (a high of 96 on race day...the hottest day of July, and I think the high the next day was 70. What's up with that?!).

Overall time was 4:58:29. I was not happy with it at first, but I'm getting over it. My best guess is a lack of salt and nutrition overall (I noticed that I only finished like 2/3 of my nutrition bottle on the bike). After the race, I caught the shuttle back to the start to get my bike, back to the campsite and packed up my junk. Then back to the awards ceremony. I knew I wouldn't be top four in the age group, but I knew I might still have a shot at a Clearwater spot. I walked in late, and my AG awards had already been handed out. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be. Packed up my T2 stuff and wandered through the awards area one more time. "We still have some spots to give out for men and women. Are there any guys here that want to go to Clearwater?" Are you kidding me? They couldn't get people to go to Florida? This was my secondary goal for the race. My first was 4:30, but whatever. BUT I couldn't pull the trigger. My financial situation sucks. I am busy finishing up my PhD. Hopefully I can make it happen next year... I thought about it for the rest of my night, which consisted of an eight-hour drive to downtown LA.

I have a habit of setting expectations too high, being disappointed, and getting burnt out. Not this time...BUT it's time for a break. I have been training HARD for the last two years, with my longest break being like four days. I have been completing 4+ hour bricks when it's 100 degrees outside. Craziness.

I took last week off entirely, and it was great! Some time to sleep (which I did a lot) and think about work/career/research stuff quite a bit. I am on my way to becoming an Agricultural Engineer (with an ecological restoration focus), and I spent all week at a conference on the topic. Good stuff! There is a ton of exciting work going on and I think I'm well on my way to getting involved.

For now I'll do my best to keep in shape, but not "train" specifically for anything. I'll probably swim a lot (don't want to lose the huge gains I've made), run a lot (run for dough, right?), and maybe ride hard a few times per week :) No racing for a while. Maybe Nathan and Bluewater then I'll call it a year. So far this year: 1 duathlon, two running races, and six triathlons. And it's only July...

Also, I need to survive my last class ever, which also happens to be my hardest class ever. Then on to writing (finally!) and defending sometime in October. So basically I'm going to spend the rest of the year figuring out what to do with my life. I'm also going to blog about whatever comes to mind, so be prepared!

Also looking forward to enjoying more moments like this :)

Do you believe in what you want?

2009-06-24T21:22:00.001-07:00

Wow, can't believe it has been a month. Time for a quick update and some ramblings...

Raced the Sahuarita Triathlon on Memorial Day, and it was a great time! A low-key race on a nice course, close to home. I went into it with high expectations, but was surprised by the very competitive (yet small) field. Good stuff! Highly recommended if you're in the Tucson area next year.

Besides that, boy am I keeping busy! Working hard on all fronts. Following a kick-butt training plan for Vineman 70.3 (thanks to Grasky Endurance). Lots of hard work and some hamstring issues a couple weeks ago. However, the pain is now gone and the workouts are clicking. I think I'll be running on all cylinders in a month. 25-29ers beware :)

Also back in class at the U of A. I was hoping to defend in July, but a not-so-pleasant surprise--my class goes through August! This means I can't defend during the summer, and more importantly I will not officially graduate until December (and I have to pay tuition...again). Gotta love the hoops that the U makes you jump through. Work has been crazy as well. Working days and nights on proposals in hopes that I can land a couple other environmental restoration-type projects to carry me through for a while. Family rocks! The girls are growing up SO fast. Luckily I've been able to be especially involved lately thanks to a lack of fieldwork commitments.

A diversion...on an advertisement at the Rec Center (for personal training), there is a simple rhetorical question that has really got me thinking: "Are you reaching your potential?" Of course this is made to get people thinking that they need a trainer to help them "get in shape" or "get healthy" or whatever, like there is some ideal place that you should be. After musing over this dumb poster for a couple days I finally realized it: no one is "reaching their potential". Think about it...it's impossible. For training, there is always something else I could be doing. Stretch more. Do yoga. Weight training. Ice baths. "Optimize" this, that, and the other thing. What happens when the new "best method" comes along? What about not enough hours in the day?

Now, pile on the rest of your life; other areas where you should be reaching your potential:

Work? I should be doing research right now. Writing proposals (two due next Tuesday). Searching for other business opportunities.

Family? I should be watching TV with my wife. I should be researching parenting methods. I should stop training so that I can help out more. I should call my parents/sister/brother/grandma more often.

School? Um, "optional" homework? I should be making sure I get an A in my last class to keep my 4.0 for my PhD program. The material (calculus applications) is stuff I will probably never use. But what if I need it? I should be spend every waking (and sleeping) hour thinking line integral this or divergence theorem that. I have papers to publish...I should be writing/editing/submitting.

Let's add to the list: community involvement, looking for other tri sponsors, blogging, fixing up the backyard, cleaning my bike, cleaning our cars, socializing (ha!). There is no end. Show me someone you think has reached his/her potential. I tell you that you're wrong.

So what does this mean? Not sure :) Just another way of saying that I need to prioritize I guess. Do the things you have to and pick and choose the things that you want to do. Doubt your priorities and figure out what you need/want. If something unimportant impacts the important things MAKE A CHANGE. We only live once, right? I'll wrap up by saying that I don't hesitate to doubt my priorities. Let's just say that I'll be thinking long and hard about priorities, needs, and wants while I'm wrapping up school. Maybe a change will be in the works for 2010. In the meantime--day by day...

this time it's on my own

2009-05-17T15:04:00.001-07:00

Another tri in the books! Today was the Tempe International in Tempe, Arizona. I raced the olympic, and it was my first tri since collegiate nationals. My training has been pretty consistent since nationals, so I'm still in decent racing shape. I was by no means tapered though...still sore from Masters practice on Friday, and finally recovered from a one-day flu-type bug on Tuesday. My expectations were moderate...I wasn't set on any given time--I've realized that time goals are generally a bad idea because you never know what the actual course conditions, course length, weather, crowds, etc. are going to be like. Anyway, I wanted to go for an age-group podium and see how low I could go. Also had some equipment changes this week. I swapped out my HedJet C2 69 combo for a Blackwell Disk and 100. I only had the chance to ride them for a couple short bricks this week, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect.

Quick race report (these things all seem the same unless something goes spectacularly wrong or right *spoiler* neither of which occurred). Swim was really good! Race-day announcement was no wetsuits (1st indication that a PR wasn't in the forecast)--exactly 79 degrees! For the first time I set myself in front, right in the middle of the pack. Yes, Masters has helped my confidence already. I went out HARD, then went into sustainable pace after a couple hundred meters. Started catching previous waves by the ~700 m buoy. A few of us from my wave were out front, but couldn't manage to put together any decent pack. On the way back in EVERYONE went around the wrong buoy--a sprint buoy that was left out for the earlier race. I knew it, but I wasn't going to be the only one to turn on the wrong buoy. Anyway, out of the water and onto the bike!

I knew that 2-4 people from my wave were out ahead of me, so my goal was to not let more people by than I passed. It worked! I started out moderate, then started going hard about 3 miles in. The new wheel setup felt great, although the sound of brakepads on carbon just isn't a good one! I blew by a ton of people, and was passed by exactly ONE person on the bike. My luck, it was a 28 year-old like 1/4-mile from the end of the bike. Flying dismount, quick T2, and I was out in front of him...for the first 200 yards or so :). He came flying by, and I knew I would bonk if I tried to follow.

For once on the run, I didn't get passed much, and it got my hopes up for a high finish. I failed to think about the people out of the water in front of me though... Anyway, another guy in my AG got me at about mile 4, but a quick look over my shoulder and no one was to be seen. UNTIL about 1/4-mile from the finish... Ryan, a friend from the Tucson Triathlon Club came flying by. I kept on his heels for about 100 m, but didn't have the guts to hold on. I was still pretty confident in a top 3 AG, but the race results don't lie...4th by less than a minute. ahhhh, crap...

Lessons learned? Sure: 1) I need to learn how to run. 2) I need to HTFU on the run. 3) There are always people behind. Don't look back (too much), just go as hard as you possibly can. 4) Bike for show, run for dough. 5) I need to learn how to run.

So, what now? I think I'll go for a run! Tomorrow... I'll keep following the expert advice and training plan of Brian Grasky, and look forward to next weekend. Sahuarita sprint triathlon in Sahuarita (imagine that!).

Oops, that got longer than expected. Anyway, this post was supposed to be about something related to the title (that line at the top). This was my first race in the new TriSports.com kit; my first race post-TriCats; and I traveled without Shannon and the girls. It was so different! So much less stress. I followed my own schedule, ate when and where I wanted, and was checked in and sitting in my hotel bed at 3:30 pm. Did it help my race? Maybe, but I didn't notice. Was it more relaxing? I guess. Was it as fun/rewarding/exciting? Nope.

Being involved with the team was awesome, even if I felt like an old guy. I hope those guys and gals realize how great it is that they're involved on a team. But for me, it's time to move on. I'm now part of the Tucson Triathlon Club, and I look forward to being on a team of a different sort. Meeting other families like ours who know that swim/bike/run is a ton of fun, even if it's hard work. It might not always be fun. We don't always meet our goals of PRs, top-whatever, or even finishing, but the journey is rewarding.

I'm also looking forward to getting to know the TriSports.com employees and athletes. Today I had the chance to meet Sue Meno and chat for a minute with Mike Montoya, whom I believed both found their way to the podium today. Shannon Driscoll and Leo Carillo (other TriSport.com athletes that I know from training in Tucson) also stepped up. Still waiting to hear how the Tucson Triathlon Club did in the Club Championship today, but I'll update when I know.

Anyways, off for a beer and some rest. Hope to see you out there training and at Sahuarita. This time the family should be there!

let's try this all again, only faster now

2009-05-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

Another week of racing in the books. Today was the Cinco de Mayo 10k in Tucson. Another local running race that I raced last year. This is a pretty stinking tough race. Up, up, down, up down, down. My goal was basically just to leave last year's time in the dust. Mission accomplished! Following Grasky's advice, I went out HARD--at a pace I didn't think I could hold for 6.2. For once I had a race strategy. Hard, but not ridiculous on the first 2 miles (uphill), let go on the next mile (steep downhill), hard after the turnaround (uphill next mile), then hold on for the last 2 miles (downhill). Finally, due to last-minute developments one of my goals was to not get my butt kicked too hard by Sam McGlone... It went pretty much according to plan, and I felt SPENT by the end. My time was around 2:30 faster than last year (24 seconds/mile). Still not where I WANT to be, but for a hard 10k I'll take it! Hung around for the kids' race (the anniversary of Rylie's first race), three breakfast burritos, three trips to the bathroom (probably not a coincidence...). Then what? Change into cycling gear for a hard/hilly 2:30 ride. Thanks, coach! :) It hurt, but felt gooooood. If it makes me faster it was worth the pain. Plus, a great excuse to put in some miles and take in the scenery on a calm Sunday morning.

Other happenings from this week include my first Masters swim practice. I was nervous, but apparently too much so. I jumped in with the 1:25/100 lane (which I wouldn't have done before like two weeks ago) and ended up leading the lane for the day (swimming 1:20s realistically). So, tomorrow I'll get into the 1:20s and try to hold on for dear life. I am actually excited about swimming for once! A year ago I had trouble holding 1:30s for 100 repeats. Two months ago was the same for 1:25 pace. Last week I held 1:20s for a bunch of 150s.

These developments (consistent PRs and swimming improvements) make me wonder how I'm going to feel when the PRs aren't coming so easily. If it doesn't happen on a weekly/yearly basis will I keep my drive? What will be the motivation? I guess I'll cross that bridge when it comes. For the moment I'm going to enjoy it and keep pushing.

Now for a week of hard training (no races), then on to the Tempe International Tri. Should be a fast course (depending on weather of course), and a good chance at an oly PR. Not that I care about PRs or anything...

we become the things we do

2009-04-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been thinking about how and why I do what I do. There is something inside me that makes me (over) commit to any and all activities I get my mind set on. It's kind of funny...I don't think I am really that talented at any of the sports I have taken on. BUT I become so obsessed that I think about it all the time, and with that level of commitment it's hard not to improve. At only :) 28 years I have done (and become) many things. Here's a brief recap:

Age "earlier than I can remember" to 18: baseball. When I was 11-years old, my baseball coach had my parents convinced that I was going to be an awesome baseball player (yes, at 11 years old!). This got into my head, too, and the obsession began. After a year of adjusting to life in a new town, I was committed to baseball. Is it unhealthy for a 12-year old to obsess about sports 24-7? I think maybe... At 12 I was 5'11" and 150 pounds. YES, I was a big kid. So, of course at this age I was on top of my game. As a pitcher I was one of the hardest-throwing (and wildest) in Arizona. And I could swing a bat. I could not sleep at night because I visualized when I closed my eyes. I could "feel" myself swinging a bat and making perfect contact. At 14 I convinced my parents to let me play baseball year-round. This meant weekend trips to Phoenix EVERY WEEK to play a double-header. I started lifting weights daily. My dad installed a net to catch balls in the garage, and I would hit a minimum of several hundred balls per day...with weighted bats. Well, I got older and there was suddenly a problem. I hadn't grown and everyone had caught up. Sure I had gotten stronger, but at 17 I was still 5'11''. My dad had been convinced that I would take a baseball scholarship for college. Oops... Lucky for me (and surprise to all :) ) I was actually somewhat intelligent, and was able to get a full ride based on academics. Phew! I tried to walk on at the U of A as a freshman, but couldn't quite make it. Despite years of devotion and training, the talent simply wasn't there.

Age 13-20: wakeboarding. Yes, my mistress to baseball. Enemy of my parents (i.e. distraction from baseball). I learned to waterski at 6 years old, and started wakeboarding soon after they came out. I'm talking directional wakeboards with bungee straps. I was hooked from my first ride (which was actually in January three weeks after Christmas--like I said, I'm kind of a nut like that). Riding was an outlet for me. No pressure from family--it was just for me. But, as happens for me, my competitive spirit took over. When I wasn't visualizing baseball I was dreaming of wakeboarding. I practiced handle-passes before bed. I strapped shoes onto a skateboard, attached a rope to a post, and practiced wakeboarding on my girlfriend's trampoline. Every weekend I rode until I couldn't stand up. Fall after fall I rode until I nailed whatever trick I was learning. It got to the point where my dad and I would fight over how to drive the boat...seriously. I entered one competition in Phoenix. Not quite the talent to take it to the next level (not that I saw a future with wakeboarding...but whatever). Parents sold the boat and river place (unrelated to wakeboarding), and that was the end of the story. I haven't ridden in over five years, and I finally sold my board last year. ALTHOUGH...parents just got a new river place. We might see a resurrection of this wakeboarding thing before long.

20-21: bowling. Don't laugh...too much. So what "sport" can you possibly get into as a college student. Hmmmmm...hanging out with friends, drinking, late nights? BOWLING!!! Not too much to say here. Started going to late-night specials at Golden Pins for all-you-can-bowl. Before you know it, I have my own shoes, my own ball, and a PB of 265. Okay, this sport is not for me...time to move on.

21-24: running. Let me start by saying I was NOT a runner (see above). In fact I hated running. My PR for the mile in high school was 7:45. I was so excited when I finished because I had made it four laps without walking. Hey, you've got to take the small victories, right? Like many freshmen, I gained a bunch of weight. Suddenly there was no sport. Pizza was everywhere! Good food was cheap food...and I ate a lot of it. Sophomore year I decided to change that. I started running 1-2 miles a day. It still wasn't fun, but it grew on me. I still remember the first time I finished two miles and felt like I could keep going without dying. As for many new runners I was plagued by minor injuries. I got shin splints all the time. I was too heavy to run, but couldn't lose weight until I ran (sounds like "I eat because I'm unhappy, and I'm unhappy because I eat". ohhhh, fat bastard I once felt your pain!). Then I had a breakthrough. During an internship in NC I started trail running. Soft trails, lots of nature, and I was hooked! I signed up for my first running race. Ever. The Tucson Marathon. Seriously, this is me... I kept with running off and on, but couldn't stay hooked. There wasn't enough variety for me, and I knew I would never be competitive as a runner.

26-???. Triathlon. Don't need to say much here. Bought a bike and some speedos, and got to work! Something new. Something different. Something I could do for the rest of my life. Something I might be somewhat competitive at? Awesome. Two years later I'm putting in 15 hours/week and raising my goals on a monthly basis. It is so much fun to enter events and take the family. Last week I raced. Shannon raced. Rylie raced the under-4 division (he he). I am excited to see where this goes!

salt, sweat, sugar on the asphalt

2009-04-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy couple weeks! THE race I have been waiting for has come and gone. I can't believe it! Around a year ago there was a rumor that TriCats was going to have a separate elite-type group that would consist of the five or so fastest guys and girls on the team. I made my goal for last summer to get to the point where I was confident that I could not be left out of that group. That meant training a LOT, whenever I had the chance. See, this was also an important time for other (important) parts of my life. My second daughter was born on June 3, 2008 via C-section. This meant that Shannon was down and out for several weeks in the heart of the Tucson summer. Because we already had one daughter, there was no way for me to be able to leave the girls home alone, except when Rylie was napping. Yeah, that's right, as in afternoon naps. So for around 8 weeks in June and July of last year, I was putting in 10-17 hours of training per week, with almost all of it coming between 12 and 4 pm. To put it lightly I would say that I was driven.

Anyway, lots of time mileage, sweat, and blood have been laid out and I made it to collegiate nationals. The trip went something like this: on Thursday, leave Tucson around 10 am, arrive in Lubbock, Texas at 1 am...yep, that's a 12-hour drive. Of course we HAD to get up for the free breakfast, so around 6 hours of sleep. Friday was a tune-up brick in the morning followed by a visit to the racecourse. Not exactly the most exciting terrain. Mostly flat with grass and farmland. I think I saw about 8 trees in Lubbock. Drove to transition and hopped in the water for a quick swim. It was pretty chilly, somewhere in the low 50's. Also there was a ton of debris in the water; took a couple sticks in the ear...

Then took a drive of the entire bike course with our navigator/fearless leader Brian Grasky. It was AWESOME to talk through the whole course: take it easy here, push for this section, this is the smoothest part of the road, etc. Just awesome. Rest of Friday was pretty mellow. Packet pick-up followed by a LOOOOOOOONG wait at Olive Garden for dinner. Then finished putting on race numbers, packed bags, and ready to go!

Race Day:

Woke up around 4:45, oatmeal in the microwave, and COFFEE!! I had "caffeine-tapered" for four days, which essentially meant I had been dealing with a headache the ENTIRE time. Double-check my transition bag, and out the door. Arrived at transition with plenty of time to spare. It was COLD!! I didn't realize it at the time, but the air temp was in the 30s! Went through typical pre-race stuff, mostly taking it easy and trying not to psych myself out too much.

The swim went pretty well! It was cold, but I found my groove fairly early and just hung in there. I got stuck in a later wave, so I got out in front of my wave...which meant no drafting :(. Anyway, hung in there and made it out. GET ME TO MY BIKE!

So around 200 yards out of transition there was a killer little hill. I was following my expert coach's advice (spin up easy!), but suddenly had a BAD cramp in my left hamstring. I tried not to panic, but some part of me thought my day was over. I have never cramped during a race, and for it to happen that early really scared me. I told myself to keep going and spin it out, and it finally worked after around 20 minutes. YAY! The rest of the bike was fairly uneventful. Paseed a TON of people and was passed by maybe 5, but I definitely held my own. I finally started to feel really good on the bike...when it was time to head back into transition :( I did not want to get off my bike.

T2 went smoothly as usual, and I was off! I was nervous to get my butt kicked on the run, as lately running has been my weakness. I was happy to see that I passed more people than passed me! I think that is the first time it has happened. I felt okay overall on the run, but felt like I couldn't push myself as hard as I wanted to.

So, my race panned out like this: 2:24 and change. It turns out that the swim was marked VERY long (like over 300 m long). Also, the bike course turned out to be harder than most of us had anticipated, with some small but strategically-placed hills, and a headwind on the second half. This added up to a non-PR day (I was hoping for sub 2:10). BUT I was 124th out of the men, which beat the heck out of my original goal of top 200. Also, my bike was in the top 100, so that was a reason to walk away with a smile.

When you put that much emphasis on one event it can never live up to your expectations. Worse yet, something can go wrong (flat tire, GI distress or whatever) and you feel like it was all a waste. For me, I was WAY off my PR goal, but I beat my placement goal, which is really what matters I guess.

So, what's next? I basically consider this the end of my collegiate triathlon career, but NOT my triathlon career. I am going to take what I learned and run with it to see what I can achieve over the rest of 2009. In the short-term I'll be focusing on running and swimming. Coach Grasky's advice was to enter every running race I can find, go out too hard, and try to hang on as long as possible. Sound scary? It is to me. However, I had my first 5k last Saturday, and it worked (PR of over 1:00!). Yeah, that's right. I took a grand total of two days off after nationals :) I have a three or four races in May and June, then Vineman 70.3 in July. Bring it on!

It hurts because it should

2009-04-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the time is finally here. Collegiate nationals in 6 days! Now that taper time is here I actually have time to get another post up...

The last month of training has been crazy. Hard rides, hard bricks, ridiculous swims. During many of the workouts I have caught myself wondering if I would be able to finish my swimming sets or hold my race pace even when I'm on the verge of donating my last meal to the roadside.

I have also had the chance to get my first two tris in for 2009. The first was the Havasu Triathlon. The venue is awesome--my hometown, low-key event, and this year the weather was awesome! No white caps and 20+ MPH headwinds on the bike. The result? Ridiculous PRs for everyone. Mine was something like 18 minutes better than last year. I'll attribute something like 10 minutes to the better conditions, meaning something like an "actual" PR of 8 minutes. I'll take it!

The next week was the Tucson Tri (a sprint on the UA campus). It wasn't a spectacular race for me, but still a PR of over a minute. As long as I keep improving I'll be happy.

Besides that, lots of training... Suddenly my swim workouts are regularly over 400o yards, which to me is pretty crazy. Before last month I had never swam more than 3500 in a workout. Last Sunday was 4800! I might become a fish after all. Bikes and runs are getting shorter but more painful. It will be nice to enjoy some base training again after this week.

On other fronts--still plowing through school. Looks like I am going to take a class over summer and hopefully (!!!!) defend before August--August 2009. As in 11 years after I started at the U. Now that is craziness. Family has been a ton of fun. We no longer have an infant. A terrible two (who's not so terrible :) ) and the youngest is ready to walk any day. Sleep is actually occurring on a regular basis. HOWEVER, there is no sleeping in. 10 minutes before the sun is up, the girls are up. Alarm clocks are no longer effective for me. Screaming babies on the other hand are EXTREMELY effective.

The only other real news is that I am finding it hard to resist signing up for 140.6. St. George looks like an awesome venue. We'll see. Maybe if I think about it for a few more weeks the race will fill up and I won't be tempted anymore...

Alrighty. Off to enjoy the rest of my Easter Sunday, watch some golf, and absorb this taper. Until next time.

Don't you forget why you came to the dance

2009-03-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

So it has been WAY too long, and I figured I need to either post or throw in the towel. So it's posting time!

SO much has been going on, hence the lack of online activity. The first big thing is that class is back in session. Yes, I am STILL in school. Every semester I feel like I lose a little more steam. Nothing different this time around. 9 more credits to take, so I signed up for 9. A month later I was knocked on my butt and so I'm back to 6. The big news is that means I can't graduate this semester no matter what. I will be at the U of A until at least mid-summer...maybe (but hopefully not!) longer. One more math class and then wrapping up my dissertation. A small task? No, but I'll pull it off. Why am I posting tonight? Spring break! Yeah, that's right...28 and I still get a spring break.

Next, the economy finally hit home. Scares about losing jobs drove us crazy for a month, but luckily we made it through. My boss did ask for volunteers to go less than full-time, so I felt obligated to take him up on it, at least through May. More time for family, class, and training. As long as we can pay our bills in the meantime, things are all good.

Okay, on to less depressing topics...fun times lately on the Tri front! Went to a group ride with Eneko Llanos and a ton of local triathletes from TriSports and it was a blast. All the amateurs had fun destroying each other making mini-breaks for it while Eneko kept it in Zone 1. Next, TriFest '09 was a blast. Lots of tri gear I can't afford and a ton of great people and fun events. The expo was exciting, talks were interesting, and the after-hours events were great (casino night at TriSports...awesome).

Next, let the racing season begin! TriCats spring training camp was paired up with the Desert Classic Duathlon as usual, and it was a blast. The weather this year was awesome (compared to the rain and cold last year). I was very happy with my race--it was an improvment of over 15 minuts--but the field was stacked this year. I finished in the same place in my age group. Crazy! Some pictures here:

Tricats Base Camp:

All my junk:

A great morning to race:

Mid-ride:

Hanging out post-race:

The big news is that I am going to collegiate nationals this year! It will be the first and last time I get to go--aging out and hopefully(!!!) graduating before next fall. This has been a HUGE goal of mine for over a year, so it is awesome that I actually get to go. The selection was a combination of speed, participation in the club team, and politics (imagine that!!!). But I made the cut and I am ready to do it! However, there is obviously a lot of pressure involved as many more people from the club wanted to go than could be selected. Suddenly I feel obligated to make it to workouts and really take everything on. 15 hours of training per week has become a minimum and over 14,000 yards of swimming, which is WAY over average. I have also been able to make myself push harder than I ever thought possible. Last night for the first time in TriCats history I doubted that I would finish a track workout...4, 8, 12, 16, 8, 4, 8, 12, 1600, AND the last 1600 was the fastest I have EVER run a mile. Great stuff! It is painful, but so rewarding to see the hard work pay off. Competing at nationals has been my goal for a year. Time to saddle up and do what it takes!

So, next up: Havasu Tri next week (March 21), Tucson Tri the next Sunday, two weeks without racing, then Nationals! Here we go!

Are you gonna live your life wondering, standing in the back, looking around?

2009-01-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

One of the deepest questions we get asked as endurance athletes is, "Why?"

And they mean: Why get out of bed at ridiculous hours and do crazy workouts? Why are your priorities what they are? What is the point? The answer would seem easy for the pros. But I doubt that 99% of professional endurance athletes can justify money as the reason. For amatuers, the question is even more difficult to answer. The cocky, typical answer goes something like:

"If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand anyway..."

I admit that I have used or at least considered using that response. However, what happens when we ask ourselves the question? This is one of the deep thoughts that entered my mind during my ridiculous long run today (see below). It took me a little while to remember, honestly. Then the runner's high kicked in and there it was. I remember when I could not run more than a mile or two straight (not very long ago in the big picture). It took a LONG time to get over. It is hard to keep running when you're overweight. For me it was shin splints. I ran to lose weight, but running made me injured and I couldn't run. Frustrating? Absolutely. Did it get the best of me? More than once. But I didn't give up forever.

What happened to me? One day I ran as usual. At the time my daily run was two miles to try to lose weight. One loop around the U of A as usual, and I was back at the house. But wait, I could keep going! So I did. Not much further, but more than I planned. Suddenly it clicked! My limits were not what I thought. It was an turning point. It was empowering. It was...fun? Running? Nah, couldn't be...

Many miles and several years have passed, and once in a while I forget why I run. And then I set out on a typical long run (for me defined as something over eight or so miles). But I get that feeling again-unstoppable. Am I the fastest runner around? No way. But I can go far. I can run ridiculous hills. I have yet to find my limits. In my running-only days, running was the method of torture. Now, swim-bike-run. The human body is an incredible vehicle. The obvious questions--what are my limits? How do I find them? I go for something ridiculous. Something I don't know if I can finish. Today was one of those days.

Today I set out for a long run. It is Sunday, of course. So I finally decided to go for Wasson Peak, the highest peak in the Tucson Mountains. The obvious route was to leave from the Desert Museum. Something like eight miles roundtrip. But I wanted something just a bit more epic. Instead I chose a longer route. How long? I didn't want to add it up. Definitely over ten miles, so it would work. Challenging? Yes. Definitely a lot of climbing, but it can't be that bad (the aerial from Google Earth makes it look easy after all). The TriCats run was the Phoneline Trail at Sabino Canyon. It can't be harder than that. I knew it was fairly serious when I went for nipple guards and my camelback. Plus a map! My first time EVER running with a map. To be prepared, I packed a few gels along with about 40 ounces of water, my phone, and my camera. Then I set out. Don't think about it. Just go. This is just past the start of the Cactus Wren Trail at Rudasill and Sandario. That is Wasson in the distance:

Basecamp was Rudasill and Sandario on the west side of the Tucson Mountains. I assumed that it would be relatively flat at the beginning, leading up to switchbacks after around four miles. Then pain. I knew it would get tough. The first four miles to Ezkiminzin Picnic Area were pretty much as expected, but the incline was more than gradual. But otherwise nothing remarkable. Definitely a good warmup. I checked my map and finally figured out the right trail (Hugh Norris). Increasingly steep for about a mile. Then switchbacks--serious switchbacks. I have to say that it caught me a little off-guard, and I am a pretty decent uphill runner. I would think about slowing down and then I could see the next turn. Had to break it down into smaller increments, and suddenly I was at the ridge.

Looking back down:

It was relatively easy for the next mile, but the switchbacks were ridiculous at Amole Peak. Struggled through that, and then could see Wasson from the top! From there it was no problem. I could see the end, and I was going to be able to make it--running! I spent a few minutes at the top enjoying the view and met a bunch of nice people. Some views and video from the top:

Tucson:

Looking north toward the Silverbell Mine (and my car):

The run back to the car was relatively unremarkable. High points and low points. Ran out of calories with about a half hour to go, and water with about two miles left, but still felt decent at the end. Two more videos from the run back and at the finish:

Basic stats:

Distance: ~16 miles
Run Time: 2:33:55 (1:28 out, 1:05:55 in)
Max HR: 176
Avg HR: 155
Min elevation: 2262'
Max: 4687'

Was this run necessary? No. I could have more easily done my standard 10-miler from home. Will it lower my finishing times this year? Probably not. Have I rediscovered my reason for training? Yes. Everyone I met up there thought it would be impossible to run the trail. They could never do it. A few years ago I would have thought the same. That is what keeps me going. I remind myself on a regular basis (with coach Grasky's help from time to time) that perceived limits are false, and to show other people that they can accomplish more than they can imagine. So far, there are no limits to athletic achievements. What does that mean for everything else?

So that is my answer I guess. I do ridiculous workouts and race as hard as possible to show that limits--those that you have for me; those that I have for myself--do not exist. What are you capable of?

I can't swim so I dog paddle...

2009-01-14T21:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's not quite that bad, but still.

I learned how to swim pretty young the same way most kids do who grow up on the River. The older kids threw me into deep water. Since then, I was in the water all the time. However, that doesn't mean that I learned how to swim any better. Feel for the water? Sure. Get from point A to B as quickly as possible? Not so much. An that's how it was for the first 23-ish years of my life.

After graduating college, I was desperate for a job--combination of lots of competition (I knew I wanted to be a biologist. I didn't know everyone else did too!) and a crappy economy in 2002. So, I was happy to find a job anywhere in Arizona; even Ajo. In Ajo there is Reservation to the East, Air Force Property North and West, and more protected land south. BUT for four short months a year there is a public pool. So I lifeguarded in my spare time. First time ever swimming laps. Easy enough follow the stripe until you run into the wall, then turn around and do it again-and again... Kind of like a treadmill--work hard-make that painfully hard-and go nowhere.

Then, a year and a half ago I finally started swimming with a purpose. Get in shape for triathlons. At first my gains were awesome. After four months, I posted a pretty decent time in my first sprint. Then I swam some more and raced the same sprint six months later. I felt awesome in the water. Climbed out of the pool, and...8 seconds slower. Wait, what? Okay, I'll train more. Six months later, a hundred thousand yards or so in the water, and...exactly the same time. AGAIN?!!

So, I finally decided to get some help. I got a recommendation for a local swim coach, and signed up for three lessons. My early goal was to see what I could do to improve my time in the local sprint by next time (yes, I'm giving it another shot in March). My first lesson was tonight. Part of me was hoping that my form was bad; or at least not good. At least that would mean there was room for improvement. So, I was asked the expected list of questions: background, goals, etc. "Have you had lessons before?" Yes, I was five. I think the goal then was not to drown. Don't worry, I've got that covered.

Then there were the unexpected questions:

"How old are you? 30?" - Um, no, but thanks. I must look mature.
"So you're on TriCats? Are you the coach?" -Negative. Just old-looking apparently. In fact, I know I'm too old to be on a college team. What's your point?

So, we got past that, and I decided to overlook the unnecessary, possibly offensive questions and jumped in the pool. After a couple laps, the verdict was apparently clear-"March is not going to be a good month for you." Wait, what? He went on. "We are going to work on a major hitch in your stroke." The recommendation? Swim with the slowest people possible. Nothing anaerobic. In fact "what would be best is if you let your swim fitness go to hell for awhile. You will be slower for a while, but after you get the new technique down you might get faster. Unfortunately, you really have to develop your kick. And you need to totally re-develop your stroke which you can't do when you're dying during your set."

Wait, I "might" get faster? What am I here for again? Kick? Didn't I tell you I was a triathlete? Can you bill me after I cut at least a minute off of my sprint swim time?

So anyway this is where I'm at for now. I am apparently destined for some slow swimming followed by hopefully some gains in time for Vineman in July. In the meantime, you'll see me at the pool. I be the one at the shallow end trying to keep up with the freshman frat boys in boardshorts who are "going to get in shape in time for spring break".

I'll be swimming ridiculous kicking sets. Am I willing to work? You bet. Will I let my fitness go to hell? Um, no... My short-term goal: Get in shape for spring break...for Lake Havasu...but for the triathlon. Not so that I can strut my stuff on the beach.

So this is the new year...

2009-01-04T09:11:00.000-08:00

So, I read somewhere (I think on a Slowtwitch forum? If someone has the quote please let me know!) that you can only really commit to two components of your life and do them well, with the normal triathlete having three to juggle--work, family, and triathlon. So, what happens when you add grad school into the mix? Well let's just say that it makes for a challenge.

My wife was a distance runner in high school, and decided to run a marathon our senior year of college (December 2001). I surprised her by signing up as well. We trained and raced together, and she was kind enough to drag my butt across the last few miles. Did I mention that was my first running race? Yeah, I'm kind of nuts like that. After that I was hooked on running. BUT I had the habit of overtraining and burning out. We both ran the Tucson Marathon again in 2004, and I actually trained pretty well that time. Did several local road races leading up to it, and the experience was a good one. After that, we got married and had our first daughter, and I was well on my way to becoming the typical overweight American. I needed a change, and triathlon was the next challenge. So without hesitation, I bought my first road bike and started triathlon training in July 2007 (at the young age of 26) with NO cycling experience, a little bit of swimming background (pool lifeguarding for one summer), and some recreational distance running. As a continuing grad student at the University of Arizona, TriCats was the perfect fit for me. Started training with the team, and did my first sprint tri, the Tinfoilman, and was hooked!

A condensed recap of 2008:

Spring, busted my tail to get my work done (with extensive fieldwork out of town). First duathlon (Desert Classic), first and second olympic distance (Havasu and Saguaroman). I had decent results considering that I spent January and February trying to get rid of hamstring tendonitis. During May, wrapped up my field work in preparation for our second daughter to be born (June 3).

June through August, I rode a LOT and spent as much time with the family as possible. Most rides were in the afternoon--in Tucson. Hey, that's when our older daugter (now two) naps, so that was my window. I did get dragged into more fieldwork on several occasions. The upsides to that were that (1) there are lots of running trails in the area, (2) there is a nice cove along the Colorado River for open water swimming (complete with a "no wake" buoy for sighting and turning practice all for a charge of $0), and (3) I brought my bike along on most trips. The cycling highlight of the summer was undoubtedly my two 115-degree plus four-hour rides in July, the first from Lake Havasu to Ehrenberg, the second from Ehrenberg to Havasu the next day. Insanity...I'll post a ride report about it later. No racing over the summer; family was first. My big goal was to increase my cycling fitness because that's where I figured I could make the biggest improvement.

Fall was spent cramming for my written and oral exams for my PhD "advancement to candidacy". I also ramped up my training for a few races (combine these to explain why I regularly trained for more hours per day than I slept), the Tinfoilman (again--a four-minute improvement!), the Nathan Tempe Triathlon, and, finally, the Soma Half! I had a great experience there despite my mangled hand from a cycling "incident" (that's another story...), and started to realize I might actually be able to compete in this crazy sport.

Now, back to this work-family-school-triathlon business. One of these things gets sacrificed to some extent on a daily basis; there is simply no way around it. Lately, school has been the easy one to cut out. I have had no "real classes" for the last two semesters. This fall I finally took (and passed!) my comprehensive exams. So what's left? Two classes, one independent study, and that little dissertation thing--the small project I was supposed to be working on while not taking any classes. Oops...

So, what's on tap this year? Something like last year, I guess. Commit to family, commit to school, throw myself into triathlon to see what I've got, and excel at my job; and then I hope I come out the other end in one piece. Specifics? Something like:

Absolutely destroy my time for the Havasu tri last year.
Hopefully (this will be another story...) compete at collegiate nationals in April. This is my last chance--my last year in college, and my last year with age eligibility.
Finish class in May, defend in June or July.
Get more involved in the triathlon community.
Cut 3 to 4 minutes off my Tucson Triathlon sprint distance.
REALLY crank it up for the Vineman 70.3 to see what I've got!

I am new to this sport, but already have tons of people to thank. Of course, my wife! She has been ridiculously supportive of my craziness and I could not do half of what I do without her support. TriCats has been awesome, especially the guidance and brutal training camps of Brian Grasky. I can't wait to see where it goes from here. My boss has also been understanding, although I doubt he fully comprehends how seriously I take my "hobbies". Thankfully he is an avid cyclist and father of two girls as well. My hours are not exactly traditional.

Some pictures from last year:

Spring 2008 TriCats Training Camp:

The team getting posing before Havasu:

Kitt Peak time! Boy, that is a long 12 miles...

Ready for Nathan Tempe:

Yeah, my wife rocks! So much support through all of my craziness over this sport:

Welcome! To me, I guess? Or to you to me? Hmmm...

2008-10-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so this is me getting started. Don't be too excited or too disappointed. What's going to be going on here? Well, I would guess a little introspection (I checked, it is a word), retrospection (also), and futurospection (not so much). So I guess this is all for now.