are you dead or are you sleeping?

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

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:

1. 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!
   
2. 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!