Wake Up Call

Ever see one of those ESPN Sunday afternoon bowling commercials, where some guy's angry bowling ball exacts revenge for being neglected? I had a similar experience last night. At 3 am sharp, my neglected golf clubs decided to tip over onto our bedroom's hardwood floor. CRASH!!! Sort of disturbed the silence of the night. I guess they're wondering why I haven't been bending or beating them very much over the past 4 years.

Unable to even think about sleeping again, I got out of bed and started fueling-up for an early morning long run. Mike, Nicole, and I launched from the Rec Center at 5 am and I managed to get my 10 miles in before the clock struck 6:30. At 3:30 I was at it again - swimming laps while Kyle played in the shallow end of the Rec Center pool. I cut my swim off at 1-hour, giving us enough time to play several killer games of "shark attack." Tomorrow afternoon I'll be simulating the bike leg of my upcoming Half Ironman with a 50-miler along the backroads near the Susquehanna River.

Yep, my weekend training volume has really ramped up and reality is starting to kick in. I must have been delusional to think I could keep active in all my volunteer activities through Mother's Day... More like St. Patrick's Day! So if you're on a committee or board of some sort with me, expect to be receiving a memo soon. Uncle! My agenda is clear for the next 4 months: Work - Parent - Ironman - Sleep - Repeat.

Change of Plans

Major downer this weekend as my Boston-based coach, Patrick McCrann, was snowed-in at Logan Airport. So no visit from Coach P to report. I figure the nasty weather gives me a good opportunity to practice patience, which I sorely lack!

Several have asked how I get bike rides in when there's snow and ice on the ground. Here you see it... my magnetic trainer set-up in front of the TV. Thank goodness for college basketball this weekend! Made my 2-hour indoor ride a little more bearable. Really looking to get outdoors soon! My rides and training volume are starting to build now. My Half Ironman race is less than 2 months away...

March Madness Update

Sorry for not posting lately. I just returned from a convention in Pittsburgh in time to catch a couple of the first round games of the NCAA's March Madness. So I have one eye on VCU trying to upset Duke. Good stuff.

I managed to get a couple of runs in while away. All things considered, I behaved pretty well on the trip except for one visit to Primanti Brothers' for a cheese steak and an IC Light. Wouldn't be a legitimate trip to the 'Burgh without Primanti Brothers! http://www.primantibros.com/

I ran my first race of the year on Sunday - a half marathon in Wilmington, DE. It was a great wake-up call as race season is now within sight. I didn't train hard for the race... No speed work during prep, no taper, and my longest run of the year to that point was only 10-miles. My time was respectable, but certainly not anything close to fast (1:40:50).

So why bother racing? More than anything, for me, it's about mental preparation for the coming year. About finding out where my head stands for the challenges ahead. What do those pre-race butterflies feel like, again? Can I make a plan and stick to it with adrenaline pumping through my veins (and old men running past me)? How do I respond to the metabolic pain of racing? To the burning feet? Can I adjust my plan "on the fly" as circumstances change? I had 3 specific goals for this race. Here's my report card:

Goal #1: Run on heart rate, not pace. Grade = B+. Ran a little harder than I wanted at the beginning, but eventually dialed it in to a good steady effort.

Goal #2: Run through the water stops. Grade = B. Was able to drink water while running on all but one. I ate a gel at the midpoint of the race and couldn't down that and the water without slowing down. I set this goal to help me shave time off my half Ironman run split.

Goal #3: Do not let anyone pass me in the last 5k. Grade = A+. Nobody passed me after mile 9. Very happy with this since there were more than 1100 runners. My race times are generally much better when I finish strong, and it's pretty satisfying to reel in dozens of other runners late in a race. It also takes some mental toughness to fight off folks that are trying to run you down.

Coach P visiting Lancaster this weekend. Stay tuned for updates!

Training Snapshot

A lot of you have been asking questions about my current training schedule. Right now I’m late in the “base” phase of training. The focus on base training is the building of an aerobic endurance foundation that will carry me through the entire training cycle. Nothing too intense, here, mostly just steady, monotonous motion in the pool and on the run. The bike is a little different. Our desire to build some biking muscular endurance, to permit high power output over a long period of time, has me working with some intensity in the saddle. To give you an idea of current workload, here’s my training schedule for the past week:

MON: Off. Light stretching at noon.
TUE: 1-hour swim before work, 45-min weight training at noon, and 1-hour of bike in evening.
WED: 1-hour run before work. 30-minute core strengthening at noon.
THU: 1-hour swim before work, 30-minute core workout and 45-minute run in evening.
FRI: 1-hour bike hill climbing before work, weight training for 45-minutes at noon.
SAT: 45-minute morning swim drills, 1-hour bike power benchmarking in afternoon.
SUN: 1:15 early morning run.

Weekly total somewhere near 11 hours of training. As March progresses my total training hours will increase as my weekend bike ride and run lengthen.