Success!!!

I did it! I completed what I set out to do...complete my first triathlon. I had an absolute blast on Sunday. The course was awesome, the crowds were awesome, and my cheering section was the loudest of all! Big thanks to my wife, Heidi, my kids, and my great friends, Jon, Niki, and of course Elie!

As for my performance, I am very pleased. For my first triathlon, I placed 15th out of 81 in the Clydesdale division, with a time of 1:22:45. My splits were as follows: Swim - 16:54 (800 meters + 200 yard run up the beach), T-1 - 2:15, Bike - 35:55 (avg. 18.4 mph), Run - 27:43 (8:56 pace). I was really surprised by my swim time. When I looked down at my watch as I climbed out of the ocean, it read 14:27 and I could not believe it! I never came close to that in training, I guess the adrenaline really had an impact.

I knew I would fare well in the bike, but it was an especially fast, yet technical course. I realized you have to watch for flying water bottles coming from riders ahead of you; seems to be a common occurrence and can take you out if you are not careful. The run was tough man! It is very different than on fresh legs. I definitely felt slower on the run than I would have liked, but that just means I need more brick training!

I hope you have all enjoyed this journey with me, but now I am officially hooked on Tri. I am quickly becoming a Tri-geek, have another race scheduled for October 11 (A Day at the Beach in Hermosa) and I am planning on an Olympic Distance race in March or April of 2010. Look out Ironman...here I come!

The Journey is almost complete.

I just completed the last workout from the training plan, a short 1.5 mile run on the treadmill just to keep the legs loose. From here on out, it is time to rest up and visualize the race. I am not going to lie; I am slightly nervous, but I am equally as excited. This is really the beginning of a long journey for me. I know now, before I even complete my first race, that a Full Ironman is somewhere in my future. Some may call me crazy, but that's ok, because I am not doing it for anyone else, I am doing it for myself.

Who knows what any of us are truly capable of. The human body, and especially the human mind, are simply amazing creations and I am positive there is tremendous potential in all of us.

OK enough philosophy!!! It's time to kick ass in the Clydesdale division. Wish me luck my loyal friends and family, I am off to chase my destiny....

The Time is Nigh!!!

T minus three days and counting. I am happy to report I have continued the training program from start to finish. In addition to that, I completed the Amtrak century bike ride last Saturday with some of my closest friends. I am not sure how that will impact my race, but only time will tell.

Thanks to my friend and mentor, Tri-man (AKA Elie) for the introduction of "Brick" training to my regimen. It was definitely the missing piece of the puzzle. Brick training involves a bike and a run one after the other, so your legs can get used to the feeling of running right after getting off the bike. I can tell you it is a different feeling...it takes a little while for your legs to feel normal into the run.

My number one goal for Sunday is to "finish", but beyond that I would love to finish with a time under 90 minutes. That would put me somewhere in the middle of the Clydesdale group of about 60 competitors, at least based on last years results. Again, my goal is the finish and anything beyond that is gravy.

I still have two purchases to make before Sunday. I need a white cap or visor for the run to protect my balding head from the blazing sun and also a new pair of sunglasses, since my other pair broke on the century. (Goodbye $120) I need them though....its a must. Any donations from my loyal followers would be graciously accepted. :)

Long time, No blog!!!

I know it has been awhile, but I have been too busy training to update the log. (Yeah right...) I am pleased to report that my training continues to go well. I am setting modest goals each week and achieving some of them as I go. For example, I wanted to run three miles in under 27 minutes (faster than a 9 minute/mile pace) and I was able to achieve that last week at my daughter's Fun Run for Villa Park High School. Each year, the cross country team hosts several fun runs where the parents, friends, relatives can run along with the athletes in a three mile race around the school property. It is a fundraising effort and it really is a blast. I did not embarass my daughter too badly as I ran a 26:15 (8:45 pace), which I was pretty proud of. Of course, I felt like throwing up as I crossed the finish line, but no pain, no gain, right?

Also, one of my goals was to average at least 17 mph on the bike for the 11 mile ride as part of the race. On one of my training rides a couple of weeks ago, I averaged 18.3 mph for 11 miles as part of a 15 mile ride after work. I was pretty pleased with that, but I was spent and I know I cannot put out that kind of effort in the race, otherwise I will have nothing left for the run. I really am worried about dosing my effort out through the three events to make sure I finish that day. My number one goal is to finish and everything else after that is gravy.

Finally, this morning I was able to break the 18 minute barrier for the 800 meter swim, with a time of 17:47. I was very happy about this since swimming is definitely my biggest hurdle out of the three disciplines.

So far, so good! Keep motivating me with your words of encouragement. I really do appreciate it. T minus 19 days and counting!

7 weeks down!

That completes 7 weeks of training. I rode a 50 mile bike ride today with my good friends Paul and Jon. It was a beautiful ride down to HB, then over to Newport Beach to catch the Back Bay trail back home. The fun part of the ride was the climb up Jamboree for sure. I felt good and I think I will be well prepared for the Amtrak Century, hopefully without hurting my tri-training. I am guessing I will not sign up for the Amtrak next year, unless it clearly fits into my triathlon training plans at the time. If I am working on Olympic distances or 70.3 races by then (wishful thinking), then it might work, but only time will tell.

I purchased some necessary equipment this weekend for the race, including a pair of tri-shorts, which are very similar to biking shorts except without the chamois. It simply has a fleece liner which does not offer much cushion, but who needs that for a short 11 mile ride anyway... I also bought a tri-race shirt that I will wear throughout the swim, bike and run. It is a bit tight (I am still too fat), but it provides me some motivation when it comes to nutrition. I will really try to fit into this shirt before the training is done. I also got some sweet elastic speed laces for my running shoes, so that I can quickly and easily slide my shoes on in T-2 in a matter of seconds, without having to worry about tying them. I will have to run with them to test them out before the race...same goes for the clothing as well. You dont want the race day to be the first time for anything.

That's all for now!

Good Run!

Now that I am back in action in the training program, I will keep you all up to date with a little more detail. I had a short run this evening around the neighborhood. I ran 2 miles in 17:14, which is pretty good considering my run progress thus far.

I really enjoyed wearing my new Nike running shorts...wow what a difference from the other cotton shorts I have been wearing. These shorts are light weight and wick the sweat away as I run and it makes a difference, believe me. I am slowly learning that the gear is nearly as important as the training itself in some circumstances. For example, a good pair of goggles can make a swim workout much more enjoyable than a bad pair, which can actually ruin it.

Tomorrow, I have 20 minute swim scheduled and that should wrap up week number 6. 7 weeks until race day! I am starting to get excited. Next week, I have to purchase a wetsuit...Oh my gosh, what a decision. There is so much to learn about this sport....

Still Here!

Yes, I am still training. Weeks 5 and 6 were a blur since I was on our family vacation to Texas. But I only skipped 3 workouts out of the 12 for those two weeks and I am making those up currently. This past week, I added an extra swim and bike workout to start to make up the difference. I am getting ready for a short run before dinner.

I will start blogging more religiously now that we are home.