After the holidays and having been sick last week it was time to get some fitness in. With facilities on holiday schedule swimming has been tough but I tried to get some decent sessions this week.
Swim 13,750 yds
Bike 6.5 hrs
Run 38.5 mi
12/17 - 12/23/2012
I was off to a good start this week but definitely went at it a little too fast and the mixture of cold and rain landed me with a cold so not much to report this week. Next week is christmas and I am looking forward to spending some time with my family but a little worried about not being in shape at all. I registered for escape from alcatraz this week and that race is 10 weeks from tomorrow. I have a long way to go just to get back to where I was and I have a feeling it is going to be a cold and we winter so I am getting a little anxious but nothing worth having ever came easy right?
Swim 6,600 yds
Bike 3.5 hrs
Run 11 mi
12/10 - 12/16/2012 At it Again
This week I began the task of rebuilding my fitness for the 2013 season. I had a solid block of easy time off up until now and even though I was really anxious about loosing my strength, it really did me some good to have time off. I feel fresh and rested, my body is responding well to increased training...feeling rejuvenated and energised with each day. My mind is in a better place as well and I am actually looking forward to the challenge of preparing for some tough races and fast fields in 2013.
One big development in the past couple of weeks is that Specialized has gotten on board as one of my new sponsors for 2013. This marks a huge milestone for me because Specialized has always been on my list of dream sponsors and I have coveted and enjoyed their products for years. I have to give special thanks to the guys at Spokesman and Famly Cycling Center as well as many friends working their connections to make this happen.
From a personal standpoint, things have been really tough lately and I have become more appreciatie than ever for the my community, friends and loved ones. I am so lucky to be able to do the things and have the adventures that I do. Here is some stuff I have been up to.
Swim 14,750 yds
Bike 11 hrs
Run 30 mi
One big development in the past couple of weeks is that Specialized has gotten on board as one of my new sponsors for 2013. This marks a huge milestone for me because Specialized has always been on my list of dream sponsors and I have coveted and enjoyed their products for years. I have to give special thanks to the guys at Spokesman and Famly Cycling Center as well as many friends working their connections to make this happen.
From a personal standpoint, things have been really tough lately and I have become more appreciatie than ever for the my community, friends and loved ones. I am so lucky to be able to do the things and have the adventures that I do. Here is some stuff I have been up to.
Swim 14,750 yds
Bike 11 hrs
Run 30 mi
The Latest
Some of you know that my trip to Texas to race Austin 70.3 fell through and that was to be the last race of the year for me so my 2012 season has come to an end. I was frustrated that it did not end on my terms but a lot of the time there are things out of our control that we have to come to terms with. I have not been doing a lot since then...I started a new job and have been working a lot so there has not been much to report on. I have been thinking a lot about my season, taking stock and looking forward so I figured I would do a little update on that since there has not been any training to blog about.
Mostly because I began with very lofty goals but also because I have a hard time giving myself credit, I do not feel like I have accomplished all that much with racing. When I started out I dreamed about going all the way to the top and having hug success and over the past couple of years it has become clear that progress comes more slowly as time goes on and to find a notch high on the totem-pole it would take years. I definitely plan on racing pro for a few more seasons but I don't have an interest in racing into my late thirties and then trying to start fresh in a new career in my forties.
I have a few fun events planned this winter, and with the season starting early next year because of Americas Cup bumping up the ESCAPE from Alcatraz triathlon to early March winter will go by quickly. When I gear up with regular training again I will blog more regularly but in the meantime I will probably only pop in for event updates.
Thanks for checking in!
Mostly because I began with very lofty goals but also because I have a hard time giving myself credit, I do not feel like I have accomplished all that much with racing. When I started out I dreamed about going all the way to the top and having hug success and over the past couple of years it has become clear that progress comes more slowly as time goes on and to find a notch high on the totem-pole it would take years. I definitely plan on racing pro for a few more seasons but I don't have an interest in racing into my late thirties and then trying to start fresh in a new career in my forties.
I have a few fun events planned this winter, and with the season starting early next year because of Americas Cup bumping up the ESCAPE from Alcatraz triathlon to early March winter will go by quickly. When I gear up with regular training again I will blog more regularly but in the meantime I will probably only pop in for event updates.
Thanks for checking in!
Santa Cruz (Sentinel) Triathlon 2012 Race Report
I have lost track of how many times that I have raced the Sentinel Triathlon but I am certain that I will race it many more in the years to come. It was the first triathlon I ever did and every inch of the course is meaningful to me. The Sentinel falls at a tough time of year for me because of a long string of racing and recovering that leads up to it. By the time race day came I had been feeling tired for about a month but I was still performing well in workouts so for myself I needed to tough it out.
Leading into the race I was just trying to make sure everything was loose and opened up to perform at top end. I felt ok the day before and I with my parents coming to town and so many people I know racing I was excited to enjoy a race right in my back yard.
My morning routine ran right on schedule and with a quick trip down to transition I was soon catching up with old friends and teammates in transition. It is so fun to know all of the racers and volunteers and to be surrounded and engaged with them in mutual adventure! I was able to chat with people for a while and was feeling pretty good so I went for a quick jog to warm up. I noticed that the fog was a little heavy down by the wharf but did not think much of it at the time.
After some stretching and mobility exercises I scooted back to transition to get my wetsuit and get to the beach. Transition was packed and I was glad to see that so many people had come out for the race. The long train of athletes headed to the beach is always fun because you inevitably bump into people you know and have not seen in a while and there is always this moment of mutual understanding that you both can not believe that you are voluntarily up so early to go swim in the ocean :)
When we got to the beach, the fog was fluctuating in and out and compromising visibility fairly bad so we were in a holding pattern. I dove in for a swim a handful of times to keep warm and awake and after forty minutes found my parents and girlfriend to steal a snack and water from them. My breakfast and coffee had gone through me and I needed some more calories in my stomach. I am so lucky for the support of everyone around me because I wouldn't get through a single one of these without the support, be it through cheers, food, money, companionship or Facebook 'likes'.
We were delayed by an hour and fifteen minutes but the water was warm and smooth and once we got started it was a beautiful race day. I felt good from the start of the swim and soon found myself alone to swim my tempo. I may have stretched my wetsuit too much or maybe I didn't fasten the neck strap all the way because water was seeping into the upper arms. It did not effect me really and I had a good swim, coming out to the cheers of my friends and parents.
I pushed hard to transition because I knew Jack Calhoun would be flying and with his strength I would have to go deep if I was going to make up time on him. I pushed hard from the outset of the bike and by the time I saw Jack coming the other way he was already almost half way back to town. I didn't have a way to objectively measure the gap but I knew he was on a good ride so I tried to keep my head down, rail all the corners and extract speed wherever and whenever I could. There was an unusual head wind on the way back and it was really draining me but I took the pain for what it was and held on.
When I got to t2 people were giving gaps that indicated Jack was a up on me by a minute or so and I was simultaneously really impressed and a little intimidated with the task ahead. I knew that he could run time into me so at that point it was just a matter of going hard and hoping for the best.
Although I felt like I was running well I knew that I was not at my best and I knew that it would not be enough to get back the time I had lost. When we passed on the run l told him it was all him and that he was doing great. I held in for a decent run and ended up second overall.
When I finished I could not believe that it was second again and for some reason the irony of it just hung so heavy on me I couldn't do anything but sit on the ground and shake my head. I couldn't be happier that it was Jack who took the victory because he is an awesome guy and a tenacious athlete.
I suppose the elusive win at the Sentinel will have to wait at least one more year. Thanks again to everyone for all the cheers, nutrition, support, understanding and tolerance of my alternative lifestyle choice.
Leading into the race I was just trying to make sure everything was loose and opened up to perform at top end. I felt ok the day before and I with my parents coming to town and so many people I know racing I was excited to enjoy a race right in my back yard.
My morning routine ran right on schedule and with a quick trip down to transition I was soon catching up with old friends and teammates in transition. It is so fun to know all of the racers and volunteers and to be surrounded and engaged with them in mutual adventure! I was able to chat with people for a while and was feeling pretty good so I went for a quick jog to warm up. I noticed that the fog was a little heavy down by the wharf but did not think much of it at the time.
After some stretching and mobility exercises I scooted back to transition to get my wetsuit and get to the beach. Transition was packed and I was glad to see that so many people had come out for the race. The long train of athletes headed to the beach is always fun because you inevitably bump into people you know and have not seen in a while and there is always this moment of mutual understanding that you both can not believe that you are voluntarily up so early to go swim in the ocean :)
When we got to the beach, the fog was fluctuating in and out and compromising visibility fairly bad so we were in a holding pattern. I dove in for a swim a handful of times to keep warm and awake and after forty minutes found my parents and girlfriend to steal a snack and water from them. My breakfast and coffee had gone through me and I needed some more calories in my stomach. I am so lucky for the support of everyone around me because I wouldn't get through a single one of these without the support, be it through cheers, food, money, companionship or Facebook 'likes'.
We were delayed by an hour and fifteen minutes but the water was warm and smooth and once we got started it was a beautiful race day. I felt good from the start of the swim and soon found myself alone to swim my tempo. I may have stretched my wetsuit too much or maybe I didn't fasten the neck strap all the way because water was seeping into the upper arms. It did not effect me really and I had a good swim, coming out to the cheers of my friends and parents.
I pushed hard to transition because I knew Jack Calhoun would be flying and with his strength I would have to go deep if I was going to make up time on him. I pushed hard from the outset of the bike and by the time I saw Jack coming the other way he was already almost half way back to town. I didn't have a way to objectively measure the gap but I knew he was on a good ride so I tried to keep my head down, rail all the corners and extract speed wherever and whenever I could. There was an unusual head wind on the way back and it was really draining me but I took the pain for what it was and held on.
When I got to t2 people were giving gaps that indicated Jack was a up on me by a minute or so and I was simultaneously really impressed and a little intimidated with the task ahead. I knew that he could run time into me so at that point it was just a matter of going hard and hoping for the best.
Although I felt like I was running well I knew that I was not at my best and I knew that it would not be enough to get back the time I had lost. When we passed on the run l told him it was all him and that he was doing great. I held in for a decent run and ended up second overall.
When I finished I could not believe that it was second again and for some reason the irony of it just hung so heavy on me I couldn't do anything but sit on the ground and shake my head. I couldn't be happier that it was Jack who took the victory because he is an awesome guy and a tenacious athlete.
I suppose the elusive win at the Sentinel will have to wait at least one more year. Thanks again to everyone for all the cheers, nutrition, support, understanding and tolerance of my alternative lifestyle choice.
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