If I Did Not Know Any Better...

I know it has been awhile since I last blogged, and I have always had good intentions on maintaining this blog, but since this blog is about training for triathlons, and since there has been little to zero training going on, I really have had nothing to blog about. So I haven't blogged.

However...

• Last week I made a wish list of races I might be interested in doing in 2016. The main one I will always do, even if it is only for fun will be the Memphis in May Sprint triathlon in May, but as I was thinking about that race, other races caught my eye.
• I also signed me and wife up for a cross country winter race series that starts soon. It consists of a 3K, a 5K, and 8K and a 10K. Already registered.
• I did work up a training plan for the MIM sprint that I will start on Jan 4th. Since it is only a sprint race, it is totally doable in the mornings or afternoons and will allow me to stay in the weight room some.
• I did order new running shoes.
• I also found some old pictures of me racing that I actually liked and I want to look like I did back then...

Sharpshooter Triathlon

 



So if I did not know any better, I'd say I am on my way back!!!

2015

I see a lot of my racing buddies already mulling over the 2015 race schedule for themselves. Many are looking to run IM's and some are looking to Boston and some are spreading to other type of races. When I see this conversation get started, it only leads me to start thinking about what I am going to race in 2015. I already know I am doing Redman again, but what else am I going to do to help me do better at Redman?

One of the main reasons I want to do Redman a second time is due to the run. My run sucked. I did a 7+ hour marathon. I know I can do better than that, and without going into excuses of why I was a 7 hour plus marathoner like blisters or whatever, I want to beat it. I know that if I can somehow have a good run, I could be closer to the 14 hour mark instead of the almost 16 hour mark. So that has really played into my thought process of 2015.

Running

Running

Running

Guess what I am going to focus on? RUNNING!!!

So here is my proposed schedule, which has not been approved by my bride.

December- St Jude half
January- Winter Cross Country series 3K and 5K
February- Fort Smith Half and Winter Cross Country 10K
March- Germantown Half and Little Rock Half
May- Memphis in May Sprint Triathlon
July- Mighty Mite Triathlon
September- REDMAN

So I know what you may be thinking, that's a lot of halves in there and no marathon, I mean if you want a better marathon, shouldn't you run a marathon? And to your thinking I would say "meh".

I really do not like training for marathons. I also think that a strong start to the year of running will fit in nicely to the IM training I will start in May, right after Memphis in May. I will have to find the right plan or coach maybe, but I think it is totally doable and will have my running base further ahead than ever.

I know I can do better than 15:53 and I know it all depends on my run, so that is my focus!

And I wanna beat Brad

Root Canals, Master's Swim, Feb Challenge, Science Fairs and Stanky Creek!

Root canal!  How many people does that phrase scare? Well, I have the mother of all root canal stories to tell because this thing was a 2 part adventure! Last Thursday I went to my dentist to get the root canal done. Now my dentist does not do a lot of root canals, but he thought he could get mine done in the office. It was to be performed on the very back bottom tooth of my left side (#18 for any teeth weirdos). Long story short, he could not get it all cleaned out so on Monday, I got to go back to another dentist  who specializes in root canals and get it finished. Then after that appointment, I got to go back to my dentist while I was still numb and get a temporary crown! My mouth was numb for hours all the way up to my ear! All in all, both dentists did a really great job because it was not painful at all, it was just tough being in a dentist chair all morning. Thankfully they both had some really good nitro oxide for me, very relaxing!

MASTER"S SWIM!

Let me say this, just because I go to a master's swim class, it does not make me a master at swimming. It has been a long time since I attended one of these classes and I was anxious to go. It started out well, then we went into our kick set. I have a horrible kick to my swim. I went form being one of the first ones done to the back of the pack when we focused on our kicking. The coach on deck came over and told me "most triathletes have a horrible kick, so if you work on it some, you will be that much more quicker in the water". My take from that remark was this:

I SWIM LIKE A TRIATHLETE! BOOM!

I think the Master's class will definitely help my swim, since I am only swimming twice a week for the Olympic race in May, I think I will hit the class a few time a month and then work on my endurance. I was able to swim a 1:35 to 1:40 100.

February Challenge:

I am still going full steam ahead with my challenge in February. I am looking forward to it actually and I have challenged my Brad D to post my before and after pictures on the blog, because he says he is doing the same. (I will give people fair warning on that post, don't worry).

Science Fair

These are the two words that scare me the most, not root canal! I was never very good at science in school and I do not remember ever building a science fair project, but middle 6th grader and I are attempting to build a simple electric generator out of cardboard, a nail, some magnets and copper wiring. Please pray it works!

Stanky Creek 8K

Sunday was the 3rd race in a series of trail runs I have been doing. An 8K race through the trails of Stanky Creek, and yes, the creek was a factor in this one. Luckily for us, it was pretty low, and by pretty low, I mean my shoes did not get wet. The race was going great for me until I took a tumble about 1.4 miles into it. I was passing a guy and just tripped over a root and went flying! It scared me a little and really threw me off my vibe. Trail runs are hard to race. You can never see what is coming up due to the person right in front of you, and this was a narrow trail which made it difficult to pass people. i also twisted my ankle on something at about mile 4 which freaked me out also. Only thing I ever worry about on a trail run is twisting an ankle, and I thought my season was over. Luckily it was just sore for a day, and is feeling better. I finished the race in 45:31, which was good enough for 14/45 AG, 98/433 OA and left me in 13th place for the series in my AG. One more race to go in that series in two weeks!

A Trail Run, A Birthday, Accountability, Abs and Day 1 of Training...

Sunday I started off the year with a 3K trail race. It is part of the Memphis Runner Track Club winter cross country series. Every year I have improved on this run, for a 17:08 to a 16 flat last year. This year I was not sure how it would go. Trail runs to me are a lot like intervals. You run hard until the first turn when it bottlenecks up, rest and catch your breath and then run hard again as long as you can. Your placement at the beginning of the race is also very important, cause if you start to far back, you are screwed once you get into the woods. This year they flipped the course on us. Instead of us running and getting right into the woods and then having open space on the backside of the course, we had open space on the front end which helped unclog a lot of the course, which made it different all together, tougher I thought actually. Anyways, I was able to finish the race with a new PR for a 3K trail run! 14:59. A New PR and great way to start the year.

14:59 NEW PR 20/50 AG 125/529 OA

My youngest son celebrated his birthday on Saturday! Jesse turned 4! Hard to believe he is 4 years old already! What a blessed addition he has been to our family. Here is a picture of us making goofy faces in the mirror when we were suppose to be brushing his teeth!

Today, I started my Memphis In May Olympic (MIM) training. It was very, unusually cold cold here in Memphis and I did not want to get out of bed. 27 degrees cold!!  But thanks to this blog and trying to be accountable to what I write, I did not want to miss my 1st workout! The only decision I knew I would be making was either to run outside or run on the dreadmill. It was a tough call, but I decided to go wake up my inner Beast and hit the road. I actually wore the right amount of clothing, so it wasn't very bad. I usually have a 35 degree rule, which means under 35, I do not run outside, but rules are meant to be broken (**if my kids are reading this, this does not apply to you guys**) By the time I got back to the house, I had frost forming on my gloves! Tonight, I will be riding on the trainer during the National Championship game.

I recently acquire a new Cyclops Magento trainer from a friend of mine that couldn't t use it anymore. It was a great deal and I was wanting to get a newer one. I was able to sell mine to a friend that needed a trainer for his new bike, and I was able to give him a great deal as well! So it all worked out for the best. I have gotten to where I like the trainer and I was able to get some good workouts on it last year. I can't always get away to ride, and I do not like to ride alone, so this is my best option.

I have also been hitting the abba dabbas a lot. Core work and ab work are going to be a staple for me in January. My wife has been going to a trainer for awhile and is leaner and fitter than I am! So I am stealing some of her workouts. We have a circuit of exercises we have been doing every other night, and I am determined to stick with it through January to see if I can see a difference. I know I have said I am doing abs until I get my 6 pack before, but this time I think it will be easier to do with my smoking hot wife helping me. Along with the ab/core workouts and me watching my diet, I hope to see a lot of improvements! I love the feeling of my core feeling sore and tight after a workout, and feeling it the next morning is awesome!  I really expect to be at my goal weight long before May. I am finding that writing down what I eat keeps me from eating the crap I shouldn't eat! Funny how accountability works huh?