Oh, the Possibilities...

I am sad to say that I have already ran more this month than I did in January. 8.25 miles is all I have logged this month and I am beating January. But here is the thing that I have not felt in a long, long time. I am starting to...

 

I can honestly say that it has been awhile since I enjoyed it, but I guess a year off is the right amount of time to miss something!  Go figure! The hardest part for me has been taking it slow and building back. In my mind, I am still in Ironman shape (did I mention I was an Ironman? never mind) and I should be able to go out and knock out 10 miles no problem, but that is so not the case! My runs are short right now. As a matter of fact, my longest run this year has been 2.5 miles! This has all been part of my master plan though. I plan on using February to try and build some sort of base. I doubt I go over 4.5 miles in total distance. In March, I will add some biking and swimming and hopefully by May, I will be ready for my first sprint race in 3 years! (which I am really excited about doing). After this sprint in May, it is "GO TIME", time to focus on Redman 140.6. IM #2!!!

But before that, there are a couple of races I am thinking of doing and some I will do. Seems like every year I make a list of races I am doing, then life gets in my way and I only hit about half or less of them, so this year, this is my races that are on my radar list. So here they are and some quick thoughts on why I want to do them:

• Los Locos Duathlon- (April 12) This is a good race to gauge where I am at. It's a 2 mile run, 15 mile bike, 2mile run. It is in April though, which is a drawback for me, seems early, much preferred when it was in Sept.
• Rebelman Sprint Triathlon- (April 12) This is a nice little sprint at Ole Miss. The only thing I do not like about it is that it is a pool swim, plus it is on the same day as the Los Locos Duathlon, so choices will have to be made. A 480 yd swim, 13 mile bike and a 3.1 mile run might be a good refresher for me.
• Memphis in May Sprint Triathlon (May 2015)- This is a race I am looking forward to because I know so many people that race. Even some of my friends are planning n the sprint to be their first triathlon, so I definitely want to be there. My wife always races this one as well, so it could be our first triathlon together!
• The Harbortown 5K- (June 5) I did this race one time when I first moved to Memphis and loved running through the area. I really want to run this with my wife, just because it is something we can run together.
• Navy Nautical 10 Miler- (June 7) Never ran this before. I have learned that 10 nautical miles is closer to 11 miles for some reason. They have cool medals and would definitely be something new for me. I know I need to work on my running.
• Dragonfly Triathlon- (June 13) I hate this triathlon! It has a trail run on it and it is usually hot as fire! However, I have not raced this in about 4 years, so maybe it might be worth re-looking at. 1/2 mile swim, 18 mile bike, 4 mile run.
• Mighty Mite Triathlon- (July 18) Another sprint triathlon in Arkansas. Last year both my wife and I signed up for it and then realized we could not make it due to family obligations (bad planning). This is a point to point race, and is a pretty fun race. 600 yd swim, 13 mile bike, 3.1 mile run.
• Elvis Presley 5K- (Aug 15) How have I lived in Memphis for 14 years and only ran this once?? Last year my bride and I ran it and had a great time. We agreed to make it an annual race for us to run!
• Redman Full- (Sept 26) Everything listed above should have something to do with this race. This is my A number one race, with the main goal of beating 15:53 first and then on beating Brad D.
• Ragnar Relay- (Oct 26-28)- This is just straight up fun. The old team that I did it with in 2013 is back together and we are adding a good friend of mine to run. This will be a great end of the year race.

So again, I am not saying this is my race schedule, but these are the ones I am interested in running. If I hit them all, then that would be a lot of races for 2015. I am just happy I am actually looking at races again and even thinking about a schedule. I have to remember to build slowly and take care of myself, which I am doing, along with a 30 day ab challenge!!!

MY 1st DNS

Saturday I was registered to run the Mighty Mite Sprint Triathlon in Forest City, AR. This is a really great race and one thing that sets it apart from other races around here is that it is a point to point race. Meaning that you swim to the bike, you ride the bike to the next transition and then finish, so you never come back to the same transition area.

So fees were paid and plans were made. In all honesty, I was not as prepared for the race as I should have been, but I was still anxious to see how I would do. This was going to be my 1st race since Redman 140.6, so I was intrigued. My bride also had signed up since she was coming off her first ever sprint triathlon in May. We were both looking forward to racing on July 19, 2014.

But we forgot one thing...

If you read Daily Trainings much, then you know I have three boys. A 14 yr old, a 13 yr old and a 5 yr old. So we are always involved in something it seems and normally we do a great job about scheduling around the boys stuff, but this time we failed somehow. Our older boys had been planning to go a the church Summer Music Missions Project (SMMP)for months. They were heading to New York for a week! A great opportunity. Well for some reason, one we can't figure out how we missed it, they were required to be at the church at 11 AM. Our race started at 8 AM and was a minimum of an hour drive (if all went well). This meant there was absolutely no way for us to race and make it back to them in time. So I recorded my very first DNS of my triathlon career.

So I admit, it kind of bummed me out most of the day. I really did not want to dwell on it, cause what my boys had going on was way more important and I wanted them to know I supported them, so I would have made the same choice every time. But it was weird, and stupid me, I went to the website to look through the results and hated, HATED seeing my name with no times. It was embarrassing because they had my team's name out to the side of all those zeroes!

So what did I do?

I went for a run that afternoon and started focusing on whatever is next. I know I have a half marathon I am signed up for in Dec, but nothing else, so I am thinking that I am really going to work on my running for the remainder of 2014 and then 2015 will beat the year a I crush Brad's dreams at Redman when we go head to head. So maybe me missing this race is a good thing, it has just added to me resting up and preparing for next year!

3 Things of Many Topics...

I know it has been awhile since my last post, but things have been busy. There are a lot of things I could write about. I could tell you about our wonderful vacation in Florida that we had as a family, or I could tell you about our mini van blowing a transmission on the drive home from said vacation and how we had to purchase a new car in Byron GA in order to get home. I could write about those things, but I am not going too. Not because they aren't worth writing about, but because this is a blog about training and racing, and I really have not been doing either one consistently very much. So instead of talking about the above things, I want to write about 3 things:

1. Mighty Mite Triathlon
2. Women's Run Walk Group of Memphis
3. St Jude Marathon


1. The Mighty Mite triathlon is a great race I have done many times, and it is alot of fun. I had actually signed me and my wife up to race this on July 19th and paid the registration fees. I was a little worried about the bike course, but felt confident about the swim and the run. We also had made travel arrangements since it is about an hour away, we were going to ride with a another Warriors teammate. So I had decided that I was racing this race for fun, not time. Well last night, my wife and I realized that our boys were leaving on a church trip that leaves on July 19 at 11 AM! (I thought they left on Sunday) There is no way that we can get to the race site, run the race and get back in time to get them to the bus. They (my boys) have been so busy this summer that I feel like I have not seen them much and I just can't make a case for me not being there when they leave for New York. So Mighty Mite, enjoy our race fees and my wife and I learned a valuable lesson about scheduling.

2. Every summer, the Memphis Runner Track Club puts on a running clinic for women. They train for 8 weeks and then have a graduation 5K race. My wife has advance from the beginners class to the advance class this year and always enjoys this group. In the past she has always thought that I should help coach but I was always training for something and it never worked out, until this year. So I am assisting with the Intermediate 1 group this year. I am really looking forward to see how this group works so I can take somethings back to the groups I lead at church.

2A. One of the other coaches in the group was someone I thought I knew, so I finally asked her name and once she said it, I instantly knew her from her blog. I met Cecilia from Mommiesrun.com I found this blog when looking for local races around Memphis. It was cool cause she also read my blog. It is really kind of weird to meet people that you do not know that actually read what you write!

3. St. Jude Marathon, or the Half marathon, cause that is the race I am doing. I feel like due to my lack of racing this year, that I should really focus on this race and really go for that PR. My half marathon PR is 1:56, which is respectable, but with a flat course, and let's face it, I should be well rested, why not shoot for that PR. A 1:40 would feel really good. I have never run the half course before so it will be something new for me. I need something to focus on. I am still planning on doing a 140.6 in 2015 and I know my run sucks, so I need to run it.

So there ya go, three short topics for one read. I really plan on blogging more in the future, but it has been crazy with work lately, I am actually having to work all day! LOL

Why Do I Blog? For a SUB 1:20!!!!!

Why do I blog?

I ask myself this occasionally whenever it has been awhile since I last posted. Do I blog so that I can let more people like I have a "FaceBook" life? (You know, a life where I always tell you the good things in my life or the things I am doing that are great but try to downplay it)Do I do it for web hits and comments? I admit that in the beginning, I was all about post views and how many comments a post got. The more comments, the better I was. But lately, things have changed and I think I am blogging for a totally unrelated reason.

Now do not get me wrong, I like knowing that people are actually reading this blog, it still surprises me actually. I also do like to hear peoples thoughts on my posts as long as they agree with me. But lately, this blog is not really aimed at getting likes or posts or whatever. It is more about keeping myself motivated, which as you know has been an issue for me.

It seems that every time I come to this blog, I end up leaving more motivated than before. It is a place where I can bang out my thoughts (I am a horrible typer or typist, I don't know). Sometimes it does give me inspiration to read all the misspelled words I am putting out there for all to see. It is an accountability thing as well.

Because I know that if you stumbled on to Daily Trainings, then you are or have gone through some of the same things I am talking about. You most likely have had the same struggles as me, the same disappointments, missed as many workouts or just did not feel like working out, or even wondered if you could really accomplish the task before you. Or, Or if you have not gone through these obstacles, I bet you will.

For me it is sometimes about answering my own problems. It seems alittle weird to call them problems, cause in the grand scheme of things, these don't really matter, but we all have issues and hangups and we all have funks. I know that this blog is all about staying out of my funk and moving forward because I know someone will read it. It may just be my mom, but I know someone will read these words. And I know it is good to give myself a kick in the butt occasionally and maybe someone else will get that same kick.

Now I got to go swim. I have a race I signed up for and I would like to hit a PR. I am racing the Mighty Mite Sprint Triathlon on July 18. (1/3 mile swim, 13 mile bike, 3 mile run) This is the 1st sprint distance I have done in over 2 years, all my other races have been Oly to HIM to IM, so I would really like a good showing. My previous PR on this course is 1:20:44 set in 2009 (wow, that will be tough) So that is my goal, SUB 1:20!!! There I put it out there.


P.S. Stay tuned for a product review coming soon and giveaway!!!!!!!

I Asked Myself 3 Questions...

Last year at this time, I was only thinking about heading to Ironman. Everything revolved around Ironman. Right now though, I am having a hard time focusing on a sprint triathlon, and this has me confused.

Maybe it is normal to go through an "Ironman funk". Maybe I am a one timer, I am not sure. All I know is that even though I want to S/B/R, I am having a hard time training, or more like a hard time getting excited about training. I really thought that last weekend would jump start me!

The Memphis in May triathlon was last weekend. Normally I do the Olympic race, I have for 4 of the last 5 years. It is a great race and normally it is the one race to do around Memphis. Everyone is there, and it is a good measure of where you stand in the tri community here in Memphis IMO. I choose not to race, partly because my wife was doing her first sprint race and I wanted to be there to support her and make it here weekend since she has been to many of my races waiting at the finish line! And the other part was that I just could not get excited about training.

Is it normal after a 140.6 to have the mindset of not be able to get excited about a 3.1 mile run?

I really expected me to get back into "it" after MIM and being around the atmosphere and seeing my bride do so well in her first race but I am still fizzling. So I had to ask myself some questions to find out what's up!

Question 1: Do I still want to race?Answer: Yeah I do. I like racing, I love racing. I still have visions of me crossing the finish line, and I still want to get my second 140.6 under my belt!

Question 2: Is it a weight issue?Answer: I know I have put on weight, but it is muscle. I have been working with a trainer for the last 14 weeks. I know I gained 3 pounds of lean muscle and my bidt fat is at 14%. My core is stronger than ever, so it is not a question of being in shape.

Question 3: Why don't you sign up for a race? That is motivation right?
Answer: Yeah, I'm right. That is what I always tell people also. Sign up for a race, pay the money and then you will do it! So I am committing to doing the Mighty Mite Sprint Triathlon in July.

Maybe this is just a down year for me, a year for me to just be, and then to come back strong in 2015! I don't know. I know Goosepond HIM is definitely not a definite race anymore. More to come on this I am sure, but right now I need to get registered for Mighty Mite and go back and see what my old times are and see if I can beat that. I have no doubt in my mind that I can cover the distances now, because I have been training, but man, is it tough to get out there.

So tell me all you Ironman finishers, did you have a "funk" afterwards? And if so, how do you shake it??

I Have Missed the Pool

Saturday I ran the Mighty Mite Sprint Triathlon in Forrest City, AR. One thing that I had been doing was cutting back on my swim time and trying to refocus that time to the run or bike. I also have been not hitting the pool as often because I have been swimming in the lake. I think this approach has been all wrong, and I will tell you why.

The lake water has been almost 90 degrees, it is like swimming in a bathtub, which cuts the amount of swim training I have been doing. No one likes swimming in that hot of water, it wears you down.

So today, I decided to go back to the pool, and I am glad I did. Instead of swimming 500 yards, I was able to get in a designed workout. 100yd warmup, 5x200 (50 easy, 50 build, 50 easy, 50 hard) followed by a 200 cooldown. I felt like I got a better workout.

I used to think it was important to do as many OWS as possible, but I am not worried about doing OWS anymore. I have done enough races that the swim is nothing I worry about anymore, so my focus is back to the pool with organized workouts.

Next up is the Sharpshooter Super Sprint on the 29th. 400 yd swim, 11 mile bike and 2 mile run. Time to redline it!!

MightyMite Race Report

Mighty Mite
Total Time = 1h 20m 52s
Overall Rank = 104/362
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 14/27

Swimming
00:10:42 580 yards 01m 50s / 100yards
Age Group: 10/27
I felt really good on this swim. The course was a U shaped course with two right turns. Since it was a time trial start, we started every three seconds. There was not a lot of bumping during the swim. The only time I felt people was when I rounded the buoys. I felt like I was passing a lot of people; however, I was disappointed with my swim time. Later, I learned that the 500 yd swim was almost 600 yds, so it was not as bad as I originally thought.

T1
Time: 01:44
SLOW, SLOW, SLOW! I had trouble getting one of my shoes on. I finally had to sit down and get the shoe on right before I could leave. Other than that, it went fine.

Biking
00:41:32 13 miles 18.78 mile/hr
Age Group: 15/27
My bike computer was not registering on this segment, it must have gotten hit during transport or something. I thought about stopping and fixing it, but decided against that and would just go by effort. I pushed it on the bike and passed a lot of people. What a difference a year makes. I was able to get in aero a good portion of the race and I was in the right gear when I needed to. I really felt like I had a good bike, but I would have liked to have the information handy to tell me distance and speed.

T2
Time: 01:12
Again, another slow T2. I had trouble getting my shoe on, except this time it was the other foot. So again, I dropped to the ground and got my shoe on, grabbed my race belt and left.

Running
00:25:44 03.1 miles 08m 18s min/mile
Age Group: 19/27
After my last tri, I was determined to have a good run. Coming off the 5K on July 4, let me know I was capable. I was not going to walk, and I was going to push it. I am usually not a strong runner coming off the bike. I knew this course was uphill for the first 1.5 miles and I was prepared to make it through that portion. The back half of the run was either flat or slight inclines. Each mile got faster and I was able to pick people off one at a time. I was still passed by quite a few people, but this time I was also the passer.

Overall I was happy with my placing int he race, but not with my time. I was honestly expecting to be in the 1:17 range. I had a slightly faster bike an run this year but an overall slower time ( by 9 seconds). Also with a slower time this year, I moved up 10 spots in my AG, so it is true, you can't control who shows up for race days. This is my first top 15 AG finish, so I will take that win!

I also want to give high fives to Stephanie and Wendy for completing their first triathlons. Stef even placed 3rd in the female beginners category.

High Five goes to out to Allen for also having a great race!

High Five also goes out to my pal Greg H for finishing 3rd OA in the TN State Championships in Knoxville!

That's So 2009!

This morning at approximately 6:24 AM, I surpassed my yearly bike totals from 2009. Last year I rode a puny 804.79 miles on my bike. As of today, I am at a total of 820.7 miles and I have a lot of year left to go.

This was really exciting to me. I know some of you who read this have a ton more miles than I do, but for me me, this was a big focus for me. This is the one segment I know I can pick up some speed. As I rode this morning, I kept an eye on the bike computer so I would know when I beat last year! And it was a great feeling!

This is also the biggest concern for me at Ironman Branson 70.3. The course description calls the bike course "rolling hills"! I have been to Branson and I am not entirely sure that is an accurate portrayal. I still have a lot of work to do on the bike, but I am feeling pretty good about it. This week in my plan was a bike focused week, so it really helped to get out there and ride. I was stuck on the trainer a couple of days due to rain, but I have also gotten out and ridden the streets, which I do like better.

This weekend I am racing the MightyMite Sprint Triathlon. This is one of my favorite races to do and a little different than the others because it is a point to point race. This means you have 2 different transition areas, so the logistics of it makes it interesting. This will be the 3rd time I have raced this race, and I have sped up every year. Last year I finished in 1:20, so I would like to wee the 1:15 area. After the beatdown in my last tri and the confidence I got on my last 5k, I am ready for the challenge. I am ready to race!

MightyMite Triathlon Report

Better late than never right? About 2 weeks ago I finished the MightyMite Triathlon in Forest City, AR. It was a point to point race, which means nothing is down and back. You drop off your running shoes, then drive on to the swim and bike transition.

600 yard Swim:
The swim was fun! FUN FUN FUN! I was in the second wave. I got in the middle of the pack (not on purpose) and there was a lot of bumping, pushing, grabbing and slapping. Now none of this is intentional, it is just part of the game. But I had a great swim, and I powered through a lot of people. I got in my pace and was able to really move. I was 11th out of the water in my age group and finished it in 9:32.



T1:
This transition area went horrible. I could not get my shirt on right, I could not get all my stuff bagged up, my bike gloves were inside out...it just went bad. The total time here was 3:44. H O R R I B L E

13 mile bike:The bike seemed to go pretty good. It was a little hilly, with the exception of the one big hill at the beginning. When I hit the big hill, I got caught in the wrong gear and instead of risking popping my chain shifting, I had to bail off the bike and walk it up until I could get it in the right gear. The rest of the bike went well, I am still not averaging as much speed as I want (16.7 mph), but I am working on it. Total bike time for 13 miles: 46:20

T2:Went fine, racked my bike, changed shoes, grabbed my hat and race number and left.

3.1 mile Run:
Man was it hot! The run started weaving through the college there in Forest City and then headed to downtown. I really was determine to keep running to the turnaround point (mile 1.5) but it never came. I did not know this until that moment when I saw the Mile 2 marker. So I did walk some, but I also ran a lot of it. I got to a point where I could see the finish line so I was relieved...until I saw that you had to make a right hand turn, go two more blocks and then come through the finish line from the other side. But I did finish!~ Run time:32:10

Total time of the Triathlon- 1 hour 35 minutes and 6 seconds

I was very happy with my time. I still ended up 29 out of 32 in my age group, but I did better than my time goal, so I was thrilled. What did you do last Sat?