Guess Who's Back....Back again...

I can't believe it has two months since my last blog post, but honestly, there has not been a lot to blog about (triathlon speaking). I have been really trying to lose some weight without working out for the last couple of months. I really wanted to see if I could drop to under 200 without killing myself by swimming, biking or running. I figured that if I can drop the weight on diet alone, then by the time the new year comes around, my eating habits will be better and more of a "routine" and everything will work that much better. So I am down to right at 200 and feeling pretty good.

This January I did not make out a race schedule like normal. I guess I am just over it, or I am tired of life getting in the way and them looking back at all the races I missed. So no schedule, but I do have a plan, or some races I want to do for fun. They involve a couple of sprints and a mini sprint race that should be a lot of fun, and then based on how those go, I think I want to look at maybe a 70.3 towards the end of the season.

So in January, I bought the following items: new jammers, new clear goggles and new running shoes! I have found that I really do miss training for something, so it has been good to get back in the water and swim. I have not got to use the new kicks yet, but I will. I stayed with Brooks Adrenaline shoes, my go to shoe it seems. My plan is to really use January as a base building month, which will include some of the elliptical, some swimming, little biking and weights. I feel like I am starting over, like a 500 yard swim is epic and a mile run is huge!  I guess 3 years off after doing IM will do that to you!

Funny story- I was in the gym locker room lacing up my Hokas and an older gentlemen asked me if I was starting a run plan for the New Year (I'm a resoluter now I guess) I told him that "Yeah I was going to get back to running again", then he started to give me all these tips on running. I finally saw a break in him speaking and told him that I used to run a lot when I was training for Ironman. That stopped him and he said, "you did Ironman?" I said, "Yes Sir at the end of 2013" and he just walked off.

So I guess I can say I am back to training and racing and looking forward to it. I got my new gear and I am ready to see what 2017 brings!!!  Hope you all have a great year and a lot of PR's!!!

Opps, I Did It Again...

I have a race in 4 days, a sprint triathlon and I am not trained for it. This is starting to become a habit for me and it's a bummer. Things were going well on the whole training aspect until we moved, then it broke up a little bit and now I am here with a nasty head cold that leaves me only wanting to go to bed. I am suppose to be jumping in a lake in an hour to get in an open water swim, but I am not sure that being sick and jumping into a 65 degree lake is the smartest thing to do!

So I know I am not trained for this race, but the odd thing is this. I still feel like I can go out and hit a 1:25 for the sprint. A 580 yard swim should be around 10-11 minutes, a 13 mile ride conservatively should be 45 minutes (that's based on my trainer rides) and a 3 mile run, even giving myself 30 minutes, this all equals a 1:25 minus transition times. IS that so far fetched??  I'm not sure honestly.

Like I have said, I have not done this distance in a really long time. It should be fun. Yes, It should be fun, and I am sure I am going to get smoked because there are always really fast people at this race, but I could careless (yeah, I know, it means I still care by caring less, blah, blah, blah) This race is about me (and my wife and my friends doing their first triathlon). SO whether I smoke it it sludge through it, I am gonna have fun.

***Side note*** I have found the perfect weight loss plan for me. It 's called "Not eating on the new white sofa" plan. Seriously, since we got the new couch (see previous post) we have rules about eating on it. And apparently I am too lazy to get up and stand in the kitchen to eat a snack vs. taking it back to the couch to eat that I choose not to eat anything at all! I am down to 191 lbs! (And it ain't from training either) Maybe all these experts are right about diet!

DNS FOR REDMAN 140.6, OR IS IT?

I guess technically it is not a DNS (Did Not Start) if I never registered for it, but it is as it reads, I am out for Redman 2015. This was the race that I was going to go mano y mano against Brad D from Brad's Ironman Journey. Here is the back story:

Brad D did IM Texas, I did Redman 140.6. We compared times. Brad D claims IM Texas is harder cause it is IM branded. I claim they are both 140.6 and are no different. Texas is flat, Oklahoma is flat. We beat our chest, we each claim we are badder than the other and from that I issued a challenge to him to race me one on one at Redman 140.6 in 2015, which he accepted. The table was set, the trash talk started and we were having fun with it! This was all beginning in 2013. So fast forward to 2015...

As you might remember from reading this blog, a few weeks ago I went to the Orthopedic guy to get my shoulder and my wrists checked out. At the time I was actually more concerned about my should pain than my wrists. It turned out that there was a touch of tendinitis in my shoulder, nothing that a shot of cortisone couldn't sure, which it did. The wrists however were a different story.

The doctor took x-rays and did some other tests and determined that I have moderate arthritis in my wrists. The keyword is moderate to me. Moderate is worse than some arthritis but is not as bad as severe arthritis. He wrote a script for some meds and then asked to come back in a few weeks. On my next visit, he suggested that I do Cortisone shots in my wrists, but warned me that once we start these shots, I was guaranteed to need to continue them until I was prepared to do surgery, which I am not.

So this leads me to my opening statement and title. Right now, I can not imagine being on a bike for 6 hours with my wrists the way they are. I know I could stay in aero the whole time, but that is not the way I am. My grip strength has diminished a lot already, and the thought of trying to hold on to handlebars for a race, including the months of training does seem to be in my favor. I thought this through and talked it over with my wife and came to the conclusion that an IM is not in my future this year in 2015. I am not totally shutting the door on another IM, but right now it ain;t happening. So I did what I had to do...

I called Brad D on the phone and let him know that I was not going to be able to race. This was a call I was dreading to make, but knew I had too. I started the challenge and I needed to end it. Brad understood completely since it was an injury issue and not because I was wussing out, and for that I am thankful.

Right now, I am good for rides under an hour, anything after that really starts bothering my hands, so it looks like a summer of sprint races. I still love the sport and I am not ready to give it up. So I will compete. I will swim hard, run hard and make it through the bike. It has been three years since I did a sprint race and I am looking forward to it.

And Finally... JFORD is back

There has been a lot going on in the Ford World these past few weeks. We have sold our house and bought another one and are just waiting for all the papers to be signed and things inspected, appraised and everything else that goes into selling/buying a house. we will have a lot of junk to pack up, but hopefully this will be our chance to get rid of it, no need to carry it to a new house, only to crowd up that attic as well.

But, this is not a house moving blog, this is a triathlon blog, so let me tell what has been going on there.

I will say this, my last training plan was for 140.6, and I am loving the training plan for a sprint race. I had almost forgot how much fun this was! I love waking up and knowing I have a 600 yard swim ahead of me! That leaves me plenty of time to also get a 2-3 mile run before work! My longest ride has been 15 miles!  I love being able to train, and train hard and still be in bed by 10:30 PM!

The best thing is that I am on a solid 10 day streak of hitting all my workouts! Imagine that!

I think this is probably the smartest thing I could do, use this sprint as a way to build my base and then transition into the full distance afterwards. I know it would not be wise to jump into a 10 mile run that first week. It would probably frustrate me and make want to throw in the towel. So this has been a perfect way for me to ease back into the triathlon world.

It even has me thinking about course goals again. I know my Achilles heel is the run, but it is a 3 mile run, so I should be able to kill it. The weather has gotten nicer, which means saying bye-bye to the treadmill, and I am even seeing a few pounds drop off (Thankfully the Girl Scouts will be done selling cookies soon too!) All in all, I am satisfied with where I am right now, but I am looking to get faster.

I am going Old School...

Do you remember your first triathlon? Do you remember the first time into the water, the first bump, the first transition and so on? I do. I remember almost every little detail about my first real triathlon. (I say real triathlon because I do not count my indoor tri in the same manner as I do outdoor ones.)

I remember it because it was simply horrifying!

This was my 1st triathlon and I honestly thought I was either going to quit because the swim was killing me or that I was going to get pulled by the lifeguards before the first 200 yards! The water was so cold it literally took my breathe away. I knew there was no way I was going to finish that swim and I was not even sure if I wanted too! I swam a speedy 2:16 pace. I remember feeling dizzy coming out of the water and wondering how I was going to ride my mtn bike with slicks when everything was spinning! I remember taking 10 minutes in transitions! And I remember my first Olympic time of 3:44:03.That triathlon was none other than the Memphis in May Triathlon at Orgill Park on May 18, 2008. You can read my race report here if you'd like.

Now you may be asking yourself, why is he talking about this again? Because the Memphis in May Triathlon is going back to Orgill Park! The last few tears, the race has been held at Tunica, in an ideal venue. I set my PR in this new venue (2:47:58), and I loved this venue. So let be clear on this next statement. I DO NOT LOVE ORGILL PARK.

I have nothing but bad memories of that place. So when I got the email saying that MIM Tri was going back to Orgill, I was alittle excited and a little freaked out. (MIM lost the venue in Tunica when the host hotel closed, so the race was in question of even happening) I mean I am thrilled that the MIM tri is happening, but I am not looking forward to Orgill, because of the above paragraphs. So will 5 years of triathlons make a difference?

You bet it will. After a few minutes of thinking about this race, I am attacking it. I am going back to Orgill to make it mine. While I am only doing the sprint this year, I am going to after it like it stole my girl scout cookies! (Tag-alongs please) I have my training plan set, my race fee paid and the best part is I know a bunch of first timers that are going to be there,  which always ups my game!  (Vanity at its best right?)

So with this race going back old school, I thought I'd leave you with some old school music. Enjoy and your welcome!

What I am looking forward to in 2015...

So 2014 is basically over.

2015 is here...almost.

So what now?  Races? Goals? These are some questions I ask myself. And I can tell you that I have high hopes and I have plans to do great things, but that doesn't mean I will do them. I do not think I am going to do the whole new years resolutions thing, or set specific goals (like six pack abs) only to realize that I am not going to achieve them. So there will not be a 2015 Goals post on Daily Trainings this year.

Instead, I am going to tell what I am looking forward to in 2015. Here it goes...

In 2015, I am looking forward to getting back to running triathlons. At my last half marathon, as I stood in the corral waiting for it to start, I found myself openingly (did I invent a new word?) missing the start of the swim. I miss Stella too.

In 2015, I am looking forward to getting back in the pool. I cannot tell you the last time I swam. Not because it's a secret, but because it has been awhile since I got wet. I am hoping to jump into the water this week sometime. I am sure the 500 yd warm-up I used to will now be something to post on FB!

In 2015, I am looking forward to getting back into some tri shorts. (Tell me that is not weird) I mean I like running in running shorts, but something about the tri short that just seems right with me. I dunno, it's weird, I know.

In 2015, I am looking forward to doing my 1st sprint triathlon in 3 years. It's not that I have anything against that distance, its just that it hasn't really fit into my goals at the time. The Memphis in May Triathlon weekend always has a sprint on Saturday and an Olympic on Sunday. I have done this race the last 6 years or so, but I have never done the sprint. Well, that's about to change! I am really looking forward to this.

In 2015, I am looking forward to signing up for Redman 140.6 in September. As you know, I will be beating Brad D at this race, which is an added bonus, but I will also be going for a new PR, which will be equally as rewarding as beating Brad.

In 2015, I am looking forward to getting on a training schedule. I like having a plan. In many ways I think I am a better trainer than a racer. They say that the training is the hard part and the race is the reward. Whatever...

So those are a few of the things I am looking forward to in 2015. Notice they are all triathlon related, and that is because this is a triathlon based blog. I have other things in my personal life I am looking forward to, but that is something for me and my family. I will probably make mention of it throughout the year as I bang out words on the computer. I like blogging and expressing stuff in words. (beautiful statement right there huh?) So I hope to continue to keep Daily Trainings going, and I hope some people find it interesting, but I really hope everyone had a great 2014 and will have a better 2015.