Tri Training week 2

Week 2 is now over. Basically just like week one but have started to step things up a little bit.

All my cycling so far has been on stationary bikes at the gym, hopefully that doesn't come back to haunt me later. I plan to get some real bike time the last couple weeks of training.

Swimming has it's high points. Sometimes it feels like I'm gliding through the water, other times it feels like I am working like crazy and not going anywhere.

Had to wake up really early Saturday to run 4 miles because we were going boating. Two of the miles were "tempo" pace. It's embarrassing to see how slow my hard effort is, but it does feel good to be pushing it again.

Looking forward to week 3. Looks like it will be a few notches higher on the intensity meter.

Tri Training week 1

First "official" week of training over. I'm swimming, biking and running 2 days a week each. It has really helped to have a goal to go for and a plan to get me there.

The weather has been a little hot and humid, but not unbearable.

Later

Triathalon Training - The Preamble

Since the last post I was able to get out of Phoenix and into some cooler weather for a couple of weeks.

It was hard to make myself get up early and run while in "vacation mode" but it was so nice to experience running in cooler weather again.

Had an insanely awesome run up Provo canyon one Saturday morning. First time in a long time that I ran and just felt good. It's hard to explain but you could call it running "Nirvana". It's almost like I feel like I could run as fast and as long as I want. It definitely gave me a much needed confidence boost heading into my 6-week triathalon training program (thanks RW). However, my confidence was again shaken this morning as I got up and felt the hot sticky weather and thought "I have to run in this crap?".

I know I can complete this tri. I'm just working now to not have it be an ugly thing and meet my time goals. I need this to motivate me to get out and run in the hot sticky crap. I look forward to being able to say I've done a triathalon versus saying I'd like to do a triathalon someday. Who knows, maybe this will become my new thing. An Ironman seems inhumane at this point but so did a marathon at one point in my life.

I'll keep it posted on how the next 6 weeks goes.

Where did the last year go?

This is awkward. It's like meeting a friend that you used to be really close with but haven't seen or kept in touch with for way too long. A little excited to see them again, but also feeling a little guilty for not being a good friend.

Anyway, I'm going to try and crank this up again for a couple of reasons.
1) My running has gone to crap.
2) My running started going to crap about the same time I stopped writing.

Here is what has happened since I last wrote:
- Had big plans to do a tri and a half marathon.
- Gave up on those plans and opted to do a 10k instead
- Ran an average 10k
- Since the 10k been running sporadically
- Now running 5 miles seems daunting, I've gained about 15lbs

Alright, now that we have the awkward part out of the way I'll share my future plans.

First some thoughts on motivation. There are a lot of things that motivate me. Entering races has been one source of motivation. Not because I'm competing against the field or ever going to win but there is still a challenge. A challenge to push myself to new limits and achieve something I previously thought impossible. Sometimes it is to get a new PR, sometimes to finish a distance never done before. The pinnacle of these challenges was the marathon. The marathon was my Everest. From the time I started training until the moment I crossed that finish line I was hungry. Every run had a purpose and it felt good. So I think I need to be challenged, I need to find a new Everest.

Here is what I have in mind for now. Anthem Sprint Tri. in under 1:20:00
Then do the Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon in under 1:51:00

I'll keep you posted

Lately

Finally have put together a few good days of workouts. It's been difficult to get motivated lately. I haven't been willing to commit to a race because I fear training in the summer heat, then I don't feel like doing anything because I don't have a race to train for. That cycle has dominated me since April and now I'm heavier, slower, and just overall less awesome than I once was. But, as the first line of this post suggests things are turning around. A while back I put together a plan to do a tri in December and another half-marathon in March. About 3 weeks ago I finally put my shoulder to the wheel and put a plan together that would get me ready for the tri in December. It's been humbling to start from "long runs" being 3 miles and struggling through it but it'll be worth it. Last week was the first solid feeling week. I feel like I'm starting to get back into the groove. I've learned a couple of things in the process as well.

1) I can't put in regular miles on the treadmill. Treadmills have their place in my world, but not as a central figure. I had been doing more than 90% of my miles on the gym treadmills and was wondering why my workouts were feeling so un-motivating. For the past 3 weeks it's been reversed where I'm doing more than 90% of my miles outside and I have felt so much better. Then on Monday I hit the treadmill again for a quick 2 miler and really struggled through it. For me the miles seem to be at least twice as difficult and 10 times more mind-numbing than any outdoor run. I do appreciate treadmills for the following scenarios: Occasional speedwork (probably only because a track is almost as mind-numbing as a treadmill), to avoid truly gross weather (which has been my excuse for the past few months when morning lows were in the low 90's), or keeping up during vacations (hotel treadmills can be a good option when you don't know where the heck you are going and want to avoid getting lost during a quick run in a strange town).

2) I'm no longer scared of triathlons. Not that I was ever really scared, but more of an uncomfortableness with the unkown. Last Saturday I had the chance to watch a reverse order sprint tri over the same coarse that I plan to do a regular order tri on in December. It was really inspiring and more importantly comforting to see the other "middle of the packers" out there. For some reason my mental picture of tri's was much more intimidating than what I saw on Saturday. It was good to see the lower end bikes in the transition area and people struggling through the swim like I'm sure I will be. In short, I'm getting more excited/committed to doing this tri in December.

Hopefully I will be a better blog poster as I train for my near term goals. It really helps me to digest what I'm thinking/feeling and helps me to more fully enjoy my running experience.

What my 4 errr... 5 year old has taught me recently

I was doing some reflecting this Father's Day and have realized that my little man Drew has taught me some pretty amazing lessons lately.

He had a birthday recently and I can't say I remember the last time I saw somebody so totally happy for their birthday. As I think about this a few things come to mind.

- He completely enjoys being able to share the moment with his friends. He is probably the friendliest kid you will ever meet. He loves nothing more than to be with other kids and just play. He doesn't care what you look like, where you are from, what your beliefs are; as long as you can bring it on the playground and talk back when he talks to you, consider him your best friend. I wish I had that skill.

- Along with the first point he realizes that it's not all about him. He would be just as happy if it were any other kids birthday party. As long as there are friends, cake and party games, he's good. As hard as I try to do this in my life, I always find myself being selfish and becoming less than desirable to be around. Selfishness can turn otherwise decent people into total monsters. If you would like evidence watch any episode of "bridezillas".

- Not totally unrelated to the birthday party I have realized that Drew loves almost unconditionally. He is not a perfect child by any means. We have had our moments and I've been to the point of screaming at him and hauling him off to his room more than a few times. As hurt as he can be by my countertantrums and shortfalls as a parent, he is always quick to forgive. Paige tells me I can do no wrong in his eyes and judging by his frequent "I love you daddy's" even 5 minutes after yelling at him, I am almost convinced that she is right.

- Finally I've been blown away at some of the things he's been able to accomplish lately. He has gone from not wanting me to take off training wheels to going with me on 3 mile bike rids with no training wheels. And from screaming and fighting because he doesn't want to put his face in the water to jumping off the diving board in just a few weeks. It has taken a great deal of trust and bravery on his part. I wish in life I were brave enough to walk right up to proverbial diving board and belly flop off the end without hesitation. At times I have held myself back for fear of failing or looking stupid and probably missed some cool stuff.

So to Drew, keep up the good work and thanks for teaching me some pretty amazing lessons from your awesome example. And for the rest of us, here's to living like Drew.

-Justin

Moving forward

It's been interesting since Emma's Run.
The plan was to take it easy this first summer since I'm not sure how the heat will affect me. So I've been hitting the gym a little in the morning (can't you tell :-) and taking the random run or swim every once in a while.
While it's been nice not to HAVE to run, I've missed the regular training. I'm also way jealous of watching Paige do so well with her running and preparation for the Provo River 1/2 marathon. So for the past couple of days I've been planning my return to racing (just call me Brett Favre).

I'm going to start with the Holiday Classic Sprint Tri. in Anthem on Dec. 5th. This will be my first tri. and while I'm excited to be trying something new, I'm also a bit nervous for the parts I have no experience with.

Then I'm going to do the Valley of the Sun half-marathon in Mesa in early March. Looks like a good race and more importantly the timing works out great to give me a good three months to train after the sprint tri.

So, bottom line is that I'm still going to take it easy until about September when I get serious about the tri. If anybody is interested in joining me for any of these events let me know. I would love to have a familiar face with me.