WOW! that was a tough workout!

Yep, I think that might be one of the first times I have used those words since I started my training!? TOUGH!  Ah, suck it up butter cup!  And that is what I did.  Today was a 'turbo' workout on the bike and involved some good variety of high heart rate drills. I have 6 x 5 minutes big gear grinds some of them above 90 cadence.  It felt great, I was busting my hump to get to the end of some of them, but it was good. My legs at some point were screaming to stop, that is my key to push a little harder. So I did!  At the end it was the hardest trainer workout I have done.  I don't know if it is related to 8 hours on a trainer on the weekend?  All I can do is control the outcome today, so I pushed and got through it.
My workouts might also be getting a little tougher as  have not had a rest day since last Tuesday which was the travel day coming home and the day after the marathon.  Otherwise I have been going since April 17 without a break, and I have to keep going until this Friday for my rest day.  I am not complaining, just realizing why I might have a little burn on during a workout.
Following my bike grind today was a visit to the run club to do my weekly outing.  It is a beautiful sunny day, but damn it is cold out.  Running into the north it felt like a winter/fall night.  I luckily wore some gloves to fight it off, but could still feel it.  It was a great run though~!  Had a couple of new people out again, and we did a 6 1/2k loop!  They all felt great and I was right along with them.  Each week the club gets a little better and we keep getting stronger in numbers and in running strength.  It is a lot of fun leading/helping out and getting people motivated to be out doing something good for themsleves!
On a more entertaining front today, I was at my first photo shoot in my life!  No my wedding doesn't count, because I did not hire a photographer because I don't like getting my photo taken!  We did end up with hundreds of awesome photos thanks to all of our friends.  My photo shoot today was for my Lululemon Ambassador shot.   It was truly a fun day to be a part of.  I had some great running clothes, a great support team with me, my dog who also smiles for the camera.  We were down on a trail by the lake that I run at a lot, it al made for a perfect event.  In my most 'relaxed' manner possible the photographer took all sorts of shots to choose from.  I am looking forward to the final product to see what it is like.  I hope he feels free to retouch as necessary!!  As a person who is not a camera guy, I did find it to be a lot of fun!  I will post some photos as I am able to get them!
Overall an great day, hope you had a ton of fun and remembered to smile along the way!  Cheers!

Training and reflection day!

Another new week!  Week 6 of my training and Recovery week.  I am still loving this stuff!  Looking forward to each workout, looking ahead to see what is coming up and wanting to be on my game to continue improving.  Another 18 weeks to go, I am hoping the momentum is generally forward, I know I will hit a couple of bumps and wonder why the heck I am doing this, but a little mental stroll down mental alley to the past 6 weeks should move me forward.
I spent a little time last night and this morning looking back at my past few weeks, winter and few years of training.  It brought a great smile to my face.  I have not set any world records, but I did get it done.  Over the past while I have made some choices, and once I did not not let anything deter me from reaching the victory of accomplishment. It is very satisfying to be in that place, having helped myself from 'at guy' to somewhat fit guy.  Helped some others along the way accomplish physical goals, helped out by contributing to the community and charitable causes.  I guess I must be hormonal or something, spending time thinking about all this kind of stuff!  Whatever has prompted me to think it, I am happy with where I am, it is a good place right now!
As well, I am happy at this point with where I am physically.  I have done a some things the past few weeks and months that I was once convinced I could not.  Best thing is, in many cases they seemed easy to do.  The changes I have made in eating and training seem to be having an affect, so, I think I will continue to throw coal into the engine and see where it brings me.  I am enjoying the structure of the workouts, the increasing intensity and the way far away goal that it is for.  Best thing is, without even having experienced the victory of the attempt to the start line, I am looking forward to doing it again.  I want to be out there and see what I can do.  One of my goals is to also bring along a few others for the adventure.  This stuff is way to much fun to enjoy all alone!  Wether it is a friend participating or someone laughing at me for putting myself through it, everyone needs ot check out this game!
Today was a good training day in the tri game.  A 3500m swim with a ton of kicking.  I can feel myself improving on the kick front, actually choosing to do kick drills where I have choice.  I am going to line up the coaching session before to long and bring some new stuff into my practice.
Well, starting week 6 which is a recovery week, then onto the fun stuff.  Aerobic training starts with another little kick in the right direction.  In my next phase I have a couple of races to keep it interesting.  All the races I do are training events.  I may see what I can do on a sprint to see what this training has given me since the bad swim tri's of the past!
Off to have some dinner and enjoy a drink with some friends!  Have a fantastic night!  Cheers!

A fantastic weekend!

This weekend is one that I have marked down in the mental book as one to remember, now I have to capture it here as I can't usually remember what I had for breakfast!  It was AWESOME!
The fun started bright and early on Saturday morning with my Running clinic out for our weekly Saturday run.  The entire group was there although a couple still reeling from Friday evening wine. It was great to see that they are committed to getting to the goal that we set together as we get close to the race date of May 15.  The group is falling together well and many of them are asking if a summer session will be held.  Many of them want to grow the goals they are currently working on and go to the next level.  It will be a very fun summer working with them and a new group of athletes as well!
After a great Saturday morning run, it was off to help make a difference.  As some of you may have seen, there is a banner for the Ride to Conquer Cancer on the top of my page.  This is a double century ride that I am doing in June to help raise many for one the worlds leading cancer research centers.  It is a ride I am very passionate about, knowing to many people who have died of cancer or are currently in treatment.  I ask you to help by clicking on the link and making a small contribution to my efforts.  Remember the statistics, 1 out of 4 will get cancer, that could be you, me, our kids or best friends!  Make what difference you can!
On Saturday, in effort to raise awareness and my fund raising efforts, I rode my trainer for 7 1/2 hours.  I was lucky enough to be in the LULULEMON store front and able to ride from 10AM until 2pm, went out for a 20 minute transition run, got back on my bike to eat lunch and continued to 5:40PM when I went for another run.  People could not believe what I was doing, sitting on a bike all day.  When I told them why, they quickly understood what it was all about and the importance of it.  It was a tremendously satisfying thing to do! Hundreds of people came up to me and shared stories and thanked me for doing it.  For me it is a pleasure and a way that I am hopefully making a difference.  A big bonus to the day??  I got the longest time in the saddle that I have ever recorded on a single day and 3 great runs to go along with it.  I felt great off the bike onto the street, better than I thought I would after a 'long' ride at this time in the season.   I did sleep like a rock, I dont think my whole body had hit the bed before I was asleep.  Sunday AM was an impending mystery to me.  I felt good Saturday, did that mean Sunday would be nasty??
Sunday AM I volunteered for a community 10k race with the LULULEMON store.  A simple task, give out finishers medals!  I woke up early to get to the 7:30 set up time.  When I awoke, without thinking I popped out of bed and went about my morning.  It wasn't for a couple of minutes that I relaized that I did that totally pain free.  I had a little residual, but not 7:30 hours worth.  I was very pleased at how I felt and how I managed food and hydration the previous day.  It is very early, but a sign that I might be on the right track.
I headed out to the event start.  It was a blast.  It is fun to watch people coming in, the hundreds of expressions!  Joy, anger, frustration, elation, pain.....  You name it I saw it.  The only downfall, it was pouring rain.  I met all sorts of great people, first timers, elite athletes, walkers, friends....  It is quite different being on the that side of the line.  I aslo saw Bryan from   http://trainingpayne.blogspot.com/ .  He was out to do a lost tune up race before he heads out to IMSG this week!  He looked good, spirits were high and had a good run!  I think IMSG will be a great race for him!  GOOD LUCK BRYAN!
Overall, the rain did not put any damper on the day, seeing people cross a finish line is awesome satisfaction!
After my race post, it was time for me to head out and support some runners.  A couple of people in my group that have set 1/2 marathon as an upcoming goal are having a tough time with the long runs.  So, earlier this week, I suggested I would organize the long run and do it with them.  It was great!  Ran the whole thing with the clouds spitting on us, but got it done!  They were happy to put in the miles, I was happy to put in the miles!  It was a fitting way to end a weekend of training, helping and having fun!
I am tired now, so, GOOD NIGHT!

I hope your weekend was as fulfilling as mine was!

Happy MOnday!

Mid day update

I am now 5 hours on a trainer with a 4k transition run behind me. Another 3 hours to go! This is an awesome training day for an awesome cause! Please support the Ride to Conquer Cancer!
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

I love this stuff!

Another great 'recovery' day after Boston!
So, my recovery has been great from the run this Monday. All I have is a little pain in my quads and two big toes the size of grapefruit. I no I can handle the quad pain, isn't the first and certainly won't be the last workout feeling it. However, I was a little worried about the super size toes and running. Stay tuned for more on that one!
Today was a good swim day at the pool. I must say I am looking forward to an open water swim soon, but, I am still loving pool practice and getting better at this game. The session today seems to be starting to add more distance drills. Rather than all 50-100, a lot of it was 200, with cool down being 500. I like the added distance as I feel it will get me stronger and help me develop my form in the long run. Overall it was a 3000m practice and it felt awesome. At no point in 80-90% intensity swims did I start to 'choke' or want to slow down. I am please with post race swim from a nutrition perspective as well. Having done a decent workout a lot of potential for dehydration exists, I tend to be able to dig that up quick when swimming, today was a charm with no issues!
Ahhh! The dreaded first run! I did a Lululemon run club, they are a great way to get running again. The pace is not super fast and the distance is only around 6k. It is a perfect way to test out my super toes and see how aerodynamic they are. When we started the run, I did find a couple of small spots in my quads that needed to be hammered out. Within a quick 1k that seemed to work well. As I ran my toes seemed to give me no issues either. I was happy about that and I hope that is stays that way. One of the good parts of the run is the impromptu speed work. As I run with a mixed group I want to work with all of them to see that they are enjoying the run. So, I run forward and return to the slower group to see how they are doing. When I head back to the faster group it is always a decent sprint session. Last night I managed to put in a couple that were close to 700m at a pace that was around 4:10 min/k. I felt great and my sprint recovery was very strong. I was surprised as I thought it would slow me a bit with post race muscle repair! So overall it was a great run with 2 more new runners joining us. The momentum keeps going forward which is great.
Tomorrow is a good training day for me. As you may have seen form the banner on the top left of the page, I am doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer. It is a cause that is very important to me with so many people affected by this, some of us will be one day as well, it is a brutal reality to have to face. Tomorrow I am doing an 8 hour trainer ride in a store front to bring attention to the cause and to raise funds In support. If you are in Oakville, please stop by the Lululemon store and say hi, I will be the guy on the bike! If you are not, please click the link above and support this important cause. It is a charitable donations and you can print a tax receipt from the site. Thank you to all of you who have generously supported me to date.
Happy Friday and a great training weekend! Cheers
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Training time doesn't stop!

I will start by saying how happy I am with my post Boston recovery.  Last night when I went o bed my body was hurting, this morning I seemed to have beat a good deal of it away and I am feeling great physically.  I actually can stand on my own without holding the chair and make it down the stairs without feeling my legs are going to give out!  So, that means one thing!  Time to get on my bike for my turbo workout!  WAhoo! SO tonights workout was great, a lot greater than I thought.  Although my quads were still sore I am pleased with what I got out of them today.  The physical recovery has also been a good mental boost, it is proof of the base that I am building is working.  Todays workout was a bike turbo workout:
Avg Speed:  35kmh
Avg Watt:    216
Avg HR:     139
Avg Cad:    84
Distance:    29k
Time:          49m33s
In summary, after one day recovery from the marathon my rides is equal or better than the last ride I had!  I did skip the T-run tonight to allow my run muscles to recover a little more(and my toenails are beating like my heart) Stupid race move in wearing new shoes!
So, my race report!
Monday AM started with a great luxury.  Rather than hop on the school bus to go out to Hopkinton to the start, I was able to get on a luxury highway coach to get to the start line.  The opportunity came up for me to travel with the Boston Police and Mass State Police in their buses.  We proceeded from the Boston Athletic Club with a full highway patrol escort that stopped all traffic as we moved down the highway.  As we past on ramps on the freeway, the traffic was lined up for dozens of cars that were stopped  by motorcycle police who travelled ahead to stop them for out convoy.   As we made our way down the highway we were also being filmed from above my a police helicopter so that a souvenir video of the travel and start of race could be produced for the people who travelled on these buses.  As we approached the town of Hopkinton, cars and buses were lined up everywhere, we proceeded to a parking lot right next to the start coral.  At that point out 'tailgate' party was set up.  We had all the luxuries you could enjoy.  Coffee, Gatorade, water, fruit, bagels, pretzels....you name it, it was out for us to enjoy.  As much as travelling on the school bus would have been surreal, this was absolutely over the top as a way to get to the race for my first time.
As it was my first time at a big race, the start area was over the top, so many people.  Both ahead and behind it was awesome the see the tons of people lined up.  As we started to move, it was like a massive wave moving forward together.  It was so full of energy it was incredible.  As we past the start line and headed down the first long hill, it was amazing watching so many people moving at the same pace.  everyone there was a qualified runner, so there are no people blowing past you in the race.  As we got to about 3-4 km it hit me that I was running a marathon.  Here is a summary of my training:
1 marathon 4 years ago
1 half 3 years ago
1 20k run this winter
buch of 5-10 runs over winter
1 30k race a few weeks ago
tons of short <10k runs over past 2 months
A lot of miles but no real distance to talk of.
I started to wonder how I would manage later in the race.  I remember at 34k in the marathon I ran, I hit a wall that was huge!!  ALl that was going through my head was hitting that!  Then, I said forget it!  I decided to accept the bib as a training run, go out and have fun and learn from the experience.  So, I pushed the bad thoughts out and moved along enjoying the run.  I was blown away by the support.  At no point along the entire route was it empty. People were everywhere, having tailgate parties, giving out water and fruit, offering beer if you were so inclined, they were everywhere!!!  In the small towns they were lined up 2-3 people deep on the sidewalks.  They gave so much energy to the race it was incredible.
Along the route, there were some great memorable events.  The Wellesley girls who give out kisses for no reason at all.  I took advantage of it.  As I gave high fives all the way down the line of them(100's of them) I figured I was not racing so I would stop for a quickie, it was fun!  they are so high spiritied and added a lot of fun to the event.
Shortly before the kiss stop, I started running with a lady by the name of Donna from ThunderBay, Ontario.  It was her first Boston as well.  We seemed to be at the same pace and moved along the road keeping each other honest and sharing stories.  It was great to be able to enjoy the race with someone who was as thrilled to be enjoying the excitement of the day.  After a lot of downhill we finally hit a couple of bumps, a couple of small uphill section, but they were nothing to speak of.  I felt great as I moved along the road.  A couple of times I slowed myself down a bit as I was getting under 5 min'k which was not what I had set out to do.  SO Donna and I kept the pace in check to make sire the whole day was enjoyable.
I seemed in no time we arrived at the famous HeartBreak hill.  It is aptly name being at 34k being the symbolic WALL!  Earlier in the race I wondered how it would treat me.  I knew at the top the LULULEMON group has a cheer dance going, so I focused on getting to that spot with a smile.  The hill was less than I expected.  In little time and a few oranges from spectators I felt great arriving to the great cheers of hundreds of people.  Seeing the LULULEMON group and all the others put shivers down my back.  I was at teh top of Heartbreak hill, that meant the rest of the course was downhill.  I still felt like a million dollars!
Donna and I kept moving along having a great time.  I passed the symbolic wall and stuck my tongue out at it because I felt so good!  I felt like I was dancing along.  As we got to bigger crowds, I rallied to get them to make more noise to feed some energy!  They always responded with loud cheers!
When we got to mile 23 Donna started to hit a bit of a wall.  We had run together for the whole race and I was not going to let her give in to that feeling.  She was still looking physically strong, so I knew her mind was taking over.  She suggested I run ahead, NO WAY!  We had gone that far and I was sticking with her to the end.  SO we moved along a little slower, I kept telling her she was doing great and to stay with me.  She stuck by me the whole time.  I know she wanted to see me fall away, but, at teh same time I know she was wanting to keep moving ahead with giving in.  And she did move long with me, we turned left onto Boylston Ave and saw the finish line, and with a last surge we moved down the road.  I stopped along to smile for my friends who were close to the finish, and then with head held high, I finished my second marathon ever with a 10 minute improvement, tons of fuel in the tank and a new running friend from Thunder bay!
What a day!  Beyond any thought that I had about the race. It is one that everyone should enjoy one day.  It doesn't matter from what side of the fence.  If you like running and seeing victory, this is the place!  Boston is an awesome city, they put on a wonderfully organized event and this was a day I will always remember in my sports memory!
My run served as a great momentum for me as well.  A post IM goal is to qualify for Boston.  Feeling the way I did on this run without any serious distance training, I know with miles and training I can take the 40 minutes that I need to off my time.  I know, a lot of you may think I am nuts, but guess what!  That makes you crazy as well, did you ever think you would do an IM, no!  So, here I go, a quat to become a better runner, a better athlete and to enjoy another day on the racer side of the fence at Boston!
I am tired now, sleep is calling!  Cheers and Happy Training!

It's been a while!

I have been out and around for the last few days, and what an awesome few days it has been.  I guess I should start where I ended last week as it is all very tri relevant and part of this fun time I am having becoming a triahtlete!
Once a month I get a massage to allow all the work to sink in and to take the knots that I am to lazy to work on out for good.  Getting a massage this time was a benefit in many ways!  It turns out my massage therapist is very modest when she speaks of her triathlon experience.  She has been to teh worlds a couple of times and was a competitive swimmer.  So, the swim coach I was searching for seems to have come along.  Then, we talked about my upcoming weekend.  I told her that I was heading to Boston to cheer on many friends who were doing the marathon.  In the course of discussion I mentioned my desire to qualify for Boston after IM and that I needed to get some good direction and coaching. Having only run one prior marathon at a 4:06, I need some solid direction to get me to 3:20.  It seems she comes by her athletics well. Her dad has brought 5+ athletes up to the Olympic level as a Level 4 running coach.  He was the winner of some big league races when he was an athlete and is well respected in the community.  Best part, he is accepting new athletes, as long as you are committed to your gaol and to working for it!  I am committed!  Actually I should probably be committed!  SO 2 strokes of luck in one good massage and discussion!  I am finding things that I have searched for and they are kind of falling on my lap!  I am looking forward to the next 12 months and the transition that takes place!
As I mentioned above, Saturday was a day of driving to get to Boston to support our friends at this awesome race called the Boston Marathon(ever heard of it?)  A group of 10 friends were down there to give the race another good run.  For the second year in a row I was there to cheer them on and enjoy the event.  Saturday night the whole group went out for dinner and then continued on for some pre race  celebration.  Some of the runners were very well behaved, others, well NOT!  We ended up out until 2:30 drinking beers and tequila!  I had nothing to lose as I figured I was cheering after going out for a long run.  No pressure for me, no need to behave!  We had a great night, Boston is an awesome city to play and party in.  We listened to some great music and had a ton of fun!  not in the way that marathon runners do, but I was not one of them!

Sunday morning we all gathered to go and do some group pictures.  As we walked to our photos, one of the people in our group asked if I might know of anyone who needed a bib.  Why I asked?  It turns out she was injured and thought she might still be able to do the run, unfortunately the injury would not allow her to, so she had to bail.  As she told me more I started to think about the race.  I have not done any training to run a marathon, no miles other than the 30k i did last month.  Otherwise I have done a lot of 5-10k runs, a few hills and cross training.  But, I continued to think that all I could do was go out and run it easy, use it as a good training run.  As she continued to tell me more, I finally said that I would take her bib!  Not how you are supposed to get to Boston Marathon, but what the hell, I was there and someone else was going to take it, so it was worth it!  WAHOO!  I was in for Boston!  Holy crap!  All the beer and tequila from the night before was not that great an idea now!  Oh well!  Time to shift gears and get into race mode!  SO I went back to the expo bought some gels and a Boston Marathon shirt!  With that taken care of, I needed to get some water into me, so started drinking and gettting rehydrated.  Oh, did I mention I had a head ache at this point?  I was so excited to be able to enjoy the experience of a Boston Marathon.  I had been talking for 3-4 days about the work I am going to put in to get myself a qualifying spot for the event.  Now, I get to run one before the real deal!
We spent Sunday afternoon watching  Redsox games(them getting beat) and relaxing.  Yes, I did have a beer at teh game, but focused on getting water and electrolytes into myself at the same time.  It was an awesome afternoon.
After the game it was time for a pre race dinner, as you can imagine it was going to be pasta and lots of it!  We all headed out and I had a great dinner, and then off to bed.  I was exhausted, barely keep my eyes open.  Less than 10 hours and I would be on my way to the start!
I will give you a race report tomorrow with the great details of what I consider to be one of the funnest events that I have been at.  I did finish the run, with tons of fuel in the tank and with a PB by almost 10 minutes!  More to come on the day and the fun details!
CHeers