230

Those of us here in the United States will celebrate 230 years of independence Tuesday. As any true American would do…I’m taking a vacation, to celebrate, to barbecue, to indulge in an adult beverage or two and to enjoy the many freedoms we have. Along with the festivities, I have a plan to push my fitness a bit. I intend to do 230 minutes worth of activity Saturday in honor of our 230 years of independence. Something like, a two our bike, followed by a 50 minute swim, ending with an hour run.

I can taste the recovery meal already. Pass the BBQ sauce please!

Dog Tired

Man. I’m dog tired. Maybe it was the addition of the weights last week. Maybe it was the 72 mile ride Saturday in temperatures that hovered around 100 degrees….with humidity at 70+%. Maybe it’s the reduced amount of caffeine running through my veins. Or maybe it’s just the fact that it’s Monday morning.
Either way, I’m draggin.
I had the energy of a wet noodle during my swim this morning.
Hopefully I’ll spring back by this afternoon and be ready for my long run.
Or maybe I'll just take a nap......

STRENGTH

I've been at this endurance thing for almost two years now. The whole time I've read articles and heard coaches speak on the value of strength training. "Pfff!!! I've got a family, I work 50 hours per week, I've barely got time to get in my swim, bike and run. Strength work is out of the question", was usually my response/thought.

That was before the lifeguard overslept last Friday.
There I was at the Y, no lifeguard, unable to do my planned swim, not wanting to drive back home, needing something to fill the hour that I would have been in the pool.

Other than when I toured the facility when I first joined the Y, I've never been in the weight room. I didn't even remember where it was. Standing there in the locker room with an hour to fill, I decided I'd hunt down the weight room. I'd at least know where it was if I ever did find the time to fit in a strength workout. Well, that killed a whole 5 minutes. There I was, standing in a very well equipped weight room with 55 more minutes to kill. "What the heck, I'll just do a few reps on a couple of the machines". Before I knew it, the 55 minutes were up and I'd done a full body workout. "That wasn't so bad" I thought. Maybe I'll do it more often.

The two free mornings (Tuesday and Thursday) I had to sleep an extra hour are now going to be spent in the weight room. I'm 3 for 3 so far. I'm not betting on looking like the Governator any time soon, but a little extra power to get up the hills will be nice.

This is what it's all about

Ironman Florida

Friday Already?

This week has been a busy one and has flown by.
I signed up for a couple of races this week. An olympic distance in July and a sprint in August. This will be my first oly. I’m looking forward to giving the distance a stab.
My training is coming along pretty well. I’ve gotten two swim sessions in this week, along with a couple of runs (one track session) two rides, and one strength session. I’ll run again this evening and ride long tomorrow. I may try to get in another run Sunday if I have time and am not too tired.

The Dew reduction is going ok so far. I did the first couple of weeks at 3 per day. Monday started a two week block of 2 per day. It’s been easier than I’d expected. Hopefully it’ll remain that way.

IMFL 2008

2008! It’s written in stone…or sand. No backin out now.
I’ve thought about doing an Ironman distance race about a million times, but I just haven’t been able to jump the mental hurdle to really decide for sure to go for it. I’d thought, maybe when I’m 40 (2010), I’ll be ready then. Right?...Right! Then I thought, that’s too freakin far off. 2007! I’ll do it in 2007. I’ll be ready then. Right? I’ll at least be able to finish. Won’t I??
I was all ready to sign up for Ironman Florida 2007. But, I felt I was pushing things along too fast. After all, I’d only done two triathlons. So, as I sat on the white sandy beaches of Panama City last week, I made the decision to go for it in 2008. Why 2008? Because it feels right. Because it’s not so far off in the future that it seems it’ll never arrive. Because it’s far enough away that I’ll have more time to prepare, do more races, to get stronger, to get more fit.
No turning back, no rethinking, no second guessing, I’m now officially on record….Ironman Florida 2008.

Gotta go...Only 124 more weeks left to train.…..

Back to Reality

Had a great week at the beach. I ran and swam almost every day, ate lots (and lots) of great food, had a ton of fun with DJ and KJ, rested and recharged. There was some miniature golf, a visit to a water park, and some shopping thrown in also. It’s always nice to leave the routine behind for a while. We’re now back home and back to reality…which ain’t half bad either.

The view from my chair

D and K at the Treasure Ship

KJ in the sand

Another beautiful Florida Sunset.

AHOY!

Me and KJ on the beach

The last sunset

R & R

The J gang will be heading back down to Panama City Beach later today for a week of stress free fun in the sun. I’m looking forward to morning runs followed by swims in the gulf, naps, eating lots of fresh seafood, and most importantly, spending quality time with D and K.
….