Christmas week

Managed to get almost all of my workouts done this week.

Swim: 2.4 mi., 2:15; bike: 54 mi., 3:45; run: 25.5, 3:45; strength 2 at :60 each; total distance 90 mi, time 11:35 plus 2:00.

Highlight run Saturday 12.5 mi. at 2:30. Felt good all the way.

Similar week coming up: work on base, speed skills, strength, limit starch.

Meals should be mostly protein, legumes, vegetables, with smaller amounts of dairy or fruit.

A hui hou, see you on the road.

Base Training and it is Christmas

This is Christmas week, church on Friday and Saturday, kids coming home so full house, big dinner Saturday, more shopping and mailing to do, and keep on training. This is going to be hard.

Summary for my recover week: swim 3 miles, bike 37 miles, run 8 miles, 3 weight sessions, total time this week 10:30. I skipped one run but otherwise completed everything I wanted to do. Enjoyed the Mill Creek Y. Had a great morning run from there around the Willis Tucker park. Now it is back to reality, well with the caveat above and I'm looking forward to going back to Monroe.

The plan for the week will be achievable if I can work it Friday and Saturday. My objectives this week, and for the next few weeks, is to develop aerobic endurance, work on speed skills for each discipline, increase my base strength, limit my starch intake and maintain my current weight or reduce some.

Hope you all enjoy your holiday season. For myself and my family its definitely Christ-mas. I also hope your training is successful. A hui hou, see you on the road.

Summary and recovery

This week the Monroe Y is closed for annual maintenance so I will try the facilities at the Mill Creek Y. It's always difficult to get accustomed to a new gym so I'm going to look at this as a recovery week with the anticipation that the following weeks will begin a new base segment to get ready for the next season.

Last week workout summary: 12/5-12/11.

Swim 4 miles 3:45; Bike 88.5 miles 6:25; Run 9 miles 2:05; Total distance 101.5; Total time 15:15; plus 3:25 for strength training and yoga.

Went to Mill Creek this morning and saw several friends from Monroe so I wasn't alone. What surprised me initially was how full the seemingly large parking lot was. Also, though the lobby was nice, the rest of the facility was a little disjointed due to the remodel/new addition nature of the buildings. The pool was particularly inviting but was overly warm. Nothing that I can't adjust for so I am actually looking forward to the variety of working out there. Today's workout was limited to a strength training session of 1:00 hour and 45 minute indoor cycle.

For those who are interested the following is my plan for the week.

Monday, strength and stretch, bike.

Tuesday, swim and run, 60 minutes each.

Wednesday, bike about 1:15, strength and stretch 1:00.

Thursday, swim and run, 60 minutes each.

Friday, Bike about 1:15, strength and stretch 1:00.

Saturday, swim 1:00, run 1:30.

Sunday, bike 2:00.

Strength program includes 4 basic lifts: squats, seated rows, standing lat pull, bench press: warm-ups then 3-6 reps. 3-6 sets each. Auxiliary lifts: ab sit ups, calf raises, 30 reps. 3-5 sets, one set core routine.

That is the set up for this week, if you're at Mill Creek, A Hui Hou, see you on the road.

Taking it easy

This week combined the end of a trip to Hawaii and a few days of training here at home. Also I participated in a presentation on planning for the off season. One of the items on the agenda was to have some off time which I completely agree with. Considering the probability that the holiday season will present inconsistencies in training due to weather, pool closures, etc. I expect the next two weeks to be a rest period of sorts. I still expect to train as often as I can. This will include Masters swim workouts and spin classes when available. I've just received my new LeMond Revolution Trainer so I can cycle at home. Runs will be limited to 30-40 minutes with only one long run per week of 2 hours or less.

Training summary for the past week: swim 2.5 miles, 2:15; bike 16.5 miles, 1:25; run 7.0 miles, 1:25; total distance 26.0 miles, 5:05 total time. In addition 2:00 of yoga and weight training.

Final thoughts on Ultraman Hawaii 2010. The experience of Ultraman, the buzz, the athletes, the electricity, is all very powerful. I have been fortunate to witness this first hand on three different occasions and have been profoundly affected by it. Ultraman is held currently in Penticton BC Canada and Kailua-Kona Hawaii. Both are beautiful places and offer different but equally challenging courses. The organization is superior and the event is highly dependent on volunteers. The entry fee is costly and the logistics of organizing your team and equipment is huge. Imagine coming from places as far afield as Australia, Norway, Brazil, and all over the U.S. bringing all of your equipment including bike, wheels, spare parts, nutritional supplies and friends for a swim escort and land crew; renting an SUV or van, accommodations, and more. Some arrive early and train. It is overwhelming. Then on top of all that you anticipate competing in a three day ultra-endurance event. You may have in mind a winning position or perhaps just finishing, whatever the case ahead of you is a 6.2 mile swim, 261.4 mile bike, and 52.4 mile run. Competitors from 29, with ironman experience or more, to the oldest finisher at age 65 complete the point to point event in between 22 and 33 plus hours, anywhere from 7 to 11 hours per day. Each participant is an inspirational story and many race for charitable causes. When you ask why the answer is the course, the people, the challenge and the common belief in the Ultraman "family". The attitude is infectious and has impacted me personally. Not that I intend to compete, that would be at this stage pretty remote, but it has caused me to continually reevaluate my perceived limitations and my goals which include the interest I have developed in the last three years in triathlons. The achievements of these athletes go beyond anything that one normally considers to be exceptional and they are awesome people who are just as interested in you as you are in them. They have causes, they know the meaning of sacrifice, and they love to compete. I can't imagine ever doing anything equal to what they have accomplished but I can imagine accomplishing something greater than I have done in the past and that is important. Find some photos and race report at http://www.slowtwitch.com/Features/2010_Ultraman_Day_Three_1821.html

I expect to be training so "a hui hou," and I'll see you on the road.

Back home in Washington

Since my last post I swam the Kona harbor twice, 1 mile each in 35 and 30 minutes. Beautiful place to swim. There were only a few swimmers in the water so it is basically you and the fish. Water temperature is warm and this year the ocean was relatively calm with mild surges and a manageable current. You just swim out to the coast guard buoy and back from Digg Me beach. Excellent. I also completed another short run: 4 miles on Alii Drive in 49 minutes. Now that I'm back home once I get organized I will be back training again. In the last week or so as I pondered my training while enjoying the beauty of the Kona coast I have come to the conclusion that I still have a long way in terms of training mileage to go if I want to be able to complete the long course triathlons. So there it is, an early new year's resolution: more miles. Specifically on the bike and run. I hope to pick up the new Lemond Revolution trainer from Mr. Crampy's today or tomorrow and Saturday we have a Monroe Tri Club meeting to go over the "off-season" training and commitments so that will help with accountability. As far as the swim, the Y Master's are doing all they can to kick my butt.

So until the next time, a hui hou, and I'll see you on the road.