Seaotter Gravel
1 year ago
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Post-race Swim
Yay, I found David Bertrand at Dedman (SMU gym) doing his bike workout and thankfully he had a 1hr swim too- my same workout. So I chatted with him while he was riding for about 20min or so and waited to get in the pool together. That was awesome, thanks David ;) After the race this morning there's no way I would have pushed through that main set alone. He had just gotten off a two hr ride so agreed that it was good to have each other to nail those "fast" 50s sets. Now I'm officially tired- SLEEP time soon!
TMS Duathlon
Well the weather didn't turn out to be as bad- at least not as bad as Frost Yer Fanny in mid-January...that was a sufferfest.
I had a great race- followed my strategy perfectly and felt awesome. After the Hawaii camp and a pretty hard last week, my legs weren't as stiff/heavy as I expected them to be so that was nice.
2mi-15mi-2mi...and I was to go HR>hard on the run meaning 175+. On the bike I was not to worry about my HR or power and as soon as another athlete passed me to stay 3 bike lengths behind him/her and not let them go no matter how hard the effot turned out. Cool.
The first run I was in second just behind Lacey Brewer. I knew right away she'd be the one to watch since I raced her last year at Fast & Furious Duathlon. I got her in that race mainly because it's a run-bike-run-BIKE so since I'm slightly stronger than her on the bike that was to my advantage as she's a great runner. So onto the bike I had one guy pass me about half way into the first loop (3 loops of 5 miles) and I stayed with him. I passed Lacey about 3/4 of the way into the first loop and I knew to pass her strong because I would need the lead into the second run. After about mid-second loop the guy ahead of me picked it up and I couldn't keep at it so I settled and went my hard effort until another guy came by at the start of the 3rd loop and I went with him to the end of the bike.
The bike was super super windy!!!!!! Over half of the loop we were in headwind and some bad crosswind. Seriously, I don't know what's up with TX in the winter but it's just as bad as what I've experienced in Kona.
Anyway...on to the second run...I got out of transition and saw Lacey arriving to put her run stuff on so it was all out or nothing. The run course is two loops of a mile each inside the Speedway- which by the way, absolutely kicks ass. So after the first loop I was still ahead and then about 200m from the finish Lacey passed me and I was going as fast as my legs would allow at that time. So I tried to pick it up and surge that last few hundred meters but nopes. So I'm super happy with my race. Lacey was great competition and she got me good. I thought I'd come in 2nd overall but since the 40+ age groups started 5min before us there was no way to tell that a super fast 40-45 yr old came in 1st until the results were posted online. So, yea, I got 3rd and 1st in my age group :)
Now after a good lunch/late breakfast I'm off to my 1hr swim in a little while.
Another hard week to follow (harder than last- so this will be a great push) and then recovery week.
It looks like I'll be racing pretty much every week now haha...sometimes I question Ahmed's sanity, and mine in following along with a smile :)
5k March 1, 10K March 8, 5k March 15, another 5k March 22...the Lonestar Festival Sprint and Olympic back-to-back March 29/30 in Galveston.
See ya'll out at the races!!!!!!
I had a great race- followed my strategy perfectly and felt awesome. After the Hawaii camp and a pretty hard last week, my legs weren't as stiff/heavy as I expected them to be so that was nice.
2mi-15mi-2mi...and I was to go HR>hard on the run meaning 175+. On the bike I was not to worry about my HR or power and as soon as another athlete passed me to stay 3 bike lengths behind him/her and not let them go no matter how hard the effot turned out. Cool.
The first run I was in second just behind Lacey Brewer. I knew right away she'd be the one to watch since I raced her last year at Fast & Furious Duathlon. I got her in that race mainly because it's a run-bike-run-BIKE so since I'm slightly stronger than her on the bike that was to my advantage as she's a great runner. So onto the bike I had one guy pass me about half way into the first loop (3 loops of 5 miles) and I stayed with him. I passed Lacey about 3/4 of the way into the first loop and I knew to pass her strong because I would need the lead into the second run. After about mid-second loop the guy ahead of me picked it up and I couldn't keep at it so I settled and went my hard effort until another guy came by at the start of the 3rd loop and I went with him to the end of the bike.
The bike was super super windy!!!!!! Over half of the loop we were in headwind and some bad crosswind. Seriously, I don't know what's up with TX in the winter but it's just as bad as what I've experienced in Kona.
Anyway...on to the second run...I got out of transition and saw Lacey arriving to put her run stuff on so it was all out or nothing. The run course is two loops of a mile each inside the Speedway- which by the way, absolutely kicks ass. So after the first loop I was still ahead and then about 200m from the finish Lacey passed me and I was going as fast as my legs would allow at that time. So I tried to pick it up and surge that last few hundred meters but nopes. So I'm super happy with my race. Lacey was great competition and she got me good. I thought I'd come in 2nd overall but since the 40+ age groups started 5min before us there was no way to tell that a super fast 40-45 yr old came in 1st until the results were posted online. So, yea, I got 3rd and 1st in my age group :)
Now after a good lunch/late breakfast I'm off to my 1hr swim in a little while.
Another hard week to follow (harder than last- so this will be a great push) and then recovery week.
It looks like I'll be racing pretty much every week now haha...sometimes I question Ahmed's sanity, and mine in following along with a smile :)
5k March 1, 10K March 8, 5k March 15, another 5k March 22...the Lonestar Festival Sprint and Olympic back-to-back March 29/30 in Galveston.
See ya'll out at the races!!!!!!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hawaii Pics!!
Day before leaving...sitting by the sand volleyball court on Alii Drive looking at the ocean and thinking of a plot to stay in Kona forever.
Before run
Me and the boys
Me and baby Ali- future SMU swimmer, Olympian, and IM World Champ...among other things
Cervelo born and bred- Ahmed's bike & mine (London)
Aaron and I on our way to Kaloko
"Again"- Ahmed's famous torture quote as we do countless race starts.
Last run
Cookout
Yummy lunch at Lava Java
The last night we went to Huggo's but I couldn't sit with everyone at the bar because I'm not 21, even if I'm drinking water, and we pretend one of the campers is my mom. So I'm just outside on a chair that we snuck out the window opening...this layout didn't last long :(
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Back to Reality
Jet lag definitely got me this time. It'll take a couple of days to adjust not only to the time difference, but to my normal life routine far away from the serenity of Hawaii.
skii jacket on- ready for dallas weather...albeit the shorts
Next week I'll be doing the TX Motor Speedway Duathlon. It was a sudden decision as a great way to get in a speed workout. No matter what race, I love going out there- it makes my weekend that much better :)
After that only one sprint in mid-April before Collegiate Nationals...how exciting!!
skii jacket on- ready for dallas weather...albeit the shorts
Next week I'll be doing the TX Motor Speedway Duathlon. It was a sudden decision as a great way to get in a speed workout. No matter what race, I love going out there- it makes my weekend that much better :)
After that only one sprint in mid-April before Collegiate Nationals...how exciting!!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
7 days and 30.3 hours of training later...
I have survived Ahmed's "base" camp! I thought I'd have time to blog every other day (at least) but from swims at 7am at the pier until lectures and/or dinner ended at around 9pm all I could do was crawl into bed.
It was the greatest week of training I've had, not only physically challenging but a blast to be around such an awesome group of people. Most of us are Ahmed's clients, although there were about a handful of others.
Posting daily would have been great as there were continuous random hilarious stories to tell but there was no time.
Three of the coolest things were:
1) the climb up Kaloko Rd....a 6.2 mile climb that took me and the other 4 guys that were leading just over an hour (except for Aaron who killed it in 58min)- continuous pain that turned the thought of Ironman into a cakewalk.
top of kaloko
2) the always epic ride out to Hawi and back...I ended up doing a bit less than the 100 or so miles since when we got Hawi it was pouring and I quickly told Bob (our sag guy) to sag me about 8 miles out of Hawi on the way back to clear the rain. It was great on the way back...the tailwind had me coasting at like 35-40mph :)
3) the run in the "pit". yesterday, we did our 2 hr run- i was to break it up as 28min run w/ 2 min walk X3 + 20min run w/ 10min walk cool down. I ran the first hour and a half with Roberto and Wayne (the guy I met on the bike last week that's deaf and is training for the next Olympics 2012) it was awesome- about 85F and no clouds, we were keeping in trianing pace which yielded around 730-745 pace. The pit used to be part of the Ironman Hawaii race course a few years ago and I'm really sad they took it off as getting there from Alii Drive means quite a few good rollers.
Right now I'm sitting at Lava Java as usual and will hang out with my two roomates for the week- Aaron and Jessica- that leave on the same 10pm flight as me back to Dallas. I learned soooo much that there's no way to put it in writing. I can't wait until the season begins and I jump into the water for the swim start. Ahmed's killer swims have me feeling full of confidence. I spent the whole week "sucking it up" (as Ahmed yells) and drafting behind people that I never thought I'd be capable of even having near my sight. I may never swim a sub-20min 1500m by myself, let alone in a pool, but with the right focus and pain tolerance I know it's definitely possible to sprint the first few hundred meters and stay with the lead pack for the rest of the swim by wonderfully drafting ;)Legal drafting practice on the bike was also a blast. On the climb to Hawi we did a series of "attack" drills that really made me push myself.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to coming back next January- this time though I'll be done with college and can spend the whole month here. I'll be doing the smaller group camp one week and helping out in the second camp week. As for now....dreading the return to cold weather and homework.
I brought my camera but as always, relied on the photography skills of other to take pics and will post them when I get their emails hehe
It was the greatest week of training I've had, not only physically challenging but a blast to be around such an awesome group of people. Most of us are Ahmed's clients, although there were about a handful of others.
Posting daily would have been great as there were continuous random hilarious stories to tell but there was no time.
Three of the coolest things were:
1) the climb up Kaloko Rd....a 6.2 mile climb that took me and the other 4 guys that were leading just over an hour (except for Aaron who killed it in 58min)- continuous pain that turned the thought of Ironman into a cakewalk.
top of kaloko
2) the always epic ride out to Hawi and back...I ended up doing a bit less than the 100 or so miles since when we got Hawi it was pouring and I quickly told Bob (our sag guy) to sag me about 8 miles out of Hawi on the way back to clear the rain. It was great on the way back...the tailwind had me coasting at like 35-40mph :)
3) the run in the "pit". yesterday, we did our 2 hr run- i was to break it up as 28min run w/ 2 min walk X3 + 20min run w/ 10min walk cool down. I ran the first hour and a half with Roberto and Wayne (the guy I met on the bike last week that's deaf and is training for the next Olympics 2012) it was awesome- about 85F and no clouds, we were keeping in trianing pace which yielded around 730-745 pace. The pit used to be part of the Ironman Hawaii race course a few years ago and I'm really sad they took it off as getting there from Alii Drive means quite a few good rollers.
Right now I'm sitting at Lava Java as usual and will hang out with my two roomates for the week- Aaron and Jessica- that leave on the same 10pm flight as me back to Dallas. I learned soooo much that there's no way to put it in writing. I can't wait until the season begins and I jump into the water for the swim start. Ahmed's killer swims have me feeling full of confidence. I spent the whole week "sucking it up" (as Ahmed yells) and drafting behind people that I never thought I'd be capable of even having near my sight. I may never swim a sub-20min 1500m by myself, let alone in a pool, but with the right focus and pain tolerance I know it's definitely possible to sprint the first few hundred meters and stay with the lead pack for the rest of the swim by wonderfully drafting ;)Legal drafting practice on the bike was also a blast. On the climb to Hawi we did a series of "attack" drills that really made me push myself.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to coming back next January- this time though I'll be done with college and can spend the whole month here. I'll be doing the smaller group camp one week and helping out in the second camp week. As for now....dreading the return to cold weather and homework.
I brought my camera but as always, relied on the photography skills of other to take pics and will post them when I get their emails hehe
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Day before camp
I can't sleep on airplanes so last night when I went to bed at 10, it was more like 2am for me. So this morning I slept in till five past seven and missed joining Bree Wee and the HCC group for the morning ride. Grabbed a powerbar and headed out the door for my 3 hr ride. I just love riding up and down the Queen K. I eneded up almost to where the road forks and you take a left to start the climb to Hawi, and then rode back to town. There was actually quite a few groups of cyclists but little to no cars. It felt awesome to be riding in warm weather- I missed the hot sun beaming down!!!
Funny story...on the ride I came up on this guy, a triathlete, and said hi, but he completely ignored me, like didn't even look my way. RUDE, I thought, so I continued on by...until a couple of minutes later he rolls next to me and starts making hand gestures which I understood to be questioning me as to when I was going to turn around- and then I realized, he didn't ignore me...he's deaf! So I tried to gesture that I had about 15 more minutes and he laughed at my signing hehe. Cool guy, we rode together most of the way until a couple of miles before town. I'm really amazed at people that take being deaf, blind (like this one older man that did IM Hawaii last year), or an amputee, and show the world that these are not dissabilities, simply differences and they can do everything just like everyone else!!- Awesome ;)
After my ride I stopped by Lava Java, had a quick breakfast and headed to the condo to grab my laptop and books and then go back to Lava Java, as I can't get wireless at the condo. Here I was drinking the rockin Kona coffee until it was time for my swim...man I love swimming by the pier. The water is insanely clear and you can't get enough of the coral and pretty little fish.
Most people get in tonight so in the meantime I'll be chillin-staring at the ocean wondering if there could possibly exist a better way to enjoy life.
Funny story...on the ride I came up on this guy, a triathlete, and said hi, but he completely ignored me, like didn't even look my way. RUDE, I thought, so I continued on by...until a couple of minutes later he rolls next to me and starts making hand gestures which I understood to be questioning me as to when I was going to turn around- and then I realized, he didn't ignore me...he's deaf! So I tried to gesture that I had about 15 more minutes and he laughed at my signing hehe. Cool guy, we rode together most of the way until a couple of miles before town. I'm really amazed at people that take being deaf, blind (like this one older man that did IM Hawaii last year), or an amputee, and show the world that these are not dissabilities, simply differences and they can do everything just like everyone else!!- Awesome ;)
After my ride I stopped by Lava Java, had a quick breakfast and headed to the condo to grab my laptop and books and then go back to Lava Java, as I can't get wireless at the condo. Here I was drinking the rockin Kona coffee until it was time for my swim...man I love swimming by the pier. The water is insanely clear and you can't get enough of the coral and pretty little fish.
Most people get in tonight so in the meantime I'll be chillin-staring at the ocean wondering if there could possibly exist a better way to enjoy life.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Aloha!
I'm ecstatic to say I'm finally settled in on the Big Island :) It was weird stepping off the plane and being back here again. In some ways it seems like moments ago when I was running on the Queen K to finish IM, or even gazing at the black lava for the first time back in June eager to get a slot at the Honu half. Yet, in other ways it seems like a distant chapter of my past. I've moved on, set new goals, and am returning to Kona to embrace the incredible training its topography can offer for the '08 season in a different light. Though Ironman is not on my short-term radar, there still remains that soft voice in the back of my head that draws me to that distance and challenges me to tackle it again- and I will...but patience, patience, patience.
After energy bars since 6am, I'm dying to sit down and enjoy some real food for dinner. It's been a long day and after much needed sleep, I look forward to starting the week of training fresh and energized tomorrow.
After energy bars since 6am, I'm dying to sit down and enjoy some real food for dinner. It's been a long day and after much needed sleep, I look forward to starting the week of training fresh and energized tomorrow.
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