Thursday 3/30/06

Let me preface this by saying, "What I do for a run workout can't be called 'running'."

Went out for 1:40 run today doing 5 minute rest intervals and 2 minute run intervals. Got a good 10 minute warm up in and quickly found that the new route I was on was not safe at all. I thought there was enough room on the side of the road to run on, but was wrong. Cars were just too close. And, I was in a neighborhood I had not worked out in before and found that these rednecks over in this area don't leash there dogs. There was this one lady on her porch, probably chewing tobacco, trying to calm her dog down as I walked by. I heard her say, "Now, that young man is on the other side of the street and is not bothering anyone." The dog must have understood that logic since it yielded and did not attack. Then, some kid asks me if I knew where the Ice Cream truck was. All I heard during my run was that stupid ice cream truck blaring it's 'You have to come buy an ice cream from me' music. If I knew where the ice cream truck was, I would have been ditching the 2 minute interval idea and running after it!

As I turn the corner and get close to hitting a street that connects back to my neighborhood, I see a nice, big rottweiler laying next to a truck. At this point, I decide it is time to turn around and get back to more familiar ground. As I am making my way back, I have to pass Ma Clampett and her mutt on the porch. Thankfully, a kid on a bike was riding at mach 3 past me bringing a chasing dog my way. I quickly thought I could clothesline the kid and get away on his bike. And then I realized his bike was not a proper fit for me, so I spared him. I saw the dog realizing he couldn't catch the bike and setting his eyes on me. But, we were in front of Ma Clampetts at this point and her dog went after the dog in chase. I like that family and their dog now :) Might have to take a bundt cake over or something...

It was a relief to be back on that road that was too narrow and back to easing my mind with simple prayer that I don't get taken out by a Studebaker or something. Went back to my old route an finished up the run. Back was certainly feeling the 2 minute jaunts, but as you can tell from my HR file, I wasn't breaking any sound barriers. Got 5 miles in and actually felt the best I have in any run/walk workout so far.

Got back the the house and hoped on the trainer to do a 30 minute spin up session. that stopped after 10 minutes as I felt like I was about to tump again. So, I scratched things there since it was close to 8pm and figured I could do some technique work in my interval workout tomorrow. I reckon I need to pull out the instructions on my trainer and read them. I am sure it is more in my mind than anything. So, a nice 10 minute cool down on the bike is what that turned into.

We'll see how tomorrow goes!

Wednesday 3/29/06

I really felt the swim I did yesterday in the pool this morning, as well as feeling the ride last night. My thighs were on fire! I cringed when I saw we had any backstroke or backstroke kicking drills on the workout in Masters today.

Wound up hanging in for about 1350 yds and had to break out of 500 yds of the schedule. Boy, I was hurting.

My sample order from E-Caps arrived today. I was talking with Mike about transitioning from Spiz as my main source of nutrition for the race and he suggested I give the Hammer products a try. Have to give props where props are due. I called Katey at E-Caps and spoke to her and she was just about as helpful as someone could be in explaining their products and helping me understand how to use them and what I needed. I felt like I was getting the same customer service I provide. So, my order of samples came today. Really interested to see how the Heed and Perpetuem work for my endurance rides and runs. The directions say to mix the Heed with your favorite juice. I wonder if it mixes well with Coca-Cola :0)
I went ahead and placed a pretty sizable order to get going with several of their products and should have that in the next few days. The samples they sent should get me through until then.
I will keep everyone up on how that goes. I think about 70% of Ironman is nutrition and mental strength. I already proved back in '03 that a fat guy in semi-shape can finish the race. Now, if I can have a finishing photo where I don't look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy because I over-fueled during the race and was flat out bloated. I had to be the only guy there that actually gained weight during the race. IM rookie mistake... Rich Strauss was at that race with me and when I showed him my finishing photo he said "Hang that up on your wall to remind yourself to work on race day nutrition". I think I have to work on anything that ties in with nutrition, period! Between Hammer's products, my coach, and some good testing while training, I should be good to go this year...

Took Kona on an hour and a half walk with me this evening. The time really passes when I have to keep getting onto her for wanting to smell every blade of grass along the way. I often forget she is still just a pup and curious about everything and anything. I think we have a 2 hour walk Saturday. Will have to bring Hallah and my fuel belt filled with water for her and Kona with me.

I was pretty tired when I got back home after my walk this evening. Finished up with church and when the bell rang, I was out the door for some steak! I have been craving steak the last couple of weeks more and more.

Tuesday 3/28/06

banged out 2300 yards in 1:06 today. Huge improvement. If I didn't need so much technique work, I swear I would swim on my own all the time.

So, here is the funny part of the training day. You know how they say "There are 2 types of cyclist, those that have fallen and those that will..." Well, I didn't know that transcended onto the trainer as well.

I setup for a good ride - 1 1/2 with a Z3 HR in the middle 30 minutes. made it to minute 51 and *POP* Down goes Frazier. Of course, I fell to the left - which happened to be the hip wound from last week. Safe dismount...I mean landing and all is well. I was cutting the ride down to an hour as it was since my thighs were on fire and I had a tough time putting out enough effort to get into Z3 as I should have. Now, let's see how the ole legs feel in the morning for Masters....

Power files are looking soo much better. I still have a long way to go, but compared to my first files, my cadence is improving. Still in the 'suck' range but moved up to 'doesn't suck as much'. That is progress in my book. 2nd 30 minutes was just plain tough on the legs tonight.

Monday 3/27/06

Okay, now that everything is caught up in weekly summaries, time to hit the Dailys and stay on top of things. Like I need 1 more thing to complete each day :

Great 45 minutes of core in this morning. I have been having trouble adjusting to sleeping with my CPAP mask on and again pulled it off while I slept last night. So, I did not get up for Masters this morning. Sleep Apnea sux!

I threw in an extra 30 minute walk after weights for good measure today. Went and got a massage and boy did that help. Hip wasn't hurting during weights, so I figured the time missed with only real easy walks and spins healed things back up.

Went ahead and anticipated a big week this week and scheduled a 2 hour session this coming Monday. Heading to the pool tonight or tomorrow to catch up on the swim.

Summary week of 3/20/06

Rough week this week. I tweaked my hip on Wednesday helping a friend move some stuff around at his storage unit. Pretty much destroyed the whole week.

I was able to punch out 1750 on my first swim this week. Getting there, but a long way to go. I can only get so much yardage in in 1 hour. But, it is building and that helps getting up at 4:30 in the mornings worth it.

Turned many of the runs into straight walks, short intervals and made my way to the stationary bike at the gym for low pedaling.

Definitely heading in for a massage soon if this thing doesn't wok itself out.

Summary of Week 3/13/06

The numbers are really coming together now. Been getting more and more training in each week and doing better about making the training happen.

Strength workouts are now more fun as I have adapted and am not super sore the next few days after working out. Swiss ball stuff is getting easier.

Actually got 1700 yards in at the pool in 1 workout this week. Sure is a Big change from the 800 or so I was turning in at the beginning of this fun :)

I got to do another repeat ride over the same course as last week. Wind was still nuts and I had way to many pedal stops. Some was me and some were due to the increased traffic in the area for Spring Break. A lot more cars on the road and turning in and pulling out. Always makes for fun...

Summary Week of 3/13/06

6th week in and just now really getting a sense of balance between the IronMan training, work, and family. Haven't pulled a full week out yet with all training completed. But, working on it. Juggling some workouts around and trying to move them when I need to - again, without affecting other workouts to come.

Weight settled back in at 301. So from 314 to 301 isn't too bad. Should be more, but that is only my doings...

While we have not the first hill here in the Panhandle, we got wind and humidity. I was excited to get my Endurance ride in this weekend in hopes of seeing what we have built. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to fight the head wind coming back. However, it was a pretty tough ride.... It will be good to look back at this ride as I continue to repeat this course. There are 2 good bridges to climb and the ride is along the coast from Perdido Key, FL to Orange Beach, AL.

Here is a cut from my Daily log for that day.

We Got Power! Summary week of 3/6/06

Well, got the ole Ergomo Pro in this week and took the bike down to my LBS to have it installed. Funny thing is, when you get a new toy, you try to max it out. On my first ride I was doing some good interval work and hammered a bit too hard on my second interval and pretty much finished my legs for the rest of the workout. And, only was able to swim about 350 yards the next morning. Not real smart....but fun.


I am still trying to learn what the data is telling me. I think it took me about a week to get eh speed sensor in a good place to read. That thing is sensitive! Cadence is still sucking.

Great week all around...

Summary Week of 2/27/06

This week became a pretty much washed week coming back from Boulder and Colorado Springs. I returned late Monday night and just had more work than I could handle to start in on.

I did manage to get a 30 minute walk in with my dog Kona. This pic is a year old - gotta get some new pics...

Summary of Week 2/20/06

20 lbs down - finally back under 3 bills. Not sure how long that will maintain since I know a lot of that came from being sick.

So, up to 1200 yards in the pool. Slowly getting up there. But, I am feeling much more comfortable in the pool. The only thing that is tough to get used to is balancing the training and gaining that fitness where one regular workout does not affect the others. I found that I am still pulling more with my shoulders than I am my lats. Weight training really emphasizes what you are using in the pool when it is sore

I headed to Colorado Springs and Boulder, CO to work the USAT Art and Science of Triathlon conference with TrainingPeaks. Needless to say, with the travel and working a conference, and then doing my 'day' job after the conference, I didn't get much done at all this week.

I did go out for a nice 1 hour walk the morning after I arrived in Boulder. man, it was cold! Snow on the ground and all. Pretty cool to see my HR sky rocket when I am walking at 5300 ft .vs the 115 ft above sea level I live at.

Got to meet Mike and the gang at D3. Was very cool meeting people that I talk to and email through work all the time, but never get to see a face. Had a great time, but just not enough time in the days to add the training in.

Summary for Week of 2/13/06

Wow, how much fitness have I lost in swimming. Was barely able to squeak out 850-1000 yards in the pool this week. Gotta work on my form, the fitness will come.

Hoping back on the bike, I found my cadence went back to my natural grinding out of the big gears. About 5 years ago when I got back into tri, I had the same issue. Not too concerned as I know that the cadence and technique will quickly return.

Since we are working on weight, my runs are very much walks right now and we are building on that to help drop weight.

I was introduced back into strength training this week. I was nothing but sore and wrecked the rest of my week after Wednesday's workout. Got a massage on Friday and was about to cry when my girl hit my legs. But, felt good enough to get my long ride in on Sunday.

My Ergomo Pro has not made it in, so no Power data to work with. Can't wait to get it in!!!!

Summary for week of 2/6/06

So, the first week sure didn't start off as planned. I began working with Mike this week and got pretty sick the weekend before training started. I had my flu shot, but man, I had something close to it.

This week became a wash...

Please read the Ingredients...

So, you take 1 fat guy , a great coach, the best software for coaches and their athletes, an Ergomo Pro, and finally - the most extensive analytical software for working with power data....and what do you get? Well, we will have to wait until November to see.

But, man, it should be exciting. If I can keep driving past the Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop when that RED ***must turn away*** LIGHT ***can't stop car*** IS FLASHING, it should all be good. That was tough just to write. What we expect to come out of all of this is a super cool journey to IMFL, some great experiences for us all, and a nice chunk of time coming off the clock at the end of the day.

It all pretty much lies in my hands. Can't go wrong with the other ingredients. I am definitely being setup for success. Just have to hope life goes well, I can stay motivated, and be consistent with my workouts. This is just plain going to be fun!

Hope you enjoy the ride....

A little background...

I started competing in triathlon back in '88. Nothing ever serious as I have never had the typical triathlete's body. I knew this, accepted this, and just enjoyed the sport. I took about 10 years off as I unexpectedly became a single father to a 1 yr old little girl. As you could imagine, life changed just a bit.

As I was graduating grad school, a buddy of mine was interested in competing in a triathlon and got me thinking about getting back into the sport. By this time, Hallah (Hey-la), was 8 and a bit less dependent on me. My folks had moved to South FL and was helping me take care of her. So, I really had no excuses. Plus, I had just plain let myself go and needed to do something to get back in shape. Back to tris it was!

In 2002, I started training again and signed up for Ironman Florida '03- weighing a slim 325+. In March of '03, I began working part-time with TrainingPeaks. For some reason, I didn't think that training for an Ironman was enough and wanted to take on this new venture with TrainingPeaks. The new job was a huge improvement to my life conditions and I knew it would be worth the effort if we could turn it into a full time job.

With plans of just crossing the line under 17 hrs, I completed Ironman Florida in 16:47. I was 13 minutes too fast some where on the course :) Now that I could concentrate on transitioning my part time job into a full time job, I pretty much took the next 2 years off from the sport in '04. I began working full time with TrainingPeaks and moved back to my home town of Pensacola, FL to slow life down for myself and my daughter. Thank God I moved back here just in time to get hit by hurricane Ivan. What a mess.

So, now with the move out of the way, settled in at work, and my measurements almost equating to a perfect circle, it is go time!

Enter in D3 Multisport, TrainingPeaks, and CyclingPeaks....

A word FOR my sponsors...

I say 'FOR' my sponsors because this journey would not be near as full filling without them. TrainingPeaks, CyclingPeaksSoftware, and D3 Multisport have all teamed up to join me in my journey. Special thanks to Randy at Bicycle Power Meters for pitching in and helping out with a great deal on an Ergomo Pro Powermeter.

So thanks guys! This should be a fun ride!

BD at USAT Art and Science Conference Feb '06