Chasing stray dogs is not part of my job description.

The ride home was broken up twice to chase dogs running free, away from major roads.

First was up in Centennial and I dropped out after three minivans unloaded their troop of preteens to round them up.

The second was in the golf course community down the street from us. I spent five minutes chasing a pair of dogs away from a semi-major intersection and eventually somebody pulled up in a minivan which they jumped into. Not a wave, thank you, or anything. It was quite clear that I was herding the dogs away, but not even a thanks. People are assholes.


Intake: 2350 kCal
I need to drop that down to 2000. That's the cheese block I had as a snack at work and cheddar-pimento spread that Sarah had at home. More fruit, less dairy.

Plan is to run tomorrow night with Layla.

Fatboy still not slim

Life has gotten busy with Sarah travelling more for work, Haley developing a robust social life, and trying to get my CRPC done. That combination has led to no positive effect with regards to losing weight and getting into shape. I'm now sitting at a Shamu level 248#.

I skipped my XTerra last weekend because I'm too out of shape to race without risking injury. I instead went on a dawn patrol with Toshi. That plus doing Mountain Lion with Tim and Nick lead to a very sore Monday. Either way, 14 miles and 3000 feet over the weekend made for good riding time.

I have started riding to work Tuesday and Thursday when Sarah is not travelling. It's taken a few times to get a good route in place to minimize my street exposure, but I think I have it down. I have one major street crossing that is unprotected and about two miles of unprotected street riding that I have just been riding on the sidewalk. At 12 miles each way, it's a decent amount of mileage that doesn't involve sitting in the basement.

I have another XTerra July 31, so I need to get my running mileage up too. Hopefully Layla is up for it, because I need to get up to about 20 miles per week.

I'll be logging more, both my training and intake (ie fatboy is eating too much), because for some reason self-inflicted public shaming works for me. WTF indeed.

Fatboy Not Slim

A quick catch-up: After the Boulder 70.3 in June, the herniated disc in my back (L4/L5, L5/S1) decided it was time to be an asshole again and pinch the nerve. I had another epidural in July with the hopes of racing Santa Cruz 70.3 in September, but it flared up again and kept me from training. I finally got another epidural in November and am feeling great. The downside to this is that I was not able to work out in the slightest for the last six months. Inactivity is not good for me. So to sum it up, I got fat again. Back up to 240lbs. Not quite the Shamu I was two years ago, but definitely a long way from where I was in June at 215lbs.

So… I need to start training again. One of the best ways to get me to fully commit to something is to put money behind it. I did just that when a few of the guys in my office decided to start a Fatboy Slim wager: $10 each, most weight lost by percentage takes the pot. It’s not much, a $30 pot, but it’s there. Which means I need to start working out again. Which gets us to racing again.

Sarah has had some concerns, and I agree, that nothing about me I built to run long mileage. I’m fine running up to 8-9 miles on dirt with no problems, however anything beyond that (especially on concrete) makes things hurt. With that being said, I’m changing my racing focus more towards what I am good at: dirt. There are three XTerra races in Colorado this year that are progressively longer through the season.

XTerra races are off-road triathlons with more focus on the bike. On dirt. On a bike. This is something that I might be good at. Seriously.

So it’s time to start training again. I got into the pool this morning 2 x 500yd, 9:06 and 8:50 pace. Given I haven’t done anything for six months, I am pretty excited by that. It will still be a while before I can start running again, but putting in mileage in the water and on the bike will be my start. Also, I need to lose 20lbs in three months, because I want that $30.

New bikes and turkey trots

I got my first real ride on the new bike on Wednesday. It's nice. It just feels right. Like sex on a bike. Oh so smooth. I had to stop by the shop to have some slight changes around the saddle positioning done, but overall it feels good. I can't wait to get in a ride when it warms up a bit. 26* is too cold. Rideable, but too cold.

Did the Highlands Ranch 5k Turkey Trot this morning. Total time 25:50 minutes. Not fast any means, only holding an 8:20/mile pace. That being said, having only run a few times in the last month, I'll take it. I need to run more.

Next season is here.

The 2014 season is over and training for 2015 starts now. I am working on finding a new program with a bit more focus on running. Swimming and biking are clearly not an issue, so I will just be maintaining par on training and performance. As much as I dislike running, I will need to get my pace down and distance up. Yeah fun.

The Boulder 70.3 is already on the calendar June 13, 2105. It should be an interesting weekend because Haley's birthday party is on Sunday. That being said, it will be nice because my parent's will be in town for her birthday making for easier logistics.

I have an ambitious race scheduled for next season's races. Two early-season Sprint's and an Olympic before the Boulder Half-Ironman, then another Sprint, Olympic, and hopefully a Half-Ironman. I am still deciding on where to do the second 70.3, but Austin could be fun. Now that we know the logistics, flying in Friday would allow us to explore Austin that afternoon plus Saturday afternoon and dinner.

I missed registration for the two 70.3's I really wanted to do - Oceanside and Vineman (Healdsberg) - and did not win the lottery for Alcatraz. Hopefully I can get into them for 2016. I think they would be great lead in races for a full, which I am focusing on for 2016.

My 2015 goals are pretty clear for me. The first Sprint will be me getting my legs underneath me as a season starter. I finished just outside of the top half in my first one without really training. I should be able to do top third as a season opener. The other Sprint's I am aiming for top quarter; the Olympics I would like to finish top third and quarter; the half's in the top third and quarter.

This off season I also want to lose another 25lbs and get under 200lbs. I still have plenty of body fat that is being dragged around, wasting energy. I took a 3-week hiatus after Austin, only working out 3-4 days per week, and put about 10lbs back on. I need to get workouts back up to daily, but with an additional focus on weights and running. Increasing muscle mass will help with my fat burning. I am shooting to get my running up to 26 miles per week. I'll be cutting my swim back to 2 days per week and riding another 60-ish on the bike.

I did just get a new toy in the form of a road bike - LOOK 585 Ultra. It's much better suited to the kind of mileage I am planning on doing this off season. The Wookie Bike was just not setup for climbing, which I intend to do quite a lot of this year. I used to have a Look 555 which met an unfortunate end by garage door when we still lived in SF. For the build, I was able to cannibalize the Wookie Bike, only needing to buy a post and stem. It comes in at a nice 18.25lbs with a lot of non-carbon parts in the build.
There have been some changes since this picture was taken, as I was able to get my fit done. Blake at BikeSource did this one as well and it feels good. I haven't had a chance to put miles on yet, but getting off the trainer it felt good. I am planning on riding in Wednesday and Friday this week, assuming the weather stays reasonable. I'll ride down until about 35*, but that's when I say 'no'.



Thank you to my parent's, Maggie, and Chuck and Nancy for contributing as birthday presents!

With it being winter I do plan on spending quite a bit of time up in the mountains. We went with the Epic Local pass this season. Most of the guys I work with and our neighbors have that pass, and being able to go up with them would be nice. We were a bit limited with the Winter Park & Copper Mountain pass last year.  According to the snow.com website:

Unlimited, unrestricted skiing or riding at Breckenridge, Keystone, Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton and Arapahoe Basin with limited restrictions at Park City, Canyons, Heavenly, Northstar & Kirkwood. Also includes a total of 10 days at Vail and Beaver Creek with holiday restrictions

 Plus there are Starwood hotels in Beaver Creek, which makes for an easy long weekend.

Success!

Well mostly. I completed it, but missed a lot of my goal marks. Weather will be blamed for some of this though as it was 90* and humid, and there was a pretty steady headwind most of the ride.

Basic numbers:
Place: 102/230
Time: 6:09:57
Field avg.: 6:22:02

Swim place: 25th
Swim time: 33:01
Swim avg. speed: 7:48/500 yards
Field Average: 41:22

Transition 1:  3:42

Bike place: 67th
Bike time: 2:58:20
Bike avg. speed: 18.84 mph
Field avg: 4:20:01

Transition 2: 3:11

Run place: 102nd
Run time: 2:31:43
Run avg. speed: 11:34/mile
Field avg: 2:23:41

The swim was definitely a surprise. I had to double-take my watch when I got out of the water. A solid 5 minutes faster than I expected and I was throttling back so as not to go out too hard. Good start for the day.

My first transition was pretty fast. I had trouble getting my wetsuit into the transition bag which cost me probably 10-15 seconds. I also had to run out of transition in my shoes carrying the bike. The corral was on a grassy field with lots of stickers to eat up tubes. I saw a lot of flat tires in the first 1-2 miles of the ride. I did forget to put sunblock in my bag though - ugh.

The ride went pretty well. I was staying on my food/salt/drink schedule pretty well until about 30-35 miles in and my gut went haywire. I think it was because I had too much drink and not enough water. Unfortunately, that was just after the second aid station so I had to go another 10 or so miles to get water. Until that point I was holding a steady 21.4mph. The gut issues dropped me down to the 16-17mph range and perfectly coincided with the hills, which was a bad combo. I lost a lot of time there. I refueled at the next station and was off and kicking right away after drinking a half bottle of water. I was able to get my speed back up to 18-19mph, but the damage was done. Not a lot, but enough.

The start of transition two was amusing. Getting off the bike into a run was comical. Imagine having two dead legs and being told to run up a hill quickly. That's basically how transition started. I was in the back at the top of the hill. Not a steep hill, but about 100 yards with a 10-20ft elevation gain. Doesn't sound like a lot, but enough.

The actual transition was fast. I almost forgot my salt tabs, but thankfully checked my pockets before I jumped up. My life would have been miserable without them. I also caught the sunblock guy before I ran out. The only had one guy and he wasn't right next to the exit.

Starting the run went well, but the hills. The god damned hills! I ran the first 1.5 miles and hit the hill. After that point I ended up walking up most of the hills. The heat was full bore and I could not stay cool. I was dumping ice down my top every aid station, which were roughly every 3/4 mile. Heat or not, I need to work on my running.

In the end, there are some things that I can do better and others things that I learned.

Swimming: Keep doing what I am doing. Brett and Peter make for a great coaching team.

Transition 1: Remember sunblock and to bring a floor pump to check my tires day of.

Bike: Have one water bottle empty holding a tube and tools. Carry minimal Gu and Chomps and one bottle of water, as you can reload at aid stations. Time Trial helmet: over a 50 mile distance you can save 3-4 minutes on a helmet alone. Aero wheels are good for another 2-3 minutes. I didn't get passed by many people on bike, but almost everybody who did was on aero wheels with a TT helmet.

Transition 2: Sunblock up. Maybe quick tie laces, but I'm pretty fast already.

Run: Just keep running and lose another 20lbs. I just need to spend time getting my running muscles stronger. When it's hot, do anything to stay cool.

My shoulder did act up and I will be scheduling with an ortho soon. I need to have it looked at to see if it's time to fix it. God forbid my shoulder give me proper leverage while I am swimming and not falling out when running.

On that note,  I'm going to sleep. Oh, and my ass hurts. Along with every other muscle in my legs.

So that weekend is here

A reiteration of the last post basically: just super fucking busy. House is being remodeled: kitchen, floors, paint, main floor lighting, fireplace, etc. I did most of the demo to save money, so my little down time has been spent on that. Not much time for blogging.

Updates since my last post:

• Training has been pretty steady. My mileage is up there for running and biking. My swim is holding a steady 9 min/500 yard pace for 2200 yards. Bike I am holding at a steady 18mph over varied, hilly terrain. I expect to hold closer to 20mph during the race. Running I can hold a 9min pace for an hour. Still not fast, but steady.

• Spent Labor Day weekend in Moab, UT with Sven, Abe, Misha, Kurt, and Brett for our annual bike trip/Cal Cycling reunion. In reality it's just us all taking time off to hangout and ride bikes. Abe brought a drone and we got awesome pictures and video. I'll upload some eventually.

• Sarah took Haley to SF for a week during September, so I spent a week training and ripping up hardwood flooring. I highly recommend against doing that without somebody to help. It sucks. 

• And I've lost 35lbs; I'm now sitting at a pretty steady 215lbs. I still have another 15lbs for goal, but I've made a pretty big dent. I'm going to be changing my workout post-race to involve more weight training and less riding, as it's going to be cold as hell soon. I'll probably put on more weight, but hopefully I can keep it muscle then lean down for next season.

• My shoulder has been acting up again. The lack of ligaments between my clavicle and arm becomes very apparent about 6 miles into my run when my arm feels like it is falling off my body. I've been using KT Tape to some benefit, but I have a feeling I will be a very unhappy monkey at the end of the race because of that. I already have a referral from my doctor for an ortho. I might finally be getting my shoulder fixed. Hopefully it's easily correctable, as it impacts my swimming too. Hard to get leverage on my left arm stroke.

The bike was dropped off last week for delivery to Austin, so I rode the 'wookie bike' last weekend. After  having lost that much weight and strengthened my back, the upright position is annoying. I will probably end up picking up a new, traditional frame to swap parts over to. The 'wookie bike' will be hung in the rafters until I'm old and gimpy again.

I haven't decided my races for 2015 yet, but I did put in for the lottery for the Escape from Alcatraz. It was fun the last time I did it, so hopefully I can get lucky enough to be drawn. If I get a slot, I will be getting a new road bike. The course is so hilly that a full aero bike doesn't make sense. I am planning on doing two Sprint, two Olympic, and two Half's next season. The Sprint's will be refreshers in the beginning of the season with the Olympic's being mid-training for the Half's. I screwed up and didn't register for the Oceanside Half in time and registration closed. Still a bit angry with myself for that one.

Race is this weekend. Getting packed up tomorrow and Thursday, flight is on Friday. We'll be meeting my parent's at the airport and going from there. Probably spend the rest of Friday getting our bearings and Saturday on race prep. The race starts Sunday at 7:30am.

Goals are currently:
Swim: 38 minutes. Holding a 9min/500 pace.
Bike: 2:48 hour. That's holding 20mph.
Run: 2:10 hour. Low expectation pace holding a 10min mile.
Total: 5:36 hours excluding transitions

I think I can beat these, as the elevation will be a substantial benefit to me. As long as I keep eating and drinking, taking salt, and not pushing to bonk I will do well. Looking at last year's results, I would fit in around 100/258 starters. I'm still shooting for top third though, which would put me around 5:27. That isn't too outlandish...

The one thing that I am bummed about is that Dad can't run along with me at any point without me risking DQ. That is somewhat (very) frustrating, but I see the point that having somebody to race with could be having a pacer. Hopefully he does migrate out along the run course though. Having people along the course is nice and a boost. When I saw Sarah and Haley at the Aurora race, it was a great boost.

On that note, I'm going to sleep.