Period one complete!!

What an absolutely awesome weekend!! So many great things have happened.

Where to begin with this weeks update?............................With the understanding that this blog began with the thought of documenting my journey, I think I'll start with an update in my training.

First of all, the weather has finally cooperated, it's warming up and the snow is melting. For my friends and family in the Pacific Northwest, we know it's been raining hard out where you are and we hear threats of flooding. But here in the Midwest, we have broken free of sub zero temps, high winds and blizzard conditions and it couldn't have happened at a better time.

After today's long run of 1 hour and 20 minutes (9+ miles) at an avg pace of 8:23, followed by a quick bike ride of 40 minutes, my pre season phase is officially over! No more easy weeks. It feels like I just started this training program (because in fact, I have) and I've completed period 1. Next phase is the Base period where single work out days are over and weekends will get long. Weekly work out totals will get as high as 16 hours and most days will border on 2 hours in total. Here is this weeks workout....... as an example:

WEEK #11 Swim 2:30 - Bike 6:25 - Run 4:15 -- Total: 13:10

Monday
SWIM 0:45
BIKE 0:40
DAILY TOTAL: 1:25

Tuesday
BIKE 1:15
RUN 0:45
DAILY TOTAL: 2:00 WEEK-TO-DATE: 3:25

Wednesday
SWIM 0:45
BIKE 1:00
DAILY TOTAL: 1:45 WEEK-TO-DATE: 5:10

Thursday
SWIM 1:00
RUN 1:05
DAILY TOTAL: 2:05 WEEK-TO-DATE: 7:15

Friday - Rest Day

Saturday
BIKE 2:30
RUN 0:45
DAILY TOTAL: 3:15 WEEK-TO-DATE: 10:30

Sunday
RUN 1:40
DAILY TOTAL: 2:40 WEEK-TO-DATE: 13:10

In addition to a new training phase, I also picked up my new road bike!! I ordered it last November after I sold a few things, including the bike I had, and have been waiting ever since. Now, for those of you who know me best, waiting for something as cool as a new road bike for 4 months is not something I'm particularly good at. Forget that there was no way in creation I would be able to ride outside, but I wanted my bike anyway but had to wait. I chalked it up to learning patience. Mostly I couldn't do anything about it, so it was what it was. She's beautiful.......Here it is:Had it out both Saturday and Sunday and it road awesome!
Some of you may think I have too many bikes (Julie Francis) but I go by the age old cyclists adage which is, "how many bikes is too many for one man?.......one less than divorce!"

So far, I'm still married so I figure there's room to grow!

While at my bike shop picking up the bike, I went ahead and purchased my dream race wheels. That's right, wheels SPECIFICALLY for racing. Most of you are thinking that I'm crazy, however, the triathlon enthusiasts in the audience truly appreciate how important it is to save weight (measured in milligrams by the way) as well as improving aerodynamics. This becomes even more critical in long distance races, such as an Ironman. After much research and after weighing the cost/value ratio, I landed on wheels by HED.

HED cycling was started in Minneapolis, MN by a guy named Steve Hed and if you watch any of Lance Armstrongs time trial stages during the Tour de France, you'll see HED wheels on Team Discovery bikes. My wheels will be a HED3 in the rear (left picture) and HED Jet 60 (right picture) in the front. They are made from Carbon Fiber, are extremely light and aerodynamic. Check it out:

Think that's extreme?........think again! I also left my time trial bike at the bike shop to have ceramic bearings installed in the bottom bracket and derailleur pulleys, which will provide for significantly less resistance when pedaling, saving about 4 to 5% effort over a long distance. That may not seem like much, but when you ride 112 miles and then run a marathon, saving every ounce of energy you can, makes all the difference in the world!

The link below will take you to the bike shop that takes great care of all my cycling needs. Just ask for John, he owns the place.

http://www.shamrockcycle.com/

Ok, now for the last significant event of the weekend. Many of you will not understand what you're about to read, some will........but there's an annual tradition among many cyclists and triathletes that signals our race season has begun and it's time to get serious about our goals, training and personal record races. Most of the time, it begins with the first real outdoor ride of the spring, but that may vary by racer.

It is said that there are cyclists that have crashed and those that will. It's an absolute inevitability if you ride long and hard enough. When you do, it hurts like hell and a good portion of epidermal tissue (your skin) is removed. When you eventually go down, the surface you hit, the clothing you're wearing and the speed you're traveling determine just how much you lose and over how much surface area. Imagine what it feels like when you take a nice sized bandage off a hairy arm or leg, the tape ripping off hair, skin and dried....you get it. Now expand the size of the bandage several fold and you have your typical road rash.

It's because of the potential for this road rash, as well as getting your wet suit off faster and easier after the swim, that many of us shave our legs....yes.........shave our legs.

So my season has officially begun, my spindle's are as clean as a whistle and I'm ready to race!!

Have a great week everybody!!

Goals to accomplish, obstacles to face

It's been a few weeks since a check in, for those that expected to see an update weekly, I apologize.

Thanks to everyone for the great comments, I am inspired by your encouragement everyday!

I shared my latest "gadget" purchase called a swim tether, designed to allow for swim training in small pools. It's kind of a "poor mans" endless pool. For $49, I can train during travel. I have been on the road for the last 2 weeks and have to say I was pleasantly surprised and somewhat impressed, it worked great!

In my first Blog, I set a list of goals that I hoped to achieve as I make my way to the starting line in September. Funny thing about goals, they really aren't goals until you write them down and make the decision that its all done but the work.


Two goals that I set were around inspiration and losing some weight. I hoped to be inspired and possibly inspire someone else. I had also hoped to get my weight at or below 190lbs.

Since then, I have received several comments from many folks that in fact, they are inspired by what they have read, I can say with certainty that I have been inspired by all of the comments and encouragement I have received.

The second goal, weigh 190 or less, really was born out of the desire to be light enough to justify spending $1500 on a set of carbon fiber race wheels, oh yeah, and feel better about myself too. I mean, it was hard to explain that I wanted a set of wheels that saved weight measured in milligrams when I was at least 15 lbs over weight! So, I just set my mind and got very disciplined in my nutrition, cut out sweets, limited carb intake and watched my portions. As of this week, I weighed in below 190 lbs for several days, enough days to claim victory! Now the goal will be to continue to trim as much as I can by a continued effort in good nutrition, lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and limited sodium intake. One of the tricks I use is to make sure I have fresh fruit and raw nuts in my office for when my sweet tooth kicks in. Secondly, it's important that I don't get too hungry, causing me to over eat when I finally sit down to a meal.

So all in all, I feel good about where I am on my goals, with the caveat that much work remains and I can't let up now.

Now for the obstacle I currently face.

As everyone knows, we are all uniquely built and in running, most of us either 'pronate' or 'suppinate' when our feet hit the ground. Over pronation means that your feet roll too far in when running. This usually happens when your feet are flat. Suppination is just the opposite, an outward rolling of the feet, usually at the end of the stride.

I happen to over pronate. Over the last few years and a few marathons, I have been wearing shoes that address this condition yet it has not done enough to prevent a condition caused by over pronation called, Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome or "Runners Knee". Here is the definition:

The patella (knee cap) lies in a groove on the front of the femur, just above the knee joint. This groove is called the Trochlear Groove. Normally, when walking or running the patella moves up and down this groove vertically, with no sideways motion (just like an elevator moves). Pain occurs when the patella is not tracking vertically in this groove, but is pulled sideways. This will cause the cartilage on the undersurface of the patella, and the cartilage in the Trochlear Groove to rub abnormally against each other, producing pain.

There are two things that I am doing to combat the issue. One is wearing a specially designed knee brace that forces the patella to track properly. The second is to get a pair of orthotics that will assist in correcting over pronation as well as absorbing shock before it travels to the knee.

This type of brace has helped a ton and I am finding relief. I've had my feet scanned and sure enough, they are flat. My orthotics will be here next week. All combined, I should be fine.

The way I see it, it's just an obstacle to face. There will be more along the way. But that's the point isn't it? To see what one can accomplish, in spite of obstacles?

Hopefully it will get warm in the next few weeks and we can start training more outside. Next post I may be able to share news about my new bike and wheels!!

Dan