5 Day Energy Drink, Please

No blogging last night.  Got home at 1 a.m. after waiting 40 minutes to leave the bottom floor of the Hollywood & Highland parking garage following a stellar Dave Matthews Band concert.  I hadn't been much of a DMB fan since the late 90s, but that didn't matter last night.  My family convened to celebrate my dad's 64th birthday, though it was a surprise for him since he didn't know Steph, my sister Dana and her boyfriend Craig were also coming.  We bounced, clapped and swayed our way through the evening, laughing, singing and joking with one another.  Truly a memorable night -- except for the long wait to get home. Which leaves me scrambling for some energy tonight, despite still managing nearly eight hours of sleep by skipping my morning swim workout.  I'm heading to the pool in about 15 minutes, wondering where the energy to avoid sinking is going to come from.  The cumulative effects of a hard Saturday century ride followed by a long Sunday morning trail run, strength training, last night's concert, and today's 40-minute "slow" heart-rate zone 1 treadmill run have added up.  I really dislike admitting I'm tired, but I just am.  With a long-course triathlon race on Saturday (Santa Barbara Triathlon), I'm getting concerned that I won't have enough energy in the tank by week's end.  Coach Gerardo has assured me that tomorrow's tempo brick should further prepare me for Saturday, while if needed I can skip the Thursday evening track workout.

Honestly, that sounds quite appealing right about now.  I wish I had one of those 5 Hour Energy Drinks but instead could call it a 5 DAY Energy Drink to get me through the rest of the week!

It's only Tuesday?  Really???

88 days and counting.

Time Flies...

Some days there's just not a lot to write about.  Can't have an epiphany all the time, right? That's why epiphanies are special.  The daily ritual tedium is the rule, not the exception.  When we have a breakthrough, it's all the more significant.  Today was just one of those put-in-the-time ordeals.  Compounded by the Fortius-coached track workout being cancelled.  So, there I was, a solo runner on the Harvard-Westlake High School track.  Surrounded by the girls field hockey team.  Which, I'm sorry to say, looks like such a boring sport!  Seriously, let's chase after a ball with a stick with a bunch of kids who are afraid of said ball and afraid of hurting themselves or others.  Very compelling.

I digress.

The workout was fairly blase.  Warm-up mile, four strides, five 800s with 400 recoveries.  I was supposed to do a mile at a 6:00 pace but tragically ran out of time.  My 800 times were fairly decent, highlighted by steadily decreasing from 3:45 down to 3:20 on the last set.

My reward was a pool workout at 7:30 p.m.  I felt like molasses in the water tonight.  Definitely sluggish.  But I got through it.  Sometimes that's all you can do.  Get through it.

My reward for that will be another workout tomorrow -- on my typical day off.  However, a trip to the symphony on Sunday afternoon negates my ability to complete both an ocean swim and the scheduled two-hour run.  So you will find me at Tower 26 in Santa Monica at 7 a.m. with Coach Gerardo.

On the plus side, it makes my week fly by!

Time flies when your day is filled with tris.  My new mantra!

93 days and counting.

Why Coached Swim Workouts Rule

Been a busy few days!  No blog yesterday due to a Fortius post-swim beer and pizza night at Blue Dog Grill in Sherman Oaks.  It was well-deserved too, with a new PR in the 100 (1:26) and being totally gassed after anchoring a 4 x 50 sprint relay at the end of the workout.  I wanted to write, but just didn't have the energy after all the food, booze and trash-talking dished out among my Fortius team buddies.  So I saved last night's entry for tonight. I'm still caked in dried sweat and salt following the LA Tri Club Griffith Park Wednesday brick workout.  But I know if I don't blog now and wait until after a hot shower, it just may not happen at all.

There's certainly lots I could write about from the past two days.  Whether Tempe Town Lake will be filled in time for the Arizona Ironman, for example. Or, how I'm recovering from my bicycle bonk on Sunday.  Or, the secret guilt I've been harboring lately about balancing work, home and training.

Instead, I'm going to address a question Coach Gerardo had for me last night at the bar.  He asked how I thought coached swim workouts make me better.

I hadn't really considered it before.  Perhaps it's because I've taken it for granted, since I've swam with an instructor's supervision for more than a year now.  The more I think about it though, the more I realize how much of a difference a coached workout can make.

For me, it comes down to four key benefits:

-- Breaks up the monotony. Before I started attending SCAC and Fortius Coaching swim workouts, I'd trudge to the pool on my own, count laps, trudge out of the water, and think I had put in a good workout.  I dreaded every pool training session, and I saw little improvement.  By having a coached workout, there's always the excitement of wondering what the coach has in store for you. It changes with every workout, and by breaking up the hour with drills, time-trials and sprints, every workout feels unique enough to stay fresh.

-- Pushes you out of a comfort zone. When training on my own in the water, it's easy to rationalize just about anything.  Distance. Duration.  Decreasing sets.  Decreased effort. Especially effort.  If I didn't feel like going hard -- for whatever reason -- I could make up an excuse.  In a coached workout, dogging a workout wastes your financial investment and your precious time.  More important, if you respond well to direction like I do, then it's easier to "let" someone else push you through a hard workout.  Sure, it's fun to whine and light-heartedly complain about it (like I do), but the satisfaction that comes with responding to and rising above someone else's challenge makes a coached workout a more special experience than a solo effort.

-- Competition as motivator. If you're anything like me -- and if you're reading this I'm guessing you are -- sharing lanes with people at or above your skill level makes a difference in a workout.  When you swim alone, you can isolate yourself in the water and ignore the surroundings.  When you're part of a group, and there's five lanes that represent a swim speed hierarchy, it's a lot harder to avoid the reality that a coached workout may be your only ticket to improvement.  For me, I crave and dread that competition.  On one hand, I love to know how I stack up to my friends.  On the other hand, I hate when I'm keeping them from a faster lap time because they're behind me and can't quite pass in the lane at that moment.  Maybe it's better to say competition as catalyst, fear as motivator.

-- Peer pressure. 6 a.m. is early by anybody's standards.  It's flat-out awful in the winter when you're practically naked jumping into a semi-heated pool.  But when there are 10 other people doing the same thing, sharing the same experience and making the best of it, well, it's not so bad.  The coached swim workout is a bonding ritual. It's those quiet mornings in the pool when everyone in attendance could be asleep that bring individuals closer together.  It's also one of the reasons I get misty eyed at the finish chute during triathlon races.  Those are the moments I recall.  The quiet, gentle water being ripped by hungry athletes trying improve themselves.  The eerie light in the pool shining brightly reminding you that the sun hasn't risen yet -- but you and your teammates have been up for almost an hour already.  The steam that drifts to the sky if the temperature difference is big enough -- punctuated by the silhouettes of latex-hooded, goggle-wearing tri-maniacs trying not to shiver.

Those are my fondest moments of a coached workout.

Though being high-fived after hitting the coach's goals for a new time-trial PR aren't bad either.

Now I need to sign off pronto.

I've got a coached swim workout to attend at 6 tomorrow morning.

101 days and counting.

Just Another Day

Some days, just describing the activity is enough. This is one of those days.

6 a.m.: Swim with Fortius.  Timed 100 dropped to 1:27 on a dare from Coach Gerardo.  Nice breakthrough!  But it also came at the mid-point of the workout instead of at the end.  Still, I'll take it!

8 a.m.: Weight training (legs and core)

9 a.m.: Podiatrist to pick up orthotic inserts.  I've been running on my flat feet for the past week and a half.  My feet and and IT bands have paid the price.  It's a welcome relief to have arches again.

10 a.m.- 6:30 p.m.: Work, which was explosive today.  I can say that almost literally since I work for a videogames developer.

7 p.m.: After driving from Burbank back to Sherman Oaks, Steph and I met up and headed to the Hollywood Bowl to see Gustavo Dudamel conduct the LA Philharmonic performing Gershwin and Bernstein classics.  The pianist stole the show, though I could watch for hours Dudamel mesmerize the orchestra and the audience.  Total command and control with grace, charm and confidence.

11:10 p.m. Returned home after fighting Bowl traffic.  Writing blog. Eyes drooping. Body sagging.  Bed calling.

11:11 p.m.  Good night.  Let's do it again tomorrow.

109 days and counting.

Cheering on Others

My track workout was indicative of how my overall day ended.  Panting.  Relieved.  Spent.  Relaxed. A renewed bout with asthma and allergies, along with not having my orthotic inserts for a week due to resizing is taking its toll on my body.  Though I pushed on through both Ray's Fortius-coached track workout and Megan's Fortius swim session.  I've been using the asthma inhaler more than usual lately, but somehow I'm finding the energy to still perform well (by my standards) and feel like I'm still growing.  Though I'm in sort of a plateau state with my running and swimming.  My 400 and 800 run splits are almost always falling at 1:27 and between 3:19-3:22.  Granted, I've only participated in three track sessions now, but I can't yet see the time decreases just yet.  That's OK though, I'm confident it will happen.

The same goes for the swim.  No matter how much I'm in the pool, my timed 100 stays consistently between 1:30-1:32.

Have I hit my progress threshold?  What will it take to make another breakthrough?  Can my body handle more?

I'm hopeful and somewhat confident the answer is no, I don't know and yes.

But starting tomorrow, we're going to put those questions on hold.  I'm driving back up to Santa Rosa, back to Vineman.  This time I'm supporting some friends and not actually racing.  I'm going to cheer on Rusty, who graciously made the drive from San Jose 10 days ago to support me.  I'm going to cheer on Caleb, an age-group pro who works in my building in Burbank.  He's really made me feel good about myself and my training.  When someone with that kind of skill and kindness tells you he reads this blog first thing every morning, it truly fuels me throughout the entire day.  I'm eager to help return the karma.  I'm going to support Bob (@RCMcoach on Twitter), who is a fellow Fortius teammate and one heck of an inspiration.  He always encourages me in my training and supports the blog as well.

I truly can't wait to be on the other side of the chute yelling as loud -- or trying to yell as loud -- as Stephanie during my events.  It will be a strange and welcome break to not have the stress of racing on my shoulders while still experiencing the drama of it all.

I'll blog intermittently when I can the next few days reporting on my experiences.

Until then, keep training and encouraging others, my friends.

114 days and counting.

Fatigued But Not Deflated

Swimming practice at 6 a.m. came and went today.  Track practice at 6 p.m. came and went as well. I was just too tired.  I'm still planning to attend tonight's swim at 7:30 p.m., but I'm not quite 100%.  It could be allergies -- my eyes are itchy and my prescription medications needed refills.  It could be Trudy and Bam-Bam -- I put a small hole in my bedroom ceiling last week with a shovel handle due to the pounding noise directly over my head that continues regularly at 6:30 a.m.  It could be the workouts themselves -- I pushed myself pretty hard during Monday's and Wednesday's brick workouts.  Maybe it's even the tapering cycle  for Vineman 70.3 taking its natural toll.

It's probably a combination of all the above.

Whatever it is, I'm tired.  So tired I slept 10 hours last night and it felt like it wasn't nearly enough all day at work.

This time, I'm smarter though.  In past races I'd probably get panic-stricken, wondering if I was getting sick or losing my fitness.  I know better.  It's not a big deal. I'm just a little gassed.  I refilled my prescriptions, took the little I have left of my Allegra, and am starting to feel a little better already.  I slept in this morning instead of dragging myself to the pool just because I thought I had to.

Besides, today's track workout was optional, with Coach Gerardo indicating I could skip it if I felt tired.

Commence skipping.

And in the next 30 minutes, commence swimming.

135 days and counting.

Track Virgin

Today marked my first official workout on a track.  After 36 years, I guess it's about damn time. Psychologically, I felt faster just being on a track.  My timed 800s at 5k speed didn't reflect that because I missed my 2:55/800m pace.  But I felt faster thanks to all the energy and ambiance surrounding me.  The Fortius team meets at Harvard-Westlake High School in Studio City once a week for this coached workout, a very posh institution with a college-level track and football/soccer field.  Today, two large football squads from what appeared to be Santa Monica High School were working out, along with a club-level youth soccer team.  Fast, young athletic kids whooped and hollered everywhere, and it was almost impossible not to get caught up in the near-rambunctious vibe.

According to Coach Gerardo, I essentially made every mistake in the track workout book.  I paced myself when I should have been running all-out during my timed 800s.  I should have been reviewing each 800 lap on my Garmin watch to adjust my pace accordingly.  I should have been leaning forward while running, not backwards.  My arms needed to be striding forwards, propelling me further along with my pumping legs -- which needed to fire higher.

That's OK.  I didn't beat myself up.  Honestly, I had a great time tonight!  The experience took me back to what it must have been like to run on the track or cross-country team in high school.  And having my Fortius teammates all around me, flying by on the track, or leisurely jogging in between sets -- well, it was just plain motivating.  I got to see my friend Christina, whom I haven't visited with in person in what feels like months.  We ran together, joked together, and swam together in our evening Foritus-coached swim session at VNSO park.  Yep, I did a double workout.  Last night, I indicated I was getting up early in the morning for the early swim session.  I just couldn't do it.  The body wanted no part of that 5:40 a.m. wakeup call.  I know this because in is an all-to rare experience, I slept straight through from 10:15 p.m. through 4:15 a.m. I usually wake up a couple times a night for a quick bathroom break.  Fatigue was talking last night, and I listened. Really glad I did.  I made it through the track workout with enough energy to swim a 1:33 timed 100 at the end of a 2,450-yard session.

And I even had enough energy to let out a little primal yell on the way to my car, that's how good I felt.

Of course, that's because I saved a little energy on the track when I shouldn't have, but I'm no longer a track virgin.  I know what to expect now, and I'll do it better next time.

Now it's off to try and rinse the chlorine off me and jump into bed.  I've got a 6:15 wakeup call to get a 1.5 hour bike ride in at Griffith Park.  Zones 1-2 are the order tomorrow, sitting for most of the ride.  I can dig that.

Puttin' in the time.

140 days and counting.

Down and Out

I didn't do any training today yet it feels like I did.  My back and neck are sore.  My head hurts.  My knees are creaking.  I'm tired.  Wiped out really. Still, it would be dishonest to say I didn't enjoy the day at least a little.  Since training was out, the only thing I really could do with any amount of success was sleep, eat and drink.  Not to mention one hell of a hot, steaming bath.  And I did those things well.

I really needed a quiet rest day at home.

Yet I can't help but get a little frustrated about one portion of my issues mentioned above...namely, my tight back.  Why am I changing my swim stroke the week before the national qualifier triathlon?  On one hand, I completely understand that I can generate much more power from a bigger muscle group (lats) than my hands.  However, at what price?  It practically hurts to breathe when I'm leaning against the couch while typing. That can't be good.  And that's after a sports massage with David on Friday night.  Do I not use my lats at all and that's why I'm so sore?  I don't get it.

Further, why is it that after every damn industry event I get sick?  You'd think I'd have a decent immune system with all the generally good food and proper sleep I enjoy -- not to mention the close to 15 hours of training a week.  Am I so fragile that one week of schmoozing, occasional boozing and cruising the show floor reduces me to a whiny mess at home?

I do think there's another factor at play here, and it's one I'm perfectly accepting as the culprit: the epic awesomeness of my GSNML this past Thursday.  If ever there's such a thing as an emotional hangover, I've got it.  I'm lethargic.  I'm reading every little post-game write-up -- even from the Boston newspapers.  I'm re-reading my own blog post!  I'm just trying to relive the magic of that night, and failing.  I miss that euphoric feeling, as draining as that night ultimately became.  It was such a high.

So, the truth of my situation is that I'm really drained. Physically and emotionally.  I trained really hard last week to try and maintain my peak conditioning, and with everything else going on I just kind of petered out heading into today. I overloaded my body.

As I mentioned yesterday, all things being equal, I'm glad I'm getting this out of the way now and not in a few weeks preparing for the Vineman 70.3 event.  But I would really have liked to have swept into this final week of Breath of Life prep with a wave of confidence and strength.  No doubts.  No fears.  It seems the only "important" race where I've experienced that sensation has been Wildflower.

I sure hope I don't have any conventions before the actual Ironman in November.

151 days and counting.

Sick? Again?

What timing. There must be a big race coming up because once again, I feel like I'm getting sick.

Oh, that's right, that Olympic triathlon qualifier for the national age group championships.  On June 27.

Yep, it's time to come down with something.

I mostly credit that annual germ-fest known as the E3 videogames tradeshow as the culprit for my demise.  There's 45,000 people pouring through the LA Convention Center doors, most of them hygenically challenged...all putting their hands on the same controllers at each kiosk.

Gross.

So, couple that with lots of hand-shaking, late nights, early mornings for training, questionable nutrition, and less sleep.

I suppose it's no surprise that I don't feel my best.  Coach Gerardo indicated that if I skipped today's run and tomorrow's four-hour bike ride that my fitness level wouldn't be affected at all.  That's enough to get me to probably call it a weekend and go toes-up on the couch for some much-needed rest.  I tried to rally today in the pool for a long swim and came pretty close.  The workout called for 3,500 yards over an hour and 10 minutes.  I didn't have that amount of time because Stephanie and I were attending her cousin Emily's birthday party in Huntington Beach.  Still I managed 2,300 yards consisting of drills and laps in about 55 minutes.  It wasn't ideal, but I could sense incremental progress in my stroke, especially the lat muscle pulling instead of my triceps.  That means I'm using bigger muscles to push me through the water instead of just my arm and hand.  Hopefully, that will make me go faster!

For now, I'm likely to hang it out for the weekend.  Take it easy. Chill out.  Shut it down. Maybe that will help me overcome whatever's ailing me and get me back on track for next weekend's big race.

151 days and counting.

Work and Training Collide!

This week is going to be difficult to find time to blog.  It's E3 -- the Super Bowl of videogames.  And it all happens right here, in sunny LA.  In downtown. During the Lakers-Celtics series. Can we say NBA traffic jam? Boom-shakalaka!

(If you're old enough to get that, good on ya!)

E3 week is really the first solid week where my training and work schedules collide head-on.  Yes, I realize how fortunate I am to even say that considering we're six months into the year.  I'm at the show all day, parties at night, and up early in the morning to train.  Something's gonna give.  So far, it was blogging last night.  I came home around 11:30 p.m. knowing I'd need to be up at 5:30 a.m. to get in the pool at 6.

Speaking of the pool, this morning's workout was both painful and productive.  Painful in that I felt inadequate in the pool next to Ann, Janna and Deirdre, all of whom seemed faster than me in their respective lanes.  That's never a good feeling.  It brings out all the insecurities I already lambast myself with as it is.  Especially when I'm pushing as hard as I can and simply pop when trying to keep up.  I know I'm supposed to be swimming at my own pace, but at the same time I feel guilty if I'm in a "faster" lane than Janna and Deirdre and they're kicking my ass in.  I try to keep up, generally do, but fall short at the end.  I'm going to attribute that this morning to lack of sleep and standing for hours straight at cocktail parties.  I can move all day, but when I stand still my back locks up.  When I lock up, I get tired. When I get tired and don't sleep enough...well, stuff happens.  On the plus side, I did two things I've never been able to do until today: swam the length of the pool on two separate occasions without taking a breath (GASP!!!) and I shaved a full second off my fastest 100 time (1:31) at the very end of the workout.

So no matter how painful training gets, there's always a bright spot and something to cling on to.  It's such motivation to get out of bed in the morning even when sleeping is the only thing I want to do.  Fortunately, I just snuck an extra hour in from 7:15-8:15 after the workout.  That will save me from certain doom for round two tonight -- two more cocktail parties.  And tomorrow morning I need to get up super early to fit in my brick workout before round three.

There's so much more to talk about right now, but I need to jump in the shower and jet over to Helen's Cycles.  Yep, my tri bike was in for repairs...the front wheel needed tru-ing. And those pesky aero bars needed an adjustment too so they don't keep tilting in the middle of my rides.

Off I go!

156 and 155 days to go.