Pain in the Neck

The good news is I don't think I'm sick.  No symptoms of illness today.  No sore throat.  The headache is gone.  No achy bones and joints. The bad news is that my lats and neck are extremely tight.  My back feels rounded by tightness.  My side neck muscles are totally strained. It contributes to a feeling of illness because my entire upper body feels off.

And it's definitely because of my new swim stroke.

At least I know the culprit.

It could be a lot worse. I could have gotten sick.  I may still get sick, for all I know.  But so far, the past couple days have given my legs a chance to heal completely.  I feel fresh from the waist down  I'll be jumping in the pool tomorrow morning and perhaps I can work through the soreness and agitation. Maybe Coach Gerardo can pinpoint what I'm doing that's causing this tension.  Or, maybe I'm doing the stroke right and this is the initial natural by-product. I hope so. And I hope I pick up at least a minute of time from this new mechanical tweak/parlor trick.

Not much else to report from today.  The only "workout" I had, if you can call it that, was a 1.5 hour yoga session at Black Dog.  It was a "gentle yoga" session, perfect for my back and neck but not so good for my fitness level.  However, I feel a touch better in the lats -- not so much in the neck.

By tomorrow, I'll essentially have worked 2.5 hours in three days.  I basically missed roughly 6.5 hours of training.  Will that come back to haunt me this Sunday?  I have no idea.  I do know Gerardo wants me to post a 2:30:00 finish time at the event. That would be 14 minutes faster than my previous best.  I am up for the challenge still, but I doubt it will be good enough to qualify for nationals.  I will fire it up and do my very best though.  That's all I can do.  Bum swim stroke and all.

150 days and counting. And exactly five months from today, I hope to be an Ironman.

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.

How Training and Work Balance are Like Lakers-Celtics

So far at E3 this week, my balance between work and training has matched the Lakers-Celtics series.  Round 1 went squarely to training.  Decisively.  Woke up early to spin and fit in a yoga class before two parties Monday night.  Yesterday, training won out too.  Swam at 6 a.m. and still managed to attend two cocktail parties last night. Today, work wins.  Hands down. I thought I'd be able to wake up early to fit my 2.25-hour brick workout in before a packed day at the convention.  No dice.  Six a.m. came and went on my alarm clock.  So did 7.  Right up until 8:30 a.m.  I've got meetings until 4:30 p.m. today so I'm hopeful to bolt immediately after to make the 5:30 p.m. start at Griffith Park.  I've got one cocktail party tonight but it's not urgent I attend.  Worse comes to worse, I'll make this my day off this week and push the brick to Friday, when the show is already over for me.

As for games I want to check out, well, Bulletstorm is at the top of the list. As is Call of Duty: Black Ops. Throw in some Medal of Honor, Dead Space 2 and Killzone 3, and I'm a happy man.

But I'll be even happier if I can still manage to balance work and training effectively.

One lesson I have learned this week is still related to Lakers-Celtics.  I have a better appreciation for not being able to "get up" for certain days of training, just like a basketball team might not have the intensity necessary to win every game in a long series.  Sometimes, fatigue really does trump your best intentions.  That's what happened to me this morning, and like the Lakers, I don't panic or anything.  I just wait for the next opportunity to show up and put in the effort.

That said, the Lakers better f-ing show up tomorrow night.  No excuses.  Especially against Boston.

My prediction?  Lakers by 5. I called the Lakers in 7 at the beginning of the series but almost lost belief when Andrew Bynum got hurt.  But he's shown me a lot by toughing it out despite his terrible knee injury.  It's inspirational as I continue my training.

Now, work wins again.  I have to cut my post short and get ready for a day of meetings. And hopefully a solid workout.

154 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.

The Fortius Trio

Most Fortius workouts are filled with lots of teammates, all working together towards one common goal or race.  They feature lots of banter, and a fair amount of friendly competition too. Today, Richard, Ann and I were the lone Fortius representatives.  Just the three of us.  And it was really cool.  I trained differently than normal.  Usually, I push myself to the limits of every workout, or at least (generally) to the letter of what Coach Gerardo tells me.  Today, I followed Richard's lead.  Which meant a more consistent pace on the bike and a little more walking on the run.  At first, I felt guilty.  Like I was cheating on my training.  However, I ran faster than I have been lately despite taking more breaks, which I found interesting. Perhaps it was because I was fresher off the bike -- even with three aero bar re-adjustments due to loose screws. (Dad, you were right, it seems I do have a few screws loose after all.)  Or, maybe it was simply because I had company for a change.  I've been training alone lately, and in the heat of the day.  We started just before 8 this morning so we could catch some of the USA-England World Cup match.  Maybe a more relaxed pace is actually a good thing?  I'll have a hard time digesting that one, but am trying to accept that as a possibility.

Having Richard and Ann to chat, share and laugh with certainly helped my performance.  It also reminded me how lonely it can be training by myself with no music or companionship.  And by companionship, I mean someone pushing me, challenging me to go faster or dig deeper.  I thrive on that, and Richard's bike pacing (when we decided to speed up) and run pace gave me something to strive for.

***

Tonight is Stehpanie's and my engagement party.  One added benefit of a more evenly paced brick is that I have plenty of energy for the festivities.  Of course, I'm genuinely excited about them.  In a way, I can't believe we're actually having an engagement party tonight. It's surreal almost.  I know we're getting married, and Steph is essentially living with me now.  But events like this help make it "official."  The funny part though is that it feels so natural anyway that there's no real "official" needed.  I know that probably doesn't make sense, but really all I mean is that ceremonies and events don't make our commitment any stronger than it already is.  But it's nice to share a moment in time with our closest friends and family.  That will be awesome.

158 days and counting.

Runnin' Fast is Fun!

I ran fast today.  And it felt goood. The Fortius team had its first coached track workout of the season tonight.  We were supposed to train at Harvard-Westlake high school but learned the hard way the school's commencement ceremonies were set up right on the track.  So returned to the scene of our 6 a.m. swim, VNSO park.  I've actually never participated in a track workout before.  Every drill is new, which is exciting.  At the same time, I wasn't the best at following directions tonight.

And I don't really care.

The culmination of our workout was supposed to be a paced, timed mile going at our highest sustainable pace.  Remove the "sustainable" part and that's exactly what I did.  I needed to know how fast I was capable of running, especially after all this training. I will pace myself better once I know what my threshold is. Besides, I haven't had a timed mile on a track since junior high school -- and I'm pretty sure I'm faster now.

Why?  Because depending who's watch you believe -- mine or our running coach, Ray -- I ran either a 6:08 or 6:19 mile.

I'm inclined to believe my Garmin, since I hit start immediately when Ray said "Go!" and stopped it when I hit the one-mile mark exactly.

The time makes sense too, since I held a 6:36 pace at the Desert Tri sprint event earlier this year.  Can I sustain that pace though?  No way!  According to Coach Gerardo though, he anticipates I'll be able to run around a 5:45-minute mile by the end of the season.  That sounds awesome!  And like a lot of work too.

Thus concludes a rather short work week of training for me, 6.75 hours.  I've got a 3.5-hour brick on Saturday and a 2.5-hour swim/run on Sunday.

Overall, this has been a week of self-imposed intensity, which I rather like. I feel like Breath of Life is so close that if I can eek out any more productivity or performance from any inch of my body, I'm willing to try and do it.  It also means I'll savor tomorrow's off day that much more.

160 days and counting.

Choco-Power

I've written about my triathlon exploits after eating pizza. Now I can add red velvet cake to my growing list of Things That Are So Bad They Make Me Perform Better. My friend Jennie sent me a birthday cake today that must have come close to weighing 10-12 pounds.  As you can see, it was pure decadence.  Creamy, cold white frosting with rich red, chocolate goodness.  Each slice took up an entire paper plate!  I was very good, I "only" ate a full piece about two hours before my Wednesday evening Griffith Park brick with the LA Tri Club and Fortius team members.

And it seemed to have paid off!  I was afraid I'd (sugar) crash hard during a bike climb or certainly during the run portion. Or maybe I'd get sick like I had been lately. Nothing of the sort occurred.  I tore up Mount Hollywood on the bike feeling fresh and powerful, unchained by Coach Gerardo's note in my Training Peaks workout that I could play with some attacks and sprints while avoiding heart-rate zone 5.

Well, two out of three ain't bad, right?

Frank decided to join me for the brick today, which meant my cycling mentor had no problem encouraging me to dart up the hills and challenge him to some sprint duels.  I was so excited to finally speed past him on some climbs that I forgot to finish at the top of the hills, which would be when Frank would zip past me by the narrowest of margins. This was a good lesson for me as in each instance I was in the wrong gear to finish strong in the sprint.  Frank knew just when to attack, while I was ill-prepared to make a proper defense.

First, Frank taught me how to ride.  Now, he's teaching me the ins and outs of racing.  It's gonna be one fun ride!  My evening reading -- Mark Cavendish's autobiography -- is also inspiring me to push a little harder while riding. He eschews sports science in favor of simply riding a lot of hours, hard and fast.  He's constantly been told he performs poorly in the laboratory -- poor power output, too fat, etc. -- and he responds by saying that labs don't measure passion and perseverance.  That's my kind of guy.  So as I pushed hard today, even sustaining close to 25 mph in a pace line for a while at the end, I kept thinking of Mark Cavendish and his "old school" training style.  It was a liberating feeling.

Despite the effort on the bike, my run went well too.  It started off poorly, as the group was very fast and shot ahead of me from the start.  This was further complicated by having to pee only a half-mile in.  Eventually, I got my legs under me and caught up with most of the group during the trail run portion.  I kept my heart rate mostly in zone 3 and was very consistent during my finishing two-mile kick.  Though I need to pick that intensity up in preparation for the Breath of Life Olympic triathlon on June 27.  I'll really need to push hard that day!

I'll have an opportunity to hone my speed (or lack thereof?) tomorrow at our Fortius team's first coached track workout.  It's going to be held at Harvard-Westlake High School off Coldwater Canyon at 6 p.m.  But before that is my 6 a.m. coached swim workout.  Better get to bed.

161 days and counting.

A Special Birthday

It's 6 a.m. on your birthday.  Do you:

A) Smack the clock and go back to sleep

B) Jump in the pool with your training teammates

C) Lock the front door after getting in from a long night of drinking

I went with B) this morning.  And it set the tone for a fantastic birthday.  One of my all-time favorites, in fact.  Though that had little to do with training.  The past couple years, circumstances have prevented Stephanie and I from spending my birthday together.  Today that would change, as it will for hopefully every remaining birthday.  After a Black Dog yoga session that included some inverted wall poses, Steph and I spent the afternoon together, hanging out at Paradise Cove in Malibu and now she's cooking a gourmet feast -- boeuf bourguignon.  I'm a lucky guy!  Make that a VERY lucky guy.

Usually, this is about the time that I devote a few hours to reflect on the past year and think about what I hope to accomplish in the year ahead.  Honestly, I never could have predicted a year ago where my life would be today.  I was reeling from not being with Stephanie and still really just getting my proverbial feet wet in the sport of triathlon.  Now, I'm engaged to the woman I've always loved since before we were dating and I'm training like mad for my first Ironman.  I look and feel like a different person.

What will 36 bring?  Oh, you know, besides a wedding and an Ironman!  Well, in thinking about things, I've grown a lot over the past year.  I think I'm a little more relaxed, a little more confident, a little more competitive.  A lot more grateful.  Perhaps a little wiser.  Maybe even a bit softer around the edges (I hope).  I feel like my own man, though it may have taken a little longer than expected.

Thirty-five was a year of growth and maturation.  I hope 36 brings more of the same, with a killer Ironman Arizona (maybe one more too?) time and a warm, unforgettable wedding.

Is that so much to ask?

Actually, in my renewed state of being, I'll start with a fantastic tomorrow that's unforgettable and productive.  I'll start by encouraging others to be their best, while doing my best too.  One day at a time.  If anything, my Ironman training has taught me that.

162 days and counting.

Drop Dead Legs

I'm in an absolute daze on my couch right now. These past five days of training have felt particularly challenging, capped off by tonight's two-hour run that featured nearly an hour at tempo pace.  My legs felt so heavy and tight that I almost quit the run altogether after the first 30 minutes.  My stomach acted up again too, which I'm thinking has more to do with running in the evening after eating all day rather than in the morning when my stomach is closer to empty.  But the session turned out to be much more of a positive experience than I could have anticipated.

I really do think the best workouts stem from the worst workouts.  It's that moment when you're about to give in to your body's whining and whimpering that something special starts to happen.  In this instance, I found a way to manage a 51-minute 10k and an 8:15 mile pace after running feebly for an hour while keeping my heart-rate largely in heart-rate zone 3.  That is encouraging because if I really push hard I should be able to break back into the high 40s for my upcoming Olympic-distance race.  I've never broken 50 minutes in an Olympic tri and I now think I'm capable.

And to think how close I was to quitting tonight and starting my rest day early.

Speaking of rest days, I can't wait to apply the ice packs, take a hot shower and slather myself with Dragon Ice recovery balm.  And then, after I slam this protein shake by my side, I'm going to pass out.

166 days and counting.