Not Much to Report

No training today, but I ate like it anyway.  Seriously, I ate nine times today!  Oatmeal, fruit, tacos, Balance bar, chicken marsala, wheat pasta, veggies, frozen yogurt, pretty much no food was safe around me. I really don't have much today, to be honest.  Stephanie and I just returned from Shabbat services after picking up my re-tailored suit.  I bought the suit three years ago but my body type has changed so much it needed to be completely re-cut.  I never thought I was "fat" but I've dropped four waist sizes in three years.  Wow.

I'm super tired.  Probably all that consumed food.  But I am looking forward to my brick tomorrow with Richard, Ann, Megan and some other folks.  I'm bringing the tri bike out for a spin, my first time on a fairly hilly ride.  I'll be forced to wear my aero helmet as I'm loaning my regular one to a friend of Megan's.  I'm going to look like a complete idiot climbing hills in an aero helmet, but whatcha gonna do, right?

More tomorrow after the brick.  Until then, good night!

159 days and counting.

From the Sea to the Mountains...

The late KABC-TV anchor, Jerry Dunphy, used to open his newscasts with a greeting along the lines of "From the desert to the sea, or wherever you may be, good evening."  (I know that's not exactly it.) That's what my day of training felt like today.  It started at 6:30 a.m. in Santa Monica for my first ocean speed circuit with the LA Tri Club.  We -- and by "we" I mean about 100 other folks -- met at Tower 26 off Ocean Park and Barnard Way, where we then swam out to a buoy about 250 yards offshore and triangulated back to the lifeguard tower.  We jogged the distance from the tower to the entry point, with the goal of completing at least three loops in the typical one hour allotment.

I was still feeling pretty crispy from the Fortius swim the evening prior, but had enough in the tank to complete three loops with fairly little effort.  The water was cold but manageable and especially salty.  I don't remember the water being as salty in Marina del Rey and Malibu. I'm not sure why that is.  I didn't really know too many people at the swim, but friendly faces Byron, Bob, Mo and Liana made my first experience pleasant.  Bob reminded me that some workouts just require you to show up and log the time.  This would be one of those days.

Of course, my training didn't stop there.  To conclude the day, I rejoined the LA Tri Clubbers at Griffith Park earlier this evening for our weekly brick.  We "only" had 1.75 hours instead of the usual 2.25, but it might as well have been that long based on how my legs felt and my heart-rate performed.  My bike ride was pretty pathetic, though I stayed mostly in heart-rate zone 2 on the climb up Mount Hollywood and managed to get out to the Griffith Observatory and back in just over an hour.  That's kind of encouraging since I didn't exert much effort but still got up the big hills without much trouble.  Still, I just didn't have much power in my legs and I have a 45-minute time trial tomorrow.  I need to find the extra power for that one.  Fortunately, my run was a pleasant surprise. Though I didn't feel great, I managed two sub-eight-minute miles at the end of he run, even getting down to around 7:30 without coming close to heart-rate zone 4.  I didn't expect to see that kind of progress after beating myself up the past few days.  I hope I can build on that moving forward.  We'll find out on Friday, when I have a tempo two-hour trail run with the last 5-8 miles in zone 3.  Wheee!

Perhaps the best part of the day came in the middle, when I visited the dermatologist.  A year ago at this time, I literally was receiving some very light radiation treatments on my face for some pre-cancerous growth on my nose.  Today, I received a 100% clean bill of health from the skin doctor, noting that I was progressing "perfectly."  Considering how often I'm outside, this was a huge relief.  I've been much better about using quality sunblock whenever I can, and it clearly has made a difference.  I can only urge my friends to please do the same, and PLEASE get checked out by a dermatologist.  Or at least have someone monitor your body for unusual moles and pigmentation.

We covered the sea.  We covered the Hollywood sign.  We covered Griffith Observatory.  We ran trails.  We ran on the road.

I think we did Jerry Dunphy justice today.

168 days and counting.

May 16 Malibu Brick Workout Details

Untitled by ryanps74 at Garmin Connect - Details.

Fitting it All In

I don't know how my married friends do it. How do you find the time to juggle your family and personal lives, along with the lives of your kids?  I got a small taste of it today and am even more in awe of  my Fortius teammates who balance it all almost effortlessly -- while still completing multiple triathlons and Ironman events!

Besides train in the morning with several Fortius teammates including Richard and Ray (both pictured separately), this afternoon was consumed by shopping for furniture with Stephanie and begin discussion about the wedding list.  I'll admit that my head is spinning a bit just from that.  And not because it was an unpleasant experience -- quite the opposite.  I actually really enjoyed it, but not for reasons you might think.  Aside from planning a vacation together and choosing to marry each other, making furniture purchases represents the first major joint financial decision in our relationship.  The process went very smoothly, even though we discovered that our tastes in style and decor may be different (no, I don't think dogs playing poker should be our mantel piece!).  I was very pleased how we communicated and deliberated.  Ultimately, we didn't buy anything today, but I'm confident we set the foundation for making good choices we both can be happy with when the time comes.

Anyways, I'm sitting here at the end of a long day -- after swimming a mile, running for 10, visiting nearly a half-dozen furniture stores and analyzing our first pass at the wedding list -- wondering how in the hell people with kids find the time to be an Ironman.  How do you orchestrate having a life while managing the lives of others?  I'm thinking all this knowing that Stephanie and I really didn't do anything today in the grand scheme of things yet it's 10 p.m. and time for bed.

Where did all the time go? Today felt like a blur.  Thank goodness for this blog to remind me one day!

Will there be more hours in the day when we have a family to fit everything in?

I know it seems like I'm stressed out.  Honestly, I'm not.  I'm simply aware how good I have it right now, knowing how pressed for time I may be down the line if I continue to train for triathlons and perhaps more Ironman events.  Something's gotta give eventually, and I think I know what it will be.

Sorry, kids!

(Steph, that was a joke...)

200 days and counting.

This is My Tri Bike

This is my tri-bike.  There are many like it.

But this one is mine.

After several months drooling, researching, speculating, debating, deliberating and procrastinating, I now own a triathlon bike.  As you can see, I went with the Cervelo P2 Ultegra setup, along with a sweet pair of Bontrager/Hed Aeolus 5.0 clinchers.  Helen's Cycles in Santa Monica made me an offer too good to refuse on the wheelset.  I was planning to buy the Hed  Jet 6 and 9s, as I've recently written.  However, they weren't in stock and Helen's took advantage of my eagerness to sell me  on a "project one" pair of the Bontragers for $900 off the MSRP.  As I was doing my bike-fitting session, the cyclist next to me doing the same had ridden 10,000 miles on the same pair.  And was happy.  That was good enough for me.

Oh, Lance and the rest of Team Radio Shack ride on them too.

Yeah, that'll do.

The only other major purchase I needed to add to the bike were the adjustable carbon Profile Design Viper aero bars.  During my fitting, it became clear I was reaching a bit too far out towards the elbow pads and my back and rib cage  were going to be stretched.  Unfortunately, the stock aero bars were not adjustable.  Yes, a proper pre-purchase bike fit might have indicated that other tri bikes could have been a better natural fit as a result.  Yet all my research kept pointing back to the Cervelo P2 offering the best bang for the buck.  Judging by the transition area at Wildflower, hundreds of other Cervelo owners agreed.  And each time I spoke with a P2 owner whether at Wildflower or the other races I've competed in this year, they all indicated how much they loved their purchase.  Not one showed an ounce of regret.

And let's face it: I just wanted the damn bike.  There's lots of great choices out there. Felt. Wilier. Argon. Kuota. And many others.  But the Cervelo had me from the get-go.  It wasn't even a fair contest.  You can research all you want.  In the end, I bought what I wanted, but it happens to be a great value nonetheless.

Now, I must make sure my Monica (my Colnago) doesn't get too jealous of Charlie, the Cervelo.  So far, they're co-existing in the same room peacefully.

By the way, I name my bikes.  Maybe I talk to them too every once in a while.  It's totally not weird.  It's normal.  I keep telling myself that.

It's normal, right?

Good night, Monica.  Good night, Charlie.  Good night, Shalom (my Scott Speedster).

These are my bikes.  There are many like them.  But these bikes are MINE.

Hooah!

Still 204 days and counting, but not by much.

Food Coma

I'm so tired.  I've eaten some massive big meals over the past 24 hours.  My breakfast at Jinky's this morning carried me through much of the work day.  But my dinner at Buddha's Belly in Los Angeles has sent me over the edge into Food Coma Land.  Population: 1.  Mayor = me. Training off day = glorious. Got a full night's sleep.  My achey knee has calmed down, and my body feels rested.

Except for my overworked stomach. I've been shoveling food in my mouth the way John Henry shoveled rocks out of those tunnels.  Funny thing is that I'm maintaining the same wait while doing it.  (Don't hate me for that!) I can't believe the volume of food/calories I can consume and still stay the same weight.  But I'm not complaining.

This blog post sucks.  I don't feel like writing tonight, I'll be honest.

I promise a better post tomorrow.  Tonight, I just need some sleep.  Hello weekend, here I come!

222 days and counting.

Newport Beach Tri Race Report

Last night, I wrote about no longer needing sprint triathlons as part of my Ironman training.

Tonight, I write about why this morning's Newport Beach Triathlon was among the most important races I've completed.

Like my 20-mile Firecracker run in February, I proved something to myself this morning.  Perhaps more appropriate, I earned the validation I was seeking that my Fortius Coaching training is paying dividends.  After my LA Marathon debacle, I needed a proof point.  Moreover, was my Garmin speaking the truth lately?  Was I indeed getting slower?  These questions needed answers in the worst possible way, so the timing couldn't have been better to experience something tangible to compare year-to-year.

Fortunately, I did just that today, shaving off more than eight minutes from las year's 1:32:54 performance.

Eight minutes! I was hoping for improvement in the three-to-five minute range.  This year, I finished in 1:24:05, good for 11th place in my age group (top 20%) and top 20% among all men.

I cut 2:30 off last year's swim, nearly three minutes off last year's bike time and nearly :30 off my run.  The transitions were much faster too.  Moreover, my swim pace per 100 yards was by far my personal best -- 1:40.  My T-pace when I started training with Coach Gerardo was around 2:05.  I cannot believe the progress I've made.  Perhaps that is what I'm most proud of, given all the troubles I've been writing about lately regarding my swim technique.  And my 14:45 swim included a more brutal than usual opening 200 yards, with several people grabbing at my ankles and shoulders.  Not to mention slightly swimming off course after the first buoy.  In other words, I could've swam faster.  That's a great feeling.

Cycling the bike course several times yesterday paid off today too, though it was more than likely the lack of a cross-wind that put me over the top.  Yesterday, my Garmin indicated I averaged around 16.4 mph on my ride.  Today, I was .01 under a 20 mph average.  Of course, I was taking care yesterday to largely remain in heart-rate zone 2.  Today, while I could've dug a little harder, I was definitely in zone 3 for most of the ride.  Once again the only bikes beating me were guys on TT bikes.

I will be fixing that issue shortly.  I've got my eyes and heart set on a Cervelo P2 with upgraded wheels.

The run was about what I expected.  Were it not for the 7-8% grade hill at the 1.5 mile mark, I likely would have broken 21 minutes.  Instead, I paced myself to have a strong finishing kick.  I'm sure I negative split the latter 1.5, with a sprint on the last 150 yards.

There was also an intangible factor that helped fuel me this morning.  Stephanie, despite being sick, along with her dad came to support me.  This was the first triathlon that Steph's dad had ever seen, and I wanted to put on a show.  I wanted to let "Mr. V" know -- loud and clear -- what I was made of, and that the same kind of resolve and grit I demonstrate during a race is the same kind of attitude I will bring in taking care of his daughter.  As a result though, I was more nervous than I should have been.  Case in point: I put on my wetsuit backwards!

Fortunately, I overcame my nerves, along with a brief panic attack when I couldn't get my normal pre-race breakfast of oatmeal and banana until 40 minutes before the race.  Unlike the LA Marathon, the race itself was the highlight, instead of the pre- and post-event activities.

As I reflect on today's triumph, I no longer need to benchmark my training last year.  Fortius Coaching works.  My training is paying off.  I'm a better triathlete.  A more knowledgeable triathlete.

And tonight, a happier triathlete.

Next up: Wildflower!  But for just a little bit longer, I'll relish today's milestone. What was supposed to be a small event was a rather large confidence boost.

227 days and counting.

So That's What Happened

I went to the doctor's today. You know, about eight days too late. Turns out that while I indeed had a cold that definitely contributed to my demise at the LA Marathon, allergies played a big role too.

Allergies?  I haven't had allergy problems for years.

Think again.  My recent trail runs and bike rides to Hidden Valley came at the peak of spring, when all sorts of pollens were in full bloom.  As a result, my throat tightened, my glands hardened, my lungs overworked, and my breathing suffered.  This led, according to the doctor, to fatigue, which ultimately contributed to my body saying "enough is enough!" on Sunday.

So, as if I was 9 and getting allergy shots, I'm on medication again.  Flo-Nase and Allegra.

The good news is that I'm feeling better already.  My throat is starting to loosen and isn't quite as sore.  My eyes, while dry and droopy, feel a little lighter for getting so much sleep the past few days.

I'm going to take the rest of the week off from training, no matter how I feel. I think it's time for a little break.  Time to heal the muscles and just relax for a few days.  I'll get back to the training grind this Monday.

After all, I've got another triathlon coming up.  The next goal: Newport Beach triathlon on April 11.  Mark it down.  I will be ready. More than ready!  I'm getting fired up just typing about it.

But for now, I'm more fired up for a good night's sleep.  A full night's sleep with no training jolting me out of bed at the crack of dawn.  Yup, a mini-training vacation.

G'night.

245 days and counting.

A Cycling Reunion

Proving that real men wear pink, my colleague and cycling mentor, Frank, returned to road cycling today.  As some of you may remember, Frank has been inactive on the bike since New Year's Eve, thanks to yours truly. Though he hasn't ridden outdoors more than a couple times in three months, I can declare with certainty that Frank didn't miss a pedal stroke today.  We rode from the Starbucks at Agoura Road and Lindero Canyon Road to the top of Portrero Road in Newbury Park and back, along with some diversions.  Total ride time was three hours, which equated to 1,186 calories burned.  According to my Garmin watch, we climbed grades up to 17% and Frank handled it all, even beating a much sleeker-looking and powerful cyclist on the lengthy downhill just past Sylvester Stallone's place atop Hidden Valley.

I was impressed.  Granted, Frank has been training in our workplace gym, using the recumbent bike and torturing himself with the intensity meter cranked up to 18 out of 20 on hill climbs for up to six-minute intervals.  I've tried that, and I can barely handle 1-2 minutes.  Since I made a Stallone reference before, I'll say now that when it comes to cycling, Frank is not human.  He is like a piece of iron.

Enough bro-love.  Seriously.

After our bike ride, I visited my grandmother at the Jewish Home for the Aging.  I expected to find her in her room, watching TV quietly.  She wasn't there though. Instead, I found her and 12 of her friends in the dining hall... wait for it... watching Inglorious Bastards for the "movie of the week."

Seriously.

I guess it doesn't matter how old you are, killing Nazis never stops being appealing.

My day of training continued later in the afternoon with a threshold-pace swim of 2,600 yards at the recently refurbished Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks public pool.  While I may be able to knock out a 100-yard sprint in about 1:55, it seems my T-pace for longer intervals (300, 400 yards) is about 2:02-2:03.  The latter mirrors what I swam last week during the Desert Tri event.  I know I originally indicated a 2:14 pace, but when I re-calculated at the suggestion of a fellow racer, I discovered that I swam the 500 meters at a 2:03 pace.  Now things make more sense.  The good news is that I maintained that pace even after the three-hour bike ride, a hearty lunch and a couple-hour break.  Though, to even things out I am trying new techniques in the water such as dragging my fingertips more to relax and enter the water later in my stroke.  I'm also trying to make my kicking more fluid, capturing the same motion when I use the Zoomers.  It's a little overwhelming right now but I bet I'll get the hang of it come Ironman time.  If there's anything I've learned from this experience is that progress happens every day, it's just that sometimes it can't be seen or felt.

My day didn't stop at the pool.  Nope, not by a longshot. I quickly showered at the pool and motored to Triathlon Lab in Santa Monica, where I tried out some tri-bikes.  I'm looking at the Felt B2 and the Cervelo P3.  Not sure which bike I'll get yet, but I at least know the 52" in both can fit me well.  They're both gorgeous bikes, each offering carbon frames with top-of-the-line componentry and decent wheelsets.  I'm leaning towards the Felt so far, so if you have any feedback I'd love to hear it.

Finally, my long day concluded rather unexpectedly but for the better.  I was planning for a quiet night home alone with laundry, paying bills and video games.  Instead, my buddy TJ and I met for dinner and a movie. More bro-mance.  We saw Green Zone, the new Matt Damon flick about WMDs and the Iraq insurgency. I'd rate it about a 7.5 on a scale of 1-10.  Fairly predictable plot but decent action and acting.  Not a particularly memorable movie, but enjoyable nonetheless.

I can't believe how long and busy today ended being.  And I enjoyed every minute of it.  Now I need to power down and grab some rest before doing it all again tomorrow.  After a two-hour trail run at 9 a.m. (which will feel like 8), Stephanie and I are going engagement ring shopping.  I'm excited!

From bro-mance to romance.  This weekend has it all!

Seriously.

255 days and counting.

My Heart is in San Francisco

I've had the fortune to run in some beautiful cities around the world.  Copenhagen.  Malmo.  Geneva.  Vancouver.  New York. Santa Monica.

San Francisco is now among my favorite.

As a Dodgers fan, it pains me to say I like anything about this place.  But the fact is, after running six miles this morning with an industry buddy of mine (also a writer for Sweden's version of Runner's World), I think San Francisco offers just about everything a runner could ask for.  If I were to devise a ratings system for the best running spots in the world, it would likely include:

• Scenery
• Varied terrain (flat, hills, trails, road paths)
• Friendly pedestrians/motorists
• Weather

I'm probably missing a few, but you get the idea. Today, San Francisco checked off nearly all four on the list.  Of course, the only thing preventing an absolutely perfect score on the run was the blustery weather.  Then again, at least there wasn't a cloud in the sky at 8 a.m.  No fog.  No rain. Pure sunshine.  A great way to start the day.

My friend Thomas and I ran from my hotel at 4th and Market up Powell Street to California.  From there, we navigated the daunting hills until we reached Van Ness, turned right at Jackson Street and looped around until we hit California once again.  The views of the Bay and Golden Gate bridges high atop the hills were spectacular.  If I didn't forget my camera at home I'd show you, so the generic web image atop the blog post will have to suffice! (We actually did run that hill though!)

This morning's workout called for a hills run, and wouldn't you know it, San Francisco has plenty to offer.  I could really feel my training pay off as I was surprised how easily I was able to bound up them and not feel winded at the end of the run.  In discussing with Thomas, I concluded that running hills is mostly mental.  If you look forward to the hills and see them as a big opportunity to improve speed and endurance, then they are fun. If you just want to "get through them," hills suck.  Which best describes you?

Capping off the run were the many motorists and pedestrians who moved their cars or bikes back off the crosswalks so Thomas and I could pass easily. That just doesn't happen in LA!  The best part though?  A bunch of kids waving to us from the charming cable car chugging up California Street.  Just one tiny memorable moment on a year-long journey.

I've always felt that the best way to get to know a city is to run or bike around in it.  Today was no different.  As a SoCal native, I used to be anti-NoCal by nature.  After just an hour's run today, my stance is changing dramatically.

I can't wait to get back up here and run again soon.

258 days and counting.