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.

Answering a Question I Don't Want to Ask

I've slept for close to 10 hours each of the past three nights. During that span, I've biked nearly 95 miles, ran about 15, hiked another three and swam (only laps).

It was hot and windy for a good portion of those miles.

Total training time: 10 hours, not including the 2.5 hour hike.  That's between 3 1/3 and 4+ hours a day since Saturday.

Am I over-training?

Judging by my sleeping patterns and how my body feels, yeah, a little.

Can I stop?  Hell no!  I'm an addict.  I'm routinely training 15 hours a week right now -- sometimes more, sometimes less.  I know I should take a moment and reassess but with the Breath of Life national qualifier Olympic triathlon coming up on June 27 and Vineman 70.3 a few weeks later, I feel like I'm training for the high season.  I figure there will be time to rest in late July after Vineman.

That leads me to today's workouts.  I was supposed to run with Stephanie early this morning, at 6:15.  That time came and went quickly, with a fly-swat to my alarm and another two hours of sleep. I managed to fit my recovery run in on the treadmill at lunch.  I literally only ran just over four miles in 45 minutes.  To say I was dragging would be an understatement.  A friend of mine who trains at the gym religiously pointed out that sometimes you just have to log the time.  That's what got me through the workout.  Some days are just bad days.  In her words, "as long as you have one good day of training a week," that's about all you can ask for.

That seems like such a strange concept to me.  I want every workout to be my best.  That's what I expect and demand from myself.

Maybe I should ask my body nicely more often?

Despite my legs feeling like anchors, I'm heading to the pool in an hour for an evening edition of the Fortius-coached swim.  Steph is joining me, which is exciting and a little frightening all at once.  I want to show her how much I've improved in the water but I hope I have enough fuel in the tank to do it.  On top of that, I need to conserve enough energy to make tomorrow morning's 6:30 a.m. ocean speed circuit with the LA Tri Club in Santa Monica.  Followed by a brick at 5:30 p.m. at Griffith Park.

I think if it sounds like over-training, it probably is.

In that case, I've answered my own question that started this blog post.

I know I should do something about that.

I just can't promise that I will.

169 days and counting.

Lucky and Humbled

This Memorial Day will be remembered as Memory Day.  From the moment I woke up until the moment I'm about to fall asleep, today has been about action, adventure, romance, relaxation and family. It started by cycling nearly two loops of the Amgen Tour of California eighth stage with my buddy Frank.  This photo was taken atop the Rock Store climb the second time around.  Smile, Frank, smile.

As you can surmise, it was hot.  And as Frank observed after our ride, which featured nearly 5,000 feet of climbing in just over three hours, I'm going to need to learn to drink more fluids even if I'm not thirsty.  Duly noted.

Following the ride, Stephanie met us for lunch.  I got to enjoy a brick of a different kind today -- a bike and hike.  Steph and I went to a place called Escondido Falls in Malibu, just off PCH and Winding Way.  The hike is about a 2.5 hour out-and-back to two sets of waterfalls. The photo here is at the upper Escondido Falls, about 150-200 feet straight up from the lower falls.

While the lower trails are a moderate walking hike, if you're feeling adventurous like we were, you'll want to go to the extra level for the better view.  Of course, it'll cost you clean clothes, or anything clean, and it may cost you your body as it almost did with Steph.

While the rock climbing and scramping around was filled with laughter going up, things got a little tense on the way to the base as Steph lost her footing and slid down some loose dirt (that I triggered, doh!) into the creek bed.  Fortunately, she landed just right, on some twigs, that prevented her from hitting any rocks or bouncing into the lake.  In fact, she ended up laughing hysterically about the whole thing immediately after it happened.  That was a huge relief!  Especially since I was still atop several boulders, wondering what the heck just happened.

These are the kind of boulders you can expect to encounter in that intense little climb, just stacked on top of each other.  There's even one part where you need a rope to propel yourself forward to the next stretch of terrain.

After our brush with adventure, Steph and I met my parents for dinner after visiting my grandmother.  I'm having a really great time watching my folks and Steph bond. This is exactly the kind of family dynamic I had always hoped for and it's slowly but surely unfolding before my eyes.  I marvel at it and bask in it all at the same time.

Now as I wrap up this blog post I just am lucky enough to have a quiet moment once again to realize how lucky I am. I'm lucky to have my health to enjoy a gorgeous bike ride with a good friend. I'm lucky to have the time to be able to plan a leisurely day of fun that suits my personality and my lifestyle.  I'm lucky to be with a fantastic lady when there were so many hurdles placed in our path (some by me!). I'm lucky she wasn't hurt today (and so is she!).  I'm lucky to have such a fantastic, warm and wise family that makes me a better person.

And I feel lucky to have my freedom and to never have seen war.  I thought about that today seeing the contingent of war planes and bombers flying in formation overhead.  I thought about that when my hands and body were covered in dirt and grime.  I got to go home and shower and clean myself off.  There are many men and women out there all over the world tonight who are toughing it out on our behalf.  I am in awe of them and humbled at the same time.

Despite my incredibly good fortune, I will be thinking about them when I drift off to sleep tonight.

170 days and counting.

Dear Arizona: See You in November

(Pre-post apology.  I missed blogging Friday and Saturday.  The hotel we stayed at wanted $15 for internet, which I think is insane.  And we got back from Arizona last night at midnight. So this is a SPECIAL Memorial Weekend round-up!)

You'd think that after more than six months of blogging practically every day about Ironman Arizona, I'd get the sense that the journey is real.

I'd have thought so too, until I actually drove up to Mill Avenue and Rio Salado in Tempe on Saturday to preview the bike and run course.

But a funny thing happened as I drove down Rio Salado into the parking lot of the Tempe Beach park.

I got goosebumps. Big ones.  Hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, saluting the course.

Maybe it was the Linkin Park song on the radio ("What I've done") hitting just as I pulled up to the main intersection.  I think it was the gravity hitting me that this whole charade isn't a pipe dream, even with all the training that has gone into it.  The dream is real, it lives at a real intersection, and in six months it's me against time and the elements.  Right here.

It doesn't get any more real than that.

If I thought all this was a dream, reality smacked me in the face as soon as I got on the bike.  At 8 in the morning it was close to 80 degrees. By the time I finished the bike ride it was in the low 90s.  By the time I finished the run, I was pretty much dehydrated, even with drinking more than a liter of water, consuming multiple Endurolyte pills, gels and Clif Bars.

Note to self: Training nutrition in California does not equal training nutrition in Arizona.

The bike ride was the culprit.  I didn't sweat during most of the ride.  Why?  Well, the constant cross-wind that felt mostly like a headwind swept any moisture I had right off my face, leaving a film of salt on my skin and all over my jersey.  (Speaking of, it seems that the winds are at their harshest looping back off Shea Boulevard on the Beeline Highway and coming back into Tempe on McKellips. The only semblance of a tailwind seemed to come roughly halfway back on the Beeline Highway.  Please, someone correct me if I'm mistaken.) My college years in Tucson had taught me to always hydrate even when I'm not sweating, so I actually had consumed nearly two water bottles filled with Hammer Perpetuum during the nearly 2.5 hour ride.

It wasn't enough.

I found that out the hard way during the run.  I couldn't figure out why my heart-rate wasn't dropping from heart-rate zone 3 even when I was supposed to be in zone 1 for the first 20 minutes. At first, I thought it was a good sign since I felt fine and refreshed. Guess I didn't need zone 1.  Wrong.   The remaining 40 minutes of my run were to be in zone 3, which quickly turned into zone 4 despite my best efforts.  All the while, my speed was roughly one-half to a full mile-per-hour slower than usual.

The funny part about this unfortunate dichotomy  was my inner monologue the entire duration of the run.  Literally, in my head I was talking trash to the bike and run course.  In fact, I was planning my official response on Twitter, of all things.  It went something like this:

"Dear #IMAZ course, your oppressive heat and nasty crosswinds don't scare me. Your ass is mine in November. Hugs, Ryan."

Turns out that doesn't fit in 140 characters. But you get the idea.

I even went as far as likening my training in Scottsdale/Tempe as like Rocky training to fight Drago in Rocky IV.  I could literally replace screaming "Drrrraaaaaggggooooo!!!" atop the mountain with "Irrrrroooonnnnnmmmmmaaaaaaannnnnn!!!!!"

"You ain't so bad!"

It wasn't until later in the afternoon, after about at least three additional bottles of water, Gatorade, and a Myoplex protein drink, that I realized the folly of my ways.

But, I WILL be ready in November for Arizona.  No matter what it brings.  Even if the bike course is 80% cross/head winds.  Even if there's a heat spell.  I will be ready.

***

And for those of you who read my blog because you want to know more about wedding planning with Stephanie, here's your special update.  We had a great time in Scottsdale.  One of our favorite restaurants and site venues, Sassi, lived up to its expectations in every way.  The food is truly outstanding (the veal chop, pizza di carne, and orecchiette pasta are my big recommendations), the views are stunning and the price is a bargain. We're not sure about the actual wedding location on the property so we're going to continue scouting locations.

We also checked out the Fairmont Scottsdale, which had really great room deals and a truly all-encompassing resort that could make for a fantastic destination wedding.  We need to do more research on this location, but it's still a contender.  Whether we'll be able to handle the heat and critters in September remains to be seen.  Both Steph and I were apparently attacked by a spider lurking in our bed on Friday evening, as Steph has nine welts all over her arms and legs to show for it.  That would seem to be a strike against Scottsdale.

And now, the weekend continues.  Steph and I are going to practice some yoga for a while and then tomorrow we'll hike Escondido Falls in Malibu before meeting my folks for dinner.  And of course, there's three hours on the bike, re-enacting the eighth stage of the Amgen Tour of California. On my tri bike.  Oh yeah!

It's been a fantastic weekend of discovery, insight, and relaxation.

And PS: Arizona Ironman, your ass WILL be mine in November.

173, 172 and now, 171 days and counting.

Beat up

I'm beat. Up. Not from my cycling time trial, which I think went pretty well.

But from the aftermath.

I have my massage therapist and Fortius teammate, David, to thank.  He pulled, stretched, and rolled my muscles into painful submission after submission.  And it felt great.  Judging by the loud wailing that was coming from my condo walls, it didn't sound that way though.  Fortunately, I have a day off from training tomorrow so I'll be able to let the full benefit of the massage take shape on my body.

What will I be doing tomorrow?  Glad you asked!  It's the beginning of wedding venue location scouting season.  Stephanie and I are taking a quick trip to Arizona, Scottsdale specifically.  You know what that means?  Yup, I'm going to bike and run the Ironman Arizona course this Saturday before our meeting at the potential wedding site.  I can't wait.  I'm going to meet my nemesis face-to-face.  One on one.  I hope it's a pleasant encounter.  More to report in a couple days.

Since I posted earlier and I'm headed for a hot bath to further soak the muscles, I'm signing off on this blog post a little early.

More tomorrow.

Still 174 days and counting.

Quick Wildflower Video to Share

My buddy Dustin sent me a brief video compilation from Wildflower this year of me biking out of the T1 area up that massive first hill, and of me finishing the race with a flourish. Wanted to share and store here for safe keeping.  This is not my blog post for the day.  More on that later.  Heck, I still have a full cycling workout to go (weather permitting)!

Here are a few photos he took from the event with Darrin as well

174 days to go.

When Ya Gotta Go...

Warning: This is not one of my touchy-feely posts. In fact, it probably won't get much grosser than this.

Tune out now if you can't handle a little "dirty" humor.  And I mean yucky, not sexy.  Just to be clear.

Mom, I'm looking at you.

I never thought this would happen to me.  Before every race or even any training session, I get my bathroom breaks out of the way.  My innards "know" it's time to...ahem...release before I start training for an extended period.  This afternoon, at the weekly LA Tri Club Griffith Park brick, I got faked out by my digestive organs.

I'm sharing this because I think it's happened to all of us at some point.  Whether it's in a race or just practice...when ya gotta go...ya gotta go!  Usually we hope there's a port-o-potty nearby.  Sometimes, like during a trail run, there's just not.

The bike portion of the brick was just fine -- outside of what felt like a swirling headwind that kept our progress up Mt. Hollywood slow and steady.  It was the run that felt like it gave me the runs.

First off, it's a good thing I was running alone today.  (I had to leave early to attend a party with Steph's friends, which turned out to be a lot of fun.) Midway through the run, it was clear something wasn't agreeing with my stomach.  While my pace didn't really slow, let's just say I was re-enacting that famous scene from "Blazing Saddles" where everyone around the campfire is having a toot-fest.  Except I was alone, which meant I could kind of giggle a bit to myself. Jet power!  Because let's face it, no matter how old you are, farts are funny. They just are.  C'mon, you know it's true.

But what's less than funny is realizing that the next toot might not be so innocent.  And nobody wants to relive the movie scene from "Along Came Polly" with Phillip Seymour Hoffman realizing he just "sharted."  I don't think that word needs any explanation, by the way.

So, I had to find a quiet place to, well, uh, you know...poop.

Hey, everybody poops...sometime.

There are few things quite as embarrassing or demeaning than copping a squat in nature but feeling like the whole world is watching.  Whether they are or not doesn't matter, it's just that feeling of knowing you A) look pathetic B) couldn't hold it and C) don't have a magazine to read.

After covering up my creation, I continued my run issue-free. Yes, I felt a little lighter.  And if you know me really well, then you also know I may have had a bit of a guilty-silly grin the rest of the run.

Just don't tell anyone, OK?

Always a new adventure to be had in this sport, right?  This was the first time since junior high school a situation like this occurred.  I kinda hope its the last.

Now, I've got to be up in about six hours to jump in the pool.  Hopefully, issue-free there too. Good night!

175 days and counting.

Work-Life Balance

Today is one of those moments where I'm so glad I have work-life balance.  When the two intersect and blend harmoniously, life is so much better.  Of course, I only know this to be true after years of emphasizing (OK, over-emphasizing) the "work" part of the equation.  It's only taken me close to 15 years in the workforce before I found a better balance.  Along with one heck of a company that I've called home for 6.5 years now. I was responsible for helping manage a big news announcement from our company this morning.  Normally, this would mean putting my life on hold (possibly for up to a week in advance) to plan and obsess over every detail myself, along with executing and following up.  Fortunately, I have a great group of teammates and have finally taken to heart that my job is no longer to "do" as much as it is to help plan, manage and motivate.  (That's a hard lesson to learn for a competitive guy like me.)  As a result, I was still able to squeeze two quality workouts in -- one before work at 6 a.m. in the pool, and another at 6 p.m. in the gym with the weights.  In between, my team and I worked hard to stay on top of the news cycle.

The pool workout was pretty grueling.  We had a series of sprints between 50 and 100 yards to establish our T-pace for the workout.  Then, we added a few seconds to it and tried to hit a specific time with little rest over the duration of the sets.  It pretty much rocked me.  At the end of the day, I blasted through five sets of three different exercises, with two sets of 15 reps for each.  I was pretty spent after the lifting and about 10-15 minutes of abs work.

In the end, as I sit here with my head spinning after an exciting and exhausting day, I'm thrilled about how everything turned out.  The announcement was a big success, with a potentially delicate situation that I believe we turned into a positive with our fans and the press.  But I'm just as elated about being able to fit in my training without feeling stressed out about either my work or athletic performance.  Neither suffered.  If I can continue to maintain this kind of mental and physical balance over the long haul, I think it can only enhance my overall quality of life.

Which is good, considering Stephanie insists on me living as long as she plans to!

I'm trying, honey.  I'm trying!

176 days and counting.

Another Day, Another Pro to Meet

Another day, another pro to meet.

Tonight, I had a chance to meet Mark Cavendish, he of the four stage wins in last year's Tour de France and winner of the first stage of this year's Amgen Tour of California.  He was signing copies of his new book, Boy Racer, at Helen's Cycles. That's where I bought my Cervelo P2 about three weeks ago.

It's funny that about a year ago I probably wouldn't have known who Chris Lieto or Mark Cavendish were.  Or half of the things I know now about Team Saxo Bank, Rabobank, Liquigas (does anyone else find it ironic that the proper pronunciation for Liquigas is leaky gas?), Radio Shack, Garmin-Slipstream, HTC-Columbia and of course my team of choice -- Cervelo Test Team.

Cycling, more so than swimming and running, has a way of sweeping me up in its own wave of hysteria and excitement.  Next thing I know, I'm howling and hooting and hollerin' up  a storm as a peloton of cyclists blasts past me at the Tour of California.

Man, I'm addicted to this sport!

***

Today was rather uneventful on the training front.  I had to work from home because the fire inspector came to check fire alarms in every single condo.  This meant a fire alarm going off every five minutes for about three hours. I felt like I was in my freshman year college dorm.  Not a memory I want to relive.  Especially the headache that followed.  Yuck.

One upside of my home stay was using my lunch time to arrange and display all my race bibs in my office.  That's something I've wanted to do for a while now.  Turns out I've participated in 19 total races since about 2008.  Not too shabby!  In looking at the finish times written on each bib, I can see the progress I'm making, and sometimes the dips.  But, I remind myself that each course is different, weather conditions are different, nutrition is different, sleep is different. You really can't compare too closely since there are so many variables.

Since I stayed at home, I had to skip what would have been another intense weights session, which will now have to wait until either tomorrow or Wednesday. I'm also planning a trip with Stephanie to visit a wedding venue location in Scottsdale this weekend.  Which means I'll get to bike and run part of the Ironman Arizona course.  Now if I can only figure out where to start and stop.  Help, if anyone reading this knows for sure.  Coach Gerardo told me it's near Mill Avenue and  a street that starts with Rio but I can't remember the second part.  I'll figure it out.

Guess that's about it for now!  Wish I had more to report, but then again, a quiet night at home is a welcome relief too.

177 days and counting.

Pictures Worth 1,000 Words

Sometimes, pictures are worth a thousand words. I've got several of 'em today. More details tomorrow, but chew on these for now!

Yep, I made it to the Amgen Tour of California!

After my Zuma swim got cancelled due to strong rip currents and surf warnings...from two lifeguards!

I got in a little trail/road run after finding a great parking spot near the King of the Mountain checkpoint!

I've got a SICK video of all the cyclists riding by the checkpoint but it's too large a file to post here.  I'll think of something.

Oh, and on the way back to the car, I met Chris Lieto -- three-time Ironman winner and second-place finisher at the 2009 World Championships. Damn Word Press won't let me post the photo because the file's too big.

I'd say it was a pretty good day!  And that's not including the home-cooked meal Stephanie made along with our date night movie of Pixar's UP.

Does it get any better than this?

178 days and counting.