More Thoughts

Some more thoughts on Ironman... For me I have always enjoyed the journey of preparing for an Ironman race. The race itself is almost secondary. This year I had a bit of a detour with the passing of my mother, but in a way, the long days alone training gave me an opportunity to cope in my own way. I really had no expectations going into race day. I have found that in an Ironman race you just take what the day gives you, no more or no less. Suprisingly this was one of the easiest Ironman races for me physically. I was happy with my results. Next year is the 25th anniversary for IMC. Organizers say they are going to open the race up to 3,500 people! I think that is absolutely crazy. Needless to say, I won't be back. I am a bit disappointed in how corporate Ironman has become. It has lost a lot of its original appeal for me. I am not sure what my next big challenge will be. Maybe I'll work on that 200 fly.

It's Over

WOW!! It's over! Over 2,300 started the swim Sunday morning. I thought the weather was perfect. Bright and sunny. I think the temperature bearly topped 90 in the afternoon. Here's how the race went down:
Swim split: 58:24- I started at my secret spot that Chuckie V showed me during the 2001 race. It was pretty much clear swimming. I was happy with my time considering I have been struggling at masters lately.
Bike split: 5:55- The first 30 miles goes by pretty fast. The climb up Richter Pass was longer than I remember. The climb up to Yellow lake was shorter. One thing I notice in these big races, when I get passed on the bike it is not by one or two people at a time, its by a freakin peloton. 20-30 guys grouped together. That happened 2 or 3 times and that really kinda ticked me off. My back tightened up a bit mid way thru so I backed off to prevent further suffering. All things considered I was happy with my ride.
Run Split: 4:13- 9:41/mile splits doesn't seem very speedy, but during the run I felt like I was moving fairly well. I passed far more people that caught me and my splits were even- 2:05 going out, 2:08 bringing it home.
Total Time: 11:14:36 , 320 place of 2,175 finishers
All in all it was a good long day training.

Ironman eve

Ellen and I had a nice dinner and I'm hanging out at the hotel room. I figure I'll wake up at 4 am, eat a little something warm up and stretch a bit and then head over to the start. I'm ready to go!

1983

In 1983 the winning time of the first IMC was 10:41 by Mike Wigstaff. That time would bearly crack the top 10 in the 45-49 age group today!

The Day Before

The transition area was just starting to take shape when I dropped off my bike and gear bags this morning. Tomorrow this place will be rockin'! The weather is starting to heat up a bit. Afternoon high is in the 90's.

Chillin at the Lake

Ellen and I hung out and had a BBQ at a small lake around 30 minutes from Penticton. The lake even had its own beaver cruising around. Way cool.
Swam and biked a bit today. Just relaxing getting ready for the big day.

Priorities

It's nice to see some people have their priorities straight.

Logo Fever

Anything you could possibly want is available here- with an Ironman logo.

Registration

I'm one of the many waiting to pick up my packet.

Welcome to Penticton

We flew into Vancouver yesterday and drove over to Penticton. The drive was way longer than I remember... maybe thats because last time Cook was driving 100mph. We pulled in around 10pm and I slept like a rock.

Packing it in

Spending the evening packing for tomorrow's trip up to Canada. I know I'm forgeting something. I guess I'll find out when I get there! I remember one time I forgot a key part of my bike and I had to have Hazard's Fed Ex it out to IM Florida. That was the same trip the airline's lost some of Cook's baggage. Nothing like adding a bit of stress!
AM: Master's IM day
PM: ride, mostly easy, 90 minutes
Off to Canada!!!!

Taper, Taper

My legs still feel a bit stiff so I'm trying to stretch a bit more. AM: Masters swim-3x300,3x200,3x100,4x100
PM: easy bike 60 minutes

1 Week to Go!

This was taken last March when I first started training for IMC. It snowed that day. Boy, that sure seems like long ago...
Today: moderate bike 4 hours. Then some strides to loosen up my legs.

8 days

Down in LA today managed a hour plus run this AM. Tomorrow, a moderate bike.

11 Days

AM: Masters- IM day
PM: cycle 1 hour

12 days to go

After a few rest days I'm back at it.
AM masters- 100, 200, 3x100, 200, 100, twice thru
PM: track- 2x800, 1 mile, that's it!

Mobile Blogging

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Taper Time!

Traditionally for me when ever I taper for a race I feel terrible until race day. Something to look forward to. At any rate, I'll probably workout most every day, decreasing volume as I get closer to race day.

Super Brick

My last big workout today and it was a doosey! 2 hour ride to Refugio, 1 hour run, 2 hour ride up Painted Cave, 1 hour run, 2 hour ride to Refugio, 1 hour run. All the transition time changing in and out of sweaty gear and refilling water bottles made it a long day. 2 weeks 'til Canada!

So Long, Farewell!

My friends Josh and Angela are off to Santa Cruz at the end of the month. We had a nice party at Hazard's to send them off. It will be sad to see them go. Josh is a top mechanic and he took great care of all my rides. Cook and Flood also made an appearance. They take great pride in shaving each others heads and dressing alike. Go figure.
AM: Masters swim. Kind of a complicated set. Some easy, some kick, some fast.
PM:80 minute ride
Tomorrow my super brick! Last hard workout!!!

The real thing

A patient brought these back from her trip from Peru. Its made from the extract of the leaves of the coca plant. The native indians chew on coca leaves for that extra boast and to battle fatigue. I'm going to save this baby for the last part of the marathon at IMC!
AM: Masters- main set-100,100,100,200,100,300,100,200,100,100
PM Track- 3x800,1mile, 2x800, 1 mile

Watch Out Madona Buder!

My Auntie Vi told me she just took up jogging. She's 85!
AM: Went for a short masters swim.
PM: Easy ride for 60 min.

Back in SB

Nothing like some shave ice while visiting the North Shore!
Back in SB today.
AM Masters- First workout in a week. Swam with the kids Andrew and Melanie. Main set: 4x150, 6x100, twice thru.
PM: Ride up old San Marcos. about an hour

Kamaka

While most people visit Hawaii to bask on a sunny beach and drink mai tai's, I dropped a visit to the historic Kamaka Ukulele factory in downtown Honolulu. Second only in nerdyness to maybe the accordian, the uke is none the less a great instrument. It connects me to my parent's past.
Friday workout: Ran for 1 hour

Saturday: Ran along the Honolulu Marathon course. Probably 20 miles.

Palmetto Bug

In Hawaii everything is better. I call this a big freaking roach. In Hawaii, they call them "palmetto bugs".

Punchbowl

Yesterday was my mom's memorial service which was held at Punchbowl in Honolulu. I laid her ashes next to my father's who passed away 6 years ago. That was pretty sad.
AM: Ran around Diamond Head 2 times. 1:45

In the Pink

Here I am staying at the Pink Lady on Waikiki Beach. The Royal Hawaiian is a grand old hotel, ironically built the same month and year of the birth of my mom. Went for a run this evening. Ran for an hour, worked up a good sweat in the humidity. I'm thinking all this heat training should pay off in Canada.

Refer Madness

In case you are wondering what the Wanger keeps in his refer: watermelon, unidentified leftovers, 2 cartons of soy milk, bottle of water and 2 tubs of yogurt.
Swam a bit this morning. This evening I'm packing and heading off to Hawaii for my mom's memorial.

Feeling Flat

So I'm around 10 miles into the bike and I blow my rear tire. Not really too much of a problem but I couldn't get the friggen sew up off the wheel. I kept telling myself this was only a training race and my time didn't matter but it still bugged me watching everyone pass me by. After 20 or so minutes of prying and hand cramps I finally got that tire off. I put on a ratty old spare and I continued the ride, scared to death that it was going to roll off at every corner. I finished in 5:34. Felt pretty good all day and all in all it was a good day training.

Road Trip

Drove up to Corte Madera to stay with the Wanger last night. I was a bit surprised its a bit cool and drizzlely up here. I'm glad I brought a sweatshirt! Today I'll drive up to Santa Rosa to pick up my race packet, otherwise I'll just chill out today.

Cooling trend

Bugman turned 15 last month and although he is totally deaf now, he still is amazingly spry for an old guy.
AM- Masters swim- IM day today
PM- easy spin for 1:20
Tomorrow I'm off to Vineman. I'm staying with the Wanger. I'm really curious to see if he has any furniture in his house. We seem to have gotten a little break in the heat which is a bit of a relief.

Mini Taper

I've been on a mini taper this week. Heading up for the Vineman half ironman this weekend. Its been nice and hot up there so there should be plenty of excitment!
AM masters: 2x100, 200, 2x50, 3 times thru.
Lunch time at the gym
PM- Ran for a little more than an hour. I stuck in 1 mile at 6:50 pace just to stretch it out a bit.

Amazing

AM Masters- Amazing but true- Jane showed up for swim workout. It was nice seeing her!
PM- Easy spin for 1:20

Yikes!

Michael Rasmussen, Tour de France King of the Mountains. Yikes!
AM Masters - 300m, 2x150m 3 times thru
Now I think I'l eat a pint of Hagen Das

Global Warming

The Wanger was in town today so we rode out to Ojai up to the summit above Santa Paula. The temperatures topped 100, with some humidity to add to the pleasure. Total ride was 100 miles. I ran for about 20 minutes afterwards. The heat has been absoulutely crazy. Penticton has been hovering around 100 so if this keeps up I'm in for a long day!

Hot Times

It was cooking in LA today. This was their 17th consecutive day of triple digit temperatures. I ran 90 minutes this morning when it was a brisk 85.

No more creaking

Painted Cave climb this evening. Josh fixed this annoying creak in my Orbea so it was a great ride.

Crazy

Here's Morgan going crazy waiting for me to chuck her ball.
AM Masters- 50m, 100m fast, 200m, 100m fast, 50m. 3x's. My swimming is really sucking lately
Lunchtime at the gym
PM: Track- 10x 800, 1min rest, 3:25 pace.

Spin

Nice easy 70 minute spin today.

Monday, Monday

AM Masters: Main set- 400m, 2x200, 400m, 2x150, 400m, 2x100, 400m 2x50
Thats enough for today. Now for some rest!

Run and Done!

Long run today. 2:30. I was a little stiff from yesterday, but I shuffled thru. Then it was off to LA to take care of some business.

Jalama!

I did this ride for the first time 5 years ago with my friend Santi while training for IM Canada and it remains one of my favorite rides. Santa Barbara to Jalama Beach and back. 125 miles. Ran 30 minutes afterwards.

Swim and Rest

AM masters- 2x50, 100m fast, 100m, 2x50m fast, 4 x's
Rested up a bit for tomorrows long ride!

Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday's workouts:
AM Swim Masters- A triathlon celebrity, Wendy Ingram, join our lane for a swim. Main set- 100m, 2x150m, 1oom, 3 times thru. The 2nd 100 was fast.
Lunchtime- to the gym for a core workout.
PM- Track- 8x1000. Just tried to hold a steady effort, 6:40 pace
Thursday:
I overdid it a bit at the gym and I'm a little sore today. Rode 90 minutes

Easy Ride

75 minutes on the bike. Gearing up for a big weekend. Stay tuned!

Not What it Used to be

My lane at masters is a far cry from the good ol' days. Today I swam with two random visitors. Gone are the days of the old reliable swimmers like Jane and Dave. I am now solo swimmer.
This morning: 400m, 2x200, 300m, 3x200m, 3x100m.
PM: easy spin for 1 hour

Long run

I've been in LA for the past few days so I haven't had much time for training. It's stinking hot down there! Back in SB, ran 4 hours. Kept it a pretty easy pace at the beginning, picked it up the last five miles.

Summer is going Strong!

Last night at Rick and Adele's place. What a great 4th BBQ!
AM- Masters Swim- 200m, 2x100, 200m, 3x100, 200m 4x100.
Lunchtime- at the gym for some core
PM- Track- 4x2000m. Ran around 7:10 pace. I was happy to get thru today. I was beat!

Happy 4th!

For my July 4th holiday I rode the lake twice. I thought that was pretty good until Bruce at Hazard's said Shiggy does a triple! I guess thats why he's a 8 time Hawaii Ironman vet. Total ride today- 125 miles

Rest Day

Resting up today. Tomorrow hopefully a long ride.

Hot Day in the Valley

Yesterday I was in LA all day, rested up a bit for today's long brick.
Finally there was some hot training weather. I drove over to the valley. Rode 100, ran 2:40. The run felt pretty good, except I couldn't bring quite enough fluids and I got a bit dehydrated at the end.

Sun Downer

I descended down the 154 this afternoon after riding up painted cave. I was following a couple of cyclists and the winds were absolutely howling. In one section the wind funnels into a narrow pass and the women ahead of me is blown off her bike onto the shoulder of the road. I slowed down and stopped. Fortunately she was a little bloody but not seriously hurt. The wind was blowing so hard at that point I could bearly stand over my bike. A truck stopped behind us and offered to drive us down. We took him up on his offer. I live to ride another day!
AM: Masters Swim- Fast 50's today. I did as many as I could fly until I cracked.
Off to the gym for some core then I embarked on my death defying bike ride.

Down at the Beach

AM: Got up early and ran around 8 miles down by the beach. Was going to ride this evening but felt a little pooped.

Summer Time!

What a great evening in SB.
AM- Morning Masters- main set: 2x100, 2x150, 2x100, 2x50, twice thru.
Lunchtime- Quick trip to the gym for some core work.
PM Track- 2000m, 1000m, 400m twice thru

A rather routine day

I can't believe June is almost over. Its been a hectic month.
Lunchtime- Easy run, around 5.5 miles
PM- easy spin, 1:20
My legs are still a bit sore from Sunday's race

Monday

My time for yesterday's triathlon was 2:19 and change. Good for 3rd place.
AM Masters- another long main set. 600, 2x300, 3x200
PM - kicked back a bit and watched some old episodes of 24.

Breath of Life

Today I packed up my gear and headed down to Ventura for the Breath of Life Triathlon. Its great having a race so close to home. I didn't stick around for the results so I don't know how i fared, but I know I was right behind Jon Clark. Jon was a bit ahead of me and I was slowly running him down but ran out of real estate. After the race I jogged for 45 min. Then it was off to work for the afternoon trying to catch up with things. I was a nice day, other than that work thing.

Pre Race Day

Rest day today for tomorrows Breath of Life Triathlon in Ventura. Olympic distance. I am looking forward to the distraction.

Don't hold your breath

AM Masters- We did this crazy breath control set- breathing 3,5,7,9. 12x100. I got a little dizzy!
PM- Hour run and strides

Climbing again

A great evening for a ride- up painted cave, rode for about 2 hours

Wednesday Track

Mike is having me cut back my intensity this week. Todays track workout- 2 mile, 4x800
AM masters- I can't remember!

Blue Shoes

These are my new cycling shoes. They are 2 oz lighter than my old Carnacs. Hmmm, lets see, 2oz, 80 revolutions per minute over a 6 hour ironman bike ride.... thats 3,600 lbs saved! Boy I should fly on that run!
Todays workout-
Lunchtime- 40 min run
PM- 70 min bike

Another Monday

AM Masters- main set- 200,400,600,2x300,2x200,2x100
I was pretty beat from this weekend but getting in the water felt pretty good.

Sunday Run

I took this picture yesterday in honor of my friend Mike T.. Mike and I took several bike adventures from SB to San Diego. That was probably the last time I was in Santa Monica.
Today's workout- Run 2h15m. 4 mile tempo run which pretty much ruined me for the rest of the run.

Long Ride Home

Sadly, my mom passed away today. 27 days after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A nurse friend said, “Pancreatic cancer, quick and painful”. Mom never complained once. During her last days she says, “I’ve had a good life, don’t worry about me”. Mom was 79 years old. She walked 3 miles a day. Born in a small plantation town on the island of Kauai, she pulled weeds in the fields for 50 cents a day. In elementary school, mom won an island spelling bee. Her prize was a loaf of bread. She met dad at Washington University. Mom said she was attracted to him because he was tall. Dad was 5’8”. After raising myself and my sister, she returned to school and earned her doctorate in education. “I didn’t want to be the low man on the family’s academic totem pole”. She pursued her hobby of quilting with such vigor, she would sometimes forget to eat. Mom sang Christmas carols with reckless abandon. Good bye mom.

Today I rode from Downey to SB. 150miles. It was a long ride home.

Graduation Time

AM masters: This was a particularly hard set. I just did what I could do. 4x100, 200, 4x100, 200,4x100, 200.
Lunchtime: at the gym for some core work.
PM: Off to Duncan Thomas' house to celebrate his daughter, Devin's graduation from high school. Duncan was bemoaning his recent propensity for night cramps.

Tuesday Track

Tonight on the track- 2x2miles. on 14min, then on 13:45

Monday

AM Masters: 400m, 2x200m, 400m, 4x100m, 400m. I pulled the entire set trying not to fall too far behind.

Another Brick in the Wall

Drove over the hill to Santa Ynez for my bike and run. 100 mile bike, 2:10 run. It was overcast all day and not much wind. Pretty much ideal conditions. My biking seems a bit weak. I was getting a little tired at the end of the ride. My run felt fairly good however. Go figure.

Saturday Run

90 minute run today. Tomorrow planning a big brick.

Friday in LA

Morning Masters in SB: A good mix of fast and moderate swimming. Off to LA.

Thursday

2 hour ride thru Carp, tried to keep a good pace. Caught the tail end of the Tri Club Meeting

Back on track

AM masters- 4x50m, 200m, 4x50m, 2x100, twice thru
Lunchtime-at the gym for some core
PM- At the track- 3x800, 1 mile, 2x8oo, 1mile

Tuesday

Easy bike 90 minutes after a busy day a work.

Long Monday

AM Masters was a doosey. 800m, 2x400m, 4x200m
PM: Rest!

Whats up

I don't know whats up with my running. I ran 2 1/2 hours today. I was suposed to include a 5 mile tempo at 7:15 pace. After the 2nd mile I realized it wasn't happening so I shut my watch off and just jogged the rest of my run.

Quick ride and a massage

Rode 2 1/2 today, nothing special. Treated myself to a massage. That was nice!

Back in the Swim

For the first time in a week, back in the water!
Masters main set- 2x50, 2x100, 4x50, 4x100, twice thru.
off to the gym then a short bike spin.

Lost Again!

I know its hard to believe how someone could get lost biking down a bike path along a LA cement river, but I managed to do it. I woke up early for a ride down the San Gabriel river bikepath towards Long Beach. After about an hour I turned around and started hammering back home. Well, I inadvertently took a bike path tributary when the river forked. It was about 20 minutes before I realized I was on a different path. I back tracked a bit and made it back home. All those cement rivers look the same!! Cook will be happy I continue to live up to my "Magellan" nickname!

Dennis the Menace

Got up early this morning and jogged over to Dennis the Menace Park, a park I used to hang out at as a kid. I did some intervals around the perimeter. I always thought it was so big as a kid. It took me less then 3 minutes to run the course. 15 x's
I was really kind of pissed off when someone took my water bottle off a park bench while I was running. You can never go home again...

Easy week

This is the start of my easy week. 40 min easy run. Still in LA.:(

River Run

I'm still down in LA so I did my run along the San Gabriel River bike path. About 2 1/2 hours.

The Wind is my Friend

Long ride today up the 101 to Solvang and back. The wind was really blowing and a couple of times I thought I was going to be blown into traffic. Nervous! around 5 hours

LA run

AM Masters- 4x50m, 2x100m 4 times thru
Off to LA, got in a 90 minute run along with the Memorial Day weekend traffic.

Beautiful Day

Wow, we had one of the best days of the year today. Warm and sunny! Rode up to Gibralter Rock this evening. 1h40min

Toasted!

AM Masters- a hard main set- 2x100m, 2x200m; 3 times thru. The 100's were on a slower interval, the 200's progressively faster.
Lunchtime- core work at the gym
PM: A Rusty torture session. I ran with Melissa, 16x200 uphill on the grass in Shoreline Park. I managed 15 before I blew. I was toast!

loosen up

Still a little tired from this weekend. Just tried to loosen up a bit.
AM: swam for about 15 minutes
Lunchtime: 40 minute jog
PM: easy 60 minute bike

Rest, rest

As I start gearing up my training during the weekend I find I really appreciate my rest day. I think my needed rest and recovery has been the biggest difference in my training as I get older.

37 years of disguntlement

Mr. Cook's birthday party today, celebrating 37 years of disguntlement.
Long run this morning, around 2 1/2 hours. I'm beat!

First Long Brick

I ventured out to the valley for my first long brick. My base station was Los Olivos. I park right off Grand St. There is a bathroom there and a little store in case I need provisions so its a great place to start. I did my usual Foxen Canyon- Drum Canyon route but headed up Santa Rosa Road towards Lompoc. Santa Rosa is a great country road, not much traffic, around 16 miles long. It intersects the old Hwy 1. I take Hwy 1 back to the 101. Hwy 1 is a rolly uphill, usually with a head wind. It is a great place to tuck your head down and just grind it out for 1 1/2 hours. I cut over to Nojoqui Falls and head back to Solvang and then wind back to Los Olivos. Today I rode about 90 miles. I start my run at Figueroa Mtn Rd. The miles are marked so I just run out and back. Today I ran around 30 minutes. I'll probably build that to 2 hours. I try and just hold my pace at 9 min/miles, cause I find in an Ironman 9 min pace ain't to bad.
PS: I got my first flat of the season today!

Friday routine

This has been my routine Friday workout for a while:
AM Masters- main set- 4x150m, 2x100m, twice thru
PM- to the gym for some core work followed by a 90 minute run.
Tomorrow I plan to head to the Valley to try and get away from the overcast weather we've been having over the past month

Carpas

PM: Ride- 1h45 thru Carp, thru in 2x15min hard effort

On the Grass

AM: Masters main set- 4x50m, 3x100m, 3x200m, 3x100m, 4x50m
PM: Mike set up a 600m run on the grass in Shoreline Park. So our workout was 5x600m with a full recovery, then 5x 200m. Running on the grass was tough. Ith felt like my legs weren't going anywhere! I also totally suck running 200's.

Easy recovery

Yesterday was a much needed rest day. After the weekend I was pretty beat. Today I rode easy for 90 minutes.

Long and tired

Long run this morning, around 2:30. I was a little tired from yesterday and my legs definitely felt it! Looking forward to a leg rest day tomorrow.

Back to the Hills

A lot of climbing today, total ride about 4 1/2 hours. It was nice to get above the overcast that shrouded SB all day.

Potpourri

It was a potpourri of activity for today!
AM: Morning Masters- Main set: a lot sprints today- 200 easy, 4x50m fast! 3 times thru
60 minute ride, to the gym, then 1:45 run

Sea Ranch

Sea Ranch is a great hill in Hope Ranch for repeats. About .5 miles long building to a 13% grade at the end. Today: 6 repeats, alternating seated climb, then standing. As sweat dripped I noticed my helmet is really begining to stink. I brought it into the shower with me for a well deserved bath.

Swim and Gym

AM Masters: main set- 200m, 2x100, 200m, 2x100; twice thru
Lunchtime- At the gym for a little core
Meeting tonight so no workout

Aero Natasha

The Wanger sent me this picture of Natasha Badman at Wildflower this past weekend. Check out those areobars. I would have have liked to see her screaming down that descent after the nasty grade!
Tonight: Track workout- 1 mile, 4x400, 1mile, 4x400
My legs felt the pain that last 400!

Sore!

Boy, I was a little sore this morning but in spite of waking up a little late I made it to Masters and ground out the main set: 500m, 2x 200m, 500m, 2x150m, 500m.
Rested this PM.

My friend Patsy

My friend Patsy finished her walk this morning at 10 am. Now for the rest of the story. Pasty had been walking for 24 hours straight raising money for breast cancer. While others walked the 24 as teams, Patsy walked solo, with the occasional friend stopping by to keep her company. Pasty, herself a breast cancer survivor, is still under going chemotherapy. She says she doesn't like chemo because it makes her tired and she doesn't have as much energy. Go figure on that one. To top it off, Patsy broke her ankle and just got the cast removed 2 weeks ago!
I ran a whimpy 2 1/2 hours this morning.

100 Miles

So today I rode the Santa Paula loop for the first time in over a year. It is one of my favorite 100 mile rides. Last year the rode from Ojai to Santa Paula was closed due to all our rain. The road is is still in repair with several sections down to one lane where the road was washed out. I stoped at a mini mart for a little refueling. A sketchy looking guy smoking a cigarette was sitting outside. He tells me, "I got the exact same bike." Griffen's marketing plan seems to be working.

Back again

Stepped back into it a bit today.
AM: Masters- 2x50, 2x100, 2x150, 2x100, 2x50; twice thru
Jogged to the gym for a little workout then ran for about 75min. Felt a little tired but basically OK.

3 Days and Done

With the cold virus there is a 3 day incubation period then a minimum of 3 days of illness. I am just finishing my 3rd day and am finally starting to feel pretty good. I'll start gearing it back up tomorrow.

Still down under

Well, I'm feeling a little better so hopefully one more day of rest will do it.

Feeling the Cold

A little under the weather today. :( Hopefully a good nights sleep will clear things up.

scratchy throat

Woke up this morning with a little scratchy throat. Bummer! Went to swim this morning, main set was 6x400m. I was totally not into it but ground it out anyway. Tonight I'm resting a bit, pounding the vit C and zinc, hopefully nip this cold in the bud.

More 10 Miler

From Sunday's Sports page there's Fred, David, and Taj having fun during Saturday's 10 mile run. I'm on the far left, suffering badly.

SB Running 10 miler

My goal was to hold 7 minute pace. I started out at around 6:50 which seemed pretty comfortable but by mile 9, I totally slowed down to 7:40! Guess I didn't have it today! Finished in 1:11:40. I quickly changed and took off for ride around the Lake. I felt better than I expected to, but I wasn't riding very hard. It was all in all a good day. Tomorrow I'm off all day for business in Anaheim.

Kicking it

So this lady at Elings Park always spreads popcorn out on the soccer fields for the birds to eat. Of course Tux and Morgan make a bee line over there and hoover up every last bit. The Bird Lady always screams "Your dogs are eating all the bird's food!" I always say, " Hey, they're dogs! You put food on the ground, they're going to eat it!" She always gets so pissed off.
AM: Masters Swim: we did some kicking today. Main set- 2x 200m, 2x50 kick, 4 x 100m, 4x50 kick, 6 x 50m, 6 x 50 kick.
PM: an easy jog to the gym for a little core.
SB Running 10 miler tomorrow. I'll try for 7:00 min/miles

Bird Lady

I had a run in with the bird lady this morning. More on that later.
Lunchtime- 5 mile run
PM: Ride up Painted Cave, 90 min

Jackie Chan

AM Masters- main set- 3x100, 2x150, 3x100, twice thru
Lunch time- off to the gym for some core.
No workout in the evening, had some great thai food with my friend Jackie, who is visiting from Hawaii.

The Rock

Evening ride up to Gibraltar Rock. A bit foggy up there. Suppose to rain tomorrow. :( About 1/1/2 hours

Swim and Rest

It is always hard to get up for Monday's Masters. The sets are usually long and difficult. Today was more of the same. Main set: 500m, 300m, 500m, 2x150m, 500m, 3x100m. Tonight I'll kick back and rest.

Sore Butt

I think I over did some step up exercises at the gym on Friday and really paid for it today. Last night I could barely walk! So today we met down by the beach to do a tempo run along the 10 mile course. Rusty had us warm up for 3 miles, 4 mile tempo, 3 mile warmdown. The idea was to do the tempo by feel- no looking at your watch! Our 4 mile tempo pace was 7:10 which was OK with me! Next Saturday is the SB Running 10 miler.

Wandering

4 1/2 ride today. Rode to Carp along 192, then down to Ventura and back home. Just wandered aroung today without any set route. I'm starting to ride my Griffen a bit more and am liking the handling. My old bike was a bit too small and a little sketchy.

On to the weekend!

AM: Masters Swim- 4x50, 3x100,2x200, 4x50, 3x100, 2x200
Off the the gym for some core.
PM: Medium long run, about 2 hours
There was a nice article about my dental hygienist, Stacey, in the SB Newspress today. She just started racing mountain bikes a couple of years ago and is kicking some butt this year. I got a mention as a top Santa Barbara Ironman triathlete which is a little embarrassing. It should have read: top Santa Barbara Ironman triathlete in the middle age oriental dentist division.

Crazy Busy

It was an absolutey crazy busy work week. Totally wore me out. I'm glad the weekend is coming but I know I'll still have to spend some time at the office to catch up. Oh well...
PM: time for a ride up Old San Marcos and Painted Cave this evening. Would have gone a little longer but it started getting dark. Total ride- 1 1/2 hours

What a Beautiful Day

The best day weather wise. Awesome.
AM: Masters Swim- main set- 5x50m, 4x100, 2x200, 4x100, 4x50
PM: warm up, then 3x 1 mile up at shoreline park. 6:30 pace, warm down. total run about 7 miles

A little swim, a little run

AM: Masters swim- Had to get out a little early but got in some good fly.
PM: easy 40 minute run. Still feeling a bit tired from Sunday.

Easter Sunday

Missed my post yesterday but here was my workout: Long run, about 2:15 total. We incorporated a tempo section of 4 miles alternating 1 mile at 6:50, 1 mile at 7:10. I was beat at the end.
Today was a nice rest day.

Green Valley

Wow! All the rain has made the Santa Ynez valley look the best I've ever seen it. Drove over today for a little ride. Foxen Canyon, Drum Canyon, the usual stuff. I love riding over there. Total ride today was about 4 1/2 hours.

Will it ever stop raining?

Rained most of the day. I thought it was spring!
AM: morning masters- 4x50m, 3x100, 4x50, 4x100, 4x50, 5x100
Went to the gym while it was raining.
PM: Got in a 1:40min run during a break in the rain, then a easy 50 minutes on the trainer.

Thursday

An hour run at lunch, that's it for today! Tomorrow I hope to do a little more.

Too Busy

AM: Swim-main set- 9x200
Lunch time- off to the gym for some core work
Too busy with work and such so that was it for today. I needed a break from my usual Wednesday track.

Easy, Easy

Today: Easy 50 min run, Easy 45 min ride
Legs still a little tired from this weekend

Whew!

AM: My Harbor Patrol friend, Rick, and I toughed out a pretty hard swim set. 2x400, 2x100, 2x300, 2x100, 2x200, 2x100. Whew!

Picking up the Pace

AM: Long run, probably around 14-15 miles. Warmed up for 4 1/2 miles, then 5 miles of tempo at 7:10 pace, then finished the run, much slower! Topped off the morning by taking Tux and Morgan up to Elings Park.

Hill Training

This has been kind of a staple ride over the last month- Old San Marcos-Painted Cave-Paradise-La Cumbre Peak. Trying to build some leg strength. 4 1/2 ride time.

My Tri Ride

Here's my GriffenVulcan Kompressor with Zipp 606 wheels. It rides pretty well. Now I just have to work on the legs to power it!
Todays workout.
AM: Masters Swim- Main set- 2x100m, 6x50m, 2x150m, 3x100m, 200m
Off the the gym for some core.
PM: Run 90 min, ride easy 90 min