Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
6 easy. Eagle pass run. 47:00. Blister much better. Legs a little dead. 10 miler tomorrow is going to be interesting. Need to build strength so this will be a good workout. Shooting for 60 minutes.
Friday, October 30, 2009
The days following the race - Oct. 26- Oct 30
Monday - "Continue the streak" (CTS) 4 mile walk. My streak has been going on since Jan 10th, 2009. I'm going to do a year and that's it. I do way to many CTS days.
Tuesday - CTS.
Wednesday - Easy 35 minute run in Maui. Middle of the day and hot as hell. My blister hurt so much I can't even believe that I ran. I ran and washed up in a Walmart bathroom before we got on the plane.
Thursday - Back in Florida. 20 minute run warm up. 2 mile "Tempo". 11:33. I did three 2/3 mile laps around my block. 3:54, 3:48, 3:50. This was waaaay to hard. This should have been easy. It was very hot and I slept on a plane the night before. That's my excuse.
Friday - Swim workout. 100-200 (30 sec rest) followed by squats, DB swings (30 lbs), push-ups (3 sets - 3,6,9). Did all this twice. My band aid fell off my blister so I was done swimming. Total 800 yards. 4 mile walk on the treadmill. Workout in gym with Charlene. Core work, mountain climbers, DB swings, overhead press, push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, split squats. I guess that's about it.
My next race is a triathlon on Sunday. Coach says Just Do It and shut up!
Tuesday - CTS.
Wednesday - Easy 35 minute run in Maui. Middle of the day and hot as hell. My blister hurt so much I can't even believe that I ran. I ran and washed up in a Walmart bathroom before we got on the plane.
Thursday - Back in Florida. 20 minute run warm up. 2 mile "Tempo". 11:33. I did three 2/3 mile laps around my block. 3:54, 3:48, 3:50. This was waaaay to hard. This should have been easy. It was very hot and I slept on a plane the night before. That's my excuse.
Friday - Swim workout. 100-200 (30 sec rest) followed by squats, DB swings (30 lbs), push-ups (3 sets - 3,6,9). Did all this twice. My band aid fell off my blister so I was done swimming. Total 800 yards. 4 mile walk on the treadmill. Workout in gym with Charlene. Core work, mountain climbers, DB swings, overhead press, push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, split squats. I guess that's about it.
My next race is a triathlon on Sunday. Coach says Just Do It and shut up!
Maui Mess
I knew for days leading up the race that it was going to be a disaster. I thought that I could will myself to race well. I hoped beyond hope that I could put out a killer race. I went into the race feeling like crap and that feeling never went away. The XTerra World Championships in Maui, Hawaii is not the place to have an off day. Never mind the worst race of my life.
I finished 63th overall in the race in 2005. I was only my 2nd XTerra race and I thought 7th in my age group was OK but I could do better. Every single day for 4 years I visualized and dreamt about this race. I went back in 2006 and got a flat tire. I then didn't race for 2 years. This race was run 1000 times in my head. Today's ending was the one ending I never thought about.
The swim was different in 2009. Instead of being spread out on the entire beach the 550 top triathletes in the world were confined to a 250 foot box. It would be a 350 meter salt water mosh pit to get to the first buoy. I made it to the orange buoy and around the next one. Out of the water for the short beach run and onto the second 750meter lap.
My brand new foggy goggles were an omen for the rest of the day. I suffered hard on the second lap and the swim was mercifully over.
The run up the little hill to my bike was harder than it should have been.
My bike was in a very good position in the transition area. It was very close to the entrance. Cool! I can get on my bike quickly.... before I was able to get the sand off my feet. THAT problem I can still feel at this very moment.
Swim gear to bike gear and I was off for the 19 mile bike. 2500 feet of climbing. I wonder if my training prepared me for THAT?
After a short pavement section it was up the volcano. Seeing the sunrise from the Haleakala was magnificent. Riding a bike 2500 feet up... not so much. By the top of the first hill my fate was sealed. The rest of the day was about surviving and gutting it out. My race was done.
"That can't be good" was the though that went through my head as I descended the first hill and noticed my handlebars were pointing to the right at about two o'clock. My tire was still at noon.
My handlebars were loose. This isn't the safest thing in the world. It took me a few minutes but eventually I found a rider to lend me a tool and I tightened my bars back up. I'm glad I noticed it when I did. It would suck to crash out of a World Championship race. Can you imagine that...
Several parts of the bike course are very steep. VERY steep. Thus many riders were forced to dismount to get over the rise. I had to do this 5 or 6 times and the sand in my shoes started to grind at my heels and the bottom of my left foot. Quit your whining and ride.
Climb, descend, climb, descend, suffer, suffer, cramps... final decent to T2. Mercifully it was over in 2 hours 3 minutes. I did this course in 1:49 in 2005.
Boy, I can't wait to run.
The run sucked. Over an hour or climbing, descending and running on beautiful Maui beaches. The blister on my right foot is the worst I've ever had.
I finished and it was done. The worst race of my life hands down.
164th in the world isn't bad. I'll take it because I have to. 25th in my age group in a number that is hard to swallow but I will. At the end of the day there was one fact and one fact only. I started and finished the XTerra World Championships. In between I did my best. What my body gave me I had no choice at the time. I emptied the tank.
What happened? I wasn't ready. That's it. I took my ability for granted and didn't properly prepare. What am I doing to do about it? For one, I'm going to record all my training on this Blog for the world to see. Also I've hired a new coach. Her name? Charlene Copley. That's right, my wife, the one who knows me best is going to be my new coach.
As for my training... I am going to refuse to under prepared ever again. I am going to refuse to take my talents for granted again.
THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.
I finished 63th overall in the race in 2005. I was only my 2nd XTerra race and I thought 7th in my age group was OK but I could do better. Every single day for 4 years I visualized and dreamt about this race. I went back in 2006 and got a flat tire. I then didn't race for 2 years. This race was run 1000 times in my head. Today's ending was the one ending I never thought about.
The swim was different in 2009. Instead of being spread out on the entire beach the 550 top triathletes in the world were confined to a 250 foot box. It would be a 350 meter salt water mosh pit to get to the first buoy. I made it to the orange buoy and around the next one. Out of the water for the short beach run and onto the second 750meter lap.
My brand new foggy goggles were an omen for the rest of the day. I suffered hard on the second lap and the swim was mercifully over.
The run up the little hill to my bike was harder than it should have been.
My bike was in a very good position in the transition area. It was very close to the entrance. Cool! I can get on my bike quickly.... before I was able to get the sand off my feet. THAT problem I can still feel at this very moment.
Swim gear to bike gear and I was off for the 19 mile bike. 2500 feet of climbing. I wonder if my training prepared me for THAT?
After a short pavement section it was up the volcano. Seeing the sunrise from the Haleakala was magnificent. Riding a bike 2500 feet up... not so much. By the top of the first hill my fate was sealed. The rest of the day was about surviving and gutting it out. My race was done.
"That can't be good" was the though that went through my head as I descended the first hill and noticed my handlebars were pointing to the right at about two o'clock. My tire was still at noon.
My handlebars were loose. This isn't the safest thing in the world. It took me a few minutes but eventually I found a rider to lend me a tool and I tightened my bars back up. I'm glad I noticed it when I did. It would suck to crash out of a World Championship race. Can you imagine that...
Several parts of the bike course are very steep. VERY steep. Thus many riders were forced to dismount to get over the rise. I had to do this 5 or 6 times and the sand in my shoes started to grind at my heels and the bottom of my left foot. Quit your whining and ride.
Climb, descend, climb, descend, suffer, suffer, cramps... final decent to T2. Mercifully it was over in 2 hours 3 minutes. I did this course in 1:49 in 2005.
Boy, I can't wait to run.
The run sucked. Over an hour or climbing, descending and running on beautiful Maui beaches. The blister on my right foot is the worst I've ever had.
I finished and it was done. The worst race of my life hands down.
164th in the world isn't bad. I'll take it because I have to. 25th in my age group in a number that is hard to swallow but I will. At the end of the day there was one fact and one fact only. I started and finished the XTerra World Championships. In between I did my best. What my body gave me I had no choice at the time. I emptied the tank.
What happened? I wasn't ready. That's it. I took my ability for granted and didn't properly prepare. What am I doing to do about it? For one, I'm going to record all my training on this Blog for the world to see. Also I've hired a new coach. Her name? Charlene Copley. That's right, my wife, the one who knows me best is going to be my new coach.
As for my training... I am going to refuse to under prepared ever again. I am going to refuse to take my talents for granted again.
THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.
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