44 miles this week

I ran 18 miles today for a total of 44 for the week.  44 miles in one week is the most I've ever run.  Woohoo!!!  Steph did 8.  As a family we did 61 miles this week.  We rock!!!!

The run went well.  Perhaps the most impressive thing I've seen all year happened about a mile and a half into it.

I saw a bald eagle in flight.  I physically let out a gasp and covered my mouth with my hand.  I know, I'm a girl.  But, it was the coolest damn thing.  I've never seen a bald eagle in the wild.  Man, it was impressive.

I'm always amazed at the new experiences I encounter as I train.  Count this one as a top 5.

This week I did 5-8-5-8-18.  Next week is the same, 5-8-5-8-18.  My training is all focused on running from now until the marathon.  I will probably swim a time or two each week, but nothing too tough.  After the marathon (and the half in Richmond), I intend to be back in the gym to do some more lifting.  I am very happy with how much it helped this racing season.

PS.  No offense to Notre Dame fans, but Lou Holtz has to be the dumbest man alive.

Woot!


_________________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Finally, I've settled on a theme :)

So after much deliberation, I've settled on this theme for my blog. Look around, absorb the goodness :)

Tomorrow is 18 miles and then WVU vs. Villanova.

Go Mountaineers!!!!___________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Run, run, run

So in the last two weeks, my computer has blown up and I lost a lot of formatting for this blog. Ugh!!!

I'm still trying to figure out a good theme. So, apologies up front if every time you visit, it's a different look. Sorry :)

In terms of running, I've done 5-8-5 so far this week. I have 5 to do on Friday and then 18 to do on Saturday. I'm really excited about Saturday for a couple of reasons:

1) I get to run 18 miles. 18 and 20 mile runs are the best!!!
2) The first football game of the season.

The Mountaineers take on Villanova. Let's Goooo Mountaineers!!!!!

Woohoo!!


To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

OK, how does this theme look?

Yesterday, I was screwing around with the theme of my blog and I ended up losing all my formatting. I've been messing around with new themes and I kind of like this one, but I may end up chaging it again.

Stay tuned :)

__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

My blog is all screwed up...bear with me

__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Two years....two long years.

__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

2008 Sprint, Splash, Spin Triathlon--Race Report

Woohoo!!!

Again, I had another fun race. What a phenomenal day. The weather was absolutely perfect. Sunny, blue skies. It was a little warm, but nothing too bad. The organizers of the race were also wonderful. There were 291 individual competitors with like 10-15 teams. As you can imagine, it was kind of like organized chaos, but the folks who put the race on, including my local tri club, did an excellent job.

So on to the report:

The Sprint, Splash, and Spin is a 330 yard swim, a 10.5 mile bike ride, and a 5K. It was at Marilla Park in Morgantown, WV. I originally thought the bike ride was 11 miles, but turns out it's only 10.5. The race started in heats and I was in the 11th heat. My start time was 8:50am.

Steph and I got to the park about 7:30am. We walked my bike and other gear to the registration desk and checked in. Once we checked in, we visited a race coordinator and she wrote my race number in magic marker on my arm and leg. I think the coolest thing about doing a triathlon is the 'marking process'. You really feel like you going out to do battle. It's the coolest thing!!! Here's what it looks like:

Once I was marked up, Steph walked me to the transition area and I set up all my gear. No spectators are allowed in the transition area so Steph had to wait while I got all that done. When I finished up, Steph and I then went to the pool to watch some of the earlier heats while we waited for my start time.

SWIM
At 8:30am, my heat was called to the pool. We got our time chips at that point and then we waited to hop in the pool. Around 8:48 we hopped in the pool and were able to warm up a tad. We were in the first lane, so we had a wall on one side and a lane marker on the other. We had to swim two people to a lane as we had to get 10 people through a heat at one time and we only had 5 lanes at the pool. This becomes important for a couple of reasons. First, my lanemate and I switched up which side of the lane we were on. He wanted the lane marker side, which I happily let him have. This confused our lane monitor (a young girl who was required to count our laps). Secondly, since I now had the wall side of the lane I was a little concerned of hitting the wall with my hand.

Anyway, at exactly 8:50am we started. As you know from my previous posts, swimming is a little new to me. But, I did wonderful in this swim!!!! I finished in 6:46 I think. The reason I think that is my finish time is that the timing chip didn't capture my swim time nor my T1 time (the transition from swim to bike is called T1). So I actually don't have the official timing for either thing. But, there is a picture of me coming out of the pool at 8:56:46. Since we started at 8:50am, that means I did it in 6:46. I'm very happy with that time.

BIKE
I hopped out of the pool, ran to the transition area, grabbed my gear, put on my shoes, and snagged my bike. I had a bit of trouble finding my stall in the transition area as I was a little out of it after the swim. I had a bit of vertigo and the adrenaline was pumping big time.

I ran pretty quickly down to the "mount line", hopped on my bike and took off. I quickly saw Steph (and heard her) and then I headed down the trail.

The bike portion was the least crowded. Not counting the competitors returning, I saw only 3 people, one of which I passed. I was passed twice (but wait until the run, I come back like Rocky!!!). On the bike portion, one of my friends came out to cheer me on and I saw her twice, going out and coming back. It was great because she was positioned at just the right spot to keep me pumped. Thanks Jamie!! It took me 37:33, for an average of 17.6 mph.

Once back to the park, I quickly entered the transition area and began T2 (bike to run transition). This transition took me 59 seconds. Much quicker than T1. I grabbed my hat, racked my bike, got a quick drink, and began the 5K.

RUN
The 5K was great!!!! Running is my thing, and I felt like showing it :) There's not much to mention about the course. It was an 'out and back' route with little scenery. It had a bit of an incline at the midpoint, but no other hills. Again, nothing special.

My legs were a little wobbly from the bike portion, but I got over that fast. About a mile in, I passed the first guy who passed me on the bike (take that sucker!!!). At the midpoint, I grabbed some water and threw a bit down my head and back as it was getting hot. I then picked up my pace. I decided I was going to have a negative split on the 5K. So I ran. Fast.

And here's comes the absolutely best part of the entire race for me:

I had my eye on the second guy who passed me on the bike portion (this guy was also in my swim heat). He was about a 1/4 mile in front of me on the run and I decided that I would pass him before the finish. So I turned it on. A little over a minute later, I was right on his heels. As I passed him, he made a comment that will stick with me for the rest of my life as a competitor. He said, "I was wondering when you were going to show up". Now, in case you are missing the world-changing meaning of those words, let me enlighten you. He knew that I was going to catch him. He, at some point in his race, knew that he was going to see me again. That means that he sized me up for a good athlete and thought I would beat him. He thought that he could pass me on the bike and hopefully get enough of a lead that I wouldn't catch him. But, as it turns out, I did.

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. Someone else adjusted their race because of me. And the adjustment came because he thought I was a good athlete. How freakin' cool is that?

I finished the 5K in 24:42 with a pace of 7:58.

So some things I learned:

1. Swimming in one lane with two people stinks.
2. I suffer vertigo right out of the pool.
3. I NEED a new bike. My time was 37 minutes, I could knock 7 minutes off of that time if I had a decent bike. My bike is great, but it's not a road bike. My entire uppoer body sits straight up on my bike and I get a ton of wind resistance. I NEED a new bike.
4. I need to take my water bottle with me on the bike portion. I didn't do this during this race and I paid for it later.
5. I need to take a 5-gallon bucket to hold my gear in for the transition area. I noticed a bunch of folks doing this. Some had milk crates. The idea is you can transport your gear with it, but also use it as a seat so you can put your shoes on, etc. without sitting on the ground like I did.

So, that's my first triathlon. I am soooooo addicted :)  I finished in 1:11:52.  I placed 125 out of 291.

Thanks to Steph for doing all the great support things that have to get done in order for me to do this. She took tons of pictures (some of which are on this post), got me to the race, cheered me on, and high-fived me at the end. My wife is the absolute best.

Thanks to Gary, Jamie, Lora, Dick, and their families, for coming down and cheering me on.

HTFU!
__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Sprint, Splash, and Spin here I come

This Saturday is the Sprint, Splash, and Spin Triathlon. It's a 330 yard swim, a 11 mile bike, and a 5K run. Should be pretty fun. I told them my estimated finish time will be 1:10. The way the race works is you start in heats. I am starting 112th out of 291 individual competitors. My start time is 8:50am.

I can't wait.

For those of you training for a marathon, I offer the below essay written by Dean Karnazes. If you've never run a marathon, but are thinking about it, this is what it's like.

HTFU!

THE MARATHON
The Marathon is not about running, it is about salvation. We spend so much of our lives doubting ourselves, thinking we’re not good enough, not strong enough, not made of the right stuff. The Marathon is an opportunity for redemption.

“Opportunity,” because the outcome is uncertain. “Opportunity,” because it is up to you, and only you, to make it happen. There is no luck involved in finishing a marathon, the ingredients required to tackle this formidable challenge are straightforward: commitment, sacrifice, grit, and raw determination. Plain and simple.

So you set about in your training to prepare your body for the rigors of running 26.2 miles. You train like crazy, dedicating yourself wholeheartedly to the challenge ahead, pouring everything you’ve got into it. But you know the Marathon will ask for more. In the dark recesses of your mind, a gloomy voice is saying, you can’t. You do your best to ignore this self-doubt, but the voice doesn’t go away.

The Marathon shakes you to the core. It deconstructs your very essence, stripping away all your protective barriers and exposing your inner soul. At a time when you are most vulnerable, the Marathon shows no pity. The Marathon tells you it will hurt you, that it will leave you demoralized and defeated in a lifeless heap on the roadside. The Marathon tells you that it can’t be done, not by you. “Ha!” it torments you, “In your dreams.”

You fight back, however, and stand courageously at that starting line, nervously awaiting the gun to go off. When it does, you put your head down and charge off into the abyss with the knowledge that you either paid your dues, or skimped along the way. There is no lying to yourself, the Marathon sees right through excuses, shortcuts and self-transgressions.

All goes well for the first half. But slowly, step by step, the pain mounts, while the intensity of the endeavor amplifies. You remain steadfast, knowing that you did not skimp, that you did not take shortcuts along the way, that every footstep was earned through months of diligent preparation. Still, with each wearing thrust forward, that little nagging inclination of self-doubt progressively advances toward the surface of your awareness.

Then, at mile twenty, the voice looms louder than ever. It hurts so bad you want to stop. You must stop. But you don’t stop. This time, you ignore the voice, you tune out the naysayers who tell you you’re not good enough, and you listen only to the passion in your heart. This burning desire tells you to keep moving forward. To continue putting one foot boldly in front of the other, and don’t stop. Courage comes in many forms, today you will have the courage to keep trying, to not give up, no matter how dire things become. And dire they do become. At the 26 mile mark, you can barley see the course any longer, your vision is faltering as you teeter on the edge of consciousness.

And then, suddenly before you, looms the finish line. Tears stream down your face as you cover those final few steps. Now you are finally able to answer back to that nagging, pervasive voice with a resounding: Oh yes I can!

You burst across that finish line and are liberated from the prison of self-doubt and limitations that have forever held you captive. You have learned more about yourself in the past 26.2 miles than you have known in a previous lifetime, now you are freed from the chains that bind. Even if you can’t move for a week, you have never been so free.

As you are being carried away from the finish line, wrapped in a flimsy mylar blanket, barely able to raise your head, you are at peace. That daunting adversary that, as a runner, has haunted you for an entire lifetime is now your liberator, your fondest ally. You have done what few will ever do—you have done what you thought you could never do—and it is the most glorious, unforgettable awakening ever. You are a Marathoner, and you will wear this distinction not on the lapel of your clothing, but in your heart, for the rest of your life.

__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

36 Miles this week

So I got 13 in on Saturday.  Steph did 8.  This week and next week are pretty much rest weeks.  I built in some extra weeks for my training in the event that I had to alter it up a bit.  Thank goodness I did as this weekend I do the Sprint, Splash, and Spin Triathlon.   It is going to be on Saturday at 6am.  If you are in Morgantown this weekend, you should come by.  It begins and ends at Marilla Park.  The run is only a 5K, so my long run this week, won't be much of a long run. 

And...shhhhh......but this is my first triathlon :)

More importantly, this race raises money for Habitat for Humanity.  Go Habitat!!!

In order to adjust to the tri, my running schedule will be 5-8-5-8-3 for a total of 29.  Then I'll be back on schedule for the following week (5-8-5-8-18).  After that, I can't alter my training much.  The 2008 Marine Corps Marathon is coming up pretty quick and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

I am soooooo ready for another marathon.  Last week, I ordered my first speed suit.  I hope to have it in time to test it and wear it for the tri.  Check it out here.  I intend to wear it at the mary this fall as well.

God, I love gear!!!

HTFU
__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Twitter

So if you haven't noticed, there is a new feature to my blog. I've added Twitter. It's right there at the top.

Twitter is a Web 2.0 utility that allows me to update this site from anywhere, including my cell phone. Moreover, you can follow me. Which means that every time I update, you can be notified and read the update direct from anywhere, including your cell phone.

It also gives me an easy way to let you know about cool things I've found on the web or in the real world in real-time.

The only downside to me using this service is that you'll see some things on my feed that aren't related to this blog. That's because I'm using this same feed for another blog I've begun related to my professional interests. If you are intrigued, you can visit that blog here.

Whoa!!!! Welcome to the Interweb!!

__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Woohoo!!!

So I made it on our local NBC affiliate today in relation to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace fund. The reporter came out late yesterday afternoon and interviewed me. You can find the story here. The video is in the upper right hand corner.

What's more interesting is that she wanted to film me running so I had to throw my workout clothes back on after wearing them earlier that morning.

Uhm, and yeah they stunk.....I mean really stunk. I hope I didn't offend her. I ran 5 and then hopped in the pool for a swim so it was a mixture of body funk and chlorine.....blech!!! She was very nice and said she couldn't smell anything, but I'm sure she could :)

Anyway, in the story there is a picture of me from my pre-running days. So if you are interested to see what I used to look like, take a peek.

Today, I ran 5. Tomorrow is swimming (and probably a bike ride), then 8 on Friday.

HTFU!!

__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

tsk, tsk France....tsk, tsk

Woohoo!!!!! USA!!!! USA!!!!!

Man, I love the Olympics. This year so far has been great for sports watchers. We had a great US Open, Wimbledon, Tour de France, and now the Olympics. And, here in WV, the weather is such that I know college football is just around the bend. I can't wait.

Oh, have I mentioned how much I LOVE women's beach volleyball? Ahem....they are wonderful athletes.


So I ventured back into the pool today. Last week I did about 1000 yards and I did about the same today. After watching the great 4 X 100 Medley the other night, how could I not be in the pool this week? I mean, cmon.

I ran 5 before hopping the pool. Tomorrow, I'll do 5 again and then I'll be back in the pool on Thursday and possible Friday after I do 8. I also need to get a bike ride or two in there somewhere.

HTFU!!
__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Uhm...Oh yeah

__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

41 miles this week

I ran the most this week than I ever have before: 41 miles. The most I ran in preparation last year for the Richmond Marathon was 37 miles.

Today I did 17. I haven't run 17 miles since last year's training. And, I have to say, the 17 today was no where near as bad as I remember it. In fact, I feel pretty good. On top of that, I ran 8 miles yesterday. So over the past two days I've run 25 miles. How cool is that?

Steph did 6 today as well. She is at her sister's place, so she ran around Cincy. So, as a family, we did 23 miles today :)

After my run, I plopped down in front of the TV and watched the Olympics. Between events, I sat outside and enjoyed the wonderful weather today in North Central West Virginia. We had a high about 75 degrees with nothing but clear blue skies. My run this morning was great!!! Nice and cool.

Oh, I checked around with some TRI friends of mine and apparently there are only like 100 Modern Pentathletes in the country. And, you kind of have to have a horse, and a gun, and a sword, etc. So, they suggested I check out a Summer Biathlon instead.

A Summer Biathlon is running followed by shooting followed by running and then shooting again and then a little more running. The number of targets you miss determines how much you run :)

There is a club just north of here in Pennsylvania that held an event today. Since I was running, I couldn't go. But, I can say that next summer a biathlon is on my plate :) The PA club even provides a beginner's seminar and a gun for the event.

If you're interested in doing one these, let me know. I'd love to do one with you.

Next week is 5-5-5-8-13 for a total of 36. I'm also going to get some more swimming and cycling in for the tri in two weeks.

HTFU!

__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Modern Pentathlon here I come

Have you guys seen this?

I was just checking out the Olympic schedule and ran across the Modern Pentathlon. Ok, so where do I sign up...this is like James Bond training.

If you don't know what the Modern Pentathlon is, here you go:

1. Shooting: Air pistol (20 shots)
2. Fencing: Epee (35 bouts)
3. Swimming: 200m freestyle
4. Equestrian: Show jumping (15 jumps)
5. Running: 3000m (1.82 miles) cross-country

All in a single day.

What? How have I not heard of this?
__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

Six Word Running Memoir (TIART Runner's Lounge)

Today's theme over at Runner's Lounge is to write a six word memoir that describes running for you. Here's my go:

Running is pain. Bring it on!!!

Heehee!!

I've been planning a post for a while now on pain, endurance, uncertainty, and truth. Yeah, I know, a little heady for me (but for those of you who don't know, I actually am taking a degree in philosophy as we speak).

Anyway, look next week for it.

I swam 1000yds today. Tomorrow is 8 running and then Sat. is 17. I have taken a break from both swimming and cycling as I wanted to let my body adjust to the increase in running mileage. And, since right now, my training is focused primarily on the Marine Corps Marathon this fall, I haven't been as diligent with my swimming and cycling. I have a Sprint Tri at the end of this month, and then its all running until October.

Once that race is over, my training will then focus on completing a Half IM next year (with a lot of shorter tris thrown in).

HTFU!

(HT to Little Miss Runner Pants)
__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

I'm tired

So, my legs are tired. I really noticed it this morning in my run. I ran 4 yesterday and 8 today. I felt like I was soooo dragging. My time was decent, but I felt really tired towards the end.

I think some of the fatigue is from the fact that I haven't eaten too well over the last couple of days. We had pizza last night and chinese food the night before. So, my intake has been pretty much garbage. From here on out, I'm back to eating right......have I mentioned that my wife makes the best pumpkin bread ever? She puts dark chocolate chips in it...mmmmmm.

This week is 4-8-4-8-17 for a total of 41 miles. I'll be batching it this weekend as Steph is at her sister's once more for a bachelorette party...uhg!!!

HTFU!


__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.

New Shoey Goodness

Tomorrow, after our long run, Steph and I will be headed to our local running store (which isn't so local) to get a new pair of shoes for me. It's hard to believe that I've already put 300 miles on my current set. This next pair will be the ones I run the marathon in this fall. I always like going to our shoe store as I tend to buy more stuff than just shoes. Sometimes, I pick up some new gear, sometimes new clothes...it's like Christmas!!

Actually, I think I'm actually more excited by the fact that I get to lace up my new shoes with my new Yankz!!

If you're not familiar with Yankz, they are the shiznit. I got them as I'm moving into triathlons and any time you can save during transitions is good. These things allow you to slip your shoes on and simply pull the elastic cord to tighten the laces up. Therefore you can reduce your T2 times when you transition from the bike to the run just by adding these things to your shoes.

Tomorrow, I do 11. Steph will 6 or 8. Next week is 4-8-4-8-17.



Inch by inch man....inch by inch.

HTFU!!!
__________________________________________________
To donate to the Carolyn E. Miller Steps for Solace Fund, please click here. I am raising $25 thousand to provide comfort and solace to cancer patients seeking treatment.