Who runs faster the gazelle or the lion?

This is the start of a new week - which marks the end of last week. A summary of my workouts were as follows:

2 swims - 2000M - nothing to write home about but got in the water and swam hard

7 Runs - 21.5 Miles - still building my base and stretching the achilles, while building calves

3 Bike - 2/45 Minute spin classes and 1 on the trainer on the felt B2 Pro - base building - low miles

It was a good base building week. The tendency is to push it harder, but I'm not there yet and need another week like this but should add 4-5 more miles of running, 2 more swims and 2 more spin classes. A couple of weeks of that and I can start adding more miles. The goal is to really focus on my running, while maintaining my bike and swim. I simply need to be respectable on the bike and smoke the run....

Tomorrow is February 1st and 110 days or so till IMLAZ. So for the next 28 days I'm just focused on a solid base - not a ton of miles but quality workouts. I'm executing well to plan right now, despite a busy busy work schedule. Discipline is everything early on - as you can't make up lost time. I'm in Denver all week and have not reason not to nail my schedule.

Very motivated right now...............Ran 6 miles today and got in a great core workout along with 1,500 yards in the pool - a great start to the week!

The Road Remains Long...........

Just when you thought winter was behind us - then comes along a winter storm to hit nashville. A bunch of snow with sleet and freezing rain to add to the mess. I spent most of the day in the office getting out a very important customer proposal. When I left I was planning on a 6-7 mile run at Prairie Life - so much for the plan - as they closed at 2PM - piss me off!!! I scrambled and called the MF YMCA and they were open till 4PM so I had about 35 minutes on the treadmill. I managed to get in about 3.25 miles at about a 8:30/mile pace. When I got home I set up my Felt B2 Pro on the trainer upstairs and peddled away for a good solid 45-50 minutes - working up a pretty good sweat. I stretched my calves and achilles.

Carla made a great spaghetti & meatball dinner. A Saturday tradition with the family. Of course I over ate and then had 3 chocolate chip cookies for dessert - I'm like a dog once I start I can't stop till I get sick. I'm hoping for a break in the wether tomorrow so I can get in a swim, bike and run along with core and base. Gotta start the week off right!

I didn't quite achieve all of my goals for the week - but overall it was a good base training week. My weight has stabilized at about 178lbs - would like this to be my high end weight and keep it around 172 in the morning and 175lbs at night. I've cut out most caffeine and all alcohol while I train for IMLA.

Still plenty of training left - Im getting my discipline back on all fronts and it feels good!

The beat goes on........

Back in Nash Vegas

Well made it back to Nashville on the usual 2:23PM MDT Frontier flight. Arrived to the first storm of the season, and hopefully the last as well.

Yesterday, I managed to get in a good spin class at 24 hour fitness and a 1.5 mile run before hand. I finished the day with a 4.5 mile run in the evening at 24 HR fitness. So total mileage was about 6 miles for the day. I popped a couple of Advil before going to bed - stretched the achilles really good as well. Overall feel pretty good - just need to be diligent about stretching the achilles and building a solid base with the calves.

I've taken today off from training and will resume tomorrow - hopefully the gym is open - if not I'm going to have to run outside in the snow and bike inside on the trainer at the house. Hopefully by Sunday the gym will be back open and I'll be able to get in a swim and have a good core work out.

I spoke with Steve Taylor yesterday regarding my training and event for the year and he's thinking that I'm a little crazy. He did offer some good advice and the opportunity to do some weekend long trail runs. His approach is to train to become a "run specialist" so that I can nail the run in Lanzarote and be prepared for the Leadville 100 Trail Run. The concern is can the body handle all three sports and have the energy to train as hard as I';m going to need to for the LT 100. It's a concern that I share as well and I need to get my mind around it. With the proper focus I think that I can handle all three - but with a concentration on the run.

Another Busy Week

The week started with a trip on Monday morning to Atlanta to visit an HIG company and then a flight out to NYC later that afternoon for a meeting with a target acquisition on Tuesday. On Monday morning I got up at the crack of dawn to work out at Prairie Life as I manages to get in 3.5 miles on the treadmill at a 9 mile pace - nothing too crazy. Worked out core and some simple weights - along with calf raises. On Tuesday am Jim and I made it to a local gym in NYC at 5AM - which was an interesting old school type gym - expected to see Rocky Balboa walk into the gym. I managed to get in 45 minutes on the bike and 1.5 miles on treadmill.

On Tuesday afternoon, took the train from NYC to Philly for a meeting with another HIG company. Grabbed dinner with Dean Edwards and then on Wednesday evening made it back to Denver. Got in a work out this evening - about 4.25 miles on the treadmill at a 8:40 mile pace. Got in a good core work out as well, calf raises and tris and lats. Pretty beat - it's 11:30PM and I've gotta get up early to get in a spin class at 6:00AM but need to get in 2-3 miles on the treadmill before then.

Need to get to the gym to relieve work stress - things are a little crazy right now - but expect to have it settled down in the next 30-45 days. We'll see.......

Checking out for now - tracking to plan so far this week.

Swim & Run Day

Jack had his 1:15Pm swim practice today with Dee and is progressing. I'm very happy that he is enjoying swimming. Me on the other hand - the swim is not my friend although I'm making progress on my 100M times. Today we got in about 2,000 meters and I felt pretty good - even though it pushed me hard. Averaged about 2 minutes per 100M - which is good for me. I'd love to be able to work this down to 1:45 come race day in New Orleans & Lanzarote. Gotta keep getting in the pool and working it hard. No shoulder problems yet.........hopefully I can maintain training schedule and stay injury free for the swim.

Prior to jumping in the pool - I managed to get in 3.25 miles on the treadmill and felt pretty good. At a 9:00/Mile pace - I would expect to - however I'm very nervous about straining my right high achilles - I'm stretching it several times a day along with my left achilles. My goal is to get up to 25 miles per week - over the next couple of weeks. I'll probably focus on shorter runs but more frequently - like 3 miles 2X per day to get in the miles I need. This should take some strain off of the achilles while still getting in the miles. By the end of February I'd like to be up to 35 miles per week - going to listen to my body right now and not push too hard. More focused on endurance than speed right now. There is plenty of time once I have my base built for interval training. By spring time I'll be racing 5K & 10k's which will do wonders for my speed. Till then, I need to get in my miles, keep my heart rate in the low 130's and be disciplined with my swim, bike and running.

In the morning I'm off to Atlanta, then NYC by nightfall and then to Philly on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, I'll make my way back to Denver for the remainder of the week. I have all of my gear to train with on the road - just need to find a 24HR FITNESS or YMCA.

Oh the joy of travel.

17 Weeks till IMLZ and 29 weeks till Leadville 100

Time is still on my side, but not by much....... I'm officially 17 weeks out from IM Lanzarote and 29 weeks out from The Leadville 100 Trail Run. This means that I really need to get down to business and have my training schedule dialed in, along with my nutrition schedule.

I'm currently at 178 pounds and will probably drop down to 173-175 with my training schedule. I'm going to adhere to a pretty good diet, carbs in the am and protein at night. I've got all of my supplement supplies - in Denver and Nashville. Sleep will be a priority as well as trying not to become race ready in 30 days. It's a slow and methodical process, with discipline. Having never run more than 28 miles continuously I'm very curious to see how the body responds - mentally I'm there - but ask me again when I'm at mile 50, 75 & 85.

More to follow - headed out to Jack's game and then for a bike ride.................

Well Jack won his basketball game this afternoon by 1 point. I met up with Stinson and Waller for a 35 mile ride. The weather was mild for January at about 55F, but extremely windy. We battled against 20MPH head winds all of the way out past Arrington Vineyards before turning around and enjoying a nice tail wind.

This was actually the farthest that I've ridden on the new Felt B2 Pro. Had to tighten up the seat and make a few tweaks, but overall it's a great ride. I was in aero position for the entire ride along with my aero helmut. Waller and Stinson decided to ride their road bikes and paid for it as they sat up like a sail in their saddles as the wind just punished them. After riding inside for the past month or so it was nice to get back outside on the road - noticing different muscle groups being worked.

I've got swimming, core and weights to hit tomorrow along with a nice easy 2-3 mile run. Still nursing my right high achilles strain before putting on more mileage. I've got a healthy dose of respect for the LT 100 in August and it's weighing heavily on my mind. I've got a ton of training miles to log before then. For now ....... signing off - good night.

Achilles

Well, my stupidity rules once again. Last weekend, while in Aspen Colorado, I decided to go for a run at altitude - running from 8,200 ft up to 12,200 feet over 1.75 miles. For those who run often can quickly calculate that the degree of incline was 8%-12% grade. Because I have been nursing a low left heel achilles strain I unconsciously favored my left leg and put a tremendous amount of strain on my right leg - and right calf/achilles. So what does this mean - a high achilles strain. Fortunately I have had this issue in the past with my right high achilles so I know exactly what to and not to do. I took it pretty easy day 1 and day 2 with some light stretches and just a light swim - no running or cycling. On day 4 post injury I swam 1,000 meters (which felt good) and biked on the trainer for 45 minutes in the aero position. I stretched post work out and feel pretty good.

My weight is around 180 pounds and I'm determined to get down to a consistent 175 pounds - which is the weight that I'd like to train at - less weight - less force on the body (Achilles). I will continue to aggressively build my calf muscles with weight training 4-5 days per week. In addition, I will continue to work out my core as I feel it paying dividends during my swim via tighter form.

Been on the road for about two weeks now and looking forward to getting home and seeing Jack swim and play hoops this weekend. Also, miss the girls and little weenie dogs. Trying to stay very organized so I can keep some balance in my life - which is the big challenge for anyone training seriously.

This weekend will get in a 50 mile bike ride outside in Nashville. The weather is suppose to be 60F and a long swim on Sunday afternoon. This Saturday, January 23, will be exactly 4 months out from Lanzarote :). It's time to get serious.

Mid January Update

Working on base training. Not spending a ton of time in the pool, but on the bike instead with limited training (2-3 miles per day) on the treadmill. Getting in a couple of short swims and one long swim per week with the triathlon team in Brentwood.

After reviewing the average bike times for Lanzarote, not even the Pros finished in under 5 hours!! This is a problem, but an opportunity as my focus has been on the bike. The 3 state 3 mountain race will also be a big time help in training for the climbs in Lanzarote. Bottom line, when we see the climbs we'll all be prepared (Will, Kathy and I).

Overall, feeling pretty good right now, thinking I'm much smarter about the approach to this race than in the past - as there simply is no substitute for experience. Will is going to understand this 13+ hours into IM Lanzarote.........rookie.

The Villa in Lanzarote has been rented - first class - as well as the airfare. Way out in front on this IM - getting prepared.

Much much more to follow..........