Training Week #1

Last week began my official training for 2013.  I was able to get in 5 meaningful runs all at 5-6 miles in length.  Did a combination of lower paced runs along with some tempo and speed work outs.  The hamstring is still pretty tight.  I also made it back into the pool.  Core and strength workouts were included in all but one session.  It feels good to get back into a routine, but the going is rather slow.

With only about 4 weeks till the Leadman in AZ, it's going to be an interesting day.  The swim won't be an issue, but the bike is going to be a grind.  I haven't been on the bike since IM AZ in November.  I hope to get back on it this up coming weekend.  In the interim I hope to get in a few spin classes.  I'm thinking that the Leadman has a 70M bike which should usually take about 3.5 hours, but in my shitty condition it'll probably take me 4 hours of grinding.

I'm anxious to get back into race shape....just gotta stick to the plans.

Back out to LA this week.  I'm going to try and get in a couple of trail runs up near Big Bear.  Some altitude and hill training will certain get me up the learning curve quickly.  Both work and home have been moving at a crazy crazy pace as of late...and trying to just keep the balance.

Signing off from 30,000 feet...Cheers!

Back at it.....

It's official.  IM training has officially begun.  Three miles on the treadmill, core work out, strength training with calfs and triceps, finishing with a 2,200 meter swim.  Getting up early tomorrow to hit the gym and start to log the miles in.  My hamstring injury has really hamstrung me for the last 5 weeks.  There is still a knot in my right hamstring that needs to get worked regularly.

My weight is about 184lbs or 4-5lbs over my average, primarily due to my work out routine and office demands that have been pretty intense as of late.  The next race on the docket is the Leadman in Tempe, AZ.  It's a 1.5M swim, 70 mile bike and a 7 mile run.  It's a distance that you can actually race pretty hard for the entire time.  The format of the course benefits a strong swimmer as much time can be gained in the water.  I'm going to take this race easy and use it as a base training building day.  The first real hard race of the season will be the Summer Death Race that I'm still contemplating.  It's a real "beat down" of a race so still on the fence.

I didn't appreciate the conditioning that I had till I've had to take it easy for the last 5 weeks.  Gotta build it back....one early morning and long weekend at a time.  There is no substitute for training....Cheers...PT

Everyday I'm Shufflin.....

I managed to get in a few runs this past week, but nothing of any significance.  My right hamstring is really giving me issues.  It's a tear on the bottom outer right side of the hamstring.  It's "balls" up sometimes when I'm working out, like a cramp.  Gotta take it slow still, although I'm not wired that way.  TheYukon Arctic Ultra finished up yesterday.  Quite a few competitors finished the 430 mike trek, but just 2 finished the 300 mile race.

4 miles in 39 minutes....a slow pace but got in more miles
today than 99.9% of the obese people in America today...
and that's with a bad hamstring.........felt good!   

With about 60 days to go till the Leadman in Tempe I've definitely got my work cut out for me.  I'm thinking that I'll make that a recovery, training triathlon.  Need to take it slow and easy as I have a several large races this year.  I'm trying to fit in a 100 mile trail run in the UK in May but not sure at this juncture.  I'm working out in LA for the foreseeable future and close to the San Bernadino mt range so the plan is to begin hitting those trails.

It's going to be a tough time getting back into race shape with this injury.  Everyday I'm looking for baby steps and baby gains.  I'll get there, just need to simply persevere.

Thinking about the Summer Death Race.....hmmm...funny how time erases the pain.

Cheers..PT

One mile at a time....

It's been almost 4 weeks since I injured my left hamstring. Other than a few swims and some rehab exercises I've been pretty limited in my work out routine. To add, I've been working consistent 15 hour days for the past 3 weeks on a new gig in LA.

This morning I got in my first run, a whopping 2 miles on the treadmill. Stretching and getting more flexible is at the top of my agenda in addition to slowly building back my miles at slow speeds over the next 4 weeks. With a little over 2 months till the first race of the year I'm going to have my work cut out for me. Focus and a disciplined plan will carry the day.

It's good to be back running.....

Cheers!

YAU Good Luck 2013 Racers

At 10:30AM PST the Yukon Arctic Ultra race begins from Whitehorse, Yukon Canada.  There are about 75 competitors that will be racing across various distances, 26.2, 100, 320 and 430 miles.  While I trained very hard for this race, invested about $3,500 in new gear, bought plane tickets, etc. I will be on the sidelines with a bum hamstring.  Three weeks ago yesterday I tore my lower right outside hamstring playing in a game of basketball after a long run at the gym.  A very stupid move.  As a result I've been slowly rehabbing the hamstring, making it only occasionally to the gym for strength training, core, swimming and stretching.

The Winter Death Race in Pittsfield, VT is also going on this weekend.  About 60 racers, or so, all started on Friday and as of 5AM CST today there are still 7 competitors left in the race. That race is a total "beat down" session.  I've been getting updates via Facebook and watching them suffer in the cold water, doing those damn burpees, puzzles, hauling shit, chopping wood and running the mountain over and over and over again.   Before the start of the race, time had washed away the post race sentiments that I had after completing the race last year.  Needless to say, they weren't good, however time has a funny way of replacing those memories with nostalgic feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction.  It's the latter feelings that are a emotional trojan horse that lures you back into wanting to do the race again.  As I sit here in the early morning hours, drinking my coffee, in front of a nice fire I can honestly say...I am so happy that I didn't do that race.  It has tired me out just watching the updates over the last 2 days.  The competitors that attempt that race and actually finish are tough tough tough cats.  They were just told that they had to complete a "final" 3 laps up and around the mountain in under a certain amount of time.  What the athletes have going in their favor right now is the clock.  The sun has just risen and the energy that it provides is hard to explain.  For the remaining competitors this is a plus.  There is something about light that provides hope....and the opposite for darkness.  With any luck Andy Weinberg will tire as well and end the race.  These 7 people are tough and deserve the elusive skull.   My WDR skull sits in my office as a reminder that perseverance is the so simple difference between success and failure.

For the next 12 days I'll be watching the YAU competitors slowly make their way across the icy cold tundra of the Yukon territory.  Each one has a "SPOT" device that tracks them and their progress.  I am supremely bummed out that I am not up there competing in the race.  I've got some work to do with my hamstring and sciatic nerve on my right leg/hip.  The Preamble to the YAU is the 1,000 mile Yukon Ultra Sled Dog Race that started yesterday from Whitehorse.  Now I must say that I really have no desire to race with sled dogs across the Arctic.   I'm wishing all of the competitors the very best!!

In 65 days I am racing against Timmy at the Leadman in Phoenix, AZ on April 14,15 2013.  It will be hard to get my hamstring totally rehabbed by then, but I need to push to get back to racing condition.   It is going to require a lot of work and I'm thinking that I take it slow and use my first couple of races to build a solid base as I approach IM Lake Placid and maybe the Summer Death Race...maybe.

Lot's of training ahead.....Cheers!

3 Weeks Out from YAU

Last Sunday I managed to get in another 4 hour hike with my wretched tire. I felt pretty strong, averaging about 3.7MPH. It was a chilly day, but sunny. There were quite a few people out on the roads and paved trails to give me funny looks. Listening to my tunes and going through the race in my mind throughout the work out passes the time. I've tried to play through in my mind the race beginning, various stages, my equipment, clothing, etc. Having no experience per se at distances beyond 100 miles or longer than 2.5 days is going to make this race interesting as well as a learning a learning experience.

I got out to Denver this week on biz and did a nice night run up in the Rockies at White Ranch.  It was great to be back out onto the trails, but reminded me just how tough it is to run at altitude.  I managed to take a couple of days off from running and made it back to the gym this morning.  Got in 10 miles on the treadmill and stair stepper.  Afterwords I went into the basketball courts for a pick up game of hoops, against my better judgement.  I proceeded to pull/tear my right hamstring not a major tear, but already black and blue....not too swift.  So as you can imagine I am absolutely paranoid about getting recovered in the next few weeks.  This will mean limited training, which may actually be just fine and allow me to heal everything up in advance of this damn race.  Doing a 300 mile race after jacking up my hamstring is certainly not in the play book.  Frustrated to say the least at my stupidity.

Switching topics...... I am going to have to focus on packing light with only the bare (not bear!) necessities. My plan is to keep only the mandatory gear on board my sled and have "back ups/extras/nicetohaves) in all 3 of my drop bags. The drop bags will be positioned at approximately mile 90, 180 and 250. I believe that being light will be the key to mitigating unnecessary fatigue when pulling the sled and core to my strategy. Psychologically it will be important for me to "feel" and "think" light.

I still have a few items left to purchase for the trek to the Arctic.  Plan on doing this tomorrow at REI.  I ordered my NEO Overboots yesterday and excited to be getting those this next week.   I am going to have to start organizing all of my gear and assemble my race strategy.   Survival is at the top of the list and finishing is somewhere in between.  Right now I'd give my chances of finishing somewhere between "no way" and "no way in hell!".

It's time to go ice my hamstring....fun times!

Cheers!

Everyday I'm Shufflin...Shufflin

Last week was a decent training week.  Logged a few miles with my tire and on the treadmill/stair climber.  Admittedly dragging that damn tire takes a toll on the gluteus and hip flexors.  My pack weighs about 10 lbs and the tire is 30 lbs.  Pulling it across the dry pavement makes it feel a bit heavier that 30 lbs.  My concern is that if pulling the sled is anything like that tire, I'm thinking that I'm going to have a pretty tough slog and finishing 300 miles will not happen.

The good news is that I will not be carrying a 10 lb pack and the sled being pulled across ice/snow should be appreciably easier than that damn tire.  I've been mixing up my training between running and hiking.  Today I'll most likely get in a 15 mile tire pull hike.  I'd like to think that 15 miles of that tire is equivalent to 25+ miles with a sled.  Race strategy has yet to be determined, but having 8 days to complete this race will play a major role in the development of it.   This race is going to come down to one's ability to bounce back after each stop/rest period.  Stretching, recovery, knowing when to push and when to pull back is going to be the determining factor.

Gear update....I'm waiting on 1 critical item and that is my Northern Outfitters Arctic Parka Liner, rated to -60F.  I spoke to the customer service department this past week and the liner was backordered but expected to be delivered before January 30, 2013.  Unfortunately most of the gear that I've purchased I will not be able to test before arriving in Whitehorse due to the warm climate here in middle TN.  The most important piece of my gear is my Goretex trail running shoes by Brooks.  I've logged well over 100 miles on them with 2 sets of wool socks, along with my under armor top and bottom.  I've also logged miles with foot heat warmers as well to see how they handle in my sneakers, making certain that I do not develop blisters..which so far I have not.  I really believe that as long as I manage my perspiration levels while on the course that my gear is going to do its job.  A have a few pieces of gear yet to purchase which include my bivvy, sleeping pad, sitting pad, stove and cooking pot.  I haven't decided if I'm going to purchase a GPS device yet.  I've researched satellite phones and it looks like that I can rent a few of them in Whitehorse on Friday 2/1.  Overall in pretty good shape.

At 4 weeks out from today, I've got 1 week left of any meaningful training and then going to go into the recovery mode and focus on core and light strength training.  I need to go into this race extremely well rested as 300 miles is a long haul and will require fresh legs, core and mind.

Got a date with my tire.....cheers!