My journey to Ironman is now one step closer

So this Christmas was a special one for me.  Not only did I get my netbook from my mom, which I use constantly and am using to post this, but I got a Quintana Roo Tequilo TT bike from my in-laws.  It is the same bike that my father in-law used to complete his ironman.  It is an amazing bike, and I couldn't be happier with it.  I am so excited to begin training and racing using a TT bike.  Below is a picture of the bike, it is a stock photo, but the bike is in perfect condition.

Now I can begin training on this bike and get ready for my triathlon season and my Half Ironman in August.  They also gave me Dicks gift cards, so I used half of them for a bike trunk rack, so I can safely and easily carry my new "machine".  I will use the other half of the gift cards to get some more and updated livestrong gear.  I'm hoping they come out with some new shirts once the Tour De France get's closer next year.

Also, my month of fitness begins next month as well.  I am actually really excited to see what kind of results come from this.  I'm hoping to drop a good amount of body fat and build a great cardio base for the season.

I'll check in next week to let everyone know how it's going.  I hope you made your commitment and look forward to hearing about everyone else's experience.

My Month of Fitness Committment

Recently, a friend of mine wrote about this month of fitness challenge.  He was talking to a frequent Ironman participant who does this once a year, and for a whole month, he gives up some of his vices and trains like a crazy person (my definition).  Basically, you give up everything you enjoy for your health and fitness. 

We have decided to do our month of fitness in January, first month of the year, and right after the holidays where we all cheat a bit.  So my committment is as follows:

• I am going to give up soda pop and "junk food".  What I mean by junk food is chips, snacks, candy, etc.
• I am setting my fitness goal as 16 hours per week in the gym, including weights.  To be more specific, I'd like to get 2500 yards of swimming a week, 70 miles of cycling a week, and 20 miles of running a week.  I realize this may require 2 a days, which shouldn't be too bad with my bike trainer and a treadmill in the garage.

So, I challenge you to a month of fitness.  Pick a month and give up what you like, and enjoy a nice sufferfest of fitness.  Try to create a goal that would be difficult to reach to challenge yourself to the limit.

First full week of Triathlon Base Training

So last week was my first full week of triathlon base training.  This included obviously swimming, cycling, running, and a lot of weights.  All I can say is that I am ready to do this!  At first I was very skeptical of swimming, just because of how little training I have. 

Needless to say, swimming is much harder than I thought it was going to be.  Swimming is very cardio and strength centric.  At one time, you are breathing so hard, you just want to catch your breathe, and at the same time, you're just sore from pulling yourself through the water.  At this point, I'm so bad at it that I just want to continue to work on it and get better.  I thank Nick for forcing me to swim that first time, because now that's all I want to do, so I can get better.  Needless to say, the cycling, mostly spinning and the treadmill runs were basic, just keeping fitness up.  But swimming, is a whole new realm.  I can't wait to be better at it.

I also did a lot of spinning and weights.  Did some treadmill stuff, but not as much as I would have liked.  I am going to pick up the running some more this week.  Spinning and weights were a big focus last week.  Probably put close to 50 miles on the spin bike, and about 10 miles on the treadmill.  Weights was also a big focus last week.  I was definitely sore all week, and still sore this week.  It's always a good sore though, when you lift weights.  You know you are sore because you are getting stronger.  Most of my weight lifting has been for endurance (low weight, high reps), which will help with my new sport of choice.

So the journey begins.  I have a Half Ironman in 9 months, and many other short distance triathlons before then.  I feel that this winter base training is going to help me immensely.  I hope to have a healthy and exciting triathlon season and hope the same for you during your endeavors.

Invigorator Compression Sock Review

I was at first very skeptical of compression socks. They always looked "goofy" and just never saw the appeal. Well, that changed quickly. I got a pair of invigorators last Monday, and chose to wear them on my flight to Chicago last Tuesday. Needless to say, it was a quick turn around. All I can say is WOW, they worked great. Especially during the flight and after wards. Legs never felt so good after a plane ride. The next test was after my 5k on thanksgiving.

I ran the turkey trot on thanksgiving, as you can see from my previous post. My calves were extremely tight after the race and I began to stretch as normal. When we got home, I showered and immediately put my compression socks on. This was the true test, and they passed with flying colors. My calves had never felt better the night of a race as they did that night. It was almost as if I had not run my 5K on that morning.

If I were asked if compression socks work, not only would I say yes, but I would tell you to immediately get a pair of invigorators and try them for your self. I will continue to wear mine after my long runs and after most of my other runs, as well as after all my races. Because THEY WORK!

Frozen Turkey 5K

It was a cold and wet morning in Buffalo Grove on Thanksgiving. The temperature when we woke up was 38, and approached up to 40 at race start. It was also raining that morning, the type of rain that doesn't come down hard, but gets you plenty wet. The race started at 8, but we needed to arrive at 7:30 to pick up our packets. We got our packets and went back to the car to stay warm and dry. As we were sitting in the car, my mom said “wouldn't it be nice if the rain stopped for the race?” We all gave her the yeah right look, and I started to get my shoes on. As we were getting out of the car, we saw Barry and Paul so walked to the start with them. As soon as we got to the start line, the rain had stopped. Yes, it was a fantastic morning for a race. 40 degrees, overcast and no more rain. The roads were wet which wasn't much fun if you stepped in a puddle, but I managed to keep my feet dry anyway.



This was the first year of the race, so it was not the best race I have ever been to, but it was a lot of fun. The race started with a 1... 2.... 3.... GO! I started with the front group for the first half mile, until I looked at my watch and realized I was running a 5:15/mile. I started to back off into my pace, and lost a few places because of it. There was a nice little hill around mile 1.5, which I gained a few places back, and then hit the water stop. Just needed to wet my mouth really.

Coming around mile 2, I passed another guy who obviously started out way too fast, and started to decline quickly. As I passed him, he started to try to keep up with me, and was huffing and puffing even more. I kicked it up a notch, and lost him pretty quick.

Turning the corner for mile 3 was great. I looked at my watch to see I was at 19:00 even, and knew I could make my 19:30 goal. I saw the mile 3 sign and turned on all boosters. As I approached the finish line, I heard the slapping of feet behind, so I knew someone was trying to pass me. I thought to myself, no freakin' way!, and took off. We managed to tie, and I managed to finish at 19:36, which was a 6:19 average pace, also putting me in 19^th place out of 300. I was very happy with my time, and felt great for my last race of the year. I ran this race with my brother, who finished in 23:42, and was his second 5K ever. I am very proud of how far he has come in a very short time and have no doubt he could very well be faster than me one day.

One other note, I did have a mild injury after the race. My left knee was sore on Thursday and began to swell throughout the day. I awoke Friday morning, with a full on swollen knee, and took some ibuprofen. The swelling went down and it is feeling much better today as well.

Overall, I had a great season, finished in the top a lot, as well as the middle. PR'd all distances this year, and plan to do the same next year. Next year is also the year of the triathlon, and I am very excited about my Half-Ironman in August.

Happy Runs!

Quick Catchup

Hey Guys,

So it's been almost 6 months since my last blog and A LOT has gone on since then. Briefly, I've been raising a beautiful baby girl and running/cycling and racing. It's been busy.

To start, Steph and I have a beautiful baby girl who we both love more than each other. :-) It has been an amazing experience to be a "daddy" and to see her smile when I come home for the day.

I've also been running and cycling a lot. My biggest race was the Chicago Marathon, which I PR'd at 3:51:42. It was an incredible race and an unforgettable experience.

I have been doing a lot of training since and before the race, starting to slightly prepare for my triathlon season next year. My main race next year is my Half Ironman in August. I will be swimming more come the new year. I'm now trying to build up strength and endurance doing a lot of weights mixed into my training.

That's all for now. I'm going to try to stay more up to date with the blog as my training progresses, so stay tuned for more frequent updates.

Motor Tabs Evangelist!!

I am now an official evangelist for MotorTabs. For anyone that is not familiar with that, they are a company that produces tablets to drop into water for endurance athletes. (my speil) They taste great and work. I love them. I am also a fan of some other tablet drinks, but the others seem to have an aftertaste. Motor Tabs are great, and they taste like Kool-Aid.

You can view my profile on their website at http://motortabs.com/Endorsers/BrandEvangelists/tabid/84/Default.aspx

You will have to scroll down to the middle of the page to see me.

I'm also pacing my boss tomorrow at the Helvetia Half Marathon. He wants to break the 2 hour mark, so I'm gonna run with him and push him to his limit. :-) Just kidding, I'm there for moral support and to keep him motivated. It should be fun, and I'm really looking forward to helping someone reach their goal!

Look for a post race report this weekend.

I've been running

So after 2 weeks of no posts, the only thing I have to tell you is that I've been running. Actually, more than usual. I did 21 miles total over the weekend, and so far for the week, have 31 miles tacked on. I've also been doing a lot of weights, and have noticed a difference in my body. It seems, that according even to our bathroom scale, I somehow lost 10 pounds. Not sure if the scale is wrong, or if my previous weight was wrong, but hey, I'm not complaining too much. I've noticed that I am getting leaner and some of the body fat is coming off. I'm curious to see if my training and times are going to improve.

One other thing I have been working on a lot is my stretching. I'm trying to get myself in the habit to spend as much time stretching as I am running. (Not literally of course) I have been foam rolling as well as some basic static stretching as well. I'm hoping I will see an improvement in my training and times as well.

A couple runs I would like to note were my two runs last weekend. Saturday, I went out on Wildwood, which is a trail system of about 32 miles. I did 10 miles on it and it was great. Weather was in the 60's and overcast. Beautiful run. Kept it at an easy trail run pace, averaging around a 10 min mile. Felt great after the run. Sunday, I went running with Nick. He needed to do 11, and I figured that would be fun. So we met and did not really have a route planned, but just ran. It was great, I think it ended up being around 10.8 miles and we kept it around a 10 min pace as well. Feeling great after the long weekend. Only pain is in my calf, but that can be assumed with so much mileage. I'm hoping that this weekend helped in my training, and i'm sure that once I heal, it will be even better.

This weekend, I'm running a half with Nick, well, more pacing him during the race. His wife registered, but is now injured, so I'm going to take her place and pace Nick to his first sub 2 hour half marathon. I know I can get him there, it will just take some motivating. A 2 hour half marathong is a 9:15 pace, which on a hilly course, can be difficult. But we will mash the downs and the flats, and hopefuly without any injuries. (knock on wood) It should be fun though.

Well that's all I have to report this week. I'll try to get another post in about this weekends race. Enjoy the rest of your week!

A month of updates.....

So, I realize that it's been a month since my last post, and I apologize to all you readers (if anyone even reads this). Not much has happened to be honest. Still running and cycling.



Really, the only update is my 10K I ran a couple weeks ago. It was my best race yet, in my running career. Great weather, my mom was in town to cheer me on, and I finished 9th. It was incredible. I had a blast running it, but also feel like I could have been in better shape. I didn't get to my normal week before routine, because my mom was in town, but it was great. I could not be happier with my finish and time. With close to 500ft of climbing, I finished in 44:40, which is a personal best of mine. Can't help but think that with less hills, that could have been much faster. I also like this picture, I'm in the front and center of the group, and managed to line up to the kid who finished first, notice the difference:


Yeah, you can see why he won. It was still fun. And at the end, they had about a 150m chute to the finish, and me and another guy were tied going into it. I asked him what his 100m time was after 6 miles, and challenged him to a race. He accepted, and we took off at the cones. I won and managed to finish in the top 10.

That weekend was great. After the race we went downtown and took my mom to the coast. We picked up some crabs of course and feasted for dinner. The next day, we took a day trip up to seattle, and visited family and even celebrated a birthday. We also broke out the wiffle ball and Stephanie grabbed that bat and stepped up to the plate with her prego belly. Needless to say, she was amazing. She hit that ball like a pro, and i'm not being sarcastic. She may have done better than me. Here she is swinging like a major leaguer.

So that's all that's going on with me for now. Hopefully will have another 10K in a couple weeks and it should be a fast one. It will be flat and hopefully the weather will hold out.

Another Update.... to my countdowns

If you look at my countdowns again, you will notice that they have changed. I have, after long thought, pushed back my goals one year. I have made this choice because of everything that is happening this year. I am having a daughter in two months, and am trying to buy a home. Most of my determination and money, will be going into those. This is not a hard decision for me, because I have a great goal this year, the Chicago Marathon. But time and money are a constraint, and Steph and I have agreed to push the Ironman back one year. I will continue to train for the triathlon, and keep up as much as I can with the training. I will be cranking it out next year, and I know that I will have the support of my friends and family throughout this decision and the grueling regimen required to train for an Ironman.

Long Run #2/Long Ride #2

Saturday's long run this week was 10 miles, but mine ended up being about 10.3, not much different. My total elevation gain was just under 1000ft, which is an incredible training tool. I love the hills out here in Portland, not only am i faster up the hills, but also on the flats. Overall, it was a great run. Not very hot in the morning, but I believe the high hit about 82 during the day. We've been having great weather out here and it's been putting everyone in a great mood. Had a hammer gel around mile 5, or halfway. Trying to test out my nutrition during the run. Seeing what works best is better to do in my training, then during a race when it counts. It didn't upset my stomach at all, but I'm interested to see how it works when I take 3 or 4 of them. My 20 miler will be the true test.

Sunday was another gorgeous day. I went out for a bike ride with my boss, Nick. He took me out on his side of town, and put me to shame! We went out for about 33 miles and over 1000 feet of climbing. I felt slow and out of shape. It was always me just trying to keep up, forget about pushing the pace. I was just struggling to keep up. The weather was great though. I think when we went out at 2, it was about 80. I got a nice sunburn too:


My legs were burnt as well. Not as bad, but you can see my fabulous farmers tan now. At least I don't look like a complete ghost now, and I got a little color.

It was a great weekend and I was feeling it Monday morning. It's been since last season that I have put myself through that much in a weekend, and my body was not used to it. I love that feeling though, because you know the next time, it will be slightly easier.

Tuesday was a team run with H2C, although it was also the chili cook off at work, so it was only Tim and I that went out for a run. It was super hot, so we cut the 4.5 miler down to 3.5 to get back and hydrate before we passed out.

Great week so far, and I'm looking forward to another weekend of sun.

Long Ride #1

Last Sunday was the first long ride of the year, and I felt FAT!! I was slow and the hills felt harder than ever. I'm hoping this changes quickly with all the work I'm putting in during the week, including weights and time on the stationary bike.

About the ride: Cold and wet! It was raining the entire ride, but would change amounts. At some points, it was a slight drizzle, and others; a downpour. Good thing I brought my vest, it kept me minimally dry. I had only shorts on as well, and that kept some more water away as well, but it was cold. My feet were soaking wet and numb when the ride was over.

I went out with Mike, Dianne and her cousin Mark. We did the usual 27.5 loop, but skipped some turns, to edit it a little. None of us were up for making it any longer than it had to be. :-)

After the ride, I got into my car, with a towel on my seat (thankfully I remembered my towel) and turned the heat up full blast to get the feeling back in my feet. I think I'm going to need to get some booty's to keep my feet covered in the cold and rain.

Overall, it felt awesome to be back on the bike and out for a ride. Not saying I liked the weather, but I can't wait for this weekend. Temps in the mid 70's and sunshine. With a long run on Saturday and hopefully a long ride on Sunday with Nick, it will be a fantastic weekend.

Long Run #1

Today was my first long run for my marathon training plan in preparation for the 2009 Chicago Marathon. It actually went really well, considering I only did 8.5 miles. I have been training for a half marathon for the past 3 months, and my longest run this year has been 14 miles. The hills were brutal by my house, but I managed to make it up, hitting about a 14:00/mile pace. The run felt great, and I managed to stay hydrated with my fuel belt. Next week I'll have to start trying out different ways to get my carbs/sugar/sodium down. I'll grab a few different gels this week and give them a try. Most of the time, Gu has worked for me, but I've also had bad things happen with Gu. I'll try some hammer gel, maybe some powerbar gels, and a few accel gels.

Tomorrow I'm going for a ride with good ole Mike Green. It's been a long time since we've gotten a ride in. As long as the rain stays away for a couple hours in the morning, we'll be great. I can't wait to get an actual ride in, and not a "joy" ride. I'll report on that tomorrow.

Pacing Race for the Roses

Last Saturday I paced for Race for the Roses. I volunteered to help people reach their goal. I paced for the 8:30/mile group. That would put my finish time at 1:51:20. I finished at 1:51:00. My average pace was 8:28/mile, that's why I'm a great pacer. I kept it even the entire time, didn't start too fast and tried to balance it on the hills. Going around 9:30 up the hills, and around 7:30 down hill. I had a group of around 8-10 until after mile 12, where I started to turn it up a notch. At the end of the race, you go up to the steel bridge, it's quite a hill if you're not familiar. I cranked it up, and dropped my group. One of the girls managed to catch up to me as I slowed down near the finish.

Tim from work ran this race as well. He did great, and finished at 1:44:20, just a tad slower than me. Nice work!

It was also another great day for racing. The sun decided to come up and it stayed in the 50's for the race. It was a great day and a great race. I even got the car washed after I came home and took a nap.

ING Georgia Half Marathon

I set a PR!!! This was a great race for me. My best ever. The weather was great, low 50's and sun came up about half way through the race, then went away before I could finish. My legs felt great, strong and light until around mile 12. Not sure what happened, I should have geled, but didn't have any, so the 0nly carbs/sodium/sugar I could take were the glasses of Gatorade they were handing out.

My finish time was 1:43:24, average pace of 7:54/mile. Not too shabby, considering the hills that were on the course. I felt very good about the race in general. My father in law didn't do too bad either, he had a cold and kept his boss company during the race. He finished just under 2:20. Not bad at all.

Overall, it was a great visit to Atlanta with the in-laws. We got to see the city and the World of Coke. That was quite interesting, learning about the different brands of coke from around the world and how coke came to be.

Race Week

So it's always a taper week before a race. And that's what I've been doing. This has been a different/crazy week for me as well.

This week started off with Tuesday. Tuesday, Steph and I got home around 11:30 from her book club meeting, and I had planned to shave my legs. Yes, shave my legs. There are a few reasons for this: 1. They look HOT! 2. Swimming will be a breeze. 3. When/If I crash on the bike, they need to shave the area anyway, and the hairlessness will help cut down possible infection as well. I will tell you though, without any hair, they sure do look good. Here are my pictures from the event.

Before the shaving:


This next one is during. After getting the majority of the hair with my buzzer, I took my razor, and got the rest. You can't see much in this picture, but there is alot of stubble. Shown here:


Now, the great part. The finish:


Yes, it's a little red, but what do you expect for the first time. It also took me about 45 minutes. yeah, you read that right. But now, it's a piece of cake. The next time, it only took about 10. Nice!

My boss is also a "leg shaver", and he scheduled a lunch on Thursday to get people from work together to show off my legs. He called it "David's coming out party." Needless to say, i wasn't excited about the name. And, just as I thought, people were disappointed, as they thought it would be something more. Although, they did seem to like the legs!

Stephanie and I are in Atlanta this weekend. We flew out on Friday morning, and will be leaving Sunday night. I am running the ING Georgia Half Marathon on Sunday with my father-in-law and a bunch of Coke employees. Although, I think they will be running behind me! :-)

Today we went and visited Atlanta. We got to see his office, and some of Atlanta. We went to an incredible fast food restaurant. It was called Varsity, and they had incredible Chili Cheese Dogs. After that, we went to what is called the World of Coke. It was filled with old and new signs and advertisements, and even how Coke came to be. I enjoyed it very much. They also had a room where you could taste different sodas, Coke branded obviously, from around the world. I got to drink Mellow Yellow again, which was great. They had some very strange drinks though as well.

Overall, it was a great day, and it's off to bed for me to rest up for the race.

Another week down

So it's been a week since my last post, and to be honest, not much has happened. I've just been running. It is taper week, as the ING Georgia Half Marathon is Sunday. I can't wait. This is one of my key races this year. My goal being 1:45, which should be manageable with my current fitness level. I am very excited for this race, and will be my first time in Atlanta as well.

My next goal race this year is the Happy Valley Fun Run. It is a small 10K race, that I plan on finishing quite fast. My goal for this race will be 42:00, and I plan on finishing in the top 5 overall.

In other news, I have officially registered for the 2009 Chicago Marathon. This will be my end of the year goal, as it is October 11th. Great excuse to stay in shape, and I get to see the family as well.

In other news, I have made the decision to shave my legs. This decision came based on two things: 1. My legs will look better and 2. If/when I crash on the bike, this will decrease infection, and they shave the area anyway. There is also the myth that "it makes you more aerodynamic", but that is not one of my reasons, and I'm not sure I believe that.

That's it for this week. Not much happening, but enough to report on. Have a great week, and I'll be reporting on my race this weekend.

The race was a success

So rather than catching everyone up with what has been happening, i've decided to just start at yesterday's race. To make it easy, the last week i've been running :-). Also, one quick note, I went on my first bike ride of the year on Friday afternoon. I got the bike shorts out, and the Lance Armstrong USPS jersey (left) for my ride. I grabbed a water bottle, filled it up, grabbed the bike shoes, and helmet, and off I went. Took me a minute to get used to the clips again, and the shifting. After that, I felt slow and fat. It has been a while since i've been on the bike, and hills that I remember being easier, were not any easier, but much harder. I'll be looking forward to getting my bike health back come spring.

Before the race, i helped film a commercial for a local running store. It is the same store that I do the GFLF activities with. We were asked if we wanted to volunteer and help out, so I thought what the heck. So we did some filming before the race, at the start line. The idea of the commercial was a group of us wearing our gear, and out from the back of a pack, a naked (he wasn't naked, but wearing skin colored shorts) guy came walking up. I started stretching and whatever, and we were to react to him. Needless to say, I almost died laughing. He was not wearing shoes, socks, shirt, pants, or a hat. Nothing! It was raining and cold, and I just couldn't help but laugh histarically. Then they would have a slogan pop up saying, don't be left in the cold or be prepared, come to Fit Right NW for your running apparel.... blah blah blah. Not sure what they decided, but I'm stoked to see how it's going to look. I'm going to ask when it's going to be aired, and i'll to record it and throw it on Youtube for everyone to see my pretty mug on TV.



So, race report. Yesterday was the 31st Annual Portland Shamrock Run, and it was a wet and cold one. It was in the low-mid 40's and raining. To say the least, not the best weather. And to top it off, the wind was not helping. It seemed that no matter what way we were running, we managed to get a head wind. The course starts on the waterfront, and goes up towards terwilliger. It is a short climb and it's about 2 miles to the terwilliger hill. Once you hit terwilliger, that's the main hill of the race. And it's rough. It's steep and lasts forever, or so it seems. It's probably about 1.5-2 miles to the top, of nothing but climbing. But once you hit the top, it's all downhill for another 1.5-2 miles. Then it's flat, with a slight decline all the way to the finish.

I ran this race with a friend from work, Tim VanWinkle. He is probably a half-step below me as far as running fitness, but I think I showed him his full potential. I set a goal of 1:16:00 for this race, and told Tim that. I knew we had to push the hill, so that's what I did. Although, I had to keep looking back to make sure Tim was there. I would look back, and it seemed that each time I did, he got further and further away. We met at the top, where I walked an aid station to get some water, and he looked tired. I asked him if he was ok, and he said "it's downhill now!" And boy was it. We cranked the downhill, no more than a 7:15 pace. And the uphill, I don't think we once went over 9 min/mile. Once we got to the last 2 miles of the race, we still had 17 minutes to beat my goal. I told Tim that all we had to do was avg less than an 8:30 pace to beat my goal, and he pushed it. He romped the flat all the way to the finish, pulling me with him. To be honest, I probably would have let up near the end, but Tim hit it hard. Good thing too, because we came in at 1:15:44, beating my goal! And at the finish line waiting was Stephanie, Angie (my mother-in-law) and Tim (my brother-in-law.) It is always great to give them a high five as I'm crossing the finish line. Thanks again guys!

Overall, it was a great race, but the weather could have been better. I definitely know now that I'm ready for my half-marathon in 2 weeks, and that I can hit my goal of 1:45:00 for the half.

It's been a while, and plenty to report on.....

Well, it's been well over a week since my last post. I got back from Chicago, and sorry to say, I didn't get a minute of running in while there. It was a bummer, but the time was well spent with my family. Overall a good trip, except for the weather. Max temp was around 24 degrees, and it snowed.

I got home Monday night, and was completely exhausted, considering no run on Tuesday. Wednesday was the normal GFLF track workout, and it felt great to get some miles in. We did 6x600m repeats at comfortably hard pace (6-7 on a scale to 10, shouldn't be able to have a conversation at this pace), followed by 200m easy jog after each set. After all 6 sets, we did 6x100m sprints/fast (8-9, not all out, but close). Each was followed by a 100m walk. I felt good after the workout, so went and ran a few more laps around the track to get some more distance in. Thursday and friday were both off/lazy days. Saturday again was my GFLF long run day. I put in 12 miles on Leif Erickson trail. For anyone who has not run on that trail, it's pretty up and down the entire time, not much flat. The good news is though that my knee is feeling fantastic. I've been stretching it like crazy, and that seems to be working. I've realized now that this injury was my wake up call to make sure that I make time to stretch after my run.

Sunday was a busy day around the house, getting stuff cleaned up and bringing stuff over to goodwill. Steph and I were both exhausted, so no workout for me.

Monday is my normal off day, and my in-laws are in town, so I spent the night with them. Tuesday, my father-in-law and I went for a morning run. We took his dog, miranda, out with us. She seemed to keep up and enjoy it when there was a car to chase. She did very well though, and made it all 4 miles. I took my father-in-law out on my hill route, that starts with a very agressive up hill, and eventually turns into a less aggressive downhill. I love the route, because it really forces you to get up the hills to get in your miles because the hills are so long.

This morning was another run with my father-in-law and his dog. We took my normal 4 mile route, up and down sunnyside, which a little rolling, but has enough flats to keep it consistent. I did that route alot when training for my 10k's, because of the hills.

Sorry I've been so lazy, but will continue to report my progress. Race schedule is starting to fill up as well. I have the shamrock run in 1.5 weeks, followed by the ING Atlanta Half Marathon 2 weeks later. Then the following weekend, I will be pacing the 8:30 group at the Race for the Roses. I'll keep you posted on any more races, but so far, that is what i've got.

Thursday/Friday/Saturday

Thursday was a group run at work with some Hood-To-Coast teammates. We all started together and then after about mile 3, Nick and I broke off to enjoy our 6.3 miler he had planned. It started with about 1 mile of uphill, a good hill. Once we reached the top of the hill, it was another 1-1.5 miles of a steady downhill, keeping the pace down the hill around 7:30. Then it's flat all the way back to the office. I felt great after the run, and was worried that my legs may have felt too heavy. I was wrong! They made it all the way, and were ready for more when I got to work.

Friday, was flying to Chicago, and I was not up for a run this morning after a very long day yesterday. I will be running tomorrow morning, and will try to do as much as I can on a treadmill. Hopefully I don't get too bored.

Wednesday Runs

Wednesday was the normal track day, but this week I also added a run before hand. I ran 4.5 miles before hitting the track with Nick. Run felt good and it was a great warmup for the track.

The track started with a 1200m warm-up, then two 1 mile repeats run at a comfortably hard pace and each repeat was followed by a 200m jog. Then it was ended with a 1200m cool-down. I'm really starting to like these track workouts and can tell that they are helping. I'm able to run faster for longer on my training runs, and the pace doesn't feel like it has changed, although it has.

I would suggest track workouts to anyone who does not incorporate them into their training plans.

Saturday Long Run and Tuesday Tempo Run

Saturday's long run was great. My first long run back with my "new" knee. I'm back to about 98% now and couldn't be happier. It's feeling great, and I've started to become really anal about my stretching now as well. I did 10 miles on Saturday, starting at the FitRight store and running up to Leif. We proceeded to run about 5 miles on leif, and the rest back to the store. Felt great the entire run, not one pain. Average pace was around 8:45 with all the hills is not bad at all.

Tonight, I went for a tempo run. With all the hills out here in Clackamas, it was difficult. I ran the first half mile around 8, then the next half mile around 9. But with the hills would try to keep the pace under 10:30. My slowest pace for the run was 11:00 and my fastest was 7:00 (running downhill :-) ). All in all, some good runs.

Race Season is getting closer with the opener this year being the Shamrock run, a 15K that goes up Terwilliger. My goal for this race is to keep the pace at 8:00 or lower. This will be followed by the ING Georgia Half Marathon 2 weeks later. My goal for the half marathon is a sub 1:45, keeping the pace around 8 or lower again. With the training I've been doing, this should not be a problem.

Thursday group run

So last night was a group run with my coworkers, although it wasn't much of a group. I got caught up with some work, and Tim and I left 20 minutes after everyone else. Tim and I kept an average pace at 8:45, not bad considering just coming back from an injury. Legs did feel a little heavy, but loosened up around mile 3.

Felt like a good run, and i'm excited to see how my knee holds up for my long run tomorrow. I'm scheduled for 10, but Im only going to do 8 to make sure my knee can handle the endurance.

That's all for today, i'll be posting tomorrow about my long run.

I'm back in business!!

So last night was another track workout, and I showed up ready to run. I'm glad I did, because I'm back to about 95% now. We did hill repeats last night, and after each one my knee started to bug me a little. But it was walking down the hill that killed it. After each repeat, I stretched out my IT band, and it was back to normal. After the hill repeats, we ran 1.5 miles around the track. I took my pace down to about 9:30, and just kept it slow and smooth. My knee is golden, it felt awesome and I'm so happy to be running again.

This also means I'll be running tonight with my Hood-To-Coast group at work. I'm very excited to begin the training for Hood-To-Coast, and can't wait to do it this year. I had an amazing experience last year, and this year should be even better.

My IT Band is broken!

So, After talking with a coach and my Father-In-Law, we all agree that it is my IT Band at fault for my knee injury. After speaking with my Father-In-Law over the weekend, he gave me some stretching advice as well as some ways to get rid of this. I've been following his advice and have been staying off my knee and stretching it out. I've also been using my roller and have been rolling out my IT Band. So far today, it feels great. I haven't gotten any of the sudden pains and it's felt strong walking around. I'll continue to roll it out tonight, and stretch it tomorrow.

I plan on attending the track workout for GFLF tomorrow, and will only run at about 50% to be safe, and make sure I'm ready to get back into action. If so, I plan on running Thursday afternoon with coworkers, and also have a long run planned on Saturday. My long run on Saturday is supposed to be 10 miles, but I will most likely trim it down to 8 or less. It all depends on how well my knee performs on Wednesday night, and possibly Thursday Afternoon.

I'm going to make it to the gym on Friday morning, and hopefully hit the bike. Hopefully my knee will appreciate the low impact exercise. I've continued to strength train, and work on my core during the injury. I was unable to do any legs, so i'm sure they will feel quite heavy on my first run.

In personal news, Steph and I had another doctors appointment and found out that the baby is perfectly normal and healthy. It was impressive how much they could tell about the baby and her health. I'm very happy to hear that my baby girl is healthy and I can't wait to meet her for the first time.

Run or Rest?

So Wednesday was once again a track work-out for GFLF, but I decided not to run this week, and just coach. I answered questions as well as assisted in work-outs. I was very surprised to find how much people trusted me and looked to me for their concerns. I hadn't really noticed until last week, but having people ask me questions about running and avoiding injuries (no pun intended) felt great. Being able to help them with their issues and feeling as if they trusted me enough to ask me in the first place was a cool experience.

Thursday, I went for a run/jog with Tim and Nick from work. The knee felt ok, just sore the entire run. Still not having much issues but they come and go. There is a shot of pain, then it disappears as if it were normal again. I've been icing it and taking Ibuprofen to help. I have also started rolling out my IT band, as the point of pressure is where the IT band should connect to the knee. Not sure if I stretched it out too much, or what, but hopefully it will help with the healing process. The run was about 3.5 miles, and I averaged around a 11 min pace I think, just taking it easy. The knee also felt fine after the run and did not tighten up, which was a relief.

I took today off and will not be running tomorrow either for our long run. I'm going to continue to rest, ice and stretch it. Hopefully, continuing to strength train over the next few days will keep me in shape.

Have a great weekend!

Heart Rate Monitor not working?!

So, Saturday I discovered that my heart rate monitor was again not working, except this time it wasn't showing any heart rate. Last time, it was saying my heart rate was 243, which I don't believe is humanly possible.

Anyway, figuring it was the battery, I opened the battery compartment, and walla:




Yes, the battery compartment is corroded. Good thing this didn't leak through onto me or my clothes. After calling Garmin, they are sending me a new heart rate monitor. Hopefully, I have better luck with this new one.

Brooks ID

Some great news, I was accepted onto the Brooks ID team. Here is the email:

Congratulations David,

You have been accepted into the Brooks Inspire Daily Program!

As an I.D. Member you will receive unlimited Brooks purchases at 40% off retail prices, access to an exclusive Yahoo Group, monthly newsletters with member profiles and shout-outs, age-group awards at races, regional parties, free gear, and many more benefits to be announced in 2009.

The I.D. program is receiving national attention and we are excited about our members such as you, and your ability to evangelize Brooks to your running community. However, with the benefits and resources we intend to give you, we expect a level of commitment and loyalty in return. With this in mind, please read the contract terms below and if you agree to the terms email me accordingly. Once you have replied to the contract, I will give you a code to order product and access to the other member benefits.

This is going to be great. Free gear, discounts and parties!!! Just wanted to let everyone know, and I am very excited.

This damn knee.... Can I get a new one?!

So, Friday was again another rest day, and my knee felt 1000% better, and it definitely felt like I could run.

Saturday morning, woke up, got dressed for my run, and took off for Saltzman gate to Leif trail. Felt great, and ready to run. We met up and I took the 8 milers out at an 8:45 average pace, up hill none the less. After 4 miles, I had the decision to continue on and put 12 in this weekend, but decided that because my knee was not 100%, I would only do 8. At the 4 mile turn around, I stopped, drank a water bottle from my fuel belt, stretched a little, and felt great. We started off, downhill now. I think that's what did it, that extra stress of the hill. About 1 mile in, at the 5 mile mark, it became an excrutiating pain in my knee. I had to stop and walk, while the others ran ahead. I continued to walk the rest of the 3 miles. Attempting to jog every once in a while, but still pain. Not my best run ever obviously, but I felt really strong for the first 4 miles, even with my knee in the condition it is.

I took Sunday, Monday and today off. I'm giving it rest and it's feeling better. I will pack my stuff for track night tomorrow, but I'm not 100% that I will be able to participate. I'll be hitting the weights in the morning, and try to hope on the bike.

Let's just hope this does not hinder my season any more than it already has.

It's a...

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Thursday is a rest day this week.

So I decided to take the day off today because of my knee. The odd thing is, is that it is not swollen. It is only painful. Not deathly, but minimally to where I don't want to exert it, or risk further injury. And with a long run on Saturday (12 miles), I want to be prepared and ready for that. I'm going to ice my knee again tonight, and see how it feels in the morning. Hopefully, much better as I only have another day until my long run.

Tuesday/Wednesday Workout

So Tuesday afternoon was spent at the gym. Well.... not the whole afternoon, about an hour. 30 minutes on the bike when I got there, kept the heart rate around 160. Got about 10 miles in on the bike. The bike was then followed up by my arm/leg workout. I like doing legs after the bike because it gives my legs the practice of transitioning to the run. Followed up with arms, that are used to support my body on the bike.

Wednesday started with an after work run with Tim and Nick. We did 6 miles at a slow/comfortable pace. A conversational pace. Our average pace was right around 9:40, and my average HR was 138. Pretty low for a long run, but it was fun. At about mile 3, my knee started to have some issues. It gave out on me 2 or 3 times, and I started to baby it a little. After about 5 minutes, it started to feel much better. After that run, my knee started to bother me again. Walking helped it, but when I would sit, it would start to tense up.

Later tonight was my track workout. My knee was feeling better at that point. As usual, we started with a 2 lap warm-up. This was followed by 6 laps around the trap at a comfortable-hard pace. My group kept it around 9 min/mile. After the 6 laps we took a two minute rest, and it was followed by 6x100m sprints. Each followed by a 2 minute walking rest. My fastest sprint was a 4:21. As usual, it was followed with a 1 lap cool down. Knee was definitely starting to hurt at the end.

I am now sitting on the couch with an icy hot patch on my knee. Made a tuna melt for dinner, and had some accelerade to drink. Overall, a great couple of days.

My training log!

Just in case some of you didn't know, you can find my training log here:

http://train-smarter.com/Calendar.aspx?id=88

This way you can keep tabs on me.

Ok, i'm outta here.

Monday Recovery Run

Last night I went for a short, 4 mile, recovery run. I love running out here in Clackamas, because the terrain is not very nice at all. The hills are a great training tool, and I do enjoy running up hills. It has an incredible training effect and an even better cardio improvement.

My run was about 4.5 miles and my average heart rate was around 168, which is great for a recovery run. To put it into perspective, normally during a race, my heart rate is around 190-195. And that would be pushing it hard. So overall, it was great. The temperature was about 38 degrees and clear. I had my jacket (which is reflective), my reflective vest and headlamp. I was very well lit and visible. My shoes and tights are also a tad reflective, and warm. My feet were really the only thing that was cold, but they eventually warmed up.

I'm gonna say it every time, but I love running again, and it feels good to like to run again. I definitely know that I over trained last year, and I'm working to not do that again. I'm doing more cross training and weights to mix it up a bit.

I plan on hitting the gym this afternoon and hitting the bike. I'll report about that later.

Saturday Long Run, Sunday... Lazy Day

So yesterday was my weekly long run again with GFLF. This week I was scheduled for 10 miles, and I got them in. It was a great course, they had mapped for us. The first 3 miles were through downtown, then out toward Duniway park, and we ran up the terwilliger hill. This was also great practice for the Shamrock Run in early March. We ran 2 miles up the hill, then turned around and enjoyed the way down. Finished through the city, and as always, finished at FitRight NW.

I took the day off today to relax and get ready for my week. Knowing that it is going to be long and strenuous. I plan on getting 4-5 miles in tomorrow morning, then a bike ride on Tuesday and Thursday, with a track run Wednesday, and a brick on friday (bike/run).

I also plan on finishing all the days up with some weights and stretching. Working on my flexibility has also become a priority of mine lately, knowing that it is something that I need to improve on. Flexibility will help with all 3 disciplines, improving my speed and endurance. Weights are also important for the same reason, including my core. Core is your abs, obliques, lower back, and other extrenuous muscles that surround your abdomen. These muscles help improve my form in the 3 disciplines and allows me to increase my endurance and speed.

That is it from me this weekend. I'll update tomorrow and I promise I will try to stay more consistent with my posts.

Wow, It's been a long time....

So, I haven't posted in about a week, almost exactly. Well, it's been a busy week, not only with workouts, but work and my personal life have been quite demanding. Steph and I had another doctors appointment this week, and we got to hear the heartbeat again, and it is slowing, meaning the bean is getting stronger (future triathlete maybe?). We also setup our appointment for the big ultrasound, to check the baby for defects and of course, sex. We are all very excited! At the previous appointment, Steph also had blood tests done to test for diseases and down syndrome and we will find out the results in 3 weeks at the next appointment. It's all very new and exciting for us and we are loving every moment.

Now, onto the point of the blog, exercise. It's been a great week for me, and I'm loving every minute of getting back into my running/exercise routine. My goal race this year is the 70.3 Half Ironman in Lake Stevens Washington. The race is in 29 weeks, as you can tell from my calendar on the right, and I have yet to get any swimming in. I have been following a weight training routine for swimmers, and have been working on my upper body strength and endurance to prepare for my swim training, so it will mostly be spent working on form. My legs have gotten a beating from me running and on the stationary bike. I have been doing some spin classes as well as some riding on my own. Running, haven't run much on the treadmill this year, have done most outside thanks to our fantastic weather out here in the Northwest.

Since my last post, I have done my long run last Saturday at 9 miles and averaging an 8:45 pace. We started at Fit Right NW as normal, and went onto Leif Erickson (sp?) trail for some running. It is a 1.5 run to the trail head, and it is totally uphill the entire way. Not only was it uphill, but still dewey from the morning and a little slippery, with some water/ice mix on the streets. We then went on the trail and it's an uphill trail, running for about 11 miles, but we only did about 4 on the trail, and it was rough. But, of course, coming back was nice, running downhill the entire way back to the store. The run felt great, and my shoes are fantastic. They are the Nike Vomero +3 and the cushioning is superb as well as the fit. I have never been a fan of Nike's until I started wearing these shoes. I will definitely put some miles in these bad boys.

Then Sunday followed with a ride on the stationary bike at the gym, followed by upper body weights to work on my swimming muscles. It feels great to be back on the bike again as well, but I can't wait to get a ride in outside. An option that I have been looking at is buying a bike, and financing it. Most stores offer 12-24 months of no payments and no interest. I figure if I get a bike that is about 1100-1200, that's only 100, or even 50 a month for 24 months, which I can afford. But we will have to see.

Monday was an off day from exercise and work, a day to get laundry done. And to relax obviously.

Wednesday was once again a track workout at Duniway Park. This week we did 6x800m comfortably hard, followed by a 200m rest/walk in between each set. This week, I didn't run as fast, as the group was pacing around a 9 minute mile. I had to back off a little this week. We were very consistent each lap, only differing by a few seconds each time. I'm really liking track workouts as the ground is softer (made of rubber) and it's definitely a great way to work on speed. For me, I use it as a way to work on form. I am working on my stride and foot strike, as I want to become a more efficient runner.

Phew, all caught up. I promise I will be more up to date from now on with my posting, but as you can see, it's been quite busy. Have a great weekend, and I'll be posting on Saturday about my long run.

Thursday After Work Run

Another after work run, felt back in the Hood to Coast days. Went on a run with Nick and Tim, coworkers of mine (senior to me, and Nick is my boss), and it was fun. It's always fun to run with these guys. We have a blast and we usually keep the pace pretty even and not too fast. We did 4.5 miles around the office and averaged about a 8:45 pace, and at one point, I ran for about a mile at sub 7 min/mile to catch up to them, after they left me in the restroom.

Great run overall.

Track workout GFLF 1/14/09

Wednesday was the first track workout for the GFLF program, and wow, I think I really like track workouts. It was really different for me, i'm just used to running along the road, or trail, but the track was a completely different experience.

The workout we did was 3 sets of 600m comfortably hard, followed by 1 minute rest, then a 200m sprint, then a 200m walk, then we would start the next set once our heart rate reached 120. Let's just say that my comfortably hard pace is different then the rest. We'll get to that later.

We started the night with an 800m warmup, my warmup pace was around 8:45, consistent. Then some stretching. We did more drills, like skips, lunges, side step, etc. Then we started the workout. Onto my story, comfortably hard, I started running, comfortably hard, then about halfway through the lap, I look back, and people are a ways behind me. UH OH. I was a pacer, not a racer now. I slowed down, let them catch up and tried to keep them in my sights. Then the 200m sprint, and same thing, but this time, I just went my own pace as they caught up when we were waiting for our heart rates to go back down, and soon, they should be able to keep up.

And now we were waiting for heart rate, mine was down to about 110, when we would be ready to start running again. Then this was followed by 2 more sets. After the sets, an 800m cooldown.

I also wore my new track/racing shoes. They are Asics Gel Speedstars and I LOVE THEM! They felt fantastic on that track. Very Light weight and responsive. I ran back to the car with them to see how they would hold up on cement, and they also did very well. Obviously not as much padding as normal, because they are a racing shoe.

Overall a great workout with GFLF, and I'm looking forward to our long run on Saturday morning, as we explore Leif trail.

Day 1 of Weight Lifting

Today was my first day weight lifting again in a while, and it felt great. I love the feeling of your muscles getting stronger as you feel weaker. I worked on chest and back today. Easily got my heart rate up to about 70% for the lifting. After about 45 minutes of weights, I went down to the treadmill and ran for about 2 miles, or 16 minutes. Heart Rate stuck around 80% for the run. Not too bad after lifting weights. Overall good day at the gym today. Tomorrow it's speedwork at the track with GFLF (Get Fit Live Fit, I'll try to use the acronym from now on).

I'll be checking in tomorrow.

24 Hour Fitness Consult

I had a fitness consultation with a trainer yesterday at 24 hour fitness. He basically took my measurements and did a body fat and muscle imbalance test.

It seems my body fat is at 18%. For an endurance athlete, that's a little high, but for a normal 24 year old, i'm about 7% too high. To be in the excellent category for a 24 year old, I should be at 10.8% body fat. That's crazy. My goal is to be around 13% body fat by summer. This is definetly a realistic goal for me. I plan to also lose 10 pounds of fat by that time, and bulk up a little for race season.

I have another measurement setup to be in 30 days, to check on my progress. Hopefully, i'll be working towards my goal, and there will be a noticeable difference.

GetFitLiveFit First Group Run 1/10

Yesterday was the first group run for the GetFitLiveFit program. It was a great morning for a run too, 40 degrees and brisk, a normal winter morning in Portland. I am the fast pace group leader for the 1/2 marathon group. My recovery pace is set at 8:30.

We left the Fit Right NW store around 8:15, me leading two others that were set to run 8 miles that day at that pace. I came to find out later, they were not part of the program, but just wanted to run with a group. I didn't mind, I was still getting my volunteer credit, and also getting in a long run, preparing for my Half Marathon race in March. I managed to average the group at an 8:45 pace, not bad for my first time.

I'm looking forward to working with the group and helping not only myself achieve a goal. Wednesday will be a speed workout at Duniway track, which I have no experience in. But I am looking forward to learning all about speed workouts.

My old posts from my old blog

Here are all my old posts from my wordpress blog. This will be my new home!

Get Fit Live Fit

January 8, 2009

Now, I’m not the advertising type, and I’m definitely not advertising anything. I am a pace leader for the Get Fit Live Fit program in Portland, which is sponsored by FitRight NW. As a pace leader for the program, it is my responsibility that participants in the program reach their goals and achieve whatever it is they want to achieve. Some are there to set a PR, some are there to get to know the sport of running, and some may be there to lose weight. The one thing I know is that I am there to help them do just that.

I am a pace leader for the Half-Marathon program that will be ending March 25th, and setting up participants for a half marathon the weekend of March 28-29. Which is great for me, as I am doing the ING Georgia Half Marathon that weekend with my Father-In-Law. So Dan, I am going to be extra ready for that race.

The first session starts this Saturday, and it is long run day. Not only am I a half marathon pace leader, but I have the fast group, running a recovery pace of 9:00 min/mile. Which puts our race/fast pace around 7:30 min/mile or a little faster. This will be great for my triathlon training, as I know that I will always be able to get a run in.

We do two runs/workouts a week. Saturday is long run day, and then we do a track workout on Wednesday, working on speed and technique. This is something that I desperately need to add to my training, and I can’t wait to get started.

With all that said, I’m very excited to be participating in this program, and being a mentor/leader for my group of runners.

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I’m signed up and ready to go

January 8, 2009

I’ve signed up for my membership and i’m ready to begin. My workout will start next week, once I have my training plan all figured out, which i have tasked for this weekend.

I’ll keep you all updated on my status, and I will use this blog as a testament of my training.

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I’ve got my membership!

January 2, 2009

So for Christmas this year I asked for a 24 hour gym membership, because in order to work on your swimming, you need a pool. I also plan on getting in strength training, spinning classes, and some minimal running on the treadmill, as I plan to do most of my running outside.

This will be the starting point of my triathlon career, and thanks to my wife and family for their support with this goal of mine.

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On my way to Ironman

January 2, 2009

I will use this site to blog about my experiences training for the ultimate endurance event, the Ironman!