Let the countdown commence!

370 days and counting... Holy crap, what have I signed myself up for?

Open Water Swim

On this date

04/06/1942 - Happy Birthday Dad. I love and miss you.

Open water swim

This time of year we are getting back into the open water in preparation for Wildflower and the summer triathlon season. We typically start out with a swim during training weekend @ Lake San Antonio and then start weekly team swims @ Lake Natoma near Folsom. The water in Lake Natoma is always colder than elsewhere primarily because the lake is a couple of miles downstream on the American river from Folsom Dam. The water from Folsom Dam is coming from the bottom of the lake and lets just say its cold down there.

Thursday night was our first time in Lake Natoma this year and it was exceptionally cold. So there we were at the waters edge in our penguin suits anxiously waiting the first nip of the icy water. The new team members had no idea what to expect but I knew it would be painful.

A wetsuit only helps so much and since tri wetsuits are built for swimming rather than diving mine has stretch panels behind the arms that quickly let in more water. That would be icy cold water in this case. The pain and misery was unbelievable!

Words

A wordle image of what my blog represents. Check out http://www.wordle.net

2009 Race Schedule

1. Wildflower @ Lake San Antonio, CA - Saturday, May 2, 2009 - Long Course (Half-Ironman)
2. 2009 Auburn International Triathlon - Sunday, May 31st, 2009 - Olympic
   
3. 2009 Ironman 70.3 Lake Stevens @ Lake Stevens, WA - Sunday, August 16, 2009 - Half-Ironman
4. Alcatraz XXIX- The 29th annual ESCAPE FROM THE ROCK Triathlon - Sunday, September 13th, 2009 (Tentative) - Swim, Run, Bike and Run some more!

Starting another great season

Its an honor to be back for another season of Team in Training with the Wildflower team. Here I am on the morning of the team kickoff with my fellow mentors Laila, Janey, Jen, Brook, Jackie, Kevin, Carrie, me, Patti, and Amity. The only one missing is Melissa who had to work. We are all supporting and actively training with a group of 20 - 25 mentees for the big Wildflower Triathlon Festival weekend on May 2 - 3. Go TEAM!!!

Super Sunday ride

Before watching my beloved Steelers win their sixth Super Bowl I got on the bike for a long ride from Sacramento to Folsom. The winter weather in Sacramento has been very non-winter like and the day was beautiful. The only downside was the lack of hills that I desparately need in preparation for Wildflower but the 44 miles felt great and I am glad to be training in earnest again.

Achievement

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. - Robert F. Kennedy

Live more than your neighbors

"Live more than your neighbors.
Unleash yourself upon the world and go places. Go now. Giggle, no, Laugh.
And bark at the moon like the wild dog that you are."

"Understand that this is not a dress rehearsal.
This is it. Your life.
Face your fears and live your dreams.
Take it all in.
Yes, every chance you get.
Come close.
And by all means, whatever you do, get it on film." - Jon "Blazeman" Blais, Ironman

Presidio 10k

It was a great to run the Presidio 10k with Suzy and her sister Liz. We took it easy on Liz (or so we thought) with the initial pace and ran from Crissy Field across the Golden Gate to Marin and back. Nearing the end Liz upped her pace and left us in the dust. Nice.

Those darn hills

Saturday saw us back up on the Serrano Parkway for the third weekend of hill focused workouts. With Wildflower being a challenging course with lots of hills, Coach John is using the terrain of El Dorado Hills to build our climbing endurance. Serrano Parkway from Silva Valley Rd to Villagio climbs over 400 ft in elevation for over 1 mile at over a 6% grade which is use to train primarily Lynch hill which climbs 280 ft in less than 8/10 of a mile for nearly a 7% grade. Tough training for a tough race.

I started the workout early with Total Intensity and finished it with the Team in Training starting circuit. The bike/run brick started with Silva Valley Rd/Serrano Parkway hill combo. The run was a .4 mile uphill and then .4 back to the car for transition. Change shoes and repeat. I covered 4 trips on each and then finished my 30 min run. It may not be fun now but in 3 short weeks during the race I will be glad we had these tough workouts.

What does 93 and 170 get you? Its not 263.

The training is underway for two of my biggest races in 2008. Its only a short 93 days until the 26th Annual Wildflower Triathlon Festival and my first Olympic distance race of the year at Lake San Antonio.

Even more exciting is the fact that its only 170 days to my first half-Ironman event at the Vineman 70.3 race on Sunday, July 20th. I can't wait to challenge myself at the half-Iron distance but know that I seriously need to focus on my training. No time like the present!

Tomorrow is a great day.

Saturday, February 2nd marks the kickoff for the 2008 Sacramento Team in Training Wildflower Team. We will have over 50 participants, mentors, coaches and managers and I can't wait to meet everyone and for the team training to begin. I received so much from last year's team and just want to give something back while enjoying the experience all over again. I am mentor with this years team and am looking forward to meeting all of the new faces.

Lake San Antonio here we come!

Words to live by

There are no excuses - so don’t look for them. As a product of your own choices, you directly determine your life outcomes - Anonymous

Santa Cruz Sentinel Triathlon

Eppie's Great Race

On Saturday, July 21, 2007 I competed in the 34th Annual Eppie's Great Race, which markets itself as "The World's Oldest Triathlon". Its a non traditional Triathlon event starting with a 5.82 mile run from Goethe Park in Rancho Cordova, CA to Guy West Bridge opposite CSU Sacramento. From there you transition to the bike for a 12.5 mile ride past the start to Sunrise Blvd. At T2 you give the bike to some handlers (no racks) and run across the bridge to your kayak. The final leg is a 6.35 mile paddle down the American River back to Goethe Park and the Finish line.

My goal was 2 hours and 30 minutes. After flipping the kayak in the easy part of the river and struggling to get back in I finished in 2:30:18.

It was a fun race but a logistical headache with the 3 separate locations.

I raced with 3 great teammates of Nikki, Melissa, and Karen. Congratulations ladies on a great race!

Tuesday Night Track Practice

Periodically, Coach John has us run a 3000 meter time trial to evaluate our progress in the run and measure the positive results of his grueling track practices. Back in late May when I first started going to Total Intensity Sports track practice he had us run our first 3000 meter time trial as a baseline and to use as a basis for the Tuesday night time splits that we all dread.

I am not the fastest runner in the world (more tortoise than hare) and prior to January hadn't run consistently since I left VMI in 1987. Yes, that was 20 years ago =:). I never thought I would enjoy running having been forced to run daily as a rat, but I am really starting to enjoy it. I have been working through the tight quad and hamstring muscles and the stress they cause on my knees. Lately it has felt good to put in the miles and I will be building up to the half marathon level by the first week of October.

3000 meter run results
May 22, 2007 15:03
July 10, 2007 14:21

Sweet!!! A 42 second improvement!!!

I can actually run a 7:41 mile and have lots of room is this 38 year old body for improvement.

What all of this training is for!!!

"Sport is nothing if it's not about what the body is capable of." - Scott Tinley


This quote really sums up what all of this training is really about; showing myself one step at a time what my body is capable of.

Upcoming Races

Summer is officially here and I can't stop now. I've taken the plunge and signed up for 3 more events.

• Eppie's Great Race Triathlon - July 21, 2007


• Folsom International Triathlon - August 12, 2007


• Santa Cruz Sentinel Triathlon - September 23, 2007