Swimming

I had a good 70 minute swim tonight. I warmed up, did a block of freestyle, then some sprint intervals, and then another long block of freestyle. I'm getting much better in the pool. I can tell my form is getting better, although I still have quite a bit to work on.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

I just finished this book by Haruki Murakami. It wasn't anything amazing, but I found it fairly entertaining, I think mostly because its a book about running by a normal guy. Its just a guy who not overly fast that enjoys running and what he thinks about it. There were several passages in the book that really grabbed me though. Here's a couple:

...I'm going to keep running marathons, and not let it get me down. Even when I grow old and feeble, when people warn me it's about time to throw in the towel, I won't care. As long as my body allows, I'll keep on running. Even if my time gets worse, I'll keep on putting in as much effort--perhaps even more effort--toward my goal of finishing a marathon. I don't care what others say--that's just my nature , the way I am.

But pain seems to be a precondition for this kind of sport. If pain weren't involved, who in the world would ever go to the trouble of taking part in sports like triathlon or the marathon, which demand such an investment of time and energy? It's precisely because we want to overcome that pain, that we can get the feeling, through this process, of really being alive--or at least a partial sense of it.

Coney Island Open Water Swim - Part II

The sequel was much better thanks to a patient Francis. Immediately after entering the water, I had all kinds of issues getting my breathing right. Francis worked with me showing me some exercises to calm myself down in the water. Step-by-step I worked until I was putting everything together, swimming normally, and breathing correctly. Once I got settled down, we swam down to the pier and back. It wasn't super fast, but I was able to put in around a mile in a little over 30 minutes. My only issue is still a slight freak out when I see jellyfish floating by my face, but at least I know I won't have that problem on race day. I'm hoping to get in a couple more open water swims before race day.

After returning home, I went out on an easy 6 mile run over the Williamsburg Bridge and back. It had been a long time since I'd done that run at night. It made me remember how beautiful the city is at night.

Busy week = a little behind

Work got busy this week, so I missed several days of training. Oh well, not much I could do. Today we went up to Van Cortlandt Park for the marathon training program. I got in 18 miles. I wanted to run 20, but my right calf was super tight almost the entire run. It got even worse after I stopped for a bathroom break about 10 miles in. Regardless, it was still a pretty solid run and I ran at a fairly good clip for a good portion of the run. The weather was also great and it was good to run at a different location. Central Park the West Side Highway get old, fast.

Mon/Tues Workouts

Mon: 6.1 mile run at around 6:30 pace. I felt fantastic the entire run.

Tonight: Spent and hour and fifteen minutes in the pool. Did a few sprint intervals, a lot of freestyle working on form, and a little breast stroke during recoveries.

OWS

First open water swim in 5 years. I went out to Coney Island with Francis and Nate for an open water swim. Well, I'm glad I went...I needed it, but it didn't go well. I don't understand why I have a mental freak out when I get in open water for the first time (or first time in a long time). I can't get my breathing right if I put my head in the water. After a while, I settled down and was able to swim somewhat normally. I need to get at least a couple more under my belt before race day to ensure I don't have the same issue during the IM. All-in-all, I spent a little over an hour in the water. Not a great swim, but it was good to get it done.

Brick

I got up a little before 6 am this morning and rode in to meet Shaun at the Runners' Station. We met at 6:30 and started riding shortly after. We rode up the west side and went over the GW Bridge. Due to time constraints, we turned around there and headed back south. Shaun split off at 92nd street and I continued south down the west side highway path. I got back to the Runners' Station about 8:15, changed clothes and headed out on the long run with the 26.2 Training Group.

We ran across Chambers and over the Brooklyn Bridge to Tillary St turned around and headed back over the bridge. Back in Manhattan, we went down to the East Side Running Path and went north to the East 6th Street track. We did a quick mile on the track and then ran up to 34th street before turning around and retracing our path. I skipped the second mile on the track in order to get back to the Runners' Station and make sure everything was under control, but I ended up getting in just about 15 miles. I felt strong the entire run and really didn't feel like I had ridden for an hour and a half earlier that morning.

Gotta love a strong brick workout!

Team Hoyt

I stole this from Coach Cane, but I've always loved Team Hoyt. Their story can't be posted enough. I put money on it that my mom and my sister cry when they watch this :)

Excercise is Addictive.

I now have an excuse when people ask me, "why?"

oh, and I did 55 miles on the bike this morning before work. I'll be running and swimming later this evening.

Ironkid

I don't personally know this kid, but he rocks. I love seeing kids get involved in running/cycling/triathlon. Austin is the son of one of the guys that posts on a Health & Fitness forum that I frequent. Check him out and root him through Nationals

Austin's Blog

Recovery Monday

I "slept in" this morning, getting up at the normal time and not working out before work. I did somewhere around 6 miles with Run Club tonight. We went over the Queensboro Bridge and then over to Roosevelt Island. It was a little sketchy in some areas, so I dropped back to make sure the back groups were ok and just decided to take it easy on the way back in. I didn't really feel sore from the weekend until after I finished the run tonight.

First Century on the Cervelo

I got up this morning and knocked out about 13 miles before meeting Francis and Nate at the Runners' Station. We then headed north and picked up YMC and subsequently another guy in Riverside park. We headed out over the GW Bridge and added on a random guy named Daniel. Nate led us on the back way to Piermont and then we went through Nyack via 9W before making a rest stop at Rockland State Park. After Rockland, we continued north on 9W before turning off on 304 and heading west/southwest. We thought we knew the route, but we somehow ended up at 59, where cyclists are prohibited. Nate consulted the GPS a few times and we found a new route back to 303 and then to 340, which led us back to 9W just south of Piermont. We decided to take 9W back to the city. We quickly dropped Daniel as we climbed back toward the state line. Once back into New York, Francis and I switched off pulling the pace line and eventually we looked back and realized we had dropped everyone. I was feeling REALLY strong and Francis even told me he was having trouble keeping up. We stopped and waited on the group to catch back up and then headed back down and over the GW. I rode with Nate and Francis back down to the Runners' Station before making the 6 mile ride back to Brooklyn. I got in right at 100 miles. I was hoping to get in a run after the ride, but I had to get back into the city for a softball game.

I'm starting to feel really strong on the bike and I'm hoping to get in a century on most weekends from here on out.

Twenty

I was a bit worried about going 20 miles today after not getting in a long run last weekend. The weather was nice this morning, cool and overcast. The route was up the west side from the Runners' Station to 59th St and over to the Park. Then up the Bridle extension, 2 extended bridle loops, one regular bridle loop, and the back to the Station. I arranged to meet Gary at the Park (6 miles into my run), and he wanted to get in about 8-10 miles with me while I was in the Park. Shortly after getting onto the Bridle loop, we passed Bridget and Tim, who joined us for about 6 miles of the run. We cheered on the leaders of the women's 4 mile race in the park. Gary, Bridget and Tim parted from me and I did my final regular bridle loop solo. I then headed down the west side highway, starting to feel a little fatigued. I definitely was fading a little the last 5 miles, but was able to finish feeling relatively good...much better than I thought I was going to feel after missing a long run.

Boston

Dear Scott:

Your entry for the 114th Boston Marathon has been received, and your credit card has been authorized for payment in the amount of US $130.00. You may notice a pre-authorization draft on your credit card statement. This authorization will be removed in approximately three business days. The actual charge will not appear on your credit card until your entry has been verified and accepted. Entry verification and acceptance can take four to five weeks depending on how quickly we receive the official results from your qualifying marathon. Please make note of your Submission ID #: 20003503.

You will be notified of your acceptance by email and first class mail. Your notification of acceptance will be sent as soon as we verify your official results from your qualifying marathon. When you are accepted, your name will be posted in the Boston Marathon section of the B.A.A. website, www.baa.org, under "Entrants."

Please contact the B.A.A. registration office at 508-435-6905 (or send an email to registration@baa.org) with any questions regarding your entry.

We look forward to your participation on race day!

Boston Athletic Association

Go hard or go home...

Well, I didn't have great training in Texas, but I sure jumped back in head-first today. I hammered out a decent 42.5 miles before work this morning, averaging just under 20 mph, which included some city riding and plenty of Central Park hills.

I went out to the track with Run Club tonight for a little speed work. It was a 1.75 mile jog over and then we did 1000m repeats. I did the first two repeats with the fast group and then dropped back and did two more at a slower pace. I sat out the last two repeats and then jogged back with the group. The legs felt heavy, but not too bad.

I wrapped up Run Club and then headed to the gym for an easy 45 minute swim. I was going for an hour, but my calf was cramping. I was definitely dehydrated and low on electrolytes from the day.

All-in-all, it felt great to be back out pushing my body to exhaustion.

Texas

The great state of Texas was great for me mentally. The great state of Texas was terrible for my training. I only ran twice (one 62 minute run and one 37 minute run). I didn't get on the bike and I didn't run. I ate terrible and I overate. However, it was a nice break as training was starting to wear me down. I got a chance to eat what I want, have some drinks with friends, and allow my body to rest for a few days.

Texas, I still love you, but you are not good for Ironman Training.