El Scorcho!

I've heard about this race for a few years, and I'm finally in Texas to do it.  I signed up for the 50K today.  The race STARTS at midnight!  My kind of race.  I love running at night!  I'm ridiculously excited for this one.  Plus, the night running is good training for Cactus Rose.

But the best part is, I somehow convinced Katie to run the 50K as well.  Actually, it took very little convincing.  I think she has a little more "crazy" in her than she likes to admit, and I'm obviously not going to let her keep it bottled up.

Another weekend of training in the books

Saturday I knocked out 18 miles in Georgetown, most of it on the paved San Gabriel River Trail, but when I got out the Lake Georgetown, I discovered a trail I never knew existed.  I'm not sure how I never knew it was there, I've been going to that lake for years.  The trail circumnavigates the lake is about 28 miles long (including the dam and another paved section).  I can't wait to go run the entire thing in the somewhat near future--ok, ok, JC, after the Ironman.  Anyway, back to the run.  I took it pretty slow initially, but felt terrible for the first 10 miles or so, but picked it up later in the run and knocked out my 4 fastest miles on 15-18.

Sunday I headed out with the intention of riding from Georgetown to my sister's place in Taylor.  Well, I succeeded, but it took me FOREVER.  The wind was absolutely unforgiving and seemed to be blowing right at my regardless of which direction I rode.  I got to my sister's just in time to refuel on leftovers from their lunch (steak and potatoes).  I figured on the way back, I'd catch a tailwind, but it was once again a headwind.  I was fighting to maintain an 11 mph pace with the wind blasting me in the face.  I finally made it back to my parents house, beaten down, but not defeated.  57 miles of hellish winds.  It was honestly one of the most difficult rides I've ever done...and I've ridden to Alaska!

What happened to the freedom of running?

I admit it, I'm at fault here too.  I get caught up in the "I need all the new gear" and "what will make me recover faster" whirlwinds the same as anyone else.

But I've always said one of the reasons why I love running is because its so easy.  You just throw on some shorts and shoes (and a shirt if you are female) and head out the door.  Compare that to cycling where you've gotta make sure the bike is in working order, tires are aired up, you have your helmet and gloves, water bottles are filled, you have an extra tube and multi-tool, plenty of nutrition, put on your sunglasses and helmet, and you haven't even walked out the door yet.  And I don't even want to go into preparation for triathlon.

Running is freeing; its easy.  Yet, everywhere I'm reading its all about making sure you've got the right hat, compression sleeves, socks, shoes, a garmin, heart rate monitor, the right nutrition before, after and during the run, body glide, water belt, hand-held water bottle, arm warmers, and the right playlist on your iPod.  Don't get me wrong, all these things have their places (except maybe water belts...i kid...sort of), but part of running is listening to your body and connecting with your surroundings.  Its about feeling the breeze cool your skin as the sweat evaporates on a warm spring day.  Its about feeling the sun inject you with life.  Its about exchanging that understanding and approving look with the only other runner dumb enough to be out during a thunderstorm when no one else is crazy enough to be running--you know that look.  The list goes on, but when you are decked out with all the latest gear and worried about your pace and playlist, you miss these things that make running so great.

I'd never try to do a track workout without a watch or someone timing me.  I'd never run a marathon (again) without body glide.  I love my garmin.  Sometimes I run with music.  I can't do an ultra without a hand-held water bottle.  But sometimes its nice to just run.  Put on your shoes, shorts, and shirt and go run.  Leave the watch at home and don't take your music.  Just go out and run...and have fun.  It'll remind you why you started running in the first place or it'll change your perspective on running.  Try it sometime.

Suicide Attempt

I got up this morning to get in a ride, but it was raining, so I went back to bed.  After work it was extremely windy with gusting winds, so I decided to see if I could kill myself with my first experience on rollers.  I managed to do an hour on the rollers.  I also managed to not "fall" off the rollers, but did have to "step" off a couple times when I lost control.  After 15 minutes or so, I got the hang of it and was able to get in a decent spin.  I don't know if I could handle more than about an hour on rollers, but they are much more manageable to me than trying to ride a trainer.  Nice to have an option when its cold or rainy.  After the spin on the rollers, I threw on my running shoes and did a quick 20 minute run.

Swim/Run

I flew back from NYC today, so I didn't have a chance to ride, but I got over to the gym and knocked out a mile in the pool.  I love the YMCA pool, its rarely busy, and for a portion of tonight's swim, I was the only person in the pool.  After the pool, I came home and did a quick 32 minute run.

Weekend Workouts

Saturday I got out and did a 16 mile run.  I felt pretty good for the entire run, which was nice.  I definitely feel like the endurance is coming back and I'm almost where I need to be for my run training.  After I finished running, I headed over to RBM to pick up my bike.

The good news: They didn't charge me for any of the work they did
The bad news: My rear wheel is shot, which means I'm going to have to buy new wheels in the near future
The good news: I get new wheels

Sunday I got out on my bike and rode for a couple hours.  I felt good, but I'm definitely behind on my riding.  The wind really picked up toward the end of the ride, which made for some pretty slow miles.  Although I have work do to on the bike, at least I can pour on the miles and not worry too much about a quick increase on the workload.

Easy friday

After last night's insanity and a long run slated for tomorrow, I took it easy tonight.  I hit the gym and swam a mile alternating laps between freestyle and breast stroke. I'm starting to feel pretty comfortable in the water again, which is nice.  I definitely need more open water practice before IMTX, but I'm feeling good about the swim portion.  And, *gasp*, I can honestly say I don't hate swimming anymore.  I actually like a good pool session.  Never thought I'd say that...

Thursday night triathlon?

I had a crappy day, so I decided to take it out on my body.  After work, I went to the gym and swam a mile.  Followed that up with an hour on the spin bike...rode steady during tv show segments, and cranked up the resistance during commercials.  After that, I hit the Katy Trail and knocked out 6 miles.  The  first 5 was around 7:45 pace and then I used the last mile as a cool down.

I probably overdid it, ok, I definitely overdid it on a thursday night, but I needed it.

Farewell Lance

It didn't make the same headlines as it did the first time around, but Lance retired from pro cycling today.  I know many people can't stand the guy, but he's done more for cycling in America than anyone.  You may not like him, but there's a good chance you wouldn't be watching cycling on cable in America if it wasn't for Lance.  Add in the fact that he's raise millions of dollars for a legit cause  through Livestrong, and its tough to not find a shred of respect for the man.

I've always liked Lance and still do.  I wish him well in retirement (although, I'm sure we'll see him at Leadville and Kona).  I just hope the US can produce another contender, not just at le Tour, but at the Giro and Vuelta.

Cactus Rose 100

I've been talking about it for a couple years now, so just like when I registered for the Ironman, I just decided "its time to stop talking and do it."  So today I registered for the Cactus Rose 100 in Bandera, Texas on Oct 29th.  From all accounts, its a brutal course with virtually no flats and technical footing.  Go hard or go home, right?

Its ALIVE

time to get focused on this blog again.  I know I've been slacking really bad.  A lot has happened in the past few months.  I had a failed attempt at a sub-3 hour marathon, which I'll do a write-up on soon.  I moved to Texas.  I've wrestled with motivation, and now I've started my path toward IMTX (but I'm still waiting on FedEx to deliver my bike.  I'm on day 3 of waiting.  Its at their facility and they won't let me pick it up).  The weather in Texas is much more to my liking, but I miss the hell out of City Coach and many of my RUN NYC folks.  I'll be back-dating some posts in the next few days, but I'm going to get this thing back up to speed and start detailing training and news once again.

First and foremost I owe the #1 running experience, which is all but done, i just never finished the last part and hit "post."

14 Miler

Katie is in town and we both needed to get in a long run, so we left the house and ran over to White Rock.  We did a full loop and headed back, which yielded 14 miles.  I felt good for most of the run, but definitely started running out of energy around mile 12 or so.  The breakfast of coffee, 1 donut, and a kolache wasn't exactly the best fuel.

The  run marked the longest run Katie and I have done together.  I think the previous long was when she paced me for the last 10 miles of the Bear Mountain 50 Miler...and I think she'd rather forget that.