The Sprint Brick...

This weekend was spent mostly glued to my computer screen as due dates are rapidly aproaching. So far I'm about 4-5 pages into my 18-20 page thesis, and 2 pages in to my 8-10 pager for modern Germany most of that work was done yesterday as I have 2 different versions of each on my computer. ( some how I think I spent way to much time on introductions on the first versions so I restarted.) The modern Germany paper is proving to be more difficult than I thought. In either case this blog isn't about my academics it's about my athletics so here is the bloody gory.

Saturday: as mentioned I've been battling my sinuses/ head cold so I flaked on doing my normal swim workout on Friday..instead I napped and it was good. Saturday I worked, typed some more of my Thesis and decided to go for an early evening 8-9 miler. I did it in a not too shabby 1:11.

Sunday: After being a heathen once again and not going to Church in order to sleep. I got an email from Josie seeing if I was still down for a ride and possibly a run. I know I should have devoted that entire beautiful afternoon to paper writing. I know I should have sat hunched over my laptop with a pot of coffee I know I'm going to be paying for this sin tenfold as I'll mostly like be up late tonight and tomorrow typing away. But I hadn't been on the bike in two weeks, it was sitting in the basement screaming out "Ride me Bobby...Ride me." And so I relented I told Josie I'd meet her at 4:00 for a "short" ride/ run brick.

We met up in Middlebury and decided to do two loops of the Griskus Sprint loop.

The first loop of the ride it was evident my legs had a little rust in them also I was experimenting with different gearing on some of the climbs (Bjoern had noticed I had used a lot of power gears on climbs.) So needless to say on some of the hills I put myself into too low a gear and was immediately spanked by Josie as I was quite literally spinning my wheels and going no where. The first loop wasn't too bad although Josie was proving to be the uber climber. The second loop I contiuned my experiment, this time I had figured out my gearing a little better on the climbs. Granted Josie was still a better climber...after graduation I need to start doing hill repeats ...and lots of them trying to find the perfect balance between cadence and power...also some crossfit wouldn't hurt. Irregardless we did the 20.6 miles at an average speed of 17.5 mph in a time 1:10:48.
The Run I was in my glory. Josie made the mistake...I mean decision to try to run with me. We decided to continue our Griskus Preview by running the run loop. Needless to say I went out like a house on fire...I hit the 1 mile mark in 8:06 granted the markers were based on the course starting at Quassy amusement park ( proud home of the Pat Griskus Tri series, and the Rev 3 triathlon.) so realistically we were about 300-400 meters ahead of the markers. Sub-8 minute mile pace...this was turning out to be a tempo run instead of a transition. I looked back and Josie was about 200 meters back stating "I suck at running." We made our way down the hill to the turn around I hit it and started back and started clapping as I ran past Josie...I think I remember hearing something about hating running and I'm going to hurl.... I hit the 2 mile mark in 16:06 ( remember we are still about a quarter mile ahead of the markers...) I made it back up the hill and o the park I turned around to collect Josie who was about 200 meters behind... " I almost puked.." she stated huffing and puffing...We made it back to the cars in about 29 minutes. She did about 3.5 miles according to her Garmin so she was well under 9 min/ mile pace...with my loop back I did about 3.6 so I was right at the 8 min/mile threshold give or take a couple seconds.
Needless to say training this weekend wasn't a total loss granted I was coughing like I lit up two packs of Marlboro's at the end of it....stupid head cold...so yes if I'm pulling these splits under trained and sick imgaine what I can do when I'm healthy and "in shape" ....be afraid New England Tri Circut...be very, very, afraid.

Well back to the papers....

The Flying Academic
R.D.

The long and short.....

Well Today was pegged to be a long day, but confusion, a NDE involving me speeding through a light changing to RED and then the guy I cut off pulling me over and cussing me out..luckily that's all that it turned out to be becuase of the massive line of traffic behind him. Now seriously, I get pissed when I get cut off but I murmur my cusses to myself or to the windshield and carry on with my day....somehow in the grand scheme of things pulling the guy who cut me off over and beating the shit out of him isn't going to help anything....irregardless..I was at fault an deserved it.

So that led to me decideing to cut my ride plans short....after all if I couldn't focus at a traffic signal driving a 2000lbs car. There was no way I was going to trust myself going out for 4 hours 0n a 15lbs. bike getting fatigued and make stupid mistakes that could get me killed...dying at 23 is not in my game plan...unless of course it's after my heart explodes making up the 15 min swim gap on the pros and winning the Hawaii Ironman outright.....then I guess that's a good trade off.
Any way, I decided to drive up to Central to cash in some books only to find the bookstore had just closed...arrg...so I drove to Central Wheel to pick up some Shot Bloks ( sadly 2 packs I bought were hard as a rock.) and price out an Ultegra Cassette...it was $100 probike kit is offering the same at $50 but the shipping would kill me getting it from the UK... I'll check Newington on Monday, because they accept Trek Card and I need to conserve as much money as possible for Eagleman. After picking up my crap from Central Wheel..I drove out to the Lake and did 3 loops at ungodly time trial speed...if I wasn't going long then I was going hard. I did about 23 miles averaging the not too shabby pace of 20.8 mph...if I can hold that shit at Eagleman Kona might..might be a possibility.....but I digress. I did a quick shoe change and ran a loop of the lake, getting about 7.75 miles underfoot. While it wasn't the long day I was hoping for, but I felt rejuvinated at the end of it. Seriously for all the crap that's hit the fan in the last month, the stress motherlode that was finals week...shit got to email Dr. Adams my Anthro paper....even though she never responded to my emails...I seriously think I sent them to the wrong person, and now some Econ Professor is like "who the Hell is Rob and why is he emailing me?" In any case that was Saturday.
R.D.

Snooze buttons should be banned....

Last night When I collasped into bed I did so witht he intention of getting up and running at 5:30AM, as usual 5:30 turned to 6...etc So when I got up a 7AM I woke up to a layer of the white stuff and a lovely ice coated under surface, ( my mom agreed to take my sister in after I dicscovered the roads in my part of town sucked and there was no way I would be back in time to get to work @ 8:30.) so I showered and began to walk to work...which is only a mile from the home stead....after 3/4 of a mile I was picked up by my mom and proceeded to get my car......( apparently the town plowed and salted when I was in the shower.....) Needless to say I felt like a complete tool this morning. Tonight if the roads remain good I will go to Masters and have my ass kicked into shape by the lovely Miss Stefanie( yes Angry has Trainer, I have Stef to fufill my Masochistic desires.) Tomorrow I have a ride planned, some forecasters are talking snow, others rain, others the end of the world....so I'll play that by ear, All I know is I need to run one final twenty miler and get a few more miles in the saddle....I'm afraid that my one 75 miler just won't cut it. Next week begins taper, if my lack of long runs and one to two rides aweek doesn't already count. So this weekend will be a reign of unholy distance, next week I confine my self to quality not quanity, no runs over 10 miles, and 1 to two hour trainner sessions, the swims will cut down to 3500 to 4000 yards. So the taper is insight after two more really long days in the saddle.

The Road warrior.
R.D.

Back to the Grind......

Well starting next Tuesday, I'm officially Chained to my computer desk once again...that's right this aspiring triathlete/corporate minion is going back to school. also I should start life guarding again although I'm considering leaving that gig. For me the extra money is great, but I don't know if its worth the lost training time, the aggravation of driving home at midnight, the minuscule pay, and the fact that these guys want me to put my "real job " on hold to attend their training sessions, sadly I don't have the lifestyle of the average college student so I might leave to open the position for someone who has the time and needs the money a little more than I do. (prehaps I can write that off as a charitable contribution.) ..ok work rant over....

Last night Stef, kicked my ass with the swim workout of doom. The warm up was easy but the main set was ..well....the main set. Here's the torture:
3x200
1 hard on 2:50
2 Easy on 3:00
3 Sprint on 2:45

2X400 on 6:00
1 Easy
2 Sprint

1x600 Build on 9:00

4x100 1&4easy on 1:30 2&3 Hard on 1:25

200 Hard to Easy on 2:45

100 Sprint

As stated earlier if I'm not in the top 100 on the swim I am going to be really freaking ticked off. ( unless of course 99 guys and gals (hopefully more gals) from the Austrialian , US and NZ National Swim teams show up.)

This week they are forecasting temps in the "hunt Mastadon" Range but then again these guys hardly ever predict anything right. But this week will be devoted to run focus, Tomorrow I get out early so I will try to get a nice 15 miler in , followed by an 8 miler on Friday, and hopefully a long brick on Saturday if there is no snow, either that or I will brave the brick on Sunday if the temperatures are warmer than the apocolyptic seceond ice age predictions that are floating around ( 10 degrees as a high with a low of -5) afterall watching the Giants pull the "miracle on frozen turf" will be much sweeter after a hard day in the saddle. Also another added factor will be trying to avoid the "plauge" or "cholera like bug"which is running through my house, I've been trying to stay well rested, taking naps coming home from the office, eating my fruits, boiling my water, in general trying to keep my immunity up.

The Medical Machine
R.D.

108 miles in a weekend and Angry's marathon

Ok so I didn't get a full century ride in...but I came close..72 miles before darkness forced me to get of the bike last night.
Saturday:
I managed to eek out a nice 30 mile "hill" workout descending into Southington and earning the ire of local motorists. Now its not my fault there's no shoulder on route 322 and I have to ride hugging the white line and I have to swerve for sand piles and storm drains , but the teen bopper in their impreza can storm troop over all that crap without spilling a drop of their mocha latte. But except for the one pissed off dude in the subaru laying on the horn at me most people gave me room, and it was a fairly good ride. Sadly I did not take TBS up Southington Mountain, the thing has a 12,23 rear cassette and from expereince those extra two teeth on the big rear ring make a lot of difference, no I will save that excursion for the spring when I am a little more comfortable with my climbing progress, ie I can descend without fear that the infamous sandpile of doom is waiting at the bottom of the hill. But the golf course climb was no cake walk either, granted it was more of short steep rollers with some false flat but it'll still burn the quads.

Sunday:
I went to mass and then it was off to the Lake to ride with a couple of guys from the Y. As I stopped in Thomaston for gas and a quick cup of Joe. I got a text from Angry:

"Bob-o I'm leaving this distance shit to you."

I called him up to try to get a race report. Some things I was able to decipher from our brief conversation:

1. If the race started @ 7:00AM he beat P Diddy because I received his Text @ 11:16
2. He beat runner girl making the two people who voted for him very proud. ( He was receiving texts from the Canadian Super Studlet and she was at about mile 20 or 21 when we talked. But it also depends on which corral she was in I'll check official results for details on this.)
3.It was humid as hell, I don't mean Connecticut in July Humid I mean Nashville marathon Humid, The Great Chicago Deathmarch...I mean the 07 Chicago marathon humid, Kona lava fields humid: His exact words "I was pulling what you did in Nashville and downed a couple of salt packets."
4. He is pretty certain he's sticking to half marathons and less.

After leaving Dunkin Donuts in Thomaston it was up to the lake, for a 9-12 lap love fest.
Now one of the guys I was riding with had been giving me the whole " You really don't think you'll finish in 6 hours, because that's averaging close to 20mph, and you haven't done a full century yet." After two loops of the lake he changed his tune ...I had dropped him at mile 6 and he stuck back to ride with the other guy in our group so I was in no man's land once again, for a couple of loops when I reconnected with Century rider, a we rode for a bit until his chain popped. I managed to get nine loops of the 7.75 mile lake for about 72 miles so all in all it was a good day in the saddle. I averaged about 17.5 mph, in the 4:02 ride, including three stops one to put on gloves, one to use the bathroom( no "letting it fly" during the winter.) and one to turn on my flasher and put on a headlamp. I also decided to get in a loop of the lake on foot. Now it's weird running with a headlamp but its definitely better than when I tried to run in the pitch black street lamp to street lamp. I managed to get the most dangerous section of my loop ( the run along CT 45) out before the sun set I stopped at the State Park to relieve my bladder ( once again no using the super absorbent chamois in winter.) I managed to get the run in including restroom stop in about 1:12. My legs were a little tight when I got up this morning but other than that I fine from my bike focus weekend. This week will be devoted to running ( since mother nature just had to remind us it's winter and dump a couple inches of the white stuff.) and as alway swimming. The weekend will hopefully yield another long brick , with the added chance for a ride ( weather permitting) on Monday. Well that's all I can write for now.

The basher of the Brick.
R.D.