Feel the PAIN!

Well tonight I swam myself through an intense 4100 yds.
The warm up wasn't too bad
500 Free on 7:30
500 Kick on 10:00
500 Pull on 7:30
5x100 Drill Swim on 1:35
The next set was a little tougher but still cake
5X100 IM on 1:45
5X100 Pull on 1:30
Then came the main set
It was orginally supposed to be 5x 100 on 1:20
but it became make it until you fail or 10 what ever came first. I made the full 10 and managed to hold 1:15 on all of them...and felt rather vindicated at the end of the torture session...I mean set.
After a quick 100 warm down I shot the shit with Stef for a bit then headed home. If I can keep up yardage like this I'm confident I'll be a little closer to the front of the swim this year...and as soon as classes end the bike will be getting more love... I want to be an animal going into Providence.

Well that's it for me. Got to get some research done and get some shut eye.

Smoke on the Water
R.D.

More Yards in the pool than at my peak of Ironman training: and Why can't I sleep at night?

Well almost, I didn't mean for this week to turn into swim focus it just sort of happened. Monday night I did 4100 yards, Tuesday 3000 yards and last night 3700 yards.
Also on Tuesday I decided to push myself , main set was 5x100 on 1:20 I was holding 1:15-1:17...I must keep doing this set. Last night my main set was 5x200 on 2:45...I was coming in in the high 2:30's for most of them. I need to start working my sets harder...I know I have blazing speed in me somewhere I need to harness it.

Tuesday I managed to get an 8 mile run in. My pace is a little slow but I just started back it took me 1:16. Plus I figure I'm going to try to run 3 times a week for the next couple weeks to build strength in my legs...when classes let out more weights and more cycling...I'm actually thinking of doing the bike commute thing...since I only live 5 min. from my office...and won't need the car for the 20+ mile commute to class.

Like some of the others in the blogosphere, I've been suffering some insomnia. Maybe it's time of year, maybe it's stress, running around like a madman 24/7, jet lag, or other factors...but hopefully things will settle down and I'll be able to get more than 5 hours sleep a night. It's just starting to get annoying....and Juan Valdez's pockets are filling from the massive amounts of caffeine it takes to keep me functional....seriously the last few days have had me considering coffee on IV drip.... I need 1000 CCs of French Roast with 50 CCs of cream stat! I can thing of one reason I can't sleep and it won't be resolved anytime soon...so the best course of action for it is just try to ignore it and look at the back of my eyelids.

Well that's all from here. If Colombia's legitimate GDP starts to rise you'll know it's because I'm still up until all hours of the night.

Hoping to sleep...perchance to dream...
R.D.

Swimming and Weights: I need to get into shape.

Well yesterday I hit the weight room for the first time in god knows how long. My sets were pretty un-impressive

3x10 Peck Flys with 25lbs. DB
3x10 Back Extensions with 25lbs. Plate (My back is weak I must strengthen it.)
1X10 Squat @95 Lbs.
Regain some sembalance of Manhood set
2x8 Squat @ 115 lbs....God I'm weak.

3X10 lunges with a 40lbs. Curl bar yoked on my back.

Not bad for Half an hour Wednesday I'm going longer...and throwing in some core, kettlebell and medicine ball work.

The swim also unimpressive...for me.
4100 yds.

500 Swim on 7:30
500 Kick on 10:00
500 Pull on 7:30
5x100 Drill/ Swim on 1:35
4X400 on 5:45
1X500.. did it in about 6:45-6:50ish.

Getting back into training is tough but I figure the more miles I can get before Providence the better. One of the lifegurads talked me into throwing down $4.00 to swim in my Y's member meet...ie watch all us old farts get beat by the young studs. Figure I'll do the 500 and see if I can break 6:00 for the first time in a while....hey I'm holding between 6:30 and 6:45 in practice without feeling too winded. Not going to do anyother events because I'm unsure of my work schedule...I might not even make it in time to do the 500..depending on how late they keep me in. Regardless I'll either have some bragging rights or a fatter paycheck it's a win-win.

R.D.



Note on my last posts: Some explanation on the English /Metric crap.
The Iroman post...the race was measured in Metrics and my bike computer is in English system.
On my other posts I train with a dude originally from Germany and I have a few friends in NZ that I email on a regular basis...so I'm doing and leaving the metric conversions for my own benefit. (Cut and paste is a beautiful thing.) Sorry if it's annoying.

Damn Girl!

Well yesterday my training partner Josie and myself decided to meet for a ride out in Middlebury. We opted to do the Griskus Sprint Triathlon loop. To anyone who has never done this race let me explain it. The loop is 10 miles long Miles 1-3 are mostly down hill with a pesky little "s" curve through a blind intersection, mile 4 has a short, steep pain in the ass climb Hint for anyone doing Rev 3 this is part of the run course :) Miles 5-9 are rolling with the infamous smiley face and "last hill" marking at the beginning of a half mile (800 meter) assent and mile 10 finds you back on the main road descending.
So yesterday I met up with Josie at my usual parking spot on the rail trail and we were off. This was her first time doing a hilly course on her new Cervelo P2C....everyone here knows my relationship with Cervelo...granted I'm almost tempted to go to the dark side...

The ride began pretty well but there was a wicked Cross wind/ head wind on the opening descent, and it really killed the speed. To put it in perspective areas on Route 64 where I'm normally booking at 25mph (40kph) I was going about 15 -20 (20-30km) . Josie held up surprisingly well on the climbs, as evidenced by her "I love this bike!" comments. I would cook on several of the descents and open up a gap and she would close it on the hills...except for that long gradual one at the end....that hill is mine! We did 3 loops and for some odd reason my second one is always my fastest, maybe it's because I have my gearing down and I'm still fresh, maybe it's because my legs are properly warmed up, I don't know but the second loop I was feeling fresh, the third was about average I felt if it had been a little warmer ( and I had brought my Bento Box ) I could have gone a little further. All said and done we ended up doing 31 miles (just about 50k) in 1:54..averaging just over 16mph(25.6kph).

I figure I'll be doing this loop a lot to work my legs for climbing speed....that and I want to medal in my age group again....seriously I want to see if I can better my performance at this Sprint from last year although I don't want to fry my legs before Providence...hard because they're both in the same week although Patriot is in June so it won't be the Half Saturday- Sprint Wednesday- Half Sunday routine like last year.
Josie seems to be well on pace for a smoking bike split if she can ride like she did yesterday she has a shot at medaling in her age group in most of the sprints she's entered and if she keeps working the hills she'll be a weapon of mass destruction at Redman.

Well that's it for me today is swimming and lifiting and an 8 miler..followed by research...yay!

Wants a Polka Dot Jersey and a 300 Euro Bonus.
R.D.

On the Road again....

Well it's official I'm back to training. After two weeks of slacking off, eatting not so healthy food, and just being lazy in general...now it's back to work. I went for a 5 mile run today did it in 47:24...a little slow but for my first time running since the Ironman I'll take it. Tomorrow a ride with Josie and Caitlin..figure 30-40 miles. Monday it's going to be frigid so I'm figuring weights, pool, run, and study. ( I'm on break so I have my afternoons free.) Tuesday or Wedneday I might ride outdoors again, take advantage of decent weather while I can. But as for Today 5 miles in the legs is what has kicked off my hellish training regiment for Providence 70.3.

I also signed up to volunteer at Rev 3 hoping to work either transition or registration, hopefully they won't see my guard cert expires on June 30 and try to put me in a kayak.

Well that's all for me.
R.D.

The Rhode to Kona goes through Providence

Ok I know spelt Road wrong it was deliberate. Providence 70.3 offered Kona slots and it was relatively cheaper than Rev 3 ( don't worry I plan on volunteering at Rev 3...figure I'll give unathlete a shot at an age group win.) I still have 2 races I want to add to the schedule the Griskus sprint and Patriot ( Patriot gives me an excuse to race with Claire and catch up with Gus...plus I need to defend the elite swim split...granted it's in June this year so the elite field will most likely be larger.)

So 5 tris for 2009...if I have cash/ don't make Kona/ planets align I might throw 1 or 2 more on the schedule but I think that I managed to spread my season a little better this year 1 race a month well 2 in July....figure that will give me time to utterly abuse and waste myself this summer in prep for the throw down in the Ocean State....if I make Kona I'll worry about it then other wise I'll have the money tucked away for New Zealand 3.0..any cute single/sporty girls in the Taupo, New Plymouth, or Auckland area...pleasant, personable, and well groomed triathlete is seeking a home stay/ gear Sherpa/and moral supporter... will do laundry, cook, clean and move freight :)

But all that aside Providence is now on the schedule and will be my "A" race this summer...hopefully there won't be as many tri animals from the North (Triathletas Candanais)* Last year some of these speed demons from the land of Molson, Hockey, the Bare Naked Ladies, Cervelo, Argon 18, Peter Reid, Lisa Bentley, and the mighty Maple Leaf came down and smoked some of us New England Types like Canadian Bacon...eh. To put in perspective how fast my age group was last year I finished 197th out of nearly 1300 entrants and was 17th in my Age group....yes it was a fast field...hopefully it won't be as quick this year...or at least I'll be a little quicker this year.

Well in the Words of Ceasar "The die is cast" May the tri gods grant me fortune .

The Rhode Warrior

R.D.

*I'm really struggling with the Latin here because I learned Classical and the Romans didn't have words for Triathlete or Canada...apologies in advance to all Latin scholars.

T-minus 3 days before my next hardcore training block kicks off.

Yep that's right I've gained about 5 pounds and am getting tire of being a lazy...some what studious fellow...so my next training block will be kicking off this Sunday....hopefully there will be some more and intersting posts once this kicks off.

Part of me realizes the need to start training again is the fact I'm getting fat, I'm eatting wrong, staying up late, drinking coffee like it's going out of style,generally regretting my courseload, plain and simple I need to once again. This year weights will be on the priority scale hopefully it will help turn me into an unstopable beast other wise it will add some definition to my scrawny ass.

Running I'm due for new shoes in May I'll start going with relatively short 3-8 milers and build up from there....and remain injury free.
Cycling I have the feeling I'm going to be spending weeks on my bike.
Swimming well we know what happens when I hit the pool. So now I've got the training dialed in I've got my race schedule pretty much set in my head, my A priority race pretty set, and hopefully life will pan out accordingly.

Alright this post was boring if you're looking for good reads see my links Leana usually has some good stuff up as does Judi...Speedy's twitter will knock you out, and Don't mess with the Iron Fucking Matron! Also if anybody happens to have any info regarding the whereabouts of a Mr. Satan A. Chilles please let us know...there is talk of a reward for info regarding the safe return of him or at least his blog.
Well that's it from me I've got a paper to write a midterm to study for and a bed that is calling my name like a siren.
R.D.