Well,  I got  the TT bike out last night and put it on the trainer.  I was all excited, put the power meter on,  got my new shorts on and was ready to crank out a few hundred watts....not.

Yesterday marked my first attempt to get back into a regular tri-oriented training routine.  I was able to get a run in early for about 4 miles then hit the pool last night for a good masters swim.

The run was very sluggish, but I got through it.  I can't explain why you feel so out of shape after a big event,  but you just do.  There is no way you can lose that much fitness after a few days off after your race,  but your body sends weird signals to get you to take it easy.

I hope to get back on the bike this weekend.  I have all but abandoned the tri-bike since the IM.  It actually still has the race number on it and no pedals.

A few weeks ago, TJ Fry,  local swimming legend took some underwater video of us swimming. First, you should see how awesome this guy is in the pool. Unbelievable how fast he his.

He did a nice job with his new underwater camera showing us our pull.  Based on this video, I have got to stop kicking like an idiot.  



Time to get focused and get some of these flaws fixed.

Tim

My sales meeting is over and I finally made it back home.  I have spent some time with the family and find myself on the couch watching the Tour Down Under.

My sales meeting kicked off on Wednesday evening and so far it has consumed my time.  The cool part is we are at the Cooper Clinic the company that formulated my favorite product,  the Elite Athlete Multi-Vitamin.

Today marks my 3rd day since the marathon and I have to say that I feel pretty good.  Our Wobenzym product really helps with the inflammation and I have been loading up on it to the tune of 16 a day.

Yesterday was a great day all around on the course of the Houston Marathon.
My friends Mike Huffine and Jody Gaddy both completed the marathon. Jody ran a PR breaking 4 hours with a 3:57 and Mike Huffine had an incredible first time marathon with a time of 3:47.33. Mike Huffine has done this all while dropping 50 lbs over the past 18 months. No doubt Mike will be heading to Boston soon. I have him down for a 3:19 on his 40th. Now that Jody is under 4 hours, he too was checking his calender for a Boston Qualifier.

In the Half Marathon, Mike Young had a huge PR with a time of 1:41, shattering the 2 hour barrier. He no longer has that monkey on his back. Also my training partner and friend Michelle LeBlanc ran a stunning 1:23 in the 1/2 marathon. I saw her out there at the turn and she was flying.

For me, I could not be happier. I had this monkey on my back from not qualifying for Boston back in 2002. I trained hard that year and tried, but fell apart at Mile 17 and ended up running a 3:22. Not this year baby, with the support of my family at mile 18 (I always race better when they are out there) and with the help of my coach, Dana Lyons and the support of countless other people, I ran a 3:07! That shattered my last time of 3:22 and gives me a Boston Qualifying time for both the 30 - 34 & 35 - 39 age groups. Who knows, maybe a trip on Patriots Day in 2010. What a great way to start the 2009 race season!

Congratulations to everyone that ran yesterday.

Lastly, I have to recognize my good friend Richard Kane for his awesome run at the Angel Island 25K in San Francisco, CA. He is now coached by one of the Legends in Triathlon Mike Pigg. Richard ran a 2:14 on a extremely hilly and sometimes mountainous trail. Richard is seen here with his new coach, Mike Pigg.

I went to the airport yesterday only to learn my flight was going to be at least 4 hours late trying to fly to Chicago.  I was looking forward to seeing Dr. Mercola.  He is a fascinating guy with an awesome company, but below zero temperatures put an end to my flight.

I pride myself on being a good enough swimmer to stay with the lead pack in my age group.  I care less about being the fastest,  but just like staying close to the front.  

However,  last night was an experience that will motivate me to train more.  At our nighttime masters swim,  we are limited on lanes.  Thus, we have about 6 people in the fast lane.  That means the really, really fast people like Ross Davis make me look like a real loser.  

We had to do a fast 500 after countless other swims.  I was feeling pretty good about holding my 1:10 pace.   I went 3rd and at the 150,  he caught me.  That means he was averaging 10 seconds faster than me or holding about 1:00 per 100 yards.  Ross is no spring chicken right out of college.  He is a dedicated and talented masters swimmer that gives us all something to aspire towards in the pool. 

I think we all need to train with people like Ross.  You will not beat them,  but they sure keep you from loafing during a set.  If you loaf,  you get lapped!

Shani returned from Orlando today to my delight. Glad to have mom back in the house. We did our part to be sure the house was cleaned, kids laundry was done, and the floors vacuumed. Shani greeted the kids and they went right back out to play with friends.

Even though she was out this morning, I still managed to get a run in with my neighbor Jody Gaddy. Laura Gaddy watched the kids so we could head out for our last long run before next weekends marathon. I have Jody pegged to run a 3:40. That will be a big PR for him. He is running really well.

Jody and Laura also invited me and the kids out to dinner last night to Bucca Di Beppo for a little pasta. We had a nice time and enjoyed a great meal.

The last long run felt fine, I just kept it under my aerobic zone and averaged about 144 bpm. I was surprised how sore I felt this afternoon, but oh well, nothing you can do about it now. I do take our Wobenzym product all the time to help with the soreness and by the time I started writing this, most of it went away. It is mostly my calves that hurt and have the lingering pain after runs. I wonder if it is the Newton shoes at times, but my calves hurt in just about anything I run in.

Now that Shani is back, I have the feet up and watching a little playoff football. San Diego just scored the first touchdown in what appears to be some really cold and snowy weather in Pittsburgh. Hard to complain about our clear and 40 degrees that we ran in this morning here in Houston.

I have another busy week with work coming up with our sales meeting right around the corner and us launching our new CRM on Demand software. I also plan a trip to Chicago on Wednesday to see one of our best clients. That means Wednesday is definitely an off day.

Good Training,
Tim

Shani returned from Orlando today to my delight. Glad to have mom back in the house. We did our part to be sure the house was cleaned, kids laundry was done, and the floors vacuumed. Shani greeted the kids and they went right back out to play with friends.

Even though she was out this morning, I still managed to get a run in with my neighbor Jody Gaddy. Laura Gaddy watched the kids so we could head out for our last long run before next weekends marathon. I have Jody pegged to run a 3:40. That will be a big PR for him. He is running really well.

Jody and Laura also invited me and the kids out to dinner last night to Bucca Di Beppo for a little pasta. We had a nice time and enjoyed a great meal.

The last long run felt fine, I just kept it under my aerobic zone and averaged about 144 bpm. I was surprised how sore I felt this afternoon, but oh well, nothing you can do about it now. I do take our Wobenzym product all the time to help with the soreness and by the time I started writing this, most of it went away. It is mostly my calves that hurt and have the lingering pain after runs. I wonder if it is the Newton shoes at times, but my calves hurt in just about anything I run in.

Now that Shani is back, I have the feet up and watching a little playoff football. San Diego just scored the first touchdown in what appears to be some really cold and snowy weather in Pittsburgh. Hard to complain about our clear and 40 degrees that we ran in this morning here in Houston.

I have another busy week with work coming up with our sales meeting right around the corner and us launching our new CRM on Demand software. I also plan a trip to Chicago on Wednesday to see one of our best clients. That means Wednesday is definitely an off day.

Good Training,
Tim

I am still in charge! Hannah has changed her mood from a teenager back to an 8 year old. I got them off to school with no problems on Friday and found our morning to be quite pleasant. I understand why she gets so upset with some of the girls on our street. I hope she learns to deal with it soon as it is all part of growing up.

Since I was working, our neighbor's the Paff's picked them up and rode them home. That really helped me out since I was doing reviews with my sales team on the phone every hour.

Last night, Jody Gaddy came over and we shared some pizza and watched the Tivo copy of the IM from 08. It is amazing how fast Craig Alexander was running during the marathon. I read a blog post somewhere that he dropped down some sub 6 minute miles during the pass on Llanos. To do that after riding your bike 112 is awesome.

Today is Saturday and I have not been able to work out yet. Go read my other post Dad is in Charge as to why I have not worked out. I have found myself on the couch and in my office helping "Mi-Mi" get her new macbook up to speed. The coolest part about the macbook is the ability to use I-Chat and share a screen. I am controlling her macbook from here and I am able to move the files around that I need to move.

I will make today an off day and get out tomorrow afternoon when Shani gets home and do my run. During a taper, you can do too much, but not too little.

I did manage to get a run in yesterday when I took the kids to school. Instead of riding, I ran then did a short loop back to the house. I picked up the pace to add in some intensity.

Shani comes back from Orlando tomorrow. I can't wait.

Shani has had to head back to Orlando to be with her mom.  That has left my two adorable angels here with me.  Here is what I have learned,  I am only able to train because my wife is raising my children!

Today starts the marathon taper. It is always nice to taper and begin the healing process from all the work. However, for me, they are always hit or miss. I have had some of my best races without much rest and have had some really good ones with a lot of rest.

Running brings on a different dilemma because you don't want to show up sore from running, but you have to be ready to run. For triathlons, I usually cut the running out or way back and just ride and swim and let myself heal. That worked great for IM Wisconsin. For this marathon, I plan on keeping up with a few more runs, but taking it easy. I love my Newton shoes, but they do reek havoc on my calves at times.

I was able to get a good swim in last night when Hannah was doing her swim. I managed to do a few 100's on the 1:10 and 2 on the 1:05. All of this on 2 swims a week, so I can't complain about my swimming. Swimming Masters at WMST at the new Natatorium is pretty awesome. The caliber of swimmer up there keeps everyone sharp and the coaching is superb.

Hannah must have swam 1500 yards last night. She passed out in the car on the way home. She really loves it which is great. Swimming, Running or any individual sport is so good for girls. She got moved over a lane during her second practice and you could see the pride on her face. Shani suggested she only swim 2 days a week and I agree. I don't want her getting burned out.

Shani is heading to Orlando tonight so I will have the Kids for the weekend. I am looking forward to having them all to myself.

Lastly, I am helping Michelle get on the web. The site is not quite ready, but we hope to be finished soon.

Good training!

Today is my 11th wedding anniversary to Shani. Hard to believe it has been 11 years. This year's gifts, a convection oven and new office furniture! (We did a cruise for our 10th) For those that wonder, you can't train for an Ironman without a supportive spouse. That is why I know how lucky I am.

After heading out for some Cinnamon Rolls to cook in the new oven this morning I managed to get a short ride in for about 30 miles. The cool part was the temperature of 70 degrees at the start. I have not been able to get out on the bike much this past month because of work, holidays etc, so it was nice to get out for a little cruise.

Tomorrow is the last long run of the marathon training with a 2:15 effort +/- 17 miles. I can't wait to be done with that one. It is not that I don't enjoy running, I just have not enjoyed training for the marathon.

Yesterday I managed to get a swim in during lunch which was fun since I have not been in the water for a few weeks either. I felt suprisingly good for such a long layoff. A couple of weeks back I had swam with TJ Fry, a local phenom here and he did some underwater video of our swimming. He pointed out that I had some slipping with my arms underwater probably causing me to give up some pull when I get tired. Now I just try and keep a steady pull from start to finish. The good news was we did some 50's on the :40 and I was pretty comfortable coming in around :33.

We also headed by our team sponsor's new bike store BikeLane now off of I-45 and 242. The place was huge and must be a dream for the owners to have such an awesome location. I know they will do well there. Ken the local mechanic is legendary around here and you would not dream of taking your bike anywhere else. He is going to order me up some new Time pedals for the Q-Roo.

I also sucked it up and signed up for the Lonestar Qtr IM in Galveston in April. We go their every year and I happen to be the 2 time 35 - 39 AG champion! However, I am going to keep the long stuff at bay for a while longer this season and only race the Qtr. These guys do an awesome job with the race and it is always fun to go. All though they started a new 70.3 race in New Orleans the same weekend, I look forward to supporting Keith Jordan and the Galveston Community.

Lastly, my friend Mike brought what my wife refers to as the Nerd Box, that is the Honda Element. I have to admit, it is a pretty cool car for endurance sports. But it does look like a box for endurance nerds.

Today was a good test of my ability to run a decent marathon.  I had a 10 mile run with 6 of it at Marathon pace.  My goal was to keep the HR at 160 or less and see what the legs could do.

Before I get into New Years Day, here is an update on yesterday's inervals. I had 7 x 1 mile repeats at 15 - 20 seconds faster than goal marathon pace, which means I hold about 6:50 per mile. My legs felt pretty strong from the start so I clicked off the intervals with no problem. I enjoyed listening to IM Talk and found the Hot Tub when I was done. Basically, a pretty good day!

Today is New Years day and time for resolutions. I think I speak for many triathletes out there, especially those doing IM races that resolutions are kind of silly. Most of us have goals already set for the upcoming season and we don't just think about working out more, we would kill to work out more! For us it is not about losing weight, but about competing and letting our bodies get to the point where we are the fastest.

Back in 2002 I found myself training for my first marathon. I stopped worrying about losing weight, diets and other silliness and started training. I found a sport I loved to do and started doing it. For me, running is fun, swimming is fun and cycling is fun. If you are looking to get fit, find something you like and go out there and challenge yourself. Instead of saying, I am going to get in shape, set a resolution to break 4 hours in the marathon, break 1:30 in the 1/2 or like me in 2008? qualify for Kona.

What makes the above goals different than most is they have a set point of accomplishment and they allow you to enjoy the journey. Training for an event like the Ironman requires a lot of time. If you don't enjoy the training, then you are in the wrong sport. Yes there are days that are tougher to get motivated than others, but 99% of the time, I just love being out there.

This Year's goal is simple for me, cross the finish line along Ali Drive. The good part is I have 10 months to enjoy the journey of getting ready to compete in Kona.

Today marks the official start of the 2009 tri-season, so whatever your race goal is, set it and go get it!

Good Training,
Tim