The Dream-Day 138

Weekend wrap up edition:

Nice and easy 45 min bike ride Friday afternoon. I was delayed 10 mins because I couldn't find my sunglasses that I felt the need to put in a shoe in my closet. Am I kidding me? (more on losing my mind later). On a positive note, I dig this taper thing. Not nearly as crushed as with the long training sessions. As a result, my swimming is definitely stronger. Hate to admit it, but tonight was probably the most enjoyable swim I've had to date. It was still a difficult workout, but the fork would have to wait for another day.

Dom picked me up Saturday at 6:30am and we drove to the Heck for a 35 mile ride hoping to stay ahead of the rain and snow. The wind beat us out of bed and, judging by it greeting us with 18mph and a 30 degree wind chill factor, it apparently had a good night's sleep. Right before we started, I went to turn on my PowerTap which I left at home (starting to see a pattern?).

We took a few laps around the 3.75mi oval and then bailed for Union Ave. Great call on Dominque's part as the wind was less fierce. But, as we soon found out, nobody puts rain in the corner. With about 50 mins to go it started and quickly escalated. My Raynaud's rendered my thumbs useless and my other fingers weren't much happier. It was as if someone mashed them with a hammer.

We were almost finished (my frozen face tried hard to smile but couldn't) when I heard a sound like broken glass. I pulled over and didn't notice anything peculiar and rode the last mile to the car. After the ride, we went to Sunrise Tri to drop off my bike so TriBike could pick it up later to ship it to FL. Oh, the sound? That would be a broken spoke. Just happy it happened today. Dom treated me to a great diner breakfast. As we watched the snow come down heavily we sipped on our 2nd cup of coffee with relief that at least we didn't have to ride in that.

On the way home it hit me that I forgot to pick up my other bike at Sunrise Tri. There ya go. Scott's brain has left the building. Goodnight, folks. You've been a great crowd.

Saturday night, we had our annual Halloween party at the Kennedy's house. Their party is always off the charts. This years' theme was School Of Shock. I went as the Mdot and got plenty of stares. Translation: "WTF are you"? Given the departure of my grey matter I told them I'd have to think about it and promised to get back to them.

Today, another great swim, a quick shower, then a 2 mi run around Suffolk Co College and some trails covered with snow. Visited Cynthia (my Controller) in the hospital, watched a quarter of the Giant game and had to do my second 2 mi run before I barfed up my gall bladder.

The Dream-Day 137

I have made it quite clear how much I loathe running. It really is one of the most boring, non-pleasureable things I've ever done. Glad years 0-47 didn't involve this orthopaedically stressful snoozing activity. Still, vowing to never miss a workout, I hit the crappy weather incredibly grateful I only had two 2 1/2 mi runs.

The evening run simply sucked, but mercifully ended quickly. It was dark, raining, and cold...the trifecta of misery. Oh, and it involved running. So, I'm scratching my head in search of a word representing 4 things.

Pace was still pretty strong (for me). On both efforts, I added more hill work and averaged 8:10 (am) & 8:08 (pm).

Here are myy kicks for IM. Hideous for sure, but not nearly as fugly as the others.



The Dream-Day 136

Tuesday's runs were short (2 mi am & 2 mi pm). Felt strong and definitely held back. Short & fast is right in my wheelhouse. Good thing I've got a marathon coming up after a swim/bike "warm up" => not short.

Pace (am):
Mi 1 8:13
Mi 2 7:41

Pace (pm)
Mi 1 7:55
Mi 2 7:23

Today, back at the Heck for a 7-8 out of 10 effort. I bundled up more than I had to in order to simulate the heat that awaits. Not expecting 48 degrees with no humidity in FL.

Post training pic courtesy of timer, propped up camera on glove, and hatch. I am so ready to ditch the bike for my boards.

The Dream-Day 135

Saturday was a light day. Only a 70 mile ride which took 4 hours. Felt like daylight savings time x 10. So, I took advantage and left the house at 8. Triathletes around the world are left questioning my commitment.

Sunday, I had a 2 hr endurance swim knocking out 4,000 yards (2.3 miles) and then transitioned right into a 4 mi run. I spent the afternoon watching football to the delight of my blood pressure which remained even (the Giants weren't playing). At 5, I had my 2nd 4 mile run. I ran each lap at a dismal 9-9:15 pace but it felt much faster. Can you say training stress?

Tapering couldn't have come at a better time.

The Dream-Day 134

Man, it is so important to wake up each morning and be grateful for your health and for the health of those in your world. My Controller is having it really rough. She remains one of the bravest people I've ever met. As a numbers person, she knew from the diagnosis 3 years ago that her odds of making it were slim. Yet, she kept coming to work often in pain and great discomfort. Her commitment and loyalty to me are not of this Earth. I can only imagine how scary the last 3 years have been for her, let alone these past few weeks, as her health has rapidly declined.

What lies before me is nothing by comparison. As 11/5 comes rocketing ever closer my heightened anxiety, especially for the Gulf swim, has come along for the ride. But every time my inner monologue sends off the warning flares and sounds the alarm I think of what she's going through and the courage in which she's dealing with it.

That's why I've decided to dedicate the swim portion of the Ironman to her. I told her I was doing this during my visit to the hospital and it comforted me a great deal to how much it meant to her.

The Dream-Day 133

Survived last night's swim even though some of us nearly added to the fluid level when we looked up and saw we were done with our workout but there was still 10 min remaining. Coach Joe started us off with the Russian Cool Down.

Russian Cool Down (explained): 10lb rubber coated bricks are sent to the bottom of the pool (~ 20'). Spent swimmer puts hands over head, goes to the bottom, depressurizes ears, picks up brick, and does a squat push off to the surface. If Coach is in a sprite mood you may be asked to collect 2 at once. I've been on the short end of this before, but thankfully, not last night.

Today, I went to "The Heck" (Heckscher State Park) with Dominique. She had an hr bike and I had the first of two 4 mi runs. I finished up and had time to blast out Ab Ripper. Finished up run #2 around 6pm.

Tonight, I'm off to visit my Controller in the hospital. Really sad situation. Count your blessings and be grateful for every healthy day you have on this rock of ours.

The Dream-Day 132

After a much appreciated day off, I was back at it on Tuesday with morning and afternoon 3 1/2 mi runs. Then, at 7pm, I was off to our Fit Club (Fit Club Of Long Island - http://www.meetup.com/TeamKMOBFitClubofLongIsland/) where 23 nut jobs bounced around to a Beachbody program called Brazil Butt Lift by Leandro Carvalho. Good thing I couldn't participate. Don't want to overtrain (i.e. make an utter fool out of myself). Actually, it's really fun and I actually couldn't care less what I look like. I was impressed that we had some guys there that apparently felt the same way. However, I do have to admit they looked like a dry heave set to music.

Today, I wussed out, stayed dry, and did my 3x20' at 185+ watts on the trainer.

Really happy when I'm done. My butt, that is.

My new ride for IM FL. It's only money. Putting the finishing touches on my application for that 2nd job.

In a few minutes, I have a date with the LTC (liquid torture chamber).

The Dream-Day 131

My swim pal, Dave Pokorny, recommended his PT guy (John Fox) in Farmingdale who was nice enough to fit me in during his lunch time. John put me through a battery of tests and instantly noticed what I'm doing that's pissing off the posterior tibial tendon. He took me through 5 exercises that I'll do 2x/day to accelerate muscle memory and focus on better running mechanics between now and IM. Definitely could've used this knowledge when I started running in April. Can't turn back the clock. Oh, he wouldn't take any money. Solid guy.

After I left, I called Dr. Durlan Castro's office to see if I could get in for some ART (active release technique) to help with the ankle and quad. They were overbooked but had a late cancellation. Got in and have another appointment tomorrow. I think all the health care practitioners are silently rooting for me to continue my triathlon training. Rumor has it they're naming cars and boats after me.

This weekend's (what weekend?) training has been a beast. Yesterday, I had a 6 1/2 hr ride in 25 mph winds. Nice when it's behind you especially when it's on the return. Well, I had 1 of the 2. The ride back was simply hellacious. I was pulling major watts and, at times, going 10 mph. For non-cyclists reading this, imagine peddling hard and someone's trying to pull you backward. Coach Joe calls it imaginary hills. About 5 times, the wind came close to knocking me over. One of those times I was standing still at a light. Crotch survived but holding my mellon up for that long was pretty painful.

On the positive side, my nutrition was much better this week. The first 3 hrs I went with 1/2 Clif Bar (the choc chip with peanut butter was awesome) and 1 Fig Newton per hr then switched guns to 1/2  Clif Bar and 1 boiled new potato with parmesan cheese and salt (YouTube Dr. Allen Lim's recipe) per hr. Can't describe how friggin' happy I was to be done. Spent the rest of Saturday hobbling up and down the stairs. Actually stayed up until 10pm (after eating everything that wasn't nailed down, of course).

Today, by comparison, was pretty light. Only a 7am swim in the liquid torture chamber (affectionately known as LTC) followed by a 3 1/2 mi run. At 3pm, I finish up with a 4 miler.

Starting at 4, I vow to park my ass on the couch, watch football, and beg my daughter to fetch me food for the rest of the night. I anticipate a cash transaction to be involved. Wonder if she takes plastic.

The Dream-Day 130

"The Dream" is slowly turning into the train wreck.

Weds swim was horrid. Felt like someone strapped a 50lb boulder to my back. Quad isn't much better (going to Big Wave Dave's PT guy today for laser treatment) and ankle is the same...crappy. Others I talk too that are doing full IM (Arizona & Cozumel) are getting in major running miles while I've done virtually nothing. Of course, that only serves to weigh on me more. Yet, I still feel confident I'll finish, but how I finish will be the question.

To make matters worse, I'm ditching Perpetuem which leaves my bike fueling up in the air. Tomorrow, I have a 6 1/2 hr ride and I'll bring the kitchen with me to trial.

Back in the water tonight.  I'm focusing on increasing my hydration during the day and eating differently to see if that makes a difference.

Wish I had more upbeat news to blog about.

The Dream-Day 129

I think it took me this long to recover from Saturday's ride to get amped up to create my next post.

I felt like dog shit until Sunday late morning. I basically had a fitness hangover. I rallied hard to get my ass out of bed at 6am and to the pool for 7am training. I was not a happy camper and was really close to bailing, but like most of the swims lately, I wasn't afforded the time between sets to make my escape. I hit the wall, gasped for air, and 5 seconds later would hear the blood curdling demand of "GO!". Oh, happy days.

I finished up, took a quick shower, and then bolted for Golds to spend 2 lovely hrs on the dreadliptical. Talk about watching paint dry. I "ellipticalled" 12 1/2 miles, took another shower, and motored home to collect my youngest daughter, drop her off at dance, and then headed down solo to the University of Delaware to take my 2 undergrads out for dinner.

Monday was a rest day but I still did Ab Ripper X and 100 pushups in my hotel room before driving to my factory 50 mins away.

With 3+ weeks to go, Joe has me running 2x/day every other day. Each time I'll increase distance. That way, I can still get in a respectable weekly volume without crushing my ankle. Yesterday's runs were ok until my right quad (I hurt it a few months ago) decided it wanted in on the action and started to bother me. After the evening 3 miler it felt like a Charlie-horse. I had a bike workout scheduled this morning and reluctantly decided not to do it. I know that was the wise decision, but I still felt a huge slacker. I'll swim tonight, rest it again tomorrow, and hope for the best for Friday's bike. Saturday, I have a 6 1/2 hr bike so I've read my legs the riot act and told them to knock it off already.

The Dream-Day 128

Yesterday, I ran 3 mi very easy. That seems to be the point where the pain begins. So, after speaking with Coach Joe, I'll probably run that distance several times next week accumulating distance in frequency rather than in a few longer efforts.

Last night's swim went much better than I thought it would. Atypically, we had longer sets with the intensity dialed back slightly. We started out with 3x100s on 2:00 and then 4x400s on 8:00. Total was about 2,700 yards (1.5 mi). Most sets over 100 yards intimidate me because my endurance isn't nearly as strong as the short stuff which is more about anaerobic capacity. However, we had a great group (Frank The Tank, Dominique, and Pete) and my competitive genes got fired up.

Got home around 9:30 and promptly ate 4 pieces of chicken, a cup of whole grain rice, and asparagus. I think I digested that in 10 mins. How else can I explain devouring 3 bagels. Yes, I said 3. Went to bed around 11:30 cursing the alarm clock in advance of my 4:45 wake up.

Stumbled to the kitchen and had a bowl of cereal and fruit and then went back to bed for another hour of sleep. Before long rides and IM I like to eat something real about 2 hrs before I start. So, right on schedule, I took off at 6:45 for a 6:15 min ride. Felt pretty good after 2 1/2 hrs and then my stomach decided it didn't like Perpetuem any more. This left me with no appetite (not good) but I managed to force down fluids but not nearly enough. This, my friends, is a prescription for disaster. I gutted out (pardon the pun) the remainder of the ride and waiting for my appetite (and the feeling in my crotch) to come back.

Riiiiiiight. I have to do this after I swim 2.4 and before a 26.2 run. I'm not well.

The Dream-Day 127

Frickin' brrr. Heard the coast was clear (no Federali) so I hit Heckscher for a 2 hr ride. Tons of wildlife around this morning. Even ran into the rarely seen species of Coach Joe and Justin Schwartz (nice new ride, dude).

Had to don the jacket, long tights, barrier headband and, of course, my legendary lobster gloves. Much rather have it super hot. In fact, I am a bit concerned about going from the cool Fall weather to the heat of Florida as I've spent the Summer acclimating my engine to the stresses of heat.

Main set was 3x30 min above 185 watts (80% of threshold). Averaged 193, 189, and 185. Definitely a solid effort. The bike portion will be the longest of the 3, but it's the one I have the most confidence in. Hoping my undercarriage survives the onslaught. 6:15 min ride on Saturday will be a solid test.

If anyone has the keys to the thermostat I'd appreciate jacking that bad boy up around 5am on Saturday.

The Dream-Day 126

After 6 sessions, -500 large, and feeling no better, I've decided to cross acupuncture off my list. Still going to PT at least for the remainder of this week. Looked at my iPhone calendar this morning and saw that November 5th is officially on the radar. I can't believe it's been over 9 months since I clicked on the registration button.

32 days to go (what was I thinking?)

Had a good brick yesterday riding 90 min hard then running 3 mi. The 3 mi mark is when my ankle starts to hurt and it gets much worse from there. It'll be interesting to see how much pain I'll be able to endure. I'll have plenty of time to heal once this mess is over.

Today, it was back on the dreadliptical for 95 min. I've decided we don't have nearly enough words in our language that describe "suck". I'm sure I'll make some up during tonight's swim panic attack.

The Dream-Day 125

Sat night, I got to bed around 1am (I guess that would be Sunday) and made the executive decision to blow off 7am swim training at the college and swim an hour in the Long Island Sound after 1:45 on the Dreadliptical. I'm good for about 45 mins on that thing then all bets are off. Really happy Roseann joined me. Got in around 3000 yards before my fingertips froze.

Watched my G-Men squeak out a win against the Cardinals (wisely kept AED close by) and, after a 17 hr training week, elated about tomorrow's rest day (aka healing day).

The Dream-Day 124

Welcomed October with a 107 mi ride. Started out in light rain so I had to break out the light rain jacket I bought last week but planned on returning...not. Figures. Did a much better job this week of sticking to coach Joe's plan, but I wish it included mandatory company. 6+ solo really blows.

PT gave me the green light on Fri so I tossed in a 2 mi run off the bike alternating fast walking with running every 1/4 mi. Ankle held up ok, but the real test will be after mile 3. That seems to be the demarkation line. Nevertheless, I was really hurting after. Legs were shot. Not good news with 5 wks to go.

It's a strange feeling. I was ok until I finished. Then, within minutes ultra exhaustion, a tad queasy, and thighs sore as hell. Begs the question, I'm doing this again why? Wanted real food but didn't have much of an appetite even though I cooked 4277 calories.

Took a nap late afternoon then rallied for movie club at Danielle & Seth Forman's at 7. Saw "The Reader". Nice flick. My blog gives it an 8 out of 10.