Monday, December 29, 2008

The Holidays

I've never been a big fan of the holidays. I seem to eat and drink way too much, put on too much weight and I just get lazy. Well I definitely am meeting two of the three screens. I have been eating and drinking too much and I am getting fat. The one good thing that is that I have still been training. The Houston Marathon is a little less than three weeks away so I just couldn't sit on the couch. My hope is to be a few pounds lighter for the race but I know I will not be at my normal race weight.

This week I plan to start riding and swimming more and basically settling back into my normal routine. In addition to the marathon I have my first ride of the season at the end of January. I have a pretty aggressive 2009 season planned and I need to get going now so I don't fall behind.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Dave Scott and Chicago

Well it seems I have time for two posts in one week. WOW!

Last Friday I traveled with Jay to California to go through the TNT Triathlon Tier 1 certification with Dave Scott. The actual certification was on Saturday and Sunday and it was packed with a lot of information. At one point I thought my head might explode. On Saturday we talked about expectations of a coach, running position and bike fitting. I particularly got a lot out of the running portion of the clinic. It was nice to have someone give you feedback on your running style and to give feedback as well. I think it should help me with my own participants. During the run portion of the clinic we actually got to run with Dave Scott and that was very cool as well. On Sunday the fun really got going. We started off with a little dip in the outdoor pool. It was heated but still cold. We swam around 2000 meters and it really helped my own technique and it gave me some things that I have already brought back to my team. After the swim clinic we went through nutrition in detail. Every endurance athlete knows how important nutrition is and I definitely picked up some information that will be useful. After lunch we did a strength training clinic that kicked my ass. Anyone who knows me knows I love to lift weights and I think I am pretty strong. We weren't even using weights and it really wore me out. I guess I have more work to do. At the end of the clinic I received my certificate took a picture with Dave and Jay and we headed to the airport only to find out that our flight back was delayed by an hour. But wait it only gets better.

Due to my crazy schedule I had another trip planned right after my trip to the Bay Area. I arrived in Houston around 1:30 am and got home around 2:30 only to have enough time to shower sleep for an hour and head back to the airport so I could catch a 7 am flight to Chicago. Needless to say I was dead. I managed to get myself to Chicago O.K. but around 4 pm my very exciting meeting almost put me to sleep. After my meeting it was off to dinner and then finally to bed around 9 pm. The next day we were supposed to get snow in the afternoon and I had a 9 mile run scheduled after my meeting. The weather did just as it was supposed to and it snowed and snowed. I still did my run but it was challenging. I stepped through some ice early in my run and my feet were very wet and cold but I pressed on. I finished my run in 1'22" and I felt pretty good. I would have kept going but I was meeting my friend Steven for dinner. On Wednesday I headed back to H-Town only to find the snow travelled back with me. It was neat to see the snow in Houston. I actually think it was colder here.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Long Road Out of Eden

I had the incredible opportunity to see the Eagles last week at the Toyota Center. This was the show I was supposed go to in September but our friend IKE got in the way of that. This was a very different scene from the Metallica concert a few weeks ago and was probably a good thing. The Eagles have always been known for their great harmonies, their song writing and their ability as musicians and they did not disappoint on this night. They opened up with 4 songs of the new album "Long Road Out of Eden" before getting into a long set with the classics. They did something I have never seen before and that was they put an intermission halfway through the set. After the break they performed a few more songs off the new album and then it was back to classics. The total time was around 3 hours and they were good for every second of it.

This was definitely one of the best shows I have been to. As I was sitting in the audience I was thinking about what great performers they were and how I had forgotten what a great guitar player Joe Walsh is. If you get a chance to see them it is well worth the money.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Ironman Cozumel

I meant to do this post on Saturday but I never got around to it. Saturday marked the one year countdown to Ironman Cozumel. I am still very excited to be competing in this event. I have already began preparing my plan for next year and I think its going to be a great event. I still would like to an Ironman event prior to Cozumel but I am not sure if that will be possible. We shall see.

I did make one decision this weekend and that was to skip the Dallas Marathon. I have done so many events this year and a lot of them have been out of town. I don't mind traveling but it does take me away from the kids and it has just been costing me so much money. I also think I am starting to experience a little burn out and I think I need a break from competitive events. I will still keep training as I am signed up for the Houston Marathon and I want have good day on January 18th.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Death Magnetic

On Thursday I went to see Metallica at the Toyota Center. I have had the opportunity to see Metallica one other time in 1991 in Oakland, CA at a festival called Day on the Green. It was festival with 4 bands that included the then unknown Soundgarden.













I was very excited about seeing one of my favorite bands and they did not disappoint. We did not make it for the opening act and it didn't matter to me because I never heard of them and their name escapes me now. We were in the mosh area not more than 10 feet from the stage. There was a little bit of moshing going on and needless to say my anger management issues kicked in and I had to set a few youngsters straight. :)















The set was a little over two hours. Most of the set was between the new album "Death Magnetic" and the "Black" album. I know you have to promote the new stuff and you have to play the stuff off the best selling album but I would have loved to have heard a few more of "And Justice for All" or any of their earlier records. It was a great show and I'm glad I had the opportunity to see them.

Monday, November 17, 2008

San Antonio Marathon

Yesterday I ran the San Antonio Marathon and although I did not have the race I was hoping for I did finish and I should be back at it in a few days. Before I get into the details of the race I wanted to share my feelings on the pre and post race activities.

We arrived in San Antonio around 1:30 and you could see that it was total chaos around the Alamo Dome. There were a lot of roads blocked off and while I was trying to find a detour I found myself stuck in the downtown area and it just sucked. After 45 minutes I finally found some parking down the street from the dome. After we were yelled by a cop for crossing the street we finally made it inside for packet pick-up. This might have been one of the biggest disasters ever. They had a very small area set up for the pick up. It was so small that the lines were merging together. You could barely wade you way through the bodies. After getting my packet and arguing with the lady that was giving out the race shirts I made my way through the expo which was also a disaster. You could barely move or look at anything. Why they only had part of the dome open and set up things the way they did is really bizarre. The post race set up was just as stupid. For some reason we parked at the AT&T Center and were bussed over to the downtown area and then finished the race at the Alamo Dome only to have to wait in freaking line for hours to get back to your car might be the stupidest thing. We took a taxi just so we didn't have to wait. At the finish there wasn't much food and it seemed they were charging for the beer. Most races it is free. They also wanted you to pay for the finishers shirt. The Rock N' Roll people should call the event people from the Houston Marathon and ask them how to do a marathon.

Now for the race itself. (sorry about the complaining) When we got to the start it was very cold. I had a lot of debate over what to wear and I did not choose wisely. I wore thermal tights, a sleeveless shell, a thermal shirt and a long sleeve running shirt at the start. ( I am a sissy in the cold). I began running the race with Jarntip, Kyle and Crystal. When we got started I felt good and quickly pulled ahead of the other 3. I quickly got hot and had to start stripping off layers eventually throwing my thermal shirt away but I was stuck with the rest. I wish I would have just worn shorts and a running shirt. Around mile 4 I had to pee very bad so I stopped at a Port-O-Can. Shortly after I was back on the road and I took a Power Bar Gel and I had some stomach problems about 2 minutes later. I don't know what was in it but it did not settle well with me. I kept running at a decent pace despite my stomach but I had to stop around mile 6 to use the restroom. After I got back on the road I still wasn't feeling well and stopped at mile 10 and again at mile 13. All during this time I kept a good pace but I felt it taking its toll on me. I couldn't take any Cytomax as it seemed to aggravate my stomach and I really needed some energy. At mile 14 my stomach was still bothering me but I was through the worst as far my stomach goes. I kept going well until mile 19 and then things got really tough. My right knee starting causing me a lot of pain and I had to slow way down and eventually walk. I starting running again for a while and then walking and finally stopping to stretch until mile 23. That is when Crystal caught me walking. We walked together for about half a mile and then I just started running despite all the pain I was in. I pulled ahead of her and I was just trying to block out the pain. I wanted to stop and walk but I wanted to finish even more so I picked up the pace even more. I finally managed to get to the finish line and came in with a time of 4:27:41. This was my second marathon and it was a PR for me. I'm happy that I finished but I felt like I would come in closer to 4 hours based on my training. I am going back to the drawing board to tweak my training and I need to figure out why the gel made me sick. My next event is the Houston Marathon in January but I may do the Dallas Marathon in December if its still open.

I am pretty sure I will not do this race again at least not next year. It is two weeks before Ironman Cozumel and I don't want to take the chance of an injury. If the event gets straightened out then maybe I will do but it will take a lot of convincing to make me want to do this race. The course itself was good and it was nice seeing all my peeps from H-Town it was everything else that sucked.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Seattle

I was in Seattle last week and I must say it is a beautiful city. I see why the people there love it so much. It did rain every day but it didn't seem to bother anyone in the city like it does here in Houston. If we had that amount of rain in Houston I think the city would shut down. (Just kidding) I didn't get to do too much site seeing but we did head down to Pike Place Market. Its the place you see on TV where they throw the fish from person to person before they wrap it up and give to you. It was kind of neat. At the market we also visited the first Starbucks and a kick ass Clam Chowder joint. We also ate at Pegasus Pizza in Alki (a suburb of Seattle) with Mark Vega and his girlfriend. (Mark is Dave Vega's brother) The pizza was awesome and so was the company. I hope to go back to Seattle someday. It reminds me of Austin and San Francisco combined together.

When I travel I always try and workout. I didn't do as good of a job with this is Seattle. I did run on Friday morning at Discovery Park. The park was very nice and very hilly. My goal was to get a 10 mile run in but I strained by left calf early in my run. I was only able to get 5 miles and I have been limping around since then. I have done two runs since Friday. I did a 5 mile run on Tuesday and 9 mile run today. My calf is still very sore but I think I will be O.K. for the marathon on Sunday. Even if I'm not I'm still running. I may have to crawl to the finish but I am going to finish.

Monday, November 3, 2008

I'm Ready

Yesterday I finally did my 21 mile run in preparation for the San Antonio Marathon. I felt pretty good during the run and this morning I am just a little sore. I finished my 21.02 miles in 3:13:17 which includes a few stops at traffic lights. I pretty happy with that time and I feel that I am ready for the marathon.

Backing up a few days I was able to get a short swim in on Friday and I rode 46 miles on Saturday. My swimming is getting better but I need more time in the pool. That is going to be tough with my travel this week. The 46 miles I did on Saturday was great. It was the first long ride since the Longhorn 70.3.

Lastly, I have had a big debate with myself about what races I want to do in 2009. I am already signed up for Ironman Cozumel but my goal is to do two Ironman races in 2009. My initial thought was to do Ironman Brazil. It was the first one I planned for when looking at the 2009 schedule. The main issue there is the cost. I know I could be ready in plenty of time. While on the Ironman site the other day I noticed that Ironman Kentucky was still open. The cost to get to Kentucky would be a lot less but the issues there are a tough course and it is on August 30th. (Very hot!) I'm still not sure what I will do but I will make a decision soon.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Moving Along


My training for the San Antonio Marathon is moving along well. I am a little nervous about doing my 21 mile run so close to the actual race but it is necessary due to my schedule. I will do that run this weekend and hopefully I will be able to recover properly. I ran a little over 17 on Sunday and I feel pretty good. I plan to ride my bike today despite the cold weather. I have not been on my bike in over a week and I don't want to fall behind in this area. I will also get a couple swims in this week and a long ride on Saturday. My main issue right now is my diet. I have been eating really crappy the last couple of weeks and I need to pull it together and see if I can drop a couple pounds prior to the race. We will see. I do have to travel again next week so it may tough to diet.

On a weight lifting note, I have really been feeling good. I have been strength training 3 times a week for the last few weeks and its starting to pay off. I'm starting to feel my strength returning and its nice to be back in that mode even if its for a short time. I would probably weight train 5 or 6 times a week if it wasn't for the marathon.

Monday, October 20, 2008

The Beat Goes On

My training goes well this week. This last week I ran almost 40 miles for the first time in a long time. I have another run scheduled for Tuesday evening followed by 18 miles on Saturday. I feel like I should be ready to go for the San Antonio Marathon in November even though I am a little behind on my mileage. This week I plan to increase my swimming and biking a little just so I don't fall behind on the triathlon side of things. I really feel like I have hit my mark with my training over the last 6-7 weeks and look forward to my upcoming events.

On another note I want to say I am really proud of the Lonestar Team. I have really been pushing the miles with the team and they keep meeting the challenge. I really feel good about this team and I am sure that they will continue to do well.

Friday, October 10, 2008

No Rest for the Wicked

I have been feeling pretty good this week and despite some very poor eating and drinking habits I decided that I don't need to take time off this week to rest. I still have some marathons to run and I don't want to fall behind in my training. I have had three great weight lifting sessions that started with a superset on chest on Tuesday. I did a short swim on Wednesday and ran 7.25 miles on Thursday after a back workout earlier in the day. I finished off the weights with a good leg workout today. I am hoping to get a few miles on my bike Saturday with my team but I may have to ride SAG. I have a long run scheduled for Sunday morning before doing some "brick" training with some members of the Lonestar Team.

I am looking forward to watching some football and the Ironman Championship this weekend and seeing my friends and swapping war stories. I am also going to enjoy my last couple days of eating and drinking everything in sight.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Longhorn 70.3

Sunday marked my 7th and final triathlon of 2008. This season has been very productive for me. During the season I set several PR's and I have really surprised myself on how I have performed. My first race was the CBI Sprint in May where I did not PR due to a flat and some mechanical problems. A few weeks later I did the Silverlake Sprint where I beat my previous race time by 3 minutes. I finished off May with the Capital of Texas Triathlon where I beat my previous Olympic PR by 4 minutes on a hot and humid day. I didn't race again until August where I competed in the Clear Lake International Triathlon. This was the first year for the race and I finished in 2:07. Two weeks later I did my first Half Iron of the season competing in the PrairieMan Half Ironman. I had a cold and fever and I was still able to cut 27 minutes off my previous best. Last week I had my final tune up for Longhorn racing in the Stonebridge Ranch Olympic Triathlon and setting another PR with a time of 2:38:14 and taking almost 17 minutes off the PR I set at Cap Tex in May.

Now for my "A" race of the season the Longhorn 70.3. This was the first time racing in an official "M-Dot" event and I have to say it was a little exciting. When I arrived at packet pick up at the Sheraton Michellie Jones and Simon Lessing were in the lobby chatting. It was neat to see the pro athletes at the event. There was really cool swag in the packet pick up bag including a cool running hat and shirt. After I bought a couple things at the expo it was off to race site to check my bike in and then to the hotel to rest. One of the great things about the weekend was having the opportunity to race with Terry and Coach Liz. Both are tremendous athletes and as we were eating dinner I was thinking to myself I was just hope I can keep up with them.

My race morning started the same as usual. I woke up a little after 4 am and ate my pre-race meal of Capn' Crunch. For whatever reason it really works for me. I left for the race a little after 5 and when I arrived to the race site there were thousands of participants waiting to get on a bus to get over the transition area. There were so many people they delayed the start of the race to allow everyone to make it to the transition area. I was in the 5th wave and I was feeling a little nervous but I knew I was ready. I had an awesome swim shattering my previous swim times at this distance and coming in with a time of 36:52. I couldn't believe my time when I got out of the water. The bike course was little different than last year. Somehow they found a way to make it tougher by adding some extra hills. On top of the hills there was a horrible head and crosswind but I finished the 56 miles in 2:50:27 which matched my PrairieMan time. This was great considering the conditions. Then I was off to the run. The run course was same as last year. I wish it wasn't because there were some tough hills to run up. One hill, a very long hill, has the dubious honor of being labeled Quadzilla. Sounds fun doesn't it? The one difference from last year is that it wasn't quite as hot during the run due to a few clouds and wind. I ended up finishing the run in 2:08:22 and again I matched my PrairieMan time on a much tougher run course. The damage at the end was a time of 5:41:25 and another PR. I am still in disbelief. I expected to do well but not to beat my time from PrairieMan. To shave another 14 minutes of my PR is so sweet. On top of that I beat my time from last years race by 41 minutes. That is just insane. Needless to say I am really excited about my time at Longhorn and all my races in 2008.

Now for next season. I have tough work ahead of me with at least one but probably two full Ironman races in 2009 and a handful of other triathlons, marathons and bike rides. I need a little rest but I very excited about what I have coming up.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Stonebridge Ranch Triathlon

On Sunday I competed in my 6th triathlon of 2008 with one more to go. I traveled to McKinney to compete in the Stonebridge Ranch Olympic Triathlon. This was my final tune-up for the Longhorn 70.3 on October 5th. I had a great a day out in McKinney that always starts with those pre-race nerves. Here are the details:

When I arrived to transition it was actually a little chilly outside. I got my bike racked and my transition area set up and then it was off to the swim start. The swim was 1500 meters and was two loops around this man made lake. The nice thing about the lake was that it was cool enough to make it wetsuit legal and the bad thing was the water tasted awful. As I started the swim I just wasn't feeling it but I motored on. I'm a slow swimmer and I like to take my time as to not use too much energy but I still had an O.K. time of 37 minutes. The run from the water to transition was down a hill and over a bridge. When I got on the bike I felt pretty good. The ride was tough. There here some tough hills that you couldn't get any speed on and I was also riding part of the race with Sprint Race people and at times it did get a little frustrating. After all was said and done I finished the bike in 1:06:48 which was a 21.6 mph pace. Pretty good considering the hills. I got back into transition and I began to realize that I was on a PR pace if I had a good run. The run was hilly as well. I had to run down hills through different tunnels and then back up another hill to the street. As I was running I began to get a little pinch in my right side and I had to slow down for a little bit to get my breathing in check. After the pinch went away I was able to pick up my speed and finished the run portion in 48:24 which was a 7:48 mph pace. That was awesome for me. As for the overall results I set a PR for an Olympic distance triathlon with a time of 2:38:13 which was 8th in my age group. I did not set out to do that. I just wanted get some training in for the Longhorn 70.3 next week. I am very happy with this time which is almost 17 minutes faster than my previous PR that I set in May.

Now one thing about me. I am a very competitive person. When it comes to triathlon I am competitive but it has always been against myself. I have always tried to improve and get better race to race. I know I am not the fastest so I just try to race well each time I go out. With this race I really did set out to just get some training in but when I realized that I was going to have a chance to PR it was opportunity to prove something to those people that don't take this sport seriously or who think they are better than everybody or who don't value me. There a few people out there that I just wanted to prove to that I can hold my own. Now I know that I really don't have anything to prove but it was nice beating some other peoples PR's who think they are better than everyone else.

I'm pretty anxious about Longhorn but I know I am ready. I am also ready to put an end to this tri season. I haven't been doing my job as a Dad and I need to get my act together. I'm looking forward to quality time with my kids.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Johnny Romano

It is with great sadness that I write about the passing of Johnny Romano. Johnny passed away yesterday. Here is an excerpt from Julie Romano's blog:

"Johnny is a trooper. He never cries, screams or complains. NEVER. Not once. Such a hero. But we never sees it that way. Heroes never do."

As I was typing in the excerpt from Julie Romano I was getting a little choked up. As a father of two I continued to be thankful for having very healthy and happy kids. There are times that I wonder why I stay with Team In Training. As a coach or a participant for the third straight event you start to get a little tired and you want to have your time back. All I have to do is read Johnny's blog and I don't have to wonder why I am here.

I have never had an opportunity to meet Johnny or his family. I hope to meet his family soon. I have two triathlons over the next two weeks. I have an Olympic in Dallas on Sunday and I have a Half-Iron in Austin the following Sunday. When I'm out there sweating, hurting and starting to cry and complain I will think of Johnny. I want to be a hero too.

Monday, September 22, 2008

My Training

My training goes well. I have not done a lot of long distance training except since the PrairieMan Half-Ironman two weeks ago but I still feel pretty good. I am off work this week and plan to get in some long distance work in anticipation of the Longhorn 70.3 in two weeks. I really need time on my bike as I have only done one short ride which was today since PrairieMan.

On another note I have had three great weight training sessions in the last week. Weight training is my first love but it tends to get in the way of the whole swim, bike and run thing. I realized something the other day when I hit gym. I was wearing an old shirt at the gym and the shirt was big on me. This was a shirt I wore in my pre-tri years. I used to really fill this shirt out specifically in the arms. I really need to spend some more time lifting. Maybe after Longhorn, or the San Antonio Marathon, or the Houston Marathon. I guess not. Its the price I have paid to the Triathlon Gods.

Later

Lonestar Half-Iron Team and the Nation's Team

Saturday was the first official practice for the Lonestar Half-Iron Team. We had a small group for our first practice but it was a good practice. We did two loops around the park and the team did a good job with the run. We have our first swim and bike practices this week and I am anxious to get the team started.

As for the Nation's Team Saturday will probably be the last time that I see most of these guys. There has been and I am sure will be many social gatherings with this team, however I will probably not attend. For one thing the dates getting kicked around for a reunion party conflict with events on my calendar and I think I need a break from the team. I was very proud to be part of this team and very proud to see the improvement of everyone but as the season went on I became very frustrated with a number of the participants. I know as a coach that you have to be patient and understanding with those you are teaching. I am also aware that each person was out there was trying to raise quite a bit of money. But as the season went on and you are having to repeat simple things that we had been talking about for months it becomes frustrating. People would be whining about stuff that we had been doing all season. You begin to wonder if anyone reads your e-mails or listens when you are speaking. There was also entirely too much partying from this team. Now anyone that knows me will probably look to see if they are reading my blog. I have been known to be a pretty hard charging partier but when it came down to the training and more specifically race day I was there ready to go. I never drank before practice and there is no way I would drink anywhere near race day. However some of the team would come into Saturday's practice with 2 or 3 hours of sleep and obviously hung over. Lastly, the thing that really burns me up is that I gave up some of my personal things including money with no thanks. I had tools and other equipment that I would loan out and would come back broken with no apologies. I made donations to several participants with very little or no thanks given. That is just rude. There of course is more to this story but I think I made my point.

If anyone from the Nation's Team reads this I know it will come across as very negative. I want to say that it was an honor to coach this team. The one thing that would make me smile was when someone would say thanks. That meant more to me than people know. I didn't get into this coaching gig for money. I got into it to share my love and knowledge of triathlon. I hope that everyone appreciates the knowledge I had to offer and the sacrifice of time and money that I made to coach this team. I'm sure that I will get over how I'm feeling very soon.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

IKE

I am sitting in my hotel room in Washington, D.C. getting ready for the Nation's Triathlon and I have to say I am very worried about my friends in Houston. My family was able to go to San Antonio on Thursday and they are safe so I am relieved about that. It was disappointing to not have some our team not make the trip due to the storm and various other reasons but I know that the team is ready and will do well on Sunday.

I just got off the phone with Norma and she has no power and no water and she was trying to see if she could get a a hotel room but they are all on generators and not renting out rooms right now. She says there is damage around her place and you can't really get around. I know she will be O.K. but I still worry. I am anxious to get back home and check on things. Everyone be safe out there and I'm praying for all of you in H-Town.

Monday, September 8, 2008

PrairieMan Half-Ironman

So yesterday was my first Half-Ironman of the season with one more to go. Needless to say I was freaking out on my way to Dallas feeling that I was not as prepared as I should be. I thought to myself just use this as a training session in preparation for the Longhorn 70.3 next month and my Ironman events next year. I tried to convince myself of that but I was still nervous.

On Saturday morning I started feeling a little sick but I thought it was just my allergies. I learned later that day that I was getting a cold. While I was arriving in the Dallas area there was a sign that said that it was an Ozone Action Day and that you should limit your outdoor activities. I remember thinking that I was dead meat. Not only am I sick but the sun will probably melt me. When I arrived at the hotel I got my things together and just rested for the evening.

I woke up at 4 am on Sunday and I immediately ate my pre-race meal of Cap'n Crunch cereal. That's right Cap'n Crunch, it works for me. I left about 5 am for the race. I was real nervous and my cold had me feeling worse than Saturday but I was determined to give it my all. Prior to the Half-Ironman was the Sprint Race. While the Sprint was going on the Half-Iron participants were having a meeting with the self proclaimed rude race director. The cool thing about the Sprint was that first 3 people out of the water were ladies. It got a big cheer. The funny thing was when the first man got out of the water someone yelled out that's nice the first man is out of the water. It got a big laugh.

After the meeting it was time for the race. My nerves were still a little shaky but I knew I could make it around the swim. The swim was very tough for me. The water was very choppy and you felt like you were getting thrown all over the place. This made it very hard to breath and to sight. You either couldn't see where you were going or you were drinking water when you wanted to breathe. After I made the final turn on the swim my goggles started to fog up and I could not see where I was going. I had to keep stopping to get an idea of where the finish was. After I made it out of the water it was on to the bike. As soon as I got on the bike my quadriceps were on fire. It took me about an hour for my legs to feel good. When I do a race I try to find a person that I can pace off of to keep me on track and to keep my mind focused on the task at hand. I found this person about 6 miles into the ride and her name was Stacey. She was a very funny gal that was in the same wave as me. (All the men and women in all the age groups started together) When I pulled up near her she yelled out "that looks like Batman passing me". She said "that looks like Batman's bike" and I responded "I've heard that once or twice". I stayed with her for the majority of the bike with her passing me towards the end of the bike loop. Now the run. When I arrived at the race it was 66 degrees when got off the bike my computer read 96 degrees. Yay! After I racked my bike I switched out the Fuel Belt bottles that I froze the night before with the ones Norma had in my ice chest. The ones I froze were already thawed and very hot. I got out on the run and I'm not feeling to well. My cold was getting the better of me but I still had my legs. As I started running I thought this shouldn't be too bad if I can keep this pace and if I stick to my nutrition and hydration plan. Part of my plan was to take my electrolyte tablets at mile 3 as I did on my previous Half-Iron. The only problem was that it gave me a very upset stomach that bothered me for rest of the race. As I plugged along I caught up to a familiar face that I saw on the bike course. It was Stacey and she called back "is that you Batman"? I said "yes" and we ran together for a while even properly introducing ourselves at one point. At the point that we did the turn back to the finish (mile 6 I think) my left calf began cramping. This is the same calf I strained the previous week so I was a little concerned. I told myself if you stop running you will never make it to the finish. I kept plugging away and tried to put my upset stomach, hurt calf and the heat out of my mind as I ran to the finish line. Now the one thing I want to say about this race was my goal was just to finish. I was not thinking of a time except that I would probably finish in 7 hours. I set out to take it easy and just finish. With that said, I kept looking at my watch and one point realizing that I should be able set a new PR for myself at this distance. So as I pulled into the finish I was very excited to have a time of 5:55:49. This is 27 minutes better than my previous Half-Iron time.

As I limped around the race area satisfied with my race Norma informs me that she was bitten by a dog. The dog got her pretty good in the face. I didn't know spectators could get hurt =(. She survived and the dog was ejected but there were no hurt feelings. All in all it was good day. My cold is still kicking my butt and I'm a little sore but I am looking forward to the next race.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

The Summertime Blues

The majority of the Nation's Tri Team went to Freeport, TX to compete in the Summertime Blues Triathlon today. This is a small race that I have never competed in and it seemed to be run well. We had several folks that were completing there very first event and overall everyone did real well. The Nation's Team has from the first practice impressed me.

We did have four people that placed in their age group. Kevin, Lindsay, Audree and Charlie all placed in their age group. Congats dudes!

On a final note, I had the great honor of being team photographer for the event. This is not a role that I see myself doing on a regular basis but it was fine for today. I do have to give Norma props for being the photographer on most of my races. Its tuff work trying to run all over the race trying to get everyone's pictures.

Memorial Park

I meant to write the beginning part of this entry yesterday but I didn't get around to it. I thought I might calm down if I waited but as you will see I didn't. Enjoy!

Saturday morning I went to Memorial Park to get a 8 mile run in prior to my practice with the Nation's Tri Team. Since moving to Houston in 2006 I have for the most part enjoyed running and riding my bike at Memorial. One thing that I do have to keep in mind is that there are a lot of people in this city that use the park for the same thing at all hours of the day and night. Saturday was one of those days when everyone was out at 5 am including several running groups. Now I have nothing against running groups. As a matter of fact I think they are great and I even considered joining one once. With that said I must say that the majority of the running groups at Memorial yesterday were filled with freakin idiots. Is it so hard to not run five wide? Is it? Is it so hard to run on the right side and pass on the left? It doesn't seem that hard to me and I'll admit I'm not the smartest guy out there. There are even signs posted on the trail to remind you if you forget. USAFit and TNT, thank you for following the rules. You other groups including the as***e with the "Survivor" logos on his car who parked on the trail please go somewhere else. Believe it or not you are not the only people on the planet. Other people would love to utilize the public park as well. Now I know those people that are reading this are saying to themselves this guy is nuts and he definitely has an anger management problem. OK, I'll give you that. I have a major anger management problem and I'm sure you could find more than one doctor to certify me a crazy man. Here is the thing, I like to run, bike, swim and lift weights so I can keep myself happy and stress free. Its my Zen time. All I want is to get in my runs in without having to dive off into the bushes or onto the street or navigate a maze of people who can't follow the rules of the road or the trail. So for those people who are in one of these groups or if you are just one of those people who can't seem to follow the trail rules please for goodness sake run somewhere else. You may be saving my sanity.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Zube Park and Platelets

The last week has been pretty good as far as my training goes. I have had several long runs, rides and swims. I was going to try and sign up for the Austin Triathlon but the registration closed. That is probably a blessing as I have been pushing myself pretty hard. I did a 40 mile ride at Zube Park yesterday which was supposed to be followed by a 8 mile run but the heat got the better of me. I only got 4 miles of my run in and it was a painful 4 miles. I still feel good about my upcoming races and this was just a blip.

Monday afternoon I went to the Gulf Coast Blood Center to donate platelets, plasma and red blood cells to Johnny Romano. I have never done this before so I was a little nervous. What I didn't realize is you can't donate these all at the same time. So I decided to donate platelets. Initially they told me it would take 45 minutes to an hour to donate platelets. Unfortunately it took 87 minutes for some reason. It was a painless process and they had TVs for me to watch so it wasn't so bad. The most important thing is that my donation will go to help a little boy who really needs it.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Clear Lake International Triathlon and Johnny Romano

I have been very concerned about my training over the past few months and for good reason. It seems that work, family, injuries and personal problems seem to get in the way of my training. My training is very important to me. I am always to trying to improve myself physically, mentally, spiritually and professionally. I want to be good at everything I do. As Saturday approached I must say that I was very nervous about my race.

For the race itself I have to say I was very surprised at my performance. The race was a 1000 meter swim, 30K bike and a 10K run. I finished with a time of 2:07. I had planned on finishing somewhere around the 2:30 mark. Imagine my surprise when I came in at 2:07. This was a good race and I think with a few adjustments the race director could make it great. There were two challenging parts of the race. First, the swim course was not marked very well. The course needed a few more buoys. I had a decent swim working but at one point I started sighting off the wrong buoy and I swam an extra 150 meters. If I had been breathing out of my left side I might have seen the the correct buoy to sight off of. There is something to be said for breathing on both sides. Apparently several athletes had a similar issue with the swim course. Second, the bike and run courses were very narrow. At one point of the race there were runners in both directions and cyclists in one lane. It was manageable but you definitely had to pay attention. All in all I will say it was a good race and I was happy and encouraged by my performance. I'm looking forward to my remaining 2008 races.

On Sunday instead of taking the day off I decided to do a run in the Clear Lake area in support of Johnny Romano. Johnny is the Honored Teammate for the Lonestar Half-Ironman Team that I am coaching starting in September. I was a little tired from Saturday but I put in another 6 mile run and must say it was one of the nicest runs I have done in a long time. The park we ran at was quiet and peaceful, unlike Memorial Park. While I was running there was beware sign for the Alligator and Snake Habitat that you were running through but that didn't bother me. I ran all the way to the bay. The view was beautiful. When I finished my run and I met back with the runners and we took a photo for Johnny's family. As I conclude this entry in my Blog it makes me think of a few things. First, I am very blessed to have two very healthy very special kids. I don't know what I would do without them. Second, there are a lot of people who are not so fortunate. Johnny is a real sick boy and he and his family need help. I hope anyone who reads this Blog will go to Johnny's Blog to check on how he is doing and to see how you can help. To view Johnny's Blog go to http://j-grom.blogspot.com/.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

The Olympics, Karaoke and My Car

I have had a very interesting week. My training has been so-so. I am still hurting but I am feeling better. I did a six mile run yesterday and I felt OK. I am a little over a week away from my next triathlon and I feel like I will be ready. It's a shorter distance one so I feel confident that I'm good to go.

Now for the bad part. My car was broken into on Monday night. Without getting into too much detail they took stuff out of my car. It has been a big inconvenience for me. I am trying to be a nice on this post but I am very very angry.

Now for the fun part. I have never done Karaoke or ever had a desire to do so. For those people that were at the fund-raiser on Saturday I'm sure they would not believe that. I must say it was pretty fun. I must have sung 20 songs. I know that I can't sing but it was a really neat experience. Erin (Nation's Triathlon Mentor) said I had a rock n' roll voice. (I did not pay her to say that) The funniest part was when my fellow Nation's Tri Coach Jay and I did an Eminem song. I now know why I am not a rapper.

Now for the inspiring part. The Olympics are always very special for me. I take a lot of pride in our country and how they perform at these games. With that said, there are two things that have stood out during these games. First, Phelps and all these Gold Medals and World Records is so freaking cool. What an amazing accomplishment. Second, and most important, I LOVED the pimp slap that the Americans put on those trash talking Frenchies in the 4X100 relay. (that's right I said pimp slap) You should always be careful about trash talking. It might just inspire your competition.

Friday, August 8, 2008

Man, I am Hurting

I have been training but definitely not from the distance standpoint. I have been having some recurring back, knee and hip pain. These have been chronic issues for me for several years starting back to when I weighed 235 pounds. I am hoping to do a long run and ride this weekend but it will depend on how I feel. I decided that I am going to listen to what my body is saying for once.

Saturday, I will be coaching my first practice with the Lonestar Half-Ironman Triathlon Team. I am pretty excited about this team. The one tough thing will be balancing this team with the Nation's Tri team and all the other activities I have. I'm sure it will all work out. =)

Friday, August 1, 2008

UltraMarathon Man

I went to see a documentary last night on Dean Karnazes called UltraMarathon Man. I was fortunate get an e-mail from my Tri Coach Liz Garcia on the movie and I must say it was worth the price of admission.

The documentary was about Dean Karnazes and his quest to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days. That is 1310 miles in 50 days. That is over double my personal run total for the last year. During the course of 50 days he participates in 8 actual marathons and then he has the race directors from 42 marathons help him recreate the others using the official course. Some of the runs were in the city, some in the country and some were on trails. The scenery in some of these places was magnificent to see and there are a couple of marathons that I now have on my personal to do list.

The movie was very inspiring and there were lots of funny and touching parts of his journey and quite frankly it makes you want to go out and run. The people that ran these races were very interesting as well. There were people that were cancer survivors, people that were running with one leg and there were lots of kids. You even saw a few Team In Training people out there as well.

I'm trying not to tell you all of the documentary but two things that I thought were very cool. His fastest marathon that he ran was his last one (New York City Marathon) and after he finishes the 50 marathons in 50 days he takes a couple days to do some interviews and then he decides to run another 1300 miles back to the start of his first marathon in Missouri. It is just insane. I recommend this checking it out!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Bassackwards and Dolly

I had a much better week of training than I thought I would despite the weather that was created by Hurricane Dolly. There wasn't much long distance work but I did get in work everyday. I swam almost two miles and ran around 13 miles with the bulk of that run coming on Wednesday night in a very bad rain storm. The weather did stop me from riding as I only put in 23 miles on the bike. I also put in my normal two days of weight lifting last week. This week is supposed to be hot so I will have to be creative.

The Nations Triathlon Team did our first Bassackwards training and the team pulled through despite a few people that had cramps. We also had some past TNT participants that came out to train and I think they had fun too. At the end of training we had a BBQ with the burgers being supplied by a good friend of mine Carla Moore who is a franchisee of McDonald's. Of course being a long time employee of McDonald's Corporation I decided to handle the grilling duties. As far as I know everyone liked the burgers and I don't think anyone became ill despite my grilling skills. Everyone seemed to have a good time and I think a quarterly BBQ will be great for the team.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Back on Track?

This weekend was a little better as it relates to my training. I was able to get a 900 meter swim in on Friday and a 20 mile bike on Saturday. I also did a couple of short runs on Saturday and Sunday. I am not sure if I'm back on track but I am feeling a little better about my training. I am a very routine oriented person and when my routine gets disrupted it just creates a lot of drama in my life. I have a good week of training planned so we will see how it goes.

I am a little nervous about my upcoming events but I think that if I stay focused I will able to do well on each of these events.

The Dark Knight

I must say that this movie was freaking awesome! I am huge fan if Batman and I suspected that this movie would be great and it did not disappoint. I don't want give too many details of the movie away for those who have not seen it yet but with that said Heath Ledger as the Joker was a great choice. This might be one of these evilest characters I have ever seen in a movie and he does it all with a smile on his face. (HA HA) The special effects they used for Two-Face were great and of course I really like Christian Bale as Batman. This movie has lots of action a great story and a few surprises. I highly recommend this movie.

On another note, if you want to see some real interesting people go to a midnight showing of a movie. There were people dressed up as Batman, The Joker, Batgirl and for some reason Spiderman and The Hulk. It was pretty funny to see.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Tough Times and Good People

Everyone goes through these times when life gets in the way of everything that is important to you including your training. After having a tremendous week of training while I was in New Mexico I have had some family matters that have got in the way of my training. Right when I think I am getting back on track I get a cold. I'm through the worst with the cold and I'm not letting those outside influences get me off track anymore. I'll be back on track this weekend.

My Nations Triathlon Team is so great. We did our first open water swim last Saturday and they all did great. On top of that we had 100% recommitment to the team. I don't think this has ever happened with TNT. I know Jay and I are very proud and thankful to be a part of this team.

On the Nerd side of things I will be putting my DARK KNIGHT movie review on my next update.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

My New Mexico Trip


Here are some pictures from my trip to New Mexico. Enjoy!

Monday, July 7, 2008

I saw The Light in The Land of Enchantment

I just returned Friday night from La Luz, NM where I grew up.(La Luz means The Light in Spanish) It was time off that I desperately needed and I was able to spend time with my Dad and get some training done.

My week really got started on Monday where I did a 4.35 mile followed by a 5 mile bike ride in the mountains. The scenery was nice but that was about it. I don't know what was worse the mountains and hills or the altitude. Tuesday was a real treat for me as I was able to bike with my Dad for the first time in probably 25 years. My Dad doesn't ride much anymore but we did get 20 miles done. We followed the 20 mile bike ride with a tough hike through the hills where I found a sea shell. (In the mountains?) This part of New Mexico used to be covered with water. There were also dinosaurs that roamed this area at one time and we saw what appears to be the footprint of a dinosaur embedded in the stone.

Wednesday and Thursday were my long distance training sessions. I ran 7.12 miles on Wednesday and rode 42.5 miles on Thursday. Both were the toughest training sessions I think I have ever done. The run on Wednesday was very tough, very hilly. My bike ride on Thursday was hands down the toughest thing I have ever done. I started by riding my bike down the mountain down into the town of Alamogordo back to La Luz, then down to back gate of Holloman AFB. The tough part was the 14 miles up hill capped off with 8 miles straight up the mountain at the very end of the ride. I think I'm still tired from the ride.

Thursday was also a special day as it was my Dad's 57th birthday. I haven't been able to spend any time with my Dad over the last few years so this was especially nice for me.

This past Saturday it was back to my coaching duties with Nations Triathlon Team. We did a 45 mile ride with the TNT Cycle Team. The Nations Team just continues to kick butt. This was a great ride and the best part was the first 7 riders in were from the Nations Team. I would have thought that the Cycle Team would have been much faster but that was not the case. Everyone on the team finished and I have to say I was very proud of everyone. This team is so great. Everyone seems to get along and they are competitive group as well. I can't wait to see them in D.C.

I will have some pictures from my trip up soon, so please check back.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

The Swim Guru


This weeks training has been good despite some knee, back and hip pain. I am pleased about my progress but it has been hard training in the heat and with the pain. I didn't do a lot of long distance work but it still was meaningful training. My swim workouts were particularly good. I put in a little over 2000 meters in the pool and I am hoping to put much more in the water next week.

What else can be said about the Nations Triathlon team. They are progressing at a pace far beyond my expectations. They are very competitive and several members of the team are already competing in Sprint and Olympic Triathlons.

On Saturday our team had the honor of having Emmitt Hines at our swim practice. He was able to spend 3 hours with the team going through several different drills with team. I was fortunate to get some coaching on my own swimming which was very helpful (even coaches need coaching). Anyone that knows swimming knows Emmitt. It was neat to see how many people at the park knew him and how they all appreciated his coaching. I am attaching a picture with Emmitt using me to demonstrate proper lines in the pool. He really is a Swim Guru.

Monday, June 23, 2008

There was a Sunday morning White out






It is funny how you have to be creative when planning your training sessions in Houston during the summer. It seems like it is either extremely hot or raining when I want to train. I beat the rain on Friday but it was 102 degrees (according to my bike computer) when I went riding at the Loop. It was a short ride but still good. Saturday I put in another 20 miles on the bike and a 3 mile run. Sunday I ran 8 and rode 11 but it was very hot. My training seems to still be on track so I've been pretty happy.


The Nations Team still looks strong. The brick on Saturday was great and everyone's endurance level has been improving week to week. On Sunday there were several overachievers at Memorial doing some extra work. Norma, Charles and Jennifer were all out riding and/or running in the morning. Way to go guys!


During my run at the park on Sunday there was a Mayor Bill White sighting. He was riding his bike on the loop and Norma was able to get a few pictures of the Mayor on his bike. Along with being a cyclist he apparently is a runner as well. Maybe we can recuit him for a triathlon?

Friday, June 20, 2008

Go Green!

My training has been a little off target this week. This was due to weather and work related barriers. Unfortunately the weather does not look much better for this weekend. I'll cross my fingers and hope the weather is good.

Thursday night I rode for a little bit in a Poker Ride. This was a lot of fun and I hope there is another one soon. Unfortunately I wasn't able to to do the whole ride but as I said it was fun. Great job Andrew in setting up the ride.

On a non Triathlete note. There was a great a basketball series this last week between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. For those of you who are my age (or older) this was very neat to see. This was the renewal of a great rivalry from my childhood and it was exciting to see the Celtics put the beat down on the Lakers. I hope that this the beginning of many more championship series between these teams.

Monday, June 16, 2008

You wouldn't like me when I'm angry

I didn't do a lot of training this weekend. I did do a 10 mile run on Saturday morning. This is the longest run I have done since the Houston half marathon in January so it was still pretty productive. Sataurday afternoon was great as I was able to spend some time at the Cap Tex triathlon team party. It was great seeing the team and enjoying a few adult beverages. (no tequilla)

As for the Nations Traithlon team, we did our first long run of the season. We did a six mile run with some hill work. The team continues to impress me as they made it right through the run with no problems. It was also good to see the team out running when it was hot and humid. You never know what the condititions will be like on race day.

Sunday I pretty much stayed at home and relaxed however, I did go see the Incredible Hulk. For those who know me you knowI love comics, cartoons and pretty much any kind of superhero movie. (Yes I am still a kid inside). It was good much better than the first movie. It has a tie in with Iron Man which was great and for those who like these kind of movies I'm sure you will enjoy it. Please be sure to check back with me in July for my Batman movie review. (He's my favorite)

Friday, June 13, 2008

The Nations Triathlon Team


This is a pic from a couple weeks ago. Most of the team is in the shot.

Swim until you can swim no more.

So I swam around 850 meters before I had to coach my folks on Wednesday night. I followed it up with an 1100 meter swim on Thursday. My swimming is coming back to level I want it to be at and I feel like I am back on track with my training as a whole. I have a long run scheduled on Saturday morning prior to my team's run. I'm sure it will be good.

As for my Nations Triathlon team they are making fantastic progress. Our swim practices keep getting better and better. It has been very exciting to see the progress of the entire team. I can't wait to see how they do on the long run we have planned for Saturday.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Tri-ing to train

Training this last week has been great. I am finally breaking through the wall I hit after completing the Cap Tex Triathlon. I did a 15 mile bike last night followed by a 5 mile run before work and I am looking forward to a good swim before I coach my Nations Triathlon group tonight.