Thursday, July 20, 2017

HALF IRONMAN TRAINING - WEEK 4

Phase 1 of the 3 phase plan is complete! Basically, Weeks 1-4 of training is a build in either distance or volume for the week totals. Weeks 5-8 are consistent high volume/distance months. Weeks 9-12 are slowly tapering down to Race day.

I am so pumped with how this phase went. Having 3 kids has helped me really dial in to training and just getting it done day in and day out. I make sure to get my workouts done with out getting in the way of play time and time with my wife. Basically, really early/really late/or lunch break.

Key Workouts (This week was HOT!)

35min Workout on the Trainer and a 20min run immediately after. The goal was basically race pace for the entire workout. The bike was a 3x(5min @ 215w / 5min @ 205w) with a 5min warmup. Then right after I avg. 6.40pace for the 3mile run. I would like under 7min pace for the Half Ironman.


Long Run - 11.04mi - 7.22min/mi pace

A great loop from my house done at 8pm. I ran the last 3 miles faster than race pace and the first 8 very easy. It was a success and I am feeling more run fit by the week.


Week 4 - 9:08 hrs
Bike - 4 rides, 112.90miles, 5:23 hrs
Run - 5 runs, 23.90miles, 2:55 hrs
Swim - 2 swims, 3,390yds, 50min

Week 3 - 9:15 hrs
Bike - 4 rides, 109.89miles, 5:16 hrs
Run - 4 runs, 23.90miles, 2:58 hrs
Swim - 2 swims, 4,228yds, 1:00 hr

Week 2 - 8:31 hrs
Bike - 4 rides, 103.05miles, 4:45 hours
Run - 5 runs, 23.13miles, 2:50 hours
Swim - 2 swims, 3,890yds, 56min

Week 1 - 8:05 hrs
Bike - 4 rides, 99.08miles, 5:00 hours
Run - 5 runs, 24.67miles, 3:04 hours
Swim - None! Only week this will happen. Didnt feel like swimming with the sharks in VA beach


Training Partners: Glenn and Jake 

Sunday, July 9, 2017

HALF IRONMAN TRAINING - WEEK 3


Week 3 in the books!!!  I changed it up this week. I ran my long run at Noon on Monday to ready myself for the very Hot run in the race. I also biked on Sunday for the first time in forever instead of Saturday. This does not seem like much but when you are a routine person who doesnt like change that much, it means something :)

Feeling fit thats for sure but also getting a little tired. Gabriel has decided its time to walk on his 2 precious little feet EVERYWHERE! I dont see how my wife does it all day. He walks over 50 laps a day in our house while Jen is there every step of his way.  When I say tired, its a good tired. I should be pushing myself right to the fine line of too much. If you go over, and obsess about it, then you can pay the price via Injury/Bonk/drained.


Key Workouts:

Long Run - 11miles - 7:24pace

This was a HOT one. Done during my lunch at work. Part of training for your "A" race, its important to duplicate as many race scenarios as you can. For instance, if its windy outside you should still ride because it might be windy on race day. Same with Rain. Same with Heat. Prepare for the worst. I was very happy with this run. I ran 5.5miles out and then back. I had no water, and also got faster the last 5miles. Objectives complete!

Long Bike - 55.72miles - 21.2mph
Glenn and I decided to ride on Sunday because we had a big group and that group is a fast one! These guys are just amazing cyclist so we hopped on their train and let it loose. Billy joined as well. Then Billy and Glenn ran with me for 10min. A great workout on a Sunday morning. To cap it off, my amazing, AMAZING, wife had breakfast ready for us and we all ate and watched the Tour de France. 



Boys watching le Tour








Neighborhood Lap Pool - Always empty at night time :)





Week 3 - 9:15 hrs
Bike - 4 rides, 109.89miles, 5:16 hrs
Run - 5 runs, 23.90miles, 2:58 hrs
Swim - 2 swims, 4,228yds, 1:00 hr

Week 2 - 8:31 hrs
Bike - 4 rides, 103.05miles, 4:45 hours
Run - 5 runs, 23.13miles, 2:50 hours
Swim - 2 swims, 3,890yds, 56min

Week 1 - 8:05 hrs
Bike - 4 rides, 99.08miles, 5:00 hours
Run - 5 runs, 24.67miles, 3:04 hours
Swim - None! Only week this will happen. Didnt feel like swimming with the sharks in VA beach


Training Partners: Glenn, Billy, Pat, Dan, Fred, Spencer, Dan L., John






Friday, July 7, 2017

HALF IRONMAN TRAINING - WEEK 2

 This week went really well. Starting to get in that "Rise and Grind"  rhythm. I am also starting to watch little by little what I eat, making sure I am properly eating the right foods within 30min after a workout.

My 3 workouts this week I want to single out are the following:

Long Run - 75min - 10.12miles - 7.25 pace

     Last weeks long run was in VA Beach so that almost doesnt count since it is so flat. This weeks was from my house and that means HILLS!! I did it bright and early at 5.30am on Monday and slowly got faster. I pushed the last 3miles to under Half IM pace. I was very pleased that my body was able to listen to my mind. Its always frustrating when you say "I am going to run a certain pace for the last 5k" and then you are not even close. So I was very happy to bring the last couple miles to 6.50. 


30min Non-Stop Swim with Pads and Buoy - 2,250yds - 1.20min pace

     I wanted to just swim for 30min straight witht he first 25min being easy, and the last 5min being pushed to a pretty hard effort. Time wise, I had no real goal. I ended up avg. 1.21pace for the first 25min and the last 5min was 1.15pace. I was very pleased with this. Not swimming in 2 weeks, I had no real expectation. But going forward, I definitely will! 



Long Ride - 2:27 hrs - 50.37miles - 20.5mph avg


     This was definitely the funnest workout of the week. We had a group of 9 starting at 6.10am on Saturday. If you take away my warmup, this ride was a 22.5mph ride. We were booking, thanks to Pat. Nothing else to say really, other than there was not a lot of talking since we were all pushing it pretty well. These workouts will help me get ready for the big race, thats for sure!


Week 2 - 8:31 hrs
Bike - 4 rides, 103.05miles, 4:45 hours
Run - 5 runs, 23.13miles, 2:50 hours
Swim - 2 swims, 3,890yds, 56min

Week 1 - 8:05 hrs
Bike - 4 rides, 99.08miles, 5:00 hours
Run - 5 runs, 24.67miles, 3:04 hours
Swim - None! Only week this will happen. Didnt feel like swimming with the sharks in VA beach

Training partners : Glenn, Pat Armeen, Brink, Shue, Brian, Fred, Will



Family Reunion in the mountains

Gabriel found his love - Sticks and dirt!

20min tempo in the heat at noon

Long run splits









Wednesday, July 5, 2017

HALF IRONMAN TRAINING - WEEK 1

12 weeks to the big race-Half Ironman White Lake! 1.2mi Swim, 56mile Bike, 13.1mile Run  and when the run begins it will be over 90 degrees and that doesn't include the heat from the Highway we run on without any trees. Basically, there is a lot to prep for if I want to compete at a high level.

Also, I am not doing Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for these next 12 weeks. I am zoning IN on my training and my wife will post these blogs to Facebook. Also, It will help me read more and look at my phone less :)

This week just so happened to be our Family Beach vacation to VA Beach.

Key Workouts for the Week:

Long Run - 10.17mi - through the Fort Story trail in VA Beach. It was a humid one but I kind of need all my runs to be pretty hot if I want the race to feel normal.  My goal for this run was to just run on feel and I wanted it to feel easy and I also wanted the 2nd half to be quicker. All goals accomplished.


Long Bike - 43miles - Normally I ride with my buddy (and Gabriel's godfather) Glenn, who also will be racing White Lake, but he was too busy riding a 85mile race in the mountains (overachiever) so I did this one solo at 6.30am on Saturday. It was a beautiful muggy morning in the farmlands with no traffic. My first 90min I just wanted it to feel pretty easy, then I started my 5x4min Hard/2min easy workout. My 4min Hard were suppose to be an effort harder than Half Ironman pace which they were so I was happy.

All and all a great start to training for this race. I had a blast with my family. They are my life and make me smile more than I can ever imagine was possible.  God is Great!

Week 1
Bike - 4 rides, 99.08miles, 5:00 hours
Run - 5 runs, 24.67miles, 3:04 hours
Swim - None! Only week this will happen. Didnt feel like swimming with the sharks in VA beach


Training Partner - Ryan Foster




Arrived Monday night - Went straight to the beach!

Why VA Beach Bay is the best - No one in the summer!

Love these 2 - sooo much!

Gabriels first roller coaster!

We happy!

First Shore Golf Tournament - Winner - Me! :)

Paw chilling with the kids














Friday, March 31, 2017

TRIATHLON TRAINING FOR HALF IRONMAN - MARCH

     This month was just a reminder how important it is to surround your self and family with friends who share the same values. Values are far more important than interests. A married guy that likes to run but wants to talk about other women that's not his wife is someone I don't want to run with. I have 7 friends that we have been together for about 5 years now that just are always there for each other. A couple of bible verses shared through this group was the following:

Philippians 3:12-14 and Matthew 6:25-34.  Basically, forget what is behind / strain toward what is ahead and Ye of little faith.

When I train, thinking of this stuff just makes me on a high. God loves me. For that, I must smile.


Last 4 weeks have been great. One week we were hit with  the sick bug, all 5 of us,  but thanks to my amazing wife, she helped us all get better. I try, but can't compare to her.  Swimming saw great gains, running felt easy, and biking is just fun! I definitely felt improvements throughout the month and I am so ready to race! 5 races in 7 straight weekends. Nothing better than toeing the line knowing those 4am wake up calls is for that very moment.

Key Workouts:

Run - 2x2mile Run with a 3.30min easy jog (total run is 6.75miles)
I went in this one just wanting to beat last months time of this same very workout and also wanting my breathing controlled. Pleased to say both were accomplished.  The first 2mile split was 12.07min (6.06,6.01) and the second 2mile split was 11.56min(6.01,5.55). Very happy since its only march.


Swim - 2,000yds Tempo
I did not have a goal, maybe avg. 1.24 since i am not in great swimming shape yet but to my surprise, I came in at 26.23min (500 splits - 6.40,6.41,6.33,6.29) which avg. 1.19. I just thought "This is Fantastic! I am swimming once a week and I just did this?" - I was pumped



One more note, only In NC can it snow in the morning (a lot) and heat up so much that your in shorts in the afternoon. Crazy stuff I tell ya. March weather has been a yo-yo affect. Up and down temps. Its fascinating, I must say.

Any-who, on to the next 4 weeks! Lets Race!



4 Week Total:

Run - 81miles , 10 hrs
Bike - 305miles, 14hrs, 57min
Swim - 4miles, 1 hr, 45min
Strength - 2 hrs 40min



Running or Swimming at Lunch

Getting our Hat game on


In the morning - we play in the snow

In the afternoon - we play in the sun 

Elephant?

My brother said our snow man looked like Mr. Winky from South park :(

CL meeting me for a lunch run workout

Fun bar-b-que with the legend runner (the girls beat him in this race)

Beautiful Day to Ride with Brian and Billy

My wife and I love hanging close to the house on weekends

Boys will be Boys




Bonk Breaker


Tifosi Optics











Wednesday, March 1, 2017

TRIATHLON TRAINING FOR HALF IRONMAN - FEBRUARY

   February was just fantastic. The weather here slowly is getting breathtaking. NC weather is cold maybe 1 month. Then, mornings are cold and afternoons feel great. We definitely embrace great weather days. Whether its picnics at parks, or picnics in our yard, or long dog walks, soccer/football/basketball in the culdesac, we try and be outside. The birds sing every morning, the Hawks meet in the sky, the leaves dance to the cool breeze, and the beautiful flowers prematurely come out to say Hi. God is Good!

Training went great. Another month of blessings. No injuries and no sickness. Plus, I'm in the middle of reading Nicholas Sparks Two by Two. It is pretty darn good, I must say.

The goal this month was to just build off of January. Not a massive build, but only about 1 to 1.5 hrs more a week total. I also started swimming this month again.


Key Workouts-

5k TimeTrial - This is the 2nd annual Time trial race within our Training group. It's awesome! You don't rest for it during the week and you do not get a medal or anything afterwards, but you simply go all out. 4 guys are training for a half marathon that's in 4 weeks so they are coming off 50 mile running weeks. They did a 10k TT and they are very fast. Dan and Mike came in at 5.25pace, Brink 5.57 and Baum at 6.04 pace for their 10ks. Just booking.
   Then Chris, Glenn, and I did the 5k (out) and then recovered coming back. We have all been running under 20 miles a week so a 10k is just not logical. The fun part is we all were able to push one another.  I couldn't be more happy My pacing was on point! I knew I had destroyed my legs during the week so I gave myself a realistic goal. I said before I wanted a 5.50 pace. Well, my 3 miles were, 5.52, 5.51,5.49. As I am getting older, I am getting smarter with my pacing. In my early 20s I would have run a 5.25, 5.50, 6.20 - 3 miles. Its sooo much easier to run hard when you pace properly.

20min Power Test - Equivalent to a 5k to see where your pace is, this is a test on the bike to see what power you can train at for 1 hr, 2 hrs and for other different distances. I avg 248w which is exactly 4.0w/kg for me. I am thrilled with this because I know I am inching closer to compete with the best multi sport athletes. Cycling has always been my weakness. However, its time to make my weakness my strength! This test is done indoors so you don't stop at traffic lights or stop pedaling on downhills. 20min, NONSTOP - ALLOUT. Its fun :)


Lastly, our Pastor talked about 4 letters to know. SOAP - Scripture, Observation,  Application, and Prayer. For the next month, under our roof - we will work on those words. For our house is nothing without a Foundation built around God.


March will be one more BUILD month, then RACING begins!!!


4 Week Total:

Run - 73miles , 9 hrs 12min
Bike - 263miles, 13hrs, 34min
Swim - 4.2miles, 1 hr, 56min
Strength - 2 hrs 34min

NC Sunset

Where the pain starts at 5am

Super Bowl Sunday with Pa 
Full Moon



Picnic with Friends

The 5k TT mentioned above (mile splits)

Buddies!

Valentines Day Lunch Picnic

Valentines Day!

Let the Swimming begin!

I love Mommy!

Flower from our yard, with Gabriel hugging Mommy in the back

Throwback! Back home with my brother and Kyle. One day, we will see you in heaven buddy.

Interesting
Love morning fires
Long Course Swimming 
I Shore do Love Soccer!
Hi!

Daddy, can you build Gabriel a swing set? Of course! :)






Bonk Breaker


Tifosi Optics


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