I'm a triathlete!

Here are my results:

http://milliseconds.com/participants/detail/805673658

I am officially a triathlete! My finish time wasn't great but my goal was under two hours and I did 1:51:49, 15th in my division (of 16 lol!) and 303rd place overall (I think out of like 800 participants). The sad part was I was in 6th place in my division and 130th overall after the swim... I need to work on my bike and run!!!

The race overall went almost exactly how I predicted it would. A 15 minute swim, I did 16 minutes. An hour bike, I did about 55 minutes. A 30 minute run, I did 34 minutes. The swim was great. I had no issues with the open water swim. The bike was pretty good, but about half way through my right calf cramped pretty bad, but I pushed through and it went away. The run sucked. Half of it was uphill and off-road, I was not prepared at all for that. The last mile, both of my quads cramped worse than I've ever felt anything cramp before, but I made it. Overall it was a great time and I want to do it again next year for sure!!! I think I am hooked on triathlon now, just another expensive hobby...

Thanks TriUtah for a great race!!!

It's official!

I have the race packet, the bike and the wetsuit all lined up. I'll be using the Cervelo Soloist (thanks pat) and a Zoot wetsuit that I have rented from Wasatch Running Center. I am tired, and it is race week, so I'm going to bed now... BUT here are some pics for you to enjoy.

What is a "good" workout?

What is it exactly that defines a good workout? Is it setting a new personal best on a specific discipline, out-doing your friend in the bench press or maybe simply getting to the gym and finishing a workout? For me, this week was the last option. I gave blood last Monday (some sort of special donation, Double Red Cell I think it's called) and I felt winded and dizzy for every workout last week. It was incredibly frustrating to know that I usually run for at least four miles per workout (I know that isn't a ton but it's good for me)and every run last week I bonked after only twenty minutes of running. My swims were more difficult as well, but the running was killing me! I kept getting dizzy and lightheaded, just very frustrating. I'm hoping this week will be back to normal. It needs to be, considering Jordanelle is now less than two weeks away.

Anyhow, back to what I think really makes a good workout. It's those days when you really just don't want to go to the gym, get on your bike or get in the pool. Those days are the most important days to get to the gym and push. That is where I think you strengthen yourself mentally. By showing yourself that you can get through a workout even when it sucks. By just getting to the gym and pushing yourself through the fatigue and turning a potentially bad workout into a great one is an invaluable part of training.

I have two goals before Jordanelle. I want to do at least two swims in open water and at least one bike ride up at Jordanelle on the bike course. Today I am going to try to get a swim or bike in up there. If not today, Saturday and Monday will be my only other options. I'm really getting that excited/nervous feeling as the triathlon gets closer. Wish me luck...

20 Days...

We (my wife and I) had our first "triple-brick" workout yesterday. In essence it was a practice run of our tri. Not the exact distances, just timed workouts. We did a twenty minute run, a forty minute ride and a twenty minute run. So it was nothing too serious, but still, it was the first time I had done all three sports back to back to back.

There is only twenty days left until the Jordanelle Triathlon!!! I am really excited, I didn't think I would be this excited, but I can't wait! The biggest concern I have is the transitions. I am still deciding how to go about them... I think it will be fine though. My swim and run are getting better with every workout. My biking is fine... on a stationary. I still am yet to get out on my bike! I really need to get on the real bike. I would like to go up to the actual course by Jordanelle and do a couple rides up there, and maybe even do some practice swims in open water.

Alright, I'm going to bed now.

Bricks

So I bought my helmet and bike shorts. I got a Giro Phase helmet and some Pearl Izumi bike shorts. I can officially say I am a Giro-Head now, lol. Anyhow, I have come to find out that "Brick" workouts are hard! If you don't know what a brick is, it is when you do at least back to back workouts or back to back to back workouts. For example, tonight I did 40 minutes running then 45 minutes of biking. They are great practice, but yeah they are difficult. So that's all for now...

Bryce

Bryce Canyon 5k is in less than a week. I'm posting my official goal for it now, 25 minutes or less. Kinda ambitious but what the hell right?

So just a little training update here. Running is going well, not as well as I'd like, but well enough. Biking is pretty good too, still yet to get out on the open road as I haven't forked out the money for a helmet yet. I have improved the most in my swimming though. Using the Total Immersion DVD I have started from scratch learning how to swim as if a beginner, after a few weeks my stroke count is already way down from what it was swimming like I had learned before. I'm hoping to turn my weakest event into my strongest using what I've learned from Total Immersion, aka T.I.

Just a little off-topic note:

The movie, Batman: Mask of The Phantasm is really a pretty good show, if not a little bit predictable...

Mini Hiatus

It's been a while... Sorry about that. Let me catch you up. I've had a rough couple of weeks as far as training goes. I have worked a couple 50 hour weeks and have had a hard time getting myself out the door to the gym or the bike or the pool, save a few times. I have, however, been doing quite a bit of reading pertaining to triathlons. I have realized how serious and dedicated you must be to do a full Ironman triathlon. So I have re-evaluated my long term goal of an Ironman and have decided on doing the Boise 70.3 (http://www.ironmanboise.com) June 12, 2010. I just don't know if I want to spend all my free time training myself to death for an Ironman. I think if/when I do one it will probably be in 2011. Some of my short term goals/events for now are:

The Bryce Canyon 5k (http://www.brycecanyonhalfmarathon.com/)

The Jordanelle Tri-Utah triathlon (http://www.triutah.com/events/2009/2009-jordanelle-triathlon.php)

The "I Can Tri" Sandy City Triathlon (http://sandy.utah.gov/government/parks-and-recreation/special-events/triathlon.html)

The Top of Utah Half Marathon (http://www.topofutahmarathon.com/index.php) BIG maybe on this one.

So there's the latest. I promise (to all one follower) that I will post more often going forward.

New Shoes

I bought my new shoes today. Took my first run in them, and as normal, there is definately going to be some getting used to. For the most part they felt great, some odd rubbing and maybe the width could be an issue. But I am going to give them a couple more runs and base the decision off of that.

It's been just about a week since my last post, and besides the new shoes, there have been some intriguing events. The biggest is that my beautiful wife Michelle has decided to run the Sandy City Triathlon with me! Also I swam outside, not that it's that big of a deal, but it was really nice. Swimming is definately truning out to be my weak point. That is dissappointing to me since I was on a local community swim team for 2 years in junior high. I haven't really swam laps since though so I don't know what I was expecting. I will probably wait until my next paycheck to buy my helmet. Hopefully the local bike shop will do some sort of deal for buying two of them (one for my wife, one for me).

Random:

Don't bother seeing Paul Blart: Mall Cop, lame. I can't believe the Cavs let the Magic take a 3-1 lead. I have never hated any team, save the Spurs, more than I hate the Nuggetts. I am definatley cheering for the Lakers in this one. The NBA is rigged anyhow. David Stern Needs to go!!!

Suck....

I jacked up my back. I had better feel alright tomorrow...

On a brighter note, I will probably purchase my helmet this week; the Specialized Echelon. I will need a pump as well. The guy at the bike shop told me that Co2 is the way to go instead of getting a small pump for my bike. I also have been advised that my butt will hate me if I don't buy some nice padded bike shorts... This is getting a little on the spendy side.

The Missing Piece

I have finally picked up the bike that will carry me through my first triathlon. It was made in the 80's, just like me! I am yet to ride it, save a few circles in the driveway, I'm sure it will be great.

Non Training notes:

I saw three movies this week. Wolverine, Star Trek and King of California. Wolverine, despite what people told me, was a great show! I do wish there would have been more scenes with Gambit. Star Trek was really cool. I loved the story! The action scenes were awesome, and a GREAT cast! King of California is an independent film starring Michael Douglas. It was good. Unique story of a modern day loony-bin treasure hunter. Good casting, good acting, both make for a fun movie.

Next up, Terminator: Salvation, TRANSFORMERS!!!!

What a day...

Yet another 11 hour day...
Yet another hour of putting chairs together and disposing of table/chair packaging.
I was feeling ridiculously tired all day at work and battled it with good ol Dr Pepper. Probably not the best idea but whatever, it kinda worked. I got home and I was still really tired so I decided to take it easy and eat a ton. So I ate a whole bunch of lasagna and chocolate pudding pie. No training today, I feel pretty terrible I'm not gonna lie...

A New Table

No post yesterday, obviously. It was a crazy day. I worked 11 hours and then came home to assemble our new table... and of course the chairs didn't fit together right.

This morning was good, woke up nice and early and dropped my new Legacy GT off at Subaru to get painted, then went to physical therapy for my back. History, I was in a, moderate to bad, car accident in January and just decided to get my back looked at. So anyway, PT went well, my hips (which were apparently an inch off of each other)are getting back to proper alignment, sweet. Work went well, another 11 hour day. Then I came home and figured out the chair situation from yesterday. Gotta love pre fabricated furniture.

Now for the fun part! I biked 15 miles in 45 mins... of course that is on a stationary bike on level 10, random setting. But that's pretty good still, right? I have to lift again, I miss it a lot. I think I will make sure I get some lifts in tomorrow, maybe some bench press, light deadlifts and some light squats. Sounds good.

I need to see Star Trek....

Bike Week!

So the training for the next few weeks goes as follows:

This week is bike week, strictly biking for all this week
Next week is swim week, swimming only
The next week is combo week, where we do mini triathlons, three or four in the week.

From there, if all goes well, my friend Andrew and I plan to do the TriUtah.com triathlon at Jordanelle.

If things don't go so well, then I think we will just wait until September 12 to do the Sandy City "fun" triathlon.

So today was the beginning of Bike Week. Rode almost 20 miles in 45 mins on a stationary. I plan to ride outdoors a couple times this week too. Good times.

Sorry for the short post, more next time I promise...

Mother's Day

No training today. Just some good ol fashion Mother's Day-ing. Enjoy some pics!

Catching you up...

I ran my first competitive event today. The Susan G Komen Race For The Cure 2009. 18000 participants, wow pretty amazing. I ran for Team Meag-A-Tuff. A team in honor of my friends late-wife who sadly lost the fight to cancer several years ago. It is a 5k. I ran it in 28:49. Today was a good day.

I'm second from the right.

Beginning To Tri

My name is Mark, and I have decided to become a triathlete. Maybe even an Ironman. Although I have many friends telling me there is no way I can do it, I am going to go for it anyhow. So this blog will be detailing my training and journey there. There being of course IronMan St George, Utah in May 2010. So . . . end transmission one, wish me luck!!!