Getting there

Ok, so I read my last post and actually got back to the gym the last few days. Feels great actually. Taking today off and not racing tomorrow, but I am volunteering. I enjoy the volunteering part a lot. It allows me to give a little back and help others starting out. My first tri was tough, but I had a great support group. I joined the Sandy Hookers tri club early on and attended their training sessions and I also joined a tri clinic... These both prepared me for my first day...

Where has the time gone? How do we keep up?

Training is tough. It takes tons of time and after 6 months of it you want to just take a break. While at an event last night to prep for this weekend's War at the Shore, someone said to me that nothing matters but your mental fitness. I have been thinking about this statement and must say "IT CAN'T BE TRUER!"

Fact is, while the topic of conversation revolved around pushing out the last mile and moving from sprints, to Olympic length and up the line and how you need to be mentally strong to get through a race, your overall mental fitness as a whole is the real key. So what is mental fitness? I have no clue, but I can tell you what I think from my personal experience.

Here it is, I have been bummed the last few weeks. Started a new job and it has me travelling and working late. I lost my groove and I know it's all about shaking it off, but I just don't care. In June I was in the best condition of my life and now, while still working out (not regularly) I lost the routine and desire. My mental fitness is crushing my desire to work out. Some folks work out to find their release, me I like to cook and eat... So how do you overcome the mental hiccup? Tell you when I do it.

I'm Back...

So what can I say. After getting on the scale and scaring myself I have decided the time is now. Funny, but somewhere in this blog I know I mentioned that this is a lifestyle change and you need to do it forever blah, blah, blah... Point is, it took me 6 months to lose 30 pounds and 3 weeks to put on 25% of that. I feel fatter and like my lean muscle has disappeared. Nice thing is that working out is not so painful. Anyway, the nice thing about this blog and all the tracking I have done in the past is that it has helped me remeber all my good habits. In order to get back into shape and drop to my goal weight, all I need to do is execute the same as I did in the past. I am not that far off, so I give myself to Memorial Day weekend to get back below 175 and to a race day weight of at least 170.

I hit the gym Monday night for a 5k on the treadmill and then the weights. Felt good to be exercising again. Yesterday I went for a 12 mile ride - that felt great. Haven't been on my bike for over a month. It need a tune up bad and I can really use a new saddle.

Today I plan on sneaking in a run, but I can't figure out how to get a swim in.

Things are slow and I am getting lazy

Been a few weeks since I can say I really trained. I started a new job and it is tough waking up in the morning and getting motivated to SBR. I know it is all mental, but the bed feels so good... So does the food and drink; I must say that I have been enjoying life again a lot more and indulging more closely to my far away past than my recent past...

I did run to the gym yesterday which wound up being a nice workount and then I hit the weights for some strength training as well as a spinner for 15 minutes at over 100 rpm....

I did swim last week with the SHTC down at Seven Presidents which was fun, but I have been out of the water since then.

Well, time to get back on the horse! I need a motivator -

3 Down 2 to Go...

Wow! when this all started back in December it was just a lot of talk... Now, to think I have started 3 Sprint Triathlons and completed 2 is pretty cool. Even better is that I went from 1:23 in #2 to a great 1:14 finish in number 3. It was a great day and most of the savings was in the swim. The tide was flowing on our side as opposed to against us and this really made a difference.

As always, my Monica was there to root me on and my neighbor completed his first in great time (as I knew he would beating me in by about 6 minutes - good work Brian!)... And crossing the finish line together with my pal Wil who came back and caught me on the run was also cool (you could have pushed it but you held back).

Unfortunately, I had to bail and jump on a plane right after the race and did not have the opportunity to enjoy my effort at home, but it was pretty cool to hit a meeting at my new company and be greeted by folks that congratulated me in disbelief that I had raced that morning. Monica got some great pics too...

Hi Girls!!!

Surveying the scene - Breakfast would have been so much better!

No Turning Back No Boys!

Will and Me - Almost there!

1 Week to Number 3...

Tri number 3 is a week away. I feel ready, although I just realized that the swim is .4 miles and not 1/4 mile. This is almost double the distance. Oh well... Gonna take it a little slower and not burn out, but I am sure I can do it. Also, the bike is only 9 miles and not 12... I like that! Ha... Now if the run was a drive we would be all set...

Woke up at 6:00 a.m. today and got on the bike. Hit the Hook by 7:30 a.m.. What a perfect day. Hit a South wind coming back, but I was able to peddle through it and hold my form. I took it a little slower today and worked the soft gears keeping my cadence up in the 100's. I just felt like spinning my legs... I am going running then hitting the gym in a bit... We joined another gym- this one is much closer and cheaper. I can get my strength training in now at least... I am keeping my other gym membership because they have a really nice pool and I don't want to stop swimming and compromise my overall training... In essence it is costing me about 50% more a month to maintain the 2 memberships. I feel like this is a small price to pay, so I will until it becomes cost prohibitive, I give up on all this or I realize I am nuts...

Here's a tip of the week... You can't do this or anything unless you obsess over it. Depending on what it is, the obsession can last a lifetime, a year a month or even a moment... Regardless, unless you dedicate the time to whatever it is you are trying to accomplish you won't finish. Make the time! Plan ahead! Insist on doing it for you!

Some Race Day Pics...

Here some pics from the Pancake...

This is the swim start. Water temp was in the 60's. I was in the first wave and finished 1/4 mile swim in 10:37.

After the swim, you enter T1 (the first transition). You quickly chage out of your wet suit, throw on your bike gear and start peddling...

The Bike portion was 12 miles. We had to complete three 4 mile loops. I was yelling hi to the family...



After 12 miles of Biking you enter and exit T2 (Transition 2). This is the change from bike to run. By now you can't feel your legs and your heart is pumping, but the end is only 3.1 miles away.

At this point there is only one thing going
through your head....

Nope, not this one...

This one!

1 Hour 23 Minutes 25 Seconds

These are the folks that cheered us on...

Thanks for the love and support!

Eddie and Joclyn. Eddie raced as well. It was his idea to begin with! Thanks man!!!

Julie and Matthew on the left in front and Jocyln and Monica in background.

Julie, Matt and Nick at the bike course waiting for my slow butt...

Nick, Matt, Monica and Julie

The Clarke Family...

The family and finally, the man that took all the earlier photos... Cousin Jeff!

Thanks to all...

Tools of the Trade

I bought a Polar RS-200 Heart Rate Monitor watch with the chest strap about 2 weeks ago and I am so happy I did. Since purchasing this unit, I have been able to actively manage my exertion/exercise output keeping myself just on the threshold of passing out (LOL). I have realized that I can go steady at about 85% and can hit 91% and hold for a few minutes as well before I need to slow back down. If I move at about 81%-82% I feel like I can go on forever. I am now trying to match speed and distances to HR so I can determine how much extra I can push myself so I can increase my speed and decrease my times. I would like to shave at least a minute off my run and my ride and more off my swim if possible. We shall see - July 19th is not too far away.

48 Hours after SI Flat as a Pancake...

What a day! First, thanks to all those that came out to support me at the race Monica, Jeff, Julie, Nick, Matt and Jocelyn... We could not have done it without your support. Next, thanks to Brian and Christine and baby Em' that came after to celebrate with us... Lastly, thanks to Eddie who came up with this crazy idea and finished the race with me...

Also, thanks to the Sandy Hookers Tri Club for helping to prep me with some real experiences, good training, countless tips and fun people to work out with. Thanks to Christine at Shore Runner for starting her Tri Clinic and Coach Tom Manzi for his words of encouragement as well as training tips and tricks.

My finish was 1:23 and I placed 346 out of 598. I am extremely pleased with this first race... I know I can do better, but here are some thoughts...

1. Make a list and prep and pack the night before.
2. Get there early and set up... I can't tell you how good it felt to be all ready and not wondering if I missed anything.
3. Walk the transition area and know where the entrances and exits are... Ask questions! The volunteers are there to help and don't mind.
4. Be patient. When getting started, if it's your first time, don't rush just move at your pace, whatever that may be. At your pace you will look, feel and be confident... You will finish.
5. Respect the other competitors... Some are stronger than you others are weaker. Remember this is a race so strive to stay with the strong, but don't get in their way nor should you attack, insult or holler at a weaker competitor...
6. Move in and out of the transition area as quickly as you can. Don't meander or take it as a coffee break. You are still on the clock.
7. Watch your nutrient intake... Don't get hooked on the gels and other foods especially those that have caffeine. While it is a great addition to a race, too much caffeine will get your heart going and make it tough to breath. Trust me, when my bpm was spiked at 101% I had to walk for 50yds. to catch my breath and slow my heart rate... I felt like I was hyperventilating...
8. Respect the other people in the transition area. You need your space, but so do the people on your sides. Try to keep your stuff on your mat and stay out of the lanes when changing.
9. When you are looking at the water and the race director hollers 1 minute to start, take a second to appreciate what you are about to do... Then remember bullet point number 4 above.
10. Say thanks... I have volunteered at a number of these events while preparing to compete this weekend and nothing is nicer than hearing a competitor say thanks for the water, or for cleaning up or for just volunteering and being there. Without them we don't race and to me that is important - so say thanks...

My next race is July 19th. It is the second of the Long Branch Tri Series put on by the Sandy Hookers Triathlon Club. It is an awesome, fun race in a beautiful location. Hopefully the waves won't be so big this time, but regardless I will be ready...

Long Branch Tri #1

Well, this was supposed to be my first, but I only completed 1/3 of the race. The waves were pretty big on this beautiful Saturday morning, and after making it to the buoy and back I thought I was good. As I got close enough to shore to stand up, I got hit by a wave from behind which filled my goggles with water. Not too big a deal unless you wear contact lenses like me. The water in my goggles washed the lenses from my eyes and I was done for the day (somehow I left the spares at home). Not to worry, because the SI Flat as a Pancake was the real race I was training for and I would have extra lenses there.