If you want to ride your bike before work, you have to be creative. With traffic, limited time and plenty of other obsticles, you need a safe place to get your ride done. Here in the Woodlands, we have a loop known as the Woodlane Loop. I have ridden this loop countless times getting ready for this race and have done everything from recovery rides to interval sessions. The loop is 5 miles and is about 4 miles from my house.

I can leave my house and do a 20 mile ride and be back by 8:00 to start work. Here is a copy of the map:


The ride has a few distractions as well including, deer, dogs, horses and the "duelly" pick up. However, to be able to ride out my door is such a plus, that these things are minor. I know a many of athlete that have to commute via car to get a ride done. To simply roll from the garage is such a privlige. This is probably why The Woodlands was one of the best places to live and train for Triathlon as ranked by Triathlete Magazine.

I rode there this morning and realized I don't have many more of these rides until I head off to Kona. The weather was great, the legs felt good, so I snapped a few pictures:

The entrance to Woodlane


Nice Roads

Some of the wildlife I was talking about above.

Nice sunrise

Then you eat a healthy breakfast before you start work (Eggs, Rice, Green Foods Drink, and plenty of Douglas Labs vitamins)

I am traveling again for work, and had a chance to review the rest of my training plan up until the big day. The big difference is the presence of rest days, where I normally have workouts scheduled. Each week has an extra day or two of rest and my last long ride of the year is in sight!

At this point, I always do the same thing and that is second guess myself and my training by asking, have I done enough? I did this last year and everything worked out ok, so experience tells me, it is time to start the peak and rest phases of my training.

I am thankful that my coach Dana Lyons, has managed my training this entire year and looking at my results and progress, I could not be happier. When you have so many other commitments, like family and work, it is very beneficial to have someone assist with your schedule. Having your workouts planned out, gives you the ability to maximize the time you have by doing the right workouts on the right days of your training cycle.

For those that don't follow endurance sports, let me explain the taper. The taper is simply a point where you stop doing such long volumes of work and start doing less frequent but intense workouts to get you ready to race. Through a combination of rest and intensity, you hope to sharpen up to a point of peak fitness.

It can be hard to force yourself to take days off, but at this point in the cycle, you have to be confident and know you have done the work.

I still have some a few more long workouts on the schedule, including another century ride this weekend followed by a 1 hour run.

Outside of training, I have a few things to report. First, in Triathlete magazine, The Woodlands was given Honorable Mention status for being one of the best places to live if you are a triathlete. I could not agree more. The artilce also ranked Austin as second on that list, which is why that city is so much fun to visit.

We also picked up a new camera over the weekend that will let us take some underwater pictures and underwater movies while we are in HI. It was raining almost all day on Saturday, so we all jumped in the pool and took some great pictures. We also made a short movie. We picked up the Canon Powershot D10. Great camera!

Lastly, the above picture was sent to me by Kevin Barr. Kevin is also going to Kona and happened to be there last year and snapped this photo close to the run finish. I look forward to following that yellow line on October 10, 2009.

My training really kicked up a notch with some fast and long tempo running on Friday morning, fast swimming on Friday night and a hard bike on Sunday.

Sunday's effort consisted of a 1 hour warm up and then 3 x (40 minutes at IM pace and 20 minutes at Half Ironman pace). I knew the workout would be challenging, but did not know just how hard until I was done yesterday.

For the 3 hours the interval lasted, I averaged 22+mph on the bike and 234 watts. My average HR was only 147 bpm. I was real happy with this effort and it shows that my bike is really starting to come together. My total ride time was about 4.5 hours and 94 miles. Here is a screen shot of the interval for my cylcing geek friends:

I also feel I have nailed my nutrition for the longer bikes and my energy was high at the conclusion of this ride and my short run felt pretty good. My nutrition on the bike is pretty simple, 1 Power Bar an hour and 1.5 bottles of Gatorade an hour. I squeze in a gel or two if I feel it is needed.

The tough part about the ride came not during but about 3 hours afterwards. I was wiped out yesterday afternoon! I knew I would be tired, but I have not been that tired in a long time. Thankfully Shani did not mind me passing out at 9:00. I also took plenty of my Douglas Labs supplements, including Wobenzym and when I woke up this morning, I did not have too much soreness.

I was able to head out for an easy 2.5 hours this morning with Clint Bryant and Ed York and able to let the legs spin out.

The weeks are starting to get tougher as I am getting closer to race day. So far, I have been blessed with good health and plenty of support! I look forward to these last few weeks of hard training.

I updated the website this morning to bring more emphasis to the blog and twitter post. Just this past week, I had several people comment to me about things posted on the blog. Thus, someone other than my mom must be reading this thing!

When I get to Kona, I will do my best to get some daily post up. The post will contain comments, pictures and video's of the days leading up to the race. I will do my best to get as many pro athletes and other triathlon "celebrities" on the site via photo and video.

With only five Saturdays remaining to race day, I could not feel better. I had a busy past two weeks of work with travel, but still got in my runs.

As an added bonus during my business trip, I spent time with my Sister and went on a bike ride with my nephew Ryan. Ryan is a preschooler and rides the bike like no other kid I know. He tore up hills like a future Tour star. It also happened that my Aunt and Uncle were passing through Pittsburgh at the same time, so I got to enjoy a nice dinner with them as well.

My riding is feeling good and I have a hard ride this weekend to test my legs. Tomorrow will be a 100 mile ride consisting of 4 x (40 minutes at Ironman Pace and 20 minutes at Half IM pace). I hope this equates to about 220 watts for the 40 minutes and 250 watts for the 20 minutes. No big run after the ride, so I will be focused on pushing the workout.

Yesterday morning before work was a great run workout. Again I did the 4 x 2 mile repeats after a 4 mile warm up accompained by a 3 mile cool down. I started off the first 2 mile interval at 6:36 pace, then dropped it to 6:30 with the last two at 6:20. Not as fast as last time, but I did them on the road with some rolling hills versus the track. My legs felt good and I could have done another one, but needed to be back early for work.

My swims are also picking up with my pace coming down to a comfortable 1:10 per 100 yards. My goal is to have this around 1:07 per 100 by race week.

No big kid events this weekend, so I will take advantage of the time to stack on one more big weekend of training.

Wow what a weekend! As always the Monk Family was busy, training and racing and it was not just me this time. We had the Kiwanis Kids Triathlon in Bear Creek where Hannah and Parker both had outstanding performances.

Parker raced so well that he finished with 3rd place in his age group. Parker took off on the bike in 6th place and reeled in 2 people to find himself in 3rd at the start of the run. He ran fast and kept everyone behind him from catching up. I was really proud of him, because this was only his 2nd race and when we left the house, he told me that he was going to get a trophy. That is exactly what he did, and he got to stand on the podium and show it to everyone around!

Hannah raced as well, and did her best. She was a bit sick going into the race, but insisted on doing it anyway. Hannah is into swimming now and demonstrated a perfect freestyle at the event. She now wants to start swimming again, so Dad will sign her up soon for the Gators program once Girls Run is done.

We have more photos of the race published on-line: http://gallery.me.com/tmonk47229#100584

Proud Dad also made a short movie of Parker's race:

As far as my training, I had a hard week consisting of several breakthrough workouts that got me pretty excited:

• Tuesday was a track work out doing 5x 1200's. I averaged 4:27 pace in some serious heat.
• Thursday night was a key swim work out, where I saw 1:04 in several 100 freestyle swims.
• Friday morning was a big run day where I did my long run, but with 5 x 2 mile repeats in the middle of the workout. Al Richardson met me for the repeats and I averaged, 6:46, 6:36, 6:26, 6:31 and 6:11 pace. I felt terrible during the first part of this run, but thanks to Al, we picked it up. Total run distance was 15 miles and about 2 hours.
• Sunday was my long ride day, but again with some work in the middle of it. I had to do 2 hours at faster than Half IM pace and I did that and managed 252 watts, 44 miles total and a HR of only 152 bpm. The weather was hot and it was a challenge. The total ride was over 100 miles and about 5 hours.

Lastly, I am planning to race the Clear Lake International Triathlon this weekend. I hope to get a boost in my bike and run speed. Should also be a good test of my ability to run in the heat!

I have to share this video with everyone. It came out last year and was about Mike Weins, the guy that beat Lance. It is also the race that inspired Lance to come out of retirement.

Enjoy the video.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2008/10/08/sports/1194822950958/dave-wiens-mountain-biker.html

This past week was a good one, with some great work appointments in Austin, some great training and it was topped off with a nice early birthday celebration with family.

I turn the big 38 on Thursday, but my parents came over for some grilled buffalo and tri-tip and we enjoyed a nice afternoon by the pool. I got some awesome gifts, including a coffee mug with tons of Ironman stuff on it and a bamboo sushi platter for my ever increasing sushi habit. It was a low key affair with family and it could not have been a better time.

My mom also hinted at volunteering at the Ironman. I hope she does it!

As far as training, I had a really good week. I had an opportunity for a ride during my trip to Austin. I loaded up the bike into the Element and took it with me on the road while working this week. I also talked Mike Young into driving over so we could get in a before work 60 miler while in Austin. We did a ride called the Mansfield Dam loop. It had 3300 feet of climbing and compared to Houston, it was a nice test of the legs. I felt really good going uphill and feel my cycling is really improving.

I also have to go on record that Mike is no longer droppable. I had big plans to ditch him on the first climb and despite his broken spoke, he never went away. It is official, I can't drop him on flats and cannot drop him on hills either. He now has to have a 2:30 bike split at the Longhorn 70.3. He no longer has any excuses. Here is a view of our route:


View Larger Map

Austin is such an awesome place to train. You have Barton Springs for open water swims, Town Lake trail to run on, countless hills to bike on and all from a downtown destination. I plan on many more trips over there in the future.

When I returned home, I got in a long run of 2.5 hours or 19 miles Friday morning. I did most of it in the dark before work and it was still 78 degrees with 100% humidity. However, at about 7:00AM a big storm blew in and it cooled off. I had only 30 minutes to go on the run and decided to pick up the pace. I clocked off some 7:00 miles and finished the run strong despite being at 15 miles at the time.

Saturday was an easy ride with the Woodlands Cycling Club then time with Shani and Hannah at the Doll hospital in Old Town Spring!

Sunday morning came with me waking before my alarm and I did not feel rested at all. The 2 cups of coffee did not bring me to life and to my surprise, I was not hungary at all either. I started my ride at 6:15 and found my legs to be heavy, sore and nothing like they did when I had the great idea to push the pace for the last 4 miles of my 19 mile run. I was scheduled to do 5:30 or 110 miles. I did not have it and had to rely on Mike to pull me home in 4:30 or 85 miles.

I hit this point several times last year training for Wisconsin. When you have a bad day, you have to cut it short, eat a lot of food, rest and try again later.

I have 10 weeks to go and I am already pushing big volume weekly, despite my work schedule. The past few weeks I have averaged, 200+ miles on the bike, 9000 meters swimming and 45 miles running. If I stay smart and recognize the signals my body sends, I will be ready for the big day.

Lastly, we are off to see the Schloegel's this weekend in Kansas City. I always look forward to seeing them and spending time with Matt. I don't know if we will get a ride in, but I will make sure we run!

I have hit the 12 week mark until the big day in Kona. I have to say, my training could not be going better. I am even starting to have illusions of racing well there and not just finishing the race. However, the goal still remains to just finish. At this point, I feel great, I am not too tired and I am healthy!

I also feel that July is such an awesome month to be training. Why? Le Tour!! With the tour on TV at night, how can anyone not be inspired to log some miles?

I also have to admit that I told Shani last night that I was going to be a bit sad on Sunday when the tour is over. The problem with the race is it is so long, that you get used to watching and following it for the month. When it is done, you go through a bit of Le Tour withdraw.

One big difference for me this year in my training, is the incorporation of running at the track. When I am in town, I try and make it up to the Tuesday night track workouts. They have been a lot of fun and my coach, Dana does a great job hosting them.

For example, this past week, we warmed up then did 4 x 1600's. I started a bit slow with a 6:24, then went 6:08, 6:01 and 5:54. My legs felt strong and my breathing was real relaxed. This point last year, 6:30's would have been a stretch. To go under 6:00 in the heat of Houston is really starting to get me more excited about racing. I have learned to really enjoy something I always frowned upon. Bottom line is this, if you want to run faster, you have to run faster. I am really enjoying doing just that.

This week is somewhat of a rest week, so the workouts are much shorter and my long ride this weekend is only 4 hours. This will be nice after riding Centuries for the past few weeks. The week is also absent a long run. My total training time will top out at about 11 hours compared to the 18 and 21 in previous weeks.

Lastly, I wanted to share this awesome picture of Shani, Hannah, Parker, Uncle Scott and Tina. Shani and the kids just got back from a wonderful 2 weeks in California and they had a wonderful time. Uncle Scott took everyone to the San Diego Wild Animal park for the Roar and Snore and camped out at the park one night. The kids had a blast! They could not ask for a better Uncle.


Good Luck to everyone racing at IM Lake Placid this weekend!

Shani and the kids left on Tuesday to go to California. They are going to LA to visit her brother in Manhattan Beach, then off to Rocklin to visit some of our friends there. They have had a great week so far and I am happy they are getting to have so much fun in California.

So what do I do when they are gone? I work, train, train some more and watch the Tour. I had my first 21 hour training week of the season. With the wife and kids gone, I took advantage of having my evenings free and worked with my coach Dana Lyons to ramp up my volume.

One of the big differences for me this week was my cycling. I tried to get a ride in almost every day, including some fun stuff.

I went out on Thursday evening and rode with the Woodlands Cycling Club. They meet at the Stonebridge Church at 6:15pm and ride for over an hour. The fun part is they do these loops of about 2 miles long and do them really fast. I broke the road bike out and had a blast riding fast in a group and even taking off on some breakaways.

In addition to the frequent short rides, I also did two rides of 100 miles back to back on Saturday and Sunday.

My back to back centuries started on Saturday when I rode for about an hour myself then hooked up with the Woodlands Cycling Club again for their Saturday long ride. There were about 20 of us and again these guys brought the speed. The speed they hold for the 60 mile ride is 24+ the entire time. It was fun just trying to hang on. I took a few pulls on the front, but learned I have a long way to go to do anything substantial with those guys. Cycling training is so much more intense than the long and steady you do while training for an Ironman. After my 60 mile ride with them, I stayed on the roads for another 30 miles to get my 100. Because we rode so fast during the 60, I had done a 100 miles in 4:48, well under 5 hours.

On Sunday it was time to ride again. This time I hooked up with some fellow triathletes, Raul, Steve, Steve and Clint. The idea here was simply to ride another 100 miles and get home. However, I found that after about 30 minutes my legs felt really strong. Instead of sitting in and limping through another 5 hours, I was able to put in some nice steady efforts. I was also surprised how well I felt when I got home. The only thing I can contribute it to is a nice fitness boost from the Buffalo Springs race and my bodies ability to recover from cycling versus running.

In conclusion, the week consisted of 12,000 swim yards, 25 miles of running and 266 miles of cycling with a total workout time of 21 hours. Unlike a pro, I had to do this before or after work, so this kind of volume is always a treat to do during the season.

Hawaii is getting closer, and this week gave me a lot of confidence towards my goal of finishing the big one in Kona.

Shani and the kids get back on Thursday. I am ready for them to come home.

Whether it be a marathon or the Ironman, the one workout I dread is the long run. They are the necessary evil in the world of long distance training. The big difference between marathon and Ironman training is the long run happens after you have ridden many miles on the bike earlier in the week. Thus you never run it on fresh legs.

I don't do the long runs that fast. I purposefully go slow and just grind them out. My coach gives me plenty of other workouts to run fast, so I simply run these workouts by time only. I use to stress over how fast I was going, or my pace, now I just do them. I took this strategy into Ironman Wisconsin and the Houston Marathon and it worked great. I was limping along at 8:30 miles on trail before Houston and managed a 7:09 pace on race day. So running these things fast are just not worth it to me.

I see so many people out there with Garmin's trying to pace their long runs. I ask why do that? If the goal is to be on your feet for 2.5 - 3 hours, then what do you care how fast you are running? Often my legs are so tired when I start these things that my only goal is to just get them done. If I had to look down at a watch the whole time, I would go crazy. Save the pacing for when it is necessary. Leave the long runs to just getting the time in at a low heart rate.

The other good part of the long run is you get a chance to imagine yourself running along Ali drive in Kona! Every tri-geek has done this multiple times and if they ever tell you that they have not, they are lying. Other than imagining myself in Kona, the long run gives you a great time to do some thinking. I find myself going over work stuff in my head, life stuff and anything else you can think of during the hours on the pavement. I don't run with a cell phone so the distractions are at a minimum. I occasionally have the I-Pod with some music or a podcast, but often I just enjoy hearing the feet hitting the pavement.

As far as nutrition, I usually start with a banana and 24 oz of Gatorade. I run with my fuel belt which has 4 x 8oz bottles that I also fill with Gatorade. I typically drink one bottle every 20 minutes then stop and re-fill. I carry some gatorade powder in a flask so I only need to hit a fountain. If I hit the fluids every 20 minutes and a gel every 45, I have a decent run.

In Houston, fluids are mandatory! In California you could get by with a few drinks out of a fountain, here you will lose so much water that you risk dehydration. The funny thing is, you can get so dehydrated at 6:00 in the morning because the temperature is 77 degrees, but the humidity is 100%.

I run so early in the morning that I don't get a chance to run with others during my IM training. I can leave here at 5:00 and be back by 7:30 in time for work. Not a lot of people interested in that schedule. This morning my friend Mike Young hit 30 minutes with me in the beginning so that was a nice treat. For the marathon training in the winter, I do run Sunday's with others at parks and on trails which is a nice way to pass the miles.

So to wrap this up, I guess I can dread the long run before I begin it, but I always revel in the accomplishment upon finishing one. How many people do you know knocking out 19 miles before work?

I often get asked, how and when do you train? This question often comes from people I know that see how often I travel and they wonder when do I get in the workouts.

Well, the first key is to have a good coach. Dana Lyons ask me for my schedule every week before I head out of town. He then coordinates my workouts around my schedule so I can do what I can while on the road. For example, if I am gone Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I tell him how long I have to workout and he typically gives me a variety of runs.

Now the creative part is finding the time and place to do these runs. Two weeks ago while in Philadelphia, I was staying by the airport. I had on the schedule a tempo run with 5 x 1 mile repeats. I noticed by the hotel, that there was a service road with a bike lane. I had the hotel bus driver tell me how far it was around and we discovered that it was about exactly 1 mile. So problem solved. I ran the loop 8 times counting warm up and cool down. You do get some strange looks when they see an idiot running circles around the hotel in the dark. However, it sure does beat a crappy hotel treadmill.

Traveling west is my favorite. The reason being, if we don't have a work dinner, I can go to bed early at my regular time (8:00 pacific time) and wake up at 4:00AM with no problem. This leaves me with 3 - 4 hours of prime workout time in the morning before work. I typically only need 1 - 2 hours so there is plenty of time to get in a nice long run, get some work in and head out the door all before 8:00 am local time. On both of my recent trips to San Diego this has been the case so I have not missed out on too much running time. Note, If you are a night owl, this obviously will not work for you.

(In Dallas, we are fortunate enough to stay at the Cooper Clinic. This place is a triathletes dream with an outdoor running track, 2 lap pools and countless spin classes. They all start super early in the morning so you can get in the miles long before you have to start your day. If you travel to Dallas, give them a call and see if they have a room for you in the guest lodge.)

Swimming can be done as well by simply visiting www.usms.org. The masters website will list all masters workouts and clubs in your area. If you can't find one of those, the local Y always has a pool. I try and keep an extra suit and goggles in my suitcase, so if there is some extra time before a dinner etc., I can try and get in a short swim. If time does not allow for a swim, so be it. I think too many people stress over this one. Yes I swam in college, but I learned the hard way that these races are not won during the swim. They are won on the run!

Getting in a ride can be a real challenge while on the road, so most of the time I just work with Dana to be sure I don't have one scheduled. If I can plan my travel around an early morning bike ride and an afternoon flight, then great. If not, it comes down to my one long ride on Sundays which I make sure it is a good one.

Sometimes I just don't train and try to plan my off day from training around my travel schedule. It can be a real drag to get a run in after you have flown for 4 hours and have 100 e-mails to catch up on. The stress alone is a work out, so I always opt for the e-mails, stay current with work and live to train another day.

When I don't travel, training is pretty simple, because I get up early! Daylight savings is a blessing, since you can start rides at 6:00am and be back by 7:30. You can run in the dark, so out the door by 5:00 and you have plenty of time to get in that run or swim.

Lastly, every athlete wishes they could have more training time. When I am having a rare pity moment, I often say what if I could ride my bike for 300 miles a week? It takes me about 5 seconds to realize that I am more than fortunate to see 150 miles a week and I have a great job and family that allows me to get in that much. After all, this is still a hobby and there will always be someone that can train a lot longer than you can, so you just have to get over it and make each session count.

So if you want to find time to work out while on the road, work with your coach, be creative and make it happen. Half the fun of this sport is the silly things we do as triathletes to get in the miles around our busy lifestyles.

Last year while getting ready for the Wisconsin Ironman, my coach Dana Lyons had me do the following long workout several times:

1 Hour run (about 8 miles)
5 Hour Bike (about 100 miles)
45 minute run (about 5 miles)

This workout is not done fast, but because of the duration, it really simulates race conditions. I hate to see it on the schedule, but love when I am done with it. The final 45 minute run really simulates what your legs will feel like during the final 26 miles of the Ironman. Also, the heat is on here in Houston making it hot and humid during most of the bike and the final run. I work hard to keep my heart rate low by staying efficient during the final 45 minute run.

Sunday was the first of these workouts for this season and it went pretty well. I was real happy with my run pace of 7:30 for the first hour and 7:45 for the final 45 minutes. By October, I want this to be done at 7:00 and 7:30 respectively. I have plenty of time to get there. As far as the bike, I typically try and keep the Power at 200+ watts for the day which was pretty easy to maintain and I was right in line with my power from last year.

I talked my friend Mike Young into doing the 5 hour ride and we ended up picking up Clint Bryant at about the 3 hour mark. It is always great to have others when you are riding so far and so long. This was the first time I have ridden with Mike Y this long and I have to say, I can no longer drop him. He actually dropped me on the final sprint. What a difference a year makes.

Lastly, the old Saab finally died. I will not go into details other than the trade in value on the Saab was much less than I could get for my bike!

I ended up getting a new Honda Element fully loaded with navigation and an upgraded sound system. The cool part of the sound system is you can plug your I-Pod into the built in USB port and it pulls your entire ipod menu up on the Nav screen. You can change your music from the controls on the stereo as opposed to messing around with the Ipod as your drive. I also love this car, because you can fit a bike straight up in the back for races and rides and the floors are totally rubber. No need to worry about water, sweat and all the other things that ruin a car.

My friend Michael Woodward in California got one of these about 4 years ago and my friend Mike Young picked one up a few months ago. After driving Mike's, I was hooked. For what I like to do, the new ride is perfect. Below are some pictures along with my chosen car model (Hannah).

I had a great week of training with the return of my long runs and rides. It was a lot of fun to be back out there on the bike Saturday for 4 hours with some friends. The best part of the training is riding with friends and others that are training for the season. One of my training partners, Al Richardson is also going to Kona. He qualified at Florida last year and this will be his 2nd trip. Al is in the 50 - 54 age group but can ran as fast as most of the pros.

My week ended with a great Mother's day dinner with Shani and the kids. We had a wonderful time at Jasper's in Market Street. The kids got all dressed up and we treated mom extra special for the night. Our kids are at an age where they are so much fun to be around. I could not imagine what my life would be like without my family. I am very lucky.

Tomorrow night is the start of the T-Ball World Series. The Angels are playing like champions and we get our first test tomorrow night. Parker and I threw the ball for a while today and he continues to improve.

Special congratulations goes to Laura Gaddy for winning her age group at the local Tri-Girl Sprint race in Humble. This was Laura's second race and she climbed to the top of the podium!

Lastly, the local press had an article on last weekend's CB&I Race. It was great to be mentioned, but it was not the most flattering portrayal of the day. But hey, if you are going to be in the front, you better be able to deal with getting "crushed". I get another chance next weekend to race at the Silverlake Triathlon. Shorter course, but another good opportunity to build up some speed. A copy of the article about the CB&I is below:


woodlands villager - sports

Houstonian dominates CB&I Tri

Jody Gaddy (middle), of The Woodlands, keeps his eyes trained on the road ahead during the biking portion of the CB&I Triathlon Saturday.

By JON WALK
Published: 05.04.09
While area triathletes Michelle LeBlanc, Dana Lyons and Karen Ponette-Maldonado turned the sixth annual CB&I sprint triathlon into the unofficial championship of The Woodlands, Houston’s Dean King quickly eliminated any suspense that a local might have grabbed Saturday’s top spot.

The 36-year-old petroleum engineer from Sydney, Australia, who moved to Houston at Thanksgiving two years ago, came out of the water in the event’s first 500-meter swim wave just seconds ahead of former Cy Fair High School and University of Denver swimmer Timothy Monk, of The Woodlands.

But King added two minutes to his lead during the 15-mile bike leg over Monk, the 38-year-old who is bound for Kona, Hawaii, in October, before crushing him with the day’s best five-kilometer run time of 16:49 — and besting the field with a winning time of 1:00:58.

Although extremely humid, the morning’s cloud cover spared the approximately 1,000 competitors from any searing early May heat.

“This morning was almost perfect as there was not much in the way of sun,” said King, who wasn’t bothered that there wasn’t anyone with him to push the pace. “I just try to race my own race. I train alone so I’m comfortable with pushing myself along.”

So comfortable that he kept masters winner Lyons, 51, of The Woodlands, from having any shot of winning the overall title.

“I felt pretty good, as it’s nice to be doing a short course,” Lyons said of his 1:03:11 effort, less than a week removed from winning the Corpus Christi Duathlon last Saturday. “I really hammered the bike and redlined the run, but it wasn’t enough to catch Michelle.”

Hammering the bike meant equaling the 25.9-mph pace of LeBlanc, one of the best woman cyclists in the region. But she defended her women’s title with a 1:02:56 performance that was second overall and bested fellow Finish Strong Running coach Lyons by 16 seconds.

“It went well,” LeBlanc said, speaking to an Achilles injury that has toned down her potential racing schedule for 2009. “Even with the injury, it is hard to stay away (from the CB&I). It is the community event of the year.”

And with Rice University swimmer Natalie Kirchoff, 23, of Columbia, Mo., almost nine minutes behind in second place in the women’s division, LeBlanc, like King, had no problem creating challenges for herself.

“I make my competition anybody and everybody,” she said.

Ponette-Maldonado’s competition surprisingly got harder when she turned 40, but her winning women’s masters performance, in 1:12:40, resembled anything but a difficult trip Saturday.

“I’ve been injured recently, but I had a really strong bike today,” she said. “I really wanted the age group win today.”

And she got it with a four-minute, 42-second margin over Houston’s Ann Morris, 45.

Saturday’s most impressive performance may have come from 13-year-old Audrey Manchester, of The Woodlands.

While finishing 13th among all women with a time of 1:16:44, she was the fastest female 19 years and under — a minute and 18 seconds faster than Clear Lake’s Jeanette Wacker, 18, and almost five minutes better than The Woodlands High School Triathlon teammate Hannah Berryhill.

In fact, the younger Manchester finished just one spot and six seconds behind Wacker’s mother, Ann, 51, a former University of Texas swimmer.

Manchester’s mother, Tammie, 42, may not be much longer for the Athena division, but before she goes she won her 40-and-over division in 1:24:51 and was just 58 seconds behind 39-and-under winner Laura Green, of The Woodlands.

Greg Colvin easily won the men’s 40-and-over Clydesdale division in 1:11:49, while The Woodlands’ Mike Bard, 38, took the 39-and-under age group in 1:12:26 — with three competitors trailing by less than 70 seconds.

The Woodlands’ Stephen Daniel, who won the 50-and-over Clydesdale division, was given the Randolph Parnell Award, which honors the triathlete who died during the swim portion of last year’s CB&I.

Meanwhile, the margins of victory in the relay divisions were nearly as wide as the Mississippi.

College Station’s two-person mixed team of Rooter Wareing and Michelle Roskowsky, though, proved that the currents from the Brazos run pretty strong too as their near eight-minute, mixed relay division win in 1:04:31 was the day’s fifth-best time.

The Mighty Ducks won the men’s division for the second year in a row on the strength of a three-minute personal best 5k run of 19:54 by The Woodlands’ Bill Crews. Joining Crews to post the event’s seventh-best time of the day (1:06:12) was Dan Mayfield in the water and Brandon Ewers on the bike.

Heidi Allen, Carrie Davies and Diane Richardson formed Watch Out Bernhard to win the women’s relay division in 1:24:03.

Copyright © 2009 - Houston Community Newspapers Online

Does weight matter? I ask myself this all the time. See I am a former chunky person (fat). It all seemed like it happened so fast. I was swimming in college, discovered beer, pizza, the original chipolte, and golf. While I was still swimming, those things did not matter. I ate 3,000 - 5,000 calories a day, but swam 4 hours a day so no big deal.

Stop swimming, start working, golf in a cart becomes your exercise and before you know it 220 lbs on a 5' 11" frame (Me above 1998).

When I started running back in 2000, I did not lose weight because I kept eating the same amount of food and probably more. I then figured out that if you eat less than you burn, you lose weight! This was real easy to achieve by eating a few slices of pizza and not the whole pie.
The first picture reminds me everyday of who I used to be.

It has been about 9 years to the day that I started to really focus on my weight. Not a lot has changed because I still watch the weight everyday.

As of now, my weight is 175. That seems to be the going average for me. I have seen as low as 166 and as high as 180 over the past 2 years. I do have a body fat scale and see 9 - 11 % on that whether I am 166 or 180 lbs.

I have posted good results at 169 lbs and qualified for Kona at 175 lbs. During the Houston Marathon, I actually gained weight during the race and they made me go to the med tent because I weighed 179 at the finish. (That brought back flashbacks of the old me from 1998).

So to answer my own question the answer is yes, it does matter. Not in lbs, but how I think about it. I will always watch my weight, but I will always look back at the first picture and realize that the race between myself and my weight is long over. I need to declare that race a victory and just enjoy how great I feel at 37 years of age.

On April 15th, 2009, Ironman released the list of lottery winners for the 2009 IM World Championships. Congratulations to all of those that were chosen. I hope Ironman keeps this tradition alive and gives everyone a small chance via lottery to go to Kona.

The release of the Lottery Winners is also the official start to most peoples build up for the IM World Championships. I have seen my rides increase to 4:00 with brick runs hitting :45 minutes. I had a great session on Sunday with 80 miles in the saddle followed up with some mile repeats at the track. I was so surprised at my times, because I was holding 6:17 per mile. I have also seen a few kilo's burn off in past weeks so no doubt that is helping speed up the run.

Last week in my travels, I met a Dr. Minkoff. He is a 5 time Kona finisher and gave me some great advice about a product called M.A.P or Master Amino Profile. Although my employer does not make this product (yet), Dr. Minkoff was such a firm believer and it has a long history in triathlon that I have given it a whirl. Dr. Minkoff was kind enough to provide me with samples so I will let everyone know how it is working.

If my repeats at the track after my 80 mile ride are any indication, it is going pretty well.

My work is causing me a lot of stress right now as I am sure it is for everyone in this economy. However, I tell myself daily that if I can qualify for Kona, then I can overcome anything. My personality is such that I put drive into everything I do because I hate being second best. The same goes for work. DNF 'ing is not an option for me, whether it be work, family or racing.

On a family note, my son is progressing so quickly at T-ball and managed to get 3 outs the other day at his game. I just love seeing him improve. He is so driven to get better and to see his confidence build each game puts a huge smile on my face. The same goes for my daughter who has completed 2 big runs in the past week. One being the Girls Run Tulip trot and the other the Conroe ISD Elementary 1 Miler. She ran hard at both races and I was so proud of her.

Tim

Spring break has come to a close. This year the family stayed home because Dad had to work and we had Mimi come and visit. I know Shani and the kids had a blast with Mimi and sometimes just having family around is a great vacation.

We also were blessed to have the our close friends the Schloegel's visit from KC. Matt is my old training partner and close friend from California. I don't know what it is about him, but we seem to pick up where we left off. Matt and I were able to get in an evening ride and an early morning run. Just having them stay the night was a lot of fun and we caught up during a wonderful dinner. Matt has 4 girls and my heart goes out to him once they all become teenagers.

I finished off the week with a long ride of 4 hours and a 30 minute tempo run. It is always nice to be out on the bike, so although my workout was not that great with tired legs, I loved being out there.
No spring break in Texas is complete without pictures of the kids in the bluebonnets. Our neighborhood is covered in the Texas State flower so we had to head out about 2 blocks to snap some great pictures.

I am off to Seattle tomorrow to interview some candidates for our opening there. I hope we find someone good.

On Wednesday, we had some cold weather move into Houston. It was quite a culture shock from the 85 degree days we have had over the past few weeks. Thus, I find myself inside today relaxing and watching it rain outside and writing on my blog.

Before I get into my training update, I have to share with everyone how proud I am of my son Parker and his T-Ball game on Wednesday night. I have ever seen him play so hard and do so well. He played in the infield for 3 out of the 5 innings and hit some shots to the outfield while at bat. You could see his confidence lift as the game went on. What a great sport for young boys.

With all I have going on with work, training and family, having an afternoon of relaxation has been a really nice treat. Mimi is here from Orlando and is joining us for all of next week. The kids are so excited she is here. I enjoy her visits as well because it always frees up some time for training!

Thanks to MiMi being here, I watched Cycling Tv on the internet this morning and got to see Alberto Contador Bonk on the final climb. I thought that guy was invincible, but it goes to show everyone can have a bad day. He was left all alone out there to defend his jersey and they got the best of him. Unless a miracle happens tomorrow, his Paris-Nice is over.

Yesterday was a long run of 15 miles, and the cold drizzly weather was welcomed by me as I always enjoy running in colder weather. Legs felt great and running in the dark, thanks to daylight savings, can make for an interesting adventure during an early morning run.

I did manage to get a nice swim in today up at the new natatorium. The Nat was set up as long course and should be for the rest of the spring and summer. Long course swimming is such a different experience than short course. It always reminds me of the long summers of training as a kid. Although my arms were tired today I still managed to put in a solid 4,000 meters. My swimming is really starting to come along and my times are starting to show some improvement.

Tomorrow should be a long ride. I hope the weather lets me get outside. If not, I will be on the trainer in Dana's garage. If you have not checked it out yet, take a look at Dana's new website www.coachlyons.com.

I found this youtube post of the final kilometers of the Paris Nice today. The quality is not that great and there is no voice over, but if you missed the stage, good chance to see what happened:

Yesterday I received the most awesome e-mail. I was contacted by someone from Ironman.com that is doing interviews of the athletes that qualified at IM Wisconsin. I don't know if anything will be published, but to just get contacted was a pretty cool experience.

I finally made it back from Pittsburgh late last week and was so glad to be home. I was only able to get on a treadmill Thursday of last week in Pittsburgh after a forced 2 days off. My coach, Dana, had scheduled last week to be a rest week so not too much was lost.

Saturday was a very busy day for us. We had Girls Run for Hannah starting at 7:30, then off to the ball park for the opening day of T-Ball. The whole family was exhausted by the time we got home, but we had a blast!

Since I am the photographer at Girlsrun, it was great to get some pictures of all the girls for the start of the spring season. We have a record number of girls for the program this year, so I am sure we will raise a lot of money for Livestrong.

Training got back to normal by Sunday with a decent ride in some very warm weather.

This week promises to be a good training week with some hard runs, hard rides and my longest ride of the season on Sunday.

The pictures in this blog post include one of the T-Ball parade, one of Parker hitting home on opening day and Hannah at her first Saturday practice at Girls Run.

After working all week and mixing in training when I can, I have come to really enjoy my Saturdays. For about 2 years now, I have made Saturday my off day from any training.

Using Saturday as a day off works out great because we typically have family activities like games and other things to do with the kids. Trying to fit a workout in around all of that just causes unnecessary stress for me and my family.

Sunday's morning's usually start with an early morning long ride so starting the ride on rested legs is always a bonus. After being off all day, I get up extra early on Sunday and look forward to my ride.

On another note, last night was Parker's first T-Ball scrimmage. We have been practicing almost every day for months since the end of the fall season. At 2 of his 3 at bats, he hit the ball to the outfield and played pitcher and short stop for 3 innings. My son has worked so hard to get better and last night it showed! I was so proud to see him playing well and most importantly, enjoying being at the game and trying his hardest to make things happen for his team.

As this is an off day, we will head outside in a few to play some catch and his coach gave us some drills to work on as well. Hannah has her Girls Run starting soon so I am sure a short ride or run with her is in the works.

Saturday is not a day to just sit on the couch, but one where our family takes time to do fun stuff. Even my honey do list can be fun. (I just don't let on that it can be fun or it will get way too long.)

Enjoy your day off, and be ready to hammer down on Sunday for a 3-4 hour ride.

In the Woodlands, there is a local swimming legend named TJ Fry. He is an unbelievable swimmer and an amazing endurance athlete. I remember him as a kid swimming for The Woodlands Swim Team. No one could touch him in the pool.

Recently he assisted me with some underwater footage to try and help my stroke. Seeing one's self underwater is a great way to find areas that need improvement.

TJ has a awesome website showing and discussing all kinds of swimming related topics. TJ has also been helping Michelle Leblanc and is turning her into an awesome swimmer (so much for my advantage out of the water).

If you want to improve your swim, you should take a look at TJ's site, http://badig.com and watch how powerful he is underwater.

As far as the rest of my training, it was raining when I woke up this morning so no early morning ride before work today. I did however get in a good run early yesterday morning for about 1:20 before I headed out to Jasper, TX with my local Houston rep to see some clients.

This weekend is not a busy training weekend because we are off to Louisiana for my Dad's birthday.

It is Wednesday and I am returning from a one day trip to Denver to interview a candidate for our opening there.  When I lived in Sacramento,  the travel time prevented me from doing to many one day trips.  I have learned to never underestimate how awesome it is to sleep in ones own bed at night.

The weekend is starting out to be a good one. My 1 hour run this morning was early before work and the weather was high 50's and it was just great being out there and watching the sun come up. We are in for some mid 70's in the afternoon all weekend which should make for some good cycling.

On my run I listened in to IM Talk and my HR started jumping with excitement as tri-season is fast approaching. Clearly I have high hopes for 2009, but hopes aside, I just love being out there and putting in the miles. IM Talk was all about their Epic Camp in New Zealand. For 2 weeks tri-junkies from serious age groupers to pros put in an insane amount of volume early in the season in New Zealand (They are in Summer). To hear their stories about 9 hour rides and 3000k open water swims gets you excited to take on the challenges of the season.

Beautiful weather also means time with the kids outdoors. Hannah has her girls run program fast approaching and we picked up some new shoes and clothes for her last weekend from Lukes Locker. I am sure she will be ready to run with me tomorrow. I also want to commend my friends at Lukes for taking such care with Hannah finding the right shoes. Hannah is only 9, and they worked with her as if she were toeing the line in Boston. I think every athlete dreams about owning a store like that some day. If you follow the blog and are new to running, don't underestimate the importance of being fit in the right shoes. A store like Luke's makes sure you are ready to run.

Parker should find out who his T-Ball coach is and what team he will be on this weekend. We have been throwing the ball at night and he has really improved the past few months. I look forward to his season and some more time tomorrow playing catch.

Great weather also means thinking about gardening! Thus, I am going to the Home and Garden show with Shani on Saturday. I am sure she will find some awesome ideas for our house. She had the front of the house painted this week and it looks beautiful. I did not think it needed it, but I was wrong. Always listen to a woman when aesthetics and beauty come into play. As men, we have no clue. Don't fight it, just admit it.

Finally, I am grateful that I have a good job during these tough times. Tough times will mean doing things a bit different and it will get difficult as our economy changes from one of debt driven exuberance to conservative economics. All of these are changes for the better. I am also thankful that sport helps you prepare for so many life experiences. In Ironman, you have some great moments and some difficult ones in racing and in training. It is what you do during difficult times that make you stronger and better. Work is no different.

Break out the sunscreen because we will need it "down here" in Houston this weekend.

Good Training,
Tim

Sunday marked the first time in a long while that I was back on the bike with the boys. On Sundays, our sponsor Bike Lane host a group ride. The ride is short, but has some fast spots and sprints that I normally don't get to do during my long slog of IM training.

This Sunday's ride was no different with a fast sprint (which I surprisingly won) followed by a moment of nausea, then some group riding where I drafted like a champion!

Riding with cyclist is always fun and quickly points out how hard bike racing can be. I just don't see how those guys do it day after day in a stage race.

We followed up our ride with a brief run and finished it off with a nice soak in the hot tub! I say we, because I was joined by Mike Young and Mike Huffine. Both recovered from their respective 1/2 and marathon races and also ready to jump start the triathlon season.

I predict both will do well this year. Mike Young will do a sub 4:50 in a 1/2 IM and Mike Huffine's amazing fitness transformation will lead to some surprisingly good races during is first full year triathlon racing.

With it being Super Bowl Sunday, I needed the ride to burn off some of what I planned on ingesting during yesterday's game. The good thing about the long ride is it does just that. It burns a lot of calories!!

This week is another slow week of training to get back into the routine with a lot of short but frequent workouts.

I also signed up for the Kansas 70.3 race in June. I always enjoy racing and riding with my good friend Matt Schloegel.

Lastly, we find out what team Parker will be playing on this week as the T-Ball season begins.

Well,  I got  the TT bike out last night and put it on the trainer.  I was all excited, put the power meter on,  got my new shorts on and was ready to crank out a few hundred watts....not.

Yesterday marked my first attempt to get back into a regular tri-oriented training routine.  I was able to get a run in early for about 4 miles then hit the pool last night for a good masters swim.

The run was very sluggish, but I got through it.  I can't explain why you feel so out of shape after a big event,  but you just do.  There is no way you can lose that much fitness after a few days off after your race,  but your body sends weird signals to get you to take it easy.

I hope to get back on the bike this weekend.  I have all but abandoned the tri-bike since the IM.  It actually still has the race number on it and no pedals.

A few weeks ago, TJ Fry,  local swimming legend took some underwater video of us swimming. First, you should see how awesome this guy is in the pool. Unbelievable how fast he his.

He did a nice job with his new underwater camera showing us our pull.  Based on this video, I have got to stop kicking like an idiot.  



Time to get focused and get some of these flaws fixed.

Tim

Today marks my 3rd day since the marathon and I have to say that I feel pretty good.  Our Wobenzym product really helps with the inflammation and I have been loading up on it to the tune of 16 a day.

I pride myself on being a good enough swimmer to stay with the lead pack in my age group.  I care less about being the fastest,  but just like staying close to the front.  

However,  last night was an experience that will motivate me to train more.  At our nighttime masters swim,  we are limited on lanes.  Thus, we have about 6 people in the fast lane.  That means the really, really fast people like Ross Davis make me look like a real loser.  

We had to do a fast 500 after countless other swims.  I was feeling pretty good about holding my 1:10 pace.   I went 3rd and at the 150,  he caught me.  That means he was averaging 10 seconds faster than me or holding about 1:00 per 100 yards.  Ross is no spring chicken right out of college.  He is a dedicated and talented masters swimmer that gives us all something to aspire towards in the pool. 

I think we all need to train with people like Ross.  You will not beat them,  but they sure keep you from loafing during a set.  If you loaf,  you get lapped!

I am still in charge! Hannah has changed her mood from a teenager back to an 8 year old. I got them off to school with no problems on Friday and found our morning to be quite pleasant. I understand why she gets so upset with some of the girls on our street. I hope she learns to deal with it soon as it is all part of growing up.

Since I was working, our neighbor's the Paff's picked them up and rode them home. That really helped me out since I was doing reviews with my sales team on the phone every hour.

Last night, Jody Gaddy came over and we shared some pizza and watched the Tivo copy of the IM from 08. It is amazing how fast Craig Alexander was running during the marathon. I read a blog post somewhere that he dropped down some sub 6 minute miles during the pass on Llanos. To do that after riding your bike 112 is awesome.

Today is Saturday and I have not been able to work out yet. Go read my other post Dad is in Charge as to why I have not worked out. I have found myself on the couch and in my office helping "Mi-Mi" get her new macbook up to speed. The coolest part about the macbook is the ability to use I-Chat and share a screen. I am controlling her macbook from here and I am able to move the files around that I need to move.

I will make today an off day and get out tomorrow afternoon when Shani gets home and do my run. During a taper, you can do too much, but not too little.

I did manage to get a run in yesterday when I took the kids to school. Instead of riding, I ran then did a short loop back to the house. I picked up the pace to add in some intensity.

Shani comes back from Orlando tomorrow. I can't wait.

Shani has had to head back to Orlando to be with her mom.  That has left my two adorable angels here with me.  Here is what I have learned,  I am only able to train because my wife is raising my children!

Today starts the marathon taper. It is always nice to taper and begin the healing process from all the work. However, for me, they are always hit or miss. I have had some of my best races without much rest and have had some really good ones with a lot of rest.

Running brings on a different dilemma because you don't want to show up sore from running, but you have to be ready to run. For triathlons, I usually cut the running out or way back and just ride and swim and let myself heal. That worked great for IM Wisconsin. For this marathon, I plan on keeping up with a few more runs, but taking it easy. I love my Newton shoes, but they do reek havoc on my calves at times.

I was able to get a good swim in last night when Hannah was doing her swim. I managed to do a few 100's on the 1:10 and 2 on the 1:05. All of this on 2 swims a week, so I can't complain about my swimming. Swimming Masters at WMST at the new Natatorium is pretty awesome. The caliber of swimmer up there keeps everyone sharp and the coaching is superb.

Hannah must have swam 1500 yards last night. She passed out in the car on the way home. She really loves it which is great. Swimming, Running or any individual sport is so good for girls. She got moved over a lane during her second practice and you could see the pride on her face. Shani suggested she only swim 2 days a week and I agree. I don't want her getting burned out.

Shani is heading to Orlando tonight so I will have the Kids for the weekend. I am looking forward to having them all to myself.

Lastly, I am helping Michelle get on the web. The site is not quite ready, but we hope to be finished soon.

Good training!

Today is my 11th wedding anniversary to Shani. Hard to believe it has been 11 years. This year's gifts, a convection oven and new office furniture! (We did a cruise for our 10th) For those that wonder, you can't train for an Ironman without a supportive spouse. That is why I know how lucky I am.

After heading out for some Cinnamon Rolls to cook in the new oven this morning I managed to get a short ride in for about 30 miles. The cool part was the temperature of 70 degrees at the start. I have not been able to get out on the bike much this past month because of work, holidays etc, so it was nice to get out for a little cruise.

Tomorrow is the last long run of the marathon training with a 2:15 effort +/- 17 miles. I can't wait to be done with that one. It is not that I don't enjoy running, I just have not enjoyed training for the marathon.

Yesterday I managed to get a swim in during lunch which was fun since I have not been in the water for a few weeks either. I felt suprisingly good for such a long layoff. A couple of weeks back I had swam with TJ Fry, a local phenom here and he did some underwater video of our swimming. He pointed out that I had some slipping with my arms underwater probably causing me to give up some pull when I get tired. Now I just try and keep a steady pull from start to finish. The good news was we did some 50's on the :40 and I was pretty comfortable coming in around :33.

We also headed by our team sponsor's new bike store BikeLane now off of I-45 and 242. The place was huge and must be a dream for the owners to have such an awesome location. I know they will do well there. Ken the local mechanic is legendary around here and you would not dream of taking your bike anywhere else. He is going to order me up some new Time pedals for the Q-Roo.

I also sucked it up and signed up for the Lonestar Qtr IM in Galveston in April. We go their every year and I happen to be the 2 time 35 - 39 AG champion! However, I am going to keep the long stuff at bay for a while longer this season and only race the Qtr. These guys do an awesome job with the race and it is always fun to go. All though they started a new 70.3 race in New Orleans the same weekend, I look forward to supporting Keith Jordan and the Galveston Community.

Lastly, my friend Mike brought what my wife refers to as the Nerd Box, that is the Honda Element. I have to admit, it is a pretty cool car for endurance sports. But it does look like a box for endurance nerds.

Today was a good test of my ability to run a decent marathon.  I had a 10 mile run with 6 of it at Marathon pace.  My goal was to keep the HR at 160 or less and see what the legs could do.

Before I get into New Years Day, here is an update on yesterday's inervals. I had 7 x 1 mile repeats at 15 - 20 seconds faster than goal marathon pace, which means I hold about 6:50 per mile. My legs felt pretty strong from the start so I clicked off the intervals with no problem. I enjoyed listening to IM Talk and found the Hot Tub when I was done. Basically, a pretty good day!

Today is New Years day and time for resolutions. I think I speak for many triathletes out there, especially those doing IM races that resolutions are kind of silly. Most of us have goals already set for the upcoming season and we don't just think about working out more, we would kill to work out more! For us it is not about losing weight, but about competing and letting our bodies get to the point where we are the fastest.

Back in 2002 I found myself training for my first marathon. I stopped worrying about losing weight, diets and other silliness and started training. I found a sport I loved to do and started doing it. For me, running is fun, swimming is fun and cycling is fun. If you are looking to get fit, find something you like and go out there and challenge yourself. Instead of saying, I am going to get in shape, set a resolution to break 4 hours in the marathon, break 1:30 in the 1/2 or like me in 2008? qualify for Kona.

What makes the above goals different than most is they have a set point of accomplishment and they allow you to enjoy the journey. Training for an event like the Ironman requires a lot of time. If you don't enjoy the training, then you are in the wrong sport. Yes there are days that are tougher to get motivated than others, but 99% of the time, I just love being out there.

This Year's goal is simple for me, cross the finish line along Ali Drive. The good part is I have 10 months to enjoy the journey of getting ready to compete in Kona.

Today marks the official start of the 2009 tri-season, so whatever your race goal is, set it and go get it!

Good Training,
Tim

It has been a few days since my last post,  mainly because nothing monumental has occurred-with my training.  

The big news around here is the investment in my home office.  I am fortunate to be able to work from home when I am not traveling so having a place to work is important.  For the past 7 years, I have been working on a desk that is a piece of crap purchased for $80.00 in 1998 from IKEA,  a left over kitchen table,  two old book cases $45.00 from IKEA topped off with junk laying all over the floor.  Well, Shani suggested I stop being so cheap and we went back to IKEA on Monday night.  Wow has that place changed.  We found an awesome workstation,  some new book shelves that are huge and an awesome new filing cabinet.  

The hard part was fitting all of it in the mini-van,  but we managed.  Like every other obsessive compulsive triathlete,  I was determined to put the stuff together when we got home.  We managed to get the desk and the bookshelves thrown together and got the old junk moved out of the room.  The only problem was it was close to midnight when we finally went to bed.  Now back to training.

I was supposed to do 7 x 1 mile at 20 seconds faster than marathon pace on Tuesday.  Because I was too excited about fixing up the office,  I only did a 40 minute run.  I will be heading out the door this morning and doing the intervals.  My legs felt good yesterday so hopefully today will be the same.

My diet however has lacked.  The holidays are a killer.  I read all the articles about snacking before parties,  alcohol moderation,  blah,  blah, blah.  Well,  I have enjoyed every moment with my family this holiday season including some nice meals at Rico's for lunch and some good wine with Shani.  Kona is still a long way away.  Looks like I have a good New Year Resolution for myself to get back to healthy eating.

I got up early for a 1.5 hour run as this week was an off week, so I did not have to shuffle around for 3 hours this morning. The run felt fine, but I still feel that my fitness is lacking for this marathon. The weather turned cooler yesterday right during my recovery ride so the run this morning was in the low 40's with some rain. Much more seasonal than the balmy 74 degrees on Friday. I did a mile at my aerobic max pace and was at 7:40 per mile. I am normally around 7:20 so my aerobic fitness is nowhere near it was prior to Wisconsin. I guess this is fine since I am not trying to peak until October.

After the run, Parker and I received some complimentary tickets from the Kiniffic's and headed to our first Texan's game. Parker loved it and we had a great time. Parker had an entire bag of cotton candy and a few cokes. Nothing like a sugar diet during a football game. Of course we were playing the Chicago Bears. What a surprise that bunch of drunk Bear fans would start a fight a few seats over from us. The good thing was Houston's finest had them hauled out of there pretty quick. The Texan's had nothing to play for and still managed to whip the Bears. Maybe next year the Texans can make the playoffs and give Houston some postseason excitement for the first time in quite a while.

Today is an off day for my marathon training. It is hard to set here though with the weather so warm here in Houston.

Yesterday's run was crazy with the temperature at 72 degrees at 6:30 in the morning with 100% humidity. It felt like a summertime run while trying to do the intervals.

I have found a large retention pond that is exactly 1 mile around and it has dirt which makes it a bit easier on the legs. I ran down to to the pond and did 3 x 1 mile intervals on the way down and did 5 around the pond when I got there. I met up with my friend Mike Young he did a few loops with me. One of those loops, Mike held 7:00 pace which he was very pleased with. Mike recently completed IM AZ back in April and had a great race season in 2008. He plans on doing the Houston 1/2 marathon.

The intervals went ok despite the heat with all of them at goal pace or faster of 6:50 per mile. On the last two, our local pro Michelle Leblanc showed up and ran them with me. She can fly. Michelle is one of the fastest female cyclist alive and can also light up the run. I do a lot of training with her because she really pushes me since I am like every other male athlete not wanting to lose to girls! However, she often leaves me in the dust as to remind me who the boss is while we train.

I finished the day up with a bike ride with my daughter on her new mountain bike from Santa. She loves cruising the trails and shifting the gears. She hit the mud pretty hard yesterday and had her first real tasted of getting dirty on the bike. Now my problem is that I don't have a mountain bike myself. I knew it would not take long before I found some other piece of equipment I just have to have. Time to hit E-Bay!

Tim

Cruise Intervals are a term my coach uses. I truly dread these, but always feel like they are the best workout to sustain a pace during the run. For the Ironman over the summer, I did a lot of these. They typically fall during the week and take about 1 to 1.5 hours. You go out and run a warm up then do 1 to 2 mile repeats with about 1 to 2 minutes recovery.

For today, I have 8 x 1 mile repeats. I normally run these on the road on a marked course. With it being the day after Christmas, I hope they burn off some of the excess I have consumed the past week.

For me the pace is suppose to be about 6:50 per mile or 20 seconds faster than goal marathon pace. To make this even more challenging, it is already 70 degrees outside with 100% humidity so it will fell like a summer time run requiring a lot of fluids. I will know by the end of this workout if qualifying for Boston is doable.

We had a wonderful Christmas here, with the kids getting everything from bikes to microscopes. My daughter got an awesome Gary Fisher mountain bike from Santa and can't wait to go for a ride later today!

Good Training,

As I set here on our plane about to leave Pittsburgh,  I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Shani and I are on our way back to Houston today after a wonderful Christmas party at our corporate office.

No running for me the past 2 days because the temperature here in Pittsburgh was 8 degrees yesterday morning.

This post is short,  but more to come as I pick up the final bit of my training during the holidays.  I am scheduled for some pretty long and quick tempo runs later this week.

Good Training,
 

For those that train for the marathon,  there is no other ritual quite like the weekend long run. This Sunday will be my longest run for the marathon and we hit right at 2:50.  We ran most of it on trail and finished up the last hour on pavement.  I think I feel decent enough to try and qualify for Boston.

In October,  my family and I attended the Livestrong Challenge event in Austin.  We did this with several of our friends from Girls Run (www.girlsrun.net).  Girls Run is a local charity running group that my daughter participates in and I assist on the executive board (more on Girls Run in a later post).

My wife and daughter did the 5K on Saturday and I did the 90 Mile Ride with two friends, Jody Gaddy and Mike Bradley.

Lance and his group left 10 minutes before the start of the 90 mile ride.  He had several people in his group including Taylor Phinney and other supporters of Livestrong.

Me and a group of about 15 other cyclist hammered it from the start.  No one in our group needed to say anything.  We all knew what was going on.  We were going to catch Lance.  After about 10 miles,  we did!

Next thing you know,  I am riding up next to the king of cycling.  I expected him to be surrounded by protection,  but it was him and at this time about 30 other riders and a pace car. 

After about 5 minutes I found myself riding next to him and we started talking.  We talked mostly about Livestrong and Girls Run and how much money we raised for his cause.  There was no doubt in my mind that he is very passionate about that organization.  Lance was decked out with a custom made Trek and in Livestrong gear from head to toe.  

At about mile 20,  the pace really picked up.  Lance said to the rest of the group  "We are not stopping boys,  if you can hang you can ride with us."  At that point Taylor went to the front and we were doing 25 mph in the pack.  Our group quickly began to thin out and we were down to about 20 people.    During this time I was drafting off of Lance a few times,  and thinking to myself,  please do not run him over.  I also found myself with him on my wheel for a bit which was even more nerve racking.

The funny thing about the whole experience was it feeling like any other Sunday ride with friends.  The only exception being Lance!

Later in the ride,  I asked Lance about my friend Brad Kearns, (www.bradventures.com).  Lance and Brad go way back to Lance's triathlon days and Lance had great things to say about him.

Several friends asked me what it was like speaking with him and I have to say, it was like talking to anyone else in a group ride.  There were a lot of laughs,  jokes flying,  ribbing and all the regular group ride antics.  Bottom line,  he was just like the rest of us endurance athletes (except he has one the tour seven times).

Well,  we hit mile 65,  and Lance was not kidding,  we were not stopping.  I was out of fluids and we hit an aid station.   The group went on and 7 others and I stopped to try and re-fuel. The only problem,  we could never get back on the group.  My dream ride was over.

Lance went on to finish the ride with Taylor and as I was coming in,  I found myself catching up to the remnants of the pack.  All of them were bonking quite hard.

I finished the 90 miles in 4:10,  thanks to some fast pack riding.

As I set here on Saturday morning at the start of my off day in December,  I still wonder about that day.  It was a once in a lifetime experience.

The Livestrong Challenge events are awesome and I encourage anyone to attend.

This past weekend at the A4M show in Las Vegas, NV,  I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Joe Maroon.  He is one of the premier Neurosurgeons in the world.  Why is this important? Because at 68 he just finished his 3rd Ironman World Championship in Kona.  Here is an article written about him in the Pittsburgh paper shortly before the race.

Shortly after Wisconsin, I had a brilliant idea to sign up for the Houston Marathon to stay in shape. Well, it is now one month away and I am not in shape! Running a marathon sounded like an awesome plan back in September, but now, not so good. I have done a few long runs and few tempo runs, but I definitely don't feel like I should be toeing a start line anytime soon.

My idea was to run Houston and qualify for Boston. I would then go to Boston in April, and add this to doing the IM in October and have a Year of Championships. Well reality has sat in and that is not happening this year. So what should I run it for now? If I qualify for Boston, I can go in 2010. However, after my quest for Kona, 2010 is going to be The Year of Shani. That is me doing the home improvements we have put off to pay for the Kona trip.

As far as training today, I will head out the door tonight for a tempo run. It was way too cold to run this morning and I am still quite tired from the A4M show in Las Vegas over the weekend. I love Vegas, but it can really take it out of you when you are there for work.

Have good day training, and more to come as I figure out this whole Blog thing!