TRI Vortex

Long Time No See

2009-12-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

Okay people don't you know that you have to remind me to post. Its not that I don't love all of you. I actually read most of your stuff using Google Reader (I love that thing!). Talk about being off the radar. Jeez I leave this thing alone for a while and all these crap post/ads are all over the place.

Well a lot has happened during my absence. Not much relating to Triathlon unfortunately but that will change.

Mrs. TV and I have moved to Pasadena, CA! Damn tasty restaurants!

Had a workup done at the doctors and guess what? All this extra weight I'm carrying around is bad for me. Who'da thunk?

I have fat IN my liver, I got an ear infection from jumping into the pool for the first time in a long time, and according to the doc I don't have any "healthy" fat.

So that's the gist.

To those in Nevada, I'll be celebrating my 5 Year Wedding Anniversary in Vegas Baby! A little fun for the wify and I. She took some time off and we'll be there for a week. Penn & Teller here we come.

Is it 2009 already?

2009-02-12T00:13:00.000-08:00

Here are the official graphs for 2008. Thanks 623!

PS. Why is it that I can run for a few miles, bike for miles, and swim forever...but when it comes to the elliptical machine I'm dead in 25 minutes?

Another Milestone!...For Me Anyway

2008-10-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

To night I just completed my first 5 mile run. 5.43 miles to be exact and I did it in 1:41:21. I have to mention that .43 because that last little stretch suuuucked. Legs cramping, no more water having, body wants to go but legs don't work, suckage. But I did it! I gotta figure out how to keep my calves from cramping. Well, another first thanks to the wonderful world of triathlon. My pace average was 18:39/mi. My "normal" pace is around 15 min/mi so considering the distance I'm stoked. After my "long" run I considered something that Sarah just talked about. I need to retire my shoes. I've been running on them for 2 years. Hmmmm I think its time for their soles to ascend to the tri-gods. Maybe I can burn them to aid their journey into that big finish line in the sky.

Cooling in the Cooler

2008-10-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

I love when the weather gets cooler. That means less people in the outdoor pool at the gym. No matter that the water is heated people just don't go as often. Yay!!! more room for me.

(in case you're wondering, no its not me)

Great swim workout last night. 1750 yards (about a mile) in 40:20. That breaks down to a 2:18 per 100 yard pace. Not bad. I wasn't really pushing it. There is a 2.7 open water swim happening this Sunday that I want to be apart of. Depends on when it starts, if I can get a carpool, and what time they will be back. We'll see.

Day at the Beach Redux

2008-10-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Another one bits the dust. Now we all have goals. And it is usually to do better than what we did before. This was no exception. So begins another Day at the Beach Triathlon in Hermosa Beach. I did, however, have one more goal in mind for this event. Every triathlon I've done so far my right calve has cramped. This is definitely something I would not like to repeat.

This year it was a trio of participants. My dad, my uncle, and myself. A little history, my uncle got my to do my first event 2 years ago (this event actually) but didn't sign up in time and I got stuck doing it by myself. So now was the time to bond through fire.

The swim was not the warm 67 degrees it was the week before. Based on the previous week I thought to myself, this is nice and warm "I don't need a wetsuit." Famous last words. The water was cold but thank goodness that the sand was freezing and my feet froze before I hit the water. Coming in at 16:08.2 it was a few minutes slower than the last time but this time I didn't feel like passing out as soon as I dragged my body onto the sand. And I did run most of the way to transition.

(I know its not pretty)

I am losing weight. I just keep in might what my final before and after pictures will look like. If I'm lucky, they might look as kick ass as Wes's. T1 was a little faster this time at 4:32.4.

As far as the bike, well lets just say that a picture is worth a thousand words...

(Dad, Uncle, TriVortex)

Is that a smile on my face??? yes, yes it is and yes I referred to myself in the third person. ooo dad? Are you okay? lol! Bike time reporting in at 43:16.5. I switched pedals for this event and decided not to go with the clips. It felt great not having to worry about changing shoes but as far as pictures go. It just doesn't look triathlon-ish. And T2 was done in 2:09.3.

I have a love/hate relationship with running. I hate it and I love when its over. I did feel the cramp coming the whole run but I just walked when it got bad to keep it at bay. No cramps = nice finish and an overall great time.

Run - 45:22 (one minute faster than last time!)

Grand total time was 1:51:28.3. Not exactly blazingly fast but crossing with a smile will definitely due for now ;-)

What's in Your Bookmarks?

2008-09-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

I was hoping if you all would help me a bit. I was wondering what the most popular search tools everyone is using to find triathlons in their areas. Personally, for me it a toss between Active.com and TriFind/California.

If you would be so kind as to tell everyone you know to stop by for a second to check off their favorite site in the Poll to the RIGHT.

For the "Other" option, just reply to this posting and let me know where you go and what you use. Thanks!

One, Two, Skip to my Lou

2008-09-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

3, 4...we'll stop at four because that how many pounds I lost for the Fitness Challenge! Yay for me, I didn't make the top 8 but who wants to be the biggest loser anyway...humph! Congrats to all the bigger losers than me out there. May you all have lost soooo much weight that you have to spend an obscene amount of money to replace your clothes.

Okay, 1 Step Back...Just wait till the leap Forward

2008-08-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

The Good:
Mrs. TV went swimming with me last night at Bally's. I love seeing all the haters, guys staring, girls glaring. She's beautiful, sexy, smart, and.....mine, for now. At least until she gets her senses together. But I'm going to enjoy it for as long as it lasts (which according to the vows, till death, hers or mine, which ever comes first).

The Bad:
So yesterday was a 1 mile run during my lunch break and a 500 yrd swim after work (which is late). I need to start waking up earlier to work out. Maybe I'll take up my new friend Whitney (from meetup.com - Go Inland Tri Group) and run in the mornings with her. Need to look at T3 (calender) again and work things in.

The Ugly:
So my official weigh in for the Quadrathon Weightloss Challenge is +2 lbs. Yeah, you heard, I gained 2 pounds. Its okay. It give other an opportunity to bask in achievement before I obliterate the standings. [hey, who knew that trash talking to be so much fun]. Look who's talking, back on the high school basketball court, I would have talked down to Kobie. So enjoy your brief glory people and prepare for your demise.

Side Note: We finally got our TV hooked up to cable after a 1.5 year hiatus. Olympics here.we.come.

Happy 08-08-08!!!!

2008-08-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

Not much to report since internet has been down for a while now. But once I get things situated just wait till you see the number and graphs I have. Oh, I'm participating in this little challenge over at Quadrathon. I say little, because there won't be much of a challenge to beat everyone. I mean, this is me we are talking about. So the official weigh in is 220 lbs. I'm 5 Foot 5 Inches, so that definitely categorizes me as a Clydesdale. Let's see if I can't "fit" into the Age Group category once all is said and done. Well, more like done, since I won't have to say much...just smile really big at those who gave that Ol IM try. But they forget...I am TRI-Vortex.

"Those who mess with the best, die with the rest." - 80's I know, but I"m 28, it's okay for me.

Shaken But Not Stirred

2008-07-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Just another sunny and shaky day here in California. That little 5.4 Earthquake in Chino, CA. Well guess who works 15 miles from there. Yup, that's me! Enough of local news on to more important things....

The Gauntlet has been thrown. TriDad (= my dad) has slapped me in the face with this:

Dad: So when is the the next event that you'll be in

Me: I haven't registered for anything this year, just training and trying to lose weight.

Dad: What about that event you did that was later in the year.

Me: oh, the Hermosa "Day at the Beach" Tri. Ya, that's in October.

Dad: What about trying to reclaim your manhood from that last time I spanked you, at my first attempt at triathlon, mind you.

Me: It's ON!!! [click, hang up]

People, I've already started last night with a 40 min. trainer ride to get my butt all nice and numb. I'm already trying to plan out some 2-A-Days for the coming weeks.

Meetup.com

2008-07-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

My First Group RIDE!!!! And by group I mean more than 1 person that I don't know. Which means there were 3 total (including me). We did the Victoria Ave ride in Riverside, CA. Its a ride I've done a few times before so I felt comfortable. That's until we got going and I got dusted. But I know that I only average 12 Mph on that ride so I was expecting to be passed by a little girl on a tricycle. Here my and Billy before the ride...

See me smiling next Mr. I just got finish with THE tour and I'm looking for a warm down. hahaha. And here's Gary and I afterwards...

It kinda reminds me of an old 80's song..."Age groupers just wanna have fun!" Sorry about the prison-lean-pose. It was a nice ride as usual but something out of the norm was when I looked at my Garmin. I average 14 MPH!!! Yes lady's and jelly-spoons, I PR'd the ride. I guess when you look at people far upfront that you're supposed to be riding "with" you tend to push just a little harder. And for me, that little harder equated to 2 Mph increase. Nice. Taw taw for now.

Looky What I Found

2008-07-10T16:08:00.001-07:00

There are people near my neck of the woods who ALSO like triathlon. And here I thought I was the only masochist. And I'm going on my first group ride this Saturday in Riverside, CA.

I found them through a cool site called Meetup.com. I also found a group that gets together to practice ASL (American Sign Language) and some other interests I have. Let me know if the site is helpful for your area!

Just a Spot of Bad Luck

2008-06-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

Boy when it rains it pours. Lets take it from the top. It all started right before a trip to Catalina on my dad's boat. Purely pleasure for me and semi-vacation for Mrs. TV. She had to work on a school project during our trip but that wasn't the problem. She need access to the internet while on the island. My laptop's internal wireless just stopped working all of a sudden. After getting reassurance that his laptop works my car burns up. What I get from the mechanic is that a couple of things broke at the same time so there was no warning that my car severely overheated. So the engine fried. I had to pay for a new engine for a 2005 Mitsubishi Galant.

Pause on the bad stuff: It was a great trip to Catalina, the seas were ok on the way over. We hiked, swam, and drank at the Isthmus (Two Harbors).

Play: We got back from Catalina and my car is finished. I start in for work and guess what...the radiator splits. So now I have to shovel out for a new radiator (same car). Next my desktop starts acting up, and by acting up, I mean the "Blue Screen of Death."

Finally my lawn mower breaks down. Not that I even like doing the lawns but now my equipment won't work.

I need to meditate...uuummmmm ummmmm ummmmm. It's not working.

A Year in Review

2008-02-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

I know its very late for this but a lot of thought needed to be put into it.

My first season as a newbie Triathlete...TriGeek. First, thanks to all the
support from my fellow bloggers/
triathletes and the podcasts: GYGO! (Get Your Geek On) and SimplyStu. You guys make workouts fun and entertaining.

Coming from a competative background (nothing professional) I have resparked the flame that working out used to bring me. I used to be on the highschool water polo and swim team. Then after those practices I went to martial arts training. Many moons later I'm married, still working on my continuing education (got my BA, but working towards a Masters), and 70 lbs over weight. Being, what I first thought was a derogitory class, a "Clydsdale" has had me dredding any tight clothing. But after years of wearing a speedo, board short just didn't cut it. But I didn't want people throwing up in the pool so the long jammers had to do. Then I had to wear more tights with my bike gear.

Note: I don't know if I ever posted but my ride has a name..."Petra" (A character out of a favorite book of mine Ender's Game).

Everyone out there has been great. I know that I can be a bit...sarcastic. Kahuna, sorry for rip'n on your stroke on the New Years Tri but Robo made me do it. By the way, I never got to see the video from that day.

For my first season (which I enclude my first tri, which makes it over a year) I did:

Hermosa Beach Sprint (Tri)

GYGO New Years Day Tri (Tri)

Bonellie Tri Express Series #1 (Tri)

Played on the 210 Freeway (Bike Ride)

Almost everyone I met on the coarses were excited, enthusiastic, encouraging, and inexplicably nice. Something I'm not accustomed to. Hey, who hasn't been burned. But the triathletes have given me a renewed hope that not everyone is an ass.

The sport of triathlon has given me something new to obsess about. There are so many aspects to working out, nutrition, racing, preparation, equipment, that this should keep me interested for a while.

I've gone over and over this post...re-editing it. But I finally took out all the crap and whittled it down to this: Thanks to everyone out there keeping me honest to my word, thanks to the asses on race day that keep me chasing even when I have nothing left, thanks to Mrs. TV for not going insane with the constant chlorine and sweat smells that radiate from my gym bag, thanks to my uncle for getting me to sign up for my first triathlon (even though he didn't, good story, you should look to my races and read up on my first), thanks to GYGO and Simply Stu podcast for getting me through workouts (the problem is that now I want to listen when I swim so I have to find a waterproof MP3 case), and thank you to myself (without me the word would be a little sadder) ahahaha, I mean I'm glad I've stuck with it so long and have been able to make sooooo many friends.

Christmas Boost

2008-01-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

As most of us already know, we're all geeks...TriGeeks. And part of being a nerd is gear, check out the newest addition to the arsenal:

That's right, you are looking at the proud papa of a Garmin 301, compliments of Mrs. TV. So far the weather has been a freezing 40-50 degrees in the morning and evenings. And this toasty bottom hasn't ventured out into the cold. So I've just been testing this thing out on the cycle trainer. I just set it to one of the preset works outs based on heart rate/zone and time and I'm off. I feel more and more like a hamster but hey, what's a guy to do...get cold. I don't think so.

I love this thing, much better than my Mio. But it did the job as long as I wasn't working too hard. Trying to keep your arms steady while getting the sensors to read on the "strapless" heart rate. More to come as I do more tests. I have noticed that it takes a couple of minutes for the satellite to acquire.

Guess Who's a New Grad!!!!

2007-12-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

I was so excited. It's been a long time coming. But it is official...I have a B.A. in Psychology from California State University San Bernardino. Lets start with the morning of. Mrs. TV planned a big party for me at the house, mostly family and a few friends. The rental chairs and table didn't arrive the day before like they were supposed to. So in the early morning I was receiving the delivery. The ceremony was set for 9:30AM and asked for Grads to be there an hour early. I was up till 2AM that morning and had to get up at 4:30AM to start with last minute touch-ups to the house. Didn't get much sleep but I was too excited to sleep anyway.

The ceremony was long and boring as usual.  It was a good thing that I didn't eat breakfast since when I went up to shake hands I felt like I was going to hurl.  It was nice to see my family all standing and yelling for me in the stands.

So enough with the pleasantries...

Recovery...NOT!

2007-11-02T00:26:00.001-07:00

One of the many reasons I haven't been posting can be seen in this picture:

Yes those are bruises.

Once upon a time I this was me...

And that is a black belt around my waist. As you can tell, it's been a while. TriChef has a friend that is opening a martial arts studio. Guess who stopped by to take a look. It was the first time I've stepped into a studio in years. After some stretching and observing I was invited for a little friendly "light" sparring. First lets take a look at the sensei's credentials. The studio is called PacTKD. Go to the staff tab and look on the right side...yeah. Thats who I got my butt kicked by. But at the end of the day I was happy with my performance. The only problem is that my body does react as quickly as it used to. Hence the bruises.

Why do I like pain? I guess its for the same reason I got into triathlon...testing one's self.

"I'm baaaack"

2007-09-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

[bradey bunch theme] There's a story of T.V and his little lady. Who were bringing up 3 ladies of their own (2 Lab Retrievers, 1 Cat). They're all spoiled...like their mother, the youngest one now hurls (hairballs mostly).

Till one day T.V left with his lady. They traveled up to camp out in a bush.

Okay I'm ending it there because 1) I'm not that clever 2) I forgot how the rest of the song went. ha.

It was a nice 6 hour drive up Hwy 1 to Limekiln State Park. Home of the lime kilns and Limekiln Falls. The drive up was nice and relaxing...for me. Mrs. T.V. however isn't that fond of traveling on the edge of cliffs. The first real hiccup didn't happen until we started setting up the tent. Hmmmm, I wonder which husband forgot the wind shield that goes over the tent (which only has sheer side panels)? As you can see our first night our spot was in the Redwoods. We positioned the tent right behind some bushes and parked the car up close to block as much wind as possible. Yah, things were a little cold since there was nothing keeping the heat in.

Equipment malfunction, for the one that remembered to bring. The camera batter said fully charged when we left the house. Then we get to the site and I snap ONE shot and now the little green battery turned to a little RED battery. I'm not an electronics expert but the flash wasn't even on. So it was like that the whole trip. I never knew how many pictures I had left. Green, then Red, then Yellow, then back to Green. Geez I didn't even eat any of the mushrooms!

We made the trechurous journey to the Limekiln Falls. As you can see all those roots can be tricky and you might trip.

The second night we talked the ranger into letting us switch spots. He said that the spot wasn't for cars. But hey I have a Mitsubishi OZ RALLEY, its supposed to go offroad (not stock, but I didn't need to mention that part). And we landed my dreams spot. One of only two spots that are cut into the cliff overlooking the ocean. We made a make-shift wind guard and sleep in warm peace listening to the crashing looking up at the stars.

In the morning we got up packed up the car and headed back to the trail to check out the actual kilns that the place was named for.

Then it was back on the road to travel the 300+ miles home. We took our time and made a few stops.

Sea Lions

One of the many lookouts on Hwy 1

[Sorry but there should be more pix, but Blogger won't let me load them now and it's already been too long since I've posted]

Now for the Real Weekend

2007-09-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

This is where I'm going to be from Saturday till Monday. Limekiln Falls in Big Sur, CA. Mrs. T.V. and I are going camping for the first time since I proposed (now thats a kewl story, if you're intersted I'll post it sometime). Campsite is 100 yards from the ocean and only 1/2 mile to the falls. aaaahhhhhhh relaxation. Till next week....

What "Extended" Weekend?

2007-09-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

(Not actual pix)

Guess what I had to do on Saturday? Move carpet. I'm chalking that up to 1:30:00 of home improvement work out in my book. These aren't little pieces either. We are talking 800+ square feet broken up into 4 big pieces. I'm taking another day from work to make a real 3 day weekend with Mrs. T.V. More on that later.

Aaaahhhhhhh!!!!!

2007-08-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hey tri-peeps. Longtime no blog. It's been hectic on the IE Front. But a little hard work isn't going to get this Roadie-Fish down. We'll skip over the miniscule workouts that I haven't posted. And jump right into tonight. Not much and certainly not Olympic distance worthy but 700 yrds in 25 minutes.

I'll be spending the next few days catching up so if you see me posting like crazy, sorry.

Grinding

2007-08-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

Just the same ol, same ol. Except that summer school stinks. My Tuesdays and Thursdays are like this. Wake up 4:30AM, leave the house by 5AM. One hour commute for work at 6AM. Then its work with no lunch till 11AM. By that time traffic has set in and I leave the office for 1-2 hour drive to class that starts at 1PM. FOUR HOUR CLASSES...nuff said. One hour break then another 4 hours in class. So now its about 9:30 or 10PM and I'm getting home. Been trying to get runs in there somewhere. I can't wait to be done with school.

Sorry, not much to report except that the Accelerade stuff grows on you. I've been using it as a suppliment drink during my commute to class in the afternoon and it gets me through till dinner. I know its not nearly as many calories that I should be taking in but I'm thinking of it as a diet. You know, one of those dangerous one's that so popular with the celebrities. J/K I sneak junk food in between my days...wish I was just kidding :-(

Till the weekend when I stretch out my legs...

Accelerade

2007-07-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Well I've had a chance to go over the product. I also gave a few away to co-workers for a sheer taste test. They were accustomed to drinking healthy alternatives to soda, so there was no bias there. I know that the whole thing is about performance, but I wanted to confirm some thoughts I had. It was a unanimous decision. Accelerade = Cottonmouth.

It comes in 4 flavors: Citrus Grapefruit, Peach Mango, Fruit Punch, & Mountain Berry. Two out of four is not bad. The Fruit Punch and Mountain Berry are way too sweet and don't mix well with the dry mouth sensation that you instantly get when drinking this stuff. The other two, Citrus Grapefruit and Peach Mango seem to work well with the dry mouth. My co-workers are all in agreement that if we didn't have tongues, this would be great. And its not even that it tastes horrible or anything. It's the feeling you get on your tongue that lingers for a while. Oh, and you have to drink it cold.

Okay, now for the real test...Performance. For me, the test has always been the run. So this is how I test out how my nutrition and hydration is working out for me. It's where I struggle most. Guess what. My legs actually feel less fatigued afterwards. I mean it took less time for me to recover afterwards. That's where I really saw the difference. During, I was only concerned with drinking this stuff that made me more thirsty. After the first trial I decided that after I was done with the bottle I would quickly chase it with some water...huge difference! Most of this review is pretty superficial. I haven't talked about the facts: 1) its one of the few out there that have protein, 2) 120 mg of Sodium (high in comparison), 3) 15 mg of Potassium (low in comparison).

Pros:
- Fast Recovery
- Pre-Mixed
- 2 Okay Flavors

Cons:
- Cotton Mouth
- Not in a Sports Bottle (you would think that they are marketing to endurance athletes, that they would package it in a sports bottle, but nooooo)
- Low Potassium content (this is coming from someone who has not yet competed in an event and NOT cramp)
- 2 Bad Flavors

Final Decision: I'll finish up my free sample and try something else. But come race day I'm going back to my GU2O. Maybe I'll try Gatorade Endurance (200 mg Sodium, 90 mg Potassium).

If someone out there can help me, please let me know how to NOT get cramps. I always feel great until I step off the bike. Then my calves go into convulsions.

For all of you who have tried, let me know what you think about it.

Riverside Ride

2007-07-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

Another ride with TriChef under the belt. We met up at my place in the morning (for the record, its not supposed to be HOT at 7AM!). We drove out to Riverside, CA. and took the backroad that runs parallel to the 215 Freeway (Victoria St). We started down at La Sierra and went straight up to Central and back again. Its a nice ride with no turns (except for the turnaround) that goes through orange orchards and beautiful homes.

Note: I'll have a picture of the route posted soon (Most of my routes can be found at http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/)

I finally got around to tweaking my cleats. I shifted them as far back as possible so that they sit close to my instep. Guess what?!?! No more shooting pain in my ankles after the ride. [heavenly] aawwwwww. When I get some scratch together I'll be giving the people down at TriZone a call to get fitted on my ride.

June - A Month in Review

2007-07-07T13:43:00.001-07:00

Here's is what June looked like for me. As you can see...no yellow, that means no running. I know, I know. It was an extremely slow training month for me. Only made time on the weekends.

Time to rectify the situation, Friday I went in for a 3 mile run at the gym. On the tread mil set to an incline = 2. Legs felt good, but my cardio has definitely slipped a little. I'll be working on it though. I have a 16 mile ride planned for this weekend with TriChef.

Cleaning IS Training

2007-07-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

(Not an actual client)

I just spent 8 hours of my day cleaning 4 peoples houses. What a nice way to spend a Saturday. But I'm not going to complain, extra scratch is extra scratch. When I got home I pretty much had some water and passed out on the couch...the section right under the AC [ahhhhh].

(1 hr later)

RRRRIIIINNNNNGGGG goes my cell phone. Oooops, I forgot to call Mom to see if the wify and I could stop by the Grandparent's new place. Mrs. TV loves looking at new houses, so I had to jump in the shower and 35 minutes later we were in Beaumont, CA.

It was a long morning that I'm putting into my training log. Hey 8 hours of non-stop movement is work out to me.

Playing on the Freeway

2007-06-23T11:29:00.001-07:00

It was just your typical day riding your bike in the fast lane of the freeway. With vendors and bands lined up in the carpool lane. This freeway is so new that the section doesn't even show up on Google Maps.

I got a call from dad the night before saying that he couldn't make. There will be other events so that wasn't a problem. TriChef call the night before as well and needed help changing out the back tire. Floated a couple tips and Wala! tire on in a matter of seconds. So we set things up for him to meet me at my place and we can "carpool" to the Freeway. The time was set for 6AM since registration was at 7AM and I hadn't paid yet (he pre-registered online). So it's 6:30AM and I jump out of bed hoping that he hasn't been sitting outside my house for the past half hour pounding on my door. But I look out and there's no car. I give a call to his cell and no answer so I left a message. So now its 5 till 7AM and I give one more call before I head out to register...another message left.

I get there and there is the usual hustle and bustle. I get in line and register and the vendors are already set up and people are walking around. I cruise over the Specialized and Cannondale tents to see if there are any freebie's...nope. No new bike components for me, darn. The gun goes off at 8AM and its 7:55 so I give TriChef one more call...voicemail! Okay, his money, not mine.

So I'm chugging on a slight uphill grade against a head wind at about 12MPH but coming back with the tailwind and "descending" at about 21MPH! I did the 10.55 miles in 41:10 (~15.37 MPH). After the ride I walked around a little in my clips and got annoyed so I bike back to the car and switched shoes (didn't want to leave the bike on the rack). So I walked around the expo checking everything out and grabbed a Carne Asada Burrito for a post-race meal with some free Vitamin Water (Guava flavor, hmmm). I get a call from TriChef around 11AM and he said he slept in and forgot that he set his phone to vibrate. You snooze, you lose. He was P-Off that he got the bike ready and paid and didn't even race. So I continue by stroll around checking out the bullet proof Hummer that the Rialto PD rolled out, the live band, free stuff that the vendors were giving out, car show, lions and tigers and bears...oh, my.

Who I most sorry for during this whole day are the runners. The 10K didn't start till 10AM and by that time it was already 85 degrees! Poor guys. So that was my day playing on the freeway. The last time I got on the freeway on something other than a car was when I was in high school and I talked a couple of friends into Roller Blading on the 710 freeway in the middle of the day (NO EVENT TAKING PLACE). So we bladed to the Queen Mary and they were so freaked out about how close the cars got that we took the shuttle back....wimps.

Mount Up!

2007-06-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Guess what tomorrow is? Its will be time to rock out on the Freeway. Yes you heard right, not under, near, or by...but ON the freeway. http://www.playonthe210.org/ There is no more registering online but you can show up and pay at 7am on the 210 Freeway and the Riverside Ave Exit. Its $35 for anyone interested in adding another feather for the cap. I'm doing the 10 miler with TriChef and my Dad (who I still need a name for, any ideas).

So, till then...see you guys later. Gotta clean up the bike with bottled water and lay it down on its blanky.

Happy Father's Day?

2007-06-18T00:03:00.001-07:00

It was more of a Happy SON'S Day. This past weekend was...I'm at a loss for words. Hey, there's a first time for everything.

Lets start with Saturday. There was a big birthday bash as my parent's house to commemorate many. It was for My Dad, My Wife, Me and My Sister. Who's birthdays all fall within 3 months of each other. And since finals just finished last week, the weekend was a perfect time to celebrate. My parent put on a terrific spread, hired a caterer and rented casino tables and dealers. There were 2 tables of black jack and 1 table of roulette. Everyone in attendance receive $1500 in play money to start and at the end there were raffles and a grand price for the whale. Then when the sun started setting the real fun began. The food was only half gone, the alcohol came out, the poker table came out, my best man showed up, and a buddy from Jersey was in attendance. No one came out of the closet but not much more could have topped the evening.

Except for the following morning...

After going to bed around 1am, we got up for our ride, and was on the road at 8am. It was just a easy ride from Huntington Beach (AKA Surf City) to Newport and back. 20.02 miles in total and we did it in 1:32:31, which is ~ 12.98 MPH. Like I said, nice and easy. We talked the whole time and had a blast. Not only am I getting some of my body back...but I'm rekindling some old bonds. I love this sport.

Heritage Loop in Fontana, CA

2007-06-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

I must say a Big Thanks to Scott for showing this little 3.5 mile loop in Fontana, CA.

The streets are one way and the community is small and everyone there knows to give cyclists the right of way. And if you don't have a comp on your bike, about half way through there is a permanent speedometer on the right side of the street that is sensitive enough to pick you up. I got to get someone else out there to get a pix of this in action. You don't have to think you just go around in a big circle. For anyone interested, I posted it on www.beginnertriathlete.com as a public route. For those of you who aren't members, it is located off the 15 Freeway, exit Baseline and head East. Make a Right on Heritage and find parking anywhere.

May - A Month In Review

2007-06-04T18:32:00.001-07:00

Welcome to a new segment on my show, a month in review. This is where is dish to myself what I dish out to others.

(Purple = Swim, Green = Bike, Yellow = Run)

No, that is not a mistake. I didn't even ride the last week in May. This foot thing is really getting annoying. I think its my shoes. Every chance I got I wore my sandals after work and class and they felt a little better. I don't know if this is really a problem or a psychosomatic response of us triathletes to buy more gear. What a great excuse that is...Hey my "body" is telling me to buy more stuff.

Well this month is going to be different or at least back to the usual workouts. Let's see how this works out this month. I'm heading over to the gym tonight to get back on the dreadmil. I'm thinking about a mini-brick tomorrow, and definitely a ride with TriChef on Saturday morning.

PS. For those of you near the Inland Empire or even just interested in an interesting Bike or Run...On June 23rd they will be opening up the 210 Freeway for recreational activities and events. There's going to be a 5K Run, 5 & 10 Fun Bike Ride, and some other events. Here is the link (http://www.playonthe210.org/). I'll be there, I mean come on...how many times have you biked ON the Freeway.

Fish & Clips

2007-05-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

Yet another ride through Bonelli with TriChef. A little over 8 miles with "those hills" in 39:60 (AVG ~12.42 MPH) according to my sweet wireless Accent Comp. I picked him up around 7:30AM and we headed to San Dimas (oh, I guess I took that name for granted, yes it does exist, it is not just a name of a place in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure). But the course is befitting of the title Excellent Adventure. Nice scenery, cool weather, and challenging hills. I was actually able to "attack," more like speak rudely to, some hills. Not the big one's but its a start. I'm starting to develop a name for my steed. She'll have one soon. Just a little more research of some dead languages. Hey, she's going to need a unique name right?

Is the Fish turning into a Roadie?

2007-05-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

This is weird, my bike posts have just equaled my swim posts. What's wrong with me? I biked my route in Riverside, from La Sierra up to Central and back. If anyone is a member of www.beginnertriathlete.com, this is where I log all my workouts/bricks/nutrition, and routes. Most of them I made public so if you go to your training log (assuming you're a free member), and click on the route manager (Planet Icon), then search Riverside or San Dimas, you'll see some bike and run routes that I plotted out. Feel free to check them out...let me know what you think. For those of you who've trained in San Dimas with me, in preparation for Bonelli, you're probably not in the mood to even look.

A funny line came from a friend of mine when he was speaking to Mrs. TV after completing his first triathlon at Bonelli, she said something to the affect of "When is the next the two of you are going out to train?" His response was "Whenever I decide to start accepting his calls or emails again?" We've spoken since. But people were thanking me before they even did it, saying that they enjoyed training again (many of them ex-high school athletes). To which I said, "thank me after, if you still feel that way, I'll accept it." All in good fun.

So that was a long aside. What I was saying before the tangent, I've really come to enjoy bike riding. I get such a good workout will little effect on my knees. I've noticed something else though, maybe someone can help. I used to roller blade and got used to my feet being turned out a little. Now that I've been riding in clips, my feet have slowly turned inward. It's starting to hurt my feet and ankles. Not to mention the dreaded duck walk in the mornings.

The circus can teach a bear to ride a bike, I taught a fish. Its just now that the fish's fins are tweaked.

Last Nights Recap

2007-05-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

After Sushi for lunch and what seemed like a class that wouldn't end...Mrs. TV and I went for SoCal Workout. We drove over to In-N-Out and got busy lifting double doubles. It was a tough workout, but hey I'm in training. A guy needs to do what he has to do...right? After focusing on "nutrition" we watched "Shine" with Geoffry Rush for a little mental stimulation. Back to the books and more studying. Exciting birthday I know.

Yay!!! It's Me & Mrs. TV's Birthday!!!!

2007-05-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

I'm just stating the obvious. I think my co-workers are taking me out for sushi for lunch. Hmmmm. Just wanted to spread a little cheer to everyone out there in tri-land. It's my first birthday celebrating as a triathlete. I guess you can say its my own renaissance. So I hope some of my good will reaches all of you out there and thank you for all your support. I'll post again tonight to tell you how the day/training went.

PS. Scroll down to the bottom and let me know who my "cherished" 1,000 visitor is!!!

Taw, taw for now.

"Do What Sucks"...But it hurts

2007-05-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, today was the first day of determination. There is this route that I mapped out by where I live in San Bernardino. It goes up Kendal:

I didn't need to stop, but I wanted to take a pix of what I did...for posterity...ya...thats it.

And where I'm going.

Then its flat for about a mile and then you come to street called "Little Mountain." I'm not making this up:

Hills are not my friend, but I'm determined to make them at least like me or visa versa. Like I said, I wanted to stop so I could take pictures for you guys to see...not that I was tired or anything [weeez]:

(Doesn't it look NUTZ)

(At least I made it this far without getting off)

Ok, ok, stop twisting my arm. You see where those two cars are, at the bottom of the steeper grade, I made it about half way up that grade and had to get off and walk. Where the road starts to bend to right, about half way up that I got back on and muscled my way up and over.

I was so tire and glad to be "cruising" down the other side that I forgot to take a picture of the descent. And by cruising I mean hanging on for dear life as I hear a loud BOOOM when I broke the Sound Barrier.

All that the number didn't come out as bad as I thought. Keep in mind that this is my FIRST hills test, I'm a Clydesdale, Gravity, and this is only a 5.79 mile training loop. I did it in 31.09 minutes. That's an average of 11.15 MPH!!! Okay that's not Lance fast but damn it, for me that's SWEEEET!

Just Blogging Around

2007-05-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

I just have one question to ask:

Does looking, blogging, commenting, and catching up with everyone that went to WildFlower considered Training?

On the Road Again

2007-05-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

It seems that the new saddle and comp have driven be to bike more. That and the fact that she still needs a name. I think I'll be taking Wes' suggestion. "ride her a few times, you'll find that she already has a name." Good advise from who I'm now going to refer as the Bike Whisperer. The wife and I sent some time at my parents' place this weekend. For some family time/b-day fun. Mrs. TriVortex got a facial and I went for a morning ride with my Dad and got a Sports Massage afterwards (no special Blowme Blowme massage, not that kind of place). We road from Huntington Beach to Newport and back. Its a round trip of ~20 miles that took 1:28:00 (~13.84 MPH). I'm going to modify previous remarks relating to hills sucking asphalt. WIND sucks too! Actually, anything that isn't perfectly flat and that may impede my bike ride stinks. But SixTwoThree said "Do What Sucks," so I need to find some wicked hills to practice on.

PS. People who did Wildflower, I know you are tired from the drinking, singing, and durrr the course....But get off your butts and lets see those Race Reports. I can't wait any longer.

Masonry

2007-05-02T23:55:00.000-07:00

I know this is a late post but hey, that's when I finish my day. After a long day at the office and an even longer day in class, I went into the gym for a brick workout at 10pm. I knew that the long day was going to affect my workout but I need to get the miles in if I'm going to be ready for the Olympic (which, after doing the Bonelli Sprint I'm reconsidering the Oly...maybe Santa Cruz?).

Uneventful, but I knew it would be. Started with a 5 min walk, then did 2 miles in 30:25 (~15:13 min/miles). Then it was a quick dip in the pool for 1000 yrds in 22 min (~2:12 per 100 yrds). The run wasn't a bad time but I didn't feel that I could have gone for that extra mile. The swim started bad. Couldn't get into a rhythm until 600 yrds into it. Then it started to feel good. But as I was getting into the groove, two young'ins (whipersnapers) jumped into the lanes. One in my lane and another in the next lane over. Not that I'm a lane hog or anything (and god forbid if I'm as bad as "flipper") but they were friends, so why didn't they share the empty lane? I finished up my swim and offered some free advise to one of them. "Hey try to keep your left arm from coming up so high out of the water, it'll save you some energy." This is the response I get "What the F#($@ do you know about it!" If there is one thing that I can appreciate is when someone is trying to help me out. If there are any coaches that want to coach me for free...by all means, bring it on. Kids...can't swim with'em...can't kill'em. Why am I saying that? Mrs. TriVortex and I are only going to be 27 in a couple of weeks. We have the same birthday. And before you ask...Yes, Month, Day, & Year! When we met, it was so weird that I made her show me ID. Anywho, I'm starting to feel old. I'm the old guy in class that's not going back to school. I never left, just a few classes here, a few classes there. Geez, its really turning into, not quite a 10 year plan, but pretty darn close. I'm getting off topic, I shrugged my shoulders, turned by back, and walked away. I could hear them call me a P#$$@ (a woman's Poom Poom). I ignored it and went to the lockers and left. Hey I don't need to go to jail for ripping apart a minor do I?

PS. I still need a name for my bike. See the previous post.

What's in a Name?

2007-05-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

I've seen this topic get bounced around from blog to blog. I'll give you my stance. Now that my bike is spec'd out to where I want it....as far as I can afford, it needs a name. And yes I'm a guy, so it needs to be a she'la (Crocodile Dundee reference). If you've been following my blog you've seen the pictures, if you haven't but have a good name, let me know anyway. See below for the pix.

About the bike: Its a blue Cannnondale R300, all geared up with Campy's, bento box, new 3D seat, Ascent wireless computer, Look clips, and a Clydesdale (that refuses to register in the category on race day) ride atop it.

About the rider: If you've been following, I don't really hold anything back (this is illustrated by how long my posts get, sorry but I'm a talker). I also luv DVD's and have a nice collection (the best part is how its organized, maybe I'll post it sometime). I'm a college student and work full time. Married with NO-children...yet (not that she's pregnant). Funny (ha ha funny, not weird funny).

Let everyone know that She needs a name and give me your suggestions. I'm relying on creativity other than my own.

Calculated Deletion of Rawhide

2007-04-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Is that a new Ascent Computer dawning the crown of the Cannondale?

Where are all the wires?

Could it be Wireless? Surely not nooo. Ahhh but it is. And guess what the best part is. It only cost $25 at Performance in Huntington Beach. I don't know if this a good brand or not (but it's the same brand as my trainer). All I know is that my old one broke and this one was on sale and I didn't have to wrap the wire around the break line a bazzillion times. I know what you are going to ask, and the answer is yes I'll be clipping off the access zip ties. I took this picture right after I installed it and took it for a test ride. 3 mile out and back. This ride is turning into a mini Time Trial / Equipment Check Route. Friday I did it in 11:42 (Avg: 15.33 MPH) and Saturday I did it in 11:15 [according the NEW comp] (Avg: 15.95 MPH). I know, 6 miles split between 2 days is not a good start in ramping up for an Oly.

And that's not all folks. The best is yet to come....

A new saddle. And I don't care what anyone says (coughdad) just because there is extra cushion for my delicate hinny, I'm not going to paint my bike pink. According to the packaging it is: Lookin by SelleRoyal (3Density). On the out and back, between the new seat and some new Pearl Izumi cycle shorts, I didn't feel a thing. Except the heat since I did the ride at 1pm.

Thanks:
Bolder - for the input on the saddle. Sorry I wasn't able to take your advise, I got the seat before you posted.

Kewl Nitrox - I thought about the tri-saddles but I'm not pushing fast enough to even put on aerobars.

SixTwoThree - Thanks for the heads up on the Assos Chamois cream. I'll definitely give that a shot on my next long ride. Which now that my dad saw what I can do, he's already planning another 30 miler in the next week or two.

And to all that posted and helped me out!!! Everyone have a good night and sweet Iron-dreams.

Rolln, rolln, rolln, keep that back tire rolln...Rawhide!

2007-04-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

Its official, I've done my longest ride ever. 31 Miles!!! There was a break in the weather on Saturday and we (Dad, Cousin, & Myself) went from Brea to Newport to Huntington Beach. The morning started off freezing (well SoCal cold) a 46 degrees. That morning I didn't have much in riding gear, the day didn't end that way. Cold is a great motivator. So we met up at 6:30am, and by we I mean my Dad and I. I guess Luke (TriChef) was having technical difficulties. He was using my Univega and chose to swap the peddles out that morning. Plug in Murphy's Law. Finally he got them switched and we ended up on our way around 7:15am.

We plugged along with only one stop (bath room or as the Pinoys call it the CR [comfort room] giggle) before we arrived at the beach. By the time we got to the beach I was cooked. But then the "scenery" helped me forget the pain. As we were coasting some dorks (I don't even want to use that word because its semi-flattering), some idiots (I know they weren't real surfers because real surfers would know better) just crossed in front of the trail with a huge board carried by two people. My dad had already passed these hazards but TriChef and I weren't so lucky. He slammed on the breaks narrowly missing the first guy and getting clotheslined by the board and by the time (seemed like nanoseconds) I started breaking they had straightened out a little and I had to swerve to miss the idiots in doing so bumped shoulders with my cuz. The bump wasn't enough to knock either of us down but it was a close call. Just when we thought that was the last of the drama, as we crossed the RV parking lot some little kid (around 3 or 4) jumped into the bike lane in front of my Dad (still working on a nickname, any suggestions?). He slammed on the breaks and swerved to not run over the kid and the mother who was now on the path trying to grab her soon-to-be Darwin Award nominated child. No collision, no fatalities, everything A-O-Kay, USA. A few miles later we were at my Dad's place tending to the bikes and resting. Talking about the ride, how it was a great ONE WAY trip. I know I couldn't have made it back to the car.

I great ride and a fantastic work out that I learned a lot on:
1) I need a new saddle, big butt + little seat = rawhide
2) It's nice to workout in groups
3) TriChef has way too much natural talent for his own good
4) I can bike 31 miles and Survive!

All and all, it was a great experience that definitely needs to be repeated. The total time riding was 2:17:00. Which breaks down to an average speed of 13.4 MPH. I'm happy with that considering the distance was twice my previous longest ride.

TriVortex....Out

Bonelli Tri Express Series #1 - Newbie-Atholon

2007-04-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

Lets start with the night before going down the checklist making sure everything is in order. Check, check, check, as I go down the list at 10pm. Time for bed, hell, it was time for bed 3 hours before. Not that it mattered much. My wife and I woke up every hour on the hour all night. At one point she got up and yelled “I’m not even racing, why can’t I sleep.” I love sympathy anxiety. I just hope it doesn’t go the other way around when we decide to have kids.

Race Morning: (4:30am) Not that it hard getting up this early since I was already up. I started with a little Hawaiian bread and a little GU H20 and a couple of cups of regular water. Loaded up some of gear into the car and noticed it was a damp morning. On the drive over to San Dimas it was flat out raining, I was getting calls from my fellow newbies asking if the event will still go on, I assured them that short of a lightning strike, rain or shine. Besides its not like we weren’t going to get wet.

(Dad, Cousin, Me)

(6:15am) I get to Bonelli Park and Luke (my cousin) and my Dad are already there with a parking spot reserved for me. Gotta love family. By the time I got there the morning was frigged but at least the rain stopped. We shoot the cold breeze and unload for about an hour. And Adam shows up. I give Josh a call…voicemail. I get a call back at around 7:20 saying that he slept in. Well the gun goes off at 8:30am so hurry.

(Adam, Josh, Rick [Dad], Me, Luke [Cousin])

(7:45am) Now everyone is in the transition area getting oriented or disoriented depending on how you look at it.

[I’ll be reporting the other newbie’s race reports as they come in: so today will just be mine]
Everyone is either on the shore in wading in water when the promoters put up and flag and have Witney Houston (recording) singing the National Anthem. The waves are sent off and I find myself in the corral waiting...I hate waiting, you start thinking. I'm an external optimist and an internal pesimist. So everything that can go wrong is flying through my head. The gun fires and off we go. I alligned myself to the outside as to not get in too far into the washing machine. I was behind my cousin for a while watching, he was doing fine so I passed on his left and kept going till I came to a guy who was breast stroking the whole way. When I went to pass on his right he kicked me right in the chest. He appologized but that didn't change the fact that I got kicked in the chest by a guy a foot taller than me (and I know this because everyone is a foot taller than me - see pix for reference). I was second out of the water behind my friend Josh, didn't think I was going to pass up Mr. Varsity Swimmer, but I didn't want to be too far behind.

I actually had some energy to jog a little out of the water. Next time I'll run all the way into transition. I got into transition and it took me about 4.5 minutes to get out. Which is what I was expecting given that this was the first time I would actually have to switch into clip shoes for the bike.

The bike was great...sorta. I actually passed a few people this time. Felt good, especially since they looked to be in better shape than me. They passed my later on the run, but I'll take my small victories. The only hiccup was when I was zooming down and straight around 35 mph and shifted too quickly and as soon as my thumb pushed down I know one more push on the peddle, and sure enough...POP goes my chain. Not into little pieces but just off the gear. So I coasted down and midway up the next hill till I came to a stop and put the chain back on. On the last hill of the bike I tried to get out of the saddle and finish it up strong but my calve wouldn't let me so I sat back down and coasted back into transition.

T2 went a lot better than I expected. I thought I was going to have a problem getting the clips undone in a hurry. It seems that whem I'm at home it take a while to get my clips off and that with no pressure. It was pretty seemless. My times will be posted on the bottom.

Like I said the transition was fine but the run had only just begun. Right when I started running out of T2 my right calve died on me. It took me about 1/4 of a mile to work it to the point where I could run on it. That coarse was HILLY. Up and down, up and down. Soooo many ups and downs that I was getting sea sick. Or just SICK. Basically I walked up most of the hills and ran down. Getting closer to the finishline I see my beautiful wife like a mirage. She ran up to me and ran with me across the finishline. I slowed my pace slightly before the finish so that I could cross the line smiling. Instead of another drunken puppet like Hermosa. I felt much better this time around.

It was great to have the support of my family and friends there edging my on. Running alongside me, I totally forgot about my legs at that point. A hilly course from hell, but a great race and a great day.

Live Long, Play Hard, Tri Harder!

Overall Rank 127 (Out of 137)Final Time - 1:40:41

Swim (200 yrds) - 0:04:35 (Ranked 64)

T1 - 0:04:24

Bike - 0:38:28 (Ranked 118) Avg Speed: 10.8 MPH

T2 - 0:03:09

Run - 0:50:05 (Ranked 133) Avg Speed: 16.09 Min/miles

Bike-A-Palooza

2007-04-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

Bonelli is THIS SUNDAY!!!!!! Calm down, relax. So to prepare I've focused on rounding out my game. And by rounding out, I mean only biking.

I found this nice long (for me) bike trail with very smooth streets in the back roads of Riverside, CA. It goes on for miles. It is all straight, just a down and back that make your total route a little over 14 miles. As you can see from the pictures there are no real hills but the over all ride is uphill. The total climb is 2200 ft! It doesn't feel like it.

Especially since all you see are palm trees and orange fields. Oh, and then there are the mansions. Big estates with lakes in the front yard and swimming pools and tennis courts in the back.

This is a beautiful ride through Riverside. And if ANYONE is interested in taking a ride with me on a Saturday morning, just let me know. With one exception, next Sat I'm planning a ride from Corona to Newport. If anyone wants in on that one, we'll start in the morning and have lunch in Newport or Huntington Beach. If you're interested let me know so we can work out the logistics. I'm not doing a round trip. I'm not IRON, so I'll be dropped off at the start and picked up at the end. For the hardcore, you are welcome to it.

Bike Porn: Papa's Gotta Brand New Bag!

2007-04-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend was versus battle between the old and the new. But how do you turn down a new bike. That's right, you heard....A NEW BIKE. This stud has found a stead.

Let us first look back at what was being used. An old Univega 10 speed. An oldie but goodie:It works, what else could I ask for. Standard peddles and shifting on the tube.

Now for the new pimped out ride:
A Cannondale with Campagnolo everything. Mmmmm campy. What was that? Did you hear that? NO? What you didn't hear was me shifting gears. Its like butter baby. And what are those little things on the crank? Could those be clips? Why YES they are! (LOOKS).

Now for the new hurdles. The new ride has made me aware of how horrible my riding habits are. I also have to get a new saddle. The one that is already on is like sitting on a rock. My delicate tooshy can't take it. Gel people, gel!

This new ride is the reason for long gap in posting. With the Univega I basically just bike outside on race day. Now with the Cannondale I'm compelled to log serious road time. [Note to Wes: I'll still run, but com'on...new bike!). Since I'm at the Sprint level my longest actual ride (not including the Life Cycles at the gym, stupid liars) has been 10 miles at the Hermosa Beach Tri, yesterday I road with my boss (cyclist) 12.5 miles. I could have done more but I have this problem with my foot falling asleep. Its not my shoes, I have plenty of room. My boss says that the cleat is too far forward on my foot (currently at the ball of my foot), he said that I should move it back a little towards my instep. Anyone have suggestions? Please note that I have a long history of poor leg circulation. Since high school, I couldn't sit with my legs cross for more than 3-5 minutes or both my legs will fall asleep. Try getting up and walking with 2 dead legs.

I'm A Visual Type of Guy

2007-04-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

Here are my training distances for 2006:

Here is how 2007 is shapping up:

Spring Break...NOT!

2007-03-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

It's spring break and I have one week of "relaxation." And by relaxation I mean I still have to work full time and the TRI Express Series #1 is coming up in about 3 weeks. So lets do the math, minus 1 week for tapper, and we have 2 weeks left. 2 weeks coming off of Finals where I didn't much of anything athletic. Ok, ok, (I can hear Iron Wil in the back of my head [is it just me or does it sound really bad that a future psychologist is hearing voices in his head] N-E-Wayz, she tells me to keep positive) so I'll try to spread the Tri Karma. Lets see...oh, my wife says that all this week she'll be joining me in the gym since she's off of school too.

So I get to watch my sexy wife bounce up and down on the elliptical. I mean, back to TRI's...[I'd like to try....] PG, PG, PG, maybe PG-13. Hey she's MY wife I can think what I want, RRRRXRXRXRXRXXXXXX, that's better. Now lets see my training buddy....

TADA!!!!

I know, I know, I get it all the time...HOW? Well, I may be new to triathlon but I have skillz or like they said back in the days, I can chop game. But I digress.

Tonight after work was a little stop to grab a bite to eat with my wife and down the yellow brick road to the gym. I swear that treadmill lies to me. It gives me false hope. It said I did 1.5 miles in 21:40 min. Which breaks down to 14:26 per mile. But when I go to Bonelli to work out, its like, lets double the time for the same distance. Maybe someone can help me? For this run loop I do at the park it is 1.8 miles and according to calcs, there is 222 feet of climbing. Is that much considering the short distance? I have no idea, due to geographical dangers, I do all my night (the only time I have to workout) workouts at the gym. Someone please give me a clue. I know I need to get out more, but the only chance I have is on the weekend. So this weekend I'm planning a bike at Bonelli. We'll be meeting at the carpool across the freeway around 9AM. If anyone is interested just let me know. The loop is about 8 miles and I "want" to do two loops. I know that some of the people might not do the second but I'm going to try. So to anyone else that wants to go, thats 9AM at Bonelli Park in San Dimas, CA for a 16 mile bike that circles Puddingstone Lake (and an air strip) twice.

Saturday Mornings

2007-03-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

Did you know that if you wake up early on Saturday morning that you have the whole day to do whatever you want? Its like having an extended weekend. I just thought I'd put it out there for those that like to sleep in till 12pm (me). For the last 3 weeks I've been waking up early to meet up with friends to go and work out. 2 runs at Bonelli Park, 1 swim at Balleys pool. Feels good to have the rest of the day to do whatever.

This morning was one of the runs at Bonelli. There is this loop that a friend (Adam) showed me and according to the route plotter on www.beginnertriathlete.com, its 1.87 miles with 222 feet of climbing. Since I don't have Garmin or anything, this is my tool. Map out my route and take my watch/stopwatch/hr monitor (Mio, on sale for $50) and I plug in the numbers and get my pace. So my cousin and I went on a run (again using that word loosely) in the morning. I need to go to the beach or someplace where there are flats so I can gauge how I'm doing vs. what the treadmill is telling me. One of those fact or fiction things, or from my Experimental Psych class final: Ecological Validity - tests done in a lab vs. the real world. Ya, that's right...Psych Major. Anywho, besides the 1 mile swim a couple of days ago, I haven't ran in about a week and a half. And thanks Wes for your "encouraging" comments. I know I have to run, but like most things worth while, its hard. Just ask Iron Wil how learning how to swim went. If she can learn to swim (a possibly life threatening activity), I can run enough to be comfortable. And as the pounds come off it's getting easier. One more loop and I'm going to need another new belt. Haven't weighed myself in a while. The last time the scale tipped at 215 and after seeing that, I've mentally blocked that my gym even has a scale.

Nutrition: since I never really mention it. And that's because I don't eat healthy. The closest I got was this morning. After the run, I came home and had 2 ham sandwiches (light on the mayo) and 16 oz of Crystal Light (surprisingly tasty). And that is the most nutritious meal I've eaten.

One Loop, Two Loop, Three Loop, Four

2007-03-22T22:57:00.000-07:00

If I don't get a new belt soon, my pants will hit the floor. It feels great to tighten a belt one more loop. And this is a new/smaller belt.

It's official, Finals are over, one week of break...well I still have to work, but you know what I mean. So tonight after my last final I went to relax with a 1 mile swim! That's right, 1750 yards in 40:10. That breaks down to a 2:18 per 100 yrds. Not great but not bad. I see that I need to work on the endurance, the first 1000 yrds were done in regular fashion but the last 750 was a B$&(*$%. Well its a good start in preparation for the Alcatraz swim (1.5 miles, swim from THE ROCK to shore). The website for the event says that in order to do the even, you should be able to do 1000 yrds in a pool in under 40 minutes comfortably. Well what do you know.

Unfortunately, with all the swimming I've been doing I noticed that I've neglected the run. I haven't run in 2 weeks. I know, I know, train your weakness. Bonelli is a short time away and I need to prep. So I'm rallying the troops, Meryl (wife), Josh (swim buddy), Adam (old buddy), and Luke (cousin). Lets all go for a run at Bonelli, get me used to people passing me. hahaha. Maybe next Sunday. And if anyone in the blog-o-sphere is in the area, feel free to join us. I'll probably be wearing my Get Your Geek On shirt.

The Fish is making a come back!

2007-03-15T23:56:00.001-07:00

Well a little recap, I said before that I'll be happy if I could sustain 100 @ 1:45-1:50 pace. A little revision is in order. Tonight I just did 1000 (10 x 100 yrds) in 19:00. Thats whole 3:15 minutes faster than the last time I swam 1K!!! Which breaks down to a 1:54 per 100 yard pace. Not bad I say. I only hope that the other people in the pool don't drown in the whirlpools (ahh, now we see where I get the nickname Vortex) I create. You know that the Shark Swim is coming up on June 10th. You know the one, swim from THE ROCK to shore. 1.5 miles of bay area coldness...and coolness. But I found out that a buddy of mine and his sister will be doing it this year. AND he will have his own place there this summer so accommodation's are taken care of. I running out of excuses not to do this awesome event. For a swimming nut...this would totally geek me out.

FLATS Happen!!!

2007-03-10T17:03:00.001-08:00

   Today was a course PreView of Bonelli Park in San Dimas (near Raging Waters). This is going to be a great event. Such beautiful scenery and the smell of pine and eucaliptis is a pleasant change from dank sweat towels at the gym. Also, I realized that I need to get out more. The treadmill dependency is killing me. My friend (who ran and biked with me in prep for this being his first) and I "ran" (used loosy since I walked a lot of the way) in the park and biked the actual course that's posted on their site. We swim in the lake, bike around the lake, and run by the lake. The surrounding serenty is going to make for a great day. I told myself that this time around I'm not going to have that exaughsted deaf experience (you know, when you're so tired that you see everyone cheering but its like someone turned the mute button on on your life).

   The run was O.K.  Like I said, a lot of walking.  This is how the bike course looks:

and thanks to our friends at www.beginnertriathlete.com here is the elevation:

I especially like that climb to a drop and then have to climb back out...fun...not. Wait, stay positive, there are a couple of areas that are short climbs that bend so you can't see if they end. I'm sure that a few people will sit up, so I can take advantage. It's probably not going to do much in the long run (literally, 5K is a long run to me) but it should give a boost of confidence to pass someone on a hill or two.

Adam and I ran first and scoped out the bike last so we wouldn't have to break down the bikes in the middle of our workout. It was a great day until...a flat. 7 miles into an 8 mile course. So I had to walk my bike back to the car. Bummer. That reminds me I need new rims and tires. Anyone out there want to part or sponsor me just send me an email, my blazing 14:30 per mile run should make the papers and get some press.

We ended the workout at In-N-Out, for those in Southern California you know what this means. hmmmmm. You might say, what about your nutrition and I'll say "but its In-N-Out?! what am I supposed to do?" After a nice workout, outside of the gym I came home and watched a DVD. I'm kind of a movie freak. Nothing beats kicking back and watching Shawshank Redemption 15 times. And that is NOT an arbitrary make up number, I have catelog software that tracks how many times I watch my DVDs. But the movie stuff is for another blog. Except that for Christmas, my parents got me the Triathlon DVD What Ever it Takes. Great watch!!! If anyone has some tips on how to take on Bonelli Park, just let me know. Because my "A" Race this year is The BOD (Bonelli Olympic Distance) in Sept. Yeah, yeah more base I know.

Humans Need Rest

2007-03-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know what this means (and there are only a handful). hahahaha. Anyway back to business. I met up with an old buddy of mine last Sat. to go for a swim at Mt. SAC. I drove from the Inland Empire (a land far far away) to his place (an hour away) to be at the pool by 8:30am. We get there and what do you know, an intercollegiate swim meet! No big pool with like 20 lanes to stretch out in. Turns out that there was a Ballys near by and I was able to get him in on a guest pass. Yet another indoor pool with no natural sunlight. This is going affect my tan (I know...soooo California).

Working out is like sex...you can do it alone, but its much better with a partner.

I am, by no means, an expert in anything triathlon. But I do subscribe to the school that if you know something, then you can relay that message to someone who does not. Sorry if workouts get tedious with all the tips. And that goes out to everyone who has ever worked out with me. But it's in my nature to help people. But yet again, tremendous progress within one workout. Just gearing him up in preparation for the LA TRI Express #1 that is coming up on April 15th! Yay another race. I can't wait. I wanted him to know at least a little of what it is like to not stop at the wall before swimming 200 yards and passing out alongside the lake. He wouldn't even get a chance to kick my butt on the run (which he will, if he gets out of the water, lol).

I'm very excited to announce that so far there two official "YES" to who's attending in April. The newbie honorees are: Adam (old friend stated above) & Rick (my DAD!). No word if they ran into any snags with registration but so far they are IN!!!

Now for honorable (disgusted turning of the back while rolling my eyes) mentions: Wayne (the person who backed out before and got me into triathlon, will be backing out again: I mean, I know it's the same day as his first born's baptism but come on, whats more important), Josh P. (who's been talkn' a lot of trash over the years but conveniently never actually takes me up on anything, big surprise that he's been avoiding me now that T-Day is approaching)

Then there is the limbo category MIA - Missing In Action: These people have not responded to emails containing update info about whats going on who said they will participating: Jason (gets a little leniency because he's out of state in medical school, but not much, just a little) & Marie (who's allowed a little slack because her involvement was hearsay).

THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY

2007-02-28T12:40:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday was another evening with the parental unit. We did another swim at the gym. Hey you gotta stick to what works. My dad is already getting better. I didn't have my watch and they didn't have a swim clock (that's a whole different issue) so the total time from going in to leaving the gym was 30 minutes. Which is about the same amount of time we spent the last time. But there were a few differences.

This time I had him a more structured workout. It wasn't even closed to real program but it was a big step of from the first session (a bunch of 25's). We started with a 100 warm up getting nice a loose. Then we did a couple of 50's. Then I had him tryout the paddles to work on his stroke. Do you remember your first time with paddles, yeah fun [sarcasm]. So it was 2 sets of 50 with those. Then I notice that he had a few mini-sprint bursts in his stroke and was getting tired too quickly so we did a 100 with him following me at the pace I set. Nice and easy and he came out of it feeling good and just a tad winded (like your supposed to). Guess what...more 50's (5 of them to be exact)! We wrapped things up with a 50 breast stroke warm down. Now the Grand Total = 700 Yards! Yay Dad!

Lets do the math. More yards + same amount of time = Progress. Both times at the gym the time are off. So last Tues it calculated to 6 minute 100's (please!) of coarse that is factoring in changing time in the lockers. This time, with the added yardage the numbers work out to 4 minute 100's. Dad when you read this I just wanted to say two things: 1) I'm proud and 2) PACE YOURSELF!

Tuesdays with Daddy

2007-02-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

No, he's not dying. But its been a while since we've spent any type of quality time together. We went to the gym to do a few laps in the pool because he is doing the TRI Express Series #1 with me and that is what he's worried about.

You know what they say "you are your own worst critic." I think they are wrong, you are your family's worst critic. I could help but crtique and try to help him. Finally I get to say "It's for your own good. Just do things my way, you'll thank me later." I'm not saying he's slow, he can move when he wants to. He surfs all the time and is used to the board being under him. I could on and on about the differences in surfing and swimming in open water but don't worry, I won't.

The little direction I gave he picked up pretty quickly and was already showing improvement after 250 yards. Granted the entire "workout" was only 500 yards but he was done. The whole experience was about 30 minutes. I know that breaks down to about 6 minute per 100 yards but there was a lot of stopping and tips. We were probably really doing 3 minute 100's once you account for all the breaks between 50's. For those who are a little less familiar with aquatic terms. The length of the pool in your gym is probably 25 yards or meters. Swim to the end and back = 50 yards, do that again = 100 yards. Time this and you have measurable incriments to track your progress.

He did great for pool time (which he doesn't like, like I said he's a surfer). He wanted to know how his workout was going compared to mine. Hey I didn't bring it up...he asked for it. So I said to follow me and try to keep up for a 50. I went at under race pace (workout pace). He did an exellent job at keeping up maybe a half body-length at hitting the wall behind me and I'm sure it had to do with his turn-around and push off the wall from the other side. Hey, like I said, he can move when he wants to. But he was very winded, I think after 150 yards at that pace, I would have had to use that crane to get him out of the water. I told to remember to got at your own pace throughout the whole thing. I got the "yeah, yeah, yeah." (now he's quoting me when I was younger).

He keeps talking trash about the time I forgot to down shift on an incline and how this will happen again and he'll take me on the bike. We'll see.

PS: I'm testing a new script (in blue) on the side bar if you scroll down a little. Please drop a comment about what you think about the blog. I will be the only one that can read the info submitted so be candid.

One of "those" days

2007-02-17T14:57:00.000-08:00

Did not have a good day yesterday. I've been away from home for a few days. Its amazing how one gets accustomed to being with another. I'm learning very quickly that not having my wife in the same bed effects my sleep...significantly. Before going to bed, I went to the gym. I did a 6 minute warm up on the treadmill. Then I started running. As soon as the pace picked up, my heart rate went from 135 to 185. I felt miserable. I could only keep up a "decent" pace for about a mile then I had to stop my HR was at 190 and I only did 1 Mile in 14:45!!! I took a breather and got some water. Then I walked over to the stationary bikes and tried that out, maybe my legs don't like soooo much stress right now. Wrong again. I set the level to 10 and started peddling. After 5 miles at 180 BPM with a cadence of only 70-75 cpm I was done. I felt so bad. I went into the gym thinking I was going to be in there for over an hour. But there is one thing I learned from training for triathlon. As much as I know my body and how far I can push it. You just have to listen to it when its telling you to stop. So I cooled down on the bike for about 4 minutes and left.

I hope this doesn't happen on a race day.

BREATH AGAIN

2007-02-03T23:08:00.000-08:00

I'm a fish at heart. High school, swim team, water polo...blah, blah, blah. I haven't been in the water since January first for the Get Your Geek On New Years TRI. And I can't say that jumping into the ocean at 10am in January WITHOUT a wetsuit was a pleasant experience...but it will wake you up. Today I did 1000 yrds. So much for starting small. 2 sets of 500 yrds. The first set I did in 10:45 and the second in 11:30. Yeah I took a "little" breather in between, shoot me. I was soooo stoked to try out my new goggles. Aqua Sphere XP (clear on clear). They were awesome!!! Not so much as a drop of water, they actually didn't get wet on the inside until I tried to take them off. And I mean "tried." You adjust the strap with some easy leavers on the sides and just press them against your face. When you feel your eye balls start to pull out of your head, stop pushing. You know that its a good fit when you go to take them off and you get that tupperware burp. I finished the swim with a soak in the spa and a GU gel (berry). It was good. I think I like it better than the vanilla bean. If you are wondering what I'm doing taking gels for such a short work out, I'm gearing up for an OLYMPIC!!!!!! I need to start on planning out my nutrition for the event. I almost bonked on a Sprint. I'm not letting it happen again. I'm getting a good base under me so I'll be ready for THE BOD (Bonelli Olympic Distance) in September. This swim is one of many to come. So to wrap up, that's 1000 yards with a total time of 22 minutes and 15 seconds. That breaks down to 2:14 for each 100 yards. Not bad...for now, atleast for someone only 5'5" and over 210 lbs. I'm starting to come to grips with my Clydsdale-ness. I'm figuring that I'll be happy if I can get it down to 1:45-1:50 for distance.

Smoooooth

2007-01-30T01:10:00.000-08:00

It feels good to walk into a full gym and be one of the last one's to leave. I walked in around 10:15pm after class. I told myself I was going to stay on the bike as long as I could take it, of coarse at a steady HR (heart rate). The final count was 25.23 miles in 1:10:03. Thats 21.61 mph. I had it in my head to keep my HR at 160 BPM...which I did. I felt great for the whole session. 45 minutes into it I popped a gel pack (GU Vanilla Bean). Let me just inform you that the thought of digesting something the consistency of jello repulses me. I don't know what it is, I just can't do it. I end up missing out on deserts a lot of the time, but looking back I guess its a good thing. It tasted fine, better than some bars I've tried. Well what do you know, no cramps. I was well hydrated and that gel gave me a shot of energy that actually made me feel better.

I'm at home, I took and nice warm shower and I still feel great. That is officially the longest time I've been on a bike at one time. I'm feeling so good that if the schedule works out, I'm thinking about doing the Ensenada, Rosarito Half Century in April. Yah, its one week after the LA TRI-Express, but I'm not racing it. I just want to do it. I think it'll be fun to do with my dad. We used to camping, just the two of us. Life gets busy and no more "quality time." I miss it sometimes and I think this would be a great opportunity to...hmm...kick his butt at something. He won't let me forget that I forgot to shift in my first TRI (read the Hermosa Beach TRI) and fought all the way up hill. I need to get some actually road time. Maybe in the wash. I need to get used to the headwinds. Oh well, there are a lot of things I need to do. Just another thing to add to the TRI-DO list.

It's Not Like I Have A Race

2007-01-22T16:34:00.000-08:00

So why am I acting like its "tapper" time. I haven't been the the gym in a few days. My calender at www.beginnertriathlete.com is screaming at me to do something. I'm starting to get that stir crazy feeling. I don't know why I haven't been. I mean I can come up with a few excuses. I just started a new quarter at school and my day starts at 4:30am for work (8 hours later) and then I have class till about 10pm. But these are just excuses. Body, listen up. Those extra pounds WILL go away. I will not allow you to continue to weigh me down. Be gone!!!

Sorry to those close to me

2007-01-11T10:16:00.000-08:00

I get a little obsessive about things. When I get my mind on something, its pretty hard to derail. I just wanted to let all of you know that I appreciate the support and love that you show me on a constant basis.

I just wanted to say "Thank You" for putting up with all thing triathlon. "Base" this, "Brick" that...you know the drill. If it is any consolation, there is a support group for spouses and family of triathletes. It can be found at http://ironwidow.blogspot.com. This a place for all those caught of in the life of triathlon, the one's not wearing the bracelets. "Ironman. The ultimate test of your resolve. It's pretty tough for the athletes too."

Much love to all the triathletes out there AND their families.

Celebrating New Year's GYGO Style

2007-01-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

What a great way to start the New Year than with a triathlon. To Kahuna and all those involved in setting this event up, THANKS!!! I had a blast. It was great to finally see everyone in person. *Before I go on, a few words to those who were at Corona Del Mar. I talk a lot of smack but its all in good fun. If Michael Jordan walked into my basketball court...I'd talk crap.* Also, I borrowed from the pages of Kahuna Math, my real 100 Fly time was 1:05...not sub 1:00. If Kahuna can round 1300 people passing him in IronMan down to 1000, I can do a little rounding of my own.

Funny, I didn't know that "Iron" was so susceptible to the cold. I believe Iron Wil used the terms "kept man." But all kidding aside, I had a ball.

Ok, now for the lowdown "Race Report." I was at the gym at 8:30am to do the run and bike portion of my tri. The results are as follows: Run 2 miles in 29.31 minutes (14.46/mile, yeah, I know, I think I'm getting sick, my HR was like 180!!! the whole time) and Bike 6 miles in 16.40 minutes (about 21.6 mph). Once this was all done it was a short drive from Huntington Beach (where my wife and celebrated new years with family) to Corona Del Mar State Beach to MEET up with "Iron" (the term shall be used loosely from now on) Kahuna.

Those in attendance:
THE "Iron" Kahuna (who at the end of the day, I gave the MDOT it's proper respect and bowed humbly),

RoboStu (who's uncanny resemblance to one of my dad's friends threw me for a second),

Neoprene Wedgie (Mike, great talking to you and thanks for the info on Bonelli Park, see you around the blog-o-sphere),

Emilia (who's blog I can't find so if you are reading this, comment so I read your blog),

Iain (who "hired" a photographer [his wife] to take pix of everyone, brought his kids [your son is lucky to have a high energy father, that is only way to keep up with him, this kid is 2 and was climbing up the lifeguard tower by himself!] please contact me so I can get a copy of those pictures.

Everyone showed up ready to do the Polarbear swim at around 10am, well not everyone. Someone showed up with a wetsuit (he shall remain nameless....*coughrobo*) But after some "encouragement" he suited down and jumped in like the rest of us. The Swim Start was hilarious. The line was drawn in the sand and there was a countdown to our freezing demise. We were off, but the anticipation and excitement got to Kahuna & Robo they ended up tumbling forward, falling in the sand as they "fought for position." So their general direction was at least towards the water. I don't think there were any permanent injuries. Once everyone was in the water and "swam" (more a long the lines of flailing arms as the muscles went into shock) a few strokes the general consensus was that the swim leg was done. It was then a mad rush back to our warm towels and some dry clothes. We spent about 15 minutes in T1 (which is not bad if you consider that Kahuna spent 12 @ Ironman Florida) then everyone broke off to finish their TRI. Since I went to the gym earlier I was done. For me the priority was to get back to the house, get ready, and have lunch in Hacienda Heights. As part of my "nutritional plan," you know, put back what was burned off. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I will update this post once I get the pictures from Iain and everyone look out for the video (Iain, I'll apologize for Kahuna having to take multiple takes. It seems that Kahuna needed to figure out that it is easier to video tape someone when the lens cap is off).

Have a Happy New Year to everyone out there and to the TRI-blog Alliance...See you later.

TOTALLY GEEK'D OUT

2006-12-29T06:50:00.000-08:00

After a long day at work what do I come home to, a package. Oh the simple joys of getting something in the mail besides bills. I received my GET YOUR GEEK ON T-shirt!!! So today I'm wearing it. Yah, prewash, scratchy and itchy...but I'm a GYGO Geek, what do you expect. For those of you who don't know check out the IRON Kahuna on my sidebar. He and Iron Wil host this "epic" podcast that can be found at www.podcastalley.com (and search Triathlon). If you like people mispronouncing your handle you'll love Kahuna and the slippery tongue of Iron Wil when she pronounces Hispanic names (by the way thanks Wil for pronouncing my name correctly in show #34). Thanks guys for the shirt its great. Wil, your words of inspiration are great for calming me down and getting over that 2.5 mile hump (for me, for the Iron Gods it would probably be mile 13 of the run). And Kahuna, I virtually bow to your "Iron-ness."

Crazy, Sexy, Cool

2006-12-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

In the world of triathlon there are terms that are used that aren’t apart of a normal person’s lexicon. Now I know your minds will start to wonder but please try to keep them out of the gutter. One of us will have to.

2-A-Days - this is not refer to the number of times you have sex (well maybe not for you).

Aero Position - this is NOT a sexual position...yet.

Body Glide - this is a lubricant, but not the kind you're thinking of.

Bike Porn - this is not naked girls next to TRI-bikes.

Bonk - old term used in a newer way.

Chain Suck - nasty imagery but refers to when your chains gets caught up.

Chamois Butter - similar to what what you think about when you hear Body Glide, but again no.

Crank - Yes, we (triathletes) measure our cranks. Is yours longer than mine?

Fartlek - this does not refer to farting on the Run and passing someone at the same time.

Hardware - to the women of triathlon I'm so sorry, this is not...well...you know.

Negative Split - althought we all like to boast about how flexible we are, I think this is impossible. If you can do it, tryouts for Cerc de sole is next month.

The Washing Machine - not related to the wheelbarrel. If you know what that means...you're a dirty birdy too.

TT – when said by itself outloud...well try it, now. OK, everyone is looking at you. Just turn around and said "Time Trial."

Base = the drug of choice for your modern triathlete

2006-12-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

Getting your body fit without work or as Bruce Lee puts it "The art of fighting, without fighting." If you are going to do it, do it right. Base workouts have to be apart of your T3 (schedule). Triathlon is an ENDURANCE sport, we have to put our bodies through the motions. Mileage, mileage, mileage. Get moving. Don't stop...and for god's sake, don't push hard. Just keep that heart rate steady and go insane with every passing mile. I know, who is this newbie trigeek? Let me tell you. I AM A TRIATHLETE! I finished a sprint. hahaha.

No, but really. While training for that fatefull day, I "ran" into some trouble with my knees. Even at my fittest, I was never a runner. It was weird too. I couldn't get any answers. My second gear was stuck. My warm up walk was fine, building my heart rate so I can start the vigorous stuff, but as soon as I took that first step in second gear (faster on the treadmill - not even fast, I hate to use the word, but jogging) pain shot right to my knees. For all you none runners this might sound a little familiar. Now for the weird stuff, lets kick it up a notch. My third gear was fine. I got sick of the pain with every step and "wondered" what would the pain feel like if I went faster (I know masochist). Guess what...no pain. When I was in a flat out sprint everything was fine, for the minute/minute and a half that I could keep it up. Then I would have to down shift all the way down to first gear as to not feel the pain of second. I know...Weird I tell ya.

The event came and went. I now had time to incorporate a proper base to my T3. What da ya know, pains all gone. My body didn't have time to adjust to the mileage. And not just the motions but the constant pounding. As you can see in my 2007 race season, I'm planning on doing my first OLYMPIC distance at the end of the season. You can count on one thing. This tri-junkie is not going to be without his BASE.

Epically Awesome Epiphany

2006-11-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving, you're here you're there, you're nowhere...except my midsection. I took a few days off of training for the holidays. I started feeling so anxious so on Sunday I went into the gym. Now to fully appreciate what I'm about to tell you, lets just keep in mind that at my first TRI I ran a 16 minute mile. On Sunday, AFTER a 15 mile bike, I ran a 12.30 min. mile!!! Wooo Hoooo!!!! And the best part was that I felt great afterwards. My legs were fresh and could have gone another mile or two. People, keep in mind that I'm still over 200 lbs. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, "Clydesdale"). But I refuse to register for that category.

Is this what being is shape is like? It’s been so long I forgot.I just realized that I didn't start with a background, you know, the before and after thing. It’s more of a before, long middle, and now thing. It all began, once upon a body...you know the drill. Back in high school I was on the Swim & Water Polo teams. My junior and senior years went a little like this: Zero Period swim work out, full day of classes (what option did I have), 7 Period Swim training (weights/resistance bands), after school Swim Practice with the team, drive (or Carpool with my dad) 1.5 hours home (maybe eat) and head over to the martial arts studio where I had to get my workout in for that before the even class got in that I eventually started teaching. So my day in a nutshell was: work out, class, work out, work out, drive, work out, home (eat,homework,sleep), rinse and repeat.
(Me @ West Covina Mall for a 2 Day Demo, back in the late 90s)

Scheduling or as I like to call it...T3

2006-11-13T01:41:00.000-08:00

Mondays & Wednesdays:

I start my morning at about 4:30am and get ready for work. I leave the house about 5am and arrive about 6. Then its 8 hours of the "usual." I get off work about 2:30pm and then commute back and arrive just in time...but usually late to class at 4pm. I'm in class from 4 till about 8pm. After that its back to the domicile for a light dinner then its off to the gym.

Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays:

Yay I get to sleep in till 5:30am! Then it’s off to work again. No class these days...thank god. But that doesn't mean I'm not doing school work. I really end up spending most of the time with my wife. Then its off to the gym again around 9 or 10 for about 1.5 hours.

Saturdays:

House chores. Woopy!!! My wife and I like to spend time with our "kids." We have 2 lab retrievers and 1 cat. We're a young couple and that's about as far as that goes. Too young for kids now. Speaking about age, my wife and I are the same age...Exactly. I mean exactly. We have the same birthday, month, day, and year. Weird I know. Back the T3. I try to get some type of workout in, whether its time on the cycle trainer or a run around the block or "circuit training" with my wife at the mall.

Sundays:

"Day of Rest," ya right. That just means no trips to the gym. We talk about the following week and plans that I may have forgotten. I'm the one with the PDA in my phone and she's the one reminding me about stuff...That's a different story. We try to relax, rent a DVD, do laundry, vacuum, you know, relax.

Ball Busting Ballys

2006-11-10T13:51:00.000-08:00

I do a lot of training in the gym and had my first session with a trainer last night. Trainer Josh, if you ever read this, spank you very much. He kicked my butt. It was an intense workout with a lot of lunging type movements. I was exhausted by the end, almost hurled in the car ride home. But I needed that push and he offered a lot of information and new things that I can incorporate into my workouts.

The best part of my workout was when it was all over and I had ice cold water and embracing my wife when I got home. I felt so at peace and had a great nights sleep. Which, for me, is impressive. I'm one of those people who wake up every couple of hours throughout the night. Last night I slept all the way through and feel great today.

The Day at The Beach - Hermosa Beach Triathlon (10/15/2006) Devirginized

2006-11-07T19:29:00.000-08:00

Yes people I did it. 1/4 Mile Swim / 10 Mile Bike / 3 Mile Run. It doesn't sound like much, but you try it. My total time was 1:46:48.2. Which is only 15 minutes more than what I was planning on doing it in. Where do I begin? How about how I got myself into this mess. My uncle mentioned that he was thinking about participating in one and I opened my big mouth say that I would do it with him. Then I asked when the event was, he says "5 weeks"!!!! Great [sarcastic]. So the very next day I started researching and training. Now it’s a week before the event and my uncle (who shall remain nameless) tries to sign up last minute and can't because it's sold out. Now I'm stuck doing this on my own. So now its race day, I'm set to go out in the first wave @ 7am. I arrived @ 5:45am to get my transition area set up. The CANNON went off and it was beach sprint to the water. By the time I got out of the water, I was so tired and disoriented that I couldn't get me wetsuit off. I had to stop moving and fiddle with the darn thing to get it off. Finally, I got it unzipped and started on my way towards the transition area to get ready for the Bike. On my way there was a water station that I used to get the taste of salt water out of my mouth. I figured "hey, I got my Gatorade on my bike." Big mistake. I walked the bike past the "mount" line and got on. The course started with an immediate uphill climb, I was in the wrong set of gears and fought all the way to the top. Halfway up the hill I got my water bottle and took a drink, tried to put it back, and ooops...there goes my Gatorade. Now I have nothing to drink for the next 10 miles. My legs were noodles for the whole ride because of the climb. Before long, I was back in the transition area getting ready for the RUN. Coming out of the transition there was another water station. I grabbed water and as I started to drink, my right leg cramped, and water in my face instead of my mouth. Now there's no water for next 1.5 miles. I finally worked the cramp out and started running. I'm slow and do about a 15 min/mile. Slow and steady. I finally got to the next water station and decided to stop and walk through it, to make sure I got some water. With about 200 yards to go, my uncle came out to run with me to the finish. At this time my left leg started cramping. At 100 yards both my legs cramped at the same time. I told myself that no mater what I was going to sprint the last 25 yards. Then I saw the cruel imaginations of the even coordinators at work. They veered the trail off the side walk to finish in the sand. I had the run the last 5 yards in the sand with 2 cramped legs like a drunken puppet. But I did it. It’s over...and I'm training for the next one.PS: Here are my splits for those of you who are interested (the T's represent time in transition:T1=swim to bike,T2=bike to run)

Swim - 14:22

T1 - 4:37

Bike - 39:40

T2 - 2:09

Run - 46:03