It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This....

Magnificent morning on the Outer Banks.  Carolina blue skies with a few wispy clouds and lots of beautiful sunshine.

Just back from a great 7.5 mile run.   Up the beach road as far as Tortuga's Lie (and, no, I didn't stop for my customary one of theses.....)

....and then back along the beach with only the seagulls and a few pelicans flying by for company.

Awesome!

A Tale of Two Rides

Yesterday's scheduled workout called for a two hour bike ride at high cadence.    I'm down on the Outer Banks, so after spending most of the day sanding kitchen cabinets in preparation for a new coat of paint, I finally got ready to head out at around 3 pm.   Beautiful sunny day, but a pretty strong wind out of the south and those of you who have read some of my previous post will know that the winds down here are the Outer Banks equivalent of hills!

I decided to ride from Nags Head to the town of Duck and back - a total distance of something a little over 35 miles.  I had two "key thoughts" for the ride:

1.   Stay on the small chain ring and keep cadence high (target around 90 rpm)
2.   Loose arms and relaxed shoulders

I was also under strict instructions from The Puppeteer not to fight any head winds!

I was soon riding north on the beach road and flying along with little effort.  It took me about 50 minutes to get to Duck at an average speed of ~22.5 mph.  Fun!  Took a five minute break to take a drink and enjoy a little late afternoon sunshine....

Trusty Steed

Now it was time to ride south again and wow! what a difference!   I never cease to be amazed by how much impact a head wind has when you're on the bike!  It was a bit like riding into a brick wall at times.  To make matters worse, it was very gusty, which made it difficult to control the bike when getting down on to the aerobars to reduce drag.   There were also a few other obstructions to deal with along the way.....

Being a good victim  student, I didn't worry about speed and concentrated on constantly changing gear so as to keep my cadence at around 90 rpm.  The bottom line is that it took me about 1 hour 17 minutes to do the same distance going south at an average speed of around 15.5 mph - quite a difference!

Overall I managed to average a cadence of 89 rpm - well within my target range - and I think that I did a reasonable job of keeping arms/shoulders loose.   It was becoming a bit of a slog (and the sun was getting low!) by the time I got home and, while the speedy run north was fun, I was much more pleased with my efforts on the way south again - a good ride and I was back just in time to enjoy a classic Outer Banks sunset!

Quasimodo?

Earlier this week I was lucky enough to be invited out for a ride with The Puppeteer and two other lady victims (thanks Amy and Caroline for putting up with me!).  A nice but very chilly 25 miler in the Jordan Lake area, including the well known (at least locally) hill on Lystra Road.  I was amused that some wag had sprayed "Col de Lystra" on the road at the bottom!

The Puppeteer got to take a look at my riding technique and made some good observations.  On the plus side, she said that I did well in the group; put in a strong effort etc.    On the slightly more concerning side, she seemed to be comparing me to a well known fictional character who spent a good deal of his life in a bell tower at Notre Dame in Paris!  My arms are too rigid and I don't have enough flex when I ride.  I am too rigid in the upper back and need to engage my core more.  Hands need to "float" on the handlebars.  Lots to work on - hopefully The Puppeteer can be my Esmerelda and rescue me from such bad habits!

One suggestion was to ride with no hands on the trainer occasionally.  This will take me back.....  when I was at school in rural south west England many moons ago I used to take pleasure in being able to ride the entire five plus miles to school without ever touching the handlebars (it should be noted that my route comprised very sparsely traveled back roads and a very large park!).

Ah well, Quasimodo it is!

TRX

Had a new experience over the weekend as She Who Must Be Obeyed and I headed to our friend Kim's house (yes, that's the same Kim who ran the OBX Half Marathon with me) to try out TRX (http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/) which is becoming a very popular workout.  It's a system which was apparently developed for US Navy Seals to allow them to train "anywhere" and involves using straps suspended from the ceiling, a door frame, a post or any sturdy object.  You use your own body weight to add difficulty.

Kim, who will henceforth for the purposes of this blog be known as "The Dominatrix", is a very experienced fitness trainer and has set-up her own business SimPly Fit in North Raleigh, and has set-up a nice home studio in her garage. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/SimPly-Fit-North-Raleigh/171792799531943 

An interesting experience and I really enjoyed it.  The straps are used at varying lengths and you both hold on to them with your hands and support your feet in them for various exercises.  Makes things more challenging and the added need for "balance" on many exercises takes it up another notch again.  I'm not generally highly motivated by core work, so I'm going to start working with Kim on a regular basis.  As extra motivation, I learned that SWMBO can hold kick-ass planks!  I'm not sure if she could have out lasted me because The Dominatrix called time after 60 secs., but I suspect that she can! 

In other news I learned that a certain well known local triathlete has a penchant for doing TRX in her nightwear, and I saw photos to prove it!   :-)

Here are a few pics.....

Getting Started

Planks!

The Domanatrix adding some support

SWMBO & The Domanatrix at the gun show!

Updated 2011 Race Calendar; Dogs, Pigeons and Lizards. The World Turns……..

So I had a huge birthday back in September and (don’t tell anyone) She Who Must Be Obeyed also has a big birthday coming up.  To celebrate we’ve decided to head out for a romantic getaway to London and Paris (well, as romantic as you can get with 9 and 7 year olds in tow!).   What does this have to do with triathlon?   Well, not a huge amount other than the fact that the trip will fall right when peak training should be taking place for my previously scheduled “A” Olympic distance race – Over The Mountain at the end of May.

So……..

Changes are already afoot for my 2011 race calendar!  Here goes:

April 9^th I have added the Cary Short Course Dualthlon (C) (run, bike, run for the uninitiated). Cary, NC

May 15^th I have added the White Lake II Sprint Distance Triathlon (B).  White Lake, NC.

I have scrapped the Over The Mountain Olympic Distance Race in late May and replaced it with:

June 18^th Bandits Challenge Olympic Distance Triathlon (A) Wilkesboro, NC. 

I  think that I actually like this schedule better!   Updated web links in the right hand column.

In other news, the Puppeteer  managed to sneak some yoga in to the end of a recent strength workout.  This is new territory for me, so I had to look up “the pigeon”; “the lizard” and "the downward dog".  I doubt that I looked very serene or “zen like”, but I gave them my best shot.   Hommmmmmmm!

Pigeon:

Lizard:

Downward Dog:

Which does have its risks.......

Meleagris gallopavo

I have been chased by a few canines over the years, but I experienced an interesting first this morning.

I went for a five mile run on a route that takes me into rural east Durham.   I was about half a mile from home and moving well when out of nowhere a giant Tom Turkey appeared just behind me - gobbling loudly and with it's feathers spread!   It made me jump, but I quickly sized-up the situation and kept running.  Much to my surprise the turkey proceeded to run down the road after me, all the time gobbling loudly about ten yards behind me for, maybe, thirty seconds or so!

Did you know that the species name for the American Turkey is "gallopava"?   Seems to make sense!

2011 Race Calendar - Time To Lay It On The Line!

Well folks, it’s time to step-up to the plate and reveal the races that I (with the aid of The Puppeteer) have decided to participate in during 2011.  This is important in a couple of ways…. 

Firstly, by making this public I am relying on all of you to “keep the pressure on” if I start to lose motivation or slack-off in my training.  I don’t think that this is likely (especially with The Puppeteer pulling strings and cracking whips!) but I know that I can be sure that I have many friends who are prepared to ridicule me mercilessly if I fail in my mission!   J

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, by laying out the calendar now, The Puppeteer can design a training schedule using various cycles that will hopefully have me in peak form for my two “A” races.

After quite a bit of consideration I have decided that my major objective of the year should be to complete a half ironman event in a respectable time for my age group.   For the uninitiated, a half ironman consists of a 1.2 mile open water swim, followed by 56 miles on the bike, followed by a full 13.1 mile half marathon.  I’m highly confident (after having already done them) that I can finish each of the individual disciplines, the question is:  can I put it all together and can I turn in a respectable time?  What is a respectable time? I hear you ask….   The answer at the moment is that I don’t know.  Top age groupers will finish a half ironman in about  4 hours.   “Middle of the pack” age groupers in my age group finish somewhere around 6 hours.

I will also be doing a half marathon in March and a number of shorter triathlons throughout the season.   Each is rated an “A”, “B” or “C” in terms of the priority and training effort that it will be given.  Here’s what I have picked:

A local 10k race sometime in February if I can find one.  This is proving to be a challenge!

The American Tobacco Trail Half Marathon.  March 20, 2011. Cary, NC. (B)  This will basically be a training race.  Not out to break any records, just finish in a respectable time.

Over the Mountain Olympic distance triathlon.  May 21, 2011.  Kings Mountain, NC.  (A)  This will be my first Olympic distance event (1.5k swim; 45k bike; 10k run).  Kings Mountain is located fairly close to Charlotte, NC.   The name sounds a bit daunting!   The scenic event starts with a swim in Lake Moss and is followed by a relatively hilly bike course and a “rolling” run course.  We will apparently travel through two state parks and one national park!

Triangle Triathlon Sprint.  July 10, 2011.  Raleigh, NC.  (C).   A nice local short distance event to stretch it out and have fun!

Lake Logan Olympic Distance Triathlon.  August 7, 2011.  Canton, NC.  (B).   I’m especially looking forward to this event as we’re planning to get together with The Sneak and her family and go white water rafting the day after the race!  Canton, NC is located west of Asheville, NC in the Great Smokey Mountains – definitely a family trip!

Outer Banks Olympic Distance Triathlon.  September 17, 2011.  Manteo, NC.  (C).   A good excuse to get to the coast and a nice warm-up for the Half Ironman in October!

Beach-to-Battleship Half Ironman.  October 29, 2011.  Wilmington, NC.  (A).   The big one!  More on ths one later.

Full details of each race are available in the links under “Upcoming Events” in the right hand column.

Resolutions?... I Don't Need No Stinkin' Resolutions!

When I got to the office yesterday someone asked me if I had made any New Year's resolutions.  The truth is that with the lifestyle changes that I have been trying to make recently and the training I have been doing, I didn't even think about any resolutions.  I have enough things to try to keep up with as it is!

Anyway, in the interests of tradition, I thought that I would re-visit the pledge "not to be a Homer" that I made in a blog post back in October or November sometime.  Here goes:

Firstly, for The Puppeteer, I promise to "be coachable" and offer blind faith as if you're some type of Triathlon Sun Goddess (did I get that right Stacey?  :-)  )

Now my Homer resolutions:

1.  I will eat breakfast.  I have been doing well on this one and award myself an "A".  Meusli and Greek Yoghurt with honey are becoming favorites.  Will keep it going.

2.   Get more sleep.  This one has been going reasonably well (but the holidays and college bowl season have tested my resolve to go to bed earlier!).  I give myself a "B+"

3.   Cut down on the alcohol.   I guess this could be modified to read "less calories from alcohol".   This one is more of a challenge as I love my red wine in the evenings and it's too easy to pour "just one more".   Never-the-less, I have been working on it and give myself credit for not having over-imbibed during the New Year Glogfest celebrations down on the coast this past week.   Score me a "B" so far.

Don't Be a Homer!

I Survived the Holidays!

Well, it's back to work for me today and, to be honest, it's a bit of a struggle!   Enjoyed a really nice break over Christmas and the New Year with family and friends.

Looking back on it, I'm actually quite pleased with myself.  I didn't over-imbibe (no hangovers, yeah!);  I didn't over-eat (I weigh the same now as before the holidays) and I managed to keep to my workout schedule (with just a few very minor tweaks).

I'm declaring victory!