solo

I’ve come to a realization. If you train alone (like me), you have to blog. Blogging lets me connect with the greater triathlon community. I’m not bragging when I share my workouts (swimming 100s on 1:45 doesn’t really impress the triathlon community). I’m sharing.  It’s like having a training partner without having a training partner. Virtual friends.

I do wonder, however, how to get my blog listed on all the big dawg’s blogrolls. I suppose if I go to Nationals I could lie down on the elite bike course until all those athletes made me blogging buddies. That plan is still in its early planning phase, though.

Training continues. I’ve put together some fairly consitent weeks. I’ve decided that since I started training late, I’ll peak later in the summer (end of August). I guess that means I’m still “base” training. I ran an interval session of 4k-2k-1k at 10k-5k-3k pace and hit the times I anticipated. Today I swam 20X100 (3on1:25 + 1on1:35). Swimming 100s on a pace time faster than 1:30 is this stupid pyschological barrier I have. So today was a small victory for me.  Don’t you love small victories? Put a lot of them together and you might do something special.

I’ve been feeling quite good on the bicycle lately, too. I have this itch to ride really long tomorrow. I’m not sure if I’m ready for a century yet or not (100k), but what else do I have to do on a beautiful saturday afternoon?

Last, mad shout out to my man James. Flippin’ guy smoked the triple T triathlon. Big balls, Jimmy.

my 2009 race philosophy

all of it, but particually starting at 0:47. this is what champions are made of.

First race on the horizon

My first triathlon of the year will be the Muskoka Sprint. I wanted to start with G1, but we’re going to a wedding that day (I would never let a race interfere with dancing). From there, I’ll race every couple weeks until the end of the summer.

It’s funny, actually. If you asked 10 weeks ago if I would be doing triathlons this summer I would have said, “What?! No way. I haven’t trained since August.” But I’ve discovered that triathlon (or, more specifically, triathlon training) is like a bug bite. The more  you scratch it, the more you want to scratch. Even though it can become compulsive, once you get started, it’s hard to stop.

Training is going well. Idid that 3X2k run workout again and averaged 6:40. Then I spent the weekend in Guelph training with my old pals. I rode with Tom and Andrew on Saturday, and ran long with James on Sunday. Just for kicks, I showed up at PTC swim practice this morning to see CT, and have some company in the pool. I love having company, and these guys are grand. Oh, and we bought a road bike for Amy! James tells me I’m a smart man to get her involved. With the training that goes with doing an ironman (couple years away), he’s probably right!

In more exciting news, my school track team competed at the city championships today. Kids ran fantastic! When you’re not running for time (only top 4 advance) it makes everything so much more nervewracking. You actually have to race, not just time trial. If you’re in 4th-place on PB-pace, and a dude rolls up beside you with 150 to go, you have to go. But the kids have worked hard the last couple months, and the results stood for themselves. Nice job, guys!

I’ll end with this. Sharratt three-peated at the Brick duathlon this weekend. Atta boy! It’s worth noting that first race Sharratt ever won (that wasn’t a tri-a-tri) was the Muskoka Sprint, 6 years ago. I was 6th in that race. I just wanted to let Dave know: Italians never forget a defeat.

Fughedaboutit.

PTC, i miss you

Craig’s video made me feel a little loney. Man, what a terrific sport we have, and when you have people to do it with, wow…isn’t that the life?

Quick update. Yesterday I ran some 1minuter’s with my school’s track team. The energy in the group is super high right now, and I’m confident they’ll all run like champs at our track championship meet on Friday. After that I went to the pool and swam a main set of 1600, 800, 400, 200, 100, 50 (1:00 break after each). We did this set last year at this time and I was anxious to see if I’ve lost anything. Yesterday, I averaged 1:27 for 1600, 1:24 for the 800, 1:21 for the 400, 1:19 for the 200, and 1:15 for the 100. All the times were significantly faster than last year. And it was also encouraging considering I had to keep swimming around this muscle-head dude who felt threatened by my speedo-esk sleekness. 

Today I rode 55k in the cemetary. No joke. 26loops of a 1.9km loop (plus getting there and back). I finished the ride by charging up Yonge Street listening to “Sherry Baby” by Frankie  Valli. I saw Jersey Boys last week and I’m hooked.

Date night with my pretty wife tonight. Can’t wait!

life. rolls. on.

At least two (but no more than three) people have told me that I should update my blog. With those folks in mind, I update.

Life is just great. You know that feeling when you’re really looking forward to something? But then you have all that other crap you have to get through before that one thing happens? And then after that one thing happens, you have to do all these unexciting things again until there’s something to get excited about again.  Well, for the last little while at least, I’ve had a ton of the exciting things, and, to be honest, not much of the crap in between.

So life, like I said a minute ago, is great. And good, and wonderful, and exciting, and unpredictable, and entertaining, and humorous, and [inset any other positive adjective here].

School has been going really well. My classes are rolling around, although at times I find myself yelling uncontrollably at the kids. I should remind myself that there is something like 30 school days left, so everyone needs a little slack.

Training is excellent-eh. I figure I’m about at the same point I was last year, and this with 6 months of no training in the fall/winter. I ran 3X2k last night and averaged 3:25ish/k. I’ll try again next week and try to bring er down a bit. I attended a PTC training day on Sunday and swam a blistering leg in a 250m freestyle relay. I was clocked at 28.1, so I’m going to call that lickity splicity and go about my way. Oh, and Coach CT: I swam 8 100s with the blasted BAND on tonight on 1:45 and made them all with tons of time to spare. Like that?

Oh, and I’ll be in Guelph for all of July, teaching swimming lessons and making Tom and James beg for mercy. Should be excellent.

All out of positive adjectivies for now.