Stitches

Today at lunch I hit the treadmill for another half hour run. I increased the pace to 7:13/mile which felt pretty comfortable, except for the fact I got a bit of a side stitch 25 minutes into the workout. It was nothing major, it just struck me as odd because I had not eaten anything for several hours. Boring blog post I know, but I had a few minutes on the way back from home and figured why not. It's freezing outside now, but this ferry bus is almost too warm. Now this post is getting truly random...

Textbook Training Week

Last week for various and sundry reasons (the primary one being sheer laziness) I only ran twice and did not lift weights at all. This week I vowed to be more disciplined, and managed to get three runs and two weightlifting sessions in. Two of the runs were at 7:18/mile pace, and today I dialed it back to 7:30 because I was running for the second day in a row (and the earlier runs were not as comfortable as I would have liked). I have become remarkably good at just blasting through half an hour treadmill runs without constantly staring at the elapsed time (which inevitably makes the workout go by much slower) -- just give me my ESPN and my headphones and I am set.

I have not been eating all that well the last couple of weeks, so I was not surprised to see I am back up to 183ish lbs. Not the end of the world, but my battle against sugar is clearly still ongoing. Nevertheless, I feel great about the fact I am already running in the low 7:xx/mile range and it is not even January yet! It will be kind of tough getting quality workouts in over the next couple of weeks with the holidays, but to I am just thrilled to have this type of base at this time of the year...

Thanksgiving Weekend Treat

O.K., as I mentioned two posts ago, I was not expecting to get any workouts in over Thanksgiving weekend, as my in-laws were in town. It turns out I was mistaken -- my brother in-law is kind of a serious runner, and wanted to get a couple of runs in around Hoboken. Needless to say, I was psyched! We did a little more than four mile run on Friday, followed by a pretty hard five miler on Saturday. The weather was brisk but bearable both days, which was nice. The Saturday run was at sub-7:30/mile pace, which is really fast for me with less than one months of training under my belt. I definitely had to slow down the last mile so that my brother in-law could keep up with me, which was a good feeling considering the pace of the first four miles. Combined with the two four mile treadmill runs that I did earlier in the week, I ran 17 miles last week, which is definitely a November record for me (excluding last year, in which I ran the NYC Marathon the first Sunday of November).

Given the strong weekend runs, I decided to skip my scheduled week of running at 7:36/mile pace and go directly to 7:30. My run today felt O.K., but not as easy as my previous ones, which makes me think I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I'll see how my other runs go this week and then decide what to do next week. Oh, and I'm down to 182 lbs. I also decided to forgo my usual lunchtime cookie for a bag of Sun Chips, which should help. I just need to stay away from that sugar...

Mobile Blogging

So I am actually typing this from my mobile phone, which is kind of convenient but also kind of pathetic. I am on a bus to the ferry, and traffic is really bad right now, so I figured why not. I had a great workout today at the gym -- back, biceps, and abs, and then another half hour on the treadmill. The run felt great -- it seemed like it went by so quickly, which is always a good sign for dreadmill runs. Completely off topic, but the woman next to me has been on her cell phone talking loudly for the last 40 minutes. God do I hate stuff like this -- do these people have any self awareness whatsoever? Sometimes I seriously wish that cell phones were never invented...

Happy Thanksgiving!

So tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and with the in-laws coming into town I am not going to be able to work out at all for the next few days. I know that I am getting more serious about my training, though, because I am still getting in four workouts this week (running on Monday, weights yesterday, and both today before I begin focusing on Thanksgiving dinner preparation). Monday I did a half an hour on the treadmill at 7:41/mile pace, which felt pretty relaxed. Yesterday I hit the weights, and on the way out had my body fat measured. I came in at 12%, which I am O.K. with given its late November. I would love to get that down below 10% by next summer -- we will see how that goes (got to cut down on the sweets!). I am still loving the fact I got an early jump on my training for next season...

Treadmill Malfunction

Today I ran for a half an hour at the gym at 7:47 per mile pace. It was fairly uneventful, aside from the fact that the first treadmill I was running on completely shut down about 21 minutes in (it was a bit herky-jerky prior to stopping, so it was not a complete surprise). I quickly switched to another treadmill and maybe stopped running for 20-30 seconds, so it was no big deal. Last week I managed to get my two runs in and lift weights -- I wanted to get another workout in over the weekend, but it did not happen. I was feeling a tad bit guilty until I remembered that I started training two months earlier than normal for this upcoming season -- that was enough to make me relax a bit...

Picking Up The Pace (A Little)

Yesterday I did a half hour on the treadmill at 7.6 MPH, or 7:54/mile pace. I really did not notice any difference from last week when I did my runs at 8:00/mile pace, which is good. I always start my run training by adding 0.1 MPH a week until I get down to low 7:00/mile pace (in really good years, sub-7:00), which I have found is a nice way to get my legs used to running again. I spent entirely too much time on http://www.slowtwitch.com/ today and found a lengthy forum thread about a guy who did the swim portion of Ironman Florida with fins -- needless to say, it was entertaining stuff. Oh, and I just got a bunch of new running tops -- four from UnderArmour and one from Nike. And no, I didn't get the cheesy supertight UnderArmour ones that you see people wearing at the gym. Here is a picture of one of the new tops -- WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE (not sure how that is applicable to triathlons, but why not)...

2009 Training Starts Early

O.K., so I decided for the first time to start training for the 2009 triathlon season before the New Year. There are a few reasons driving this decision:

1. For the first time in a long time my season was done before Labor Day, so I have already had two months to rest and recuperate.
2. I am really not happy with my weight right now (185ish lbs., which is not terrible for this time of year, but I want to race next year at 170-175), and I simply burn more calories when I am training.
3. I want to try something different this year in my training plan -- I am going to concentrate on running for two months, biking for two months, and then swimming for a month before settling into a more conventional triathlon training schedule. Thus, starting early will give me plenty of time to build my base this way before jumping into a training routine that incoporates all three disciplines.

Yesterday I ran for 30 minutes at 8:00/mile pace (my first run since my last triathlon), and today I just did the elliptical machine for 30. I'm going to try and do a better job of keeping the blog updated this year, but I'm not promising anything...

2008 Accenture Chicago Race Report

On August 24th I competed in the Accenture Chicago Triathlon for the fifth time. I opted for the sprint distance primarily because of my limited training hours this year (plus you do not have to wait around as long for your start – which is important in a race with 8,600+ competitors). This race was unique for me because it was the first time I have ever really traveled to do a triathlon, as well as the first time I used someone else’s bike. All in all, I had a good time and was pretty happy with my performance.

Coming into the race, I truly did not know what to expect. On the one hand I felt pretty good (but not great) about my fitness level and was very familiar with the course having done this race before and lived and trained in Chicago for years. On the other hand my swim training has been virtually non-existent this year, I was using a friend’s bike (albeit, a really nice one), and spent most of the race weekend running around and reconnecting with old friends. My alarm went off at 3:50 A.M. race morning and I took a quick shower, collected all of my gear, and rode to transition. At 5:30 A.M. I had my transition area set up, met up with a couple of friends who were doing their first triathlon (they both finished – congratulations!), and headed to the starting line.

The swim was fairly uneventful. I lined up behind the first row of swimmers, and aside from the usual melee in the initial hundred yards or so, I avoided major contact with other triathletes. The one change that I made to my swim was to dramatically cut down on the amount of sighting that I usually do. My stroke is already marginal at best to begin with, and I have come to realize that I slow myself down even more with excessive sighting. The swim course is a straight shot north in Lake Michigan, so sighting was even less of an issue than in most other races. I just focused on keeping my head down and taking nice relaxed strokes, which seemed to work as I exited the water in just under 16 minutes. Not great, but considering the fact that I only swam six times all year, I was happy with it.

After completing the quarter mile run to the transition area (by far my least favorite part of this race), I had a fairly quick transition and was on the bike. As I mentioned, I borrowed my friend Tony’s Kestrel triathlon bike (thanks again!) Although we are about the same height, I had to raise the seat 4-5” and pull the aerobars forward 2-3”, but all in all I felt like the bike fit me fairly well. I also did not have my normal Profile Design aero drink, but was pretty good about downing most of the bottle of Gatordade I brought with me. While there was a bit of blocking here and there, most of the people I saw on the bike course seemed to be riding relatively clean, and any miscues seemed to be the result of inexperience rather than blatant cheating.

Heading north on Lake Shore Drive there was a decent headwind, but nothing compared to the gale force winds I have encountered in some previous Chicago Triathlons. I focused on staying aero as much as possible, although I did downshift and get out of the saddle to attack the few short uphills. I was maintaining a steady pace in the 19-20 MPH range, and while my heart rate was very high (180+ BPMs), from a perceived exertion level perspective I felt fine. When I hit the turnaround I knew my pace would pick up considerably with the wind at my back, and was I ever right – I rode much of the way back to the transition area at 25+ MPH! During the last couple of miles I deliberately dialed my pace back a bit in order to save some gas for the run.

I performed my usual “leave the shoes clipped to the pedals” flying dismount as I approached the transition area. I placed my bike back on the rack, grabbed my running shoes (I left the racing flats and quick tie laces at home) and was off on the run. My legs definitely felt a bit heavy, which I attribute to not being as consistent with my brick (bike/run) workouts as in past years. I did get a huge boost from seeing my friends Chad, Kim, and Ray cheering me on, as well as plenty of other spectators along the run course. I laughed out loud when Chad yelled “Come on, Anthony – there are people in front of you wearing COTTON!” (inside joke — when it comes to running I am a total wicking material snob). I forgot to press the split button on my watch in order to track my mile times, but felt like I was running around 7:15-7:20 pace – slower than normal, but completely expected given my erratic training this year. I grabbed a bit of Gatorade at each water stop, which kept me more than adequately hydrated. As I neared the finish line a spectator told me to smile because the race was almost over. I turned towards her and pointed at my exaggerated grin just before I began my final sprint.

I crossed the finish line in 1:22:08 feeling pretty good about my performance, particularly given all of the other “life events” (e.g., having my better half move in, getting married, buying a new condo, moving, etc.) that happened this year. But most importantly, after not doing any triathlons in 2007 and having my first ever DNF in the only other race I attempted in 2008, I truly feel like a TRIATHLETE again! Well, I am done with racing this season – it is time to relax, hit the weights a bit more, and start planning how I can get better (aside from more swim training, obviously) in 2009! Thanks for reading!

Race Splits
Swim: 18:16 (includes quarter mile run to the transition area, top 23%)
T1: 1:49
Bike: 38:01 (21.6 MPH, top 4%)
T2: 1:33
Run: 22:28 (7:14 per mile, top 7%)
Overall: 1:22:08 (top 5% overall, top 8% in M35-39 age group)

Great Week!

O.K., the blog posts are slowing down -- there simply are not enough hours in the day. I will post when I have time, and otherwise everyone (assuming anyone actually reads this ever) will just have to deal with it! Monday was unseasonably warm (in the low 60s), and with the day off from work I decided to ride my bike outside. I did a 20 mile out-and-back, most of which was on JFK Boulevard north of Hoboken. I discovered that if I just stay on JFK it seems to go on forever -- or at least 10 miles or so. It is a tough route, though -- super hilly and a ton of stop lights. I can tell that it will be a great strength-building workout, though. I also lifted weights that day -- back and biceps.

The rest of the week I got in two treadmill runs at 7:24/mile pace (which felt surprisingly easy -- I am really starting to think my running is going to be strong this year), another weights workout (chest and tris) and a spin class today at lunch. Six workouts in six days -- definitely a nice week, especially coming off last week when I was sick. Oh, and my weight is down to 182.5 lbs -- not a ton of progress, but definitely heading in the right direction! One last thing -- I have been seeing a podiatrist (trust me, you don't want to know why) and he recommended I get orthotics (I am extremely flat-footed). I figure it can only help, so I ordered them. They should get here in three weeks. It will be interesting to see how they affect me (if at all). Below are my training totals for this past week:

• Two runs (1 hour)
• One bike ride (20 miles)
• One spin class (45 minutes)
• Two weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

Sick and Tired

Training got off to a great start this week, with 30 minutes on the elliptical machine in Chicago on Sunday, weights on Monday, and a treadmill run on Tuesday. I felt a bit under the weather during the run, but thought it wasn't anything a good night's sleep wouldn't take care of. Boy was I wrong! I woke up Wednesday morning with a terrible headache, a sore throat, and an uncontrollable cough. Needless to say, training was not an option. I took Thursday off as well before returning to the treadmill this afternoon for a 30 minutes run at 7:30/mile pace. I definitely do not feel 100% recovered, but I got through it. It kind of sucks to have a setback like this just when I was starting to get into a groove, but what can you do? I will see how I feel tomorrow and whether I have time to get another workout in, but I have a feeling just taking it easy the next couple of days is probably the smart move. At least my new running shoes finally arrived.

Spin Class Freak

Wednesday night I hit the weight room for back, biceps, and abs. It was a quick, efficient, pretty uneventful workout. Last night I was planning on going to my Masters swim class for the first time this year, but due to some unforeseen circumstances (well, not all that unforeseen -- I hate swimming), I decided to hit the treadmill instead. I did my third run of the week at 7:35/mile pace with a bit of a speed pick up at the end, and the entire run felt very smooth and easy.

Today at lunch I hit my gym for a spin class. I learned from last week's mistake and made sure to reserve a spot in advance (which still seems ridiculous to me -- I go there to spin, not for a five-course dinner). The class was pretty tough and I was sweating like crazy. The highlight (or lowlight, as it were) of the class was this one really strange woman. She was at least sixty and was wearing a long-sleeve top and leggings. At first she was clapping her hands during the class, which the instructor quickly put a quick stop to. What he could not stop was her swaying and rocking her head to the music and basically doing whatever she wanted rather than following his instructions (I think she was singing a bit as well). Gotta love NYC -- there is never a shortage of freaks! Below are my training totals for this week:

• 3 runs (1.5 hours, or 12 miles)
• 1 spin class (40 minutes)
• 2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

I'd Have To Say It Was A Good Day...

I had a really good day of training yesterday -- possibly the best one of the New Year. At lunch I headed over to the gym to lift weights -- chest, triceps, and legs. I used dumbells for flat and incline bench, and was pleasantly suprised to put up 80 lbs six times on the flat bench and 70 lbs six times on the incline bench. The rest of the workout was pretty uneventful, but I was happy to knock it out during work. The weather here was unseasonably warm yesterday (low 50s), so as soon as I got home from work I threw on a long-sleeve shirt (actually my NYC Marathon finisher's shirt, which I love), shorts, and gloves and headed out for a run. I did four miles at 7:27 pace. I used my Garmin Forerunner 205, and the interesting thing is that my mile splits heading north in Hoboken were much slower than they were heading south. I always suspected there was a bit of an uphill going north, but I didn't think it would make that much of a difference. I kicked it in the last mile and ran it in 7:08, which felt pretty good. BTW, loving the Forerunner -- I set it so that it automatically records every mile split, which is great for a ridiculously anal guy like me...

New Shoes -- Finally

I really need to get better at updating this blog on a regular basis! Anyway, the end of last week was pretty uneventful -- another treadmill run at 7:41/mile pace, weights, and 45 minutes of riding a stationary bicycle at the gym when I could not get into the spin class (you have to reserve a spot a day in advance, which I just think is complete crap). Below are my training totals for last week:

• 2 runs (1 hour)
• 1 bike (45 minutes)
• 2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

Last night I ran another half hour on the treadmill, increasing the speed to 7:36/mile pace with the last two minutes at 6:44 pace. The first few minutes felt a bit uncomfortable, which probably had to do with the fact I was messing around with the channels and volume on the treadmill TV, which prevented me from getting into a good running rhythm. I also had a faint pain in my lower left leg -- nothing terrible, but it definitely finally convinced me to finally get new running shoes. I ordered another pair of Saucony Omni 6's (pictured on the right) from Amazon.com. This will be my third or fourth pair of basically the same shoes -- I figure if it isn't broken, there is no need to fix it...

Just Another Treadmill Run

Last night I hit the treadmill for another half an hour run. I started off at 7:42/mile pace, and then increased the pace to 6:49 for the last couple of minutes. My stride felt very smooth and fluid -- I definitely feel like I am getting my running form back, slowly but surely. On a related note, I desperately need to pick up a new pair of running shoes. I love my Sauconys and they are still in reasonably good shape aesthetically, but I have put so many miles on them it's not even funny (including training and doing two marathons -- ridiculous, I know). I am hitting the weights again tonight, and then either running or spinning tomorrow.

Old Race Reports

I thought just to give you a bit more background I would add some of my old race reports to this blog. I decided to just include races from my "breakthrough" 2006 season, in which I set PRs at the half Ironman and marathon distance, just missed my Olympic PR and got my first top-ten overall finish. Enjoy -- or not!

2006 Spirit of Racine Half Ironman
There is an old saying that goes "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." That pretty much sums up my experience at the Spirit of Racine Half Ironman on July 23rd. To say that I "failed" when I did this same race last year (which was my first half Ironman) is probably a bit harsh. I finished the race on a BRUTAL day (with the heat index, it was over 110 degrees), but I missed my goal time by a sizeable margin, mainly due to an awful run.

This year I kicked my training up a couple of notches – for example, I did a long ride and a brick every week, as opposed to every other week last year. I also had a couple of very high mileage cycling weeks (well, at least high mileage for me), as I reasoned that not only would I spend over half of my time during the race on the bike, but I needed to be able to finish 56 miles comfortably, without feeling completely spent. Last but certainly not least, I invested in a professional bike fitting, a used aero front wheel and a rear wheelcover.

O.K., on to the race. The start of the swim was a bit tough – tons of contact, although nothing too terrible. We started swimming away from the beach towards a buoy, followed by a right hand turn. Unfortunately the sun was right in our faces, which made it nearly impossible to see the buoy. I finally got to the buoy and made a right hand turn to swim parallel to the shore line. This was when things took a turn for the worse – I ended up WAY off course! I am a bilateral breather, and after a few minutes noticed that every time I breathed on my left side, I saw no one. Whenever I breathed on my right side, I saw plenty of swimmers – who were at least 50 yards closer to the shore than I was. Damn!

I then started swimming diagonally towards the other swimmers and the line of buoys and sighting much more often, which threw off my already marginal stroke mechanics. Oh, and the water was also incredibly choppy. When I got out of the water, I was not terribly surprised to see that my time was 3:24 slower than last year, when sighting was not an issue. While disappointed, I knew that losing three minutes and change was not going to make much of a difference in a five plus hour day.

After a quick transition (34 seconds faster than last year) I was on the bike. During the first ten miles or so, I passed a ton of riders. While my heart rate was a bit higher than I had planned, I felt fine from a perceived exertion level perspective. I just concentrated on staying in the aero position as much as possible, taking in calories (mainly Gatorade), and riding my own race. After 30 miles or so my butt really started to get sore, which is rare for me. I was also getting passed more often than I was passing other riders.

By 40 miles or so, I decided to get out of the saddle on most hills, just to give my backside a rest. I was still riding at a decent pace (20+ MPH) and keeping my heart rate at a manageable level, but the ride was definitely getting pretty old. In addition, I was having major problems with my aero drink – I use the Profile Design aero drink system and mounting bracket, and did not do a good job of securing the bottle on the bracket. Thus, I constantly had to push my bottle back towards my stem to keep it from falling off my bike. I saw my personal cheering section (my girlfriend and my buddy who takes all the photos) less than a mile from transition, which gave me an nice boost. Finally I made it back to the transition area, having cut 16:23 from my last year bike time.

After another decent transition (just five seconds slower than last year), I was on the run course. My legs actually felt pretty good, and I just concentrated on keeping a nice, steady pace. About a mile or so into the run, I caught up with Lance, a guy that I know from a group organized by my local running store. I asked him if he minded some company on the run, and he said no problem. Lance is a Boston Marathon qualifier, so I knew that we would sustain a decent pace.

Aside from an early bathroom break that I took, Lance and I ran together the entire time, which was great. I hit every single aid station, drinking a bit of water or infinIT, as well as literally pouring cups of ice down my tri jersey to keep cool. Nine miles or so into the run, I was definitely starting to hurt, but having someone running with me definitely helped. I looked at my watch for the first time since the second transition, and realized that sub-5:20 was a definite possibility. At mile 11 I was at 4:58, and knew sub-5:20 was going to happen. Right before the finish line, I looked down at my watch and saw 5:15 – and let out a yell like I had just won the entire race! My run time was 25:21 faster than last year, when I melted in the Wisconsin heat.

Afterwards I was tired, but not nearly as wiped out as I was last year. I was actually able to see most of my friends finish (including a friend doing her first half Ironman), which was nice. While it felt great to take 39 minutes off of my time from last year, it also made me realize that I am a short course guy – I will take suffering for less than two and a half hours over slogging through five plus hours any day of the week! Thanks for reading!

Race Splits
Swim: 41:13 (2:09/100 meters)
T1: 1:36
Bike: 2:44:31 (20.4 MPH)
T2: 1:08
Run: 1:46:45 (8:09 per mile)
Overall: 5:15:12

2006 Accenture Triathlon
Like the Rolling Stones famously sang, you can't always get what you want. That song lyric sums up my performance in my last triathlon of 2006, the Olympic distance race at the Accenture Chicago Triathlon on August 27th. Going into Accenture, my goal was to break 2:25. I had done a 2:29 and change at this same race last year, and given my earlier performances this year (first top 10 overall in a small sprint race, 5:15 at Racine Half Ironman), increased training volume, professional bike fitting and improved technology (new aerobars and race wheels), I thought it was a realistic goal.

On race morning I was excited, but not particularly nervous, as this was my fourth straight year doing this race. The swim start was the typical Accenture scrum for the first few hundred meters. This may sound perverse, but I have actually started to enjoy mass swim starts – they are kind of like underwater slam dancing. Once we passed the turnaround buoy, things spread out considerably. I focused on keeping a nice, easy stroke and sighting periodically, given the sighting problems I have had in my earlier races this year. As was the case last year, pretty early into the swim I was passing people from earlier waves, including a fair number of side, breast and backstrokers.

When I checked my watch at the end of the swim, I was shocked – my time was actually two minutes SLOWER than last year. My swimming has definitely taken a step back this year, due to a variety of reasons (i.e., did not take private lessons like last year, less swim volume, torn cartilage in my right shoulder), and I was definitely disappointed. But obviously the show must go on, so I started the long trek to the transition area. After a decent transition, I was on my bike.

I was hoping to make up a fair amount of time from my slower swim split on the bike, but once I got on Lake Shore Drive, I knew that was going to be a challenge. Last year I averaged 21.7 MPH on this same course in literally ideal conditions, and with 15-20 MPH headwinds as I headed north, I knew that I would have a tough time exceeding that effort. I just concentrated on staying aero as much as possible, and passing people without blocking faster riders (given the 3,700+ racers in the race, I was literally passing racers the entire way). My speed was generally around 19-21 MPH heading north, and on the way south I was around 23-25 MPH. I ended up actually beating my bike split from last year by 51 seconds, which I was happy with given the tougher conditions. My only concern was that I had pushed too hard on the bike, and would not have enough left to have a good run.

As I went to rack my bike and change into my running shoes in the transition area, I looked to my right to see fellow Slowtwitcher Jostein, who I had run into before the race. I asked him if he minded some company during the run, but he took off like a bat out of hell out of transition, so I ended up running solo. My legs actually felt pretty fresh coming off the bike – the weekly bricks this season really paid off! I completed the first mile in just under seven minutes, which I was happy with. At that moment, I decided that I was not going to look at my watch at all during the rest of the race. I realized with some degree of sadness that this triathlon season was coming to an end, and I was just going to enjoy the rest of the race, without worrying about mile splits, heart rates, or whether I would beat my time from last year (which I knew was pretty much out of the question anyway).

The rest of the run I just focused on keeping a nice, smooth, efficient stride. Somewhere between miles five and six I started to tire, but was still able to keep up a decent pace. Right before the six mile mark I reminded myself to leave it all on the course, and picked up my pace. As I crossed the finish line, I saw that I had missed my overall time from last year by one minute and one second, even with faster bike and run splits.

While I am a bit disappointed, the path for next year is as clear as day – I need to become a better swimmer. It is as simple as that. I can make all the excuses I want (i.e., I have no formal swimming background, it is a pain to get up early for masters classes, it is the shortest part of the race, I like running and biking so much more, etc.) but that's all they are – excuses. These races are called TRIATHLONS, not duathlons, and unless I can improve my swimming, I will never reach my full potential – whatever that may be. Anyway, there's no rest for the weary – I now need to start concentrating on my training for the Chicago Marathon in late October! Thanks for reading!

Race Splits
Swim: 34:08 (includes quarter mile plus run to the transition area)
T1: 2:13
Bike: 1:09:04 (22.0 MPH)
T2: 1:25
Run: 43:24 (7:00 per mile)
Overall: 2:30:17 (top 6% overall, top 8% in 35-39 age group)

2006 Chicago Marathon
There is an old saying that pain is temporary, victory is forever. I can not say that I won anything at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 22nd, but I can say with absolute certainty that I was in plenty of pain afterwards!

Going into race day, I felt pretty confident. My training had gone well, and with the exception of a bad ankle sprain three weeks before race day, I was relatively injury-free. My only major concern was the weather. It was forecasted to be about 38 degrees at the start of the race, with highs for the day in the mid 40s. I dressed appropriately, with a long sleeve running top, tights, gloves and a light jacket that I later handed off to a friend early in the race.

The first few miles of the race went pretty well. Unlike two years ago, I did not have to do much bobbing and weaving to get around other runners. I kept my pace nice and easy, hitting the first mile in just under eight minutes before settling into 7:15-7:30 per mile pace. I was determined to not be a "first half marathon hero, second half zero" by blowing myself up early in the race. I also concentrated on taking in some Gatorade at every aid station to prevent the leg cramps that hit me in the last few miles of my 2004 marathon.

As mile after mile ticked off, I took a physical and mental inventory. My legs felt pretty fresh and I was not breathing particularly hard. I was running within myself and staying completely focused on the race. I made a conscious decision not to draw off of the energy of the crowds, as I knew that later in the race they would be much sparser. I was happy, however, to get cheered on by familiar faces along the course, including Brian and his wife, triathlon training partners Liza and Kim, my girlfriend's mother and my "personal photographer" Chad. I also ran into Jostein, a fellow triathlete who had smoked me in a couple of races earlier in the year, who was also doing the race.

I hit the half marathon mark in 1:37:18, which was a bit slower than what I had planned, but given how good I felt, I was not terribly concerned. I churned out a few more miles in the 7:25-7:40 range before slowing down to around 7:45 per mile pace for miles 17-20 and 8:00 per mile for miles 21-23. I was definitely starting to tire, and it felt like the mile markers were getting further and further apart. As I had warned him beforehand, I pulled my Chicago Area Runner's Association (CARA) pace group leader Flip out of the crowd to run the final three miles with me, which definitely helped.

Right after hitting mile 24, things started to get really tough. I had not hit the dreaded "wall" exactly, but I just did not have much left in the tank. My legs felt like they were on fire, and the every block felt like a 10K race. I walked through two aid stations and took a couple of short walk breaks along the way. I struggled up the only major hill on the course before turning onto the home stretch and crossing the finish line in 3:22:14. Afterwards I hobbled to the massage tent where I spent about a half an hour getting treated and warming up before meeting up with Chad and Kim, my girlfriend (who completed her first marathon that day) and her family.

In the final analysis, I beat my time from 2004 (my only other marathon) by three minutes and 38 seconds, but did come up a bit short of my goal of 3:15-3:20. Did the cold weather and winds affect me? Maybe. But at the end of the day, I honestly felt like I did the best that I could given my training and the conditions. I would like to thank my CARA training partners, my pace group leader Flip, and all my friends and family who have given me so much support and encouragement throughout my 2006 racing season. Thanks for reading!

Getting Big

Sorry I have been negligent with the blog posts lately -- busy, busy, busy. I had a solid week of training last week, adding another run, an intense spin class, another weightlifting session, and a 30 minute session on the elliptical machine on Friday for a total of six workouts in the week. Below are my training totals from last week:

• 2 runs (1 hour)
• 1 spin class (40 minutes)
• 1 cardio session (30 minutes)
• 2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

I took the weekend off and then hit the weights yesterday, doing chest and triceps. I am continuing to regain strength in my chest -- last night Ibenched 205 lbs six times again, and put up 225 three times. That is just one less repetition at 225 than I used to do at my weightlifting peak two years ago. I think it has something to do with my gym, which has a ridiculous number of huge guys. I have literally gone from being one of the strongest people at my old gym in Chicago to being one of the weaker ones at this gym. Last night at one point there were three different guys doing 225 or more on the bench press -- at the same time. And Congress seems to think steroids and HGH are only a professional sports problem...

MLK Day

I had the day off from work because of Martin Luther King Day, so I took advantage of it and got a double workout in. First I lifted weights -- chest, triceps, and legs. I did heavy weights for chest, and put up 205 lbs. six times for the first time in over two years. Needless to say I was stoked. I then ran on the treadmill -- 30 minutes at 7:47/mile pace. Once again, it felt very comfortable, like I was hardly working at all. I increased the pace to 6:53/mile for the last couple of minutes, which also felt fine. I am started to get excited about my running again -- I now think I can get back to sub-7:00/mile pace for triathlons, which doesn't suck. I also decided that I am going to up the triathlon workouts to four times a week starting in February -- if I can do two workouts a day at least once a week, that should not be too much of a problem.

Getting Back The Eye Of The Tiger

This has been a very good week of training. I am definitely starting to feel my body coming around, and more importantly, I am starting to mentally get back into triathlon training. This week I ran twice on the treadmill at 7:53/mile pace, with the last couple of minutes at 6:59/mile pace. The 7:53/mile part of the run felt incredibly comfortable and easy, so I am going to start adding 0.1 miles/hour to the pace each week (I started the first two weeks at 8:00/mile pace, and was considering increasing the pace it every two weeks for a while). I had two good weightlifting sessions at the gym, and made it through a tough (albeit, short) spinning class during lunch time today with no problems (nor sportsdrink -- I have to remember next time to get some before I head into class). I weighed myself today, and I am down to 184 lbs. -- my reduced sugar diet seems like to be paying off. Oh, and I signed up for the masters swim program at Stevens Institute, so I finally get back into the water very soon. Below are my training stats for this week:

• 2 runs (1 hour)
• 1 spinning class (40 minutes)
• 2 weighlifting sessions (2 hours)

Back On The Bike

Last night I was planning on riding my bike on the trainer for the first time since early last year. Unfortunately I could not find the special skewer for my back wheel, so I ended up having to bag that idea and lift weights instead, doing back, biceps, and some abs. I left work a bit early today and walked down to Sid's Bikes in Manhattan before heading back to Hoboken. I was fully prepared to pay for a new skewer, but they gave me a used one for free, which was nice of them! I guess putting a link to their store is my way of paying them back (assuming, of course, anyway is actually reading this). I got home and did a pretty intense hour on the trainer. I was sweating a ton and burned over 900 calories. It also felt nice to be back on my actual bike. Oh, and I weighed myself after the workout -- I am down to 185 pounds, so it looks like the diet is working so far! Anyway, below are my training totals for the week:

• 2 runs (1 hour)
• 1 trainer session (1 hour)
• 2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)
  

Working Out At CES

Early this week I had to travel to Las Vegas to attend the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. I brought my workout clothes with me, so I was able to get a couple of workouts in. On Monday I lifted weights -- chest, triceps, and some legs. On Tuesday I ran for a half an hour on the treadmill. Most of the run was at 8:00/mile pace, but I did increase the pace to 7:03/mile for the last couple of minutes. I think I am going to start doing that every treadmill run -- I need to get my body used to running fast again. I took the redeye back to New York Tuesday night and went straight into the office, so by the time I got home I was exhausted and took the night off.

A Good First Week of Training, and a New Toy

On Thursday I lifted weights -- heavy chest and triceps. I will probably start to back off the heavy weights soon -- with my bad right shoulder, I do not think swimming and heavy weightlifting is such a great idea. Friday I did another half an hour run on the treadmill at 8:00 pace, which was pretty uneventful. Saturday morning I hit the weights again for back and biceps, followed by my first spinning class in almost two years at my gym. I forgot how much I enjoy spinning -- it is such an intense workout! I was surprised by how high my heart rate got during the class -- definitely a sign I am not in good shape. All in all, I was really pleased with my first week of training. Below are my training totals for last week:

• 2 runs (1 hour)
• 1 spinning class (45 minutes)
• 2 weightlifting sessions (2 hours)

This morning I ran outside, which I rarely do during the winter (I am a self-admitted wimp when it comes to cold weather). The main reason I decided to venture outdoors was to test out my new toy, the Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS watch. It is really cool -- I love the fact it can tell me exactly how far I have gone, which will be especially helpful when I am running in areas I am not familiar with. After a slow first mile, I gradually picked up the pace and ended up running four miles in 7:43 pace, which I am extremely happy with, given it is only my third run this year.

Happy New Year!

Confucious once said "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." And with that, I begin my 2008 triathlon training and accompanying blog. I'm going to tell you a bit about me now -- much more will be revealed as I update this blog. My name is Anthony, I am 36 years old, I live in Hoboken, New Jersey, and I work in the financial services industry in New York City. Oh, and I am a triathlete. Not a professional one (or anything close to it), but I'm also way past the point of just finishing races. I did my first triathlon in New York City in the summer of 2002, and have done about a dozen since of various distances. The longest one I have ever done is a half Ironman (twice), and before you even ask, I do not have any interest in doing a full Ironman.

I decided to keep this blog as a way to keep track of my training, and also to have some of my old training partners keep up with me. And if you stumble upon it and find it instructive/funny/entertaining/oddly compelling, that's fine too. What makes this year interesting from my perspective is a few things:

1. Due to two moves and a new job, I took 2007 off from doing triathlons, which I had never done before. I did run the New York City Marathon in early November, but rarely rode this year and have not been in a pool since my last triathlon in August 2006.
2. My job is fairly challenging and demanding (including a ton of travel), so finding training time is difficult. And forget the whole "train before work" thing -- I am up at 5:00ish and at my desk by 6:30, so unless I get up at 3:30 every morning, it ain't gonna happen.
3. I'm getting married in late June, which will throw another kink into the training.
4. As I alluded to before, just finishing races will not make me happy. Not that I have to win races (my best overall finish was 8th in a fairly small race in 2006), but I want to be competitive.

Anyway, that's more than enough about me for now -- onto my first training session. I ran a half an hour on the treadmill today. I just kept the pace at 8:00/mile, and it felt pretty easy. I did notice that my heart rate, which is always pretty high when I run, was even more elevated -- I averaged 178 bpm. I attribute it to my current weight (187 lbs -- I need to race at 170-175), and the fact I haven't run in two months. I did my normal five minute walk cool down, and stretched afterwards. All in all, not a bad start.