Friday Bike Porn

It has been a long time since anyone has posted any bike porn. So in anticipation of the Spirit of Morgantown I took this movie of Aimee's Cervelo. We got this bike for her in preparation for the Half IM in West Virginia. She has already said how she feels her cycling has improved and she is ready to have a good bike segment on Sunday.

Enjoy and there will be a race report next week.

Watch This!

How much do you want to reveal?

When I train I have a very active mind. I lose myself in the run or ride and let my mind process the many thoughts I have stashed away. I try to push to the back things like work and think about my life and how it sometimes relates to triathlon.

Now I don't lose myself to much that I don't keep the purpose of my workout on track. Performing the workout in key to my training success.

Over the past two and a half years of this blog I have read other blogs and forum posts about how a person reveals themselves with triathlon. First is how a person handles the emotional roller coaster during a race and NOT revealing themself to the "race". Second is how a person may or may not reveal their true identify as a triathlete, especially an Ironman.

I have my own personal feelings about both topics but today I am writing about the first topic.

Revealing Yourself to the Race

With triathlon there are so many emotions that go into training and racing this sport. We may feel guilty that our training takes up so much time away from our lives. We may miss moments with family and friends that we will never get back. Parents with young children especially have it hard since the early years are the most magical in that young persons life.

As we train and race we also learn to deal with the psychological impact of training hard and pushing through barriers that we never thought to reach much less break through. All of this weighs heavily upon our shoulders, especially as the race distances increase resulting in longer training periods.

A triathlon often takes on a personae of it's own. We learn how to deal with adverse weather conditions, mechanical issues, competitors, fears and anxiety. Because the "race" has a personality we must be mindful of what we reveal to the "race" so that it does not know how we are feeling.

We want to enjoy the race but perhaps we shouldn't enjoy it too much. What if the "race" doesn't want us to be happy and suddenly increases the heat or causes a cramp in our side. We also don't want to show how poorly we are feeling. At the first sign of weakness the "race" may take advantage of the opportunity and inflict even more suffering upon our weakened bodies. And worst of all, revealing to the "race" that, "yeah I've got this in the bag, it's all downhill to the finish from here." Oh the "race" won't like that and the last mile(s) can soon turn into a walking and stumbling death march.

I am speaking to this "revealing" from experience at three different races.

The first Half IM I did was the Great Buckeye Challenge. Aimee and I were working with Coach Angela. This would be our first long course triathlon. This was entering new territory. But this was all about finishing. Time didn't matter. Just finish the race. And I did. Thinking back to the finish though I realize how I cheated myself of the accomplishment.

I was a bad ass long distance triathlete now. I was surrounded by friends who came down to watch Aimee and I race. Coach was there with her husband as well. I crossed the finish line as if I had been there before. I got some water and bent over on the ground to collect myself.

The emotions of what I had just accomplished were right at the top of my throat, but I didn't let them out. The event medics even came over to check on me because I knealed there on the ground trying to contain the emotions for such a long time they thought I was having problems.

I can't believe I robbed myself of that moment. Two years later, 2006, would be Ironman USA. I started this blog to capture my IM journey. IronWil was my inspiration for writing. I found the Kahuna/williamlobdell and Bolder/write2fight. We were all on similar IM journeys that would lift and inspire us in different ways. For IM USA I participated in the Janus Charity Challenge raising funds for Komen.

Talk about emotional baggage. Family, work, training....the trifecta. Raising money for charity.

I was reading books and forums about race strategy. Keeping yourself cool. It's a long day, don't waste your energy on emotion. Don't reveal yourself to the race....not until it's over and you are across that finish line. I was holding well at Lake Placid. That is until the second loop of the run. I passed the Inspiration Zone heading back to he finish. The announcer said my name and said I would finish. I almost lost it right there, but quickly brought myself back together because damn-it, I still had at least 6 miles to go. I wasn't across that finish line yet.

Get yourself together....you're not done yet.....keep running. There will be time to celebrate later. And I soldiered on. Before I knew it I was on the Oval heading towards the finish line where I would hear Mike Riley say, "You are an Ironman."

Over the finish line into the waiting arms of two wonderful female catchers. I caught myself again not really knowing how to react. I had raised my arms up in triumph for the finishing photo, but now what. Somehow Andrew (son), Amanda (daughter) and Becky (sis-in-law) had snuck their way towards the finish line.

I went to them....hugged them all.........and cried. It was finally over and I had my release.

In 2007 I backed down the training and prepared for an early season Half IM at Racing for Recovery. This would be a flat and fast 70.3 miles. No hills. No IM preparation. All out, balls to the walls, leave it on the course racing. Training went perfect for this early June race. The Lake Erie water was even warm enough to go without a wetsuit.

I was severely focused on this race. Mentally ready to suffer and see how fast I could go for the distance. Having completed IM USA the year prior helped take any pressure off from being able to finish. This one was about being fast, not blowing up and crossing the finish line with a PR.

I was very much within myself during the entire race. I barely acknowledged Aimee or Coach Angela. Maybe a slight wave when I went by. Emotions were in check....all energy was being poured into the effort.

As I ran down the finishing chute I knew I had a good day. My watch validated that I had beat my previous Half IM times by 30 minutes. I was also 5 minutes faster than my prediction.

I didn't hold anything back this time either. I stood at the finish line and screamed out loud for everyone to hear. You would have thought I had just won it over-all and had money waiting for me. No.....I just had a different, joyous release for this race.

I don't know what type of finish's I will have this year. Spirit of Morgantown, a 70.3 distance race, is this weekend. I'm going all out for that one. Then Ironman Wisconsin in September. Laying it on the line there also.

No matter the outcome of these races I will learn something about myself and others. But the one thing that I have learned and want to pass on to others is to embrace, enjoy and celebrate the accomplishment of crossing that finish line, no matter what distance the race.

You will be doing yourself and those around you a disservice by not letting the world know how you feel. Because bottling it up will serve you no purpose, but letting it out may show someone else how much fun you have training and racing. You may even inspire someone to give it a "tri" themselves and experience the thrill of crossing the finish line.

Game On

How to ride a bike and take video

Vegas Vacation

Aimee and I went to Las Vegas this past weekend to help our friends celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. We lost no money on gambling...you have to play to lose. We didn't see any shows....wished we had. We did eat well and got in some light training. I'm posting some of my favorite pics from the weekend.

Aimee, Dave and Wendy (the happy couple) the first day in Vegas.

Pictures from the Bellagio

Eiffel Tower on the Strip

Our bike ride through, you guessed it, Red Rock Canyon.

More flowers in the lobby of the Mirage Hotel

Walking along the Lake Mead Railroad Trail.

Hanging out at the poolside cabana's as the happy couple kiss

Dave's dad finishing off a bottle of Grey Goose

Family and Friends Friday - Dan Van

Dan works with my wife, Aimee. A couple of years ago Dan wanted to get a little more serious about his running. Knowing that Aimee was a marathon finisher he started asking her questions, followed a training plan and signed up for the 2007 Marine Corp Marathon. He trained, he ran, he finished. In fact he finished his first marathon in 3:58:55. A wonderful way to start his marathoning career.

Not long after the marathon Dan didn't quite feel right. He knew something was off. Unlike some men who just shrug off the occasional weird feeling, Dan visited his doctor. Dan's doctor ordered a colon scope. Dan had early colon cancer.

Again I was saying to myself, "Why Dan". He takes care of himself, is one of the nicest guys I know, sometimes house sits for us because the dogs absolutely love him.

Then I thought good for Dan. How is this good for Dan? It's good because it could have been alot worse. Because Dan was running and taking care of himself he recognized the ever so slight difference between feeling good and being slightly off. Being that in tune with your body is what possibly saved his life.

Someone else might have let it go and they would now be facing certain death. But Dan only lost 12 inches of his colon and is training for his second marathon.

Because of Dan my perception of the company he and Aimee works for, ADA Architects, is solidified. I always knew it was filled with good people to work with/for. Dan was worried about his recovery and the extended time off from his duties. Instead the company owners put together a fair and generous package so that Dan would only have to worry about getting better.

Not only did Dan recovery from his surgery but was back at work in half the time the doctor said it would take. Dan was physically fit heading into surgery and his level of fitness allowed him to recover that much quicker.

So like I said Dan is training for a second marathon. I've included the text of an e-mail he sent out to friends.

Game On Dan.....GAME ON.

Spring is finally here, I for one, am happy to see winter go this year because for obvious reasons, it sucked! However, I consider myself lucky that I have gotten thru the cancer for the most part unscathed and feeling 150%. My experience gave me a small glance of how this disease can impact others. I believe there are many in the office that can attest to the impact that cancer has had on family members and friends and themselves. It is because of this that I have decided to dedicate this running season to raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research. I have entered a marathon in Maine on October 19th, 2008 and hope to meet my donation goal by this time. So, I come to uncomfortable territory here, in asking you to donate some of your hard earned money to the foundation. Please follow the link below to my donation page and give what you can. Also, please forward the link to anyone else whom you think would like to make a donation and make sure you use the donation box in the middle of the page so it credits my donation goal.


Thanks in advanced and thank you again for all your kind words and support during this time,

Sincerely,
Dan Van

http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2008/danvanluvender

Message to triathletes......

You can also view the inspiration for this sign at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unkIVvjZc9Y

Bolder Boulder Race Report

Work and training has kept me very busy so I haven't had time to blog, especially posting my race report from the Bolder Boulder 10k. So without further delay here is the race report.

30th Bolder Boulder 10k

I am going to keep this to a race report instead of a complete recap of the entire weekend trip to Denver and Boulder. The only preface I want to provide is that Friday through Sunday were beautiful days despite the cooler than normal temperatures.

We ate at a very nice Italian restaurant with Bolder in Boulder as our pre-race meal. It was just what we wanted for the night before the big event. When we returned to the HABC we settled in for the night with good conversation and plenty of laughs. I hadn’t been sleeping that well all weekend but I was still feeling rested. Part way through the night I woke up to use the bathroom and I heard rain falling outside. The rain was constant until the early morning when we woke up around 5:00AM.

Breakfast consisted of half a bagel with peanut butter and Boost. I really didn’t need the Boost for a 10k but I drank it anyway since my stomach was used to this type of breakfast. The three of us left around 6:00AM for the race so we could find good parking for the short walk to the start. Walking to the starting area I was nervous but in a much different way than other races. My nerves were calmer and I didn’t have any butterflies. Being an “A” race I thought I would be much more nervous to run. Was it the atmosphere for the race? Was it being with Aimee and Bolder that kept me calm?

The start of the Bolder Boulder is done in waves……a lot of waves…..87 waves to be exact. There were people holding poles with the start waves similar to the pace groups of a marathon. I was in wave AB which is the third wave to go. Looking up the street it was impressive to see all the people. The race was expecting over 50,000 people for the day. I left Aimee and Bolder at the bag check while I waded through the masses to my start area. The first 23 waves you have to qualify for by submitting a previous race result. The security for these waves was very well organized. They were checking race bibs to make sure you belonged with the group.

For each start a trumpeter played the “Call to Post” with 30 seconds to go. Then Davis Phinney would say a few words to the group before he shot the starter pistol. At 7:01:50 we were on our way.

I was back further from the starting line than I wanted to be. I had to weave around quite a few people before I found good open space to run in. Once I made my way towards the front I was able to get a better stride going. The first mile has a downward grade. It’s one of those that you don’t notice but it definitely increases your speed. During this mile my left quad tightened up on me ever so slightly. I don’t know if it was a mild pull or some type of strain but I used the first mile to take a quick inventory, see what the quad wanted me to do and decide my course of action. I’ve never had this muscle tighten up on me like this so I really didn’t know what caused the issue. After crossing the timing mat for the first mile I knew the muscle would get me through to the finish. This race was going to be a test of pain management.

Despite the profile of the race course, the uphills were not as bad as I thought. Sure there were some visible inclines but nothing that lasted too long or couldn’t be handled with extra helping of leg muscles. One aspect of the Bolder Boulder that helps you make it through the streets of Boulder is the on course entertainment. There were 30 bands, musicians, entertainers and front yards that provided distraction for the 50,000+ runners that would pass by during the day. I saw the Blues Brothers, Elvis, an 80’s garage band blasting their neighborhood, belly dancers (something I wish I hadn’t seen) and cheerleaders. I heard some bad karaoke and people saying “you’re almost there” with 4 miles to go.

Back to my race, I was running strong. The effort felt right as I was pushing hard for such a short distance race. I never looked at my watch but marked the splits when I passed each mile marker. Each mile that ticked by was the only indication of where I was. Not knowing the streets was a possible benefit that allowed me to just keep running. When I reached mile three I was half way done. I knew my pace was still good and it was something that I could keep until the finish.

At mile 4 was the first of two sharp uphills. I powered my way up the hill and through the aid station at the top. The volunteers at this aid station were not handing out the cups but were standing behind the tables filled with cups. I ran along the tables until I spotted the Gatorade I wanted and snagged it from the table. Since the volunteers were not handing out the cups they were able to cheer very loudly for us runners as we went by. Separated by only the table, their cheering surged through me and I felt the extra boost of energy as I crested the hill. I used the adrenaline rush to begin the downhill push towards the center of Boulder.

Bolder had told me that between miles 4 and 5 the street would have a slight downhill grade that would help with the pace. As I rounded the corner onto Pearl Street I tried to shoot the gap between two runners. They squeezed together just as I increased my speed. This was the only time I made contact with another runner. I backed off briefly until they separated again and made my move. I pushed down the street until we made several turns and crossed the 5 mile timing mats.

During mile 6 is where I started to really feel the fatigue but I was still in control of my race and kept a good pace as the course headed towards Folsom Stadium on the campus of Colorado University. Looming ahead was the second short uphill that dropped us into the stadium. What a cruel place to put an uphill so late in the race, but the benefit of finishing inside the stadium was worth it. I powered up the hill surrounded by runners from my wave and the wave before me and we all entered the stadium for the final lap to the finish line. I stopped my watch after crossing the finish line and tried to compose myself as quickly as possible. The finish line volunteers were trying to move people through the area quickly and I tried to oblige in between grabbing my knees for air. I finally was able to look at my watch and saw 40:13. I missed my goal of being sub 40 by approximately 13 seconds. I was immediately happy with my race. I ran hard and solid on a tough course. I left everything I had on the roads of Boulder except my breakfast. My actual chip time was 40:06, so I missed my goal by 7 seconds.

There are several people I have to thank for such a great run: Aimee for believing in me and reminding me to keep my arms down and loose, Jeff for telling me to stop scuffing my feet on the ground when my foot lands, especially when I’m tired, Coach Angela for getting me ready with some great workouts leading up to the race, Bolder for providing insight into the race course and accommodations while in Boulder. When everything is combined together it made for a great weekend in Colorado and a race to remember.

Bolder Boulder Results

Unofficial results from the Bolder Boulder.

Looks like Bolder in Boulder really knows his stuff and missed my finish time by two seconds.

You can check out my splits and race stats.

More information and race report to follow as well as prize distribution.

Thanks for playing.

overall place: 592
division: M41
division place: 10 out of 381
gender place: 546 out of 21620
mile 1: 0:06:02.21
mile 2: 0:06:31.56
mile 3: 0:06:40.20
mile 4: 0:06:35.69
mile 5: 0:06:19.85
mile 6: 0:06:35.35
net time: 0:40:06.05
pace: 6:28 (based on net time)

Bolder Boulder Finish Estimates

Here are the estimates for my 10k finish time. Where is yours?
Times must be submitted by Midnight EST.

JTTriGuy 42:34
Bolder 40:04
Mommymeepa 39:39
TriSaraTops 39:11
JenC 38:59
Mr. Buckeye Runner 38:49
IronEric 37:37

Time to be Bold

Aimee and I have arrived in Boulder and have made it to the HABC with Bolder. We made it down to the race expo, walked around, had a bite to eat then returned to the HABC.

While eating a light lunch I was asked about my best 10k time. I had to look it up from the Cleveland 10k in 2005. My time that year was 39:38. I'm looking to be sub 40 again tomorrow.

Can't wait to publish my finish time. Not matter how I do this weekend has been a lot of fun with friends.

Game On.

Denver Rocks

Being from Cleveland I am supposed to say that "Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Rocks" but this weekend I just can't deny the beauty of Denver. Marc and Gloria have been fantastic hosts as they have shown us some great sights around Denver, Golden, and Red Rock Park. I was feeling a little iffy the first day but some food and rest quickly brought me back to form this morning as we ran a quick 30 minutes and rode the bikes through the Cherry Creek bike path.

They suggested hiking one of the fourteeners and mountin biking Apache Canyon but we saved those attractions for another visit.

Tomorrow we are off to Boulder to begin final preparations for the Bolder Boulder 10k.

Thanks to those that have submitted guesses. Keep 'em comin and I will post the predictions. Unlike the Price is Right rules JenC mentioned the winner will be the one closest to my time, period.

Game On.

Am I Ready to Rumble?

My taper this week has been a good one. I swam on Tuesday and cut it short. I had 6 x 300 intervals alternating easy/hard by 100. After 4 I stopped because I was pushing too hard in order to maintain the hard efforts. Wednesday I ran and it was a good indicator of how the taper was going. I had a 15 minute warmup before five 20 second sprints. I ran two miles as warmup and I still wasn't in Zone 2. The sprints were great and I cooled down on the way home.

Today I rode my bike on the trainer for one hour. It's a little cold here and I didn't want to push the pace too hard if I went outside. Tomorrow we leave for Colorado. The weather is looking to be great for the weekend. Two more easy runs and a some cycling before the race and I will be ready to go.

So far only two people have posted estimates for the Bolder Boudler 10k. I have them posted above. I will add more estimates as they come in.

Next report will be from Colorado.

Game On.

Where did it go?

I'm talking about the weekend. It just flew by before I knew it and I didn't get a post up. So here is a recap of the weekend.

Saturday I had a 3 hour brick.....2.5 on the bike and 30 minutes on the run. The weather was a bit windy but otherwise clear. I kept the ride under control since I blasted myself the prior two weekends. Low to Middle Zone 2 (aerobic) on the bike as I struggled with the wind. The majority of the ride was around 18 - 19 MPH, but if I was even close to riding into the wind I saw speeds drop to 13-15. I just kept the HR steady and just wanted to get the time in on the bike. I needed to save some for Sunday. After 48 miles on the bike I did a quick 4 mile run. It's amazing how great I feel running off the bike lately. My muscles have truly retained the training and they fall into line when I run out of transition.

I ran 7:05's for the first two miles then backed it down to 7:30's on the way back. I needed to keep the heart rate down and not let it get out of zone.

The rest of the day was trying to cut the grass in between the rain and getting pictures of my daughter about to go to senior prom. She looked great with her boyfriend and they had alot of fun.

On Sunday I was a pacer for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. I helped with the second half of the 4 hour group. I had a lot of fun and it felt great helping people reach that sub 4:00 goal. It was very different running a 9 minute pace for 2 hours. My quads are a little sore. They feel like I just busted out a 17:30 5k. I even took a 1.5 hour nap after the marathon. The funny part is the my average HR for the run was 131. about 10 beats below the beginning of Zone 2. Yet my 1 minute recovery on the watch started at 159. The last 400 yards I was so jacked up, yelling at the crowd to cheer for the finishers that my HR must have gone up just because of that. Pacing is one aspect of volunteering that I absolutely love.

So today was a semi-rest day. We slept in and I got in a easy 1 hour spin in the evening. Legs felt good moving in circles instead of pounding pavement. The taper has started for the Bolder Boulder. Will try to stay healthy and get plenty of rest. I'll keep you posted as the rade gets near.

Game On.

Crap......

....it's been a week since I have posted and I really owe some training updates.

Last weekend I had a great ride. I rode the same route Jeff and I did but added some extra miles. I finished the brick with 72 miles on the bike with an average speed of 19.8 MPH. I really like going out and exploring roads on my bike that I pass by in the car. I had perfect nutrition as I tried Hammer Perpetuem for the first time. The calories and electrolyte blend really made a difference from the week prior when I used only gatorade without carbo-pro.

The run portion of last weekends brick was a 30 minute run. I was all fired up and completed by 4 mile route in 28:34. I couldn't believe that I could burn out a 7:08 / mile pace after my ride.

Undoubtedly it was my best brick so far this season.

Sunday's run last weekend was not as good. Between a full tiring day on Saturday and the wet weather on Sunday. We decided to run on the treadmill instead of risking getting sick outside. I only made it one hour of my planned two hour run. My heart rate wasn't getting into my zones and I could tell the legs were still tired.

I spent the past week in Los Angeles for work. I took my swimsuit and running shoes for workouts during the week. I had two spectacular workouts this week. One on the treadmill and one in the pool.

The t-mill workout involved short, fast bursts. Here are the details of the workout:

Run 45 min
After 15 min warm up
10 x 20 sec hard - faster 5K pace - sprints- 10 sec rest
10 min steady Low Zone 2
then 10 x 20 sec sprints/10 sec again
cool down 10 min easy jog

Coach and I are using these short intense sessions as speed and strength work. We have found that my body responds a little bit better to these types of workouts instead of larger repeats like 800 or 1600 repeats. It seemed to help at Columbus Half Marathon.

This was the first time I had done the workout on a treadmill so I was able to control the pace. On the road I ran what felt like faster than 5k pace, essentially run hard. but on the treadmill I set the speed of the belt at a 5:46 / mile pace. I was happy with the speed and being able to complete the entire workout. It was hard and I sweated my brains out.

My pool workout for the week also involved some intensity....

5 x 100 at race pace
500 straight at race pace
5 x 100 at faster than race pace

I hit each of these on the money. I classify my race pace at 1:30 / 100. The 500 straight was completed in 7:22, faster than 1:30. I finished the fast 5 x 100's with an average of 1:25's.

Despite the travel, jet lag, and full days of work I had two great workouts this week.

I'm feeling strong and am getting excited about the Bolder Boulder 10k on Memorial Day. Don't forget to post a finishing time for me. So far JT is the only one to post an estimate. Race t-shirts are on the line here and we can't just give it away to JT by default.

I'll be trying to post each day from now to the 10k so you have some information to go with for your times.

Game On.

Jump On It

Actually the original song is Apache but everyone knows it for the riff...."Jump On It"

Aimee called me specifically to turn the Sirius onto the Sugar Hill Gang's version of the song.

I hope you get a chuckle from these two videos and you get pumped up for this weekends workouts.

Jump On It....err....I mean Game On

Two for Tuesday - Bike Routes

A picture, or map, is worth a thousand words. Jeff and I hit the road on Sunday for our long ride. We went through two counties not really knowing where we were going. I had a general idea, knew major street names, kept my bearings. It turned out to be a beautiful ride. My "loop" put us over by 20 minutes but it was a good 60 miles. The elevation chart is the shocker. I don' t know where that peak came from. I don't remember any steep climbs. Of course that incline is over the course of 2+miles.

Map Elevation (ft) This second map is a route that Aimee made the prior weekend. She was hoping for an out and back but got to the turn around point much faster than expected. So she had to improvise.....several times. This map is awesome because it shows what she had to do in order to get the time in. Map Two great rides and deposits in the training bank. Game On.

EOP - Equal Opportunity Poster

For those that have been reading me for a while you know I am an equal opportunity poster. I'm all for the occasional bike porn and even post some hawt females. But I also am considerate towards my female readers as well, remember this? Don't forget to check out this factory stud as well? Plus I had to listen to Aimee rant about how there were no hot male triathletes in the WOMENS issue of Inside Tri.

So I am directing my female readers over to Amanda Lovato's blog for some eye candy ala her husband Michael. Enjoy. Bolder....don't even think about clicking on that link.

Horray Horray.....

it's the first of May. Outdoor ____ing begins today. Insert favorite activity here.


May is going to be an exciting month. So many things going on.


First off, my daughter is graduating from high school. She's been doing very well her senior year and is enrolled at Tri-C for the fall. I'm proud of her recent accomplishments and as always there are high hopes for the future and she plans to study photography.


Secondly, Aimee and I are going to Colorado for Memorial Day weekend. We will be visiting friends in Denver then staying with Bolder in Boulder. The weekend will culminate with the running of the bulls through the streets of Boulder. You may know the event as the Bolder Boulder 10k.


This is definitely a destination event with close to, in not over, 50,000 people participating. I will be there race and try to set a PR for the 10k distance. I am forgoing the Rite Aid 10k the weekend prior so I am fresh for the altitude of Boulder, 5430 feet baby.


Because this is a destination event/race we opted to go all out with the entry and get the ultimate schwag package filled with the following:

• Short sleeve race shirt
• Long sleeve race shirt
• adidas Technical Running shirt
• Crocs

The real cool thing is that they ship you everything in advance. That's great for people coming in from out of town. The entire package is very cool. Just take a look:







In the tradition of my good friend Bolder, I am offering up schwag for guessing my finish time. Closest to my finish time gets schwag. Doesn't matter if over or under. I haven't decided what to award as a prize, I may have to consult with Bolder about that.



Keep checking back as I will be providing training updates all month. Don't forget to look at past race reports/results either.

Game On

Pain in the......

....back. Gotcha. You thought I was going to say ass. The pain is definitely a little higher than that. Curious thing is that I'm not sure why. It's right between the shoulder blades and it feels like someone slammed me on my back in the wrestling ring. I'm trying to figure out where the pain came from. These are the most likely culprits in order of likelihood:

1. Intense pulling on the aerobars during Sunday's race.
2. Using the manual hedge trimmers Sunday afternoon in the garden.
3. Bad running posture during the race, tight upper body, high arms, etc.

I'm going with the first culprit. This was the first race I did on the Cervelo and I probably haven't pulled so much during training. I stayed in the aero position each lap, including the uphills. I know my arm position is a little narrower than on the Elite so a small change like that can have a major impact.

Yesterday was definitely the worst as far as the pain. I managed my recovery swim in the morning but the tightness increased during the day. Overnight I think it got better. Mentally I was letting the soreness get the best of me. I didn't feel like doing anything because of the pain. I forced myself to run this morning. I wasn't going to push it to the point of injuring myself but I needed to do something.

You know what....I had a great run. Forty-two minutes in Zone 2 as I make my way through a recovery week. I can still feel some soreness in the back but it's better than yesterday.

Amazing how little aches and pains can affect your training. Next week will be the beginning of another training cycle, back to intensity and hard efforts. Next up is the Bolder Boulder 10k. Can't wait to get out to Colorado.

Game On.