Todde's Tri Blog

today was the big race for texas and the headline will read CANCELLED!!!!!!!!!! Due to some nasty rains the captextri was called off. its some of the worst rains i have ever had to stand in. and i stood in them for close to 2 hrs. it was obvious the swim wasnt going to happen but the rain never let up so the entire thing was ax'd. i am really disappointed b/c i wasnt going to race it but knowly how big this race is for triathlon in TX i ponied up the $120 a few weeks back and now i have nothing to show for it. on the otherhand i am glad b/c my shoulder and knees have really been bothering anf with a hard effort today i would have been in bad shape for at least a week. i really wanted to push for a 2:10 finish but it will have to wait until the austin tri downtown on labor day. for now its time to focus on the half in lubbock next month. time to lentghen out the training sessions and shorten the # of them accordingly. the big thing is for me the get my long runs and bikes back up in time for this race.

this was a pretty decent week leading into a race seeing as i am nursing a handful of injuries. i managed several 30min swims (2 with a wetsuit), a bike bike sessions on the trainer and 1 good run workout at the track this week. shoulder is still tender and will need an MRI eventually to determine the problem. based on what i feel and what i have read, its either a torn rotator cuff or shoulder inpingement syndrome. both usually require surgery to fix the problem. once i get motoring monday it going to be a matter of how much pain i can withstand. i hope the threshold is high b/c i want to swim between 21 and 22 mins. knees are feeling better since my run workout and i may do a quick mile tomorrow after a short bike ride. i feel i did a pretty good job this week cleaning up the diet in time for the race. i still feel a bit heavy but that is probably just me being paranoid. i am anxious to get to monday and race. i havent done a short race in a long time and i am ready to feel the lungs burn. my goal is to finish under 2:15 and i am really shooting to 2:10. i need to swim 22min, bike 1:04, run 40min and keep the trannys under 4min. i know its possible, its a matter of pressing thru the tough times when i mind says slow down and relax. tomorrow i pick up my race packet and drop the bike off. after that it is bag prep, dinner and bed. amber is volunteering monday so we have to be at the race at 4:45am so she can marks bodies. i told her she has to do me first!!!!!!!!

this past week had mixed reviews with me. overall i was satisfied with the # of workouts. i had a few good bikes and run but i swims were sub-par due to a sore shoulder. i think i am stuck with the shoulder issue until i can take a week off. most of the run and bike workouts where at a good intensity level which was a bite tougher than i thought due to some lingering fatigue. i read that after an IM you really arent right for at least a month. i guess they were right b/c it has been tough getting the morning workouts in and they have all felt slow at times. i have been pleasantly pleased with my run pacing and hope to post a 6:30 to 6:45 pace at captex. that would be a hupe pr for me and probably get me under 2:15 for the race.

i bought some new racing flats this past weekend. went with the fila volantes. they are i bit heavier than most flats (9oz) b/c they offer a little more cushion than most. i opt'd for them b/c i like the fila flow technlogy, i needed the padding to up to half marathon runs, and the price was hard to pass on. i plan to run in them a few times this week to ensure they are race worthy. i also bought some new shoes for the bike. went with some yellow michelin pro 2 races. should like sharp with a blue bike. at least i think so.

last but not least is my diet. i have been carry a few extra lbs lately. nothing anyone would notice except me. its be hard to pass on the sugary stuff lately and i have a few exta lbs in the waist. just need to remain strong but damn i love JD cookies and margaritas! I was a good boy yesterday at chuck e cheeses. i passed on the pizza but did eat some breadsticks and cake. i am so weak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

over the past several days i have missed a few workouts due to various reasons. i did get a few good swim workouts in but the others have been so so. that is until i hit it hard yesterday. yesterday was a bike/run workout at high intensity. i still need to stick with some slow easy stuff but i feel like i need some speed as well for captex. the workout yesterday was 4x10min bike/5min run fast. the bike seemed to be the tough one (would hit hard for 3min and ease up a bit for 2min), especially after running. the running went well and i finshed each .8 mile loop around 4:55 (6:15 pace). i could probably hold that pace for a 5k but would need to slow the pace by 20 to 30 sec for 10k. i am trying to get more comfortable running with my HR around 150 for an extended period. i was really spent after the workout and my right knee was really tender below the kneecap. today will be a light swim and maybe i light spin tonight.

did the 5k march of dimes walk this past weekend. after beeing in the sun for 3hrs on my feet i was worn out. i had planned a bike workout sat evening but that was not happening. it was a good cause and i am glad i went. it was amazing to see people struggling to walk 3 miles. i guess i take my health for granted now and expect others to naturally be in deent shape. i forget it took awhile for me to get going. i hope that anyone who had the light come on out there about getting in shape sticks with it b/c plenty of people were looking rough out there.

i sold a bunch of tri stuff on ebay this weekend and made $130. plan to get some running flats and some tires for the bike. need to get the shoes by this weekend so i can break them in for captex.

carson has been having trouble sleeping the last few nights which has kept us up some (more amber than me b/c she is a softy for the crying). i have either over slept in the morning or skip it completely to allow amber to sleep in. to counter this missed morning activity i have doubled up at night or gone at lunch. the downside is that the workout quality/duration isnt always up to par. i guess these are the days with little ones in the house.

last night was a 30min swim followed but a 60min ME workout on the trainer. the trainer ride was 3x10min intervals that really got the HR going. this morning was another 40min swim followed by a 4mile run on the treadmill at lunch. the swim was strong with 10x100m SI @ 1:30. i was sucking wind on the last few. the run today was different as i rarely run on a tradmill. the pace varied but when i got around 7min and under the treadmill was beating me up physically. my legs are sore tonight.

knees are still bothering me so i will try to scratch some of the fluff bike spins and make sure my 3 runs a week are quality. still worried about my right lower leg. the muscle issue around the ankle is lingering so i am hestitate to ride the bike hard or run long. only time will tell if its all in the head.

i decided to do the captextri on memorial day. i did it the last 2 years with a 2:31 finish the first year and 2:23 last yr. last yr i wanted to go 2:15 but after knee problems it didnt run for a month b4 the race. this year i plan to be more prepared and finish under 2:15. i will need a 22min swim and run under 7min miles. no sweat : )

sunday was a nice bike/run workout. i hit s. mopac for a few hrs and a goal of doing the 8mile several times and getting faster each loop. i managed to get that done even though the wind was making it tough. avg about 20mph for actual riding and totaled about 43 miles in 2:12. after bike went directly into a 2 mile transition run. made the decision to hit it hard and ended up with a 13:11 time running 6:35 miles. HR was 148 for run and felt good even though i was really working. goal for the next 2 months to focus on tranny runs so i can really improve on my run times. goal for captex is 6:45 miles and 7min miles in lubbock.

yesterday was a shitty swim and we can leave it at that. its been awhile since i felt that weak in the pool so i hope it was just fatigue catching up. got a new bed last night and it is the bomb. its a kingsize simmons beauty rest with memory foam and a pillow top. no more back problems!!!!! today was an off day. legs are feeling better but knees are sore. back to the grind tomorrow with a little bit of everything.

this morning i got that first dreaded yet much anticipated run out of the way. 3 weeks ago i ran my 1st marathon and nothing since. i wanted to rest the legs and let an injury heal. still not sure if the injury to my right leg has healed completely but i needed to get back to running for lubbock. ran 4miles today at the local track. i really prefer the track b/c its easy to pace myself and its easier on the knees. this was my first run of the year in humidity and man it was rough. i went out at a 8min pace and held it thru out. at one point i picked up the pace to mid 7s but i quickly slowed back to 8. it felt good to run but i noticed a little fatigue in the legs. i think its from the time off as well as the weights and biking this past week. i really just wanted to get that run feel back and shake off the dust. i will get a tranny run in tomorrow and i few more easy runs next week b4 getting back to tempo and interval runs.

yesterday was a hard ME swim workout. did 3250m in little under an hr. workout had lots of 100m intervals at 1:20 pace with a couple 400pulls mixed in. i was really spent after that swim.

today was a weights session before work and then a force workout on the trainer. i pulled out an old spinervals dvd called the uphill grind. its a 45min workout with some short sprints and 4x5min hill intervals sandwiched in between. after the double leg sessions today i am worn out once again.

this weekend i plan to get my first run in 3 weeks in as well as an endurance swim. sunday i plan to get a long bike with a tranny run. should be a solid first week back to steady training.

This is the 1st of 4 weeks of build training before a recov week followed by 2 peaks weeks and then race week. Tues was a good swim workout with a focus on force. Over the next 2 months with work of my force and ME swim workouts and mix in some distance swims for endurance. Last night was my first strong bike workout since AZ. Did a ME ride on the trainer and worked in 3 intervals of 10min, 11min, and 12min with the HR ranging from 124 to 129. It felt good to push the big ring for awhile and get the HR up during the intervals. Today was a recov day with some weights and an easy ride on the trainer. Drop a little dough on some new race shorts from TYR. Look forward to getting those babies in the mail and getting them into action. I am also shopping some new shoes for my race wheels. I plan to go yellow to add some flash to the blue bomber!!!!!!!!!!!!!