More Crazy Weather - Freak Snow Storm To End October

You would have thought it was the Christmas Holiday versus Halloween. Yesterday, parts of PA was hit by a freak snowstorm that dropped 6 inches to a foot of snow from Central PA to Eastern PA. This has been the strangest past 2 months for weather I can recall. Last month, we had record rainfall and flooding and then we finish it off with a snowstorm. It truly made for a brutal day for a cross-country championships around the state. Many races weer contested in 4-6 inches of snow and made for treacherous footing for the athletes and tough driving conditions for the bus drivers. I am almost scared to ask......what is next?

Training continues to go well. I spent this week entirely on the bike. I have been feeling a little bit of a cold after running the relay last weekend. I think the constant getting in an out of the car on relay day made it easier for me to come down with this cold. I am hoping this week to get back to 2-3 days of running and 2 days of weight training. With the start of November this week, I will truly begin my transition phase to prep for next year's training.

New training totals:
Week - 7 rides/ 224 miles/ 9hours 45minutes/ 23.0mph
October - 29 rides/ 965 miles/ 43hours 17minutes/ 22.3mph
Year - 309 rides/ 10,860 miles/ 506 hours 40minutes/ 21.6mph

Goals for this week
7 rides/ 210-225 miles/ 9.5-11 hours
2-3 days of running
2 days of lifting

It is time to start planning a race schedule for next year!

TdO '12 - Bring it on!

Tussey Mountainback Relay Done - 20 Miles Of Running!

Well another week of contemplating a return to triathlons. I have definitely been watching to many of the Ironman motivating videos on Youtube. Some of the motivation comes from getting somewhat ready for the Tussey Mountainback Relay. It is a relay covering 50 miles around Mt. Tussey near State College, PA. I am a member of a 6 person relay with one of my former athletes. A few years ago, we participated in the vent as 4 person team. I am very thankful for it being a 6 person team this year. This week I have been able to get 3 runs of 3.1 miles with my time getting quicker each run. Yesterday I had my fastest day of 21:30 for a 5K jog. Friday was also the first time that my body felt loose and natural running. I am also being patient with the extremely slow times but I can see those times dropping quickly if I continue to run.

http://www.tusseymountainback.com/

Now, even though adding some running to my training, I have not missed a beat on the bike. I still manage six good days of riding this week. The cooler mornings have meant the unveiling of all the thermal riding gear. I am also at the point where I know racing is pretty much done so it is time to start the maintenance phase of training and start to freshen the mind and body for next year. With today off to run in the relay, I still managed 6 rides this week. For the most part, the rides have been flat due to back issues the past 3-4 weeks. It is almost at a point where I can start to hit some hills again. I am getting bored with the same flat out and back but I want to be safe with the back. New training totals:

Week – 6 rides/ 207 miles/ 9hours 23minutes/ 22.1mph/ 400 feet of climbing

October - 22 rides/ 741 miles/ 33hours 31minutes/ 22.1mph/ 2000 feet of climbing

Year - 302 rides/ 10,636 miles/ 494hours 54minutes/ 21.5mph

Average – 35.2miles/ 1hour 38minutes/ 21.5mph

Goals for week:

Biking – 7 rides/ 10-11 hours/ 210-220 miles

Running – 3 days/ 10-12 miles

Lifting – 1-2 days

Ironman or TdO ’12…….either way I know I will win TdO ’12!

Each Year I Wonder....Should I???

Every year after watching the Hawaii Ironman on the computer makes me wonder if I am ready to get back at it. I will admit that every full moon Saturday of October since 1997, I think about my last time there and wonder ...What if? After competing in the Ironman in 1995, I had set a goal to go back and truly race the Ironman. In 1997, I got my chance after having a tremendous race season and training leading up to the race. I was living in Las Vegas and was taking advantage of all the mountainous rides/runs and was in the best shape of my life. I even qualified in my first attempt at the famous Wildflower Triathlon in San Louis Obispo, CA. At that time, it was one of the most difficult half-ironman races around, as the bike had a 1000 foot climb and the run was over hilly terrain and included trails. At that race I finished in the top 5 among all amateurs including beating all professional women including Paula Newby-Frazier, who at that time was a beast in the women's field. I arrived in Hawaii in peak shape and was ready for a great race. I had a goal of finishing in 9:15 minutes but unfortunately I got sick two days out from the race but I knew I had to start. I had my typical slow swim of about an hour and came out about 400th. On the bike, I could tell things were not right but I still covered the 112 miles in about five hours and moved up to about 100th. Starting the run about 6hours and 20 minutes into the race (includes transition times) I felt OK but could tell something was not right. I kept plugging away and by mile 10 was inside the top 50 and gaining. Then around mile 14 everything really went wrong and I was forced to drop out at mile 18 when I was inside the top 40 overall. So the what if???

Now that I have been back on the bike and did run the other day, everyone keeps saying it is time to get back into the game. It is a very tempting thought but for now I will keep you up to date on my bike training. It still is going very well and the back seems to be getting better. It is not as stiff as it was last week at this time. I was able to run one day this week and manage to jog a 5K in 22:00 minutes and the lifting continues and I can feel the power in the pedals already.

New training totals:
Week - 7 rides / 232 miles/10hours 23 minutes/ 22.4mph / 754 feet of climbing
October - 16 rides/ 534 miles/24hours 8minutes/ 22.1mph/ 1650 feet of climbing
2011- 296 rides/ 10,429 miles/ 487hours 31minutes/ 21.4mph
Average Ride - 35.23 miles/ 1hour 38minutes/ 21.4mph

Goals this week:
6 rides/ 200-210 miles/ 9-11 hours
3 days running
2 days running

Only six days of biking, as I will be running in the Mt. Tussey 50 mile relay with one fo my former athletes. I will be a part of a 6 person relay. It is a fun event.

TdO '12

10,000+ Miles For The Year!

With the passing of 10,000 miles of riding for the year, I have officially passed through the typical mileage per year of a car warranty. Wish I could get the same warranty on the body especially with my back acting up over the past week. It has been very stiff like it was after the accident but at least I am not getting the sharp pains I felt after that. The stiffness just kind of came out of nowhere as I cannot recall doing anything different over the past 2 weeks. I am hoping today is a good sign of it is getting better as it has been no where as stiff as the previous 3 days. I will say this (with sarcasm of course) , nothing like standing and moving around a hilly cross-country course when your back feels that still. And riding on a bus that is older than every runner on the team does not help one bit.

Despite the back, training continues to go well. I have switched my training into more of a maintenance mode and I am focusing on getting some decent mileage on the bike but not killing myself. Race season on the road is basically over and if I can get into some cyclocross races I will not need a ton of miles in my training week to be ready for that. I was able to also add two days of weight training into my schedule. It felt so good to get back into the weight. Biking has not adversely affected my back but I have been smart and kept my cycling flat for the week. I am hoping to be able to tackle some mor ehills this week.

Training Totals:
Week - 7 rides/ 225 miles/ 10hours 11minutes/ 22.1mph/ 761 feet of climbing
October - 9 rides/ 302 miles/ 13hours 45minutes/ 21.9mph/ 906 feet of climbing
2011 - 289 rides/ 10,197 miles/ 477hours 8minutes/ 21.6mph
Average per week - 7 rides/ 247 miles/ 11hours 33minutes/ 21.6mph

This week's goals
7 rides, 210-240 mile, 10.5-12 hours of riding
2 days of weight training/ 2 days running (if back is good)

TdO '12!

Another Week And Yet More Rain For Central PA

The crazy weather continues for Central PA and the Susquehanna Valley. It basically rained at some point almost everyday of this past week. I think the longest stretch we went with no measurable rain was 3 days. For the month of September, I believe we had over 17 inches of rain and October has basically started off the same way with rain yesterday and into this morning. It is almost at the point where most people are shocked when it does not rain. Then to top it off the past two days have be unseasonably cool with temps barely making the 50's. Someday soon, I hope the weather pattern will return to normal.

Training continues to go well. Now I was forced on to the indoor trainer two times this week because of weather and cross-country meet. The day of the meet was fun as I was on the trainer for 23 miles at 4:30AM so I could meet the team at school to travel to Paul Short Invitational. Most rides this week were flat also. I believe I barely hit 1000 feet of climbing this week. I also reduced some of the mileage and will continue to do so little by little as the year unwinds. This week I will also start back in the weight room and adding some running to the weekly training schedule.

New Training Totals:
Week - 7 rides/ 239 miles/ 10hours 55minutes/ 21.9mph/1,083 feet of climbing
September - 32 rides/1140 miles/ 52hours 12 minutes/ 21.7mph/ 13,996 feet of climbing
Year - 282 rides/ 9972 miles/ 466hours 55minutes/ 21.4mph
Avg Ride - 35.4/ 1hour 39minutes/ 21.4mph

Goals for week:
7 rides/ 220-40 miles/ 10.5-12 hours/ 3000 feet of climbing
2 days of weight training/ 2 running days

TdO '12!