Sunday OWS

Today I did a simple open water swim with Gorilla Multisport. I did 4 loops which added up to approx 1200 yards. I forgot my watch, so no time.

Double Duty workout

Went out with DSU for a simple 60 mile ride and had to be rescued by my wife. The shame of it is too much to bear. Ha. Ha. I had a little mechanical problem with my bike. After about 10 miles of harder than usual work I noticed that my rear tire was rubbing against my seat stay tube. I thought I fixed it, but the tire and the shavings proved I had not. On the way back from the Ballpark I noticed it was rubbing again. I toughed it out for another 15 miles, but eventually lost the group and succumbed to exhaustion. Bike is at the shop getting yelled at by the mechanic. Hopefully it will listen and behave for Disco.

Totals:
2:40 Minutes
44.5 miles
1 new tire
Max hr 163
Avg 135

Back to work!!

After two weeks of Active Recovery(goofing off) as dictated by my coach, it is time to get serious again. I have officially signed up for Strength Training with Amy Goddard to help develop some core strength, a tremendous weakness of mine and have made steps to join a Master's swim program in Flower Mound, much needed as well.

As you can tell by my Kansas and Playtri times, swimming is a BAD event for me. This will be my major concentration for the next several months to hopefully get me closer to where I want to be in the swim. I am shooting for a 1:15 IM swim. This will means I will have to shave about 10 minutes off my 1/2 IM time and also become strong enough to hold that pace for the second half. A tall task, but it has to be done in order to hit my other goals.

The bike will be just another LONG ride. I will concentrate on getting a good base and developing a solid nutrition and hydration strategy.

The run plan is to RUN as long as I can. I want to limit the walking as much as possible. I know walking will be an integral part of the race, but I want to walk because it is in the plan, not because I am too tired.

Mentally I am ready to take on this challenge. So bring on the training.

Strength Training

Today was my first ST class at Goddard Clinic. This stuff will be good for me. Good combination of stretching, core and weight training. I know alot of this stuff already, but it is good to have somebody force you to do it. The early morning thing will take some getting used to, but will be worth it.

Tour d'Italia

Went for a ride today in Italy(Texas). I wanted to do a nice safe ride with some friend today, so I chose this bike rally. I got there late a the group from DSU left without me. That was fine because it gave me an excuse to work hard to catch them. It took me about 30 mile to catch up. While I was riding with them I got busy talking and missed the turn for the 40 mile route and had to continue to the 50 mile route. I was not prepared for this, but was successful.

Time: 2:45
Mileage 50 mile
Avg mph 18.2

My new bike ROCKS!!!

My new bike performed beautifully in Kansas. It was money well spent. The carbon frame and wheels absorbed much of the road vibration and the weight made it much easier to climb. I am definitely looking forward to riding it more.

Kansas 70.3 (also known as Kansas 68.3)

Here is my report for the Inaugural Kansas 70.3 (also known as the Kansas 68.3).

Beautiful location and setting for a race. Lawrence was a great host city with great food and interesting atmosphere. The course was challenging but not intimidating. The weather at the beginning was perfect, warm with a slight South breeze. Later in the day it became cloudy and stormy as if the Wizard wanted us to come visit.

Race morning was full of excitement for me. After packing and repacking my bag the night before, I thought I was ready for the race. I made it to the site with plenty of time when I noticed I forgot a critical piece of equipment. My NEW helmet was at the hotel. A little panic set in as I franticly called my wife. Luckily Coach Gail helped me logically think through the situation. I was able to buy a cheap helmet from a vendor. My daughter ran my helmet to me with seconds to spare before transition closed. Close call.

The atmosphere was wonderful especially as the Navy Seals did their stunt shows followed by a fly over of a “BIG ASS” C130 Navy transport plane.

Swim 50:28 Grade C

The swim was long and slow for me. I did just about how I had expected. I went off course once which cost some time, but I did not have to stop too any times nor did I have to breast stroke. I WILL join a Master’s Swim program to improve this.

T1 3:25 Grade B

It was a long run to the transition area. I took my time to make sure I was ready for the bike.

Bike 2:56 Avg 19 mph Grade A

The bike course was Hilly and Windy, but it was a blast. I followed Coach Gail’s advice also and reaped the rewards. Some of the down hills were scary because of the wind. I was almost blown over several times at speeds around 40 mph. I was very excited after finishing this portion. The only way for me to get better is to do more riding in Talihena.

T2 2:17 Grade B

Don’t know what happened.

Run 11 miles 2:40 grade B

Unfortunately my run was cut short by a storm. I felt horrible the first 4 miles of the run, but finally got into a grove and began to feel comfortable. I was setting myself up to accelerate the last three miles in order to finish under 6 hours. I felt strong and was excited because my plan was working. Sadly, Mother Nature had other plans.

I finished my Kansas 68.3 with a total time of 5:40 minutes. There is always next year.

Thank You to everybody who was there for all the support and encouragement. It helped me keep going.

Scott Maness

Head for the Hills Rally

Joined up with Peter and Brian for a 41 mile ride in Cedar Hills TX. No real hills to be found, but a fun controlled ride. I only got in trouble once while blowing past Coach Gail at about 25 mph. I was told to slow down and stick to the plan. The plan called for a base building ride, zone 1 and 2. Followed with a 10 min run.

Totals
Bike: 2:10 42.8 miles 19.8 mph 167 max hr 140 avg hr.
Run: 11:37 1.45 miles 8:17 min/mile 160 max hr 149 avg hr.

Wed ride

Finally got to do a Wednesday ride. I have been teaching Religious Education at church on Wed night.

Results: 24 miles 1:18 18.5 mph avg. No Hr data.

Tuesday 7 mile run 58 mins 8:15 avg 155Avg HR 171 Max HR. Lots of hills.

It was good to be out again.

MS 150

Over the weekend I participated in the MS150 bike rally. It was quite an enjoyable event, plus excellent training. The week before this event was spent in Austin at a conference, but that did not stop me from training. I was hoping to be able to ride the Longhorn course, but was unsuccessful. I did however find a nice route near the hotel with an abundance of hills. I was able to get 2 very strenuous rides and two excellent runs while on my trip.

The MS 150 was a blast. Day one was brutal with a 20 mph headwind for the first 50 miles of the 80 mile journey. Surprisingly my HR stayed in a normal range while my effort still remained high. During Day 1 i was able to do several High intensity sprints to catch other riders than fall back with my original group to help protect my friend. This was a great workout. Day 2 was idyllic with little wind and pleasant temps. I was able to ride the last 50 mile completely in the aero position while two other riders benefited from my insanity. They wanted to form a paceline, but I had a MISSION. They were perfectly happy to sit on my tail while I worked it off. It was a good experience.

Totals for MS 150

Day 1 86 miles 4:45 18 mph 170 max HR 139 Avg Hr

Day 2 75 miles 4:12 18 mph 169 max Hr 139 avg hr

Hills O' Talihena Oklahoma

I took an epic journey to Oklahoma to ride the hills of Talihena. I must admit I was very impressed and very exhausted by the end of the weekend. Coach Sean started the weekend with a simple 25 mile spin ride on Friday. Remember a spin ride for him is a hard ride for me. I was able to draft and keep up for most of the ride. It felt good to be back on the bike after a week long rest to recover the hip.

The real ride of the trip was Saturday when we went to the By-Way for 56 miles of gruelling hills. I knew we were in trouble when I saw a sign that said 13% grade next 5 miles. I did not quite know what that meant until after 5 turns I was still climbing at an average speed of 6 mph. After about 45 minutes of pretty consistent climbing it was time to descend a little. This is where the fun began. I was able to hit a max speed of 52.1 mph. That was scary but exhilarating at the same time. The fun was rudely brought and end several times when coming down a hill only to have to go right back up the next one. I was extremely surprised how quickly you loose your momentum on a 13% grade hill. I would routinely hit 40 -45 mph on the down hill only to return right back to 6 mph in a approximately 100 yards of climbing. Luckily the hills only lasted for 30 miles. The rest was a gruelling chip seal road with rollers.

Totals for Saturday ride.
56 miles
3:45
Avg 14.6 mph
Avg HR 149
Max HR 176
Total Ascent 4500 ft

Saturday night was a potluck dinner and smores over a wonderful campfire complete with a sore ass.

Sunday ride was a simple 30 mile spin (at my pace) to loosen the legs in preparation for a 3 hr car ride home. All in all it was a fantastic weekend. Anyone who cares to experience this let me know and I will get us there.

Playtri Olympic Race Report

Here are the numbers:

2:58:04

88/242 overall place
14/33 age group finish

1500m swim 36:10 (horrible)
T1 4:13 (could have been better)
27mile Bike 1:25:16 ( felt great)
19.0 mph avg
AVg Hr 157
Max HR 169
T2 1:40 ( a little slow)
10K Run 50:42
8:10 pace

Pre-Race
Felt Great. Good breakfast. Ready to go.
Swim
Horrible. I was not comfortable in the wetsuit. First half of the race I could not find a rhythm. I settled down for the second half of the race, but the damage had already been done.
T1
I was winded coming out of the water so I walked a bit to catch my breathe. Not disappointed jut know I could have been faster.
Bike
Felt really strong on the bike. The wind was more annoying than anything else. It forced me to work hard, but not see the results which makes for a frustrating ride. The flip side was some incredibly fast portions of the course to help make up for the slow stuff. I know as I get more mile under me this year I will feel more comfortable on the bike splits.
T2
Not bad still a little too deliberate.
Run
I felt really good coming out of transition. I pushed hard the first mile because I knew I had the wind to my back and I wanted to get a good head start before the wind slowed me down. This backfired a little because I cramped badly at mile 2.5. I hobbled into the water stop refueled and took some salt tabs. It worked itself out quickly just in time for the wind to be at my back again. I was able to pick up some time until the last stretch. It is rather difficult to run fast when your legs are tired and you are running into a 20 mph wind. The only comfort was that I was still passing people. Overall the run was positive. I think I can still run faster. I will shoot to stay under 8 min pace next Oly.
Overall
I was satisfied with my performance. I think I can do better, but I am not upset. I have identified where I need improvement and areas that just need a little tweak. My next focus will be trying to break the 6 Hr mark in the Kansas 70.3 in June.

Injury Report

Here is my excuse before the race. I went to the Chiropractor for a nagging stomach muscle. The report was a starined hip flexor, likely from not stretching properly. I am supposed to give it a couple of weeks rest. HA!! HA!! That will be hard medicine to swallow. I am cleared to run Sunday, but am supposed to take it easy after that. Apparently, I will not make it worse just won't allow it to get better.

Plan for race. Go all out for as long as I can and see what happens. This race is supposed to be a baseline for the rest of my training for Kansas 70.3.

No Big "D" for me

I wanted to sign up for the Big "D" Half and be like Peter, but my coach strongly discouraged it. At least that is my story and I am sticking to it. They want me fresh for Playtri so they can evaluate where I am in my conditioning phase of my training. Maybe next race. Good Luck Peter.

Recap since last blog entry:
Lotsa swimmin' bikin' and runnin'

Too lazy to write it all down.

I am looking forward to a taper week to prepare for Playtri.

Yearly totals

Bike 825.8 miles 47hrs 58mins
Run 217.6 miles 30hrs 49mins
Swim 24.8 miles 18 hrs 15 mins

Catching up

Here is the run down since last post.

Wed March 12
5.5 Mile run 8:10/mile
45 minutes
172 Max HR
146 Avg HR

26.5 Mile Bike 17.7 mph
1:30
160 max
136 Avg

Thursday March 13
12.1 Mile Run 9:10/ mile
1:51
169 Max
152 Avg


Disney World Trip
3 Runs
5 Mile 6 Mile 4 Mile
41:30 52:12 31:00
164/154 166/153 n/a

Saturday March 22
48.6 mile Bike 16.2 mph avg
3 Hours
161/130


The Disney trip was exciting with lots of walking but not many aerobic points earned except for the brief increased HR's associated with the roller coasters.

I am ready to get back to a regular routine to prepare for Playtri Oly in a couple of weeks. I jumped in the pool today with my new wetsuit. It is still COLD, but I will be ready.

Monday Ride and Swim

The weather was delightful as I went out for a 1 1/2 hour bike ride. My training called for a 90 min ride with a 30 minute tempo(faster than comfortable) pace. I did the best I could attacking the hills before me in Flower Mound.

Totals
90 minutes
27.6 miles
18.4 mph
163 Max HR
136 Avg HR

Ate some dinner and tucked the munchkins into bed and went for a swim.

2000 meters
42:00 minutes

Snow in March!!

Thursday is my scheduled long run day. So as the day began I was preparing to run after I took the girls to school. Then work called, which delayed me an hour. Then another fire had to be put out. Finally, I was ready to go, 10:30 am. It was a little chilly and cloudy, but not bad. So I began to run. Mile one was great, crisp and chilly but tolerable. Mile two started to get nasty, mild rain mixed with a slight dusting of sleet. Mile three became a nightmare, hard rain followed halfway through with large wet snowflakes. Luckily, I had begun to work my way back home. I changed clothes and headed to Life Time to finish indoors.

1st run:
2.75 miles
24.32 minutes

2nd run:
10.4 miles
90 minutes
157 Max Hr
149 avg HR

Sat ride and Run
We had a great ride Saturday starting at noon. We meandered through Argyle going down Hilltop and out to Robson Ranch and back up Hilltop then back to Flower Mound. I had to work a little harder than I wanted in order to keep up which fatigued my legs.

54 miles
3hrs 15 minutes
17.1 mph
165 Max HR
135 Avg HR

I followed the ride with a 3 mile run.

24:43 minutes
3 miles
8:15 pace
Max Hr 165
Avg HR 148

Wed Swim

Has anybody ever almost drowned in a 3.5 ft pool? It almost happened to me today. I went for a workout:

300meter warmup
400meter buildup set
2 X 200 meter 100 easy 100 hard
5 x 100 build up
8 x 50 hard
200 pull easy

The last two 50's I was so tired I could barely make the wall.

Mon & Tues Workouts

Monday:

1. 1800 meter HIM pace swim, 38:38.
2. 18 Mile 1 Hr ride on the trainer.

Tuesday:

4.75mile run 40 Minutes, 8:25 pace.

Saturday Brick

Saturday morning was perfect for doing anything with the exception of an open water swim without a wetsuit.

Went out with Gorilla to Dallas House and Hilltop. These crazy animals made me go up the hill three times. That was a tough workout. I am hoping it will help me with all of the BIG HILLS in Florida. I was feeling the hills on the way home.

Total:
43.5 miles
2:31
17.2 mph
Avg Hr 136
Max HR 175

After the bike, I laced up my running shoes and took off for a 3.25 mile run. I was impressed how quickly my legs were able to get into running mode within 1/2 mile.

Total:
3.25 mi
30min
9:02 pace
Avg HR 145
Max HR 159

Thursday Morning Run

Finally I got my lazy tail out of bed and went for an early morning run with Dallas Athletes oops, I mean Dallas Sports University. I went out strong and had to struggle to keep up with the pack for the last mile. Otherwise it was great to wake up early and get my workout out of the way.
Totals:
60 Minutes exactly
7.25 Miles
Avg HR 155 max
max 174

The rest of the week has been mostly swimming and one light bike ride as this is a recovery week after the Cowtown. Next week will be tough approx 15 hrs of training.

Cowtown Half Marathon

Saturday I ran the Cowtown Half Marathon in Ft Worth as part of my training for Florida. I had a lofty goal of running 8 minute miles. Before the race I just wanted to see how long I could hold my 8 min pace. After the race I was extremely excited. The weather was perfect running weather just above 40 and little wind. The part that sucks is waiting 30 minutes in the cold before the start.

My only advice I received from my coach was run like HELL. So I listened. I had a small mishap at the beginning of the race which probably turned out to be a good thing. My high powered, high dollar Garmin did not have satellite reception which meant I did not have a pace to follow. This was a blessing in disguise because it forced me to run by Heart Rate which is better for me in the grand scheme of things. I focused on keeping my HR below 165 as an average and below 170 on the hills. This helped my produce my sub 8 performance. The only other mistake I made was at mile 6 rest stop I used the restroom and waited about 45 extra seconds for my Garmin to try and find a signal. The only thing this accomplished was to further aggravate me. I continued on without a pace. I was forced to keep my pace the old fashion way mile by mile. This race proved to me that I can have a successful run in my future events.

Thanks to Bryan for lugging me around and putting up with my conversations. Can't wait to see Bryan smoking the bike leg with his new HOT bike.

Final results: 1:43:58. pace 7:56 per mile.
Avg HR 164 Max 180 (1st mile trying to get out of the chaos).

Hills of Forrestburg Texas

Saturday was a memorable bike ride through the hills of North Texas. Coach Sean from Gorilla Multisport rounded up several of us to complete a 60 mile loop on winding country roads with unending large rolling hills and one tremendously long trek up a mountain. Totals for the ride 58.51 mile in 3:52 for an average of 15.1 mph. The total ascent was just over 3,000 ft. All in all it was a good ride with my HR maxing out at 175 with an average of 139. I guess what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger.

I followed this ride with a 9 mile run on Sunday. Fatigued and sore from Saturday I could not keep mr HR below 150 nor could I keep the pace I wanted, but my coach said that is what training is for.

Here are the rest of the totals for February.

Bike 137 miles 8 hrs 10 mins
Run 21.3 miles 3 hours
Swim 2700 meters 1 hour.

Looking forward to Cowtown with Bryan and Playtri Oly in April. With all of Bryan's running I hope to see outstanding results in Ft Worth.

1500M TT Swim

Did my first Time Trial in the swim. It was a 1500 meter pool swim completed in 28:39. Not a bad time for me. It will give me a good barometer for the future.

After TT went down to Mountain View Community College and road an 11 mile Hill Loop. It kicked my @#$SS . The loop consisted of 4 significant climbs one about 1 1/2 miles long. I completed 2 loops. Totals for the ride 24.8 miles, 1hour 45 mins, average 14.5 mph. HR avegrage-125 High 172. Total ascent 2660 ft.

Looking forward to Cowtown.

1 1/2 Hour training Run!!

My schedule called for a 90 minute run. I was amazed at what happened when I did this workout. I completed 11.2 miles in 95 minutes which was slightly faster than my White Rock Half Marathon Pace from December. The interesting thing that happened was my Average HR was more than 10 beats lower with similiar elevations, (166 in Dec, 155 in Jan). Also my highest HR was 13 beats lower(180 in Dec, 167 in Jan). The aerobic base building is working. I'll be catching Deanne in the Marathon soon.

Cold weather SUXS!!

This weeks training has been boring because most of it was inside and from the sound of Peter's race report mabye I should be glad it was boring.

Swim: 6000 meters 2.5 hours
Run: 15.8 miles 2hours 20 mins ( all on treadmill)
Bike: 88.5 miles 4 hours 45 minutes ( 2.5 hour ride on trainer, 2 spin classes)

My conditioning is improving greatly. I feel that I am in better shape now than I was before Texas Man last year. I can't wait to see what I feel like in 2 months for my first race of the season.

Weekly review

Here goes a recap of the previous week:
*70 mile on bike and trainer.
*17 mile of running.
* 6300 meters swimming
*2 hrs Yoga.
This is getting harder than I thought especially since this is supposed to be a base building week. What is going to happen when I start really working hard?

I had to change my race schedule a bit and I am opting for an Olympic race in April instead of a HIM in order to make sure I give myself enough time to develop a solid base. I have added a HIM in September to make sure I am ready for Florida.I really like the idea of "going slow in order to go fast." I have definitely seen the results in running and hope to see more as my aerobic strength develops.

Training and More Training

Well my coach says it is time to get serious. That means lots of sweat and sore muscles. Let me recap this weeks training. Monday 5 mile run, Tuesday 5 mile race, Wednesday Yoga and Bike, Thursday 8 mile run, Friday Swim and Yoga, Saturday Bike for a Total of 10.5 hrs of training. This is supposed to be an easy weak. I am scared to see what will happen when they make it hard. Anybody is welcome to join me whenever, just say the word. Peter just give me more than 4 hrs notice before you plan a ride. I did ask for this.

New Year's Day 5 Miler Race

I began the new year on a high note as I entered the New Year's Day 5 Miler in Dallas. I was running with several of the Gorilla Multisport athletes since I will have to be spending much time with this group as they prepare me for Florida. The weather was cold but manageable. I began the race in the front of the pack trying to stay with Gail, but was quickly left in the dust. I was able to keep up with her for the first mile but quickly fell into a more reasonable pace. My splits were 7:05, 7:47, 7:57(stopped for water break), 7:32 and 7:36, for a grand Total of 38:08. These are the fastest times I have ever put up and I was excited. It was all Peter's fault for pushing me or should I say pulling me during the White Rock half. I can see my running improving. Now it is time for the other disciplines to catch up.