Swim, T-run

Good endurance swim today. I'm finally hitting my stride in the water. After a winter full of form and technique, it has been time to put the yards in and I'm starting to see the return. I'm swimming faster and more consistently. I'm actually going to say it's "easy" now:). Don't get me wrong, intervals still suck and are tough, but endurance based swims like today are rather pleasant:).

After the swim I headed to the treadmill for a solid t-run. Pretty quick pased run for where I'm at with my running currently, and I'm happy I could push my effort. The beginning of the run was a bit tough and labored, but soon I fell into my groove and it, too, because "easy"-but not as easy as gliding through the water:).

I have a 24 hour rest period until my next workout, so I'm going to make the most of it. Just like the Jersey shore "people" have their "GTL" (that's gym, tan, laundry for those of you with lives that are more important than watching a bunch of idiots make bigger idiots of themselves on nat'l tv), I've got my own three letters: "HST"-that's Home, Shower, Tights (recovery tights). It's gonna catch on in a HUGE way:) Haha!

Swim, Bike

Put together a real solid day of training today. Intervals in the pool as well as some endurance riding on the bike finishing with intervals there as well.

In the water I felt great. I was going faster then I thought and holding a solid and consistent pace for my big sets. I'm really excited to see how I'll perform in the water at races this year:). I'm sure to be faster, the only question is how much faster:).

On the bike I headed indoors to ride. Most days I'd suck up a little rain, but we've had some big rain here over the past couple days and many of the roads are flooded. Not to mention, the already bad drivers here are only worse in the rain and fog, so it was a much better idea to stay indoors. However, I did manage to crash off the rollers toward the end of the intervals. I was so fried I couldn't keep my balance anymore and wound up going off the side:). Scared the dog half to death and left a sweet skidmark on my freshly cleaned rugs...ah, the price of training:).

Gonna get some good food, so some foam rolling, and call it an early night. Work is light this week due to the school holiday, so I'll have plenty of time to relax and train hard. Gonna be fun!

Weights

Nothing like a weight workout to relieve some stress:). I had forgotten how much I like hitting the weights until today. It was short and sweet, but in the end I did a ton of core and some good functional training. I'm positive this will have a good impact on injury prevention as well as performance. I think a major reason I was injured this winter has to do with the fact that I never adopted a regular strength program. I always thought that because my background was in lifting weights and power sports, I already had the strength and balance to not need to worry about it. I couldn't have been more wrong!

I'm looking forward to keeping the weights as a permanent part of my training. I believe this, coupled with the regular stretching and self-massage I've done will pay off bigtime in the end. And even if it doesn't, it's still nice to get away from swimming, biking, and running all the time. Not that I'm at all tired with any of the three, just sayin'... :)

Tomorrow is back in the water and back on the bike. The weather is suppossed to remain crappy (rain) throughout tomorrow, so I'm thinking about doing my bike session indoors. Being that it's going to involve some hard intervals, it's actually might be in my best interest to do so!

Some more R and R...

Choosing to relax a bit more today. My legs are still tired, I woke up feeling groggy, and I'm generally just not in the mood to train today. Thinking back, I am coming off of about 4 weeks of hard training (including Spain), so a few light days are most likely in order. With tomorrow's weight session looming, I want to be as strong and rested as possible. I think quality is much more important than quantitiy, especially at this point of the season. I've done A LOT of base miles this winter, and I'm looking forward to the next phase of training. Not to mention, I don't think Lucky minds chillin' out today either-see pic:).

Otherwise, I'm going to be out doing some yard work today. We're expecting a ton of rain over the next couple of days, so some early Spring cleaning has got to get done today. Even if it is just cleaning up, it's great to be outside this time of year. The "fresh" smell just before the rain puts me in such a good mood.

My caffiene addicition seems to be sorting itself out. In earlier posts I'd mentioned that I'm quitting coffee and caffiene outright, but I am trying to cut down. I've been so addicted to energy drinks and coffee for the past couple years, it's amazing my heart hasn't exploded. While I don't think there's anything wrong with a cup or two of coffee in the morning to get things moving, there is a problem with drinking a full pot, then having Red Bull, energy drinks, and more coffee until late in the afternoon. No wonder I didn't sleep well for years:). So I've managed to hold my coffee down to 2-3 cups at most, most days of the week. Interestingly, I've found that I need less on my busier days. This leads me to believe that I was drinking caffiene most times out of boredem. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. Without all the caffiene I feel great, sleep better, and am able to keep my motivation on a more even keel. Also, I'm finding that I'm eating healthier and making better choices in regards to nutrition. Sure there are still plenty of Oreo cookies and Pizza in there, but not more McDonald's and 90% of the other garbage I was eating.

Something like a rest day

Kinda rested today. Not much training other than a short spin to get the stiffness out of the legs and a skateboard session with the Luckstar. I'm actually finding skateboarding to be a rather preferable recovery activity. It's just fun, and Lucky makes it funner:). The excitement she gets from seeing me pull out my skateboard is indescribable. I guess this is what parents must feel when their kids wanna go out and play catch or run around with them. It's just so much fun to see her sprint after the board and run around like a psycho chasing after me as I ride. Pure enjoyment!

The ride today was super short and very easy. My legs are wiped out from the effort in the run yesterday, and I'm starting to feel it today. It's funny though because shortly after the run I didn't feel spent at all. I was tired, but definately could have trained more yesterday. The heaviness in the legs today is something different though. I'm glad to have it as it really means I gave it an honest go yesterday.

Tomorrow is going to be another easy day before I get down to some serious training next week. Up Monday is a pure strength session with weights and all! With the exception of a couple times this winter, I haven't done any real lifting since my fighting days. I'm sure I'm going to be super weak, but it'll be fun to do something other than swim/bike/run.

On another note, I got to go out to dinner with my parents tonight. It was great spending some time with them as it seems to be less and less that I get to spend with them as I get older. It's interesting to go out with them as a grown up rather than a kid. Conversations are more serious, more alcohol is consumed:) (hahaha) and generally it's just a different feeling-a good one though. It must be quite a sight for them to see this grown man sit across from them. I'm sure it seems like just yesterday that I was 5 years old and running around in the street with my friends. Funny how life goes by so fast:).

As for the remainder of the evening, I'm going to sit back, relax, and watch the fights tonight. Good time to relax and kick back. I'm very excited about my life right now and things that are going on. There's a lot brewing and it's a great time to be alive so why not live all the way! Haha, ok, I won't get all philisophical... :-) Just excited:)

Run

Haaaaard run today. 10k effort, effort effort:). It hurt a bit at first, but once I settled in a bit...it still hurt. Ran so hard I just about puked from the effort. I haven't done this in a while. It's one of those things that suck really bad while you're doing it, but feels great when you're done! Overall, it wasn't the fastest 10k I've ever done (not even close), but for where I am in my running, I'm very happy with it.

I have a long way to go before my first big race in June, but luckily, there's plenty of time and plenty of local events to do before then.

For the rest of the afternoon I'm planning on a little skateboarding with Lucky, seeing one more client, and getting to bed early for some good biking this weekend. The weather isn't suppossed to be the best, but I'll make do with what I've got:). I am looking forward to whenever the weather breaks. I love the heat and can't wait for it to get here already!

Swim

Great swim today. Did some of the longest sets I've done all year:). It's really time to get those swim muscles in shape. A good stroke will only take you so far, so now it's fitness time. I've procrastinated a little on this, so now it's time to get down to business. No more Mr. Nice Dave:).

The rest of the day was pretty dedicated to work. I've had a lot of loose ends to tie up work-wise, so I took advantage of that today.

After work Lucky (my dog) and I got busy on the skateboard. She really likes running along side me while I ride, so for me it's a little active recovery and for her it's speed intervals. She's getting pretty good at riding as well, but I think the noise of the wheels kinda freak her out. This weekend I'm going to take her to the park where the paths are newly paved. My hope is that the smooth pavement dampers some of the "grinding" noise that scares her. Should be fun!!!

Tomorrow is some hard running so I'm gonna try and get some rest. Ideally I'd like to get it done early in the morning as the rest of my day I want to be free. It'll depend on how I sleep though, so fingers crossed:).

Swim 1500, Bike 90 mins

Got busy again on the bike today. My legs still feel like bricks, but they get going once they're warmed up a bit. I worked on strength today and pushed some big gears the whole 90 mins. I'm astonished at how fast I am on the bike when I'm not even trying. The goal for today was to chill a bit with the heartrate, and just concentrate on building up power even more. I intentionally taped over my bike computor so I wouldn't be tempted to speed up. The only fields shown were cadence and time. Interestingly, at the end of the ride, after I untaped my computor, I found that I still flew on the bike. I averaged a ridiculous speed for "taking it easy" today. I guess there is something to pushing big gears...lesson learned!:)

As for the swim, this was a tough one. I intended on getting to the pool by 5:30am before work, but didn't wind up getting out of bed until then! I was groggy and wanted to sleep in more, but decided to suck it up and just get in the water for however long I could before seeing my first client of the day. All in all, it wasn't a bad swim. I did 1500 straight with no rest. It wasn't crazy fast, but it was good to get in the water and good to get some kind of a swim in on the day. I'm dissapointed that I didn't get to bed earlier last night, but what's done is done. You can only deal with the here and now!

I have a couple more apopointments this afternoon, but I'll look to get plenty of rest and work on recovery. I'm still pretty tired from this weekends big effort, so if more rest is needed, that's what I'll take. Oh, and I'm gonna go skateboarding with my dog:).

Took the pic above on one of my winter rides. It's one of my favorites. The sunsets on the beach here are beautiful all year round:).

Swim, 1 hour run

Good day of training in the books today. Got in a nice hard swim in the morning, and a moderately paced run a couple hours later.

I woke up really tired this morning. I mean really tired. I was groggy, my legs felt like lead, and my eyes just wouldn't go all the way open. I got a cup of coffee, headed out the door, saw a client and headed to the pool.

I'm pretty happy with my swim right now. As I've said before, I believe now it's just a matter of putting in more yards. I spend all winter refining my stroke with the help of an awesome swim coach, so the bugs have been worked out and not it's time to condition the hell out of those swimming muscles.

As far as the run is concerened, I took things mostly easy today. My legs are still tired and heavy from this weekends bike riding, so I did't want to dig myself into a bigger hole. After about ten minutes in, my stride started to get going and the rest of the run was easy. I'm looking forward to feeling how easy running will be once I get more miles in. Now, and since the injury, it's felt a bit labored. I guess that's to be expected after having to take three months off completely from running.

Tomorrow I'm looking to get back on the bike for some strength work. I'm deathly afraid of losing all the power I brought home from Spain. It's probably a ridiculous thing to be afraid of, but I really don't want to reach back and not find it there one day:). Otherwise, life is good and I'm happy. I try to smile more and more each day and I think it's working because my face is starting to hurt:).

Rest Day

Today is the definition of resting HARD for me. I've had work in the morning, and finished around 11, at which point I went to Whole Foods, got some cheap soup, went home, and promptly passed out on the couch for a couple hours. It's funny because I didn't feel tired, and I didn't feel sleepy. I just passed out like I'd traied for hours. I guess it's cumulative.

This weekend wasn't all that high on volume, but for sure high on effort. For that matter, ever since I've gotten home there's been nothing but effort, effort, effort. It's paying off and I still feel strong, but today's rest day was greatly deserved and needed.

After I finish with my afternoon clients, I'm going to look at a skateboard for my dog. We've been going out for skateboard-walks lately and she seems to like it. For me this is ideal as I can allow her to run and play without putting more running miles in my legs. Usually it's not too much of a big deal to run a couple extra miles with her, but with coming back from my injury and the current "tiredness" in my legs, I think it's best not to overdo things. Besides, skateboarding rocks! I now remember why I loved it so much as a kid!

Tomorrow is back to business with a morning run and afternoon swim. The run will be medium length and the swim will be big. A few miles on the road and a lot of yards in the pool! Should be a bunch of fun!:)

5 hour ride

Something like a 5 hour ride today. After being so shelled yesterday after my ride, I really didn't know how this was going to pan out. The only "plan" I had for this ride was to just take it easy-really, really easy. Since coming back from Spain, it's been one hammerfest after another. Yesterday was the peak of the hammering...

After I blogged yesterday, I had some serious cramping in my quads and inner thighs. So much so I couldn't walk or even stand. Excrutiating pain that comes only from beating yourself into oblivion. Needless to say, today was a bit of a question mark.

Suprisingly, from the beginning of the ride, the legs felt good. Actually they felt better than good which was a bit suprising. They weren't fresh, but definately recovered enough to the point of being able to do some hard riding today. However, being that I'm dumb but not that dumb, I decided to chillax a bit for the day. I put tape over my bike computor and just rode like I felt. I tried to enjoy the day, not worry about speed or power or heartrate, and just get some saddle time in.

Mission accomplished. I left the house around 12pm and got back a little after 5. I took it easy, made a coffee stop, and basically just tooled around for a few hours. Very good for the mind as well as the body.

Tomorrow is a rest day and I plan on resting hard. Although I feel ok, the effects of yesterday may have not fully shown up yet. I might go for an easy spin or a light swim, but that's about it. Otherwise the day will be devoted to some stretching, massage, and eating well. Gonna have to make another Whole Foods trip. I'll attempt to get an entire meal for free by going through the sample stations;). Gotta love being poor!

4 hour bike, 30 min run

Today I took years off my life riding my bike. I went out so hard, for so long, I literally couldn't see straight and had to pull off the road to avoid all the swerving. The original workout called for 4 hours, with 4x20 min HARD effort. I had every intention of doing the workout as planned, but something clicked in my brain, and I wanted to see what I could endure. It's odd, but I really wanted to wreck myself on the bike to see just how far I could take it before I cracked. In a race last season, pacing was a major issue. I don't blame the mistep on the fact that I went too hard, I blame it on the fact that I didn't know just how hard I could go. In otherwords, I didn't have the knowledge of my maximum effort. I never did it and I didn't feel it.

So today I got a real taste of just what I was made for. I pushed the limits for as long as I could, got my wits back after some easy riding, and pushed it again. I rode so hard that I had a sore throat, trouble breathing, and rubbery legs the likes of which I've never felt. I accomplished something I think will really help me this season. Call it stupid or ameturish, but I feel very happy about completely shelling myself.

When I arrived home, I put on my running shorts and shoes, then collapsed in a heap on the livingroom floor. Couldn't move, couldn't think straight, just had to lay there for a bit. After I got myself together, I actually got in a pretty decent run. I missed out on the benefit of getting a true transition run in there, but nonetheless, the legs came around and I was actually able to run pretty quick.

Great day of training today with tons learned about myself. Tomorrow is a 5-6 hour EASY ride with a swim before. At this point, I don't think I'll have any other speed but easy:). We'll see...

Easy swim

Swam today nice and easy. Did a couple hard, but short sets. My goal was to not do anything too taxing. The last few days have been tough and my legs are feeling it. The workouts this weekened are going to take a lot, so in effect, I am resting for them.

The weather has really broken here in the Northeast. It's about 70 today, and suppossed to get up near 72 tomorrow. Funny though, the first thing on my mind when the weather gets nice is sitting outside and having a beer. Either this means my head is not into training, or the weather doesn't bother me much. I like to think the weather doesn't bother me much for training as I've only done about 2 trainer rides all winter and all the rest were outside, either in snow, hail, rain, or all three:).

Tomorrow's bike ride is going to be tough and I need to be well rested. I'm planning on getting a good night's sleep tonight and waking up feeling refreshed and ready to blow it away. The melatonin and Sleepytime tea did the trick last night. I slept 9 hours without a problem. Could have been the glass of wine I had with dinner though too:). Either way, I'm going to continue on that regimen and see what happens. Hopefully it'll get lighter sooner in the morning, as this also has a negative effect on me when I get up. Only time will tell.

45 min run, 1 hour swim

Today was tough. Tougher than the last couple have been. I worked hard over the last two days and it came out in today's training. I felt like crap the whole run this morning. It was like running through the loosest beach sand you can ever imagine. Somehow I ran fast with a relatively low HR, but it felt like I was going nowhere. Funny how that works sometimes...

The pool was great today. I felt very strong in the water and my swim coach confirmed that my stroke looked "beautiful"-her words, not mine:). We did some hypoxic sets (my first ever) and interestingly, they gave me more confidence in my swim than anything else. I always thought I needed to breath more, but the truth is I really don't. The sets allowed me to feel even more comfortable in the water. Really interesting and cool stuff.

Tonight I'm hoping to get some real good sleep. Last night was a good sleep night, but the previous two hadn't been. For some reason or another, I've been waking up in the middle of the night. I went out and bought some Sleepytime tea and Melatonin yesterday and it worked pretty well last night. I'm not sure what the cause of the waking up in the middle of the night is, but I'm hoping this is going to nip it in the bud.

Tomorrow is a welcomed easy day with only a swim, and then it's on to a weekend full of good weather, long rides, a run or two, and another swim. I'm looking forward to riding long this weekend without having to "suit up" for 45 minutes beforehand!

Swim, 2:10 Bike

Another good day on the bike. Not the same effort as yesterday, but good nonetheless. My legs started out really tired and at the beginning I wanted to just bag the workout entirely. As I warmed up they came around, and it would up being a great ride on a beautiful day. I actually rode without gloves, knee warmers, booties, or a skullcap under my helmet! What a day!

Swim wise it was a good day. I'm feeling powerful in the water and for the first time am really feeling quite confident in my swim. I'm not saying it's going to be a strength this year, but it certainly ain't gonna hold me back none.

Tomorrow is a bit of an easier day. Run in the morning, swim in the afternoon. I know I'll be dying to get out on the bike as the weather is going to be even better than today, but I gotta get my run back. Time to put the work in. Also, this weekend is going to be spectacular, and I've got a couple long rides planned for Saturday and Sunday. Definately looking forward to that!

2 hour bike, 50 min run

I rode my bike 'till it hurt today. It hurt bad. It hurt so bad it made me love it. Kind of sick, but whatever works. On the ride I did 1:30 of everything I had. Power, power, and more power. Sustained all on a pretty flat loop. It hurt real bad and I loved every second of it. The last 30 mins was basically trying not to fall of my bike from exhaustion and just getting home.

I've come back from Spain a totally different athlete. I've realized that I have a ton of power that I've never even thought to use before. It's amazing how 10 days can change your outlook on the sport, but damn, I wish I would have known this before. In many ways though, I don't think I could have handled it if I would have found out this time last year. As a matter of fact, I can barely handle it now!

So suddenly I feel like a beast on the bike. This has led to two things. 1-I'm trigger happy. Every ride turns into a powerfest and I ride too hard too much, and 2-I'm afraid if I don't use it, I'll loose it. Now both of these ideas are pretty stupid, I'll admit, but it's funny what a new tool in the athlete's portfolio will do. This new weapon of power and speed must be looked after properly. If I choose to abuse it I'm sure it's just gonna blow up in my face.

After the bike I met up with my speedy runner friend Laura for a 50 min run. We didn't go too hard, and I was thankful because my legs felt like a baby deer. We hit some hills, ran some of the beach, and just caught up a bit. Good day all around.

Tomorrow is back in the pool for a big swim day. I'm sure my legs are gonna feel like lead!

Rest Day

Twenty minute swim this morning and that's all the physical activity I plan on doing for the rest of the day. Trying to kick the HUGE caffiene habit I've developed is proving to be quite a tough act. After not downing my usual pot of coffee before the swim today, I found myself halfway through my first length with a splitting headache. Although this sucks and hurts, I think it's going to be much better for the long run. I'm not giving it all up, but definately cutting consumption down to one or two cups a day.

Otherwise today is full of more real life stuff. Time to take care of some issues that have been looming, and hopefully I'll have the energy to conquer them all. The weather is going to again be crap, as we've been hit here for the last three days with a lingering rain/thunder storm. Luckily, the rest of the week is suppossed to be beautiful so there will be plenty of time to get pretty bike rides in:). Goodness knows I need them after some of the stress I've been dealing with!

65 min run

Got up this morning with zero motivation to do anything. I was tired, groggy, and in the mood to just stay in bed. So I did. I didn't worry too much about the swim I wanted to do, I just let my body dicatate my day. I managed to stay in my PJ's until noon, drink a great cup of coffee, watch a couple movies, and play with the dog. Just a nice, relaxing Sunday morning-something I really think my body appreciated.

Around 1pm I started to feel ambitious, so I got out to do the run I had planned. Keep in mind I had wanted to swim, bike, AND run today, but it just wasn't to be. So I got out on the run and felt ok. Nothing special, just put in the work. It's amazing how much your body changes when it's not used to doing something. Before I injured my foot/calf/whatever the hell it was, I had been running better than ever. At that point it never felt like work. Running was easy and enjoyable. I felt coordinated, fast, and smooth. Three months later I feel 'blocky' and uncoordinated. I'm not slow, but it's hard work. I've been staying pretty disciplined and allowing my HR to dictate my pace. It's going to come back, it's just going to take a little time and patience.

I've also been very careful in coming back to running. I'm only running every other day, and my longest run since the injury was today. I've only gone up by time and not milage. The way I see it, running by time is a better idea for me than milage, as it doesn't take into account pace. If I were to run by distance, it might take me longer than desired to reach, and therefore allow for another injury. I don't know if it all makes sense, but I'm comfortable doing it this way and I think that's half the battle.

Tomorrow is going to be a day off. I may swim a little in the morning, but I really believe my mind and body need a little rest. Culminating with the Spain trip, I've put in a lot of good work this winter and have laid a solid foundation to build on for this season. Finding that I wasn't motivated this morning is telling me that it may be time to take a step back and let everything cool down as not to get burned out before the season begins. I'm still more than 5 weeks out from my first race of the season, so I think it's a good time.

Oh and one more thing. It's not that I don't like Lance Armstrong, it's just that WOW! Alberto Contador is good! What a cyclist! That guy is going to be a terriffic champion for years to come and Paris-Nice was just the beginning of what's going to be a sensational year. Armstrong will always be my favorite rider, but boy is Contador a close second. Just sayin'...

3 hour bike

Great focused day of training today. As much as I hate training indoors, sometimes it can't be avoided. I've ridden my bike in blizzards and driving rain, but because I wanted to get in some solid efforts today, I decided it would be best to suck it up, hop on the rollers and trainer, and get down to business.

I didn't do anything too complex, just 3x20 min "big gear" efforts. Basically I would alternate between easy, aerobic periods of 20 minutes and big gear sustained efforts. Since I don't have a power meter, I geared up (or down) to 53x11 and kept the cadence around 80-85 for twenty mins. Felt great and left me tired by the end of the 3 hours.

I noticed in Spain that I was primarily a "small gear" rider. That is, I wasn't pushing big gears and was spinning out quite badly on many of the climbs. Power and pushing bigger gears is going to be a big priority for me. I've noticed a huge increase in speed and effeciency when I ride like this so I want to keep it going. Also, since Ironman is such a sustained effort of not slowing down over a long day, I think it'll serve me well.

Just got and email that made my day so I'm gonna go respond to it:). Tomorrow is an easy swim in the morning, long, easy ride after, and another hour run when I'm done with that. Hopefully all will go well!

Swim, 45 min run

Great swim this morning. Didn't worry too much about in intensity, but rather form and settling into a pace. I haven't swum much in the past couple weeks, so it's time to get serious about it again. Today was a good start.

This afternoon I got back to my favorite trail. The last time I ran this trail it was a disaster as I wasn't completely healed from the injury. Today reminded me why I love running so much. It was the first time I can honestly say that I felt terriffic the whole time, and was completely at peace on my trail:). I pulled the plug at the 45 minute mark. I really want to take it very, very easy as I make it back into running. I would have loved to run more today, but it just wouldn't have been the smart thing to do.

This weekend is gonna be sketchy. I'm definately going to ride long on the bike tomorrow and Sunday, the only question will me how much I'm going to be able to do outdoors. We're suppossed to get hit with a storm tomorrow with very hard winds. There's a point when you need to tough things out and get out in the elements, and there's a time when you have to realize that you're not going to get any "real" training in horrible weather. This weekend looks like it's going to be the latter. Either way, Sunday is looking like the lesser of the bad days so I'll most likely get some solid riding outside that day-even if it is a bit wet.

3k swim and a little rant...

Going to the pool today to do something like a 3k swim. I'm not sure how it will go and I'm not too concerned either. I've been feeling like poop all day and all I want to do is sleep. I'm not sure if it's because of stress or the rides I've done the last couple days, but whatever it is, it's sapping my energy right now. Also, I've decided to cut my caffiene intake dramatically (it was scaaary!), and eat better, so maybe the shift in diet and coffee consumption is playing games with my system. Either way, I've still be able to put in some solid training less than a week removed from the biggest cycling week of my life, so overall I'm happy. It's gonna suck to ride in the rain all weekend, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do...

For the rant: So I work in the fitness industry, and the biggest thing that annoys me is when people take advantage of others. What I mean by this is trainers, instructors and the like, taking money from people based on false premises and misinformation. I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but as Americans, we're obsessed with the idea of a "magic bullet". Forget about work and being patient to see results, we want what we want when we want it. Unfortunately, fitness and athletics don't lend themselves to getting something for nothing.

For every client I work with, I like to think that I educate them as much as I train them. My goal is for them to be able to develop the knowledge to be able to train themselves without me. While from a business standpoint this may seem insane, it's a value I have that I'm very proud of. Each person that comes to me should and hopefully does get their money's worth. In no way would I ever want to cheat them out of something as important as health and wellbeing. Fitness and exercise is so important to me, I wouldn't feel right in exploiting it. My life has been changed by being active, and I hope to instill that in others.

My personal opinions aside, other's don't always feel this way. They exploit people for everything they're worth, stringing them along on false hopes and promises. One particular fitness instructor I know (whom I won't name but should be outted because he is basically stealing from people) is making a killing doing just that. If brought to his attention he would probably insist that I was jealous of his "success". However, I've got everything I need. Every single person I work with gives me joy, and at the end of the day, I feel that I've provided them with the best of my abilities and to the best of my knowledge. No matter what, I can go home at the end of the day fulfilled and happy, knowing (or at least hoping) I was able to make their day better and healthier.

This schmuck (pardon the harshness) can't possibly feel the same. There's a special place in hell for people that take advantage of others. I'm sorry about the long rant, but this is just something that means a lot to me. Seeing someone like this do the exact opposite of what I believe in just really ruffles my feathers. I only hope that there are less of him, and more of people that really want to make a positive difference in the lives of others through health and fitness. END OF RANT! :)

So tomorrow is another easy run and most likely back in the pool. The legs are still feeling a bit heavy and tired, so I might also go out for a short and easy spin to loosen them up.

45 min run, 2:30 bike

Great run in the morning. My legs were still feelin' it a bit from the hard session on the bike yesterday, but most importantly I made it through the run with absolutely no issues from the foot. Good run all around.

This afternoon I got out on the bike for a 2-3 hour ride. Being that I finished the last of my Hammer Nutrition products in Spain, I went out with a water bottle and some gels. Well, at about the 1:45 mark I bonked. I NEVER bonk. I'm not even sure I know what it is! Nevertheless, I was close to the gym I work out of and was able to snag a bar and feel instantly better. Finished the ride strong. I could have kept riding hard which is good because it shows that I'm finally recovered from my travel and ready to start training regularly again.

So far this week the volume hasn't been very high, but I believe the quality is there. I need to be careful and not overdo it though, as last week at camp was a very big effort. Tomorrow is just a swim and I'm actualy looking forward to it! The legs deserve some rest!

2 hour ride, 1 hour swim

HARD ride this morning. I decided to mix things up a bit and do an hour and 15 mins of all-out-effort riding, followed by 45 minutes of easy riding. Easily said: I'm shelled. I've never pushed so hard on the bike-actually, I've never been able to push so hard on the bike. I've come back from Spain with an INSANE amount of power. With great power come great responsibility though. The last two rides I've had, though short, have been speedy. I really am going to have to draw myself in a bit and take it easy. Blasting the roads is fun though, so hopefully I'll be able to control myself enough as not to burn out:).

The swim was pretty noneventful. Met with coach Kerry again today, and most of the time we worked on form. I'm swimming rather well right now, but I'll need to up the volume sooner rather than later as races are drawing near. I'm feeling confident and comfortable though, and that's half the battle.

I have a bit of stress in my life right now and I'm not diggin' it. "Real Life" stuff is just plain annoying, but sometimes you have to go through the fire to reap the benefits. Either way, I'll keep positive and get through it all. Adversity creates character.

Tomorrow is a 3 hour ride and easy run. I'm just getting back on the wagon with my running so I'll continue to take it lightly. My legs are shot from the effort on the bike today, so I'll most likely have little problem keeping the bike easy.

Rest Day

I can't stand the idea of resting today, but that's what's on the schedule, so that's what I'm stickin' to. the weather is gorgeous and temps are in the 60's. Sun and fun outside and all I can do is think about riding or running outside. It's good though, because my body needs the rest. I woke up groggy and tired this morning which lets me know I'm not yet entirely over the travel. One more day of quality rest and I should be ready to resume normal training.

Today is also a day to take care of some work related stuff. It's great how much you can get done when you don't have a workout/workouts looming. Today will be productive in that regard.

Diet and nutrition also need to get back on track. I spent 10 days eating fabulously healthy food in Spain and I've really blown it since coming back. I'm gonna work hard to keep that a priority starting today.

Ride, 1 hour

Still shelled from the travel and trying to be too productive too soon. I think it would have served me well not to train for a couple days after the flight back and concentrate completely on recovery. As it is, my stomoach is getting better, but still a bit "iffy" at times, and I got a migrane for the first time in months today. Usually, getting a migrane for me is a sign of overextending myself and not resting enough. Tomorrow is a rest day so I'm sure things will start to come together by Tuesday.

On the ride today, I was absolutely amazed to see the results of the Spain trip. While I was still not quite 100% rested, the power I'm putting out on the bike is unreal. I was pushing bigger gears and going faster than I can ever remember. Just crazy...

I'm so excited about my training right now and getting ready to race. This is really going to be a great season and exciting new year!

Run, 30 mins

Not much of a training day today. My body is still readjusting to the travel and I'm feeling a little weak. I'm come to a conclusion: Travel when you're not used to it sucks. That's it, 'nuff said.

On the bright side, my foot is feeling near 100%. I think the only thing that needs to come around as far as it's concerned is my mental state. That is, it's most likely fully healed, only my natural reaction is to baby it and step gingerly as if it's still hurt. I'm sure that time will fix that, and before I know it I'll be running completely normal again. I'm also glad that I had such a big cycling focus this winter as a result of the foot. I think I would have probably tried to run way too much this winter and wound up with some larger issues.

I was planning on doing a little ride today, but as stomach is still acting funny I'm going to skip it. Tomorrow will be a different story. If I'm feeling good it's a green light, but if I feel even the slightest bit sick, I'll wait until next week to get back to some serious riding. Either way, the sun is shining, spring is around the corner, and I'm smiling. Not a bad way to be!

Rest

Didn't have much energy to train today. I've got A LOT on my mind lately, and that coupled with the fact that I ran harder and swam harder than I should have yesterday, made for quite a queesy feeling throughout the day. Travel, in itself, really takes a toll on the body. If it's not respected (i.e. if you're like me and go into "meathead toughguy" mode), it can come back to bite you in the arse.

My stomach is also presenting a bit of a problem lately. While in Spain it was a bit of an issue, and now that I'm back it continues to give me some distress. I imagine from all the travel and stress I'm turning myself inside out right now and that's the root of the problem. Hopefully taking it a bit easy this weekend will prove a remedy.

I'm planning on spinning easy tomorrow and perhaps doing a bit of an easy 3 hour ride on Sunday. After the training camp in the mountians I'm chomping at the bit to get out on the local roads. Either way, it'll have to wait until the body is ready to go. The last thing I want to do right now is make myself sick or overtrain. My eagerness in cases such as this one often presents itself as a liability rather than a strength. I'll have to keep my head on straight to avoid a misstep.

I was thinking today about the phrase "To die without scars." As I thought more and more about it, I realized, quite obviously, that it's not only about physical scars. Scars come emotionally, physically, financially, regretfully, etc. Each has it's own unique way of imprinting itself on the core of who you are. Decisions lead to scars. Whether physical, emotional, rational or irrational, decisions-good and bad-are the direct predesessor. What I'm getting at is that mistakes made by decisions leave scars, but build who we are. Being "made of scars" shows character. It proves that you're not afraid to take chances that in the end may leave you with a deep and fortunate understanding of who you really are. The last thing I want to do is go through life with a clean slate. I want to taste, feel, live, and breath decisions I make. I want them under my fingernails, in my hair, and on my clothes. With every move I make I want to feel alive. I want to bathe in it and accept it for what it is. Anything short of that is to cheat yourself of the short time you have to really live.

Run 1 hour, Swim with coach

Been very productive since arriving home. So far the only good thing about being back (besides seeing my parents and dog) is that I'm still on Spain time. So this morning I shot out of bed at 4am, unpacked my stuff, rebuilt and cleaned my bike, made coffee, and made a great breakfast. I'm in the middle of the day now and seeing clients until I break for the afternoon.

I ran an hour yesterday and felt fantastic. Very easy, just to let the legs out a bit, but good nonetheless. I'm going to run again this afternoon before my swim session with coach Kerry, but only for about 45 mins-again nice and easy. I'm sure I'm more tired than I think and I don't want to dig a hole that'll be tough to get out of once real training resumes again this weekend.

Also gotta look into Visas for a longer stay in Europe:) Hmm.....

Home

So I'm home and I'm bummed. It's amazing the impact one trip can have on your life. The people you meet; the places you go; the things you see; they all play such an incredible impact on what you think and how you percieve things. I know so much more now about myself and what I want from life. This trip has given me the courage to dig deeper and the desire to pursue my goals that much more.

Life's desicions are not something to take lightly, and at the same time something you need to put your heart behind. You only get one shot at this life and you can make of it what you want. You're only cheating yourself if you don't give it everything you've got. Being safe and doing what you "should do" as dictated by others is not always the way to go. I want to let it rip, follow my heart and work hard to create stories I can tell my grandchildren when all I can do is tell stories:).

This trip to Spain was so much more than just a training camp. Sure it was nice to travel, meet FANTASTIC people, and ride some of the most beautiful roads in the world, but more importantly, this trip poured the foundation for what I want from life. I guess sometimes you need to see what's on the "other side of the fence", so to speak:).

So anyway, with all that I'm home and I'm excited about what the next chapter of my life will hold. It's nice to see my folks and play with Lucky Dog, but there's a restlessness underneath it all-a good one:).

The pics are all from Spain. I was busy training most of the time so I didn't get too many. They're still awesome though! Oh, and Mark Cavendish was in front of that Columbia Highroad car. He was just too damned fast to get a pic of! :)

Last Day...I don't wanna go home!!!

Excellent time spent here in Spain! I can't believe it's over already. I've really had a chance to learn from some great pro "roadies" and triathletes-more than I could ever have imagined I would. Life is so simple when you're just training, eating, and recovering. I really can't wait to do this again!

I've also developed a profound respect for professional cyclists. The amount that they suffer and push themselves into the ground is phenomenal. It was a pleasure to be able to try and dig as deep as them this week.

Europe is amazing. I could really see myself being here in the long term. All of the people I met were great and the culture he is incredible. We're really cheated in a lot of ways being so isolated in the States. Don't get me wrong, I love America, but Europe has so much to offer and so many of the things I thought I knew about things here are much, much different than I expected, and in a very good way. I'm so sorry to leave this place and the people I've met behind, but there's no doubt in my mind that I'll be back in the near future.

As I've said in my previous posts about the camp, the terrain is amazing. Getting strong on the bike is not an option, it's just a result. I really don't think you can leave a place like this without seeing immediate results when you get home. I'm just happiest that I didn't completely burn myself out. I'm feeling strong and still in one piece which was my goal from the onset.

Tomorrow will be out last bit of training before heading for the airport for a late afternoon flight. After all the cycling these 10 days (and because my bike will be all packed up and ready to fly), I'm going to run a little. Most likely I'll cut it at the hour mark as my running has really not been consistent in the last 3-4 months because of my injury. Luckily, the weather is crap at home so I'll have plenty of time to get my running legs back when I return.:)

I know I promised pics and vids, but because of the bad internet connections (generally not a bad thing), I'll have to post them after I get home. I've got some cool pics and some other links to pics that were taken by others while we were here. There will be plenty to share I promise!!!