Titles are the Hardest Part

I wonder why it's so hard for me to come up with good titles for these entries. I always try to have them be witty and meaningful to the reader but I guess if you want meaning and wit, just read on (assuming today is a good day).

So now that I have my house and have been living in it for a while, I'm starting to get excited for next year again. I feel like I did when I first started growing giant pumpkins. So much potential but so much unknown. It's exciting! I discover new plants and cultivars almost daily, many have never been seen before by another person!

To give you an example, I was roaming around a container nursery the other day and I spotted a weird looking branch (a sport) coming off a plant that just looked different. As I looked closer I saw that the outside of the leaves were green and the inside center of the leafs were white (variegated). The mother plant had the opposite, green centers but white (variegation) around the edges. A discover like this could be huge if it turns out to be superior to the mother plant. The owner of the containers fortunately permitted me to take a cutting!

This is the kind of stuff that gets me excited. It may be sound weird to a non-horticulturist but to me, I love it. I suppose that's why I've lost interest in cycling. I seem to always want to lead a mono-dimensional life. I used to be so into triathlons and I loved it like I do plants. But at the time I didn't care for horticulture. Now for whatever reason my interests are sliding into another direction even though I was having some good success on the bike.

Oh well. Yes I feel guilty but I'm happy and that's all that matters. Maybe I'll start riding consistently again and maybe I wont. I don't know. I trained so hard for a lot of years and I feel like I've been there and done that. With horticulture there's always something new to find!

Oak Ridge Road Race and Time Trial

So I guess I'm a cyclist now.

The cat 5 race started out squirrely and punchy as always. Even in the neutral zone people were hitting their brakes hard and playing that accordion like a French street musician . Stop, go, stop, go, back and forth, back and forth. I was trying to leave a bike length buffer zone ahead of me but goofballs would always cut into the gap and then hit their brakes. Eventually I found myself at the back from trying to leave little buffer gaps. Being at the end of a squirrely peloton = bad as I would soon find out.

Finally some attacks came and that seemed to cut some of the nervous energy down a bit. I think most of them were dummy attacks but at least we were racing. Then as we hit the first little stinger of a hill the whole peloton nearly imploded! I finally said out loud, "Who's driving up there?" and a few people chuckled. Three people had just dropped their chain! Ahhh! I was trying to stay positive but I was getting frustrated. Then someones saddle bag came off and started flailing and flapping all over the place. The dude reached down and as he tried to fix it, he nearly took out the rest of the group that had just barely avoided the dropped chain gauntlet. It was actually funny how nuts we all were.

The first hill was approaching and I decided to go to the front and apply some pressure to separate some of the riders. Near the top I pulled off and there were only 4 or 5 still on my wheel. Cool! Except two of them were on the same team so I didn't really want to work that hard with them. Oh well. Eventually the group worked itself back to about 20 riders. Fortunately, things were much smoother.

I didn't have an odometer so I kept asking Drew how much farther. Surely the finish was right around the corner, but it wasn't. The race was moving slow again and we were spread out across the entire road. The motorcycle referee came up and yelled at us to not cross the center line again or we'd be disqualified. Since we were going so slow and the finish was approaching, I could feel everyone getting antsy again. I went to the front and did a little turn for a minute or so and then surprisingly, everyone started to pull through and work together. It was great!

We turned a sharp right corner and immediately, a dude attacked. I was like, "Okay, anyone else feel like chasing that?" Then I saw a big 500m on the road and I thought, "Oh sh!t! That's the winning move right there!" I shot out of the saddle and closed down the gap as quick as I could. I immediately went right by him and saw 200m on the road. "Go go go" I thought. "Everything you've got!" I crossed the line and then quickly entered that state of oxygen debt where you feel like throwing up, pooping your pants, and cursing at the same time. As we grouped back up we all introduced each other and chatted about the race before being allowed to ride back down the hill. It was a great race and I was glad I got up extra early for once.

The Time Trial

The time trail would be different. Instead of a few seconds of pain at the end of your race, it would be nearly 20 minutes of pain. That sounds short compared to my 40k and 56mi triathlon time trials but you have to push so much harder. I'll repeat, SO MUCH HARDER. As my start time drew nearer I actually started to get nervous. In a road race anyone can look good hiding behind wheels and blasting for the finish in a last minute dive. The other cyclist and even yourself can get a false impression of fitness. In a time trial its all you.

5...4...3...2...1...Go!

That count down is one of the scariest things you'll ever hear in this sport. You know it will hurt... a lot! But you don't know what will happen. There's just so much uncertainty.

I'm pretty sure I started off faster than I wanted to because of my nervous energy but before I knew it, I topped the first hill. Now I felt the efforts begging to set in. "Stay aero and smooth" I kept saying to myself, "only a few more miles left after this." Work on catching the next rider up front.

On the second little rise of a hill I was giving it everything. I know going up hills is where I'll do the most damage so I was really pushing. On the down hills I was spinning out but still trying to apply the pressure. Now where is that 1k mark?! I'm dying here.

I finished and luckily ended up wining luckily... but it was close! Chris Morelock finished only two seconds back, pushing me all the way. I was happy for wining but there are a lot of improvements I can make for next time.

A Brand New World

Okay. There are two reasons for my long interlude between posts. First, I've been boringly busy. Second, and probably the main reason, I have not had access to a reliable internet source at home. So here we go. I'm preparing to start a brand new chapter.

I just finished moving into my new house. It's a little slice of heaven for sure and I feel very fortunate and lucky to have landed such a nice place. It comes with a little creek in the back and 22 acres that are mostly cleared for pasture. There is a small garden around the home but its filled with boring hum-drum foundation landscape plants. We'll be fixing that in the years to come. The house was originally a log home but the outside was laid over with vinyl siding due to all the boring (as in burrowing) type insects and carpenter bees. The inside is log home-like and very cozy. Brianne thinks it looks like a big lincoln log fort. Whatever it looks like, I like it. I'll be posting some picture in the future.

Bike riding has taken a back seat again. That's okay. I like to take a mid season break to completely rest, both my body and mind. I get burned out if I go go go. When I was riding I was improving so quickly it was thrilling and a little frightening. It seemed as though nothing or nobody could stop me. Work is winding up and I seem to be finding my stride. I'll just need to find a way to become more efficient and refined so I can do some of the other things I love. I'll probably just pick up on something else or expand one of my other hobbies. That's okay. Either way, I'll still be doing something I love.

Being a Grown-up

February already. Now that I work 5 days a week like a normal person, the time really seems to fly by. I get up, shower, eat breakfast, make a lunch, go to work, try to get things done (if I can stay focused), come home, spin on the trainer for 0:45 to 1:15, throw the Frisbee for Spruce, make dinner, read, and go to bed. Pretty exciting huh? I wonder if that’s how it works once you grow up. But luckily we still have weekends!

Every Saturday I make a serious effort to ride with a bike group. It is really the only way I am going to meet people and get involved. I never thought of myself as a liberal, just someone in the middle. But man, here in Tennessee if I open my political opinions up I might get shot! People ask me where I keep my guns. Why is everyone so insecure about being gun-less? I’m all for owning guns, shooting them, and don't hold anything personal against them but they are such a big deal to so many people. I guess I just wasn't raised that way. Maybe someday I’ll buy a gun and play with it or just let it sit in my closet... Anyway, sorry for the rant. So it’s nice to ride bikes with some like minded people. It’s the highlight of my week usually.

So I've given up running and swimming.  The pool is too far away and I’m bored with running I think. I've run my whole life and my odds of improving a lot more are small. However, I've never seriously giving cycling a go. Cycling was originally my weakest discipline in triathlon but I think that’s because I swam and ran a lot. My potential to improve in cycling is much greater than swimming or running. Plus cycling is way more social than having your head underwater or long solo runs. So we’ll see what happens. I've joined the local cycling team in the area, Team Volkswagen, so that should make cycling a little more motivating and fun. It’s nice to be a part of something more than yourself too.

Hmmm, let's see...

I got a job (with plants... YES!), I left everything familiar back west, I moved to McMinnville, Tennessee, I stopped training for triathlons, and now I am building a life of my own.

Currently I'm back in Spokane, WA visiting my family for Christmas. My sister Bonnie flew in from Boston, my 94 year old grandma came down for Christmas dinner, and the old dogs, Gus and Pepper, were happy to see everyone too. Dad came over a few days ago and Bonnie and I went out to breakfast at the greasiest breakfast joint on Spokane, Mollies. It was nice to see everyone again.

So in a few days I'll be heading back to little old McMinnville, TN and work again. I hope I don't go another 5 or 6 months between posts, otherwise this blog wont be very interesting with all the gaps.

I have managed to run two days in a row and I even swam at the downtown YMCA this morning. It was only 1200yd. and the last 200 I could barely get my arms out of the water so I had to resort to the back stroke but it is a step in the right direction. I'm toying with the idea of putting my serious running and swimming on hold for a season and just concentrate on cycling. I've met a wonderful cycling club in Tullahoma, TN, the Highland Rim Cycling Club http://www.hrbike.org/, and they really think I should give bike racing a go.

So we'll call that good, I'll try to get back on a regular posting track but we'll see since I don't have internet access at my house. Merry Christmas everyone!

Boise 70.3 in Juneuary

Let's get one thing out before I begin.

I am happy with this race.

Lately, it seems as though nothing has been able to make me happy. Everyone has to deal with life's curve ball from time to time and although I was pitched several curve balls recently, I wasn't going to let them influence me from doing one of the things left that makes me happy, triathlon.

There was no need to set the alarm clock since the start of the race was scheduled for 12:00. When I did finally get up, the comforting sight of sunlight streaming through my window the morning before was gone. Looking out the window, a 40 deg. hurricane was in the process of steamrolling the poor little city of Boise!

Once we made it to the race start I still had two and a half hours until the start of my wave. There was no shelter anywhere and the conditions were more horrendous up on the hill than in the city. I saw others already in their wetsuits and figured I better do the same. Two hours until my wave starts. I guess we wait now.

As I looked around at everyone in their skimpy wetsuits huddled next to the trucks, under trees, and stairs for what little shelter there was, it was becoming apparent that conditions were getting dangerous. Most people (myself included) were beginning to show the early signs of hypothermia like, loss of coordination, uncontrollable shivering, and some of our lips were looking rather blue. Then the race organizer spoke up announcing that the bike course would be shortened from 56 miles to 15 miles. Conditions on the course were even worse than what they were on the hill and the danger of hypothermia and exposure was just too great. Everyone immediately started grumbling and whining hearing this but deep down, were probably sighing relief.

Finally, our wave was in the water and swimming after what seemed like waiting all day in the cold. Funny, but who knew that 55 degree water could feel warm! More than anything, I swam as hard as I could for the first 400m to work up some heat. I seemed to be making good progress, keeping the few lead swimmers in sight, and then we ran into the other waves. Over, around, through, and even under I swam. I'm not sure why the race organizers decide to send one of the strongest age group waves last but it is what it is and everyone had to work through it. Considering everything on the day, I had a good swim and exited the water right at 30 minutes.

Running out of the water (I think I was running) I couldn't feel my legs. On top of that I have never been so dizzy in my life. I staggering to my bike and drunkenly grabbed for my helmet and glasses. Once I got rolling down the road, I cranked those gears up and rode as hard as I could to get warm! Forget pacing man! This is a 15 mile BALLS ON FIRE time trail, and I need to warm up.

People were actually biking in their wetsuits! Yeah it was really that cold. "But come on guys!" I thought a little way into the bike course. "Let's pass on the left and ride on the right, some of us are actually racing here." Since the swim waves were condensed and the bike was shortened, everybody was mashed together and there was no way the 15 foot draft rule could be followed.

Hopping off the bike, if I thought my feet were cold before, they were really cold now! From the ankle down was completely white. I started running but struggled to find my stride (and feet). It was like I had to learn to run all over again. For the first 5 to 6 miles I was running strong but just couldn't get my cold feet to warm up. Then finally they started tingling which meant blood was starting to flow again. My legs were feeling better and just slightly, I started picking up the pace as best I could.

With a half mile or so to go I passed two guys with a 38 and 37 written on the back of their legs. Since they were in another (age group) race I didn't pay too much attention. But as soon as I passed, one of the guys just sat on my heels. "Okay man whatever." I was feeling pretty fried, as we all do towards the end of one of these things, but started kicking it home to the finish as quick as I could. Then 100m from the line, the 38 year dude on my heels and the other guy come sprinting by me so ridiculously fast it was unbelievable that they had that much left. At the finish I thanked the triathlon Gods that I was still standing and for getting me through that freezing weather in one piece. Now where did I put those dry clothes.

In the end I had a good race considering. Since the course was short and the conditions were awful, I can not compare it to other half iron distance races. But, luckily sticking with my early moderate run pace and slowly increasing the effort, I was able to run up the ranks into 5th place (AG) which qualified me for the Las Vegas 70.3. But interestingly, the two guys that out sprinted me were actually 28 and 27. Damn! those 3's sure look a lot like 2's when smudged and you're tired. Oh well, mission accomplished anyway.

St. George Olympic Triathlon

I've been milling over this race for a week now. At first I was just going to spout off negative garbage about the whole event and the weeks leading up to it but... no. First of all, I don't want to get away from the main purpose of this post (the race), and second, nobody wants to read it. And I certainly don't want to write it. So, I have decided that every critique I give myself here, I will also highlight something that went right during the race.

The swim was a simple out and back course. When the horn sounded, the 30 of us in the open division wave swam like maniacs to secure a fast pair of feet. Being the new kid on the block, I had no idea who was a fast swimmer. I have my suspicions that the fast swimmers/triathletes all knew each other, teamed up, and started together. But that may just be an excuse. By the time I broke through the front-line of white water I saw that a pack of 5 swimmers on the far left were well ahead. I kept stroking hard but I couldn't close the gap. I was left to swim 1500m completely on my own.

It's hard to judge your efforts on a new course and with new athletes but I felt my swim was off from what it could/should be. I was out in 6th place (15th place OA) but my time of 24:45 was a good 3 minutes behind the leaders. I know I shouldn't base my performance at St. George on years past, but it's difficult not to. You can only base your performance on yourself and the conditions. However, I did swim in a straight line this time and put on a little entertaining show for the crowds as I tried to wrestle my wetsuit off. Overall, I executed my swim well and without any major flaws, I was just a bit further back than I expected.

Once on the bike I was relatively patient for the first mile or two but as I attempted to start pouring on the power, I could tell that this was not the day. I know what I have been able to do in the past on the bike and I was not doing it. The athletes were just too strong and I was unable to dig my calfs and hamstrings into the back half of the pedal stroke like I remember. The leaders out biked me by a good 5 minutes. Ouch! Seeing that time difference definitely ruffled my feathers. But for some good news, I was luckily able to hold my 6th place position throughout the bike course. So not to bad really.

Now onto the run. Coming into T2 the leaders were already at mile two so a push for the win was easily out of the question. But, I had been working extremely hard on my run so at the very least, I was ready to let loose a ripper 10k and see where it took me.

Again, like the bike, the run was not going to be the magic bullet for today. I had pushed very hard on the bike and my legs were feeling pretty fried. I managed to catch one guy at mile one so that lifted my spirits slightly. At mile 4 I caught another dude and moved into 4th. No one was catching me and on paper it appeared I was having a good run. In the end, I pulled off the second fastest run of the day with a 37:20 and moved up two places on the run!

So I should be happy right? I mustered a 4th place finish in a field of 900 or so. Yes I am happy. It was a great race and I got to see my mom and Spruce the dog learned to swim while he was waiting for me to finish. But at the same time, I know I can do a whole lot better. But that is what keeps us coming back. There is always room for improvement.

Until next time, train hard and stay sane.

 Oh that pesky wetsuit.



Out of the shoes and off the bike.

 My favorite, the run.

 So close I can smell the burritos!

When I'm Not Sitting or Running

When I'm not sitting or running, I'm usually found walking the trails enjoying nature. Spring is always an exciting time for a horticulturist. You never know what exactly you will see or discover.

 A view of the Cache Valley. The Wellsville Mountains are in the background. As much as I dislike the long cold winters here, spring seems to make the wait almost worth it...

 Utah Milk Vetch (Astragalus utahensis).

 Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana). An edible very under rated little cherry. It smells great too!

Meadow Death Camas (Zigadenus venenosus).

Huntsville 30K Road Race

There is something I like about racing. From the time the gun goes off, to the time I cross the finish line, my mind is clear of clutter. As long as I am racing, even during bad races, nothing else matters. There is one task and one task only, to get to that finish line in the quickest way possible. Last Saturday, I was reminded again how much I like racing and entering that single, clear, mind-set.

It was easily the coldest morning in a long time. Ice was covering the puddles and the smell of frozen vegetation was in the air. "What happened? Last weekend was in the 80's." The race was about to start and deciding whether or not to run in my warm-ups was getting me all worked up. No time to think, off went the warm ups and the race was on.

I let the pack do their usual thing of going out fast and settled into what I thought was a good pace. We passed the first mile and it was a little on the slow side, but more importantly, not on the fast side. I tightened the effort screw just a fraction and started inching my way through the groups.

The sky was clear, the fields were green, and the road was wide open. We passed old homesteads, horses, and beautiful lakes. My legs, lungs, and body were disappearing leaving my mind free and flying five feet off the ground. Each mile became quicker and quicker and soon, I had run my way into a group of four behind the two leaders.

We started creeping up the long 4 mile hill and I was hesitating. "Should I go now, or wait?" At mile 8 I felt as patient as I could possibly be and decided to tighten the effort screw again. It was commitment time and from here on out there was no going back. Second place was looming closer and closer which made my job easier. Who doesn't want to chase a carrot. Now that I think of it, he had on a bright orange shirt too. Anyway...I had been holding close to 6:00min/mile pace since I opened it up and that was good enough to close the gap on second place by mile 13. But now I was all alone. Five miles to go.

At three miles to go I tightened the effort screw as far as it would go. My subsequent last three miles were the fastest of the race. I finished second to Ben Van Beekum (who was rumored to be a 2:20-something marathoner) so I was very happy. I gave Brianne a big ol' sweaty kiss and then plopped down to stretch my legs.

Unfortunately there were no free shoes at the end of this race. But fortunately, there were boxes of free doughnuts and hot chocolate which I took full advantage of.

So next race is scheduled to be the St. George, UT Olympic Triathlon in three weeks. I'm eager to test out my new triathlon fitness. Hopefully my mind and body can stay healthy and be ready to roll when the time comes.

And don't forget to smell the flowers, they're wonderful this time of year!

http://www.stridersrunning.com/

Moving Around

Have I mentioned I am tired of moving and starting over? Yes, it is true, Brianne want's to move again. We have only been in this rental house for three and a half months and she's ready to move again. We were in the apartment for four and a half months before that so it's been one move after another. I also packed up all my crap and moved back in with my mom for three weeks in January on top of all that moving. I just wish to stay in one place long enough to call home, even if there were potentially better options. It almost makes me not want to travel to any races this summer. Fortunately, the new house is still here in Logan only a few blocks away with a nice back yard and a little garden space. I should be getting a phone call any day now about some great jobs I've applied to. To be honest, I would actually be fairly surprised if I didn't get one (knock on wood). So in all likely circumstances, I will be moving at least two more times in the next few months if things happen as I see them.

And speaking of moving around, I have been doing a fair bit of that. This week was a heavy swimming week and my back is ready for some easy days. I have been feeling the water in a new way like never before. I was trying to come up with analogies for swimming and I think my favorite so far is: "Swimming is like chess. It's not how hard you move your pieces, but how you move your pieces." Write that down. lol.

A Day Off

Finally I have a day off from training. I used to dread the days off but now I welcome them. They are a time to absorb the training, look back on where you began and where you are going. For the most part the training has been going well except for the usual bumps that always pop up from time to time.

Currently, I just finished my three weeks of general conditioning. I start the outdoor (bike) sessions next week (depending on weather), and will slowly incorporate some endurance. Years past I always focused heavily on the swim and bike assuming my run will be there to take me the rest of the way. This year, however, I've been focusing a little more on the run and getting it back to where I think it should be. Running is tough, likely the toughest, but the most important discipline of the three. Getting it back has broken me down to pieces more than once but I am improving and learning.

Coach Matt along with masters swim coach Emily (both retardedly fast swimmers) have helped my swimming climb to new levels. I am easily swimming 30% less than before but my swim times continue to drop. Hand paddles and "the evil band" have become my new best pool friends (except when Brianne isn't injured). I never thought one could improve swimming 25s with so much rest but it is a cornerstone to gaining strength in the water :).

My cycling has been improving too. At least strength-wise, (speed-wise we'll find out later I guess). My rides are almost exclusively indoors on the trainer except for the occasional mt. bike exploratory session. The duration of the rides have been short compared to years past at this time, nothing more than an hour and a half but with plenty of intensity. Yes the calves and glutes are happy campers thanks to the weekly low RPM sessions.

Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens

For spring break, Brianne and I traveled to sunny California for a change of scenery. It seemed simple but there were only two things we had on our agenda for the whole week, parasailing on Sunday and train outside in the sun. That was it. Well, as soon as Friday rolled around we shot out of Logan, UT as fast as we could towards St. George. This little town in extreme southwest Utah was beautiful and warm situated on the very edge of the Mojave Desert. The following morning Brianne and I found a perfect little running/cycling path right by the Virgin River and got in a good solid hour of running with a nice 20 minute tempo thrown in. Then it was time to pack it up and drive to Los Angeles. And that concludes my enjoyable outside training for the week unfortunately. And we hadn't even made it to California.

Los Angeles is big. It's crowded. Everyone is in a hurry and the cost of living is through the roof! As soon as we arrived in LA I had to absolutely force myself to go for my shake out 30 minute jog. To avoid getting lost I just ran out and back stopping about every 2 minutes to cross a busy street or wait for cars to back up. I realized very quickly LA is not the best place to train for triathlons. I did however, enjoy the new exotic plants and warm(ish) sunny(ish) weather.

One of the highlights of LA was visiting the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens. I have heard about these gardens for a long time and have been itching to visit them if given the chance. Well, now was my chance and boy oh boy, they did not disappoint. Coming from a cold temperate climate, the gardens were loaded with tropicals from around the world that I've only seen and read about in books. These were likely the most impressive gardens I've ever visited... and I've visited many!

Golden Barrel cacti (Echinocactus grusonii) right center, Silver Torch cacti (Cleistocactus strausii) left center, Mammillaria geminispina bottom center, and many other cacti species.

A pathway leading through the spectacular mass planting of Golden Barrel cacti (Echinocactus grusonii). Many of them are over 75 years old!

Vatricania (Espostoa) guentheria on the left and some other candle like cacti to the right.

Brianne admiring the largest Pony Tail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) ether of us have seen.

A Dragon Tree (Dracaena draco) among a smorgasbord of other desert succulents.

This is an Ombu Tree (Phytolacca dioica) from Argentina. "They are usually scattered many miles apart and are often the only trees to be seen. The native cowboys have long used them as shelters and landmarks under the seasonally dry conditions. In habitat, ombu trees form a massive base that stores water for use during drought periods. This ombu tree was planted here in 1914."

A crown of thorns shrub (Euphorbia milii var. vulcanii). Prickly!

Not sure what this one was but it's pretty.

I'll never get over how impressive the mass planting of Golden Barrel cacti (Echinocactus grusonii) were.

I always thought the Joshua Tree was the largest species of yucca but there are many other equally large species in the garden.

This is the Creeping Devil cactus (Stenocereus eruca). They look like big spiny caterpillars.

It was very nice to see Brianne's friends in LA and we were both very grateful for their hospitality. However, we both decided that we didn't ever need to go back to LA. Onward we made our way to Davis California to see the campus and the arboretum in the hopes that I may get the great job I have applied for there. If you have never been to Davis you may be like me and think that it would resemble any of the other stereotypical California town with over sized houses, speeding cars, and image obsession but it was not like that one bit. Davis was rated the number four cycling friendly city in the USA and it was easy to see why. Low speed limits, tree lined streets, small houses, large yards, a warm Mediterranean climate, and a history rich in agriculture. Yep, I could live in Davis California no problem. Please oh please I want the UC Davis Arboretum position...

From Davis, Brianne and I slowly made our way over the Donner Pass. And I emphasize slowly! It was snowing harder than I had ever seen it snow. The mountains had already gotten something like four feet of snow in the last two days with an additional two plus feet expected that day! We were forced to buy chains other wise the pass was a no-go. We then sat in traffic for hours and my bladder proceeded to fill to the point of bursting. Nothing like being stuck in traffic and having to pee. Finally we got over that God-awful pass and made our way to Elko, NV (ie. the middle of nowhere). In the morning we were greeted to five inches of snow! So much for this sunny California training vacation. By the time we finally arrived in Logan, UT all the snow was gone and it was a balmy warm spring day. It was the best weather we had seen all week! $%@!!

And that concludes Brianne and Adam's Spring Break 2012.

Back to Utah

So, after much debate and thought I ended up driving home for three weeks to see my mom and dad (and the dogs) and get some good quality job searching in. I did manage to find many amazing jobs but so far... nothing... still. People have been telling me that is okay, now I can focus 100% on triathlon and really see where it goes. Unfortunately for them, I am not the sort of person that can train and then sit around at home twiddling my thumbs waiting for the next workout. Besides, how do you pay the bills? Some die-hard triathletes might find it crazy but triathlon is not my life. I like to do and participate in other stuff too, even if the majority of my blog is filled with tri-jargon.

Anyway, I went to Spokane and enjoyed feeling fast again due in part to the altitude drop. Now I'm back in Utah sucking wind on my tempo runs and hard swims trying to get acclimated again. Also, my new coach Mathieu O'Halloran, is really working well for me. I don't have to think about my training anymore, I just do it. Having Matt monitor workouts and progress sure takes a lot of pressure off. In addition, having an expert to consult with has helped me avoid doing dumb or unnecessary stuff. Training for three sports is tiring and hard. We Americans have much to learn about this concept that more is not always better. No need to do more than you have to. At least not now in February.

In one last note, last weekend Brianne did her first swim meet in almost five years! I was very proud of her, especially for taking on the 500 yd free with like a week of training! I am excited to see her progress and look forward to many more good times sitting together on the pool deck. So that's it from Utah, happy training.

Brianne in the 100 breast.

A Quick Update

The job hunt is still underway and although I have heard back from a few great places, nothing yet. I'm also currently back in Spokane visiting my mom and dad, seeing the sights for a few weeks, and getting some good quality job searching in. Then it's back to Utah to continue with training and the job hunt.

I'm also happy to report that the training is going very well. I'm working on my general conditioning and base right now but we will, of course, build on that over time. It's a long season and I'd like to enjoy all of it this go around.

So I'll end there. Short and sweet. And also, the days are getting longer.

Goals

Things are going to be different this year. I have thought long and hard about both my past and future and I have decided I can not do it alone anymore. Since I first started triathlon training I have been flying solo. Sure I swam with Masters swimming and rode with some bike buddies occasionally but I have, for the most part, just been winging it with my training. My whole philosophy and approach to training, up until now, has been taking tips and advice from magazines, my friends, online articles, blogs, stories, and even my mom and dad. What resulted was a big old jumbled up messy pile of sporadic results and broken spirits. I have finally enlisted the help of a professional coach to keep this from happening again and to see where we can get with consistent and intelligent training. So, without further a due, here are my goals for 2012:

Life 2012 Goals:

• Have more compassion and patience for those around me
• Have a more positive attitude
• Live in the moment
• Give Brianne at least 24 kisses a day
• Be more confident
• Take more pictures
• Start drawing again
• Find a more permanent job
• Find a good group of friends

Triathlon 2012 Goals:

• Win the amateur division at a 70.3, Rev3, or other large international half-iron event
• Place as one of the top 10 amateurs for the 70.3 World Championships
• Complete 3 cycling races
• Break one hour for a 25 mi TT
• Improve my run to where it should potentially be:
• Break 16:30 for 5k
• Break 34:00 for 10k
• Break 1:14 for half marathon

• Complete at least 2 of the three times at a half-iron triathlon:
• Swim 27:00
• Bike 2:15
• Run 1:15

• HAVE FUN, meet new people, see the sights, and enjoy the journey!

December

Sometimes I don't want to train. Then for a day, I enjoy doing things again. I feel motivated to get up early and go to masters swimming. Then, three days later I can't even seem to get out the door, even in the middle of a pleasant afternoon. I am so hard on myself that my lack of motivation seems to only make things worse. I haven't been to a doctor for a while but I'm fairly sure I suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Winters are just plain hard on me, both physically and mentally. All of my hobbies revolve around things that are warm and outside. Plants, cycling, camping, gardens, pumpkins, etc...

This past month I can't count how many times I've meant to get out the door for a run or to the pool for a few laps. On several occasions I even managed to get a few blocks down the road on a run before giving up and heading home. I was coming unraveled mentally. I had even made plans to pack things up and head home to Spokane to get my life back to a stabilized, sustainable, and most importantly, meaningful state.

Since the cold dark weather was really starting to wear me down and I had no other options, I decided to make the best of current circumstances and pay a little visit to the treadmill. My outdoor runs previously were slow and difficult (for me). My best effort to maintain an 8 minute mile pace ruined me. Once on the treadmill I began playing around with my heart rate and discovered that at my current outdoor pace, my HR was like 115. Here was proof that all my feelings of sorrow and self doubt were just in my head. Once I realized that my mental thoughts were dictating my pace over my physical ones, I dialed up the pace and discovered that I could maintain a more encouraging 7 minute mile pace at a more useful HR of 145. Pretty much my long run pace I was at last year!

So now the days are getting longer (finally), training is a little easier (mentally), and I am feeling well and warm at the moment. My swimming with the masters team and coach Emily (and Janet) is paying off, due to correcting my wide pull. My run is feeling smoother and stronger, and I'm ready to get the bike dusted off and humming once again. Yes, here we go, the beginning of the next chapter, isn't this exciting?

Our new rental house! Oh the memories. You bet there will be some plants around come spring.

Spruce is our new warm cuddly friend. He's a one year old Labrador x Husky. His hobbies include tug-of-war, fetch, growling at shadowy figures, and burying bones in the house.

Keeping Myself Busy

Well it looks like winter is finally here to stay in Logan. There is now a substantial amount of snow on the ground and it is gray and cold. Yes I am still waiting to learn what exactly is happening with my life but I have decided to just do the best I can with what I have. Worrying about it too much wont help anything.

Mid last week I did a video tape analysis of my swim stroke and was a bit shocked. Swimming always came fairly natural to me so I figured I had a pretty good stroke. I was a little shocked to see my arms flailing incredibly wide when I pulled like a drunken spider or something. I was engaging the large muscles in my back no doubt (like I felt you were supposed to do) but I was loosing so much power by pulling wide. It's good we discovered this now so I can get things right for my rebirth on triathlon this next season.

So speaking of next season, it is very likely I will have a coach who will keep me on track and in the game. I have contacted a couple so far. I am a little nervous about the financial thing at the moment but in all honesty, as long as I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, a little bit of free time to train, and of course my Brianne, I am happy. Training by myself in the dark can only take you so far (so I've learned the hard way). It is an individual pursuit no doubt but a team effort. No one can do it on their own.

So this post has taken up a little time thankfully. I am feeling a bit more motivated after all of that so I think I will head off to the the pool and practice my drills. And one last thing before I go, I wish to give a shout out of luck to my two Jeremy friends (Cooper and Harwood) next week at Ironman Arizona. I know you will have a great day!

The Twilight Zone

Things have been interesting. Currently I am in that foggy twilight zone found between the chapters of my life. The job search is still going on. I have luckily heard back from a great vegetable and poinsettia nursery in Nipomo, California but it has been over a week since we last spoke and I am getting nervous. I really hope I didn't blow it on the phone interview. I know I am fully qualified and could do an amazing job for them. The only thing I am lacking is that little thing called experience. It is rather frustrating, you can't get a job these days without experience, and you can't get experience without a job. It is like a closed inside circuit. I suppose I could volunteer but then how do you pay the bills? Besides I have experience anyway, maybe it's not job experience but it's experience just the same. Perhaps I should start my own business. Who knows, maybe there is a market for old bikes draped in moss or something. In all, I am just lucky I still have Brianne and my parents to lean on in these hard times. But it is not that great, deep down it would be nice to be financially dependent.

Triathlon is hot on my mind too. I want to continue with my hobby but it is becoming more and more expensive. I need a trainer, Garmin, heart rate monitor, warm clothes, new shoes, etc... To keep improving and stay on track. Many people have asked me why I am not sponsored yet. It is good question but I always make up excuses like: I am not fast enough, I am not a professional, I don't want the extra pressure, I just do it for fun, or worst of all, sponsors will contact me if they want. This kind of thinking, I realize, needs to stop. I am fully capable of attracting and representing sponsors well. And to toot my own horn, I feel am able to compete well with the best of them (if I can just stay consistent and on track for more than three weeks).

So I wonder what will happen with my life; with Brianne's life? There are so many scenarios that can take shape. Will she go to graduate school here in Logan, UT? Will I get the job in Nipomo, CA? What happens if both happen? What happens if neither happen? Please, someone just let us know what is happening.

SOMA half

Depression, guilt, frustration, and even anger. These are not the feelings one wants to be experiencing leading up to a big race at the end of the year. If I am going to continue doing this sport I need to figure out how to keep my emotions from controlling me. Regardless of my feelings and condition, race day was here and there was nothing more I could do about it. At the very least maybe I should just try to have a good time right?

4:00AM, Sunday, October 23, 2011. My alarm clock began beeping from across the motel room. Both Brianne and I awoke in the dark and quietly began getting ready for my 6:32AM wave start. It’s funny looking back now but after I had decided to just have fun and enjoy my time out on the course in sunny Tempe, AZ, my head began to finally come out of my ass. I love training and racing, but I can make myself physically sick if I think about it too much. More than anything, this race was all about having fun and enjoying the experience. I took extra time that morning to savor my pop tarts and enjoy my cold coffee.

The pro wave started right at 6:30 which left the next wave (my wave) exactly 2 minutes to hop in the water and swim the 200 meters to the start line. Unfortunately, it took about 4 minutes for our whole wave to reach the official starting line. My plan for the swim was to take it relatively easy and make sure to swim in a straight line this time, not swimming any farther than I had to. Since I started far back in our wave (due to our wave not being ready in time) I spent a lot of time running into people’s feet. At the turn around buoy I paused for a mental check and realized I still felt very comfortable with my efforts. I held my effort all the way back maintaining the course and enjoying the sights of my surroundings from the water level.

Personally, I hate it when I hear people say they didn’t give a 100% effort and they still beat you. But I must admit I did just that. I pretty much “dogged” the swim.

As I made my way through transition I was making it a priority to smile and make light of the whole situation. Hey, getting out of your wet suit as quick as possible is pretty dang funny. I now know for me it is critical to smile and enjoy the whole experience of racing. As soon as I forget to do that, I seem to fall apart.

So now I’m a couple of miles into the 56 mile bike ride and I am still continuing with my 75% “dogged” effort. Unfortunately as much as I am enjoying the whole experience of the screaming spectators, the aid stations, and the warm sunny weather, a pack of about ten other riders are riding at my same speed. Since I am in no hurry, I am happy to ride behind the group (legally of course) and just watch. As we start creeping up a hill I decide to ride my own pace and so I move to the front. Then coming back down the hill the whole group starts passing me again. No problem I’m thinking, just let them do their thing. Soon I’m noticing that the first lap (of three) will be over soon and the group I’ve been trailing is beginning to annoy me with their pitiful distance perception on legal drafting and their unsteady pace. I’m feeling pretty awesome at this point riding at 75% so I decide it’s time to try cranking up the effort to 90%.

The rest of the first lap felt great and so was the second lap. I was riding hard but definitely not at full speed. Despite riding entirely below my (perceived) capabilities, I approached the end of the final lap with my legs beginning to feel funny. I was hoping they would last a little longer for the final discipline, the run.

At the start of the run I was way farther up in the ranks than I thought. Definitely nice to see, but I had to remember this is a triathlon, not a duathlon. The finish is still 13.1 miles away. The goal now was to stay as patient as I could and just keep running, even if it was slow. Despite staying patient, I started catching people anyway. The first person I ran up to, I made it an effort to talk and keep pace with hopefully getting me to slow down. My “pacer” didn’t last nearly as long as I hoped when he suddenly slowed after twenty seconds and said, “Well, good luck man.” In another mile or so, still trying to patient, I ran up to one of the pro women. “How’s it going,” I said, trying to sound normal… Nothing. “What’s your pace you’re trying to hit?” I said anyway (now knowing this was not the sort of question you ask a pro, especially a tired and irritated pro)… Nothing. “Okay, well good race,” I said as I slowly moved forward.

As I waited for my legs to fall apart at any second but still feeling okay, I made my way up on another lady pro. “How’s it going?” I said anyway, this time not expecting much… Nothing. “Well good job.” I said as I ran ahead. It was shortly after this that my hamstring had finally had enough and cramped up. Great, I have like 8 miles to go and I’m cramping already. This is going to be a long, long run home. I stopped to stretch and my hammy surprisingly felt much better. I was able to run (relatively) normal again. I caught back up to the lady pro but I didn’t feel like passing her again so I just hung back a few feet. At the beginning of the second and final lap I needed a pit stop…BAD! I had taken some electrolytes during the bike for the first time ever so I wonder if that had anything to do with it. Anyway, as I began running again my spark seemed to be missing. I was having trouble getting my feet to come off the ground and I noticed I was running the same pace as everyone else, now swarming onto the course. Soon I began having trouble just keeping up with those around me and my groin began to hint another cramp was coming. Yes, the end was upon me and even if I wanted to race, I couldn’t. I was a cramping and bonking mess. The last 5 miles I would be exercising the bonkaroo shuffle. I felt like quitting and laying down but I finished.

I finished in a very sub-par, eighth place in my age group and twenty first over all. But considering my state of mind and training approach the last five to six weeks, I am happy I started the race and even happier I finished. So now I guess it is time to sit back, take things a little easier, and think about what improvements can be made for next year. I am looking forward to a new season and I am looking forward to improving. I am even looking forward to a having a coach which for me I feel could be huge. But I think most importantly, I am looking forward to having more fun like I did here at SOMA.

The Change

It is clear to me now that something is not right. For the last ten days I have been steadily sliding into a black hole of depression and exhaustion. My problems became apparent the day Brianne left for her girls version of The Hangover in Las Vegas and the weather changed. That exact day the weather plummeted from a delightful 85 degree sunny, calm, splendid day to a rainy and snowy storm of yuck. I went out for a ride anyway and absolutely froze up solid. Cold and Adam are like oil and water, we just don't mix. Up until that point my training had been going tremendously which was filling me with all sorts of confidence for my big half iron showdown at SOMA in Tempe, AZ. But since that day when Brianne left and the weather changed, I have been sinking into a hole I can't figure out how to dig back out of.

Researching the symptoms of over training, it was shocking how close I fit the description. How did I let this happen again?! My current training did not even approach the training I did in Moscow, ID where I lived like a hermit and biked like 400 miles a week along with 40 miles of running and 15-20,000yd. of swimming? I know I was stupid back then in my adolescent triathlon days and I was obviously over trained then. Knowing that now, I take a scheduled easy day and/or a rest day once a week. If I am still feeling completely fried, I'll take another day off or make it real easy. Meals are another factor of the triathlon equation I've been paying more attention to this time around. I make it a big point to meet my protein needs, something I have neglected in the past. I have also been keeping an accurate and detailed journal of my training so I can see what I have been through and what should come next. But I guess all that doesn't matter because I am still wrong.

I think my trouble is that I can't do just ONE thing. I need to have other things to do. Even if it means I can't do those things 100%. If I am allowed to do just one thing, I will quickly become bored with the task and start doing something else. Then I will abandon that for something else, and so on. I now believe that the mind and body work more closely together than I have ever realized. Your mind needs to be, lacking for a better choice of words, "Happy". If your mind is not willing, then your body will surely not follow.

So how do we fix this problem then? I am not entirely sure but I think the first priority is to become settled and comfortable. Comfortable yes, settled no. I need to be apart of something more than myself. Brianne and I joined a little local triathlon club but I feel a little out of place. I am the only guy and both Brianne and I are the only "young" people. Not that there is anything wrong with that, its just hard to relate.

So that is the change. I know success and improvement comes with being consistent and driven and going out on days when you don't want to but so far, that mentality has always left me tired, depressed, irritable, over trained, and not having any fun what so ever. It is becoming increasingly clear now that I need a coach to keep me on track and from doing stupid unnecessary stuff. A group of crazies like me would help too... not necessarily training buddies (although that would be even better) but just people like me... for camaraderie and moral support. I think everyone can relate.