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.