I did it on the bike!

I've heard pro's do it. I wondered how it's done. I thought you would have to get into some sort of contorted position to be able to do it. Well, I had to do it during my 32 mile ride home from my brothers birthday party.
I was hoping to leave the party around 6:30 in the evening so that I would make it home before it got dark. It began to rain around 6:00 pm and I was hoping the rain would blow over before 6:30. It never did and it looked like it wasn't going to clear up soon either. While I was waiting for the rain to clear up I got involved playing table tennis. I was holding the table tennis championship but after 7:20 I had to throw in the towel and get on my bike.
The rain was coming down as a fine midst and the roads were wet but I was able to ride at a hard effort pace. After riding in the park around 8:30 in the evening I had the urge to pee. It was dark and with no street lamps to light my way I wanted to get the "H-E- double hockey sticks" out of the park and onto the lighted streets. I did not want to stop to relieve myself so I thought if people figured out a way to do it, so will I. It may not be the right way but it worked for me.
(note: sorry, women have a disadvantage to perform such a feat.)
While coasting at about 15 miles per hour
With my right foot on the pedal in the forward position
I bunched up my right biking short pant leg way up.
I pointed my aimer straight down and all was relieved.
Ah! With a smile!
I know I need more practice to perfect my new trick but that will come in time. If anyone has any pointers please feel free to share them.

Why the stork stands on one leg.

I have been learning the yoga exercises in this DVD and can manage to work through the routines but when it comes to standing like a Dork I mean a Stork on one leg performing the exercises with 5 lbs weights, boy oh boy, the pain.
After 2 minutes of standing on one leg like a stork I am ready to fall over. You think it's easy? Try it. Stand like the handsome couple in the picture without weights (try dumbbells later), arms out shoulder height, palm face out. Inhale with a 4 count and exhale with a 4 count. Then swing your left arm strainght in front at 90 degrees while inhale 4 count. Swing back to starting position while exhaling 4 count. Repeat with right hand. Then swing both arms to your center with 4 count. Hold and breathe in another 4 count then as exhale 4 count return arms back to starting pose.
My goal is to do this and the other challenging one legged routines in about 3 weeks. If I can stand on one leg for all the routines then I should me able to run a 3 hour marathon.

Midway!

This week is the beginning of week 9 in my 16 week training for the Columbus marathon.
The schedule I am following is from the Furman Institute of Running and is the FIRST to the Finish program.

The workouts are not ideal for the faint-hearted. Running pace is the crucial component that make up this program. The workout pace times are all calculated on your current best 5K race. There are 3 key run workouts which include: track intervals, track tempo runs, and the long run. The other three days of the week are for cross training, which for me is swimming and biking. A well deserved rest day for me has been on Mondays.

I am not sure what the hardest workout on the schedule is because some days I run on pace and some days I fall off pace. The falling off pace could have something to do with the hot & humid weather, we've had this summer, playing a mental and physical drain on me. As the days get cooler I hope to finish this training schedule in great shape and ready to tackle the marathon.

My cross training workouts are similar in intensity as in running. I bike 3 days a week with hill repeats, tempo or intervals, and the long ride. I swim 3 days a week with intervals in the pool and long open water steady swims.

I will be running my third 20 miler this Saturday. Nice to be half way there. It should be down hill from here.

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes to my son serving in Iraq.

Godspeed

On Saturday, I ran 18 miles in 2:10:34. It rained on and off but the last 3 miles, which is pretty much up hill, was in a torrential down pour. The rain was refreshing to run in.
On Sunday, we drove to Baltimore early in the morning to spend time with my son and to wish him Godspeed on his 3rd tour duty to Iraq. Again, we are hoping and praying for a safe journey and to return home soon.

Why wear shoes?

Here is a little movie clip from NIKE advertising the Free running shoe but 95% of the movie shows people performing athletic events without shoes. If so many people are doing things barefoot why would they or any one else need to spend $75.00 on shoes they can do without? Just run barefoot. But, if anyone uses these pups let me know what you think of them.

Greater Cleveland Triathlon

I had some concern for today's sprint distance triathlon. I wondered if my legs would be tired or sore from running yesterday's 13 miler at a 6:44 per mile pace. Normally, I would take the day before a race off but since I'm in the middle of training for the Columbus marathon I didn't want to miss a quality long run, so I ran it. I am glad to say my legs were not complaining in today's race.
The swim was in perfect 74 degree calm waters. I felt like I swam so fast and smooth that I should have past everyone, not. I probably had the slowest time but I felt good anyway.
I had no time to sit around and fiddle and fumble with things in transition. I threw my goggles and cap into my bag, put on sunglasses, helmet and race belt with race bib turn around my back. I ran while pushing my bike to the bike mounting line and hopped on with my feet on top of my already clipped in bike shoes. The trick was to get my feet into the shoes before I had to climb out of the park which was a few hundred feet ahead. My feet made it in before I began to climb up the hill. After about 4 miles into the ride I squeezed a gel into my mouth and washed it down with water. I felt like my legs were flying on the bike. I passed so many people that were not in my age group and I wondered where were all the people in my age group. Only one 55 year played cat and mouse with me. Maybe because his bike cost more than mine he got away from me. I made sure my feet were out of my shoes and on top of them before we had to go back down the hill into the park.
The second transition was even faster. All I had to do was toss my helmet into my bag and slip my already tied running shoes on and go. I heard lots of good cheering from club members at the start of the run but the greatest cheering came from fellow CTC, track buddy, and blogger Elizabeth. Thanks Elizabeth, I don't know anyone that can out do you as a cheering and encouraging fan. I think that's why the first mile flew by. Again, I was looking for all the people in my age group, that did laps around me in the water, as I passed so many people on the run including overall 1st place female (YES!!)
Just to let you know I don't think I'm a meanie. I try to always give my best wishes and congratulations (probably more to the ladies) to all those that I pass. The people I pass become my strength.
I couldn't stick around for the award ceremony but I did notice on the preliminary results posting that I placed 10th overall and 3 rd in my age group. I guess since those 2 other guys got out of the water 5 minutes before me I didn't have a chance to catch them on the 15 mile bike ride or on the 5 K run. That's okay, I was happy my legs held out for a great triathlon race today!
Final results from the Race. The officials adjusted the times for people stopped by a train crossing. I went from 10th to 13th place and got beat by 1 woman, but still held 3rd place in my age group.

Grandson's first multisport event!

The start of the 8 year old boys and girls. Jeremiah, has the green goggles on.
Jeremiah, waiting for the sound of the horn to start. The other kids took off after they heard ready, set...
Jeremiah, had the fastest transition time of 24 seconds. Most kids were around a minute and half. We practiced transitions last night and it definitely paid off. This was suppose to be a kids triathlon but the bike portion got cut because of the park roads were closed due to flood water damage.
Coming into the finish area.

Watching other kids coming in for the finish. Jeremiah, had a great time and is looking forward to next years race. His sister who watched the whole thing thought she would like to do it next year. My son on the other hand is waiting for a relay race so that he can run and not have to swim or bike.

Hand stands in the water for fun!
Jeremiah finished 17th out of 32 total boys and girls in the 7 to 10 year olds. Oh, and five girls beat him. Final results can be view here

I ended up running my scheduled 13 mile run today even though I'll be racing a sprint triathlon tomorrow. I felt it more important to run than to skip it because of the race. I was able to run it at a 6:44 per mile pace and finished it in 1:27:38.

Umm, Smooothieees!

Today's power smoothie drink was:
about 1 cup (I don't measure) skim milk (we were out of soy milk),
about 1/4 cup Stonyfield Farm fat free french vanilla yogurt,
6 ice cubes,
6 frozen strawberries,
2 tablespoons whey protein powder,
about 1/2 cup cooked oats.
Put it all in a blender and mix for about 2 minutes.

I had this around 6:30 am with my son for our "morning ritual breakfast time". If I don't wake him for breakfast I get the long face from him. We have breakfast together but when he is done he goes back to bed. Normally, we eat some healthy cereal, plus I eat my "gotta have a banana" but I find I get hungry around 9:00 am. When we do smoothies my hunger is curved until 10 or 10:30 am.

Have a great weekend!

My grandson is doing his first triathlon this Saturday and I'll do one Sunday.

A few Demotivators.

Friend: Papa Louie, how did your race go for you today?

Papa Louie: It went well, only 1 woman beat me. And she trains full time. So, what I can expect? I do have to admit when a woman beats me in a race it's a great motivator for me to race harder the next time so she doesn't beat me. Persistence will pay off, eventually. I hope.




I will not succumb to defeat all the time. I am a winner! I guess we need to keep telling ourselves this because one day victory will come to us! I hope.

2nd 20 miler in the bank!

Today, I ran my second 20 mile training run for the Columbus Marathon. I began to run with my new Fuel Belt, that was graciously giving to me from fellow CTC member, DaisyDuc, but found the belt too loose around my waist and it had so much bounce and jiggle that I felt funny holding my jugs, so I handed it off to my wife as she drove past me in the car, while on her way to meet me at the 2.5 mile mark.

A comparison of the 2 runs.
The course was the same for both runs.
1st RUN:
Start - 2 weeks ago at 7:00 am
Weather - light rain, 65 degrees
Company - Brian
Fuel - water from fountains on the trail and 2 packs of gel.
Pace - 7:12 per mile average
Finish Time - 2:24:01

2nd RUN:
Start - 8:00 am
Weather - sunny, 78 degrees
Company - "she who must not be named", (my lovely wife) on her mountain bike, keeping pace with me for 15 miles. She met me at the 2.5 mile point which was past the 2 major hills.
Fuel - plenty of water, no gels
Pace - 7:28 per mile average
Finish Time - 2:29:25

I think my pace suffered today because it was a hotter day and no gels to eat. I have 3 more 20 mile runs to get acclimatized to the heat and figure out the nutrition aspect of running long before the race. I think I'll learn something along the way.

No beating the HEAT! Yet.

No matter how long one has been running, no one can beat the heat when it comes to running in projected times and pace. I am learning this lesson even after 20 years of running.
Today's workout was a track run of 2 x 1200 meters and 4 x 800 meters with 2 minutes of rest between the all the sets.
I knew the temperatures would be rising throughout the day so I decided to take an early lunch break around 10 am and run to the track. Before I took off running I squeezed a jelly pack (raspberry Hammer Gel) in my mouth and washed it down with some water. After running for about a mile and half to the track I was dripping with sweat and feeling the heat.
The splits times were as follows:
Scheduled: Actual:
2 x 1200m @ 3:56 (1) 1200m 4:03
(2) 1200m 4:12

4 x 800m @ 2:31 (1) 800m 2:53
(2) 800m 2:53
(3) 800m 3:02
(4) 800m 2:57
As you can see the actual times do not match the scheduled times. After the first 800 I felt like bagging the workout and just run for an easy 6 miles. But, as it has been said, "If you want to run fast you've got to train fast," and even in various conditions like the scorching heat we had today.

More Maine Pics

These pictures are from Acadia National Park where we spent 2 days hiking and swimming at variouses places in the park. As you can see from the pictures the place is beautiful.
We had so much fun that my diet and training was put on hold while on vacation. We feasted and we played.
Now I have to see how I hold up in this heat on the track today. The heat index is supposed to be 110 today.

Friday Maine Pics

Here are some pictures from our Maine trip on Friday at Reed State Park Beach, Maine

The grandpups braving the 58 degree ocean while PapaLouie checks out a shell

Fleeing from a Tsunami












The making of our beach abode
















We're going to Acadia National Park Saturday morning.
I should have more pictures posted Sunday night.

A Maine weekend

Papa Louie will drive up to Maine this weekend to bring home his grandkids that were visiting their dad. Before they return to Cleveland on Monday they will visit Acadia National Park for some site seeing and hiking. He will also try to squeeze in an 18 mile run and find a beach to do some open water swimming this weekend.
Updates to follow.
Everyone else have a great weekend!

Track then Swim

TSICK (pronounced like the onomatopoeia word tsk) is defined as T for a Track workout, S for a Swim workout, and ICK is the feeling you get while working out on the track in sunny, 80 degrees, and 80 percent humidity.
The track workout began with a 2 mile warm up at a 7:40 per mile pace. The heart of the workout was a 3 x 1 mile repeat with only 1 minute rest between each mile. Each mile was run at a 5:40 per mile pace. The track workout concluded with an easy 1 mile cool down run to the pool for a 20 minute swim.
The "ick" feeling was during the run portion and the "ah" feeling was the relief enjoyed while in the pool.

Monumental 20 miler!

I would have to admit a few days before running my first 20 miler in over 11 years I had some doubt and fear of accomplishing such a run. According to my training schedule this was to be my first of five 20 miler runs and was to be run at a 7:30 pace. It's scary when you think of the distance and the pace. But, thanks to Brian, who emailed me earlier in the week, asked to run the 20 miler with me. The thought became less daunting because I realized that I would have someone to run with. He is also using the same training schedule to train for this coming October Columbus Marathon race.
This morning's temperature was 65 degrees and a light rain was falling down. Brian arrived at my house at 7:00 am. We started our run by heading down to the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area onto the towpath trail.
Brian wore a Fuel Belt for his water and gel needs. I had 2 packets of gel on the waist band of my shorts. We stopped at the 6 mile marker for water and gel. We made it to the 10 mile turnaround in 1:11:31 which was about 3:29 faster than scheduled but it was mostly down hill and I think we were comfortable with the pace. On the return we had a couple other pit stops and managed to run the split in 1:12:30 for a total time of 2:24:01, which is a 7:12 per mile pace. Overall I felt pretty good. I think with the near ideal weather, water and gel supply, and good company the run afforded us a good confidence builder and a setup for continuing the remainder four 20 milers.

Buckeye Lake Triathlon

As many of you who are from the mid west area know that it was one blazing, sizzling, scorching, hot, hazy, and humid weekend. My saving elements from these weather conditions during the International Distance Triathlon were: my water bottle, 3 gel packs, and lots of ice cold cups of water.

Race morning I was up at 5:30 am from a sleepless night of camping at a party happening KOA camp site. It was a camper trailer weekend with special guest Chubby Checker. I didn't take the time to find him rather I went to Olive Garden to enjoy a whole wheat pasta spaghetti meal. For breakfast I had a banana, Cliff Bar, and some orange juice. I drank sips of water up to the start of the swim portion of the race. About a half hour before the start of the swim I slurped down a gel pack and chased it down with more water.

The Swim I thought went well. I did not have much problems navigating the 2 lap swim course and my effort felt like I was working hard but under control. I even felt my bilateral breathing was going well and that I was maintaining concentration on form and technique. It wasn't until I saw the race results that I noticed that my swim sucks. I finished 61 out of 75 finishers. Maybe one of these days I might learn how to swim.

On the Bike I started with a gel pack and washed it down with some water. During the ride I would drink 2 sips of water from my water bottle every 10 to 15 minutes. At the closing miles of the ride I squeezed my last gel into my mouth with the last few sips of water. My bike rank was 19 out of 75. The bike course was a beautiful rolling ride through farm country.

For the Run I enjoyed the 2 water stops where the volunteers were handing out ice cold cups of water. I was glad to hear them say, take as much as you need, because I gulped 2 cups and poured 2 on my head. I thanked them and ran on. My run rank was 5 out of 75. The run course was an out and back with lots of shady areas.

In conclusion, I had a great race probably because I was well nourished and hydrated. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise, a triathlon race does indeed start with the swim. I feel like I have so much catching up to do during the rest of the race but I guess that is what makes the sport so much fun.

To view my 14th overall place view the Buckeye Lake Triathlon Results web page.

Swimming at the beach!

Today I had the chance to swim at Edgewater State Park Beach during lunch time. The water quality was good, and a water temperature of 74 degrees. Life guards were on duty both on the beach and out in the water floating around on a surf board. I told a life guard that I would be swimming back and forth across the beach by the buoys. It felt great swimming in fresh water and not in a chlorinated pool. I am hoping to hit the beach once or twice a week and if anyone wants to meet me for a lunch swim let me know.

Iron Yoga Review:
Anthony Carillo a nationally ranked triathlete guides you through a 60 minute strength training power yoga workout. The workout combines the use of light dumbbells (1-5lbs) with traditional yoga exercises. Since yoga is new to me I first watched the DVD before I followed along doing the exercises. When I did follow along using 5lbs dumbbells there was no way I could perform some of the exercises trying to focus on proper technique and balance. To complete the workout I ditched the dumbbells and even then had to modify some of the exercises from advanced to intermediate to beginner. This is good! I can see if I continue to use this DVD there will be improvement in my overall balance and strength.

Saturday I drive down to the Columbus area for the Buckeye Lake State Park Triathlon on Sunday morning. I will participate in my first and only International distance (1.5 K swim, 40K Bike, 10K Run) this year. I am looking forward to having fun.

Hot and Sunny on the Track!

It was brutal on the track today. The hot sun spanked my butt. I wore sun glasses, and a mesh cap. I brought a bottle of water with me too. I started out with a 1 mile easy warm up at 8:05 and then attempted to run 5 miles at a 6:22 per mile pace.

1st mile flew by in 6:18.

2nd mile I went on feel and did not look at my watch for each lap and did it in 6:40. I thought that's what I get for not paying attention to my pace.

3rd mile was pushed for a 6:08. After the 3rd mile I realized I'm running all over the place and the heat began to take a toll on me and I was feeling nauseous.

4th mile was done in 6:24.

5th mile was a dismal 6:37.

I finished the 7th mile in 8:03. I went home, showered, ate, and crashed for an hour while reading Marathon from Hal Higdon. I'm feeling better now. I need more adjusting for hot weather running.

Home Run!

It is good to be back home from 2 weeks in Alaska followed by a 1 week family reunion vacation in Deer Creek State park, Ohio. The 3 weeks flew by and on most days I couldn't tell you what day it was. I managed to get in some decent training and it paid off on today's 15 mile long run. Today's weather was a hot 81 degrees and 55% humidity. I took off running from my home without any water hoping to find some along the route. By the time I made the turnaround to head back home there was no water to be had. I knew I needed water but my head was still clear and I wasn't hallucinating so I was hoping to survive the last 6.5 miles back home safely. To top off the run there is a 6 to 7 percent incline of 2 miles to the finish. Thinking of the ice cold water in the fridge kept me going to the finish. I managed to keep a steady pace of a 7:04 per mile to finish in 1:46:07. And I know I am tempting the running gods when it comes to hydrating on the long run. I don't think the Greek legend Phidippides wore a fuel belt or had much water on his long run. It was only after running 300 plus miles did he collapse and died. I promise I won't go that far. I'm working on fixing my water supply for my next long run.

More Alaska pictures:

Our ship the Zuiderdam at port in Juneau, Alaska

Cruising in the Tracy Arm near Jeneau

Exploring Mendenhall Glacier

Bus tour in Denali

My favorite picture in the Chugach mountains outside Anchorage.