Paparazzi

Not often do I blog twice in one day, but I remembered my students at school talking about this kid who sang the Paparazzi song my Lady Gaga.

Now, sure he does a good job of singing the song...but knowing middle school kids pretty well I'd say it's even more impressive that he's that willing to throw out this performance in front of his peers without holding back at all. Notice all the girls in his class who go from thinking he is pretty geeky to wanting to date him...haha. There are some very talented people in this world...very cool to see this kid so into the moment and confident.

Where would we be without youtube!

Exciting Times Ahead

It's another beautiful day here in Virginia Beach. Rode my bike to the track this morning, did 5 miles worth of work along with some drills, and rode home. Days like this make it hard to ever want to leave this area.

This is always an exciting time of year. Memorial Day always brings a 3.5 day weekend where I can get in some solid training and then relax. Weather is always about perfect. The school year is almost done. I have Breezy Point and Eagleman to race so I can use the fitness I have worked so hard for all winter/spring. We also tend to make a trip home the weekend after Eagleman and this year will be no different as Rachel's sister is getting married. Lots of stuff to be excited about.

It amazes me how much Rachel and I continue to be blessed. Things just keep ticking along and opportunity after opportunity keeps arising. I really think being with Rachel has a lot to do with it all. She brings out the best in me and others. She just attracts positive situations. The Lord dealt me a great hand by bringing her into my life.

Okay, sorry for a bit of gushiness. I hope no one throws up when they read that...haha.

The support I continue to get from both Balance Massage and Range of Motions is second to none. Both of these places are leaders in their respective fields. I know of several people in the Hampton Roads area that have started to work with both of these places and I've heard nothing but positive talk. If you haven't heard of them yet or given them a try check them out to the right of my blog.

Along with that, I have been extremely impressed with the Zoot Ultra team and what they have helped us with. I was a little hesitant early on this year as taking on some sponsors was all new to me and I didn't know what lied in store. Jake and the others associated with the team have taken very good care of us and help us with whatever we need. I just recently received a box of shoes from them and will be wearing their new racers in my upcoming races.

Things on the coaching front have kind of taken off here in the last few weeks. I am very fortunate to work with the athletes I do. They are all hard working, kind people. I can't wait to see how they all do in upcoming races.

I must admit that weekends like this are hard to be away from home. My sister's baby shower was this weekend so the majority of my family was up in Gaylord enjoying each other. We'll be home a few times this summer for various occasions so it's all good! I think it's rare these days for big families to all get along. Somehow ours does and it's a lot of fun whenever we all get together.

Being Memorial Day tomorrow it's important that we all take a step back and remember the reason for this holiday. Thank you to all those who gave their lives and those that continue to fight for our country.

Okay, off to the pool for a short swim. Hopefully, I'll have some good news to share after the next 2 races. Have fun out there at the races and give it your all!

Sharpen the blade and coaching

This last phase of training leading into Eagleman and the first big race of the season is all about sharpening up and doing a good amount of intensity. I was definitely pretty "based out" as I could see my top end speed on the bike/run front was lacking. It's tricky do get your yearly progression correct. If you start in with all the sharpening that will lead you to peaking too early then you will arrive on race day feeling flat. The same can happen if you wait and start sharpening too late. For the most part, even though we do a fair amount of intensity on the cycling front in the winter, the entire winter/spring months are base or strength oriented. This is very Lydiard-like. It does not take much to get your body to peak...usually a good 4 - 6 weeks at most. I have a ways to go still, but can tell my body is craving the higher intensity work.

Having a coach is so important in helping one figure all of this out. Most of the generic online training programs out there will work just fine if you can guarantee an uninterrupted 6 or so months of training without incorporating any races or life circumstances like illness, work, family, weather, etc. I think the number one reason to have a coach is just that, to have someone help you adjust the plan when something comes into play that interrupts that periodization. I tried the whole come up with your own training plan thing and think at times I could do it again if I had to, but why not have another person or better yet an entire team where you can go for feedback about one of the various topics of triathlon. I have been involved in triathlon for 3.5 years now and it has been the hardest sport to figure out. I played pretty much every main stream American sport out there while growing up and triathlon has taken the most effort/focus to try and master (minus golf...I'm getting frustrated just thinking about it!). With there being 3 sports to consider for triathlon you not only have to work on the 3 disciplines separately, but also how they all fit in together.

I have been very privileged to work with Janda these last couple of years. I hope I can bring the same quality to the table for the athletes I work with as he provides his athletes. There are a lot of coaches out there who charge way more than they are worth, but there are also people out there who charge a very affordable rate where you'll get what you pay for if not more. I mean seriously, the people who charge $300-$500+, what more can they possibly be providing for you besides saying you are coached by a big name person who probably coaches some big name pros? Are they doing the race for you? Paying for your race fees or something? Some of these guys/gals are legit. They've spent the time getting the proper education and experience from working with hundreds of athletes who have done well. Others, though, have no business charging what they do. At the end of the day, it comes down to how much time/effort the coach is going to spend to help you reach your goals. Finding someone who you can trust and who has similar beliefs as to how things should be done is crucial when finding the right coach. I have now recommended 3 friends to start working with Janda and I wouldn't have done so if I didn't think he was the absolute best coach for the cost out there. I've researched people all over the country and have yet to find someone doing better work.

3 weeks from Sunday until Eagleman. I'm looking forward to seeing my brother Mike, who is coming down to race with his fiance' Alaina. Mike has a bright future ahead of him in triathlon and whatever else he puts his mind.

Thanks for reading and go out and get some people in your corner to help you achieve your triathlon goals. Call it a coach if you want, or just at least get together with some training partners and share emails or meet up once in a while to share information. Email or ask questions in person to those who have had some success in the sport. I have met very few people in this sport who are too good to help someone out. Lots of nice/giving people in this sport. The learning curve for triathlon is huge...try to close that gap.

Where did the soreness go?

I can't believe things didn't turn out better this past weekend. I did not race any where near what I'm capable of. I was a little sore the day after, but since then I've felt like I didn't even race at all this past weekend let alone a half ironman. Usually, it takes me a solid week before I can get back at it and feel normal again. Oh well...this will be good looking ahead to Eagleman.

The next two weeks will be all about sharpening up and finally getting in some higher intensity running and longer sustained threshold work on the bike. This is going to give me a big boost going into Eagleman. To this point nearly everything has been base work/strength oriented training. Went to swim practice this morning at Virginia Weslayan. The group I swim with is TAC and there is not a better group to swim with in hampton roads that will push you to get better. If you're a triathlete and looking to work hard in the water...you need to get there. It's MWF at 6AM. Two of the fastest swimmers in the area just came back so that will be fun getting our butts kicked by them day after day. I was swimming 1:15 pace or just under for the various sets today and I was only faster than 2 or 3 guys.

I am done not racing to my ability level. This past weekend was a nice wake up call that you can't just turn up to races and do well. You need to be focused and be in attack mode. You can't be complacent in the half ironman distance and below if you want to do well. I did not want it bad enough this past weekend. From now on I'm going to be taking a bit of a different mindset heading into races.

Check out something Janda is working on. Correct run form is crucial. All of his and my athletes are working on improving their run form.

Came across this video of Courtney Atkinson . He was 2nd at the 2nd round of the ITU World Championship Series this past weekend. Pretty cool to have Red Bull as a main sponsor!

Lastly, there is a practice triathlon going on at Final Kick this coming Sunday. What a great way to practice some pacing and transitions before Breezy Point. Give the store a call if you'd like to sign up!

Kinetic Bust

Well, today definitely did not go the way I wanted it to...but the longer I do this sport I realize how little you actually feel 100% on the top of your game. I ended up 5th overall with a time of 4:25, but then found out a got a drafting penalty...haha...and after I made a stink of things regarding the recent Duathlon Nationals. I talked to the head referee, and she tells me I was passed in the first 5 miles of the bike and did not give the guy his 7 meters before I went back around him. I told her I never even saw a draft marshall and I guess the call was made from a bit behind. How can you tell how much room I gave the guy ahead of me then? There was no point in arguing though...serves me right I guess after complaining about drafting so much. I'm just going to chalk this race up to me just having one of those days where you just feel really average and have a hard time getting going. I'm fully confident I will get things turned around in time for Eagleman. Still took a few positives away and had some fun!

Final Kick Gear Swap

If you're in the Hampton Roads area at all on Saturday, Final Kick Sports (located off Great Neck Rd. about a 1/2 mile before Shore Dr.) is having a triathlon gear swap. There is always a lot of good items there to choose from. This is a great way for someone who is just getting into the sport to pick up some quality equipment for a low cost. I brought about 15 items there yesterday...everything was priced $5 or below and there are some items in there that I paid $50+ for. Regardless, it's a fun event and a good way to meet some fellow triathletes. Who knows, maybe you can meet a new training partner. Unfortunately, I can't make it because I'll be up racing at Kinetic. Okay...gotta run. My school is having an activity night so I have to go organize some stuff.

Here We Go

Triathlon season has officially arrived. This weekend I'll be competing in my first tri of the year. The race is at Lake Anna State Park in VA and is called the Kinetic half ironman. It's a really beautiful area and it will be nice to get away for a couple of days. The course should suit me well. I have been feeling quite good with my training as of late and will actually be going into this race a bit rested. When I was planning the races for this year I talked to Janda and we decided that doing a half before Eagleman would be a really good idea. Eagleman has been my big race of the first part of the season for 3 years now. The last two years I've gone into it as my first half of the season. It has worked out pretty well, but my 2nd half ironman of the year is always a bit better. I think it's simply because you get used to that pain again and you also reap a lot of fitness benefits from that first half. It also serves as a nice reality check and allows you to tweak a couple of things with 5 weeks in between races. We chose Kinetic because it has some hills on the bike and run and well, it's tougher than a course like Eagleman or White Lake. This should make Eagleman all the more tolerable. For a smaller event (about 600 people) there will be some very good competition at this race. I'm confident I can be towards the pointy end and contest for the win. I'm still fired up about what went down at Du Nationals so the motivation has been extremely high. To steal a quote from the great Steve Prefontaine, "I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it." Can't wait to get out there and have some fun.

Changing directions...a quick shout out to my mother as it was her birthday yesterday. My mom is an awesome woman. She has always put my 5 siblings and I first no matter what. With mother's day quickly approaching, make sure you do something special for your mom. Thanks for everything mom!

Lastly, check out this interview with Chris Solinski and Simon Bairu (who broke the Canadian 10k record the same night Solinski broke the U.S. record).

New American 10k Record

Wow! Chris Solinski smashed the American 10k record on his first attempt at the distance. Speed is so important to doing well at the longer distances. Love the work ethic of these guys from the midwest. Chris went to Wisconsin and is originally from there. Check out the race here .

Trail run anyone?

Came across this sweet video of Bevan Docherty, one of the best triathletes in the world. He won a silver at the 2004 Olympics and then a bronze at the '08 games. Bevan won the first world championship series race this year for ITU racing. He's definitely one of the toughest guys out there. If this video doesn't make you want to get out for a run then something is wrong.

Okay off for a ride to the track, 4 miles worth of work with Joel, and then ride home. Beautiful day here in Virginia Beach.

DuNats Pics and Jack Daniels

A few pictures from the race last weekend.

I also thought I'd share the newest addition to Thirsty Thursdays on flotrack. Jack Daniels is one of the best running coaches of all time. Here it is.