Not Quite Midnight over Moon-Hammy

more like sunrise in Jacksonville. I am in Florida for a conference of type A policy wonks. Finally, an event where my attempt to imitate a type A Triathlete can pay off. 6:30 run today. Nothing too long - about 3.8 miles. Tomorrow brings a longer run to help me gear up for the 10 Mile Cherry Blossom next week.

This week has been slow in posts, but I assure you not activities. Tuesday saw a swim. The luster of getting up in the dark and cold to hit the water is finally dimmed (was it ever that bright?). Wednesday, however, was better with a wonderful bike down along Haines point and the Cherry Blossoms that are all coming out. Should be a wonderful season for them and I have to tell you, my winter work outs make them appear all the sweeter for the tell of spring. The ride was a slow one - all zone 1-2 for 45 minutes. Times to literally smell the flowers.

Yesterday (Th) was a rest day, which was good since I was flying. Runs the next few days, then one bike on Monday and a weke of swimming to take it easy on the legs before Sundays long run.

Have a great weekend.

brrrrrrrrrrun

well, it's spring in Washington and I was hoping for more than 34 degrees for my run this morning, but you get what you get. So this morning called for a 30 minute zone 1-2 run. So up at six I went and did my three + miles. Felt a little slow from the biking this weekend. Tomorrow is a swim day, and then another biking session. off to a weekend conference in Jacksonville, so really looking forward to some 70 degree runs.

Do you Do Dus?

So today was my first two-sport day in my training program. After 50 minutes on the bike yesterday at mid effort (zones 1 and 2) today called for another 50 minutes but at a stepped up pace (zones 1-3) and then a 10 minute run. Well, if you have never tried running after biking, it's like trying to run with legs filled with Jello and set in concrete blocks. You think the legs are moving a lot, but you don't make up much ground. It feels very weird, and the point of today's training session was to get us used to the strange feel of shifting from bike to run.

Today today was 17 miles on the bike and just over a mile running, but it felt like a lot more. All down at Haines Point on a lovely day. 50 and bright spring sunshine and the blossoms starting to explode.

Too bad tomorrow is not a rest day. I think I could use one.

50 and ready to roll

No, not 50 years old, it was 50 degrees at most this morning, but the training plan called for a 50 minute ride. I am not a big fan of cold weather, but since it was dry I could not take another indoor training session. Thanks to Greg W for calling and offering to go with me. We did a good loop of the Capitol Crescent Trail up to Bethesda and then down BEach Drive through rock creek. A few places I'd never seen in my 20 years in DC.

17.75 miles in 1:15.

Will it or Won't it.

It was supposed to be 70 and partly sunny so I broght my bike to work for an afternoon ride. Instead its clowdy and threatening to rain all day. Weathermen suck. Cmon sun!

PM UPDATE - The correct answer is it won't. Raining here and going to have to hit the trainer indoors. boooooooring to ride indoors. Hope something good is on TV.

just. . . keep. . . . breathing

Swimming used to be something you did in the summer, splashing around the pool lake or in the ocean. That is the swimming I remember.

The swimming I am DOING has nothing to do with those prevous days of fun. This morning it hit home - I have to swim a lot to prepare for the race. This monring was 950meters in the pool, doing cominations of freestyle drills, kicking drills and a short arm up and cool down. It wasn't fun, but I did it. Another 30 minutes in and 950m down. Bike day tomorrow.

Mickey Mantle

Today was a run day. We are supposed to be doing light training 6 days a week, and today's run was only supposed to be 30 light minutes in heart rate zone 1-2. I am also going to run the cherry blossom 10 mile race this year, in April so I needed to get a longer run in so off to rock creek park I went today - Beach Drive is closed to traffic on the weekends. The first 1/2 mile felt bad, but i decided to go slower and see what I could do.



I ended up running 7 miles in just under 70 minutes. Mickey Mantle wore number 7 for the yankees, hence today's title. It was a slightly rainy and foggy morning, and as a result almost no one was out. Just a great way to start the day. The rest of the day will include napping and sitting on the couch. The real test will be tomorrow's AM recovery run at 6:30am.

15.2

miles on the bike today at haines point. 60 minutes in my target HR zone. only fell once. :)

Weekends are the best

it is tough training during the week. Waking up early, when it's cold and dark but on a day like today - sunny, 65 degrees - why wouldn't I want to head out. The training plan calls for 40 minutes on the bike in heart rate zone 1-2, but will probably go for an hour. It's just that nice out. An Awakening-less Haines Point is the spot today. Anyone interested in joining?

huh? wha?

OK, some of you are type A or have kids and wake up early, so this will not be news to you but . . . . . . IT IS DARK AT 6:00am. This is the view from my house as I left to go swimming this morning.



I thought about hitting snooze, and then remembered you are paying me to do this so thanks. Your support has already made a difference. 750 meters and 30 minutes in the pool this morning. You deserve a doughnut, don't you think?

Check out my Ride

So I decided to get a new bike for the triathlons. I did not have a huge amount to spend (some of these can go for $5,000 or more). Big thanks go to Matt Gardner and Greg Webb who went with me to shop for bikes and educate me. I ended up at Spoke's in Virgina (a great experience) and getting a 2007 Trek 1500 with shimano 105 components. It is a wonderful bike, feels great, very light and I have already started enjoying my indoor (on a trainer) and outside riding experiences. It even has cool decals on it!!! It does everything but ride itself. Now, can anyone tell me where to go for blood doping? I hear HGH prices are droppng now that baseball players are running for the hills.

Hitting People Up for Money is Easier than Training

So today I pulled the trigger and sent out a mass e-mail to friends and colleagues asking if they would be part of my new life project. The reaction has been really wonderful, with a large number fo people responding right away that they were going to support the effort. Over 700 pledged in the first day, and I haven't even hit up the office yet. Thanks to all of you.

The idea for the blog came from one friend who said this would be a great way to keep tabs on their investment (I am not sure she trusted me to do all I said I was going to do. She knows me). So that to her as well.

This was the first week of base training. Already this week, I've run, swum and biked. Last nigth was 40 minutes on the bike trainer. Today was a rest day and tomorrow is swim - I'll be at the Yates Pool at Georgetown at 6:30am if anyone wants to join. ;)