Brick (not house)

so, anyone know what a brick is? chirp chirp?

Brick is a combined workout for training. It is a bike leg followed by a run. I am not sure by I assume they call them bricks for the feeling you get in your legs when you try to shift from the bike to the run. Pretend you have cement instead of blood in the lower half of your body and you start to get the idea.

So today about 75 tri-ers headed down to Haines pt and did combinations of biking and running. The group is filled with very fit, very positive and very encouraging people. Man don't endorphins make for good friends!! I biked with Julia and Ryan for most of the way - 1:15 for about 20 miles and then was going to run with Ryan, but he is like a fricking jamaican track star or something. Totally burned me out right away so I finished by 15 minutes on my own.

The great folks at DC Tri then put on a little BBQ for us. It was mostly BYOF but they provided burgers and dogs. Nothing like beer, doughnuts and brownies by 11:30!

Thank god we have an easy week coming up. I need to back off a little bit but am feeling pretty strong and encouraged so far. Swimming still sucks, but stroke by stroke.

nothing to fear but fear itself

After the long weekend of activities, i was pretty psyched. I enjoyed the bking, had run 6.5 miles and was pretty smug.

Then I had to go swimming. Swimming is my weakest leg of the tri. Lots of people are in the same boat (or pool, as it were). SO I had to accept that it would not be as much fun and just get it done. Swam 900 meters as required and managed to not drown (always a plus).

But Tuesday night I was beat and deciedd to push my rest day up from Thursday to Wednesday. I just could not face the one hour run on wed.

So this morning came and I was less than enthusuastioc about the run. Don't know why, just wasn't looing forward to it. As I started, the first 5 miniytes were sluggish and just didn't feel good but I stuck with it. Things got a little easier as I warmed up and eventually I got into the zone. I ran out MacArthur and back.

Imagine my surprise. When I was done with one hour, I had gone 7 miles. This is a good deal better than my usual pace.

So, in the end, my rest day helped and the run felt great. Cool sunny morning - just a fantastic way to start the day.

Enjoy.

A Looooooong Weekend

Arrived back from Japan on Friday with friends in town but there was a lot of training to do.

Saturday was 19 miles on the bike at Haines point - just a long steady ride for one hour
Sunday was 1:15 minute run - 7.5 miles - a really nice morning for it too
Monday - New tri program intervals - back at Haines Point - another 24 miles on the bike

So, three days - 53.5 miles total. Feel really good about where I stand on the training. 7 weeks to go.

how to pack a bike

Traveling puts a crimp in training. Jet lag makes it hard, being out of the routine add more complications but one of the worst is the fact that when traveling the only way to get in time on the bike is at the gym on a stationary. Few things are as boring as riding the bike. Yes, the TV helps. So does the Ipod, but in the end your field of vision never changes and it is easy to just start slowing down, getting lazy, etc.

Regardless, pushed through today and did 1 hour on the bike at a steady cadence of 100 rev/minute. Turn over is supposed to be a key to making good time on the bike, so this was a good, steady, extended workout.

Now, we'll see what the pool is like tomorrow.

Buzzing the Emperor

So it's 4:00am on a Monday morning in Tokyo. I arrived last night and jetlag has taken hold. A normal person would turn on the TV but it turns out a DC Tri NTP member goes for a run around the imperial palace - as in the home of the Emperor of Japan. It was a greta morning for a run. S slight chill in the air, sun coming up, almost no traffic (which is good because here left is right and easy to get killed). The front of the Imperial Gardens were really beautiful - every tree has been groomed for decades. These are not miniature Banzai Trees, these are the full grown guys.

Saw a few road bikes out and a mixture of older Japanese doing stretching (good advice for all of us) and a few joggers - both westerners and Japanese.

A great way to start what should be an interesting work week in Japan.

50 minutes and about 5.5 miles

the sun is up and so am I

So it's been a while since my last post but don't think I have not been working. Ny last week included a great 5.5 mile run to the brooklyn bridge and a soccer game with my brother. This week included a long swim session yesterday (think 12x100 meter stretches) This morning was an even earlier call for a set of intervals on the bike. 5 minutes hard, five minute recovery. - then multiply it by 5. before you know it, I'd ridden the capitol cressent trail.

Supposed to be a day off tomorrow, but have to make up for a few off days from my NY trip. It's amazing how guilty I feel. Oh, and I;ve now decided no booze during the week. talk about committment!!!