gentlemen, start your engines...

I am at about 1 post/month right now....not so good at updating these days.  Training has been going really well lately.  There hasn't been quite the volume that I have had in the past, but lots of intensity and consistency.  These two things quite often have lagged in my training.  This Sunday I am racing the World Championships of Benbrook, Texas (otherwise known and the Benbrook Sprint Triathlon).  It will be my first time to don the race uni since last November.  It should be a great hit-out for the season.  Plus, I have lots of friends who are doing the race so it should be a lot of fun too.

After that things get  bit more serious.  I am opening up the "real" race season down in St. Croix for my annual 70.3 distance race.  The start list looks good and I am excited to finally start my season.  I just got a sweet new bike and lots of other exciting things to blog about, but not quite enough time right now.  When I get the race machine all dialed in I will post some pics and a bit more about my recent training and the build-up over the past 4 weeks.  Once the race season starts.....more consistent blogging!!!!

Cheers,

B

vid

training is going well, but dont feel like rehashing it right now. I have been increasing the quality, and the body is coming along. I will update soon with more on training, and on the sched for the next few weeks. Here is a cool new ITU video....This is how we roll!

Cheers,
B

the past week

This past week I got in my first "real" week of training.  Well, I have been training very consistently over the past 6 weeks, but haven't logged the bigger weeks I was hoping for.  After the half-marathon last Sunday my legs were shot the first few days of the week, but managed to get a great week of cycling.  

Totals:

swimming-18k

bike 14 hrs

run 41 miles

hrs 24 hrs

Bike was the focus this week (and the next two weeks also).  Running is moving along, but I still have to be careful with the foot.  I did get in a 16.5 mile long run on Sunday w/ the last 3 miles tempo effort.  Pretty jazzed about that! Since the swim group is on taper/holiday, swimming is either solo or w/ one other person.  That said, I had two really solid swim sessions last week.  

This coming week should see more swimming. biking, and running (go figure) and will also include my first visit to the track this season.  I am planning to defend my title (ha!) at the St Patty's Day Triathlon this w/e.  Time to feel the pain....

Cheers,

B

les fotos

it is freezing and windy...do i really want to do this?

cheers,

b

long time between drinks

I have been totally slacking off on the blogger front. Sorry. Although, my new-found interest/obsession with twitter makes it easier for me to update little tidbits about my training. If you want you can check my twitter in the sidebar for frequent updates.

In reality the month of February was a quiet month on all accounts. I ticked off some decent training, but nothing spectacular. My foot is not 100%, but I am managing it and slowly building up the miles. Biking and swimming are ticking along. March will be much different. It is time to really start stressing the body by adding volume and intensity to the workload. I am in decent shape now, but a long ways from where I want to be in May when the real action starts.

I got real sick about a week and a half ago, but have repsonded well from it. I even raced my first "open" half-marathon this past Saturday. It was a test for me to see where my running is w/ my very, very limited build-up thus far. I ran a smartly paced race and exceeded my own expectations time-wise. I ran 1:15:31 on a hilly course w/23-24mph sustained winds. The wind was whipping something fierce, and the course is not fast to begin with, thus, I am quite pleased. 1:15:31 is 5:45 pace almost on the money. Considering outside of some hill repeats, I havent raced, been to the track, or even done a single tempo since last November this time is good for me. Definitely gives me somehting to build upon going forward. I will post some pics as soon as I get them...

Cheers,
b

onwards and upwards

With the advent of the twittering and the constant preoccupation there, the blog posts have slacked a little.  Training has been going well the last 3 weeks.  Nothing to write home about, but putting in 15-20 hours of mostly base.  I am slowly building the volume, with an emphasis on strength.  My foot (plantar fascia) has really been giving me troubles so I have had to put a limit on the yogging.  I have been rolling it, massaging it, icing it, and sleeping in a boot--not so much fun, but necessary.  It is finally coming around and I can hopefully up the diet of running.

Other than that nothing much to report.  I have found a great training partner who has helped me to maintain the consistency even through the sporadically "terrible" texas weather, so that has been a real plus.  In sponsorship news, I would like to welcome Profile-Design on for another year.  I have been with them for 4 years now, and they are a great company committed to triathlon.

 I will update again when the training gets more "serious."  After all, it it still only January....

Cheers,

B

sweet pics

These are some nice pics I found from the San Francisco Triathlon.

cheers,
b

older

I am a little older since the last time I posted, but hopefully no worse for the wear. December is coming to a close, and I can feel the itch returning to my body. This whole month has been only maintenance as far as training goes. I have enjoyed the down time with lots of eating and sleeping in. Last time I weighed myself I gained 10 pounds since the beginning of november. For all the crap I have eaten, that aint too bad...

Tomorrow starts the first "official" training week for me of the '09 season. Kevin is coming to stay with me for a few days and as he is in much better shape than I am right now I am sure I will be hurting after he leaves. The goal for the month of January is to gradually build up the hours while focusing more on strength than quantity. This year I am probably not racing until May, so I am going to take it slow and build a solid base. Last year things were a little rushed in the preparation phase and I dont plan on making that mistake again.

I hope all yall had a great Christmas and have a happy new year. I am still finalizing sponsorships for next year and will post about my plans next year soon.

Cheers,
b