A couple weeks ago my coach suggested a little change of pace and had me sign up for a few 5K runs to help get some more speed work into my routine. I said sure and was kind of excited about getting back to the roots of endurance sports. So he had me bike an hour and a half before hand, then run the course hard before the race and then race followed by a two mile cool down. It was a good race and was for a good cause "Tots for Trykes." Raising money for kids with handicaps that can not ride bikes. They have to special trykes made custom for them so they can ride outside and enjoy the outdoors. So this was to raise money to provide children with these special bikes.
After the race they had a "Kids Fun Run" and my two daughters love to run. They completed there first 1 mile fun run a couple of weeks ago and absolutely loved it. My son I felt was to small to do the 1 mile loop so we kept him in the cheering section. So after this race my kids were so excited to see that there was a fun run, and my son had a glimmer in his eye, that said, "just gimmie a chance dad." I bent down and asked him, "do want to try." He looked at me with a big smile and shook his head. I signed all three of them up and headed down to the start line to set them all up. I explained to Boo Boo that he was going to run until they told him to turn around and then he will head all the way back. He was licking his chops, he was ready to tear up the course and I thought look out here comes my 3 year old terror. The whistle blew and they were off. Boo Boo's sisters were off now, pros at this stuff since they have one under there belts, and left him in there dust. I was watching and saw his little legs motoring as fast they could move and he started to lag pretty far behind at about the 200 meter mark so I ran up to him to help him out. I get up to him and the glimmer was gone in his eye and was replaced with hot rosy cheeks and tears. I said whats wrong, he looks at me and said "They all left me." I said, "Its OK lets do this together." So we held hands and tackled the rest of the one mile course together. We did the run walk combo and cheered on all the other runners that passed us, and really cheered when his sisters came cruising by. We made it the turn around and headed back toward the finish and Boo Boo's spirits were turning up. When we rounded the final bend we could see the finish line and the crowd noise picked up which really motivated him so I slipped my hand from his and let him finish by himself. After I let go of his hand, his two sisters slipped in and ran next to him, yelling words of encouragement to him. All three crossed the finish line together, with a final time of 15:08. Isn't this what all this is for, moments like this. As a parent I could not have asked for more. I was the proudest father there on Saturday. My son completed his first mile run, I was apart of it, my daughters were there rooting him on, and he ended up really enjoying it. They were talking about it all the way home. I hope this was the first of many races we do together. GREAT JOB SMITTIES
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So this is a little over do since my San Juan race has been over now for about two and a half weeks but just wanted to post a comment or two on this subject. I was simply amazed at what I saw at the race especially on the grueling, heat baking run course. The paratriathletes that competed in this race were simply amazing. To see the grit and determination in there eyes, and the strength in there voices was simply humbling and awe inspiring. Yeah it was great to see all the Pros, all the elite level amateurs, all the hustle bustle that goes into a huge race but I was simply taken back by the abilities of these strong and determined athletes. These athletes were so inspiring, and I was in such awe of them every time I saw them on the course. To see them climb the hills on the run course and see how the crowd reacted to each of these athletes was amazing. They truly have a gift deep with in them and I am proud to say that I was able to race against these athletes and sweat on the same course with them. Great job to all the paratriathletes that competed in San Juan and GOOD LUCK on the rest of your seasons.
My favorite time of year to run is now, Spring Time. I love waking up on cool crisp mornings and stepping outside to be serenaded by the birds. Its usually just cool enough to get a good steady sweat going. As I start my run I am greeted by the smell of blooming flowers and various other budding plants that takes me to a place of happiness. Then at some point on my run I get to watch the sunrise. It is usually so spectacular it looks like the sky is on fire, with all the different shades yellows, oranges, and pinks. Mother Nature has taken her brush and painted me a picture for me to enjoy to get me through the end of my workout. Thanks.
After usually being cooped up for most of the winter, I really look forward to this time of the year. I get to start packing the winter gear away and start wearing the lighter weight more comfortable spring/summer gear. Weather is changing, days are getting longer, and the meat of Race Season is on the Horizon. Embrace Mother Nature with all she has to offer and let your senses take over. Well the race is all over now I am recovering and will soon be ramping up the training again to prepare for the next race. First though I wanted to give a HUGE THANK YOU to my wonderful wife and kids. I raced on my birthday and all I kept thinking about was how I should be the one giving them presents on my birthday for the amazing support they have given me throughout this whole adventure. With out them this would not be possible. I have an amazing wife and three great kids.
Next I would like to thank my parents for making the trek down to San Juan and giving me so much support emotionally and physically (I was leaning on them pretty hard after the race before I made my way to the massage tent). There dedication to there children and grand children with there functions is unmatched and am proud to say that they are my parents. You guys are the best. Thanks to the Bridgeton Group, PXT, Fine Line Racing, Walabax Construction Services, and Pop21eye, for your support in the 2012 season. I am looking forward to a great rest of the season, and thank you for believing in me. I would also like to thank all my family and friends who supported me through this first race. I pulled from everyone's support and had a good race. Special Thanks to Mandy Lovett for keeping me in check leading up to the race. Also to Ann Lovett and Barb for an awesome brunch and for the support out there on the course. Finally to all the volunteers that helped with the race and the spectators there yelling out words of encouragement on the course, it really does help motivate. So big thanks to everyone who tuned in and who was there cheering us on. You can go to the K-Krew page to view some pictures surrounding the event. Next Race White Lake Half: May 5th - White Lake, NC So its race week and I'm headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico in a few days for my race that takes place on Sunday the 18th. I am really excited about this race as it will hopefully set me up to have a great 2012 season. Everything is going well and feeling right. I feel mentally and physically ready/fresh to take care of business and accomplish all my race goals. I was becoming nervous after returning home from my Arizona Training Camp: feeling beaten, bruised and extremely fatigued, after logging lots of miles and hours. My coach, Todd Wiley, did a tremendous job dialing me back in and getting my body back on pace and in a strong place. I need to go down there and stay focused, race smart, and have fun. Now with all the time put in, all the sweat behind me, and all the winter illnesses avoided, I am ready to compete and start this season with a bang.
With the 2012 Season upon us I want to wish everyone good luck in all there races and training sessions, and hope to see you out on the course. Race Hard, Leave Everything Out on the Course and Finish Strong. Have a great season and be safe out there. Well my first taper of the season is finally here, Ironman 70.3 San Juan, Puerto Rico. The race is a week and half away. What this means: 2012 season is on the horizon, all the second guessing is present, anxiousness is in the belly and anticipation of seeing what this season will bring is eminent.
I am very excited for this 2012 season. It is going to be a true test to see if all the hard off-season training is going to payoff. I have left everything on the line for this season and am anxious to see what is in store for me. This is an exciting place, a good place, and a nervous place to be. I am ready to push my limits and give it everything I have in order to attain my goals. I know deep down I am ready but there is always that second guessing for the first race of the season. You have nothing to compare it to after months of not racing. Will my body react as it did towards the end of last season or will I need to work out the kinks again. In reality though I think we are always working out the kinks to be honest. That is what makes focus and preparation so important for this first race. Every little edge I can get will make a world of difference in the long run, and sometimes those often get overlooked. I am going to go down and try not to worry about the things I cannot control or the things that are in the past and just race hard and have fun. The first race of the season will hopefully set me up to have a great rest of the season. It will add more confidence at this distance and most importantly will give me valuable information on how my body reacts to different sets of circumstances and stresses. I always have a tough time with the taper though. I always feel like I am losing fitness, getting lazy and gaining weight. Although all of these are false, I can't help but feel this way. I think this is natural. It is nice to have partnered up with Todd Wiley, my coach, to ensure me that all those things are not happening and also that I am tapering correctly. I have the confidence that I am doing things correctly and am on the right path to have a great race. About a week and half to go and I will have the first set of results for my 2012 season. I look forward to letting everyone know how it went. I'm going to reach for the moon and shoot for the stars. I am the father of a three year old boy, my only son, my pride and joy, MY BOY. He is great, he's my little buddy, I call him my "Boo Boo." I'm not sure were that came from, was never into Yogi Bear but there is the possibility. He is great he is just a ball full of energy. He bounces of the walls, he loves getting dirty but not crazy about bugs. I'm working on it. He loves to wrestle, rough house, play with his cars, he loves to head butt, and loves football. I swear he travels at lightening speed, and he moves with such stealth. I turn around for a second and poof he is gone.
I went to the bike shop the other day to get a new bike helmet, so we get in the store I said " Boo Boo, stay right with me and don't touch anything." He nods his head, I turn my head to look at a helmet with .25 seconds elapsed, and all I hear is crash bang boom. I turn around, and were is Boo Boo on the other side of the store staring horrified at a mannequin laying on the floor in four pieces. He looked up at me waiting to be yelled at but I didn't have time to yell at him, I had to put this thing back together before management came over. Couldn't figure it out quick enough though. The manager comes over I have an arm between my legs, a torso under one arm and trying to set up the things legs with my the other arm while the head was staring at us. I looked at Boo Boo like really, Bud. Come on. The whole way home I was thinking about what happened and how fast he can get away. The more I thought about I started analyzing his running form. He's got the classic high knees that come close to hitting his chest and a high elbow swing with his triceps never falling past parallel with the ground. The high elbows is one thing but he has a way of making it look like he is about to take off. I guess he needs the high elbows so they don't bang into his high knees. I don't want him to bang his knees all up. I wondered how he can be so stealthy with that kind of form. So my predicament is this do I try and straighten this out or just let it go. After much deliberation I decided to let him just go with what feels natural to him. I didn't want to explain everything he needs to correct and him to look at me like I have two heads. Also I don't want him to become even faster and even more stealthy because that would make it harder for me to detect his spastic movements. At least now I can catch him out of the corner of my eye with arms flapping in the wind and knees a blazing. He is fun and I just have to snicker when I see him running. I know if they have to do a stair climb in preschool all the other kids will be going down. He'll figure it someday. We've got time. HAHAHA!!! HE WILL GROW INTO HIS FORM RIGHT!? This week was solely dedicated to training. I flew to Scottsdale, Arizona to put in some long training days to prep me for the season, which is fast approaching. A buddy of mine invited me down to train for 5 days so I jumped at the chance. With near perfect conditions: air temperatures averaging 68 degrees, no clouds in sight and minor winds, we were able to take full advantage of our time. So here is what went down for the entire week. I broke it down into each day:
Monday: Swim: 4200 yds Strength/Core Workout Tuesday: Swim: 3200yds easy Bike: 1 hr trainer session - 14 miles Plyometrics outside routine Wednesday- Flew into Arizona and were riding by noon. Bike: 3:25 - 65 miles Avg speed 18.9 MPH (pooped from flight) Swim : 3500 yds Thursday - Day was beautiful, could smell the flowers and fresh cut lawns Run : 1:32 - 11 miles Bike: 4:49 - 92 miles Friday: Bike : 6:32 - 115 miles Run : 23 min - 3 miles (Transition Run) Swim : 2650 yds Saturday : Run : 1 hour - 8 miles (easy pace felt pretty broken down) Bike : 1:13 - 22 miles Swim : 5000 yds Sunday : Travel day Run : 30 min - not sure of distance Core Workout Totals: A lot of hours and miles Long week, definitely slept good at night. It was fun, learned a lot about my physical capacity, and it was a great place to train. Scottsdale has everything a triathlete could ask for: mountains, flats, beautiful weather, great pool system, and good running trails. I want to thank my friend John Potter who gave me the invite and showed me the ropes while out there. It was a great experience and one step closer to race day. I had another good training week to prep me for my training session in Arizona this week. We had somewhat decent weather only one day of snow, so not to bad and temperatures still aren't that cold for this time of year. I've really lucked out weather wise so far this winter. Here we go for this week:
Swim : 3x 80 min sessions - 14650 yds felt really strong had my stroke technique tweeked this week to become more efficient, by Tri Your Limits coach Scott Rowlands (www.triyourlimits.com). So will continue to perfect my stroke and get stronger. Bike: 5 Hours - 79 miles comprised of two trainer workouts and one road workout Run - 3.25 hours - 27 miles Looking to really crank some miles out in Arizona take full advantage of the beautiful weather and no distractions. Should get 5 good days of training. Train, train train. I had another decent workout week. I am starting to log more time on the bike now and it feels great. Other than the cold weather it is going good but the weather is definitely better than a typical winter up here in the north. Well here it is:
Swim: 3x80min workouts: 14550 yds Run: 3 hours and 15 minutes : 30miles Consisted of: 1 track Workout; 2 Transition Runs, and 1 10k race The 10K race I placed 7th overall and 1st in my Age Group: 35:44 Bike: 5 hours and 15 minutes: 90 miles Consisted of: 1 Trainer Workout, 2 Road Workouts Notes: Was happy with my performance in my race considering I have yet to do any speed work. My pace was 5:46/mile. I wanted to be around 5:40 so wasn't to far off. I'll keep working hard and doing everything in my power to keep making improvements. Next week I am heading to Scottsdale, Arizona for 5 days of training in hopefully beautiful weather. Can't wait to crank out some miles in a new place. |
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February 2014
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