not me...

 But I like, totally know the guy who did it.

Vancouver...fun race, expensive trip

Drove up on Saturday to Vancouver for the ITU World Championships. The U-23 and Men's and Women's Elite races were amazing. Spectator friendly, exciting, well produced, with tons of chances to see the race pass over and over, a huge video screen with the action, very impressive. I've been trying to explain to people not there the size of the crowd, specifically for the Men's Elite race. I can definitely say I've never seen anything like that at a triathlon, it kinda seemed like it was Europe, I hear there's huge crowds at some races in Germany, Hungary, etc...

Sarah Haskins and Helen Tucker made an great move on the bike to get a nice lead from Vanessa Fernandes, and battled it out for the world title, and on the men's side, Javier Gomez "did what he does" ...surged at 5k and broke everyone. At the line, he pointed at the number 1 on his arm, and, if you win 11 world cups in 2 years, I guess you can do that. Anyway, great race.

The expensive part of the trip (outside of hotel, gas, and food) was that when I went to get my car from the parking garage at the hotel, it was broken into, rear passenger window busted, all my S#*! thrown around, and my bike was stolen! With my new SRM on it! It could be much worse, it's just a bike, but it was quite a loud trip back home with the garbage bag taped to the window.

favorite country songs

I'll typically answer the question, "favorite type of music?" as  "mostly everything, except country and techno"

...but I was in the car and heard some country song as I was going through the stations, and I thought, yeah, I like that, and kept it on (and then changed it when the next song came up).

   So I thought, there are some country songs I enjoy.  So, like, in the interest of full disclosure, my favorite country songs of all time.  Crossovers such as Cash, Dylan, and all Alt-Rock-Country are excluded.

...in no particular order (except #1)

Here's a Quarter (call someone who cares)       Travis Tritt  

Family Tradition        Hank Williams Jr.  

Much Too Young         Garth Brooks

Fast as You        Dwight Yoakam

Always on my Mind    Willie Nelson

Easy Come, Easy Go    George Strait

You Never Even Called me by my Name   David Allen Coe 

Training is coming along...slowly getting back into the running, but focusing on power on the bike and speed in the pool should help.  Good thing about this sport is if you're out of commission in 1 area, you can still improve in the others, and not lose much overall fitness.

Also filmed in Oregon

Cupping

So I woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating pain in the middle of my back/shoulder blade area (the area that was injured in the past).   Supposed to go to an Oly Distance race today for Sunday.  Pretty much kept me up all night, and didn't go away.  Called MT's all morning to get it worked on.  So I got into a place for some quick work on my shoulder, see if I could attempt to race the next day.  Got worked on hard, and then was asked if I'd heard of "cupping".  The MT said that it was an old technique, pulls lactic acid, bad blood, etc... to the top of the skin.  So here's a pic of what that looks like.  My back/shoulder does feel a bit better, but the pain is still quite bad.  I'm going to hopefully train tomorrow(no race), and this will improve, but for now,  it really hurts.  Going back in for some PT tomorrow evening, and might try some acupuncture as well.  

....

a little inspiration to get me out of bed

my dream car

gotta get me one of these.

....

swimming is a confusing sport, because sometimes you do it for fun, and other times you do it not to die, and when I'm swimming, sometimes I'm not sure which one it is.  I gotta go by the outfit.  Pants - uh oh.   Bathing suit - ok.

                                                                     -dm

There's more to that joke, but it's probably not appropriate.  Swimming quote seemed appropriate as it's the 1st day back swimming w/ a group.  I pretty much swam alone this whole winter, and I probably didn't work enough at the intensity needed.  So I plan to change that.

Back Home....finally

 After being gone since Dec 10th,  we're finally back home.  It's great to be back, my dog can breathe again.  She did not do well in the desert and heat.   Now she can go on hour walks, it's like she's 4 years younger.  Weather's not great, but I've got tons of cold/wet weather gear for training that hasn't been used all year.

    So we never really had a great experience with fish in the desert, so we really ate no fish/sushi since early February.  So the 1st full day back, we ate Sushi at Sinju.  It was unreal.  I know there are supposed to be some more really good places in town, but it's just so good there, we hate to try anywhere else.  After, we walked over to this French wine shop, and got a great (read: strong) bottle of wine insisted upon us by the owner/manager.  He told us to decant the wine for 20 minutes, and for the 1st time ever, we actually knew if we were supposed to do that or not.

    So the race didn't go well, obviously, but what can you do about it?  You can freak out, or get discouraged, or just realize, sometimes you just have bad days, sometimes REALLY bad days.  But I got 4 months of great training in, I'm not trashed, and can get back and start racing right away.  It's April, the season is just barely getting started.  Definitely some things I need to improve on, but I think the important thing is just to get in the races, and remember what it feels like.

     Lots of interesting stuff, I'm analyzing what was working in training, what wasn't.  There was a time this winter when I felt incredibly strong, fit, ready to race, and I kinda lost that somewhere before the race.  The workouts were similar, maybe it was the conditions, maybe just training alone took it's toll, I don't know.  I'm excited about being back, though, and feel good about going on from here. 

uhh... that was tough

so just a quick post, for anyone wondering.  I blew, early...It was just really hot, really windy, I was completely flat, I tried to work hard on the bike, passed some guys, tried to put myself in the mix, and really paid for it, spend most of the ride holding my side, dry heaving, and on the arm rests, as it was killing my side to be in the aerobars.  I didn't finish, but it wasn't one of those, "things aren't great, I think I'll bag it"  I was just totally wasted, and honestly didn't have the ability to be out there any longer.

   No excuses, it was probably a bit of a tough "1st race back",  I went harder than I was really ready for.   Big BIG congrats and amazement at all the people in the race today.  I have a lot of respect for everyone out there, and was definitely humbled by the day, but will keep training, keep trying to get better, and be back (maybe not Arizona though).  It killed me to not finish in front of all my friends and family, definitely the hardest part, but it wasn't really much of a decision, just didn't have it.

   

Race bib # 18

....www.ironmanlive.com     track an athlete.

Xtri 7 Systems Article

http://xtri.com

   

The Greatest Movie EVER MADE...

...in Oregon.

AVIA!!!

I had the link up for a while, but just recieved my 1st shipment from Avia Running, and figured I'd post.  I saw the shoes at Tri Fest, had a chance to talk to them, loved the shoes, the company, and it worked out well.  No specifics to post, but they'll keep me in fresh shoes, great gear, and help out with the racing.  Needless to say, I'm really excited.  I wore the Avi-Bolt's around all day, and ran in the trainers.  I really love the shoes, and am pumped to be affiliated with the company.  

    It might sound silly, but competing most of my life, and having a running background, it was always a bit of a dream to have a shoe deal.  I hope that doesn't sound bad or materialistic, but I just thought it was a cool thing.  9 years of Tri-  12+ running,  definitely makes me appreciate it more.  Sarah, Ryan, and Me were like little kids last night, playing with the stuff, trying everything on, it was just fun.

    I guess that's about it,  I've been a bit sick, and am enjoying this recovery week to get better, not much longer till IMAZ...Definitely pre race jitters coming in a bit, but I've got a ton of family and friends coming, so that'll make it a great weekend, hopefully relax me .   I'm Determined to have a great time Sunday night, so I just tell myself that it'll be that much more fun if I have a great race to go along with everything.

2 Weeks of Training

4 weeks till IMAZ...

8 swims, ~27,000yds (including a few wetsuits swims at the endless pool at TriSports)

10 Bikes,    6.5 hr high endurance

                    4.5 hr high endurance

                     3 hrs w/ 2 1/2 steady

                     2 hrs w 10x6min hard

                     2 hrs foundation 

                     1 hr easy

                     4.5 hrs  endurance

                     3 hrs w/ 2 1/2 hrs steady

                     2.5 hrs endurance

                     2 hrs with 10x5 min hard

9 runs         90 min endurance

                     75 min endurance

                     60 min w/ 10x2 min hard

                     60 min w/ 45 steady

                    120 min endurance 

                      80 min brick run

                     75 min w/ 60 min steady

                     60 min w/ 5x5 min hard

                     45 min easy

4 strength/core/plyo (mondays and fridays)

3 Ice Baths  1 hot/cold flush

That's it, that's all you're going to get, don't ask for any more info, I've already said too much.  

                    

                  

               

                    

I NEED TO GO TO MY QUIET PLACE!!!

Tri Fest, Training, and the Ironman looms ominously (edited)

Helped out 2XU at Tri-Fest this weekend.  It was a pretty cool event; seminars, a big expo, training rides, etc... pretty cool idea, I'm sure I'll be back next year, maybe go to a couple of talks and rides. 

 The Highlight was Saturday night, Casino night at TriSports.  They brought in professional dealers, tables, etc...played Texas Hold em  with Andy Potts, Adam from Guru, the guys from InsideTri, etc...just a lot of fun.  Adam took me to task on a HUGE hand, I had pocket Ace's, which is really a crappy hand, cause it's only one pair, and it's hard to lay down, blah blah blah, I came back a bit at the end, but....   Anyway, it was a really good time (and I didn't have anything to drink, even though it was an open bar) Good to see all the same faces, like PT from Kuota, Chris at 2XU, Claudio (a bad ass runner from Phoenix), just a really good group of people.

    

    Training is going well, I'm pretty rested after last week's recovery week.  3 hard weeks, that's it.  It gets to a wierd time now, where you are ready to race, but always wish there was more time to prepare.  I've been pretty consistent, and got through the bad stretches, I'm healthy,  I can't really ask for anything else.

    

     Something useful.... a good treadmill run music mix.  IronHeads,  If you download these songs from ITunes, and aren't completely satisfied in your purchase, I will refund you the full amount in Beer when I get back to Portland... keep your receipts.  

      

      Seven                            The Arctic Monkeys

      Saint John                    Cold War Kids 

      Cochise                         Audioslave

     Comfort Eagle              Cake

      Lady Don't Tek No      Latyrx

     This Boy                        Franz Ferdinand

      Home                            Marc Broussard

      I Changed My Mind    Lyrics Born

      Superstar                     Lupe Fiasco

      Take it on the Run      REO Speedwagon

      Thought@ Work         The Roots

       Cover Me                     Bruce Springsteen

      Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun    Beastie Boys

     *All these Things I've Done     The Killers

     *That Old Pair of Jeans        Fatboy Slim

     *Don't Push                       Sublime

     *SuperMan's Dead         Our Lady Peace

     *Still Take You Home     Arctic Monkeys

     *King of New Orleans       Better Than Ezra

     * Understanding                Count the Stars

     *What's the Altitude         Cut Chemist

     *Woke Up this Morning(chosen one mix)    Alabama 3

                         

                                                      *added for DC

Bright Sunny Desert Training

...couldn't ask for better weather lately.   After a few sluggish, crap days, starting to feel good again.  Gotten up with Barrie Shepley's group for some workouts, nice to have some company.  I've done most of my training alone, which I think is generally pretty good for me, but having people to train with really helps some days.  And it's accentuated the fact that I need to work more on my swim.  It's just hard to push swimming alone, so I think I need to make sure I'm getting in group swim workouts the rest of the time I'm here.

Going to hang out with the old Victoria crew this weekend, should be fun.  

I'll try to post something more entertaining soon, I've been forced to go to coffee shops for internet access, so I haven't seen anything fun or entertaining on the internet for a while.  Tiger Woods in in Tucson right now for a tournament, maybe I should go and  cough or sneeze during his backswing, maybe I'll get on Sportscenter.

It's raining in Arizona

...and I'm in a Starbucks,  on my new Mac Air (I won't bother w/the PC vs Mac stuff, but I had to go back).  It's pretty cool, really small, but I probably won't ever utilize all the cool things it can do.  I'm pretty much an e-mail and I-tunes person, but maybe I'll read the owners manual, learn how to do movies and stuff (probably not).

Today will just be pretty easy, getting more stuff I need for the place, and Grant Folske's crashing at the house for his bike race.

Coming up... pics of Tucson rides (i.e.--Mt Lemmon), my expert review of the Tacx VR trainer, and numbers from my new Powertap (if they're acceptable).

 

Goodbye Florida

Last full day in FL. About 6 weeks here, perfect amount of time. It was great training, but I'm excited to get to Arizona.

Training was heavy on the bike, low on the run (because of IT Band)...but I feel good now, so the running is starting to ramp up again.

Rough Totals:

Bike--87.5 hrs
Run--18.5 hrs
Bike--70,000 yds (about 20hrs)

Average about 21 hrs a week (not counting core strength, stretching, etc...)

Ready for the next phase.

No regrets, that's my motto. Well... that and everyone Wang Chung tonight.

Zach Galifianakis

I was going to post about my training

but The Karate Kid is on.

Recovery

Recovery week, definitely needed. I've been pretty good at getting up early, staying focused, training hard....this is my chance to chill out a little. Still some solid w/outs, but just mentally and physically easing up. Went to Blue Man Group at Universal...fun. Superbowl Sunday tomorrow, w/ a group ride (my 1st since leaving Oregon) + run in the a.m, then back to a normal week.


Florida training camp is finishing up next week. Great camp, just what I needed, and from the sounds of it, the weather back home has been less than ideal, so it looks like the right move.


Other news...my Powertap comes Monday (fingers crossed)and my little sister just got accepted to school in Stumptown, so she'll be hanging with us next year. Maybe she'll get us to go to more concerts, unless we're too old and uncool to hang with college kids now.



"There's a small but important difference between peeing in the pool, and peeing into the pool."

Demetri Martin

Tough week...race pics added

Good week of training last week. over 350 on the bike, and finished with a 1/2 Marathon trail run on Sunday. It was a good, hard, fun race.

Between the rest of the runners finishing, and the awards, they were doing trivia for prizes. People were running up to answer, lots of questions about Tampa Bay Bucs, and 70's TV shows (I was off a decade), but they asked, which president had a bowling alley installed in the White House? No one went up, and I came in and won with "Richard Nixon" The guy asked me how I knew that, and I knew it from the picture in "the Dude's" house in The Big Lebowski ("they peed on my f%$*ing rug") Anyway, it's my favorite movie, and I was so proud of catching that, definitely the big win of the day...For my hard work, I got a foot massager and a road ID...and I am in the lead of the Vasque(?) Trail Run Series Championship, of which I have no idea what the champion wins, and I'm sure I won't ever find out.

Not today, Baywatch

The Arcade Fire - Wake Up

almost had a good story for NBC...

So I swam this morning, then went out for a ride (1:45 fairly easy w/ some hills), about 5 minutes in, I went to wipe something off my fork, and put my fingers right into my spokes (bladed spokes). Luckily I just caught the sides of my middle and ring finger, lots of blood, but nothing serious. I just signed up for IMAZ, and it has that section that asks you if you overcame any hardships/etc.. to get to the race...I thought it would be pretty funny to call up NAS, "yeah, so I lost 2 fingers while training for Ironman" NBC would have LOVED that....alas, it was only a flesh wound.

So on the ride, It was just a great day, and I was feeling really good... I was kinda jokingly complaining about the weather earlier, but really, everything's been awesome, great training, the NTC is really a great place to train.

"I'm always on the road, and I drive rental cars. Sometimes I don't know what's going on with the car, and I'll drive for ten miles with the emergency brake on. That doesn't say a lot for me, but it doesn't say a lot for the emergency brake. "
Mitch Hedberg

Yes I'm in Florida, and yes I'm complaining about the weather

"If you think a weakness can be turned into a strength, I hate to tell you this, but that's another weakness."
--Jack Handey

I've been reading other people's blogs/websites, and a lot of times they start with a quote, so....

I know it's not that bad, but the weather has sucked for about a week, and I don't think it's getting any better. It's not the rain that bothers me, it's the lightning. I could be doing all my rides inside or in freezing rain though, so it is pretty bad for me to complain...Someone was telling me about this preacher that tried to get it's congregation to go 1 week without complaining, and I guess on average it took like 3 months or something like that. Me and Sarah were trying it, but everytime we would complain, we would just say "....I mean, I'M NOT COMPLAINING, but..." I don't think that really counts.

Got a massage yesterday, it was horrible, I was writhing in pain, cursing, etc...I'm not complaining, it was great. I've been having an IT Band thing, and she just killed me working on it, but I feel so much better now.

still funny...

My Road Bike

....well, not really my actual bike, but the same idea, I have a different seat (Arione K:1), and Copper Fulcrums, but besides that... I like it, but it has compact cranks, it just feels so small for hard riding...though I'm sure it's gonna be great for climbing Mt. Lemmon in a few weeks.

Just trying to workout how to post pics, videos, etc...I think I've got it!

Video Test....

Florida Thunderstorms

The weather was looking a bit ominous yesterday before my long ride. "I hope I don't get caught in a thunderstorm," I said as I was being dropped off at the training center...about 3 hours later, after going back and forth, turning N, S, E, and West. I took cover outside the Holy Ghost in the Hills Church....Tried to wait it out, but no go, so Sarah had to come pick me up.

I was all prepared for a long day Sunday, and easy today, but instead I have 6 hours and a swim for Monday. Then we go for all-you-can-eat crab legs w/ some friends....Sounds like a lot of work for not much payoff, I may have a burger before.

Florida Sunshine

Hey,

1st blog, 1st post. This is just a chance for some friends and family to keep up on me and Sarah, my training, racing, and where we are. Right now we are in Florida, getting some warm weather training in before Ironman Arizona. It'll probably be fairly light on specific w/outs, as probably no one really cares, but I hope to be able to answer any questions, or post funny clips from YouTube, stuff like that.

Still learning how this all works, so hopefully I'll add some pics soon.

I miss all you guys in Portland, and hope to see everyone soon.