| History |
| I started running in January of 2004 to get in shape. I had gained too much weight and felt terrible. I was able to run my first 5K 3 months later. 2 years later and 50 lbs lighter, I have continued to push for greater goals and have run 5 marathons and I am training for an Iron distance triathlon now. Everyday I wake up with a positive attitude towards life, training and my future. |
| Marathons Completed |
Arizona RockNRoll 2007
Salt Lake City Marathon 2006
Steamboat Marathon 2005
Boulder Backroads 2005
Las Vegas Marathon 2005 |
| Why do I Tri? |
| Should be why do I want to Tri? I want to see just how far I can push myself. With everyday I am in the best shape of my life. And I'm never going back!!!! |
| Sponsors |
Elite Family Fitness-Canon City
BB's Tanning and Massage
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| Scheduled Races |
Littlefoot Triathlon
Bolder Boulder 10K
Highland Ranch Sprint
Boulder Long Triathlon
Redman Iron Distance
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I Don’t Wanna Stop
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| Almost Vacation |
| June 30, 2006 |
Today is the last day before our office closes for one week for vacation. I'll be working my other job for a few days but otherwise I will be enjoying some time off. It seems that life moves along real quickly anymore, so getting to slow down will be nice. This may even give me some extra time to do some training I have not been able to do - like long swims and long bikes.
This morning I kept up the pace with an 18 mile bike ride to the north of the city up in the Red Canyon Park area. I am feeling stronger on the hills and able to push on the flats. I topped out at one point going 39mph and felt confident in my aerobars at that speed. There were other cyclist on the road this morning and I was able to pick them off one at a time. I usually train alone which is great for staying focused but gets real boring. I like to be able to ride with someone or run with someone for the company and I tend to push harder. I have been looking at training plans for 1/2 Ironman competitions, and I have found a couple to work off of. I am wondering if I will need to get a coach at some point in time but I also realize that I can't afford one yet. It would be nice to have an independent voice to tell me if I am training hard enough or overtraining, someone to encourage my training and someone to kick me in the pants when needed. Until such time that I can afford a coach, I will put together a traing plan on paper and start working my mileage up to half-ironman distances. I guess I'll have to kick myself in the pants to go farther, faster and stronger. CIAO ! |
posted by Mondo @ 8:06 AM   |
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| Run, Run and Run Some More |
| June 29, 2006 |
 What have you done today to prepare for you next Race? that is a question I ask myself everyday. And if I can't come up with anything then I at least get in some "core" training.
But this morning I did get in a nice 6 mile run with Fartleks added in from time to time. The weather was perfect for running and the Riverwalk was so beautiful under the canopy of trees. My legs are feeling pretty good, maybe a little tired from yesterday's 4 miler but overall feeling good with no pain. I think my shoes are still holding up OK. Probably will need a new set by next month though. Next week I am on vacation from my regular job but will be getting in some extra hours at my second job. This will allow for some extra training next week. I am going to try and get in some extra swim time and also would like to get in some open water training. I just need to find out where I can do that. I still would like to attend a masters swim training to get a few more pointers on my form. Anyway tomorrow I am back on the bike for 90 minutes. I always look forward to my bike workouts, and suprisingly I now look forward to my swim workouts as well. CIAO |
| posted by Mondo @ 12:08 PM |
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| Water Wings |
| June 28, 2006 |
Sometimes while swimming everything feels right. The stroke feels right, the rhythm feels right, breathing is relaxed and even. You feel like you are in a medatative state where you can swim forever........... At least that's what I'm told. Not so for my training this morning. It was sort of a thrashing about in the water and maintaining a forward direction. I don't know - some days I feel like my form and stroke are getting better and I start to feel like I am finally getting the hang of this thing then like this morning I felt like I have never swam before in my life. I couldn't relax, my breathing was irregular, I felt like I was slapping the water and my legs felt like I was dragging them throught the water. I tried to concentrate on my form and when I did my breathing would be irregular and vice versa. ARRRRHHHHH ! It get's so aggrevating.  After the swim I did get in a good run of 4 miles. At least I can still run without a problem. I kept my pace up and finished with an average of 9:15/mi. Not bad. My legs are feeling pretty good after this last weekend and my epic ride yesterday. I am totally stoked about being able to compete at the same route as this past weekend in one month. I will be able to tell immediately if my training is working. Till tomorrow - CIAO ! |
| posted by Mondo @ 12:32 PM |
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| Back to Work |
| June 27, 2006 |
Following a great awesome weekend of racing and a rest day yesterday it was back to work this morning. I wanted to get in a swim/bike but the pool was taken over by the terrible and formidable water aerobics monster. So I changed my mind and decided to go on a longer bike ride.
Leaving from Canon City I negotiated through traffic and onto the backroads and headed out of town. My legs were feeling real good this morning. I am pleasantly surprised that my legs did not feel like crap after the weekend race. On the backroads I averaged about 22mph and felt great. I spent most of my time in my aerobars and just pushed my cadence to 80-90 for most of the ride. This is probably the best ride I have had since starting my training.  After reaching the town of Penrose I headed back to Canon City via the Hwy. However mother nature had some extra training planned for me. She decided, in her infinate wisdom, to give me a 5-10mph headwind. OOOOO what a load of fun that was. Even on the downhills I was unable to go faster than 11 mph. But she knew that adversity builds strong muscles and a strong mind, so with her help I was able to have a great training ride this morning. My legs are pretty tired right now. I have a little bit of cramping in my right foot from time to time. But I feel great that I was able to get this ride done. Last night I went out to get the mail and had a great surprise. I recieved my traithlon scholarship check from The Kahuna and IronWil. I want to thank them for picking me for this honor. I will not let them down. This check will be used to pay for my entance into the Steamboat Springs Triathlon. I am soooo looking forward to my next triathlon, that will be the Rocky Mountain Games the 1st of August. The course will pretty much be the same as the one I did over the weekend, so I will be able to see any improvement made with another month of training. But Steamboat will be my longest swim in open water at 3/4 mile. That is alot of swimming for a newbie. There is much work to be done> Ciao! |
| posted by Mondo @ 9:34 AM |
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| Prospect Lake Triathlon Results |
| June 26, 2006 |
 What a totally awesome triathlon. This surpassed all my expectations.
The Prospect Lake Traithlon was held in Colorado Springs, CO. It is the 1st Annual event that is sure to grow to incredible size in a short time. The race was held within the borders of Memorial Park. I think there were about 290 participants including age groupers (like myself), military and elite athletes.
The weather was cool to start with clear skies. Water temperature was about 68 degrees. The lake was calm except for the wake from the rescue vehicles. The general mood of the crowd before the race was excitement and anticipation. I felt really good for the morning of a race. My anxiety level was low, which is really wierd.
Pre-Race warmups. My support crew kept asking me how I was feeling, all I could say was I was feeling great. I think they expected me to be nervous or wacked out, but I felt calm. I got a great spot for my transition area and had everything set up just the way I like it. I checked my bike out and went through my transition area 3-4 times to make sure everything was where is should be. I got on my wetsuit and headed out to the water for a quick warm-up before race time. My wave started on time, everything was timed using Champion Chips. As I started swimming I did feel a rush of anxiety come over me as my face hit the water. Looking up and sighting the first buoy, I felt out of breath and out of rhythm. I slowed for a few strokes and remembered an article I read about calming down on the swim and relaxing. I counted my strokes, took in good breaths and concentrated on my technique. After a few more stokes I did finally relax and the swimming took over. The 750 meters took me a little over 16 minutes. I still have work to do with my swim but I am really proud of my time. My T1 looked a little slow on paper but the timing mat was set next to the water and the  transition area was long. I did have trouble taking off my wetsuit which did slow me down. I got on the bike and headed out. The bike portion went great. it was a pretty hilly course. I felt strong on the bike, my past cycling training helped with the tight corners and fast downhills. I reached speeds of 39mph and pushed every portion of the 13.1 miles finishing in 46.07 and back into transition. T2 was alot faster - 1.49. And off I was on a great run. The route was flat with a few rollers. The weather was still pretty cool. My legs felt like rubber for the first mile, and felt tight for most of the rest of the run. I started picking off other runners by mile 2 and kept up a good pace till the end. Although not my fastest time on a 5K run I did well finishing in 27:21. 
Overall I placed 8/20 for my age division. Not bad for a newbie. I know where my weaknesses are and plan on working on them for the next month. I plan on competing at this same course the 1st of August with the Rocky Mountain Games. I want to be able to show improvement by then. Now that I know the course I will be able to plan my strategy out better. |
| posted by Mondo @ 9:51 AM |
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| Massage |
| June 23, 2006 |
Nothing beats a good massage, either manual or by machine. This morning I had an aquamassage done at my gym. Although not as good as a sports massage done by a Russian massage person, the aquamassage sure did relax my sore muscles.
Nothing planned for training today. This is a rest day before the Triathlon this weekend. Tomorrow I will head up to the race course and take a look at it again. I just like to be familiar with where I am racing. I'm also going up and picking up a new helmet. My current one feels too small even though it is a large. The fit just ain't right.
I will probably give a shout out to SimplyStu and Tri Geek Dreams from the race finish on Sunday. Stay tuned to my blog for a race report and pictures on Monday. Have a safe and happy weekend. I'll be swimming - Ciao! |
| posted by Mondo @ 11:40 AM |
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| Up, Up, Up and Away |
| June 22, 2006 |
Back to hillwork for this kid. I'd be lying if I admitted that I missed doing hillwork. But it is a necessary evil. Hillwork really builds the strength and endurance needed to push through the worse times during a run. I ran a route known as "Skyline Drive" in Canon City, CO. This ridge climb is used by tourists to view Canon City from above. It climbs about 600 ft up above Canon City. It was originally built using prison labor.
This run is really customizable - If you run from Hwy 50 to the top where the antennas are it is 1.65 miles. If you run from Hwy 50 to the 5th street exit it is 2.5 miles. This would be an uphill 1.65 miles and dowhill for the remainder. For those who like punishment I would suggest running the 2.5 mile route then run back the way you came for a leg burning, lung exploding run of 5 miles. Sounds crazy doesn't it. You can view this route on the USATF web site. |
| posted by Mondo @ 9:13 AM |
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| Great Training! |
| June 21, 2006 |
This morning was awesome. I got up in time this morning without hitting the snooze button. For me that is a miracle. Got my coffee and gym bag and headed out the door. I was in the pool by 6 am.
Swimming is getting easier I have to admit. I just wish the gym would get the endless pool running soon. Having to turn every 40 ft is getting to be a pain. Anyway, I was able to get in over 1000 yards. Now that is alot of laps. I felt pretty good but once again, when I think I am getting my form down I have to stop and turn. that is really frustrating. After getting out of the pool I got changed and got on the trail. This was a great run - my body feels really good this week. It's a little scary. Especially after putting all the miles I have put in after the Marathon without really getting a break like I should have. Mentally I feel alot stronger after having to push so hard at the marathon in the heat. I feel that I am able to mentally push throught the pain more than I have ever in the past. This weekend's triathlon is coming up quickly. I am feeling really excited about this. I thought I was getting nervous but I now think that it isn't nervousness but anxiousness about doing it. ---------God I Love This Sport------- |
| posted by Mondo @ 8:45 AM |
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| CRAZY |
| June 20, 2006 |
 Am I? I have discussed my wish to complete the Florida Ironman in 2008 with several friends and relatives and they all told me I was crazy. Maybe I am and just don't know it yet. Maybe they are seeing things correctly and I am in some kind of psychedelic dream world. Let's look at this in more detail. I am wanting to devote a major portion of my time and energy to train for an event that is as extreme as it gets. I will be swimming gobs of water, cycling many miles of asphalt and running tons of trails and roads. I want to be able to complete an event that calls for a 2.5 miles swim. 2.5 miles in the water. Most people won't even walk to the store if it's that far. God that's a long way to swim. Then if that is not enough, I will get out of the water and ride my bike for 112 miles. Now how crazy is that ! I have discussed the bike ride with several friend who are avid cyclist and they don't even want to ride that far as a single event. I will then run a marathon. My daughter/training partner will run a marathon but surely not after the previous 2 events. So am I crazy? If I talk to other "crazy" people - triathletes, I am not crazy. They feel that triathletes as a whole are living life to the greatest level that is possible. Do we want to go through life without challenging ourselves, just waiting for the next phase to come around. I think not. Why? Well, for one we have no idea what the future holds or how long we have to live. So why not live each day pushing ourselves. Grabbing life by the the horns and running with it. That is what motivates me. I am 42 years old and pushing harder now than I was when I was 20. I am in the best shape of my life and getting better with every training day. How many 42 year olds can say that. So maybe I am crazy. Maybe I could use a Head Doc. But I don't think it would help. My drive to compete in future triathlons comes from the heart - my mind is just along for the ride. So bring on the Ironman. As soon as registration opens up for the 2008 Florida Ironman I will be the first to sign up. Life is too short, Live while you can! Ciao! |
| posted by Mondo @ 10:38 AM |
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| Awesome Hillwork |
| June 19, 2006 |
Good Morning ! Saturday was a great ride day. I had an awesome ride. We started in Old Colorado City in Colorado and rode up Hwy 24 to Woodland park for a total of 2000 ft elevation change in 14 miles. What a rush. My legs were burning like they have never burned before. What a workout. It took 1:15:00 to make it to the top. After the ride I went down and picked up a bicycle computer from Performance Bike Shop. After comparing about 30 computers to each other I ended up with the CatEye Astrale 8. This computer is wired which I don't really mind but it does have the cadence feature that I love. The price was not that bad, on sale for 34.00. I got it put on Saturday Night and got to try it out this morning. This morning I got in about 30 minutes of swim time in the pool. Thats right the 40 ft pool. The endless pool is still not ready. Nor do I expect it to be ready any time soon. I think I totalled about 800 yards this morning. Then I took off on the bike and got in a good 16 miles. My legs are getting stronger and my speed is getting faster. I tried to keep my cadence between 80 and 95 rpm. I have been getting up out of the saddle less and I have been working on speeding up after curves and at the top of hills. Tomorrow is a rest day. I am getting a little nervous about this weekend. Not so much the swimming part but I am nervous about the swim start. I've never done a mass start so I do not know what to expect. Do I start at the back or on the side? I could use some hints here. I did take a look at the bike route and it will be a fast one. There are two uphills and two fast downhills. The course is on city streets and I did see a few potholes to contend with. The run will be great. It wraps around the lake and into the park. The crowds should be big. Got to go, Ciao! |
| posted by Mondo @ 9:27 AM |
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| TGIF Finally |
| June 16, 2006 |
I thought this week would never end. Whew!
This morning I got in my first long run since Salt Lake. Working on getting back my stride. I left form the gym and headed down the Riverwalk Trails in Canon City. the weather this morning is realy nice, temperatures wer in the low 70's, with a slight breeze. Perfect for running. I started out at a slow pace, just to get my running legs back, then I opened it up for awhile till the half way point at mile 4. I felt really good and strong and stopped to do a little stretching.
I do have a new water belt I forgot to mention to everyone. It's awesome. I felt like I had nothing at all around my waist. While I was out in Salt Lake at the Expo I found it at one of the stores. Its from Nathan Products. 
I have a Fuel Belt that I have used for years now and I think that it is a great product also. But the Nathan Belt has a few thing I like better. 1. The bottles are 10 oz ( instead of 7oz ) and are molded to fit against the body better. 2. The caps are easier to open and close. 3. The holsters stay open when the bottle is removed making it easier to put it back in ace with one-hand. 4. The belt itself felt a little more comfortable. The rest of the run was uneventful except that I did feel real good throughout the run. My plans for the rest of the summer are to maintain a pretty high level of miles throughout the season. I plan on have a weekly long run that will be no less than 12 miles. Along with those miles I plan on packing on 3 days of swimming per week until I can swim continuously for 1.5 miles. Tomorrow I am planning a long bike ride with a friend. That is if he doesn't back out on me. He has not been on his road bike all year and feels that I may be too competative for him. Who Me? Competative? Where on earth did he get that idea !!!! I hope he decides to go, it would be nice to ride with someone for a change. I do most of my training alone - not by choice. Having some company from time to time is sure a nice change. Have a Great Weekend, and don't forget your Fathers this weekend. Happy Father's Day
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| posted by Mondo @ 9:31 AM |
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| FIRE ! |
| June 15, 2006 |
Well training is off for this morning. I was scheduled to get in some track intervals but I am a little tired. Yesterday in the adjacent county from mine the heat of the day, winds up to 40 mph and dry conditions all contributed to a large forest fire. As I am part of the local Volunteer Fire Department I left to go assist with fire after work last night. This is going to be a bad, no extremely bad fire season in Colorado this year. Most of the state is in a drought with no relief expected any time soon. Is this what global warming is? Have we really ruined the earth to the point where it cannot be fixed. What does the future hold? Getting into Running and Triathlons at a late age makes me wonder if I have cheated myself for all those years since high school. Will I be able to enjoy myself in this sport and continue to advance in my training before the weather makes it unbearable. I mean will we be able to have races if the weather continues to get extremely hot? Will this mean that we will have to adapt and run races at night to avoid daytime radiation and heat? ------ Pretty Deep Thinking Eh! ------- Or could it be that I am really tired from being up so late last night and I am delirious right now. It's probably that, because I'm really frickin tired right now. To all the firefighters out there that are humping up and down the hills this morning. Keep up the great work and I'll be back out with you tonight. Stay Safe. Ciao |
| posted by Mondo @ 8:48 AM |
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| Great Day |
| June 14, 2006 |
Have you ever heard the song "I Love Summer" by Haywood Banks. It has got to be the funniest song ever written about summer time events I have ever heard. I listened to it this morning on my run. I started laughing out loud and the other people on the trail must have thought I was nuts. Today's schedule rocked. It was my first time back on the trail running since my marathon. I got on the trail earlier than usual because the weather is suppose to be scortching today. Highs are predicted to be at the century mark. I did 4:00 miles at a decent 8:50 mile. My legs felt really good and there was no return of any Plantar Fasciitis or right ankle pain from before. I pushed a little bit harder at times and everything seems to be doing well. After the run I got in the pool and swam for about 40 minutes. I am trying to get my swim done in the regular pool but it is only 40 Ft long so it makes it difficult to maintain a rhythm. The endless pool is still not complete and it doesn't look like it will be anytime soon. I am not sure how far I swam this morning but I did work more on form than speed and feel that my form is getting better. I am feeling more balanced in the water lately. I have been working on keeping my head down and rolling more for breaths. There is still work to be done on my stroke though. I don't feel like am catching as much water as I should. One thing at a time, right. Ci vediamo ! |
| posted by Mondo @ 8:17 AM |
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| Back in the Saddle |
| June 12, 2006 |
 Well it's back in the saddle again. Rest time is over, like I really got any rest. I do feel pretty good overall, some residual soreness from the walk the other day but otherwise doing OK. I spent most of the weekend working on my new training schedule for the next 3 month and I incorporated more swimming. Figure I should concentrate on my weakness for awhile.
This morning I got in a nice swim for about 30 minutes. The endless pool is not ready so there was alot of stopping and turning but I do feel like I am getting some improvement to my form. I am trying to "feel long" in the water and it does feel different. breathing is not so much a factor now and I am more relaxed. Last weeks open water swim really helped me feel better in the water. After my swim I got in some core workouts that really felt great. It's nice to be able to alternate the different sports in traithlon rather than spend all my time just running.
After work I have a 60 minute bike planned with some hillwork. The weather seems to be holding today - there was suppose to be thunderstorms but that threat seems to have passed. It is god-awful hot out there but I still plan on pushing hard. I have read that Kona is very hot so I might as well get use to it in training, right? (Dreaming-------) Ciao! |
| posted by Mondo @ 3:00 PM |
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| Walk For Hope |
| June 11, 2006 |
It started off as just another fund raiser. But as with most Triathletes I took it to the extreme....
I joined the "Walk For Hope" to just have fun. A walk around an oval loop for a few laps then rest then walk then rest and repeat. At least that is the the way it is suppose to work. The team prepares a team of walkers to switch out and each team is suppose to have at least one person walking at all times. The teams also set up a booth and try to sell stuff, or have a raffle or silent auction.
But, as with most other Triathletes - I am obsessive about everything I do. Why is that? I wonder if there is a Phychiatrist out there that has studied the inner mental states of endurance athletes. I am sure it has been studied....I would like to read the results. Is it a disease. If it is, it is one that I have contracted only during the last year.
Since contracting this "Disease" my life has changed. My schedule is now filled with new information. It is filled with long runs, long bikes and long swims. My schedule is filled out months in advance of what I will be doing. I write down my weight, calories in, calories out, codes for how I feel, codes for this and that. I find myself packing my gear each night for what I will be doing the next morning. I plan my schedule according to what free time I have. I now carry 3 bags in my car, one for running, one for biking and one for swimming. The trunk of my car looks like a sports store - water, energy drinks, Gatorade, spare shoes, tools, energy bars and gels. -------- What has happened to me----------
Back to yesterday - the walk started out OK, slow at first. My daughter (training partner) was walking with me. And in the tradition of training partners I started getting competative. We walked, then walked some more. Then we walked more and more not stopping for a break. Before I knew it it was lunch time and the food didn't even smell good. So instead we walked. Our team thought we were nuts. By the end of the event I had walked 20 miles. My legs felt like jello. I would have rather ran the 20, walking puts alot of strain on the muscles of the upper leg and behind the knees. I was lucky and did not incur any blisters.
So even though I was in my rest week, I got in 20 miles yesterday. I do feel sore today, mostly in my upper thighs and hips. Tomorrow I am starting my new training schedule. Lets see how this goes. From one obsessive to all the others out there -
---------- It always All or Nothing ---------- |
| posted by Mondo @ 8:22 AM |
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| ALIVE, ALIVE |
| June 09, 2006 |
Why didn't anyone tell me that open water swimming was so fricken much fun... I got to the lake before everyone got in the water and got into my wetsuit. (Sidenote - I Love Neoprene) Standing there at the waters edge I was trying to decide how far out to go on my first swim in open water (I was also scoping for any shark fins ^^^^^^) Then the lead swimmer of the group told us that the swim would proceed out to the boat and back. I looked for a boat and found that the only boat out there was about 400 yards out from shore. Could this be right I asked myself. Could I possibly swim out that far and back in open water for my first time? As we made our way into the water I walked out until only my head was above water, then with a deep breath I started my swim. Graceful I wasn't at first, I kept running into other swimmers and having to slow down or stop to get my bearings. But after a while I started to get my rhythm. Much to my surprise I started to get at ease, I felt a calm, like I was the only one in the water. Weird. About halfway out to the boat I rolled on my back for awhile - I had been pushing really hard. I still was not sure if I could make it there and back. In a pool you can stop at the end of the lane and relax. In open water there is no place to do that. I rolled back and started swimming again.
After rounding the boat I decided that I should try and concentrate on my rhythm and my form. I found that open water swimming is excellent for working on form since you don't have to do flip turns every 25 yards. I slowed down a little and worked on my form and my breathing. I started to feel more in control by the time I go back to shore. I will need to put open water swimming into my training schedule more often. Much to my pleasure I did not see "Jaws" or any Alligators, Pirranas, or anything wlse in the water. My anxiety level is much lower today and I am looking forward to doing more open water swims. Looking back on my swim I am surprised at how relaxed I really felt once I got going. As I have said in past blogs - this sport is really awesome. There is no going back now. Ciao. |
| posted by Mondo @ 8:08 AM |
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| Anxiety Anyone? |
| June 08, 2006 |
Today I am nervous as all hell. My anxiety level has peaked. Why? Well tonight is my first open water swim. That's right folks - I am going swimming in a lake. I have asked my friends to paint a black line on the bottom for me but they are unwilling. I asked them when I should do flip turns and they told me not to try. Hey.......what am I doing here? Why is an open water swim causing me to freak out? It's a lake, it's not like there are any sharks or as IronWil points out - any large jellyfish in there. I have no idea why this is bothering me. By tomorrow's blog I will be over this. I have my gear packed and will probably wear my wetsuit just to try it out. I think the temps are up enough to where the wetsuit is optional. I think it would help me feel safer anyway. |
| posted by Mondo @ 11:23 AM |
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| Salt Lake Recovery |
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Sorry for the late post - Blogger has been dealing with some tech issues lately. I hope they get it worked out soon. Today I did get to the gym this morning for a light weight workout and some light swimming. I know I should be doing nothing but resting after a marathon, but honestly, I just can't do nothing. Drives me crazy. Plus I do not want to slide back too much before my next event. I would like to keep up a high level of fitness so that my next buildup is easier. I have some pictures from Salt Lake that I want to post but blogger is not working too well today either. As soon as everthing is fixed I'll start posting. |
| posted by Mondo @ 9:20 AM |
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| Salt Lake City - Race Report |
| June 06, 2006 |
Hello ! I'm back from the great City of Salt Lake. First off I need to congratulate Devine Racing for once again putting on a quality race. I felt that the course, the support, the expo,and the pre and post race party was awesome. I still think that scheduling the race for the first weekend of June is a little late in the year. There is a greater chance of having really warm weather during the race as this year proved. Most runners would prefer cooler rather than warmer weather to run in. The race was started on time with the elite runners getting a 5 minute head start from the pack. I'm not sure why they need this since no-one in the pack could have kept up with them in the first place but whatever. At 6:45 in the morning almost 2000 marathoners started with about 5000 1/2 marathoners mixed in. The route was awesome, this is a really fast course with mostly downhill running for the first few miles and into the middle of the run. I stayed with the Clif Bar Pace Team for the first 14 miles, I was planning on doing a 8:47 min/mi but the Pace Team Leader went out at a screaming 8:10 to "make up time". I probably should have backed off and ran my own pace but decided to try and stay with him. With the sun coming up fast and the temperature rising quickly, I started to slow at mile 14 with my legs burned up pretty good. So I backed off on the pace and started into damage control to salvage what I could of the rest of the race. The temperature continued to increase as the morning progressed and I think one of the bank signs said it was 84 degrees by the time I had 5K left. Devine Racing did all they could do to keep runners cool by providing sponges at 2 of the water stops. These were well received by everyone. I was able to continue pushing myself to a 4:30 finish. The finish line area was well lined with spectators and the music thundered up the road. The excitement really pushed you along to the finish. Although I did not meet my goal of 3:50, I do feel that I gave it my all and if the weather had been a little cooler I could have accomplished that goal. I am happy with the outcome. The race results are as follows: Kenyan Joseph Nguran finishing first with a time of 2:16:41. Fellow Kenyan Phillip Taurus finished second at 2:17:58, and Ethiopian Demissu Ashebir took third place at 2:18:23. Utah resident Hobie Call crossed the finish line fourth overall and was the first American finisher with a time of 2:24:06. For the women, UkraineÂs Ilona Baranova surprised the two favorites, Ethiopian Worknesh Tola and Becky Sondag, to take first. The 34-year old waited 22 miles to make her move. She did it just before Liberty Park, leaving Tola behind and finishing in 2:38:04. Now that Salt Lake City is out of the way I am excited to get serious with my triathlon training. Tonight I will start planning out my calendar. I will not get much rest after the marathon but I think it will be OK. I am going to try and keep my long runs above 10 miles every week to avoid having to build up too much again. I need to start putting in more speed work as well. I will be focusing on swimming to get that working faster. And to all the runners who ran with me over the weekend - keep up the great work and keep training for the next goal. |
| posted by Mondo @ 10:32 AM |
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| About Me |
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Name: John Maynard
Home: Canon City, Colorado, United States
About Me: In 2008 I completed a full Ironman. Since that time I have continued to keep myself in a decent shape with running and hiking. As the years have rolled on so has my midsection. With my 50th birthday behind me I have embarked on another journey in life. This journey will take me into my next decade in the best shape of my entire life. It's time to kick life into overdrive.
See my complete profile
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