Tri - Runner's Roost

******************** APOLLO *********************

I would like to make an introduction.

Tri World, Apollo -------- Apollo, this is Tri World

As I mentioned on my last blog the Denver VeloSwap was awesome. After running back and forth through the crowd looking at this bike and that bike I finally laid my eyes on this machine.

I was instantly drawn towards it. It was like the movies where fireworks go off and you just know that you have found the one. OK so that is a little weird.

Anyway Apollo is a Quintana Roo Kilo with HED carbon wheels and Shimano 600 equipment. The Grip shifters will have to go and I have already ordered Shimano Bar end shifters for it. I have also added a Profile Design Aqua Pack for the seat. The seat angle and top tube length were perfect. My position is now not as stretched out as on my road bike "Athena". Which is a lot more comfortable in the aero bars. Apollo is a 16 speed with a huge front chainring. I am looking forward to seeing how fast I will be going with this chainring at my cadence of 85-90 rpm. I will have to get a computer for Apollo but for now I will be using my Garmin. The weather has been too cold in Colorado to go for a ride yet, but I have had him up on the trainer and I am much more comfortable in the aero position.

I do need to let blogworld know that Sunday night I broke my 4th toe on my L foot after kicking the couch by mistake. Talk about "pee your pants" pain. Anyway I have it taped and did run 6 miles yesterday anyway. It did not feel too bad during the run but throbbed the rest of the day. I plan on still running the Rim Rock in 2 weeks even though my doctor thinks I am completely insane.

This morning it did not feel too bad but I went ahead and swam instead. I got in about 12500 meters and did a continuous run of 900 meters. I got in some technique practice and used a buoy and fins for some of the laps. My swim still feels good and I continue to build up my endurance.

Just like I pointed out on a blog about 2 weeks ago. Just before a race or event it always seems like something will go wrong. Murphy's Law of Triathlons - sounds like the title of another blog. Hmmmmmm.

CIAO

Last night I was thinking about my training, my dreams, my plans for the future. But as I was thinking about the future I started to think about the past and the changes that have come from the decisions I have made in the past 3 years. I though about life before the changes were made and have come up with a list:

3 years ago:

I was tired all the time, no energy to get things done.

I was 50# heavier and wearing a 37+ waist.

I smoked those mini cigars on a regular basis.

I drank way too much alcohol.

I couldn't run or walk 1/2 mile without stopping to take a breath.

I procrastinated way too much.

My biggest recreation was fishing. Not that that is bad, but it is not very active.

I did not have that many friends that I associated with.

I went to bed late and woke up late.

I ate way too much.

That was how it use to be. Life was just made up of another day after day. I really did not have any motivation to move myself. But that was all changed by one simple event that sparked a flame.

I am a volunteer firefighter with my local fire department, I am a lieutenant and have been with them for the past 6 years. One day we had a call for a brush fire. I responded with a few men and met up with the firefighters from BLM. The fire was about 2 miles away across two ridge lines. We started the hike down and then on the way up the other side I could not breath, I had chest pain, and had to slow down to a crawl to get up the other side. After that call I promised myself that I would never let that happen again. In January of 2004 I decided to change everything. Now I look back at what I changed:

Post 2004 -

Stopped smoking

Changed my diet to low carb, high protein.

Lost 50 pounds.

Lost 6 inches off of waist.

Body Fat percentage down to around 9%

Only occasional alcohol.

Exercise daily.

Can run 26.2 miles - did this 5 times.

Can cycle 60 + miles

Can swim 2000 meters.

Can swim open water with freaking.

No longer procrastinate.

Lot's of energy, some to spare at times.

Go to bed early and wake up way early to train.

Making plans for races up to 2 years in advance.

My bike is more valuable than my car.

I now regularly correspond with bunch of friends that enjoy the same thing I do.

Life is no longer dull.

And #1 - I do own a Six-Pack.

So my hopes of the future remain the same. I will continue to push myself physically and mentally to complete in Triathlons. I plan on several sprint and Olympic triathlons next year as well as a few marathons. My "A" race continues to be The Timberman Half-Ironman. Then the push for the following year will be for Ironman Florida. I hope I can, at some point, qualify for Kona. My only regret is that I did not find myself in this sport earlier in life when I could have been a contender. CIAO.

What a difference one day makes in training.

No running yesterday with the addition of a sport splint, no running this morning and BINGO.

No pain this afternoon. WOW, what a difference. Now don't start worrying, I'm not going to go out and run tonight or tomorrow. I am going to give it another day of rest and see what happens on Saturday.

But - I didn't say I did not exercise today. Everyone knows that most Triathletes are OCD. Obsessive-Compulsive.

I got in the pool this morning and did a few laps of warm up followed by real good stretching of my ankle and calf area. In the water I was able to really get a good sustained stretch. I then did a ladder routine and worked myself up to a total of 1600 meters. I felt real good at the end. I did feel a new rhythm building for awhile but once I lost it I couldn't get it back. It was real weird. It had something to do with my flutter kicks. For some reason they started feeling more rhythmic, it's hard to explain. I felt as though the kicks were more balanced with my stroke rhythm. Not in a bad way, but I suddenly felt faster in the water. Twilight Zone?

Tomorrow I will be doing some weight work again at the gym and probably jump in the sauna after. So I'm not going to run again.

I am really looking forward to Saturday though. WOW - AWESOME. All of the major Traithlon Podcasters in one building in Colorado. What an opportunity. I can't wait to meet everyone. SimplyStu, IronWil, Kahuna, Brett, and Roman, not to forget BolderinBoulder. This is a triathlete's Hollywood venue. I will definitely have pictures and a blog report on Monday. AS Stu says ------Wickedly Cool.

Is it just my imagination? Does it happen to anyone else? What is it with the correlation between getting close to your expected race date and injury.

For the past 5 days I have felt a slight unsteady feeling in my ankle. Monday, I got to go on my run anyway and the unsteady feeling went away during the run only to return later on in the day. Yesterday I swam so I really did not feel my ankle much, but during the day I felt the same unsteady feeling.

Today I couldn't even get in a short run, I am having some pain in my ankle.

Now I am wearing a sport brace and hoping that I can get in some running next wee.

Is it over training, or coincidence that injuries tend to happen right before a race. I was looking over my favorite blogs lately and read that the Kahuna re-injured his calf. Out of nowhere, boom, lame. I hope he can work through it. Florida is around the corner for him. I hope I can work mine out - Rim Rock is less than 3 weeks out for me.

It would be different if I could look back and say - I know when the injury occurred. But, hell, nothing happened. It just started feeling a little unsteady. My shoes are still in real good shape. I have no knee or leg pain. My times have been getting better and better. It's just not fair.

So, instead of running as planned this morning. I got to the gym and worked on weight training, abdominal work and about 30 minutes of spinning. I feel guilty as hell for not getting in my 6 miles this morning. that is my obsessive compulsive self talking. I am now wearing a sports splint on my ankle from my doctor. I will give my ankle another day of rest before trying to run again. Life is great, life is good, but ankle injuries really suck.

Hey, I'm back. Kinda slacking for the past few days. But now I'm back in the groove.

The weather is turning bad today in Colorado. Tonight and tomorrow is going to be cold and either raining or snowing. Really I don't mind either, but it does cut down on some outdoor training.

Yesterday was beautiful for training outside. The morning was about 54 degrees at the start of the run. I ran my 10 mile route again - up the highway, over Skyline drive and back to work. My average speed is coming down slowly. I am running about a 10:10 min/mile now. I hope to get it down to about a 9:50 pace before I have to run the Rim Rock Run next month. I have about 3 weeks of training left. I am having some R ankle pain from time to time and I can't quite figure it out yet. I don't know if I pulled something or what. It hurt a little when I started running but got better during the run. Then after the run it started hurting again. I don't remember twisting it at all.

Today I got in the pool for an easy swim. I worked on technique most of the time and just tried to stay relaxed. I got in about 1200 meters. After the other swimmers had left the pool I tried to keep the wake caused by my swimming as smooth as possible. I worked on slipping through the water as quietly as possible with as streamlined as I could get. I wasn't moving very fast but it sure was fun.

I have handed out a flyer to the local gyms in town trying to get a Triathlon Club started. I would be satisfied if I could just find a couple of training partners for the coming year. I think I would improve faster if I had a partner to push me through those slow spots. Someone to watch my form in the pool and figure out what I am doing wrong. It would also help with the long bike rides. I really think a lot of the mental aspect of the sport is individual concentration but having someone else to talk to at times can bring some positive energy into the training as well.

What a glorious day in Colorado !!!!

These are the days I look forward to getting up in the morning. Listening to the sounds of nature as I walk outside. A slight chill in the air, a slight breeze and the change of seasons in the air.

Today was a swim day. The pool was crowded but I was allowed to have the far wall to myself. It was a little tight but before long as other swimmers left I had the pool to myself.

I swam a ladder workout today again. I started with a 100m warm-up and then got into my rhythm. ALthough for some reason I did feel a little off on my breathing. I then got in 100, 200, 300, 400. In between I did some drills with a float buoy. I did 200m of stroke drills, really concentrating on reaching out to the other side and lengthening my body. After that I did 400, 300, 200 and 100. Total for today 2100m. Right now I feel pretty good, a little sore but not too bad.

I keep dreaming about my new bike which is really messing with my mind. It's all I think about and has become an obsession. Never in my life did I ever think I would be thinking about a bicycle and triathlons as much as I do now. I am committed to this sport for the long ride. I would like to get a sponsor at some point, however, even if I don't I will still be rocking this sport far into the future. Also I will be posting some wickedly cool pics of me during the Steamboat Traithlon - thank you Brightroom for such an awesome job.

Well the weather has officially turned here in Colorado. Outdoor life as we know it is turning towards skiing, snowboarding and such. Our cycling days are going to be few and far between. Not that it is completely out of the picture like some areas across the country, we do dry up alot during the winter months and that gives way to a few winter rides to keep up the skills. Except for the mountain regions of Colorado the rest of the state is considered semi-desert.

For the past 2 days the weather has been spitting snow and rain. The temperatures down to the low 40's. I have been running indoors on the treadmill. Yesterday getting in 6 miles while watching the news and today I got in 4 miles. My speed has been great surprisingly. I guess the hill work is helping that. I have been consistently running 8:30 miles. My legs, ankles and feet are feeling great. My weight is stable at 176lbs. However I have noticed that my body fat percent has dropped another 1/2 percent. Boy, do I get cold now, and stay cold. I have another 4 weeks till I run the Rim Rock and I think I am right on schedule in my training. If the weather clears up for the next few weeks I should be able to build on my hill work and get a little stronger.

Tomorrow I will be back in the pool. I hope the water is a little clearer than last week. I think the algae was a little strong. I need to get in another ladder workout. I am looking to getting the workout cards for swimming so I can have some variety to my workouts. For now, CIAO!

Another rough night sleeping. I don't know why but my mind would not shut off. I tossed and turned most of the night and pretty much remember looking at the clock each hour. I probably should have just got up and watched TV. Now I can't even remember what was keeping me awake. I think I was thinking about the bike I found yesterday.

I have been looking for a new bike for next year's race season and I think I found it - now I need to find a way to pay for it. I think I will be staying with Felt Racing and I think the S22 will fullfill my needs. I am just an age-grouper. I don't think I will ever get to the point where the Pro's will be worrying about me. Therefore, I don't think I will be getting a $5000.00 bike anytime soon. Not that I wouldn't love one. The s22 is reasonably priced and sturdy enough for Colorado Roads. Now the hard part - coming up with the funds. Anyone have any ideas?

Life can be a challenge sometimes. Lately it seems that the world is going completely nuts and there is nothing that can be done to stop it from happening. So, you try and concentrate on your own little world that surrounds you and make that the best that it can be. Hoping, no praying that the rest of the world or at least those that are close to you will see that things are good in your world and that they will try and do the same. Or at least that is the way it should happen.

Being a nurse, I see people from all walks of life, big, tall, short, skinny, happy and sad. Those in good health and those in failing health. I see men and women that are positive self motivators and negative, pessimistic, always seeing the negative side to everything individuals. Of all the patients and family members that I get to take care of, I find that surrounding yourself with positive, optimistic, energetic people has a lot to do with good health and an enjoyment of life. Even when all looks gloomy, like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, having those kind of friends and family around you can make all the difference and keep you from falling to the "Dark Side"

Yesterday I felt myself slipping to the dark side. Nothing went well all day long. I started the day with big plans for training - another large swim. I wanted to see that 2000 meter goal again. I had my morning planned out to a tee. I left the house 1/2 hour early to get in the pool early and get started. About 15 miles out from the house I realized that I forgot all my swim gear. Shucks, Darn, and F*&$. So I told myself, "Self, let's go for a run instead" OK. Oh no! I did not have my running shoes with me either. Well that about did me in. I got into town, found a quiet spot at the park, and took a nap, disgusted and pissed off. Depressed that the morning did not go my way. The rest of the day did not go much better, my schedule continued to be messed up and I ended up staying at work till late. I left for home dejected, with my tail between my legs.

But then it occurred to me in a flash of light from above. ( Not really but it sounds good) I thought, what am I kicking myself for. Here I am at 42 years old, I can run a marathon, bike for 60 miles, swim 2000 meters and still go to work and not crash. In the last 3 years I have done more for myself than I have my entire life. And I owe it all to the sports of running and triathlons. I ran 5 marathons, 3 triathlons, ran at 10,000 feet. I have made plans for triathlons for the next 2 years and think about Ironman Florida 2008 before I go to bed at night. I feel better than I have in years. So what in the world am I sulking about.

Life is too short to let bad days linger. Get up, kick yourself in the ass, smile and get on with life. Knowing that at any time your number could be called should encourage you to live life to the fullest. Don't wait around, don't allow depression take a hold of your life. Smile and move on. Swim, Bike, Run until your feeling the positive energy of life flow through your veins. Feel it in your heart and in your mind. Remember - you are a minority. If you run marathons or triathlons, you are a minority in life. You can do more before breakfast, than most everyone else does in a whole day. Relish that though next time your out training. Keep the ride going!