Tri - Runner's Roost

A blog from a "Middle of the Pack Marathoner" starting his journey from Newbie to Ironman. The ride is awesome!

I Don’t Wanna Stop

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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

Scheduled Races

Littlefoot Triathlon
Bolder Boulder 10K
Highland Ranch Sprint
Boulder Long Triathlon
Redman Iron Distance

Snow Workout!

April 25, 2007

Does this look like training weather to you?

Holy Crap!

I woke up yesterday wanting to cycle for 50 minutes, Good Luck.

Hey this is Colorado - the weather can change from Spring to Winter overnight.

If we forget about yesterday - the rest of this week has been great for training.

Sunday was a perfect day for a 50-mile bike ride. The temps were about 65 and there was very little wind. I felt great on the bike without any lower back pain while in aero. I guess the extra stretching is paying off. I rode an average of 19.5 mph for the 50 miles. I pushed hard up the hills and worked the downhills as well. Laurie W. was one of the Tri Club riders that headed out for 50 that day and she did great also. The bike worked great again - new tires seemed to make the ride better - probably only in my mind but if felt that the rolling resistance was less.

Monday I was in the pool again - I varied from my training schedule and pushed a monster set of 5x400 freestyle. I totaled 2600 for the day. Then later on in the day I ran 3 miles with fartleks. So, besides yesterday - training has been great. This morning I was in the pool and did my scheduled training. I felt good but still lose my breath quickly when doing flip turns. It is time to get back in the open water to log some big yardage. No flip turns or walls - just steady swimming.

This afternoon I have another 4 mile run planned. This will be a steady run without intervals. Then tonight I am back in the pool with the Tri Club Gals. The first triathlon for them will be the Highland Ranch Sprint on June 2nd. I need them to start focusing on long swimming without taking long breaks at the wall. I know they can get the yardage in to finish the swim but they tend to take too long at the wall with each lap. They are all doing real well and progressing very quickly.

posted by Mondo @ 10:58 AM 0 comments

Yeah! Friday!

April 20, 2007

Friday - Just another day right? Wrong.

Friday is more than just another day - it is a day of transformation. Individuals change from being a dull, hopeless, go to their jobs personality to a vibrant, what kind of trouble can I get into weekender. We go from being passive to being daredevils. Life seems to start on Friday and end on Monday mornings. Life is a struggle during the week and exciting on the weekends.

This is my birthday weekend. I do not plan to do a lot over this weekend. I am planning a long 50-60 mile ride on Sunday. The weather is suppose to be awesome on Sunday. I hope to have a few riding partners for the ride, but if no-one shows that is OK too. Sometimes I like being on my own with my bike. It gives me a chance to reflect on my training and my plans. I tend to talk to myself during long rides and think about what I want to do in the future. Where do I want to be in a year. the drone of the aero wheels is almost hypnotic.

So this will be Birthday #43. I thought about how I now compared to my former self and this is what I found:

Age -33, Height -5'10.5", Weight - 205#, Waist - 35", Blood Pressure - 136/80, Resting Pulse - 68, Unable to run 1/2 mile, Unable to swim >20 yards, Cholesterol - 205, HDL - 40, LDL - 120, smoked cigarettes and chewed tobacco, 6 pack per week.

Age - 43, Height - 5'10.5", Weight - 175#, Waist - 31", Blood Pressure - 110/58, Resting Pulse 42. 7:00 min/mile, 1:25 min/100 yard swim. Cholesterol - 170, HDL - 72, LDL - 80, No cigs, No chew, Minimal Alcohol.

Not a bad change in 10 years - And the best is still to come. Bring it on World !!!!!!!!!!

posted by Mondo @ 9:26 AM 0 comments

They Call Me Flipper!

April 18, 2007

Good Morning Tri World :-)

The weather has settled down nicely in Colorado. Warm and partly cloudy.

I was back in the water this morning after an evening of trying to work out a work/triathlon schedule. I am definitely chomping at the bit to get the race season started.

I have decided to start with a small sprint triathlon in the Denver area on May 13th, called the Littlefoot Triathlon. (www.littlefoottri.com) The problem is logistics - the race begins at 6:30am and it is 3 hours away. I really don't want to get a hotel room so I guess I'll be leaving early and sleeping in the car. I'll do packet pickup in the morning then race and come home. This is an open water sprint triathlon.

This morning I followed my training program, felt great and swam pretty good. My intervals were 6x100 and I did them with flip turns. The older ladies in the water were watching me and started to call me "Flipper".. They are so very nice to me - giving up my usual lane every morning. I did some late 40 yard sprints as well. I am feeling pretty good in the water - no real aches or pains to speak of. But there is a big difference between swimming 20 yards at a time with flip turns and swimming constant in open water. That is the one area I want to improve in this season.

Tonight I'm back in the pool with the Tri Club - I have a few new drills for them. They have come along way since January. They will all do well at their first triathlon in June.

Recent purchases for Apollo include new Hutchinson Tires and a SaltStick Dispenser. I'll bring you up to speed as soon as they come in. Fro now - CIAO!

posted by Mondo @ 2:41 PM 0 comments

Weekend Race and Rides

April 17, 2007

It was a great weekend for racing and riding. The weather cleared overnight on Friday and by Saturday morning the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect for running. After working a graveyard shift i wasn't quite sure how I would feel to be running a race but heck - why not try.

The Tortoise and the Hare race held in Colorado Springs is a favorite of mine. It is a 5K race that is a little different. Each runner is given a handicap time that is calculated from their age, height, weight, and sex. The clock is started at minus 15 minutes and as each handicap comes up the runner leaves. This gives the slowest runner by handicap the chance to lead the race. The object of the race is for the "Hares" to catch and pass the "Tortoises". Sounds fun eh!

I found that I did run a little slower after working the night before. My 5K time was 24.15. Not quite as fast as the 22:00 that I ran last month, but not too bad. I have not been doing much speed work anyway - guess I need to start adding that in also. All in all it was a great race with lot's of fun.

Sunday was even better. I met up with the Pueblo Cycling Group for a ride East of town. The route was an out and back 38 miles. It was rolling hills with great roads. There was little traffic and the weather was perfect. In total there was about 50 riders of various abilities. I was not familiar with the route so I made a few mistakes off the bat.

After meeting up with a friend of mine we joined the group and headed out. The pace was relaxed at first. My friend jump out all of a sudden and took the lead. After a half mile we caught up to him right before a long hill. I pulled up ahead of him thinking he would follow and led up the hill. Half way up I looked back and found that I was by myself about 1/4 mile ahead of the main pack. I pulled up and waited to rejoin the group. As the group came by me I fell to the back of the pack and joined in. However the back of the pack was going much slower than the front and as the front topped the hill they started sprinting down. I pushed passed the slower riders and got to the top finding the lead pack already down the hill and working together. As much as I tried to close the gap on my own, I was unable to keep up.

I continued with a steady pace on my own until a small pack of 5 riders joined up with me. I jumped in and we worked together well up to the turn around. My friend finally joined up with us and we worked our way back. The pack worked well together for most of the ride back but between me and another rider we were pushing too hard and finally dropped everyone else. Together we continued to work together all the way back to the finish. Our average speed on the way back was around 24 mph. This ride was the best so far this year. I was using my race bike- Quintana Roo Kilo and he did well with no problems.

I hope to get back out there in the next few weeks and do that same course again. I would like to stay up with the lead pack next time though. The weather appears to be pretty good for training this week - leading up to my birthday this weekend. For now - CIAO

posted by Mondo @ 10:34 AM 0 comments

Spring Storm

April 13, 2007

Today I woke to another Spring storm. The weather forecasters in Colorado have the hardest job around. The predictions all week were for a large blizzard like storm, but the low pressure area went further south and we are getting enough to screw up training but nothing more.

Back in the pool this morning at 6am. I had 3 of the girls from the Tri Club in the water this morning. They are really doing great. They have learned so much in 4 months. It will be good to see them in their first race. I think they will all do great.

My training was relaxed today. I got my warm up done and some drills before starting on intervals. I did 2x200 and 2x300 and then 100's of kick, pull and paddles. then a 200 cool down and out of the water. I felt real good and fresh after the swim. I finished with 10 minutes of relaxation under a tanning light and headed to work.

I am looking forward to this weekend. It will definitely be a busy one. After working graves tonight at the hospital I will be headed to Colorado Springs in the morning for a 5K race called the Tortoise and the Hare. Then home for some sleep. On Sunday I will be leaving early to get to Pueblo for a bike ride with the Pueblo Cycling Group. It will only be a ride of 38 miles but maybe I'll do it twice. The weather should improve drastically over the next 2 days. So long Winter, Hello Training Season. Ciao!

posted by Mondo @ 8:47 AM 0 comments

First Rain Ride

April 11, 2007

How completely awesome yesterday's ride was. The weather was lousy as it has been for the past week.

But this time - the temperature was warm enough for an outside ride. I wore my bike shorts, but wore long sleeves and a wind jacket on the upper half. I also had on my long gloves.

I was a little cold going out but felt real good. There was not fog to speak of but you could feel the moisture in the air. I knew that at anytime the sky could open up and dump on me. It has been awhile since I got caught in a storm on my bike. The thought of it made my heartbeat quicken.

My pace was good, my cadence regular. Kick over the top and pull on the bottom. Legs feeling fresh after the first few miles. Heartrate good, breathing slow. Up ahead a hill - BOOM - out of the saddle and over the hill without even a slowdown. Cool.

Now I'm out in the country - away from most of the houses. I look around and behind me - dark clouds all around. What was that that I felt? A raindrop? Oh Yeah! Out of the saddle again - push hard - have to get to the turn around point. Too late - here it comes.

The rain hits hard, stinging at my face, windblown, cold. Cars pass me by - the look is priceless - what kind of idiot is out riding in the freezing rain? A TRIATHLETE I shout to the sky. I feel something strange on my face - what could it be?

It is the biggest smile that I have had all year. And the year is just starting. :-)

posted by Mondo @ 12:36 PM 0 comments

Back In The Saddle Again

April 09, 2007

Well last week did not go as planned. But all in all everything turned out OK.

I was asked on Thursday to work a graveyard shift on Thursday night instead of Friday. That is my usual extra shift because I have to work Friday days. Anyway - I went ahead and did it even thought it would mess with training on Friday. God was I ever tired on Friday - I finally made it home about 3:00 pm and fell asleep. So my training was screwed for the week.

I did get on the bike yesterday - indoor trainer because of the weather. I did the complete CTS Training Session on Time Trails. That is a one hour long sufferfest of power intervals. It sure felt good too. The weather has not been cooperating with my training schedule. The mornings have been cold and foggy for the past 4 days. I hope this week shows some improvement.

I finished putting together my new aero cage over the weekend. It looks great and is a lot easier to get bottles out and in behind me. I like to storage area for tubes and the extra space that it allows under the seat for a small pouch. My Kilo got a nice bath yesterday, I got in and cleaned the cassette, chain and derailleur pulleys. I had to fix a flat on my back carbon wheel. funny thing is a flatted while on my trainer. Doesn't make much sense does it? Best I can tell there was a thorn in the tire that had not touched the tube yet and the pressure from the roller pushed it through. Anyway, The bike is definitely race ready now.

posted by Mondo @ 8:16 AM 0 comments

April 03, 2007

Good Morning !!!!!!

It was cold, a little windy. But a heck of a rid this morning. My legs were burning by mile 5.

I took to the road this morning with a positive attitude. After yesterday, it couldn't be any worse.

This morning schedule included a 60 minute ride, with 6 x 1min Power Intervals. I pushed pretty hard on the intervals and felt pretty wasted when I got back to my car. I was using my heavier training bike for this ride. Everything worked great without any incidents.

I guess I didn't do much damage to my shoulder yesterday. It is feeling better today. I'll be back in the water in the morning.

I have been debating adding a long triathlon to my year. I am not quite sure yet but I have been debating doing the OneOOne triathlon in Houston in November. This Triathlon is new to the scene and is at a new length. Swim - 1.86mi, Bike - 80.6, Run - 18.6

The length is good and the cost isn't bad either. Well it is something to think about. Ciao!

posted by Mondo @ 4:36 PM 1 comments

Day One

April 02, 2007

Well, here it is. The first day of my new training program. 20 weeks until Timberman.

And what a way to start it - first off - got stopped by 5-0 for rolling through a stop. And one of the only times I did not have my seat belt on - got written up for that also.

But anyway - life goes on. Put the negative things in life in the past and concentrate on the positive things around you.

I was back in the pool this morning. After watching the 70.3 Championship on Saturday I was a little stoked to push hard. I watched the swim stroke of the men and realize that my stroke looks alot better but somehow they just go faster. so I really worked on my sprints today. Getting in a total of around 2000 yards with 6x200 intervals plus warm up and cool down and the sprints. I did some pull buoy and paddle work as well. If I can just get moving faster I would be happy. I do need to get in some open water practice as soon as possible.

Over the weekend I went out looking for a new wetsuit. While doing that I found an awesome accessory for my bike. It is a new carbon water holder for the seat that will also hold 2 tubes and 4 - CO2 cylinders. It is way cool. It is made by Blackwell - I can't even find a picture of it anywhere. But I do know it is on my bike. Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a 30 minute run for this afternoon with 6x30sec fartleks. The weather is great today but is suppose to turn south tomorrow. Well for now until tomorrow - CAIO

posted by Mondo @ 9:39 AM 0 comments

About Me

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.
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