I've Learned A Lot

I'm sitting on a plane flying back from an awesome fishing trip with my brother in law, father in law, and grandfather in law.  Missoula, Montana is an awesome town.  Parts of it remind me of Austin in some respects.  The fishing is world class and the guides made us feel very welcomed.  Here are a few pics.

A very nice rainbow trout!

My first northern pike caught on fly rod!

One of my favorite breweries.

On to triathlon and training.  Training has been growing well.  I thought I had a major setback mid summer at the Marble Falls Triathlon. I felt good and strong going into it.  This was the first race to travel alone to and without my typical friend/family support.  I thought I sold have a strong swim (1:40 or so per 100) given that my swim had been improving, a solid hilly bike, and fast run.  Well, like it always is, things don't go as planned.  I had the worst swim ever.  I cam out around 19 minutes for a 1000 meter swim.  Very bad,  I kept stopping and looking up.  It totally messed up my mojo.  Per coach Michelle and my buddy Sean, I had a massive lactic acid dump from going out too hard and not warming up effectively.  The bike was ok, very hilly given that it was in the hill country, it i felt good.  The is my strength, and I had the 2nd fastest run split of the day.  

In the end it was a learning experience.  First, I need to do better on warming up.  Now I warm before every swim with stretch cords.  Amazing how much better my swim practices have become. Second, traveling to races is not worth it alone.  There are so man races close to home that ill stick to those.  It's more fun to have family and friends around.  And third, my nutrition plan is working!

This summer, I really wanted to work on dialing in my nutrition since long course races are my preferred distance.   I performed a sweat/nutrition test via TheCoreDiet.com.  The results were pretty eye opening.  1st: I'm a heavy sweater and should consume 40-60 oz of fluid per hour in training and racing.  That's a lot since I've been doing 24 oz may e on the bike in training.  2nd: only drink sports drinks with calories and sodium...no water on bike!  3rd:  eat more!

So...the results:  I've started drink Perform only on the bike (1.5 to 2 24 oz bottles per hour).  Amazing ow much better I feel during workout and after.  My energy, hydration, and stamina have all increased.  My power feels stronger and has improved.  I'm stronger mentally.  Also, this keeps it simple.  I know now that the race course will provide what I need throughout.  No more will. Have to worry about making m own nutrition or losing nutrition on the course.  Keep it simple from now on.  I'm also eating g a bit more on a daily basis  and have noticed my strength go up.  For a while there I was worrying about exactly what came in and trying to not gain weight.  Now I. Just enjoying food more and trying not to skimp.  Less mood swings now.

Each of my disciples have gotten stronger from all of this.

Swim:  I am now swimming stronger by warming up properly, doing my strength training, and eating better.  I can not consistently hole 1:25 to 1:30 / 100 yards easy in the pool without killing myself.

Bike:  I did a follow up MAF test from the first one in February.  That's test I did 9.55 miles with an average pace of 19.2 mph.  Las week I did the same test and average 20.6 mph.  I was super pumped about that.

Run:  I did a MAF test last week as well and it improved slightly.  The run is my strength anyways.  However, on long runs in the heat and humidity I'm now ale to hold my pace much longer.  Also, I'm taking in more nutrition and this has helped.  My last long run of 12 miles average 7:20.  My heart rate averaged 135 to 137.   Attribute this to taking in more. I drank 60 oz of water, 4 gels and 6 salt tabs.  I basically took something at every mile just as I would in racing.  

So it's time to start training again after my little vacation.  My next race is Oilman, a nice 70.3 here on Lake Conroe.  I'm super excited about doing a race close to home.  The. Comes Galveston 70.3 in April. And Ironman Texas in May.  Cant wait.

2013 CB&I Race Report

Today was the CB&I sprint triathlon in The Woodlands, TX.  It was a 500m swim, 15 mile bike, and 5k run.  This was my first sprint distance race.

I have been training consistently since the Galveston 70.3.  The emphasis has been more on speed vs endurance efforts.  Volume ranged fro 10-11 hours per week.  So not bad.

Going into the night before, I made sure to eat a good breakfast Friday morning and stay hydrated throughout the day.  Dinner consisted of a couple of slices of thin crust cheese pizza with avocado with the family during movie night.  I had a banana and a scoop of peanut butter around 9 before bed.

Lights went out around 10 pm, but sleep was minimal.  For some reason I couldn't sleep well and neither could Jennifer.  I think it felt warmer than usual in the house and according to Jennifer our house got skunked.  It must have smelled bad.

Anyways, the alarm went off at 4:30 and I got up.  Brushed my teeth, put on my race kit and sweatshirt and headed out the door.  The car was packed and I had a Cliff Bar and Banana on the way with a bottle of water.  It was a cold morning.  The car temp read 46 degrees so I decided to keep my pajama pants on.  I think I was the only one that did this.

I got marked, got my chip, and set up my transition area.  Shades, race belt, and shoes.  Helmet was on the bike and thats it.  Next time I will bring an extra pair of shoes to wear around transition.  Then it was off to warm up by running a bit to loosen up and get those muscles going.

For some reason, they kept delaying the race start by 15 minutes, then 15 more, until the Elite wave went off at 7:15 or so (45 minutes past normal time).  This was somewhat ok in my opinion since it allowed the sun to come up a bit more and warm the air for the bike.

The water temp was about 69-68 degrees (last year the temp was around 80 degrees!) so it was definitely wet suit legal and I wore my Xterra Vector Pro I bought my from my buddy Sean (super fast swimmer BTW).  The horn sounded and off we went.  I made sure to tell myself to relax on this swim and not freak out like Galveston.  Luckily it worked and I kept moving never stopping to breast stroke and get my bearings.  Just stroke after stroke and buoy after buoy.  Man it went by fast.  After the first buoy or so I felt I was alone.  I think I came out 2 in my AG at 7:57.48 or 1:35/100 m.  I was super pumped about this.  Swimming is improving well!

Coming into T1, I was a little worried about stripping the wetsuit off since I had never practiced this quickly before.  So 1 arm and then the 2nd as I came out.  When I got the bike I did the wetsuit removal dance and it came off easily.  Put on the shades then helmet and off I went.  My T1 was the fastest in my AG.  I hopped on the bike and kept my feet out for about 2 minutes pushing out.  Once in I began picking up the pace (or at least I thought I did).  The bike felt slow over all to me.  I averaged only about 1 mph faster the Galveston, but the effort felt greater.  Maybe it was the cold morning and cold air.  I don't know.  I kept going from 102-107 rpm to 94 and back to keep the legs fresh.  Then 40:48 later I came into T2.  I pulled my legs out of the shoes and did a flying dismount and boy were my toes numb from the air.  I thought they would never warm back up.

In T2 I racked the biked, removed the helmet, and went down to slip the shoes on and a massive cramp hit my right calf on the way up.  I got worried thinking it wouldn't go away, but it soon left and I was on my out of T2 onto the run course.

I didn't know what to expect so I saved a bit in the first mile to make sure my legs came to me.  I did the first mile in 6:02 and then decided to push it.  Mile 2 was 5:48 and 5:46 in mile 3.  So at least I kept getting faster.  My HR though was lower than what I thought.  I peaked out at 171-172 or so.  Maybe I had a bit more and could have started the push earlier.  18:17 later I was across the finish line.

Not bad for my first sprint.  Overall time was 1:09:41 on a cold morning and took 4th place in my AG and 9th overall outside of the Elites..  Looking forward I need to work on my bike.  When looking at the times the bike is the differentiator for me.  I am happy with my first sprint and will enjoy getting ready for my next race in July (Oly distance).

Thanks to all for coming out.  It was great seeing my brother and sister in law John and Jessica out supporting me.  Also, Outrival Racing had a great showing.  I'll post some pictures as soon as I can find some.

Born to Run

I just finished Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.  What an AMAZING book and story.  I'm not going to give a complete summary since it would give the story away...but there are some very interesting points in it.

The whole thing revolves around how we as humans were born to run and quote..."we don't get old because of running, we get old because we stop running."  That is awesome.  For someone doing endurance sports this book is a must read.  The science behind running and why as we get older our endurance improves is eye opening.  It should give hope to all who think they are too old to start.

At 32, I can't wait to see what I can do at 40 and then 50.  The book talks about individuals into their 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s who ran with the best.

What I especially liked was the talk around running efficiency and how we were untaught (is that a word) how to run starting in the 70s and how we have to relearn the ancient art of running correctly if we want to do this correctly and injury free.

I get lots of flack from friends and family who say that I'm going to blow my knees up and be hurting the older I get.  However, I disagree based on the principle of running better and more efficient.  Since about October of 2012 I changed my entire approach...shorter strides, quicker strides, straight back, land mid to for foot, and go more minimalistic in my shoe (I wear Newtons and love them!).  I feel as though this has made me stronger, faster, less injury prone, and enjoy running more!

So there you have it.  I do have to say though that doing and competing in ultramarathons is now something on my bucket list for the future.

One last thing...the book kept mentioning how the ancient Tahramura indians (the world's best ultra-distance runners) rely on iskiate and penole for much of their fueling.  As for me, I am always looking to try something new the best do.  So, I made some iskiate this week (water, chia seeds, and lime).  I felt great after it.  I'll keep experimenting with this drink as time goes on.

Tonight I made some penole.  Amazing how simple this is, but it is their energy food much in a way that we use gu's and bars.  It consists of corn meal (cheap and good for you), water, chia seeds for super power, and some cinnamon for flavoring and...YUMMY!  My kids love it too.  I made it into little cookies and so far love them.  I will be looking forward to trying this on longer runs, bikes, and workouts.  It's basically an organic homemade energy bar.

Here is a picture of one batch.

Special Delivery

I was very excited on Thursday.  I left to help the kids out at school with their Fairy Tale Feast.  I find it pretty cool to be able to jet out of work to help the kids out at school.  This way I do not miss any of the activities.

When I got back my deliveries arrived.  After careful research and discussion with several people I decided to add Klean Athlete products to my nutrition.  In particular I am taking their Klean Athlete Multivitamin and Klean Athlete Probiotic.  I am already eating pretty well, taking protein supplements, and figured this will only help.  Also, they offer Outrival Racing a good discount so I am all in.  BTW, the people at Klean are supper helpful and will answer all of your questions!

I also received two books that I have been looking to read for a long time:  Born to Run and Eat and Run.  The first one is of special interest since it is award winning and Pete Jacobs (2012 IM World Champion) claims that the book helped him find a better more efficient way to run.  He is one the best at the IM Marathon segment.  Running is my strength so I figure why not find a way to think about improving my run efficiency (I like to think I already am somewhat efficient).

The other is written by Scott Jurek, an ultra marathon legend.  The story behind him is that he relies on a complete plant diet to fuel his needs!  For 99% of the population this would sound crazy, but I am finding the best at ultra distance are super clean eaters.  I try to eat super clean and shoot for 50-60% of my calories from fruits and vegetables (as often as I can).  I also eat 0 to very little red meat.

I have to give credit to my improvement to better and smarter training, but also to diet.  I am a firm believer that diet is 70% of the equation and anything I can do and apply in this area to my daily routine I am all for it.  One of my secrets is lots of beets and spinach on a weekly basis!

Can't wait to learn and get Klean!

Morning Rides in the Pain Cave

Just thought I would share how I spend my mornings several times per week.  It is hard to put in the miles and time on the bike when you have a limited amount of time to hit the roads.  Therefore, I have set up my pain cave in my garage for the early 4 am rides.

It can be tough getting out of bed in the morning.  1 full glass of water and then its time to go at it for 1 to 2 hours.  A fan is a big necessity in the morning especially as the temperature warms up.  Water and some sort of sports drink is a must have at arms reach.

I admit I have learned developed some mental toughness staring at the wall most of the time.  Recently I have made the steady rides pass more with some reading.

Notice the pool sweat under me.

Nothing like a big breakfast after this.

Planning ahead

I have to admit Triathlon has become a very big addiction that I am trying to control.  Slowly we are getting there.

Training is going well and I am in the process of trying to add some strength training to get the old core stronger.  Everything I read says improve the CORE.  However, I have learned that basic crunches and planks (what I have been doing) are not the best.  I should focus more on core movements since the core is more than rock hard abs.

So I will begin working on this and using the TRX at the gym.  All the pros I follow say that it is a great way to strengthen.

Another thing...it has been a BEAUTIFUL weekend here in The Woodlands!  Saturday was a rest day and it was well needed (actually slept 9.5 hours Saturday night).  I decided mid morning that it would be a lot of fun to take the family to the park about 3 miles down the road for a picnic.  I took Andrew & Ellen via bike to the park and Jennifer met us there with Ben and Sophie and the PBJ sandwiches.  The neat thing was that the kids pointed out the berries growing the bushes and I found out they were wild Blackberries!

I've never picked berries in my life and Jennifer said they were fine to eat.  So...I decided to eat them and they were AWESOME!  So good that I couldn't stop eating them.  I must have eaten a pound or so.  It is very hard for me to sit here and not go to the park and pick more for breakfast!

Another week is starting and today started with a nice 10 mile run after getting the kids some breakfast!

First Sprint

It is now roughly 2 weeks from my first sprint triathlon here in The Woodlands.  This will be the CB&I Triathlon held every year.  It is a pretty big race and I am looking forward to it.

My coach has been working in more speed/lactate work in my routine since most everything has been aerobic/tempo work.  So we will see how it all plays out.  Today was one of the LT/VO2 bike days.  I have to say I was a bit intimidated at first since hard workouts are..HARD!

Afterwards though I felt great!  Was able to hot about LT for a while and bring the heart up and down very well.  So I am glad we did this and can't wait to do more of these.

Hopefully this will build power going into my next 70.3 (Austin in October).  I need to take some time off the bike to move up.

So not a bad week of real training again after a slow recovery week last week from Texas 70.3.  Tomorrow is a rest day and then Sunday I have about 10 miles withe the last 3 at tempo/race pace.

Galveston 70.3 Race Report

At last, I was able to put all the training to the test.  Amazing how much training goes into one day of glory!

I went down to Galveston Saturday to check in, drop the bike off, and relax a bit before.  It was nice to have some camaraderie with the Outrival Racing Group and to also spend some time with my parents.  I'm grateful I was able to stay somewhere comfortable prior to racing.  I'm actually glad I got there early since my brake calipers were not releasing.  I wasn't planning on using my brakes too much, but better safe than sorry.  The guys at Bike Barn replaced my front calipers and tweaked the rear and I was in business.  So, I dropped the bike off and then put the feet up before the ORR team dinner.  I stuck with something simple...spaghetti with meat sauce and water.

After dinner I returned to my parents house and mixed up my bottles of nutrition for the next morning.  I went with 1 sludge bottle and 1 regular bottle of Infinit Nutrition (900 calories total) for the race.  I mixed 1 bottle of Energy Lab Execute to sip on after breakfast and through the morning before the start.  Then it was off to bed at 8:30.

I actually slept ok considering it was my first race.  I woke up around 3:30 and then 4 and decided to get up.  Breakfast was a double serving of Rice Cereal, honey, glass of water, a banana, and a plain piece of toast.  Then it was off to transition.  I've never set up for a long race before so I wanted to make sure I had time.

I tried to go minimalist.  I put my shoes down with socks in each slightly rolled up and my gels and salt tabs in my hat for the run.  That's it.  I put my race belt and sunglasses in my helmet and was good to go.  Put my two bottles on board, a handful of Electrosalt, and a few PowerGels.  I aired up the tires to pressure and then began my warm up.  I did a little jogging and stretching and hit the bathroom to be ready.  Here is a picture of my set up.

At 6:30 I put on the wetsuit and walked over the the start.  Opening ceremonies and then it was time.  The pros got a swim warm up, but us age groupers had about 2 minutes per wave.  Looking back I should have swam a bit more than just jump in and wait for the gun.  The good thing was that our wave went off right after the pros, so clean water.  

Then 7:15...BOOM!!  Here is where I panicked.  I thought...go, go, go...go hard for a few minutes to warm up.  Bad idea!  The dark water, cold water, wetsuit, adrenaline, and everyone kicking and swimming made me panic and feel claustrophobic.  The negative thoughts immediately crept in.  I thought to my self...How would I ever do this whole race!  Give me a lifeguard and get me out of here. So, I paused for 20 seconds or so and caught my breath and reminded myself that I had trained for this (not the true open water experience), but I could do the distance.  So I breastroked a bit, counted the buoys, and put my head down.  After that, I got back into my rhythm and the buoys kept coming.  I just had to watch out for running up on people.  Soon, I could see the swim exit and I picked up the pace.  I felt good.  I put my foot down a bit early and WHAM!!  A charlie horse on my left calf.  I picked up my foot, did a few dolphins dives and swam a bit more and stood up slowly.  Still felt the cramp, but nothing that could slow me down.  I began stripping the suit off and ran to the strippers.  1, 2, 3 and they yanked it off.  Pretty easy.  I ran to the bike and race belt, glasses, helmet, and off I went.  Said by to my family and hopped on the bike.  Even with the start issue, my pace came at about where I expected.  Here is a picture of me on my way.  Swim time:  32:30

You can tell I was happy to be out of the water and on to the bike.  I've never raced on my bike nor done a true time trial so I didn't know what to expect.  The race plan my coach laid out was high zone 2 to low zone 3 on the bike.  Well, once jumping on I was at a low zone 4!  Holy sh&t!  How was I going to get it down???  Slow down...NO WAY!  So I kept pedaling according to feel.  One thing Coach Michelle said to me was during race day, feel is more important than data at times.  Hopefully this was one of those times.  Soon after a couple of miles my HR came down to high zone 3 and slowly to mid zone 3, but never below.  I told myself Oh Well.  Go with it.  My actual HR averaged mid to high zone 3 the whole way.  System checks and all felt good.  I made sure to begin taking on nutrition after 15 minutes and then grabbed water at all aid stations.  I have to say that the stuff from Infinit Nutrition rocks and an all liquid nutrition plan is the way to go.  I drank about 3/4 of a bottle from every station along the way to supplement and took a salt tab about every 15 minutes or so.  I felt good.  We also had a slight tail wind on the way out so I went with it.  At the turn (I didn't think to start slowing down early, so I skidded into the turn) I noticed that the trip home would be more of a head/cross wind.  I kept the pace going, but at mile 35-40 or so I began slowing down a bit.  The last 10 miles or so had my slowest splits.  I made sure to stretch the calf along the way too.  At mile 10, no more calf tightness so I couldn't wait to run.  I took a gel at mile 8-6 to be ready and then drank a bit more and stopped.  We had to ride through the airport and boy was that a rough ride.  I lost a bottle (good thing this happened at the end) and when I picked up my bike later in the day my rear tire was flat and gashed.  Several others had this problem.  Overall, I held a high speed than any of my training rides and was happy with my 1st bike leg effort.  Here is a picture of me coming off the bike and ready even though my legs felt like Jell-O.  Bike time 2:40:12

I racked the bike, sat down to put on socks and shoes and ran out as I put on my nutrition and hat.  I looked at the watch and 6:22 for the 1st mile.  Wow!  Could I maintain it?  For the 1st 3 miles I did, but I began slowing down.  I never felt bad or had cramps.  It was just the body doing its thing.  This was a 3 loop course and on the second loop the negative thoughts began creeping in...Why are you doing this?  Slow down!  Take your time.  You want to do IM?  I began battling these and pushed them out with thoughts about my wife, kids, God, how lucky I was to be racing and go so fast!  Then it was a matter of making sure to take on the nutrition.  I took 2 gels along the way (planned) and about 5? salt tabs and drank coke a bit along with water.  I wanted to make sure not to take on too much (coke was towards the 2nd half) and feel bad.  Then finally the last loop and I picked up the pace (at least mentally I did).  I sprinted into the finish with a 1/2 marathon split of 1:27:32!  Not bad considering this is only the 2nd half marathon I have every run (1st was a 1:21:53 in March).  My legs immediately cramped up.  So I walked a bit and said hi to the ORR cheerleaders and my family.  Then I found my way to the med tent and had them wrap my legs.  Here's a picture of me crossing the finish and my legs wrapped.

I race with a watch, but never kept the full time.  However, as I crossed the line looked up and saw 5:00:45 and was like what!  We started 15 minutes after so total time 4:45:45!  WOW!  I always told myself that I wanted to come in under 5 hours, but this was very good.  I am very happy with this result.  I am also stoked that this was my first ever full 3 legged triathlon.

I can't wait to race again.  I can't wait to keep training to get faster.  This was truly an awesome experience.  Maybe I will get a Vegas Spot in my next race (at least that is my goal!).

I want to thank my loving wife and family for putting up with my training and adaptation to triathlon.  I want to thank my awesome coach Michelle Leblanc of Outrival Racing for making me faster.

Here are a few pics of me in the race.

The Woodlands Half Marathon Race Report

Saturday March 2nd 2013 was my official first half marathon.  I signed up about 3 weeks prior thinking this would be a good test for the Galveston 70.3.  The week prior started off as a light taper.  Most of the more intense stuff was at the beginning of the week.  Wednesday I did a Maximum Aerobic Function test (3 mile run a held a few beats below top of zone 2).  I did this early at the local track (4:30 am).

The test went well and gave me a good indication as to what my MAF should be.  I held the 3 miles right at about 6:37 or so.  Not bad and I've come a long way.  Coach Michelle said that my half pace should be somewhere 30 seconds or so faster in mid zone 3.  I was pumped and ready.

I took Thursday off and swam a bit on Friday to calm my race jitters.  Also, energy builds when you don't release it from working out everyday.  However, on my first flip turn, as I was flipping, I don't know what I was thinking or where my mind drifted to, but I whacked both of my heels on the edge of the pool!  It hurt like a mother.  I started freaking out especially since this was the day before the race.  So I took it easier and cut my swim down by 1/3.  My heels looked slightly bruised at the end, but had no real pain.

Saturday morning started early for me.  I slept real good until 3 am and then couldn't really get back to sleep.  So, I got out of bed, brushed my teeth, and sneaked out the door at about 5 am.  I didn't know if there would be traffic on the way to the race, but wanted to make sure.  BTW, it was cold this morning.    The temperature gauge on the car said about 40-38 or so.  Thus, I sat in my car for about 30 minutes before getting out at about 6 to stay warm.

Gloves on, jacket on, and ear warmer on, I got out and walked over to the Outrival tent to see the other cold runners.  I chatted, but soon decided to start slow running and looking for the restroom.  It didn't take long to warm up.  Everyone talks about how great it is to run in the cold, but I really don't like it.  I'd rather have it warm with some humidity.

The time was approaching and since this was my first real big race (8,000 or so participants), people told me to try and get to the front of the corral.  I was a bit late, but fought my way to the front of the line.  The tip was to not get in the mid part, since it could be frustrating passing people.

The gun went off and off we went.  I was told to begin slower than normal, but that is hard.  I took off at about a 6:15 pace or so and was surprised that I could hold it.  I tried real hard to focus on MY race and not other people.  I quickly started passing people and got passed by some, but didn't worry.  Soon, several miles began passing.  The group started thinning out and soon 30 minutes went by.  I waited until about this point to start drinking and took a gel just in case.  It was surprising how far apart the water stations were from miles 3-6 or so.

Soon, I started passing some of those that passed me early on or took off in front.  After about the mid point I was running alone.  It's nice, but also lonely and can be difficult pushing the pace.  This is where the mental part of racing kicks in.  It didn't take long, but the last mile approached and I picked up the pace to finish strong through the shoot.  A few high 5's to my Coach and team mates and I crossed the line.

Final time was 1:21:50!  My goal was sub 1:25, so not bad.  Came in 7th in my age group and 37th overall (3,700 or so racers).  The 2nd half of the race was a few seconds shorter, but this will improve with time.  Not bad for the first race.  Can't wait for my next one!

One thing I didn't due post race that I should have is run more super slow and stretched more.  My muscles tightened up post race and are just now getting loose.  I'll know better next time.  I did't stick around much since it was freezing (cold air plus north wind are not fun).  It was time to go home, relax with the family.

Here's a picture of me at about 1 mile out.

February Update

I need to try and update this more.  Last fall after my 1st race, I decided to start doing my own training. It was ok for a while as a break.  However, my workouts became very repetitive.  Late December I attended a happy hour with Outrival gain and ended up chatting with my now coach Michelle Leblanc. She recommended that coaching would be a good idea for me since I was basically doing none of the things that someone should be doing to improve.

I have a natural talent for running and other athletics and she saw that in me I guess.  It has been a great decision.  In the month that she has been coaching me, I have yet to repeat a similar workout outside the long runs and bike rides.

My swim (used to range at 2000 to 2500 yards) are now minimum of 3000 and getting into 4000.  I thought I could never swim that much, but I am making it.  Last week was my longest yardage total of about 11,000!  Sounds crazy, but it is a lot for me and I am seeing the improvements in the endurance.

The bike has improved.  Michelle immediately pointed out that my bike training should be about 50% of my weekly volume.  Prior to working with her I was shooting for about 33%.  I also wasn't incorporating long bikes on a weekly basis.  That has all changed and I feel that I have improved and my it shows on my longer bikes.

On the run side, I am starting to go very fast (more than I though I would).  I have brought my mid zone 2 run HR pas to 145 bpm or so at 7 min miles.  That is very fast!  Last Friday, I did a 70 mile bike followed by a 6 mile brick run and came off doing 6:30 - 6:36 miles at the top of zone 2 and a few into zone 3!  Incredible that I could do that.  One of the weirdest things lately has been getting used to this faster pace and having a low heart rate.

The other thing that I have been experimenting with is nutrition.  I referring to both daily and race day nutrition.  On the daily nutrition, I bought Matt Fitzgerald's book Racing Weight, 2nd Edition.  This book is like a bible to me.  Since starting to follow the daily steps on nutrition, I have seen my performance, recovery, and overall health improve.  One of the things I took for granted, was my carb intake.  Since reading and re-reading this book, I have almost doubled my daily card intake.  This has mad a huge difference.

The other nutrition aspect has been race day nutrition.  I had been experimenting in the past with gels and bars on the ride.  As many know, this can be tricky.  Thus, I ordered some Infinit Nutrition a few weeks ago and am loving this stuff.  The consultation was quick and easy and the formula came custom for me.  Many triathletes swear by liquid nutrition and I am a believer now.  It's so easy to drink every 10 minutes and know that my nutrition is coming in.  I throw a salt tab from Energy Lab every 20 minutes to make sure I hit my hourly electrolyte need (per Michelle's race planning worksheets).  I feel great during rides and feel good on the run.

Back to the title of the post, I am doing my 1st half marathon this weekend here in The Woodlands.  I can't wait and I'm pumped.  This will be a good test for the Galveston 70.3 in April.  I hope I can deliver per my training results.

I'll update that later.