Day 33: 5/17/2010

Mike and I rode 3 hours together and had lunch in San Antonio at the Buckhorn. Comparing to last week, I am on Monday night where I was on Tuesday night last week. So, things are starting off on the right foot. My plan is to have another 2 solid weeks of training then be ready for Deuces Wild in Show Low, AZ. Then I will get in another 3 solid weeks for BSLT 70.3 in Lubbock. After a little rest after BSLT then the real fun begins.

Day 32: 5/16/2010

3 workout day. Ran long with my brother, Mike, this morning. We ran along the bosque and the Rio Grande on a single track trail that I had never been on before. It was cool running through trees and along the river bank, run was 1:20.

Then a short 1500 swim for :30. No workout just a straight 1000, a 200 kick and an easy 300 cool down.

Then Mike, EP, and myself rode to San Acacia and back. Same ride as yesterday. 32 miles in 1:50.

Total for the week was 15 hours and 20 minutes. I had one of the best swim weeks I have ever had, I went well over 10 hours, and no days off. Nothing was really that hard, I was just consistent and got the work done.

Day 31: 5/15/2010

Lindsey had a workshop at school so I wasn't able to start anything till the afternoon. That is sometimes a good thing because I got to spend the morning with Emma and Grace and nothing beats that.

I got to the pool around 1:30 and swam a 5300 yard swim! Main set had 20x200's and my fastest one was my last in 2:41. I do remember once swimming a 5000 but I do believe this is my longest swim ever.

Lindsey and the kids showed up to the pool as I was finishing so I stayed a played a little before I left to fix a flat and head out for an easy bike ride. I rode 32 miles in 1:50.

Tomorrow I am planning on getting up early to do a long run before church. Thanks for checking in.

Day 30: 5/14/2010

7.85 mile run in 1:00. I did this same exact run May 5th and was 3 minutes slower than today. I also negative split the run today.

Day 29: 5/13/2010

I helped Emma go back to sleep last night and ended up spending the night... without my phone alarm. No morning workout.

I had a meeting at the middle school and high school for kids interested in running XC this summer and fall and I was pleased with the turnout. I really love XC and I'm happy to see the team grow and improve. Hopefully, by doing Hawaii I inspire some kid to try something new like running or swim team or whatever. It is so important for kids to gain confidence in themselves and I feel sport does just that. Team sports are ok but too many join just to be part of a group for social reasons. In a sport like XC, you get out what you put in and there is no hiding. The results of your training and dedication are on display for all to see.

Anyway, I mountain biked this evening for 1:45 and then ran a tempo run on the treadmill for :30 at 7:00 pace. 2:25 for the day and that makes 7:00 for the week. This is shaping up to be the first week in a very long time that I have no days off and have 10+ hours.

Day 28: 5/12/2010

It wasn't quite 5:00 am but I did get up and out the door by 6:00 am this morning. I squeezed in a :30 run before school. After school I watched Grace while Lindsey ran and then I headed over to the pool for a 3,600 yard swim. I had read some things about head position, elbow position in the water, and something called front quadrant swimming and I tried to keep all 3 of these things in my head as I swam. I know I have been swimming more also but I have to say I had the best swim I have had in a real long time. On a 200 set I came in at 2:42! My swimman worked awesome and I just cranked it out, it was awesome.

But as my sensei reminded me... it's all about the run. 100% true. I need to be running more and not always just "runs." I need some fartleks and tempo runs and I also need to challenge myself with some longer runs.

Training today was :30 run and 1:15 swim for a total of 3.75 miles running, 3600 yards swimming and 1:45 of training.

Day 27: 5/11/2010

So I have had a real hard time waking up early lately. With the windy days, the morning is ideal training time but I have been going to bed late and I try my best to be awake to help Lindsey with Grace during the night. I hit snooze a few times this morning and before I knew it 5:00 am turned into 6:30 am. No workout. After school it was super windy and both Lindsey and I had some obligations to attend to. I finally put the bike on the trainer and watched the new release, Daybreakers on DVD. I rode for 1:45 and to be honest, it went by pretty quickly.

So far this week I have only 2 workouts for a grand total of 3 hours. I really need to start waking up early and getting in some doubles. I know I am not where I need to be but I'm a long ways ahead of where I was and where I would have been without this golden ticket. These workouts that I do need to just be a priority and I cannot be OK with letting things slide. I gave my XC kids a quote not too long ago, "Procrastination is like a credit card; it's a lot of fun until you get the bill." My due date is Saturday, October 9th at 7 AM.