Space Coast Half Marathon

1:49:10. PR for me! Felt really good running as the weather was perfect. A little cold (for Florida) at the start, but perfect once we started. I have been focusing on my run for the last couple months and even though I'm still not "fast", I feel much more confident when running. I was hoping for 1:50 and I beat that so it felt good to hit my mark. It's time to start getting ready for Florida 70.3 in May so it's back to all 3 sports. I feel much better about my running so I hope to see some good improvements next season. I hope to hit the pool in the next week or so and have started some light riding the last couple weeks.

Back To Brick Training

Started doing some short rides this week and run a mile after each one. I have been just running for a couple months so it was hard to remember the feeling of running off the bike. I quickly remembered. The half marathon is this weekend and I'm looking forward to it. After this weekend I will be back to all three sports and really starting my training on December 29th.

First Half Ironman Training - 20 Miles in the bag

I completed my first 20 mile run on Saturday. I planned on an 18 miler with a friend and ended up running 20. It was not that bad and the pace was slow enough to be able to complete it without too much struggle. I am running a half marathon on the 29th and my wife is doing the full. I hope to be in the 1:50 range. I worked on my new bike over the weekend and it should be set up for a good ride next weekend. I still need to get some pictures of the new ride to post. December 29th will be the first official day of my training plan for the Florida 70.3.

My First Half Ironman Training - Mile Repeats and 13.1 with the Wife

I ran 13.1 with the wife on Saturday and it was great. We don't get to train together very much with the two kids so it was nice. My wife is running the Spacecoast Marathon on November 29, so this was a good training run. We had a goal in mind as far as pace goes and we beat it. I did 6 miles yesterday with 5 mile repeats. Felt good and ended up at 7:30 pace. I think I'm finally feeling comfortable running and look forward to it now. I will have a good base built up by January when the hard training begins. I watched the NYC Marathon Sunday and it is amazing to see those runners keep that pace for the distance. I heard the announcers discuss a few sub 5 min miles and couldn't imagine that pace.

My First Half Ironman Training

I picked up my bike yesterday. I can't wait for a training ride. It will be this weekend. I am running with the wife on Saturday morning so it may be Sunday morning. I will put some pictures up as soon as I take some over the weekend. It is so sweet. It's a Quintana Roo Tiphoon. I have had to scrimp and save in order to get this bike and had a lot of help from a friend who gave me an unbelievable deal on the frame. Thanks Darren. I'll post the pics as soon as I have them. I have not ran much this week as I have been really busy at work and I'm going to treating my 13.1 miles on Saturday as a race.

My First Half Ironman Training

Did 15 miles on Sunday. It was a good run for me as that was the longest distance I have done yet. It went well and I had an overall pace of 9:13, which I was happy with. I was hoping for 9:30 and I was doing a run walk, so that pace was good for me. I am running 13.1 on Saturday with my wife. We don't get to run together very much so it should be a good time.

My First Half Ironman Training - 12 mile repeats

Sunday I did 12 X 1 mile repeats. I had a running partner for the session and it definitely makes the time go by much faster. We kept a good pace and ended up with an overall pace of 8:09. We took 3-4 minutes between each mile and it was the first cool weather we've had, it was great. No hydration issues at all as we have been training in 90 degree weather with near 100% humidity. I am still waiting for my bike to be built up. I bought some wheels on e-bay and they have not come in yet. My local bike shop will have the rest of the bike ready tomorrow, but that won't do me much good without the wheels. I'll post pics when I get it from the shop. I can't wait to get the first ride in. I feel like I'm waiting for Santa to bring me a new bike.

First Half Ironman Training: 2009 Ironman World Championships

Ran a 15 mile training run yesterday. Overall it was not a bad run. I mixed up my route and ended up short so I had to stretch it out and zig zag to get in the mileage. That really drew the run and out and kinda sucked. Oh well. Waiting to get my new QR Titanium finished and start riding again. Hopefully it will be done by the end of the week. Here is a good video from the 2009 Ironman World Championships this past weekend.

My First Half Ironman Training: Quintana Roo Tiphoon!!

My workout this morning was a 5 mile interval run. Nothing special to mention so I won't bore you with the details. I do want to write about my new bike. I purchased a Quintana Roo Tiphoon frameset. This thing is awesome. I am starting to look for the parts to build it up. I will be using some parts from my old bike until I can save the money to replace those with new components. I hope to have it ready to go by the end of the year so in January I can use it when my training volume really starts to ramp up. I will post pictures as soon as I get a chance and as I build it up I will update them.

First Half Ironman Training: Transition Video

Today was another long run. 13.1 miles alone is a pretty boring couple hours. I have been doing run walk due to plantar fasciitis pains and kept a 9:31 pace. It felt pretty good and I will be more than ready to race in the Daytona Half Marathon on November 1. I will be running with my wife so I'm looking forward to it.

Here is an awesome transition video from onr of the best:


Click here to visit Tri Geek Training Plans

My First Half Ironman Training Updates

I ran a 12 miler yesterday. I usually train by myself and when I start doing the longer distances like this it gets rather boring. I have not done 12 miles since a half marathon last October so it wasn't a fast run to say the least. It was a little painful, but not too bad. Ice baths are a great way to end a long run. I had an opportunity to run with our local Galloway group on Saturday as my wife is a member and it was open to others this weekend. Jeff Galloway was in town and attended the "magic mile" at a local university. We then did a 4 mile run as a group and Jeff actually ran with me and three others including my wife. He was very nice and personable. He answered many questions and also had some great stories for us. My wife has been a part of the program for two years now and is getting ready for her second marathon. I'm proud of her and Saturday was one of the few times we have gotten to train together. We have two young children (6 years and 9 months)so we usually have to tag team our training. I had a good time running with her. I will do the same run next weekend and hopefully have an improved time.

Triathlon Swimming

My training last night was 4 miles worth of interval work. Nothing exciting to report.

Here is some good swimming information. I like to get different views from different coaches and try new things. This way I can find certain things that work for my style.

Volusia Flagler Hospice 5K

I ran in the Hospice 5K yesterday and it was an amazing event. They announced 800 entries that consisted of runners, walkers, and contributors. They were very caring in helping my family when my grandmother passed away and I was proud to run for her. My time was 23:33, which was good for me as that is my best time for a 5K. the winner was 17:02, that is a fast time for a local race. It was a beautiful, humid morning and it was a good event.

1997 Kona Ironman World Championships - Unbelievable Determination

This video shows the pure heart that these women have. How many of us can say we have pushed that hard to complete anything in our lives?




Training Update:

I completed a LT run last night. I will be using a HRM to train for my running from now on. I have not done this in the past and I feel like I need to in order get the most out of my training.

First Half Ironman Training

I had another 10 mile run Saturday morning. That was the easy part. I spent the rest of the day chasing my youngest daughter around the house. I think I burned more calories after the run. I wouldn't trade it for the world.