Update

After my break through swim on wednesday I was excited to do another masters session on thursday...it was another good main set.
3 rounds of 3 150's--send offs @2:30/2:20/2:10, 2:20/2:10/2:00, 2:10/2:00/1:50
5x100--variable 25's and last one fast.

Give this one a go...it was solid.

Yesterday was a tough day with tough workouts. I made it through and finished my efforts with a massage...much needed by the way. This weekend will be filled with plenty training and on sunday I will do my first mountain bike race of the season. I am excited to see where I am in terms of fitness and it should be fun mixing it up with the " race regulars."
Well, another beautiful day in California...get out there and enjoy it!

Some progress and another big week

I ate some sushi two days ago and then spent Monday night and all day yesterday feeling terrible. Not exactly a great start to the week but I was feeling much better toward the end of the day yesterday. So, I am back in action.
Finally, I made some progress in the pool this morning. I swim mon-thurs. masters at Monterey Peninsula College and today was a bit of a break through day for me. I am really out of shape in the water so I have been struggling to swim anything fast. I am okay with this as it is still early and fitness will come. This morning I surprised myself a bit and posted some decent early season times.

Here was the workout:
8x200 on 3:00 (1,2,3 descend, 4 easy, 5,6 fast, 7 easy and 8 fast)
-I swam 2:35, 2:30, 2:23, easy, 2:20, 2:20, easy and 2:16
5x100 on 2:00 (1 easy, 2,3 fast, 4 easy, 5 fast)
-I swam 1 easy,1:07, 1:07, easy, 1:06

So, not blazing fast but progress and this is key to my fitness and motivation. I struggle to really push myself in the pool so this is something I am working on. I wouldn't say I pushed myself really, really hard today, I just think fitness and my feel for the water are coming around. Now, if I can push myself as hard as I can on the run and bike I should be swimming even faster. One thing at a time though.

I have another big week planned before a rest week. I have plenty of work to do so my training will be fit in whenever possible but I will log some mega miles through the weekend. That rest week will be much needed!
Stay tuned and have a good one!

Training and some rest

--Living the Skinfit lifestyle


So, I had a huge week last week logging mega miles on the both the bike and run. Long rides with some quality on both the bike and run made for some very solid training days. I am really excited with what I was able to accomplish last week. I am happy with my progress and, after last week, I am definitely in the right frame of mind to tackle more challenging sessions ahead.

I still have one more base week in my second base phase and then I move into a rest week and onto 3 more weeks of base before launching into some serious build training. Overall, I couldn't ask for more right now in terms of my fitness levels. I feel satisfied with where I am and in another couple weeks I will do some fitness tests to measure my progress...I expect to see a significant improvement in all three sports. I am more excited then ever to be training hard and I look forward to my first races of the year, which are still a ways off but I can't stop thinking about them.



My training this weekend has been shut down a bit b/c of terrible weather, which is actually good b/c I can do plenty of resting and relaxing with friends and family. Rest is as important as training and I have learned over the years that sometimes bad weather is a great excuse to find balance in life. Sure, you have to put in the hard work but don't underestimate the need for rest and take opportunities like a "bad weather weekend" to be with those that support you day in and day out. Truth be told, I need this weekend to just rest. I worked really hard the last two weeks and I have another big week coming up so a nice weekend spent with Jess, my parents and close friends with NO training is just what I needed. I certainly had training on my schedule but when I looked at what I had done and what I have ahead of me it is totally acceptable and actually a necessity that I term this weekend a mental and physical break.
So, work hard but find that balance in life...you will be a better person and athlete for it.

These are some pics from my crazy 24 hr mountain bike race weekend: Snow and mud!

Good news all around...

First of all, my training is going REALLY well and I am fired up to really get after it in the coming months. I think I am capable of big things in 2008 as long as I stay injury free and highly motivated, which shouldn't be too hard b/c of regular massage, a great training plan and plenty to prove.


On another note, I just signed on as a coach with Training Bible Coaching. I was hired today by Jim Vance, the man running the show for the state of California. I am very excited to be joining this elite team of coaches and I look forward to helping athletes achieve their goals through the proven training methods that I have used to structure my seasons for the last ten years. I believe in the Training Bible Coaching philosophy and methodology, which is why I signed on to work for this great company.
I will be creating a coaching blog in the next couple days so keep your eyes out for that and please pass this good news along...I am currently accepting new clients.
Have a good one!

The most fun I have ever had on a bike...

Tonight Brian took me out on some new trails and all I can say is WOW! It was truly the best ride I have ever been on. The sunset was happening out west and the moon was over the hills out east. The scenery along with the best twisty single track I have ever ridden make for an amazing experience...it felt like I was riding a roller coaster. I fell in love with these new trails and I can't wait to tear them up again tomorrow...yes, I'm addicted!
Training is going really well...I am really excited about my progress and I feel that I am working toward a very successful 2008 season. I will be putting in some huge miles through the weekend and you can be certain that I will be loving every minute of it.
Get out and ride!!!

Crazy weekend and some good training...

So, I headed out to Arizona this weekend for a 24 hr mountain bike race as part of a four-man team. We were all really exctied to do the race and we were looking forward to some sunshine as the boys from California have seen a lot of rain lately.
Excited, we drove down to Tucson with our cars fully loaded with gear. Things started to get a bit crazy when the rain started coming down and we hit the 8 mile dirt road out to the race site. The road was a mess...so muddy! Good thing I had my Prius =) b/c it just tore that muddy road up! I really thought we might get stuck!
So, after an interesting drive we finally got there and started to set up camp. It was really cold so, naturally, it started to snow. What?! Snow in Arizona! We came out here for sunshine. After we set up camp in the snow we all decided that it was time to get a hotel room for the night...we were weak and gave in =. Something about camping in the snow was not appealing. So, we all took off to a "beautiful" town, San Manuel and got a room. This "lodge" reminded me of a psych ward that was converted into a lodge. So, we were all a bit worried about what the night would hold. Turns out we all got some good sleep after some mexican food and made it to the race site well rested and ready to race. However, it was still super cold and snow was everywhere. Quite frankly, it was pretty miserable.
The race got under way at noon on saturday. Tom started the race for us and after a short period of time he was riding in the lead group. Unfortunately, after 2 miles he got a flat tire and took a huge crash. This crash led to a pretty serious cut on his knee. Tom did finish the lap but it was a nightmare plagued with more flats, mechanical issues, etc.
After his lap we checked out his injuries and after a trip to the med tent it was determined that Tom needed stitches. So, we abandoned the race and drove back to Mesa to an urgent care where Tom got patched up. Tom is fine and able to train, which is great news.
With all the effort we put out for this race it was a bit of a bummer to quit so early (I didn't even get to ride a lap) but, at the end of the day, we were actually all happy to have this adventurous race experience end.
We got a good night sleep saturday night and then sunday morning we went out for a sweet 5 hour road ride and a 1 hr run. Thanks goes out to James for pushing me way too hard on the last 25 mins of the run...I haven't run that hard since October of last year. While I was pushing really hard and it wasn't really necessary it felt good to "clean out the pipes." It is so nice to have some training partners. I don't really have anyone to train with in Monterey and I realize everytime I come out here how great it is to have people to push you and to make training more enjoyable. We have a great group of guys out here...Tom Obrien, Brian Barrett and James walsh.
Today Brian and I went out for a 3 hr recovery ride through some beautiful areas and then hit the pool for a recovery swim with some drills...recovery is key after a day like yesterday.
Things are going really well and I am getting stronger everyday!
Take care everyone.

Awesome weekend!

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. The weather was amazing and I got in plenty of training and time with Jess and Sophie. Saturday I went for my first long road ride of the year and it felt great (4 hours). On sunday I did a test run (5k on the track) and it went much better then expected. I have only been training for 4 weeks (1 of which was a rest week). You stop building fitness 10 days out so, basically, I had less then 20 days of training under my belt when I did the run test today. I ran 20:20 at a heart rate 10 beats below my threshold, which is 168 beats per minute. So, the pace is very comfortable and at that controlled pace I averaged 6:30 miles...not bad in my opinion given the very limited training I have done and how early it is in the season. Plus, I haven't done anything intense...everything has been endurance pace. After my run I lifted weights and got in the pool for an easy session to loosen up and work on form.
After my training was done Jess, Sophie and I took our little convertible sports car to the beach to take in the great weather and to get Sophie some exercise. After the beach we headed into Carmel Valley for a nice cold pitcher of beer and it hit the spot!
All said and done, it was the perfect weekend and now it is time to really focus as I move into my second base phase. I expect to see huge gains in fitness over the next few week so come march I think I will be ready for the hard work to begin. I am very motivated at this point and it seems that everyday I get stronger. So, I am right on target with my training and happy with my progress.
Have a great week everyone!

My life on the road...

So, the airport feels like my home away from home these days. Thank god my life on the road ends tonight once I touch down in Monterey. For the past 2 weeks I have been traveling a lot for work and while it has been productive I am beat!
I can't wait to sleep in my own bed and see Jess and Sophie. I can assure you this weekend will be filled with sleep and some training (for sanity reasons).
The good thing is that I scheduled a rest week this week so after some training super early in the morning on monday I took off to New Jersey where I spent tuesday and wednesday. I took tuesday and wednesday off from training and got in a nice 1 hr run on the beach this morning in Marina Del Rey. It was a nice, relaxing run that left me with some much needed energy, which I have been lacking the last couple days. I powered through my meeting this morning only to sit in the airport for 4 hours...can someone get a few more flights into monterey?!!!!!
So, after several days of very little sleep and plenty of time locked up in an office I thought it was time for a beer. So, here I sit, sipping my beer and counting the minutes until I board my plane back home.
I hope the weather holds up and I have some sunny days ahead. I am loking forward to some quality time with my bike and running shoes. Starting tomorrow I will do some performance tests to evaluate my fitness level and then launch into my second Base phase...giddy up, it's time to get rolling!
Have a good weekend everyone!

Some travel and some training.

Wow, the sun is out! Amazing how a little sun can make your day so much better, especially since we have been getting pounded with rain.
After returning last night from a couple days of travel for work I am back home and ready for a weekend of training before heading back to New Jersey on monday for work. I wish I could say I like New Jersey but deep down I hate it. Sure, work will be fine but New Jersey is a far cry from California and I am not turing my flip flops in for anything!
Next week will be a rest week for me and it is good timing as I have plenty of work to do next week and travel will sap my energy. After next week I move into my second base phase...I will start to ramp up the mileage and add a few more structured workouts. Nothing will be hard but there will be plenty of time spent riding and running hills and swimming with early morning masters. I think after this second base phase you are going to see a "new" me. I am feeling stronger everyday and after a few more weeks I think I will be ready to really dial it up. I am pretty impressed how quickly things are coming around for me.
So, it is expected to rain this weekend so my guess is I will be swimming, riding my trainer and getting my running shoes (and dog) covered in mud. Not exactly my kind of weather but at least I am home with Jess and able to get in some workouts.
Take care and enjoy your weekend!