So I received an email about two weeks ago asking if I would be an ambassador for the Annapolis running classic. Well I jumped at the chance. I figured that this would be a great opportunity for me to start updating my blog on a regular basis like I wanted to.
So whether I am selected or not I do plan on updating this blog and will focus on doing so once a week.
I figure that Sunday night would be a great time to do so.
I will look at reflecting on my "training" for the past week. I use that term loosely as I am not really training for anything except for a duathlon in July. Oh yea, how can I forget about that!
Back in March I was notified "With your finish at the Maryland Olympic Duathlon, USA Triathlon would like to invite you to the 2016 USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships!"
Well unfortunately I am unable to travel to Bend, OR to participate. This was a goal of mine to qualify for Nationals and I did it. I am hoping that I will be able to do it again this year and actually be able to participate at Nationals next year. We shall see. The crazy thing is that I am not doing any kind of training program. Image what I can do if I followed a program. I am just going out there running and biking.
Well with that in mind it is time to do some exercising.
Will update later.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Thursday, March 5, 2015
2014 update continued......
So the summer comes and brings with it the return of the brick into our training schedule.
I actually enjoy brick workouts, probably because I am not doing them correctly. Anyway, I enjoy ridding my bike to work and then being able to run afterwards. It is a bit difficult to get a brick in before work so I usually hold it until after. Ridding back to the car, securing it to a bike rack, changing shoes and off I go. I have often received comments like, wow biking and then running, way to go. I won't lie, it does put a smile on my face. The big down side is the time it takes. I really enjoy the biking more so than the running, but both can take up so much time. That is way you need to work up spousal approval units. Communication is the big thing that needs to be done. I have learn, but don't always practice, that if you don't inform your spouse exactly what you plan on doing and about how long it might take, you might need to come home with flowers or chocolate or something else.
Anyway, I really don't recall a lot of my training that I was doing during the summer, I was just doing my regular running during the week. Biking to and from work, not all the way, but usually 15 miles one way. I would focus my brick workout on the weekends. All working up toward the Maryland Duathlon.
***Race Report*** Maryland Olympic Duathlon
It was a very warm day. I was hoping to get a time as close to 2:15 as possible. Spoiler alert. I did not get there. This is a very well run event and I have done it in the past. I plan to participate in the future as well.
From what I remember, the first run (2 miles) went well. No issues. Transitioning to the bike went smoothly, however it is something that I really want to focus on to get faster and smoother.
The bike leg was good. From what I remember my energy was draining. I believe I might need to take a close look at my nutrition next time around. This is a very hilly bike course. so I come into transition and get ready for the 4 mile run loop. I knew that I was not going to beat my time from before so I focused on just finishing. I did not want to walk but I did and ended up finishing anyway. Like I said this is a very well run event. I do plan on doing this event again and will do more brick training as I believe that might be one of the reasons why it did not go as well as I wanted it to. My goal is to get as close to 2 hours as possible.
Friday, February 27, 2015
2014 - more updates
As 2014 continues to move forward so do I.
***Race Report***
Hometown Festival 5k
The end of May brought us Memorial Day weekend and the start of Summer fun. We usually go camping but for some reason we did not. I am not sure why. So instead we partook in the Hometown festival activities. This included a 5k. I started and ended at the local Elementary School. It was a good race. Being that it was a local race there were many people there that I knew.
It was a bit of a hilly course but it was a good run. I do remember walking a bit up one of the last hills just to catch my breath. I was able to make the final stretch home.
Good event. Great weekend. Lots of different events going on to partake in.
If we don't go camping Memorial day weekend I would do this event again.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
2014 - continued
So I am not keeping up with my Lenten resolution.
At least this update is sooner than the last one.
So on April 2nd I was ridding my bike to work. My last hard ride before the Virginia Duathlon on that Sunday. I won't lie, something felt odd that day. Not sure what it was, it was just a feeling. No real way to describe it. Something just did not sit right but I quickly brushed it away. I felt that I was making some good time. I was trying not to push too hard but at times I wanted to see what I could do. I turned off the trail and headed toward the office. I was on a road and was now a vehicle and not a cyclist. A vehicle was coming out of a parking lot on my left, I signaled that I was going to be turning in that direction but the driver did not see me. Yep you guessed it, he T-Boned me.
That was the first (and hopefully last time) I was hit by a vehicle. It did not feel good. I was in pain. laying on the ground with a wide range of emotions running though my head. What happened? Did that just happened? What was the driver thinking? Did they not see me? I was in pain. My legs hurt. My shoulders and back hurt. I heard people around me. Some calling my name. They asked if they should call someone and I said yes. Police and Rescue were called. I was starting to relax and come to my senses. I wanted to get up, however I had enough wits about me to know that I should not move as first responders were on their way and I need to wait for them to access me.
They finally arrived and started talking with me. They did some "tests" and then asked me if I wanted to get up. I said yes please. They helped me up and I got into the Ambulance for further review. They asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. I said no. My leg was cut up a bit but I was able to walk. I had some discomfort in my shoulders but other than that I was fine. A police office came in and talked with me. Told him my side of the story, then he left. After a bit, I exited the Ambulance. The driver was thankful that I was not seriously injured. He was charged with failure to yield. Anyway, I ended up working a half day. Was able to get a ride back to my car and then took my bike to the shop. I did not think that there was much wrong with it only that the handlebars were not straight, but I did not want to move anything. I want the mechanic to look at it without me moving anything. Turns out the front wheel was shot. Out of tru and all banged up. Everything else seemed ok. There were able to check everything else out and actually let me borrow a wheel set the the weekend, however I need to get myself checked out first. Well I contacted my PCP however they were not able to get me in. I said "I got hit by a car". they still said "sorry no appointment available". So I went to an Urgent Care. Doctor checked me out and I told him my situation. He said biking should not be an issue, but he was concerned about the running. He told me that if it did not hurt to go for it.
So here goes nothing. ***Virginia Duathlon race report***
I was a bit ticked off with everything that happened in the last couple of days, however I did a couple of very short distance runs and felt ok. I really wanted to get under 2 hours for this Duathlon. The set up is 5k run, 23 mile bike, 5k run. The previous time I did it in 2:08. Taking 9-10 minutes off is, well, was very duable, but now? Well it was not pretty, but I was able to complete the event. My time was 2:27. Not too bad for being hit by a car. I guess the big blessing that I have is that he was not going that fast. If he was going faster or if he did not do a rolling stop things could have been a lot worse. I am counting my blessings and moving every forward.
The Virginia Duathlon is a great event. I plan/hope to be able to do this event in the future for many years and eventually get under 2 hours.
At least this update is sooner than the last one.
So on April 2nd I was ridding my bike to work. My last hard ride before the Virginia Duathlon on that Sunday. I won't lie, something felt odd that day. Not sure what it was, it was just a feeling. No real way to describe it. Something just did not sit right but I quickly brushed it away. I felt that I was making some good time. I was trying not to push too hard but at times I wanted to see what I could do. I turned off the trail and headed toward the office. I was on a road and was now a vehicle and not a cyclist. A vehicle was coming out of a parking lot on my left, I signaled that I was going to be turning in that direction but the driver did not see me. Yep you guessed it, he T-Boned me.
That was the first (and hopefully last time) I was hit by a vehicle. It did not feel good. I was in pain. laying on the ground with a wide range of emotions running though my head. What happened? Did that just happened? What was the driver thinking? Did they not see me? I was in pain. My legs hurt. My shoulders and back hurt. I heard people around me. Some calling my name. They asked if they should call someone and I said yes. Police and Rescue were called. I was starting to relax and come to my senses. I wanted to get up, however I had enough wits about me to know that I should not move as first responders were on their way and I need to wait for them to access me.
They finally arrived and started talking with me. They did some "tests" and then asked me if I wanted to get up. I said yes please. They helped me up and I got into the Ambulance for further review. They asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. I said no. My leg was cut up a bit but I was able to walk. I had some discomfort in my shoulders but other than that I was fine. A police office came in and talked with me. Told him my side of the story, then he left. After a bit, I exited the Ambulance. The driver was thankful that I was not seriously injured. He was charged with failure to yield. Anyway, I ended up working a half day. Was able to get a ride back to my car and then took my bike to the shop. I did not think that there was much wrong with it only that the handlebars were not straight, but I did not want to move anything. I want the mechanic to look at it without me moving anything. Turns out the front wheel was shot. Out of tru and all banged up. Everything else seemed ok. There were able to check everything else out and actually let me borrow a wheel set the the weekend, however I need to get myself checked out first. Well I contacted my PCP however they were not able to get me in. I said "I got hit by a car". they still said "sorry no appointment available". So I went to an Urgent Care. Doctor checked me out and I told him my situation. He said biking should not be an issue, but he was concerned about the running. He told me that if it did not hurt to go for it.
So here goes nothing. ***Virginia Duathlon race report***
I was a bit ticked off with everything that happened in the last couple of days, however I did a couple of very short distance runs and felt ok. I really wanted to get under 2 hours for this Duathlon. The set up is 5k run, 23 mile bike, 5k run. The previous time I did it in 2:08. Taking 9-10 minutes off is, well, was very duable, but now? Well it was not pretty, but I was able to complete the event. My time was 2:27. Not too bad for being hit by a car. I guess the big blessing that I have is that he was not going that fast. If he was going faster or if he did not do a rolling stop things could have been a lot worse. I am counting my blessings and moving every forward.
The Virginia Duathlon is a great event. I plan/hope to be able to do this event in the future for many years and eventually get under 2 hours.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Lenten resolution
Well this was suppose to be a New Years Resolution but being that I am so far behind it is turning into a Lenten resolution.
I can not believe I have let this blog go for so long without an update.
My last post was back in 2013 after I ran the Annapolis Half on a Saturday and then turned around and ran a 10k on Sunday. It was so much fun that I did it again in 2014, but I am getting ahead of myself. I have a lot to write about and update on.
**Race Report** Jackson Day Race 1/12/14
Ok. So I traveled to New Orleans with my company for our annual kick off meeting. It was a good time. I had never been to New Orleans so I was looking forward to the trip. I did some research and found a running event that was going on the same weekend we were suppose to arrive. So I went out a day early to participate in the Jackson Day Race. This was a 9k road race. Why 9k? I don't know. The race started at the Old Spanish Fort and went to the historic French Quarter finishing in Jackson Square. Luckily our hotel was less than a mile from Jackson Square. They provided free bus shuttle from Jackson Square to the start of the race so it was just too convenient not to take advantage of it.
I am still not sure where the name came from as well as why it is a 9k race. I had found out at one time but can not seem to locate it now. At any rate, I went into this with the mindset that I was running a 10k. I felt good but looking back I am sure I was holding back a bit, especially being that I was unsure on the route.
There was some entertainment at the start, very good support (aide stations) on the course and excellent entertainment and after race party at the end. There really was not a lot of crowds on the course until you got closer to the city. If I do ever go back to New Orleans I will try to make it a point to participate in a running event. I had a very good experience and the after party was great.
Well I will close this post now and will look to make more posts in the coming days.
I can not believe I have let this blog go for so long without an update.
My last post was back in 2013 after I ran the Annapolis Half on a Saturday and then turned around and ran a 10k on Sunday. It was so much fun that I did it again in 2014, but I am getting ahead of myself. I have a lot to write about and update on.
**Race Report** Jackson Day Race 1/12/14
Ok. So I traveled to New Orleans with my company for our annual kick off meeting. It was a good time. I had never been to New Orleans so I was looking forward to the trip. I did some research and found a running event that was going on the same weekend we were suppose to arrive. So I went out a day early to participate in the Jackson Day Race. This was a 9k road race. Why 9k? I don't know. The race started at the Old Spanish Fort and went to the historic French Quarter finishing in Jackson Square. Luckily our hotel was less than a mile from Jackson Square. They provided free bus shuttle from Jackson Square to the start of the race so it was just too convenient not to take advantage of it.
I am still not sure where the name came from as well as why it is a 9k race. I had found out at one time but can not seem to locate it now. At any rate, I went into this with the mindset that I was running a 10k. I felt good but looking back I am sure I was holding back a bit, especially being that I was unsure on the route.
There was some entertainment at the start, very good support (aide stations) on the course and excellent entertainment and after race party at the end. There really was not a lot of crowds on the course until you got closer to the city. If I do ever go back to New Orleans I will try to make it a point to participate in a running event. I had a very good experience and the after party was great.
Well I will close this post now and will look to make more posts in the coming days.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Race report - 2 for 1
Yes you read it correctly. This is a two for one.
On Saturday November 23rd, I took part in the 3rd annual Annapolis Half Marathon. I have run this race since its inception and I must say that they have definitely made some strides. To give some background, the first year was riddled with issues. First off the traffic was horrible as they had major issues with the parking and getting that organized, we did start late but not too late (Virginia Wine Country half). Also, they did not have any mile markers because the person in charge of putting them out hurt himself, he broke his foot or ankle I think, and was taken to the hospital with the keys to the truck which had the mile makers stored in it. This made the course short by about a half mile. Anyway, year two saw some improvements in the course layout and was in fact the correct distance. They still had some traffic issues but it was a little better.
Well bring on year three. Traffic was extremely smooth. No real issues there. We were able to drive right in and park very quickly. One big difference this year was it was very cold and very windy, but you cannot put that on the race organizers. Anyway, I went into this race without a well-executed training plan. I had gotten sick and lost about 3 weeks of training, not to mention that I started feeling some pain and tightness in my left calf. There were thoughts in my head about not running as I know how hilly Annapolis is and I did not want to injure myself any further, but I started to rest my legs, ice my calf, use compression and elevate when I could. I was also using “The Stick” to massage both my legs.
All of the above seemed to help, because come race day my legs felt good, not great mind you, but good. Now for the race, I was wearing Zensah calf sleeves, shorts, Tee shirt, arm warmers and baseball style hat. I was a little chilly but I knew that once I got moving that I would be warm enough. It was a bit of a windy day but the temps were up in the 40s so it was not too bad. I went into this race with the mindset that I was not going to race it. I was just going to try to maintain a solid pace.
Well within the first 5 miles I was between a 9:30 and a 9:50 pace. Then came the trek over the bridge. There is where the course gets hilly. My pace went down to between 10:20 and 10:45 pace for the rest of the race. They changed the course, again, for this race. It’s hard to explain, but being that Annapolis is not that big of a city there were a lot of turns and the course double backed on itself in a couple of places. This year they added a 10k and I think they might have waited a year or two more to do that. All was fine as far as support on the course except for the last two aid stations. They ran out of water. The half was capped a 4,000 runners and the 10k was capped at 1500 runners. Other than them running out of water I thought that the race went well. I know that I was very pleased with my performance especially with how my training went the last 3 – 4 weeks leading up to the race. I do plan on doing this race again next year. Last year I ran this race in 1:56, this year I was not going to get near that and I knew that going in. I finished in 2:15. I was very happy with my performance due to my training. Oh and I got my name announced as I crossed the finish line. Bonus.
Now for race report number 2.
on Sunday I ran in the Columbia Turkey chase 10k. I also ran this race last year. Columbia is not as hilly as Annapolis. With that said, this course was not flat. More like rolling hills. Now I will say that when I first signed up for this race it was not the day after Annapolis. It was actually the weekend before Annapolis. It was changed after I signed up, and while I believe I might have had the option to opt out I decided not to. Again, I almost decided to back out of both races but decided to go slow and not to race the race.
Now I was watching the weather and knew it was going to be cold and windy and it was. I originally had on a cold gear turtle neck and my long sleeve plodder shirt. I put on a "throw away" sweat shirt and went out for a warm up run. I was cold. I took off the sweat shirt and was really cold. I decided to swap out the plodder shirt and then put on the sweatshirt and then put the plodder shirt back on.
Anyway, I was still a little cold but figured it should be good enough it I keep moving, and that was the plan. This is an out an back course with plenty of aid stations. With the rolling hills it makes it a fast course as well. There really is not much to say about this event. Last year I ran a 53:42. this year I took it easy and ran a 1:02. Very happy with my time and performance. I hope to do this race next year but honestly not sure what I am going to do if it is the same weekend as Annapolis half.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
And so begins my training
So my training has begun.
Honestly I am not feeling it so much. Not sure if I have been focusing on the biking too much or not.
My legs have been feeling very heavy.
But I know that things will change.
I was actually surprised at how well my 9 miler went last week as well as today.
Last week we went to a winery concert the night before. I woke up early to go running but felt like crap. No real big surprise there. So I went back to sleep for a couple of hours woke up and felt better. I went out and did my long run at a slow pace and felt pretty good.
Yesterday I went out and had a horrible run. It was hot, I was tired. I was planning on ridding a bike afterward but when I returned from the run one of my tires were flat. Well I wont lie I was actually a little happy about that.
So todays run I did the exact same course that I ran last week. I felt pretty good but ran this course 5 minutes slower that last week when I was hung over. Weird!
Anyway, I am sure that things will start to feel better once I start getting back into it full swing of things.
More to come.
Honestly I am not feeling it so much. Not sure if I have been focusing on the biking too much or not.
My legs have been feeling very heavy.
But I know that things will change.
I was actually surprised at how well my 9 miler went last week as well as today.
Last week we went to a winery concert the night before. I woke up early to go running but felt like crap. No real big surprise there. So I went back to sleep for a couple of hours woke up and felt better. I went out and did my long run at a slow pace and felt pretty good.
Yesterday I went out and had a horrible run. It was hot, I was tired. I was planning on ridding a bike afterward but when I returned from the run one of my tires were flat. Well I wont lie I was actually a little happy about that.
So todays run I did the exact same course that I ran last week. I felt pretty good but ran this course 5 minutes slower that last week when I was hung over. Weird!
Anyway, I am sure that things will start to feel better once I start getting back into it full swing of things.
More to come.
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