There are a lot of crazy athletes in Boulder who swim at Flatirons Athletic Club, but most of them are too lazy to swim at 6 am. Well, maybe they just aren't crazy enough or don't need to get to work by 8. We can't even claim to be there every time, but most of the year we are.
Anyways, its a pretty small group that shows up every Tuesday and Thursday at that time to work out with Wolfgang or Kurt. As a small group, there are usually only four lanes going. The fastest lane recently has been occupied by the Finangers and whoever can keep up with them. Next is usually Amber's lane which numbers between 1 (solo Amber) and 4 (on a busy day). Most of the time she is the lane leader. Next is my lane with 3 or 4 people, which I have been leaded recently. The last lane usually has 1 or 2. Compared to Sunday's workout with at least 6 people per lane for all 6 lanes, our workout is tiny.
The Plan
Since my swimming has been going well, I decided to move up to A's lane today. But, Kurt removed the cover from all of the lanes and her normal swim buddies went to the lanes with my normal swim buddies, so I found myself all by myself with A. Oh, boy. My hope had been to hang on by drafting off the second to last person, but I've never been able to draft off of A for long. To make matters worse, I wanted coffee this morning before the workout and so A had a mug of it as well. We've only had coffee before the swim twice before and A has noticed the performance enhancement that it give. So, not only did was I alone with A, I was alone with a caffeinated A.
The Workout
The warm up went fine, although A took the full rest assigned and I took less to keep up.
Then, Kurt gave us the main set. He started by telling us that it was a 200's day, to which A responded "Great, I love 200's". Red alert, red alert. Kurt told us "4 x 200", okay not too bad, "then 4 x 50's with kicking ...", good, some recovery, "then 3 x 200" uh, oh, I think I know where this is going, "50's again" here it comes "2 x 200" yep, we're going to be doing 10, "50's and then 1 x 200", I hate it when I'm right some times. Then, the timing discussion started and I deferred to A as I was the interloper in her lane. She gave Kurt a range and luckily he picked the top end of it.
The first one went well as it always seems to go and I got 5 seconds rest. After the second, I got 3 seconds rest. After the third, I had to immediately start the fourth. I skipped the first 50 to get some recovery and A told me she was getting 24 seconds of rest after each.
The next set started okay and I got 5 seconds rest after the first. I blew up on the second and missed the interval by 10 seconds. On the third, my goal was to keep A from lapping me. She was at the flags by the time I flipped at 150 meters, but at least I made that goal. I missed the first 50 and skipped the second.
For the third set, I geared up with paddles and buoy and made the intervals for both.
For the last one, I was determined to make it my fastest and I beat my goal time by 1 second. Still 16 seconds slower than the caffeinated A, but there is always next week.
For now, my plan is to only swim with A's lane once a week until I can complete the entire workout as given. Maybe next time, I'll substitute decaf for her.
Peace Out,
E
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Future Adventures
I started this post a while ago, so some of it is a bit dated...
Over at the Daily Espresso, Lars had two recent posts that got me thinking. The first was his post on some of the adventures he has had including his ride from Canada to Mexico and Emily and his races at the Xtreme Norseman in Norway. The second post was a link to a triathlon training camp in Sweden that traverses the length of the country.
I've wanted to do the Norseman since first heard about it a few years ago, but our annual pilgrimage to IM Canada has taken the summer Ironman role and the Norseman is a difficult race to coordinate for since you have to have your own support crew, including someone to finish the race with you as it is up a trail to the top of the mountain. And we don't have enough vacation. And we took a trip to Sweden and Norway a few summers ago, so we should go somewhere else. And the swim is freezing, since it is in a fjord. And it doesn't have qualifying slots to Kona. And, all that doesn't matter since I really want to do the race.
Its not like Amber and I haven't had some cool adventures (weeklong backpacking trip in Montana, the trip to Sweden and Norway (which for the first half we didn't know the driving laws), our IMs as they really are adventures, ...). But, it is easy to get complacent.
We keep going back to IM Canada for a number of reasons. The course is awesome. And our Wisconsin friends are always there (Jim, Janine, Wolfie, etc.) And its hard to get into, so if we stop going, we may not get in again And we have a nice room at the Tiki Shores (took us three years to get into there). And we like the peaches. And, all those reasons shouldn't matter if it is keeping us from trying something new.
Mt. Taylor is a different as it really doesn't keep us from trying something else and suggesting otherwise would get me in deep trouble with A.
So, here is a list of adventures I want to have and why. The next step will be to figure out when.
Xtreme Norseman triathlon: it would be supremely challenging race in a country I want to explore more.
Ironman Lake Placid: I didn't like Ironman Arizona's multiple loops as the scenery got boring. I don't think that I would get bored with the scenery in this upstate New York gem. Our plan is to try to get into 2010.
Kona: 'Nuff said.
Challenge Wanaka: this is a new addition, but they claim it is the most scenic Iron distance race. The pictures they have would support that claim. Also, it is in New Zealand which holds many adventurous opportunities.
Boston and New York Marathons: I really don't have any desire to run a marathon by itself, but the history and courses of these two races really intrigue me.
Mt Evans Hillclimb (bike version): I've bike up Mt Evans before and plan on racing up it this summer. Not many races finish at 14,000 ft.
Italy: Not a race, the country.
Alaska: 'Cause it is the home of Sarah Palin. Actually, for the backpacking, kayaking, skiing, and other outdoor adventures. And it is where A was born.
Over at the Daily Espresso, Lars had two recent posts that got me thinking. The first was his post on some of the adventures he has had including his ride from Canada to Mexico and Emily and his races at the Xtreme Norseman in Norway. The second post was a link to a triathlon training camp in Sweden that traverses the length of the country.
I've wanted to do the Norseman since first heard about it a few years ago, but our annual pilgrimage to IM Canada has taken the summer Ironman role and the Norseman is a difficult race to coordinate for since you have to have your own support crew, including someone to finish the race with you as it is up a trail to the top of the mountain. And we don't have enough vacation. And we took a trip to Sweden and Norway a few summers ago, so we should go somewhere else. And the swim is freezing, since it is in a fjord. And it doesn't have qualifying slots to Kona. And, all that doesn't matter since I really want to do the race.
Its not like Amber and I haven't had some cool adventures (weeklong backpacking trip in Montana, the trip to Sweden and Norway (which for the first half we didn't know the driving laws), our IMs as they really are adventures, ...). But, it is easy to get complacent.
We keep going back to IM Canada for a number of reasons. The course is awesome. And our Wisconsin friends are always there (Jim, Janine, Wolfie, etc.) And its hard to get into, so if we stop going, we may not get in again And we have a nice room at the Tiki Shores (took us three years to get into there). And we like the peaches. And, all those reasons shouldn't matter if it is keeping us from trying something new.
Mt. Taylor is a different as it really doesn't keep us from trying something else and suggesting otherwise would get me in deep trouble with A.
So, here is a list of adventures I want to have and why. The next step will be to figure out when.
Xtreme Norseman triathlon: it would be supremely challenging race in a country I want to explore more.
Ironman Lake Placid: I didn't like Ironman Arizona's multiple loops as the scenery got boring. I don't think that I would get bored with the scenery in this upstate New York gem. Our plan is to try to get into 2010.
Kona: 'Nuff said.
Challenge Wanaka: this is a new addition, but they claim it is the most scenic Iron distance race. The pictures they have would support that claim. Also, it is in New Zealand which holds many adventurous opportunities.
Boston and New York Marathons: I really don't have any desire to run a marathon by itself, but the history and courses of these two races really intrigue me.
Mt Evans Hillclimb (bike version): I've bike up Mt Evans before and plan on racing up it this summer. Not many races finish at 14,000 ft.
Iron Horse Bike Race: We're signed up for this year. The race won't be a huge adventure, but it takes us down to southwest Colorado for only the second time. The only other time was when Amber did the Imogene Pass Run and we drove straight there and straight back. Hopefully since we will be there the whole weekend this time, we can see more of the area.
TransRockies Run: 113 mile, 6 days, and 1 partner. Only 12% on paved roads or paths, the rest on dirt trails or roads. I know who I want my partner to be (the wife). If you're interested they are 75% full for this year. Get on it. Unfortunately we'll be in Canada.
Italy: Not a race, the country.
Alaska: 'Cause it is the home of Sarah Palin. Actually, for the backpacking, kayaking, skiing, and other outdoor adventures. And it is where A was born.
Late addition - Ironman St. George: After I started drafting this, they announced a new Ironman in St George, Utah in May 2010. After some deliberation, A and I signed up. The best part of the course should be run with its hills.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Lonely Ride
Unfortunately, we didn't take a camera with us for our ride today. Our current cell phones don't have cameras since they are that old. But by Tuesday or so, we will be geeked out with Blackberries, so we can always have a camera with us.
Back to the ride. It was beautiful with all of the snow, the roads were mostly good with only snow chucks occasionally to deal with, and no other bike riders. For the first time that either Amber or I could recall, we rode Hwy 36 from Boulder to Lyons without seeing another rider. We finally saw another rider at 2 hr and 13 minutes into our ride at 75th and Hwy 66. I'm guessing that people either thought the roads would be bad or were waiting until later for it to get warmer. The nice part of riding when it was still a bit chilly was that the roads were dry as everything hadn't started melting.
The ride itself was pretty uneventful. A and I just wanted to spin the legs for a while as we are unsure if the Koppenburg is still happening tomorrow. The main uncertanity about tomorrow is whether the dirt road and hill can be cleared in time. If so, it should stay decently frozen in the morning for A's and my races. Reports from this morning make it sound pretty iffy though.
Time to go watch some basketball,
E
Back to the ride. It was beautiful with all of the snow, the roads were mostly good with only snow chucks occasionally to deal with, and no other bike riders. For the first time that either Amber or I could recall, we rode Hwy 36 from Boulder to Lyons without seeing another rider. We finally saw another rider at 2 hr and 13 minutes into our ride at 75th and Hwy 66. I'm guessing that people either thought the roads would be bad or were waiting until later for it to get warmer. The nice part of riding when it was still a bit chilly was that the roads were dry as everything hadn't started melting.
The ride itself was pretty uneventful. A and I just wanted to spin the legs for a while as we are unsure if the Koppenburg is still happening tomorrow. The main uncertanity about tomorrow is whether the dirt road and hill can be cleared in time. If so, it should stay decently frozen in the morning for A's and my races. Reports from this morning make it sound pretty iffy though.
Time to go watch some basketball,
E
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Ironman St. George
After a week sitting on the fence (not literally), A and I signed up for Ironman St. George last night. It used to feel weird signing up for a race a year in advance, but that's become standarad practice for Canada. This race is just over 13 months away (May 1, 2010).
When I initially informed A about the race, her immediate response was to sign up. Then, we thought about it some more and thought maybe we shouldn't sign up. Then, we thought we should. Then, we thought we shouldn't. Then, we signed up.
Last year, we weren't completely prepared for IM Arizona in mid-April (birthplace of the blog) and this will be only two weeks later, but I think we've learned some things to be better prepared. Also, last year we knew that we had Canada in August, so we didn't want to burn out with training in March (we saved that for July). Our plan right now is that St. George will be our only IM in 2010 as afterwards we will move onto other adventures for a while.
We drove through St. George last year on the way to and from the Halfmax in Vegas and thought the area looked nice. We probably would have look around a bit closer if we knew we were going to race there. We're most excited that its close to Zion Nat'l Park and Bryce Canyon.
So, if anyone wants to hang out in southwestern Utah next spring, let us know.
-Eric
When I initially informed A about the race, her immediate response was to sign up. Then, we thought about it some more and thought maybe we shouldn't sign up. Then, we thought we should. Then, we thought we shouldn't. Then, we signed up.
Last year, we weren't completely prepared for IM Arizona in mid-April (birthplace of the blog) and this will be only two weeks later, but I think we've learned some things to be better prepared. Also, last year we knew that we had Canada in August, so we didn't want to burn out with training in March (we saved that for July). Our plan right now is that St. George will be our only IM in 2010 as afterwards we will move onto other adventures for a while.
We drove through St. George last year on the way to and from the Halfmax in Vegas and thought the area looked nice. We probably would have look around a bit closer if we knew we were going to race there. We're most excited that its close to Zion Nat'l Park and Bryce Canyon.
So, if anyone wants to hang out in southwestern Utah next spring, let us know.
-Eric
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Not Trying To Ignore You
Really, it's not you. It's us. We've been busy.
For a while we were too busy to train much. We were able to keep active by biking to and from work, but not much else. I (E) told a friend about our lack of training and she was concerned about how A was dealing with it. A's got to train as it is her nature. I'm a bit more able to go with the flow mentally, but my body doesn't adjust well as my back and legs start to cramp up with no training.
The last two weeks have been marginally better, but not by too much. For example, we missed Tuesday morning's swim so we we made it up with swim last night. Just 3.5 days late.
I ended up biking on the trainer today even though it was a beautiful day since I'm on call for work. A got out for a nice ride and then we ran together for 30 minutes. We should get a nice run in tomorrow morning.
Later,
E
For a while we were too busy to train much. We were able to keep active by biking to and from work, but not much else. I (E) told a friend about our lack of training and she was concerned about how A was dealing with it. A's got to train as it is her nature. I'm a bit more able to go with the flow mentally, but my body doesn't adjust well as my back and legs start to cramp up with no training.
The last two weeks have been marginally better, but not by too much. For example, we missed Tuesday morning's swim so we we made it up with swim last night. Just 3.5 days late.
I ended up biking on the trainer today even though it was a beautiful day since I'm on call for work. A got out for a nice ride and then we ran together for 30 minutes. We should get a nice run in tomorrow morning.
Later,
E
Monday, March 2, 2009
Pre-blogging backpacking trip to Montana
I was trying to organize the office when I came upon a topo map from A and my backpacking trip to Montana from about 10 years ago. We captured some of the things that were happening during the trip on the margin of one of the four maps that covered the area we were in. The trip was seven days in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area, about an hour south of Bozeman, MT. We were coming from sea level and the trail started around 6000 ft. The elevation combined with our 50+ lb packs made for some tough days. Since, I haven't finished my "future adventures" post, I thought I'd share our trip recap from then.
Note: We didn't start writing stuff down until day four so the first three days are a bit light. Stuff in parenthesis are my new comments.
Day 1: Lots of climbing
Good views
Moose tracks at lake (not the ice cream, actual moose tracks where we camped)
Lentil stew - good (we wanted to remember which recipes were good)
6 miles
3000 ft up
Day 2: Up to Beacon Pt by 12:30 - tough climb, tough downhill
Saw fishermen on day hike at top (we didn't see anyone the first day so they were the first people we had seen)
Windy but spectacular on Indian Ridge
Walked along river in afternoon
Burritos for dinner - too many beans (I'll let you draw your own conclusions)
Day 3 -Down + Up (Amber takes over writing)
Early start, long day
Multiple river crossings. (she hated some of the river crossings with a 50 lb load going over a log)
No people, many signs of moose
Cheesy Spicy beans and ricey for dinner - good but bland (luckily we had little debbie brownies for dinners, good fuel for the cold nights)
Day 4 - Up down up down up down
Saw Lone Mt + Big Sky ski area.
Saw two groups of people/horses after a beautiful lunch @ Summit Lake.
Saw 1st wildlife - marmots
Camped @ Mirror Lake next to a party of 4 + across from 3 more people. (Group next to us had a huge Tibetan mastiff named Ziegler. Felt safe from bears with him around)
Will take a rest day tomorrow.
Curried veggies + rice for dinner - BAD (we built a fire and burned the rest of it)
Saw shooting stars - Had small fire (mostly to burn the food)
Briefly in Bear Basin
Day 5 - Rest Day
Left camp at noon
Mirror Lake to explore
Climbed up half of Blaze Mtn (I got freaked out and needed to go down)
Ate lunch overlooking camp + fly fishing school - lots of traffic down below
Climbed down + played on boulder field w/ big rocks (size of houses rocks)
Tomato paste gone bad, so spaghetti dinner was without - stole dried tomatoes from chili
Had bid fire - borrowed axe
Next time dried sauce + smaller pasta (I think the spaghetti wasn't easy to deal with)
Day 6 - Amber slept in, still on trail by 9:20
Walked down, up + over - hard day
Saw hikers leaving Spanish lakes - 1 large group + group of 4 w/ dog, 3 people on way up pass, + 2 people, 3 lamas, + dog near top.
People (naked?) camped @ Lake Solitude (maybe they took the name literally), so moved on to Jerome Rocks Lake.
People on far side of lake, but barely saw them.
Mushroom Barley Medley soup for dinner - good! (especially w/ rye crisp)
Day 7 - On the way out
All down.
Pretty trail, easy + flat toward end, soupy in middle.
Saw day hikers near trail head.
Ziegler (the Tibetan mastiff) + owners passed us on the trails (they were on horses)
Got picture of Pioneer Falls. (not sure why this was a noteworthy picture)
Cleaned up in river, got muffins in Bozeman, + hit I90 to Billings.
Ate at Country Harvest + Buffet (really crappy food, but it was the quantity that mattered)
Skies are hazy.
Note: We didn't start writing stuff down until day four so the first three days are a bit light. Stuff in parenthesis are my new comments.
Day 1: Lots of climbing
Good views
Moose tracks at lake (not the ice cream, actual moose tracks where we camped)
Lentil stew - good (we wanted to remember which recipes were good)
6 miles
3000 ft up
Day 2: Up to Beacon Pt by 12:30 - tough climb, tough downhill
Saw fishermen on day hike at top (we didn't see anyone the first day so they were the first people we had seen)
Windy but spectacular on Indian Ridge
Walked along river in afternoon
Burritos for dinner - too many beans (I'll let you draw your own conclusions)
Day 3 -Down + Up (Amber takes over writing)
Early start, long day
Multiple river crossings. (she hated some of the river crossings with a 50 lb load going over a log)
No people, many signs of moose
Cheesy Spicy beans and ricey for dinner - good but bland (luckily we had little debbie brownies for dinners, good fuel for the cold nights)
Day 4 - Up down up down up down
Saw Lone Mt + Big Sky ski area.
Saw two groups of people/horses after a beautiful lunch @ Summit Lake.
Saw 1st wildlife - marmots
Camped @ Mirror Lake next to a party of 4 + across from 3 more people. (Group next to us had a huge Tibetan mastiff named Ziegler. Felt safe from bears with him around)
Will take a rest day tomorrow.
Curried veggies + rice for dinner - BAD (we built a fire and burned the rest of it)
Saw shooting stars - Had small fire (mostly to burn the food)
Briefly in Bear Basin
Day 5 - Rest Day
Left camp at noon
Mirror Lake to explore
Climbed up half of Blaze Mtn (I got freaked out and needed to go down)
Ate lunch overlooking camp + fly fishing school - lots of traffic down below
Climbed down + played on boulder field w/ big rocks (size of houses rocks)
Tomato paste gone bad, so spaghetti dinner was without - stole dried tomatoes from chili
Had bid fire - borrowed axe
Next time dried sauce + smaller pasta (I think the spaghetti wasn't easy to deal with)
Day 6 - Amber slept in, still on trail by 9:20
Walked down, up + over - hard day
Saw hikers leaving Spanish lakes - 1 large group + group of 4 w/ dog, 3 people on way up pass, + 2 people, 3 lamas, + dog near top.
People (naked?) camped @ Lake Solitude (maybe they took the name literally), so moved on to Jerome Rocks Lake.
People on far side of lake, but barely saw them.
Mushroom Barley Medley soup for dinner - good! (especially w/ rye crisp)
Day 7 - On the way out
All down.
Pretty trail, easy + flat toward end, soupy in middle.
Saw day hikers near trail head.
Ziegler (the Tibetan mastiff) + owners passed us on the trails (they were on horses)
Got picture of Pioneer Falls. (not sure why this was a noteworthy picture)
Cleaned up in river, got muffins in Bozeman, + hit I90 to Billings.
Ate at Country Harvest + Buffet (really crappy food, but it was the quantity that mattered)
Skies are hazy.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Not Yet for A's Race Report
This is E. Don't know about you, but I'm still interested in what A has to say about her experience at the Quad. Sure we talked a fair amount about it on the drive back, but there are somethings that you forget about until you start writing.
Unfortunately as soon as we got back, A started working long hours at work (>12 hours a day long). Currently, I'm waiting for her to get back from going back into work to turn off the cooling to something or maybe it was turn off the cooling to something. Once she gets back, we get to have fresh baked brownie. Hmm, brownie.
My legs have recovered pretty well from the race, but my mind might need a bit more break before the training picks up again. Not due to the race as much as the stress from trying to get everything ready for the race while working crazy hours. Well, this post isn't going anywhere interesting...
Good night,
-E
Unfortunately as soon as we got back, A started working long hours at work (>12 hours a day long). Currently, I'm waiting for her to get back from going back into work to turn off the cooling to something or maybe it was turn off the cooling to something. Once she gets back, we get to have fresh baked brownie. Hmm, brownie.
My legs have recovered pretty well from the race, but my mind might need a bit more break before the training picks up again. Not due to the race as much as the stress from trying to get everything ready for the race while working crazy hours. Well, this post isn't going anywhere interesting...
Good night,
-E
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