It's starting to sink in that i'm going to participate in Ironman Florida. No more bullsh!tting! I've eaten crappy for the past 3 days (i shouldn't worry about this, i've spent the last 3-4 weeks with fairly good diet and very good exercise) but i feel like crap. So this morning marked the beginning of my good eating habbits again. gonna do a little run and bike today...then i think i'll take friday off, and i'm going up to Gainseville to see Carl. Saturday i'm running 7 with him in the morning, then doing 20 on my bike. Sunday doing 40 on the bike and taking him to the pool to give him some swim lessons. Once my computer is hooked up in my room to the internet i'll update the site so everything is accurate. That SHOULD be today, but hte network guy has already cancelled twice.

Wonderful news! A tri-angel who wishes to remain anonymous has just donated the remaining money to get into IM Florida! I should be able to send the check next week! Just when i thought about giving up on raising the rest of the money, this person comes out of the blue and picks me up off the ground. Its a dream come true, IMFL is going to be teh greatest event of my life. There will be lots of old and new friends to partake the adventure with, and then there's the adventure itself! I'll get to meet Giancarlo, and other MN triathletes, i'll be hanging with some fort lauderdale, boca raton, and tampa athletes, and Carl above all. Our final race together.

Thank you Tri Angel! you de bomb! heheh.

Today i did a half hour in teh pool, just drills, and did half hour ride around the lake. Can't wait till this easy week is over. This weekend i'm going to gainseville to train with Carl and next weekend is going to train with some Tri Syndicate boyz (We're going to do an open water swim, bike teh olympic course we're racing in april, and the Half IM course of the GFT because it's challenging and soem of them are diong that race). It'll be fun. Then i think the weekend after i'm going to Panama City with Carl to ride teh bike course, or at least 80% of it.

Yesterday i did a short 20 minute run, today did another short 20 minute run and a 10 mile bike. This week is a rest week for me and i'm bringing up my running consistency slowly. I've found that i don't have ITB or anything, and i think i know a good reason why my running form is so screwed. My hamstrings are very tight, especially teh outsides...which causes my foot to natually want to be on it's side due to inflexibility. So i'lll be working the next couple weeks on stretching that muscle in particular to see if that works. As well as getting new sneaks.

I appologize for my recent inconsistency in posting, i still havn't gotten my computer hooked up to the internet in the new house so it's difficult to get online. Tuesday the networking guy is supposed to come here and hook room up.

As for the weekend on saturday i ran 7 miles....wait...no i ran 5 miles, then walked 2 because my hip hurt so bad. I'm probably going to go to the running store today and get some evaluation. Two things i think could be happening:

1) My shoes are worn out causing me to run on the outsides of my feet, causing my left hip to hurt
2) My running form is being compromised by poor biking form.

Either way i gotta figure it out soon because my hip problem is not going away and i can't run long distances with it hurting.

Yesterday I biked 50 miles in 3 hours in the hills. That was a good time, except that i got some sort of abrasive rash on my pelvis which later turned out to be bleeding. Not good. So now just under my bellybutton is a big red raw patch of skin that looks like i sanded it off with a belt sander. Oh well, minor detail right?

Today i've gotta swim, and i think i'll do a short 2 mile run. I'm going to gradually increase my running consistency to 4 days a week, then 5. bringing my runs down a mile or two, and adding a day. My achiles hasn't bothered me, plus after each run i've been icing and elevating it just to be sure. A friend seems to think that running more often but with teh same mileage will be better for getting a little faster and losing weight. I'm wiling to try it...slowly.

Next weekend is another big weekend with some trisyndicate guys coming up from fort Lauderdale to train. They wanna do back to back bike workouts, i have no problem with that!

I went to my old place last night to visit my roomates, watch Old School (very funny), get my mail, and generally see what was going on. When i got my mail, i found a piece of mail from unemployment and was happily suprised at the amount that they are granting me. I should start recieving checks next week. That's good because i was getting worried that i would run out of money soon, and plus with some income coming in, i can wait for a better job if i need to.

Thursday i did a 4 mile pose run...and today my calves are tellin me not to do that again anytime soon! Nothing serious, just some calf soreness. Friday i took off and today i'm going to do my long run.

Swam 3000m this morning, 58 minutes. The first 1000m were drills, second 2000 was an interwoven stair. Then i went home, carbed up a bit, and an hour later off on the bike, for a 1:45 hill ride. The ride was good, i'm still getting familiar with the area. I havn't heard from Kinko's and I went to Fred Sommer's today to see if he'd looked at my portfolio and he wasn't there. I gotta go see him tomorrow at noon. Time to relax.

Update on fund raising:

Well i never recieved the check from Dunkin Donuts, many people at work did not donate after i was let go, and my financiall situation didnt' allow me to put in my own 300 like i wanted to...soooo that leaves me with 400 dollars to go. :( I'm not sure i'll make it, but if i don't, i'll do the great floridian ironman for sure! And it allows me to do my Ironman before Carl, even though we wanted to do one together, at least hte motivation is still there.

What a weekend....i'm pooped!

Last week starting on thursday i did a tempo run and a swim in the pool. everyone arrived Thursday night and i met Stephen (Big D), Mark, Briton, Jordana, Rich and Barbaree. Friday morning things started at 9 am at the NTC with discussions on self training and scheduling. Learned a lot about limiters. Find out what's limiting you from your goal and work on that. A lot of the time it's not mileage or time, it's something like weight or form.

After a lunch at Crispers we did some pool stuff. The pool at the NTC is great. Not over chlorinated and not over warm either. Mark and Jordana and I ended up in one lane, and Mark is a great swimmer. It was cool becasue we practiced drafting off each other to get a feel for it. Note to self: Always draft in the water, it's amazingly easy. Most of the drills i had done before, and after taping the only real thing i needed to work on was my stroke fluidity. No pausing. I did however learn to rotate more in teh water, creating a side profile that's more sleek and glides through the water better.

After that was a 5 mile run through the hills which i wasn't too pleased about. Jordana and I ran it together while the rest of the crew went ahead. We had good conversation and made it almost all the way back before having to stop at the second to last hill. When i say hills, i mean HILLS. my hip was killing me even after the run and i had to take advil to get to sleep.

Saturday started bright and early at 7 am for another run, but this one i walked most of the way with Big D. I was pretty sore from teh hills and used it just as a recovery. We all had breakfast at Perkins (yummy) and headed back to the pool for more drills. This is where i got a great new drill. Out of all the drills we were shown, this is hte one i felt the most improvement on. The fist swimming to normal swimming drill. You swim closed fist for a length, then half way back you open your hands. I really noticed how much more water i was pulling as i arched my elbow out a bit. I also felt more pull in my lats and pecs. Definitely going to be doing that drill a lot.

After the swim we discussed some more and then my favorite part...the bike.
We saddled up at about 1 after lunch and decided we'd all go the same route and let teh groups work themselves out on their own. I dashed to teh front (having a huge down hill at the beginning helped that) and ended up breaking from the group with Mark and Briton on my tail. We rode through the hills and got to a semi flat part, while Rich (the coach) was going back and forth between the groups. I made a wrong left turn and ended up doing grassy lake road all the way to North Grassy lake road. When i got there I looked at my map and realized i errored. I called Rich and told him the situation: The three of us wanted to do Sugar Loaf Mountain so we were turning around and going back to where we turned, then continueing on. he didn' thave any problems with that. So back through Grassy Lake (grassy lake road is a very hilly road) and back to where we were. Onward we went the correct direction and i looked at my average, 19mph. I was pulling the whole way and loving it.

We got to sugar loaf and wow...it is definitely a steep and long hill. Spray painted on the ground is the saying, "Good Luck! you'll need it". Rich managed to catch up to us and followed mark and briton up the hill. I always lagged on the uphills but always caught them on the down and straights. Half way up that hill, my quads, glutes and hams were blown. I couldn't even sit and spin my lowest gear, i would have fallen over. I wasn't about to get off my bike, so i made a decision: Stand up. I stood up and leaned forward only to get 3 pedal strokes out of my quads and i thought that was it. I still had 1/3 mile of hill to go....and somehow i found a spot directly above my pedals that i could just use my weight and extended leg to get me stroke after stroke. 3 mailboxes down.....2 mailboxes down...i was pulling up on my bars really hard and my shoulders were burning. My legs were resting but it was still very difficult.

I finally crested sugar loaf...i made it! The hardest, steepest, longest hill i've ever ridden up. I rode another 1/2 mile wondering if brit and mark had stopped for me and as i rounded a bend, totally wiped out, i saw them at a water station that a friendly person puts out for cyclists every day. I was so beat, i pulled up to the water station, unclipped right and promptly fell over left. My first fall on my bike! They were too tired to laugh at me and i didn't really damage myself all that much, just got some crank grease and metal in my right achilles tendon. The rest of the way from Sugar loaf i continued to pull, it wasn't that difficult. But 3 miles from the NTC we hit those same hills we went down right at the beginning of the ride. These ones i was able to sit back and push my way up at 4 mph, using my hams and glutes. My quads were still shot. We finally made it to the center, 40 miles at 17.6 avg. There was a brick run planned but no on edid it. the people that went the short route were already there, but we three were teh first one's back from the long group, even though we rode 7 extra miles. It was great, Mark and Briton were wholly impressed with my riding ability even though i'm a big guy, and i was impressed with them being able to hold onto my wheel since both of them are very new to cycling. Mark and Briton and I made good friends on that ride, and they're coming back next month to train. So far, thats teh exact reason i came to Clermont.

We all had dinner at Hungry Howies and went to bed.

Sunday started with a run clinic in which we learned the Pose method of running. I took to this form very quckly because without know ing it, i was already half way doing it. It's a method of jumping up and down and using forward body tilt to make yourself go forward. Hard to explain but very effective. After taping i found out two profound things. 1) I land on the outsides of my feet and roll in, i knew this but not as much as it looked on the tape, 2) I look gay when i run! My hands are totally loose and flail around. LOL Gotta take care of the hands real quick. heheh.

After the run clinic we ate at Perkins again, did lots of discussion on transitions and cycling and general stuff, then the day was over. I was thrashed and very happy i made tons of new training friends and contacts. It was just a great weekend.

Today i did a 25 mile tempo ride with Jay around the lake, oh and another good thing about the weekend ride. I now have ridden close to the 56 mile loop i may have to ride at teh Great Floridian. I have a good idea of the routes around here now...which definitely makes me more comfortable.

The tempo ride today hurt, and my heart rate was high, so i may skip my swim and my ez run tomorrow will be very easy for recovery.

Looking forward to thsi next amazing year.

Wouldn't you know it, a lady from toronto who reads my journal recognized me at the Training Center today! What an amazing thing...i was totally suprised and happy. We didn't get to talk for but a minute but it was just really cool to meet a reader. hehe.

Anyway i'm WASTED! I'll give a full report on the camp on Monday when i have the time. So far the camp has been 9-9 and 8-7. yeah.

Time to eat!!!!!!
then sleep like a rock.

oh yeah, tomorrow camp starts! I hope it's everything i want it to be.

Today in the pool i did a T-30 test: 1850 meters. Pathetic, but something i noticed is swimming constantly for 30 minutes is WAY different from doing 10x100 on 1:20 or something with short rests. I also just felt sluggish today, i did Intervals on the bike, Tempo ride on the bike, and i was pretty exhausted when i got to the pool. Not only that but i did a tempo run today too. I was pretty happy with the results, i kept my knees together and didn't have any hip PAIN, but slight discomfort towards the end. It's beautiful here, i ran down teh street, then made a left and there was the lake in all its' 4pm majesty. I'm so happy here, i just can't wait for this season to get into gear!

I had a very VERY favorable interview at Kinko's today. Considering my experience they are considering putting me as Key Op (i'm assuming htis is close to if not the floor supervisor) right after training. That'd rule!

Anyway, great day to train, great weather, great everything.

Yesterday's ride brought to my attention two things about my biking form. One: My left leg doesn't push nearly as much as my right. I frequently got a nice burn in my right leg but not my left. I had to focus on making my left leg work. Two: When i'm going fast, i tense my shoulders. Something i'll have to work on. I've gotten good at keeping everything loose during ez long rides, now i gotta pay attention to the shoulders and hands during the faster (racing) rides. Last thing i need is to have my lats seize up on me in Panama City.

Another note for today: While driving around i pulled upt o this minivan and looked inside. There were two babies in carseats in the back. One of the babies looked over at me and stared for a sec, then waved at me. I couldn't help but smile and wave back. Just a reminder of how innocent we truly are when we're young, and how many walls and preconceptions we build throughout the years based on our guidance (parents) and environment.

Went to Kinko's today too and talked up the manager into hiring me. He's going to give me a call pretty soon and i think i'd like working there. Depending on the money of course.

My first fast ride of the season: And it was 1:07 minutes of pain. First of all, the trail that i rode is mostly uphill (gradual incline) for teh first 15 miles. Second of all, a 10 mph constant wind in my face made it so my first 10 miles were 16.7. The point of this ride is to get the legs to strain but not go so fast or hard that you can't remove teh lactic acid. I may have gone a little too hard on the first leg, 16.7 is slow, pathetically slow for a tempo ride, but to prove how difficult it was today with the wind, my return trip ended at 18.4 avg. 2.3 mph faster, with the tail wind and the slight downgrade. My legs still burned and now 3 hours later they feel weak. It's grande!

Can't wait till intervals.

Today i went into town, exchanged the print cartridges that i bought yesterday for the right ones, went to kinkos to price posters and it looks like i can still print them for people soon again. Also did an easy swim workout 1200m, got some freelance from Dan...things are looking pretty good. I still hate not having a reliable job, but i'll be able to weather this until i get a decent steady job.

man, i'm really starting to think i moved into maine again. Clermont is hickville thats for sure. Plaid pull overs, beaver hats, all we're missing now is the rifle and orange vests. It's ok though, 20 minutes from here i'm back in the 'city' if i want to escape.

Just wanted to share that thought. Looking forward to calling Sheldon and talking with him about my schedule for next week. Also got the tri camp next weekend, that'll be fun. The coach is staying in this house, so i'll get soem extra attention i'm sure.

Great run this morning! 50 degrees and pouring. I love running in the rain. not sure why. Anyway Sheldon had told me to run 'embarrasingly slow' so i did just that. i think 14 minutes for my first mile is embarassingly slow. the good thing about running that slow is that i was able to fix my hip problem! I found that my left leg was running a little 'bold' legged. I think it's from riding so much without running, when i squeezed my legs together so my knees were nearly touching my hip problem went away. It was complaining a bit at the end of the run, but not hurting, just telling me that something was different. So i was able to speed up to 12 minutes per mile with no problems for the last 3 miles and day dream of finishing the Ironman.

The rest of the day is going to be fixing up my room, getting a network cable from the hub to my computer, and other odds and ends.

today i finally made it to some places to apply. Had a shitty swim. Moved some stuff to Clermont. Ate at Golden Corral, where me and this girl had an eye date. heheh. We just stared at each other and smiled for 20 minutes, then i left. I swear i saw dissapointment on her face. But what hte hell am i supposed to do? Say, "Hey baby, nice mac and cheese you got there, mind if i haev some? i'm jed" : shrug : Just when i thought i had things figured out, Suzy comes online after not talking with her for 3-4 months. The whole conversation is her telling me i'm an idiot for not having a girlfriend. HA! I dunno, just got me thinkin.

I'd like to tell you about any love interests i have, but unfortuantely i don't think it's appropriate this early in the game, but i can tell you that something may happen within the next couple months, or not. hahaha!

Well, last night was a great night. I got a box (not my Tv) over to the house, rode for 1:30, talked with James (a house mate) , went to dinner with Dave at Sonny's (had 1/4 white chicken) and while speaking with him i found out he's known Fred Sommer and worked for him as a volunteer for 15 years. Why is this important you ask? because Fred Sommer is the Race Director of Central Florida and hte new Tri America Series. Fred is looking for a graphic artist! So after dinner Dave drove me to Fred's office where i got to speak with ihm for about an hour, telling him of my talents in writing, design, photography, etc. I think it went great, and most of the day today was putting together my resume and samples. I'll drop that off tonight after i bring stuff to the place in Clermont. Still going to apply at Home Depot though, as an interim job.

Gotta do a 4 mile tempo run today, looking forward to it.

I'm sore! woohoo! my lifting yesterday was a success. I moved into phase 2 this week in terms of weight lifting and it was great.

Today's agenda:

Pack a box and my TV, somehow manage to fit box, TV, and bike in the car.
Go riding for 1:30 on the trail.
Go to Home Depot and apply for a position.
Go to Target and apply for a position.
Go to new place and drop off stuff, speak with Dave and current occupants of the house.
Get some socks (running socks)

Start playing with Flash and soem other programs i've been meaning to learn.

Oh yes, and i'm happy to announce that i weighed in at 228 this morning on my NORMAL scale i always weigh myself with. Very hapy with that. Dropped 1.5 pounds during a week i didn't do much exercise.

Today is the start of my heavy IM training. Got up this morning and lifted, i'll go to Target and see about a night job, and also Home Depot. I just need soemthing to hold me over till i finish Bartending School. Oh did i forget to mention that? I'm going to see the two schools this week and choose which one i want to attend. (I can't stop yawning. I think since i'm not going to be having coffee in the mornings anymore i'll be a little lethargic for some days. But thats good, i wanted to get off caffeine before the race so it will be more impactful on race day.)

I will take the 2 week course and both places have job placement and other such benefits. I think i'll be very successful in the bartending world. Plus its flexible and will give me something to do for the rest of this year till i go back to school for Exercise Physiology. Thats my plan, i want to become a coach and help people and Exercise Physiology is the way to go.

I move this weekend to Clermont, tonight i'm talking with Sheldon about my training schedule...things should be pretty good.

Saturday i didn't do anything, just slept and generally was unproductive. I drove to Carls place in Gainseville 110 miles NW of Orlando. The plan was to go up to ride with hima nd his new Specialized Allez road bike on Sunday. This morning we were up at 9am and on the bikes by 10:30. Nice french toast breakfast in our stomachs as we rode. It was 5 miels to the trail, 15 miles of trail one way, for a total of 40 miles, though we took a side route and ended up with 45 miles overall at 15.8 mph avg. Carl did extremely well for not biking at all in a long time, then cranking out a near 3 hour ride, plus we did a 3 mile run after. At the end i was pushing him good at 24 mph, and also did a 30 mph flat spritn where i finally broke free of him, but only for a few seconds before i had to slow down. I wanted 30.1 so bad, but just couldn't get it out of my legs today! It was a blast nonetheless. The run after was good, no foot numbness i think i'm out of the woods there, but my hip did start to twang a bit at mile 3. Carl seemed to notice my right foot 'duck' out just a little bit, something i should pay attention to.

Before the ride i weighed myself and came in at 228. When i got back my quads were cramping right after i got off the bike, so i went upstairs and was explaining to Carl that weighing in at the beginning then the end will tel you if you took in enough fluids. To my horror i weighed in at 224. I lost 3 pounds of water, and roughly 1 pound of fat. My quads were cramping up and seizing and i knew why, i didn't take in enough liquids at all. It was so gorgeous out though, just a beautiful day and i wasn't sweating all that much (or so it seemed). Another thing is i forgot my watch, and i had no 15 minute beep to tell me to drink. Lesson learned. The run after helped a bit, and after i ate soem pasta and pizza i was good as new! I can't wait to start training tomorrow! i start with a day off but i may do something. Also tomorrow is a trip to the USAT training center to look for a job.