Friday, November 30, 2007

Adios Santiago

Well as I sit here in the airport I am looking back on the week here in Chile. Overall its been a very good experience. Aside from the fact that travel in general is a bit difficult on my training and my life. Santiago is a very nice city. Amongst the safest in latin America. Unlike some other countries in Latin America, in Santiago you really have a feeling that you are in a well controlled an safe country. The people I have encounterred seemed well educated and the people, all of them, were very pleasant. The people in the office I was visit went almost to an insane level to make sure I was comfortable and taken care of.

So all in all a good experience. But....I am glad to be going home.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Gadgets

Lately almost everyone I know seems to be using a Garmin 305 GPS HR Monitor. Here I was just running around with my paltry Polar R400 running computer that CANNOT upload to a website and show me on a fancy map the course that I ran/biked. Talk about HR Monitor envy!

But how could I justify a $399 purchase when we just finished buying a house AND I signed up with a coach to help me get to IM Wisconsin in totally winning and cool fashion ( mind you complete with running across the line waving my arms to my 2 fans and having the energy and sufficient thought process left to remember to exagerate hearing my name "Javier Gomez YOU are an IRONMAN" I mean cupping my ears with my hands and all! (John Dude, if you are reading this you have your work cut out for you!) I cut out the part of moonwalking across the finish line because damn that is Sooo 80's ( also because it would require hiring a different type of coach:)

Side note: Despite the absurdity of the concept don't you think that if I moonwalked across the finish line of a IM, wouldn't I at least make the news?!

Anyhow, after much deep thinking I decided to list out the things I think really would make a difference in my Racing aside from getting a coach(listed in order of importance):

-New Bike, tri specific(3-4K)- I am right now riding a 650$ entry level road bike.
-Some kind of aero wheelset(1K in a fire sale)
-a Bullet head helmet ( aero helmet(price who knows They look silly as far as I am concerned and would only wear one if I was a Pro))
-Threshold testing ( $600)

Other than that I cannot really recall what I would like, though I am certain I am missing about 5K worth of stuff.

But ultimatly I thought that 20 years ago this stuff was not around, and thos guys still would kick my ass and would probably still end up in the top 10% of todays races. They had relatively heavy road bikes. NO HR monitors, and for all I knew they ran in the original waffle pattern Nike shoes. According to my dads logic ( if I fall for the "walking to school for 10 miles in the snow" story despite the fact that he grew up in Cuba...yeah it was a stretch) they did it barefoot!
So really what is it that makes the real difference, would it be the equiptment or would it be the training? I think its obvious. Its the training( I know genes play a part but I do sometimes like to delude...errr...remind myself that I have the right set of genes so keep your mouth shut! Its the training DAMMIT!!)

So still How does one keep the technology envy away? Well let me start by saying the only reason I even have a Polar R400 Running computer is because I got it free from TNT as a returning athlete last year. So I got it by having raised over 6K for the benefit of all the folks with leukemia. So all I diod was go on eBay and scored a foot pod for only $60

So can I map my run. No But I can tell the distance now (give or take a few) and get all kinds of analytics) Next year I will invest in the Polar Bike computer that will tie into the same software ( my el cheapo Bike computer is on the fritz). Giving me almost all of the same analytical data as a garmin 305 at in essance half the cost. OK so maybe I will have to fabricate the maps of my runs to send to my friends, but hey thats the price we all have to pay at times right?


More Running

Todays run was uneventful, now that I am familiar with the Business park that I call home in Santiago for a week, I am starting to notice more of the detail. For example today in the office I learned that the business park itself is only about 5 years old, and that many of the buildings were award winners here in Chile. Architectural wonders all of them. I am not joking. There is one buildingthat looks like it would be a figure 8 one one side but when you go to the other it is a waterfall and some structure that looks like a metalic tree and vines running up the side. I was told by my local coworkers that the building was built to run completly from solar power. Cool!

I hope to be able to download the pictures from my blackberry. But though I am a technology guy at work I am a bit slow in the personal gadgets department.

Anyhow back to my run. here are the stats

5.72 Miles
48.35 minutes
Max HR 175 (90%)
Ave 162 ( 83%)
Ave Pace 8:29 Min/Mile
593 Calories
Polar Running Index 54

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Chile

Well this week I am in Chile on business. It was a very long flight, 14 hours, so I am a bit sore from sitting in a slightly smallish seat ( for business class). I did manage to sleep a good portion of the time.

I got in at around 8:30 Am and got to the hotel around 10 AM. Having that much time I decided to go and take advantage of the free shuttle the hotel has to "providencia" which is suppossed to be a tourist friendly area. On the way there the shuttle operatore pointed out the Hyatt Hotel which is apparantly the most significant hotel in Santiago. According to him "Michael Jackson!" even stayed there. Nice to know that Michael still has some influence somewhere.

Anyhow they dropped us off in what was basically a large mall.

I had lunch and got a few things I forgot like toothpaste, and headed back after around 3 hours.

Later I did a run around the area of the hotel, the area is called "Ciudad Empressa" which is basically a business park. There is a loop a little less than 1.5 miles long. So I did 4 loops of it. On the run I ran into a number of what I think were strays though I could not tell because although they were running around in the street they had collars on. So I could not tell.

My run went as follows:

Distance 5.74 Miles
Time 48:38
Max HR 184
Ave HR 166

Ave Pace 8:28
Calories 620

According to my Polar R400 I have a running index of 52 ( good)

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanks Giving

Run today. 5.55 Miles 55:29Max HR 174, Ave HR 150 706 Calories burned. ready for Thanks Giving!!

My situation: I have a mountain of debt which includes a sparkling new Mortgage, I have a new house that needs some repairs and thus more debt to come, I have a new house full of boxes that seem to take forever to unpack. My mom has a heart condition. My job is demanding and sometimes frustrating and gives me more work than I can really handle. I have dogs that seem to poop alot more than any animal should. cats that like to wrestle and wake us up when they feel like it.

So I give Thanks for a challenging job that pays me enough to pay my debts ( including the brand spanking new Mortgage, and for some of the repairs to the house. I give thanks that I am fairly handy and can do MANY of the repairs myself. I give thanks for a Great wife who helps me have fun unpacking and looking over old pictures and books and spend more time than is really necessary unpacking, but making it fun anyways. I give Thanks for awsome dogs and cats whose antics can keep the blues away when feeling overwhelmed. Finally I am thankfull for a GREAT set of parents who have found a great Cardiologist and who has helped my mom get past the worst of it.

So Thank You.

Happy Thanksgiving

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Today a Swim.

Warm-up 200 swim, 200 Kick, 200 Swim ( supposed to be pull but still no pull buoy)
9x50 ( slow, med, fast 3x)
6x75 (50 drill 25 build swim) for drills I alternated between fist drills and one arm laps)
400 cooldown

Total 52:38 minutes 1900 Meters

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Long run today. 10 Miles. Total 1:35:40 Ave HR 153 Max 175

Did the run with Simba, she was great. Ran on the North county trail where we encountered a few people and dogs. This is good for her to get used t the idea of running past them and NOT stopping to say Hi. She can do the distance easily, But she needs to get used to conditions of running with many distractions.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Cold Ride

Ok so todays plan was a 2 hour ride. I couldn't arrange anyride with friends because I had to participate in the companies BCP testing this morning. So at about 1PM I was free to ride and decided to give it a shot. The temps were 41 degrees. I couldn't find my booties ( not due to move, since I could not find them the week before the move. ) nor my skullcap that I use under the bike helmet.

Anyhow I was suppossed to stay within 120-145 HR, my ave was 155 max 189. Not being familiar with some of the roads I took I encountered some nice hills, that kept my HR up. Finally the lack of appropriate cold weather gear kept my bone a chill. SO I ended my ride a bit early. Total time 1:29:38 1209 calories burned.

Must go buy some new winter gear now.

And blow leaves off my lawn :)

Friday, November 16, 2007

Doggie Duathlon Bios

Well its official, the competitors have been named!

http://www.nyctri.com/Event_Info/Doggy_Du_Competitors.htm

Simba is my dog.

Did a catchup swim at lunch. Since last night I could not swim since apparantly teh lifeguard had to have dinner at 8PM. Thus closing the pool while she was out. See Gripe written earlier today below.

Swam for 40 Minutes. I started out with a 600 warmup 50 freestyle/50 Back
then 9x50 ( slow, medium,fast x3)
finished off with a 400 Meter cooldown
Total 1450 meters

Run was on the plan for today 45-60 minutes.

Actual

Time - 50.26 Minutes
Distance - 5.56 miles
Max HR 183
Ave HR 158
Cals 700

Map below.

Heritage hills is pretty hilly, so there were some nice hills in there I had to run. I ran with Simba and she was great. This afternoon I need to make up for the lost swim session of yesterday. I went there at 8PM having minimal amount of time to do the workout since I have to be back home to pick up lovely spouse at the train station. I get there and of course the lifeguard is on dinner break, and wont be back for 15 minutes. I waited 15 minutes and she was still nowhere to be found. The pool gets closed when teh lifeguard is not around. So I decided to ditch the workout because if there is something I cannot stand is working out with a time constraint. So today at lunch I will work it in at the White Plains NYSC.

Run today. 45-60 minutes on the plan. Actual Workout





Time -50.23 minutes,


Distance - 5.4 miles

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Spend an hour on the stationary bike. Not exactly what was on the plan, but I kind of overslept, so I had to do my workout over lunch at the NYSC in Jersey.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Swim workout today

Well today I had my first structured swim workout in a looong time. Since I have been out of the water for quite possibly 2 months ( with an occassional 1k yards in the pool here and there)the coach has me starting out slow. Today was 30-60 minutes. I did about 50 minutes. Had to stop due to crappy goggles that simply have to go. I was swimming with that fishbowl feeling almost the whole time. Other technical difficulties. The workout I chose had 200 yards pulling. Problem is I could not find the damned pull bouey! Its somewhere in the room depicted in the picture below:


Anyhow despite this I managed the following:
200 swim, 200 kick, 200 pull( well I dead legged it)
9x50 (slow, medium, fast 3X)
6 x 75 (50 steady, 25 fast)
finished with 300 cooldown
Total 1800 meters

Monday, November 12, 2007

1st day of training

Well today I kick off my training on the road to Ironman greatness.

Todays schedule is.....Day off

Sorry but it IS part of the plan :)

Coaching

Well I went and did it. I done it! I got me a coach! Well a coach just for me that is. I have always had the benefits of the great group coaching by Team in training, and then there is my friend Adam who is a running coach himself and who was kind enough to critique my form and give me pointers on how to improve my game. So I cannot say I have been without coaching, but despite all the help, It was still up to me to develop my own training plan and execute it.

That worked fine for the shorter races. In fact I had success in meeting my goals for 2007. But in 2008 I am taking on an Ironman which is a whole different beast. Also I really want to get the most out of my time this year, I think a coach is better to help me do just that. I have enlisted the aid of John Hirsch. He is an Elite athlete and very successful in the mauntauk HIM (overall #1 male)and some of the local races. After speaking with him on the phone for about an hour, I had a real good feeling about this. He has already put together a plan for me. I am Psyched!

PS. New home pictures will be posted soon, because I finally found the USB cable I need. The problem is that as I shifted stuff to find it, I seem to have covered the camera, so now I can't find that! So I have a cable but no camera, I will one day get the equation straight ;) Moving sucks

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

New Home!

Well I finally moved in to teh new place. Its a mess. When I say moved in I mean all of the boxes with all of my "stuff" is in the new house and out of the old one. Actually finding anything is another matter. Pictures of the mess will follow soon ( once I can find the box that has the USB cable to conect the camera to the PC :)

Anyhow we are digging the new much larger space. The neighbors are refresshingly not present. Its not that I am anti-social, but after living in an apartment complex, we are pretty much fed up with neighbors. There were some good ones, even some we will miss. But there were also the pain in the ass ones. Especially when having dogs in a building. Now we have an acre of property and no problems :)