First day back at work

OK after two weeks off, quite frankly it sucked. But considering the economic times we are going through, I can't complain.

Ahhh...who am I kidding? I can complain like the best of them..

After two weeks of waking up as the sun rises or when my eyes happen to accidentally open on their own...it kind of stinks to have to wake up by alarm clock.

This is made worse by the fact that I achieved almost nothing I set out to do. Possibly having something to do with my sleeping too much ;)

Anyhow training early tomorrow so best call it quits for now.

Nighty night

Training week of 12/29

Monday: off

Tuesday: swim: endurance. / run 60 minutes.

Wednesday: indoor trainer workout workout should be 45-60 minute keep hr low 120-145 start strength progression/ swim 45-60 minutes endurance

Thursday: run 70 minutes. hr 120-150 capped at 165 for uphills.

Friday: swim 60 minutes. Endurance focus

Saturday: ride 3 hours (can move indoors with weather sucks) hr 120-145 easy easy easy , small ring. run 30-45 minutes

Sunday: run 12 miles

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Happy Chanukah(Hanukkah) !!!

Happy Kwanzaa!!!!

Ice

Had to bag the run I was going to have outdoors with Phil. The roads are iced over, and frankly I have had it Up to Here ( Picture hand just under my chin) with injuries. So will instead do a trainer workout.

Back to swimming for me today

After last weeks problems with my collarbone getting inflamed, I had to hold off on swimming and upper body work. It was probably too much too fast. So now that its settled, I will shoot to do just 1000 meters focus on form and not speed or strength. see if a slow buildup works better.

I guess I should have expected something like that, but it served as a reminder, I did have surgery, and although I feel fine, some tendons and whatever else had to be cut during the surgery still have some healing to do.

Week of 12/22 - The plan

Monday: off

Tuesday: swim 30-60 minutes

Wednesday: indoor workout from data base, workout should be 45-60 minutes (anything BUT strength progression) keep hr low 120-145

Thursday: Christmas! Day off

Friday: swim 30-60 minutes.

Saturday: ride 2 hours hr 120-145 easy easy easy , small ring.

Sunday: run 60 minutes

The heroes lost to time

How many times do you see an old person, someone hobbling down the road using a cane, or taking extra long to walk across the road as you wait, getting impatient. How many times have we all just seen someone like this and just discounted everything they said automatically because we assumed they were senile or simply talking nonsense because of their age?

I admit to being guilty to the above. As I know are allot of us. It really isn't our fault. We are caught up in a society that worships youth. A world that has learned to shove the old away in homes. It wasn't always like that. Many years ago, we used to truly respect the wisdom that came with age. The old had a special place as advisers where we could use the knowledge learned from their life experiences. It was an acknowledgment of their achievements in the past, and a way of harnessing that knowledge.

Every time I see my folks I am reminded of times past and a little bit of my family history that shaped who I am and to be honest makes me more than a little proud.

My folks now are in their early 80's and holding up quit well. Oh they have had their share of health issues ( mother had recent heart surgery and dad has had a few bouts with cancer) but all in all they have weathered the problems pretty well. Mentally though they are pretty sharp still. When they are here I cant help but pump them for information of their adventures from Cuba.

Years ago, in the early 60's my folks were very active in the anti-Castro underground. In fact most of my family ended up as political prisoners due to their being highly involved either directly or via support to the anti-Castro movement.

As a child growing up they didn't really talk about their past too much. I just new they were the typical Cubans who were rabidly anti-Castro and anti-communist. To this day god help anyone whp dares say that the US should open talks with the Cuban government.

Knowing their history helps explain this. Back in the day my folks used to be part of the cuban underground that supplied the anti-castro guerillas with medicine and safe houses. My father used to transport medicine up to the mountains were my grandfather and uncles were hiding out in their battle against Castro's Army. Eventually they were all captured (except for my folks). My grandfather died in prison. My uncle spent 20 years as a prisoner.

As I said, they were also a safehouse for fugitives. One story I heard two years ago when my mother had just undergone heart surgery. I was in the hospital and all of these family friends I had seen over the years just came out of the woodworks.

Anyhow these folks started for some reason talking about things that happened years ago in Cuba. One story involving my mom and her cousin: He was part of a resistance movement that eventually was infiltrated and they were all captured. However, at that time he would stay at my folks house during the day hiding in a secret room under some stairs. In the evening my mother would dress up "go on a date" and escort her Cousin to another location where they were having their late night gatherings to organize an uprising. She would act like his girlfriend because the military was looking out for a single male, not a couple. He would stay there for a few hours. Then a different woman would go on a date with him and he would end up back at my parents place before dawn to resume hiding for the day.

Because my folks were a safehouse and there were a number of strangers going in and out of the house they were always a subject of house searches by the police. They were always persons of "interest" so to speak. My mom used to make ham croquets to sell as a cover so that she could tell them that yes she was breaking the law ( it was illegal to sell anything since capitalism was a no-no) she was selling croquets and the people would come into the house to buys them.

Here is the best part. One I find kind of amazing. Despite so many of these fugitives who stayed at my folks home and at the homes of others that helped them and provide them supplies. Not one of the captured guerillas ever supplied the government of the information of who was helping them. At the point of turture and death, they never gave up the information.

I was priveleged to meet some of the people that my folks used to hide in the house. His name was Fernando, and he told me they would take the prisoners and tell them if they did not tell them the names and locations of the safe house they would execute them. They would tak ethem put them up to a wall and line up a firing squad, ask them again after some beatings, tell them its their last chance, then fire ...Blanks. They would do it over and over. Occasionally actually executing someone so that they never knew if it was for real or not.

Yet not one ever gave up my folks. They literally chose death instead of giving them up.

Amazing.

We often hear stories like this but how many actually get the chance to meet people who actually lived it. As a society we will never really appreciate what they did, because unfortunatly they were on the losing side from another country. But when you see those old cubans out there protesting anything about Castro in the news, understand they are still out there fighting their war.

And when you see some old person hobling down the street using a cane moving across the street a little too slow to make the light, lay off the horn. These people did their time in the world and we owe them big.

Peace

Mandatory winter excersize

According to this site : http://www.fitday.com/webfit/burned/calories_burned.html

I burned close to 700 calories yesterday shovelling. Looking at the snow coming down outside I am thinking today too :)

SNOW!!!

According to my calculations we received about 7 1/4" so far......

Some may see this as Fun. Even perhaps a Winter Wonderland!


I however see it as allot of work :(

Its true. I am not a winter person.

Maybe in a little while Simba will get me to see things in her point of view :)

Had a great afternoon run. Shoulder felt better after icing and some Aleve. The run was nice the weather a bit on the cool side but, that made for comfort 10 minutes into the run.

Rest of the day is EEaaasssyyy.

Over did it I guess

Well yesterday was a spectacular training day for me. Started the day off with a good speed workout in the pool. Went in the morning at around 8:30. The workout involved 2100 meters, of intervals. Great workout that really pushed me.

Then throughout the day I did pushups. Spread out into 5-10 at a time. My upper body has suffered due to the accident. So I have to build up strength. Then had a lovely nap at around 4 PM as one should do during vacation. Was almost completely unproductive in any of my goals outside of working out, then ended the day with a 1 hour bike workout.

Felt great! That is until I woke up this morning to find my collarbone swollen and sore to the touch. Couldn't move my neck without some discomfort. I guess the push ups may have been too much.

Thew funny part is I felt no pain whatsoever during the day or while doing any of the exercises.

So now I am here icing my collarbone and neck. Today is just a run, but I am cutting out the pushups and the swimming for the rest of the week.

Todays Agenda

Ok, so for today I have a pleasant 1 hour run, base pace. Weather looks good for that 40's slightly overcast but no rain.

Then this evening, I have an endurance swim. Possibly meeting up with Phil.

Somewhere between them I will try and do something meaningful....or maybe not

Naughty

Figured a gratuitous sex picture would keep people intereested ;)

The Task at Hand

OK so I am now on a two week vacation. Being a "Objective" oriented type of person I need a task. Preferably it would be something like sit out on th ebeach for 2 hours daily.

But it ain't.

So I have taken on a BIG project instead....CLEAN THE BASEMENT!!

You may think so big deal ....wiseass

But here is a picture of what I have to deal with:


Quick lets play "Wheres the Bike?"

Anyhow my goal is to turn it into the triCave of my dreams from the previous post in the next two weeks ( or at least be able to walk in there;) )

Oh yeah and I am still training for an Ironman. Swim today!

Prepping the Tri Cave

Been working today at cleaning our some of the boxes that are sitting in the basement....errrr Tri Cave. They have been there since we moved in last year and really clutter up the place. I envision after some work and a little magic it can look something like this:

Tri Cave

Well today I spent 2 hours on the trainer. Decided to watch the latest Hero's episodes that are on there. Now this show I like, but to be honest I sometimes find it a bit confusing. The two episodes I saw did not change that. Saw the "Villains" episode that I guess goes back to explain how some the these folks became evil. Also now I see some of the Bad guys were really good guys and that folks that were once dead are not.

What a weird show, and yet I like it. Can't figure it out though.

Afterward went on a 30 minute run.

Training week of 12/15

Well I am now officially on vacation! one of the few benefits about working for a bank is the MANDATORY two week break with absolutely no contact whatsoever from work. I was even required to leave my Blackberry with my boss. Company policy.

So now I finally have some time to get my training going for a bit without those nasty interruptions from work. Since my chum Phil is also on Vacay for the next two weeks hopefully we can sinc up the training plans to get a couple of workouts in together.

My plan for the coming week is:

Swim run focus week still in Base training mode

Monday: swim muscle strength.

Tuesday: swim: endurance. / run 60 minutes.

Wednesday: indoor workout from data base, workout should be 45-60 minutes (anything BUT strength progression) keep hr low 120-145 / swim 45-60 minutes: speed workout from database

Thursday: run 60 minutes. hr 120-150 capped at 165 for uphills.

Friday: swim 60 minutes. Use early season workouts from data base endurance.

Saturday: ride 2 hours (can move indoors with weather sucks) hr 120-145 easy easy easy , small ring. run 30-45 minutes

Sunday: run 12 miles

An oldie but a Goodie

How to train for a Swim start

My righteous plan for the week

Well another week comes to its start, on the plan this week:

Monday: off

Tuesday: swim 30 minutes focus on form

Wednesday: indoor workout from data base, workout should be 45-60 minutes (anything BUT strength progression) keep hr low 120-145 / swim 45-60 minutes: speed workout from database.

Thursday: run 45-60 minutes. hr 120-150 capped at 165 for uphills.

Friday: swim 40 minutes. Use early season workouts from data base endurance.

Saturday: ride 2 hours (can move indoors with weather sucks) hr 120-145 easy easy easy , small ring. run 30-45 minutes

Sunday: long run 90 minutes

Indoor trainer

Last night spent an hour on the trainer. Love the trainer...NOT. However I am feeling that this is the key to my race skills. Cycling strength affects everything in a triathlon. It is the longest part of the race generally, and how you come off the bike affects your run. In my case I am more and more convinced that the secret to my leg cramping on races longer than an OLY is related to my cycling strength.

Last night on the trainer, just for kicks I decided to push it at the end, and lo and behold I started to get leg cramps. This was only after an hour. However, I have been away from heavy training for 5 months so my fitness is low. Oddly enough I was quite happy with this because for the first time I was able to reproduce what happens to me on long races. The first year I did Tupper I screwed up my nutrition, so when I started to cramp up on the run I assumed it was due to that.

Last year at Tupper I nailed the nutrition down, drank everything, but suffered even worse leg cramps. The only thing consistent was that I had assumed I was a strong runner and could suffer through anything, which I did. But pushed hard on the Bike. In Tupper last year I had poor bike fitness yet pushed hard to match the previous year an 18+ MPH ave on a hilly course. I did it, but I started to have leg cramps on the Bike. Just like last night.

This tells me 1) I need to up my bike fitness so that I can achieve the speeds I want without having to "push" 2) I need to be smart about my pacing for long races.

Anyhow I feel a need to build my bike speed up so I think I will speak to the Coach about refocusing my plan for that.

For my friends who qualified for Boston!!

So far so good

Well the swim the other day was refreshing. It was nice to be back in the pool. Only did a 30 minute workout because I did not want to take any chances of straining/pulling anything since I have not been in the pool for 5 months. It was strange to swim with the steel plate because I fell something there. Its not pain in any way its just different. But anyhow it did not get in the way and once I swam for about 5 minutes I forgot about it. My breathing was out of synch and could not go for more than 200 yards at a time. But again after some time in the pool That fell back into place. And despite the steel plate, my swim stroke does not appear to have changed.....It still sucks.

Yesterday did a 40 minute run during lunch, today back to the pool in the evening.

All systems are GO!

Went to visit the doctor and the Xrays showed no cracks or gaps remaining. My shoulder looks like something put together with an erector set, but it works! He said if I wanted I could remove the plate, it would only require 3-4 weeks recovery time.

I said "NO THANKS!", maybe next year.

Now its back to the pool and training! Yeeha!!

Cyclocross

Looks like a helluva lot of fun!

The Ironman bug in Cuba

A while ago I read the article in Triathlete magazine about this guy in Cuba who was so in love with the sport that he and a few friends would make up their own Ironman races. They would do this without the benefit of the latest gear, using only cast off bikes from tourists. And I assume little by way of gu, and the normal sports nutrition that we all take for granted.

Recently I found that Kona Shelley was actually trying to raise money to get this guy over to Canada to do a fully supported IM Race. Well Times are hard right now for me money wise so I cant actually add to the pot myself, but I figured I had to do something to help out a Compadre being that I am Cuban myself. So If you are moved by this guys story please feel free to help him out. The link is Here