Another Week in the Books

The heart of the triathlon season is fast approaching and the training that I've been logging in the past couple of weeks is reflective of the events that are on tap for the summer. During the winter my base training hours were usually around 12 hours on average. This would usually extend me quite a bit for a couple reasons.
1. When working a lot of hours sleep is hard to come by and since sleep is absolutely essential for recovery, you simply cannot perform at the same level when you are deprived. I would be getting up at 4:30am after going to bed no earlier than 11pm..it was just a vicious cycle. I'd make up some sleep here and their but it was never consistent and I think I was constantly training at some sort of deficit. If any good can be taken from this I would have to say that it kept me mentally strong. Keeping yourself motivated to get up at 4:00AM on a Saturday morning (when the rest of the world is most likely catching some extra zz's since its the weekend) because I have a 4 hour ride planned (on an indoor trainer) and I have to be back to work at about 8:30 to work another 8 hour day, many times this would be followed by the same thing on Sunday (swap the bike for a long run). It was just kinda brutal but that training in the morning before going back to work is what makes me happy. I always had a choice to skip it and sleep but there's just something inside of me that wanted to get up and get moving. You will never hear me complain about a workout I have to do or how early I have to get up because I CHOOSE to do this stuff, I choose to do it because I love it, I choose to drag my ass up Bopple hill for the second straight week after 3 hours on the bikes and over 400 miles on the legs over the past 8 days. I love it!! Absolutely love it, so if you EVER hear me complaining you have permission to smack me over the head. Except you Cusetri, if you smack me over the head their going to be hell to pay...or at least a sucker punch from me which will then be followed by me running away...im still faster on 2 feet even if you can hand it to me on the bike. But me running away from you is very unlikely at the present moment so you're safe for a while, but give me another week or so and watch out! Speaking of running, Cusetri and I are going to absolutely blister the Keuka run course. It's going to be something like this --> Superhuman Triathlon Finish
Isn't that finish AMAZING!

and my other reason..
2. All this training was new to me. A 3 hour ride on the bike was EPIC. Thus the training hours were less than they are now for that reason alone. For comparison's sake I will say that over the past two weekends I've churned out two 6 hour rides, one 7.5 hour ride, and one 3 hour ride. That's some serious miles in my book. The legs began to feel it yesterday during my 3 hour group ride in Bristol but they held up.

So what about my week?
Well it just kind of flowed together nicely. It was one of the first weeks where the weather was good and I was able to get out of work before 6. This meant that the beginning of some double session training days started. I was totally not ready for this. Getting up early means that I am able to pump out my workouts bright and early but that also means that at 5:30 I am pretty much done for the day. It was a good thing that I was out with some friends during the evening bike rides because I was usually shot at this point (and they can attest, a bit out of it mentally) and they would kindly wait for me to catch up to them at stop signs..I was draggin' some butt! But it was still nice to get out there and stretch the legs, and enjoy the weather...you just can't pass that up. The rest of the week went pretty smoothly, got some good training in, made it to master's swim practice on Friday and so on...

Other than getting some good training in last week I was very pleased to be able to watch some professional cycling that took place in California. The tour of cali was moved to May this year (from Feb in prior years) which made the weather more agreeable for the riders. Personally watching cycling on TV is really cool to me because I now and doing what they do, I watch their tactics, their pedal strokes, all that jazz..I was literally on the edge of my seat last night as Levi tried to crack Michael Rogers on the last climb of the stage. It was the final stage and Levi trailed Rogers in the GC by 25 seconds, he tried his best but Rogers (without any help from his teammates)stuck with Levi and Zabrinksi and maintained his lead. If you can't tell already by the wording that I just used (ie. Levi, GC, pedal stroke, etc..) I have begun to obtain a cyclist's vocabulary, and I actually understand what I am talking about. Anyways, it was really cool to watch the multiple attacks up that last climb, each time a rider would try to make a break the small group of 3 riders would work to reel him in..it was really something! Makes me want to try and hop in a local race one of these days. The Tour of Cali also had a really cool Stage 7 that was held right in downtown LA. It was a time trial that wound through the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Somehow the city was able to close off about 10 miles of road for the cyclists to use during the middle of the day, quite an achievement if you ask me. Personally, the coolest part of this day was that the Tour of Cali invited a bunch of Amateur's to take part in the time trial as well as some top professional triathletes (Lieto!, Macca, and Ms. Wellington) Each of these athletes did really well in their own respect, Macca ripped off a 46 min TT, only about 3 minutes off some of the top pro's, Wellington was I think around 50, and Lieto was smoking the course before he flatted about a mile into the second loop..oh well! He was still looking good in his smoking hot Trek Speed Concept.

Tour of Cali Time Trial Results from Competitor.com

Here is a link to the slowtwitch forum that talks about the new speed concept. The forum has a lot of pictures and info about the bike. Take a look, the bike looks super cool. Hey Trek, wanna sponsor me! I'll ride the heck out of the machine for you :) --> Speed Concept Forum

On another note, I must say that I am indeed a bit sad that Lost has come to an end. I have not seen the last episode yet as it was on from 9:00-11:30pm last night. I needed to hit the sack and get my rest so I could make it to master's swim practice at 5:45. Luckily it appears that Hulu has it up on their website already, so I will be able to catch up on it tonight! Sweet! I don't really have much of an idea of how they heck the writes are going to wrap this saga up but it will definitely be interesting to see what they come up with. A lot of people on my tri team have written emails about the last episode since they stayed up and watched it. From the titles of their emails it appears that they enjoyed the final episode. However it goes, it will at least be entertaining.

My mind if kind of blank right now so I am going to wrap up this post right now. If something sparks my imagination I will post an update, you never know what's going to pop into this brain of mine!

Until then....

-Turbo Curbo OUT!

Awesome New Gear on the Market

K-Swiss K-Ruuz - En Route to me

Mellow Johnnys Tour de Gila Retro Tee - En Route to Me & Josh

K-Swiss Blade-Light Race - Scheduled to be released on June 16th

Speed Concept - Rumored to be released to the public at the end of May or Early June...I'll keep ya'll posted

TRI SPOT DAY..woohoo!

It's finally here...Train-This day at TRI SPOT! A day full of riding bikes as fast as possible, swimming in endless pools, looking at cool triathlon gear, and meeting fellow teammates. I don't think it could really get any better.

Well its about 430 in the afternoon, I am back in Rochester hanging out at my favorite Starbucks. As I sit here, beside a girl who is studying for the CPA exam, I think about how lucky I am to have that chapter of my life behind me. How absolutely wonderful it is to have the ability to do what I want to do on my own time. Passing the CPA exam was one of the most grueling things I have ever had to do. It consumed my life, kind of like the new thing I am into......triathlon. Funny how we as humans, well at least for me that I am constantly looking for things to test my limits, to take me to breaking points and see if I can succeed. I guess the biggest difference is that the CPA exam was a necessity to take and pass, triathlon is a passion that I do for fun. I enjoy the work, training, the planning. In short, everything that I have seen and been exposed to in the sport of Triathlon I have loved and subsequently it has left me craving for more. So for everyone who wants to ask the question "Why do you do Triathlon?" I think I may have some sort of an answer...I believe that my answer will be an on-going one throughout my life but as of now I would say that I do triathlon because on race day whether your result is as expected, above expectations, or below....it feeds the desire to do it over again. Training for triathlon is a process. Each individual sport has a "natural" aspect to it. A person can be a natural swimmer and swim 2.4 miles in under an hour with minimal preparation, A person can be a natural cyclist and just really take to the road (obviously time on the road will make you a better cyclist) but in general a person who naturally enjoys mashing pedals will probably perform at a higher level then someone who is just "putting in the time." The mental game in an endurance sport like Triathlon is soooo huge...you really have to enjoy being out on the road or on a trainer for hours of time. So like I said someone can naturally take to cycling and really get a kick out of it...and likewise a person can be a natural runner. For whatever reason this person was blessed with proper form, quick and nimble feet, iron lungs, etc..etc..There is a reason why Mr. Bolt runs the way he does. He was born to run, his body was meant to move fast, he was groomed from day one to do what he does. Thus, in each aspect of the sport of Triathlon a "natural" aspect plays a role. However, the great equalizer in Triathlon is that all these sports must be done on the same day, one after another. You can even be good at all 3 but if you do not have the right mind set, the right approach...you might as well cash in your chips and call it a day. A lot of games can be played in your head over the span of 8-12 hours under the sun (or rain if its crappy out). Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, my answer to why I TRI? Well in a condensed answer I would say because after each race (good or bad) there is a reason to train harder and longer, whether it be to improve on a poor performance, or to take it to another level and drop into the sub 10, sub 9, or in the half the sub 5, sub 4:30...GET TO KONA...etc etc...so thats why I TRI..because for better or worse theres always something else...something more...something out there within reach. All it takes is work, dedication, drive, support!

Well I think that at this point I have a good segway into my original blog idea for the day. I wanted to take a minute and reflect on the day I had today. It was AWESOME. As usual I was very excited to be visiting TRI SPOT in buffalo to do a 20 minute TT and get some video shots of my running and swimming (which was done in an endless pool...SOOO FREAKING COOL) If I only had about 60k to blow on one of those! I don't think it would fit in my apartment though :( Well, my day began early as usual. I was up and out of bed around 4:45. I intended to sleep longer but once I wake up I might just as well get out of bed. I can never seem to get back to sleep, especially when I have a big day coming up and I'm already super energized. So I got up, had some coffee, some yogurt and ezekiel cereal, watched the final episode of Monk on Hulu (Tear...I loved that show!) and then started to pack my things. I ended up taking off around 6:30, with one stop at Wegmans for a protein bad and water I was off. I cruised on into buffalo and settled into Tim Horton's around 7:30, did some writing in my moleskin, had a spot of coffee and ate my protein bar, then headed to TRI SPOT at 8:30 to get set up so I'd be ready to roll when everyone started to arrive. As I entered TRI SPOT I felt like I kid in a candy shop. It is probably the coolest place for a triathlete to be if they can't be outside. I mean this place has like 10 computrainers all hooked up to one big screen tv, a HUGE endless pool to swim in, multiple tredmills, NEWTONS! and various other running shoes, gadgets, nutrition, hydration, etc...etc...and oh yeah it has a few bikes...and by a few I mean quite a bit, but no TREK's (this was the only disappointment in my mind, I am a Trek man through and through..there's no denying that and unless someone wants to sponsor me and provide me with a free bike I am sticking to my guns and rocking Trek's..just like my man LANCE!) btw...have you all seen the new 2010 Madone for Team Radio Shack??? Well if not here it is -->
Pretty nifty in my opinion. But not as nifty as this little guy that's currently being driven by Chris Lieto and won't be available to us lowly Age Groupers until 2011...Ladies and Gentlemen please refrain from drooling and if you get excited easily please brace yourself..this thing is SMOKING HOT!

Where was I?.....Well after my initial excitement of seeing TRI SPOT for the first time I finally settled in and put myself together. The Mellow Johnnys Kit was being rocked and my bike was mounted. Around 9:30 the rest of Group 1 had arrived, some I knew..others I didn't. However all were fellow teammates and super cool. I am extremely lucky to have found such a great group of people to share my passion with. Each and everyone I have met so far has been so nice to me. I cannot thank my friend Jay enough for getting me in touch with my Coach. And I cannot thank Mary (the coach) enough for taking me on. Mary has begun to show me the ropes, Mary and I have plans, goals if you will. We both expect big things from ourselves. I know that I will be turning to her a lot in the coming years and I hope that I can provide her with the additional support that we all need. And the same goes to all the new teammates I have. These teammates are the people who I spend my mornings with at the pool, the people who I will run in the snow with this winter, the people who I will mash pedals with indoors and on the road, they will be the runs wearing the same kits on race day. No matter how I feel coming into a race or during a race, I know for a fact that when I see a fellow Royal and Green wearing TRAIN THIS TEAMMATE I am going to get a boost of energy..a little extra kick! If I run by someone, or they run be me you can guarantee that I am going to high five the hell out of the and give em a rousing cheer! So off we went, my 8 new friends and I on a 20 minute journey that was being shown live via the big screen. Wattage, speed, averages, placing, even a little chart that showed who was in the lead (like those things at the fair where you spray water at the little red dot and try to get your fire truck to the other end the fastest)..yeah it was like that. VERY COOL! The time came and went. I had no expectations as this was my first foray into the 20minTT on a computrainer. I ended up averaging around 310watts. I do not really know what that means because I have yet to train with power (fingers are crossed that a powertap will be coming my way) Anyway, since I weigh about 148 to 150 I am told this is a decent starting place. I can only hope to crank this number up in the coming months. So for now I am very very excited! Later in the day in another group fellow Teammate CUSE TRI blew me out of the water averaging in the neighborhood of 350watts...WHAT AN ANIMAL! As for the rest of the day I enjoyed a nice swim in the endless pool where Mary was able to take some underwater footage of my stroke, then I hopped on the treadmill to get some run footage. It's really great to have all these tools and knowledge around. It can only make benefit the team. We are going to be one monster machine. People will definitely have to recognize when Team TRAIN THIS shows up! Were coming to dominate, and be nice and have a crazy good time while doing it. hahaha...
So that about sums it up, I was able to do all these things this morning..it was fantastic. I was even able to pay for a new hydration fuel belt, the helium (wicked cool!) How was I able to pay for this you ask? Well my extremely wonderful mother gave me a big jar of coins that she found when she was cleaning the house. I took the jar to the Wegman's Coinstar and low and behold came away with over $60 dollars!! What a mom!