Sunny and 80

Great week of training so far.  Other than it's still 80 degrees outside, I can't complain.  Swim and run  are feeling great.  I created a new bike trainer workout room equipped with a new LCD TV (w/ DVD).  It's great.  I pop in a movie and get my ride on.  
Remember, the Ironman World Championship is on TV this Saturday.  If you need a little more motivation for training make sure you tune in.  

Noel and Alan have their half marathon this weekend.  Good luck and I hope you guys crush it! 

Enjoy your cold indoor swim ladies!


Nick

Incredible Shrinking Man!

I got on the scale this morning and it said 205!!! I can't remember when I was that tiny...maybe freshman year in college? Could have something to do with the weekend workouts:

• Saturday- 2 1/2 hr run, 50 minute bike, upper body weight circuit
• Sunday- 2 hr bike, 1 hr run, lower body weight circuit

Nick, pretty soon everyone will certainly think we are twins!!!

New Bike

Here are some pictures of my new bike. It is a 2006 not a 2009. The guy thought it was a 2009. Even though it is 3 years old, it is still in great shape. He put different wheels, and added new brakes. Unfortunately, I am not participating in the race today. I guess I am not the "Toughest". My knee has been bugging me the last three days, and I do not want it getting worse. I have the Rochester Half Marathon on the 27th, which I hope my knee is better by then.

Race on Sunday

Well Sunday should be fun. I dropped my mountain bike off to get tuned up. I have not rode a mountain bike since we went to Sun Mt. Lodge for my birthday. To make matters worse, the forecast for the day is rain, snow, and a chilly 38-40 degrees. The race starts at 10:30. I start with the run, which is 7.4 miles, then go the bike, which is around 15-20 miles. I guess the race is called "Who's the Toughest" for a reason. There are also some pretty good athletes that have signed up for the race. You can check out the blog at www.koreevents.blogspot.com. Wish me luck.

"Most Improved!"

You know you are pretty shitty when you receive the "Most Improved" Award for whatever activity you are participating in. I received a verbal "Most Improved" Award today with a simple compliment of "hey you're getting better!" Thanks Coach! Actually I feel like I had a really good swim workout today. Time for a little break then have a 1 hr ride still to tackle this afternoon. Legs are so sore from strength training this weekend. Man, when did I become such a pussy in the weight room!

Andy

Today is Day 1 for Miami International Tri

I hope sitting in front of the computer for 8-10 hours on Fri, Sat and Sun improves fitness.  I know my hamstrings were tight for sitting on my ass all weekend.  Last week was hell week for me.  I had final papers due for my masters.  Thank god it's almost over.
Today is Day 1 of triathlon training (serious training).  This week I get to see if I can still swim and if I still remember how to ride bike outdoors.  Gotta love the offseason!  Although I will be pissed at myself later in the week for all the Dogfishhead I drank during the offseason.
Goals this week-
1) Don't drown.
2) Don't eat too many cookies Nicole made for the Running group party.
3) Stick to the training plan!

Had a great time in Seattle! The half-marathon is a must if you live there! A great course and well organized event!  My prediction was correct... Nicole kicked my ass (Andy's too).  She rocked it!  I hit my goal of under 2hrs.  The hills kicked my ass!  How do I know this?  When my heart rate hit the 180s going up a hill at mile 6 or 7, I knew I was screwed.  I'll blame that one on Florida... alright it's my own fatass' falt.

I'm anxious to run this next year with my Pops, Mom, Nicole, Andy, Alan, Noel, Colby and Kendra!  No excuses!

Busy Week!

Had a great trip home to Seattle for Thanksgiving! So good to get together with the entire family. Nick, his wife Nicole, and I all ran the Seattle Marathon. Nick and I ran together and had a great race (him with me on the left). I will give Nicole her due credit and let everyone know she smoked us! Great job Nicole! Very proud also of my dad for surviving open heart surgery and losing 35 pounds as well as my mom for losing 20! Keep it up you two!

Lots of working out too this week. Had a great long run yesterday in the late afternoon and then a short spin on the bike. Also got in some weights. Today, had a 2 hr ride, 45 min run, and some more weights! Have a hunch I will be a little sore tomorrow.

Noel I picked up some DZ -Nuts for your stocking!!!! It will help you protect your junk in case you and Colby want to have another little one!

Is this normal?

Today I brought out a spin bike from the group ex room for my workout. I tried to stay in the aero position the majority of the time. After about 30 minutes, I sat up and noticed my dick had fell asleep. It felt numb. At first, I was a little scared, but after a few seconds the feeling came back- thank god. I was wearing under armor shorts and tights, which could have played a role in blood constriction. Has this happened to you guys or is this something I should be worried about. Numb dick is a weird feeling.

Swim

Yesterday I swam at 24 hour. I'm not sure what the length of the pool is, but my focus was on controlling my breathing. I worked on the drills Andy and Nicole showed me, which helped a lot. I switched from breathing out of my nose to my mouth under water, which made a huge difference. I'm not sure how far I swam, but I went for 25 minutes, only stopping a few seconds after each length. I'm looking forward to my next session. There is a new 24 hour opening in Issaquah, which has a full 25 meter lap pool. The club looks very nice. I will probably start using that club, since it is on my way to work. Also, It was great to see you guys. I wish we could have spent more time together.

Run Day

Decided to screw the gym today and run outside even though its rainy,windy and cold here. I ran farther than I have ever run, 8 miles. Pretty proud of myself. Thanks guys for these great workouts they are obviously working. My legs were feeling it but i know i had more in me. I felt good. Counting down the days. See you soon

Alan

The Future is Coming!!!

We will start training him or her early. We got our BOB the other day. This is our first baby purchase. It should look pretty good at Boise, since it is the Ironman edition. We found it on Craigslist. They usually retail for $300-$500, but we found this one for $150. The previous owners never even ran with it.

Thanks Coach!

Coach Lee gave me a nice little reality check yesterday before our swim session. I mention to him that I thought swim routine was tough and wondered if he sent me the wrong one. Essentially he told me to quit be a pussy and to get in the pool! Then he proceeded to kick my ass for an hour or so. At the end of the workout though I did get a high-five from him for my first ever perfect 25 yards! Small victory. After the swim I took a little break and then hit the pavement for my scheduled 1hr 45min run. It was tough considering it was about 85 here yesterday. Man I'm sick of the heat. Today I got up and went for a 90 minute bike ride. Going to take a nap now and rest up for my 60 minute weight training session later today.

By the way, I think it's great that all four of us are running the half-marathon. No bitching out now bitches!

Andy

Another week down

I swam yesterday for the second time in two months.  Come to find out... I can still swim! 
Hit a few training runs this week and will attempt an hour run on Saturday morning.  Legs feel great from all the corrective stretching and strength training, however my lungs hate me. 

Can't wait for the Seattle trip next week!  All four of us I believe are participating in the half marathon.  Don't get pissed when Nicole beats all of us.  Should be fun!

Nick

Day 1 of Boise Program

Today was the first official day on my training plan for Boise from Coach Lee. Any thoughts of easing into this went out the window when I saw my 1900 yard swim workout today. Took me an hour and kicked my ass, but I did it. Shit 1900 yards really??? Seems like that should be somewhere near January. I'm gonna make sure he knows it's a half-ironman and not the full!!! Can't wait to see you guys!

13.1 Ft. Lauderdale!

Ran the 13.1 Ft. Lauderdale Half-Marathon this morning. Sunny skies and temps around 65-70 degrees. What a perfect morning for a race! Took it pretty easy but still cruised in under 2 hrs. Don't think my heart rate got above 145bpm thanks to the cooler temps.

I started real weight training again this week! Man was I sore. Aside from that I hit the pool a couple times, rode the bike a little and a couple short runs.

My pre-race weigh in this morning had me at 210 on my scale. I see 190 by Boise. Lean, mean, and fast!

My Quads are Sooooo Sore!

I knew the severe cramping on the run Sunday was going to tear me up, and DOMS has not let me down. Definitely need to pay more attention to my fueling.

Did a 'normal' weight training routine (chest and shoulders) today for the first time in about 2 months. That's gonna hurt tomorrow too!

Weekend in Miami

Had a great trip to Miami this weekend.  Andy, Josh, Nicole and Susan did great.  The wind was crazy and definitely gave them trouble on the bike. However, they all had great times and finished (mostly) injury free.

I hate sitting out and watching but it was great to root everyone on.  Another couple of weeks going through the motions until it's time to turn it on!

Miami Man

Raced in the Miami Man Triathlon yesterday. All in all it was a great experience. The swim was work for sure, but I felt better than expected. We had 25-30mph winds so the bike was brutal at times. The run (which I expected to be my strong leg) was disappointing. I had severe leg cramping right at the beginning. I made mistake on calorie and water intake. Not sure how I overlooked that, but I know I won't do it again. I did see some giant tortoises getting it on while running through the zoo!

You Won't See These in a Pool!

Even though it's still hot as hell down here and wetsuits may not be legal for Sunday's race I wanted to be prepared. I met my coach at BZ beach near Miami Sequarium for an open water swim lesson. He has taught me to keep my head down when I swim looking straight down. So I'm making my way from buoy to buoy and all of the sudden I see this thin black thing that looks like a coaxial cable you would hook your comcast up to your tv. The odd thing was this cable was out in front of me and appeared to be moving in same direction. I turned my head for a breath and then returned my head to focus on the bottom. That's when I realized the black cable was the tail of a huge Spotted Eagle Stingray! It scared the crap out of me. I immediately popped my head out of the water. Lee was next to me on his paddleboard laughing his ass off! I'm glad someone was amused. All said and done I had a great lesson and actually swam pretty well.

Great Recovery Week

Last week was all recovery for me.  It's tough to let hard earned fitness go, but recovery is extremely important (or at least that's what I've been telling myself).  So, I hit three strength/flexibility workouts and zippo swim, bike or runs.  I did manage to get a 6 mile run in on Saturday.  Note to self: slow your runs down during this recovery phase, especially when you took a week off from running.  Otherwise your joints will be screaming at you!

Nicole and I also took part in the Cycle Fest on Sunday.  We did the 62 mile portion.  Usually I would say I pulled her ass the whole way, but I have to admit- she kicked butt!