Austin

This last weekend took me to Austin, Texas for a training weekend with my coach and a couple other athletes of his. I had really been looking forward to this opportunity to get some face time with Zane, work on my mechanics, and train really hard!

Nitro Pool in Austin. A beautiful facility, 8 lanes x 50 meters or 30 lanes x 25 yards. I got to teach my runner comrades a thing or two before we went to the fields to run!

I was given the opportunity for homestay with a very nice young couple. I have never felt more welcome in a place other than my own home. Seriously, they had english muffins and french press coffee waiting for me each morning, so the least I could do was cook them some quinoa risotto!

Town Lake. We did a 10 mile run here my last morning. I was amazed; the local run clubs set up water stations, and the course is full of people in a way that is crowded, but somehow welcoming.

My hosts' dog, Bama! He was my buddy from the moment I "accidentally" dropped a tortilla chip on the floor.

Here are the guys getting ready for a run mechanics session. I told them to act candid, so naturally someone made a smart-a$$ comment and everyone laughed. These guys could run, let me tell you. If they were gazelles, I would have been one hungry Kalahari bushmen this weekend.

Post-run breakfast at the Magnolia. Veggie omelette with banana pancakes which I could not finish (Anna you would've loved them!) and the not-so-great, very weak coffee that is so often served at otherwise great breakfast places.

As you can see, I met some AWESOME people and made some new friends, ate some great food, learned a ton and trained hard. I got lost on the bike (how can you tell which direction your facing without mountains?) did running drills till my calves seared, and swam like the fish I have turned myself into.

Now begins the next phase of my training, and frankly this day off has been a long enough wait for me! FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!

Role Model

I realize that a lot of times people look up to me (I know, right? Poor souls...) for advice in training, diet, and general fitness. This is hugely flattering, I think some people don't realize that I have been given a lot of guidance in my years of swimming and now triathlon.

That being said, I have a pretty good chunk of knowledge from my experiences, and I definitely know what works and doesn't work for me. It is too vast a responsibility for me to say anything specific here, but I figure with some people's New Year's resolutions going strong (and some winding down) I could write a few of my own suggestions. But first, this disclaimer...

(In my best Lebron James voice) I AM NOT A ROLE MODEL!! Yes, this is me, eating a donut, on my trainer.

Here are my guidelines. Plain and simple though they are, I think they often get overlooked.

As far as exercise, do what you love. When people say they hate running or swimming or something, I ask them why they do it. "To stay in shape" is not a good enough answer, there are plenty of other enjoyable forms of exercise out there, and no one wants to hear you complain about something you choose to do.

Change your venue. I can't always get a good workout in on my trainer in my living room. But when I drive to Boulder where the weather is nicer to go ride, it puts a purpose behind my training and keeps me motivated.

Ease into it. This includes both an exercise regimen in general, and each individual workout. You will save yourself a lot of soreness and possible injury by doing this.

As far as diet, my first advice is never forget to indulge. Seriously, as long as you keep it to a minimum and realize that you are, in fact, indulging, its ok to have a donut instead of a PowerBar while on a trainer.

Second, and probably my favorite; eat like a very poor person. This is from great running coach Joe Vigil. Think less trailer park and more 3rd world. Fresh produce, rice and beans, minimal meat. (Seriously, try it!)

Finally, stay hydrated. I cannot stress how much this has helped me over the years. You'll eat less, retain less water, and generally feel better.

Well, these were short and sweet, and my workout tomorrow is not, so I am going to bed! FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!

Side Work

Side work is what servers have to do at the end of the night before they can go home after their shifts. I have been a server, and understand that this stuff generally sucks. "You mean after dealing with Nebraskan tourists all day I have to refill the ketchup bottles, restock the beer cooler and roll 30 silverware??" (Thanks, Rob)

As far as my current life is concerned, "side work" is everything else I have to do besides training and racing. Some of it sucks, and thus falls by the wayside. Yeah, things like shaving, cleaning up after myself, and doing laundry get left behind on busy days and after a couple weeks I am forced to play the How Much do These Bike Shorts Smell Like My Grundle game... which is not a pleasant game to play. 

...Similarly, I didn't always clean the ketchup bottles after busy shifts during the 4th of July week! (Sorry, Rob). 

On the other hand, there is a lot of "side work" that I love doing, and which provides me with some much-needed balance. 

 Snowboarding... The adrenaline is only matched in races. Love it.

Cooking... My gold-medal, Godfather-Style meatballs with spaghetti. A favorite pre-race meal, or a mid-winter indulgence. (In my Don Corlione accent) "I never wanted this for you..."

Being a roommate... Here is me probably doing a bad job of it... Sorry Libs and Sev, we are watching Food Network and listening to the hum of my fluid trainer for the next 2 hours! Love you guys.

There are many other things I love doing besides triathlon, like being a boyfriend, a son, a brother, a friend. I need them to keep me sane.

So in conclusion, I need to maintain my balance and still be better about getting the crappy side work done, even during busy shifts. Because ultimately, the Nebraskan tourists will be back tomorrow, and if those ketchup bottles aren't full and clean, I won't make as many tips! Until next time, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!

The Evolution of a Workout

Often I can't wait to get going on my training, but sometimes getting started is the hardest part. In these cases, I coax myself into it by saying "I can always quit if I still don't feel good." Quitting due to not feeling good has yet to actually happen, but it is nice to know its an available option.

Before I know it, I have taken the plunge into the pool (which seems so much colder to my whole body than it did to my toes), or I am out on my bike pedaling, or I am settling into my pace on a run. I don't feel great for these first few minutes, but at least I have started right?

There is a significant change of mindset that comes with breaking the first sweat, like in cheesy horror movies when the main character gives up on looking pretty (let's be honest, its usually an attractive female) and worries only about surviving. As I get going in a workout, it always feels the same. A tickle of heat at the back of my neck, like the hot breath of my pursuant. In my mind, he may possess the friendly rivalry of a training partner, or the bloodlust of a hungry predator. My acceptance is similar to the girl in the movie; the first hint of perspiration has confirmed that I am going all in for this workout.

At this point, I am feeling awesome. Like the running back who can't be tackled for less than a 5 yard gain, I am in a lather... "Just GIVE ME THE BALL!" So I push the pace. :59 on that last hundred, 10 seconds rest, can I go :58? Hell yeah! Think I can catch that guy before the top of this hill? Bring it.

Then, it hits. I can always feel it coming, like a summer storm back home in Nebraska, fatigue sets in like a boiling thunderhead rolling in to shroud my blue skies. You can feel the thickness in the air even before the sky turns greenish and the tornado sirens go off. Suddenly I can't hit target times, my legs ache, and there is not enough food/water in the world to shake off the oncoming bonk.

I like to think it is times like this, and not the easy, fast sessions, that make me or any athlete good at what we do. You have to do what it takes to get through it. Dig deep, find your motivation, think about your friends and family, think about your opponents, think about how it will feel when its over, think about how it would feel if you surrendered.

For some reason at times like this I am always reminded of the last line in the famous Robert Frost poem, "...but I have promises to keep/and miles to go before I sleep..." This is what gets me through the exhaustion. I remember the promises I've made; not to my family or friends, not to my sponsors, but the ones I made to myself.

So the workout is over. It may not have been pretty, it may not have been the fastest, but I did it. Now, I can enjoy the endorphins, and probably large amounts of peanut butter. I really enjoyed writing this one, the idea for it struck me during a swim when I literally went through each of these feelings. Hope you all enjoyed it as well! FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!

Home for the Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone! I have recently returned to Denver (and thus, altitude training) after a week home in Nebraska for Christmas. It was great to be home, get back to my roots, and have a week to do nothing but train and celebrate with the people I love.

In my time home I realized I had a lot more followers than I thought. This simultaneously made me proud, and was very humbling. It is always great to hear that people, especially old friends, are supportive of what I do (Thanks for following, Jessica! I appreciate the love) and want to know more about it.

I was glad I was able to find time to take care of business amongst all the holiday parties and relaxing with family, because it was a very run-heavy week (close to 50 miles, my biggest to-date).

My running right now is all about base building. My minimum run is 60 minutes, and we are currently building my long runs to 120 minutes. There is something so exalting about a long run. There are few times in my life I feel more satisfied than after having run 15 miles at my own pace. In short, I am enjoying this phase of training!

Ahhh, coffee. It wouldn't be home without it, but this time I brought some from my work. I know I have mentioned this before, but it honestly keeps me going.  Sometimes I feel like I can't start a workout until I have that pupils dilated, top-of-my-head-feels-like-its-glowing, caffeine searing through my veins feeling. Anyway, I felt like I should include a picture of my home during the holidays for all you 3rd Grade-level readers out there.

As always FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!