Goal reached

Well, It is a far cry from a year ago.....

After surgery in July, I set 2 goals. One was three miles by my birthday and the other was a ten miler by Christmas.

I held out long enough but this morning I finished them off. With a couple things against me; temps around 16 and 40mph wind gusts (yeah I know negative wind chill) and a cancellation from my running partner, I headed out about 9:40am.

We recently got dumped on with snow so there were some serious drifts and one of the roads on my route was not plowed. It was fun to navigate but totally worth it.

I dressed well for the weather and was pretty much warm enough for the entire run. I will do some stretching and exercises tonight. Hopefully this is a good sign that I can start run training soon. I'd like to be up to about 15 miles in a month and 20 by March. All I can do is take it one day at a time.

Thanks for the encouragement Jayne and for pushing me to go out and stay with this goal.

Happy Holidays!

The day the lights went out

On Thursday, jayne and I showed up to the Mac to swim at 5am. It was a normal 15 degree Michigan morning, except for one thing.
As soon as I opened the employee entrance door, I noticed something odd...The lights in the MAC pool were off. I've seen tennis and other court lights off but never the pool.

Luckily as I walked by the glass, Isobel was already swimming and the guard was in there. I was like a little kid, knowing it wouldn't last, I ran to change and get in some dark swimming. we had just enough illumination from the gym to make it safe. It was a treat I will not soon forget. Out of the hundred of mornings I've spent in the pool, I have never had that happen.

It wasn't quite "my lake" dark but it was a nice change from the normal operating lights.

Great swim too Jayne!!!! I'm proud of you.

Winter

This afternoon was the first workout of the season in the snow. We just had light flurries but it was enough to make it seem like mid-winter. Things have been tough with my back but I am doing whatever I can to keep spirits up.

I just have to keep pushing forward and drawing as much energy from others as possible.

This winter I will be an assistant coach for Grant's basketball team. I get the first few minutes of each practice for conditioning drills. I hope to do some with them so we can all get stronger. Grant's broken collarbone is healed now and he is almost back to 100 percent.

The new spinning bikes have finally arrived at the Michigan Athletic Club and they are awesome! I'm back to teaching on Tuesday mornings at 6:00am and have been trying to get in there one more day a week to strength train on them.

50

Thank you to Janet, Jef, Jayne.....too many "Js" out today..... for a great ride today. Janet and Jef are training for Ironman Florida. Janet needed some company on a 100 mile ride so we all pitched in and helped out.

While it started out in the high 30s temperature-wise it was beautiful, sunny and somewhere in the 50's when we finished with the 50 mile loop I participated in.

Embarrassingly, this was my longest ride of the year. Although it was very fun to finally be out on something longer than 20-30, I was not thrilled with my overall performance. I have a lot to catch up on this winter.

Congrats Jodie and Jayne

Congratulations to Jodie and Jayne for their efforts in training for and competing in the 2008 Lansing Capital City River Run. on a cool, but sunny Michigan morning, both ladies set personal records for the half marathon distance.

Jodie finished 10th of 100 in her age group and Jayne just behind her in 27th. Jodie eclipsed her pre-season time goal by a VERY Very large margin. Jayne finished the 13.1 miles at an average pace much faster than her early season short runs. It was a great day and a fantastic race!

I also want to say thank you for the nice dinner I was treated to the night before this race. What a great way to finish off the year.

Last Week

The summer is winding down and I have two athletes that are finishing up their seasons this coming weekend with the Capitol City River Run. I've had a great season with each of my athletes and am very proud of all of your guys.

There is some great interest from several athletes for next season so I look forward to sitting down and going over scheduling at the beginning of the year.

My back is still healing and of course there are downs to go with the ups. I long to do something competitive athletically.

Go this weekend Jodie and Jayne!!!!!

Over for 2008

This was an interesting day to say the least. I didn't know what to expect from the race. I wasn't even sure I'd be able to swim that far after surgery and just a couple swims in the lake. I had discussed plans from just doing the swim to trying to make it through and walking for 26 miles.

We woke up at 0430 and headed down to transition. It was odd not being nervous about time or where I would seed myself. I didn't even go to the bathroom successfully prior to race start. After pumping up my tires, we walked to the swim start. After about an hour wait, I was off to the water.

The air temp was 74 and the Ohio River was 84.6 degrees. Quite a change from last years Ironman Idaho event. I jumped off the dock at 7:20 something and was actually worried about that hurting. I remember pre-surgery jumping in the pool at the MAC and having that light up my leg and back. All was good and within a second, I re-surfaced and headed up river. I stayed in the current and even though I made it harder on myself, stayed clear of a lot of people. After the turn, I went out into the river to avoid contact there as well.

Normally a sub 1:10 swimmer, I would have been happy with under 1:20 since I didn't train much and all my swims since spring were in a wetsuit. I rolled in with a 1:17 and decided to give it a go on the bike.

After a moderate transition (about a minute longer than I would have liked) I was on my way. My plan was to stop at mile 38 in La Grange unless I felt stellar. the first part of the course is flat and I was cruising at about 21 mph average until the hills started. By mile 15, my back was starting to show signs of the swim trauma. At mile 17 I turned onto 1694 and couldn't carry any speed on the flat there. I knew I was done. I just didn't know if I could even hold out until 38.

From there it got worse with each mile and I knew I had to quit to save a possible medical emergency. The last thing I want now is another or more severe back surgery.

With my head down and severely embarrassed by being passed so much, I found my dad at about mile 40. I stopped, he loaded up my bike and we headed out.

I spent the rest of the day trying to distance myself from seeing too much racing. I love it so much but felt dejected not being able to compete.

The weather was just how I like it, sunny 94 and HOT. I am signing up for next year and EVERY year after that. This is my Kona place!!

I want to thank my father for putting up with me and for bringing me down here.

I want to thank my family, Trish and the boys for trying to understand why I am here.

I want to thank Jayne for implanting a thought in my mind about starting the race and how big a step that actually was exactly a month and a day after back surgery.

Last but certainly not least......CONGRATULATIONS to Trijimi athlete JODY CADY! She finished 1st in here age group at the Prairieview Olympic triathlon and had a great time.

Jodie, I've enjoyed working with you and you finished out the Tri season with a bang. One last running race and we will be looking at 2009.

Awesome!!!

Back to Michigan tomorrow and back to rehabilitation on Wednesday morning.

In Louisville

Well....... I thought I'd be here alone, sleeping in my Focus in the parking garage. My father offered to come despite knowing I'd most likely not even be finishing the bike, the leg that put me close to a Kona qualification last year.

We packed up the truck and headed out a little after 5am this morning. I arrived in plenty of time to check in, weigh in (scale breaker) , register, ride a few miles, freak out over the last year of my life, attend the athlete meeting, eat a nice dinner and enjoy an even nicer drink.

Thanks Dad!

Here are some photos. Notice the gear photo. This is IM #5. I can't begin to tell you how small this pile is. My Wisconsin photos look like a bomb went off in the room.

To those of you who knew I'd be here no mater what......God bless you, you understand me, I love you and I promise I'll be careful and stop when I have to.

To those of you with no faith in my ability to call it quits...FTF... sorry but you would be behind me anyhow if you were here.

I look forward to healing so I can get back on and give this a go. I love this race and it is hard to see people so happy and ready to go. On the other hand I'm excited to see the sport in such full swing and to see a wide variety of athletic ability here.

The water is 83 degrees, race day should be sunny and 92. I wish....... but that is not for now.

Good night and once again thank you to those who truly care!!!!!

Freezing yet fun

I'd like to take a second to tell Jayne thanks (again) for coming out to swim this morning with me. The air temp was 45 degrees officially but I think it was colder than that. The water was warm, foggy, pitch black, but the stars were out. Other than being crazy cold, it was a great morning.

Still making plans for Ironman. I wish I were medically sound enough just to finish this year. Surgery in April would have been a smarter move, right after Boston. Yeah.......some people told me so.

Have a fantastic week!!!

A move towards Hawaii?

Well, since the surgery my immediate plans for Kona have to change. I was so hell bent on qualifying this year, reality set in.

I actually was not taken off the list for Ironman Louisville for this year. I am currently looking for ANYONE who will take me as a room mate for Friday and Saturday nights at the Gault House......a couch, or even some floor space. I have put a couple feelers out.

I was only cleared by PT to swim and ride a little bit this week. I rode 15 miles today and I was absolutely disgusted with myself. It was heaven to be out there after almost a month but torture to be tied inside like I am.

My plan is to do the swim in Louisville this year. I will not even bring my Kuota or running shoes. I'd be too tempted to give it a try. I'm obsessed but not stupid. I will sign up for 2009 and ALL the years after that. I'll still have 1 more year until the 40-44 AG.

I'll strength train and slowly come back. 3-4 years may get me back where I was for this year.

Thank you to everyone who has been in support of my dreams!

Jimi

Another Trijimi Success!!!!!

Congratulations to Trijimi.com athlete Jayne Martin for a great race at the 2008 Lansing Legislator Olympic Triathlon. I went out there to watch her compete in her season A race.

The air temp was 50 and about as close to 49 as it could get. There was a 12mph breeze out of the NW.

Although I am not a big fan of this, her goal was to finish below a certain time. She pushed hard all day and followed an effort diagram we created together. She ran an almost flawless race, which means we could even improve more!!!!

Get this......she beat her wanted time by a long shot. She won hardware for the first time for 2nd in her age group. She was only a few short minutes from a podium spot.......She did amazing!!!!!

Great job Jayne!

New bike and First steps

Here is my new Kuota Kueen K. I've been waiting for months for it to arrive. It truly is a beautiful bike! The joints are smooth and it is incredibly stiff. It is perfect!

I also attached a photo of my kids supporting me in the hospital after surgery. My family was there for me and I also cannot thank my friends enough for coming.

Jayne, Jodie ( the coffee queen), Jef, Brian and Amy....... you guys made me feel special and added that extra boost when I needed it most. Seth, I am happy for the calls and I wish you were here.

Jayne, as your coach, having you help me take steps and walk again was a moment in time I will never forget. Thank you!

Congratulations to JT, Coach Bones athlete, for his great finish at the 2008 Ironman 70.3 Steelhead 1/2 Ironman yesterday. You did a great job and should be very proud of yourself. You had a fantastic season and I'm very happy for you!

A little shorter

I finally broke down and had to get it done. On 7/30/08, I had back surgery. I had a great surgeon that understood what I needed from and after recovery. Things were a little worse with the herniation than we expected but everything seemed to go okay with the proceedure.

My back is now healing and other than some bad nerve pain I should be fine very soon.

I want to say thank you to the people that came to see me. You made this the best experience I could had had! Some people were there for minutes and others for hours. I appreciate every second. I felt loved in the hospital and my spirits were kept high. Thanks to the out of towners that called too (Seth).

I'll be back soon!

It never ends!!!

Congratulations to Jayne Martin (Coach Bones athlete) on her finish at the 2008 Blue Water Olympic Triathlon!!! Way to go Jayne!

Jayne moved up 10 age group slots from last year's event and moved up only around 100 or spots overall.

Great training and attitude pay off. All my athletes are doing wonderfully this summer!

Keep it up guys!

Seth is an Ironman!

Seth Botwick, an original Coach Bones Triathlete, just officially became an Ironman!

Seth competed at 2008 Ironman Lake Placid. his goal was to succeed in crossing the finish line and to have a good time doing it. He did both of those things and in grand fashion.

He was accompanied by his family and personal cheering section. They battled pouring rain ALL DAY LONG to watch their hero cross the line.

Seth, I'm proud of you. You did a terrific job and now have some well deserved time off. Outstanding day!

Good luck Ironman

Today Seth is on his way to Ironman Lake Placid. Good luck buddy. You are ready and have had a great season so far. Stay on track and race your race. We'll be watching!!!

You deserve this!

Jimi

Morning Swim

What a great morning! Even with all the back pain I have been in, this morning the sun was a little brighter when it rose. I was joined for a lake swim by Chad (GI Joe), JT (unnamed but working on it), Jodie (Howie), Jayne (KIA), and Amanda (unnamed but working on it).

We had a great time and there was absolutely no light at 4:50am. By about 5:15, it was gorgeous out and I had a really good time. The only things that would have made it better would have been no pain and if we could have not worked and followed up with a ride, run and a drink.

Thanks you guys!

Congrats Athletes

Congrats to Trijimi athletes on their great weekend at the Grand Haven Olympic Triathlon!

Awesome job to Jodie, cruising to an age group win!

Fantastic job to JT ranking 5th very a tough age group field!

You guys did very well and I am proud of you.

My partner returns

Thank you Seth for the visit while you came home to fill the moving truck. I was thrilled to be able to tag along on the run with you. The swim in the lake also brought back some great times. I miss the last few years and wish you nothing but the best with your new life in North Carolina. We hope to visit soon!

Ladies rock!

GREAT JOB to Trijimi.com athletes Jodie and Jayne last weekend at the USWTS in Naperville. Both of them set a PR for the sprint distance and made substantial gains in speed, in each sport and a reduction in both age group and overall rankings from last year's race.

Jodie was 242 people closer to winning than last year and Jayne was a whopping 493!

They had a fantastic race and it sounds like a great weekend all together.

Awesome work ladies!

Lake morning

After a tough weekend with my back and the continuing up-down yo-yo of the pain, I decided to get up early and go for a swim. I was up at about 4:20am and stretched a little prior to attempting to put my wetsuit on.

It is hard enough to put on socks by myself let along put that on. I was much to chubby for the full wetsuit so I went with the sleeveless. After a couple minutes, I developed a way to get it on and get it pulled up to where it needed to be.

As always, I woke Trish up to zip it for me. Happy 18th anniversary Trish! First day of summer vacation for you and 18th year of putting up with me!

Thank goodness I couldn't get into the other suit. The water was great and the sleeveless was exactly what I needed. I went the shorter route since this was my first OWS in a long time. the water was clam, just a little breeze and the sun still had not come up.....PERFECT! There is no better way to start the morning; well other than on the starting line of Kona.

I hope to get in a couple more before Thursday.

Have a great morning!

Great Weekend!

My athletes had a fantastic weekend!! Here are race results:

Hawk Island Sprint Triathlon - JT = 4th of 43 in his Age Group
Hawk Island Sprint Triathlon - Jodie = 5th of 44 in her Age Group

Kerr Olympic Triathlon - Seth = 4th of 42 in his Age Group

Jayne ran a great 10 mile training run on Sunday.

I am really proud of all of you guys, and am doing everything I can to get back out there with you. You have obtained great results in just a few short weeks. Rest on your rest days, stretch and get good sleep. Bigger and better races to come!!!!!!

Thank you to Steve at Brooks for keeping me on board despite the back issues!

Races awaiting

My athletes are preparing for upcoming races. Things tend to get a little sketchy for these weeks leading up to competition. Everyone wonders if they are ready and ALWAYS compare themselves to what everyone else has been doing.

Remember, each athlete is different and responds to different ideas, training, physical and mental prep. Each race, event and day are completely different. Just because you ran a X:XX:XX at a race last year doesn't mean you have to beat that time this year.

Remember the motto, "Train and race because you love it". When you lose sight of that is when you should question why you are doing this.

I look forward to the wonderful season to come and and am enjoying watching everyone overcome the hurdles of early training.

Brooks "Inspire Daily" Acceptance

I was accepted for the Brooks ID team today. I am thrilled about that because I've lived in my Brooks for the last several seasons. All is official and acceptance was completed on both ends today.

Class seemed to drag on forever today. Being an instructor for different classes, I'm biased regarding instruction. I take bits and pieces from each person I encounter but today was REALLY rough. Thank goodness for Wayne my lab partner. He had me laughing really hard a few times through the day.

I was able to get a little sun today at lunch and after class so I hope to come home with a decent tan (for Michigan people anyhow). After class I went to RDV again and swam.

I had to stand on the deck for about 25 minutes to wait for a lane. Because of that my goal was to do my 1000 warm up then after that just swim until EVERYONE left the pool. It took a while but I accomplished my goal. I have no clue how much I swam, if I had to guess it would be somewhere between 3500 and 4500. For the most part it felt good and there was a few revenge sets in there. I had to be careful and swim safe.

Well, off to bed here shortly. Have a nice evening.

Really, a Tuesday swim?

I woke up a 445am to swim at 530. I actually was to sore to feel like swiming so early. I slept horribly last night I ditched the swim and moved it to after class.

I stretched my hip as much as possible. Sleept on the floor with a pillow under my back. (We need a sleep number bed badly) When I woke up this morning things felt okay, After a couple pills, by noon I was walking well to and from the pool for a tanning session.

I ran up stairs after class then drove to RDV sportsplex.

The pool was full so I jumped in where I could. Robyn another IM athlete and I shared lane. I had a 1000/1000 NS/700p/500/200 fast/200 cool down

I heared stories about making it to hawaii on a huge roll down, a lottery pick and another about an accepted multithousand dollar ebay purchase. Yikes, I cannot compete with that. I'll kep putting in for the lottery and racing hard.

It was odd but I was the fastest in the pool. I know now how Seth always feels. Maybe there was a reason........... I don't know what it is but Seth is a lucky $^&&%*!

Afterwards at the store I played Mr. Rogers and fancied everyone in the store. I simply smiled and said hello to every face I saw. I got a look from a 14-15 YO girl with her mom (of course mom didn't look) and again was sneered at by any woman my age that I came across. Maybe my mojo has left with my back injury. Maybe Jayne has more work than expected......."she's got's to find me mojo"

Who do you really know?

Obviously from my last post I have had a lot of time to think this last weekend. Out of the many people I have ran into this week, I met very few I really cared to talk to for more than a minute (Vera, Megan and Wayne). I have made every attempt to smile and say hello to as many people as possible. I held the door, picked up dropped items and offered assistance to people even though I could barely walk without pain.

At the grocery store I was rammed into, strategically blocked while people read the nutritional value of King Dons and actually sneared at for smiling and saying "Hello" as if I were a stalker.

It is amazing how rude our society has become. Granted I can be grumpy as everyone else, if not more so at times. Maybe people are just intimidated by my sheer 155lb presence. Does being social mean you have to get blasted with a room full of machismo dudes and has the art of actually knowing each other degraded to surface issues? It really seems like financial status, beauty and popularity has officially made it to adulthood.

My lab partner for these two weeks is from London. We had a nice chat at dinner Saturday. I learned his kids both wear uniforms to school. I'm all for individuality and encourage that in life but with the attitudes I see in kids lately, I'm starting to like the uniform idea.

Early mid-life crisis.....too much time away from home.....nah, just open senses at this point. I'm thankful for the people I have come to know over the last few years. This sport has brought me close to some very wonderful people (including a refound self) and I'm thankful for that. Chances are if you are reading this I'm thankful for you.

FTF

Weekend

I have had a sun filled and quiet weekend. Saturday I did some swimming at the club as well as grabbed some sun to even out the tan lines. 2000 was close to the total but I went over a little doing drills while chatting with the lifeguard/local swim coach Megan.

She gave me some things to work on that I can use for my athletes as well.

Saturday I had dinner with Wayne from Scotland Yard. He's and extremely smart guy with a real person's attitude. This is a trait I RARELY ever find at training courses like this. Some guys are actually walking around with guns and cuffs on their belts. What a joke!!!

Sunday I spend entirely alone. I was in a lot of pain all day, from the second I woke up. It got worse as time went by so I lay in the sun on my stomach and read. I swam a little over 2000 again then lay out at the club in the sun for a while on my back.

I'm getting caught up with email basketball scores and casework.

Hoping and praying for a positive back change.

Saturday is here

Well, week 1 of my training class is done. With a lot of information being thrown at me, I'm looking forward to more hands on next week.

My back has been a little depressing over the last couple weeks. Sitting in a classroom all week in sot helping matters much. I was forced to take Thursday off.

Yesterday I swam another easy 2000. The flip turns stung me once in a while and every once in a while I dot a stinger. mentally I was going nuts so I had to do something. Thanks to RDV Sportsplex for getting me into their facility to train.

I've been in touch with my athletes and it looks like everyone is having a great time. JT has raced a couple times already. Seth races today and the ladies are up in a month. Keep up the fantastic work everyone! I'm proud of you.

Wednesday

I swam a couple thousand this morning at 5:30. It was a "chilly" 60 something this morning and in the 20s at home. I think I'm in a great spot. I got some sun rather than eating lunch and am soaking up as many rays as I possibly can.

Class is tough and there is a ton of information. I passed the first exam so all is good.

I hope to spend more time at the health club this week and weekend. It is nice to have it so close!

Good luck to Seth this weekend at his Half Iron distance event. I wish I could do it with ya bro.

Have a great evening!!!! I hope to take some photos tomorrow and this weekend.

Coach Bones

class again

I woke up early this morning to get over to the Sportsplex by 530. the pool was 5 small lanes ans they filled up fast. Most had 2 people in them. I was the only one doing sets of over 200 and the only one doing flip turns, they didn't seem like a spunky bunch. I got my 2500 in and took off! The water was 83+ . My 1000 warm up, I was raced at lest 5 times off the wall. Even by muffin top speedo man.

No worries, I went back at lunch to put myself through an hour of my own spin class. There were at least 10-15 girls to 1 guy. Not bad odds if you were a single guy of course.

Burned belly

I made it to Florida today for a training class. The minute I got to the hotel I was in my suit and out at the pool. I spent no longer than an hour in the sun and my front side is beat red :-)

I LOVE IT! I really miss the sunshine and mentally, it makes a big difference for me. Too bad it won't cure back pain.

I look forward to some relaxation even though class will be long and somewhat boring.

Great job to JT (one of my 2008 athletes) on his PR for his half marathon yesterday! I loved hearing about that!

Good luck to Seth on his Half Iron race this weekend!

Boston Marathon Completed

Well.....

I made it. It was an extremely tough day for me. With the lack of training for the month leading up to the race, I really didn't know what to expect. I had a deep desire to qualify again here.

At the half point all was well and I was averaging right around 7:01 pace. That gave me a huge cushion to shoot for 3:15. Unfortunately around mile 15 the wheels fell off for me. My back started to restrict my stride and I just felt really low on the power side. I was being passed by people that should not have been passing me. I slowed down, planning on about another 10 seconds per mile but it just kept growing and growing.

By mile 22, I was doing all I could to just keep from walking. After the longest 4.2 miles of my life, the finish of the 112th Boston Marathon finally appeared.

We ate at Fire and Ice and absolutely pigged out after the race.

I am a little disappointed in the finish time but more so on my personal performance. Realistically, I went in severely under trained and I admit that.

I'll qualify and try it again after age 40.

One step closer to Kona. I can chalk this up to training long when things go bad.

Hey, I got the medal :-)

Thank you to Trish and Grant for coming with me. Thanks to Seth for the attaboy understanding email. Thanks again to Jayne for even making moving today possible.

Boston in the morning

Well I'm just over 12 hours away from my first Boston Marathon. Trish and Grant are off on a tour. Even with the past experiences of Pre-Ironman I still don't think Trish understands the importance of being off my feet the day before a race. I hung with them for a while but headed back early to relax.

I have to admit a little nervousness. This is something I usually coach so I know what to tell myself. The problem is this is uncharted territory for me so I'll just roll with it. I'm not thrilled about arriving several hours early to a race but I understand with 25000 people and a point to point race you have to do something to get people there.

Thanks to Jayne for taking care of me today. What a huge load off my mind.

After preparing for this race and all the travel and rushing and worrying....it is here. I cannot even begin to imagine what Kona will be like. A dream to come true.....

Well, here we go. I'll write after the race.

Grant is sporting my jacket

This afternoon, we just hung out. Trish was not feeling well so Grant and I went to the pool while she napped. We all walked up to the pharmacy to get vitamins and medicine for her.

We met Brian Bess and Dick Miles for dinner in Boston. We hit Massimanos. It was a little steep for our wallets but we did what we could tomorrow we'll conserve a little bit. Grant's only request is ice cream.

We took the Green train home and watched emergency vehicles going crazy around the hotel across the way. Currently we are getting ready to tuck in. I'll be on the floor tonight. My sleep was poor at best last night.

Here is Grant posing in my 1st Boston Marathon Jacket.

Everybody is here in Boston

Yeah, so Lance is running Monday. While we were walking around the expo, at the Craft booth, we ran into Tim DeBoom!

There is a ton of stuff to see here and the expo was crowded and a little overwhelming. We spent a ton of money and time there this morning. I had a great time at the Brooks booth and will most likely be back tomorrow.

Yesterday was the first time Trish and Grant had ridden public transportation.

This has already been a really expensive trip.

Hey, we had to do it once.

Here is Natalie from Craft. She was a ton of help! Thanks Natalie!

Last Run

Last night I was able to get in a fantastic afternoon stroll with Amanda. I had to get in one last run before I left for the race to break in new shoes, ease my mental side and to close a chapter on training for the event. Nice 7 and thanks for the company Amanda as well as driving cross-country to meet me

It was absolutely gorgeous out! Tank top and tri shorts weather. A little breezy but we had a great time none the less. I look forward to more of those. Amanda......have a very good race this weekend. Push yourself and have fun with the event.

I'm heading to Boston in the morning and starting to smile already!

Hopefully I can post some photos after we get there.

De Soto Sports says "Yes"

Very happy day! De Soto Sports is now a participating sponsor for me for the 2008 season! I just received word. This makes me very happy. I have worn their tri clothing since my very first race. It is a staple for training, racing as well as....well just about everything I do tri related.

http://www.desotosport.com/

Thanks guys!

A nice swim morning

Of course last night I needed to get some quality sleep. I was a little miffed about the Kona lottery. As I watched the Pistons smoke their competition and used my medicine ball, I could think of nothing other than what I would have been doing if my name would have shown up on that sacred list.

I was up until shortly after 11 reviewing my athlete's plans and checking on their goals for the week. 4:08am rolled around a little bit too early and after a little warm blanket pep talk, I was up and out of bed. I knew what was to come but was oddly excited about it.

My lane was free and I jumped in and went for it. I paced very well for the long warm up set and didn't let ding dong with 75 pool toys on and a snorkel racing me off every other wall bother me. Honestly, he looked like "Tin Cup", with the shanks, in the pool. People came and went and I watched the colorful sun rise through the glass of the Michigan Athletic Club.

Outside of a few foot/calf cramp problems the swim went well and I was happy with my effort. 5200 meters was a nice swim. I cannot wait for the lake to get above 60. I'm all over that this spring.

Life for me right now revolves around figuring out when my bike will arrive. I have been waiting soooooooo long for it to come in. At least there are 2 other sports to train for and I always have the exciting trainer.

Good job to JT in the pool this morning! Thanks to my family for the consoling yesterday.

No Lottery Slot Again :-(

Well, my dreams of winning a lottery slot to compete in the 2008 Triathlon Championships in Kona, on my actual 39th birthday are officially gone.

There was only one person from Michigan even picked. Again this year there were no winners with a last name that starts with "Y". Several with "W" but nothing at all after that.

I had a real glimmer of hope this time just because of the special year and everything. I'm frustrated now!

I taught Spinning this morning and will mess around with some core work this afternoon. Yesterday's 10 mile run went okay. I didn't feel that great but averaged 7:02 pace for the run, including a long, slow warm up.

A long swim is planned for Wednesday morning.

Cold, Soggy Weekend

After a couple nice, warm spring-like days the reality of Michigan hit again. It was cold , raining and snowing this weekend. Sunday, I rode the trainer for almost 2 hours then did some core work.

I spent the afternoon with the kids and watching Ironman Arizona on line. I worked with my athlete's plans as well as wrote some new workouts. As long as the sun continues to rise, we continue to train. Even if it doesn't, we'll find a way!

This morning was a 3500 swim. All went well other than the dreaded foot/calf cramp. Yes, the kind where each one of your toes points in a different direction. Fun, Fun fun!

Have a nice day! Boston in 1 week!

Sponsorship deal

I was recently contacted by Rudy Project and have sent in the paperwork for a sponsorship slot through them. I am excited about being able to represent them in an official capacity. Check out www.e-RUDY.com for the current line of awesome eye wear and helmets as well as to locate a Rudy dealer near you.

We are off to the mall. I hope to get a run in tonight.

Friday = Swim Day

This morning was a tough one to get out of bed at 4:08. The rain was pouring and it was below 40 degrees. Fortunately, I came to my senses and rolled off the floor and onto my feet. I headed to the Michigan Athletic Club, just a few minutes late and arrived shortly after 5am to the pool deck.

I starred at the grease board that I wrote my first long swim of the season on. I was shocked no one had written over it. Anyhow, I jumped in and headed off into the first long warm up set. It was a strong 1500 meter warm up followed by ladder sets, followed by some speed work to boost my endurance.

4300 went by like FOREVER but I got it all in. No aches and pains from the swim and life moves forwards.

Still no news on my ordered Kuota Kueen K.

Have a great weekend!

Nasty Sunday

Poor Collin, the boy in the photo with Kona (last post) god food poisoning Friday and Saturday. We ate the same thing on Thursday night. I could be a stomach virus of some sort too.

By Sunday, I was throwing up and had violent chills and sweats. Monday I was off work in in bed. As of today, I am still dizzy and still don't really have a huge appetite.

I taught spinning Tuesday then tried to run in the afternoon. I had nothing, too much energy lost throwing up and NOTHING to replenish. This morning's swim was just okay. It may just take a few days to get through all of it.

I'm off to bed!

All my athletes are doing great! Seth, JT, Jayne and Jodie!!!!!! AWESOME!

Kitty pix

Here she is. The kids are in heaven!

Kona?

Well, yesterday I did something I never thought I would do. I gave in and Trish and the kids got a kitten. She is 12 weeks old and her name is Kona. She's a long-haired "Ragdoll" and is white with gray blotches all over her. I took some photos of her this morning and I will post then shortly.

I jokingly told Trish what we should name her. She said she had already though of it and that was that. Welcome 'Kona Young'.

The last couple days, my back has been absolutely horrible. This morning I used the inversion table and almost passed out my back hurt so badly. I took some ibuprofen and Trish tried to massage it somewhat. Knowing Boston is around the corner makes this all so tough.

I went out and ran 10. Things were out of sync and I felt bad. 7:32 pace was about all I could come up with. I wanted to run 16 today but it looks like the table and electro stim are in the future for this afternoon.

It is sunny and 60 here today!

Finally Home

I made it home after a tough flight home. The guy in front of me smelled like he hadn't taken a shower in months! It was utterly disgusting and very RUDE! I spent the whole flight with my nose covered with a gum wrapper and in my jacket.

I ran and lifted a little on Wednesday.

My last long run before Boston is Saturday. I also will take my old road bike off the trainer. It is supposed to be 60 degrees out tomorrow. No one seems to know where my new bike is at. I'm ready for that in a big way!!!!

Follow Up

After working on some athlete plans and a nice whitefish dinner, I took a short snoozer. Following that up was lovely treadmill 5k.

My back is a little sore. It's not an intense sharp pain but just a little nagging pressure feeling. I can't begin to tell you how much I want to be able to give 100 percent. Right now it just isn't there. I just have to continue to be smart.

With my first Boston Marathon just around the corner, I can't think of anything other than getting to Hawaii. I know it sounds spoiled but that is my dream. I have given up on two previous dreams in my lifetime and I refuse to make it a third. This one will come true and I will keep pushing to get there.

Godspeed

Brutally Boring

I'm in Chicago for a couple days on annual leave. It's of course pouring rain and thunder/lightning here, oh yes, and windy too. I ran on the treadmill this morning for about an hour. I treadmill run maybe 5 times a year max! After that found a recumbent bike and just zoned out listening to music and watching ESPN. I did a few minutes of core work and MUST start incorporating that in from now on if I want to get this back healed.

I miss warm weather and am ready to start riding that new Kuota Kueen-K.

I'm still working on my schedule.......everything of course revolves around the Kona lottery, which I will hear about on April 15.

Have a wonderful week,

Bones

Finally Some Sun

JT and I set out for a 13 mile run this morning at about 10:30am. It was a little cool upon departure but we warmed up enough to lose the gloves by mile 8. Thanks to JT for bringing the pockets.

We had a decent run after we cooled down after the hot start. Our final pace was about 7:33. All in all, a very nice run after we had all that snow the other day.

Have a nice night.

Short and Sweet

The weather has been really strange here the last few days. One day it is 25 and snowing and the next it is 45 and sunny.

Yesterday afternoon, I ran 5 with Jayne, an athlete that signed on for coaching this year. I look forward to working more with her and watching her have a great season!

This morning, at 5:30am, I met with Amanda and went for a 5 mile run. about 1.5 miles into it, it started to rain. It really didn't matter. We had a great time and it is always nice to get a run in early! With all the early morning swimming and spinning, I usually save my runs for the afternoon. When summer rolls around, that also ensures for a nice heat of the day run.

THANKS LADIES!

There was an article in the Greater Lansing Women's Magazine this month, featuring the special spinning class I recently instructed at the MAC.

I'm off for the rest of the day. Saturday morning, I'll run the 15 with another new athlete, JT. He's preparing for a half marathon so at this point in his training, his speed should be up there.

Have a good one!!!

Rain/Snow/Rain/Snow and Wind!

Okay, so much for spring. It was downright nasty out here today. Luckily, I was indoors and did a short swim before class. The 50 minutes spin class went well. The room was full. All but a couple bikes were being ridden. I had a lot of regular members plus some new ones.

After we briefly warmed up, we were finally able to settle into the workout. It is really fun for me to see the light bulbs go on when people realize why we are performing certain sections. That makes it all worth while.

I have a long swim in the am and a run planned in the pm with a new athlete. I have a decent tempo 15-mile run planned for Saturday morning. That will give me an idea where my speed is at.

Night all!

Yeah, I'm a sucker

While I love fast cars, yet my new bike is worth more than my current car (and almost as fast), I felt bad for Trish. Her rusty mini-van was nothing but trouble the last couple months. Either I pulled the plug and spent more than I had or let her drive around in a rat trap.

Collin requested an odd gift for his 8th birthday. I love it!!!! Check it out....... this photo brings me back a few years. A future vet and a bass player. Sorry about the PJs.

Cold Monday

After a long weekend, I was not looking forward to returning to work. It was a VERY busy day an I was just looking forward to it's end. Endless paperwork and not enough time to do everything I needed to do.

I found out yesterday, I cannot make homemade frosting worth a darn. Oh well, it looked good anyhow.

I ended up riding the trainer at a solid TT pace for 1 hour. This morning I swam 3000 as my typical 1000 warm up followed by 10x100 on the 1:50. After that I closed it out with 5x200 plus a short cool down.

Tomorrow I run longer and will run a quicker long run this weekend. After that, I am planning on getting rested up and decrease my long runs for Boston.

It may hit 40 tomorrow Whooooohoooo!

Night

Happy Easter!

Have a happy and safe Easter everyone!

It's Trish's birthday so nothing too much going on for the day. Relaxation and probably another cold, 10-mile run this afternoon.

With Boston coming up, I'm hoping to have some decent weather to run in. Where did the sun go?

Dark Run

Well after an evening of vodka and 80s tunes, I got my run over with. I had a tough afternoon but all in all everything is well. I finished my run after dark and under 7:30 pace.

Night all!

Daily Workouts and Food for Saturday, 3/22/08

So far I have a one hour trainer ride and a 7 mile, slowpaced run for Saturday.
My immediate food plans are coffee in the am and some chicken for dinner.