Two Days Out!

What goes through MY mind two days before Ironman?

Data, of course!

Here are some other things I am thinking about:

1. I have not been doing anything... running, swimming, biking. Okay, maybe a little. Can I still run an Ironman?

2. Upon finishing—I hope— how long will it be until I can walk again?

3. If I really, really, really love the experience, how many years will have to go by until I can convince my wife that it is time to run another one?

4. How many days do I get to wear the race t-shirt/hat/cape/every other piece of gear that I will purchase to prove that I ran this race before it is really lame?

5. How long do I get to talk about Ironman after my event before I become "that guy" to my coworkers?

I went out on a half hour run last night at 9:00 p.m. I had just come home from work, got the kids in bed, and my body was just itching to get out there and run. I really had to dial it back, because I felt like a racehorse chomping at the bit to sprint.  That's good, right?


As my triathlon season comes to a close, want to use this post as an opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me this year. Let's start with the obvious:

1. My family: You have been incredibly supportive and PATIENT supporting me as I logged countless hours away from home. We have sacrificed a lot together—thank you!    p.s. Huge family activities planned for the months of October and November.

2. My sponsors: especially the fine folks at crankskins.com—whose coolest company slogan ever, "Wrap Your Crank" has been the subject of numerous emails, blog fodder, and safe sex education classes this entire season, Blue competition bicycles for making me much faster than I really am on the bike, Lazer Helmets, and H20 Audio. Thanks for ensuring that I could actually take part in a sport that I absolutely love without mortgaging my home, getting divorced, and not holding a baked good sale once a week.

3. My blog readers and follower: I have gotten amazing motivation, training tips, psychotherapy, the occasional chastisement, and encouragement from all of you. Thanks for reading, and following along with me. I've loved your comments and your words of wisdom.

Okay, updates from the site to come!

Train smart!

The Blue, The Build, The Bullet

Something old, something new, Something borrowed, something BLUE. This age-old saying does not merely apply to brides on their wedding day, but to owners of Blue bicycles everywhere. 


Something Old: Me, and riding a road bike in triathlons for the last three seasons.


Something New and Blue: My Blue Triad. 


Borrowed: The talents of bike shop owner Dave Silloway and his cast of peculiar mechanics that work with him at  The Bike Zone  in Rochester, NY


The question was, who is going to put it together. "Why, anyone can put together a bike Mark. What's the big deal?" you ask. The big deal is that my new Blue has an integrated seat post. That means the seat mast is actually part of the frame. There is nothing to slide up and down inside the post. One piece of carbon. One very expensive piece of carbon. Cut the seat mast too far, and well... you're in trouble. Most bike designs alla Trek, Felt have seat masts that slide inside the post. If you mismanage the cut, you are out a $75 piece of carbon, not the entire frame. Frames get pricey, or so I'm told. Why the integrated seat post you ask? Why, aerodynamics of course. I am liable to shave a few millionths of a second off of my bike.


I bought my first ride—a Trek Madone 4.5—from Dave  (relax wifey, when I say "my first ride—" this is not going to start the purchase of a long string of rides I need for various biking  activities. But just in case you want to get me a really nice present for my birthday/anniversary/Christmas, or you are secretly planning a triathlon shower before Rev 3: Cedar Point, or any other time in our marriage, here are some bikes I would like to add to my arsenal:


Blue cyclocross
A really shiny urban-yuppy single speed 

I asked Dave to build my ride because of his experience, and because he is a rider. More, two of the top triathletes in the area entrust their bikes with him.
Let's meet the dude who built my ride:

Name: David Silloway
Age: Ageless

First Bike: 20" Huffy with motorcycle style banana seat

How did you get into riding: My brother rode BMX with all his buddies, and I wanted to do it too, because I thought it was cool

How long have you been riding: I started racing BMX when I was 13. I've done a couple of mountain and road bike races since then

Favorite Bike You've Ever Owned: A 24" Hutch BMX Cruiser. When I was a kid I spent a lot of time on that bike. I raced it, rode everywhere I had to go. It took me everywhere. I also dig my new Calfee.

How many bikes have you owned in your lifetime: Depending on how you look at it, either 20, or 18,000.
Favorite Ride: Highlander 100 miler. This is a tough ride that works its way through the Finger Lakes area. A lot of steep climbs in and out of the bluff. 
Some cool stuff you might want to know: Red Ribbon Aids Ride from August 18-22. It traverses 420 miles and tours the Finger Lakes region. It is a tough ride.

Beer of choice: Stout. This is  very important. There are two people that I think you should keep very happy. Your bike mechanic, and your librarian. Let's just face it, Dave is responsible for making sure I'm fast and safe. My librarian is responsible for making sure I am free from ginormous fines. Coincidentally, my librarian Gerry is a world-class photographer and took the last picture in this post with my Blue. If indeed you want to get on Dave's good side, I would recommend bringing him a beer. Dave likes Lion's Stout, a beer, I think, I proudly introduced him to.

Now, to the much anticipated bike build. I dropped off the bike for him on a Tuesday and the bike shop was swamped. You know, western New York, short riding season. Everyone wants to get their bikes tuned up and out there to enjoy the tiny window we have to enjoy the season. After the busy weekend, I came back into the store because Dave said he had put my bike together. This is what I saw as I was walking up to the shop entrance:

Now it was time to cut the seat mast—which in its original, uncut, size L position, is well suited for someone, say...8'4. 

I had complete faith in Dave. I was not worried at all. Not even for a minute:

This was after the initial cut. Dave took two more cuts to ensure the right seat mast height.

After the initial cut, Dave made two more. 

All this cutting can make a man thirsty. If you are in and around The Bike Zone, drop in and bring Dave a beer. Good Beer. Like:

Dave likes beer. 

After some cuts, Dave had the aerobars on, and was trying to talk me into giving him the bike:

Okay, here is mechanic Chris with Dave having a rather philosophical discussion  concerning something I had absolutely no idea about. Seriously, they might as well have been speaking in Bushman Click, Sanskrit, or pig-Latin, but they were gravely serious, and were going on and on about casing and wires, and where to cut. In the end, I am glad they took the time to get it right. It would have been bad converting my Blue into a single speed. It would have seemed like far too aero a frame for a commuter bike.

After all that hard work, Dave would love to enjoy a beer, perhaps this one:

Since bringing the bike home on Sunday, I've put in about 150 miles on this puppy. My Blue is fast. I went out for a nice easy ride on Friday with Alexa who will soon be sporting some nice, new, hot pink crankskins on her Cervelo. Nice. Adam and I went out for a nice 56 miler yesterday. I will not even come close to bottoming out this puppy like I did my compact double 50/34 on my Madone. I was mashing it on some straights with the wind yesterday, and I had plenty more gearing to go through.

I would like to thank David Silloway for building my new rig and all the fine folks at The Bike Zone. Dave will soon be expanding The Bike Zone at its new location on 2100 Ridge Road West in Rochester, NY. He sells Trek, Raleigh, and will be selling Felt's in the new location. When you swing by, bring him a beer, like this one:

Remember, Dave:

Beer:

Dave:

Beer:

Thanks Dave! 

Isn't she pretty? Alexa has named her Cookie Monster. What say you?

Giveaway: Check out Kelly's totally cool giveaway at trimommylife!

Train Smart!

Achieving Qi With Index Cards

There exists a delicate balance between the amount of training that I can endure, and my body's ability to actually withstand and tolerate that training. It is sometimes physical, but more often psychological. I believe mental fatigue from the rigors of la vie quotidienne play the largest part in determining my  physical well being. There are times when I can actually fool my body into doing more than it is capable of physically, if I am mentally neutral—the state that I define as not being overwhelmingly mentally fatigued. Ironically, I am actually most susceptible to crash and burn if I am overly eager to get in a workout. I think that the anticipation of the actual workout takes some energy. It is like the wait for the swim the morning of a triathlon. My body needs just the right amount of micromanaging in order for it to not rebel and want to sit in front of the television watching reruns of Golden Girls.

The last three or four weeks have been incredibly difficult in terms of training. Here is what has been going down:

1) Busy at work
2) Finishing some gigantic projects/starting NEW gigantic projects
3) Left shoulder feels like it might dislocate at any moment while I am swimming
4) I have five children
5) I have five children that I would like to spend time with
6) The weather has been consistently terrible to go out for a ride, and I do not feel like putting my rig back on the trainer
7) I have been going to bed too late because I am up trying to catch up on projects
8) My wife feels it is necessary that we spend at least ten minutes every night talking
9) Remodeling two bathrooms in the house
10) Giving and grading final exams

I literally saw no end in sight to the mountainous amount of work I had going on, but it is beginning to thin out here recently. My saving grace? 3X5 index cards. Honestly. Everyday I spend time writing down everyone I have to email, mail out scores to, and errands I have to run through the course of my day (as I remember them.) Some of these errands make lists on consecutive days until they are finished. It feels really good to be able to cross anything off that list.

Okay, instead of getting crazy about not getting to get in my scheduled workouts during the 36-week commandments of training, I asked my friend Kelly over at trimommylife what could be done since I am still under a little bit of stress. She recommended that because I am not getting in the volume that I would like these last couple of weeks—especially with the swimming—she suggested I ought to aim for making every workout a higher intensity. That is exactly what I did. Last Thursday I ran a 20:48 5K. Then Friday and Saturday I ran two consecutive 8 milers (8.5 on Saturday at an 8 minute pace.) Sure, not blazing fast, but still faster than I was running last year at the mileage. I hit the gym for some weight training yesterday. It was the first time I've hit the weights since starting Ironman training back in January. The result? I am having trouble walking up and down the stairs today.

Cousin Matthew is coming up this weekend to begin the Summer Beatdow..... er training. Matt had a serious relapse this past year and put on some serious weight as a result—a good twenty-five pounds—and the number on the scale is steadily rising. His problem? Plain and simple: he drinks alcohol, gets three sheets to the wind, and then runs out for fast food at 1 a.m. while hammered. That is pretty much a recipe for disaster. One obvious solution for weight loss is to avoid the empty calories found in alcohol by NOT getting snookered off your rocker. Sure, I imbibe from time to time in a nice glass of wine, the occasional beer (or three, and it is rare that I will ever have more than two beers.) Two beers and I am done—cheap date. Getting back to Matthew, he will not have the opportunity to drink this summer. He is going to eat better, and his only form of transportation will be his two legs or a bicycle. I am pretty brutal when it comes to "Fat Camp." Fat Camp is not fun, and being the sadist that I am, I do not mind inflicting pain and suffering upon someone if I know it is all for the greater good.

The cycling is not going as well as I would like it right now. What the heck May! Really.... forty degrees in May?! I mean honestly, what gives? My training parter Mike said we should try to get in the lake soon  as I have a tri coming up on 6 June and we are both eager to start training in open water without all the chlorinated, 92 degree water that we are use to. The next day or two after he mentioned that, he told me that he looked up the lake temperature and it was 46 degrees. Forty six! I would have to put a wetsuit on top of my wetsuit to get in water that cold.

I have some VERY exciting news to announce in my next post, which coincidentally will now be a little more frequent as I have passed the proverbial hump of the insane end of the year work load.

Okay, more soon. Train Smart!

Stomach Bug and Numbers

Last night I called my Crankskins team members; Manuel, Scott and Adam and made plans to meet them at the Y at 11:00 for our  thirty five minute bike ride followed by an hour run outside. Things don't always go according to plan. Last night Julian came down with the stomach bug and was up all night. I am the only one in the family who has managed to somehow miraculously escaped the stomach bug. Still, I am keeping my fingers crossed the next couple of days.

Alaina had a three hour rehearsal today, so I called up everyone this morning and told them I was not going to be able to make it. I was especially bummed out because it would have the first time we have all ran together since training for the Musselman Half Ironman last season. After July, we were all busy training for different races, except for Adam and I who ran the same triathlon to end our seasons. This year, we are all training for the Rev3 Iron Distance Triathlon at Cedar Point. Needless to say, I spent the day at home hanging out with the kids, playing games and making sure Julian felt better. It ended up being a great morning and afternoon. I spent the morning and early afternoon playing Spiderman Memory, building a LEGO AT Walker, and making some pretty delicious penne with shrimp if I do say so myself. Adam came by after his workout at the Y and brought me some nutrition for my run later (what a great training partner.)

After putting all the kids down for their naps, Luca accompanied me on his bike for my hour run. It was great fun for both of us! Early on, he kept asking me "Daddy, are you okay?  Do you need some of my water from my water bottle?" This was after I had only run a mile. Missing the training run with my teammates stunk at first, but I let me spend some time with Luca getting some exercise.

A 6:00 a.m. swim scheduled tomorrow to begin week three, then off to the office to write some music.

And now, some numbers: 

Number of yards I could swim without stopping four years ago:    75

Number of yards I've swam since 3 January 2010: 12,800

Number of children I had when I started my PhD: 1

Number of children I had when I finished my course work: 5

Number of times daily someone calls for "Daddy:"  175

Number of times daily someone calls for "Mommy:"  6 billion

Number of CD's I own: 300

Number of CD's I've purchased since 2007: 10

Number of times I've watched Star Wars: 20+

Number of times I've seen Godfather: 0

Number of Ironman Races I have attempted: 0

Number of days until my first Ironman: 237