Licking My Wounds

Well, getting blown away was a good motivator for the next couple of months to get in gear and train hard. I had a great trip to California and had an amazing homestay which i will talk about later on in this report. To break down a short and sweet race report, after fighting a cold the last two weeks, my respiratory system was suffering out there. First Open water swim of the year was rough, my siting was horrible and went off course a few times when i thought i was in good positioning, the no warmup and 50degree temperatures didnt help me. Getting out of the water coming around the corner off the ramp, i slipped and took 3 guys out with me, my head still hurts from that bail but luckily my wetsuit cushioned most of the fall. Getting on to the bike, some more rust came out going down and losing my shoe, it was very embarrasing having a spectator handing my shoe back to me, so i had to put one shoe on hope on the bike and continue riding. At this point it was a rough start and i hammered the first 30miles not loosing much time to fellow competitors actually riding in a few groups, i started to hit the wall when Steve Larson passed me but i held him off for 30miles or so, so he put a huge amount of time on me on the second half of the bike portion. So me holding him off that long i knew i was riding very strong the first half of the ride. The second half of the bike was extremely hilly and windy and i got dropped riding wiht a pack i was with and my motivation was a bit down. Riding up a monsterous climb and getting drop sucks, the worst part was i was weezzing and coafing and i had guys turning around to look back and see if there was someone dying at the back of the group, pretty embarassing. Losing 10mins soft pedaling/ cursing at my self, i came in off the bike. But i know i have to work on my cycling so it is what it is. Getting off the bike i ran a slow half marathon more for survival but later on finding out that my jogg survival pace was a 122 half, i kind of wished i hadnt cracked so i could have let it rip and seen what i could have ran. I walk away from the race with a great start to the season, it isnt on paper but alot of good things happened. I swam half decent for my first openwater cold swim, i was able to ride the same pace as the leaders for 35miles or so, even with some transition area problems. And my run is going well, because my 155hrt jogg survival half marathon was 122 not the 145-or 2hours it felt like. I have a lot of work to do on the bike to make sure i am ready for the season but its early and it is what it is. I think i was 30th or something and 4:23, not good but respectable for being sick and early season. NO excuses though, it is what it is and i am stronger today for finishing and not throwing in the towel.

Now back to the best part of the trip, my homestays. David and Kelly Rideout where amazing, and the odds of me landing them as a homestay was incredible. After establishing that i was from Canada not Kentucky or Kansis, we started to talk and they asked me if i knew Mike Hay and Dave Harju, and we had some great stories and it is a small world. Then they told me about Jocelyn and Jullien some Canadians they hosted for an ITU race a while back, and yup i knew them and had some funny stories. David is getting ready for a bike Timetrial across the USA and has been racing triathlons far before i was born. It was one of the healthiest families i have ever met, Kelly raced marathons and there daughters did triathlons and it was really motivating to see such a healthy and fit family. The whole time i was there i was treated like i was one of there own, and this is truely incredible because everytime i took a bite of food, something hit the floor and Kelly didnt loose her cool once, i for sure thought i was going to be sleeping out with the dogs after a few occassions. They were truely amazing, and next year i would like to be alot fitter and prepared when i go back. Andrew was another athlete staying with his wife Mary. They were wicked cool and Andrew is the guy from the power bar ads in about every magaizine for the last year, i knew i recognized him from somewhere, and Mary was a very fast marathon runner who was in a crash and had a cast on her foot. We tried not to talk about running because she isnt able to go to trials because of the cast.

If i had to highlight my trip it was the Rideout's and there great hospitality, even though i was down from the race i had a great time, and my first trip to In and out burgers on sunday was unreal. This burger chain in southern cali was so cool. Next year i hope to return as long as they enjoyed my stay, i was a bit messy but i hope i wasnt too big of pain. Anyways i am pretty sore, from the wetsuit, the falls, the hills the winds and the slow half marathon, but i am stronger and roaring to go. The next few months i will be JFCing to make sure i am ready to ride, the picture from above, is part of the sleeping Indian, my new hilly secret training location. It was a great race with Andy and Crowie, and i was especially empressed with Brandon Marshes Race, he had a great race. After writing this blog i am starting to go through Cali withdrawls, pretty sad.

Thanks for reading,

Thanks for reading.

Off to California

Good week so far, a couple of good sessions, I had a great swim workout on Monday, did a threshold swim holding best time averages, so know excuses for Oceanside not to be up with the main group.
Monday swim- M.S short and sweet with short rest, went 400m(4:46, 300m(3:42),200(2:23),100-107 arms dead, got mad pushed another 100 (1:05). So i am swimming well being tired but it doesnt mattter what you do in training it matters what you do in the race, so i hope to swim well at Oceanside.
A couple of good bike sessions this week, another good brick with 5x5mins at race pace holidng 250-260watts the wattage i need to hold 40-42kph on a flat course with my bodyweight at 134. Wattage seemed good, so i am hoping all is well, i am gradually improving but i know i am going to have to suffer out there with those animals on saturday. A couple of good run workouts, 1 track 1 brick a couple of easy runs, an aerbobic swim. Today i had a good day, 30minute run and a swim workout with 5x150m race pace, 150 easy, and 8x50 at race pace, and some other stuff. Then i had a great opportunity to meet a legend Jim Hoyt who owns Richardson Bike Mart in Texas and originally sponsored lance and helped him out. Thanks to jack i got to meet Jim and Jim gave me a pair of zipps to try out at Ocean side, so i need to thank Jack for helping me get that contact in short time. And i definatly need to thank Jim. It was pretty neat becauase i remember reading about Jim and that Richardson Bike Mart in "its not about the bike." Oh well i will report more when race is done.
Thanks for reading,

Carleys Secret Training

Tready
10min warmup
10minute @allout
3x1min at 9.5mph, 1minute ez
10mins hills hard
her cooldown is walking lunges with weights.
I hope she doesnt start out running me!!

Relaxing in the Midwest

After a hard track workout thursday of 6x800 holding 2:24-227 pace with short rest my legs hated me the rest of the day and the weekend. I was happy with the times in the wind but not happy with my recovery. I may be still fighting a bit of an illness. Thursday afternoon was a good swim workout and i felt like i was drowning but it was still good. The 5k workout had a mainset of 5x200 100fast/100bk
5x200 100fast/100br
5x200 100fast/100pull
it was an okay workout but there was nothing fast about these.
Friday- was a standard recovery day just including a swim of 4.5k the swim was a hard swim.
With 5x200 100swim/100pull hard on 3mins
2x200m best avg with 100ez
5x200Im 1.ez,1.fast, then a set of 2x200IM fast, 100ez between, a big warm-up and cooldown.
The rest of good friday was spent napping and watching movies.
Saturday- 90minute run averaging 3:50pace, good run but windy on trail, and legs a bit miserable. 90minute ride in afternoon more fun wind, then it was back to a big nap and early to bed. My goal for the weekend was to do my training but focus more on recovery.
Sunday- 2.5hour ride with 5x12mins at race pace, more wind, legs felt heavy but good ride, then 30minute run off bike with 1mile at 530 pace off the bike the rest was a shuffle pace for a cooldown. Then it was back to the movies and napping. Alll pools were closed for Easter Sunday so no swim was done. Later in the day i ventured out to Starbucks at Barnes and Nobel and sat with an americano and read the new Triathlete mag. Now this was interesting because on Easter Sunday after kids ate chocolate all morning, i was amazed to watch people scarf down pieces of cake in the afternoon, i even watched one person go up for seconds and these cakes were unreal, this starbucks carried cheesecake factory products from the bakery next store, but i think all of DFW was buzzing on sugar all day. I probably shouldnt talk i had a few easter eggs my self.
SO the work has been done and it is time to give my body a little rest, not much but a little this week as i am traveling to California on thursday for Oceanside. I still have a good week ahead, because i am using this race as a test to see where i am at. I hope my legs can come around.
Monday- This am i had a good track session nothing too bad, 10x150m strides, and 10x400m holding 72-74 with a 40second jogg recovery across the grass. I was happy with the times since i had tights on and i wasnt really trying to run super fast. A good cooldown and stretch.
Later on in the week i will post about my week of training and my adventures in California.
Thanks for reading.

Busy Playing

I have had a good couple of days and bounced back well from being sick, i got some light stuff in monday and tuesday and then yesterday was a good day after feeling sick monday and tuesday. In the morning was a good swim with Barrett water was warm, and fast is on spring break so we met up for a good threshold swim, we did this mainset 5x
4x50fast 10sec rest
200fast, 50ez
by the end of 5 sets my arms didnt like me.
Wednesday night i had one of my best cycling workouts to date, i did a TT on a course that i did 4 weeks ago and improved my avg wattage by 30watts, and shaved 50 seconds off my current best time. Once i recovered it was a bit of motor pacing with technique and high cadence and then some mile repeats of single leg spinning drills and a cooldown, its the first time i have averaged over 300watts for a TT so iam stoked.
Thursday am( this morning)
Good track session- 6x800m on track with 200 jogg recovery, running well and things are coming along, big warm up and cooldown.
Later oin after i get some work done and eat some easter chocoloate i will be logging a 5k swim.
Happy Easter to everyone and be safe, i will blog more after the weekends adventures, but My Easter will consist of some good training and alot of sleeping.
Thaks for reading

Good weekend

This weekend went well, Monday i woke up sick, but that is a diferent story.
Saturday- Hard 90k ride with 4x10k at race pace, quick transition, jogg to trail start and run 10k at 70.3 pace, ran just over 34mins. Pretty good because legs felt like garbage off the bike, but it felt like a pace that was tough but sustainable for half marathon distance. later on big nap and yoga.
Sunday- 85minute run on trails in am, legs a bit tight, then met up with Barrett and Mikey for a 2hour hilly windy ride, that at some points it was not enjoyable. After that it was the standard pull set sunday swim workout for 4k. Swim workout was good but, going for coffee was better afterwards. Regardless good weekend. Met up with a good buddy for dinner Sunday night had lettuce wraps, i got ill that night. Monday was spent mostly in bed, but feeling better today. This morning did a good threshold swim but felt the effects of not eating on monday and being dehydrated from being sick, once i get back to normal i will build up the rest of the week and then have a few light days before Oceanside 70.3 on March 29th.
Thanks for Reading,

Now that is a burger

Thats a 136pound burger, just beautiful. i feel like one of those after the last few days i have had of training. Monday and Tuesday a few workouts each day, nothing too bad more recovering from weekend, and logging some swimming, yesterday the fun began good hard swim in am 5k logged, cant remember what it was but it hurt, then yesterday afternoon some secret cycling training with Jack, Jack is a legend in cycling and triathlon and has been a cycling coach for years, he has also been usa triathlon race director of the year a few times but an ex Airforce/ Drill Sargent i believe, and when i workout with Jack i know to expect some good work. So yesterday afternoon we did some work on the compu trainer, the mainset was 25mile course with 9x 1mile hill repeats at different grades starting at 1% going up and then up to 5% or rep 5 and then back down to 1% the goal was cadence and efficiency and of course well over 300watts, and a pounding heart. Then it was a small cooldown and i was wrecked, had to drink a powerbar recovery shake on bike, and then was in to some single leg drills for 1 mile each leg a few times through, it was around 2.5hours of fun. But my cadence and effiecency is getting better, as well as bike position.

This morning was an ice bath. Well a track workout then a ice bath. I should call this workout the Mike Hay Special! 20minute wu, drills, 10x100m strides, then into the fun part, not too hard but short rest made it hard. Now that i add it up that was a lot of hard running no wonder i feel ill right now.

3x

3x200m on 1minute holding 33's or faster

3x300m holding 50-53 on 1:30

3x400m holding 70-72 on 1:30

400ez repeat

yup blew to peaces on last set in wind, but first hard leg turn over run, it was a good hard workout and i felt a bit ill on the 25minute cooldown shuffle.

Tonight since i have commitments at the airport, i did a good hard swim workout another Mike Special, it wasnt that hard but i was tired so it was hard enough.

Basically 400 repeats on 10seconds rest, 50m fast, 50ez, 100fast,50ez,150fast. Coming in around 5mins felt like garbage but swam faster than i thought, considering after the opening 50m. There was also some 100's,200'sand 400's at breathing 5. Need to learn not to breath too much when swimming hard. Oh well a good swim logged. Later will be a spin if i have time, but picking up Scott at airport so i will be fighting a new battle and that is traffic. Thanks for reading tommorow will be a rest day so a swim is on tap for the am, it won't be too hard, but i have a big weekend a head, so i will blog about those adventures later.

here is another good pic.

tired part 2

Saturday afternoon- i recoverd from
hypothermia, and i was off for a little cooldown run. Barrett and i ran on the trail, and it was a chill run and we were cruising along faster then i ran in the am for my hypothermia run, too bad the race wasnt in the afternoon so i wouldnt have had to stumble around like a meathead. I was just amazed that i was so usless and light headed from the cold but it remind me of how it felt coming out of some of those open water swims at Thetis.
So Saturday was a right off, alittle sprint triathlon, and a run in pm. Sunday after going to bed at 730 i woke up good to go for a little pre breakfast run of 40mins legs felt okay, then after breakfast Barrett and i met up for a 4hour ride, it ended up being 3.8hrs but tough winds the whole time. Finishing at the pool we downed some nutrition and hit a 4k swim big wu, then a pull pyrimid set, i wasnt flying but it was a good day logged, 5.75 hrs after core.
Monday- felt like garbage had a rough sleep think the after maths of my hypothermia coming. Felt good swimming which was odd for how i felt, and more importantly how rough i was starting to look. Did a 4.5k IM swim with 12x50Im, 8x100IM, and 6x200IM on 3:15, and 12x100k, felt a lot stronger with all the fly. Then later in day it was a ride, and a 45minute run before dinner, well more like a shuffle.
Tuesday-Feeling better today, 1hour run with 3x5mins at half marathon pace, good start to the day i will blog about the rest of the day in a few more days. I have a big couple of weeks coming up to get ready for Oceanside 70.3 at the end of March. Last weeks totals were solid with alot of intensity. 22k swimming, 300+ of riding, 70k running, and a light headed sprint triathlon in 24degree weather. Not a bad week, just need to stay healthy over the next two weeks.
Thanks for reading

hypothermia

Well, tried to race today, it was 27degrees and a pool swim. Well little sprint, got the lead out of transition area, froze on bike, almost crashed twice. Half way through the bike i thought about stoping, i was shaking so bad with the wind chill that i couldnt get into my aerobars on the rough road. Getting off the bike, i still had lead but lost a lot of time on bike, tried to run but fell shaking putting on shoes, 1mile into run, i was passed by a crosscountry runner but it didnt phase me, i was a mess but wanted to finish, i tried stopping but i was shaking and felt horrible, i couldnt put one step in front of the other. Oh well, finished the race by walk running to finish, but spent sometime warming up in medical and in hot tube. I thought the race was going to be changed to a duathlon, oh well a good story not a bad workout. I dont think i will ever do a pool swim in minus degree weather again, my body just didnt respond and it is the first time i was scared for my life. Oh well i am better now recovering with a blanket. It is supposed to be 70degrees tommorow so i will have a big day but for now i am working on gettting my core temp out. Congrats to all the people who put warm clothes on and had a blast and had great races. Especially Mikey who really looked good out there.
Cheers and thanks for reading.

Congrats Ryan

Dear Ryan,
When you are 50 and finally join the real world and work, i may need your assistance. Just joking buddy congrats on getting into orthopedic in Calgary. You will do great, and even though you will have 3 kids and a senior citiizen discount when you get out of the program i will need your assistance and i will pass all of my injured multisport athletes your way. I know that i will have knee trouble, so dont forget those nike golf clubs i got you last year. Anyways dude your the man, you need a hair cut but your still one of the smartest guys i know so congrats.
And for anyone who doesnt know Ryan Yet this is Carleys bro.
Cheers

This week has gone well, i cant wait till i start racing some 70.3 series. I have been swimming alot to make sure that i can compete at ITU races later in the year. But i have realized that i am not a fast enough runner to do well at that distance so the goal is middle distance racing, which will give me a few years to work on my running, and progress as an athlete. News papers blow stuff out of portion and even though i have an olympic dream i know i need to become a fast runner if i am every going to make a major games one day in my life. For now i have concentrated on 70.3 distance racing, an ITu will be on hold untill i can run with the big boys. I had a good week, Reading Paul Tichlears blog really helped get me fired up this week, those guys are training like mad and i cant wait to watch the olympics and hope to see a repeat like Sydney.
This week was solid, Monday a big day with 3 workouts, same thing on tuesday with a bike workout including 7x5mins at a fairly steady effort, a hard AT run and a swim.
Wednesday was a good hard swim with 7x100m decending, i got down to 1:05 so that is pretty solid for me, then went 6x400m that was drill/swim fairly aerobic. Wednesday afternoon was a hard ride with Jack, we did motor pacing and it was a 2hour suffering workout ending with 3x1mile single leg drill, with 1mile between. Then a big cooldown.
Thursday was a good track workout session, running a bunch of km intervals at 5min mile pace, and some 400's and some more 1kms legs a bit sore. Then later in the afternoon had a good swim workout, 5k logged again, with 10x100m under 1:10 pace, followed by 4x5x100m all on 1:20 turn around, pretty good swim but sore afterwards.
Today is a recovery day swim and run. Tommorow i will race the Athens Sprint triathlon and hope that the large volume allows me to race fast. I will have a big weekend of training, and start a big two week training block before resting for Oceanside 70.3.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers

Good weekend, 5hour brick workout on Saturday with 3x1km hard in the run. Then a 2hour run and a 4k swim workout Sunday, a little core. It was an end to a good week, 25k of swimming just over 300k of Riding, and only 60k of running after last weeks half. I am looking forward to building up a good month of training. This morning i was a little tired, didnt sleep well because of thunderstorms that happened early am.
5k swim with a big warm-up then 5x300, 200swim/100kick on 4:30, 4x50k on 55, 5x200-100swim/100kick on 3:45, 5x50k on 50, then 5x100pull on 1:15. And a cooldown, felt slugish but swam okay. Lunch time will be a run in the rain, and later on in the day a good spin on the computrainer. The weather has been weird i got burnt with 80degrees on saturday, and now we are expecting flurrys tonight but 70 again by the end of the week. Thanks for reading.