Easy vs. Hard

I don't really know why, but some activities are just really easy for me to do, motivation-wise, and I end up doing them all the time. But other activities are not so easy and I have a hard time getting around to doing them, they just don't feel as natural.

Easy: swim, bike, run, yoga, weights, reading my current book, handstand class, checking Facebook, writing/reading blogs, playing with my new iphone (haven't you noticed my increased participation in the social network of late?), hanging out with the same one or two friends all of the time

Hard: cyclocross, volunteering, playing the guitar, acroyoga and parkour class, spinning fire, hanging out with all of my other friends, going to the movies, listening to NPR podcasts

Speaking of easy...if you haven't done so, start sharing your life using the Instagram application on the iphone, it's just a neat tool.

Bruises by Chairlift

This song pretty much inspired me to make an accompanying video. After almost nine months of not working, I'll be starting back up in two weeks, yikes. Summer is also coming to an end, and the sun/heat finally decided to make an appearance here on Sunday. I think it was Mark Twain who said something like: The coldest winter I spent was the summer I lived in San Francisco. On tap is a half ironman in Santa Cruz in September and maybe one more olympic distance race to close out the season. Ironman Cozumel is not happening, but Silverman? It's official, I'm in Ironman CDA for 2011 and if all goes well next Monday, I'll be in for Ironman Canada 2011 as well.

Make A Different Mistake, Sheesh!

This was the thought running through my head during the second loop of the marathon and at the finish (well, maybe not the "sheesh" part). My last three ironmans have gone like this: great swim, decent bike, horrible run. There are a handful of people who have watched and supported my ironman quest for the past 12 years, and I feel like I owe them an apology. I'm embarrassed that I keep making the same mistake over and over; and I wish I would just make a different mistake-maybe a decent swim, horrible bike, and great run? I feel like we have the exact same conversation after every ironman, and I question how much longer they can (or should) continue to support me in this ironman thing. But, I came up with some reasons to continue.

I've only done 6 ironmans, not much, and in the span of 12 years so it's not like I carried the fitness from one to another. I only started racing the distance again this past March after a 4-year hiatus. The best advice I've gotten thus far is that it takes 1.5-2 years of consistent ironman training and racing to nail down a PR. I'm currently at month number eight, thus my PR should come some time next summer/fall. I'm positive that I'm on track. Physically and emotionally, I'm ready to go again, and I'm currently trying to find a way to squeeze in Ironman Cozumel. And I know what went wrong on Saturday. I focused on nutrition every 20 minutes on the bike and this worked really well. However, the last 45 minutes, I lost all my fluids because the bottles did not fit on my cages, and this in turn caused me to stop eating food. I arrived to T2 with about 800 unconsumed calories still in my jersey pocket, calories that were meant for the run. This is why I slowly faded on the run and crashed hard at mile 7. I learned that there is no hard and steadfast rule as to when to start taking coke. Coke should be taken when you feel absolutely depleted, and not just at mile 18. I was absolutely depleted at mile 11 and should have started on coke rather than waiting. My third loop split was solid and equally as fast as my first loop, and this tells me I can run a marathon under 3:30 as long as I stay on top of the nutrition. Nutrition is a lot easier to fix than lack of will/desire or lack of talent.

And speaking of talent, I keep some fast company, and many of these athletes had instant success at the ironman distance. I think watching these athletes gave me an unrealistic sense of how long it would take to nail down an ironman PR. I now know this ironman quest is solely about me and my own pace. I'm not about to quit anytime soon so sit back, be patient, and enjoy the journey. Guerneville was a great trip and I think it would make a great location for a training camp. I'll leave you with some images from the trip.

Revisiting the Sabbatical

The purpose of the sabbatical was to satiate the restless part of me: the curiosity to live abroad, the obsession to race an ironman under 10 hours, and the romantic notions of traveling, meeting new people, and living a different lifestyle. Post-sabbatical, the plan was to retire from racing, be sensible and buy a home, and slow life down enough to make room for a pooch. During my long ride yesterday, I realized that the sabbatical pushed me further away from these post-sabbatical plans. I find myself even more restless, and I want to race more ironmans, visit the friends I've made abroad as well as meet even more friends, and I definitely don't want to be tied down by a home-I need the cash to travel, race, and live. And so the adventure continues.
I have to admit that pre-sabbatical, I was starting to feel my age, in other words, a bit old. I felt like I lost the spunk I had in my twenties and early thirties. Living and traveling abroad required me to meet new people on a daily basis. Unlike old and familiar friendships where you rarely need to define yourself, new friendships require you to "sell" yourself a bit; and in the process, you are reminded of who you are. I learned that I still have spunk, maybe not as much as I did when I was in my twenties, but I've got enough spunk to try new things and have a grand 'ole time. I highly recommend traveling as a means to learn what you're made of and who you are. The following are videos and images of my most memorable days during the sabbatical. I'm looking forward to viewing these videos and images when I'm much much much older.
On tap this Sunday is a speed session in the form of an olympic distance race. It's in the hood and I get to run across the Golden Gate Bridge; but I'm not looking forward to swimming in the SF bay. The focus is my ironman at the end of July so this has been a volume week. I'm not too worried as I've raced well in the past on tired legs. Also, the race looks low-key and very grassroots triathlon-love those, they always remind me of my early years in the sport.

Ian and Charisa

I wish I had been there when Charisa told her husband that she invited some guy she met on the internet to stay with them for the weekend. And I wasn't the first, she did the same with Ian when they first met in the blog world. But I think Bree's Kona coffee mac nut carob chip cookies made a good introduction. Too funny. For those of you unfamiliar with these two, they are newly minted pro triathletes. But because they both still have full time jobs, I see them more as age-groupers who aren't scared to race with the pro's, and that in my book is HK (hard core). Their work ethic is inspiring, and I credit these two for pulling me out of my retirement from ironman racing. The original plan was for me to join in on one of their ironman volume training blocks...and suffer. But their coach changed things around and instead of volume, the theme was now SPEED, and we all know speed kills. Everything felt fast this weekend, even the warm-up and warm-down. Whereas I exercise, these two train. Every workout has a purpose and parameters, like a specific pace or heart rate. Me, if I feel good, I go hard. And if I feel bad, I do what I can on that day-no rhyme or reason really. It was a blast to be a part of this type of training again, and by the end of the weekend, I think I found some speed. I also found some new training venues, some good eats, and some new and old friends. New friends Nick and Carla prepared one of the best post training brunch I've ever eaten...for 13+ people. We're talking food like: banana coconut pancakes, vegetable eggs benedict, asparagus frittata with smoked paprika, and homemade cinnamon rolls and blueberry muffins. And during a ride, I ran into an old college acquaintance, Mari Holden, who also happens to be an Olympic Silver Medalist. I will definitely be back...but only after I am over the psychological scar from sitting in LA traffic.

Home Sweet Home

No more counting of days, the sabbatical is finito and I'm home. In every other trip I can remember, I always looked forward to coming home to my own space. This time around, not so much. I guess they have a name for it, the travel bug. Looks like I may be leaving again next week for another adventure down in SO CAL. To be continued. My nieces and nephews rock and they make coming home damn fun.

Day 98: New Zealand is for Runners

If Paris is for lovers, then New Zealand is for runners. I've been treated to some amazingly beautiful running trails. And did I mention the hills? I love hills, whether it be running or biking, because you are always rewarded in the end with a great view (and downhill). My favorite run thus far is the Mt. Iron trail toward Albert Town, then along the Clutha river, and finally back into the town of Wanaka; where coincidentally, there is an ironman in mid-January, hmmm...

I fly back to Sydney tomorrow afternoon where I will spend my final two weeks in the southern hemisphere. No more holiday state of mind for me as I try to get back into shape for the Sydney Half Marathon on May 16th and the Hawaii 70.3 on June 5. I'm excited to get back on the bike after being away for exactly one month. My sabbatical is winding down and thus, I try to remain in the present and savor each day. Life is good.

Day 96: Morning Run in Queenstown