Pengerang Malaysia Run and Bike

Just over the harbor from Singapore is Pengerang Malaysia. You can take a bum boat from the Harbor port near the Singapore airport and an hour later be on the shore of Malaysia. The following photos are from our trip to Pengerang:

 

There really isn't anything exciting in this part of the world, but the deserted roads and very very small town made for a nice get away from the big city of Singapore. While over in Pengerang, Ashley and I went for a run on the first day. On the second day, while Ashley took a GMAT practice test, I hopped on my bike (brought all the way from the US) and went out for a nice ride.

The Run:

The Bike:

Mill Creek Canyon

The first time I rode Mill Creek Canyon I wasnt able to share all the usual stats with you because I had forgotten my Garmin. Today, I woke up and went to watch the Steelers beat Favre and the Vikings. After eating far to many Nachos and having had pancakes for breakfast I thought it best to get out on my bike and repeat the Mill Creek Hill Climb from a month ago.

The start was pretty rough as my muscles were rejecting the idea of the hill climb, and it it definitely starting to get pretty cold in the canyon. The sun provided occasional relief as It poked into various parts of the canyon, but for the most part it was pretty cold. I broke out the gloves, arm warmers, and leggings for the first time this year on the bike.

The canyon goes up further than I ended up climbing but it was due to cold more than exhaustion. I made it to mile marker 6 which was the initial goal.

As Always, Garmin stats are below.

Zion National Park 24mile Ride

Justin an I drove South the Zion National Park last night following work. We departed from SLC around 5:30PM and arrived at about 11:30PM at our camp site. The trip down was interesting. First we almost ran out of gas and then we were not entirely sure where we were going to camp. Justin had been to a free campsite outside of the National Park before but the trick was going to be to find it at night. We were finally able to do so. However, finding an open spot to camp was also a challenge.

After we got somewhat set up, Justin and I loaded up the bikes and drove up the mountain road. We needed to drive because you can't ride through the tunnel that runs through the mountain. It is about 3 miles long and there isn't any lighting (other than car headlights). Once through the tunnel we drove another mile or two until we came across a good spot to leave the car. After changing, downing a few more bottles of water, packing and filling our camelbacks, and locking up the car, we took off.

Originally we were looking to do somewhere around 50 miles. However, we didn't hit the road till around 12 noon and it was soon over 90 degrees with direct sunlight. We reached about 11 miles out and decided it best to turn around. Rather than heading straight back we too a detour up a side road that led to a few ranches and took that for a few miles before turning around.

Our ride was also plagued with various stops as we each needed to work out some mechanical issues. Justin was having trouble with his speedometer and pedals. I had to make a few adjustments to my front break and seat height. However, by the time we turned around to head back those issues had been solved and we were able to ride consistently the final 15 miles or so. It is a beautiful park and I hope to post some photos in the near future for everyone. I hope to return for a little bit longer of a ride!

As always, the Garmin stats are below and the map is above!

Hartland WI Ride

I went for a ride out in Hartland WI. We left from Bob Johnson's house in the Bristlecone Pines Golf course and rode a quick out and back. Stats are below!

The MACC Trek 100

I "competed" in this year's Trek 100 event sponsored by Trek and the MACC Fund among others. The event has a 100k and 100mile course. I rode the 100k course with a friend and his family on the "I Back Jack" team. It was a an amazing event for many reasons. First, the course was one of the best designs I have ever ridden. It was said during the ride that the course designer had been out all winter marking the roads that were plowed last and had the fewest tire marks. It showed. There was very little traffic for most of the ride. Second, Trek and the MACC put the funds generated to a truely amazing cause (http://www.maccfund.org/). However, the weather could have been better. It was cold and raining the entire ride. Despite this setback everyone had high spirits and enjoyed the ride. See below for the gps map and Garmin stats :)

Sick Days

The past week has been a bad week of training on two fronts. First, the few extremely nice days we had early last week resulted in lazyiness once it got cold again. I just dont want to run on a treadmill after knowing how nice it is to run outside. Also, now that I have gotten out for a short ride on the new bike, I dont want to go to a small dark spin room. Second, the changing temperatures resulted in a bad stomach flu over the weekend and I am still attempting to fully get over it. Work in combination with being sick is not a good recipe for cardio workouts. while I feel better today, I am still fairly exausted from not eating well the past few days.

I definately believe its important to fully recover from an injury or sickness before going back into training, but today I am going to try a light and easy 5k on the treadmill. It might help to get the blood pumping and pick up my energy levels.

My nutrition has also been sub par the past week. I truely want to make a push to eat well and its is proving to be very difficult. This weekend I'll be stocking up at Sam's Club and the Local Market, so anyone out there with some advice on nutrition.... let me know now. Otherwise, I see a lot of chicken, eggs, and talapia dishes in my future.

I am not going to post the workout plan for the last week, because I didnt do it. I know, I know, not good, but its time to get back on the indoor bike and treadmill for a little while longer.

The New Bike

I have recently purchased a brought home a new Trek Equinox TTX 9.9 for the coming season.  I have only had the pleasure of riding it on my indoor trainer, but am already in love with the bike.  The difference between a road position and a tri position is immense.  I can feel the relaxation in my upper body as my legs are allowed to pound away.  I was able to get my hands on a 2008 model meaning a major discount at this time of year.  The one and only difference between the 2008 and 2009 is the color.  While I originally didn't want silver, I am already in love with it after a few hours.  Anyway, I need to go back and ride the bike more!

Frame	OCLV Black Carbon
Fork	Bontrager Race XXX Lite TT, carbon
Wheels
Wheels	Bontrager Race Lite Aero
Tires	Bontrager Race X Lite TT, 700x23c, folding
Drivetrain
Shifters	SRAM TT Aluminum
Front Derailleur	SRAM Force
Rear Derailleur	SRAM Force
Crank	SRAM Force 53/39
Cassette	SRAM 1070 11-23, 10 speed
Pedals	n/a
Components
Saddle	Bontrager Race Lite TT
Seat Post	Bontrager Race XXX Lite TTX, carbon
Handlebars	Bontrager Race X Lite Aero Carbon Bullhorn w/Bontrager Race Lite clip-ons
Stem	Bontrager Race X Lite, 7 degree, 31.8mm
Headset	Cane Creek IS-2 Integrated w/cartridge bearings, sealed, alloy
Brakeset	Bontrager Speed Limit w/Bontrager Race XXX Lite Aero levers

Why do an IronMan?

I think that one consistent piece of every triathletes training and race day is that he or she knows why they are competing.  However, this motivating factor is not always easy to put into words.  Just as I believe it is important to have tangible written goals, I think it is important to examine one's reason for training for and competing in an IronMan event.

That being said, I can not seem to put my reason for competing into words.  I think I grew up on athletic competition, especially in Lacrosse, and miss the pure exhilaration I got from competing and also from winning.  Throughout college I tried every sport ranging from skiing to surfing to skydiving.  However, I have come back to the basic acts of swim, bike, and run, and found a way to push myself mentally and physically to be a more driven individual.

MSE Triathlon Camp Day 3

The camp is now over, and just in time to head back to work tomorrow :(.  The final day really pulled everything together for me.  Our schedule was simple:

7-8 Breakfast

8:30-9:45 Swim Drills (more doing today and less learning) + 5 50s on 1min15

9:45-10:30 Open Water swimming

11-12:15 Spinning with Nathan

Lunch, Q&A, Closing

So while it was a simple day, I was really able to get a lot out of the swim.  First, I go a half decent swim workout in.  Second, Dwight was able to work with me a little bit on getting mroe power out of my stroke.  By turning my hip more and stretching out my pull hand, I'll better be able to use my core to snap back and get a more effective pull.  I look forward to working on that in my next few pool workouts.

Spinning was great because it felt terrible.  I have been an All Star on the spin bikes at the gym, but there isn't any substitute for your bike on a trainer.  It was without a doubt more difficult if only because I think it forces you to use slightly different muscles.

That was that.  I dont think I will be enlisting any of the coaches for training plans.  I feel that I was able to get good enough high level advice on training plans that I can work out my own.  Monday and Tuesday will be rest days this coming week and I'm going to be using that time to build the year long plan.  So far three races on the horizon (Passionman Tri Bucknell, High Cliff 1/2 Iron WI, and FL Ironman 140.6).

MSE Winter Tri Camp, Day 2

I'm going to break this post down into a few sections because of the immense amount of things I learned and experienced today. I will warn you now its a long post.

First, I want to comment on the overall skill level of those attending. My initial assumptions were totally off. I assumed that the people who would attend a tri training camp would be experienced. Yes, its billed as an all levels event. But, that was my assumption none the less. This is not the case. The average skill level is low. I had expected to be one of the least in shape and experienced athletes and find myself closer to the top. This in itself would not be a bad thing, however, there hasn't been any group work based on skill level. I don't want to sound snobby here because I really do enjoy everyone at the event, but I quickly tired of catching people in the pool after 10 yards. But thats enough of that. Now on to the excellent stuff thats been going on.

The Morning
The coaches mentioned in my last post continue to prove themselves to be excellent mentors and knowlegable athletes. We started the day with some dynamic stretching where I continue to learn little things I do wrong on a regular basis. After breakfast we headed into the pool, where Dwight ran through an extensive amount of swim drills with us. I would dive underwater to watch his demonstrations and his form was awesome to see. The drills I knew, but I got some excellent on site feedback on ways to tweak my personal stroke during various drills. We also had our swim taped from underwater head on, underwater from the side, and above water. I am very pleased to say that when reviewing my stroke, Dwight didn't have much immediate feedback. He wants to work a bit more with me tomorrow on really harnessing the power of my body rotation during the stroke, so look for a report on that tomorrow.

Next up were some running drills aimed at teaching us how are foot should be striking the ground. I can only describe it by saying that you should land on the middle (ball) of your foot using a hamstring pull. I am sorry but Im still wrapping my head around the details deeper than that. We also video taped the run. Now, I have never claimed to be a good runner. In fact, I hate running (although I'm beginning to like it more, shh). I was still unprepared for what I saw on the running video. I do was called extreme pronation. This is only visible in slow motion from behind, and appears to be mostly on my right foot. In order to work on this, I need to focus first on landing on the balls of my feet in that sweeping hamstring pull motion. Next, I need to look at a shoe change (which is depressing because I just bought these shoes).

Im losing focus on this post so I'll stop it here. We also did some cycling and nutrition which I will try to remember to post about tomorrow, but probably not. Also, on a gear note, I really want the Garmin 405 (might have to settle for the 305 ;), and I still want the Equinox TTX 9.9 SSL. Our coach Nate has the 2008 version. Awesome.

MSE Triathlon Camp, Day 1

Normally I struggle for what to write about here, but this weekend will definitely be an exception. I am participating in the MSE Winter Tri Camp in Green Bay WI.

So far I am happy with the coaches (Nathan Ennis, Brian McWilliams, and Dwight Sandvold). They all bring very different skills to the table. Dwight has experience. Its as simple as that. He has been around the sport longer than I have been alive and been in over 100 events. Brian is what I picture when I think of a really good trainer. For instance, in his Plyos today, he was able to make minor form tweaks that really improve the effect of the core exercise. In addition he has an endless bag of variations. We have yet to hear from Nathan, but we were told a story about he set a goal of 10 hours for his first Ironman, which is my goal. I definitely want to hear more about how he trained for that goal.

I'll repeat my intro to the group here. "My one word to describe myself would be "impulsive." The reason I am starting with that word is because its what got me into the sport in the first place. One summer, about 2 years ago, I was in Boulder CO, walked into a bike store, and left with a $2000 bike. I cycled for a while, but when I recieved an email from my mother about a local 1/2 iron man in 3 weeks, I put together a relay team and we competed about 2 weeks later. The rest is history, but I'm here to continue my transition from impulive to consistancy and get to those big races."

Im looking forward to tomorrow and resting up watching the Tour de California time trial. Lance just took off!

Week's Training Log Review

Sunday:  Off Day, Go Steelers!!!!!!

Monday: Spin 4:30-7.  First 30mins warm up on my own.  5-6 Spin Class:  I was able to push myself harder during this hour than on past Monday's which really made the 6-7 spin class with Joanie that much more grueling.  I still asked for 30-45 second pick ups each time, but certainly couldn't feel my legs after about 15 mins.  The thing that Joanie doesn't let you do is slow down.  And when you do take a quick 15 second recovery and lessen the resistance, you immediately start picking it up in RPMs and resistance (at your own pace, but the reminders help).

Tuesday: Run 6 miles in 59.30.  This run felt terrible.  I was cramping the whole time.  In order to get it done in at least 10 min miles, I kept telling myself "Garret if you can't push though this 6 mile run, you wont ever make an iron man."  It proved to be enough motivation to get it done!

Wednesday: Off Day.  I'm seriously debating changing Wed from an off day.  I miss the workout to much.

Thursday:  Swim 2500 yards with drill worked in.  First day working out at the MAC (see previous post).

Friday: 50min Spin with Michelle.  I might have to stop going to this one.  Michelle isn't my kind of instructor.  We had to many rest periods and not enough push from her to work harder.  Her class just isn't my style, although I think she is a good spin instructor.  We'll have to see if I go back next week.

Saturday:  Was supposed to run, but ended up sleeping and resting all day.  I'm not very happy with myself on this one.  Especially because it was nice enough to run outside.