What have I done?

I just officially signed up for Ironman Cozumel in November 2021. I can't believe I actually did it.

So what led me to do this in 2021? 

It started when I noticed a swimming friend who announced on Facebook that she had signed up for Ironman Arizona and I commented on her page that I was going to ponder about that race too. That got me really thinking that since I am going to be training for the Aqua-Bike worlds which will be the same swim and bike length as an Ironman, so why not take advantage of all that bike training and just complete and Ironman too. But as I have well documented on here, my running is a BIG problem, especially with injuries.

So that meant a conversation with my coach. I laid out that my only goal was to FINISH the Ironman race, and I would basically just plan on doing a lot of walking during the marathon. My coach felt confident that with my swim and bike where they are, I could bank of walking the marathon and still making the cutoff time, so he agreed to the plan.

The next step was to sign up for Ironman Arizona which was going to open for registration a few days later. Less than 24 hours before it would open up to general public, it was closed as full. I suspected this might be the case because IMAZ had been cancelled just a couple of weeks prior so I assumed many of those that had signed up would just transfer their entry to the following year.

So CRAP. Now what was I going to do. Nothing else in the US worked in my schedule or was open, then I noticed that Ironman Cozumel was open. We had been to Cozumel on our last cruise a few years back and went on an amazing snorkeling tour. I then had to discuss this with my wife as I am sure she would want to come with.

She was all excited about the possibility of going to Cozumel and we found an all-inclusive resort just a few blocks away from the finish line and on the bike course. So she gave the green light. I just needed to decide if I wanted to do a hot and humid race, that was in a foreign country as my first Ironman experience.

I spent a couple of days reading race reports and everyone seemed to really enjoy their experience in Cozumel, both the race experience and the post-race snorkeling and diving. I was really worried about the hot and humid conditions. I don't do well in that weather and I don't experience much of it where I live. It is still my biggest concern about the race aside from the run.

So after much internal conflict I did it, I signed up for IM Cozumel. My wife and kid are going to join me and we plan to stay a few days after the race to enjoy the sights and relax. I have almost 12 months to train, and as long as I can stay healthy, I will be ready. I am excited and nervous, but I plan to enjoy every minute of my training and racing in 2021.

Gobble Gallop

 Well due to high COVID numbers, this year's Gobble Gallop was moved to a virtual race. But the family got up, got dressed and did the race outside in our neighborhood. It was actually a really nice day for the race. I choose a route that turned out to be pretty slippery, and I tried to push myself a little bit. It was fun, but I have a feeling I injured myself again.

New Toy for the Pain Cave

 I have been considering it for a while, and with COVID shutting down half of them at the Y, I decided to pull the trigger and bought myself a treadmill. It was nearly 8 weeks from order to delivery, but it finally showed up today.

I am still slowly building up to running again, but having this in my basement will be a game changer for me this winter. Now I just need my own pool....hmmm

Outside Bike...in November?

It was surprisingly warm today for the first full weekend in November, so I figured I would take advantage and get outside on the bike. Just a long cruise with a couple of short intensity intervals is what I was after today and I was successful.

The wind really picked up for the second half of the ride. It was about 12mph when I left but an hour in, it really picked up and was 20 gusting to 30. So much of the ride home was either a crosswind or into the wind.

By 2 hours in, my legs were pretty toast. I didn't sleep very well last night so that didn't help matters either. But it was sunny, upper 50's in November, and great to be outside riding again.

Got a text from a friend today that I found funny. "Saw you on the bike today on industrial. You were heading home. I said, whoa, that guy is fast...then I said..wait, is that Tim? Saw your Strava and yep sure was."

Off Season

 I am pretty much just in off season mode now. I am still doing some workouts every day, but the intensity is dialed back some and the duration is down too. Just staying active and doing some different workouts to keep it interesting.

My kid mentioned to me that she wanted to go hiking so today turned out to be a perfect day for it. The leaves were just a bit past peak but still a lot of color as we walked a few miles of the cross country ski trails at Lester Park. It was really nice being outside on a leisurely walk around nature. Winter will be here soon enough and we will be stuck inside for most of it, so trying to take advantage of days like today to get outside.

Masters Swim

 Finally the gang is back together in the pool led by our wonderful Coach Lindsey. With new COVID protocols, the group was small, but it was great to be back in the pool under the watchful eye of the coach. I have mentioned this before, but I really like this class. There are several people who are all about the same speed so we tend to push each other. But we have a coach who stops us to tell us what we are doing wrong and uses video to help show it. Together that means we see slow but steady improvement, even with only 2 days a week in the pool.

One of the many downsides to this new COVID swimming is that we are limited to just 45 minutes. That really shortens the yardage that we can do in a session to 2000-2500 tops. So we try to make the most of that time, and really focus on technique.

But we all make the most of the time we have.

My First Multisport Win! Square Lake Race Report

Like most of us, 2020 was a turbulent and weird year for me. The year started with taking a job in Phoenix that was to start April 1, but then COVID happened and cancelled those plans along with so many others. But another summer in northern Minnesota isn’t so bad, we adjusted to the new routine, and I continued to train.

A running injury in May meant that I did very little run training this summer (I am a terrible runner anyway). Three mornings a week I open water swam in various lakes around Duluth with a few other athletes, and I also did a ton of biking including my first century ride. I much prefer biking to running and the weather here was fantastic all summer for training. So when I saw that Square Lake 70.3 had an aqua-bike division I saw it as a chance to open water swim one last time before being stuck in a pool all winter, and to see how fast I can ride 56 miles.

On race morning, when my alarm went off at 5am, the first thing I did was look outside and saw that it wasn’t raining. Then I looked at the radar and it looked like most of the rain had already gone through. All good news since I was not looking forward to racing in the rain. I packed up the car and drove through the fog and light rain to the park.

After picking up my packet I headed to transition to set up. Everyone was well spaced out for the race and that was really nice. I wish every race could do that! With a delay to the race start due to fog, I got to spend a bunch of time just chatting with the people around me. A mix of veterans of 70.3 and first timers of this distance. All of us were glad to be able to get out racing this year so much thanks to the organizers.

With bib numbers being assigned alphabetically, I was in the last swim group. The first swimmers were coming into transition to head out on the bike as I walked to the swim start. I chose to wear my sleeveless wetsuit today as the water temp was reported to be mid 60’s on Thursday which is typical for what I have been swimming up here in Duluth all summer. However, once I dove in, I found the water SHOCKINGLY cold. It took me a bit to recover from the shock and then get into my groove.

A solid middle of the pack swim time just as I expected.

After a quick (for me) transition I was out of the bike. The course was every bit as hilly as I have heard! I had driven it the day before but riding in a car you just don’t get the same sense of elevation. But I train on hills quite a bit up here, so I was pretty used to it.

Aside from hilly, most of the course was quite beautiful. I saw turkeys, deer and swans during my ride. I made sure to smile and thank all the volunteers along the way and was appreciative of the spectators out on the course cheering on all the racers since my Sherpas and cheerleaders stayed home.

When I started the bike, I had no heart rate displaying on my bike computer which I found odd. About halfway through the race I realized that it was a NEW HR strap and I had only ever paired it with my watch. So, as I was riding, I paired the HR strap to my bike computer and then I had HR. Stupid me.

I held a good power number right up until about mile 53 when my legs started to really complain, and I started that internal dialog between my brain and my legs. “Just keep going until the next turn.” “Just one more hill to the park.” Thankfully the brain was convincing, and the legs held out to the end.

I crossed the finish line super happy with my effort. Power and HR exactly where I wanted it, speed was a bit slower but that I blamed on the wet conditions. I knew I had done pretty well because there were not a lot of bikes in transition yet.

When the results came out the next day, I got my first ever multi-sport victory!

This race was a lot of fun. It was a difficult bike course, much different than what I have done before in races, and the weather made it more difficult too. But the organizers, athletes and volunteers made the whole event worthwhile so a big thanks to everyone for creating a safe and fun event.

POOL Swim

With the weather being significantly cooler up here now, I think the days of open water swims are done. I booked a time in the now open YMCA pool. 45 minute time slots, and only one person per lane. This morning was my first pool swim since March 13th. I keep my written workouts in zippy bags and I chose the workout that was on top because it seemed like the right amount of yards for the 45 minutes of pool time I had. I was right. 

Nothing crazy in this swim and it turns out I do remember how to do flip turns too! I was actually pretty pleased with my times for the first time back in the pool.

But the 45 minutes goes by fast and then they kick you out.

So a good way to start the morning.

Flats and Long Rides

I have been getting a ton of flat tires. Nearly every ride now. So I decided to order some new tires. I put the new Conti GP5000 tires on yesterday (conference calls are good for something), and I am hoping that it will prevent some of the flats that I have had.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Adam said I should ride the road by his house. He said the road is good and it would make a nice out and back for me. So I rode part of it last week and he was right. So this weekend, with my last long ride planned, I did a full 56 mile bike ride as an out and back.

It has a lot of rolling hills, but only a couple of small chain ring hills on it. But that makes it more challenging. It was gusty winds today out of the northwest. So most of the first half was into the winds. I was getting blown all over the place, especially when I would come out of the trees into an open field. Good practice though.

Good ride, my legs are jelly, but I have a really good idea what to expect in my race in two weeks.

Racing!!!

I just signed up for the Aqua-Bike division of the Square Lake 70.3 triathlon! I debated signing up for the whole triathlon, but while I have been running some, it has been slow and short runs only. Injuries still slowing me down with my running. But I have been doing a bunch of swimming and biking so thats the perfect way to end the season!

Beautiful Sunrises on Lake Superior

 The winds and weather here in the last week have contributed to amazing swim experiences on Lake Superior. Warm and calm water, and beautiful sunrises. Almost a religious experience.

First Century Ride!!

Heck YEA!!!!!

It was a great day for a ride. Started off in the low 60's and was upper 70's when I finished. Mix of sun and clouds. Wind was light for the first 3rd and then picked up and changed directions for the rest of the ride.

I had no goals for this ride other than to finish. I had struggled towards the end of the last couple of long rides that I did, so I wasn't sure how the last 30 miles were going to go.

I did a 40 mile loop back to my house, then a quick pit stop, and bottle refill and I was back on the road. I had planned another 40 mile out and back for a second refill, but the weather was cooler so I played it by ear. I had plenty of fluids left at the planned turnaround so I went the extra 10 miles out.

I actually felt amazingly good for the first 85 miles, and then my butt was like "get me off this bike" and my legs were starting to complain about all the power I had asked of them for the last 3.5 hours.

So the last 45 minutes was a mental game to finish. Talking myself to the next stop sign where I would give my butt a break, and convincing my legs that we were almost done. 

BTW, am I weird for talking to various body parts during these things?

So overall I am SUPER happy with how this turned out. I felt good the whole time, the legs got tired at the end which didn't surprise me. I put out some great power on this ride, kept the HR reasonably in control and overall had a good time.

Now time to relax!

Mid-Summer Reflections

Well COVID has certainly changed our lives. I started out the year thinking that I would be opening a new office for my company in Phoenix and I was going to move there April 1st. With COVID quarantine, layoffs at my company, all of that was put on hold, and basically I know in my heart that it isn't going to happen for a long while now.

I have used this time to make myself better and I have been doing a bunch of training too. I don't know if races are going to happen or not this year, but I will use the time I have to keep improving.

The open water swim group has been a welcomed respite from the daily working from home routine. One of those swimmers celebrated his birthday with a group triathlon at his house followed by a couple of adult beverages. What a fun way to spend an evening and aside from everyone wearing a mask and social distancing, you wouldn't even know there was a pandemic going on.

My worlds race in Amsterdam was postponed a year, just as I suspected. But thats ok, it gives me another year to train for that distance. It turns out that biking 112 miles is a long way.

I am thankful for my health, my job, and my friends. I am lucky and I know it.

Positive thoughts always.

Bike Fail...Then Success

I had a 4 hour ride on my training plan yesterday. The weather was outstanding low 60's when I left, sunny and no wind. After a train delay, all hell broke loose. I felt great for this ride, the bike however, is not cooperating. Flat tire, 30 minute change. Then another 6-8 miles and it went flat again. With only the one tube, I then got a ride home.

Took the tire to LBS, pinched tube. All fixed. Get home, reinstall wheels and now the rear derailleur wont shift. I guess it is time to call it a day. I did take the bike to the LBS, he put it on the stand and it shifted fine. Go figure.

Frustrating, but nothing I can do.

Tried again today and there were no issues with the bike today! The weather was actually probably better today than yesterday as the temps were the same, but there was overcast skies most of the time. A great day to ride a bike.

For 3 hours the ride was great, I felt good and strong and then at 3:01 my body was like "nope, I'm done, my legs are tired, lets pedal home slowly." Looking at my last 3 laps of data its pretty obvious.

My legs were just jelly the last hour, so frustrating. I felt pretty good otherwise, I felt well hydrated this time and ate on my planned schedule. I felt hungry though. I wanted food and not gels.

Late in the ride I started to get a headache (still have it) and I don't think it is dehydration this time as I drank a lot. I am wondering if it is salt? I don't think of myself as a salty sweater but my kit had signs of salt sweat deposits. I drank only water for the last 3 hours of the ride. Perhaps I need an electrolyte drink.

So I guess I will keep working on my nutrition and hydration and my leg endurance. That's why we do these practice rides right?

But I hit my stretch goal today of 21mph and 85 miles. It was dead calm out so that helped. I am super happy and also super tired.

Lake Superior Swim

 Last minute announcement of a Lake Superior swim. It was such a fabulous morning. A little fog, no wind, upper 60's. The water was lower 60's but probably the same as the other lakes earlier this year. One of the reasons I like living here.

A Triathlon...Sort of

 A local friend wanted to do his own personal 70.3, so I decided to join him for the swim. I had a longer bike on the training schedule as I slowly ramp up to my first century ride, so I would do that alone and although I have started running again some, I am nowhere near capable of a half marathon.

There were 3 of us that did the swim today. It was flat calm out there and a good day to swim. The water is getting warm enough now that I am actually getting a little warm in my full sleeve wetsuit. I might need to use my sleeveless next time.

The 75 mile bike totally sucked.

I didn't feel good the entire ride. It started right away with my stomach just not feeling right and that lasted most of the ride. The last hour I just had nothing.

The weather was warm in the low to mid 80's for much of the ride. Being from Duluth, that is HOT, and much warmer than I am used to. I am 99% sure I am just super dehydrated. I just didn't drink enough before the swim and in transition and I just couldn't seem to get enough water while biking.

I figured I did 2 legs of a triathlon I should at least do some amount of running and finish it. I figured 1 mile was PLENTY! So just an out and back from my car. It was so hot. I was tempted to jump into the lake to cool off prior to my run. But honestly this would be a perfect triathlon for me. Medium swim, long bike, and a 1 mile run, all with untimed transitions!

It was fun and I am glad I did it. Keep learning.

Beautiful Morning for a Swim

 A few of us gathered at Skeeter's cabin on Shultz Lake for an open water swim, followed by a pot luck breakfast. It was the most amazing morning yet for a swim. Calm waters, warm temps, and good people. The time in the water is just an escape from the pressures of life, and chatting with friends and sharing a socially distant meal brings about a small sense of normalcy.

Turtles!

 I see a lot of wildlife on the road when I am biking. Birds, rodents, deer and even a bear. But today was the first time I have ever seen a turtle. I didn't see one I actually saw THREE. Two were right near each other trying to cross the road, and the third was probably 3 miles further down the road. Big snapping turtles it turns out.

Open Water Swimming

 Well the ice is off the lakes, and the water temp is kinda warm enough to start swimming. With the pools still closed due to COVID, I gotta get my swimming in however I can. There is a small group of local athletes that are going to get together 2-3 days a week to open water swim at the various lakes.

So far it has been Pike Lake and Island Lake, but we hope to hit a couple of others including Lake Superior this summer.

It is actually nice to get out and talk to real people and not just via Zoom or Teams meetings. I do 99% of my training alone anyway, but with COVID, my interactions with others has been limited, so this is good for me.

100k Ride

I wanted to get a 100k ride in at some point. Last weekend I hit the wall at 45 miles so I just quit at 56. This weekend I took more nutrition and ate more often and that helped A LOT. I didn't hit a wall like I did last weekend. I got pretty tired the last 10 miles, but still felt good.

Saw a bear today on my ride and only got stopped by 1 train!

Bonk

 Well after 9 holes of golf and mowing the lawn yesterday my groin muscle is not happy at all. So with golf out of the question, no running either, I guess I will go for a bike ride.

The weather was fantastic! 60's the whole time, light winds out of the southeast. Really can't ask for better weather. My goal was to go out for a 50-60 mile ride. Knowing I haven't ridden this far in 7 months I tried to take it a bit easier and used HR as the way to keep myself in check. Did pretty good for the most part.

I tried some new to me roads today and for the most part I liked them. I got stopped by a train 3 times. I cross 4 sets of RR tracks 2 times in the out and back route I took. Oh well, risk you take.

The last 10 miles I was fading fast. I was having a hard time putting out any sort of power and just ran out of energy. Now I know what a Bonk feels like. Wow. I guess I need to eat more during these rides.

Another Running Injury

 Well this week I was doing some brisk walking and I seemed to have injured my groin muscle again. This is so depressing. I was getting so happy with my running and now I am back to square one. Historically this takes me a long time to heal.

I dug out my rehab exercises and I will be doing those religiously, but it will still be a few weeks before I can run again.

Once again, running foils me.

Longest Training Run Ever

We have slowly been building up my long runs this spring now that I am back to running outside. I have been continuing to do a run/walk type of training and trying to work on keeping my HR down into an aerobic zone. I still struggle with running and I don't have much speed but I have been keeping up with these steady long runs for several weeks now.

So today was a 1.5 hour run. I was excited to do this. I have never run this far or this long before in training. In fact only the 70.3 I did last summer eclipses this in distance.

The run went great! I came close to a 10k PR and did that while not redlining my HR! 8.55 miles in 1:32. I am super excited. Slowly I am turning into a runner?

Team USA Kit

My Team USA kit showed up in the mail today so of course I had to try it on. It fits great! Not sure when I will try it out, but I will need to put a few miles on it to make sure there isn't anything weird about it.

Based on what is going on in the world, I give this like a 50% chance of actually happening, but always hopeful!

New Radar

The weather was not very nice today. The temp was around 48 when I left but it was overcast with a strong gusty wind out of the west. My legs were a little cold but otherwise I was fine.

My first ride with my new Garmin Varia radar installed on the bike. Much of my riding is on roads with wide shoulders but 3/4 of today's route was single lane, no shoulder roads and the radar was really nice. The radar is really nice. I like it a lot actually. I think it will come in handy later this summer on my longer rides.

When I finished my ride and was pushing my bike up my driveway I noticed that my rear brake was dragging. I wonder how long that was going on? I probably lost 5-6mph because of that? :-)

 I hope the weather improves soon.

New Running Shoes

I noticed that my running shoes had a small hole starting. I don't put on a lot of miles on my running shoes so they tend to last a long time. I went back into my stats and my shoes had 300 miles on them but they were also 19 months old! As I said, I don't run much.

So I ordered up a new pair of blue Hoka Bondi shoes and took them out for a short run early this week, and then my long run today. Somehow I seem to be faster than I was, so it must be the shoes right?

99 bottle of beer....or mini's

My wife and I are both working from home full time now and our kid is also doing distance learning. So we are stuck in the house all the time now. We have begun to go out for walks a couple of times a week just to get some fresh air.

Today the wife and I went and walked on the road I have been doing my long runs on. It became clear that someone had a great party and didn't invite us. Along a one mile stretch of road we found dozens of mini bottles of various flavors. We also found a couple of empty larger bottles too.

Things I don't notice when I am running, but become apparent at the much slower walking pace.

Tri Bike Outside Finally

Well it wasn't the warmest day outside today but I decided to take the tri bike off the trainer and go for a ride outside. It was 41 when I left. I probably should have worn one more layer but it was ok. As I sit here 20 minutes after I finished, I can tell that my legs got cold because I can feel them starting to warm up.

A couple of legs of out and backs on roads I know are in good shape. I need to take a drive on a couple of my loop roads to ensure they don't have huge pot holes or lots of post-winter gravel.

It was great to get outside and feel the wind on my face and go fast!

COVID-19 Quarantine

So I am lucky enough to have a job that allows me to work from home which I have been doing now for two weeks. But it is amazing how little I move around while working at home. My step count is 1/10 what it was, I never use the stairs etc.

With the Y closed, no more swimming, and all my running has to be outside. That has gone ok so far since it has warmed up some and the roads are at least clear of ice. Spring really hasn't arrived quite yet, and temps are still hovering around 40 degrees for a high.

It seemed warm enough the other day to actually bike outside. I didn't feel like getting my tri bike off the trainer though so I just pumped up the tires and checked the brakes on my road bike and set off for an hour+ ride. Now I haven't ridden my road bike outside in at least a year. I haven't ridden it all since October. It is just different. Different position, no electronic shifting etc. Plus my butt was not used to that saddle or position either. My road bike doesn't have a power meter on it, or even a cadence sensor so it was a "naked" ride with just HR.

But it was good to get outside even if the temp when I started was 40 degrees. My fingers got a little cold after a while, and about an hour in my feet also started to get cold. But it was fun to feel a breeze on my face that didn't come from a fan.

I am going to need to change up my routine some more. Add a walk or extra easy bike ride to my schedule just to get some extra exercise. The home "cafeteria" is too convenient to my office and everything is free there! Too many temptations.

Like everyone else, races are cancelled, my move to Phoenix which was supposed to happen next week is now on hold permanently. I give a less that 50% chance that the Amsterdam race will happen in September too.

But we are all in this together. Trying to stay healthy, flatten the curve, and survive this until we find a cure or vaccine and a sense of normalcy can return.

Longer Outdoor Run

I got out of the house and did this run. It was like 10 degrees colder than last week when I ran outside so I threw on one extra layer and added a hat and I was perfect. I am still battling this cold though, that coupled with the cold air meant my nose was running like crazy! Ugh.

I choose a different route to run today. Actually it is the start of my normal bike route. It was a good choice because the road had been swept and was free of gravel! So an out and back and it went well.

I kept the same HR goals as I have been all winter and that ended up with a slower pace than I do on the treadmill, but it is what it is.

So good run today.

First Outdoor Run at Home

It was beautiful outside today so I decided to do my first outdoor run here in Duluth this year. I took a guess as to layers required, and I hit it perfect. Lots of sand/gravel on the roads and sidewalks but otherwise it was good running conditions.

I had started a second loop around the school when I realized that my timing was off and I was going to go way past 40 minutes which was the amount I was supposed to run today. Oops. But in the end it went fine.

It was nice to be outside and get some Vitamin D!

Swim Meet #2

I swam 4 events, 100, 200, 500 free and the 100 back.

The 100 back was the first event for me and I was about a 1/2s short of a PR in that event. I was super happy with that considering I never swim it in practice except as a cool down, and I had two TERRIBLE turns in that race. Like barely touch the wall turns. So despite that, I did really well. My kid is still faster than me in that event though. I would have to dedicate some practice if I am going to beat her.

The 500 was the next event and really it was the one I was hoping to do well in. I went into it thinking about pushing the pace a bit and see how long I can last. I had two people in the lanes next to me that had seed times around my PR so I figured if I stayed with/ahead of them I would do ok. Well after the first 50, the person two lanes over was already 15 yards ahead of me. She would finish a full 50 ahead of me by the end and I was ahead of the rest. I got to the wall at 75 yards and I saw my lap counter had dropped the number board to the bottom of the pool. It made me laugh, and maybe kept me relaxed. It all worked out and I ended up finishing with a 7 second PR in the 500!

I felt really good and strong during that whole race. That is such a fun feeling.

The 200 free was up next and again I was about 1s short of a PR in that event. Such a difficult event to pace for me, but again I am happy with the effort.

The 100 free was the last event and it wasn't the greatest. Not really close to a PR.

So overall I am happy with my results. MUCH better than my results from about a month ago. So I seem to be getting back into swimming shape again.

I had a guy stop me after the last race. He was in the lane next to me in all the freestyle events, and we happen to be in the same age group. He said "I tried to keep up with you today, but you just went out so fast, I had no chance. In EVERY event you did that to me. You were my nemesis today."

Phoenix Run

I am out here for a whirlwind work week. I have been struggling with sleeping for a few weeks now. Waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep. I am sure it is from all the stress of this new job. Well my inability to sleep has continued on this work trip. After two days of travel, sitting around, drinking and eating, it was good to get outside and go for a run.

I had already been awake for a couple of hours before I did a preworkout routine and started my run. I am in the middle of a suburb here so I just ran on a sidewalk for 25 minutes and then turned around and went back to the hotel. It worked out great.

No issues with the run. It was 45 degrees when I left and the sun hadn't come up yet. I realized at that point that my all black outfit probably wasn't the best choice, and that I could have probably used another light layer underneath, but I am a hearty northerner so I sucked it up and did my run. It was fine.

No wind, sun rise about halfway through my run, clear skies, it was beautiful. It was a great change of pace from the treadmill, and it seems that my speed is about the same between the two.

So good run, now another day of flying home.

Moving to Phoenix

Well the big news I have been keeping from most people is that my job is transferring me to Phoenix. I am sad and excited at the same time. I have lived here in Duluth for 20 years now, and this will be a big change.

I will miss the easy access I have right now to roads with wide shoulders, and lakes to swim in. But I wont miss the cold winters and endless miles on the treadmill.

I had to change my race schedule for the year with spring and fall races now since it is too hot to race in the summer in Phoenix. My plan is to move at the end of March.

The family took a trip to Phoenix back in January when I was still so sick. So I didn’t get a chance to do any running, but we did go for a little hike at a local park. It was beautiful out.

Swim Shoulder

So over the last couple of weeks, my left shoulder has become sore while swimming. It hasn’t been limiting yet, but it is definitely there. Last Friday in swim class, our instructor took video of us swimming and she pointed out something with my recovery that might be the cause of my pain.

I took that advice into the pool this morning where I had an interesting broken mile swim. Starting with 11 lengths, then a 10s break, then 10 lengths, 10s break and so on down to 1 length give you a 1650. It was interesting to try and stay engaged in the swim, keep track of lengths, etc. Goal was a consistent effort all the way through.

Dare I say it was actually fun? I succeeded in the consistent effort when I look at my lap times. I focused my mental energy during the swim on my form/technique to try and help my shoulder. So it really was mindful swimming and not junk yardage. Super happy with this swim today even if it wasn’t fast.

Full Week of Workouts

Well I finally felt good enough to put in a full week of workouts in. First time in a while. I capped it off today with a 1:30 ride on the trainer. The week went well, and since we are in base training mode yet, it was 3 bikes, two swims, and a run plus a day of strength training.

Hopefully I can stay healthy and start building towards my first race later this spring.

Swim Meet

First swim meet of the season today. I was definitely slower today than I have been. My 100 was 2s off my PR, that was the best event of the day. The others were strong but slow. Looking back, my times were about the same as this race 2 years ago. This race last year is where I set my PR's for many of these events. So I have regressed a bit in my swim times. However I don't feel like I am in prime swim shape right now either.

Having been sick much of the last few weeks, and not being able to put in the effort in the pool has definitely affected my conditioning. But it was a lot of fun talking to everyone again, and getting in the race pool.

Back to Swim Class

I have been keeping up with my swimming these last few weeks as much as I can with workouts provided by my coach. But I was finally able to attend our little tri-swim group workout at the Y. I was super sick the last week+ with some sort of stomach bug. It hit my wife first, and I followed a couple of days later. Brutal. So it has been a slow recovery this week, trying to get some energy back and trying to eat a bit more normally.

Unfortunately, the first class was a kick focused session. I HATE kick sessions in the pool. But it was mostly a technique focused swim, with a couple of tips from the coach, chatting with my friends, and overall a good day at the pool.

Orlando Running

Well I decided to try running today. It was beautiful out with temps around 70. My back was hurting today, but it didn’t bother me too much on the run. I did two laps around the hotel before heading to the conference closing dinner party.

Orlando Spin Bike

I am in Orlando this week for a work conference. My coworker and I flew ourselves down here in a small airplane, and that night after we arrived, my back started to tighten up. Like can’t bend over to tie my shoes hurting. This is very unusual for me. I don’t often get like this, but something set me off.

I had a couple of hours off this morning, so I headed over to the gym to try and get some sort of exercise. Since there was no way I could lift weights I thought I would try the spin bike. The fitness center only had one bike, and it wasn’t the most comfortable machine but it did the job. Getting on and off the bike hurt more than anything.

So I will keep stretching and doing what I can.