Looking back and moving forward…

This was the list from this time last year…let’s have a look shall we…

1. Keep it real, fun and with the family! – kids ran their first mile race and then went onto a 5k, that’s a long way when you are 3 years old, good use of the walk/run methodology!
2. Drop 20lb and get back on the good food bandwagon – currently 17lbs down and actually hit the 20lb lost mark in the fall, gained a few over Christmas
3. Pick up 4 minutes on my 10k and 7 minutes on my Half Marathon – didn’t race a 10k but dropped a good 2 minutes off of my 10k PR of 44:01 during raining runs. I did shave 30 seconds from my 5k getting closer to 19 minutes flat. I killed my HM PR and went sub 1:30 and took 13 minutes from my marathon PR with a 3:32, although I missed my target and BQ. I also restamped my Ultra Runner Passport for the first time in 2 years!
4. Plan the work…then work the plan – went with the FIRST plan for the HM and nailed it!
5. Consistency is king and that's where the results live -  first half of the year was a mess, managed to get my shit together for the second half and finished December really strong! 
   
6. Cross Train; I got the bike now I need to use it! – yeah plenty of bike miles this year!
   
7. Do the good stuff I am supposed to; foam roll, stretch, yoga etc – hmm yeah about that! 
8. Transition to Mid/Forefoot – spent 6 weeks being very deliberate in transitioning to mid foot, I am in Newtons full time now and I attribute this change to my results
9. No new kit in Jan, Feb or March! – I think I managed this but I am sure I made up for it in the other 9 months! 
10. Sleep…get more than I get now! -  total fail!

So as for 2012, I has my race schedule pretty much locked down, there will be a few more events that will be added, some shorter races and longer bike rides; Centurys and the like. Goals for the races will unfold with the training so here is a list of non “race” goals:

1. Bi-lateral breathing, I had convinced myself this was impossible but having swam 500 yards doing it this week it seems much more possible
2. Swim Swim Swim, once I have this figured out swim some more!
3. See # 7 above
4. See #10 above
5. Work more on my diet, and periodize to reach racing weight on race day
6. Become a better cyclist; stronger climber and more confident descender
7. Be a better bloger; both as a writer and reader, this year I slacked off on both!
8. I will (no point setting myself up for failure) am going to try the keep the kit to a minimum although as it has been pointed out to me; triathlon is Greek for wallet rape!
9. Do it for the kids, my eldest is off the training wheels and has a new bike, maybe I can get him to work on his swim and run too!
10. Enjoy the journey, smile and have fun…it’s all to easy to take all this way too seriously!

Happy New Year!

Fireworks in Ink from karlo benson on Vimeo.

Walter needs a new home…

I first met Walter about 6 years ago; he was clean and tidy and had no real signs of abuse. Prior to out meeting he had been in a series of short term relationships, he was a rental, pimped out during the summer and those “let’s go for a ride” days! The relationships he had had, none of them lasted longer than a day and some were as quick as an hour. He longed for something more substantial, a partnership where he could dig in and provide support over the long term, see some of the world and be there through the ups and downs.

To be honest I have lost track of the distance we have gone together, it’s a long way, something north of 8000 miles maybe even 10,000 miles. Some more memorable occasions were my aborted Century Ride (broken spoke halted me around mile 80) and a ride through Death Valley to Badwater.

We have crisscrossed the Santa Monica Mountains on countless rides and spent cold dark nights in the garage with nothing but the hum of the trainer to keep us company.

During the years he had some changes, a new crankset replaced the original as well as replacement wheels, the stock rear one buckling under impact during a 40mph decent…it was a straight line! During all of these years and miles he has kept me upright and he never tried to throw me to the curb!

But last year things changed, Thor came into my life and Walter took a back seat, it was inevitable and I had been preparing him for over two years for this event and he was ready to embrace his new place…for the last year he has hung out in the garage and has now taken on a hue of neglect, a thin patina of abandonment covering a willingness and wantingness to be out on the open road.

Now I consider myself pretty fortunate, while I can’t go out and drop wads of $$$ without thinking about it I can, with some dedication, save up for those big ticket items over time. I understand that for other folks this may not be the case and sometimes somethings are just out of reach and so this is my offer. Walter needs a new home and he needs some TLC and if you offer that then you can have him for free, gratis, nix, nothing, nada...except the cost of packing and shipping!

There are no conditions other than he needs to go to a home where he will get some use, want to cross train, ride a century, race a duathlon or like me become a triathlete here is your chance otherwise maybe your partner needs a bike to accompany you as you run or ride or you have a parent or child that could do with it, all I want to avoid is him ending up on eBay or Craigslist and the cash in your pocket and so I will completely trust that your intentions are honorable.

So here are the details, he is a 2005 58cm Raleigh Grand Prix, I am 6’1” and he fits perfect, anyone who is between 5’8” and 6’3” should be fine. He has a triple chainring at the front and 9 cassette at the back. The frame is aluminum and the fork and seatpost carbon. The groupo is a mix of Shimano, Truvativ and Tektro, Cane Creek wheels round it out. He will come as you see in the picture above without the Profile Design bottle cages, saddle bag and pedals.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me who will get him (it’s ok if it really is you) and why and I will choose the most compelling. As mentioned you need only pay for boxing at my local bike shop and shipping, I am guessing you will get change out of $100 for domestic US shipping which is the only geographical limitation, we can settle up through PayPal…of course if you’re local you can pick him up…I will pick a winner in a week or so.

Oh and he can become a she too for you who prefer to name your bike Tracey or Susan or black ninja stealth assassin from the underworld, Walter is only a nod to the brand Raleigh, Walter Raleigh, explorer, adventurer…get it…nevermind!

I think it’s a pretty good deal as $100 will get you diddly squat in most bike shops!

So if you didn’t get a new bike for Christmas here is your chance to get one for 2012!

Cold and Christmas…been and gone!

Ah Christmas week, the perfect time to catch a cold! So I did…nothing major although I felt pretty crappy for a couple of days and it’s now in the rear view mirror. Inevitable really given that 80% of the people I work with were sick and half of the household likewise. So that was that, I eased off the gas took a day off and then took Christmas day off and that was the week done!

So behind on all fronts in terms of the goals with on 3000 yards covered in the pool (2000 short) and 90 miles on the bike (35ish short). No point worrying about that now. Not sure I mentioned this but I have had a couple of swim lessons. They went “kinda” well, but I ended up with some conflicting info especially about my arms being straight vs. bent on the catch, (I am bending), but I did get a lot of good info, and I am getting better slowly…or should I say I am slowly getting better. I only had two as that was all that was available before the pool shut over the holidays and now it’s up to me to practice. I am shifting my frequency from 3 times a week to 4 or even 5, this is allowing me to focus on my form and create that muscle memory rather then “muscle” through and reinforce bad habits.

On the bike front I took receipt of two ISM Adamo saddles to try out for the next two weeks, the Fizik saddle that came with my Cannondale Slice was just bloody awful so I have the first one fitted and after some fiddling it is feeling pretty good, ironically as a worshipper of the red/black/white color scheme this comes with a green trim…which matches my trainer! I have only an hour on it so far and it is feeling pretty good…of course minus the pineapple! 

So I have another 5 days left with this one the Time Trial Model and then I will switch it out for the Breakaway model which has more surface area and perhaps more fidget room. One thing for sure is that the Cervelo will taking a back seat for a while as I dial in this bike and put some serious training miles on it! I have the following profiles to ride, these are the two longer race days:

Vineman…fast and flat

IMAZ…fast and flatish and far!

I will give you a full report on the saddles in a couple of weeks once I have spent some quality time with them both. I was also channel surfing the other day and I came across some coverage of the 2010 IMAZ…all good recon work: