Back in Austin

  Vacations are great but I have never been very good at combining travel and training. If I do any training it is usually a run or too here and there and maybe a swim but never anything else. Well I am back in Austin and I have been grinding out some tough workouts in this heat. Last week I over extended myself when I should have pulled back on the reins and it ended up costing me a couple days of extra rest to recover. I just have to make sure that I am training in the shade, early morning hours or indoors.
  I have weighed myself after long runs and bike rides and it is not unusual for me to sweat out about 4-6 pounds. I have been hydrating pretty regularly with water and  Zico coconut water. I have enjoyed success with watered down Gatorade but I am looking to cut back on non natural sugars. I also have been eating a lot of fruit like watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries and pineapples to help with nutrient replacement and hydration and it seems to be doing the trick. It is frustrating to train in the summertime Texas heat. It's hot, I get grumpy and I just can't go as fast. This years La Nina weather pattern meant that we had no Spring to speak of and headed straight into 100 degree weather in May. It is now the end of June with no relief in site until September. Being out in the sun and heat definitely takes it's toll and I try to run and ride in the mornings and save the swims for my second workout of the day. I work late nights so that early morning alarm clock is not a fun noise. I try to make up the sleep difference with a post breakfast nap but sometimes there just isn't enough time.
  I am trying to run about 20-30 miles a week, ride about 70-100 miles a week and swim about 6-8 kilometers a week. I will ramp those distances up to peak for my big race which will be the Austin Triathlon on Labor day.  I am really looking forward to that race. It should be a lot of fun.
  Yesterday I had the pleasure of riding with my friend Paula out at the Veloway for a few laps. We started at a reasonable hour so the heat wasn't too bad. I brought my camera along for a few action shots.

Hook em Horns!

Paula riding the Veloway

  Oskar is doing great. We went on a slow 7 mile run around Ladybird Lake this morning with our friend Tony. He got to jump in and swim several times so now he is passed out on the floor for the rest of the afternoon. Lucky dog.

Surf break

  I had every intention of doing a great workout yesterday. The plan was simple: yoga, run and then core. But then the waves were looking pretty good at Ocean Beach here in San Francisco. So the plan was completely scrapped and replaced with a humbling surfing session. 
  I used to surf a few years ago. Now I am in better shape than I was back then but my wave knowledge is a little rusty. Reading the ocean to determine how the waves are coming in is a skill that takes a long time to acquire. When last I surfed I was just beginning to grasp some of the concepts. It is like a foreign language, if you don't use it you lose it. I had fun getting into the cold water and paddling out through the break but I only caught one wave, got bonked on the head with my surfboard, swallowed a gallon of seawater and nearly had my foot sliced open by the fin on my board. The last one was the deal breaker so I packed it in after that. But it was terribly fun and I am already scouting the surf reports for today.

Trail head where I surfed

  My long run on Sunday got switched to a long hike. It was about 5 miles along the same trail. In a way I think it was a little harder hiking it compared to running it. My legs are more sore than I think they would have been if I had run it. I think when you hike your stride is different and you engage different muscles for a longer period of time. Either way it ended up being a pretty good strength workout.

This is a view west of Golden Gate Bridge near the beginning of the hike.

                    This near the end of the hike. It was quite a view.

Recovery week in San Francisco

  I have been practicing a more natural progression of training. I increase the distance I train every week following the 10% rule. Well...let's just say that I try to follow the 10% rule. Sometimes I overshoot it a little and sometimes I come in just a little under 10%. I insert recovery days when needed. Here is a weekly total of my workouts for the past couple of weeks. Mind you this is the beginning of a build cycle that will last all summer.

Week 5/23-5/29

• Run 13 miles
• Bike 48 miles
• Swim 2.7 KM

Week 5/30-6/5

• Run 19.5 miles
• Bike 70 miles
• Swim 6.8 KM

Week 6/6-6/12

• Run 19 miles
• Bike 78 miles
• Swim 7.3 KM

Week 6/13-6/19 Recovery week

• Run 15 miles (23 miles if I put off brunch and go run right now)
• Bike 15 miles
• Swim 1.1 KM

  This week is obviously a recovery week. I am taking recovery very seriously this time around. Although I didn't mean to drop the distance this much I will pick up on Monday where I left off the week before. Right now I am in San Francisco for a few days without my bicycle. I have limited access to swimming but unlimited access to running. Unlike Austin right now I can run in the afternoon without worry of dying from heat exhaustion. There is about a 30-40 degree difference in temperatures here in NorCal. I am about to run the Lands End trail in San Francisco. It is about an 8 mile out and back trail along the coastline from Ocean beach to Golden Gate bridge. As you can imagine the views are pretty breathtaking.  Here is a photo I borrowed from about.com.

It is truly one of the more beautiful running trails I have done.

Jack and Adams Sunday Ride

  A couple of Sundays ago was my first ever group ride. I have been meaning to try out the free rides around town. I know that Bicycle Sport Shop, Mellow Johny's and Jack and Adams all have rides that I believe are free. After a little research I decided that the beginner "no drop" ride at Jack and Adams was the ride I wanted so I packed up the bike on Sunday morning and headed down to see what a group ride was all about.

 I met my friend Dale at the ride so I would have someone to talk to in case it got rough. He was just coming off an extended hiatus from back surgery so we decided to go easy on the "no drop" ride. We met up with about 40 or 50 other cyclists in the parking lot at Jack and Adams and divided up into three groups. The advanced ride had about a dozen people and they took off first. The intermediate ride had about 30 riders and they went next. The beginner group that I was in stayed around for about 5 minutes to discuss the route, riding etiquette and safety issues. We went over some basic signals and how we would be riding in a group.
  As we were standing over our bicycles I looked around and surveyed the other riders who had made it on time for the 8:30 roll out. There was about a dozen of us riding road bikes, triathlon bikes, mountain bikes and a hybrid. As our group leader James was finishing up the last details a girl rides into the parking lot and begins to circle the group. Her circling didn't seem menacing but there was definitely something peculiar about it. James asked her if she was going to ride with us and she said yes but that this was her first time to ever ride with shoes that clipped into the pedals so she was afraid to stop. After a few words of encouragement from the group she came to a stuttering stop but still on her feet. We applauded and then headed out.
  Our route was out Cesare Chavez to Lake Austin boulevard and on over Exposition/Enfield. We eventually made our way to Shoal Creek. James explained to us that "no drop" meant that nobody got left behind. If some of us got cut off at a stop sign or red light the rest of the group would wait for the stragglers to catch up. We rode at a pretty leisurely pace. It wasn't a difficult ride but there were sections that we could speed up to get the heart rate going. At about 12.5 miles we stopped where Shoal Creek runs into 183, for a water break in the shade and then headed back.
  The girl with the new shoes still had not fallen at any of the stops and everyone was still together so we were doing pretty good. On the way back about half of us sped up and missed our turn so now we had a two "no drop" rides going. We made it back to Jack and Adams in under two hours which made our average pace about 13-14 mph. Like I said it wasn't an intense ride but it was perfect to get the feel for riding in a group and learn the basics. Everybody was very nice and there was supposed to be free tacos waiting for us but you have to get back to the shop before they are all eaten.
  I am glad I did it and I am looking forward to the next week for the intermediate ride.