Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Another Great Swim

Training is coming along. Nothing new and exciting to report EXCEPT that I had my best 1,000 meter swim on Tuesday, beating my old time by 1 min, 40 seconds (from the previous week). On Tuesday I did it 14 min, 50 seconds. It just all kind of clicked as far as strength in the pull and I didn't get tired w/ keeping up the momentum so each lap was consistent at 45 seconds. Now I need to focus on distance and start doing the 1.5 non-stop.

Last night I did an hour spin then a 5 mile run. That kicked me a little harder than I excpected.

I supposed I should also start sleeping with the window to get used to the cold. That was a suggestion from Gary Emich (the Alcatraz swim super star) in order for us to prep for the frigid waters. What is a possum jumps through my window in the middle of the night? :)

Friday, April 25, 2008

Great Swims and Run this Week

Training is going well. I had two great 1.5 mile swims this week in the pool. Focusing on the form and what an incredible difference it makes. It's almost second nature now to rotate sides with breathing too.

I ran a 5 miles today on the treadmill in 35 minutes, which I was very satisfied with since I haven't been focusing on speed. I guess shedding 10 pounds can make a huge difference with the pace.

Bike is back from it's tune-up, so I'll be hitting that this weekend.

Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon send out a pretty informative email on training. I'll post that here too.

There are also a couple slots for the race available on ebay. I think auction is up early May. Sooooooo.....if anyone has an itch to do the race this year, you now have an opportunity.

Cheers, P

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

45 Days!

Man, seemed like it was 100 days out just a few days ago. Now it's only 45....the countdown is on. Bringing the bike in for a tune-up today and hoping to have a great workout weekend (aside from a little paintball action on Saturday).

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Yesterday's Training

I haven't provided a summary of a day's training in a while, so here's a quick snap on yesterday.

I had a great weight workout in the a.m. People tell me I really don't need to be lifting weights right now, but that's something I'm a bit stubborn with and manage to keep going. Strength wise, I think it has really helped out my swim out quite a bit.

I then swam at lunch and did about 2,000 yards (about a mile and a quarter) and everything felt great. Everyone must be learning to swim right now, because I had another flounder in my lane and had to dodge him most of the swim. I've been learning to breathe on both sides (every third stroke) and this was the first swim where it kind of clicked in and I didn't have to constantly focus on when to breathe. Before I was breathing every fourth stroke and for longer swims like Alcatraz, it's suggested to breathe every two to three strokes for more oxygen supply. Being able to breathe on my right will also help me out if there happens to be quite a few waves on race day and the suggested side is the right. At the training clinic, we had to breathe on the left due to waves and thank goodness that was my breathing side, either wise it would have been an extra stress having to do it on the right. Now I'm all balanced. :)

Post work Walter and I headed down to the lake for an easy 5 miles. That too felt great. The knee tendonitis and planters fasciitis are doing much, much better. I think taking most of last week off provided the body with some healing action. I also think this magic acai juice might be helping things out too. I'm still amazed at my constant energy level after I take 2 oz of the juice. Also want to report that Walter's picking up his pace too and has shed a few of those winter pounds, so he's a happy pooch.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Sand Stairs.....

.....it's definitely not going to be a flat run. I believe there are around 400 stairs. We did the stairs at the training clinic, but I lost track counting after 200.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Running Vegas Style

I was in Las Vegas over the weekend for a friend's wedding and was determined to keep up the training (since I kind of took all of last week off post the training clinic). Rather than swim in the pool and having to dodge hotel guests floating around with cocktails in hand, I decided to hit the Vegas Strip both mornings for a nice run.

At first I was hesitant to run the Strip, but it turned out to be the perfect choice for a running path, with non-stop entertainment for the whole hour. As you can just imagine . . . . I came across people who had been up all night and were staggering back to their hotels or maybe they were just heading to their next adventure. And then there were people who looked like they had a really late night but were determined to start the day early and all I got from them were scowls. And I even ran by an Elvis impersonator....where in the world would an Evlis impersonator be boing at 8am on a Sunday . . . . maybe church.

I had always wanted to check out the Bellagio and Venetian hotels, so I did a quick jog into both of those to get a feel of the place.

So I must say, out of all of my training runs to date, these two over the weekend top the chart for most entertainment. I highly recommend a morning run on the Strip next time you're in Vegas.

Friday, April 11, 2008

3 More Crew Members!!

Whooohoooooo......I have 3 more crew members for the race! I'm on a little Vegas Vacae right now and this is too hard to type from the phone so I'll introduce the crew members when I get back and maybe even place their mugs if they'll let me. :)

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Alcatraz Triathlon Training Coaches

Here are a few more specifics on the gents that helped me out by leaps and bounds last weekend at the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon one day clinic. They're passionate about the sport and have incredible knowledge and experience on the stuff.

Reid Swanson
Director of Clinics at Tri California. Reid is a Certified Level 1 USA Triathlon coach. He has been racing triathlons for 20 years and has been coaching for 5 years. He has competed in every distance of triathlon from sprint to Ironman to multi-day adventure races. Reid has completed every Tri Cal event multiple times and can lend this experience and course knowledge to camp participants.

Web Site: http://www.tricalifornia.com/


Gary Emich
Gary is an “Escape from Alcatraz” swim world record holder – over 510 crossings without wetsuit or fins – the author of “A Swim Criminal Looks at 100: A Swimmer’s Guide to a Successful Escape”- and the co-producer & co-host of the new open water swimming DVD “Lane Lines to Shore Lines: Your Complete Guide to Open Water Swimming.” Gary is a Certified Level 1 USA Triathlon Coach specializing in open water swimming. He also is the official test swimmer who the day before the Escape navigates the tricky and ever-changing currents to pick the best race-day course. Gary brings a wealth of experience to our clinics and will share his knowledge about physically acclimating, internally acclimating, mentally acclimating, sighting, open water swim techniques and currents.

Gary's DVD is available for purchase on his Web site, along with plenty of other information on swimming and the Alcatraz crossing.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Snaps from Swim at Training Clinic

My good buddy Steve Noble took some awesome snaps of the swim. Noble, thanks for hanging out for two hours in the blistery wind and taking such great snaps. Clicking on image will show you a larger version.


Monday, April 7, 2008

Awesome Training Camp

I got back this morning from San Francisco. The training camp was awesome. Reid Swanson, Gary Emich, Andy Mcwhorter and Eric from Tri-California Events did an amazing job. I'm so much more confident now by having had a successful swim in the Bay, as well as doing the actual bike and run courses. If anyone's still looking for a training camp, check their site out. Click on the 'training clinic' link on the top nav http://www.tricalifornia.com/

I'll provide more details later and even have some snaps of the swim that my friend Steve took while watching from the shore.

Aside from the incredible coaching, I also learned that:
- San Francisco Bay has five species of sharks but they're bottom feeders and they only like seals and sea lions. (Guess I'll be painting my wetsuit neon green.)
- Next to Hawaii's Ironman, this triathlon is the second hardest triathlon in the world to get into (via lottery).
- Gary Emich (the swim coach at the clinic) is the world record holder for most swims from Alcatraz to SFO w/o a wet suit and fins......currently at 510 swims. In '07 there was some type of Alactraz anniversary and he wanted to be at 500 swims on that date, so over the course of 9 months, he swam it 100x. He also said there are a couple of seals he's gotten to know pretty well in that they will come right up to him, bring their face right up to his, swim alongside him for a bit, nudging him periodically in a playful way.
- John Paul Scot is the one confirmed prisoner to reach the San-Francisco shore. He, however, collapsed due to exhaustion and hypothermia, upon reaching the shore, making his attempt unsuccessful.
- Alcatraz's biggest mystery surrounds its most infamous escapees: Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin who have not been seen or heard from since their June 1962 prison break. Their complex plan to get off the island involved plaster dummies, fake vent coverings, a motorized drill and a raft crafted from pilfered raincoats.

More to come

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Training Camp this Weekend

I head down to San Francisco this weekend for the training camp. We'll spend the day swimming in the Bay (just not from Alcatraz) and run and ride the official course. This will be my first plunge into the water so a bit nervous about that, as I know it's going to be cold and open water........alright, now I'm really nervous when I think of it.

Here's the Tri California Web site if anyone is interested in checking out some of the other camps.
http://www.tricalifornia.com/index.cfm/clinics_alcatraz_1day.htm

April Fools

Sorry.....yesterday's post was just keeping up w/ the April Fool's tradition. No Strait of Gibraltar swim for this guy. I think Alcatraz is plenty for now.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Now Going to Swim the Strait of Gibraltar


Huge change in my race plans. I was starting to feel that the Alcatraz swim might not be challenging enough, so I'm going to scrap this race and will now be doing the Strait of Gibraltar swim. For those of you who aren't familiar, the Strait of Gibraltar is the strait that connects the Altantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain from Morocco. The strait's narrowest point is 8 miles, but due to the currents I'll actually be swimming 12 miles.

It's definitely a change in plans, but I felt like I needed more miles to swim, plus the water's are a bit more lively south of Spain w/ passing tankers, whales, dolphins and of course lots of sharks, so that will just add to the excitement. Stay tuned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Gibraltar