Jan 5th - Training Begins!

Here's kind of quick chrono of the week.

*Monday, Jan 5th - Training begins. Jumped in the pool for the first time in a while and definitely felt the pain. Uggghhhhhh. All the upper body muscles felt like lead. Weighed in at 190 lbs. Haven't weighed that since high school. Would like to get down to 180, maybe even 175.

*Tues, Jan 6th - Went to Spin Class. Definitely felt the pain in that too. :) Spin instructor/class is great, so think Tues morning spin will become routine.

*Weds, Jan 7th - Hit the treadmail. Wanted to do 8 minute miles for 5 miles. Felt the pain again and did 8.5 minute miles for 4 miles.

*Thurs, Jan 8th - Paid the $417 for the race.....so no backing out now. Also hit the pool again in the a.m. and it felt much better than Monday.

More Race Support.....Whooohoooo!!!

In addition to my pops, I now have my sister Shauna, Aunt Gloria, Uncle Gene and maybe even my cousin Kristen coming up to eat clam chowder bread bowls and cheer my on. Whooohhooooooo!!! I'm never had an audience like this for an out of town race and am totally excited to have them there. I'm sure their support will give me an extra boost...crank'n the adrelanlin a bit more, which will definitely be welcomed for all three legs of the race.

So mucho thanks you four for coming out for the race. It will be a good time. I'll probably be a bit nervy leading up to the race but it will definitely make it easier having you all there.

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

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/

Email: reid@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.

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

Email: sfbayswimmer@sbcglobal.net

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

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