Things been going good, finally go to the ocean for a open water swim today. Water was great 72* and flat. It was a toss up for the wet suit but figured I will be in it next week for the race, so decided to wear it. Stayed out for 41min and just over 1 1/2 miles. Time looks kinda bad, was having issues with goggles. I made them looser the other day after a long swim. Going to tighten them back up tomorrow. I think we are gonna run the brick and hit the ocean again. Nadine really wants to get in the open water and tomorrow should be nice, if we get on the road early. Monday or Tuesday taper is gonna start. I am not looking forward to it, I get way to bored and go stir crazy. Thats it I'm feeling good and after the next 2 OWS its only gonna get better. 

Marathon team set

Today started sore soon as I stood up. Two days ago I said I was done with 2x a day workouts and it was a good call. Except for Sunday, its going to be the last brick day before race. Little close to race day but missed two of them while sick. I really do not think its going to hurt me to bad, not gonna be long maybe 50 and 5 I think. Did roll out a good swim today 4300 meters of speed/ sighting and hand paddle drills. Things was good, Saturday I will be in the ocean and try to fit in another 2 next week. 
So I got my orders and all travel papers done last weekend, for the State of FL  National Guard Marathon Team. Five of us was selected from the entire state. Now we will met all 50 states, Guam and Puerto Rico in Lincoln Nebraska on May 6. Figure there will be between 300-350 Guardsmen running for a spot on the All Guard Marathon Team. Last year they took the top 57 runners for the team. Gonna have to have a good day if I wanna shot at the team. After this 140.6 in Ocala I am making the whole month of April, training for the race. I will still be on my bike, can not leave it out. Good cross training for off days from running. Just got my tickets in a email but need to call SATO Travel in the morning to straighten out the ticket. Ya know cant expect the military to get everything correct !! I am excited about the race but best thing is Nadine is going with me. Had I known I could take her I would have gotten us a room. Now she has to fly on her own and find a room close to race. I dont think she care all to much as long as she is there. A bad thing about it, if I make the team I have been told I will not make it to Afghanistan. I am OK with that I was trying to make the team  when I got deployed the last time, just stayed in the desert for 2 years to long !! Just hope my training has not been hurt getting ready for this up coming race. I am confident I can turn things around, just gonna take a little work but I'm good with that.

Time has passed

Not really sure where to start, it has been awhile. Last month training was going great, I was getting in some outstanding times and distances. Things was going good and felt on top the world. Then out of nowhere BAM! I was sick. Found myself in bed for 9 days, little food was going in but liquids was. A few time a day I would actually get up and try to move but always ended up in the same spot, back in bed. About day 10 I could not take it anymore and decided to stay up and get moving. Day 13 I went for a run, yeah not to good, could not run for more then 5min at a time without walking. Plus everything was off, I was still dizzy and was about falling over m feet. Then as fast as it came, it was gone! Nadine and I planned a open water swim but found a front coming in with high winds, that had the Gulf of Mexico with 2 foot seas and I was not letting her get out there for only her second OWS. Hit the bike that day for 100 miles with a 5 mile run after, maybe not the smartest thing but mentally I had to get out there. March 25th is the HITS Triathlon Series in Ocala FL. I am doing the full distance, but had not signed up yet. I gave myself to the 15th depending on how I felt. I was gonna drop back to the 70.3 but really still wanted to do the 140.6 distance. After the ride the next day I stepped out the door, looked around and thought lets run. Next thing I was at 17 miles and thought I better stop so not to injure anything. Next day was another 45 mile ride and that night slept on it. Got up early before Nadine and signed up for the race, couldn't take it anymore. So as it stands I'm in, feeling good and looking forward to the race. Whats gonna happen or how things are gonna go, well can't answer that one, just gonna have to see. I will keep a close eye on hydration and nutrition for sure, as always but even closer now. I can't say I scared or worried but its sitting on my mind for sure. This week I need to get to the ocean for some time in the open water but all the long training is done and taper will start next Wed. All I can do is hold things together and hope for the best along the way. Winds have been a killer on the bike, few days had 30mph gusts out there. Mentally I'm game, just hope with the 2 main weeks of training lost I didn't lose all that I worked so had for. It will be interesting for sure and can't wait till race day. I feel like there is a huge weight on my shoulders for this race. Like there is a ton on people watching or gonna be tracking me during and sure don't wanna flop on my ass. Hold things together in the water, push parts of the bike, fly through transition and keep in the moment on the run. Thats my plan and how I'm gonna work it.

Another 1/2 marathon

Finally I thought it might not ever happen ! A PR at the 13.1 mile distance and never seen it coming. Last weekend at the Naples Daily News Half Marathon here in town, where I had set the old PR a few years ago before deployment. Was a chilly morning, in the mid-high 40's at the start, and nothing above the 60's all day. The race needed to get moving, once I took all the cloths off. The course is a pretty good one, for here in town. Some say its scenic and guess it would be if I didnt live here but it is flat and pretty fast. First 6-7 miles slipped away and all the splits was 6:30's-6:40's and was not sure how long that pace could be held. Thought I would pull it back to the 7 for a couple miles miles then drop it back down. Never happened though, Garmin showed the next 5 was in the 7's although they felt faster. At 12 miles I did the math real fast and realized I had to go sub 7 for the finish and went back to 6:40 to finish. Finishing time was 1:31:14 but that was not the only one for the day.

Nadine also wanted to drop her time from the Disney race, which she did also ! She took off 9 minutes this day, and went the first time under 2 hours. 1:58 would be her finishing time, All along leading up to it I knew she had it in her but the weather really had her down. Total over the first 2 weeks into the new year, we have a combined 4 new PR's and her first triathlon !! Year has started off on a rip and in a few days we are off to the ING Miami Marathon, will it continue is the question. All the training is done, sitting here in taper week. Pictures are from post race in Naples.

HITS Triathlon Series

What a fun weekend this was, they really got something going here. Spent the whole weekend at the race event. Friday I went and ended up spending the entire day , not even meaning to. Saturday I got to watch Nadine run her first triathlon. She ran the sprint after I moved her to that distance on Friday. She did great , even won her AG ! Did find out that she is in need of OWS, this was the first time she had to swim in the ocean and in a wet suit. 

Sunday I ran the HIM race ( should have went with the full !!) and the ran the full at the same time. In all only about 100 people ran between both races, so the small field a PR was in view from the start. Swim was good, a L shape going out then north in the Gulf of Mexico, with water temps at 69. I came out of the water somewhere around 14th, from what I could tell. By far the worst part of the day was the bike. Outside it was only in the 50's and being wet it was brutal for 35 good miles. Never felt my feet at all till the ride back into town, and I needed that to get ready for the run. Came off the bike rolling ! Garmin was reading a 6:39 pace and knew I needed to slow it up a bit, when it finally hit a 7:09 I figured that was good and would hold it as long as I could. Run was a out and back, coming off the bike I was now in 10 overall. Within 3-4 miles I had passed people who passed me on the bike. The turn around I could see how much room I needed t make up and that I was now in 6th. Around mile 9 legs started getting heavy and was able to pass one more guy for 5th place. Never seen the 4th place till there was only about .5 mile to go ! or I would have given it a run at him. Talking to him, he knew I was there and fast approaching him. It was a PR for the day , with a finishing time of 4:54:08 , 5th over all and 1st place int he military division. Splits was good, even with the long in and out of T1 and T2. Swim 36 min (33 min out of water) bike 2:35:17 and run 1:40:00. I have been in recovery, today is the 3rd day and need to move. Was really sore last 2 days, think the weather on the bike had something to do with it. Lots of cranking going on, not much pulling with the legs. In all I cant wait for the next event in Ocala, almost sure its going to be the full. All I do know is, here in 4 days is the Naples Daily News Half Marathon and yep Im in ! Not gonna be a PR but should be a good day if the weather holds out. 

Race week

Things have been going really easy this year so far. Trying to come up with a new goal for the year. Last year I set a 1300 mile running goal, hit it at the end of November. Year ending total was 1437, which was my longest year yet. January is gonna be a pretty easy month, by what im looking at. I have three races this month. This weekend a HIM at the HITS Triathlon Series here in Naples on Jan 8, Jan 15 Naples Daily News HM, then off to Miami for the ING Miami Marathon. Gonna be at the race site from basically Friday till Sunday this week. Gonna work with Nat Friday and I have a meeting later that day and packet pickup. Saturday Nadine and I are volunteering from 4-8 body marking, then she is also racing her first triathlon that day also. Sunday I have to hang around for all that and bike turn in later that afternoon. Weather is not working at all, the cold front has it pretty damn cold here and its gonna be around through the weekend, 50's at race start all weekend and water temps are in the low 60's. Not gonna be a fun day whatsoever, days should be up in the higher 70's but not gonna make up for the swim. Just gonna have to see how things work and deal with it as it happens. Really wanted a PR at this race and think my bike and run are on target for it, the swim i will be the difference and T1 is a good clip from the water. Mental day is all I can chalk it up to, stay in the zone and disregard the weather is the best thing I can try and do.

Post turkey ride

This short little race season i have been in since being back from the desert, has been great. Training is going OK as good as it can with the time I got. Nadine and I did the Iron Joe Turkey ride after Thanksgiving, it was a quick ride. Never have I ridden with any Roadies, but boy that pack can move with ease. Didn't say I like it ! but it was interesting. Nadine did her second ride on her new bike and she did so great, although I'm sure she would say something negative about it :) . I am gonna chalk it up to it being her first ever metric century ride, and the farthest she had rode ( to that date) by 40 miles. I am really proud of her for hacking the thing out, I know it was rough on her but she was a trooper that day.

So for the last 2 weeks of the year its gonna be getting ready for the HITS Triathlon Series race on Jan. 8 . I have a feeling after the race I will regret not doing the full Ironman distance, I just had second thoughts on it and thought better against it with two more races it the month to follow it. I would like another shot at the half ironman distance and maybe drop a nit more time off, as I was able to in Miami. Maybe the hometown race will set a charge under my ass to shove things into overdrive. My big concern at this time is the water temps and that damn wet suit ! Naples Gulf should be around 66* that day, by far the coldest I ever have raced in. My plan till race day is to get into the suit and down to the beach as much as I can before it. Been a long time since I have been in the suit in the water, cause I always opt for my swim skin even with the temps at 73* like Miami was. Tomorrow morning has a good chance on finding me there trying things out. Pics from the turkey ride.