Why "three to five"?

current training schedule

september plans
1-4...polo in Spokane
16-17...polo in Bellingham
19-23...Melbourne
23-4 Oct...Sydney/Olympics

bug counter
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Tuesday, September 26. First Sidney swim, first 50m pool...almost.
I Stopped in to a pool just on the east side of Hyde Park for a swim that some people had mentioned yesterday when the other pool I tried was closed. Wow...this was a public pool. There were tons of people. There were ten lates with at least 3-4 people in each doing laps...and this was midday! Unfortunately, they had split the 50m pool into two pools to 'accomodate' all the levels of swimmers that they would have with all the tourists. Bummer. In the other end of the pool they had some crazy show going for kids with a bunch of guys dressed up in the old style bathing suits (the ones with the black and white stripes) doing synchronized swimming. Didn't watch any of it myself. In another adjoining pool there was a big structure for children to play on. Lots of people around...it was kind of fun.

The workout went great with the exception of the hand-paddles. They wouldn't let me use them because the pool was too busy. The water was a little colder that what I'm used to as well so that was a new sensation.

Monday, September 25. Cliff run with Eli.
Got up this morning and decided to head out for a run with Eli. I was a little nervous since he's much farther along in training that I am, but he wanted to just to a jog so it ended up that the rate felt pretty good. We headed north along Coogee Beach for a while, then along the cliffs that lead to Bondi Beach eventually, where the Olympic Beach Volleyball events are being held. The run was incredible...incredible views, incredible workout, incredible guy to run with. Can't really do justice to the views...cliffs, rocks, crashing waves, all of it. Even though it was cloudy, it was beautiful. The trail included pavement, dirt, grass, stairs, uphills, downhills...a little bit of everything. Once again, the run time was right at 45 minutes. Finally, Eli really is great guy. He's given me lots of pointers along the way and gave me many more during the run. I'm pretty lucky to be ablet to spend some time with him, get to know him and benifit from his pointers. He's only 22, but has a lot of wisdom.

Sunday, September 24. Beach run with Justen.
I met up with Eli Bremmer and his brother Justen on Saturday. They will be my roomates here in Sydney. Eli is training for the Pentathlon in Colorado Springs with several other pentathletes and his brother did them when he was younger too. This morning I went out running with Justen south along the cliffs, but since I had walked around Melbourne so much, my plantar fasciatis really started to bug me, so after we turned around to see what what was up north, I opted to stay on the beach and run bare-footed in the cold sand and water. The sand helped stretch out my ankle and the cold helped reduce the inflimation. I ended up running sprints on the beach with put me in for about a 45 minute run overall.

Friday, September 22. Melbourne run.
I bought this great book on runs in different cities around the world and decided to try the Melbourne one out. It took me around the Cricket Coliseum, which was HUGE, it holds 105,000 people. Then through the tennis center left over from the Melbourne Olympics, along the Yarra River where I saw many of the Rowing clubs (nobody around when I was there though) and finally across Fitroy Gardens back to Sibylle's place. It took me about 45 minutes or so.

Thursday, September 21. Melbourne swim.
After tourning around Melbourne most of the day, I stopped in to the Melbourne City Bathe for a swim. Its really a complete gym, but the historic building was all pools and spas when it was built in the early 1900's so it retaines the name today.

I was a little tired out from the walk around town and jet lag, so I did about 3/4 of my usual swim workout. It felt great. I did get in at the wrong end of the pool that was very deep and had no where to hold on to, so putting on my goggles and later my hand paddles (which I had left at this end) was a little challenging. Remember the one armed runners and bikers from Seattle? Well, I saw a one legged swimmer today. Another good omen. I also ran into a rower a the front desk. She saw me in my UW crew shirt so we had a little chat about rowing in the area.

Tuesday, September 19. An acceptable swim.
The swim was a bit sluggish today, perhaps because it was an early morning swim, perhaps because I still have the last muscle sluggishness from my cold or perhaps because I didn't get to bed last night until 1:00am after watching more Olympics. But the swim wasn't bad either, it actually felt great and I felt really good with my technique. Even had some nice flip turns at the end. Great workout before I'm off to Oz to be sure.

Monday, September 18. So close...to sub 20.
Did my Portage Bay (PB) run again tonight and considering how I did on the last one, I was very pleased but yet, not completely satisfied. I came in at 20:09. I'm learning more and more that the every little bit counts. Surely I could have taken 10 seconds off my run time somewhere along the way. Looking back I see many places I could have done it. You really have to push the whole way through and small break - mental or physical - could be the difference in meeting a goal or having to try for it again later. I am still getting over a cold, so it was good to confirm that I can still train in such a situation, but its still now excuse for missing out on 10 seconds. 10 SECONDS! Ultimately, I want to take two more minutes of my PB time. When I get back from Oz, I will be doing more cross country, as well as adding in some hills and stairs.

Watching the Olympics makes me realize how much harder I will have to work short- and long-term. But its all possible. A great quote about Megan Quann from her brother tonight "She decides what she wants, then enforces it". I like it. I also have to say that I'm pretty inspired by Lenny Krayzelburg's story and accomplishments. Having traveled througout the Former Soviet Union and knowing many immigrants here in Seattle, I really appreciate his (and his family's) sacrifices and dedication. He's got a great attitude as well. You can never have to many people to look up to for motivation when training.

Sunday, September 17. Long swim, new pool.
My regular YMCA is closed for cleaning for through the 25th so I had to find another pool for today's long swim. The downtown Y worked out perfectly as I had a couple errands to run for the big trip. It was refresing to go to another pool, new people, new sights, sounds, etc. The downtown Y pool also 25m, but not as wide across as the Meredith Mathews Y, the downtown Y only has three lanes. It is a much brighter pool though and a little colder since they don't do as many child and family programs...its more set up for lap swimmers.

The long swim went well. I did ten minutes of hand paddles in the middle just to mix things up a bit. Although I do enjoy the long swim over the long run, the long swim can get monotonous so I try to throw something in to keep me stimulated.

I'm still watching the Olympic swimming pretty intently. I'm a very visual person so its good to watch the swimmers in order to get a good visual image. I'm staying up way too late though, past midnight every night...but its worth it.

Saturday, September 16. The long run, one armed athletes and more bugs.
I didn't get my long run in on Friday (I wanted to watch the opening ceremonies), so the next best thing was today...which means I'll do the long swim tomorrow.

Before I start, I'll just say that I had my usual response to what I guess I'll call "triumph" during the Olympic opening ceremonies last night...I teared up on several occasions. The ceremonies were incredible and it was quite a motivator to see all of the athletes come in. I wanted to go out for a run afterwards...that would have been a little after midnight. Instead, I went to bed, totally pumped and didn't actually fall asleep until about 1:30am. I'm actually watching the swimming finals while I write this. Yep, a few more "triumph" tears. Feels good though.

After a brief visit down to the parents' in Steilacoom to grab my sisters carry on and say goodbye to everybody, I zoomed home to start my long run in time to get it done and get back to watch the swimming finals.

My distance or "long" run as I call it is up to 90 minutes, which is as the longest I will go for now. Once again, I ran north along the Burke Gilman trail and, for you Seattlites out there, got pretty close to Bothell on this trip. Ninety minutes is about the time it will take me to run an half marathon (which I plan to do in November) and enough to improve my fitness level over time...in a way that the interval workouts wouldn't. The "long" run felt pretty good this time, although the last ten minutes I could really feel it in my knees and feet that I added the extra ten minutes. Along the way, I made a couple of interesting observations. I saw three athletes, two runners and a biker with only one arm. Don't get me wrong, I think its awesome that they are out training, great role models, it was just odd to see three of them. Some people find four-leaf clovers, some win the lottery. I saw three one-armed high level athletes in one day...I'll take this as a good omen.

One of the other things the long run is good for is learning you limits, or more...what your limits arent. You discover what you can push through, both physically and mentally in order to reach your goal. Little pains here, fatique and even mental baggage all CAN be overcome.

You'll also notice the bug counter is back. I swallowed two, got one in my nose and a large something in my ear for about five steps.

Thursday, September 14. A lot of swim, no ride.
Had another good swim this afternoon. Felt really strong and with good technique. Flip turns were a little better too. I do think I need to start doing more with my legs in the workout though. I've found recently that my legs tire out before my upperbody. But, as with the rest of my swim, I'm sure I will be working on all this when I get back and start the coaching.

Didn't have a riding lesson tonight as the barn roof was being worked on.

Wednesday, September 13. A lesson in priorities and big-picture ground rules.
I believe I learned an important lesson in priorities during tonights run, as well as the value in sticking to my big-picture ground rules. I decided to run around Portage Bay (PB) tonight instead of Greenlake 1. becausse I wanted to better my time around PB from last time, maybe even break the 20 minute mark and 2. I had a friends BBQ to go to at 7:00pm (I usually try to catch up with family friends before take a long trip such as the one to Australia). I was feeling pretty good at the start and actually probably went off a little too quickly. But...it became very clear to me at about the half way point that my legs just weren't wanting to perform. They were tight, a little wobbly and just wouldn't move as fast as I wanted them to during the interval on times. I am still a little under the weather from a brief cold I had, but not enough to affect my running. Since I was having major thoughts of stopping and just walking the rest of the way, I knew I had to do something to turn this into a positive experience. One of my big-picture ground rules has always been that I have to enjoy this process of training for the pentathlon...I have to push and challenge myself, but it must remain a pleasant experience or I'll dread the workouts rather than look forward to them. So I decided to stop the intervals and just jog it out for the rest of the PB course. Well...I did finish and actually speeded up a little at the end. Although I didn't accomplish the sub 20 minute goal I had, at least I didn't end in a failure either.

I think part of the problem may have been that I changed my priorities over this last week and a half. I was sick for a couple days - and didn't do anything - and then intentionally changed my priorities from training to spending some time with family and friends before I take off for my trip. I haven't fenced at all this month and haven't done as many runs or swims as I usually do either. When you're doing 2-3 workouts a day, its a little easier to stay focused. Its not that I can't or won't be able to spend the time with family and friends, I just have to recognize the effects and manage the time off a little better both physically and mentally.

Tuesday, September 12. Sweet swim on smooth water and more flip flops.
It felt so good to get back in the water after, gosh, over a week. I did my swim at 7:30 tonight and I was the first on in the pool for the lap swim. Its such an awesome sensation to take the first strokes in smooth water. Everything is crystal clear, calm and it seems like you could swim perfectly...forever. Then you flip to come back and the light is scattered all over place from the waves above, moment over. Had a good swim tonight, a little tuckered out by the end and still can't seem to get the flip turns down. I have a couple good scrapes on my right elbow from hitting the bottom of the pool, my flip is still going too deep. Also got a lot of water up my nose on one turn which, due to the way your muscles react to this, seem to some how make breathing difficult/awkward for a few strokes. The joys of learning flip turns.

Monday, September 11. I cannot tell a lie.
Following in the steps of our first president...I can not tell a lie. My run time last night around Portage Bay was 39 seconds slower than my last run. I'm not too suprised though, I hadn't run in over a week. No more will I take so much "rest time" even if I am a little under the weather...I'll at least take a walk, a bike or something to keep up the activity. Actually, I thought I would be slower by a lot more than 39 seconds, so it wasn't so bad.

Saturday, September 9. More Kenmore.
Went up to the Kenmore shooting range again this morning to take in a little more shooting. Met some new people, got some more good advice on weapons and starting shooting and learned a little about scoring. I'm really looking forward to starting up as soon as I return from Sydney. Still haven't decided which air pistol I want, a Walther, Steyr or a Feinwerkbau. It really all depends on whether I want CO₂, condensed air or a pump. Hopefully, some time with some other pentathletes in Sydney will help me narrow down what will work best for me.

You always hear athletes, or anybody trying to reach a major goal I guess, say that getting there is as important as meeting the goal. One of the things that I really enjoy is the many people I meet along the way in my training. The horse crowd is very different than the shooting crowd is very different from the running crowd, etc. Diverse, interesting poeple with so much to offer and a willingness to share their knowledge and skills. I can honestly say, even though my far-out chance at the Olympics is still four years away, that this is the most incredible time of my life. I'm sure it will only get better as the years go on. Stay tuned...

Thursday, September 7. Down for the count and a little more Vesty.
Looks like my website was down for a couple days...that's OK because I was too. Seems I got a two day flu or something. Certainly didn't feel like doing any training so there wouldn't have been much to say even if the sight had been up. But, I noticed there were a LOT of hits yesterday when the site finally came back up, so I know there area few fans out there.

Didn't have much energy yesterday to swim due to the quick flu thing, but I did go to riding in the evening. I was also starting to feel a little better by then, getting more of my energy back. I rode Vesty again tonight. We're still working on things, but we're doing much better. I do have a couple bad habits that I bring from polo that aren't helping. First, I tend to lean into the canter transition...helps in polo but not a good habit to develop for my jumping. In addition, in polo I'm used to pushing forward in a canter transition until I get a canter...no big deal on the polo field, but in my riding this shows up in during that transitions as well. When I don't get the canter and Vesty goes into a fast trot I keep asking for the canter rather than bringing him back and getting a good trot for a good canter. I also seem to be squeezing my thighs a little too much, which to Vesty means a half halt. Vesty stops or slows down, I fall forward and our balance gets way off. By the end of the lesson, we had things working well though, Laura was pretty pleased.

Tuesday, September 5. The good swim.
I really didn't expect to swim today. I got home at 12:00am the night before (from Spokane) and had to get up at 4:00am to go to work. I even skipped my Tuesday ride because I was so tired. But, after a good nap and a lot of waffling back and forth, I decided to go. It turned out to be a great swim. I took another 2 seconds off my 100m time and felt really good through all of the drills. During the warmup, I could tell it had been a while since I last swam, but this feeling went away quickly. I still need a lot of work on those pesky flip turns, but they are coming along slowly.

I didn't make it to yoga tonight. I had every intention of going up to an hour before, but got engrossed in doing something and didn't notice the time until 7:30. I'll try again on Saturday.

Sunday, September 3. Highway running in Spokane.
I was in Spokane, WA for a Labor Day weekend polo tournament...grooming and tacking for some friends. On Sunday, we had a long break in the morning schedule, so I slipped away, put on my running shoes and headed out for my long run that I usually do on weekends. This time, I was scheduled to do an 80 minute run. I haven't done much work at any kind of elevation (not that Spokane is that high at 2500 feet), so I wasn't sure how it would go...would I make the whole 80 or settle for an hour? The route was completely flat, so that was one good variable. I ran out along for 40 minutes...no problems. The 40 minutes back were just fine too. Yee Haw, I did the whole 80 minutes...even after a bisquits and gravy breakfast at the Longhorn restaurant just across the road from the polo field. I didn't get a long swim in over the weekend, but it was a holiday anyway, I deserver a break now and then. Back to the regular schedule on Tuesday.