DO WORK

Notes from the Week:

Arrive in Tempe Tuesday night!

Favorite Photo of the week....Peter Reid, Ben Harper and Myself having way too much fun outside the "Falcon" Saturday afternoon.


The Elements....

Thursday was a true dust storm here in Tempe! Winds were blowing up to 40+ mph around here. Tempe Town lake looked like IM Florida 06.

Friday, there was a tornado in my home town! Glad I wasn't there.... Just horrible weather from what I heard

Forecast for Sunday looks to be pretty bad here in Tempe. We should see fairly calm winds (9-10mph) around start time. After that...it's uphill from there....around 11 a.m., the winds should kick up above 20-25 mph, with gust over 35+. Another dust storm is being forecast with a red flag alerts around town all afternoon and on through the night. I've got a feeling the run will be a tough one in the wind. I ran Friday along side the river into what seemed to be 40mph gust and it was horrible. Dust, dirt and rocks being thrown everywhere.

Anyway...I'm actually looking forward to the harsh day. I look forward to the wind and welcome it anytime I can get it. IN the end...The more elements to play into the race....the more satisfying the day becomes.

Woke up Saturday morning and my Achilles hurt pretty bad. Ready Saturday for more info...

I hope everyone has a safe and successful day come Sunday night! Good luck to everyone and be well......

Monday:

(Swim) Felt really good today. Just a sharpening session. Keep the consistency...no more! Details below...

• 500 on 7:15 (6:54)
• 5x200 on 2:55 Descending effort....(2:45)(2:40)(2:38)(2:37)(2:35)
• 4x100 as (25 head down / 25 head up / 25 head down / 25 head up) on 1:45 (1:27)
• 100 easy to finish

2100 yards total / 32 minutes

(Run) Easy run through the hills. Backside of Valley Ranch. Felt good. Everything seems to be ticking ok. Total Time: 30 minutes / 4 miles

(Bike) Easy spin on the bike L1-L2. Total Time: 1 hour / 19 miles

Tuesday:

Traveling to Tempe.....

Wednesday:

Slept extremely well last night. Woke up feeling good and went out for a nice and easy bike out to the Course.

(Bike) Easy ride. Just spent some time in the sun! Total Time: 1:10:00 / 25 miles

(Run) Easy about 3 hours later. 30 minutes on the course

Thursday:

Well the race is officially here. I was down at the Gatorade swim start to see Ben with Blue Seventy and meet up with Teammate Kim Hager. Swim was nice. I was able to wear the full sleeve Helix and all was good.

Ben is here with the Falcon (our Team Truck), along with Tristan, our mechanic. As far as athletes go...we have a good group ready to race. Juli, Jess, Luis and Blake will join me for what we all hope to be...successful days all around. My best wishes go out to everyone I know racing.

Probably spent to much time today in the sun. No burn...just too much time on my feet. Everybody kept telling me to go home but I had to rig up the bike just the way I wanted. Tristan does a great job for the Team and I just wanted to lend a hand today where I could.

(Swim) Steady on the course. Swam out past the stadium and back. Total Time: 32 minutes / 2200 meters

(Bike) The day was so windy. Rode out to the Beeline hwy and back to transition. Several different bouts of intensity. Just enough to open the legs. Total Time: 1:00:00 / 21 miles

(Run) Run off the bike was nice. The wind was really bad though. Towards the end...it was gusting up to 40mph. Feel good. Legs felt strong and rested.

Friday:

Today was a "get everything in order day". Only workout was a steady 20 minutes swim. Nothing more...nada...zilch...

Outside of the swim...it was Team lunch...Wheel setup...hangin with the fellas...lounging around the "Falcon" and NOT staying out of the sun. I woke up late today. Around 7:45 to start the day. Good 9 hours worth of sleep. Arrived down at the expo around 9...Left around 3:30. Tonight I will try and sleep 10-12 hours and wake up late, maybe around 9 or 10. Short bike and run tomorrow with a few pace changes and then it's back to the hotel for rest.

Today I finally had a chance to spend some time at the Newton Running booth. First impression....these shoes "ROCK"...no doubt about it. The technology behind them is so far beyond anything I've every tried. The shoe forces you into a for-foot striking position. Since I already run with a for-foot strike...the shoe set up extremely well. I love them so much ...I am "considering" racing the "Distance S Racer" on Sunday.

Michellie Jones was also there signing autographs. Once she signed every poster and visor in sight...she helped several athletes try on shoes and answer questions. Anyway...I thought I would bring that up since I've never seen a Pro...especially someone as high profile as Michellie, helping athletes the way she did. She seems like a great ambassador to the sport and especially Newton. Athletes looking for sponsorship relationships...take note!

I also replaced her broke water filled watch with a nice little pink Timex to match here style...compliments of Timex. I think she liked it since she could now read the time...

Hmmm...anything else. Yep! Ben Harper (Team Manager) gave me the nickname "Eleven" today, since my energy level goes 11...not 10. He took if off Spinal Tap the movie..."The guys amplifier goes to 11...Not 10".

Anyway...swam a bit this morning. Everyone was there....busy, busy, busy. Hung out with Ben from Blue Seventy for a while post swim. That guy is the best! Along with the Team and the contacts at Times...He's one of the coolest contacts I know in the sport. If you ever see the Blue Seventy Tent at any of the races...go have a chat with Ben.

Ok...that's enough talking about people. You just meet so many awesome people at the races. Athletes.

Saturday:

My Achilles is bothering me pretty bad today. Woke up with enough pain to question the race. Stretched about an hour and it feels much better. Cassidy from TriggerPoint wants to give it a look, so I will see him in a bit. Run for today is a little questionable as I've got a feeling tomorrow will be pretty painful part ways through the run.

Well...everything panned out well. Went for an easy ride with a few pickups and the power was all there! Felt amazing on the bike. Hopefully everything will pop off without a hitch.

After the ride I went for a nice and steady t-run in the Newton shoes. The felt amazing and my Achilles seemed to feel relaxed. I've opted to race in the Newton's unless I wake up with a change of heart. I don't see that happening though.

Bike was an 45 minutes and the run was 18 minutes off the bike.

Cassidy over at TriggerPoint worked on my Soleus and the ankle and tendon feel pretty darn good.

Sunday: (Ironman Arizona)

Well...the day is here! Feel pretty good this morning. Woke up at 4 a.m.. Achilles was a little tight but now it's feeling better. Currently eating my usual Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich. Other than that....it should be an exciting day. Don't really have much more to say.... Thank you to everyone who e-mail me there wishes. They meant a lot!