DO WORK

My Coach told me today that he could tell "I was in a good place right now!" After resonating on that for a couple hours...it got me thinking. What is it that we as athletes can do...to bring out a "Peaceful State of Mind"?

The topic arose while speaking about general training and normal life kind of stuff. Maybe it was my state of mind. Maybe it was the way I worded my topics or addressed different points...but he picked up on it somehow. It was a nice comment to hear! I very seldom take time to really enjoy "life's little processes". When I say the word "Process"...I'm speaking about what the body goes through on a day to day basis. Training, resting, recovery, nutrition are all processes that we undergo to become better athletes. Understanding how these processes will affect tomorrow's performance or sense of well-being is hard to comprehend let alone execute...but it will make us better athlete's non-the-less.

It is only after this past Ironman that I really buckled down and laid out a quality regimen that would allow me recover 100%! Going through the motions of sleeping, eating and normal day-to-day activity was almost like training for an Ironman....just at a much slower process. I never thought I would actually say this, but, I went to great lengths to find the "fun" in getting healthy and strong again...in the end, the process of recovering became a true enjoyment! I won't go into much personal detail, but over the past few days...I've seen things during my easy workouts that have shed light, and a whole new perspective on training. Had I not enjoyed or followed the "Recovery Phase / Process", I would have never picked up on these little things that will help me reach the next level....

Things like making time for naps, meals, sleep, or just living in a stress free environment were now all "Top Priority" in life's grand scheme! I think we as Type A, overly aggressive athletes...take for granite...the recovery period that we must undergo after such a grueling experience like an Ironman. Whether we had a personal best performance, or an extremely hard day...it's still an Ironman. If you didn't race strong...chances are there was a reason...but you still RACED! If you run was slow, you probably rode too hard or ran out of T2 too hard...but you still RAN! Make sense? No matter how you look at it...an "Ironman" will always be an "Ironman"...no matter how fast or slow you go. Whether you're happy with your performance or disappointed you didn't hit a goal...the recovery phase still needs to be implemented. You'll never grow as an individual let alone an athlete unless you can step back and absorb the hard work you've done up to a certain point.

I've had my greatest gains after periods of rest. Ok...so I should probably be pretty good at taking a break...Right? Nope...not a chance! I hate breaks. I hate altering the routine, changing the schedule or stopping the train that we as Type A athletes can get on. While I probably curse myself up and down during a day off or even an off-season break of two weeks or more, I always felt better a few days afterwards. Something to think about while you’re out on that long bike or long run...."A resting period or recovery day can be just as helpful and beneficial to your regimen as that long 7 hour bike / run brick"! But don't take my word...give it a try sometime.

What separates the greats in our sport...Ironman that is...usually has to do with time spent training. Hmm, quality has a lot to do with it too! Now...on the flip side, there will always be genetics...but in reality...the majority of Ironman Champions, Age-Group Champions and all around Strong Long Course Athletes come from a "hard working-focused" environment and not the "genetically gifted" gene pool. Most of the time...it's knowledge, discipline, and execution that propels someone forward to the next level of athleticism and not your DNA. If an athlete succeeds and prospers in the Ironman field...he or she does so with hours and hours spent studying, focusing or training your mind and body to become focused over a period of time that will net a positive response. Now...after the hours and hours thinking, listening and learning how to become "that" great athlete...you still have to enjoy what it is your trying to accomplish. That goes back to my "Peaceful State of Mind" topic.

Most who know me...know I'm a pretty intense individual! Passionate would be a better word. I think most of us who participate in this sport, whether recreationally or professionally...are intense in our own little ways. Some are extraverted, some are introverted. We have different ways of showing. My point is that over the past week...I've figured out a way to implement a Zen type quality into the ever so intense machine that is Mark Gingrich. I guess we'll see how this approach works heading into the next few races.....

With regards to racing....over the next few weeks...I'll be gearing up for Memphis in May on May 20th. Go figure...Memphis in May is in the month of May....hehe. I bet you can't guess where the race is held. I'll give you a guess... It's in the South and starts with an "M". This has to be one of my favorite races and I am really looking forward to racing there again. 8 days later I'll role down to Austin for the Capital of Texas Triathlon. I've got the privilege of racing the "Invitational Wave" once again and will do my best and bring my "A" game.

On the Ironman front.....My A++ race of the year is IM Florida. Currently I am considering Coeur d' Alene, but still up in the air at this point. I think over the next week....I'll get a sense of where I'm at fitness wise and make a firm decision by Friday. Even though I'm not 100% on racing IMCDA, come June 24th...I will be treating the next couple weeks with all intentions of going. Now, at the end of the season...I'll be back at IM Florida to

I hope Team Timex is doing well along with all the readers who pass through the site. The season is under way and what a season it's going to be!

Mg... / a.k.a. - Eleven

In a normal society, you have a scale that goes from 1 to 10. In my world, it goes to Eleven!

First thing I have to say is I'm getting closer and closer to nailing an awesome day! A couple changes in my routine and I think I'll give myself the best opportunity to execute the way I want to...more importantly, the way I know I can!

A couple positive things to look back on is my swim and bike. Yeah...my swim. You might look at my race time and say "What the heck!" My training times had me closing up that discipline in 57-58 minutes!

Well, what you don't see is the screw-up I made at the start of the race. Jumping in the water 5 min before the cannon went off was the dumbest thing I've ever done. I actually had no idea how much time I had left...I just knew I needed to hurry up! Wouldn't have been that bad if I wasn't 200 meters away from the start. Blowing you energy before the race even started is not the most ideal thing to do. I ended up sprinting to the front hoping that I would make it in time before the canon went off. I figured just getting to the front was the most important thing at this point.

I also had a run in with an overly aggressive swimmer 600 meters into the swim. The dude was slapping, shoving and punching people if they got close to him. I actually stopped and told him to calm down after he purposely hit me in the head for swimming over his side. He went nuts and I told him he would end up getting DQ'd if he didn't calm down. He was much slower and shouldn't have been at the front. Not a big deal...but don't punish everyone who runs you over! That really upset me for some reason...not sure why

Therefore...finishing in 1:02 was not bad given the situation I put myself in. Had I shown up on time...I probably would have had the energy to gap the main field and put myself into a faster group. Crazy man wouldn't have been a issue...but oh well...it's something I've been thinking about over the past few days. Gives me some piece of mind. I know where my speed is and it will most definitely show at the next race....... So any of you who think I suddenly slowed down...it's just my secret trick in the grand scheme of thing... HA!

Bottom line...we all make mistakes. It what we do after the mistake that makes a difference. You can bet your bottom dollar I will never show up to a swim start late again.

The bike was cool. I like the course and I like the tough conditions. I wished the time was a bit faster but I did what I could and am happy with my effort. Over the next few years...the bike will get faster and hopefully the times will reflect the hard work. I tell you what...I was on one pretty fast setup. That Trek TTX was freaking awesome.

The run is a little touchy with me still. Off and on...I think about the training and really wish I could have nailed those longer runs. I so enjoy running and it was a big bummer not to run well leading up into the race.

What I am happy about is actually getting through the race without an Achilles issue. I truly believe the shoes had a lot to do with that. Every morning I woke up during race week...my Achilles was so tight and sore...I was starting to wonder if I could even run. Aside from the shoes...I have to send out a big thank you to Cassidy with Trigger Point. He worked on the Soleus a couple times during the week and I know that helped a out big time.

The Newton Shoes were awesome! I attribute nothing about my slow run to the Newton Shoe. In fact...seeing how my DS Trainers were as flat and hard as concrete....it was probably to my benefit that I ran in the Newton's. I do not think I will ever buy a pair of Asics again after Sunday.

The shoes were fun. What I mean by fun...is they wear completely different than any other shoe on the market. You'll just have to try a pair on! Hard to explain. I think the Newton website does a pretty good job and could better illustrate than someone like myself. I don't make em...I just wear them. Let's just say I love the shoe so much , I have chosen to race and train in them...the entire year!

Post race was fun. I hung out around the finish to welcome in the remaining finishers who battled a tough day. I was fortunate to toss out some Timex product with the top 3 pro finishers...both male and female. Lots of fun. We threw out product two times and I think the crowd really got into it!

In the end....it's going to take a lot of hard work to hit the goals and times I aspire to achieve. Nothing more...no tricks...no easy days... I don't believe in luck...nor do I believe the stars will one day align in your favor. I believe in hard work and nothing else. I believe every Ironman will have it's obstacles and hurdles. It's how you handle them that sums up your performance. I feel I took everything I could on Sunday and put my best foot forward to close the day down with a solid effort.

I could ramble on about how "this" or "that" attributed to a not so successful day in the eyes of me! But honestly...that doesn't do anyone any good. Taking the lessons I learned during an extremely hard day is what will help me at my next Ironman.

Ok...there are a few new things on the http://www.markgingrich.com/ website. I've put together a new banner, new gallery section...altered some images around the site and even put up an Ironman CV page under results. The IM CV page will be an easy way for me to monitor my progress over the years to come.

There have been a lot of people who have offered up there congratulations on Sunday's performance. While I have not been too receptive to the praise...I do appreciate it. I hold my aspirations pretty high and am striving to hit high marks. That's just who I am and how I approach my life.

I have many things to be thankful for, and finishing Ironman Arizona on April 15th is one of them.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you around the way....

I am considering Ironman Coeur d' Alene and will have a firm decision by mid next week.

Mg

3hrs to race:

Woke up and felt pretty good. Achilles was tight but a little walking around and light stretching, and things opened up. Ate my typical 2 bananas and a peanut butter and banana sandwich. A Red Bull for some energy....and I left for the race at 5:30 a.m..

1hr 20 min to race:

Arrived in transition. Did a once over on the bike. Filled up the aero bottle. Pumped up the tires. Said good luck to my teammates and found a quite spot to chill out. I was extremely calm this morning. Not like me to be so calm the day of any race...especially this one. I think this would have worked in my favor but made one stupid error this morning.

10 minutes before the start was when I decided to get into my wetsuit and head out to the front. Idiot is what you call me! Ben from Blue Seventy was there to help dial me in...and thank gosh he was. Thanks Bud!!!!

Once we got the suit on...I had 5 minutes to get to the start and I had at least a 200 meter swim to get there. I jumped in the water and rushed up to the start. Once I got there...I had about 2 minutes max to chill out and get my thoughts together. Next time I need to be down there a lot earlier. I'm always one to procrastinate to the last minute and I think this time it messed with my head a little.

Swim:

Cannon went off and I tried to settle myself into a rhythm. Things were fine for the first 10 minutes or so. After that...I went through several phases of wanting to pull out. My head just wasn't there and I kept telling myself the day wasn't worth it. Even though I wanted to stop and struggled with my feeling for the first 30 minutes, I stuck it out and knew once I got on the bike....I could chill out and relax.

The swim was pretty rough this time. I spent the first 20 minutes getting pretty banged around and wondered if I was doing something wrong. Where was the power I had spent so much time working on...where was that speed. As we turned the second buoy and headed back home....I pulled off to the outside and swam solo all the way back in. This gave me some time to relax and settle into an easy pace. My calf was also trying to cramp up on me. Not sure where this came from. The cramp never set in as every time it came up...I just stopped moving my legs and it went away...

When I looked at the clock...I was extremely disappointed and knew I could have swam better. I guess today wasn't my day in the water.

Total Swim Time: 1:02:24 / 1:38 min per 100 meters

Bike:

The bike today was the HARDEST bike of any race...I have every done! The winds were so tough...so strong. The dust in the air was everywhere. The tumbleweeds were blowing across the road. It was crazy!

I actually enjoyed the tough conditions. I knew there would be several people suffering from the conditions and hoped that my experience in the wind would pay off. While I cannot stand the wind and would rather ride in 120 degree weather...I can usually ride pretty strong in tough conditions.

Other than your normal 112 mile bike....there really isn't much more I can say. I checked myself the entire ride...making sure I stood several times to stretch...kept my PE somewhere manageable...and never rode out of my element. I am relatively pleased with my bike split. Everyone suffered on the bike....not just me...EVERYONE. In the end, you have to take what the day gives you.

During the ride..somewhere around mile 80...it looked like I would come in around 5:10....But you can't race a time....that was what it looked like I was going to do. Now comes reality...When I made the turnaround out on the Beeline....the winds picked up so much. So many people were falling of the pace. If I had pushed that extra 10 minutes...I think I would have paid a pretty big price. I decided to check myself again and just relax...stay aero and keep the turnover. Get back to transition with plenty in the tank.

My caloric intake was

• 2 bottles of Gatorade Endurance / 500 cal per bottle. (1000 Calories of Gatorade)
• 11 Powerbar Gels / 2 every hour (1100 calories of Gel)
• 16 oz coke (200 Calories of Coke)

Total Calories on the bike: 2300

Total Bike Time: 5:20:34 / 21.0 mph

Run:

Run was going to be interesting. I have been battling an Achilles injury for some time now and my running mileage just hasn't been what it should be. Anyway...with brand new Newton Running Shoes...I was giving myself every opportunity to race well.

When I left transition...I felt great! I held a manageable pace on the bike and could feel my legs come alive. I couldn't have felt better. I told myself...Do not run hard. Run through mile 1 in 7:30. That's exactly what I did too. I ran between 7:15's and 7:45's all the way through 12 miles. I hit mile 10 in just a hair above 75 minutes.

It was during the second loop that my lack of run durability set in. To run well in an Ironman...I truly believe you need the strong "run durability" to handle the pain during the marathon. I do not necessarily believe you need to log a long off season of running. I just think those key long runs are so IMPORTANT going into a big race like this. During my prep...I missed about half of my long runs due to the Achilles injuries. But what are you going to do. Just make the most of what you've got.

When I hit mile 12...I could feel the pain in the legs start to set in. I decided now would be a time to make my first stop. I pulled off and went to the restroom...grabbed a couple cookies and fluids and walked through the entire aid station.

It was here that I felt a sharp pain in my knee. I should have kept running is what I told myself! I stopped for a couple minutes and stretched it out. Once I started running again...I could barely muster up a 9 min/mile. I was so disappointed. My legs hurt so bad. When I tried to run a little harder....the legs just wouldn't go.

I gave it everything I had. I was really hoping to push it a little further...and go a little faster... but I took what the day had and left it all out on the course. I think I knew my day was done around mile 14. It was at that time I realized the pace just wouldn't be enough to hit my goal. I never stopped again... Probably because I feared I wouldn't start back up...:-)

Total Run Time: 3:52:50 / 8:53 min/mile

Total Race Time: 10:24:12

• 100th Overall / 19th Age Group

Congratulations to all that finished. It was one of the hardest days I have ever seen and had the pleasure of racing in.

Currently, I have an offer on the table to do Ironman CDA or Ironman Lake Placid. I will talk with Dave and see what he suggest. After that...we'll take it from there. I still have Ironman Florida to look forward too, and as we all know...I've got some unfinished business to take care of out there and that will be my A++ race for the year... :-).

I want to say thank you to my wonderful Sponsors inside the umbrella that is "The Timex Multisport Team". Starting with Timex, Blue Seventy, Trek, Bontrager, Profile Design, Rudy Project, TriggerPoint, Spenco, Powerbar, Gatorade, Headsweats, Wigwam and Michelin Tires.

Another extremely important sponsor is the one I have with Red Bull. Sometimes I feel it's the life blood of my training. Some athletes prefer to use coffee....I use Red Bull. I can literally say...it has saved me in several races and helped me get through some very hard training days. Thanks to all at Red Bull for your support!

Another sponsor I have to say thank you too...is Newton Running. I had the pleasure of running in a brand new pair of Newton Racing shoes. Those things were awesome. Zero Achilles problems and zero blisters! What an amazing shoe and company. It is truly a pleasure to be affiliated with the Newton brand. Next Ironman...I'll make sure and run a little faster :-) Going forward...I think the running issues will be ok now that I'm in the Newton's.

Another person I owe a great deal of gratitude too...is my mentor Dave Latourette. He has helped me for about a year now and molded me into a better athlete and person. His knowledge and passion for the sport and his athletes is something I truly respect and admire. I wish I could have held the run together...just a little longer for you Dave. That goes for everyone who has helped me along the way. Doing well is not something I want to do just for myself...I want to do well for the people who help me most.

This is a process and something I will build on. While it wasn't what I wanted...it was another PR and something I can take to my next event. I learned a lot and have plenty to build on that will make me a better athlete for the years to come....

Until next week....

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!

I'm not nearly as special as I thought I was....HA! If you read through last weeks blog...I had a pretty awesome swim on Sunday. I thought the pool was marked as meters, as everyone and there mother that worked at the club...swore it was! Not sure why everyone thought that.

Anyway...the swim was so fast I couldn't believe it....even for a yard pool... I thought no way but somewhere in the back of my head I wanted to believe this might be true.

So I woke up this morning and called Wilk. He's a pretty good swimmer and he'll shoot me straight. First Question out of my mouth was, "There's no way that was a meter pool, Right?". His response was, "I didn't want to say anything but that is pretty fast".

So after a talk with the Management at 24 hour fitness...which took about 5 minutes to convince them to look in there books or call someone who knew...I was right. What does that mean...NOTHING. The swim was bitchin...even for yards!

I should have known this from the get-go, but it was the first time in a wetsuit this year and I haven't swam in a meter pool in quite some time. I also didn't give much thought to the times and what they meant.

Anyway...my effort yesterday was IM Cruise Pace and I'm "extremely" happy with my effort and time. 18:54 for a 1500 yard (1:16 / 100 yard) is a huge improvement from last year and am going into this race very happy with where I stand so far.

Also very happy to be wearing the Blue Seventy Helix. Other than the water temp being out of control yesterday....the suit wore beautifully!

Outside of that....I feel super today. Yesterday's bike session left zero fatigue in the legs as well as the T-Run. Couple more workouts for the day and then pack the truck!

I'll have updates as the week goes on..... Possibly later today or after Wednesday.

Later

Mg

Notes from the week:

Well, I decided to go ahead and recap my week for everyone. On a day where I botched everything...it was as good a time as any for a zero...

New colors for the website. Timex changed up the logo color so I thought I'd try and match everything. Looks good I think.

I HATE tapering. Man o Man...talk about moody. One minute I'm up...the next I'm down in the dumps. Oh well, Dave told me to hold on and everything would open up next week. He's right as I think all triathletes go through this at one time or another.

I've opted for a full 3 week peak followed by my usual race week prep. Total, that makes 4 full weeks worth of recovery. Paul Huddle once told me..."Unless you lay out the groundwork...a taper is pointless". I guess we'll see how things play out in a few days....

If you've ventured over to the Timex website and seen the blog lately...you might have noticed the little "Roast" Carole Sharpless gave yours truly! Actually, it was about half the Team. Little embarrassing at times but all I can say is...we had a blast!

Swim on Sunday in wetsuit was fast. Very fast. Little hot as the water temperature was 82. Swam meters today and was really excited to test the Helix and find out where my cruise pace is at. I was pleasantly happy.

Saturday's zero proved to be the best decision. Sunday's workouts were all quality and enjoyed every single one of them.

I'm an idiot and thought the pool I swam in on Sunday was a Meter Pool. It suspected it wasn't as my times were way to fast and checked it out with Management at the club. I knew something was a miss. Everyone staff member said it was meters...how could they not know?

Monday:

(Bike) Woke up a little late. Rode over to PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) out to downtown Carlsbad and then u-turned it to Encinitas. Couple hard 10 min pickups on the coast and then headed east to the hills. Rode over some pretty nice rollers before heading back to camp.

Total Ride Time: 1:30:00 / 30 miles

Really tired from lack of sleep and poor nutrition. Trip to Camp has me a little out of sorts. For lunch I decided to handle my business and flip things around. Felt good...I was able to figure things out.

Tuesday:

(Swim) Hard swim. Kept it on the low side. Had to hurry back to the board room for a wrap-up to the camp.

• 500 easy to open
• 100 stroke
• 10x100 as (1 hard on 1:40 (1:10) 1 race pace on 1:30 (1:20)
• 100 easy to cool out

1700 total yards / :28 minutes

Finished up camp. Spent some time out by the pool with a new sponsor, Dedicated Athlete....and then headed off to the airport. Flight went well and I landed at 10:30. Almost had to divert because of bad weather in the area. That would have sucked...

Wednesday:

Felt amazing when I woke up this morning. Almost back to normal. Slept 12 hours last night. Whew...I guess I needed the sleep. Took some time today and hit all 3 disciplines during my normal Wednesday 3 sport brick. Details below.

(Swim) Felt good. It was good to be a bit rested today. Simple swim today. Details below

• 2x1000 on 14:30 (14:01) (13:27)
• 500 on 7:00 (6:37) as first 200 really hard...last 300 steady to recover
• 4x50 on :45 (:38-:39)

2700 total yards / :39 minutes

(Bike) Right after the swim....jumped right on the bike. Steady ride today. Nothing to hard. Just glad to be back home and in my own element. Pretty wind today...but that's Texas....

Total Ride Time: 1:30:00 / 30.7 miles

(Run) Felt good. I haven't run in a few days so I kept it really short. Will hit a little more distance tomorrow with.

Total Time: :16 minutes / 2.2 miles

Thursday:

Today was pretty kick ass! I hit numbers I have never seen and with an extremely low level PE... Today was another 3-sport day. Only this time I took about 1 hour in between the swim and bike. Bike to Run was done on about 2 min transition time.

(Swim) Rock and Roll swim workout today! Details below

2000 (scy) to open listed below. Clear times by the 500 as this is when I hit the lap button.

• 500 (6:48)
• 1000 (13:34)
• 1500 (20:17) Fastest Yet...
• 2000 (26:53) Fastest Yet...

After the opening 2000, I left on the :28 to finish the session.....

• 1000 pull (13:48) Fastest Yet...
• 4x100 on 1:30 as (1 hard (1:10), 1 mod (1:20)
• 4x50 as (25 free head down- 25 free head up)
• 100 free easy to cool-down

4100 total yards / 1:02:00

(Bike) Bike was pretty awesome too! Structure listed below. Nice day today. Wind wasn't too bad for these parts. Can't wait for the higher temperatures in Tempe!

• 1 hour build to IM Pace
• 3x10 min L3 w/10 min race recovery in between...

Data below from intervals. Intervals were done @ IM pace with a little extra effort at the end. Nothing hard and nothing to get crazy with....structure all the way around.

• 1st 10 min interval - 149 avg heart rate
• 10 min recovery at 139 hear rate
• 2nd 10 min interval - 150 avg heart rate
• 10 min recovery at 137 avg heart rate
• 3rd 10 min interval - 152 avg heart rate
• 10 min recovery at 138 avg heart rate

Total Ride Time: 2:00:00 / 43.2 miles (21.6 mph)

(Run) Was was smooth and fluid. I had a blast the entire time. Left transition with an up tempo'd pace and then cooled it down to race pace after mile 1. Had a blast.

Total Time: 30 minutes / 4.4 miles (6:49 min/mile pace)

Friday:

(Swim) Solid effort today. Little sore from yesterdays session. Speed is coming around in all 3 disciplines which is really nice. Details from today's workout below....

• 1000 on 14:30 (13:53)
• 200 stroke on 4:00
• 200 kick on 5:30
• 200 free easy
• 3x200 pull w/pad on 2:45 (2:31)
• 3x200 pull on 2:50 (2:41)
• 200 free on 2:40 (2:32)
• 300 free to close

3300 total yards / :53 minutes

(Run) Nothing more than easy going. It's pretty chilly outside and blowing over 30mph. I'd rather not risk a cold so I opted for a run immediately after swim. I really like these workouts. It's kind of like a cool-down run after the swim.

Total Time: :45 minutes / 4.5 miles

Saturday:

Rode a little on the trainer for about :20 minutes and then called it a day. Legs were a little sore, body was a little tired. I'm really being careful on this one to NOT over do it! I'd rather go in under trained than overdone come April 15th.

In the end...I had an amazing dinner and feel awesome. Headed to bed right now and should wake up 100% tomorrow. I'm actually hoping to come out of my TAPER funk on Wednesday. It's been a hard taper but am looking very forward to how I will perform come race day....

Sunday: (Correction in the Pool Distance...Yards, Not Meters...)

Another 3 sport day. Today's workout was a nice change, as the pool is a little cooler at 82 degrees and allowed me to jump into my Helix Wetsuit. I really want to wear the long sleeve for Arizona vs. the Long John. Florida was a touch on the warm side so I opted for the Long John there and it paid off well. I never overheated in the water.

Arizona should be pretty cold as the water temp as of yesterday was in the high 50's - low 60's. I'll cross my fingers in hopes to use the full sleeve Helix.

(Swim) Amazing swim today, as I climbed back into a wetsuit for the first time this year. I had the pleasure of "WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A BRAND NEW 25 METER POOL. NOT!! I checked on Monday with the management of 24 Hour Fitness, and it is actually 25 yards.

Today was going to be fun. Almost smashed into the wall a few times. Not really used to how fast a wetsuit makes you.

• 5x100 in 1:30 (1:13-1:16) (Wetsuit)

1500 cruise pace (1:16/100y avg) in wetsuit. 82 is NOT cold! It got pretty toasty around the 1000 yard mark!

• 500 (6:15)
• 1000 (12:34)
• 1500 (18:54) Fastest Yet...

Out of wetsuit now. A little too hot for my taste. For some strange reason...I thought 82 would be cooler. Guess not after you warm-up. Easy 400 to cool-down.

• 200 stroke on 4:00
• 2x100 on 1:45 (1:22-1:23)

(Bike) Today's workout was on the trainer. Good old fashion 2 hour 15 min stationary session. Lots of fun. Good thing the Masters was on today. Made the time go by pretty fast. Details of the session listed below

Session was relatively basic. Ride steady the entire time except for 2x15 min L3-L4 at :45 and 1:30. Couldn't have felt better today. Jumped off the trainer and took off for a run.

I always take my PE and round my projected mileage down from what I would ride outside. Today's ride outside would have been somewhere in the mid 21's. Therefore...I'll round down to 20mph for today's session. Even though I hold back on the total mileage projection...it gives me an idea of my totals come year end. Total Time: 2:15:00

(Run) Took a few minutes to put on tights, socks, skull cap, long sleeve shirt, gloves, wind breaker...and then I was off out the door. Goal today was to simulate race day pace. Nice and steady...relaxed and focused. Felt really good. Total Time: 30 minutes / 4.1 miles

That's it! Home stretch......

If you read this Wednesday morning...I'd read it again! I was tired last night and after re-reading the entry....It made no sense. Ha...Cracks me up. I made a few adjustments and added a few details....

It's about 11:30 Dallas time Tuesday night and I just rolled in the door. After a late dinner, unpacking the gear and bike....I thought it was time for a blog update. You'll have to forgive the lapse in time since my last entry, but the trip took a lot out of me. With training and meetings...we were kept busy from sun up to sun down.

Saturday was pretty neat. I flew into San Diego around noon. Our Team Mechanic Tristin pickup a few of us athletes up at the airport. It was right then and there that I knew I was in for a ride. We were so rilled up...it was hard to keep the energy level down. We hit the hotel and went straight for the pool.

After a couple thousand...I hooked up with Ian, Chris and Oakes for a run out to the beach. That was fun, as it gave all of us a chance to get to know one another. Chris and Ian are pretty solid runners which gave me a chance to feed of there pace. With IMAZ around the corner, it was just what I needed. After 8 miles....we called it quits and headed back to our rooms to change for dinner.

When I got back to the room I was greeted by roommate Alex Mroszczyk-McDonald. Alex is one of the amateur athletes and new addition to the Team. The amateur status will go away soon as Alex has all intentions of turning pro after 2007...and with a time of 4:18 and 21st overall at Ironman 70.3 California...he'll have no problem fitting in with the Elites in 08.

Alex and I bonded pretty well. I have a pretty good idea why Ben stuck us together when he went through assigning roommates. We share a lot of the same thoughts, similarities and we both are extremely passionate about the sport. I couldn't have been set up with a better roommate.

Dinner was nice. Some pretty tasty pizza and a bunch of mingling with the sponsors. Lots of product distribution and hand shaking. Very overwhelming to say the least. Lots of names and faces to remember. I tried my best to remember who everyone was but I found myself forgetting names quite often.

Sunday morning was nice. I woke up around 5:30 and made my way over to the truck to have Tristen (Team Bike Mechanic) give the bike a once over. Things looked good and about 15 minutes before heading out with Dave Harju and group of athletes for a nice bike ride, Ben (Team Manager) pulled me aside and asked me to join the Trek / Bontrager photo shoot. Essentially, these photos will later be used for advertising materials, brochures, websites and all the other sponsors on the team. Triathlete magazine will also be doing a feature on the Team...so look out for that. I think most of us are pretty excited to see how the photo's came out. As for me...I will be featuring a few on my personal website soon.

After 3 hours climbing hills, flying down hills, riding in a group or pace line for that perfect shot...it was back to camp for lunch and Presentations from Trek and Bontrager. Two amazing companies with wonderful stories that go with their history. I'm extremely proud to represent them this year.

After learning a bit more about aerodynamics, carbon layup, carbon performance.....it was lunch time and then off to the pool for a few turns in the California sun.

Once I hoped out of the pool, Alex and I spent a bit of time with Blue Seventy guru Ben Bigglestone. I had a relationship with Blue Seventy before joining Timex and spoke with Ben several times via e-mail or the phone...so it was really nice to put a face with a name. We talked a bit about racing, stroke technique....and how to approach the swim portion of the race at IMAZ. Ben's an awesome dude and can't wait to see him in Arizona.

Back to Business and it was off to the board room for a presentation from Timex. New watches to look for, new ideas, company values, features that "we as athletes" would like to see were many of the topics that were discussed.

I'm not sure if any of you are aware of this, but one of the neatest things I found out was the Timex Coorporation is a privately held company owned by one family. To me...that is pretty special in and of itself. The passion and history behind the brand really took me by surprise. I suppose you never know where a companies passion lies unless you speak with the people who represent the product. After that, it was a talk with "Giaim" and then off to dinner.

Dinner was awesome. A little wild...as it was Mexican and the Margaritas were running like water. None for me as I'm a good boy and am trying to stay focused on Arizona. I'll leave the stories for the others to tell regarding what we talked about during dinner. Needless to say....I think we all had one too many laughs!

Monday was nice. We got an extended break until 10:00 which gave Alex and I a chance to get out on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and through the hills, east of the resort. This also gave us a perfect opportunity to try out the new Timex GPS and Recording unit which I have to say is awesome!

On the flip side...I didn't feel to good today as I was going through a little sleep deprivation and poor nutrition. Traveling just doesn't sit well with me and IMAZ just around the corner...I was getting pretty nervous about kicking this funk. At lunch on Monday, I changed that around and was able to eat really healthy. Again super healthy for for dinner and everything was back to normal. I'm happy to say I feel pretty awesome right now. A little tired from the taper but exactly where I want to be.

Tuesday was the last day of the camp. Alex and I hit the pool early for a nice structured swim and then it was off to hear Bob Babbit talk about his first Ironman (that was a real treat!). I don't think I'll ever hear another story like that again. It stuck with me so well, I think I could tell it word for word just as if he was here. After hearing the legend himself, we went through a little media preparation and concluded with Dedicated Athlete....our new supplement provider.

If you haven't heard of Dedicated Athlete...please have a look. John the owner is an amazing person and absolutely stead fast on improving the supplement world around endurance sports.

Later it was "Pack the bags" and it was off to the airport.

I want to send a very important "Thank You" to the Timex Multisport Team and everyone involved. I had the best time of my life and the experience was something I will never forget. I met some of the most talented, not to mention...the coolest athletes in the world. I saw so many new faces and a few old ones that I hadn't seen in a while. I also want to say thank you so much to everyone who took an interest in who I was and the goals I am striving so hard to achieve.

On the training front....it's good to be home and I'm so excited to be leaving for IMAZ next week.

I'll update soon with my training and we'll take it from there. For now...it's off to bed!

Mg