Thursday, November 25, 2010

Turkey Trot Redux



So I awoke to my Editor saying, “Are you really going to do this today?” As in our bedroom we could hear the rain and wind banging against the storm window. My response was that I had made a commitment to the run the race. Also, in the back my mind I know it is always that first 500 feet in the rain that is bad and after that you can settle into the groove. So off I went from bed and into the shower to get the proverbial cobwebs out.

Now, this was originally going to be a family affair with Team MoZo making their way down to the Galleria for our first Turkey Trot, but I knew the rain had killed everyone else’s desire and, heck, there was a Macy’s Day Parade to be watched in a warm house. I don’t blame them a bit.

I was personally wondering what the turnout would be like but, regardless, threw my tights and warm gear on and headed downtown.

Having the Galleria as a staging area was great, as it was a warm place to stretch before the race and from the looks it appeared to be a good sized crowd.

I was alright being alone at the race today as I was just sort of in the mood to be on my own and it makes for good people watching.

After my last restroom stop, I took a quick warm up jog and then I was into the herd of people waiting for the gun. The race got off to a slow start as I was a little far back in the crowd and was not having the easiest time weaving my way through runners.

Unfortunately, this made for a slow first mile and getting caught up in the group tends to make me anxious. Because of these factors, I was having a difficult time finding a pace and for some reason got a small abdominal cramp. By mile two, I had begun to settle in and my cramp was gone, however, I was off pace at 7:30/miles. I wanted to be at 7:00/mile or under, but I had to do a lot of work for those.

The rest of the race was uneventful and by mile 4 I had gotten my pace under 7:30 and I began to pick it up. Making the turn back towards downtown I felt good and closed the last 1.5 miles strong. Finished the 5 miles in 36.24 and got my pace down to a 7:16/mile.

Overall, a good race, good tradition, and I am glad that I participated. On top of it, I was able to get few extra training miles in after the race in an empty downtown. Next year, I will drag the whole family for the experience and maybe a costume will be in order. I give credit to all the runners dressed as turkeys and pilgrims; as well as the random dressed like he was Amish.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.


Editor’s Note: I thought we were going to see the parade “live” next year? Oh well, since he proved we could get home before the big guy makes his way to 34th street, I guess I can haul our three asses downtown – and will be happy to do it!

Monday, November 22, 2010

The Island of Misfit Shoes

Time is nearing for a new pair of running shoes and since becoming an avid runner I have become more particular about my shoes.

Getting rid of my last pair is like asking my daughter Morgan to give up her prize possession beluga whale, which I often imagine will go something like this: “You will have to pry Beluga out of my cold dead hands, Dad” as she flips me the bird while walking out of the room.

I can relate because I seem to have some weird affliction whereby I cannot give up my last pair of running shoes – or for that matter, my last six pairs. It’s odd, but I see the miles that I have gone in those shoes and I cannot give them up.

So now they are banished to the Island of the Misfit Shoes, waiting for second lives as lawn mower shoes or dog poop picking up shoes (really the same job) or to wear as a my casual shoes – whatever retirement job I deem fit. I imagine it’s like being the Walmart greeter of running shoes.

I was originally a Nike guy, but frankly I think their shoes have become extremely ugly over the years and their performance does not beat the others. Although, I am intrigued with the Nike Free shoe and may pick up a pair.

I primarily run in Asics Kayanos, and I reluctantly switched in the middle of the summer to Asics Landreths 6s, which was a more neutrally balanced shoe. Originally, I had picked Kayanos because they are a more supportive shoe for over-pronation, which should be the right fit for my flat gunboats. However, I will sing the praises of the AL6’s. They have been fantastic shoes, just little bit of pain to pull on and off during tri races.

Unfortunately, the miles have added up and the Island is beginning to call their name. I’ll keep you posted on their replacements and their new life. I am sure it will be glorious.

Editor’s note: When Scott mentioned he was going to write his next post about shoes, I said, “No way, that’s what my next post was going to be about.” Then he said it was really going to be about his strong feelings for his shoes and I said, “Yeah, that was going to be my point and I was going to take a picture to prove it.”

Exhibit A

Exhibit B


So yes, he cannot give up shoes. But that is not really a surprise, because he can’t give up any clothes. I basically go through his closet once a year and put things in a big garbage bag in the crawlspace. If we get through the entire year without him asking where I put something, I take the bag to AmVets and he is none the wiser. (I guess the jig is up.)

Sidebar: I actually got him to volunteer some clothes this year, since he has lost 90 pounds since law school. He also tried to get one of his favorite suits cut down to his current size, but when he asked the tailor what he should do, the tailor said, “Give the suit to a poor, fat man.”




Thursday, November 18, 2010

Chocolate Cows

So like most amateur triathletes, I am always looking for that next nutrition tip, supplement, gel; but this entry focuses on post-workout recovery drinks. Generally, I am a Gatorade or sports drink fan. The problem arises that there is no protein in those drinks, which seems to be an important component to post training recovery nutrition.

So that brings me to chocolate milk, which I first noticed being handed out after the Cleveland Marathon and immediately thought was odd. (Actually, my first thought was to gag a little bit because I could not imagine stomaching it at that moment.)

Now, I have since come to learn that low-fat chocolate milk is supposed to be a great recovery drink because of the amount of protein, carbs and vitamins that are contained in chocolate milk. But still, through the summer, I had a difficult time thinking of stomaching it after a workout or race.

I tried Muscle Milk, which comes in every flavor under the sun – Chocolate, Strawberries-n-Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip etc. You would think I would have no problem with that kind flavor spectrum, but as soon as I open a bottle I smell that GNC-store smell that I remember from the mall as a kid and I have to hold my nose to get it down.

Maybe it comes from when I was kid and was forced to drink hot chocolate by a friend’s mom even though I said I did not like it. She actually forced me – like I didn’t know I did not like it. She paid for that decision, because I retched all over her kitchen. Oops. Now I cannot even smell hot chocolate with wanting to dry heave.

With that said, I wanted to change up my post training recovery drink, so this week I started drinking a serving of chocolate milk after big sessions. So far so good, but now I will have to monitor the results and whether I will be investing in a chocolate cow.

Editor’s note: Conversely, I buy Swiss Miss with Mini-Marshmallows Cocoa packets in bulk at the neighborhood wholesale club. Yum…hot chocolate…all warm and chocolaty…smooth and creamy with melted marshmallows…burning my tongue because I can’t wait for it to cool...

Monday, November 15, 2010

Recovery

Recovery – from everything I read about multi-sports – is just as important as the training itself and often the easiest part to look past.

Last Saturday was my scheduled long-run day and, as planned, I ran 15 miles. Weather was great, but unfortunately from that point on I was disappointed, because I was looking to run 7:20-7:30/mile average and immediately fell behind. Which meant trying to play catch up for the rest of the run. Ultimately, I finished with a 7:40-745 average, which is good training run, just not where I wanted to be.

After my run, it was off to Costco with my youngest, Zoe. Then back to pick up her sister for a trip to Nana and Papa S & L to help with construction on their new addition. Now, when I say construction I don’t mean painting and decorating, I mean brick and mortar and the whole nine yards…literally. Anyways…to Nana & Papa’s where I spent the rest of the day shingling the new roof, which I do say looks pretty good since it was my first foray into shingling a roof.

As a side note, when not triathlon-ing you can find me working around our very own “This Old House” and tackling such projects. Plus, Anna’s dad lets me play with cool heavy machinery and nail guns, which is every boy’s dream.

I digress…so roofing all afternoon…then on the way back home I get a call from some friends who are going out for some drinks. At this point, I am pretty convinced I am not going out, as the day is beginning to catch up with me and in the back of my head I am thinking about getting a bike ride in on Sunday.

However, as Anna can tell you, I have a difficult time sitting still. So after a dinner with the girls and quick attempt at a blog post which never got published, I rallied and was off to Tremont.

While out, I meet up with another friend, which ultimately leads to me strolling in to my home about 3:00 am (Note: I told Anna I wanted to be in by 12:30). Now I know everyone is thinking I was probably strolling in a little worse for wear at that hour, but actually, I was good. It was just good conversation with an old friend.

I of course was wide awake when I got home, so I watched some bad TV and went to bed about 3:30.

Let’s just say at 4:30, when Zoe rolled into our room for Mommy, that one hour of sleep had not completely refreshed me. Luckily, I was able to fall back to sleep until about 7:30, which generally would be sleeping in.

Now the whole day before, I was going back forth between having a recovery day or getting a ride in. That decision was made for me when I awoke to throbbing ankles, sore shoulders and everything else that comes from a hard training day.

I roll downstairs for breakfast where I begrudgingly admit my “day off” plans to Anna, which is the same conversation that takes place every scheduled recovery day in our house, because I become a little psycho about losing that day of training.

At this point Anna says, “You know, you’ve got to put this part on your blog, too. You can’t always tell people how great you feel and that training is a piece of cake.”

So this whole long-winded diatribe really started with that simple comment, and now we are here. What is the point? It really just boils down to the importance of a recovery day.

It paid off for my run today, because my legs were back and my times were down from Saturday. I just went off on a 70 minute run and purposely didn’t follow my normal course, which somehow makes it a little more carefree. Overall, my legs felt great on a day’s rest and I was able string some 7:20 miles together.

Editor’s note: I appreciate being quoted warmly and accurately, even if I did have to edit the punctuation on my own remarks. “I’m not saying anything else with the writer here.” – Almost Famous

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A Boy and His Toys

Well, I added a new toy to the collection, or at least a big part of a new toy. For about a year I have been eyeing the purchase of a new road bike as an addition to my fleet. I have spent hours drooling over the newest, sexiest machines in my local bike shop and Ebay.

Now you have to understand that I basically have a love affair going on with my TT(tri) bike. I am surprised Anna has not signed me up for a 12-step program.

(Tri Bike)

I mean, my tri bike is stored in my bedroom next to my bed and it’s not like we inhabit a loft apartment in New York. It gets regular check-ups and constantly cleaned. It probably has better hygiene then I do.

Anyway, thanks to some birthday money and a sweet deal, I have added a road bike (BMC Racemaster) to my collection, so that I do not have to put as my many miles on my tri bike and so I can bling it out (ie. make it even lighter and faster).


(New Frame, Bad Light)

We now have two bikes in the bedroom.

I have promised Anna that I will build the appropriate storage. I know most of you are thinking “isn’t that what a garage is for?”, but… it’s not going to happen…remember love affair. Let’s just hope my tri bike’s not jealous.

Editor’s note: If Scott had his way there would be an addition put on the house for his bikes. This addition would include heated floors, bike stands padded with thick black velvet, mirrors on the ceiling, and a life-size poster of Lance Armstrong on the door. When you walked in, the radio would automatically start playing the theme to Chariot’s of Fire.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Week In Review

Blog attempt number two is a week in review. Overall, it was a solid week of training for the offseason. My Tuesday morning swim felt great. Smooth and relatively fast. The past few swims have been my best since the Half-Rev.

Recovering from the Half took longer I thought it would. I don’t think it was until last week that I really got mentally back from the toll of the season, but last week I was craving a race.

Had a good 8 mile run on Wednesday with a 7:15/mile pace. Legs felt great. Although, I got back in the morning and Anna said she good see the frost forming on my head. A true sign that winter is coming.

Got two sessions in on my trainer. Not much to say about riding the trainer as it is an hour and a half or more staring at a wall in our dungeon-master basement. Regardless, it was two good sessions.

Now Friday’s run was a different story. Woke up to 20-30mph winds and I decided that I needed a little more pillow time. It was also one of those mornings where my legs were begging for a day off. Not a great combo for a good morning workout.

The problem is that whenever I skip that morning I will obsess about squeezing it in all day. Ask Anna. She tends to be the one that has to endure the obsession.

The weather did not improve in the afternoon and it may have gotten worse. Got home from work to find more wind, rain and cold. My exact quote, “I don’t believe I am going to go do this...I really don’t want to.”

That will teach me, though. I got out in the rain and had a great 10 miles. It turned out to be an awesome fall run.

I was able to sneak in a brick workout Saturday. Solid two mile swim followed by a 5k. A little sluggish in the run, but finished strong.

Took it easy this morning with a ride on trainer and tried to get little recovery in my legs.

Editor’s note: Took it easy this morning – HA! Then he hoisted 2x10s up to what will be the roof of my parent’s addition. Just a little strength training.

Monday, November 1, 2010

First Post

Well, I thought I would be the last person entering the blogosphere, but it was time the person this blog belongs to should post.

As the triathlon season is pretty much over for the year, it’s probably not the best time to start a blog regarding multi-sports training. I guess I could write about why I decided to start running triathlons or why I would want to run the full ironman distance, but I don’t want blow the whole thing in my first post, and frankly, I don’t know if I have an answer.

Plus, there is a part of me that just thinks that’s cheesy.

I tend to leave the creative writing to Anna; because, as those of you who read her blog “The Hatter’s Clean Cup” already know, she is definitely the one in the family with the talent when it comes to writing.

In fact, she is one of the people that wanted me to do this blog, but she really just signed herself up for an editor’s position. So for better or worse, I will try and give a glimpse into my life as a multi-sports athlete and, with Anna’s help, bring a little humor to it.

As my off-season can be mundane, I will probably post once or twice a week. But as the season approaches, I will post more often about my progress towards the ultimate goal. Also, stay tuned as there will be design changes to the blog and “Team MoZo” will become clearer as we push forward.

Since this is supposed to be about my training, here is a recap of Halloween weekend. It boils down to one word… wind… and a lot of it. Regardless of the wind, it was a good training weekend with a 15 mile run on Saturday and a 50 k bike on Sunday. Legs felt great this evening and the wind had died down for a normal 8 mile run at a good pace.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more. I promise it will get better.

Editor’s Note: I’ve been re-writing him since Professor Crow’s Literature course in 1996, so this is nothing new.