Gorilla Feets and Bare Foots

Run Day

time- 46 minutes
distance- eh, probably about five miles.*

*my phone/gps/coffee maker/leash/web browser/text machine/illegal immigrant/SOSMS documenter's battery died.

After Thanksgiving, three airplane rides, and then an all day meeting at school, Dirtbag needed a run. Also, I just bought myself a brand spankin' new pair of Vibram FiveFingers TrekSports and my feet couldn't wait to try them out. The verdict? They are a little bit tight still, which is good and too be expected. They fit better than my other pair I think. The tops have some give and they will stretch into a perfect fit. The grippy on the bottoms will be great for all the off-roading the wife and I will be doing in New Zealand. They aren't as great for plain old road running as my KSOs, but they sure beat the hell out of a fancy pair of Nikes. I wish I'd had them during the Haleiwa Tri earlier this month. Would have been great on the trail run course. I've very happy with them and look forward to many miles.
To close out my run today I decided to continue my bare experiment. I waited until the end of the run instead of starting off bare because the side of the road I run back on has sidewalk and the side I run out on does not. So instead of spending nearly all of the ten minutes going, "Ow. Ow. Eep. Oh. Ow," and dodging pointy, evil rocks I got to run fairly smoothly for most of the eleven minutes with very little ouching. Much the better that way. Hopefully I avoided another blister too.
You'd be shocked how good it feels to run barefoot. Free is a cliche, but only because it's true. I felt like a little kid. Especially on the sidewalk or on grass. Its very neat. Without preaching, I think everyone should do two things. a) go try on a pair of FiveFingers and b) go walk around outside barefoot. Trust me, try it.
Tomorrow will either be a day off or a swim, I haven't decided yet.

A Brilliant Plan, Getting My Ass Kicked, & Shopping Bonus

Super Quick Vacation Dirtbag Update

I'm in Seattle, WA visiting the wife's family for Thanksgiving, but does that prevent the Dirtbag from getting some sweat going? Hell no! First, I had a brilliant plan. That plan? To swim the morning of our flight to Seattle. You see, my friends, We flew from Hawaii Wednesday night, red-eye, to Utah. From Utah we flew to Seattle. This is because Delta thinks Salt Lake is on the way to SeaTac. So I woke up early to get a swim in, had a good swim, the details of which I am not disclosing because I don't have my sheet with me and I can't remember exactly what my set was. I do remember that it was pretty hard, about 2050yds (maybe a little more), and I felt positive about it afterwards. My thinking was that getting up early, swimming, then teaching all day would help me sleep on the overnight flight.
OR it would just make me really, really, really sleepy but still unable to sleep because I am unable to get any real sleep on planes. So that was a small fail. But the flight was good at least.
Stitches' father, my father-in-law (how long before that stops sounding strange?), had been very excited we were coming not only because it meant he got to see his daughter (and favorite son-in-law), but also because said son-in-law is athletic and is willing to play raquetball with him. He's been playing for a while, I played a few times in college. And by played I mean Dirtbag Best Friend and I would go to the courts, make up what we were pretty sure were the rules, and then smack the crap out of the ball and sometimes eachother. Experience goes to the father-in-law. So does skill. And all three games we played. But by the end I at least was kind of keeping up. And I beat my brother-in-law a bunch of times solidly. It was fun. Wish 24HR Fitness had courts. Would be a fun off day training thing. I did manage to accidently tag him with the ball twice. So there's that...
And lastly today we got to go to one of my favorite places in the world. REI! This store is the awesome. It has everything. If we had one in Hawaii I'd be so happy. I'd also be so broke. We went specifically so I could get a new pair of Vibram FiveFingers. My KSOs are fine, I want another pair. I wanted to try on the TrekSports and the Bilikas. They did not have Bilikas, but the TrekSports were in stock and in black (Dirtbag Tough Guy Happy Dance + Batman Moment "Does it come in black?"). I met a guy at my last tri wearing the TrekSports who said he loved them. They have a little grip on the bottom, different from the KSO, and would have been great for the off-road course of the Haleiwa tri's run. They will also be great for hiking in New Zealand next month. Very exciting!
As an added bonus I got lucky wandering through the clearance section of the men's athletic gear. There, sitting quietly on the rack next to marked down tri tops, was a tri suit. I've been looking at these but haven't bought because a)they are more expensive and b)its easier to pee in a two piece. But I want one because they look cool and I'm a sucker like that. The price on the tage was $120, marked down to $35!!! That's right, that gets three exclamation points! Score. Mine. Thank you.
So now I have new tri gear for the new year. Next step, fixing Kratos up. Happy Thanksgiving!

Think About the Future, Jack!

Dual purpose blog today, sports fans. Swim Workout first, then planning the future of Dirtbag Fitness.

Swim Day

1 x 200 Warm-up
5 x 100 1:20*
3 x 200 pull 3:15
2 x 300 4:30
1 x 150 Cool down

total yards- 2050

Decent 5am swim. I marked the 100s set because the time is obviously much too fast. I did that on purpose. Right now in my training is called building my base. My swim already has a solid base. The run and the bike need a lot of miles because that's how you get better. Swimming works the same for most people, but my swim is pretty solid. Its not super-fast, but we can build on this. So instead of stacking yards on top of yards, I'll do that when the next tri cycle starts up, I'm working on dropping my base hundred time. No triathlon swim is a sprint, but the faster I can get my pace, the better the swim time. So my plan for base training is doing 100s on the 1:20 until I can make all five. Then up it to seven. Then ten. Hopefully I can get it to 15 100s on the 1:20. If I can do that I'll be a happy Dirtbag. On this particular set I made the first two (ok, and then barely), then spent the next three hitting the wall, checking the watch, and cursing under my breath as I did what amounted to an open turn. Gotta get that average down. The rest of the time standards actually felt slow comparatively though. So I've got that going for me.

Thinking About The Future

I am not done with the triathlon thing. I'm just getting in to it. The Haleiwa tri was the last of the year and that gives me plenty of time to prepare for my next one. I have two triathlons planned right now, one A race (races will be leveled from A-C, A being very important, B being a training race, not going for a Personal Best, C being just for fun) and one B race, as well as a C with the wife (kinda).
My big goal and my A race for the next six months is the Honolulu Triathlon on May 15th. This will be two things: first, it will be my biggest race in terms of number of participants. Second, it will be my longest race. They do a Sprint and an Olympic distance of this event and I plan on signing up for the Olympic. Where as a sprint is a 500yd swim, a 12-ish mile ride, and a 3 mile run, and Olympic is a 1500yd swim, a 20 mile ride, and a 6 mile run. So basically twice as far as what I've done so far. Training will be intense. I'm still looking for a good training plan to use and modify. Pretty sure its going to kick off right when we get back from New Zealand. Registration opens in December I think, and I'll need to be paying attention. I bet it fills up quick.
A month before the Honolulu Tri, though, will be the Lanikai Sprint Tri on April 17th. This will be a B race. I'm going to use it as a tune-up for the Honolulu race the following month. So I'll be pushing it but mostly it will be used as a measure for how training is progressing. Registration has opened for this race and I'm hoping it doesn't fill. Neither of the ones I've done so far have, so I'm not too worried, but I should sign up sooner rather than later.
And my last planned race is also the soonest. That is the Great Aloha Run, an eight mile run from Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium on February 21st. This wasn't actually my idea. This was Stitches' suggestion. She wants to walk it and I'm all for that. But I don't want to walk eight miles. It will be better for me to run it. This is a total C race. Its going to be in the middle of the start of my training cycle, its two miles longer than my race run will be, and I'm going have fun with it. It'll be good for me. I know I can run that far, I haven't yet though. Stitches is hunting down people to walk with so I don't feel guilty not walking it with her. Should be a good time.
So that's the future of Dirtbag Fitness friends. I haven't mentioned this in a while and this seems like a good time, donations are still welcome and accepted. They will be put immediately towards registration for the Honolulu and Lanikai Tris.
I have another morning swim planned tomorrow before school and getting on a plane to Seattle for Thanksgiving. Happy Birthday Swim to me!

Fixing Flats & Running Naked

*Fair Warning: This is long because we are covering two eventful workouts in one blog*

Bike Day

time- 36 minutes
distance- 11.45mi

Today I went in a new direction. You see, this was my last ride on Sandra B., the bike Obi Tri Kenobi lent me oh so many months ago. So I headed left when I normally veer right. This takes me through Wahiawa and down Kam highway. I've never gone this way before. Call it an experiment ride to see how far/long it is to the gym. If it seems easy enough then I will consider taking my talents to 24 Hour Fitness on the bike for swim days sometimes. And it seems easy enough. The gym is only five miles from home, if that, and aside from a smallish climb its an easy ride. The only thing preventing me from riding to swim days now is fear of disappearing bike.
I went straight past the gym and down where I would run early in my tri training all the way to where the road ends at a nice little cul de sac community I could never afford to live in. So I turned around came headed home thinking about how slow I felt and how I need to build a bunch of base miles before I start my next training cycle and wondering how I'm going to do that will all the traveling we have coming up.
Next thing I know the front tire is going woosha woosha wobble and I'm realizing that after many month of riding I finally got a flat. And on a day when I need to be home soon so we can head to the beach for my birthday bbq (Happy birthday to Dirtbag in three days!). So I call in the Dirtbag Pit Crew (aka Stitches aka Team Dirtbag Sexy Wife, Nutritionist, Cheer Team, and Team Photographer) to come get me. I fiddle with the tire on the sidewalk for a while but I've never done this before and I've only seen it done once so I'm not trying all that hard. Plus not only is the front flat but so is the back. WTF, road? W.T.F. Soon Sexy Wife picks me up and home we go.
Later, being of the YouTube generation, I use the internets to find some very helpful videos of people changing a tire, study them, rewatch them, take copious notes, and then fake my way through both. I had a little trouble with the first, I don't think it was seated properly, but got it on. So now I know how to change a flat in a blazing fast really slow but I could get it done. I'm glad it didn't happen during either race. That would have ruined my day.

Run Day

time- 30.40 minutes
distance- 3.31mi

This was an experimental run day. I ran naked.
Not completely naked, obviously. Society isn't ready for that. Plus I might trip myself (hahahahha, get it? hahahahahooooo...anyway).
I've been doing quite a but of reading about barefoot running and I've written about it in this space a few times. Well, being between races and training cycles and building base miles right now I decided now was a good time to give it a go. I tucked my VFFs into my shorts, flexed my bare feet, and set off.
Ouch, ouchie, ooo, ow. The road is literally covered in little sharp rocks. Its practically paved with them! And those bastards kind of hurt. So my feet got tender quickly. But I had decided before I left that I would give it an honest effort for ten minutes and then I would put on my shoes. Those ten minutes went fast, and some of the time was very pleasant. Barefoot running on grass or on a smooth piece of concrete is a new and connecting experience. Your body feeds back to you all the information you miss out on in big Nikes or even my barely there VFFs. My form tightened up and my stride became what I ask it to become when I normally run. Its impossible to over-run or over stride barefoot. Your body won't let you. It hurts too much. I spent some time running along the white line on the side of the road to keep off the sharpest of the sharp and developed an eye for planning ahead.
At the ten minute mark (ok, at 11.40, I was trying to get to the end of the road) I stopped and put on my shoes to finish the run. If there's one thing I've learned from going minimalist its everything in small steps. Do little for a while, let the body adjust and strengthen, then do a little more. Rush it and you'll get hurt. So I stuck to a short time bare.
Putting on the VFFs felt great! My form, which I loved barefoot, stayed strong. I got my cadence up to a good aerobic pace and tried to put in a solid 20 minutes, which I think I did. It took me eleven and a half minutes to get to the end of the road and when I'm running normally it takes about nine, and I made that time up over the rest of the run.
If I've learned anything from the Mythbusters beside, "If it doesn't work, add more explosives," its that one result does not equal a sample size. This will not be my last barefoot run. I think I'll do somewhere between five and ten before I make up my mind about it one way or another. Right now I'm working on a nice blister at the tip of one toe and my soles feel tenderized but those should both work themselves out as my feet get used to this new punishment. We shall see where this takes your favorite Dirtbag.

Haleiwa Sprint Tri 2010 Race Report

Two down, sports fans. Two triathlons in under a month, how does that sounds, huh? Sounds to me like going from zero to a lot pretty quick. And I'm happy I did it like that. There's no better way to learn something than to do it over and over. And now, it being November and all, the triathlon season has ended. This gives me time to start building a more solid base going into next year (and I do have plans for next year, which I will get to later).
This tri started different from the last. And I mean right away. My stomach, which was near perfect for Ko'Olina, was not happy at 4am Sunday. I'm sure it was a combination of nerves and eating a little too much of the veggie pasta the night before. Either way, it was not a happy morning for the Dirtbag tummy. This is something that sometimes must be suffered through. It always goes away once the event starts. It's the waiting that sucks.
The swim was a 400m open water mass start. I'm going to say that last part again for those of you who need things repeated. Mass start. Every single athlete competing started at the same time. All 153 of us sprinting towards that first buoy. It was a madhouse. Arms and elbows and feet and hands everywhere. Splashing, kicking, pulling and sometimes grabbing. I'm pretty sure I elbowed someone in that opening sprint. Not on purpose, they just got too close to my stroke and got to feel the power of the Tattooed Wake as a result. (That's right, my nickname has a swimming-specific nickname. What?)
The swim course was a triangle from one point on the beach, right turn around a buoy, straight to another buoy, right turn, back to the beach. A lot of people started near the exit, which didn't make sense to me because Mr. Pythagorean says that means they are swimming further. So I joined the clever people down the beach. I had a straight shot at the first buoy. This helped me be in the front third of the people making the turn. I got a little off track from buoy two to the beach and swam slightly further than I should have. Have to keep popping the head up to sight on the cones at the beach and that slows you down. But the swim was still pretty good.
As you might be able to tell from the picture, there was quite a run from the swim exit to the transition area. My T1 went alright. I could be faster. Practice practice.
I got out on the bike and got to getting. It felt better than Ko'Olina almost immediately. Factors contributing to this are the lack of swim-run-swim-run tired and experience. I set off in the front third of the cyclists and, just like last time, was promptly passed by slower swimmers but much better cyclists. This was expected. What was not expected was that I managed to hold my own in a small group that eventually formed around me.
The ride was three laps through Haleiwa town, with the roads blocked to traffic. It's not a difficult route by any means and I rode it a few times prior to the race to familiarize myself with it. I would get passed but I passed plenty of people as well. Sure, a lot of them were Cruiser division guys on their single speeds, but still. What ended up happening by lap three was a group of three or four guys, myself included gathered. We started doing the I pass you, you pass me back, we both pass a slower guy, etc...thing. It was kind of fun and I'm sure it made me faster. I've never ridden in a group before. So I'd say a race is a good time to start. Yeah?
T2 was also just ok. Slower again than I would have liked.
I set off on the run feeling like my pace was not where it should be. I just felt like my quick feet weren't all that quick. Nothing from there on out happened to change my mind. The entire run was off road and nearly the entire run was on a trail of sticks, rocks, and sand. Normally this would not be any problem. I run in Vibram Fivefinger KSOs. There is very little between me and the ground. Not that I'm complaining. I love my shoes and wouldn't trade them for anything. It's just that a few times I thought to myself, "Oh, going to remember that rock tomorrow." And I did.
The last mile of the race was on the sand coming back to the park. I'd like you to go to the beach and go for a run. I'll wait...
Back? Ok, good. Hard, innit it? Yeah, sure is. Screws with your stride, your cadence, and your head. Running in soft sand will suck your will to live if you let it. I'm happy to say I never stopped running. I criss-crossed the beach looking for more solid lines and running on rock slabs and fighting through that. This whole time I was passing one or two people and being passed by one or two (or three or maybe four) people.
Like Ko'Olina, I finished as hard as I could. I really didn't feel as muscle tired as I would have liked though. I think if the run had been on solid ground or a more traditional track I would have done better and felt it more. Not to say I didn't feel it. I just think it could have been harder. Or maybe I should have dug deeper during the run...could be it too.
I finished 71st overall, 13th in my division of 23, with better cycle and run pace times than last time. I'm not complaining about anything. I'm very happy with the outcome and can't wait to tri again. (Get it? Ha, I'm so funny!)
Tomorrow or the next day I'll post my thus far plans for next year and will continue to track my workouts. I'll probably get back on the bike some time this week, unless Obi Tri wants it back tomorrow. Then I won't ride until I get Kratos all sorted out. A run is also forthcoming.
Thanks for reading, thanks for all your support!

Haleiwa Sprint Tri- Race Results

Just like last time, I'm tired right now and don't feel like writing a race report. That will get done some time in the next few days along with the pictures from the race getting posted. Not as many of those as last time so it might be a Double Bonus Pictures/Race Report just for you! I know, super-awesome, right?
Anyway, the race was fun, it went well, and running on the beach is hard. Results are here. That link takes you directly to the page with my time right at the top.

Tri Again

Run/Gear Prep Day

Run
time- 10 minutes

Nice easy run today. Felt good, smooth, easy. The pieces are there for a good race tomorrow. Lets hope I can put it together.
The race plan is pretty similar to last time. I have a better idea of what I'm in for, so that helps. I need to work the swim right away and create some separation from the main pack as quickly as possible. This will give me smoother, calmer water to stretch my stroke in, which in turn will help me go faster. Also, it will give me a chance to have a clear view of the buoys I should be aiming for and turning at. Last time it felt natural to hit the water racing. Guess doing it for so long helps. I expect to be able to use that to my advantage. With the swim so short, only 400m, and with the two turns making it a triangle, I'm not positive how its going to go, and how able I will be to create that gap, but I hope for good things. Just have to hit it hard.
Getting out in front some will help me going into T1 as well. I've been a bad triathlete and haven't worked my transitions at all since the last race. So they will probably be slow, but not awful. Like last time, the point is to have fun and get some more experience. I don't see myself looking at my post-race time and thinking, "Damn, if only T1 and T2 were a few seconds quicker!" That's what I'll be thinking after the ride.
A big, huge eye-opening happened last time during the ride as I watched racer after racer fly by. I knew, and still know, that I don't have the miles yet to expect much from the bike leg, but it's still hard to watch people pass. At least I know this course. It's three laps in my backyard, a road that I've ridden a couple of times. There are some spots where the highway connects to the bridge and there is a bump which hurts, and I know where those are and where to be to avoid the bump. And there's a short, but kind of steep climb at the back half of each lap. It's probably no more than a quarter mile, but it feels steep to my newbie legs. I'm going to try getting up in the saddle and stomping up this portion, which I've been working on. That is faster for sure, but it burns more energy. So we'll see how it goes. I also plan on spending the bike portion down in the drops. It feels faster, and feel goes a long way mentally for me. Three laps. 12 miles.
T2 should be quick and easy. This I have gone over during my brick workouts the last two weeks. As long as my piggies find their sockets I should be just fine. Also, I need to remember to hydrate coming in to T2 on the bike so I'm good for the run.
The run should be an adventure mostly because the last mile is along the beach. I expect this to burn. Hopefully the sand will be firmed up some by all the people who passed me during the ride. Ha, suckers! That was my plan all along. They're working for me now.
My run goal is a quick cadence, good pace. I feel more and more confident every run and I'm going to try to set off with quick feet right away. I can hold a fast pace for three miles. I am mentally tough and I have its measure physically. *insert other tough guy pump-up mind games here*
I'm looking forward to this race. It will be good for me to have two tris under my belt going in to the off season. Goal #1: Push Hard All the Way. Goal #2: Have Fun.*
Early morning tomorrow. Let's get some again.

*stated goal order may not reflect goal importance