Overview: I'm on the precipice of achieving my season goal--completing both a 100-mile ultra marathon and a 140.6-mile triathlon.
Silverman: In peak training for Silverman and fully committed to the process. The month countdown to November 9 has begun. My swimming is coming along, cycling has improved drastically and I've learned so much through this process.
Training: The most difficult and perhaps most important lesson I've learned, which Matt Fitzgerald highlights in Brain Training for Runners, is the importance of writing workouts in pencil and not pen. This means that one should not be afraid or feel guilty for erasing/editing a training session if things aren't working out properly. At first I would feel ashamed when I didn't hit my target but now I realize this may have actually saved my season by avoiding overuse injuries, burnout and exhaustion. My training partner Ryan provides a perfect example of making the best of a training ride gone wrong in his blog from our ride last weekend. I'm hoping for the best this weekend but am now prepared for the worst 
GreenLaces.org: In my continued effort to expand my horizons while lessening my impact on the environment, I've made a promise to the planet. From now on I will recycle my running shoes through the Reuse-a-Shoe program so they can be made into playground and athletic surfaces. I made my promise at GreenLaces.org and will support this grassroots movement by wearing green shoelaces in my running shoes.
I encourage you to make a promise and change one thing... So what's your promise going to be?
Recap: If you thought this year was big... stay tuned for my 2009 season preview. Let's just say things are about to get more interesting... Thanks for reading and please leave me some cool comments 
Active Toby's Adventure Blog
77 Posts 1 2 3 ... 6 Previous NextOverview: Silverman training continues to progress along with my cycling abilities.
Training: I've been hitting the hills, spending more time in the saddle and noticed a difference already. So has my cycling buddy/coach who has been teaching me how to climb. Airey and I did a killer ride that started in Borrego Springs and climbed for the first 12 miles while we battled the heat, wind and Bighorn Sheep:
Silverman: My good friend Austin has committed to the Silveman Half so I'll have some company on the trip out to Henderson, NV which I'm really excited about. I think a couple of our friends might even come out to camp and watch the race which happens to fall on Veterans Day Weekend. It's going to be a long weekend to remember, that's for sure. I've really enjoyed training so far because of the social aspect--way more variety and convenience in people to train with for triathlon versus ultra running. This video sums up how I feel:
Gear: My Suunto t3 watch died back in June after the SD100 and after a two-month wait, I got a brand new watch sent back to me. The folks at Suunto upgraded me to the new t3c model with the comfort heart rate strap. I also lucked out over at Road Runner Sport during their annual sale and walked away with two new pairs of my running shoes for the price of one. Always a fan of quality gear at discount prices--who's not?
Recap: Feeling better about where I'm at in training for my first 140.6-mile triathlon on November, 9. Now I just need to remain focused through October as the peak in my training nears.
September images:
Overview: AC100 pacing experience and thoughts for the 09 season, training update and focus.
AC100: I paced Eric from 11 p.m. on Saturday until 6:49 a.m. Sunday for his final 25 miles of the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run. He finished 22nd overall with a time of 25 hours, 49 minutes. The climbs were long (3000 and 2000 feet respectively), and the terrain technical, but Eric ran strong through the night despite the fatigue from his previous 75 miles. It was a pleasure to help him achieve his goal and his fitness level is truly impressive.
The AC100 is step up in difficulty and stands out as my prospective "A" race for 2009. There are still some others on my list, like Headlands Hundred, Javelina Jundred and SD100, plus the events in the Southern California Ultra Runners Grand Prix Series.
Silverman: The focus has returned to preparing for The Nevada Silverman Triathlon on November, 9 in Henderson. Just for the record, Ironman legend Dave Scott has branded the half-course (70.3) as "the toughest course in North America." Double that for the full course (140.6) and you've got what I'll be focusing on for the next month until the peak in my training. So now the fun begins with a weekend full of multisport training. Recap for you next week and in the meantime, let's review the Silverman full course details:
2.4 mile swim in Lake Mead (i.e. Hoover Dam)
112-mile bike through the winter desert with more than 9,000 of elevation gain.
26.2-miles of road running with more than 2,000 feet of elevation gain through downtown Henderson finishing at night overlooking the glow of Las Vegas.
Overview: Silverman training update, gearing up for 25-mile nighttime pacing assignment at Angeles Crest 100 this weekend and dropping a race from my schedule.
Training: Two months out from Silverman and still not feeling "settled" into training. Probably because it's my first 140.6-mile triathlon, so I don't have much to compare things to. I do feel good about strengthening my bike where I have the most opportunity to develop.
The savage bike course at Silverman still looms in the distance--just look at this elevation profile to see what I mean:
Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run (AC100): This race is tentatively on my schedule for 2009 and my ultra running buddy, Eric Lee, is running it this year. I've volunteered to pace him from mile 75 to 100 (see map/elevation profile) so I get to help a friend in need and also preview the course for what could possibly be my "A" race next season.
The first 75 miles at AC100:
We'll be running through the night as he doesn't plan to meet me until almost 10 p.m. on Saturday night. His finish is projected for dawn on Sunday. This should make for an interesting weekend so check back in for some stories and photos next week. If you'd like to follow along, Click Here for live race tracking.
The final 25 miles at AC100:
Noble Canyon 50K: I've recently made the decision to drop this awesome local race from my schedule to help me better focus on preparing for Silverman. I am definitely missing the ultra-distance running scene after this break so I'm designing an aggressive 2009 ultra running schedule--more on this later.
Recap: I need to be patient, do the work and trust my plan. I know things will pick up significantly next week after I've fulfilled my duties this weekend pacing at the AC100.
Overview: Successful trip and Olympic-distance triathlon debut at the Chicago Accenture Triathlon.
Thursday: I flew Southwest from San Diego to Midway. Checking the bike box was $50 each direction. I met someone at the race who flew Delta and was charged $400 one way. Be sure to call ahead to determine if that cheaper ticket to your race is really worth it with the hidden cost. I was greeted at the airport by my friend Paul who I hadn't seen in over 3 years. He took me into the city to get checked in to my hotel, and then we had Gino's East legendary Chicago-style deep dish pizza dinner before calling it a night.
Friday: First thing I did on Friday was make coffee and build my bike. I wanted to get a ride in early enough before the race Sunday to check if any parts were damaged in the transport or if I put it back together incorrectly and needed to make adjustments. I found that being super organized when packing the bike for the trip out helps speed this process up. Plus, taking the bike apart goes much faster than building it. I even took pictures of my handlebar and aerobar alignment with my camera phone to double check.
I had a fast and flat eight-mile ride on beautiful Lake Shore Drive to my friend Paul's apartment. Coincidentally, Paul and my co-worker Trish lived exactly one block away from each other. Crazy, right? After a year of working together over the phone, through email and IM, Trish and I finally got to meet in person and to top it off, we did a swim in Lake Michigan. Trish was also signed up for the triathlon on Sunday, racing the sprint distance.
After a delicious and nutritious dinner with Paul and his girlfriend Jenny, I headed back to the hotel for the race reception. There I met a colleague, introduced myself to Sarah Reinertsen and chatted with pro triathlete Kevin Everett and his wife who were incredibly genuine people and all racing Sunday.
Saturday: I met Trish and her friends Brett and Santiago at the hotel race expo. We got checked in, body marked and found our wave assignment for the race, After checking out the gear at the expo, Trish and I headed north on the L so I could get my bike from Paul's place. I rode the 8-mile Lake Shore Drive route back to the hotel and prepared my race gear while watching the men's Olympic marathon on TV. I also packed my non-race gear because I had to fly out after the race.
Sunday: My alarms went off at 4:15 am and my crazy day started. I went through my pre-race ritual of hot shower, coffee and music headed out the front door of the hotel on my bike with backpack full of gear for the day. I set up my transition area amidst a sea of bikes, being sure to note certain landmarks for the transition that would help me quickly locate my area.
I set up next to Team Goody StayPut triathlete Laura McDonald from Denver, CO, who would later place 77th overall and win our age group! She was super cool and we hung out while we waited for our wave to be called. After close to two hours, it was time to race.
The Swim: I lined up near the front inside of my wave, wanting to get out front during the 380-yard swim to the turnaround buoy. The swim start was super chaotic and I was kicked, climbed on and dunked underwater all the way down to the turnaround point where I finally broke free, found my rhythm and pulled ahead of the pack. It felt fast but I preferred going harder and using more energy on the swim to being apart of the mess that was back behind me. The water was warm, around 70 degrees, and I started to feel good. It was really cool to see the spectators above on the lake wall when taking breaths during the swim. I exited the water and had trouble calming my breathing down at first, but there was a really long run to my transition area during which I settled my breathing. I passed the timing mat in 27 minutes and had a 2-minute, 30-second transition.
The Bike: Before I even got on my bike, I began having problems. I keep my shoes clipped in my pedals, a common practice in triathlon but what I didn't anticipate, which no one usually does, is stepping on a piece of glass barefoot while running with my bike. I was in the bike mount area when I reached down and pulled the piece of broken beer bottle out of the ball of my left foot. I caught a quick glimpse of blood, I tried mounting my bike, one of my shoes came out of my pedal, and I bumped another racer who almost fell off his bike into someone else... I was that guy.
Anyhow, let's fast forward 10 minutes into the bike, I was settling in, spinning well into a headwind and getting some needed nutrition after the aforementioned debacle. The ride was a tad windy, the road itself was in pretty rough shape and I began noticing more and more folks fixing flats. I began concentrating my efforts on choosing the cleanest and smoothest lines I could take as to avoid a flat tire. This seemed to work and the south-bound tail wind was a nice relief during the return loops. I was off the bike with an hour and fifteen minute split which is a 20.4 mph average and into T2.
The Run: My run transition was only a minute and a half, relatively fast considering the never-ending transition area that added quite a bit more to the day's run total. I was greeted by Paul, Jenny and their awesome dog Ari during my first half-mile into the run followed soon after by Trish and her friends. It took me 2 miles to settle in and find rhythm on the run during which the temperature began to rise. I hydrated with Gatorade at each aid station and was able to maintain a 7:18 pace during the 10K run by sites like the Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium. I finished my first Olympic-distance race in 2:29:12 which was good for 262nd of 4,089 overall and 62 of 519 in my age group.
Post race: The real challenge of the day began after the race as I had to schlep my tired body back to the transition area, gather my race gear and ride back to the hotel. I met Paul, Jenny and Ari at the hotel and immediately disassembled my bike, packed it in the bike box, took a shower, checked out of the hotel and Paul dropped me at the airport. A special thanks to Paul for dealing with me in all my spandex glory
Recovery: Flying so soon after the race took a toll on my body earlier this week but now I'm good to go after lots of stretching and some body work by Holistic health practitioner, Haunani Chong.
Recap: Great trip, cool city, awesome tune-up race and relieved to have no lingering hamstring issues after the scare on the track just 2 weeks ago. There is still much work to be done to find success in the full-iron distance Silverman triathlon in November. Stay tuned as training kicks up a notch. Thanks for stopping by to read this longer post and I apologize for the delay in posting.
Preview: Conquered a 100-mile bike ride and then ran too fast on the track and pulled my hammy. After a bunch of massage work to fix it, recovered enough for a long swim and to race next weekend. Read the full story below:
Cycling: Airey and I tackled a scenic 100-mile bike ride throughout San Diego County last week. The ride included a couple significant climbs to simulate the insane bike course I'll face at Silverman. I was like a sponge and soaked up all the cycling technique Airey taught me. I already have way more confidence in my abilities in the saddle, but have so much work to do to prepare. I'll continue to focus on building fitness on the bike, specifically with climbing and then introduce long bike/run bricks next month.
Track: 2x1200, 2x800, 2x400 with 90 seconds rest between sets. The workout was designed to produce negative splits. I was killing it until I pulled my hamstring on the last 400. Perhaps it was lingering fatigue from the 100-mile ride but either way, not good.
Injury: With the race in Chicago this weekend (see below), I was very worried my hamstring was too damaged to race. I went to see Haunani Chong for a sports massage on Wednesday and Saturday. She worked her magic on my injury which has helped my recovery tremendously. I strongly recommend her to anyone in the San Diego area: http://www.sacredreturnyoga.com/
Chicago: With my injury under control, I'm off to Chicago for the Accenture Triathlon. I picked up the bike box rental from TCSD this weekend for the trip and I'm starting to get excited. Stay tuned for a full-feature race review from yours truly.
Swim: Jesse and I hit the surf for a 2.2-mile open water swim this weekend. He's training for Gatorman, a 3-mile open-water race and I've got Silverman in my sights for November (See previous blog post). The weather and conditions couldn't have been better-it was a beautiful San Diego summer day.
Camping: The highlight of my weekend, besides the above-mentioned swim, was the car camping trip Marie and I took Friday night. We drove east to the Mt. Laguna recreation area, set up camp at dusk and ate dinner next to the fire as the full moon was rising. We were up super early as usual and caught the sunrise from the Sunrise Highway:
AC100: I got my pacing assingment from Eric Lee and I'll be supporting him for his final 25-miles of the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run on September 13-14.
Recap: I'm hoping this hammy won't hold me back from a great race in Chicago. I'm planning on a solid race, but if my hamstring acts up, I'll pull back for sure. There's no use damaging myself for all the other events and commitments I have this year. None the less, it's my first Olympic-distance triathlon so I'm excited for the experience. Check in with me next week for the recap.
Preview: After a successful San Diego 100 Mile Ultra Marathon in June and rest in July, the second phase of training and competition for 2008 is here. I've got my work cut out for me to find success in this notoriously rugged and demanding 140.6-mile triathlon known as Silverman.
Competition: The 4th Annual Nevada Silverman Triathlon on Sunday, November 9, 2008. Stay tuned for full-feature Silverman post.
Weakness: The bike portion of Silverman can make or break this race for me because I lack experience with long rides and hills. So in effort to strengthen my weakness, I'm launching my campaign to become a more experienced cyclist beginning Saturday with the following 100-mile ride:
Training: Here are a couple easy training rides and runs from this week:
TCSD August Aquathlon: Thursday, 8/14. I'll aim to better last month's performance (34:17, 17th of 70).
Chicago Accenture Triathlon: On 8/24, I'm racing my first Olympic-distance triathlon. I'm stoked for the race, to see a new city, I get to meet Trish my co-worker, meet up with an high school friend I haven't seen in 4 years and also watch the men's Olympic marathon on Saturday, 8/23.
Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run: I've got a call scheduled with Eric Lee (check out his impressive race resume) to discuss race logistics and get my pacing responsibilities ironed-out soon. Stay tuned for more on the AC100 and "pacing".
Noble Canyon 50K: My next official ultra marathon race is on 9/27, where I'll smash my 5-hour and 49-minute course PR Read last year's race report.
Recap: I've set the bar relatively high for the remainder of 2008 and I'm excited to share this journey with you all. Please join me and share your comments, training, virtual training, blogs, stories, race reports and/or personal victories along the way!
Preview: Successful speed building sessions, a quality long run and brutal cross-training before a rest week next week (see vacation below).
Tuesday: Cycle-commute, TCSD track workout, mixed intervals:
400, 800, 1200, 1600 (6:04), 800 (2:45) Minute and a half recovery after each interval.
Thursday: Aquathlon (1000 meter swim, 5K run (on beach) 34:17, 17th of 70.
Saturday: Oriflamme Canyon, 20-mile trail run with Marie and Mindy who are racing Headlands 50 on 8/9. 10-mile descent, 10-mile climb in 90-degree desert heat. First long run since SD100. Went really well, felt solid.
Monday: ActiveX and a Sledgehammer workout:
Tuesday: Cycle-commute, committed to pacing friend/fellow ultra runner Eric Lee at AC100 on 9/13 - 9/14 for up to 48 miles!
Wednesday: ActiveX: 70 sumo squats, 400m run, 60 pushups, 400, 50 situps, 400, 40 jump-thrusts, 400, 30 thrusters, 400, 20 romanian leg lifts, 400, 10 burpees, 400 (all runs done while carrying 20-lb medicine ball, squat-thrusters with 25lb weights, leg lifts with 20lb)
Friday, 7/25 - Sunday, 8/3 Vacation
Preview: I turned 25 last week and celebrated San Diego style
Thursday: Cycle-commutes and trail run
Friday: I had the ‘fellaz’ over after work for my Backyard Birthday Bocce Beer-BQ and Timmy aka Grillmaster hooked up a delicious beer-boiled Bratwurst feast.
Saturday: Marie picked me up after her 25-mile trail run and we checked into Estancia for the night and hit up Sushi on the Rock for some killer rolls and of course Sake!
Sunday: After we checked out, we went next door to the Torrey Pines Gliderport above Black’s Beach and hiked down the beach to the little canyon trail.
Marie and I hiked back up this fun little slot canyon to the top of the bluff overlooking La Jolla Cove to the south and Torrey Pines State Beach to the north.
This is what gave me the idea to go kayaking in La Jolla so just like that we rented a double sea-kayak and paddled out of La Jolla Shores.
I spent the rest of the day on the couch in and out of sleep—totally exhausted from the birthday weekend. So far, it’s not so bad being 25
To stay active and not feeling “old,” I’m hitting the workouts hard this week:
Monday: ActiveX, La Jolla Shores swim
Tuesday: Cycle-commutes, TCSD track workout: Mixed intervals: 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 800 at 5K race pace or slightly faster. Recovery after each interval is about a minute and a half.
Wednesday: ActiveX, Outdoor Outreach meeting
Thursday: TCSD Aquathlon
Friday: La Jolla Cove swim
Preview
I feel like a new man after a couple weeks of multisport training and a refreshing cross-country trip to surprise my parents in MA for July 4th.
Typical week
Monday: ActiveX, La Jolla Shores swim
Tuesday: Cycle-commuting, TCSD track workout (see below)
Wednesday: ActiveX
Thursday: Cycle-commuting, trail run
Friday: ActiveX, La Jolla Cove swim
ActiveX: The variety plus the social aspect of these group sessions is great. I noticed a great deal soreness initially and my body has already adapted to the fast-twitch, full-body workouts. This picture is from a weekend workout/fundraiser.
Open-water swims: The Ocean is gorgeous right now at an average of 68 degrees for these Monday & Friday ActiveX / TCSD group swims. Check out the video:
Cycle-commuting: It’s been good to get on the bike since I can’t stand driving anymore. A group of us at the office live close to one-another and have started to carpool on the days we don't ride in which is pretty cool.
Track workout: Speed is my new focus for the Accenture Chicago Triathlon in August. Tuesday, I attended a TCSD track workout for a two-mile time trial to determine how fast I should run the weekly intervals. I ran 2 miles in 12:12. I also began a demo of the new Zoot ULTRA Tempo+ for a review I will publish after Chicago.
July 4th trip
My brother and sister-in-law flew me out to the east coast as a surprise for my parents. We had a great Independence Day Weekend together. It was a much-needed trip for the whole family. The weather cooperated on Friday and we got out on my parents boat for the afternoon.
My bro and I got in a couple cool trail runs in NJ on his local trails which prevented any sort of jet-lag during or after the trip.
Preview
The summer if officially here, I successfully completed my “A” race and now its time for a little variety (see below) before ramping things back up for Silverman in the fall.
Recovery from SD100
It’s been two weeks since my "A" race and I’m happy to say that I experienced little to no soreness from the effort--testimony to proper training and conditioning. On the flip side of that, I’ve been totally drained of energy. It’s been tough waking up in the mornings and by mid-afternoon, my eyes feel heavy and it’s a struggle to stick-out the day.
I’m starting to do stuff again which is a good sign and this past weekend was the perfect summer weekend to be outside. Friday after work, I joined a group of friends and colleagues for a 1-mile swim out of La Jolla Cove sans wetsuit--68 degree water. The water was clear and it was the perfect way to start the weekend.
Marie’s training
Marie and I met Mindy at Mission Trails at 6am Saturday morning and I only made it 8 miles before my legs had enough. The girls went on, through the triple-digit heat, for 20 miles.
Marie and her girlfriends are registered for the Headlands 50 on August 9, so they have been dialing in their training. For Rebekah and Mindy, this is their first 50-mile ultra run with 50K being their longest effort to date. Marie’s debut 50 was in January at the Avalon 50 and she did great so she is excited for more technical terrain and to share the experience with her ultra running buddies.
New book
While I was waiting for Marie to pick me up after her run and head to the beach, I started reading Racing the Sunset: An Athlete's Quest for Life After Sport by Scott Tinley. I breezed through the first 100 pages and I’m really into Tinley’s writing style and the introspective nature of someone who was so passionate and dedicated to reaching their potential in the sport of triathlon when the sport itself was in its infancy. There’s a much deeper message that Tinley is offering as he recounts his struggle with the transition from athlete to the next stage in his life. I’m excited to dive back into this one again soon.
Summer training, travel and races
Sunday morning I joined Jesse and Emmy for a few hours on the bike. He rode north to Del Mar and climbed our way back south through Torrey Pines and over Mount Soledad. It was another hot day so length and effort of our Sunday scenic spin was perfect. Emmy is training for Vineman 70.3 and the three of us did an open-water swim tonight at La Jolla Shores.
Cross-training
Today was my first ActiveX Training workout since... last year? I’m really excited to be back out there and impressed with how many new folks have joined in the fun.
Today’s workout:
50/40/30/20/10 reps
• Double-jumps
• Push ups
• Sit ups
• 400 run
Travel
I’ve got a couple cool trips lined up in July starting with my birthday weekend getaway to Lone Pine, CA. Marie and I are going to camp at the base of the Sierra Nevada in the Alabama Hills, just two days before the start of the infamous, Badwater 135. The race travels from Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280 feet below sea level, to the finish at Mt. Whitney Portal at 8360 feet. The Badwater course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 13,000 feet of cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700 feet of cumulative descent. The last 12 miles climb over 5700 feet and Marie and I are going to run this section while we’re in Lone Pine to pay tribute to these runners and also to preview this section of the course for the day I take on the challenge
Badwater 135
Cruise
At the end of July, I’m joining my family for a week-long cruise from NYC to King's Wharf, Bermuda. I’ve never done anything like this so I’m stoked and I’m thrilled to have an entire week with my family in such a unique setting.
Race
My next race is the Accenture Chicago Triathlon (Olympic distance) on August 24. I’m excited for this event, the chance to travel to a new city and the opportunity to finally meet my teammate, Trish, whom I’ve been working with for a year and a half.
Recap
The summer is already off to a great start and I'm excited to shares these fun adventures with you all along the way.
All the best,
~Toby