A bike ride, a race, and some FOOTBALL!

Well, this weekend was a big weekend for an old Texas boy like me...it was the real start of FOOTBALL SEASON! The NCAA got rolling on Saturday with some decent games (Notre Dame v Michigan was pretty good) and some not so good games (BYU kicked Texas' ass up and down the field!) but all in all, I just enjoy watching. On a side note, if you don't know, people from Texas LOVE football. It's what I watched since I was born, and what I played all the way into hight school. It's a really big deal! Kind of like soccer over in Brazil or the cobblestone cycling races in Belgium...these are our heroes! I guess I did some training too, haha. Saturday was a nice long bike ride. I rode from Loveland to the North end of Boulder at the diagonal highway, and just came back. It was not super long, maybe 85km or about 55 miles, ish. I didn't do any crazy climbing or hard riding, just a solid tempo of about 21 mph. Took me about 2:40. Then Theresa was nice enough to let me rest my legs for the sprint race on Sunday. I was not overly pressing the race, but I knew I would give it a hard effort and didn't want to cause any injury. As she took the girls to the park (her Mother was in town, so they got to hang out with Grandma) I watched my Texas team get destroyed by BYU...yes, I'm still upset about it. Sunday morning came quickly as I guess I didn't set my alarm right and woke up an hour later than I would have liked! Then I started what would now stand as the WORST race morning ever! Along with waking up late, we didn't have the oatmeal I would normally eat, so it was toast and generic Nutella with a cup of coffee while running out the door. Upon arrival to the race, I got out the bike trainer to warm up. Normally I would just jog 20 minutes, but with the stress fracture I didn't want to run any more than I had to in the race. I got my bike all set up in the trainer, and went to go get my packet...only to be told that it was not there. Packet pick up was at another location half a mile away and walking there was not really an option as it was dark and I didn't know how to get there. So the trainer and the bike go back into the car, I drive out to the packet pick up place, get my number and drive back. Once all set up again, my hour ride before the race has now turned into maybe 30 minutes. Ok, I get calmed down, I feel good, my legs are starting to get warm...then BAM! The locking mechanism on my trainer comes undone and my bike just falls over and I crash to the ground. Yes, I crashed while on a TRAINER!! Now I'm just pissed! I start trying to get the bike back into the trainer only to realize that I have bent my derailleur hanger (the part of the gearing that shifts the chain up and down the rear cogs) and along with that, bent my wheel just enough that it's of no use. Thank God I brought my training wheel!! So I go to work on my derailleur, turns out it was only slightly out of place and I got it to shifting nicely again (the mechanics at Jack and Adam's would be proud!) and popped the wheel off, put my other back wheel on and just headed for transition... I hope 10 minutes of warm up is enough!! I could only shake all this off because it's not the most competitive race in the world and to tell the truth, I just wanted to be in a race setting with some hard effort to get ready for my bigger races in a couple weeks. I didn't use race wheels or an aero helmet and even wore a nice green speedo for fun! I got in a few laps before we got to racing in the cold pool and never really felt great, but like I said, I just wanted to push hard. The swim (a 450 yard pool swim) went about as expected or even a little better. My shoulders didn't hurt quite so much and my stroke felt decent. Other than the 13 year old girl that rolled me up, I actually felt ok. Then on to the bike, where a brisk morning chill didn't feel particularly great on me speedo clad body. What was I thinking??!! I caught the leader right out of transition and tried to get up to speed and settled into my shoes for the next couple minutes. After the 2nd turn a guy came flying past me wearing a full TT speedsuit, an aero helmet complete with visor, riding a Specialized shiv with HED 3 wheels and even shoe covers!! I guess this guy was taking his relay bike leg REALLY SERIOUS! Apparently he was a part of a relay that wanted to be competitive, I don't know, but it gave me someone to chase! I did my best to keep up with super biker, but I didn't feel great on the bike. I pushed a big gear and really tried to focus on turning the pedals over, but I certainly couldn't hang with that guy and eventually he was out of sight. The rest of the bike went about the same. It was 3 laps for a total of 13 miles, and by the 3rd lap I actually was feeling ok, but it was over! Figures...haha. Now for the testing part...the run. I haven't run a step for 3 weeks and was wondering how my shin was going to feel. Like I said I didn't use any race specific gear, so I actually used some trainers and tied them in transition. IT TOOK FOREVER! Speed laces for every race from now on no matter how small the race is! I got going and noticed two things almost immediately: 1st, my shin didn't hurt at all! That's some really great news! 2nd, my running rhythm and legs felt awful! That's "relatively sub optimal" (Chrissie Wellington, haha) I tried to settle into a pace I thought I could hold for the 3 miles I had left to cover, but it never felt right and I was running FOREVER thinking to myself "why don't they put mile markers out at t...oh wait..." then I saw mile marker 1! This is going to be a LONG run. And it was! It took just this side of eternity to finally get to mile 2 just to know I was still making progress. By this time, I had given up all hope of breaking my friend's (Ben Nelson) course record of 53:13. It was not really a goal, but it was going to be fun to give him shit about it, haha. Now he was going to be wondering what happened to that crazy fast run I USED to have. After getting through the run, still with no pain in shin, I saw the finish and just hung on. As I started to cross the finish line I looked at the clock and it read 52:30 ish. Wow, I HAD broke the course record...crazy! I had to smile to myself. After hanging out with the family and good friend Michael after the race, I asked where I could find the results to see what my splits were. (I don't like to wear watches at a race) The guy asked "Hey, were you bib #2?". I responded with "Yes, I was". "Did you cut the run course?" This gave my a puzzled look. I was kind of insulted, and kind of dumbfounded as it was nearly impossible to cut the run course, especially for someone who had never been there. I was thinking, "how could I cut the run course? There were cones lining the whole damn thing!" But I didn't say that, I simply told him that no I hadn't and asked why he would ask me that. He said, "Oh, well, you ran like 15 minutes for the 3 miles. That's 5 minute miles, ya know". "Uh, yeah, what's your point?" "Well, the next fastest time was only 18 minutes, and that's a pretty big difference. You can REALLY run 3 miles in 15 minutes?" Now I was just mad! "Well, I ran 14:22 for 5k in college and have run under 31 minutes for 10k on the end of an Olympic distance tri, twice...does that help?" "Oh...uh...ok. Good job, results are posted over there." I can't believe that guy thought I was cheating at a tiny little local race! Anyway, my splits were 6:15 for the swim, 29:20 for the bike (26.5 mph) and 15:24 on the run. I was a bit surprised by the run, but I was pushing hard and it was nice to know I could still run decently. Next time I do the race I'll run 14:50 or so and make that guys head spin!! I want him to be right there on a bike the whole way too! Well, the rest of the day was spent watching the NFL and was glorious! The Cowboys won, barely, but that's ok. Both my fantasy teams lost, but I'm not all that upset. Yesterday, Monday, I got in an easy 3k swim followed by some good lifting from Shannon, and about an hour on the bike trainer. (the wheel is till jacked up but I fixed the trainer) Major thanks goes out to my wife Theresa for really letting me rest by taking care of the girls and to her Mother, Carol, for helping out. Also, over the weekend my training partner and soon to be roommate, Scott Kimbell, crashed while on a training ride in Colorado Springs, breaking his clavicle AND his scapula! Thoughts and prayers out to him as he tries to heal up and be ready for Duathlon nationals at the end of October! Well, thanks for reading! Hasta, -Yorek

Life as a "full-time" PRO!

Well, I had this idea that when I quit working last wednesday that I would all of sudden have so much time to train, and more importantly, recover! It was going to be grand! Naps in the middle of the day, put my legs up, watch movies, and of course, train like crazy 3-4 times per day! Well, that's not exactly how it works right away, haha. I still have two little girls that take a TON of attention and time. They are beautiful and smart, and can be absolute SHITS!! The baby, Rhys, especially! So, it's still trying to squeeze in bike workouts on the trainer while the little one sleeps and Aspen watches a movie :) It was certainly a fail when I had the girls at the sitters and I went out for my first ride as a PRO. Three miles into my ride, I flatted. Never fun, but I have a spare tube and I'm good to go, or so I thought! The tube stem was too short and didn't work with my wheels, so I had to walk all the way back to the house! I still managed about an hour on the trainer, but that was not fun. Then, a couple of days later I was really pumped to run a tempo run. I want to run 8 miles starting at 5:40 ish and start working my way down to close to 5:10. Well, that didn't happen either! I chose to try out a new spot for tempo runs and it ended up being terrible. Not to mention after 4 miles I was completely cooked. I tried to double my workout hours in one week (from 10-12 to 20-24). This also led to my current injured state of having a stress fracture (or maybe a stress reaction, it's hard to tell). This means absolutely NO running for 4-6 weeks. It's been almost two whole weeks without running a step now and I don't like it! On the plus side, I know I need to work on my swim and bike, so I've really tried to push those disciplines along with a renewed vigor in the weight room. It seems to be paying off, as I am feeling much stronger. Also, with all of my new swimming skill, I decided to go to the Master's workout with our new roommate, Scott Kimbell, at the Loveland Master's Swim. I walked in with all kinds of confidence in my swim, and walked out realizing that I am an AWFUL swimmer and I need all the help I can get! These guys trounced me and I can hardly move my shoulders! All in all I think I got in around 3500 yards and most of it was WAY faster than I normally got when I train alone at the Rec center. Always a lot of work to do, but I'm very excited to do it! There is a balance to life, and like mein Deutsh fruend Daniel tells me..."just try and enjoy it!" I'll get back to writing much more often! Hasta, -Yorek P.S. I'm crazy excited about my new Strength and Conditioning schedule coming from Shannon and CrossFit Fort Worth. I'm seeing HUGE gains in strength and it's really showing on the bike and in the pool!

Back to work...no, actual job work :(

Well, I realized why I was able to get in such a solid 3 days of workouts...I had those days off of work!! It is absolutely incredible how much training, and REST for that matter, one can get done when you don't have to be standing on your feet for 8 hours of the day. Not to mention the mental stresses that go along with it. Listen, I understand, people have to work. You have families, friends, pets to take care of and money is a necessary evil; however, if your job requires standing all day then it stands (pun intended) to reason your legs will be ON FIRE when you get home and all you will want to do is drink beer! I guess the trick is to find something that you like to do that coincides with, well, you LOVE to do! Ok, now that is out of my system...to workouts. Friday went well (ish) I knocked out my tempo run Friday morning before work while the girls were at the sitters. 20 min warm up, 30 minutes at tempo pace (ended up being about 5:20/mile), and a 10 minute cool down. Ended up with about 10 miles total in an hour, so not a bad run. That's where work comes in...by the time I got home I was starving and the girls were tired and grumpy, so workouts did NOT happen. Saturday was basically make-up day as I knocked out 2500 yards of swimming and then got in the lifting Shannon has me doing that I was SUPPOSED to do on Friday. About the swim, I felt great!! I just wanted to do a few fast 100s (yards, not meters) and use the rest as simple recovery. (quick side note, the fastest 100 I have done since coming back this year is 1:12, and my fastest since starting triathlons is 1:07) My first 100 went 1:10, rested 20 seconds, then went 1:09!! That was awesome, so I just swam an easy 100 to recover a bit then did 2 more with 20 seconds rest in 1:11, 1:13. I couldn't believe it. So, I swam easy a bit more, did a kick set, and did one last 100 as fast as I could while still maintaining form...1:06!! This is not a dive start, by the way. Yes, I realize that MANY people swim faster than that, but you have to understand that I NEVER got in the pool and seeing my swimming improve like this is huge for my confidence. The better I do, the more I want to swim, and the more I want to swim...the better I do! Well, unfortunately that was it for Saturday. I had planned on running a bit, but I felt like I had a stress fracture coming on in the lower interior tibula (the shin bone) and as I've gotten older I realize that taking a couple of days off of running to heal up is WAY better than 6 weeks in a boot! Sunday morning I knocked out a 3 hour ride (double flatted!!) that was wonderful, and now I'm getting ready to go run between 15 and 16 miles...I hope! You never know how you're going to feel when you get out there! I hope you all are getting your training in, no matter if it's a 20 minute run, just do SOMETHING...you'll feel better :) Hasta, -Yorek P.S. I worked noon-8 P.M. Friday-Sunday (where the workouts took a hit) and will work again 11-6 today...only one more week before I am a full-time athlete. That scares and excites me, haha. More on that later!

consistency is key!

Wow, I actually accomplished everything I wanted to yesterday. If you know me personally, then you know what a big deal that is. You see, if ya don't know, I just might be the most inconsistent athlete to ever walk this Earth. It's incredible...from one day to the next, you almost never know what's going to happen. No joke, when I got to the track on Tuesday and saw that nobody was there, I almost quit altogether. I wish I were kidding around, but I'm not. I don't know why, but that instant hit me so hard, that I didn't know what to do with my life. Yes, I am bipolar, seriously. I just need to learn to control it with RIDICULOUS amounts of positive energy and words. Anyway, back to my training :) I knocked out 3,000 yards in the pool, then went straight upstairs to the gym where Shannon had a hell of a workout planned! (She emails me the workouts for Fort Worth and I try to follow them as closely as possible) I did 3x8 back squats with 135 lbs. This is a big deal for me as I have never lifted that kind of weight that many times. On a side note, I'm pretty sure that's why I have the power of a "3 week old kitten" (Derrick Williamson, 2008). From there I did 3x8 push press with 65 lbs...again, I'm weak in these areas! Then it was 3x10 overhead squats with just a wooden bar to keep form. Wow, that's a lot of leg work after swimming 3k! Then later in the day when Theresa got home, I knocked out 1.5 hours on the trainer followed by an easy 30 minute run off the bike. I felt great! My 2nd mile was around 6:20 so I had to make myself slow WAY down before things got out of hand. Even making myself walk for a bit, haha. Now, this morning I was back on the bike trainer for my weekly 53x11 workout. If you don't know, 53x11 is the hardest gear on most bikes (I'm hoping to move up to a 54 big chainring soon!) so the idea is to simulate power and work the muscles that push a bigger gear. After yesterday's lifting, this was going to be tough. Or so I thought! I nailed the workout (6x10 min in 53x11 avg. 85-100 cadence getting faster as the workout went on, with 4 minutes easy spinning in between). With warm up and cool down I finished with exactly 2 hours :) Gotta admit, I feel good. I'm not fit yet, or really even close...but I'm going to get there!! Hoping for a 45-60 min run later then maybe even some more swimming tonight if I can. I'll leave you with a quote from the great Ironman coach and former world #1 ITU female, Siri Lindley. "I was only swimming 3-4k, 5 times per week, which is why I was such a bad swimmer" I'VE GOT TO START SWIMMING MORE!! haha Hasta, -Yorek

Hey!! Look at me!!

Haha, ok so maybe I've started on my 3rd cup of coffee and am feeling good :) Yesterday's training was certainly not great, but I tend to think things happen for a reason. Let's start with Monday's training as I'm pretty sure that's where the crappy Tuesday came in. I started the day off with a 14 mile long run (longest I've done in SEVERAL weeks) knocking out 6:00/mile the last few. I guess I just wanted to run Monday morning...and I did! Then it was off to work 20 minutes later (a little 7 mile bike ride that always ends up being way too hard as I'm usually late) selling shoes for 8 straight hours on my feet! By the end of the day, my legs were toast, and yet I went straight to the pool for about 1000 yards of swimming before they kicked me out because they were closing. Right after the pool, I went straight upstairs for my lifting that Shannon (my strength and conditioning coach from CrossFit Fort Worth) has me doing. 4 rounds of front squats with 85 lbs (don't laugh, I'm a weak distance runner!), 8 hand-stand pushups, and 10 dead hang pull-ups. Once all that was done, I finished off with 3 sets of 5 dead lifts with 175 lbs. Those hurt a bit! Fast forward to yesterday morning where I did 2000 yards in the pool. I was not hitting ANY of my intervals, so I decided to back it off and get ready for my track workout that night. And here's where the family things come into play. I normally would go work out with the CSU triathlon team up in Fort Collins, but as that is a half hour drive and Theresa would not get off work until 5:00 pm (track starts at 5), I was forced to try and join another group closer to town that starts at 6. Well, I warmed up to the track, and NOBODY WAS THERE! By this time it had been a long day at home with the girls and frustration levels were high...not to mention I was still dead tired. I ended up just jogging back home for a ridiculously slow 40 min run. Like I said, things tend to happen for a reason, so I tried to not let it get to me. I feel much better today, however, I am CRAZY sore from the lifting. I will hit up the pool again to try and hit my usual Wednesday 10x100 on the 1:30. I'm hoping for around 3k total, then upstairs (I workout at a recreation center in town so the pool and gym are in the same facility) to knock out my lifting. A two hour ride would be AMAZING, but we'll see when Theresa gets off work and what I'll be able to do. I don't like taking a day off of running, it throws off my rhythm, but I definitely need to be on the bike. Well, that's it for me. Oh wait! PLEASE post comments, questions, concerns, even criticisms as I would LOVE any feedback :) hasta -Yorek

Comeback 2.0

Well, I'm not exactly sure this is version "2.0", as I've quit and come back a couple different times. Some good friends and my wife have told me to start using this blog again, and I'm not entirely sure why. My last post is still very accurate minus the "retired" part. It's very, VERY hard to be a pro triathlete right now, and that's not even talking about the training and racing. I don't really want to get into all of that at the moment though. Just read the last post and you'll know why. As far as life right now...I'm happy. For the first time in a long time, I'm happy. I currently live in Loveland, CO with my wife, Theresa, and out two daughters, Aspen (3.5 years old) and Rhys (15 months old). We moved here in April for Theresa's job at Front Range Laboratories where she is a Microbiologist. I am currently working part-time selling shoes at Dick's Sporting Goods although my last day is coming up on August 28 We, and by "we" I mean my family and I, have decided that it's time to try to be a Pro. I have no idea how I'm going to make money and my results this year of two races have been just ok. I promised Theresa that if I can't land a sponsor (or several) that will pay enough to keep going by the end of 2014, then I will finally give it up. Yes, I know, we've all heard that before, but this time is different. We are collectively going for it and I will see by then if I have what it takes to make it as a professional. As of right now I am VERY proud to represent three companies who have always shown support no matter what I have gone through in the past. First, Jack and Adam's Bicycles have supported me through thick and thin. Even though they are located in Austin, TX (where I once lived and still consider my home town) they still back me and help me when ever I need. By far, the single greatest bike shop I have EVER been to. Also, CrossFit Fort Worth with the backing of Riata Therapy Specialists have been doing my strength and conditioning training for about a year! Darin Deaton is the owner of both and my sister Shannon, along with her husband Reed Kellum, manages the CrossFit Fort Worth West box. These are some of the most professional people I have ever come into contact with and there is NOBODY that I would rather have in my corner than these guys. They know how to make the body fit and strong, no question! On a quick side note, they (Darin, Reed, and my beautiful sister Shannon) are extremely fit in their own right. Shannon just won her CrossFit competition in Fort Worth and is a threat for the games next year...watch out!! I am hoping to add more sponsors obviously, but I think it important to note that these first two are LIFE-LONG relationships that I will always be a part of whether I am a pro triathlete or simply a weekend warrior trying to place in my age-group. Well, that's it for now. I'll be mainly posting workouts and race recaps from now on. Tomorrow I'll tell you about my two races so far this season...Loveland Lake to Lake (good) and Boulder 70.3 (bad). Hasta! -Yorek

Retired

It's all over...I have lost my ability to have faith or dream. I have been laying everything I've got into this stuff, with nothing to show for it. It was when I watched my little girl's movie turn off right in front of her as our power got shut off for non payment. I sacrificed everything to become "somebody" to all of you out there. People say to NOT care what others think about you. To NOT do things for the win or the resulting "glory". I was told to "find something that I love, and do that no matter what". That's the problem...I CARE what YOU think. It doesn't matter who's reading this. I don't care if it's 10 years from when I posted it and you have no clue who I am at the time. I CARE...A LOT!! I LOVED winning races and walking around afterward where people thought that you had something to offer. That is what I loved. I completely and whole heartedly consumed myself with impressing those around me, and NOBODY enjoyed bringing that to life more than myself. There's no support out there for dreamers like myself. People want those that have already made it. They are already there!! Did you know that to qualify to live in the Olympic Training Center you have to have run the Olympic "A" standard in your event for track and field?? That means that only 4 or 5 Americans can possibly qualify!! Those top 4 or 5 ALREADY have deals that is worth WELL over what the OTC is offering!!! So you say, "well, you took your shot. Now retire and get a job like the rest of us". There's just one problem...I'm not like the rest!!! I am hardwired to go all out. I KNOW what it takes to make it. I have trained that hard, I have the genetics, I have the drive, but I also have a family that depends on me to show up every day and make a go of it. Without something to shoot for, what the hell am I supposed to do?? I have a fucking 80 VO2 Max, can do pullups all day, swim, run, bike, trails, hills, mountains, track, tri's, du's, crits, time trials, whatever!! I've got a Psychology degree, have modeled for magazines, print ads, and for $175/hr, but they won't even take me in the fucking Army because I got speeding tickets that didn't get paid because I CAN'T GET A JOB!! As a family we made 25k last year! And that was literally twice what it was the year before! I'm sorry to those of you looking for some kind of motivation in this, but it's all bullshit. I've lost my dreams, my faith, and if something doesn't change I'm going to lose all I have left which is my loving, beautiful wife and my adorable daughter. (Not to mention the one we have on the way) Good night, and good luck. -Yorek