Hawaii 08 day 2

Slept until 6am this morning! That's quite good for me. The vog (volcanic fog) here in Kailua has been horrible - it's been overcast and it messes with your sinus's. However, it is definitely cooler than usual and without the harsh sun beating down here, expect fast times tomorrow.

I headed out for a run at 7am. Same plan as yesterday - a 1 hour run followed by a nice ocean swim. Finishing up my run, I ran into Mandy, John H. and Megan. I chatted with them for a bit - Mandy and Megan are ready to roll. Look out for them tomorrow! - then I jumped into the pacific at the pier with Megan for an easy swim. I told her I was swimming out to get a coffee and she thought I was going to swim a mile up, hop out of the water and go to Lava Java in my speedo and get a coffee! I mean, I'm a freak Megan, but come on! I took my waterproof camera with me and Megan and I swam out to the swim up coffee boat. On the return trip, I ran into this swimming partner:

Baker and I grabbed some breakfast at Lava Java - this place has gone over the top in popularity! then expo time. I had some more meetings and made sure that Desiree is all set for tomorrow with her My Athlete device. Make sure you track her on http://www.myathletegps.com/ , username and password ma1 and ma1.

The expo ended at noon, and after breaking everything down and a stop at Fed Ex, I took Baker and Andy up to Hapuna Beach. Hapuna Beach is just an amazing place. It's beautiful, clear water, soft, fine sand, and is encapsulated in a crescent shaped cove. The wind was low so the break was calm, and we just floated around in the ocean for awhile. My first year racing in Hawaii, Lisa and I spent some time here at this beach. I remember going there the day after the race in 96' when I wore socks that were too thick and blistered so bad that I basically lost a bunch of layers of skin on the bottom of both feet. These raw, open wounds didn't take kindly to the hot sand and salty water. Anyways, besides the fact that this is one of the worlds best beaches, I have incredibly fond memories of the great times that Lisa and I have spent on this island. As I floated around, it lead to these thoughts:

Sure, this is an incredible Island, but my experiences on this island are what created my fondness here, and I can't expect others to appreciate it the way I do, even though I hope they do. The fact that this incredible event takes place on this island has been great, but the real fondness comes from the experiences that Lisa and I have shared here. Her witnessing me through the Ironman, us exploring the cool places on this island - it's always been consistent and has created a deep memory base of great times that I'll never take for granted.

I spoke with my father today. He asked if I was bummed about not being a participant this year. I told him that last year I came here and though "man, I'm kind of glad I'm not racing this year!" This year, my thoughts are "man, I wish I was racing this year!". Interesting what a year or two off will do.

Many have discussed the effects of the vog from a health perspective. My take is that on race day, you'd much rather deal with the potential health issues created by the vog and have cloud cover and cooler temperatures than have that intense sun beating down on you. If it stays like it has the last few days here, there will be some very fast times tomorrow. However, I have raced here enough to know that the weather one day is no indication of what you will get the next.

Cheers,

EH

Aloha!

Baker and I left my house at 5am on Wednesday morning to make the trip to the big island they call Hawaii. 22 hours later, we reached our destination. Yes, that's right - 22 hours. My math tells me that we should be in Beijing, but no, we are in Hawaii. We flew from Westchester to Chicago first and it was great - we had the emergency exit rows. Then, we boarded the full flight to Honolulu. The plane was a 2 seat, 5 seat, 2 seat deal. Baker sat in the dead middle of the 5 seater, I in the same spot directly behind him. I had some guy to my right that slept the whole time on this 9 hour portion of our trip, and the guy on my left I could tell wanted to talk right away. That is why I put on my headphones. Then, we get stuck in Honolulu for 6 hours because an island hopper plane broke down.

We made it to our hotel 22 hours after leaving my house, in the dark of the night. I was anxious, tired, and a bit frustrated, as was Baker.

I awoke today, first at 2am, then at 3am, finally getting up at 4 am here which is 10am back east. I put on my running clothes and took my swim goggles and ran from our hotel out to Alii drive and down into the pit. It didn't take long before I was smiling, glad to be back on this incredible small piece of earth in the middle of the pacific. This place is therapeutic for me. I ran down into the pit, remembering back in the 90's the original course that was, in my opinion, better and more challenging than the new course. Don't get me wrong, the new course is still great. The sun came up as I climbed out of the pit and I saw a legendary familiar silhouette running on the opposite side of the road. Dave scott and I exchanged waves - the guy seems to have the fountain of youth figured out. I ran along Alii, seeing the many fit athletes doing the same on both sides, and taking in the views of the pacific rolling in on my right. My mind went to thoughts of my past races on this road. I have left a deep part of myself here, digging into places - reserves I didn't know I had.Yet I still view this all as fond memories - memories that I strive to remember rather than nightmares I want to forget. I was naturally smiling as I ran down Alii which is very cool. I'm extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn about myself in such an amazing event and place.

I reached the busy pier and changed into some swim gear and dove in. This is where I decompress from the long flight out and really just relax. I've discussed this swim here before in detail in previous journals and posts, so I won't bore again. Everyone needs to find one special personal thing that grounds them, and this swim is it for me. Even though there are usually a bunch of swimmers in the water around me, I don't see anything but the ocean and the fish. I swam out to the catamaran serving coffee at the 1/2 mile buoy where Scott Molina handed me a nice shot of espresso - cool and cool, before swimming back in.

The underwear run went off at 8am and I told Baker earlier that we should get some people participating in it to wear My Athlete devices and get some photos. When it came time, instead of soliciting, I took one for the team and participated in my black boxer briefs. Brennan, you hear that?! I've boycotted this event since it's inception in 97' or 98' but I have to admit, it was liberating. Megan S., one of my athletes participated as well. She's ready to roll here and if you get a chance, check out her blog at http://www.runlikeamother.org/.

Ok, so a busy day/trip thus far, and it's not even 9am here yet. Baker and I hit Lava Java before the expo began. As I awaited in the line out the door, I saw a special table section set up here with some woman wearing the team shirts for Norman Stadler's German team. His team manager had contacted me inquiring about My Athlete and was one of the people I needed to meet up with today. I went over and introduced myself and they called Jan (the team manager) and then asked me to wait and fed me. I sucked down three iced Kona coffees during my productive meeting with Jan and discussed the opportunities with My Athlete and his European based team. He's a smart business guy and is really fired up about the potential of My Athlete. While meeting with him, Desiree Ficker strolled into Lava Java and I met with her quickly and set her up with her race day device. She's a contender for top three on race day. I spent time in a bunch of other meetings and the enthusiasm of business people behind this product is amazing. It's been fun for me to delve into another business and experience.

The Cannondale guys had a full cooler of beer at the expo thanks to Wolfie, Faris Alsultan's bud, so we hung out there for a bit shooting the shit at the end of the expo.

After a nice dinner at Huggos, I'm sitting out on water at the moment watching the Manta Rays swimming in the moonlight. There are five of them circling around, and I just convinced two woman that the guy at the end of the patio in the Hawaiin shirt (Andy) is going to swim with them in 15 minutes like he does every evening.

Until tomorrow...

Join me for my run today?

I ran a very hard 2 hrs 5 min yesterday, so today calls for an easy 65 minutes in the trails near my house:
























Thanks for coming along!

Cheers,

EH

Just another Sunday...

However, I switched up the routine today. Typically, I meet Kenny O. to run long on Sunday mornings. We (lisa, the kids, and I) were out until 1am last night which is definitely out of the norm for us. Ken bailed on the run, and when I awoke and saw rain, after 4 hours sleep, I decided to relax and hang with the family. Later this afternoon, we all got in a strength training session - yeah, Lisa, Ryan, Kate and I. For those looking for a bit of diversity and a great strength session, give this a shot (my afternoon training today):

3 sets of everything.

1. 25 v-ups, followed by 20 push-ups w/ feet elevated, followed by 40 reps on the Vasa Trainer with the elevation set at it's max.

2. 25 double crunches, followed by incline dumbell bench press (15 reps), followed by lat pull downs (15 reps)

3. 20 roll outs (abs with wheel) followed by shoulder presses (15 reps) and then side shoulder raises (15 reps)

4. planks (90 sec) followed by curls, followed by triceps cable press (15 reps for the curls and tris)

5. punch the heavy bag for a bit

6. I have a steep driveway. I did 10 bounding sprints up the driveway.

Patriots are winning, so all is good here today.

This week will be very busy. I am heading out to Kona on Wednesday and I'll be blogging daily from there. My message board has been absolutely dead lately. I am in the process of trying to reorganize it to make it less clicks and maybe more inviting. It is Hawaii week though and it's time to post your top five picks. I'll start a thread up so hopefully, some of you will chime in and help resurrect this board.


I've been listening to my music loaded on this computer as I type this and some great tunes have come up. Some are old, but worth relistening to. Download this:

Lucky Man, The Verve - another great song by a great band. This is an older cut but just solid.
Invisible Sun, The Police - The police - my all time favorite band. This is just a great track period.
Hip Hop Is Dead, Nas - I listen to everything. If this song doesnt get you moving, something is seriously wrong.

Cheers,

EH

Tough September

Sometimes, things don’t always go as planned. The important thing is to not dwell on this, and instead, adjust and roll.

I wanted to use September as a big month of running that would take me to a point where running a 6 minute mile for 2.5 hours would feel right. My plan was to build my weekly volume up and work in one tempo session and one interval session each week. I shut down the bike training and was ready to focus exclusively on running. The month began with the Labor Day road race in New Haven where I had back issues. No worries though, I’d put this race behind me and move on. Shortly thereafter, I began feeling very tired and then, sure enough, it hit me – one hell of a virus. It started with my daughter and progressed to Lisa and myself. I shut down the training for 5 days. Still quite stuffed up, I started back up again and the energy just wasn’t there. I trained for three days, then feeling wiped out still, took three more days off. For the rest of September, this seemed to be the pattern.

So I find myself now, on October 1st, way behind were I anticipated being in terms of my training for the NYC marathon one month away. I’m not going to beat myself up over September. Shit happens. At the same time I can’t help but wonder why this hit me so hard. And as much as I’d love to search and find a reason that is easy on my psyche, the fact is that when it comes right down to it, I’m a triathlete. What I mean by this is that had I been training for Hawaii or another big triathlon like Clearwater last year, this wouldn’t have hit me so hard. I know that it’s easy to call bullshit on this. “You just got sick, don’t over-read it.” But I let my defenses get so low. I have been extremely busy with all these different projects I’m involved in and my nutrition hasn’t been picture perfect as well. I wasn’t trying to sabotage my marathon. I still had big goals for race day. Yet, when training for big triathlons in the past, I’d never let my guard down as I did in September. I wasn’t as focused as I should have been.

I’m still excited to run NYC and experience it. I’ve readjusted my goals a bit. I’m not giving myself an out – I just want to be realistic. Originally, I was aiming for a sub 2:40 race, and now I’ll be content with a sub 2:55. I still know that I’m capable of a sub 2:40. Maybe that’ll have to wait until Boston. At the moment, I want to get back to feeling good on my runs and feeling healthy again, not feeling like I need to stop 15 minutes into a 40 minute commute and take a nap.

What I have realized is that I do love the triathlon lifestyle. I enjoy cross training and I feel much more well rounded when I am doing more than just one of the disciplines. And I definitely feel more stimulated mentally. This time of year reminds me of preparing for Hawaii. It reminds me of overdressing for autumn training. Of riding in beautiful foliage while most are hanging up their road machines for the season. As much as I love reminiscing about these great times, I know I’m at a point where my focus needs to be more balanced and that’s all right. I’ll be racing an Ironman again in the future. Right now though, it’s time to shift priorities and that’s cool as well.

RFR

I'm procrastinating right now. I'm the cook in our household here. I love to cook. However, I'm not motivated tonight. So Lisa ad the kids will have to wait a bit as I get out some post RFR thoughts.

My friend Rick Moisan past away in 2005 at the age of 43 from cancer. His cancer started as lung cancer, even though he, or no one around him never smoked. Rick was an all class guy. The kind of man who spoke with his actions. He was short in conversation, but to the point. In 2004, I dedicated my Ironman journey and race in Hawaii to him. I had a tough year there - my toughest IM to date. Rick called me in Hawaii after the race and simply said "Man, you didn't do so good!" I laughed. In fact, I laughed quite a bit with Rick. I would spend time with him while he underwent his chemotherapy. We'd often play chess during this time. Rick was pretty good, and late in his cancer phase, he beat me good in a game. His response followed by a small chuckle was "What's a matter with you? My brain is riddled with cancer and I still kicked your ass!" Don't confuse this candor with coldness. Rick was compassionate, yet had a great sense of humour.

There are two events that I began that are the two most important events that I'm associated with each year. The Ride For Rick and the Plunge. When I began these two charitable events, my main focus was on raising funds directly for those in need - not for big organizations where the funds easily can get lost in who knows what. I'm very pleased with the success of these events. The Ride For Rick has evolved immensely - thanks to Lisa, Rick's wife, and her women crew.

The RFR is important to me not only because I've seen how it's benefited others, but because it keeps Rick's memory alive for his family. Seeing his wife and his daughters still crushes me. They are really doing great, but I can't help but feel for them.

The fact that the weather held out yesterday was incredible, considering the forecast. I've already stated a thank you on my home page so I won't reiterate. I just want those who were there yesterday to know that there participation in this event is huge to me and, for those who were there, if you ever put on something like this that's near and dear, you can count on me to participate.

By the way, we raised $100,000 from this years event, which is going to some amazing causes!

Cheers,

EH

Technology Hiatus

Obviously our society has become overly dependant on technology. I'm not talking about the necessities, like transportation, but more the devices and gadgets that we arm ourselves with each morning before venturing out into the real world. Look at anyone nowadays anywhere and there is a very high chance you'll catch them using some high tech gizmo. This isn't a rant about obnoxious cell phone users in public places - my biggest pet peeve. Why is it that these people also feel they need to talk louder into their phones?

Back on track...

I'm proposing a tech hiatus. Let's make a stance for simplifying. For getting back to just us and nature. It's time we free ourselves of these technological shackles that bind us to material gadgets. How often have these devices interfered with your family time? Your training?? WHO'S WITH ME??? I begin this movement right now with a nice trail run - just nature and me.

Of course I'll have to update everyone so I'll allow my laptop to survive the movement. If you want to track my run in nature, I'll be wearing my MyAthlete device. No criticism on my pace - I'm still sticking to my heart rate plan. In fact, my heart rate monitor will beep if I go over it. Hmmm, this may be hard to hear though with my ipod on. Shit, I'll get back to this blog in a bit, I have an important cell call coming in.

What the deal

God, this f'n blog is killing me sometimes! I feel such an obligation now to keep it up yet I'm either way busy or feel I have nothing really to write about. For all I know, there is one other person (Baker) reading this shit, yet I feel compelled to jot something down. In all fairness though, I often go back to see what I was doing in months and years past, so in retrospect, it's been a great journal. As I once alluded to, if I were to keep a journal on paper or in a word document, I'd get lazy - or lazier than I've been here.

So here's what's been going on:

I am still trying to get rid of this virus/cold, and my wife is as well. I'm running still with a HR under 140, yet it doesn't feel great. I'm logging some decent mileage. I ran 21 on Sunday and 13 yesterday, yet again, it doesn't feel great. I've been training myself and others for over 18 years, and I'm still much better at training others. I know exactly where I'm at and what I need to do. I also have a way of justifying with myself, ignoring certain things. Justification is a bitch.

We are in some interesting times right now and it can be draining listening to the overwhelming pessimists who think they are realists spew there opinion(s). Hang tight and know that everything is cyclical and that many are over-reacting.

I promised to not voice anything political here and I'm sticking to that, even though it's been quite an interesting race.

I'm neck deep in soccer with my kids at the moment and you know what, I'm enjoying it!

The Ride For Rick is this weekend and it's supposed to rain. We have a rain date set up for Sunday. If it rains all weekend, come out and run the 5K and hang out. Everyone has someone they know afflicted with cancer. It's amazing how many fund raisers there are yet it's still so underfunded. What's so intriguing about Rick's case was that he suffered from lung cancer which most associate with smoking or second hand smoke yet he had neither of those issues. This is a situation that is still extremely underfunded in the research world of cancer. I know I ask a lot from my friends - just know that your support here means much, much more than you may realize.

OK, there is so much more going on with Hawaii coming up (who will win?), marathons approaching (Jeff M. where are you?), and off seasons to start. At least I jotted something down for myself here. And Baker. Also, many props to the Cleveland crew who drop in here from time to time. They are great at responding and are energetic, not like the lame Connecticut bunch!

Cheers,

EH

Up and Running

I took 5 days off from training due to this cold. Lisa has it as well. You know the deal; starts as a screaming sore throat, then you wake up with huge sinus congestion and your nose running like a keg in Ireland. Energy wise, I felt decent after two or three days, but because of all the congestion, I laid low. Today I started back up and broke out the HR monitor. It's very easy to get away from using your HR monitor. We reach a point where we feel we know what HR we are at while training. And while this could be true, it doesn't mean that we stay honest with it.

For the next week, I'll keep my HR below 140 for every run that I do. Sure, there will be small occasions where it will slip above 140, but the goal is to have no more than 1 full minute of each run above 140. I ran this morning in the Trumbull rail trail. It was a stunning morning - one made for running. Starting out with just running shorts and a singlet, I was actually a bit chilly. For the first 10 minutes, my HR stayed below 125, then it went into the 130's. I felt relaxed and this was a good opportunity to blow out some of that cold. Then, I see a carrot up the trail. A guy running at a decent clip maybe 200 meters ahead. Within seconds, my turnover is faster, my stride has increased, and guess what? My HR is above 140. I dial it back down and forget about the runner. I passed him eventually anyways and continued on. I was doing an out and back. I hit the turn around and bam, I'm picking up the pace and the HR above 140. I dial it down again. I can tell where my HR is without the monitor. The problem is that I subconsciously go after someone up the road and pick the pace up when "coming home". The monitor was great at keeping me in check. I finished 8 miles in just over 52 minutes, with only 36 seconds above 140 and my legs felt better after this run then they did during it.

Later this afternoon, I went out for a second run. I ran 1 hour on single track trails and stuck with the 140 deal, even on the hills. All in all, it was a nice solid day followed up with an hour of soccer drills with my son.

The key now is to be patient and commit to this one week of sub 140 HR.

Cheers,

EH

Feedback

I had an athlete I hadn't heard from in a bit so I sent him an email yesterday asking for some feedback. He sent back a note saying things are going well and that he's ready for a new schedule. A bit later, I received another email from him that started out as this:

"I realised while I was doing my 45 minute easy spin that my feedback was feedback free."

He then went on to give me a great description of what he did last week, how he's feeling mentally, physically, the amount of sleep he's been getting, ...

For those of you that work with a coach, realize that for the coach to help you to the best of his and your ability, the more they know and learn about you the better. Give them feedback in either an email or a phone call. You aren't bothering them - if you are, find a new coach.

Cheers,

EH

Trail Running and Jury Duty

Blogging has been slow, things have been busy.

For those that don't run trails; Why??? I have heard from old die hards that you need to simulate the pounding of pavement so that you are conditioned for this on race day. In triathlons, your feet can land hard due to fatigued leg muscles, however, your gate is also much lower and slower. In running races, yes, it's important to get a bit of pavement running in, but you don't need nearly as much as you'd think. 10% of your weekly volume is more than sufficient. The benefits of trail running; besides the fact that it blows the pants off of pavement running for sheer fun, enjoyment, scenery, ..., it also is less taxing on the muscular and skeletal system, meaning more quality in your weekly training and better recovery. On single track trails, there is a lot of lateral movement, stepping on uneven surfaces, over roots and rocks which strengthens key joint tendons and ligaments. Plus, did I mention it's way more fun? I have the great advantage of a rail trail system with lots of single track off of it, starting at the end of my street. However, I can't recommend enough the advantages of running most of your long run each week on trails.

I served jury duty last week. After postponing it twice, I finally decided to suck it up and pay my dues. Yes, I realize we are very fortunate to have the legal system in place that we do in this country. I even feel it would be cool to serve as a juror on an interesting case. However, being in my own business, it is more of a nuisance. I arrived at 8:30am to the Bridgeport court house along with 100 other citizens. Lisa laid into me about not bringing my Treo or laptop into the court house - that it would be confiscated for the day, so I left the lap top home and the Treo in the car. Guess, what; they lifted this rule in August, and everyone was typing away on their blackberries and computers! I brought the book "Raising The Bar" to read while waiting. Soon enough, I was selected with 17 others to be interviewed for serving as a juror on a criminal case. The judge brought us all into the court room where the prosecuting attorney, the defense attorney, and the person being prosecuted were sitting. She explained the case, and how the suspect was being brought up on nine counts, most drug related; possession of heroine with the intent to sell, possession of cocaine with the intent to sell, weapon possession, ... They then issued us out into a jurors room where we waited for each one of us to be called in one at a time to be interviewed. If you were to be chosen to serve on the jury, the case would take most likely up to one week. You were allowed to leave after you were interviewed whether you were chosen or not. I waited and read and stewed over this case. I mean, the guy has nine freaking charges brought up against him and this case is going to take a week!!! I know that our system states that all people are innocent until proven guilty, but come on - nine counts! And this is where some of our tax $$$ is going?! I was ready to bitch when I got my turn for the interview. In the jurors room, no one said one word to one another. It was bizarre, yet I didn't mind it. I read and waited some more, and finally, at 4pm, with only four of us left to be interviewed, they excused us all and told us our duties had been served. I have a few pt clients that are extreme conservatives who were upset at my attitude towards the day. I just don't see the logic in trying a guy for one week that has nine separate accounts brought up against him. "Raising The Bar" was a good read though. It's about the inventor and CEO of Clif Bars and his journey from the start. It's based on the business principals he has learned and established through his experiences - he uses experiences from his adventurous lifestyle as business analogies, and although the book has some repetitive themes to it, the guy and his business are solid role models. I definitely recommend checking it out.

School is back in session meaning my daughter comes home with a cough, and my wife and I now have bad head colds which will put the traininig on hold for a few days. Oh well.

Cheers,

EH

IMW wrap up, ...

Race Day:

weather was beautiful - perfect for an IM; sunny, high 60's to low 70's, light wind. The water was super calm for the swim. It's amazing spectating an IM swim up close. The age groupers spread out excessively in terms of width. I realize first hand the fears and phobias many have in a mass swim start because I have worked with many athletes who deal with this. It's never comfortable getting swum over, kicked, pushed, slapped, ... However, watch the swim of an IM race and you will see how much quicker and easier the pack moves as compared to the lone swimmer, battling the currents and still water on their own on the outside.


Just before the swimmers began to exit the drink, we positioned ourselves at the bike mounting area as you leave t1. The swimmers under an hour came out dispersed well. And then, the 1 hr to 1:15 swimmers! Man, there are so many IM swimmers in this 15 min range and it is certainly crowded leaving on the bike. I saw a lot of athletes with their shoes attached to their bikes, with no clue how to mount their bike with their shoes attached to their bikes, including some female pros! If you want to blend in at an IM, wear red. Cervelos were definitely the most popular bike by far.


We got out on the bike course and also on the run. To sum it up easily, it's a great venue. The city inhabitants including the college kids seem to really actually enjoy hosting this IM. I think this race has a lot of character. Not as much charisma as IMLP, but it really is a solid venue. Would I race there? Yes, I would, although I probably will never get the chance. Besides Hawaii, the next IM I'd like to race is Canada. Then Roth, then Switzerland.

We had entertaining travels home including a full sprint through just about the whole Detroit airport to make our connection. I had an aisle seat next to some freaky deaky couple - the guy in the middle sleeping and breathing with his laser breath right at me and his bizarre wife who stared at me the whole time - maybe I'm the freak.

I had jury duty yesterday. That deserves it's own blog!

Cheers,

EH

IMW Bike Course

The plan for the afternoon today was to get some video footage for My Athlete of me riding and wearing the g-unit. I rode a fair part of the ironman course here and here's my take:

It's a very fair course, similar in terrain to southern Connecticut with lots of bumps, or short hills, one after another. This type of course is a strength course and you need to have your cycling fitness behind you coming into this race. If you are fit, you can roll over these bumps early on in the race keeping your heart rate under control and the lactic acid at bay and save the effort for the latter part of the ride and run. If you are lacking cycling base and strength, this course will eat you up.

The course is a lollipop - you ride out to a loop that you do twice then return on the same roads you rode out on. it offers up some nice farmland scenery, with lots of cornfields and meadows. Today was beautiful with sunny skies and fluffy white clouds rolling through. During a race, I could really care less what scenery there is on a course. Personally, it doesn't make a difference - I'm more focused on the race. In Hawaii or Lake Placid, I'll take in the views occasionally but it isn't something I need on race day.

Pro's of this course: as i said, it's an honest course for a strength athlete. It's definitely a challenging course. This course is a nice medium between Florida's and LP's bike courses.

Con's: too many roads on the out and back section to the loop, and the road surface isn't great. There are lots of cracks and splits in the pavement.

I had a few people yell from their cars at me; "save it for tomorrow!" I always get a laugh out of this when I spectate an IM race and I'm out training the day before. People are too concerned with others. Maybe it eases their pre race nerves a bit.

Should be fun watching this race tomorrow. It's supposed to be another nice day.

Time for Sushi.

Cheers,

EH

We're in Madison

The flight was uneventful. Well, it was funny, but uneventful. First, everyone keeps asking Baker and Brennan if their brothers. I tell them that their on a father, son weekend outing. We flew out of Westchester and had to stop in Cincinnati. The small plane from Cincinnati to Madison sat two on one side and two on the other. Brennan and I were next to each other, with Baker directly across the aisle from me. He let out a "Yes!" when he saw that he was alone and in an aisle seat. I told him not to worry, that he'd have some company. Sure enough, the biggest guy on the plane comes down the aisle and wedges himself between Baker and the window. The guy was so big they couldn't put the center arm rest down. He was wearing these tight khaki shorts and his pasty white chubby legs were glued to Bakers. I was waiting for the guy to pull a John Candy and take his socks off. I laughed the whole plane ride.

We got in around 10pm and went out to get a beer. Madison is a very cool little college town. We found this brew pub that had an incredible selection on tap, and after a couple of pints we headed back to the hotel. I flipped the TV on and ironically "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" was on.

I just finished up an easy 1 hr run along the lake here. It's like a nice autumn day, with temps in the 60's this morning and the sun peaking out. It's actually a beautiful morning considering what Connecticut and the rest of the East Coast is getting pounded with today.

We have a busy little day planned, but I'll be sure to post again later.

Cheers,

EH

my back is back

I took Tuesday off and Wednesday easy and my low back/leg is back to just about normal. Thanks to all who sent me emails of concern. As I mentioned in my previous post, I knew that it was just irritated from the combination of the volume and intensity from the week.

I'm at a very interesting point, physically, in life. I don't feel as though I am slowing down whatsoever in terms of race day performance. In fact, I feel that if I had the time, I could still pr in most events. However, I do need a day more of easy training or recovery following quality sessions. If I don't take it, I wind up feeling sluggish or getting sick. Whether this is because of my age or because of what I put myself through over the past 12 years is something I ponder, but the fact is it's a reality.

Taking a couple of easier days left me with a bit of free time on my hands, so I took advantage by doing somethings that needed to be done, like seeing my optometrist and removing a huge wasps nest in my front yard. Actually, my optometrist skipped town I think and sold the business. I was expecting a nice, quiet guy with bad breath, and instead was examined by a cute blond who looked like she just graduated from college. I wear daily contacts and inquired about Lasik and she said I shouldn't get it done. I have friends who swear by it, but she insists that if I have it done, I'd need glasses for reading instead of my contacts for distance. I know - exciting stuff! The wasps nest was kind of exciting. It's the size of a basketball hanging from a tree in my front yard about waist high. It's filled with these white faced yellowjackets/hornets. My kids were both stung. So I waited last night until dark, took a flashlight and can of hornet spray, doused the nest good including the hole where they enter and leave, then ran like hell. My back felt fine!

Apologies for the very boring post, but what I really wanted to mention is that I'll be heading to IMW tomorrow evening for My Athlete. I'll be posting often from out there and I'll even try to get some pictures up - I know I'm bad about that. So until then, peace.

Cheers,

EH

Ouch!

I ran the New Haven 20K today. First of all, congrats to Keith, Joe, and John for exceptional days yesterday in tough conditions in Louisville. Well done. Back to the sufferfest.

I awoke feeling OK, but still with some residual soreness/pain in my quads. I had put in a big, solid training week including some mile repeats mid week and a long run on Saturday. I always treat the NH 20K as a training race and train right through it. Sure, I'll never run a truly fast time, but that's not the purpose here.

I've done this race just about every year since the mid 90's. It a spectacular venue, with many bands along the course that winds all through New Haven. There are 5000+ runners and it's a national championship with a solid prize purse which means you have a bunch of 5'6" 110 lb guys running sub 5 minute pace.

It was a beautiful day today - sunny and in the upper 70's. I think it was a bit warmer than many anticipated or even thought. I saw a lot of athletes caked with salt. As i registered, I ran into many familiar faces: My sister Laura and her friend Maria were there, Baker, the McDougals, Megan S., Mike B., Mike K. and his son (who beat him good - I have limited time before my son is spanking me in races), Margaret C., The Monroe Crew (Paul M. and gang), Dave B., ... One of the coolest things about this race is all the familiar faces.

My plan was to run steady, just under 6 min/mi pace. I lined up near the front and awaited the gun and then, bang! As soon as I started, I felt a sharp, pulling pain in my left quadriceps. I shifted my focus and concentrated on my breathing, on my my arm motion, on running from the hips. I hit mile 1 in 5:43 which was fine considering you always go out a bit quick in these things and my wind felt fine. My legs felt dead though and the left leg was getting worse. I ignored it through the next three miles and stayed on 5:50 pace. Just after going through mile 4 though, the pain became more severe to the point where I began to think that this might not be a smart deal. Soon afterwards, I stopped! I walked up onto the sidewalk, turned around and started walking back. I was pissed and I was hobbling. I wasn't even concerned about my leg as I walked back but more pissed that this was happening. I watched a bunch of athletes run by, many asking if I was OK. Alan M. came by and yelled out "can I do anything?" How cool is that that someone in the middle of their own race was willing to stop and help me if necessary! I yelled "no worries, I'll be fine." and walked a bit more. Than I thought, just slow down a bit and see how it does. Run to the 10K mark and re-evaluate. So I turned and rejoined the race course. I surged to catch Alan, figuring I'd try to run with him. Alan runs a very consistent pace, so I thought if I could lock in with him and maintain this for a couple of miles, maybe the left quad would loosen up. Alan was great, telling me not to do anything stupid. Thing is, I know myself quite well. I knew that this was not really muscular but more neurological, related to my low back. And I figured that my low back was just a bit tweaked from the volume and intensity of the week and that the pace earlier on aggravated it. I also knew that it was going to hurt, but that it wasn't going to get worse or do long term damage.

I ran along with Alan, and the pace felt to comfortable although the pain in the left quad was anything but. We ran through the 10K and began picking people off one by one. Alan mentioned a few times that I should go on ahead, but he was instrumental in getting me going again and know wants a dnf. In fact, I know I wouldn't have turned and continued on if it weren't for him, so again, thanks a bunch Alan. Just after the 10 mile mark, I saw George Buchanan up ahead. By this point, the left leg was just numb, so I upped the pace a bit to go after George. I caught him at the 11 mile mark and he turned to see me quickly and picked up his pace significantly, that bastard! He's such a competitor and solid runner and put 15 feet into me quickly, but then stayed there. I managed to bridge back up to him just before the 12 mile mark which he didn't like because he immediately surged. I covered the surge and then he went again. The guy attacked me 5 times in the last mile with tough surges, and the 5th, I thought I might be done. I also know I have a pretty good kick, gimp leg or not, and was waiting until the last 50 meters to go. When he went, George went also. The two of us sprinted for the line as though we were going for gold in the Olympic 1500. I managed to get him at the line, and we both stayed there, hunched over, trying to regain some breath and composure.

Lisa's college track coach, Mr. Barber, is always at the finish line of this race and he's got the best hand shake in the business. Every year, I always tell Lisa that I'm going to get the best of him and be prepared for that big hand shake. As I'm hunched over, ready to hurl, I feel a tap on my shoulder. As I turn, almost instantly my hand is grasped by Mr. Barber's vice grips and he's shaking as though my arm is attached to my torso by a string of spaghetti. The bastard got me again!

I hung out after the race for a bit and had a few beers, catching up with many friends. Even though it was a painful, slower race than anticipated, it was still a good day. I'll rest a day or two and bounce back quickly I'm sure.

Cheers,

EH

Summer's Over?

What a week for training here in Connecticut. The weather was perfect - low 70's and sunny. I did quite a bit of running the last six days and most in the trails which are beginning to look as though it's late September, not late August. The trails changing, the kids back to school, the highways more congested again - I can't believe the summer is over. This being an off year for racing for me, in a way I'm glad it's passing quickly. At the same time, who doesn't wish time would slow down a bit?

When you take some down time or a year off from racing, you hope that during this time, you get recharged. Either that or you hope that you come to a conclusion that your done with all this training and racing silly shit. However, I don't think the latter ever happens. There are those who will say they have moved on but deep down they aren't fooling anyone including themselves. Let's face it, this sport, this lifestyle becomes a part of us. And as silly and inconsequential as it may be in the big picture, it's still a part of us, and a healthy part of us for the most part.

I know that I'm recharging because I'm already starting to plan my 2009. I usually wait until the last minute to plan my schedule - I guess it's a good sign that I'm already thinking about it. When I first started training and racing triathlons, it was all about the race. I loved to race and raced often. As the years have passed, there's been a shift. Now, I really enjoy the training and although the satisfaction derived from a 1 hour trail run on a crisp early Wednesday morning may not equal that satisfaction from doing a race well, it's still satisfying none the less. I guess what I'm saying is that I've mellowed over time. However, I realize that I need to race also. I still want to "test the waters" and the only place to truly do this is in a race atmosphere, and I also need a carrot out there to keep me honest. Otherwise it's too easy to get complacent and become average. You don't learn anything by being average. I'm sure there will be times during the season next year where I question why I am still at this. Without a doubt, I will go through these mental games in the week leading up to my big goal races. But as I cross the finish line - as soon as I cross that line, I'll realize why it's important for me to go through the process and continue testing myself.

Anyway, my legs are shelled today! I picked up my running a bunch since coming back from vacation last week and I'm paying the price today. I have that "sledge hammer to the thighs" feeling. It's a wake up call that I needed to change my running plan up a bit.

Good luck to Keith and Joe and John racing in Louisville today!

Download this:

The Verve - Love Is Noise (you may initially be irritated by the riff but it grows on you quickly. Good to see the Verve back.)
Cold War Kids - Something Is Not Right With Me
Beck - Think I'm In Love
and for the James Bond fans; Propellerheads - On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Cheers,

EH

EH News

Can you believe it’s almost September already!!! It’s been a fun, busy year thus far with lots of great things happening.

For those in the CT area:

This Monday, September 1st is The New haven 20K Labor Day Road Race. This is a really fun training race – if you can make it, it’s worthwhile. I’ll be setting up a meeting area on the green for pre and post race.

Sunday, September 21st is The Nutmegman ½ IM in Southbury, CT ( http://endureitmultisports.com//?page_id=8 ). If you can race, it’s a great course! If you can volunteer, your help would be appreciated.

Saturday, September 27th is The 5th Annual Ride For Rick ( http://www.rideforrick.com/ ). This is a charity ride and/or 5k run that I started 5 years ago for my good friend Rick Moisan who was suffering from cancer. It’s evolved into an amazing morning, with 4 different rides to choose from and a 5K race as well. I need some volunteers to assist in the rides (making sure the participants know where they are going, are ok, …). Obviously this event/cause is near and dear to my heart and the proceeds from it go directly back into the fight against cancer, not lost in a huge charitable organization. I hope to see a bunch of you there. There are many of you out there that have been terrific about supporting this event the past four years, and it means more to me than you realize .


EH 2009 Camps

Tucson, AZ Camp is scheduled for February 28th through March 6th. This coming year, we will finish this camp up with the 2009 Trifest, a triathlon festival featuring all the latest and greatest tri-consumers. This camp is filling fast. We have three spots left.

Lake Placid, NY Camp is scheduled for June 17th through the 21st. Please see my site for further details.

CT Fall Foliage Camp 2009 will take place in Lakeville, CT September 17th through the 20th. See my site for further details.

There will also be day clinics and winterfest camps offered as well. The three camps above are the ones currently set up with specific dates.

Other News:

There has been lots of great racing going on – we want some race reports! There have been some really impressive performances out there from many of you. Congratulations for taking on a challenge and putting yourselves out there. We could also use some pictures for the site – if you or a friend or spouse were at a race and snapped some good shots, please send them our way (either myself or Alan at cyberpunk@mac.com )

We finally shot my first training dvd/download which we hope to release in the fall early winter. We plan on shooting two or three more by this time as well. The footage from the first shoot looks really cool. Stay tuned!

We are putting together a MY Athlete team for 2009 consisting of 10 to 12 men and 10 to 12 women. Again, stay tuned.

I will be planning the 2009 Polar Plunge quite soon. If anyone would like to assist me in the organization of this cool event, please step up!

I will be planning two outings soon – one in New Haven at Farber’s new Microbrew Pub! and another holiday gathering. Yes, again, stay tuned!

Cheers,
EH

www.hodska.com

More from the Olympics

Here are the top nine comments made by NBC sports commentators during the Summer Olympics: no one needs to make jokes when you have commentators like these.

1. Weightlifting commentator: "This is Gregoriava from Bulgaria.
I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing."

2. Dressage commentator: "This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother."

3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: "I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."

4. Boxing Analyst: "Sure there have been injuries and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious."

5. Softball announcer: "If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again."

6. Basketball analyst: "He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces."'

7. At the rowing medal ceremony: "Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew."'

8. Soccer commentator: "Julian Dicks is every where. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field."

9. Tennis commentator: "One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them... Oh my God, what have I just said?"

Post Olympic Blues

Regardless of what you thought about NBC's coverage, the summer Olympics are done for another four years, and I, sure as hell, am going to miss them. I am such a fan of the games and I certainly get caught up in the emotion and passion they represent.

Of course there was the Phelps and Bolt phenomenon. Usain Bolt's 100 meter run was one of the most amazing athletic, physiologic, ultrasonic performances that I have ever seen. Sure he's a cocky SOB. Most 100 meter runners are - look back in history. Don't let that cloud how superior he was in a 10 second event against the best in the world. I was amazed by many performances though and at the same time, felt many went down without nearly enough praise and recognition.

Kenenisa Bekele was simply outstanding. His double in the 5000 and 10,000 didn't get a fraction of the attention it should have. The way he won was first class, taking the lead early on, setting the pace, and then running such a fast last 400 that no one stood a chance. It still gives me the goosebumps to think about it. Try this during this one week: run a 5K twice as hard as you could, going for pr's, on two different days. Oh, and then also try running two 10K's as hard as possible, again, going for pr's.

Watching these events made all my training the past two weeks just that much more focused and better.

In case you missed it, which was easy, since again, there was hardly any coverage, the USA's Brian Clay won the decathlon. That's that event that is actually a compiling of 10 hard ass events in case you didn't know which is easy to do since it didn't get covered much.

It's not just the victories that are interesting and inspiring though. I really felt for LoLo Jones, who all but had the victory secured before stumbling over one of the hurdles in the 110 hurdle event. She was poised and controlled during her post race interview, only to be filmed a bit later crying in the hallway. Man, I still think about all the blood, sweat and tears she poured into the last four years for this one event, only to have this misfortune - something that'll haunt her for the rest of her life I'm sure.

Anyway, I soaked it all in from the stunning opening ceremonies to the equally stunning closing ceremonies, from the swimming and track and field that I favor, to the gymnastics, rowing, volleyball, and even badminton. Synchronized diving I can do without. Yes, they are incredible athletes, but come on!

Summer Vacation

I just returned from a very nice, somewhat relaxing, low tech for the most part, family vacation. I say low tech because we went to a place where my cell phone didn't work, I couldn't receive emails, and i didn't take my computer, and you know what? It was great for a week! Think about how often you stop at your computer throughout the day or check your pda while driving, at dinner, or trying to relax. Believe me, I'm not anti-tech. In fact, I rely on technology for my coaching business. However, everyone deserves a week off from the gadgets, and should take it, whether they feel they need to or not!

I maintained my fitness by running on the treadmill daily early in the morning, doing some strength work, and actually swimming 1000 meters a day in the two lane 25 meter outdoor pool which was amazing. I also body surfed, tossed my kids into the water a bunch, and played catch in the water with Ryan for like six hours each day which has to count for something. I also ate quite a bit for breakfast and lunch. I'm not a big lunch person - it get's in the way of too many fun things to do during the day. However I ate a nice sized omlette and three pieces of coconut french toast every day this past week for breakfast! Good thing I stayed somewhat active.

Back to reality.

Lot's of thoughts to post on this week including some Olympic thoughts.

Cheers,

EH

The Vermont Ride 2008

I'm a bit spent at the moment. Actually, I'm really spent. I have that dehydrated, nauseous post IM feeling. Nice! I wrote about the history of the Vermont ride last year and at the moment, I'm too lazy to dig through the archives and bookmark it, but if you are interested, it's there somewhere. For a cliff notes version, Farber and I started the ride in 97' while I was training for Hawaii and I wanted to do a destination ride and Farber right away suggested McNiels Pub in Brattleboro, VT, so we packed some backpacks and rode up on a Saturday, then rode home the next day, making it a 280 mile round trip from my old house. From my house in Monroe on the current route, it's now a 298 mile round trip. I've done the ride every year since 97'. It's a tradition now, an annual. Baker has been with me on every ride since 98'. We've had big groups do the ride but the past two years, we have kept it really small and made it a spontaneous thing for when we both had two open back-to-back days.

We decided to do Wednesday to Thursday this year, because Baker has the summer off, and I had a lot of clients away this week. Jeff Molson, who has done this ride twice before was joining us. He did a write up that will be posted on my home page - definitely check it out for his view.

The weather was perfect, and I felt really solid Wednesday riding up to Brattleboro. Even with a headwind the whole way, I held one of my highest average speeds ever for this ride, just over 22 mph. Granted we did take two long breaks, one at the Starbucks in Simsbury 62 miles into the ride and another in North Hampton at the 102 mile mark. I rolled through the 112 mile mark in 5 hours 8 minutes. Jeff and I did a 30 minute transition run then the three of us headed out for some great food - yes, I know that's an oxymoron with Brattleboro, but we found a brand new restaurant that was super. We chased down dinner with some beer at the Flat Street Brew House before catching a cab back to the hotel.

We were all a bit dazed and confused rolling out this morning at 7am, but that's par for the course on day two of the VT ride. I found myself alone 5 minutes into the ride and put on my ipod with a bunch of new music downloaded. The wind stayed the same as the previous day meaning we had a nice little tailwind and I got in a great groove again. Day two, I stop quickly just to refill bottles and then it's right back to riding. I'm always anxious for some reason on day two just to get home. With the tailwind, I was holding 25 mph through most of Mass. I went through 112 miles today in 4:49 - definitely my fastest return trip to date on the VT ride. It was a bizarre ride though. My legs felt great but I felt nauseous the whole trip. I had a decent size breakfast before leaving of a Cliff Bar, a bagel with peanut butter, a bowl of cheerios and some OJ. I drank gatorade and water all day and had two snickers with almonds and two cokes along the ride - nothing that should make me feel queasy like I did.

I wasn't paying attention in Thomaston and took a little three mile detour making the ride 152 miles today. I covered it in 6 hrs 44 minutes. I was 30 years old when I started this ride and I rode my fastest/best this year, eleven years later which is very cool.

Funny, as nauseous as I felt, it didn't stop me from getting a big cheeseburger, french fries and shake for dinner!

The funny thing about this ride is that the course isn't anything great. In fact, there are some really shitty sections that we have to ride through. And we may ride alone most of the time. But we always have fun, and traditions are important. So I can check the VT ride off my list for 2008 which feels good. But man, the years certainly fly by and before you know it, we'll be back on rt. 10 in 2009.

Track My Ride

I took the day off and Baker, Molson and I are doing a long ride. If you are really bored in your cubicle, you can track us at:

www.myathlete.biz or www.myathlete.biz/mobile

username: Vermont
password: Vermont123

The Olympics have been great fun thus far, although they show the good stuff too late in prime time. Michael Phelps is amazing. His 200 free was absolutely incredible - he'd put another 1/2 a body length into everyone on the turns alone. I wanted to see Art Vandelay take the silver for a one two American punch there. Obviously the moment of the Olympics thus far was the mens 4 X 100 relay. What's there to say? That's pure emotion - what the olympics are all about. Viewing Equestrian is like watching paint dry.

Cheers,

EH

turning self pity into productive anger

I took the family out for a bike ride last weekend. Ryan is learning to ride with clipless pedals meaning that a few spills are a definite. Kate was on the trail-a-bike attached to my mountain bike. We were 6 miles into our 16 mile excursion when Ryan went down. We were on the Trumbull bike path and he was flying around a corner coming up on Kate and I way to fast. He couldn't pass because there were riders coming the opposite way, and because of the speed he was carrying, he couldn't slow up enough, so he slammed into Kate's rear wheel and went down.

He was crying as I jumped off the bike, but he was standing now and just had some scrapes on his knees and elbows. I did my best to calm him down as he cried and told me he wanted to go home. "Ryan, you are OK. That's very scary, what happened to you. But you are OK. We will head home, but you need to ride.", were my words to him. Lisa said to me "Maybe you should ride home and get the car and we'll wait here.", to which I replied "no, he's OK, he's just scared which is OK, but he can ride."

He got back on his bike feeling sorry for himself. As a father of a young boy, I wanted him to be tough and was angry at his self pity, yet I was also concerned for him and wanted to comfort him. Looking for pity and taking his frustration out on us, and mainly me, he rode pathetically slow, dropping way back as we made the six mile trek home. He stopped at one point saying "I don't think I can ride." I replied "Ryan, I know what it feels like to crash like you did. It's scary that's for sure. But you are fine." He said "no, my elbow is bleeding!" to which I responded "your legs are fine. You can ride." Lisa came up to me and said "Eric, he's only seven. Maybe you should go get the car." I knew he could ride and I felt it was important for him to. I have done everything I could to not put outside pressure on Ryan. He feels it anyways from me because he's very observant, and sees what I do. But I go out of my way to not pressure him. Yet, in this situation, I felt it was important for him to ride. Freudian or not, I believe that many of the habits we do have as adults are derived from experiences we encountered as children. This forms our character, and kids nowadays are getting soft because we are so over-protective. It's easy to do - any parent realizes there ultimate job in life is making sure their kids are safe and taken care of.

With 3 miles to go, the sulking was over, and now, it was turning to anger. For the last two miles, I let Ryan sit 50 feet or so off the back, riding his pathetically slow "I'll make you pay" pace, while Kate lectured me non-stop; "Daddy, he fell on the concrete you know. It wasn't grass, it was cement. You should go get the car. He's bleeding blood you know. That's not very nice. How would you like it if you fell and were bleeding and mommy didn't go get the car?"... Then, a blur came by on the left side, and I accelerated to follow. Ryan was now riding like a boy possessed and honestly it was hard staying with him. In fact, cyclists on the other side of the road were stopping to get a glance. He kept this up the whole way back to our house. I yelled out "Ryan, that was awesome! I can't believe how good you rode - I'm proud of you buddy!" I went on to try and explain to him one of life's lessons - that you can't give up when dealing with adversity, that there are going to be many times in life when he falls, blah, blah, blah. He was smiling now, proud of himself, although trying to hide it from Lisa, Kate and I.

It made me think about how anger can bring on some really interesting experiences when channeled correctly. Funny, I went through the same emotions as Ryan did when I raced Ironman Lake Placid in 2000. My shifter snapped off my bike with 70 miles left to ride, leaving me stuck in a very hard gear. At first I sulked asking "why me?", and then came the anger to which I used to my favor. Anger can be a good thing when used constructively - meaning in a positive, beneficial, and non-harmful way. That's the point of this post. Kids don't know any better and there emotions are so honest. If we, as adults can be this honest with ourselves, it can open up the door to some great things, and at the very least, allow us to toss out the rationalizing and justifying that exists so prevalently in our society.

I apologize for talking about my kids again in a post, and it won't become a habit. I just continue to learn from them which is humorous to me.

Cheers,

EH

Phelps's 400 IM World Record

The situation that Michael Phelps has created for himself is a tough one. Everytime he swims, the millions spectating expect a world record. He's diminished the awe factor of a world record. Think about the significance of a world record. Stating the obvious here but come on, that's the fastest anyone has ever, in the history of the world, covered that distance that fast in that event. Lisa and I were watching him in the 400 IM last night and man is he unbelievable, making things look easy. I don't care what else he does this Olympics, he took 1.5 seconds off his own world record and that's huge. From now on with world records in swimming and track and field, they should immediately have horns, bells and whistles sound. Maybe a bunch of confetti should drop as well and some fireworks. Yeah, definitely fireworks. By the way, the 400 IM is the most difficult and challenging swim event. Don't believe me? Go try and swim one today. Make sure there's a lifeguard at your pool. And I'm already sick of Rowdy Gaines.

OK, I'm inspired. Time to go run. I have a 2 hour one scheduled for this morning. Maybe I'll get back in the pool this week?

Opening Ceremonies

I thought the opening ceremonies were really amazing. Really colorful and artistic. The stadium looked special, as well as the shots of the city. They did a nice job of covering up the smog, pollution and heat that the media has been discussing incessantly. I thought it was cool that they cheered when Iran came in. But the coolest thing was that Lopez Lomong carried the flag for America into the stadium. If you don't know who he is, Google him. His story is really incredible and trust me, you will be cheering your ass off for him this Olympics after learning about him.

Todays Brick and Sarcastic thoughts

I had 30 minutes left to ride today, and the clouds came rolling in quickly. It was very cool to see - the sky went from bright blue to black in minutes as the clouds rolled over the sun. I had my ipod on and I could still hear the loud thunder roaring. As I finished my ride, the drops just began to fall. I was parked at the gym I belong to and because I wanted a quick transition, I did the towel trick and changed out of my cycling shorts and into my running shorts. I’m sure the gym ownership appreciates me doing this in their parking lot. My legs surprisingly felt good as I headed out on my brick. The last two days were a very hard bike session and mile repeats at the track, so I wasn’t expecting much and in fact, was just riding and running an easy brick since I had no time today to break up the sessions. Ten minutes into my run, it was downpouring. The lightning was coming down all over the place and the thunder grew even louder. It was incredible out! I ran for 50 minutes and enjoyed every second of it. Running in the rain in the summer time is a treat. Today with the storm was bonus. Upon finishing, I learned at the gym that we were target central for a tornado hitting the area!!! This is Connecticut! Turned out to be a great training session and one that I’ll remember this year. As I was out there, I was running through some sarcasm in my mind:

*If you miss a day of training, then your whole season is shot. Three missed days in a row means you are starting from square one. Your lifetime fitness and training is gone.

*If you eat a pizza one night, or even better, some ice cream, you’ll gain 5 pounds.

*All courses are accurately measured.

*All eyes are on you on race day!

*If you were on a specific training plan and it trained you right into the ground, once you finally recovered, try the same thing again!

Please feel free to add to these (Straz, Baker).

Cheers,

EH

Coaches, Coaching, Everywhere

Between magazines and the Internet, there is a ton of information on endurance training to digest out there. Some of it is very beneficial. Most of it causes confusion, mistrust in your present "way", and controversy where controversy may not be ideal.

I have seen many different trends in the sport come and go. Right now we are in the "coaching phase". Everyone is either a coach or has a coach or is their own coach. I know, it's confusing.

USAT came out with a certification process that is supposed to add credibility to the sport, but in my opinion actually diminishes the credibility. It's become more of a bureaucratic bs certification system similar to personal training certifications, putting out lot's of "certified" people who aren't really qualified. This drags the whole field down. I've dealt with it for a long time with personal training - tell most doctors that you are working with a personal trainer and they cringe. Now, I'm witnessing this same effect in endurance sport coaching.

The best is the triathlete that's in their local club (i.e. they have a network to reach to) and trained themselves to some halfway decent results and the next thing you know, they have a website and some clients. Then there are the athletes who have one coach they have worked with for a month, and they read about some great results that some other athletes working with another coach are getting and they jump ship, thinking that besides hard work, there must be some secret training scheme that will get them to take 4 hours off their IM pr in the next two months. I was contacted recently by a guy who was interested in my coaching services. He mentioned that he's been working with a coach for a few months. I asked how his progress was going, to which he said "great". I then responded "so you have been working with a coach for just a few months and you are making progress and you want to switch?!"

I also love seeing certain coaches that prescribe to one way of training. No matter who you are, you must train this way if you want results.

There are lots of great coaches out there - those that have studied hard and built up knowledge through years of experience and working with athletes, not being an athlete. It does seem though that for every great coach right now, there are four posers. I know some incredible coaches who aren't great athletes themselves, and I know some great athletes who attempt to coach and aren't so great, to be nice, at coaching.

Many age groupers look at what pros are doing and what the pros coaches are prescribing and want to emulate this. Keep in mind that A. most of the pros were very fast before working with a coach and B. these same pros have much more time to train - it's their job, so what works for them isn't necessarily the approach an age grouper should take.

The bottom line is that great results come from hard, consistent work. From trusting a plan and staying the course. From being patient. from paying your dues.

If you are in the market for a coach (I'm not promoting my business, and I currently am full anyways) do your research, make sure they have some solid experience, and trust who you choose. Give them at least a year. Remember, it's important to establish a relationship.

Above all, make sure that they are aware of your goals and that the two of you set up a realistic plan that fits into your lifestyle and challenges you.