Tag Archives: bicycling

Time to Move to the Next Level

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It’s been an amazing year!  After completing my first open water triathlon and my first olympic distance triathlon, I can only dream of what the next year holds.  I still have a half marathon to run (I dropped down to the half so I can run with my wife while she runs in her first half), and several 5k’s left before the year ends.  But it’s time to start getting ready for next year, to improve on triathlon times and distances, and to be fully prepared for whatever challenges happen to pop up.

So the other day, my friend Chris Matthews (she has a wonderful triathlon blog at http://watchchristri.blogspot.com) mentioned that her coach at Team Amazing Day had some openings, I immediatly started peppering her with questions.  Since Coach Jenni Keil is in the mountain time zone, and Chris is in Florida, how does it work?  Chris was very patient and answered all of my questions so I wouldn’t feel so dumb when I actually called Jenni.  After discussing with Julie our goals for the upcoming year, we agreed that we could use a professional that will structure our workouts around us and our schedules.  So, very nervous and excited about moving up to the next level, we made the call.

Coach Jenni was patient and kind, listening to our concerns and explaining how coaching online works.  There will be phone calls, texts, emails, and workouts delivered via Training Peaks.  She explained the MAF (maximum aerobic function) method of working out as to not over stress the body, while staying in the maximun aerobic workout zone.  She asked about how many hours we could commit to our goals, what we expected, what worries or stresses we were feeling (not only in exercising, but in life in general).  She even said she could work our mentoring runners into the workout schedule. We asked for a little time to discuss it, and I called her back and asked if we could call her “coach”.  And with that, we got to work.

This past week has been about Coach Jenni getting a feeling for what we can do, and setting baselines for our workouts.  We had a large questionnaire to fill out that showed our abilities (distances completed, medications, health issues, etc.).  It has also been a week of me getting used to MAF running.  I found out that I have not been running at an aerobic level, but at an anerobic level.  I have to learn to run and not allow my heart rate to go over 130 bpm.  

The first run using this method left me frustrated, and I immediately texted Coach Jenni and asked her what happened.  I could not get my heart rate under 130, and even had to walk for a bit!  Finally after a mile I was able to run steadily.  Coach Jenni told me that since my heart rate would not come down quickly, it showed that I had not properly warmed up before starting the actual run.  She suggested that I run a couple laps first, walk and let the heart rate come down, and then start my run.  It worked!  The next day I sub 30’d a 5k and a heart rate of 130.

She had me do a bike workout where I had a 20 minute warmup, a 20 minute session where I stayed 5 to 10 points under MAF, 20 minutes at MAF, 10 minutes at 5 to 10 points over MAF, and a 10 minute cool down.  The picture below is just about 50 minutes into the session.  I’d say it’s working…

  
It also marked our return to the indoor pool, and to swim drills.  Coach Jenni gave me a workout totaling 1800 yards and had a 400 yard time trial and a 200 yard time trial tucked within it!  The next day was 1800 yards again, but it was drills only.  It felt good to get back in the water again, and it seemed as if the drills are helping, at least to boost my confidence in the water.

I can’t wait to see what the next week brings!  I really think we made the right choice in hiring Jenni as our coach, and by knowing that it was time to get assistance to reach the next level.

Totals for the week (Thanks to Chris for letting me steal her idea for posting totals):

Running – 28 miles (8 workouts)

Biking – 23.3 miles(1 workout)

Swimming – 4,750 yards (3 workouts)
Live healthy, be happy!

Travis 

The Beauty of an Outdoor Workout

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This morning, the alarm clock began it’s duty at 5:00 am.  The churchbell chime on my phone continued until I sat up to relieve it from it’s duty.  I sat in the darkness and enjoyed the stillness around me.  Soon my wife and I would dance around each other as we got tri-bags, swim bags, bikes, shoes, water bottles, bike carriers, wetsuits, and food loaded into the truck and headed for the lake.  It’s amazing that we don’t slam into one another or at least step on each others toes, but we’ve dancced this same dance a few times and seem to know the steps pretty well.  No one gets bumped, and after the last item is loaded, we sit down for breakfast.

The smell of waffles fills the kithcen as we get some water to drink.  Soon the waffles are covered in peanut better and quickly devoured.  We are both looking at the weather forcast, wondering what it’s going to feel like at 7:00 am when we hit the water.  Loading the truck gave us our first clue that summer was slowly losing it’s grip on Iowa, and fall was quickly mounting an early attack.  The temperature at 5 am was 55 degrees, pretty chilly for August weather.  So we ate, said goodbye to our sleeepy pups, and headed out into the silent, cool, dark morning to start our day.

The sun barely started to peak at us when we got to the waters edge.  The coolness in the air, along with the steady wind, made us wnoder if getting out of bed was the right thing to do.  We could start later, when it’s warmer, but that’s not the way we do it. If we delay, we will find an excuse; a long forgetten task that needs to be completed, or some other situation that suddenly gets pushed to the forefront in order to push this workout to the back of the line.

No, we were here, and this workout was going to get completed.  We donned our wetsuits and looked out over the beach and the moving dark water.  The wind was making the water choppy, but not so bad as to cancel the swim.  We braced ourselves and waded in, knowing that the water had to be a chilly as the air stirring it.  

It wasn’t.  In fact, while you needed to wear a wetsuit, the water was a lot warmer than we thought it would be.  We waded in, discussed our plans such as how many laps were we doing, what to do if we had trouble, etc.  We then wished each other luck and started off.  Now we were on our own, working until we completed this portion of the goal, or were forced to abandon the quest.

The darkness of the water removed any extra light it was displaying when looking at it from the beach.  From eye level in the water the whole lake got a lot darker, and the buoy lines were even harder to see.  But as I rounded the first turn, the sun decided that peaking was no longer enough, and raised it’s head for a better look.  Even a couple of curious fish jumped out of the water to grab a better view as we swam by. Lap after lap the sky got brighter and brighter, until I was done and heading for the shore.    1,493 yards later, and the air felt colder than ever.  Now, being wet and cold, I considered returning to the lake and avoid the air and its unpleasant bite, but I came to complete my workout not sit in the lake and hide from Mother Nature.  So we headed back to the truck to transition into our next phase of our Sunday challenge: the bike.

We removed the wetsuits, dried off the best we could, slipped on socks and bike shoes, strapped on helmets, grabbed some quick food for the road (and before the start of the ride), and headed out.  The trail was beautiful, with leaves hanging onto their branches for dear life, yet another reminder that fall was near.  The sun, now obscured by the trees, rose even higher for a look, it’s beams shooting through every crack in the forest.  We continued to ride, through water and mud from last nights rain, over old wooden bridges, under highways, alongside golf courses, the bike lane kept going, urging us on.  We got to the halfway point and marveled how beautiful the trail was, and then attacked it again as we headed back.  

For some reason, Mother Nature must have been offended by our lack of appreciation for the beauty of the trail, because she started releasing her winds directly at us almost all the way back  It was a battle of wills; on one side: nature, trying it’s best to keep us from returning to our starting point.  On the other side; us. Desperate to succeed, to push through, to win the battle.  In the end, we won.  We returned safely to our starting point, locked up the bikes, changed shoes, and headed out for our run.  25 miles on the bile was over, the only thing left was a 6.2 mile run.  That would show us if we won the battle, but lost the war.

As we have been training, I’ve noticed that the time it takes my legs to adjust from bike to run has decreased.  Today it seemed almost non-existent, which surprised and delighted me.  I was able to move along, sore but easily, and enjoy some of the beauty of the trail we were running on.  A lone dragonfly greeted us aroud one turn, and a pair of deer watched us from afar on another turn.  The sun, was now fully extended in the sky, and even through the wind you could feel the warmth upon your face and shoulders. You could now see hidden parts of the lake; little alcoves and corners that were covered in the darkness. We continued on, only stopping for a restroom break, before turning the last corner and heading for our makeshift finish line; our vehicle.

We completed 32.7 miles this morning, between swimming, biking, and running.  We got to spend time outdoors in the splendor of nature.  We felt natures’ warmth, it’s chill, it’s rath, and it’s blessing.  We saw it’s beauty in many ways.  We accomplished a goal, but enjoyed a show as well.  Here’s to many more beautiful workouts in the splendor of nature.  

Live healthy, be happy!

Travis

Copper Creek Triathlon and the Dam to Dam Half Marathon

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So much has gone onn recently, that I see I haven’t been keeping up to date on my blog.  First off, let’s talk about the Dam to Dam half marathon that I ran on May 30.  It was a cold and wet start to the race, and since the porta-pottiy lines were so long, I had to run 1.5 miles until I had to stop.  I lost some time, but I had 2.5 hours to finish the race so I could meet up with the group I mentor in No Boundaries and run their “graduation 5k” with them.  I really wanted to be there with them, and that was the driving force behind my run.  Even with a potty break, I finished in 2:14 and found the group.  I even had a moment to catch my breath before we started out again.  It was a wonderful day! 

 

Sunday, June 14 was the day of the Copper Creek Triathlon.  It’s a sprint triathlon with a 750 meter swim (820 yards), 20k bike ride (12.4 miles), then a 5k (3.1 mile) run.  I’ve been worried about this event, as it was going to be my first open water swim.  I have only done triathlons in a pool, but this was in a lake with waves of swimmers taking off.  It was hard to keep my nerves in check in the days up to the race.

We prepped the bikes and had our bags packed and loaded the night before (my wife competed as well).  All that was left was to relax, watch the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup final (they won and lead 3-2) and go to bed.  But sleep would not come.  I was going over scenarios of what could happen in the lake.  I wasn’t worried about the bike or the run, it was the lake that had my full attention.

Finally the alarm went off: 4:00 a.m.  Time to clean up, eat, and drive to the parking area for the opening of the transition area so we could set up.  You could feel the nervous tension in the truck, as it was my wife’s first open water event as well.  We got parked, and the first problem reared it’s ugly head: I had a broken wheel spoke.

I didn’t have time to remove the spoke, as that would have required taking the tire off.  But I couldn’t leave the broken part dangling, as it could possibly poke a hole in my inner tube and cause a flat tire, ruining my day.  So we improvised: we bent the short part of the spoke untill it rested on the rim, and we used electrical tape to hold it in place.  It was far enough back so it wouldn’t touch the brake area, so I said a prayer and headed to transition to rack my bike.

Once we were set up, we milled around until it was time to get into our wetsuits and line up for the swim.  I was also getting hungry, as I had eaten breakfast at 4:30, and the race started at 8:00.  My heart and mind were racing, thinking about running into that water.  I was in wave 4, and I heard the announcer say “Wave one, in the water”, and I thought we were starting.  But they made wave one wait between two buoys… they were treading water before beginning!  I have trouble treading water even in a wetsuit!  That didn’t help the nerves.

Waves two and three did the same routine; tread water until the cannon blast told them to start.  Suddenly it was wave four’s turn.  I got out to chest deep water when I heard the marshall say “You have three minutes.”  I spoke to a couple of others in my wave, and we decided to stay back until one minute was called.  When the marshall gave that call, we swam out and treaded for 20 seconds until the cannon blast.  We were off!

I tried to stay to the outside of the pack, knowing I would be slower and I didn’t want to get overrun by faster swimmers.  My nerves had my heart rate going, and I was finding it hard to breathe.  I used my inhaler earlier that morning, but this felt like an asthma attack.  I wondered why I thought I could do this, and how could I get out of here.  Then I thought of everyone who has encouraged me, supported me, and helped me on this journey. I could not give up until I reached the first buoy, that much I knew.

It took forever for that buoy to get close, and when I made the turn I could see buoy #2 a short distance away.  I thought that if I quit there, I at least made it half way.  Suddenly, I was halfway!  I started to calm down, I gained control of my breathing, and decided to take my time and finish this thing.

Then in the midst of feeling good about swimming, another problem came up… I was swimming in seagrass.  I used someone else as a spotter, and they were off course.  So I needed to angle over to deeper water and sight buoy #3 for myself.  It took a little effort, but I finally made the turn and was heading for home.

I could see the exit, but it never seemed to get closer.  I thought surely I would touch ground and run out, but this lake was deep where the exit was, and I almost swam up to shore before I stood up.  I had made it!  820 yards with others all around me, and I made it! 

 The time for the swim: 16:11 – pace: 2:10 per 100 yards.

I ran slowly to transition.  I felt as if I was out of gas, but I has to keep moving.  I ripped off my wetsuit, donned my helmet, put on socks and bike shoes, and ate a Huma Gel.  I shoved some Honey Stinger chews in my back pocket (I wore my tri suit under my wetsuit) and ran out of transition.

Time for T1: 4:08

The ride was 12 miles, but I was not expecting as many hills as they had.  We followed USAT rules regarding no drafting and no blocking.  That meant you had to pass within 15 seconds or stay 3 bike lengths behind another rider.  There were marshalls on motorcycles travelling the course and writing out penalties.  We rode out and back, and one steep hill I had conquered would give a fast ride down on the way back.  When I reached that part of the race I remembered: I had a broken spoke to worry about.  If I blew out a tire now, the results would be catastrophic.  So when I hit 31 miles an hour, I started lightly pumping the brakes to keep me from going any faster.  I was happy to see transition for two reasons: one, that worry was behind me, and secondly because my mentor Stephanie and my training partner Kara was there to greet me.  It was an awesome surprise, but hellos would have to wait as I had a 5k to run.

Time for the 20k ride: 44:09

Transition 2 went fast: off went the helmet, gloves, and bike shoes; on went the running shoes and I grabbed my water bottle.

Time for T2: 1:54

The run was an almost steady incline up, followed by a decline and a lap around the lake.  My legs were about done after the ride, but as I rounded the first corner, I saw my friend Jodie and her husband cheering me on.  They had stopped by the transition area before the race to wish me luck, but I didn’t think I would see them on the course, or that they would still be there.  That helped the legs feel a little better.

Before I knew it, the halfway point was in view.  I turned and headed back for the finish.  One long path around the lake, and I saw the finish line.  I heard the announcer say my name.  I made it.  I did it!

Time for the run: 31:11 Pace: 10:04 per mile

Total for the triathlon: 1:37:33 with no penalties.

I went and hugged my friends Kara and Stephanie, and we watched together as Connie McGarrah, a friend whom I admire for all the success she has when training and competing, crossed the finish.  Then my wife Julie crossed the finish line.  Julie was pretty emotional after she crossed the line, and she has a right to be.  Having back issues like she does, and still trains and competes in an event like this is simply amazing!

Now we train until the next one.  The way it sounds, it may be sooner rather than later!

   
       

Live healthy, be happy!

Travis

A New Way To Ride

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I had last Friday off from work, and since I had some spare time I thought it would be a good idea to get a brick workout in (two different workouts back-to-back). I decided on a 35 mile bike ride and then a run. The ride went well, averaging over 17 mph, but some soreness in my left ankle limited me to a 3 mile run. It felt fine the next day, when I had two runs totaling over 7 miles.

But this blog post focuses on the bike ride, or should I say what went with me on the ride. I attached a GoPro camera to my bike helmet, and the following video is the result. You can get an idea of the area and how beautiful it is to ride in Iowa! So let me know what you think of the video, since it is my first attempt at it.  See if you can spot the following:

  • A dog running full speed
  • Marines doing a timed run
  • A wild turkey crossing the road
  • How many golfers are teeing up

 

Live healthy, be happy!

Travis

The Leprechaun 10k and Bike Riding in Iowa

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Saturday morning was the date for the Leprechaun 10k, which for me has become an annual event.  The 10k race allows the ladies (lasses) a 5:30 minute head start.  Then, the men (lads) chase after the lasses.  The first gender across the finish line wins not only a free beer for themselves, but also for their gender.  People generally use this run as their first run of the season, and gets people who have hibernated long enough back out on the streets and into their running shoes.

It was also my wife Julie’s first 10k race.  She was a bit nervous about whether she could do it or not, but I assured her that she indeed could run that distance and I was sure she would!  It was pretty chilly that morning, but the race didn’t start until 10am.  It was hard to decide how much to wear, or whether to brave it and wear shorts and a t-shirt.  Finally, we decided to bundle up and not freeze during the run.

We met up with some of our running friends that meet at Fleet Feet Sports when we arrived, and we all tried to stay warm waiting for the start.  Before long, the gun sounded, and the lasses were off!  It didn’t seem like a long wait before the lads were off and running as well.  It felt good to get moving, and before long I was catching up to the lasses.  There was a lot of people in front of me, but I was doing pretty well.  In one section of the race, we had to run down a side street and then back again.  It really gives you a chance to not only see how many are in front of you, but you also get to look for people.  I spotted Julie on that street, and she looked like she was doing well.  So well in fact, I wasn’t sure if I would catch her.



I finally caught her on mile three, just as we entered Gray’s Lake.  julie was doing ok, but getting a little hot as it quickly started to warm up.  We ran together until we reached the lake restrooms, where she turned off to shed a little clothing.  I continued on, and finished in 54:33.  While not my fastest time, it wasn’t bad and I got to run with Julie for a bit.

I was also able to get set up and catch this moment:



Julie crossing the finish of her first 10k!  She averaged a little over 11 minute miles, and was pretty consistant throughout the race.  She is really doing amazingly well in such a short time.

Sunday we met up with friends in Slater Iowa and rode our bikes to the High Trestle Trail.  The wind was brutal that day, and we fought a head and cross wind all the way to the bridge.  It was a fun time, and we got quite a workout, and this time there were no crashes.  It felt like the wind was going to blow us off the road, but we stayed upright the whole time.



Soon, all this area will be lush and green.  It’s great that we can get out so early in the season, and are able to watch the spring season come alive!



It’s going to be a great season!

Live healthy, be happy!

Travis



Triathlon Training, The Sandwich Run, Bike Rides, and Ambassadorship 

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Hi everyone!  It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post, and a lot of things have been going on.  First on the agenda: triathlon training.  The training takes up a lot of my time, as I am either in the pool or on my bike trainer. The swimming is by far the hardest part for me, and it still feels like I am not progressing as I should.  My swim coach says it’ll be ok, but I get impatient with myself.  My swim coach has completely changed my swim stroke in order to maximize efficiency while minimizing effort.  It does feel better, but I haven’t gotten completely used to it and have to think about what I’m doing.  I hope one day it will become second nature, and I can concentrate on what else I’m doing wrong.  

Our group meets on Wednesday nights, and after we get caught up on things, we hit the spin room.  After an hour of spinning (for me, about 23 miles), we hit the track and run fartleks for a mile or so.  Then we stretch, and head to the pool.  We do a warm up for a total of 400 yards, then do drills as the coach watches us.  We did a couple of new things in the last class; we treaded water while tossing a ball, and did a push war.  The push war is where two people hold a long pole with floats and face each other.  At the whistle, they hover and kick as hard as they can, attempting to push the other across the pool.  I enjoyed the push war, but found out I stink at treading water.

I also bought a bike trainer, along with some Sufferfest videos to use while riding.  Sufferfest videos are advanced training videos that will really push you to your limits.  I have yet to try the two hour video, as I am usually exhausted after one hour.  It is my hope that as the weather gets warmer, my riding times will greatly improve.

Saturday consisted of two runs: the Winter Warriors running group and the Sandwich Run.  We met up for the group run at 8 am, and had a great 3 mile run through the East Village and around Principal Ballpark.  Then, after a short wait, we participated in the Sandwich Run.  It was a race where we ran 1.5 miles to the B&B Deli, picked up a “Killer” hoagie, and ran back to the Fleet Feet store, who sponsored the run.  Then you had to eat the sandwich in order to finish the race.  Prizes were awarded for the first man and women to finish the race and eat the sandwich, and for the person who predicts the closest to the time that it would take them to run and finish the sandwich.

We took off, and I started off with a fast group.  Before I knew it, there was three of us and no one else around.  The guy in front was about a block ahead, and then it was a lady, Megan, who was keeping pace with him.  I decided to try to pace with Megan and hope that I could hold that pace.   We reached the store, grabbed a sandwich, posed for a photo, and hit the streets again.  I was hoping the pace would slow, but that was not the case.  It was the same all the way back.  Megan and I crossed the line close to one another, and the gentleman leading was about 1 1/2 blocks ahead.  We grabbed a plate, something to drink, and sat outside to eat our sandwiches.  We cheered others as they finished and then joined us.

Before long, the guy who led the race looked at me and said “I don’t think I can finish the other half of this sandwich”.  Then he looked at my hands, and said “Where’s yours?”  As I ate the last bite I smiled and said “I’m done”, and then went inside and checked in, winning the event.  When everyone was finished, the times were checked, and I missed my total time by 1.5 minutes which was the closest time.  So I ended up winning two gift certificates for more sandwiches.  It was a great time, everyone had fun, and new friends were made.

We are experiencing warm spring weather, so we decided to take the bikes out for a ride.  The bike trails still have sections of ice on them, and that caused some issues as we both crashed on the ice.  I think I got the worst of it, as I have a badly bruised hip.  I am hoping that it is better tomorrow so I can go outside on a run.  But the total ride was nice, it was great to be outside, and the first ride of the season was 42 miles.

Now on to the surprise news.  While waiting to start the sandwich run, the owner of Fleet Feet, Andy Roat, asked me if I had heard of Altra running shoes.  I told him that I had, that I had heard good things about them, and that they seemed to be moving up quickly among the running community.  Andy then mentioned that he knows I run in zero drop shoes, and would I consider trying on the Altra zero drops.  If I liked them, Andy said that I could be the ambassador for Altra Shoes for Fleet Feet Des Moines.  I told him that it would be an honor if the shoes felt good, as I would want to support something that I actually use.  So, I tried on the two styles of zero drops that Andy had, and they both are great!  One shoe feels like a true zero drop, as if you are running barefoot, and the other has better arch and side support, while still being a zero drop shoe.  Andy said that I would be given a pair of shoes for free, so I could pick either one.  It was a hard choice, but I picked the Provision (although I am considering buying the other pair as well).  I never thought I would be offered something like this.  I am not an elite runner, just a guy that loves to run, and loves to help others find the enjoyment in running and in fitness.  Now I am actually representing a shoe company!  It is an amazing feeling!  Many people would say “it’s just a free pair of shoes”, but to me it is something else entirely . . . it is the culmination of the hard work that I put forth from the very start of this journey.  I have went from only being able to run a quarter mile, to running a marathon. I have went from asking questions to mentors to becoming a mentor myself.  It is a wonderful feeling, and now the running store I love going to is asking me to represent their product!  It doesn’t get much better than that!



These are the shoes I will be sporting soon.

Live healthy, be happy!

Travis

Adding Life to Your Years

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Each year my employer proposes that we try to take care of our health by conducting a 10-week “Live Healthy America” challenge. The goal is to exercise two hours a week for ten weeks. If you succeed, the company grants you benefit dollars to your health savings account. It’s an easy way to add money to your health savings, and I find the challenge easy to complete.

One day at work we were discussing the challenge and working out in general, when one co-worker replied “Why do you work out so much? You’re going to die anyway!” Before I could answer, someone started in on them about the health benefits and how weight loss and exercise has proven to extend one’s life.

I left the conversation, but the question stuck with me … why? I could fall victim of a tragedy, or get hit by a bus (in Des Moines, the latter is quite possible). So why do I do all of this, when it may not add years to my life at all? After all, no one is assured anything.

This Saturday, I went on an early morning run. It was 43 degrees in Des Moines, a rare treat in a usually harsh winter. We crossed a bridge and saw the ducks happily swimming where the ice once was, we saw the beautiful downtown sculpture garden as the sun was starting to peek over the buildings, we ran by Principal Ballpark where echoes of the crack of a baseball bat still loomed, and finally around the State Capitol, with its golden dome shining in the sun and changing the snow it reflected upon from white to gold.

After the run and breakfast, we decided to go on a bicycle ride. We smiled thinking about how rare a treat this would be. We got going and suddenly the wind picked up. It was blowing us around, and we had to fight to stay straight. We stopped on a bridge for a break, and watched a giant sheet of ice slowly float down the river as if it was off in search of colder climates. At that moment we saw a bald eagle soaring over the river, probably using the opportunity to catch some fresh fish. We took off again, but the wind was brutal and we had to return home after only a ten mile ride. But we were smiling because we rode ten miles outdoors in January.

I also got my answer to “why?’, and I hope in the above description that you did too. While this journey and lifestyle change started out with the idea to lose weight, become healthy and live longer, it has morphed into something much bigger. I have lost weight, I am healthier, I feel better, and who knows if I’ll live longer. But what this journey has transformed into is different than when it began. No longer am I concerned about adding years to my life, I am focused on adding life to my years. Yesterday was a perfect example of that, as all the things I saw, the fun we had, the memories that were made, all came because we were exercising and taking care of ourselves.

Here’s to a lifetime of memories just like yesterday.

Live healthy, be happy!

Travis

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Ready for a January bike ride. Just need gloves, a jacket, and a helmet.

What To Do, What To Do…

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This Sunday marks a week since the Des Moines marathon. My body is still in recovery mode, but my mind is trying to figure out where to go from here. I have had people ask me “Are you done now?” thinking that one stops after running 26.2 miles. But I know that my fitness and lifestyle change is one that is for life, and that means never falling back and returning to old ways. So while the body recovers from one event, the brain starts thinking up all kinds of ways to torture the body some more.

I already had one goal in mind even before the marathon started, and that was to train and run a 50k (31.something) race in 2015. That is still very much part of the plan. My dear friend and training partner Kara came up with the other goal, to train and compete in a olympic triathlon. Kara has never done a triathlon of any distance, and I have done only a few sprint triathlons, but never anything close to the olympic distance (1 mile swim – 25 mile bike – 10k run).

We had done a little pool training earlier in the year, but it tailed off as the marathon distances got longer. We have set a couple of mini goals of competing in sprint triathlons (one in January, and one in spring), and then training with our friends Connie and Eric on open water swimming. So now we work on getting pool time in and increasing distance in preparation for spring.

Kara and I met this morning at the YMCA, and I got 400 yds swimming in to Kara’s 500. We then toweled off and met on the track where we ran 3.1 miles. It’s going to take a little getting used to again, this dual and tri sport training. You can feel the difference in your muscles as you start the next exercise, and trying to get them to switch gears takes some work. But I am confident that we will get it done, just like we handled marathon training, together.

I am also doing a 30 day cardio and ab challenge hosted by my friend Lindsey. We have completed week one, and I never knew how weak my stomach and ab muscles were. I hope that working the core and abs daily helps with my other exercises as well.

Live healthy, be happy!

Travis

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Crossing the finish at the IMT Des Moines Marathon … together!