patrick123's blog
Posted May 18th, 2008 by patrick123
Auburn International Triathlon - 5/18/08
It's been a while since I have posted any racing news. Today was my first triathlon of the year and boy was it a tough one! To begin, the West coast has undergone a serious heat wave in the last 4 days. Average temperatures at the beginning of the week were in the mid to upper 60's and by Thursday/Friday were in the 90's.
Today was no exception, it was extremely hot, hot, hot! I don't think anyone was really prepared for this kind of a temperature change. However, the race must go on.
Posted February 29th, 2008 by patrick123
Spring Training!
So this has been quite a winter. I live in Reno, NV and for those that don't know it's on the base of the Sierra Mountain range. My home is 20 min's from incredible Lake Tahoe.
Anyways, it's been snowing like crazy and not just in the mountains but in the city of Reno. I am so sick of shovelling snow!
Over the past week the weather has finally let up and temp's have risen to the upper 60's. I have been getting outside more for runs and better miles on the bike. It's amazing the weight I gain by being confined to treadmills in the gym and riding the bike trainer in my bedroom. My appetite is the only thing that seems to increase and max heart rate definately decreases!
Posted January 26th, 2008 by patrick123
Health and Fitness a dying trait
So other than having a big part in the athleteinyou.com site, I also work in the pharmaceutical industry selling legal prescription medications. At times, this job requires me to travel - lately I have been travelling quite a bit.
Just last week I was at a National meeting and they are fun as you get to see so many of your friends from other parts of the country and have some great "catching up" time.
However, one thing I noticed is that we tend to hang out with those that agree or accept our qualities. Hence, I hang out with healthy, attractive, very healthy oriented people.
Posted January 3rd, 2008 by patrick123
One week before P.F. Chang's Rock-n-roll marathon
So I have been pretty silent lately. I think it's mostly because I have been stuffing my face full of food over the holidays. Now that they are over, I still can't stop eating!
I am 10 pounds over weight but have still been putting in 80-85 mile months running in preparation for this upcoming marathon. Although overweight, my endurance and fitness feel very good and if I stay healthy I should have a comfortable day and plan to put in a 3 1/2 hr. marathon. I hope that this event turns out much better than the Silverman 1/2 ironman did for me a couple months ago!
P.S. I just purchased the new Asics Gel Kinsei II's are they are ultra cushy and very cool looking. We'll see how they hold up for the marathon.
Posted November 24th, 2007 by patrick123
Turkey or train?
So the weather is colder, there are less races to focus on during this time of the year and the holidays are finally here. Every year I tell myself that I am not going to chow down but I have a big appetite and I like the sweets!
On Thanksgiving day it has always been tradition for me to put in at least a 10 mile run to justify some big eating. However, this year I was not able to do this because as a single dad I had my son this year and was not able to get a babysitter for a good run.
Posted November 11th, 2007 by patrick123
Silverman Ironman 1/2 Ironman over
Today, 11/11/07 was my Silverman 1/2 Ironman race and it totally sucked! As I have stated in previous training blogs, I felt as though I was getting sick. Sure enough, Friday 11/9/07 it hit me. My sinuses and throat were totally thrashed. I began taking Advil cold/sinus and Mucinex to try and help with breaking my fever and clear up my throat. When I was taking those med's, it seemed to make me feel better and I was feeling as though I would have a good shot at having my strength and putting in a good race. However, that was not the case.
Posted November 1st, 2007 by patrick123
One week before Silverman 1/2 ironman
So this was my last week of long hard workouts. Over the past weekend, I was able to get in a 60 mile bike with a few thousand feet of climbing. On Sunday, I put in nearly 15 miles running and it was mostly trail with rocks and major climbs.
The week was spent hitting the pool and putting in decent distance and focusing on form and speed. I did a short Mountain bike ride on Tuesday, that had good climbing that I intervalled. Trail run with my dog on Wednesday and more pool work. Today, Thursday was my last hard workout - 4 miles of speed work running. Instead of hitting the track, I went outside of my neighborhood and ran some good hills hard. I hope that this will get me ready for a very hilly 1/2 ironman.
Posted October 22nd, 2007 by patrick123
Silverman is approaching fast
So here we go, I am about 3 weeks out from the Silverman 1/2 ironman event in Las Vegas, NV. I only have one triathlon under my belt and about 5 bike races/time trials for the year (although my last time trial of the year I averaged almost 25mph for the entire race with some pretty good headwinds). My high end race experience is definately lacking for this year but my triathlon racing experience is now hitting about 10yrs. For the year, I have close to 3000 miles on the bike, nearly 500 miles running, and just under 100 miles swimming. I definately have the mileage for the race.
Posted October 15th, 2007 by patrick123
Weekend training
It's getting harder to get outside as the temps. are dropping. Planning for a race and having to bundle up in cold weather riding gear is hard. When you bundle up, it's hard to train fast or at higher tempos because the extra clothing restricts me so much and the colder air is harder for me to step it up - hence why my bodyfat % goes up or it could be the extra Ben and Jerry's during this time of year. I am not sure I will have to keep researching this.
However, this weekend in Reno, NV was pleasant. I was able to get about 56 miles on the bike this Saturday. I kept it pretty flat and rode into Sparks, NV and the communities of Wingfield Springs (nice golf course community).
Posted October 11th, 2007 by patrick123
Weather changing
We are getting close to the middle of October and the weather in Reno has really changed. We have already had a couple days where Reno received a trace of snow. More bad weather is coming tonight and tomorrow. This makes it hard to get quality workouts outside. However, I already have over 130 miles on the bike for the month, nearly 20 miles running, and about 4 1/2 swimming. Month is getting pretty good.
Today, I went to the gym and did a light lifting workout and headed to a local high school track (Galena High School). I like their track as it is cushioned. I did 1/2 mile sprints that ranged from 3:03 to 3:08 in a lightly windy day for a total of 4 miles of track work.
