Sunday, August 25, 2013
Jeanette 8/22- One of the last blogs before the IM RACE!
Friday, July 12, 2013
From Mark 7/11
From Jeanette 7/11-
Monday, May 20, 2013
Today was my first long ride in a windswept rain. Fortunately the temps were in the low 60's so it wasn't too bad. I was scheduled for a 4 hour ride. However, had to cut it down to about 2.5 hours for a few reasons. The biggest reason was that my right toes and mid-foot were soaked to the bone and had essentially gone numb on me. In addition, as the rain continued to get heavier the ponding on the roads brought on potential hydroplaning. Not to mention the low visibility and trying to keep my glasses wiped. I think it was a good overall to experience this in the event i ever have to deal with it on a race day. Glad i sucked it up and went out :)
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Looking for Some Outdoor Training Buddies
- Mark
Monday, April 1, 2013
Riding Outside
- Mark
Jeannette
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Real Progress
- Mark
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Swim Analysis and St. Patty's Day 5k!

I also ran in the Pacific Swim Bike Run St. Patty's Day 5k on Sunday. What a blast! I was able to get a PR - even after a brutal week of training. Which leads me to think that my running efficiency is already improving thanks to my run form analysis last month!
- Mark
Week 7 and St. Paddy's Day 5k
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Week 7 here we come!
So things continue to increase. Longer workouts at greater speeds each week. The longest session so far was a 3 hour bike followed by a 30 minute run. The best part was that I not only survived but felt great doing it. I even came in first place out of the group I was riding with (well it was a small group...), but hey who's counting! It's clear that the bike trainer at home is paying dividends in my ability to ride stronger, more comfortably and for longer periods of time. A few weeks ago it was painful, in many regards, to ride for 60 minutes...now I'm riding for 180 minutes followed by a 30 min 5k run. Wow - I'm thrilled with the progress I'm making!
Diet is becoming critical. Any days I indulge with unhealthy meals and/or booze, I pay for it during the next day's workout. Energy levels are usually down and I don't sleep well...It easily motivates me to only or mostly eat healthy stuff. The Girl Scout cookies came at a bad time this year...
Off to bed, 5am wake up for swim training with coach Jason!!
- Mark
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Its only the beginning...
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
With The Support Of My Friends
Monday, March 4, 2013
Week 5
I finally unwrapped my heart rate monitor (Christmas gift - thanks honey!) and it's very cool. One immediate observation was that my running HR is about 20 BPM more than my cycling HR. I presume, and hope, this is normal...? Also there's an abundance of HR data on my Garmin watch - I need to get with my coaches to understand it all.
I've started running outdoors again which has been awesome to get off the dread-mill...even with a little snow and wind chill it's far better than running indoors IMHO.
- Mark
Thursday, February 28, 2013
4 Weeks Down...
Kicking off week #5 and feeling good. Still getting used to the early rises at 5:30 AM...
I purchased a bike trainer last week for my home gym. First of all, it's awesome to be able to train in my own my home at my convenience. Secondly, it's allowing me to train the right muscles while getting familiar with being in aero position. The recumbent bikes at the gym are not even close to the real thing and can even be counter-productive for a triathlete.
During my swims last week I was started to get foot cramps in the pool after about 1000 yards. I quickly figured out that I was dealing with slight dehydration - likely due to the early morning workouts. I've added in some more electrolytes and extra water into my daily intake which seems to have eliminated the cramping.
Last week I also got out for my first outdoor run. I can't tell you how good it felt even at 32 degrees. There's only so much of the treadmill that one can handle... Is it spring yet?
- Mark
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
One Month Down…
Wow out first month of training is already over and we slowly our bodies are getting ready for the big challenge!
This week I had a few things on my mind that seemed like little obstacles we all go through! I was doing well with my training and felt strong and excited about this weeks workouts. Well this all came to an end when I got sick right before the weekend! I had a stuffy nose and even a fever for two nights. Despite the weather outside I thought I would take a day or two off and then come back stronger... Well this actually did work and once Tuesday came around I felt 90% better. So this past weekend was not about training but more about relaxing drinking lots of tea and just getting better.
It was bothering me not being able to work out but on the same side I knew I would rather get better soon in order to start the next week fresh!
And oh wow did this fifth week of training start amazing!!!! I finally got my bike fit and will be using it tomorrow for the very first time!!!
Other than being sick I had lots of thoughts about my nutrition! I wonder what is good for me to eat and what is not. I am such a sweet tooth that I find it very difficult to say no to sweets! I am therefore also looking forward to talking to Jason and Mark, and a nutritionist in the near future!!!
Other than this I am still super excited about this experience and can't wait to push myself!!!!
- Jeannette
Friday, February 22, 2013
Coach’s Corner
Mark and Jeanette are working on week three of training. The grind has started. Week three is essentially a repeat of week one with a little more volume. We are still working in a prep stage. Getting Mark and Jeanette familiar with the training routine, logistics, and scheduling in workouts while managing a job, family, and other life commitments. The repetition from week one will help get daily patterns and consistency organized. It's really about clocking in and out every day.
- Coach Jason
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Noticing Changes After 3 Weeks
Wow week four already!!! Time is flying by and I cant imagine how quickly September 7th will be here.
Together with working and training I have become quite busy and some things have already changed. It has already happened that I had to say ‘No’ to my friends who met late night for a drink. To me personally I rather go to bed to a decent time in order to be able to have enough energy for the next day of training. Yet I am still trying to make some time here and there to meet my friends.
Now looking back though at some of my workouts and times I can already see a slight change in my time and distance; especially in my biking. Together with my Garmin watch I have finally seen a little change. Even though it is very little I now know that things will change as long as I put in the work. The harder I will push myself the better I will get!
Other than pushing myself a little harder I have to pay more attention to what I am eating. I realize more and more how important nutrition is going to be during this training. The better I eat the more energy I will have!!!
- Jeannette
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Getting The Right Fit
Just finished training week # 3. Slowly getting used to training 6 days / week. Training so far has been on low-med intensity at 90-120 minutes per day. I'm already back to my pre-holiday weight and feeling energized.
This week I had a much overdue bike fitting on my Tri bike. The bike had been fitted when I bought it last year from another LBS. However it was quite obvious they were more interested in the sale and less about ideal fit. At PSBR we scheduled a time and it was quite a formal process. When I say formal it included a methodical checklist of measurements from every angle. It was a collaborated effort with support from several other employees, to validate each measurement. I think just about everything that could be tweaked was adjusted. The aero bars, the seat, shoe clips, etc.
Prior to the fitting I could barely go 60 minutes without a lot of discomfort. Since the fitting I’ve been on a couple of 2-hour rides with no issue! In a way it's like having a new bike...highly recommend a bike fitting if you have not had one in a while. Should you get a bike fit, don't forget to wear your bike gear (shorts/shoes). You will be peddling for a while.
-Mark

