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

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

consistency is key!

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

Hey!! Look at me!!

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

Comeback 2.0

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