Spring Break 88 v. Spring Break 18

Spring Break 88:
- Ski Michigan with Karl (Marquette Mountain, Indian Head, Boyne)
- Upper and lower peninsula
- Hang with Uncle Cal and eat free Wendy's
- Probably drank fire brewed Strohs.
- Custom made ski hats (Karl's is pictured, mine is currently MIA)
- Please notice the before and after Karl pics... easy to see how Karl was able to buy at age 16

Spring Break 18:
- Wine tasting in TC area with Steph
- No skiing but riding and running are in the mix
- Lower peninsula only
- Talked to Uncle Cal on phone who told me to eat sushi at Fuji's (and he did not offer note like in 1988 to give Wendy's manager that read "This is my nephew Kevin. Give him whatever he wants).
- Oberon (thank you God)
- No custom made hat at the moment this is being written, but hey you never know what will happen tomorrow
- As an added bonus, took Mom to Raisin River battlefield before coming to TC!

Ironman Nutrition Tip: Sushi Friday!

Hit up Fuji in TC after recommendations from Uncle Cal and a store clerk in Suttons Bay. It did not disappoint:
- Dynamite roll (shrimp tempura, crab, and a bunch of other stuff)
- Tempura sweet potato roll
- Avocado roll.
I was STUFFED after eating but felt pretty good on the nutrition side of things.

TC Love and Power

 Beautiful drive up last night. Wondered if the sunset looked the same at home. 
Photo credit:  SJCK, 2018

Also had a good power based workout right in the Camp Traverse garage!

Week 12 Update - End of Base Phase

We are in week 12...the end of the base phase of training.  I think that means 16 weeks to go.

Updates:
- Body is holding up OK.
- I'm swimming more than ever...got to keep that going.  It is exciting to feel good in the pool for the first time since 2012.  Maybe I can swim sub 28 at Madison? Looking back at my prior swim musings, I'm still working on the same things :-).
- Biking fitness is crazy high right now thanks to TrainerRoad.com and its training plans.  There is a fitness test coming up.  Will be interesting to see if I've improved my FTP.
- Run fitness seems good too but I'm noticing left hamstring tightness, so I've got to get back with my physical therapy for that.  I don't notice any plantar issues to speak of except a little tightness from time to time that goes away after I start moving (i.e. normal)
- Mentally I'm just pretty good. The last couple weeks took a lot out of me and left me feeling mentally fatigued, but I am pushing through.  I skipped all of Friday's workouts last week because of this. It paid off with better efforts and balance for the weekend workouts.
- At the end of week 11, my CTL fitness number was 88 (according to TrainingPeaks.com). The only time I've ever been higher was when peaking for Ironman Mont Temblan with a 90.
- My fitness is not yet HERE. Maybe work towards that in Jan or Feb of 2019 pre Boston.
- At the end of week 12, it is time to move on to the build phase of the triathlon training plan. PRs are in my future.  Must stay healthy!
- Really wishing for some Comet run time.

Other thoughts:
- Glad to see this blast from the past in the local news.  Looks like Saline's best products from the 80s are still producing.
- A great subreddit: r/earthporn
- Both M basketball and M hockey are in their respective final fours for their NCAA tournaments!  Feels like old times.  Even Sparty decided to become a UM fan:

- Happy Oberon Day!

Thoughts During Training + Post Training Finds

Thoughts During Training This Week

- 7 minute pace during run in Madison: This is long shot but has been the goal for a while. Data points that make this do-able: 21 miles previously at 7:06 pace in 2014, 7:30 pace on run of Ironman Steelhead 2015. I will need to stay healthy and training will need to continue to progress in order for this to be close to reality. 

- I'm feeling like a swimming machine with close to 16000 yards in the last 14 days. That's nothing I realize for real swimmers but is a big number for me. Maybe even better: I led lane 3 swimmers a lot at swim practice today. :-)

- RCK is more into finding speed than I've ever been. This is evidenced by his new chains, molten speed wax and the slow cooker he got for his birthday to put the chains and wax in. I'm not even yet sure what he'll do with it all!  New territory for me but interesting.  

- Training has ramped up quite a bit with about 800 TSS each of the last two weeks. Next week will likely go higher still. I want to continue to find down time each week to rest my body and mind. It actually seems like resting my mind was the most important part this week.

Post Training Finds

As is typical SJCK talked her way into an amazing find today scoring a bottle of KBS at Super Fine, the same beer that sold out in two minutes at other local stores. She talked her way into it and I was a beneficiary! It is as unique as they say.

The other find of the day was on Dick Gaskill's photo website archives. This photo was August, 1989...21 years old. If I'm remembering right this was a week or so after my first ever triathlon in Marquette.

Thanks for reading! Until next time, safe travels and happiness. 

Week 10 Update and Other AMAZING Things

Week 10 was HUGE despite missing two prescribed workouts - one bike and one recovery run workout.  Here's how it went down:
- Twelve hours, 50 minutes of workout time
- Three bikes, two runs, three swims, one brick (back to back bike and run workout)
- 151 total miles
- 838 TSS
It has been a while since I've seen totals like that, and I've never seen those numbers this time of the year.

Hmmmmm......gotta stay healthy.  I'm feeling good except for the left hamstring which is tight and sore tonight.  Gonna rest it, roll it, massage it, and do some PT exercises.  Gotta stay healthy.  The week coming up is almost a repeat of week 10, only a little more.

Thanks to SJCK for riding with me for a while on Sunday's 4 hour ride, and thanks to Banana Republic for making Rapid Movement Jeans that feel really good after a super hard weekend of workouts!

Saturday Morning Sunrise
I'm sure we are all loving that the sun is coming up earlier these days. Here's my Saturday, 6:30 AM shot on M-14 at Sheldon. 

Milton
Here's a recent exchange between me and Ironman Milton.  Sharing it because he's living through some pretty serious work related pain right now.   I am sure the pain is palpable for him....and I'm sure he does not love it, but he is going to be fine.