The Cause The People The Guy The Race Donate Now
The Team Training Blog 2004 Maui Tri 2005 Marathon 2006 Bike Ride
Training for a triathlon is different than anything I have done in my life.  You actually have to do well in all three sports, and they are different.  You swim your buns off, then you pedal like a maniac and then you run until you fall over.  These are brief snippets of my thoughts on days that I train.  I hope they won't all be as long as the first one is.

Sean

Time till we leave

Time till we race
May 29, 2004 - The first Everyday Athlete Triathlon was a blast.  Here are some pictures.  I will comment more later... where has this month gone?  Have you seen Caroline's NEW movie?

 May 12, 2004 - Hey Team, it's 55 degrees outside and 59 degrees in Lake Washington.  Let's go for a swim.  Bright idea Wade.  I got in the water (in my wetsuit obviously), and swam for about a minute before I realized my face was about to fall off.  But I pressed on.  I ended up swimming about 600 yards.  Three laps of the loop we had.  Then we ran about two miles.  My knee felt great, it should, I had just iced it for fifteen minutes in Lake Washington.  All in all I was happy with the workout, but I'm still pretty flippin' cold.
May 11, 2004 - Back at Everyday Athlete tonight.  We did four one mile loops around Juanita Bay park.  My first mile was 6:54.  Enough said.
May 8, 2004 - Hooray, Hooray for the Eighth of May, It's International ride your bike really well and then try to run but don't make it, stand around for 20 minutes and then run like a champ day.  Ok, so you probably get the idea, we had a brick today from Redhook.  Short ride: ten miles, then we were supposed to run 8 miles.  About two miles in I had to stop because my knee was just killing me.  So I walked back to the water station... stretched out... talked to Wade... and then said to myself, "screw it, I'm gonna run."  I ran and it actually felt pretty good.  We'll see what happens over the next few days.
May 3, 2004 - We swam tonight to make up for last week.  Nari, from the TNT office, swam in the lane with Martin and me.  A tough set.  We did 4 x 100's on 1:30 that hurt really good.
May 1, 2004 - A heartbreaker of a workout today.  We were practicing transitions and I felt awesome.  The bike was great, the first run was really, really good.  I even passed some TNT Marathoners (don't tell anyone, but they were walking), I took off on the next bike and felt great, started the run and fell off the table.  I could go no more.  I walked three-quarters of a mile back and packed it in.  I can't push this IT Band like I tried to last year.  It's not worth it.  Pictures from our last few weeks of training are right here (along with some of my family)


At least the weather was awesome.
April 28, 2004 - A team meeting at the Roanoke tonight.  The pool was booked, but not by us.  Nice move.  Darn it.
April 27, 2004 - The more things change the more they stay the same.  I hate running again, and mostly for the same reason I hated it last year.  My IT Band on my left knee is killing me.  Last year it was my right knee. I only did two miles the other five people at practice tonight did 4 or 5.  Wade is going to get me some inserts.  So we'll see if that makes a difference.  I picked up a compression band at Foot Zone last night and that did give me a lot more support.
April 24, 2004 - A week of On Your Own training is always so frustrating.  I have perfect attendance at the group trainings, but those times when I ought to be out training on my own are typically spent trying to catch up with my family and silly things like that.  I did manage to get in a run last night in preparation for the Redmond Elementary Hawk Walk and Run today.  I ran exactly as I had expected.  I thought I could do the 5k in 24:00 and I did it in 24:01, but my knee is gone.  I can't walk this afternoon.  We'll see how I recover over the next few days.
April 14, 2004 - Last night was a great night to run.  Dodging traffic around Green Lake and I still dropped another minute off my two mile time!!!  If I can just find a triathlon that will allow me to take a two day break before I have to run... then I'll be in bidness. 
Tonight we swam, that is always fun for me.  Tonight was especially enjoyable because we did a 400  yard time trial.  Now, I'm not the swimmer I was at the state meet in 1985, 86 or 87, but my time was highly respectable for a 35 year old recovering fat man.  I swam the 16 lengths in 5:20.  I was very happy... until after workout.  Jordan drops a little, "wanna race the last 25?"  So I did... and I swear if we had a judge at the finish on my side of the pool I would have won.  Brad, Jordan and I all finished together, but Krystle gave the win to Jordan.  Chicks!!!


Click to see the whole picture
April 10, 2004 - They don't call 'em bricks for nuthin'.  We did a 14 mile ride and then a 4 mile run.  That hurts.
April 7, 2004 -  I love to swim.  We had a great swim tonight.  A little odd, because Pat and Jordan weren't there and they really push the lane, but Brad and I pushed ourselves pretty hard.  Our major set was 6 x 100 on 1:45, then 6 x 50 on 1:10 (sprint) then 6 x 100 on 1:35.  I made all of them!!!  I got an email from Maureen Boyd not to long ago.  I really want to share it with you.  It really puts into perspective, the reason that I am doing this.  I wish my mom could write me a letter like this.  Click Here To Read Maureen's Words.  It is so powerful to know that all of this hard work, and everyone of your dollars, and prayers, is helping people like Maureen.
April 7, 2004 -  I still can't believe that I am saying this this year, but running is awesome.  I don't know if it's the fact that my IT band seems to be okay, or if it's the weight I've lost, but I move so much faster and that makes it so much more fun.  Last night we did Fartleks (no it's not dirty and smelly).  In short you run hard for a bit, then slow down, then hard.  You're mixing up your pace without the aid of a watch.  It's pretty effective at allowing you to maintain your performance.  We did about a one mile loop around Woodland Park.  My body is sore today from running with Greg, Bob and Brad most of the night. 
April 3, 2004 -  So since last I wrote we have had a group run at Green Lake in which I ran with the fast group on 4 out of 5 half mile loops.  If I would have realized the last one, was the last one, I would have run it with them too.  We had a group swim at the Mercer Island Pool which is always fun.  Our lane is pushing each other really hard.  We started with 4 x 100 yard freestyle on 1:45 (every 105 seconds we started the next regardless of how much rest we'd had), we ended with 4 x 100 free on 1:25.  I didn't know I still had that in me (we did them on 1:05 in high school).  I ended the workout with the most painful leg cramp I'd ever had in my life, I literally could not move my legs.  And it was all done because Jordan wanted to see my flip turn so she could make fun of it again. 

Today we had an awesome, AWESOME ride.  We took off from Redhook about 9:15 and went south to Redmond Town Center.  Then we turned around and headed back to Redhook, up 145th Street past Hollywood Schoolhouse and then around a killer loop.  Going up I averaged about 6 miles an hour.  Coming down I stopped looking when my speedometer hit 36.1 mph, and noticed after the ride that I had actually maxed at 43.1!  I'm glad I wasn't still lookin'.  After the hill, designed to mimic the Maui Hill of Death, we got on the Sammamish River Trail and followed it (and the Burke Gilman Trail) to Mathews Beach and then back to Redhook.  A grand total of 39 miles in 2 hours and 22 minutes.  We were averaging about 17 miles per hour.

March 25, 2004 - These weeks with no official training sessions are hard.  I did get out for a ride earlier in the week, not long but a ride.  I went for a run today.  I thought it would be fun to put up some pictures of the places I train, so here's where I run on my own.
March 20, 2004 - Holy Crap!!!  We did a 2-mile time trial this morning.  Last year I ran two miles in 19:20.  This year 15:27.  I can't write now.  I'm in shock.  Here are some pictures from the day we did the time trial.  Most of us joined in a little 2.8 mile warm down around Green Lake on a beautiful Saturday morning.
March 18, 2004 - I love to swim.  We have a pretty equal swim lane this year.  No one is lagging way behind and no one is crushing the lane like last year.  We're building up yards and easing off of the drills.  It is very cool to see guys like Tim Talevich swimming with us because when you ask Tim how he's doing he's energetic and upbeat, and he's swimming pretty darn fast.  Then when you ask him when he was diagnosed you realize this is a man who is living with the very disease that we, as a team, are trying to defeat.  You can read more about Tim on his TNT Personal Page.
March 16, 2004 - Our final spin class (sniff sniff, sigh sigh).  Wade kicked our collective fannies with a visualization workout of the Maui course.  It is a crazy course that varies from sea level on "Big Beach" all the way to the top of Haleakala.  Ok, that's not even close to true, but there is a major hill that we will no doubt be askeered of.
March 14, 2004 - Another wow!  Not just because today is my 35th birthday, but because I ran the Henry Weinhard's St. Patty's Day Dash from Queen Anne to Safeco Field today and it was faster than anything since high school.  It's almost 3 and a half miles and I ran it in less than 28 minutes.  I found some pictures of my teammates at www.MyRaceDay.com, I pasted them here because it's easier, but if you like the pictures you can go buy them from that website:).

March 13, 2004 - A fun ride today, not quite as long or as intense as I had hoped but it was fun.  We departed from the Redhook Brewery and did a little warm-up an then headed up Hollywood Hill.  Coach Wade says this hill is a pretty good simulation of the Maui Hill of Death.  Trying to go up a steep hill without getting out of the seat is a tough task.  I want to get up and push as hard as I can for as long as I can, but then I realize, I've gone ten feet up this killer hill and I still have two thirds of a mile to go.  So, I guess I'll follow the directions of my coach.  Why is it that I always have to come to those realizations the hard way?  Fundraising is great, I think I've reached the goal, so I'm upping it on my website!!!:)
March 8, 2004 - Wow.  On Saturday we ran Green Lake.  I did about 5.2 miles and it was fun.  Wait, did I just say that out loud?  Running?  Fun?  Ya, I admit it, it was.  But now, two days later I hate it again; for the simple reason that I can't move right now.  My thighs are killing me.  I got up and swam this morning.  I thought that blood moving through my body might improve my thigh pain.  Nope, not yet.  And at school today I ran into a student's desk, the corner went into the middle of my right thigh.  Hi, have you met my old friend Charly, Charly Horse?  I only swam 1,000 yards, but it was good to be in the water before the sun came up.  A teammate got the local pool to allows us to train for free up until the event so that is awesome (thanks Penny).  I put up some pictures of Caroline yesterday, you can see them by clicking here.
March 2, 2004 - Caroline is one month old today, and weighed in at 8 pounds 6 ounces at her doctor's appointment.  We had a spin class tonight and I loved it.  Last week at spin class we visualized the course, I definitely see a value in this, but I get lost on the course when I try to visualize it and I don't think that puts a positive image in my head. Today was pure adrenaline rushing cycling.  Many people ask me what a spin class is, so here's a link to a site that I hope will help and might make you chuckle (here is an actual definition)  It's basically a stationary bike that moves faster than  you ever could in real life, and it doesn't have any brakes.  Tomorrow we swim, and Coach Wade has promised that we get to use our arms.  (last week was all armless drills aimed at improving/building our form).


Photo:© Tom Hoch Photography 2004
February 25, 2004 - We've had three team practices now.  The group is starting to get to know each other.  We have at least one in the group who is battling a rare form of leukemia.  I am so inspired by this.  People who have a disease that debilitates some people, choose to use it as a motivator to get out there and show people what you can do.  I wish I had that kind of strength. 
February 2, 2004 -  Caroline was born today.  I don't have time for this:)  I will get more soon.  Here's a Caroline movie to help you understand why.
January 8, 2004 - I got my new helmet during the snow storm (driving was a stupid idea), and my new aero-bars installed this week, so I decided to go for a ride today.  What a bad idea!  Wet and cold, bleech!  I hope that I can get over this problem, because winters here in the Puget Sound are not exactly the best for riding, and now I have all the gear for a winter ride.  The weather of late has made it very difficult to get out.  I hope I can do more before the baby arrives, only three and a half weeks!
January 1, 2004 - Ok, so here we go.  I am incredibly excited about gearing up for the Maui Triathlon, but let's be honest, it's six months away.  And during those six months we have a child arriving, so in order to maintain my long term focus I've decided that this time I need to have a short term focus as well.  I liken it to my high school swimming days (I liken a lot to my high school swimming days), I always had doing well at the state meet as my goal, but I didn't train for four months for the state meet, I had dual meets in between.  So today, January first 2004, I had my first "dual meet."  I ran in the Club Northwest Resolution Run, at Sandpoint - Magnuson Park in Seattle, oh and the added bonus was a frosty dip in Lake Washington at 10:26 in the morning.  The run was actually great, probably my fastest time in a long time.  My total time with the dip included was 27:30, and I ran all but one minute.  A big improvement from the Chicago Tri.  Here are some pictures.  I have been training and it definitely helped, I even did a "brick" (multi-sport training) on Sunday the 28th - I rode 12.4 miles and then ran about two miles using the four minute run, one minute walk method.  Here's a bonus picture