2012 Honolulu Marathon

Carbed up the past few days. Forgot my HR strap in Hilo, but lucky Chris Gregory did some quick thinking and posted on Facebook for help. Steve Pavao brought it over on the next flight out and met up at the expo. Walked around all day yesterday at the expo, Ala Moana, then to watch 'Wicked' at Blaisdell. Probably walked close to 10 miles, well at least 8 because we were on our feet for about 6 hours. I guess that gave our feet confidence, all we did today was pick up the pace. Kept eating complex carbs all day with a bit of protein. Pizza and salad for dinner. Slept a solid 6 hours. Oatmeal for breakfast.

My goal was to break 4 hours. During training, I had a great 18 miler but anything longer and I felt like crap. 4 hours was a practical and manageable time.

There were SOO MANY PEOPLE! 31,089 participants lol! We walked past all the pace signs that read 6-7 hours, then 5-6, and so on. As we advanced closer to the start line, people even began appearing faster lol. Winona and I discussed advancing to the front. We got into the 2-3 territory and she wanted to back up a bit. The fireworks went off exactly at 5am, which reminded me to turn on my GPS haha. We were about 300' from the start line, but it took us 3:37 to get there, which was just enough time for my GPS watch to find satellites. My HR was 101 before I began running! It was just too damned exciting. The fireworks kept going for what seemed forever.

There were too many slow runners in the front. My plan was to run a 10ish pace for the first half mile then slow pick it up to keep my HR down. But my HR was in the high 150's already, and in the 160's at a 9 pace, so I figured WTF. I'll run as fast as I can in the 160's and maintain that. Seemed to work out. Electrolyte every 30 min, GU Roctane 5 min before and every 45 min. I sipped water from my little Hawaiian Springs 16 oz bottle that the hotel gave me. I held on to that little buddy for 11 miles. I actually felt kinda sad letting it go. I tossed it gently in some soft grass next to a trash bin in front of a nice house (You think that's funny? I laughed when I found out Winona kept hers the ENTIRE RACE and refilled it from paper cups while running!). Although I missed my friend and was thankful for nourishing me so far, I felt free and felt like I could pump my arms more. I picked up the pace for a bit while still trying to stay loose. It was around then when I looked around at the people around me and we were all going the same pace and cadence. They all looked like they were gonna maintain and I thought to myself, this is my group! We ran this far together and we'll pretty much be together the rest of run. I drew so much energy from them and all the participants.

The middle miles were a blur, but I felt great! Mile 17 was when I usually started feeling crappy, but that's because I would start out too fast. My calves began cramping up at mile 19, so I tried to loosen them up and quickly downed a Roctane and an extra electrolyte. This worked for a while but decided to slow it down to just under 9. In the meantime my hamstrings began to cramp. The hill at mile 25 was the worst. I pushed with my gluts, trying to save every other muscle and it seemed to work. My average pace was 10:27. Not sure which aid station it was, maybe the 24 mm, but I walked while downing 3 cups of gatorade and water. I lasted maybe just 3-5 seconds but it felt tough as nails to get started again. After the hill was a ridiculously steep downhill section. At least it felt like it after 25 miles haha! I tried to come down controlled but everything was aching. Finally I decided to let go and just go with it. I held a pace that kept the cramping right on the edge. When it flattened out I picked up the cadence and held on. Only 2km left with 15 minutes to go to break 4. Nice and easy, mashed potatoes...

Finally, the finish line came into sight and I had The Last Samurai film score on my ipod playing. Such a moving and motivational song. I begged my legs and ipod to just make it. And they did. Crossing that line felt so glorious. I never felt so accomplished finishing any race before. Everything went as planned with just a bit of cushion. My first official marathon!

Garmin results: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/250672378
Official results: http://www.sportstats.ca/displayResults.xhtml?racecode=103633
Bib #4736 Finish time 3:51:42; 8:51 pace;
989th out of 31,089 participants;
M30-34: 111/1279;


I'm even more proud of my babes who destroyed her goal by over 15 minutes with a 4:12! 30th out of 865 in her division (F20-24)!

2012 Lavaman Keauhou Olympic Triathlon

Fear kept me from attacking any hills during training, after my nasty bike crash nearly 3 months ago.  Didn't run much hills either during training. No excuse there. It was scheduled once a week alongside the speed work and long training runs for Honolulu Marathon. Just felt like I needed to rest my legs more for the long runs. All that and the pressure of training for two different types of races a few weeks apart. More focus was on the Honolulu Marathon, but I still wanted to do well at Keauhou.

Joe Wedemman lent me his wetsuit for the swim, which made me feel like I was floating. The Outrigger closed down, so our new host was the Sheraton. The transition was a bit long, but it gave my legs a good warmup and bonus time to take off the wetsuit on the way. Had a little trouble with the legs, so I sat down to take them off. 1500m swim in 0:30:44 for 88th/320 and a 1:42 transition

This was the 2nd time I rode my TT since the crash. Had 28s on the back, but only 39 up front. Could've used a 34 for this climb. That first hill out of transition was killer. HR spiked at 180, then I eased off back down to 160s. Kam3 was a nightmare. I didn't have the gears or legs to get my cadence above the low 60s. My HR was steady 160, and my speed was a sad 7mph avg up the hill. On the way down, my cadence dropped to practically 0, because I was still afraid of going fast downhill, which was proof in my still elevated HR lol, I topped out at 35mph on this first section. I had no choice now but to go. It was a race! By the 2nd downhill section, I felt more comfortable. I think it was then when I hit 44.2mph, my fastest to date. I thought coming down Kaiwi St was going to be sketchy, but it actually wasn't as steep as Kaleiopapa St. I wasn't prepared for that one, and the transition turnoff felt like it was still on that slope! 26.7mile bike in 1:26:13 (18.72mph) for 107th/320 and a 1:45 transition. Avg HR 158bpm, 1,095' of climbing about 81 cadence.

The run was brutal. Started with a hill and the rest was through the golf course. Tried to chase down Kawika Singson and Adam Busek, but they kept getting away. The last mile flattened out and I finally gained some ground. Kawika is the best sport! He kept cheering me to catch him, which also kept pushing him to run harder. Finally caught him with less than a quarter mile to go. Missed Adam by a few seconds. The 100m home stretch was too narrow and windy to catch him.  6.2mile run in 0:47:39 (7:41 pace) for 42nd/320.

Overall 02:48:03 for 69th/320 overall and 5th/22 (30-34M)

Official results http://www.jtltiming.com/results/lavak.html
Garmin tracker http://connect.garmin.com/activity/244795922

Run

6 miles in 0:43.42. 1st 3 in 24 to warmup. Calves a bit tight. Breathing heavy last 2. Last mile sub-6.

Belated National Running Day Run

Had to save up for a tough circuit during a busy work day yesterday, so I ran this afternoon. Nice easy 5 miler from South Kohala Fire Station to Blue Hawaii on Waikoloa Road and back in 40 mins. Wasn't properly hydrated and had to save my last pair of bebadees for my last day tomorrow, of 72 hours at the station. I found out I shouldn't run too quick bareballs... even in stretchy boardshorts.

I've been invited to join the 40th HFD recruit class for an open ocean swim at Richardson's on Saturday morning. I hope I get a good night's rest Friday night's shift. Cause we're swimming as soon as I get back to Hilo.

Waimanu Day Hike scheduled for early Sunday morning after breakfast at Ken's!

HFD 14B's WOTD

Yesterday was Back, with a light 2 mile jog.

Got our Aquatics Competency Certification today, allowing us to take a dip in the beautiful Pacific. Swimming with bunker gear is surprisingly buoyant, especially if you manage to capture a pocket of air in your jacket. Got more of a tan than a workout there.

Today's Circuit was 3 rounds of:
10 Ring Dips
10 Inverted/Reverse Push-Ups on the Rings
10 Push-Press 115lb
25 Pyramid Push-Ups (1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 with 2 sec rest)
20 Toes/Knees to Bar

First time doing ring dips. Those were sick. Got better on the 3rd round, probably cause I just wanted it over with.

The 115# is a lot for me to press, so I needed the help from the hips.

Toes to bar were pretty killer if I canceled the swing action. Amp it up a little by doing straight-leg toes to bar, then raise up to your knees then pause.

Today was National Running Day. I have to take a raincheck on that.

wotd

MON PM: 8 minutes. As many rounds as possible. Each round: 8 pull-ups, 8 dead-lifts 225#, 16 box-jumps 18", plus 75-100' run between each set. Completed 4 rounds.

TUE AM: Hapuna beach ocean swim: easy half lap

TUE PM: 1 mile warmup jog, shoulders

HFD Physical Assessment - Day 1 & 2

Not much time for words cause I've got some reading/studying to do.

Didn't have time to get in enough liquids (or piss) before yesterday's dry physical assessment. Did a 1/2 mile or so run warmup then got right at it.

Did a slightly hilly 2 mile, timed group run. Kept pace with the instructors until I asked their pace after the first mile. They were doing 6:17. Oh boy. I haven't kept that pace in a while. The second mile (7:13) found me drifting away. Finished strong at 2/18, about half a minute behind Mr Bump and the fitness instructors.

Pounded 13 pullups, but didn't go all the way up and down on the last two. So the instructor could only count 11 of them. Not outstanding either. Somewhere in the middle of the group.

Plank was incredible. I made it to the top 4 with 3:04. Next was Gary at 3:26. Adam and John made 6 minutes. LOLWTF.

Yeah so then we did pushups. I was up there with 25. We had to do them to a beat, so that was a fun new twist. Jordan lost count at 45 something. Animal.

Today was swim. I was in the 1st of 3 groups to show their 500m skills. I went out at a crazy pace, and died after 200m. Ended up 8/18. Adam got 7:45 or something for third. Keo finished at 6:50. Justin at 5:15 or some crazy shit. That dude is incredible. I heard he was a great diver, but DAMN.

We each have strengths and weaknesses. But we all share a passion for what we do. We quickly have become a team. If there's anything that I can do besides being the best damned fire recruit they've ever seen, it's to ensure that every single one of us will not only pass, but excel.

I work with a few fish, some gorillas, cheetahs, and a couple two-by-fours. I get to talk to them and learn from them. I love my job.

Okay, now onto the books, shoe polish and ironing. Good night :)

TeamMangoRaces - Sprint Triathlon - Feb 28, 2010

Left warm, dry Hilo at 5am. Kona was warm, dry and sunny by 7am. The water was flat and clear.


swim - 1/3 mile (to last bouy) - 0:09.46.90

bike - 14 mile (to the pit) - 0:50.31

run - 2 mile (to kahakai rd) - 0:13.46

Had a great swim, but didn't have anything on the bike. Felt really good on the run.

Jeremy and I were anxious on eating at Sushi Enfuego since Thursday's run. Tim Robinson broke the bad news that they had moved to Waimea. We got shut down by 3 other sushi bars on the way to Bike Works, Sports Authority, and Big Island Running Co. I guess th

ey don't get much biz on Sundays. We gave up on sushi and decided to get some burgers. Got shut d by Outback also, so went to Oceans for sashimi, hot wings, Lavaman, buffalo ranch chicken sandwich (pictured) for me and a Philly cheese steak for Jeremy (pictured)

Overstuffed his Landcruiser with food from Costco, tripped out on some Waimea rainbows, then eagerly

returned home... to cold, windy rain.

2010 Triathlon Training: Month 1

Completed my first full month of triathlon training.

View the original post if you can't see the table
http://mike-brown.blogspot.com/2010/02/2010-triathlon-training-month-1.html

	Swim	Bike	Run	Swim	Bike	Run
	Hours			Miles
Week 1	0:45	1:20	2:20	1.31	17.30	15.70
Week 2	2:09	2:30	3:29	4.00	43.50	21.16
Week 3	2:46	0:00	2:52	4.83	0.00	18.70
Week 4	1:14	0.00	0:31	2.31	0.00	3.10
Week 5	3:19	0:00	1:38	6.04	0.00	10.20
Month 1	10:46	3:50	11:25	19.48	60.80	72.86

Need to find more time for the bike. Always think about setting up the trainer and a movie on the laptop but never actually do it. It should at least match the swim and run times.

With Fire Fighter Recruit training coming up, I'll be spending a ton of time running and swimming (I hope so), so it works out that I've been concentrating on those 2. Was thinking about packing on a weighted vest for my runs to help simulate FF gear. Maybe I'll borrow Eric's for a run or two.

View my Google Spreadsheet Training log http://tr.im/sbr247

2010 Triathlon Training: Week 2

2010's first full triathlon training week has ended.

I got in 4.5 hours last week, and the week prior was all rest. The gym has been getting a lot of my attention in the past 3 months. While strength training has given me added power for those nasty hills and pulling the last few hundred feet to shore, I don't feel AWESOME like I do after a swim, bike, and/or run. After strength training, I feel miserable and sore.

So I've scratched my itch and now I can't stop scratching. I love multisport.

Week 2 miles/hours:
Swim 4.23 miles, 2:16 hours
Bike 43.50 miles, 2:30 hours
Run 21.16 miles, 3:29 hours
Gym/Yoga 3:45 (including rest)
12 hours total

http://tr.im/sbr247

I won't attempt to qualify for Ironman this year, but I'll do as much sprint and Oly triathlons as I can squeeze in between Fire Fighter Recruit training class

Hilo to Volcano 31 mile Relay Run

Barely any cardio since MangoMan at the beginning of November. Been at the gym for 3 months, focusing on strength while letting my mind and body rest.

A few weeks ago I had to sub for the other Michael Brown in a Swim, Run, Paddle relay triathlon on a day's notice. My portion was a 4 mile run from Richardson's Beach Park to Kuhio Park around 11am-ish. The only type of running I'd been doing was a 15 minute warmup and cooldown on the ellipticals. So this was tough. I'm not sure how long it took me, but I bonked around 3 miles and had to walk for a couple minutes. I finished as strong as I could. Other than myself, we had a strong team.

This past Saturday, I subbed for Joe Wedemann in the Hilo to Volcano Relay Run on 2 days' notice. 3800' elevation climb over 31 miles. It was a 3-person relay with 5x2-mile legs. I had the 2nd leg. Adam and Jeremy convinced me it was the easiest portion according to their estimates on MapQuest. Luckily, they got me back into running since Sunday. Anyway, enough feeling sorry for myself. Mom let me borrow the van so we could use as a shuttle on our journey.

Rob Van Geen came down to the start to show his support. He just did the Hawaii HURT100 100 mile trail run last week in 35ish hours. Way to go Rob! first Big Islander to ever complete the race. He also shared this link with me, which is kinda scary http://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/OMI/OMISO2/Hawaii/Hawaii_OMI_SO2_20100123_2334.gif That's how bad the vog was on race day... right in our path, LMAO.

I felt okay on my first leg. I decided to take it easy and go by feel. I kinda forced myself to by forgetting my watch. Adam started for us and tagged me while maintaining 4th place. My first leg was flat and the air was cold. My 2nd leg was my quickest. I was warmed up and it was flat. The rest was uphill. I later found from veteran runners (the first place finisher, Eric Glaus, for one) that the 2nd leg runner had the toughest legs. But enough feeling sorry for myself.

Jeremy ran 10.4 miles in 1:20. Adam ran 10.7 miles in 1:26. I ran 10 miles in 1:30. I'm just glad I didn't slow them down too much. We finished 3rd with an overall time of 4:11.

So, my triathlon season has officially begun for 2010!

I started an online triathlon training log spreadsheet, based off of Adam's paper version http://tr.im/sbr247

Bree and Me at Orange Tree!

Monday was all rest. Besides work. I tried to stay off my feet though. Bill took me out for a victory 2 Kona Brew Longboarders and an Aloha Burger with Onion Rings while watching Raiders vs Chargers.

Up and at em for a beach run! 5.8 miles downhill in 45. 10 minute break before 2 laps through breathtaking Kahalu'u Beach Park (my favorite beach, bar-none). 10 minute break before taking on Kam3 in an easy 22 minutes. Legs felt great. Total run back up to the house was 2.5 miles in 33 mins.

Cruised the day with my compression tights under my khakis :) A good portion of this work day was on my feet, but I felt good.

On the way back to www.KonaAutoCenter.com from our lunch meeting at Big Island Grill, I spotted a runner coming down Kuakini. Nice pace. Cute. Hey that's Bree! Honk Honk! Whoah, I almost swerved into her. Still waving and smiling back at me. She calls and I meetup with her and lil Kainoa at Orange Tree. We need this in Hilo! Bree's got a huge heart, is soo down-to-earth and I'm a nervous wreck. She's got me motivated to qualify at Honu. I'm gonna do it.

Check her out and support her at www.hibreewee.com. IM2009Kona: Bring it, Bree!

Triathlon is a Team Sport

Had my loose clothes. Forgot my Yoga mat. So I grabbed the huge blue beach towel from the car. Rochelle let me borrow her purple mat. My hands were slippery, so I had to lay the towel near the top of the mat for grip. We held downward dog positions for the better part of the class. The shoulder burners / clie from Insanity Core / Balance, and noon swim was an excellent warmup for the pose. My shoulders were on fire.

I tripped out when I looked at the class from Warrior2. I was the only one dripping with sweat. The rest of the class were warrior poses. My glutes got their 2nd workout of the day. If you're familiar with these set of poses, you know it also works the shoulders.

I felt a lot better after class, but had to rush to Sook's to get a quick buzzcut, then to Coconut Island to meet Jeremy for a quick run. We did the 5k route in 13:30 + 12:00 negative split. Very easy, until we loosened up after the bridge, going downhill.

We talked about how we felt before this race, but more so about Ironman. His mind is set on qualifying. I told him I didn't feel like I was pushing hard enough on my swims and was thinking about swimming at 5:30am before my P90x or Insanity workouts on MWF.

Cousin Mark called me soon after, inviting me to a practice sprint tri the following morning (Friday). 8am would be too late, so they agreed to push it up to 7am. I knew Jeremy wanted to get in a bike ride before the race so I got him in too. I met Tanner, another fresh young triathlete. I don't think he trained as hard as Brandon did, but he's got a lot of heart and will finish strong. Mark is going to a concert the night before. lol

When you think about doing a triathlon, you think of it as a solo event. Nobody can physically help you progress forward during a race. I trained solo for my recent races. I finished. But I didn't do as well as I'd like. Training solo, I didn't push myself hard enough. I forced myself into isolation during training, and it also felt like it on the races.

I called Adam one day and he invited me to a group ride. That was probably the most beneficial change to my training I have ever done. The camaraderie. We bounce ideas off each other. Most times Adam and Joe have already experienced them and can give us a quick, detailed answer along with justification.

We want to continue the weekly, long group workouts beyond the race. I also suggested to Adam that we begin hosting monthly triathlons at the beach, similar to TeamMangoRaces on the west side. We can offset the schedule so people could do either race, and so they don't coincide with big events.

Coach Jess sent me some motivational advice today. Such a small gesture really does help me a ton.

Insa90x1.10, A Cold One (Run)

Tuesday Sept 8, 2009 7am

Insa90x 1.10: Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Glutes, hams and calves got a good kick in the... glutes, hams and calves. Trying to keep it light. I'm gonna have to turn this into a recovery week so I can taper for this weekend's Olympic Distance Triathlon. I still had trouble with "Ski Abs" and "In/Out Abs", but I'll nail them next week. They're going down! Okay okay, maybe I couldn't exactly keep up with those "push-up to plank run to jump" things either.

Tuesday Sept 8, 2009 6pm

A Cold Run

Rain came down along with the first footsteps of my run. Got in a mile and a half before my socks got wet. Didn't bring my good socks so I turned around before I made myself upset. I took Adam's advice to speed up only on the downward slopes. He said this will help prepare my legs for my unbelievable speed on Sunday. Not a 100% on the "unbelievable" part. I may have ad-libbed.

It was pouring, a little cold, and I had on my white singlet. Nips supplemented my navigational system's deterred vision by acting as antennae. Kind of like Daredevil.

I'm fkn bored.

Near Fall

Rested Friday after P90x, and Saturday (minus some house chores). Met up with Ferd Babas, Joe Wedemman, Brandon Parea, and Jeremy Buttz at Adam Busek's house for our weekly brick at 1pm on Sunday. We ventured up from the middle of Kaloli (200' elev.) onto and along the Keaau Bypass Road (400-600') for 10 miles. We turned down onto Kapoho Rd then Pohoiki Rd (where Big Bill Hubbard joined up with us) for 4.5 miles to reach sea level.

View Larger Map

This was a great warmup. Mostly downhill, but windy. The roads were wet and we were going at a relatively unsafe speed. I can't even begin to imagine how fast Bill was going, cause he took off like a madman, and I didn't see him until we got to the water faucet.

Kalapana Road (sea level, 11.5 miles) was a bit hilly. This was the most scenic portion of the ride. About 5 miles onto it, I realized I wasn't gaining momentum before the uphills. That's why I was getting beat up and building a gap (they were just within sight). I also blame the scenery for losing speed. I caught up with about a mile left till Ahia Rd and got into 2nd position. I almost missed the turn! Glancing right on Ahia, I saw Bill's white shirt and made a quick U-ey.

We stopped for about 5 mins to refill water. Insane Joe ventured up Opihikau (sp?), grew unpatient at the top, then came back down to meet us.

It was a 7 mile climb from sea level to 1k ft elevation. Just over 17 miles total back from sea level to Adam's house.

Joe punished the hills and I tried to keep up with the monster. On a downhill section of Kalapana Rd, we were going at least 30, maybe close to 40 (I didn't have my speedometer onboard). I tried to avoid something nasty on the road, and ended up slipping on either the white line or a reflector. I wobbled for a split second or more. I kept low and tried to keep control. There was a 75% chance I was gonna hit pavement hard. Luckily, I made it through. I took a deep breath or two, and used the adrenaline rush to gun it. I overtook Adam and Joe and went about 90% all the way back. I glanced over every few minutes and didn't see anyone behind. I wanted a good lead on the bike this time instead of playing catchup on the run. Overall ride was 44.5 miles in 2:35:21 including the water break.

1:52 in transition; refilling my gel and Endurolytes. Leaving the driveway, I was surprised to see Ferd and Brandon coming in. I cheered them on and took off. 30 seconds later, I realized I was speeding. I loosened my stride, easing up my breathing and HR. I committed to 6 miles. Passed Brandon again about 1.5 miles in and told him where to turn around. He looked winded but was trying to maintain composure. Almost 2 miles in, I passed Bill who was hunched in agony. He had bad cramps in both hamstrings. I gave him some endurolytes and my water.

I turned into the driveway (16:07 minutes into the run) to refill on water and endurolytes (an extra 3:49 to get back to main road). I felt pretty damned good. But it was getting sunnier and I was headed uphill. I kept my long-sleeve dri-fit on to help take a beating in the sun. I'm wondering now if it actually did the opposite by helping me keep shaded and cool. 3.5 miles in, I poured some water on my hat, back and chest to help lighten the load I was carrying in my hand. Oops, that made my shirt heavy.

Another 15:18 into the run, I hit the turnaround. Cool. I opened up and turned the 15 into 13:20, following Brandon's 4 miler. Turns out I only went 5.25 miles on the run. But I ran into the driveway twice, so I may have topped 5.5. Overall training time was 3:25:20.

Bill told me the Endurolytes and H2O fixed his cramps in about 5 minutes. That made me feel great, and was good to know. I have a feeling Bill's gonna take the podium for his age group.

Turns out Brandon's only 18! He's gonna make a name for himself in the next few years. He might make the podium also for his age group.

I want it. I feel great. I actually trained for an event. My age group (M30-34) is stacked. Last year's Lavaman Waikoloa featured Chris "Macca" McCormack, Tim Marr and John Flanagan, placing 1, 3 and 4 overall, respectively. All 3 pros with sub-2hr times. The age-groupers were only about 10 minutes behind. For now, I just want to break 3hrs.

We're also planning on hitting up the www.TeamMangoRaces.com Pre-Ironman Triathlon on Sunday, September 27th at Kailua Pier. 1.2 mile swim, 15 mile hilly bike, 6 mile hilly run. All fun, and free!

I couldn't convince Ferd to get into triathlon yet. I think he's in once he gets his first marathon over with (he's also doing the www.HonoluluMarathon.com in December). Jeremy might do it also.

Insani-P90x 1.8, Swim, Yoga, Run

Wednesday 9/3, 7:00

Insani-P90x 1.8 - Power Cardio

I need to start rating the amount of abuse each body part gets per workout so I can schedule Insanity, P90x and Endurance training together. Scoring is 5 extreme, 0 untouched

Body Part	Duration	Severity
Glutes	4	4
Hams	3	4
Calves	4	3
Abs	4	2
Tri's	2	3
Shoulders	2	2
Chest	1	2

Had enough time to recover from P90x Chest and Back on Monday to do well on the push-ups. The tri rises at the end were a bit tough after Wednesday's P90x Shoulders and Arms. The V-Ups didn't seem to be a problem though. Do the smaller muscles heal quicker?

Wednesday 9/3, 12:30

Got soaked while pulling my bike from the car in the rain! Pedaled to the pool for a quick 1km swim. I watched another swimmer during my interval rest. He's quick. I mimicked how he kept his feet near the surface. Seemed to be more efficient. It's also much easier to swim after Insanity days than P90x days.

Wednesday 9/3, 16:30

Yoga. I did a headstand!

Wednesday 9/3, 17:45

Run. 8 miles with Jeremy. Easy 38min run from Coconut Island to Richardson's and 40min back.

Nervous, Insani-P90x 1.7

Tuesday 9/1, 12pm

Was surprisedly worried/nervous about swimming today. Did I sleep enough? Did I eat enough? Do I have enough energy? Will I have enough energy for this afternoon's run?

Took it real easy until about 400-500m. My pace was about 2:05 - 2:10 per 100m.

Opened up a bit until I gassed at 750m. My form was absent. I was pulling with my neck to breath. My legs began to sink.

Rested for a min, remembering Adam's advice about a particular type of interval. After recharging, I decided to really open it up. I only had 150m to go anyway. Didn't time them, but it felt great to really pull and kick.

Finished up with an easy FS/BS/FS. IDK why, but I felt like it.

So I did 1100m, with a little rest. Been awhile since I've done so. Confidence is up a notch.

Jeremy asked my time for the Honu swim. I couldn't really remember so I looked it up after today's swim. 41:10 for a 2:04 pace. A little faster than my training pace back then. I was undertrained for the swim then, and I'm undertrained for it again now.

WTF am I thinking? I don't train enough for events. I just sign up and do them. I thought this would be the race in which I got serious for and do well instead of just finishing.

Maybe I'm subconsciously doing this just to keep things interesting.

I need to get more than 7 hours of sleep tonight so I can make my training day count tomorrow. Headed to Kona for the day.

Tuesday 9/1, 5:30pm

Had the same nervous thoughts about the afternoon run. Exhausted, fatigued, tired. Met Jeremy at Coconut Island just before 5:30pm. He had just done about 1km of swim intervals and then some. And now we're gonna do an 8 miler. 37 mins to Richardson's. 33 mins back. We cruised and talked most of the way there about training, fitness, nutrition, races, and future events. Halfway back, we decided to pick up the pace a little. We picked up the pace quite a bit for about 2 miles, then went easy again. We both agreed that it hardly seemed worth the 4 mins for all the extra effort we put in.

He's a stronger, faster swimmer. He should finish the swim at least 3 mins ahead of me.

On longer rides, he's got me again. He'll gain another minute or less on the bike.

I have to kick butt on the transitions and the run.

12 days till the inaugural Lavaman Keauhou and counting...

Wednesday 9/2, 7am

Insani-P90x 1.7 Shoulders and Arms - Decided to rename this hybrid workout. I'll increment for each "working" day, including 1 recovery day a week. Not including Sunday's brick yet, need to decide if I'm gonna include a short cardio or strength workout on those days (cause there's yardwork too).

Got 7 hours sleep. Almost got more. NO-Xplode almost brought me up to normal. Really had to push myself.

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2
Alternating Shoulder Press	20#15++	30#12=
In/Out Bicep Curls	20#16+	25#16=
2-Arm Tricep Kickbacks	15#15+	20#12=
Deep Swimmer's Press	20#12=	25#12=
Full Supination Concentration Curls	20#8=	25#8=
Chair Dips	25	35!
Upright Rows	25#12=	30#10=
Static Arm Curls	20#12=	20#12==
Flip-Grip Twist Kickbacks	15#8+	20#5-
Seated Shoulder Flys	15#16=	15#16+=
Crouching Cohen Curls	20#15+	25#12+=
Lying Down Tricep Extensions	15#15+	20#10=
In/Out Straight-Arm Shoulder Flys	10#16+=	15#16
Congdon Curls	20#10=	25#8
Side-Tri-Rise	17	30!

This time, I took it easier on the first round to see what I could do on the 2nd.

Insanity 1.6, Double-Brick, P90x 3.1, Yoga, Insanity 1.7

Insanity 1.6 was... skipped. Saturday is my rest/recovery day. I'm not sure if I should push everything back or just lose a day. Sunday was double-brick day and I didn't have enough in me to do Power Cardio also.

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Met some cool endurance athletes at the Sunday HPP double-brick. Adam Busek (veteran Triathlete, kickboxing instructor, Human Anatomy Biologist Bicycle Salesperson who I regularly seek for nutrition and training advice) kindly hosted John (Adam's young nephew from SF), Brandon (young fresh Triathlete from Hilo, HS wrestler), Bill Hubbard (older, fresh Clydesdale Triathlete from Kapoho area), Joe Wedemman (Clydesdale veteran of many things. I look up to him in more ways than one), Jeremy Buttz (young fresh Triathlete from Hilo, fast fast fast), and another young guy but can't remember the name.

First 20k bicycle loop was done as a pack in just under 40 mins. Adam has an excellent judgement of pace and maintained that throughout. I slowly crawled my way from the back of the pack to the middle. When a large gap appeared behind Adam (leader), I rode up to 2nd and encouraged the other 2 to follow and close it. The last 3 miles are downhill with a strong headwind. Jeremy and Brandon sped up to take the lead. Adam kept his pace and eventually caught up. I focused on pulling up with my core to save my legs for an efficient stride on the run.

Transition was lightning quick for each of us (15-30 seconds).

I'm not sure when/where but I broke loose on the run and maintained the lead for the majority of the 2 miles. I loosened up near the turnaround only to find Adam a few steps behind. Aww shit, "pick it up... pick it up!" (Tony-ism #27). And the 2nd half is uphill. Yay...! All I can say is... thank you P90x/Insanity. Adam finished right behind me in about 15 minutes. Big Bill commended me on my posture and stride. I was more impressed that he was right behind, at his age and size.

We rested for 10-15 mins. Reloaded our fuel. Reapplied sunblock (don't forget it!). This time around, I loaded up on NO-Xplode.

2nd bicycle loop, Jeremy took OFF! Brandon and Joe held steadily behind until halfway though. Joe caught up to Jeremy, and Brandon faded to just within my sight. Big Bill laughed when I later told them my highway mantra "I'm gonna get you f'rs... I'm gonna get you f'rs..." It helped me focus on breathing and pulling up with my core again. I barely saved anything for the run. As I pulled into the driveway, Joe and Jeremy were already running out. As I parked my bike, Brandon was heading out. I finished in 39:46 including transition.

I took off like a maniac this time. I passed Brandon by the time I got to the road. There's no way they're beating me here. Jeremy/Joe were a few roads ahead (1/3 mile or so). I was landing harder on my heels and pushing long strides off my toes. I overemphasized my arm-swing to "pull" myself closer.

1/3 way through, some random guy on a mountain bike whispered "they're about a quarter-mile ahead" as he passed. I laughed back "Thanks! I got em... I got em"

I joked with Joe a bit at the turnaround "Pleasant day for a run, isn't it? How do you do?"

We all encouraged each other as we passed (it really does help... even a sun-burnt, sweat-ridden smile helps keep you going).

I slowly closed the gap to 1 road. But they were too fast. My watch read 14:39 as I entered the driveway. I didn't have enough energy to stop it.

Then when I tried to stop it, it wouldn't. No matter how much I cursed at it.

We all shared advice and laughs as time flew by while we recovered. What a fun training group.

We planned to meet at Richardson's to float and stretch. I couldn't find anyone when I got there so I jumped in and took an easy swim and left.

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Back to P90x with Chest and Back.

Exercise	Set 1	Set 2
Std Push-Ups	30	25
Wide-Front Pull-Ups	15	9+3
Military Push-Ups	25	20
Reverse-Grip Chin-Ups	15	10+5
Wide-Fly Push-Ups	25	20
Close-Grip Overhand Pull-Ups	10	10
Decline Push-Ups	15	17
Heavy Pants	30#x20	30#x25
Diamond Push-Ups	20	17
Lawnmowers	30#x15	30#x20
Dive-bomber Push-Ups	8	9
Back Flys	30#x20	30#x25

I went heavy/hard on the first set. I forgot what I was(n't) capable of. Now I have a new list for next time. I'll start with the 2nd set #'s. But this won't happen for 2 weeks because of Lavaman Keauhou.

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Yoga Class. We did a bunch of core work. I don't remember much of the class because I felt soo relaxed afterwards. I kinda zoned out on the way to Richardson's. Did a quick 300m. Joe, Shaun and Harry were hanging out and called me over.

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Insanity 1.7 Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs. LOL at Shaun-T-ism "Damn! That SH*T was baNAAnas, YO!" I substituted the push-ups (from the suicide push-up drills) with extended plank run (healing from yesterday's P90x chest workout). I also subbed the much missed (seriously) push-up jacks with jumping jacks and running in place. It's not the same without either workout. But I didn't do too bad in scheduling (only missing out on 2 parts of the drills).

I FORGOT MY FINS! I hope my legs aren't too burnt out for a 1km swim. The stretching should help my chest and back though. LET'S DO IT!

Wait, I need to rest my legs for this afternoon's 8 mile run with speedy Jeremy. Oh boy. Balance. I'll use my core. Wait, I just did a 15 minute ab workout this morning. I'll just drown...

Brick on N.O., Insanity Day 1

Sunday Brick with Adam, Jeremy and Brian (bike only) - Warmed up, stretched out with a 400m open water swim at Richardson's then headed to HPP for the 2pm brick. Sun was in/out of the clouds, ~80F, Humidity in the mid 70's. 1.5 scoops NO-X, 30 min pre 40k ride, and 1.5 scoops NO-X at transition to 10k run. Stomach wasn't bothered much on the run. This might just work. I've been going no/low carb up until Sunday morning with 2 pre-race organic pop-tarts.

Quads cramped a bit at 9k, downhill portion of the run. Walked for a few seconds and decided to push through. Loosened and lengthened my stride. The P90x back and core workouts helped me improve and maintain my posture throughout the run. It was easier to focus on gently pulling my shoulders down and back. The second half of the run was finished strong. I waited too long to take my gel on the ride, and my stomach gave me noise about it.

Had trouble sleeping. Propped my feet up and wore my compression socks to sleep and into Insanity.

Insanity Day 1 - Fitness Test (what I now will call Confidence Test :)

Exercise	Mike	Eric
Switchkicks	110	110
Squat Jump?	55	55
Power Knees R	75	86
Power Jumps	50	41
Globe Jumps	14	5
Suicide Jumps	23	16
Push-Up Jacks	45	31
Low-Plank Obliques	60	32
Power Knees L	70	N/A

I noticed the vid skipped the opposite side Power Knees, so I RW to finish up. Was a bit tougher to do the other side at the end of the test.

Quite a workout for 30 min. Gotta loooove the quick warmup! Shaun-T gets right into it. Eric's a beast at strength, but cardio is my game. We're planning on pairing Insanity and P90x on the short Insanity days. I have to credit P90x for our ability to keep pace with the demonstrators' results. It's gonna be tough to improve upon our scores. We'll see if Insanity can deliver as expected.

Looking through the discs was hilarious. Cardio this, cardio that, cardio cardio. This is gonna kick our asses. We hope.


Got a fresh pair of compression socks at work, and trying to give my legs a rest (AFTER standing around with a 130min tech support call in the garage). They're not bothering me as much as last night, but they deserve a break.

Gonna shoot for 600m in the pool within the next 30min, then Yoga class after work.

Back to no/low carbs until Sunday for a double-brick (Jeremy's crazed idea).

Bare Naked... Feet, Yoga Class, NO-X Schedule, Carbless

Yesterday's mid-day run was... yes, planned. You may have guessed that I purposely "forgot" my running shoes. I've been wanting to run shoeless for a while now (probably since Waimanu). The only thing I really worry about is glass on the road/sidewalk. So I used the Teva Proton 3 water shoes I bought for the Waimanu hike.



As you can see, they're barely even shoes. Neoprene (wetsuit material) inner, with a thin rubber sole. It still gave me a ton of "feel" for the hot pavement/cement. Nice 30 minute run from the Kawamoto pool along the bay and back. My calves and hamstrings felt fairly tight last night and this morning. P90x X-Stretch this morning felt really good. I put emphasis on the downward dog and single-leg hamstring stretches. The low-squat was a meanie.




I highly recommend doing this at least once. Even if it's a quick run around the ballpark or playground on the grass. You get a better feel of your body. Give your heels a rest. Even though mine barely touch the ground anway, it forces me to stay off them for start to the very end. Just be prepared to patch up your feet a bit afterwards... haha mines were hash anyway, so wtf!

Monday was my first Yoga class. Held by Yogi, Rachelle of the http://www.balancingmonkey.com/ in Hilo. It's a beginner class. Some of the P90x YogaX moves are advanced, so I had little trouble following along. She helped me with my form though. I had trouble with fold and flat back. I wasn't aware that my back had something against being flat. I think I've got the hang of it now... err... straight of it.




So, NO-Xplode has a 6-12 week cycle, and 4 week minimum off-cycle. Going with the max 12 week cycle, I'll have until the beginning of October to decide which other pre-training chemical formula to subject myself to while off of the nitric oxide supplement.




Been doing fairly well this first of 4 weeks of my Carbless diet. I flopped a little today, on accident of course! That chicken long-rice was worth it. I took my NO-X right after to help flush the carbs. Oh yeah the rest was good too (lau lau, poi, lomi salmon, chicken long rice, small poke, haupia for $10 from Wiki-Wiki kitchen next to Ken's House of Pancakes in Hilo. Big tubs of poke from Suisan)