Group Triathlon Training and Ski weekend

We are taking a quick trip to the Maggie Valley area to do some NC skiing and relaxing.  I am trying to figure out a decent 2+ hour running route around here but we're not too familiar with running routes in this area, so I will be winging it.  I'd like to go to Pisgah forest and run but ran out of time looking for routes in there last night.  Skiing is tomorrow.  

In other news, the OSB Group Triathlon Training Program starts next week.  five coach-organized and led workouts per week.  If you're in the Raleigh Cary area, check it out.

We are also hosting a beginner swim clinic sponsored by Trysports on Sunday, March 13.  If you are looking for swim technique help but don't feel ready for a Powerstroke clinic, check this one out.

It is going to be a fun year as far as triathlon goes, I am looking forward to racing in the Masters division in the White Lake half in a few months and then sprinting through the summer.

technical details

I am going to get a second monitor for my main computer.  I am constantly flipping through screens and it can be tedious.  The monitor prices these days are amazingly low.  My video card only has 1 connector; however I found a USB to monitor converter contraption on ebay.  They sell everything on ebay.  This way I don't have to take the computer in or add a new card myself.

Some day we will have virtual terminals and holographic displays, but we're not there yet.

Here is a picture of an old computer monitor.

Here is a new one.

weekend update Jan 15-16

This past Saturday I strapped on my big boy shoes and headed out for a long run.  I wore my Yaktrax and stomped through 17 miles of icy bridle trails and single track in Umstead State Park.  It was awesome.  I felt good and the Yax gripped the ice like a greasy Goldman Sachs bankster grips his wad of bills.  People swore jealously at me.

I was signed up for the Little River 10 mile trail run, but decided to be a super clean green machine and not even go. The race promotes carpooling and carbon offsets and other funky energy conservation things like that.  I frankly had a lot to do and didn't feel like driving up there to run icy trails with 500 other peoples.

Later that day I rode 30+ miles with one of my local athletes. 

On Sunday Bri dragged me out for a 2.725 hour ride.  My legs were sore but I struggled heroically through the endeavor.

On Monday morning I joined the TAF racing team for some intervals since it is a holiday.  I was psyched for this daylight morning workout all weekend.  I coached swim practice, then headed to our meeting place and discovered I forgot my running shoes. Fortunately one of the fellas loaned me his spikes so I didn't have to run barefoot like that crazy Mexican tribe. 

I had a good workout and then took an ibuprofen and a nap. 

training plans

I spent the last couple of days working on prepared (pre-made) training plans.  I have put this off as it is really time consuming to make a good, generalized training plan that will fit people you don't know, be reasonably safe, build up the training well, and so on.

We are sponsoring the a number of Set Up Events races this season and are building these plans specifically for some of their sprint triathlons.

You can check them out here.

In other news, the lousy weather here is starting to bug me.  We have had snow and ice for more days in the last 40 then we've had in the previous 1200.

I swam 1,700 yesterday morning and 4,300 yesterday evening for no particular reason.

It is cold out.

That is all.

World travels

This morning Bri reminded me that exactly five years ago, we jumped on a big jet plane and started our Trippin06 World Tour - The Year of Living Strangerously.   We had a great time, many fine adventures, met new people in exotic lands (didn't have to kill them), and just generally lived it up.  You can read about it here.

We hope to do it again sometime.  In the meantime, we'll settle for a bike tour or something similar every summer.  Maybe just not quite this scenic.