Warm Up: 300 yards
10x50's (10 sec rest): 52.86, 55.93, 57.33, 56.25, 55.26, 58.57, 55.44, 51.97, 56.16, 50.85
Cool Down: 200 yards
Total: 800+ yards

My times were pretty good today.

This weeks average time: 55.06
10/17 average time: 53.81
10/10 average time: 58.05

I met another triathlete today. This gentleman was from Switzerland. He was here visiting family. He is surly dedicated to come such a distance and still work out.

I went on a long run today. I was starting to wonder if I should change the workout and run less. I decided to run 55 min; like planned. My total time was 52:34. I had a pretty good run. I woke up extra early because I had many thing planned. I am very thankful that I bought my gloves and ear warmers. They are working wonders.

I rode with the Bicycle Village group today. I went 1:45:25 total. I broke from the group because 2 1/2 hours was too much. I also went to the Velo Swap today. I got a new racing jersey, Shoe warmers, 6 pairs of socks and a few other things. I did pretty well. The socks were cheap!!

Woops. I slept in and didn't go swimming today. Day off.

Day off!

Today was my first official ride on my new bike. I was making really good time. My goal was to ride for 70 minutes. I have improved many things since my last ride.

1. New Bike
2. Gloves
3. Ear warmers
4. More sleep
5. In better shape

These are several reasons why I improved my time. I finished about 10 min faster than last weeks ride. I had more time to spend on the bike so I started a second loop around Cherry Creek Reservoir. I only made it part way, then I turned around. I saw several deer along the way. Some were even jumping. I came so close to them. I am glad there were no wrecks.

I fell for the first time on my bike. First ride and first fall. Yikes. I only fall when I am still. Go figure. I have clippless shoes and it can be difficult to get them on/off quick enough. I will then loose my balance and head straight to the ground. I was ok and the bike was ok too. I didn't see any major scratches.

After my 75 min ride, I ran straight inside and changed shoes and put on a hat. I was off again! I ran for about 12 min. I saw Nicole and Pazu along my run. I said "hi" and talked for a short period. I kissed Nicole bye and started running again. What a wonderful run!

Bike: 1:16:22 (18.25 miles)
Transition: 2.49 (some was running)
Run: 11:46
Total: 1:30:57

I can't believe it's week #3 of 12. I am feeling pretty good. Today's swim was pretty good. I have added a little more distance.

Warm Up: 300 yards
8x100's (15 sec rest): 2.02, 2.11, 2.17, 2.13, 2.11, 2.09, 2.07, 2.03
Cool Down: 150 yards
Total: 1,250 yards

I did well on the 100's today. I am pretty consistent with times. I have been watching a few videos and reading some material. I think this will really help with my swimming. I want to focus on technique.

• Triathlon swimming made easy...by Terry Laughlin (book)
• Freestyle made easy [videorecording] / Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin
• Happy laps [videorecording] / Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin
• Open water swimming [videorecording] : skills, techniques & racing tips / [presented by Michael Collins and Gerry Rodrigues].

I got up early this morning to swim.

Warm Up: 300 yards
5x100's (15 sec rest): 2.04, 2.11, 2.11, 2.14, 2.05
Cool Down: 200 yards
Total: 1,000 yards

I stayed up late last night watching the Ironman Championships in Kona, Hawaii. I only got to see everyone finish. I staired at the computer on and off for hours.

When I woke up I put on my running gear and went out. My new shoes were nice! I ran 5 miles in 44.55. It was slower than what I am used to, but it was at a consitant pace. My goal today was to run for 45 minutes.

It snowed again last night so I was unable to ride the bike in the morning. Instead I went to the City's gym and ride the bike. I wanted to ride for at least an hour. I only got 45 minutes. I rode on the bike for 11.5 miles.

I am glad that I only rode for 45 min. Today was a big day. I was my new shoes and bike today.

Shoes:
Mizuno "Wave Alchemy"
I went to Runners Roost to get custom fit into shoes.
I am getting pretty serious about this race!! I am not too familiar with Mizuno shoes but they feel good. They have a carbon rubber outsole, so this will help the shoes last longer. I will run with them on Sunday.

Specialized "Sport Road"
These are pretty neat road bike shoes. I was originally introduced to the road/mountain bike clipless shoes, but I was told to get just road bike shoes. I was glad I did this.

Bike: Trek 1500
This bike has an Alpha SLR aluminum frame and Bontrager carbon fork. My size is 56cm. I bought this bike at Bicycle Village today. I am not used to the 27-speed Shimano drivetrain, but a little practice will make me ride it perfectly. I took it for a long test ride which caught me up to 1 hour and 15 minute bike ride today. I was custom fit into the Trek 1500. They checked for balance, posture and other things. I did get Shimano clipless pedals put on. It took another 45 minutes to get the custom fit. I can't wait to ride it again. Let me know if you want more details!

I got up pretty early this morning (5:10am). When I finally made it to the pool, I had more time. Today was endurance.

Warm Up: 300 yards
Endurance swim: 500m 12.23 (Better than last week!!)
Cool Down: 200 yards
Total: 1,000 yards

During my warm up and cool down I practiced with a body board and fins. The fins were too big so I will try a smaller size next time. Utah Pool has these available to borrow.

Day off!!

It was too cold this morning to ride my bike outside. Plus there was too much snow! I went to the City of Aurora employee gym instead. I rode the bike for 60 minutes. Afterwards I did some "rope cord" stretches . This will help with my swimming techniques.

I overslept this morning. Getting up can be really hard when the weathers starts to turn. Instead, I went to Utah Pool during my lunch break. It was strange going to the pool when it's snowing outside. It didn't feel like I had much time today, but its better than nothing.

Warm Up: 300 yards + 10 side swim drills (5 on each side)
10x50's (10 sec rest): 48.64, 49.12, 53.54, 58.12, 58.42, 56.36, 53.66, 54.47, 54.21, 51.57,
Cool Down: 200 yards
Total: 800+ yards

My times were awesome today. I think I had my best 50m swim ever!! Comparing last weeks times, I did much better.
This weeks average time: 53.81
Last weeks average time: 58.05

I ran this morning to make up for my day off yesterday. It was about 44 degrees outside this morning. I almost felt like I was sleep walking/running. I ran 4 miles in 35 minutes. I didn't push myself too hard today.

I had my triahtlon training class tonight. I learned many new stretches to utilize throughout the week. It was a small group tonight, but it made the swim so much better. I really enjoy one on one training. We mostly did drills tonight. The workout was: 4x25, 2x50, 1x100. My 100m time was 1.50.23. I was pretty happy with this time.

Day Off! I took a nap instead.

I waited till this afternoon to ride my bike. I wanted to make sure the sun was out and shining. I went to the Cherry Creek State Park, but I took a different path today. I went to the Cherry Creek Trail headed towards LoDo. I didn't make it that far today, but I will slowly inch my way. I finished the ride in 1:01. I went a little farther than my training schedule, but I felt good. There were many riders out today.

The purpose of today's swim is endurance.

Warm Up: 300 yards
Endurance swim: 500m 12.38.62
Cool Down: 200 yards
Total: 1,000 yards

Day Off!

Today I decided to bike outside in the morning around 6am. It was very cold. The temp was around 30-40 degrees. I rode my bike around Cherry Creek State Park. My time was 59.32. It was a little slower than normal.

I woke up early once again. I went to a different pool today. I did my workouts at the Utah Pool in Aurora, CO. The Swim Masters group meets at this location. The pool is measure in meters rather than yards.

Warm Up: 300 yards
10x50's (10 sec rest): 52.62, 58.37, 58.28, 58.00, 59.73, 1.01.90, 1.00.32, 58.54, 56.99, 55.79
Cool Down: 200 yards
Total: 1,000 yards

My swim was very consistent today and I was very satisfied. I will continue my swim workouts at Utah Pool.

Starting today, I will train for 12 weeks. This time will be my pre-training. Starting January 1st, 2007 I will start my official training over a period of 20 weeks. The time allotted should be enough to get me in good shape.

I did my swim at the Beck Rec Center in Aurora, CO. Because I am a city employee Aurora, I get in at no cost. This will make my training much easier. I will work out at 3 different facilities. I will try to keep track of all my times for the workouts. I will exclude the time for warm ups and cool downs.
Today was swimming:
Warm Up: 300 yards
5x100's (15 sec rest): 2.05, 2.17, 2.10, 2.12, 2.10
Cool Down: 200 yards
Total: 1,000 yards

The triathlon class went well. The group ran to warmup. We learned new stetches and warmups. We then did bricks. The bricks consisted of biking for 5-10 mintues. After the bike, we got off and ran a lap or two around the track. I pushed it extremely hard. I felt great afterwards.

Today was a long run. I do many of my long runs with the Rocky Mountain Road Runners (RMRR). I run with the club usually once a month. Today was the 8 mile Trophy Series race. It was a warm day and my first day back since the marathon. It was a long run. The miles were off today so it was a mental game. Those who has GPS trackers didn't have any difficulty. Nicole supported me today and cheered me on at the finish line.

Distance: 8 miles
Time: 1:04:55
Average Per mile: 8:07

Training Log

I am preparing to complete a half-ironman. I have chosen the half-ironman in Orlando, FL on May 20, 2007. I will have a 12 week workout schedule during my preparation training period. Starting January 1st, 2007 I will have 20 additional weeks to train. During this phase, my schedule will consist of a base period, build period, peak period and race period. This will give adequate training time to complete the race.

For those of you who don't know much about triathlons and ironmans here are the distances for the half-ironman

Swim: 1.2 miles
Bike: 56 miles
Run: 13.1 miles

Visit my website at www.ericole.com/whatsnew.htm. On the site, there is a listing of the recent marathon and triathlon that I completed in 2006.

I will keep a journal to record my progress. I will track distance, time, and workouts for each event during the week. Let me know if you have any comments or questions. Thank you for all your support!

Florida Half-Ironman
http://www.floridahalfironman.com/

Eric