Thursday, August 28, 2008

Some late night fun...



A friend informed me of a free "photoshop" type program on the web so I've been playing with that for awhile. Heres a sample of what I've been doing..

Enjoy :)

_Jacob_




Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Floatin' on through the last first day of school....

Soooooo.. Lets hope today was my last first day of undergrad! Hahaha. I can only hope this is my last year. I'm seriously ready to graduate. If weren't aware already school started today. Boo. Shouldn't be too tough. Classes are MWF, 0900-1350, and I get an hr break from 1200-1300 so I'm going to be able to swim 45mins every MWF, plus I'll also be swimming tuesday and thursdays nights still in Mansfield. Ill be able to get my long 3500yrd + swims in then.

Had some amazing workouts this past week. Had a rough day right in the middle where I didnt feel like doing ANYthing... so what did I do? NOTHING! Took a day off and adjusted some workouts. Still got my 12mile run in on Saturday. I did a 30min WU ride right before it and really felt good when I started the run. For me it definitly helps to get me moving if I ride the bike for a few minutes.

Sunday I had a 6hr ride planned w/ a 1hr run. Towards the end of the ride I realized I was a bit behind schedule so I really dropped the hammer and was still feeling good. Wasn't really feeling up to the run so I rode an extra 30mins and cut the run down to 30mins. So in the end I ended up riding 126 miles w/ a 4mile run @ a 7:20/m pace. The run felt better the farther I got into it. Happy to have that one under my belt :)

This is another build week then I'll recover next week. After that its 3more weeks of building w/ a 2 week taper. Its unbelievable to think how fast the time has gone by. Out of all my training periods for IMs this one has definitly been my favorite. I've tried a few new things this time and most of them have worked out. The final test will be the two week taper.

Just wanted to give a little update! Back to work and finishing up school stuff...

Heres a little video that fits the mood :)

_Jacob_

Friday, August 22, 2008

Pikes Peak Race Report!!

Heres the link to my race report for Pikes Peak! Its a bit lengthy in parts and has tons of typos! (was also written at 2am) Enjoy!!

CLICK HERE to check it out!

_Jacob_

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Pikes Peak Ascent 2008

Oh man. What can I say? I survived the Pikes Peak Ascent. By far the craziest, and hardest thing I've ever done including Ironmans. Maybe it wasnt the course, but the conditions that made this race a life changing experience for me. At the start (6,200ft above sea level) it was about 52 degrees and raining. By the time I was at the top, 3hrs and 18minutes later it was 29-32 degrees, sleeting/snowing, and the winds were 30+mph. I was wearing running shorts, a long sleeve tech shirt, and my newton cap. Unprepared would be an understatement. None the less I had the time of my life. When I registered for this race I was looking for a challenge. I got a challenge and so much more. I pushed beyond where I thought I could. Once past mile 10 around 11,000 ft the trees stop growing. The last 5K took me 1hr and 1min. Lets just say i've run a flat 5K in 17mins. This was just downright amazing. Even though I was walking each step was a challenge. Stepping on and over boulders that were coated w/ sleet added to the challenge. I'll stop with that, because I want to leave some suprises for the race report, but let me say this. Crossing the finish line for that race at 14,211 ft above sea level was the best feeling yet, and helped me realize mentally what I'm capable of.

Other than that I've been awesome. My Kona training is going so smoothly. I'm getting in all the training I want and I'm right on schedule. I've already gotten in two 115 mile rides, one w/ an 4mile run and the second w/ a 1hr 8 mile run around a 7:20/m pace. I still have 4 more 115 mile rides planned so hopefully I can keep up the cycling and stay on track.

After Lake Stevens this year I took it upon myself to lose about 10lbs. Well since then I've lost btwn 5-8lbs and I'm really seeing a difference. In my cycling for sure, but most of all in my runs. I'm easily running a 7:15/m pace on a regular basis. Sub 7min miles are really starting to feel good. I've REALLY started monitoring what goes into my body a lot closer. The closer I get to Kona the more I'll increase my calories. Once I get down to about 9lbs-10lbs from where I was I'll increase those calories and see if I can maintain that weight.

School starts Monday and I'm definitly not as excited as I'd like to be but it should add some structure to my weeks, plus help me get back on track w/ my swimming. The weeks that i'm training for Kona are going to be tough but it'll all pay off when I cross that finish line. (hopefully sub 10!!!)

Lastly I've started contimplating the Virginia Double Iron for next year. If it wasnt for possibly Kona qualifying again next year I'd already totally commit but as of right now I cant say that I wouldnt take my Kona slot if I get it for sure. I may pay the fees for the double and if I Kona qualify just withdraw... Odd thing is.. The double Iron is less than a WTC ironman. FIGURES. Speaking of the WTC...... guess I'll save that rant for another day!

Hope everyone is doing well! Enjoy these pics from the Pikes Peak Ascent. If you want to see the rest just click on the link on the right of the page w/ my picture. It says "pictures" underneath!

_Jacob_