It's you... Not Me

Me and my ugly shoes* (Adidias a3 Gigaride) went for a stroll today... 1.15 mi. in 10 min. I feel like a sack. When I finished off last season after running the first triathlon I had ever done, I felt great. I was getting to the point where four miles wasn't a big deal (four miles outdoors, not on a treadmill - big difference). The last running session I remember was late November in the rain. It was awesome. I got in the groove listening to some Paul van Dyk (I think somewhere on the album Global, but I'm not sure) and made it up a hill on Old 89 that is a complete enemy of mine (it starts well enough, but suddenly becomes a 35% incline for about 100 meters) and didn't even have to stop. Usually I would stop Today, the same song came on and I sped up... only to slow down shortly thereafter. I hope running is like riding a bike. If I have to work as hard as I did to get to the point I left off, I'm going to be really mad at myself. A lot has happened in the past few months that has soaked the motivation out of me. Most importantly, I miss swimming. I thought that problem would be abated, but I just found out from J that the high school pool (which we thought we would be able to use twice a week) is now under renovation work and won't be open well after the point where we really need to start swimming again.

Even though I doubt anyone out there cares, I'm going to try keeping track of progress here. This season, J and I expect to try doing the Olympic triathlon - a step above the sprint. My goal is to do an Ironman before I'm 38 (within 10 years). Right now, I'm not enthused by the thought, but its a goal that I think is realistic.
Here's to tomorrow...

*I have three different pairs of training and competition shoes right now. The Adidas above are by far the ugliest, but as my weight continues to hover at the 195 lbs. mark, they are great at that weight. My all time favorite shoes, however, are a pair of Nike Air Pegasus. I can't believe I found them in the right size (I have hated Nike for years because of how narrow they run). Once I did, I fell in love. If one were to ask why I run in the Adidas shoes, my answer would be is structure and difference. I like having two different types of shoes to vary running style. I like to tinker with my pace and an easy way to do so is with two different style shoes.

One thing that I dislike more than anything is a literal pain in the ass. Weeellll, I got one of those. This week J and I officially started this year's tri training for 2006 and on Wednesday, I went for my first long bike ride in a few months. Instead of doing the smart thing and use a bike (like my mountain bike) that has a relatively well padded seat, I trained on the road bike (pictured above) that has a nice, super duper, super slender seat/saddle.... and I didn't wear padded shorts.... and I did twice the milage planned ('cause I was feeling good). And now I'm paying the price. I woke up on Thursday with a sore rear end. Today (Saturday), I was supposed to meet a group for training at 6:30 and missed my alarm. J called and I finally woke up. I raced to get ready but realized that they would be well done with the run by the time I got to the gym. So, I thought, J and I wanted to work out (lift weights, work out) afterwards, and a good makeup would have been to ride my bike into town to the gym and I'd probably get there by the time he got back with the group. I hopped on the bike, started up our hill and realized that I'd never make it. Not because I was out of energy, but because my ass hurt... How embarrassing... I rode right back down the and back into the garage. (Who saw me and what would the think...?) Not wanting to waste the beautiful morning or come up with yet another excuse as to why I shouldn't train, I got the running shoes on and did a three mile run. It was great and sucked all at the same time. It is really disappointing realizing that all of the gains from last year are going to take a few weeks to get back. At least I did something, though, so I feel good about that. At this point, though, the Olympic tri is looking a little further off than planned, but we have started to actually train, so that's worth something.

you eat too much. Yes, it is that simple.
Training has been going really well. Two weeks ago, I decided that although I'm only going for the Sprint distance at the Lake Geneva Extreme Sports Delavan Lake Triathlon (say that ten times fast), I thought I would move up to the Olympic level so that I could prepare myself better for one of the July triathlons that I plan on attending. That lasted a week. The training for running and swimming isn't all that bad. Basically, instead of running 2 mi. twice a week and then 3 mi. on the weekend, it would be 4 mi. twice a week and 5 mi. on the weekend (eventually moving to six or seven mi. on the weekend). Swimming required roughly 1/3 more laps in the pool - not too bad considering I am not even close to following the distance schedule (I'm either way over or under on any given day) because I'm trying to dramatically improve my technique in hopes of simply getting faster because of swimming more efficiently (and not spending so much of my energy fighting my own body). The bike training was where I had to throw in the towel. I can do 20 mi. in around an hour (not going all out and giving myself some extra time for either a strong headwind or technique training), but when you get to the 25-30 mi. per session range (which the Olympic training requires), it becomes too long on those days where I have doubles (swimming in the morning and riding at night). So, I've decided to split the difference (somewhat) and try for the distances, but not beat myself up if my schedule didn't permit or my body.
Regardless of this revelation, though, I'm having a hell of a time because I simply feel like I weigh too much. This is more psychological than physical because I was heavier last year and it didn't seem to bother me as much. But now that I've decided to give up the weightlifting/bodybuilding bulk, running with 200 lbs on my frame is simply too much. After the training began, I expected to see a difference in weight within two weeks, but my appetite is simply not letting me get there. The fact is that regardless of how much my mind says I need the food, it is obvious I'm eating too much and won't be able to really see some training differences until another 10 lbs comes off (my goal for the season is between 15 & 20 lbs. by September and then hover around the 180 lbs mark until I decide to do something beyond the Olympic triathlon). I'm amazed at how many excuses we (I'm including myself) come up with when complaining about weighing too much, but not doing enough about it. I have a stressful job and I guess that is one of my excuses for liking the food - but it is just that, an excuse.
So, here's to slowly cutting some more calories out of the diet and dropping 5 more pounds before June. We'll see.

Swimming without the aid of gills is a royal pain in the ass. I'm struggling with breathing and stroke patterns in the water and it is frustrating me from a number of angles. Once I finally feel like I have a breathing pattern going that allows me to swim efficiently, I simply run out of air. There is a technique I'm trying to train with to increase my ability to go for more strokes without breathing - three strokes, breath; five strokes, breath; nine strokes, breath. By the end I feel like quitting. I also was trying to go five strokes, breath, but couldn't do that for more than 50 yards. I feigned taking lessons for anything sports related when I was young. I thought I was too good, or that I already had the experience necessary so that training was simply a waste of time. Between my recent business experiences and little ones I'm learning in the pool, on the sidewalk and on the bike, I'm really starting to realize that coaches are a good thing and that doing it right takes the help of a master. This is a paradigm for me. I always thought that coaches/teachers helped those who couldn't figure things out on their own (outside of mastering a difficult discipline in a short amount of time, like physics or biology), but that is so very naive that I can't believe it came from my own mind.
I wish I had learned to swim from a swimmer as a child. If I had, I wouldn't be fighting my own body in the water. Instead, I'd be able to focus on fighting or competing against those next to me.

I decided to wait before starting up my little training diary again because last time I did that, the desire and drive fizzled like never before. As of this evening (Merry Christmas, by the way!), I have three days of basic training under my belt. Two days of running, one day of elliptical work and two days of combined weight lifting. Over a year and a half ago, when I first became acquainted with triathlon training, I basically gave up weight lifting. I had been lifting (I don't like calling it bodybuilding because I never did steroids, nor did I ever have the courage to compete - so I just called it lifting - but it was with a definite bodybuilding bent) on and off for over 12 years. My ewige partner has always been Josh. He's the only one I felt most comfortable lifting with because we approached things in a similar manner and (the most important), when I was down, he was up, and vice versa. It always made the days where I didn't want to do anything bearable. But, as I have gotten older, the idea of putting on more weight and being sore more often than not left my desire on a slow, but steady waning slope. Josh then mentioned the idea of doing something quite different, and perhaps, even competitively, and I was hooked.
I somehow hit a serious mental block this year, though, after the triathlon in June. I lost all motivation to do anything sports related. So, I simply stopped.
Around October, I started to notice my midsection grow and other parts of my body shrink. I figured, what the hell, all I need to do is eat less. I'm active enough to keep from continually gaining weight. I was only partially right. While I didn't necessarily gain more weight, my strength continued to fall and mentally I wasn't where I wanted to be. There were rare times of physical exertion and every evening after, I thought of how great I felt. Boy, I really need to get into the gym again. And the voice in the back of my head would respond, for what? I didn't have an answer, because frankly, I didn't really care at that point.
Come December (2006), something changed and I started to actually want to do something physical. But, because the time of year and where we live, there really wasn't much I could or wanted to do outside. The desire started growing again, though, to pick up a few dumbbells and maybe jog a few miles.
By the time Steph and I left for Germany, I was ready to hop in the saddle again. I was nervous, though, what the last six months had done to my body and whether or not I would mentally even keep up with it after running or going to the gym the first time.
Now that I have a few days behind me, I know that the desire is back and the realization of what time without activity does to my body and mind is not something I want to feel again. I know they're will be ups and downs, but for the first time since I first picked up a set of weights, I feel like there's good reason and real motivation to continue.
So, perhaps there will be more entries in the category of training{tri} again.

Can Do:
2-3 mi run at 6.5 mi/hr.

Can't Do:
much weight (for lifting), period...

Kyra (our Rottie):
Run further, longer and faster than me. That's sad.

Not that I'm against fads altogether - I've partaken in my share of them - but this is one I can agree to disagree with. After passing the 10 mile mark since starting my {tri}training all over again, I came across the following article in the Wall Street Journal Online: Baring Their Soles: Pain Doesn't Defeat Unshod Marathoners (you must pay to read) and laughed when I finished reading it.

The gist of the story is that a number of hard core marathoners are shunning their shoes and running barefoot because they believe it is better for them and will improve their running times. The argument is that shoes may be the cause of weakening of foot muscles and (potentially) long term injuries (only one is cited: plantar fasciitis). I have seen this type of argument used before - in particular with weightlifting and the use of a weight belt. People do, indeed, overuse support belts, etc. to the point where never really "teach" their supporting muscles how to deal with the stress of a given activity or workout. (If you've ever been consistent with any type of sports activity and gone for a long period of time before starting again, you'll notice that it's all the muscles you didn't know you had that cause the pain and not necessarily the larger muscle groups. While not a scientific statement by any stretch of the imagination, this is a possible example of what I am referring to above.)
Having sold shoes for a good number of my teen years, though, I don't buy the argument that some of the runners are using for going barefoot - i.e. that shoes cause more damage than provide protection. I don't have anything against anyone who wants to try to learn to run barefoot, but I do think it is a stretch to make the statement that we would be better off running barefoot.

"A lot of this shoe support stuff just makes your foot lazy and puts your foot muscles to sleep," says Dr. Irene Davis, a biomechanics researcher and director of the University of Delaware's Running Injury Clinic.

The issue of mechanics is mentioned a few times and I don't necessarily agree with that side of argument either. If people are taking the time to find a pair of shoes that fits their running style, weight and training style/plan, it is hard to believe that they will cause themselves harm over the long term. Like tools in a workshop, the right tool for the job is essential.
If you took a softie like me and pushed me out onto the streets to run barefoot, I'd never run again. Having burned the hell out of my foot once with a cigarette butt, I am well aware of the risks involved in going barefoot (something I do often at home and in areas that permit) and prefer to keep something between my feet and the ground.

I tested the theory that less is more at a time I had been running regularly by buying a pair of the Nike Frees (also mentioned in the article as an example of a shoe or slipper designed to help people wishing to eventually go barefoot).

I was not happy when I returned home. Firstly, the run I went on was on solid concrete and a distance that simply was too far to go the first time out in a pair of shoes like those. Secondly, my knees ached for hours and my back was sore the next day. Perhaps my experience was the extreme, but I learned an important lesson: use the right tool for the job (say it ten times). I was neither ready for the distance I went in those shoes, nor did I pay attention to the way I ran so as to minimize any damage I did to myself. I can only imagine the following happening to me:

Paul Keeley, a U.S. Marine at the South Carolina Military School, wants to run the Boston Marathon unshod next year. Last summer, he began training by pounding the streets of Charleston, S.C., in combat boots, hoping to nurture some preliminary calluses. He took off the boots this fall but soon landed on a surgeon's table for an abscess in his middle toe that required draining. Mr. Keeley, 18, says his calluses had hardened so well that he felt no pain when a pine needle or some other sharp object penetrated his skin and worked its way to the bone. He says he's still on track with his barefoot-in-Boston plan.

While not completely against this latest fad, I would personally caution anyone thinking that running barefoot makes you a better person. I can see doing it when the timing is right and the environment sensible (try running barefoot in the middle of winter in Wisconsin). The article ends with a quote with which I could not agree more:

Not all runners are barefoot believers. "I'm sticking to my Asics Tigers," says Neil Murphy, a New York attorney who tried running without shoes through the streets of Brooklyn earlier this year after a friend recommended it. A barrage of nicks, cuts and bruises led him to declare recently, "Humans are too far up the evolutionary chain to be trying this kind of stuff."

via Baring Their Soles: Pain Doesn't Defeat Unshod Marathoners - WSJ.com

When I first visited Matt up in St. Paul, he was going through showing me his bikes that he used for triathlon training and general bike riding. On the floor, I saw a set of three rollers mounted on two rails and asked him what it was.
"Oh, that's a Kreitler trainer. I do indoor bike training on it... Here, let me show you how it works."
So, he gets on the trainer and starts riding away - gently balancing the bike on the three rollers without any supports. I couldn't believe it. "How the hell do you develop the balance to do that?," I thought to myself.
But, onto other topics we went and I didn't think much of it until about a month ago. My biggest challenge with road bike riding is increasing cadence without sacrificing balance. Whenever I would race much beyond 25 mph in the lowest gear my rear would bounce around on the saddle and send me out of control. Perhaps the bike is slightly off-sized for my frame, but more importantly, I have a hard time controlling my body in the sense that the faster my legs pump the pedals, the less control I have over balance. When I thought about getting back into training, I wanted to take advantage of the fact it is winter to work on increasing my cadence without losing my balance and the Kreitler came to mind.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any local dealers who carried the Kreitler brand, but our local Janesville shop carried Minoura Action Mag branded rollers. Frankly, I didn't care. I have no idea what the difference is between the brands and the web really offered no help. Until I have the chance to test two or more, I still couldn't tell you which one is better and for what reason.

Today I was finally able to level the base and try my hand at the "roller effect." In a word: awesome. Once you get over the fear of weaving off the rollers (and realize the faster you pedal, the more balanced you will feel), you can concentrate on the things for which the rollers are good - a training platform for balance (and subsequently higher cadence for me).
I don't expect miracles to happen because of using the rollers, but at least there's something I can do with my favorite bike when the weather won't assist.

DJ Steveboy over at djsteveboy.com is one of the reasons why I was even able to make it through last week's battle runs. One of the most difficult things about getting back into the workout groove is that life's small interruptions - like a trip or vacation - can throw your workout schedule for a loop. My issue with interruptions in working out is simple: once I get into the grove of going to work out every or every other day, I really don't want to stop because if I do, that usually means missing more than just a few workouts. I really needed every helper I could get my hands on to stay consistent while trying to enjoy some R&R.
So, before the trip to Aruba, I told myself that I'd have to see through actually getting in some workouts - regardless of how good or poor the hotel workout facilities were. Well, the facilities at Hyatt Aruba were nothing to write home about. In fact, for how much it costs to stay there, I would have been embarrassed to call it a workout room. Regardless, the one thing I learned with tri-training is that you don't need a workout room to keep up the pace. A pair of running shoes is really all that is required. In the case of Aruba, there was also the luxury of swimming, which is something I'm not readily able to do here at home (because of the weather and lack of places one can do decent laps). So, I had two things that I knew would be possible to do and thus had no excuse not to. Plus, being the ever-so-addicted tech geek, I wanted to get some use out of my Forerunner 305 I had bought late last year.
The day we arrived, I decided that since weather wasn't a factor, I should get started with a bang and go for a run. I brought an older iPod Nano that I pack with running-only music - primarily techno, trance and/or fast rhythm music with little lyrics. Because I'm not used to running in any type of heat at this time, I hit my first wall at around mile one. My mind started saying things like, c'mon... we don't really need to go that far. Calculations of calories burned floated through my head in ridiculous fashion. But, suddenly the iPod switched to the next track, which just so happened to be a Podrunner episode that ran about 150 beats a min. For whatever reason, it was all I needed to plow ahead. I got past the two mile mark and decided to go for three and made it (with a little walking).

I know from training last year, how helpful the right music can be for a given workout, but this is one of those cases where I probably wouldn't have gone much more than a mile without the mental boost (obviously my body was capable because the next day I was fine). There is one run that I went on and used a 170 beat per minute episode to really push through. It got me a full 2+ miles up the coast and gave me a view of the beach and ocean that I won't soon forget. In the end, that run was about 4 1/2 miles and was one of the longest training runs I've ever been on (I think I've made it past five miles on only a handful of occasions).

So, if you're out there, searching for music to actually use as a training tool, then I highly recommend Podrunner. It helps you set a consistent pace and provides an upbeat rhythm to keep you going.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love coffee. It isn't the caffein, it isn't a crutch per se for getting up; it's the taste. There are only two drinks I could enjoy any time of day, regardless of situation: coffee and red wine. (Don't take that the wrong way, I've never had red wine in the morning, that I remember.) So, as part of my normal habit, on the weekends, I'll brew a few espresso drinks during the day because I'm home and I have the time. My normal during the week routine is to make a double or triple espresso drink in the morning and not have any more during the day. Usually, Josh and I have already worked out before coffee even comes into question, so I rarely deal with training after having had coffee. Yesterday, however, we missed our morning session and decided to hit the gym around 1:30 in the afternoon. By that time, I had already had two or three coffee based drinks and hadn't thought much of it. I hadn't been on the treadmill for more than 15 minutes since Wednesday, so I told him that I wanted to spend a good half hour running.
Thinking that I'd be able to do around 3 1/2 mi. in under 30 min. I decided to push it a bit. I started at the normal 6 1/2 mi/hr pace and got my heart rate into my normal 170 zone. After eight minutes, I usually start pushing the pace up in 1/2 to 3/4 mi/hr increments. So, I went up to 7 1/4 mi/hr. My heart rate went up like it normally does. Usually, I hit 180-182 and then it slowly goes back down to the mid 170's (now, if I were really in shape, I'd be able to nock a good 10 bpm off those numbers). This time, it hit 180, stayed there and then went up to 185. I struggled to change my stride and/or relax to reduce the heart rate. I can only go with my heart pumping at 185 for so long. I hit the wall somewhere at the 1.2 mi mark and lowered my pace to 3 mi/hr to reduce my heart rate to reset. Usually, if I can't get my heart rate down through relaxing or changing my stride, I'll go down to walking pace and reboot. I reduced my heart rate to 140 and started over with 6 1/2 mi/hr. After going through my startup routine again, I tried to push my pace above 7 mi/hr. Wham... again, 185. I was starting to get pissed. How the heck did I go from being able to drive away at 7.7 mi/hr last time, for over 10 min., and now I can't get more than a minute at 7 mi/hr without my heart going to the top end of my zone? I ended up going through the same routine above again before finally walking when I hit 3.2 mi. and then blasted away for .2 more mi. at 7.7 mi/hr until I hit 3.5 mi. I was dead when I got done, though, and couldn't understand why.
During the second part of yesterday's workout, I was telling Josh about it and he asked if I had any caffein... What? My mind started connecting the dots. Normally, when I go running, either I haven't had any coffee or it has been a few hours since. This time, I had a cup almost right before going to the gym. He mentioned that many people's heart rates are affected by 10-15 bpm by caffein. While they won't necessarily notice it during a normal day's routine, running really brings out the difference. It certainly did for me... I thought, though, that maybe it was simply a fluke and to test the idea, I decided to push it harder than I normally would when we went in this morning. I didn't run because I just did legs yesterday and I was somewhat sore, but I got on an elliptical machine and went through a routine I'm very familiar with and pushed it a few notches harder than I normally do. My heart rate never went over 170. (I know the results from running would have been slightly different, but not much.) So, there we have it. I can't drink much coffee before hitting the treadmill. It almost ruined yesterday's workout because I wanted to give up after a mile, but luckily it didn't go that far.
So, my advice (at least to myself) is to watch the caffein before an aerobic workout. I won't be doing that again.

I rarely give in to the idea that I'd like to live where it is warm most of the year. The fact is that I don't care much for weather over the 65°F mark (18°C). I don't like shorts and I don't like sweating - which I do the moment I start moving around with my normal t-shirt and jeans routine when it's above that temperature. The one thing I miss, however, in the winter is swimming. Since I began to actually learn how to swim two years ago, I have started to truly enjoy my time in the water. I get frustrated now and again when I realize my form is way off, but there is nothing like a 30-45 min. swim to make a day.
Joi's At peace with the water post made me yearn for the warmer weather days where Lake Geneva unthaws and Josh and I can start training (albeit inconsistently) again.
Otherwise, snow = :) , hot sun = :(

So, J and I have made the commitment to two triathlons (actually, J has signed up for three, but I can't make the first because I'm going to be out of town at a wedding) and we've been training pretty consistently for the past three weeks. I could shoot myself for not doing anything during the month of March and most of April. Training and consistency of said training are absolutely key to being successful at something like a triathlon (where your body is truly challenged by the combination of the three disciplines) and even if you're not worried about success in the sense of a quick finish, the physical punishment of a lax training program creates the mental stress woulda', coulda', shoulda' been easier had you trained a bit more. As of today, the runs, bike rides and swims are going ok, but I'm still struggling with timing and pace on the runs. While I like running outside more than anything, because of my schedule, I've been forced to use the treadmill the past two runs and can't believe how much difficulty I had making it to the 5k mark. I know my 195lbs aren't helping any, but in many ways, a treadmill should make distance running easier (because of the controlled environment). In reality, it doesn't. Besides the physical endurance issues (which really isn't an issue if you don't care about your finish times and you just pace yourself), the brutal fact of the longer triathlons (the longest I'm training for this year is the Olympic distance) is the little fights that go on in your head as to whether or not you can make it and if you should simply stop - at least that is the conversation I have with myself at the beginning of every bike ride and near the middle of every run.
Later this weekend, I'm hoping to post some of the routes we've been riding using a piece of software I've fallen for: TrailRunner. The software is nothing short of stellar and makes tracking the runs and bike rides a breeze. I've been having issues with my heart and cadence monitor on my bike, so some of the entries aren't too helpful, as they don't show heart rates and averages, but it still is nice to see where we're actually going since we don't necessarily know before we hit the road.
My first tri is in just under four weeks. Here's to hoping for the best.

Technorati Tags: training, triathlon

The last week of training for J and I has been going pretty well. I did hit a wall on Monday, though, where I tried out the first dual session - a run and bike combined in the morning. The day before, I spent about 30 minutes out on our trails at home stomping around on the Giant mountain bike I got (along with Steph's) earlier this year.* I then went on the longest run of the season with Kyra - 4.5 mi. It also happened to be the best run I've been on since first starting to train for sprint triathlons two years ago. Kyra turned out to be a great pace partner, as I spent much less time looking at my watch to see my pace than I did simply concentrating on the road and enjoying the time outside with the dog.
The two sessions combined, however, took their toll on Monday and I finally understood what it meant to train on stale legs. While the run and bike with J went well, I was missing the overall strength and stamina that I'm used to when going on any bike ride. The first time I noticed what was going to plague me for the rest of the ride was on Damn Road, just past a landscaping nursery (whose owners I know), there is a major hill that I always struggle with and yet usually have some energy left when I get to the top. This time, about 1/3 short of the top, I almost had to stop. Besides not knowing the right gear points for the Kuota that J and I are training on, I was simply working on dead legs. The run had gone ok, but we only ran 2 miles - one or so short of our normal course at this time - so, I thought things would be easier.
By the time Tuesday rolled around, I was spent and didn't get up in the morning. (Today, because of work and traveling, I simply haven't done anything - yet - I hope that when we land in Portland that I'll have enough energy to at least go out for a run.) So, that was my first true experience with stale legs. Even when we trained hard for the Lake Geneva triathlon two years ago, I never had the same experience. Friday and Saturday, my aim is to run 5+ miles (for the very first time) after getting a swim session in at a YMCA near the hotel where we're staying), so Sunday will be a test to see what it is in my training that actually contributes to stale legs, whether running or biking. Because I won't have the chance to bike, the test will show how much of an impact long-ish distance running has on my next-day training.
...fascinating how the body adapts and learns...

* We've been slowly, progressively making headway on widening certain trails that have become overgrown and others that are new. My goal is to have around 2 miles of trails on the property we own and share with my parents in the next five years. I had my Garmin 301 (GPS trainer) running on the ride and found that a full round on the first 22 acres is about .45 miles. That isn't covering the entire edge of the property, so if you add in all of the miscellaneous crisscrossing trails, we should have more than a mile already. This year we started on the next major phase of the project intended to place trails on the other 27 acres that my parents own. Unfortunately, we won't be finished with marking the entire territory until next year, but it is nice to see the major portion started. All we do is stop crop planting on a portion and let it grow wild for a year or so and then start mowing it. The next step will be to do some roller work (flattening) of the trail areas, but I'm not sure whether we'll eventually need to do something more drastic to grade it more evenly.

Technorati Tags: training, triathlon