on snow...

so the snow has fallen in Maine and the skiing is pretty good. I have skied at Pineland and Twin Brook and both are in pretty fair shape for Dec. Pineland is esp. nice. Today was the first day for classic tracks, and I only skated...go figure.

Even though my fall training was fair at best, I feel pretty fit and have good snap and motivation.

Probably a limited ski season for me though. The schedule is for 3-4 marathons and 2-3 local races. Gotta stay tri-fit for IMLP.

The holidays are here, so watch the diet, try to do something everyday (a walk?), but most importantly enjoy some time with the family. This is a special time for me as it is Carter's first holiday season.

Train smart y'all.

long time since an update..

since Carter was born, life has been hectic! Sleep is at a premium and so is training time, but I would not trade it for anything. He is just too awesome! 4 days after he was born i raced the last tri for me this year, a small sprint here in Maine...and I won it! Pretty crazy, no training and not much sleep. I guess I had the power of the newborn! 7 days later and still with no training (ok I rode the day before) I did the Maine TT champs and finished 3rd in the 19-34 AG...not a bad ride. I went out a bit hard but settled in and tried to stay as aero as possible. Since then, my fitness has plummeted! I rode for 2.5 hours yesterday and about died! I have been trying to stay up on the running and a bit of rollerskiing too. Even sneaking in a strength session too.

This winter will be interesting. I am considering coaching at a local HS and this might limit my ski racing, but I bet it will be a great experience! I plan to train pretty lightly till 11/1 and then hope to ramp it up a bit with some hill bounding and rollerskiing.

Carter is getting real big (almost 11 pounds) and is not afraid of the breast for sure! My life might get a bit tougher now too as Erika has started to pump, so we can use a bottle (aka I can use a bottle).

The last thing for now...I finally launched a site for multisport coaching www.personalbestmultisport.com I will continue to coach cycling for Cycle-Smart but wanted a way to pick up some multisport athletes too. Check it out and let me know if you have any questions/comments.

Train smart..

Kurt

Carter Forest, Sept 13 2005

welcome to the world son. I look forward to lots of fun with you.
love,
dad

banged up

so I have been a bit fatigued lately. Not sure if it is the training or too much work. then to make matters worse, I ate something bad Sat night and sucked all day Sunday. Went for a short ride and had no energy, had to call E to come get me! Hopefully I will be out of this funk soon as Timberman is not far off. This week I hope to do some short hard workouts and maybe one more big 2/1 ride/run next Sat then start a 1 week taper.

big days (sort of)

with Timberman not far off, I have been trying to lay down some big days of training when the body feels up for it. Yesterday I did about 4:30 in the heat and felt strong all day. Today I was a bit knackered so I did a nice swim and bike and called it a day. I hope to do a quality run in the AM then a "mini tri" in the evening. IMLP is already on my mind and I want to make sure I keep some form throughout the fall/winter. Other news, I got rejected on the Greely High nordic job, I think there was some serious politics going on, but so goes life! At least I can ski race now this year! This weekend is Bethel, a top 5 would be nice there.

signed up

so I signed up for IMLP 2006. I have been meaning to get into a Mdot race for a few years so this is it. I was contemplating IMMoo but thought IMLP might be easier on the family. Looks like Spring 2006 will mean many cold rides on the bike and long runs!

long run

so I have been neglecting the long run for a while now. I have been in this routine of 30-40min runs and not much more (doing these 5 days a week). so today, I decided 90mins was needed. So I grabbed the iPod and headed out with one gel. the weather was perfect and I felt good the whole time, I even ran the last 15mins of so at goal HIM effort and finished strong. this run was confirmation that my fitness was not to bad. the summer has been tough with the move and lots of coaching demands. i hope to salvage the last few months and go into the fall with some good fitness. i need now to decide on IMLP or IMMoo for 2006. I will know by tonight! train smart and rest well. KP

crickets

that is what you have been hearing on this blog...do to the lack of activity. Well. I hope to change that ASAP. keep an eye out for some new updates...from the north country nowadays.

Long time away

So it has been months since I wrote, I have been very busy with work and coaching. The ski season is here, but there is no snow to be found. 56 and rain today! Last night I did 2x20min at LT on a 80sec ski loop at Weston. That was rough. Hopefully some precip this weekend. Erika just interviewed for a job in the twin cities and we may end up there. That would be cool as the skiing is great in town, when there is snow! Happy Holidays.

hoping the foot heals

So with my mini taper...I had some free time over the weekend. Did a boring ride on the rollers Sat AM then went to Masters. Felt good, but a bit sore from the Friday swim. Actually got a flat tire on the Subaru Sat so I had to put the spare on during the deluge that was Ivan. So it looks like 450.00 for new treads this afternoon!
Sunday did some hard VO2 max intervals then a good 20min Threshold block on the bike. Total time was almost 3 hours. I am feeling good, but nervous about the foot. The open wound is right on my arch so it rubs whenever I do anything. I have fashioned a custom "doughnut" bandage to try and let it go with out be rubbed raw on every workout. Hopefully it will be good for Tahoe...and my run speed won't suck!

mini taper and race day mistakes!

I have started a "mini" taper for Xterra Nationals. Basically just reducing volume a bit and making sure to not do any "junk miles". My swimming and bike is really coming along! Did a steady swim at Walden today and did a PR without much effort. Also did some VO2 max intervals on the bike a few days ago and every one felt solid (both watts and RPE). I will shoot for 8-10 hours per week till Tahoe next week.

As stated in my last blog, I did a small Oly distance race last weekend. The event went well. Exited the water in about 6th or 7th, then moved up to top 3 on the bike. On a note, the race was poorly monitored and many people missed a turn on the bike and skipped about 4 miles of the ride! The run was steady tempo and I felt ok, considering I trained almost 4 hours the day before. I did make one major error (hopefully this won't effect Tahoe). I decided to try racing without socks for the first time...bad decision. I now have two large open wounds on both arches. I am trying to heal it quickly. BTW, I ended up 2nd in the Oly tri. So no running this week. Hopefully this weekend.

AERO BARS!

so I don't normally do road tri's but think I need to race a bit more and they are more prevalent. So last night i mounted some Profile aero bars to the C-Dale and I am doing an Oly distance race Sunday. Today I did a very easy open water swim at Walden (concentrating on good catch) then a easy road ride mid day with some time on the funny bars. Of course the wind was ripping today so that it interesting! This weekend, I will swim Masters Sat afternoon then race Sunday. Otherwise, just hanging at home.

Remnants of Francis

It's raining here in Boston, so the workouts had to be modified. Was going to do the Harvard ride this morning, but bagged about 5 minutes from home. Went to the gym and did some spinner/treadmill combos. Then rode the rain bike at lunch and stayed completely dry. Tomorrow is supposed to be bad. Planning on a steady hard 4000m open water in the AM. Will try to go unless it is super nasty out. Then a tempo/race pace run at lunch.