Swim Bike Run Live

Chasing Bubbles

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

That has been my workout theme for the past few weeks. Bubbles.

At my usual swimming spot, I’m almost always the fastest person in the water, and I’m not even a speedy swimmer. Lots of aquasizers and aquajoggers. It is hard to push yourself when you are doing solo workouts and you don’t have a carrot (or bubbles) in front of you to chase. Because of that (and not giving an honest effort effort and addressing the swim as my biggest weakness) my swim times for the last few years have hit a major plateau. No more.

I officially joined Cambridge Masters for the winter and I’m FAR from the fastest person in the new pool. Outside of one year on HS swim team, I’ve never really been a swimmer. Going back to something after almost 10 years out is definitely a little scary, but going outside of your comfort zone is how you grow, right? And this time I’m not using it as an excuse to hang out with cute athletic high school girls in bathing suits all winter. It is all business.

Now I’m not even the fastest person in my slowpoke lane. I love it. Plenty of bubbles to chase to and keep me swimming till my arms fall off!

I’ve even convinced a new local Team Rev3 recruit, Julia, to join with me this winter. She is wicked fast and I have no business being in the same lane as her, but knowing she’ll be waiting for me to pick her up when my alarm goes off at 4:45 am is good motivation to get up and moving. We’ve even got some sweet custom Rev3 suits on order! Can’t wait to rock them this winter.

Today was an annual NYE 100×100 fundraiser. I was relegated to the “slow kids pool” way on the other end, but had a great session. With only a few weeks of serious swimming under my belt after a long break from Sept-December, I had no business doing all 100. I gracefully bowed out after 25, but was really happy that I kept to 1:45 intervals and managed a solid :10 rest between. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. And I do.

Onward and upward! There are more bubbles out there to chase!

Question- Anyone have any good swimming/shoulder stretches? With all the time pushing myself in the pool (more than I have in a really long time), I want to make sure to keep my shoulders happy. They are definitely feeling it the most.

| Posted in Swimming, Training Log, Triathlon | 4 Comments »

Staying Safe On The Road – 1BandID

Friday, December 30th, 2011

Okay, so this is going to be way more promotional than I usually like to post, but I really dig this product so it is worth sharing.

Like most athletes, I’ve got an ID bracelet in case something happens to me and someone finds me on the side of the road and needs to call 911 or the wife. Sam is militant about making sure that I wear it whenever I workout, especially when I go off for long bike rides and disappear for most of the day. Unfortunately, with a bike, helmet, glasses, shoes, booty lube, bottles, gels, sunscreen and everything else that you need to pack for a long bike ride, the Road ID usually gets left at home.

That was until I met a local athlete (and fellow PR vet) who started his won company out of his basement. Joe Vukson started 1BandID with a similar concept to RoadID, but it is built to attach to gear that you already have rather than be one more piece of equipment that you have to remember to strap on before you walk out the door. What good is a Road ID if it is sitting back at home? Nada.

You can strap 1BandID on your shoe laces or on your HRM watch band (whatever piece of equipment you always workout with) and forget about it.

1bandid road id

To be honest, I was pretty skeptical about how comfortable it would be. But I strapped it on my suunto watch when I first got it, and I don’t even notice that it is on there. It is comfortable enough that I don’t notice it, but obvious enough that a first repsonder will see it. I’ve been wearing it and working out in it all month, and am really happy with it.

A random side note, Joe sent me my band right after my honeymoon and (other than all of our wedding printed materials) it is one of the first times that Sam had her new last name printed on something. Plus he added a sweet “Team Rev3″ on the side.

If you want to get one for yourself, here is a coupon code to save 20% (or 2$) at www.1bandid.com : jamie27273

Train safe!

Tags: 1bandid, road id, roadid, safety, Triathlon | Posted in Triathlon | No Comments »

Plans For 2012

Monday, December 19th, 2011

Ever since I got back from the honeymoon and was able to focus on something other than wedding planning for the first time in months, I’ve been trying to figure out what my my 2012 season is going to look like. And for weeks I had no clue what I wanted to do. I had a short list of races that I wanted to do, but no real goal.

I knew that I didn’t want to just “do” races. I wanted to challenge myself. Find a goal that scares me a little and challenges where I think my limits are. But that is where I got stuck. Do I pick some arbritrary time goal? Do I try to do some epic ultra-distance race? Do I try to see how many times I can score a spot on the AG podium? I was stumped.

Instead, here is the plan I’ve set out for 2012.

Race Schedule

Rev3 Quassy (olympic) – June 2
Patriot Half – June 16
USAT Age Group National Championship – August 18 (A Race)
Rev3 Maine (olympic) – August 26
Rev3 Florida – October 28

(There will be some other races sprinkled in, but that is the skeleton of the year. Also notice the lack of WTC races. That makes me happy.)

Team Rev3

One of the things that is staying the same next year is my association with the Rev3 crew. After being on Team Trakkers/Rev3 for 3 years, I’m psyched that they’ve agreed to keep me on for 2012. For my official announcement about joining the team – see the announcement on the team’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/notes/team-rev3-triathlon/2012-returning-team-member-jamie-bull/312603098771271

Working My Weakness

Swimming has never been my strength, but I’ve never been the last one out of the water. I’ve always come into T1 smack dab in the middle of the pack, and used the bike to try to regain some time. That was until I stepped up my game and raced with the big boys and raced Age Group Nationals in August. And I got schooled. Despite strong bike/run performances, there were only good enough to hang on.

Doing the same training that I’ve done in years past will only give me the same swim performances I’ve gotten in years past. So that is why I’m devoting myself to swim with some fast fish at Cambridge Masters this winter. Doing anything new is always a little intimidating, but the biggest gains come from going outside of your confort zone, right? Hopefully it’ll result in some better swim splits.

Goals

Rather than pick some arbitrary goal for the season, like going 5:XX at the Patriot Half or 2:1X at AG Nationals, I’ve decided to go with a mental goal. This year will be all about pushing my limits in training and staying committed to my plan. If I can nail that, race day will just be all about letting my work speak for itself. I’ll obviously hope for some low numbers on the clock as I cross the finish line, but that will all be secondary.

Coaching

The biggest change for 2012 is all about coaching. Except for a few months leading up to AG Nationals this year, I’ve happily gone the self coaching route. I’ve gotten faster going that route, but have definitely hit a plateau. During that time, I found that having a coach does a lot to not only keep my focused and on my plan, but has me challenging myself, where I think my limits are and gets me to try new things.

That is why I’ve ditched my self-coaching ways and decided to team up again with John Hirsch. We’ve already began scheming my attack on the 2012 season and I’m looking forward to some big things.