Washington DC training run

The best part of being a runner is the ability of going to any city anywhere and putting your shoes on and just exploring. What a beautiful city Washington DC is!!! We ran the monuments and got up close experiences with all the wonderful areas of the city that you just can't get from a car!!

First you get to run in environments that you may or may not have at your home town!!! Snow!!! First time these shoes have ever seen snow!! So much fun---in small amounts!

                     

The view of our Nations Capital in the background! What a sight!! I was lucky to be there and witness and capture pictures with and without snow on the ground! Just amazing!

   

The Washington Monument has been worked on for about the past 2 years from an earthquake damage. Cant wait to come back and see it without the fence around it and work being done!

This statue is about Women in the war!! It is really cool to see how important the changes that our country has made. Some that seem so normal were not in the past!

World War II Memorial---so breathtaking!!

Last but not least!! The White House!! Very impressive in person! Again very fortunate to have been able to enjoy this trip and see many different views of this city!!! We also toured the inside the day of the State of the Union Address!! Impressive all the uniformed personnel protecting this city!! 

Being fit brings about so many other opportunities in life!! You can actually explore the world in a whole new manner!!! Oh the joys of an endurance athlete!! 

triattic my wonderful team and coach

San Felasco MTB tour 2014

Tour de Felasco 2014 as a member of "Team Pump" of Don Pumphrey Attorney. Nice being on a sponsored team!!!

















Started out a great day. Trying to beat the rain....heading out enjoying the trails and their level of difficulty.....and then descending a hill my back tire hit a root and my handle bars were grabbed by a tree.....face plant into a downed log....

This occurred about 8 miles into the ride. I went on to finish and have a great time. But my face continued to swell and I had to quit at 35 miles (the bailout option) finishing would have been 10 more miles...but a nasty storm was coming in and I needed to get back to home so I could get my 10 stitches! 

My buddy Scott Gross came from Open Road Bikes in Jacksonville, Florida!

My other good friend Kim Ortloff of @stretchingyourlife.com

and another great friend Heidi Baker that flew in straight from Pasadena California from attending the National Championship game where the Seminoles brought it home!!!

A picture to show I did finish this ride.....I am an Ironman...I am not a quitter. I am very lucky, blessed, crazy whatever you would like to call it but I have an Ironman tattoo on my leg....I got stares and my face was so swollen...I didn't break my neck, only chipped my jawbone and got 10 stitches in my lip.....I am now a mountain biker!!! YEAH!!! 

Thank you Dr Paredes!!! He cleaned my wounds and fixed me up.....

Swamp Trail half marathon

Start of the race!!!        

                                                    

The Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park Trail is comprised of three main loops: the Swamp Forest Loop, the Coon Bottom Loop, and the Oak Hammock Loop, along with several connecting trails and miles of shared use and horse trails.

– The Swamp Forest Loop runs next to a seepage basin swamp and a profusion of ferns, passes ephemeral ponds, and a Beech Magnolia forest.

– The Coon Bottom Loop runs beside a clear sand bottom seepage stream in many places, and passes through Beech Magnolia and Spruce Pine forests. The trail crosses a black water stream that drains a seepage basin swamp. Along the north side of the loop, the trail passes through an upland forest.

- The Oak Hammock Loop runs near the shore of Lake Jackson. Deer can often be seen along the edges of open fields. The adjacent fields contain many fenced gopher tortoise holes.

– The Creek Forest Trail runs around the head of a seepage stream, curves around an ephemeral pond, then encounters a series of meander loops of the main stream. There are large patches of Giant Cane and Arundinaria gigantea along the trail.

Race Results:

http://www.gulfwinds.org/raceresults/2014/Swamp%20Forest%20Trail%202014.asp

      

Things seen on the race!!! Such a beautiful trail system!!

                              

Finished my second trail half marathon!! Had a blast!! Most definitely the hardest half marathon I have ever ran!!!

My friend Heidi decided to run with my on a whim and another one of my triattic teammates joined us for the fun!!! Thanks Laura!! It was a blast!!!

Day #2 was supposed to be a long swim pyramid! That was done as well as a *bonus* workout. Short group run to get everyone out and about together to make use of the trails! It has again rained all day and stopped right when it was time to run. Making for a chilly perfect run.

Day #1 of the year/training for IMCDA. Today was rather chilly. On the plan was a long z2 ride. Roads were wet as it had been raining all day. Waited for a nice window and headed out on back country roads! Beats a trainer every time!!

Nov 2 I became an Ironman for the first time! Ironman Florida was agreat day!!!

Treadmill Friday

My how things have changed. A 2 hour run on a Friday night would have never crossed my mind before Ironman!!! Finished an 11 mile zone 2 run on treadmill! Officially longest stationary run done to date!!! 

Where's Andy?

Work has been increasingly picking up since the 4th of July, so I've started missing more and more workouts with ShivMafia.  Hell, I've just been missing workouts, period.  Unfortunately it doesn't look like that is going to change anytime soon.  Good thing I absolutely love my job.  So anyway, it is going to be uuuuugggggllllllyyyyy at Augusta 70.3, and IMFL.  I'll be ok with the swim and bike, but right now I'm 33/33/33 on whether I'll start the run, run one lap, or try to finish IMFL.  Reality bites.

Having a pregnant wife (due mid-Nov) and a 13 month old doesn't help either.  Quickly realizing that the life of being able to have a lot of Jason time is done and done.  Not knocking it, just still having to adjust to a different (permanent) life.  I have realized I can't stop exercising or I'll blow up like the Goodyear blimp.  Time to implement extremely organized time management.  We'll see how it goes.

ShivSista did come up with an awesome logo for the ShivMafia.  Love it!  Speaking of, ShivSista suggested that I start posting what it's like to attempt tri training/racing while becoming a workaholic and emerging father.  I'll see what I can do.  For example, yesterday -- watched Joseph while Sissy slept in, and hung out with the wife and kid all day, and went to a birthday party late afternoon.  Fun times, but all I could think about was not being able to do the TT with ShivMafia.  When I woke up this (Sun) AM, all I could do was stare at the Shiv and feel guilty.  I gave her a (much needed) bath, and promised to spend some time with her today.  As I'm typing this, it's almost 11 AM, so I'm starting to get a little worried about being able to keep my promise.  We will see how the afternoon (and rains) turn out.

I can tell now though that IMFL will be my last 140.6 for several/many years.  I just do not have, or am not willing to make, the time I need to properly train.  Of course that means I can look forward to some short course racing -- 5/10k races, sprints and olympics.  Maaaaaaybe a 70.3 every couple of years.  After this being my third season in a row of focusing on longer races (70.3+), I'm actually kinda excited to even think about doing some Sprints/Olys and running some 5/10k races (hmmm.... Tue intervals at Mike Long track is calling my name).

So that's it for now.  I've got to get moving this am.... take a shower... figure out what to eat for lunch... put in some more time with the family today... and at some point... get my ass on the Shiv!

Newton/track/lululemon

Had a great track workout today. New lululemon speed shorts always make you feel cute and newtons put a pep in your step! Love the lightweight of the distance newtons. I typically wear the gravity's.  These feel like they have a little bit more of a heel drop. Not really sure but I will def be looking at the stats. Over all a pretty hard workout. Felt good to push outside of my comfort zone! Happy Thursday!!!

Logo for shivmafia

Chattahoochee challenge Olympic race

Lots of fun. Hit all my goals. Run was not what I thought and it was warm and humid but overall it's a great race! Would love to do it again! 

Finished the swim feeling strong. 

1500m = 25 min

Bike was great! Rode thru Ft Benning and along the river. Lots of officers at intersections. Tight turns and not alot of room on trail but as long as the race doesn't get a lot bigger it won't be a big deal!

25 miles = 1:17 18.8 mph

Now finishing the run with your partner in crime is always fun! We laugh and chat all thru the streets. We even ran in 2 states on this run! Alabama and Georgia! It was hot and not flat out and back. But fun non the less....my friend had calf issues that we ended up walking more than normal but while training for ironman this was a tune up race. Not worth getting injured now! 

10k = 1:18 12:43

Total time of 3:05:53

Compex Muscle Stimulator Sport Elite

Received the Compex Stimulator today. Felt pretty good. Hopefully this will help make all the long days not seem so bad and help not have to get a massage as frequently. When there is not enough time in the day you try and find whatever you can to get er done....
http://www.shopcompex.com/?gclid=CMaAneSg77gCFUkV7AodhVYARg

Ironman CDA

Shivmafia is heading to Idaho during 2014 summer.

Looking forward to the cooler weather and excited about the challenging course!!!


http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/coeur-dalene.aspx#axzz2bPFblJsW





http://www.ironman.com/~/media/64ad532c309a4b1ea63a4accb00c60c0/cda%20bikeelevation%202013%207%2019.pdf

http://www.ironman.com/~/media/fa8690ce93f24264969f381a4c659e26/cda%20runelevation%202012.pdf

Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic

http://www.tricolumbusga.com/

Heading up to Columbus Georgia to do an Olympic as a tune up for Augusta.

It has been very hot and humid here with training and we have just finished 2 long weeks of a lot of running, swimming, and cycling. 2 centuries back to back. whew!!!

Also have a graphic designer making our new "Shivmafia" logo so we can start getting things ready for IMFL in less than 90 days!!!!!

within 90 days of the big race!!!

Lot to think about....Training has picked up and feeling more and more pressure from the family. This article is great to help keep things in perspective....

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/08/training/lessons-learned-in-finding-the-worklife-balance_81570

Gearing up for the weekend Olympic in Columbus Georgia....Should be a lot of fun!!! Get back in race mode as opposed to long training mode!!!

100 mile ride and we are all back together.....now if the men would take some pictures.....

long hot ride...but we all did it together!!!


SHIVMAFIA ROCKS!!!

Rain and Lightning with a solo shiv......

never been so happy to be back at my truck!!!

Another crazy Chaires Ride!!! Will it ever stop raining....minus Shivbrother who has to work so much

you never know what you will see on our rides...

Shivchics riding dirty!!!! Missing shiv brother!!

Random Shivmafianess