Miller Week In Review

Monday Off Tuesday 30 minute run Wednesday 30 minute bike trainer session Thursday 30 minute run Friday Off Saturday Off Sunday 36 minute run Like with all of us, LIFE has made it difficult to post over the past few weeks. When the life plate is full, you have to make choices and other things take priority. That said, I still find much value in taking time to look over the past days and weeks, evaluate them, and share (or not share) as appropriate or needed. Next weekend are both GABRAKY and the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona. I wish I could have been at either of those but unfortunately, work got in the way of one and I'm too slow for the other. Instead, I'll be struggling through 100 miles of bike riding at the annual Outlaw Trail Cycling Tour. This is my third century ride of the year and probably my last organized event of the year. While I may not be physically prepared for the day, I'm looking forward to it. On the life front, all is going well, Gracias a Dios. Wife and kids are thriving and doing well in work and school. Jennifer continues walking nightly and Tristan has created a calendar for his daily exercise routines. Karlie is so active ALL the time, exercise is not necessary. Thankfully, she can actually sit still enough at school to do very well and her recent report card was all A's and B's. For me, work continues going well. As I noted in an earlier blog post, we reached our $53.5 million campaign goal three years early as the first college at UT to do so. This only means we move on to the next fundraising project, which at this time is raising $500,000 for a new college faculty endowment. We raised $150,000 in the first month, so I'm cautiously optimistic we'll reach our goal soon. I did have an important meeting last Thursday that had to be postponed until this week. I will share more about that in due time. I send my best wishes to all readers of the TTT blog and their families. Keep reaching for your BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) and pushing your limits. And if you haven't seen the movie "Limitless", check it out. Then write me with your thoughts about what we might be capable of had we the ability to access more of our brain's power. It's fun to think about, to be sure, and I argue that we all have the ability to access more of our brain's power. It's just that instead of taking a daily pill, it takes a lot of hard work. Kia Kaha!

Miller Weekly Update

Monday Rest Day Tuesday Bike Trainer Tempo Session (2x20 min tempo intervals) Wednesday Base Trainer Ride Thursday Trip to Dallas Friday Rest Day Sat-Sun Day Off I was tired this week, mentally and physically. It was nice to be out of the office for my work trip to Dallas on Wednesday but otherwise, I was in a "hamster wheel fog." I decided to let my body dictate what I would do this weekend and it decided I needed to rest. It was great following @bigschmidtdog and @duanebonifer posting from Dakota Meyer's Congressional Medal of Honor week events. Thanks for giving us a sense of what it was like to see a hero being recognized. Have a great week, all. Kia Kaha!

Photos from Interbike

See some of what's new from Interbike 2011

Ride with GPS

http://ridewithgps.com/ Found this great site and had to share it with TTT. What is Ride With GPS? We created Ride With GPS to help cyclists plan bike rides and find routes in their area. We offer cuesheets, exportable files for turn by turn directions on Garmin GPS units and elevation profiles with grade information. You can upload your ride and see graphs of elevation, heart rate, cadence and power.

Weekly Recap

Monday Day Off Tuesday 1 hour bike trainer tempo intervals (3x15 min intervals) Wednesday 1 hour bike trainer tempo session Thursday 1 hour bike trainer tempo intervals (2x20 min, 10 min at threshold) Friday Day Off Saturday 65'ish mile ride with The Ride Group Started training the bike legs again three weeks ago in order to be in shape to keep up with my new riding group. The last two weekends, I did some medium (30-35 mile) rides with my neighbor. This weekend, I invited my neighbor to join me for a 65-miler with TRG. This weekend, thanks to Hurricane Irene, we had a north wind (the prevailing wind here is a southern wind). The cooler morning temps were a welcome touch to a summer that's been the hottest and driest in Austin/Round Rock history and one of the hottest and driest in Texas history. Not sure if it was the temperature or just the joy of being out with good cycling friends, but we started pushing a fast pace from the beginning. My neighbor was pretty amazed at the pace we were pushing so early in the ride. We did 25 miles to a country store in Liberty Hill to refill our bottles. Another 15 miles and we arrived at the country store in Andice. Bottles refilled again, we began the 25'ish miles back to the start...leaving the long climbs for the end. At this point, I have to tell you about the greatest sport drink on the market today, Eload. A friend of mine is a business development/social media manager for Eload and as a way to support him, I recently reposted and retweeted some posts he made about Eload. Next thing I know, Eload is sending me a box full of free Eload formulas to try. I used two of their powders (the heat and endurance formulas) during my ride last weekend and noticed that my legs were not burning during the long climbs as they normally did. I was able to hold the big ring even during some of our longest climbs. I thought perhaps it was just a coincidence and then I did today's ride. After three hours on the road holding a fast pace in the big ring all day, I was one of the top three up every climb on the way home. I did this on a heavier bike with training tires and regular wheels riding with folks using racing tires and wheels on their full carbon bikes. Some of our folks were thrashed from the day and yet I felt as strong as I had all day. It was incredible! Yes, I've been putting in a few hours of training over the past few weeks, but these folks have been riding all year long. Eload was the difference! And with no artificial sweeteners, no acidic levels, no lactose, no gluten, and more, it doesn't upset my stomach. Needless to say, I'm a fan. This stuff is the best fuel I've ever tried...and I've tried them all. This is rocket fuel! I know this sounds like a commercial and I only wish they were paying me to be their community manager. I just believe in its results and highly recommend you try it. Last night, Tristan and I did the Austin Ghost Tours investigation tour. It was a little outside my comfort zone, but Tristan loves those ghost investigation shows on TV and he really enjoyed it. It's always fun supporting our kids' interests, even when they aren't necessarily our own. He had a blast, so I was a happy dad. Today is probably a day of house cleaning and hanging out with family. With any luck, I'll be able to sneak away to get some new bike tires for next week's ride! Have a super week! Kia Kaha!

Bacon Weekly- Maggie's 1st Mile

Forget my workouts, this photo is Maggie's first mile with me on Sunday August 29th, 2011. We ran a 11:59 mile to include on shoe-tie stop and one side-stich stop. She also asked me to wear my fuel belt so she could get a drink on the run. We discussed some basics of running during the warm up stretch; particularly running safety on the road.

The Power of Positive Peer Pressure

We were aware of the POSITIVE power of peer pressure long ago. Accountability and support is what TTT has been about from the beginning. It has been a life-changer for me. Thank you for helping me improve myself. You are life coaches. You make a difference in other people's lives by making changes in yours and sharing your triumphs and struggles along the way. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for making a difference.

Back to Training

After about a month off including a wonderful two weeks in Puerto Rico, I am scheduled to begin training again tomorrow. This time I'm not training for any race. I'm training to stay in shape and in order to be able to keep up with my cycling group on the weekends. These guys and gals don't know anything but hammering for distances of no less than 50 to 100 miles, and I won't be able to keep up if I don't get back in racing shape. I did a 35-mile ride last Sunday and had to stop on the way home in fear I was going into heat stroke.
I downloaded a new cycling program that begins on Tuesday. It schedules a day off on Monday and Friday, so I'm using those days to keep some minimal running shape.
The kids and I accompanied Jennifer today when she went shopping for new walking shoes. In true Claude Bacon fashion, I checked the discount rack and found a pair of size 13 Saucony Grid Flex

for an additional 40% off. I got these $70 shoes for under $40. I'm pumped about taking them out in the morning for their first run around the neighborhood. They are super light and minimal. And I love the black. Not ideal for hot day running, but I run in the morning darkness. :-)
Found out this week that my college reached its capital campaign goal of $53.5 million THREE years early! We are the FIRST and ONLY college on the UT-Austin campus to reach its goal. And we did it during one of the worst economic times in our nation's history. As you can imagine, this takes a huge burden off my shoulders. Now that we have the number goal out of the way, we can get back to concentrating on achieving some of the funding priorities we have yet to meet. IT's a great place to be and I feel blessed to be in it.
Best wishes to you all on the week ahead. Best wishes to your kids going back to school. Tell them to make it their best year yet!
Kia Kaha!

Bacon weekly and updates

MOn- off
Tues- .75 mile swim
Wed- 3 mile run
Thurs-3 mile run
Fri- .75 mile FS swim
SAt-off
Sun- 4 miles in brutal heat


Took a few week off previous during a pleasure trip to Destin, FL...spent time with the metal detector, the family, ocean, and large quantities of food and treats. Got back in the swing this week with some workouts. My final triathlon of the season is the Bowling Green race in a few weeks so trying to get back in shape after a week off...struggling to find time for the bike as I can fit the running and swimming in my schedule easier....I'll get back on her soon....got some new tires too... The heat has really made it tough to stay motivated...school starts this week so the house schedule will be normal again...earlier bed times for the kids mean earlier bed times for me which mean early morning workouts become a reality again. Life is good.

Running with Skeletoes,Teenagers, Laser Tag, and Puerto Rico

Took a few days off two weeks ago so the kids and I could accompany Jennifer to Houston while she did a training for work. Karlie, Tristan, and I visited the Battleship Texas, the San Jacinto Monument (where Texas gained its independence from Mexico), and the Children's Museum of Houston (voted #1 in the US by Parent's Magazine). We had a great time and because we were so busy, I did not make time to report last week.
It was back to a full week of work this past week, but I'm very pleased to report that thanks to a wonderful year of foundation support, the College of Education is forecast to have its greatest fundraising year ever. Our previous best year was my second year here (over $12 million) and this year we look to finish somewhere over $15 million. Not bad for an office of 2.5 people. May be the best per capita performance of any college on the UT campus. Looks like it's time for me to finally take my summer vacation. More on that in a minute.
This past week was Tristan's thirteenth birthday. We now have a teenager in our house. Considering the boy has facial hair, is as tall as his mom, his voice has changed to where people confuse him for me on the phone, and he has a girlfriend that could be the cutest girl in his entire middle school, I should not have been too affected by it. I should have been prepared. I have to admit, it hit me pretty hard. The little boy I knew is now a young man and he needs different things from me than he did before. I'll miss the little boy but I'm very proud of the young man and look forward to this new stage in our evolving relationship. We celebrated his birthday weekend by inviting his best friend for some laser tag. Tristan came in first out of all the participants on three teams in our second and final battle. We then went to the movies to watch Captain America. It was a really nice day.

Did my third run in Skeletoes this morning. I've really grown to like them. The first run in them three weeks ago left me with blisters and calves that were sore for nearly a week. After using BodyGlide all over my feet for run #2 two weeks last week, things went much better. I had little if any blistering. My soreness was much less after some good stretching afterwards. You will run a more natural movement than you do in shoes and the muscles you emphasize will be different than those you might emphasize in running shoes. I hear people say the same soreness happens when using Newtons due to the way they put you more on the forefoot than the midfoot or heel. Today's run was pure pleasure. It was a 45 minute out and back. I negative split by 1.5 minutes and it felt so smooth and fairly easy. Considering I've only made time to run once a week, I was really pleased with how good the run felt. I followed it with a nice core and push ups session while I watched the final day of the Tour de France on Versus Cycling.
The family and I leave on Tuesday for Puerto Rico. This will be our kids first time to the birthplace of their father, the first time Jenn and I have been back together in some 19 years, and the first time I've been back in nearly 10 years. We will start in Isla Verde where my mom lives, visit Viejo San Juan, Carolina, where I lived with my grandparents, and work our way west to San Sebastian, where the Lugo family hails from, and end up in Rincon, known as Puerto Rico's surfing town. On our way back to San Juan, we will spend a few days at El Conquistador Resort and go for some hiking at El Yunque National Forest, the only rainforest in the US National Park system. It's going to be special to take my family to the place of my birth, introduce them firsthand to the culture they've only experienced through my stories, and see them meet many of their family members for the first time, including my father and uncle. Peripheral to that will be a chance to relax and have some fun in the sand and sun. I'm in dire need of a vacation and I cannot wait!
Spending my day today editing a friend's script for a TV show. That should be a fun, new experience. I also need to get a haircut and work on a website I'm helping build.
Have a super week, one and all. Kia Kaha!

Bacon Weeks (many of them) Quaker State 400 Endurance Challenge

Ive done the Team Topper Tri blog no justice this summer....Bacon has been covered up with training, travel, racing, fun, and work. Schmidt dog has already posted the great time we had at the 2011 Lakewood Valley Triathlon in Owensboro... This race was my second of the season and I lead out with the Get Fit Triathlon in Morganfield Kentucky and again seeing a decent effort and performance at this race. I have continued my focus on training and adding 4 or 5 workouts per week varying...haven't been on the bike as much as I have been running and swimming. Remaing plans for teh summer are a few more tri's and running races...more to come..

Last weekend was quite an endurance experience and worth sharing on this blog.

I was fortunate to have a friend, who has a friend that's a jackman for the Aflac Carl Edwards NASCAR team and he invited us to the inagural Kentucky Speedway Quaker State 400 Sprint NASCAR Race and provided us with pit access. Im a fan enough to know when an rare experience is placed in front of me so I readily accepted. We left Owensboro at 11:30 cst in order to make a 7:30 race time and the tracl is about 2.5 hours from my house. Taking i-71 we hit traffic about 15 miles out and we quickly decided to abandon i-71 and find a 2 lane road that gave us a better chance at no line. To our disppapointment a few hours later we were in yet another line of cars some 9 miles from the track...we moved 1/4 of a mile in an hour, so time was on us to make a decision..leave OR .... I asked Greg if he was up to a blisterting hot, 8 mile run to reach the track. He quickly agreed and we parked the car and prepared for the run...luckily we both wore running shoes!!! 2 miles into the run we passed Leroy's Knick-Knack shop and saw 2 bikes out front of his shop embraced by many vines. Ray was out front watching the traffic so we hollered and asked if the bikes were for sale...he said and we hurried over...he help us attempt to pump the tires but time had taken toll on my chariot so no way she was moving..Greg's bike took some air and he jumped on, cranked twice, and POP!! the chain broke and sent him flygin over the bars...he popped up, and a steady stream of blood was coming from just below his knee...he had a significant puncture wound. Leroy offered Gregs a dirty moo-moo from an old box to wrap his knee, we declined and use Greg's shirt as a bandage to stop the blood...I asked Greg to turn around and abandon the adventure, he declined and we pushed on! Several miles later, a lady jumped out of her car as we approached stating she was an EMT and asked if we needed help as she noticed the bloody shirt used to clean up the leg..we assured her we were ok and hardcore and we pushed on!!!! Extreme heat, BIG hills, Ray's, and 8 miles later we reached the NASCAR tent to get our passes just 20 minutes before race time...we covered the distance and advetnure in 1:55.. a respectful time for what we had endured. The race was very cool, the pit expereince was second to none.. Race over and now the dread of an 8 mile journey back with many drunken fans at midnight and past had me concerned...2 miles into the return home and we heard "hey, it's the bike guys!! Get over here!!" It was the EMT lady and her Marine husband who had offered help earlier...she was our NASCAR angel who swooped us up in the dark of night and delivered us back to our car!! You cant imagine my relief!! What a day!!! I had skipped a local 10k running race to attend this event...who knew I would end up with this endurance challenge...I will never forget the expereince and plan to tell the story often...it wwill get longer in miles each time I tell it:)

Grandma Rosie Comes to Texas

Started back on my hundred push-up and 200 sit-up programs this week. My son is doing the program with me and we are one week in. I didn't get any other workouts in other than a nice 30-minute run on Saturday. It was my first run in a month and it was nice to be back on the road and trail. I wore my new Fila skele-toes and despite a few blisters (expected when using new running shoes that require no socks), I had a really nice run. I negative split by 2:30 minutes and felt really fast and strong coming home. I have to admit, however, to having major soreness in my calves last night and today. I think I went out a bit too fast considering I hadn't run in over four weeks. The skele-toes make you run in a natural forefoot position and that activates those calf muscles. Look forward to more running in them and strengthening my form.
My grandmother is visiting with us this week. It's been really nice to have her with us and I love watching our kids interact with their great-grandmother. It also enabled Jenn and me to have a date night last night. Our second date night in as many weeks. We are getting spoiled.
Have been enjoying watching the Tour de France. I tape the morning edition each day and watch it in the evenings. Find myself learning a lot about racing and learning the racer and team names. Grandma Rose, Jenn, and the kids have been enjoying it with me. We are all TDF fans.
Watching the Tour has me itching to ride but unfortunately, both my TT and road bike need some mechanical work and I've just not had time to take them in for servicing. We travel to Houston starting Wednesday through the weekend, so it will probably be another week before I get them in for servicing. Wish I knew a little more about bike mechanics.
Claude and I have unveiled the Travelete brand in beta. We have our Facebook page up, our blog is up and running, and our Twitter page is tweeting daily. Please connect with us on all these pages and be on the lookout for our website and forum coming soon. We'd be honored if you'd share these pages with your friends and family. Building our following is important in this early beta stage. The more feedback we get in these early stages, the stronger our product will be in the end.
I hear Schmidt Dog is in England before traveling to France for the TDF. Dennis is dancing Euro Rican music in Louisville. Jeremy continues traveling all over the US. Claude is new pit man with AFLAC NASCAR. And Ashley is considering a job transition into car sales. Lots of exciting stuff going in your lives.
Make it a great week! Kia Kaha!

Men's Health Sexiest Female Athletes List

Tour de France and Travelete

Took the entire week off training/exercising. As the final week of the month at work, I caught up on my June activity reports and finalizing my numbers for the month. Our fiscal year runs Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, so unlike many of my colleagues around the country, we still have two months until the close of our fiscal year. I am pleased to report that at the end of May, the college's development numbers were 28% ahead of last year. I'm optimistic to end the year with one of our best fundraising years of the past few.
The next few weeks are full of activities and promise to make July pass like a flash. My grandmother visits from California this coming week, our family is taking a few days in Houston the following week, we celebrate Tristan's 13th birthday the third week, and we leave for Puerto Rico the final week of July. Being a month since my participation in the CapTex tri, it is also my intent to get back to training starting this coming week. I won't be training for any particular race but instead to keep up with my cycling partners. That's all the motivation I need right now.
This weekend is the beginning of the Tour de France. It has me itching to ride. We had a weekend full of family activities this weekend that kept me from riding, but I plan to get some rides in over the next few weeks.
This week is also the unveiling of Travelete, a web concept Claude and I have been visioning for several months, perhaps a year or more. The idea is to provide the traveling athlete a place to share their training locations and thus providing a crowdsourced resource for people to find the best (and worst) places to train, race, and exercise from around the world. With Claude's hotel background, this also provides hotels a place to brag about the ways they cater to the traveling athlete.
We hope you will visit our Facebook page (http://facebook.com/travelete) and LIKE it; follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/travelete_); and check out our Tumblr (http://travelete.tumblr.com). In true startup fashion, we are doing this on a shoestring and are putting this out there so we can "fail early and fail often." Only in this way will we build the concept people want. Please post your own training location photos, comments, and advice on Facebook, Twitter, and/or the Tumblr. Send us your recommendations/suggestions. We are in the early stages and we covet your involvement and advice and critiques.
Happy 4th of July! Make it a great week, All! Kia Kaha!

Tour de France TV Schedule, Versus and NBC Sports

Training Center: This month, train like you’re racing the Tour

Metro Plus Ride with The Ride Group

Monday-Friday Work. No travel this week, which was nice. Gave me a chance to catch up on office work and connect with some folks around campus.
Took my kids to the pool three evenings during the week. Karlie is taking swimming lessons and has been eager to show us what she's learning each day. Just this week alone she learned to put her head under water and can now doggie paddle the width of our community pool. Really proud of her and she's so proud herself. You can see a video of her putting her head under water here.
On Thursday, Tristan participated in a UT research study on the cognitive benefits of exercise. He did his preliminary workup which included a blood draw; a relaxation session where they took his baseline numbers in heart rate, blood pressure, and more; and a VO2 Max test. Here is a photo of him preparing for the test:

Yesterday, I joined The Ride Group, a local cycling group made up of cyclists, triathletes, and endurance athletics enthusiasts, for their Metro Plus Ride.
We called a couple of audibles to what you see on this map, but 99% of it is correct. We had at least one Cat 5 climb and several Cat 4/Cat 3 climbs. It was a challenging ride. I lost my chain on one of the biggest climbs and had to dismount (almost fell over) and run in my cycling cleats to the top. I was not planning a bike/run brick session, but I got one in.
They say riding with good riders will make you better and I definitely did that yesterday. I was bringing up the rear of the pack most of the way back. While humbling, it was a great time and I look forward to riding with The Ride Group again.
Sunday Relaxing today. May take the kids to the pool or perhaps catch a movie at the discount cinema. May get the kids out for an easy spin ride around the neighborhood to shake the legs out a bit. The possibilities are endless.
The heat has set in and afternoons are not an ideal time for workouts. We've had 18 days of 100 + degrees so far and we are expected to break the record of 68 100+ plus days which we set last summer. With the humidity, it makes for some miserable afternoons.
The next few weeks continue to be busy ones at work and we have several plans over the next few weekends. Tomorrow I travel to San Antonio for work and the rest of the week includes meetings and preparing for the last two months of our fiscal year. Karlie's 8th birthday is Thursday. Next weekend, our family is taking a train ride to Bertram and Jennifer and I are going downtown Saturday night for the Tito Puente, Jr. show. The development associate in my office at work has been invited to play the piano with Tito's band. Should be a fun night.
More to come on our other weekend and July events when we talk next week. Hope you are enjoying a wonderful summer so far.
Make it a great week! Kia Kaha!

Week In Review- Karl

Monday Off
Tuesday-Wednesday El Paso work trip
Thursday-Friday Off
Saturday 40 mile Bee Caves/360 ride; over 1200 ft of CAT 5 climbs. Had a good day. Rode the small ring for most of the first half and took the big ring home. Felt strong and could have gone longer despite the heat and 30+ mph winds.
Sunday Father's Day; family got me a new pair of Sugoi bike shorts. Add those to the new Specialized gel gloves and Halo sweatband I bought myself yesterday, and I'm ready for some cycling. The sweat band is a must in this heat. We are having the third worst drought in Texas history, have had 15 days of temperatures of 100 and above (106 yesterday), and we have broken the all-time high temperature on 9 days already this year. You get some of my salty sweat in your eyes and it burns something awful. I couldn't see for a few seconds on my last two rides. Definitely not safe!
We watched the movie Super 8 this afternoon and I just finished watching Rory McIlroy smash the all-time US Open Golf record book. Watching the final stage of the Tour de Suisse on Versus as I write this. It's the time trial finishing stage and Levi Leipheimer is taking these boys to school.
No travel this week for the first time in a month. Looking forward to having a week in the home office and at home.
Hope you dads had a great Father's Day and that those of you lucky enough to spend the day with your own fathers were able to do that.
Make it a great week! Kia Kaha!

Lakewood Valley Triathlon

Simply a spectacular weekend at the Lakewood Valley Triathlon in every sense of the word. Perfect weather, perfect racing, and perfect fellowship! My TTT brother Claude hosted my entire family as Rebecca, Cole and I headed down to Owensborro on Friday for the Tri. We were treated to a nights stay at the new Courtyard Marriott. After checking in Claude shuttled us over to pic up our race packages at the YMCA, and then we headed of to the Bacon ranch for a wonderful pasta meal prepared by Samantha. We were greeted by Claude's mom Libby, and of course Hadley and Maggie Beth. It was a wonderful night of great food, laughter, telling old stories, and all around great fellowship. The highlight of the evening was Hadley singing an entire Juster Bieber song for all of us. For the rest of the weekend all I could sing was...... "Baby, baby, baby......".

Claude met us early Saturday morning and we headed to the event site. The Tri thing is new for me so I had to adjust to the body markings, timing chips and the pre race set up for transitions. No offense but Tri folks are different then road racing folks. Different vibe. My leg was still giving me some problems in the morning but I kept stretching and massaging it. At race time Rebecca, Claude and I headed down to the water for the start. Claude and I were in the second wave and Rebecca in the third. I must admit I had the butterfly stomach thing going on since this was my first experience at this kind of racing. For the half mile swim I just paced myself and I felt really relaxed and comfortable in the water. I never tried to push it, I just wanted to be relaxed. Somewhere in the middle of the lake I was trying to think happy thoughts and started singing "baby, baby, baby", so thank you to Hadley for that lasting memory.

I completed the swim in 22:44 and transitioned to the bike. My pre race plan was to absolutely empty the tank on the bike and see if I had anything left for the run. It was a challenging technical and hilly course. I just kept my head down and powered up and down the hills for the duration of the 15 miles. When I got done I stopped the bike clock at 41:58.4. I transitioned over to the run and mentally planned on taking it slow to keep my left leg from having the terrible pains I have been suffering with. Thankfully all was well and I completed the run in 31:35. My total time was 1:41:31. I was very satisfied.

I finished 10th in my age division, and 60/126 finishers. The coolest part is that I posted the 6th fastest bike time overall, averaging 21.4 mph over the course. I was happy to be pain free for the race and to finish with a smile. I will definitely be back for some more. What made it most enjoyable was sharing it with our cheering families, and competing with my wife and best friend. Claude and Becca were terrific! Becca has been a stud for back to back weekends of racing. Cole, Hadley, Maggie Beth, Libby, and Samantha were cheering so loud it was just wonderful. It was nothing but smiles at the end of the race for everyone.

Next up is a road race in Waddy, KY on fathers day.

L3: Live, Learn, and Lead.

Schmidty

What's Next?

Mon-Friday Work, Dallas trip
Saturday 44 mile ride to Andice General Store
Sunday Off; taking kids to the pool
Now that CapTex is behind me, I'm unsure what comes next. If I'm being honest with myself, I've lost the commitment and dedication it takes to fit in workouts for three disciplines during the week. I just can't sustain 4am workouts before an hour-long commute only to arrive back home at 6pm to get in yet another workout before going to bed at 8pm to do it all over again. That's beyond a healthy lifestyle...mentally or physically. Training for the CapTex was more sustainable but I had no motivation to make the time for drives to the pool.
I share all that to say I'm leaning to becoming a training duathlete and a full-time cyclist. What I mean by that is that I want to keep my fitness levels in cycling and running while concentrating on weekend group rides. Being able to jump on the bike trainer or treadmill or throwing on the running/cyling shoes and heading out the door when I have a few minutes for a run/ride is both much more likely to happen and more fun for me at this stage in my endurance athletics progression.
Heck, who knows. I may do a 5k or 10k now and then and even a sprint triathlon is not out of the question. The day may even come (within a decade) that another Ironman becomes part of my near future.
Make it a great week! Kia Kaha!

Post CapTex Week

Took it easy this week after last week's Olympic triathlon. Arms and legs were pretty sore until Wednesday.
I did find out on Wednesday that they had calculated the swim times incorrectly and they took almost five minutes off my previously recorded time. I was able to go under 3 hours for the race. Pretty stoked about that given the limited amount of training I put in and considering I was hoping to stay under the 3-hour mark. I met my goals despite that painful run.
On Saturday I participated in the ATLAS Ride 70-miler. The ride started on part of the course Claude, Dean, Chris, and I rode during our February training camp a couple of years ago. It was a beautiful ride on a beautiful day of partly cloudy skies and little wind. I tried to push the pace and had a strong 50 miles before my legs started feeling Monday's triathlon. The last 20 miles called for a little more work in the small ring than I had hoped. :)
The Texas4000 is a group of UT students who will ride their bikes over the next few months from Cedar Park, TX to Anchorage, Alaska...a distance over 4500 miles!!! The ATLAS Ride is a fundraiser and a way to see them off on their incredible journey to raise money for the fight against cancer. What a wonderful way for these kids to spend their summer vacation!
Last night, I offered to babysit our neighbor's three kids while the wife and Jennifer went out with some of other neighborhood ladies to celebrate one of their birthdays. The husband was out of town on business. Imagine me babysitting 5 kids?! They were all very well-mannered and behaved and everything went well. I even got a movie in I'd been wanting to watch.
I plan to take it easy today hanging out with the family and enjoying another beautiful day in Round Rock, TX.
Make it a great week! Kia Kaha!

A triathlete is born

I am still recovering from some kind of nerve damage issue in my left calf and foot, so I don't have much to report except that I am working hard on rehab with a doctor to alleviate the pain. I am hopeful I will be able to race my first Tri in Owensboro this coming weekend. I would just like to be healthy enough to complete the race, so we shall see.

Speaking of first races. My awesome wife Rebecca did her first Tri this weekend. I had the privilege of being race support. It was a super sprint at Taylorsville Lake State Park. It consisted of a 375 meter swim, 5 mile TT, and a 2 mile run. Becca has been training hard and putting in the hours and I think it is starting to make a difference.

The race started with some excitement as the men's and women's waves entered the water for the official start. Just before the whistle, a water snake decided to make its way through the middle of everyone. Needless to say, everyone exited the water quickly. The snake moved on to better things and the whistle was sounded for the start. The men started first with a one minute delay to the women. Becca looked like a champ as she maintained a smooth steady pace and stayed in the middle of the pack throughout the entire swim.

She exited the water and made her way to the transition without any issues. She quickly was out on her bike for the long climb out of the lake. The bike portion was difficult for many athletes because it was a mile climb from the start. Becca was strong and gained some positions as this is her strongest area. I was so happy to see her smiling throughout the first two portions of the race.

She dismounted the bike, changed in to her running shoes and headed right back out to tackle the big hill again..........with a big smile on her face. I knew this would be a challenge since her knee still gives her problems from time to time since the ACL surgery. Like a true champion she just kept slapping one foot in front of the other and before I could blink I could see her coming back down the hill. She had headed out with a smile and I knew she had this wrapped up, she was still grinning from ear to ear when she passed me and headed for the finish line banner.

She was so pumped up after she was done. The entire ride home was filled with the post race stories we all love to share about the "would of" "could of" "what if" scenarios of competition. I enjoyed being a fan and the support guy for a change. I think we both learned a lot. Next week we are both competing in Owensboro and Cole with be running the support operations. This is going to be a fun trip because we get to race and hang out with Claude and his beautiful family. Hopefully we all have smiles like this when we are done..........

L3: Live, Learn and Lead.

Schmidty

CapTex Tri Photo Gallery (Triathlete.competitor.com)

CapTex Triathlon Report

The race went much as I expected. Actually, it went exactly as I'd expected had I not miscalculated when I wrote yesterday's report. I wrote that I hoped for a 2:45 finishing time but my actual last CapTex time was 2:48 in 2009. What I actually figured I could do was a 3 hour finishing time and I ended up with a 3:02.
The swim went as expected. I swam 3 times in preparation for the race so I had no expectations for a great swim. According to the race timing, I had a 35 minute swim (1500 meters), although my watch said I had a 32 minute swim.
The bike was outstanding. I averaged 19.2 mph over the 24.8 mile course in 20 mph wind gusts. I rode the big ring for the entire course and felt really strong.
The run was tough from the beginning. I got off the bike and made it through transition in a little over 2 minutes. As I got on the run course, my stomach began to cramp. The pain was stuck under both ribs and I had to walk in order to make it subside. This got me started on a run-walk for most of the race. Just as I began the second 3.1 mile loop, my right hamstring began cramping. My leg just stiffened up and I limped for several yards until it went away. I began running again, only to have it cramp again another mile later. Despite all that, I averaged just over 10min/mile pace. The positive is that during the times I was able to run, my pace had to be in the 8min/mile range in order for me to keep an overall 10min/mile average. Makes you think "what could have been." That's the hard part of endurance racing. You can't always have your best day despite what you try.
I finished strong and enjoyed a nice coconut milk for electrolytes and a Muscle Milk for the protein before driving home.
Once home, we went to a friend's home for a cookout of burgers, hot dogs, and margaritas. Several of us there did the race and we commiserated. One of the guys in our group came in first in the military sprint race and one of the girls in our group came in third in the 35-39 age group of the Olympic race. They make it look so easy. It's inspiring to be around gifted athletes even if you know you'll never be in their category. We all have our race to run and success is relative to that...in triathlon as in life.
I plan to take the week off from training and look forward to Saturday's 70-mile ATLAS Ride. After that, I'll regroup and see what's next for the summer ahead.
Have a super week! Kia Kaha!

Crash

I'm not big fan of any kind of injury, but when you crash and get hurt its even more frustrating. I have been struggling with a nerve problem in my left calf, I have been relegated to swimming and biking only. No running and no lifting that requires my lower body. So while out on a training ride, I was conducting a little sprint interval when suddenly my left crank arm snapped off and I foot planted. Next thing I know I had flipped over the bars and was bouncing along the road. Somehow I managed only a few cuts and mostly bruises, but unfortunately my bike sustained some serious damage. Besides the crank I lost both shifters and the bars. Not bad really in the big scheme of things.

The irony of all of this is that it has been a crappy spring for riding weather, and this weekend has been picture perfect and I don't have a bike. "Epic fail" as the kids say. The wonderful folks at Aerocat Bikes are fixing me up and I have an appointment on Wednesday at the factory to get everything fixed/replaced and built back up. Only a week off the bike. More importantly I want this nerve issue in my calf to go away.

Rebecca is registered and competing in a super sprint tri on June 4th, so I am pumped to be going to support her. It will be a good way to acclimate to this kind of racing. Next, the Schmidt family is headed down to Owensboro to hook up with the Bacon family for the YMCA/Owensboro Tri. Both Rebecca and I are registered for the sprint. This will be my first official tri, so I am interested to learn from the experience. I just hope Bacon doesn't crush me to awful bad.

Be well friends.

L3: Live, Learn, and Lead

Schmidty

CapTex Taper Week

Monday Rest Day
Tuesday 1:05 hour tempo bike
Wednesday Travel to Dallas
Thursday 38 minute tempo run (18 min. at threshold); meetings; flight back home
Friday Rest Day
Saturday 20 minute spin on bike trainer; cleaned bike chain in prep for Monday; had a cookout with neighbors
Sunday CapTex Expo. Picked up packet and dropped bike off in transition. This year, the race is using TriTats. Pretty cool!

I'll be waking up tomorrow at 4am for my steel cut oats and honey breakfast. Transition opens at 5:30am and my race wave (40-44, M-Z) hits the water at 7:38am. Water temp is currently under 78 degrees and thus wetsuit legal. I plan to use it. Air temperature will be in the 80's at race start and the high is predicted to hit 97 degrees F. Winds are forecast at 20mph from the SSE. Pretty tough conditions. The lake had white caps when we walked by it this afternoon! The heat will require I pay close to attention to staying hydrated and keeping my electrolytes high. I also spoke to the owner of BEXRunner and he's bringing me a special cooler to keep my BEXRunner cold for use on the run. Keeping my core temperature as cool as possible is key to a successful run. In 2009 at this race, I was slowed to a crawl during the run because of the heat. I lost everything I gained from a decent swim and a 21mph average bike.

I swam a total of three times in preparation for this race, so I'm not expecting a personal best in the water. My plan is to use the swim as a warm up and just smooth it out. With any luck, all the miles I've put on the bike will lead me to a good bike time, and then it's just hoping the heat doesn't drain me too badly on the run. I'll be happy with anything under 2:45 and think it's about the best I can expect under the circumstances.

After the race, we are joining friends who are also racing at one of their homes for a cookout. Can't think of a more appropriate "recovery" session on Memorial Day.

Wish all of you a wonderful week! Kia Kaha!

Summer Time

It has been a couple of crazy weeks leading up to graduation at LWC. It was another great year and I am proud to be part of this place. So many great things going on. But now it is time for summer and hopefully some quality time with the family.

My training has been going well, but no specific goals in mind except my doctoral work. I ride, run, and swim whenever time allows and try and keep focused on living a healthier life. The great news is I completed my two spring courses and earned another two A's. The bad news is I have a lot of work to do this summer with practicums, and comprehensive exams. However, I have knocked out two full years of doctoral work, and can see the finish line.

Don't forget the registration is now up for GABRAKY. Go to gabraky.com

Had a terrific weekend of riding and relaxing with the family. Rebecca, Cole, and I attended the Blues, Bikes, and BBQ festival in Somerset. Coles first 20+ mile ride. He was a champ along with mom. We met some great people and had a wonderful experience.

Life is good friends.

L3-Live, Learn, and Lead
Schmidty

Bacon Weekly

Mon
Tues
Wed- The Now Famous Karl Miller Brushy Creek Run- 50 mins
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Sun- 4 miles

Good intentions but just a tough week for workouts because of my travel week to Nashville and Austin. Although a short week in quantity it was one of th best in quality because of my run with Karl in Austin. The weather was perfect and the Brushy Creek run is scenic. A nice pace coupled with some quality conversation lead the way. Busy weekend too Maggie Beth finsished soccer with 3 games on Saturday...she received the team award for the player persistence, who always wanted to play and never sit out and I told her that I was most proud of her perisntence,postive attitude, and never give up attitude throughout the season. And all with a smile and happy face...

Bacon Comes To Town

Monday Rest Day
Tuesday Got my blood drawn for this week's annual physical and went back home to get in my 1:25 hour tempo bike session.
Wednesday 55 minute run with Claude Bacon at Brushy Creek Lake Park. We held a nice, smooth tempo and enjoyed one of those runs you wish didn't have to end.
Thursday Took a day off. My left knee had a little pain the night before and I decided to rest it.
Friday Day Off
Saturday 2:15 hours on the bike trainer. In addition to my Coach Troy video, I set up our laptop so I could keep up with the pros at Ironman Texas.
Sunday 1:26 hour long run. I was wiped. I had to walk at least 10 minutes and cut the run short by 4 minutes. It was very humid and hot already at 8am when I ran. Summer is coming to central Texas and that means HOT, HOT, and HOT!

Enjoyed a nice week at work ending with graduation on Friday. Coach Mack Brown was our speaker and he did an excellent job. I also had a chance to have lunch with John Bacon on Friday. That was a wonderful opportunity and we enjoyed some interesting conversation.

This week is our kids' final week of school and my taper week in preparation for Memorial Day's CapTex Triathlon. The pro field is set and I'll be on the same course with some of the world's top triathletes. Should be a fun and exciting day.

Our daughter and son both won perfect attendance, academic, and character awards in school. We feel so blessed and proud. Jennifer continues her daily walking regimen and has lost over 25 pounds in the past few months. I'm really proud of her. We look forward to a safe and fun summer! And we wish all of you the same!

Make it a great week! Kia Kaha!

Miller Weekly Update

Monday Rest Day
Tuesday 1 hour easy spin on the bike working out soreness from the weekend workouts
Wednesday-Friday No work outs (Just didn't feel it. Needed the rest. Had a 16-hour workday on Wednesday and I spent the week catching up.)
Saturday Armadillo Hill Country Classic I chose the 105-mile route. My longest ride this year was 77 miles and my longest training rides/sessions this year have been no more than 3 hours long. I had no business doing 105 miles but I survived thanks to a good nutrition/hydration plan and cooler than normal temperatures. The hills and Texas winds were a killer. My face was covered in salt by race's end and my legs were jelly. I had my protein ready for after the race and my legs feel good this (Sunday) morning. By the way, if you have not tried Pickle Juice Sport, I highly recommend it. Two of these at around the 80-mile mark made all the difference. Took the family to our new local Indian restaurant. Indian never tasted so good. I was famished!
Sunday Not sure what's on tap for today. It's another gorgeous day, so I'm sure some outdoor activities are in order. I may even get a swim in later today. I have the CapTex Olympic triathlon in two weeks and have only been to the pool three times during training. :-)
Make it a great week! Kia Kaha!

Bacon Weekly

Mon- 4 miles
Tues- 1200 M swim...mix drills
Wed- 20 mile bike...outide test with new stem
Thurs- 3 miles
Fri- off
Sat- BBQ Festival 5k - 63/588 overall and 5/35 age group- TIME- 22:46
Sun- off

Week of great workouts for me, culminating to a nice performance in the 5k....as usual a few seconds seperated me from a podium finish in a larger age group pool, but Im pleased considering my lack of speed work....lots of things coming together in prep for the seasons firt sprint tri race in a few weeks....tested the new stem out this week and it's a nice solution however the shorter stem make the cockpit a little sketchy and twitchy...it's sensitive so sto speak.....travel days this week will prove tough for workouts but will get in what I can...

Video: Students continue the naked tradition at Wildflower Tri by going for a run on the course

Bacon Weekly

Mon- 4 miles @ 8:41
Tues- 4 miles @ 9:28
Wed- 3 miles @ 10:41
Thurs- 4 miles @ 8:55
Fri- Strength training
Sat- off (yard work if you call that off)
Sun- 6 miles @ 9:55


Pretty much a running week for me but the schedule only permitted this effort....swims and bikes were in the plan, but only found time to strap on the shoes and log in base miles. A better schedule next week will permit the other disciplines. Starting to hear stories from my neighbors and friends who ran the Derby Marathon...my next door neighbor and his wife both ran their first marathon and finished close together at 4:03 and 4:09...She beat him cause he stopped for a pee at mile 21 and never caught back up. So good to hear these stories and read about your guys and friends stories too and I'll make some comments on your posts. Im stirring on when to start my triathlon training for the 1/2 ironman and I've looked at a few schedules...the original one I had chosen would start on May 23rd so well see.....ready to read you guys posts...im out

Ky Derby Mini Marathon 2011

Well another derby marathon down... have participated for the last 4 years and is a very special run for me... One that I hope I can continue for long into the future. However, I realized a great lesson on this run... Don't expect to knock the lights out without the preparations... I toed the line at 200 pounds (a gain of 12-15 since last Thanksgiving)... Did not do core work nor did I pound out speed sessions or long distances or hills... Basically did alot of wasted 4-8 milers in preparation... Also drank many burbon slushies and Captain Gingers and Leinenkugal beers... The nutrition consisted of a whole lot of crap... I totally winged the whole thing for whatever reason... With this said, I guess I did ok... My chip time was 1:49:17 and I had to take about a 2:20 port a pot visit... over hydrated... imagine that, couldn't even control the water intake... Oh well, I still enjoyed the race for the most part... Ran with some old friends from Breckinridge... 2 of which I use to smoke and they beat me this year. I averaged about an 8:10 pace, but it was an agonizing pace... very sore today... but learned the lesson... If you sign up for an event, you really need to log in the miles and do all the preparations to have a successful race...

Sharing the victory

Is it possible to be so excited for another human beings accomplishments that you become just as emotionally attached to the event and equally excited? I believe the answer is unquestionably yes, and that these emotions can be for the thrill of victory and also the agony of defeat. I have had one of the best winters of training with my friends Toby and Ann Young. Toby and I do most of our workouts together, and Becca and Ann together. Our emails, texts, conversations over meals or hanging out at the little league park are all about our "plan". What is our workout today? What is the plan for the week? What races do we want to do? Nutrition? Strength training? You name it,we talk about it and most of all we encourage each other and hold one another accountable.

Both Toby and Ann have been training for their first official Tri, the TriCharleston in S.C. Ann a sprint distance and Toby a half Ironman (Toby doesn't like to start small and work his way up, he likes to start big). So we have been following the "plan" and all our training has been focused on them completing their first tri's. Toby was already a very gifted endurance athlete, he was just learning to put it all together. The greatest transformation has been in Ann. She has never in her life competed in any athletic endeavor. All I can say is that she has become consumed by the challenge of training and competing. Her physical transformation has been incredible, she is ripped and lean. Her athletic confidence is growing by the day. I hate to see where she will be a year from now.

Ann entered the water this past Saturday morning and had no idea what to expect, it was her first open water swim. She said it was chaos, and according to her she often thought of just pulling out and quitting. But like a true champion, she sucked it up, gathered herself, and found her stride. Out of the water, no problem on the bike, and killed the run. Guess what? She's hooked. Another new athlete joins the ranks. Great job Ann!

Toby is an entirely different story. Last Saturday, just a week from his half Ironman the unthinkable happens, he tears his ACL........again. This is the one that has been replaced twice now and that he spent all year rehabbing for the half Ironman. When he called me from the MRI room I just about got sick, I had a knot in my stomach thinking about all the work he had put in and how he was going to miss this event. After a few days we talked about his options. He decided after draining the knee that it felt fine enough to swim and bike and he would pull out and not attempt the run.

Toby however is machine, he reminds me of the terminator robot, he just never stops. Well, race day comes and he enters the water feeling pretty good. He kills the swim, has no problem on the bike and enters the transition area and looks up at the clock. Toby later said that he thought to himself, "I can walk the entire 13 miles and still make the cut off". So without telling anyone in his family. The terminator headed out. A walk, a run, a walk, a run, he said he just paced himself. Toby crossed the line in under 6 hours and 30 minutes. Amazing, simply amazing!

I am sharing this story because I am just so motivated and inspired by the people around me who choose to live life. I was sick when Toby told me about his knee, but that emotion was replaced with joy when I could hear Ann's excitement about her race. The emotion later swelled up again when Toby called and shared his victory over the injury. Amazing people, doing amazing things!

Rebecca and I are fortunate to have friends like Toby and Ann that share there training, work ethic, and motivation to inspire us. Just like each of you guys inspire me with your training, racing efforts, family stories and more. Thanks for sharing the victories.

L3-Live, Learn, and Lead
Schmidty

Is the Margarona a Proper Recovery Drink?

This week was a recovery week and I took the opportunity to get plenty of rest and begin feeling better physically after being sick last weekend. This was also the beginning of the final 5-week PEAK phase of my Olympic distance triathlon training program.

Monday Rest Day

Tuesday 1 hour Tempo Bike with 2x12 minutes at threshold intensity; still not feeling my normal self physically

Wednesday 36 minute Tempo Run with 16 minutes at threshold intensity; still not feeling my best but I ran the threshold pace at fast pace (for me); built my confidence knowing I could hold that intensity on the treadmill while not at my best

Thursday Early morning meeting made morning workout not possible. Took an extra rest day

Friday No workout again today. More rest in preparation for tomorrow's 50-mile bike ride.

Saturday 50-mile bike ride with Bicycle Sport Shop group. Rode the Specialized and stayed in the big chain for 47 miles. Felt really strong. The rest of the previous week did me good. This was my first long ride since the 77-miler two weeks prior. Unofficially, I snatched most of the King of the Hill points for the day. I was pushing a bigger gear than normal up most of the climbs and it was fun passing some good riders on the uphills. My strength on the bike has come a long way since beginning training in March. One of the guys in our group did his first 50-mile ride so to celebrate, our group had lunch together at Morelia Mexican Grill. In the mood for both a margarita AND a beer, we were introduced to the Margarona, one of their large frozen margaritas with a small Corona beer thrown in. If there is any question as to how strong that combination is, they only allow you to drink one per visit. Added to my shrimp taco plate, it was a great way to celebrate a great ride with good friends.

Sunday I'll probably take the day off today. I may get a swim in later but my exercise today will be helping to clean the house. I used the morning to register for some upcoming rides:the Armadillo 105 mile ride on May 14 and the Atlas ride in June (a 70 mile ride with members of the Texas 4000 team...riders spending the next three months riding from Texas to Alaska fundraising for Livestrong against cancer). This will ensure I stay motivated and focused going into and coming out of the CapTex Triathlon.

Training will pick back up this week. I may do 50 miles of the Shiner Ride next week to support a friend who wants to do it as his first 50-mile ride. Other than that, this upcoming week is the final week of classes for our college students and I've already made brunch reservations for next Sunday's Mother's Day. (Just a friendly reminder for the rest of you dads out there). I also want to announce that I've been named Social Media coordinator by the USAT South Midwest Region. I will administer their Facebook page and their Twitter account. I'd be honored to have each of you "LIKE" the Facebook page and "FOLLOW" the Twitter account. This is a volunteer position as part of the region's communication committee.

Make it a great week! Kia Kaha!

formspring.me

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/karlmillerlugo

Miller Weekly/Bi-monthly Update

Sorry for missing another week of updates last week. I was honored to have fellow TTT members Bighead and Sweet Willy in Austin last weekend. We started with margaritas at 5pm on Friday and after some shooters of tequila and bourbon and some beers, let's just say that Saturday was a LONG day. We did manage to make the UT v Texas Tech baseball game on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, the Longhorns lost but not after an exciting last inning rally attempt. Bighead had to go back to Michigan on Sunday, so Ashley stayed at our home and I took Monday off work so we could hang out. It was great having the boys in town and we partied like it was 1999...at least for one night.
Here is my weekly report:
Monday Normally a rest day but I got a 1600 m swim in after taking Ashley to the airport
Tuesday 1:20 hours bike long hill climbs (6x5' hill climbs at VO2Max)
Wednesday 38 minute run lactate intervals (3x3' intervals at VO2Max); did this on the treadmill in order to keep the intervals steady. Killer workout!
Thursday Drove to Houston for work; no workout
Friday Kids off school, so I took the day off work. 48 minute Fartlek Run (8x30" at VO2Max intervals). Did this on the treadmill at 9mph intervals. I had to walk the five minute cool down because I felt faint. I'd had some chest congestion and cough but tried to fight through it. Probably not a good idea.
Saturday Woke up not feeling "right." Body aches, some chills, and still had the chest congestion and sore throat from my cough. Decided rest was in order and I did NOTHING all day.
Sunday Feeling a little better today but still have that darn cough. Plan to err on the side of rest rather than trying to push through a workout. Will instead enjoy an Easter Sunday chilling with the family.
Have a great Easter, All! And make this a GREAT week!
Kia Kaha!

Bacon Weekly

Mon- 1000 M Swim

Tues- Strength Day

Wed- 3 mile run at Chateau Elon Resort and Winery- THE GRAPE RUN

Thur- 4 mile run- THE GRAPE RUN

Fri-off

Sat- turkey season, logged major walking mileage

Sun- off

A travel week prevented distance, but maintained the efforts...The grape run was awesome....a trail run than brought you in and around the grape fields of the resort....super cool. Returned tired but managed a few days of turkey season, but no turkey....rotten weather on Saturday! Update on the SwimP3....as most men, reading the instructions first would have been nice....there is a volume control that I was unaware, so cranked it up today in the pool and presto! Major metal in the pool....with that fixed, this thing is the real deal and IS the answer to labrious miles in the pool..... For you naturalist, keep cranking out those lonely miles; for me..... "You can stop rock'n roll" Peace and I'm out!

Training Partner

So I have been helping my good friend Toby Young train for a half Ironman distance event. He is now three weeks out and I feel good about the work we have designed this winter and spring. His progress has been incredible. He already had a plan, I just provided the motivation and a partner to pick on. The really cool part for me has been providing the friendly ear to listen when needed, and offer training experience and general knowledge. So while Toby has become this incredibly fit triathlon machine I have also benefited from the continued abuse he has put me through by training along side him. Part of our routine has been planning race like events in Columbia since our personal schedules have not allowed for us to attend any early season races. We are trying to give Toby as much race ready experience as possible. So with the help of some other willing participants we have held several races. Last weekend we offered a bike/run/swim-(22.0 miles/10K/1000 meters). We have to offer the swim last to work around open swim times/daylight in the pool. This has been so much fun, and it makes me realize just how easy it is to organize small groups with a common bond. We have fun, we are competitive, and we support each other. We all learned a lot on Sunday; hydration, nutrition, pace, effort, and most of all the mental side of competition. Organizing these kinds of things really helps a person push and learn new limits. I learned I could run a 10K. The value of a training partner, or accountability partner is underrated. I know how much Toby says I have helped him, but the byproduct is what it has done for me as well. We are growing stronger from pushing each other and it is making a difference. Since we all brag a little when we post. I completed the 22 mile bike in 1:09:35, the 10K run in 1:12:41, and completed the 1000 meter swim in 30:29:18. Oh, I learned something else, I know why they swim first. I cramped so badly during the swim I had to stop twice for several minutes to work out calf cramps. It was an amazing feeling pushing each other and finishing. I am excited about the next three weeks and assisting Toby to the finish line. I consider all of you my training partners as well and look forward to the continued updates. Keep pushing me boys. L3- Live, Learn, Lead Schmidty

Bacon Weekly

Mon- 800 swim (lunch), 1 hour bike (evening) Tues- 4 miles Wed- off Thurs- Strength Workout Fri- 5 miles Sat- 3 miles Sun- 1000 M FS swim My first 6 day week in a while and felt good...sore after the strength day and trying to balance it was tough. Spring break for the kids and we just hung out....caught some fish, saw the grandparents, played plenty, etc... Finally got the Finis SwimP3 player in the water tonight and have mixed results on the first run....sound is defintely there and you can hear it ok, but blowing out water and hand entering water overpowers the volume....more testing needs to be done as to whether I will reccomend....I'll check the instrcutions for tips and see if placement is wrong.....

summer is near

good weather this week = better mood and a few workouts... did some short runs, a bike run brick and a 10 mile run today... all felt very good... would have been better minus this extra 10 pounds im carrying these days... To many activities around Derby time that serves too many brews and good food.... Real excited riding the Fuji through Iroquis park... a few good hills and just felt damn good. The fuji is feeling good... Did a 14 mile bike and 2 mile brick workout that was good, and finished the week with a 10 mile run @ 8:25 pace. Been watching UL baseball, Louisville Bats baseball, got Thunder over Louisville next saturday... lots of free concerts on Waterfront park, mini marathon, steamboat races, bed races, peaguses parades, Oaks, derby, etc.... lots going on right now and Ive got a few vacation days to soak it all in... 137th Kentucky Derby..... Oh yeah... burbon Slushies, and lots of cold brew, and some wine tasting... and a little Chow Wagon action!

Round Rock Express Ride

Sorry for not posting last week. It was our 18th wedding anniversary weekend, so Saturday we got a sitter and had dinner and saw a movie. Sunday was our actual anniversary, so we hung out as a family all day. I still got my bike, run, and swim on, however.

Here’s this week’s review:

Monday Day Off

Tuesday 1:15 Bike Long Hill Climbs (5 x 5 minute hill climbs at VO2Max intensity). This workout crushed me. I was sore all week and took Friday off just to get an additional rest day.

Wednesday 38 minutes Run Lactate Intervals (18X30 second intervals). This workout also hurts. Definitely builds endurance and speed, however.

Thursday 1 hour Bike Speed Intervals (7x1 minute at speed intensity)

Friday Day Off. Did Watch Dog DADS at my son’s school. It was awesome fun. I got to meet all his teachers, have lunch with him, and even got to sit in on his entire Spanish class. His teacher is from Puerto Rico and we played Spanish Pictionary. Tristan said he thought it was cool having me at school with him all day. I got to meet all his best friends. One of them told us that we act so much alike. Loved that comment!

Saturday 1:10 Long Run.  Negative split by over 4 minutes! If I could only do that on race day.

Sunday Round Rock Express Ride 77 mile ride starting and ending at the Round Rock Express ballpark. Wind started at 17 mph and went up to 31 mph. It was freakin’ brutal! What should have been a nice smooth 4.5 hour ride turned into a 6-hour hell. I was in my pain cave for the last two hours. There were moments where I rode the Granny gear for several  miles! You even had to pedal going downhill because the wind would just hold you in place.  Just to give you a sense of how bad it was, I finished the 112 miles at IMAZ in 6:30…after swimming 2.4 miles. It took me almost as long to ride 77.

I started downing protein on the way home and ate for about an hour solid once I got home. I now have my legs up while I watch the Masters…and what a Masters this is. Wow!

It was a great training ride.  It will certainly make the rest of them seem easy. It was also a great way to break in my new baby. Check her out here. Got a great deal on her (anniversary gift from Jennifer), so now I can hit the roads on something other than my TT bike.  (Hint: get your wife some Tiffany jewelry and this is the kind of reciprocation you get.)

Ashley and Bighead come into town this week. We’ll be spending the weekend together and I look forward to being with them. Look out, Austin! Bighead and Sweet Willy are coming to town!

Make it a great week! Kia Kaha!

Bacon Weekly

Mon- Strength and conditioning Tues- 4 mile run Wed- 1.5 mile run in Indianapolis with "Back on My Feet" Thurs- 3 mile run d-town Indy Fri- off Sat- 5 mile run Sun- yard work! Pretty cool week of activites, but included a travel week to Indy for a Marriott Conference. The highlight of the week was a 1.5 mile run with a group called Back on My Feet; which engages those with drug, alchohol, or other set backs to run with a group 3 days a week. Check them out at www.backonmyfeet.org Great experience and I was humbled to be in their presence. Marriott gave them a $10,000 check too!

Racing?????

Had another weekend off from school so at the last minute I registered for not one but two back to back criteriums in Lexington last Sunday. It seems that multiple crits is what everyone does, and since I drove up I thought I would torture myself. Fast, fast, fast was the name of the game. This event is like racing at Bristol Motor Speedway, it may as well be on an oval with a hill. My primary event the CAT 5, I hung on most of the race, but got separated from the field with three to go. I maintained a high pace and finished 32/47 with the main filed in site. The second race the Cat4/5 started just 45 minutes later. Needless to say I got absolutely hammered. To say I finished at the back is an understatement. But, I had a blast. I averaged over 20mph for consecutive 30+ minute races. I am just having fun, school is more important at this moment then racing. The racing is just an outlet. I was excited to do it. Rebecca my wife suggested that a few of us go up and do this weekends Shelbyville tri. It was a great idea, except when it turned cold we deiced to save the money/gas/entry fee and designed our own. So yesterday five of us, two women and three men designed a 13.4 mile bike (outside), 5K run (outside), and finished with a 500 meter swim in the HWC center (had to do the swim last because of the pool hours and daylight). It was a blast, the guys I train with are all fast runners so we just got after it. If I had any chance of creating a little gap I had to blister the bike. Finished - Bike43:12. T1:59:14. Run:31:16. T2:4:39. Swim: 11:45. Total: 1:31 We all had the best time, it was so much fun. Props to my wife for setting it all up and competing. Another great week ahead! L3-Live, Learn, and Lead Schmidty

Bacon Weekly

Mon- 5 miles Tues- 4 miles Wed- 1500 Meter FS Swim Thurs- 45 minute trainer Fri- off Sat-4 miles Sun- 1 hour trainer (while watching UK whip that NC butt) Great 6 day training week as Im preapring for ramp up for Spring events....had some early warmth this week and knew the cold was coming so chose to run early in the week and do some inside stuff later in the week...has been back in the 30's-40's raining, sleeting, and spitting snow for the last 4 days.... travel this week to include a running event for a Marriott conference in Indianapolis...more to come on that.... Got my new running shoes this week and got 1 run in them on Sat...wow, big difference...as soon as you think.."man, it may be time for new shoes"...it is! For me that was 2 months ago! I added the Adidas Adistar Ride 3 for this year....neutral and designed for heavier runners...

Panhandle Week

Monday Rest Day

Tuesday Travel to Lubbock; visited Texas Tech campus; saw the Texas winds make the sky “red” with sand and dirt

Wednesday 35 min treadmill run (included 16x30” intervals at VO2Max) at Amarillo hotel; flew back and attended school event until 9pm

Thursday Day off

Friday 40 min. Fartlek Run (6x30” at VO2Max)

Saturday 2 hour bike ride on the trainer; used my Ironman Wisconsin training ride video and listened to TedTalks. Jenn and I took the kids to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2. Good movie. The kids read the books and then we take them to see the movies.

Sunday 1:05 hours long run; Going for a 2100 m swim in a few minutes while my family does the grocery shopping. 

Took a couple of days off this week due to work. It allowed me to concentrate on my running and I could really tell the difference on today’s long run. It took me the first 30 minutes to warm up after yesterday’s long ride but the last 35 minutes were strong. I negative split my run by nearly 3 minutes…and I was running against the wind much of the way back.

I made a promise to myself before the training year began to keep things flexible and basic. If I feel abnormally tired or I’ve had a long day/night of work (as I did Wednesday this week, then I’ll choose a rest day rather than training on the following day. On the “basic” side, I don’t wear a foot pod or heart rate monitor and I don’t use a cadence or mileage reader on the bike. I do everything based on feel. The result so far is that I’ve taken off at least a full minute off my best 5k and have increased my bike strength exponentially (this has been a result of doing much more big gear work than in the past.).

I have had a little back pain after my long rides and runs, so I know I need to get back to some core training. I plan to add that back in this coming week. 

In closing, I want to give my congrats to Dino and his bride and Claude and his bride on their runs this week. It’s motivating to know my TTT mates are toeing the line in beginning their 2011 training and race year. I’m also excited to hear from Jeremy and Ashley this week confirming their upcoming visit to Austin in April. Will be fun to spend a few days with my brothers.

You guys inspire me! Thank you!

Kia Kaha!

Papa Johns 10 Miler, Louisville, KY

One of my favorite races is the PJ 10 miler. Love to finish on the 50 yard line while projected on the jumbo tron of the stadium.... Free Pizza is a nice perk as well. This race is also the one that I ran very fast a couple of years ago, then hurried to New Bethel to pay my final respects to one Orville Miller. In the past few years I have adapted some mystical beliefs combined with my christian background and am a firm believer that there are spirit guides and powers of the universe that we dont understand... there are powers that look over us in trying times, dangerous times, and when we face the many adversities of life. I feel Orville's presence a couple times each year... and one is always around this race... its strong, warm, and very pleasant... he is happy with his life on earth and even more with the afterlife... and very pleased with his accoplishments as well as the family he left behind... Its very odd that this year as I stood at the table to pick up my packet in the Brown and Williamson club at Papa Johns stadium.... my cell phone rang as the lady handed me my bib number... Yes, it was one Karl Miller, Orvilles grandson... Amazing, it was like Orville himself wishing me luck... here is your sign. so many signs in this world and sometimes we are just too busy to see them. I also picked up about 10 lucky pennies this day... I consider pennies on the ground as blessings from above... always pick these pennies up! Anyway, to make a long story short: I was not feeling prepared for this race... I was 11 pounds over my idea race weight... was not logging the required training miles nor doing the core work.... and sure wasnt eating and drinking properly... Also, it was about 39 degrees with a 15 mph wind and I hadnt done any hill work in preparation for Iriqois park... Nonetheless, I toed the line to do my best.... I finished in 1:17:08. Average miles of 7:43. Well pleased with the race. Finished 510 overall out of 7,013. Not bad for an old bald overweight bum.... Also, at mile 6 on the last hill in Iriqois I was visited by Orville giving me the thumbs up... Crazy, I know... but true. This race may have rejuvinated me for some summer training to get back in shape... Rock on men... enjoy the story.

Bacon Weekly

Mon- 4.5 mile run
Tues- Strength Program
Wed- off
Thurs- 5 mile run
Fri- 1600 M FS swim- 35 minutes
Sat- St. Patricks Day 10K- unsure of place 52:52
Sun- off

This was a return to fitness week and missing an entire week the previous due to the flu and it really set me back in preperation for the 10k..... my race time was 3 minutes slower than the previous year, but treated it more like a training run than a race; however I reached out and passed a few when I could...started with a slower pace which was nice for me compared to my normal rabbit style but I just didn't have it in me to run fast....great overall fitness week though as this was my long swim for the start of the season and I felt great in the water overall...a pinched nerve in shoulder is causing me some neck pain though. I'm very proud of Samantha as she finished her 5k yesterday in 35 minutes...as you know this is 4 months after full foot sugery so she was pleased that she could run and finish despite some pain...adapt and overcome... Bacon

Racing for fun

I have not had a weekend away from class in 6 weeks, and since my injury in the gym my workouts and especially my cycling has been pretty minimal. Lots of swimming and physical therapy. This past week I started back on the spin bike and actually snuck out for a chill ride to test out the leg. It works great on the bike, its the weight bearing stuff that is so uncomfortable.

All that being said, I couldn't stand not getting to be competitive, so I drove up to Louisville on Saturday and raced in the first spring series race. I guess I needed something to get me out of this funk of not being able to follow my normal routine, to see where my fitness actually is, and to see if this leg is getting better.

Race was fast as usual. 1.7 mile circuit at Long Run Park, in 31 minutes I covered 10.8 miles for an average of 20.4 mph. Finished 32nd out of 47 with the lead group 30 seconds in front. I felt good, pushed as hard as I could and definitely could feel the weeks missed off the bike and in the gym. At the end of the day I was pretty happy, hopefully I am turning the corner from this injury. Cole was my pit crew, and my dad made it out to the race as well. Always awesome to have family around cheering you on. Fun day!!

Stay well brother.

L3-Live, Learn, and Lead
Schmidty

Karl Weekly Update

Monday Recovery Day

Tuesday Bike Trainer Short Hill Climbs 1 Hour w/ 7X1 minute in BG/11

Wednesday 45 minute foundation run

Thursday Bike Trainer Power Intervals 1:20 hours w/ 8x20 seconds in high gear

Friday Rest Day (Took the day off work to volunteer at my daughter’s school. Big fun!)

Saturday 50-mile ride. 25 miles north with wind at our back were terrific; 25 miles back were BRUTAL! Took about 30 minutes longer coming back. I felt really strong on the bike yesterday. I can tell the bike workouts are paying dividends. I was in the big gear most of the day. Passed a lot of riders and my motivation was high.

Sunday 1 hour foundation run. Legs were HEAVY from yesterday’s ride. Had a hard time finding my rhythm and not feeling like I was clopping along. The last 30 minutes felt a little smoother.

Still have not been to the pool. Plan to remedy that this week. I have a couple of days off to spend with the kids during their spring break, so I’m going to take advantage of that time to at least make it to the pool to get my membership paid for. That way I can start getting at least one good long swim session in per week each weekend.

Working on a personal project for which I could use your prayers/send me good Karma. I’ll brief you guys more as things develop.

Make it a great week, All!

Kia Kaha!

Bacon Weekly

Mon- 5 miles run
Tues- Mark Allen Tri-Strength Program
Wed- off or maybe a 5 mile run (i forgot)
Thurs- 1500 meter swim, FS and drills
Fri- Mark Allen Tri Strength Program
Sat- 1 Hour Bike Session
Sun-off

Great fitness week for me as I rolled out my new strength program that I will keep for the season.It's Mark Allens 12 top exercises for triathletes and can be googled and found easily online if you'd like to see...I can finish the entire program with core work in just under 1 hour...perfect for me...ear infections finally ceased and enabled me a nice swim session and I felt good so I had a great swim despite being absent from the pool for several weeks. Drove to Atlanta for a conference on Sunday.

weekly

did some running, 4 miler, 5 miler, 5 miler... did some biking rode the fuji, rode the schwinn, got a flat... rode some more... did a little abs and a bunch of bad eating... drink a few and took in a UL baseball game with youngest son... played some ping pong and visited with mom and dad.... pretty average hum drum week... but it was awesome.... break in the weather is getting me out of the winter blues... time change comming up next sunday, yeah! may head to the tanning bed just to get some UV light and pull me out of this aweful winter... spring is around the corner. have fun men and enjoy the good life.

Round Rock Project Graduation 5K and Weekly Update

 

Monday  Rest Day

Tuesday 55 min Bike Short Hill Climbs (6x1min) on Trainer

Wednesday 40 min run

Thursday 50 min Bike Power Intervals (5x20 seconds)

Friday Rest day to give legs a break before tomorrow’s 5k

Saturday Round Rock Project Graduation 5K: I pulled off a top 10 (7th place) in my age group with a decent 7:46/mile pace. The guy in 6th place is a friend from my marathon training group 4 years ago. The top 3 were all under 7/mile pace (#1 was under 6/mile!). One thing about this area, we always have a strong field.

The race was epic! After a week of 70 degree temps, a cold front blew through on Friday night and Saturday morning. We had temps in the low 40s at race time with wind gusts averaging in the 30s. Wind chill was 36 degrees…and then it started raining. By the time I crossed the finish line, we’d had lightning, thunder, AND pea-sized hail. And I was wearing a short sleeve tech shirt and shorts. That will teach me to check the weather BEFORE I leave the house next time.

It was another tough week at work. I won’t go into the specifics here, but suffice it to say that my head was not in the race. That said, once the gun went off and the rain began to fall, I had to smile. It reminded me that life is not always bright sunshine and cloudless skies. There are cloudy days and stormy nights. It is the dark times that make the beautiful ones even more special. And as the rain beat down and the thunder roared, I gave God thanks for giving me the health and the opportunity to be right where I was.

Life is good!

Kia Kaha!