mps75.net

the 2nd job

hswanson — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:09:05 +0000

This second job I have doesn’t pay but it has good health benefits (in theory). I’ve been putting in 16 hours per week the last four weeks which is approx. 64 hours. Good thing most of the hours are on the weekend and Matt is also doing the second job so he understands us not being able to do a lot together.
Good thing my boss (AKA: coach) is starting to cut down the hours the next two weeks before the big work event on 3/27.
Here’s this weeks job productivity.
M: 50 mi bike
T: off
W: 20 mi bike followed by 12 mi run (BRICK)
TH: 4,000 yds at masters
F: 10 mi run with hill repeats
S: 65 mi bike followed by 3 mi run (BRICK)
S: 13 mi run, rest, 20 mi bike, rest and now headed to the YMCA for a 3,000 swim with Matt

Totals:
Swim: 7,000 yds
Bike: 155 mi
Run: 38 mi

weekly update (matt)

matt — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:06:12 +0000

Hardest week yet. I’m not sure I would say I’m cracking, but I’m definitely feeling a bit trashed. This is the third week in a row that Heidi and I have both been pushing it pretty hard. I made a bit of a mistake and had Gina (aka “The Elbow”) do an hour of ART/bodywork on me on Friday afternoon. It was definitely nice to have that done after a tough week of training. (I’ve never had any type of bodywork done before, but I think it’s really helping. Gina is pretty tough, really knows what she’s doing. I’m super-glad she’s helping me out.) But, it was not so nice to do before two pretty tough days of training.

Backing up a couple days… I did a tempo 10 mile run on Wednesday and it felt really good. I was able to hold 20 minutes at a 7:30 pace and then dipped down to 7:15-7:25 for 4×5 minutes. No leg pain (above and beyond the usual burn, that is) so that was nice.

It was supposed to rain on Saturday and Sunday so I wasn’t sure how the weekend was going to pan out. After two weekends in a row of spending hours on the trainer, I was resolute about riding in the rain. But, the rain held off till late Saturday afternoon so I was able to stay dry and get my brick done in the morning. A pretty spicy bike ride out to Camp Pendleton (50 miles) and then right into an 8 mile run. The second part of the bike was tough due to the wind, but it was good mental training. Most of the 70.3 bike course is on the base so it’ll most likely be windy (it’s always windy there). I averaged 8:32 on the run, which included some hills at the end. Overall I was pretty happy, considering how tired my legs felt.

On Sunday Heidi and I swam Masters at the Encinitas Y. First time in forever that my calves didn’t cramp and it was a pretty tough set. I was supposed to do 4000m, but only did 3600m. (Feeling really good in the pool. Looking forward to the 70.3 swim.) I was feeling pretty spent and still needed to do a 13 mile run later in the day. After a huge brunch at Naked Cafe and a little siesta on the couch, I hit the road and knocked out my 13 miler. It was supposed to be at an easy pace so I ended up with an 8:45 average. I was surprised at how good I felt. My nutrition was on and I felt really strong throughout the entire run. I can’t tell you how many longer runs I’ve been on where I’ve imploded and really had to fight just to make it home. Even after a tough training week that didn’t happen on my big run of the weekend. Hopefully that means I’m getting stronger.

Here are the numbers for this week.

03/01/2010 - 03/07/2010
Swim: 8600 meters
Bike: 134 miles
Run: 36 miles

Three weeks to 70.3….

upgrade

matt — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:56:33 +0000

My desktop has been acting up a bit lately (i.e., hanging during POST) so I decided to get some new parts and upgrade it. It was the first computer I ever built from scratch (in 2003). We’ve been through a lot together (XP, Vista, Windows 7, CPU upgrade, RAM upgrade, video card heatpipe installation, etc.) and I’ve kind of grown attached to it. But, like all things, change is inevitable.

After some research on NewEgg it became evident that my $500 budget wasn’t going to cut it. I finally said, “screw the budget” and just bought the stuff I thought I needed to get a solid box that would last me another 6.5 years. I wasn’t going after a crazy gaming machine — just an above average box on which I could run Windows 7 x64.

Here’s what I ended up buying (I was able to re-use my Lian-Li aluminum case).

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 (LGA 1156; Intel P55)
Processor: Intel Core i5-750 2.66GHz LGA 1156 quad-core (Lynnfield)
Memory: G.Skill 4GB DDR3 1333
Hard disk: Samsung Spinpoint 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0
Video card: EVGA GeForce GT 240
Power supply: Corsair 650W

I really wanted to go with 8GB of memory, but thought I would see how things ran with 4GB. There are open DIMM slots so adding another 4GB won’t be a problem. But, for now I don’t think I need it. Windows 7 x64 is completely smoking on the new hardware. Without a doubt the fastest box I’ve ever had. Actually, let me back up a step. I’ve never, ever had such good luck building a computer from scratch as I did with this hardware. I mean, something always goes wrong during the initial configuration/power-up. But seriously, not this time. I ripped out all of the old hardware from my case, cleaned it up, put in the new components, cabled it all up, and hit the power button. Successful boot up on the first try. Unbelievable. And, so far no issues at all with the 64-bit version of Windows 7. I was expecting at least a couple app/driver issues, but so far everything is working.

Not as sexy as a Mac (maybe someday), but so far I’m completely loving the new box.

weekly update (matt)

matt — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:45:59 +0000

All-in-all, a decent week of training. I missed a swim workout and was 18 miles short on one ride during the week. Otherwise, I pretty much hit everything on my program. Saturday was probably the toughest day. Not that it was the hardest workout, but just that I was in a funk for most of the day. It was pouring all day so I wasn’t able to ride outside. And, because it was raining and I had no reason to get out of bed (to ride), I ended up sleeping late (8:30), which completely messed me up. After I shook off “the lazies,” I decided to try to spin at home for 3 hours so I could get my 50 miles in, but just couldn’t do it. I made it 2.5 hours and had to stop. I was hoping the rain would stop by the time I had to do my 7 mile run, but it continued to pour all afternoon. So, I went to the YMCA and ran on the treadmill for 7 miles (about 62 minutes). From a training/mental health perspective, it was brutal. I’m spoiled by our good weather so when I have to exercise inside, I go a bit crazy. (Aside: just so you don’t think I’m a complete wimp, I did spin inside last Saturday for 3 hours and then followed up on Sunday with another 3 hours.)

Anyway, I had a good brick today — about 3300 meters at Masters and then right into a solid 55 miler on the tri bike. No real injuries to report for the week. My right leg is feeling a lot better, but I’m still getting calf cramps in the pool. I’m eating tons of bananas and taking potassium/magnesium supplements to see if that helps. Also, I had my first “bodywork” session this week with Gina (one of Heidi’s friends). It was pretty awesome; I’m scheduled to go back on Friday.

That’s it. Here are the numbers.

02/22/2010 - 02/28/2010
Swim: 8600 meters
Bike: 137 miles
Run: 30 miles

weekly update (matt)

matt — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:55:28 +0000

I think this has been the first week I’ve actually done every single workout on my schedule. And, I was even on-call, which included a night with only 4 hours of sleep. I’m pretty happy with how my legs are feeling. My calves are still super-tight at times and I occasionally have some cramping issues. But, compared to how things were looking a few weeks ago, I’m feeling a lot better, especially when I look at the mileage I’m starting to log. Nothing too spectacular, but good for me. And, I’m definitely starting to feel both stronger and more tired. That’s part of the program, though.

It’s too bad a single workout or even a single week can’t make the difference when you’re training for a big event. There are times when you feel like you’re pulling off a miracle by just getting in your 2 (and sometimes 3) workouts for the day. But, it’s really the cumulative and sustained effort that really makes the difference. So you plod on and hope your hard-work pays off. A bit like life in general, I guess.

02/15/2010 - 02/21/2010
Swim: 9600 meters
Bike: 146 miles
Run: 30 miles

North Dakota Tri Training = YMCA

hswanson — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:28:03 +0000

Heidi Swanson

I was excited for my visit to North Dakota to see my family but I was worried about getting in my training as I am in the key training weeks before the Oceanside 1/2 Ironman on 3/27.
It all worked out with the help of my sisters getting me to and from the Y and the UND wellness center. The Grand Forks YMCA is in need of major upgrades but they still helped me get the job done. This week of indoor training really made me appreciate the year round outdoor training I get to do in San Diego. I will try to remember not to complain on a high 40 degree morning that I am cold and think back to my single digit outdoor run in ND, now that’s cold.
Here’s a recap of my week of indoor training in Grand Forks:
Monday a.m.: 5 mi treadmill run at my sister’s house being entertained by my 4-year old nephew Espen putting together a Diego puzzle and wanting my help (fell off treadmill while jumping off and on to help him, didn’t get hurt thank heavens!)
Monday p.m.: 6 mi treadmill run at UND wellness center with my sister Haylee while we watched the 2nd half of the Bachelor

Tuesday mid day: 3,000 yd swim at YMCA
Tuesday p.m.: 4:35 p.m. and 5:35 p.m. spin classes (my spin shoe cleat got stuck in the pedal and I had to strip the screw to get the shoe off and then some nice guy got a pliers to pull the cleat out of the pedal)

Wednesday late morning: layered on clothes and a face mask for a 6 mi run outside in single digit temps (no wind made it seem warmer). My plan was to do a 7 mi tempo run but after getting started realized it would take all I had just to keep my feet moving one in front of the other so I settled on my 6 mi easy run for the week.

Thursday noon: 3,000 yd swim at YMCA followed by 7 mi treadmill temp run (forgot my ipod in my purse in my sister’s car so really had to dig deep to get through this workout)

Friday rest day to enjoy my last day with my sister before flying back to San Diego at 5 p.m.

being married to a celebrity

matt — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:58:18 +0000

This happens to me like 40 times a day. (Note: OPIMLTTWAKH = Other Person I’ve Met Like Ten Times Who Also Knows Heidi.)

Me: Hey, how’s it going?
OPIMLTTWAKH: [blank stare] Um, hi.
Me: [Detecting uncomfortable situation; extends hand] I’m Matt.
OPIMLTTWAKH: Hi, nice to meet you.
Me: I’m married to Heidi.
OPIMLTTWAKH: OH YEAH! Hey, how’s it going? Damn, it’s great to see you again!!

Seriously. All the time.

weekly update (matt)

matt — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:26:26 +0000

Another pretty good week of training. However, I did miss a few key workouts — one and a half swims and a 4 mile run. So, my swimming distance was down for the week. It’s kind of a bummer because I was just starting to feel really strong in the pool. I swam on Sunday at work (after pulling a pretty stressful 6:00am - 4:30pm maintenance stint) and felt horrible. I only made it 1200 meters before I called it quits. I’m hoping to get back on track this week. Otherwise, the bike is coming along nicely — starting to feel really good there. The running is ramping up, too. I still don’t feel like the legs are completely healthy (combination shin issues and lingering calf problem), but I’m stretching/icing a lot and that’s helping. Saturday was the big workout for the week. A tough 67 mile bike ride right into a 7 mile run.

Here are the totals for the week.

02/08/2010 - 02/14/2010
Swim: 4400 meters
Bike: 134 miles
Run: 18 miles

weekly update (matt)

matt — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:04:30 +0000

Wow, tough, but good weekend. I got up on Saturday and did a pretty easy 6 mile run. Susanne (my coach) and I decided we would brave the sprinkles and do a 40 mile bike ride together. Well, about 5 miles into our ride the sprinkles turned to rain. And then around 15 miles the rain turned into what felt like a monsoon. I was completely drenched and wind-beaten when I got home, which was probably on par with the torture of spinning in the garage for 2+ hours. So, all-in-all, not too bad.

Heidi and I swam masters this morning. Then after a couple hour break we both headed off in separate directions for our bike rides. I got in a solid 40 miles and then hopped off the bike for a “brick” and ran an easy 7 miles. A few hours later Susanne sent me a text message saying I could take the day off tomorrow. Hahaha. Actually, she said I was scheduled to swim masters at 6:00am and then (somehow) fit in a 25 mile bike ride. I guess we’re officially starting to get in the thick of things.

Here are the totals for the week.

02/01/2010 - 02/07/2010
Swim: 8600 meters
Bike: 94 miles
Run: 25 miles

boob jobs and Ironmen

matt — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:42:34 +0000

Heidi and I were at a party a few months ago and got to talking about our upcoming Ironman with someone we had just met. Nothing special, just the usual training/racing chit-chat. After the party we were walking to our car and Heidi said it was funny that whenever you mention you’re planning to do an Ironman, the person you’re talking to does a quick, almost imperceptible body scan. Kind of like if someone you were talking to said, “Yeah, I’m not feeling the best. Had a boob job last week and am still recovering.” (You know exactly what your first reaction is going to be.) I laughed, but said I had never experienced that. Until yesterday. Someone I was with mentioned I was training for an Ironman. Complete body scan. I immediately felt a bit insecure and almost said, “I’m tougher than I look,” but just kept quiet. :)