Lots of News!

I know, I'm sorry..it has been entirely too long since I updated my blog. I was in a spell of very busy times and have not been able to hop on here too much to say what has been going on!

To start things off with my poor excuses for not updating, I'd like to say that I'm a working man now. I picked up a job at Dick Pond Athletics over in Schaumburg and have been putting in a good amount of hours these past few weeks. Being thrown in there, I was not sure what to expect. From all of my experiences so far, I can say this job is amazing. On a daily basis, I am able to interact with others that are looking mainly for a shoe that they can be active in (walk, run, do gardening..you name it). It has just been nice helping others find a shoe that works for them and see their face when they step into the right shoe. The staff over at Dick Pond is also great and everyone works well together. I highly encourage everyone out there to stop by sometime and see firsthand what top quality service Dick Pond has to offer. And don't forget, the prices are unbeatable!

So other than picking up a few hours here and there, I'm back to the grind of training. It has been great not having to worry about my IT band in a while. All winter I was weary of going out for a run of 2 mile in fear that the pain would come back. But nope..I am able to run long, do workouts, and just be on my feet doing what I love the most. I do have to admit, I need to get back to my strengthening excercises a little bit more. Those are what helped me get healthy..and now I need to keep doing them to stay that way.

In terms of the running, I was able to do a few road races these past few weekends. The first one was the March Madness 1/2 Marathon. I went into the race scared about the distance (and hills) because I didn't run more than 11 miles in the past 3 months going into it. I was mainly doing 4 milers just to get my legs moving and not aggrevate the IT. At the same time, I wanted to win the race since I did in the previous year. I went out pretty easy and held 5:30's most of the way until around mile 7 when I took off. There was a group of three guys running with my and I decided it was time to put on the burners to get rid of them. I ran a 4:58 mile around mile 8 and lost all of them. I then pulled back and coasted the last few miles in 5:30's for the overall win in 1:12. Not a bad time considering I was able to take it easy. I wore my new Polar Heart Rate monitor watch and it was great. i was able to keep my HR in check and make sure I didn't push too hard. Jacqui also did great at the race as she got a new 1/2 marathon PB of 1:28! Her training has come a long way since last year and it is unbelievable how fast she is getting. I feel that this is going to be an amazing year for her.

After the 1/2 was Shamrock Shuffle 8k. Wow..what a disaster. The snow came pouring down all night/morning which made for a miserable race. We got going from my house a little bit too late and were rushed to get over to the starting line. After running through slush, ice, snow, water...Jacqui and I were at the start line freezing cold with no warmup or stretching. I knew it wasn't gonna be a good one. We both wanted to perform though because Dick Pond Athletics has a team put together. I went out hard and tried to hold my pace but ended up finished in high 25s. Not the best time, but not too bad either. I think with some speed work starting up (and nicer weather!) my time for the 8k will be mid 24's. So we will see how that goes.

Other than those races, the training in the pool and on the bike have gone well. I am continuing to swim with Well-Fit and Sharone each Tuesday/Thursday morning of the week. Its rough getting out of bed at 4:50 those days, but I know that it is only going to help me. This year will hopefully show some time dropped in the water..I am excited to see how that goes. On the bike, the power is increasing at a good rate. I keep monitoring my PowerMeter and can see that the power has gone up a good amount. Attaining sub 1 hour bike rides on any course should be doable this year!

Lastly, I want to thank the great sponsors that have stepped up this year for me. It really helps having the support to make it through this sport!

-Well Fit Triathlon and Training
Providing me with the coaching by Sharone Aharon

-Dick Pond Athletics
Saucony shoes, apparel, team support

-TriSports.com
The support they give to athletes is amazing! Use RGIUL-S at your checkout to save 10% on your order!!

-ZYM
A great drink that tastes good and provides the essential electrolytes

-PowerBar
Best nutrition..hands down it is the greatest (I LOVE triple threat bars!)

-Leopard Cycles
For their continued help of setting me up on the best frames out there