Race: Tinman Triathlon

Location: Tupper Lake, New York

Distance: 1.9K swim, 90K bike and 21.5K Run

Description: Swim was in a lake with a rectangular buoy line. Bike was rolling with good pavement conditions. Run was hilly for the first 5 miles then relatively flat (mix of pavement and trail).

Conditions: Cool and [...]]]>

Race: Tinman Triathlon

Location: Tupper Lake, New York

Distance: 1.9K swim, 90K bike and 21.5K Run

Description: Swim was in a lake with a rectangular buoy line. Bike was rolling with good pavement conditions. Run was hilly for the first 5 miles then relatively flat (mix of pavement and trail).

Conditions: Cool and overcast.

Place: 2nd Overall (4:13:44)

It was nearly a month since my last triathlon so I was eager to see where my fitness was. My goal for this race was to really nail my hydration (more on that to come) which would allow me to be competitive throughout. The previous weeks have shown me that my bike is becoming a strong asset as well as my run. The swim though, as always, was a question mark.

Race morning was calm and cool. This was strange turn of events as it had been calling for thunderstorms with rain.

The swim had wave starts with mine starting first. It was a nice change as most times I’m last and have to fight through throngs of people. My goal was to draft as much as possible and try to stay as close to the front as I could. Before starting, another guy called out his friend as the “guy to watch for”, as in he would have the fastest time; point noted.

Off we went into the warmish lake waters. The buoy line seemed to stretch out forever. I got off to a good start and found a small group to hang in with. To my surprise, I surged out of this group and moved forward to find faster swimmers. At the first corner of the swim course, I had found my speed. Two other swimmers, 1 a girl and the other, “the guy to watch for”. I swam right on their feet for the remaining distance. Exiting the water I was relieved to see a new PB, 29:09 for 1900ms. The swim time is starting to pay off! Not only that but I was in 5th spot!

The bike course was undulating. Ups and downs. It was all about how you could carry the momentum. My goal was to keep my fluid intake to 1100mL per hour, something that is very tricky to keep track of but I had worked a recipe beforehand: I drink 50mL per sip and at 3min intervals I would reach my goal quantity. So I set a timer and off I drank.

At 10miles though my day could have been over. My right shifter started to skip gears. Not just 1 or 2 but all of them. The screw that holds the handle on had come loose. At the beginning it wasn’t too bad as I could jimmy it to at least hold a gear. With no on board multi tool I was at the mercy of the shifter. Somewhere along the way, I lost the screw and was now down to just the handle! This meant that I now had to hold the shifter in place in whatever gear that I wanted. It also meant that I couldn’t sit up because then my gears would shift on their own.

This was all going on as I powered through the hills. This whole fiasco never really bugged me till some of the bigger hills on the way back. Because I couldn’t sit up, I had to aero position every hill. Interesting to do in practice but in a race, comfort is more important.

My splits were near identical, 1:09 for the way out and slightly more for the way back. This was good enough to put me into 3rd position going out on the run.

I thought I had it on the run. After 7K I was in second place and had a 500m deficit to second. But something strange happened, I couldn’t catch the guy in front of me. It was like a yo-yo. I got closer to where I thought the next hill I’d be making he pass, then as I crested the hill, he would be far off again.

My thought process was about maintaining a strong speed to catch him but it never came. I finished the race in second but then had to wait and see if my time would hold up (as the other waves finished).

It held up. After looking at the results and seeing that I lost time only in the swim, I felt decent about my performance. I don’t hold the shifter as an excuse but it would have been nice for that not to have happened!

This race has showed me that my swim is coming along, the bike strength is getting better and my run is good even though there has been little work on it. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens come November after a couple of months work on my running form.

Thanks for reading. I’m a little sore today but in good spirits. Hope you had a good weekend.

Cliff

The 39th Annual Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour (RLCT) took place on June 5th and 6th, 2010.  Organized by the Ottawa Bicycle Club, approximately 3000 riders started on Saturday to bike the 177kms from Ottawa to Kingston.  They were supposed to return on Sunday — more about that later.

PREP

It was my first [...]]]>

The 39th Annual Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour (RLCT) took place on June 5th and 6th, 2010.  Organized by the Ottawa Bicycle Club, approximately 3000 riders started on Saturday to bike the 177kms from Ottawa to Kingston.  They were supposed to return on Sunday — more about that later.

PREP

It was my first cycling tour — and a big challenge — as my previous longest ride had been about 110kms.  I got started in January on the trainer and was able to get a couple of hours per week.  Spring in Nova Scotia can be challenging, but this year was outstanding so I clocked just over 1000kms in April and May.  I also made a point of doing back-to-back long rides … this worked really well.   Sportstracks for January to May : 59 rides / 1587kms (Mar-100, Apr-387, May-1102) / 101 hours

RIDE

The route is at : http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3806184 (actually, there are several routes — a 100k version that starts in Perth and a 200+kms route)  It’s mainly on quiet, flat country roads.  My Garmin said about 90% was ‘flat’ with just a couple of climbs.   And the last 30kms returning to Ottawa is flat with the prevailing winds usually behind you … much appreciated at the end of the ride!

SATURDAY – we got underway about 8am.  My two bodyguards — sons TJ and Cliff — took up forward positions and off we rode under cloudy skies.  One of the really cool things about a ride of this size is that you can join a wide variety of groups — want to ride at 28kms/hrs with some triathletes training for Ironman?  maybe a little faster crowd?  bigger group? smaller?  They were all there.  By lunchtime, the sun was out, 26C and life was good.  We made a point to take regular pit stops, a bit longer for lunch and drink lots — I went through 8 bottles of water.  We arrived in Kingston around 4pm, a monster supper at the Queen’s University cafeteria at 5pm and then a bit of downtown sightseeing. Sitting at Queen’s having a beer as the sun went down … sweet.

SUNDAY – what a difference a day makes.  Rain, wind, 10C — yuck.  All the table talk at breakfast was about ‘the call’ — how long before you phoned to get someone to come for the pickup.  We got underway around 8am — it was awful.  The rain gear didn’t do its job so after 15mins we were soaked.  And the fully loaded cars with bikes on top started passing.  And the people along the road, stopped, on their cell .. the call.  By the time we got 50kms and stopped at a gas station, it was a grim scene.  We kept moving and got to Perth for lunch.  Fortunately, the rain finally stopped and by the time we left Perth, things were beginning to dry out.  The rest of the ride went well, finally arriving in Ottawa just after 5pm.   I heard that 2/3s of the riders chose not to finish the ride.

CONCLUSION

I’m really glad that we did it, and were able to complete the entire thing.  I understand that weather is often a challenge.  The prep was key — it meant that the ride was enjoyable.  Further, it provided some reserve for the lousy conditions on Sunday (I couldn’t imagine really hurting and being stuck on the road in the wind/rain).  The ride was very well organized, well supported and the police provided excellent support.  Queen’s University was a real treat (it’s been 30 years since I stayed in dorm … some things never change!).  And if you can fit it into your long term plans, arrange to have two sons that enjoy cycling that are prepared to take care of you on a 354km journey … it’s awesome!

Enter 2010 and the biggest running week I’ve done all year is 60 [...]]]> Before this year, I ran at least 60 kms a week.  My reasoning was I thought there was a hypothetical minimum number I needed to keep my “base” but also allow me to continue progressing as a runner.  There wasn’t much science behind this and it’s showing.

Enter 2010 and the biggest running week I’ve done all year is 60 kms!  Leading up to Saturdays race, a 10K in Ottawa, I had only run 3 times in two weeks.  Not because of injury but that my focus is not on running at the moment.

The race for me went better than expected; considering my lack of mileage and travel/training in the last few weeks.  I was shooting for top spot which had a payout of $500, I placed fourth, out of the money (the worst spot to be as one guy said to me).  What was interesting though is I was able to hang with some quality runners (31:30, 2 x 32:30 mins /10K).  It wasn’t till the 6K mark that my legs started to feel the discomfort that was setting in.  From there it was a steady decline but I manged to keep things together to get a new PB; 33:50 (blew away my 5K PB with a 16:30 performance).

From the start of the race I stayed in a tight pack of 5 which after a few kms became 4.  A surge by the top two individuals left a fight for third.  I battled, attacked myself and really tried to crawl my way into that last spot.  But on that day I just didn’t have the legs.

I’m interested to see what happens when my mileage does go up.  Is it going to make me faster by allowing me to delay the onset of fatigue?  This fall, we’re going to find out.

Thanks for reading,

Happy Trainin’

Cliff

After last weeks surprising podium finish at the TTT, this week it was back to a “normal” life; low training volume while I focused on being rested.  It’s a weird sensation to be going full tilt for 10 hours then not letting the heart rate climb out of zone 1. 

Finishing a race [...]]]>

After last weeks surprising podium finish at the TTT, this week it was back to a “normal” life; low training volume while I focused on being rested.  It’s a weird sensation to be going full tilt for 10 hours then not letting the heart rate climb out of zone 1. 

Finishing a race can leave you on a high, especially when you have a break through performance or set a new personal best.  The week following can you leave feeling full of energy which is not what you want if you have to rest! 

Thats why it’s important to have designated races such as A, B and C.  A – being the most important and C – being a training race.  Use B and C races to find out where your weaknesses are, then seek to improve upon them in training.  Doing this will allow you to keep your focus and not get you down if a lower priority race doesn’t go your way. 

Most of us would love to win every event we enter.  Honestly, that doesn’t happen.  I do see people wanting to build towards an A race and win many smaller races along the way then peeter out in their goal race.  Looking into the situation they were going way too hard (their B and C races were all  raced as As).  If this happens to you one piece of advice is to leave a large gap between your last B race and your A race.  This way, you can really focus on the final goal.

Another suggestion is to spread out your season.  Use races to test fitness instead of going for glory.  If both coencide then chances are you will have a good day.  I find this solution takes the pressure off of winning.

So what was my goal for the TTT?  Survive!  Check!

Thanks for reading.

C

This is not your typical event.  This is a weekend consumed by triathlon.  Each day is a physical and mental challenge to keep you moving.  Over 3 days, the body will have raced longer than an Ironman distance.  However, the race is broken up into “manageable” distances. 

Here is a recap from my perspective.

Day [...]]]>  

This is not your typical event.  This is a weekend consumed by triathlon.  Each day is a physical and mental challenge to keep you moving.  Over 3 days, the body will have raced longer than an Ironman distance.  However, the race is broken up into “manageable” distances. 

Here is a recap from my perspective.

Day 1 – Super Sprint Triathlon (SST) :Swim – 250m, Bike – 6K, Run – 1.6K

Start time was 5pm on Friday, this was to ensure everyone driving to the event had time to check into their motel/cabin or tents.   I’ve never done a SST so I was pumped to give it a shot!  At just over 20mins in length, this was a great way to kick off the weekend! 

The course was not built for speed however.  The swim was a muddy beach start with swimmers let off at 3-5s intervals much like Ironman Louisville, KY.  The bike had a 1Km climb with sections of 6-15% gradient and the run course was an out and back over a wet grassy section.  Add in 450 participants and you’ve got one giant mess!

For me, this was all about getting the legs stretched out.  Driving 13 hours from Ottawa, I was just happy to be not sitting in a car!  I went out hard but having talked to some previous racers; this was the least important race.  If you’ve never done a SST though, I recommend giving it a shot.  Its a true shock to the system.

Day 2 – Olympic Race 1 (OR1): Swim – 1500m, Bike – 40K, Run – 10.5K

Olympic Race 2 (OR2): Bike – 40K, Swim – 1500m, Run – 10.5K

Yes this was going to be an interesting day.  After a huge lightning storm the night before, so intense it set my car alarm off, we found out that the mornings original bike course had to be closed because of depris.  So both OR1 and OR2 had the same bike course.

Start time for OR1 was at 7:30am.  With the nights rain, the water level has risen by a few feet and was also a balmy 60 degrees F.  It was the same format as the SST, swimmers started 3-5s apart based on seeding times (these were submitted prior to the event on your predicted total finish time of the TTT).  It was a two loop course which for the most part, is very relaxed due to the slow enterance of all the athletes.

The bike was daunting, a triathletes worst nightmare: big hills.  After leaving transition its almost an 8K climb before you can seriously go aero.  Then, you descend another 6K to a flat section of road to the turn around where you get to do the course in reverse.  On the website is says bring your climbing gears: if your not a mountain goat, consider riding with a compact crank.  There are some steep grades but for the most part it’s just a grindfest.  Knowing that I had to do this again in less than 8 hours made me reserve a bit.  But for the most part everyone was giving it full gas.

This run course should get an award alone.  After leaving transition the race begins to climb up and up and up.  Its literally 5K up and 5K down all on trail.  Having previewed the course before the race, I knew what I was getting myself into.  Thankfully, I like hills and like trails running even more!

My goal for OR1 and OR2 runs were just to run a hard steady tempo; don’t blow up and keep the effort consistent.  Looking at the previous results, so many people blew up on Sunday.  Reserving  energy was going to be crucial to getting through the weekend.

Upon finishing OR1 it was time to fuel up.  My goal was to eat roughly 1600 calories before starting OR2.  I had a mix of solid and liquid foods at my disposal and went about consuming them slowly as I rested.

When 3pm came around, the start of OR2, the electric energy that had been there in the morning was turning into a dimming light bulb.  Instead of jumping in the water the race had us start on our bikes in the same format as OR1 swim.  The race quickly separated as the better cyclists got to show their cards.

One cool element of the TTT is they have a team challenge as a part of the weekend.  Teams of 2 (men, women or Coed) can compete together with the total time of their races added together.  The top 3 teams get prizes at the end.  In the SS1 and OR1 the athletes have to compete separate but in OR2 and  the half, they are allowed to draft off each other.  They must also finish together so blowing your teamup will only hinder your time!

Having done the same ride in the morning everyone knew what was coming; lots of climbing!  I managed to shave a couple of mins off the morning time as I entered T1.  Instead of running shoes it was into the water for a 1500m swim!  If you’ve ever tried to get into a wetsuit when your sweaty, let me tell you it’s tough!  Make sure to bring plastic bags for your feet as it makes it easier to slide the suit on.

For me the swim went well.  Some people had a tough time adapting to the cold water temperatures where their legs literally locked up.  There were only a few people in the water as I got in but the numbers slowly grew as I made my way around the 2 loop course.

Again, it was back to the hill for another 10.5K bashing.  I kept with my tempo and realized that I was starting to feel better as these events went on.  It also helped that I was passing a lot more people as the effects of todays events were really beginning to show.

After finishing, it was again back to eating, stetching and relaxing.  My body had a hard time shutting off as I didn’t get to sleep till late.  Racing and traveling was beginning to take its toll.  At 5am when my alarm went off I felt like I had been hit by a bus.  Just 2 hours before the last event: the Hardenst half ironman distance on the planet!

I can’t tell you how important it is to keep eating throughout the weekend.  Instead of my usual light breakfast I had to add in a lot more fuel.  My body was preparing me for what was to come!

It didn’t come as a surprise that people were late getting into transition.  The race got off about 15-20mins late as people slowly sauntered in; “the death march” as the TTT people call it.  Just before jumping into the water I had a quick look at the results, the first time I had looked at them all weekend.  To my surprise, I sat in 5th spot for the top solo!  This gave me a good boost which lasted until about  the first buoy!

What makes this the toughest half distance?  That would have to be the 3200 ft of climbing on the bike and then following it up with running two loops of the 5K up and 5K down course.  Also, having done arguably a half iron distance the day before; you get why this is tough.

The bike course was different from OR1 and OR2.  It had much more ups and downs on tight narrow roads.  If you like a challenging technical course, this would be it. 

Pedal, pedal, pedal.  Eat, drink, eat, drink.  My goal was to go under 3 hours for the bike and I completed it.  In most 90K training rides I would be disappointed in a 3 hour time, however I was just happy to be done!

Out on the run is where the carnage began to add up.  The Ironman shuffle was in full effect.  Guys/gals that had beautiful strides just 24hours earlier were now walking.  It paid to stick to my strategy as I made my way to 4th by the end of the half.  Upon finishing I was also given the pleasant surprise of finishing in 3rd overall!  A great bonus on an awesome weekend of training!

Thanks for reading, I’m off to have a nap!

The race location is just outside Portsmouth, Ohio which has some local chain motels with not much else.  Most people stayed at the many camp sites or cabins located near the venue.   These book up early so if you’d like to give this race a try, put a reservation in early!

This has been my life of late.  Bouncing from one workout to the next.  I’ve learned some really interesting things about my body and training long in general. 

One, my body hates to run at the end of the day.  It’s not so much the mileage or the wear on my legs but [...]]]>  

This has been my life of late.  Bouncing from one workout to the next.  I’ve learned some really interesting things about my body and training long in general. 

One, my body hates to run at the end of the day.  It’s not so much the mileage or the wear on my legs but after consuming 3500+ calories a day, it feels like a garbage compactor pressing out a cube of my my previous 2 days worth of food. 

Two, recovery swims are awesome.  Feel like crap?  Hit the water and forget about taking your watch.  Just enjoy the way the water feels as it goes over you. 

Three, I need to try this out a little more but having a chocolate protein shake (10-15gms of protein) on a recovery ride can help aid in recovery. 

Four, sometimes the gut just wants crap.  The key is to not have any in the house.  If you do, you will consume all of it.  Trust me.

Five, if you think for a second that the life of a pro athlete is easy (and I don’t pretend to be one) try living without your car for a week.  Maybe, and I say maybe because some people do live far from their jobs/local towns, maybe you might cover the same amount of miles by weeks end as a pro athelte.  I doubt it though. 

Six, I use to think that pros who win races always feel good.  What I’m learning is the ones that win probably feel the worst but they know how to deal with it the best.  Training day in and day out is HARD.  The body rationalizes and tries to make you stop especially when it gets tough.  Learning to push past it mentally is a very tough lesson.

Seven, I love when you just make it indoors after a ride and it rains. 

Eight, the feeling of completing a week and being able to put your feet up (at least for a couple of hours!).

Nine, being able to sit on the trainer inside on a sunny day and enjoy it!

Ten, not knowing if your body is going to respond well to all the traininig; this is probably the toughest part.

Overall I’m still optimistic.  I wish sometimes I could turn my brain off and just veg for awhile.  What I’m learning though above all is that training for any sport is just one big science experiment.  Although most other people don’t see it that way.

Happy Trainin’

Cliff

Well I’m here chillin’ in California.  Have my shorts on, window open and feet up for the time being.

My flight into San Diego was a long one.  It started off well though as I came through customs I was asked the nature of my trip.  I said to race an Ironman.  The [...]]]>

Well I’m here chillin’ in California.  Have my shorts on, window open and feet up for the time being.

My flight into San Diego was a long one.  It started off well though as I came through customs I was asked the nature of my trip.  I said to race an Ironman.  The security check guy looked up and said, “Where’s your watch?” meaning the Ironman Timex which is the banner for the sport.  I pulled back my sleeve to reveal mine.  He at the same time showed me his.  Funny.  He hadn’t done one but was a marathoner who blew out his knee playing soccer.  We talked for a solid 5mins making everyone wait behind me.  If only every customs agent was that nice.

My airline was Continental, one I haven’t flown with alot in the past.  After being delayed 30mins because of air traffic at Newark (only stop), the pilot bolted to make good time.  It was one of the roughest landings I’ve ever had.  It felt like he hit the e-break and just careened into the unloading gate.  I’m not complaining just observation.

Even with the crazy tactics of the pilot I had 30mins to switch planes.  Luckily I had bought a sandwich in Ottawa so I quickly mowed that down as I took the bus to change terminals (another first).

Obviously I made it but the plane to SD was overbooked (yeah) and they were offering seat sales.  Not today.  I got on and quickly fell asleep for the 6hr flight across the country.

I’m really lucky I can sleep on the plane.  I know a lot of people can’t and its a shame.  The only problem I see with it is when you sleep through the on-flight meal.  Yup…  No food for me.  Man I was hungry getting into SD.

My good fortune ran out as Continental lost my bike in transit.  Dang.  Before the trip I thought that was the only thing that would really suck…  to lose a piece of  gear.  Surprisingly I didn’t panic.  I filled out the forms and hoped for the best.

As I was leaving I saw a guy with a Dutch Triathlon jacket.  I approached him and asked if he was going to Oceanside (duh).  He said he was and was going to rent a car.  I asked if I could tag along and he was cool with that.

This guy, Rasmus Henning, is one of the new superstars of Ironman.  Fresh out of ITU he has been ripping it up especially on the bike leg.  He was a nice guy and I wish him all the best on Saturday.  I told him if he won I’d be gunning for his time next year (maybe this year too!).

After a long day of travel I was starving.  I grabbed some Mexican food, wolfed it down and then picked up some breakfast for the morning.  I hit the hay early hoping that my bike would be here in the morning.  And it was.  At 3:30am…  I nearly hit the ceiling when the phone rang!  But at least its here.

Anywho, I’m going out to a local market to get some lunch.  Thanks for reading!

Happy Trainin,

Cliff

Did a 10K on the weekend, Running Room St. Patricks Day race, to test the leg speed.  I’m always impressed what the body can do on tired legs.  After leading from start to finish I finished in an overall time of [...]]]>

Did a 10K on the weekend, Running Room St. Patricks Day race, to test the leg speed.  I’m always impressed what the body can do on tired legs.  After leading from start to finish I finished in an overall time of 34:06.

Alright, so I’ll give anyone who is reading this a little background if you don’t know me.  If you think you do [...]]]> This is my rendition of a triathlon camp that I did out West.  I’ll be posting a piece each day this week to give people an insight into the daily adventures of a pro-triathlete.

Alright, so I’ll give anyone who is reading this a little background if you don’t know me.  If you think you do or don’t care and just want to read about the pro stuff, feel free to skip ahead.  I’ve been doing tris for about 2 years.  I started as a duathlete but converted over because I found duathlon didn’t get the recognition that triathlon does.  Having never been a swimmer in my life, and having done none as a kid, this posed a big challenge.  Sign me up!

In August of this year my mom and brother competed in Ironman Looville, which is where I was introduced to Lifesport.  If you haven’t heard of them they are the “official coaches of Ironman”.  You can check them out online.  Their headquarters are in Victoria, which is also where my story will take place.  I talked to Paul Regensburg, senior coach at Lifesport, in Looville about maybe seeing if the pro option was in the realm of possibility.  He said that they would be putting on a camp in the winter and I should come out.  So, without further ado.

A week ago Thursday my flight got into Victoria.  I had my bike, running gear and swim stuff all stuffed into a hockey bag.  A little tip – this saved me all the bike handling fees that Air Canada charges for .  If you pack it right, it’s a very good (safe)  way to travel (if anybody has questions about it email me).

Being a part of a Pro camp gave me the luxery of free room and board for the week.  My “homestay” as they call it, was a guy named Clint Lein (checkout Peak Performance).  Great guy who reminded me of Billy Bob Thorton if he was a triathlete.  He was really sarcastic, a little impatient but knew his stuff.  His day revolved around teaching swimming, writing movie scripts, sleeping and watching movies.  Honestly, I never saw or heard of one person while I was there that actually had a real 8-5 job.

So Friday was my official first day of camp.  On tap was:

AM – 2 hour ride easy on your own

OM – 1 hour swim – 2 x 800 TT

PM – 2 hour(I added this because I couldn’t stand to waste not having any snow on the ground!)

Victoria I found to be a good cycling community.  Pavement was nice.  Most roads had a good shoulder.  Plus, no snow for almost the entire year. No wonder it’s the triathlon capital of Canada.

Having no car, I relied on my Cervelo commuter tri bike to get around.  Everywhere I went, swim, run practice, bike practice, heck even recoveries all had to be commuted too!  I was constantly asking Clint where stuff was (as I didn’t bring my computer).  You could tell he was a cyclist as he gave me good routes with minimal traffic to all my destinations.

First up was my swim at the Commonwealth center, a swimmers wet dream with a 50 meter pool, two 25m pools and a kiddy play place.  Very impressive.  On deck I met my fellow campers. Magali Tisseyre, Brent Poulsen, Amanda Stevens, Lisa Mesnik and Brent McMahon.  Go to any tri mag and you’ll see their names at the top or near the top at any race they’ve been too.  Luckily I don’t get worked up over celebrities and found that everyone was (mostly) happy to be here.  My goal for this camp was to learn as much as possible and hopefully take home a few pointers from them.

In the pool I learned quickly that my swimming needs a lot of work if I even want to come close to being in their draft.  Thankfully, at the same time this swim was on, Lifesport teaches a masters swim which I participated in.  It sucked that I couldn’t hang with the big boys/girls.   I have to be honest with myself and realize that most have been doing it since they were 12.  It still didn’t stop me from admiring how effortless they were from my lane.  So smooth.  So fast.  Someday…

After I was done I returned home to Clints place, grabbed a quick snack, then hit the road for another 2 hours.  To me coming from the frozen wasteland, it was awesome to be outside again.  What I realized later though is that “extra” work is somewhat frowned upon.  Why?  Well you’ll have to read tomorrows entry.

Happy Trainin,
Cliff