Flying back to NYC with lots of presents and 16 miles ran

It's that time when you realize that you will be in the office tomorrow at 8am...after an hour swim of course!

Unwrapping Xmas presents is always fun!

I had a great time down in Austin and come back to NY with lots of great memories. Santa spoiled me this year with gifts ranging from undershirts and shot glasses to running gear and a gift card that I can use with Killington Ski Resort in Vermont! Santa Mariesa knows me well and knows how much I love to ski! Being born in the heart of the French Alps and having skied since I was 3, it is always hard to see that I won't be able to ski as much as I'd love to again this year. So thank you Mariesa!


On a training note, I wrapped up this first week back into my running with a 45-min - 5+ miles around the Lady Bird Lake with Don. I felt good and Don certainly pushed up the pace a little bit. I just could restrain myself and had to keep up with him.
Newton Running had a stand at Duke's locker shop in Downtown where they organized a "test drive" of their products. Of course, we're talking running shoes here! I can only say good things about their products and even convinced Don to try them on. I think he liked them! Let's see if he ends up buying a pair.

In total I ran 17 miles this week at an average pace of 10:45min/mile. Let's see where January will take me. Training will be in full swing starting tomorrow.

Visist of Austin, TX

When you go to Texas for the first time, you have to eat Texas BBQ and check out Cowboys boots! We did just all that!  Austin, the capital of Texas is a fun, small town.

We walked around for a while and ended up at a boot shop where I obviously tried on a pair. I can't stress how serious they are about their boots, and I have to say that some look cool, but I'm not sure if I'd ever buy a pair. I could not believe how expensive it can be. We saw a pair that retailed for $1,999!That's the price of a nice set of Hawk-racing wheels! (www.hawk-racing.com) For now, I'd advise you to choose the latter and equip yourself with some great quality, USA handmade wheels for your triathlon fun!

We wrapped up the day with some Texas BBQ, and it was just delicious! We went to Rudy's, a gas station outside of Austin for some BBQ shenanigans. Who would guess that the best BBQ in town is found at a gas station!

Downtown Austin

Yeahaw! 

Apparently the best BBQ in town is at a Gas Station outside of Austin

Well..that was DELICIOUS!

Merry Xmas from Austin, TX

I had my first run since Miami (10/27) with a 1.37 miles in 16 minutes! I know, strong snail pace here, but I was too anxious to get back into it at faster pace than the 12:14min/mile pace I ran. I felt good but I think the injury is still playing with my head. I could have gone for a longer one, but decided to break it off and go of a second run later this afternoon.

It felt good to wear my Newton Distance shoes again. I love them! They're incredibly comfortable and have helped me change my form and helped me be more efficient. That said, I think I'm due for a new pair!

Again, Merry Xmas to all! Hope Santa will be generous tonight and most importantly, I hope that everyone gets to share this special moment with family and friends! I'm down in Austin, TX for the first time with Mariesa's family. Can't wait for the festivities to begin, for more running to happen, and for some serious TX BBQ!
 

Tweed Ride: 59-mile ride from Jersey City, NJ to Nyack, NY

60 degrees and overcast made for a great ride in the first day of the winter. We decided to do "Tweed" again, a ride we name after the 14-15 min steep climb called "Tweed" between Piermont and Nyack.

We left around 10:30, which wasn't ideal with traffic around the area, and rode along River Road up to the George Washington Bridge. There we started to see more cyclists coming from NYC taking mother nature's early Xmas gift to get on the bike and put some miles in. Groups formed quickly on both sides of the road to quickly become a cyclist fest on the 9W road. So much fun to see that many cyclists that late in the year!
At Piermont, NY we took a left to climb Tweed, approximately 600 feet of elevation gain, and almost free to traffic. After a month off training, the HR was almost higher than the watts, but the most important to me was to get back on the bike and enjoy a free ride. The climb is not a straight 14-min ride up to the peak (at least we rode it in 14 min). It has steep short segments coupled with flats and some downhills. It's not what I am used to in the French Alps, but it certainly got my HR through the roof, and my average power went up in the high 200's.
We headed back after that, but stopped for a muffin at the Runcible Spoon. If you like muffin and feel like taking a break, I'd highly recommend this place. It's located in the town of Nyack, and you can't miss it, hundreds of cyclists stop there on their way to Rockland County or on their way back to the city.
Riding back to Jersey City was a bit more complicated with a lot more traffic. 9W is fine as there are bike paths on each side of the road, but once passed the GW bridge, you're sharing the roads with cars, and you quickly realized that they don't share it with you. It can get dangerous (I got hit by a car in late October, 3 days before Miami half Ironman), and the best advice I'd have is to wear flashy gear and ride a good 2 feet off the curbs so you can always use that space if you feel pushed.
The fun ended when I got home and realized that I needed to do laundry and clean my bike to get all the salt off. It took me a good 1 1/2 hour, but at least the bike is ready to go tomorrow.

If you want more details on this ride, take a look at my Strava: http://www.strava.com/activities/101309464, and feel free to reach out on twitter @eviandrinker 

2014 Program

This will be a lighter year in terms of the number of races I'll participate in, but nonetheless a very exciting one with some major events:

March 22nd: Queens Half Marathon, New York, NY
May 4th: Bassman Olympic Tri, Bass River, NJ
June 8th: Eagleman Ironman 70.3, Cambridge, MD
July 27th: Ironman Zurich, Switzerland
September 7th: Ironman 70.3 World Championships, Mont Tremblant, QC, Canada

Psyched!

Happy Holidays! ...and back to training

Happy holidays to everyone! This time of the year should be dedicated to spending quality time with family and friends and make memorable memories, and indulge on food and candies :)

I look forward to going down to Austin, TX for what will be my first warm Christmas. Not having a white (and/or cold) Christmas will be different, but I cannot wait to try TX barbecues and enjoy some good times with Mariesa and her family. If anyone has any tips on where to get great bbq, please comment on this post! If I can make, I'll surely let you know. 

On another note, training for 2014 kicked off on December 2nd. I'm focusing on my swim with 4 swims a week (never done that much before!), riding a tiny bit, but not running still. The tendinitis feels better, but I'm not sure if that means I'm healed. Hopefully I'll be all good when I give it a shot in Austin! I'll let you know!

Again, happy holidays and Merry Christmas to y'all! 

Off season training kicked off today

After a great thanksgiving break in Missouri with Mariesa and her family, Training for 2014 has kicked off officially today with 3,100 yards in the pool this morning (mostly with fins!). My focus for December will be my swim and bike, with a little bit of running around December 20th as I am still nursing a Perroneal Tendinitis.