School (and Snow) are Piling Up

I really need to get better about updating this blog. School picked up dramatically these last two weeks, with the end of the quarter rapidly approaching. So, of course, my training and eating suffered...

I've had a few decent rides on the new bike, and I gotta say, I'm becoming a bigger and bigger fan of the SRAM with each ride. I jumped on my old bike for a brief ride (before the chain kicked in the wheel - don't get me started on that one...) and the Shimano seemed foreign to me even though I've been riding that for at least a year and a half.

I've also made some progress in the pool after attending a Master's class at my local Merritt Club. The instructor gave me some good tips, and I've been putting them to use over the last two weeks.

We also got nailed by snow this past weekend (almost two feet), so I didn't really get much done this weekend. I was supposed to race the Celtic Solstice yesterday AM, but the snow was a little too much for me. I jumped on the trainer for an hour tonight at an easy pace and watched Zombieland. Everyone should go watch that movie, it was pretty entertaining. It was also the perfect type of movie to watch on the trainer - nonstop action, not much plot, and a quick pace (basically the complete opposite as Funny People which I watched last night).

I'm just wrapping things up and editing some papers before I take off for Chicago on Tuesday. Since I won't be bringing a bike home, I'll stick to running and swimming for the two weeks that I'm home...

First Post!

I figured I'd foray into the world of blogging after checking out a bunch of other ones by members of my running team "That's What She Said". I've been keeping a training log on Google Documents, but I've been writing it very cryptically. This blogging format also allows me to add some commentary that doesn't quite fit in a spreadsheet cell.

"Yellow Brick Road" doesn't refer to the Gold Standard being trumped by the Silver Standard as originally intended by Frank Baum in the Wizard of Oz. I'd like to think of the yellow brick road as the path leading to a solution or victory. Of course, a "brick" is also a combination workout consisting of a bike followed by a run in the world of triathlons. Double meaning, clever!

I have two big races on my calender for 2010: the Boston Marathon (4/21) and the 70.3 Eagleman Triathlon (6/13). I'll probably do a handful of bike races in the spring too, either for the Hopkins Cycling Club or LSV in preparation of the Half Ironman.

Thanksgiving was a nice break from heavy training, although I got a few runs in (including one along Lake Michigan on the beach, very nice). I also just picked up a new bike: 2008 Look Carbon Frame, SRAM Red Groupset, and DT Swiss Wheels - very nice! I'll post some pictures when I get it back from a tune-up.

My TT bike (Lemond Tourlamet with aerobars) is finally set up well and I'm going to take it out around Montebello tomorrow morning. I'm going to hit the pool in the afternoon, and that'll probably wrap up my Wednesday. Sandwiched between the workouts is class, lunch, class, and a thesis meeting. Tomorrow should be a fun day...

I'd really appreciate some swim workouts, so feel free to contribute in the comments section. I'm having a hard time staying in the pool for more than 1000m...