Update

Everything is great here in Lexington. I have started my new coaching job which has been a blast so far. The pool is reopening today so it will be the kids first day in the water today. Ben Davis (the head coach) and I have just been making them run a little while giving them all kinds of core work and leg exercises.

Training has been really good the past few days or so. It may be the cooler temperatures or maybe, I have just been feeling better. I have had some really good run workouts. I had a good long run on Sunday and a nice, easy run on Monday. That run on Monday was one of those runs that is so relaxed and easy that I was just excited to be out running. There was almost no exertion and the weather was great. Tuesday was a hard run workout which went really well. I haven't ran that well in a workout since June. Yesterday I just had a normal bike ride and a swim. On the bike ride I decided I would ride to the hill where we do hill repeats and just do one repeat easy then head home. On the ride to the hill, I decided since it was an easier ride, I would throw in one hard effort on the hill and go after the hill record. The fastest I have ever climbed that hill in was 6:42 which I did at some point last season. I decided that I was in good enough shape to give it a run. Just a few weeks ago I climbed the hill in 6:50 with a few other guys so I knew I could climb fast. I got to the bottom of the hill and just decided to really attack it. I sprinted the bottom section and then settled into pace. I got to my checkpoint on the hill in under 5 minutes which I had never done before so I knew I was going hard. I just tried to keep my tempo all the way to the top and I ended up finishing the climb in 6:32, a new PR. I was really excited. Then I just rode easy back to the house. Then I swam with Casey in the afternoon, who was supposed to do a 1000y TT as her workout. I, for some reason, told her I would do it with her. I took it out really hard and then settled into pace. I almost even split this TT because I went through the 500 just over 5:30. I finished in 11:07 which is only 1.2 seconds off of my PR from a dive (recorded as a split during a 1650y race at the Wildcat Master's Swim Meet). So I was pretty happy with this. I know I need to be a lot faster but its a good step in the right direction. Today I have a long run which I'm about to take off on. And this weekend I'm headed home to Corbin to watch one of my best friends get married.

Tony