Summary: It was a good race for me. I learned more and had to dig deep to overcome some obstacles. Weather conditions were perfect! Not too hot, cold, or windy. I could not ask for better weather. The water temp was 63 degrees, but it was fine after I got used to it. Things went pretty much according to plan until mile 11 on the run. That is where I nearly quit, but managed to gather myself and finish strong. I didn’t break 15 hours like I had hoped, but was glad to beat my time in April. It gives me something positive to build on. Plus, I have more experience and know where I am weakest, which is my quads/legs of course. I need to build up my leg strength and my running speed and endurance. Both are doable. Will need to bike and run more hills out here. Will be tough to get outside in the winter, but I will try.
Splits: Here are my splits for IMAZ Nov.
Swim = 1:29:23
T1 = 8:41
Bike = 7:23:42 (15.2 mph)
T2 = 5:06
Run = 6:16:08 (14:21/m)
Total = 15:23:00
Difference from IMAZ in April = (17:33)
Friday Practice Swim: I admit I had a phobia about the cold water since my DNF at Harvest Moon in September. We went down to the water Friday about 8:00 am. I had a neoprene swim cap this time, which really helped. It was cold when I entered. I had a hard time catching my breath for about 10 minutes. Finally, I was able to get my face in the water and swim. I swam for about 30 minutes and did fine. I exorcised those cold water demons out of my mind and didn’t worry about it any more. I knew I would be ok.
Race Day:
Swim: Did not swim well. I started too close to the front and got run over by all the faster swimmers. So I could not get into a good rhythm for a while. I should have started further back in the pack, maybe in the middle. Also, I kept stopping to clear my goggles. They kept getting fogged up and I could not see where I was going. So I zigzagged a little more than planned. Anyway, the cold water never bothered me due to the practice swim on Friday morning. When I got out of the water, I saw the 1:29 time and knew it was slower than last time, but knew I could make it up on the bike. I was relaxed, calm, and confident. Two minutes over 15 hours is no big deal.
T1: I took my time to clean my feet and get ready for a long bike. I left feeling pretty good. The weather felt great and I was not cold. I just wore my IMAZ bike shirt and no long sleeves or gloves.
Bike: This was broken down into three loops.
Loop 1: First loop went real well. There was a headwind, but not as bad as IMAZ April. I rode easy and hit the turn around at 14.2 mph versus 11.0 mph in April. So I knew I was ahead of schedule. The tail wind coming back was nice. I hit the upper 20’s on the way back and finished the first loop at 16.9 mph, meaning I averaged about 19.6 mph on the way back. I thought I was riding easy, but maybe I went out too fast.
Loop 2: This was a hard one. The wind died down but I still had to work my way out to the turnaround. Without a tail wind, I had to work my way back into town too.
Loop 3. This was painful. My legs were hurting and my quads were especially sore. I really struggled to complete this loop.
T2: I was hoping to leave T2 at 9:00 into the race. So when I left T2 at 9:06 this was not too bad. I thought I had a good chance to beat 15 hours, but it was not to be.
Run: This was broken down into three loops as well.
Loop 1: I ran pretty well on the first loop. I averaged about 13:06/m and felt good, relaxed, and confident. I was hoping to average about 13:00/m for the marathon, about 5:40 overall. This would have meant a sub 15 hour IM. Everything seemed to be falling into place, until the second Loop.
Loop 2: I was doing ok until mile 11. My pace was ok, and then my stomach started to rumble. I had to stop for a long time to try to get it right again. I’m not sure how much time this cost me, but I think it was around 20 minutes. At this point, I was feeling so bad that I thought I would DNF again. It happened so quickly too! It came out of no where! I had 15m to go and thought I could not run any more. Then I thought, “I ain’t walking 15 miles!” I thought I would just cut across the bridge and DNF. I got pretty disappointed in myself. Finally, I thought “Dang it! I am NOT going to quit again!” It will be one full year before IM Cozumel. Plus, I had already covered the 2.4m swim, 112m bike, and 11m on the run. I had come too far to quit! I was NOT going to have this thing hang over my head for another year! So I gathered myself and just started walking. I thought, “I have 15m to go and over 4 hours left to finish. Finishing before midnight is better than a DNF.” So off I went. The next little piece was an incline, so I just walked it. I noticed others walking it too. By the time I got to the top where it leveled out, I was feeling better and decided to shuffle, waddle, lumber, slog, jog, or whatever just to put one foot in front of the other. I decided to “run” to the next aid station and get some chicken broth, coke, and oatmeal cookies. Those 3 things seemed to settle my stomach. I did this for the next few aid stations. Before too long, I found myself thinking maybe I could beat 16 hours if I kept this up.
Loop 3: By the time I started the 3rd loop, I was feeling better and my adrenaline kicked in. I threw away my fuel belt with gels and my water bottle opting for chicken broth and coke instead. Someone hollered, “What time is it?” Someone else answered “8:20!” Then I thought, “Hey, I have 1:40 left to beat 15 hours. I’m going to go for it! I’ll just lay it all out there and do the best I can no matter what and leave nothing on the table!” So off I went running, for real. I ran from aid station to aid station and walked the aid stations to get more chicken broth and coke. I could not find any more oatmeal cookies and nothing else appealed to me. I started passing people and getting some encouraging words from runners and spectators, which fueled my adrenaline even more. About mile 21, I decided to pick it up a bit. I ran the next mile at 11:00/m, which was too fast. I paid for it when I got to the next aid station. I thought, “That was stupid! I went too fast and it cost me some energy.” But it was fun and worth it. By this time, I knew I could beat 16 hours and was on pace to beat 15:30, which was a far cry from where I was at mile 11 some time ago. I ran between the aid stations, but walked a little more too. Then I began to plan my finish. I was thinking this was my last Ironman and maybe my last triathlon so I wanted to finish well and remember it. I read a sign that said, “Roll for ALS!” I remembered the Blazeman and decided to do it. No regrets! So when I got to the end, I took off my two long sleeve shirts so everyone could see my Ironman Arizona bike shirt. Then I ran through the chute, high fiving all the spectators. When I got to the end, I dropped down and rolled across the finish line. It was memorable!!!
After the race, I ate some pizza, got a massage, then got the chills and started shaking. I wrapped one of those tin foil blankets around me until I warmed up. I got my bike to the bike transport place, picked up my bags, put on some dry clothes and went to watch the rest of the people run through the chute. This was my last IM and I wanted to be there for the other people and to watch it to the end, thinking I would never be there again.
I hobbled home, showered, and changed my flight to Tues. No way was I able to get up Mon morning, pack, and get to the airport in time. So I stayed the day to rest. Only I spent it running around with some friends, which was a blast.
Monday: My legs were in deep pain and I could not walk. My legs were killing me! My quads and IT Bands were screaming! I must have looked like a 90 year old man when walking. Even Mon night, when we went out to eat, I was done with IM.
Tuesday: I packed up, boarded the plane, and flew home to MS.
Wednesday: I got another massage and was finally able to walk some. That night, my mom noticed my right ankle was swollen. I knew it had been hurting but never even looked at it. Three days after the race and it was swollen to the size of an orange. I don’t know where I twisted it during the race. I put some ice on it to reduce the swelling.
Thursday: We drove to spend Thanksgiving with my in-laws. While sitting there after the meal, I was finally over the physical and mental exhaustion, ready to put this one behind me, and start planning ahead. So I got on the pc and signed up for New Orleans HIM on April 5. I decided to do New Orleans HIM instead of Gulf Coast HIM since more friends will be there from MS. Plus, I can fly in and out of New Orleans easier than Panama City. New Orleans should be flat and fast, so I plan to do well there.
I will take off 2-3 weeks from training, and then start back slowly until after New Year’s. Then I plan to hit it hard so I can PR in New Orleans. I need to come in around 6:30-6:45. Race wheels will help, but I really need to get my quads stronger. Training in COS has put my cardio in GREAT shape! I never breathed hard during IMAZ at all! But my quads were dying! So I have to strengthen my legs for speed and endurance.
Can’t wait for IM Cozumel!!! I’ll be ready and plan to break 15 hours for sure!!!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
IMAZ - 5 weeks
IMAZ (Nov 23, 2008) is 5 weeks away from this past Sunday, meaning that I have about 2 weeks of hard training to go before tapering. I guess tapering is too nice of a word because if I was actually tapering, that would imply that I was really training hard in order to have something to taper from, right? Actually, I have trained ok for the last 2 out of 3 weeks. Can't seem to train hard for two weeks in a row for various reasons whether work, family, fatigue, or just plain lazy.
I have no idea how well I will do at IMAZ this time around. Looking back at my training log, I have not trained as hard or consistently as I planned. Last time, I finished at a blistering pace of 15:40:33. Good enough to finish, which was good for being my first IM and good enough to beat about 600 people out of 2000. 300 of those were DNF's. Obviously, the only way I'm going to Kona is as a spectactor, not a participant. It's cheaper to just buy the DVD.
As of today, I have 3 more long swims, 2 more long bikes, and 1 more long run. Then I will taper, which is the best part. Just lie around eating, sleeping, and worrying about not having trained enough and what all might go wrong on race day.
Swim: The water is supposed to be around 60 degrees on race day, which is cold for this ole southerner. I just tried a HIM around Denver, where the water was 61 degrees. I DNF'd as my previous report will tell you. But a couple of different factors are: 1) I stood around for 1.5 hours in 47 degree weather before getting in the water, 2) I did not know anyone at the race, and 3) I really was not into the race mentally. It was mainly for training purposes. This time around, 1) I HAVE to finish!, 2) I will take a few practice swims before to get used to the cold, and 3) It will be about 70 degrees or so outside of the water, so I will warm up when I get out. Having said all of that, with the wet suit, I will probably swim this in about 1:30. I swam it in 1:27 last time and really tried to slow down. No problems in the swim, except the cold. It's the other 85% of the race that's the problem.
Bike: Why am I so terrible on the bike? Why do I keep hearing "on your left" about 1000 times in the race? I can almost immitate the sound of those Zipp wheels as they keep whirring past me. Having said all of that, I biked this same course at 14.6 mph last time. The temps were 95+ and the winds were awful, about 20+ mph headwind going out, 3x. Given any sort of break on the winds, and hoping the temps are a more "moderate" 80ish degrees, I hope to bike at an eye popping 15 mph, or 7:30. Look out Norman Stadler!
IF I can accomplish the above on the swim and bike, and given 5 minutes each in T1 and T2, then I hope to start running at 9:10 into the race versus 9:22 last time. Actually, I hope to bike a little faster, but I'm using that as a cushion.
Run: Here is where I MUST do better than last time. In April, I ran ok through about 21 miles, then decided to walk/hobble the balance since my time was slower than anticipated and I had a HUGE blister on my left foot. To do better on the run I must: 1) fuel smarter, 2) pace smarter, and 3) not get my shoes wet. That is what caused the blister. Having said that, I hope to run at a 13:00/m pace or 5:40 total.
If my math is right, this gets me down the finisher's shute at 14:50, breaking the 15 hour barrier and bringing joy and happiness for all the world to see. Then next up, will be the Gulf Coast HIM in Panama City, FL on May 9, 2009. I did TERRIBLE there in May 2007. So I have a chip on my shoulder about that one, which I will use to motivate me to train hard and smart through the dog days of winter in CO.
Cheers.
I have no idea how well I will do at IMAZ this time around. Looking back at my training log, I have not trained as hard or consistently as I planned. Last time, I finished at a blistering pace of 15:40:33. Good enough to finish, which was good for being my first IM and good enough to beat about 600 people out of 2000. 300 of those were DNF's. Obviously, the only way I'm going to Kona is as a spectactor, not a participant. It's cheaper to just buy the DVD.
As of today, I have 3 more long swims, 2 more long bikes, and 1 more long run. Then I will taper, which is the best part. Just lie around eating, sleeping, and worrying about not having trained enough and what all might go wrong on race day.
Swim: The water is supposed to be around 60 degrees on race day, which is cold for this ole southerner. I just tried a HIM around Denver, where the water was 61 degrees. I DNF'd as my previous report will tell you. But a couple of different factors are: 1) I stood around for 1.5 hours in 47 degree weather before getting in the water, 2) I did not know anyone at the race, and 3) I really was not into the race mentally. It was mainly for training purposes. This time around, 1) I HAVE to finish!, 2) I will take a few practice swims before to get used to the cold, and 3) It will be about 70 degrees or so outside of the water, so I will warm up when I get out. Having said all of that, with the wet suit, I will probably swim this in about 1:30. I swam it in 1:27 last time and really tried to slow down. No problems in the swim, except the cold. It's the other 85% of the race that's the problem.
Bike: Why am I so terrible on the bike? Why do I keep hearing "on your left" about 1000 times in the race? I can almost immitate the sound of those Zipp wheels as they keep whirring past me. Having said all of that, I biked this same course at 14.6 mph last time. The temps were 95+ and the winds were awful, about 20+ mph headwind going out, 3x. Given any sort of break on the winds, and hoping the temps are a more "moderate" 80ish degrees, I hope to bike at an eye popping 15 mph, or 7:30. Look out Norman Stadler!
IF I can accomplish the above on the swim and bike, and given 5 minutes each in T1 and T2, then I hope to start running at 9:10 into the race versus 9:22 last time. Actually, I hope to bike a little faster, but I'm using that as a cushion.
Run: Here is where I MUST do better than last time. In April, I ran ok through about 21 miles, then decided to walk/hobble the balance since my time was slower than anticipated and I had a HUGE blister on my left foot. To do better on the run I must: 1) fuel smarter, 2) pace smarter, and 3) not get my shoes wet. That is what caused the blister. Having said that, I hope to run at a 13:00/m pace or 5:40 total.
If my math is right, this gets me down the finisher's shute at 14:50, breaking the 15 hour barrier and bringing joy and happiness for all the world to see. Then next up, will be the Gulf Coast HIM in Panama City, FL on May 9, 2009. I did TERRIBLE there in May 2007. So I have a chip on my shoulder about that one, which I will use to motivate me to train hard and smart through the dog days of winter in CO.
Cheers.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
DNF
The Harvest Moon HIM was a disaster for me. Temps were a chilly 47 outside before the race. The water temps were 61 at the shore and upper 50's at the turnaround. Only I never made it to the turnaround, or even the first bouy for that matter. After standing around for about 1.5 hours before the race, I was frozen. The water was actually warmer than the outside temps. The water felt ok, but I could not breathe. I slowed down, kept my head up, tried to relax, etc... but it just was not happening.
So I did the unthinkable. I waved my hand for the boat to come pick me up. After 4 minutes in the water, I was done. My first DNF. Ever. After the boat let us off at the docks, I packed my gear and headed home frustrated, humiliated, disappointed, and thankful that I was not going to spend the next 3.5 hours freezing my tail off on my bike. I had never quit anything before in my life. But I can't say that anymore. After all is said and done, I believe I made the right decision. This race was for training only and not that important to me. So instead of being miserable, getting sick, or possibly worse, I lived to train and race another day.
I went home, cleaned up, warmed up, ate, slept, and watched the Denver Bronco's (our new team) beat San Diego. So I wasted a week of resting for a race when I could have been training. At least I am well rested for the last 10 weeks of training for IMAZ.
Lessons learned: 1) select races more carefully, and 2) pre-swim the race water, especially if it is a wet suit legal race.
It's not too late to make up some ground training for IMAZ. But there is no room for error. I have reviewed my training plan with my tri coach for the last 10 weeks. She really helped a lot by reducing some shorter week day workouts and making the weekend workouts longer. Makes sense. There really aren't that many long bikes and runs left, so each one is critical for my success at IMAZ on Nov 23.
Cheers.
So I did the unthinkable. I waved my hand for the boat to come pick me up. After 4 minutes in the water, I was done. My first DNF. Ever. After the boat let us off at the docks, I packed my gear and headed home frustrated, humiliated, disappointed, and thankful that I was not going to spend the next 3.5 hours freezing my tail off on my bike. I had never quit anything before in my life. But I can't say that anymore. After all is said and done, I believe I made the right decision. This race was for training only and not that important to me. So instead of being miserable, getting sick, or possibly worse, I lived to train and race another day.
I went home, cleaned up, warmed up, ate, slept, and watched the Denver Bronco's (our new team) beat San Diego. So I wasted a week of resting for a race when I could have been training. At least I am well rested for the last 10 weeks of training for IMAZ.
Lessons learned: 1) select races more carefully, and 2) pre-swim the race water, especially if it is a wet suit legal race.
It's not too late to make up some ground training for IMAZ. But there is no room for error. I have reviewed my training plan with my tri coach for the last 10 weeks. She really helped a lot by reducing some shorter week day workouts and making the weekend workouts longer. Makes sense. There really aren't that many long bikes and runs left, so each one is critical for my success at IMAZ on Nov 23.
Cheers.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Labor Day
Whew! Where did the summer go? It was 50 degrees this morning when I left for work in COS.
After a few months, my whole family is now back under one roof. I moved to COS in April, wife and younger son in June, and our older son joined us in August. It is good to have everyone together and all is going relatively well. Both boys just started school and seem to be off to a good start. Wife is pretty busy scurrying people around to where they need to be and getting our house settled. Moving cross country is more demanding than I realized. We all miss friends back home but are trying to find new ones out here.
As for training, it has been spotty. I have some good workouts every now and then and even some good training weeks. But I have not been able to put together two good consecutive weeks. Will try again this week and next. Have a long swim this Fri followed by a long bike on Sat. Need to get it done!
Went to Switzerland last week on business. The country is beautiful, the people friendly, and the food is great! Didn't want to come home! Would love to retire there, but it is rather expensive. So it put a cramp in my training and my left shoulder. Sitting on the plane for 100 hours must have done it. It's killing me, but getting better. It was worth the trip though. I can train anytime.
Supposed to do the Harvest Moon HIM in Auroria, CO (Denver area) next week. Have no idea how well I will do. Am doing this as a training workout, not for a PR. The water will be chilly and the bike hilly. The run is flat and wide open. Temps can range from snowing to hot. So who knows?
The next 12 weeks are CRITICAL to my success at IMAZ! I could really use some folks to train with, or to just kick me in the rump to get me going. Difficult to train solo for this, but that's what it calls for so that's what I will do.
Will post again after the HIM on Sept 14.
Cheers!
After a few months, my whole family is now back under one roof. I moved to COS in April, wife and younger son in June, and our older son joined us in August. It is good to have everyone together and all is going relatively well. Both boys just started school and seem to be off to a good start. Wife is pretty busy scurrying people around to where they need to be and getting our house settled. Moving cross country is more demanding than I realized. We all miss friends back home but are trying to find new ones out here.
As for training, it has been spotty. I have some good workouts every now and then and even some good training weeks. But I have not been able to put together two good consecutive weeks. Will try again this week and next. Have a long swim this Fri followed by a long bike on Sat. Need to get it done!
Went to Switzerland last week on business. The country is beautiful, the people friendly, and the food is great! Didn't want to come home! Would love to retire there, but it is rather expensive. So it put a cramp in my training and my left shoulder. Sitting on the plane for 100 hours must have done it. It's killing me, but getting better. It was worth the trip though. I can train anytime.
Supposed to do the Harvest Moon HIM in Auroria, CO (Denver area) next week. Have no idea how well I will do. Am doing this as a training workout, not for a PR. The water will be chilly and the bike hilly. The run is flat and wide open. Temps can range from snowing to hot. So who knows?
The next 12 weeks are CRITICAL to my success at IMAZ! I could really use some folks to train with, or to just kick me in the rump to get me going. Difficult to train solo for this, but that's what it calls for so that's what I will do.
Will post again after the HIM on Sept 14.
Cheers!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Heatwave race report
I did ok in the race, not great, not terrible. It was not an “A” race for me this year, so no big deal. Lots of travel this week, work, stuff at home, blah, blah, blah. I really just wanted to beat my time from last year, which was 2:42:07. So at least I managed to do that.
It was a typical hot, humid Mississippi day. I felt it when I stepped off the plane on Tues. (Don’t try this at home!) Turn your oven on to 350 degrees and let it sit for a couple of hours. Then open the door. Welcome to MS in the summer!!! Actually, it wasn’t that bad. It was a short race so the heat didn’t bother me much. I’m used to it even though I had been gone for several weeks. There was a little headwind coming back in on the bike, but it was not as bad as either IMAZ or COS.
Swim 900 yards. Time = 13:45.
Don’t get too excited. The distance was not marked right. It was too short. I figure it was only about 600-700 yards. It went easy. Nothing special.
T1 = 1:26. Got out of there ok.
Bike 24.5m. Time = 1:25:03. Pace = 17.5 mph.
I was going to try the flying mount thing with my shoes already clipped in, but it didn’t work. I was mounting from the wrong side and one of my shoes popped off. Had to go back and pick it up. Cost me 1:00 minute. I didn’t bike well at all. Just didn’t have my legs today. Don’t know why. Forgot my bike pc. Left it in COS. I just tried to go as fast as I could, but didn’t have anything to pace with. Didn’t matter. Could not have gone any faster anyway. Went 18.5 mph last year. So I am regressing.
T2 = 1:58. Took too long here. Can’t remember what happened. I was trying to get my Garmin started, but otherwise, just slow I guess.
Run = 6.2m. Time = 58:53. Pace = 9:30/m. I actually ran pretty well! I got off to a good start, but not too fast. Too many times, I start out too fast and bonk. But the Garmin police kept me in line. I was at 9:30/m for first 2m. Mile 3 is mostly up hill. At the turnaround, I was at 9:45/m. Figured I would make up time on the back 3m, which I did. I ran about 9:15/m over the last 3m to finish at a 9:30/m pace, pretty good for me. I ran the last mile well, so I finished strong. Don’t know what my pace was on the last mile, but it was probably sub 9:00. I could have kept running. I felt pretty good. I have been running consistently in COS so it paid off. My breathing was great! I breathed easily the whole way. Maybe this will show up again in IMAZ…
Overall time = 2:41:03. Mission accomplished!
That’s about it. Got to train more consistently for IMAZ Nov, my other A race.
It was a typical hot, humid Mississippi day. I felt it when I stepped off the plane on Tues. (Don’t try this at home!) Turn your oven on to 350 degrees and let it sit for a couple of hours. Then open the door. Welcome to MS in the summer!!! Actually, it wasn’t that bad. It was a short race so the heat didn’t bother me much. I’m used to it even though I had been gone for several weeks. There was a little headwind coming back in on the bike, but it was not as bad as either IMAZ or COS.
Swim 900 yards. Time = 13:45.
Don’t get too excited. The distance was not marked right. It was too short. I figure it was only about 600-700 yards. It went easy. Nothing special.
T1 = 1:26. Got out of there ok.
Bike 24.5m. Time = 1:25:03. Pace = 17.5 mph.
I was going to try the flying mount thing with my shoes already clipped in, but it didn’t work. I was mounting from the wrong side and one of my shoes popped off. Had to go back and pick it up. Cost me 1:00 minute. I didn’t bike well at all. Just didn’t have my legs today. Don’t know why. Forgot my bike pc. Left it in COS. I just tried to go as fast as I could, but didn’t have anything to pace with. Didn’t matter. Could not have gone any faster anyway. Went 18.5 mph last year. So I am regressing.
T2 = 1:58. Took too long here. Can’t remember what happened. I was trying to get my Garmin started, but otherwise, just slow I guess.
Run = 6.2m. Time = 58:53. Pace = 9:30/m. I actually ran pretty well! I got off to a good start, but not too fast. Too many times, I start out too fast and bonk. But the Garmin police kept me in line. I was at 9:30/m for first 2m. Mile 3 is mostly up hill. At the turnaround, I was at 9:45/m. Figured I would make up time on the back 3m, which I did. I ran about 9:15/m over the last 3m to finish at a 9:30/m pace, pretty good for me. I ran the last mile well, so I finished strong. Don’t know what my pace was on the last mile, but it was probably sub 9:00. I could have kept running. I felt pretty good. I have been running consistently in COS so it paid off. My breathing was great! I breathed easily the whole way. Maybe this will show up again in IMAZ…
Overall time = 2:41:03. Mission accomplished!
That’s about it. Got to train more consistently for IMAZ Nov, my other A race.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Heatwave
So I finally decided to sign up for the Heatwave, an Olympic distance (almost) triathlon back home. I'm flying back home to help my family move to COS with me. I timed the trip to be after wife and son finished school and also to attend this race. I wasn't sure if I would do the race or just watch and visit, but last Friday I signed up. So I'm in.
I'm really not in shape to do this race. I took off 4 weeks after IMAZ in April and just started back training last week after a nasty sinus infection. This will give me about 3 weeks of training before the race. Training for endurance (IM) versus speed (Oly) is totally different. I have not trained for speed in quite a while. Did this race in 2:56 in 2006 and 2:42 last year. I would like to come in under 2:40, but I don't know if I will or not. It all depends on how well I bike, or not. The bike is my worst event of the 3. I'll swim ok. That is usually a given. So I have to make up time on the bike and run, which are 85% of the race.
At least I know the course pretty well. I have biked and run that course for training dozens of times. Hopefully, I will get in a little training between now and then, yet rest up enough before the race to have something left to give.
It will be fun seeing many friends that I have not seen in a while. Maybe my adrenaline will kick in somewhere along the way so I don't do too poorly. Hope to see you there!
I'm really not in shape to do this race. I took off 4 weeks after IMAZ in April and just started back training last week after a nasty sinus infection. This will give me about 3 weeks of training before the race. Training for endurance (IM) versus speed (Oly) is totally different. I have not trained for speed in quite a while. Did this race in 2:56 in 2006 and 2:42 last year. I would like to come in under 2:40, but I don't know if I will or not. It all depends on how well I bike, or not. The bike is my worst event of the 3. I'll swim ok. That is usually a given. So I have to make up time on the bike and run, which are 85% of the race.
At least I know the course pretty well. I have biked and run that course for training dozens of times. Hopefully, I will get in a little training between now and then, yet rest up enough before the race to have something left to give.
It will be fun seeing many friends that I have not seen in a while. Maybe my adrenaline will kick in somewhere along the way so I don't do too poorly. Hope to see you there!
IMAZ II - 27 weeks
Totals for week: Swim 2000, Bike 36m, run 18m, about 6 hours.
After moving to Colorado Springs, CO (COS), taking off a few weeks after IMAZ April, getting over a nasty sinus infection, I have finally started training. I did ok for my first week back. My strength and stamina are not fully back yet. I joined the YMCA so I would have a place to swim. There is a nice run path near where I am staying, which makes it easy to run after work. But I still don't know my way around very well as it pertains to bike routes. There are several good routes posted on some website links. I'll just have to "go explore" as one guy put it until I get comfortable with the area. I don't mind just heading out there somewhere. But I am more concerned about finding water holes for long rides. And traffic in town is an issue. This will take some planning and experience. May have to buy a camel back.
Mon: swam for first time in just over 4 weeks from IMAZ April. Swam well and easy. The pool is pretty busy here. Lots of kids splashing around. Two people eventually got in my lane. No big deal. But one of them was a large, slow man that swam down the middle of the lane. So I had to zig zag my way around him a few times until he finally left. Stopped at 2000 yards. Swam 2:10/100 pace. Not bad for my first time back. Will build from here.
Wed: Rode my bike through the Air Force Academy. It's awe inspiring to know that I am riding through the area where we train our men/women for military duty. The ride is beautiful and quite hilly. I started out going about 32 mph with little effort. Avg'd 29 mph for the first 4m. When I turned, I realized that I had been carried by a big tailwind that was now a big cross wind. Struggled up the long, long hill to the top. Then coasted fast down the backside. It was getting cold, so I stopped at one loop, 12m, and went home.
Thurs: Good tempo run. Ran 6m at 9:28/m pace, which is good for me. Found a good rhythym and stayed with it. Didn't do any intervals. Finished strong and felt good after.
Sat: Did a tough 24m bike with 3 people. 3 is really generous because two of them dropped me in a few minutes. We started east up hill with a strong cross wind. Then turned north into the teeth of a headwind up another long, long hill. Are there any flats out here? Not many. After one hour, I had gone all of 11m and was beat. At least we turned west and went down hill some. Finally, we turned south toward home with a nice tail wind. Was in mid 30's with little effort. So I pushed it some and maxed at 40 mph! Whooo Yooo! Was toast afterward. Went home and slept. Averaged 14.4 mph for the ride. Not good.
Sun: Ran 8m. Thought that after running so well Thurs night that this would be a piece of cake. In fact, I was only going to run 6m, but changed it to 8m. Was ok through 5m, then started to struggle. Stayed with it until 6m, then slowed down the final 2m just to finish. Finished at 10:15/m pace. Not great, but a start.
Did one round of strength work this week. Will try to get in habit of doing 2 rounds per week. Everything is coming together pretty well. I just don't have a good weekday route for 2 rides of 25m or so. Really need to get outside the city to ride. Lots of traffic in the city. But it takes a while to get outside. Will have to work on that. There are several posted rides throughout the week and weekend. But after doing so poorly Sat, I will pass on the group rides and go it alone for awhile until I can keep up better.
After moving to Colorado Springs, CO (COS), taking off a few weeks after IMAZ April, getting over a nasty sinus infection, I have finally started training. I did ok for my first week back. My strength and stamina are not fully back yet. I joined the YMCA so I would have a place to swim. There is a nice run path near where I am staying, which makes it easy to run after work. But I still don't know my way around very well as it pertains to bike routes. There are several good routes posted on some website links. I'll just have to "go explore" as one guy put it until I get comfortable with the area. I don't mind just heading out there somewhere. But I am more concerned about finding water holes for long rides. And traffic in town is an issue. This will take some planning and experience. May have to buy a camel back.
Mon: swam for first time in just over 4 weeks from IMAZ April. Swam well and easy. The pool is pretty busy here. Lots of kids splashing around. Two people eventually got in my lane. No big deal. But one of them was a large, slow man that swam down the middle of the lane. So I had to zig zag my way around him a few times until he finally left. Stopped at 2000 yards. Swam 2:10/100 pace. Not bad for my first time back. Will build from here.
Wed: Rode my bike through the Air Force Academy. It's awe inspiring to know that I am riding through the area where we train our men/women for military duty. The ride is beautiful and quite hilly. I started out going about 32 mph with little effort. Avg'd 29 mph for the first 4m. When I turned, I realized that I had been carried by a big tailwind that was now a big cross wind. Struggled up the long, long hill to the top. Then coasted fast down the backside. It was getting cold, so I stopped at one loop, 12m, and went home.
Thurs: Good tempo run. Ran 6m at 9:28/m pace, which is good for me. Found a good rhythym and stayed with it. Didn't do any intervals. Finished strong and felt good after.
Sat: Did a tough 24m bike with 3 people. 3 is really generous because two of them dropped me in a few minutes. We started east up hill with a strong cross wind. Then turned north into the teeth of a headwind up another long, long hill. Are there any flats out here? Not many. After one hour, I had gone all of 11m and was beat. At least we turned west and went down hill some. Finally, we turned south toward home with a nice tail wind. Was in mid 30's with little effort. So I pushed it some and maxed at 40 mph! Whooo Yooo! Was toast afterward. Went home and slept. Averaged 14.4 mph for the ride. Not good.
Sun: Ran 8m. Thought that after running so well Thurs night that this would be a piece of cake. In fact, I was only going to run 6m, but changed it to 8m. Was ok through 5m, then started to struggle. Stayed with it until 6m, then slowed down the final 2m just to finish. Finished at 10:15/m pace. Not great, but a start.
Did one round of strength work this week. Will try to get in habit of doing 2 rounds per week. Everything is coming together pretty well. I just don't have a good weekday route for 2 rides of 25m or so. Really need to get outside the city to ride. Lots of traffic in the city. But it takes a while to get outside. Will have to work on that. There are several posted rides throughout the week and weekend. But after doing so poorly Sat, I will pass on the group rides and go it alone for awhile until I can keep up better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)