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.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Moved to Colorado Springs, CO
Haven't posted in a while. Been extremely busy moving, working, and not training.
Accepted a job in Colorado Springs (COS), CO the week before IMAZ. So Monday after the race, I flew back home. Tues, I finished up things with my former employer. Wed, I packed my car with as much stuff as I could and drove to COS. Took two days to get there. Arrived in COS on Thurs night. Fri, spent one day in the office. Sat, flew to San Antonio, TX and then drove to Mexican border for a mgmt meeting at the ranch of our CEO. Tues, flew back and finally got in the office for good on Wed. Whew!!!
So I have been in COS since 4/23 now, about 3 weeks. It's one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! The Rocky Mtns in the background are gorgeous! They look like a post card or something! Can't wait to do some hiking or biking up there.
I finally found a house on Sat, so I know where we will be living once the owners move out. I should be in there by end of May.
Last week, I came down with a nasty sinus infection. I have had well over 100+ of these over the last 20 years and this was a doozy! Knocked me for a loop. I was planning to ride long on a Sat, but woke up feeling terrible. By Sunday am, I was feeling worse. So I fumbled through the yellow pages hoping to find a doctor on Sun am that would see me. Fortunately, I found a clinic opening at 9:00. I was there by 9:15 to get some meds. He gave me 3 weeks worth because it was so bad. One week down, two to go!
One week later and I am feeling much better, but still not fully well. I will attempt to start training again tonight with a swim of 2500 yds and some strength work. Hopefully, this will be the start of getting back into training mode. I feel like I lost all of my fitness and will have to completely start over from scratch.
I only have 3 weeks to train before the Heatwave Triathlon back home on June 7. I'm flying back home that week to help my family move up to COS. While I am there, I plan to do the Heatwave unless my sinuses prevent my training. If I don't do it, I'll at least attend the tri to see friends and cheer for them. It will be good to see some old friends, both from my tri group and at my church.
Accepted a job in Colorado Springs (COS), CO the week before IMAZ. So Monday after the race, I flew back home. Tues, I finished up things with my former employer. Wed, I packed my car with as much stuff as I could and drove to COS. Took two days to get there. Arrived in COS on Thurs night. Fri, spent one day in the office. Sat, flew to San Antonio, TX and then drove to Mexican border for a mgmt meeting at the ranch of our CEO. Tues, flew back and finally got in the office for good on Wed. Whew!!!
So I have been in COS since 4/23 now, about 3 weeks. It's one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! The Rocky Mtns in the background are gorgeous! They look like a post card or something! Can't wait to do some hiking or biking up there.
I finally found a house on Sat, so I know where we will be living once the owners move out. I should be in there by end of May.
Last week, I came down with a nasty sinus infection. I have had well over 100+ of these over the last 20 years and this was a doozy! Knocked me for a loop. I was planning to ride long on a Sat, but woke up feeling terrible. By Sunday am, I was feeling worse. So I fumbled through the yellow pages hoping to find a doctor on Sun am that would see me. Fortunately, I found a clinic opening at 9:00. I was there by 9:15 to get some meds. He gave me 3 weeks worth because it was so bad. One week down, two to go!
One week later and I am feeling much better, but still not fully well. I will attempt to start training again tonight with a swim of 2500 yds and some strength work. Hopefully, this will be the start of getting back into training mode. I feel like I lost all of my fitness and will have to completely start over from scratch.
I only have 3 weeks to train before the Heatwave Triathlon back home on June 7. I'm flying back home that week to help my family move up to COS. While I am there, I plan to do the Heatwave unless my sinuses prevent my training. If I don't do it, I'll at least attend the tri to see friends and cheer for them. It will be good to see some old friends, both from my tri group and at my church.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
IMAZ (April '08) - Race Report
Here is my post race report from IMAZ April. It's a little late since I have been busy moving from Mississippi to Colorado Springs, CO. I'm just getting settled in and wanted to get this done. So here goes...
The short version is: I went. I raced. I finished.
My times:
Swim = 1:27:00
T1 = 7:15
Bike = 7:41:24
T2 = 6:52
Run = 6:18:04
Total = 15:40:33
A BIG thanks to all of you for your thoughts, prayers, emails, texts, messages on the race board, and especially for calling my wife during the race! She loves talking to people (anybody, anywhere, anytime, about anything). While Ironman is a long day for the racer, I think it can be even longer for those in the crowds supporting their significant other. She told me at one time she had over 20 calls to her, which made her happy and made the event much more enjoyable. Support is HUGELY (is that a word?) important, and not just for the racer! Thank you so, so much!
Here are some race details...
Swim = The water was smooth and cool, but not cold. We treaded water for about 15 min before the start. Temp was about 65-70, or so. It actually felt good. There was a lot of bumping for the first 10 min, but not bad. I had to shift lanes a few times, but it was not nearly as bad I envisioned. I tried to swim slow and pace. At the turn around, I was at 38 min, still too fast. So I slowed down even more on the way back. Wanted to make it out in 1:30, so I was just fine when I got out and not tired at all. Thank God for wet suits!
T1 = Got hung up some in T1. Could not find my bag, but one of the volunteers did. The volunteers were GREAT!!! My feet were pretty muddy/dirty so I took some time to clean them. After all, I still had a long, long day in front of me. And I like clean feet, at least on me anyway.
Bike = the course is an out/back loop of about 19 miles each way. The road is flat with one long, slow incline at the end. It is much like the Natchez Trace, only with MUCH more wind. The headwinds going out were brutal! Turns out they were about 22 mph at first. I tried not to fight it and just keep going as easy as I could. I tried to stay out of the single digits, but fell to 8-9 mph on occasion, on flats no less! I must have beaten plenty of people in the water, because I got passed by PLENTY of people on the bike, as usual. When I passed my first person, I was going a blazing 10 mph! Finally, I reached the turn around. The tailwind was awesome! I was literally coasting at 25 mph at times! I barely had to pedal on the way back at all. Even at 25, the pros were lapping me like I was standing still. They must have been going 35! I heard so many Zipp wheels pass me it was incredible! I could not have managed race wheels in that wind. And so it went for 2 more loops. Slow out, fast back, slow out, fast back, etc... I felt ok until the 3rd loop. Then I started to tire and the "gremlins" started playing mind games with me. But I knew once I made it to the final turnaround that I had made it to the run. All I had to do was coast back in. Oh, by the way, on the last "out" part of the bike, the first aid station had run out of all fluids. I was refueling from aid station to aid station, so I was basically out of fluids for another 10 miles or so. Then I saw the next aid station on the left side of the road. This was for the folks coming back in. Then I saw a biker in my lane swerve over to get a bottle of water. Aha! Great idea! So I waited until the coast was clear, and then swerved over to get one. I think I scared some poor lady to death when I came up from behind her in the wrong direction hollering "Water!" She gave me water and then a sermon about not crossing over like that. I didn't wait around for it, thanked her, then swerved back into my lane and kept going. On the way back, I actually started feeling pretty good for some reason. So I pushed it a little bit and passed a few tired bikers on the way back in. It probably cost me some energy, but it felt good to finally pass somebody!
T2 = No problems here. The sunscreen/slather ladies covered me in sun screen to save my hide from getting scorched. They seemed to enjoy their job. I said something like, "You must have drawn the short straw to get this job." She replied, "Oh no, we WANTED this job. We love it!" Got to love someone that loves their job. Thanks ladies! You saved my bacon, or rather saved me from frying like bacon!
Run = Course was relatively flat with a few inclines. I decided to run the flats and walk through the aid stations and inclines. I was fine through the first two loops, but started to fade even more on the 3rd loop. At 21 miles, I did the math in my head and knew that I would not beat my goal of a sub 15 hour IM. Best case at that point was about 15:15, and only if I busted my gut and pushed for 5 more miles. Decided between that and walking the last 5 miles and enjoying the balance of the day. Decided that the extra 25 min it would take me to walk were fine. Finishing in 15:15 or 15:40 did not matter to me at that point. I had developed a big blister on the ball of my left foot about the size of a silver dollar. So I hobbled home.
Two funnies: 1) at the first run aid station, I wanted to dunk my head into some ice water to cool down. I found a garbage can full of water with no ice. I took off my hat and glasses and dumped my head into it down to my neck. When I pulled it out, I realized that I had just dunked my sweaty, nasty head into the DRINKING water! I told them I was sorry and took off running. Wonder what that tasted like? Eeeewwww! 2) Later in the night, they were serving hot chicken broth. I took a cup, said something to somebody, forgot it was hot chicken broth, then promptly dumped it on my head thinking it was ice water! Ouch! And stupid!
The highlight of the whole race was at the end. Just before the finishing chute, my wife was anxiously waiting for me wondering what had happened to me. We walked along as I told her I was fine and what happened. So I was able to walk with both her and my son (who turned 15 on race day) as we walked through the crowds. It was a magical moment to walk through the crowds and hear them cheer while holding hands with them. All 3 of us got our pictures made crossing the finish line together, which was pretty special.
While I am thankful to complete my first Ironman, I am not really pleased with my time. So I feel like I have some unfinished business and extra motivation to do better at IMAZ in Nov. I'll call it IMAZ II (the sequel). I will take off a few weeks and start over from scratch. Must bike and run much, much more to get ready!
Fyi...Over 300 participants did not finish (DNF) at all. Some reports say it was the 3rd highest percentage of DNF's at any IM event ever in North America. I don't know that for sure. While I am thankful and humbled to have finished, I hurt for those that did not. I had just met one guy the night before at a party and saw him on race night. He had passed out on the side of the road. The medical folks were helping him get back on his feet. Temps were in the mid 90's. Winds were not as bad as Darryl and Eugene faced at IMAZ last year, but had to hit 20+ mph or more at times. I won't whine as bad next time I get a little breeze on the Trace. Think of it as good practice time!
Many thanks to all of you again! Your support was greatly felt and appreciated!
Gary
The short version is: I went. I raced. I finished.
My times:
Swim = 1:27:00
T1 = 7:15
Bike = 7:41:24
T2 = 6:52
Run = 6:18:04
Total = 15:40:33
A BIG thanks to all of you for your thoughts, prayers, emails, texts, messages on the race board, and especially for calling my wife during the race! She loves talking to people (anybody, anywhere, anytime, about anything). While Ironman is a long day for the racer, I think it can be even longer for those in the crowds supporting their significant other. She told me at one time she had over 20 calls to her, which made her happy and made the event much more enjoyable. Support is HUGELY (is that a word?) important, and not just for the racer! Thank you so, so much!
Here are some race details...
Swim = The water was smooth and cool, but not cold. We treaded water for about 15 min before the start. Temp was about 65-70, or so. It actually felt good. There was a lot of bumping for the first 10 min, but not bad. I had to shift lanes a few times, but it was not nearly as bad I envisioned. I tried to swim slow and pace. At the turn around, I was at 38 min, still too fast. So I slowed down even more on the way back. Wanted to make it out in 1:30, so I was just fine when I got out and not tired at all. Thank God for wet suits!
T1 = Got hung up some in T1. Could not find my bag, but one of the volunteers did. The volunteers were GREAT!!! My feet were pretty muddy/dirty so I took some time to clean them. After all, I still had a long, long day in front of me. And I like clean feet, at least on me anyway.
Bike = the course is an out/back loop of about 19 miles each way. The road is flat with one long, slow incline at the end. It is much like the Natchez Trace, only with MUCH more wind. The headwinds going out were brutal! Turns out they were about 22 mph at first. I tried not to fight it and just keep going as easy as I could. I tried to stay out of the single digits, but fell to 8-9 mph on occasion, on flats no less! I must have beaten plenty of people in the water, because I got passed by PLENTY of people on the bike, as usual. When I passed my first person, I was going a blazing 10 mph! Finally, I reached the turn around. The tailwind was awesome! I was literally coasting at 25 mph at times! I barely had to pedal on the way back at all. Even at 25, the pros were lapping me like I was standing still. They must have been going 35! I heard so many Zipp wheels pass me it was incredible! I could not have managed race wheels in that wind. And so it went for 2 more loops. Slow out, fast back, slow out, fast back, etc... I felt ok until the 3rd loop. Then I started to tire and the "gremlins" started playing mind games with me. But I knew once I made it to the final turnaround that I had made it to the run. All I had to do was coast back in. Oh, by the way, on the last "out" part of the bike, the first aid station had run out of all fluids. I was refueling from aid station to aid station, so I was basically out of fluids for another 10 miles or so. Then I saw the next aid station on the left side of the road. This was for the folks coming back in. Then I saw a biker in my lane swerve over to get a bottle of water. Aha! Great idea! So I waited until the coast was clear, and then swerved over to get one. I think I scared some poor lady to death when I came up from behind her in the wrong direction hollering "Water!" She gave me water and then a sermon about not crossing over like that. I didn't wait around for it, thanked her, then swerved back into my lane and kept going. On the way back, I actually started feeling pretty good for some reason. So I pushed it a little bit and passed a few tired bikers on the way back in. It probably cost me some energy, but it felt good to finally pass somebody!
T2 = No problems here. The sunscreen/slather ladies covered me in sun screen to save my hide from getting scorched. They seemed to enjoy their job. I said something like, "You must have drawn the short straw to get this job." She replied, "Oh no, we WANTED this job. We love it!" Got to love someone that loves their job. Thanks ladies! You saved my bacon, or rather saved me from frying like bacon!
Run = Course was relatively flat with a few inclines. I decided to run the flats and walk through the aid stations and inclines. I was fine through the first two loops, but started to fade even more on the 3rd loop. At 21 miles, I did the math in my head and knew that I would not beat my goal of a sub 15 hour IM. Best case at that point was about 15:15, and only if I busted my gut and pushed for 5 more miles. Decided between that and walking the last 5 miles and enjoying the balance of the day. Decided that the extra 25 min it would take me to walk were fine. Finishing in 15:15 or 15:40 did not matter to me at that point. I had developed a big blister on the ball of my left foot about the size of a silver dollar. So I hobbled home.
Two funnies: 1) at the first run aid station, I wanted to dunk my head into some ice water to cool down. I found a garbage can full of water with no ice. I took off my hat and glasses and dumped my head into it down to my neck. When I pulled it out, I realized that I had just dunked my sweaty, nasty head into the DRINKING water! I told them I was sorry and took off running. Wonder what that tasted like? Eeeewwww! 2) Later in the night, they were serving hot chicken broth. I took a cup, said something to somebody, forgot it was hot chicken broth, then promptly dumped it on my head thinking it was ice water! Ouch! And stupid!
The highlight of the whole race was at the end. Just before the finishing chute, my wife was anxiously waiting for me wondering what had happened to me. We walked along as I told her I was fine and what happened. So I was able to walk with both her and my son (who turned 15 on race day) as we walked through the crowds. It was a magical moment to walk through the crowds and hear them cheer while holding hands with them. All 3 of us got our pictures made crossing the finish line together, which was pretty special.
While I am thankful to complete my first Ironman, I am not really pleased with my time. So I feel like I have some unfinished business and extra motivation to do better at IMAZ in Nov. I'll call it IMAZ II (the sequel). I will take off a few weeks and start over from scratch. Must bike and run much, much more to get ready!
Fyi...Over 300 participants did not finish (DNF) at all. Some reports say it was the 3rd highest percentage of DNF's at any IM event ever in North America. I don't know that for sure. While I am thankful and humbled to have finished, I hurt for those that did not. I had just met one guy the night before at a party and saw him on race night. He had passed out on the side of the road. The medical folks were helping him get back on his feet. Temps were in the mid 90's. Winds were not as bad as Darryl and Eugene faced at IMAZ last year, but had to hit 20+ mph or more at times. I won't whine as bad next time I get a little breeze on the Trace. Think of it as good practice time!
Many thanks to all of you again! Your support was greatly felt and appreciated!
Gary
Monday, March 31, 2008
IMAZ - 2 weeks
Totals for week: Swim 5100 yds, Bike 91m, Run 2m.
Began to rachet down the volume leading up to my race on April 13.
Took Mon, Tues, and Wed off again to recover from the previous week and weekend. I was feeling good again by Wed and could have done the Wed night workout, but skipped it instead.
Thurs, biked 30.4m in the wind tunnel, otherwise known as Highland Colony Parkway. Real Estate developers have nearly clear cut everything making a nice path for southwest winds to blow northeast, exactly the way this road is built. I had a nice workout, as motivated by my older teen. So my adrenaline helped me overcome the headwinds as I headed south. Normally, I can avg. about 17 mph or so on this stretch. So to avg. 16.1 mph today was pretty good for me. Afterward, I did a short 2m transistion run through the old hilly neighborhood. Ran a slow 10:24/m pace. I hurt my foot last Sunday on an 18m run, so I didn't want to risk reinjuring it. It came out fine though.
Fri, swam 4200 yards straight in 1:30:51, about a 2:10/100 pace. I have now swum this distance 4x and 2x in the current month. My time was about the same, but I was much stronger throughout. I swam real easy through about 2100-2500 yards and still felt good at 3000. At 3600, I inserted some intervals just to see if I could do it. It went fine and I finished strong. This was a real boost to my confidence for the swim part of the race.
Sat, I was supposed to ride 100m, but only went 60m. I rode alone on the North Trace. Did a lot of things right. Slept well Fri night. Fueled right before and during the ride. I increased my calories before the ride from 600 cal. to 1100 cal. This may have been a little high. Maybe I should have left off the Power Bar Triple Threat, about 230 calories. Upped my calories from 300 per hour to 400 per hour while on the bike. Maybe a little high, but I felt better than last time. Anyway, I purposed to ride slow today. Target pace was 15 mph, same as race pace. It was an easy ride for most of the way. In fact, north of River Bend, it got so easy that I literally propped up my chin on my right hand, as I did when riding my trainer during the winter. But when I reached the turnaround point, I realized why my ride had been fairly easy. There was a headwind coming back for the next 30m. I was at 15.2 mph at the turnaround point and at 14.9 mph when I got back to the Craft Center, where a cold Coke awaited me. It was time to turnaround and head back out for 40m more, but after thinking about it, I decided to stop and go home. I could have completed the ride or run a far way, but just felt like it was too close to race time to push so hard. Maybe this was the wrong thing to do. I don't know. But it's what I did anyway. Rested the balance of Sat.
Sun, I met a few guys at Hobie Cove to swim in the Rez. I just bought a new Orca wet suit and needed to try it out. The water was cool, but not too bad. The wet suit was great! Good thing I got the next size larger though. I don't think I could breathe in a smaller size. Although the water temp was doable, the chop was rough!!! There were a few boats out there really stirring things up. I had to stop a couple of times to stand to catch my breath. Of course, I drank some of that nasty Rez water too! Clay took off and left the other 3 of us. Matt and Matt were ahead of me, but not by too much. I just poked along doing my b/s. The return trip was much easier than heading out. Partially because the boats were gone and we were swimming with the current a little bit. My time for the half mile swim was good, about 18:45 or a 2:05/100 pace. I wasn't even trying to swim fast and this included standing up a couple of times going out. After one half mile loop, the other guys decided to call it quits, so I was done. It went well. I gained a newfound respect for the water and will DEFINITELY do some practice swims at Lake Tempe next week. After reviewing some IM videos, Lake Tempe looks pretty calm compared to the Rez today.
I'll be ok in the swim, but won't take it for granted. A 90 minute swim is still a long time in the cold water. So I must respect the water and be patient. My mantra throughout IMAZ is "Race my race and don't eat the paste!" The "don't eat the past" part comes from a blog article on Begginer Triathlete. Excellent read about NOT doing what the other guy is doing. I got caught up in keeping up with other bikers at Longhorn HIM and bonked badly on the run. So if I can manage a 1:30 swim, I will have accomplished my swim goal. I don't want to swim any faster, just swim 2.4m in 1:30 EASY. As for the bike, I plan to go slow, slow, and slow. I started out hoping to avg. 16 mph. But now that has dropped to 15 or even 14 mph on the bike. I should be able to do that. It's a 3 loop course. I should be ok on the first two loops (75m). But that 3rd loop will be a tough one. If it is as windy as it was last year, then it could be a long, long miserable day. As for the run, if I don't blow up on the bike, I think I will be ok. I now know to slow down on the run and pace myself. For the first 1-3 miles, I plan to go as slow as I can and not call it a walk, just to loosen up and get some miles down to shorten the run. At 4m I may pick it up a little. I hope to run a 5:00 marathon. Coupled with a 1:30 swim, even an 8:00 bike at 14 mph gives me a 14:30, which I would take in a heartbeat at this point! This included the T's and any stops along the way.
So there you have it! My race plan/strategy, which I'm sure will change as soon as I hear the gun go off. But hopefully, I can 1) finish, 2) finish without injury, and 3) finish strong. The operative word here is FINISH! Then I can critique it to death, take off a couple of weeks, and start getting ready for IMAZ Nov so I can improve my time.
Began to rachet down the volume leading up to my race on April 13.
Took Mon, Tues, and Wed off again to recover from the previous week and weekend. I was feeling good again by Wed and could have done the Wed night workout, but skipped it instead.
Thurs, biked 30.4m in the wind tunnel, otherwise known as Highland Colony Parkway. Real Estate developers have nearly clear cut everything making a nice path for southwest winds to blow northeast, exactly the way this road is built. I had a nice workout, as motivated by my older teen. So my adrenaline helped me overcome the headwinds as I headed south. Normally, I can avg. about 17 mph or so on this stretch. So to avg. 16.1 mph today was pretty good for me. Afterward, I did a short 2m transistion run through the old hilly neighborhood. Ran a slow 10:24/m pace. I hurt my foot last Sunday on an 18m run, so I didn't want to risk reinjuring it. It came out fine though.
Fri, swam 4200 yards straight in 1:30:51, about a 2:10/100 pace. I have now swum this distance 4x and 2x in the current month. My time was about the same, but I was much stronger throughout. I swam real easy through about 2100-2500 yards and still felt good at 3000. At 3600, I inserted some intervals just to see if I could do it. It went fine and I finished strong. This was a real boost to my confidence for the swim part of the race.
Sat, I was supposed to ride 100m, but only went 60m. I rode alone on the North Trace. Did a lot of things right. Slept well Fri night. Fueled right before and during the ride. I increased my calories before the ride from 600 cal. to 1100 cal. This may have been a little high. Maybe I should have left off the Power Bar Triple Threat, about 230 calories. Upped my calories from 300 per hour to 400 per hour while on the bike. Maybe a little high, but I felt better than last time. Anyway, I purposed to ride slow today. Target pace was 15 mph, same as race pace. It was an easy ride for most of the way. In fact, north of River Bend, it got so easy that I literally propped up my chin on my right hand, as I did when riding my trainer during the winter. But when I reached the turnaround point, I realized why my ride had been fairly easy. There was a headwind coming back for the next 30m. I was at 15.2 mph at the turnaround point and at 14.9 mph when I got back to the Craft Center, where a cold Coke awaited me. It was time to turnaround and head back out for 40m more, but after thinking about it, I decided to stop and go home. I could have completed the ride or run a far way, but just felt like it was too close to race time to push so hard. Maybe this was the wrong thing to do. I don't know. But it's what I did anyway. Rested the balance of Sat.
Sun, I met a few guys at Hobie Cove to swim in the Rez. I just bought a new Orca wet suit and needed to try it out. The water was cool, but not too bad. The wet suit was great! Good thing I got the next size larger though. I don't think I could breathe in a smaller size. Although the water temp was doable, the chop was rough!!! There were a few boats out there really stirring things up. I had to stop a couple of times to stand to catch my breath. Of course, I drank some of that nasty Rez water too! Clay took off and left the other 3 of us. Matt and Matt were ahead of me, but not by too much. I just poked along doing my b/s. The return trip was much easier than heading out. Partially because the boats were gone and we were swimming with the current a little bit. My time for the half mile swim was good, about 18:45 or a 2:05/100 pace. I wasn't even trying to swim fast and this included standing up a couple of times going out. After one half mile loop, the other guys decided to call it quits, so I was done. It went well. I gained a newfound respect for the water and will DEFINITELY do some practice swims at Lake Tempe next week. After reviewing some IM videos, Lake Tempe looks pretty calm compared to the Rez today.
I'll be ok in the swim, but won't take it for granted. A 90 minute swim is still a long time in the cold water. So I must respect the water and be patient. My mantra throughout IMAZ is "Race my race and don't eat the paste!" The "don't eat the past" part comes from a blog article on Begginer Triathlete. Excellent read about NOT doing what the other guy is doing. I got caught up in keeping up with other bikers at Longhorn HIM and bonked badly on the run. So if I can manage a 1:30 swim, I will have accomplished my swim goal. I don't want to swim any faster, just swim 2.4m in 1:30 EASY. As for the bike, I plan to go slow, slow, and slow. I started out hoping to avg. 16 mph. But now that has dropped to 15 or even 14 mph on the bike. I should be able to do that. It's a 3 loop course. I should be ok on the first two loops (75m). But that 3rd loop will be a tough one. If it is as windy as it was last year, then it could be a long, long miserable day. As for the run, if I don't blow up on the bike, I think I will be ok. I now know to slow down on the run and pace myself. For the first 1-3 miles, I plan to go as slow as I can and not call it a walk, just to loosen up and get some miles down to shorten the run. At 4m I may pick it up a little. I hope to run a 5:00 marathon. Coupled with a 1:30 swim, even an 8:00 bike at 14 mph gives me a 14:30, which I would take in a heartbeat at this point! This included the T's and any stops along the way.
So there you have it! My race plan/strategy, which I'm sure will change as soon as I hear the gun go off. But hopefully, I can 1) finish, 2) finish without injury, and 3) finish strong. The operative word here is FINISH! Then I can critique it to death, take off a couple of weeks, and start getting ready for IMAZ Nov so I can improve my time.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Balance and Impact...
One of my favorite Bible verses that I learned long ago is Luke 2:52. It goes something like this: "and Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man." This speaks to His development mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially. It takes quite an effort to balance all of these disciplines in my life. It's a life long pursuit and and requires constant effort to improve. It's definitely a journey and not a destination. At 47 years old, I am frustrated that I have not made more progress in all of these areas of my life. But I never quit trying. So when you see or hear me say or do something negative, just remember that I'm still working on it.
There are a couple of other elements to include such as financial and emotional. I'll leave the financial out of this blog, but add the emotional. If you have experienced love, hate, joy, sorrow, exhileration, saddness, frustration, anxiety then you have experienced emotions, whether you are male or female.
Anyway, during the course of my triathlon training, I have learned that all 5 of these aspects come into play. Training helps me experience all 5 and work toward balancing them as well. Let's take a look at these one at a time:
1) Physical: this is the easiest one to see. If you are training for any sport, whether to win or just to compete, you have to train your muscles for that sport, whether football, basketball, baseball, marathon, triathlon, or whatever. This is self evident. After two years of struggling on my own, I hired a coach with much more success and experience in triathlon than I will ever have. In a few short months, I feel like I am in the best shape of my life, with more to come! I would be further along too, if only I had done all the workouts she gave me. I am constantly trying to manage my time so I can complete them all. Plus, she has managed the volume and intensity of my training better than I ever did. Accountability is a great thing!
2) Mental: Regarding triathlon, it is more mental than I ever imagined! I have to "unlearn" what I logically thought was best in order to "learn" what is the best way to go further and faster in the swim, bike, or run. You must also add strength training, flexibility, and nutrition. You can train with the best in the world, by the best coaches in the world, but if you don't fuel properly, all your training is one big waste of time. This shows up more dramatically in long course events such as the half Ironman or full Ironman events. I have bonked badly during my 3 HIM's, so bad I thought I was going to die! (At one point, I actually would have preferred it.) Since I got tired of my "trial and error" approach, I hired someone that knew more about nutrition than I did so I could learn (mental) from their wisdom and experience. Triathlon is such an individual sport that we all have unique individual needs. So I am constantly trying to learn more about the sport and how it pertains to my needs. I will ask anybody anything and listen to what anybody says, even if I don't use all of it. My needs are probably different from your needs. My goals are probably different from your goals. My reasons for doing this are different. And my ability or talent is probably different (and much less) than yours. Nevertheless, I can learn something from anybody.
3) Social: One of the reasons why I enjoy this sport is due to the many great people I have met along the way. It really gets old swimming, biking, and running by myself all the time. Currently, I spend about 12-15 hours per week training for my first IM. (Many train more, some train less. This is just where I am at the moment.) It helps a great deal to have someone or a group of people to train with or talk to about training. And I really enjoy going to the parties or traveling to a race with other people. It helps immensely to have a network of people to train with, talk with, and party with from time to time. I hope to expand my network of tri connections around the country.
4) Spiritual: One might ask, "How in the world does triathlon have anything to do with growing spiritually?" Good question. Hard to explain, but there are times when I am training or racing when a verse will come to mind that perfectly fits what I need at that moment in time. For example, when I was racing at the Disney Olympic Triathlon in Sept '06, I was having one of my best races ever! I was flying on the bike with relative ease. I was averaging 19+ mph, which is fast for this old boy. Instead of getting passed by everything on the road as usual, I was passing many, many people. All of a sudden, a verse came to mind from Isaiah 40, which goes something like this" "And they will mount up on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not grow tired." Man, I literally felt like angels were lifting me off the ground and propelling me forward faster than ever! I just let my legs go, quit worrying about time and distance and felt the rush that came along with it! It was literally one of the highlights of my life! I finished the race in the top 50% of all participants, which was a first for me and my highest finish ever! At that time, I was ALWAYS in the bottom 25%, or bottom 10%. Another time, I started running when it was light, but then it grew dark quickly. For the most part, there were some street lights on my course. But there was one patch of trail where there was no light at all. I literally could not see my hand in front of my face, let alone the trail where I was running. I kept running, mainly on memory, hoping I would not twist an ankle or something. Right as the path began to turn, and I could not see where, a car drove by and cast just enough light on my trail so that I could see the turn and the incline approaching. I remembered the verse, "Your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path." Perfect timing!
5) Emotional: This is a tough one. For a guy that for years did not care one twit about another's feelings, I find that my emotions run the gamut during training and races. Within the same race, I have gone from feeling the highest highs to feeling the lowest lows, all within a matter of a couple of hours. The highs are so high that I feel like I'm literally going to burst right there on my bike! The lows feel like I want to crawl under a bush and die. There is a quote from the late Gen. George Patton that says: "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." So true! The more fatigued I get, usually on a long bike or run, the more my thoughts can become so negative about stuff that I couldn't even repeat them here. Finally, I'm beginning to learn how to manage those negative thoughts and turn them into something more positive. If I can learn to do that when I am in a time of great fatigue, then that will help me during everyday life as well. When are we usually short or curt with someone? Do we do this when everything is going well? No. We usually do this when we have had a bad day or are real tired. Well, try biking 60-80 miles in the hot, humid MS weather. Then take a bad circumstance and purpose to have a positive response. That is a positive change!
In order to grow in these 5 areas, it seems that we have to stretch ourselves and experience something outside of our normal routines and comfort zones. Triathlon does that for me. It makes me do things I never thought possible. It has already helped me overcome so many mental hurdles that I could not list them all. It doesn't just "happen." We have to MAKE it happen.
Hopefully, it will help me grow, develop, and learn to balance the physical, mental, spiritual, social, and emotional sides of me in a manner that is pleasing and honoring to God and has a positive impact on the world around me.
At the end of our lives, we only leave one thing behind, which is the impact we had on other people. All our possessions will be spent or lost by our heirs. Our names will be shortly forgotten. (If don't believe me, then try to name all of your great grandparents. If you can, then name your great, great grandparents on both sides. Keep going until you can not name them all straight from your memory without calling someone or looking them up in a family tree.) So hopefully, I can begin to have a more positive impact or effect on those around me, whether family, friends, or even strangers.
There are a couple of other elements to include such as financial and emotional. I'll leave the financial out of this blog, but add the emotional. If you have experienced love, hate, joy, sorrow, exhileration, saddness, frustration, anxiety then you have experienced emotions, whether you are male or female.
Anyway, during the course of my triathlon training, I have learned that all 5 of these aspects come into play. Training helps me experience all 5 and work toward balancing them as well. Let's take a look at these one at a time:
1) Physical: this is the easiest one to see. If you are training for any sport, whether to win or just to compete, you have to train your muscles for that sport, whether football, basketball, baseball, marathon, triathlon, or whatever. This is self evident. After two years of struggling on my own, I hired a coach with much more success and experience in triathlon than I will ever have. In a few short months, I feel like I am in the best shape of my life, with more to come! I would be further along too, if only I had done all the workouts she gave me. I am constantly trying to manage my time so I can complete them all. Plus, she has managed the volume and intensity of my training better than I ever did. Accountability is a great thing!
2) Mental: Regarding triathlon, it is more mental than I ever imagined! I have to "unlearn" what I logically thought was best in order to "learn" what is the best way to go further and faster in the swim, bike, or run. You must also add strength training, flexibility, and nutrition. You can train with the best in the world, by the best coaches in the world, but if you don't fuel properly, all your training is one big waste of time. This shows up more dramatically in long course events such as the half Ironman or full Ironman events. I have bonked badly during my 3 HIM's, so bad I thought I was going to die! (At one point, I actually would have preferred it.) Since I got tired of my "trial and error" approach, I hired someone that knew more about nutrition than I did so I could learn (mental) from their wisdom and experience. Triathlon is such an individual sport that we all have unique individual needs. So I am constantly trying to learn more about the sport and how it pertains to my needs. I will ask anybody anything and listen to what anybody says, even if I don't use all of it. My needs are probably different from your needs. My goals are probably different from your goals. My reasons for doing this are different. And my ability or talent is probably different (and much less) than yours. Nevertheless, I can learn something from anybody.
3) Social: One of the reasons why I enjoy this sport is due to the many great people I have met along the way. It really gets old swimming, biking, and running by myself all the time. Currently, I spend about 12-15 hours per week training for my first IM. (Many train more, some train less. This is just where I am at the moment.) It helps a great deal to have someone or a group of people to train with or talk to about training. And I really enjoy going to the parties or traveling to a race with other people. It helps immensely to have a network of people to train with, talk with, and party with from time to time. I hope to expand my network of tri connections around the country.
4) Spiritual: One might ask, "How in the world does triathlon have anything to do with growing spiritually?" Good question. Hard to explain, but there are times when I am training or racing when a verse will come to mind that perfectly fits what I need at that moment in time. For example, when I was racing at the Disney Olympic Triathlon in Sept '06, I was having one of my best races ever! I was flying on the bike with relative ease. I was averaging 19+ mph, which is fast for this old boy. Instead of getting passed by everything on the road as usual, I was passing many, many people. All of a sudden, a verse came to mind from Isaiah 40, which goes something like this" "And they will mount up on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not grow tired." Man, I literally felt like angels were lifting me off the ground and propelling me forward faster than ever! I just let my legs go, quit worrying about time and distance and felt the rush that came along with it! It was literally one of the highlights of my life! I finished the race in the top 50% of all participants, which was a first for me and my highest finish ever! At that time, I was ALWAYS in the bottom 25%, or bottom 10%. Another time, I started running when it was light, but then it grew dark quickly. For the most part, there were some street lights on my course. But there was one patch of trail where there was no light at all. I literally could not see my hand in front of my face, let alone the trail where I was running. I kept running, mainly on memory, hoping I would not twist an ankle or something. Right as the path began to turn, and I could not see where, a car drove by and cast just enough light on my trail so that I could see the turn and the incline approaching. I remembered the verse, "Your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path." Perfect timing!
5) Emotional: This is a tough one. For a guy that for years did not care one twit about another's feelings, I find that my emotions run the gamut during training and races. Within the same race, I have gone from feeling the highest highs to feeling the lowest lows, all within a matter of a couple of hours. The highs are so high that I feel like I'm literally going to burst right there on my bike! The lows feel like I want to crawl under a bush and die. There is a quote from the late Gen. George Patton that says: "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." So true! The more fatigued I get, usually on a long bike or run, the more my thoughts can become so negative about stuff that I couldn't even repeat them here. Finally, I'm beginning to learn how to manage those negative thoughts and turn them into something more positive. If I can learn to do that when I am in a time of great fatigue, then that will help me during everyday life as well. When are we usually short or curt with someone? Do we do this when everything is going well? No. We usually do this when we have had a bad day or are real tired. Well, try biking 60-80 miles in the hot, humid MS weather. Then take a bad circumstance and purpose to have a positive response. That is a positive change!
In order to grow in these 5 areas, it seems that we have to stretch ourselves and experience something outside of our normal routines and comfort zones. Triathlon does that for me. It makes me do things I never thought possible. It has already helped me overcome so many mental hurdles that I could not list them all. It doesn't just "happen." We have to MAKE it happen.
Hopefully, it will help me grow, develop, and learn to balance the physical, mental, spiritual, social, and emotional sides of me in a manner that is pleasing and honoring to God and has a positive impact on the world around me.
At the end of our lives, we only leave one thing behind, which is the impact we had on other people. All our possessions will be spent or lost by our heirs. Our names will be shortly forgotten. (If don't believe me, then try to name all of your great grandparents. If you can, then name your great, great grandparents on both sides. Keep going until you can not name them all straight from your memory without calling someone or looking them up in a family tree.) So hopefully, I can begin to have a more positive impact or effect on those around me, whether family, friends, or even strangers.
IM - 3 weeks
Totals for week: Swim 4200 yards, Bike 70m, Run 24m.
Took off Mon, Tues, and Wed due to fatigue and needing some rest.
Thurs, had a good easy 6m run. Temps were great. Not too fast or slow. Fri, had a good swim. Did some long intervals (500 and 1000 yds.) Sat, biked 70m. Legs just didn't seem to have any push to them. I tried to stay slow, in the 15's, but seemed to fade after 3 hours or so. Am thinking I need to take in more calories before and during workouts and maybe something solid somewhere along the way. Will check with the coach this week about that. Sun, ran 18m. Ran well through 9m, then IT bands began to play in stereo. Stopped to drink water and stretch. Resumed running through 12m ok, then IT bands started to hurt again. Kept running and did not stop. Stopped at 15m for water and stretching. Resumed running ok. Last couple of miles were tough, mainly some hills.
I was pretty beat up Sunday night. My feet, knees, and back were hurting badly. Could barely walk. Took two bottles of recovery drink after run. Feeling better Mon am, but canceled the polar bear swim on Mon night. Too tired and too cold for that.
Will take off Mon and maybe Tues before resuming workouts. Have one more long ride this Sat. Supposed to do 100m. Will see how it goes. Run will be 10-12m on Sunday.
Wish I could do the Ironman over a 3 day period. Swim Fri. Bike Sat. Run Sun. I could handle that ok, but doing them all in one day is going to be tough! Plan to swim slow, bike slower, and run easy. Will try to swim in 1:30 and run marathon in 5:00. The bike is a big question mark. Depends on heat and headwinds. Temps now in Tempe are in 80's, so it will be toasty, more than my body is used to at this time of year. It could be a meltdown like Gulf Coast. Only, I will swim and bike MUCH slower than at Gulf Coast trying to conserve energy. Will fuel better too.
Nothing I can do about it now except get it done and get it over with! Then rest and start training for IMAZ Nov. At this point, breaking 14 hours seems like a longshot. I would take a sub 15:00 right now, learn from it, and try to better that in Nov. Although I am in much better shape now than 6 months ago, I should be in even much better shape by this Nov. I'll be able to bike outside all summer in the heat, build up my miles, endurance, stamina, etc... Same for the run too.
Took off Mon, Tues, and Wed due to fatigue and needing some rest.
Thurs, had a good easy 6m run. Temps were great. Not too fast or slow. Fri, had a good swim. Did some long intervals (500 and 1000 yds.) Sat, biked 70m. Legs just didn't seem to have any push to them. I tried to stay slow, in the 15's, but seemed to fade after 3 hours or so. Am thinking I need to take in more calories before and during workouts and maybe something solid somewhere along the way. Will check with the coach this week about that. Sun, ran 18m. Ran well through 9m, then IT bands began to play in stereo. Stopped to drink water and stretch. Resumed running through 12m ok, then IT bands started to hurt again. Kept running and did not stop. Stopped at 15m for water and stretching. Resumed running ok. Last couple of miles were tough, mainly some hills.
I was pretty beat up Sunday night. My feet, knees, and back were hurting badly. Could barely walk. Took two bottles of recovery drink after run. Feeling better Mon am, but canceled the polar bear swim on Mon night. Too tired and too cold for that.
Will take off Mon and maybe Tues before resuming workouts. Have one more long ride this Sat. Supposed to do 100m. Will see how it goes. Run will be 10-12m on Sunday.
Wish I could do the Ironman over a 3 day period. Swim Fri. Bike Sat. Run Sun. I could handle that ok, but doing them all in one day is going to be tough! Plan to swim slow, bike slower, and run easy. Will try to swim in 1:30 and run marathon in 5:00. The bike is a big question mark. Depends on heat and headwinds. Temps now in Tempe are in 80's, so it will be toasty, more than my body is used to at this time of year. It could be a meltdown like Gulf Coast. Only, I will swim and bike MUCH slower than at Gulf Coast trying to conserve energy. Will fuel better too.
Nothing I can do about it now except get it done and get it over with! Then rest and start training for IMAZ Nov. At this point, breaking 14 hours seems like a longshot. I would take a sub 15:00 right now, learn from it, and try to better that in Nov. Although I am in much better shape now than 6 months ago, I should be in even much better shape by this Nov. I'll be able to bike outside all summer in the heat, build up my miles, endurance, stamina, etc... Same for the run too.
Monday, March 17, 2008
IM - 4 weeks
Totals for week: Swim 6200 yards. Bike 85m. Run 21m.
Had some good and not so good workouts this week. Basically, I am tired. This is probably my last week of heavy training before I taper off. Am looking forward to taper. As a friend told me Sunday, "The main thing now is not to get hurt. You are in as good of shape as you will get between now and race day." Good advice from a 10th place overall finisher at Kona.
Mon, recovery swim. Swam 2000 yards. Felt good just to get in the pool and stretch out. Tues-Wed, off traveling. Thurs, bike 30m on trainer. Did ok, nothing special. Fri, ran 5m as tempo run. Ran real well. Ran 5m at 9:07/m pace. Have not done a tempo run in a while, so it felt good to let the dogs run so to speak. Ran 1m at 9:45. Ran 2m-5m at 8:58/m. Not bad!
Sat was a big day, maybe too big. Swam 4200 yards in am at 2:10/100 pace, or race pace. Did ok through first 3000 yards, then had to push to keep pace to finish. Finished strong though. Then biked 55m at 14.3 mph. Not good. Was supposed to bike 70. Started in hills for first 38m, finishing up Cavalier hill. Big hill! Then headed up the Trace for an "easy" 40m finish. Didn't happen. At 50m, decided to cut it short to 60m. At 55m, pulled off the Trace, called the wife to come get me. Only the second time I have ever called for bike rescue. Glad to reach her. I was only about 10-15 minutes from the house. Pretty tired afterward.
Sun, was supposed to run 20m, but only made it 16m before calling it a day. Was doing well through 10m, at 10:30 pace. Everything was fine. Weather was gorgeous. Had my bat man fuel belt loaded with special gel/ecap/water blend. Began to struggle to 12m, but still at 10:35/m pace. Tried to focus on one mile at a time. Made it to 13m, then 14m. Walked to 14.5m, then ran to 15.5m. Legs were hurting badly. Considered gutting it out at all costs, run/walk home, or running to 16m and stopping. Chose #3. Finished 16m at 10:58/m pace. So you can see how slow I was getting.
Pretty tired thereafter. Not too worried about it, just need some rest and I'll be ok. Already planning on training harder for IMAZ Nov. Will increase bike and run miles, speed work, and most importantly, some strength training. Nutrition is doing well. Still working on week day nutrition, but improving.
Looking forward to race day!!!
Had some good and not so good workouts this week. Basically, I am tired. This is probably my last week of heavy training before I taper off. Am looking forward to taper. As a friend told me Sunday, "The main thing now is not to get hurt. You are in as good of shape as you will get between now and race day." Good advice from a 10th place overall finisher at Kona.
Mon, recovery swim. Swam 2000 yards. Felt good just to get in the pool and stretch out. Tues-Wed, off traveling. Thurs, bike 30m on trainer. Did ok, nothing special. Fri, ran 5m as tempo run. Ran real well. Ran 5m at 9:07/m pace. Have not done a tempo run in a while, so it felt good to let the dogs run so to speak. Ran 1m at 9:45. Ran 2m-5m at 8:58/m. Not bad!
Sat was a big day, maybe too big. Swam 4200 yards in am at 2:10/100 pace, or race pace. Did ok through first 3000 yards, then had to push to keep pace to finish. Finished strong though. Then biked 55m at 14.3 mph. Not good. Was supposed to bike 70. Started in hills for first 38m, finishing up Cavalier hill. Big hill! Then headed up the Trace for an "easy" 40m finish. Didn't happen. At 50m, decided to cut it short to 60m. At 55m, pulled off the Trace, called the wife to come get me. Only the second time I have ever called for bike rescue. Glad to reach her. I was only about 10-15 minutes from the house. Pretty tired afterward.
Sun, was supposed to run 20m, but only made it 16m before calling it a day. Was doing well through 10m, at 10:30 pace. Everything was fine. Weather was gorgeous. Had my bat man fuel belt loaded with special gel/ecap/water blend. Began to struggle to 12m, but still at 10:35/m pace. Tried to focus on one mile at a time. Made it to 13m, then 14m. Walked to 14.5m, then ran to 15.5m. Legs were hurting badly. Considered gutting it out at all costs, run/walk home, or running to 16m and stopping. Chose #3. Finished 16m at 10:58/m pace. So you can see how slow I was getting.
Pretty tired thereafter. Not too worried about it, just need some rest and I'll be ok. Already planning on training harder for IMAZ Nov. Will increase bike and run miles, speed work, and most importantly, some strength training. Nutrition is doing well. Still working on week day nutrition, but improving.
Looking forward to race day!!!
Monday, March 10, 2008
IMAZ - 5 weeks (I am ready!!!)
Totals for week: Swim 3000 yards. Bike 140m. Run 23m.
Good week of training. Started out slow, but finished strong. Needed some recovery time from hard workouts last weekend. Business travel took me out of pocket for a couple of days too.
Wed, biked 30m on my trainer, slow at 15.0 mph pace. Decided to make "easy" workouts real easy. I struggle with managing volume and intensity and tend to go too hard all the time, resulting in fatigue and junk miles. So I went easy enough to just get the blood going in my legs again after sitting on a plane for two days.
Thurs, easy 5m run through the neighborhood. No problems.
Sat, big day. Swam 3000 yards straight at 2:10/100 pace. Wanted to swim straight since I swam poorly the previous week. Swam ok, but struggled to keep pace. Biked 110m on the trainer in my den. Took 7 hours and 3 movies. Thank God for good ole classic movies! The first 4 hours were ok, but the last 3 hours were tough, both mentally and physically. Not my best ride, but ok nonetheless. Neither swim nor bike were my best, but the key is I finished, building mental confidence as well as strength and endurance.
Sun, ran 18m! My longest run ever, at least until next weekend when I run 20m! Ran pretty well actually. Slowing down my pace to run further really helps. Plus, better nutrition on the run is helping. Mixing in gels/ecaps in some flasks on my fuel belt makes the run better. Felt tired, but not dead after. Could have kept running. Finished strong. Targeted a 10:30/m pace and finished spot on!
Made two mistakes on the run though. One, I turned around at 5m to run with a friend. Bad idea. She was doing some speed work while I was doing long slow distance. The two don't mix. Thankfully, I quickly figured this out, turned around, waved good bye, and got back to my own program. It cost me a little gas in the tank, but not too much. Two, at 15m I turned it up a notch thinking I could push my way home for the last 3 miles. Bad idea. I can do this on a 6m, 8m, or 10m run, but not on an 18m run. Learned that I can only do this for about 1m or less at this distance. Again, it cost me some more gas in the tank, but I recovered well and finished strong anyway.
I am ready! Overall, I am feeling good physically and mentally. My confidence is high! Don't know what my finish time will be. There are no guarantees and so many things can go right or wrong on race day. It is my first full IM, so I'll just have to go slow, stay patient, disciplined, and most of all FOCUSED! Just focus on the swim first, then the bike, then the run. Bike and run are 3 loops each, so I can focus on one loop at a time on each one.
I still have a couple more long weekends left to go, then taper, then race day! In the words of the A-team commander, "I love it when a plan comes together!" Whatever my time is, I will be thankful, learn from it, and plan to do better in Nov when I return for round two of IMAZ Nov! My base will already be high, my confidence high. So all I need to do is keep working smarter and harder! More to come!
Good week of training. Started out slow, but finished strong. Needed some recovery time from hard workouts last weekend. Business travel took me out of pocket for a couple of days too.
Wed, biked 30m on my trainer, slow at 15.0 mph pace. Decided to make "easy" workouts real easy. I struggle with managing volume and intensity and tend to go too hard all the time, resulting in fatigue and junk miles. So I went easy enough to just get the blood going in my legs again after sitting on a plane for two days.
Thurs, easy 5m run through the neighborhood. No problems.
Sat, big day. Swam 3000 yards straight at 2:10/100 pace. Wanted to swim straight since I swam poorly the previous week. Swam ok, but struggled to keep pace. Biked 110m on the trainer in my den. Took 7 hours and 3 movies. Thank God for good ole classic movies! The first 4 hours were ok, but the last 3 hours were tough, both mentally and physically. Not my best ride, but ok nonetheless. Neither swim nor bike were my best, but the key is I finished, building mental confidence as well as strength and endurance.
Sun, ran 18m! My longest run ever, at least until next weekend when I run 20m! Ran pretty well actually. Slowing down my pace to run further really helps. Plus, better nutrition on the run is helping. Mixing in gels/ecaps in some flasks on my fuel belt makes the run better. Felt tired, but not dead after. Could have kept running. Finished strong. Targeted a 10:30/m pace and finished spot on!
Made two mistakes on the run though. One, I turned around at 5m to run with a friend. Bad idea. She was doing some speed work while I was doing long slow distance. The two don't mix. Thankfully, I quickly figured this out, turned around, waved good bye, and got back to my own program. It cost me a little gas in the tank, but not too much. Two, at 15m I turned it up a notch thinking I could push my way home for the last 3 miles. Bad idea. I can do this on a 6m, 8m, or 10m run, but not on an 18m run. Learned that I can only do this for about 1m or less at this distance. Again, it cost me some more gas in the tank, but I recovered well and finished strong anyway.
I am ready! Overall, I am feeling good physically and mentally. My confidence is high! Don't know what my finish time will be. There are no guarantees and so many things can go right or wrong on race day. It is my first full IM, so I'll just have to go slow, stay patient, disciplined, and most of all FOCUSED! Just focus on the swim first, then the bike, then the run. Bike and run are 3 loops each, so I can focus on one loop at a time on each one.
I still have a couple more long weekends left to go, then taper, then race day! In the words of the A-team commander, "I love it when a plan comes together!" Whatever my time is, I will be thankful, learn from it, and plan to do better in Nov when I return for round two of IMAZ Nov! My base will already be high, my confidence high. So all I need to do is keep working smarter and harder! More to come!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
IMAZ - 6 weeks
Totals for the week: Swim 3100 yards, Bike 104m, Run 20m. Not great, but bike and run miles are fairly consistent over last few weeks. Been biking over 100m and running over 20m per week for last 3-4 weeks, a good volume.
A belated update due to business travel.
A strange week of sorts. I went hard the previous weekend and took a while to recover. Mon, took off. Tues, took off again. Was supposed to start back, but legs still dead. Wed, biked on trainer in house. Got a late start. Only went 25m instead of 40m on plan. Thurs, tried to swim, but struggled terribly. Very frustrated. Cut swim short, did not run, and went home. I haven't struggled this badly since I started swimming! Fri, took off again. Third night this week that I took off. Trying to rest up for big weekend.
Sat: Biked 50m, then ran 10m. Went hard on bike for first 2 hours, avg'd 17 mph. Went with group through Rankin County on the "infamous" dog route. Be prepared for random, sporadic interval runs on this route due to dogs! Thanks Beckly! Went strong for 2 hours, then faded for 3rd hour. Went home, regrouped, and ran 10m. Ran pretty well. Did not expect to run well. Was expecting the bonk monster to jump out from behind any tree and get me, but it didn't happen. This was the first day to use new fueling plan on run due to Coach S. It seemed to help a great deal!
Sun: Biked 28m, then ran 10m. Was supposed to bike 50m and run 12m, but it didn't happen. Road Poco route with Jim and Scott. A few weeks ago, I led this ride and pushed them hard. This time, I could not keep up and did not even try. Was trying to do a recovery ride and then run 12m after. The wind was so bad, it nearly blew me off the road a few times. The cross winds were terrible! So after 28m, I decided to go home and start the run. I ran well through 9m, then my right IT band started to hurt, which was new. It wasn't bad, but enough to concern me. So I decided to stop at 10m and "fast walk" home. Figured I was going to walk some at IMAZ anyway, so this was a good place to practice. Felt good and walked fast at 13:15/m pace, or so. I was happy with that.
So while I started the week down and fatigued, I ended the week on a good note. My swim was terrible, but my pace was good, a 2:10/100 pace. Part of my bike was good, part was poor. But that was because I did not pace well. My runs were good. I paced well. The new nutrition plan seems to be helping a ton! I have never run 10m on back to back days, much less after some hard biking. So I was pleased with that.
Next week, will recover during week and go long on weekend. Just a few more big weekends left before taper! Got to get it in so I can do my best at IMAZ!
A belated update due to business travel.
A strange week of sorts. I went hard the previous weekend and took a while to recover. Mon, took off. Tues, took off again. Was supposed to start back, but legs still dead. Wed, biked on trainer in house. Got a late start. Only went 25m instead of 40m on plan. Thurs, tried to swim, but struggled terribly. Very frustrated. Cut swim short, did not run, and went home. I haven't struggled this badly since I started swimming! Fri, took off again. Third night this week that I took off. Trying to rest up for big weekend.
Sat: Biked 50m, then ran 10m. Went hard on bike for first 2 hours, avg'd 17 mph. Went with group through Rankin County on the "infamous" dog route. Be prepared for random, sporadic interval runs on this route due to dogs! Thanks Beckly! Went strong for 2 hours, then faded for 3rd hour. Went home, regrouped, and ran 10m. Ran pretty well. Did not expect to run well. Was expecting the bonk monster to jump out from behind any tree and get me, but it didn't happen. This was the first day to use new fueling plan on run due to Coach S. It seemed to help a great deal!
Sun: Biked 28m, then ran 10m. Was supposed to bike 50m and run 12m, but it didn't happen. Road Poco route with Jim and Scott. A few weeks ago, I led this ride and pushed them hard. This time, I could not keep up and did not even try. Was trying to do a recovery ride and then run 12m after. The wind was so bad, it nearly blew me off the road a few times. The cross winds were terrible! So after 28m, I decided to go home and start the run. I ran well through 9m, then my right IT band started to hurt, which was new. It wasn't bad, but enough to concern me. So I decided to stop at 10m and "fast walk" home. Figured I was going to walk some at IMAZ anyway, so this was a good place to practice. Felt good and walked fast at 13:15/m pace, or so. I was happy with that.
So while I started the week down and fatigued, I ended the week on a good note. My swim was terrible, but my pace was good, a 2:10/100 pace. Part of my bike was good, part was poor. But that was because I did not pace well. My runs were good. I paced well. The new nutrition plan seems to be helping a ton! I have never run 10m on back to back days, much less after some hard biking. So I was pleased with that.
Next week, will recover during week and go long on weekend. Just a few more big weekends left before taper! Got to get it in so I can do my best at IMAZ!
Monday, February 25, 2008
IM - 7 weeks
Totals for the week: Swim 6700 yards, bike 137m, and run 32m. Longest distance ever on the run! No injuries, but very sore quads.
Overall, a real good week of training. Went fairly easy Tues-Thurs with various workouts. The real challenge started Friday. Friday afternoon, I was intimidated by the whole weekend ahead of me, but managed to get it all done! Except the strength workouts. One day I'll get those in too. I tried not to think about the whole weekend and just focused on one workout at a time. Seemed to work. Will do same during race. Sort of like eating an elephant one bite at a time.
Fri: swam 4200 yards straight. This was my second time to swim this distance, but I knocked off about 2 minutes from last time. Swam it in about 1:30:00. I was feeling pretty good throughout the swim. Kept telling myself to slow down and pace so I would not fade at the end. Finished on a strong note. Then ran 5m after on the treadmill. No doubt about it, swimming breast stroke really taxes my legs. It was not a good run. Ran slow pace but did it anyway.
Sat: Split my bike into two separate rides. Rode 40m outside on North Trace with Becky, Jeff, Chris, and John. I pulled most of the way to River Bend and back. Jeff did some runs on his own. He's pretty fast! Way to go Jeff! By the time we got back to Craft Center, my toes were numb, so I decided to finish the day on my trainer at home. After 10m on my trainer, I was about to fall asleep so I drank a coke, which really seemed to help. Finished 72m on the trainer for 112m on the day at 16.3 mph avg. Don't know how to translate speed on a trainer versus speed outside, but it is what it is. Went to a missions meeting Sat night with the wife. I was so hungry I could have eaten a shoe! Good thing we got there late so others wouldn't see how much I ate. I couldn't eat enough! Nearly fell asleep during the talk.
Sun: Ran 17m. Felt pretty beat up afterward. I was tired all day. Took one nap in the am and another after lunch before the run. Felt ok through about 12m, then began to struggle. I was about to quit around 15-1/2m when I saw Denise and Carmen. They encouraged me to keep going so I made it the full 17m. Yea! Thanks ladies! Felt pretty beat up after and lousy Sun nite. Feeling better today, although my quads are still plenty sore.
In each event, whether swim, bike, or run, I hit these distance "walls" and feel lousy afterward. For example, my run "wall" used to be 6m, then 8m, then 10m, now it's 12m. I can run comfortably up to 12m, then start to struggle badly. Just have to keep running to push that wall out further. Same thing on the swim. My swim wall use to be 2000 yards, then 2500, then 3000, now it's 4200. On the bike, it was 15m, then 20m, now it's about 60m-80m. So not surprisingly, the more I swim, bike, and run, the better I get at each. Maybe it will all come together some day.
Seven weeks left to IMAZ! So I have about 4 more weeks of heavy stuff, followed by 3 weeks of taper, or so. Already looking forward to the taper. At this point, I feel pretty good about my swim and bike. As for the run, I'll just do the best I can to finish, learn from it, and get better for IMAZ in Nov.
Cheers...
Overall, a real good week of training. Went fairly easy Tues-Thurs with various workouts. The real challenge started Friday. Friday afternoon, I was intimidated by the whole weekend ahead of me, but managed to get it all done! Except the strength workouts. One day I'll get those in too. I tried not to think about the whole weekend and just focused on one workout at a time. Seemed to work. Will do same during race. Sort of like eating an elephant one bite at a time.
Fri: swam 4200 yards straight. This was my second time to swim this distance, but I knocked off about 2 minutes from last time. Swam it in about 1:30:00. I was feeling pretty good throughout the swim. Kept telling myself to slow down and pace so I would not fade at the end. Finished on a strong note. Then ran 5m after on the treadmill. No doubt about it, swimming breast stroke really taxes my legs. It was not a good run. Ran slow pace but did it anyway.
Sat: Split my bike into two separate rides. Rode 40m outside on North Trace with Becky, Jeff, Chris, and John. I pulled most of the way to River Bend and back. Jeff did some runs on his own. He's pretty fast! Way to go Jeff! By the time we got back to Craft Center, my toes were numb, so I decided to finish the day on my trainer at home. After 10m on my trainer, I was about to fall asleep so I drank a coke, which really seemed to help. Finished 72m on the trainer for 112m on the day at 16.3 mph avg. Don't know how to translate speed on a trainer versus speed outside, but it is what it is. Went to a missions meeting Sat night with the wife. I was so hungry I could have eaten a shoe! Good thing we got there late so others wouldn't see how much I ate. I couldn't eat enough! Nearly fell asleep during the talk.
Sun: Ran 17m. Felt pretty beat up afterward. I was tired all day. Took one nap in the am and another after lunch before the run. Felt ok through about 12m, then began to struggle. I was about to quit around 15-1/2m when I saw Denise and Carmen. They encouraged me to keep going so I made it the full 17m. Yea! Thanks ladies! Felt pretty beat up after and lousy Sun nite. Feeling better today, although my quads are still plenty sore.
In each event, whether swim, bike, or run, I hit these distance "walls" and feel lousy afterward. For example, my run "wall" used to be 6m, then 8m, then 10m, now it's 12m. I can run comfortably up to 12m, then start to struggle badly. Just have to keep running to push that wall out further. Same thing on the swim. My swim wall use to be 2000 yards, then 2500, then 3000, now it's 4200. On the bike, it was 15m, then 20m, now it's about 60m-80m. So not surprisingly, the more I swim, bike, and run, the better I get at each. Maybe it will all come together some day.
Seven weeks left to IMAZ! So I have about 4 more weeks of heavy stuff, followed by 3 weeks of taper, or so. Already looking forward to the taper. At this point, I feel pretty good about my swim and bike. As for the run, I'll just do the best I can to finish, learn from it, and get better for IMAZ in Nov.
Cheers...
Friday, February 22, 2008
TGIF?
Remember when we used to think, "Thank God, it's Friday!" or TGIF? Well, Fridays have a different meaning in my world these days.
By this time of the week, I'm pretty tired from the nightly routine of swim, bike, run, and lift, that is if I ever lifted. I got in a habit of taking off Thursday nights so I would be rested for the weekend, but managed to do the bike workout last night. So here I am, Friday afternoon, with a long weekend ahead of me and I'm already tired. Not good. Here is the schedule: Fri night: swim 2.4m and run 5m (which I neglected to do this am because of laziness and a rain storm). Sat am: bike 112m (my longest bike yet) and finish the weeks strength routines. Then I'm supposed to head to a Missions meeting Sat night. I'll be comatose by then so I can sleep through the talk. Sunday: run 17m (my longest run yet). If I can get through this weekend unscathed and without injury, then I will build up a huge amount of confidence and mental discipline heading into the last few weeks of intense IM training before the taper. I'll just have to take it like a race, one lap, one pedal, one step at a time.
I have had trouble getting into a training routine through the winter. Part of it is the dark and cold weather outside. Part of it is I have had to "climb the mountain" so to speak of increasing my training volume. Although cautioned against it, I'm already looking ahead to IMAZ in Nov. Whatever my time is at IMAZ in April, I will improve upon it in Nov. Here's why: (1) The weather should be much better so I can stay consistent and get outside more often. (2) My training volume will already be "up there" so I can just keep going, after taking a few weeks off of course, (3) I can focus more on speed than distance. So far, I have been focusing on just getting my distance up there, (4) I should be able to train with some other folks around here, and (5) a little friendly peer pressure doesn't hurt either. Some will be training for CDA, Louisville, Florida, or IMAZ in Nov. Regardless, it will be fun to ride with some folks for a change. Riding by one's self through the outer reaches of Madison County can get boring. So far, I have managed to fight it though.
I found some IM videos on Youtube.com, which I have been watching every night. They get me pumped up and excited about this race! I want to put together my own video too. But it's all about the music. We'll see how it goes. While I want to take both my kids for the full family effect of the race, I also don't want to take them because I don't want any distractions and need to get proper rest for my race. Sorry boys, you may have to sit this one out. Maybe another race, another time. This one is too BIG for me to mess up!
Now after posting what I plan to do for this weekend, we'll see how well I do when I write back on Monday. So far, I have not yet completed all the workouts in a single week that my coach has given me. Sorry Coach K! I have completed most of them though. Missed only one or two long workouts and a couple of short ones during the week. Mainly, I have not done the strength work that is necessary. Each week I tell myself I will "do it"only to come up short, or way short, again and again. I think I have a pretty good routine to follow now. I just have to do it and do it consistently!!!
Oh yeah, I ordered my wet suit this week! It should be here next week so I can do a few polar bear swims before heading to Tempe. Yea! Nothing like a little hypothermia to you ready for a race!
Can't wait to write "Thank God, it's Monday!" Monday is a recovery day! Yea!
Cheers!
By this time of the week, I'm pretty tired from the nightly routine of swim, bike, run, and lift, that is if I ever lifted. I got in a habit of taking off Thursday nights so I would be rested for the weekend, but managed to do the bike workout last night. So here I am, Friday afternoon, with a long weekend ahead of me and I'm already tired. Not good. Here is the schedule: Fri night: swim 2.4m and run 5m (which I neglected to do this am because of laziness and a rain storm). Sat am: bike 112m (my longest bike yet) and finish the weeks strength routines. Then I'm supposed to head to a Missions meeting Sat night. I'll be comatose by then so I can sleep through the talk. Sunday: run 17m (my longest run yet). If I can get through this weekend unscathed and without injury, then I will build up a huge amount of confidence and mental discipline heading into the last few weeks of intense IM training before the taper. I'll just have to take it like a race, one lap, one pedal, one step at a time.
I have had trouble getting into a training routine through the winter. Part of it is the dark and cold weather outside. Part of it is I have had to "climb the mountain" so to speak of increasing my training volume. Although cautioned against it, I'm already looking ahead to IMAZ in Nov. Whatever my time is at IMAZ in April, I will improve upon it in Nov. Here's why: (1) The weather should be much better so I can stay consistent and get outside more often. (2) My training volume will already be "up there" so I can just keep going, after taking a few weeks off of course, (3) I can focus more on speed than distance. So far, I have been focusing on just getting my distance up there, (4) I should be able to train with some other folks around here, and (5) a little friendly peer pressure doesn't hurt either. Some will be training for CDA, Louisville, Florida, or IMAZ in Nov. Regardless, it will be fun to ride with some folks for a change. Riding by one's self through the outer reaches of Madison County can get boring. So far, I have managed to fight it though.
I found some IM videos on Youtube.com, which I have been watching every night. They get me pumped up and excited about this race! I want to put together my own video too. But it's all about the music. We'll see how it goes. While I want to take both my kids for the full family effect of the race, I also don't want to take them because I don't want any distractions and need to get proper rest for my race. Sorry boys, you may have to sit this one out. Maybe another race, another time. This one is too BIG for me to mess up!
Now after posting what I plan to do for this weekend, we'll see how well I do when I write back on Monday. So far, I have not yet completed all the workouts in a single week that my coach has given me. Sorry Coach K! I have completed most of them though. Missed only one or two long workouts and a couple of short ones during the week. Mainly, I have not done the strength work that is necessary. Each week I tell myself I will "do it"only to come up short, or way short, again and again. I think I have a pretty good routine to follow now. I just have to do it and do it consistently!!!
Oh yeah, I ordered my wet suit this week! It should be here next week so I can do a few polar bear swims before heading to Tempe. Yea! Nothing like a little hypothermia to you ready for a race!
Can't wait to write "Thank God, it's Monday!" Monday is a recovery day! Yea!
Cheers!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Why Tri...(Revised 2/25)?
I just returned from a business trip out west and struck up a conversation with the lady sitting next to me on the plane. She was returning from a competition with her college gymnastics team. Somehow, the conversation shifted to me doing triathlons and I mentioned that I had finished 3 half Ironman triathlons and was preparing for my first full Ironman this April. She asked, "How do you feel afterward?" I replied, "Completely exhausted. Beat up from head to toe. Like someone took me to the woodshed out back and beat me with a baseball bat, front and back." "Then why do you do it?" she asked.
Good question. So why do I do this, especially if it hurts so bad, takes so much time, and cost so much money?
Well, it started about two years ago. It was Oct '05 and I was turning 45. My older son was into his terrible teens. (The terrible 2's are cute/funny compared to the terrible teens. Just wait!) I went from being his best friend to "Darth Vader Daddy" overnight. Still don't know why. Five years later and no change in sight either. My wife was hauling my younger son to all of his activities every night. Why do we sign up our kids for every conceivable acitivity on earth? What happened to the days when kids just played at home? Anyway, so there I sat, night after night, on the couch, watching ESPN, eating another lucious bowl of cereal, which I had prepared all by myself. Look out Emeril!
Finally, one day in the office I nearly screamed at the top of my lungs! I was about to go nuts! (Some would say AMEN to that!) I had nothing to do and no one to do it with. So I decided, out of the clear blue yonder, that I would run a marathon. I was not a runner per se, but had at least run off and on over the years. Had done one 10k about 20 years earlier and that was it. So I downloaded a marathon training program, bought some new running shoes, hired a personal trainer, and off I went. I gave myself one year to train for a marathon. I was going slow but steady. Somewhere along the way, my personal trainer (Chuck) suggested that I do a triathlon. He said it would be good cross training and the swim and bike training would be lower impact on my body than running. "Are you crazy?" I said. "Read my lips! I can't swim! Not at all. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Not happening! Can we get back to training for a marathon?"
Naturally, I soon developed IT Band problems, had to get Physical Therapy, and could not run for the next 3 months. (Middle age creeps up fast and is not real nice about it.) So I reluctantly decided to try swimming. Thankfully, no one was around to witness this debacle. I swam one lap, 25 yards, and nearly died! This was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life! Harder than football, basketball, running, cheerleading (another story) or weight lifting! Thankfully, I was the only one in the pool. I stayed at one end, fussing at myself for even trying this. "This is stupid!" I said out loud. "I'm too old for this!" "I'll find something else to do even if it means playing checkers!" Then I swam another lap. Then a couple more laps. Afterward, I was completely exhausted and probably had not swum 10 laps total, with a rest between each one!
The best decision I made was to hire a swim coach. I figured that I could flail away at the water for years with no progress, or pay someone to teach me how to swim correctly. I took lessons for the next 3 months and got ecstatic at each small measure of success along the way! I remember when I actually swam my first 1/3 mile, 600 yards without stopping. You would have thought I had swum the English channel! I emailed my coach (a 17 time All American swimmer in college) about my enormous success! She must have held back the laughter when I said I swam 600 yards straight, not even a good warm up for her. But she was encouraging. So I kept going.
Free style always tired me out quickly, so I learned to rotate my strokes between free style, back stroke, and breast stroke. By the time I got to my first triathlon in May '06, I had to swim 200 yards (8 laps), bike 8m and run 2m. Wooo Hoooo! It was a staggered start in a pool. After about 5 strokes, I panicked and switched to breast stroke to finish. My next tri was in June '06, my first open water swim with a wave start. After about 10 strokes and drinking plenty of nasty lake water, I switched back to breast stroke and have stayed with it ever since. I noticed that I was keeping up with most of the other folks doing free style. Many of them swam in a zig zag manner wasting time and energy. Some stopped to rest at the bouys or turned over on their back to rest while I just puttered by them. So off I went, breast stroke and all. I wasn't trying to win, just finish. Besides, free style makes me dizzy. If you have ever had vertigo, then you understand.
By Oct '06 I had signed up for my first half Ironman triathlon, only 5 months after my first begginer tri. When I told a few people about signing up for this some said, "No way! Gary, you are NOT ready for this distance! It took me X years to move up to this distance. You need to wait, take your time, and work your way up. Maybe in another year or two you can do a half IM, but not now." I never said anything but just smiled and sat back quietly. All the while I wanted to say, "Thank you. I guarantee you that I will finish this thing. Book it!" All I need is for someone to tell me I can't do something, then I proceed to do just that. I can't take credit for it though. It's just a gift. Go ask my wife! So in Oct '06, I flew to Tempe, AZ and completed the Soma Half Ironman. Not a world record pace mind you, but I finished and beat my goal. So I was happy and that is all that mattered. The rest of the world can just, well, you get the picture...
Back to the original question: So why do I do this? (After giving this more thought during my 10m run last night, I thought it best to revise my answer. So here goes.) Why do I continue to train, race, hurt, and repeat this cycle? It's hard to explain really. I guess I'm addicted, obsessed, possessed, or whatever adjective you want to use to describe it. I tried to hunt, golf, or fish (the 3 major religions in Mississippi). None of them took. Too boring. I get bored easily and needed a challenge. Triathlon provides me with a never ending challenge to go further and faster! One can never master all the elements of swim, bike, run, nutrition, strength training and flexibility. Every now and then, it provides a rush that feels great and is worth the pain at the end. Plus, I've met a lot of great people in the process. It gives me a social outlet, a physical training regimen, and mental discipline. It also provides me with an escape from the reality, or monotony, of every day life. It has helped me overcome so many mental barriers that I could not begin to list them all. How else could you get a middle aged male couch potato to lose 20 pounds, give up eating red meat, pizza, shave his legs (a bloody experience), wear a Speedo for swim training (not a pretty sight), get up at 4:00 am on Sat for a 10m run to beat the oppressive Mississippi summer heat, bike 100m on a trainer in the den, etc...
So why do I tri? I do triathlons for 3 basic reasons: 1) the RUSH!, 2) the EDGE!, and 3) the HUMILITY/GRATITUDE of the sport! The Rush I get at times during races is fantastic! It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's worth all the blood, sweat, and tears I put into this. For example, during my best single race, the Disney Triathlon (Olympic) in Sept '06, the bike portion of the race was my best ever! I left T1 on a tear, not thinking about pacing myself. I just took off as fast as I could go. Race conditions that day were perfect! A flat, fast course, no wind, heat, or hills. For the first time, I began to pass other people instead of everybody passing me. As I passed people, it felt like I took their energy away and filled my tank more and more. I was going 20+ mph, which is fast for me. I decided to see how long I could keep it up and surprised myself by keeping it a long way. I finished the bike portion at an average pace of 19.5 mph! I have never biked that fast before or since! It was a true adrenaline rush! I felt God's presence to the point where I thought I would bust wide open! I also felt it during the bike at the Longhorn 1/2 Ironman in Oct '07. I was on my new GURU tri bike and feeling it. There was one long down hill where I got up to 42 mph! I was flying! Then I came to the point where I thought "Oh my God! I'm about to die!" That's when I prayed "Lord, please help me not to kill myself by wrecking and sliding 200 yards on the asphalt. I'll never do this again!" (Of course, He and I both knew that I would. But He protected me anyway.) There is a brief moment between feeling the Rush and feeling the Edge, which brings me to the second point. I don't consider myself an "adrenaline junky," although maybe I'm becoming one. But I want to push myself as far as humanly possible, without going over the edge.
I just returned from a snow skiing trip to Montana. I'm a novice snow skiier but was learning quickly. There comes a moment when I'm in a groove going down hill, cutting back and forth, where it feels awesome, the Rush is present and it feels great! Then I cross over the line of feeling the Rush to feeling the Edge. The Edge is right on the precipice of feeling ecstatic to looking for a place to crash. I want to feel the Edge, but not the crash. It's that split second in time where the Rush is escalated just a little bit more, beyond what I can manage, and yet seem to manage somehow, at least hopefully, most of the time. I'm not on a death wish. It's just that feeling of going all out and doing my best and knowing I gave it my all. I almost felt it at the end of the Longhorn half IM. But after the race, I felt like I could have given a little bit more. I want to finish a race, any race, any distance, knowing that I through caution to the wind, gave it everything I possibly could, and have nothing left at the end at all but to collapse and be totally spent. However, I don't want to be hauled off on a stretcher with an oxygen bag taped to me like another guy at Longhorn. I'm not gunning for that experience.
Finally, there is the humility and gratitude I get from racing. The highlight of my worst race occured before the race started, at least for me. Before the race, one of the race officials asked me to help a physically challenged man enter the Gulf of Mexico for the swim portion of the race. I was so thankful that he asked me to do this and thankful that I was about to do the race with all my limbs in tact and functioning whereas this man could not walk on his own. Perhaps I should have gone on home after this part of the race. Perhaps my worst race was actually my best!
Good question. So why do I do this, especially if it hurts so bad, takes so much time, and cost so much money?
Well, it started about two years ago. It was Oct '05 and I was turning 45. My older son was into his terrible teens. (The terrible 2's are cute/funny compared to the terrible teens. Just wait!) I went from being his best friend to "Darth Vader Daddy" overnight. Still don't know why. Five years later and no change in sight either. My wife was hauling my younger son to all of his activities every night. Why do we sign up our kids for every conceivable acitivity on earth? What happened to the days when kids just played at home? Anyway, so there I sat, night after night, on the couch, watching ESPN, eating another lucious bowl of cereal, which I had prepared all by myself. Look out Emeril!
Finally, one day in the office I nearly screamed at the top of my lungs! I was about to go nuts! (Some would say AMEN to that!) I had nothing to do and no one to do it with. So I decided, out of the clear blue yonder, that I would run a marathon. I was not a runner per se, but had at least run off and on over the years. Had done one 10k about 20 years earlier and that was it. So I downloaded a marathon training program, bought some new running shoes, hired a personal trainer, and off I went. I gave myself one year to train for a marathon. I was going slow but steady. Somewhere along the way, my personal trainer (Chuck) suggested that I do a triathlon. He said it would be good cross training and the swim and bike training would be lower impact on my body than running. "Are you crazy?" I said. "Read my lips! I can't swim! Not at all. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Not happening! Can we get back to training for a marathon?"
Naturally, I soon developed IT Band problems, had to get Physical Therapy, and could not run for the next 3 months. (Middle age creeps up fast and is not real nice about it.) So I reluctantly decided to try swimming. Thankfully, no one was around to witness this debacle. I swam one lap, 25 yards, and nearly died! This was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life! Harder than football, basketball, running, cheerleading (another story) or weight lifting! Thankfully, I was the only one in the pool. I stayed at one end, fussing at myself for even trying this. "This is stupid!" I said out loud. "I'm too old for this!" "I'll find something else to do even if it means playing checkers!" Then I swam another lap. Then a couple more laps. Afterward, I was completely exhausted and probably had not swum 10 laps total, with a rest between each one!
The best decision I made was to hire a swim coach. I figured that I could flail away at the water for years with no progress, or pay someone to teach me how to swim correctly. I took lessons for the next 3 months and got ecstatic at each small measure of success along the way! I remember when I actually swam my first 1/3 mile, 600 yards without stopping. You would have thought I had swum the English channel! I emailed my coach (a 17 time All American swimmer in college) about my enormous success! She must have held back the laughter when I said I swam 600 yards straight, not even a good warm up for her. But she was encouraging. So I kept going.
Free style always tired me out quickly, so I learned to rotate my strokes between free style, back stroke, and breast stroke. By the time I got to my first triathlon in May '06, I had to swim 200 yards (8 laps), bike 8m and run 2m. Wooo Hoooo! It was a staggered start in a pool. After about 5 strokes, I panicked and switched to breast stroke to finish. My next tri was in June '06, my first open water swim with a wave start. After about 10 strokes and drinking plenty of nasty lake water, I switched back to breast stroke and have stayed with it ever since. I noticed that I was keeping up with most of the other folks doing free style. Many of them swam in a zig zag manner wasting time and energy. Some stopped to rest at the bouys or turned over on their back to rest while I just puttered by them. So off I went, breast stroke and all. I wasn't trying to win, just finish. Besides, free style makes me dizzy. If you have ever had vertigo, then you understand.
By Oct '06 I had signed up for my first half Ironman triathlon, only 5 months after my first begginer tri. When I told a few people about signing up for this some said, "No way! Gary, you are NOT ready for this distance! It took me X years to move up to this distance. You need to wait, take your time, and work your way up. Maybe in another year or two you can do a half IM, but not now." I never said anything but just smiled and sat back quietly. All the while I wanted to say, "Thank you. I guarantee you that I will finish this thing. Book it!" All I need is for someone to tell me I can't do something, then I proceed to do just that. I can't take credit for it though. It's just a gift. Go ask my wife! So in Oct '06, I flew to Tempe, AZ and completed the Soma Half Ironman. Not a world record pace mind you, but I finished and beat my goal. So I was happy and that is all that mattered. The rest of the world can just, well, you get the picture...
Back to the original question: So why do I do this? (After giving this more thought during my 10m run last night, I thought it best to revise my answer. So here goes.) Why do I continue to train, race, hurt, and repeat this cycle? It's hard to explain really. I guess I'm addicted, obsessed, possessed, or whatever adjective you want to use to describe it. I tried to hunt, golf, or fish (the 3 major religions in Mississippi). None of them took. Too boring. I get bored easily and needed a challenge. Triathlon provides me with a never ending challenge to go further and faster! One can never master all the elements of swim, bike, run, nutrition, strength training and flexibility. Every now and then, it provides a rush that feels great and is worth the pain at the end. Plus, I've met a lot of great people in the process. It gives me a social outlet, a physical training regimen, and mental discipline. It also provides me with an escape from the reality, or monotony, of every day life. It has helped me overcome so many mental barriers that I could not begin to list them all. How else could you get a middle aged male couch potato to lose 20 pounds, give up eating red meat, pizza, shave his legs (a bloody experience), wear a Speedo for swim training (not a pretty sight), get up at 4:00 am on Sat for a 10m run to beat the oppressive Mississippi summer heat, bike 100m on a trainer in the den, etc...
So why do I tri? I do triathlons for 3 basic reasons: 1) the RUSH!, 2) the EDGE!, and 3) the HUMILITY/GRATITUDE of the sport! The Rush I get at times during races is fantastic! It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's worth all the blood, sweat, and tears I put into this. For example, during my best single race, the Disney Triathlon (Olympic) in Sept '06, the bike portion of the race was my best ever! I left T1 on a tear, not thinking about pacing myself. I just took off as fast as I could go. Race conditions that day were perfect! A flat, fast course, no wind, heat, or hills. For the first time, I began to pass other people instead of everybody passing me. As I passed people, it felt like I took their energy away and filled my tank more and more. I was going 20+ mph, which is fast for me. I decided to see how long I could keep it up and surprised myself by keeping it a long way. I finished the bike portion at an average pace of 19.5 mph! I have never biked that fast before or since! It was a true adrenaline rush! I felt God's presence to the point where I thought I would bust wide open! I also felt it during the bike at the Longhorn 1/2 Ironman in Oct '07. I was on my new GURU tri bike and feeling it. There was one long down hill where I got up to 42 mph! I was flying! Then I came to the point where I thought "Oh my God! I'm about to die!" That's when I prayed "Lord, please help me not to kill myself by wrecking and sliding 200 yards on the asphalt. I'll never do this again!" (Of course, He and I both knew that I would. But He protected me anyway.) There is a brief moment between feeling the Rush and feeling the Edge, which brings me to the second point. I don't consider myself an "adrenaline junky," although maybe I'm becoming one. But I want to push myself as far as humanly possible, without going over the edge.
I just returned from a snow skiing trip to Montana. I'm a novice snow skiier but was learning quickly. There comes a moment when I'm in a groove going down hill, cutting back and forth, where it feels awesome, the Rush is present and it feels great! Then I cross over the line of feeling the Rush to feeling the Edge. The Edge is right on the precipice of feeling ecstatic to looking for a place to crash. I want to feel the Edge, but not the crash. It's that split second in time where the Rush is escalated just a little bit more, beyond what I can manage, and yet seem to manage somehow, at least hopefully, most of the time. I'm not on a death wish. It's just that feeling of going all out and doing my best and knowing I gave it my all. I almost felt it at the end of the Longhorn half IM. But after the race, I felt like I could have given a little bit more. I want to finish a race, any race, any distance, knowing that I through caution to the wind, gave it everything I possibly could, and have nothing left at the end at all but to collapse and be totally spent. However, I don't want to be hauled off on a stretcher with an oxygen bag taped to me like another guy at Longhorn. I'm not gunning for that experience.
Finally, there is the humility and gratitude I get from racing. The highlight of my worst race occured before the race started, at least for me. Before the race, one of the race officials asked me to help a physically challenged man enter the Gulf of Mexico for the swim portion of the race. I was so thankful that he asked me to do this and thankful that I was about to do the race with all my limbs in tact and functioning whereas this man could not walk on his own. Perhaps I should have gone on home after this part of the race. Perhaps my worst race was actually my best!
IMAZ - 8 weeks
Totals for the week: Swim 2500 yards, Bike 110 miles, Run 0 miles.
Not a good week of training. Thankfully, this was a recovery week. Training was hindered by an out of state business trip and contracting bronchitis along the way. I missed a 7m run, a second swim workout, and my long run for the week, which was supposed to be 17m. At least I got in 2 bike workouts. My long bike was supposed to be 110m, but I cut it short at 80m. Imagine that, a "short" 80m bike ride? Ha! I could have finished the other 30m, but it would have been ugly and probably hurt my recovery from the bronchitis. The ongoing challenge is to know when to push through fatigue, tiredness, soreness, sickness, etc... and when to stop. Managing volume versus intensity is another challenge. I have accepted that every workout is not going to be a PR. Sometimes, you just have to do it to get the miles in, even if the pace is not what was expected.
Swim: did one recovery swim of 2500 yards. My recovery times now are what my fast times used to be. So at least my swim has improved somewhat. Unfortunately, this is the shortest part of the race.
Bike: Did a 30m bike on Wed night. My heart and legs were not into it though. Too much family drama going on for me to concentrate. Did ok on the workout anyway, but not as well as I could have. Biked 80m Sunday on my trainer. It was beautiful outside, but since I was getting a late start, I stayed on the trainer. Many people say they hate riding on a trainer. I've grown to like it ok. It removes many elements (weather, cars, dogs, hills, etc...) but makes it too easy to quit when I get tired. When you are 20m out from home, you have to ride home anyway. Can't quit. Watched lots of old movies and Ironman DVD's though.
Run: no run this week. The bronchitis zapped me.
So this next week is really critical for my training. All weeks are critical, but with only 8 weeks left and me not being ready for the race, I can't slip up now. No room for error and lots of room for improvement. This is one of the main reasons why I signed up for IMAZ in Nov too. I wanted to know that I had a second chance in case something or anything hindered my training or performance for IMAZ April.
At the moment, I feel pretty good about getting through the swim and bike in the times I set for myself. But I am a long way off from being ready for the run. At this point, it looks like a run/walk effort of some sort.
Not a good week of training. Thankfully, this was a recovery week. Training was hindered by an out of state business trip and contracting bronchitis along the way. I missed a 7m run, a second swim workout, and my long run for the week, which was supposed to be 17m. At least I got in 2 bike workouts. My long bike was supposed to be 110m, but I cut it short at 80m. Imagine that, a "short" 80m bike ride? Ha! I could have finished the other 30m, but it would have been ugly and probably hurt my recovery from the bronchitis. The ongoing challenge is to know when to push through fatigue, tiredness, soreness, sickness, etc... and when to stop. Managing volume versus intensity is another challenge. I have accepted that every workout is not going to be a PR. Sometimes, you just have to do it to get the miles in, even if the pace is not what was expected.
Swim: did one recovery swim of 2500 yards. My recovery times now are what my fast times used to be. So at least my swim has improved somewhat. Unfortunately, this is the shortest part of the race.
Bike: Did a 30m bike on Wed night. My heart and legs were not into it though. Too much family drama going on for me to concentrate. Did ok on the workout anyway, but not as well as I could have. Biked 80m Sunday on my trainer. It was beautiful outside, but since I was getting a late start, I stayed on the trainer. Many people say they hate riding on a trainer. I've grown to like it ok. It removes many elements (weather, cars, dogs, hills, etc...) but makes it too easy to quit when I get tired. When you are 20m out from home, you have to ride home anyway. Can't quit. Watched lots of old movies and Ironman DVD's though.
Run: no run this week. The bronchitis zapped me.
So this next week is really critical for my training. All weeks are critical, but with only 8 weeks left and me not being ready for the race, I can't slip up now. No room for error and lots of room for improvement. This is one of the main reasons why I signed up for IMAZ in Nov too. I wanted to know that I had a second chance in case something or anything hindered my training or performance for IMAZ April.
At the moment, I feel pretty good about getting through the swim and bike in the times I set for myself. But I am a long way off from being ready for the run. At this point, it looks like a run/walk effort of some sort.
Monday, February 11, 2008
IMAZ - 9 weeks
Totals for the week: Swim 11,300 yards (a), Bike 159 miles (a), Run 22 miles.
(a) Furthest weekly totals ever!
Altogether, a good week of training, with a great close on Sunday!
Swim: Started out sluggish. Tues swim was ok for distance, but I seemed to have lost some zip. Worked harder on Thurs swim and finished strong with 2 mile swim in 1:18 on Sat am, about a 2:10/100 pace. Feeling pretty good about my swim again. Just need to keep working on form/technique.
Bike: Trying to push harder on my weeknight rides on my trainer. Been training in the 16's for a while. So I pushed it up to the 17's. It's doable. Don't know how this will translate to speed outside, but we will soon find out. I moved the miles from what I was supposed to do Thurs night to Sat. Not the smartest thing I have ever done, as was pointed out to me. I was supposed to bike 60m, but went 91m instead. This was after a 2m swim. I rode through Madison County (more hills) for the first 44m, then went north on the Trace (fewer hills) for the other half. I was ready to quit at 60m, but had to finish. Anyway, I finally got home at 91m, but it was ugly (15.3 mph). Have to start somewhere though.
Run: Ran easy on Wed and Fri night. Ran real well Sunday afternoon after my bike ride.
Sunday: This turned out to be one of those special days, the ones I LIVE for and keep me going. Since I swam 2m and biked 91m on Sat, I really didn't expect much at all. I met Jim and Rick for a "quick" 25m ride through Pocohontas (rolling hills). When we started, my legs were like jelly, numb and limp. But after a few minutes, I could start feeling them again and began to pick up speed. I was finally able to keep up with a couple of faster guys for a change. Either one of them could have dropped me like a hot brick if they wanted, but I was able to keep up pretty well most of the time, except for a couple of hills. Thanks for letting me ride guys! And thanks for the encouraging words!
After the bike ride, I went home for a 10m run as part of my brick workout. I normally run about a 10:00/mile pace without the hard 25m bike ride or the long Sat workout prior. So I was thinking maybe a 10:30/m pace would be good. I started out slow to let my legs loosen up. At 1m, I was at 10:05. Not bad, I thought. Then I began to feel myself picking up speed. Not good! I'll go out too fast and crash on the way in! Then I thought, this is why we train. I can't go faster until I begin to train faster. So I "let the dogs run" as they say. My cumulative average pace began to fall. Under 10:00/m. Under 9:55/m. Under 9:45/m. Wait! This is crazy! I can't hold this pace for 10m! Well, I decided to hold it as long as I could and off I went. I was feeling so good that I didn't stop at my usual water hole at 5m. I didn't want to lose my groove/rythym, so I kept going. Was feeling so good that I skipped my second water hole too. So I ended up running the full 10m at a 9:39/m pace without a single stop. This, after a hard 25m bike and a looooonnnnngg 91m bike on Sat.
This was by far, one of my best days ever! My best day was probably the Disney Tri back in Sept '06, but this was a close second! Thank you Lord! I can't explain this to be anything other than God's blessing on me this day, because I'm simply not able to go this far or this fast.
Hope I can perform this well at IMAZ! If I do, it will be a great experience!
(a) Furthest weekly totals ever!
Altogether, a good week of training, with a great close on Sunday!
Swim: Started out sluggish. Tues swim was ok for distance, but I seemed to have lost some zip. Worked harder on Thurs swim and finished strong with 2 mile swim in 1:18 on Sat am, about a 2:10/100 pace. Feeling pretty good about my swim again. Just need to keep working on form/technique.
Bike: Trying to push harder on my weeknight rides on my trainer. Been training in the 16's for a while. So I pushed it up to the 17's. It's doable. Don't know how this will translate to speed outside, but we will soon find out. I moved the miles from what I was supposed to do Thurs night to Sat. Not the smartest thing I have ever done, as was pointed out to me. I was supposed to bike 60m, but went 91m instead. This was after a 2m swim. I rode through Madison County (more hills) for the first 44m, then went north on the Trace (fewer hills) for the other half. I was ready to quit at 60m, but had to finish. Anyway, I finally got home at 91m, but it was ugly (15.3 mph). Have to start somewhere though.
Run: Ran easy on Wed and Fri night. Ran real well Sunday afternoon after my bike ride.
Sunday: This turned out to be one of those special days, the ones I LIVE for and keep me going. Since I swam 2m and biked 91m on Sat, I really didn't expect much at all. I met Jim and Rick for a "quick" 25m ride through Pocohontas (rolling hills). When we started, my legs were like jelly, numb and limp. But after a few minutes, I could start feeling them again and began to pick up speed. I was finally able to keep up with a couple of faster guys for a change. Either one of them could have dropped me like a hot brick if they wanted, but I was able to keep up pretty well most of the time, except for a couple of hills. Thanks for letting me ride guys! And thanks for the encouraging words!
After the bike ride, I went home for a 10m run as part of my brick workout. I normally run about a 10:00/mile pace without the hard 25m bike ride or the long Sat workout prior. So I was thinking maybe a 10:30/m pace would be good. I started out slow to let my legs loosen up. At 1m, I was at 10:05. Not bad, I thought. Then I began to feel myself picking up speed. Not good! I'll go out too fast and crash on the way in! Then I thought, this is why we train. I can't go faster until I begin to train faster. So I "let the dogs run" as they say. My cumulative average pace began to fall. Under 10:00/m. Under 9:55/m. Under 9:45/m. Wait! This is crazy! I can't hold this pace for 10m! Well, I decided to hold it as long as I could and off I went. I was feeling so good that I didn't stop at my usual water hole at 5m. I didn't want to lose my groove/rythym, so I kept going. Was feeling so good that I skipped my second water hole too. So I ended up running the full 10m at a 9:39/m pace without a single stop. This, after a hard 25m bike and a looooonnnnngg 91m bike on Sat.
This was by far, one of my best days ever! My best day was probably the Disney Tri back in Sept '06, but this was a close second! Thank you Lord! I can't explain this to be anything other than God's blessing on me this day, because I'm simply not able to go this far or this fast.
Hope I can perform this well at IMAZ! If I do, it will be a great experience!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
And so it begins...
Actually, training for Ironman Arizona (IMAZ, April '08) began back in Oct '07 right after the Longhorn Half IM in Austin, TX. This will be my first full Ironman. Creating a blog has been on my "to do" list for quite sometime. So my blog begins today. Will update it weekly and will load some pics soon too.
I hired a tri coach and swim coach and was in a good training rythym through Dec but got out of synch in Jan. The first week was a recovery week, then a snow skiing trip to Montana (Yea!), then I pulled a ham string, ouch! But now it is Feb and I'm focused on doing all the workouts, one day at a time. Only 8 weeks to go until taper!
My swim was coming along fine, but lost some zip after a pulled hammy. Swam my first 2.4m on Jan 19 in 1:32:43, about 2:12/100 pace. Not my best time, but ok given it was my first attempt at 2.4m. I figure I can get this down to 1:30. With wet suit on race day, I should be in the 1:25-1:30 range, which is ok for a middle aged breast stroker who swam his first 25 yards in Jan '06 and nearly died. (More on breast stroking another day.)
My bike is the my weakest event of the three, but getting better. It's all relative I suppose. I've been passed by everyone imaginable: men, women, older, younger, taller, shorter, bigger, smaller. They don't discriminate and pass me at will. I feel like a fence post out there but I keep cheering them on as they pass me. Did my first century on Feb 2 in 6:11, about 16.1 mph, on a trainer in my den. Took two movies and a basketball game to get me through it. Still too cold to bike outside, even in Mississippi, but warming up soon. Not sure how speed on a trainer translates to speed outside but we are about to find out. I hope to bike in 7 hours at IMAZ, around 16 mph.
As for the run, I get pretty bushed after the swim and bike. Have done 3 half IM's, all with dismal run performances. Bonked on all 3. So I will work on it and do my best here. Have never run a full marathon before but have done 3 half marathons, all just south of 10:00/mile. But given that this will occur after the swim and bike, I hope to do this in 5 hours, or so. It's the "or so" part that concerns me. Depends on the 4 H's (heat, humidity, hills, and headwinds). And nutrition. IMAZ is known for its headwinds but at least the course is relatively flat. By the way, I did my first half IM in Tempe, so I am familiar with the course and elements.
Nevertheless, adding up the times of swim 1.50 (2:09/100), bike 7.00 (16 mph) , and run 5.00 (11:27/m) gives me a 13:30 at IMAZ, which is in a perfect world and somewhat ambitious. Throw in a 6 hour run (13:45/m) and it becomes 14:30. So maybe I'll finish around 13:30-14:30. Anyway, it's a start. Whatever I do in April, I hope to improve in Nov '08 when I return to Tempe for my second shot at IMAZ. So yes, I signed up for IMAZ twice this year. I figured since I was already in full IM training mode, I might as well keep it up through the end of this year and improve upon my first IM. I know it's nuts, but what else am I going to do with my time? Besides, the weather will be much better for training through spring and summer versus the winter.
We'll see how it goes. Any training tips, especially in the area of nutrition (daily or race day) would be greatly appreciated. Or just say hello!
Later!!!
I hired a tri coach and swim coach and was in a good training rythym through Dec but got out of synch in Jan. The first week was a recovery week, then a snow skiing trip to Montana (Yea!), then I pulled a ham string, ouch! But now it is Feb and I'm focused on doing all the workouts, one day at a time. Only 8 weeks to go until taper!
My swim was coming along fine, but lost some zip after a pulled hammy. Swam my first 2.4m on Jan 19 in 1:32:43, about 2:12/100 pace. Not my best time, but ok given it was my first attempt at 2.4m. I figure I can get this down to 1:30. With wet suit on race day, I should be in the 1:25-1:30 range, which is ok for a middle aged breast stroker who swam his first 25 yards in Jan '06 and nearly died. (More on breast stroking another day.)
My bike is the my weakest event of the three, but getting better. It's all relative I suppose. I've been passed by everyone imaginable: men, women, older, younger, taller, shorter, bigger, smaller. They don't discriminate and pass me at will. I feel like a fence post out there but I keep cheering them on as they pass me. Did my first century on Feb 2 in 6:11, about 16.1 mph, on a trainer in my den. Took two movies and a basketball game to get me through it. Still too cold to bike outside, even in Mississippi, but warming up soon. Not sure how speed on a trainer translates to speed outside but we are about to find out. I hope to bike in 7 hours at IMAZ, around 16 mph.
As for the run, I get pretty bushed after the swim and bike. Have done 3 half IM's, all with dismal run performances. Bonked on all 3. So I will work on it and do my best here. Have never run a full marathon before but have done 3 half marathons, all just south of 10:00/mile. But given that this will occur after the swim and bike, I hope to do this in 5 hours, or so. It's the "or so" part that concerns me. Depends on the 4 H's (heat, humidity, hills, and headwinds). And nutrition. IMAZ is known for its headwinds but at least the course is relatively flat. By the way, I did my first half IM in Tempe, so I am familiar with the course and elements.
Nevertheless, adding up the times of swim 1.50 (2:09/100), bike 7.00 (16 mph) , and run 5.00 (11:27/m) gives me a 13:30 at IMAZ, which is in a perfect world and somewhat ambitious. Throw in a 6 hour run (13:45/m) and it becomes 14:30. So maybe I'll finish around 13:30-14:30. Anyway, it's a start. Whatever I do in April, I hope to improve in Nov '08 when I return to Tempe for my second shot at IMAZ. So yes, I signed up for IMAZ twice this year. I figured since I was already in full IM training mode, I might as well keep it up through the end of this year and improve upon my first IM. I know it's nuts, but what else am I going to do with my time? Besides, the weather will be much better for training through spring and summer versus the winter.
We'll see how it goes. Any training tips, especially in the area of nutrition (daily or race day) would be greatly appreciated. Or just say hello!
Later!!!
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