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My 7:20 wave got moved up to 7:10 shortly before the race started as the weather report indicated a strong line of thunderstorms were due to move in to the area. They wanted to get everyone out of the water before the storms rolled in. The clouds on the west side of the reservoir that I was facing while I waded in were quite ominous and would unfortunately back up their nasty demeanor. As soon as our wave went off the wind started picking up and the water became extremely choppy making it increasingly difficult to time your breathing correctly to avoid a mouthful of water. The swells were almost to the point of causing some nausea.? I still havent figured out how to draft properly. I took off fast to get out in front of my wave and settled into a comfortable pace, but ended up in a no mans land for most of the swim. I was pretty happy overall considering the conditions.  I took my sweet time in transition as the rain was going to be starting any minute and all of my personal belongings were going to get soaked. The weather forecast the night before called for the storms to hit after 2PM, so I never took any precautions. I burned some time wrapping my cell phone up as much as I could. Im truly shocked that my time is as good as it was right around 2 minutes. Reminder for next time though that I need to plan ahead and bring some plastic bags as part of my kit no matter what.  On to the bike. A 3 hour thunderstorm. Blinding rain, borderline sleet/hail at some points … the only way to tell where you were going was to ride on the white stripe and hope for the best. It was absolutely demoralizing. Add to this I couldnt hold aero for more than 10 minutes the entire time because my butt was hurting so badly. I kept having to get up and stretch and lose speed while I found a position which I could bear for a few minutes. This ride was a true mental torture test, while I rationalized the effects of pain on my body and tried to determine what I was willing to put up with. I never stopped, I never got off, but I thought about it for many many miles. It wasnt until about mile 42 that I decided to drop the hammer and power it home just so I could GET OFF THE BIKE!! I have no clue how I was able to hold an average above 20mph considering the conditions. I had wrote off any hopes of going sub 5 hours and was just going to turn this into a training day.  I was just so happy to be off of the bike, and not real excited about putting wet shoes and socks on so once again I took my sweet time getting out of T2. Did I mention that I failed out of engineering school because I was bad at math? Anyways, I didnt figure it out until later on that day, so I ran the whole way back plotting my strategy around the fact I could run well into the 9′s and still make it under 5. I tried to hold the same pace as I went out on, but the rains had stopped, the temps jumped nearly 10 degrees and the humidity started to zap precious energy. The heat, the hills and my faulty mathematics all started to conspire against me. I walked a few of the aid stations after mile 8 and walked a little bit of one of the hills. My nutrition strategy was working well and I was taking in ALOT of calories, but my legs were just starting to seize up and my 5 hour goal started slipping away. I charged home to an eager yet soggy crowd thinking I might have cracked the barrier, only to realize later on that I didnt start the race at 7:20 like I was supposed to. They moved us up to 7:10 so that 4:52 that I thought I had pulled off, was actually a 5:02! DOH! Oh well, it was still 12 minutes faster than my only other half ironman, and considering the elements how in the world could I complain.  The supporters for this race were absolutely amazing. There was a 1:1 ratio of volunteers to participants and you could really feel it. I never passed an aid station that wasnt packed with cheerful staff extremely organized and encouraging you the whole way.  This week was back to normal training even though I was preparing for the Muncie Endurathon (half ironman distance). I have done this distance before and was looking forward to improving upon my 5:14:23 from last year, maybe even slipping under the 5 hour mark. I made it through all of the workouts the best I could while trying to get in a little bit of a taper so I could be fresh for the race. Its actually pretty nice to know that I have less than two months to go until my first Ironman attempt. At the same time, its absolutely terrifying. I am not convinced my fitness is there, I am having minor freak outs about missing some key workouts and I am increasingly concerned about a nagging pain in my left knee thats not going away. Lucky for me, July is hell month as I have 16+ mile runs and 80+ mile bike rides every week! If I missed anything in a workout the past 4 months, this will surely make up for it … just keep an eye on that knee. Swim:6606.29 Yd 2h 10m 53sBike:69.88 Mi 3h 25m 37s Run:18.63 Mi 2h 35m 14s Total:8.25 hours Mental Health: Good Injuries: None Aches & Pains: Significant – Inside left knee, stabbing pains on bike Nutrition: Excellent Party Days:1 Good Nights Sleep: 3 Tough day at the office today. The good news is that I completed my single longest solo ride ever, clocking in just a little shy of 65 miles. The weather was great; overcast to keep the heat and humidity away … there were times today that I was actually a little cold! The route I planned out took me on the most challenging part of the Ironman Louisville bike course, a considerable climb that you have to do twice since its a 15 mile spur out and back off of the main section of the course. The first hour or so passed uneventfully as I made my way to the northeast part of town, to the more rural sections of Jefferson county. The second hour largely like the first. Some minor aches and pains, but Im still attributing that to the bike fit. The third hour started to change the tone of the afternoon. I stopped at a gas station to refuel with snacks and Gatorade since I was out of Infinit. I used my last 3 servings to start the ride, knowing that I would stop, and thinking this might be a blessing in disguise. I mean, if I have problems on race day with my nutrition, it would be nice to know I can switch to another plan midway through the race. I ended up with some new Gatorade Tiger, which is absolutely horrible by the way … somehow they managed to get it to taste like Powerade which is VERY syrupy. For snacks I got a Powerbar, some peanut butter crackers and a Nutrigrain bar because I couldnt find the oatmeal cream pies. The teenager working the counter looked at me like I speaking Chinese when I asked if they had any. I figure kids these days dont know what the hell an oatmeal cream pie is?! Tragic.  I had begun to feel a bit weak so it was good timing for me to stop. I took down half of the Powerbar and a few crackers to get myself filled up and headed back out on the road with about 1:30 to go out of a planned 4 hour ride. Almost immediately I began feeling my left knee starting to act up. I have been starting to develop problems with my adductor which is giving me some stabbing pains on the inside of my left knee. Around this time I started to really hit the wall on my nutrition. My body did not like making that type of change so quickly. From a very calorie dense, light flavored carbohydrate rich drink to this horrid flavor of super sweet Gatorade did not sit well. I started to lose track of time between normal 15 minute feedings, was not getting enough calories, the wind started to pick up, I was practically hallucinating at one point. With about an hour to go, I decided it was time to stop and stretch.
I didn’t dream this guy up!? He was a few miles back before the gas station at a petting zoo called Henry's Ark. As I stopped to stretch, I ate the other half of the Powerbar and the crackers to get some more calories in me for the last haul. I was worried about the nutrition, but I was suffering because of the knee. Normally it only acts up when Im climbing and then I can rotate my heel out to the left to put my leg in a position it doesn't hurt as bad. At this point however, every pedal stroke was agony. I limped the last 15 miles back to my end of town, and contemplated walking my bike up a few hills. With about 25 minutes still to go for my planned 4 hours, I decided it was time to swallow my pride and call it a day. In one last move of bravery (stupidity?) I decided to put on my running shoes and jog around the block just to see if I could run on it if this happened during the next few races I have. Luckily, the pain is only relegated to the bike and running causes no pain whatsoever. I got the workout I needed that day; a challenging workout that tested me mentally and physically. I know a few key things that I absolutely have to nail during the Ironman. Nutrition is absolutely critical! If Im not getting a steady stream of 300+ calories an hour on the bike, it can be dangerous. It doesn't get any easier than the bike to get proper nutrition … all of the bouncing up and down you do on the run does your stomach no favors. I need to stay focused during those long sections of the ride to stay on my 15 minute routine of taking in fuel. “Eat early and eat often,” my buddy Lance Armstrong says. This week brings a much needed rest week, and then hell month begins. I figured out the themes behind my 5 month training plan. Month 1: get used to the routine of training 6 days a week (have to be fit to even start). Month 2: increase the volume to get ready for long training sessions (get used to 2 to 3 hour training days). Month 3: fatigue the body in each individual sport to learn techniques for pushing through exhaustion (be tired every day). Month 4: train at full race distance in each sport (almost like an Ironman a week). Month 5: (if you survived) taper, then do an Ironman. Swim: 2624.67 Yd 45mBike: 143.32 Mi 7h 59m 03s Run:7.21 Mi 1h 03m 56s Total:9.75 hours Mental Health: Good Injuries: None Aches & Pains: Significant – Inside left knee, stabbing pains on bike Nutrition: Excellent Party Days:1 Good Nights Sleep: 5 It has been awhile since I was in the washing machine that is the open water swim start of a triathlon.? With all of the scientific planning for training, nutrition, aerodynamics … the chaos of hundreds of pairs of arms and legs flailing away can be quite a jolt to the uninitiated.? There were 10 minutes before our wave went off, those of us who jumped into the Schuylkill River early were joking around to shake off the remaining pre race jitters. Only 180 people were in my wave and I waded out close to the front for the beginning of the deep water start.? The countdown began … “1 minute … 45 seconds … 30 …”?My normal frenzied internal energy was a relative calm as the horn sounded.? After about the first 200m of elbows, I was able to find a clear path towards the middle of the river by myself and start to cruise.? I felt good throughout the entire swim though I was never able to catch onto anyone and draft off of them. I only breast stroked a few times, and only to sight as it’s a little tricky approaching the bridge.? I started to catch people as I made the J turn across the river and back to the opposite shore for the swim exit in 11th place in my age group.?  ? ?As good as I felt during the swim, it quickly changed once I hit land. I felt extremely queasy in transition and took my time getting changed. My heart rate was jacked up for the first lap of the bike. I was trying to settle into a comfortable rhythm but it just wasn't happening. I was recently fitted on my triathlon bike and only trained twice since then prior to this race due to the California trip, so I was still getting used to the new position and using some new muscles. I was getting passed like crazy on the hills and wasnt real happy with my time overall considering the money I have spent on a new bike, shoes and the fit since last years race. I figured I would have improved more than just 1 minute over that performance!!!? Looks like I need to spend more time in the saddle and build up strength in the legs. Muscular endurance is a limiter for me in this part of the race.  Transition from bike to run couldnt have been any better. I cut 39 seconds off of last years effort and was sitting in 15th place in my age group.? I prepared well with my feet out of the shoes ahead of time, and performing a side saddle dismount. I thought at the time I was going slow … had a minor problem getting my socks on … but the time clock said differently. My shins were a little sore and I didnt really feel that I had the juice starting the run. I was going to carry my own bottles of Infinit to practice racing with it for Ironman. After strapping up with my fuel belt, I took about 10 steps before I realized there was no way I could sprint with that extra weight. Yea OK … it’s only a little over a pound (20oz), but it was a very strange sensation even though I routinely do long training runs with it on. I saw my mom on my way out of transition took one bottle out and threw the belt with the other bottle towards her and headed out.  Since 30-34 yr old males we were in the 3rd wave of the day (the first being pros and most of the second getting passed in the water) I had virtually nobody around me the entire run. I actually passed a few people early on, don’t ask how old they were, and held off getting passed by anyone in my age group for over 4 miles. I tried to hold a steady 7:15 pace and was concerned when my first half mile was showing a projected 7:30.? The beginning of the run was in grass though, so once I hit the pavement I quickly saw my pace drop to 7:05's. I found this to be manageable and locked it in.? It was a bummer in once sense that the majority of the crowds were surrounding the bike course this early in the race so the run was pretty barren. Then again, I think it helped provide a very relaxed feeling of being on a training run through the park. I heard my parents while I was passing through transition blowing these duck noisemakers we got the day before. These things are great, because you instantly know who it is and where they are. The nutrition plan worked well taking in Infinit every 15 minutes and supplementing with a little bit of water … most of which was going on my head. Even though it was overcast and shady, the humidity started to increase since there were showers in the area. I was great until around mile 4 and then I had to start digging in deep to keep up the pace. Every aid station provided water to dump on my head to cool me off. This seemed to work well … something I will have to learn to do well for Ironman.? About mile 5 I ended up getting gobbled up by the chase pack. Not because I was slowing down, on the contrary … I was cranking out sub 7's for the last 2 miles. My lead that I built up from the swim just ended up finally being eroded. 3 guys in my age group passed me up exhaling some encouraging words. This actually gave me a pretty nice boost … normally I get ate up early in the run, so this is a sign my running is improving. The finish chute for this race is really long and as you come around the bend the energy of the crowd begins to reel you in. Everything I had worked so hard for last year came flooding back. This year was more of a tune up race and more about Team In Training and being a mentor so I didnt think I had a lot invested coming in. Days before the race I actually was surprised that I wasnt more pumped up about it. Any remaining doubts about how much this race meant to me were removed as I saw the finish awning spanning overhead and heard the announcer calling my name for a sub 2:20 finish.  What would you do differently?: ?I love this race and hope to make it back for many more in the future.? The fan support is amazing, the course conditions and the weather have been great the two years I have participated and Philadelphia itself is a great east coast city to spend a few days in.? Up next, the Muncie Endurathon Half Ironman coming up in 15 days in July 12th. ]]> Week 10 of 20 was bittersweet.? I was called out of town for a week long trip to California on a moments notice and was unable to train how I would have liked.? This week was supposed to be a super run week with my run volume tripling what it normally is … Im not too disappointed in this looking back Bike: 24.85 Mi 1h 08m 12s Run: 13.29 Mi 1h 46m 10s Total: 3.25 hours? ?? Mental Health: Excellent Injuries: None Aches & Pains: None Nutrition: Poor Party Days: 0 Good Nights Sleep: 2 ? ]]> Week 9 was a super swim week with almost all of my sessions spent in the pool.? It was a nice break from the oppressive heatwave that had descended on Louisville in recent weeks.? I had a few breakthrough workouts with a massive 4x 1000m set and some 2000m continuous swims.? I went over the distance I will swim in Ironman for the first time which was a major confidence booster.? My rotator cuff suffered a little bit from overuse, but I tried to stretch it out, take plenty of ibuprofen and stay off of pull sets which add alot of extra stress to that joint. ? Swim: 16108.27 Yd 5h 20m Bike: 20.81 Mi 1h 17m 28s Run: 9.76 Mi 1h 28m 08s Total: 8 hours? ?? Mental Health: Excellent Injuries: None Aches & Pains: Minor – Rotator cuff pains Nutrition: Excellent Party Days: 1 Good Nights Sleep: 4]]> Training for IM is training in a constant state of fatigue.? I have noticed this in a major way over the past few weeks since the temperatures in Louisville have shot up to 90+ temps for several straight days.? Its perfect for acclimatizing to what race conditions will likely be in late August, but it can be completely demoralizing.? I have added about 30 seconds a mile to my LSD (Long/Slow/Distance) runs and have been walking through my hydration breaks every 15 minutes to make sure Im getting properly fueled and my heart rate is having to work overtime to keep up.? Im not sure what the normal or typical effect heat and humidity has on heart race and pace, but its something you cant challenge, because the elements WILL defeat you everytime. Sometimes I forget about all of those people who have told me along the way 'no time goals for your first IM … only to finish.'? If youre not contending for Kona or an top AG spot, then finish = win!? I want to finish under 13, I think I can finish under 11:30 if everything goes right.? But if for one second my body tells me that I cant do it, I back the pace off and let it go. Recovery weeks are especially tough for me as I feel like garbage.? My body hurts worse than normal as the hard work from last week finally catches up; I seem slower than ever and with the extra time off I start going a little stir crazy over analyzing everything.? In a way Im glad for this recovery week to be over because it means that month 2 of Ironman training is complete!? Its also somewhat exiciting because I start theme weeks!? This week I will be swimming a whole lot more than normal and dialing the effort back on other sports in order to spend some quality sessions working on my technique.? With the heat, this is perfect timing to stick indoors and get some laps in. Lest we forget, the Philadelphia Insurance Olympic Triathlon is coming up next weekend.? I will be heading back to Philly to take another swing at the course in Fairmount Park.? I have competed in 6 events in my brief tenure as a triathlete, but I cant imagine a better course than this.? Amazing community and Team In Training support, a very picturesque setting on the banks of the Schuylkill River and a nice and shady course.? Im looking to put in another strong performance, mainly due to my improvement in my running and the new bike since last year.? I have to temper those expectations with the fact I will still have 10 more weeks until Ironman, not to mention a Half Ironman on July 12th, so I cannot afford to completely blow this race out and risk missing training days by getting injured. Swim: 4949.78 Yd 1h 45m Bike: 68.40 Mi 3h 55m 05sRun: 12.88 Mi 1h 53m 12s Total: 7.75 hours? ?? Mental Health: Decent Injuries: None Aches & Pains: Minor – Stabbing pains in left knee Nutrition: Excellent Party Days: 1 Good Nights Sleep: 5 ? ]]> I can look back at this week with confidence now, but it was definitely the toughest one to date.? Hours peaked out so far at 13.5 which thankfully coincided with a holiday weekend over Memorial Day, allowing me an extra day off of work for another 3 hour bike ride.? The long rides are going surprisingly well … its crazy to think that 55 miles is a normal weekend ride for me now.? I feel good before during and after the rides, the custom nurtition is working well and giving me the proper amounts of fuel so far … if anything bothers me its just the boredom.? Theres no iPod on the bike (safety reasons) and I need to ween myself from it on the run since it is not allowed for Ironman.? You have plenty of time to think while training and your mind tends to wander, especially on the bike.? I wanted to develop my mental toughness with Ironman by learning to deal with exhaustion and pain … but its just as much of a battle to fight off boredom from those long training days on your own.? Due to all of the other life factors you have to schedule around, its tough to find people to train with. Alas I soldier on to a much needed recovery week with only 8.5 hours of training and two days off!? The next month gets challenging because of the theme weeks with a focus on swimming, then biking and then running yet in the middle of that I have the Philadelphia Insurance Olympic Triathlon in the middle of the run week!? Running by far takes the most out of your body, but I want to be able to turn in a respectable performance in Philly.? I of course will go into the race thinking its just another training day and not to push myself or do anything silly that will affect my training … but Im a guy, and Im extremely competitive, and its a race!? Plus I get to race on a course that I know, so I can directly compare my time from last year.? With the unique characteristics of all different venues that I have raced at, its hard to compare your time from one course to another.? This is due to differences in the elevation profile of different courses or the size and layout the transition area along with other intangibles that lengthen or shorten a race. ? Swim: 7968.07 Yd 2h 40m Bike: 121.07 Mi 7h 14m 54sRun: 24.01 Mi 3h 37m 13s Total: 13.50 hours? ?? Mental Health: Excellent Injuries: None Aches & Pains: Minor – Ball of left foot Nutrition: Excellent Party Days: 2 Good Nights Sleep: 4]]> So in 2010 I’m going to join the Tour de France … for one day … in the Pyrenees. I came across this blog on the New York Times website called The Climb dedicated to following one mans quest to ride in L’Etape du Tour. Started in in 1993, L’Etape is a single stage of the Tour de France open to amateur cyclists attracting around 8,000 people to compete on the same course the professionals ride. L’Etape responded to requests from fans who wanted to experience cycling’s most prestigious competition by scheduling the event each year on one of the Tour’s hardest mountain stages. Be careful what you wish for. This years L’Etape will take place on the course for Stage 10, just days before the professionals coming roaring through from Pau to Hautacam. The most significant point of the route will be climbing the Col du Tourmalet, the highest point in the Pyrenees, with 23.4KM @ 7% grade and another climb to the finish in Hautacam, more than 15KM @ 7%. Both of these classify as ‘hors catgorie’ climbs, which are so punishing as to be beyond the 1 – 5 ranking given. Oh yea … this is on a 96 mile course by the way. While Im no threat to the Polka Dot Jersey by winning the King of the Mountains, I have wanted to see the Tour for some years now. What an awesome way then to experience not only seeing the professionals up close and personal, but geting a first hand idea of what they do to earn their paychecks.
Ironman helps you develop new ways to rationalize pain.? One of the biggest struggles I have faced so far is identifying that pain, adjusting my mind and body to redefine how I deal with and react to pain.? You have to sift through all of the triggers that you encounter over the course of training and decide which can be ignored, which can be dealt with and which are absolutely red flags.? The tendency of endurance athletes is to cope with pain as a normal part of training and try to push through just about anything.? Since each week of training builds upon the last, missing a week or two to let a minor injury heal just means falling further behind right?? Well, not if it is a sign of a more serious problem that could sideline your whole season.?? ? Training has not been the hard part so far; at long distances with low intensity and proper nutrition I've had no problems finishing the workouts.? My workouts are scheduled to trade off between sports, distances and intensities everyday so that I dont put more than 2 days of a single sport back to back, and never two intense days in a row.? 3 hour bike rides, 20 minute continuous swims and 1:30 long runs have come and gone rather routinely.? The fun begins once you finish the workout, because well … you really arent finished.? To be able to get up and go again the next day your body needs to recover, and fast.? Recovery nutrition, stretching, icing and hydration all need to happen within the next 1 to 2 hours after the workout is completed.? As your training time jumps above 10 hours a week this becomes absolutely mandatory, otherwise you set yourself up for poor performance in workouts and overuse injuries. ? ? I have been dealing with some aches and pains and had to take nearly two weeks off of running in order to avoid a more serious injury.? While extremely frustrating, it has been necessary.? As crazy as it sounds … I really do want to run for 2 hours this week, but Im still not convinced that Im ready to put that kind of pressure on my foot.? As much as my body is going to experience on the day of the race, showing up at the starting line wont be a reality unless I continue to train smart.? I have to continue to sift through the clues my body is giving me and measure the risks and rewards to doing that next workout.? Of course once I do hit that start line … all bets are off.? As the late Jon Blaise said, “I'm going to cross that finish line if they have to roll me across.” ? Swim: 5796.15 Yd 2h 00m Bike: 115.37 Mi 6h 18m 07s Run: 15.42 Mi 2h 16m 38s Total: 10.5 hours? ?? Mental Health: OK Injuries: None Aches & Pains: Significant – Ball of left foot Nutrition: Good Party Days: 3 Good Nights Sleep: 5]]> |
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? The other big to do was the upcoming Philadelphia Insurance Olympic Triathlon scheduled at the end of the week.? I took an involuntary taper, flew from one side of the country to the other (and back) and had to flip my body clock back to Eastern time to prepare for the 4:30AM wakeup call on race day.? Looking back at the race report, I think I did very well in spite of the last minute schedule changes, though I did miss some key run workouts.? Theres no point in trying to make those up, so I will move along to week 11, officially past the halfway point of my training.? I have been thinking to myself that I feel really unprepared, but I have to remember that Im only halfway there and still have 10 more weeks of workouts to get me ready.? Plenty of 4+ hr bike rides, 2.5hr runs and hundreds of laps in the pool stand between me and the starting line on August 31st.