Thinking during a layover

So, I'm down to one week!  It feels like I just started but the 24 week program I've been following is coming to an end.  It has been such a great experience, I kind of don't want it to end.  I've had so much help and support from family and friends.  I think when its all over and I look back at this experience I will value the journey much more than the actual race.


Around three years ago I was at a Cubs game and a guy sat down in front of me with an Ironman jacket on and I thought to myself, "that is something I will NEVER be able to do." Now, with two half-iron and several other triathlons in the bag, I'm just seven days away from attempting what I thought for me was impossible.

I stuck hard to my training plan and feel like I am prepared.  Here is my mileage and time for the last 23 weeks:

• swim - 81 miles - 128 hrs
• bike - 2,972 miles - 156 hrs
• run - 478 miles - 80 hrs

The only thing I thing I skipped out on that might come back to bite me is climbing on the bike.  I should have made several trips to the Blue Ridge Mountains for rides.  I know I can do the time in the saddle, it's just going to be a war with the elevation gain.  The course is out then two loops. I plan to ride very conservative on the first loop.  I'm confident in my swim and I've just accepted the fact that the run is going to be a battle from hell...which in the twisted brain of mine excites me all the more, haha.  My brother and I are heading out a week early in which I hope to adjust to the climate, elevation and breakdown the course. 

Ironman St.George course video

Late Report on 10k & Virginia Duathlon

Had a pretty action packed weekend with a 10k on Saturday and Duathlon on Sunday.  I've been peppering my Ironman prep with races here and there to keep the training interesting and hopefully get a deeper insight on how I react in race condition.

Monument 10k

This is a great race that has blown up to over 40,000 participants.  I had a 2hr 40min run scheduled for the weekend so I tried to get all of it in by running to the start of the 10k (4.5 miles), running the 10k, running back out to mile 2.5 of the course to hang out with a group of friends and then running almost all the way home.  When I got to a little less than 2 miles from the house I decided to throw in the towel.  My brother came and picked me up.  I had around 18 miles in the bag and wanted to have a decent day Sunday so I didn't want to push it anymore.

VA Duathlon

After my bro picked me up we headed out to the Du to pickup our packets.  I almost talked him into picking them up Sunday morning before the race but am extremely glad that he was persistent about riding out there because we had a chance to drive the bike course.  After going over the bike course I almost considered riding my mountain bike!  The majority of the course was back roads and there had been road work done in several places recovered with gravel.  At least one rider, that we know of, became victim of the gravel and suffered a broken nose and concussion.

We got there Sunday morning with about 10 minutes in transition.  I am at fault for this because I feel like I was dragging my feet getting ready and loading everything that morning.  This was my Bro's first duathlon and I feel bad because he didn't get a lot of time in transition, but we got everything set up and headed over to the starting line.

I started off hot on the first 5k.  My first mile was under 7 minutes, which is fast for me.  There was one hill heading out and one heading back.  I finished up in 22:26.  I was pretty happy with T1 in 36 seconds and nailed the fly mount; still get excited when I hit it just right.  

Throughout the bike my condition varied.  I would feel fast and powerful for a few minutes and then feel drained and slow for a few.  I just felt off.  I averaged 20.5 mph and finished up in 1:04:17.  I had one Accel gel (chocolate) around 45 min into the ride.  

I felt better on the last 5k than I did on the first even though I was a little slower.  I finished the run in 23:36. Overall time of 1:51:40.  I placed 2nd in my age group (30-34) and came in 47th out of 133 males.  

The Owl Trophy

My brother did awesome for his first Du! He finished in 2:06:49.  He hasn't had a lot of time on the road bike so for him to go out and average over 18 mph is great!  Once he gets down the transition and some more time on the bike he is going to be beast!

Brother coming in to the finish!

We hung around for a bit and enjoyed the barbecue lunch they had for us.   After the awards we grabbed our stuff out of transition and loaded up.  A good ride back to Richmond sipping on BASE Performance amino mix and chit-chatting on the day's events.

Team Photo

I can't wait to do a race with a full taper!  During the duathlon and the marathon I did a few weeks ago I had to keep telling myself, "this is for training, don't blow it all out here!"  Pace is going to be everything in the Ironman so I have to stay focused on running my race and not trying to hang with the pack.  

First Marathon...Unofficial

I had been considering doing the Shamrock Marathon earlier this year as kind of a training/preparation for Ironman St. George.  With the marathon being 7 weeks before the Ironman there was a lot of concern with recovering/potential injury.  I had opted out...until last Thursday.  I was doing a group run and was talking to someone about it and they said their friend was injured and wasn't able to run and I could probably have his bib. So with a little logistics I got in touch with them and had a friend pick up the bib from the expo.  I removed the chip from the bib because I didn't want to give him a "black eye" on his race results.  he was in Coral 1, which is the speed demons.

I had a 6hr ride & 45min recovery run scheduled for Saturday and a 2hr 40min run scheduled for Sunday.  So I shaved some time off the ride (cut it back to 4hrs 15min = 75 miles) and dropped the recovery run and did a swim instead.  I figured I could add that onto the Sunday scheduled run and go for the Marathon.

Shamrock is a flat course.  Very little elevation change.  Miles 1-9 were a little rough, trying to get into a groove.  I drank a lot of fluid the night before and that morning so I had a bathroom stop somewhere around mile 8 or 9.  Before I stopped for the port-o-potty I was just ahead of the 3:45 pacer.  I was able to catch back up with them around mile 11 and stayed ahead of them till mile 16.  Miles 16 to somewhere around 19 were desolate.  No cheering crowds, no scenery, just woods on both sides of the road.  I was running with the 3:45 pacer at this point.  At mile 20 I decided to back off and the 3:45 pacer started to slowly get farther and farther away.  20-26.2 was tough.  I tried to zone out but the pain keeps you present.  If I had to describe it, it's like doing squats and the second to last rep where your legs are burning and you know you only have one more in you...take that feeling and hold it for 6 miles.  The final mile I saw my friends and that always gives you a boost.  Finish time: 3:54:48.

Nutrition and fluid I felt good.  The night/morning before I had a few bottles of BASE electrolyte salt mix and other sport drinks.  I only drank Gatorade™ on the course, one cup starting at mile 6 and then bumped up to two cups at each station around 12, no cramps.  I had a peanut butter GU™ at 50 minutes, Accel™ gel at 1:30, Carb Boom™ around 2:05, some Twizzlers™ around 2:20, Accel™ gel with 20mg caffeine and 1/2 banana at 3:00.  Around mile 24.5 there was a group of spectators handing out cups of Guinness™ so I went for it.  I have to say that was a GREAT idea!  Tasted sooo good!  After the race I picked up my checked bag where I had 4 caps of the Base Performance Recovery Activator and washed them down with a "recovery" beverage.

Best part of the race...the after-party!

I'm really glad I did the Marathon before the Ironman.  I learned a LOT about myself and what to expect in less than 7 weeks.  Conditioning wise I felt great!  The legs were gone, though.  I stayed focus on form; good turnover and good foot striking.

Still Learning - Nutrition

Wrapping up my 11th week of training.  Less than 14 left till game time.  Endurance wise everything is looking good.  I'm battling a few minor injuries but manageable.  Luckily nothing has popped, snapped, torn, or broken and I hope to keep it that way.

Gotta Eat!!!

I've been seeing Dr. Green at Active Chiropractic for the mentioned injuries, which has helped TREMENDOUSLY!  Last week I brought up nutrition on race day and in training.  He had a few minutes to spare and started asking me questions about my current nutrition; what's my eating like now,  what have I ate on the morning of other races, what do I eat on long workouts, etc.?  When I told him I got the reaction that if he was drinking something he would have spit it out or choked.  I'm not eating enough...not even close!  The question was sparked from a previous conversation I had with another endurance athlete the night before who had pretty much the same reaction as Dr. Green.  

I'm 192 lbs. on a 5' 10" frame, which is not quiet the ideal body type of a competitive triathlete.  I sometime think I should just gain the weight and go Clydesdale but I'd rather go in the other direction.  With that in mind I was highly regulating my calorie intake, somewhere around < 3000 a day, besides the occasional splurge on a bag of pretzels or anything else that was in the way when I had a mad craving.  I was starting to think that I just couldn't control my eating, not that I was literally starving myself.  Some may think 3000 calories is a good intake, if not too much, when trying to loose weight which is true in some situations.  But when you put in a three hour bike ride and burn 1800 calories (according to my Garmin with heart rate monitor) that doesn't leave you with a whole lot.  So no wonder my weight came to a screeching halt, my body was holding on to everything it could get.  The most aggravating part about all this is I know better, I just got caught up in it.

Since last Tuesday I've been eating, eating...and eating.  The goal has been 600-800 calorie breakfast, lunch and dinners with 200-300 calorie snacks before, in-between and after.  Needless to say, any urges to splurge, binge, or overindulge have been vanquished.
Also, I've found a supplement line that I'm really happy with.  BASE Performance, founded by pro triathlete Chris Lieto, has a solid line of endurance supplements.  I did a post a year ago about amino acids and supplements and experimenting with different brands.  Well, I experimented with an abundance of brands, everything from your simple one-a-day to the "beast stack" and I'm sticking with BASE.

Back in college I worked at GNC and was a certified personal trainer so I've pretty much ingested everything sold over-the-counter that is said to make you bigger, stronger, recovery faster, etc.  The majority of products in your neighborhood vitamin store is filled with the "fad" products; the magical diet pill or crazy growth stack.  There are a few tried and true  supplement companies but you got to know what to look for.  A good documentary to watch that is an eye-opener, "Bigger Stronger Faster."  My advice, before you pop a pill or slam a shake do a little research on the product and company.
I like BASE because it's geared towards endurance athletes which is scarce in the supplement world.  The amino mix has a light flavor and is easy on the stomach.  I've had some that's been like drinking over-sugared Kool-Aid and that's not what I want on or after a hard workout.  The multivitamins have everything I need and are easy on the stomach, as well.  Since I've started taking BASE I've noticed an improvement in my training, especial long workouts.  For example, on my long rides I would start dying around 2 1/2 - 3 hours, feel drained and miserable.  I put in a 4 1/2 hour ride over the weekend, increased my speed from a previous 16.4 mph pace on my last 4+ hour ride to an 18 mph pace this time and still had some left in the tank! I'm sleeping better and having more energy through the day.  All in all, good stuff!
Another line of product that I found to work for me is Honey Stinger.  On long rides, for me, I need something more than gels.  Honey Stinger has waffles which tastes awesome, gives you some substance, organic and provide the energy you need...what more can you ask for!  They also have awesome protein bars in which they use whey protein (absorbed faster by the body than other proteins).

I'm approaching my third recovery week which I plan to take full advantage of.  I have almost everything in line for my race.  My brother and I are going out a week early to hangout and acclimate to the environment/altitude.  I rented a two bedroom condo that is less than five miles from the Ironman start; how lucky is that!!!   We are flying into Vegas and driving to St. George (about two hours), cheaper.  The only thing I have left is getting my bike out there.  

140.6 or Bust

Why St. George

The 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run has been my goal for almost two years so now it's time to do work!  I'm less than 20 weeks out from Ironman St. George.
Deciding which race to do was hard.  One thing that is crazy about Ironman events is the majority of them fill up quick (for example, Ironman New York 2012 sold out in 11 minutes).  Destination and the time of year is also a major factor.  I was thinking Arizona in November but was worried because that one sells out quick as well.  A few that don't fill up as fast are Louisville (known as the hottest race on the circuit because it's in the dead of summer), Cozumel, and St. George.  I went back and forth for a few days but finally bit the bullet and registered for St. George.  Now I'm less than 20 weeks out
St. George is said to be one of, if not, the hardest on the circuit.  The bike course will be interesting with up to 17% grades and 6000+ ft. elevation gain.  The run course is said to be THE hardest marathon, but for 2012 they have re-routed it so we'll see if it still holds the title.  One good thing is that it is one of the most beautiful courses and I'm sure I will have plenty of time to admire it over the 112 mile bike ride.

Another reason is I've always wanted to get out west so figured this would be the perfect opportunity.  St. George is also only two hours from Vegas which is great persuasion when trying to convince family and friends to come; they can drop me off, go gamble/catch a show for several hours and then come back and pick me up.

Preparation

Ironman St. George is scheduled to take place May 5th, which means winter training and the holidays.  I did Orlando 70.3 last May so I figured I could handle the winter training again even though I'm starting six weeks earlier.  Another one of my concerns is the elevation.  Richmond, VA is around 160 ft and St. George is around 2,600 ft. and the bike course goes up to 4,100 ft.  The only thing I can think to do is make a few weekend trips to the Blue Ridge Parkway for rides and runs.  I am also going to try and fly out to St. George the weekend before the race to adjust.
I picked up Matt Fitzgerald's "Essential Week-by-Week Training Guide" to develop my training plan.  In it are 10 levels of training plans for the full distance, from beginner to pro.  I am going to attempt to follow level 9 which consist of 11 workouts a week, putting in between 15-22 hours.  Seems a bit excessive but I figure I will miss a few workouts here and there so if I shoot for insane and fall short it will still be crazy.  I've learned to squeeze out every second of opportunity to get in my training so I think it will be manageable.

Where I'm at Now

Currently in my fifth week of training.  The first couple of weeks were a bit challenging, just as much mentally as physically.  I've only been out of triathlon training since the end of September but it was crazy how much I lost.  I was still running, lifting, and an occasional swim or bike.  The volume of training is just what dropped off, and I felt it!  But now I'm starting to get back in the swing of things.  I've been very fortunate so far with the awesome weather.  It's been perfect for running.
I've been doing all my bike workouts on the trainer because it saves time and it's almost dark when I get off work.  I don't mind doing the workouts on the trainer, actually kind of prefer it to riding outdoors.  You don't have to worry about getting run over or flat tires.
The holidays are a stressful time for most people and for me they have become a bit more cumbersome than I had anticipated.  Buying presents, traveling, planning time to meeting up with family and friends are all things I can usually manage but trying to do that and plug in 2+ hours of training a day is pushing it.  As much as I would like to curl up in a little ball of self-centered narcissism I know it's not the time.  It's really not as bad as I make it out to be.  Any stress that I do have I bring on myself.  Just need to quit sniveling and man up.  But that's my only gripe so I think I have it pretty good right now.

My Bro

Another thing I'm really excited about is my brother showing interest in triathlons.  He wants to complete a Half Ironman in 2012, think he's shooting for one in September.  He's currently following an Olympic training plan to get the feel of things.  I know it seems ambitious to shoot for a half your first year in triathlons but he's got tremendous drive and commitment so I think its definitely possible.

It's awesome working out with him because I get to seem him improve and I know how good that feels.  He's going through the obsessed stage where it's all you talk about, think about and want to do.  It's good to be around that because I feel like it gives me a little extra kick.  Plus he has lost over 40 pounds and is eating better.  

His biggest adversity is his job; he works on the railroad.  He works a lot of long hours and has to travel every so often.  Yet, he squeezes in every workout he can.  I'm super proud of him and plan on doing everything I can to help him reach his goal.  

Brother & I before 8k

OBX Triathlon Weekend

What a way to wrap up the season!  This race well exceeded my expectations.  Great shirts, good course, all three distances got medals, and good post race food.  Registration was about half of what an Ironman 70.3 event costs and, in my opinion, was just as good.  We were also lucky to have great weather.  There was an athlete cap for the half distance of 150 so it was small compared to the 2,000+ that is in an official Ironman 70.3 but this was kind of nice.  I believe there were 32 female finishers and 65 male finishers.

I want to give a big thank you to all the volunteers, event coordinators, OBSE, FS Series and sponsors for putting this event on and making it so enjoyable.  We couldn't have these awesome events without the time and effort everyone puts into them.  THANK YOU!!!

They did the half and Olympic distance on Saturday morning.  My buddy and I got there around 5:45.  He did the sprint distance, his first tri, on Sunday so a big congrats to him!  Water was 78 degrees, wetsuit legal!  This was my first race wearing my wetsuit so I was excited to see the amazing benefits I hear people raving about with wetsuits.  But when I got about 200 yards off the shore the excited was gone.  We swam in the sound and the water was a bit rough, at least more than anything I had ever experienced.  The swim was a triangle configuration and heading out to the first buoy was tough.  Heading to the second one got better and coming back in felt good.  The only issue on the way back to shore was the sun was right in your face which makes sighting a bit challenging.  My swim time was 36:03, over 3 minutes faster than my Orlando half race.

Trying to find my zipper cord but it's over my right shoulder

The bike was a 2x out and back course that was almost completely flat.  The only elevation was the bridge we had to cross.  This was my first race with the Louis Garneau aero helmet and Adamo saddle.  The saddle was amazingly comfortable.  One of the best investments I've made so far.  I felt good on the bike finishing in 2:44:53, averaging a little over 20 mph.  On my first lap before coming back over the bridge there was a section of the course where you could see the turn around from the end of another street.  Not looking over the map in detail like a good athlete should I started down that road until the volunteers were yelling and waving me to go back, loosing about a minute to this mistake.  There was some headwind heading out on the bridge but was nice coming back.  I had two Roctane  gels, two Accel gels, Gu mix in one water bottle and a Nuun tab in the other.  I try to space out the gels around 40 - 50 minutes apart and one about 10 minutes before I get back to transition.

The run was an out and back course that was flat as well.  The first two miles were the most challenge but that's to be expected.  I was contemplating on going sockless or not with the new Nike Free 3.0 V3.  I had actually set socks out in transition if I decided I wanted them but ended up going sockless.  I can honestly understand why people buy the same pair of running shoe over and over when they find one they like.  This is definitely one I will continue to buy.  I had one Roctane gel and one Accel gel on the run.  I've discovered that I cannot eat a lot on the run.  They had several aid stations with water, Heed, Hammer gels and cold towels.  I always try to stick with whatever sports drink they have to keep my sodium and electrolytes up.  Knock on wood, I have never had issues with cramps.  I finished my run in 2:03:32.  I really wanted to do a sub 2 hour half marathon but it didn't happen.  This was almost the exact same run time I had when I did the half in Orlando, only 5 seconds off.

My favorite, the post race ice bath

Overall I was happy with my performance, finish time was 5:28:01.  I won my age group and place 14th overall out of 65 males.  I beat my Orlando half time by 5 minutes.  Majority of that time was in the transitions.  Since the Orlando half I have learned to do the fly mount and dismount, go sockless, and a few other things that shave off a few seconds.  This made race #5, and I'm thinking the last one, for me this year with two half iron distances, one Olympic and two Xterras.  All in all it's been a good season.

Rockett's Tri Recap

So I've hung up the mountain bike and gotten back on the road.  I love doing the XTERRA races and plan on doing many more in the future but it's time to get after a few more road tris, Rockett's being the first, before the end of the season.

First off I would like to say thank you to all the volunteer's and race organizers/sponsors that make it happen.  We couldn't have these splendid acts of self-inflicted masochistic round-abouts if it wasn't for those wonderful people who give up their time, money, or both to make them happen.  With that being said, Rockett's was only my 2nd Olympic distance race that I've done.  I was pretty psyched about it because it's just a bit over a mile from my house.  It's nice doing a race on your home turf; the bike and run course was where I usually train.  This meant I got to get a little extra sleep and knew where everything was...sweet!

I rolled down to the race Sunday morning and got there just as transition opened.  I notice that I'm getting the pre-race jitters less and less each time.  I set up my transition and ventured around, talking with a few of the other athletes and checking out the transition exits/entrances.

NO SWIM CAPS!  Yup, the water was so damn hot, I heard 91-93 degrees, that swim caps were optional.  I'm so glad that I did the pre-swim last Friday because I have never swam in water that warm.  It's crazy how much swimming in hot water drains you.  I lined up on the far left of the course.  For some reason I've had a bad habit of starting in the middle leaving myself no way out.  Great choice!  Minimal contact with others.  I tried to keep it smooth and not push too hard because of the water temp.  Came out of the water with a time of 25:46.

T1 wasn't too bad either, just a long run to get to transition from the water.  Grabbed the bike and headed out, nailing my first fly mount, BOOM!  I felt really good on the bike but I didn't do as well as I expected, 1:07:26 which is an average of 22 mph.  Fly dismount into T2 and head out for the run.

I don't know what it is but it seems like every time I race in Richmond I blow it on the run..  It was hot but I've run in heat before.  It was an out and back run.  My time was 56:05, which outright stinks.  I've got to work on speed!!!

Overall I was happy with my finishing time, 2:32:13, since it was a 14 minute improvement from my first Olympic tri.  That is one thing I like seeing, drastic improvement.  My buddy Jeremy pointed this out to me and I had never considered it; the guys that have been out here for years are shooting for maybe a 1-5 minute improvement where I'm making 10-15 min improvements.  I have a long way to go before I'm running a sub 40 10k, but as long as I'm making improvements I'm going to keep gettin' after it!

Now it's time to get ready for one more long race, OBX half iron distance, which is 6 weeks away.  I'm looking forward to seeing if I make any improvements from my first half distance.