#119 Saved by a Snickers

I better write a little about last week before this week is over…

I survived my first full week of an Ironman focused build however it came with its challenges. First, work was really busy, I had a potential client in town & a big presentation to give. The weather was beautiful/hot, temps in Seattle got in the mid 80’s. A holiday weekend that thankfully provided three days off in a row as well as a near miss with a car that turned into a hit & run accident. (I wasn’t the driver…I was the target)

Workout wise the volume & intensity was tough. Wednesday I had my first double run day, one long-ish run with intervals followed up with a shorter low intensity run. For the second run I did 20 minutes bare foot & found it surprisingly comfortable. I did it just to mix things up but there is some solid research that shows a little time running barefoot can be beneficial in building foot muscles & improving form.

Saturday morning I got a great open water swim in, I wish I could have saved it for a race rather than wasting it during training. (I seem to not have a ton of good swims in me, their really hit & miss)

Sunday was my long bike day, 4:30 then a :20 transition run. The first hour on the bike was pretty brutal, I didn’t feel like I had much in the tank & the long week was catching up with me. Once I hit two hours there were physical & mental improvements. A little past the half way mark I stopped to pick up a cold drink & a Snickers, I’ve got to say the Snickers had the needed sugar & calorie boost I needed. I made it home just two minutes shy of 4:30 & just over 80 miles. The run that followed the bike hurt but that wasn’t unexpected.

The majority of my training is done solo, there’s plenty of time to think to yourself while plugging through the miles. This weeks common theme was just how ridicules this amount of training is. Two workouts a day & around 20 hours a week is a little nuts but believe it or not I’m enjoying it. Here are a random collection of non-fitness byproducts that this level of training produce:

- More workouts start clothes that already stink than don’t

- I can blow snot rockets with deadly accuracy

- Drinking from a bike bottle feels more natural than a glass

- I have to shave odd growths off my feet

- There always seem to be a wet suit hanging in the shower

This is a list that I’m sure will continue to grow over the summer…

If your on twitter be sure to go to http://livestrongaction.org/avatar and get a livestrong wristband for your photo. Lance Armstrong is racing the tour again & raising money/awareness for cancer research.

50 days till Ironman Canada, my bike & run are feeling great, just hoping my swim starts coming around.

#118 Back in the Saddle

I had a fairly light training week after the race in Boise, the biggest workout was going to be a 4 hour ride on Saturday. Throughout the week I felt like I was bouncing back & in a good place physically. This all changed when I started feeling sick Friday evening. Saturday morning I bailed on my open water swim & slept in a little. After breakfast I headed out on the bike & didn’t make it too far & ended up sleeping from about 1pm on Sat till 10am Sun.

The crud ended up postponing what was going to be my first big Ironman build week & replaced it with another recovery week. I was told to keep my HR below 130 during training & to get a lot of sleep. After months of focused training two light weeks in a row felt really strange but needed to bounce back. This past weekend I was still on the 130 HR ceiling but as of today (Monday) I’ve been given the ok to increase effort throughout the week.

Now I start the build Ironman focused building, volume is going to increase as well as thinks like double run days. Jonathan (coach) says we’ll be putting the “grumpiness” factor to the test. The plan is to do two solid weeks followed by one lighter week to recover, this will be the M.O. till we get to a three week tapper. (I’ve already been warned that the tapper will still consist of lots of hard work)

As of tomorrow (Tuesday the 30th) Ironman Canada is 60 short days away…Still lots of work to be done!

#117 Boise 70.3 Race Report

Boise 70.3 race report…

I want to start by saying  this race was very well organized & executed. The race stacks the cards against its self with two separate transition areas, T1 was out at the lake & T2 was Downtown Boise, this sets the stage for a logistical nightmare. To add to it…the race was a unique afternoon start. Neither ended up to be an issue, the race director & volunteers did an amazing job.

A couple weeks out from the race the weather in the Northwest & Boise got unseasonably hot. Seattle was in the high 80’s/low 90’s & Boise was in the 90’s. The good news was this would make for a warm water temp but HOT bike & run with the afternoon start. To prepare I was getting in as much training as possible during the heat of the day. (As you read on you’ll find out this wasn’t needed in the end) In the weeks and days leading up to the race I was consuming a ton of water with electrolites, this proved to be a mistake, more about that later.

I was lucky to track down a great homestay in Boise for the weekend. Tom & Jodi welcomed me into their home, answered a ton of questions, carted me around AND cheered out on the course. They definitely had big part of making it such a great experience.  It was nice to show up by myself but instantly have friends & be welcomed into their triathlon community. Next weekend Tom is racing IMCDA & I’d say he’s prepared to leave there with his ticket to Kona…

I for one liked the 2:00 race start other than the amount of sitting around at T1 & that it gave time for the weather to turn to shit. I think a high noon start time would have been perfect.

I woke up at about 8am and ate a big bowl of oatmeal, banana & a cup of coffee. I packed another banana, a Nutella sandwich & a bottle with nuun, Carbo-pro & enduralites in it (300 or so Cal). At about 12:30 I had the sandwich & 1:45 drank the bottle. It felt like I had a full stomach but I wasn’t feeling stuffed or balloted.

Transitions for this race were “clean”, this means all the gear your going to put on is in a bag hanging off your bike & all the gear you take off goes into the same bag. (this way they can transport everything to one central location after the race) The bags and the long run from the lake to the bike did make for some longer than normal transition times.

In the week prior to the race I flatted 3 times on 2 different sets of wheels. While this should mean chances of flatting in the race were slim I had problems with one of my valves race day…

Swim

The pro’s went off at 2:00 with a lake that only had a ripple on it. My wave start was at 2:30, by the time we were in the water the wind had picked up & the ripple had turned to chop. This was by far the smoothest swim start I’ve ever had, contact was minimal. Getting to the first buoy was quick and easy, however the second buoy wasn’t so easy. I swam and swam and swam and never felt like I was on target or getting closer. Finally a kayak showed up to the group of swimers I was with & told us that buoy had broke loose in the wind and we were way off course. When the swims your weakness this isn’t good news. Not long after that my legs started cramping really bad. The cramps started in my calf then took over most my leg, at one point my thumbs were even cramped. For about half the swim I didn’t kick but I was determined to get through it. In what seemed like forever (because it was) I made it to the boat launch My goal for the swim was 33-35 minutes & I didn’t come close, I’m actually embarrassed with my swim time but I’ll post it anyways…

Swim Time 0:56:42

T1
Once on dry land my legs felt ok, up the  switchback boat ramp & to the wet suit strippers then to the bike.

T1 Time 0:03:08

Bike

On the bike I had two bottle with a similar mix to the one I had pre race. Each bottle had about 350 cal & my plan was one an hour with a little extra water out on the course.

Early in the bike sun

The first section of the bike was a long down hill then a long gradual uphill. I felt strong on the bike & made the decision that I’d push a little harder than planned to get some time back from the swim. About 15 minutes into the bike leg the weather quickly changed from sunshine to dark clouds, heavy rain & wind. There were portions on the bike that we were peddling through inches of standing water on the roads. I don’t think the water slowed my down too much but the wind sure did. The first half of the bike I had average of about 23 mph but due to the wind that dropped to about 21 mph by the end of the bike leg.

Majority of the bike RAIN

I was able to easily get all my nutrition down on the bike, which set me up for a good run. The final 10 miles of the bike were also down hill so my legs got a little break prior to have to run. Coming off the bike I was just as wet (or maybe more wet) than i was in the swim.

Bike Time 2:43:11

T2
The area for T2 was loooong and skinny. Before the race I checked out where my place was with a landmark, once I was in T2 I forgot the and mark and had to look at the numbers. Swapped shoes, grabbed a visor & headed out.

T2 Time 0:02:37

Run
One thing was surprising heading out on the run…I felt great. My cadence was high, back straight & stomach felt solid. The run consisted of two flat loops through a greenbelt. My plan was to skip the aid stations on the first look & alternate coke/water on the second loop.

It was cold & wet out on the run but that didn’t keep the spectators away, there were a ton of people out to cheer us on. The first loop went by pretty quick & I was happy with the pace. The coke on the second loop was welcomed, the calories & sugar provided a little boost. (maybe the boost was all in my head but I’ll take it) My pace stayed consistent for the second loop of the run & it went by faster than the first loop.

Crossing the finish line felt great, the only thing (other than my swim) I would have changed was having Harmony there at the finish.

Clock shows time from Pro start, not AG waves

Run Time 1:37:41

Overall Race Time 5:23:17 (PR by about 20 minutes)

276th out of 817

46th out of 186 in my age group

After the race I stumbled around a little, ate some pizza, collected my transition bags/bike then met  up with Tom & Jodi for a ride home.

Huge thank you’s go out to:

Tom & Jodi, you two were the best hosts, thank again for opening up your home for me.

Race Director, excellent job executing an event what had some challenges from the start. (Start time, two transition areas)

ALL the volunteers, you were amazing. Every interaction I had with the not-so-small army of volunteers was impressive. (Even when they were as soaking wet as I was)

I reviewed the outcome of the race with my coach & he was happy with the day. We spent a bit of time talking about what happened on the swim & I think the cramping may have been caused by…OVER HYDRATION, WTF! I’ll be ready to fight another day!

The pro race was amazing, it came down to a sprint at the end. Here’s a link to a great interview/recap of the race from the pro’s perspective.

Link to Idaho Statesman photo gallery here.

#116 Onion Man Race Report

For Memorial Day weekend Harmony, the dogs & I headed east to Walla Walla for the Onion Man Triathlon. We made it to town Saturday afternoon, first order of business was to head out to check out the lake & bike course. The lake looked small & warm, both good things in my book. The bike course has a reputation of being much harder than it looks, we drove the entire bike course & wondered where the reputation came from. One thing was for sure…it was much warmer on the East side of the mountains than I was used to in the Puget Sound.

Saturday evening was pretty mellow, dinner in town, a short run to get the blood in my legs moving & some coveted TV time. I slept like a log Saturday night.

Sunday (race day) morning we were up early & out of the hotel by 7am. It was WINDY out at the lake & transition was a little tricky to get set up due to being on a pretty good hill. (Bike didn’t really want to say on the transition rack)

Swim
The swim was at 9am start, this is a little on the late side which meant the run would be really warm. Coming into the race the swim was the part of the race I was looking most forward to in terms of seeing how I’ve progressed since last season. My goal was between 30 to 35 minutes. I know this isn’t all that fast for 1500m but the swim has always been my weakest part of the race. The start of the swim wasn’t too bad. On the way to the first turn I got kicked pretty good in the quad & elbowed in the eye. This triathlon swim was different than all my past ones, for the full length I was in the mix with other people. I caught onto a few feet to draft off of & even had a couple of people jump on mine for a bit.

Click on photos for a larger view

Lap 1 Swim Time 0:17:38 minutes
Total Swim Time 0:33:03

I’m happy with my overall swim time & most proud of my pace staying consistent.

T1
Exiting the water there was an uphill run to the transition area. As soon as I was running I could tell that the kick to the quad was going to give me some problems. As soon as I started stripping my wetsuit my quad totally seised in a cramp, it got even worse when I reached down to put my bike shoes on. The cramp was so bad I ended up having to sit my ass down for a second.

T1 Time 0:02:29

Bike
The first mile or so in the bike is downhill, technical & features some speed bumps. My nutrition plan for the race was one bottle with 1.5 tables of NUUN & 300 cal of Carbo-Pro. Going over the last set of speed bumps I launched my water bottle out of cage that was on my frame. (Note, I was not using a behind the seat hydration system. I actually launched the bottle off the frame.) My first though was to carry on without it but then I though of how warm it was going to be & better judgment set it…I went back for it.

This is what most of the bike course looked like

Once I was into the bike leg I started looking back for the boat anchor I had to be dragging! The reputation was correct, the first half of the bike was tough. It must have been a combination of a false flat & a consistent/steady head wind. I was peddling my ass off and only getting about a 18.5 mph average. I did take this opportunity to suck down most of my nutrition, I knew I was going to need it come the run. Once I got the the turnaround I lost the boat anchor & the wind was at my back. All the way back to transition I was comfortably in the mid to upper 20’s.

Bike Time 1:11:57

T2
Racked my bike, lost the helmet, changed my shoes & grabbed a visor…

Heading out on the run

T2 Time 0:00:58

Run
The start to the run was painful for about the first mile. My quad was really tight from the T1 cramping but it worked itself out pretty quick. My plan for the run was to settle into a comfortable pace & consistently build throughout the race. The run was hot & there wasn’t much shade to hide in. Luckily there seemed to be more water stations than I expected. I didn’t drink much but I did cool myself down with it. Nothing all that note worthy happened on the run, it was just one foot in front of the other for 10k!

Almost done!

Run Time 0:45:09 (About a 7:15 pace)

Overall Race Time 2:33:36 (PR by 18 minutes)

Harmony had her hands full with both dogs while I was out racing, She did an impressive job of watching the dogs, taking pictures & ringing the cow bell…THANK YOU!

Don't be fooled...

Overall the race was very well organized & executed. Its a challenging place to hold a race due to limitations of space but the RD & volunteers did a great job…Thank you!

After the race it was off to the hotel to shower, pack the car & hit the road.

My next race is just around the corner, Boise Half Ironman. This is going to be a tough one, the race is an afternoon start so I’m expecting high temperatures & a wind bike leg. Tomorrow I start a tough 10 day block of training then I’ll have a “lighter” week leading up to the Boise race.

#115 Killer Week

Last week was by far the toughest yet & a good taste of whats to come. My total number of hours training was just under 20. The hardest workout was on Saturday, 4 hours on the bike with a :30 transition run. The weather was beautiful, Josh & I met up at 10:30 then headed east. I had a long route in-mind that went out through Factoria, May Valley, into Issiquah, Redmond then backtracked through Renton & back to Capitol Hill. Josh hung in for about half the ride then he broke off & headed for home This was the first ride that I was using Carbo-Pro for fuel. I think this may be the ticket for sustained fuel without GI issues. For the first time I wasn’t starving on a long ride. Other than the last half an hour with a bunch of hills I was strong throughout & averaged a little over 19 miles an hour.

The transition run was another story…it hurt, it hurt really bad but I think that’s what its there for. As the training goes on throughout the summer they should start to get easier. (Or at least I sure as hell hope so) After four and a half hours of training I was dead.

Sunday I planned to get my first open water swim of the year in. Looking for the warmest water possible Josh, Lincon & I met at Green Lake to swim. I was looking forward to this to see if all the time in the pool was going to translate to the pool. All-in-all I felt strong & comfortable in the water. We swam right at a mile & it took about 35 minutes.

Sunday night I still had an hour run with some intervals that I had to force myself out the door to accomplish. Surprisingly I got the work done stronger than I expected.

Monday was a different story, I could feel the volume of the previous weeks work…

Memorial Day weekend Harmony & I are off to Walla Walla for the Onion Man Olympic Triathlon. The forecast is calling for sunshine & warm temperatures…cant wait.

As of today (5/21/09) Ironman Canada is 100 days away. Theres a LOT of work to be done in the next 100 days…