Wow, Did I Just Get Out of Shape That Fast?

Finding time or the strength to train as of late has been difficult to say the least. My routine of working out before work every morning is a thing of the past. Now, I'm struggling to put together a few consecutive hours of sleep just so I can function at work. We're into our 4th week now and things are slowly getting better. I am managing to run a couple of times a week before work, but nothing else goes on until the weekends. Even then, my weekend training is down to an hour and a half sessions.
It's been pretty tough watching my Ironman-forged six pack disappear behind the baked zitis, the casseroles, cookies, and other deeply fattening meals provided by friends and family. It's been great, don't get me wrong. I love to eat, but man it just hasn't been healthy. Luckily it's winter time and there aren't any races in sight, and there's no real need for me to be on top of my game.
BUT! Man, it's killing me not to be making some serious games in my fitness, much less taking steps back. So, what's a new dad going to do? Well, I'll tell you. He's going to check the calendar, and put a running race on the calendar that's what. January 9th, just over 1 month from today, there is a "Red Nose" 10 miler. I still have my endurance up for the long distance runs so no issues there, but I just haven't had the speed. This weekend I managed to get two 10 milers in. The plan each day was to run the first 5 miles at a comfortable pace and then turn around and negative split the second 5. Each one went well and overall it gave me hope. None of my splits were under 7 minute miles which is the eventual goal, but for where I am now I'll take it.
So, I'm not dead. I have some goals, and I'm going to fight like hell to find time to make them happen. Other than that, I am the happiest guy in the world with the cutest little girl in the world.

Kate Is Here!

It's only taken me a week and a half to get this up, but my baby girl arrived on 11/11 at a whopping 5 lb and 13oz. She's the cutest thing in the world, and I can't believe how much I love her. My wife did a wonderful job. I'm so proud of her and thankful for bringing Kate into our lives. Life has been different to say the least. Exercising is nearly a thing of past. Sleep is a rare and treasured commodity, but I couldn't be happier. We're both ready to get Kate into some kind of schedule. Until then, we'll enjoy every precious moment.

Running and the Waiting Game

"In that he didn't die at the finish line, he could have run faster" - Tim Noakes

Well Tim, after Sunday's run I don't know that I could agree with you. Although I think that I might be getting close to reaching my limits. I set out Sunday for my weekly long run in attempts to regain my lost speed at longer distance runs. Recap from last week: the plan was to run miles 1-8 at a 7:50 pace, then drop the hammer to see what I could do for the remaining 5.1 miles. This plan worked great in that I was able to drop my overall pace down to a 7:36 per mile with plenty still in the tank. This week the plan was to run miles 1-8 at a 7:36 and then see what I could do for the remaining 5.1. The first part went well, but I could tell a start difference in my breathing than the prior week. I just didn't have the same pop as before when I hit mile 8. Nonetheless, I did my best, but started noticing a little ache in my right quad. It really started bothering me at mile 11 and brought me to a halt .25 miles later. I stopped to stretch it out and to see if I could "walk it off." I never really felt better, but I was able to get moving again. My pace took a nose dive due to the quad issue, but also because I was reaching the upper limits of my aerobic capacity. I lumbered into the finish in 1:37:27 a 7:27 pace. Not bad considering my issues, but seriously I don't think I could have gone any faster. It's still off from where I feel my abilities lie, but for me right now I think it's a good indicator of what I'm able to do.
As for the waiting game, we're about a week and a half from the scheduled due date for my first child. Can't wait. It's like Christmas or 5:00 on Friday in that it feels like it will never get here.
Until then, I'm going to keep running (and swim and bike) as much as I can. I have a feeling those opportunities will be hard to come by soon enough.

Runner's High

Having such great weekends makes it really tough to return to work on Mondays, but I'll take it over the alternative. Saturday was a planned group ride out and back to Tannehill State Park. Prior to heading out the weather was fairly mild which made me reconsider taking extra layers and some knee warmers. Thankfully, "better safe than sorry" kept rolling through my head, and I brought the extra gear for as soon as we rolled out a nice little front moved in and dropped the temps and brought in some mist. I was shocked to see how the temps could drop over the course of the ride.
In the group were three girls, and honestly I would ride with these three girls any day for any type of training ride. They were in great shape and could pull their share of the load. It was great to see. The tempo stayed hot throughout the ride and we cruised into the parking lot covering the 56 mile loop with just over a 20 mph avg. Not bad for a ride that included some slow sections through town. This was definitely the hardest ride I'd been on since my IM and my legs totally felt it.
Sunday was the long run. I decided the run the Mercedes course downtown again to see if I could drop my time again. The plan was to run 7:50's until mile 8 and then drop the hammer. Mile 8 marks the high point of the 13.1 course so the remaining 5.1 miles are mentally and physically a snap. This plan worked really well as I was feeling fresh and ready to go when the 8th mile came. By mile 11, my spirits were soaring as I looked to see the pace hovering around 7:05. I was definitely experiencing the runner's high. I wrapped up the run at a 7:36 pace. It was a good run for me and one that I can build on.
One thing to note, I tried dissolving a power gel in water and keeping it on my fuel belt rather than having to suck on a packet mid-run. This seemed to work really well although the solution tasted a bit sweet. Will have to work on the gel to water ratio.
Next week's goal will be to run the first 8 miles at a 7:36 pace and drop the hammer from there. We'll see how it goes. You gotta have goals right?

Great Weather Weekend

Despite the colder than normal temps, this was the first weekend in FOREVER where it hasn't rained which made getting out imperative. Saturday morning, Dr. Nitrous and I started our planned "hard run" at the pre-dawn hour of 5:45 with full expectations that it would be daylight by the time we returned. We were hoping to be able to get on the bike and ride, but it was still dark when we finished. Not being crazy about riding in the dark, we had to wait until just after 7 before we could start. This was too cool.
Except for my snot machine working overtime throughout the ride, the route was enjoyable. I still don't have the sustainable speed, but I can still find good endurance over the course of the ride. But right now, I'm not looking to be fast.
Sunday, I met up with my good friend Lary, a newbie triathlete, to run the Mercedes 1/2 Marathon course in downtown Birmingham. My goal for this run was just to keep the pace around an 8:00 and enjoy the surroundings. I was happy to find this pace to be easier than expected. As I've mentioned, I haven't had many long distance runs under a 9:00 pace as I was training for IM. That's pretty embarrassing seeing it in print.
So, my plan is to continue working that pace down to a more respectable number. Lary had a great run. It's great to see such improvement in someone who is coming into their own as an athlete. He truly has come a long way. Can't wait to see what he can do in the future.

Who Needs a Goal?

The last 5 weeks since my IM race have been pretty uneventful as far as training goes. I guess that's the way I should have handled recovery anyway, but damn it sure is boring. With nothing on the calendar at all the remainder of the year, it's been difficult to make myself get out and get some work in. The "want to" has been there, but unless there's a "have to" certain responsibilities get in the way. I'm learning more and more that I need a goal. I need a carrot. There needs to be a reason for all of the training for me to really get after it. Trying to maintain a certain level of fitness just doesn't cut it.
I've been spending a bit more time in the gym these days. Getting back to basics and trying to add some muscle to my frame has been a fun process. After not having lifted much at all this year, every workout leaves me sore and feeling like a big ole sissy. As I'm bench pressing my 25 pound weights as many times as I can in one set, I look over to see the guy I used to be throwing down 3-4 reps with as big as a weight that he can find. These guys' routine of chest and triceps on Monday or back and biceps on Tuesday enable them to rest one muscle group while working on the other. This is no different than our approach to training. I see these guys with the huge biceps and well defined backs, but I have to ask, "What are you going to do with that"?
Then, as I rerack my weights after doing deadlifts, I look at myself and ask, "Ok, now what are you going to do with this." Right now, I don't have an answer. Right now the calendar is open and it's killing me!
So where do I go from here? I'm too broke from buying baby accessories to shell out $30 for a 5K or a late season duathlon. And there's really no way to tell whether or not I'll have time to fully train for an end of the year Marathon. What I can do is set small/short term goals that can be reasonably attained. A nice list of things to check off. So where to start? Well, I am embarrased to say, but tonight I will put my tri bike back together since I've yet to reassemble it since the flight home from Plymouth. I will hook it up to my trainer and tomorrow morning I have a goal of finishing disk 2 of the first season of 30 Rock. Now there's a goal I think I can live with. After that, who knows. I'll work that out over disc 3.

Let's Get Outdoors!

Wow, Birmingham has started cooling down, and I'm loving it. This is an old pic that I found among a stash of pictures I took on a hiking trip a few years ago in Jackson, WY. Actually, this may actually be in Idaho. Any way, it along with the change in temperatures here has really got me jonesing to get outdoors. Give me a campfire, good friends, and something to poke the fire with and I'm a happy camper.

I'm almost out of chances to do so. Our first child is 5 weeks out so I'm about to be out of free weekends. Here's hoping.

Rant

Yeah, I may draw some haters after this one, but I've ranted about this to two different people this week and I think it would be better served to throw it out on the blog-o-sphere and see what comes out of it.
I want to talk about the large number of people who decide to tackle the Ironman without being properly trained and prepared. This most recently came to mind while watching footage of IM Wisconsin and seeing the large # of people that weren't able to finish the 2.4 mile swim in 2 hours and 20 minutes. I don't think we should address abilities here, because all people have different speeds and abilities due to age, genetics, what have you. What I want to focus on is that when you decide to tackle the IM you need to decide ahead of time "am I healthy enough to attempt this" and "am I going to put in the required training to complete the race?" If you've answered these two questions, we won't see the mass of people still in the water after nearly 2.5 hours. Nor will we see the last guy they let finish the swim stumbling through T1 like a zombie. First and foremost, you have an obligation to your family and loved ones not to put yourself at risk of becoming the next statistic. It was scary to think that these people who had trouble walking were about to attempt to ride 112 miles and run a marathon.
Secondly, the WTC sanctioned IM races typically have anywhere from 1500 to 2500 slots and they all fill up within hours of opening up for registration. To race IMFL, you have to be there on race day to sign up for next year's race or there is a ZERO chance of getting a slot. (This will be fuel for the fire in a future post "Top Ten Reasons to Compete in Non-WTC Races") I have to get a little mad when I see all of these people who have taken one of these coveted slots waste their opportunity by being irresponsible in their training and assessing their abilities.
The typical athlete can spend anywhere from $3000-$5000 in training and travel expenses for an IM. (this includes all the supplements, tires, tubes, clothing airfare, hotel, rental car etc) Why would you want to waste that kind of money on an event that you haven't properly trained for or one that due to your abilities can't finish? I do believe that the IM is for everyone, not just for the elite, but I do think that with the opportunity comes a responsibility.
With that, I would suggest that all IM races, WTC and our beloved independent races, request that all applicants submit a Half IM result for proof that 1. they are healthy enough to compete and 2. they stand a good chance of finishing the race. I doubt this will ever happen since the race directors get their money whether you finish or not, but I think it would go a long way in making the races a little safer but also more accessible to others.

Plymouth Iron Distance Tri - The Run

Seeing the finish for the bike was heaven. I was an angry man coming in those last few miles on the bike, but I gotta tell you, it all went away as soon as I hit T2. I made a quickly changed into some clothes that I hadn't been peeing in for the last 5+ hours and put on my running shoes. I chose to run in the same tri shorts and top that I'd run all of my long runs in. For the most part all of my long runs in training were enjoyable so I was hoping mentally there would be a connection.

I was able to see two of my buddies waiting for in T2. My only words to them were, "well, I've swam 2.4 miles, biked 112, it only makes since now to run a marathon. Sounds like a great idea!" I was jesting a little, but I was forcing myself not to concentrate on the distance that lay ahead of me. I wanted to treat the run as just another training day. Slow and easy.

It took my garmin .8 miles before it linked up. I made the mistake of not turning it on while I was changing. Once I was able to check my pace I discovered I'd run the first mile in 7:48. Too fast. I slowed myself down to my planned 9 minute pace and started chugging along. Nutrition wise, I couldn't imagine having to consume any more gatorade or gels. The aid stations had plenty of both, but they also had bananas, coke, and water. I passed on the coke for moment and started throwing down the bananas and water. This tasted great.

The first 1/2 Mary was a breeze. My pace was dead on. Legs felt good, but I could tell that I was going to need to start taking in a gel or two. My energy was starting to drop and the bananas weren't tasting so good anymore. Around mile 18 I hit a gel and started implementing a run walk protocol. Run .75 and walk .25. This worked really well, but as with most participants it's the last 10K that gets you. This was where my run walk ratios kinda did a flip and my pace dropped considerably. I was still in good spirits and overall felt great. I was just bonking. I had started hitting coke, gels, and water at the aid stations, but couldn't replenish my energy. No worse for wear though, I hit mile 24 with a renewed sense of drive and decided that I would run the last two miles. I made the call to my legs, but no one was home. I called again and got a busy signal. I decided just to do what I could. I managed to run the majority of the last mile, but made sure that I slowed down enough to give everyone lining the finish line a high 5 and to thank God for the opportunity to race. Marathon time was 4:23. With a total IM time of 11:37.

The sense of accomplishment raised my energy level to a point that made it look like I might have dogged it during the race, but it was all adrenaline. I have to say that I gave it my all. I can't wait to give it a go again and see if I can improve. If not, so be it. I had the best time of my life during the race. I couldn't imagine a better way to end the year.

(the time on the clock shows the total time since the first wave start, not my time)

The Bike Portion - Sorry late post.

Well, let’s start with T1 first. Once I exited the water, there was a quarter mile (no lie) run to transition. Once there I actually took the time to sit down and carefully put my socks and shoes on. I tore my feet up in the last race that I did, and I wanted to make sure I would be comfortable for the next 112 miles. Transition time was a slow 3:30.
Once you leave transition, you head straight up a short hill and wind your way through downtown Plymouth. Within a mile or so, you take a quick turn off on to a country road that takes you out to Miles Standish State Park. The course itself includes a 6 mile section from transition to the park. Once inside the park, you complete a 25 mile loop four times. I had driven the course the day before so I knew that I would have my work cut out for me. The biggest issue, which I will continue to gripe about, was the condition of the roads. I guess it’s the New England winters that wreak havoc on the asphalt, but there were so many cracks/bumps and pot holes that it made staying in aero near impossible. Secondly, the wind that I mentioned before was still a force and would play a huge role in demoralizing everyone on the bike throughout the day. Everyone I came in contact with was just “blown away” with how hard they were having to work to go 15mph on a flat.
My goal for the ride was to average 19.5-20.0 mph. I did my best not to push it just because I felt good, but I did allow myself to go faster if I could keep my RPE down. This would prove beneficial when I had the wind at my back, but believe me it didn’t negate the wind’s effects. I started nutrition as planned within the first 10 miles and as prescribed starting eating ½ of a Cliff Bar every 10 miles after that. Although I had really done well with Cliff Bars in the past, they just didn’t sit right nor did they taste right. After a bar and a half, I decided to switch to gels which of course after a while I would get to where I couldn’t stand the taste of those either.
One thing of note, as I mentioned the road conditions were horrendous, and during the first lap I started noticing the flash of yellow that would indicate that a triathlon was in town. Yup, that’s right. I started seeing everyone’s aero drink sponges on the ground. The bumps were causing everyone to lose their sponges. I laughed to myself as I had decided against using one opting for the X-lab wing system. It was no longer than a few hundred yards after this that the bumps would have their way with my bottles too. That’s what I get for laughing. Luckily, I had a full bottle mounted to my frame. I could use it and grab more bottles as needed through the aid stations.
The first two laps of the course were fine. I was on track with my pace and I still felt relatively good. I started passing a few more people through some of the tougher sections. As the ride went on, I could tell I was going to be in trouble nutrition wise. I still had a gel to use, but didn’t want to take it. I took it in regardless as well as some salt tabs. I was never happier than when I started my fourth and final lap. I was so sick of the bumps and the wind. This fourth and final lap was miserable as well as the slowest. My mood was dropping along with my energy level. I wanted off the bike asap. At the beginning of the loop my avg was 19.6. When I left the park it was down to 19.3. I was bonking bad. Supposedly I only had 6 miles until the transition area, but my odometer read 108. This only made me madder and more disgruntled as I saw my mileage creep over the 112 mark. Was the course long??? Back in transition finally, I looked at my odometer, it read 114 plus some. I didn’t dwell on it. I’d completed the bike and it was under 6 hours. Race site gave me a split of 5:55, a 18.9 mph pace. Not what I wanted at all, but given the course I’ll take it. Just give me my shoes and let me run!

Plymouth Rock IDT - The Swim

The morning started at 3:30 am. I started off with 3 packs of Oatmeal and an Ensure Plus drink for a good source of calories. The drive in was dark and peaceful. The temp was high 50's/low 60's. This didn't feel cool at all until I arrived at the race site to discover a big wind blowing in from the harbor. I heard some say they expected 15 mph winds all day. That didn't sound like much, but I can tell you it felt like a lot. I actually looked forward to putting on my wetsuit so I could warm up.

They bused us half a mile up the road to the start of the swim. The swim started along beside a jetty which protects the boats in the harbor and as I would find, it protects triathletes as well. As non-chalently as I could imagine, the race director counted down from ten and said "go." I was expecting a bit more, but didn't sit and ponder it as I had an ironman in front of me.

The water closest to the jetty was a bit shallow, and I could see some guys off to my left actually walking. I found my rhythm fairly quickly and easily and sat in the middle of the pack. I had no idea of my pace, rather I just went with what felt right. Fifteen minutes later I would come to the end of the jetty and what began as a calm swim would become a tumultuous battle through the ups and downs of heavy waves pushing through. It almost felt like I was going backwards, but I made the turn around in just over 17 minutes. I headed back for the protection of the jetties being 1/4 of the way done. I hit the 1/2 way point in 35 minutes being spot on for my normal IM pace. I started feeling the effects and getting tired through the next section which was really evident when I passed the end of the jetty, but then it was time to head toward the finish which was the Mayflower II. I hit my watch as I crossed the mat and it read 1:08. Official results show 1:13, so who knows. Doesn't matter. I was finished with the swim, and it was time to ride.

Finished! I am an Ironman!

Short post today. Full race report to follow over the next couple of days. For now the biggest news is that I finished the Plymouth Rock Iron Distance Triathlon yesterday in time of 11:37:42. It was a great experience and one that I will cherish for a long time. Going to enjoy the next couple of days and work on recovery.

Tailwinds...

The Best Comic Strip EVER

2 Weeks Johnny!

Can't believe it, but I'm in the home stretch of 2 weeks to go before the Plymouth Iron Distance Race. The next two weeks will be tough for me to taper as much as I should. I've required so much of myself these 17-18 weeks that it's going to feel so odd to just sit and rest. Nonetheless, I will do my best.
There are so many things to think about and plan over the next two weeks. First of all, I've never flown with my bike so there's that. I do have a bike box so no worries there, but getting it there and putting it back together in tip top form will be worrisome. Second, flying with all the stuff I need to race. I use an aero helmet so I've decided just to carry it on with me on the plan. Should get plenty of odd looks. There's the nutrition side once I get there. Oi, I'm going to have to stay away from all that wonderful seafood prior to the race. I'll make up for it in the days after I assure you. I have started doing my research on restaurants so we won't have to decide on a restaurant based on what we stumble upon.
Lastly, there's the race itself. What's it going to feel like? How will by body take being out there that long? Will I get enough calories in?
So, there's my head right now. The training is done, and in that I will trust. All of the work has been completed. The race is just the celebration. Let's dance.

Why Triathletes Are Amazing

Alright, so you know that the World Championships are going on right now in Berlin right? Well you should. As someone who loves individual sports, I love seeing the specialists come out and do their thang. My mouth dropped open in awe at the power and the grace, yes grace, of the men in the hammer throw competition. The combination of speed, power, and footwork were amazing to watch. I'd love to give it a go.
The event of the night was the men's 10K where Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele was going for his 4th consecutive gold medal in the World Championships. If you didn't watch the race, Bekele made it look easy. He stayed on the pace setter's heel the entire race matching his stride and answering every surge made. With one lap to go Bekele turned on the gas and walked away from the rest of the field. With 100 yards to go he had a big enough lead to start pumping his fist and enjoy the moment. His time was a smoking 26:46 just 15 seconds or so off the world record. Not a bad run.
Now, rewind to Sunday's ITU race in Great Britain. The winner of the race and currently undefeated champion for 4 straight ITU races was Alistair Brownlee. Brownlee, a triathlete, finished the race with a strong, strong 28:43 10K run. Just 2 minutes behind 4 time world champion Bekele's 26:46 time. Not too bad for a non-specialists. Oh, and did I mention that prior to running the 28:43 10K that Brownlee had swam 1500 meters and biked 40K? I'd like to see what Bekele could do after doing all of that. There'd be no comparison. Triathletes are amazing. Be proud of what you do. What a great sport.

Three Weeks to Go!

As of today we're officially in the 3 week countdown to Ironman. These past two weeks have been killer long and hard. Last weekend featured a 6 hour ride of 120 miles which as luck would have it was done on one of the hotter days we've had all year. It's days like that where I'm thanking God that I'm heading north for this race. This ride definitely taught me to respect the distance of the race and to make sure to pace myself.
Yesterday was my last longish ride at 80 miles followed by an easy 50 minute run. Today was my last 20 miler on the run. The temps were on my side for both events and my legs showed it. Great leg strength with plenty of kick to pull it in and finish strong. I've had some doubts over the last couple of weeks, but it seems like everything is coming together and I'll be ready to go.
Funny thing though, the only injury I have right now still is that nagging sore ankle that only seems to bother me when I swim. It feels absolutely fine while running and riding. I'm going to forgo my Monday long swim and keep the yardage low. No since in messing it up more. I'm confident in my swim (wow, did I just say that? That's never happened)
All in all, can't be happier with where my training is and where my head is. Looking forward to having a blast and crossing the line. I'll definitely miss all the training and the time spent getting to push myself and see what I'm made of. Hopefully, there will be more of these in the future. If not, I'm so thankful to have this opportunity.
Tailwinds...

I'M GLAD MY WIFE DOESN'T LOVE ME FOR MY FEET

I found myself saying that to a friend at the gym this morning as I looked at my messed up feet. They’re quite ugly right now. They’re not gross in the “let’s get a culture and find out what’s growing on them” gross. Their issue more lies in the “this is the 16th week of IM training and they’re ready for a break.”
They’re problems started the weekend of the Heart O’ Dixie Oly distance tri. I typically race this distance and shorter races without socks, and this one was no exception. I did the whole leave the shoes on the bike thing for T1, so starting out on the bike portion I guess I failed to get my shoes tight enough on my feet. The result was a series of spots on the top side of each foot that was rubbed raw. I had spots on 3 of 5 toes, one spot just above them on my foot, and one spot closer to my ankle. Both feet were almost identical in their maladies. I didn’t feel them on the run, but once I stopped, Oi! Hurt city. So, three weeks later I still sport some really nice scars from the event.
Let’s continue: During my last few swim sessions I’ve started feeling a little soreness in my right ankle. It’s never bothered my while running so it could only be from the flexing of my foot with my kick. Am I kicking more than normal now? Dunno. I guess I am swimming more than ever. But the result starting last night was a slightly swollen ankle. Can’t explain it. It’s sore, but doesn’t really hurt.
Last thing to mention, and this is probably the worst. Did I mention that I have poison Ivy on both ankles now? Ughh! I can pick this stuff up just thinking about it (pause to scratch back of ear). I guess I picked this round up cutting grass on Saturday. It’s totally owning me right now.
So needless to say, my feet are pretty ugly right now. Scarred, swollen, with red itchy bumps. No foot modeling for me for a while I guess.

Update Time

Alright, sorry about the lack of posting, but I promise I've been keeping up with reading everyone else's lives, training, racing, etc. Wow, I wish I had some really cool thing going on right now to post about, but how do you talk about the doldrums of IM training. It's been pretty much the same story everyday/weekend. Get up before day break, head out for swim, or bike, or run, or a combination of some or all, and come home hours later. Yes, it has been a bit monotonous, but to tell you the truth I'm loving every bit of it. I can honestly say that I haven't dreaded one workout. Don't know why. I've definitely been there with other stuff that I've done.
Last weekend may have been the closest I've come to not enjoying a workout. It was my first scheduled century ride. I found myself at mile 36 not being too happy about being on the bike and wondering how I was going to find the mental strength to go the remaining 64. I decided at mile 44 I was just going to keep riding further away from the house so no matter what, I would have to ride home to ensure I finished the century. Things did turn around for me around mile 70 when I was able to get in the zone a bit and started enjoying the ride again. The last 20 miles were actually enjoyable and a bit of a victory ride. Half the good feelings were due to finding that I still had good strength in my legs. That along with over coming the mental war was very encouraging.
So over the last three weekends, I've gone for 18,18, and 20 mile runs. All were done in my smoking hot K-Swiss K-onas. Love em. In my previous pair of Nike Elites, after mile 9 or so I was having to deal with sweat soaked shoes that weighed 4 pounds a piece. Not so in the K-onas. The holes in the bottom of the shoes have helped my keep my shoes relatively dry and as light as when I started. So K-Swiss, you've got a believer here. I could always use a sponsor.
Not too much else to talk about. My lip is poked about a bit since Contador has taken the Yellow Jersey which pretty much ends Lance's chances. Had to see that one coming. It was a great effort, and hopefully it's not over. He's an incredible athlete and a smart rider. Can't count him out just yet.
Last but not least, tailwinds to you all.

Hot Days, Shoes, and Mileage

Wow, it's so dang hot here. Avoiding the 95 degree temps with 100% humidity is becoming increasingly difficult. It seems I can't leave early enough to get the miles in that are needed plus finish up before the heat becomes unbearable. I'm pounding water all day right now trying to keep my hydration up. Like most triathletes, I'm a sweater so I'm constantly weighing myself to see how much in fluids I've lost. It's not been pretty.
My latest dilemma has been the collection of sweat that builds up in my shoes. Other than having the smelliest shoes on the planet, it's a bit annoying to slosh around in sweat soaked shoes while running. That, and they are freaking heavy. So, I started looking around at some shoes that might help me out in that area. I'd heard that Zoot's shoes acted as a squeegee to remove sweat and water by pushing it through the sole of the shoe. I've read probably 10 reviews on these shoes and 8 or so we're all complaints. It was either, this shoes is crap, it gave me blisters, this shoe is worthless, it's already breaking down yada yada yada. My further research showed that the shoes are designed for heel strikers and not so much the fore foot strikers like myself. All the padding is in the rear of the shoe. The padding underneath the ball of the foot is very thin. So, this shoe wasn't going to work for me.
I checked out the Newton brand, but it didn't have any type of drainage system for sweat. I might as well have kept my Nike Elites. But all is not lost. I did find the K-Swiss K-ona. It's a 9oz stability shoe made for fore foot strikers and and and! it has holes in the souls for that all important sweat squeegee. YES! I found a killer deal on sidelineapparell.com for the shoes. Everywhere else had the shoes for $90+, but this site had them for $69.99 plus shipping. Not bad. I've yet to run in them so I'll have to give a report later.
As far as training goes, the mileage is up. I did 96 miles on Saturday and a 16 mile run on Sunday. The legs were a little sore, but I was still able to get my interval training in this morning. Optimism is high. Feeling good and strong. Just need to keep staying hydrated and well rest. Speaking of, it's off to bed. The 5:00 am swim comes early.

Alabama Sports Festival Tri

This weekend, the State of Alabama held their annual sports festival here in Birmingham which features sports of every imaginable genre. I decided to compete in the triathlon this year as for the first time in a while it was held within a 20 minute drive of my house. I mean, how can you not right?
It's a Sprint course featuring a 400 yd swim, 12.5 mile bike, and a 5k. Real short stuff. There was a kids race held prior to the adult race that pushed our race back further and further which caused my wave to start around 9:20. I knew the sun was going to play a factor. The heat from the past few days had heated the lake up to near bath water temps.
The race started in 3 waves, 29 and under, all the women, and then the 30 and older crew which included me. I could tell from looking at the buoys that the swim was a little longer than 400 yards. The last buoy had floated off course which made the swim closer to 500 yards. Once my wave started, I decided that I was just going to find my rhythm and stick to it. My swim suffered last week because I never found a rhythm and thus could never catch my breath. This week, I was moving right along. I was first out of the water in my wave which shocked the hell out of me. I'm not a swimmer.
Out on the bike I started pushing the pace. I knew that I had a good chance of winning my AG at this race, but I knew I would need to use my strength to the fullest. About a mile into the ride, this big tall German came stroking by me with such ease. I saw a 39 on his calf and knew I couldn't let him go. I kept him close and tried pull him in. He was quick and efficient, but the hills would be his downfall. We played cat and mouse on the hills and the descents until I was finally able to drop him on the last big climb. I was passed a mile or so later by a guy in his 40's. I knew who it was. He'd beaten me last week. He is a strong cyclists, but I knew I could get him on the run. My only hope was to keep him close. That proved to be difficult. Within a half mile of the turn around the leader came flying by followed not too closely by a few more. I started counting and saw that I was in 9th place without considering the time gap. The only person ahead of me from my wave was the 40 + year old.
The turn around was a simple 180 turn in the road. I slowed down to make the turn, but it wasn't enough. I hit the pavement. Fuuuuuuuudgggggge. But I didn't say "fudge." I didn't hit hard enough to do any damage other than a few scrapes on the bike and my body, so I jumped back on to make up any lost time.
I only caught glimpses of the 40 year old in front of me from there. I was still able to push a decent speed so I wasn't too worried. I was giving it all I had.
I don't know if he faltered on the bike or decided to check his email, but I caught up with the guy I was chasing in transition. I was quick enough to be on his heels on the way out. My goal was to run 6:40's or so, but I could find it. I was still on this guys heels so I knew we were both struggling. I saw the leader before the turn around. He only had a mile to go. Behind him were 6 guys from the first wave. I decided to push it at the turn around and passed the guy I'd been chasing. From there, I knew I had a good chance to improve my position. I chased down 2 more guys who looked rough. The heat was having it's way. I caught up to 3 more guys but never passed them. I didn't have enough time or the legs. I crossed the finish line strong and ready to find some shade.
When the results were posted, I saw myself sitting in third over all. 20 seconds out of 2nd. How about that? Not my fastest race, but I'll take it.
The next thing was to watch my friend Gary cross the finish line for his 4th Triathlon ever. He's come a long way and it was cool to see him finish.
Back to training for the long stuff. Tailwinds.

Alright, I can take a hint. I've learned my lesson

In my 6 years of cycling, I have only ridden without a spare tube three (3) times. Of those three times, I have flatted exactly twice. Last night became the third and hopefully final time that I left home without a spare.

So what is it with this luck. I wouldn't call it Karma. It's not like I thumbed my nose at the cycling gods or pissed on a picture of Lance Armstrong. It was simply a mistake. I'd packed my car the night before too include everything I'd need for the morning workout, everything I'd need to shower and dress for work at the Y, everything I'd need for the work day, and everything I'd need for the afternoon ride (minus my saddlebag of course).

So, with that in mind I can hopefully state that it will never happen again. At least that's what I had to promise my wife when she came to pick me up.

Buster Britton Sprint Tri Race Report

This weekend was the annual local sprint race in Birmingham. I was interested to see how I would do since my training has been so endurance focused rather than speed focused. It's a short race by all accounts. The distances are as such Swim 400, Bike 13, Run 3.1. I missed the race in 08, but my previous PR was in 07 when I finished in 1:09:03. All I wanted to do was beat that. I'd made a poor effort on the run that year so this year, I was going to see what I could do.

I may have mentioned this before, but I love racing by B and C races. There's no pressure. I sleep so much better the night before. I eat what I want, and overall I think I just enjoy them more. Let's see if we can figure out a way to make that happen for my A races.

In between pulling into the parking and picking up my race packet I ran into three people in my age group that weren't previously registered for the race. I knew all three were faster than me with one of them being capable of winning the whole thing. I found out that all three had shown up even though the race was sold out in hopes there would be some cancellations so they could race. Damn the luck. They all got in. Any hopes I had for placing went out the window. Now I could focus on racing without any pressure.

I knew the day before that the weather might play a factor in the day. The forecast called for a terrible thunderstorm north of where we were, but my fingers were crossed. But again, damn the luck. Lightning flashed and the rains came. The race was pushed back a bit, but not for long.

Swim - The swim ended up being a little shorter than 400 yards due to a buoy floating off course. I had seeded myself appropriately, but was disappointed to see a number of people ahead of me that had no business where they were. I'm not a good swimmer by any stretch of the imagination. I had no idea what they were thinking. The five second interval start made this more evident as the high seeds floundered in the water and blocked the route. After making my way around them and over them, I found myself out of rhythm and floundering myself. It may have been the ugliest swim of my life but I was out of the water in 4:50. I was 4 steps behind my buddy Colin who I knew could take me on the run. So I knew the next stage was key.

T1 - In 07, I had a dreadfully slow T1 time of 2:36. There's a short run from the beach and a long transition area that doesn't make things easier. This year, I made it out in 1:43. Colin was out about 10 seconds faster.

Bike - About a quarter mile into the bike, the rains came and did they ever. Having a shield on my aero helmet does not work when it's raining. The lens watered up on the inside so my vi son was limited to being able to see only shapes in front of me. If it had been legal I would have tossed the helmet off. It's an out and back course over some pretty good hills which quickly take you out of the saddle and pumping the peddles. It was frustrating to see that I never could catch my breath on the climbs. I finally caught Colin and did my best to drop him. I needed at least a minute on him to survive on the run. I made the turn around a poured it on. I passed one of the three guys in my age group whom I knew to be faster. He's a gifted athlete, and I knew he could run. I didn't have any real hopes of staying ahead of him. The rain soaked roads and quick turns kept me from pounding it too much which was a bit frustrating. I made it off the bike in a slow 36:25. Not where I wanted to be.

T2 - Short and sweet at :52.

Run - Just a short 5k to the finish. My legs felt good so I gave it a go. Much to my dismay, but as expected I was passed quickly by the guy in my age group. Not too far after him came my buddy Colin. I stuck with him for a while, but couldn't hold his pace. The out and back course in uphill going out and down hill coming back so I knew to save something for the second half kick. I found my stride at the turn around and laid it down. I crossed the finish line with a 20:39 5K and a total time of 1:03:39. A new PR for the course.

As expected in looking the results for my age group, the three guys who showed up that morning and registered for the race finished 1,2, and 3. I was 4th. Curses! I was 30 seconds off 3rd and 37 seconds off 2nd. No worries. As I said, they are gift athletes, good guys, and they deserve it.

Overall, I was very happy with my results. I had a blast and enjoyed trying to be fast for one day. Back to the slow twitch group I go.
Tailwinds...

Weekend at the Lake

Well summer has officially hit Birmingham, AL. While we have flirted with mild temps all spring, the humidity and heat have settled in and it's starting to get nasty. We've really been blessed so far this year with a lot of rain so it looks like their won't be any draught issues this year, but that only means that our humidity levels will stay a bit higher.
This past weekend, I spent some time with my parents up at beautiful lake Guntersville. We "roughed it" in their new camper that looks more like a condo on wheels. Any camper with two lazy boys and a flat screen TV is ok in my book. After a good meal on Friday night and a good nights rest, I was up and at 'em early Saturday morning before the heat became too oppressive. I found a nice rolling country road for my scheduled long run. I was looking forward to running through some empty farm land. It's odd how starting out keeping speed seemed to be impossible. I felt sluggish and weak. At a 9:43 pace I felt like I was trying way to hard. But something always clicks around 1.5 miles and I start to cruise. Ten miles later and I'm having to tell myself to slow down. Around 12 miles I ran back past the campgrounds and dropped my shirt off to cool down. Dad picked up his circa 1987 all steel framed walmart special and rode along beside me. I was still trying to keep my pace between 8:30-9:00 but Dad kept leaving me on the bike. Can't have that now can we? I picked up the pace and averaged around 7:30 for the next two miles. With a 1/2 mile to go, Dad challenged me to pick it up. I dropped the hammer to a 5:40 pace and cruised back in to the camp ground. It's nice to know that I still had good leg strength in the end. Now, if I can only manage that in an actual race.
After a big breakfast and some recovery, we headed out on the boat for a little fishing. I caught a few, but my Dad did all the damage. He's like a fishing voodoo man. It's crazy weird.
Sunday, my schedule called for a 4 hour ride. I typically like to do these ride with buddies, but I was on my own today. The plan was to keep it slow and easy, which was appreciated as I could feel some soreness in the legs from yesterday's run. The only downside of the day was finding out at the end of the ride that I need to start wearing sunscreen. My arms were baked! They still hurt. Due harsh sun last weekend wearing my tri jersey and the sun from this weekend wearing a roadie jersey I have some really odd looking tan lines.
This morning, I scored my longest swim to date at 2.2 miles. I felt like I could have finished those last few hundred yards, but I figured I would save it and not kill myself. I'd had a good weekend of workouts and was satisfied with that.
It's race week finally. There's a small local sprint tri that I will be training through this week. It'll be interesting to see how I do without tapering and with tired legs. Should be fun.
Tailwinds.

Grab Bag Special - Sheesh

Triathlon is expensive. I can almost hear the collective "duh" coming from the readers now. Yeah, everyone has felt the pain of the cash register from having to buy so much gear. Gear for three sports nonetheless that either has to be all carbon, wicking, or trans-fat free. Well, I'd once again lost my swim jammers and I'm tired of ruining tri shorts when swimming a pool with them. So I tried to be smart in my approach to buying my next set of jammers. I tried to be thrifty and save a few buck. So, I tried buying a grab bag pair of Jammers from TYR. Normally, these Jammers can cost upwards of $30. I found these for $19. Big discount right? So what I was expecting was something like this:

But was I got was something like this:

It comes complete with a pair of Ray Ban Sunglasses and a VHS tape of the first season of Miami Vice. I'm going to look so freaking Awesome! Totally.

Libertyman 70.3

Today I completed the first of three planned half iron training races. Dr. Nitrous volunteered his community pool for the base which is in Liberty Park, thus the Libertyman name. So, the idea was to treat this as any other race with a continuously running clock, transitions, and such. My purpose was use race this at my planned Ironman pace. I wanted to see how it felt and if I could do it.

If I could do it was the big question. As I mentioned before, my planned IM pace is 53 seconds per 50, 19.5 mph avg on the bike, and a 9:00 mile pace for the run. With typical transition times, this would put me finishing Libertyman in 5:30 which equals my best Half IM time (of the 2 I've done). Now, back to "If I could do it." My swim times are notoriously slow. I both races, my official times were around 43 minutes. My bike times were in the 20-20.5 range, and my runs were all death marches at 2:18 for the first and 1:58 for the second. Neither were at or below a 9:00 pace so I didn't know if I could keep that pace after the first two sports, but today I was going to give it a shot.

The forecast could not have been better. Low humidity and high of 85. Our race started at 6:00 so we'd finish early enough to beat the heat and keep the wives happy. So here goes:

1.2 Mile swim - The community pool did have black lines on the bottom to follow, but lacked ropes between the lanes. I discovered today that those ropes have two functions. The first is obvious, but the second is to keep the waves down. With three of us in the pool, it felt like an open water swim with all of the waves. As for the actual swim, no problems here. My weekly hour endurance swims paid off. I knocked out the swim in 35:07 with plenty of arm strength to spare. Not a bad start.

T1 - Admittedly I took my time here. 3:30. Not ideal, but I wasn't trying to be fast.

56 Mile Ride - The course was an out and back along a rolling course. I wore my intended race outfit and aero helmet for the ride. Both felt great. No issues with keeping myself in aero. Overall it felt great, but I was a bit bored honestly. I found myself, just wanting to get the ride over with. I didn't have a problem keeping pace and my nutrition was spot on. One half cliff bar ever 30 minutes. I rolled into transition in 2:46, an avg pace of 20.2.

T2 - A little faster here. I did take full advantage of no USAT rules for this race and grabbed my ipod. I had some Ironman Talk podcasts to work through.

13.1 mile - Legs felt great coming out of T2. I couldn't seem to run slower than a 7:30 pace for the first two miles without it feeling like I was crawling. I slowed my pace down because I knew there was no way I could maintain it and would only end up blowing up. The miles started knocking off pretty easily. Legs felt good, energy level was good, and stomach felt fine. Around mile 11 the miles started taking effect. I started noticing that my hip flexors were weakening and any size hill was starting to prove difficult to get over. The last mile was torture. I was ready to be finished, but physically I found it hard to lay the hammer down and finish strong. I crossed the line in 1:50.

So the total time for the 1st Annual Libertyman 70.3 was 5 hours and 16 minutes. A PR by 14 minutes. I'm pretty stoked about that. It's a real confidence booster that my training is going well. All those long slow endurance exercises are paying off. Now that I know my weaknesses, I can tweak my workouts to address them and hopefully make them stronger. Off to recover and gear up for next time.
Tail winds....

Back At It

Alright, wow, I've been a lousy blogger as of late. Not much to report about due to a rest week last week. It was a little boring, but I was able to put in some good easy training in. I did notice that I picked up a few pounds along the way. Probably not a bad thing right now. I definitely don't need to lose any weight so no worries.

This past weekend, my wife and I made it down to the beach for Memorial Day weekend. The weather cooperated well and we had a wonderful time. Now, I'm back at it again and ready to start back on my next training block.

This weekend is the first of 3 scheduled 70.3 training races. It'll be a pool swim which blows, but you have to play the hand you're dealt sometimes. All paces will be done at IM pace. It'll be good to practice patience on the bike above all. I'm a bit of a hammerhead on the bike, but I need to learn to save it for the run. I will also be nailing down my nutrition. It'll be interesting to see how I do going from solid foods on the bike to gels on the run. We'll see if that system works.

Overall, I will probably go into this race a bit tired. This week is pretty heavy, but tapering before Saturday is not an option since it's just training and not a race. Otherwise, I'm pretty stoked about putting the hours in and again reliving what it's like to suffer for 4 and a 1/2 hours. Just kidding, I'm shooting for 5:30.

One last thing, I've been caught in the rain several times in the past week on the bike and while running. No amount of airing out of my shoes has helped get this stank off of them. Washing running shoes really cuts down on the life of your shoes, so any body have any anti-stink cures?

Tail winds

Ironman Training Week 4

Well, looking ahead to my 4th week of IM training, and I see that I've finally hit a rest week. It's not something that I'm totally dreading which surprises me a bit. I've really enjoyed every minute of the training so far, but I think I could use the extra sleep. More on that in a bit, let's talk about this weekend.

I didn't know how my legs would hold up for the scheduled 3.5 hour ride on Saturday. I'd logged 24 miles of running during the week and some pretty hard days in the saddle including speed drills and intervals. As is typical fashion for me, the first few miles of the ride my legs feel tight and weak. The thought always goes through my head, "oh man, I'm not going to be able to finish this. It's going to suck." But, as the ride went on my legs fell into form and I started feeling stronger and ready to roll. This week's route is called the Prison Loop as it takes you past St. Claire County's own Correctional Facility. The route rolls through some really pretty farm land out in some of the more rural areas of town. I know you're probably thinking "Are there areas in Alabama that aren't rural?" There are one or two places, I promise. I was happy to find that my legs held strong throughout the ride. I'm getting a little more confident that I might actually be able to ride 112 miles. Mentally 3.5 hours is tough. What's 6 hours going to feel like?

For this ride, I tried eating 1/2 of a Cliff Bar every thirty minutes instead of a full bar every hour. This enabled me to keep my blood sugar up throughout the ride and at the same time kept me from dumping a bunch of food on my stomach all at once. The only foul up I had nutrition wise was losing an energy gel I'd attached to my saddle bag by a little strap. This would leave me a little lean on calories going into transition, but thankfully I found it had no effect on me. Once I made it back to the car, I downed a gel and headed out for a quick 30 minute run. Again the legs held and I was able to negative split the run. I was pretty pumped to see that my avg HR for the ride was on 135 on only 152 for the run. Given the pace I was holding, it's a sign that I'm gaining endurance.

Today I logged a 2 hour and 15 minute run. I kept with the game plan and stayed around a 9:00 per mile pace. It's terribly slow, but I sticking with it. My avg HR for the run was stupid low at 143. Wow. The 2:15 run flew by today despite the rainy conditions. I'm still making my way through the first year of Ironman Talk podcasts. I love those guys. Listening to these guys has been a huge boost for me mentally.

Now this week is where I rebuild and reload. It's my first rest week, so I'm going to try and make the most of it. I'm going to sleep in a bit more and will try and eat breakfast with my wife more. I've really missed that. At the end of the week I find myself going to the beach yet again. I'm really getting spoiled here. Next weekend is Memorial Day, so we're meeting my wife's family at the beach for the weekend. I'll be taking the bike of course, but I'll will also be taking my golf clubs and a lot of balls. My golf game has declined a bit since all my spare time is spent training. That's all for now. Tailwinds.

The Real Speed of a Bumble Bee

Tuesday afternoon, my buddy Dr. Nitrous and I head out for a ride. The good doctor showed up in a bright yellow jersey and a pair of grey and yellow tri shorts. He was looking like quite the fruit cake. I didn't give him too much of a hard time as we've all been there for those mid week rides where we're just trying to piece together exercise clothes between washings.
So we headed out and after a mile or so Dr. Nitrous was on the front with me staying on his back wheel getting full benefit of the draft. I looked between us and there was a bumble bee baring down on Dr. Nitrous. He was keeping pace too. I looked down and we were going 24 mph. Wow. That bee can move! I watched for a little while believing that the bee had to think that the big yellow blob in front of him was a big flower. He had to be thinking that he was going to make a big score. I yelled to the front to let the doctor know that there was a bee bearing down on him. He pushed the pace a little harder and the bee popped. I guess the Lactic Acid must have built up in his tiny wings and he could no longer keep pace. 26 mph did him in.

Being so impressed with the bee's speed led me to google "How fast can a bumble bee fly?". This is what I found. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_fast_can_a_bumble_bee_fly

This site states that the maximum speed of a bee is 20 mph. Ladies and gentlemen I provide you with proof that bees are much faster than stated. Either that or I have found the Usain Bolt of the bumble bee world. Here's the take home lesson: Whether it's 20 mph or 24 mph, you can't out run a bumble bee. Oh yeah, and don't dress like a flower you weirdo.

Ironman Training Week #3

Somewhere along the way I totally ditched writing about week two, but it was there I promise. Week #2 was partially spent out of town and partially spent at home trying to get the work in. Thursday, I learned a valuable lesson in intervals. I'd set out to do 4 repeats of an all out TT on a 4.5 mile road. Well, I made it through two of them before crying uncle. 4.5 miles is too long. At least for now it is. I need to shorten my intervals so that I can increase the amount of work I'm getting in.
This weekend I booked my longest ride ever. I set out with a my friend Tony and put in just under 75 miles in. I was stoked with the distance, but man I was toast.
This week it's more of the same. Monday, was an hour long endurance swim. The aftermath left me with a really sore right arm. I noticed it this morning while running as I was having trouble straightening it out fully. I think it's from touching the side of the pool when I make my turns. Admittedly, I don't know how to do flip turns. I've only started noticing the sore arms after my long swims. I will either have to learn to do flip turns which scare the crap out of me or I'll have to start touching the wall with my left hand which will only result in a sore left arm. Sounds like I just need to learn how to do flip turns.
This morning, I completed 8 miles of speed work. Loved it, but now I'm exhausted. I'm currently forcing food down my throat to refuel for this afternoons ride.
I have two days of speed work to do in the pool and two long endurance runs to do as well as my shortened interval session on the bike. As long as the weather holds up, I'm back in the saddle again for another long ride on Saturday. Should be 75 miles again, but will be on the Tri bike this weekend instead of the roadie. Sunday brings in my first 15 mile run. Nutrition is still a work in progress, but I like what I've done so far. Things are going well, and except for the sore arm the body is holding up. More later. Tailwinds...

Beach Training Day # 3

Alright so this post is a few days late, but I couldn't let the last day go without writing about it. Not that the day was spectacular, but just for record's sake.

Sunday was to be the last day at the beach which is always a sad event. The schedule called for a 2 hour easy run. As I mentioned before, all of my long runs will be at IM pace, 9 minute miles. I was dreading this run for no reason other than I thought that it would be mind numbingly boring. I left my ipod in Birmingham so I wouldn't be able to pass the time by listening to past podcasts from Ironman talk. Quick note: Ironman Talk is a great podcast put on by two Kiwi's with tons of experience. Both are great athletes in their own right, but one is a trainer and the other is a current top age group/semi pro competitor. Their "coach's corner" and "top 5" segments provide tons of useful information for the first timer.
Alright so back to the run. Nothing too crazy here. I only managed to hit a 9 minute average twice. The rest of the time I was fighting to slow down. Running slow really blows. I will say that at this pace, I've had no GI problems. Everything is working fine down there. My last two long runs have included potty stops. Thank God for clean restrooms at gas stations. I'm dreading the day that I'm forced to find a port-a-john at a construction site.
So I finished the run with just under 14 miles. Everything felt great. No foot, knee, hip, or back worries. The body is in good shape.
That afternoon, I flew to Atlanta for a few days with clients. This put me on a mandatory two days of rest, but now I'm back in town, rested up, and ready to go.

Beach Training Day 2

Scheduled for today was a 2.5 hour ride followed by a 15 minute run. The plan was to leave out around 6:00am to beat the heat, but a flat tire held me back a bit. After changing the tire, I made sure that my wife had her cell phone close by just in case. That was my only spare and it's no fun walking home in bike shoes.

The plan was to keep the mph close to 20. I didn't want to push it too hard. Time in the saddle was the goal. I was able to get access to the Naval Base in Pensacola. The guys at the guard shack had to figure that even though I looked weird in my aero helmet, there probably weren't too many places I could hide a dirty bomb in my spandex.

Along the back stretch, I rode past an old civil war fort which was really sweet, but the coolest thing had to be their cemetery. Across maybe 20 acres there were rows upon rows of white tombstones. A sobering reminder of just how many soldiers have lost their lives fighting for our country.

I made it back to the condo just as the sun was starting to burn through the clouds. 50 miles in the bag, and 15 minutes of running to go. The plan calls for an easy run, but I was feeling good so I took off at an aggressive pace. I managed to avg. 6:38 over the course and felt ready for more. I ended the run by jumping in the pool to cool off. Wow. What I wouldn't give to do this every day. For now, it's time to refuel and relax.

Beach Training Day 1

I discovered this morning that the pool our condo association rebuilt after Hurricane Ivan is almost 25 yards long from end to end. So while I usually have to give up swimming while at the beach, I was able to put in a good effort this morning before the pool was taken over by floats and screaming kids. While getting up at 6:00 am insured that there wouldn't be anyone watching me from their balcony, I did have one spectator in the form of a sand crab that had somehow found his way into the pool. I tried to get the poor guy out, but he took me only as a threat to his new found world and raised his pinchers to send a message.

After the swim, I took off for what was described in my training plan as an hour and 15 minute "recovery run". I really had no idea what that was supposed to look like. I'm already doing my long runs at an extremely slow pace, so should I run this slower? Well, I decided to just get the time in and not push it too hard. The run went well. I was glad to have started early because the sun was beginning to slip higher into the sky and warm up the day.

I made it back to the condo before my wife woke up which enabled me to get shower and get breakfast started. Today is her birthday so it was time to celebrate.

The rest of the day was spent either by the pool or on the beach. I finally finished reading Angels and Demons for the second time. Stoked about the upcoming movie. Now it's on to Pat Conroy's "The Water is Wide." Long ride tomorrow. It's time for bed.

Ironman Training - Week 1

After a boring recovery week following Powerman Alabama, I find myself looking at 19 weeks until my first Ironman. This week marks the first week in dedicated IM training and I'm so pumped to finally be here. Undoubtedly, this will be a journey that where I learn a lot about myself, but also learn A LOT about time management. Looking ahead at the schedule, I can already tell that I'm going to be having a few discussions with the wife over being gone so much. I've already made a mental note of making sure I'm "with her" when I'm with her. No zoning out. No taking the easy road and watching TV. Three and 1/2 years into marriage, we still consider ourselves "newlyweds" so I don't have all the experience in the world, but I think this is one I have right.
I started week 1 off a little early this Saturday. The plan was to do an easy paced 60 mile ride with a group then do a short run afterwards. Saturday had to be the first really hot day of the year as we saw temps reach a high of 88 degrees mid afternoon. The sky was clear as a bell and gorgeous. You could not have asked for a better day for riding. Our group of 7 headed out around 7:30 for ride. I started getting a little worried because my legs weren't feeling all that great after 12 miles into the ride. I kept my pulls short and tried to stay on target for an overall pace of 18 mph. The paceline was never 18. It stayed around 23+. One thing I really wanted to work on today was nutrition. I brought 2 cliff bars and 1 gel with me. The plan was to take in a cliff bar every 20 miles. Except that I am still fumbling around like a kid with all thumbs trying to get the packages open, the cliff bars worked just fine. Around mile 40 it hit me. My legs. They felt like I'd just gotten a fresh pair. I felt stronger than when I started. Where was this coming from. I hadn't done too many long rides so it couldn't have been my endurance kicking in. I'll have to mark it up to endorphins or common grace or something. I felt strong the rest of the way. I had no problems on our climbs and felt great all the way to the finish. I'll have to say, I think I've found my new energy bar. No gut issues, no problems with the energy level. I'm sold.
After the ride, I threw on my new Nike Elite 4's and headed off for a short run. The goal was just to test the legs for a couple of miles after the long ride. No issues. Felt great and had good legs. I did notice a tendency for my HR to jump up at the slightest incline. Will have to work on that.
Sunday is long run day. I'm slowly ramping my long runs back up, but instead of running with speed, I'm having to slow it down to IM pace. Oh this sucks. Looking ahead, I'd absolutely jump for joy if I'm able to run my IM marathon at a 9 minute pace. So, I'm going to train for it. So Sunday was a planned 1.5 hr run at a 9:00 pace. Zzzzzz. Oh, thank God for podcasts. Without the pain of running hard to keep me awake, I really struggle with long runs. I did it just fine, but I dread the coming weeks when I'll be out on the road for 2-3 hours plus chugging along at a 9:00 pace. I'm sure that pace will seem like I'm flying during the IM, but for now it's not so fun.
Here's what the rest of the week looks like:
Monday - 45 minute endurance swim
Tuesday - 7 miles of speed work, 1.5 hr bike
Wednesday - 3100 yards of swimming drills, 1:20 endurance ride on trainer
Thursday - Speed intervals on trainer 1.5 hrs
Friday - 3000 yards of speed work in pool, 1 hr recovery run
Saturday - 2.5 hr hard effort ride, 20 min easy Run
Sunday - 2 hr run at 9:00 pace.

Thankfully, I'll be doing the weekend's workouts at the beach. My wife turns 30 this week. Time to celebrate. Tailwinds...

Top 5 Things Learned From Sunday's Race

1. I love racing close to home. Nothing beats sleeping in your own bed the night before the race. Also, you can’t beat being able to race with your friends and local rivals. It’s all encouraging and gives you more motivation to do well.

2. My new bike position works well for me. I had made a few changes to my bike to make me a little more aero. The changes also put me in more of an aggressive position. I dropped my handle bars, raised my seat and moved it forward a bit, and narrowed my arm rests and aero bars. It’s very comfortable and much more aero. I had no problems with staying down and pushing the peddles this weekend. I was very encouraged by that.

3. I need to reevaluate my nutrition needs during a race. Ok, it’s simple math and it’s plain to see where I screwed up. I started the day with 3 packs of instant oatmeal which equals 510 calories. I had 1 20 ounce Gatorade before the event for 150 calories, two energy gels during the race for a total of 300 calories, and 20 ounces of Heed for 100 calories. This totaled 1060 calories. Most every athlete has 2000 calories stored as glucose, so for Saturday I had a total of 3060 calories at my disposal. After the race, my calories burned totaled 3860. I was in the hole 800 calories. That’s like a whole Big Mac. No wonder I couldn't run. I had nothing! I’m going to need to do a better job of eating before and during my races. (See future post on the wonderful treat that is the Cliff Bar)

4. I need to take in more salts during a race. I’m a sweater. Not the Christmas kind. The kind that gets me in trouble for dripping on the hardwoods in the house after a long run. Or any kind of run for that matter. The weather was a cool 60 something degrees and I still managed to sweat out enough electrolytes to give me a few cramps. I took in 3 electrolytes Saturday night and 3 on Sunday morning, but it wasn’t enough. I need to have some on the bike. Considering that summer is just around the corner and I do live in Alabama, I’m going to have to really be careful and take in the right amount to be able to replenish what I’m sweating out.

5. Recovery is hard. I can’t say that I haven’t felt any effects from Sunday’s race, but my legs aren’t really that sore. So my head is going, “well let’s go do something!” Not so fast. To get full benefit from the work I did during the race, I need to let my body recover this week by taking it easy. I want to get back at it soooo bad. I just need to remember, it’s going to a long season and I’m going to have plenty of chances to get after it. I need to enjoy these moments of rest.

Powerman Alabama - Official Race Report

Ah, race at last. This morning I completed my first multisport event of the year. I was pumped as I was tired of just competing in running events. Just get me on the bike please!

So the forecast was looking oh, not so good. Rain and thunderbangers were supposed to take away our day of fun, but luckily it held off and didn't effect the race at all. So here goes.

The race was held in Downtown Birmingham which is all of 5 miles from my front door. The course spread out over the city streets covering most of the northern section. The race included two laps around the 2.68 mile run course for a total of 5.32 miles and three laps around a 10.3 mile bike route for a total of just under 31 miles. This was all followed up with another 2 laps around the 2.68 mile course. Downtown B'ham is fairly flat with only a few small gradual hills so I knew the splits were going to be fast.

Run #1 My plan was to conserve, conserve, conserve. I didn't want to run my first 5+ miles too fast and ruin the rest of the race. This would prove to be mentally hard to do as my wave of 39 and under men took off like their pants were on fire. I looked around and some of guys pushing a 6:10 pace, and I was like what the heck are you doing bud? What the heck was I doing? I tempered it back to my planned pace of 6:45 and stuck with that. This put me behind all of these runners quite a bit, but I knew it was a long race and I'd have time to catch up. I finished Run # 1 in 35:41, a 6:41 pace.

T1 - lickity split - shoes, helmet, bike, go - 40 seconds

Bike - I wasn't too sure what to expect on the course. There were 25 + turns per 10.3 mile lap so I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to stay down in my aero bars. Come to find out, it wasn't going to be that hard. I was able to stay aero and maintain speed for all but a handle full of turns. There were three complete 180 degree turns which were actually pretty cool and one "windy as hell" bridge to cross. As for the ride, I felt great. The legs felt strong and I started mowing people down. I started looking for legs with my age group on them for added confidence. The one casualty was my bike computer. I hit a pot hole or something and the speedometer totally quick working. I still had my cadence so I based my pace on my effort and my cadence. I had no idea how fast or slow I was going. Turned out, I ended up with the 13th best bike split of the day at 23.1 mph. How bout them apples?

About to make the turn around and ditching a bottle

Run #2 - Bring on the pain. Well, whatever lead I had built on the bike, I knew that it was about to be challenged by the runners in this second run. I didn't know what I had in me, but we were about to find out. Mile 1 my mantra again was conserve, conserve, conserve. I ran it in 7:06, but I could tell troubling times were ahead. For the next 4.32 miles my mantra was just hang on and don't walk (repeat 2 times). I felt completely zapped and just couldn't find the energy to push any harder. With 2 blocks to go, I just wanted to be done and finish this thing. With a final run of 41:06 a 7:42 pace, I crossed the line. I didn't have enough in me to sprint the line, but I didn't care. I was toast.

Making the turn and not looking so hot.

Coming in for the finish.

I finished the race in 2:47:12 which was good enough for 5th in my A/G and 29th overall among the age groupers. Not a great complete performance, but probably a good indicator for where I am right now. Overall, I had a blast. There were some great athletes out there and it was great to mix it up with them. I've got a long way to go and a lot to learn. I was able to meet up with two buds who absolutely rocked the course today. David (1st pic) and Tony (2nd pic). David whipped my butt in all three parts today. As for Tony, he only won his (unnamed) age group by just under 5 minutes. Both of these guys are super strong and incredible guys.

One Week Out

I'm sitting one week out from Powerman Alabama which will be my first race of the season. I'm getting more excited about the prospects of putting it all out there and seeing how my fitness measures up. I've put the time in and feel good about where I am. The only real variable that I can't control will be the reaction of the other competitors to the race course. I've mentioned before that the course is basically a crit course. It's 3 laps of 10.3 miles with 25 turns per lap. Not the best course to cram in a bunch of triathletes/duathletes. Any way, I can't change it. I can only adapt and enjoy the race for what it is.

This has been a good week of training. I'll mention my two favorites of the week. The first was my longest swim to date. A 67 lap 1.9 mile swim which took me an hour on the nose to complete. I'd set my mind to swimming for an hour and decided that I would just take it easy and see what happened. I had a blast, although my back muscles were talking to me a bit on Friday.

Today I met up with a different group for a ride and a run. There were five of us in the group and I dare say that they were all incredible athletes. We had killer 40 mile ride out through the south of town. The pace was rockin and was always a challenge. It was good to ride with a group that pushes you to hold your own and keep the pace up. I finished up with a 5 mile run to simulate my goal pace for the race next week. I was dead on, but we'll see how I hold up after running 5 prior to the bike as well.

That's all for now. It's time to walk the wife and my dog. Tailwinds..

Just Another Day at the Beach

I'm writing from the sandy shores of Perdido Key, Fl which sits between Mobile, AL and Pensacola, Fl. My wife and I come down here a good bit given that we have a free place to stay (in-laws) and a short drive from the house (4 hrs). The sun is actually cooking it down here. My white skin is paying the price. I've had two good workouts so far with one more to go.
Yesterday, I did a easy 8 mile run trying to keep my HR around 145. I did something I don't normally do while I'm here, and that's sleep in. This pushed my run back to around 11 o'clock. I kept my shirt on all of 4 minutes before ditching it. So since I just mentioned that I was monitoring my HR, one could only deduce that I have a really cool bra strap tan line across my chest and back. Yeah, I'm cool.
Today, it was supposed to be a race simulation for Powerman. I was going to run 4, Bike 34, and run 4. One thing you should know about the beach; there's always a strong wind blowing and it always blows west. I didn't know how big of a factor it was going to play until the turn around point of my first run. I knew right then and there that the bike was going to be hell. I can keep a 6:40 pace during these runs pretty easily. I was doing just that until the 2 mile turn around. The wind stood me up and it was like I was running in quick sand. I struggled to keep a 7:15 pace on the way back. Not cool. So, T1 comes and goes, and I'm now on the bike. It's a nice flat road with a good 4 foot bike lane 17.5 miles plus down beach road. I did a race down this same road last year and averaged 23 mph over the course on the way down. I made it to the end of the 17.5 mile road this time and had averaged 26 mph and was barely sweating. I had been watching my RPE and cadence and was still pumping 26 mph. I'm not that good. I'm not that fast. I knew it was about to get ugly. I made the turn and oh my God! The wind! No matter how aero I got, I couldn't move the bike. It truly felt like I was going backwards.
I was truly struggling. It felt like a 17.5 mile hill. I tried to treat it that way getting out of the saddle every so often to push and stretch the legs. I tried getting into a Levi Leipheimer type aero position. Nothing worked. I ended up averaging 16 mph on the way back. What a difference. I was toast. Too toast to run.
My legs are still screaming and it's oh 8:15 at night. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. I'm doing 4 five mile time trials followed by a 5 mile pace run. I've enjoyed my time here, but I'm looking forward to giving my legs a rest. Much deserved.
Tailwinds....

The Schedule is Set - For the Most Part

Well, I've finally made a few decisions. It's tough trying to get a race schedule set when there's a wife, family members, and work involved, but I'm finally done. I think any way. I had nearly decided to back out of Powerman Alabama which is coming up on April 19th. I really wasn't happy with the course and felt that it was going to take away from the enjoyment of the race. Also, there was an Olympic/Intermediate distance race the next week down in Pensacola that could have replaced it. After finding out that we're planning a trip to the beach the following week, it just makes more since to stay in town the week of the Oly Race. Problem solved. I'm going to suck it up and do Powerman. Now, the only thing to do is to prepare for the thing.

The last time I raced Powerman (2007), I ran the 8K in 34 mins and some change. After the 50K bike, I ran the second 8K in 40 mins and a lot of change. I struggled. That's not going to happen this year. I have two workouts in the bank where my second run has consistently stayed right at the 7 min/mile pace. The first was a 3 mile R/ 30 mile B / 3 mile R. The second was a 4 mile R/1:05 B/ 4 mile R. Leg strength was great. Energy was there. Now I just need to stretch it out a bit more.

Despite an odd cold breeze here or there, Spring is here and is in full swing. The pollen has me a little stopped up which only seems to bother me while I'm swimming. Just another reason why I shouldn't swim right?

I have a shortened week here. I'm headed down to the beach late Thursday after work. Despite my wife's belief we're going to relax, I'm going to train. Flat roads, head winds, and fresh seafood, here I come.

First Weekend of Spring

My wife headed south to Mobile, AL on Thursday for the weekend to see her folks. I being the bread winner stayed behind to well, win the bread. I decided to make use of my new found freedom and mark the beginning of Spring with a big multisport weekend of training.
It all started on Thursday after work. I met up with Dr. Nitrous for some bike hill repeats on Bailey Rd. I had a 10 mile ride in before we hit the hill. The hill provides a steep side and a curvy longer side for two types of hill work. The plan was to go all out and attack the short steep side, ride down the curvy side, then go back up the curvy side in a seated position. This worked out great. We did three repeats then cooked it back to the start for a great work out.
Friday, I rested my legs and hit the pool for 4 500 yd time trials. The speed and endurance work has really improved my splits. My times are dropping to an almost reportable number.
Saturday was brick day. Dr. Nitrous and I met up with Team Hathorne himself for a 46 mile ride. Dr. Nitrous is gearing up for New Orleans 70.3 in a few weeks so his training is getting close to the taper phase. I spent the day on the Cervelo, my tri bike. Despite still have a fat trainer tire on the back wheel I felt incredible in the saddle and FAST! The changes I've made to my position on the bike is spot on. I'm more aero, but also feel like I'm getting more oomph out of my legs.
After the ride, the boys had to head out so I threw on the running shoes and took off. Legs felt great and energy was good. I've started training with Cliff Bars and I love em. I'm getting good energy and they're easy to chew on the bike. Anyway, the run was great. 5 miles at a 7:00 clip. I don't think I could've run much faster than that, but I was really encouraged with my leg strength and my energy. Big confidence booster.
Sunday - Recovery Ride. It was meant to be shared with a larger group, but I must have missed the memo cause nobody showed up. It's a group ride that I haven't ridden much, so I can't say that I've been in the loop. So I turned my focus to staying the small chain ring as much as possible and keeping my cadence in the 90's. Once again, the sun was out in full effect and made for a perfect day. I had 70ish degree weather from start to finish. I climbed to the top of Shades Mountain and rode the ridge out to the Ross Bridge area. Beautiful scenery and a great ride. I did 41 miles and came away with a bit of a sun burn on my arms, legs, and neck. Love it.
I'm really happy with the way my training is going right now. I'm ready to start turning some dials and seeing if I can get in peak shape now for the upcoming season.
Tailwinds...