Christmas / New YearsTime!

It was a tough morning.  The alarm went off at 4:50 and I did not want to get out of bed and go to the pool.  I got up.  I went to the pool and I am glad I did.  I had a great workout!  I felt strong and smooth.  Swim workouts usually leave in a good mood but today was extra good.  No exact reason it just did.

It is that time of year where most of us have many distractions (aka things that get in the way of training).  It is hard to not get a little frustrated when things get in the way of training.  After all  this is very important to me.  It is important enough to spend money for coaching.  It is money I have available but lets face it, it could be spent in more "productive"ways.  I am old enough now that retirement is looming, so any dollar that does not go into the retirement fund should be justified carefully.  For the last 10 years or so it was money for the kids college.  Like most in the U.S. I work at a company that does not have a pension plan.  We have 401K's and some matching and I contribute to that but you can never be quite sure that you will have enough when I retire.  The word retire is also a relative term.  Retirement to me means not having a career oriented full time job.  When the time comes to retire I will probably still be employed at something.  Maybe work at the local gym.  It might be good a good image for a gym to have a few fit older people around.

Timing of workouts is also important.  So anything that disrupts the cycle is at best annoying.  It can be disruptive enough to alter your entire training schedule.  If a disruption occurs I contact my coach (e-mail or text) and he alters my schedule for the week.  In most cases this will alter subsequent training schedules.  Obviously this is why I pay for a coach.  I get a certain number of alterations to my schedule per week.  If I did not I could spend a lot less and buy a canned workout plan on the internet.  If I consistently have too many alterations I need to change my method of assessing my availability for the week (see an earlier post for this No rest from October ).

Whether timing or money the main source of frustration is my own selfishness.  I like doing this (training) and I want to do it on my schedule and the rest of the world will just have to live with it.  So this is some of my "tricks" for dealing with distractions:

1. Prioritize,  very difficult to do.  Triathlon is a big part of my life but it is not my entire life.  I do not earn my living with it.  It is not my family life.  Say it over and over and maybe it will make sense.
2. But, stick to your guns.  If you have things scheduled you should do them,  don't let friends, family TV, Giants games etc. deter you.  It can be very easy to be derailed.
3. 1.) and 2.) are obviously conflicts.  The best way to address the conflict is realistic scheduling.  This is definitely where a coach comes in handy.
4. Let everyone know what is going on.  I have found that people are very understanding when you take on something like training for ironman.  It does not have to be just a physical goal.   Many people my age return to school part time.  I cannot ask a friend to miss an exam or a class.  Same goes for a musician preparing for a big show.

All of this sounds great but conflicts will still occur.  They are inevitable,  as they say, if it was easy everyone would do it.

P.S.  I started this post just before Christmas and got distracted by all the Holiday stuff.

Big Day ahead

Who is the genius that decided to air the Kona Tri and the Army Navy game at the same time?   Thank goodness for DVR.  The Kona coverage is a recorded summary of the event.  The event was last month.  So I will record it and watch Army Navy live.

TV, live or recorded is not why it is a big day.  It is the Playtri club workout that makes it a big day.  First a swim workout at SMU, then a bike work out and then a run.  The bike and run are at the Playtri )Performance center Playtri Performance center .  I love these long workouts.  It is a great way to push yourself.

I also get extra attention for the coaches.  It is a time to assess your technique and ask questions as well.  So I got to get going to be ready at 9:00 am

After the workout back home and Army Navy!

And it goes on.

I was rereading my last entry and for all its brevity it seem to portray a lot of confusion. It seemed like a cry in the wilderness.  Help! Help! I am lost.  I am a little boy and I need my mommy.

Well, not really.

A little reality, first and foremost it is a sizable endeavor.  No one wakes up one day and decides to do an Ironman that day.  You do not become a professional musician in a day.  You do not go from your learners permit to Formula 1 in a 24 hour period.  Second, I have a coach I trust.  It goes without saying that this is very very important.  With such an important task it is reassuring to to have guidance and trusted counsel.

David has been and is a great coach ( http://www.playtri.com/david ) .  One thing I have learned is that no coach is a mind reader.  It is important to let him know what is going on, physically and mentally.  He can then adjust workouts.  It is not just an "injury report".   It is important to let him know if your workouts have deviated from "normal".  Did I feel unusually sluggish on my run?  Did my hill work out on the bike seem tougher than it should.  These could be signs of over training and not enough recovery time.  I should also let him know when things are going better than normal.  This could be an indication of Well timed rest and recovery.  Sometimes I let him know that everything is moving along just fine.

One thing is using him (or her) as a motivator.  This one I am not sure about.  After all I am a 50 year old adult male.  Do I really need to be motivated.  Yes I, as much as anyone else need my but kick from time to time.  Overall I have a pretty good understanding of what I am getting into.  Will I have low points during the year?  Of course I will but you would think that I would be able to work through these.

We will see.

The long Road ahead

Let me see, it is November 23rd 2011 and my big race is on August 26th 2012.  So that is 7(days left in November)+31(days in December)+31(days in January)+29(days in February(its leap year))+31(March)+30(April)+31(May)+30(June)+31(July)+26(days in August 26th)=

                                                                             276
Two hundred and seventy six days until Ironman Louisville (that is assuming I added correctly).  276 days is a long time to focus and look ahead.  It is hard to to envision that far ahead.  There is a lot going on between now and  then.  Christmas, New Years, college football bowl games  to name a few.  Not to mention work and other family commitments and all the other things that come my way.

Usually when something is big, you address it by breaking it into smaller pieces.  These pieces present achievable goals and milestones.  So how do you break down 276 days of training?  Believe it or not there is research on this very subject.

The basic phases are: Base, Build, Peak and Taper.  These may be presented in slightly different names.  In base phase overall cardio is the main goal.  So long slow workouts are the norm.  In the build phase speed and power.  Peak; maintain fitness.  Finally taper, rest and re energize.

The timing on these vary depending on the race you are preparing for.  Usually the base is the longest followed by the build then the peak and finally the taper.  So since I am 200 + days from my race I assume that I am in the base phase.

Regardless,  it will take some doing over the next couple of weeks to focus.  Then again why should I?  Given the time frame would it do any good to focus intensely on the race.  Maybe it would be better to focus on the present and take care of the tasks at hand.  The training equivalent of watching your pennies and letting the dollars look after themselves.

It is all crystal clear now!

Why do I do this?  Triathlons, I mean. 

Let me see the sense of accomplishment, nice but I can get that with other endeavors.  Become fit and healthy. I do not need competition to do that.  I can train, eat and rest as I am now but not compete.  No denying that I would become healthy and strong and no race fees.  The fellowship, Yah right.  Anyone who knows me sees the humor in that.

So what drives me to train, to sacrifice, and to endure?

It is a hard enough question to face let alone answer.  It is hard to look deep inside deep into our internal mechanisms.  What binds me what drives me.  What makes me get up in the cold and face 3-4 hours on the bike?  Or it has me up at 4:45 am to make it to the pool for a 1 hour swim before work.  Instead of burgers and fries its lean chicken and salad.  Man I love cheese burgers (5 guys the best).  The DVR certainly allows me the joy of keeping up with a few shows (NCIS, Hawaii 5-0, and Modern Family).

Self awareness is disturbing.  I do not see how one looks deep inside without questioning everything you feel and experience.  By questioning your deepest thoughts, are motivations, your confidence can take quite a beating.

Why should your confidence be any different than your physical body?  I put my body through its paces, to make it stronger.  Why should my confidence be any different?  Why not strain your confidence.  If you give it a workout now and then won’t it get stronger?   Also like our physical bodies we should give it proper rest as well.  Wow to think we can periodize our confidence workouts?

Well back to the task at hand.  Why do I do it?  Sitting here in the airport you get some time muse about these kind of things.  As long as the jerk a couple seats over would settle down.  In the few minutes he has been here I have overheard his loud phone conversation, Pal I do not really care to hear about your relative’s trial and impending incarceration.   I also like your ipad but not enough to listen the loud movie you are watching.  The 5 minute discourse on the merits of an aisle seat could have been just between you and your buddy and not shared with the entire gate.

I am going to have find that guy and thank him.  Without him I would not have realized one of the greatest enjoyments I have in my triathlon life.  That is a complete and utter void of BS!  This is especially evident on race day.  There are so many things to focus on. I have no time for my own BS let alone anyone else’s.  Let’s face it an Ironman is dangerous enough when you are focused.  A lose of focus can be disastrous.  A bike crash is just one example of what can happen.  A crash comes suddenly and its impact can be catastrophic.  Equally dangerous are the things that sneak up on you.  Dehydration for example, slowly depleting your body of a vital resource can lead to a degradation of health that can result in a hospitalization.  The ramifications could be many times greater than a bike crash.

I seriously doubt that this joy of focus comes to many of use in many different ways.  Not just athletically, I am sure a musician feels the same as I do about playing a difficult piece.  I am sure an actor playing a difficult role has an equal intolerance for BS.

Focus is an interesting concept.  Is it a concept?  Is it a state of mind?  I think it is as much an attitude as anything.  Whatever it is it sure does not come easy.  That is especially true for me.  From forgetting gear to not following my race plans (that are given to me and laid out in a very straight forward manner) focus is still elusive.  I still have more to work on.

Whether focus or confidence they make up the mental aspects of Triathlons.  There have been books written on the mental aspects of sports and some specific ones regarding triathlons.  Really though what are the mental aspects of any sport?  Are they not just the non physical aspects of training and racing?

If they are that simple then we should be able to train them as well.  More to come....

Resting is just as tough!!!

It is Friday after Sunday's 70.3.  I was instructed by my coach not to workout this week.  It sounds great; for the first couple of days.  Then you start to get the itch.  You look outside and imagine yourself out on a run.  The weather doesn't matter.  In fact the worse the weather the better.  Last night it was cold and wet.  I could see myself getting the long running pants on and my running shell.  I would head out into the nasty weather with light gloves and a loose knit cap.

Or maybe it is a crisp Saturday Morning, my helmet is strapped on and I am beginning a 60 mile 3 hour ride.  At first the cold air bites your knuckles.  As you warm up your ride becomes smooth and comfortable.  The sun gets bright and you get warmer still.  You unzip the top of your riding jacket and cool air rushes in.  Leaning forward on your aeros the quiet of the morning touches your soul.  You are no longer a human form with legs pumping.  The bike and you have a united purpose, to cut the wind, to smooth out the bumps on the road.  You and the bike are moving straight and true.   The only sound is a light steady hum.  It's that noise your tires make as each square millimeter of surface area quickly touches and releases the road as the wheel turns.

The miles roll on now.  Almost effortlessly the minutes tick by.  Your cadence has not wavered one bit.  Its warmer and the sun is getting higher in the sky.  The sun reflects off many of the surfaces around you.  you feel as you could go on forever.

Oh so how difficult it is to rest!!!!!!!!

Race day is over!

It is all over now.  The final race of the season is done.  I could blabber on philosophically about many aspects of the day, the race, the finish line but I think it is best to leave those for later posts.  Lets just focus on the details and mechanics of the race.

It was a gorgeous Austin morning.  Not too cold, mid 60's maybe.  My wife dropped me off at T2 and I immediately  headed for the port-o-potty.  Time to evac the GI track (about the nicest non clinical way to put it).  I went directly to the bus that took us to the lake and the swim start.  Split Transition areas always present unique issues.  The most obvious is having the right gear at the right place.  No use having your bike helmet in T2 ( the place where you stop your bike and start the run).

The race end and the swim area were only about a 2 miles apart.  The swim area had limited parking.  The race finish area had ample parking.  So everyone (participants and spectators) parked at the finish are and where bused to the swim start.  After the swim us participants went to T1 got our bikes and headed out and onto the bike course.  Spectators ether walked or took the buses back to the finish area.


THE SWIM

Got into the water a couple of minutes before the start time.  I immediately moved to the far right buoy.  It is good to start on the far side of the group.  As the field strings out you simply move into your place.  The faster swimmers will move ahead of you and the slower ones will be behind you.  By starting on the side you avoid the melee in the middle of the pack.  I used to start in the middle and get caught in the confusion.  i would then swim to the side and then find my way in the pack.  So when I was taught to start on the side it made sense to me.  Instead of starting in the middle and swimming to the side and then back into the middle, I just start on the side and swim into the middle.

My start went very well as the group thinned out I slowly moved from the far right of the pack and into a nice spot behind a group of about 3 swimmers.  I picked one that was going at a steady pace and stayed on his feet.  Only had a few hiccups during the entire swim.  The first occurred when we encountered the slow swimmers from the heat the started before use.  This happened about 300 yards in.  I lost sight of my draft for a moment or 2 as we passed through the slower group.  As we cleared the group I located my draft and continued along.  I lost him again only a couple of times but quickly recovered.

Then with about 200 yards remaining I lost him.  Totally!  I have developed techniques for "looking around".  Turning my head slightly and sighting to the front, rotating my hips a little more and looking under my left arm to see behind me are a few.  He was nowhere to be seen.  He had disappeared so suddenly that I thought he had drowned (I did not here a report of a drowning).  Only 200 hundred yards left,  I just picked up another draft and followed him.

Swim time 38:18  25th best in my age group

BIKE

The plan for the bike was a very low heart rate.  That meant keeping my HR under 140 beats per minute.  The lower the better.  This would result in a slower bike time than I have done in the past.  In fact it was my slowest bike split at the 70.3 distance.  Even at that I still finished in the upper half of my age group.  I started to think about Louisville and the 140.3 distance.  It was evident that my race strategy that my coach gave me was focused to the full ironman distance ( the strategy was very different from any other 70.3).  I started to think about how I would feel if this was a full ironman.  For example at the 20 mile mark, you are a little over a third of the way done a 70.3 (bile leg 56 miles), but only one sixth of an ironman (bike leg 112 miles).  I imagined how I would feel with still having 92 miles of biking yet to do.  Needless to say it was quite a shock!

I continued this throughout the bike leg.  At 30 miles; more than halfway!  Ironman only a quarter of the way.  50 miles almost finished, Ironman not even half way.  I realized that I was comfortably consuming mile after mile.  At the lower heart rate I was not breathing heavy.  I still felt strong, mentally as well as physically.  I realize that I have work to do (a lot of work) to prepare for Louisville next year but felling strong on the bike was a big confidence boost.  The mental workout I gave my self on the bike was the very best part of the entire race

Bike time 3:08:41  48th in my age group

RUN

Hot, Hot, Hot!  The plan on the run was to start at a very low Heart rate and build throughout.  Problem was,  I could not get it down.  I was supposed to be around 125 beats per minute.  I could not get it below 135.  I felt quite comfortable so I held it steady.  The route had a couple of hills and my HR elevated as I went up and fell as I went down.  So nothing really special here, I kept to the nutrition strategy except for the addition of more "natural" foods.  My run nutrition called for gels every 3 miles (basically at every water station).  I find that my body reacts much better if I add oranges every 2 or 3 stations.

The strategy also called for an all out effort on the last 3 miles.  So at mile 10 I started to ramp up a little. I brought the HR up slowly 140 then 145 then 150.  I paced off some of the faster runners.  As one passed me I ran with them untill I caught up to a person walking.  Sometimes this was only 5 or 6 steps, sometimes it was 30 or 40.  the last mile was an all out effort.  It was great crossing the finish line!

Run time 2:34:06 50th in age group

Over all I was very satisfied with the race.  I followed my strategy, adapted when neccesary and began to prepare my self for Louisville next year!

Twas The Evening Before...

I figured I would steal this post's title from my daughter's blog. http://ambitionsontherun.blogspot.com/2011/10/twas-evening-before.html#comment-form

It is actually the morning before and I feel pretty relaxed (for now).  We got into Austin last night and it was a very smooth uneventful trip.  I took advantage of this and dumped my gear in the room (bike included) had dinner and relaxed and went to bed.  No gear check, no inventory, no preparations just eat, relax and sleep.  Sleep and rest is as important as exercise.  This is the time your body recovers and rebuilds (see the earlier post about periodization).

Dinner last night was fairly liberal as compared to my normal diet.  36 Hours before a race is the time to "carb up".  Carbing up is not what it used to be.  Consuming mass quantities of pasta the night before a race is no longer the recommended practice.  Too much the night before can lead to a number of problems; mostly GI related.  Here is a great general article:

http://walking.about.com/od/marathontraining/f/carboloading.htm

I did not read this article before I ate but I seemed to follow this for the most part.  I have been on a weight loss diet for the past couple of months.  I was 194 the past couple of days.  I have been consuming 1800 to 2000 calories a day, with a mix of 50% carbs, 25% proteins and 25% fats.  Really all I have done is make sure I am 2000 + for the last couple of days.  So last nights meal was chicken fajitas with rice and beans.  I am sure I did eat a little more than I should have but it was Gooooooooooooooood.

Today I will stay away anything that is hard on the GI.  Things like roughage, red meat etc are definite no no's.  A lot of what one may eat before a race is a matter of personal preference and body chemistry.  Until recently I prided myself on having an "iron stomach".  I could eat and digest just about anything.  About this time last year I was hospitalized for a blocked colon.  Probably the most painful thing I have ever experienced.  I was told that it is the closest a male will ever come to experiencing labor pains.  It occurred last year 3 weeks before this Austin race last year.  Since that time I have been a little more aware as to how my stomach reacts to certain foods.  Even if the reaction is a mild one.

Today meals will not be much different than any normal day.  Only 1 cup of coffee will I drink.  I just finished breakfast of a little sausage, egg white and fat free yogurt.  I will probably have toast later.  Water today to drink and other than the one cup of coffee, no caffeine.  Tonight's meal some fish and rice.  Also a trick I have learned, raid the hotel breakfast bar Saturday for Sunday's pre race meal LOL.

So, reviewing the previous paragraphs.  I am getting pretty pumped about the race tomorrow.  Think of it;  I have not been hospitalized (for a while) I have had solid training for the past 4 months and I am 20 pounds lighter than last year.  I cannot wait for race day!

Today I will do a few workouts, mostly to stay loose and get my muscles working a bit.  David (my coach) has a 20 minute open water swim, a 30 minute easy ride and a 15 minute light jog on my schedule.  Also today will be Athlete check in.  The Ironman events are really cool.  It is the big time.  Competing along side the top athletes in the sport is a rush.  The coolest thing is that everyone is treated like a pro.  Everything has your name printed on it.  In the transition area your rack has a sticker with your name on it.  You definitely do not have to worry about putting your bike in the wrong spot.

Here in Austin they to a great job.  If last year is any indication there will places to park near the Transition areas to get ready.  The swim area was open for today's workouts.  All in all a great event.  The New Orleans 70.3 did not provide any access to the swim area prior to the race.  I guess Austin has the advantage of have the swim area in a public park area.  With the great job the Austin folks do I am looking forward to a great day.

Time to start getting the game face on.

Look for bib number 811

Close enough now to be a little nervous

Have I got everything?  Gels, shoes, bike , wetsuit aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Just some of the things that go through your mind as race day gets closer.  I cannot imagine how anyone can go through this and not get a little anxious.  One of the many things I have learned doing tri's is that even though we are different people, is that we all get nervous, we all get sore, we all get anxious.

At Playtri http://www.playtri.com/ we have great coaches.  I have learned a great deal from them.  One of the first things I learned from Ahmed was that in a race everyone is experiencing the same things.  At mile 10 of a run in a half ironman I get pretty sore.  Well guess what, everyone else is too!  After a 1.2 mile swim and a 56 mile bike and 10 miles of running how can you not be sore.  I may not be fast at this point but I am gutting out those last 3 miles just like everyone else.

What applies at mile 10, applies 5 days before the race.  We are all a little anxious about our preparations.  This is magnified when you are travelling to an event.  At a local race I was half way there and i realized that I forgot my bicycle pump.  I quickly went through a mental list of all my friends in the race and whether they would have a pump.  Then it dawned on me;  I am only 10 minutes from home and the race does not start for 90 minutes.  I turned around and drove home and got my pump.

Longhorn Tri is in Austin.  A little more than a quick trip from Dallas.  So if I forget something I cannot just turn around and go back.  Also I will be leaving from work on Friday which means I have to be packed and ready to go Thursday night.  But, this Thursday we are celebrating a friends return from Afghanistan so I will not have as much time to dedicate to packing,  Wednesday I work late.  So I pretty much have to be ready by Tuesday.  Holy crap that's today!!!!!!  I better get packing!

Not just "Wet suit, bike shoes, water bottles", We are going to be in Austin for 2 nights so I need regular clothes.  Nothing fancy but still something other than spandex.  Also, reading material to occupy spare time.  Lets not forget the laptop so I can update this blog.

Austin or Bust!!!

Less than 2 weeks till Austin 70.3

Well it is getting close to the Austin 70.3 Tri.  I admit I am getting pretty pumped about it.  It is hard to believe that I am approaching this as a "Training race".  I have done 3 70.3's in the past 2 years.  New Orleans 2X's (2010 and 2011) and Austin 2010.  So I am approaching this as an experienced triathlete.  That sounds kind of funny.  I am no Andy Potts but I have been around.  this is especially true for a race that I have done before.

There is a certain comfort level with knowing the lay of the land in a Tri.  Layout of the transition area(s), it is always nice to no where to go.  With knowing the bike and run courses you can already visualize your ride and run.

The WTC (World Triathlon Council) events are the "Big Time" for me.  There are pros competing in the race.  It would be like a golf Tournament with Tiger Woods competing with your weekend golfer.  I get to compete in the same race at the same time on the same course as the top athletes in the sport.  how cool is that!

Austin is a split transition event.  The swim to bike transition is in one area and the bike to run is in separate area.  This presents unique challenges and advantages.  With 2 separate areas no one area can get overly cluttered with equipment.  On the other hand you have to make sure that you have the right gear in the right area.  in other words you better not have your running shoes in T1 (swim to bike).  Transition areas are also referred to as being "clean areas".  As you leave the area you cannot have any loose gear.  everything must placed in a bag with your name on it.  This keeps the transition areas safe and free of pedestrian traffic.  Volunteers retrieve your bag in transition and it is taken to a retrieval area.  I am going to have to do a dedicated blog for the volunteers that make it all possible.

Look for a post before the Longhorn Tri and one after with my results

No rest:

It started the day after Stonebridge Ranch, training that is.  Not a days rest.  In previous training regimes I usually got 1 day in a week to rest.  Now it seems that there is no rest for the wicked.  In fact when I started this blog I kind of assumed that I was going to have Monday's off from training and that would be my blogging day.  Oh well i guess that is the difference (among many) that comes with iron man training.

The regime and associated workout schedule is the primary cost associated with coaching.  I send my coach my available times for next week's training.  He then sends back a schedule for the next week's workouts.  If something comes up during the week and I cannot make a particular workout, I e-mail him and he adjusts my schedule.

 

The weekly schedules are part of an over master plan that is timed to be at your peak on race day.  By "Race day " I mean my "A" race.  As you all know that is Louisville next year.  I can see the progression of this in how I feel some weeks.  There are weeks where I feel like I am moving in mud!  I feel like I am swimming in it, riding through it and running with it caked all over my shoes.  Then there are weeks where I fell like superman.  I feel fast lighter and stronger.  I know that on Race day my coach will have me feeling like superman.

The overall master schedule is based on a technique called periodization:( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_periodization ).  Here are a few of the general ideas that I have been able to gather:

1. If you do the same exercise over and over with little variation your muscles will adapt to that exact load and intensity.  You will become very very good at that particular exercise but eventually other aspects of your physical ability will suffer.
2. There are cycles within cycles within cycles etc.
3. To avoid adaptation you work out at different levels of intensity and duration.
4. everyone thinks they know it better than everyone else.

One person credited with being the father of periodization Is Tudor Bompa: http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/sports-coaching-an-interview-with-periodization-coach-tudor-bompa-40858

and he credits a Russian Leonid Matveyev as the first to use the term Periodization.  As it turns out Tudor Bompa was a Professor of kenesiology at York University in Toronto (North York actually), which is where I did my MBA http://www.tudorbompa.com/ .  Small world.

One of the areas that I find interesting in training is the concept of over compensating.  As you train properly and rest properly your body gets stronger each cycle.  As I understand it the basics are this:

• As you work out and increase your intensity and duration your body breaks down.
• During your rest/recovery cycles your body rebuilds
• Your body rebuilds to the level of intensity and duration it previously experienced
• As you increase intensity/duration your body will start to rebuild/recovery to meet anticipated duration and intensity
• In other words your body will begin to get stronger than the intensity and duration it has experienced.

To me it is like a bunch of rationally thinking people who live by the sea.  One day a storm comes a shore and damages the town.  So the town folk being rational decide to build a sea wall.  Based on the estimated storm surge from the last storm they decide to build a wall 3 feet high.  Time goes by and a variety of storms blow ashore and the seawall protects the town.  This level of storm represents the duration and intensity of training.

One day a bigger storm hits the town and the sea wall only provides partial protection.  The town has now experienced a storm surge of say 5 feet.  So the town folk (again assuming some level of rationality) build the wall up to 5 feet.  All is now good until a larger storm hits and floods the town.  This storm had a surge of 7 feet.  However the town folk decide to out smart the storms and build the seawall, not to 7 feet but to 9 feet.  The thinking being that the level of intensity and duration is cannot be predicted so they "over compensate" by adding to the wall over and above the currently experienced storm surge.

So as the training intensity/duration increases your body begins to do the same.  So during the first recovery cycle your body may recover to a particular level of strength and fitness.  As we systematically increase the intensity/duration levels our body will start to "anticipate" higher levels of intensity/duration and begin to over compensate.

I know I have probably terribly over simplified the process.  But, that's why I am not a coach.

First Wednesday of the Month and the goal was under 200 pounds.  Weighed in at 198 this morning!!!!

Stonebridge Ranch Race

One of these days I will make to the Podium:

All in all it was a good race.  it was my first open water swim race in almost a year.  I should have had an OWS in April in New Orleans but the swim was canceled due to high winds.  With the high winds the safety and rescue craft could not safely be on the water, so the swim had to be canceled.  There are many factors that go into a successful open water swim; positioning yourself at the start, sighting, drafting etc.  They say that nobody wins a triathlon on the swim but you can lose it there.  Ideally you want to be close to the front but not wear yourself out.  Speed wise it was not my best effort.  I should be around 13 and change for the 750 meters.  I got a little lost at the beginning and could not find the lead pack.  I usually try and swim just behind the lead swimmers in my heat.  Looking at the results there were 2 guys that finished the swim in 14:30, they are the ones I should have swam with.  One of the issues could be that I did not wear contacts and I have trouble seeing things quickly.  I think I will go back to using contacts when I race.  I have talked to people who use prescription swim goggles.  I do not think I will go that route unless I have problems with contacts (easy to lose the goggles).

The bike was my best leg!  34 minutes!  My strategy going in was to go really hard on the bike, and I did.  My HR was in Race pace for almost the entire ride.  I think it was my best bike leg ever.  The only problem I had was T1 and getting my shoes on after mounting the bike.  Coming of the bike was really smooth.  I undid my shoes and dismounted without much of a slowdown.

As good as the bike was the run was the polar opposite.  Starting off I forgot my watch.  Without my watch I cannot monitor my HR properly.  Fortunately my Race strategy did not have any absolute goals as far as HR values.  The basic strategy was to run at a comfortable pace to the turn around.  Then after the turn run for 1 minute hard and one minute easy.  Then repeat this cycle until finished.  So I had to estimate 1 minute intervals.  I started off trying to count.  It is pretty hard to count consistently when you are running at different intensities.  So I decided to pick a spot ahead of my and run hard to that spot.  Then pick another spot and run easy, then another spot ahead and run hard to it, and so on.  this seemed a little better.  I also had problems with shoe laces coming undone.  Well better next time.  I really would like to get the 5K under 24 minutes.

Night before Race day

It is the night before race day.  Tomorrow is Stone Bridge Ranch Triathlon.  For me this is the worst time.  Getting the gear together, going through my list to make sure I have everything.  Bike shoes, Run Shoes, gels, towel; it all goes in the bag.  Tomorrow I will eat and get my bike in the car and drive to the race.  Being later in the year it is a later start.  My wave is at 9:10 am.  Some mid summer sprint races I finnish by 9:00 am.

I get nervous about making sure I have everything.  I have already put the wet suit in the car and have my bag packed, but I can never get rid of the feeling that I missed something.  Oh well it is off the bed.

Another week Down

Well I have completed another week.  It was a great week too.  Finished it off with 2 great workouts.  Saturday was a club workout (the club is called PlayTri, http://www.playtri.com/ ).  It consisted of a 2 hour swim workout, followed by a bike/run brick.  The bike workout was a interval type workout one minute hard then 1 minute easy, 2 minutes hard followed by 1 minute easy.  Next 3 minutes hard and 1 minute easy.  Each hard interval increased by 1 minute.  The run was a fast couple of miles then drills and tempo runs.

Sunday was a 30 minute swim followed by a 2 hour bike.  It was difficult finding a place to swim.  My ususal place was closed for cleaning and repairs.  A second option was closed due to a balloon festival.  A third option was clased due to a breakdown.  So option 4 was a local beach.  I did my half hour swim in the beach area.  Then took off on the bike for a 2 hour bike ride.  The 2 hours went by quickly.  It was over before I knew it.

This coming week has me doing a sprint tri on Sunday.  Playtri's Stonebridge Ranch Triathlon.  As a sprint it will be a 750 meter swim and a 20 k bike and a 5k run.  The key goals for the race will be a good technical swim, a hard bike leg, and a run that has me going comfortable for the first have and then the last half will be one minute hard and one minute easier.  the run will continue with one minute alternating hard and easy.  Looking forward to it!

To lessen the financial strain the club lets me (and others ) work packet pick up in return for a free race entry (sweet deal).

The first week finished.

The way it works is that I send my coach a spreadsheet listing my availability for the week.  For example I may have 1 hour before work and 2 hours after work on any given weekday.  On Wednesday's I usually work late in an after hours computer lab, Saturdays I am pretty much available all day.  My coach takes this info and produces a training plan for the week.  There are 4 basic types of workouts.  Three of the types are pretty obvious: swim, bike and run workouts.  The fourth is weights.  On any particular day I could be assigned no workouts (rest days) or up to 3 workouts in a day.

Well this past week I did not do a great job at estimating my time.  I was teaching a new class and this usually leads to extra prep work each day.  I was able to get my workouts in but it was tough.  this coming week I do not have as full a work load at work and I will be more deliberate about allocating time.  Saturday was nice though.  I had a 2.5 hour brick workout.  A brick is one workout after another.  This Saturday's brick was a 2 hour bike ride and a half hour run.  The run workout was speed intervals.  I must say, I love the brick workouts.

I also started logging my food intake.  It is amazing what you learn when you log your food.  I believe that I have decent basic eating habits.  I eat a variety of foods meats, grains, fruits and vegetables, but I also enjoy a good cheese burger too!  The first thing that stood out was a deficiency of protiens.  The total calories and carb and fat amounts are ok (they will need adjustment) but I am way low on protiens.  I have been looking for foods that are high in protien and low in fats and carbohydrates.  The two best ones are foods that I quite like; egg whites and tuna.  I am open for any suggestions any of you all may have.

All and all a good start

Blackland Sprint tri

I have spent the last couple days in Virginia visiting my daughter and grandson.  A bit of a last minute trip.  My daughter and son in-law are Marines stationed at Quantico Va..  Presently my son  in-law is attending school on the west coast and found out at the last minute that he could not fly back to Va for the long weekend.  Such is life in the military.  So I was able to get a cheap flight if I left Friday early in the morning and returned Sunday.  I had a great visit and was happy to help my daughter around the house.  Saturday we got to go to the Nationals game in Washington.  Taking my grandson to his first baseball game was a real treat.

Since the last post:

1.) It was not a great month for sales were i work so the money thing to rear its ugly head.  I have completed the initial testing signed up for the ironman Louisville,  both of which involve an investment of funds.  As i posted earlier I have the financial means to do this as long as I stay gainfully employed.  So i was thinking that it would figure that as soon as I commited my self to this endeavor that a big part of supporting it would disappear.  hard to keep these negative thoughts out of your head.

2.) Working on detailed goals for 2011 - 2012 season.  It is helpful to have these.  It gives direction and focus.  Without them I would want to do every race and workout constantly.  Usually ending in injury.  Without going into the gory details my main goal is weight loss.  I need to shed about 30 lbs to get to an ideal ironman weight.  This should also make me faster as well.

3.)Competed today in the Blackland sprint tri.  It is one of the best local races in the North Texas area.  The pool is a 50 meter with wide lanes.  My main goal was to kick all the way on the swim.  I did great on that my time for the 300 meters was 5:39  (unofficial).  It was a beautiful day in the area cool and breezy.  My bike was ok except I dropped my water bottle and had to double back for it.  This added about 2 minutes to the second loop.  My wife noticed the drop off in time.  On the run I held it together for about a 28 minute 5k.

Blackland Tri results

swim 5:39.4            4th in age group
bike  46:48:41         7th in age group (should have been at least 5th without the dropped bottle)
run    29:32:39        14th in age group

finnish 8th in age group

Def shows I need to work on the run.  All in all not a bad outing for a "fun" race.

Testing day 1

Did the calorie and HR test on the bike:

Kind of funny looking don't you think.  I am even funnier without the mask. lol
These are 2 tests that allow you to train better.  The HR (Heart Rate) test determines certain training zones.  These zones have many names.  Lactic threshold etc.,  we refer to them as training pace and Race pace.  Training pace is a heart rate low enough to allow your body to do things other than your exercise, such as digest food.  At race pace your intensity is so high that your heart is continually pumping to remove lactic acid from your muscles.  There is no blood for anything else.  As you could gather you cannot exist at race pace for very long.  Your body can only store so much fuel.

So during an ironman or even a half ironman you need to know these rates to finish the race.  You need to take in food and you need to digest it so your body can use it.  I have trained with heart rate zones for 4 years now.  i have found it a very effective tool.

The calorie test is new to me.  It will let me know how good my body is a burning fats.  In long endurance races you need to burn fat.  You cannot store or replenish carbohydrates fast enough to fuel your self during an ironman event.

BTW I have officially sighned up for Ironman Louisville!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Beginning

It is said:

                Swim 2.4 miles, Bike 120 miles, run 26.2 miles and brag for the rest of your life.


I cannot articulate the reason for this quest.  I can admit to a bit of good personal feelings at accomplishing something that few people have done.  I feel pride at having lost 100 pounds, and competing in sprint and olympic distance triathalons for 6 years.  In the last 2 years I have completed 3 70.3 tri's.  i will be competing in the Austin 70.3 in October.

I have decided to move up too the full ironman distance.  My choice is going to be the Ironman Louisville in 2012.  As I type fellow triathaletes are on the course.  Some finnishing the swim and some on the bike.  The pros should be finnishing the bike in the next couple of hours.  Fellow age groupers will follow.   One thing I have learned is that there is always someone behind you trying to catch you and there will always be someone ahead for me to catch.

I have decided to blog my year as a way of listening to my inner voice.  Of all things in this endeavor I am most worried about the mental and emotional strain it will place on me and my family.  I am using a coach from the tri club I belong to.  I have had a discussion with my wife regarding this journey.  It will take time and money.

Money is one of the biggest mental and emotional strains.  I am a very blessed person.  At this point I have the financial means to adequately approach this endeavor.  Having said that I still had a great deal of "buyers remorse" after writing the check for my coach.  My entire life has been a quest to provide for my family.  This will always be my focus.  I will never be able to put myself and my wants ahead of my wife and children.  I had a father that lived this and I learned from him. 

So how is someone supposed feel good about spending money even though his family is well taken care of?

This will probably be one of the toughest questions as I begin.

I hope to settle into a routine of posting regularly.  For now postings will be fast and furious as I get used to my new lifestyle.