I'm starting to ramp up the training again in preparation for Kona and things have been a little rocky. Work and fun summer stuff have been getting in the way, or distracting me and the weather has turned on us. I think all those SoCal transplants are pretty worried that summer was exactly 3 weeks long this year in Seattle.
I will say I have had some really good swim workouts of late which has been great for my confidence in the water. My bike rides have been strong but nothing really long yet, those will come. I'm headed out on vacation the week after next to Oregon and I expect to put in some big miles on the bike.
My run has been the toughest part of late. My hip and lower back have been acting up again, it's not a hip or lower back problem that's just where the problem manifests itself. I'm doing all of my stretches and exercises and I'm hoping it all gets better over the next couple of weeks. Running consistently will help as well, I frankly haven't been runnin much. The worst part is that I'm just not feeling all that fast. I did weekly negative split tempo last night (in the pouring rain) and it was good but not steller. 10 minute warm-up, 25 minutes out (7:05/mile pace), then back over the same distance I had just done the 25 minutes in. I came back in 23:50 (6:45/mile pace). Not steller when you consider I raced a half marathon in May with lots of hills and averaged 6:32/mile and have done this workout with negative tempo sub 6:20.
My coach though it would be a good idea to jump in a shorter running race so Saturday I'm going to be racing in the Snoqualmie Railroad Days 10K. Oh my god.....I haven't raced in a 10K in years. This might just be the thing I need to shake the legs out and get my run back on the right track....or.....blow up at mile 1 after posting a 5:30 mile.
Anyhow I'm off to ride out the foothills this evening with a buddy from the office. I think I'll be doing all the pulling today.
Here's a little video for any of you who are thinking about doing an Ironman and are worried about the swim There apparently is a training program to get you ready for the Ironman swim -
http://youtube.com/watch?v=U_6tOzt-nfM
Enjoy and train hard.
Well I'm back into the mix and starting to think about Kona. Hard to believe that there is really only about 10 weeks of hard training time until it's time to begin the taper.
I had two great swims this past week. I've picked up where I left off before CdA and have been turning out very consistent and fast (for me) splits. I sent Shawn my post IM assessment and my thinking on areas of focus for getting ready for Kona and I may regret it in the next few weeks in the pool as I know I'm going to be in for some tough workouts. It'll all be worth it come October.
Running has been the toughest part of getting back into the swing but I managed a couple of good workouts this past week including some speedwork and a longer run on Saturday while camping at altitude and a little hung over no less.
The legs are back on the bike and I had a solid 70 mile ride yesterday afternoon/evening. My climbing while it isn't steller it's getting better and better all the time
I'm going to be busy mixing summer activities and spending time with friends and family with training but I'm sure I'll fit it all in. It helps when the weather is as steller as it's been with highs in the 70's and 80's and sunshine everyday. This weekend I ws camping just east of Snoqualmie Pass at Lake Kachess. It's an annual trip with a bunch of families I grew up with and I think we're going on 30 years. This year we had nearly 40 attendees and it's always quite the sight when we roll into the campground. They created a group campsite a few years back and I think they did that just because of our group.
As I mentioned I managed a run while up camping early on Saturday morning which ended up being pretty good despite being up late Friday drinking beer and playing cards and teh fact that we were at 3000 feet altitude. Later on Saturday I took my stand up paddle board out for a paddle and I think this will become part of my regular training. It's a 10'6" long board with a little more volume which you paddle with a long canoe paddle. It was windy and choppy on the lake and it takes some real work to keep from falling off the board while paddling (the water was in the low 50's....so I didn't want to fall in) which I find really works your entire core. It's a fun way to get a good core workout in.
Here's some pics from the camp.
Post run chilling in the tent before gorging myself on campfire biscuits.
Camp biking. Not so serious on my electra cruiser. It's always fun to cruise around and see the sights and characters around the camp ground.
Taking "camping" to a whole new level. Yes that is a custom Freightliner camper. It's nicer inside than most houses including hardwood floors, leather couches, pillow top sleeper and more electronics than a Best Buy.
Aidan Leffler. Aidan is my little buddy with DMD and keeps me focused on my training. Check out http://www.aidanleffer.com
It's been a good two weeks since IMCdA and I'm really starting to feel recovered.
I spent last weekend in Hood River, Oregon celebrating the holiday. I managed a couple of rides (probably a little more effort than I should have put in), a good solid recovery run with a little intensity and a couple of windsurfing and standup paddleboard sessions.
It was a good weekend but I was a little sore Monday and Tuesday. Not sure if it was from the riding or the windsurfing, I'm thinking it was the windsurfing as you use some muscles that I haven't been using.
I've been in the pool twice this week and I'm feeling great in the water. One of my best swim workouts ever (consistent and fast splits). I'm continuing to really get better with my form and it's amazing how little tweaks can really make me more efficient and thus faster through the water. It also makes me in awe of the Olympic swimmers never in my wildest dreams could I swim near 1 minute for 100 yards and yet I imagine many of these guys and gals train at that pace.
While it's going to be tough training this summer schedule wise I'm looking forward to getting back to some proper training and really building on an already great base of fitness.
The fact that I'm already feeling recovered really has me believeing that there is time on the table for the taking in Kona. I know the second half of the marathon in CdA wasn't that fast so I think my legs have recovered faster than expected.
Getting ready to start ramping it up again.
I'm still recovering my motivation to workout is pretty low but I'm coming around. I've been trying to decide what the experience would be in Kona. Cruise through this summer and enjoy the race and not worry about time or performance and just savor it all or ramp up and go for it, race the race and see just how good I can do. Following any Ironman well actually starting in the early miles of the marathon there is this doubt about ones own sanity.
As I've been recovering well and am generally feeling good I've decided a couple more weeks of recovery activity and enjoying some time with family and friends I'm getting after it and going for it in Kona.
I recently finished my post race assessment breaking down each part of the race and figuring out what went well and where there were opportunities. I won't go into specifics but lets just say there is time on the table for the taking in every event in Kona.
I got some questions about my nutrition and how it worked in Coeur d'Alene. The Carbo Pro 1200 worked great when it wasn't flying out of my bottle cage (doesn't work very well lying miles behind you on the road). It provides a good even energy level but is better when watered down a little for the consistency. The GU Roctane worked well also but frankly the Blueberry Pomegranate flavor was not tolerable to my taste buds the second half of the run but I'm not sure that anything would have been tasty at that point. So thumbs up for both.
Now if my stomach can just handle the cost of going back to Kona in October.....oh my!!!!
Well I'm recovering well from the race on Sunday. I was pretty sore and stiff all over Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday felt better and I got out for a short ride last night to shake the legs out and I'm swimming tonight. I could definitely feel the effects of Sunday on the ride last night. I think the toughest part is the mental recovery from these races, they are so tough mentally that it just takes a while for me to get right in the head so I can get focused again.
I'll be starting up seriously again in a couple of weeks to build towards the Ironman Hawaii in October and I'm bullish on potential performance in Kona given my solid race there a couple weeks ago and my race on Sunday. I'm doing my post race assessment of what went well and where I can improve considering it was just my second Ironman I'm still like a sponge and continue absorb as much as I can so I will be better in the next one. I don't think this ever changes no matter how long you've been racing Ironman races.
Seriously thinking about Ironman Canada next year which means I'll need to head north in August to register.
I wanted to give a quick shout out to the Peter Reid Peak Performance (PRPP) team. They've got such a wealth of experience they really know how to get you as ready as you can be for race day. In the end that's why they are there. It was a good day for the PRPP athletes in CdA. You can read about it on the PRPP website.
Now I'm really looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning which will be the first time in months.
Well I'm now into the serious work of packing and planning for race day. Seems simple enough right. Not so. There are so many things to consider like nutrition, hydration, special needs, lotions, powders, race clothing......I'm already tired.
Here's some insights into my special sauces and tricks for race day.
Well the water will be cold. I got a little test in today to test out the wetsuit and cold water swimming gear in Lake Sammamish. I would estimate the water was 57 or 58 degrees. Things went pretty well the skull cap was great keeping my head very warm. The swim socks aren't going to be worn on race day. My hands were cold for a few minutes then they felt fine but my feet with the socks on just kept getting colder as the swim went on. They add more buoyancy which normally is great except with the wetsuit I can barely get my feet in the water when kicking so I think I'll be swimming without them on race day.
It's not going to be hot early in the bike and last year my toes got pretty cold in the first couple hours of the bike. I don't like to wear socks so here's my solution to help keep my little piggies warm. I took a pair of neoprene toe warmers and cut out a space for my front velcro strap. This way I don't have to fumble and take time to put on the toe warmers and in fact if I can have my shoes attached to my pedals already (this wasn't allowed last year) I can easily get my feet in and the shoes strapped down nice and tight. Warm feet are happy feet.
Nutrition. What do I eat to keep me fueled throughout the day on the bike and the run. Well I don't really eat I drink and slurp. On the bike I'll be mainly using CarboPro 1200 as my main nutrition. I expect to take in about 300-400 calories per hour on the bike or about 1500 to 2000 calories as a back up or when I feel like I need a little boost I'll have a small flask with GU mounted on my bike for a little pick me up.
On the run I'll be relying on GU Roctane for my fuel. I expect to take in 200-300 calories per hour on the run which is 2-3 GU packets per hour. So I'll be taking one every 2-3 miles. Now if the wheels fall off on the run all bets are off and I'll be consuming anything and everything they have at the aid stations. Last year that meant gels, oranges, cola and cookies but hopefully that won't be necessary.
In addition throughout the day on the bike and run I'll be relying on water for hydration and Salt Stick pills for my electrolyte needs.
So that will mean I'll be taking in around 2500-3500 calories during the event. Sounds like a lot until you realize I'll likely be burning between 7000 - 8000 calories throughout the day.
Special needs. So there is this thing that is unique to the Ironman races known as special needs. Each athlete has the choice of having a special needs bag on the bike and the run usually at the halfway marks that can have anything someone might want and or need from special nutrition, hydration, clothing or possibly a bible for a little spiritual help.
Last year I had no special needs bags. This year I'm going with one for each. On the bike my special needs bag will have my second bottle of CarboPro 1200 and my mid bike pick me up a can of Red Bull. I will admit it I love the stuff, It give me a refeshing boost.
On the run my special needs will have back-up Salt Stick caps and my GU Roctane for the second half of the run.
Now to get it all organized and packed in the car.
Well it's finally here, I thought it would never get here, it's time to taper to Coeur d'Alene. There was no taper to the Kirkland Half, there was no taper to the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii so this is a welcome relief. Time to get the body energized, fueled up and mentally ready to race.
The first few days of a taper are always hard on my body. I get very sore and stiff as my activity level drops pretty significantly and I need to fight off getting sick as my body's defense mechanism drops a bit. I'm faring pretty well and I could already start to feel the power in my legs on my short run yesterday.
The big concern for many is what will the weather be like 9 days. It snowed in Coeur d'Alene on Tuesday and the lake is still really cold (around 52 degrees). So cold in fact they've announced that wetsuits are going to be mandatory, skull caps highly recommended and booties are going to be allowed. Shawn (that's my coach) doesn't want me doing much if any swimming in the lake before the race as he wants me to feel fast on race day. despite his wishes I'm going to do my Sunday morning swim in Lake Sammamish to make sure my wetsuit is fitting right and I'm comfortable with my skull cap and booties. Sammamish is around 58 right now so it'll likely be a little warmer than the lake on race day.
Looking at the long term forecast I think the weather on race day is going to be great. Looks like it will be dry and sunny with highs in the mid 70's. I couldn't ask for much better conditions and am really glad I went to Kona and got some heat training in. Now if we only get a break from the wind.
I've got another ride tomorrow and it's going to feel short compared to my rides in Kona and last weekend at around 3 hours. I'm going to have to watch myself out there tomorrow as the Flying Wheels ride is going on, on the same roads I'll be riding so I've got to watch myself.
I'll hopefully be posting more updates and pictures from CdA once I arrive mid week next week.
Normally I don’t detail specific training workouts but today’s ride needs to be written about. Today was my last hard and long ride before Coeur d’Alene. I won’t go into the specifics of the workout but let’s just say it was a hard ride to simulate my race strategy a tough day with good weather and when everything goes right let alone today which I’ve affectionately named “The Miserable and Scary”.
The forecast was for scattered showers and sunbreaks with highs near 60 degrees. Now I’m not sure where the scattered lack of showers were but they weren’t where I was riding. The rain ranged from a drenching misty rain to full on monsoon deluge for 4.5 hours of the nearly 6 hours I was on the bike today. The temperature never cracked 50 degrees during the ride and I won’t even get started on the wind.
I decided to ride my road bike instead of my TT bike with the forecast since I wasn’t interested in the front tire sprayer all day. It only took about 90 minutes to be completely drenched to the bone. Just keep on pedaling and think about the warmth of Kona….oh how I wish I was still there. Surprisingly there were lots of other riders out today in the misery which was great to see I guess with Seattle To Portland coming up in little more than a month folks were feeling like they have no choice.
About 63 miles into the ride I got my first flat tire of the day and found a safe place to change the tire, which was fun in the full on deluge of rain. Finally about 10 minutes I was back up and rolling. Up past Snoqualmie Falls then out to North Bend and back towards home.
Now for part one of the scary. I was just starting down the fast, winding descent from the falls and I noticed a paper grocery bag moving across the road and thought that’s odd, it’s raining and there isn’t much wind here…… OH CRAP…..not a bag, it’s a big rock!!!! The rock had come to rest in the middle of the lane (it was big enough that cars weren’t going to clear this one it was probably 20 inches high). I dodged the rock to the right and looked up to see the hillside where the rock came from and there is mud, rocks and trees cascading down the hillside. I’m out of the saddle and cranking as hard as possible the slide crashes onto the road about 10 feet behind me and all I hear is the screeching of tires of cars from both directions. A few seconds faster or slower and I would have been toast. Now the heart is racing, the good news was I had the whole road to myself on the rest of the descent.
A few more miles and I hear the thump, thump, thump of another flat tire. In both cases I had rolled over some broken glass from broken bottles. I’ve written about this before so I won’t get on my soapbox. With all of the flower buds, road grim and water on the road it was tough to discern glass from the less harmless stuff. Needless to say more misery changing the second flat in yes, the rain. Having already had some practice on this ride I as back on the road in a few minutes but hoping that was it for the day as I had no more spares or CO2 with me.
Now for part two of the scary. A few more miles up the road I’m headed down a slightly downhill section going about 30 miles an hour head down with all of the sudden out of the tall grass from the side of the road a deer hops right into my path, I hit the brakes has rip the bike to the left and miss the deer by inches. Not sure who more freaked out me or the deer. Once again heart rate racing.
I was in the final homestretch to home about 40 minutes away and I starting to feel the tell tale signs of getting hypothermic. I just kept the body working hard trying to keep my body temp as high as possible. Finally I arrived at home just in time for the rain cease, I was supposed to do a transition run but given my condition I decided it was time to get warmed up. Hey I got good transition practice last weekend in Kona right.
So goes “the miserable and scary”. Forecast for the next 10 days is for more miserable weather in Seattle. I can only hope that it’s warmer in Coeur d’Alene in two weeks at least out of the water.
I've posted some pictures from the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii from the race and the trip. Wishing I was still there as it's just barely topping 50 degrees and raining pretty steadily here in Seattle today. View Pictures
Final long ride and run this weekend my mantra is "Don't do anything stupid, stupid".
Yeah I'm in the Motherland of triathlon..... Kona. I'm loving it. I'm splurging and staying at the Mauna Lani Hotel and Resort which is hosting the IM 70.3 Hawaii race next Saturday. It's great.
The race isn't really the focus it's getting the final big training days in before my taper to IM Coeur d'Alene. I love this place. Running is tough but the swimming and riding are phenomenal. I've been swimming every morning in the ocean at Mauna Lani Bay Beach Club it's like high speed snorkeling. Today besides a crazy assortment of fish over the coral reef, I saw a bunch of rays, a big school of rather large something or others which I was swimming through and one little shark cruising about 30 feet below on the bottom.
Today my coach scheduled a 25 minute "race" effort. I took my GPS watch and put it in a zip lock and placed it in my swim cap to see just how much I've improved over the past year in the swim department. When I downloaded the data I was shocked. 25 minutes = 1 miles. That would put me just under 30 minutes for a half IM swim. My fastest ever was a 34:30 which I think was a short course every other swim of that distance has been consistently 36:30. If I can take 6 minutes off my swim time it would be crazy and today wasn't really race pace as I wasn't racing I was swimming solo.
Riding here is also fantastic. I'm sure over time it would get a little boring as it is an island but so far the roads I've been on all have great shoulders not a lot of debris and the drivers have been pretty cool. The part I like best is I seem to be riding really fast here, part of it no doubt is the fact that I've got my race wheels on (Zipp 808 front and 1080 rear which has been a mixed blessing with the wind), or the aero helmet but I think it's just the terrain and I actually am enjoying the heat. It's been really windy, there is no direction that I haven't been hammered either by head winds or side winds.
I rode on Sunday the day after a long trip and hit 84 miles at just under a 20 mph average. Today I rode 73 miles at just under a21 mph average. Crazy as neither of these were crazy race efforts so I figure I'm good for about another 2-3 mph average in the race Saturday and it's giving me big confidence going into IMCDA in a few weeks.
Running is tough, it's hot and humid. I did manage an 8+ mile negative tempo run in the heat of the day yesterday with my negative split at sub 7:00 pace. Needless to say it's going to be a long hot run.
My coach has changed the race plan. Put in a hard solid swim effort to see how the winter swimming has paid off and then ride like a man possessed. The run is now just get through it as close to 1:40 as possible. I was quick to inform him that a 1:40 would be a half IM run 2 minute PR for me.
I'm feeling great with the final hard training and feel like I would really love to be back here in October for the big dance. Now just to put it all together on race day. I'll post how things went.
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