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| November 16, 2008 | Reflections - so many memories | | To my delight I get very reflective when my next Ironman gets close. Next week is close. So here are my reflections.
BIG BOY FAMILY RESTAURANT ROCKS THE HOUSE. I was on Facebook this morning and noticed that my buddy Kyle has the Big Boy Icon as his picture. I died laughing. Kyle and I devoured Big Boy so many times. As former fat guy - I know good food and this is good food at its best.
It all began in 1936 when Bob Wian, the owner of a 10-seat diner in Glendale, California, invented an extraordinary double-decker hamburger and the "Big Boy" was born. The sandwich's success inspired Bob to name his diner Bob's Big Boy. When a customer sketched on a napkin a boy in overalls with a curl in his hair, the likeness became the diner's logo and is now one of the world's most recognized and beloved corporate icons.
Now to be serious. As I reflect, first and foremost I am aware that these efforts are not possible without the unwavering support of my family. I have stopped counting the endless sacrifices my wife and kids have made that enable me to pursue this sport at a high level. In addition, upon reflection, I believe it is impossible to push yourself to the next level without the support and challenges that your friends provide. There are so many folks in this category that it would be impossible to list them all. However, I truly think I would have thrown in the towel without the support and encouragement that Brian Henry, Jonny Tunstall, Preston Miller, Lewis Elliot, and Jeff Bassett gave me.
This 10 week training block has been a blast. I am energized and fit and looking forward to the week. I will write almost everyday.
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| Weeks to Ironmnan: |
1 |
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| This Week: |
Swim |
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Bike |
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Run |
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Brick |
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Race |
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Avg. Weight |
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14000 |
yds |
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145 |
mi |
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20 |
mi |
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5 |
mi |
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0 |
mi |
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177 |
lbs |
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| Year To Date: |
Swim |
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Bike |
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Run |
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Brick |
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Race |
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| 12/01/07
-11/30/08 |
693655 |
yds |
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9323 |
mi |
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1779 |
mi |
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322 |
mi |
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291 |
mi |
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| November 9, 2008 | Ironman and Women | | All of those that read this blog know how much I encourage everyone to give it their best. Those that know me personally recognize that one of my biggest pet peeves is someone who just goes through the motions. That is they race or train but they never seem to challenge themselves. I am conscious that it is none of my business but at the same time it is frustrating to see others not give a damn about something that is so important to me and many others.
In that light, it makes me cringe when someone not only cheats themselves by not trying (as an aside they are cheating you because they could be pushing you to new levels) but also cheats the system by just flat cheating.
I think most people agree that if in the end you don't car, have little pride, and want to waste your time not competing then so be it. However, if you are competing then do it fairly. My last post discussed the legendary finman and his pathetic attempt to swim IMFLA with assistance. Today we rag on those that drafted Clearwater.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know everyone is super fast. Right!!!!! Folks, I have done the race and I have seen the packs. I lived it. Well, last weekend the packs transcended even their own storied history of drafting. Age Group Women went sub 2:15 on the bike. Wanna see the proof - look below. This crap has gotta stop. Either that or just call it the ITU championships.
The great German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote "[t]he man loves danger and sport. That is why he loves woman, the most dangerous of all sports." How true is that? How in the world does that apply to Ironman you ask?
It applies to Ironman because in general, just as in a relationship, you get back what you put into it. Ironman training cannot be an all out smashfest. There needs to be gentle hand holding experiences (slow days) and romantic meals (recovery). But to keep things interesting one needs to tear it up. On the flip side, in Ironman training, just like screwing up with a woman if you fail to honor these requirements you are toast.
These past weeks have gone well. I feel great. I have put a ton into this Ironman build and I trust that I will get the return - a good race experience. Where that comes out I have no idea. Hopefully it will be good enough for a October trip to Kona. If not, hopefully a good race experience.
My running is coming along very nicely. I feel like the base miles are there and I have done more tempo than ever before. I say lets get it going.
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| Weeks to Ironmnan: |
2 |
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| This Week: |
Swim |
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Bike |
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Brick |
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Race |
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Avg. Weight |
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22300 |
yds |
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240 |
mi |
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41 |
mi |
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9 |
mi |
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0 |
mi |
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178 |
lbs |
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| Year To Date: |
Swim |
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Bike |
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Run |
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Brick |
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Race |
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| 12/01/07
-11/30/08 |
693655 |
yds |
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9323 |
mi |
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1779 |
mi |
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322 |
mi |
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291 |
mi |
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| October 26, 2008 | Soma Race Report | | The Soma Half Ironman has traditionally been the end of the season for me. Accordingly, it has been an opportunity to enjoy my fitness and visit with the many friends that I have been lucky to make in this wonderful sport. There are some exceptions, a couple of years ago I qualified for 70.3 worlds and this year I have Ironman Arizona in November.
Because of Ironman Arizona I did not taper for this event. Going in I thought that this might be a big problem as I did a hard half three weeks ago in Austin, and I had a rather big training week running a marathon last Sunday and having a massive track workout Wednesday. In any event, I decided hey it is a training day go out and have some fun.
Fun is what I had. Let me cut to the chase - I went 4:35 and had a great day. It is always a blast to hang with Billy Dean, Preston, Lewis, Brian, the Beaver and others. As we were getting into the water the Beaver hit me with hey its just a training day lets have some fun!!!! How true. Great perspective and it removed any stress that I may have been feeling.
The swim is generally uneventful. However, today it was more eventful than usual. Due to the large numbers in my wave I lined up to the left of bouy like I normally do at an Ironman. I was not alone in doing this. When the gun went off my group of about 20 sprinted under the bridge. We would go under the bridge then veer back into the lead pack. This is not cheating. We do not get an advantage and we likely swim longer than the others. We do it because the lake where we start is not wide and it gets crazy in there. Every single race I have ever done in Tempe Town Lake this has been acceptable.
We made it under the bridge and a kayak popped out and stopped us. He instructed us that we had to go around the other side of the bride. One guy in our group tried to reason with him and explained that it is the far bouy that matters - no dice. This cost me at least 45 seconds.
I worked hard to get back on a good group. I did that and swam hard. I felt good and had forgotten about the start.
On the way back we headed straight for the orange bouys. Again, just like usual. As we approached the bouy a kayak popped out and pointed about 125 yards to a yellow bouy and instructed my group of about 15 that we had to go around the yellow bouy. Now I was pissed. First, he was wrong. Second, where were the 40 kayaks that the race promised would be on the course to insure that no one got off course. Well this cost me another 1:20 or so. I finished the rest uneventfully and came in with a 33:00 time. Not great but not horrible. In the big picture I am happy because I swam fine. I just screwed my navigation according to these guys.
The bike was crazy. I think the bike was a tad short. I heard it was 54.5 miles instead of 56. There were 15 u turns and about the same number of right turns on the three loop course. In addition, there were two races going on simultaneously - a half ironman and a quarterman.
The half went first so the first lap was not all that bad for me. There were about 300 people in the waves in front of me and I was able to maneuver through them fairly easily. A couple of guys passed me early but a few miles later I repassed them.
The second and third laps were down right scary. I saw my life pass before my eyes several times as there were people everywhere. I literally yelled on your left all day long. Sometimes it worked other times I had to wait and get right on them and yell again. Anyway, I have never been so scared. I saw some people grab their water bottles and go all the way across the lane. At times it was safer in the car traffic. I held over 24 mph the whole way and went 2:14 on the bike. If they do not fix the bike course I will not participate in this event again - it was just way to dangerous for my liking.
I hopped off the bike and downed my treat- a strawberries and cream ensure. Yum. I headed out on the 13.1 mile run and my legs initially felt like crap. I was not that surprised as they usually feel that way. In any event, I kept with it. I got passed by a few guys in my age group but I kept running. As I was completing my first loop, I passed my buddy Preston who was doing the quarter. He looked great. In fact, he went on to win his age group. He told me Brian was ahead and that I could catch him.
Two miles later I caught up with Brian. He was starting to struggle. I told him listen. We are both on PR pace and we are not gonna fold up the tent just yet. We ran together and pushed each other well. My final run time was 1:43. Brian went on to go 4:43 - a p.r. I know he was happy.
All told I had a great time. I really enjoyed catching up with some old friends. I p.r.'d with no taper. And most importantly I did not get hurt.
I am four weeks from Ironman Arizona. I am in the best shape of my life and I am looking forward to the smashfest that will happen on November 23.
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| Weeks to Ironmnan: |
4 |
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| This Week: |
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Race |
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Avg. Weight |
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18500 |
yds |
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160 |
mi |
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33 |
mi |
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15 |
mi |
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70 |
mi |
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177 |
lbs |
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| Year To Date: |
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Run |
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Brick |
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Race |
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| 12/01/07
-11/30/08 |
693655 |
yds |
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9323 |
mi |
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1779 |
mi |
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322 |
mi |
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291 |
mi |
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| October 6, 2008 | Longhorn Ironman 70.3 Race Report | | Last week marked six week until Ironman Couer d' Alene. By the way, I did the usual. I swam a bunch, I rode a bunch, and I ran a bunch. Who woulda thought!!!! But (newsflash) I also raced a little.
On Thursday night, I participated in the Splash n Dash at Tempe Town Lake. It was a little 1000m swim with a 3k run. I was a little nervous about how my shoulder would respond to an all out effort. I was shocked that it felt fine. I went hard and stayed with the lead pack through the first lap. I got dropped on lap two but got out of the water 12 out of 162. On the run I passed two and got passed by two. I finished 12 out of 162. I was very pleased with my first competitive workout in almost a year.
On Sunday, Tempe International Triathlon was on tap. This event marks the club championship. This time I participated in the sprint event. Before you start calling me names you have to understand I did this as a training event as yesterday I went long. I swam 4K, biked 80 miles and ran 3 miles. Tomorrow I have a 3 hour run. If I did the Olympic it would have screwed with my training.
Anyway, I finished 1st in my age group (after Tim Bolen was pulled due to placing 2nd overall) and 5th overall. The event consisted of a 400m swim, a 13 mile bike and a 5k run. Here is how it went.
I smoked the swim. I think I had some real confidence from the splash n dash that the shoulder was fine. I went out hard and held it. I exited the water 2nd in my age group 20 seconds behind the leader. T1 went great. I was in and out. I was a little worried as my transition on Thursday night sucked. It seems I shook out the cobwebs.
I jumped on my trusty steed and went in pursuit of whoever was 20 seconds in front of me. There was a youth U19 developmental race that went off before my wave - I rode through them fairly fast. Up ahead I found the leader. I passed him and I was all alone as we were the second wave and I had now passed everyone. I felt great on the bike. I have some serious deep seated tiredness and soreness but I fought through it. I rolled into transition and it was very quiet and sedated.
When the volunteers saw me they sprang into action. It was very cool. I was leading the race - I was first into transition and I was first onto the run course. As I was leaving transition, Timothy Bolen rolled in. Now I new I was in trouble.
Tim can really run - those that know me know that I can't. I took off praying that I could hold him off. I picked short term goals. Hold him until the tree. Now the Bridge. Well he caught me at the bridge and I hung on for 2nd in the age group a few minutes behind Tim and the overall winner. In any event, Tim finished 2nd overall so I moved up to First in the age group and 5th overall.
I am very happy about the day. It was a blast to be out there doing it again!!!!!
Lewis won the Olympic and Preston took 2nd in his age group. Below are the three of us and some hardware.
Next week offers a little more distance - I am starting to back down however. It also, offers some more racing with Splash n Dash on Saturday and Rancho Sahuarita on Sunday.
See you out there. One day last spring I received an email about a new NAS Ironman 70.3 event in Austin, Texas. They named the new event Longhorn Ironman 70.3 . I registered for this event on the day it opened. Austin is simply a great town and I was psyched to go back to some of my former stomping grounds. Albeit, I would only be driving by and during the day nonetheless.
In addition, I had some other reasons to get me excited about the trip. I was going to take my three boys and wife back to Big "D" following the event. While in Dallas, we planned to see the King Tut exhibit and go to the Texas State Fair. You know everything is bigger and better in Texas.
I stated getting geared up for the trip on the Wednesday before the event. I broke out my race stuff. I have not had many opportunities to use the stuff much lately so I was very excited to do so. I even had Edgar glue some new tires on my wheels.
Expectations are interesting. Some races I have expectations others I don't. This was one that I had no expectations about. First, I am deep in my Ironman build. In fact, I ran a marathon in training on the Monday preceding this event. Also, I had looked at some previous race times on this course (this event was held last year but it was not part of the 70.3 series) and I quickly realized this was not going to be a Personal Best kinda deal.
On Friday, I packed up and headed out to the Airport with the kids and Suzanne. I grabbed a new flick - Charlie Wilson's War - and watched it on the flight to Austin. I highly recommend the flick.
At the Airport, I ran into Andreas Boettcher. He was doing the event. I had a good chat with him and we decided to hook up before the weekend was out. Andreas is a great guy and I was stoked to hang with him.
We left the airport, checked into the hotel and headed for our first treat of the weekend. We went to see the Congress Bridge Bats!!!!!! 1.5 million bats live under the bridge and they come out every night at dusk. It was a real treat and trip to see the bats go out for their nightly snack.
On Saturday, I went for a little run and ride. Following that we headed to the Texas history museum. The museum is awesome. Texas history is inspiring. And most importantly, the boys had a blast. If I hear remember the Alamo again I might shoot myself.
Following the history lesson, we headed to packet pick up. As we walked through the lobby, I saw Simon Lessing. Lessing is one of the top professionals of all time and this was to be his last event. I heard a funny story - he claims he is retiring because his kids are constantly inquiring if he ever wins any of these events and he cannot answer in the affirmative. Too funny - this guy has won more big events than any man alive and he takes some good ribbing from his kids. The sport will we worse off without Simon.
Newsflash - the water temperature dropped almost 8 degrees in two days. It is amazing what can happen when a race director wants a wetsuit legal event. I was shocked. I was more shocked later that afternoon when I went for a swim in the hot tub - I mean lake.
After the swim, I took the car and pre rode the course. The course was rolling with some fairly large hills mixed in. The course needed some substantial repairs. Evidently, it has not rained in Austin for months. As a result, they have had some road contraction. Anyway, the cracks and pot holes were well marked. Based on how my legs felt, the times from last year, and my perception of the course, I anticipated a relatively slow time. That is to say this course was not Disney World 70.3 flat and fast. I likened the course to a more difficult Vineman or CDA.
I awoke early on race day and rode out to the course with Andreas. We got to the site early and set up quickly. After getting set, I sat quietly and waited. The race was delayed for about 30 minutes as busses carrying athletes were having trouble getting to the site.
I was in wave 8. As we waded into the water to start the pro wave was finishing. I looked at the clock. 19:20. It was short. The water was smoking hot and I was concerned about overheating with 70 miles to go. I t was obvious they shortened the swim to alleviate the overheating. Heck - I have an idea. Make people swim without freaking wetsuits. The gun went off and I ignored those fears I went hard to the bouy and grabbed some feet. I came in with a 25:12 swim.
Naturally I was happy but I knew the event was short. As I hit the beach and entered transition the fact that the swim was short disappeared. The 40-44 rack was darn near full. I was at the front of the pack.
I had a quick transition and headed out on the 56 mile loop. I prefer a one loop course. In my experience they open up and once you make it past the masses you have clear sailing. That is exactly what happened here. Moreover, some fairly good rollers and hills are in the first 10 miles. By the time you get through those the course opens up nicely. I finished with a 2:30 split. This was by far not my best split but I was happy with it. It was the 77th best split out of 2400 athletes. Not too bad given the work I have been doing.
I pulled into transition and the 40-44 rack was darn near empty now. I had a good swim and bike and had put myself into position for a good event. My legs were toast so I did not try to crush the bike. As a result, a few folks that would never have been near me on the bike passed me and beat me back to transition. I really did not care. This was a training event and I was having a good day.
I headed out on the 13.1 mile run and the first couple of miles had me real concerned. The course begins with a 3.5 mile loop that goes through the Texas energy lab as they call it. It was all on black top and it was smoking hot. I really labored on this black top the first mile. All I could think of was CDA and negative thoughts. I really expected something bad to happen. I was not turning over my legs and I was plodding real real bad.
To my surprise, I bottomed some coke and several waters at the first couple of water stop and just kept running. It was hard not to keep going as there were bands and cheerleaders everywhere. Seriously, it was like Rock n Roll marathon on steroids. In addition, there were 8 aid stations on each 6.55 mile loop. After you complete the three mile loop you have a ½ mile uphill. As I ran uphill, I felt my legs coming back. Thank god - as QUADZILLA loomed. Quadzilla is a .3 mile 6% grade trail run. I made it over that and completed my first loop. I felt good. I ran hard the whole second lap and finished strong.
When I crossed the finish line, I gave it a good fist pump. It has been a long time since I have had a meaningful good race. On the day I finished 110 out of 2400. I was 17th out of 350 in my age group.
As a bonus, I qualified for 70.3 Worlds in Clearwater. That race will take place in November '09. This will be my second trip to Clearwater and I am excited about it. I am sure the whole family will want to go.
Austin was a blast. The event was first class and I highly recommend it. The event has a festival atmosphere with food and vendors everywhere. I am looking forward to the return engagement.
The rest of the weekend was awesome also. It was good to see friends and family. King Tut had some serious stuff and the State Fair of Texas is still the bomb. Although the deep fried thing has to go. Simply, stated there are just things like cheesecake that were not meant to be deep fried. On the other hand deep fried peanut butter jelly and banana is simply amazing. |
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| Weeks to Ironmnan: |
7 |
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| This Week: |
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Avg. Weight |
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18000 |
yds |
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165 |
mi |
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53 |
mi |
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15 |
mi |
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13 |
mi |
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180 |
lbs |
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| Year To Date: |
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Bike |
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Run |
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Race |
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| 12/01/07
-11/30/08 |
693655 |
yds |
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9323 |
mi |
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1779 |
mi |
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322 |
mi |
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291 |
mi |
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| October 3, 2008 | And the year comes to a close | | Well it has been one year since my string of bad luck began. I officially declare the streak over. This week I am heading to Austin, Texas to compete in the Longhorn Ironman 70.3. Seeing that Texas is where the bad luck streak began it is fitting that it ends there as well.
This is no more than a training day. I a deep in the heart of Ironman training so I have zero expectations. Why no expectations? Well I ran a marathon last Monday and on Wednesday I ran 15K at tempo. I have no legs!!!!!! They are gone shot and finished.
This course in Austin is a tough course. Here is a description:
Swim:
The swim is a 1.2 mile freshwater swim, in Decker Lake. No big surf here! Wave Start, with approximately 120 participants per wave. The water temperature is 89 degrees. Accordingly, no wetsuits.
Bike:
56 mile spectacular, scenic 1 loop course through rolling Texas farmland, and, um, longhorns….pass sprawling ranches, cedar-covered vistas, sunflower fields, prickly pear cacti and see why this is part of the big sky country. This is true Texas! You'll see more cattle than cars. Texas may be the Chip Seal State, but these roads are in great shape. Watch out for El Diablo!
Run:
Live entertainment from local Austin artists will keep the endorphins coursing through your veins, as you rock out on the run course! 13.1 mile Run is a 2 loop course meandering through Walter E. Long Park, along the shores of Decker Lake and through the Travis County Expo Center grounds, with roughly 2 miles on knee-friendly grass roads. The remainder of the course is on asphalt roads. As you head outside of the park get ready to tackle the HILL COUNTRY RUNNING COMPANY'S LONGHORN ENERGY LAB. An homage to Kona, get ready to conquer this 2 mile stretch by heading through the HILL COUNTRY RUNNING COMPANY GATES. They'll prepare you well before the journey, with great music, and plenty of spirit to get you fired up to face the Energy Lab! After returning to the park, set your sights on QUADZILLA, the hill of truth…!!! Be the "King of the Hill" with the best run split up the hill, listen to the crowds cheering you on, rock out to the live music, and more.
Sounds good I am looking forward to it. Winning times in my age group last year were right at 5:00.
After the event, I am taking the family to Dallas to see the King Tut exhibit, go to the State Fair of Texas and see some friends.
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