This must be it, welcome to the new year

Well maybe I'm jumping ahead just a little bit. BUT last week I got a text that whipped me into the training mood again.

"Can you model for us next week?"

Kind of a nightmare for a triathlete hitting the off-season HARD, like 10+ pounds gained in three weeks. Oops! :) Oh well, I had been putting of planning ahead for next season. Several races are inked on the calendar and paid for. The focus will mostly be on shorter racing (lots of olys, several sprints, and a couple 70.3s), with no Ironmans in the near future. Ultimately, I hope to have a realistic chance at qualifying for Kona during 2012. I'll be looking to have my first A race at the Wildflower long course tri (April 30th). In the meantime, I need to get my base back. I have been planning my off-season goals for years, and I have never followed through with a swim/run focus. I suppose it's time to make it happen. Goals:

1. Strengthen hips and core, increase flexibility to try to prevent injury. After a year of IT Band Syndrome in 2009, and a year of back problems in 2010 (repeated chiropractor visits since May...), it's time to get to work!.
2. Finally put in the pool work to get to the FOP in the water. I'm typically near the lead of the chase pack (for age groupers of course). It's time to see if I can make the jump to get to that front group.
3. Find a way to gain run speed, through a combination of weight loss, technique work, and just plain mileage. Assuming I can jump ahead on the swim and maintain a good position for the ride, I need to hold on during the run. Time to go from 43 ish 10ks off the bike to 40:XX or better.

So, how do I get there? Because these goals are not specific (i.e. swim a sub-XX at Race X, run a sub YY, and have a 22 pack by April 1st), I need some challenges. Feeling inspired by the Slowtwitch 1oo runs in 100 days challenge, I came up with three challenges of my own to tackle these non-specific goals:

1. P100X. Yes, I'm going to become one of those. I started on Saturday, and will give myself a 10-day buffer to finish. Trying to be realistic about upcoming vacations, fieldwork, and conferences. I might end up having to double-up a few days to make it happen as well. Based on the first two days, I would say my hips/core/back will be ready!
2. 100 miles in 100 days. Starting today, I will average one mile per day in the pool (1760 short course yards). No rules besides that. Can swim one day per week if I want to (of course that would be 12320 yards of swimming... hahahaha. Not likely.
3. 100 runs in 100 days with my own rules. Minimum of 20 minutes to count as a "run", can do multiples per day, can take a day off per week if I want to. Don't have to if I feel okay.

So, that's it for now. No requirements for cycling, but I hope to ride three days per week, but no stress if I only get two from time to time. No bonus if I ride five days per week. If I stick to it, P90X will be done on March 27th, swim challenge on March 29th, and run challenge will be done on March 22nd. I'll let you know how it goes!

The sun is always in my eyes

About halfway through a week-long fieldwork excursion. I have been taking a little recovery time after Ironman, but I'm starting to get the itch to train again. So, it's another week of mixing business with "pleasure". The idea is to work like crazy during the day, and get a little "training", which this time of year means carrying a camera and taking pictures whenever I get the urge. For me, at the river, that means a lot of stopping and picture taking...

Sunday afternoon, packed up the rental truck and drove to Blythe. I got there in the dark, which is a good thing (Blythe looks better in the dark!). Fieldwork this week consists of installing and instrumenting a bunch of monitoring piezometers (wells with no pump just used to monitor groundwater elevations and quality). Over the next several years, we'll be keeping track of groundwater and use that information along with irrigation budgets and soil salinity data to try to figure out if they're managing their irrigation effectively. Spent most of Monday siting well locations, and watching them work... Log samples every couple feet, and give them instructions on installation details. Things went smoothly overall, and we got one well finished on Monday. Some progress photos:



























































10 minutes till sunrise...what do do? Change and start running!! The drillers and my co-worker went back to town, and I took off on the levee road along the river for a 4-miler. Some of the sights along the way:































And, finally, a sandhill crane fly by to say goodnight.



Tuesday, I went to a different site to try to install well instrumentation. I hit several frustrating complications during the day, and spent a good deal of my time kicking and throwing whatever was in my way. Some days are like that I suppose. I did see a ton of wildlife (I was on a wildlife refuge after all) which provided some good distractions:
































I debated just going back to town and drinking a beer. Decided instead to go for a run. If I get in a good run, at least part of my day was good, right? Then I can go back to town and drink a beer :) Another levee run along the river. Planned on four miles again, but I got in the groove and enjoyed the scenery.

















Spent Wednesday morning at Cibola again (south of Blythe), leading some saltcedar removal crews and taking pictures of experimental restoration plots (planted for my dissertation research, hence my interest in cottonwoods...well actually that's a lie. I've always been interested in them, and I just happen to get to work with these trees. I'm good with that!).

















Just a few trees...




















Then, drove to Havasu to get ready to work at the Needles field site (on Havasu National Wildlife Refuge). If you're me, you see this sign on the side of the road:

















And read "park it and put on your running shoes!" Too bad there's no good scenery...

















Bill Williams River near Lake Havasu has the largest remnant native riparian gallery forest anywhere in the lower Colorado River area. To me, that means it's a place to visit. Especially during the winter--if you want to see fall colors in the Arizona desert, find yourself a river with a good stand of cottonwood and willow. I ended up running a little over 7 miles (from highway 95 to the end of the road and back). It was a beautiful day for a long-ish run--overcast, but not cold, hardly a breeze. Just awesome. The run is actually pretty challenging, with hills steep enough to make you consider walking. But nevertheless it's a highly-recommended route. Do it if you're in the area (like after the Havasu Triathlon). It'll knock you on your butt...but the good thing is you'll sweat off your hangover :)

This is when the run gets interesting





















A nice view near the turnaround.















View of Lake Havasu when just about back to the car.

It's all I have to give

Finally getting around to my Ironman Arizona race report. It has taken me a while to sit down and actually do this...as they say, I guess I have the post-ironman blues. You work so hard for something for so long, and suddenly it's over. Strange. Anyway, enough of that! Hopefully I haven't forgotten too much detail in the last two weeks. Unfortunately, I still remember quite a bit, so this is long.

My final weeks of training went really well, and I felt strong and healthy leading into my taper. I ended up skipping only a handful of workouts over the 16 weeks (mostly due to family and work commitments), but somehow I managed to stay healthy the entire time! Only some minor aches and pains, with a bit of back pain after the final build, but overall I felt good!

I headed to Phoenix on Friday morning, two days before the race. I checked into the hotel, and went to packet pick-up at Tempe Town Lake. The site was a little overwhelming. I have done five or so races at the same venue, some with a similar number of athletes. However, Ironman Village was impressive! Basically a mobile triathlon store on-site, with a host of bike shops, and anything you could possibly want to rent or buy triathlon-related. Then, off to the pre-race banquet. It was full of inspiration videos, funny stories, random statistics from Mike Reilly, and a really funny intro from the Tempe mayor. Not the point of the post, so this is all I'll say--say what you want about WTC policies, but they do an amazing job putting on events...and promoting their brand! I will be back.

Good night of sleep on Friday night, and then over to the lake for the practice swim and pre-race brick. Felt good and everything was in working order. Checked in the bike, dropped off my transition bags, and then went to Oregano's for some pre-race pasta! Not exactly an early bedtime thanks to some last-minute prep, and trying to get a 2-year old and 4-year old to fall asleep in the same hotel room bed...

Woke up on time (to one of 6 or so alarms I set). Breakfast, and off to transition. Got everything set up and got some last-minute encouragement from some friends, a PowerGel, and then off to the water! The energy and anticipation was incredible, and I couldn't wait to get started. As soon as they let us get in, I jumped in and headed for the inside edge buoy. I worked my way up until I was one row back from the front. I hoped to go around an hour in the water, and did not want to be fighting through the crowd. Lots of anxiousness for the final few minutes, and then "BOOM". The cannon let us know that it was time to go! Following my plan, I went out hard for the first five minutes or so to try to get into clear water. At the front of the pack, I didn't really find the swim too violent--a couple elbows to the head, but I have had worse. When things opened up a bit (probably about ten minutes in), I just tried to relax and think about nothing but form--rotation, reach, catch, pull all the way through--repeat a few thousand times. I got into the groove pretty quickly, and just kept going. After the turn, I picked up the pace quite a bit as planned (I usually feel better later during the swim). I sighted very often, and tried to see at least two buoys out. It seemed like a lot of people were going back and forth, but it could have been me. About 200 m out (after passing under the last bridge), I backed way off to try to go into T1 feeling good. Out of the water, took advantage of the wetsuit strippers, and off to bike gear bags.

Toward the front of the race, the volunteers were not too busy, so I got my back very quickly. Went into the changing tent, and started my routine. Apparently, the volunteers had other ideas. These guys were literally helping us put gear on-like literally reaching around my waist to put on my number belt for me. It was a different kind of experience! Despite rain in the forecast, the weather was relatively clear for the moment. Ran straight to my bike, threw down another quick powergel and onto the road! A quick aside about transitions...I passed over 20 people DURING T1. What are these people doing in T1 for 5+ minutes? I saw 1:05 and change out of T1, so I knew I had a decent swim. I would have been a little down if I was over 1:10...

This is where things started to go wrong...about five minutes into the ride, I threw up. Argh, no biggie. It's early, legs feel good, just forget about it and keep going. I was surprised how quickly some people passed me early on the bike. My plan was to take it pretty easy-low Zone 2 for the first lap, mid Zone 2 for the second, and let it creep up a bit on the third lap. I knew my chances of Kona qualifying were low to none, so I was out there to race only myself (and hopefully not have a miserable marathon). I started feeling pretty good, so I settled in. Nurtition every 15 minutes, salt every 45, and water when I felt like it. The weather was cooperating, the roads weren't too crowded, and it felt good to be on the bike. Then, about 12 miles in, I had THAT feeling (like get me to a porta-potty NOW). Uh oh. No problem, it's a long day, just stick to the plan. Of course I didn't realize the next bathroom was another 7 miles (at the first turnaround). Dismounted, they my bike to a volunteer, and did my business. Back onto the bike for the descent back into Tempe. My nutrition and water were right on track, but my stomach just felt awful. Not a good sign. I tried to put it out of mind. Stay in your zone, block it out, and just keep riding. My first lap was about 10 minutes slower than I was hoping for (not including the bathroom stop), but okay. By this time the wind was starting to pick up. Dust blowing across the roads, and it was faster to ride uphill (north) than downhill. But, no rain yet. Actually it wasn't even that cloudy. I felt a little better on the second lap (no stops). Finally got some spotty rain and hail at the turnaround (along with a nice rainbow as a distraction). Then, a few miles from Tempe, it got interested. Rain. Real rain. And a driving wind. It made me chuckle a bit. For all of the preparation, speculating race times, figuring out what place you "could" come in, nature shows up and can change everything (hey, a tree might even fall across the road and stop you in your tracks-it's happened before). Hit the Tempe turnaround (this lap just a minute or two over goal time), and out for the final out-and-back. Then, THAT feeling again. Time for stop #2. Made it as quick as possible, and then back on the road. It was obvious that this ride was going to be a bit longer than anticipated, so I had to supplement calories with some PowerGel from the course. No biggie, I had trained for it. The rain had stopped, but the wind was really blowing. At this point, just GET ME OFF MY BIKE. And I LOVE riding my bike. As in I don't really look forward to getting to T2. I found myself in a good group of guys all riding about the same pace, and we stayed pretty much in the same neighborhood (keeping it legal, but still getting some benefit going straight into a 20+ mph wind). Spun down a little for the last few miles, and then into T2-with THAT feeling again.

Porta-potty, then changing tent. Again, the volunteers were awesome. Although at this point, I wanted no help. I know what I need and where it is. I don't want my routine thrown off by help :) At this point, I knew it wasn't going to be my best race day. BUT, I knew I could still nail the marathon. As I've read and truly believe--just keep running. It ALWAYS feels better after a few miles. I tried to go out easy (per my plan), but I just felt GOOD. Mostly it just felt great to be off the bike. Add to that seeing some familiar faces in the early miles, and I thought my goal marathon was within reach. My first lap went about as planned, staying between 7:45 and 8:45 pace. Then, my side stitches started. I tried all of my tricks-belly breathing, jabbing fingers into my gut, etc. Nothing was working. I decided to walk through the next aid station to make sure I was getting what I needed. Another PowerGel, some water, and back to running. About halfway through the lap, my stomach had had enough. I did not want to walk, but I felt like it was a little walking, or throw up again and risk DNFing (not an option). Okay, a little break, but keep moving forward. I could feel my goal marathon going out the window, but it was just one of those days. Another bathroom stop, this time captured on video shown at the finish line area (happened to be right when Tom Lowe was passing me and the motorcycle camera was right there). Oops. That was it, switching to cola. I have never had Coke during a race or training day, but I was desperate. I was at about the halfway point, and it was time. Got some words of encouragement from Brian Grasky at the TriSports.com aid station, and that seemed to help me along. The new plan was water/coke/water while walking through each aid station. About 16 miles in (after yet another bathroom stop), I started to come around. I think the coke did it, because I started feeling MUCH better. I passed my family at the start of three, and was a HUGE lift to see my parents and my girls cheering me on. I was emotional, and I could tell Shannon was too. I took it an aid station at a time, then a light pole at a time. Halfway through lap #3, I felt pretty good. It was time to finish it! I walked through the TriSports.com aid station for the last time, and then set my mind on the finish. There was no more walking. No more water. No more calories. Time to get to the line! And these last four miles were my best of the day. Everything FINALLY started to click, and my pace was suddenly back under 8:00/mile again. With a mile to go, someone asked, "trying to break 11 hours?"

"Would like to, but I don't know where I'm at."

"Just keep going, you'll get it!"

That was all I needed. Put your head down, pump the elbows, and keep the turnover high. As I turned toward the finish, I could feel it. I was there. Passed the family, and turned to the finishing chute. It was 10:58:30, and I knew I had it. It wasn't my goal time, but it was my secondary goal. I'll take it! I got really emotional (as I have for both marathons I've done), but that's me. Everything I have, I leave on the course.

So, I guess that's it! Considering the conditions, my crazy GI problems, and it being my first IM, I'm walking away satisfied. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience, and I will do it again. Time for a year or so of getting faster before going back to IM with a goal of doing my best to qualify for Kona. In my "off-season" so far, I have raced a 5k and spent a lot of quality time getting bloody on my mountain bike. Looking forward to good things for 2011!

Thanks to Bill Daniell of Grasky Endurance Coaching for developing my plan and going over and above his commitment to getting me across the line as quickly as possible and keeping me healthy. I have the feeling I'll be working with you again, sooner than later! A huge thanks to my family for tolerating the training, and endless triathlon talk! It has been quite the 3-1/2 year adventure getting to this point, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Do you remember when 21 years was old?

Well, apparently my coach decided that he would give me a recovery week for my birthday present. That's what I'm telling myself anyway. Well, that, or he is just preparing me for the final push. I have taken a preview of what's to come and...ouch!

Anyway, week 11. 9.5 hours of training total. 5.5 hours of cycling (i.e. the same as my long ride alone last week), with a long ride of only 3 hours. Of course that 3-hour ride happened to be an ADT ride (no breakfast, no calories during...). 13.6 miles of running, with essentially no long run. Three swims for a not-so-grand total of 5900 yards. So, this should have been an easy week. Well, it was and wasn't. I actually had a little bit of the blues. It felt something like a taper week, where during each of my relatively short workouts, I was just counting down the minutes until it was over. I took care of my longer stuff during the week so that I could spend my weekend hanging out with the family and taking it relatively easy.

But, what does a Grabau do when he is supposed to be doing nothing? He goes crazy for about two hours, then picks a procrastinated project to tackle. The first thing I saw was the broken Malibu light along the driveway. A short trip to Lowes and my dad and I had something to keep us busy for a couple hours. Then, some excellent barbecue (can't go wrong with kabobs), a little too much birthday cake, an hour run on Sunday, and call it a week. My legs feel pretty good (although I feel a little lazy) and ready to get back into serious action.

My final training block arrived in my inbox right on time, and I took a quick glance. There is a lot left to tackle, but at this point, sacrificing my time and pushing through the fatigue for a few more weeks shouldn't be a problem.

On to week #12. Let's do this! A slightly bigger week of training, with my final tuneup race on Saturday--the Pumpkinman Olympic in Boulder. Basically the same bike course as the Las Vegas Triathlon. Here's hoping my legs are ready for the hills this time!

And life barrels on like a runaway train

So, on my "recovery" weekend, I had some time to think about this whole 30 thing. Apparently people think this is significant? I have heard some people talking about mini-crises and what-not. On the other hand, Shannon is happy to no longer be one of those "20-somethings". In general I don't care too much. BUT at the same time, I think it's meaningful to look back to see what you have done, what has changed, and what direction you think you're heading.

Sometime in my mid-20's I set a few "by the time I'm 30 I'd like to..." goals. If I remember all of them correctly, they went like this:

1. PhD in...something.
2. Qualify for Boston Marathon.
3. Run an ultra-marathon (of 50 miles or more).
4. Do an Ironman.
   
5. Own a company, or part of.
6. Start a family.

I'm happy to say that I've accomplished 1 and 56because I had the motivation to, and I happened to be with the one I wanted to start a family with. What's funny is that I think 2 through 5 would have been the easiest to accomplish. Maybe I didn't do those because I didn't have the motivation (or a real reason/justification) to do them. Maybe it was because those were the most tangible (I tend to procrastinate the easier things by taking on the difficult). Maybe it was because I found out that the combination of 1 and 6 got me in way over my head. Probably all of these I guess. Finally, I am taking on #4. I don't know that I really have a justification to do it...maybe I just have more time and feel that I need to cross it off my list.

hmmm...maybe my "before 30" list will become my "before I'm 31" list. If not, hey, there's always a bucket list! :)

Okay, now to the point of this post--my life as narrated by cake. No, not the band. The food. Shannon really likes to make decorative cakes that highlight my current obsession. I think they are quite telling, actually. It is also really cool that I can see pictures of the cakes, and they take me back. Something like hearing an old song... Anyway, here goes:

20: Early in junior year of college. The duck is all about my outdoorsy phase. Not that I'm no longer outdoorsy...it's just not my major obsession. Anyway, 18-20 was when I really started growing up. First time living away from the parents. First time having a "real job" (although does the rec center really qualify?). Prior to 20, I was always hunting/fishing/wakeboarding. Shannon and I had been dating for a year, and we were finally comfortable being a real couple. BUT, this was also party time. Flyer parties several times a year. Slapfish playing live at each party, and I would jump in on bass and lyrics whenever I had enough liquid courage. I still vividly remember Shannon waking me up on the roof. "Are you going to class today?" Yeah, crazy times. Workout-wise, I spent several days per week at the gym, but still hated running. After losing my freshman 25, I was working on gaining it back again.


21: Senior year. Finally legal to drink, and my partying phase was fading fast. I moved in with Shannon. I told her she was crazy for running four miles every day. Then I interned in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina. Bears everywhere, deer, turkeys, rattlesnakes, muddy roads. I discovered trail running! Started at two miles per day, and finally got up to 5 per day at the end of the summer. I started surfing, and spent every weekend camping solo on the Outer Banks. Sometimes in campgrounds, sometimes in the back of my truck. Surprised Shannon and signed up for the Tucson Marathon to run with her (to be my first running race ever). I came back from North Carolina a very different person.

22: Tucson marathon completed, and it was a life-changing experience. If you have done a marathon, you know what I mean. Signed up for the San Diego RNR marathon the next week. Had graduated from college. In desperation with a Wildlife Science bachelors degree, I moved to Ajo and started working on the Barry Goldwater bombing range. My job was to look for endangered Sonoran pronghorn (or illegal immigrants) in bombing areas. If nothing, call the Air Force, and tell them to blow up the desert. Had a pronghorn cake (can't find any pictures!!! :( ) Lost my motivation to run four weeks before San Diego, and backed out. Pretty much burned out from running. Spent my spare time studying for the GRE and hunting/traveling.

23: Spend a year in Ajo waxing and waning. Train for a while, get in shape. Get burnt out, spend every afternoon playing horseshoes and drinking beer. Quarter-life crisis inducing. Realized that if Shannon and I were going to stay together, long distance had to end. I came back to Tucson for grad school (Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering). Spent my spare time golfing (no pictures for golf cake either!), and drinking beer and studying (often at the same time). I had a ton of pre-reqs to make up, so it was a stressful time. Got engaged in February, and bought a house a couple months later. Suddenly, no free time. Landscaping, landscaping, landscaping. It was my escape from grad school.

24: Grad school took over. I went through a period of three months where I was not home during daylight hours. In the summer, I decided to start running again for my own sanity. It had been a long time, and I was SERIOUSLY out of shape. My early runs consisted of 1 to 2 miles of walking/jogging. How to get motivated? Sign up for the Tucson Marathon again. It worked. Talked Shannon into signing up again.


25: I trained for real this time (speedwork and all), did several road races prior, and PRd by 38 minutes. Stayed motivated for a couple months, but then got overwhelmed by the combination of grad school and wedding planning. Got married in April, and lazy after. Finally got focused to write my thesis. Played darts in the garage between hour-long focused writing sessions. I spent enough time with darts to justify a cake, so that tells you how much I wrote... Started working at my current company!

26: Really buried myself in work. Moved on from a high-stress advisor to a high-stress boss. High ambition led to high workloads, lots of travel, conferences, meetings, and other all-you-can-eat events. Got lazy (er) and pretty much forgot about working out. Welcomed Rylie to the world, and everything changed. Few memories are as vivid as my first couple days in the hospital with her and Shannon. For some crazy reason, I went back to grad school. Landed the perfect research project at work, and couldn't pass it up (see before-30 goal above).


27: Realized how lazy I had become, and started to go crazy. Remembered my previous fascination with triathlon, and realized I had the perfect chance. Joined TriCats, the University of Arizona club triathlon team. The new obsession had finally arrived, and the team atmosphere only enhanced it. Found out Shannon was pregnant again right around my birthday!



28: Started my triathlon career. Lots of racing, lots of training, a ridiculous amount of schoolwork. Hannah was born in June, so time was very short. I kept it up my optimizing time, and minimizing sleep (not recommended). Time was FLYING by. Shannon realized that my triathlon obsession was not going to die quietly...


29: The recession hit home, and I volunteered to reduce my hours to help keep the business afloat. Not good financially, but it was the first time that I wasn't working full-time while going to class full-time. It was still busy, but I got a little bit of sleep. I trained like crazy, and finally got my shot at collegiate nationals. I was really in great shape (the best I have ever been in). From my highest weight (205-ish), I was down to the high 160's. Something like junior year...of high school! First year sponsored by TriSports.com! Still lots of fieldwork with my cottonwood trees... Then lots and lots and lots of writing. Sleep disappeared, and I let go of some of my fitness. Serious IT band syndrome did not help.

30: FINALLY FINISHED SCHOOL! What else do I need to add? Well, I decided I needed a new goal (or list of?). I signed up for Ironman Arizona, and started riding a mountain bike. And here I am today! The other big change has been the huge focus on family. Our growing girls are suddenly doing all kinds of activities. Gymnastics, parks and rec classes, swimming lessons, learning to ride bikes, track meets. Yes, they keep us busy. But it makes you understand the pride that parents really have in their kids. They are simply incredible. Between their smarts and interest in sports and outdoors stuff (yes, even at 2 and 4)... Children are really life-changing in every way you can imagine.

So what is the point of all this rambling? When thinking about all of this stuff today, I realized how totally different life today is from a decade ago. It is absolutely crazy how much life has changed in ten years. What is crazier? There are still unknown decades left! I can't wait to see what life has in store. I expect that my 30's will bring completion of some goals and letting go of others. Can't wait to see what's coming next!

Might as well throw out some new goals:

1. Qualify for and race 70.3 and Ironman worlds.
2. Those other things above.
3. Settle into a community and really get involved!
   
4. um...I guess that's it for now!

I'm going to dizz knee land

Week 10 was the end of my third big block. And now the work is really piling up. Plus, fieldwork season has begun again. And how do you fit in three-four swims when the closest pool is 1-1/2 hours away from your work site? Easy, you get up at four, swim from 5-6:15, then commute, work your 8-10 hours, then commute back. Repeat the next day. Yep... Ouch. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here are the stats:

16.6 hours of training. 25 miles of running (long run of 13.5 miles), 9 hours of cycling, with a long ride of 5.5 hours (I skipped one easy ride to fit everything else in), 11,400 yards of swimming, with a long swim of 4,700 yards. Put like that, it doesn't sound so bad. But, consider the following: this was my longest swim in 18 months, and my second-longest swim set EVER. I swam it after averaging 6 hours of sleep per night for the previous 3 days, and working in the sun all day.

My long run of 2 hours was on boring roads in mid-afternoon, at 90 degrees in Tucson. It was the first time that I ran my standard marathon long run course since 2004. Yes, I really got sick of that out-and-back. Halfway into this run, I realized that I still hated it... Back to trails next week!

It was my longest ride in 18 months, and my longest ever distance-wise (around 107 miles). My ride was staged from Blythe, CA (my work site), and I rode to Parker, AZ and back on a mix of empty highways, farmland, and Indian reservation. The highlight of the trip was probably when a met an older guy touring across the western US. Apparently he had gotten left behind his main group, and thought they would detour to Havasu when instead they rode straight through to Wickenburg. He was traveling on blown-out tires, in socks and Tevas, with a single water bottle. I was not totally comfortable leaving my Cervelo outside with him while I went in the store for drinks, but oh well. When I came back outside, he started re-telling me his story, and I knew for sure he wasn't all there... And with that, I gave him $5 to buy some food, and hopped back on my bike for the return trip. As a side-note, my first long ride relying only on my customized Inifinit Nutrition mix went very well. I think the new nutrition plan is a hit!

Oh, I also worked 50+ hours...

So, what do you do over the weekend for recovery after such a week? Well, if you have two daughters and a place to stay in Orange County, you go to Disneyland! I'll be honest, I have never been a crowd person. I enjoy having my own space. I hate standing around. I don't really buy into the Disney buzz, or the amusement parks of California. But, what can I say? After an entire day of watching the girls faces light up at meeting all of the princesses, it just might have been worth it. I will concede, though, that my legs were hurting the next day. We pulled into the parking lot at 9:45 am. We left the parking lot at 1 am! :D I guess that's what it takes when you are committed to training, but refuse to sacrifice family focus. My body hated me for a couple days, but my energy finally returned. Plus the following week was a recovery week, so I had time to get my strength back.

Now if I could get "It's a small world after all" out of my head I would be happy...

when I strap my helmet on, I'll be long gone

Week 9 is also done. Yeehaw!

Monday started off with a day of rest/a full schedule of meetings in Boulder City after the LV Triathlon, followed by a couple hours of driving in my Zoot recovery tights. I actually felt pretty fresh coming off a half the day before--once again I was able to deal with stairs with minimal cringing. I considered doing a recovery run in the evening, but sided with sanity and relaxed with the parents in Lake Havasu. Starting Tuesday afternoon, game on.

Weekly totals: total of 16 hours. 22 miles running (long run of 1:50), 8.5 hours on the bike (long ride of 4 hours, and 12,200 yards in the pool. It was a productive week, with a little reduction in running an riding to recover from the race.

Some notables:
In general I was really tired during the week. Not really sore, but just didn't have much energy. After a couple days, I just accepted that it was the effect of race recovery. Had to take it as it came.

My long swim finally approached 4,000 yards, and I didn't find it overly difficult. The 12X100 with 15 seconds rest, on the other hand, left me tanked.

I have started spending more time on the trainer. VERY effective and efficient, especially for interval work. Plus, no worries about getting run off the road by cars... Here's my setup: CycleOps Mag Plus trainer with front wheel block, a 5' step ladder as a laptop stand, and a little neon mood lighting. Am I the only one that craves crappy beer after a trainer ride? The good thing about always missing primetime TV is that you can catch up on multiple episodes online to cover your 90-minute plus ride...




















My long brick on Saturday (schedule for 4:30 plus 20 minutes of running) ended up being 4:00 plus 20, for fear of getting caught in a building thunderstorm. In any case, it was still a great workout, and the weather actually helped to make it pretty pleasant!

Sunday long run felt good. Suddenly it feels like I'm marathon training again (of course I kind of am...). Then a few hours of recovery, easy swim, and then packed up for a fieldwork trip. Out the door at 3 pm on Sunday, and off for a crazy week in California. Interesting stuff to follow, I promise...

But, week 9 was done, and I was feeling pretty good!

Viva las vegas

p.s. I hate Las Vegas. Too bad I can't recycle the post title from last week...

Apparently I had a loooooong week 8 (that, or this latest block really got to me and I'm suddenly three weeks behind on blogging--You guess). I'll try to catch up with weeks 9 and 10 tonight!

Weekly summary: 14.2 hours, 9,200 yards of swimming, 7 hours on the bike, 29 miles of running. Long ride of 2:50, long run of 1:50. Both of those long efforts happened to be during the Las Vegas Half Distance Triathlon. It was a busy week, mostly because of race and work travel.

The hardest training workout of the week was a set of 4X1 mile running repeats. I overslept a little bit and ended up running in mid-morning (hot part of the day in Tucson). I only met my goal on the first repeat. After that, I was in survival mode.

There was also a brutal 16X100-yard session in the pool. Those long 100 sets (with short rest) put me in my place like nothing else!

Now, a short Las Vegas race report. This was a "B" race for me, meaning that I train up to and through it, but still really "race" like it is an A race. I planned to drive up two days early, but I had a last-minute adjustment for work (a meeting in Boulder City on Monday morning that I had to give a presentation for. yikes!). So, I ended up working LATE Friday, and didn't leave for Boulder City until mid-morning Saturday. 7-hour drive up, packet pick-up, and off to drive the course. Advertised as "the flattest course in Vegas", I expected only a moderately-challenging course. Yeah, not exactly. There is not a flat section on the course, and I saw several 8% grade warning signs... Hills are not my strength, so I didn't know what to expect at all. Finally got to my hotel around 6 pm and prepped my bike. It is crazy that suddenly I don't get all that nervous even for a Half. Asleep around 10:00, and up at 3:30 for breakfast. I was still asleep, even if my bike was already ready to rock!















Had my fill of breakfast, and got to transition about an hour and fifteen minutes before the start. Right on time. Typical stretch, warm-up run pre-race routine, and ready to go! As was my transition area:


















The swim was supposedly wetsuit-legal, but it had to be right at or above the limit. I immediately knew I would be borderline-overheating, but tried to keep it out of my mind. I tried to push for a fast start, and found open water almost immediately. I was able to sight the turn buoy quickly, and avoided veering side to side at the guide buoys. I found some good feet to draft for awhile, but realized he wasn't swimming straight, so I set off on my own. I really found my groove about halfway through and pushed it home. I was very happy to be in the top five out of the water (out of 80 or so).

T1 was smoking fast, and I was off on the bike. I was told that there were 3 ahead out of T1, so I looked forward to picking them off. Two minutes later, that plan was out the window. The workouts earlier in the week weighed heavily on my legs, and I had no push up the hills. Not only that, but on descents (where I normally do a lot of my damage), I just couldn't get up to speed. I literally checked my brakes for rubbing. Nope. I just continued to get passed. And the temperature just kept rising. I think I ended up about 13th off the bike, and for once I was VERY happy to get off the bike. For a minute...

The run out of T2 goes straight uphill, for an elevation gain of around 900 feet in the first three miles. At that point, the temperature was in the mid-90s with no shade and no wind. Of course I added a little 1/4-mile "nature hike" about 1.5 miles in. There aren't exactly trees to hide behind next to Lake Mead, so I opted for the closest hill (can you believe there were no port-o-potties on a 13.1-mile run course?!!!). I tried to remind myself that it always hurts less as you go, and tried to slowly increase my turnover and get in the groove. And indeed it did. Around mile 4, I really started to feel descent. My turnover felt good, and I managed to pick off a couple people. Around mile 6, a faster runner passed me, and I committed to keeping him in sight. It kept getting hotter, but there was finally some shade as I passed through the historic tunnels. At the turn to go down the hill, I found my faster friend had cramped up. I shouted some encouragement to him, while silently committing to hold him off until the end. I kept my heart rate up, and kept my pace down despite really feeling the fatigue set in. Pushed through the finish, and was SOOOO glad to be done. It was a tough day! I ended up 11th overall, and 3rd in my age group. Another podium for Team TriSports.com, so I'll take it! Overall I would recommend the race, but probably the shorter distances. Keep in mind that it is no-frills, and there is very little support on a very hot and exposed course.

I celebrated with some good lunch (and a microbrew or two), took a nap, and worked through the night to finish my presentation for Monday morning. As I've said before, T3 is waaaaaay harder than T2...

gotta get myself over me

Have you notice the explosion of blogs? There's a reason. Suddenly I have this Ironman thing on the brain.....

So, the workouts are starting to click. Swimming is getting easy (well, easy as far as swimming goes) and my recovery between intervals on the bike and run is really improving. I guess I'm getting back into racing shape! Now, the problem is that I'm starting to dwell on the race already. Wondering what outcome I can realistically expect, and what outcome I can possibly achieve if it's really my day. I have the tendency to be over-confident (euphemism for word of your choice), and setting the bar too high (setting myself up for disappointment). That's okay, I'll roll with it.

Also have to remember that I'm not the only part of the equation. On the way home from gymnastics today, Rylie asked, "Dad, why do you and mom get to run every day?". And I told her about how we run to stay healthy, do races, etc. She fired back with, "Why don't I get to run every day?" Hmmmm...

"You do, at preschool and gymnastics, right?" (No more kids' track meets now that summer is over).

"But not on the weekends?"

And it's true, I have been so busy with workouts, and we have been so busy with family trips that we haven't been taking the normal bricks around the block. And yes, I do literally mean bricks. One of Rylie's favorite things to do is ride her bike (with training wheels) around the block, and then park it, ditch the helmet, and run laps around the cul de sac over and over until we get tired and tell her to come inside. Hannah follows what Rylie does, so this has become one of Hannah's favorite things to do too!

So, Rylie and I made a pact. Every Saturday and Sunday, we will run and ride around the block. Awesome, it's a plan.

With that revelation, I'm moving forward with a focus on balance, keeping things in perspective, and being cautiously optimistic about the race. Stay healthy, keep pushing, and see where it goes. Let's see if my swim speed continues to increase, ditto for my bike, and hey, ditto for the run while I'm at it! Maybe I will live up to my expectations of myself, and surprise everyone else. Here is my mantra for the time-being:

Believe in yourself.
Trust the plan.
Follow the plan.
Make it happen!

Believe in yourself.

Time to move on, it's time to get going

What is it about intervals that drives me crazy? I was thinking about this quite a bit yesterday.

Intervals are not my favorite. In fact, I despise them. Instead of pushing during these workouts, I tend to just check them off the workout list. Make my interval, take my rest, and go again. If I have to miss a workout, usually interval workouts are the easiest to cut out. What does this mean? I think I have finally come to realize that my lack of enthusiasm for intervals might be one of the biggest things holding me back from speed--what keeps me from bridging the gap from FOMOP (front-of-middle-of-pack) to FOP (front-of-pack). I tend to end up in a no-mans' land between the overall contenders and the somewhat competitive age-groupers.

I think I might have figured out my mental game/problem yesterday. For steady or tempo-effort workouts, you're always moving forward, moving toward the end of the workout at a measurable rate (minutes or miles). During intervals, you have to rest. You sit on the wall of the pool, you coast back down to the bottom of the hill, or you stand at the white line on the track huffing and puffing while counting seconds to your next effort. During that time, I don't feel like I'm getting closer to the end of the workout.

What I'm now trying to ingrain in my head that I am moving forward by checking the box next to another repeat. The end of the workout is only getting closer. The additional intervals are actually a countdown to finishing the workout and improving my fitness. If I quit, increase my rest, or back out of a workout, I'm not working on being a better athlete. I'm teaching myself to give up, mentally and physically. During the rest period, instead of getting down about how many repeats I have left, I should be mentally focusing on your next effort. Before workouts, I think about how do I get the most out of my intervals so that I improve during my next event. After all, I'm out there training. :Working out" and "exercising" are only side-notes. It is about getting better!

So, here are some resolutions I'll be trying to follow: take intervals seriously; look forward to knocking off seconds week-by-week, month-by-month, because eventually those seconds will add up to minutes during races; if I skip workouts, they will NOT be intervals (although with my current plan the "junk miles" are few and far between); track my splits for intervals in my training log (I am a numbers geek...), so that I can visually see improvement for a sense of positive feedback.

Yesterday was a good benchmark for this new-and-improved attitude. A breakthrough swim where I knocked off between 3 and 6(!!!!) seconds per 100 yards with 15" rest between (now if I could only have three or four additional breakthroughs with similar gains I would be a competitive swimmer! :) ). After being shocked by my first split, I focused on hitting it time and again. Between repeats, deep breaths and concentration. Push off hard, and nail it!

can't drink cerveza anymore

That's right, it has gotten serious. As of last Monday, I have sworn off drinking until after IM Arizona. 11 weeks without alcohol would be a new PR, and I'm looking forward to it. It's not that I don't believe in having an outlet in the form of a few beers once in a while. BUT it's harder to get up to workout, and it causes me a ridiculous amount of GI distress. These things mean poorer-quality training, missed workouts, and the list goes on. Not to mention the dinero that these days I should be spending on healthy calories (fuel). Shannon and I have sworn it off until November 21st post-race. Yippee or something. If you see me sneaking a drink at the Kona send-off event at TriSports retail store next week (open bar, yikes!), give me a hard time, okay? Okay. So, that's all on this topic.

Well, after my week of "recovery", I was ready for a recovery from my recovery, and the training plan served it up! 12 workouts in 6 days. My first 3-a-days (Tuesday and Friday) in a long time. Weekly summary: 16.4 hours, 8700 yards in the pool, 10.1 hours on the bike, 24 miles of running. Long ride of 4:30, long run of 1:30. Obviously a huge jump up across the board, although my swimming and running distances were still not huge. All about the bike this week. 1-1/2 hours of hills/flats, 2 hour no-calorie ride, 2 hours of intervals, and, finally, a group ride up Lemmon on Saturday.

Bonk of the week: A tie between my no-calorie ride and the Lemmon ride. Ouch to both.

Hardest workout of the week: Lemmon.

Funnest workout of the week: Lemmon. I guess that's just how these things work. It was a great group ride from the TriSports.com retail store. We probably had something like 50 people on the ride, and it was quite a mix, from serious triathletes like me, Chrissy Parks, Billy Oliver and Brian Stover (fellow TriSports.com athletes) to several people from the U of A Tricats to a couple of the shop guys riding on fixies. It was a no-drop (read painfully-slow) ride to the base, and then a hammer-fest on the climb. At milepost 0, the group shattered and several of us went off the front. Ended up backing it off a bit so I didn't kill myself, but several of us ended up going to Palisades. Back to TriSports for some much-needed post-ride grub, then off to recover at home. It was a good day.

Besides training, work was work, and had some good family time, topped off with a trip to Apple Annie's Orchard for some apple, pear, and peach picking. Of course, the girls' favorite part was the aside of chasing whatever bugs we came across, including this monster cicada! So cool.














Oh, and then there was the epic grasshopper chase. Rylie is apparently learning about persistence hunting. We're not quite at Tarahumara status yet, but we're working on it.



And with that, it's time to get to bed. No rest day this Monday. Time to start knocking out the workouts. Looks like similar riding this week, with a bit of a pick-up in the swimming and running distance. Let's hope I can keep on this roll!

I don't know why we float but I like this buoyancy

Wow, three days late this time and two workouts short? Uh oh :) Finished with a much-needed recovery week, which realistically consisted of five days of training sandwiched by two weeks at the River.

The basics as always: 6.7 hours, 6700 yards in the pool, 3 hours on the bike, 10 miles of running. Long ride of 1:30, long run of under an hour. Pretty weak? Perhaps, but like I said, much-needed. After a lot of training and a lot of stress last week (see previous post), I needed both a mental and physical break. And it worked out perfectly.

My big annual report for work was done and out the door on Monday. After that, the stress of work faded away somewhat. I still had a presentation to prepare for a conference in Tucson (Arizona Hydrological Society), but after 7 years of putting together talks in front of groups I don't know, it really wasn't a big deal. So yeah, Tuesday of preparing for the presentation, Wednesday practicing at the office (free lunch!), and Thursday and Friday at the conference (read "more free lunch"). It is weird to go to professional conferences these days and I recognize a significant portion of the audience. I guess that is the point. Too bad I am TERRIBLE with names. My conversations usually start out with, "uh, didn't I meet you at that conference at that place last year?" Oh well :) Training during the week was nothing really notable. A few swims and some easy runs. Although...I was shocked when I convinced myself to go swimming after the conference on Thursday instead of hanging around for free food and drinks! Who does that?

Friday was a half-day at the conference, followed by a trip to "the River." Spent a lot of time hanging out at "the sandbar" recovering from the night before. Lots of great food, horseshoes, catching up with old friends, and making a few new ones. The girls are really starting to enjoy themselves in the sand and water, just like me when I was a kid I suppose. Too bad water for me now typically involves a pool with a black line to follow (although I admit, we're working our way out of our love-hate relationship). The River for kids can be summed up as follows:






















































Wake up, then repeat :)

I did manage a good brick workout on Sunday morning. 90 minutes on the mountain bike (only dirt roads and jeep trails out here) and 45 minutes running. Good stuff. The long weekend reminded me that life tends to get challenging, and you end up burnt out (whether it's work, school, training, etc.). It's great to step back, take a deep breath, get reminded of the important things. Mind and body are resilient if you listen to them. And more often than not, you're ready to charge back into your passions.

Returned to Tucson to see that my coach delivered my next five weeks of training. It is a good thing I feel refreshed, because I've got some work to do! Increasing from 9 workouts/week to 12, and everything is getting longer as well (up over 20 hours/week very soon). I'm ready to go. After my first 3-a-day in a long time (plus core/stretching) yesterday, I am excited to be re-focused and take on the tasks at hand.

Nobody said it was easy

A day late and a workout short, but Week 4 is done enough for me. There was a not-so-subtle change in my workload last week (when it rains, it pours...and it did both figuratively and literally). For the first time, I really FELT that I was ironman training. Sure the workouts were a little longer, but that wasn't the hard part.

First, the basics: 14.3 hours, 9700 yards in the pool, 7.6 hours on the bike, 22 miles of running. Long ride of 4:00, long run of 1:45. So yeah, slightly longer than last week, but that's only part of the story.

The real story is that I worked 40+ hours in four days, got very little sleep, and had to go out of town over the weekend sans bike, sans pool. That means 7 workouts that HAD to be done by Friday, and I HAD to have a rest day. My week went something like this:

• Monday, day off training. Drop girls off at 8:30, work at 9. Meetings all morning, meaning no time to work on my HUGE annual report that was due in January. Yeah, that's right, only 9 months late. Work till 3:30, pick up the girls. Wash dishes, pack lunch, help get the girls to bed at 7. Work until midnight.
  
• Tuesday, up at 5 am, onto the trainer at 5:30 for a 90-minute interval session. Breakfast, shower, take the girls to school. Into work by 9 to bust my butt on the report, sandwiching a meeting about why it's taking so long to get the report out. A meeting that, well, keeps me from working on the report... 1:30, off to the pool. Get in, swim 700 warm-up, then a bogus lightning sighting closes the pool (read now I have three swims to do in 3 days, along with a four-hour bike). Work until 3:30, pick up the girls. Home at 4:45, help with dinner, off to run hill repeats, back home at 7. Work until 12:30--notice a pattern here?
• Wednesday, miss my alarm (not surprising). Girls wake me up at 6. Breakfast, off to work by 7. Bust my butt until noon, report draft DONE! Off to the pool to celebrate (like swimming is a fun way to celebrate...). EXHAUSTED, but I knocked out a great 100-repeat set. My times are already coming back down. Work till 5, and I'm done.
• Thursday, wake up at 5 and IT'S RAINING. Flash flood warnings. Are you freaking kidding me?! This is Tucson. How will I possibly get in my long ride and swim, especially given the hallucination-prone lifeguard. But, a pleasant surprise. It was an AWESOME morning. No lightning, cool, sprinkled on me for half of the ride. Three hours of rest, and then swim. It's still raining, meaning I have 8 lanes of lap pool to myself (plus I get to punish the lifeguards by making them sit out in the rain :) ). Thursday afternoon, report draft is back on my desk. Pick Rylie up at 4, quick visit to TriSports.com, then gymnastics until 6. Girls in bed by 7:30, pack lunch for Rylie, start working on the report. Get it back out by midnight.
• Friday, up at 5:30, off for an Aerobic Deflection Training ride. No breakfast. No ride nutrition. Cup of coffee and out the door. Yeah, two hours of riding with no calories the day after a long ride=PAIN. I felt awesome for 45 minutes, then felt like falling over for the next 1:15. I was happy to make it home. Two hours of recovery, then off for a LONG set in the pool.
  

WOOOHOOO! Workouts for the workweek were done. Off to the River for my mom's birthday and a lot of fun on the water. One hung-over run on Sunday morning (more ouch. when you have two "bouts of GI distress" in four miles, you know it's not a good morning for a run), and a make-up run today (Monday) to knock out my long run.

Highlights and low-lights of the week:

1. Biggest sacrifice: tie between sleep and sanity. My mental state was simply crappy, and the lack of sleep did not help.
2. Most painful ride: Friday no-calorie ride. Long ride the day before, lack of sleep, and poor nutrition, so no surprise there.
3. High point of the week: My rainy swim on Thursday. Yeah, that's right. I actually enjoyed my swim, and had a near-spiritual experience having the pool to myself and watching the rain come down.
4. Take away message for this week: sleep more!
   

So, that's it for Week 4. Thank God for recovery weeks, as I am definitely going to enjoy this one. Looks like I'll probably be back at the river this week for three days of extracurricular activities to include some mountain biking, fishing, swimming (the fun kind), horseshoes, you get the idea. Hopefully I'll come back to town feeling motivated and ready to launch into my next training phase. Thinking of no drinking after this weekend until the race, so we'll see how long that lasts...now off to finish my beer before I go to bed.

Oh, wait, I almost forgot to pack Rylie's lunch.

Tie my handlebars to the stars so I stay on track

Finally getting started on my weekly-ish posts on training for Ironman Arizona. I am going to try to add a new post each Sunday or Monday with basic information on my previous week. The goal is not to brag; I just want to keep track of what I have done, how I am feeling, etc., so that I can look back to see what I have gone through in preparation for the race. Hopefully it'll keep me motivated when I'm feeling down, but we'll see.

So, here goes. Week three is DONE. What happened to weeks 1 and 2? Minnesota vacation. Oops. For week 1, I got in all three bike rides, two of three runs, and no swimming (thanks to my MTB crash). 7.7 total training hours, 13 miles of running. 2:45 long ride, and no long run. For week two, I got in all three runs, one ride, and no swimming again. 6.7 training hours, 23 miles of running. Long ride of 3:15, long run of 1:15.

Week three was time to get back on track. Mission accomplished! All three swims, bikes, and runs are DONE! :) 12.7 hours, 8300 yards in the pool, 6.7 hours on the bike, 23 miles of running. Long ride of 3:30 (plus 0:20 run), long run of 1:30. I actually feel great. Now that I have real heart rate zones set up (and I'm following them), I feel pretty well-rested and fresh for my workouts. The swims were really tough-not at all surprising after 21 days with no swimming! Some other highlights and lowlights:

• Most enjoyable workout of the week-long trail run at Starr Pass Sunday at sunset. Hot and sticky, but some rain, rainbows, great Tucson views, and some wildlife. I made myself stay in Zone 2, so I felt good pretty much the whole time.
• Least enjoyable workout-Wednesday swim with 100 repeats. Hard workout always, but depressing when you're out of shape. Oh well, I finished.
• Scariest moment of the week-A tie between running through a swarm of bees (hit in the head like five times, and then looked up to see a huge swarm-I'll admit, it freaked me out) and having to high-step a coiled up rattlesnake on my Sunday run. The snake was coiled up right on the trail where my foot was headed, but I saw him at the absolute last moment. No rattling of anything. He didn't even flinch!
• Discovery of the week-Yoga! I finally tried it for the first time. OUCH! Depressing to realize how inflexible I am, but I'm going to keep trying!

That's all for now. Big week this week followed by my first recovery week.

Gitty up, gitty up, let's ride

Just a quick post to mention one of my new discoveries. I don't post much (enough?) product reviews, but I discovered a product that helped me out immediately. And, hey, I didn't know about it, so maybe you didn't either!

I am a heavy, salty sweater. I have always tried to take in as much salt as possible through PowerGels and Camelback Elixir. However, last summer I realized that I still wasn't getting enough (especially during my cramp-plagued Vineman attempt). So, I have been talking electrolyte pills (Endurolytes) every half hour for summer rides and runs. Last year, and up until a month ago, I was simply carrying a "pill dispenser", which actually works okay. However, it can take two hands to get just one pill out (dangerous on the bike!), and if it rains there is little protection from the elements. Last month, I finally read up on the saltstick dispenser. Basically, this is a handy little tube that can slide inside your aerobar extensions (or handlebars depending on the shape) or even just clip on to your race belt. I installed mine in an aerobar extension in about two minutes, and, now, one caplet is available with a twist. Each tube can hold 6 or 7 caplets (=3 hours for me), so I will be adding one in the other extension to get me through the longer rides I have coming up. Here is what it looks like once installed in your extension:




















If you are a salty sweater like me, I HIGHLY recommend this for your bike. You can get the dispenser alone, or get a combo with saltstick caps to save you a few bucks if you want to try their pills. I bought one combo and an extra dispenser. No, these things are not free, but for the convenience and reliability of electrolyte caps at your fingertips, this is an awesome product. Quick video of how it dispenses:

Here we go...

So, here I go. Training for my first ironman. So my hope is to start posting once a week or so about how my training weeks to, so that I can look back and remember how ridiculous it was, and maybe convince myself not to do it again :).

Let's start with some goals. One of the articles I always think about is a response to a letter in Triathlete Magazine where the authors rip someone asking about goals for a first ironman. The response amounted to: your goal should be to finish while remaining employed, married, and without a trip to the med tent. Indeed, these are my goals (although I don't really care if I end up in the med tent). However, at the risk of sounding brash (well, that's just who I am anyway I guess), I have other goals too. I want to go fast without too much risk of crashing and having a miserable day. I would also like to have the chance to do another ironman next year, although there is really only one other ironman that I would current consider doing... Anyway, can't even think about that yet. I know that training for 140.6 is serious business, and will require sacrifices in other parts of my life. It is not something I want to repeatedly put my family through.

Okay, training report to this point. My journey has begun following lots of advice and a training plan (in progress) from Bill Daniell of Grasky Endurance Coaching. 16 weeks leading up to the big day. Well, the hiccups started before the training even began. As I posted before, I took a hard crash on the mountain bike a few weeks ago, and it turns out that I managed to hurt my ribcage. Long story short, swimming was impossible for two weeks. Then, after three days of training, off to Minnesota for family vacation. No bike, no swimming, just running every other day in record heat and 80%+ humidity. Got back in Tucson last Saturday around midnight, then a 3-hour ride in the heat on Sunday. Good stuff. This week, things have gotten back on track. The training load really isn't too bad at this point--three workouts each for swim, bike, and run. Two runs are short but relatively hard (tempo stuff, hill repeats, or intervals), one is long and easy. Bike workouts are either intervals, hill repeats, or long. Swims are, well, swims. Not bad except that I hadn't swam in three weeks. Swimming shape seems to disappear FAST! Basically, halfway through all three workouts this week, I doubted my ability to finish the sets. Oh well, suck it up and get it done. Good stuff.

My plan is to stick to the plan, trust it, and trust my coach. Do the work and hopefully things will go smoothly...or at least I'll finish. Had to swallow my pride for the first time today. I went for my first group ride in a long time with a bunch of triathletes, and not slow ones. My ride was 3.5 hours of Zone 2. So, what happens? Starting on the first hill, the group blows apart. I know I can hang with the guys in the front for three hours, but that's not my workout. Just let them go. The goal is not to keep with the fastest guys on the group ride. The goal is to be ready for Ironman AZ, even if that means I rode by myself for 2:30 before running by myself for three miles. Long-ish run on the schedule for tomorrow afternoon, and week "three" is in the books, if only full week one for me. "Three" (one) down, and 13 to go. Let's get it done!

Won't give it up until my legs are broken...

Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that! ;)

Finally got on my mountain bike yesterday after a few weeks off to try to keep from hurting myself before Vineman. Was probably a wise decision... I rode Starr Pass for only the second time (the first was my first MTB ride). It was a blast! I cleared nearly everything, including a ton of sections that I walked last time. All was going well, and I was really feeling it. Didn't have to think about lines, the bike kind of led itself. I ended up in front of a few people who were obviously mountain bikers, not roadies (you can tell by the baggy clothes, fast descending and weak climbing ;) ). On the climb toward the Starr Pass parking lot, I heard "wow, aggressive line!" Was that a compliment? If so I'll take it! Not that I really think about lines...I think, what's the fastest way to get up this stupid hill without falling over?!!

Cruising, cruising, cruising, wipe sweat from face, miss the bars, eat rocks! OUCH! I need to learn not to put my hands out when I fall! Could hardly grip the bars on the way back. Another painful lesson. Speaking of lessons, here are some of my take-aways:

1. Wiping sweat off your face is a luxury of road riding, not a necessity. Need to not do it. Other luxuries: adjusting glasses, adjusting helmet, opening gels while riding.
2. If you are new, let some real MTBers lead you on technical ascents. These guys actually know what they're doing.
3. If the MTBers pass you on technical stuff or descending, no worries. You'll pass them on uphills. If you don't pass them on uphills, you can pass them at the top of the climb where they're sitting around catching their breath :)
4. Keep your focus. If you can't, rest for a minute. Otherwise the trail will invite you to eat rocks.
   

So, bruised right hand, sprained left wrist. Guess my road ride this afternoon will be with a wrist brace. Happy riding!

If you go straight long enough you'll end up where you were

Time for a race/travel report for my first A race of the year: Vineman 70.3. This was my big race of last year. The one that I built up to for a year. I basically trained for collegiate nationals in April, took a few days off, then kept building for Vineman for the final three months before the race. As I used to do, I set unrealistic time goals without a real understanding for the course and the variability of race conditions. When my race (run, specifically) fell apart despite awesome training for the previous two years, I was more than a little let down. My motivation fell through the floor. Add to that a nightmare summer school class, a dissertation, and IT band syndrome, and that pretty much called an end to my 2009 racing season.

This year, I had a totally different mindset. I was not coming off a crazy olympic distance training schedule. I started from scratch in January. I knew the course. I knew that the temperature could approach 100 during the run. I knew that the field would be ridiculously competitive. Moreover, even if I kicked butt, I still wouldn't take a Clearwater spot (I won't race 70.3 worlds unless the venue changes). Finally, I knew this race was to build up for that other A race I have in November... So, how to approach it? How about some fun?! I knew that one of the coolest parts about the race this year would be that I knew several people that were doing it. Four acquaintances-soon-to-be-friends from TriCats were crazy enough to sign up too!

I left Tucson on Thursday morning before the race. I think I left around 9 am, driving my car. No detour through Yosemite this year, just straight through. I pulled into Santa Rosa around 11 pm, stopped at the bank, and then on to Guerneville. Told myself it was too late to waste money on a hotel room, and all of the campgrounds were closed. So, cleared off the back seat and laid down a sleeping bag. Thought about how similar triathlon bums and surf bums (I was one for a summer) are...just triathletes have more expensive toys... Anyway, actually slept pretty well thanks to the marine layer giving some extra shade in the morning. Quick swim at Johnson's Beach (the race venue) to get the blood flowing. Then, off to set up my campsite.

Yeah, camping and racing...it can get interesting. Last year I was lucky. I pulled into a random campground and got put in a nice, secluded overflow spot. I knew it would be a crapshoot this year too. I ended up in and UNBELIEVABLE campsite at the very edge of the campground, which happened to be about 15 feet from the Russian River. Soooooo cool. Check out the view from my campsite. Not telling where it is...if I do this race next year, I want to reserve the same spot! :D




















Finished setting up camp, then off to meet the guys in Santa Rosa. Lunch, movie, and then a quick stop by their hotel. Oh, this is how real triathletes do it! Real beds, room service, bath robes (which, yes, the guys actually used...), and re-runs of the Tour de France. Left before too long to avoid getting too comfy, and back to my remote campsite. Little did I know the Russian River is the Salt River or northern California. These people were having way more fun than I was. Luckily, everyone drinks all day, so as soon as the sun goes down--silence :)

Check out the floating slide!




















Good sleep, then up for a pre-race brick on Saturday. Nothing eventful, just rode the first 5 miles or so of the bike (just past the first decent hill), and a quick run afterward. I felt sluggish (tapered), but good besides that. Off to packet pick-up. Got there EARLY to avoid the lines, and was in and out in a half hour. That was too easy. What do I do with the rest of my day? Rest, eat, drink, eat some more, cat nap, then off to dinner with the guys at a small Italian restaurant I would have never known about. Had a good time with Mike and Neil's families! All super-nice people, and they somehow know about all the restaurants, etc. to visit. Ended up getting back to the campsite pretty late, but I was still asleep by 9:45. Slept pretty well again, and woke up right away to my alarm clock and the buzz of cars driving to the venue. I had NO caffeine for the previous two weeks (if you know me that is CRAZY), but it was time for coffee! I made camp coffee, and drank the whole pot (~5 cups?). Then I went to Starbucks for more :). I was suddenly in an extremely good/annoying mood!

Quick race report:
Swim was great overall. For the first time, I really pushed the pace off the line and found open water early. Definitely going to go out the same at my next race. I still missed out on the front pack (I tend to start slow and then catch back up), but I was able to close the gap right at the turnaround. At this point, the water is super shallow (i.e. easier to walk than swim), so I stood up to look for someone to draft. Okay, a guy without a wetsuit in a wetsuit-legal swim. He muse be a swimmer! So, I dove in behind his feet and cruised for a while. Suddenly realize how easy I was going, so I veered out to the side. Oops, I shouldn't have stayed behind! Oh well, more or less happy with my time in the water.

On the bike I felt great! It was good to have raced it last year, knowing that the downhills could be taken with a lot of speed without crashing (well, probably). I set a heart rate cap for myself knowing that I did not want to blow up on the run like I did last year. There is not a flat section of this course--if you race it, make sure your derailleurs are in order! I had the feeling halfway through that I wasn't going hard enough, but I wanted to be conservative. I spend a lot of energy cheering other people on, which is really fun! The responses and enthusiasm you get are great! Apologies to anyone that found me annoying. My caffeine buzz was still rocking thanks to a bunch of double-caffeine gels :) Nutrition was great on the bike this year. Finished all of my calories without issue, and took 5 or 6 Endurolytes (new to my nutrition arsenal this year).

Got off the bike feeling GREAT, with a time a few minutes slower than last year. First mile of the run went by like nothing, and they kept going by despite the hills that I had totally forgotten about (still had a heart rate cap). Halfway through the run, I became THAT guy. Cheering on everyone I passed, giving high fives to the volunteers, etc. I did not walk a step, not even at the aid stations.

Coming down the chute I was taunting the crowd, blah, blah, blah. Felt fine after the finish. Food right away, no cramping, hanging out in the trisports.com tent. Hardly sore the next day...stairs are no problem, I feel like going for a run, etc.

Long story short, my heart rate zones were way too conservative, probably because I set them myself, and I should have gone harder. Need to race some TTs and re-set my zones. Nevertheless, I had a GREAT time at the race. I ended up around 3 minutes faster than last year. This reminds me of how fast I actually was a year ago--I was only three minutes slower despite a LOT of walking on the run. Oh well, my goal for the race had been accomplished (lots of fun and a solid run), so I'll call it a success!

The rest of the trip was a TON of fun. Spent the night after the race on a Vineyard outside of Napa. A little too much wine and great food, but hey, that's what the night after the race is for!! Spent the next day with the guys in Santa Cruz and Carmel-by-the-Sea, and ended up in San Luis Obispo (where I almost went to undergrad!). Then, down PCH to Malibu, and finally L.A. One of the highlights of that day was a trip to a roadside strawberry stand. A huge field right off the road, with an honor system for buying strawberries--no joke!! Fresh strawberries are like candy. Now that I know, buying them at the grocery store will never be the same...

the Dos Amigos strawberry stand:



















And the guys in Malibu















Dropped Neil off at LAX, then back to Thousand Oaks to visit my sister in her new house. Another good night, and then an all-day drive back to Tucson to finally get back to my girls! It ended up being a 7-day trip with a good race, great food and drinks, and awesome company. Ready for some more racing...but no more week-long trips this year. I'm tired!

Now that I'm back in Tucson, I'm trying to get motivated for work again *sigh*...and getting ready to start training again! My Ironman AZ plan starts on August 1st. It's time to mix up the training, get some speed back, and build endurance! Let the craziness resume...after some serious family time!