Week 2 of 20. Now we're rolling.

Week 2 is in the books.  Work has continued to consume a lot of my energy (mental and physical), but the high mileage load has been a great sanity check.  It helps that nothing is too intense yet; just have to tune out and run.

Increased the mileage substantially, up to 47.5 miles for the week.  I did throw in one tempo run, which was basically just a 20-minute pace increase on my midweek 8-miler.  I was able to get some cross-training into the schedule, with a pretty solid 3000-yard swim on Wednesday, core work on M/W/F, and strength work (lunges, pull-ups, push-ups, etc.) on Monday and Friday.  It's amazing how sore you can get from a couple sets of push-ups when you've been doing nothing but swim/bike/run for a long time.

The weekend was definitely the highlight of my week.  I did the Saguaro East loop (8 miles of hills) at sunset on Saturday.  Sunday I flew out to Albuquerque for work.  I walked a mile to my hotel to loosen up after the flight, and then changed straight into running clothes.  Ended up getting in over 15 miles, with most of it along the Rio Grande.  For this river restoration guru, it was great!  Of course I forgot to pack gels, so my nutritional needs were met by 7-eleven branded jelly beans.  Also forgot body glide...and I had nearly forgotten about the chafe that happens with marathon-type long runs.  Won't be forgetting the body glide again for a while.  Here's a shot from the Rio Grande path in Albuquerque.  Very nice!

Long runs are always an adventure.  Long runs in a different town with some missed turns, getting back to the hotel in the dark, and running through some sketchy neighborhoods make it even more...interesting.

The right ankle is feeling much better this week and I thank my swim.  It included a decent amount of kicking.  It ached a lot at the beginning, but by the end of the swim my ankle had really loosened up, and I was probably feeling about 95% by the end of the day.  Weight on Tuesday was 177.8.  This is higher than I expected to be, but not too shocking considering the relatively poor diet lately.  Hoping to race around 165 in January.  With the mileage and some restraint on the calorie intake, I should be able to drop down pretty quickly.

Hoping to keep the mileage about the same this week, just adding in a bit more length to the tempo run.  Just keep on running... milesonmilesonmiles.

Week 1 of 20, on my way to Rock 'n' Roll

Summer of 2001, I was in the midst of my internship for the Fish and Wildlife Service in the middle of nowhere, North Carolina.  I started running.  I ran with bears, deer, rattlesnakes, and nutria (what exactly is that?).  I ran with the black flies, yellow flies, and mosquitoes in 100% humidity day after day.  Why?  After years of thinking running was a punishment, I found myself enjoying the challenge.  Enjoying chasing the wildlife around and being alone with my thoughts.  It felt great to be fit.  Oh, and Shannon had signed up for the Tucson Marathon.  So, I did too...

That first marathon was painful enough to keep me from training for another one for 2-1/2 years.  But the rewarding feeling of finishing that race (my first running race ever) convinced me to do it again in 2004.  And here I go again 9 years later.  I'm going to take a real shot at one of my athletic goals--qualifying for Boston.  I don't think I'd actually even run Boston (I mean is it really a reward that for finishing a great marathon you have to run another one?).  But I want to see if I can get do it.  It's important because I think it's important, and that's it.

So, to keep myself motivated and give myself something to look back at, I'm going to try to post weekly updates for the next 19 weeks leading up to the Arizona Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on January 19.  Following two weeks of warmup, I'll be following (roughly) Hal Higdon's marathon training plan, with a bunch of extra mileage and a bike and swim or two per week for cross-training.  I should be able to race at about 15 pounds under what I did in 2004.  I'm hoping that lower weight, along with a pretty solid five years of triathlon training and a good training plan will get me below 3:05 for the marathon.  That would be a whopping 22-minute PR.  Yikes...

So, my first week of build is in the books.  36 miles total, with a challenging 11.5-mile long run up Sabino Canyon and back down Phoneline Trail in the heat.  Mostly easy running, with one five-miler at moderate pace.  I have some nagging pain in my right Achilles that comes and goes.  Self-massage seems to be doing the trick, but I'll need to keep tabs on it closely.  One core/stretching session.  No swims, no bike rides.  Diet was only decent...need less sweets, and cutting out beer for a while :(  Nothing else too exciting to report.  A solid start.

Will be upping the mileage a bit this week, adding a tempo run or two, and including more core/stretching/strength work.  More to come!  If nothing else, I have enough shoes to get me through for a month or two I'd say...

take the good and bear the bad

Here's how it should go:



But it doesn't, usually.  There are good and bad, high and low points in every week.  Life gets in the way and other priorities are, well, prioritized.  Some good and bad from this week so far.

Bad: Tempo bike ride

changed to a commute to the office.
Good: Tempo workout salvaged by sprinting yellow lights.  I made almost all of them this morning.

Good: Largest weekly swimming volume in a while this week, and longest workout in a while today.
Bad: Took too long to eat a recovery meal and went to the grocery store.  Somehow a 6-pack and a jar of nutella ended up in the shopping cart.

Bad: 7-mile run and hilly bike ride ended up being in the heat of the day.  Felt like death for both.
Good: Perfect practice for for Vegas!

Bad: Beer drinking on a Thursday night... ("drink like a fish" doesn't even get an honorable mention on the poster above!)
Good: Satisfied my late night munchies with Kashi GoLean instead of unhealthy options.
Bad: Stomach destroyed all day Friday thanks to fiber overload.
Bad: Friday evening run cancelled due to upset stomach and thunderstorm.
Good: Great excuse for a family post-rain walk at sunset.

Good: Lots of greens this week thanks to bountiful baskets!
Bad: Accidentally bough Safeway cookies, which accidentally disappeared within 20 minutes...

Now to get some good sleep on a Friday night and destroy some workouts!  Vegas in T-minus three weeks!

If you don't try you'll only fail

And I’m back from a weeklong solo adventure to the Midwest.  When I was picking out conferences in the spring I happened to notice that the National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration (in a Chicago suburb) fell the week before Steelhead 70.3 (Benton Harbor, MI, two hours away).  Sold.  It was to become my attempt to qualify for Vegas world champs.  The problem (good one I guess) is that I qualified unexpectedly at St. George.  So, my motivation went out the window in mid-May.  I’ll avoid details, but let’s just say that my last 2 ½ months of training have not been pretty.  I was going to have to rely on my residual fitness and conservative racing to carry me through.

A lot of planning goes into combining work and training or racing trips, especially with this being my first time checking a bike on a plane.  This trip included two poster presentations and an oral presentation over four days of conference followed by a weekend of triathloning.  Preparing for my presentations went as typical—getting my stuff together at the last minute, picking up posters from the printer on my way to the airport, etc.  Madness.  Monday afternoon I had arrived at the conference hotel with all my gear, and my bike was in the same number of pieces as it had been when I left Tucson.  Success! 

Work plus triathlon travel=lots of gear!

Tuesday through Friday went as typical for a conference.  The days were a blur of technical and plenary sessions (read chugging coffee) followed by evenings of socializing (read drinking) with potential project partners—definitely not my normal race-week routine.  But I was able to mix in several good runs and a good ride (in the hotel gym) and two good swims in the indoor 25-meter saltwater pool.  It’s good to get put up in the Renaissance sometimes J

Wrapped up the conference on Friday and FINALLY re-built my bike.  Up early on Saturday for the drive over into Michigan.  Packet pickup was relatively quick and easy, followed by a quick brick on the bike course.  Scoped out the course, and was pretty sure I could look forward to a choppy swim.  Transition was super long (like 1/3 mile) and narrow, and I thought it would probably be very hard to navigate. The bike was rolling but without any major climbs.  Couldn’t preview much of the run course…  The plan was to go hard on the swim, be conservative on the bike, and have a solid run without putting myself in so deep a hole that I wouldn’t recover in time for Vegas (5 weeks later).

The longest, skinniest transition I've ever seen!

Off to the hotel (40 minutes away…) and took care of the final prep.  4 am alarm (1 am AZ time, yikes!), but as usual I was up and ready to go immediately.  Drove to the site, and threw my wheels on.  Realized immediately that my rear brake was rubbing, and I couldn’t get it set correctly!  Went straight to mechanical in transition, and they were able to work some magic in 15 minutes.  I was VERY glad that I got there so early—otherwise my race likely would have ended before it began.  Quick transition setup, and I was good to go. 

My warmup consisted of a 1-mile jog down the beach to the swim start with the wetsuit in-hand.  I watched the first few waves go off into the chop, and folks were not exactly enthusiastic to start swimming.  Seriously, I was having a hard time figuring out where the starting line was because people were slowly wading into the water.  It turns out the start line was on the water’s edge and people were just REALLY slow to dive in.

Got a quick 5-minute swim in before moving into the the corral.  When the horn sounded, I charged off, high-stepping and dolphin-diving.  Apparently others don’t practice this because I was alone at the first turn buoy (never happens).  The swim was definitely a hilly one.  I caught my rhythm fairly early (sight at the top of the hill, breathe on the way down), but it was not a fast swim for sure and I got a good advance on hydration.  This photo is from the day before just up the beach, but this is pretty much what we got to swim in.

Lake Michigan is big. Great, even.  And choppy.

Exited the water quickly, and I was happy to see most of the bikes still in transition when I came through.  On to the ride.

I found the course pretty spectacular.  Coming from Tucson, it was nice to see some actual greenery.  If you have done Vineman, the forest is very similar.  Take 1/3 of the wineries and replace them with blueberry farms.  Take the second 1/3 and replace them with corn and soybeans.  Leave the last 1/3 as winery.  There you have the steelhead bike course.  A few photos from along the course.

Forest scenery along Lake Michigan.

Corn on the left, blueberries up ahead on the right.

Awesome area about 15 miles (??) into the bike course.

Although I planned to ride fairly easy, I found myself constantly pushing to overtake the next person I saw.  I felt great until the last 10 miles, where I think my lack of bike fitness started to catch up to me.  I knew the run would be…interesting.

Quick in-and-out of T2, and I tried to ignore the cramping I felt in my stomach.  There is a good hill from mile 1-1.5 or so, and then two loops of rolling roads and paved walking trails.  I really liked the course!  I constantly switched back and forth with a guy in an older AG until I finally gave in to my stomach cramps around mile 7, and from there on, I walked most of the aid stations to keep from falling apart.  I thought I could probably pull out a PR by forcing myself through the cramps, but I was pretty sure I would be in a world of hurt the week after.  Vegas crept into my head, and I decided to (relatively) cruise it home.  I came in around 4:48 (0:33, 2:26, and 1:42-ish), which accomplished my goal.  My lack of cycling fitness definitely came back to get me on the run course.

Right at the start of both the bike and run courses.

I hung out for a while chatting it up with several other finishers who had come from various places around the Midwest and Canada, which reminded me of why I enjoy racing so much.  It is awesome to meet so many enthusiastic folks from all over the place with the common goal of pushing themselves and making it hurt just to see what they’re made of.  Some were hoping for a Vegas slot, and some were testing out the waters to see if they could actually finish the ironman they were already signed up for next year.  A few were just trying to complete their first triathlon (what a beast to start with!).  Of course there are a bunch of people that miss the point—blatant drafters, poor sports, etc.—but I think they are the minority. 

I am happy with my experience, and really had a great time exploring a part of the country I haven’t been in before.  That said, a week was too long to be away from home.  Next time, the family has to come with me!  After a couple days of recovery, my build for Vegas has started.  Hopefully I can improve my bike fitness enough in the next three weeks so that I won’t be dying while running through the hills in 100 degrees! 

Definitely needed to make up for lost time when I got back to Tucson :)

starting now, I'm starting over

After an extremely full eight days, I arrived home last night from a combination work and racing trip.  Here's the short version: amazing drive, awesome course, solid race with some PRs and a Vegas worlds slot.  The town of St. George, the volunteers, and the race organizers are awesome.  Here's the ridiculously long race report!

St. George has been my target spring A race since I decided to tri again.  My build went great, and I came in full of confidence.  The only let-down was my lack of swimming in April due to the nerve entrapment in my left arm.  Oh well, can't stress about these things.  I knew my fitness was there, so I focused on thinking of the dedication and sacrifices I made--the mornings I swam in 17 degrees.  The afternoons when snow accumulated on my swim bag (both extremely rare occurrences in Tucson).  My key runs, rides, and bricks had gone near perfect to plan.  Time to execute.

I drove up from Tucson on Thursday and in my typical fashion I decided on the scenic route!  And it was worth it!  Panoramic views for the entire trip and all smooth sailing.  Highlights included snow-capped mountains in Flagstaff, crossing Lee's Ferry, seeing the famous Kaibab mule deer on the Kaibab plateau, and the simply amazing rock formations in northwest Arizona and southern Utah.

 On the descent into Lee's Ferry.

Looking down on the Colorado River.  Quite the drop!

I was greeted at my hotel with a welcome banner.  Signs of things to come in St. George.  The town really caters to the racers!

Welcome Banner at the Hampton Inn.

Friday was a hectic day, as typical for pre-race.  First an early morning brick along the Virgin River.  A beautiful bike path with lots of wildlife along the way.

I had to call in to a work meeting, and then made it to packet pick-up.  I drove the run course, which climbs up above the town.  Brutal uphill for four miles, down for 2.5 plus to the turnaround, and then back the same route.

About mile 5 (and 8-ish) of the run looking out over St. George.

 I headed out to Sand Hollow Reservoir, the site of the miserable ironman swim last year with so many people pulled from the water.  The flag predicted a different day, and it was.

Glassy water with a few hundred new friends.  I was not the only one that felt like hanging out on the rocky islands all afternoon.  Decent visibility, perfect temp (60-ish) for a wetsuit in my opinion, and a beautiful day.

Looking out at two of the three small islands that the swim goes around.

Alas, time to move on.  After setting up my bike in T1, I drove the bike course, which was just as stunning as expected.  Just incredible.  Driving the course, I thought it would be ridiculously hilly--scary-fast downhill followed by punishing uphill.  I took a ton of photos along the way, but here are two of my favorites (the approach to and within the Snow Canyon State Park).

 
Oh well, everyone has to ride the same course, and I had been doing a lot of climbing specifically to prepare for this.  Made it back just in time for the last pre-race meeting.  Pasta dinner of course, and then back to the hotel.  I tried not to think about the fact that I was setting my alarm for 2:45 am Arizona time...

Up quickly in the morning for coffee, a couple bagels, and more coffee.  Off to catch a shuttle to the swim.  Uneventful setup, swim prep, etc.  Suddenly it was time to go.  My wave was one of the earlier ones, so there wasn't too much time to stand around and get nervous.  With about 6 minutes between waves, the warm-up was a frantic one.  I seeded myself right on the front thanks to my building swim confidence.  Off we went!  The swim felt absolutely fantastic.  I found my rhythm and clear water right away.  I was sighting frequently, but found that my line was staying perfect.  Just one of those days!  Without having a watch on the swim, I had assumed that I met my goal time of around 28 minutes, but no point in worrying about it.  Onto the bike!  I later found out my swim was just under 30 minutes.  Would have been a let-down during the race, which is the reason I never wear a watch for the swim!

The first four miles was really flat around the lake before a significant climb up out of the reservoir--around a mile of 6%.  I wasn't feeling it, but I wasn't dying either.  I knew that it would be rollers after the first climb, so I focused on not red-lining early.  After the climb, I started coming together.  The ride definitely wasn't as tough as I had pictured.  There was a good amount of climbing, but the rollers really suit my riding.  The Snow Canyon climb was tough, but more than manageable.  I pushed, but didn't waste myself.  The last ten miles back down to town I focused on getting my heart rate back down and mentally preparing for the run.  The bike ended up quite a bit easier than I anticipated, and I came in well under my pre-race guesstimate of 2:45.

T2 was very quick and uneventful, and I was off running.  Due to the early wave, the course was EXTREMELY quiet.  I focused on picking off people that I could see, and then I was in no-man's land.  I had prepared myself mentally for it, and focused on quick feet and maintaining a high heart rate.  I felt THAT feeling early on the run and knee a port-a-jon was probably in my future, but no point in worrying about it.  I am a strong uphill runner due to my short stride, so I pushed up.  My stride hurts my pace downhill, so I just tried to let go.  Quick cadence, leaning forward...just keep moving.  Before I knew it, I was at the turnaround, and on track for a PR run despite the uphill first half.  The awesome part about the run is that at the turnaround, you're only a couple miles from the finish as the crow flies, so you could hear the loudspeaker, music, and fans at the finish.  Great motivation.  There were highs and lows, but this is what I trained for.  I was not going to give into the urge to walk at the aid stations or lose focus.  At mile 8 I finally had to give in for a bathroom stop (or it was going to end very ugly).  I was there for two minutes before getting out the door.  After another mile, it was downhill to the finish.  Cadence, focus, quick feet.  Just don't stop.  I had not been passed much, but got nipped by one person in my age group about 1/2-mile from the finish.  I had no kick, which was disappointing, but also a sign that I had given it my all on the day.  I came in to the finish very satisfied, and immediately headed to the splashpad 100 feet away.  Perfect way to end it.  I spent an hour or so hanging around the finish, meeting a few new people, and welcoming friends across that had started in later waves.

I came across in 4:50:46, just a bit slower than my half PR (which came on a flat course), with a swim of 0:29:51, bike of 02:36:16, and run of 01:40:09 for a 16th-place finish in my age group (out of 248).  More importantly, despite my bathroom stop, I ran faster than two people ahead of me, and would have been faster than four or so more without the break.  Despite a much harder course than any other half I have done, it was a run PR of over 3 minutes (5 without the bathroom break).  I'm taking this as a huge gain, and I'm super happy about it.  My overall time was about 2 minutes faster than my PR for Vineman.  Good stuff.

I have to add in here that I am extremely impressed with the race organization/planning and the town of St. George.  I have not been in a race with such consistent crowd support along a 56-mile bike course.  There were SO many volunteers at the intersections and many business driveways.  I saw volunteers sprinting to keep cars from driving onto the course.  These are the small things that make good races great.  And this one was.  I can't wait to go back.

And here's the bonus.  Thanks to the roll-down, I punched my ticket for 70.3 worlds in Las Vegas in September.  With that, one of my three major goals for 2013 is in the books (the other two are still secret :) ).  This means I'll be able to race Steelhead 70.3 with nothing to lose.  12 weeks to go.  After a full week off (the longest break in 10 months), it's time to get back at it.  Current PRs are benchmarks.  Off to set new ones.

Some local fare.  No, I did not go for the polygamy porter.  But if I did, I'm sure I wouldn't have just one.  Cheers!

It's time to begin, isn't it?

My first big race "back" has now been completed with the finish of 70.3 St. George last weekend (race report coming in the next post!).  It has been an intense journey back to racing shape over the last 10 months, and it's time for a brief recap of what I've done to get there.  One of my big motivators appeared after going back to look at my previous results at Vineman 70.3.  For both my swim and ride, those who finished ahead of me had a mix slower and faster times for those splits.  For the run, not ONE of the people that finished ahead of me had a slower run.

That really highlighted what I already knew was my weakness--the run.  So, I prescribed myself a run focus for July through December of last year.  It was all about frequency and total mileage--the only "speedwork" was a moderately hard finish (tempo-ish pace) for one run per week.  I had a goal of 6 runs per week, starting at 30 miles per week and going up from there.  By October I was running 30-35 per week, November 35-40 per week, and December 50 per week.  With the slow and consistent build, I avoided most aches and pains, and was not forced to take any running breaks.  This allowed me to start tri training again in January without having to worry about running fitness--only getting faster!  In January, I started backing off mileage and increasing the proportion of faster tempo work, and in March I finally added in track workouts.  I have been satisfied with the progress overall, and have been running faster than ever. 

The second goal was to get to the point where I can take advantage of my relatively strong swim (at least for an adult onset swimmer).  Starting in January, I began swimming at least four days per week (five most), increasing from 14,000 yards per week to 25,000 yards the first week of April.  My pace steadily increased, and I was setting 100 and 50 yard PRs on nearly a weekly basis.  As a result, I set a significant PR on the Tucson Tri swim in March (37 seconds for an 825 yard swim!).  Unfortunately, the big swim peak in April swimming and my lack of bilateral breathing resulted in a nerve entrapment in my left arm and neck.  For a while, I could not extend my left arm without shooting pain from my wrist up through the shoulder.  No bueno.  For the last month I have been working with Melissa of Peak Action Physical Therapy.  The combination of Active Release Techniques (ART) and Graston has really helped, but it's going to be a process to get back to health.  It has also (obviously) really hurt my swim training.  I have been back down to less than 10k per week, and can't do any high-intensity swimming.  After taking this last week to entirely rest following St. George, I'm hardly feeling any nerve issues--just some wrist pain if I push on the back of my forearm.  Hopefully I'll be back to normal in a few more weeks!


I have previously gone through some serious bike focus blocks, so I have been putting that on the back burner so far.  To work on getting my fitness back a bit without committing a huge amount of time, I've concentrated on short, intense workouts, which have been really effective!  Generally only three rides per week with a hilly, hard, solo Tuesday ride, Thursday Computrainer ride, and a Saturday smashfest group ride.  The Computrainer workouts have been awesome.  With the combination of real-time power numbers on the screen and threshold tests every couple months, I know exactly where I'm at and how much I'm improving.  Not having ever trained with power before, I can't really compare with previous fitness.  But I FEEL stronger and I am definitely hanging with riders I haven't been able to touch in the past.

So, where am I at?  I have lost 27 pounds in the last year, getting below my lowest racing weight from 2007 (collegiate nationals).  I actually think a lot of the weight loss came from swimming!  I really started dropping fast after the first of the year.  I have also been eating less bread/sandwiches than I did previously during training (HUGE salads for lunch almost every day), and just eating more "real" foods.  My at-home physical therapy has continued, with serious core and stretching workouts three days per week.  It's looking like I'll be adding some shoulder and neck exercises to prevent the nerve entrapment from re-appearing after it's gone.  I know for a fact that I am running and swimming faster than I ever have--my PR per 100 yards is around 4 seconds faster, and my tempo running pace is 20 seconds or so per mile faster.  My bike is near its best.  So, PRs are new benchmarks to blow past!  I'm looking forward to seeing where I can get with a continued swim and run focus.

It's too late to walk away

As I sit at home drinking a beer and eating pizza (Thursday is my cheating day, give me a break!), I thought I'd finally post an update on my pseudo-athletic endeavors.

About two years ago I decided that I was done with triathlon for several reasons. We had lots of changes going on--sold our house and moved across town, my job was leading to more and more responsibilities, kid activities as they get older, etc.  I also had several lingering injuries, the most annoying being my lower back.  I've had problems with it literally since 8th grade, and it doesn't appreciate sitting on a leather bike seat rolling down bumpy roads for hours on 3/4" wide tires.  Time commitments had become even more difficult.  Cycling and running are generally easy enough to fit in, but swimming is a different issue.  I was driving 20 minutes to get to the pool, swimming for an hour, and then driving another 20 minutes.  Two hour lunch breaks don't work so well with the increased work responsibility.  Finally, a lack of family participation made my triathlon addiction a very selfish activity.

All of these added up to poor, stressful, and inconsistent training which meant no improvement.  A lack of motivation followed close behind.

What's changed?  A lot.

After throwing my back out, again, I finally went to physical therapy.  I am now religious about stretching, core, and hip strength exercises at least three times per week.  The tightness is still there on the road bike, but the pain's a 2 out of 10 instead of a 5 out of 10.  The flexibility and strength has led to gains on the run and on the bike.

We are finally settled in a new house, where we plan to be for a very long time.  Across the street, there's a pool.  A lap pool.  There is literally a lap pool across the street.

My company bought a new office.  There is a pool five minutes away, and a running path 2 minutes away.  On the way to/from the office, I drive past two additional lap pools.  Hmm.

The company has expanded, and I FINALLY have support staff working for me.  My stress level has gone down significantly.  Consulting is still stressful, but at least now I get to spread the stress around :)

Despite success at work, I was still restless.  I am competitive and I need an outlet.  This generally has to do with making myself suffer on the bike or on the run.  I finally accepted that I need to be selfish from time to time for my own sanity.  "We need to fix ourselves first before we fix others.  Caring for yourself is not an act of self-indulgence, it’s an act of self-respect."

Here's the big one.  We have become a triathlon family.  In 2012, everyone in our family did a triathlon--except me.  Rylie did two and now wants to join a swim team :)  Shannon has now done two sprints.  She doesn't have the competitive fire that I do, but she is having fun training and racing.  We also joined Race Tucson, a local multisport group full of enthusiastic, fun people.  We raced together two weeks ago, are again this weekend, and will again the following weekend.

After a year and a half without doing a triathlon, it was time for me to get started again.  In fact I'd say I'm starting over.  I think I'm doing it right this time.  I'll post more of an explanation next time, but let's say that after a couple years training under Brian Grasky (with the Tricats), I had a pretty good idea what I should be doing.  But, I didn't listen to myself.  Now, I am, starting with a huge run build the second half of last year, and a swim build starting in January.  So far it's working.  Training PRs are flowing on a weekly basis, and my first race was a success--swim PR, run PR, overall PR, and 1st AG/9th OA in the Tucson Triathlon.  Here we go.  Next up is Leadman in Tempe and then St. George 70.3.  Let's see what we can do!

We should live, until we die...

Yes, I'm training again.  Yes, I'll soon be racing again.  But for now, a handful of ramblings out of the blue...

I love riding out to the middle of nowhere on my mountain bike.  Alone in the quiet with your thoughts.  Turning your sweat to mud...there's nothing like it.  But I realized today that I like mountain biking on urban/suburban trails almost as much.  Nothing like the not-so-distant hum of cars in the morning rush hour to help you realize how glad you are NOT to be among them.  I can also appreciate the post-ride commute.  On mornings like today, the lack of Tucson freeways/endless stoplights allows plenty of time to pick cactus spines out of your shins on the way into the office.

Early morning mountain biking can be dangerous.  Little sleep and stepping into clip-in pedals before you're fully awake.  It can lead to things like falling...before you get out of the gravel parking lot.  But the good thing is that "typical" mountain bikers are not early risers.  So, if you happen to fall, you aren't likely to be seen.  Not that this would happen to me ever.  Not that it happened this morning.

I have started training without music.  It used to be that I always brought the ipod on solo rides and runs.  After four months without any music, I have learned to enjoy the silence again.  Wilderness runs are all about the wilderness anyway, right?  What good is it if you can't hear the coyotes, quail, and other random desert creatures?  On harder workouts, the silence forces me to focus on the pace and effort.  I figure if I can hold strong through the silence, it will only make me a stronger racer.

When we bought my wedding ring, I thought that the ring was just a bit too big.  The saleswoman said something to the tune of, "don't worry, when you have kids, you'll grow into it."  Despite my annoyance, I bought the ring anyway.  I am down probably ~20 pounds since that day, and my ring always tries to slide off.  I refuse to get it re-sized--it's a constant reminder that I'm taking care of myself.  I have told myself for many years that I would be fine being the fat middle-aged father or the bald middle-aged father.  Considering that I could probably count the number of haircuts left in my lifetime on my fingers, I'd better keep getting in shape!

All for now.  Cheers!

get back on that horse and ride

Bike fitting can be a frustrating experience. Bike shops provide a range of initial fittings when you purchase a bike—some more skilled than others, and different shops rely on varying fitting equipment sophistication. Then, after you spend some time on your bike, you wonder if you need adjustments. “If I move forward/back, up/down, and lower my bars I can discover more watts, get ‘more aero,’ or just finally get comfortable?”

At this point, I have had the range of fit experiences. With my first road bike, I put my fit in the hands of someone that I did not trust (of course I had no idea what was “typical” at that point). A plumb bob and two TV antenna-looking things, some sweat, minor adjustments, and I was on the road. And, I rode. I didn’t know what to expect and didn’t know why a fit was actually necessary. I just rode.

Replaced my seatpost, added some aerobars, and did what I “thought” was best based on my experience (none). Then, a year later, I added my tri bike to the arsenal. A more experienced fitter at the shop, and I felt relatively comfortable. After a solid time trial, I felt good! Then I made changes—lowered my front end, replaced my saddle, and just rode. Another time trial six months later, and I was slower! Even though my fitness was better! Two months before collegiate nationals, and I was panicked. Time for a “real” fit. So, I finally spent some money for a professional fit. My overall experience was good. Lots of adjustments based on visual observations of my pedal stroke (and a plumb bob and angle-measuring antenna contraption again), and I felt comfortable on my bike again. I did not have any visual feedback, but assurance from my fitter that I was good to go. My time trial speed returned, and I was again confident. For over two years I kept this fit on both my road and tri bikes, and I spent a LOT of time in the saddle. More than 30 races, and 700+ hours of riding. A lot changed over that time. IT band syndrome. I threw out my back at work. After training for Ironman, I just wasn’t comfortable on my bike anymore. I watched my knees when I rode, and had a huge wiggle at the top of my pedal stroke. Time for a change.

I had done some reading on Retul bike fitting, which captured my interest—a computer tracking joint movements; no plumb bob or antenna-outfitted protractor. Instant, visual results. No, it is not cheap. But for the sake of my knees, back, and race results, it was finally time to go for it. I discussed fitting with my long-time coach and recently-certified retul-er, Brian Grasky, and we decided that it was time to go for it.

The fitting started with some background information. Flexibility tests, discussion of issues I had. This included my minor aches and pains as well as my scoliosis (one of the not-so-great genetic gifts I received). Then, time to get going. Onto the tri bike, and fitted with the Retul goodies. Velcro dots at each joint.

I started riding, and Brian slowly increased resistance on the trainer. The software tracks movement of each joint and automatically calculates angles. Pivot 180 degrees on the rotating platform, and do it on the other side. Then, 30 seconds later, Brian and I are looking at the results on the computer. Not only angles, but 3D knee tracking. Seat fore-aft adjustments. Seat height adjustments. Aerobar width. Do it again, and then look at the results again. Height is barely off (talking a couple millimeters), which was apparently unacceptable J Adjust, and more pedaling. Height is good. Now, cleat rotation—something none of my other fitters had thought of. Right foot pigeon-toed. Left foot splayed out. Ride again, and see the results. Seat post rotation (what?!). I was able to see my before-after knee tracking and the drastic improvements on the spot. More minor adjustments, optimizing saddle height for leg-length differences (and a former ankle injury that Brian detected and we discussed), and I was good to go!

Now, it is one thing to have faith in your fitter. It is another to have faith in your fitter AND be able to see your results right away, and actually have the data explained to you. I am a data nerd, so I appreciate that :) Good stuff.

Switched to the road bike, and did it all again. As a final step, Brian digitized all of the contact points on both bikes using the Retul remote (Zinn). The software creates (and stores) all of the fit coordinates. I left the Grasky Endurance Performance Center feeling confident in my fit, and ready to ride.

Months have passed, and I had a little hiatus due to my nerve issues following a DNF at Barn Burner—on my mountain bike. But now, I’m back at it. I had some accidental saddle movements, but an email later, Brian sent my fit coordinates and I was able to get it right. I still have some back issues that I am working out with my chiropractor (and I need to up my concentration on core work). BUT the big change is in the smoothness of my pedal stroke. No hesitation at the top of my cycle, and I just feel the change in power. I have not had any knee issues yet, so I am keeping the fingers crossed.

For now, I am working on getting my fitness back. This means a lot of riding time, and I am enjoying the quality time on both bikes with my new fits. Very soon, I will be racing again. And then, the proof will be in my results. We shall see!

After four and a half years of training and racing, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot be trusted to fit myself. Tinkering left me with slower times, aches and pains, and general frustration. After finally taking the leap to Retul fitting, I would recommend it to anyone that wants to make sure their training translates to faster times, and that they don’t injure themselves in the process. No, it is not the cheapest way to go. But being able to instantly see, not just feel, the results was worth it for me! I do have one regret, though—I should have gotten Retul’d on my mountain bike. Probably would have prevented my DNF at Barn Burner…

If you’re interested in Retul, check out the Grasky Endurance page for more info!

This is my final bow

Well, after just over four years of training to be a competitive triathlete (and more than 30 races), it is time for a break. A string of injuries, big family and life events, and suddenly growing career responsibilities need to be my focus for a while. Daily swimming lunch breaks aren't working out lately...

In any case, I plan to continue running and mountain bike racing on a recreational level, and see where that goes. I am hoping for lots of endurance-type events in 2012, including chasing down a belt buckle or three. I don't exactly plan to sit around getting fat and lazy :)

A quick reflection on what triathlon has meant to me...

By pushing my body harder than I ever have before, I realized that the imaginary boundaries we put on our abilities are just that--imaginary. In less than two years, I went from struggling through my first aquathlon...
















To racing competitively for the U of A and placing in the top 125 collegiates nationally...of course, as an old graduate student, but whatever :)















And in the process, I lost 30 pounds, and really got into the best shape of my life. In high school, my best mile was 7:45. Yes, really. In tri, I started holding sub 7-minute pace off the bike :)



















Triathlon has been good to me! It has been a humbling experience to be sponsored by TriSports.com for three years. It truly is a great company that came from humble beginnings to the online retail force it is now. People that look down on TriSports as a "big, corporate company" have never spent personal time with Seton, Debbie, and the crew. I guarantee it. These guys are awesome, and have done and continue to do great things in what in reality has been a very short time. Thank you SO MUCH to TriSports for your support over the years, and I will continue to see you in the store and at the races for years to come!

work and play they're never okay

So, just a quick follow up to Xterra Snow Valley. I spent the next few days working in southern California. After the race, it was off to San Luis Obispo to work on growing tree seedlings. One day later, mission accomplished.




















Then, back to the Inland Empire. Spent Tuesday morning working on a proposal, and then went for a good ride in the afternoon. What could possibly go wrong when you ride in a new place by yourself with directions this good?





















Except that I missed the first turn. Oh well, ended up riding to the right place.














Then, back to the hotel to work on the proposal again. Bedtime, then up early for a site visit on the San Timoteo River. Hopefully good things to come!














Then, an afternoon drive to Tucson, and my trip is completed. Safely, successfully, and back to the family :)

Going down to a house in the woods

And, the racing trend continues. Back in Tucson now, and winding down from a busy week and a half. After a couple weeks of decent training, it was off to XTERRA Snow Valley. Despite what I thought was decent planning, I ended up at home at midnight on Thursday before, realizing I had no clean clothes for my trip to combine work and play. Oops. That meant no Friday journey, and an early departure on Saturday morning for Running Springs, CA. No problem, traffic is easy on Saturday. Oh yeah, except Phoenix...





















I rolled into Running Springs around 9:30 pm. Yes, 9:30 the night before the race. At least there was not time to get nervous! I was fortunate enough to share a cabin with a fellow Team TriSports athlete (Chrissy Parks), Grasky Endurance Coaching athlete and verified fast dude Bryce Phinney, and a TriSports Triathlon Club athlete that I have been racing with and against for several years (Ryan Hammerel). Talk about a good group! Unfortunately, though, Chrissy crashed hard on the pre-ride and would have to DNS. She was a good sport about it, and even managed to hike up the hill on Sunday to snap some photos of the descent. Of course, I think she was just scheming to get video of someone else going down... ;)

The race is unique. It is set at Snow Valley Ski Resort in southern California, a couple hours from LA and just an hour or so from the Inland Empire. The race starts at a reservoir...halfway up the ski hill. Get out of the water, go up to the top of the mountain, bomb down to the bottom, climb back to the top, bomb down again. Get off the bike, then run up, across and down a ski run. Go up another SERIOUS ski run, out and back on some double track, back down said SERIOUS ski run, across another ski run, and DOWN a run to the finish. All-around crazy (yet doable) and a justified XTERRA course for sure. Here is a somewhat terrible picture of the course. The bike descent goes down the blue run on the top of the ridge. A moderately steep, loose, and rutted section--the one that claimed Chrissy during the pre-ride.















Now on to my "only in XTERRA" comments. I showed up for packet pickup at 7:15...ON RACE MORNING. The race starts at 9 am!! And I was one of the first people there. No line for packet pickup, and they body marked me on the spot. 15 minutes later my bike was set up, and I walked out to set up T2 at the bottom of the hill. Not exactly football fields large...
















Come 8 am, everyone is mulling around in the parking lot. Race coordinator on loudspeaker, "you probably want to start riding up to T1 now. The race is going to start at 9." Everyone casually gathers up their stuff and heads up the hill. And I mean UP. Switchbacks, loose corners, people showing off before the race, me realizing already that my hamstrings are going to be a problem. I don't think it is a good thing show up to a swim start sweaty and cramping... Okay, so I arrive at T1 around 8:30. NO ONE has a westuit on yet, and NO ONE is in the water. Everyone is hanging out in T1, helping each other out, moving over where space is needed, etc. Volunteers and the race director answering questions without rushing anyone. Just generally a friendly atmosphere. I am reminded that I need to race more XTERRA.

I got my wetsuit on and got in the water decently early. A 2-lap swim with a running section. New to me. Oh well, got out somewhat easy (it was at altitude after all), and push for the second lap. Everyone lined up for the deep-water start, and the horn went off a little after 9. No one complained about the late start. I found a good line early, found my groove, and went for it. I found clear water by halfway through the first lap. I lost a gap to the lead group (as always), but was at the front of the chase group. Swim continued uneventful. Off to the bike, and as I suspected, my hammies were shot. I got passed a lot on the first climb. Oh well, now for the major goal, don't go upside-down. The descent was a little slippery, but I felt solid overall. Same deal for the second lap. Climb was no fun, and the descent was good. Off to T2.

I was determined to run the whole thing. The course was determined to prove me wrong. It won. At a certain point (probably something like 20% slope), it is just as fast to walk and save energy. I did. Across the slope felt great, and back down. More walking uphill, trying not to fall down on the downhill, and then a good push into the finish line. Overall, I achieved my goals. Solid swim, no dismounts or crashes on the bike, and survive the run :)

I ended up 7th in my AG. Not outstanding, but I came into the race with an open mind. Have fun and don't hurt yourself. Mission accomplished. There will be more XTERRA and MTB racing in my future. Bryce probably had different goals for the race, but I think he accomplished them too.















Hung out at the awards ceremony for a while, and watched the final finisher get ushered in the by the Devil. And the mini-devil I suppose? The Devil hung out at the steep incline on the run and split duty between heckling and encouraging. It was entertaining to hear everyone talking about the course. "Yeah, where we turned down the black diamond from the blue diamond..."





















Finally, a note on the race itself and the race management. These guys did an AWESOME job putting on the race. They managed a 10k and half marathon on Saturday, and then this XTERRA on Sunday. Despite a relatively small field, there were ABUNDANT volunteers at the aid stations. Yes, there was a great raffle. No, you didn't have to wait around for it. The raffle was pre-drawn, so you just show up at the raffle table after the race and ask for your prizes. Good stuff. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The awards (seen from a distance) were incredible. Hand-made and unique. Next year, the tri will be on Saturday, which I think is going to lead to a lot of competition next year for the combined XTERRA and hungover half-marathon time! I'm in! Who's up for the challenge?

And, we'll compare this experience with my latest road tri in the next installment...this was too long. Until next time.