Listen, I know I'm not the first person to raise this issue, but what is going on with the sport I love? My friend Juli emailed me when she noticed that the 2008 Nautica NYC Olympic Tri has a registration fee of $225. $225! Now I’ve never done this race or even talked to anyone who has (so I'll concede that it might be postively fabulous), but that’s a lot of money for an Olympic tri. A lot. I poked around their website and found that “Champions Club” entry is still available for $500 but otherwise the race is sold out. It sold out in 22 minutes. Registration started at midnight a couple of nights ago. The race is at the end of July. Help me with the math here—$225 for an Oly race that sells out in a matter of minutes in the middle of the night nearly 9 months in advance? Nevermind Ironman selling out a year in advance (that’s another Oprah)—did I mention this is an Olympic distance race?
Tell me about the early days, grandpa. Okay, so I remember a time when I first got into the sport (late ‘80s) when there was serious discussion about whether “just anyone” should be able to complete a triathlon. Ironman was the only true triathlon and you weren’t a true triathlete unless you went the true distance. People actually tried to make the case that it was bad for the sport if more people could do it. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed but now, even as the sport is booming with new participants, a different kind of exclusivity is creeping up. Money.
$12.5k for a frame/fork (BMC)? $3.5k for a disc wheel (Zipp)? $2.5k for an aerobar (Oval Concepts)? What is happening here? My goals for any race these days are twofold and simple: (1) a high age-group finish, and (2) catch and pass someone riding a disc wheel. Where is all this money coming from and do people really think they’re buying speed? Half the folks I see riding disc wheels would probably be faster on something else. Yes, the aero TT rig you paid $8k for weighs only 17 pounds but you’re 40 pounds overweight. Besides, you’re folded onto that thing in such a way you couldn’t generate power even if you had it to generate. Invest $150 in a professional fit and you’ll have a better chance of hauling ass.
Now I’ll freely admit that I’m a tri-consumer so maybe I’m part of the problem. Yup, I own a pair of $600 custom shoes and my raceday 606/Powertap setup, while a useful tool, is a luxury. I get it. I’m not making any national teams or reaching the podium at any race of consequence. I’ve spent years of training and buckets of sweat moving from being a fast slow guy to being a slow fast guy. (You may have to read that twice, but I wrote what I meant.) Anyhow, I earn my money and I should be able to spend it as I want—so should the next guy or gal. More power to us all.
But it feels like it’s getting away from us a bit. Juli and I taught a tri class for true beginners this summer. It was incredibly rewarding to introduce people to the sport. They showed up on bike fit night with hybrids and mountain bikes. There were a couple of road bikes but no aerobars, disc wheels, or aero frames. The participants learned the sport, did the training, and became triathletes—and they loved it. At the beginning of class, most folks said they just wanted to do one triathlon—just to see if they could do it. After they completed a race, most of them were looking forward to the next race. But one of the lessons we felt compelled to teach was this: “do not be intimidated by anything you see in the TA—you can’t tell how fast someone is by looking at the shape of their body or the bling-factor of their equipment.”
I’m thankful for the opportunities we have here on the front range. From the family feel of the Loveland Lake to Lake or the newly rejuvenated Tinman to the party atmosphere of Thursday night Stroke and Strides to the world-class fields at the Boulder Peak—we’re pretty lucky.
Love your sport and do your part to introduce your friends to it. Lend them some equipment or give them your old stuff. We all got into this for our own reasons but remember when you were young and poor (or maybe that’s today)—would you have gotten into this sport if it cost $225 to race? Volunteer at local races, throw away your empty Cliffshot packets, and stick around after you finish to cheer in the folks going 5 hours at an Oly. We may not be able to keep the costs down, but we can still keep the love of the sport in the sport.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Meet George
Yes, he knows he's handsome.
This is George. He's a Black and Tan Coonhound. We adopted him from the Humane Society of Boulder Valley a couple of months ago. George is now about 5 and a half months old. So our first priority in getting a new dog was that he be good with the kids. Check. My only other requirement was that he'd make a good running partner. It was touch and go on that one for a while but thanks to Teegan taking him out roller-blading, he's got the hang of it now. 
Monday morning, George and I left the house in the dark (25 degree weather) for a few miles of running. Ah yes, this dog can run. About a mile into it, he stepped on a goathead but didn't complain--just limped along until I noticed and pulled it out of his paw. He's just about the perfect training partner. On time, faster than I am, and not a complainer. He did stop to poop but that's not a disqualifier.
The off-season is well underway. Not fat yet, but working on it.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Denver Marathon
The season is definitely over, a point marked enthusiastically by the smothered pair of chicken burritos I had at lunch today. Good times!
Yesterday was the Denver Marathon. Many of you know of the stressful times I've been experiencing at work. As a result, my post-Canada training has been less than what I hoped and planned. I made all my long runs but missed a lot of training over the past few weeks. So I went into Sunday with a goal time in the range of 3:45 to 3:59:59. Just wanted to crack 4 hours for the first time in my 4th marathon, but only my second stand-alone race. Marathoning is definitely different without the 2.4 mile swim/112 mile bike warm-up. My best prior marathon was 4:10 a couple of years ago on this course.
So the runup to the race wasn't particularly encouraging. Zero workouts on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and not a single run since last Sunday. Not the ideal taper. Saturday night, I fell asleep in the boys' room during their bedtime for what amounted to a 90 minute nap ending at 1000pm. I didn't fall asleep for the night until about 100am. My alarm rudely went off at 430am to give me time to eat and be on the road with Bill and Doug by 520am. Aside from a very encouraging training run with my stud-friend Whitney last Sunday, all indicators were pointing to a bad race.
But once I shook off the sleepys and ate my oatmeal, I was feeling good on race morning; confident that I could put a good day together. We caught some good luck on the weather and I started the race at 700a in shorts and a running-tee with temps in the mid-'50s. Of course, I was still complaining about the cold but I warmed up to a comfortable temp within the first mile or so. 8,000 people at this race but under 2,000 marathoners. The rest raced the half-marathon or on a relay, but the start was very crowded. I was a bit more than halfway back in the chute and it took 5 minutes from the gun to reach the starting line. The race is chip timed so no one loses time getting to the line.
The first mile is always tough because I'm weaving forward through the crowd while trying to establish a realistic pace. Felt relaxed and came past the marker in 8:45. Perfect. Next mile was about the same. Next mile too. Good start. Ran very consistent miles (splits were within about 10 seconds of each other) for the entire first part of the race. Finally caught up with the 4-hour pace group at mile 12 (they probably had a 3 minute head-start on me and were on pace for about a 3:55 finish) but had to pee so I made a quick trip to the porta-potty which cost me about a minute. Caught the 4-hour group again by mile 15 and I was feeling pretty good. Was still on 3:50 pace including the potty stop and everything was going according to plan. Picked up the pace a bit and decided to try to push the last 10 miles a bit. After about 3 miles, I realized that I wasn't going to have the juice to hold that faster pace to the finish (but hadn't done much damage) so I dialed it back to my earlier pace. Came through mile 20 at 2:55 and did a little mental math about how fact I could 10k home. Sub-3:50 seemed pretty reasonable but I know how difficult those last miles can be.
Saw the first chink in the armor at about mile 22--just over 9 minute pace. I was starting to hurt but cadence and form were still good. Tried to push through but mile 23 was about the same and I was feeling pretty spent at the 24 mile marker. If I had stopped to walk for even a moment, I was sure I wouldn't be able to start running again. So I pushed on thinking some adrenaline would kick in as I neared the finish. No such luck but my worst mile was just over 10 minutes, nothing to be too embarrassed about. Wouldn't say I had a big kick to the line but was running pretty strong as I came across in 3:54:58 (8:58 pace)--a 15 minute PR. That was good for a top third age-group and overall finish.
I'm pretty pleased with this result. If I could find a 24 mile marathon course, that would be great... Given my current fitness and training, this was pretty close to the best day I could have hoped for. I know I have faster marathons in me so that's nice motivation for the next one. But now, I have some beers to drink, Halloween candy to eat, and college football watching to take care of. Happy off-season!
Cheers.
Yesterday was the Denver Marathon. Many of you know of the stressful times I've been experiencing at work. As a result, my post-Canada training has been less than what I hoped and planned. I made all my long runs but missed a lot of training over the past few weeks. So I went into Sunday with a goal time in the range of 3:45 to 3:59:59. Just wanted to crack 4 hours for the first time in my 4th marathon, but only my second stand-alone race. Marathoning is definitely different without the 2.4 mile swim/112 mile bike warm-up. My best prior marathon was 4:10 a couple of years ago on this course.
So the runup to the race wasn't particularly encouraging. Zero workouts on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and not a single run since last Sunday. Not the ideal taper. Saturday night, I fell asleep in the boys' room during their bedtime for what amounted to a 90 minute nap ending at 1000pm. I didn't fall asleep for the night until about 100am. My alarm rudely went off at 430am to give me time to eat and be on the road with Bill and Doug by 520am. Aside from a very encouraging training run with my stud-friend Whitney last Sunday, all indicators were pointing to a bad race.
But once I shook off the sleepys and ate my oatmeal, I was feeling good on race morning; confident that I could put a good day together. We caught some good luck on the weather and I started the race at 700a in shorts and a running-tee with temps in the mid-'50s. Of course, I was still complaining about the cold but I warmed up to a comfortable temp within the first mile or so. 8,000 people at this race but under 2,000 marathoners. The rest raced the half-marathon or on a relay, but the start was very crowded. I was a bit more than halfway back in the chute and it took 5 minutes from the gun to reach the starting line. The race is chip timed so no one loses time getting to the line.
The first mile is always tough because I'm weaving forward through the crowd while trying to establish a realistic pace. Felt relaxed and came past the marker in 8:45. Perfect. Next mile was about the same. Next mile too. Good start. Ran very consistent miles (splits were within about 10 seconds of each other) for the entire first part of the race. Finally caught up with the 4-hour pace group at mile 12 (they probably had a 3 minute head-start on me and were on pace for about a 3:55 finish) but had to pee so I made a quick trip to the porta-potty which cost me about a minute. Caught the 4-hour group again by mile 15 and I was feeling pretty good. Was still on 3:50 pace including the potty stop and everything was going according to plan. Picked up the pace a bit and decided to try to push the last 10 miles a bit. After about 3 miles, I realized that I wasn't going to have the juice to hold that faster pace to the finish (but hadn't done much damage) so I dialed it back to my earlier pace. Came through mile 20 at 2:55 and did a little mental math about how fact I could 10k home. Sub-3:50 seemed pretty reasonable but I know how difficult those last miles can be.
Saw the first chink in the armor at about mile 22--just over 9 minute pace. I was starting to hurt but cadence and form were still good. Tried to push through but mile 23 was about the same and I was feeling pretty spent at the 24 mile marker. If I had stopped to walk for even a moment, I was sure I wouldn't be able to start running again. So I pushed on thinking some adrenaline would kick in as I neared the finish. No such luck but my worst mile was just over 10 minutes, nothing to be too embarrassed about. Wouldn't say I had a big kick to the line but was running pretty strong as I came across in 3:54:58 (8:58 pace)--a 15 minute PR. That was good for a top third age-group and overall finish.
I'm pretty pleased with this result. If I could find a 24 mile marathon course, that would be great... Given my current fitness and training, this was pretty close to the best day I could have hoped for. I know I have faster marathons in me so that's nice motivation for the next one. But now, I have some beers to drink, Halloween candy to eat, and college football watching to take care of. Happy off-season!
Cheers.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sacrifice
Sure, with a title like that, I could write about the physical and mental challenges of high volumes of training, time spent away from my family, or even something bigger like my gratitude for the brave men and women who put their own lives on the line to protect my freedom. Sorry to disappoint folks—that’s not what this is about. Here’s the top line for those of you who don’t make use of technology to guide your training: things are going well with me. Yup, doing a lot of running and feeling pretty good about it overall. Maybe I’ll write more about that next week. You can stop reading now.
Now for my hard-training friends…prepare for a rant. I want to know why I can’t buy a single piece of technology that will track my heartrate, speed, and distance while running, measure power on the bike, and be suitable to wear in the water. Is this such a crazy idea? Really? Don’t tell me about the new Garmin 405 until you’ve read the part of the user manual that explains that swimming with the unit can result in minor burns to the user. Minor burns! Can’t I buy a watch at Walmart for $12 that won’t burn me if I dare to swim in it?
I had a Polar 625x for many years. As much as a person can “love” a HRM, I loved that HRM. But the battery was running low just before Rattlesnake last year and instead of sending the watch to Polar for a week or more to get the battery replaced, I took it to an excellent local jeweler. I wanted the watch for the race and, despite being told that he couldn’t guarantee water-proof-ness, he’d open it up and make sure the gasket was intact and whatnot. So he gets the watch open and then realizes he doesn’t have the right battery. Everything looks okay so he buttons it all up and says I should send it to Polar. It works fine for a few more days and I wear it at the race. During my swim warmup, I glace at the watch and see no display—oh, and the watch is full of water. Nice.
The following Monday, I order the latest and greatest Polar RS800GPS and have it in time for Harvest Moon. This thing is the ultimate running watch—billed as a perfect solution for a multisport athlete. No bike mounts or anything difficult—perfect! Oh yeah, the GPS unit only goes about 10 hours on a battery and the watch won’t pick up heartrate in the water (which isn’t super important, but the 625x did it—what’s up with that?). Well, Polar didn’t quite get the GPS technology right and after many months of spotty data, I put the GPS pod on the shelf and buy a footpod. By that point, I had a Powertap for the bike anyhow—why not just make the Polar my running watch?
Footpod/RS800 combo is awesome! So while I don’t have a fully integrated solution, I have everything I need on the bike and on the run. Then the footpod suddenly stops working. That’s it—I love the Polar when it’s working—been loyal to the brand since college—but enough is enough. I research my other options. Suunto—expensive and terrible user feedback. Garmin—great but you can’t get it wet. One of their customer service reps told me he has heard of triathletes putting the watch under their swim caps in order to race with it. Of course, he can’t recommend that option. Right. Polar—what does the update to the 625x look like? There isn’t an update? Hmmm.
I ultimately recommit myself to my Polar RS800 and get another footpod. This is also the least expensive option by far going forward given what I've already spent. Works great—I’m in love with Polar again—will send the first footpod to Polar for repair. Go to Ironman Canada. Battery on the watch is low and it won’t pick up the footpod. Whatever. Replace the battery on the watch when I get home. User replaceable battery—what a concept!
Here’s how it worked this weekend. Friday—watch won’t pick up the footpod. Saturday—flawless, perfect. Sunday—picks up the footpod but is off by almost 10 percent. After the run, I recheck the calibration—it’s fine. Monday—watch won’t pick up the footpod again. Thankfully, I had a ride today—don’t have to mess with it. Not looking forward to tomorrow…
So what’s the moral here? Is this really so difficult? Should I just ditch all the technology? I do remember a time when I rode for the sheer love of it, but that was never the case for running—I need the feedback. Now that I’ve invested thousands of bucks into HRMs, PT, and accessories, is someone going to solve this problem, but I’ll have to replace everything? I've convinced myself that having separate solutions for the bike and run is okay, if not ideal. But couldn’t anyone at Garmin anticipate that some wacko triathlete might actually want to swim while wearing a watch? It wouldn’t have to work in GPS mode—just make the stupid case WATERPROOF! Somebody get me in off this ledge—I need to go to Walmart and buy a watch...
Now for my hard-training friends…prepare for a rant. I want to know why I can’t buy a single piece of technology that will track my heartrate, speed, and distance while running, measure power on the bike, and be suitable to wear in the water. Is this such a crazy idea? Really? Don’t tell me about the new Garmin 405 until you’ve read the part of the user manual that explains that swimming with the unit can result in minor burns to the user. Minor burns! Can’t I buy a watch at Walmart for $12 that won’t burn me if I dare to swim in it?
I had a Polar 625x for many years. As much as a person can “love” a HRM, I loved that HRM. But the battery was running low just before Rattlesnake last year and instead of sending the watch to Polar for a week or more to get the battery replaced, I took it to an excellent local jeweler. I wanted the watch for the race and, despite being told that he couldn’t guarantee water-proof-ness, he’d open it up and make sure the gasket was intact and whatnot. So he gets the watch open and then realizes he doesn’t have the right battery. Everything looks okay so he buttons it all up and says I should send it to Polar. It works fine for a few more days and I wear it at the race. During my swim warmup, I glace at the watch and see no display—oh, and the watch is full of water. Nice.
The following Monday, I order the latest and greatest Polar RS800GPS and have it in time for Harvest Moon. This thing is the ultimate running watch—billed as a perfect solution for a multisport athlete. No bike mounts or anything difficult—perfect! Oh yeah, the GPS unit only goes about 10 hours on a battery and the watch won’t pick up heartrate in the water (which isn’t super important, but the 625x did it—what’s up with that?). Well, Polar didn’t quite get the GPS technology right and after many months of spotty data, I put the GPS pod on the shelf and buy a footpod. By that point, I had a Powertap for the bike anyhow—why not just make the Polar my running watch?
Footpod/RS800 combo is awesome! So while I don’t have a fully integrated solution, I have everything I need on the bike and on the run. Then the footpod suddenly stops working. That’s it—I love the Polar when it’s working—been loyal to the brand since college—but enough is enough. I research my other options. Suunto—expensive and terrible user feedback. Garmin—great but you can’t get it wet. One of their customer service reps told me he has heard of triathletes putting the watch under their swim caps in order to race with it. Of course, he can’t recommend that option. Right. Polar—what does the update to the 625x look like? There isn’t an update? Hmmm.
I ultimately recommit myself to my Polar RS800 and get another footpod. This is also the least expensive option by far going forward given what I've already spent. Works great—I’m in love with Polar again—will send the first footpod to Polar for repair. Go to Ironman Canada. Battery on the watch is low and it won’t pick up the footpod. Whatever. Replace the battery on the watch when I get home. User replaceable battery—what a concept!
Here’s how it worked this weekend. Friday—watch won’t pick up the footpod. Saturday—flawless, perfect. Sunday—picks up the footpod but is off by almost 10 percent. After the run, I recheck the calibration—it’s fine. Monday—watch won’t pick up the footpod again. Thankfully, I had a ride today—don’t have to mess with it. Not looking forward to tomorrow…
So what’s the moral here? Is this really so difficult? Should I just ditch all the technology? I do remember a time when I rode for the sheer love of it, but that was never the case for running—I need the feedback. Now that I’ve invested thousands of bucks into HRMs, PT, and accessories, is someone going to solve this problem, but I’ll have to replace everything? I've convinced myself that having separate solutions for the bike and run is okay, if not ideal. But couldn’t anyone at Garmin anticipate that some wacko triathlete might actually want to swim while wearing a watch? It wouldn’t have to work in GPS mode—just make the stupid case WATERPROOF! Somebody get me in off this ledge—I need to go to Walmart and buy a watch...
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Ramping up again
Well, I've spent almost 2 weeks doing relatively little. I suppose that's not entirely true. I've had a few more beers than usual. Also, a few more desserts than usual. Hmmm, this could explain what's wrong with our bathroom scale.
I've been swimming a little but not much else. Finally made it back to bootcamp yesterday morning--felt great. Woke up a bit achy this morning but only when I move (and sneeze, and cough). Would it have killed me to do a few situps and pushups over the past couple of weeks?!
This morning was my first run. Nothing really worth blogging except that I was using this workout as a guide to make a go/no-go decision on the Denver Marathon in October. Although it wasn't a thing of beauty in terms of speed, form was good and I didn't have any real trouble maintaining for 80 minutes. Note to self: if you wake up at 500a and plan to start running at 815a, 715a is not the right time to start making a big pot of oatmeal. So other than a few vurps, I'm calling it a success (such as it is) and I registered for the marathon a few minutes ago.
Coach AJ has posted my training plan so here I go. I'm committed to becoming a decent runner sometime in the next year or so. This means some run-focused training. There will be complaining, plenty of tears, several aches and pains, and who knows what other mayhem along the way but I'm putting this in writing for all to witness--I will one day be a decent runner.
I know, I'm already a decent runner but Boulder is a terrible place to be a decent runner. I can only liken it to the way Carl Pavano of the New York Yankees must feel. Sure, he makes $11 million a year but he's below average for the team he's on. Okay, maybe I don't feel exactly the same as Carl, but if I'm digging into baseball stats for an analogy, you'll have to cut me a little slack.
I've been swimming a little but not much else. Finally made it back to bootcamp yesterday morning--felt great. Woke up a bit achy this morning but only when I move (and sneeze, and cough). Would it have killed me to do a few situps and pushups over the past couple of weeks?!
This morning was my first run. Nothing really worth blogging except that I was using this workout as a guide to make a go/no-go decision on the Denver Marathon in October. Although it wasn't a thing of beauty in terms of speed, form was good and I didn't have any real trouble maintaining for 80 minutes. Note to self: if you wake up at 500a and plan to start running at 815a, 715a is not the right time to start making a big pot of oatmeal. So other than a few vurps, I'm calling it a success (such as it is) and I registered for the marathon a few minutes ago.
Coach AJ has posted my training plan so here I go. I'm committed to becoming a decent runner sometime in the next year or so. This means some run-focused training. There will be complaining, plenty of tears, several aches and pains, and who knows what other mayhem along the way but I'm putting this in writing for all to witness--I will one day be a decent runner.
I know, I'm already a decent runner but Boulder is a terrible place to be a decent runner. I can only liken it to the way Carl Pavano of the New York Yankees must feel. Sure, he makes $11 million a year but he's below average for the team he's on. Okay, maybe I don't feel exactly the same as Carl, but if I'm digging into baseball stats for an analogy, you'll have to cut me a little slack.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Epilogue
Travel day Tuesday went smoothly. Drive to Spokane seemed quick, flight was on time, no lost bags. Still, about 11 hours of travel and we all had some achy legs. Happy to get home. Did a short swim on Wednesday that felt pretty good, even though it wasn’t very fast. Kacey gave me a great massage and stretch and by yesterday morning, I was feeling much better. This morning, I was able to walk downstairs (in a straight line without holding onto the handrail) without any ache and I even jogged for a few minutes on the dog-walk. So recovery is going well and I’m starting to look ahead to the Denver marathon in October.
With a little time to reflect, I thought I’d share some of what I believe will become my enduring memories of the week.
I’m very satisfied with my race as a whole and the way I went after my intermediate goals. It’s easy to look back and be critical but I know I left time on the course. I’m still working on being confident as a runner and looking back now I’m pretty sure I could have pushed a bit more on the bike and early run without risking an implosion late in the marathon. Don’t get me wrong, as far as what I was trying to accomplish, there’s really no difference between going 11:33 or 11:43 vs. 11:53. My point is just that I still have areas I can improve on. I definitely didn’t race to my full physical capacity but that’s only part of the game anyhow. I know what I need to work on for next time.
A few images of the race seem to be burned in my mind: My HRM going blank at the swim start, being freaked out by the scuba divers underwater at the swim turnaround, the crowds on Richter and Yellow Lake, and coming across the finish line. I remember coming across the finish line at Silverman in 2005 like it was yesterday. I hope this one sticks with me the same way.
I’m tremendously proud of the first-timers in our group—Bill, John, Mike, and Kay. I know for Bill, there was a lot of doubt about this whole concept (despite everyone’s encouragement). When I saw him as he was on his way out on the run, I checked my watch and did the math—yup, he could practically crawl from that point and still become an Ironman. But he didn’t crawl—he actually came back faster than he went out. And so Mr. I-Don’t-Know-If-I’ll-Be-Able-To-Make-It-By-Midnight came across the finish line 2.5 hours “early.” I was thrilled to see him finish on TV although that’s really about me—I regret not being at the line.
While the week was filled with funny moments, by far the funniest happened as we were approaching the U.S. border on the way home Tuesday morning. We stopped to read a sign about procedures at the border. Mike told John (who was driving) how to respond when asked whether we had anything to declare. “Yes, I have something to declare. I am an IRONMAN!” Could have been the exhaustion, but it still feels like a great moment in travel comedy.
Race pics of me are posted here: http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=32046&BIB=765
There’s one on the bike of a guy in a silver helmet who’s not me (I suppose I may be somewhere in that pic but it’s more likely just misfiled).
Thanks again to all for the support and for following along. I made some great new friends along the way and of course, could not have accomplished any of this without the support of my saint-of-a-wife, my family, and my friends. I’ll probably keep this blog active going forward, but the frequency will no doubt drop off. So I hope you’ll stop by now and then to see what’s what.
Cheers,
Dave
With a little time to reflect, I thought I’d share some of what I believe will become my enduring memories of the week.
I’m very satisfied with my race as a whole and the way I went after my intermediate goals. It’s easy to look back and be critical but I know I left time on the course. I’m still working on being confident as a runner and looking back now I’m pretty sure I could have pushed a bit more on the bike and early run without risking an implosion late in the marathon. Don’t get me wrong, as far as what I was trying to accomplish, there’s really no difference between going 11:33 or 11:43 vs. 11:53. My point is just that I still have areas I can improve on. I definitely didn’t race to my full physical capacity but that’s only part of the game anyhow. I know what I need to work on for next time.
A few images of the race seem to be burned in my mind: My HRM going blank at the swim start, being freaked out by the scuba divers underwater at the swim turnaround, the crowds on Richter and Yellow Lake, and coming across the finish line. I remember coming across the finish line at Silverman in 2005 like it was yesterday. I hope this one sticks with me the same way.
I’m tremendously proud of the first-timers in our group—Bill, John, Mike, and Kay. I know for Bill, there was a lot of doubt about this whole concept (despite everyone’s encouragement). When I saw him as he was on his way out on the run, I checked my watch and did the math—yup, he could practically crawl from that point and still become an Ironman. But he didn’t crawl—he actually came back faster than he went out. And so Mr. I-Don’t-Know-If-I’ll-Be-Able-To-Make-It-By-Midnight came across the finish line 2.5 hours “early.” I was thrilled to see him finish on TV although that’s really about me—I regret not being at the line.
While the week was filled with funny moments, by far the funniest happened as we were approaching the U.S. border on the way home Tuesday morning. We stopped to read a sign about procedures at the border. Mike told John (who was driving) how to respond when asked whether we had anything to declare. “Yes, I have something to declare. I am an IRONMAN!” Could have been the exhaustion, but it still feels like a great moment in travel comedy.
Race pics of me are posted here: http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=32046&BIB=765
There’s one on the bike of a guy in a silver helmet who’s not me (I suppose I may be somewhere in that pic but it’s more likely just misfiled).
Thanks again to all for the support and for following along. I made some great new friends along the way and of course, could not have accomplished any of this without the support of my saint-of-a-wife, my family, and my friends. I’ll probably keep this blog active going forward, but the frequency will no doubt drop off. So I hope you’ll stop by now and then to see what’s what.
Cheers,
Dave
Monday, August 25, 2008
Why we race!
Dinner tonight at a nice restaurant in town. Here's coach AJ putting down his second dessert.
On the way back to the hotel, we made a quick stop...
On the way back to the hotel, we made a quick stop...
Race report
Quite the day yesterday. Here’s the blow-by-blow.
Woke up before the alarm (shocker) after an okay night of sleep, considering. If I hadn’t had to get up and use the bathroom every couple of hours from all the hydration Saturday, it would have been more restful. Breakfast in the room and then off to the race. Everything was super well-organized and we moved through bag drops and body marking quickly. Checked the bike, put my bottles on, pumped the tires and then off to find my run bag to add in my bottles. After a trip to the porta-potty, I suited up and headed to the beach in time to see the pro start at 645a.
Did a little swim warmup—the lake definitely seemed warmer than Friday and I was on the line and ready to race pretty quickly. With a couple of minutes to the cannon, I started my heart rate monitor and the screen went completely blank. Nice. I pressed the “go” button a few seconds before we were off and just hoped it would start (turns out it did). Boom! Here we go. Sprinted out front right away and couldn’t believe how easy it was to get position. This start, with 2,200+ racers was way smoother than any Stroke & Stride (~300 racers) I’ve ever done. Got out with the fast crowd but they were too fast for me so I spent most of the first half of the swim falling back and waiting for a good group to tag along with. Found that group at about the half-way point and cruised the whole way back. Came out of the water without having worked too hard and very relaxed in just a hair under an hour. Perfect.
The volunteers were incredibly helpful guiding athletes to their bags and into the change tent. I dumped my bag and put on my shoes and helmet as my volunteer loaded up my wetsuit, cap, and goggles for me. Jogged to the bike and then out of transition feeling great. My goal for the mostly flat first third of the bike course was just to take it easy, refuel, and let the hard-core and stupid folks pass me as they sped on to their fast finishes or oblivion. I was highly disciplined and executed to perfection. The next third of the course is more difficult with a long climb followed immediately by a set of seven “rollers.” Some of the rollers are actually rollers, but a couple are outright climbs.
Burned a few calories through this section but minded my watts and stayed on plan. Was still feeling pretty fresh at the special needs pickup (about 80 miles in). My plan was to push a bit from here up to the top of the last climb—about 20 miles of uphill in total. Didn’t quite have the legs I was hoping for but put in a respectable effort and passed tons of folks who had gone out hard early. The crowds on the climbs were awesome—felt a little like what you see on TV in the big Euro bike tours. Lots of encouraging words and more cowbell than anyone could ever need (or, perhaps, want).
I was feeling ready to be off the bike by the last few miles into town but the big crowds kept my head in it and I was hopeful that I’d feel good onto the run. Again with the incredible volunteers through transition and in the change tent. As soon as I started running, I knew the legs were there and I was feeling good. Running out of town through the crowd was intense. It was three and four people deep for the first several miles and not all families of athletes—this town really supports the race. Watched my heartrate and concentrated on high cadence and good form. Ripped off a very respectable (for me at this point) sub-30 first 5k and figured if I could stick to that pace, I’d put in a low 4 hour run. Next 5k was similar and HR numbers were looking good. Slowed a little through the next 5k, and then the hills (and the rain) hit. My race plan broke the course roughly into thirds. Kilometers 16-30 are definitely very rough with long climbs and descents. I’m afraid the hills got to me and, even though I never stopped to walk, I slowed down considerably. By the time I had reached the bottom of the last big hill with 12k to the finish, my heartrate had gone through the floor and the only people I was passing were the walkers.
At this point (30k), I did a little math and realized I wouldn’t beat 12 hours if I stayed on my current pace. I decided to see whether I was actually cracked or just managing the pain and pushed the next 5k. It hurt, and not just a little, but my body responded and I felt like I was really moving (was actually beyond 10 minute pace, but felt like 8). Pushed the next 5k even harder and was flying past other runners. My final 12k was just about even with my first 12k. Coming back into town, I saw coach AJ and his wife cheering me in. Made the turn at 40k hauling ass and feeling no pain. Came around the last turn and onto the finishing strait feeling good. What a thrill to see that line!
Just as I was coming to the line, I saw Mike make the turn not quite 10 minutes out. I came across with a fist pump and a big smile—happy to be done and proud of the way I had dug in at the end. My “catcher” volunteers walked me through the finish area to what I guess I’d describe as a recovery pen, but as soon as they left, I sneaked back to the line in time to see Mike come in. Kay came in a little later followed by John, both elated. We ate a bit then went to pick up our stuff, missing Joe’s finish. Came back to the hotel for a hot shower. Got dressed and met up to head back to catch Bill’s finish. We had the race on the TV (they broadcast the finish) and as we were about to walk out, they announced Bill’s name and we saw him finish on TV. He ran a negative split and got in about 20 minutes faster than we had expected.
Everyone was happy with their races which will make the drive and flight home a lot more comfortable. We ate some dinner and then spent the last hour of the race (from 1100p – midnight) cheering in the last finishers. Although I was pretty tired, I’m really glad we stayed up. It was inspiring to see those folks trying to get in for official finishes inside of 17 hours. Some of them looked pretty good all things considered but a few needed to hit the medical tent the second they crossed the line. In any case, a fun way to finish the day—very memorable.
We’ll spend most of the day tomorrow in transit to get back in the early evening. Looking forward to catching up with everyone soon--thanks again for your support.
Woke up before the alarm (shocker) after an okay night of sleep, considering. If I hadn’t had to get up and use the bathroom every couple of hours from all the hydration Saturday, it would have been more restful. Breakfast in the room and then off to the race. Everything was super well-organized and we moved through bag drops and body marking quickly. Checked the bike, put my bottles on, pumped the tires and then off to find my run bag to add in my bottles. After a trip to the porta-potty, I suited up and headed to the beach in time to see the pro start at 645a.
Did a little swim warmup—the lake definitely seemed warmer than Friday and I was on the line and ready to race pretty quickly. With a couple of minutes to the cannon, I started my heart rate monitor and the screen went completely blank. Nice. I pressed the “go” button a few seconds before we were off and just hoped it would start (turns out it did). Boom! Here we go. Sprinted out front right away and couldn’t believe how easy it was to get position. This start, with 2,200+ racers was way smoother than any Stroke & Stride (~300 racers) I’ve ever done. Got out with the fast crowd but they were too fast for me so I spent most of the first half of the swim falling back and waiting for a good group to tag along with. Found that group at about the half-way point and cruised the whole way back. Came out of the water without having worked too hard and very relaxed in just a hair under an hour. Perfect.
The volunteers were incredibly helpful guiding athletes to their bags and into the change tent. I dumped my bag and put on my shoes and helmet as my volunteer loaded up my wetsuit, cap, and goggles for me. Jogged to the bike and then out of transition feeling great. My goal for the mostly flat first third of the bike course was just to take it easy, refuel, and let the hard-core and stupid folks pass me as they sped on to their fast finishes or oblivion. I was highly disciplined and executed to perfection. The next third of the course is more difficult with a long climb followed immediately by a set of seven “rollers.” Some of the rollers are actually rollers, but a couple are outright climbs.
Burned a few calories through this section but minded my watts and stayed on plan. Was still feeling pretty fresh at the special needs pickup (about 80 miles in). My plan was to push a bit from here up to the top of the last climb—about 20 miles of uphill in total. Didn’t quite have the legs I was hoping for but put in a respectable effort and passed tons of folks who had gone out hard early. The crowds on the climbs were awesome—felt a little like what you see on TV in the big Euro bike tours. Lots of encouraging words and more cowbell than anyone could ever need (or, perhaps, want).
I was feeling ready to be off the bike by the last few miles into town but the big crowds kept my head in it and I was hopeful that I’d feel good onto the run. Again with the incredible volunteers through transition and in the change tent. As soon as I started running, I knew the legs were there and I was feeling good. Running out of town through the crowd was intense. It was three and four people deep for the first several miles and not all families of athletes—this town really supports the race. Watched my heartrate and concentrated on high cadence and good form. Ripped off a very respectable (for me at this point) sub-30 first 5k and figured if I could stick to that pace, I’d put in a low 4 hour run. Next 5k was similar and HR numbers were looking good. Slowed a little through the next 5k, and then the hills (and the rain) hit. My race plan broke the course roughly into thirds. Kilometers 16-30 are definitely very rough with long climbs and descents. I’m afraid the hills got to me and, even though I never stopped to walk, I slowed down considerably. By the time I had reached the bottom of the last big hill with 12k to the finish, my heartrate had gone through the floor and the only people I was passing were the walkers.
At this point (30k), I did a little math and realized I wouldn’t beat 12 hours if I stayed on my current pace. I decided to see whether I was actually cracked or just managing the pain and pushed the next 5k. It hurt, and not just a little, but my body responded and I felt like I was really moving (was actually beyond 10 minute pace, but felt like 8). Pushed the next 5k even harder and was flying past other runners. My final 12k was just about even with my first 12k. Coming back into town, I saw coach AJ and his wife cheering me in. Made the turn at 40k hauling ass and feeling no pain. Came around the last turn and onto the finishing strait feeling good. What a thrill to see that line!
Just as I was coming to the line, I saw Mike make the turn not quite 10 minutes out. I came across with a fist pump and a big smile—happy to be done and proud of the way I had dug in at the end. My “catcher” volunteers walked me through the finish area to what I guess I’d describe as a recovery pen, but as soon as they left, I sneaked back to the line in time to see Mike come in. Kay came in a little later followed by John, both elated. We ate a bit then went to pick up our stuff, missing Joe’s finish. Came back to the hotel for a hot shower. Got dressed and met up to head back to catch Bill’s finish. We had the race on the TV (they broadcast the finish) and as we were about to walk out, they announced Bill’s name and we saw him finish on TV. He ran a negative split and got in about 20 minutes faster than we had expected.
Everyone was happy with their races which will make the drive and flight home a lot more comfortable. We ate some dinner and then spent the last hour of the race (from 1100p – midnight) cheering in the last finishers. Although I was pretty tired, I’m really glad we stayed up. It was inspiring to see those folks trying to get in for official finishes inside of 17 hours. Some of them looked pretty good all things considered but a few needed to hit the medical tent the second they crossed the line. In any case, a fun way to finish the day—very memorable.
We’ll spend most of the day tomorrow in transit to get back in the early evening. Looking forward to catching up with everyone soon--thanks again for your support.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
IRONMAN!
Hi folks-
Well, I'm in. Hard but good day. 11:53 is a little slower than I was secretly hoping for, but I'm not complaining. If I were faster, I would have been done sooner... Many stories but they'll have to wait until tomorrow.
Good times.
Dave
Well, I'm in. Hard but good day. 11:53 is a little slower than I was secretly hoping for, but I'm not complaining. If I were faster, I would have been done sooner... Many stories but they'll have to wait until tomorrow.
Good times.
Dave
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Ready to roll!
I think I'm living the good life here. Woke up early again without an alarm. Stayed in bed a while just resting then met the boys at 715a for a short swim in the lake. COLD! Maybe 65 degrees but I don't know. After the first few minutes, felt okay--cool temps will actually be nice for the long swim so we won't overheat but it'll take a bit of warmup to acclimate on raceday. The lake is impossibly clear but there's not much to see once you're a bit away from the beach--gets deep and dark down there.
Back to the room for a big breakfast and then an hour or so to get the bike and transition bags ready. Unlike most of the shorter races, we don't lay out our gear in transition. Instead, everything goes into bags--one for the swim to bike, one for extra nutrition along the bike course, one for the bike to run, and another for nutrition mid-way through the run. Not my first race like this, but it's a little more complicated than normal.
We headed to the transition area and bag drop relatively early with a goal of being back and off our feet by noon. As expected, the transition area is massive. Even though I've studied the map of athlete flow, I'll be relying on volunteers to direct me through tomorrow.
My ride--ready for action.
My roommate Joe finally made it in last night. He was supposed to travel with us but work got in the way. Happy to have the whole crew here, such as it is. We're missing our 6th man, Lenn, who got rear-ended a couple of weeks ago and isn't ready to race. We're all thinking of him while we're here.
765 feels like a lucky number.
Had a short run on the plan just to wake up the legs but I'm feeling good and decided to skip it. Yesterday's run was good and I want to end on that guaranteed good experience (since it's already happened.) Nothing I do now will make me faster tomorrow--it's only really what I don't do.
Kay, John, Bill, Joe, and Mike at the bag drop.So for those of you who plan to follow me online at http://www.ironmanlive.com/ tomorrow, here's what you can expect (because it's what I expect). The site will show you my times per segment (I also think there will be splits) and my ranking at each point. I expect my swim rank will be very good--I plan to mix it up with the fast folks early in hopes of finding a nice group to draft off. Do not panic when my ranking drops precipitiously on the bike. I should come out of the water with several of the top overall finishers but I will not ultimately be one of them. I'll likely keep dropping in the ranking during the run since that's not my strong suit but the ranking isn't important.
I haven't set a time goal for the race, rather a set of intermediate process goals. If I execute well, the time will be good; if not, it won't be good. (Duh!) I just don't want to be worried about getting in on a specific time goal since that's an outcome I don't directly control. If I take care of what I can control, the number will be there.
The RockyMounts-IZZE Boys looking fresh at the finish line.So in many ways, the race itself is the reward for all the hard work I've put in getting here. As my friend Jeffrey reminded me, the hay is in the barn. (If only there was more hay and the barn wasn't so big.) I'm calm and collected about racing--not nervous at all. My body will do what it can do tomorrow--hopefully that's something great. I just need to approach it with a clear head (which I have).
We'll cook up a simple meal and maybe crowd around a laptop to watch a movie and then hit the sack to try to get a few hours of sleep (if the butterflies don't hit too hard).
Again, thank you for the positive thoughts and encouragement tomorrow and all along the way. I could not have gotten here without the support of my family, friends, and colleagues. I can't possibly express how grateful I am for all of you. I'm ready to race and promise to make you proud.
Pics from Friday
Bill not quite exceeding the speed limit.
Coming back to the lake.
Thumbs up from Mike.
Bill thought the caption for this one should read:“Final image taken by triathlete before tragic low speed head-on collision.”
Are we still on the course?
This doesn’t seem so tough (especially while riding in the SUV).
Big sky, beautiful course.
Hope I can appreciate the views on Sunday.
IronLine for chow and athlete meeting.
I’m getting pretty good at this self-portrait thing. L to R—Me, Bill, a freshly shaved-down John, and ¾ of Mike.Friday, August 22, 2008
T minus 2 days
Finally got some decent sleep last night. Still woke up early and got a few things together. The boys came over for breakfast and then Bill, Mike, and I headed out for a short ride in the morning chill. An easy 30 minutes with a few short efforts. Legs feel good and the bike is humming—good signs.
We headed over to the registration and expo. Got my race number (765), timing chips, cap, etc. Walked around the expo a bit but nothing too interesting. Everywhere you look around town you see athletes, bikes, wetsuits, etc. Penticton has to be the fittest town in North America this week. Everyone looks fit and fast but a key rule of triathlon is that you can’t tell how fast someone is just by looking at them. So far, I’ve picked out about 3 people that I should be able to beat based on looks alone—I expect to do better than that.
After lunch, we picked up Kay and drove the bike and run courses. Sometimes when I drive a course, it freaks me out. Distances seem longer than they really are for some reason. Today’s drive was very reassuring. We were relaxed and had some fun (XM channel 49 kept us entertained with music from Loverboy, Styx, AC/DC, Hooters, Golden Earring, etc.—some of the best music the ‘80s had to offer…well, not really, but good times anyhow.) The course will be challenging but it breaks down into several do-able segments. Early on, the challenge will be keeping the effort low to save the legs for the hills later. The course is beautiful and bears a lot of similarities to the kinds of riding I’ve been doing back home.
The run course is pretty hilly—especially considering it goes around a lake. There’s a big climb and descent just before the halfway turnaround. Of course, that means we’ll have to climb back out. Mentally, the halfway point of the run will probably be at the top (or perhaps the bottom) of that hill on the way back. That will make for a short “2nd half” assuming I’m still “racing” at that point.
Bill and I took a short run and then a little hanging out before the pasta dinner and pre-race meeting. The scale of this race (as well as the “Ironlines” you have to stand in for everything) is massive—over 2,200 athletes and 4,500 volunteers. Lots of inspiring stories drove the dinner/meeting into the 2.5 hour range—too long to sit. But it’s all part of the Ironman experience so I’m staying positive and drinking it in.
Off to bed—tonight’s sleep is critical since the butterflies are likely to make tomorrow a tough night. Will post a bunch of pictures in the morning.
We headed over to the registration and expo. Got my race number (765), timing chips, cap, etc. Walked around the expo a bit but nothing too interesting. Everywhere you look around town you see athletes, bikes, wetsuits, etc. Penticton has to be the fittest town in North America this week. Everyone looks fit and fast but a key rule of triathlon is that you can’t tell how fast someone is just by looking at them. So far, I’ve picked out about 3 people that I should be able to beat based on looks alone—I expect to do better than that.
After lunch, we picked up Kay and drove the bike and run courses. Sometimes when I drive a course, it freaks me out. Distances seem longer than they really are for some reason. Today’s drive was very reassuring. We were relaxed and had some fun (XM channel 49 kept us entertained with music from Loverboy, Styx, AC/DC, Hooters, Golden Earring, etc.—some of the best music the ‘80s had to offer…well, not really, but good times anyhow.) The course will be challenging but it breaks down into several do-able segments. Early on, the challenge will be keeping the effort low to save the legs for the hills later. The course is beautiful and bears a lot of similarities to the kinds of riding I’ve been doing back home.
The run course is pretty hilly—especially considering it goes around a lake. There’s a big climb and descent just before the halfway turnaround. Of course, that means we’ll have to climb back out. Mentally, the halfway point of the run will probably be at the top (or perhaps the bottom) of that hill on the way back. That will make for a short “2nd half” assuming I’m still “racing” at that point.
Bill and I took a short run and then a little hanging out before the pasta dinner and pre-race meeting. The scale of this race (as well as the “Ironlines” you have to stand in for everything) is massive—over 2,200 athletes and 4,500 volunteers. Lots of inspiring stories drove the dinner/meeting into the 2.5 hour range—too long to sit. But it’s all part of the Ironman experience so I’m staying positive and drinking it in.
Off to bed—tonight’s sleep is critical since the butterflies are likely to make tomorrow a tough night. Will post a bunch of pictures in the morning.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Safe travels
Set the alarm for 515a and woke up on my own at 430a. Bummer--would have been a good day to get a few extra zzz's. Took care of the last few packing items, ate, got dressed, and poked my head out the door at exactly 600a to see if anyone had arrived yet. Yup, I like this crew, I was the last one to make it to my driveway.
Uneventful flight to Spokane. Rented an SUV for the 5-hour drive to Penticton. At the rental counter, I complained loudly enough about the $10 per extra driver fee that we got that waived. (I mean really, the company is in the business of letting other people drive their cars, why would they care?) The woman behind the counter agreed that it was stupid.
We thought the drive was a bit shorter but factoring in small-town speed limits, logging trucks, etc., we arrived too late to register for the race. Drive was nice--lots of wineries and fruit trees in the valley near the border. We watched Spinal Tap on the laptop along the way (Hello Cleveland!) and practiced converting miles to kilometers (and vice-versa). Checked into the motel (they had been expecting us yesterday and apparently stayed up late for us--good people here) and then picked up the bikes. We're staying right on the lake and along the finishing straight of the run course. Good location. Penticton is beautiful. Resort town feel.
Dinner at a little mexican restaurant then over to Safeway to pick up food for the week. You could tell the triathletes were in town--bananas, pasta, ensure, etc. were pretty picked over. This town seems to be all about the race. Seems very welcoming of the crush of outsiders.
Getting to bed soon. Think I may be fighting off a cold--bad times.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Just about ready to roll
Tied up the loose ends today. Quick swim, massage, packing, even squeezed in half a day of work. Just need to get a few more things together before bed. We're all meeting here at 600a to head to the airport. Flight isn't until about 830a so we'll have plenty of time. Despite the overwhelming amount of stuff that has to get to Canada with me, I'm feeling like it's under control.
We'll fly to Spokane and rent a car there. The drive is about 4 hours to Penticton. Hopefully, we'll arrive in the mid-afternoon so we can get registered for the race. Kay is already there and has emailed about how beautiful the area is.
I'm trying to keep in mind that this is something of a vacation--we'll be gone 6 days in total. Thanks to all for the great interest and support.
We'll fly to Spokane and rent a car there. The drive is about 4 hours to Penticton. Hopefully, we'll arrive in the mid-afternoon so we can get registered for the race. Kay is already there and has emailed about how beautiful the area is.
I'm trying to keep in mind that this is something of a vacation--we'll be gone 6 days in total. Thanks to all for the great interest and support.
Monday, August 18, 2008
What I did this weekend, by Davie S
My final weekend before the race. Time to kick back, catch up on sleep, and get a little taper in. Uh, huh.
Saturday morning was Benjamin's Mighty Kids Triathlon (25m swim/1 mile bike/.5 mile run) at the Erie Rec Center. It was pouring rain most of the morning but the race went on. Swim and run were indoors but the bike was out in the elements. The race was awesome and the kids had a great time. Finisher medals for all. Ben was wet and tired but energized when it was all over. When I get a chance, I'll post a few pictures of Ben's day as well as Kami's race from last weekend.
My workouts called for a swim and ride on Saturday and a run on Sunday. My son is tougher than I am--I won't ride in the rain unless absolutely necessary (e.g. I'm halfway through a ride when it starts--gotta get home). So I took a chance and flipped the weekend. That meant 70 minutes in the rain or on the treadmill. Went with the treadmill--not my favorite but it really wasn't that bad. Afterward, I ate and stretched and then had an hour to get my bike ready and pack a gear bag to drop off for shipping to Canada.
Getting the bike set up went quickly--swap out wheels and pads, quick wipe-down, run through the gears, etc. For tri-bike transport, I paid to send one gear bag. Had only given a little thought to what I would send ahead prior to actually packing the bag. Wetsuit--heavy and bulky, aero helmet--light but bulky, CO2 cartridges--can't fly with them, and nutrition. As Bill pointed out in explaining his decision to send the nutrition ahead, "I don't want to be dealing with white powder in baggies at the border." Good call. Tossed in a few bottles and some other random stuff and stepped on the scale (25 lb. limit for the bag). Weighed in at 14 pounds. That's when the craze of opportunity hit me. Running shoes, more nutrition, fuel belt, etc., etc. Got it up to 20 lbs. and the bag was stuffed. Took the dogs out for a quick walk and then Bill drove us into town to drop everything off. Feels good to have 3/4 of my racing stuff already out of the way. I made a list of what I packed so I wouldn't freak out about what I'm missing when I pack the rest tomorrow.
Woke up early Sunday and made shape pancakes for the kids (one horse, one cow, two firetrucks, one banana, and two hearts--for Teegan). I just make circles for myself (since I know you're interested). Plan is to take the kids swimming and sneak in a workout while we're there, then come home and head out on a ride. I played my weather card just right and it's finally dry and nice out. Teegan heads upstairs to take a quick shower and get the kids' stuff ready, leaving me to supervise the kids and dogs. 45 minutes later, she wakes me up from my nap on the couch and we head out.
The Lafayette rec center is closed for annual maintenance. Doh! We head over to Erie. They're open but no lap swim. (Why would you build a 3-lane pool that's attached to the kids' pool?! Don't get me started!) Everyone has fun swimming and we head back--even though this is supposed to be a brick, I figure I'll get the ride in and try to find a pool that's open afterward.
Get the road bike off it's hooks and set up--it's been a while since I've been on this bike--finally get out at 200p. What is that annoying clicking? I'm sure I'll get used to it. Start my first interval. That clicking is going to make me crazy. Goes away when I stand up--must be the seatpost. Workoutus interruptus--stop in at Niwot Cyclery. Run into a buddy while there and we chat each other up for a bit. Cajole the owner into a little carbon prep for the seatpost and I'm back on the road. Start the second interval. Hmm, that front tire feels a little soft. Pull off the road, extract the goat head, and change the tube. Only brought 1 CO2 along and I'm only 45 minutes into my ride. The way this is going, I consider bagging it and riding home. Ultimately decide to continue on but I'm now just riding for the love of it--it's been a while since I've done that. It's a beautiful day and my PowerTap isn't working on this bike--sorry coach, no data.
A few miles later, I see my buddy Jeff Keil who's going the other way. I figure that if he's on some sort of easy day, I can have a little company so I turn around and chase him down. Okay, he sees me coming and waits up--there's no chasing Jeff down--he was the first amateur finisher at 5430 last weekend and is beginning his final build for Kona in 8 weeks. So he's not on an easy day but we stop and chat for a few minutes. He introduces me to the guy he's with and we talk about Canada. His buddy gives me the same advice about the course that I've heard from everyone else who's been there--take it easy up Richter, the race doesn't really start until the out-and-back, etc. He tells me it's his favorite race and relates how one year he was in 60th place at the out-and-back, came off the bike in 11th, and ran everyone down. Oh yeah, did I mention Jeff's buddy is his coach, Chuckie V (former pro triathlete who won IMC in '99)? I'll take his advice for sure though I have to explain to him that relying on my run to chase people down isn't going to work for me--while he's Chuckie V, I'm no Davie S. Gotta love (or is that hate?) Boulder.
Get home at 530p and look online for open pools while I stretch. Only option is at Flatirons in Boulder--would have to drive 40 minutes round trip and pay $20. Never mind, my swim is not going to suffer for missing this workout. Walk the dogs, eat dinner, get the kids to bed, clean the kitchen, shower and shave, and hit the sack at 1000p.
Good weekend--I'm feeling ready.
Saturday morning was Benjamin's Mighty Kids Triathlon (25m swim/1 mile bike/.5 mile run) at the Erie Rec Center. It was pouring rain most of the morning but the race went on. Swim and run were indoors but the bike was out in the elements. The race was awesome and the kids had a great time. Finisher medals for all. Ben was wet and tired but energized when it was all over. When I get a chance, I'll post a few pictures of Ben's day as well as Kami's race from last weekend.
My workouts called for a swim and ride on Saturday and a run on Sunday. My son is tougher than I am--I won't ride in the rain unless absolutely necessary (e.g. I'm halfway through a ride when it starts--gotta get home). So I took a chance and flipped the weekend. That meant 70 minutes in the rain or on the treadmill. Went with the treadmill--not my favorite but it really wasn't that bad. Afterward, I ate and stretched and then had an hour to get my bike ready and pack a gear bag to drop off for shipping to Canada.
Getting the bike set up went quickly--swap out wheels and pads, quick wipe-down, run through the gears, etc. For tri-bike transport, I paid to send one gear bag. Had only given a little thought to what I would send ahead prior to actually packing the bag. Wetsuit--heavy and bulky, aero helmet--light but bulky, CO2 cartridges--can't fly with them, and nutrition. As Bill pointed out in explaining his decision to send the nutrition ahead, "I don't want to be dealing with white powder in baggies at the border." Good call. Tossed in a few bottles and some other random stuff and stepped on the scale (25 lb. limit for the bag). Weighed in at 14 pounds. That's when the craze of opportunity hit me. Running shoes, more nutrition, fuel belt, etc., etc. Got it up to 20 lbs. and the bag was stuffed. Took the dogs out for a quick walk and then Bill drove us into town to drop everything off. Feels good to have 3/4 of my racing stuff already out of the way. I made a list of what I packed so I wouldn't freak out about what I'm missing when I pack the rest tomorrow.
Woke up early Sunday and made shape pancakes for the kids (one horse, one cow, two firetrucks, one banana, and two hearts--for Teegan). I just make circles for myself (since I know you're interested). Plan is to take the kids swimming and sneak in a workout while we're there, then come home and head out on a ride. I played my weather card just right and it's finally dry and nice out. Teegan heads upstairs to take a quick shower and get the kids' stuff ready, leaving me to supervise the kids and dogs. 45 minutes later, she wakes me up from my nap on the couch and we head out.
The Lafayette rec center is closed for annual maintenance. Doh! We head over to Erie. They're open but no lap swim. (Why would you build a 3-lane pool that's attached to the kids' pool?! Don't get me started!) Everyone has fun swimming and we head back--even though this is supposed to be a brick, I figure I'll get the ride in and try to find a pool that's open afterward.
Get the road bike off it's hooks and set up--it's been a while since I've been on this bike--finally get out at 200p. What is that annoying clicking? I'm sure I'll get used to it. Start my first interval. That clicking is going to make me crazy. Goes away when I stand up--must be the seatpost. Workoutus interruptus--stop in at Niwot Cyclery. Run into a buddy while there and we chat each other up for a bit. Cajole the owner into a little carbon prep for the seatpost and I'm back on the road. Start the second interval. Hmm, that front tire feels a little soft. Pull off the road, extract the goat head, and change the tube. Only brought 1 CO2 along and I'm only 45 minutes into my ride. The way this is going, I consider bagging it and riding home. Ultimately decide to continue on but I'm now just riding for the love of it--it's been a while since I've done that. It's a beautiful day and my PowerTap isn't working on this bike--sorry coach, no data.
A few miles later, I see my buddy Jeff Keil who's going the other way. I figure that if he's on some sort of easy day, I can have a little company so I turn around and chase him down. Okay, he sees me coming and waits up--there's no chasing Jeff down--he was the first amateur finisher at 5430 last weekend and is beginning his final build for Kona in 8 weeks. So he's not on an easy day but we stop and chat for a few minutes. He introduces me to the guy he's with and we talk about Canada. His buddy gives me the same advice about the course that I've heard from everyone else who's been there--take it easy up Richter, the race doesn't really start until the out-and-back, etc. He tells me it's his favorite race and relates how one year he was in 60th place at the out-and-back, came off the bike in 11th, and ran everyone down. Oh yeah, did I mention Jeff's buddy is his coach, Chuckie V (former pro triathlete who won IMC in '99)? I'll take his advice for sure though I have to explain to him that relying on my run to chase people down isn't going to work for me--while he's Chuckie V, I'm no Davie S. Gotta love (or is that hate?) Boulder.
Get home at 530p and look online for open pools while I stretch. Only option is at Flatirons in Boulder--would have to drive 40 minutes round trip and pay $20. Never mind, my swim is not going to suffer for missing this workout. Walk the dogs, eat dinner, get the kids to bed, clean the kitchen, shower and shave, and hit the sack at 1000p.
Good weekend--I'm feeling ready.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
To the moon, Alice!
Last night, some of the local crew who are heading to IMC got together with our families for a little pre-trip hanging out, dinner, and whatnot. The rain kept everyone indoors so it was pretty noisy but everyone got along and there weren't any tears. The kids did well too.
We talked about the race, travel, logistics, and whatnot. Pretty much, the blind leading the blind. But we had a great time and it was nice to meet Kay for the first time.
So here we are taking in a little Olympic swimming. From left to right, Kay, Bill, John, and me.
Time for one more expedition before calling it a night. 
We talked about the race, travel, logistics, and whatnot. Pretty much, the blind leading the blind. But we had a great time and it was nice to meet Kay for the first time.
So here we are taking in a little Olympic swimming. From left to right, Kay, Bill, John, and me.
That trip went well so we went to the beach.
Time for one more expedition before calling it a night.Okay--that's it for computer time, gotta get a workout in. Looks like rain all day. I have a love/hate relationship with my treadmill...
Thursday, August 14, 2008
But officer, I thought the stopsigns with the white trim were optional.
Taper is about reducing volume and adding a little intensity. Hit some hard short intervals on the bike yesterday and then a fast brick run. Felt good to hit the gas a bit. I have a 4-mile "box" near the house I use for flat, fast work--has stop signs at each corner.
(Mom--stop reading now--the next paragraph isn't for you.)
I usually slow down for a "California stop" at the corners but on the last interval, I was in a groove and in enough pain already--didn't want to put the extra effort to accelerate out. It's a downhill lead-in and I was moving. I could clearly see the intersection so I just blew through the stop sign and made the turn flat out and leaning hard. Took a quick peek behind once I straightened out and a bit behind the stopsign, in the shade of a tree, I spied what I thought might be a lightbar on top of a parked car. Ugh! I spent a few seconds debating what would be the better ticket on the bike--failure to stop or speeding. Decided speeding would definitely be cooler but luckily, if it even was a cop, I was left alone to finish the workout.
(Mom--okay to start reading again.)
Came to complete stops at the remaining corners. Ride safely...
(Mom--stop reading now--the next paragraph isn't for you.)
I usually slow down for a "California stop" at the corners but on the last interval, I was in a groove and in enough pain already--didn't want to put the extra effort to accelerate out. It's a downhill lead-in and I was moving. I could clearly see the intersection so I just blew through the stop sign and made the turn flat out and leaning hard. Took a quick peek behind once I straightened out and a bit behind the stopsign, in the shade of a tree, I spied what I thought might be a lightbar on top of a parked car. Ugh! I spent a few seconds debating what would be the better ticket on the bike--failure to stop or speeding. Decided speeding would definitely be cooler but luckily, if it even was a cop, I was left alone to finish the workout.
(Mom--okay to start reading again.)
Came to complete stops at the remaining corners. Ride safely...
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Oh yeah, I'm very handsome...
Hmm--I guess this is what blogging is all about but looking at my first post, it seems a bit self-serving and perhaps even egotistical. Well, whatever. Ignore it if you like, won't offend me a bit. Just want to make getting information out there easy.
Getting up to Speed
Hi friends and family-
I figured it would be easiest for me to post info on my trip to Canada where everyone could get at it rather than have to deal with individual emails. And who knows, maybe I'll keep updating past August. If you're not up to date on what I've been doing this year, here you go:
So Ironman Canada is a week and a half away (8/24). I'm feeling like I'll be ready to have a good day. If I get a little lucky, I could have a great day but I'm not expecting to do anything too special. Training has gone well overall. The engine is there but I'm not sure about whether I have that top-end to really push. Aside from the two complete training weeks I lost while writing our business proposal, I've done everything I could to get ready and am comfortable relying on my training to see me through the day.
I made a few changes to my training this year. In January, I finally bit the bullet and found a coach (AJ Johnson). This arrangement has been great for me. I don't have to think about my schedule or what to do on a particular day--just get the workout and do it. I think my results speak volumes about this setup. Here's what I've done this year:
From now until race-day, it's about resting, packing, travelling, etc. Good times.
I figured it would be easiest for me to post info on my trip to Canada where everyone could get at it rather than have to deal with individual emails. And who knows, maybe I'll keep updating past August. If you're not up to date on what I've been doing this year, here you go:
So Ironman Canada is a week and a half away (8/24). I'm feeling like I'll be ready to have a good day. If I get a little lucky, I could have a great day but I'm not expecting to do anything too special. Training has gone well overall. The engine is there but I'm not sure about whether I have that top-end to really push. Aside from the two complete training weeks I lost while writing our business proposal, I've done everything I could to get ready and am comfortable relying on my training to see me through the day.
I made a few changes to my training this year. In January, I finally bit the bullet and found a coach (AJ Johnson). This arrangement has been great for me. I don't have to think about my schedule or what to do on a particular day--just get the workout and do it. I think my results speak volumes about this setup. Here's what I've done this year:
- Platte River Half Marathon, Denver (April): 1:39 (PR)
- Tinman Triathlon (May): 1st place age-group (Okay, small race, but still...)
- Buffalo Springs Half Ironman (June): 5:16 (my second best HIM) despite 25 mph winds and driving rain on the bike
- BAM open-water 2-mile swim (July): 3rd place men's wetsuit division in sub-45min time
- Boulder Peak (July): 2:33 despite being right at the end of the proposal process. Taper consisted of taking a complete week off (sitting on my butt in front of a computer) except for a 25 minute run on Thursday. My second worst Peak ever, but still in respectable time.
- Stroke & Stride series (June - August): Raced 6 of them this summer. 3 first place AG finishes and never worse than 4th
From now until race-day, it's about resting, packing, travelling, etc. Good times.
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