Ironman Arizona

Thursday November 13, 2014.  Three days until Ironman Arizona.  Today’s schedule is a 45 minute bike, easy, make sure the bike is good, and just shake out the legs a bit.  With this accomplished, I focused on quality food, and a slight uptick in hydration to compensate for the desert dryness.  Also increased carbs, but not to a stupid amount, and no over-eating.  Thursday was  a glorious day in greater Tempe.  A high of about 80, light winds.  It would be a great day to have an Ironman.   Nice of my hotel to welcome us too!

Friday November 14, 2014.  Two days until Ironman Arizona.  Another glorious day.  I do not workout two days prior, I find this is a good off day for me.  I did go to packet pick up and take care of making sure I got my packet, instructions, and all was ready to go.  Continue to get proper food and drink in me.  And relax.  Try and relax.  Stay off the feet.

Saturday November 15, 2014.  Ironman eve.  Yet again, a terrific day.  Another 40-45 minute bike ride.  This time I headed out from the bike start for 21 minutes, then turned around.  Went through a warm up, hit all the gears, and a couple of short bursts.  Felt strong and good.  Wiped the bike down, put the numbers on the bike, and racked it.  Also dropped off my bike and run bags.  Nothing to do now but eat, sleep, and wait.

Sunday November 16, 2014.  Ironman Arizona.  Greeted with a nice, cool morning.  The buzz is electric in the Ironman Village.  Nervous, chatty athletes.  Nervous quiet athletes.  Even some that looked calm, cool, and collected.  For some reason I was nervous.  More nervous than I remember being for IMCdA.  Then it was bothering me that I felt nervous.  I couldn’t seem to calm down.  I was wondering if I should have brought a second bike helmet.  The second for, well, you know, barf.

What calmed me down?  Putting on my wetsuit.  Once the wetsuit was on, it was like, oh, okay, we’ll migrate down to the lake, get in, and swim.  I’ve done this a time or two.  In we go, down some steps into Tempe Town Lake.  About 300-400 yards from the start.  Had to get in at the exit point due to low water levels.

Used the 300-400 yards as a warm up.  It seemed like an eternity, but finally BOOM!  The cannon went off.  Swim start?  More like mortal combat.  2,700 people starting to swim at the same time in no semblance of order.  Push, smash, crash.  Repeat.  Trying to find some swimming room.  Had to go Tarzan style for 400-500 yards just to not crush someone.  The visibility in the water was less than zero.  The lake water was very silty.  I found some swimming room, and got into a bit of a groove.  Now that I was swimming, I would come up on groups of other swimmers.  Getting around them was like trying to make progress in a traffic jam.  Roughly three-quarters of the way through and suddenly the water has a chop to it.  Great, it wasn’t challenging enough with 2,700 people and no visibility.  Now I’m fighting the water.  A few minutes later it hit me.  Or was that another swimmer hitting me (again)?  The chop means WIND.  Expletive, expletive, expletive.

Finally the end of the swim.  Getting out on the steps was a challenge with the low water level, and my sea legs.

Up and out, about five minutes slower than CdA, and ten minutes off my goal, but with the conditions, acceptable.  Off to transition.  Hearing lots of Go Tri Club!!!  TCSD and TCSD rooters were out in force.

Walking/trotting to the transition area, I locate my bike bag, and head toward the changing tent.  Since I am not changing my bottoms, I don’t go inside, but find a tree to lean on and get out of my wetsuit, change my top, and get my helmet, sunglasses, and cycling shoes on.  I skip the wetsuit strippers.  I found it took longer at CdA and I had to carry a heavy wetsuit to transition.  I’d prefer to have my hands free until I was ready to change.

Now that I was ready to ride, I went over to the bike racks, and headed out.  It was a short distance to the mount line and I was riding.  Once onto the road my fears were confirmed.  It was WINDY.  My least favorite element to ride in.  Wind never stops.  It is noisy, and relentless.  Okay, get your mind right.  You cannot control this.  You’ve ridden in it.  You did the 2011 Eastern Sierra DoubleCentury.  You can do this.  Positive thoughts.  The return will be a tailwind.  The course, was a three loop out and back.  Most of the way would be right into the wind and most of the way back with it.

The first out went pretty good.  Slower than I planned, but that was all wind.  My effort was right, and I felt good.  About that wind.  You really feel it, as if with every pedal stroke you take, someone is pushing you right back.  And when it gusted, wow!  Sustained winds of 20 MPH with gusts over 30.  The bike was being pushed all over.  I FLEW back into town.  My first loop was just three minutes slower than my stretch goal despite the wind.  Turn around and do it again!  Through town and out to the Beeline Highway.  The Beeline was just shy of 11 miles.  Going out right into the wind, and a bit uphill.  Just a quarter of a mile on the Beeline I shifted and my chain dropped.  Expletive.  Okay, two minute fix, right?  Not even, usually.  Get the chain on but the crank will not turn.  Flip the bike to get a good look at it.  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!  My chain is bent.  I mean bent, like will not roll over the chain rings bent.  Is my day over?  All I can do now is wait for Bike Tech and see what, if anything can be done.

And wait.  And wait.  Finally a vehicle stops, I tell him, and he radios one of the motorcycle techs.  He shows up a couple of minutes later.  Now I realize my day might not be done, as he has chain links.  He goes to work on my bike.  It did take a few minutes, but I was back in the game!!!  I cannot thank him enough, back on the bike, and continue my second loop.

By the way what is that smell?  Ugh that is awful.  Okay its gone.  Hit the turnaround and come flying back down.  There is that smell again.  Wretched sewage, or something?  Oh, there is the sign.  Landfill turn right.

Back into town, and one more time, turn around and back out.  Here is where the mechanical hurt more than the 45-50 minutes I was idle.  I never got the same groove on the bike after the delay.  I think I stiffened up some.  And it screwed with me mentally.  I kept wondering where I would be if it hadn’t happened.  Trying to get those thoughts out of my head, and into being thankful I was still out there.

At what seemed like an eternity, I hit the far turn-around one last time, and zipped back into town with the tailwind.

Off the bike and into transition.  Now I am calculating times.  See, the run is always my weakest sport.  And I have had injury issues all year.  I broke my foot in March.  And after I started running again, I have had knee issues.  So I did not get the run build I wanted.  I went into this with a very conservative run strategy.  Walk the first four minutes.  Then run 30 seconds, and walk 1:30, repeat.  I did this the last two months of training, and it was working, and I figured a 6:00 to 6:30 marathon based on this.  No world record, but better than my CdA marathon with a strong run build.  My concern was would the knee hold up?  I’m starting the run over an hour later than I anticipated.  If this becomes a walk, I’ll be struggling to make the 17 hour time cut.

Think positive.  Start your 30-130 and FOLLOW THE PLAN.  You put this plan together, your body responded well the last two months.  The knee has been doing great the last month.  Your actual running has improved.

First run segment,  Ouch!  No, not the knee, my left hamstring.  What???  This has not been an issue at all.  Okay, diagnose.  Is it a cramp or a pull?  For the second time I was wondering if my day was over.  Feels like a cramp, which is weird.  When I cramp it is usually my quads, occasionally my calves.  And more often, after my day is over.  However, I did have pickle juice with me.  The worlds greatest cure for cramping.  I took some and about 30 seconds later I was good.  I was off, and on to my run-walk.  And I was run-walking STRONG.  My splits were great, as I was tracking a 3:00 half marathon.  The sun was going down, it was chilly, which is good for me.  Heat and running do not mix for me.  The conditions for running were ideal!  They flat out sucked for cycling with that wind, but for running, fantastic.

The run course is two loops.  The cruelest thing on earth is hitting the end of loop one.  You see the split for finish or continue.  You see faster athletes finishing.  You hear them finishing.  You’ve still got 13.1 to go.  Here it is for me.  Can I get in around six hours?  Heck, can I break six hours?  The half was 3:00:29.  I need an oh-so slight negative split.  And I feel good enough now to do it.  Will it hold?  Miles 13-18 no problem.  Then I noticed I was creeping into 14 minute miles.  The difference wasn’t the run segments, I was walking slower.  So starting with mile 20 I started running more.  I went from 30-130 to 40-120 then 45-115.

Not a single niggle from the knee all day!  No more hamstring issues, and just a bit from the calves, another gulp of pickle juice fixed that. 

Getting close to the finish, I hit a walk segment,  Walked maybe 30 seconds and I reached the barriers marking the finish chute.  No way I was walking any of this.  Too much crowd support.  I started running, and the folks watching started cheering.  They love to see folks run it in.  Around a slight bend and there it is.  The finish line.  The big timer.  Mike Reily’s voice booming, telling the person in front of me they are an IRONMAN.  I migrate to the right side, and high five a bunch of spectators, then make sure my bib is centered, I hit the final few meters, and I hear Mike bring me in.  God, I LOVE that!  Me, I am an IRONMAN!!!! (For the second time).  It is very emotional.  And then, it is over.  Just like that.  Done.  The volunteer takes you back, makes sure you don’t need medical, and gets you to the photo area.  They take a few shots, and get you to athlete food.  And you are done.  Euphoria, emotion, and hey, its over?  I want more!  Well, maybe another time.  Right now I think I want off my feet.

Oh and the run time?  My Garmin showed just over 6 hours.  Darn, missed the sub six.  Except the official time has me at 5:59:48.  Very, very happy!

So a strange Ironman for me.  The event I expected to be the best, the bike, was the poorest event of the day especially with the mechanical.  Even without it, it was about 6:45 of ride time, which is disappointing for the course.  I really expected to have a bike time faster than my run time here. 

I would be remiss not to thank all the volunteers, and especially the bike tech that saved my day.  Thank you all for your support.  And thank you to Ironman for putting on a great event.

Gear:

Swim

Blue Seventy wetsuit

Tyr Rx googles

Bike

Specialized Transition Comp

Williams 58-85 wheels (LOVE THESE)

50-34 compact crank set

11-28 cassette

X-Lab cages

Run

Saucony Kinvara 5 shoes

Fuel Belt

Total time 15:15 – Was shooting to go sub 14, but the mechanical and wind put the kibosh on that. 

On course photos courtesy of Tri Club San Diego

pre-race photos by me.

 What is next?  Well I am signed up for IM California-Oceanside 70.3 in March.  If my knee continues to behave, my plan for next year is one or two 70.3s and several shorter tris.  I also want to focus on my weight and conditioning.  For a former obese ~400 pounder I have done well.  But by triathlete standards I am heavy.  It shows in the pictures this year, I really need to get the weight down some more.  This will help with speed, but more importantly it will save the joints and muscles stress, allowing me to keep doing this stuff.

No 140.6's next year, unless, of course the Kona Lottery comes up for me!  :-)  I'd walk through hell in a gasoline suit to race at Kona.

IRONMAN...I'm Committed Now!

Ironman. 140.6,  Long course triathlon.  Call it what you want, but after deliberation, and my journey into triathlon I have taken the plunge and signed up for my first 140.6 Ironman.  On June 23, 2013 I will toe the start line in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.  I will do a two-loop swim totaling 2.4 miles in a cool (cold) lake.  I will complete a 2 lap 112 mile bike course with some hills, and finish the day by running a full marathon.  When I hit the button to confirm my entry I thought I was going to vomit. 

I had been eyeing and was pretty sure my first would be Ironman Texas.  However, they delayed registration for that event, and when Coeur D’Alene opened up, I considered that I have been to, and raced in Texas, but I’ve never been to Idaho.  The area is supposed to be very scenic, the event is well received by locals with lots of support.  So I made the decision partly because of all that, party because I didn’t want CDA to sell out, and Texas to get cancelled.  As it turns out, Texas registration is opening up Tuesday.  This gives me an extra month of prep time. 

At this point I am not setting any time goals.  It is too early in the process, and you cannot control factors like weather on race day.  All I know is I am going to do my best to train right, get in the best shape I can, and race my heart out on race day. 

It is almost a year away, but I already have my motel booked, and my training plan laid out.  Anal or prepared?   

I am committed now;  or should I be committed?

That is all for now.  I think I might need to vomit again.

Next up: Chula Vista Challenge August 12th

Then, Superfrog (half iron distance) September 30th.

Rock and Roll San Diego Half Marathon

Those of you who have read my blog know my wife, Angi is fighting breast cancer.  Good news, she is done with chemo and her last scan was clear.  She is currently going through some radiation. 

I mention this because she always does the Rock and Roll half marathon.  It was her first major event, when she did the full, and she really enjoys the half-marathon race.  Of course she could not do it this year, so I did.  I put a pink ribbon on my bib and wrote her name on it.  Along with her mom, who is a 15 year survivor.  I ran this race for them. 

A group of us joined in on a race day fast pass so we could park at Sea World (finish) and get shuttled to the start.  Smartest money spent!  

Leading up to the race, I had been having issues with pain behind the knee, on the outside of the left leg, and soreness in the ankles.  I made two shoe changes, and I think the most recent will work.  I just bought them a week ago.  “Nothing new on race day be damned;” what I had was not working.   

Change one was documented in this post.

Change two was just a week ago.  Using Good Feet custom orthotics that I had along with a neutral shoe, the Asics Nimbus. 

The elites started at 6:15, which meant that not so fast Steve started at 6:46.  A little crowded at the start, some bunching, but not as bad as I thought it might be.  Got into a nice little groove.  Started ticking off the miles.   

The Rock and Roll series always brings out some characters and costumes.  My favorite was Mario, mostly because he was near a band that started playing the music from the video game, and Mario would jump like he was hitting the little buttons, and the band would hit the “scoring” notes.  Great stuff.  Lots of energy at a Rock and Roll event.   I heard later Chrissie Wellington and Bob Babbit dressed as Elvis and ran.  That is classic!

One of the bigger challenges of the race is running on route 163 as the road is heavily cambered.  I figured out the best place was way inside, and made pretty good hay along this portion. 

One of my concerns going into this race was that I would hit the wall early, like mile 8 or 9 since I didn’t get the length of training runs in I wanted to.  I hit it, but not until mile 12!  You can see my mile splits below and see how I fell off during the 13^th mile even though I thought I was pushing pretty good, and passing lots of other runners. 

Overall I am happy with this race.  While I would like to get faster (who wouldn’t) I see this as progress, and hopefully will lead to a good run split at Superfrog. 

Mile	Split
1	10:54
2	10:40
3	10:32
4	10:03 – downhill
5	11:06 - uphill
6	11:20 - uphill
7	10:59
8	10:50
9	11:20
10	11:07
11	11:06
12	11:14
13	11:44 – THE WALL

 

Hit the finish line, received my medal, very nice!  Water, chocolate milk, jamba juice, and chips. 

Met back up with the Fast Pass Express group.  3 of the 5 of us had a PR!

Good event, felt strange to run without riding my bike first.  Next up: Chula Vista Challange -

Gear: Asics Nimbus shoes

The Agony of Da Feet

After the Austin 70.3 last October I felt like I had the wrong running shoes. 

I went to a local running store, and discussed my running, goals, and what I was in.

At the time, I was wearing Nike Voomero 5’s.  I had a Good Feet orthotic I wore with them.  One of my goals was to eliminate the orthotic if possible since it shifted and was kind of a pain. 

We settled on Brooks Adrenaline 11s.  The felt pretty good at the start.  A short time later, though, I had a calf strain on a run.  Not sure if it was the fault of the shoe, but it set my running back.  After healing and returning to running, I haven’t felt like I got back to where I was pre-Austin.  I picked up a pair of Adidas Super-Novas which were our second choice.  I haven’t really cared for those at all.   

My feet and ankles tend to be sore after longer runs.  Based on this, I thought maybe going away from the orthotic was a mistake. 

I decided to go back to Road Runner Sports, go through the “Shoe Dog” process and see where we came out. 

The fitter suggested custom insoles based on my right and left foot being vastly different.  Since I would really like to be more comfortable on long runs, I agreed to give them a try. 

He also recommended four possible shoes.  The Brooks Adrenaline, now 12s was one of the choices, along with the Brooks Trance.  We also looked at a pair of Asics Kayanos and Saucony Guides. 

All four pair felt really good.  This made me realize it wasn’t the shoe as much as the insole.  The custom insoles are feeling GREAT.  We’ll see how they do over time, but I am really excited for my run Tuesday. 

Here’s the deal on how I say the insoles felt so good.  My feet and ankles were killing me after the run, when they tested my gait in my socks at RRS, I could barely do 1/8 of a mile at 5.2 MPH.  With the insoles, I dialed it up to 5.5 and felt like I could go for a few miles.  I took it up to 6, then 6.5 MPH; and felt good!  This is after a 10 mile run earlier that I could barely finish.  Over the 4 pair of shoes, and trying them I ran over a mile, and felt like I could have run more.  I actually feel better after running more with the insoles than I did earlier. 

I settled on the Brooks Trance.  The Trance is a bit more stable than the Adrenaline.  Since I have a pair of Adrenalines, I think I can now do a good comparison with live running, using the custom insoles.   

We’ll see how this all works out.  If you start seeing more Daily Mile happy faces after my runs, you’ll know the shoes/insoles are working!

2012 Update and Plans

Happy New Year! I have been negligent in writing a blog update for a while now, so here goes.

First, if you have been following you know my wife, Angi is battling breast cancer. She has completed two of six chemo treatments, and all things considered is doing pretty good. My observation of fighting cancer is that it is the ultimate endurance challenge, as it tests, and depletes the body as the fighter battles for a scheduled six month fight, and that is if all treatment goes as planned. That said I still have pink tape on my bikes.

A big thanks to Cyclewarrior, Moonkinrunning, and SugarMangnolia70[1] for joining me in rocking the pink bar tape.

Yesterday was the SD Randos 200K (124 miles). I signed up as usual, and rolled out at 7:00 AM. It started raining about 45 minutes in. I have ridden and completed many long rides in the rain. Several in far worse conditions than yesterday. I had an issue I could not work out though. I couldn’t see. Yes, I wear glasses, and they spot bad, they didn’t fog, but I just couldn’t adjust. Wiping them didn’t work. So, I DNF’d. I just didn’t feel safe. I can only remember one other time when I felt like that and just had to get off the bike. It was on a 600K two years ago, when exhaustion hit about 11:00 PM and I had a hard time keeping the bike rolling in a straight line. By the way, a note of apology to our RBA Dennis for not calling in my DNF, I had seen a couple of riders, so I made the wrong assumption that he would be notified, and I just didn’t think about it.

After getting home yesterday, and warming up, I was looking at my 2012 plans. I have three events that I am registered for as of right now. The Fiesta Island Time Trial on February 5th, Super Seal Olympic Distance Tri on March 18th, and Super Frog 70.3 Tri on September 30th. I think I am running the Rock and Roll half marathon for Angi as well.

I have three double centuries on my schedule, but I haven’t registered yet. And I’m thinking seriously of dropping them from my plans this year. We are four weeks from the kick off double, El Camino Real, and I am not looking forward or excited for it. I am excited and looking for triathlons. The more I think about it, the more I think 2012 might be dedicated to triathlon.

So, fellow enthusiasts, what do you think? More triathlons? Will I be sorry if I skip a season of double centuries? Please feel free to opine in the comments.




[1] Used Twitter names for privacy.