Troy Nelson's Blog - It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

Quintana Roo!

2012-01-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

We are very excited about our ongoing relationship with Quintana Roo. Last week Eve and I were both offered a continuation of our individual sponsorships and we enthusiastically accepted. This upcoming season I will be riding the new 2012 CD0.1 Dua Ace bike. I like the black/grey color scheme and this year the entire bike will have a matte finish.

When Eve and I first started riding tri bikes, the first bikes we bought were Quintana Roo. Eve had a 2004 aluminum Caliente and my first bike was the 2005 Lucero pictured at the top of this blog. Since that time, we have ridden QR tri bikes exclusively.

We are both firm believers in the quality and efficiency of the QR bikes. They are not only fast and sweet looking, they are probably the best bang for the buck in terms of top flight tri bikes.

Eve will either be on the 2012 women's specific CD0.1 pictured below or she will be on a bike similar to mine. We are still working out the details on that. Eve is really excited, but she is going to miss her pink camo ride!

With these bikes (and a little work) hopefully we will be in a position later this year to +1 the QR bike counts at Kona and Las Vegas.

Let Me Try to Explain the Unexplainable

2011-11-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

Walking around Kona the Wednesday morning following the 2011 Ironman World Championship, I got a glimpse of the sleepy little village that it is 48 weeks out of the year. The place smells of patchouli oil, coffee and passion fruit. This year I was there to observe. Spectate. To soak it in. To get motivated for the year long process of attempting to return as a racer in 2012.

I just love Kona. Days earlier, this laid back, quiet paradise was a congested mess of anxious spectators standing on the sweltering oceanside roads struggling to get a glimpse of the racers. Four days removed, all I could think about was next year its my turn. On the airplane home later that Wednesday afternoon, I will confess I muttered (under my breath) the Arnold Schwarzenegger cliché from Terminator, "I'll be back."

But why? It takes a lot - a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of sacrifice.

Like many triathletes that can't resist the pull of Kona, I am willing to undertake yearly grind that includes 5:00 a.m. alarm clocks and invasive fatigue for the one-day high of the Hawaiian Ironman. But let's keep it real. It's not like I am ever going to win the race or even place in my age group. Hell, in my two previous attempts I have never even got a sniff at the podium. And I probably never will. That's where it gets weird. That's where it gets hard to explain. And even harder to rationalize the sacrifice.

The rational part of my brain is always questioning the cost. The cost of trying to qualify. Reduced time at work and with the family. The reduced capacity for civilized discourse that doesn't involve swim training, bike fits, or $150 running shoes.

My motives aren't exactly clear. But I can say this for certain, "Hi. My name is Troy. I am addicted to Ironman." There. I said it. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. So coming back to a basic, if not related, question - Why do people do endurance sports? I've heard many different answers. Get in shape. Expand your limits. Test the boundaries of what is physically possible (I sort of like that one). Or maybe it goes back to some childhood imaginary game where you become a superhero and save the day. To be a hero, maybe that's it. It's self-centered I know, but that might be the closest answer I can come up with. It's not like a a universal, public image of a hero in the true sense of the word, like the teacher who steps up for a student or the cop who nabs the bad guy or the soldier who makes a selfless move to save his comrades. It's more of a private type of a hero. It's a chance to be a hero in someone's eyes.

Training for and racing Ironman is a series of trade offs. Deals need to be made with family members, friends, psychologists, financial advisers, bosses, etc. The process is ongoing. And its the little things, the little trade offs that cumulatively build up making the goal of even qualifying for the Hawaiian Ironman a momentous challenge. Little things like getting up early to improve my swim technique, organizing a menu for better nutrition, quitting my job - all the little details that might shed just enough seconds off my finish time to make me fast enough.

The pain and suffering of training is one thing. But to race in those conditions on the Big Island and drain you body of every ounce of energy and life force is another thing altogether. Some vacation, you idiot. But to compete in the Hawaiian Ironman and to get to run down that quarter mile of Ali'i Drive...

That's the pay off.

Somehow, I am able to rationalize the costs and the pain and suffering in order to take that two minute run down Ali'i Drive.

I am like the stupid moth to the flame. I know better, but there is something hard-wired into me that makes it impossible to resist. Maybe someday I will develop an ambivalence toward the journey of training, qualifying and racing. Maybe someday, but not today, not this year.

Keep It Rollin'

2011-10-20T15:24:00.001-07:00

That about sums it up. My weeks are looking the same for the next several weeks. Spending lots of early mornings in the dark, in the basement, on the trainer. Most mornings on the bike I am working on increasing bike strength. Lots of interval work, 5-15 minute intervals, some at race cadence, most in a big gear (50-60 cadence). For the swim, most of that is happening at lunch at the Downtown YMCA. Lots of one arm drills trying to eliminate dead spots in my catch and increase arm cadence. Also working on strength, which means pull sets with big paddles with my legs tried together. For the run, just trying to maintain.

We had a great trip to the Big Island. Eve had a good race, finishing 17th in her AG and cutting almost an hour off of her time from 2009. After returning home, the long course torch got passed back to me. I am going to spend the next several weeks working on developing strength on the bike and in the water as described above, while keeping up with the aerobic base with weekly long rides and long runs. Nothing crazy, but I am not going to let things slip away with an extended off season. Just being off the bike for 12 days while in Kona was enough to really cause some pain during my first three hour ride with Conradical last weekend.

This is a good time of the year to lay out a plan for next year. Looks like Wildflower, IMCDA, maybe Troika, IMC and Kona. Planning for 3 long course races next year is easy to put on paper in October. Let's see how I feel about it in August...

70.3 World Championships

2011-09-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well, my season is over. My last race was the 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas. No pictures yet.

I went down solo, as we have a big family trip planned to go watch Eve race in Kona. Vegas was all business. Got there shortly before registration ended and flew home as soon as practicable after the race.

The race itself went well. My wave went off near the back. It was a non-wetsuit swim. Went out hard the first 300m or so then settled on some feet for a good draft. After the halfway point, I lost my draft and swan the remaining portion by myself. Very little stress. Except for the stinky water, the swim set up is pretty good at this race. My time was 33:35. Not bad for no wetsuit.

The bike was great. Well, the course anyway. I felt flat and uninspired for the first hour on the bike. My mind was wandering and I wasn't in the moment. I started thinking that I enjoy training more than I do racing. After about an hour, I was passed by a 10 to 15 person draft train, with some people in my age group amongst them. That's all it took to shake me out of my funk. I gritted my teeth and pressed on, passing the draft pack. From that point forward I was in the game. The bike course in Vegas is beautiful, very hilly and rolling through the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Lots of big rolling hills and very good asphalt. The course climbs about 4500 feet in 56 miles. The last 10 miles of the course are generally uphill to T2. During this part of the race, I pressed hard and stayed aero. I passed a lot of people during the last 10 miles of the bike. I finished with a 2:35:37 bikes split. not bad, but a good 10 minutes behind the top guys in my age group.

The run in Vegas is also great. It is shaped like the letter "L" with T2 and the finish at the corner. It is a three loop run course and each out and back contains one long steady hill. The first outback you run down a mile turn around and run back up and the second out and back you run up a mile turn around and run back down. Every time you pass the hot corner, you are greeted with a great group of spectators. Because of the multiple loop setup and the fact that my age group went off almost last, the run course was packed with competitors. I used the first loop to reconnoiter the course. Kept it steady for the first loop. It was clear after that that the best approach was to run hard up, then fly down the downhill sections, but allow some recovery on the down hills while moving fast. The last loop I ran as hard as I could on the ups, and flew on the downs. Finished the run in 1:27:09, not bad considering the heat and the course profile.

I ended up with a 4:41:23, which was good enough for 13th in my AG.

Next up is a trip to Kona, then when I get back it is "on" in terms of maintaining my running and getting stronger on the bike and in the water.

Troika and Final Push Towards 70.3 Worlds

2011-08-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of notable thing have occurred since my last post. First, I now have a coach. I am 5 weeks into it. Some things a different, some things are the same. I did a lot of research and soul-searching before pulling the trigger. I had a couple of criteria, first I wanted a coach that was either still racing or who had recently retired from the professional ranks. In short, I wanted a coach who was/is much faster then me. I'm not interested in a coach that is or was racing at my level. Second, I do not want to totally abandon my "high-volume" approach. It took me a while to get to the point where I felt like I was a coachable athlete. But I'm there now. The key to getting to this place meant I had to develop a mindset where I am ready to be coached and find a coach that I can trust and who's going to provide me plan that I'm comfortable with. I would not be comfortable with 10 hours a week. So far, so good. Under my new coach, I am working out a little bit less than normal, but there is still some meat to the plan. My weeks have been in the 15-19 hour range. The biggest change is that I am swimming 5 to 6 times each week and my running has dropped from 50 miles per week to closer to 35 to 40 miles per week. There is still plenty of intensity in all three disciplines, which I like.

On August 7, 2011, I raced our local half iron distance triathlon, Troika. It was the 31st running of this great race. Going into the race, my expectations were not that high. First, we decided to not taper for the race. I did a hot 80 mile ride on Thursday with Eve and then had easier days on Friday and Saturday leading into the race. Second, there were several really good racers signed up, including a couple in my age group. Going into the race I realized that just winning my age group was going to be a significant challenge.

Troika features a point-to-point bike. T1 is at Medical Lake about 20 miles west of Spokane and T2 is at Riverfront Park in downtown Spokane. I drove out to Medical Lake at about 5:30 AM on race day and racked my bike. After chit chatting with old friends and new friends doing the race, I donned my wetsuit and made my way down to the water. Even standing at the beach it was pretty clear that the swim was long. The first turn buoy was well over a half mile away from shore. I decided to do a good swim warm-up, about 15 to 20 minutes. I got out of the water and stood on the beach for the start. Like normal, I started pretty far to the left. The gun went off and I was able to quickly find open water and establish a good rhythm. After rounding the first turn buoy, we swam across the backside of the course and then turned right again back toward shore. I found a draft here and there, but for the most part swam by myself, which is fine by me. By swimming in clear, calm water I reduce stress. Even if it costs me a minute or so, to me it is worth the time to burn as few matches as possible during the swim.

After the swim, I glanced at my watch and it was over 35 minutes. Definitely a long swim. My official time was 36:27. I estimate that the swim was 1.5 miles as opposed to the 1.2 mile standard half iron distance swim.

I changed quickly and mounted my Quintana Roo Cd.01. The bike course starts with an out and back. At the turn, I counted that I was in seventh place, probably about five minutes down from the leaders, Ben Greenfield and Sam Picicci. I ride the course a lot during training and am quite familiar with it. We had a slight wind out of the southwest which normally would equate to some pretty fast bike splits. About an hour or so into the bike, I passed a few riders and then was passed by my new friend and fellow 40-44 age grouper, Jon Moen. That means at this point in the race, I was third in my age group (Sam is also in the 40-44 age group).

As we made our way through the West Plains, we got back into Spokane and I noticed that although my effort was pretty high, it was clear that I was not going to beat last year's time of 2:27. It seemed confusing to me since I knew I was riding hard and I was on a new, more aerodynamic bike. (The bike ended up being 60.8 mile according to my PowerTap instead of the standard 56 miles for a half ironman distance triathlon).

As we made our way up the final climb, I noted I was pulling up on another rider. At first I thought it was Jon. As I got closer, I realized it was Sam. Sam and I rolled into T2 pretty much together. We both grabbed our bags and sat on the bench getting our running gear squared away. Around this time, I heard Eve yell that we were 4 1/2 minutes down on Ben who was leading the race.

Sam left T2 slightly ahead of me, probably by about 20 yards or so. With about a half-hour left on the bike, I took a gel and a few swigs off of my bike bottle which contained PowerBar Perform. For whatever reason, that stuff was still sloshing around in my stomach when I started the run. I immediately got a side stitch on top of that. For the first 2 miles I just stayed behind Sam waiting for him to start pulling away. But he didn't pull away. At about mile three, my side stitch when away my stomach opened up and allowed that nutrition into my system. I almost immediately felt better. Strike that, I felt great.

Just before the 4 mile mark I pulled up behind Sam and passed him. Right in front of Sam was Jon Moen. After passing Sam and Jon, I was pretty happy to be winning our age group. Shortly after that, however, things got even better. I passed the racer who was in second shortly before the turnaround. At the turnaround, I saw Eve, Peter and Tate. Eve told me I was about 2:45 down on Ben. At that point I was running 6:30 per mile or so. A quick bit of math revealed that if Ben was running 7 minute miles, I might be able to catch him late in the run.

At this point in a hard fought race, everybody is suffering. I kept telling myself to be patient and stick to the plan of running 6:30 per mile. I focused on getting water on board at every aid station.

As we started coming back into town, at about mile 10, for the first time I got a glimpse of Ben up the road. I could see the motorcycle leading him out. As the next two miles clicked by, I could tell I was closing on him. I started getting anxious, but repeated to myself to be patient and save something for the end.

As we crossed through the Gonzaga campus, I finally pulled up right behind Ben. This was shortly after we passed the 12 mile mark. After pulling up behind him, I decided to sit on his heels, catch a few breaths and get my head on straight. As I was running behind him, I realized he was running about 30 seconds per mile slower than my pace, which was fine for the purpose of catching my breath for a minute.

After coming around the condominiums on the other side of the Don Kardong Bridge, I gritted my teeth and ran past him as fast and hard as I could. The purpose for a past like that is to disabuse him of any idea that he could match my pace. Passes late in races like that are usually permanent, but I wanted to make sure. I put my head down and ran as fast as I could for a quarter mile without looking back. After that quarter mile, I turned around and he was nowhere in sight.

I slowed back down to my 6:30 per mile pace for the last half mile and cruised into the finishing shoot for the win.

Looking back on the race, it is one of the cooler things that has happened to me in the sport of triathlon. It's cool to win a race, but it's even cooler to win the hometown race against the Spokane athletes that I train and race against on a regular basis. These guys are good. Some of them are getting better by the day.

There wasn't much of an award ceremony, but I didn't care. I hung out in the park for a while with friends and teammates and got a lift home from Sam and his family as soon as practicable to start recovering for the five-week push toward the 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas on September 11, 2011. Thanks to everyone who shouted words of encouragement and forwarded some of these great pictures to me after the race. That was a special day for me, one that I will never forget.

Boise 70.3

2011-06-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

My first "A" race of the year was Boise 70.3 on 6/11/11. After having a pretty good build up to my taper, I was feeling pretty good about the race going into it.

Two weeks prior to Boise 70.3, I raced in Walla Walla at the Onionman Triathlon, which is an Olympic distance. The weather was horrible. When I got to the race venue on race day, it was 46°. Shortly thereafter, it began raining. The race director, in consultation with the medical staff, decided to shorten the swim. I was freezing before the race even started. After the gun went off, I made my way through the shorten swim and then onto the bike. I probably rode too hard during the first half of the bike, but I simply could not warm up. The run was anti-climatic. I got off the bike in 12th place and at the turn around on the run, I realized I was the first master. Although not particularly happy with my place, I was happy to win the master division. I ended up ninth OA.

After Onionman, I followed my typical plan leading into an half Ironman, which includes three or four race pace bricks separated by several easy days. I did a 12 mile tempo run (6 miles easy, 6 miles at race pace) eight days out and then a final three-hour brick six days out.

Race week went well and my workouts included short efforts, mostly easy with some race pace intervals sprinkled in. Leading into the race, I decided to fly instead of drive. I wanted to miss as little work as possible. I found a good flight that left Spokane at 7:00 AM on Friday June, 10, the day before the race. I had to attend a mandatory pre-race meeting at 11:00 AM, and then register by between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM. After that, I would head up to the Lucky Peak Reservoir and rack my bike, which had to occur before 7:00 PM. I knew it would be a busy day, but I had plenty of time to get everything done, or so I thought.

I picked up Haley Cooper at 5:15 AM and we drove out to the airport. Suzanne Endsley was also on our flight. Everything went smooth and we got on the plane. After the plane pushed away from the terminal, the pilot made an announcement that there was fuel leak. He turned the plane around and announced that we were going nowhere on that particular airplane. We got off the airplane and waited for further instructions. The gate agent told us that there were flights leaving from Seattle to Boise, but she could not assure us that there would be any direct flights from Spokane to Boise that would get us there in time for the 6:00 PM registration deadline. The three of us ran down to the Alaska Airlines ticketing desk and purchased one-way flights from Spokane to Seattle, catching a 2:00 PM flight to Boise, which was scheduled to land at 4:30 PM. I started to think that we are cutting it a little close, but it seemed doable. After purchasing the ticket, I had to return to the Southwest Airline desk and get my checked bag and my bike off the crippled Southwest airplane. Then I had to return to the Alaska desk and checked everything in once again. After getting everything checked in, we kicked around the airport for a couple of hours and caught our scheduled flight to Seattle. When we landed, we learned that the flight was delayed until 2:30 PM, which meant it would be arriving at 5:00 PM. Now we are really cutting it close.

Luckily, the plane did leave at 2:30 PM and we did land shortly before 5:00 PM. Everything went smooth from there. We grabbed my bag and bike from the baggage area, got my rental car and made our way down to The Grove Hotel, which is where we had to register. We got there at about 5:40 PM, and they were starting to pack up the registration area. We got everything taken care of and then Haley and I drove out to the Lucky Peak Reservoir. I put my Quintana Roo Cd0.1 together in the parking lot and got it into T1 before they closed it down. After a couple missed turns, I dropped Haley off where she was staying and returned to the Grove at about 8:00 PM. That was a long day but everything that we needed to get done got done.

Boise 70.3 has a unique start time of 12:00 PM. I tried to sleep in a little bit later than normal. After breakfast and some coffee, I made myself stay in the hotel room until 8:45 AM, then I went down dropped off my run transition bag in T2 and caught a shuttle bus to T1 and the swim start.

Once at the race venue, I checked over my hastily assembled bike and got my tires pumped up to the appropriate level.

After leaving T1, I still had about 45 minutes prior to my wave start. I found a place to sit and I watched the pro and age group waves take to the water.

My age group was split into 2 groups. I was in the 2nd group and we were the second to last wave to start at 12:45. With the split AG, I knew I would not know who was in what group during the run. Oh well. Did really change anything, I was still planning on running as hard as I could. When our wave finally got the go ahead to get into the water, I jumped off the dock into the 53 degree water. That was cold. Not much time and to warm up. Took a couple of strokes and forced myself to breathe out with my face in the cold water. After a few breaths, we were off. Some drafts along the way, but about a third of the way into the swim we began running into the slower swimmers from the prior waves. We picked our way through the debris and I finished the swim in about 32 minutes. Not bad considering the conditions.

Once on the bike, I stuck with my pre-race plan which was to keep my power at or below 220 for the first hour. There were a couple significant climbs which by necessity took me above that number, but for the most part it held true to the plan. At the turnaround, approximately mile 27, I took a peek at my average watts and it was 227. My plan was to bring my watts up to about 250 during the second half of the bike. After the turnaround, I put my head down and rode hard back into town. Much like the swim, my age group was forced to pick its way through the riders from the earlier wave starts.

When I arrived at T2, I racked my Cd0.1 and notice there were not many bikes in the racks. I grabbed my shoes and exited T2. The run of Boise is a two loop run through the green belt. It is pretty flat, but it is narrow. During the first lap I really ran hard. My heart rate was over 170 and my pace was around 6:15-6:20 per mile. My main goal on the run was to finish in less than 1:25:00. Secretly, I was hoping to run something like 1:23:00. During the first lap, I passed the third-place female who was being led by a bicyclist. After passing her (McBride), the cyclist stayed in front of me longer than I liked. He did finally moved to the side and yielded to trail allowing me to pass. At the end of the first lap, I passed Heather Wuerttel, the second-place female as she was about to enter the finishing shoot. Unfortunately for me, I had to turn around for another lap. Immediately after starting the second lap, I ran into the same thing that I had to deal with on the swim and the bike. By the start of my second lap, there were tons of people on the narrow paved trail. I yelled "trail please" as politely as I could in an effort to get by the slower runners now all over the trail. I can't say that slowed me down, but it sure was annoying after a while. I brought my effort up during the last 4 miles and my heart rate was right around 175 for the last half-hour or so. My pace stayed about the same despite the increased effort.

I came into the finishing shoot and stopped my watch, and noticed a 4:22:xx total time. I ended up with a 1:24:00 run split, which was good enough for the fastest run split in my age group and the third fastest run split amongst the amateurs. I ended up being the 11th amateur finisher and forth in my age group.

After the race, I went up to the hotel room, showered and went back down for some post race grub. I ran into fellow Spokanites, Jon Moen and Scott Allen, who both raced well. I also talked to Haley, Annie Warner, Suzanne and Shawn. I had a few beers with Michael Vanderhyde. We got our awards and I took my AG slot for the 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas, scheduled for September 11, 2011.

The return trip was uneventful. I was very sore the two days after the race. Today (Thursday), I feel a lot better. An easy run on the Bluff trails this morning will be followed by a swim at Witter Pool at lunch.

Now that I achieved my goal of qualifying, I am going to stay local for the rest of the season as I prepare for Vegas. Probably race Troika and Titanium Man, but that is not dialed in for sure.

The most important thing for the balance of the summer is to get my hours in at work, have some fun with the kids and support Eve as she tries to get over her injury in time to compete at IM Canada. See you on the road.

Triathlon Season Approacheth

2011-05-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

Since the Snake River Half Marathon, I have run 2 other road running races, a 10k in Florida and Bloomsday. Both went really well and I feel as if I have accomplished my first real objective of the year, which was to "get my run back." The 10k in Florida was interesting, it was the first 10K that I have done in over five years. It was a flat, fast course, but when the race began at 7:30 AM, the temperature was approaching 80°. I was hoping to bring it in under 35 minutes, but I was satisfied with a 36:14 (4th OA, 1st AG). Bloomsday 12k went even better. I PR'd with a 43:32 (5th AG, 2nd in Washington State Road Runners Championship).

Also while in Florida,I was able to swim about 20,000 yards, all outdoors. But I did not bring my bike so that was it - lots of swimming and running (and a fair amount of adult beverages).

(Yes, that's Eve on deck in the bikini.)

The weather is getting better and I have been able to start getting outside on the new steed. The bike is working great and it fits like a glove. The folks at Quintana Roo really know how to design a bike that is long and low.

My power numbers are starting to climb as I start to get some of my bike fitness back.

My first triathlon of the season is just under one month away (Boise 70.3). I have about two more weeks to really work on my bike fitness and try to maintain the run base that I have built up since January. If I can get the bike where it was when I did this race in 2009, I should be in good shape to race for a podium position in my AG. That should be enough to qualify for the 70.3 World Championship race in Las Vegas in September. Hopefully the weather cooperates over the next couple of weeks. Over and out.

Run Focus Culmination - The Snake River Half Marathon

2011-03-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

One on my early season goals this year was to feel like a runner again. For whatever reason, I didn't feel like much of a runner last year. I didn't compete in any open running races at all in 2010. Most of the mileage I logged was focused on the Ironman marathon, which basically involves slogging through epically long runs after epically long bike rides. So, beginning on January 1, 2011, I embarked on a nine week period where I was going to focus on getting my run back. I just wanted to get back that feeling of being a runner. Light and fast. The culmination of this period would be the Snake River Half Marathon, which is held annually along the Snake River on the first Saturday of March. This year it fell on March 5, 2011.

The run focus period started off a little shaky. I had to have a minor surgery to my hand at the end of the first week of January. Nothing serious, but for the last year I have had a benign tumor in the palm of my right hand. I had seen an orthopedist on multiple occasions about the growth, and we decided to do nothing until it became symptomatic enough that it was causing me problems. Sometime during my build up to Kona in October of 2010, the darn thing became exquisitely painful. Any type of pressure to the palm of my right hand caused pain. Bike riding was especially difficult, but it got to the point that even rising out of my office chair caused pain. Anyway, I figured early January was the best time to get this taken care of so we scheduled the surgery, which was successful, but it put me out of commission for about three days. It wasn't so much the pain as it was avoiding any risk of infection. Starting with the last week of January, I was able to string together four weeks of 60+ miles, including speed work and tempo runs. Thanks to Mike Bresson for writing up some mindnumbing workouts. Get a load of this week, especially the tempo run on Thursday --

Week 7 – 60 miles (Feb 14-20)
1. 6 miles -- Easy (add 5 x 25 second strides after the workout with equal recovery between each)
2. 10 miles -- Speed Work – (8 x 1000 at 10k pace (3:25) w/ 400 meter RI); Start your workout aiming for four minutes and then work your way down.
3. 8 miles – Easy
4. 10-11 miles – Tempo Run (w/u 2 miles; 2 miles at 10K pace; 2 min RI; 4x200/400: 200 at mile pace w/ 30 second RI into 400 at 5k pace w/ 1 min RI; after last RI then do 3 miles tempo at ½ marathon pace; c/d).
5. 6 miles -- Easy
6. 4 mile ROTB after long ride.
7. 16 Miles -- Long Run (add 5 x 25 second strides after the workout with equal recovery between each). We are going to hold the long runs at 16 miles until after Snake River. Let’s focus on speed and strength for the half.

Anyway, I did four weeks that included tempo runs similar to the one described in item 4 above. The first was an epic fail, but the next three were more or less on target. One was so complicated I had to write it down on a piece of paper and carry it with me during the workout.

On race day, we had a good group to carpool down to Pullman. Eve, Conrad, Katie, Matt, Staci Bewick and her friend Rachel Parry rounded out the group. The best line of the car ride down was "freshness is a state of mind" - Eve Nelson. Not really sure exactly what that means but we yelled it at each other for the rest of the day.

The last time I did this race in 2009, I set a personal best of 1:19:05 (6:03 pace). That year I was training for the Boston Marathon and I had a deep base of running endurance. Although I'd strung together a few decent weeks this year, I wasn't sure how the race would unfold. I really wanted to break 1:20:00, but I had no dillusions of breaking my PR.

When we got down to the Snake River, we found the conditions to be just about ideal. Near the start line, there was very little wind. That is rare for the Snake River Canyon. Usually, there is a strong wind coming up the canyon, which means you run out with a headwind and then turn around and enjoy a tailwind for the second half of the race. Because of this, tactics can play a significant role, specially on the way out into the wind. After the gun goes off, the race at the front begins to splinter into groups. Running in a group is key when running into a headwind and being alert and making sure you are in the right group can be the key to a good race.

After a two mile warm-up, I lined up with the rest of the 500 person field and off we went. I tucked in behind a few guys running at about a 6:05 pace. As we made our way out into the canyon, there was some wind, but not too bad. It was enough, however, that drafting behind a group of runners was still a good idea. I stayed in behind a group of three guys. At about mile five, I turned around for the first time and there was only one other runner behind me in our group, a friend of mine and fellow attorney, Trevor Pincock. Our group of five runners held together pretty well all the way to the turn.

This race is an out and back. After about 6.55 miles, you turn around and retrace your steps back to the start/finish line. I made the turn at 39:45 which is right on pace to break 1:20:00. When we made the turn, it was pretty clear that we were running into a headwind on the way out. After the turn, you could feel the wind shift from a headwind to a tailwind. On the way back, it felt like the wind was traveling about the same speed as we were running, probably about 9 mph or so. The air felt still and it started to get a little warm, believe it or not. At about mile nine, our group began to break up, which was okay because running with a tail wind does not require the assistance of a group.

At mile 10, I decided to give it everything I had for the last 3 miles. I was able to drop the pace down to about 5:55 for the last 3 miles or so. I made the last turn and as I was getting close to finishing shoot, I saw the clock ticking away.
1:18:57 -- 1:18:58 -- 1:18:59 -- oh crap I'm not going to make it -- 1:19:00. I crossed the line at 1:19:01 (6:02 pace). Although it would have been nice to see a finishing time of 1:18:xx, it was not to be. However, was pretty happy with the time. A 4 second personal best at the age of 43. I'll take it. I suspect those are going to be hard to come by as the years tick by. I was 10th overall, won the Masters and my age group.

Eve and Conrad both had good races as well. Eve PR'd for open half time by almost 2 1/2 minutes and Conrad PR'd by about a minute, I think. Matt had a PR as well.

After getting home, Eve and I realized why it is never a good idea to race on the same day. The kids were happy to have us home but neither parent was feeling very fresh. Although we both felt pretty good about the efforts that we put forth, we struggled to get through the rest of the evening, making dinner, reading to the kids, putting them to bed, cleaning up, etc.

The following Monday, triathlon training began in earnest for me. I'm going to do a couple more running races then race a half Ironman, Boise 70.3, on June 11, 2011. Daylight saving time kicked in last weekend, giving us more options after work. However, even though spring starts on March 13, it sure doesn't feel like it in Spokane. Getting to ride my new bike outside has been a challenge, not only because of the weather but because I am deferring to Eve's training for Oceanside and Ironman. I have over 600 miles on my new bike and it has not been outside yet.

Onward....

New Ride for a New Season

2011-01-27T10:07:00.001-08:00

Some really great things have happened in terms of sponsorships during the off-season. Eve and I have both renewed our sponsorships from Saris (Power Tap) and Brooks. Eve continues to enjoy a pro deal with Sports Quest Direct (Carbo Pro and other nutritional products) and I am entering my second year as a member of PowerBar Team Elite. Hands down, however, the most exciting partnership has come from Quintana Roo.

By way of background, I entered the sport of triathlon in 2006. In 2005, I purchased my first tri bike, a new Quintana Roo Lucero. I did a couple of duathlons in 2005, and entered my first triathlon in 2006. My first Ironman was 2007 where I missed qualifying for Kona by less than one minute. After that, Eve and I began alternating long course and short course years. In 2008, Eve won her age group at Boise 70.3 and did Clearwater (she got 10th in her age group). That year and I did Kona. In 2009, I did Clearwater and Eve did Kona. I was lucky enough to get back to Kona in 2010. For me, all of that racing and training was done on that Quintana Roo Lucero. I love that bike. Since 2005, I have put over 40,000 miles on it.

Since this year is Eve's turn to go long, we decided that I would race one more year on the Lucero. The plan was that after this year, I would start looking for a new bike for my long course year in 2012. In anticipation of that, I reached out to Quintana Roo after returning home from Kona. My inquiry into a Quintana Roo sponsorship found its way to Cary Brown, the Marketing Coordinator for American Bicycle Group, the parent company for Quintana Roo. During one of our conversations, I mentioned the article that Ironman did about Eve in 2009. Cary expressed an interest and I forwarded it to her.

Several discussions later, Cary offered me a two-year sponsorship, which will include a 2011 CD0.1, which I will trade-in in 2012 for the new model. The best part was that QR also offered Eve the same deal, without even speaking to her. She is getting the women's specific geometry CD0.1, in pink camouflage. Sweet.

So Eve is ramping up for Oceanside 70.3, with Ironman Coeur d' Alene off on the horizon. Her bike will probably not arrive in time for Oceanside, but mine arrived earlier this week and Morgan at Fitness Fanatics has done a great job building it up. Thanks Robin, John and Fitness Fanatics. And a BIG thanks to Cary Brown, Tres Courdin and everybody at Quintana Roo.

Turning to training, I am in the middle of a run focus period. Biking and swimming are on maintenance modes. It is great to focus on my running, although I forgot how much joint pain is associate with 50 mile weeks. I am running about 6 times each week, with 2 quality runs each week, one speed and one tempo, in addition to a long run. I have been to the track for the first time in almost a year. I will keep this up for a few more weeks and then run the Snake River Half Marathon, Bloomsday and then either the Windermere Half Marathon or the Coeur d' Alene Half Marathon. My first triathlon of the year will be Boise 70.3. My goal this season is to race the new 70.3 World Championship in Las Vegas in September. Hopefully I'll qualify at Boise. If that happens, I will probably just race some local races for the balance of the year.

2010-11-29T09:24:00.000-08:00

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A new partnership between WTC and Nestlé Performance Nutrition means that the new Powerbar PERFORM drink will be at many Ironman and 70.3 aid stations instead of Gatorade, and that is true for Kona and Clearwater too.

Until recently Powerbar did not have a bottled beverage in the lineup and that is a must for Ironman events, as mixing on site is too difficult and often not accurate. But now Powerbar has PERFORM in its portfolio of products and the game has changed.

“It has been an 18 month development process, and the 3 key design elements to PERFORM are nutritional profiles, stomach comfort and naturality,” said Phil Annett, Global Business Head at Nestlé Performance Nutrition.

President and CEO of Ironman, Ben Fertic commented, “Ironman is the pinnacle of endurance sports and we believe in having the latest tools available for our athletes. As Ironman celebrates its 32nd anniversary, we are excited to offer the world’s top athletes a new product that is designed to enhance their training and race day experience.”

Some athletes have already been testing the new PERFORM product, including Ironman champion Sam McGlone.

“I am pretty excited about the new drink and have been testing it out in training and it is really light flavored and it is easy on the stomach,” said McGlone. “It is always easy to get one drink down, but when you are racing Ironman you are looking at getting 5 or 6 down over the course of the bike and another few on the run. So when you are looking at 8 bottles, you need something that is easy to digest and something that tastes good.”

The new Ironman PERFORM bevarage will be the official sports drink for Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island, Ironman 70.3 Racine, Rohto Ironman 70.3 Miami, Ford Ironman Lake Placid, Ford Ironman Louisville, Ford Ironman Wisconsin, Ford Ironman Florida and Ford Ironman Arizona in 2010. Plus both the 2010 Ford Ironman World Championship and Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 events will include Ironman PERFORM on-course.

For athletes who are concerned about possibly drug testing issues with the new beverage, Ben Fertic assured that this topic has been dealt with correctly.

“Ironman signed a WADA code back in 2005 and we have been very active in the world anti doping movement. But part of that movement has to come from the suppliers of products and Powerbar has committed that vast batches of Ironman Perform will be tested, and in the US we’ll use NSF. But basically we are testing for any cross contamination of the batches of products, something you have seen in articles about over the last few years and as early as yesterday in the NY Times. It is yet another important piece about building a great product.”

The new PERFORM sports beverage will be available in June 2010 in three flavors — Lemon Lime, Orange Mango and Mixed Berry — via powerbar.com, shopironman.com and sports specialty retailers for a suggested retail price of $1.49 per 20 ounce bottle.

Athletes may notice that the tradition of the dry gear drop-off tents they have come to appreciate and most likely took for granted, will not really happen moving forward. But that would have been the case even if Gatorade still was the official drink, said Tom Ziebart who handled Gatorade at many Ironman events including in Kona. "This has to do with legal issues and not with Powerbar, so please don't blame Powerbar when you can't find a clothing drop-off tent at your next WTC race," said Ziebart. "You can clearly still swim at those races but the only events with official Ironman swims will be Arizona and Louisville where swimming is prohibited otherwise."

Ironman Perform™ is a serious sports drink specifically developed by the sports nutrition experts at PowerBar®. Designed to enhance performance, keep you hydrated and help you push your limits when you need maximum energy delivery1 and cramp-crushing electrolytes.2

Ideal for use before and during high-intensity exercise and competition, new Ironman Perform sports drink delivers the thirst-quenching fluids, carbohydrates and key electrolytes athletes need to stay hydrated and fueled to help reach their full potential.

Ironman Perform sports drink — key features:

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• 70 calories
• Made with natural flavors and without the use of high fructose corn syrup
• Available in 20-fluid-ounce bottles designed to fit securely in the bottle holders on road, mountain and spin bikes

1 Formulated with C2MAX, a 2:1 glucose to fructose blend found to deliver 20–50% more energy to muscles than glucose alone and improve endurance performance by 8%. For more information go to www.powerbar.com.

2 Contains 190 mg sodium per 240 ml, a key electrolyte lost in sweat that is associated with muscle cramping in some athletes.

Kona Race Report

2010-10-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

It's October 15, 2010, six days after the Ironman World Championship. I still haven't cut the official race wristband off yet.

RACE WEEK

We arrived in Kona on Saturday, one week before the race. Per our normal routine, we spent the first three days at the Hilton in Waikoloa. It's a great place for several reasons. First, it has a lot of fun things for the kids. Second, it provides an opportunity to ride the northern section of the bike course and finally, it is somewhat removed from the hustle and bustle of Kona on race week.

On Sunday, I had Eve drive me north to about 10 miles south of Hawi. The plan was to ride from there up to Hawi, turn around and ride back to Waikoloa. On the drive up, it became pretty evident that the wind was really up. During the drive, the van was shaking from the crosswinds. When she dropped me off, the wind was strong, but I thought it was doable. Here's a picture of Peter wishing me luck and pushing me off. He looks a little concerned.

I headed north with a crosswind blowing out to sea. The course makes a gradual right turn as you approached the town of Hawi. As you enter the town, the wind becomes a headwind, which was actually easier to handle than the crosswind. After the turnaround, the wind is at your back for a few miles. I was sitting up, peddling easy and going about 35 miles an hour. I should have known I was in for it on the descent.

As you descend from Hawi, the road gradually swings to the left making what was a tailwind a crosswind from left to right. On the descent, it was probably blowing between 40 to 50 mph out to sea. It was insane. There were other cyclists clipped out and simply standing on the side of the road unsure of what to do. Eve actually gave one woman a ride off the hill on her way back to the hotel (that woman poduimed in the 50-54 AG). I saw a pile up of three other riders (they had already called for help so I continued on).

The wind was blowing so hard I was being pelted with dirt and debris. When I was done, I looked like I had just been in a mountain bike race. The wind died down as I got closer to Waikoloa. Although that was tough, I was glad that I did it. After that ride I felt like I could survive the worst winds the island could throw on race day.

On Tuesday, we left Waikoloa for Kona. We rented a townhouse, which was great. It was conveniently located near the race activities, grocery shopping and the view from the patio was pretty good too.

For the rest of the week, Eve and I took turns swimming and running. We also spent a fair amount of time at the Magic Sands Beach, a.k.a. "Big Wave Beach."

RACE DAY

On race day, I got up at 4:30 AM, ate breakfast and got a ride to the start from Shaun and Suzanne Endsley. Shaun dropped Suzanne and I off and we made our way through body marking relatively quickly. We set up our bikes and I handed my bike pump off to Shaun. I saw some other people from the Northwest before the race start, including Derek Garcia, Haley Cooper, Trevor Blackwell, Ben Greenfield and David Ciaverella. I wished everybody luck and everyone seemed pretty upbeat. I was done with everything that I had to do by about 6:30 AM, so I made my way to the sea wall and watched the pro start. After that, I descended the steps to "Dig Me Beach." I moved to the left and found a place to stand. My initial plan was to wait on the beach until 6:45 AM, then swim out and position myself for the start. At Kona, it is a deep water start where you have to tread water until the gun goes off. In 2008, I swam out immediately after the pro start and ended up treading water for almost a half hour. This year, I wanted to reduce the amount of time that I had to anxiously tread water awaiting the race start. At 6:45 AM, I jumped in the blue waters of the Pacific and swam to the increasingly crowded start line. Instead of starting to the far left like they did in 2008, I positioned myself about 70% to the left and about five rows back from the start line (thanks to Eve and Sam). Even though I drastically reduced the amount of time I had to tread water, there were still some anxious moments and severe crowding just prior to the gun going off.

The Swim

Finally, at 7:00 AM the cannon blasted and the race began. Even though it was very crowded right up to the gun, once I began swimming it seemed like the crowds thinned. I found myself with plenty of room and was able to get into my rhythm. Although there was some contact during the first 500 m, I was able to find some feet to draft off of and I was surprised by how easily it was to get through the crowds of swimmers. I made it to the halfway point in about 33 minutes. On the way back to shore, I found the best draft I have ever had in an Ironman swim. I got right behind a guy who was swimming faster than me. I had to swim slightly faster than I wanted to to stay in his draft. Although we were working against a strong current heading back out to sea, we made good time during the second half of the swim. I got out of the water and saw the clock at 1:08. My goal was to swim a 1:10 so I was happy with that. Two minutes in the bank. Best of all, I did not waste a lot of mental energy being anxious during the swim or at the start line. Finally, swimming four times a week for a year and a half is starting to pay off.

The Bike

My goal on the bike was to start conservatively. I wanted to keep my wattage around 200 for the first 35 miles. The out and back in town and the first 20 miles out on the Queen K Highway were pretty uneventful. I kept my effort in check and my cadence between 85 and 90 RPMs. When I got 35 miles out, which was about at Waikoloa Village, my average was 201 watts. During the next third of the bike, which includes the climb and descent to Hawi, I wanted to bring my effort up to race pace, which is about 210-215 watts. During the initial part of the climb, I did see a fair amount of drafting. On the bright side, I also saw many penalties being given out by race officials. One penalty tent in particular looked like a bike auction.

About halfway up the climb to Hawi, the pro men began passing going the other way. That was pretty cool. In fact, it is one of the great things about this sport, that on race day amateurs and professionals alike compete on the same course and in the same conditions (for the most part). The wind was fairly strong and was coming from the same direction as I experienced the prior Sunday, except that it was blowing about 10 to 15 mph less on race day. I heard many people complaining about the strong cross winds, but I thought to myself that it was nothing compared to what I had experienced just six days before.

At the turn around in Hawi, riders got a strong tailwind for the first several miles. During that stretch, I began to notice how incredibly hot it was. During this time, I ate a PowerBar. I later heard that the race commentators measured the ambient air temperature in Hawi at 103°.

With the exception of the strong crosswind, the descent from Hawi was uneventful. Once we made it back onto the Queen K, I continued to increase my effort. By the time we got back into Kona, my average watts were 208. I finished the bike with a split of 5:18 and change. My goal was 5:20, so another two minutes in the bank.

The Run

My goal on the run was not so much a run goal as a total time goal. All I wanted to do was to bring it in under 10 hours. That means I had to finish the race by 5 PM. I started running at 1:35 PM. "All I have to do," I thought, "is run a 3:25 marathon for a sub 10 hour Ironman." "Sweet-I can do it."

The Ironman run course is basically two out and backs. The first part is 5 miles down Alii Drive and 5 miles back. During this section of the run, I wanted to go conservatively, running no faster than 7:30s. Although I average slightly faster than that, the effort was easy.

After the 10 mile out and back on Alii Drive, the course runs up a sharp hill on Palani back onto the Queen K Highway. From there, it is a straight shot through rollers out to the Energy Lab. During this section of the race, I focused on getting in calories and drinking as much water as I could at aid stations. I was also hitting the ice pretty hard - down the shirt, over the head, down the pants, wherever. Unlike previous years, the sky was crystal blue and the equatorial sun seemed to sit about 2 feet above my head. It was very hot. Although the air temperature was about 85°, the asphalt temperature registered over 120°.

From about mile 10 to the top of the Energy Lab at mile 16, I sensed I was slowing down. I crossed the halfway point of the run at 1:40 (7:39 per mile pace average). I calculated that all I had to do was run in the second half of the marathon in 1:45 to crack 10 hours. That's about an 8 minute per mile pace. Again, at that point I felt like I could do it.

At about mile 16 on the run the course takes a left turn off the Queen K into a government facility called the Energy Lab. From the turn, it is about a mile run downhill toward the ocean. Then, you turn around and have to run that 1 mile back uphill to the Queen K. During the uphill mile out of the Energy Lab, for the first time, I started to wonder if I was going to be able to do it. That uphill mile out of the Energy Lab took me about nine minutes. I was feeling like my energy stores were at rock bottom and I was getting a sensation like I was becoming dehydrated. I decided to walk the aid station at the top of the Energy Lab. Whatever they were selling, I was buying. "You want a cold sponge?" "Hell no, I want six." You want a cup of ice?" "Hell no, I'll take two." I drank 2 cups of cold water and then grabbed some Coke. I took two glasses and poured them together over a glass of ice and chugged it. At the end of the aid station I started running again. Within minutes, my attitude began to turn around and some energy came back to my legs. I have never had Coke during an Ironman run, but now I understand why they offer it at aid stations. Frankly, I cannot remember the last time I had a full sugar Coca-Cola. Not only does it taste great, but that caffeine and sugar was absorbed by my body within minutes. The most amazing thing was how I went from feeling sorry for myself to feeling like there was no way I could fail.

At about mile 18, I saw another racer in front of me that I know, Michael Vanderhyde. At about mile 19, I came up behind Michael and slapped him on the back. I told him all we have to do is run eight minute miles to crack 10 hours. He responded with optimism and we began running together. From that point, we managed to keep our pace in the 7:20-7:25 range for the rest of the marathon. It was a strong finish, not necessarily the fastest, but strong.

At mile 24, you encounter the Dave and Mark hill, where Dave Scott passed Mark Allen in 1988(?) and Mark Allen passed Dave Scott in 1989. After that hill, it is a right-hand turn and a sharp descent down Palani. At the bottom of the hill, there is a left-hand turn and you have to run about a half mile before turning toward Alii Drive. With about a quarter mile to go, the course makes a right-hand turn onto about the most amazing stretch of road that you can run on - running down Alii Drive at the finish of the Ironman World Championship. At that corner, I saw Eve and she said that I had four minutes to spare. With only a quarter mile to go, I knew we had it in the bag. Mike and I ran down a Alii Drive and into the finish chute together. We crossed the line at 9:58:06. Thanks Manny for helping with the kids and taking the shot below. Eve - enjoy because that is the best I will look for several years. Bring on the beer and cheeseburgers.

POST SCRIPT

I always learn something during an Ironman race. The main lesson I learned on 10/09/2010 was about pacing. It's something I've known, but to properly execute it has eluded me. In June, the lack of pacing lead to an awful run at Ironman Coeur d' Alene. At the World Championships, proper bike pacing and proper pacing at the beginning of the run paid off big-time. It's been said before that the Ironman race starts during the second half of the run. In Hawaii, I average 7:26 for the last 9 miles. Although it's not the fastest run in the world, to finish strong like that in that heat is way more satisfying than limping it in like I did at IM CdA. My best time at an Ironman came in 2008 when I clocked a 9:45 at IM CdA. Putting everything together, I think this performance at Kona was the best executed race I have ever done. I probably could have taken a few more risks on the bike and the run and gone a little faster, but then again maybe not. Hopefully I'll get to tinker with it and try again in 2012.

There were 2 other things - First, the regular vented road helmet was huge. I poured cold water over my head at every aid station. Maybe paid a little in time, but keeping the core tempurature down by even a half of a degree probably paid off during the last hour of the race. The second thing was wearing two watches. I wore my regular wrist watch on my right wrist. I used it for the swim split, but then turned it to reflect the total time. On my left wrist I wore my Garmin. I only needed it for the run, so I put it on in T1, in the "off" position. I turned it on with about an hour left on the bike so it could pick up the satellites and at the same time retain enough battery for the run. Having the total time on my wrist watch was key. I saw after T2 that I started the run at 1:35 PM. I then switched it to total time which showed me how fast I needed to go to bring it in under 10. That was absolutely the key. At the top of the Energy Lab, I was struggling but I realized that time-wise, I was right on target. Knowing that was a huge lift. By the time I crested the Dave and Mark Hill, I knew I had it. That was a huge relief.

Now, there's only one thing left to do...

Liquid Aloha!

Two Weeks Out

2010-09-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Less than two weeks until the Ironman world championships in Kailua - Kona. I just finished the last week of any significant volume and will start cutting back on hours. Here is a thumbnail sketch of the last five weeks leading into Kona for me this year.

Five Weeks Out

This was the biggest week this year. It was the third week of my final build period. It included Labor Day. With the extra day off from work, I was able to get in 30+ hours of training. On Labor Day, I did workout that consisted of a two-hour swim, a two-hour bike and a two-hour run. By the last hour of the run, I was really feeling like I was in an Ironman. I was exhausted to the core, probably from the swim as much as anything else. I was also coming off back-to-back centuries on Saturday and Sunday, so that probably had something to do with it as well. The run ended up going well, as I was able to complete it well under my goal Ironman pace. I did a century on Thursday and a 125 mile ride on Saturday. My last long run was a 20 miler on Sunday (my second of this build period). By the end of the day on Sunday, I was ready for a little bit of a break.

Four Weeks Out

This was a rest/race week. I started the week with two consecutive days off then easy workouts on Wednesday and Thursday. I had to travel for work on Friday so that was a day off as well. The Grand Columbian Half Ironman was on Saturday the 18th. I slept a home on Friday night and met up with Ken Collins, Sam Picicci and Adrianne Cambell for the ride over to the Grand Coulee Dam.

It rained on the way over, but the sky cleared up as the race approached. The swim was uneventful, except for the 2 inch hole in the left shoulder of my wetsuit. Every time I extended my left arm, I felt cold water sliding all the way down my left side. I ended up swimming the course in slightly over 30 minutes. The bike was solid, I was able to average 243 watts for the challenging course. The course ended up a little bit short, probably by about a mile. I was steady on the climbs and pushed it on the flats. Whenever I had a chance to coast, I took it.

I finished the bike feeling pretty good. I was surprised that I was able to quickly find my running legs and was running a 6:40 pace without too much stress. I was fourth in the race for the Masters off the bike. During the first loop, I passed two and near the end of the first loop, was gaining on the third. I pulled up behind the guy in second (I later learned his name is Michael Vanderhyde, a real nice guy from Bellevue that happened to beat me at CdA this year). I passed Michael with about a mile to go on the first loop. I passed him and started running hard in an attempt to dissuade him from thinking he could keep up. The last mile of the first loop was a 6:15. Much to my surprise, at the turnaround Michael was right on my heels. He said we were reeling in a few competitors up ahead. Shortly after the turnaround, we passed the last guy over 40 and now Michael and I were in first and second. At the final turnaround of the second loop, Michael was still very close. On the way back into town, I decided to run hard up the hills on the dirt road on the backside of the course. I gained some time on him there and by the time we reached mile 12, I was a good minute up.

I finished with a 4:38, which is a little over five minutes faster than I did this course in 2008, and I believe the run course is harder. I was very happy with my 1:27run. I credit my run split on the race that Michael ran. He did not give up and pushed me to give it everything I had, which ended up being just enough, I think I beat him by about a minute. Michael is also doing Kona and I will look for him during the run. We had very similar splits at CdA, with the exception of my crappy run.

After the race, I took Sunday off.

Three Weeks Out

Three weeks out from an "A" race is a peak week. (See Joe Friel). The peak week is designed to get you ready to race. The volume is slightly less than a typical build week, the exception being the lack of a long run. This week for me would be about 20 hours. The key workouts are two race pace bricks, the first a four hour bike followed by a one hour run and the second a three hour bike followed by a one hour run. Both the run and the bike during these bricks are at race pace or slightly faster. Both of those workouts went well for me this year. I did a lot of swimming this week, swimming almost 11 1/2 miles in just under six hours. I did a 6000 yard swim on Saturday morning. I will not miss doing those.

Two Weeks Out

That brings us to this week. Same deal as last week. Two race simulation workouts. The first workout is normally 3 hours long, the second workout is normally 2.5 hours long. Typically, no more than 30 minutes of running in either of the bricks. The pacing of the last race simulation workout is typically faster than 1/2 IM pace on the bike and steady on the run. The first brick will be done on Wednesday afternoon after work. The weather in Spokane is beautiful and it looks like it might even be a little warm. The second brick will be done in Hawaii on Sunday. We arrive on Saturday and we will spend the first three nights at Waikoloa Village. On Sunday, I'm going to have to Eve drive me north to Lapakahi State Park, which is about 10 miles south of Hawi. From there I will ride the Ironman bike course up to Hawi, turn around and ride back to Waikoloa Village. The conditions will certainly be "race simulation." In 2008, this was the part of the course that drained the life out of me.

It is essential to end this week feeling fresh.

One Week Out

Race week! We will spend the first two days of race week at Waikoloa Village, away from the crowds of Kona. There I will do a short swim on Monday and a short run on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we head down to Kona. I will swim on the course and get registered. Then I will ride the run course and do a short 15 minute run. Thursday will be totally off and on Friday, the day before the race, I will do a short 15 minute swim, a 30 minute bike and a 15 minute run. Bike and gear check-in is in the afternoon on Friday and then it is "feet up" for the rest of the day.

I am looking forward to racing on October 9. As I learned in 2008, it is easy to write a goal on a piece of paper while sitting in your office in Spokane. It is an entirely different thing to execute your race plan in the conditions that present themselves in Kona on the day of the Ironman World Championship. The challenge is to strike a balance between executing the plan and adjusting to those conditions. I am going to run my own race - I will stick to my plan. I look forward to the mental and physical challenge that will occur late in the day. When that time comes, I’ll think about the people that inspire me to compete.

Tardy update

2010-08-20T09:09:00.001-07:00

This will be the view seven weeks from tomorrow. Since my last blog entry, I have been pretty busy with work. Since that is not very exciting, that is all I'll say about that.

Since Ironman CdA, I put in a few base building weeks, had a decent race at Troika and now I'm finishing the first of two build cycles. After this week, I'm going to do three more serious weeks and then take a rest week leading into either the Grand Columbian or the new HIM Plutonium Man in the Tri-Cites (I haven't decided yet).

Summer has been ploding along. The days are getting shorter and college football is right around the corner. One of my favorite thing so far this summer was the Tour d' Brews, which included about 20 idiots riding bikes from bar to bar.

Ironman Coeur D' Alene 2010 Race Report - Sometimes You Fall into a Creek and End up in with a Fish in Your Pocket

2010-07-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

I will start this by thanking my family - Eve, Peter and Tate. Their understanding and support are central in my ability to participate in this stupid sport. I'd also like to thank my mom, Kathy, for all of her help during the two weeks leading into the race.

Ironman Coeur d' Alene

The positive- I was able to finish in under 10 hours and qualified for the Ironman World Championship for the second time.

The negative - My finish time of 9:56:27 was 10 to 15 minutes shy of my goal.

RACE SUMMARY

Swim - I arrived in the transition area at about 5:15 AM, got body marked and set up my bike for the race. After that, I donned my wetsuit and made my way to the beach. There was a little wind and some chopped, but certainly not as bad as prior years. I seeded myself about 100 yards to the right of the buoy line. In 2008, I started the swim about 150 yards to the right.

Just before the gun, the guy next to me told me that he was fixing to do a 55 minute swim. I looked around and I was in the middle of a bunch of really tall guys. I didn't think much of it at the time, but after the gun went off, all of those really tall guys were swimming over my back. The first couple hundred yards were brutal. I looked to the right and people who started over there were now overtaking me. So there I was, sandwiched between the stronger swimmers on the buoy line to the left and the smarter swimmers who started further to the right. I had no place to bail so it was full contact to the first turn buoy.

The first turn went better than expected. But as soon as I made the left turn, I started looking for the next turn buoy, but the sun was just cresting over Tubbs Hill. All I could see were arms and the sun, no turn buoy was visible. After swimming about 100 yards, I noticed that kayakers to my left were screaming at us to get right. By this time, I could make out the turn buoy and I noted that we were 40 to 50 yards inside the turn buoy. Consequently, everyone had to re-adjust their line, turn right and get back out around the second turn buoy. That was ridiculous. Can't remember ever having this much contact during a swim.

After rounding the second turn buoy, the trip back to shore was much easier. The wind was blowing us back in and the crowds abated. I got out of the water after the first loop and a volunteer yelled "33 minutes." Since my goal was a 1:04:00, 33 minutes was not too bad considering the pounding I took during the first leg. I jumped back in to start the second loop and found a good draft. I focused on my swim stroke and stayed right behind a small group that headed straight up the buoy line. The first turn was uneventful, but again, as we began swimming toward the second turn buoy we found ourselves well to the left, having to swim back out to the right to make the turn. Again. We later learned that there was a strong current flowing from left to right as Avista had opened the dam in an effort to lower the lake level. I'm going to pay my electric bills late for the rest of the year.

The final stretch of the swim was uneventful and when I got out I saw the big digital clock reading 1:08:00. I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure after swimming what I thought was a 33 minute first loop, that my time would be more like a 1:05:00. Either the second loop was very slow (quite possible), or that nice volunteer that yelled 33 minutes was wrong.

T1 - After exiting the water, I made my way to the wetsuit strippers and got my wetsuit off without much of a problem. I grabbed my swim-to-bike bag and ran into the changing tent. Anyone ever notice how much the changing tents stink? At this particular race, the changing tent smells like wet grass and methane. The first thing I did was put on my bike helmet and glasses. My glasses immediately fogged up so while I was trying to put on my shoes, I could barely see. After getting my shoes on, I was up and out of the tent. I grabbed my bike and made my way out of the bike corral.

The Bike - I jumped on my bike and started the ride out to Higgins Point with a pretty large group. On the way out to Higgins Point, I felt myself pushing a little harder than I had planned. My plan was to ride the first 30 miles or so at a pretty easy pace. However, even after the first 3 or 4 miles, I was well into a pace slightly above my overall goal pace. I think it was partly because of the slow swim and a delusional idea that I was fit enough to disregard my plan and ride hard for the entire bike. More on that later.

After the turnaround at Higgins Point, I started the ride back into town at the same pace. On the ride back through town, I saw Eve, Mom, Peter and Tate cheering on the side of the road. I heard lots of other shouts of encouragement. After leaving the downtown, the ride north was pretty uneventful; however, I was still riding at a pace that I was deluding myself into thinking was reasonable.

At about mile 35, there is a big out and back that allows you to take a look at where everyone is situated. I saw Conrad was at least five minutes up the road on me. Ken Collins was right in front of me and Sean Linder, Shawn Endsley and Tom DeHart were behind me, but not by much. Shortly after the turnaround, I pulled up alongside of Ken and we had some words. Ken told me that his swim was substantially slow. This was the first time I was hearing this. At that point, I started having a conversation with myself about my pace. It was about two hours into the race and I finally came to grips with the fact that I was riding too hard. I made a conscious effort to back off the effort for the remainder of the first loop. Ken and I stayed within sight of one another for the next 20 or 30 miles.

When we got back into town to start the second loop, I looked down and noted that my first loop was completed in 2:35:00. That would be a 5:10:00 bike split, which is three or four minutes faster than my goal pace. This confirmed in my mind that I needed to take it easy on the second loop or it was going to be a very long marathon.

During the second loop, I was very happy to see that it was well patrolled by marshals. Although I didn't see a lot of penalties, the presence of the marshals made incidents of drafting almost nonexistent. The marshals were sometimes riding three in a row. It is not uncommon for people intent on drafting to see a marshal pass them and then begin/resume drafting. To combat this, some marshals will ride behind another marshal by about a quarter of a mile and sneak up behind riders who think that the coast is clear. This year, on several occasions, I was passed by three marshals, all riding within several hundred yards of one another.

I finished the second loop with a 2:39:00 time for a final bike split of 5:14:25. My goal had been a 5:13:00, so I was pretty happy with that.

T2 - I jumped off my bike, grabbed my bike-to-run bag and made my way back into the stinky changing tent. This time, I was all alone in the tent. Unlike previous years, this year I decided to change into running clothes for the marathon. I did this because I thought it would be nice to get out of my tri shorts and our Emde Team clothes vendor (Pactimo) offered a running singlet this year, which I have been running in and really like. After the change, I grabbed my Garmin and visor and ran out of the tent. I took a couple steps and nearly fell down on the uneven grassy surface. My legs felt like jelly as I made my way to the run course.

The Run - Ironman racing is not a bike race. There is no such thing as a good ride followed by a bad run. If you do a fast ride and end up walking during the marathon, you have failed to conquer the Ironman. Just my opinion.

Initially, I was able to get up to and maintain my goal pace of 7:20 minute miles. However, after about 4 miles I started to realize the significance of the pacing error that I had made during the first two hours of the bike. There was no real problem at this point, but it just felt too hard. I saw Eve on her bike at about mile five or six and she said that it was carnage up ahead. She said that people were dropping out and walking left and right. Although I wasn't feeling my best, I began realizing that this was going to be a race of attrition. If I could manage to just keep running at a reasonable pace, I had a chance of running my way back into contention for a Kona slot, and perhaps even a podium position.

The run continued to be quite difficult through about mile 15, then it became just stupid. At about mile 15, I noticed that my low back was beginning to hurt. By mile 18, it was excruciating. I do have a lovely history with kidney stones, and I initially began to worry that I was actually having a kidney stone during my Ironman run. Perfect. By the last turnaround at mile 20, my back was hurting so bad that it was a struggle to continue. During every Ironman run I've ever done, there comes a point during the run where it becomes extremely difficult to continue. It usually involves a conversation between the brain and the body that goes something like this:

Body - "Hey brain, we've been out here slogging away for about nine hours now. It would be really nice to walk for a while, or maybe even go sit under that tree in the shade, or maybe even do a cannonball into the lake."

Brain - "I know this is tough body, but we put a lot of time, effort and money into training for this race. If I let you quit now, all of that will be a waste. So at this point, and I know you're not going to like to hear this, but harden the fuck up."

Body - "Let's just walk a little. I promise we will start running again."

Brain - "HTFU!"

This year, this argument started early and my body had a really good argument this time. The back pain was excruciating and it began affecting my running form. The good news is that I never stopped, however the deterioration in my form resulted in me falling off my goal pace. My heart rate remained relatively high signifying that my effort was not dropping, just my pace.

I just kept on running and I made my way back into town. At mile 25, I was doing everything I could to put one foot in front of the other. I saw Sam at the turn onto Sherman Avenue and he told me that the guy about 100 yards in front of me was in my age group. I felt at the time that if I picked it up anymore, it is quite possible that I would fall over. I just kept on my pace and was surprised that I was gaining on the guy in front. He turned and looked over his shoulder and began to pick up the pace and I unfortunately could not match it. I didn't care too much though I just wanted to finish. That guy ended up with the last podium spot in my AG, he beat me by 20 seconds.

I made my way into the finishing chute and crossed the line at 9:56:27, with a run split of 3:27:25. My run was about 15 minutes off of my goal pace, which is somewhat disappointing. Check me out running with a lean of an old man with a back problem. Thanks for the pictures Josh. Now delete them and deny you ever saw me running like that.

Reflection - Looking back, I made a couple of tactical errors in this year's race. First, I seeded myself to aggressively at the swim start. To compound that mistake, when I got out of the water and saw my swim time, instead of just letting it go I let it get under my skin. Rather than just hopping on my bike and sticking with my pre-race plan, I decided to try to "make up some time."

Also, although it wasn't incredibly hot on race day, we have had a very cool spring here in the Northwest. Sunday was the first day that I had an opportunity to ride and run in temperatures in the 80s. I think I got a little dehydrated toward the end of the run, and that coupled with the "over biking" led to my low back pain.

Today I met with my physical therapist Mike Lauffer who believes that the low back pain was cramping due to over exertion on the bike and dehydration, maybe even lack of electrolytes. Since the back is absolutely asymptomatic by this point (Thursday), I have a tendency to agree that it was just a cramp as opposed to anything structural.

The silver lining of this race was that even though it wasn't a perfect day for me, I was still able to run my way into sixth place in my age group (out of 404), 54th overall (out of about 2400) and the 35th amateur. I also was able to obtain a Kona slot. I've done Ironman Coeur d' Alene three times and have qualified for Kona twice. The first time (2007) I missed a Kona slot by only 59 seconds.

Going to take a well-deserved rest week and slowly start ramping things back up next week.

Congratulations to all my friends who also competed in and finished the Ironman race. Thanks again to my family and friends for their continued support. I'm looking forward to the daunting challenge of actually having a decent race in Kona.

I hate tapers...

2010-06-21T15:23:00.001-07:00

"Don't hate me," said the Tapir. "I'm so damn cute!"

Race week is finally here. I'm in a strange new place. Last time I did IM CDA, I developd shin spints at the end of May running the CDA Half Marathon. I was unable to run until just days before Ironman. I was forced to rest and had one of the best races I've ever had. It was a forced taper, or the Zatopek Effect.

Athletes sometimes train much harder than is necessary, and rest less than they should, especially right before important races. Take Emil Zatopek, for example. The Czech distance runner was relentless when it came to training intensity. He did not believe in running slow. In fact, he is often credited with being amoung the first endurance athletes to train with very intense intervals. See Noakes, "The Lore of Running." This helped to propel him to 18 world records and five Olympic medals. In the 1954 Helsinki Olympics he won the 5000 and 10,000 meter races breaking the Olympic records at both distances. Then he decided at the last minute to run the marathon, which he had never done before. He also won it, again breaking the Olympic record.

Zatopek is often referred to as the hardest-training runner of all time. This is were it gets inteesting (and relevant to this post).

In 1950 he was training for the European Games when he became sick shortly before the competition. He was hospitalized. Two days before the Games, he was released from the hospital. Against the advise of his doctors, he raced both the 10,000 and the 5,000 meters. Despite having not trained for seveal days he won both races, lapping the field in the 10,000 and winning by 23 seconds in the 5,000. In each race he ran the second-fastest time ever recorded for the distance. And this was four years before his career peak.

In a similar manner, my race in 2008 was probably (at least partially) due to forced rest. It's called the "Zatopek effect." Sometimes the body must say "enough" in order to regain form.

The more important the race is for you, the longer your taper period should be. The more fit you are, the longer the taper may be. The longer the race is, the longer the taper. Races late in the season may benefit from a longer taper than those earlier in the year. Taper length also varies by sport. Running, for example, demands a longer taper than cycling since there is more trauma to the legs when training hard for running-trauma which must heal.

Rest is a miraculous cure for doing too much in training. Left to their own devices, some athletes will almost always opt to put in more volume, go faster, and train longer (I'm one of them). My training log is my best friend right now. When I get anxious, I simply look back on what I have done in training and try to assure myself I've done what I need to do.

So rest up! And don't worry, you won't lose your form during this rest time. You'll gain form.

Almost There...

2010-06-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

I am thankfully almost through with my last build week leading into Ironman Coeur d' Alene. Today I did my last really long swim. It's nice when I get to the point where I'm doing things for the last time. This weekend is my last century ride and my last long run. Yippee! Over the last few weeks I've had a good group to train with - Sean Linder, Chris Zylak, Haley Cooper and Conrad Band have all taken part in some of our longer efforts. It's been nice to have the company. This weekend, however, I will do my longer workouts alone, in an effort to die when my pacing. Although I would happily draft off this group on race day if it were legal.

As anyone in Spokane and Coeur d' Alene already knows, the weather recently has sucked. Lots of rain. Last Wednesday Conrad, Deacon Band and I rode to Wellpinit and back. Haley joined for about the first hour and a half and then turned back as she was getting ready for the Coeur d' Alene half marathon. It rained the entire time. I was so cold and miserable by the end I could barely turn the pedals. Since then, the rain has been pretty constant. In the last five days I have ridden over 300 miles on the bike, all indoors on the Computrainer. I rode the Kona course on Wednesday during the pouring rain. All things considering, it was a good ride. I did get off the bike a few times - to let the dog out, get a drink, make something to eat (twice), etc.

The weather has been such a dominant feature in my training, it has caused me to switch things up at the last minute. Going to do my last ride on the course tomorrow because it's not supposed to rain. My last long run was supposed to be this morning (Friday) but it's pouring and I want to be somewhat fresh for the ride. Thus, I am going to do my long ride on Sunday. If I can get through that without any problems, I will be psyched.

Three weeks out. The most important thing now is to not sabotage the race. As tempting as it is to go long one last time on the bike or the run, the key for me is to trust the training I've done and realize that it is better to go into an Ironman race less fit and rested than it is to go into the race tired.

Good luck to everyone in their June objectives, whether it's racing or not.

Now It Gets Tough

2010-05-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

Ironman Coeur d' Alene is six weeks from this Sunday. I feel more or less recovered from Wildflower and I am settling into the final push. Other than the deep fatigue, things are going well. There is generalized soreness, but no injury-type pain. After this weekend, I will have three more weeks of training before beginning a two-week peak period followed by race week. Three weeks seems doable, but being done still feels like a long way off. Conrad rolls into town early next week. Having him to train with four a couple of weeks will be a nice diversion. Hopefully the weather holds so we can get outside and have some fun beating the crap out of each other.

I finally got my PowerTap last week. I've been on three rides so far with the new power meter. Although I have written with power for several years on the Computrainer, having the power meter out on the road is revealing. First, pedaling technique equals power. I knew this from riding the Computrainer, but it is a lesson that is quickly lost on the road. Second, the power meter reveals my lazy side. I have found that on flat roads and slight down hills, I get happy with the speed and reduce my power output. Rather than being happy with 22 mph on the flats, the power meter invites you to step on the gas and go 24 mph. There is no hiding from the immediate power feedback. Plus, the black PowerTap rear hub looks really cool on my black bike. I was a little worried about the weight, but realize that whether you have a PowerTap or an SRM, the increased weight is about 200g. 200g is roughly equivalent to the weight of 80 pennies. I think I'll more than make up for the additional weight with efficiency.

Good luck everyone in their upcoming races and endeavors. Out.

Wildflower 2010

2010-05-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

Well, Wildflower 2010 is in the books. I had a great race and even a better time. Wildflower never fails to impress, not only the race organization but the course itself.

I left Spokane on Thursday morning and arrived in San Jose at about 2:30 PM. Sam arrived earlier in the afternoon and was going to pick me up outside of baggage claim. By the time I got there, he'd already had an altercation with a police officer re parking and had obtained a lovely traffic citation. Sam - as your attorney I advise you to pay the ticket.

The drive from San Jose to our Motel 6 in Paso Robles was pretty uneventful. We had dinner and returned to the room and I put my bike together. The next morning we did a short prerace ride followed by a short prerace run. Then we went out to packet pickup and decided to drive the bike race course. That was a good idea. Although the wind conditions were much stronger the day before the race, actually seeing the course again was quite helpful. We took note of some rough road conditions at the bottom of the long dissent following the climb up the Nasty Grade.

We picked up our packets around 1:00PM and were back in the hotel room by 2:00 PM. I then was able to do something that I have not been able to do during my prior to races that Wildflower - I laid on the bed in the hotel room and watched a movie with my feet up. Usually, we are arriving at the camping area after a 17 hour drive and scrambling to get our packets, assemble our bikes and set up the campsite. This was much easier.

On Friday night, we decided to go out to dinner at a nice restaurant in downtown Paso Robles called Villa Creek. It wasn't a split second decision because the told us that we needed to make dinner reservations if we wanted to go there. We made early reservations for 5:30 PM. When we arrived, the hostess asked us if we wanted to "sit next to each other or across from each other." I guess an outside objective observer could conclude that we were gay because we were freshly showered, nicely dressed and pretty lean. Whatever. Deduct four-man points.

We returned to the hotel room and we were sleeping before 9:00 PM. Another first for my Wildflower adventures. At about 11:15 PM, Sam got a text from Trevor Blackwell. His phone chimed and he figured it was the alarm. He got up and turned on the TV. I just assumed he was having trouble sleeping and wanted to watch the weather. He asked me what time it was and I told him it was 11:15 PM. He thought it was morning and he was getting ready to go. That was pretty funny. Then a group of drunk people piled into the room next to ours. The progression was also quite funny, loud talking followed by some arguing followed by people heaving. Nice.

We got up at 4:45 AM and we were at T1 by 7:00 AM. Sam went off 15 or 20 minutes before me. When my wave was five minutes out, I took a short warm-up swim. I returned to the start line with about 30 seconds to go. I put my goggles on under my swim cap and looked around. Just before the gun went off, I realized I was not in a good position. I was in the front of the wave near the middle. I immediately wished I was on the far left so I had a place to bail in the event of some rough conditions. It was too late to move and the gun went off. Wildflower has a very tight swim start. Shortly after the gun went off, I swim about 20 yards and got my goggles kicked off. I was lucky that I had put the goggles on under my swim cap or they might have sunk to the bottom of Lake San Antonio. I pulled up to put the goggles back on and got run over by about 20 guys in my age group. After getting the goggles back on, I proceeded to hyperventilate to the first turn buoy. After that, I settled down and was able to get into somewhat of a rhythm. I got back on track and finished with a 32:50 swim split. I was hoping for 30:00, but considering what happened, this actually wasn't too bad.

After grabbing my bike, we were off. Earlier concerns of being cold on the bike were of no issue. It warmed up quick. Shortly after getting going, Shaun Ensley of Coeur d' Alene pased me. I was able to keep him in sight and we had somewhat of a "cat and mouse" situation for the balance of the bike. On the Nasty Grade, we had a nice conversation while climbing side-by-side.

On the descent after Nasty Grade, I recalled the rough road at the bottom of the hill. Another racer in our age group was not so lucky. Right as we were rounding the corner, I noticed a cloud of dust and as I passed saw him laying on the shoulder with his bike shorts ripped up. He was going pretty fast when he crashed. I hope the guy is all right. I ended up with the bike split of 2:42:17. I was hoping for a 2:40:00, but I was satisfied with that split. The bike felt a little easier than in previous years and it went by pretty fast. Maybe it was because I had Shaun to chase/chasing me.

Shaun and I got to T2 at about the same time. He was slightly in front of me. I change shoes and made my way toward the run exit. Shaun left T2 in front of me. I caught up with him quickly and we discussed how surprised we were to see so many bikes and T2. We agreed we had a lot of work to do. Shaun stayed with me for the first few miles then he fell off the pace. Later he told me he began cramping at mile three. After that, I ran as fast as I felt I could. I ended up with a run split of 1:29:46, the second fastest run split in my age group.

My total time was 4:49:19. Good enough for 30th OA and third in my AG.

Big Week and Sombreros

2010-04-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Glad to be done with that week. In addition to working, I managed to train for 28 hours last week. The highlight was the Lilac Century ride. I was able to hang with the lead group for 102 miles, 4950 feet of climbing at 21.1 mph. It was a confidence builder to be able to hang with people who focus specifically on road bike racing. I followed the ride with 8x1 mile repeats on the Spokane Falls Community College track, leaving on the 7s. This week I'm going to cut back hours and intensity and try to absorb last week leading into Wildflower.

Last night I got my bike set up for Wildflower this upcoming weekend.

I'm not sure how the race is going to go primarily because I have not had an opportunity to train at half iron intensity on the bike and the run. However, I'm feeling pretty good and I am excited to strap on a timing chip. I'm also excited travel to the race venue with Sam. Tonight Eve an I are going to make dinner reservations for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in Paso Robles. Eve said that there are a lot of great restaurants there, but you need reservations. This should be fun.

Speaking of Sam, we had a lot of fun on Friday night at Jason Campbell's surprise birthday party. It was a theme party that involved sombreros and girls kissing. There was some drinking involved.

Spring has Sprung (almost anyway)

2010-04-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

I think we've turned the corner on winter weather. Yesterday was nice and today it is close to 70.

I slept in a little bit yesterday planning on leaving for the Wednesday team ride at 9 AM. However, Michael ended up with a sore back from work so I looked for another option. James Richman was up for a ride so we met at the Seven Mile Bridge and rode out to Highway 231 and came back into town via Highway 291. James peeled off after about four hours and I continued on toward Cheney, ending up with just slightly over a century.

Today I did a track workout for the first time since November. I was worried that I would not remember how to get to the track. I got there all right in the workout went fine.

Yesterday my 11-year-old son Peter came home with a funny story. He played a game in gym class and got the highest score of his class. He said he "cried tears of joy." Good for him. I wish I could've seen it.

Off and Running

2010-04-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

This should be interesting. Or not. So I'm starting a blog. I'm not so delusional or self absorbed to think that anyone really cares about what I think. But hopefully I will entertain myself, and maybe someone else (mom?) with my random thoughts about training, racing, parenthood and anything else that might come to mind.

I just finished my first Build Week yesterday. 12 weeks out from Ironman Coeur d' Alene 2010. The week went well. I was able to do a good tempo run on Thursday, a century ride on Saturday with James Richman and a 17 mile aerobic run on Sunday. Overall, I feel pretty good. Tired, but my bursitis and plantar fasciitis seem to be under control. I'll do two more Build Weeks leading into Wildflower on May 1, 2010.

I'm looking forward to starting the Twilight Series bike races on Tuesday nights. I just had an e-mail exchange with Michael Emde and the Wednesday team rides are beginning this week. For the next six or seven Wednesdays, I'll play hooky from work to torture myself trying to keep up with Michael and the other roadies on our team.

There it is, my first post.