RACE REPORT - IM Cda (click on pics to expand)

CP's IM RACE REPORT

I arrived in Cda a week early so that I could get acclimated to the cold water. This was my biggest concern as I didnt know how my body would respond to mid 50's temps. The weather in Cda was amazing as it was over 80 degrees and sunny. It stays light till after 9 pm which keeps the days long and the nights short.

On Wednesday morning, I made my way down to the water with my wetsuit and watched several triathletes getting in and out of the water. People looked so cold getting out of the water and you could sense the nervousness in those that hadn't yet been in. It didn't help that a couple of local kids told me the water was cold!! Great, I thought!! It was plenty warm out but they were shivering and their lips were blue. I put on my wetsuit and tried to make some nervous conversation before I would take the plunge. I kept getting the same response that its not bad and is fine after the first 5 minutes. I walked to the waters edge to rinse out my goggles and the water was frigid. I took a few deep breathes, set my watch so that I could keep track of how long I would be in there, and too the plunge. The first thing I noticed was how cold my face was instantly! I just kept swimming and about 5 minutes later it didn't seem so bad. I was amazed at how I could swim pretty easily in this brutally cold water. I ended up swimming for 35 minutes and talked to other triathletes for awhile. Disaster 1 averted as I started to feel a lot better about completing my first ironman.

Throughout the week I had family (brother, mother, stepdad,) and Ann arrive so I was playing chauffeur and just trying to stay relaxed. My stomach was in knots the whole week leading up to the race. The one thing that surprised me was the logistics. I couldn't believe how much stuff I needed for race day! I had made lists ahead of time and went through them at least twice. I also had to adjust my clothing plan as a cold front came through on Thursday and dropped temps back into the 50's. I bought some neoprene socks for the swim and toe warmers for my cycling cleats. Both of these purchases would turn out to be money for the race.

I did one last swim on Saturday morning and caught my first ice cream headache. That didn't do well for the nerves, but I figured that my neoprene cap was too high on my forehead and also decided I would put some vasoline on my head to buffer the cold water. Both strategies turned out to work well for me on race day!

Fast forward to race morning:

The Swim:
I woke up at 3:45 to 43 degree temps and what looked to be a calm sunny day. After breakfast I gathered my bags and put on 3 layers of clothes to try to stay warm. My brother was kind enough to take me down to the start and stayed with me while I prepared my bike. I had to take off 2 layers to get body marked and man was that cold! I finished getting my bike ready, said thanks to my bro, then headed for the changing tent. I spent some time hanging out in there as I didn't want to change out of my warm clothes just then. About 6:15, I changed and headed towards the water to watch the pro start at 6:30. I had on my wetsuit, swim socks, ear plugs, and 3 swim caps and was still cold. After the pro's took off (and I was surprised by how few there were), the age groupers were told to move down to the start. There were 2,500 age groupers and they squeezed us into about a 50 yard section of beach. We were told to only go waist deep so I went in the water and dunked my face a few times to try and get passed any cold water headaches. The pro's came through on their second lap and the beach was completely full of age groupers. I decided to stay outside but near the front. I'm guessing the beach was about 20 deep. There were racers everywhere. I said good luck to my training partner and coaches wife, Wendy, and prepared for the cannon. I heard the boom and then we were off. I was only 2 deep so proceeded into the water to battle my way to the first turn buoy. The course was a long rectangle so we had a pretty straight half mile before the first turn. I was surprised by how much open water I had as most were heading to the inside. I stayed outside but had to deal with a few swimmers cutting across but tried to stay calm. As we neared the first buoy unlocked my head up to site and took in a full mouth of water. Man were my lungs burning and it caused me to stop swimming and cough a few times. I went right back to swimming and worked my way around the outside of the buoy. It was really hard to see the next buoy as we were looking directly into the sun and it was chaos in the water. I tried to ease back into my stroke and guess at where the next buoy was. I found myself too far outside so had to work my way back inside and lost some time. I made my way back to the beach feeling pretty good. I exited the water and calmly walked through the timing arch. I looked at the clock and it showed 39 mins, so I was right about where I thought i would be. I was definitely dizzy but just kept going. On the second lap, more clear water, but I was starting to notice that I couldn't straighten my fingers to grab water. It felt liken I was doing fist drill as no matter what I tried, I couldn't cup my hands. The second loop felt longer but with less people to battle, so it was a good loop for me. I exited the water and saw 1:22 and was happy with that considering the conditions. I was completely out of it at that point. I was in a fog and it was difficult to even walk, so I made my way slowly to my gear bag and stood in line for the changing tent. I was shivering when I entered the tent and just sat there for about 5 minutes to try and calm myself and get my composure. I had a hell of a time getting my socks off, then even harder effort in putting on my arm warmers. My fingers were locked in a half open position and even my jaw muscles froze up at some point. I must of looked like a stroke victim! I finally got some much needed help from a volunteer and was finally off to my bike. Only later did I learn that my transition time was a whopping 17 minutes! Oh well. Honestly, I think had I moved faster that the first hour on the bike would've been even more sketchy then it turned out to be. I'm glad that I took the time needed to gather myself and my faculties!

The Bike:

I was pretty cold leaving T1, but headed out on my bike in hopes that I would warm up. The road was really crowded as it felt more like a bike race then a triathlon. I rode very conservative to make sure I didn't take anyone out as I was still shivering and had trouble handling my bike. The sun was up and the air was definitely warming. It also helped that I had on arm warmers underneath my long sleeve shirt under my jersey...yeah that's right, 3 layers to warm up!! I didn't really care so long that I could keep me from shivering. The first section is through town then out to a 10-mile out and back that is beautiful and runs right next to the lake. There is 1 climb (1/2 mile at 6% grade) that we had to deal with. The first 20 miles went by quickly as we turned North to head to the hills. I was actually looking forward to the hills as I knew they would warm me up. The spectators were lined up throughout town and on the way up to the hills and kept me smiling all the way through the course.

The Hills that never end!! Ok, so when I scouted this course earlier in the week, I noticed the hills looked short but steep and they seemed to go on for about 25 miles. I had no idea how long that would last!!! The first section is pretty short, steep and with some technical decents. The course weaves through Hayden Lake and is beautiful but challenging. This is when I first felt my left glute start to act up. I had tweaked it on a ride just the week before the race and was concerned it would give me trouble. I put my bike in an easy gear and just spun my way through these hills. I noticed people already struggling as I just pedaled right by. I suppose some of that had to do with my 1:22 swim followed by a 17 minute transition (ie. I was surrounded by slower riders), but it was good mentally to be passing so many athletes!! It kept my mind off my glute and allowed me to focus on keeping a nice pace (albeit conservative). We hit "The Wall" next and it was steep but didn't feel like it was anything different then some of the hills (i.e. Heartbreak Hill) here in Hawaii. I cruised up that and pushed on. The hills just kept coming and really didn't let up for another hour to hour and half. It was a very long ride and I knew the 2nd lap would be really challenging as we would hit those from miles 80 - 100. I finished the hills and headed on my trek back into town.

I felt good as I re-entered the town of Coeur d'Alene and the crowd was pumping us up as we rode by. I noted my first lap was 3:05, so I was on-time with my estimate of 6 hours. My nutrition was spot on and I was just concentrating on eating and drinking. I did notice that it warmed up quite a bit and actually took off my arm warmers. I also noticed that I was going through my gel at a faster rate then I anticipated, but drinking less, so I opted to stop at Special Needs to pick up my other flask. This proved to be a good move as I ran out of gel in the first flask around mile 90 - 95. While I felt good, it was tough mentally to think about riding another 56 mile loop and head back into those hills from HELL!! I made my way through town, to the out and back, and then turned North again to head to the hills. My glute was still acting up, but I tried to ignore it and just keep my pace conservative. I stretched it at Special Needs and it felt alright, so just pushed on. I chatted with a few other riders on the way back to Hayden Lake and that made the time & miles go by faster. I was getting concerned because I hadn't seen my support team yet. I though they would be in town, but I stumbled upon them on my way up to Hayden Lake. What was funny was they didn't see me, but I saw them and yelled out. They were all wearing a shirt with my picture on the front that said "Proud supporters of Craig Powers and his quest to be an Ironman. Keep moving Craig" It was a bright red shirt and pretty hilarious! I couldn't believe they had put a picture of me on the front (in color no doubt). They had all kinds of signs and seemed to be having a great time. It was a nice lift for me and I looked forward to seeing them again on my way back into town. Before I knew it, I was at mile 80 and back in the hills. The second round started pretty good, but then I had to stop and go to the bathroom. After I started back up, I noticed my bike making a weird noise, so I ended up stopping twice to try and figure it out. I never did and pushed on in hopes that it wasn't anything major. The noise eventually went away, so something must've been rubbing, but I swear that I couldn't figure it out!!

The Wall x2 As I finished the first section of hills, we hit the wall and it was quite entertaining. I felt good as I had kept the pace conservative, but clearly alot of athletes were struggling. I actually watched one guy go off the road and fall over about half way up the hill. As I rode by, I commented that he almost saved it (which he did) and he smiled and just nodded...He was in good spirits as everyone was struggling and pain is always more fun when everyone gets to experience it!! I couldn't help it, but I was just smiling and pedaling up the hill like it was a practice day. I know, I know, I should've pushed it harder, but I was concerned about my glute and that I wouldn't be able to run, so kept it easy. It was really hard to keep the pace that easy, but I just convinced myself this was the right thing to do. Besides, I was still passing people left and right...Ah, which brings me to this young lady that kept yo-yoing with me throughout the 2nd lap. She was horrible on her bike. I mean all over the road and I found myself just watching to see what she would do next. It became so comical that I found myself watching rather then racing!! In fact, she kept her bike in the big ring in the toughest gear almost the entire time. I was convinced that she would blow up, but she never did. In fact, I saw her on the run 3x and she was cruising!!! This girl must have the strongest legs in the world. I could not believe it!! It was great to keep my mind off the fact that we had been out there over 5 hours and still climbing rollers...

T2

I finally finished the 20+ miles of hills and really looked forward to heading back into town and seeing my family once again. I pumped my fists when I saw them and stuck out my tongue with a big smile as I was feeling good but tired of being on the bike at this point. I was almost at 6 hours, but didn't care as all I wanted to do was finish the ride with my glute intact so that I could run!! I pulled into the last out and back, put my bike in an easy gear and just tried to spin the lactic build up out of my legs. It was a great feeling to see the "Finished" sign and head into T2. By now the temps were close to the mid-60's and it was beautiful out. Perfect weather for a marathon I thought. I took one last sip of gel and pulled into T2. The handlers took my bike right away and I was off trotting to find my T2 bag and one last change of clothes. I found my bag and walked into the changing tent. This time I had full use of my hands and a really nice volunteer there to help me. One thing that I did notice was that I forgot to put a running shirt into my bag! I was thinking how is this possible as I went over my list about 5x since I packed it. Only later did I discover that I didn't have it on my list...duh!! Oh well, I wasn't going to let something small like this derail my great day. I just put on my long sleeve that I had underneath my jersey, put on some sunscreen, grabbed my nutrition, and thanked the volunteer for all of his help. I trotted out of the tent thrilled to be on the run portion of the very long day!!

The Run:

I really thought that I could run under 4 hours in this event. I started out around 8 minute pace and it felt pretty solid. Unfortunately, that only lasted about 6 miles. After I made it out of town, we had to double back over the bike course and run that 1/2 mile at 6% grade. That hill must've taken it out of me as my pace really slowed down. I guess the run course used to turn around at the top, but now they had us go down the backside about another 1 - 1.5 miles. This, in essence, added another long climb on the backside as you made your way back to town. It wasn't steep, but it was a killer on the 2nd loop. I didn't feel tired, as I was watching my pace drop out of the 8's and into the 9's. I kept wonder what the heck was going on, but just pushed through and headed back into town. I was passing alot of people so felt like I was going faster then my Garmin was telling me. I have a love/hate relationship with my Garmin and today I was definitely leaning towards the hate side!!! As I rolled into town, I found Ann and my family once again cheering and having a great time. I gave them a thumbs up and smile as i made it to the turn around. As I turned around, the road turned upward and we had to climb a bit to get out of town. It wasn't steep but I was tired. I looked at my brother, shook my head, and just stuck out my tongue like I was tired. He said later that he knew the 2nd lap would take alot longer, and boy did it ever. My first half was 1:55 which was alright considering my drop off in pace. I knew at that point that a sub-4 hour marathon was probably not going to happen. The next 6 miles were really tough. I walked every aid station and started to make deals with myself to run to get to each aid station. I also made a deal that i would walk the hill. It's amazing the ups & downs of an Ironman. I had heard and even experienced some of this in training, but nothing lasted 12 hours and had the duration/severity of this. I knew that I would rebound, so I just told myself to eat and keep going. My nutrition was still pretty good as I stayed on plan, so it was an energy thing. I just think that the cold swim and 1st hour shivering on the bike took it out of me!!

At this point, I tried to break the remaining miles into manageable pieces. Thinking that I still had roughly 12 miles to run was overwhelming, so I figured that I had 2 10k's left. I remember Raul (my 1st triathlon coach) state that it's only 4 10k's at the end of an Ironman and somehow that made it seem possible...Have no idea why, but it worked. I saw my coach, Eric, on his last lap heading into town and he managed a smile and thumbs up, but I could tell he was hurting too!! I started pushing myself to just get to mile 18. For some reason, I knew that once I got there, that I would finish! Again, there was no real logic at this point, but I had to try and convince myself as I was putting in 10 minute miles. As I walked the aid stations and that long, long hill, I noticed that my feet hurt. However, when I ran, they didn't hurt. How is that possible? It was actually harder to walk then run. In fact, I was beginning to feel like I was forgetting how to walk. I asked another guy that was running/walking my pace and he was experiencing the same thing. Amazing how your body really starts to break down and you forget just basic movements!!

Once I hit mile 18 and finished the long hill, I ran down the backside and through the aid stations. One aid station had all the volunteers dressed up as pirates and the em-cee was yelling that they had "Grog, Grub, and Wenches...you can take all the Grog & Grub, but not the Wenches" Cracked me up as I needed a good laugh. There was also a group playing bagpipes at the top of the hill, which helped along the way!! I wasn't expecting that on the run!! The miles were going really slow at this point and I didn't think that I would ever get off this section of the course. As I walked the final aid station on this road, I took in some pretzels. This proved to be a bad idea, even though they tasted great, as my mouth was so dry that I ended up inhaling them rather then eating them. I swear that I blew out pretzel over the next mile running. I had to laugh at myself as I remember doing this as a kid!! As I finished and turned to get off this never-ending road, I saw my training partner (and true Iron Woman) Wendy. She had broken her arm 4 weeks prior and was running a good pace. I just routed her on and it gave me strength to push past mile 22 and head into town. As I entered the town streets, there were several big college parties where people were drinking, jamming music, and just having a blast. It was great to give them a fist pump and smile as they all cheered and toasted me as I ran by!! I kept thinking that I looked forward to a beer after this damn long race!!

I finally made it to the split in the road (mile 24) where you went left for the finish or right for the 2nd lap. I was thrilled to go left and the volunteer said "Doesn't it feel great to be heading left to finish" That was the understatement of the day. I picked up my pace as I heard the crowd and noticed that I was back under 9 minutes for the first time since about mile 6. The crowd was amazing as the course took me down the main street of the town. Spectators were lined on both sides of the street for about a mile. It was like the finishing chute was miles long. I waved, smiled, pump my fists, cheered, cried, and experienced every emotion practically as I made my way towards that finish line. The same finish line that I'd dreamed about for the past 6 months while training my butt off. At about 20 yards out, I saw Ann and my family jumping up and down!! I slowed, pointed at each of them with both hands, and made my way to the finish line. All my emotions were pouring out and I was just trying to stay somewhat composed. I finally heard Mike Reilly (the voice of Ironman) say

CRAIG POWERS from Hawaii, You are an IRONMAN!!!

It was amazing to hear those words and I was caught at the finish by 2 wonderful volunteers that held me up, took off my timing chip, gave me water, and took me to get my finisher photo.

In the end, it was an AMAZING experience and a huge accomplishment in my life. All those training hours and miles really paid off as I never had a doubt that I would finish on that day!! Thank you to all of my great family and friends, who supported me throughout training. In particular, Ann, Brian, Mom, and Jim for making the trek all the way to Northern Idaho to stress out for 12 hours while I tried to finish this EPIC Journey. A shout out to my friend Jason who was my inspiration for completing my first Ironman. You are the MAN!!!! Also, to my friend Colleen who had conquered Cda as her first IM in years past and helped me along the way. To my many training partners that kept me focused along the way!! And finally, to my coach Eric and swim coach Chad, for all of the effort in teaching me what it takes to be an Ironman!!

I'm signing off now on this blog. I sure hope you have enjoyed reading and experiencing this amazing time in my life. This journey has brought me new confidence that I had been lacking and a bright outlook on my future ahead. Much love and Thank you!!!

T minus 2 Weeks to Ironman

I just can't believe how quickly this event is coming up. Training has been long at times, but overall really great!! I took 2 days off after the Half IM and then started building back into my training schedule. I think it worked well as I felt great Thursday on my climbs up Tantalus and again on Saturday on my 50-miler. I put in some strong efforts on Saturday up the climbs and felt great. I had a good, solid swim this morning in my full wetsuit, so gaining confidence there as well.

I've got a few more short, intense intervals this week started with running with my marathon training group tonight, tantalus again on Thursday. One more 2 - 2.5 hour ride on Saturday and then I'm officially TRAINED!!! Really focused on staying healthy now over the next two weeks.

The weather in Cda has been pretty cold this year and the water temps were hovering at a balmy 52 degrees (yikes!!)...However, temps have climbed in the last week and the lake is now at 56 degrees. Even better, the forecast is for temperatures to climb from the 60's to the 80's, which should bring up the lake temps even more before the race. I'm praying for 60+ degree lake temps as even that will be cold, cold, cold!!!

Not HALF Bad....

I had a very good, solid Hawaii (Honu) Half Ironman on Saturday. The conditions were pretty good as the water was calm, the wind wasn't too strong, and there was enough breeze to make the run bearable. This Half IM is a very difficult race course, particularly, with the wind, heat, and humidity. It reaches over 100 degrees on the run course. Both the bike and run course are very hilly and really test your patience....

The swim started off with 1,600 people in the water in a mass start. I started way inside and had pretty clean water all the way to the first buoy. The traffic was heavy there and backed us up a little bit, so I had to stop swimming to make my way around the buoy. It's a hard course to sight on, but I took a pretty good line and had a decent swim. I got caught up in some other traffic, but it wasn't too bad. My swim time was 38 minutes.

The bike started great, but about 7 minutes in I heard a hissing noise and knew that I had a flat. The bike start is really congested, so I quickly pulled my bike off the road and started to go to work on the flat. Unfortunately, it was my rear wheel, so it was a more involved change. I was standing on the side of the road at an angle on the lava rock and had trouble getting the bike tire back on. I must of heard "Oh that sucks" about a 100 times as about 500 people passed me while I was changing the flat. I tried to stay composed, but it still took me 10 minutes to change the flat...All in all, I lost somewhere between 13 - 15 minutes...I was worried that I might flat again as I had a pretty good sized gash in the tire, so that was on my mind the majority of the ride!!

I got back on the bike and was careful to merge back onto the crowded road. I paced myself really well, and that's the main take-away for me from this race. Mentally, I held it together and was able to keep a good pace without blowing myself up as there are many hills on this course. I pedaled my way up to the turnaround at Hawi (town on the Big Island) and the wind started howling. It was right in our face, but I knew those 30 - 40 mph gusts would be at my back on the return. I finished in the bike in 2:58. Not my best time and I really could've pushed harder on the way back, but I'm happy with it given the issues I had with the flat!!!

My plan was to run my Ironman pace of 8 minutes per mile if that felt alright. I didn't want to push hard on the run as I've had some minor leg issues and wanted to make sure it wouldn't carry over into the full Ironman. I just didn't want to jeopardize my big race in 3 weeks. The pace felt great and it was 8 minutes on the dot at the first mile. I really had a great time on this run, even though the course is brutal. I smiled, talked to everyone, cheesed it up for the pictures, and just felt like I was floating over the course. Next thing I know, and its mile 5 and I'm feeling really good. I ran into some friends and threw out some words of encouragement and kept going. I was passing alot of people, so that helped too!! I finished the run with a little airplane maneuver at the finish line in 1:44. I ended up passing 230 people on the run!!

All in all a great warmup and confidence builder for the real-deal in just over 2 weeks!!!

Pics, Pics, Pics

Okay, so here are some various pictures from the past week or so. The first is our bikes sitting outside the hospital as we were waiting for Wendy's x-rays to see what was wrong...

Second photo is Chinaman's Hat. An island off the East/Northeast coast of Oahu. The roads are amazing and so are the views. It's one of my favorite areas to ride, but very, very windy!!

Last photo is my bike all polished and ready for the Half Ironman this Saturday. It's a great bike!!

Last Hundred Done and Endurance Base Complete!!!

My bike and I have become really, really good friends over the last two weeks as we have ridden multiple Century (100-milers) rides which take around 6 hours each. It's been a long two weeks, but feel very confident that I can complete the Ironman race distance right now. I also mixed in a couple of 2.5 - 3 hour runs during those weeks, so it was alot of time and effort on my legs....I'm a little beat up from the training, so laying off on running till the Half Ironman race this Saturday (June 4th), but very happy with where I'm at. Weight wise, I'm right where I want to be and my nutrition is "Spot On" as I had plenty of energy at the ends of those long rides. I also felt that I could run a marathon distance on some of those long-runs, so I'm ready.

Looking forward to the Half Ironman this Saturday. You can track my progress on Ironman.com. The race is the Hawaii 70.3 and starts at 7 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (1 p.m. EST). I plan to race the swim/bike and cruise the run. Basically, I'll see how my left leg feels on the run and determine how hard I want to push it then....

I'll post some training pics when they come through on email....

The Perils of IM Training

Well, I learned a valuable lesson the other day about how dangerous cycling can be. My coaches' wife, and training partner, Wendy, was hit by a car about 30 miles into our ride last Wednesday. I was really thinking the worst when we got the call as we were ahead of her by a few minutes. We both turned around and rode quickly to get back up to where she was. Fortunately, she was sitting up when I got there and coherent. There is alot of traffic on this main road and some smaller neighborhoods where cars come out onto the main road. Sometimes they shoot through gaps and can be hard to see. She caught the truck at the last minute and tried to swerve, hitting her left side into the truck and actually dented it. She had a sore shoulder and arm. We followed her to the hospital down the street for an X-ray. Good news is that she is alright and it could've been much worse. Bad news is that she broke her arm. She ended up having surgery on Friday to put in a titanium plate and is still looking at doing the Ironman in 4 weeks. She is as tough as they come and a true IRONWOMAN. I can't believe how calm she was about her arm being sore and it was broken!!!

I'm just thankful that she came out with just a broken arm and honored to train with someone that has so much resolve and toughness. I hope that I can show some of her mental and physical toughness come Ironman day!!

Wind, the Great Equalizer...

Another EPIC 100-mile ride took place yesterday. I arrived at the park early and noticed the wind howling when I stepped out of the car. We had 15 - 25 mph trade winds with much higher gusts. I was dreading the ride at this point because I know how significant those winds can be along the coastline, which happens to be most of our ride...

The winds weren't too bad heading out as we had a big group of 25+ cyclists pulling us out for the first 15 miles or so. We also had a nice tailwind heading out to our turnaround at about mile 50; however, the wind was blowing hard from the water and our bikes were constantly being thrown back and forth from the crosswind. I enjoyed that part of the ride and it was good training for the Half IM that is coming up in 2 weeks. The winds over in Kona can be pretty brutal, so it's good to get some training days in those types of conditions.

As I expected, we hit the headwinds immediately on the return trip and it started to pour buckets on us. The traffic was pretty heavy on this 2-lane road as it was Saturday morning, so we eventually decided to pull off at a store and just hang out for a few minutes in hopes it would blow over. It was pretty brutal trying to keep the bike straight in that wind with the traffic and rain!! Good character building I guess. We were able to wait it out and return to what turned out to be a pretty good day overall!! My legs were tired early in the ride, but felt better at mile 50 and I never really hit my down point. Usually that happens around 4 hours, but I just kept going and felt pretty good overall.

We were talking about how the Half Ironman ride is going to seem much shorter then in year's past due to all the mileage we are riding now. I'm really curious to see how I feel on the bike in that race in 2 weeks.

Off to do a 20-mile run, then a Monday recover day!!

An Ironman Style Ride

After recovering from my Olympic Triathlon race, Sunday, I took 2 days of active recovery and then saddled up for a long, long day on the road. Our plan Wednesday was to pedal the 1st of 3 Century (100 mile) distance rides in 10-days in an effort to toughen our legs and provide the stamina & confidence to pull off an Ironman distance race. '

It was a beautiful day with little to no wind and some good cloud cover as we pulled out onto the road around 6:15 a.m. The first 30 miles of the ride went by fast as we covered the same roads that I've ridden what seems like a million times since the beginning of the year. After mile 30, we start to hit some bumpy roads that jog along the ocean. It's not too scenic, but you do get some nice shots of Kaneohe bay in between some of the houses right on the bay. We pushed through mile 40 and headed out onto some really sweet, smooth roads that ride along the ocean out to Swanzy beach park. Swanzy is where the Honolulu Century ride turns around, so I'm somewhat familiar with it; especially after our 100 miler last Wednesday. We stopped at Swanzy (my coach Eric, his wife Wendy, and myself) to hit the bathrooms and refill water, then decided to push out another 5 miles as the roads and scenery were so nice. It is really beautiful out there and I catch myself "window shopping" when I should be paying more attention to the road....

We hit our turnaround at mile 55 or so and then headed back towards Kaneohe town. I've noticed, on my last 2 Century distance rides, that I tend to get tired somewhere near the 4 hour mark. I think I'm just tired of being on the bike as this point and everything seems to ache. What I've found is that just pushing through it and continuing on makes it go away eventually. Could be boredom as that is a long, long time to be out on the roads!! Anyway, we made our way back into Kaneohe after a few tough climbs and then onto Kailua. Once I hit Kailua, it signals to me that we are within 1.5 hours to go and I start to feel better. We stopped to get some much needed cold water, gatorade, etc.. We had logged about 85 miles at this point in the ride. There is one last section that can be somewhat tough due to winds and a climb called Waimanalo. The climb hit us around mile 95, so it can be tough just due to being tired and on the bike for upwards of 5 hours at that point. I know that once we get over that climb, then I'm home free as we pick up a nice tailwind as we head back towards our starting point. The top of the climb signals about 15 miles left in the ride and I was feeling really good again. It tells me that my nutrition is spot on for this distance!!! Nutrition can be one of the toughest things to figure out but I seem to have a good plan for my body and the distance....I guess we will see!!

I decided that since I was feeling good that I wanted to log at least 112 miles just to know mentally that I've conquered that distance. I pulled into the beach park right at 112 and felt really good getting off the bike. To start the day, I wasn't sure how my legs would respond after the race on Sunday, but I was pretty impressed with how well I bounced back and how good I was feeling that day!!!

So, that's 1 Century down and 2 more to go. I've also got 2 - 20 mile runs to finish in the next 10 days as well, so these 2 weeks are the Epic Ironman Training weeks that I've so often heard about. I'm very fortunate to have the time to recover properly during the day and looking forward to knocking off those distances this weekend.

5 Weeks till race day and really starting to look forward to it!!

Honolulu Triathlon 2011 in the books....

I had a very interesting, but great race overall. The Honolulu Triathlon is an Olympic Distance event that is notoriously crowded (about 1500 racers) as there are 6 different events going on at once. The Olympic Distance is 1500m swimming, 40K (25 miles) bike, 10K (6.2 miles) run. This year, I persuaded Ann to get up at 3:30 in the morning to come out and experience what this crazy thing called "Triathlon" is all about....I also wanted her to see that I wasn't the only crazy person training hard for these events, that even people from Japan come all the way over here to do this!!!

We woke up early and I had my usual training breakfast. It's hard to get up and eat right away, but my system is getting used to it after so many early mornings. I'm getting up between 4 and 5 about 3 - 4 days per week given the longer training days. Anyhow, the event was buzzing when we got there with music blasting and the transition area busy with everyone getting their areas setup and ready to race. I had some trouble getting air into my tires, but after getting help from a mechanic, I was off to get body marked (they paste your number on both arms and your calf with black marker/paste) and get my timing chip. I found Ann and we went to the water so that I could get in a quick warmup and try to get my heart rate up once before the gun went off.

The first wave of racers went off at 6:00 am sharp. I was in the 4th wave (ages 40 - 49), so I got to watch a few starts and thought I picked the correct starting position. Boy was I wrong!! This event starts on the beach, so you run into the shallow water for the first 50 meters or so. It's hard to run in water, so you kinda have to dive in, then jump forward, and keep doing that till it gets deep enough to swim. I picked the inside (closest to the markers) because I thought this is where the faster swimmers would be and I would have more room and maybe a good draft from them. I lined up about 3 deep from the start and said good-luck to a few friends. The race director sent us off and I went sprinting into the water and was at the front!!! So, I thought that I was doing pretty good till I got a look out to my right and somehow the group was way ahead. I guess it stays shallow longer on the outside and they were able to run longer. Oh well, at least I had room to swim and didn't get kicked or punched (a huge plus for me!!). The swim was pretty crowded as we caught some of the slower swimmers from the first 3 waves, so a lot of zigging/zagging. I had a little trouble getting full breaths at the beginning, but once I got into a rhythm I felt pretty good. I rounded the last buoy and then headed for home. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any feet to draft off of as noone seemed to be swimming my pace (either much faster or much slower). I exited the water and ran out onto the beach with a 27 minute swim. For reference, that was about 1 - 1:30 faster then 2008, the last time I did this race. I was really happy with that swim time considering the poor starting line and lack of drafting options!!

Onto the bike....I went into T1 and threw on my cycling shoes, helmet, glasses, and then off to the mounting line. This race has speed bumps and steel plates on the roads at the beginning, so you have to be very careful starting off....I pedaled for a little while and noticed that my left cleat wouldn't clip into the pedal correctly. I ended stopping and after a few minutes was able to get it to clip in. However, my shoe was angled so that my heel was clipping the crank, so I had to kinda push my foot out while I pedaled. Oh well, nothing I could do about it then, so I just pedaled on after losing a few minutes getting it clipped in. The bike was tough as I haven't had to push that hard over that distance (about an hour time total) in a long time. You have to figure out how to push hard but pace yourself so that you have enough energy left coming back. The bike course is very flat and the winds were down, so it was prime for fast times!! I ran into the usual suspects of beginner triathletes riding on the left side (you're supposed to stay right unless passing) and there were a few dicey moments including a guy who was swerving all over the course and decided to re-pass me every time I passed him. It was like a cat & mouse game till I pulled back and let him cause other people problems. I even complained to the official who penalized him, but never told him to stay on the right....it was crazy dangerous at 20+ mph, but that is triathlon. So, because of my endurance conditioning, I was able to push the final 5K and pass some of the riders that were staying with me. I dismounted (and watched the guy that was swerving fall during the dismount....karma maybe??) and ran to my transition area to drop off the bike and grab the run shoes, hat, and my race belt.

I ran out and took the first turn and there was Ann jumping up and down cheering me on and that gave me energy to push a good pace. I reached the first mile in 6:39 and felt really good. I knew that I was running fast as I passed a bunch of runners in the first mile. The course got a little hilly around mile 3 so I just tried to temper my effort for the final 3 miles. It's a cool course because you run by the ocean several times and get to see alot of the athletes. There was great encouragement from my competitors regarding my run pace and I shot back alot of good job, good effort, good pace comments myself. I pushed hard after I reached mile 4. My goal was to try and run a 40-minute 10K, so I stopped looking at my watched, put my head down and charged forward. I knew that I was picking up speed, but didn't want to stress, so kept going. I dedicated my last mile to my buddy Jason, who is undergoing a stem cell transplant. I knew that I had to push hard and caught my friend & coach Stefan with about half a mile to go. I sprinted at the final chute and finished my run in 38:30 and overall 2 hours 14 minutes.

The 2:14 was a 4 minute PR (personal record) from the 2008 race even though I lost about 3 minutes on the bike due to the cleat issue. I also ran a 38:30 10K (or about 6:15 avg pace) which completely blew me away. I had run that pace in some 5K's at the end of a Sprint Triathlon, but didn't know I could run that in a 10K. I was really excited at my result and it was great to have Ann there. All of my training partners had PR's as well, so my coach was proud of our efforts!!! I looked at the results posted and I was 4th in my Age Group by 12 seconds (shoot, I have never been close to placing in the Top 3 and almost did it)....However, as the results were posted online this morning, it turns out that I did place 3rd in my Age Group!!! Wooohooo!!! And, they announced that during the awards ceremony (to which we had already left!!). I also finished 42nd overall for a great, great race!!!

I can see for Miles & Miles...

The miles are really starting to pile up as I crested the 20 hour training mark last week. We put in a 102 mile ride this week Wednesday, the day after an 18-mile run. All in all, I'm holding up well and feeling pretty good given the increase in training hours.

IM Cda is in 7 weeks and I've got 2 other races in between:

Honolulu Triathlon - Olympic Distance Sunday, May 15th

Honu Half Ironman - 70.3 miles, Saturday, June 4th

We've got 3 more 100+ mile bike rides, and a couple of 3 hour runs left, so just going to buck up and push hard down the stretch. Looking forward to the race on Sunday to see how I'm progressing...Will post the results here...

Oh, the weather outside is frightful

We've had some really challenging weather to train in. I can't remember a wetter, windier, more humid training season!! In the past week, we cancelled a swim and a long ride due to lightning and just plain nasty weather!!

While it's been difficult training conditions, I'm a firm believer that it builds character and will come into play during the race as the "mental" piece comes into play. Inevitably, something doesn't go according to play that is totally out of control and you just have to deal with it on race day!! I'm also hoping that this means we will have nice weather for the Half and Full IM in June!!

More to come as the next few weeks heat up!!

Kids....great spirit and inspiration

I was headed to my Friday 3K swim this morning and it was raining. I was kinda dreading getting into the water as I was still cold from my 2K swim yesterday....When I arrived at Ala Moana park, I was greeted by 100's of High School kids wearing swim caps and also running around the park. They had parents and teachers cheering them on as I wondered what was going on. I thought it was odd that there was an organized event on a Friday. As I got closer to the water, I watched a few groups of students run out of the water, change, and then go for their run. Lots of cheering and encouragement! It made it so easy for me to get into the water and just swim. I stopped a bunch of times to cheer and watch the kids swimming towards their goal. I'm still not sure, but I think it's a PE type test for HS kids here in Hawaii. I asked and some of the kids had to swim a 3K and then run. That is not easy at all and it gave me tons of energy watching the last few struggle to make it in. What a great day and inspiration those kids were, who I don't even know, on a cold, damp Friday in Hawaii!!! Inspiration is everywhere, sometimes it's right in front of you....I'm really glad I didn't bag the swim!!!

Another Good Result

I finished the Lanikai Sprint Triathlon in 1 hour 4 minutes. That was a 6 minute PR (personal record) over the 2009 race that I last competed on that course. We had favorable conditions (i.e no wind), so my time was going to be better, but I didn't expect it to be that good. I finished 21st overall and 5th in my Age Group. I'm most excited about my bike as I turned in the 17th fastest time at over 23.8 mph. I also ran 6:12 pace, which is quite fast for me....I didn't think that I was running that fast, but I guess so...

My goals going into the Sprint were to have a better swim (2 minutes faster then 2009) and strong bike, both of which I accomplished. The training I'm doing and the new bike are both working really well for me and I'm pretty psyched about the future. Attached are 2 photos from the race for you to enjoy.

More to come as I ramp my mileage back up for the toughest stretch of training!!

Amazing Book

I've just picked up a book named "The Four Agreements" and it's been an amazing read from the start. I heard about it from the coach of the VCU Basketball team that made an improbable run to the final four. His name is Shaka Smart and he is a very talented, young coach. He used it as motivation for his team......

If you get a chance, it's a quick read and worth the time!!

Uncrustables

Can I just say that I love those PB&J Uncrustable sandwich things....they are a great snack during a long ride and I couldn't get enough calories in without them!! Yummy!!!

Inspiration

Just a quick shout out to my triathlon Bruddahs....Ryan, Wil, Glen, and Brent, and also Jodie for completing Ironman South Africa on Sunday. What an amazing feat and great races had by all. It was alot of fun to train briefly with them and even more fun to track their progress in the race....Looking forward to hearing all about it on their return and get some more pointers for my race prep....

Half Way There

I can't believe it's already been 3 months since I started training for the Ironman!! Time is just flying by and the training is going really well so far. I've been keeping track of my training and here are the numbers so far:

I've swam almost 50,000 meters, ridden 1350 miles, and run 250 miles. I'm averaging about 4,000 meters per week, 102 miles on the bike, and 20 miles running. Pretty amazing how much the body can take in such a short period of time!!

One race down, 4 more to go.....Lanikai Sprint Triathlon is Sunday, so another tune-up race...more to come on that..

I'm really looking forward to the next 11 weeks leading up to the big day, so hope you continue to follow along

121

What's so special about that number you might ask?????

It's the number that showed up on my scale when I stepped on it about a week ago.....I couldn't believe it. I can't remember the last time I weighed anywhere close to that...The lbs just keep flowing off of me, so I've stepped up my eating to include more carbs to ensure I'm not tiring out during the workouts!!

For reference, last January, I weighed about 136 to 138 lbs...So, I've lost 15 to 17 lbs in the last year. Also, the lowest I've weighed since I started triathlon was 127 before my Half-Ironman in 2008. A year of running really leaned me out and the training is really taking my weight down. I feel great though and my run seems effortless, so bring on the weight loss....Only downside is I have to wear a belt with all of my shorts and nothing fits me anymore....

I'm starting to think there should be weight classes in Triathlon

I had my first Triathlon in almost 2 years on Sunday (March 20th). It was a short, Sprint Distance Triathlon (roughly 750 meter swim, 12 mile bike, 3.6 mile run). The triathlon is called Waterfront and it's notorious for some rough water, but flat and windy bike and run. I arrived about an hour before the race, set up my bike on the rack, and also my shoes, helmet, glasses, all in position for a fast transition. I was a little nervous about the swim, since it's been so long and it can be crazy hectic in the water. The water didn't look too rough as the waves weren't breaking, so I was thinking it might be better then expected....Well, I was wrong. Once I swam to the start, I realized the wind had picked up and it was very choppy. We were all churning in the water when the gun went off. I swam pretty hard to the first buoy and was doing alright until about 10 meters or so to the buoy. It was backed up with people trying to do the 180 around it, so you have to stop swimming and try to side swim or wade your way around it. As I reached the buoy, 2 rather large Military dudes decided to grab my shoulder and pull their way around me to move forward. At this point, I let out a "this isn't the expletive seal training, its a triathlon" and proceeded to move in the queue around the buoy. After this, I was able to start swimming better and finished pretty strong.

When I reached the transition area, my helmet and glasses were on the ground as someone must've knocked them off....go figure. I took my time, put on my cycling shoes, helmet, glasses, and was on my way. I pedaled strong but kept it in an easier gear to get the blood to flow to my legs from my arms. This paid off as I was able to pick up speed and pass some others later. Funny note here is I passed my friend Emily in the first few minutes of the ride even though she was part of a relay that started the swim 3 minutes after I did.....Her swimmer passed me in the water when starting 3 minutes later...I suck at swimming!!!

Anyhow, I jockeyed back and forth for position with some other riders that were pretty strong and finished the bike averaging 25.4 mph, which was good enough for 38th best bike on the day (as opposed to my 71st place swim..yikes!!!)

I pulled my feet out of my shoes while pedaling towards transition and didn't fall or crash my bike, so that was good. My transition times were slow but I expected that given I hadn't practiced them at all....

The run started into the wind and I pushed hard but tried to be smart and draft behind some of the guys that had transitioned faster then I did. This paid off as I was able to pass about 5 or 6 in the first half mile. I started to cramp a little as I took a gel in too close to the run, while on the bike, and had to hold my side while running for about a mile. I pushed through as I've gotten used to running with cramps and continued to pass people. The run seemed to last pretty long and I was glad to finally make it to the 2 mile mark. At about this time, I passed a kid, who turned out to be 14 years old, and told him "Good Job...and keep up the pace" and he jumped behind me and picked it up for a little while. It was great to see someone so young going so fast. He is going to be really good when he is older!!. As I headed down the final stretch, I noticed that I was catching the Women's 1st place racer. I put my head down and pushed to the finish. As I came around the corner, I saw the clock read 1:06:40 and sprinted to finish just under 1:07.

My final stats: 1:06:50. 23rd overall. 3rd in my Age Group!!! 4 minutes faster then my 2008 time, although I think the swim was shorter by about 2 mins, but a PR nonetheless!!! It's the first time that I've placed in my age group in a Triathlon and exciting to take home some hardware!!

3-Week Cycling Peak DONE!!

We just finished a 3-week cycling focused block of training where I averaged 160 miles per week. It was hard and tiring, but I made it through some really long rides feeling pretty good. My coach, Eric, scheduled some runs after the long rides and that helped build my confidence as I felt good and strong even after 4+ hours in the saddle. My new bike is really comfortable and helping out big time. My first run after a 70-mile ride was very fast and I felt great. Never before had my legs felt so fresh after a long ride. Just goes to show that my position on the new bike is really dialed in and I'm loving it. My shoulder and neck pain has mostly gone away due to the better position as well!!

We are moving right into a 3-week run focus, so looking forward to the reduced bike mileage and building up my running again!!

Braving the Water again

After swimming in pools for the majority of the first week after the sting, I finally had the courage to get back into the ocean with some help from my friend Emily!! We went to a different place, Ala Moana, and I put on my full wetsuit for protection.....The first couple hundred meters were a little terrifying, but I kept swimming all the way until I reached the 1,000 meter pole (about 20 mins of swimming). It felt like it took forever, but I made it and took a few deep breaths to relax and enjoy the water again. By the time I finished 2K, I was relaxed and glad to be back in the warm Hawaii waters....this was a big win for me as I need to spend alot of time swimming to get ready and the pool is sooooo boring!!

ATTACK of the MAN O WAR

Well, I was having a great week till I got stung today 20 yards or so from shore as I was finishing up my mile swim. I didn't even see the thing just felt the sting on my neck and back. I was swimming with my friend Emily and she went ahead and alerted the Lifeguard so that they had the Vinegar spray ready. I didn't know what stung me, but thought it was a jellyfish at first as I've never been stung before....Needless to say, things went downhill quickly.

I started to sweat and shake and felt cramping in my lower back, stomach, and legs. They put some warm packs on the stings to help compress it, but after about 20 mins decided to call an ambulance since I was still shaking. They loaded me up, which I've never been in one before, and ran some oxygen through me, an IV of saline since I was sweating and tried some benadryl (shot) as I had a bit of a tickle in my throat. After a few more minutes, the paramedic decided to give me the Epinephrine, more as a precaution since it sounded like my breathing was short because of the shivering. My body temp was 93 degrees which corresponds to the colder water and my body fighting the poisons. I ended up in ER with warm blankets and hot air being pumped in as I was still shivering a ton (in large part due to the Epinephrine shot which is like speed)...After about an hour, I stopped shaking and was feeling completely better. They also gave me some pepcid for my stomach. I walked out with Emily and Ann (who came to get me) about 1.5 - 2 hours afterward and felt fine. Crazy how quickly it came and went. Right now I'm taking it easy for the rest of today (even though they said I could train) and just really itchy. They have me on prednesone for a few days and benadryl for the itching...They are also giving me an EPI pen as a precautionary measure. My friend Emily, who was swimming with me, got stung on her arm on Tues and she went to the ER to get checked out as these things are nasty!! Attached are 2 photos of the sting, it got me close to my lymph nodes and that is probably why I had the reaction that I did....What a day!!!

Anyhow, I feel really good but could deal with the itching for some time based on what I've read online. The lifeguard thought it was a Man O War and based on the pics of other stings online, I agree. They tend to sting harder and last longer....GREAT!!!!

NEW BIKE!!!

My new Parlee TT just arrived on Monday as I returned from Vegas. It was like Christmas all over again on Tuesday as I unwrapped and re-assembled the bike. The assembly was more difficult then I had thought and I cracked the seat post collar in doing so. I was pretty p/o about it but they are sending me a new one as it just slips over the carbon frame. At least I didn't crack the frame!!!

The bike looks awesome and I rode 30 miles on Tuesday night. It was so much more comfortable then my Cervelo bike. No more sore shoulders, neck pain, and it felt really fast and fun to pedal. I'm looking forward to riding it again after a few tweaks to the handlebars.

I built the bike up with a custom paint job and it came out really SWEET!!!!

3-Week Cycling Block

Last week, I began a 3-week cycling focused block. I had to squeeze in 3 rides in 4 days as I was leaving for Vegas on Thursday for my 40th birthday celebration with Ann!! My plan was to ride 50 miles on Monday, and then split the remaining 70 on Weds/Thurs. I would also ride 20 miles on a bike in the gym in Vegas for a total of 140 MILES!!

MY LIFE FLASHED BEFORE MY EYES:

My first ride was the most interesting of the week. I felt good and my legs were strong that day. I started later then usual (about 10:00) and traffic was lighter then usual due to President's Day. Coming back, there is a climb that takes you to the top of Makapuu (named after the light house on the South Side of the island). Once you crest the climb, you drop down a steep hill that gets your speed up to 40 mph with hardly any pedaling....There is a walk/hike up to the light house, so the roads had cars on both sides. I noticed people running across the road, so I got on the brakes and slowed my role to about 25 mph. I also moved to the center of the road (as is common here) so that I wouldn't get hit by a door opening or people crossing. My eyes were focused on the left side watching for both. Out of the corner of my eye about 20 yards in front of me, a black SUV pulled an illegal U-Turn right in the middle of the road. The car was completely perpendicular to the hill and I had to slam on my brakes. My back wheel slid out a bit to the left which helped me get over to the right. Problem was, the SUV didn't stop coming across the road and left a very narrow gap between this and the cars parked on the left side of the road. Somehow, I clipped the SUV with my left front handlebars (on the top hood) and stayed upright. I have to believe my 10 years of cycling came into play to keep the bike up. I was perfectly fine and so was my bike, but I was livid!! I yelled and threw my hands up, but I don't think that guy even realized what happen. Hopefully, I put a nice long scratch or dent into his hood as a reminder of his stupidity. Needless to say, the rest of my ride was uneventful. I rode Weds/Thurs without incident as well. It's just a freak unexpected thing that goes to show how stupid drivers (and cyclists in some cases) can be. Always got to be on the lookout when riding on those streets!!!

This week, I'm riding 165 miles, and on my new bike, so looking forward to the change

Back in the saddle again!!

Love that song from Aerosmith.....I felt good enough to ride 40 miles followed by a 3 mile brick. My legs felt strong but my energy was lacking a bit as I rode with the Core group to Waimanalo and solo'd it back. All in all, I was pretty satisfied with the workout after 4 straight days of hanging on the couch!!

I also tried my new aerobottle - Torhans and it worked pretty well. It spilled some water out when I hit bumps so going to try to add my Profile Design sponge inside the cap to see if that insulates it better. I also tried out a new saddle, but put it too high so it wasn't comfortable. I fixed it when I got home so will try again this week. I have 3 rides planned 50/40/30 miles respectively to cram it all in before I leave Thursday for VEGAS BABY!!! Can't wait to celebrate my 40th in style!!!

My new Parlee TT is due in when I return so looking forward to that Birthday Present!! Pics to come when I get it!!!

Recovery Week - great time to get the flu

Well, I was looking forward to some rest and a little more relaxation this week, but had no idea it would be from the FLU!!! It hit me hard Monday night and I've been on the couch ever since. Just starting to feel good enough to eat a little on Wednesday and hoping to be able to do some training over the weekend!!

I'm just going to try and relax and hope my muscles and stomach recover....

Peak Week

Last week was my first true Peak Week of training: 115 miles cycling, 27 miles running, 5,500 yards swimming....and boy am I tired!!! Looking forward to the recovery week coming up.....The swimming is coming around slowly, the run feels good as always, and the bike is definitely starting to shape up. I rode a very wet and muddy 60 miles on Saturday....My hands and shoulder were really sore after because I was holding on for dear life....it's been awhile since I've pedaled in the rain and in a pace line (line of cyclists wheel to wheel drafting off of each other) no doubt....it was nerve racking but I made it through without incident and was able to stay with the group a little longer this time then last. My legs are starting to come around!!!

True Ironman Training

Thought I would share with you all a little picture that describes my Ironman Training to a "T"

1st Month's Training in the Books

Wow - time flies when you are having fun. With the first month finished, I'm starting to get used to my training schedule and this quasi-work thing that I have going on. I'm enjoying my time and the training. Each aspect (Swim, Bike, Run) is starting to come around even though I have alot of work ahead. The last 2 weeks, I've put together 60+ mile rides spanning from 3 - 3:30 hours. I've taken 2 - 3 hour naps after each ride which tells you how tired I was. I have a long way to go to build up my endurance and fortunately 5 more months to do it in!!

There were also a ton of changes in this month: Listed and Sold my House, had my going away parties with my staff, adjusted from 15 years of working 40+ hour weeks to more of a focus on training, moved and unpacked, and now getting used to living with Ann. It's been a great month all in all and I'm really excited about the future!

Week 3 - And the Wheels came off

Ok, so I'm really pretty excited about swimming again. I've been back on the bike for a couple of weeks now and don't really hate it at this point like I did back in 2009, and my run seems to be in pretty good shape following a lengthy layoff....Just when I was getting comfortable, I pulled a complete rookie move and BLEW UP MY LEGS!!!

I added a Tuesday ride of 35 miles after the morning swim with my friend Emily! Nice, steady pace just to get the distance in. Then, for some reason, on Thursday, I decided to follow my coach up Tantalus 2.5x. Now, if you recall from my 1st week's post, I could barely climb Tantalus once. Now, here I am trying to follow Eric up and down the mountain like I had been riding for awhile. Well, my legs were pretty spent, but it was a Thursday and I had 36 hours to recover before my next ride, so I thought no big deal. Yeah, well come Saturday, my 40 mile ride was quite interesting. I had absolutely no leg strength. I kept looking at my heart rate, my speed, and I couldn't figure out why I was going so SLOW!! I was quickly dropped from the group we rode with and was really tired at 20 miles. I could barely get up climbs that shouldn't take that much effort. I was very frustrated and left that day not wanting to ride again....cursed my old bike up and down all the way back for 20 miles while I was thinking....Why am I doing this again!!

Needless to say, after the week finished, I had increased my mileage by 25% from 75 to 100 miles and added seriously quality with the Tantalus rides.....Big ERROR.....It's okay to either add mileage or increase quality training, but to do both (and so early in the season) is a recipe for FRUSTRATION!!! I have since discussed with my coach and we have a new plan being developed to build up my endurance first, then focus on the speed and quality!! I feel alot better about my new schedule AND my new bike should be here in a week!!!!

House is SOLD!!

I was so fortunate to get a contract on my townhouse in the first week at just under list price AND it was a cash deal that closed today 2/2/11!!! I even made some money on the deal....the universe obviously wanted me to get out of there and move in with Ann....HA! HA!

It is such a relief to be rid of that Big mortgage payment and have the money in my account to live off of after severance!!! WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!

Week 2 - Getting my Water Wings

The second week of training was much more organized as I finally started to get a rhythm going...I felt pretty good on the bike and run (of course). The best decision I ever made was to finally buck up and get a swim coach!! Individualized attention is what I definitely need as I really, really hate to swim. I love being in the water, but it's so damn frustrating flopping around while others just cruise right through the water. On top of it all, the coaches give you all these drills to do, which are really hard and never made much sense or I just couldn't do them. My new swim coach, Chad, was awesome!! He watched me swim for about 5 minutes and gave me a quick understanding of what he saw and why we need to work on it. That 5 minutes connected 3 years of dots in the swim stroke. I liken a swim stroke to a golf swing....there are about 6 different things that have to go right to get a good swing on the ball and the same goes for swimming. You have to relax your arms, yet pull through with your muscles, shift your hips, and timing is critical. I knew that I was doing things wrong, I just didn't know how to fix them....I left with 3 new drills, a few dozen mouthfuls of salty sea water, and a newly revitalized outlook on swimming. Maybe it won't be so damn boring and I won't get pummeled in the race after all....If only I could be this lucky

IM Rookie - 1st Week Bike

I can't believe how different my triathlon bike rides after such a long layoff. It feels so foreign to be riding in aero position again. Everything hurts (butt, shoulders, neck) and 20 miles seems really, really long. In fact, I was commenting to a friend that I think a 20 mile run would be easier at this point!! I also rode Tantalus for the first time this week and it was BRUTAL. Tantalus is a nasty, switch-back, filled GOLIATH of a climb that lasts about 5 miles. It's right outside of downtown and has amazing views of the entire South Side of the island. Unfortunately, I was so focused on breathing that I didn't get much of a chance to enjoy it. Fortunately, there were some fellow triathletes that rode with me and helped me get up this climb. My balance feels off too as I had to descend much slower then usual....I was on the brakes so much that my forearms were locked by the time I finished the ride....On top of this, I almost fell over with the first pedal stroke as I couldn't click into my new pedals on the left side....Total IM ROOKIE!!!

IM Rookie - 1st Week Swim

My first week of training was quite the spectacle. It's the first time I've been on the bike or swam in about 18 months, and WOW it felt that way. My first swim was at Kaimana Beach with a triathlete group, BOCA, that I used to train with. One of the coaches hosts a free swim 2x a week and its a great way to get back into swim shape in a group setting! This may sound funny to those that live in cold weather, but it was freezing that first morning and I did not want to get in the water!! I showed up at 6:45 in a long sleeve shirt and sweat pants...The water was very cold and it took me a good 5 - 6 strokes to gain my breath back! Once I settled in, I swam out to the Wind Sock that denotes the channel. The waves were up that day and I had quite a ride getting out to the channel. At one point, I felt a little sea sick as I kept bobbing up and down with each wave that came in. This feeling turned into a bit of fear as I turned and swam back towards the beach and was swept up by the waves. I was body surfing all the way back and it turned out to be fun (when there wasn't a rock in the way)....We finished the swim with some drills and I was so out of breath that I thought about swimming back in to shore...After I figured out that I wouldn't drown, I man'd up and stayed out there to finish the workout. By the time I got back to shore, I was dizzy and tired.....Welcome Back to Triathlon, ROOKIE!!