Anticipation

The last week and this coming week have been relatively light schedules as far as my training goes.  This is being done as preparation for my next event.  This will be my last event in this brutal stretch of 30 days.  When finished, I will have done a 1/2 marathon, an Olympic Tri, a 5k race and then a half Ironman.  In terms of miles in races I will have swam 2.2 miles, run 29.3 miles, and biked  82.  The scary part is that near in some events but overall it is less than what I will attempt to do in one day with the full Ironman. I will get to that later.  Where as these events have buoyed my confidence somewhat based on my performances I sit here now at the cusp of my biggest test.  This weekend will be my first half Ironman race distance.  It will be the Toughman in my home town of Richmond. This will be a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run.   Am I ready?  No.  Should I be? No.  This may seem strange and kind of ignorant but it is not unusual for endurance sports.  Most athletes prepare their season by choosing races and then classifying them with a letter from A-D.  Louisville is obviously an "A" race for me.  The 5k from over a week ago is probably a D.  This race will be a C. This does not mean I go into it without any effort or that I will just lay down. It means that I have not focused or fully prepared for a top performance.  The focus for the race will be on a few areas so that I may check my race plans for later in the year.  I will be checking my nutrition to see how I feel, if the process for intake works OK and lastly I will be looking at how I feel in the race.  I will be seeing where it was good and where my challenges are.  This will allow us to dial in my training even further to address my needs.  I guess you could consider this to be similar to an inter squad scrimmage in terms of team sports.  Go out and play hard, work on some things, change it up if its not working and above all else don't get hurt.  Even with this more laid back approach I do not rest will well.  The unknown of not having done these distances together yet eats at me. What I do know is how I feel after doing each individually.  The thought of the others done in succession takes me back a bit.  The part I must accept is that this is not going to be pleasant at times in the race even if it was my "A" race.  To coin the military phrase you need to "embrace the suck".  Its those parts that will give you the true test of your ability and fitness while testing the one thing that can be the most critical, your mind. In a little over 100 hours from now ......

Not so easy Sunday morning

This past weekend was full of fun.  It was a true testament to the fact that training is not always boring and lacks enjoyment.  Saturday was the Geist 5k.  This has become a family tradition for us.  It is a race that nearly goes by our front door.  This year it was a training run for me, the first run after the mini for my wife, my son was running with his school running club, and my daughter was running with her whole swim team.  Its a rarity that you get to participate in a race so close to home with 3000 people of  which many are good friends and neighbors along with many of the same cheering you on along the way.. This is also the race that began my participation in endurance events 5 years ago.  Back then, I had never run that far continuously, I was rather anxious, I was way out of shape, and I struggled to finish at 31 minutes and 35 seconds.  I was deservedly razzed by my family for being last in our family.  Fast forward to 2012 and what a difference 5 years makes.  My attitude for this race was very laid back and festive.  This was going to be a run for fun where I would use it as just part of my current training plan.  I wanted to just soak up the atmosphere. The kids were gathered with their buddies at the start and my wife and I were starting together near other acquaintances.  We were off.  I felt great and decided to go ahead and lay it down.  I ran well and felt strong.  I crossed the line at 22:18.  It was a PR for me for this race and a 5k.  The 7:10/mile pace is nearly 3 minutes faster per mile than my first year.  I would have never imagined I could do that back then. The whole family did well and it was enjoyable to reunite at the finish with those same neighbors and friends to compare our race stories.

Sunday had a 2 hour ride scheduled followed by a run off the bike for 30 minutes.  Some teammates posted Saturday that they would be doing nearly the same workout as a group.  I was in.  So were many others.  We rolled out Saturday early AM with about 10 of us working it together.  The weather was near ideal with sunny skies, temperatures in the high 60's, and no wind.  The roads were peaceful and absent of significant traffic.  Our ride was to include some easy riding and some all out efforts for set time periods.  The group as a whole seemed energized by the morning.  The all outs were hard pushes with each of us laying it out to drive each other more than what is possible on a solo ride.  We would regroup on the easy sections and rotate around and chat each other up about the ride, recent races, plans for the seasons, news in their family and how well the ride was going.  after 2 1/2 hours of riding we dropped the bikes off at organizers house and headed out for some running.  We clipped out 4 miles.  It was not an easy run as the temps had risen to unfamiliar levels thus far and each of us was paying a bit for the hard ride and the previous day's efforts.  However, it would not dampen our lively spirits after such an inspiring morning.  We quickly convened at the end and shared our thanks and goodbyes.  We were all off to our families for the remaining activities for the weekend feeling a little weary but feeling good.

Chilled to the bone

Some of you may be wondering if this blog is more of a weather report than about training for an Ironman.  I wish the later was more true but the first continues to have significant influence so it would be tough to omit.  Last weekend was no exception.  Saturday was my first Olympic tri of the year. It is a mile open-water swim, 26 mile bike and 10k run in Muncie Indiana at the same site I will do my second half Ironman in July.  When I was writing my blog last week, the forecast was not great but manageable.  It was for a low in the mid 50's and sunny with highs in the mid 60's.  The warmer weather of late had also begun to rise the reservoir water temps day by day.  Early on Friday it all began to change.  The forecast went to lows around 50 and sunny. Unfortunately late week rains and lower temps had halted the water temperature rise.  Late  Friday evening just before bed I was building contingencies into my race gear.  I was adding layers and items to help deal with what may develop.
I awoke Saturday at 5AM.  Call me a little crazy or obsessed but my morning alarm is my clock radio that plays the National Weather Service forecast loop.  My defense is that so much of my activity is so strongly weather dependent I need to know what is at hand so that I may dress and plan my workouts accordingly.  That morning I took a double take.  The temperature was 43 with winds NW at 10-15 and the forecast was for highs of only 50 and mostly cloudy.  The last real kicker was the report of light rain.  You have to be kidding me!  I think I even shivered at this point. 
I headed to Muncie with some hope and optimism that it might improve.  Upon arrival, the weather was still partly to mostly crappy with a forecast of much the same.  The mood of the participants was one of dismay and betrayal.  As I stood in line to check in the announcement came that the water temperature was currently 61.7 degrees.  In air temperature standards that does not sound bad but for water its is brutal.  For a reference take a shower and leave it on full cold and stand in it for a half hour.  Needless to say the day was not off to a good start.  Along with the cool temps the misty rain continued.  It was just enough moisture to make it a pain.  Bike is wet. Clothes are wet. Everything is muddy and cruddy.  As I prepped for the race I could not keep the cold from creeping in.  By the time we got to the start which they delayed a half hour in some hope of a slight warm up, all of us were already shivering.  I would be swimming in a wetsuit but when I had bought my suit I had gone with the sleeveless version as an option to keep your shoulders more free and in Indiana the water temps don't really demand full sleeves. Dang it.  The race started and when I hit the water I had expected the cold but just not that cold.  Wow, this was gonna be a long swim.  It was.  This was in part due to the fact of the strong winds were making it challenge to hold good lines and on my way back to the shore I was sighting off of observer kayaks.  This was a mistake as they were blown well off the course due to the winds.  Therefore, I got in at least a couple extra yards for good measure.  As I exited the water I saw two fellow competitors I should have been a couple minutes ahead of based off of previous swims against them.  This was not adding to my day.  This course provides a pretty long run to the first transition. Its about a quarter mile all up a slight hill.  I knew I was cold as I really never warmed up at all in the swim.  In fact I think I went through numbness and on to cold again.  Therefore I went for added layers to bike in.  I added a long sleeve jersey, socks, calf sleeves and gloves.  This paid huge dividends.  The ride was not pleasant and I was cold the whole ride but I am not sure I could have made it without those items.  One issue I faced was that with the gloves, I could not eat or take salt pills on my ride.  Despite my need to do so I had no hunger or thirst.  I may have drank 10 ozs of my planned 80.  The bike went fairly well though and I ended with a 22.2 average.  Coming off of the bike I new it would be a challenge. I had held back a bit during the ride to try and assure my legs would cooperate with my running.   As I finished the bike I was perplexed on what I should wear to run in.  After the race I learned several participants actually rode and ran in their wetsuits.  These were actually some top finishers too.  I decided to gut it out and just go with my tri kit (bike shorts and sleeveless tight jersey) and my running gloves.  Not sure why I chose the gloves other than as built in handkerchiefs.  In retrospective it had to be a bit of a goofy look.  The run was challenging the first 2 miles as I could not feel my feet except for the very center of them at the pressure point of my bike pedals.  The run actually went fairly well with an 8:17 average on a rather rolling course.  Despite, what was a miserable feeling race it produced good results.  I was 16 minutes ahead of my time from last years race.  I had improved in all areas except my transition one where I was slowed drastically to dress for winter conditions.  The only warm spot was a 3rd pace(podium) finish in my age group.  The bad part was everyone was long gone by the time they got to awards.    As I drove home I could not get warm.  The chilled feeling persisted through the next day.  It was so bad that I just skipped Sunday's planned ride and run.  I just could not go back out in the blowing cold air with the way I felt.  Monday, I was back at the pool and on a run with a  warmer disposition and it felt good.  It has to warm up at some point.  My fear is that this lost training time in warmer temperatures will not get me conditioned well for the inevitable heat of the Louisville Ironman. Time is still there to do so but I would prefer to begin this sooner than later.  For now, I concentrate on my frist half Ironman in just over 2 weeks.

The difference a year makes

As I indicated last week, Saturday was the Indy mini marathon(13.1 miles).  It's the nations largest half marathon right here in Indianapolis.  For me this is kinda of a worrisome race as this is the longest race distance I have done.  I always seemed challenged after 10 miles or so.  In 2012 it was not a good performance for me at all.  I found my self very fatigued, over heated, and aching to the point that I did walk briefly in a couple stints.  I ended up finishing at 2 hours 13 minutes with a 10 min 10 second(10:10) per mile average.  I know a couple factors had great effects.  The weather was very warm at near 80 and the humidity was high at just over 95%.  The last three miles had had heavy carnage of many runners down and out needing medical attention. So I was not alone in my suffering.  Additionally, I did not hydrate well enough or use as good as nutrition as I needed. Lessons learned.

This year was a whole new deal.  My race plan and training was dialed in.  My nutrition was solid and well practiced.  The weather was in the high 50's with a slight east breeze that would make the home stretch a challenge.  All in all I felt confident but 2012 hung in the back of mind.  The mass start of this race is quite encompassing.  We were seeded in coral E of A-Z.  It took us about 2 minutes and 20 seconds just to cross the start.  The first few miles are always rather hectic as you try to get spread out and settle into you pace.  My first 3 miles felt good and my pace was ahead of plan with a  8:10/mile pace.  I felt good, heart rate was comfortable, and no issues.  I stuck to my plan.  My middle half was good too.  I settled well into an 8:20 pace still feeling comfortable, strong, and composed.  In this race you run an actual lap lap of the track.  Even though you cross the bricks at the 8 mile mark which is over half most say that its a two part race.  That start finish line defines the two half's.  That second half is the one that spells demise.  Along with that, running on the track is very different from any surface you will normally run.  First is the vastness and solitude of the place except for the snaking line of people trudging through.  It is eerily weird.  Next is the subtle angles.  In math terms the track is flat with only a 9% grade.  Those two miles of running at the leaned angle gets to you.  Yet lastly the scenery is way cool especially being the fan that I am.  Fortunately my track session was solid. Unlike last year where it was here that it began to unravel.  I actually had a very pleasant run right down the straight away with an ex-neighbor. We chatted things up to catch up on him since he had moved.  Exiting the track brings you back to reality and squarely pushes the task at hand in your face.  Again, my pace an plan held and was feeling good with a bit of worry that maybe I was taking it a little to easy.  Yet, I wanted to be sure there was no near-end debacle.  Shy of mile 11, an Ironman training partner whom I had rode with and started the race with ran along side and asked if I was ready "to kick it".  He was moving at a solid and faster pace so we began our push.  The last two miles were challenging.  The wind was now in our face.  The toll of the distance was now creeping in.  We were pushing hard.  We were now at a 7:50's pace.  The kick held the whole way with me finishing at 1 hour 47 minutes and 53 seconds.  It was a 26 minute improvement over last year.  My pace per mile was 2 minutes less.  Not only was the time better but my physical recovery was so much better.  Besides some knee aches my legs felt really good and my energy bounced back quickly.  In two days times I was unaware of any lingering issues.  My doubts were subsided but as I came down that home stretch it did come to me that in the Ironman this will be only half way.  Oh, and don't forget a little swim and bike thing that will happen before you even begin to run.  So I will take the progress and continue to bear down on progressing.