Post Season Update

Well, here we are in December already. How’d that happen so fast? Since my last post I was sick, I fell on my face while running and had a sweet black eye for a few weeks. I did Ironman AZ, and now I am counting down the days until we leave for Dubai. That’s the last few months summed up. Here are a few details:

Pre Ironman:
Training was going great until I got sick on what was supposed to be my biggest week of training. I was on the couch for 4 days and wasn’t fully recovered for about 10 days. I managed to scrap together the last couple weeks of training though and was in decent run and bike shape leading into my taper. 10 days out from the race I did my last long run in the dark. I didn’t see the large lip in the sidewalk and managed to land eye first. After much blood, swelling, and swearing I made it back to the car with Rob’s help. My eye swelled up pretty good and the scab that formed prevented me from wearing goggles. So I missed the last 4 swims workouts prior to the race.

Race Time:
Even with all of this drama I felt confident race week. I had a race plan and was looking forward to see how the run was going feel. My goals going in were to nail the nutrition on the bike and continue it on the run, hoping I would be able to crank out a good run split. I was thinking I could go about 3hrs 40 mins if I was feeling good. I wasn’t sure what would happen on the swim. I had a new wetsuit that I had never swam in and I felt like I was in terrible swim shape. Overall the swim went ok. It was very physical and I felt like I was always fighting somebody off. Overall time of 1:06 and change was about a minute off of my PR, so I can’t complain too much about that.
The bike went about as I had planned. I was able to ride good the first lap but my watts fell off on the second lap with the strong headwind on the way out. The wind shifted on the 3rd lap and I was able to recover some of the lost time. Overall I was never really comfortable on the bike. My IT bands were tight and low back was sore. That’s the problem with this course though. It’s like riding on your trainer. Since it so flat you rarely get up out of the aero position. That’s why I like the Canada and Wisconsin courses more I think. But overall I was happy with a 5:03. It was a 27 min on this course. Granted conditions this year were much better than last year.
Onto the run I felt dynamite. Legs felt fresh, HR was in check. I was running about 20 seconds per mile slower than I thought I would but after a few miles I settled in. On the second lap I started to loose a little steam but most of it was mental I think. My legs still felt good and my HR was still in zone 2. My stomach felt good so I started asking myself what’s the issue here? I couldn’t come up with one so I forced myself to pick it up. I ran by Dave at mile 13 and he told me to start picking it up at mile 16. At mile 19 Ann and Jen were yelling at me. Telling me if I didn’t run 8:20’s I wouldn’t break 10 hrs. I gave them a thumbs up but thought “there’s no way I can run that for 7 miles”. At mile 20 I decided to pick it up and see what happens. I managed to run 7:35 pace the last 6 miles and it felt great. That’s my biggest area of improvement I think. I need to push through the mental part that tends to get me at about mile 9 through 18. The other area of improvement is to actually stop at special needs on the run. I ran right by it and didn’t even realize it until about a mile later. So I did the only thing I could do. I called myself a dip shit and laughed. I would just have to take gu from the aid stations until I ran back by special needs at mile 20. It all worked out. That’s one the big keys to long course racing, dealing with adversity calmly. If you think of all of the things that might go wrong ahead of time and make a plan then when shit hits the fan you’ll be prepared. Running the last quarter mile I didn’t know what the total race time was but I knew I pushing the 10 hr mark. I rounded the corner to the finish line and saw 10:00:55 and for a second I was disappointed. I crossed in 10:01:21 and was stoked. Mostly because I felt great and I actually ran the marathon. It was a huge break though for me and all of the goals I had set for the race had been accomplished… except for the one about breaking 10hrs.

Post Race:
The Monday morning after the race we headed to Vegas. We had a great trip and did our part to support the local economy. Since then Coach Dave has had me on a no workout regimen. This is a 4 week ban on workouts to allow for recovery before the 8 month build to IM Canada in August. I have high hopes for this race. I’m planning to be pretty focused on preparing for it, much more so then I’ve been in the past. I am finally starting to realize the level of effort I’m going to need to put into training to really get the results I want. The best part is I am finally excited about doing them again.
Next up is Dubai for Christmas to visit Garren and Jen. Other then the super long flight it should be a great trip.

Redefining Willy T.

7 weeks until IM AZ and things are progressing well. Since my last post I have made a few key changes in my training. Since late 2006 I have been working with Scott McMillan (Factor9 Coaching). Prior to working with Scott I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Scott really helped me progress my fitness and get me to a level I never thought I was capable of. I decided after doing the Hulaman Half IM in August that it was time to mix things up a bit. After almost 3 years I felt like it was time to go it on my own. At the time I had made this decision I hadn’t signed up for AZ. My plan was to do Cyclocross this year and maybe a winter marathon. Once I decided to do AZ the task of self coaching became a little overwhelming. I started talking with Dave C. (Summit Coaching and head of our tri team). He and some of his other athletes were also doing AZ (they are actually the one’s that peer pressured me into doing it :), you know who you are!) so he offered to take me on as well. This seemed like a great opportunity to try some new methods and work with someone that I train with on a regular basis with anyway. Also, to be on the same plan as those I was training with makes training for an Ironman much more appealing, especially this late in the season.
My last race before AZ was this last weekend up in Washington at the Black Diamond Half Ironman. A couple of weeks ago I had lactate testing done (nothing to do with breast milk) to determine what my power ranges on the bike are. Dave worked these numbers into a race plan and all I had to do was execute. The race went very well (7 min PR) and I have never felt so strong at the end of a half Ironman. Needless to say this is a huge confidence building leading up to AZ. In past races my plan had always been to go out and push the bike as hard as I could then hang on for the run. This always resulted in a miserable 13 miles, and made it hard to get excited about racing because I knew how much it was going to hurt. By holding back on the bike a bit I felt great on the run. I was actually able to catch someone and pass them. That never happens. But this does mean swallowing my pride a bit and letting go of this thing I have about proving myself on the bike. This where Willy T. comes in. Willy T was my racing alias in a few events this year. Willy’s key strength is the bike. He is proud of this and does things like wears gold bike shoes, and talks about himself in the 3rd person. Some may confuse his confidence with cocky-ness. He’s a bit of a show boater. Sure it’s nice to have a solid bike time, but it does get a little tarnished when you can’t back it up on the run. So Willy is learning it’s more about balance across all three disciplines. Sure that sounds obvious, but he’s a slow learner. It’s hard to find that fine line of pushing your area of strength up to the point that it doesn’t affect your areas of weakness. Every race is different too. The course, the conditions, you just never know. I guess that’s what keeps it interesting… Willy T plans to make one last appearance at AZ this year before going into retirement.

What else is new??? We booked a trip to Dubai to visit Garren and Jen in December. This is a huge trip for us since the farthest we have ever flown is to Florida. Our flight from Atlanta to Dubai is direct and I think takes 15 hours? Maybe 12? I can’t remember, but it’s a really long time. I can’t wait though. I think it’s going to be an amazing experience and a great opportunity to see where Garren and Jen are living. Should be a great trip!

Famous Last Words

Quick catch up since Boise... Two weeks after Boise half IM I made the last minute call to jump in on Pac Crest half IM. I thought it would be fun to give it a go with no minimal prep and no expectations. It went ok; the altitude was a major factor for me. The bike course climbs up near Mt. Bachelor to I think around 6700 ft? Not positive about that, but the air sure felt thin. The best part about the day was running pain free. No more calf issues! But due to heat, dehydration and altitude I ran 8:00 min pace with my HR in upper zone 5 for the entire run. A little frustrating but at least I know now that I can hold that HR for that long. Overall it was a great learning experience.

Last weekend was Hagg lake Olympic. Known for its rolling terrain, it is a challenging course as well. With the last 6 weeks being tapper, race, recover, repeat, I wasn't sure how this race would go. The week leading up was busy at work and I was feeling like crap. In that past this usually leads to a pretty good race. I haven't figured that one out yet... The race itself went much better then I expected. My swim is still much slower then last year but the bike felt great. With my current lack of run fitness due to the calf issue, things went better on the hilly run then I thought they would. Overall I was pretty happy with 4th OA and first place AG.

As for the famous last words... those would be "I will never race AZ Ironman again!!" I've stated this on many occasions and I have to say I was pretty convincing. I even believed myself. Well, "never" appears to fall on November 21st 2009. I wasn't planning to do it but over the course of this week I have changed my mind. There are some major things that I have never nailed down when it comes to the long course racing and training. The biggest is the nutrition during the race. This is perhaps the biggest issue I have, and the biggest thing slowing me down. My goal for IMAZ is to focus on this in training and figure it out once and for all. Other things like pushing myself mentally, racing the swim, and improving my general day to day nutrition are all things I am making progress on this year. Well, ok so my swim times don't reflect that but I feel like I'm being more strategic. In addition to all of these things I just want to enjoy it. No expectations other then that. If my main goal is to nail the nutrition then everything else should fall into place. Oh ya, and there is the quick trip to Vegas on the way home after the race. Not that I considered that when making my decision. Well, maybe a little.

Boise 70.3

With no full Ironmans planned this year, Boise had been my focus through all of the early training. I have had some break throughs this year with my running, and my bike fitness has remained consistent with what it was late last season. Swimming has been a mystery though with some recent visits to Dennis Baker for feedback. He had given areas to focus on, and much like golf you get worse before you get better. At least for me anyway. So really for the last month my swimming has been improving, but I still have a lot of work to do. With all of that being said I was pretty confident that if all went well on race day I would have a good shot at the podium.

Thanks to technology (Facebook) most are aware of the drama that occurred during the two weeks leading up to the race. Two weeks out I wrecked on my bike coming down Logie (steep descent in the West Hills) and cracked my frame on my TT bike. I loved that bike. Athlete’s lounge quickly hooked me up with a new frame and had me rolling again within two days. In an effort to get dialed in on the new bike I went for a fitting. The new bike (Scott Plasma 2) has a solid carbon seat mast that is “cut to fit”. During the process of getting fit the seat mast was accidently cut too short rendering my new frame useless (at least for me). The fitter took full responsibility for the error and replaced the frame as quickly as he could. I picked up my bike (second new frame) the night before we left for Boise. The other piece that made this race a challenge was the tweaked calf I was trying to fix the week leading up. I had run some intervals with a few guys that are much stronger runners then I and it resulted in a very angry calf (leg muscle, not baby cow). I don’t remember the names of the tendons I pissed off but they apparently play a big role in one’s ability to run. I rested the calf for four days and tried a short easy run on Tuesday before the race. The first 2 miles felt great no pain… but then it went and I had to walk it in. Frustrated and desperate I went in for one last round of electro-stimulus and ultra sound treatment before heading to the race. My next run wouldn’t take place until I came off the bike in T2.

Through all of this I was all over the place emotionally. At first with all of the bike issues I was ready to call it quits with this race and even triathlon. At times I was questioning why I was wasting all of this time, energy, and money on a hobby. Hobbies are supposed to be fun and this wasn’t fun anymore. Fortunately Jen is around to talk me down when I throw my pity parties. By the time we left for the race I was pissed, but in a good way. I had decided that I was going to run until I ether finished or my leg physically came off. So off to Boise we went.

The race went pretty much like the weeks leading up. The conditions were perfect until 10 mins before I started. The winds picked up as a storm moved in. The white caps formed and the swim felt like I was in a washing machine. I started at the front and was quickly passed by a good size group. Between the wind and the rescue boats the swells were large. It made it challenging to stay on the feet of those around me. After dumping out the goggles a few times and throwing up a little frm taking in large amounts of water, I was finally in a groove. Out of the water I felt good about my level of focus and my form. I was a little surprised at my time when I glanced at my watch. I was pretty disappointed with my 39 min swim but was able to move past it and keep the focus on T1. With the long run to the bike I could feel the calf already. I tried to ignore the tightness but I knew it was there in the back of my mind.

The bike was a combination of thunder, lighting, hail, and intense down pours of rain. It was pretty intense, but I was feeling really good. With only having ridden 10 miles on the bike prior to the race it felt like I had been ridding this bike for years. I’m still amazed at how comfortable it is. The bike went by fast due to how much focus was needed to maintain my watt avg in such challenging conditions. Overall I biked what I thought I could on a good day so I’m encouraged with how I did given the conditions. This is the first long course race I’ve done where no one passed me on the bike. It did help though that the 26 through 34 year olds started in waves before me… But still… :)

Off the bike into T2 I felt great. Feet where numb and I was soaked and cold. But I started the run feeling strong. I held back on the first mile and kept the pace steady to allow my calf time to warm up. First mile was a 7:02 with my HR avg in the low 150’s. My plan was to slowly pick it up and go for it at mile 6. At mile 2, just like on my last run, the shooting pain hit. From the back of my knee to my Achilles. I slowed a bit and shortened my stride. I focused on running and not limping. I knew if over compensated then other things would start to hurt. I found I was able to hold my pace at about 7:15 to 7:20 without the pain getting worse. When I tried to increase my turn over though or lengthen my stride I noticed I would start to limp, which hurt even more. I kept this pace up until about mile 10. That’s when two guys in my age group passed me. I watched them run away and decided to pick it up. I was able to run the last 3 miles at just over 7 min pace and caught 3 guys in my age group along the way.

Overall I finished 9th in my age group. With a faster run split I would have had a shot at a podium spot but based on everything that happened along the way I’ll take a PR. I also decided to grab a roll down spot to Clearwater. I had told myself prior that I wouldn’t take a roll down, but I felt like I had earned this one. Overall I’m happy with how I managed the pain in the race and was able to keep my focus. In the past I have struggled with this in long course races. I’ve come out of this experience with a renewed appreciation for the sport. Not only because of the places it takes me emotionally, but also because of the amazing people I have met along the way. I think the best part of this race was having so many close friends there experiencing the same things. Everyone has a different perspective and their own set of challenges, and everyone overcame them successfully. For me the biggest difference this season over previous is my confidence level. I’ve never been a confident person and I think it’s a very hard characteristic to learn. As I’ve tried to become more confident I’m always worried that it is going to come off as cocky. I’m finally starting to realize though that confidence is something that you have to build over time and is the result of reaching goals through hard work and determination. I’ve already accomplished so much more then I thought I could 5 years ago. It makes me want to work harder and learn more to see what I can do over the next 5 years and beyond.
Shout outs:

- My Jenny… 37 min PR? Unbelievable! Her focus and determination this year has amazed me and has kept me on track as well. I am excited to see all of that hard work pay off.
- First timers: Anne B, Taylor B, Stacy S. (I think that’s everyone) Congrats! Strong work on such a tough day. It was cool to be a part of it.
- Chris V!!! I’m glad you’re back on the horse… literally and figuratively. (please upload the picture soon)
- Ann C and Gio. Best cheerleaders ever, but I’m looking forward to you guys racing again soon.
- Dave C. thanks for all of the advice and for letting me be your step athlete. 16 seconds on the bike… bastard!
- Folske, thanks for kicking my ass all winter in the west hills. I hated you then, but I’m loving you now.
- All of the other Ironheads: It’s motivating to see so many friends on the course. Nice work out there.

How's it going?

Wow, it’s amazing how time flies. A quick catch up from the last few months: We’ve done a few races so far this year. I did the Jack Frost TT in February. We did the Shamrock run 8K, Race for the Roses Half Marathon, and the HF Sprint Tri. So far Jen and I have had good races with new PR’s at each event. Our next big event is the Boise Half Ironman on June 13th. Since I’m not doing a full Ironman this year this race has become one of my key races. So far my running and biking are on track. My swimming… Well, it’s a work in progress. I started going to see a swim coach, Dennis Baker. He has me working on some key elements of my stroke. Unfortunately these are things that my mind wants to change but my body doesn’t. I am learning how uncoordinated I really am. But with some patience I’m sure things will come around. The question is will they come around before Boise… We’ll see.
Other then training it’s just been work. No new cars, only two new bikes this year Jen got a new Scott Plasma 2 Limited TT bike. It’s a sweet looking bike that has become a permanent fixture in the living room. I upgraded my road bike to a Scott Addict R3. Now I need to get in on some road races this summer after Boise. This is the other advantage to no Ironman this year I can try some new stuff. Next month the short track Mt. bike races start up at PIR, so I think I’ll give that a go. I think this will also be the year for me to try Cyclo-cross. I’ve been putting it off for two years now. It’s time to man up. I’ve also been kicking around jumping in on the Portland Marathon. It would be nice to grab that Boston spot early so I could get signed up and not have to worry about it this winter. Who knows, depending on how Boise goes I may take a spot for the 70.3 championships in Clearwater FL if I qualify. So many options, so little time.
No new updates other then that. Life has been pretty mellow at the Thompsons’. Today is our 13th wedding anniversary though. Talk about time flying! What are our plans for tonight you ask? How about 3 by 12 minute threshold hill repeats on the bike up Old Germantown road. We are saving the real date night until this weekend when we can really enjoy it. Not the all out hill repeats aren’t romantic.
Well, I guess that’s all for now. I’ll try to check in more frequently since we have a lot of fun stuff coming up in the next couple of months.

The best I can do

Once again it’s been a while. I think now that I’m on Facebook I don’t want to talk about myself too much. That’s probably why my updates here are so few and far between. What’s new? Well, work is finally slowing down. It’s been a busy two months, but things should be much calmer until mid summer. Even with the increase in work I’ve managed to keep up the training. This has required 5 days a week of morning workouts, but I’m adjusting. I am actually enjoying it. Granted I don’t have to be out the door to workout until 6:30, but it is nice to get in a workout first thing. If I had to be up any earlier it probably wouldn’t be happening. The new job is still exceeding expectations. Even with how busy I’ve been I love the environment, the people and even the job responsibilities. I just hope I can survive the recession… So far no talk of any cut backs, but these days you never know.

On the racing front, last weekend was the first racing I’ve done this season. Saturday we went up to Mt. Hood for a snow shoe event. It was a “Race For the Cure” type event on snow shoes. There was a 3k race and a 5k hike. It worked out so I was able to do the race and finish in time to do the hike as well. The race was pretty small with only about 15 people. They promoted it as a fun run but they still awarded 1st through 3rd with prizes. I managed 2nd, which I’m ok with since my snow shows are pretty big. Not the easiest thing to run in. I managed a 6:24 pace 3k and won a free pair of shoes. After the hike we headed up to Timberline with the Perkins for a beer and some lunch. It was nice to get out of the normal “long ride Saturday, long run Sunday” routine.
Sunday was the Jack Frost Time Trial at Vancouver Lake. It is a 20k out and back bike race. The weather turned out to be much better then expected with only a moderate east wind during the race. It’s hard to complain about that in late February. I’ve been anxious about this race because I had no idea where my fitness really was. It’s hard for me to tell in the winter since there are so many factors working against you in training this time of year. With cold temps, wet weather and layers of cloths it tough to get an accurate read on fitness. Overall the race went well. I felt great going out with the tail wind and was ahead of what I projected half way through. On the way back though the head wind was stronger then I thought it would be so I was quickly nearing max HR with 6 miles to go. With a lot of grunting, snot and drool I managed to maintain my effort level and finished 2nd in Cat 4. I tried to up to Cat 3 prior to the race but they wouldn’t let me. You have to earn a move to cat 3 which makes sense. But in this case had I been in Cat 3 I would have gotten first. Not really a big deal though. It was really the time I was shooting for. I really wanted to go under 28 mins and I managed a 27:47, so goal accomplished. Next race is Banana Belt road race then the Shamrock run 8k. I love racing again!!

I promise I'll try to be a better blogger.

First off – Happy New Year! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, obviously. We survived the holidays and the “Arctic Blast 2008” which brought 15” of snow. I’ve plunged into the new job head first and am adjusting to the new routine. So, all and all things are going well. The only downer news is our cat Chief had to be put to sleep. He was almost 14 and suffered from thyroid problems. Over the last 6 weeks he really went down hill and wasn’t living a very dignified life anymore. We took him into the vet and they agreed that it was probably time. Chief and I have never really gotten along. He was very head strong, as most cats are, and so am I. We had our struggles over the years, but we were family. I had always joked about taking him to the woods to party with coyotes, or giving him away as a gift as Christmas. But when it actually came time to make the decision to have him put to sleep I struggled. That is not an easy call to make. I don’t feel like I should have that kind of power over anything more then a fly or a spider. But we did it and I am glad that he is not suffering anymore. He lived a good life and was there with us through a lot. We got him before we even lived together. It’s strange now that he’s not around bugging me like he always has. The house is much quieter now, and I miss him a lot more then I thought I would.

As far as training goes, I’m hopefully getting back on track. Between the tendon issues, the weather, and a really good chest cold, I am way behind where I had hoped to be at this point. But this week is starting out good. I’ve started swimming in the morning and it is going very well so far. Due to work being busy most workouts have to happen before or after work. Only the occasional lunch time run is possible at this point. But I have options and if I plan ahead it seems to work out. So as long I am organized and motivated I should be able to get back into shape soon.