Out of my comfort zone

This last weekend I entered into a sport I know nothing about. I went to the local Fly Fishing shop and picked up a rod and reel. Now I know how those folks that come into the Tri shop and look around like they are completely lost. I had no idea what most of the items in that store were for. I promptly signed up for a two day class in June so I could hopefully get some idea what I was supposed to do with my new toys. I think it will be a good outlet this summer on those light training days leading up to Ironman Canada.

On Sunday I did a Olympic distance race in Eugene called the Duck Bill Thrill. It was put on by the U of O tri team. It was a small but very well run event. The course was great, but WOW the water was cold. I never think to bring a swim cap to races since I never swim in one when I train and they typically provide one at the race. Big mistake on my part! The water at best was low to mid 50's. I jumped in to warm up and my head started pounding. I returned to shore and had doubts about if I could do the full distance or not. Once into the race (2 lap swim) I was seeing stars and trying to ignore the shooting pains in my temples. By the second lap my head was numb, unfortunately so were my feet and my arches were starting to cramp. I tried to focus on my form and made, unfortunately much slower then I would have liked. When I checked my watch (30:14) I figured the course was a little long in addition to me being slow. T1 was pretty quick considering how cold and disoriented I was. Once on the bike I started to warm up. I quickly started catching all of those swimers that smoked me in the water. My HR quickly came up to zone 5 and it felt easy to and comfortable to hold it there. It seemed I always had someone in my sights and I think this helped me to push the entire bike. I ended up with the fastest split by almost 3 minutes. T2 was also quick, but I had zero feeling in my feet. As I started running out of T2 the same guy passed me that had passed me at the HF sprint ("shirtless guy"). He had a shirt on this time though. He was the first of 4 to pass me on the run. My legs were just not there. I did catch one guy though, every little bit helps! I ended up 8th overall and 3rd in my age group. I was 2nd until the last 0.2 of the run. As the guy passed me I got on his heels but could hang on. Very frustrating! But due to the size of the race I would have had to win my AG to qualify for Nationals, and he was over 3 minutes ahead. So, overall it was a good race, I clearly have some work to do to get my running and swimming back though.

Finally, a good workout!

After 5 days of crappy workouts last week I went into the weekend expecting the worst. On tap was the Reach the Beach 100 mile ride from Beaverton to Pacific City on Saturday and a 15 mile run on Sunday. My Thursday 1 hr. 15 min run turned into a 50 min run at an 8 min pace with my HR in zone 3/4. This kind of summed up the week with only a couple "good" points during various workouts since my little weight lifting mishap. Finally on Saturday it started coming together. The weather for the RTB ride was amazing! A little warm, but oh so nice. Felt strong from start to finish and never really felt tired. It seemed like we cruised it, only picking up the pace a couple times when the competitive side of me would take over. It took an 5 hrs. & 10 mins to do the ride with my HR avg in zone 2. Sunday was a an hour and 50 min run from PRC. I was also not looking forward to this run after my last run on Thursday, but it came together. 15 mile out and back up Terwilliger. It was a GREAT run! Warm, sunny, and already a distant memory as I look out the window this morning...

Also, we had to say goodbye to Garren, a good friend of ours, on Saturday as he makes a big move to Abu Dhabi in the UAE. It's an amazing opportunity and I am happy he took it! Jen and I are looking forward to making the trek over to see him next year and to check it out.

What else? Yesterday was our 12 year wedding anniversary. It's crazy how quick it's gone by. Who are those crazy kids?

Long Term and Short Term

As many know, I LOVE cars. Not just cars but vehicles in general. I've always been fascinated with everything from sports cars to 4x4's. At last count I have had 17 different vehicles since I was 15. I think the type of vehicle I appreciate the most is one that was made to serve a purpose. Whether that purpose was to fly down the road at crazy speeds or to climb over a pile of rocks, it doesn't matter. I think my loyalty to VW and Jeep are a result of that attraction to purpose. Unfortunately over the past few years both brands have made some questionable direction changes in an effort to stay relevant. But it's their history that keeps me coming back. Recently Chris B blogged about his dream car (http://chrisbracing.blogspot.com/2008/05/my-dream-car.html) and it caught my attention. I started investigating this company called Sportsmobile (http://www.sportsmobile.com). After checking out their site I found what could be the perfect vehicle for me. Surprisingly it's not a VW or a Jeep, but a Ford. I know... a Ford. But this is no ordinary ford. It is a rolling piece of purpose combined with freedom. Something you can drive anywhere in and live in if needed. This would be the perfect vehicle for traveling to races or road/camping trips. Even day to day it would be perfect. There has been more then one rainy day were it would have been nice to have somewhere to change after a wet run at Forest Park. It is a diesel so the gas mileage is decent. The only down side is it probably wouldn't fit in a parking garage. Other then that I'm sold. Oh ya, it's kind of expensive too. I still need to figure that part out. But when I do be sure to stop by and I'll make you some popcorn in my microwave and get you a beer from my fridge.

Until then I am going to have to go with Plan B. Still working out the details, but I hope to pull the trigger soon:

Frustrating week

So coming off of the race last weekend I was feeling pretty good. Not too sore. I was looking forward to a good week of training, getting myself back in the groove. I had accepted that I wouldn't be able to swim for a few days because of the tattoos, so I was happy to see that Scott had thrown in some strength training this month. I hit the gym on Tuesday at lunch and cranked out a good 50 mins of weights and core. By the end I was definitely tired and my legs were a bit wobbly. I haven't done squats or lunges in years! That evening I hit Fairmont and did 2 loops (~ 7 miles). By the end my legs felt like they run a marathon. It got worse from there. Even today I cannot walk down stairs without having a death grip in the hand rail. My quads, inner and outer, are beyond trashed. So essentially the only thing I've been able to do since then is light spins to and from work on my bike. Even that is risky since I can't get up out of the saddle or put my foot down unexpectedly. As you can probably tell by my tone I am a little frustrated. I am hoping today I will start to feel some improvement since it's been over 48 hrs. I decided not to ride to work today and will likely only do some light arm weights at lunch. If things don't feeling better soon I may have to seek some medical advice. I don't think it's normal to have muscle spasms and throbbing IT bands. I'm a little concerned it's more then just soreness... We'll see how they are doing tomorrow.

Other news: I've been threatening this for a while, but I think I'm there. No more Ironmans after this year for a while. I decided this yesterday when I was trying to plan out July while I'm on Sabbatical. I was trying to squeeze in a half Ironman in Washington, a 4 day trip to Alaska, and a few days in Canada for training. Scott pointed out the obvious that if I wanted to have a decent race in August I needed to not cram so much in. I think the Alaska trip is going to have to wait. This is VERY disappointing as I have always wanted to go there. I guess it's not going anywhere but I'm still being a baby about it. This is what has lead me to declare no Ironmans in 2009. I want to take fly fishing classes and maybe a sailing class. I would also like to try some bike racing and qualify for the Boston Marathon. So I'm not planning to sit on the couch and watch my ass grow, I still want to race triathlons. Just not full Ironmans. I think a year away will help me appreciate it again. I have done at least one per year since 2004. So that's where I'm at. I am looking forward to racing my guts out in Canada in August!!

Here are some pictures from the HF sprint last weekend:
http://www.backprint.com/go.asp?31822941

Goals - How to set them

I think I am finally learning something about Triathlon and competition in general, and that's how to set goals. This past Saturday was the HF sprint triathlon in Hillsboro. Last year at this race was the first time I had ever gotten an overall podium spot (I was 2nd). This year I knew 2nd would be a challenge since I was only 3 weeks from IM AZ and the competition I did know is really strong this year. As a goal I really wanted to finish in the top 3, but that's one of those things you don't really have much control over. If there are more then 2 people there on that day that are faster then you... you're screwed. So based on what I knew about the course and my current fitness level I decided my main focus would be to break an hour. From the Ironheads, Garren (defending champ) and Aleck were both racing. Both are much stronger swimmers then I am. We are all pretty tightly matched on the bike and the run. And that's how it played out. I did have a swim PR by 37 seconds, but I was still way behind. As expected I wasn't able to make up much time on the bike. On the run I was able to get close enough early on to see Garren and Aleck battling it out. About a half mile in as I'm enjoying the race going on in front of me I heard the dreaded sound of foot steps. I could tell who ever was coming up on me was coming fast. As he passed I knew that was it. You can always tell who the fast runners are in these events. I had passed this guy on the bike and thought to myself as I went by "Uh oh, he could be a runner". I guessed right. He took off and ended up catching Garren as well. So, like I said in my last post, you never know who's going to show up. As I approached the finish line I looked at my watch and realized I had 30 seconds left if I wanted to break an hour. I picked it up and was able to squeak in at 59:55. That last mile was painful! The Ironheads overall had a great showing. It's so much more fun to do these races with a dozen of your friends rather then hanging out by yourself not knowing anyone, like I used to do.

Tattoos - We did it! We went on Saturday after the race and got some ink. Jen was a trooper and went first. In honor of her two Ironman finishes she went with the M-dot:

Next it was my turn. I had Murphy's paw print done on my leg:

And I also had my old Rhino tattoo touched up. It had gotten pretty faded from too much sun over the last 8 years:

44.5 work days and counting

Sabbatical is just around the corner. It starts on July 3rd and ends on September 2nd. Now that IMAZ is well behind me and I don't need to plan a Kona trip (yet), I can focus on what I want to do for 8 weeks. As usual the summer is already starting to book up. Between races and vacations the weekends are getting full. That's one crappy thing about living here, most outdoor activates have to be crammed into a 4 month period. As it looks right now most of the 8 weeks will be spent training for IM Canada. It will be so nice to get up everyday and get my workouts in with only needing to worry about when to fit in a nap. I think I will also plan a few days up in Penticton to train with Scott on the course. Other then that the only other major adventure will hopefully be a trip to Alaska to do some fishing. Did I mention it's only 44.5 work days away?

On tap this weekend is the HF sprint triathlon. Not sure how that's going to play out yet. I have yet to have a "good" run since IM AZ. The bike and swim have been slowly returning to normal, but the run is just not there yet. Oh well. I like the event and it will be fun to race with some of the other Ironheads. If I'm going to get my ass handed to me I'd prefer it be from someone on the team... but you never know who else is going to show up.

Here's a pic from IM AZ that Melissa's sister took:

The week after

After I posted the "summary" from AZ I realized it really wasn't a summary. It was pretty long! For that reason I won't ramble on anymore about the race. It's done and in the history books. Now comes the fun of evaluating what I did and trying to improve were I can in Canada. Scott has suggested I go to a place in Seattle called Performance Medicine (http://www.seattleperformancemedicine.com/aboutus/index.html) to have some metabolic testing done to see how many calories my body is burning during these races. This will help me dial in my race nutrition better so I don't have as many energy drops during the race. I am shooting to do this in mid June.
The last week has been the typical post race week. The first week after is always tough for me. All of that focus for so many months, then BAM, it's all over. Especially when we come back to winter weather. I have all of this free time but I can't get outside to do anything!! So, needless to say the house and garage received a good cleaning this weekend and we made it to the bowling alley for a couple frames. Finally today I am feeling "normal" again. My legs have a little bounce in them and I'm not as tired. I'm planning to go for a run at lunch, my first since the race. Other then some tightness in my Achilles everything else feels good to go. Good to go for an EZ run anyway. Towards the end of the week I will start to introduce some very short intensity stuff back into my workouts. Emphasis is on short though. None of workouts planned are longer then an hour. I do have the option this weekend to extended my light ride to 2 hrs if I am feeling good. If the weather holds Jen and I may do the Monster Cookie ride in Salem on Saturday. 62 miles and the single speed and a big ass cookie! Sounds good to me...
Oh ya, one last update! Jen and I made an appointment with our tattoo guy. Yes, that's right, I have a tattoo guy. How cool am I? Anyway, we are set for May 3rd. Jen is getting an M dot and I am getting Murphy's paw print. I'll also be getting one of my other tat's touched up. It's gotten a little faded from the sun over the past few years. I'll post pictures once we get them.

IMAZ Race Photo's: http://www.asiorders.com/go.asp?31254479

IMAZ Quick Summary

What a week! Now that we are back home and I am avoiding my work email I thought I would post a quick update from the race on Sunday. I'll post a full race report later for those that are interested.
This race was a some what of a break through for me. I was disappointed for the first 36 hours after, but yesterday on the plane coming home I was listening to my ipod thinking about it again. Then a song came on, I think it's called "how far we've come" by Matchbox 20. It made me think how far I've come. Not only because of my times but my approach to it and my expectations. My first race in 2004 was all about finishing (as your first usually is). This time I was expecting a top ten finish in my age group. Unfortunately the conditions were not ideal and there were a couple errors I made that effected my performance. All things considered though I am finding a lot of positive things the more I think about it. Here's a quick summary of the day:
The things I did right...
Made a solid plan for the entire day and stuck with it:
This included everything from getting to the race early to staying within my zones all day (HR and Power). I have to say this is the first race where I never felt nervous before the cannon went off. The only thing that made me nervous was that I wasn't nervous... if that makes sense. I think this was because I had a plan that I had trained to. For the most part everything went according to plan.... Almost everything...
Dealing with "situations":
Ok, so a few things came up during the race that were not according to plan.
1. Due to a very bumpy section of the course I lost a nutrition bottle at about mile 30 of the bike. This left me with no nutrition for an hour and 20 mins. Fortunately I had planned for this! Dave C had mentioned awhile back that he always carries 4 gu's in his pocket in the bike just incase he looses a bottle. So I had 4 gu's in my pocket. This got me to special needs were I was able to get my two remaining bottles for the rest of the ride.
2. Once I got those two bottles I realized how warm it was getting. Nothing like 90 degree malto! I really had to choke that nutrition down. It was terrible. What I learned - need to use ice packs around the nutrition bottles. This includes run nutrition, but I'll get to that in a minute.
3. On the 2nd lap the same stretch of bumpy road claimed my spare tire from under my seat. Fortunately I didn't need it. But I decided to stop by special needs again on my 3rd loop to grab the tire I had left in my bag. I had a feeling if I didn't I would regret it even though I only had about 10 miles to go. It hind sight it probably only cost me 30 seconds. Better then 40 minutes waiting for a sag vehicle I guess. What I learned - strap the tire down more securely. Most courses are only 2 loops so special needs isn't an option that late in the ride.
4. On the run grabbed my nutrition in T2 as I ran out of the change tent. I realized when I put it in my hand that it was blazing hot. It was a 10 oz Fuel belt bottle with a hand strap. I had used this in training and it worked great. Training though had typically been 50 degrees or less not 95. Once again, hot malto. After taking my second drink I failed to close the lid on it all the way and over the next mile the entire bottle emptied on to my leg and shoe. So nutrition that was supposed to get me to mile 13 was gone at mile 3. So with a few swear words I tossed the bottle and proceeded to use Gu and Coke from the aid stations. This got me to special needs were I had another flaming hot bottle of malto. I carried this one for 5 miles until I decided the Coke and Gu was actually working better for me.
5. So those who have not used malto it is essentially like glue once it dries. So by mile 8 of the run the malto that had squirted on to my shoe had dried. My sock was now literally glued to my foot. Fortunately I had placed a fresh pair of socks in my special needs so at mile 13 I was able to peel off my malto sock and put on my new ones.
The things I did wrong:
With all of the nutrition issues my sodium plan was screwed. I had put extra sodium in all of my nutrition bottles and since I didn't use some of them I started getting depleted half way through the run. I had extra salt pills in a coin purse in my jersey but with all of the water I had dumped over my head trying to stay cool they had gotten wet and were no longer usable. I think this is what caused me to bonk a bit on the 2nd loop of the run. I was eating but not really able to absorb it quick enough.
Could I have pushed a little harder on the bike or on the run? I think everyone asks this question after the fact. As I was laying on the ground outside the medical tent on Sunday evening after they poured me out of the wheel chair I would have said "hell no! That was all I had." Today I think maybe? Who knows. This is one disadvantage to doing such an early season race. Not having raced since October it's hard to get that sense of how hard I can push and be ok. Especially in such warm, dry and windy conditions. So if I had to change something here I guess it would be to push a little harder on the bike next time. Specifically during the 70 to 85 mile section as this is were I always seem to crap out a little bit and loose focus.
So overall I am pretty happy with the outcome. I didn't get a Kona spot, or break 10 hours. But I broke 11 hrs and PR'd by almost an hour. Last time I did this course it was in 2006. It was hot that day, but not as hot as this year. There was no wind ether and the courses were pretty much the same. this is how the two races measured up:
2006:
Swim - 1:13:27
Bike - 6:02:32
Run - 5:02:20
Total - 12:32:11
division place - 104/267
overall place - 613/1726
2008:
Swim - 1:05:51
Bike - 5:30:32
Run - 4:10:20
Total - 10:54:11
division place - 26/266
overall place - 181/1689

I think I'm getting there. I'm looking forward to some local and regional races in the next couple of months leading up to Canada. The Kona train hasn't left the station yet. Hopefully I can grab a seat in Penticton.
Congrats to all of the other Ironheads that competed in AZ too:
Kelly H, Kelly M and Dave C did awesome all getting Kona spots and spots on the podium! You guys inspire me to keep trying.
Chris V - You are an Ironman! Even with a 20 minute nap in the shade at mile 19! Congrates on your first.
Erin P - Smoked by me on the run as I feared she would in CDA last year. Sick in bed with a head cold last week, 10th in her division this week, one of the toughest chicks I know.
Garren W and Rob W - My bike time was only as fast as was because you guys pushed me without even knowing it. Congrats to a great race!
And of course my wife... What a day she had. I am choked up just typing this. After a huge PR on the swim and persevering on the bike in crazy wind and heat. She pushed through the run throwing up several times and having to walk but never giving up. Her strength amazes and humbles me. I am so proud of what she has accomplished in such a short amount of time.
And to those Ironheads that started the journey but were unable to make it - I know each of you well enough by now to know that you gave it everything you had. I have no doubt that you are already planning that next race and anxious to get to training again. I can't wait to get back out there with you. I think the biggest thing I got out of this race was the relationships I've made through training for it. It's funny how 3 hr rides in 38 degree rain/snow can bring people together (Or too much beer after a big training week in Palm Springs).
Other props I'd like to throw out:
Ann C - I'm so bummed you couldn't race on Sunday after your bike crash earlier in the week. Those 35 -39 women have no idea how lucky they are. You'd would have crushed them! But rest assured your enthusiasm and support helped all of us on Sunday. You are an amazing athlete and I can't wait to see you compete in Kona!
To my Mom and Sister and Jen's family - Thank you as well! For all of your support and for being there to cheer us on all day. You pain and suffering are also much appreciated. I know it's not easy enduring those conditions as a spectator ether. These events wouldn't be the same without you.
Like I said, I put together a more traditional (and shorter) race report soon. I had a lot of random things I wanted to get down today before I forgot.

Quote of the day

I bought a bottle of green tea today at New Seasons to have with my lunch. On the bottom of the lid it has famous quotes. The quote on my lid seems very fitting for not just this Ironman but all of them:

If you are going through hell, keep going.
-Winston Churchill

Speedy...

Well, speedy looking anyway. I got the new wheels put together today and am ready to take them for a spin out on Sauvies Island tomorrow with all of my race gear (TT helmet, uni, ect). They sure do look fast, but they are only as fast as the poor slob pushing the pedals. So hopefully I can do the Isaac justice on race day.