Race Report - Flying Feather Four Miler

Short one here, since it's long since come and gone. Meredith, her dad, and I met our friend Carrie up in Dublin for the race. We had a few moments to chat before the start, and then we were off for the third year in a row!

Last year, this race was one of my first run trials in my Ironman training, and I averaged just over an 8 minute pace. I wasn't very confident in my ability to break that, but I thought I'd give it an honest try. The weather wasn't too bad compared to some years on Thanksgiving in Ohio, though there was a little on-and-off cold drizzle.

In the first mile, this race is pretty congested. I ended up running just under a 9 minute pace for the first mile, which pretty much shot any hope of a PR right there. For the next three miles, I ran a very consistent 8:30 pace. While it's not the pace I ran last year, I was pretty happy with it, since last year's race was two months into my IM training plan. It seems like I've got a better base than a year ago.

That has also been reinforced with my biking, where I definitely feel stronger on the trainer. I think that's where I have the most room to grow this year, so I'm excited to see my legs responding. I did a late-night trainer session last night, and ended up averaging 16 mph. For me, that's a pretty good pace, and if last year's numbers are any indication, that should translate to a few mph higher out on the roads.

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you're racing, good luck, and in any case eat some pumpkin pie for me! I'll be at the Flying Feather Four Miler tomorrow morning racing for a bottle of wine and an unlikely PR.

C is for Cooking

That's good enough for me. This summer, Meredith and I have made an effort to do more cooking at home. Unlike previous attempts, it's been quite a success! Just to give you a rundown of some past adventures:

2006: Chicken and dumplings. Also known as "Chicken, chicken, chicken, and DUMPLING". We attempted this in the crockpot. It looked like chicken soup on the bottom, and one giant gooey mess on top. Pizza was ordered.

2007: Coq au Vin. This actually didn't taste too awful, but the meat ended up sort of a deep burgundy color that wasn't especially appetizing.

But now? Now the tide has turned! Over the last few months, we've had some very good food. We've discovered that we don't NECESSARILY hate fish if done right, and how to cook a pork chop so that it doesn't end up the consistency of running shoe sole. Yesterday was a braised pork chop recipe with apples and potatoes that was a step down from recent efforts, but still rated a solid B+ for "filling, tasty, but a little bland".

Do you have any good recipes, preferably on both the healthy and tasty side? We'd love to hear them.

Yesterday I also tried out some flip turns for the first time since CDA. They didn't turn out quite as well as the food. Maybe a "C". I did flip over every time, and there was no water up the nose, but on no turn did I actually manage to kick off the wall. Oh well. There's no walls in open water, right? :) However, I do have some goals for the indoor tri in February. It's a 300 swim, and I'd like to shoot for sub-5:00 (1:40/100m pace), and maybe even 4:30 (1:30/100m pace). I did a 1:40 pace for 600m in an indoor tri this year, so I'd like to think I can step it up a bit for half that distance. All I know is that the thought of racing is giving me butterflies again, and that's a good thing.

Commitment

This past weekend, Meredith and I were cleaning out some piles of papers, and I came across the training plan from my very first marathon: Columbus 2004. I noticed a couple things.

1. My training plan started with one mile daily runs. One mile! Guess I've come a long way since then. And if you've ever thought about doing a marathon, triathlon, etc...five years ago, I couldn't run more than a mile.

2. My commitment level is a lot different today than it was five years ago. The most striking thing about the papers were the planned weekly miles and actual weekly miles. I saw things like 7 planned (4 actual). 12 planned (5 actual). 15 planned (7 actual). Is it any wonder that I underachieved?

Last year, having a coach definitely ramped up the accountability, and I did a much better job of sticking with my plan. But I think the process of training for Ironman changed my thinking as well. This year, I have a better understanding of what it takes to get to the start line, and then to the finish. My challenge to myself now is to take the next step and be focused and accountable in my training. No, I won't hit every workout from here to September - life will get in the way. But I can sure do my best, and not just go through the motions.

As a preliminary step to this season, I'm trying to slim down a bit. Not a drastic change, but having gone through IM training once, I know that it won't happen once the miles and meals increase. I don't know exactly where my ideal weight lies, but I'm guessing somewhere around 160. To reach this goal, I've been counting calories since I've started base training again. I want to make sure that I'm neither going over nor under the calories I need. So far, no distinct change, but I'm not giving up yet. Meredith and I also took pictures and measurements, but we'll save that for a before and after. And if there isn't a good after picture, we'll forget this conversation ever existed. :)

Race Report - Beat Michigan! Beat Cancer! 5K

A couple weeks ago, I heard from my wife that her boss was sponsoring a local 5K to benefit ovarian cancer research. Shortly afterward, I heard that I was running it! Not one to back out on a promise (even if it was someone else's promise), I was in. Not much training, but a good way to see where I stood after the layoff.

On the morning of the race, it was an early wakeup call after working the photo booth until after midnight the night before. Unlike some overachivers in our household, I hadn't already packed, so I had to grab all my gear that morning. Ever go out for one of those runs where it's just an in between temperature? Everything from shorts to gloves to winter hats went in the bag!

We got over to the race site, got signed in, and met Meredith's coworkers, one of whom lives almost across the street from the race. It was very cute...she had never done a 5K and had a huge spread of oranges, cinnamon rolls, water bottles, juice... she said she had googled for "What to eat before a race". :) We all walked over together and got set for the race. And when I put on my gloves, I noticed something. My left glove fit just fine...but my other left glove didn't fit at all! :P I turned it upside down and just went with one Asics glove and one Nike glove.

There were no chips at this race, so we lined up close to the front, and were off! I hung with Meredith for the first mile (she wasn't racing it), but couldn't quite hang as she dropped her pace in the second mile. Oh, and the other thing about packing that morning? I forgot a watch. Yeah, I was pretty much a mess. But a father in front of me told his son that they were right on their 8 minute pace at mile 2, and I was just fine with that.

As the third mile went by, we caught all the walkers still on the first loop, and the runners got strung out into a single file as we passed them. It was sort of strange, as you didn't see as many people running around you as in an out and back 5K. Finally, we turned back onto the track that held the finish line, and with 100 yards to go a middle school boy decided to sprint by me. I wasn't sure of the etiquette there, so I just let him go and enjoy his moment.

Okay, that was a lie. I outsprinted him to the line. :)

In the end, the results are all jumbled (no chips and people passing in the chute), but my best guess of my actual time is 24:56. That would be good for 5/28 and 49/578 overall. I'll take it! In all, it was a beautiful day to get out for a run and support a good cause! Definitely a race I'd consider again.

Remember Me?

So... Hi. (Awkward!)

I know, I know... I should have called, I just got busy, it's been a crazy couple weeks. (What? Months? Oh.)

Anyway, I wanted to know if you'll take me back. It's just that I'm going to start training again this afternoon and all, and I thought you might want to be part of that. I totally understand if you're hesitant. After all, I did sort of leave you high and dry. You have been waiting, right? Oh, you've been reading other blogs in the meantime? I guess that's okay.

Broken promises? Oh, the promise I made about a recap of the big hiking trip. Yes, I still will do that. I...um...promise.

Where do I see myself in a year? Well, there's the matter of defending my top 10 finishes at the Last Chance 10K and the Lifetime indoor tri. Yes, I really did finish in the top 10! I have no idea how either. And then maybe a return to Muncie? That's always an electrifying race, but last time left me a little flat. What would really be super is a trip to Cedar Point in September! And if it takes a few hours of riding and running to get there, well...so be it.

So you're back in? You want to travel this journey together one more year?

Let's go.

Race Report - Columbus International Triathlon

Or, "Charlie Brown vs. City Hall"

They say you can't fight city hall. But you can surely race it! Mayor of Columbus Mike Coleman was on hand for the 2009 Columbus International Triathlon, though he was doing the sprint version. I had officially decided to do this race all of 18 hours beforehand, so it was a little bit of a last minute decision. My PR in the olympic distance triathlon seemed like an easy target, given than I had only raced that distance once, and it was Implode-In-The-Heat-Fest '08 with its 13 minute miles on the run.

Disclaimer: I have done very very little training since Ironman. Intentionally. So when I got this race in my mind, I had time to do all of 1800 meters of swimming, 30 minutes of biking, and about 16 minutes of running. Yes, my entire cumulative training plan was shorter than the actual race. I'm pretty sure that's a good plan, right?

Sunday dawned cool and overcast, with none of the rain from the day before. Perfect! I got on over to the race site, got set up and settled in, and found out that the water was even wetsuit legal! This race is a time trial start (one person every couple seconds), and I also found out that it would start in reverse numerical order. Since I signed up so late, I was going to be about the 15th person into the water. Lots of clear water for me, but no draft, and no one to help me sight.

As we all walked down from transition to the lake, I pulled up my wetsuit zipper, which came up quite easily. And suddenly, I was holding the zipper pull in my hand. Not just the string, the actual part that zips up the wetsuit. Well, that can't be good. Remember how I was 15th in line? I didn't have time to get back to transition and ditch the wetsuit now. I had a couple people try to fix it, but in the end I just stuffed the broken off piece up my sleeve, velcroed the collar, and decided to just go with my open-backed wetsuit. That can't have been good for my aerodynamics. :) Also not good? My decision in goggles. I wore shaded goggles, and they were WAY too dark for me. I had a very tough time seeing the buoys (no fault of the race, they were big, bright, and orange), and combined with my questionable sighting in general, I think I added some significant distance.

If the first loop was fairly smooth, the second loop was anything but. The olympic distance swimmers started first, but by the time I started the second loop, all the sprint distance folks were in. It became a minefield of people doing breaststroke, backstroke, or just treading water. I literally took more hard contact in that half mile than I did in the entire Ironman swim. I made it through, and came out no worse for the wear. My only real time goal for an individual event was to crack 30 minutes in the swim. My time? 30:38. Gosh darn it, that was actually 36 seconds SLOWER than my first olympic race, and I'm a much stronger swimmer now. I'm 100% sure that with a zipped up suit and better sighting I could have shaved off 39 seconds or more. Next time, Gadget.

Swim: 30:38 (72/172)

Transition for this race is split into two parts: the run from the swim to the transition area, and transition itself. That's nice, because it's a long run and includes a nice steep grassy hill that I ended up walking because my heart rate was still high. My little run there was slow, but then...THEN! AN RESPECTABLE T1! Not blazing fast, but this is big news for me. I wore my tri suit under my wetsuit, which helped, and the new socks from my race kit went on no problem with wet feet. My T1 was 81st out of 172, which if I'm not mistaken is officially above average. :)

Swim-to-T1 Run: 1:53
T1: 2:03

The bike course was 5 (!) loops of a 5-ish mile course. Half of it is actually on a major freeway in town, which has the right lane and berm shut down. Definitely a nice fast course! A little congested in the first few laps though, with the sprint and olympic races going on at the same time and only one lane to race in at times. I started off well, doing each lap in about 15 minutes, or about 20 mph. Somewhere in lap 3 or so, I started really feeling some fatigue. Shocking given all my training, I know. :) I held it together as best as I could, and finished out at an 18.7 average, though it was 19 on my bike computer. Much better than the 17.1 I averaged in the Deer Creek race last year, in any case, and 18.7 would equal my best bike average in any triathlon.

Bike: 1:19:39 (18.7 mph, 119/172)

There's no T2 column in the results, so I'm not quite sure what happened there. I do know that I had another pretty smooth, and therefore out of character, transition, though.

T2: ?

I knew from the very start of the run that it wouldn't be pretty. I had a stitch in my side coming out of transition, and not a whole lot of giddy-up in the legs. I skipped the water stop at the beginning of the run and headed around the lake for the first 1.2 miles. I did hit the next water stop, and walked it to get a gel down and some gatorade given my cramping issues. In retrospect, I probably should have taken a salt tab or two during the race, but didn't think it was hot enough to need it at the time. Once the gel was in, it was onward, up over an overpass, and out to the turnaround. Though I was tired, I was able to hold things together pretty well, and only walked a few steps during a couple aid stations to get fluids in. Ironman kind of spoiled me in that regard - 10 seconds here and there are a little more important in a shorter race! By the last mile of the run, my legs were pretty much toast, but my only goal other than the 30 minute swim (grr) was to never "give up" on my race. That one I succeeded at - though my legs told me to walk, I never did, and cruised in at a slow-but-still-a-run pace. Either the mile markers were off, or I ran a strange race, because my mile splits were something like 9:47, 8:30, 9:30,
8:40, etc. Weird. Anyhow, I was neither especially happy nor disappointed with the run, it was pretty much what I expected given the IM legs and lack of training. And it was 17 minutes faster than last year. :)

Run: 59:04 (9:32 average, 120/172)

Overall: 2:53:16 (22/23 Age Group, 119/170 Overall)

My goals going in were:

1. Set a new PR (3:19:20 previous, check!)
2. Break 3 hours (check!)
3. Swim under 30 minutes (no, I'm not easily letting this one go)
4. Don't walk any of the run outside an aid station (check!)

Unexpected extra credit: Good transitions!

So it was a success in that regard. I was surprised at how low I placed in my age group - must have been a fast field, and all the beginners must have been doing the sprint tri. Even the one guy I beat was only 7 seconds back....that's right, every single person in my age group was under 3 hours! Go 30-34 men! (But maybe not so fast next time, k?) It sort of makes me want to do another one, because I think there are probably 10+ minutes there for the taking just by actually training. On the other hand, there's a big gap between where I am now and what I'd need to do to be remotely competitive at this distance, and just finishing doesn't have quite the sense of accomplishment for me as longer races. So I'll give that section an incomplete, but chalk up a successful race personally and a fun day out there, the most important part!

Where's Dave?

Okay, so I've been away since the race. So what's been up?

Nothing!

Seriously. I've just been enjoying a couple weeks of cookouts, nice weather, and not dragging myself out to train. But I do have a possibility for a next goal in mind...

In the meantime, happy summer! Sorry, Canadian friends, we're going All-American on this one. :)

Race Report - Ironman Coeur D'Alene

Or, "Charlie Brown vs. Plate Tectonics"

What an epic day. (Sorry in advance, the report will mirror it!) Nine months of training rolled up into one little will-I-or-won't-I ball of nerves, excitement, anxiety, and hope. I went to bed the night before the race confident that I had done my training far better than any other race to date, but still with the questions of weather, health, bike issues, and anything else that I could come up with. I set the alarm for 4:00 AM, with the intent of getting to transition close to 5:00, when it opened. Remarkably, I only woke up a couple times during the night. And then it wasn't night any more.

3:30 AM. *Blink, blink* Well, I supposed it wasn't worth trying to get back to sleep at that point. My body was ready to get this thing underway. I slipped out of bed, trying to let Meredith sleep a little more (difficult in a studio apartment). First order of business: get in some food. I started with a mini bagel, then a bowl of honey nut cheerios. Also got in one last check of the weather on my phone. The forecast still predicted a mostly cool, dry day until the evening. In the days previous, we had all talked about the fact that with 30% chance of rain all day, we'd probably get wet at some point, so I was prepared for that possibility. I just hoped it wouldn't make the bike course too slippery, as I'm not a great (okay, not at all) technical biker. Enough playing on the phone...time to get ready for the race. Both transitions were to be full changes, so I really just had to worry about three things: a swimsuit and two band-aids. I threw some warm clothes over top and managed to get down one more mini bagel. Nothing left to do now but get down to transition.

Meredith dropped me off as close as she could get, and I walked in the rest of the way with my special needs bags. And my path happened to take me right to body marking. Score. But the woman I ended up with told me I needed to get rid of my sweatshirt. Why? Because it was an Ohio State sweatshirt, and she was a Notre Dame fan. I felt sorry for her, but played along. :) Embossed with 608 on both arms and 33 on my leg, I proceeded on to find Charlie Brown still sitting under a tree and covered in garbage bags to stay dry. With a touch of nerves, I pumped up the tires...no explosions, good. Filled up the aerobottle, packed away the first half of my luna bars, and he was all set. I had a few other assorted things to get into my transition bags, hopped in a still short line to the bathroom, and then off to drop off special needs bags and get changed into my wetsuit! I was glad I showed up early, as it let me not panic too much through all of this.

While I was walking down the sidewalk trying to find Meredith or my parents, I heard a "Dave?". I looked over, thought I recognized the person, and responded, "Molly?". It was a nice surprise to meet Molly for the first time in person before the race and chat for a minute. But time was ticking, and as the pros started their race, I walked down to the beach to prepare for my own. Per coach's instructions, I went nearly all the way down to the end of the beach, and lined myself up somewhere in the middle. Because I was a little early, I even got to do a few strokes of warmup, but couldn't go out far because of the pro race. There weren't quite the wall-to-wall people that I expected, and I struck up a conversation with some guys from Arizona. At least one of them was wearing a neoprene hood, which seemed like overkill to me given the reasonable water temps, but hey, whatever it takes! My watch kept creeping toward 7:00... We were listening for a countdown, or announcement, or

BOOM!

Off we go!

The cannon went off and we all... um, I guess I would call it "briskly walked" into the lake. No one down at that end was sprinting down into the water! Glad I had already acclimated to the water, I stepped in, put my face down, and began my long day.

I felt more excitement than anything at this point. I was finally doing my Ironman! Less than 200 meters in, I was rewarded for my excitement with a left hook to my jaw. Quick assessment: oof, but you're fine, keep going. A strange thing happened on the way out to the first turn: the obvious line of people was hugging the buoys, but another one had formed to my right, some distance from the shortest line. And I was somewhere in the middle, in very clean water! Hey, I'll take it. My swim out to the buoy ended up being quite good, and I even managed to swing wide and avoid the reportedly horrible traffic by the buoy. There was a short stretch between the turns, and then I headed back into shore, waves helping me along. The water is so clear in that lake that you could see the bottom long before the shore, which made for a good estimate of your progress. I had a little more trouble sighting on this stretch due to the waves, but still came out of the water with the volunteers saying "39 minutes". My goal was somewhere in the 1:10-1:30 range, so this put me smack in the middle. Unfortunately, my chip had come loose and was down around my foot, so I took a minute on the beach to kneel down and get it tight and back up under my wetsuit.

Quickly, I got back in the water for the second loop of the swim. Oh, that second loop. If the first loop was "choppier than I'm used to", the second one was "just try to keep making progress". It started off by being much more tightly packed than the start along the beach, since everyone was funneled through a tighter space. The chop had picked up significantly since the start (up to 2-3 feet from what I heard afterward), and the buoys just never seemed to get closer. Sighting also got significantly more difficult, because if you raised up your head between waves, you couldn't see the buoys at all. I'm pretty sure I followed quite the winding path, as evidenced by my proximity to kayaks a couple times. Eventually, though, that red buoy did come into sight, and this time I tried to cut it a little closer. I did get caught up in a little congestion, but not too badly, and I turned back to shore. Here I DEFINITELY went off course, because I looked up at one point and saw the sea plane parked at the resort's dock in close proximity. Closer still was another kayak, pointing me back to the left! I got back on track and marveled in the fact that I was in the last stretch of a 2.4 mile swim, feeling good, and ready to move on! I got out of the water and hit my watch at 1:23. Not my best pace by a long shot when comparing it to a pool swim, but it was a nice relaxed pace in conditions I wasn't used to, and I think it set me up for a good day.

Out of the water, getting my bearings

Swim: 1:23:33
Pace: 2:11/100m
Rank after swim: 1273/2626 overall, 166/264 age group

I came out of the water getting my bearings a little bit, and honestly this part was a bit of a blur. I had to wait for an available stripper (I know, "peeler") to help take off my wetsuit, and it was off in one mighty pull. Somehow I got my transition bag and made my way into the changing tent. A volunteer helped me dump out my bag, and the first order of business was to pull off my swimsuit and get into my bike shorts. I did so, naked but for my two band-aids, and then realized I had managed to set up shop RIGHT in front of the big hole in the tent wall they were using to toss bags back outside. Hi, everyone!

Oh well, no time for modesty. Into my shorts, into my jersey...okay, it's stuck. Off, and now into my jersey...hmm. It took me four or five tries before I finally managed to get it all the way on. Next, my watch. Wait, I need arm warmers. Watch off, arm warmer on. Heart rate strap under the shirt. Chamois buttr...well, you know where. Quick bathroom stop in-tent. I never really practiced this part of the race much, and it showed. It was a little difficult because of the weather uncertainty (I made a game time decision not to wear my jacket. Good move!), but I still could have prepared better. Unexpectedly, my family was able to find me along the fence in transition, and I stopped for a kiss, some high fives, and an emotional boost.

Jogging over to find Charlie Brown

T1: 14:01

Charlie Brown and I crossed the line out of transition and into the most unknown part of the race for me. The bike is definitely my weakest area, especially compared to the field, and this didn't look like an easy course when we drove it a few days earlier. I managed to get clipped in without incident, and it was off to the first leg of the course. This leg is an out-and-back right along the lake, and it doubles as part of the run course later on. Quickly, I was able to settle into a good cadence and get my heart rate in a good place. It was SO exciting seeing all the crowds out there - you can sort of sense them during the last part of the swim, but here you finally got to be a part of it. Once we got out of town, it became quieter, but the course was packed with bikes at this point, so it didn't feel deserted.

Biking down to Higgins Point

There's one steep hill in this section of the course, and per the plan I threw Charlie in his lowest gear to spin my way up. I wasn't passed by quite as many people as expected on the hill, so maybe everyone else was taking it easy too. Or maybe they knew there would be plenty of time later on to pass me. :) On the way up the hill, there was a whole crew of bagpipe players - how cool! And then at the top, a whole squad of cheerleaders cheered us on through the first aid station. After the hill, I turned around to go back up the other side, then cruised back up a gradual slope into town, saw my parents, and got ready for the meat of the course. As we made a very difficult turn to the north (I heard of at least one bike going into the bushes here), Meredith, D, and Molly spotted me for a thumbs up and a smile.

Coming back through town

There are another ten miles or so of gradual uphill as you leave Coeur D'Alene and ride toward Hayden. The support on this section was still good - there was a church having a barbecue and live band, a woman playing drums, some guy with a megaphone...great spectators, probably second only to the Chicago marathon in races I've done! When I passed the country club up in Hayden, I knew it was time for some hills. The very first one is a good introduction to the rest of the day. You do a short steep climb, followed by a quick descent. And then there's another steep hill, but you have to do a 90 degree turn first and lose your momentum. You climb that hill, make a left at the top, and then realize it wasn't the top at all - more climbing! There are two "big" climbs out along the lake, but there is really NO flat for about 20-30 miles in this section. You're either climbing or descending. I concentrated on making sure I got in my bars, salt tabs, and gatorade on time, because I knew that not doing so would set me up for disaster later on. There was a long, twisty descent along the slopes overlooking the lake, and then the real climbing began. I found the big climbs to be tough, but manageable.

Who likes climbing? ME!!!

The hill in Kentucky was tougher than any one of CDA's hills, but it was the cumulative mental and physical effect that got to you here. I'm pretty sure that they even added a couple hills toward the end of the loop between the time we drove the course and race day. I wasn't able to keep my heart rate down as far as I would have liked, but I did stay seated the whole time and spin my way up. Fans had planted a bunch of signs along the hills, and it was a nice distraction to read them as I plowed forward through the "rollers" at the top end of the course. Eventually, I hit the turnaround on Ohio Match Rd., and came back toward town. The good news: this section is the only extended net downhill of the course. The bad news: you are going south, and it was a south wind on race day. Somewhere around mile 50, I decided to take a bathroom break to get my stomach in a good place and stretch my legs for a moment. I wasn't able to gain as much time back on this section as I had hoped, and when I got back into town, I looked at my average, which was sitting at about 15.5 mph. I was aiming for 16, so this was a little slow. In addition, my legs were feeling...not sore or hurting, per se, just...dead. I was pretty sure I COULD make it through another loop thanks to the extra hour I had banked myself on the swim, but I wasn't really looking forward to it. This was probably the darkest mental time for me, as I swung back out to start the second loop of the bike course. I saw my parents, who asked how I was doing, and I said that I'd make it, but it would be slower than expected.

Time for another loop...

My feelings about my legs proved to be right, as my average speed in the first section of the second loop was much worse than the first time around. Still no problem making it up the hill, though. I stopped into special needs as I had to replenish my stock of luna bars, touched up my sunscreen, stuck a few pretzels in my mouth, and grabbed my emergency Chamois Buttr for use at the next bathroom stop. I'm glad I did this, because I ended up with less chafing during the race than in many of my long rides toward the end of training. I did, however, forget to pull the container back out of my bike shorts, so I rode half this loop with a big bump on my right quad. :) The big hills weren't quite as fun this time around, but I started to see people walking their bike, so I took solace in the fact that I was still in my saddle. My heart rate wasn't getting quite as high on this loop, which I figure is probably because of fatigue in my legs - it almost drove me to standing on my pedals, but I did manage to stay seated all the way through this loop as well. On the second loop, there was more chatter between bikers, everything from compliments on how people looked, to complaints and jokes about the hills, to full blown conversations. I chatted for a minute on an uphill with a woman named Kim, who was riding a bike identical to Charlie Brown. She was having some leg cramps and didn't look like she was enjoying herself, so I hope our conversation helped. I also noticed a guy named Adrian on this section of the course, who was pedaling like a madman on downhills, but then slowly weaving all over on the way back up. Not sure what was going on there.

Worst of all, the wind continued to pick up all throughout the second bike loop. It was bordering on scary gusts a couple times, but mostly stayed at "annoying". This was where I was VERY glad that I didn't wear my bike jacket, which would have been like a parachute in this stretch. The wind killed my speed on a couple downhills that I actually could have carried through to the next up, and it was at its worst on the way back into town, where I was going MAYBE 15 on a nice gradual downhill. I wasn't going to fight it at that point...it was time to relax, spin out the legs, and get back into transition. I was amazed at how many spectators were still out on the bike course! At mile 110, I felt the first raindrops of the day, and enjoyed the ONE MILE of the course where there was actually a good tailwind. I saw Meredith and our great crew of spectathletes at the corner, and then my parents just before transition. And at mile 112, I dismounted with a smile and slightly leaking eyes. I saw Once I made it off the bike, I KNEW I could do the run, and I was going to be a finisher.

But then I went and dismounted and unclipped my left foot about 20 feet too early. So I entertained the volunteers by pushing myself with one foot scooter-style down to the line. :)

Bike: 7:34:27
Pace: 14.79 mph
Rank after bike: 1843/2626 overall, 221/264 age group

The transition from bike to run went much more smoothly. I did another full change into my "Run Dave Run" t-shirt from the Chicago marathon and mesh shorts. The only tough decision I had to make was whether to wear a long sleeved shirt over it. I chose not to, despite the cooling temperatures and drizzle. I run better in cool weather, and I wanted to err on the side of being cool. (Again, good move! At least I make good decisions in transition even if I'm not fast.) I put on my hat before my shirt, and then decided to make a bathroom stop here to get my stomach set up for the run, or else this transition would have been a halfway respectable time. Plus, my legs felt remarkably good for being on my bike that long! I was able to enter the run with a smile: half because I was happy to be off the bike and see my family again, and half because I was laughing inside at the absurdity of going out for a marathon after all that.

T2: 9:39

I was almost immediately glad that I put on the "Run Dave Run" shirt. Prior to the race, I was concerned that if I wasn't feeling good, having people yell that at me might not be mentally good. I'm SO glad I took that chance. From the start, people were cheering for me so much more enthusiastically than everyone around me. Yes, I was THAT guy. :)

The first out and back on the run was the only stretch of course I hadn't previewed, but it wasn't bad. It followed the trail down a mile or so, then turned around and came back to the transition area. I ended up missing the first two aid stations because I wasn't ready for them, which was pretty much my only big nutritional error of the day. In the first mile, I saw Shawn for the first time, but far from the last. We were passing each other near every turnaround. Also in this stretch, I fell in with Sam, who was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. We commiserated about the bike hills, of which there are few both in Columbus and in eastern NC! Around mile 3, I saw the next aid station coming and decided to walk it so I could make sure to get my food and drink started. Somewhere in there, I lost Sam, so I was back on my own but also back on track nutritionally.

Two miles in, feeling good!

The course winds down through a residential area on the way out of town, which was right where we were staying. Thus, I'd seen this part of the course quite a few times and was ready for all the twists and turns. We turned out back onto the bike path along the lake, and got into the longest stretch of the run. One really cool thing they did along here was that all the spectators could make signs for their athletes, which were planted by the thousands along the side of the course. I never managed to spot mine, but it was a nice distraction regardless.

At this point, I had pretty much made the decision to walk all the aid stations. It was helping to settle my stomach to walk for a few moments, and made it easier both mentally and physically to eat and drink the right things. I began alternating between gel+water at one aid station, then gatorade at the next, sometimes with coke or chicken broth thrown in there if they sounded good. At a couple stops later in the race, I grabbed a cookie or a few pretzels, but mainly I stuck to my gels for fuel.

Around mile 4, I found another new friend to run with. This was Vicki, who was from Mexico. We had a good stretch of 2 miles or so where we ran together and chatted before she took a restroom stop. I ended up saying hi to her a number of times during the run as well. I loved how social the people around me were during the run. Definitely helped take your mind off of the run. And before I knew it, we were at the hill up to the far turnaround. I tried to run up the hill (this was the same steep hill from the first out and back of the bike), but could feel my effort level going up as well, so I decided not to fight that battle so early in the run, and just to walk up to the top.

On the way back toward town, I could start feeling the miles adding up a little, and I walked briefly on a couple more uphills. While the distance was taking a toll, I never felt like I was cramping up or that I couldn't finish the race. The volunteers were starting to hand out mylar blankets in this section, and it seemed like the majority of the runners were taking them. The temperature was probably down into the low 50s or 40s, and the rain was now coming down steadily. I decided to stick with what I was wearing and hope for the best.

Before the race, there was a station in the expo where people could put in inspirational messages for their athletes, and around mile 9 there was a giant screen where the messages were shown to you on the run course. I crossed the mat, looked up, and saw my message from Meredith: "You run Ryder". I couldn't for the LIFE of me figure out what that meant, but it didn't stop me from thinking over it for the next couple miles. It turned out she had put in "O-H!", which would have made a lot more sense. Maybe someone typed in the wrong number for their athlete?

We came back through town in a heavy rain, but the spectators were still out there and loud. My parents had walked down to the residential part, where it was great to get a lift.

Looking wet and slower just before the halfway point

The toughest part of the run was here as well: just before downtown, where volunteers were splitting the runners on lap 2 from those still on lap 1. This was my worst mile, not by time, but in that I walked unnecessarily, feeling a little sorry for myself. Soon enough, I snapped out of it, because there was Meredith cheering for me. I started the second lap feeling tired, but good - nothing like the second loop of the bike.

Headed out one last time in the dark and rain

The first out and back of the second loop went quickly this time, and I elected not to get anything out of my special needs bag and interrupt what was a pretty good running rhythm. I was walking some uphills at this point, but every time I would pick out a landmark at which I made myself start running again. And with every mile of the second loop, I reminded myself that I'd never have to see that mile again! My mom offered me her coat, which was sweet, but I couldn't legally accept it, and honestly I was still doing okay. The crowd was definitely thinner as we headed back down along the lake, but the wind had died down, and even the rain was slowing. Somewhere near the turnaround, I was running near a girl who saw her boyfriend ("doodlebug" for the record, which was what I mentally named her after that since I never saw her number) We walked up the turnaround hill with a purpose, and I turned around ready for a last stretch to the finish! Doodlebug and I would spend the next 5 miles passing each other probably 20 times as one or the other felt good, and were encouraging each other the whole way.

When I was coming back from the turnaround, the once almost-flat trail felt more like a mild hill, and there was a lot more walking. I wasn't the only one, though - probably 80% of the athletes in sight at any point were walking. It was getting me where I needed to go, and I got one more nice surprise at the inspiration station. Izaac spotted me (we had never met in person), and stopped to shake my hand and say hi. Of course, the girls at the station with the microphone LOVED that, and let out a big "AWWWWWW!!!". They asked if anyone caught that Kodak moment on film. :) I also picked up a couple more pieces to add to my ensemble. One was the mandatory glowstick around the neck for visibility. The other was from a boy at one of the aid stations, who asked if I wanted some "bling". I assured him that I most certainly DID want some bling, and he handed me a red bead necklace. After all, I wasn't trying to win the race or anything...why not enjoy it to its fullest?

As I crested the little hill at mile 24, it was back down into the now dark neighborhoods. There weren't many spectators in here now, just a few athletes (still going both directions, which was tough to watch) and a few aid stations. I pushed myself on to run anything I could, and walk a couple of the last uphills. I thought about taking off my reflective tape, necklace, and glowstick, but I decided "You know what? I want a finish line picture that shows my race how it really was." And then, I saw the volunteer still splitting up the loops. I let him know that this time I was definitely going left, and made my way up to the final turn of the course.

And it was unbelievable.

Coming down Sherman Ave.

After over an hour of swimming, 7+ on the bike, and then 5 dark and rainy hours on the run, Sherman Avenue opened up as a blinding cacophony of sound and light to my once again misty eyes. It's about a half mile stretch, downhill all the way and almost completely lined with crowds. It's amazing how much your legs really have left when you see that spectacle. I noticed a guy to my right with an Ohio State shirt on and gave him an "O-H". He looked surprised, but I got an enthusiastic "I-O" in response. All down Sherman, I heard "RUN DAVE RUN" and "GO DAVID!". I spotted my parents out there one last time. Kids and adults alike had their hands out, and I slapped every high five I could find. And as I approached the finish, it only got louder and brighter! I couldn't find Meredith and Molly, but they said they were right by the finish screaming their heads off! I couldn't even hear Mike Reilly say my name, but I heard the "New Albany, Ohio" and crossed the finish line a newly minted Ironman.


Run: 5:00:35 (Stupid 35 seconds!)
Pace: 11:28/mile
Rank after run: 1592/2626 overall, 201/264 age group

Total: 14:22:15


I was immediately caught by a volunteer, but really didn't need it! I felt remarkably okay - tired, sure, but steady. She helped me through to get my chip turned in, get my medal, finisher's hat and shirt, and go out to the end of the chute. I found my parents there and Molly, but Meredith got caught up in the crowd. Eventually, we found her and got her in for a photo with me in the finisher's area. Molly had brought DELICIOUS cupcakes all the way from California and carried them around all day protecting them from the rain, and I had one right there in the chute. Thanks, Molly! Meredith and I walked over to transition and got all my stuff picked up and turned in, got some warm clothes on me, and we walked back toward the apartment. We followed the course back, and got to cheer on Izaac one last time as he headed toward his first Ironman finish!

After a wonderful, warm shower, we drove up to the only place we knew that would be open: Denny's! I got some pancakes, but after all I had done to my stomach that day, it would only take about 3/4 of a pancake before calling it quits. My parents headed back to their hotel in Spokane, and Meredith and I went back to crash. I actually was up longer than her - poor thing was SO tired and cold.

Ironman was such an amazing and rewarding experience for me. It seems like such a long time ago that I started the journey (okay, it WAS a long time), and it's amazing how far I came. Though my time was a little slower than I hoped, I find that I really don't care. :) All the hours I trained ended up being worthwhile, and I wouldn't trade the day for anything.

Thanks so much to all of you (assuming anyone is still reading this far in!) for joining me along the way. I met so many wonderful people online and in person, and I appreciate all of you.

Thanks to Molly, Dierdre, and everyone else who stood out in the rain as spectathletes! You had just as long a day, and we got to sit for a good portion of ours!

Thanks to Ray for riding with me, joining me for the dinner, and encouraging me to join COTT. Congrats on your first IM finish, Ray!

Thanks to the other racers I met out there: Carrie, Shawn, Marit, Tasha, Angelina, Izaac. Also, all the T3 folks from Austin who let us crash your post-race party. Every one of you was a superstar out there, whatever the result. (Sorry if I'm forgetting anyone! You're awesome too!)

Thanks to my parents who changed their vacation plans around to include a trip to CDA to stand in the rain all day and watch me. I really appreciated you guys being there!

Thanks to all my friends and family who thought about, prayed for, and followed me on race day. I was thinking about you all out on the course.

Thanks to everyone who wrote notes for me to read before the race. They touched me, encouraged me, and made me laugh when I needed it most.

Thanks to my coach, Elizabeth Waterstraat. She was amazing throughout the whole training process, and I wouldn't choose anyone else if I could do it over again. If any athletes reading this are looking for a coach, don't look any further.

And thanks of course to my wife Meredith. Without her, I certainly never would have started this crazy sport. And it was she who had to put up with all those 6...7...8 hour training days leading up to the race. I can't put into words how much I appreciate it, Mer. Love you.

CDA Days 3 and 4

Thursday was originally to be an off day, but because of the storms the day we arrived, I did the swim I missed. This time, I swam about half a lap of the actual swim course. The water was choppy! I'm not used to waves that big, but I made it, and only breathed in ONE mouthful of water. :)

For lunch, we hit a local coffee shop for some yummy sandwiches and hot chocolate with Carrie and Shawn. It was a blast to finally meet them in person! They are part of the huge Texan contingent here for the race.

And after getting a start on packing my race bags, I met Ray, another Buckeye here in CDA for the welcome banquet. I thought it was pretty fun...they talked to the youngest and oldest racers, brought up three people who had lost 130+ pounds training for the race, and then had the good old rules meeting.

On Friday morning we went down to the swim course again, and this time ran into Marit and her parents. The two of us got in a 10 minute swim, and found the water to be much calmer than before. If it stays that way, it will be just fine for the race.

I got in a quick bike and run, then got a bite to eat and turned in my bike and gear bags. The expo area is just packed now with athletes and families!

Now it's a bit of a waiting game. We're relaxing back at the apartment and I'm drinking gatorade and staying off my feet. I'm very excited to see my parents, who will be coming in this afternoon.

If you are interested in following along with the race, there will be live times posted on ironman.com. My race number is 608. Also, Meredith will be live blogging the race on her blog at http://meredithrunningworld.blogspot.com.

So, that should do it until after the race! I feel ready, and now I am just eager to get out there and see what I can do. Thanks so much for following along in my journey to get here, and for all the support along the way!

CDA Day 2

Our second day out here began with an early wake up call from the internal clock. Gotta love a 3 hour time difference. Meredith had a tough run workout to knock out, and then we went out to drive the bike course.

It really doesn't start out too badly. Our apartment is very close to the first stretch, which goes out of town on a bike path along the lake. There is one steepish climb in there, but it's a very pretty stretch.

Next, you come back through town and turn north toward the town of Hayden and Hayden lake. It was still looking okay through here, with a few more short climbs. And then, when you come up to the side of the lake, the real climbs begin! There are two big steep hills, and then a lot of rolling terrain. The "rolling" out here is a lot different than "rolling" back home.

Eventually, the hills do end, and you come back into town. Then you get to do it all again. :) I think I can do it, but it will definitely be the toughest course I've ridden.

After we finished driving the course, we decided to grab some lunch at Hudson's Hamburgers, a 100+ year old local burger shop. It's tiny - only a counter with stools. They serve burgers and pie...and that's about it! No fries, chips, or anything else. And the burgers were fantastic! Definitely redeemed the experience at the airport.

Next came the big step of actually signing in for the race! The process was very organized; it probably took 20 minutes. And after picking up a few souveneirs, I was reunited with Charlie Brown. We got back to the apartment so I could get in a quick bike ride and swim. The lake feels great! It was a little choppy, but not awful, and the temperature was perfect.

The last stop of the busy day was a lot of fun - we met up with Marit, Deirdre, and Tasha for dinner at Subway. Unfortunately, Subway was out of bread. (?!) But fortunately, there was an IHOP across the street, and breakfast and good times were had!

CDA Day 1

We got up Wednesday morning to the alarm clock going off at 3 AM. It was an unwelcome necessity, because our flight left Columbus at 6. Most everything was already packed (or at least we hoped it was), so all we had to do was drag our half-asleep selves to the plane.

We connected first through Chicago, which looked like a cold, cloudy mess, and then out to Seattle. Thanks to the airlines cutting out food, we were both starving by the time we got to the rainy (or lately not so rainy) city. It was a long connection, so we decided to forego the fast food options and hit the "Alaska Lodge" for a sit down meal. The menu had about three things, so we both settled on a cheeseburger.

At this point, I would like to say: NEVER GO TO THE ALASKA LODGE. They (both, so it wasn't a fluke) tasted like someone soaked a sponge in beef juices and served it on a bun. Quite possibly the worst burger I have ever tasted. Despite the $7 price on each, neither Meredith nor I came anywhere close to finishing. We even had to go get candy to cleanse our palates of the nastiness. The good news is that Reese's cups and peanut butter M&M's never let you down.

After that fiasco, we hopped a short and bumpy flight to Spokane, got our rental car, and made the quick drive over to Coeur D'Alene. Quick PSA:

COEUR D'ALENE IS ON PACIFIC TIME, NOT MOUNTAIN!

I got bad info, and we told everyone at home incorrect info. The apartment we are renting here is cute, and only a block from a public beach and the run course, as well as three blocks from the bike course. The city itself is beautiful!

Unfortunately, it started storming shortly after we arrived, so I had to scrap my planned swim. I did get out for a short run, and checked out a bit of the course. It's so fun to finally see the things I've been envisioning for nine months!

Race Week

Not year, not month...week! To paraphrase Marit, I was okay when June came. I was okay when the race came on my schedule. I was even (mostly) okay when I sent Charlie Brown off to Idaho. But once I started packing for real, it sort of set in. MY RACE IS THIS WEEK! I'm completely anxious, excited, scared, thrilled, and every other conflicting emotion you can think of. More than anything, I want to get out there, if just to see what that course that I've thought about every day for the last 9 months really looks like in person. I want to get settled in our apartment and see what the town is like. I want to meet some new friends that I only know from blog-land. And I want to race!

My taper has been a mixed bag to this point. I've been tired, hungry, energetic, lazy, and everywhere in between. So, a normal taper. My rides have been decent, my swims have been horrid for the most part, but my runs have been fantastic! I'm not sure if and how those three things will reconcile themselves for the race. And mixed in with the normal training have been a few adventures.

After shipping Charlie Brown on Thursday, I had a swim lined up on Friday. Now, while I packed my race goggles in the gear bag that went along with the bike, I made sure to leave out my clear goggles so I'd have them for the remaining swims. All well and good there. The minor detail I left out? I shipped the bag I usually take to the gym. And while my goggles were not in there anymore, they were also not in the bag I DID take to the gym. By the time I realized this, I was already spandex-clad and headed out onto the pool deck. What to do? Cancel the swim? Try and swim eyes-closed or eyes-open-and-ouch?

Instead of either option, I tracked down a lifeguard and asked if they happen to have any loaner goggles. And they did! She went back to look for them, but came back empty handed. Consulting the aquatics head revealed that swimmers had walked off with their stash. But there was one other option:


Well, it was that or nothing, so I gave it a try. Pushing off the wall felt like I was beating my head on a solid wall of water. And once I got to the fast parts of my set, not being able to breathe out through my nose was making it really tough. (Not to mention a little claustrophobic) So at 1100 meters, I decided to call it a day.

The other downside to shipping your bike early? You don't have your bike. On Saturday, I had a brick lined up, and I pulled my mountain bike out of mothballs in the garage. And I learned that a proper fit is really a necessity. Within 30 minutes, I could feel my IT band starting to complain, and I decided again to shorten the workout. No sense in doing ANYTHING to jeopardize the big day at this point. The good news was that my run off the bike felt great! On the last couple runs, I've had to consciously keep my pace slow. The legs are feeling good, and ready to go!

So now the majority of the packing is done, the training is nearly at an end, and the mind is struggling not to be out there already. One more run today, a swim tomorrow, and we'll be off to Idaho by way of Illinois and Washington. What an adventure it will be!

Race Report - Buffalo Trails Triathlon

Or, "Charlie Brown vs. Big Hiney Hill"

Friday night, Meredith and I made the trip down to the Ohio/Kentucky border for the Buffalo Trails Triathlon (and the 5K for her). After all the work I've done in the pool this winter, sign in pre-race was a little bit of a downer. Because of poor water quality, the swim had been cancelled. Instead, a half mile run was substituted. From previous years' results, I was sort of counting on the swim to pick up a couple minutes on my competition. The best I could do now was to go with the flow and do my best on race day.

We drove the course, both for the run and the bike, and realized that neither would be as easy as we had envisioned. We knew there were steps in the run course, but didn't know that we would be running on grass for half the 5K distance. The bike course had a lot more roll to it than it looked like from tracing the course online, and a couple patches of gravel. And "Big Hiney Hill", the defining feature of the bike course, was indeed imposing in person. It curves up over the Ohio river valley wall up to the farms on top, and thanks to the curve you can't see where it ends until you're almost there.

Since Maysville is a pretty small town, there was no Olive Garden there, so we had to go local for some pasta. The place we found was... well... let's say it was geared to an "older" crowd. The pasta was pretty bland, and the garlic bread may not have actually contained any garlic. I suppose there are worse things to eat pre-race than bland pasta.

On race morning, we grabbed some breakfast at the hotel and had a pretty short drive down to transition. Since this race was so small (49 competitors), setting up in transition was a breeze. The host hotel was even open for bathrooms and water fountains - nice change of pace from the usual start line facilities! Meredith's race didn't start until after mine, so I was first to toe the line, and a little after 8, we were off!

Per coach's instructions, I tried to take the first half mile run easy, and not burn myself out. I seemed to be the only one doing that, as everyone else sprinted away. I wound up not last into T1, but not too far from it. No big deal - really, how much time can you gain in half a mile? (Answer: The overall winner gained 1:06) Not really worth flooring it for that amount of time, unless you're trying to win the thing. And I ended up going faster than intended anyway. :)

Run 1 - 3:32 (7:04/mi)

Going from run to bike is really a lot easier than swim to bike. For one, there's no wetsuit!

T1 - 0:47

After a little bit of iffy pavement on the way out of town, the bike course starts out with some long gradual roll along the Ohio river valley. Coach gave me the goal on the bike to pass 10 people, and I had hoped to average somewhere around 20 mph for the course (though that was before actually seeing the course). And in the first 8 miles, I had already passed my 10 people! Another bonus of taking that first run slow - you get to pick off a lot of people who went out too fast. :) My legs felt pretty good coming out of town, and I was excited about what the day might hold.

Around 9 miles in is "Big Hiney Hill". I was glad we had driven the course, because you come down a little bit of a hill, make a sharp left, and then you CLIMB! There's no time to be downshifting, but because I was prepared, I got in my small ring coming down the previous hill. Even so, my gears were grinding a bit as I got down to my smallest gear at the base of the hill. I loved that the organizers had painted messages onto the road all along the hill. At the base was "Welcome to Big Hiney Hill", and shortly into it was "Who loves pain?"

Big Hiney Hill - 1 mile of fun!

I picked off rider number 11 near the base, and as I was passing number 12 on the hill, he asked me if we were almost to the top. I answered honestly that I wasn't sure (it was wooded and a steady curve, so who knew?), and then I noticed out the "Halfway up!" on the road. I don't think he was very happy about that. Eventually, it did end, and I cruised past a thirteenth rider at the top. There was one more guy in view at that point, but that's where he'd stay - too far away to catch, but never quite escaping my vision.

The top part of this course was very beautiful; it curved up and down through farms. Meredith and I had joked before that it was like the Tour De France - a 1 lane road winding up through fields, and I could almost see people out waving flags in my face. Other than a couple steep little rollers, I was able to stay in my big ring for the majority of this part. And then, what goes up must come down! The last major section is a steady wooded downhill, but not so steep that I ever felt out of control or that I couldn't pedal. I just held a nice steady cadence and enjoyed the ride. Finally, the course dumped you back on the first road along the river, and it was a nice smooth ride back into town. I was happy with my effort on the bike, and the legs still felt good!

Bike - 1:17:36 (19.4 mph)

Also an easy T2. I was happy to only see 2 bikes back on the rack, after being the last of 5 out in T1.

T2 - 0:42

I hadn't really thought about it on the bike, but there was really no breeze to be felt. And it was turning into a pretty warm day (Afterward, we saw a bank thermometer at 91) . When I first left transition, everything was feeling pretty good. However, in the first half mile, I started getting some stomach cramps. I had hoped to run under 8 minute miles, but I had to back off the pace a little to keep everything in working order. I had also planned to take a salt tab on the bike, but I think I dropped it, because it wasn't there when I had looked.

So, the run turned into a bit of damage control instead of the strong run I had envisioned. I made it to the turnaround, walked up the stairs, and had to walk a few more times over the last mile and a half. My heart rate just felt through the roof, and I couldn't keep it under control. So, I'd give myself a 10 second walk break to cool down, and then get back to the run. This seemed to work okay, though I wasn't setting any speed records.

When I got in sight of the finish line, I was happy to see that I'd crack 2 hours, which was sort of a goal pre-race. And when they posted the results, I was happier to see that I had placed in my age group!

The big finish. The guy ahead of me was a duathlete, so I had no real reason to try and chase him down. :)

Run 2 - 26:23 (8:39/mi)

Total - 1:49:03
22/49 Overall
2/2 Age Group

I had thought that I placed 3rd out of 5 in my age group, but now that the results are out, I'm actually listed as second in my age group of two total. I see that one of the guys registered as a clydesdale, but I'm not sure what happened to the others. Unfortunately, this race only gives out awards to a certain percentage of finishers for age groups, so only the first place guy got an award. Also unfortunate? The hot pink cotton t-shirts from this race. Not sure I'll be wearing that one anytime soon. Other than that (and obviously the swim), I thought this race was run very well. It was organized, the course was pretty well marked, and there were a lot of volunteers.

I'm really happy about the way I raced, and encouraged by the results. This race was intended as a tune-up for Coeur D'Alene, and I think it served its purpose well!

Pregame

We made it down to Kentucky, and are hanging out at the hotel after getting some pasta in our bellies.

There was bad news when we arrived: the swim has been cancelled due to bad water conditions. And with it went probably my best event. Just have to make the best of it.

We also had a chance to drive the course. The run has a fair amount of grassy terrain, and a couple flights of steps. The bike course looks a little tougher than anticipated. I knew there was one big hill (and it is big in person), but the rest has some pretty decent roll to it as well. There are even a couple of patches of gravel I'll have to ride through. At least I will know they're coming - glad we drove it.

As for goals, the change in race day have sort of thrown them for a loop. So I'll just leave it at:

1. Finish
2. Have fun
3. Do the best I can under whatever conditions race day brings.

And if all else fails, there's a $25 prize for the last finisher. :)

T-Minus 1 Month

...and it all comes down to this. Really, it's something less than a month because of the taper, but here we are.

Biggest Challenge This Month:

Peak miles! There have been some really long workouts this month - multiple century rides, including one to 115 miles. Some long runs, some swims beyond IM distance, and one giant bike-run brick last weekend. It's taken some work to fit them all in, especially with Meredith's photo booth business booming and spending time helping with that. Somehow, I managed to get nearly all my workouts in, though a few got shaved down here and there when I just couldn't fit them in.

There was one run in there where I absolutely blew up. It was only a 50 minute run, but I crashed and burned pretty hard. Zone 3 was more like zone 1, and recovery was a slow walk. That was a pretty tough day mentally, but because it was sandwiched in between some pretty successful days, I have laid it aside as an anomaly. There have certainly been other days where I wasn't at my "best", but that one took the cake.

Biggest Success This Month:

It would definitely have to be time management and dedication to get in all those hours. It helped to know that I was in the last full build cycle of training. This week is race week (yay!), and after one more tough week, it'll be time to taper down for the big day!

How I Feel About Training:

Like it's all paying off. Minus a few bad days, I've felt consistently stronger as the month has gone along. I've gone over the full IM distance in both the bike and swim, which has given me some mental confidence in my ability to do a long race.

And on the other hand, I'm SO glad to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's been tough to keep this intensity up, and I'm looking forward to some other activities once the race is through.

How I Feel About The Race:

Ready. I know it'll be tough, and there will be struggles, but I really think I can do this thing.

What's Next?

Racing this weekend at the Buffalo Trails Triathlon! It's just a sprint, since there aren't really any longer races in the area around this time of year. I wanted to get in at least one race where I could work out the pre-race jitters and do a practice run of transitions and such. (Like I'm not going to be nervous on June 21. Hah!)

1 Month Out Theme Song(s):

U2 seemed a little cliche. I can't decide.

The amount of time until the taper?



Some upbeat classical?



Or some more...serious...classical?

Open (Water) Season

It's not exactly what you'd call "swimming weather" yet here in Ohio, but this week I decided it was good enough to get out and get ready for this weekend's triathlon.  I had heard really good things about COTT, the local triathlon club, and so I headed down to their Monday open water swim.  Meredith even came along for a piece of the action; she did a short run from the "beach".

The lake where the open water swims take place is large enough to have a 1.2 mile triangle that most of the people were swimming that day.  I was scheduled for 2000 meters in the pool, so that was perfect!  The water was chilly at the start, but manageable.  And it got chillier as I swam into the shade of the cliff...that I wasn't really supposed to be next to.  Right turn.  Swim for a while.  Left turn.  Okay, sighting needs work.  Good to know.

On the long stretch on the back side of the triangle, I noticed the water get rapidly shallower.  I looked up above the water, and there was another cliff wall about two yards from my face.  Sighting DEFINITELY needs work.

For being the first time out this year, though, I felt really good.  One shoulder was a bit tired from the wetsuit sleeves, but overall it was a strong swim.  It wouldn't have been any trouble to do another loop, which was a great feeling!

Caution - May make wide left turns.

Coming in to shore!

Sun salutation, swim-style.

Explosions and Inspiration

Training is an absolute frenzy right now! Every day feels like a huge step toward this race, and I feel more and more physically ready for the demands I'll be putting on my body. At the same time, I'm realizing more and more details that I need to figure out.

How far apart are the water stops?

Do I need my rear bottle cage?

How many tubes should I carry?

Do I want a separate outfit for the run?

Am I wearing a watch? What about my Garmin?

But I know that I'll have time to settle all these issues. Heck, it might give me something to do when I finally start tapering. (I do get to taper, right? Right?)

On Wednesday, I had what has to be the toughest swim to this point. 4200 meters (that's 2.6 miles, if you're scoring at home), with the majority of it in a descending interval set. It was all based off of my latest swim test: I had 400s a little above my average pace, 300s a little less above it, 200s at my test pace, and then a final 100 of all-out-everything-you've-got effort.

One thing I've learned about Ironman training, at least for your first time, is that very little of it is at max effort. Lots of aerobic, zone 2, sustain a comfortably uncomfortable pace work. But I haven't hit the track, I haven't been sprinting on the bike, and other than swim tests, most of my long swim sets have been at a moderate pace. Not this one. This was a gut-wrencher. And it didn't help that in my IM-addled state, I didn't remember my swim pace time correctly. I was thinking 1:32/100m. And I thought, "Well, instead of doing math in my head for 1:32s, let's just round it to 1:30".

My swim test pace was 1:35/100m.

So now I've just inadvertently made my goal 20 seconds faster per 400. My first 400 came in at 6:55. That's a 1:43 pace, within what I really should have been doing, but too slow for my poor math. So I doubled my efforts for the rest, and brought them all in between 6:42 and 6:46.

Now I was feeling better! (Though a bit tired, those seemed hard! Go figure.)

On to the 300s. Should be shooting for 5:00 flat, but wrote it down as 4:45. And I hit 4:46!

Once.

Then it was 4:57. Then 5:05. Uh-oh. Now I'm supposed to step it up again? I must have been feeling bad, because I couldn't even manage to hit the stopwatch correctly for the first 200, and then the second one was 3:25. Pop! There went my arms. Kerpow! And my legs.

One last 100, and I did manage to bring it in in a 1:35. I'm pretty sure that was 35 seconds for the first 50, and 1:00 for the remainder. I remember making the last turn and not quite knowing if I could even make it back to the other end. :) But other than a little cool down, I was done! A blow up, yes, but another big step in pushing myself and growing.

That wasn't the only explosion this week. After the mishap during last weekend's ride, I had to replace Charlie Brown's tires and tubes. It wasn't fast, but I got the front tire changed, inflated, and set aside. Then, while I worked on the rear tire, POW! The front one exploded, just sitting there! I hadn't even put it on the bike yet! I did realize after the fact that the new tires have a much lower max pressure, so I'm thinking maybe I overinflated this one. Still, a disturbing trend.

And finally, a bit of inspiration. I'm not sure why, but I absolutely love this video. I watch it multiple times per week, and enjoy it more than any IMCDA videos I've found of actual racing. Maybe it just captures the feel of the whole event the best.



Thanks for reading this far, have a great weekend! I'll be off for my longest bike ride of the whole training plan on Sunday - 7 hours!

Second "Century"

Sunday morning, I set out for my second century ride. While the first one was about surviving 100 miles, this one had more purpose. That's a nice way of saying "This one will push me to my limit". Four of the six hours were to be intervals where I'd have to push hard to get my heart rate up.

Hour 1: Warm-up. Little bit of a headwind, but not bad. My legs took a bit of warming up, probably because I had 3 hours of workouts the day before. :)

Hour 2: Start of the intervals. Uphill rollers for a lot of it, but by now my legs were with me, and I was having fun and moving! The wind wasn't bad at all through here, and I was banking a lot of time at a high (for me) speed. Starting to get excited about the day.

Hour 3: Through Mt. Vernon, and onto the bike trail. Lots of folks out, it was a beautiful day for a walk, ride, or anything! Made for a few times I had to slow down to get around people, but that's okay. I hit 50 miles, and still had some time to go before my turnaround! Got really excited, since 100 miles took me well over six hours last time. Pulled out the phone to call Meredith, but no service way out there in the countryside.

Hour 4: Turned around and headed back. Got stuck behind a pair of rollerbladers. I called out "on your left, please", but they didn't hear. Tried again a little closer, and the woman jumped from surprise and almost fell. The guy (who was the one blocking the left side of the trail) said, "Good thing she didn't fall." Well, yeah, good thing. It would have been your fault. :P Back through town, holding my water bottles in over some rough roads, and started the ride back home. Still holding a great average, somewhere around 17.5.

Hour 5: As I climbed out of Mt. Vernon, I noticed that I was finally having trouble holding my speed. I chalked it up to pushing hard on the intervals, and the fact that I was hitting the biggest uphill parts of the course, but it sure came on fast! Then, just before I made the turn to head back downhill for basically the remainder of the day, I heard it.

Pssst.

Pssssst.

PsstPsstPsstPsstPsst...

I pulled off the road, and sure enough, my rear tire was leaking air. Why does it always have to be the rear one? I found the spot and stuck my finger on it, which seemed to do the trick. Unfortunately, it's hard to ride with your finger on your rear wheel, so I figured I better find another way. Before I lost all the air, I managed to limp another quarter mile to a landscaping company and staked out a spot on their lawn, right next to the fence where their animals were kept. I had a very interested crowd (two donkeys, a scary dog, and numerous goats) as I got my old tube out and put in the new one.

First annual meeting of my fan club!

Everything looked good, so I got out the CO2, pushed it down, and the new tire inflated and

BANG!

Oh. That's not good. (The animals didn't like it much either)

I'm no expert, but I think I may have found the issue.

Poor Charlie Brown. :(

That was my only spare, so it was time to call for a rescue. Fortunately, I was back in cell phone range at this point, so Meredith was able to come get me. Coach said maybe I didn't have the tire seated properly...I didn't realize one CO2 cartridge had enough pressure to pop a tube. Guess it's a lesson learned.

After all was said and done, I had done 74.16 miles in 4:19. That's about a 17.2 mph average, which is a big improvement over the 15.7 from my first century! I had looked a little earlier, and it was around 17.4 before the flat issues. Provided that it was, in fact, the flat that was slowing me down and my legs weren't blowing up on me, I think I could have held pretty close to that the rest of the way - most of it was downhill, and I usually cruise through that section. Frustrating to have the day end that way, but sometimes that's the way it goes.

Here's to taking what good we can from days like this, and surviving to train again another day! For me, that day will be Sunday, when I get to bump it up to a 7 hour ride!

Going Long

One thing that's been different in Ironman training is that I have not put in the number of miles I'm used to for marathon training. I think that's just a necessity, as there aren't enough hours in the day, nor could your body stand up to all that pounding PLUS two other sports.

Yesterday was my longest run so far. I had to run 18 miles, with a good portion of it at race pace, and then a couple miles faster than race pace! I mapped out a route, got my batman utility belt (okay, fuel belt), and took off.

The first mile was just around our neighborhood, which was a good thing, because I forgot my salt tabs. I was assigned to wear long sleeves (it was 65 and drizzly), so I knew I'd be sweating a lot and needed them. A quick stop back home, and then it was off again. I decided to just run one of my short bike routes, since there was a sidewalk most of the way and it wouldn't require any looping. Plus, it takes me by the high school where there's a water fountain for refills.

I got warmed up for a while, and then it was time to kick it into race pace gear. My legs were a little sluggish, but once I kept reminding myself to keep the turnover high, they settled into a good place. The last few miles of the out on this course are a long gradual uphill, so it took a little effort to keep it up, but once I turned around I was glad to get some downhill! I kept every mile in there between 9:15 and 9:45, which is my zone for race day on a "perfect" day.

But then I had to run below that pace, and my legs didn't want any of it. I managed to knock out the next two miles around 8:50, but I was putting in a lot of effort! Never saw my heart rate, but I'm sure it was sky high. When those miles finally ended, I walked a few steps to get the heart rate down and get in some water. And that was it for my legs. They cramped up and never let go for the rest of the run. So my cool down was more of a shuffle/walk combo.

When I finally got home, I wasn't feeling very well. My legs were tight, my stomach didn't feel good, and I was TIRED! And after sitting to stretch for a bit, I had to hop in my assigned ice bath!


Let me tell you, that was loads of fun. The picture is about 7 minutes into the 10 minute bath, so there was a lot more ice when it started! I'm promised that it will help with recovery though, and the science behind it seems reasonable. Today, I'm still sore...just telling myself I would have been more sore!

All in all, it wasn't easy, but it was a confidence builder that I got through it. Good to see you again, long run!