theironpalm

My second triathlon did not go as smoothly as the first, but again I learned a ton more lessons.  Kris and I left on Thursday morning for a couple of days of camping before the race.  We arrived at Big Bear Lake, CA and enjoyed the much cooler temperatures.  On Friday night Jake arrived with his family and we spent the evening at his campground carbo-loading on spaghetti.

Race morning I felt great, but once the race started I couldn’t get into any sort of rhythm.  I could breathe in fine, but had the hardest time exhaling.  After even a few strokes I was gasping for breath.

 

After my 2nd stop holding onto a kayak, I decided to call it a day.  I got a ride on a jet ski back to the start.  They said I was welcome to complete the bike and run if I wanted.

I trudged to the transition area and grumpily headed out on the 17 mile ride around the lake.  It is really hard to stay upset for long when riding in such beautiful surroundings.  I am so glad I decided to continue and not just mope around the rest of the day.  Continuing not only helped me process the frustration of the swim, but allowed me to enjoy the rest of our vacation as well.  Not happy with the DNF, but it was still a fun day.

 

Kris and I stayed in Big Bear another 2 days after the race, and had a wonderful time.

After hours of research on what happened during my swim, I think I know how to adjust for future races.  Apparently, sticking my face into the cold water initiates the gasping reflex.  The way to combat it is to make sure you get a good warm-up in the water before the race starts.  Getting your face in the water and practicing your breathing before the race can help get adjusted to the cold.  I also need to get to the lake more for training outside of the pool.

I hope that this will alleviate the problem as my 18 week training plan starts Monday!

I completed my first triathlon back in April. I did the Lifetime Marquee Sprint. It was a ton of fun and I learned a lot for next time. The race was awhile ago, but I still want to make sure I record the lessons learned.

The Swim:  Tempe Town Lake was about as nasty as everyone said it would be.  My plan was to hang back a little at the start and not get caught up in the scrum.  The only problem with that plan was that I ended up swimming up the back of the people in front of me.  The biggest issue I had on the swim was that I felt as if the timing chip around my ankle was going to fall off.  After the first 400 meters I just stopped worrying about it and tried to relax into the swim.  The second 400 meters was a little less stressful except when the wave of ladies behind me began to swallow the back of the wave I started in.  Next race I will pin my ankle strap and will try to swim a lot wider than the buoy so I don’t get caught up in the mess around the turns.

The Bike:  I was able to keep a pretty steady pace on the bike, but still need a lot more miles in the saddle to be competitive.  The big lessons learned on the bike are I need to train more and I need to get my bike fitted better.

 

This photo speaks for itself.  Besides looking like a fat tub of goo with horrible riding form (legs splayed out!!!),  my seat needed to be raised at least 3 inches.  I have since made some adjustments that have helped tremendously, but I still need to get into the shop for a complete fitting.

The Run:  The best part of the run was the fact that I was able to pass a lot of people and have very few pass me.  I had done enough bricks so that the transition from the bike wasn’t too horrible.

All in all it was a great experience.  Next up is the Big Bear Triathlon at the end of June (Big Bear Lake, CA).

After a pretty sedentary winter I am back at it. Over the winter my knees kept hurting every time I started training. Over the last month, however, it hasn’t bothered me much. I was managed to run two 10k’s in Feb. and March. I was in no shape to run them but wanted to get some points for the ARR Grand Prix.
Swim training has gone surprisingly well. I was supposed to swim 5 x100’s today, but felt good so I swam 10 x 100 instead.  I was able to get two good beach runs in while in Mexico this week as well.

My first triathlon is on April 12 in Tempe. I still have a long way to go, but I am starting to get excited.

I think I am finally recovered from the marathon last month.  I have been doing a little running but nothing too major.  Motivation has been an issue, mainly because I haven’t had any definite goals in front of me.  Actually, I have so many conflicting running goals I haven’t been sure where to start.  I really want to run a marathon in January, but I think I would be better off completing a program geared toward a shorter race.  My ultimate goal of beating all my previous PR’s is still something I just can’t let go of as well.  Several friends have been having some success with the FIRST training program.  Jake used it to train for Big Cottonwood and although he missed qualifying for Boston by 35 seconds, he did set a PR.  Todd, who I ran cross country with in high school, has been using it to train for New York next month and seems to be having good results.

I can’t let being unsure of what to do keep me from doing anything at all (there is some cool quote about doing a little is better than doing nothing at all that I am being to lazy to look up.  I think the quote has more to do with making a difference in the world, but I guess I can hijack the idea and apply it for my own personal gain.).  As I am writing this I have decided to follow the FIRST program for a 5k. Maybe I can use it to get some speed into these legs.

OK, I have been putting off a recap of the race.  Overall it was a great weekend.  We flew in on Friday and went straight to the expo.  At the expo Jake bought me a pacing wristband, because they were having a 2 for $5 special.  I chose to get the 3:45 band.  My first marathon was a 4:05.  I should probably have just set a goal to break 4:00, but for some reason 3:45 had been stuck in my head.

After the expo we had the opportunity to drive the course.  We stayed with Jake’s aunt and uncle, who live about 15 minutes from the race finish.  They were extremely welcoming and supportive throughout the weekend.  On race day we drove to the finish area where we took school buses up the mountain to the race start.  It was pretty cold at the start, but we had bought some sweats at a thrift store the day before which helped a lot.  A couple of the buses were late so the start was delayed almost 30 minutes.

The first mile was a little rough because of the cold and elevation.  On mile 2 I was able to settle in, and felt pretty comfortable.  With the steep downhill it is very difficult to judge pace, but I was able to stay focused.  I hit all my splits for the first 15 miles according to my wristband.  At mile 15 the course levels off for an out and back section of “rolling hills”.  I know it is impossible, but I would swear that both the “out” and “back” were both uphill.

(to be continued)

 

A really crazy work week has helped keep my mind off the marathon on Saturday.  The weird weather has also limited my running the last few days.  The last two weeks have been my worst training weeks of the program.  My last really good run was a few weeks ago when we ran Mount Lemmon.  Taking a couple days off before and after the Mount Lemmon run really messed with my routine.  It took me a long time to get into the groove of getting up at 4:00 or 4:30 to run, and it really felt nice to be able to sleep in.  The weather is still too hot to put in any decent mileage in the evenings.  I usually hate tapering, but it really wasn’t an issue this time (It has been less of a taper and more of an all-stop).  I felt reasonably good today at cross country practice, even though the heat and humidity were brutal.

We fly out early on Friday morning.  I don’t have any major time goals for the race.  I would love to hit 3:40, but will be satisfied with anything under 4:00.  If I get under 4:00 and can resume a normal running schedule fairly soon after the race I will be happy.

As I approach my first PR attempt of my “Fall of PR’s”, I have started thinking about the races in which I reached my current PR’s.  So before each race I think I will review the old race.  As I have been thinking about the races I have found that many have come at major turning points in my life.

My current PR for the marathon is from my first and only road marathon.  In January of 2010 I ran the PF Chang’s Rock N Roll Marathon in 4:05:18.  It was the first time in about 7 years that I had trained with any seriousness.  I had been running consistently for about 6 weeks when I decided to train for the full marathon.  I had reduced my karate training and teaching schedule and needed something to challenge me.  I still remember that first 7 mile run of the training program.  It was one of the worst runs of my life.  It was much harder than the 20 miler I was to face at the end of the program.  I contemplated abandoning the whole idea, but I managed to put in another week and finish an 8 miler the next week fairly easily.  Once I get a few long runs into a training program, I feel I have invested so much I don’t want to waste that effort.  I followed Hal Higdon’s Beginner Program and for the first time actually made it to a marathon starting line.  The race itself was fantastic for the first 20 miles.  I stayed with the 3:50 group up until that point, but my knee suddenly locked up.  I pretty much hobbled the rest of the way, frustrated because besides the knee I felt pretty strong.  It was still an amazing experience, but it took me about 4 months to get to where I could run without any pain.

That marathon is a bittersweet memory.  Two weeks after the race my father passed away from cancer.  My mom told me that Dad wouldn’t let me know about his condition until after my race, because he didn’t want me to stop training or be distracted.  Training for that race had given me the confidence that I could handle anything.  The strength I discovered through my running allowed me to be there for my dad in his last days.  I’m not sure I would have been capable of the meaningful moments were able to share at the end if I hadn’t been in such a good place myself at that time.  Not to be able to run following my fathers death was difficult.  I don’t think I really was able to process my own grief until I was able to get back to running a few months later.

I have always been a results oriented person.  The idea that the journey was more important than the destination never rang true to me.  I think my marathon training for both of these races have helped me focus on enjoying the process and letting go of my attachment to the results.

Here is a link if you are interested in receiving live updates of the race on Saturday:

http://www.runrevel.com/bcm/track?a=6352046731034624

 

A little over a year ago I adopted a plant-based diet.  The previous year I had gone vegan for about 4 months and felt great, but gave it up primarily for convenience sake.  During my son’s extended hospital stay, I ended up eating at the very well stocked hospital cafeteria at least twice a day.  By the end of his stay I weighed 173 lbs., the most I have ever weighed.  I cleaned up my diet and started running again in the summer of 2013.  On August 1, 2013 I went totally plant-based.  I quickly lost about 25 lbs. and was again under 150.

My diet over the last 4 months had gotten a little sloppy.  With the race coming up I decided I owed it to myself to clean up my diet.  I am training more than ever in my life and it would be foolish to sabotage it with unhealthy eating.  The primary thing that I have done is eliminate food with added sugar and not “graze” after 7:00.

My goal weight for race day is 145, I have been weighing myself every Monday

 

Starting Weight 7/28:   156lbs.

8/4:  152 lbs.

8/11:  151 lbs.

8/18:  150 lbs..

8/25 : 148 lbs.

I have seen a couple different articles about the relationship to weight loss and increased speed.  I think conservatively that 1 lb. of weight loss is equivalent to 1 sec per mile.   We will see if my results substantiate my hypothesis.

I have been a little concerned that I have not gotten enough downhill training in as preparation for the major downhill at Big Cottonwood.  Jake, who originally gave me the idea to run Big Cottonwood, was having similar concerns.  We have gone to South Mountain twice for training runs, but that is only about 7.5 miles long.  This weekend we headed down to Tucson to train on Mount Lemmon.  We drove down on Friday night.  The ride down was uneventful, except for the a little tickle in my throat that always signals the beginning of a cold.   Upon arriving in Tucson we drove up Mount Lemmon to the first lookout area to get an idea of how much time we would need in the morning then we  found a hotel for the night.   

After a pasta primavera dinner we went to sleep.  I slept well, but woke up with a congested nose.   Jenny, Jake’s wife, was kind enough to drive us up to about 6500 feet, which would give us a good 15 miles of downhill.  We could have gone up to around 9,000 feet but the logistics would have been too complicated.  On the way up we stashed water every 5 miles.

The first few miles were the most difficult.  I am not sure if it was the elevation or the nasal congestion, but breathing was more difficult than usual.  The descent was fun and the views beautiful.  I didn’t even bother to turn on my MP3 player during the entire run.  After the first few miles I settled in and had a nice run.  It is very easy on a long downhill to lose focus and end up just coasting.  I find it much harder to keep track of my pace on the downhill.  During the race I need to focus on “running” down the hill and not just coasting along.

Jake will be trying for a Boston Qualifier at the race, which is a 3:15 for his age group.  He added 6 miles onto the end of the downhill for a total of 21 miles.  He was able to maintain his marathon pace but is still concerned whether he is ready.

I just ran the 15 downhill and felt good.  I thought about adding a couple miles at the end, but didn’t want to push my luck.  This will be my last long run before the race.  I am planning on running in the Jerome Hill climb next week (5 miles up the streets of Jerome).  I will then be able to run back down to my car and get one more downhill in before it is time to taper.

 

Things have been going so well in my marathon training that I believed I was going to have the perfect training cycle.  This illusion was destroyed this week.  I was able to slog through the week but it was anything but easy.  While warming up for my 5K last Sunday I started to feel a little twinge in my right knee.  It wasn’t exactly pain, it was more like my knee saying, ” Remember me?  Do you remember how I made you hobble the last 6 miles of your first marathon?  Or how I fell apart atop Goldmine Mountain during the San Tan Scramble?”  The race went fine and I haven’t had any pain when I have been running, but I am still feeling the occasional twinge and stiffness during the day.

Tuesday I had the best speed day ever.  I went out Wednesday and felt horrible the first 4 miles of an 8 miler.  Thankfully, I caught a tailwind for the next mile and the last three I got to run in the pouring rain.  About a half mile from home I had my first dog encounter in a while.  Cujo came flying out of his yard and across the street with definite bad intentions. The house is set way back from the street, and I could see and hear the dog’s owner running across the yard to get him.  Just when Cujo got into striking distance an off duty Sherriff’s deputy pulled his pickup in between me and the dog.  He revved his engine and Cujo backed off before I had to jump in the back of the truck.  I still haven’t looked at my Garmin see what my heart rate spiked at during the encounter.

Thursday was the worst speed day ever.  I ignored the little voice that told me I needed a rest day.  The only way I can describe the feeling in my legs is “rubbery lead”.  I slogged through the workout and decided to take Friday off.  The rest on Friday enabled me to have a good Saturday Trail run with the Cadence group.

On Sunday I planned to get some downhill in at South Mountain.  Luckily I checked the website on Saturday and found out that the storm damaged the road.  The new plan was to do a 20 miler.  Got out of the house at about 4:45 and it was extremely humid.  By 2 miles I was completely drenched in sweat and feeling miserable.  After  long bargaining session with myself I decided to bail on my run and head home.  As I headed home I started to feel guilty and decided I would go for a long bike ride instead.  I soon realized that the biggest problem was hauling around my water pack and I might be able to run if I only had my handheld..  Upon getting home I changed shirts and got a new hat grabbed my handheld water bottle and headed back out for a 6 mile loop.  So when I got done with the loop I was at 10 miles and needed another change of clothes (good thing I did laundry the day before).  I squeezed into a racing singlet I haven’t worn since 2003 and was pleasantly surprised by the lack of too many unsightly bulges.  I headed out on another loop.  By this time the sun had burned off all the humidity and it was just plain hot.  I ran out of water at 3 miles out and had to alter my route to stop by a Circle K to refill.  Got back to the house with a total of 16 miles done.  Changed yet again and with the temperature climbing even higher I only got a mile from the house before I had to go back to refill.  So all and all it was a miserable 20 miles, but I finished it.

It only took 4 different shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 hats, 2 headbands, and a bandana.

I probably didn’t receive any training benefit after the first 12 miles, but psychologically I needed to be able to check that box off on my training plan.  Last night as I lay in bed I started adding up my miles for the week.  I came up with a total of 49.5, I think I am fine with rounding it up to 50.

Needless to say, Monday is going to be a rest day!