End of the beginning

So long 2008! You were good in some ways...in other ways...uhhm...not so much. Tore meniscus in knee - Frustrating. Finished IMAZ - Good! Got a new job - Good. Moved away from friends - Sad. Market crashed - bad.

But on a high note, i finished the workout year with a 1,000 meter swim at YMCA right before it closed. Hope that is a good omen.

Blech

Didn't feel great today. Tired and sore. Slept through Sergio's brick but did manage to come home in the afternoon and do an abbreviated version. 30 minutes on the computrainer followed by a 15 minute run. Twinge in left knee after the run.

I'd really like to take a day off from training but then I'd have to deal with the guilt factor of having "missed" a workout.

Gumby

Had an afternoon stretching session with John at Stretch to Win. Need to do this more often. He said I was tight on the left side.

Left his office and went to 24 hour fitness for a solid core, upper and lower body weight lifting session. Very tired now but satisfied with the day.

Ironman Coeur D' Alene Momentum

I feel like I'm starting to gain some momentum for Ironman Coeur D' Alene. Got up and did my swim workout this morning at 5:30 a.m. It was cool to see the sun come up during the workout. Still have a nagging feeling that I'm not doing enough but I suppose that will never go away.

Tide Pool of Misery

Rode to Point Loma Tide Pools with Kebby, Brit, Steph and their friend Kelan this morning. Did 10 good hill repeats and came home. Solid effort and I'm pleased with the workout. Total distance was 27 miles. Each climb was about 7/10 of a mile at 5 to 6 percent grade.

Would have felt even better about the workout if everyone else hadn't gone for a transition run. I just didn't have it in me, so I came in drank some recoverite and stretched.

Holiday Pounds

Well, we made it through the best of the holidays from a fun and food perspective and the worst from a workout point of view. Managed to get in a couple of short swims and a short run while we were in Atlanta but didn't get anything major accomplished. Probably just slowed the rate of loss. Too much sugar, stuffing and white bread.

On a positive note, our flights were more or less on time and uneventful. Interesting that we absolutely expect something to go wrong whenever we fly. I guess the airlines do a great job of setting a low bar. Where else would you be absolutely stunned if you actually received what you paid for. Imagine going to the wine store and buying a bottle of cab all the while expecting that when you open it you'll probably get a merlot or milk or water or nothing at all. Oh well. Good for them for getting us to lower our expectations.

Had a great time though. Will try hard to pick up the momentum from Kona again starting tomorrow.

Be Careful Out there

Missed a brick workout this morning thanks to a fun night of holiday festivities with our neighbors. Managed to get to the gym in the evening and get in a decent core and weight session.

Big scare came after Kebby and I dropped off the dogs at Snug Pet Resort. We were about to turn right at a light when a cyclist ran a red light and got hit by a car. I saw the cyclist coming and then caught sight of the car out of the corner of my eye. The car must have been going about 40 to 45 mph and hit the front wheel of the bike. The cyclist was literally launched ten feet into the air and flipped multiple times before landing on his back.

We both got out of the car and ran to the middle of the intersection. While the scene was pretty bad, the biker was very very lucky. The car hit his front wheel not his body. He probably had some fractures but looked to be in reasonably good shape all things considered. I honestly thought he was going to be dead. When I got to him, all I could remember was "don't move the spine" and ABC. The A is for airway as in make sure it is unobstructed, the B is for Breathing and for the life me I couldn't remember what C stood for. I asked him if he could breathe and he said "yes". Then I said don't move. After that, I was pretty much useless. Four or five of us tended to him until a police car arrived followed a few minutes later by an ambulance.

After giving a statement to the police we watched him get loaded into the ambulance. The police said they would impound his bike.

There is no way I can really describe how incredible (in a bad way) the sight was or how it felt to have the adrenal glands absolutely unload. About an hour or so after the accident, I was starving and had a huge headache. I'm sure this is all some type of physiological response.

While I absolutely hate to have seen the whole thing, I am now committed to being as safe as I possibly can be when I'm out riding.

Off to Atlanta tomorrow for Christmas with the family. Happy Holidays!

Google Rules!

Ok...I may have solved my training tracking issue. I was watching CNN this morning when they interviewed a cyclist that worked for Google. He was having a hard time keeping track of his training so he wrote a program called Google Calendar. Now he can sign in and log his workout from almost anywhere.

I went on-line and the application is very easy to use. I gave my coach access too. Hopefully this will stick!

On a training note, I'm fairly pleased with the week. Worked out every day since Monday and logged three swims, three bikes, three runs and two core sessions. Finished up the week with a 22 mile ride on the 101. Would have gone longer but got a massive flat at mile 10. I managed to get the tube changed but was afraid of another flat since the tire was punctured. We ended up turning around after another mile and called it a day.

Workouts

Good week so far. Monday did 1,000 meter swim before work. Tuesday brick with a 30 minute bike and a 20 minute run at 8:03 per mile.

Mahalo

Bit of a lag in posting but I hope to get back in the groove. I need to keep track of my workouts and it appears that the blog is probably the best recipe for success. I tried to create an excel file but would forget about it for a couple of days then try to remember the workouts. Since I regularly scan a couple of blogs each day, I hope I can remember to update mine when I'm done reading.

On a positive note, we just got back from a great training week in Kona today. Our friend Scott had a timeshare and set up the trip. Unfortunately, he had to back out due to work but Kebby and I still made the pilgrimage to the Mecca of triathlon. The main focus of the trip was training and we're pleased with the results considering it's still early in the season. It was great from a motivational perspective that we did the majority of our training on the Ironman course.

A couple of interesting points about the course were that (1) it is surprisingly (at least to me) hilly with rollers throughout and a five to six mile climb into Hawi that would really put a hurt on you if you pushed to hard and (2) the hills were very deceptive. At least twice on what looked like downhills, my speed dropped and I was sure that I had a flat. It was only when I stopped and checked did I realize that what looked like a decent was actually a three or four percent climb.

I'm especially sold on the concept of training camps now. We planned two or three workouts each day and scheduled everything else around the training. We did four rides of eight, 25, 50 and 60 miles during the week and got in a three and a six mile run along with four swims and four weight sessions. I'm definitely not in Ironman shape yet since the 60 miler put me out of commission for the rest of that day and half of the next. But I consider the week to be the first deposit in the bank and hope to carry the momentum into the holidays and early January.

Week One is Done

Completed the week with a good 2 1/2 hour ride. Did eight hill repeats with the gang and felt pretty tired at the end. Also worked up my scoring table on excel. I gave today's ride a nine (3 for showing up, 3 for completing the workout and another 3 for good focus). I went back and graded the other workouts (big zero for missing Friday) and averaged a 6.875 for the week. The number alone doesn't really mean anything but I'm going to try and use it as a benchmark.

Week in Review

Made five of six workouts this week. Not bad. Just missed the swim on Friday.

I'm trying to come up with a tracking tool that quantifies three things: (1) Did I show up for the workout or not? Yes equals three points, no equals zero, (2) Did I complete the entire workout? Yes equals three, two thirds equals two etc, and (3) Was I focused during the entire workout? Completely equals three, just went throught the motions equals zero.

Once I get this worked out, I'll start grading my results.

The Beginning of The Beginning

This is not the end. It is not the beginning of the end. It's not even the freakin end of the beginning. But it is...the beginning of the (official) beginning. Apologies Mr. Churchill.

Game on though. I officially start training tomorrow. Had a decent weekend (lift, bike and transition run) but I suspect that things will feel quite different now that Sergio (sandiegoxtraining.com) has given me a plan. Now when I skip a day, I'll know that I have formally and officially decided that I know more than him and that I should sit on my tail instead of train. I'll also know that I have paid for a plan and decided to flush the dollars I paid down the can rather than follow directions.

I hope I go back and read this post before I hit snooze in the morning and make an excuse about needing a recovery day.

In all seriousness though, I'm excited about getting started. Ironman Coeur d' Alene is roughly 230 days away and I hope to make each day count.

Oh...and as for the ride today, Kebby, Brit, Stephanie and I went out to a nice flat stretch of land on Coronado Island called the Strand and did time trial intervals. We rode out five miles then got on the shoulder of the highway and sprinted for 2.4 miles back (times three). I felt good and averaged between 21.5 and 22 mph for all three sprints. The story of the day though was Brit. He was absolutely on fire and dropped all of us on each of the three. He's got some real speed (or real epo) and should take advantage of it (or sell it to me).

The final kick in the groin was the one mile transition run that Stephanie and I did after we got back to the car. We started out and I wasn't sure who was setting the pace since we were side by side. When I checked my heart rate and saw 180, I was pretty sure she was in charge. When she got tired of my complaining and labored breathing, she decided to drop the hammer (and drop me) for the last quarter mile. Even so, I finished the mile at a 7:30 pace and felt like I had gotten in a good workout.

Santa Barbara

Great weekend of training with Kebby, Brit and Stephanie. Went up to Santa Barbara on Friday and got in two rides, one run and about five bottles of wine.  Hey!  They were red...that counts as antioxidant supplementation....right?

We got up Saturday morning and drove to wine country and did a ride called the Sideways wine tour ride.  Went past several of the landmarks in the movie and got in some good solid climbing.  The road was long with a wide shoulder so I was able to drop into the aero position  for long stretches.  No doubt about it, the shoulders and neck are not ready for Ironman Coeur d' Alene by a long shot.  The legs felt good though and we got in 40 miles of rolling hills.

Sunday was going to be a recovery ride but I should have checked the map.  The second road we turned on was called mountain road.  And in California, they generally know their mountains.  We spent the first half hour of the 15 mile ride climbing hard. Brit and Kebby took off like banshees and I didn't see them until they stopped at turns to wait  The road then flattened and we were granted an incredible view of the ocean as we road the top part of the ride.  The last half was almost all down hill and was a great way to end.  Followed up with a two mile transition run with 8:35's per mile.

Unfortunately, the knees are a bit sore, so I'll probably have to ice and take a few days off.

Consistency

Have managed to maintain a bit of consitency this week. Lifted on Monday and got in a three mile trot today. I think I'm at least conditioning myself to get something done before work. Hopefully, this incredible discipline will carry over to when I actually start training.

On a lighter note, I sent a note to Scott's new coach warning her about what she's getting in to. Despite my prediction of dire consequences, she replied that she was keeping him as a student.

Big Mo

Well...looks like the momentum of seeing Chrissie Wellington carried over for at least a day. Got up early and headed out to the mountains with Kebby and Steph.

We did the Laguna ride which starts in Pine Valley and goes up at 6 to 9% grade for the first 12 miles. We turned around at a Ranger station and extended the downhill past pine valley for another 3 miles.

I felt decent the whole day and was pleased with the workout. Kebby and Steph both kicked tail too. Kebby spent the day riding ahead then descending to the back of the group before passing everyone on the way up again. Despite a nine mile run on Saturday, Steph was strong too. About half way up Laguna, she dropped the hammer and dissapeared until a malicious bee stung her and slowed her down.

Officially, I start my Ironman Coeur d' Alene training on November first but this was one of the best "non-training" days I've had to date.

Built for Speed

Had a slightly below average week in terms of working out. Got in one run, one bike and one session in the weight room but took off Thursday and Friday.

Highlight of the week was seeing Chrissie Wellington speak at Coastal Sports on Friday night. I received an e-mail on Thursday afternoon from Coastal saying that Chrissie was going to be doing an interview with Bob Babbitt and that it was open to the public.

I went over right after work and met up with Kebby and our neighbor Stephanie. Chrissie walked in about 20 minutes early without much fuss. It didn't take more than one look to tell that she was "cut from different cloth" so to speak. She was taller than I expected, quite tan (especially for a Brit) and her legs looked like they were made of cold rolled steel! No kidding, her calves looked like they were going to explode off of her legs. Her arms were thin and muscular and her back was absolutely shredded.

She and Bob sat down in front of the crowd and went through a 20 minute interview. Have to say, she was very very impressive. While being humble and funny, there was no doubt that she was also quite confident of her abilities. Interesting enough, she said that she doesn't train with a power meter or a heart rate monitor. I'm sure the polar and srm reps were pretty disappointed to here that!

A positive for me was that the interview left me so motivated that I was able to drag my but out of bed today and actually get in a swim. Let's hope that I keep the momentum and get in a decent ride tomorrow.

Big Bear

Headed up to Big Bear with Kebby and the dogs this weekend. This was the first time that I'd been up to Big Bear and was surprised at (1) the beauty of the place, (2) the altitude (over 7,000 feet) and (3) that it could snow in early October.

We checked into the cabin in the dark and could tell that the temparature was dropping. Not a huge deal since we had plenty of cold weather rides on the Silver Comet in Georgia. But...when I woke up in the morning to get everything ready, I literally stumbled on the stairs when I looked out the window. I stared dumbfounded at a blanket of white! First snow of the season...what luck! Especially since the forecast called for clear.

Since it was a fairly light dusting, we decided to head into town and explore. We'd ride later in the afternoon. First stop was Starbucks and then we headed over to the local bike shop to hang for a while. The shop (Big Bear Bikes) was the epitomy of a local shop. Kinda messy, bike parts everywhere and a couple of really laid back dudes working. I was wearing an Ironman hat and one of the guys asked me which races I'd done. It felt good to tell him that I did IMAZ in April and was signed up for CDA in June. He kidded me that triathletes have to pay double since they were generally faster than him. The best part though was that roadies had to pay triple (because of attitude...not speed). Seems that most of the bikers in the area rode the proverbial "fat tires".

After lunch, the snow had pretty much melted away and we saddled up for a ride. It wasn't a barn burner in terms of distance but the altitude, the wind and the 9 to 14% grade made me feel like I had at least done something. We ended up riding for just under an hour.

After knocking out a tail light on the jeep when I slid down the still iced over driveway, we headed back to Starbucks to watch the end of the Hawaii Ironman on the computer. Really cool that Chrissie Wellington and Craig Alexander won. I couldn't think of two better representatives for our sport.

We finally called it a night around 10:00 pm (wow...talk about partying) and headed back to the cabin.

Uneventful drive back to San Diego Sunday. Let's hope for a solid week of training this week.

Short Run

Got a quick 2 1/2 mile run in this morning. Kebby went for a ride but I felt like I needed to get some shoe time on the pavement.

Back at it

Took yesterday off for recovery. Legs were a bit tired from the ride in the hills. Got up before work this morning and hit the weight room. Nothing too intense but at least I kept some momentum from the weekend.

I still plan on officially starting my training in November. Will probably sign on with Sergio at San Diego X training. He has partnered with Chrissie Wellington's coach and offers an interesting training program that is lighter on volume and has you go by feel (I think).

Some of the details can be at Ironguides.net.

Head for the hills!

Got in a good ride near Pine Valley this morning. Kebby, Steph and I made the drive in-land to the mountains and climbed Mount Laguna. Started in Pine Valley and began climbing immediately. 15 Miles of climbing at about a 6% grade did a number on the legs. Total ride was 30 miles.

Oh...and the picture is the bike start at Ironman CDA. Has nothing to do with the ride today. Of course it does scare the shit out of me. So I guess that's good.

Family in the house

Mom and sister came in from L.A. (Los Angeles...not Lower Alabama) last night. They left this afternoon and we basically spent the time eating and talking. No working out going on today. Lots of desert and coffee though.

Hope to make up for it by getting in a good ride on Sunday though.

That's a wrap

Well, I'm closing the book on the week of training. All in all I'm satisfied. Got a short (3 miles) run in on Thursday and a 35 minute bike ride in on Friday. Had another session with "Stretch to Win" trainer Friday afternoon.

Family coming in town tonight so will probably be a light weekend.

Still, since I'm really just getting ready to train, I'm feeling pretty good about the week.

Rubberband man...not

Got up and did a 45 minute ride with Brit and Steph. After that went down to see a pt that specialized in a technique called "stretch to win". It's a fairly gentle routine that (in theory) helps you gain flexibility. The therapist straps one of your legs down and then bends the other like a pretzel. I have to say that I do feel a little bit more flexible after the session. A little lighter in the wallet too. Who knows, if it keeps me from getting injured it will be worth every penny.

The Catch

Well...it had to happen sooner or later. I actually had a decent day today. Got up and hit the gym in the morning for lifting session and managed to eat clean all day. Finished up with a swim lesson from Sergio.While I won't say that I've technically started training (that way I can't technically "miss" any workouts), I will say that this was a good start to my "not training".

Sergio had plenty to say about my swim stroke though. By the way what is a "catch".

And why don't I have one?

Off Day

No training today. Thought about getting up and going to the gym for a weight lifting session when the alarm went off this morning. Thought about solving the financial crisis too. Hmm...perfect score.

The Plan

Went to the Y this morning for a swim.  Since I'm not "officially" starting my training until November, I didn't have a "plan" for the swim.  Consequently, when that little voice in my head (aka the "excuse monster") starting talking about how nice it would be to grab a cup of coffee, I didn't need a lot of convincing.  Hopped out of the pool after a measly 500 meters and went to Pete's.

Now, I do have to give the monster credit, the coffee and the Odwalla pumpkin protein drink I had were both damn good but now I'm feeling a bit guilty for cutting the workout short. But wait a minute, since I didn't have a plan, could I have really cut anything short??? 

Hill Repeats on Point Loma

Good training with Brit and Steph this morning. Rolled out of the garage at 9:00 and rode up to the tidepool hill on point loma. We did five repeats of the .8 mile climb that has an 8% to 9% grade. I was trying to do the equivalent of negative splits where each repeat was faster (and harder) than the last. Based on my heartrate monitor, number four was a bit harder than number five but all in all, I managed to stay pretty much on plan.

The last climb was particularly fun as Brit and I raced to the top and he zipped past me at the last second to take the flag. Steph was a machine too and she even suggested that we do repeat number six. Fortunately, we were able to talk her out of it and she settled for a transition run with her dog when we got home.

After the two hours of riding, my legs were pretty much toast. Good thing as I suspect, I'll need the strength in CDA.

Now if I can just stay away from the wine and deserts for a few more hours, I'll delcare victory for the day.

Mental aspects of training

Well, I did manage to make it to the gym this morning for a 45 minute workout. If anyone has any tips for getting through the first 15 minutes after the alarm goes off, please let me know (I'll pay good money). Once I had made it to the gym, I felt decent. No doubt about it, the hardest part of any workout is the first ten steps to the door.

Ironman Coeur d' alene 2009

Long delay in making any updates. Had almost forgotten about the blog until my friend Scott mentioned that he's starting a blog of his own. We're both signed up for Ironman CDA and blogging seems like a good way to stay accountable on the training.

To get the ball rolling, I just came back from drinking wine with my neighbors and we said that we'd do five repeats up the tide pool hill on point loma this weekend. Let's see if that really happens.

On another note, I saw where my "can't miss" bet on wamu stock actually...uhm...well...missed. Looks like the bank has failed. Great. Let me see if there's anything left in the bottle of wine.

Look for more updates in the future.

First ride since Ironman Arizona

Well...it had to happen eventually. Today the weather was perfect and I couldn't find any excuses for not pumping up the tires on my bike and taking it out for a spin. It's been a month since Ironman Arizona and I hadn't even taken the race number off of my bike. Very sad.

So, I put on my biking shorts during a fit of inspiration and slowly but surely started to go through the checklist. Tires pumped up...check. Sit on couch and watch tv. Water bottles full...check. Surf net for cool you tube videos. check. Sunscreen on...check. Eat left over pizza from last night. Assemble shoes, helmet and sunglasses...check. Well, I might as well give this a go. Inertia is a wonderful and terrible thing. Once I start working out, I get big mo on my side but until that happens, the first steps out the door are wretched.

But, I made it out today! Rode through La Jolla and turned around to come up N. Torrey Pines. About 50 minutes of riding for a whopping 12 miles. Felt good though! Let's hope this is the start of something.

Ok...now, where's the rest of that pizza???

Off to pick up the family

I'm off to meet mom and my sisters at the train station. We're going to take a cruise around the bay then eat some of San Diego's finest pie. Love the family!

A great Ironman Arizona Race Report

I think I'm getting much closer to being mentally ready to train again. Except for my right knee, all the body parts have healed up from Ironman Arizona. I still get the IMAZ blog alerts and came across the best race report that I think I've ever seen. Here's the link..http://ironmanlife.blogspot.com/2008/05/ironman-arizona-race-report-or-mans.html

Excellent writing and very philosophical.

Ironman Arizona Race Report

IMAZ 2008 Race Report

Prologue - 2001

Six plus years ago, I couldn’t swim 40 yards. A long run was three miles and I didn’t own a bike. Mike (who is an athlete and a good friend) and I decided on a whim to do a modified sprint triathlon that had a 200 yard swim, a 12 mile bike and a three mile run.

The only reason I agreed to that race was because I couldn’t find one with a shorter swim. At the start of the race they had a line attached to a buoy 100 yards out into a lake. We had to swim out to the buoy, turn around and swim back. On the way back, I had to stop and grab the line for a few minutes to catch my breath and keep my heart from exploding.

I eventually finished the race and walked around for days thinking to myself…I’ll never do that again.

April 10, 2008

We checked into our rental house in Phoenix today. Ironman Arizona is three days away and the road closure signs are starting to go up. The suntanned and very fit looking triathletes are starting to appear on the roads in greater numbers and my apprehension level is rising. They’re all hyper-fit riding around on carbon-framed tri-bikes with the long aero helmets that sweep back over their necks.

The residents must think the town has been invaded by aliens.

April 11, 2008

Went over to the Gatorade practice swim in the morning. Too bad I am so nervous because the environment is great. The Ironman Village is up and sponsor tents are everywhere. Music blasts through the village as the sun comes up and begins to shine on the masses of athletes and volunteers.

We check our bags, put on our wetsuits and jump into Tempe Town Lake. The cold water hits me like a hammer. Damn! The air gets sucked from my lungs and I can feel panic start to rise out of my chest as the cold seeps into my suit. I swim about two hundred yards and can’t go further. The ice water seems to have frozen my muscles somehow. And the two hundred yard swim is from the entry over to the start line. I can’t even see the turn-around buoy that is over a mile away. I swim back to shore and call it a day. This could be bad. You can’t run and bike without finishing the swim chief.

After changing back into my street clothes I wait by the water while everyone comes in from their swim. When our friend Dwight climbs out of the water, the first words out of his mouth are “Houston…we’ve got a problem.” He’s gotten sick from the motion of the waves. But Dwight is tough and I know he’ll soldier on even if he does leave his breakfast in the lake. Scott does the entire distance and seems fine.

Kebby never worries about the swim. I’d suggest that she were part fish if it weren’t for her 60 something V02 max on the bike. I’m pretty sure you have to have lungs, not gills, to score that high. I am very concerned that my Ironman might end before it really even starts. After the swim (or lack thereof) we complete our registration and get our wrist bracelets that will grant us entry into the transition area.

Later that evening, I talk to my coach Jen from the Sport Factory and told her about my experience in the 65 degree water. She assures me that race day adrenalin does wonders for cold muscles.

April 12, 2008

Went back for another crack at the practice swim. Same shock when I hit the water but this time I kept swimming when my arms got numb. After about 15 minutes, I started feeling somewhat normal again. I might make it out of the swim after all.

Scott picks up his bike from Tri-Bike Transport and Kebby picks up her Zipp’s from Race Day Wheels and we set out to ride part of the course. Scott suggests that we skip the in-town part of the ride and start on the Bee Line Highway where the majority of the action will take place.

After a quick drive out of town we pull over and mount up. I’m thrilled with what I find! The road is relatively smooth, flat and fast. We do a quick up and back and average around 22 mph on the way out and 17 mph on the way back. Not bad at all. If the forecast holds and the winds are calm, we’re going to have a nice ride on the bike.

We anxiously check the weather for race day after we get back to the house. Looks like it’s going to be a hot one. A very hot one. Depending on who’s forecast you believe it will be between 94 and 97 degrees. Fortunately, they are calling for calm winds of around 8 mph.

April 13th Race Day!

I’m up before my alarm goes off at 4:00 a.m. I decide that I might as well give Kebby and Scott a more memorable wake up than the sound of a blaring horn on an alarm clock, so I crank up the volume on the stereo and turn on “Beautiful Day” by U2.

This song has become an anthem for Ironman events and it’s only fitting that we use it to get pumped up. After that we turn on “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. The lyrics seem to be custom-made for today… “Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted-One moment. Would you capture it or just let it slip?

We eat a light breakfast three hours prior to race and make the quick nervous drive to the race site. Well, this is it. Over five years in the making. Literally thousands of miles on the bike, hundreds on the trails running and countless laps in the pool before the sun comes up. Show time! One opportunity indeed. Please God don’t let me blow it.

No problem finding the race site. Almost every car at 4:45 a.m. on this Sunday morning is going to the same place. We arrive and make the walk over to the transition area. I stand still for a minute and take it all in. The hum of generators fills the air as the industrial lighting turns the race site into an eerie moonscape of shapes and shadows. I can’t see the lake but I can sense it’s coldness a few feet away. A wave of anxiety races through my chest and causes me to shudder. Ok, scratch “taking it all in” for the moment.

Everyone has a “to do” list and the routine of body marking, pumping tires, filling water bottles and checking the nutrition plan settles me down a bit.

Ok, let’s see…three endurolytes and a bottle of water minimum per hour. Check. Five hours of nutrition (~ 300 calories per hour) on the bike with another two in special needs. Check. Advil and race caps in the bento box. Check. Sunscreen in the jersey pocket. Check. Keep heart-rate under 160. Extra water at aid stations to dump on my head. And so on and so on.

Throughout the morning I keep losing Scott and Kebby and then finding them again either at the bathroom or somewhere in the transition area. We’re all busy and we don’t set up a plan for meeting at the lake. The sun seems to come up quickly and early (around 6:00 a.m.) and a golden light begins to spread over the race site.

For some reason, my nerves began to settle as the last hint of darkness is chased away by the sun. At that moment, the Sun is a friend as it turns the artificially lit landscape into something recognizable. During the morning, I meet several other first timers. Everyone seems to have a similar mantra…’If I finish, I win”. “Just here to finish”. “No PR today…just want to come in under the deadline”. And no one suggests that it will be easy. Smart people. Let’s not disrespect this distance. Especially not today.

I hear a cheer as the Pro’s make their way to the water. They’re scheduled to go 15 minutes before us. Holy shit! It’s almost time.

The Swim

I manage to find Kebby again and we eventually head toward the lake. We get separated a bit but we see each other as we make the jump into the water. She heads toward the front and I stake my claim in the middle right part of the pack. I swim the 200 yards out to the start and begin treading water.

To my great pleasure and surprise, I’m right next to my friend Scott. I take this as a good omen since we couldn’t have done this intentionally with over 2,000 people in the water. While we’re waiting in the water, Scott tells me to turn around and look up. I do this and get a fantastic view of the spectator lined Mill Street Bridge.

It is just incredible! Hundreds of people are leaning over the railing holding signs and cheering. It makes me feel like I am really part of something special. I’d guess it is sort of like the first time a ball player walks out into a stadium and realizes that the cheers are for him or her.

As the clock ticks toward 7:00 a.m., I can hear Mike Reilly giving us encouragement over the loudspeaker. “Today You WILL be an Ironman!”. Thanks Mike. I hope you’re right. Then Bam! The cannon goes off and we’re underway.

They call it the “washing machine” and that’s about as good a description as one can give. The first ten minutes are filled with feet, arms and legs banging together. I try to protect my face with my hands as I make abbreviated swim strokes but the arms and legs seem to come from all angles.

I’ve done this before and as long as I don’t get kicked in the face, I’m ok. Then suddenly…it ends. Clear water and I can swim. I start stretching my stroke and begin to get into a rhythm.Stroke, stroke, breathe. Stroke, stroke, breathe. Stroke, stroke, sight and breathe.

Easy money. Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay “F’ing” calm! I’m breathing to the right most of the time and I can see the spectators on the wall cheering. I also notice something unusual. One swimmer has elected to do the backstroke and she’s right next to the wall. Not a big deal except for the fact that a cement landing juts out about ten feet from the wall. I’m about 15 feet left of the landing and can see it on my sighting stroke. It’s obvious that she’s looking straight up and has no idea of what lies ahead. As we get closer, I can see the spectators yelling at her but to no avail.

Then one of them climbs onto the landing and puts his hands into the water and catches her head as she strokes right into the cement! Wow!

Ok, enough of that back to the task at hand. Stroke, stroke...what the hell? I see swimmers ahead of me bunching up then standing up! There’s another submerged landing that juts into the water. I slow up and somewhat like a penguin, stand up, waddle across the landing and jump back into the water and begin swimming again.

Finally the course turns a bit and I’m in deep water for good. Before long, I’m at the turn around buoy and begin the trip home. Even though my arms are getting a bit tired, I’m sure I’m going to make it through the swim!

After 1 hr and 35 minutes, I exit the cold water and make my way to the changing tent. “One Done, now the Bike, then the Run”.

T-1

I climb the steps out of the water and the volunteers quickly and efficiently strip off my wet-suit. After that, I jog to the changing tent to get the legs working. I can hear the volunteers yelling my race number – 1355!, 1355! And magically, my swim to bike bag appears in my hand. Once in the tent, I dump the bag on the ground and get to work. Bike shorts and shirt on. Apply sunscreen. A bite of a powerbar. Grab the helmet and glasses. Put on the Desoto Cooling sleeves and oops..dropped my glasses. I pick them up and the right lens pops out. I smear it with my sunscreened fingers when I put it back in.

Not a great start to the bike but 13 minutes later, I’m heading out to the desert.

Bike

The first couple mile of the ride are great. Lots of spectators and several turns make for a bit of fun. Maybe too much fun as my heart rate won’t drop below 160. I’m not pushing that hard but the number just won’t drop. I start drinking my Infinit and take three electrolytes. After the turn out of town, I feel the heat rising off the road and then something else.

What the hell is this? A fierce wind coming from my right. Is this just a gust? No..it’s continuous…and hard. And if I remember correctly, I’ll eventually turn right into it. On the uphill portion of the Beeline Highway no less. Holy Shit, that’s the longest leg of the bike! I make the turn and can’t believe what happens. I rode this section days ago and averaged between 17 and 22 mph, now my speed drops to 9 mph and I see a dust tornado rising up ahead of me.

This is bad. Real bad. Hot and Windy. I begin my negotiations with God. Listen…I know I haven’t checked in with you in a while but I promise…if you get me through this today, I’ll give to the homeless. I’ll go to Church on Sunday. You name it.

Just then, I come up next to a rider who asks me if this is my first Ironman. “Yes it is”, I reply. His name is James and he says..”Well, by tonight, You’re going to be an Ironman!” I can’t tell you how motivational that was. Coincidence, Divine Intervention, who knows. All I know is that I carried that with me the rest of the day.

Man is it hot. The sun is no longer a friend! It is relentless and the fact that it is a dry heat doesn’t seem to be helping one bit. The salt starts caking up on my shorts and on my face.

Ok, let’s just stick to the plan and see what happens. Three Endurolytes per hour, drink the Infinit, stay hydrated and repeat. Early in the ride, I hear Kebby yell at me as she streaks by the other way. Based on my calculations, she is about 30 miles ahead of me on the course. And she is flying.

Turns out that she did the swim under an hour and averaged about 20 mph on the bike. She’s got IT Band issues so the run was never a consideration. It’s a shame though because she was having a great day. I also catch sight of Scott and our friend Mary as they come flying down the Beeline with the wind at their backs. Scott waves and Mary yells something encouraging. She looks like she’s having a great day.

I eventually finish the first loop, make my turn in town and start the second trip up the Beeline into the wind. Ok, done this before. 18 miles of hell then make the turn and it’s a free ride home. I slog up the highway at around 11 mph and finally get to the top. On the way down, I start feeling my right quad cramp. Not good. I’ve never been good in the heat and usually it’s a downward spiral once the cramps start.


This puts my finish in serious doubt. I remember Scott mentioning that if I cramp, I might want to break open an Endurolyte and pour the powder on my tongue. I give this a shot and miraculously the symptoms seemed to abate. Eventually, I make the final turn for home and know that I’ll at least finish the bike. Along the way, I see several riders sitting on the side with the Race Support folks and ominously, I also see the last rider on the course with two police cars behind her. Everyone else has been pulled from the course. I silently wish her good luck as she makes the turn for the climb into the wind.

T-2

I pull into transition 7 hours and 17 minutes after I got on the bike and am thrilled to see Kebby. As planned, she’s not doing the run and she tells me Scott has just started and that he doesn’t look great. Apparently, he lost his Endurolytes and had to get by on the bike on guts. I change out of my bike clothes and put on my run shoes and shorts.

The inside of the transition tent looked like a MASH unit. Some guys are lying on the ground, others are just sitting on the chairs with their head in their hands. One of the volunteers tells me that the air temperature above the pavement on the bike hit 103 degrees. He also said that the defending male champion collapsed in the tent and didn’t start the run.

If it’s ok for Rutger Beke to not do the run, then maybe I should consider staying here and… Alright, shut up. Get your ass moving! I stand up and head out for the run.

At this point, it has been over 9hrs since the cannon went off at the start in the water.

The Run

The first two miles of the run feel good and I’m holding a 10 minute per mile pace. I silently thank Dr. Keating in Atlanta for doing such a great job repairing my knee four months earlier. It feels great and I know that it will hold up for the duration. I may stop for a myriad of other reasons but knee issues won’t be one of them.

After about 20 minutes, a huge wave of fatigue hits like a brick. It’s like someone just covers me with a blanket of exhaustion. Not the, I can’t catch my breath tired but more like the I have to lie down and sleep right now tired. This ends the running and I start to walk.

For the second time in the race, I have serious doubts about finishing. I’m not ready to quit now but the thought of doing another 24 miles just seems stupid. Ok, let’s make an adjustment here. I was going to use Infinit on the run but I think a change in plans may be in order. As I pull into the next aid station, I dump the bottle of Infinit and ask for Water, Coke and Chicken Broth. I take a little of each, swallow an Endurolyte and walk for about ten minutes. Then I jog the quarter mile or so to the next aid station and repeat.As I start the second lap, I begin to feel numb. The legs are ok, more or less, but my soul is empty.

Now the “I don’t care syndrome” begins to kick in. This could be dangerous. Look how encouraging these volunteers are…”I don’t care”. You’ve trained for a year for this race…”I don’t care”. You’re finally doing an Ironman…”I don’t care”. I know that “I don’t care can easily evolve into the…”I quit and I don’t care syndrome”.

Eventually, I pull up next to another participant in the death march. How are you feeling? Not good. Bike ride killed me. Yeah. Me too. No “run” left in the legs. By the way, what kind of pace do you think we’re on? He looks at his watch and says, “about 16 hours and 45 minutes”.What the hell? The cutoff is 17 hours! With no warning or words, I begin to run! I don’t give my companion an apology or an explanation. I just run.

This was perhaps the most incredible moment of the entire day. A minute before, I would have sworn that there was no way I could run. When the thought of missing the cutoff time entered my head, it was as if someone shot me in the ass with a bolt of electricity. There was no way that I was going to miss that finish line. No way. Not today!

I continued my run/walk routine throughout the rest of the race and eventually the sun begins to lose its cruel bite as it sinks into the horizon. The miles begin to tick away and the desert air cools as a grey blanket of darkness settles over us.

Now the race takes on a different personality as the glow sticks begin to appear. Gone are the Pros and the Elites and the course belongs only to the brave souls who know that "Finishing equals Victory".

But the finish line is still miles away and it disappears at midnight, so onward we trudge. It has been said that “pain without purpose is suffering” and I’m surrounded by brothers and sisters who are desperately looking deep within themselves for purpose. Eventually, I began the turn for home and see mile marker number 22.

Then, in front of me I see my friend Mary. Hours before, she had been encouraging everyone on the bike. I stopped running and pulled up next to her. I ask how she is doing but as soon as she turns to face me, I know the answer. Terrible! Her face tells the whole story. Something has gone very wrong. She has the look of extreme sadness and extreme pain at the same time. I ask her if she needs anything but all she can do is wave me forward. I ask again and get the same pained look and the wave forward. I tell her to “get your ass to the finish line” and start to run again. She does finally make it in at just under 16 hours but spends the next day in the hospital.

Twenty Five minutes later, I see the best sign on the course. “Finish to the left”! I turn the corner and the volunteers are all saying “congratulations”. Up to that point, they had all been saying things like, “stay strong” or “don’t quit”. Now it was just “congratulations…you’ve done it!”

Then the turn into the finishing stretch by the bleachers. I cross a timing mat and hear Mike Reilly say my name!It has finally happened. I run to the finish and hear the wonderful, fabulous, incredible cheers from the fans on each side.

Reginald Holden…”You ARE an Ironman!”.

Beyond description!

I cross the line and they hang a Finisher’s medal on my neck while Kebby hands me the phone to speak to my sisters and my friend Scott gives me a high-five.

It’s magic! Pure magic!

Epilogue

It’s going to take a while for me to really figure out what my Arizona experience and being an Ironman means. I’ve got that feeling that something very special has happened to me but the meaning is not immediately obvious. Perhaps it comes from setting a goal and working hard to accomplish that goal. Or perhaps it has something to do with shared suffering (17% of the participants didn’t finish Ironman Arizona) or shared reward (but 83% did). Who knows?

In the end though, it was a powerful experience that will be with me in some form or fashion for a long time. Writing a race report and sending it to friends feels pretty vain and I debated as to whether or not I should send it out. Since you’re reading it, you can see which way I leaned.

I hope this write-up doesn’t come across as egotistical because nothing can strip away ego like a 15 hour + Ironman. Rather, I hope it motivates someone in some way to set an ambitious goal and reach for it. Doesn’t matter how long it takes to get there because in the end, all you have to do to Win…is Finish!

All the best.

Reg

Seminar at Coastal

Kebby attended a seminar at Coastal Sports on the Science of Training. Perhaps she'll tell me what Aerobic Threshold really means when she gets home.

I'm still recovering mentally from Ironman Arizona. Thinking about signing up for CDA or Placid for 2009. If I do CDA, then I can start training formally in August perhaps. I'm also thinking about volunteering at CDA in 2008.

The volunteers at IMAZ were so great that I really want to give something back to the sport.

Short Run

Went for a four mile run in the canyon yesterday. Right knee was tweaked and I ended up putting more weight on my left leg. Now my left hip hurts. That's just great! I'll lay off for a week and try to get back on my bike.

Easy Run

Did an easy run today of around four miles. Ran to Rose Canyon and did a few (two) hill repeats. Before I ran, I was thinking that I wanted to do a bunch of hill repeats. In fact, I kind of craved the exercise. After two, I had a different idea!

I guess I have to do a better job of connecting the desire that exists over a cup of coffee and the actual exercise!

Still felt good in a way though. It was the hardest I've exercised since Ironman Arizona.

Boat Shopping no ironman training

Well, I guess I'm still in the recovery period from IMAZ cause I haven't been working out much. Did decide to go down to the marina and look at boats this afternoon though. Does that count as a workout?

Will probably start training again in a week.

San Diego Tri Community in mourning

In case you haven't heard a member of the Tri Club of San Diego was killed by a shark this morning during a training swim. While I know shark attacks are very rare, it's still going to keep me out of the ocean for quite a while. Very, very shocking and sad.