HOW TO BEAT THE BLUES

I hope I don't see this place for awhile

After a couple of days of struggling and feeling horrible I'm happy to say I'm back on track. How do you cure the taper blues? Two days of hard but short workouts at two venues I don't plan on seeing for awhile. Then put your fast race wheels on your bike! 

Tuesday was another drag day of still feeling like I was caught in a fog. I got home and my scheduled workout was a 10 mile bike followed by a 5.5 mile run...whatever. I did get some inspiration form a Homes of Hope donation to my website that evening and thought if people are donating to my cause, I need to get off by butt and train! Getting out on the bike with my aero race  wheels got me fired up. Before I knew it I was hammering down the road at 26MPH in my aero bars. After four days of having the blues I was feeling like an Ironman again. The run went just as well running my first "warmup" mile off the bike at an 8:27 pace. I had to tell myself to slow down as I'm on taper heart rate restriction. That night I went to bed starting to feel confident in my training again.

I have a love hate relationship with the track.

Wednesday for me was a 2,000 yard swim in the morning and a short track workout of :30 min. in the evening doing intervals of 400 and 100 meters. I've been swimming twice a week now for almost a year and I still do not look forward to going to the pool and swimming. Today was different. This is my last workout before Ironman. The last time I stare at the black lined tile going back and forth lap after lap with only an occasional random band aid floating along the bottom to break up the monotony. You can find plenty of motivation driving to your last swim workout...it's like visiting the orthodontist for the last time.

My track workout later was incredible. I love the track and I hate the track. I love it because it's flat, you can run faster, meet interesting people and its different from my 14 mile long slogs. I hate it because my track workout is about speed and pushing your speed to its limits with the idea that you will eventually get faster if you don't throw up first. Usually I feel tired at the track after my morning swim but today was different. I was running 400 and 100 meter hard intervals like it was nothing. It didn't hurt that I had some high school cross country boys on the track racing me a few times while they were supposed to be cooling down from their workout.

Tonight my confidence in my training is renewed and tomorrow I'm off to Arizona!

THE IRONMAN TAPER BLUES

Tapering is the practice of reducing or tapering off, exercise in the days just before an important competition.

Today I'm one week away from my first Ironman and I feel crappy. My final long ride on Friday was more difficult than I planned and I never felt strong during the ride. My easy taper run on Sunday (1 hour at a 9:00 min mile pace) was easy but I felt sluggish and uninspired. Not to mention my right knee was hurting and my right knee never hurts. What's strange about these symptoms is that this is how I'm supposed to feel. This is part of the tapering process for an Ironman. This is what happens when your body adjusts and repairs itself after being pushed thru huge amounts of training volume. I've never tapered for an Ironman before but I've talked to experienced Ironman athletes and they tell me not to worry, that this is normal. I never would have guessed when I started this journey that at some point my weekend of an 80 mile bike followed by a 6 mile run or a 14 mile run on Sunday would begin to feel "good". I certainly wouldn't have guessed that doing a mere 50 mile bike and no run on Saturday followed by a 7 mile easy run on Sunday would make me feel "bad". My new "normal" is now feeling crappy because I haven't trained as much...strange.

Common Taper Symptoms

•At the beginning of the taper, some athletes say they feel more tired than when they were putting in long training hours. For those who are tapering their volume over several weeks, this feeling leads to a temptation to resume higher volume. Resist the temptation; it'll pay off on race day.


•When tapering for a key race, many athletes feel flat and fatigued during the final workouts, wondering how they'll ever make it through the event. This feeling can sometimes cause athletes to test themselves on the actual race course or distance to be sure they can make it. This is what I call fear-based training—and giving into this feeling can harm your performance.


•As the taper continues, many athletes notice (or more likely their family and friends notice first) that they're slightly grouchy—OK, some athletes are more than just a little grumpy. Often, family and friends will urge the athlete to put in more hours, in desperate hope of extinguishing the foul mood. Take their comments and observations to heart and lighten-up. Apologize for any over-the-edge behaviors and educate your family and friends about the tapering process.


•Roughly half the athletes I work with begin to notice little aches and pains they never noticed before the taper period. The pains show up for no apparent reason. In fact, these pains were nonexistent during the high-volume training phase, making it tempting to resume longer training hours. If aches and pains emerge, resist the urge to increase training volume.


•Some athletes may feel slightly blue or depressed the week before the race. Others feel they have so much energy they'll go nuts if they don't work out. Don't act on either of these feelings—just let them pass.


•Within one or two days of the race, most athletes feel good. They're typically ready to race and are anxious to race—immediately! This feeling is exactly what you want, and why you've tapered your training volume. Unfortunately, the feeling comes late in the taper process and it takes a leap of faith if you've never experienced the feeling of racing with a rested body.

ARMOR UP!

I just made it thru my most difficult week of training and the last of the huge weekend workouts. And what did that weekend look like? On Saturday it was a 97 mile bike ride followed by a 6 mile run. Sunday was my last "Bike Sandwich", 16 miles of running and 18 miles on the bike.  From this point until Ironman Arizona my training weeks will be easier. Just getting to this point in my training seems like a huge accomplishment. The hardest work is done. My armor is up. Now its just a matter of honing that armor for three weeks and then two weeks of taper. The week of work was tough coming off of a Half Ironman race and in to a tough week of training. I have to admit I feel a little over trained right now but this week is a recovery week with a lighter workload.

I want to thank all of you who have been so supportive of me giving me constant encouragement that helps me to push through the harder times. 

Here are last weeks numbers...I'm glad that's over!

MONDAY - Easy recovery bike after Half Ironman 18.8 miles.

TUESDAY - Brick. 37.2 mile bike then 6.2 mile run.

WEDNESDAY - 1.2 mile swim. 5 mile tempo run.

THURSDAY - Bike 18.4 miles.

FRIDAY - 1.5 mile swim.

SATURDAY - Brick. 97 mile bike then 6 mile run.

SUNDAY - Bike Sandwich. 11 mile run, 18 mile bike, 5 mile run.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 

Eph. 6:11

THE FALL OF SUMMER TRIATHLON

At this stage of my training it seems that every weekend is a test. It starts with the test of my will to get out of bed, prepare my bottles, set up my transition in the garage. Testing of my nutrition strategy for Ironman and my ability to finish my scheduled workout without cutting it short and never looking to far ahead in the days training.

Saturday my scheduled workout was my own personal triathlon. The best part of this triathlon was that regardless of my circumstances or how my body felt, I would finish first! My "event" started with a 1/2 mile swim followed by an 80 mile bike and then a 6 mile run. 

Although the first day of Fall had passed, the weather forecast for the weekend was very unFall like with predicted temps of 90's to 100's.

My swim went well although I felt tired from my swim workout the day before but I finished and headed to transition one which was the back of my Honda Pilot to get on the bike. The first 40 miles I did the usual local race ride or "Food Park" as it's known then headed from the coast inland to pick up more bottles at home and ride Santiago Canyon to get in some hills. Now I knew the weather forecast and riding inland was not a good idea but hey...I'm training to be an Ironman right? As I rode further in to Santiago Canyon I watched my computer temp rise steadily  from 94 degrees to ....107 degrees! My toes were beginning to heat up in my all black bike shoes and after a few miles I was getting the dreaded cyclist hot foot. The feeling of your toes cooking in a microwave like little sausages ready to explode thru your shoes. Fortunately I got a flat in an exposed area totally devoid of shade which allowed me to get off my bike and take off my shoes. 

 Now I was spending a little more time on the bike than I wanted to and my two bottles were empty partly because I used them to douse my toes. This is one of those training moments I thought where I just pull out my cell phone, call for help and have my wife pick me up. No one would blame me...it's 107 degrees! Oh and of course when I get home I will still run my 10K. In my cell phone pouch I see the $10. I remember there is a store within 5 miles. I can fix the flat and ride to the store get some Gatorade, finish my ride and start my run. I fixed the flat was able to ride to the store downed one bottle of Gatorade and put the second one on my bike. Finally at home, I started my run with a side ache for the first two miles (too much liquid before the run) and finished the days workout with one of my slowest runs ever. My personal triathlon was over, I finished first or last depending on how I chose to view the outcome of the days events but one thing I learned from this "race". During an Ironman weather can be unpredictable, flat tires are a possibility, you can come up short on hydration or nutrition and you can make a choice...you can throw in the towel and DNF. No one would blame you...it's an Ironman, or you can overcome, persevere, push on until you finish.

Today I gained just a little more mental toughness, an edge if you will, for my Ironman.

BIKE SANDWICH IRONMAN STYLE

 For lunch I'm having a "bike sandwich". Why a bike sandwich? This helps to prepare your body for what an extended duration of effort and fatigue will feel like without the risk of training injury by breaking up your long run in to two portions.

Last week I talked about how my training is getting to be a drag. So much of training for an Ironman is your mental attitude and outlook. There are some things I never allow my mind to think about during training...for instance during my long bike of 60 -70 miles I never think about the run I have to do after the bike, where I'm going to run or how my legs might feel when I start my run. If I start this type of thinking I begin to lose the joy of being in the here and now of feeling great on the bike and how well my ride is going. 

This week I had an opportunity to rejuvenate to some degree as I had a "recovery" week that looked like this:

MONDAY - Off

TUESDAY - Brick.  Bike 16.5 miles Run 4.4 miles

WEDNESDAY - Swim 1 mile. Run 5.0 Miles (track workout 1,200 repeats)

THURSDAY - Off

FRIDAY - Swim 1.1 miles.

SATURDAY -  Ride 3:27 (68.1 miles)

SUNDAY - "Bike Sandwich" Run 8 mi. Ride :30 min. Run 5.4 mi.

This was the first of four "bike sandwiches" I'll be doing over the next few weeks. Again, if I start to think about the second run during the first run it seems overwhelming to me and I find myself losing the joy of the moment and even slowing down. It's important to just focus on the current task at hand and how your body feels at this moment, for this portion of your workout. Never, I repeat never, think to far ahead in the days workload! Focus and complete one task at a time and enjoy the moment of your effort in the here and now. This will also serve you well at race time.

ENDURANCE, ALL IN A WEEKS WORK

This verse from Hebrews speaks to me this week: Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. 

I'm at that point in my training where its getting to be a grind and at times difficult to be motivated to work hard. On the other hand my Ironman is roughly 11 weeks away and the training I do now is more critical than say my training 11 weeks back. I know that my patient endurance will help me to find God's will for my Ironman journey.

MONDAY - Off
TUESDAY- Brick. Bike 1:38 (30.3 miles) Run 6 miles.
WEDNESDAY - Swim 1,500 yds. Run 5.0 miles (track workout 1200 meter repeats)
THURSDAY - Bike 1 hour hills. (18 miles)
FRIDAY - Swim 2,300 yds.
SATURDAY - Brick. Ride 3:47 (73.9 miles) Run 4.5 miles.
SUNDAY - Run 12 miles followed by a :50 easy bike (12.9 miles).

IRONMAN 16 WEEKS OUT

If you look at my training this last week you will notice the increased workload. Of special note is last Sundays run. It' the longest run I have ever done in my life and the longest ever in training. A little more than a half marathon distance. I'm still struggling with my nutrition and making sure I'm taking in enough calories on days like Tuesday and Wednesday and not over eating on days like Thursday and Friday. I've never counted calories although I've been known to look at the calories of food items but now I'm starting to count the calories so I have an idea of how much fuel I need for the days work after work. Speaking of training, with the exception of swimming, I'm doing all of mine after the workday. It seems more people do their workouts in the morning but I prefer to sleep later and do the work after work which makes my caloric intake during the day important so I can get through the evenings workout without bonking. In two more weeks I will be getting in to the more intense training of my plan including Saturdays of doing my own triathlons. I can't wait!
Here is last weeks schedule.
MONDAY - Off
TUESDAY- Brick. Bike 1:38 (30.3 miles) Run 4.2 miles.
WEDNESDAY - Swim 1,500 yds. Run 7.0 miles (track workout)
THURSDAY - Bike 1 hour hills. (17 miles)
FRIDAY - Swim 1,500 yds.
SATURDAY - Brick. Ride 2:27 (43.8 miles) Run 5.1 miles.
SUNDAY - Run 13.8 miles followed by a 1:15 bike (20.2 miles).

Race Weekend!

It's been almost four months since I've done a triathlon. I'm looking forward with much anticipation to see how well I perform as I take a break from my training to compete. This will be only my fifth triathlon and I know I need to work on my skills in a real race situation. Especially my transitions which are horrible...kinda like my swimming. Speaking of swimming this will be my first opportunity to start the swim off of a beach with surf. I feel like I've made improvements in my swimming however swimming with tide and current should make it tougher which is good!
I cant imagine training months for an Ironman and not doing some racing during that training period. You need to go out and have fun once in awhile. It's a great opportunity to gauge yourself and gain experience. I still get nervous about doing a triathlon and that's a good thing!
Here are my time goals for this weekend.
Swim 30:00
T1 5:00
Bike 1:10:00
T2 4:00
Run 53:45
TOTAL 2:42:45

IRONMAN 19 WEEKS OUT

My Achilles seems to be responding to my ice and elevation routine. I'm sure prayer hasn't hurt either. This week was a hard week but surprisingly my Friday thru Sunday workouts were really strong despite doing a very difficult race on Thursday. I can feel my body adapting to the increased workload. Most important was the Monday off. This past Monday (July 5th) I took a true rest day just like a Pro athlete would. No work. No walking, riding, running or even going to the store. Just sleeping, eating, icing and elevating my legs while watching the Tour De France with my wife. What did I learn form this? It was so rejuvenating mentally and physically to do this before I started the Ironman work once again. It's so hard for us working mortals to train for an Ironman and to try and recover like a Pro. Don't feel compelled to complete all of your "To Do" list on your off day. Relax and recover. Your next weeks workout will be so much easier on your body, mind and soul.
MONDAY - Off
TUESDAY- Brick. Bike 1:21 (24 miles) Run 4.3 miles.
WEDNESDAY - Swim 1,300 yds.
THURSDAY - Peters Canyon Trail Run Race 42:59
FRIDAY - Swim 1,350 yds.
SATURDAY - Brick. Ride 2:58 (57 miles) Run 4.4 miles.
SUNDAY - Run 12.5 miles followed by a :30 minute bike.

IRONMAN 20 WEEKS OUT

This week was a pretty intense week although there will be more difficult ones to come. I'm learning to appreciate my Thursdays and Fridays when I only train at one discipline. My biggest concern right now is my right Achilles tendon which is beginning to bother me. If your reading this and have any advice please pass it on. Research I've done tells me to reduce mileage, running hills and ice. I can gladly cut out the hills and ice is not a problem but reducing my training miles...
MONDAY - Off
TUESDAY- Brick. Bike 1:01 Run 4 miles.
WEDNESDAY - Swim 1,300 yds. Track workout "pyramids" total 7 miles.
THURSDAY - Bike 1:01 with hills.
FRIDAY - Swim 1,300 yds.
SATURDAY - Brick. Ride 2:44 (52 miles) Run 4.3 miles.
SUNDAY - Run 11 miles followed by a 17.2 mile bike.

IRONMAN 21 WEEKS OUT

Morale is high. God is good! This past week of training looks very similar to my previous weeks training with the exception of my longer swim workouts. I wanted to build some base and work on my stroke mechanics before I started increasing distance in my workouts. I didn’t want to experience the shoulder pain I experienced after the Half Ironman in March that I think was mostly related to poor mechanics. I’ve found out that sore shoulders are very common in swimmers and the only solution is improved mechanics and exercises to increase shoulder strength… and rest. For the next four weeks I will be doing 1,300 yards then increase to 1,500 yards and eventually 2,000 yards. Swimming improvement comes in very tiny increments especially without coaching…and no coach has you swimming only twice a week which is what I’m doing. For Ironman I just need to beat the swim cutoff of 2:15:00. Based on my Half Ironman I feel I can do a 1:40:00 with my training plan. The first goal is to finish.
Although the past two weeks seemed relatively easy as far as training goes, all of that is changing the next two weeks as both my running and biking mileage will be increasing. I will be doing bricks after my long Saturday ride again and my Sunday runs will be increasing to 12 and 13 miles. There is plenty of work still to be done! Here are last week’s numbers.

MONDAY - Off
TUESDAY- Brick. Bike 1:00. Run 4 miles.
WEDNESDAY - Swim 1,300 yds. Run. Track workout 6.25 miles.
THURSDAY - Bike 1:00 with hills.
FRIDAY - Swim 1,250 yds.
SATURDAY - Ride 2:09 (38 miles).
SUNDAY - Run 10 miles followed by a :45 minute bike.

IRONMAN 23 WEEKS OUT

This week I adjusted my schedule to accommodate the race on Thursday. My swim on Friday morning was hard after a tough race Thursday evening. I wanted to quit early but still did my 1,000 yards. I'm glad that I didn't have a brick workout on Saturday so I could recover further for my long Sunday run. My running is improving and on Saturday I rode my new race bike instead of my triathlon bike on the usual Saturday group ride I do and my bike fitness is also improving nicely. It was nice to take a "break" this week and do a tough race.
Here are the numbers for this week.
MONDAY - Off
TUESDAY- Brick. Bike 1:01 Run 4 miles.
WEDNESDAY - Bike 1:01 with hills.
THURSDAY - Swim 1,000 yds. Peters Canyon Trail Race 5 miles.
FRIDAY - Swim 1,000 yds.
SATURDAY - Ride 3:01 (55 miles).
SUNDAY - Run 8.5 miles followed by a :40 minute bike.

IRONMAN 24 WEEKS OUT

Since my last post I did have to fight off a sore throat and slight cold that limited my training to some degree. I also took some time off work to get extra rest that I needed. The training that was impacted the most were my swim workouts. When you can't breath and have a sore throat, getting in a pool and swimming laps just isn't fun. Thankfully my cold was short lived and I'm back in the pool and have had a solid week of training. At this point I'm not too concerned with my swim training, but I will start increasing the length of my swim workouts by the end of this month. I keep reminding myself that the swim is only 10 -15% of my overall Ironman time so its more important to focus on the bike (my strength?) and the run. Here are my numbers from last week. I plan on posting my workouts every Monday so you can get a glimpse of what it takes to be an Ironman. I'm realizing now that one of the most important aspects of training for an Ironman is proper sleep. For me that seems to be 8 hours. Challenging when you're married to a beautiful younger woman.

MONDAY - Off
TUESDAY- Brick. Bike 1:15 Run 4 miles.
WEDNESDAY - Swim 1,000 yds. Run 6.5 miles
THURSDAY - Bike 1:00 with hills.
FRIDAY - Swim 1,000 yds.
SATURDAY - Brick. Ride 2:45 (52 miles) Run 4 miles.
SUNDAY - Run 9 miles followed by a :45 minute bike.

Ironman Weekly Workout

I've settled on a training plan and over the past two weeks began training for Ironman Arizona (IMAZ) which is November 21st. You can find my training plan here

http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/ironman-workouts/ however as I post my workouts you will notice that I'm not completely following the plan. I always want to give priority to my God and ministry, my wife, my daughter and then training. With that in mind my training has to be fluid and what I've found training for a Half Ironman is you can cheat on the hours per week as long as you give more intensity to a shorter workout. My goal is to finish an Ironman not qualify for Kona and I have no aspirations at this point to do more than one Ironman event. At this point I don't have a particular time goal however I want to finish strong meaning finishing is never in doubt. I do have some deep personal reasons for doing an Ironman which I will discuss later. Here is what last weeks training looked like. I'm in a base building phase so these workouts are lower intensity (aerobic zone only).

Monday - Day Off

Tuesday - BRICK. Bike one hour with hills, Run 3 miles.

Wednesday - Swim 1,000 yards, Run 4 miles

Thursday - Bike 1:15

Friday - Swim 1,000 yards

Saturday - BRICK Bike 48 miles, Run 3 miles.

Sunday - Run 9 miles followed by :50 minute easy bike.

Unfortunately after this weeks workout I've come down with a virus that I feel is due to lack of sleep and rest. All of the Ironman advice I read says be sure to get 8 hours of sleep and rest your body. Something I neglected to do last week.

Ironman 70.3 Recovery and Post Race Wrap up

Ironman California 70.3 could not have gone better for me. After six months of preparation I reaped the rewards of dedicated training and planning. My fear of swimming in triathlons is mostly gone. I wanted to train more on the bike and I'm not is strong as I used to be but what training I found time for was intense and paid off. Most surprising to me is how far I have come as a runner. I hated running and was terrible at it, now I actually enjoy it, though not as much as the bike! I've only been running seriously for maybe 15 months and I've come so far in that time. In fact after looking at the IMCA results, I ranked higher on the run than I did on the bike! Unbelievable! I want to thank God who strengthened me and kept me injury free, my wife who gave me so much advice and encouragement especially with running. I want to thank all of you who prayed for me. Know that I felt your prayers and was able to also use them to lend encouragement to others while I was running. I want to give credit to Matt Lieto who I've never met, but based my training plan on.

RECOVERY

Sunday after race day. This is so critical. I recommend you get on the bike and do a very easy spin for 30 to 60 minutes. I've found this spin ride to be so helpful after you push your body. It helps to flush the muscles and keeps you from stiffening up. My wife and I rode 15 miles at a 14 MPH pace on a flat bike trail Sunday. Wear compression socks for 24 hours after the race! I know I've said it before, I swear by compression socks. They work!

Monday and Tuesday Off.

Wednesday - Easy 4 mile run at 9:15 pace.

Thursday and Friday Off

Saturday 48 mile easy bike.

Sunday 4 mile easy run at 8:45 pace.

For the next three weeks I will be in what I call a recovery maintenance cycle. I will be working out regularly but not with intensity or volume. The idea is to recover and not lose to much fitness and also to get the mental spark back that you need for dedicated training. That feeling of wanting to run 12 miles or bike 80 miles or swim 40 laps. Speaking of swimming, of the three disciplines, I came out of IMCA with a self diagnosed strained shoulder that could have only happened during the swim. Although 8 days later it's not hurting now, I'm taking no chances and plan on staying out of the pool for another week. Beginning in May I will start building my base as the following 26 weeks of training will hopefully culminate in peak fitness on November 21st.

I'M GOING TO IRONMAN ARIZONA!!

Ironman California 70.3 Goals

My first goal is to just finish. This is my first Half Ironman. My ultimate is to finish within or under six hours and thirty minutes. Having never done this distance I don't know what to expect but I have set these goals for tomorrow. Any prayers would be appreciated for a safe and injury free race and maybe a chance to show or tell someone about God's love for them.

SWIM - 48:00
T1 - 7:00
BIKE - 3:25:00
T2 - 5:00
RUN - 2:05:00

TOTAL TIME 6:30:00

This is it! Ironman 70.3

I have to admit it's been nice to have an easy training work load this week. I really feel like my tapering is right on. I've enjoyed the extra rest but I have some anxiousness to get out on the race course to see what I can do. Here is what this week of training has looked like.
Monday - Day Off
Tuesday - 1 Hour easy ride with hills
Wednesday - Swim 1,250 yards Run 2.5 miles easy pace (8:40)
Thursday - Day Off (What? two days off in one week?)
Friday - Easy pre-ride of IMCA run course. (No pre-riding of bike course allowed)

I also wanted to tell you about some products that I've been using and believe in.
SLS3 Compression Socks.
The socks rock! I first saw these socks when my wife and I were in Kona watching the Ironman World Championship. I saw these elite triathletes wearing old school knee high socks that haven't been worn since Michael Cooper of the the 80's era Lakers. I later found out that they were compression socks that help with performance and recovery. I had to try them and after three triathlons a half marathon and numerous runs of 8 -12 miles, these socks make a difference! SLS3 is the only brand made of polypropylene which wicks moisture faster than the nylon socks of its competitors. Give them a try on your next 10K or longer run and you will be amazed!

Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem.
The last three weeks I wanted to start testing nutrition products for easy fueling during a Half Ironman and eventually Ironman. My search started and ended with this product. I have to say that nutrition is very subjective for triathletes and I fortunately have been blessed with a caste iron stomach, however this product goes down easy and fuels you for very long time. I've twice ridden 100 kilometers followed by a two mile run on a banana and one package of Perpetuem and felt great afterward. This is my fuel of choice for IMCA.

Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 Wheels
I've had these wheels in a box in my garage and finally busted them out for IMCA. I did my last training ride (100K) on these wheels and I have to say they are amazing! Light, Stiff and VERY VERY FAST! If nothing else it makes me look fast and makes my bike look good! I even received my first ever compliment on my four year old Trek Madone after putting these wheels on..."that's a nice bike"

Final Training Week

The work is done! I'm on the final week of 20 weeks of preparation for Ironman California 70.3, my first Half Ironman. Today (Sunday) my plan had me running "only" eight miles at an easy pace. I held back despite feeling good and ended up at the pace I was targeting while keeping my heart rate generally in the 150's or lower. The focus the next five days before my event will be recovery and tapering my workouts just enough to keep my body honed and ready for next Saturday. I'm so thankful to make it this far in my Ironman journey without any injury our illness. I have no doubt that God has blessed this journey so far and allowed me to pursue the Ironman and hopefully for some greater purpose. I love what Paul says, "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

TRAINING NUMBERS
Monday - Another Day Off :)
Tuesday - Bike 1 hour w/hills
Wednesday - Swim 1,250 yards. Run 4 miles speed work.
Thursday - BRICK Ride 1 hour w/hills followed by 2 mile run at 8:25 pace.
Friday - Swim 1,300 yards
Saturday - BRICK Bike 60 miles followed by 1 mile run at easy pace
Sunday - 8 Mile run with hills at 9:02 pace.

Ironman 70.3 Training

After the Desert Triathlon test it was back to my final two weeks of training before IMCA. Having a "break" in training to do a race really helps morale and I believe fitness as well. When I got back on the bike after my off day, I was a little sore but still rode my usual time on the hilly course I like to do. If you are looking at my training numbers you will notice that they are basically staying the same each week. This was not my original intention for my program. Unfortunately time constraints and a very rainy So. Cal. winter have made me adjust my program accordingly. For my Tuesday and Thursday bike I would like to be riding 90 to 120 minutes. For my Wednesday run I wanted to do six miles instead of the four I'm doing now. I also wanted to do more brick workouts after my long Saturday rides but it just has not worked out. I now realize how important it is to do runs after the bike, even short runs of 10 to 15 minutes minutes. You may be asking why I'm not swimming more? Well my excuse is...I'm not really a fan of swimming and there is the expense of $5 every time I go! My goal for the 70.3 is to experience the challenge of doing something I have never done before and to finish strong. At the same time I want to keep some kind of balance in my life. I was not blessed with the athletic talent to be competitive triathlete so for me to try and be one would just be about me and my ego. I do believe that God has gifted me with a healthy body and a love for physical challenge and I pray that competing in an Ironman at whatever speed gives glory and honor to Him. I want to always have perspective that time with God and ministry, and time with my wife and daughter are the most important times of all.
TRAINING NUMBERS
Monday - DAY OFF!
Tuesday - Bike 1 hour w/hills
Wednesday - Swim 1,250 yards. Run 4 miles speed work.
Thursday - BRICK Ride 1 hour w/hills followed by 2 mile run at 8:30 pace.
Friday - Swim 1,250 yards
Saturday - BRICK Bike 62 miles followed by 2 mile run at 8:40 pace
Sunday - 11 Mile run with hills at 9:14 pace.

Ironman Training Update

I can't believe its been nearly three weeks since I've posted and I'm now three week out from IMCA. I have some of the best weeks of training going in to this week but now I'm feeling a bit tired. In fact I had one of my worst swim workouts in weeks. I couldn't breath right, my chest felt tight and I just felt lethargic. Almost everyone in our office at work has been very sick the past two weeks and I've been trying to avoid the germs and asking God for continued good health. I'm not sure if I'm a little over trained, trying to fight something off or both.
Here is a look at my training the last week.
Monday - REST!
Tuesday - Bike one hour with hills.
Wednesday - Run four miles speed work (2 miles sub 8 min.) Swim 1,250 yards.
Thursday - Brick workout. Bike one hour with hills followed by two mile run.
Friday - Swim 1,250 yards
Saturday - Run 12.1 Miles (8:50 pace) in the pouring rain!
Sunday - Bike 2:30 with hills.