SOLD OUT!

This has been a week of ups and downs as my wife daughter and I just returned from a mission trip to Mexico with Homes of Hope and witnessed what life is really about and how God can bring about true change. That was the up part of my week. The down part is I found out that Ironman Arizona (IMAZ) the race I was targeting is completely sold out! All of my plans, even scouting out the course now seem purposeless to me. It's really put me in to a funk. I even had a nightmare about it.
I'm sure your asking, why didn't you register sooner? Why do all of this planning, and training before even registering? First of all, the day after IMAZ 2009 I received an e-mail saying that the race sold out the day after the race! They have onsite registration the day after IMAZ and it sold out then. I never had a chance. I still had one more option. The Ironman organization saves Community Foundation slots for each race to raise money for local charities where each race is being held. I still had a chance...the problem is these slots are $1,100 each! Not exactly what I was budgeting for the race entry. Still, I had a chance to enter the race if I was willing to pay the fee. My plan was to compete in IM California 70.3 in March. If that race (my first Half Ironman) went well for me I would register for IMAZ. I wasn't about to spend $1,100 only to fall flat doing a Half Ironman. This week it was announced IMAZ is completely sold out. Even the Community Foundation slots. Now my goal of finishing my first Ironman this year is in serious jeopardy. Not because I haven't done the training, don't have time or have an injury, its because my race has sold out! How frustrating is that!
As I continue to train for IM California I'm trying to not let these circumstances bring me down. Some day I may still be an Ironman...or at least Half an Ironman.

Rock and Roll Marathon Phoenix Arizona and Ironman AZ Course Preview

No I didn’t run the marathon but my amazing wife Liz did completing the certified course unofficially at 3:40:05 qualifying her for the Boston Marathon. I’m so blessed to have a wife who is so athletic and we can spend many of our hour’s together training. Liz is such a naturally gifted athlete and this is an awesome accomplishment. Congratulations! You’re going to Boston!

While Liz was preparing for and running the marathon I had a chance to scout out the Ironman Arizona run and bike course. For the run and the bike you must complete three laps which allowed me to run and bike the entire course of each. The timing also worked out that I was on both courses at the same time of day I would be on them for Ironman Arizona (IMAZ). Saturday late afternoon and early evening I started out on my one lap (8.75 miles) of the run course. IMAZ is in Tempe with the main transition area at Tempe Towne Lake Beach Park. I’ve read complaints that the run course is not flat and that you have to run much of it on concrete. I thought the run course was very nice and even scenic compared to where I often run, the Santa Ana River trail here in Orange County CA . No it’s not flat because you cross and re-cross bridges that span Towne Lake and the Salt River but there are no 15% hills like the OC Tri. I had a great run. It was maybe the easiest eight mile run I’ve ever done as I visualized doing IMAZ. Granted I didn’t swim 2.4 miles and bike 112 miles before my run but overall I loved the course.

The bike on Sunday morning was a little different. I’ve heard all about the bike course, windy, uphill, ugly, monotonous, mine field for flats. I generally feel good to great on the bike but this morning I did not feel comfortable. Maybe it was due to the 12 hour recovery time from my run the night before. Whatever it was the course did not help and I was only riding 38 miles today. It also didn’t help that I missed a turn and ended up on a desolate road being chased by not one, but five pit bulls on four different occasions. The course is as advertised, a steady but gradual uphill in to a headwind for 18.6 miles as you ride thru desolation. I was riding at 60% of my MAX HR (except when chased by the pit bulls) and was averaging between 15-18 MPH. I was reminded of the lava fields in Kona and thought at least Arizona has cactus and pit bulls. I could see how this course could wear on you. Once I got to the turnaround things changed dramatically. I was now going 22 MPH while taking a drink and soft pedaling. I averaged between 24 – 27 MPH on the ride back. From what I’ve heard of Kona, this course is much easier in the sense you have a headwind followed by a tailwind where as Kona it’s just brutally windy the entire time on the bike. All in all a very successful weekend for Liz and I. Having the opportunity to pre-ride and run the IMAZ course fueled my desire to be an Ironman even more.

IRONMAN 70.3

TEN WEEKS TO IRONMAN 70.3
Due to some computer problems I haven’t posted in weeks. Since my last post when I talked about morale I’ve transitioned in to a state of serious training and my morale has been good to very good. Getting past the holidays and starting the New Year has been huge motivation for me as I know these are critical weeks to my training for Ironman 70.3.
This is what my current training week looked like:
Sunday: 9 mile tempo run at 8:55 pace.
Monday: REST!
Tuesday: 1 hour hard bike with hills.
Wednesday: 4 mile speed work run and 30 minute 2,000 yd. swim.
Thursday: Brick workout. 1 hour bike with hills followed by 2 mile easy run.
Friday: 30 minute 2,000 yd. swim.
Saturday: 3.5 hour 67 mile bike.
This weekend I’m traveling with my wife Liz to Phoenix Arizona for the Rock and Roll Marathon. Liz is hoping to use this race as her Boston qualifier by running a 3:40. OF course I will be supporting my wife during the race but the rest of the weekend for me will be spent scouting out the Ironman Arizona course. Since IMAZ as its know has a bike and run course where competitors have to run and bike three laps of each, I will be able to run and ride the entire course this weekend! Updates on Liz and my IMAZ scouting report when I return!

MORALE

mo·rale n.
1. The state of the spirits of a person or group as exhibited by confidence, cheerfulness, discipline, and willingness to perform assigned tasks.
2. The degree of mental or moral confidence of a person or group; spirit of optimism

Morale is something that can be critical to your success as you train for an event or race. In my years of road bike racing and later mountain bike racing I had good days and I’ve had miserable days where I couldn’t wait for the race to end. During my last serious year of racing in 2005 I remember losing a targeted race for the first time. I was racing at the North Star Ski Resort near Truckee and was beaten in the final miles by a local who I had a comfortable lead on throughout most of the race. That race fueled some of the strongest and most intense training I have ever done. You would think that losing a race I was leading until the end would destroy my morale, but it did just the opposite.

Today I’m 16 weeks out from Ironman California 70.3 and my morale is at a low point. Part of it has to do with the time of year. The days are shorter and the weather is colder and I’ve been eating desserts. I have not been in a pool or ocean in weeks although I have been running and riding. I’m finding training for triathlons is different than training for a bike race. In triathlons you’re racing against a clock more so than an individual. I’m also beginning to understand the mental toughness and discipline it takes to be a triathlete as you will your body to train and improve in three different disciplines.

In the military the slang for morale events is “mandatory fun”. Starting Monday, my goal is to start having “mandatory fun” as I shake this lethargy and begin another week of training.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This holiday is my favorite as it hasn't become completely adulterated by commercialism. It's so beautiful in it's simplicity of gathering family and friends, eating a wonderful meal and celebrating the blessings of life that God has given us. This morning I was reading Psalm 147. The writer says we should "sing to the Lord with thanksgiving". God has blessed us all and we take so much for granted every day. For me I'm reminded that God has given me exceptional health and physical ability and that I spend very little time thanking him for these gifts. Before I start spending serious culinary time in the kitchen today, I will be doing a "brick" workout of an 18 mile bike and a 3 mile run. You can be certain I will have my Ipod listening to David Crowder and singing to the Lord with thanksgiving.

BLUE WATER CASINO TRIATHLON RACE REPORT

This race was not originally on my training schedule, however looking at the race distances and where it was being held, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some real race experience and put in to practice things I learned from my first triathlon. Specifically I wanted to improve on my transition times and gain more experience swimming. This was a smaller well organized event. If you must have accurate timing with transition splits, this is not the race for you. All timing is done manually by volunteers. No timing chips are used. Transition one time is rolled in to your swim time and transition two is rolled in to your bike time. The run stands alone.
This race is not a traditional Olympic distance and that is why I decided to do it. The swim is 1K in the Colorado River, a 55K bike course that takes you over the Parker Dam crossing the river twice and an 8K run mostly along the Arizona shore of the river. On paper I figured this distance versus a true Olympic distance (1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run) suited my skills coming from a background of bike racing.
THE SWIM – Swimming in a river is a little different than the lake swim I did at the OC Tri. In a river you have current to contend with. Fortunately the majority of the swim would be down current, however you need to have a plan going in to the water when swimming cross current. At the start I was looking at the buoy and noticing people were lining up on the shore in a way that would take them directly to the buoy. I’ve only done one other Tri but this did not make sense to me so I started to walk up river so the current would carry me to the buoy as I swam across. I noticed others started following me but not everyone. The water temp. was 71 degrees so wetsuits were allowed. The horn sounded and I settled in to my slow but deliberate pace. I made it past the first buoy and started down river with the current without any problems alternating between free style and back stroke. The problem I had was swimming now back to the east shore. The sun was rising and now shining right in to my eyes. I could not site the finish line. I also did not wear my tinted goggles thinking I wouldn’t need them. I ended up going of course because of the current and the sun and had to swim farther than I needed to up current. My goal time was 28 minutes. I finished the swim in 28:22
TRANSITION 1 – After forgetting my timing chip in the last race I new I could improve on my transition time this race. One thing I planned for was getting my compression socks on easier. This time I put them on the night before the race and rolled them down to my toes to make it easier to put them on with wet legs. After taking off my wetsuit I just put my toes in and rolled them up my legs. In this transition I try not to rush and just focus on what I need to do step by step. Things like removing your ear plugs can be overlooked if you’re in a hurry. Transition one time was a respectable 5:46.
THE BIKE – This course I felt was perfect for me. Flat and rolling terrain with some steep but short hills. I know I’m still using too much of my legs in the swim because again my legs felt heavy for the first 6-10 miles. After that I settled in to my groove. I passed a lot of strong swimmers which always makes me feel good and four guys in my age group. The last eight miles I battled back and forth with a woman who was very strong at one point riding side by side (no drafting in tri’s) for a mile. We encouraged each other and I finally dropped her just before the finish. Bike time: 1:44:18. 19.7 MPH Avg.
TRANSITION 2 – Going from the bike to the run is pretty straight forward. I wanted to take my shoes off before the transition leaving my bike shoes in the in the pedals and soft pedaling with my feet on top of the shoes to save some time but got caught up in the moment of racing my bike downhill in to the transition area. Transition 2 time: 2:21
THE RUN – I actually look forward to the run after the bike. I’m not a great runner…far from it, but I’m learning to appreciate running and the simplicity of it. I’ve also been running well in training despite my two a week run program. I also find motivation in knowing this is the last task to accomplish and I can do this. I put my running shoes and hat on and jogged thru the transition area. I was not prepared for what I saw as I left transition…we had to run up a hill on a dirt road for what looked like over a mile. I was planning on a flat run course along the river. What I got was two miles of up hill to start the run followed by a downhill and two and a half miles of flat course. My legs felt like lead going uphill after the bike. Did I mention I did no brick (bike/run) workouts before this event? This was the first time in training or racing that I was almost overcome with the desire to walk. The race organizers said there is water every 1.5 miles. I kept telling my self run to the water station and walk while taking on water. I made it to the aid station which also was the point where the course flattened out. This was without a doubt the hardest run I’ve ever done. Not so much because of the course, I think it was because I gave so much on the bike and did not do a brick workout since my last race six weeks ago. One thing I’ve learned with two races under my belt know, is that on the run your legs start coming back after three to four miles. I’m not sure if this is experienced by everyone but what seems to happen for me is my legs start adjusting the muscles from cycling to running and it seems perceptibly easier. I even start running a faster pace. Three competitors who passed me early in the run I eventually passed within the last two miles. Run time: 47:39, 9:31 mile pace.
TOTAL TIME 3:08:26

TWELVE WEEK TRAINING NUMBERS
Swim: 7:22
Bike: 926.9 Miles
Run: 93.2 Miles

BLUE WATER RESORT AND CASINO TRIATHLON

Today, I'm headed to Parker Arizona to compete in the Bluewater Resort and Casino 10th Annual Triathlon. http://www.mountainmanevents.com/bluewatertriathlon.htm
This race will be on familiar roads for me as the bike portion of the course travels on roads I've raced before as a bike racer. I hope to have a race report up on Monday. My goal for this race is under 3 hours and if I can finish under 2:55 that would be great!