The Ramblings of an Endurance Junkie

The Week That Was: Dec 17th - Dec 23th

2012-01-01T15:33:00.003-05:00

Summary
Still on a running recovery period but beginning to ramp up the cycling and swimming to get ready for the January build. Had a few solid bike workouts, a couple of easy runs and then swims to get the feel of the water back. At the moment most of the riding is base work but the Computrainer sessions give some threshold work on a weekly basis. The rest of December will be pretty much a base building period.

Sat Dec 17th: Indoor ride at Parvilla, rode the Columbia Triathlon course.....feels way harder indoors than it does on race day. Solid intensity factor of .86 and a TSS of 91.

Sun Dec 18th: Cold ride outdoors through Upper Marlboro, included a dirt road to scout some training routes for Battenkill. Intensity factor gain was in the 0.85 range and a TSS of 202. Still working on base and need to do an FTP test to make sure the training zones are right, they may be a little low at the moment.

Mon Dec 19th: Went out for an easy hour run at lunch. Using WKO+ enables the rTSS to be computed which is really cool. Just about 8.5miles at IF of .84 and rTSS of 78. Legs felt ok after the marathon which is now 10 days go.

Tues Dec 20th: Swim at lunch with some harder intensity work in between endurance sets. IF of approx 0.75 and TSS of 57. The swim is gradually getting back. Rode on the CT after work and worked hard through a VO2 max set (IF 0.82 and TSS of 82)

Weds Dec 21st: Another swim set at lunch. Felt a bit tired so took it easy for endurance workout at lower IF of 0.7 and TSS of 45.

Thurs Dec 22nd: Snuck an hour run in after work. This run felt easy but IF showed 0.85 with a TSS of 89. 2nd week of Jan will be testing week for training zones.

Fri Dec 23rd: Furlough day from work so time for Fixie Friday for a primarily flat 3.5hrs with Ace and Pat. No power or HR numbers so had to estimate IF and TTS: 0.7 and 172

Total Time: 12hrs 53mins
Total Mileage: 185miles
Total TSS: 819

Rehoboth Beach Marathon Report....5th Overall

2011-12-24T13:12:00.003-05:00

This is my marathon report taken from the Peaks Coaching Group blog....

New PCG coach Iain Banks ran his way to 5th place at the Rehoboth Beach marathon this past weekend with a 2hrs 43mins finishing time. Running with the lead group through 10 miles at 59mins, he passed the halfway mark in 1hr 17mins and then hit the headwinds of the Atlantic Ocean. The winds took their toll on the field and split the lead group over the coastal roads heading back to town. Holding strong Iain finished 5th overall and first in the 30-34 age group (by 12minutes). Iain said "the plan was to go out with the front group and hold fast for the first half. The 2nd half was always going to be hard with the winds and it proved to be". The run created an rTSS of 223.....a solid workout for the middle of December!

This race was fun, as much as a marathon can be fun and certainly gave me a good run focus heading into the winter. Once again thanks to Ecco for the great Ecco Biom A running shoes, they are my go to racing and training shoe.

The Week That Was: Dec 10th - Dec 17th

2011-12-23T07:02:00.004-05:00

Summary

The week started with the Rehoboth Beach marathon on Saturday morning, the race that has been the focus for the last 8 weeks or so. The weather turned out to be almost perfect for marathon running with the exception of a strong wind in the back half. The race turned out great with a 2hrs 43mins finish for 5th place overall. The rest of the week was pretty uneventful in terms of workouts as it was really recovery. I did manage to get a nice solid 4hrs on the fixie on Friday taking advantage of a day off work.

Saturday Dec 10th: The race - Rehoboth Beach marathon. I felt good the whole race until about 23miles when the gravel trail begun to take its toll on me. Went through 13.1miles in the lead group in just over 1h 17mins and then the wind out in Cape Henlopen was brutal for the journey back. Pleased with this result, not quite a PR but gives me my Boston qualifying time for 2013! Run - 26.2miles TSS: 270

Sunday Dec 11th - Day off. Took the advantage to hobble to breakfast and eat some pancakes.

Monday Dec 12th: Recovery swim afterwork. Legs were still feeling like mush so just did some longer endurance sets. Swim TSS:20

Tuesday Dec 13th: Had a very unpretty run at lunch. I just wanted to get the legs moving again so went out for 30mins real, real easy. Just a smelling the roses kinda run. After work headed indoors to the Peaks Power Training Center and did half a threshold interval workout before cruising into the finish. Run/Bike: TSS:88

Wednesday Dec 14th: Another easy swim at lunch. No real structure to the workout. Swim TSS: 10 (real easy)

Thursday Dec 15th: Felt much better today and headed back to the Training Center for the same threshold workout as Tuesday. Legs are not less mushy and better on the bike at least. Working on a power FTP of 280 at the moment.....it's about time for an FTP test. Bike TSS:72

Friday Dec 16th: Day off work so took advantage to get 3hrs 45mins out on the fixies. Great weather and was purely an endurance day. Went out and did the Davidsonville route for the first time in a while. Legs were hurting towards the end but I love riding the fixie. Bike TSS:220

Total Time: 10hrs 41mins
Total Mileage: 142miles
Total TSS: 679

The Week That Was: Dec 3rd - Dec 9th

2011-12-16T21:27:00.004-05:00

Summary
This was a nice, easy recovery week as I tapered for the Rehoboth Beach marathon on Dec 10th. It was a few short runs with some pick me ups and strides, a couple of easy bike rides and short swims. The week did start with a 5km at Southern High School, which bode well for for the marathon with a new PR of 16:38 and 1st place overall. Other than that it was a time to recover and get the Training Stress Balance (TSB) back to a positive number.

Sat Dec 3rd: This was a last minute decision to run the Southern High School 5km, directed by friend and SHS XC coach Doug Ellmore. The key was to run hard but not to do anything unnecessary to affect the marathon a week later. First mile was steady at 5:16 then a tempo to maintain the lead. The good thing was that without really going hard the last two miles it still led to a PR of 16:38.

Sun Dec 4th: Early morning ride with Ace.....I'm making him go slow on Sundays as I build my mileage back up on the bike. Ended being a 45mile ride through the Ag Farms in Beltsville at a nice endurance pace on the fixie.

Mon Dec 5th: Swim at lunch time working on endurance pyramid. Didn't push it hard just focused on technique and form. Worked out to be 3000yds.

Tues Dec 6th: Weather ended being bad so had to run on the treadmill. Cruised along with 45sec strides every 4-5mins at 6min/mile marathon pace. Legs felt good for the first run since the race on Sat. Rode the computrainer in the evening holding back from riding hard.

Weds Dec 7th: Another lunch swim. First medley for a while including some fly.....need to work on that :-) Still rain so ran on the treadmill with the same strides as Tuesday. Included 30mins of strength work.

Thurs Dec 8th: Complete day off.......TSB close to zero!

Fri Dec 9th: Very short lunch run for 15mins, legs feeling preppy now :-)

Total Run Mileage - 15.98miles

Total Run Time - 1hrs 52mins

Total Time - 8hrs 43mins

The week that was: Nov 26th - Dec 2nd

2011-12-08T14:41:00.004-05:00

Summary

Until the end of December it will really be about being consistent in all three sports to be base build for more specific training in January. This meant a solid swim week, reduced run mileage and a couple of rides. The swim really bit it this past season and it is all about routine for that. If I don't swim I get out of the routine and find it real hard to get it back. As most people find, time spent swimming often leads to diminishing returns....it takes a lot to gain a little. I just want to get the ease of swimming back again, it may not lead to faster times but will lead to reduced effort. All in all the week was nice and steady, as it should be this time of year.

Sat Nov 26th: Steady run after work, a little bit of tempo with warm-up and cool-down. Run - 6.24miles

Sun Nov 27th: Wow, what a day for riding! Great weather so headed to Sandy Point State Park through Annapolis and back. Finally getting my legs back on the bike and actually felt ok on this ride. Easy and steady miles. Bike - 60miles

Mon Nov 28th: Into the pool at lunch for some endurance yardage. Ascending pyramid. Felt better today in the water, much more comfortable. Swim - 3000yds (SC)

Tues Nov 29th: Morning run to Quiet Waters. Just a steady run as I never feel like hammering early morning. Run 8.8miles Evening ride in the computrainer studio for an hour at average 70% of threshold.

Weds Nov 30th: Another lunchtime swim, this is the routine I need to get into. Taking a break from the office is always a good thing. Worked on 100 and 200 speed. Swim - 3000yds (SC) Also did some gym dynamic strength work later in the day.

Thurs Dec 1st: Treadmill time. Ascending pace hills....nothing too taxing with the marathon in 9 days. The treadmill is great for workouts like these when you want to hit the grade and pace and don't have to go looking for the right hill. Run - 5.23miles

Fri Dec 2nd: Three swims in a week, probably the first time for about 6months! Drills and kicks today so worked the legs hard. Ran within an hour or so of swimming and took a nice steady hour. Sometimes you just need to kick back and run to enjoy it rather than focusing on time/effort/pace. Also ran some new roads which is always good. Run - 8.8miles

Total Run Mileage - 29.07miles

Total Run Time - 3hrs 20mins

Total Time - 11hrs 15mins

The Week That Was: Nov 19 - Nov 25th

2011-12-03T22:30:00.006-05:00

Summary
First week of base prior to my build period in January. The main aim was to get some solid bike time as well as continue the run mileage in prep for the marathon on Dec 10th. The week also included the annual Cold Turkey 10km.....my 8th consecutive year of racing this race. It ended being a good week and no signs of the back issue either.

Sat Nov 19th: Run to store at a steady run pace, focusing on form. Also rode in the computrainer studio after work for 60mins. Run - 13.26miles

Sun Nov 20th: Made sure that I had a decent warm-up prior to the Cold Turkey 10km after the run yesterday. I think for the first time the weather was mild for this race and I felt solid throughout. Came in 3rd overall in 34mins 53secs. In hindsight I think I probably could have gone harder but it was a good test prior to the marathon. The legs responded well to speedwork after the longer run on Sat. Immediately after the race went and rode with the guys for 40miles....legs felt rough through the hills of Crownsville! Run - 8.8miles

Mon Nov 21st: Swim at lunch and then a computrainer class after work. Day off from running. Need to get the feel for the water again but lap times weren't far off from usual. Little bit of ITBS after the riding of late. It's always like this as I get back into all 3 sports.

Tues Nov 22nd: Another swim at lunch, have to make the most of the availability to swim during lunch as they aren't always guaranteed! Briefly rode the Columbia tri course on the computrainer after work.

Weds Nov 23rd: Stretching of the ITB over the past few days has seemed to do the trick like it always does. Got onto the treadmill and did an awesome hill repeat session. After a couple of days off from running, felt great. Combined the workout with strength training in the gym. If you haven't tried strength in "barefoot" I would certainly try it. I use Zem Gear "shoes" and they are excellent for dynamic strength moves......you may get some strange looks though. Run - 5.13miles
Thurs Nov 24th: Thanksgiving day.....in the absence of a local turkey trot, I headed out and did some V02 max intervals. Didn't feel too spritely but managed seven intervals at sub 5:50min/miles. Typically, the intervals were uphill and into the wind. These intervals are run at 2min on at 5-10km pace with 3min recovery. Run - 9.03miles

Fri Nov 25th: We had a Cranksgiving ride at the store......1st annual and we had over 40 riders. Rode to the store on the fixie and with riding sag ended up with a solid 50mile day. Managed some hill repeats as I was going to the front to back of the groups out on the road. Good times.

Total Run Mileage - 35.62miles
Total Run Time - 4hr 5mins

Total Time - 13hrs 39mins

The week that was: Nov 12th - Nov 18th

2011-11-23T12:47:00.006-05:00

Summary:

Wow was this week crazy! It started with the Grand Opening of the Parvilla Cycles computrainer studio, carried on with some random back pains and then ended with a solid training session. The back pain just came out of nowhere, looking on-line it could have been anything from a strain to potential paralysis! I think it was a strain as by Friday I was able to get back at it in terms of training and put a solid effort in.

Due to the back issue, it worked out to be an easier recovery week.

Week Nov 12th - 18th

Saturday Nov 12th - Complete day off for the grand opening of the studio.

Sunday Nov 13th - Was feeling way tired after the long day on Saturday so put in an easy 1 hour run with a few strides. Run - 8.66miles

Monday Nov 14th - This was the day the back started to niggle me. It was just a dull ache at this point but I took just an easy 30min run. The back doesn't hurt me when I run. Run - 4.50miles

Tuesday Nov 15th - Day off running and got into the Computrainer studio at Parvilla Cycles. Easy spin to get back into the cycling groove. The back was bad today so spent a while on the foam roller in the evening. Bike - 18.00miles

Wednesday Nov 16th - Into the gym for the first time this winter to hit the treadmill and the weight room. A real easy run and then a weights session focusing on low weights/high reps and core movements. The back was a little better but wasn't hindering any movement during the workout. Run - 4.10miles

Thursday Nov 17th - With this week turning into a recovery week due to the back issues, I got into the computrainer studio and rode the first 24 miles of the Ironman Hawaii course on the real video mode. Just spun through it. Bike - 23.75miles

Friday Nov 18th - The back was finally feeling better so got out and put in the only serious workout of the week. A solid tempo run through the backwaters of Annapolis. This is probably one of my favorite routes and love hitting it hard. Run - 9.15miles

Run Total Miles - 26.41miles
Run Total Hours - 3hrs 6mins

Total Hours - 6hrs 1min

The week that was: Nov 5th - Nov 11th

2011-11-14T18:48:00.003-05:00

Summary

This ended up being a much better week than the previous one. With all the running of late the bikes are beginning to call and slowly I will be getting more miles in on the bikes. However, the focus is still the Rehoboth Beach Marathon on Dec 10th. Then it can be bike, bike, bike.....

The key for this week was a speed workout at the Ripley Race 5km on Sunday, a solid tempo run and then the long run of 2hrs 15mins. With two days off on Thursday and Friday due to a furlough and Veterans Day, it may the long run on Thursday much more anticipated.

Week Nov 5th - Nov 11th

Saturday 5th Nov - This was just a short east run in the morning before going to the store. With the 5km tomorrow I didn't want to stress the legs. Run - 3.18miles

Sunday 6th Nov - I had been eyeing this race as a test of speed. I knew that with the increased mileage I had been putting in that a PB was the goal. The field was pretty large and during the national anthem there was plenty of guys looking fast by continuing to warm-up. Heading off from the gun we got in to the first 400meters and the pace was a little slower than I liked. With that I shot to the front and proceeded to break the pack with a 5minute first mile. Actually the pack was down to 4 after about 1/2 mile. To be honest it was probably a bit quick for me but I felt good and thought why not, lets try and hang on. The 2nd mile was a 5:21min and after that I was running on will power! With a net gain over the 3rd mile the pace slowed but I managed to grab 4th overall and a new PB of 16:42. Mission accomplished. Run - 6.55miles

Monday 7th Nov - Day off, crazy at work

Tuesday 8th Nov - The legs really benefited from the day off and after a nice warm-up ended up doing a tempo lap of Annapolis. Tempo intervals gradually increasing down to 6:15min/miles. Best run for a while. Run - 10.03miles

Wednesday 9th Nov - Finally squeezed in a swim, good crosstraining :-) Ran a short 30mins in the evening as an easy run with a few strides. Run - 4.59miles

Thursday 10th Nov - Furlough day from work so had time for a nice long run. Didn't really feel it on this day but managed to cruise at 7:00min/miles for 2hrs 15mins. Longest run of the year outside of IMWI back in September. Focused on cadence (180 strikes/min) and form. Late in the day jumped on the bike for 45mins and stretched the legs, this definitely helps in recovery to get the legs moving after a long run. Run - 19.21miles

Friday 11th Nov - Birthday and a day off work. No running today but rode the rollers for an hour or so. Gradually working the bike back into the schedule.

Weekly Run Miles: 43.56miles
Weekly Run Hours: 4hr 59mins

Total Weekly Time: 8hr 18mins

The week that was: Oct 29th - Nov 4th

2011-11-08T16:36:00.002-05:00

Training was a bit lacking this week so laid a goose-egg on both swimming and cycling....nada, nowt, nothing at all. Managed to squeeze in just under 40 miles of running. Let me know if you have any questions.

Week Oct 29th - Nov 4th

Saturday Oct 29th - No workouts at all....the weather just sucked big time and the duathlon on Sunday got cancelled due to snow!

Sunday Oct 30th - Ran a steady 5miles before heading to Parvilla Cycle & Multisport to work on the new indoor training center: Run 5.33miles

Monday Oct 31st - Hill repeats up and over the Naval Academy bridge......good steady hills for a solid strength workout. Run 9.02miles

Tuesday Nov 1st - Short on time so snuck in an easy 20minutes Run 3.16miles

Wednesday Nov 2nd - Got my new ZemGear "barefoot" running shoes and ran in these at the indoor track at the gym. These shoes are really thin to simulate barefoot running. It was only a short 20min session as I get used to these shoes. I am only going to be using these on the track or the treadmill and only for short periods. I def. felt they were working the lower calf and ankle more than a regular shoe. Run 3.00miles

Thursday Nov 3rd - Work was crazy so no workouts! bah humbug

Friday Nov 4th - Was working from home so managed to do a 3-run day. Run before breakfast was a steady with strides (6.04m), 2nd run at lunch was VO2max intervals (6.11m), 3rd run at end of the day was a steady run (6.15m) Run 18.30miles.

Weekly Run Miles: 38.79miles
Weekly Run Time: 4mins 26mins

Total Time: 4hrs 26mins

The week that was: Oct 22nd - 28th

2011-10-29T21:04:00.002-04:00

This was bit of a topsy-turvy week of trying to get the workouts out between bad weather and work commitments . In the end it worked out well and I had a great run to finish off the week. Let me know if you have any questions.

Week Oct 22nd - 28th.

Saturday Oct 22nd - With the Duathlon next Sunday, I broke out the Guru and rode tempo home from the store. I love the Guru CR9.01.....by far the smoothest bike I have ever ridden. Oh, and had to gerry-rig the rear light to the seat! Bike 25miles

Sunday Oct 23rd - As Parvilla Cycle & Multisport were helping to sponsor the Donna Brashears 5km/10km, I headed out to the race to use it as my weekly speed workout. It was a small field on a different course, 2 x 5km laps on a gravel trail. Great workout but little competition. Garmin showed that the course was long but did 5:50 average for 6.5miles. Won the 5km and 10km (10km by 20mins). Run 7.46miles

Monday Oct 24th - Double run day. A steady 6.25miles at lunch as a stretch from racing omn Sunday. After work hit another 6.56miles at tempo pace. Run 12.81miles

Tuesday Oct 25th - Hit up the steady rollers on Rte after work. Legs begun to feel it halfway through so backed off the final 30mins and kept HR under 125. Run 8.65miles

Wednesday Oct 26th - Weather sucked today so went to the pool after work. Longest workout since Ironman with an ascending pyramid. Swim 2500yds

Thursday Oct 27th - 2nd day of not running! Swim at lunch for some IM work, jeez that works the muscles. Rain kept me inside on the rollers in the evening. Swim 2100 yds, Bike 19 miles

Friday Oct 28th - What a great day for running. A 2hr run in the afternoon around South County. Goal was a negative split between the 2hrs. Hit 8.8miles the first hour and 9.2miles for a 6:40min/mile average. Best run of the year probably. Nutrition was powergel every 30mins and Nuun every 10mins (24oz total). Run 18miles.

Weekly Run Miles: 46.92miles
Weekly Run Time: 5mins 14mins

Total Time: 8hrs 50mins

The week that was: Oct 15th - 21st

2011-10-22T21:00:00.007-04:00

So this is the beginning of my training diary. Probably boring for many but perhaps interesting to some. The main focus for the next month or so is my running as I have the Rehobeth Beach Marathon on Dec 11th. I also felt that my run was neglected during my last Ironman cycle. Let me know if you have any questions.

Week Oct 15th - 21st.

Saturday Oct 15th - Long run home from the store. Gradually increasing mileage to build for Rehobeth Beach Marathon in December. Run 14.21miles @6:46min/miles

Sunday Oct 16th - Easy cruising ride with Ace and Brian. Road bike feels a little odd still after riding the tri bike since March. 40miles.

Monday Oct 17th - Monday Night Parvilla Cycle & Multisport ride. Again the road bike. Short brick run at an easy pace. Ride 20miles Run 3.25miles

Tuesday Oct 18th - Easy swim at lunch. Just turning the arms over. Only time for short evening run so did some fartleks. Run 4.02miles

Wednesday Oct 19th - Another swim at lunch. First harder session since Ironman included some 100's. Again short run (in the rain) went easy but still under 7min/miles. Run 5.03miles

Thursday Oct 20th - Mile repeats x 6.....in the dark on unlit sidewalks! Harder to push the pace but ran @6:00min/miles. Run 9.52miles

Friday Oct 21st - Hill repeats in Bowie (the one hill!) x 6. Legs still feeling good after 18 runs in 21 days. Run 4.38miles

Weekly Run Miles: 40.41
Weekly Run Time: 4hrs 37mins

Total Time: 9hrs 19mins

Final Triathlon of the Season - Waterman's Sprint

2011-10-19T22:27:00.005-04:00

On the 9th October, I returned to the same course that I won on back in June for the Waterman's Sprint race. The final triathlon of the year, just a few weeks after IM Wisconsin and not much training to boot. It was a fun race, great weather and there were a few friends of Parvilla Cycle and Multisport, some doing their first triathlon.

I was debating about whether or not to wear the wetsuit, as it was only a 750m swim. I was glad I did as the water temp was in the mid-60's. Coming out covered in sea grass I was in 12th....onto the Guru machine and get to work out of T1.

The bike was 16miles and it's a great course down south in Smallwood State Park. Low traffic, rolling hills and light winds. Knowing the course from the June race was good and I managed to put the fastest bike time of the race, which put me into 2nd place coming back into T2. I could see first place ahead but hoped that I hadn't spent too much energy on the bike.....having not ridden much more than a handful of hours since IM it felt hard.

The course had actually been set up different from the June race and in my opinion was probably a tad longer for the run by a couple of hundred meters. There were a few fast looking guys behind me (read that as skinny looking runners!) so I knew that it may be a battle to stay on the podium. Definitely running like I stole something :-)

Off-road trails are fun in triathlons and you don't get them often, but at Waterman's you do get a few hundred meters of trail. I hadn't made up any ground on 1st place coming back into the finishing arena and I still had a few seconds on 3rd place. So 2nd place overall it was in a time of 1hr 15mins.....oddly enough 3minutes quicker than June, when I was probably in better shape.

So now I am back at it for base training 2011/2012.....only 7 months till Ironman St George and a few fun races left for 2011.

Ironman Wisconsin 2011 - Race Report

2011-09-29T14:34:00.014-04:00

Rocking the Guru at IMWI

With the race season winding down, I have got back on the bandwagon and decided that I should get back to a bit of blogging....good timing eh! Perhaps it will provide motivation through the winter...

So the big race of the year has come and gone, I completed my 5th Ironman race at IM Wisconsin but it was also my slowest. Coming into the race although I felt fit, I knew that I didn't have the training volume of previous years. There had been some big changes in 2011 (opening of Parvilla Cycle and Multisport) and high volume training had been one of the things sacrificed. As the season's results had shown, I could compete at the shorter distance races but the longer races were a stretch too far.

We were fortunate that friends Lisa and Mark were able to join us on the trip to Madison, WI and watch their first Ironman race. Heading out on Thursday after landing in Milwaukee, we played spot the first cow and surprisingly it took us almost an hour....so much for America's Dairyland! Getting to Madison, I registered, did all the usual stuff....sign that you don't claim Ironman responsible if you die while racing , weigh-in, check out all the nervous first-timers and then get herded into the store to spend even more money on IM merchandise.

Rather than being gouged for a hotel in downtown Madison, we stayed out of town close to the bike loop, which enabled me to get out and shake the legs a little bit on Thursday night. Being close to the course helped Team Banks on race day as they knew the shortcut to get to the course and beat the crowds.

Friday was a nice and chilled day.....course swim in Lake Monona during the morning and then a run in the late afternoon. We also drove the bike course to see what I had let myself in for! The bike course is the hardest of the Ironman I have done and wouldn't disappoint on race day. It is just 112miles of constant hills. Friday was the start of the beating that Sarah and I took all weekend at pool courtesy of Lisa and Mark. I claimed it was because I was tapering but I think it was just a lack of talent.

Oh I still haven't mentioned how odd a town Madison really is.....it is the State Capital of Wisconsin but seriously no-one appears to live, work or do anything downtown.....I have no idea where all the protesters came from over the Summer when the budget issue was around! The only thing you see are the students from UoW.......50,000 strong but mainly based on the campus just outside downtown. Downtown where the race was hosted was like a scene from a Zombie movie....just a bunch of triathletes (compression socks and visors compulsory) wandering around in slow-motion looking for their next Gatorade victim.

After the usual Saturday racking of the bike and bag drop-off, it was time to get mentally prepared for the race. This is where it was like no-other Ironman race I have done, I wasn't nervous, I slept really well the night before and I was calm on race morning........perhaps it was because deep down I knew that I would be racing to complete rather than compete (nice ring to it don't you think?)

Racing for a Kona spot is always the goal and I knew that I would need a sub-10hr finish to be competing for that.....probably a long shot based on the training.

The swim was fun and oddly enough it was the first time that I had raced with a wetsuit all season. With the course being a pretty long rectangle, which we did two loops of, it wasn't as brutal as other courses. Finding feet or open water wasn't too difficult and being able to see the shore with the masses of supporters was cool. Coming out in 1hr 5mins was better than I expected and about normal for me. It felt as though I had been in the water longer so it was a nice surprise. Running up a parking ramp helix for three levels wasn't that much fun though and that took us into transition. Not just a tent in the middle of a parking garage, nope we were allowed inside the convention center, I would even go as far as saying it was a little swanky :-)

Onto the bike, down the three level helix and away from town. There was short section of bike path with no passing allowed heading out of Madison but other than that it was smooth sailing under sunny and hot skies. I would have appreciated the scenery if it wasn't for the fact that my heart was trying to beat its way out of my body. It took forever to get my heartrate down to where I wanted it to be and my legs were not feeling good. The hills had started to come at us like a never ending rollercoaster so it was tough to get into any kind of rhythm. Gradually the heartrate began to come down and the legs were feeling better, now it was just an issue of upping the power and overall speed.

Unfortunately the power and speed never came and I was actually relatively steady all race with the exception of miles 60-78 where they had decided to put quicksand on the road and I slogged along (it felt like quicksand anyway). Despite the hills it was an awesome bike course and it must be great for training in that area.....during the summer month ;-) Some of the steeper hills were packed with supporters and that is where Team Banks camped out for the day......they decided not to wear speedos and compression gear though!

Climbing past Mark bearing the Union Jack- Made him feel he was at the Tour :-)

Finally the hills stopped, we picked up a nice wind and hightailed it back to town, well as much as you can after 100miles with a marathon pending. Bike time was 5hrs 37mins.....to get under 10hrs I was going to have to run a touch over a 3hr marathon, oh it was in the high 80's and bit of a scorcher!

The first two miles of the run were great, I was glad to be off the bike and they flew by in about 7:15min/mile pace. This is where you start thinking, maybe, just maybe........then BOOM! The legs realized that they been working out for 7hrs already and although it was nice to be running there wasn't a lot of horsepower left. Mile 3-4 got us in UoW Camp Randall Stadium and running around on the turf, that was cool but didn't offset the fact that the legs were unwilling to cooperate anymore. Before long I became an extra in the LMFAO video and "kept on shuffling"....

Pre-race we had strategized like an army going to war and Team Banks were back and forth on the run course seeing me a total of 8 times in 26.2 miles. Luckily I shuffled a bit quicker when I saw them so seeing there loads was a good thing :-)

Being out on an Ironman course gives you plenty of time to contemplate what is going on and what is going to happen. I knew that the chance of a Kona spot had gone and I was already thinking ahead to the Winter, Spring and the May 4th race at Ironman St. George. This would be motivation to restructure the training program and really think about what needs to be done to get back to competing at Ironman distance.

Check out the video of my finish here

As I ran across the finishing line in 10hrs 53mins for 136th overall (out of 2500) and heard those tingling words of "You are an Ironman"......I was disappointed not only for myself but also for Team Banks, Sarah is so supportive and believes in me so much that I want to get to Kona for her as much as for me.

Focus and dedication.......2012 will be the year! I think I just heard Sarah shout (supportively of course) "I've heard that before" :-)

Oh, amongst all the bad news of having a sucky race, there was a bright spot.......running a marathon in my Ecco Biom's was sweet, no blisters, no loss of toenails, you can't ask for much more than that :-)

Even Further Behind.....IM Wisconsin soon

2011-08-08T16:15:00.003-04:00

I think the blog is dying a slow and painful death....perhaps after Ironman Wisconsin life will calm down a bit and I can at least get a race report on the site. Once again I will be gunning for a Kona slot and with a good block of training for the past 8 weeks since Eagleman 70.3m, I feel back into the groove.

Good news though is that I already have the early part of the 2012 planned...I signed up for Ironman St George in Utah on May 5th, 2012 and I also have Eagleman 70.3m on June 11th. With an Ironman so early in the year it will be a winter of hard training :-)

Wow....getting behind!

2011-06-23T09:12:00.002-04:00

Wow....last post was over a month ago! Jeez, so much has happened, some good some not so good.

On the personal/business front Parvilla Cycle and Multisport opened on May 28th and so far business has been good. Check out www.parvillacycles.com for more details or better yet swing by the store to take a look.

On the racing side I finally got into triathlon for the season after a few duathlon races. The first race was a local sprint race down at General Smallwood Park.....I took the win overall which was nice! The following week was Eagleman 70.3m! I was found out at this race and the lack of serious long distance training was evident. Nothing outstanding at the race just a solid finish and a lot of sunburn :-(

I'll try and get some photos of the races and the store up in the next few days.....got a Time Trial to organize first :-)

American Zofingen Race Report.....mud, sweat and beers!

2011-05-18T16:20:00.013-04:00

For the past few years I had heard about American Zofingen, mentally I had put it on the bucket list of races to do, 2011 was the year. Yeah, I'll sign up for long course, might as well go the full monty and get my money's worth!

WOW....is all I can say about this race. Granted I probably wasn't as prepared as I would have liked to have been for 104 miles of pain and suffering (that's what opening a bike store does for your training!) but even so there is a reason this is touted as the hardest duathlon in the U.S.

We headed up on Friday and after the sign-on Saturday morning we drove around the course to see how bad it was really going to be.....the first climb on the bike straight out of transition is 8.5% and a mile long, welcome to Mohonk! The 2nd major climb over Minnewaska wasn't quite as steep but longer. On Saturday with clear weather the course looked enjoyable in a sadistic kind of way.....

Waking Sunday however, the forecast was right and it was already raining, oh have I mentioned that the run was a trail run? I dusted off the trail shoes and shortly before 7:30am gathered under the starting banner (which looks as though it was made out of old Xmas decorations!)....with the sound of bagpipes we were off.

Run 1 The first 5 mile run was actually enjoyable and perhaps as a AmZof noob I was guilty of not really knowing what was ahead of me. Halfway around the lap I found myself running with fellow Brit Ben Lloyd, who I think took great joy in telling me how hard Mohonk is on the 3rd lap! The trail at this point was pretty good but with the rain continuing to fall and plenty of racers to come, it could be a mess later on. Coming into T1 at about 38mins I was pretty pleased.

Bike Now the real fun began. The 1/2 mile dirt road from T1 to the road was about as safe as a Cat 5 race and immediately after turning onto the course "proper" it was straight up Mohonk....the 8.5% for a mile.

Getting up Mohonk any time isn't easy but with another three loops it meant we had to do it another two times....mmmhhh! Now the weather was really messy and descending over the other side was nerve racking. Not having ridden the course I had no real idea of the descent and combined with trying to see in pouring rain I was glad to turn off onto Butterville Road. Pushing up through to Minnewaska, I didn't feel as though I had much power in the legs and thought that this might be a long, long day. By the end of lap 1 (1hr 39mins) I was freezing and picking up my windvest probably saved my day, without that I'm not sure I would have been able to continue.

The 2nd lap (1hr 43mins) was all about trying to get my calories in and keeping to my watts. Knowing the course now helped considerably and despite the mist/fog that rolled in throughout the next two laps the descending from the climbs was less nerve racking....oh yeah it was still raining off and on!

Now "only" the final lap to go and the climb up Mohonk was painful....it was a matter of grinding away in the 39x27 and wishing for just one more click of the gears that never came. I knew that a sub-5hr bike split was out the window and tried to save as much energy as possible, easier said than done! Playing cat & mouse with a few other Long Courser's on the final half of the lap made it more fun before hitting the sketchy dirt road hills heading into T2. Final bike numbers were:

Time: 5hr 10mins 54secs
Ave HR: 127
Ave Watts:187
Ave Watts/kg: 2.5
Normalized Power: 215 (VI was a bit high!)
Ave Speed: 16.1mph
Feet Gained: 9008
Work KJ: 3490

At T2 I saw my competition....I thought I could take him on the run!

Run 2 Running through the gazebo the first time wasn't too bad, not many people from the short course or the F1 race had begun to party yet, the kegs were tapped though! The first lap was decent after the legs realized that they were meant to be running and not cycling anymore. It wasn't great but it was decent and I didn't lose any shoes in the mud like some others had....I power walked some of the steeper hills and ran all the single-track and fire roads. Lap 1 - 47mins.

Now the party had begun to get started in the gazebo and the wooden stairs were noticeably steeper and more slippery......running through to start lap 2 reminded me of the bar in Cheers. As a runner came through everyone turned and cheered, encouraged and then immediately goes back to the conversations they were having. Lap 2 (53 mins) was less pretty than the 1st but better than the 3rd. Things were rapidly going downhill (well I wasn't going anywhere rapidly but you get the idea), I was really hungry and was taking down double lattes (of the powergel variety) like there was no tomorrow. Coming by the single-track above the gazebo all I could smell was the burgers on the grill, perhaps foolishly I didn't grab one as I went through to start lap 3 (more cheers from the bar crowd!)

Lap 3 was definitely survival mode and knowing that it is the last lap didn't help one bit. The power walking had spiraled into an uphill shuffle and the running, if it could be described as such, must have looked downright painful. It was just as I came off the final downhill that I made a bit of blunder.....as I slowly overtook another racer, I mistakenly thought that she was finishing the final lap of the F1 course so encouraged her that she was close to the finish. It was only some hours later as I sitting in the gazebo with my beer and burger (which were all great!) in comfortable warm clothes that I turned round from my conversation and cheered her on to the finish of her Long Course race....when I passed her she had been finishing her 1st lap of 3! oops....

Final Race Time: 8hrs 29mins
Place: 11th/1st 30-34 AG (Mission accomplished....I got the big Mohonking Stein)

Despite the weather and my lack of decent preparation, this race was AWESOME and I look forward to coming back in 2012.....hopefully better prepared and on a mission to break 8hrs.

I'm getting tempted....IM St George 2012?

2011-05-11T10:03:00.004-04:00

After hearing about Ironman St George out in Utah for ths past two years, I'm getting tempted for 2012........

I said that IM Wisconisn 2011 would be my last M-Dot for a while due to the rising costs, but something about this race has me hooked!

What Have I Let Myself in For?....American Zofingen 2011

2011-05-09T15:34:00.005-04:00

This weekend I race my 2nd duathlon of the year with perhaps the hardest duathlon in the U.S.....American Zofingen in the Catskills of NY is a small race but it is infamous in duathlon circles! Check out the course profiles below:

Trail Run - 5mile lap

Bike - 28mile lap

The event has three different distances.....the Long Course, which I signed up for - 5mile run/84 mile bike/ 15mile run, the F1 course (5m/28m/5m/28m/5m) and then the short course (5m/28m/5m).

It is going to be hard.....and that would be an understatement! especially when you see the aid station as you come back to the finish on the run course, Irish Car Bombs for all :-)

Whatever happens it will be a fun event.......plus there is prize money :-)

Duathlon Nationals - Powerman Alabama Race Report

2011-04-19T16:08:00.003-04:00

This race report is a bit late......life has got a bit crazy lately and social networking has been in the form of 140 characters or less! Anyway, for the Powerman Alabama race which combined as the Duathlon Long Course Nationals we took a road trip and spent a couple of days heading down to Birmingham, AL. First stop was Chattanooga, TN where we took in Ruby Falls and the famous Chattannoga Choo-Choo....Ruby Falls was really cool (you could do a wicked hill climb there!). Then it was onto Birmingham for the race.

After registering on the Saturday, we took a look at the course.....wow! The run course was brutal and we had to do it twice the following day. It was essentially a bit of rolling hills, a massive steep uphill, a turnaround and a bomb downhill before the rolling hills again....a quadbuster for sure. The bike course was a 3-lap affair with some rolling hills but all-in-all a course that you could power through.

Race day came and the weather had cooled from the 80 degrees of Saturday and was almost perfect for racing. The under 40 men were the last wave to start meaning we had lots of rabbits in front many of which we would catch on the big hill! As expected the start was fast.....duathlon's are often much tougher than triathlons as the first run is generally just like running a flat 10km, pedal to the metal!

Things settled down a bit after the first rolling hills and then we hit the big hill, which was approximately 1.5miles long. I was running in around 4th/5th position and pushing just under a 6:00min/mile pace. It slowed on the hill but we all knew that the fun part was after the turnaround.......I more than made up for the pace slowing and bombed the downhill to get back under the 6:00min/mile pace and rolled into T1 with a 10km of 36:42 and was in 3rd place AG.

The bike was a 60km course with 3 laps and this was the first time using/racing with the powertap disc. The key was not to completely gas myself on the hills so having the power was critical for that. Not that 60km is a massive distance for pacing purposes but it was good to have the power feedback. I moved up to 2nd AG just after the 1st lap but was quickly overtaken by a couple of guys to sit in 4th for the remainder of the bike. Although I felt ok on the bike and I entered T2 in 4th, I didn't feel like I had a great bike. The two guys that passed me had flying bike splits and I need to work on that as the Spring progresses.

Heading out onto the final run, I wasn't looking forward to the hill too much but I actually felt ok apart from the cold feet! For the first mile I felt like I was running on stumps. Gradually they warmed up and I set about catching a few more guys in the overall placings. The guys in AG were running a similar pace and at the turnarounds I could see that I wasn't really catching them. It was a matter of holding onto 4th and placing as high overall as possible. The hill the 2nd time wasn't as pretty as the first time but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.....the downhill was still fun knowing that only 1.5miles was left!

The final run was just over 40mins and overall it was a 3hrs 2mins for 4th in age group, 11th amateur and 15th overall (always good when you beat half the pro's!). It was a shame to be just off the podium at Nationals but at least I qualified for the Long Course Duathlon World Championships later in the year. Plus it was a good showing for the first race of the year.......more to come!

Oh yeah and it took about 4 days for the quads to feel normal again!

Sweet Home Alabama....Duathlon Nationals!

2011-03-23T22:59:00.004-04:00

The bags are packed, the car is full of gas, the cooler has plenty of snacks, we are ready for the first road trip of the year down to Birmingham Alabama. It isn't ideal that the first duathlon of the year is the Long Course Nationals at Powerman Alabama but most other racers will be in a similar situation.

The taper this week has gone well, for those you that train with power, the training stress balance has crept back to zero and will be positive by the time the race rolls around on Sunday. I ran today for a short 20min with some pick-ups and the legs felt good. The race on Sunday will be my first time racing with power and am pretty excited about that from a pacing and analysis point of view.

So what will Sunday bring? The course is rolling with a 10km run, 60km bike and finished with another 10km......not truly long course compared to many European Powerman courses but long for most US duathlons. I am going down to the race with aspirations of placing well and it would be nice to say that I am National Champion. I am gunning for that but at this stage of the season and this being the first race, it might be a long shot. If you don't try.......

Before the race however, we have the road trip with a stop in Chattanooga tomorrow night.....we have heard that it is a great City so should be cool to spend a few hours checking it out on Friday. After that it is onto Birmingham for Saturday and Sunday. Time there will be pretty much consumed with the race but we may try to see some of the area. The trip home on Sunday and Monday is yet to be decided but it may involve a quick trip to Bristol Motor Speedway if I can convince Sarah :-)

Run Like a Pro......

2011-03-14T16:55:00.002-04:00

Saw this great video diary from IM Pro Pete Jacobs....good video of running technique and what to be aware of when running.

I keep meaning to get myself videoed to look at technique. Now that the days are longer perhaps I can persuade Sarah to get out there with the camera.

B&A Trail Half Marathon 2011....Race Report

2011-03-07T14:39:00.006-05:00

Wow, this came round quick! As the first race of what is going to be a long season, this was half marathon was always going to be interesting. In previous posts I have stated that training has been a bit sporadic so far this year and with big races late on in the season, the first few months of 2011 have really been a base building. So yesterday I got the first race done and dusted and it turned out pretty much like I thought it might.

Race conditions for a half-marathon were spot on, a chance of showers and almost ideal temperatures. The pre-race build up had gone well although I didn't really taper at all with an hour run two days before and a group ride of 50miles the day before. I had however, been using Hammer Nutrition's Race Day Boost to aid in the buffering of lactic acid, increasing glycogen storage and increase time at anaerobic threshold. It was the first time using the product and besides the slightly odd taste, it goes down pretty well. What would the results bring on race day though?

The Thousand Yard Stare!

A quick banana hammer gel with 30mins to go till race start and then a warm-up. For this half-marathon there wasn't much of a gameplan, I knew that I hadn't put in as many miles as last year by this point but had done plenty of tempo. So with that in my mind I went at the gun and wanted to hang onto the leaders for as long as possible. For the 4miles I was sitting in 2nd and pushing out 5:45's with the leader pulling away down the trail. I knew he was rocking and had settled on protecting 2nd place.

Between mile 4 and 5, the runner in 3rd gradually came up alongside and over the next mile we ran together. It was at the turnaround and coming up the only hill on the course that he pulled ahead to which I couldn't respond. By this time I had settled into a 6:00min/mile pace and actually felt okay considering the lack of big training miles in the legs.

The good thing was that I wasn't dying and the chase pack was more lone wolves than a pack. It's always good to know that you have a gap. Coming back up the trail is fun as you get to see all the other racers heading to the turnaround, I don't know what would possess some people to go shirtless on a rainy, cold Sunday morning!

Coming up around mile 11, I heard some footsteps from behind and gradually I was caught for 3rd. By now the 6:00min pace had begun to get a bit harder but I was still in 4th with 5th a good distance behind.

With the rain starting again, I crossed the line in 1hour 19mins 06secs for 4th place. It was a 6:02/mile pace and although slower (by 2.5mins) than last year it was a good test for the early season. With the duathlon long course nationals in three weeks time, it bodes well that the leg speed for the two brutal 10kms should be there.

Now for the Hammer Nutrition review.....well the gels are a given, I've been using them for years but this was the first time using Race Day Boost and I have to say I was impressed. The main effect I found was that once I settled into my race pace (which was at 6:00min/miles on this day)after the initial starting surge, I was able to stay there for entire race. It definitely increased the time that I spent at threshold with no drop-off towards the end of the race and enabled me to race to the top five and the age-group win. I'm looking forward to seeing the benefits for the A races later in the season.

Race Season Finally Here......

2011-03-04T08:50:00.002-05:00

At last the signs of Spring are here and so is the race season. As per usual I am starting my season off with the B&A Trail half marathon which takes place on Sunday. I have been running this race for the past 5 years or so and it really is a good way to get an initial feedback on how the training over the past few months has gone.

I'm not really sure what I will get on Sunday as training has certainly been a bit up and down since the start of the year. Fortunately I have had a solid run base over the past 5 weeks and I am hoping that those weeks will pull me through. Last year I came third overall with a 1hr 16mins time and to get that again I would be well pleased. That time this year may be a little out of reach but we will see.

All training at the moment is building towards the first A race of the year at the end of March with the Duathlon "Long" Course Nationals in Alabama. This means a big focus on shorter threshold and tempo efforts rather than the longer endurance sessions. Once Nationals is gone then it is into the longer races for the rest of the year.....

Can't wait to get going......

JHPS Camp - Encinitas - Days 6 & 7

2011-02-19T19:34:00.005-05:00

With the weather forecast to be rainy and windy on Saturday we decided to do the Swami route on Friday as the weather was sunny and no rain until late in the day. Friday was going to be 80 miles and would consist of approx. 5000 ft of climbing.....a great day of riding. Fortified by the abundance of cinnamon buns at breakfast we headed out through Escondido and then hit the big climb of the day up to Lake Wohlford. The climb was part of the Tour of the California back in 2008 when the stage finished in Escondido. It didn't disappoint either as the climb was hard but rewarding with great views....luckily the road was closed to vehicles because of some road work and it allowed you to follow the racing lines.

Next up was the run through Hellhole Canyon to Valley Center where we stopped briefly for fluid and a great selection of scones (Orange Cranberry was the flavor of the day). From there it was mainly rolling roads all the way through Lilac to Hidden Meadows and back onto the San Luis Rey River trail which took us to Oceanside. By this time the bad weather was chasing us and it was hell for leather all the way along the coast to the hotel. So much so that we didn't even stop for coffee in Encinitas!

House from Top Gun in Oceanside

It ended up being an 80 mile day with just over 5000 ft of climbing and then after a trip back to town for coffee and cake, a 6 mile tempo run before dinner...for me that was the first big double of the year and the first of many over the coming weeks as I prep for Duathlon Nationals and American Zofingen.

That brings us to the final day of camp and we the weather looking a little ropey for the morning we had a late breakfast and a small strength training session with John before heading out for a gentle final 2-hour ride. Most of the legs are now a little tired and so it ended up being a coffee shop ride, with a great stop at Pannekin in Encinitas (I would recommend the blueberry muffin).

Camp totals for me was 25 hours and 400 miles. 22 hours and 375miles riding with another 3hours and 26 miles of running. If ever you want a camp out in San Diego give John Howard a holla and he will be able to help you out www.johnhowardsports.com

JHPS Camp - Encinitas - Day 5

2011-02-18T11:04:00.004-05:00

After a hard day on Wednesday (and the early start) we took a more leisurely pace today and headed out around 11:00am for a 40mile recovery ride. The weather on Saturday for the Swami group ride looks real bad so Friday will be the long day of 90miles.

Even with a recovery ride planned it seemed as though we did more climbing today than any other day of the camp so far. We rode out through Del Mar and turned inland (watching out for alligator lizards on the trail) to hit the Torrey Highlands, skirting around Black Mountain (where John used to hang glide) and through the ranches of Fairbanks and Rancho Santa Fe. I think most enjoyed the leisurely pace and basked in the sunshine!

As per usual we landed back in Encinitas for lunch and to make a change headed for the Encinitas Ale House to grab a much needed burger! And yes they are locally famous :-)

Stu and Denzil headed out to Oceanside for some more miles while the rest came back to the hotel and finished off the active recovery with a trip to Del Mar to window shop and wish that we were more wealthy. If you have never been to Del Mar, it is chic with a capital C, a great selection of boutiques, restaurants and bars......

I ended the day with a short 4mile run after dinner and then sat back as John regaled tales of his racing career.....and guess what? he classes his 1981 win at Ironman Hawaii the hardest day ever in his career.

So tomorrow is going to be the hardest day at camp......90 miles on the Tour of California route and then a run afterwards....when do I get to go home!