Health As Mission

Ironman Augusta 70.3 Aftermath

2009-10-19T10:41:00.003-04:00

I've been thinking that I need to write a post race blog, noting some of the changes I've seen since the event.

Being honest with you, when I was running the last leg of the event, I was thinking that I was nuts and had overstepped my limits. Then I'd go back to the Ironman mantra of "one foot in front of the other"... and the miles would pass.

I was proud of my healthy finish. I went out to dinner with family and when I woke up the next morning, I was slightly sore just like I'd had a good workout. I took that as a great sign that I'd stuck to my goal of finishing healthy and strong. During the week that followed, I was back in the gym and back out on the road. I rode my bike, ran, and did some weight work.

That Friday, I decided to run the Lauren's Hope 5k on Saturday. I felt great, it supported a great cause and it just seemed like a great idea. At the race I bumped into friends who were running at a 10 mile per minute pace. I decided to try to keep up with them and see what was possible. My average is normally around 11 minute miles and I'd done around 14 minute miles at the 1/2 Ironman.

The race started and I was keeping up with my friends fine. My sides got a little stitch in them but I loosened up, got some deep breaths and kept running. About a mile into the race, there was a downhill section and my friends were not taking advantage of gravity to the extent that I wanted to. I decided to temporarily leave them behind, figuring that they'd catch up with me on the next uphill. I kept pushing and the hurt was nothing like the run in Augusta. I knew I was pushing harder than I had before and it felt good. I ran strong on the uphills and didn't see my friends again until after the finish.

As I was running toward the finish, I saw the clock was just past 29 minutes! If I kicked it in, I could finish sub-30 minutes which would be a first! I sprinted for all I was worth and crossed the line in 29:30, which is a 9:30 per minute mile pace. INCREDIBLE. I didn't only set a personal best but I smashed my prior times.

This past weekend I raced the Hickory Knob Sprint Triathlon. It was a wonderful race, as I was racing with my daughter Emily. The water was cold and I had no wetsuit. There was a cold mist for much of the morning and the temps were in the 40's. My swim was pretty slow but respectable. I flew on the bike! I was riding my trusty mountain bike with slicks and averaged 16.9 miles per hour, which is cranking. I probably passed 40 people and got passed by 10. It was a blast.

When I transitioned to the run I decided to run like I had at the Lauren's Hope Run. I tried to set a quick pace and keep it up throughout the run course. It was a MUCH stronger performance than I did at Hickory Knob last year and I finished the race in a total of 1:26. When results were posted, I looked and saw that I had actually placed 3rd in my division, Master Clydesdales! Unbelievable!!!

I've said for quite awhile that the only way I'd ever place was when I am 75 and still racing and just outlast everyone else. I attribute the 3rd place at Hickory Knob and the 9:30 pace in the 5k as direct results of the training for Ironman Augusta 70.3 and a change of psychology that's happened from the race.

As for not doing anymore Ironman events... it only took a day or two to realize that the stretch that comes from these events is exactly why I chose the challenge. I've signed up for the Half Ironman Florida in May 2010 and put my name in for the Kona 2010 Lottery.

If you've thought about these events but not sure if you're up for them, sign up... train... and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

See you at the races :-)

Ironman Augusta 70.3 9/27/2009 - Race Report

2009-10-03T11:38:00.026-04:00

I'm including some extra detail in this report for anyone who hasn't done one of these before. Feel free to skip on down to the race part if that's what you're here for :-)

The first thing I saw when I got to the race venue on Friday afternoon was this truck for Ironman Kansas. I thought it was pretty funny considering that we weren't in Kansas. We entered the hotel and got Emily registered as a volunteer. All the volunteer shirts had already been given out, which was a pretty big bummer and a bit crazy as Emily had registered months ago and it was only Friday afternoon for a Sunday race. My first step was to attend the pre-race briefing which gave a pretty good run down of the course. I asked how long we had to finish the race and they said 8 hrs from the last start. Seeing as my wave was next to last, it didn't give me much of a buffer. My goal going into the race was to finish healthy within the time limit. I thought it was theoretically possible to be around seven hours but a time of 7:30 would be fabulous. Two years ago I weighed 360 pounds and this race wasn't to win my age group but to set a new standard for my life. After the pre-race meeting, I showed my USAT membership and got a paper that I took over to get my race packet. Because I was racing in the Clydesdale division, I weighed in, then got my packet, then picked up my t-shirt and an Ironman 70.3 backpack that they gave out. It included a Gatorade water bottle for my bike, which I thought was great. There was an expo there that was pretty cool and I should have bought a couple things on Friday because by Saturday it was packed. Something else that was nice is that the local FOX news station had a video on fast forward of the entire bike course. I watched it several times to get the visual of the course, as I hadn't ridden it pre-race.

We left to head to our hotel and stopped at Target to get some yellow t-shirts for Emily and my Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law who were coming to volunteer the race. Emily is an amazing artist, so I figured with some t-shirts and Sharpies, she could design her own t-shirt. That seemed to lift her spirits and we picked up the supplies at Target, along with some CranGrape juice, Trail Mix, and water. We headed back to our hotel, which was about 12 miles from the race venue and Emily started drawing. Here's a picture of the shirt she designed and my original.

We went downstairs to the Mexican restaurant in the hotel and we were treated like heroes! The manager was all excited that I was one of those Ironman athletes and the hotel staff really treated us well. For anyone heading there in future years, I do highly recommend the America's Best Inns and Suites in Grovetown. The people were great, the room was nice, and the restaurant served good, fresh food.

We watched the movie Falling Down and then crashed around 10 pm and got a good night's sleep.

On Saturday, I took Emily over to volunteer at the race check-in. I headed over to the riverfront with my wetsuit to try it out before the race. I've got to give a BIG shoutout to wetsuitrentals.com who worked with me to find a suit that fit a 6 feet 6 inch triathlete. I wore a suit by Akona and wetsuitrentals.com sent me a 3x, 4x, and 5x to get the sizing right. The 3x is the one I used. They just started carrying bigger wetsuits and I'm betting it will be a great market for them. Major kudos to Akona for designing suits for those of us not sized like the masses.

I'd never swum in a river before, though I do like open water swims much more than going back and forth in the pool. There was an incredible nervous energy going on with athletes milling around, swimming, biking and running to test their preparations.

I went down to the dock, got my wetsuit on, and jumped in. The river was pretty cool but with the wetsuit on I was warm. That's the only challenge with wearing a wetsuit. I'm tend to run hot, or swim hot as the case may be, and I was very concerned that with the wetsuit on that I might overheat. After swimming a 1/4 mile or so in the suit, I figured it was cool enough that I'd be alright during the swim. There was a little current heading the direction of the swim and it was more difficult coming back to the dock than swimming away from it. The picture is facing the direction of the swim from the dock.

Next I got on my bike and tested the wheels. I've got an amazing bike that I call Gary Garcia. Yes, it's a mountain bike. I realize that there seems to be a prerequisite of spending over $2000 on a carbon fiber race bike prior to doing these events but I didn't have the cash. I'd ridden a couple of metric centuries (100 km 62 miles) on the mountain bike in Thailand and here in the states, so I knew that I could do it. Also, I don't seem to get flat tires on the bigger wheels while often when I ride skinnies (skinny tires on racing rims), I get flats. I'm guessing my weight is just a bit more than the skinnies want to support OR I'm so hyperfocused on the ride that I'm not paying attention to potholes and gravel in the road. I'm expecting that it's case #2. I did spring for some Richey Slicks 1.4 tires from Performance Bike for the mountain bike. During training when I put these on, my speed increased from 14.5 miles per hour avg to 15.5. It's a much smoother and quieter ride. Anyway, things were looking good for the bike and I heard that they opened transition early to put the bikes in, because of impending rain. I went ahead, got my bike put in the transition rack, grabbed some lunch, got Emily and headed back to the hotel.

Then began the hard part... The logistics of an Ironman size event, full or half, is daunting. You've got to think of your nutrition for each leg of the race, what you'll need in the transitions, how to get from transition to race start, where to park, what to do for breakfast, how early to get there, what to do between getting there and race start, where to put your car keys while you're racing, where to store sunblock for the bike ride, which water bottles you're willing to throw away at the bottle exchanges, etc. You can see from my bed that there was a lot to organize. I went to Wal-Mart on Saturday and bought some slippers that I wouldn't fret about losing. That way you have something on your feet when you're getting over to the swim start.

I crashed about 8:30 pm and slept remarkably well. I woke up once or twice during the night but went on back to sleep. At 4 am the alarm went off. It was time to start moving! We had talked about going to Waffle House and getting some food but Emily had to get to body marking at 5 am. We decided we'd figure out something between body marking finishing at 7:30 am and my race start at 9 am. Bad move. Once you're in the flow of the race morning, the last thing you're going to do is drive somewhere for breakfast. This was one of my biggest mistakes of the planning but thankfully was recoverable. Emily got to body marking and I went and parked. The race organizers had done a good job of providing a lot of parking and my spot was about 1/2 mile from the transition area. At 7:30, Emily and I walked the 1.2 miles back to the swim start. Ann Bynum, a dentist and fellow triathlete was there with her husband Matt. It was great to connect up with them. I was feeling the effects of no breakfast and no caffeine. I had a headache and was nervous. I went up to a store at the waterfront and the best option was a couple of packs of crackers. Toastcheese and Peanut Butter Crackers powered my Ironman 70.3! Ann gave me some of her super techie drink w/protein, caffeine and electrolyles for pre-race. That helped take the edge off my headache. A few minutes before the swim start, I had Emily take this picture of me in the wetsuit. Note the stylin' slippers! It was time for our wave, number 24 of 25. We went down and jumped in the water. They had buoys to mark the start of the swim. The announcer said "About 1 minute 10 seconds", then 5 or 10 seconds later the air horn blew! We all looked around to see what the deal was and saw the race organizers waving us downstream and heard, "Swim, go, go, go!" Not sure what the timing issue was but it was a frantic way to start the swim. I worked immediately on getting into a maintainable pace. I remembered that I hadn't hit start on my Ironman watch, so I went ahead and hit the start button about 3 minutes into the race. The wetsuit started to heat up a bit and I backed my pace down a notch. I cooled down and swam. I passed a few people and got passed by about as many. I swam past a few triathletes hanging onto kayaks, felt their pain and swam on. I continued to do the crawl as I passed some who were doing backstroke or catching their breath. For me, swimming is all about a rhythm and I had gotten into a rhythm that could be maintained. It was amazing as the swim finished and I was reaching the exit from the water as I jockeyed among the other athletes for my exit spot. I exited the water and looked down at my watch.... 28 minutes (plus the few I had missed by turning on my timer late). My official swim time was 31:22. I got my wetsuit 1/2 stripped off by the time I entered transition. There were wetsuit strippers who helped us get the suits off the rest of the way. Here's a video.

I put away the wetsuit, put on my helmet and gloves, took a quick portapotty break, and hit the road on my bike, Gary Garcia.

I took to the bike pretty quickly with no real problem in the transition. I felt strong and pedaled quickly. I had put my Garmin 305 GPS watch on the handlebars and turned it on in transition. As I looked down to see my pace, it was faster than I remember seeing. I was cooking at 17.5 miles per hour up to 20 mph at times. I passed several people early in the race. I drank both water bottles by mile 18 and did the tradeoff for two Gatorade bottles. At mile 24, we did a u turn at the Fort Gordon gates and I remember thinking how happy I was to be 1/2 way through... Yes... my math was bad and I realized it a couple of miles later. At mile 28, I realized that it was a different game cruzing at this pace on during the entire bike. This was faster than any training ride I'd done. Gotta give big kudos to all the Army guys from Fort Gordon. For the entire 56 miles, there were two Army guys/gals posted at EVERY intersection, no matter how small the road. At the intersections where there was a turn, there were also Highway Patrol to hold traffic as we went through. At about mile 32, I was heading up a hill and there was one of the ParaAthletes completely stopped on the hill. I asked if he needed help and he said no but I'm thinking the race may have been over for him at that point. It was tough to see. A few minutes later an ambulance rushed past, I'm assuming with an athlete inside. I saw several people with flat tires, some of whom looked resigned to stopping. I pushed on counting my blessings each time. I felt good and the race was going well. I continued to swap out water bottles at the next bottle exchange and got some Gu. I'd already gone through 2 powerbars, 2 sport beans, and 2 Gus on my bike. By the end of the race I'd gone through another 4 Gu's or so from the bottle exchange stations. The last 15 miles had a LOT more hills on it than we'd hit before. It was TOUGH. There was one other clydesdale on a SWEET bike who passed me, then I passed him a few miles up, he passed again with a word of encouragement and I passed again with only 5 miles to go. I kept looking for him to pass me on the run or maybe at the finish... I never saw him again. I wonder about people like that. I don't really know him but we shared this really intense experience together. I want to know... Did he finish? Did he pack it in and quit? I'd love to know.. I finished the bike in 3:30, which meant that I averaged 16 mph over the entire distance on my mountain bike, Gary Garcia. I was thrilled when I saw that I was at about 4:20, including transitions!
I came into transition and began the run. It was TOUGH, right from the start. At this point my race report may not be as detailed. I was in automated mode and the first half of my run was at a pace of 14:30. I remember the first mile seemed like an eternity. I remember thinking that they must not have put mile signs at each mile and then getting disappointed when I saw mile one. I had my Garmin GPS watch on and kept watching the miles going by .1 of a mile at a time.
At the first aid station, they had some ice cold sponges that you could use to cool down. I was grateful for the help and put it in my shirt. That was the last aid station that would have them. At mile 7, the aid station had run out of cups and I began to panic. I knew I wouldn't make it if I didn't stay hydrated. Thankfully, at mile 7.5, I was passing a large crowd of spectators and yelled that I needed water. A volunteer ran to the volunteer station, got a water bottle and ran up to me. I continued on. Around mile 9, a really nice guy was cheering on the athletes and had brought a cooler of cold Powerade and water. I greatfully took a Powerade and continued my slow trek toward the finish. I am so thankful to the volunteer for the water and the nice guy for the Powerade... I'm not sure I'd have made it without them. That encouragement, as much as the liquid really helped me continue on and I got a second wind for a few miles.
Around mile 10, Matt Bynum saw me and cheered me on, telling me that Ann had just passed a few minutes before. He cheered me on a few miles later and I got to see Ann as she headed into her last mile or so. Each mile ticked by VERY slowly. Eventually, I was at mile 12 and heading for the finish. I'd love to tell you that my pace increased and I sprinted through but it continued to be the same pace. It was the same automated pace that I'd started three hours before. As I entered the finish chute, I saw my daughter Emily at the finish line. She was typing in the bib numbers as athletes finished the race.

I ran through and my Father-in-Law, John Phillips, was volunteering and put the finishers medal around my neck. My Mother-in-Law, Ellen Phillips, asked if I needed a medic (which is a standard question for the finishers.) I said no and headed over to the event finish party area, plopped down and had a piece of pizza and a cold beer. It was wonderful! I got a free massage from one of the massage volunteers, it was wonderful. I went over and checked my time.

My run had taken 3:05 and the race total time was 7:25. I was thrilled! Under a 7:30 and I actually felt good. We went out for dinner at Red Lobster and the next morning I woke up slightly sore but otherwise feeling good. It was an amazing effort and my goal was achieved by finishing under 8 hours in a healthy state. My GPS watch / heart rate monitor showed that I burned 10,343 calories during the bike and run. It looks like adding in the swim it was close to 11,000!

Just a post-note, in the 6 days since I have worked out almost every day with light aerobics just to keep the muscles limber. Yesterday, I decided to run a local 5K with Emily. I think the psychology from the Ironman 70.3 event carried over because I set a pace around 10 minute miles and automated it. I was able to manage my psychology and ended up with a new Personal Best of 29:30 on the 5k. The FIRST time to break 30 minutes and an average of 9:30 minute miles.

Life is good and I am blessed.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - Completed!

2009-09-29T06:21:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to post a short note that YES, I did complete the Ironman Augusta 70.3 on Sunday. My time was 7 hrs 25 minutes 56 seconds. I did awesome on the swim, excellent on the bike, and methodically plodded through the 13.1 mile run. I've never done a more physically challenging event in my life!

Full race report in the next few days :-)

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 1 Day to go

2009-09-26T06:43:00.003-04:00

Well, we got here to Augusta yesterday afternoon. I did the race briefing and then weighed in to qualify for Clydesdale division. Everything went smooth and by 4 pm, I was done. It's really an incredible atmosphere with a major buzz going on. Lots of excitement and adrenalin in the venue, as people prepare for the race. I'm thinking I'm not going to spend lots of time at the host hotel. I'd be freaked out being around there too much. I've got enough adrenalin going without feeding off everyone elses.

Emily, my daughter, went to register for the volunteer table and it was really just a check in thing and they were completely out of the volunteer shirts. That kinda stinks. The volunteer coordinator has really not seemed to have things together very much. While things seem pretty organized for the athletes, the volunteer efforts seem very lax. When Emily signed up 3 1/2 months ago, we had to email back after not hearing from them for a month. Anyway, it's a shame because even volunteering at these events is a major thing for the volunteer and a big blessing for the Ironman event staff. The volunteer effort should be well organized.

Today, Emily starts her Volunteer work at 10:30, so I'll take her downtown. She'll be doing race check-in. I'm going to take my wetsuit, go down to the water and take a swim in it. I just want to be sure that it won't be too hot in it. At 2 pm, I can check my bike in at the transition, so I may take it for a short ride around town before I rack it.

In 26 hours, I'll be starting the race!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 3 Days to go

2009-09-24T21:49:00.003-04:00

Had a great run this morning and feeling strong. Emily and I head out tomorrow AM for Augusta. I'm pretty relaxed, excited, and looking forward to an incredible weekend. It's amazing that over 100 days have passed since I started this journey and I'm looking forward to crossing the finish line!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 6 Days to go

2009-09-20T19:54:00.003-04:00

Less than a week to go until the Ironman 70.3. This week is more about maintaining and being strong on raceday, rather than trying to get faster, build endurance, etc. I had a great run this morning and felt strong. This afternoon, I spent time on my writing and then watched a video tonight about the Ironman China from April of this year. It was an amazing race and I appreciated that they showed the athletes struggling, whereas Ironman Kona always shows Chrissie powering through to the finish with a smile on her face. It looks like a great event and certainly would entice me to do the full distance.

I'm really quite excited about raceday. I've been watching the weather for Augusta and right now it's calling for rain next Sunday. I've never even considered a rainy day Ironman 70.3! I'm thinking that will help keep me cool and hydrated :-)

I'm looking forward to the day finally getting here! I'll keep you posted.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 14 Days to go

2009-09-12T20:58:00.004-04:00

Great day today. Ran and walked 4 miles this morning with my daughter. Then mowed for a bit, then 30 minutes elliptical at the gym, mowed some more, then 2000M in the pool. I was basically in motion the bulk of the day.

I realized a few weeks ago that this Ironman would not be a fast race for me. I'm ok with that and am not pushing for more than my best. I spend so much time comparing my speed to others and it's counter productive. I have no doubt that I am in shape to do the swim, bike, and run... I'll just need to finish when I finish.

I got some slick tires to go on my mountain bike that I'll be using for the Ironman Agusuta 70.3. They should help speed the cycling along. I put the tires on my rims this evening and I'll take them out for a spin in them morning.

I am very pleased with the muscle that I've gained during the training. I'm in the best shape I've been in, in years!

Two weeks until the race!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 18 Days to go

2009-09-08T06:34:00.002-04:00

Had a great run this morning with Emily. Yesterday did some swimming and a walk. The last few days I've been sick with a bad cold. I almost went into panic mode, worrying about it affecting the race. "What if it takes weeks to get over?" "What if I start losing endurance?"

Thankfully, Cipro and lots of juice and extra sleep seems to be knocking it down. I'm breathing easy again and feeling good.

I tell you, running with my daughter is an amazing thing. She's signed up to race the Hickory Knob Triathlon with me on Oct 16th. It's going to be wonderful and we're doing the sprint together. This morning we went for a run and it's just incredible to be running next to her. She's fast and graceful and makes me run faster than I ever do by myself.

I had something incredible happen last week. A friend called and asked if I would run a 1/2 marathon with her on Oct 31st. We ended up running some of the Simpsonville Sunrise race together, and she liked that we run a similar pace and that I wouldn't give up... both good traits. Anyway, I'm signing up for that race now.

I can't believe the Ironman 70.3 is so close. It won't be long! Emily is going to volunteer at the event. On Saturday, she'll be signing people in and on race day, she'll be body marking at 4:30 am and then working from 11-3 greeting at the finish line with towel and drink. Sounds like she's going to see the race very first hand!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 22 Days to go

2009-09-04T05:31:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I had a great run and the day before I swam the 2000M that I'll be doing in the race. I'm not doing doubles very much right now as I'm working between two jobs, a book, and my training. I keep wondering how people train for the Ironman... I'm thinking some things I'm doing now would have to drop.

Sept 1st was my two year anniversary of beginning this journey toward health. I remember that day that I decided to change and went out for a run. I didn't make it more than a few blocks. Today, I run 13 miles at a stretch. I couldn't swim a lap or two without stopping. Today I've swum 4000M continuous. I wasn't able to bike 10 miles and last weekend I biked 62 miles (100 km). Two years ago, I was morbidly obese, physically frustrated, and very unhappy with my body. Today I have muscles and veins that you can see and I genuinely like the way I look. I'm amazed at my balance and strength.

Gain Health!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 26 Days to go

2009-08-31T19:39:00.002-04:00

Now I'm at a quandary, by the Ironman website I've got 26 days to go. Let's see, the race is on Sept 27th and today is August 31st. Doesn't it seem I've got 27 days to go? Anyway, I'll stick with there calendar and when I'm at 0 my preparation is finished. The race will be the next day.

This morning I got up and headed outside for a run and it was raining. I decided that rather than run in the rain, I'd sign myself and Emily up for the Hickory Knob sprint triathlon in October. I also signed up the boys for a triathlon the day before my event. They're excited that they'll be doing another one the same weekend that I am.

This afternoon, I headed down to the neighborhood pool and swam 2 km. It was a good swim, though slow. I've had a head cold and it really slows down my swimming... I guess because I'm having to work harder to get a good breath. Anyway, the time was within the limits I want for the race and I'm sure on race day, with lots of adrenaline and a wetsuit, I'll be speedy.

Tomorrow marks an important day. Two years ago, on Sept 1st, 2007 I got fed up with being fat and weighed myself at 359 lbs and started this journey which has led me to the Augusta Ironman 70.3. Life is good.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 28 days to go

2009-08-29T17:19:00.002-04:00

What a great day! I got up late (6:30 am), had a cup of coffee, and prepped the bike for a ride. I've been loving my Garmin 305 GPS and I wondered if I could attach it to the bike. It fits perfectly over the cateye8 that I had been using for distance and speed. It was a blessing to have that right there and easy to read.

I had some oatmeal with a banana in it and headed out the door. I'd put some Emergen-C in the water bottles and PowerBars in my fanny pack.... Ready to go. Headed out and did some mental math. 56 miles will be the distance of the Ironman Augusta 70.3. 28 miles is half of that and 14 miles is one quarter. I decided to break it down into 4 14 mile quarters and hit my lap button each time. The first lap was fun and smooth. The second lap was also. By the third lap, I'd talked myself into an extra 3 miles each way so I'd get in a metric century (100 KM - 62 miles). Those first 3 miles of the third lap were the most horrendous hills I'd seen all ride. By the time I'd knocked them down both ways, my speed had dropped. The first 2 14 mile segments, I averaged 15 miles per hour and 15.5 miles per hour. In the third quarter, I averaged 13.8. It was rough and slow but I did it. The last 14 mile lap was back at the 15 mph pace. THEN it was another 6 miles home. Those were the hardest of the whole morning.

My water bottles were gone after 2 1/2 quarters of the ride, so I stopped in a store and got another liter of water. That was gone during the next quarter and I went without for the last few miles. I had a Powerbar at the 18 mile mark and the 30 mile mark. My body still has a bit of issue with sugar shock when I eat them and I think I need to have a few each week just to get used to them. I do think they help but my stomach has a hard time handling the sugar jolt and I can get a little nauseous.

The best part was after I got home... I've been fine. I felt good enough to run, which I'll be doing in 4 weeks at the event. I think I paced myself well and I would have finished the bike segment in about 3hrs 45 minutes. Not bad for a mountain bike and certainly inline with accomplishing a finish in well under 8 hrs. I think if all goes well in Augusta, I could be near the 7 hr time frame.

Went swimming with the boys this afternoon and really have had a great day.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 29 Days to go

2009-08-28T06:35:00.002-04:00

It's been a good training week and I'm amazed that there are 29 days left before the race. We're down to the final push! Work has been a bit crazy and I'm working hard to get a copy of my book to the publisher for a small print. I've still gotten in some good runs and swims, as well as a short bike. This weekend is going to be some longer distances, particularly on the bike. I'm starting to calm down a little about the race. Yesterday, I saw the swim waves lineup and it was not good news. There are about 25 waves and mine is 2 from the back, which means I start about 9 am and will be near the back for the entire race. Ouch.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 33 Days to go

2009-08-24T21:09:00.002-04:00

Started the day with 1500M in the pool. It was slow and steady and felt really good. It was great to be back in form swimming after the tough swim at the Greenville Triathlon. When I got out of the pool and showered, I couldn't ever get my lock undone, so got to cut the lock off. I thought I had the combination well memorized but I mixed up the numbers.

At dinner, the boys asked if we could go for a fun after dinner. It was SO much fun. We walked and jogged up to the park, then ran around it, then downtown and around the clocktower. It was a total of 2 miles, about 1 mile running and 1 mile walking. What A blessing to get to run with my kids. Marshall is 8 and always wants to lead the pack. John William is 10 and reminds me a lot of myself when I was young. The mile run was twice the distance they did last weekend at the kids triathlon.

Pretty soon we'll need to sign up for the 5k's together!

33 days until the 1/2 Ironman... It's hard to believe that I'll be tapering 4 weeks!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 34 Days to go

2009-08-23T19:32:00.002-04:00

Well, we're coming down to the home stretch! If you've followed this blog for awhile, you'll note that I've not been posting everyday. Part of that is that my training has slacked off... It's not stopped, but the triathlon last weekend required a bit more recovery than I expected... both mentally and physically.

I did get in some good workouts last week, just not as consistently as in the past. I've worked hard to get in two workouts a day and right now I'm doing good to get one good one. I'm planning to bring it up a notch during the coming week.

How do people train for the full Ironman when they have jobs, families, church, etc that all seems to compete for your time? I've read that many who train for a big event like that put other things to the side. I'm thinking a lot has to do with your goals.

My goal is to finish the 1/2 Ironman healthy, and ideally with a smile on my face. I believe I could do that today and I'll be in great shape to do that in a month. I thought all I'd need to gain during this time is endurance and work on my speed. The reality is that I've needed to learn to care for myself and to pick myself back up when I get discouraged, and to get some rest when I'm feeling worn down, and a take some time before a race to wind down from the workouts. These are great lessons learned that will serve me well.

Meanwhile, I did some great reading this week. Michael Hyatt, the CEO of Thomas Nelson publishers recommended the book Born to Run. I ordered it off Amazon and just finished it. It's amazing and I may put it up with the book Slow Burn as my all time favorite running books. The book starts with the question, "Why does my foot hurt?" and delves into the mastery of running by ultramarathon distance trail runners, including the Tumahamura Indians of Mexico. If running is so bad for your knees and feet, then why can these runners run barefoot or with sandals over 100 miles and smile? I have a long way before I could do anything like that, but I did do 7 miles this morning and had a blast. Last weekend when I did the sprint triathlon, it was like that on the bike... just fun like I was a school kid.

That's my goal. I want to do the race in a way that's fun, playful and healthy.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 41 Days to go

2009-08-16T20:08:00.005-04:00

I ran the Greenville Triathlon today. It's a sprint 400M, 15mile, 3.1 mile. I have good, bad, and ugly from the event.

I got there early and laid out my gear. Everything was going smooth. Time came for the swim and I got in the deep end where the lineup was. I was #435 and did a little swimming to warm up. The swim was in a 50 meter pool that had 8 lanes. The swim consisted of swimming back and forth for all 8 lanes, going under the lane rope after you touched the far wall. I lined up with the other swimmers awaiting out start, and when it was my time, moved into the start lane. We were starting at 10 second intervals, two at a time. I started out way too fast and soon was behind a huge guy that was in the 10 second group that went before us. I thought it would be a good idea to get on around him but it quickly became a struggle as he was in the middle of the lane. All in a sudden, I felt a bit panicky. I pulled back but I was winded and couldn't catch my breath. I touched the far wall, went under the rope and started the second lane. I trying to get back to a regular swim pace and get control of my breath but it just got worse. I started hyperventilating and didn't seem to be able to get any air. The water was very warm, the air was hot, and I was freaking. At two of the wall turns, I had to stop for a few seconds to get my breath before moving on to the next lane. Midway through the swim, I thought that something was really wrong with me... could this be a heart attack? No, I decided... just nerves and a bad start and I continued on with a side stroke which allowed me to breathe the whole time. Eventually I finished the swim and did a time of 10 minutes which really wasn't so bad. I was still out of breath as I headed to the bike transition.

I spent 3:30 in the bike transition. Pretty slow but I was still freaked from the swim. I got my Garmin GPS watch on my wrist but forgot to turn it on under after I'd started the bike. Once I got on the bike though things got better. I caught my breath and began to gain control. I was beginning to feel sure of myself. The ride was wonderful and I was fast. I averaged 18 miles an hour on my mountain bike and probably passed 15 people and was passed by only 5 or 6. I eventually got into a group that was a lot of fun and we went back and forth taking the lead. They'd get the lead on the uphills and I'd come flying down on the downhills. I finished in 52 minutes, which was pretty smokin' fast for me. It was a lot of fun passing fancy $2000 bikes with my $300 mountain bike. Sorry, but it just is.

The run transition was a smokin' 1 minute 9 seconds. I headed out for the run. I didn't feel like I was as fast as I could be but at a good, sustainable pace that allowed for good breathing. I was still thinking about the panicked start in the swim. I finished the run in 31 minutes, which meant I was running 10 minute miles, which is really good for me. I'm about to finally break into the single digits on the run speed!

Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly:

The Good
- Great bike time and was really having fun out there on the bike.
- Good organization and had everything I needed
- Amazing family all there cheering me on
- New friends I made
- My kids seeing their Dad struggle and triumph
- Finished with a smile on my face

The Bad:
- Starting too fast in the swim
- Poor swim time

The Ugly:
- Hyperventilating in the pool and swim falling apart because I couldn't get my breath.
- 1/2 hour after the event beginning dry heaves and having them a couple more times in the next hour.
- Feeling sick after the event.
- Second guessing myself whether I can do the Ironman Augusta 70.3.

During the race I tried one of the gel packs that they had given at registration. I think it was part of what made me sick. I think it was such a sugar shock to my system that I wasn't used to, I had a bad reaction to it. I'm also sure I didn't drink enough. I had about 24 oz during the race but was didn't feel better after the race until I'd gotten another 32 oz in.

I know I can do the 70.3 event. I just need to slow down, start the swim at a mellow pace, enjoy the bike, and get in the zone on the run. I am no where near competitive, though I'd really love to be. I need to accept this and learn to have more fun without constantly feeling like I haven't done good enough. I'm pushing myself in ways that most people don't. I've come back from morbid obesity to living a healthy life. I'm active in life and creating my path.

I'm thinking that's more than good enough.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 44 Days to go

2009-08-13T20:49:00.003-04:00

This morning we saw some guests off and as I walked them outside I was pleased to see some cool fog. Definitely looked like a morning for a run, even though I wasn't planning on it. My knee was feeling better, so out the door with my Garmin GPS. I had the most incredible run ever! I did 4.2 miles with an average speed of 10:07 per mile. Here's what was the coolest... My fastest mile was 9:55 and my slowest was 10:12. Incredibly consistent over the entire time. It's the fastest I've fun by far and it was really a great feeling.

What else has been wonderful is that my knee has not been hurting at all today. Usually, after a run, it takes a day to settle out. Today, it's felt great during and after the run. I'm hoping that's a sign of things to come.

This afternoon I did 2000M in the pool. It was a nice mellow pace... not too fast nor too slow. I realized that my race Sunday, with a swim distance of 400M, I should be out of the pool in under 10 minutes... Isn't that crazy?

Sunday's triathlon will be fun. 400M swim, 15 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. I'm figuring a time of 10 minutes on the swim, 1 hr on the bike, and 32 minutes on the run, so with good transitions I should be done in 1:50 or so. Sweet.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 45 Days to go

2009-08-12T20:52:00.005-04:00

Had a great run yesterday of 4.2 miles. The first mile was really slow as I got my knee joints nice and flexible again. After it went a little faster but not much. It wasn't about speed but about running after the 1/2 marathon distance.

I'm starting to look at some used bikes but I think I'm going to pass. When I get to Ironman distance, I'm definitely going to have something faster and more built for distance. For now my modified mountain bike does a great job. I've even given it a name. It's a Gary Fisher bike with a deadhead style paint job, kinda flowing and hippyish. I'm calling it Gary Garcia.

Today we had guests and I took the day as my break day. Tomorrow will be back to the swimming and some cycling. My knee has been hurting today, so I'm going to lay off the running tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to the sprint triathlon I'm doing on Sunday! It's going to be a blast.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 47 Days to go

2009-08-10T20:16:00.002-04:00

I'm back in the saddle again! I started the day with a 2000M swim. The speed wasn't great but I was still working out the stiffness in my legs from Saturday's 1/2 marathon distance run. The swim was wonderful and I felt strong. I'm really looking forward to doing the distance in the open water, as back and forth in a pool trying to keep count of laps just misses it a bit for me. I'll be swimming down the lane thinking 33, 33, 33, but wasn't I just on 29? No, I passed 30 because I hit the lap on my watch and swam back and I think this is the next lap so it must be 33. Thankfully all this process goes on mid lap and by the time I touch the other wall I've got it all straightened out. Just some mental aerobics while I do the laps.

This afternoon, I headed out on the bike for a ride in the 101 degree heat. Yes, that's what my GPS pulled as the high temp out there. I did 22 miles at 15.1 miles per hour. I love having the GPS watch. It gives me lots of great data on the ride like fastest mile, slowest mile, highest heart rate, avg heart rate, etc. I really enjoy getting the info. I also found that my bike computer was off a bit in it's speed.

At 15.1 miles per hour, the 56 miles of the Augusta Ironman 70.3 would take 3:42. My swim should be around 45 minutes and the 1/2 Marathon at 2:40. That puts me at 7:07 plus 15 minutes for transition, so 7:22 total. That would be an awesome time that I'd be thrilled with. If everything goes perfectly, I could... could possibly... break the 7 hr mark. THAT would be incredible.

When I got back from the bike I did a low challenge reverse brick. Know what that means? I got off my bike and jumped into the pool with the kids and just goofed around. It was a great afternoon.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 48 Days to go

2009-08-09T07:01:00.003-04:00

It's been a tough week but also a wonderful one. Let me explain.

When I got back from vacation, it was hard getting 100% back into the training. I did alright Monday and Tuesday, but then Wednesday planned on a long swim at Clemson. Weather knocked out that possibility at the last minute, so I got in no training on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday I had plans for training in the afternoon and again, things came up that interfered. In other words, I wasn't giving the training the priority that it demands. There will ALWAYS be other things coming up to block your training time, that's why you do it early in the morning or do it after those things or "just do it" as the Nike slogan states.

I got an email Friday about a running group on Saturday which was running from our downtown, a few blocks away. I had promised myself earlier in the week that this was the weekend to run a 1/2 marathon to show myself that I could do it. I decided I'd join this group, run 4 or 5 miles with them and then continue on.

Saturday morning I joined that group at 6:30 am downtown. Several people from my church were there and it was a nice group of folks. They decided on the 5 mile loop which is used for the Simpsonville sunrise run. I told them that I'd be continuing on at the end because this was a long run day. We started off and the pace was blistering for me. At first I was behind them 30 feet, then 30 yards, then 100 yards. By late in the loop, I was probably 1/2 mile behind the group. The run was difficult and mentally, I was having a hard time believing that 13.1 miles was possible. The problem is, if it's not possible for me then neither is this Ironman 70.3 that I've been training for. I pushed on through and at the end of the 5 miles, as I approached the group that was finished. One of them yelled out, "how much more are you running?" I said, "At least one more loop." They started saying things like, "You're the man!" "Go for it." and other words of encouragement.

All in a sudden, there was a spring in my step. I felt strong and able. I may not be fast but I was doing something special. I continued to run. During the next 5 miles I called home and Cindy came out along my path to give me water. It was wonderful to turn down my street and the boys ran down to meet me and run alongside. Cindy passed me a water bottle as I ran by and I was at the 9 mile mark.

The last 4.1 miles became far more difficult. I kept checking my gps watch to see how far I had left. 4.1, then 3.5, then 3, then 2.8, then 2.7. The further I ran, the slower the mileage seemed to drop off. My legs were burning and there was a bit of cramping in my hamstrings but I was able to run through it. With less than 2 miles to go, I had to stop for traffic to cross an intersection. It hurt to start running again. The last mile was very tough and seemed to last forever. The last 2 tenths of a mile was uphill and the finish was at the hill's apex. I was wiped! I considered calling Cindy and having her pick me up once I'd finished because it was a 1/2 mile walk home. Instead I decided that walk was important to maintain some flexibility in my legs. My t-shirt was soaked and I peeled it off.

I'd done it! I ran 13.1 miles in 2:36:28. That's inline with my goal of finishing under 8 hours AND my supergoal of finishing under 7 hours. Cindy had a great breakfast waiting for me and I took a nap in the afternoon. I'm writing this on Sunday morning, and while I'm still sore, I'm quite pleased with how well I'm doing. I plan to swim this afternoon to continue to limber back up the legs.

This coming weekend, I have a sprint triathlon, which should be a great workout and I'm starting to get my training second wind. 48 days to go!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 53 Days to go

2009-08-04T20:41:00.003-04:00

This morning's workout fell apart. I was going to cycle but the headlight on my bike went out in the first block. It was 5:20 am and I thought there was enough light from the street lights and I knew the sun would start coming up soon. 3 miles into the ride I got stopped by a median that I couldn't see, a car had to brake quickly and she yelled "get a light on that bike!"... at that point I rode back to the shelter of home. I should have made an adjustment in the beginning rather than risking an injury because I was too hard headed to change my workout plan. I'm just glad it all worked out fine.

I took my swim gear to work and headed over to the health club after work and did a 1.2 mile swim in 50 minutes. Not my fastest time but a solid effort. My goal is to do the event swim in 45 minutes and my dream would be to break 40 minutes. Both are possible, though the 45 minutes is a lot more probable. Here's my event goals...

1. Finish with a smile! This is the first and most important goal.
2. Finish in under 8 hrs. example: 45 minute swim, 5 minute T1, 4 hr bike, 5 minute t2, 3 hr run. (7:55 total).. I'd be thrilled to reach this goal!
3. Finish in under 7 hrs. Example: 40 minute swim, 3 min T1, 3.5 hr bike, 3 minute t2, 2.5 hr run (6:46 total)... I'd be amazed and psyched to reach this goal and dancing(after some recovery time)

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 54 Days to go

2009-08-03T19:15:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Best Buy had the Garmin 305 watch on sale for $129 and I picked one up. This morning I went for a run with it on. It's pretty neat to see the data. For those who don't know, the Garmin 305 is a watch with GPS and heartrate monitor. So, the watch figures out my pace per mile, tracks my exact distance and course, and keeps up with my heart rate. I can look at the course and see what rate my heart got to on the hills and I can see different splits for speed. My slowest mile was about 12:30 and my fastest was 10:30. Now if I can only get all 10:30's I'll be doing great! I did 4.1 miles and was really pleased.

This afternoon, I went down to the pool with the kids. I did 1000M. It wasn't a great time but I am coming back off the week of vacation. The boys did 100M each in preparation for their upcoming triathlon.

I've eaten well today and am in a push to drop some weight before the race. Every pound that I lose is one I don't have to carry for 70.2 miles. Overall a great day!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 55 Days to go

2009-08-02T19:57:00.003-04:00

I am amazed to realize that the triathlon that I've been training for is next month! Time has flown and I'm down to the last 8 weeks of training and preparation. Today I did some cycling and running. Not a lot, after the vacation week in Orlando with the family. I'm going to work back up to distance this week with some long distance work this coming weekend.

Today I worked with the boys on their upcoming triathlon. We went over transitions and the multiple legs of the event. Cindy and I mapped out a course in the neighborhood that mirrors the distances that they will do. Their race will be a 100M swim, a 2.5 mile bike, and a .5 mile run. They did their first today as practice in 33 minutes. We were quite proud of them and they were excited that they can do the distance.

I think it's important to know that you can do it. The mind has such a large part to play in our success or failure in any distance event. That's why it's important to me to accomplish all the distances prior to the Augusta event. I've done double the swim distance and I've done the bike distance several times... it's that run that I've never done. The longest run I've done to date is 6.5 miles and it's become a mental block. This next week will see that block fall.

It's great to be in the final sprint toward the event!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 64 - 56 Days to go

2009-07-27T06:45:00.002-04:00

I'm with the family on vacation and taking a short break from the blog as well. My exercise continues at a lesser pace, as this is my recovery week. It's a great time to spend with my family being active and enjoying this health we have. The last couple of days have included a lot of pool time. Taking a break, slowing down and relaxing is something important that I'm working on this week.

When I get back home, training gets focused on endurance.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 65 Days to go

2009-07-23T21:00:00.000-04:00

The morning started with a great run of 4.5 miles. I felt strong and starting to see that the 13.1 is possible. I head out on vacation on Saturday, so I'm looking at my training schedule. I'm going to have a bit easier schedule next week on the training and enjoy a recovery week. I'll still be exercising each day but doing a bit less distance and pull back on the intensity.

In the afternoon, I did a 900M swim. Why that number? I don't know... It was kinda random but was a good swim at a good time. I did that swim at 20:30, which is an event time pace of 43:16. I'm thinking at this point that under 40 minutes on the swim is a strong possibility, which would be great!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 66 Days to go

2009-07-22T21:09:00.003-04:00

Mellow day with a walk this morning and 1000M swim this afternoon. The swim was really nice and I went to the pool with the boys. They did laps after mine and did great. One of the adults was quite amazed that they could swim 150M without stopping.

We signed the boys up for their first triathlon on August 15th. It's called the TriToCure and benefits leukemia research. The next day, August 16th, I'll be doing a the Greenville Sprint Triathlon. We'll make a triathlon weekend of it with a special dinner, preparing the bikes and transition areas, etc. It should be a lot of fun!