Operation Acclimation is in Effect, Ironman 70.3 Hawaii style

Just a little taste of what I went through today.  There will be more to come.  Since I am off this week and I have a little time on my hands, this may be a good week to put together more posts this week.  Here is last week:
Monday-Core/foundation
Tuesday-4 mile easy run.  Super sore from the weekend.
Wednesday-Foundation.  Did I mention my back feels the best it has in YEARS.
Thursday-4 mile trail run.  I took sully's babysitter on the route so she can run him while I am gone.  I miss him big time.
Friday-Rest
Saturday-Travel.  here I am on the big island of Hawaii.
Sunday (today)-6 mile run.  I wanted to feel the humidity and heat.  They are both going to be contenders.  They were rough today.  Went for a small hike a few times today.  Feels good to travel and be fit.

I pick up my bike tomorrow.   So swim and bike tomorrow.  I think I may go 20-30 or so on the new bike and see what I got.  Then I do not know what as far as training goes.  Quote:

"The sun at its rising is referred to Ku, The Ancient Tiki God of War & Strength
In ancient mythic Hawaii, He is the god of war and conflict, but also of resolution and healing."

Ku will give you strength, courage, and wisdom during competition.  It seems someone may be looking over me.  I had a few run-ins with him today, hmmmmm. lol

2011 Ironman 70.3 Hanu Dress Rehearsal

My biggest weekend is under my belt.  I dont think I have had a bigger challenge in front of me that was not a race called silverman.  It was in solitude too.  I had plenty of time to think while out on a very long bike course.  The usual questions present themselves.  Have I done enough?  What will this one wave start going to be like?  What will the water be like?  How hot will it be?  Will the humidity play a role?  I am leaner, fitter, stronger, more focused, better nutrition, and fired up.  I am ready to go.  Here is how the week went:

Monday-I had some unforeseen things happen at the clinic and I was tired from last weekend so I pushed a swim.  However, I did do some new exercises presented to me by my friend Michelle.  It is some back exercises by the guys who got Lance Armstrong back on the bike.  (Minus some injections.)  They are amazing more on that later.
Tuesday-Run/Strength.  4 mile progressive run.  9:47, 9:18, 8:44, 7:59.  I used the HR monitor but it is not set correctly.  I reached a 124% of my max HR.  hmmm  not working correctly.  I pushed the strength for fatigue.
Wednesday-Core/Strength.  Foundation Ab work.  Again held the strength for fatigue and how close I getting to the race.
Thursday-Run.  5 mile run.  45:24.  8:32 ave.  All the miles under 9.  I am happy about it.  Again the HR monitor is not working right.  I got up to 230 bpm.  I have to reset that.
Friday-REST
Saturday-Tri-Brick.  Plan was for 500 meter swim, 60 mile bike, and 5 mile run.  What I actually got was a 600 meter swim, 50 mile bike, and 3 mile run.  Lets explain.  I have never had a workout planned this long or hard.  Thats an understatement.  The plan was 7 min out and 7 min back on the swim and I thought 500 meters was what I would get and I got 600 meters, cool.  Due to logistics I planned to end the swim at the house when I started at the lake.  I ended up riding to Calville bay and back plus the 15 home from boulder beach.  As it went longer and as it heated up, I realized the amount of climbing is getting more and more.  When I look at the numbers I am astonished.  I had a 4,100 elevation gain.  Hanu is no where near that amount of climbing.    The heat, wind, and climbing got the best of me.  I started to wonder why it was important to keep going.  When I looked at checkpoints on timing I was fast at all of them.  I burned 4,000 calories on the bike alone.  Despite the climbing I still averaged more than I have before.  I am so much faster and easier then ever before.  The run was cut short simply for time and energy.  My nutrition plan was spot on.  I have never had a workout this long AND a workout this long without any cramping.  Not during not after.  The TRI3 bar was outstanding.  1 at the beginning and one at 2:30 into the bike.  Gluten free pretzels, gu, water, and I tried the Ironman drink since that will be on the race.  I was reluctant to drink it, seems a bit ho key.  But is was very good.  It seemed to be salty and I need that.  I look forward to more of that.  I took something in every 15-30 min.  My back did not hurt for the first time in over a year on a long ride.  Could that be why I was faster?  These hills out here are RELENTLESS.
Sunday (today)-  Double brick.  12 mile bike/2 mile run X 2.  I woke up today happy about yesterdays effort but not looking forward to this.  My legs were wiped out.  No back soreness and I stoked on that.  I have always wanted to do this workout but never did.  The bike route I chose had ups AND downs.  Thank God.  I wanted to have a workout that made my body adapt.  Triathlon is about adaptation.  The first bike was 45:01.  My goals was to set the bar high and see if I can "do it when you are tired" as Karl says.  So I had to get more tired.  The second bike was 47:16.  Slower.  T1 in 3:16.  It was live.  The second one was marred by cleaning Sullys vomit.  He didnt run the second run.  The first run was 20:48 in 2.3 miles.  The second run was 24:29.  I was spent.   Happy to report no cramping.  Not during not after.  I feel ready

All in all big weekend.  Intense.  Long.  Hard. Hot.  Im ready.  Taper is on.  Quote.


“A day without Aloha is just another mainland day.”
 Buck Buchanan

I cannot wait for some real life big island style ALOHA.  Its gonna be a great day.

One Word: G R I N D

This week it seemed to be a grind. A grind to get to the training and while training, a grind. Funny since this time of year is the first time I am biking and swimming as much since I usually am only running right now. Work, family, and training were a grind this week. Since this is a training blog, you get to hear about wind and heat. Good since thats what I am going to experience on the big island. 2 years ago when I rode from Hapuna beach to Hawi I had no idea that I would race there. I thought I was going for a ride to remember. Here I am referencing that ride for a race. In my dreams I wanted it to be Kona. I also felt great on that climb. I am 4 times the cyclist now. I decided that it was too expensive to take my bike and I have been considering stepping up bikes so I am going to rent a bike. They had a carbon fiber Scott. The reviews are impeccable. I am excited to ride this bike.

The grind. Temperatures in the upper 90's already and about 90 at 8 am. The wind is kicked up too at that time. Sully does not appreciate it either. If I wasnt going to race in these conditions I might be making other decisions. I am fired up for this challenge. Here is a hill profile of Honu and Silverman.

Which one would you like to ride? I think it is going to be a fun ride. This hill profile is even of the previous bike course that is now harder. These are the same hills I have been training on. I think 45ish miles out here is pretty damn hard. I even have been pounding the damn wind too. I even have been tweaking my nutrition. The tri3 bar has been an awesome addition. It is a gluten free/lactose free bar that is very tasty and goes down easy on the bike. There are 3 flavors and all taste very good. I have been trying new things lately. Trying to find out what foods are safe for me. If I wasnt training as I am I might not be having this problem. Why do I have sessions with absolutely no digestive issues and why do I feel like a machine other days? Here is how my week went:

Monday-Strength/core. I am feeling a new body emerge. The core exercises I have learned are very good. I had a friend bring me a book called "Foundation." Lance Armstrong's guy. I have not got to the meat yet but it seems promising. I am able to do a lot more with better form but I have got a lot to get better for. I am surprised to learn how different the soreness from strength is compared to biking compared to running. I used to think of them as the same. May be I am finally feeling real sensations.

Tuesday-Run/strength. I removed the easy run from my training. Sully was happy about that. 5 mile run in 46:10 or 8:38 pace. I had one mile at 9:30 too. I stopped to think about this funny chest pain I got. Freaked me out but it was short lived. I think it was a muscle issue on my ribcage. No biggy.

Wednesday-Hill repeats scratched for sore only. I was sore and tired. Long hours at work and muscle fatigue. Core only.

Thursday-Run/Core. I thought it might be good to wait as long as possible for a hotter run. Looking for the heat is a funny thought. Sully doesnt like it and I wont put him through it again. He was fine but hot. 6 miles in 57:36. 9:30 pace. That costal issue again slowed me down. I only felt it when I was 3-4 miles in going a 8:15 pace. Weird. I had the first 4 at 8:15ish. No issues after.

Friday-Rest.

Saturday-Long run. 15 miles. 3 5-mile loops. 1 with sully, 1 with my wife, and 1 for me to be by myself. Running by 5 am. I wondered if I would be about to keep 15 9:00 min miles. Lets just say I wasnt able to do that this day. Unfortunately, it was not running related. Digestive issues. I am in denial about my body. I am sometimes embarrassed about the hoopla associated with eating gluten free. Everyone asks questions. I dont want this problem. The good news is that I do not have an anaphylactic reaction to gluten, It just makes me feel really bad. Before I just thought it was how fat people feel. I just accepted it. That is frustrating too. I went 6 or 7 feeling very good. The rest just gut out. Literally. Gut it out. I wanted to go more than the race distance before the race. I got them in but slowed way down. I was under 9's through 6 or 7. I am sore today but there were no musculoskeletal issues. I am proud of that. Karl is most likely shaking his head that my long run was too long compared to my weekly mileage but Karl I thought is was a manageable distance and I wanted to have a long weekend.

Sunday-(today) Swim/Bike Brick. Originally slotted for long swim, long bike. Modified for safety and sanity. The wind was way up again. Since I have an ocean swim I thought turbulent water was important. SWIM ON. I swam 1700 or so m. Has anyone seen water move AWAY from the shore? Thats how hard the wind was blowing. I was slow and I thought about the start of the race. 1,600 athletes in 1 wave. Will they be more physical because they are "Ironmen?" What will the water be like? What will the swim be like with THAT many athletes. I am fired up to see. Long transition. Then on the bike. I wanted another long bike but the elements were not in my favor. How about a shorter more challenging ride. I rode the pumkinman sprint course. All up hill. 13 miles up in 55 min or so and down the same 13 miles in 20 min. Windy enough to move the bike a few feet at a time a few times. Trashed legs, tired. Happy and ready to race. The rest of training despite another big workout will be straight forward. Quote:

“The daily grind of hard work gets a person polished.”

I hope to be polished in the land of aloha big island style.

Running Drill

I have had some requests for a drill or two. I am dabbling in the you tube world so here is a shot. Check this out!!

Running drills

Hanu is coming down the pipe...

I am getting psyched about this race coming up. Its funny how it is shaping up. I have raced 2 70.3's and this one is totally different. The other athletes I have talked to about the 2 silverman halfs I have done say that this one will be a "walk in the park." First of all a half iron is not a walk in the park. Second of all, its a big qualifier for Kona the real race on the big island SO ITS FAST. Thirdly, Its gonna be hot and humid. Fourth of all, what am I going to do the week of? Have fun? Train? What to eat? BRING IT! Its gonna be a fun challenge. This weekend actually is why I am totally infatuated with multisport. Here is how we week went:

Monday-Strength and core.

Tuesday-Training run and strength. 4 mile run easy run at a little of 9 min pace. I am really comfortable running right now. Active toes, use the forefoot as a dampener, put the pressure on my cardiovascular system. Its a welcome change.

Wednesday-Hill repeats. pushed it secondary to fatigue and soreness. Forced a day off.

Thursday-Training run. 5 mile run at 8:47 pace. Poor sully was pooped. I am loving running right now.

Friday-Scheduled day off

Saturday-Bike/Run brick. The plan called for a 10 mile/12 mile run. The 10 mile bike is a sprint on the sisters and then a 12 mile long run. But then the plan changed. My wife and friends decided that a 5K or 10K was a better idea. I jumped on the chance to PR in the 10K. In all the running I have done, the 10K seems to be elusive. This would be my second 10K. Then what about the long run? So I made it a 10 mile bike which turned into a 12 mile bike since I couldnt find the start line. I would try to add a warmup run and then a cool down run with the 10K sandwiched in. Here is the actual: 11.68 miles at 19 mph in 37:02, T2A (since bike to run is T2 there will be several transitions) live, 1 mile run had to turn around secondary to "nature" calling, T2B spent in line for the bathroom lol, 10K in 55:06. My new 10K PR. By about 2 min and I had a bike before. Then a 1 mile post race run that I cut short because everyone was waiting for me and my legs were pooped. I would like to send a shout out to michelle who raced the 5K and was the first female overall and set a new 5K PR. She came back to run the last 2.5 or so with me and helped my push through the hill. THANKS MICHELLE!!

Sunday(today)-Had a long open water swim planned. Then the wind came. There were 50 mile winds at the lake. Not my idea of a good time. Pushed it. I actually slept till 11. I havent done that since college. It was glorious. Happy mothers day. Quote:

“It is not by muscle, speed, or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character, and judgment”

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Funny how an injury and work continuation education course provide reflection and in turn speed is coming.

Honu here I come...

I know that I am capable of more. Something is changing. I have made some changes with my diet and I am wondering how these changes have affected me. I have been mostly lactose and gluten free for nearly 2 weeks now. I am not cramping. I do not have any digestive issues throughout the day. My legs feel fresh longer. I feel awesome. I have ordered some bars to check it out. Tri3 bars as soon as I get them I am going to give them a go.

One thing that rings through my head is Karl saying that I dont do enough. Ok so the rest of this year I am going to more. I finally feel like I have the tools necessary to do more. Here is how my first big block has begun.

Monday-Core and Strength training. I came up with 3 different circuit type training routines on all the different body parts I think I need to work on and I will strength train 3 times a week. I have a core program that I have been trying to get to more often. I have written all this into my 10 day block plan.

Tuesday-Easy run 4. Sully and I ran 4 miles. I decided that I would turn off my brain and run comfortable. I have been wondering if my brain is too active. Here are my splits. 8:14, 8:26, 9:53, and 9:36. Total: 36:11 at 9:03 pace. With ease. The hills continue to get to me. But these hills are done faster and with no trouble. I wasnt sore or tired. Easy run at 9 pace?

Wednesday- Hill repeats. A year ago I was pumped that I could climb the sisters. This day I did them twice in the same session. Not just that I was able to keep my speed over 1 mph on each one except the last one of the last climb. It is the biggest. Total time 1:14:32 and total distance of 18.42 miles. I wasnt tired until that last one. I felt strong and in control. Funny when that happens and it surprises you. Interestingly also I burned 1500 calories in a little over an hour.

Thursday-I read my schedule wrong. I was supposed to run 10 miles and swim on saturday. A short session on saturday because of the IronGirl my wife was racing in. (SHE KILLED IT). So I ran a training run. Truth is I was pumped for trail run thursdays. Ran 4 miles at my trails. Went very well. I am feeling very strong.

Friday-Rest

Saturday-Long run. 10 miles. 10:17 pace. Very hilly run and was pumped that I can bust out a 10 miler in an afternoon. It was hot and windy but Honu will be the same way. Might as well get used to it. Way to go girls who races IronGirl today. Miserable racing conditions.

Sunday (today)-Bike/Run Brick. Planned for a 50 mile bike and 5 mile run. Extra wind and cold day made that miserable. What I got was a 45.3 mile bike and a 4 mile run. Good effort. The wind will be a factor on the Big Island so I might as well embrace it. No cramping at all today. I used another gluten free brand bar and it agreed with me. I had awesome training partners. Jen and her friend were awesome. Thank you ladies for grinding with me today.

You know you have arrived when you can just bust out a full marathon with really no real training and run 3:45 or so. Karl Stutelberg you are a machine. All 9 of his marathons under 4. Quote:

“Tell me what you feel in your room when the full moon is shining in upon you and your lamp is dying out, and I will tell you how old you are, and I shall know if you are happy”

Henri Frederic Amiel

I am completely surprised by the process my body is taking. I am feeling layers of things I didnt know was supposed to happen. I feel better now than I ever did in my 20's.