Turkey Trot Race Report

I've run the Naperville Turkey Trot 5k the last few years. In 2007 it was Cole and I. In 2008 it was Cole, Abby and I. This year it was Cole, Abby, Heidi and I. Yes, I keep roping more of the family into this.

This year Cole was at the top of the 0-9 age group. He was aiming for a podium finish. We looked at the results from previous years and figured somewhere between 24 and 25 minutes would be about right. His previous best was 28:04, so I thought this might be a stretch. He told me he wanted to run 8 minute miles and asked me to set the pace for him.

The plan was for me to run with Cole while Heidi and Abby stayed together. We got to the race, parked, got our bags and numbers. About fifteen minutes before race time we headed out to the start. Cole and I positioned ourselves about where I thought we would a) not hinder the fast racers and not have to dodge the joggers and walkers. Soon enough we were on our way.

Mile 1: 8:05 -- no worries. Cole got settled in and was doing fine.
Mile 2: 7:35 -- I think they marked this one a little short. Cole was aching, but hanging in.
Mile 3.1: 9:47 -- Cole was really hurting, but with a lot of encouragement he pushed on. There was not much sprint left for the finish, but he did it.
Final Time: 25:27 --- Nearly a 3 minute PR!

And the results:

               MALE AGE GROUP:  1 - 9
Place O'All Name       No.   S Ag City         Time 
===== ===== =========================================
 1   927 NICHOLAS W  3441 M  9 ARLINGTON HTS 25:27
 2  1361 JACK T      983  M  9 NAPERVILLE    27:03
 3  1549 MATT B      543  M  9 NAPERVILLE    27:43
 4  1609 RON M       2232 M  9 NAPERVILLE    27:54
 5  1667 ERIC B      5564 M  8 CINCINNATI    28:04
 6  1974 NATHAN H    4006 M  8 NAPERVILLE    28:59
 7  2211 RILEY S     349  M  7 CHELSEA       29:39
 8  2331 MICHAEL O   579  M  8 NAPERVILLE    29:56
 9  2402 JAKE S      4137 M  8 NAPERVILLE    30:09
10  2601 MICHAEL V   473  M  8 NAPERVILLE    30:41

Not just a podium finish, but 1st place!

Way to go Cole!

Also, congratulations to Heidi on completing her first 5k. And congratulations to Abby for her 2nd 5k. Way to go girls!

What a great way to start the day. Happy Thanksgiving!

IM AZ Mojo

Good luck to the Ironman Arizona competitors. Rob (#838), I will be cheering you on from home.

Planning for Beyond

I'm working on my 2010 Race Schedule (see new sidebar). So far I'm looking at starting the new year off with a Jan 1 5k or 10k.

Then it's on to the Shamrock Shuffle 8k. Cole and I have run this race together the last couple years. Last time the theme was to "Beat Krieks" and we made that goal. We have to make a goal for this race.

Next up will be the Rockman Half Iron Distance Tri. Last time this was a practice event to get in anther race at this distance prior to IMWI. This time this may be "A" race.

Later in June will be a local sprint tri. In 2008 this was my first triathlon. That seems so long ago now. I'm anxious to get back to this race and see my improvement.

July is a return to WIBA. Yes, this is not a race, but a weekend of hanging out with a great group of fellow triathletes is noteworthy.

August brings the Chicago Triathlon. At Cole's urging, I'm considering the Triple Challenge. That is a sprint tri on Saturday. On Sunday you go off in the first wave of the Chicago Triathlon Sprint distance race and finish in time to start with one of the last waves of the Olympic distance race (so a back-to-back Sprint-Oly race).

Lastly, it will be time to focus on the running for another lap round the city in the Chicago Marathon.

I'm sure I'll put some more 5k's and 10k's on the calendar (and hopefully some open water swim races too), but that is all I have for now.

I'm also considering joining a triathlon team or engaging a coach for the 2010 season. My training to date has relied on self-coaching, online training plans, and using the great resources of friends and local contacts. If anyone who reads this has ideas or suggestions, I'm all ears.

It's OK to Laugh at Yourself Every Now & Then

Chicago Marathon + "Off" Season

I signed up for the Chicago Marathon for a couple reasons. First, it's become a habit. I've run Chicago in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, and now 2009. (2006 was the Marine Corp Marathon, and 2007 was Chicago and the Marine Corp Marathon). Secondly, I didn't know what to expect post-Ironman, so I wanted to have something on the calendar. Even so, the month between Ironman and Chicago was pretty spotty in training. I needed a rest after Madison. I also had invested so much emotional energy into Ironman, that motivation was lacking a bit.

The nice thing about this year, is that the weather cooperated. The last few years, it has been very hot. This year, the temp at start time was in the 30's. Given the spotty training, I didn't know what to expect for a time. I was just going to enjoy my day and rely on my training.

I was on a nice sub-4 hour pace until mile 15. A calf cramp slowed me down. I walked/jogged most of miles 16 and 17. for the last nine miles, I reduced the walk and mostly jogged, taking shorter and shorter walk breaks. Overall time was 4:21.

I was shocked, weirdly surprised, to feel that after Ironman, the marathon seemed pretty short. Only 4 1/2 hours. Piece of cake, right? I was still sore by the end. It was a good race. The other change in perspective brought on by Ironman was that right after the marathon I got my gear, got in my truck and headed back out to the suburbs to make Abby's soccer game. A few seemingly short years ago, the marathon was a whole weekend event. This year it was just a long run on Sunday morning and then on to my day.

Now I'm in my "Off" season. I'm taking a whole week off of training. As of today, Thursday, I'm a little nutty. My friends are making fun of me. Come Monday I start to settle into a Winter routine. I'm debating on joining the Masters swim program associated with my kids' team. Time to work on my cycle power output -- I need to climb hills better. And of course I want to work on my run speed.

Finish Photo

Crossing the Finish Line

Becoming an IRONMAN

Race Report & Wrap Up

I've been putting off writing my race report, at least in part because I don't really want this journey to be over.

Pre-Race

Heidi and I drove to Madison on Friday morning. We got to town and checked in to our hotel, the Edgewater. The Edgewater is on Lake Mendota, on the opposite end of Wisconsin Ave. from the Monona Terrace. There were several racers staying there, but was nicely far enough away from all the nervous energy of the closer hotels.

After a quick lunch at a restaurant on the Square, we headed to Monona Terrace so I could get checked in. Check-in went smoothly enough. Friday afternoon was busy time for check-in, so I had to wait in line, but we moved along. Paperwork; weigh-in; bag of bibs, chip, gear bags, special needs bags, cap... etc. A quick lap through the IM store, but no purchases (I didn't want to jump the gun on getting IM goodies -- bad mojo -- save that for Monday). Heidi and I walked around the Terrace a bit so I could point out where stuff would be on Sunday. Having registered in person last year and having attended WIBA in June, I was pretty familiar with how things would be set up on Sunday.

We then walked back to the hotel and found my folks. After drinks on the deck we headed over to State Street to locate some dinner. After dinner I headed to the athlete's meeting and they headed back to the hotel. Post meeting, I went back to the hotel to make it an early night. I typically don't sleep well the night before a race, so Friday night was my night for some quality shut eye.

Saturday morning we slept in a bit. Not having to get up to work out was nice and not having one of the kids in our bedroom at the crack of dawn was even nicer. (The kids stayed with Heidi's parents for the weekend because of school, football games, and soccer games.) Mom, Dad, Heidi and I headed back to State Street to find some breakfast. There was a home football game for Univ. of Wisconsin, so the students were out and about in full pre-game tailgate mode. Nice entertainment. After breakfast we headed back to the hotel so I could put the finishing touches on my gear bags and Stealth.

Heidi, Dad, and I walked Stealth and my gear bags over to the Terrace to drop them off. The process again went smoothly. First stop was bike drop off. I was happy to see that my relatively low number, 961, put me fairly close to the bike mount end of the Terrace. I got Stealth parked and covered the seat and cockpit. We had a few moments to talk about tomorrow. I told him to rest up for the big day. Next stops were the transition bags. After a double and triple check of the contents, the bags were placed where they belonged. Another quick tour of the Terrace, this time for Dad's benefit, and we were done.

Saturday afternoon was the University of Michigan versus Notre Dame (Odor Dame in our house) football game. We watched the game in the hotel. Michigan victory! Dad and I mapped the bike course out on a detailed county map so he could figure out how to navigate without getting too caught up in traffic jams. We ordered dinner in so as not to fight the crowds in town. I made up my nutrition bottles for Sunday. A triple and quadruple check of my swim gear and special needs bags and it was another early turn in to bed.

RACE DAY

The alarm was set for 4:00 AM. I was up by three for a bathroom trip and to down some of a protein smoothie. I didn't really go back to sleep. We left the hotel about 5. Dad pulled the car up to save some walking.

At the terrace I checked on Stealth and inflated his tires. I tried to increase my juju for the day by loaning out my pump to about half a dozen people who need it. Stealth was good to go, so I headed into the mass of people in the Terrace to find the family. Mom and Dad went up to the roof to stake out a place to watch the swim. Heidi stayed with me. Soon enough it was time to put my wetsuit on and head down to the water. Note, I forgot to Bodyglide my neck which resulted in some chafing. Heidi and I parted ways on the steps, me going down to the start, she going up to the roof to watch -- there were a few tears from each of us.

I followed the crowd down to the swim start and about fifteen minutes before the start I entered the water. I made my way out to about half way between the corner buoy and the ski ramp and a few people back from the starting line. Some small talk with the other competitors, a couple quick prayers and soon enough the final countdown was on.

SWIM

The cannon sounded and off we went. Positioned where I was, I knew it was going to be a little bumpy starting out. Some bumping, tangling up, and jockeying for position in the first couple hundred yards, but not too bad. Sighting was easy: follow the crowd, keep the buoys on the left and the Terrace on the right.

By the second turn, people seemed to find their own place in the water and from there on out it was a pretty nice swim. The water was fairly warm and I enjoyed when a stream of water would enter my wetsuit to cool me down. I only gulped water once as I went to breath and somebody's arm landed right next to my head. About half way through lap two, I noticed some rubbing on my neck. I rounded the last buoy and headed to shore. My swim time was 1:03:23. Having grown up in competitive swimming, it's nice to get the first leg done and still feel very fresh.

T1

Out of the water an up to the wetsuit strippers I went. To my very pleasant surprise I ran in to Steve and Pharmie, who I met at WIBA. So nice to see a friendly face in a sea of humanity. A quick "HEY!" and they shouted that they'd get my wetsuit off. Wetsuit in hand, I jogged up the helix and in to the Terrace. With the help of a volunteer I got my gear, got changed, a sip of water, a quick stop for some sunscreen and I was off to find my bike.

I think I caught the volunteer at my rack by surprise as my bike was the first off my rack. Despite calling out my number, he wasn't quite ready to have people coming his way. No worries though. I did run past my rack and had to back track. Amazingly, I could pick out Heidi's voice and my Dad's voice as I went past the rack. By this time the volunteer realized I was looking for my bike and he was Johnny on the Spot getting it off the rack. Over to the bike mount line I went.

T1 time: 9:34. Not blazing, but I had not intended to try to shave seconds off in transition. While I did not treat the transition as a rest period or intermission, I was very deliberate, and did not rush, in getting done what I needed done.

BIKE

Down the helix and out on to the bike course I went. I took a quick inventory of how I felt and prepared myself mentally for the ride. I'm the first to admit that I'm not the strongest cyclist. So my plan was to relax and enjoy the ride. Whenever I felt my heart rate getting near redline I kept telling myself, "Relax and Enjoy." I had set my watch on the countdown timer mode, where it would sound every 10 minutes. This was my reminder to drink from my Perpetuem. I had water in my Aerodrink on the handlebars and would sip at least every 10 minutes, if not more when the temperature increased. I also had Endurolytes to take every 45-60 minutes.

And I did try something new this race (I know, never do something new on race day). I had TUMS in my bento box should my stomach get funky. After following blogger buddy Rachel through her stomach troubles at IM Canada, I thought some TUMS might be a good idea. My stomach often starts to protest after too much sports drink, gel, etc. I'm grateful that I had the TUMS. I took two at the half way mark on the bike and two as I was headed back into Madison. They settled my stomach nicely.

The first leg of the course out to Verona was fast. I did my best to slow myself down so I didn't blow up later. I saw Heidi and Dad for the first time between Verona and Mt. Horeb, at the the turn on to County Route G. Between Verona and Mt. Horeb, I received a nice bee/wasp sting. Riding along, minding my own business, wham, out of no where, a feel it hit my right temple and sunglasses, then instantly a sting into my temple. I F-bombed the bee, the road, and everything else I could think of at that moment. But nothing short of a catastrophic mechanical failure on the bike or a catastrophic gastric failure was going ruin my Ironman day.

I saw Heidi and Dad again at the Mt. Horeb aid station. Again, to see a familiar face is always a pick-me-up.

My first trouble spot of the day came at the start of the hills at Old Sauk Pass. When I increased the pedal pressure, my right quad and hamstring started cramping up. I quickly downshifted into my easiest gear and tried to spin up the hill. No luck. My right leg was all but locked up in a cramp. It's not glamorous, but I walked the bike up the hill. I figured a) I'm not walking that much slower (about 4 MPH) than some of the folks on the bike slowly climbing the hill (about 6 MPH); and b) I still have a long way to go and I'm not going to push it to the point I drop out. So very humbly Stealth and I walk about two-thirds of the way up the hill before I get back on and spin the rest of the way up. I would repeat this humbling experience a few more of times on the bigger hills.

Back around to Verona, where the crowd was awesome, I got my special needs bag. I switched out my Perpetuem bottle for a fresh one. I passed on the protein bar as my stomach was not in the mood for solid food. I saw Heidi and Dad at the turn on to County Route G again. When I passed the 68 mile mark, I commented to a nearby rider that we were half way done (68 miles plus the 2.4 mile swim being about 1/2 of the 140.6 mile total for the day). He was not amused.

Through Mt. Horeb, again seeing Heidi and Dad and on to the rollers and speedy downhills of Garfoot Road. I saw Heidi and Dad again, just past Cross Plains. I think my high point of the bike was making that turn to head back to Madison. I still had an hour to go, but it was a great feeling. I took note that the volunteer waiving us in the direction of Madison was admonishing everyone to take in only clear liquids for the rest of the way back to town.

Seeing the Capital building come in to view is a beautiful sight. Into Madison, past the traffic jam of spectators on John Nolen Drive and into the Terrace. I think it's a cruel joke that they make you ride up the parking ramp helix to end the bike. But the joy and adrenaline of being done with the bike leg got me up. Bike time: 7:15:25.

T2

At the bike dismount line one volunteer grabs Stealth and another takes hold of my arm to make sure I'm steady on my feet. Into the Terrace I go. I'm handed my transition bag. Between the bag room and the changing room I see Heidi and my Mom. I think I shouted something to the effect of, "I just rode my bike 112 miles; I've never done that before." In the changing room a volunteer dumps my bag out and asks what I need. I do a compete change out of my cycling gear and into my run garb. The volunteer gets my cycling gear into the bag, grabs me a cup of water, anything I need. Out of the changing room and another stop by the sunscreeners. T2 time: 8:19.

Run

As I'm heading out to start mile 1, I hear Mike Riley announcing the male champion as he crosses the finish line. I'm excited, but also thinking, he's done and I've got 26.2 miles to go. I slowly jog mile 1. I walk/jog for several miles. At about mile 3, I see the female leaders. I continue to walk/jog. I made a point to run at least some part of every mile. Some miles it was 3/4 of a mile. Some miles it was 100 yards. Starting about mile 5, I started conversing with Jon. Jon and I would finish the race together. Along the route I saw Heidi and my Dad several times.

As darkness fell I just kept walking and jogging. In retrospect, I probably could have jogged more than I did. Oh well, next time. I was able to chat with so many great people -- first timers like me, an 18 time IM veteran who was having some major gastric issues, a lady who was still wearing her bracelet from IM Louisville two week earlier.

At the aid stations, flat cola and sections of orange were my friends, along with a couple pretzels or chips for a taste of salt.

The half way turn around is cruelly only a couple yards from the finish line. At the special needs station, I grabbed two more TUMS from my bag. I got to see Steve and Pharmie again at the Mile 1 / Mile 14 aid station. Great people and another emotional boost.

By the 2nd half of the 2nd lap, I start to realize that I'm going to be an IRONMAN. Not that I ever really doubted that I'd finish, but now it was finally becoming real.

Adrenaline took over for the last mile! Coming through to the finish line, I think I heard Mike Riley say those magic words, call my name and say that I'm an IRONMAN. I say that I think I heard him because those last few seconds are a blur of emotion. Run time: 6:03:36.

TOTAL TIME: 14:40:15.

Post Race

As soon a I cross the finish line, a volunteer grabs each arm. They make sure I'm OK. They get me my finisher medal, shirt, hat, space blanket, and water. Once they see that I'm not going to collapse, one goes to help other finishers and the other continues to escort me to get my finisher photo.

In case it's not clear from reading this, the volunteers at this event are the best. As volunteers get first dibs at registering for next year's race, many of the volunteers are triathletes themselves. Others, like Steve and Pharmie, are past finishers who dedicate their day to help others join the IRONMAN club. There is something like 3500 volunteers to support 2400 athletes. The volunteers really make the day. It is a long hot day for them as well. In short, I cannot say thank you enough for what they do.

After my finisher photo, the volunteer hands me off to Heidi for a great embrace; hugs from Mom and Dad too. Heidi and I head to the food tent for a much needed bite. I had one very important call to make. I called Cole to let him know that I finished. One of the reasons I started this, or one of the reasons that kept me at this, was the picture in my head of calling Cole to let him know that his dad is an IRONMAN.

Dad had picked up Stealth and my transition bags from the Terrace, so we headed back to the hotel. Getting in and out of the car was a challenge. Back at the hotel, Heidi had to take my shoes off, as I could not quite reach down that far. I took about 10 minutes in an ice cold tub and then a nice steamy shower. Ahhh!

Obviously, I had not eaten dinner, nor had Heidi. The hotel kitchen was closed. Moving slowly, Heidi and I headed back to the square to find some food. No luck on the square, every place stopped serving at 10PM. We find a little dive bar that is still grilling burgers. Cheeseburger, fries and a beer -- YUM!

We wrap up dinner in time to walk over to the finish line to watch the last racers come in. We cheer as Bill, from Verona, crosses the finish line at 16:56. He is the last official finisher (I later find out Bill spent the next couple days in the hospital). A few more determined people complete the distance knowing that they will not be counted as official finishers, but they will know that they completed the distance. My humble congratulations goes out to them as much as to those who finish in 9 or 10 hours.

On our way back to the hotel we do our best to help a couple who can't find where they parked their car. He had finished the race, their kids were crashed in the stroller. I think we got them pointed in the right direction.

We finally crash into bed around 1AM. A glorious 22 hour day.

Monday

Mom and Dad head out to Michigan first thing Monday morning. Heidi and I clean up, pack up, and load the truck. We head out to breakfast at the same place we ate on Saturday. The nice man there remembered me and asked how my race went. So nice.

Before we leave town Heidi takes me on a little shopping trip to the IRONMAN store to grab some M-Dot gear.

Parting Thoughts

Becoming an IRONMAN is a family commitment. Without Heidi's sacrifices in time and money this could not have happened. Without the Cole, Abby, and Victoria putting up with Dad going off to train or disappearing to the basement to ride the trainer or run on the treadmill, there is no way I could have done this. Thank you.

Photo Race Report

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I'm an IRONMAN

"Vincent Wiltse of Arlington Heights, Illinois, you are an IRONMAN!"

It was a long, hot, tiring day. But the only thing that really matters to me at this point is that I made it. To hear those words that I've been dreaming of for the better part of two years was music to my ears.

Packing Day (packing week actually)

This may be my last pre-race post, so a quick thank you is in order to all those whose advice I've sought and stories I've followed. I hope to see many of you in Madison.

Today wraps up my packing. I have the small mountain of stuff that I've gone through many times waiting to put into some form of order for the trip. Of course it will all be promptly unpacked as soon as I get there --- just to make sure all is well and that I didn't forget anything essential. Yes, I will remember to bring Stealth.

Madison bound!

Pep Talk of All Pep Talks

In the days leading up to a big race, I make it a habit of rereading what I consider the pep talk of all talks. Of course, I'm not about to do battle, or fighting for God, King, or Country. But the notion that all of the competitors (pro, elite, age grouper) must overcome the same course is something that I take comfort in. Furthermore, it creates a camaraderie not understood by those who do not step up to the starting line.

The Talk:

St. Crispen's Day Speech
Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3

William Shakespeare, 1599

Enter the KING

WESTMORELAND:
O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING:
What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

The YouTube Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDZVxbrW7Ow

Single Digits

The countdown continues -- now down to the single digits.

Congratulations to Rural Girl on her near Kona qualifying race in Louisville last Sunday. (I still have hope for you that one of the ladies ahead of you will drop her spot and you go to Kona.)

Congratulations to Rachel on her inspiring effort and finish at IM Canada. Your race report is one of the best I've read. Split times, average Watts, or calories consumed per hour is great training data. But why we race, why we put ourselves and our families through the months and months of long training days, is really what this journey is about. I forwarded your race report to Heidi; she says she sobbed for at least twenty minutes.

As Heidi and I have had our struggles this summer over the training time, kid time, work time, gear expenses, race fees, etc., we had lost sight of the "why" factor. So as I wind down my training, my focus this week is "Why?" I'm not the fastest. Unless I grow turbo legs in the next week, I'm most likely not going to qualify for Kona. So, why do I do it? Race adrenaline junky? Probably. But mostly to prove to myself that I can; those immortal Ironman words -- "I can". I do this to see Heidi at the end of the finish chute. I do this so I can call Cole and Abby sometime next Sunday evening to tell them that their Dad is an Ironman and that they can reach any goal they want for themselves if they want it bad enough and work hard enough for it.

Shout Outs!!!

Good luck, good wishes, good karma, good juju, good mojo, and hopes of good weather to all those going for it at IM Canada and IM Louisville this weekend.

I hope you all have great days.

On Month To Go!!

One month from today is race day.

The last couple weeks have been the big final push before a recovery week and taper time. Workout highlights include a 3 x (20 mile bike and 6 mile run) triple brick and a trip to Madison to ride the course.

I've got Stealth dialed in. I've got my nutrition plan in place. I've got my wardrobe planned.

Now the focus is execution.

Too busy doing it to write about it.

A short catch up on the last couple of weeks --- too much going on to stop and write about it. Training has been good. I've been getting pretty much all of my workouts in (yes, I've missed a few).

Kids' swimming has been wrapping up. Cole's 200 free relay qualified for Junior Olympics, so he's been putting in extra training for that. The meet is this weekend. His football practice starts Monday -- so much for time off between sports. We've got Abby all signed up for Fall soccer. We've got all their gear -- Dicks Sporting Goods LOVE's us.

Turning back to Ironman, I've been able to put a lot of thought into the mental aspect of this adventure. Long rides and long runs give me plenty of thinking time. I have to say, the hardest part of this has been the time commitment and trying to figure out how to get my workouts in while still being Husband and Dad.

I've also been working on locking down my nutrition plan for race day. I'm a big fan of the Hammer brand. As of now, I'm planning on Perpetuem as my main fuel source on the bike (one bottle pre-made on the bike for the first loop, another bottle with just the powder in my special needs bag). I will have HEED pre-made in my other bottles on the bike and some powder packs in my special needs bag. I will have a Hammer bar in my bento box and one in my special needs bag. The last hour on the bike I will switch to gel in stead of the Perpetuem to prep my stomach for the run (sloshing tummy on the run is bad). For the run, I will stick with hammer gels and supplement with on course nutrition. I will probably stash another Hammer bar into my run special needs bag.

Weekend Update

Without the travel to the swim meet, I was able to knock out several more hours of training this weekend. I think the family is getting quite tired of all these hours where Dad is off swimming, pedaling, or running. Saturday I put a couple hours into the bike. Sunday was a brick of 4+ hours on the bike, broken up by making a few fit tweaks to the D6. (I ended up swapping out the saddle that came with the D6 for my Profile TriStryke from the old bike -- my bony tush likes the cutout and the cushion.)

Following the bike was a comfortable 5 mile run. Cole and Abby joined me on my run. They rode bikes behind me while I ran. They stopped off to play on the playground while I ran a few laps around the park. They rejoined me for my last lap before we set off for home.

I'm sorry the kids missed their meet, but I'm glad I got more saddle time on the new bike.

PS. 60 days to go! Yeah! Worry worry worry. Yeah! Worry worry.

Crazy Summer Weeks!

It's been a been a couple crazy weeks here. Last week, as we prepped for a family trip to Michigan to visit my folks and see their new lake house, I attempted to get all my training for the week (Week #27) squeezed into about 3 days. Ouch. Here's what it looked like.

Mon., 6/29: 1 hour of interval training on the bike.

Tues., 6/30: Morning 14 mile run. Evening 2 hours on the bike followed by a 5 mile run.

Weds., 7/1: 3500 yard swim.

Thurs., 7/2 - Sun., 7/5: Michigan trip. I ended up missing a long bike ride. My intention was to try to make it up this week.

On to this week, Week #28. This week, I was again trying to get my training in on the weekdays because Cole & Abby have a swim meet in South Bend, Indiana this weekend. Unfortunately, Cole came down sick this morning, so our trip is cancelled. Hopefully I can squeeze some additional training in over the weekend. My week thus far:

Mon., 7/6: Morning swim, about 2800 yards. An hour on the bike in the evening.

Tues., 7/7: About 90 minutes on the bike.

Weds., 7/8: 45 minutes on the bike and a short 4 miles running.

Thurs., 7/9: An unintended off day -- family goings on.

Fri., 7/10: 5000 yard swim.

As I said above, I will try to get some more training in this weekend.

WIBA Rocked!!!

Last week started the "Competitive Phase" of my training. The idea is to build on the general fitness that I've been gaining over the last months and work that fitness into a race ready mind and body.

Here's my breakdown for the week. With WIBA coming up at the weekend, I moved some workouts around to be good to go in Madison.

Mon., 6/22: Endurance swim, well, that's what the training plan calls it. For me, not so much. Even pushing the set of 3x800 yard swims, it was a pretty mild workout. 2800 yards total.

Tues., 6/23: Long steady swim in the AM: 3000 yards. Hill intervals on the trainer in the PM: 14 miles.

Weds., 6/24: Double brick. 2 x (15 mile bike + 2 miles run).

Thurs., 6/25: Another swim day. 3050 yards. But picking up the D6 was the high point of the day! Peter had everything ready in time for my trip up to Madison. He put in a lot of time with me to make sure everything was adjusted and fitted just so. Thursday night was gear pack time for WIBA. Like most tri dorks, I'm completely over the top about making sure I have the right stuff packed and in the right spot in my bag, on my bike, in the cooler, packed in the truck, etc. And then once everything is packed, I double and triple check --- just to be sure.

Fri., 6/26: After work, I drove to Madison for the start of WIBA!!! We met at the Coliseum bar/restaurant for a weekend overview, course talk, and pasta dinner. It was a fun evening. I met a lot of really nice people. The discussions were a bit of group therapy in that it's nice to know others have the same worries that I have. Probably the best advice from some of the veterans was to not focus on your watch, your splits, etc. Take each part of the race as it comes, keep pushing on, enjoy the day, and get to the finish line.

Sat., 6/27: We started the day off with a little swim. We swam lake in Lake Monona from the Olin Park Beach. Jokingly, we were not really swimming, but rather pulling ourselves along through the weeds. The water was nice and warm. Overall a nice start to the day.

A quick change into bike gear and off to Fireman's Park in Verona for the bike. Rob had donned his Univ. of Wisconsin cycling jersey, so I felt compelled to pull out my University of Michigan jersey. I biked one full loop of the bike course (the race is two loops with an out and back from/to Madison). I can say for certain had I not seen the course, I would be a dead man come September. There are lots of rolling hills, some technical descents, and four real climbs. I would have liked to ride two loops, but I was a little saddle sore from the new bike. The new bike rode extremely well. I just need some more saddle time to get used to it. I'm planning a few more trips to Madison to train on the course. After the bike, I did get in about a five mile run while others were completing their second loop of the bike course. I even had time to blast back to the hotel to shower and destinkify before we grilled out.

After a good day of training, I was hungry. Burgers, brats, dogs, BBQ potato chips, and a couple frosty adult beverages hit the spot. Again the highlight was enjoying the camaraderie of the other folks there. It was a great day!

After dinner, I headed back to the hotel and squared away my gear from the day and prepped my gear of Sunday. A quick dip in the jacuzzi, beer in hand of course, and I was ready to sleep hard.

Sun., 6/28: We met a Monona Terrace (where the IM magic happens) for a review of the transitions and then headed off for a run on the run course. The course if two half-marathon loops, so most of us ran one loop. I, along with a few others, got a little lost on the course, but managed to make our way back to the Terrace and essentially got the miles in we wanted. I can't wait to see the great Madison crowds on the run course I heard so much about. From what I gather, the crowd energy helps to will you to finish line... I might need that.

After the run, I headed back to the hotel to clean up and head home. Others went out to Endurance House for some run clinics, stride analysis and shopping.

What a great weekend! Beautiful weather. Wonderful people. Great training. Even if I don't sign up for IM Madison next year, I'm still going to WIBA. It's that much fun (in the sick way only tri dorks understand). And anyone who it planning to come to IM Madison without going to WIBA is tempting fate. It's must do training.

Thanks to Rob and everyone who helped put WIBA 2009 on.
You Rock!

Long Time...

It's been awhile since my last post. Nothing exciting to post. Last week was a Recovery Week; so only one workout in each discipline. This week starts my "Competitive Phase" of my training. To really make that click, this weekend it the Wisconsin Brick Adventure, aka WIBA (http://www.robbyb.com/wiba): a fun weekend on the course in Madison. I will post my WIBA summary/report on Monday.

Rockman Race Report + Week 23 Summary

D6 Update:

Going back, here's the D6 story (and why there's no pictures yet). So my bike shop was able to get a size 54 D6 Race (the model I ordered) and a size 56 D6 Pro (the more $$$ model). When we measured me up, I fell in the middle of the 54 and 56 sizing. So Peter ordered both sizes with the intention of finding the best fit. So we tried the 54 to no avail. So I need the size 56. Which left me to either upping the $'s (something Heidi's not in favor of -- after all we need things like food too), or waiting for the size 56 D6 Race. Hmmmm. What to do?

Week 23: Another good week. Grooving now and ramping up for September.

Here's my workouts for the week.
Mon., 6/1: An Off Day.

Tues., 6/2: Swim day, 3500 yards.

Weds., 6/3: Low gear, High RPM Bike workout, about 37 miles.

Thurs., 6/4: Hill program workout on the treadmill (not too many hills around here). About 5.5 miles.

Fri., 6/5: Swim workout. This was supposed to be an open water swim, but I did a long pool swim. 4000 yards.

Sat., 6/6: An Off day. (Prep for Rockman)

Sun., 6/7: Rockman Half Distance Tri. See Race Report Below.

Rockman Race Report:

Rockford is about an hour twenty from my house, which made for a very early morning. Of course I was awake before the 3:45 alarm went off. The truck was loaded up on Saturday evening. I had my smoothie, grabbed my bottles out of the fridge and hit the road a little after 4. I arrived at the park about 5:30. We had to walk in from the parking area to the transition area, not a short walk, maybe 1/2 mile, with the bike and all my gear. I got my number, got marked up, found a spot on the rack, and set my area up. All the folks around me were very nice and we passed the time as we set up and waited for race time.

Swim:
The swim was a two lap lake swim around a triangular course. The lake was a bit on the chilly side getting in. I managed to position myself well for the mass start. There was some bumping in the first 100-200 yards, but nothing too violent. I tagged on to the first chase group behind the pros and did my best to just draft and take it easy on the swim. It started raining while we were in the water. No big deal (we were already wet), but our transition gear got nice and soaked. The swim was uneventful. I just drafted and took it pretty easy. Sighting was no problem. I only swallowed water once. I reached the beach feeling good.

Swim Time: 31:25

T1:
I was using this as a gear test for IM Wisconsin, so I did not wear a tri suit, opting instead for bike shorts and a separate jersey, plus sock in the shoes. I took my time getting situated, no rushing.

T1 Time: 3:39

Bike:
The rain continued for about the first third/half of the bike. The course was an out and back on fairly rural roads. The roads were pretty smooth and only a little bit of gravel at the intersections. The course was mostly slowly rolling hills with about 3-4 short, but steep, climbs each way (out of the saddle, little gear, 9MPH by the crest and big gear, 35+ MPH on the way down). I managed to stay on the aero bars for most of the ride, including some climbs where I saw others out of the saddle. The goal was to work on my IM pace, so I settled in to a nice 18-20 on the way out and a little slower on the way back. More uphill or tired? The rain stopped and it got a bit muggy. The fresh possum road kill at mile 54 was a nice touch.

For nutrition I used Hammer Perpetum as my main fuel source. Hammer Heed and water for hydration. No stomach problems. I had mixed my Perpetum bottle to hold about 3.5 hours of fuel. I didn't finish it all. I went through two full Heed/water bottles.

Bike Time: 3:11:25

T2:
An easy swap out of bike and helmet to running shoes, race belt and hat. Again, working on IM gear, I didn't rush the transition. I used regular, old-fashioned, tie laces, not speed-laces.

T2 Time: 2:17

Run:
The run was a meandering course throughout the Rock Cut State Park. We were on roads and paved bike/walking paths. It was a hilly course. My plan, again as IM-MOO prep, was to start with a real easy jog for the first few miles and then run from there. My one complaint about the race was that there were no signs showing distance. Every time we passed, or got passed by, someone with a Garmin someone asked, "How far are we?" On some of the paths, there was no wind and with the sun out after the rains, it was down right steamy. The aid station folks were pleasant enough. They had Heed, water, Hammer gels, salt tabs, oranges, and cola. I ran solidly for about the first 7-8 miles (again not sure because of the lack of distance signage). I took a few walking breaks during the last few miles.

Run Time: 2:14:52

Good race. Nice prep for September.

Total Time: 6:03:41

100 Days to Go!

The countdown contiunes:

Today is 100 days to IM Wisconsin!!!

Yeah! Yikes! Yeah!

Other good news:

It's Here! It's Here! The D6 is Here!!!

Pictures to follow. I'm going over to Campbell Street Bicycle Shop (http://www.campbellstreetbikes.com/) tonight to get the fit dialed in. The only dilemma is whether to give the new bike it's debut at the Rockman Half-IM Tri this weekend. If I can get some saddle time in Friday and Saturday, then it's game on for the new ride.

Week 23 Summary:

I'm continuing PT on my left calf. Between Lucas' torture sessions, electro-stim, and lots of ice and heat, my calf is loosening up and taking some strain off of my achilles. What a feeling. Yeah.

Mon., 5/25: Triple Brick Day -- 3 x (2o mile bike + 3 mile run).

Tues., 5/26: Bike drills and ladder on trainer.

Weds., 5/27: Swim day, short sprints, about 1600 yards.

Thurs., 5/28: Long run day -- the plan was to get the run in early in the AM (kids had late swim practice in the evening), but my sleep won out over the alarm clock. Zzzzzz. No run today.

Fri., 5/29: Swim day, 3200 yards.

Sat., 5/30: Bike, low gear, high RPM -- about 8 miles.

Sun., 5/31: Bike: 38 miles.

Overall an OK week. Woulda, coulda, shoulda made that long run on Thurs. Woulda, coulda, shoulda gone further on Sunday. Life happens! Picking up and moving on. So far I'm on track for this week. Rockman (http://www.rockmantri.com) this Sunday.

Gettings Stronger, Going Longer.

Around the festivities of the kids' race, I got some great training in last week too. With a little more than 3 months to go, I'm hitting stride and in to the heart of my training. It feels great.

Despite my best efforts to minimize the impact of my workouts on family time, I think it might be a bit more than Heidi bargained for. Perhaps there should be an "Ironman Widow/Widower" support group.

My Week 21 Accomplishments:

Mon., 5/18: An off day.

Tues., 5/19: Swim workout, about 2750 yards with a lot of sprinting. My friend Kate swam with me. It was nice to share the workout.

Weds., 5/20: Running workout at the track. Last day of Sprint Supersets. Yeah. About 4 miles total.

Thurs., 5/21: 20 miles on the bike. High RPM spinning.

Fri., 5/22: Swim workout, about 3200 yards.

Sat., 5/23: 14 mile endurance run.

Sun., 5/24: See below: Multisports Madness Kids' Triathlon w/ Cole and Abby. No workout, just running around as a proud and excited parent.

Mon, 5/25: Happy Memorial Day. Thanks to all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who gave their all so I have the FREEDOM to do these workouts and races for fun. A triple brick day: 3 x (20 mile bike plus 3 mile run).

Multisports Madness Kids' Triathlon

I got some good training in this weekend, but Sunday was all about the kids. Cole and Abby competed in the Multisports Madness Kids' Triathlon. This was Cole's second tri and Abby's first. They were AWESOME!!!!

Body Marking: First the Arms,

Then the Legs.

Here's Cole, No. 644, showing off "Thunder" and "Lightning"

Princess Abby all set up in the Transition Area

Cole Racing to Finish!

Abby Finishing -- Looking Quite the Runner!

Showing Off the Hardware

Showing Off the Hardware

Of Course There's the Post-Race Rub Down.. Ahhhh..

Way to go guys. Great Job!!!!

The Mythical Perfect Week

Last week I was able to put in the mythical perfect week: I got all my training in as planned. These weeks don't come too often, so I enjoy them when they do.

Monday, 5/11: A swim day, mostly sprints, 2550 yards.

Tuesday, 5/12: An off day.

Wednesday, 5/13: 45 miles on the bike.

Thursday, 5/14: Lower body and core strength training.

Friday, 5/15: Run Sprint Superset day, about 4 miles.

Saturday, 5/16: Swim day, 3200 yards.

Sunday, 5/17: Triple brick day -- 3 x (15 mile bike + 2 mile run).

It feels really good to get everything in. Yeah me.

Looking ahead to this weekend, Cole & Abby are particpating in the Multisports Madness Kids Triathlon in Geneva, Illinois. This will be Abby's first tri and Cole's second. Good luck kiddos.

Tick toc, tick toc. The countdown continues.

For some reason, the past week the race has seemed like it was looming immediately in front of me. A couple of deep breaths later, I talk myself out of complete panic (partial panic will do). Yes, I have the whole Summer to train. O.K. Vince -- breathe deep. Follow the plan.

Perhaps my nervousness was due to a less than stellar workout regiment this past week. I didn't get either of my long rides in. The thought that I missed something, that there is something I could have done, should have done, weighs on me. But that was last week. This is a new week Full speed ahead.

Here's what I did do ---

Mon., 5/4: Sprint swim workout, about 1900 yards.

Tues., 5/5: Bike trainer intervals and drills, about 10 miles.

Weds., 5/6: Sprint run "Superset" workout, about 4 miles. It was not so bad the second time around. Plus I saw the most purple sky sunrise I think I've ever seen. Makes getting up early soooo worth it!

Thurs., 5/7: Off Day

Fri., 5/8: Swim day, about 3200 yards.

Sat., 5/9: Bike workout, about 15 miles.

Keep turning

Well, I already talked about my run last Monday.

Tuesday, 4/27, was a swim day. The good folks at Triathlon Geek had me do another "Cooper Test" (max distance in 12 minutes). I'm happy to say I'm in the "very good" category for my age group. Counting the test and the workout, I got about 2900 yards in.

Wednesday, 4/28, was a run "Cooper Test" in the morning. I only managed to be in the "good" category. Wednesday evening was supposed to be a 50 mile bike ride, I only rode for an hour. tired legs from the Monday's hill run (yes, that was a BIG hill) and the morning Cooper Test wiped me out.

Thursday, 4/29, I took an off day.

Friday, 5/1, was a sprint run day at the track.

Saturday, 5/2, was a swim ladder day, about 3100 yards.

Sunday, 5/3, was the main workout for the week: a (15 mile ride + 2 mile run) x 3 triple brick. Thanks Heidi for giving me Sunday afternoon.

Apart from Monday's run, the true highlight of the weekend was spending some time Saturday watching UHD as they were rebroadcasting past IM-Kona events. I remember watching these as a kid. From the Julie Moss crawl to Mark Allen vs. Dave Scott, I was thinking those people must be nuts -- nobody can do those distances. Now I can't wait to be one of those people.

I remember the various waves of emotion during the last mile of my first marathon. I can only wonder what emotions will be going through my mind during mile 140. Again, I can't wait to find out.

Now That's a Hill!

Heidi and I got away for the weekend to celebrate our annivarsary! Yeah for us.

We went to Jackson Hole, WY. Our hotel/resort was located near the top of one of the mountains SW of town. From the valley floor to our hotel was about an 800-900 foot elevation change. The valley is at about 6,100 feet; the hotel is at about 7,000 feet elevation. The road up to the hotel is about 2 miles of switchbacks. Being the brave (read that as wholly or partialy nuts) soul that I am, I decided to give the hill a run. The 2 miles down was the easy part. Two miles up... Ouch! Talk about burning lungs. Did I mention that the hotel is at 7,000 feet? That's more than a mile higher than the flatlands of greater Chicago.

Two Miles via the road, 900 feet down, to the Valley Floor

I also got a great swim in while I was there. Swimming outdoors with snow on the ground. How refreshing.

The pool at night

Photo Credits: Amangani, Jackson Hole, WY (http://www.amangani.com/)

Halfway Point (Late Post)

Weeks 15 and 16 were shortened workout weeks again due to full weekends, namely a birthday party for Victoria & Easter, and an Indian Guide Camp out. Thanks to Heidi, and some late night efforts, I was able to get all the workouts in. Yeah Me!

Week 15:
Mon., 4/6: A rest day.

Tues., 4/7: Bike sprint ladder, about 13.7 miles in the morning and a 5 mile, negative split run in the evening.

Weds., 4/8: A good swim workout, about 2550 yards.

Thurs., 4/9: An easy 5 mile run.

Fri., 4/10: 1.75 mile swim and 1 hour on the bike (OK, it was supposed to be 3 hours on the bike, but I took time with the kids as they were home from school for Good Friday).

Sat., 4/11: A rest day. Victoria's birthday tea party.

Sun., 4/12: Easter. Another rest day.

Week 16:
Mon., 4/13: A double brick workout: 2 x (15 Mile bike + 2 Mile Run).

Tues., 4/14: Run ladder, about 6 miles.

Weds., 4/15: Swim for time sets. 3500 yards total.

Thurs., 4/16: Bike spring ladder, about 15 miles.

Fri., 4/17: Brick workout: 3 hours on the bike, 1 mile run.

Sat. & Sun., 4/18 & 4/19: Indian Guide camp out with Cole. Canoe trip in the wind = a good upper body workout.

This week, Week 17, is a recovery week. One short swim, bike, and run workout. Week 17 also marks the halfway point in my training plan. 17 down, 17 to go. I'm happy to report that my average endurance ride bike pace has increased nearly 3 miles per hour since January. The next phase of my training plan is the Endurance Phase. This phase will emphasize "going long" and establishing my race pace. Personally, I will be putting an emphasis on the brick workouts, particularly a) settling my heart rate out of the water and b) getting the legs running off the bike.

My totals so far this year:
Swim: 31.4 miles (55,000+ yards)
Bike: 679 miles
Run: 158 miles

Another Week -- Training doldrums?

Week 14 was another short week. Managing life with three busy kids, and a lovely adoring wife (Hi Heidi!) is more difficult than actually doing the training. Between Walk-a-thons, parties, church, Sunday School, and a Pinewood Derby, the weekend was over-booked. So I squeezed most of my workouts into the weekdays. Here's what I accomplished:

Mon., 3/30: Bike "Hill Session" on the trainer. A) it's pretty flat around here; B) I need Spring to actually arrive.

Tues., 3/31: Short swim session: 1300 yards.

Weds., 4/1: 1.5 mile endurance swim. According to the triathlon geek training plan, was supposed to be an open water swim -- not in Chicagoland.

Thurs., 4/2: Short treadmill run -- about 4 miles.

Fri., 4/2: 3 hours on the bike trainer. Mental focus....

Sat., 4/3: 10 mile run (this was supposed to be a brick workout with the 3 hours on the bike, no such luck this week).

Sun., 4/4: Off Day.

I really wish Spring would get here. Where's that global warming they've been promising me? When it started snowing on Sunday evening, my 3 (almost 4) year old chimed up, "Hey Mom, it's raining snow. What's up with that?" She was just voicing what we were all thinking.

Shamrock Shuffle Through the Snow

Yesterday was the Shamrock Shuffle 8K in Chicago. This is the unofficial kick-off to the Chicago area running season. As luck would have it, we received a late wintry blast Saturday night that carried into Sunday. I awoke to a couple inches of wet, heavy snow. Such is life.

Cole, 9, and I donned our winter running gear and headed into the city. After parking we were able to pick our way to the start area. We managed to stay reasonably dry. I also managed our timing about right such that we were at the start area for only about 10 minutes before the elite runners were off. The start area was a sheet of ice. Everyone was carefully walking/skating their way up to the starting line. The course was a WET, SLOPPY, SLUSHY MESS! The first half-mile or so we tried to pick our way along as we ran. Soon our shoes, socks, feet, and pants were soaked and frozen. We gave up trying to pick our way and just ran, managing to avoid only the largest of puddles.

Cole was a Super-trooper. He ran the race with me last year. This year his goal was to beat my cousin's, Krieks', time from a few years back. So I set a pace that would put him ahead of her time. We had planned our walking breaks at the two aid stations and he kept to form for the first half of the race. We took a couple extra short walking breaks in the second half. I kept track of our pace, letting him know where we were on the course and where we were relative to his goal time. With a bit of a mad dash over the snow covered bridge into Grant Park and down to the finish line, we finished right at his goal time.

The results:
Cole's 2008 time: 51:27
Kreik's 2006 time: 50:20
Cole's 2009 time: 48:42

He was 27th out of 58 in his division (17&under boys, I think) and the fastest 9 year old. Most impressive was that he beat the average time for the race, which was 49:07.

Way to go Cole! He earned a clucks & fries dinner at Red Robin from Kreiks.

The race was even good for me, even running at Cole's pace. Running though the snow and slush caused me to high-step most of the way. The thighs were a little sore in the afternoon.

The Shuffle capped off week 13. The rest of the week was as follows:

Mon., 3/23: Off day.

Tues., 3/24: Upper body and core strength training.

Weds., 3/25: 3000 yards in the pool.

Thurs., 3/26: 6 mile run.

Fri., 3/27: Off Day.

Sat., 3/28: 50 miles on the bike.

Sun., 3/29: Shamrock Shuffle 8k (5 miles).

Let's Here it for Week 12

Week 12 was a good week.

Mon., 3/16: Off Day!

Tues., 3/17: (Happy St. Pat's Day) 1 hour Spinning session on the bike -- high rpm's, high intensity.

Weds., 3/18: 2000 yard swim workout with sprints.

Thurs., 3/19: Treadmill workout -- intensity/distance ladder: a little over 6 miles.

Fri., 3/20: Lower body & core workout.

Sat., 3/21: 2100 yard swim workout with sprints, 35 miles on the bike.

Sun., 3/22: 12 mile run (then Church, Sunday School, & family trip to the water park).

A good workout week. I'm feeling I'm in good shape for going forward. I want to increase my bike power output and increase my "cruise control" run speed. Overall, I think I'm about where I want to be. The next few weeks pick up a bit with some more bricks and more distance.

D6 it is!

Well, the new bike is on order. I decided on the Fuji D6. It's apparently on a SLOW boat from Taiwan. I should get it some time next month.

Week 11 was an O.K. week. Training during the week went well. The weekend got a little nutty and I missed some workouts. Also, my eating was not what it should have been, meaning too many calories. Here's what I did accomplish:

Mon, 3/9: Off Day

Tues, 3/10: Run ladder on the treadmill, about 5.6 miles.

Weds, 3/11: Hill climb ladder on the bike trainer, about 29 miles.

Thurs, 3/12: Short swim, with sprints, about 1300 yards.

Fri, 3/13: Supposed to be strength training -- missed workout.

Sat, 3/14: Hill climb ladder on the bike trainer, about 29 miles. I was supposed to run about 8 miles, but only ran about 1.5 miles due to a sick Victoria.

Sun, 3/15: Supposed to be a 2000 yard swim workout, but I never made it. We were rearranging the girls' rooms in preparation for painters to come this week.

On to week 12....

Time to Go Aerobic

Week 10 Starts the "Aerobic" phase of my training. Due to Heidi going out of town for the weekend and swim team conference championships all day on Saturday, Week 10 was another compressed week.

Monday, 3/2: 1500 yard swim, Lower body and Core strength training.

Tuesday, 3/3: "Big Gear" Spin workout on the bike (about 50 minutes). 7.5 mile run.

Wednesday, 3/4: 2000 yard swim workout.

Thursday, 3/5: 25 miles on the bike.

Friday, 3/6: 8 mile run. I finally got a break in the weather. Yeah -- an outside run! (I'm not a fan of running in the cold, dark, rain, sleet, etc. unless I have to. So thanks to the treadmill, I've been getting my runs in without being out in the less-than-ideal Chicago weather.)

Saturday, 3/7: NISC Conference Championships Swim meet (Cole goes 4 for 4: Freestyle leg of the Medley Relay -- 1st Place; 25 Free -- 1st Place; 25 Fly -- 1st Place; Anchor leg of the Free Relay -- 1st Place).

Sunday, 3/8: Rest Day.

Great Article

Week 9 was a recoverery week. Only one workout in each of swim, bike, run and core strength training.

I want to share an article from http://www.active.com:

11 Tips for Triathlon Success From a Navy SEAL

By Gale Bernhardt For Active.com

If you watched the 2008 Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon on the NBC broadcast, you saw two Navy SEALs parachuting from a helicopter before they went on to successfully complete the race. The two SEALs were SO1 David Goggins and CDR Keith Davids, Commanding Officer SEAL Team ONE.

Make no mistake, the Navy SEALs (Sea, Air, Land) are a special breed, the best of the best. The training necessary to become a SEAL is 2.5 years long. It's not easy. I'll tell you a bit more about that later in the column.

The Navy SEALs were established in January of 1962 as a result of President Kennedy's desire to develop unconventional warfare capability. The original SEAL teams were formed entirely with personnel from Underwater Demolition Teams.

SEALs are charged with conducting counter-guerilla warfare and top-secret operations in water environments. Though comfort in the water is primary to SEAL training—as the name indicates—they also conduct missions from the air and on land, as well. SEAL training, however, is not Ironman training.

Last summer I received a note from Chris Bohnert at the Active Network asking if I'd be interested in reviewing the training plan for a Navy SEAL that was preparing for the Ironman and give some suggestions. I told him I'd be glad to help, if I could.

That connection is how I met Commander Keith Davids.

Keith and I corresponded a few times between July and October, discussing the challenges of training for an Ironman event while holding down a full-time job that includes travel and physical work beyond the normal swimming, cycling and running. While he confronted some of the same issues that every Ironman competitor faces during the training process, several of his challenges were well beyond what mainstream athletes face.

Keith did overcome some significant training challenges, including periods of time where he could do no training, and he successfully completed the event. In perfect made-for-television drama, and completely unplanned, David and Keith ended up crossing the finish line together.

Visiting the SEAL Training Grounds
After the race was over, Keith told me if I was ever in San Diego I should stop by the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado to visit the home of SEAL Team ONE. I took him up on that offer this past February because I wanted to have a look at one of the locations where SEALs are trained.

Some experts consider SEAL training the toughest military training in the world. If not the toughest, then it is definitely ranked within the top handful. Only a small percentage of recruits make it though the infamous Hell Week and move forward to becoming a SEAL.

When I was in San Diego, a new class of recruits was marching around the base. I was there on day 10 and I could see the helmets lining the sidewalk, representing men that had already dropped out. In just a few days, roughly 20 recruits, out of a class of over a hundred, called it quits. And this is a couple of weeks before Hell Week. The hard stuff hasn't even started yet.
Several columns could be devoted to SEAL training, but here I will barely scratch the surface. I'll give you some reference links at the end of the column and I will tell you that Hell Week is 5.5 days of constant motion—physical and mental challenges beyond the imagination. All of the challenges are completed on roughly four hours of sleep during the entire 5.5 days. That is no typo.

The men that survive this training are on the frontline duty ensuring that the USA and its allies are protected from those planning to do harm.

Why Be a SEAL?
I asked Commander Davids why he became a Navy SEAL. What was it that inspired him?
He said that a SEAL officer visited the Naval Academy to educate the students on the Naval Special Warfare program. The officer walked into the class and declared that none of them were tough enough to be SEALs anyway, so he wasn't going to waste his time trying to get them to join. If they thought they could handle being a SEAL, they could visit him at 0500 on the PT (physical training) field. The officer turned around and left.

That challenge—doing what other people cannot do, doing the extraordinary—is what drew Keith Davids to visit that recruiter at 0500. I suspect his attitude is typical of every successful Navy SEAL.

Triathlon Training/SEAL Mentality
Training to be a Navy SEAL is far more challenging than training for an Ironman. Given his experience as a SEAL, and his recent Ironman success, I asked Keith to give triathletes some tips for success. Here is what he said:

1. Eliminate self-limiting thoughts. More often than not, people have preconceived notions about what is possible for them to achieve. They sell themselves short. Abolish thoughts that hold you back from achieving your true potential.
2. Optimize your skills. Everyone begins at a different place and each of us are dealt a different set of genetic cards. Use that to your advantage and optimize your assets.
   Be willing to spend the effort and energy to be successful. Anyone can succeed if they are willing to work at it. Too many people want to reap rewards without the sacrifice that is necessary to achieve any goal.
3. Enjoy the journey. If you can enjoy the pursuit of excellence, you've got it made. Aiming to enjoy only the end result makes it impossible to endure the necessary sacrifices to achieve any goal really worth having.
4. Be a student. The more you understand about what it is you're trying to do and how to do it, the easier it is to be successful. Be a student of your passion.
   Persevere. There are many things that can get in the way of successfully achieving any goal. You have to be willing to figure out how to get over, under, around or through those obstacles. Keep trying.
5. Develop mental toughness. It is not the physical challenges that keep men from successfully surviving the SEAL training, it is mentally giving up. You need to start believing that you can do it, you can be successful. Others have been successful before you, you can do it too.
6. Be prepared to suffer. When you are training for an event as large as a 140.6-mile triathlon, it is a long haul. There is going to be bad weather, aching body parts and times when you are just plain tired. Know that some stress, followed by rest, will make you stronger physically and mentally.
7. Take strength from others. This tip is particularly valuable for race day. Right when you are thinking things are really bad for you, look around. You'll see that others are suffering too. Knowing you're not the only one and that other people will suffer generates energy, if you're willing to accept it.
8. You must want success. Doing something that is difficult requires that you want to be successful with every fiber of your core. The intense desire to succeed helps you overcome obstacles that crush other people.
9. Avoid over-training. It is easy for highly motivated people to over-train. Achievers are often rewarded for doing more and working harder. While you must work hard and do the prescribed work, you must also rest in order to reap the benefits.
   

You may not be capable of becoming a Navy SEAL, but I'm willing to bet you are capable of successfully becoming a triathlete. Some of you are capable of being quite competitive in the sport; perhaps one of the top in your area, the state, the nation or perhaps the world.
Be inspired, inspire others.
"The only easy day was yesterday." - Displayed at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/11_Tips_for_Triathlon_Success_From_a_Navy_SEAL.htm?act=EMC-Active&Vehicle=Triathlon&Date=03_01_09&Edition=1&Sections=Articles&Creative=11_Tips_for_Triathlon_Success_From_a_Navy_SEAL&TextName=More&ArtText=Txt&Placement=1&Dy=Mon&page=2

Those that know me know that I've been a student of SEAL training for some time. Perhaps it comes from being turned down from military service because of childhood asthma (even though I was recruited by the Air Force Academy swim team to follow in my sister's footsteps -- she was USAFA Class of '89). Perhaps it's because one of my high school swim coaches was a former Army Special Forces guy and author who'd tell us his war stories. Anyhow, I've come to have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for these warriors. Not only because they are, argueably, the toughest and best trained Special Operations Forces in the world, but mainly because of their mental toughness. As the article says, it's not the 6'4", 250 lbs. guy who makes it through the training. It's the 5'9", 150 lbs. guy who it the scrapper. The guy who puts his teammates above himself. Most importantly, it's the guy who will never quit. It's this mental thoughness I strive to develop for myself.

200 Days!!!!

200 Days to go!

That's what the countdown timer says. This is getting real. That is, it's going from conceptual, as in, I'm going to do an Ironman, to operational, as in, what do I need to do today, tomorrow, and the next day to make sure I'm at the starting line on top of my game come September 13th.

One of my b-day presents from Heidi was a DVD from Endurance Nation (http://www.endurancenation.us/) (or see them here: http://endurancenation.blogspot.com/), called the Four Keys to Ironman Execution. I was able to watch it over the weekend. Thanks Heidi. I can't wait to see you at the finish line.

Week 8 went mostly as planned. Here's the rundown:

Monday, 2/16: A rest day.

Tuesday, 2/17: More Turbo Sprints. My best session yet. I've picked up over 1 full average MPH since the first of the Turbo Sprints. Yeah Me.

Wednesday, 2/18: Lower Body & Core Strength training. Victoria and Cole helped with this workout. Thanks kids.

Thursday, 2/19: Swim workout, about 1850 yards.

Friday, 2/20: Upper Body & Core Strength training plus an easy 2 mile run.

Saturday, 2/20: A swim for time workout. 30 minutes and about 2100 yards. Not to bad. Then, 3 hours on the bike. This is where I got to watch the DVD.

Sunday 2/21: This was supposed to be an 8 mile trail run workout. Winter in Chicago did not cooperate, so I was on the treadmill. Heidi was competing in the "Hustle up the Hancock" stair climb in the John Hancock building -- 94 floors in just over a half-hour. WAY TO GO HEIDI! Victoria decided I should not be on the treadmill and should get her breakfast, go figure. So I had a very short 2 mile run on the treadmill.

Week 8 wrapped up the "Adaptation" phase of my training.
Here are my totals so far:
Swim: 13.7 miles
Bike: 275.1 miles
Run: 67.9 miles

Week 7

Quick recap on Week 7. All good. Busy week. The rundown:

Monday, 2/9: Off Day

Tuesday, 2/10: Swim Day. About 1700 yards.

Wednesday, 2/11: More Turbo Sprints on the bike trainer. This is getting a little easier. I guess that's the point.

Thursday, 2/12: Timed run intervals on the treadmill. A little over 4.6 miles in about 40 minutes; plus core strength training.

Friday, 2/13: Upper body and core strength training. Also, happy b-day to me!

Saturday 2/14: About 2100 yard swim workout and an hour on the bike (it was supposed to be three hours, but I had a swim meet to get to).

Sunday 2/15: 6 mile easy run.

Another cool IM video.

Week 6 Review, a little late...

So week 6 went very smoothly. It's been a very busy week this week, so I'm a little late in posting, but here goes.

Monday, 2/2: an off day.

Tuesday, 2/3: Bike Turbo Sprints on the trainer. A little easier this time around.

Wednesday, 2/4: An easy swim workout, about 1750 yards.

Thursday, 2/5: Lower body and Core strength training.

Friday, 2/6: I was supposed to go about 7 miles on treadmill. I was not my normal up-and-at-it self. I ran about 4 miles on the treadmill.

Saturday, 2/7: I traded my Saturday and Sunday workouts again this week. Saturday was supposed to be a swim day. Instead it was a brick day. 40 miles on the bike (trainer) and 6 mile run (treadmill) -- Thank goodness for movie channels.

Sunday, 2/8: I got my swim in, about 2800 yards.

All is going well. I got some nice birthday presents today: a book on nutrition for endurance athletes, some after-run sandals, RoadID bracelet, reflective bands, and a DVD on keys to the iron-distance tri.

Week 5: Another Good Week

I did get a new pair of running shoes last week. I'm back to Asics: Kayano. As life would have it, this was my first running shoe when I got back in to running six years ago. After several other shoes: some Asics, some Mizuno, and a try at Newtons, I'm back where I started. I do have to say that my Achilles tendinitis is feeling a bit better. Maybe it's the shoes.

I got all my workouts in for last week. It was nice to not have to compress the week down into 4-5 days.

Monday 1/26: Off Day

Tuesday 1/27: About 6.5 miles on the treadmill doing some drills and some speed variation work.

Wednesday 1/28: Lower body and core strength training plus a short swim workout. The folks at Triathlon Geek must not be swimmers because their swim workouts so far have been pretty easy, even at the "pro" level. This is fine by me, since swimming is my best discipline of the three. If only I could get the IM people to double the swim distance and cut the bike distance in half...

Thursday 1/29: My first (of four) "Turbo Sprint" bike workouts on the trainer. This involved a series of high RPM sprints of increasing time.

Friday 1/30: Upper body and core strength training.

Saturday 1/31: I switched my planned workouts for Saturday and Sunday so I could take my son and his buddy snowboarding for the day. So on Saturday I did a 6 mile steady pace endurance run on the treadmill. I hope the weather improves soon. The treadmill gets a little boring.

Sunday 2/1: My first true back-to-back workout of the season. Not an official "brick" as it was a swim workout followed by a bike workout. I swam about a mile then road the bike, on the trainer, for about two hours.

As a bonus for Sunday, I got more swimming in. For swim team we had our "silly meet" on Sunday evening; a fun practice for those who chose to come practice instead of watching the Super Bowl. We had some Coaches Races (I won, even then the other coaches made me swim with only one arm. When I had to kick while they swam, it was a close call -- I think I won.). We had some relays where we swam with the kids. For the older age group, I participated in a little water polo and a some sharks-n-minnows.

I also discovered, courtesy of some of the other blogs I follow, the Wisconsin Brick Adventure. A weekend program, June 26-28, in Madison. The idea is to swim the swim, bike the bike, and run the run of the IM course. Heidi even signed on to me going for the weekend. As I'm learning, more so than my other races, the support crew for an IM is a critical component to the training. Thanks Team IronVince!

Overall a good week. I'm definitely feeling like I'm on the right track.

Week 4 -- Done!

This weekend was the Indian Guide Winter Camp out. Different campground this time; we were in Burlington, WI. Cole and I had a lot of fun. It was his first camp out. He picked his "Indian" name, "Little Napping Badger," in honor my father, his grandfather. When I was in Indian Guides with my Dad, his name was, "Napping Badger." Cole liked this name and called his grandfather to see if he could use the name as well. I think my Dad was tickled at the idea.

Anyhow, another weekend off in the wood made for another shortened workout week. Here's what I accomplished:

Monday, 1/19: Swim workout in the Morning. The Triathlon Geek folks had me do my first "Cooper Test," which was a 12 minute swim for distance. I covered 800 yards in the 12 minutes, which put me into the "very good" range for my age group. Yeah me. Monday evening was a lower body and core strength training session.

Tuesday, 1/20: Tuesday morning was a high RPM interval training session on the bike. Tuesday evening was an upper body and core strength training session.

Wednesday 1/21: I got to do my first running "Cooper Test." Just like this swim, this is 12 minute run distance. I was on the treadmill, which is not the recommended way to do this test. But I figured the treadmill was better than running on icy roads in the pre-dawn darkness of a cold winter morning. I covered a little more than 1.5 miles in my 12 minutes. No, I'm not Kenyan, but I'm OK with that. The 1.5 miles put me in the "good" category for my age range. Wednesday night I figured I'd get my swim in that was planned for Thursday morning. I was already at the pool, coaching my swim team and there was adult lap swimming after the swim team practice ended. I got my workout in, about 1650 yards. Now I remember why I don't like to swim in the late evening. By the time I finished, it was pushing 10 o'clock. I get home and I'm keyed up from my workout and could not get to sleep until well after midnight. Lesson learned.

Thursday 1/22: Ended up being an off day since I got my swim in Wednesday night.

Friday 1/23 - Sunday 1/25: At the camp out. No formal workouts. We did play broom ball (think hockey with brooms, instead of hockey sticks, and a soccer ball, instead of a puck) on the frozen lake. The camp also had a good old fashioned toboggan run. I lost count home many trips up and down the hill we make with the toboggan. For some reason, I was always the one lugging the toboggan up the hill and up the steps of the run. My hip flexors are a little bit sore today, so I guess I got some hill and or lower leg strength training in over the weekend.

Winter camp out season is over. Little, well relatively little, planned for the next few weeks, so I'm hoping training goes according to plan. I'm hoping to get some new running shoes this week. Mark @ Runners High 'n' Tri (http://www.runnershigh.biz/), here I come.

Also, I'm working on plans for my new bike. The only problem is what to choose. My local bike shop, Campbell Street Bicycle Shop (http://www.campbellstreetbikes.com/) carries Fuji and Kestrel. So I'm debating between the new Fuji D6 and the Kestrel Airfoil Pro SL.... decisions, decisions...