Swam 2100 yards today, and it felt normal. Rode easy on my bike for 45 minutes when I got home and it felt normal. Had a massage after work and my muscles are fine. I really am recovering well. I still am carrying some fatigue and need to remember to choose sleep over workouts at this point. In fact, that should always be my choice. I have realized that unless I get a good nights sleep, I don't really feel my best.
Worked a full day today and wasn't tired at the end of the day. Tomorrow I get to meet with the local Chief of Staff for our U.S. Senator. Not sure why I still bother to try to make a difference telling people about our Geriatric practice, but maybe my ironman experience will give me the continued energy and endurance to keep trying!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
I AM an ironman
Two days ago, my wife said, "you don't really seem that excited about completing an ironman". I realized that I've been in a very contemplative mood since finishing St. George. I thought that it really wasn't the big accomplishment that I had expected it to be, and rationalized that I've achieved a lot of things in my life, and this was just one of them. Well, the last couple of days have begun to tell another story. Typically, after a race I get very excited and want to share everything. I tend to be a fairly effusive and open person, letting my thoughts an feelings out on my sleeve.
The last couple of days, however, as I walk around, I seem to be standing straighter. In fact, I have the feeling of a quiet increased level of confidence. It's that darn ironman:). The more people I talk to, the more I'm reminded of the difficulty of the St. George course. I ran into someone today whose daughter did the race, he spoke of a couple of people they carried out of the water! The number of people who didn't finish, many of them very high quality athletes, is a reminder as to what I accomplished.
But, I don't really want to get on the mountain top and shout anything out. I'm very content going about my day with an increased feeling of confidence and a heightened feeling that there is nothing I can't accomplish if I set my mind to it. I'm looking forward to the rest of the race season. I've got some goals to really see how fast I can be. It's fun to (almost) be 51 years old! I truly AM an ironman.
The last couple of days, however, as I walk around, I seem to be standing straighter. In fact, I have the feeling of a quiet increased level of confidence. It's that darn ironman:). The more people I talk to, the more I'm reminded of the difficulty of the St. George course. I ran into someone today whose daughter did the race, he spoke of a couple of people they carried out of the water! The number of people who didn't finish, many of them very high quality athletes, is a reminder as to what I accomplished.
But, I don't really want to get on the mountain top and shout anything out. I'm very content going about my day with an increased feeling of confidence and a heightened feeling that there is nothing I can't accomplish if I set my mind to it. I'm looking forward to the rest of the race season. I've got some goals to really see how fast I can be. It's fun to (almost) be 51 years old! I truly AM an ironman.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Life Strikes Again
Four days out from Ironman St. George and I've decided to go back to working a full five days a week. It was great to work 3 1/2 days while I could, but life has a funny way of taking over. Work needs me this summer, and being an owner of my Geriatric practice, I really have no choice. The day will come soon enough where I can pretend to be a professional triathlete:)
In an odd way, I feel a huge relief now that I've done my first ironman. Training will seem easy from now on. I've been quite lucky, I have no residual soreness just 4 days after the race, although I am certainly still tired. Was able to swim 20 minutes today and then did an easy 75 minute bike ride.
It looks like I'm going to spend the summer just being a doctor. I have to say I expect it to be fun and rewarding after all the time I've spent over the last few years running a business. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by great people who I am confident will keep those administrative burdens off my back.
In an odd way, I feel a huge relief now that I've done my first ironman. Training will seem easy from now on. I've been quite lucky, I have no residual soreness just 4 days after the race, although I am certainly still tired. Was able to swim 20 minutes today and then did an easy 75 minute bike ride.
It looks like I'm going to spend the summer just being a doctor. I have to say I expect it to be fun and rewarding after all the time I've spent over the last few years running a business. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by great people who I am confident will keep those administrative burdens off my back.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
St. George Ironman Race Report
St. George Ironman Race Report
Was up at about 3:40 am, had a banana and some cereal and brought my Venti Vanilla Soy Latte to sip up until race time. Also, took a gel about 15’ before the swim. Stood in the porta potty line forever (they never have enough); put on my wet suit and made one last stop at the porta potty before making my way the swim start.
The water was about 58 degrees, but thankfully, it wasn’t windy. I swam out and positioned myself about 5 rows from the front, right in the middle and the gun went off. I got kicked in the head once near the start, but otherwise, was able to draft most of the race. Occasionally, I’d find myself in open water and just enjoyed it for a a few moments, although, at these times, I’d really focus on my form and rotation and quickly bridge to whoever was about 10-20 feet in front of me. I swam freestyle the entire time, never had to stop, never felt tired. The swim was easy, and I really enjoyed it. Tried to pick up my kick a few times to get some feeling in my legs. My swim time was 1:11:26, putting me 488th overall and 26th in my age group, not bad!
My Transition was 9:57, although I don’t think I could have gone faster. I couldn’t feel my hands and feet coming out of the water, walked to the transition tent, which was a mad house, found a chair, sat down and methodically proceeded to dry my upper body off, put on my bike jersey, shortsleeve windbreaker with a piece of newspaper in between (good idea!), arm warmers, lightweight gloves, sunscreen and chamois cream and my shoes, all the while peeing while sitting in the chair. Hydration was never an issue today, and, in fact, this was the beginning of a continuous theme. Got my bike and proceeded out of T1.
Immediately, I realized how good I felt on the bike and really had to make an effort now to push my wattage beyond 160 watts. About 5 minutes in to the bike, I took my bottle of carbo pro out from behind me and dropped it! I realized two things, it was going to be a long day, and I needed to be nourished, and, I didn’t want to get a littering penalty. So, I turned around and picked it up. That probably didn’t take me more than 30 seconds. I then proceeded out on the bike. The bike was really uneventful for the first 70-80 miles, and really felt comfortable. My average wattage initially was in the low 160’s and through the big hills, ended up peaking at about 165 watts after the first loop. I really stayed in my comfort zone, with the one exception that I had to pee by the end of the first hour. I tried and tried to go while riding, but the good descents were too fast and I couldn’t go while riding uphill or on the flats. I probably used up some time trying. Also, I was getting discomfort in my right lower abdomen from my bladder distension. This would actually be a constant for much of the day. Finally, about 1 1/2 hours in, I just pulled over to the side of the rode and peed while eating a gel and taking some electrolytes. Throughout the bike I took in my 1800 cal of carbo pro and ate 600 calories worth of gels and took 2-3 thermolyte capsules every hour. And, I kept drinking water with all this. The uphill portion of the ride was scenic, and I’m glad I had my 11-28, because there was a headwind going up the steepest climbs. I found myself having to push 220 watts just to get up these hills, whereas in February, without a headwind, I only needed 190-200 watts. The first descent was ok, getting up to 42 mph in places, a little scary at times. I started to remember that I had crashed in my last triathlon prior to this one. I did find some long downhills where I could stand and finally was able to pee. The second loop of the bike was tougher than the first, and again, started having discomfort in my right lower abdomen from my bladder. Ultimately, I had to pull over about 3 times of the bike in order to pee. These were somewhat welcome breaks, however, and I always took a gel during these quick stops. I realized that miles 80-100 were tough, my average wattage gradually slipped down to about 160 from a peak of 165. The last 10 miles were scary. There must have been 20+ mph crosswinds, and I was gripping the front of my bike for dear life. All I could think was that completing the bike without crashing would be a major accomplishment. My bike split was 6:49:12, averaging 16.4 mph. My average wattage was 158 watts. I was 39th in my age group on the bike, overall I was 617th. I did slow down the second loop, but the winds also picked up during this time. This was one tough bike course!
My bike to run transition was 9:38, again, didn’t waste time. Was methodical in taking off my bike jersey, windbreaker and arm warmers and putting tape around my right great toe (I have a corn developing) and vaseline on my feet before putting on my compression socks. The vaseline helps, no blisters or toenail issues whatsoever! Put on sunscreen, my hat and made one more stop at the port a potty to pee (still clear my the way!).
Since the first 3-4 miles of the run is uphill, it didn’t take me long to realize that I was now in for a longer day than I had “planned” on. I didn’t wear a watch, so I had no idea of my splits. My legs actually felt ok, but I was feeling somewhat nauseated. I took my carbo pro, which was warm by now, and tasted not so good. But, I stuck with it. This might have been a mistake. After running for the first couple of miles I realized that not only didn’t I want to suffer for the next 4+ hours, but that doing so might not have good consequences. I suppose at this point I kind of asked myself why I was doing an ironman.
I’ll never forget seeing Julie Moss crawling across the finish line on Wide World of Sports. Once I started doing tri’s in the early 90’s, I set a goal of doing an ironman by the time I turned 40. At that time, I was working too much and decided to put off that goal until I turned 50. I thought that work and life wasn’t going to let that happen, until I changed my mind and went ahead and signed up for St. George a year ago. Crashing at Long Course World’s in Perth just 6 short months ago, also made me realize that I wanted to enjoy racing, not just suffer. In my heart, I was hoping to come close to 12 hours, but that would have taken a 4 hour marathon, and that wasn’t going to be in the cards today.
So, I started walking on the uphills, albeit, trying to “power walk”. Ironically, I was not alone, and in fact, still managed to pass some people. I was able to run the downhills, however. and was actually surprised to see that I’d done the first 7 miles at 9:53 pace. Pretty remarkable. The next 6 miles were done at 11:46 pace. It was interesting that I was staying with the same group of people most of the way. I didn’t get discouraged, and just decided to enjoy the experience. Fortunately, I wasn’t having any cramping. I was, however, stopping at the port a potty to pee just about every 2-3 miles! I stuck with my carbo pro for the first 10 miles and then got rid of it. I took in 3 gels, and tried one orange slice, but that made me feel like I was going to throw up. I was afraid to try anything else, but finally took in some gatorade which was marginally ok. Obviously, I kept taking water and my thermolyte capsules. At mile 13, I got my special needs bag and ate 3 ginger cookies, which were fine. I tried two starbursts, but they were too sweet. Miles 13 to 20 were done at 12:01 pace. I ran into Danny, a Coast Guard guy, ad he suggested the chicken broth and coke. I decided to start drinking coke around mile 21. This gave me new life. I ran/walked the next 5 miles with Tricia and Mark, we encouraged one another. This was necessary. For the last 3 hours of my run, the wind averaged 15-20 mph, and it seemed like there was a head wind in all directions! This course was definitely a challenge! With 1 mile to go, I decided to take off and ran the last mile, gaining renewed energy as I got closer to the finish. I passed several people and brought my average pace for the last 6 miles down to 11:56. What struck me was my overall consistency on the run. Despite walking literally all of the uphill sections, I still managed an overall 12 minute per mile pace and stayed consistent. As I rounded the last turn, I could hear the crowd roaring and I looked forward to Mike Riley, announcing my name and saying, “Michael Wasserman, you are an Ironman!”. I know I looked strong and felt like I had wings on for those last couple hundred yards. My overall run rank was 615, two better than my bike rank, so I clearly wasn’t alone in suffering through the run. In my age group I was 45th . Consistent through the three disciplines, as usual!
In the end 13:18:26. 615th Overall out of 2350 people. Many said that this was the most challenging ironman they had ever done. I finished literally as the sun was about to set, but I finished before it went down!
I have to be quite happy with my result. I finished strong, I actually felt ok afterwards. Because I didn’t run the whole marathon, I probably didn’t beat my body up as badly as I could have. A sub 5 hour marathon on a brutally hilly and windy course is not too bad. In fact, I was a little surprised that I managed to go under 5 hours.
I don’t know what’s next, but I do know that I AM AN IRONMAN!
Was up at about 3:40 am, had a banana and some cereal and brought my Venti Vanilla Soy Latte to sip up until race time. Also, took a gel about 15’ before the swim. Stood in the porta potty line forever (they never have enough); put on my wet suit and made one last stop at the porta potty before making my way the swim start.
The water was about 58 degrees, but thankfully, it wasn’t windy. I swam out and positioned myself about 5 rows from the front, right in the middle and the gun went off. I got kicked in the head once near the start, but otherwise, was able to draft most of the race. Occasionally, I’d find myself in open water and just enjoyed it for a a few moments, although, at these times, I’d really focus on my form and rotation and quickly bridge to whoever was about 10-20 feet in front of me. I swam freestyle the entire time, never had to stop, never felt tired. The swim was easy, and I really enjoyed it. Tried to pick up my kick a few times to get some feeling in my legs. My swim time was 1:11:26, putting me 488th overall and 26th in my age group, not bad!
My Transition was 9:57, although I don’t think I could have gone faster. I couldn’t feel my hands and feet coming out of the water, walked to the transition tent, which was a mad house, found a chair, sat down and methodically proceeded to dry my upper body off, put on my bike jersey, shortsleeve windbreaker with a piece of newspaper in between (good idea!), arm warmers, lightweight gloves, sunscreen and chamois cream and my shoes, all the while peeing while sitting in the chair. Hydration was never an issue today, and, in fact, this was the beginning of a continuous theme. Got my bike and proceeded out of T1.
Immediately, I realized how good I felt on the bike and really had to make an effort now to push my wattage beyond 160 watts. About 5 minutes in to the bike, I took my bottle of carbo pro out from behind me and dropped it! I realized two things, it was going to be a long day, and I needed to be nourished, and, I didn’t want to get a littering penalty. So, I turned around and picked it up. That probably didn’t take me more than 30 seconds. I then proceeded out on the bike. The bike was really uneventful for the first 70-80 miles, and really felt comfortable. My average wattage initially was in the low 160’s and through the big hills, ended up peaking at about 165 watts after the first loop. I really stayed in my comfort zone, with the one exception that I had to pee by the end of the first hour. I tried and tried to go while riding, but the good descents were too fast and I couldn’t go while riding uphill or on the flats. I probably used up some time trying. Also, I was getting discomfort in my right lower abdomen from my bladder distension. This would actually be a constant for much of the day. Finally, about 1 1/2 hours in, I just pulled over to the side of the rode and peed while eating a gel and taking some electrolytes. Throughout the bike I took in my 1800 cal of carbo pro and ate 600 calories worth of gels and took 2-3 thermolyte capsules every hour. And, I kept drinking water with all this. The uphill portion of the ride was scenic, and I’m glad I had my 11-28, because there was a headwind going up the steepest climbs. I found myself having to push 220 watts just to get up these hills, whereas in February, without a headwind, I only needed 190-200 watts. The first descent was ok, getting up to 42 mph in places, a little scary at times. I started to remember that I had crashed in my last triathlon prior to this one. I did find some long downhills where I could stand and finally was able to pee. The second loop of the bike was tougher than the first, and again, started having discomfort in my right lower abdomen from my bladder. Ultimately, I had to pull over about 3 times of the bike in order to pee. These were somewhat welcome breaks, however, and I always took a gel during these quick stops. I realized that miles 80-100 were tough, my average wattage gradually slipped down to about 160 from a peak of 165. The last 10 miles were scary. There must have been 20+ mph crosswinds, and I was gripping the front of my bike for dear life. All I could think was that completing the bike without crashing would be a major accomplishment. My bike split was 6:49:12, averaging 16.4 mph. My average wattage was 158 watts. I was 39th in my age group on the bike, overall I was 617th. I did slow down the second loop, but the winds also picked up during this time. This was one tough bike course!
My bike to run transition was 9:38, again, didn’t waste time. Was methodical in taking off my bike jersey, windbreaker and arm warmers and putting tape around my right great toe (I have a corn developing) and vaseline on my feet before putting on my compression socks. The vaseline helps, no blisters or toenail issues whatsoever! Put on sunscreen, my hat and made one more stop at the port a potty to pee (still clear my the way!).
Since the first 3-4 miles of the run is uphill, it didn’t take me long to realize that I was now in for a longer day than I had “planned” on. I didn’t wear a watch, so I had no idea of my splits. My legs actually felt ok, but I was feeling somewhat nauseated. I took my carbo pro, which was warm by now, and tasted not so good. But, I stuck with it. This might have been a mistake. After running for the first couple of miles I realized that not only didn’t I want to suffer for the next 4+ hours, but that doing so might not have good consequences. I suppose at this point I kind of asked myself why I was doing an ironman.
I’ll never forget seeing Julie Moss crawling across the finish line on Wide World of Sports. Once I started doing tri’s in the early 90’s, I set a goal of doing an ironman by the time I turned 40. At that time, I was working too much and decided to put off that goal until I turned 50. I thought that work and life wasn’t going to let that happen, until I changed my mind and went ahead and signed up for St. George a year ago. Crashing at Long Course World’s in Perth just 6 short months ago, also made me realize that I wanted to enjoy racing, not just suffer. In my heart, I was hoping to come close to 12 hours, but that would have taken a 4 hour marathon, and that wasn’t going to be in the cards today.
So, I started walking on the uphills, albeit, trying to “power walk”. Ironically, I was not alone, and in fact, still managed to pass some people. I was able to run the downhills, however. and was actually surprised to see that I’d done the first 7 miles at 9:53 pace. Pretty remarkable. The next 6 miles were done at 11:46 pace. It was interesting that I was staying with the same group of people most of the way. I didn’t get discouraged, and just decided to enjoy the experience. Fortunately, I wasn’t having any cramping. I was, however, stopping at the port a potty to pee just about every 2-3 miles! I stuck with my carbo pro for the first 10 miles and then got rid of it. I took in 3 gels, and tried one orange slice, but that made me feel like I was going to throw up. I was afraid to try anything else, but finally took in some gatorade which was marginally ok. Obviously, I kept taking water and my thermolyte capsules. At mile 13, I got my special needs bag and ate 3 ginger cookies, which were fine. I tried two starbursts, but they were too sweet. Miles 13 to 20 were done at 12:01 pace. I ran into Danny, a Coast Guard guy, ad he suggested the chicken broth and coke. I decided to start drinking coke around mile 21. This gave me new life. I ran/walked the next 5 miles with Tricia and Mark, we encouraged one another. This was necessary. For the last 3 hours of my run, the wind averaged 15-20 mph, and it seemed like there was a head wind in all directions! This course was definitely a challenge! With 1 mile to go, I decided to take off and ran the last mile, gaining renewed energy as I got closer to the finish. I passed several people and brought my average pace for the last 6 miles down to 11:56. What struck me was my overall consistency on the run. Despite walking literally all of the uphill sections, I still managed an overall 12 minute per mile pace and stayed consistent. As I rounded the last turn, I could hear the crowd roaring and I looked forward to Mike Riley, announcing my name and saying, “Michael Wasserman, you are an Ironman!”. I know I looked strong and felt like I had wings on for those last couple hundred yards. My overall run rank was 615, two better than my bike rank, so I clearly wasn’t alone in suffering through the run. In my age group I was 45th . Consistent through the three disciplines, as usual!
In the end 13:18:26. 615th Overall out of 2350 people. Many said that this was the most challenging ironman they had ever done. I finished literally as the sun was about to set, but I finished before it went down!
I have to be quite happy with my result. I finished strong, I actually felt ok afterwards. Because I didn’t run the whole marathon, I probably didn’t beat my body up as badly as I could have. A sub 5 hour marathon on a brutally hilly and windy course is not too bad. In fact, I was a little surprised that I managed to go under 5 hours.
I don’t know what’s next, but I do know that I AM AN IRONMAN!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Go figure-best run ever!
After Sunday's tough workout, I felt great on Monday, but was pretty tired yesterday. My coach told me to just run based on how I felt today. I slept 10 1/2 hours last night and woke up refreshed and feeling good. Got on the treadmill, and after 2 3/4 hours and 18 miles, literally had to force myself to get off! I could have kept running! Followed that up with over an hour of strenuous snow shoveling (we had a semi-blizzard last night).
It is remarkable what the human body can accomplish! It seems like the further along I get with ironman training, the more I am able to do and the more my body can handle. Today was remarkable for a few reasons, not the least of which was the fact that I kept a smile on my face for 2 3/4 hours on a treadmill! I really enjoyed the run and time almost stood still.
5 weeks and 3 days to go!
It is remarkable what the human body can accomplish! It seems like the further along I get with ironman training, the more I am able to do and the more my body can handle. Today was remarkable for a few reasons, not the least of which was the fact that I kept a smile on my face for 2 3/4 hours on a treadmill! I really enjoyed the run and time almost stood still.
5 weeks and 3 days to go!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
6 weeks to St. George!
A week ago I spent three days in Long Beach, California at a meeting and managed to "squeeze in" 42 miles of running. Ran 14 miles each day, the first two days broken into two runs and the third day just one long slow brutal run. Came home and the next day had my best 4 hours of biking indoors. Worked out and recovered through the week, fighting off borderline fatigue and soreness from one day to the next. I've also been fighting pain in my right "shoulder". The quotation marks are for the fact that I've learned that it's not exactly my shoulder, but my right deltoid, as well as my biceps and triceps. I've been massaging my arm daily and stretching and was ready to swim on Saturday. I ended up swimming 5,000 yards, over a 1,000 more than I've ever done before, and it felt easy! Go figure.
Today was the big test, my key workout prior to St. George. I was really excited yesterday, but woke up this morning feeling a little flat. Also, my legs felt sluggish and a little sore. Well, in some ways an opportunity to train feeling both tired and unenthused. I'm sure that will happen at some point during the St. George Ironman:), so figured that I could use this as an experience. With that in mind, I started my 4 hour indoor bike ride, with an effort that was supposed to be similar to the effort I will have on the bike at St. George. While it wasn't "easy", it also wasn't really hard. Well, that's not really the truth. It was a bit of a struggle, but never got unmanageable. I watched Goodfellas and just stayed persistent. At St. George I will have gorgeous scenery to enjoy! I really think that's one of the big advantages of this race. The course is beautiful. So long as I remember to smile and enjoy the surroundings, I'll be ok. When I got off the bike, my legs didn't feel any better, but they really didn't feel any worse. I'm pretty fortunate, insofar as biking hasn't been having much impact on my running legs. So, 10 minutes later, I was out the door for my 13.2 mile hilly run.
The run wasn't bad, the first 10 minutes were a little tough, but I then settled in to a rhythm. I just finished reading "Born to Run", and when I get tired, I just think about the joy of running. Again, at St. George, this will be easier to do, the run course is also beautiful. I kept a solid pace and just kept increasing my effort. Just under 2 hours later, I was done.
My coach has suggested that my pre workout ambivalence may be a sign that I'm right on the edge with my training, so I have a few days to recover and take it easy. This experience continues to be remarkable, as I keep taking my body to places I never thought possible. 6 hours of training today, and as I sit here and type this blog, I have no soreness. A small pizza has helped me replenish (as did some "healthier" calories), as did a one hour nap. Naps are critical!
I have to remind myself that my result at St. George isn't important. It really is about the journey. I'm doing everything possible to have a good result, but an Ironman can be fickle. I made it for 6 hours today, but how will I do after 11-12 hours and at the end of a marathon? I don't know, but I know that when I'm feeling tired or discouraged, I'll try to smile and remember the joy of being outside running or biking.
Today was the big test, my key workout prior to St. George. I was really excited yesterday, but woke up this morning feeling a little flat. Also, my legs felt sluggish and a little sore. Well, in some ways an opportunity to train feeling both tired and unenthused. I'm sure that will happen at some point during the St. George Ironman:), so figured that I could use this as an experience. With that in mind, I started my 4 hour indoor bike ride, with an effort that was supposed to be similar to the effort I will have on the bike at St. George. While it wasn't "easy", it also wasn't really hard. Well, that's not really the truth. It was a bit of a struggle, but never got unmanageable. I watched Goodfellas and just stayed persistent. At St. George I will have gorgeous scenery to enjoy! I really think that's one of the big advantages of this race. The course is beautiful. So long as I remember to smile and enjoy the surroundings, I'll be ok. When I got off the bike, my legs didn't feel any better, but they really didn't feel any worse. I'm pretty fortunate, insofar as biking hasn't been having much impact on my running legs. So, 10 minutes later, I was out the door for my 13.2 mile hilly run.
The run wasn't bad, the first 10 minutes were a little tough, but I then settled in to a rhythm. I just finished reading "Born to Run", and when I get tired, I just think about the joy of running. Again, at St. George, this will be easier to do, the run course is also beautiful. I kept a solid pace and just kept increasing my effort. Just under 2 hours later, I was done.
My coach has suggested that my pre workout ambivalence may be a sign that I'm right on the edge with my training, so I have a few days to recover and take it easy. This experience continues to be remarkable, as I keep taking my body to places I never thought possible. 6 hours of training today, and as I sit here and type this blog, I have no soreness. A small pizza has helped me replenish (as did some "healthier" calories), as did a one hour nap. Naps are critical!
I have to remind myself that my result at St. George isn't important. It really is about the journey. I'm doing everything possible to have a good result, but an Ironman can be fickle. I made it for 6 hours today, but how will I do after 11-12 hours and at the end of a marathon? I don't know, but I know that when I'm feeling tired or discouraged, I'll try to smile and remember the joy of being outside running or biking.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
10 Weeks to Go!
It's remarkable that there are just 10 more weeks prior to St. George. I've been negligent about blogging, but balancing ironman training, work and family is a challenge that I've actually been managing pretty well (another blog for another day). The last month has been amazing! I've felt a lot of the different things that one goes through in ironman training. The highs of completing longer workouts than ever before. The lows from fatigue and occasionally not nourishing enough. Just this last week I went from an incredible day of fatigue to a day of high energy! What is most amazing is that I know that I could do an ironman now if I needed to, I'm that ready. The good news is that I have 10 more weeks to prepare.
Today, Sunday, is a day off for me, the first real planned complete day off I've had in awhile. No training whatsoever. I'll even try not to think about training today, except while writing this blog! Over the last 3-4 days my mind and body have been telling me it's time for a break, which is good. If I didn't learn anything from my accident and subsequent lay off about the value of rest, I'd be pretty stupid. I took 8 weeks completely off from running, and my running is now, just 8 weeks later, as good as its ever been!
So, let me review some of my recent accomplishments. In the last week I did a 4,000 yard swim workout, which didn't seem that hard! I also swam 6 x 500 yards in 50 minutes. Both of these results bode well for my 2.4 mile ironman swim. A week and a half ago, I ran 2 1/2 hours on a very hilly course. My average pace was close to 9 1/2 minutes/ mile. I'd like to get this down to about 9 minutes/mile pace for the hilly St. George course. That said, my recovery from these runs has been excellent. Yesterday, with tired legs, I ran 7 miles on the treadmill at 8:53/mile pace. The effort was very comfortable the whole way, never having to breath hard at all. My biking continues to go well. I'm gaining power at lower exertional efforts and have ridden 4 hours in doors. In fact, last weekend, on Saturday, I swam 4,000 yards, and then between Saturday and Sunday rode 112 miles indoors and then was able to complete a solid run. A few days before doing this, I essentially ran a marathon over the course of 2 days on hilly courses.
Next weekend I'll be in St. George at Triathlon camp! I'm looking forward to riding the course.
Also, I've managed to find my run mantra, "I am strong". It came to me one day while running after a very hard bike. It has stuck with me ever since. I plan on using it to get me through the marathon at St. George. What was most exciting was that I wasn't trying to come up with a mantra at the time, it just came to me in a moment of clarity!
Today, Sunday, is a day off for me, the first real planned complete day off I've had in awhile. No training whatsoever. I'll even try not to think about training today, except while writing this blog! Over the last 3-4 days my mind and body have been telling me it's time for a break, which is good. If I didn't learn anything from my accident and subsequent lay off about the value of rest, I'd be pretty stupid. I took 8 weeks completely off from running, and my running is now, just 8 weeks later, as good as its ever been!
So, let me review some of my recent accomplishments. In the last week I did a 4,000 yard swim workout, which didn't seem that hard! I also swam 6 x 500 yards in 50 minutes. Both of these results bode well for my 2.4 mile ironman swim. A week and a half ago, I ran 2 1/2 hours on a very hilly course. My average pace was close to 9 1/2 minutes/ mile. I'd like to get this down to about 9 minutes/mile pace for the hilly St. George course. That said, my recovery from these runs has been excellent. Yesterday, with tired legs, I ran 7 miles on the treadmill at 8:53/mile pace. The effort was very comfortable the whole way, never having to breath hard at all. My biking continues to go well. I'm gaining power at lower exertional efforts and have ridden 4 hours in doors. In fact, last weekend, on Saturday, I swam 4,000 yards, and then between Saturday and Sunday rode 112 miles indoors and then was able to complete a solid run. A few days before doing this, I essentially ran a marathon over the course of 2 days on hilly courses.
Next weekend I'll be in St. George at Triathlon camp! I'm looking forward to riding the course.
Also, I've managed to find my run mantra, "I am strong". It came to me one day while running after a very hard bike. It has stuck with me ever since. I plan on using it to get me through the marathon at St. George. What was most exciting was that I wasn't trying to come up with a mantra at the time, it just came to me in a moment of clarity!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
