The Final Stretch

Thursday (7/1)  - Ride 20 Miles  (1 hour 21 minutes)
Went out for a 20 mile ride with Amanda after work.  Felt good, back is feeling better.  Average speed 14.7.
Picked up race clothing for Ironman 70.3 today.  Ended up with TYR Tri jersey made of a smooth spandex like material with big pockets in the back for gels and other items.  Hoping the smoother material will be more comfortable than my mesh tri jersy over long distances.  Also got Zoot Tri shorts with thin bike pad that can be worn during the bike and run, and Under Armour thin moisture wicking underwear.  This will eliminate the need to change into bike shorts in T1 and into run shorts in T2.  However, I am not convinced that my butt is going to like the paper thin padding in the  shorts.  Jury will be out until after the long bike ride on Saturday.

Friday (7/2) - Run 3 Miles (29:37)
Went out for an easy run this morning.  Back is still feeling better.  Ran with my new Zoot shorts this morning to see if I could run with a thin bike pad in the shorts.  Surprisingly it didn't bother me and I got used to it pretty quickly.


Saturday (7/3) - Final Bike/Run Brick - (Bike 57.15 / Run 5+)
Today was the last day to go through a big workout before beginning to taper.  Went through my planned race routine including pre-race prep, clothing, race nutrition, etc. 
Met at Rattlesnake Bar at Folsom Lake with the EDH tri club to ride the bike route of the "Worlds Toughest Tri" in Auburn.  Ride duration was 4 hours and 41 minutes and included approximately 5,500 feet of climbing.  Average speed was only 12.1 MPH, with many of the climbs being down around 5-7 MPH. The ride felt great and I was amazed at how fresh and energized I felt.  Following the ride I went out for a trail run of just a little over 5 miles (1:01:15) in the heat of the afternoon.  Great prep for the upcoming race to be out in the mid day heat.  Again I was very surprised that my back wasn't hurting and the run felt pretty good compared to how my legs have felt in the past following the ride.  Today was a GREAT confidence builder since the Vineman bike route is no where near as hilly and difficult as this route was.  Today helped pull me out of my funk.

Clothing - New clothing worked out well, and surprisingly the thin pad tri shorts worked great for the bike and run.  The new jersy did rub any areas raw.  Very cool - getting the equipment dialed in.

Nutrition - Nutrition was dialed in today.  For Breakfast I had 2 Ensures (700 calories), 1 Banana (100 calories), coffee, and water.  For the race I will get up earlier and work in a 3rd Ensure, some raisens, and almond butter.  During the early portion of the bike I ate 1/2 cup of raisens (260 calories), bottle of water, and bottle of gatorade (100 calories).  At the half way point I switched to GU - Just Plain (500 calories), added a bottle of 5 hour energy to my 2nd Gatorade (100 calories).  Also, sucked on shot blocks (200 calories) on the ride back to keep from getting cotton mouth.  Went through 2 more bottles of water on the way back.  On the run I just used water and a packet of shot blocks (200 calories).   Switching from Hammer Gel to GU elmiminated the stomach cramps.  Need to repeat this routine for the race.

Lesson Learned - DO NOT pour a gatorade powder packet into your water bottle with it in the bottle cage.  I was in a hurry and just took off the lid, unfortanately the Gatorade packet tore and powder went all over my front cranks, sproket and chain.  Gatorde sticks really well to chain lube.   Also, confirming my desire to carry 3 CO2 cartridges and 2 tubes.  One of the ladies I was riding with had a flat.  We stopped to change tubes, she was out of CO2.  Gave her one of my cartridges, she fixed the tire and we were off.  1/2 mile down the road the tire blows and she doesn't have another tube. I give her one of mine and she fixes her tire, but as she is filling it with air it blows again.  These are the unforseen issues you need to prep for.  I will carry 2 tubes and 3 new cartridges on the ride.  Amanda will have 2 spare tubes and 2 cartridges on the course.

Sunday (7/4) - Lou Gehrig's Farewell Speech ("Luckiest man on the face of the earth")

On July 4, 1939 Lou Gehrig gave his farewell speech at Yankee Stadium after being diagnosed with ALS, today known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.  Lou Gerhig was known as the "Iron Horse" during his baseball career, and set a number of records before being diagnosed with this fatal disease.  I have had not only the priveledge of training for this upcoming Half Ironman and am blessed with a body that is healthy and allows me to move and do the things I love, but I have also had the opportunity to raise funds for ALS.  Thank you to my friends and family who have so generously donated.  If you would like to contribute to my fundraising efforts click on the following link:  Iron Phi Fund Raising Page




To learn more about Lou Gehrig you can click on the following link:  Lou Gehrig

Sunday night our friends Rich and Michele came over for BBQ before doing fireworks.  It was difficult to watch them drink beer while sitting by the pool while I was sipping on a water.  Then they brought out the ice cream for dessert and I ended up having my greek yogurt and blue berries. Argh!!! Only a couple more weeks.

Monday (7/5 ) - The Taper Begins 
Amanda and I took Koda for a short walk by the Lake.  Had aspirations of running 11 miles after a great day Saturday but it didn't work out.  It wasn't a planned run, but thought if I had the time I would squeeze it in.

Stretching morning and evening.

Tuesday (7/6)  -  Run 3.35 miles (31:22)
Easy run this morning to ease back into things.
Just found out that the 3 mile run I have been recording for the last 6 months is actually 3.35 miles.

Wednesday (7/7) - Run 3.35 miles  (29:13)
Easy run this morning.  Another appointment for my back and hip/leg/IT Band.  Not 100% but much better than I was a couple weeks ago.

Thursday (7/8) - 2 mile walk
Walk two miles with Koda after work.  Was going to do the 11 mile run I thought of on Monday but I got home too late and was tired and hungry.  Was going to go to the lake to swim, but really wasn't motivated.  Feeling guilty that I haven't done the 11 mile run.  Amazing how an unplanned run for fun has turned into a task I failed to complete.  Where is the logic in that.  All the coaches and forums say a week or two before the event the biggest mistake people make  is to start to panic and try to squeeze in a couple more long workouts for good measure, but they only end up fatiguing their muscles and really don't add any additional conditioning.

Stretching morning and evening.

Thursday night set up my rear mount bottle cages so I can test them on Friday morning ride before the Sprint Tri on Saturday.

Friday (7/9)  - Ride 5 miles
Heading out for an easy 20 mile ride to test my new rear mount bottle cages.   Came out the driveway and the bracket slipped.  Had to go back and tighten the screw.  Headed out a second time and ran into my neighbor picking up TP from the yard.  Talked a few minutes.  Finally got going on my ride and really wasn't feeling it.  Not good 1 week before the big race of the season.   After a couple miles I turned around and called it quits.  I am feeling very flat.  This is not a good sign.  Something needs to change.

Saturday (7/10)  TBF Sprint Distance Tri - last practice run before Vineman Ironman 70.3

Went out today to practice my transitions, test all equipment, nutrition, setup, and mainly to draw energy from the event, the athletes, and the crowds.  Very successful day.  Transitions went very smooth.  My rear mount bottle rack slipped again during the ride (not good).  I will need to figure something out on that during the next week.  Came away with a lot of energy, it was perfect and exactly what I need going into next weekend.

Total Time - 1:38:15  compared to 1:42:44 on the same course last year.

• Swim 1/2 mile (14:57) - Held back 22 seconds on the start to let the wave get ahead of me.  This was a test for next weekend. I use a lot of energy in the first 5 minutes fighting with everyone for position, gasping for air and choking down water.  Then I find that once it starts to thin out I am tired.  I thought this time I would let the frenzy go ahead of me to conserve energy and then just get into my zone.  Worked really well.  Was able to swim my pace and pass a lot of people in my division as well as the division that went 5 minutes ahead of us.  Also tried out some new Nike Tri goggles.  They were great and will definitely be used next weekend.  Talked to a number of athletes who thought the swim was longer than a 1/2 mile. I think my time last year was  12:58 and I know my swimming has improved, so I was shocked that it took me almost 15 minutes to finish.
• T1 (3:09)  - No issues getting wetsuit off or getting ready for the bike leg.
• Bike 16 miles (51:29) - Was trying to push hard since it was only 16 miles. Average speed was 18.7.  Rear bottle cage slipped again around mile 4.  
• T2 (3:06) - No issues.  A little difficulty changing socks trying to get new socks on wet feet.  Normally wouldn't do this, but next weekend I want new dry socks for the 13 mile run, and I am willing to give up a minute in transition for a little comfort on what will be a painful run.
• Run 3 Miles (25:27) - My goal was to do the run in 30 minutes (10 minute mile).  I went out and felt like I was pushing myself, but not going fast - although I would pass someone once in awhile.  Then there wasn't a 1 mile marker so I wasn't able to judge by pace.  Then I hit the turnaround point (mile 1.5) at 13:06 which means I was doing better than a 10 minute mile because I expected to hit there at 15 minutes.  After coming around the turnaround I decided to see what I had left in the tank and decided to challenge myself to doing a negative split on the run.  So I started pushing a bit harder to where my legs were burning, and I was sucking wind.  Ended up with a second half of 12:21 (about an 8:15 mile) which is pretty good for me, although it certainly didn't feel like I was running that fast.  Overall run pace was an 8:30 per mile.

Great Day!!! Perfect Confidence builder.  If I can only carry the momentum into next weekend.

Race Results Comparisons for July 2010, July 2009, and July 2001 on the same course.

July 2001 - Time 1:43:02, 29th out of 35 in the 30-34 age group, and 289th out of 420 entries.
July 2009 - Time 1:42::44, 27th out of 35 in the 40-44 age group, and 213th out of 424 entries.
July 2010 - Time 1:38:15, 11th out of 25 in the 40-44 age group, and 109th out of  412 entries.

* Moral to the story: Never say can't or if I were younger, or If only.......(fill in the blank)   I just proved to myself that I could be 9 years older, starting out 40lbs + heavier, and still work my way back to putting in a better time than 2001 and a significant move up in overall standings.  
If I can do it, you can too.  Pick your goal, write it down, develop a plan to get there, and stick to it.    (note: July 2009 was the first Tri I had done since 2001.)

Sunday (7/11) - Rest Day

Today I will be building my race plan, nutrition plan, packing list and doing my shopping for next weekend so I am not running around all week next week in the evening after work.

Monday (7/12) - Ride 20 Miles (1:22)
Really easy ride today, average speed 14.3 MPH.  Just went out to enjoy the ride, not to push myself.  Stopped to take pictures along the route which I have done so many times in preparation for this weekend.  I thought it only fitting that since this might be one of the last times until Sunday I should stop and smell the roses.

     

                                Folsom Lake 6:00am                         Rainbow Bridge / American River

     

American River Bike Trail

Tuesday (7/13) - Busy Day at Work
Only stretching today.  Client deliverables due and we are behind schedule.  This was not part of the plan.  At work early and was here until 11:30pm.  This was supposed to be a restful week.

Wednesday (7/14) - Another Busy Day
Only stretching this morning again.  This is only fitting. Most of my planning hasn't gone perfectly and has caused me to make lots of adjustments.  Today I had to cancel my Thursday appointment for my last neuromuscular therapy prior to the race due to client commitments.

New adjustments.  Taking Friday off so I can get out of town before the traffic hits.  I will move my Saturday morning swim to preview the course, to Friday afternoon before the athlete reception dinner.   No swim early Saturday morning so I can sleep in and go straight to the mandatory pre-race meeting at 10:00am.  Amanda booked me for a 1.5 hour sports Therapy Massage tomorrow night at 7:30 in lieu of my other appointment.

Thursday (7/15) - And Again Another Busy Day (Easy 2 miles)
Did some stretching in the morning and ran an easy 2 miles.  Not exactly the week I had planned.  Tonight I had a 90 minute sports Therapy Massage to put the week behind and loosen up the muscles. Tomorrow begins the journey to Santa Rosa for swim Friday afternoon, reception dinner Friday night, registration and prep on Saturday, with the event on Sunday.

June Training Log

Total Days of Working Out = 20 days (9 days with double workouts)

Miles Running: 61.6 miles (up from 54 in May)
Miles on Road Bike: 188.3 miles (down from 279 in May)
Swimming: 9676 yards (up from 7200 yards in May)


Starting Weight: 187 lbs
Ending Weight: 182.5 lbs

Spent most of the month nursing a nagging lower back and IT Band pain.  I was actually able to put in more total miles running and swimming (not as much as I had hoped), but cycling really suffered.  I wasn't able to put together my planned long runs and rides, and was only able to put together a couple small bricks.  Maintained a positive attitude most of the month and continually readjusted my workout plan to account for my back issues.  Started getting discouraged and frustrated the last couple days of the month. This was probably the realization that July was just around the corner and very disappointed that I haven't been able to do the intensity of training I had hoped for in June. I am still in the process of realigning my race plan, when I will begin my taper, and how to best use my last week of training.  At least I lost another 4.5 pounds.
 
Saturday (6/5) - Run 3.5 Miles (43 minutes)

3.5 miles, easy pace to stretch hip and lower back. 43 minutes.

20 minute run, 6 minute walk, 12 minute run, 5 minute walk. Sunny and
80 degrees. Need to move training runs to the afternoon and evenings to start to acclimate my body to running in the heat in July.

Sunday (6/6) -TBF Olympic Distance Triathlon - (3:02:26)

(.9 Mile Swim, 24.8 Mile Bike, and 6.2 Mile Run)

What a great day.  Enjoyed a wonderful morning with my wife and good friend Jamie who completed his first Olympic Distance Tri today.  Swim was very frustrating as many people could not swim in a straight line and I expended a lot of energy trying to avoid the zig zaggers that kept cutting me off and kicking me in the face.  At least I shaved 4 minutes off of my swim time from last August.  Bike went well, but I need to learn to hold back and not race.  My original plan was to lay back, but as soon as a couple people passed me I couldn't handle it anymore and had to step it up.   The Run was disastrous.  The transition and first mile were great.  This is the first time I have come off the bike and felt good about running.  However, by mile 1 my lower back started cramping again.  I had to slow down significantly to deal wth it.   I still finished a couple minutes faster than my August 2009 time even with a bad run.

Nutrition: Was able to consume two bottles of water on the bike and take in 4 ounces of Hammer Gel.  However, I had stomach cramps on the bike and run.  Need to work on this.

Changes:  Ran with my cycling socks. No good - too thin and my feet started to hurt.   Ran without carrying water.  No good - need to carry a water botte for psychological reasons.  Tri Jersy - No good - it is fine for shorter distance, but it is a mesh fabric that starts to rub you wrong after several hours.  Need a softer fabric.

.9 Mile Swim - 26 minutes

Bike 24.8 Mile - 1 Hour 22 Minutes

Average Speed 17.5

Run - 6.2 Miles - Too Long

Comparison Times - Folsom Olympic Distance Tri (August 2009)
Swim -30:08
T1 - 5:45
Bike - 1:21:42
T2 - 5:13
Run - 1:02:43
Total - 3:05:33

Monday (6/7)- Run 3 miles (no timer)
Taking it easy to heal my back.
 
Tuesday (6/8) - Run 3 miles and Swim
Ran an easy 3 miles (29:10) in the morning.
Swim 15 minutes in the evening to try out the smaller size on the Xterra westuit.  Fits much better.

Folsom Lake Sunset following Swim

Wednesday (6/9) - Run 4.5 Miles (39:08)

Thursday (6/10) - Bike 13.2 miles (55:22)  / Run 4 Miles (39:45)
6:00am ride, average speed of 14.3 MPH.  Felt sluggish, starting to leave the iPod at home to get used to training without music.  Rode at higher cadence in small sprocket to keep from stressing my back.

8:00 PM run 4 miles.  Legs still feel fatigued.  Could be nutrition oriented because I have had an easy week.

Saturday (6/12) - Mock Tri Training Day
Worked out with the El Dorado Hills Tri Club today.  Overall had a great time.  For anyone looking for coaching or help achieving their Triathlon goals I would highly recommend Kari Duane.  She  is a very positive and encouraging Tri coach.  Swim went great (5th out of the water) although sighting and tracking was difficult and drank quite a bit of water in the chop.  Bike went well, although  I don't know what Kari was thinking setting the bike course with two trips from rainbow bridge to Beals point.  The run course included a couple miles of trail running, and trip down the bike trail from Beal's point and back up the hill (Thanks alot Kari), and then the psychological killer 4 laps around the parking area of Beal's point (that was a miserable 15 minutes of running).

Swim 1.4 miles - 44:58
T1 - 5:09
Bike - 25 miles - 1:32:24
T2 - 5:05
Run 6.9 miles - 1:19:21
Total - 3:47











Monday (6/14) - Stationary Bike 8.4 miles (30 minutes)
Rode 30 minutes on the recumbent stationary bike.  My back and IT Band are killing me.  Thinking this may take some stress of my back.  Average speed of 17.2 MPH, program "Rolling Hills - Level 5"

Wednesday (6/16) - What to do?  What to do?
Lower back and IT Band still very painful.  Really not sure what to do.  No workouts yesterday or today other than stretching and situps in the morning and evening. Icing IT Band, heat on lower back.  Researching whether I should push through and risk further injury, and hope to recover and heal during my taper, or should I rest now and extend my training period and eliminate part of my recovery.  Creating a lot of mental stress.  This was not part of the plan.  This is supposed to be my peak training period through the July 4th weekend before beginning to taper and rest. I know it is not wise to push right now, but feeling concerned about time left to get in my workouts.   Leaning towards a middle of the road strategy to give my back more time to heal.  Move to stationary recumbent bike, eliptical trainer instead of running, and continue swimming.  This way I continue to get some workouts in, but take the stress off of my back.  Time will tell if this works.  I just don't feel comfortable sitting completely idle, and I don't think it wise to continue to push hard. 

Thursday (6/17) - Stationary Bike 14.6 miles (60 minutues)
Recumbent bike.  367 calories burned.  Lower back seems no worse for wear. 

Saturday (6/19) - Stationary Bike 10.1 miles (40 minutes) / Run 3 miles (30 minutes)
Rode 40 minutes (273 calories) on the recumbent bike at home while watching the world cup. Ran 3 miles on the eliptical at the gym (326 calories).  This is very boring and too much like work.  What I may be losing in intensity and "real world" workouts I am gaining in mental strength.  About two minutes into it I am ready to quit.

Friday night Amanda and I took class #1 of the Advanced bicycle maintenance class with Casey at Bicycles plus.  Turns out my chain was stretched out and needed replacing, which also led to the replacement of the rear cassette.   The good news is that while replacing the rear cassette I was able to move to the Ultegra 11-28 from the 12-25 that was currently on there.  This will give me two new climbing gears that I didn't have previously.  This will be particularly useful for the Gran Fondo in October, but certainly won't hurt to have for Chalk Hill which comes late in the race during the half ironman.  Looking forward to getting back on the bike and hitting Costco Hill, Beatty Drive, and Serrano Parkway with the new gears.  Although I still may have to wait a couple weeks.

Sunday (6/20) - Ride 20 Miles (1:21:43)
I just couldn't stay off the bike, it was calling me out into the sunshine.  I really wanted to go ride hills, but my back is still not any better and IT band is screaming.  I decided to exercise caution and not over do it.  I rode 20 miles and kept in on the small front sproket to keep from putting too much stress on the legs and back.  Average speed was 14.6 with very little exertion.  May want to consider a higher cadence strategy for the half ironman and do most of the ride in the small front gear to preserve my legs.  I got a chance to try out the new gear ratio and it definately made a difference.  I used it on the long uphill coming back over the new bridge and was able to maintain a similar speed as before (10 mph), but at a higher cadence (95) which definately caused less fatigue on my legs. 

Monday (6/21) - Run 4.3 Miles (40 minutes) on eliptical / Ride 25 miles (1:46:25)
Spent 40 minutes (386 calories) on the eliptical this morning at the gym.  Still boring, but doesn't seem to be negatively effecting my back.

9:00pm rode on my recumbent stationary bike in the garage for almost 2 hours while watching a training webinar.  Average speed 14.9 mph - burned 619 calories. 

Tuesday (6/22) - Run 3.6 miles (30 minutes) on eliptical  / Swim 1.8 Miles (57:50)
6:30 am ran on the eliptical at the gym again.  Lower Back and IT band still sore, but aren't getting any worse.  286 calories. 

6:00 pm did a 1.8 mile open water swim tonight at Folsom Lake.  Ended up running into a guy from EDH Tri Club (Dave) and ended up swiming together.  Very tired.  Need some sleep.
Keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to run by Saturday when we go back to preview the vineman course.

Wednesday (6/23) - Stationary Bike 7.5 miles (30 minutes)
Ran one time around the block very slowly to see how the lower back was doing. It seems to be healing.  Keeping my fingers crossed for Saturday.

Thursday (6/24) - Run 6.6 miles (60 minutes) on eliptical

Saturday (6/26) - Run 6 miles and Ride 19.25

Today the EDH Tri Club met in Windsor to ride and run the Vineman course.  Since we had the kids with us and my Mom is travelling we didn't feel right leaving the kids alone for half the day at grandmas house.  I already rode the course last month so I stayed with the kids while Amanda did a 72 mile ride.  I dropped her off at the Windsor High School at 8:00am to meet with the club.  As they rode away my muscles were twitching - I wanted to be on my bike so bad.  I went back to my Mom's house in Santa Rosa to wait to pick Amanda up.  While the kids were sleeping I decided to test out the lower back and IT Band.  So I went for a 2.5 mile run (23:16).  Things felt fine and no significant pain. 

I then decided I would go for a short ride while waiting for Amanda to finish.  So I parked at Windsor HS and decided to ride the Vineman bike course backwards until I ran into Amanda.  I came up the backside of Chalk Hill, and as I was decending I passed Amanda on her way up.  I went all the way to the bottom so that I could ride back up Chalk Hill for training purposes.  The new 11-28 cassette is a winner.  Made going up Chalk Hill much easier.  Met up with Amanda at the top and we finished out the ride together (19 miles / 1:18:47)

We then set out for a dreaded run in the heat.  I didn't carrry any water, so I decided to limit the run to about 40 minutes.  Ended up running about 3.5 miles (39:28).  Rethinking my ride strategy.  Even though I only rode 19 miles my legs still felt a little sluggish.  I may be better off pushing my bike exertion to reduce the time as much as possible since it looks like my run will stink no matter what I do. 

Sunday (6/27) - Ride 20 Miles (1 hour 17 minutes) / Swim 1 Mile (30 minutes)
Rode 20 miles this morning with Amanda.  Went around Lake Natoma, up hill towards Beals Point and then up hill again over the new Folsom Bridge.  Legs felt really fresh.

Went for a 1 mile open water swim at Folsom Lake this evening at sunset (8:00pm).

Monday (6/28) - Run 4 miles (40:39)
Went out for an easy run this morning.  It was great to be out in the sunshine again rather than the eleptical at the gym.  My back is starting to feel a little better, but I still have to run cautiously to keep from going backwards.

Stretching 45 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening.

Tuesday (6/29) - Run 3 miles (30:39)
95 degrees out.  Prepping for running in the mid-day heat. 
Stretching 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening. 

Wednesday (6/30) - Run 3 miles (30:34)
What a difference a day makes.  The day started out feeling very frustrated with the nagging lower back pain and IT Band issues.  Likely triggered by the fact that it is the last day of the month and I haven't been able to put in the volume and intensity that I had planned.  Went in for some neuromusculor therapy for the first time. Was very helpful in pinpointing some of my issues and relieving some of the pain.  Left with some specific stretches to include in my regimen to loosen up the hips, glutes, etc.  Went for an easy run afterwards and felt much better than the last couple weeks.
Stretching 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening.

36 Days and Counting - How did I get here?

Only 36 days until Vineman Ironman 70.3.  It is Friday night and I am sitting here trying to motivate myself to get up in the morning to do another Olympic Distance Tri in the morning.  I am reflecting on all of the early mornings, running in the cold rain this past winter and spring, working out many hours by myself, the fact that I haven't had any alcohol for the last couple months, and I wore through a pair of road bike tires.  The fear is starting to set in.  I am pretty comfortable with the swim and bike, my biggest concern is still the bike to run transition and being able to run 13 miles without cramping up.  I still wish I had a couple extra months to prepare.  But since I don't, I better get up early and put in another good training day.   How in the world did I end up here? 

It all started with a phone call I received sometime in Febraury 2009. A good friend of mine said they were getting married on Maui in May and wanted for us to attend.  Immediately after hanging up I thought to myself, I better start exercising or I am going to look ridiculous sitting around the pool at the Westin with a sweatshirt on.  Having managed to accumulate more than two pounds a year since college (I've been out for 20 years - you do the math), reality was beginning to set in that I did not actually look like I imagined myself in my head.  So I decided it was time to take immediate action (vanity does serve a purpose).   I had motivation to exercise and start losing weight, and I had 2.5 months to do it.  I figured if people could lose 5-10 lbs a week on The Biggest Loser, certainly I could shed a couple pounds a week.  What I hadn't counted on was the fact that I am now over 40 and my metabolism had changed since my 20's and 30's when a few extra pounds used to melt off pretty quickly with exercise.  I also didn't realize how out of shape I really was.

I started out with walking in the evenings after work.  I then moved to walking with 1 minute increments of running, followed by more walking.  Then I was able to run 1/2 mile without stopping, then it was a mile, then it was two miles.  Before I knew it I was running 3 miles, 3-4 times per week by the time our trip came around.  I didn't lose 40lbs, but I did shed a few pounds, but more importantly I started to develop a  new positive habit.  I continued running while on our vacation in Maui (for fun believe it or not).

When we returned from Maui,  I decided to do a 10K (6.2 miles) in May with my wife and brother and his girlfiend.  This was the longest I had run and I lived to tell about it.  The seed was planted.  If I could run 6 miles, I could do a triathlon again.  It had been 8 years since I had done an athletic endeavor such as this, and running had always been the most difficult leg, and now I even had a new road bike.

Event # 2 for 2009 was a sprint distance triathlon in July (.5 mile swim, 16 mile bike, 3 mile run).  This gave me a goal, and a reason to keep exercising.  Having successfully completed this and having been insired by watching the Tour de France, I decided I needed a new challenge. 

Event #3 for 2009 was something I hadn't done before - an Olympic Distance Triathlon (.9 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run).   I tackled this in August of 2009 and the bug was planted.  Mentally a half Ironman was achieveable. 

September & October was inconsistent effort for conditioning.  Finally, November rolls around and registration opens for the 2010 Vineman Ironman 70.3 (aka Half Ironman).   This has been a goal of mine for years, but now was the time to stop thinking and start acting.  So I registered, and for the first few days I was a bit dillusional.  I was happy and wanted to order stuff, like vineman shirts, Ironman hats, triathlon magazine, books on training, etc.  Then about a week later, reality began to set it and I started to panic. I only had 8 months to prepare, I needed to start doing something.  I decided it was important to develop a sustainable and reasonable goal and plan of attack.

 The first phase was to get through the holidays without gaining weight and without losing what little conditioning I had.  So I ran a little and biked a little, and tried to put a little more control over my eating.  I figured January would be a good time to really start hitting it consistently.

Event #1 for 2010 was a New Years Duathlon (run - bike - run).  I did this with Amanda, Zach, and Jordan.  It was a good way to kick off the year.  Then continued with a lot of base training of running and biking through the rest of winter and spring. 

Event #2 for 2010 was a half marathon in May.

Event #3 for 2010 was a 10K and 2 mile obstacle course in May.

Event #4 for 2010 was an Olympic Distance Tri (.9 mile swim, 24.8 mile ride, and 6.2 mile run) in June.

It is strange to reflect on these facts.  When I look backwards I realize how far I have come in the last year, and I draw strength and confidence from this. I went from not being able to run a mile without stopping, to being able to run a half marathon.  However, when I look forward to the upcoming Ironman 70.3 I begin to get concerned whether I really trained hard enough.  Time will only tell, but for now I should get up in the morning and do this Olympic Distance Tri for another training run.  

May Training Log

Total Days of Working Out = 23 days (4 days with double workouts) 

Miles Running: 54 miles
Miles Walking: 2 miles
Miles on Road Bike: 279 miles
Swimming: 7200 yards
Rock Climbing: 2 Days
Starting Weight: 189.5 lbs
Ending Weight: 187 lbs

Overall a good month.  Very consistent workouts and relatively injury free.  Feeling very confident all month until my run following the 50 mile ride.  Very tired and lower back spasms during the entire run.  One more full month of working out.  Still can't believe how much working out I have done, changed my diet, haven't had any alcohol since April 15, and still only lost 2 lbs during the month. 

Saturday (5/1) - Run 13.1 Miles (2:03:22)
American River Parkway Half Marathon
Pre-Race Nutrition: Almond Butter & Honey, 2 scrambled eggs, greek yogurt, bannana, and coffee.  (Worked well, plenty of energy, no stomach problems during the race, drank only water to hydrate during the race.)

Mile Split Times:
(1)- 10:13   (2) - 9:24  (3) - 9:22  (4) - 9:18  (5) - 11:06 (included 1:45 bathroom stop)
(6) - 8:48 (picked up the pace over the next two miles trying to catch Michelle.)
(7) - 8:42 (caught up a little past the 7 mile aid station)
(8) - 9:12  (9 ) - 9:26  (10) - 9:26  (11) - 9:15  (12) - 9:03  (13) - 9:06  (.1) - :53

Photo 1: Trying to chase down Michele between Mile 5 and 7.  Photo 2: Michele and I crossing the finish line.

Sunday (5/2) -  Ride 13.5 Miles (57:08)
Recovery Ride - Average Speed 14.1 MPH

Monday (5/3) - Swim 1000 Yards (18:37)
100 Yard Split Times (1:36,1:46,1:46,1:48,1:54,1:51,1:51,1:54,1:56,1:53)

2 Mile Walk with Zach in the evening.

Tuesday (5/4)  - Ride 20 Miles (1:14:45)
Average Speed 16.1 MPH

Wednesday (5/5) - Run 4 Miles (38:21)

Friday (5/7) -  Ride 16.5 miles (1:12:52)
13.7 MPH Average Speed

Saturday (5/8) - Run 3 Miles (29:24)

Sunday (5/9) - Run 6 Miles (51:36)
Split times:
3 miles - 25:51
3 miles - 25:44
Sub 9 minute mile.  First time for any kind of distance.

Monday and Tuesday (5/10 & 5/11) : Hip too Sore to exercise.  Must have pushed a little too hard on Sunday.

Wednesday (5/12) - Down hard with food poisoning or the flu.  Up half the night worshiping at the porceline alter.

Friday (5/14) - Ride 20.09 Miles (1:16:23)
Morning Ride - Average speed 15.9 MPH

6 am - sun coming over the Sierra's in the background - riding over the new bridge at Folsom Lake while listening to Pato Banton song "Life is a Miracle" from the Step Into Liquid soundtrack. It was a worship experience.  Glad to be alive and thankful for the opportunity to swim, bike and run.  After hours of running and cycling to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Goo Goo Dolls, Green Day, Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam, Gin Blossoms, Nickelback, Stone Temple Pilots, etc., nothing really emerged as a theme song, until now.  This certainly isn't an adrenaline pumping song that will push me through the pain to the top of the hill, but it does make me thankful for the opportunity to even try to conquer the hill, regardless of how fast.

In the beginning was the word

and the word was with God.

And God said: "Let there be life".

Life, oh life! Life is a miracle.

It's a miracle every time a mother gives birth

tell me who can say how much a child is worth.

A miracle living on this planet earth

rotating to the rhythm of the universe.

Life!

More precious than the rarest stone

More valuable than silver or gold.

Life!

The essence is invisible

to the scientific mind it's impossible.

Like the secret of the seed that grows into a tree

the starry galaxies remain a mystery.

Oceans and the seas the air we breathe.

God knows that I believe...

Life is a miracle.

So let's give thanks to our father above

For all of the wonderful things that he does.

Life is the ultimate gift of love.

God knows that I believe... Yes I do.

Life is a miracle. It's true.

Saturday (5/15) - Run 6.2 Miles (54:29),  Plus 2 Mile Obstacle Course
Folsom Run with Nature 10K

New Course this year.  Hilly Course compared to last years.  Last years time was 1:03:23 (10:15 per mile pace).  At least there is some improvement.

Mile Split Times:
(1 ) - 8:48,  (2) - 8:35,  (3) - 8:53,  (4) - 8:28,  (5) - 8:45,  (6) - 9:15, (.2)  - 1:44

Had a great time doing the Wild Way.  This was a 2 mile obstacle course following the 10K. It included trail running, low crawling under army nets, push ups, tire drills, climbing fences, crossing mud pits, etc.  Had a chance to do this with Jordan and Amanda. 

Sunday (5/16) - Ride 23.5 Miles (1:34:42)
Average Speed 14.9 MPH
Riding into a head wind sucks.  Hope there is no wind at the Ironman in July or the Gran Fondo in October.

Monday (5/17) - Run and Ride at 5:30 am
Run 3.2 Miles (31:39) - Cold
Ride 20 (1:31:16)  - Average Speed 13.2 MPH.  Riding into a head wind.  What a pain.  Plus cold.  Didn't eat anything before the run or ride.  Started feeling sick towards the end of the ride.

Tuesday (5/18) - Swim 1000 Yards (18:35) during lunch

100 Yard Split Times (1:37,1:50,1:52,1:53,1:52,1:53,1:54,1:58,1:45)

Wednesday (5/19) - Run 8.5 Miles (1:22:01)
Round Trip from our house to the top of Beatty Drive and back
House to bottom of Beatty 31:17
Beatty 10:08 up / 8:57 down (almost the same pace as going up on my bike)
Beatty back to house 31:36

Major mental victory. Very challenging run. Smiling the whole way back. Legs moved beyond pain and fatigue and became numb / just moving to the cadence I set as if on autopilot.

Thursday (5/20) - Swim 1200 Yards (20:15) during lunch
1:40,1:47,1:48,1:50,1:50,1:53,1:51,1:52,1:48,1:52,1:51,1:44

Saturday (5/22) - Ride 54.5 Miles (3 hours 44 minutes)  Most of the Vineman Ironman 70.3 Course
Average Speed - 14.6
Start Temp - 42 degrees, Ending Temp - 57 degrees with wind at 14 MPH
Clothing: short sleeve shirt, longsleeve bike shirt plus wind breaker. Was cool at times. Need to figure out clothing options for Tri in July if Santa Rosa has a cold spell.
Food: Almond Butter, Honey, Bannana and Coffee pre ride.  Clif Bar and Hammer Gel, plus water and watered down gatorade during the ride.

Parked at the Windsor High School (T2) and rode from their to Westside Road.  From Windsor High School turned Left on Windsor Road, Left on Windsor River Road, Left on Eastside Road, Right on Wohler and Right on Westside.   From the High School it is about 8 miles to Westside Road, and you come in at about the 9 mile mark on the Vineman Course.  Follow the rest of the course back to Windsor High School.

Westside Road around mile 13.  Lots of rollers and a fairly rough road. Need to be aware of potholes during the race and sections where there is no shoulder, just a drop off into a big ditch.  Running tires at 120 psi and thought my fillings were going to fall out.  Also riding into a headwind which didn't help.  Beautiful section of the ride but felt like a lot of effort to maintain 13-15 MPH. 

Westside Road around Mile 13

Conditions improved some once I hit Dry Creek Road.  Hooked up with three other riders for a few miles.  Ended up passing them on one of the small hills and heading back out on my own.

    

Photo 1: Intersection of Kinley and Dry Creek Road. Photo 2: Dry Creek Road around mile 21.

Canyon Road was very scenic with a hill climb and a fast decent into Geyserville.  Still feeling good at this point in the ride.

Canyon Road around Mile 28.

Highway 128 was fairly flat and fast with the wind at my back.  The Road conditions seemed better and I was able to maintain 17-20 MPH pace.  Passed a lot of cyclist going the opposite direction.  A few on tri bikes.

         

Highway 128 past Geyserville. Around mile 34 and 38.

Chalk Hill Road begins to get narrow again and has some rough patches.  The first hill pictured below took about 1 minute to climb.  Not too bad at all.  The second hill took around 6 minutes. By this time I was tired and my legs were starting to hurt. 

Chalk Hill and Hwy 128 split.  Around Mile 41.

Part of the 1st climb up Chalk Hill.

End of Bike. Transition 2 at Windsor High School.

Sunday (5/23) - Rock Climbing with Zach at the Gym.  Good Arm Workout.

Monday (5/24) - Ride 20 miles (1:19:26) at 6:15 am.
Average Speed - 15 MPH
Cold (50 degrees) and wind at 14 mph.  I can't believe it is May in Sacramento.
Wore long tights, 2 long sleeve shirts, plus windbreaker.  Perfect temperature.
No Food before the ride. Only a cup of coffee.  Started feeling it towards the end.

Tuesday (5/25) - Swim 1300 Yards (24:38) during lunch
Focused on form and technique and swimming efficiency, not speed.  Slowed down stroke rate and focused on stroke length and rotation.
100 Yard Split Times: (1:43,1:52,1:51,1:52,1:55,1:55,1:54,1:53,1:55,1:55,1:55,1:56,1:55)

Wednesday (5/26) - Swim 1000 Yards (18:35) during lunch
Focused on form and technique again.

100 yard split times (1:41,1:49,1:50,1:53,1:53,1:55,1:52,1:52,1:53,1:51)

Thursday (5/27) - Run 5 Miles (52:34) at 7:00 am
Uphill Split - 26:07  / Downhill Split - 26:25

Windy on the uphill portion, a lot of difficulty breathing due to pollens in the air, slowed way down to compensate for lack of oxygen.  Lower back very sore during the run, maybe from pushups, planks, and crunches. Didn't run with iPod. Need to start weaning myself off the music since Ironman will not allow music at their events and is grounds for DQ.

Saturday (5/29) - Brick Work Out - Ride 50.13 Miles (3:05:58) / Run 3 Miles (not timed)
Average Speed 16.1 MPH
Included hill route back to Beals Point and back over the New Folsom Bridge.

6:30 am ride, ate eggs, almond butter, honey, and coffee pre-ride.  Ate 4 ounces of Hammer Gel Apple Cinnamon, drank 2 bottles of water and 2 bottles with Nuun tablets.  No intestinal issues, altough the Nuun tablets started having a bad taste towards the end.

The Run = Reality check. Not sure if you could call it a run. I barely passed a lady walking her dog. More like a shuffle. Legs started feeling better about 1.5 miles in. Lower back was cramped and had pasms the whole time. Stopped 3 times to stretch. Felt great during the stretch but didn't fix the problem. Couldn't run fast enough to even tax my aerobic system. Holy crap. I have to run 10 more miles on top of this. Need to add more bricks to my June workouts.

Sunday (5/30) - Open Water Swim (15 minutes  ~ 700 yards)
Got to try out my new Xterra Wetsuit.  Worked Great.
Cancelled my long run.  Back was still stiff.  Stretched throughout the day.

Monday (5/31) - Ride 41 Miles / Open Water Swim (20 minutes ~ 1000 yards)
Ride 41 miles @ 7:30 am, Average Speed 16, Time 2:34
Rode with a Phi Delt Fraternity Brother which I hadn't seen in a couple years.  Great ride together.
Also went rock climing with Zach for 2 hours in the afternoon and then back to Folsom lake in the evening to do another open water swim workout and to give the wetsuit another try.

April Training Log

Total Days of Working Out = 15 days (4 days with double workouts)

Miles Running: 65.8 miles
Miles Walking: 6 miles
Miles on Road Bike: 38 miles (Mostly Hill Training)
Swimming: 1400 yards
Snowboarding: 2 Days
Starting Weight: 191.5 lbs
Ending Weight: 189.5


Overall good month of training.  Felt strong, continued to minimize fast food, sugars and alcohol.  Focused mainly on running to prepare for the American River Half Marathon in May.  Lost an entire week of training due to snowboarding crash, but better than any serious injuries.  12 mile run was the first time I have run that far in more than 14 years, it felt great to accomplish this.  I was also reminded of how far I need to  go to get ready for this Half Ironman.  I will need to be able to run 13 miles following several hours on the bike.  May and June will be big training months.  With the sun coming out I am starting to get excited for the event.

Thursday (4/1) - Run 3.5 miles (~ 35:00 - no watch on)
Rainy and windy. Rolling hills running at Bodega Dunes Campground.
Friday (4/2) - Run 3.5 miles (34:02)
Rainy and windy. Rolling hills running at Bodega Dunes Campground.


Saturday (4/3) - Hike 3 miles along the Sonoma Coast.  Great view of the Russian River and Coast from the top of the hill.

Wednesday (4/7) - 3 mile walk with Amanda

Thursday (4/8) -  Run 4.5 miles (43:22)
No food , slow casual pace, 7:00 am, 48 degrees

Friday (4/9) - Run 3 miles (29:18)
7am, 45 degrees, No food

Friday (4/9) - Bike 10.25 miles (52:08)  (Hill Training)                       
2 trips up Beatty Drive (8:39 and 9:41)

Saturday (4/10) - Run 8.1 miles (1:18:38)
No water on the run - overcast 50 degrees
Coffee, almond butter, honey and raisins and 2 eggs before the run

Saturday (4/10) - Bike 8.1 miles (Bike ride with Jordan to measure distance of morning run)

Sunday/Monday (4/10 & 4/11) - Very windy and stormy again - No exercise.

Tuesday (4/13) - Run 4.2 miles (41:37)
6:30 am, almond butter, honey, coffee and water pre run

Tuesday (4/13) -  Bike 11.65 miles (52:31)
Average Speed 13.4 mph, Hill Training @ 6:00 PM
Costco Hill  (6:44) - Hill Climbing
Beatty  Drive (8:54) - Hill Climbing

Wednesday (4/14) - Run 8.1 miles (1:16:52)

Thursday  (4/15) - Birthday
Played hookie and went to Northstar for a great day of snowboarding with the family.  Lunch at the Ritz Carlton @ Northstar.

Saturday  (4/17) - Run 9.4 miles (1:25)
43:22 (1st Half), 41:36 (2nd Half)
6:30 am, 47 degrees
Greek yogurt, peanut butter, honey,water and coffee Pre-Run.  Felt strong. Twinge of pain and fatigue around 1:10.

Sunday- (4/18) - Last Day of Snowboarding at Northstar.  Final Run of the Season - going fast - major wipeout - ripped out of bindings, hurt my hip and hit my head hard going down.  Very lucky I didn't get really hurt.  Just a major headache and very sore.

Monday - Friday (19th-23rd) - No exercise - hip really hurts - can't run or bike.  Need to train, but need to take time to heal so I don't have any nagging injuries in July.

Saturday (4/24) - Run 12 miles (1:54)
Felt really good. Carried water bottle.  Actually past runners on the trail.
Started hurting around with pain in the joints around (1:25)

Sunday (4/25) - Ride 8 miles with Zach in the morning.  Stopped at Coffee Republic.  Amanda and Jordan got back from Girl Scouts early and met us.  Threw the bikes in the back of the truck and didn't get to ride home.

Sunday (4/25) - Swim 1400 yards (26:37) (evening)
100 yard Split times (1:41, 1:54,1:54,1:59, 1:56,1:57,1:53,1:55,1:57,1:52,1:55,1:59,1:50,1:47)

Tuesday (4/27) - Run 4.5 miles with Jordan (46:11)
Stretching, situps, pushups, two 1 minute planks.

Wednesday (4/28) - Run 5 miles (52:17)  included hills.
Thursday/Friday:  Resting up for the American River Parkway Half Marathon.

March Training Log

Total Days of Working Out = 14 days
Miles Running: 33.2 miles
Miles on Road Bike: 156.2
Swimming: 2100 yards
Starting Weight: 193 lbs
Ending Weight: 191.5 lbs

Overall it was a very good month.  Felt much better than February.  Very frustrating that all that work only led to 1.5 lb weight loss.  Need to get in more days of training.  Should only be doing 1 or 2 days of rest per week.  Goal for April should be 20 workout minimum.

Wednesday (3/3) - Run  6.1 miles  (56:38)
3 mile warm up with uphill 30:38
3 mile downhill with flats 25:58
6:30 am, temp in 40s - light rain. Forgot to eat. Slow start warming up. Felt pretty good on the hill climbs. Started tiring a bit during the last mile.

Friday (3/5) - Run 7 miles  (1:05:28)  6:30 am
3 mile split 29:27 (warm up / uphill)
3 mile split 26:08 (downhill to flat)

Saturday (3/6) - Bike and Run
Bike 34 miles  (2 hours 8 minutes)  Average Speed 16.0
Run - 2 miles (19:38)  very painful.  Like running on two telephone poles.

Sunday (3/7) - Bike 14 Miles: Casual ride with kids to coffee republic for lunch.

Monday (3/8) - Swim 1000 yards total.
Warm up - 75 free, 75 breast, 50 kickboard, 100 free
2 x 300
1st 300 with 100 yard split times - (1:47, 1:54, 1:49)
2nd 300 with 100 yard split times - (1:46,1:52,1:54)
100 yard free cool down.

Tuesday 3/9 - Run Approx 6 miles (56:33)
6:30 am, temp 38 degrees, ate a banana and peanut butter with 1/2 cup coffee and water.  Other than being cold, it felt good to run a flat course at a slow pace.
Weight - 193.5

Wednesday  (3/10) - Bike 7.6 miles - Hill Climbs (Costco hill)

Average Speed 14.2, 32 minutes

Cold and rainy 37 degrees
Banana, peanut butter and coffee before the ride
 
Thursday (3/11 )- Run approximately 3 miles (32:44)
5:00pm after work - ran with Jeremiah

Saturday (3/13) - Bike 62 miles (3 hours 52 minutes)
Average Speed 16.0
Ironman 70.3 Bike Distance (56.2, 3 hours, 27 minutes, average speed 16.2)
7 am ride - cold low 40's and ice on the bridges
 
Tuesday 3/16 - Run 6.1 miles (55:27)
3 mile  Flat to Uphill- 29:02
3 mile downhill to flat - 26:25
6:30 PM

** woke up with pulled groin.  Very sore to walk **

Thursday (3/18)  - Swim 1100 yards
100 yard warm up free style
1000 yards (19:05)
100 yard split times = (1:45, 1;54, 1:51, 2:01, 2:00, 1:59, 1:55, 1:55, 1:58, 1:42)

** Groin pain moved to hip and lower back - still can't run **

Tuesday (3/23) - Walk 3 miles - back and hip still hurt

Thursday (3/25) - Bike 12.12 miles (51 minutes),
6:30 am - Average Speed 14.1
Saturday (3/27) - Bike  26.3 miles (1 hour 39 minutes)
4:30 pm - Average Speed 15.9

February Training Log

Total Days of Working Out = 14 days (+ 3 days of snowboarding)

Miles Running: 22.5 miles

Miles on Road Bike: 36 miles
Time on Stationary bike: 4.25 hours
Swimming: 0 yards
Starting Weight:  195 lbs
Ending Weight: 193 lbs

Overall was a frustrating month with balancing work and family priorities, and trying to get in the workouts I wanted to.  I felt like a lot of workouts were missed or significantly altered due to forces outside of my control or trying to be flexible with the intent of doing the workout later.  Lesson learned - Prioritize workouts and try to get them in as early as possible to avoid other priorities from taking over. 
Monday (2/1) - XXX bike - 45 min (6am)
Tuesday (2/2) - XXX bike - 45 min (6am)
Friday and Saturday (2/5 and 2/6) - Two full days of snowboarding: Great workout on the legs.  However ate and drank too much with friends over the weekend.
Monday (2/8) - XXX bike - 45 min (6am)
Wednesday (2/10) - Run 3 miles (6am)
Friday (2/12) - Run 3 miles (6am)
Saturday (2/13) - Run 3 miles (8am) - Ride planned - recieved word that my grandmother passed away.  Headed to Santa Rosa to be with Mom.

Monday (2/15) - 25 mile bike ride with my daughter in the afternoon.

Tuesday (2/16) - Track and Speedwork (5:30 AM)

• 800 warm up followed by Form Drills
• 3 x 800 with 2 min recovery (3:44, 3:51, 3:46)
• 6 x 400 with no recovery - with 100 yard drills (lunges, high skip, grapevine, backwards run, crossovers,etc)
• 800 cool down - (4:51)
• stretching and core work

Friday (2/19) - XX bike (6am) - 30 minutes - had to leave early for a meeting.

Saturday (2/20) - Run 22 minutes - (2.5 miles) loosen up for Sunday's run.

 Sunday (2/21) - Run 5 miles (48:23) at 9:00am.  Ate a bannana, and a cup of coffee before.  Spent the first 10 minutes going out easy to warm up.  Worked well for smooth breathing and legs.   This was the final 5 miles of the Vineman Ironman course.  Feeling much more confident about the run course now.  Just continue to train hills at home. The steepest hill took about 1 minute from bottom to top.  Picture from Starr Road and Slusser Road below.

Tuesday (2/23) - XXX bike - 45 min (6am)

Thursday (2/25) - XXX bike - 45 min (6am)

Saturday (2/27) - Run 2 miles (19:20)

Sunday (2/28) - Beautiful day snowboarding at Northstar (picture below). Got home before dark, did a quick change and road 11 miles (45 minutes) to Beals point (rolling hills).  Started out a little sluggish but finished strong.  Felt great to get out on the bike.