So I'm up at 4 am by choice..crazy. Trying to get the body used to race day. I spent yesterday running around a bit more than I wanted, but the result was I got just about everything done...registered, race wheels in hand, workouts done, ate, muscle "flush", and lots of water ingested. Still no real nerves to speak of..almost an eery calmness!
It seems like forever since I've been able to come home at the end of a day and just simply relax with Jenny and Sophia, and I really enjoyed our night of dinner outside with Country music blaring as Sophia played and Jenny and I hung out. Dinner was spaghetti and a Spinach salad...basic good food! We then watched Alice in Wonderland---seen it maybe 30 times now, but watching a movie with Sophia is always a great experience to hear her oohs and aaahs no matter how many times we've watched it. I started putting my gear together, and Sophia joined right in...she loves swim caps and aero helmets!
Then it was bed time, and I still feel unworthy of sleep I guess! I'm taking half a Tylenol PM to help out, and it seemed to help last night..yay! I think by todays early wakeup, I should be good to go tonight..I hope! I have an hour EZ ride today followed by a 15 minute transition EZ run....EZ! Yesterday was a 2200yd swim followed by an hour run...legs are fully charged and ready to go...I was running 7:30's low in zone 2 with the brakes constantly on in my mind. I have this delusion that if I get off the bike feeling fresh, I can hold 7:00-7:20 min/miles..we will see about that! It will all come down to that point where the day is getting long and when it truly becomes a battle to become Iron..."if it was easy, everyone would dod it." Hopefully that point happens after 16 miles in to the run, but I'm sure it will come more around mile 10, if not earlier.
So I'm heading out for the workouts early, and then off to pick mom up at the airport, otherwise, the legs will be kicked up and relaxing..maybe a few movies in store for us today! Apple TV here I come!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
4 Days Out....Yeeehaw!
The days are ticking away....slowly! My Facebook countdown I think is helping, but tomorrow, being my last day of work for the week (well, working 7 to 10 am...tough day!!), I will start to feel the excitement for race day start to pick up. I am vey excited to share this day with those who have been behind me......From day one in this sport (back to 1993!), my mom has always been there cheering and supporting (Love Ya Mom!)(AND, my sister, who can't make it out for the race too), and now I have Jenny, Sophia, Jenny's family, my brother in law Scott who is also competing, new friends (Dan, James, Buddy, Michael, Darci, Tracy, Nicky...) who are competing, and God knows how many friends that will be out there on Sunday cheering. You all have a very important role in the day---you are on MY TEAM! This has been a very selfish thing for me to do, especially when it comes to Jenny and Sophia, and a day does not go by that I don't appreciate their understanding and support...they've gotten used to "papa" not being home, or "papa" gone all day. I'm sure so many times during the course of the day I'll feel like crap, want to slow down, even stop, heck, even quit, but having you there to support me will help me keep one foot in front of the other, and at the finish we can celebrate in many different ways! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! As the saying goes, "if it was easy, everyone would do it." The day is about a personal challenge---a challenge I've wanted to take on for close to 15 years.
On to the selfish me and how I am feeling (I'm kidding, kind of), I am going through the psychology of tapering....trying not to eat as much (not fasting, just fueling my body correctly and not gaining extra "baggage"), trying to still feel energized, and trying to rest. The eating is keeping my weight stable, so I am good there--but man, it is tough. I feel like I am not eating at all, yet I'm still taking in 3000 calories a day---every calorie has been all about nutrients...I can't waste a taste! Trying to stay energized has always been a battle going through a taper for me...I feel lazy because I don't have the tough workouts---I guess it's nice when a 3000 yd swim, an hour run, or a 2 hour bike feels like nothing at least. The rest part of the taper has been the hardest. Sleeping has been difficult for the same reasons...I am not beating myself to a pulp everyday to wipe me out, so I don't hit the pillow as I close my eyes this week. My mind isn't going crazy about the race, I'm just not tired!! I may have to put a half a Benadryl in tonight through friday night just to get a great night of sleep! So otherwise, my taper is going as planned! The legs are getting pretty "fresh and loose" as I found tonight on my 2.5 hour trainer session..so all points to good!
After finishing up my workouts, I am feeling pretty decent about where I am at....my swim is strong, efficient and better than it has ever been. I plan to get out of the water right around 60 minutes after the gun The bike is what I am most worried about, as my quads have been sore since an ill-advised deep tissue treatment last friday, but they are coming around and should be fine (especially after tonights session...but they still have a little way to go). I think I will know 10 miles into the bike how my day will go--if I'm struggling to get power into the pedals, then my bike leg will be slower than I am planning. If things are perfect, the bike will take me a few minutes over 5 hours, if not, 5 1/2 hours is what will happen. If it's worse than that, I am having a bad day (really bad day!). So the most varying in time will be the bike. The run will always be full of stress; gauging pace, nutrition, and the mental part of starting a marathon after 6 hours of fairly high intensity work! My overall goal time: I have no idea! All in all I feel strong at all 3 disciplines, but it is the mental and nutrition side that really determines how well you do at this length...let's hope the First Endurance products and my mental status are right on!
Chris gave me the "race plan" today, so I am feeling very well prepared not only for the race but for everything from today forward (sleeping, when to eat, what to eat, what to drink,...). I can't prepare for the loneliness of the race...yes, there will be 2500 other people racing and countless people cheering, but I have no one to talk to, no one to chit chat with...what the heck am I gonna do with my brain?
On to the selfish me and how I am feeling (I'm kidding, kind of), I am going through the psychology of tapering....trying not to eat as much (not fasting, just fueling my body correctly and not gaining extra "baggage"), trying to still feel energized, and trying to rest. The eating is keeping my weight stable, so I am good there--but man, it is tough. I feel like I am not eating at all, yet I'm still taking in 3000 calories a day---every calorie has been all about nutrients...I can't waste a taste! Trying to stay energized has always been a battle going through a taper for me...I feel lazy because I don't have the tough workouts---I guess it's nice when a 3000 yd swim, an hour run, or a 2 hour bike feels like nothing at least. The rest part of the taper has been the hardest. Sleeping has been difficult for the same reasons...I am not beating myself to a pulp everyday to wipe me out, so I don't hit the pillow as I close my eyes this week. My mind isn't going crazy about the race, I'm just not tired!! I may have to put a half a Benadryl in tonight through friday night just to get a great night of sleep! So otherwise, my taper is going as planned! The legs are getting pretty "fresh and loose" as I found tonight on my 2.5 hour trainer session..so all points to good!
After finishing up my workouts, I am feeling pretty decent about where I am at....my swim is strong, efficient and better than it has ever been. I plan to get out of the water right around 60 minutes after the gun The bike is what I am most worried about, as my quads have been sore since an ill-advised deep tissue treatment last friday, but they are coming around and should be fine (especially after tonights session...but they still have a little way to go). I think I will know 10 miles into the bike how my day will go--if I'm struggling to get power into the pedals, then my bike leg will be slower than I am planning. If things are perfect, the bike will take me a few minutes over 5 hours, if not, 5 1/2 hours is what will happen. If it's worse than that, I am having a bad day (really bad day!). So the most varying in time will be the bike. The run will always be full of stress; gauging pace, nutrition, and the mental part of starting a marathon after 6 hours of fairly high intensity work! My overall goal time: I have no idea! All in all I feel strong at all 3 disciplines, but it is the mental and nutrition side that really determines how well you do at this length...let's hope the First Endurance products and my mental status are right on!
Chris gave me the "race plan" today, so I am feeling very well prepared not only for the race but for everything from today forward (sleeping, when to eat, what to eat, what to drink,...). I can't prepare for the loneliness of the race...yes, there will be 2500 other people racing and countless people cheering, but I have no one to talk to, no one to chit chat with...what the heck am I gonna do with my brain?
Monday, November 8, 2010
Where has the time gone! 13 days to Arizona Ironman!
It's been a little bit since I posted last, but not that I haven't thought about posting at least! There is just not enough time in the day or week sometimes to organize my mind and write something, anything! Even as I write this I am wondering what will come out on my blog...I guess it's the story of life sometime!
So on with the show...I am wrapping up my training for the race this week...the day is almost here! Lately I've had a bit of struggle keeping focused, and I knew this would happen. I've put my time in on all of the disciplines, I worked on my nutrition plan, finalized my gear, and have the feeling that so many people have told me---that the race is anticlimactic. When it's over, IT is over...the heavy training, the 5000 calories a day diet (hopefully I can cut back to 3000/day??), the anticipation...the list goes on.
While I am going with the flow, I am in what I call "anti-peak mode" which means trying not to feel to fast, too rested, and too excited about race day. If I'm fast, rested, and excited today, I won't be as fast, rested, and excited in 2 weeks---I just can't hold that level of "good" for that long. The good news is Chris has been helping me "stay down"...while I am in "taper" right now (the bike rides are 4 hours instead of 6)---the intensity is up, riding at higher heart rates and bigger gears.
The run on the other hand is getting worked---the past 3 weeks I've had at least two 2 hour runs a week. The highlight of those has been every one of them actually...my only 2 hour 30 minute run was 20 miles (I'll take that any day), and yesterday I completed 16 miles in under 2 hours; zone 2 heart rate, comfortable pace...averaging 7:26min/mi...the run is ready.
The swim has been uneventful, other than a new wetsuit I put into play this past saturday, and I LOVE it! Chris is involved with Sailfish wetsuits, so he sent me one. I decided to jump into Tempe Town Lake (yes it is full, yes the water feels fresh and clean, and yes to everything else good about the lake....it is the perfect Ironman swim venue), the event was part of the DCB Open Water Swim Series (I completed in one back in September just to get a feel for 4000m up at Saguaro Lake). I approached this 4000 meter race more as a workout than anything else (I had a 3 hour ride after)...my goal was to find my pace (did that), swim straight (I think I did), draft (no drafting today...no one swam straight enough!), and get out of the water feeling good and not winded (did that!). My time was 1:02, so I was happy, but of course now my goal for the IM swim is sub 1 hour (the IM swim is 3800m)...the thing I can't control is the other 2400+ people on the swim course at the same time trying to not let me swim my race as I plan...I have a secret plan for that, but it's a SECRET!! This swim was also a 4 lap 1000m course, so I had to weave through traffic for the second 2 laps, so that was good prep for IM AZ!
So that's it for now...I'm just cruising along keeping the excitement low. I'm feeling good about all of the disciplines! At this point I'm nervous about a few things, all of which I can't control: the swim craziness (the first 400-500 meters will be tough!), the wind on the bike (but everyone has to deal with it), bad luck on the bike (mechanicals, flats), nutrition ( I can control it and will have a plan, but will my stomach agree?? First Endurance says it will!), and how will I feel when I hit the wall on the marathon ( mile 13? mile 20? or worse, mile 10? mile 1??)...I think I will be able to handle the pain--I know it will be present all day long! For those of you that will be there, if I'm not saying much, it is the pain that I am fighting---pain does not like it when you smile, and a lot of pain makes it impossible to smile, let along high five, but I'll do my best and will give plenty of hugs when it is over ;-}
Cheers!
So on with the show...I am wrapping up my training for the race this week...the day is almost here! Lately I've had a bit of struggle keeping focused, and I knew this would happen. I've put my time in on all of the disciplines, I worked on my nutrition plan, finalized my gear, and have the feeling that so many people have told me---that the race is anticlimactic. When it's over, IT is over...the heavy training, the 5000 calories a day diet (hopefully I can cut back to 3000/day??), the anticipation...the list goes on.
While I am going with the flow, I am in what I call "anti-peak mode" which means trying not to feel to fast, too rested, and too excited about race day. If I'm fast, rested, and excited today, I won't be as fast, rested, and excited in 2 weeks---I just can't hold that level of "good" for that long. The good news is Chris has been helping me "stay down"...while I am in "taper" right now (the bike rides are 4 hours instead of 6)---the intensity is up, riding at higher heart rates and bigger gears.
The run on the other hand is getting worked---the past 3 weeks I've had at least two 2 hour runs a week. The highlight of those has been every one of them actually...my only 2 hour 30 minute run was 20 miles (I'll take that any day), and yesterday I completed 16 miles in under 2 hours; zone 2 heart rate, comfortable pace...averaging 7:26min/mi...the run is ready.
The swim has been uneventful, other than a new wetsuit I put into play this past saturday, and I LOVE it! Chris is involved with Sailfish wetsuits, so he sent me one. I decided to jump into Tempe Town Lake (yes it is full, yes the water feels fresh and clean, and yes to everything else good about the lake....it is the perfect Ironman swim venue), the event was part of the DCB Open Water Swim Series (I completed in one back in September just to get a feel for 4000m up at Saguaro Lake). I approached this 4000 meter race more as a workout than anything else (I had a 3 hour ride after)...my goal was to find my pace (did that), swim straight (I think I did), draft (no drafting today...no one swam straight enough!), and get out of the water feeling good and not winded (did that!). My time was 1:02, so I was happy, but of course now my goal for the IM swim is sub 1 hour (the IM swim is 3800m)...the thing I can't control is the other 2400+ people on the swim course at the same time trying to not let me swim my race as I plan...I have a secret plan for that, but it's a SECRET!! This swim was also a 4 lap 1000m course, so I had to weave through traffic for the second 2 laps, so that was good prep for IM AZ!
So that's it for now...I'm just cruising along keeping the excitement low. I'm feeling good about all of the disciplines! At this point I'm nervous about a few things, all of which I can't control: the swim craziness (the first 400-500 meters will be tough!), the wind on the bike (but everyone has to deal with it), bad luck on the bike (mechanicals, flats), nutrition ( I can control it and will have a plan, but will my stomach agree?? First Endurance says it will!), and how will I feel when I hit the wall on the marathon ( mile 13? mile 20? or worse, mile 10? mile 1??)...I think I will be able to handle the pain--I know it will be present all day long! For those of you that will be there, if I'm not saying much, it is the pain that I am fighting---pain does not like it when you smile, and a lot of pain makes it impossible to smile, let along high five, but I'll do my best and will give plenty of hugs when it is over ;-}
Cheers!
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