Day 6...the finale

Well the last day finally arrived. We were all a bit stiff but eager to get the final swim and run completed. By this point we more or less knew the routine...drills, drills and drills. In the water...beat up each other then repeat. We kept practicing positioning and drafting.

Swimming was one of the areas where I definitely saw improvement over the week. I went into the process with little swim volume and started in the back of the pack. By today, I was following the feet of the leaders...albeit winded a bit. I only wish drafting and sighting in a race was this easy.

We finally had an extended break between workouts where we could return and just chill. This provided ample opportunity to just veg out in the middle of the floor in preparation for our afternoon run. Starting at 11 am meant one thing...HOT. The heat was rising quickly.

I wasn't sure what I would have in my legs so I just started at a comfortable pace. Surprisingly, I had a bit of pop in my legs so I just went with it. My goal was to run in z1/z2 for about an hour. And I made it. It was blazing hot so there was an added hydration factor. I kept cool and managed to squeeze out one final good run.

Overall I am thrilled with my run this week. I thought this would be more of a limiter. I would have loved to run with the faster crowd and I would have significantly benefitted from it. However, at 19.7 miles for the week (and maybe more), that is the largest training volume I have completed since April. And to do that on all the additional training is quite impressive. I just hope the body holds up in return.

Daily Total:
Swim: 2200y
Run: 6.5 miles
Time: 2h 15m

Camp Total:
Swim: 13,700y
Bike: 250 miles
Run: 19.7 miles
Time: 24h 11m

Day 5 of pain

It officially hurts. And it hurts everywhere. We knew we were in for trouble when all three of us were extremely quiet this morning. No one want to admit, but we were all hurting.

7:00 hit the water again. We were given the option of drills or a long swim. Long swim it is. Since the workout didn't have any structure my goal was to go out hard and try to stay with the lead group of swimmers. My second goal was to swim the 1200y without looking up at all. For the most part I accomplished that. I definitely swam outside my comfort zone but I was doing a really good job staying on the feet in front of me.

At the buoy we decided to head out looking for dolphins. No go today. On the way back I knew I wouldn't hang with the lead group so I just wanted to cruise at a comfortable pace. I was a bit winded but managed to ride back with the second group.

Then the pain began. Quick change and to the bike shop for our ride out to Hawi. This was going to hurt...bad. As we left the bike shop there is a slight incline before turning onto the Queen K. We all felt the pain and the words "ouch" were heard throughout the group. My plan was to take it easy out to Hawi and attack a bit on the return. No such luck.

From the start, there was NO pop in the legs. I was hoping that I just needed a long mental and physical warmup to get the gears pumping. Nope. At 90 minutes, I took my 5 hour energy drink and it provided a bit more fuel for me. But I was still lacking any strength and definitely any speed. I was also stuggling a bit to stay cool in the heat.

The climb to Hawi was awesome and probably one of, if not the MOST, scenic ride I have ever had. The road is probably a quarter mile off the ocean and what I can only assume is a terrain littered with cliffs and large hills. The best part is that there is very little development. You pass an occassional ranch. Other wise it is open pastures. At times, you can actually see schools of whales flop around. I finally roll into the Hawi have nearly 3.5 hours of riding. Major suckage.

We had lunch there and then it was back to the grind. The downhill coming out of Hawi was awesome. Well minus the huge gusts of wind that scared you senseless. I was feeling good and hoping my legs were back underneath me. Nope. I still had nothing. I made it to the bottom of the hill and began entertaining the thought of having the SAG wagon take me in. I was so pissed. I know I am a better rider than what I was demonstrating. I vowed to not break but I told the crew to keep an eye on me.

My hope was that the tri-gods would take mercy on me during the return. I wasn't asking for 40 mph tailwind. Hell, I would settle for calm winds. No such luck. I had two brief tailwinds but the rest was a head/cross wind. This went from sucking to REALLY sucking quick. At this point, I was spent. I was still determined to finish the damn ride and not be cursed by not finishing it. When I hit the water stop, I didn't even talk to the coach. I took what I needed. Did what was needed and hit the road again.

In the end, this easily goes down as one of the top 3 worst rides in my life. Nothing was working for me. The conditions were rough. Despite drinking more than I ever had, I was clearly growing more and more dehydrated. I finally made it back to the bike shop in one piece. I jumped back on the scale and determined I lost 4.5 pounds during the ride. Not good at all.

I finally made it back to the condo and wanted to throw my saddle off the balcony. I need to make that a priority this season. All in all, I survived the ride. It wasn't pretty. I am fairly certain that is the longest I have EVER been on my bike. And I don't EVER want to repeat that. It was a really bad ride. Nothing I can do about that other than know that I put in the time and that it will building endurance and strength in the coming months. For now, I just want rest...and another chocolate shake.

Daily Total:
Swim: 2700y
Bike: 106.2 miles
Time: 7h 40m

Camp Total:
Swim: 11,500y
Bike: 250 miles
Run: 13.2 miles
Time: 21h 56m

Prepare to Suffer--Day 4

We all knew it was coming. One of these days was going to be a bit more intense than the others. The key for today was survival. Make it through and it was downhill from here.

Swim was good this morning. I felt particularly strong and seemed to have a solid stroke. The focus continues to be drafting and sighting. The group has grown from two people to six then everyone. Repeatedly we hit the water together and worked on navigating the crowd. For the sickos in the group we literally beat the snot out of one another for about 5 minutes. Again. And again. And again.

On the way home, we stopped off at Lava Java where I had the most succulent papaya that was topped with vanilla yogurt and granola. Jess said it was heaven. I say...not too bad. Another quick change and wheels rolling.

Today's focus was climbing. Coach Z had a nearby hill that promised to break most of us. We were instructed to go up three times...if we could. Yeah. Twice was enough for me. It was a brutal 3.5 mile climb that topped out at 20% grade over the final 1/3 of a mile. I am not sure I have ever ridden a hill as steep as that final section. I made it to the top and had to get off the bike to gather myself. The sweat was pouring down my face and my heartrate was through the roof.

The decent was something else. The first mile was out of control and you came down the steepest sections. I hate decending on my tri bike. Give me a roadie any day of the week and I will zip down and mountain. The light, narrow carbon frame just spooks me too much. I had to gather myself again at the bottom.

I knew I had one more climb in me so I set out the conquer the monster yet again. Same story...maybe easier. The last 300 feet were every bit as tough as I remembered. This time the legs were full of lactic acid. I don't recall what was coming out of my mouth but it probably closely resembled the mating call of a wild boar.

For my decent, I enlisted the help of Coach Z to talk me through it. Wrong decision. No brakes, no brakes, no brakes he yelled. My legs were just quivering under the bike as my speed approached 50 mph. I honestly couldn't feel my feet anymore. I made it to the bottom and was done. No more for me. I was spooked enough.



We had a little extra time in the condo before the run began. The three of us crashed immediately. Fifteen minutes of just steady meditation and I was ready to go.

Running time. And the tri gods provided us with a steady downpour to begin. My goal was to keep it nice and easy. I didn't expect to find any energy or strength in my legs so I was surprised when I was able to crank out 6.2 miles at a slow pace. Perfect. The best part was that I did it pain free. That was a shocking surprise.

So another day in the books. I have reached the mid way point and it is easy from here out. The rest of the workouts are endurance based. For now...it is time to eat everything I can get my hands on.

Daily Total:
Swim: 3000y
Bike: 24.4 miles
Run: 6.2 miles
Time: 4h 15m

Camp Total:
Swim: 8800y
Bike: 143.8 miles
Run: 13.2 miles
Time: 14h 16m

More Camping-Day 3

Another day and more fun in store.

I managed to sleep until my alarm beeped this morning at 530. I was surprisingly limber as I moved about the condo. I could tell that I had work the previous day but felt that I was in good shape.

First up, more swimming. The workout was simple. Swim long and work on sticking to your partner. I went out with the lead group, trying to hold feet as long as I could. The pace was quick and very manageable. We regrouped at the 1.2 mile buoy before deciding to venture over to the buoy that usually attracts dolphins. Nope. So we began swimming back. Within 5 minutes a school of dolphins were below us. I would estimate about 12 were gathered...just as interested in us as we were them. On the return, I got dropped pretty quickly. My swim shape isn't quite there.

Another quick break found us running back to the condo for calories, hydration and a quick change. We typically have 1.5 hours between workouts. That sounds like plenty of time but it isn't. It provides just enough time for us to take care of everything and still sit down for a few minutes.

The big workout was similar to yesterday...ride long. I went out feeling dead. I keep suffering from the same problem. My first hour of riding is brutal. I hate it and spend most of it fighting off negative thoughts. Opposite of yesterday, the wind was not at our back going out. In fact, there wasn't a significant presence of it. My goal for the day was to have a good ride, focus on staying cool and make sure I get nutrition. I tried to ride up front but didn't have the strength. I kept the group in sight until the gas station. We cooled down and made began the return.

I was still determined to have a good ride. My goal was to ride with the main pack and NOT get dropped. Off and on I would surge then fall back...surge then fall back. I kept pushing and hung with the pack for the first half of the ride. Our focus on the second half was to attack the hills and not let anyone get away. I was feeling fresh and energetic at this point so I made my moves when needed. In the end, three of us rode away from the pack. I, however, was unsuccessful in my pursuit of the leaders. The last 45 of the ride was pretty kickass and provided all the challenge I needed for the day.

Back to the condo feeling like a zombie. Eat, eat, eat. A quick stop by Lava Java for a burger then off to class for a lesson in periodization and race strategy.

Daily Total:
Swim: 2600y
Bike: 70 miles
Time: 4h 46m

Camp Total:
Swim:58 00y
Bike: 119.4 miles
Run: 7 miles
Time: 10h 1m

Camp--Day 2

The sufferfest has begun. The routine is simple. Eat, train, sleep. Repeat.

I managed to sleep until about 4:30 when the obnoxious sound of my blackberry forced me from the couch. I rested a bit longer growing concerned about what that day entailed.

First up 7:00 am swim. The sun wasn't up yet but it slowly crept over the volcano. The workout focused on drafting and sighting (or lack there of). We formed groups of two and practiced following the bubbles in front of us. If you were in the second position, you were not allowed to look up and sight. After a couple of rounds, we formed groups of four and repeated. Then the whole group worked together. The goal was to find your person and stick to him or her. Each course was only about 5 minutes of swimming or about 350 yards. We would then regroup and discussed what worked or what didn;t.

The best part about the swim in the clarity of the water. The ocean floor is a reef and there is an abundance of wildlife below you in colors that you only see in crayon boxes. We saw one turtle before the start and just fish during the swim.

Then we had a brief break that involved hurrying back to the condo, eating and changing into bike clothes. We met at the bike shop at 10:30 for the group briefing. It was a 50 mile out and back on the Queen K. We were to ride what we could or wanted but to go no further than Waikolia. Going out was great. We had a tremendous tailwind. But we paid for it on the return. I had a minor mishap at turnaround but a quick tube change later and I was on my way. The wind and sun were unforgiving. I am not used to 80 degrees and need to focus on staying cool this week (an issue all last season). I continued to push, catching back up with a few but mainly riding in solitude again.

Then back to the condo...jump in the pool, eat and get off my feet again.

The run was scheduled at 4:00. Ouch. There was nothing fun about that. I felt dead from the get go but I was maintaining a decent pace. Going into the camp, I decided to take ALL the runs VERY conservative. My biggest fear is that I will get injured again. The first 3 miles felt good and then I began to slow down. It was just like in IM. And I nearly slowed to that pace. The final two miles were brutal. I was coming undone at every joint. But I made it back to the condo and then found something to snack on.

Daily Total:
Swim: 3200y
Bike: 49.4 miles
Run: 7 miles
Time: 5h 15m

Camp Total:
Swim: 3200y
Bike: 49.4 miles
Run: 7 miles
Time: 5h 15m

(I will try to do better tomorrow to get photos of the area. I just didn't want to get off the bike to take one).

Day 1 of Camp

Well camp officially began Sunday night. That provided me ample opportunity to get things done and chill most of Sunday. The time zone difference is brutal. I initially woke at 1:30 (6:30 est). I forced myself to stay in bed until 4:15 before stirring around the condo. We were the first to hit the grocery store on the Sunday morning and by 9:00 am we were wondering what in the world we were going to do all day.

In the early afternoon we took the freshly assembled bikes to find some asphalt. We headed out on Alii to the Queen K and did a brief out and back to the energy lab. It was really cool to finally see the things you always here about. The pace was casual and the 4 of us just chatted.

In the evening, classes began. With a focus on nutrition, most the information was common sense but bears to be repeated...as we all KNOW but fail to execute most of the discussed topics. I spent most of my time thinking about two of my biggest gaps...diet and sleep. The coaches isolated both of those topics for a while which allowed my brain to go into sensory overload trying to figure out HOW to apply the rules to my life. I still don't know how one works, trains, eats and still manages to get 9 hours of sleep each night. Oh well...something to strive toward.

So day 1 is in the books. I wish they were all that easy. But then again, it wouldn't be a training camp ....

The view from my balcony

Up at 5:00 am, Hawaii time. It was really nice to just sit outside and listen to the birds, waves and well...garbage truck. Nothing on the agenda until tonight. For the mean time, I will just enjoy the view from the balcony.

Training Camp (prologue)

I will admit that I am very uneasy right now. Maybe it is the 10 hours of flying or the fact that I haven’t seen land in several hours. More than likely it is what awaits me on the big island. I am both grateful and wildly lucky that this opportunity fell to me. I am sitting on the plane traveling to the Mecca of the triathlon world. I get to run on the road where Dave Scott and Mark Allen had their famous duel. I will ride on the Queen K when Norman destroyed the world record (and threw down his bike). I am going to Top Gun to train.

One of the greatest attributes of this sport is the normalcy brought forth by the professional athletes. They are held in high regard among our community but virtually unknowns to the rest of the world. Instead, they are often normal people. And the best part is that when you compete…you get to compete against them. That is an opportunity afforded by only a few sports. You can’t expect to roll up to the neighborhood court and expect to play against the likes of Iverson or LeBron. You don’t play winter baseball and have Alex Rodriquez stop in to sharpen his skills.

In the triathlon world, you do. It isn’t uncommon to run into the pros at the events. Or even to see them training or joining a local group ride. Furthermore, in cases like this, triathletes are able to go and train on Centre Court or at the Superbowl. It is a really cool feeling.
But it comes with a bit of pressure. This week is going to be challenging. I am not where I want to be training wise. Nagging injury and bitter coldness won. Mentally, I am really far from where I want to be. Both of these issues will be front and center over the next few days. It will be a test of my mental and physical fortitude. Will I be able to push myself in the workouts. Will I bitch the entire time and not enjoy it.

All this is running through my head as we fly westward toward the big island. Most importantly, I want to have a good time. I want to train, train hard and enjoy myself while taking in the culture and ambiance of Kona. My focus will remain on keeping the big picture in perspective and how the training camp fits into everything. This should enable me to push through the difficult times while enjoying everything that surrounds me.

2008 Closing Thoughts

2008 proved to be a bit more of a roller coaster than I initially expected. Overall, I am very pleased with the end result. However, I would be remised if I wasn’t a bit disappointed by it too. There were two main themes for the year—personal bests and injury...a ying and yang of sorts

The beginning of the season demonstrated tremendous success for me. I focused on running during the off season and it proved one of the best (and possibly the worst) decisions I made. I mastered two half marathons in the winter and dropped my PR between the two by nearly 10 minutes. I also experienced a PR of several minutes in a 10k. I loved this feeling and more so, I loved running 100 miles a month.

The season also saw a number of multisport PRs. I took over 10 minutes off my time at Powerman only to come up seconds short of my goal. I crushed my previous time at Buster Britton sprint and managed some hardware along the way. At AmeliaMan, I dropped 30 minutes off my previous Olympic time and had a tremendous race. And of course, Ironman Florida saw a 90 minute improvement over IM CDA from the year before. All in all, it was a great season in the results column.

It is really hard to not ask, what if? What if I never got injured. Would those results be even better. How fast could I have gone at IMFL? I try not to think about it yet the question lingers in my mind. Injury. It was easily the most dominant story of my season.

I don’t know who was more fearful me or Coach Dan. He took me on as a client only to have a hidden injury rear its ugly head. This was a huge challenge for both of us all season. What I hoped would just a small nagging injury turned into a huge one. Instead of just backing off training, I shut training down all together. When that didn’t work, two rounds of cortisone shots provided some assistance.

There were times where I thought my whole season was in jeopardy. And I guess it was. I didn’t know if IMFL or Duathlon Worlds were even possible. I went to Belgium pumped full of cortisone and uncertain if this would be just one expensive trip. Fortunately it held together; unfortunately I had my ass handed to me. Something miraculous happened on that trip. I think I began to turn the curve with the injury. Conventional wisdom said the opposite would be true. But the race did me good. My running started slowly coming back around. IMFL became a real possibility.

The injury was never really resolved. I am not 100% sure what is going on. I worked hard to take November and December for recovery. But I think the body needs more.

What worked:

• A kick ass ride from Jacksonville to Valdosta. This really prepared me for IM FL. It was a good call by Dan and a strong testament to my will to not give up…even when the bridge said NO bikes
• Infinite nutrition. I highly recommend it. This was my primary source of nutrition for the final months of training. It worked wonders for me.
• Lots of swim training. It gags me to say that. But swimming hard helped maintain my fitness.
• Running base in the winter. I am convinced that this is the reason I was able to run in Belgium and Florida. The recent training wasn’t available but the base was there.
• Training with intensity. Doing multiple laps at columns was what built the speed
• Recover-ease. It needs to be a staple in my diet.

What didn’t work

• Triple T. It was probably the catalyst for the injury. Yet I am going back
• Bike fit. I ultimately feel this IS the source of the problem. It was adjusted a few times but I am not dialed it properly.
• Training through injury. That didn’t really work
• My diet. Ultimate fail.

Trainer Party

Bring your bike, bring your trainer, plan to sweat and bitch a lot. No helmets needed. Well..maybe for a few....

Bottomline--cycling in the cold is no fun. I have a breaking point that usually rests between 40-45 degrees. At that point, cycling no longer appeals to me. On the other hand, I don't enjoy riding my trainer either. So winters often become a bust for me. I am trying; though I struggle most of the time.

Saturday morning Coach Dan hosted a trainer party. 9 people invaded his living room. Thankfully Nancy was out of town but certainly returned to the stench of a locker room.

Workout:
10' z2
5' On/Off z4/z2
5' z2
5 x 3' z3 (2' reco)
3 x 2' z4 (3' reco)
10' z2
3' z3
2' z4
5' z2

The setting was much like a spin class with the ambiance of hardwood floors, a fireplace and LCD tv. There were no black lights and head pounding music (next time). Instead, Dan would yell out the workout and then we would chat in between.

Thoughts on the Upcoming Season

Ah....finally slowed down a bit. This year I am changing my focus a bit. There will be NO Ironman. This year needs to be about steady, consistent training. I feel like my body has taken a beating the last two years. It hasn't responded like I wanted it to. I keep finding myself injured but no source of the problem. My hope is that by dialing it back, my body will play catch up.

My focus this year is getting faster. I am booting the long, slow, steady training and look forward to shorter, more intense training. Here are a few of my goals for the season.

Swimming:
My swim came a long way last year. Something was clicking in the water for me. I know there is TON of room for improvement so I need to keep pushing it. This means that I need to actually attend a clinic or masters. Not just talk about it. I pushed myself a lot last year and I do still think I can improve on my own; however, I feel like I am budding up against a technique flaw to achieve my next big breakthrough.

I am keeping my goals modest for now. I plan on swimming 200,000 yards for the year. And I want to get my T-pace below 1:30.

Biking:
I had several great breakthroughs last year. I actually learned to train with intensity and it paid off in a big way. I feel like I am just realizing some of my potential on the bike.

This year, I need to focus on getting dialed into my bike. I certainly hope I can achieve this without having to purchase another bike. My wallet can't sustain that right now. Also, I am switching to training with power. I toyed with it last year, learning a lot about it. This year will be 100% power. I tested at 250w back in Sept. I want that to be 290w for the year.

Running:
This was the nagging issue all season. I spent the first 6 months having GREAT success and shattering previous times. Then I spent 6 months hobbling along. The issue is not resolved. I can only hope that it is controlled.

I am not ramping up my goals in this area. I am actually backing off from early season racing. I want to take things slow. Like cycling the key will be to focus on intensity. I want to race EVERY race at a sub-8 pace. I think that is achievable and I am typically not too far off. I want to see sub-7 some too. That of course means MORE intensity.

Health:
I still have an ongoing battle with my diet. I am working on it. I hope the new house will create an environment conducive for me to make those changes. But eating enough will still be the problem.

I didn't hit my weight goal for IMFL but I am ok with that. I would still like to see myself around 155 for a race weight. So at some point I will begin to monitor that ago.

I need to listen to my body better. I need to be able to say no when I feel truly fatigued. I need to say HTFU if I am just feeling lazy.

Core work. I can NOT neglect this. My goal is to design my second room into a small personal gym. This gives me NO excuse to not workout. Twice a week. I need it to prevent injury.

Those are just a few on the initial goals for the season. Again, the key is dialing it back and building a better foundation for the next few seasons.

All Purpose Update

Wow. It has been nearly a month since I have sat down to blog. That is extremely disappointing. At least I have a few excuses.

1. I bought a house. That has been the number one consumption of my time. I closed on the 31st so the few days leading up to the closing we packed full of faxing documents, phone calls and general stress. And then I moved in immediately. Thanks to my parents and Jess, I was able to pick up the keys on Wednesday, paint and move in ALL my stuff by Sunday morning. Now of course, I am still not settled and try to devote 2 hours every night to general maintenance.

2. The holidays. Enough said. I went home on the 23rd. To Nashville on the 26th. Back to Atlanta on the 30th. My plan was to blog during these periods. It just didn't happen.

3. Work. I got a big promotion. BIG. I now actually have defined responsibility and a staff of 3 to look after. The downside is that less blogging from work. Unless I get really efficient on blogging from the iphone. I cringe at the thought.

4. Limited Internet access. I still don't have cable/internet in my home. I am bumming a weak signal from a neighbor. The range is restricted to my bedroom so I am not in front of the computer very much. I also traveled for work to the only hotel in the world that doesn't provided in room wifi. WTF? my goal for that trip was to catch up on blogging. Alas it didn't happen.

So that is a brief update on everything in my life right now. Training definitely has suffered as a result. I think for the first time in nearly 2 years I took a week off where I did NOTHING. No swim, bike, run. No core. No yoga. Of course, I was moving, so I could technically logged that as cross training.

Anywho, 2009 is upon on us. I have goals. They are on a sticky-note. I have a race calendar. It is buried in my inbox. I have thoughts. They are just trapped in my head. Stay tuned. They will spring from my brain in the next few days.....