Back to the Gym

After a seeminly long absence from the gym, I finally went back to the gym for a short swim.  Break time is over, I can't use finishing an Ironman as an excuse anymore.  That being said, there are still some exercises I cannot do, due to the bicep tendon tear (resulting in some shoulder pain) and the IT band irritation.  But I got back in the pool for a short, easy swim - to ease back into a work-out routine.

Just 1000 meters, which at one point sounded like a long swim.  Now, having done training sessions of over 2 miles in open water and many sessions of over 3000 meters in a lap pool, 1000 meters did not sound difficult.  However, getting into the water for the first time in weeks felt foreign.  The natural grab and pull of the water felt a bit different.  I didn't feel as smooth and I felt like my technique has gone to crap.  Did two hundred meters' worth of drills, but I think I'll be doing more drills soon.

If that wasn't enough of a sign that I need to get back into the gym, another sure sign that it has been far too long is the fact that I nearly forgot the combination to my lock.  After standing in front of my locker trying different combinations of the three numbers I thought was the correct numbers, I finally got lucky - only after realizing that the three numbers I originally believed to be the combination weren't correct!

Yes, it's time to get back into the routine.

Falling Apart: The Knee

Knee pains have bothered me since the beginning of training and right through Ironman Arizona.  Usually appearing only during long training runs, the pain is pretty sharp, on the outside bone of the knee.  Yes, I'm lacking any actual medical terminology, but then again, I'm not a scientist.



That's not my butt



A visit to the physical therapist, who advised me that the knee pain is actually due to my Iliotibial band (IT band).  Anti-inflammatory medicine should help - which is great since I already have a stash of 800mg ibuprofens. 

Unfortunately, even after complete rest for nearly two weeks, the pain still comes back during training runs.  Yesterday, an attempt at an easy few miles was cut short when the pain hit just past mile 2, and forced me to stop when the pain continued to get worse at mile 3.  This is not a good sign, as the pain usually does not occur so early. 

It's time to start doing IT band stretches and being more careful with it.  Even though Ironman Arizona is behind me now, Iron Sherpa is still sherpaing.  She already bought me an IT band/knee brace which has garnered multiple positive reviews for being helpful.  I'll have to try it soon.

Post-Race Time; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

One of my friends competed in Ironman way back in 1982 - well before the Ironman series became such a large commercial success, and raced with the Ironman legends (Dave Scott and others).  He warned me of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (in a lighthearted way, not to make light of the real Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affecting many of our nation's soldiers).  He jokingly tells me about dreams/'nightmares' he gets about the Ironman still.

Last night was my first one.  Details, as usual, are fuzzy now though I remember somehow losing both tires (along with the inner tubes) and wondering how I was going to get through the rest of the ride.  Many nonsensical scenarios in my dream, each of them making it difficult to finish.  The loss of the tires is probably related to my flat and other issues I ran into as a consequence of my early bike crash during Ironman Arizona.

But other than one dream, post-Ironman Arizona has been relatively stress-free.  Finally went to see a physical therapist for injuries sustained during an October bike spill while training.

Not only has my schedule been stress-free, but it's also been mostly exercise-free.  Other than a 9 minute high-intensity stair climb (up 50 flights of stairs) as a part of a benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, I've done very little.  The itch is back to start swimming, riding and running again.  Weather has not been cooperating but that's a weak excuse.  It's time to get back on the horse again.

Ironman Arizona: The Best Part [Part 2]

Pre-race Sherpa facebook posts are here.  And now we continue with her posts during the race!

Beginning of the swim.  At this point, I've been in the water for 15 minutes already, waiting for the cannon to signal the start of Ironman Arizona.  She's posted up by the swim finish, camera in hand and ready to cheer me on.  And yes, I agree.  She's the best Sherpa ever.



My first Sherpa sighting!



As I get through transition and on the bike, she knows she's got a bit of downtime while I go about making my first loop on the bike course.  She later tells me she noticed my first bike split was rather slow and was a bit worried.  What she didn't know at the time was my fight with the street sign and my flat, both of which are reflected in my slow first bike split.



She's got her timing down, estimating when I would pass through our pre-arranged cheering spot. 



Off to the run!  Two thumbs up on the outside, but my knee was already hurting by this point.  Didn't want to show the pain though.  Guess I covered it up pretty well.



Figure-eight course allowed for lots of places to see Sherpa.  Which meant I knew at those points I needed to look strong and as if nothing was bothering me!  I can tell my coach my knee hurts but Sherpa, I don't want to worry her with such things.  It's already been a long day, and I'm glad she's having fun.

 

Always thinking ahead!  What would I do without her?




Mile 23, I remember you.  At that point, I was telling myself "all you need to do is a 5k run. You've done plenty. You do one (and more) nearly every morning. This is nothing. Let's get 'er done."  And all through this, Sherpa is still running around like a maniac.  Some say I'm crazy for doing an Ironman. I say she's crazy for putting up with me doing an Ironman.



Done! Sherpa was right at the finish line.  I didn't see her, but I heard her yelling and screaming. :)
I did find her a little later as a volunteer led me a few steps away from the finish line (so others can have their moment too).



Even I thought the kiss was salty. :p

  What a day.  As much as I accomplished that day, Sherpa was obviously one busy girl all day too!

Many thanks to Sherpa for all of her support, time, effort and sacrifices.  Many thanks to all of my (and her) friends who commented and liked the posts and otherwise showed endless support on our successful Ironman endeavor!

Ironman Arizona: The Best Part [Part 1]

It's been just over two weeks since I finished Ironman Arizona.  I've had a chance to blog about the experience a bit, talk with a number of people, both who have done Ironman event in the past and family and friends who wanted to know more about my experience.  I also had some time to reflect on the experience - and it was definitely a good experience.

Among the most frequently asked question is "What was the best part?"

Many times the question is asked with the qualifier, "not counting the finish..."  But I don't even think the finish was the best part.  Maybe second best.  Crossing the finish line, rather than a sense of accomplishing a once-in-a-lifetime achievement and feeling on top of the world, I felt more relief.  Relief the race was over, that I did (and can tell people that I did) what I had set out to do.  It was relief that the time, energy, effort, money, and sacrifices was for something.

But the best part?  The best part was walking back to the hotel room after everything was done and having Iron Sherpa tell me about her day.  Running around like a maniac (my words, not hers) to make sure she saw me as often as possible and live facebook-blogging my entire race.  Then getting to the hotel room and her telling me to get on the computer and take a look at all the facebook activity that occurred through the day.

That was the best part of the day.  Take a look.  Below each of Iron Sherpa's facebook post includes a link to my corresponding blog post.  Kinda neat to get insider her head too.

Arrival in Tempe.  So many friends cheering me on from afar!



Thursday before IMAZ.  Biggest decision of the weekend... strip club or zoo?



Friday night before IMAZ, the energy and electricity of Ironman is enveloping us.



Ironman's Eve.  Is she just too cute or what?!  And it's true, I really did/do
appreciate hearing from and seeing posts from so many friends.



Still Ironman's Eve.  This is the post that was visible to me. Sneaky girl, that one!




Our super-early morning, day of Ironman Arizona.  I think she posted this up when I went off to
get body markings.  Not sure which one of the two of us was more nervous about the race...

 Next up... Iron Sherpa's facebook posts during the actual race.

Ironman Arizona: T2 and the Run

I will be posting a mini-series of posts to describe the day of Ironman Arizona.  This is the fifth installment of this series.

Getting into T2, I knew there was a problem.  Though I pushed it a little harder for the third loop of the bike, I felt fine overall... except for my left knee.

The Run.

Target Time: 4:00 to 4:30
X-Factor: Knee pain; running a marathon after the bike ride.
Strategy: Start with ten minute miles.  Walk through each aid station and get hydration and nutrition. 

Result: 5:34
Right off the bat, I knew a ten minute mile would be impossible.  Other than my knee, physically I felt fine.  Mentally, I knew I was almost home and all I had to do at this point was keep moving forward.  The aid stations were spaced more or less a mile apart from each other.  This helped me break the run into small, doable segments.  At each aid station, I would, at a minimum, take a small cup of Perform energy drink, a water and a piece of banana.  Every few miles, I also took in a mini nutrition bar they offered.  As the sun set, the aid stations also offered chicken broth, which is rich in sodium - I started taking the broth instead of the energy drink.  Since not all aid stations had the same food (some also had pretzels, chips, or coke, while some didn't have broth), I always took whatever they offered towards the beginning of the station just in case.  That way, at least I'd have something to drink or eat.

Unfortunately, the knee pain never went away.  I had to grit my teeth and just deal with it for the entire 26.2 miles.  At times, the pain felt a bit lighter and I'd try to pick up the pace.  Mostly though, I dealt with the pain by trying to not bend the knee while doing a light jog.  My legs certainly became sore and stiff during the run, but since I was keeping it pretty easy, I still felt I could have pushed much harder, if not for the knee.

Sunset during IMAZ

With a finishing time of just under fourteen hours, I can't say I'm unhappy with the result.  I finished; I'm an Ironman.  But with a healthy knee, I'm sure I could have done much faster... perhaps next time?

Quick Facts:
Nutrition: At each aid station, take in a minimum of a piece of banana, energy drink and water.  Towards the end, substitute broth for energy drink, also take in mini nutrition bars on occasion.

Ironman Arizona Series:
Result
A Really Really Early Morning
The Swim
T1 and the Bike

Ironman Arizona: T1 and the Bike

I will be posting a mini-series of posts to describe the day of Ironman Arizona.  This is the fourth installment of this series.

Coming out of the swim, I felt pretty fresh. Upon coming out of the water, a wetsuit stripper had me sit on the ground and he pulled the suit right off of me.  I don't think I've ever gotten out of a wetsuit so quickly or with so little effort (on my part, anyway).  Then it was a light jog to grab my T1 bag, which included all my my bike gear.  All of my swim gear would then be placed in the T1 bag and given to the volunteers (and then to be picked up after the race).  Into the changing tent, where I took my time getting into the bike gear, hydrating and eating a bit before setting out.  Volunteers just outside the changing tent slathered me up with sunblock and then it was off to find my bike!

Lonely bike in transition

What transition actually looks like,
with volunteers helping me to my bike.

Once again, helpful volunteers were all over the place to help athletes to their bikes.  Upon seeing me coming into transition, the volunteers yelled ahead to other volunteers to grab my bike (#341).

My T1 time was 13 minutes so I clearly took my time - all a part of the strategy.

Then, it was onto the bike course.

Target Time: 6:00 - 6:30
X-Factor: Cross-winds; carbon/disc wheels
Strategy: Keep the ego in check.  Coach told me to keep my heart rate below 130 bpm.  This means a lot of people would b passing me early on the course.  The plan was to conserve energy since it is a long course, and there is still a marathon to run.  With three loops of the bike course, I would be able to evaluate how I felt after each loop and then decide whether or not to step up the heart rate.  

Result: 6:32

The meeting of the signs as
they make their dastardly plans

Coming out of transition, I felt good.  The bike portion is my favorite part, and I knew that keeping it at 130 bpm meant taking my time and enjoying myself.  However, even after 13 minutes spent in transition, my heart rate walking out of the changing tent was already 145 bpm.  It seemed that a low heart rate would be virtually impossible.  If I couldn't get my heart rate that low while walking, how would I be able to lower my heart rate on the bike?

After settling in on the bike, I tried to regulate my breathing in an attempt to lower my heart rate.  With my Garmin attached to my handle bars, I regularly checked and re-checked my heart rate - but it jumped up and all over the place (at times peaking over 200 bpm, which made me think it was reading more than just my heart rate monitor, since I was taking it pretty easy at that point).  No matter what I did, I couldn't settle my heart down.

Just one mile in (of 112 miles), I was looking down at my Garmin and concentrating on my breathing as I look up to see a "KEEP RIGHT" sign a bit too close in front of me.  The sign was directed at automotive traffic, so athletes were to stay on the left.  For a split second, I probably instinctively tried to go right before realizing I'm supposed to go left.  At any rate, I smacked right into the sign, lost the bike and came tumbling down, sliding across the lane.  

Luckily, no other athletes were immediately behind me and two course volunteers were nearby to help me up and get my bike.  A few scrapes on the knee and back, but otherwise I was okay.  The bike gave me a good scare - I thought my day was already over.  Luckily, it was just a loose chain, twisted seat post and a bent hood.  After man-handling the seat post to straighten it out, I was off again.  That whole episode definitely did not help with the heart rate situation, but I was able to quickly put it behind me as I looked forward to a long ride at an easy pace.
The course zig-zags through the city, then onto Beeline Highway and back, for three loops.  

Once on Beeline Highway, I thought it would be smooth sailing.  The crash was already out of my mind and I was on auto-pilot.  Except I was unusually slow.  Testing on the disc wheels showed I should be able to maintain at least 17mph even at 130bpm.  However, I was doing between 13 and 15 mph instead.  I watched as numerous athletes passed me, seemingly easily.  I continued to keep the ego in check, remembering that after they are all out of steam, I'd still have plenty of gas to go on.  I watched as one particular female athlete in pink and purple, with matching bicycle and sparkling helmet, pass me.

Iron Sherpa posted up along the route
to snap pictures and cheer me on.

Just past mile 13, I pulled over to give my bike another visual inspection - I began wondering if my brakes might be stuck or if there was some other issue with the bike following the accident.  As it turned out, my rear tire was hissing - it was deflating, steadily making me slower.  As soon as I pulled over, course marshals in a pickup stopped to help me.  With their help changing the rear tube, I was back on the road in five minutes (although it felt like 15 minutes).  Now with a fully inflated tube, I was ready to roll.

Although 130 bpm was impossibly low, I was able to maintain a 140 or below bpm for the first loop.  Feeling surprisingly fresh, I decided to kick it up a notch for the second loop.  At the very beginning of the second loop, I passed the sparkly helmeted pink-and-purple girl and never looked back.  This was clear evidence that the race strategy was working.  Throughout the second loop, I began regularly passing other athletes; some who I recognized from the first loop, and a great many anonymous other athletes.  Still sticking with the plan, I tried to not get above 145 bpm.

On long rides and any endurance event, nutrition is critically important.  For Ironman Arizona, I packed 2 powerbars, a Kashi bar, 2 Gu packets and 2 packets of Clif bloks.  A special needs bag I accessed during the second half of my second loop included some more nutrition, although I was happy to eat the mini-bars, gels and snacks at the aid stations too.  Since there is a run afterward, I was warned to eat solid foods early (as running and the long Ironman day may have adverse effects on my gastrointestinal system) and to maintain a 200-250 calorie per hour intake schedule, which I did fairly easily.  One of the benefits of the numerous long rides and runs during training is that I became very in tune with my body, usually able to recognize how much nutrition I will need before I get hungry or tired due to lack of calories.  The 200-250 calories per hour decision was made through trial and error testing during training.

Back to the bike.  By the third loop, I was feeling really great; the flat and the crash were nothing but a distant memory.  I allowed the heart rate to get up to 155 bpm, though I spent most of the last loop in the 140's.  At this late point, I was regularly and quickly passing many athletes.  I was, however, still being passed by a few triathlon bikes.  The strategy worked out perfectly.  I felt strong.

The only problem? My left knee started hurting.  It was a pain I felt before, mostly from long runs.  It was something I hoped would disappear with a bit of ibuprofen, and something I feared would ruin my run.  But we'l save that for next time.

Although I was just shy of my target, I think without the early issues, I would have easily came in within the target times.  But that's all a part of racing!

Pushing onward.  Mile 71, passing on the left.

Quick Facts:
Strategy: The tortoise wins the race.  
Nutrition: More solid foods early on.  Intake of 200-250 calories per hour.

Ironman Arizona Series
Results
A Really Really Early Morning
The Swim

Ironman Arizona: The Swim

I will be posting a mini-series of posts to describe the day of Ironman Arizona.  This is the third installment of this series.

I'm one of the green caps.

The swim is set in the Tempe Town Lake, which is a man-made lake next to the Arizona State University campus and not far from downtown Tempe.  There usually isn't any swimming allowed in the lake, apparently due to run-off and sewage from the city.  This doesn't seem to affect the fishers and boaters in the lake though.  One wonders whether they eat the fish they catch in the lake.

Overheard on Saturday: in the days or weeks prior to Ironman Arizona, "they" pour in ungodly amounts of chemicals to clean up the lake so that the swim can take place.

On Saturday morning, the organizers held a practice swim, which I participated in with my back-up wetsuit.  This way, my primary wetsuit would be nice and dry for race morning.  The practice swim went well, I swam approximately a half mile just to feel the water and its temperature.  I didn't think it was cold; in fact, it is warmer than the ocean water I normally swim in.  I was worried about the shoulder, but it felt pretty good in the water.  Swimming freestyle for a half mile didn't seem to bother the shoulder much at all, though there was still a dull pain.  Nothing that would end my day though.

On to Sunday morning.

Target Time: 1:30, no slower than 1:45 considering the shoulder injury.
X-Factor: The shoulder injury.
Strategy: Bilateral breathing (breathing on both sides, ever third stroke) in order to control my pace.  With unilateral breathing, which I normally do in choppy water and in race situations, I have a tendency to push myself too hard in the beginning and then lose steam towards the end.  With a 2.4 mile swim, losing steam was something I certainly did not want to do.  With a mass start, where everyone gets into the water and treads water for 5 to 10 minutes together, there is usually a lot of punching, grabbing and kicking (most of it unintentional) as all of the swimmers jockey for position.  Knowing my time puts me in the slower half of the group, I wanted to start near the buoys to keep the distance shorter, but probably about two-thirds of the way back to stay out of the way of the fast swimmers.  That would help decrease the chances of getting kicked by other swimmers.

Result: 1:25.
After jumping into the water, I swam to where it appeared to be approximately half way to the front.  As the start time neared, however, more and more swimmers started crowding around me and I began to realize that I had somehow ended up near the front of the crowd.  I slowly backed up to get behind some folks, knowing that I'm likely slower than some of them and didn't want to have an aggressive start.

The mass start seemed like chaos.  Luckily, I gave myself some space in front to start swimming and though I did kick fellow swimmers and also had my legs grabbed, I got off the start fairly smoothly.  For the entire span of the swim, it was difficult to get away from other swimmers.  I only stopped swimming a handful of times, each time due to swim traffic.  As planned, I used bilateral breathing to help pace myself, which worked like a charm.   As I took the last turn around the last red buoy, I kicked it up a notch with unilateral breathing and more kicking.  The unilateral breathing allowed me to pick up my stroke pace while the extra kicking not only picked up some speed too, but more importantly, it gets blood flowing through the legs to prepare for getting back on land (to avoid the dizzy feeling).

Very happy with my time - beat what I thought I would end up with even without the shoulder injury.  Onward, to T1 and the bike!

Quick Facts:
Bilateral Breathing: for most of the swim to control pace.
Strong Swim End: Switch to unilateral breathing for the home stretch, with extra kicking effort.

Ironman Arizona Series
Results
A Really Really Early Morning

Ironman Arizona: A Really Really Early Morning

I will be posting a mini-series of posts to describe the day of Ironman Arizona.  This is the second installment of this series.

Sunday, November 18, 2012.  This will be the day I become an Ironman.  But before we discuss the morning of November 18, we have to discuss the night of November 17.

The foremost thought in my head as I lay down to sleep in the hotel room on Saturday. November 17 was that hopefully I'd be able to put aside any race-day butterflies and get a good night's rest.  I already put in my time training for months for this one day, and now all I can do is get enough rest to perform as well as I can during the race.

During the few days in Arizona, the plan was to try to keep a normal sleeping schedule, but sleeping in so that I would be able to maximize sleep time.  This meant getting to bed at some time between nine and ten o'clock, with an attempt to sleep a bit earlier since the morning of the race would be an extra, extra early morning.  The race cannon would go off at 7am.  Transition would be open from 5am to 6:30am.  I typically try to get to the transition area soon after it is open, so we were planning on getting to transition by 5:15am at the very latest.  Since my bike was already down there and we knew it was approximately 20 minutes to walk there, we had to be out the door by 4:50am - so we planned to be out the door by 4:30am in case we were a bit slow in the morning.

Morning meant waking up with time to clean up, clear the head, change into swim gear (sans wetsuit), eat breakfast (and prepare something to eat while at transition).  So we settled on a 3:45am alarm time.  That was still approximately 7 hours of sleep.

Surprisingly, I slept like a log that night.  Once my head hit the pillow, I was lights out.  As I woke up, the excitement of race day quietly crept up on me.  Iron Sherpa knew exactly what had to be done and worked her way through the morning as if she has rehearsed it.  All foods and equipment were ready to go (we had set some things up the night before as well), and everything was surprisingly stress-free.  Usually I worry about forgetting one item or another for race day.  Yet with Sherpa on my side, I had little to worry about and only tried to soak in the experience and enjoy the day.

We arrived at transition shortly after 5am, as planned.   We turned in my "Special Needs" bags and then just hung out and tried to relax.  Iron Sherpa posted up near the swim exit to be able to snap pictures and see me as I come off the swim portion.  Approximately 45 minutes before the start, I got into the wetsuit.  The professionals' start is a half hour prior to the age groupers, so they got in the water first to start. Then the age groupers jumped in.  And so I got into the water as well.

The water temperature was 64.1 degrees, so booties were legal, but I did not even bring mine.  I did, however, bring and wear the neoprene cap I wore at Alcatraz for a little extra warmth.

Next time... the swim.

Quick Facts:
Early Breakfast (at the hotel room): Smoothie with muscle milk
Breakfast (an hour prior to race start, at transition): peanut butter + banana sandwich and an apple

Ironman Arizona Series
Results

Ironman Arizona: The Results

I will be posting a mini-series of posts to describe the day of Ironman Arizona.  This is the first installment of this series.

A detailed write-up will follow.  For now, I just want to post the results.  These results are the official resuts posted on the Ironman Arizona website.

Rank: 179

Overall Rank: 1632

Swim:	1:25:32
Bike:	6:32:55
Run:	5:34:12
Overall:	13:53:51

Follow me during Ironman Arizona

Link to Ironman Arizona live coverage/athlete tracker here:

http://www.ironman.com/coverage/athlete-tracker.aspx?race=arizona&y=2013#axzz2CQjYDVMr

Bib No.: 341

Dispatch from Tempe: Ironman's Eve

As Iron Sherpa said this morning, "Happy Ironman's Eve!"

Final day before Ironman Arizona.  A time for relaxation, reflection and final preparation.  Seems like there's a whole lot of preparation going on.

Today I turn in my bike and my transition gear bags.  On the morning of the race, I'll turn in my "Special Needs" bags, which I can access at a certain point on the bike and on the run.

Each transition bag has been meticulously prepared by Iron Sherpa - she's read up on the athlete guide, did her research, talked to my coach, and knows my personal preferences.  Of course I take a look at what we're putting into the bags too, but she's gotten it handled.

The hardest part of the day?  Probably trying getting a good night's rest.

Dispatch from Tempe: Sign-Making

Friday, November 16.  Another "late" morning meaning I woke up just before 8am, without the aid of an alarm.  Slept a bit better today, I suppose I'm getting used to the bed here.  This morning consisted of an easy run with the main even being the Welcome Dinner for athletes. 

I was originally not planning on attending the Welcome Dinner, since I figured it was just some boring speeches by the race director and organizers, some bland food, and more boring speeches by local dignataries.  However, my triathlon coach recommended going, since it's a part of the "Ironman experience" and it's good to hear some of the talks, including, perhaps, from one or two of the pros.  It's at least a good chance to talk to other athletes and get excited about race day, and maybe an opportunity to pick up a little more inspiration and race course information.  But since we're here and I've put in so much time and money into Ironman already, I should try to soak up as much of the "Ironman experience" as possible.  So tonight, Iron Sherpa and I will be attending the Welcome Dinner together.

The morning's quick run led Iron Sherpa and I back to the Ironman Expo, where we cruised around for a little while. Ended up buying a shirt and Iron Sherpa had a fun arts-n-crafts day making spectator signs for me!

Tomorrow will be the last day before my first Ironman.  It'll also be a day filled with very important things to do.

The schedule will be another "late" morning, and followed by a quick swim.  The organizers are opening the swim area for two hours so athletes can get into the water and feel it out.  I brought two swim wetsuits and will be slipping into my "back-up" suit tomorrow to test out the waters.  Currently the water is listed at 67 degrees (that's 4pm on Friday).  I suspect the temperature tomorrow and on Sunday will be near that.  The waters in which I usually swim generally stay in the low-60s, so this water will be plenty warm.

Then it'll be time to turn in my various gear bags (T1, T2, 2 "Special Needs") and my bike - and then try to get a good night's rest.



Dispatch from Tempe: Cycle Test and Registration

Athlete wristband

Thursday, November 15.  Woke up late. No alarm, no work, just a leisurely day with a short to-do list.  Still ended up waking at 8am Arizona time. That's 7am normal people (California) time.

On the to-do list today was a quick bike ride.  Keep the legs loose, make sure the bike is in good mechanical condition, and also test out the carbon discs borrowed from my triathlon coach.  As Iron Sherpa commented, I was downright giddy with the speed I had on those discs.  Race strategy dictates keeping the heartrate at 130bpm or below for at least the first 2 loops (of three) in order to play it safe and make sure I have some gas left for the marathon coming up.  130bpm is pretty relaxed, yet I was able to maintain an 18-20mph ride. 

Second item on the to-do list was athlete check-in.  Easy and quick, with very helpful Ironman volunteers.  Two ladies that helped me check-in were super excitable, repeat Ironman participants, and became even more excited when I told them this was my first Ironman.  As the day inches closer, I'm definitely getting excited myself. 

Then it was rest and relaxation time.  An afternoon movie and a little shopping.  Looking forward to another easy day tomorrow!

Dispatch from Tempe - Arrival on Location

Packed full and ready to roll.

Wednesday, November 13.  Arrived in Tempe, AZ.  Time to get acclimated to the area (again).  The trip in October was a course preview trip.  This time around, we (Iron Sherpa and I) are staying at the same hotel as last time, which is of some comfort.  Not only that, but the friendly fellow at the front desk remembered me and even gave me the same room.  First floor (for easy bicycle access), and facing the parking lot (for a quieter hotel room).  We're likely here a day or two earlier than most Ironman competitors.

Earlier in the week, I met with my coach to discuss final prep details as well as weekend strategy.  More on that in another post - but basically, don't push too hard in the beginning and remember this is an endurance race.

This morning was all prep work.  This is a five day trip, so there's a lot of clothes.  Not only that, but lots of food and gear as well.  My coach lent me a pair of carbon wheels, which I am to use if the conditions allow - meaning it's not too windy. 

Carbon wheels strapped in and ready to go!

Tonight is just a night to relax.  The circus starts tomorrow - I'm planning on getting checked in early and then taking it easy for the rest of the day.  There'll be a run to the supermarket for some fresh food and water, perhaps a trip to the local triathlon shop as well.

It's funny to arrive in Arizona and lose an hour since this state does not observe daylight savings.  I'm now an hour ahead of my friends in California.

Well.  This is it.  Only a few more days until the big day.

After Week 20

Week 20 is the last full week before Ironman Arizona (each week beginning on Monday, thus next week includes Ironman Arizona on Sunday).

What started off as a good week quickly went to hell in a hand basket.  It was already scheduled to be a relatively light training week.  I got to use one of my new toys, and it proved even more effective than I would have imagined.

I looked forward to testing my shoulder, now with the aid of ibuprofen, on a schedule Sunday morning open water swim.  It was also to be a test to see what kind of swim speed I can maintain on a slightly-bum left shoulder.

But alas.  Come Saturday, shortly after my cycling/run session, I quickly deteriorated to a heaping, curled up ball of pain on my bed for the majority of the rest of the weekend.  The culprit? Stomach flu.  Robbed me of one last weekend of training (even if not heavy), as well as upsetting my sleep schedule and meal schedule.  Though I was pretty much out of the woods by weekend's end, the effects of the virus is still evident - a bit less appetite and a seemingly more fragile gastrointestinal system.

Even with all of that though, I do feel fairly prepared.  Months of training is not going to be derailed by a few days' illness - and thank goodness this did not happen on race weekend.  Each passing day I get a little bit better, so hopefully by the time I leave for Arizona, I'll be back to 100%.

Bike: 50.6 miles + 120 min on the trainer

Run: 5.5 miles
Swim: 4375 meters (2.71 miles)

Total Time:  7:41 hours

The Setback, a Follow Up

Back in October, my training hit a snag when I took a spill during a cycling session.  While the road rash has been healing up quite nicely (except for one small spot that is still a bit tender), my shoulder has continued to be a a source of pain and discomfort.

Iron Sherpa finally convinced me to go see a doctor.  With a recommendation from a doctor friend of mine, I found a friendly orthopaedic (their spelling, not mine) close by.  After an x-ray and a few simple tests where I push my arm against his hand, he determined it to be a bicep tendon tear.  Nothing serious that requires surgery, thankfully, or that will affect my arm/shoulder for long - but still good that I saw a doctor about it.

He gave me a shot of cortizone, prescribed some Motrin (ibuprofen) and six weeks of physical therapy.  The cortizone and ibuprofen seems to be working their magic already; apparently they are both anti-inflammatory drugs.  Never had physical therapy before. This will be an interesting experience.  After six weeks' time, I'll take another visit to the good doctor who will hopefully give me a clean bill of health.

As a result of this, I'll likely try to take it easy on the swim training sessions, especially in the pool.  But on Sunday I still plan on hitting the open water for a longer swim.  It'll be my last chance to do an open water swim before IMAZ.

Then after IMAZ, doctor's orders to take it easy.  He wasn't too thrilled I'm doing IMAZ so soon, but just told me to be careful.

Fluid Rolling

I've been using my trusty stationary roller for quite a while now.  The convenience factor for weekday morning cycling sessions is a huge benefit.  It's not the most exciting way to train (or to ride) but it certainly gets the job done.  Using the roller still gets me very sweaty, even though it's now been moved to the garage, where I keep the garage door open as I train.  But sometimes I need to do workouts with higher heart rates, and then the roller doesn't provide enough resistance to get the heart rate high enough. 

And that's where my new toy comes in, the Kinetic Road Machine Fluid Trainer.  My triathlon coach tells me he has been using his for nearly ten years, and has not had any issue with it.  I recommend getting it with the Riser Ring as it will help level your bicycle.  They also sell a non-slip mat, but I think any plain old yoga mat will do.

The fluid trainer is about three times more expensive than the stationary roller, but even after just one session on the fluid trainer, I can tell it is well worth the investment.  It is capable of providing much more resistance and allows me to sustain a high heart rate without trying to maintain an unrealistic pedal speed.  A knob at the back of the unit controls how much resistance you have, which helps with some of the training regimen.  It can help mimic a long hill and make for some really tough cycling.  The one funny thing about the fluid trainer is the fluid - actually sounds like fluid rolling around behind you.

A complaint I often read on the various review website is the noise produced from the fluid trainer.  I don't find it any louder than the stationary roller, though I have the benefit of using them in an open garage rather than in my living room.  I also listen to the radio with earphones on.  In the garage, I don't find any trouble holding a normal conversation and normal voices though.

In the end, for those triathletes and cyclists in a time crunch or who might not want to ride in inclement weather, this is the trainer to get.