It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about triathlon.  After the full on beating I took in Canada I found myself in an odd spot.  Part of me wanted to be done with it all.  Another part of me wanted some redemption.  As usual the latter won out.  Two weeks from now I will be racing in the Ironman North American Championship (aka Ironman Texas) in The Woodlands.

This was supposed to be my 2018 race but it sold out before I could sign up.  This year I signed up early (and yes it eventually sold out again).  This course plays much more to my strengths than Canada did.  Instead of close to 9k ft of elevation gain on the bike I’m now looking at just over 1k.  The run will be pretty much flat as well.

My last two race results (Ironman Canada 2018 and Tri Ft Worth 2017) have been what I would classify as sub-par.  Somewhere between the two I managed to tear a meniscus and put on a good +15 lbs.  The good news is that the meniscus seems to be 100%.  I’ve had zero training issues this round.  On the other hand the weight has been really, really slow to come off.  Just over the past week or two have I started to shed some of it.  I’m hoping to drop a few final pounds these last weeks and be closer to race weight come the big day.

Here’s how I’m hoping to see the day play out.

SWIM (Goal: 1:30)

The swim at this race will take place in Lake Woodlands.  It’s not exactly known for crystal clear water.  I think the average visibility is maybe a foot or two.  But that’s pretty typical in Texas.  It’s likely that when I step into the water that morning it will be my first time in open water this year.  As always, if I can keep from panicking in the open water I should have a decent day.  If not it could be ugly.  If it’s not a wetsuit legal swim it could get really ugly.  I’m really hoping a few things roll my way.

BIKE (Goal 5:45)

Per Best Bike Split a 5:40 should be doable.  This is slower than what I rode in Florida a few years ago.  My power is about the same as then.  However, in Florida my heart rate got up a bit higher than I wanted on the bike and I was never able to get it back down on the run.  I’m planning to drop my power by a simple 5W in hopes that my heart rate stays lower this time.  Ultimately wind and humidity (which I have zero control over) will play a huge part.  Again I’m hoping for favorable conditions as this course has the potential to be really fast.

RUN (Goal 4:45)

My run training this year has been slower than I’m used to.  Lots of 10:30 paces.  With my weight being up that’s just part of the game.  I’m a tad nervous about how I’ll feel deep into the run due to the fact that my longest continuous run in training has been 14 miles.  But that’s what the plan called for.  If I can keep my heart rate down on the bike and my legs wind up holding out I think hitting my run goal is doable.

OVERALL

If you’re doing the math that puts me at exactly 12 hours plus transitions.  My goal since starting this sport has been to crack 12 hours.  When I look at this race my overall prediction is that I’m going to come up a tad short.  If the stars align it could be possible but everything will have to go off flawlessly (weather included).  Given my current fitness and my training this year I honestly expect closer to a 13 hour finish.

So there it is in a nutshell.  Lots of potential this time around.  Two more weeks and we’ll all know how this plays out.

 

Many folks have asked how I wound up choosing Canada as an Ironman venue.  The story begins a few years back when I decided I would attempt one at every age between 40 and 50.  My official deadline for completing IM43 was September 19, 2018.

Canada was not the original plan.  I wanted to do Ironman Texas in April and try to crack the 12 hour mark.  In typical Slowpope fashion I procrastinated and the race sold out.  I looked at the remaining races prior to September 20.  For some reason Canada caught my eye.  I’ve heard Whistler is beautiful.  I figured we could make a summer family vacation out of it.  Sarah and I talked it over.  The race hit 90% capacity and I knew it was now or never.  I signed up.  Not long after that it sold out.

The training started and here I was six months later.

PRE RACE

The morning started like most others.  Up at 2, early breakfast, back to bed.  Up again at 3:45 and the day officially began.  Most of our gear had been dropped off the day before so all I really had to do was drop off my nutrition (they did not want that in our bags overnight, some nonsense about bears ravaging the transition areas in years past).  I caught the bus to the swim start, prepped my bike, and started trying to get my head in the game.  I knew a long day was ahead.  Exactly how long I had no idea.

SWIM (Goal 1:30, Actual 1:37)

The swim was a rolling start which means you seed yourself with swimmers of your same pace.  The race began and athletes started into the water.  I did not do a swim warm up so I knew it would take me a few minutes to settle in.  I made my way out into the waist deep waters of Alta Lake, put my head down, and off I went.  For about a minute.  Right away I got a little panicky.  I still don’t know why open water does that to me.  I made my way to the nearest dock and grabbed on for a good 30 seconds.  Physically I knew I was fine.  Mentally I just wasn’t there.

I spent the majority of the first lap swimming from one support kayak to another.  Rest 20-30 seconds, and off to the next.  Finally around the half way point things started settling in.  Despite the breaks I was still right around 45 minutes.  The second lap went much better; still a few breaks, but only one or two of them.  My goggles never fogged up which was a huge blessing.

About 10 minutes from the finish I knew what was coming.  And it hit like a tornado.  They had let us get well into the swim before starting the 70.3 swimmers.  The fastest among them were gunning for a spot at the 70.3 world championships.  And they blew through us slow 140.6 swimmers like nothing I’ve ever seen.  The propulsion I could feel from their kick as they did was unreal.  Luckily it was a fairly small group, but then the chase wave came through.  I can honestly say I came out of the water with some of the fastest swimmers of the day.

BIKE (Goal Sub 7:00, Actual 8:01)

I came out of the water a few minutes behind schedule but feeling good.  Mentally things still were not clicking but physically all was good.  I rolled out of transition and the hills began immediately.  I knew that there was not going to be a flat stretch of road all day.  It would either be up or down.  And that proved to be 100% true.

The bike was three loops.  There was a stint on Alta Road, a longer section on Highway 99 (the Sea to Sky Highway), and then a climb up Callaghan Valley Road.  As I started down 99 for the first time I realized I had not started my bike computer (remember that head thing I keep mentioning?).  I’ll come back to that later.  I just remember going down 99 for what seemed an eternity.  While most folks would be loving every minute of it, all I kept thinking was “I have to climb out of this – three times today”.  I made it to Callaghan Valley Road and started what would prove to be one of the most difficult climbs I’ve ever done.  It wasn’t crazy long, but at a 10% grade it didn’t have to be.  For the first time of the day I started really watching my power numbers.  My race predictor estimated I would max out at 180W.  I was hoping to never cross 200.  As I made the climb I was easily in 200-250 territory.  Uh oh.

I made it in and out and back onto 99.  For most of the climb up 99 I was again pushing 200W.  Miraculously I finished the first loop feeling decent.    Much to my surprise the second loop went about the same.  I was a little slower but we had lots of cloud cover or shade so it didn’t feel terrible.

As the third lap started the skies opened up.  The sun was full force.  I had insane cramps in the fourth toe on each foot.  The party was officially over.  It was about this point I realized my stomach was not feeling great.  Nothing terrible yet, just a little unsettled.  In hind sight it’s crystal clear what happened.  I’m used to my watch and bike computer beeping in unison every 15 minutes reminding me to hydrate and take in nutrition.  I don’t always hear my watch but usually do my bike computer.  Early on when I started my bike computer late I should have decided then and there to run with it for nutrition the rest of the day.  I didn’t.  Sometimes I heard my watch.  Sometimes I didn’t.  Some of the times I did I was on a steep climb and decided to wait until I reached a better spot to grab something.  Some of those climbs lasted through 2 or even 3 notifications.  I was digging a pretty substantial hole without realizing it.  Not to mention some of the nutrition I had was getting hot and my stomach was not liking it.  (I usually try to take in 400 calories / hour on the bike.  When it was all said and done I was at about half that, and even further behind on hydration.)

My biggest mistake of the day was just grabbing one water from an aid station before heading onto Alta for the last time.  I should have just stopped, emptied the hot stuff out of my bottles and refilled them with cold Gatorade and ice.  I didn’t realize how bad I was getting.  As I made my way in it was all I could do to push the pedals.  I started feeling like I needed to throw up.  This stretch had one hill after another.  I walked my bike up two of them trying to cool down.  The one water bottle I had picked up was not cold to begin with and was all out hot by the time I reached the final turn around.  I used it to spray my head and back as I came back out but simply could not drink it.  In the meantime my mouth was completely dry.  I knew I had hit a new low point in my triathlon career.

Side note for those of you that like numbers: there’s a metric called TSS that factors in duration and intensity.  The goal on the bike is to keep it around 280.  At 300 you are basically blown for a run.  I came in at 374.

And one more: here’s what BestBikeSplit predicted my power at vs what actually happened.  The yellow zone is anything above 200W.  If you plan to do this race be sure you know what your minimal climbing power is.

RUN (Goal 5:00, Actual 6:20)

I had managed to get in and out of the swim-to-bike transition (T1) in 10 minutes.  I spent 27 minutes in T2.  I had to cool down.  Only it was still bumping 95 outside.  I really, really felt like puking.  There was some water there but it was not cold.  I spent a few minutes talking with Sarah and the kids.  They were rock stars and really encouraging.  Finally Morgan said “Dad, shouldn’t you get going?”  She was right.  It was time to find out how this party would end.

I walked out of T2 and decided immediately to walk the first 3-4 miles and let my body recover.  I was less than a mile in when a man walked up beside me and said “Hey, are you doing the race?  You just missed your turn!”  That’s how mentally out of it I was.  I walked right past the sign on the sidewalk directing me around the corner.

As I started back on the path I immediately ran into Justin.  Justin turned out to be the best thing that happened to me that day.  He was in about the same situation I was in.  Except he had no socks.  His day had gone about like mine mentally and in the pre-race craziness he managed to take his running socks to the swim start.  Turns out they didn’t do him much good there.  He had some in his special needs bag which is typically located at mile 13.  He had extended family in town for the race to watch him complete his first Ironman.  No pressure.  The two of us did some quick math and determined that if we could walk at a 15 minute pace for the next 6.5 hours we would cross the finish line about 15 minutes prior to the official end of the race.

For the next 6.5 hours we literally walked stride for stride.  I took in as much ice, Gatorade, and water as I could stomach at every aid station.  I added a sip of Red Bull to get a caffeine bump.  Man it was good.  By mile 4 I felt like a whole new person.  I could tell he was recovering as well.  We managed to jog a few downhills but his shoes were rubbing his feet pretty good.  I had some cream to help chafing so I offered it up and it seemed to help.  He had some of that in his special needs bag as well.  If only we could get there.

We came through the village around mile 13.  There were Sarah and the kids waiting with a smile.  We did some quick high fives but I let them know I literally had to keep walking or I was going to miss the cut off.

Justin and I rounded a corner and he made a b-line to the special needs bags.  We were both blown away when we were told we were not able to access them yet.  We were on a section that went a few miles out and then back.  We were told we could only access them when coming back the opposite direction.  They were literally right there.  We were on a sidewalk with traffic going both ways.  We were just on the wrong side.

Out we went to Lost Lake and five miles later at mile 18 Justin finally got his socks.

The final hours of the day were spectacular.  The only “race” left was against the final cut off and I never once doubted we would make it.  The scenery was some of the most amazing I have ever seen.  If there was ever a marathon to simply walk and enjoy, this was it.  I can tell you more about Justin than I can some of my co-workers I see every day.  We talked races.  We talked family.  We talked highs and lows.  And we did it all at exactly a 14:57 pace.

As we approached the finish line we did one last high five and I sent him on his way.  A minute later he was an Ironman.

POST RACE

I crossed the finish line feeling the best I have ever felt physically.  Don’t get me wrong.  I was sore but the run is usually what destroys my body.  Given my extended walk my legs were not as bad as they have been before.  I realized I had zero knee issues on the day which was remarkable.  I congratulated Justin and then met up with my family.  It was a great ending and I was glad the day was finally over.

One last sad story.  For those of you that know me well you know I’m a fitness data junkie.  I love to analyze numbers, especially for things I’ve never done before.  I was really looking forward to analyzing my data from the race, especially the bike.  My watch is advertised to be able to last through a 17 hour race.  I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch.  Before I could save the activity it died.  When I charged it and turned it back on – no activity.  All that power and elevation analysis on the bike?  Gone.  It was a sad, sad day.

Update – I have to say a huge thank you to Mike on the Garmin forums who was able to actually recover my race file!  You, kind sir, are amazing.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The venue: Whistler is hands down the best race venue I’ve experienced.  I heard someone say it was the “perfect combination of outdoor life and five star luxury” and that’s spot on.  Our time share exchange was located just a few minutes from Ironman Village, T2, and the finish line.  It was perfect.  There is a ton to do and the scenery is amazing.  It really feels like some Swiss or German ski town (not that I’ve been to one, but it’s what I would expect).  I’m glad we decided to stay for almost a week post-race.  It was a fantastic family vacation spot.

The course:  Ironman has a history of being one of the toughest things a person can do.  In recent years races like Arizona and Texas have grown increasingly popular due to their being fast and flat.  I’m not downplaying folks that are looking for that in a race; I’m usually one of them.  But this race seems to bring back the challenge of doing something that borders on impossible.  The DNF (did-not-finish) rate was on the upper end of any race in recent North American history.  That’s what I signed up for.  And that’s exactly what I got.  If you want to test your limits this is the perfect course for you.  In the back of my mind, even though I finished, I feel like I have unfinished business here.  I’d love to come back with a buddy (I’m looking at you Wakin) and see what I could do on a better day.

THANK YOUS

I’d be remiss not to thank the folks in my life that made this day possible.  Sarah, Jackson, and Morgan, you guys are amazing.  You let me put in a ton of time preparing for this thing.  You held me accountable when I didn’t want to put in the work.  You very likely did your own marathon on race day chasing me around.  I love you guys and am thankful for you more than you’ll ever know.

To D3 Multisport, thanks for training plans that work.  Your plan and feedback over the past six months had me 100% ready for race day.  Let’s do it again.

To my Burleson training crew (Jason, Katy, Couch, Albert, Richard, Yolonda, Gwen, Brad, Chandler, Kody, Ironox, and others I am certainly missing but not intentionally), thanks for the encouragement you guys and gals provide.  Here’s to each of you crushing your next race.

And to the One that makes this all possible, I’m forever thankful.  As I looked out on creation for 17 hours it further imprinted on me that this creation could not be possible without a Creator.  I was continually reminded of Romans 1 where it talks about God’s invisible qualities being clearly seen through what He made.  I’m thankful to be physically able to push my limits and realize what a gift that is.  As much as I love all that this world has to offer I’m reminded that it’s just a temporary residence.

So what next?  I turn 44 in about 7 weeks and the clock resets. I’m contemplating not procrastinating on Texas this year and making another sub 12 attempt.  But I’ve got a little time to decide.  For now I’ll simply enjoy seeing another medal on the wall when I jump on the bike trainer.

Two weeks from now my family will be in Whistler, Canada.  As I said in my last post this will be an all new adventure.  Here are just a few of the ways this race will be unlike anything I’ve done before.

THE LOCATION

The obvious is that this will be my first time racing in Canada. It will be my first time racing any further north than Oklahoma City. It won’t be my first time racing out of the US as Cozumel has that honor. Interestingly enough the location will hopefully help me check a box off my IM bucket list – finishing before dark. Technically I did that in North Carolina but at that race the bike course was cut in half so I it doesn’t 100% qualify. I don’t expect to be any faster on this course than any of the prior (quite the opposite). However, if you’ve ever spent any time in the northwest you know that the daylight seems to last forever in the summer. I remember spending a July 4th in Washington. It was daylight by 4 AM and it lasted until like 10 PM. Hopefully this time around there will be no need to carry a headlamp on the run.

THE SWIM

The only thing new here is that this will be my first 2.4 mile freshwater swim.  The primary difference between freshwater and saltwater is the buoyancy; saltwater has a much better effect.  Which technically means this will be the most challenging swim I’ve ever done.

THE BIKE

The three IM races I’ve done so far probably had a combined elevation gain on the bike of ~200ft. Maybe. This one will be quite different. The gain officially listed on the web site is 2579m or 8461ft. Ouch. There’s not really anywhere in TX to train for something like that. We spent the week of July up in Taos, NM with some friends.  I was able to do a few training rides to test out my climbing abilities.  After doing so I honestly thing I’m more concerned with descending than climbing.  Some folks are comfortable descending at +40 mph.  Not this guy.  I’ll need do double check my brakes for race day and pray my legs survive running a marathon after all of the climbing.

THE RUN

This will be the first marathon I’ve ever attempted immediately after a 112 mile bike ride with +8k ft of elevation immediately after a 2.4 mile fresh water swim.  All of that on a recovering meniscus.  Oh and the run course has a good 1k ft of elevation gain as well.

May the odds be ever in my favor.

THE GOAL

My ultimate IM goal is to someday break 12 hours. However, this year that goal is out the window for several reasons. For starters, see everything posted above. On top of that I’m coming off a winter knee injury (meniscus tear). Last but not least is my weight. I’m still a good +10 lbs over where I’d like to be. Hauling that extra weight up and down those hills certainly doesn’t scream PR. With all of these factors in play my goal is simply to finish before dark. Realistically I’ll be happy with a ~15 hour finish.

At this point the main things are to stay healthy, finish, and spend some time with my family at a fantastic venue.  I’m hoping we get a nice little escape from the July heat in Texas.  That alone is a win.

 

After turning 40 I told myself I’d attempt an Ironman at every age between 40 and 50 as long as I was healthy.  My first one (IM40) was definitely one to remember.  Sarah and I raced Cozumel for our 15th wedding anniversary.  We crossed the finish line together in just under 16 hours and somehow managed to remain married.

Then I went to Florida for IM41.  It was my first year to actually train with a coach and a training plan.  My fitness was solid and I managed to finish just under the 12:30 mark.

When I first started this craziness the original goal in the back of my mind was to someday break 12 hours.  For IM42 it was off to North Carolina.  Was I prepared to break 12?  The world will never know.  The bike course was cut in half due to flooding weeks prior to the race.  Coming off of a lower back injury I managed a 9:06 on a shortened course, setting personal records on both the swim and the run.  To this day when I tell folks I went just over 9 hours in an Ironman I get raised eyebrows (as most folks that do that get paid to do so).

For the calendar year of 2017 I took a year off of Ironman to focus on my running.  Along the way I set personal records at the 5k, 10k, and 13.1 distance.  The ultimate goal of a sub 4 hour marathon was cut short due to a non-cooperative meniscus.  Which leads me up to IM43.

Officially I have until September 19th to complete it.  With my knee issues I’ve held off registration as long as possible to ensure it is going to cooperate.  At this point in time it’s still unclear.  All the while the registration clock has been ticking.  Until today.

If all goes as planned on July 29 I will race Ironman Canada in Whistler, BC.  It will be unlike anything I’ve done in so many ways.  But I’m beyond excited.

More details coming soon.  But first – passports for the kids…

Over the past few years I’ve come to really enjoy training for the multiple sports triathlon offers.  The past two years have been a string of continual PR’s as I learned how to properly train and race.  This year started off no differently with 5k/10k/13.1 PR’s all achieved by April.

Then the meltdown began.  I had a pretty rough day at Tri Ft Worth 70.3 largely due to (a) lack of bike focus and (b) running a challenging marathon three weeks prior.  It’s interesting the impact a single bad day can have.  I figured I’d take a few weeks to rest and recover and then get back to the norm.

Here I am three months later.  According to TrainingPeaks my fitness level (blue line) is at a two-year low while my freshness (yellow line) is near a two-year high.  I’ve added a few pounds.  And my motivation most mornings is next to zero.  Much of the summer decline was due to having no races on the calendar.  Without a specific goal my progress naturally declines.

So now it’s time to gear back up.  My goal for the year was to PR at all four running distances.  The only one remaining is breaking four hours on a marathon.  Based on my 13.1 PR I should be capable of a 3:45 or better.  That’s assuming I can make myself get out of bed for a run every morning.

Here’s to fresh starts.

 

A few weeks ago was the inaugural Tri Ft Worth.  Trident Sports teamed up with the city of Ft Worth to host the first 70.3 / 140.6 race in North Texas.  I wanted to support the race so I signed up for it a few months back.  Here’s how the day played out.

But first – my favorite shirt from he expo.  Pretty much sums up mine and Wakin’s friendship.

SWIM (48 minutes)

The morning of the race was kinda nuts.  I’m pretty sure the race was slotted for May simply because April weather can be crazy.  The forecast for Sunday had been changing daily but was most recently showing spectacular conditions.

Around 3:45 AM I was awakened by thunder.  I had an alarm set for 4 so I got up and immediately checked the weather.  Rain chances for 7 and 8 AM were back to 30-40%.  Great.  As I drove into Ft Worth around 5:45 AM there was an incredible light show going on in the western sky.

The 140.6 guys were supposed to go in the water around 6:45.  Finally by 7:30 the lightening had backed off enough that they started the race.  Even as we went into the water 30 minutes later I was still seeing an occasional strike off in the distance.  I made my way into the water and prayed for the best.

I settled into a decent rhythm fairly quickly.  It was a rolling start so there were lots of bodies around but there was definitely plenty of room to avoid contact.  The swim was fairly uneventful which is always a good thing.  I could tell my form was not great but felt like I was keeping a decent pace.  My goal had been to swim the 2100 yds in ~42 minutes.

As I came out of the water I glanced at my watch: 48 minutes.  Talk about knocking the wind out of your sails.  All hopes for a PR were immediately gone.  I saw that the swim was long, ~2400 yds, which means I swam my normal pace.  Still it was disheartening.

BIKE (2:53, 19.4 mph, 187 NP)

I got in and out of T1 as fast as possible and off I went on the bike.  I knew the chances were slim but if I could pull off a decent bike there was the slight possibility I could make up 5-10 minutes on the run and still PR.  I knew the rest of the day would have to go 100% perfectly.

There were two factors dictating how I chose to ride this course: elevation and weather.  The course was mainly uphill to mile ~35 and then largely downhill on the back side.  The weather had predicted light winds increasing each hour out of the N/NE.  The route was largely N and then S which meant there should be a tailwind coming on the back half if I could could simply get there.

With those factors in mind my plan was to push the power more than normal on the front half and hope to recover somewhat on the back half averaging 185W over the course of the day.  This was about to be a grand experiment.  Since I have started riding with a power meter the plan has always been to ride steady power beginning to end, usually around 175W.

There were a few hills early.  I was feeling good out of the water, I was behind schedule, and here was an opportunity to do something about it.  I typically cap my max power at 250W.  On one climb I glanced down and saw my power top 300.  There was a short decent followed by a short climb.  400.  Then 450 to top it.  Next climb 350.  My legs were not burning like I expected so I kept it up.  Over the course of the day I topped 300 W 16 different times (in comparison to my best bike ever the number was 4, with none of them over 350).  My early splits were impressive and the speed reflected it.  If in fact the winds and elevation played out there was still a chance.

As I neared the turn around I noticed there was not really a head wind.  It was somewhat of a crosswind.  I made the turn and sure enough – a cross wind now from the other side.  It was just one of those days.

I managed to hold my power steady on the back half but due to the increasing crosswinds my speed never really reflected it.  As I closed in on T2 it was painfully obvious that a PR day was out the window.  The only thing left to shoot for would be a PR run.

RUN (2:03, 9:32 pace)

I made my way through the convention center, dropping my bike and getting my run gear on.  As I left the building Sarah and the kids were there offering smiles and high fives.  It was probably the best 30 seconds of my day by a long shot.  I had yet to see my training buddy Wakin.  I asked her if he had come through yet knowing full well what the answer would be.  “Yeah, around 15 minutes ago.”  Well crud.

As I started down Lancaster street my brain went to doing the math.  If I were to put a minute into him every mile he would still have me by a few minutes.  The only way to beat him at this point would be the perfect storm of me killing the run and him absolutely blowing up.  I knew he had pushed the bike to be 15 minutes up on me so there was a faint chance if I could deliver on my part.

I clocked my first mile at 8:10, my fastest mile ever off the bike during a race.  My heart rate was hanging on right about where I hoped.  Over the next few miles my speeds slowly dropped as my HR slowly came up.  By mile 5 I was down to an 8:47 and starting to feel the effects of the bike.

As I closed in on the marker for mile six I saw two things forever etched into my mind.  The first was Wakin heading my way and running like a mad man.  I was not sure how far up he was but he looked ready to finish the race strong.  Then I saw the back side of a mile marker for runners that had already hit the turn around and were headed back towards me (aka Wakin).  As I passed it I turned and looked at it from the other side – mile nine.  That fool was three miles up on me.  Assuming a nine minute pace that meant he was now 27 minutes up on me.  After crushing a bike he had continued to put time into me on the run.  Mind.  Blown.

I gave him a high five and cheered him on as he passed.  About 30 seconds later I hit the brakes and took my first walk of the day.  A run PR was technically still a possibility but just didn’t seem worth the effort.  I took my time as I cruised through the final six miles.

The race did a pretty incredible job with the home stretch.  The finisher chute came in right in front of the convention center.  I claimed my medal, turned in my timing chip, and made my way over to Sarah and the kids.

THOUGHTS (5:52, 10th of 33 in AG)

First off, my thoughts on the venue.  For an inaugural event Trident put on a fantastic race.  I’d easily do it again.  The course was fair but challenging.  I think they placed it in the right time of year.  Some folks didn’t care for the bike course, namely the proximity to traffic, but I never found it to be problematic.  Finishing the bike by coming through the brick streets of Ft Worth were the ultimate combination of local flare and pure evil by the race director.  On course support was decent.  I hope the race gets the backing to continue.

Next, my thoughts on Wakin.  Holy moly dude.  Awesome day.  It nabbed him a qualification for AG Nationals.  He did what I was unwilling to do – push the pain limits for close to 5 hours.  Kudos and congrats on the PR.

Finally, thoughts on my day.  It’s safe to say I was a little disappointed with my performance across the board.  After having a not so great day at Galveston last year and still pulling off a 5:30 I honestly thought that was my new worst case scenario.  I’m starting to really appreciate the 5:21 I had at Redman a few years ago and wondering if it may stand as a permanent PR.  It’s been ~3 years since I went 5:51 or slower so it’s a tough pill to swallow.  On the bright side there are a few explanations that give me some hope for the days ahead.

OVERBIKING – I think it’s fair to say that I biked beyond my abilities this time around.  It’s hard to see because my bike power never really took a nosedive, but my run shows it.  I think the course had a little more elevation than I was ready for.  The frustrating thing is that this is the most power I’ve ever put out over this distance yet the pace didn’t reflect it.  Which leads me to my next point.

NUTRITION – Not race day nutrition, but overall nutrition.  I was a good 5-10 lbs over my normal race weight, and a good 15-20 lbs over my ideal race weight.  Maybe someday I’ll hit ideal race weight.  But probably not until I change my eating habits.  It’s a limiting factor and I know it.  Maybe this will finally push me over the edge.

RUN FOCUS – I think this was by far the most important factor.  This year my primary focus has been my run.  Which means less time devoted to the bike.  To do really well in triathlon the bike has to be the primary focus.  I’ll return there at some point, but all of my goals for the year revolve around improving my run.  There’s no doubt in my mind that running a marathon with 2k ft of elevation gain three weeks prior to this race played into my performance (or lack thereof).  Sometimes days like this make you take a step back and realize that even though it appears to be a setback that there are bigger things in play.  Like crushing a marathon this fall.

So what next?  Summer.  I may dial it back a little but I’ll continue to train through the Texas heat.  Maybe a shorter race here and there.  I’ll very like start a marathon build in late August that will hopefully play into me finally cracking a 4 hour marathon later in the fall.  But for now it’s just back to the normal routine with some family fun thrown into the mix.

A year or two ago Sarah and I learned about the Big Sur International Marathon.  Obviously the thing that caught our attention was the location.  Sarah doesn’t mind training so long as there’s a good destination involved.  The photos we saw on the web site for the race were amazing to say the least.  The race immediately went on our bucket list, somewhere close to the top.

This past Christmas I was considering various gifts for her.  At one point she mentioned the race.  I looked into the details only to learn it’s a lottery that only takes 4k runners each year.  Other major marathons (New York, Chicago, even Dallas) typically have anywhere from 10k to over 30k runners.  I knew that the odds of getting in would be slim.  I did some research and found out that our favorite charity, the Children’s Tumor Foundation, had entries for Big Sur.  Christmas morning she opened an envelope that simply said “Big Sur?”.  A week later we began training.

TRAINING

For the next three months we worked our way through Hal Higdon’s Intermediate II training plan.  I wanted a more difficult training plan for one reason.  Big Sur is known for a challenging elevation profile.  The five marathons I had run probably had a combined elevation gain of 250ft.  One two mile stretch of Big Sur alone was close to 600ft.  The training plan put us through three different weeks of 50 miles with a long run of 20 miles.  We did one run each week of focused hill work, along with some focused weight training.  We were fortunate to stay healthy throughout.  We went into race week feeling ready and confident.

RACE DAY

Race mornings are always early.  This one was earlier than most.  The race is a point to point, so busses have to transport all runners from Monterray and Carmel to the start in Big Sur.  Our scheduled bus pick up was 4 AM which meant a 3 AM wake up.  We ate a light breakfast, grabbed our gear, and made our way to the pick up.

An hour later we were dropped off in the woods of Big Sur.  The temperature was cool but not too cold, somewhere in the 50’s.  All indications were that it was going to be a great day.

Around 6:15 they started calling for the slower runners to fill the back of the start corral.  We waited a few minutes and then made our way to the corral around 6:30.  At 6:45 the gun sounded and the elite runners were off.  Shortly thereafter the rest of us crossed the start line and were off for the day.

A few minutes into the run I noticed a tingling sensation in my toes.  I don’t think I’ve ever had that happen before.  A few minutes later Sarah mentioned that her toes were tingling.  It was bizarre.  My only guess is that it was the downhill start.  It wasn’t exactly how I wanted to start the day, and the first five miles were downhill.  Thankfully somewhere along the way the sensation ended.

Around mile four we came out of the forest and caught our first glimpses of the coast.  The sun was still yet to clear the hills but we could see it hitting the water.  It was gorgeous.  It was the first of many moments from the day that will forever be etched in my memory.

THE CLIMB

For me this day was entirely about a two mile stretch – the climb to Hurricane Point starting at mile 10.  Never in my life had I attempted running uphill for two miles.  Never in my life had I attempted to run a half marathon AFTER running uphill for two miles.  Miles 12-26 were a huge wildcard in my mind.

As we neared the base of the climb we could hear the beating of drums.  It was a great motivator as we turned the corner and started uphill.  A few minutes into the climb Sarah mentioned that she was feeling good.  I echoed that but reminded her we still had a lot of climb left.  We were on the heels of the five hour pace group.  A few more minutes passed and the pace group stopped for a brief walk.  We were still feeling strong so we continued running.  Once or twice we did stop to grab a picture; the views were unbelievable.  But each time we started again we were back to running.

We passed the mile 11 marker still feeling strong.  As we continued to climb the winds started picking up.  The higher we went, the stronger they were.  I was not watching mileage on my watch, so each corner we turned I anticipated a mile 12 marker.  The closer we came the more walkers we passed.

At long last we turned a corner to see the mile 12 marker and the beginning of the descent.  Knowing that you just crushed one of the most challenging stretches of any marathon out there is an amazing feeling.  We took a few pictures and then started the descent.

THE SECOND HALF

To be completely honest, the back half of the race was pretty uneventful.  We continued along the coast and finally into Carmel.  The views changed from amazing scenery to amazing homes.  I remember thinking as we hit the 18 and then 20 mile markers that this was the best I had ever felt this deep into a marathon.  It seems all of the training really paid off this time.

We crossed the finish line, received our medals, and then made our way to the post-race festivities.  We passed the massage tent but the line was pretty long so we opted not to stop.  It was getting warm out and we did not see a whole lot that really interested us so we opted to catch the next bus back to Monterray and call it a day.

POST RACE

We had lined up massages at a local spa for later in the afternoon.  I was not in pain like I had been after other races, but my legs still knew they had just gone 26 miles.  The massage was great and did wonders for recovery.

We had a celebratory meal at a local burger joint.  By now we were starting to feel the full combination of a 3 AM morning plus a marathon.  We downed a few burgers, went back to the hotel, and slept like a pair of rocks.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you’re a runner I’d put this race on your bucket list immediately.  We talked to several folks that had done races literally all over the planet that said this was the most amazing scenery they had ever run.  If you consider it there are shorter distances available but do the marathon.  The first 13 miles are by far the most amazing, and the marathon is the only race that covers them all.

The race remains a lottery to get into due to the logistics involved and the number of runners it can facilitate.  That said, I’m pretty sure the Children’s Tumor Foundation has slots available next year.

Lastly, I can’t say enough good things about racing with CTF.  I hope that the dollars we raise really do make a difference, and that one day there will be a cure for NF for our buddy Denver.  Thanks to Jason and Katy for introducing us, to Kim for keeping us connected throughout, and to Coach Sara for making sure we were ready to go come race day.

So what next?  You know us.  There will always be something.

March 1. Where did the past two months go? This year is officially flying by. It seems each year goes a little faster. Kids keep getting bigger, the guy in the mirror keeps getting older, and recovery keeps getting harder. So life goes.

The last few months in North Texas have been fairly bizarre. We saw multiple days over 80 degrees in February. February is always a wild card month. It can be anywhere from 90 to 9 inches in snow. Sometimes in the same week. The wind keeps shifting (north / south / north / south…) which means a few things. First it means the temperatures swing back and forth between hot and cold. Which is maddening. The other thing it means is that allergies stay stirred up. Plants bloom every other week. Stuff that’s supposed to die in a hard winter just won’t. Luckily I’ve made it through with minimal impact. Still, I’m ready for the weather to settle into some kind of norm. Preferably not scorching hot.

2017 GOALS

My primary goals for this year are running related. Last year was supposed to be one of a major run focus. Then my knucklehead buddy Wakin went and signed up for IMNC. I followed suit and my run focus was officially disrupted for the year. So this year I’m picking it back up. Sarah and I are training for the Big Sur Marathon in April. We’re using an advanced training plan that includes three weeks of 50 miles with long runs of 20. I’m still biking and swimming a few times a week for maintenance.

My official goal for the year is to PR at every run distance (5k/10k/13.1/26.2). That and beat Wakin any time we line up against each other. But that’s pretty much a goal regardless of year.

COWTOWN (ONE DOWN)

Last weekend Sarah and I ran the Cowtown Half Marathon. We both set out to PR in this race. Given the training plan we’re on for Big Sur our training was solid. Our longest runs had been 16 and 17 miles and we had done some form of speed work for the past eight weeks. She was wanting to break 2 hours and I was out to break 1:45. She ended up at 1:57 and I hit 1:45 on the money, a PR by 10 minutes. Needless to say we were both pretty excited to wind up in the top 15% of out age groups. We both nailed the execution and had pretty good running weather to boot.

NEXT UP…

As of today we’re nine weeks out from Big Sur so there’s still pleanty of training to be done. As well as Cowtown went there’s one lingering thing that haunts me. Over 13.1 miles we climed ~400ft. Big Sur will be 26.2 with ~2000ft of climbing. We’ll recover this week and starting next week focused hill work will begin. Good times there. For the record I’m not looking for a marathon PR at this race. I’ll save that for later in the year. On a much flatter course.

We’re also in the process of raising funds for the Children’s Tumor Foundation. I’m currently at just over 20% of my goal of $1500. If you are looking for an opportunity to donate to a great charity you can do that right here.

Three weeks after Big Sur I’ll be racing the inaugural Tri Fort Worth. I’m excited to have a 70.3/140.6 race here in North Texas. I’ll be doing the 70.3 and hoping I’m recovered from Big Sur by then. If I’m going to beat Wakin I’ll need to be firing on all cylinders. We’ll see how it goes.

Ever since Sarah became aware of the Big Sur Marathon it’s been on her bucket list.  She’s all about training for a race if it involves a cool destination.  And Carmel, California is a pretty cool destination.  Each year they shut down Highway 1 along the coast between Big Sur and Carmel for a half day for the running of this race.  And if all goes as planned she and I both will be standing on the starting line ready to crush it on April 30th.

Once again we’re joining up with the Children’s Tumor Foundation.  We’ll be doing fundraising as we train that will go towards finding a cure for Neurofibromatosis.  This will be the third time we’ve trained and raced with CTF and we could not be more excited.

Training for this one will be a little different.  With over 2,000 ft of elevation gain this is not the average Texas marathon.  To date I’ve completed 4 marathons with a combined elevation gain of probably 200 ft.

So some hill training is definitely on the docket for the next few months.  It looks like if we can survive the two mile climb leading up to mile 12 (and the immediate downhill following)  we should be ok.

Stay tuned over the next few months as we train and fund raise.

#bigsur2017

 

One of my unexpected achievements for 2016 was achieving All World Athlete (AWA) status.  Several years back Ironman introduced a program to  recognize and reward the top 10% of athletes in each age group.  They break it down into gold (top 1%), silver (4%) and bronze (10%).  Ranking is based on a point system; your top three races count to your overall point total.

Achieving AWA basically means two things.  First it means you raced Ironman branded events at the 70.3 and 140.6 distance.  Which means they got your money.  See how that works?  You race with them, they reward you.  The rewards are given in the following year to be used when you race more Ironman branded events, which means…they get more of your money.  Pure genius.  Almost as good as Ebay’s “you won!”.  You didn’t win, you bought.  Congratulations.

I don’t write this in a totally jaded fashion, but simply to point out that part of their recognition program really has a marketing spin to it.  Nothing new in the business world.

The second thing it means is that you did a halfway decent job racing.  For this, I’m proud to be an AWA athlete.  It’s possible to race three races and still not accumulate enough points for status.  It’s also possible to do really, really, really well in one race and score enough points.  In my case I did two races (I placed in the top third in one and top quarter in the other).  Keep in mind that when I started this sport six years ago I was easily in the bottom 10% for my first sprint and Olympic distance races.  It’s encouraging to look back over the past few years and see that not only  have I managed to go longer distances but I’ve gotten faster along the way.

While the benefits of AWA status are minor (expedited check in, better bike rack spots to name a few) it’s nice to see that Ironman does offer some rewards for those who work hard and race with them.  It also changes the way I look at the coming year.  Now that I know it’s achievable (currently bronze status) I feel like for the first time since getting into the sport I’m really in a position to start racing not only against myself but against the field in 2017.  I don’t know that a top 10% race finish is in the cards but it certainly has me questioning the possibility.

I’m thankful to have found a sport I’ve grown to love and that continually pushes my limits mentally and physically.  I look forward to 2017 and seeing what it holds.

Anything is possible.