In my most recent race I had the joy of dealing with knee pain. It was a less than ideal situation for the last eight miles of the run. Any time I have a situation like that I like to analyze it afterwards and hopefully learn from it in order to prevent it from happening again. So here goes. I think there are are two possible options of how I wound up in this situation. Most likely it was a combination of the two.

TRAINING

This year I used an intermediate training plan. I wanted to try a more aggressive plan from a new coach as I attempted to break the 12 hour mark. All in all I really liked the plan and will very likely use it again in the future. Given my current fitness I think it adequately prepared me for the swim and the bike.

The one thing I noticed when first reviewing the plan was the run build. In 2015 some run workouts were based on time but each Sunday it had a long run based on mileage. Each week the mileage built up to 20 miles which, given my pace, equates to ~3.5 hours. In 2016 my plan maxed out at 2:20 which turned out to be ~13.5 miles. About half the mileage of race day. There was a second run later that day of 4 miles so that put my longest run day at 17.5 miles but still my longest single run was 13.5. Another factor is that my 2015 20 mile run was pretty much a nice even pace. My 2016 2:20 run included several intervals (five to be exact) at increased paces. Throwing in the intervals stresses the body more than an even pace and winds up simulating a longer run in a shorter time.

Interestingly a buddy using an intermediate plan from another coach had pretty much the same regimen. We discussed it and concluded that there must be some method to the madness so we went with it. I’ll pause for a minute here and talk about my run history. Several years back when I started running I would get knee pain around mile 8. As I ran more it moved to mile 12, then 15, and then finally went away. In my 2015 race I had no issues. Still in the back of my mind I figured I needed more mileage in a single run just due to my history.

Keep in mind that faster runners than me cover a lot more ground in 2:20 than I do. In the end that’s what I think it all came down to. While I’m a fairly solid cyclist my marathon running is still not up to par with the more competitive athletes in my age group. At the end of the day I should have gone with my gut and grabbed at least one longer run.

THE BIKE

Post race I had pretty much concluded that I knew what went wrong. A few days later I was back home and I decided to hit my legs with a roller for a few minutes. I started on my left leg and as I approached the IT band I expected some pain as that is where I had felt in on race day. To my surprise there was no pain to be found anywhere on my left leg.

Then I hit my right leg. Oh man. The entire thing was like a rock. Quads, IT band, it all hurt. I sat there puzzled as I continued to roll. My mind went back to race day; zero right leg issues on the run. Oh yeah, I completely forgot about…the bike. The bike at IMNC had pretty steady head / cross winds for a little over two hours. The winds were coming either head on or into my right side. I was riding a disc wheel that basically acted like a parachute catching the cross winds. In an effort to keep my bike upright I wound up taxing the right side of my body as I leaned into the wind for much of those two hours. By the two hour mark my right groin was crazy tight, something I’ve never had happen on a ride before. As I started the run I expected to have issues down my right side but was pleasantly surprised that all was smooth sailing until my left knee started hurting at mile 18.

As I finished rolling out my right leg for the first time the thought crossed my mind – maybe the stress put on my right side for a large portion of the bike meant that my left side had to over compensate on the run, ultimately causing the knee pain. I’ll be the first to say that I don’t fully understand the mechanics of the human body. But in my simple mind it seems like at least a possibility.

CONCLUSION

As I said in the opening, my best guess at this point is that some combination of the two scenarios led to my ultimate demise. A longer training run probably would not have hurt anything. But neither would having better winds on race day.

I write all of this as if I failed miserably; the reality is that I had a run PR by 20 minutes. Best case scenario I was hoping for 30. I think that alone proves the benefits of the type of running I did in 2016. I ran more miles in 2016 training than in 2015; they were simply shorter but more frequent. Going forward I’ll likely continue to use this approach as it feels like it does less damage on my body.

Much of 2017 will be focused on long distance running. When I race my next IM in 2018 I would love to be knocking on a 4 hour run. That means my open marathon times need to be, well, under 4 hours (paces need to be down in the 8’s). At the moment that doesn’t seem possible. I’m reminded of one of the better Tony Horton quotes:

Don’t say I can’t, say I currently struggle with…

I currently struggle with marathons. With a little luck and a lot of work hopefully all of that changes in the next year.

This past weekend Sarah and I headed out to Wilmington, NC for Ironman North Carolina.  I went out Thursday and got checked in and then she came out on Friday.  This was our first time to this part of the state, the “low country” as I learned.  It was a spectacular time of year to visit.  The area felt like something you’d see in a movie, with lazy marinas and spectacular beaches.

The race was something of an anti-climactic ending to the season for multiple reasons.  Back injuries had sidelined me six weeks earlier to the point that I questioned if I would be able to start.  As the race drew closer I knew I could start but was uncertain if I could finish.  In addition the area was hit by a hurricane a few weeks prior to the race.  Flooding north of Wilmington resulted in the bike course being cut in half.  So after six months of training I would be racing a less than full course on a questionable back.

With all of the adjustments I set my sights on breaking nine hours.  That would be my best case scenario if everything went off without a hitch.

RACE DAY

I woke up and had my traditional 2 AM breakfast, went back to sleep, and then was back up at 5:15.  We had rented a place that wound up being within walking distance of T1 which turned out to be great.  Around 5:45 we walked down and got set up for the day.  It was a cool 50 degrees, perfect for racing.  The only bump in the road came trying to air up a tire.  I had rented a disc wheel for the first time and it turns out standard air pumps don’t work on those.  Luckily the onsite bike techs had the right gear.  With the bike prepped and ready Wakin and I hopped on the bus to the swim start.

SWIM (1:06, PR by 18 minutes)

I doubled back for one last bathroom break before heading down to the water.  As I made my way to the beach I paused for the national anthem.  Moments later the canon blew and things were underway.  My official time would not start until I crossed the timing mat so I was in no hurry.  I was among the slower swimmers holding off as long as possible to catch the incoming tide.  After about 3 minutes of folks holding out the race director started directing everyone into the water.  So much for that strategy.

In I went.  The water felt amazing,  a nice 74 degrees and decidedly warmer than the air around us.  I settled quickly into my stroke and 3/2 breathing pattern.  I have a tendency to get panicky in open water but luckily that never happened.  Between my wetsuit and the saltwater I pretty much just had to paddle my arms, which is great because I have a terrible kick.  It was not too congested which is always a plus.  I spotted the first buoy and headed that way.

The further I went down the Banks Channel two things happened.  First of all sighting got more difficult.  The winds were out of the NW and we were swimming N and then later W.  The winds caused nice swells; not so much choppy breaking waves, just nice swells so that every time I raised my head to look for the next buoy I just saw a swell coming at me.  I made sure the docks were still on my right and that I seemed to be going the same general direction as those around me and continued on.  At the same time the tide was coming in.  And that, my friends, was a blast.  If you have never swam with an incoming tide put it on your bucket list.  At times it felt like someone was grabbing me by the back of my wetsuit and literally shoving me along.  So I had no idea where I was going but I was going there fast.

About half way through the swim I could feel my back getting a little tight.  Not scary or painful, I just needed to stretch.  For the first time ever I did some in-swim stretching and it felt great.  I floated for a second and just pulled my knees to my chest to stretch out.  I proceeded to do this a few more times along the way.  I’m pretty sure with the help of the tide I didn’t lose any time for stretch breaks.  (Inside joke for Katy – what do you call a guy stretching during a swim?  “Bob.”)

It seemed like it took a while to get to the first turn but once we passed that the last few turns started coming quickly.  At long last I saw the dock with folks exiting the water.  I had made a mental note not to pass it because swimming back to it against the tide would be nearly impossible.  And for the first time in a while I remembered to pee before exiting the water.  For some that’s TMI.  For triathletes that’s a minute shaved off of T1.  It’s all about the small victories.

I stepped onto the dock and looked at my watch.  In my wildest dreams I expected a 1:15; my head almost exploded when I saw a 1:06.  That may very well stand as a swim PR for my lifetime.

BIKE (2:57)

This day was definitely one of ups and downs.  The “up” of my swim time lasted until about the end of T1.  One of my goals for this race had been to get in and out of transitions in ~7 minutes.  I expected that T1 would take a little longer than T2 so mentally I expected up to 10 minutes.  It was probably a quarter of a mile from the swim exit to the change tents.  Once in the tent I ditched my wetsuit and swimsuit and put on my tri kit.  On cooler mornings I prefer doing a full change and starting the bike completely dry rather than swimming in my race shorts.  I don’t know how long it took me to get my shorts on but it was way too long.  Damp legs and tight shorts are a bad combo; they just wouldn’t slip on.  Again probably TMI.  But the small defeats play on you mentally as much as the small victories.

Thirteen minutes after leaving the water I was out of the change tent and onto the bike.  I had determined in training that riding 150W for the first 10-20 miles and then 160 after that should keep my heart rate low and primed for a run.  I’ve quoted Mike Tyson before – “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

The punch in the mouth came quickly.  The same wind that was causing the swells on the swim was punching me right in the mouth on the bike.  The bike route went W and then N for 40 of the 56 miles.  As the day unfolded that proved to be 40 miles of pretty much dead on headwinds.  According to my Garmin they started at ~10 mph from the W and ended at ~20 from the NW.  So they literally moved with us the further we went.

One thing I quickly regretted was my choice of wheels for the day.  Back when I was hoping to break 12 hours on the full course I had rented upgraded wheels, one of which was a full disc rear wheel.  Disc wheels have been proven to be superior in low wind / flat terrain conditions.  On the contrary, some races (such as Cozumel) do not allow them if the conditions are know to be windy.  In high winds they become a hazard (I heard reports after the race of several racers literally taken down by them in the wind).  And here I was trying one out for the first time.  For the record the winds were pretty much non-existent the day before and after the race.  We just happened to draw the one in the middle.  Sure enough the bike proved to be difficult to handle.  Going over bridges where I felt the full force of the wind were especially difficult.  I managed to stay upright for the entire day but my groin had tightened by mile 20 from the extra work required.  The further I went the tighter it got.

I held my 150W for the first hour knowing that my speed was less than normal.  Nonetheless I was moving up through the pack.  For every 20-30 racers I passed one would pass me.  This I where I generally excel and even with the wind it proved to be no different.  We were all fighting the same conditions.

After the first hour I called my first audible of the day.  Instead of bumping my power up I decided to simply hold it at 150 and set myself up for a better run.  The ultimate goal for the day was a run PR and I knew a bike PR was waaaaaay out of the picture.  As the second hour passed the ride became increasingly frustrating.  I knew at some point we had to come out of the headwind.  Mile 20?  Nope.  25?  Nope.  30?  Nope.  We were officially on the back half.  35?  Nope.  40?  Nope.

I had refused to look at my pace all day.  I knew it would be like stepping on the scale the morning after Cheesecake Factory.  Completely demoralizing.  At the end of hour two I finally had to look.  Eighteen.  Then 17.9.  I could not recall a training ride under 20.  I knew that 18.7 is the pace needed for a three hour bike split.  That number has been ingrained in my head since my first half back in 2012.  My bike was turning into the exact opposite of my swim.  More ups and downs.

Somewhere around mile 40 I saw a u turn.  At last.  Sixteen miles to make up some serious time.  It was finally like having the tide on the swim.  Unfortunately I was tight in places I was not used to so I could not hammer it like I wanted.  Around mile 50 I checked my average pace: 18.8 and climbing.  While the bike leg was salvaged I knew that a 9 hour finish was no longer a gimme.

RUN (4:41, PR by 18 minutes)

I left T2 cautiously optimistic that I could hit my race goal.  I ran the numbers over and over.  My run at IMFL had been 4:59.  I had trained to knock 20-30 minutes off that.  My plan for the day was 5 mile blocks at paces of 11 / 10:45 / 10:30 / 10:15 / 10.  Start slow and ratchet it up as I went.  Keep the HR below 140 up to mile 15 and then start to give it whatever was left.

My first five miles went picture perfect.   Between the cool temps (it was now ~60, absolutely ideal for running) and a reduced effort on the bike my HR was staying low.  I averaged around 10:45 which meant I was slightly ahead of schedule to start.  For the next five miles I opted to just keep that pace rather than increasing the pace.  All continued to feel good.

From miles 11-15 I bumped the pace up for the first time.  My heart rate came up just a little but that was totally expected.  I came through the halfway point and got a huge mental boost from the crowd there.  I passed team Wakin and got some high fives.  Around the next corner was Sarah who had the kids on Facetime.  I blew kisses as I started out on the back half.

Somewhere around mile 18 I could tell the last 8 miles were about to be a challenge.  A pain had been developing in my left knee on the outside where the IT band drops in.  I remember back when I first started running longer distances I would get knee pain at around 8 miles.  Over time it moved to 12, then to 16, then went away as I built volume and developed the muscles.  I’ve run without knee pain for a few years now.  But in the back of my mind this fear had been growing for several months.  The training plan I used to prepare for this race had my longest run at 2:20.  At this point I was at 3:00 and still had another 1:30 left.  I’ll be doing another blog posting in the next week or two discussing this in detail.  In short I believe the plan was for stronger runners than me and I should have known better.  Hindsight is 20/20.

Suffice it to say the last six miles were rougher than I had hoped for.  I looked for the positives.  My groin issues from the bike seemed to be nonexistent.  The weather was awesome.  The course was beautiful.  The aid stations and crowd support were great.  There was Red Bull.  Talk about jet fuel when you need it.  My nutrition overall had held up well.  My heart rate was holding.

Despite all of the positives the pain increased with every mile.  I would walk through the aid stations to grab water and then fought back screams those first few steps starting to run again.  I just wanted to be done.  I could tell my chance of a 9 hour finish was slipping.  My paces were no longer dropping like they were supposed to.  Luckily they were holding and not going the other way.  At this point I just wanted to get to a finish line as soon as possible.

I walked down the final hill of the day because I literally could not run it.  I turned the corner at the bottom and flipped on the run switch one last time.  A few turns later I saw Sarah.  And finally the finish chute.  I’ve never been happier to hear my name called as I crossed a finish line.

POST RACE

I met up with Sarah on the other side of the finish line.  At this point I wasn’t up for staying around and celebrating.  I signed in at the massage tent but the wait was over an hour so I opted to skip it.  Sarah is a veteran at these things and is amazing.  She had already picked up my bike and loaded it in the car.  As an aside she had run 18 miles herself that morning training for an upcoming marathon.  Yeah, I married a rock star.  We picked up my clothing bags and headed back to the condo.

That rock star wife I mentioned?  Somehow while I was cleaning up she managed to book a couples massage.  For that night.  Unbelievable.  We grabbed dinner and then went for the massage.  It was a place that had stayed open late expecting racers; they had been doing massages that day and had a fairly full schedule of more the following day.  The next hour was quite possibly the highlight of my day.  Maybe the trip.  I know I’ve told her before but I’ll tell her again: thank you, thank you thank you.  You continue to amaze me.

FINAL THOUGHTS

By 36 hours post race the knee felt completely fine.  The human body is an amazing thing.

One of the things I enjoy about triathlon is that it’s a continual learning process.  Sometimes lessons are learned the hard way.  Some lessons I should have already learned but didn’t.  It’s tough to miss a nine hour goal by six minutes.  That’s six minutes out of 546; roughly 1%.  If the goal is pass / fail I failed; otherwise it’s 99%.  It’s all about perspective.  Ultimately I’m thrilled with the day.  Given the conditions I’m not losing any sleep over it.

The one disappointment from the season is that there remains a huge question mark for me – can I break 12 hours?  I’m pretty sure the answer is yes.  Could I have done it Saturday had it been a full course?  I’ll never know.  In those bike conditions probably not.  However the full bike course would have had 56 miles of a tail wind which could have been enough to make a difference.

At this point I’m going to have to wait a while to answer the question.  Next year will be an off year from fulls.  I’ll still train, I’ll still race, but nothing beyond 70.3.  Wakin if you’re reading this I’m not kidding .  Don’t even go there.  You sign up for a full and you’re on your own.

 

It’s finally here.  Six months of training and it all comes down to Saturday.

Race week is always a flurry of excitement and stress.  The logistics, making sure to pack everything, getting stuff at home and work knocked out all add to the fun.  This year there are added stressors like a recent back injury and the fact that Wilmington got plowed by a hurricane a few weeks ago.  As near as I can tell there was minimal damage and there will still be a race.

At this point I’m feeling pretty good physically.  My hamstrings are sore but that’s just because I had a run this past week with 5×3 minute intervals at a 5k pace (thanks coach).  It seems it had been a while since I had run that fast and they reminded me of it the next few days.  I also managed a knot in my lower back but I don’t think it’s related to prior issues.  I did a long swim out at the lake last week and afterwards my back reminded me not to jerk my head up and down (putting undue stress on lower back muscles) when raising my head to sight.

One of the things I’m most excited about is racing with my training buddy Wakin.  He’s had a spectacular training block and this will be the first time he’s really gone out to push his limits at this distance.  I fully expect him to crush the swim, ride conservatively on the bike, and then come off with fresh legs and destroy the run.  There’s a very good chance that the swim start is the last time I see him until the finish line.  Best of luck amigo.  The work is done, now go enjoy it.

EXPECTATIONS

As I’ve said before, setting expectations for a race this long is a tricky thing given all of the variables. This year there is the added variable of a healing back. As always, I’m coming into the race with three levels of expectations.

“Worst Case Scenario” – In the past this has always been “just finish”. This year it’s a little different. Not knowing what my back is going to do on race day, for the first time ever I’m going into a race knowing that a DNF (did not finish) is completely possible. Any back issues in the swim or run and I’ll pull the plug without hesitation. There’s no shame in staying healthy to race another day. At this point I don’t think it’s the most likely outcome but I’m prepared mentally in case it plays out.

“Realistic” – I feel like 13 hours is a realistic goal this time. Last year my time was 12:27. I feel like my fitness is off just a little from last year due to resting the back. As long as my back gives me no issues this should be achievable.

“If The Stars Align” – I would be elated to finally break the 12 hour mark. Is it possible? Yeah, I think it is. If the current is there on the swim (it should be), if the temps stay cool all day (looks like 50-70, perfect), if there’s little wind (forecast is 5-10 mph, perfect), and if my back holds up (tbd) then the training is there to make it happen. Absolutely everything would have to click, but those days have happened before so there’s a chance.

Feel free to track me on race day at ironman.com.  If you’re the praying kind I’ll certainly take them.  I’ll post a race report after it’s all said and done.

A few weeks ago I wrote about how a blow to the back had sidelined my training for the time being. For the record this is two years in a row that something went wrong in the home stretch (last year I managed to rip the skin off of one of my toes while running after a really long swim). Maybe someday I’ll manage to make it through the final weeks of IM training without issues.

Since then I’ve been doing a ton of stretching. Seriously I’m so sick of stretching. My regimen was basically 3x daily for 30-45 minutes. I found some lower back stretches that really seemed to do the trick. Occasionally I would ice it to try and help with inflammation. Over time the shooting pain went away and what was left was just really sore and tight muscles. I tried a few rounds on the elliptical and then a few minutes on a treadmill but it was still too soon. So I went back to stretching and the occasional bike ride.

Last week was huge. With the shooting pains subsiding I decided to try another swim. I found that for the first time since the injury I was able to swim.  On Thursday of last week I dropped the Aleve. All the while my back continued to feel better. It was still tight but continued to loosen up daily.

I drew a few lines in the sand as to whether or not I would line up at the start line for IMNC. The first was a long ride this past Saturday. If I could get through that with no issues that would be the first test. Wakin and I headed down to West and had quite possibly the most gorgeous morning of the year for riding. The fall weather was unreal. The ride went off without a hitch.

My final test will come this next weekend, two weeks out from race day. If I can swim with no issues and run for two hours that will be the official green light. Yesterday I did my first run in two and a half weeks. It was simply 30 minutes of 5 minutes walking / 5 minutes jogging / repeat but it was a start. There was no pain when running but my back still did not feel strong and was insanely tight when I was done. Luckily I was able to stretch it out pretty quickly afterwards. This morning I tried the same routine with 3 / 7 intervals and it felt better. I’m hoping to continue to loosen / strengthen it slowly throughout the week, ultimately leading up to a long run on Sunday.

So that’s where things are. At this point the race is non-refundable. Airline and hotel are booked. If I can keep getting stronger the next three weeks I plan on at least starting the race. Whether or not I finish time will tell. Numerous folks that care about me have reminded me to be smart and I give you my word that I am. As excited as I am about this race I have no intention of being stupid and making it my last. I feel like I have a great sense of what I am and am not capable of. Luckily my body is cooperating thus far. If it chooses otherwise in the next 17 days I’ll pull the plug and move on to the next one.

I would be crazy to think that I made it this far on my own. The reality is that there is a God in control of things that is the ultimate Healer. He came in the flesh and healed folks physically. Then He went on to pay the price to heal us spiritually, ultimately making us right with Him. To say that I’m thankful for what He’s done in my life, not just these past few weeks, but over decades of knowing Him, would be an understatement. Whether I’m weak or strong, whether I do or don’t finish a race, “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior”.

The older I get the more fully I understand the value of staying healthy. I realize being 100% mobile can change in a minute. Sometimes it’s preventable, sometimes it’s beyond your control. Either way I don’t take for granted the days that I can just get up and go pain free.

Last week Sarah and I had the chance to get away to the Dominican Republic for a week. She earned a (much deserved) trip and I was lucky enough to get to tag along. At first I was concerned that eight days on the beach might disrupt my training (you know you have mental issues when you consider not going on a trip like that because it might impact training for a finisher medal). When I looked at my training calendar the trip actually lined up nicely with a recovery week. So off we went.

Due to the travel on Sunday I had to push my long run of 18 miles to Monday so I had the pleasure of doing that in the fabulous Dominican heat and humidity. Seriously I probably lost 10 lbs of water on the run. But from Tuesday on the week was mainly beach time with my wife, eating great food, and shorter maintenance / rest workouts.

Then Thursday happened. The water was rough. The flags were red. But there were still plenty of folks out playing in the surf. I put on my goggles and decided to attempt a short swim. After a few minutes in the waves I realized that wasn’t happening so I decided to simply enjoy the fun of playing in the ocean. After 10-15 minutes I had enough of the beating and decided to head in. I turned my back, took about two steps towards the shore, and then was completely blasted from behind. Huge wave. Took the goggles clean off my head as it knocked me over. I came up and realized immediately something was not right in my lower back. It wasn’t intense, but just didn’t feel right.

We headed back to the room not long after that and I did some stretching. It seemed to be getting tighter as the evening went on. We met up with some folks for dinner. After sitting for an hour and a half it was time to go. I stood up and realized immediately I could hardly walk. It was all I could do to shuffle with my chest bowed out, and even that was excruciating.

The next morning I almost cried trying to get out of bed. Bending hurt. Twisting hurt. Standing hurt. Walking hurt. Everything hurt. Right along my belt line in my lower back. We had two full days left before heading home. The worst thing about situations like this is not knowing exactly what it needs. Rest? Strengthening? Ice? Heat? I’ve injured my back before (ironically three years prior on the same beach). The most recent time was during a strength workout. I cut the weights but continued the workout with just body weight. Two days later I was golden. So I opted to try to loosen it up with light activity. I was thrilled to find that sitting on a spin bike resulted in zero pain. So the next few days I began a regimen of low power spinning and stretching.

Here I am a week later. There’s still pain. It mainly comes after sitting for long spells. My back just locks up and standing / walking after sitting is a killer. I went to a chiropractor on Monday and he quickly identified that my right hip was sitting higher than normal. I’m pretty sure there was a nerve between my lower spine and raised hip that was getting pinched; after his adjustment some of the stiffness remained but the shooting pains dropped off considerably.

So here I am four weeks out from IMNC. I haven’t even attempted running (seeking how I can barely walk). I tried my first swim yesterday; the rotation puts a strain on my lower back that is still more than I can handle (even with a pull buoy). So for now I can ride. I did a 45 minute ride yesterday morning followed by a 90 minute ride last night and both felt fantastic. I’m still working in stretching and have started ice to hopefully get some swelling down.

I wish I knew what the next four weeks held but at this point I have no idea. If I’m not 100% pain free by next weekend I have a tough call to make. I’m losing fitness each day. I’m not about to attempt an Ironman if there is any lingering; it’s hard enough when you’re 100% healthy. In the past it’s taken 2-3 weeks for things to clear up. Usually I just wake up one day and it’s gone. I’m really hoping that day comes sooner than later.

I posted a few weeks ago that I hoped to reach another milestone over the weekend.  Well, it happened.  My family and I made the short trek down to Waco where I raced the TriWaco Olympic.  I knew going in that 3:00 should be possible and that if everything went off perfectly that a 2:45 might even be in the cards.  In the end I wound up with a 2:55 which I was completely fine with.

The swim was fairly uneventful.  It was about on par with other swims I’ve had here.  I knew what I needed to do to go 2:45 and I was a few minutes behind coming out of the water.  I decided to hit the bike hard and try to make up some time.

After 15 minutes of hammering the bike I finally decided to take a look at my heart rate.  It was in the low 160’s which is about 10 beats higher than I was wanting to see so I decided to slow things down a bit.  The course was a frustrating one due to (1) four U turns that brought you to an almost complete stop and (2) pavement that I would have preferred to be a bit smoother.  I’ve never had great times on rough pavement (and this was no exception).  I guess I’m a prima donna that way.

Starting out on the run I knew that a 2:45 was now out of the question but a 3:00 was still well within reach.  That meant I could pace myself and not go all out for the next hour which was a relief.  It was starting to get hot out and I knew what was coming.

The run at Waco is ~2 miles flat, ~2 miles of hills, then a final ~2 miles flat.  I made it to the the hills and was starting to get gassed so I opted to walk up them and then run the backside.  That worked well and got me in and out and onto the final two miles.  Knowing I was still well ahead of the 3:00 mark I took my time getting through the aid stations, filling my cap and my top with ice.  Walking the last one cost me a spot in my age group as  a guy I’d been playing cat and mouse with all day (we literally paced almost identically through all three legs) opted not to stop.

I could hear Sarah and the kids cheering as I came down the home stretch.  I crossed the finish line and another milestone was cemented in the books.  All in all it was a great day.  I PR’d both my bike and run times on this course and did it on a lower heart rate than in years past which is a good sign that my overall fitness continues to improve.

So that leaves two milestones yet to be completed.  I’m hoping to achieve another one in October at Ironman North Carolina.  We’ll see how it goes.

Race	Goal	Achieved
Half Marathon	2:00	1:55 Chisholm Trail 2014
Marathon	4:00	N/A (4:06 on my only attempt)
Olympic Tri	3:00	2:55 TriWaco 2016
Half Ironman	6:00	5:21 Redman 2015
Ironman	12:00	N/A (12:27 on my last attempt)

One of the things I enjoy about endurance sports is simply competing against myself. Every race I start my goal is to perform better than last time. Over time I’ve learned how to properly train to improve. I’ve gone from a back of the pack athlete (I placed 39 of 46 in my first sprint and 38 of 43 in my first Olympic) to breaking into the top 25% at much longer distances (84 of 320 in my last Half Ironman and 29 of 104 in my last Ironman). I enjoy the continual process of pushing myself and learning what I’m capable of.

In that vein I’ve had loose milestones for different race distances. Here’s my current list along with the race that it happened (if it has happened yet).

Race	Goal	Achieved
Half Marathon	2:00	1:55 Chisholm Trail 2014
Marathon	4:00	N/A (4:06 on my only attempt)
Olympic Tri	3:00	N/A (3:02 on my last attempt)
Half Ironman	6:00	5:21 Redman 2015
Ironman	12:00	N/A (12:27 on my last attempt)

This weekend I hope to check off another milestone as I head back to Waco. I often joke that I was born in Waco and I just may die there someday as their triathlon is hosted in the dead of summer. The race is a sort of homecoming for me. It’s where I raced my first triathlon, my first sprint, and my first Olympic. The Olympic is sufficiently challenging between the hills in Cameron Park and the heat. Overall I really like this race and love supporting the folks that put it on.

I’m optimistic that after five years the 3 hour milestone will finally fall this weekend. Stay tuned…

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.

Last year 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.  Last year was close.  This year I hope to finally do it.  For it to happen I need to knock 27 minutes off of last year’s time.  So what’s the plan you ask?

TRANSITIONS

This should be by far the easiest place to gain some time.  Last year my transitions between swim / bike and bike / run were both around 12 minutes each.  If I can get those down to seven then there’s an easy 10 minutes right off the top.

SWIM

I’ve told myself that one of these days, once I’m happy with both my bike and my run I’ll start working on improving my swim.  It’s the shortest portion of the day by a long shot.  I still have significant progress to make here but it’s not yet time to go after it.  So that means I’ll be looking to swim about the same as I have in my past two races.  The good news is that this race is supposed to have a nice current to assist us.  Then again, Cozumel was supposed to have a current.  Turns out it did – on the back half.  Hopefully the current in this time will be in the right direction for the full duration.  Best case scenario is that I’ll gain 10-15 minutes over last year; my expectation is a repeat time from Florida.

BIKE

Honestly I was pretty happy with my bike last year.  I would always love to be faster, but if I had a repeat of Florida I’d be fine with one exception.  I managed to hold my power last year but I did it at a higher heart rate than I wanted.  I think some of that was due to the warm / humid conditions.  Swimming 90 minutes prior to biking was likely another contributor.  I’ll likely train at slightly higher power this year in hopes that race day I can hold the same power as last year but on a lower heart rate.  If I can do that I should be setting myself up for my ultimate goal.

RUN

While I was not disappointed with my run last year I was also not elated with it.  Coming off the bike I felt like I had a 4:30 marathon (~10 minute pace) in me.  As I started running I quickly discovered that my legs were not the limiting factor; it was my heart rate.  I was hoping to start out with it around 140 but it was all I could do to get it below 150.  I knew that if I pushed it any harder my body would quickly burn through my glycogen reserves and that a “bonk” (highly technical term there) would be inevitable.  Ultimately I wound up with right at a 5 hour finish.

In the offseason this past year I did a ton of run training.  The most run training I’ve done in my life.  The precise goal was to increase my pace while simultaneously lowering my heart rate.  That meant lots and lots and lots of slow miles.  Over time I began to get the results I was looking for.  Not to the full extent I wanted but at least heading in the right direction.  I feel like if I continue to train right for the next three months I should be able to go into this race primed to have my best Ironman run yet.  I would love to see my run time alone drop by 30 minutes.

So there you have it.  If I can gain 10 minutes in transition, another 10 on the swim, and then 20-30 on the run I should hit my ultimate goal.  I’m wanting to race at a lighter weight than ever before which will hopefully have a positive impact across the board.  My fitness level at the halfway point of training seems to be better than it was last year.  Hopefully as I start getting into some really long weekends that will continue to be the case.

In the end I realize that all of this is a best case scenario.  Some days the wheels just fall off due to weather, nutrition, bike malfunction, or any of 100 other reasons.  I’m prepared mentally to train and race as best as I can.  If I manage to hit my goal, fantastic.  If not, I’ll know that I gave nothing less than my best trying.

 

RACE SUMMARY

I felt like Han Solo trying to jump to light speed only to find out that the hyper drive wasn’t working.

INTRO

I went into this race feeling both optimistic and realistic.  After breaking the 5:30 barrier last fall at Redman my sights were set on breaking 5:15.  I’ve said it many times, this sport really is worse than drugs.  Always looking for that next “fix”.

My winter training had been solid, especially my running.  My bike power was up a little from last year and my swimming was about the same.  For those reasons I knew a PR could be possible.  On the flip side there are the things that are out of my control – namely wind, heat, and humidity.  The bike course was predicted to have a strong cross wind which slows you down for the entire ride.  Heat and humidity have their own impacts, namely on the run.  So for those reasons I knew a 5:30 finish was more likely.

PRE RACE

My family and I went down to Galveston on Friday afternoon.  Check in was seamless.  We grabbed dinner and then just chilled out around the condo.  Saturday was pretty laid back.  The family spent some time at the pool and the beach while I did fun stuff like picking up race wheels, athlete orientation, quick ride to check out how the bike handled in the wind, and later bike check in.  Somewhere in there I managed to sell my first triathlon bike (it had been pre-arranged).  I was a little sentimental selling the bike that started it all, but it had been cluttering up my garage for way too long.

Friday night I had not gotten much sleep.  The kids seldom sleep well their first night on the road which directly impacts my sleep.  Saturday night I didn’t get to bed as early as I wanted but still managed to hit the pillow around 10.  Somewhere around 1 AM Jackson came in with a “my throat hurts”.  I have to derail a race report at this point and nominate my wife for wife of the year.  She got up and dealt with it to let me sleep.  It turns out the next day while I was on the bike course she took him to an urgent care only to find out he had strep throat.  They got him on medicine which improved his pain almost immediately.  And they still managed to show up and cheer for me on the run.  I have an amazing family.

RACE MORNING

So after my short night it was up at 4 AM to start the day.  I had my normal breakfast, grabbed my stuff, and headed downstairs to meet up with a couple I had met the previous day.  They were nice enough to give me a ride so I could let my family sleep in.

I was a little frustrated before the day began because of my swim start.  I had to be done setting up my stuff in transition by 6:45 but my swim wave did not start until 8:12.  I really wanted to nap but the recurring nightmare of sleeping right though my swim wave wouldn’t let me.  So I lay around for a while and then finally made a few buddies to pass the time with.

SWIM (43 min)

As far as swims go this one went fairly well.  I had not been in open water yet this year.  I had not put on my wetsuit yet this year.  It was the perfect storm for me to really implode.  I started to do my normal panic around the 200 yd mark but managed to pull it back together and keep moving.  I took my first kick to the face but luckily they were not a strong kicker.  Between the salt water and the wetsuit I was able to not worry about sinking and really focus on my stroke.  I came out of the water feeling fairly fresh and ready to ride.

BIKE (2:42 / 20.7 mph / 165 NP*)

I typically really enjoy the bike.  It’s become my favorite of the three sports mainly because it’s where I excel.  I had some fairly aggressive goals to compensate for the wind.  The bike course wound through town and out to the seawall.  It was there that the wind finally picked up (as expected).  Early on it felt better than anticipated but I knew it would pick up as the day went on.  Around mile 5 I saw Lionel Sanders come blowing past heading the other direction.  He wound up winning the day with an astounding 3:40 overall time.  He’s now won 3 of 3 races this season.  My goal had been to be off the bike before he finished the run.  Given the 72 minutes they spotted his swim wave over mine that didn’t happen.

Early on I tried pushing my power but really had a hard time doing it.  There were a couple of factors.  One was the wind – more power meant more speed and I really was not comfortable at high speeds in the crosswinds.  It was probably more mental than physical.  But it was still a factor.  I tried looking at my heart rate and all I saw was — .  Great.  Somehow swimming in the salt water toasted my HR monitor.  I began hoping it would dry out before the run, as I really use it there.  The last factor that I really think came into play is a technical setting on my watch.  I had to master reset my watch about a week prior to the race and forgot to change a setting.  Ultimately I’m certain I rode a higher wattage (compared to some of my other races) but the setting brought the number down.  Which means I was riding harder than I thought I was.

That leads me to my final note on the bike.  Starting around mile 10 my stomach began feeling unsettled.  Like I was going to throw up.  It was way too early in the day for that.  I backed off my power a little.  But that feeling stayed with me the next four hours, all the way to the finish line.

RUN (1:57 / 9:01 pace)

I forgot to mention earlier that I neglected to pee coming out of the water.  Again.  Someday maybe I’ll actually remember during a race.  So I rode the entire bike leg with a nagging urge to make a pit stop.  But it never got bad enough to actually stop.  As I went through the bike to run transition I headed for a pit stop only to see 2-3 standing in line and waiting.  Sorry folks, this is a race.  No time to wait.  So out I went onto the run course.

My HR monitor that died?  Yeah it never came back on.  That means I had no gauge for how hard I was pushing other than perceived effort, which for me is typically not reliable.  So I decided to stick with the plan I had coming into the race – start at a 9:00 pace, then drop it by 15 seconds every 3 miles.

I had to make myself slow down during the first mile.  Coming off the bike my feet are always used to a faster cadence so I had to monitor my pace and keep pulling back.  My stomach was still not liking me and pushing the pace only made it worse.

Typically on the run I’ll wear a belt with four bottles on it for several reasons.  First I just like carrying my own nutrition.  It’s the stuff I train with so I’m used to it.  But more importantly, the aid stations typically cost me anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds every mile by the time I slow down to grab something, walk to drink it, and then psyche myself up to start running again.  It was getting hot by the time I hit the run course so I decided to stop at the first aid station to grab some ice.  The run is a three loop run and by the time I got there the majority of the 3000 racers were there with me.  Which means aid stations were really, really crowded.  I did get my ice but it took me a good minute to slow down, find it, get it in my cap, and get going again.  This continued to be the case for the next 12 miles as I stopped for ice or water to keep myself cool.

The run is always the part of the day that is mentally grueling.  I knew I did not have a PR swim.  I knew I did not have a PR bike.  It was hot with humidity over 80%.  So why even try?  Why not back it way off and call it a day?  The main reason on this day was that I have done a ton of running lately.  I really wanted to see what my legs were capable of this late in the day.  In the end my legs and lungs were fine but my stomach was not.  Any time I pushed the pace I just got really nauseous.  I felt like Han Solo trying to jump to light speed only to find out that the hyper drive wasn’t working.  Every three miles I would try again only to back off.

As I came down the finisher chute Sarah and the kids were there with high fives.  I was thrilled to see them and even more thrilled that the day was finally over.

POST RACE THOUGHTS

My final finish time was 5:29 which was good for 83 out of 327 in my age group.  That puts me officially on the brink of cracking into the top 25% for the first time ever.  If I’m reading my stats correctly I came out of the water in 213 place, made my way up to 111 on the bike, and then to 83 by the end of the run.  So while my finish time was not a PR the day still went pretty much as planned and landed me by best finish placing to date.  It’s pretty amazing that an “off day” finish is now an hour better than what it was just a few years ago.

It’s also nuts how used my body has become to the workload.  I’m now less than 24 hours post-race and the part of me that hurts the most is the sunburn.  Otherwise I feel fine.  That’s crazy.  Which also tells me I had a better day in me had my stomach cooperated.

Speaking of, I’m still trying to unravel my stomach issues.  I’ve narrowed it down to the following list.  Could be any one or some combination.

• Ate a banana at 7 AM (too late)
• Did not chase pre-swim Gu with enough water
• Lack of swim fitness
• Overexerted myself early on the bike
• Heat / humidity
• Raced 5-10 lbs above ideal race weight

So now it’s decision time.  I have my training calendar set for the next few months but don’t yet have my next “fix” planned.  I’ll likely do some shorter races this summer and then something longer in the fall.

Thanks again to my family for putting up with the craziness.  They really are amazing.  Thankfully Jackson’s feeling a ton better today.  I could not do any of this without their cooperation and support.

I saw a sticker at the expo that pretty much summed up where I am in life.

I continue to be thankful that God grants me the physical and mental ability to do something I’ve come to love.