Crushing Iron

July 8, 2013

Mom's In Town Pulling More Weeds

A month or so ago, I posted a story about how my mom came to understand my reasoning for doing Ironman. She said, “Well, I guess it’s probably like the people who don’t understand why I like pulling weeds in the garden.” True, mom. It’s hard to understand until you are in the shoes.

It occurred to me that “pulling weeds” was a great analogy for what I’m doing. Training for hours on end, ripping the sludge from my aging heart and joints.

So, her and my brother, Chris, popped into Nashville last night on their way to see my sister, Amy, who is vacationing with her family on Kiawah Island. Mom wasted no time proving herself by getting up at the crack of dawn and whipping my backyard into shape.

Here’s a picture of my flower bed PM (pre-mom):

And here’s the same bed of flowers post mom:

As you can see, my mother does not mess around when it comes to pulling weeds.

July 6, 2013

Even Coaches Have Bad Days – Guest Blog

If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It’s lethal. – Paulo Coelho

My coach brings a lot to my life both in and out of triathlon. He’s youth with experience, and has a insatiable hunger for learning how to make himself and his athletes better. He’s pushed the right buttons with me from the start and has taught me control while inspiring me to push my limits. One of the truest measures of proof is the difference between my two open water Olympic swims. Before Robbie’s coaching I swam 42 minutes in NashVegas and after 4 months of swim instruction I was out of the water in 26 minutes at Rev3 in Knoxville. But, if I had to choose the most impressive thing about Robbie, it is clearly his ability and patience to type these comprehensive guest blogs on his phone.
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Looking for Someone To Turn To? Try Doing a 360
By Robbie Bruce, RxE

Taper days/weeks tend to lend themselves to personal questions, concerns, over analyzed aches and pains as well as questioning your overall SBR fitness. It just happens. Every time. Today’s run took all of that and multiplied it by 10.

There is nothing more frustrating than heading out to do anything you consider “going over and beyond or epic” all for it to smack you’re over confident ass back into reality.

If you are reading this in Nashville you are more than aware we have been bombarded with Noah’s Ark type conditions. I woke up staring at a 4 hour trainer ride right in the face. I made some coffee and then got caught up in a very lack luster Wimbledon Women’s Final. I made the call that a 4 hour ride was just not looking that promising. So I said,”I will swap days and do my 1.5 hr run in this pouring rain. Who cares. Get it done even though the elements were sub par.”

I knew I would be one of the only people on the streets and probably wouldn’t even see many cars. I have been running extremely well as of late so the thought of running pretty fresh in cooler than normal temps had me pumped. I was expecting to cruise. No phone, no music, just me, my thoughts and the sound of feet hitting the ground.

It was supposed to be an easy run. Around the 25min mark things began to go south.

My usual easy/marathon pace is around a 7:40 as of late and that is in the 85-95 degree heat. Today I was almost suffering to hold a 7:50…. I should be getting fresh. Except my legs felt like lead. I felt hot (WTF it is 73!!) and then GI issues set in. I made it back to my truck exactly at 40:00. Spent. Toast. Frustrated. Mentally beaten and not feeling well. I walked for about 10mins pondering what to do. Questioning everything. 40:00 at a 7:50 pace in OPTIMAL conditions made me feel like absolute crap. Here is where the quandary sets in:

As a “coach” who do you turn to in your times of need. When you begin to question yourself in every way. I spend a majority of my time taking care of the emotional psyches of my athletes after bad workouts or bringing them to reality when they get to high. Where and who do I turn to. If I turn to an athlete of mine will I seem weak?

I vent to a few people and most are athletes only because I know they will relate and most likely just regurgitate my previous wisdom to them right back in my face. I did that today and then as I sat in my truck, rain pouring, almost wheezing, I looked in the rear view mirror, saw the look on my face and came to a realization. I have looked like this before.

The results are always different but I had seen that look. Robbie, it is just one workout. We all have them. For every horrid workout we also have a great workout. The rest are filled with just the same old same old training day. I got my Garmin out and decided to take a trip down memory lane. Training version. I went back to almost 2 weeks ago when I had one of my best run workouts of the year on tired legs in 90 degree heat on a freaking track for God’s sake. It was a 10×1 mile repeat day. The goal. Negative split them all. So after a 20 min warm up it commenced. As much, as today hurt to hold 7:50s in cooler temps on fresher legs, my splits for that day were as follows:

6:49
6:45
6:41
6:34
6:31
6:24
6:16
6:12
6:05
5:38

Pretty close to a perfect negative split. Longer and much faster than today in worse conditions.

So what does all this mean? I am human. Just like we emotionally have good and bad days in our personal life as well as at work. Shit happens. What would and did I tell me after today? Move on. Especially leading up to a race it is “less is more” and “do no harm.”

There will not be any make up run tomorrow. It is what it is. Did my fitness all of the sudden leave me? Ha. No way. In fact I haven’t felt better about my overall SBR fitness the last few weeks. My bike fitness FINALLY feels like it is coming back after my injuries earlier this year.

Another confidence booster is having gone through races like CMM this year, totally under trained and off injury. Yet I believed I could do well. So I did.

It is the belief in ones self that silences your body. I think people forget that most often the only part of your body you are not working out (your head) is in charge and in control of all the parts you are putting through grueling and never ending pain. You control you.

I wont lie. Every person that has text me the last week has guessed I will go sub 4:30 at Muncie. My response “I believe I have a sub 4:30 in me.” Might sound cocky or over confident to some but I do believe that. I believed I could finish CMM on basically no run training for 4-5 weeks with a long run of 14.

I ran the back 13.1 as my fastest 13.1 split ever over any course. Why? Not because I am a great athlete or the best runner. I just believed I could. So after today am I discouraged about my run? Yep. You can always do better. But I am not deterred. I will bike tomorrow and let it come back to me. Then I get ready for race week. I wont worry about every workout because the only one that matters is the workout I will do on Saturday and that is the one I believe in. Today will just be a memory. See you in a week.

July 6, 2013

Ironman Wisconsin Videos

It’s a gloomy Saturday in Nashville and I’m off to a slow start. I’ve been looking around for anything and everything about Ironman Wisconsin. Below is a collection of videos I’ve spent my day with.

I’m gonna start with what is easily the best Ironman race recap video I have seen to date. I’m not sure how this escaped me until today, but it will be extremely enjoyable to watch if you’re doing IMWI.

Here’s another highlight reel that isn’t produced with music, etc. and gives you a better perspective of the natural environment from that day, including interviews with a few of the racers.

Here’s one by DW Wanberg, who gives play by play in his best Howard Cosell voice, which isn’t half bad! I kinda dig this one because it gives you an extended look at the swim, including a close up of the last swimmer to make the cut off. There’s also some cool perspective on the bike and leaving the Helix.

This one is by Simply Stu and previews everything you need to know about the Swim and the transition to bike. It’s a few years old and doesn’t reflect the change to a one loop swim course, but he gives you a great sense of direction for where you’ll be entering, exiting, and running (with a special focus on indoor soft carpeting) toward your bike. He also takes you inside the Helix and gives you a nice perspective on where you’ll change, then find your bike. Stu also has a triathlon podcast. If you want to save a little time, skip ahead to the 2:30 mark in the video.

This video is a view from out on the lake as the swimmers corner buoy number one. It gives a good perspective on what you’ll be up against at the first turn. Skip to the 5 minute mark and don’t watch for too long unless you want to get sea sick.

July 6, 2013

One Week From Muncie

I woke up and immediately looked at my phone like everyone else in the world. What did I miss? Was it still raining? Where are all the cool people checking in this morning?

The first thing I saw was a text from my coach that included next Saturday’s forecast for Muncie, Indiana:

If this holds it’s about as close to perfect as it gets for a race in July. Last year they shortened the course due to heat, now it’s bordering on a wetsuit race.

In sort of a twisted way, I have mixed emotions about the cool temperatures and the potential of a wetsuit legal race. We’ve been doing some intense workouts in blistering heat to prepare, and while I realize that will only make for better races, part of me was looking forward to the struggle. Don’t get me wrong, if this happens at Wisconsin, I’ll be jacked, but frankly my Rev 3 race was cold and rainy, and I was ready for the challenge of a pressure cooker.

Aside from the potential of wetsuits, this cool spell will produce a major benefit starting today. We will build a better hydration base without even trying. Not that our scheduled workouts are overly intense this week, but July in Nashville normally produces buckets of sweat.

But, I guess it’s all relative. If the cool temps hold, we’ll likely push a little harder and see faster times across the board. And, in the big scheme of things, this is probably better for long term confidence as we continue to focus on the gorilla at the end of the road.

July 6, 2013

Crushing Iron: What it Means to Me

When I was contemplating this blog and what I would call it, my first choice for a name was “Chasing Iron,” but it was already in use. I was a little bummed, but thankfully Crushing Iron popped in my head. At first I thought was a little cocky, but Jim assured me it was “confident.” I usually trust Jim’s opinion, so the rest is sorta history.

I had a few things in mind when I started this blog.

1. I wanted a blog that lasted more than 10-15 entries like many in my past. To date I’ve published 222 posts. This was the first.

2. I believed that writing out my thoughts would help me focus and better understand the nuances of training. I think this is without a doubt the most underestimated benefit.

3. The blog would serve as an outline for the documentary. By the time we get to the race I will have averaged nearly a post a day and I think the words will be valuable memories.

4. I believe you have to be confident to succeed and “Crushing Iron” in the purest definition is empowering. But, it means whatever you want it to mean. I’m still not sure what “crushing” Ironman would mean to me. Some days crushing it would mean to simply finish. Other days, I dream about the perfect race that moves me through the finish line in under 12 hours. Some days even less.

I have started a zillion projects in my life and Crushing Iron is certainly one of the most “successful” simply because I am still writing, dreaming, and training. The blog and the brand began in selfish roots, but so many people have reached out and claimed they’ve been inspired that my mindset has shifted. It’s truly a lesson that everything is better when shared. I’m fortunate to have met tons of great people, both in person and online, and I hope that everyone of them gets a little something from the blog.

Crushing Iron has become a lifestyle. In many ways it has taken over my life and some of the changes have been difficult. In order to change you have to be willing to come apart, and on many occasions I have. I broke a very destructive habit of going to the local Pub more often than not after work. I have “lost” many friends on this path because I simply don’t see them. I have turned down a social lifestyle for the often isolated journey of searching on the inside.

But the nature of my challenges is changing. Going to the Pub doesn’t even cross my mind now and I’m not sure I could ever see that coming. I haven’t “quit” drinking, but I don’t use it as a crutch, and I’m not sure you can put a price on that victory, especially after 30 years of practice.

Crushing Iron started as a catchy name for training, but it has been the impetus for change. I can literally feel the sludge seeping out of my joints and a resurgence of youth that is undeniable. Hopefully you’re crushing a little iron yourself.

July 6, 2013

Swimming With the Pull Buoy

Since I’m a new-ish triathlete, I’m still digging around to answer a million little questions and this article couldn’t have come a moment too soon. It’s a piece from the Ironman website by Sergio Borges and the first paragraph summed up the feeling I’ve been having for a couple weeks.

The pull buoy—that funny little piece of foam you stick between your legs when swimming—is a common point of contention among triathletes. Have you ever been told that swimming with one is addictive and bad for your swim? I’ve heard this far too often, from both athletes and swim coaches.

I was actually getting very concerned about this because swimming with the pull buoy has been much easier for the last month or two. On several occasions I’d swim without it just to make sure I was on pace and I was gassed after two or three laps. What gives?

This is what I think was happening:

Many athletes feel addicted to the buoy because of the better body position it creates, which leads to better glide in the water. When you glide, however, you reduce your stroke rate. A reduced stroke rate combined with a poorly honed body position won’t help you much in a race.

So, Wednesday night, after 1,000 meters WITH the buoy, I said enough is enough. I’m swimming the next 1,000 without it.

I was actually kinda pissed in my competitive sort of way and fought through the first few hundred meters, then suddenly, I found the groove I needed. I settled into a meditative state and suddenly, it was felt right again.

Fast forward to tonight after work.

I was excited to get back in the water and test this stroke. Sure enough, it felt great (other than the fact that I’m a little fatigued). Then, I decided to reverse the test and swim the back side WITH the buoy after 1,000 without. That’s when it got interesting.

With the better body position created by the buoys, the athlete can experience a proper catch not pulling water down first and also reducing many shoulder injuries.

Now, swimming with the buoy seemed harder! I concentrated on using the long stroke, the catch, and the pull. I could really feel it in my arms and my laps felt slower. It was actually a huge relief because I think it tells me, I was getting into a bad stroke while using it so much.

All of this is new and my opinion could easily change tomorrow, but for now I’m gonna believe that things are going as they should. We don’t use pull buoys at open water swims and I don’t seem to have a problem there, so like most stages of this training, I am simply gonna trust the process . . . and the coach.

July 5, 2013

Dr. Oz Responds to My Blog

I certainly didn’t need more proof that Dr. Oz is legit, but recent actions have firmly cemented his place in my Rational Celebrity Hall of Fame. He started by delivering a 6 am 5K in Las Vegas, which was an iron clad excuse for me to escape Casino karma, then followed all of that by responding to my race summary:

Oz here to commend you on forcing me to risk my life in an effort to hunt you down in the blistering heat. I am proud that my pulse came back so quickly after the ferocious race, but have foresworn egg white omelets after reading your piece. Plus the yolk has all the biotin to give my hair more shine and body anyway.

Now, let me tell you why this is a big deal. I work in marketing for a local television station and half the time I can’t get a reporter to answer my email. And here’s Dr. Oz, a legend of daytime television taking time out of a busy life to respond to a hackneyed blogger who lives with his mom. (Well, not really, but she is coming to visit on Sunday with a block of 10-year-old Wisconsin Cheddar, which I am not sure would be on Dr. Oz’s preferred list, but mom says it’s fine as long as I don’t shovel it down like I used to do with her beef stroganoff, which shouldn’t be a problem because I pretty much eat tuna from a can).

Even though I had fun with the Las Vegas 5K race summary, I really did get the impression that Oz is a good and level-headed guy. Other than his jewel crested massage table, he was every man’s man. And judging by the attention he got from women, I can easily confirm he has no problem with the ladies either.

If you didn’t know better, Oz was just a normal dude out barnstorming his way through the streets of Vegas while late night gamblers staggered their way back to nowhere. Race logistics are no joke and he rolled with all the punches, including the sketch PA system someone lined up for the awards ceremony. He even followed it up with a blog post of his own that includes a few stellar pictures of his new 5K rival.

So, in between celebrity interviews and the pressures of helping turn lives around, Dr. Oz takes time to acknowledge the Fab 5 on the Crushing Iron blog. Pretty cool. And now, let me be the first to acknowledge that his hair was indeed full of shine and body.

July 3, 2013

I'm No Dietary Expert, but . . .

If you say anything with confidence, people are more likely to believe your message. Driving back from lunch today, I heard a radio commercial for a weight loss product that said “People have reported losing 11 pounds in the first 7 days!” My first thought was, wow, they’re letting concentration camps advertise on the radio now.

Okay . . . all you have to do is add this product to water and watch the fat burn away.

Now, I don’t claim to be an expert, but this sounds like a recipe for disaster. I’ve lost about 25 pounds since January, 2012. It has been a very slow burn. Two to three pounds a month, and the kicker is, I haven’t made one conscious effort at changing my diet. I’m not suggesting that’s the plan either, but it’s pretty sweet to be able to eat what you want and lose weight. The only catch? Working your ass off in the pool, on the bike, and on the run.

My diet is morphing naturally. I don’t avoid foods because I “should,” I avoid them because I’m more in touch with my body. Slowly, but surely cravings have fallen away. I still get trapped in the time crunch on occasion and swing across the street for a drive thru experience. An example . . . my “lunch” today was at Wendy’s. But I used to do that 2 or 3 times a week. Somehow, some way, it just stopped happening.

But, who am I to know? Maybe there is a much easier solution and dropping “Be Skinny” into your water works.

July 3, 2013

The Power of Isolation

Occasionally I try to figure out why I’m putting so many hours into training, most in isolation. Even the group rides are replete with time for contemplation. I think the simple answer is . . . I like it that way.

My dad was a very social guy when I was growing up. We lived in a small town and he seemed to know everyone. There was always a party in progress or about to happen when my dad showed up.

I loved it when he would take me along to the cookout. The kids would run around or play baseball in the back, while the parents got drunk in the kitchen. Everyone was relaxed and free.

But the sun always sets on a party and it’s tough to see in the dark.

I’d go down to my bedroom in the basement and stare at a ceiling that wasn’t there. I’ve always had trouble falling asleep and think it’s largely because I can’t get out of my head. Eventually I figured out there’s no better place to fuel this addiction than long hours in the pool, on a bike, or a run.

When I’m at my best, I embrace the art of meditation in motion. I am completely in the moment. Focused on the next stroke, pedal, or step. I’m at one with my breath and let that take over. There is no watch, no conversation, and no finish line. I just am.

I have always been a fascinated by the power of meditation. The ability to look inward for peace is extremely powerful and the key to staying centered. But, it’s difficult to stay on course with an endless flow of distraction.

Phones fill voids like a crack pipe. We cling and hope the next message delivers the perfect high. If we’re not looking at the phone it’s the television or the tablet. We’re always “looking” . . . but for what?

I think that’s the irony of endurance training.

We go to extreme lengths to find something we can’t describe. A consistent, manageable, and peaceful state. But what we do when we find it is the real challenge. Do we accept it or climb higher for another level of stimulation? How high is high enough?

On the most elemental level, I think humans are searching for ways to feel better, but how we do that is baffling.

What part of staying inside an office for 10 hours a day while staring at numbers on a computer screen resembles natural behavior? It’s a real challenge because we have crafted a world that is driven by “more is better.” More money, more power, more fame, more sex, more highs, more stuff.

So this all comes back to basics. What do we need to be satisfied? For me, it’s typically nothing.

The most serene moments of my life are those times when I’m focused on my breath. I don’t “need” anything when I’m “awake.” Life gets more complicated when I am forced to squeeze into a box created by humans who think they’re doing what’s best for me, for us. We get dragged around the block when all we really want is to chill in the backyard.

I love to immerse myself in other people’s quest for genuine satisfaction. What does it take to be content? Where do we go off the rails?

I spend a lot of time listening and observing. I think it’s because I truly have no clue what life is all about. Then, sometimes, I genuinely think THAT is what it’s all about. Listening, learning, loving.

So many of us are tripped up by the lure of the next high. The first thought after I make a million dollars is, how can I make two million? And the list goes on. It’s never enough. But all we really want is to be comfortable, content, and free. More often than not, I find that space on long swims, bikes, and runs. The challenge is handling the rest of the day.

July 2, 2013

Muncie 70.3 is Next – New Video

In eleven days, four of the Fab 5, our coach, along with +1 and +2 will head to Muncie for an Ironman 70.3. Everyone in that group has finished a Half, except me.

We’ve been training since January, so I feel like I’m ready, but every time I raise the bar I get a little anxious. Any of the three events, the 1.2 mile swim, the 56 mile bike, or the 13.1 mile run would be no problem on their own, but combining them for the first time at my level of expectation will be a challenge.

One of the things we’ve focused on in preparation is the likelihood of a very hot day. Last year they shortened the course, so the last workout I had before my week of debauchery in Las Vegas was a 13 mile run on a high school track.

Our coach’s goal was to simulate the time of our run (roughly 10 am) and the very sunny run course by offering no shade. We set up fluids and would stop every mile to rehydrate, but each mile we ran was faster than the last to practice negative splits. It was about 90 degrees at the time. Here’s a trippy little video I put together from that day.

Now, of course, we’re checking the forecast for the 13th in Muncie and it looks absolutely delicious from afar. We’ll see if this holds up. Hopefully it does, because it’s much different from my Olympic in Knoxville, which would be nice.

Knoxville forecast for my Rev 3 Olympic in May. The race was Sunday, and the forecast was dead on.