Ironman Wisconsin

August 7, 2013

The Fab 5, One Month from Ironman Wisconsin

It’s one day over a month away from Ironman Wisconsin so I thought I would report the current status for the Fab 5 along with +1 and +2.

Daniel just got back from Colorado where he waltzed into the epicenter of triathlon training and crushed Boulder 70.3. He negative split the 1/2 marathon and ended with a 1:41:32 on the run and an overall time of 5:09:23. He has put us all on notice with that effort and strung together a remarkable race portfolio this summer, with at least one more before IMWI. His mood has been steady and his love for the sport palpable. I think he is more than ready for Wisconsin and will likely add it to a long list of stellar performances.

Jim recently posted a picture of himself at work and is still flying high from a Psychedelic Furs concert. He’s also been taking FULL advantage of his role as Social Chairman for my above ground pool. In fact, some say he may be abusing his power! Jim’s been nursing a couple injuries, but seems to be climbing over the hump and gearing for the race of his career. He’s a cagey veteran in this sport and I’m fully expecting him to peak at the right time. I’m also super stoked to have him visit my homeland and celebrate a year of training with some brats, cheese, and a beer.

Mark is totally pumped this week, but I think it’s been because his daughter just started school. He’s also extremely busy at work with merger/acquisition stuff and I fully believe he has his hands in the recent purchase of the Washington Post. With all of that he just continues to hammer workouts. We did Muncie 70.3 together and he recently set a PR in the Music City Olympic. It seems like his injuries are behind him, or certainly under control, and like us all, he is just counting the days. We’ll be staying in the same hotel in Madison and I am banking on him for a wake up call race morning.

Kevin. Well, he’s a tough read. I sense that he has been recovering from the injuries that kept him down at Muncie. He been tenacious as ever at open water swims and hitting the Trace with equal vigor. He’s been relatively silent on his progress as of late, but the fact that he has only missed one open water swim all season is a pretty good hint that he will be attacking Lake Monona like a shark looking for salt.

Me? Well, I’m pretty much going with the flow, but have to admit the butterflies are starting to churn. It’s just all so weird. Your endurance keeps building, but it’s hard to gauge because it’s gradual. Obviously I can go more than I could in January, but sometimes I feel like I can’t go as far as I could last week. I’m actually looking forward to the upcoming weeks from hell, then curious to see what happens in the taper.

Allie is dealing with a shoulder issue, but seems poised to tackle her THIRD half of the year down in Venice. She celebrated an important birthday recently and seems to be handling it well. She’s also super jacked about a new bike fit. And Wasky? Well, if this picture is any indication, he is more than ready for Louisville.

August 6, 2013

How Do You Follow Up a 110 Mile Bike Ride?

Sometimes you get a sense that everything is fine, and that’s how I felt after Saturday’s 110 mile ride on Natchez Trace. It was my longest cycling experience by nearly 40 miles, but for some reason I wasn’t nearly as wiped as any of these much shorter rides. I have a feeling it had a lot to do with nutrition, but also increased mileage an fitness.

As we ate the post-ride meal at Corner Pub, I could tell I was tired, but it wasn’t one of those beat down exhausted moments. Robbie, Jim, Allison, Wasky, and Marc chatted around me and I had a renewed energy for Ironman Wisconsin. It started with a break-thru swim on Friday, now 110 miles (half in pouring rain) on the Trace, what would be next?

On to Sunday.

Those first few steps out of bed can be telling. I shuffled to the bathroom and was amazed I could stand. I fully expected to put off my two hour “easy ride” to the afternoon, but I felt surprisingly good at 8 am. Let’s do this.

I started sipping Perform and did so for about an hour until I clipped into the bike. Then it was off to Zone 1 (I’m still not quite sure what that is) for a trip to the Dam and back. Rebekah joined me and it was nice to take in some scenery after yesterday’s blazing ride that glued my eyes to a rubber tire.

I didn’t “push it,” but did do a little slow climbing to work things out. I felt pretty good and as we coasted down the street toward home I realized I had been sitting on my Adamo race seat for 8 hours in the last calendar day.

But it wasn’t over.

I was gonna do a straight up brick, but was advised to take an hour, so I ate a peanut butter/jelly sandwich with some chips and salsa. (Triathlon cravings are ridiculous).

Then, I had a big decision. Which shoes should I wear?

Most of my runs have been in Pearl Izumi Streaks (which are now out of print) but after a problem at Muncie, I bought Mizunos that I thought I liked, but am not so sure after a few runs. The Pearl’s were my main squeeze until Muncie but my feet started burning like nobody’s business and I dropped them like they were hot, literally. THEN, I got the same burning sensation from my bike trainer ride a couple weeks later and realized I was wearing the same socks that I wore in Muncie. Hmm… could it be the socks??

The Mizunos felt great at first, but after a few runs they seemed a little too stiff and my left foot would start slapping the pavement after 5 miles or so. Something just wasn’t right, so yesterday, I pulled out the trusty Pearls and set out on my two hour run.

This was supposed to be a build/feel run. 30 minute easy, 30 faster, 30 faster, then cool down for 30. My Garmin didn’t charge so I was relegated to a chrono watch and this process was not easy. I tried to use the mile markers on the Greenway, but kept forgetting times and whatnot, so I just worked on a steady pace with small gains in effort.

I have no idea how far I ran, but it felt far and my legs were dead. This was the indicator day for me. This is how it will feel on September 8th . . . probably worse. Legs shot and all you have left is your mind to carry your marathon. I’m guessing I hit 13 miles and the thought of another 13 was daunting . . . but didn’t seem out of the question.

So, now, I put my faith in the conditioning that is left and the taper that will follow. How will 112 miles and a marathon feel with strong and fresh legs? The same, better, worse? I guess time will tell.

August 1, 2013

Toeing The Line

These pictures got me thinking. For a sport that is so empowering and free, we sure do spend a lot of time following lines.

July 26, 2013

The Difference Between Good and Great

This morning was tough.

I woke up “late” (at 5:15 am) and got to open water swim just as everyone completed their warm ups. I knew it was a mistake, but instead of taking time to get loose, I jumped right into the drills and started the day ahead of myself with short breath and a tingling of swim anxiety. After 3 drills, I felt tired, almost to the point of exhaustion, and decided to cut the morning swim short. I drove home, sat on the on the porch in absolutely perfect weather, and got introspective.

The thought that kept crossing my mind was, why do I keep going back?

I’ve played sports my entire life, but baseball was my first love. I was on a lot of good teams and that won a lot of games. But none of them where what what I would call great. I can hear the jokes already, but I didn’t truly learn what it takes to win until after college when I started playing softball.

I started in the beer league with the big fish/small pond attitude. We gathered our baseball buddies and thought we were the best thing since sliced bread as we carved our way through other small town teams made up of guys that used to be in band or the chess club.

This was all really good for our ego, but we didn’t always win. Our shiny brand of cockiness was often exploited by older teams. We had a ton of baseball talent, but didn’t know the first thing about winning.

One day the coach from our local traveling team, a grizzly 50-year-old bar owner with a big gap in his teeth, asked me and my brother if we’d want to play with them in St. Louis the following weekend. I didn’t know much about his team because they were always playing out of town and banned from our rinky dink league. After a few beers I told him, “What the hell.”

Next thing I know, I’m in a car headed to St. Louis with no idea what to expect. There were nearly 80 teams in the tournament and each had to qualify by winning a previous tournament or accumulating enough points in others. These guys we’re big, strong, and athletic . . . and I was a little intimidated.

I’d played against one of the teams in various tournaments with my bar league squad and they mopped our clocks. I told my new coach I thought they were pretty good, and I’ll never forget his answer, “Who, those guys? They’re a bunch of pussies. You’d be the best player on that team . . . by far.”

As it turned out we played that team in our second round and found ourselves down by SEVEN runs in coming up to bat in the bottom of the first inning. They put on a hitting clinic and as I jogged back to the bench, I thought our tournament was over. But coach had a different perspective.

I was used to a bunch of guys bitching about screwed up plays and screaming at each other to “Go hit the f*cking ball!”

The demeanor of my new team was 100% different.

Coach started making jokes about the other team being a bunch of sissies and how they were about to see how a real team swings the bat. My bar league team would have crumbled at that thought of coming back from seven runs down, but I sensed something very different about the culture that surrounded me.

I sat quietly on the bench and wondered how everyone could be so calm.

Our lead off hitter rolled a single up the middle. The second hitter followed with a line drive to right field. Our third hitter doubled and the clean up man hit a home run. It was now 7-4. The hit parade continued through the order until me and my brother stroked back to back singles in the last two places of the line up to knock in the 7th and 8th runs. We still had no outs.

The lead off man started it again with an infield single and by the time we went back to the field we’d put up 15 runs to lead 15-7. I cannot express the impact this had on my mindset.

We went on to score something like 30 runs in that game and held the other team to their original 7. I’d seen it in spurts, but my new team had something none of my previous teams really had. An unwavering confidence that was contagious.

We won the next four games before losing a close game, and were eventually eliminated, but took 5th place in the tournament out of 80 teams. My confidence shot through the roof and literally changed me as an athlete.

I played with that team for four more years and we won countless tournaments, including a clean sweep one year in the state of Indiana where we went 23-0. Our grizzly coach eventually bought a tour bus and we played in Louisville, Detroit, Minneapolis, Ohio, even Florida. More times than not we landed in the top 5. The only time we struggled was when there was palpable burnout.

So, as I sat there on my porch looking at the trees this morning I thought about my poor swim and what it really meant in the big scope of Ironman training. I showed up, made the effort, but couldn’t finish and felt guilty about walking away.

Aside from the softball story I just told, the most valuable lesson I’ve ever learned from baseball is how to come back from failure. The batter’s box can be a humbling place. Even in my best seasons I made outs 60% of the time and that really teaches you how to look forward.

Today’s swim was just a bad at bat in a long season. Now it’s my job to stay focused and make sure I’m ready when I step in the batter’s box with bases loaded and two outs in the ninth on September 8th.

July 25, 2013

RX Endurance Athlete of the Week (My Training Partner)

It’s not always easy to come up with a new blog, but some days they fall right in your lap. I woke up to a text this morning about Racer K from our coach:

“For the sake of the Fab 5 +1, +2, I’m going to heavily edit Racer K’s Athlete of the Week write up because he talks ALOT of shit.”

I was confused because I had already awarded Racer K Crushing Iron Athlete of the Week right around the time he was East Nasty of the Week. So, he’s won yet another award?? Yes, he has. The coveted RX Endurance (our training group) Athlete of the Week has now been added to Kevin’s growing list of accolades.

Following is Kevin’s story and how his perspective on Ironman has shifted this year. He talks about what he’s learned and how training with a group of people dedicated to giving their best effort has impacted his life. I have witnessed Kevin ride a roller coaster of training emotions and can honestly say the most impressive and inspiring thing about Kevin is that, no matter what circumstances he faces, he is always ready to work, and in constant pursuit of improving, both in training and in life.

RxE Athlete of the Week- Kevin Gammon (Racer K)

This week’s athlete of the week is one of our more intriguing athletes, Kevin “Racer K” Gammon. In many areas Kevin has come as far as any of our athletes since the beginning of the year. His swim especially has transformed into a strength rather than a weakness due to his hard work and determination. We have shared a few CTJ rides together on the Trace where less than 10 words are spoken. He often keeps to himself but when he speaks you should listen. I asked Kevin to write about whatever he wanted and this is what he had to say…..

“It drives me crazy when people ask me to write about myself. When coach “asked” me to write this up my mind went in a million different directions. I didn’t want this to be your typical biography write-up because I already have a few of those out there. Luckily, after a short run it became glaringly obvious what I actually needed to type about. My journey with Robbie and the athletes of Rx Endurance has been centered on motivation. The past 8 months have been more mental in nature than physical. I believe that any progress I’ve made this year has been in my mind first and body second. Motivation is a tricky thing. Everyone’s motivation is different; there is not good measure of motivation. Worse, it can be fleeting and hard to repair when damaged. You can’t just “give” motivation; it has to be a spark from within. And yet it is the most important thing an athlete can have. Let me tell you where my motivation comes from and how RxE helped change it.

I started my trip seeking “things.” There are a lot of athletes out there, and I was one of them, that race “for the medal.” I have a wall full of them. I also wanted the magnet on the car. It is neat to be able to sit around and tell people you finished an Ironman. That can get you more free beer than you would think. A lot of people are like this and I’m not going to be the one to say anything is wrong with it. At least not on Facebook. Personally speaking I’ve found that if finishing was enough then I seldom improved. I just… finished. When I started working with Robbie I was still in this phase. That was, if I remember correctly, around last December.

Then you add in the people. The people at Rx Endurance are amazing. I can’t say enough about them and you will love hearing their stories. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than fighting with Mike at 6:00 a.m. trying to beat him to the buoy and back. My competitive history with Jim is well documented. I know it all sounds cutthroat. The reality is everyone in the group is very supportive of each other but we have a very healthy competitive attitude. Bragging rights can be great motivation. It’s no longer about the things, it’s about how you compare to others. This works great for a while and you can make leaps and bounds this way with the right competition. This is where my motivation came from and it was very limiting. What if Mike has a bad day? Do I still give 100% and pass him by or just enough where I can still give him a good elbow and take it easy? I think if you judge yourself based on the abilities of others then you lose the ability to define yourself. You’re really missing out.

The next thing in the mix comes from coaching. It doesn’t come all at once. It’s a more subtle influence and I think this has been the best benefit from my time under the RxE umbrella. Over the long months my training has become less about the things outside and more about me. What can I accomplish and what can I achieve? What else can I learn about myself along the way? My friends have become support and not competition. I really don’t care about the medals. I just love the sport. The actually race day is just a date on the calendar, I have no intention of stopping when its through. I want to be the best athlete that I can. More importantly, I want to be the best person that I can and live true to myself. I want to grow physically and mentally. Training for this Ironman and with this group of people literally changed my outlook on life. Motivation doesn’t increase in a linear fashion. I’ve had several bumps in my road (where coach promptly jumps in, I swear he has a freaking radar) but in the end I have never been this motivated to succeed.

Forget the medals. Forget the competition. Look inside yourself and run your own race. Always give 100% and don’t be afraid to fail to reach your goals. Everything else will work itself out. Just have a little faith. That’s where I’m at now. A big change from December. Totally worth it.

That’s my RxE story. I look forward to showing my growth this September at Ironman Wisconsin.”

July 24, 2013

Addiction, Perserverance, and Ultra Fitness

This isn’t actually about me for once, but I wanted to share this interview. It’s with Rich Roll and his story is both fairly common and amazing at once. Common because his life was (is) an addict and his life was burning out of control. Amazing because he has morphed into what many say is “the fittest man in the world.”

Rolling Start at Ironman Wisconsin?

Edit: I’m now being assured there WILL be a mass start at Wisconsin. Let’s hope this holds true.

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I’ve heard a couple rumors that Ironman Wisconsin is changing to a rolling swim start this year and have mixed emotions. Fear can be a great motivator and I can honestly say the looming mass swim start at Wisconsin has pushed me to work harder in the water.

It’s not that I think a rolling start will be easy, but the thought of battling my way through a sea of humanity has crossed my mind nearly every day since I signed up. I’ve watched dozens of online videos and am always captivated. I imagine myself right in the middle, fighting for position, trying to keep calm, then emerging to settle into my race. It has literally been one of the most exciting thoughts in my life.

Check out this video where you can even hear Mike Reilly (The Voice of Ironman) in the background around the 40 second mark say, “You are witnessing one of the greatest spectacles in sports today, the mass swim start of an Ironman.”

I definitely understand their safety concerns and don’t want to criticize the decision, it’s just that I really wanted the experience. I can talk about the bike course all I want, but when I show friends and family the swim start, they are typically in awe.

The truth is, doing Ironman has a certain level of danger and I completely understand the anxiety of the swim. Earlier this year I had to stop and catch my wits in the middle of a 300 meter pool leg of a Sprint. But, I have worked very hard to be a better swimmer and get past my fear. It’s part of the deal. When someone signs up for Ironman, they know what they’re getting into and have to realize a mass start is not a little picnic down by the beach. I have worked very hard to keep my cool in the water. To me, it’s a big part of the training.

It’s really no different than flying down a hill at 45 mph on the bike. If someone is afraid or anxious about that, they use their brakes, and I feel like the same should be true of a swim start. If you’re not feeling up to a scrum, start in the back or off to the side and slow down.

I was reading a forum on Slowtwitch.com and someone brought up an excellent point about mass starts, in particular Wisconsin. They said people will typically get in the lake 15 to 30 minutes before the start and tread water, which helps you warm up, get acclimated to the water, and relax. On time trial and rolling starts, you just jump in and go, which I think is a lot tougher on the anxiety meter.

It’s not the end of the world, but a mass swim start was definitely one of the factors that had me fired up about Wisconsin. The lake is wide and perfectly suited. While many talk about fear of the “washing machine,” I’ve heard and read plenty of reports that there was plenty of room. I’ll be there either way and it won’t take away from the accomplishment, but I truly wanted to be amidst the swell of humanity that makes for one of the most amazing visuals in sport.

July 16, 2013

Turning 70.3 into 140.6

I’ve made a lot of bad training decisions and said a lot of stupid things on this blog, but as some rich guy once said on his death bed, “If I had a chance to live another life I would make more mistakes and learn from them.”

So, in the aftermath of my Muncie 70.3 race, I thought I would take a look at what I learned and how I can make adjustments needed to not only finish and Ironman, finish it with a solid time. Each race along the way has been eye-opening in its own way, but Muncie gave me major clues about what it will take to “conquer” Wisconsin.

I’ll discuss specifics below, but the biggest thing I learned at Muncie is that I could likely complete a full Ironman right now. I didn’t necessarily think that at the finish line, but I now realize these races are mostly about managing effort. The fitness will be there, but understanding and racing within my limits is the key factor.

We have approximately 5 weeks of heavy training before we start to taper and my focus will be geared toward workouts that make a difference. One thing is certain, I will likely focus on intensity and speed than distance. I’m pretty sure I could complete an Ironman, so now the question becomes, how fast?

Pre-Race

There really isn’t too much I would change. I ate pretty well, spent time with good friends to stay relaxed, and concentrated on hydrating all week leading up to the race. The night before, I had a pretty good meal at around 5 pm, finished packing my transition bag, then fell asleep at 8. The problem was only slept for two hours, then was in and out until 4:30. It would be nice to have a full night’s sleep before Wisconsin, but I’m not banking on it. I do plan to make a concerted effort to start waking up earlier and meditating consistently before bed.

The Swim

This is typically my wild card event, but I’m gaining more and more confidence in the water. I was mentally prepared to go without a wetsuit and expected around 40 minutes for 1.2 miles. Crazily, it was wetsuit legal and I swam comfortably in 37 minutes. Of all the events, on Saturday, I think I could have legitimately kept my swim pace for another mile and not been exhausted.

Five Week Swim Focus – Build speed with sprint work. Use pull buoy extensively and build upper body strength. Spend two days a week in the open water with group swims. The one thing I screwed up at Muncie was sighting, so I’ll need to put in some more time with my head up.

Transition One –

This is one of those things that obviously matters, but changes depending on the length of a race. For my money, the most important thing in T1 is to make sure you put on the right gear for the bike. For Muncie it was easy. Shoes, helmet, gloves, sunglasses. For Wisconsin I’ll need to be ready for a wide range of weather conditions. If it’s a day like we had for Muncie, I’ll be out of there quickly. If it’s cold, who knows what I’ll pack.

The Bike –

Honestly, the Muncie bike didn’t take that much out of me. My neck and saddle were literally a pain in the ass, but my legs were fine. I did, however, drift to the thought of Wisconsin often because Muncie had no hills. At the end of the ride I was completely ready to get off that bike. I was chaffed and my neck was pretty tired. Wisconsin is twice as long and will serve brutal hills (in the context of an Ironman).

Five Week Focus – Spend more hours on the bike to build calluses where I need them. Yoga to loosen/strengthen spine and neck. Also for balance. The course is technical and I want to own control on my bike. Seek out hills and repeat them often. Ride every long ride on Natchez Trace. Do multiple bricks, including one after a 90 plus mile ride. Try to get to Wisconsin and ride the course before the race.

Transition Two –

About the only thing I need to decide is whether or not I will be wearing socks. I wore them at Muncie and in retrospect wonder if that wasn’t the reason my feet were burning. Otherwise T2 should be fairly brisk. But I need to be careful coming out on the run because State Street will jack me up and I need to be slow for the first few miles.

The Run –

I felt pretty good about my run in Muncie, but was a little disappointed I couldn’t hold a negative split. That was my goal and it will be the same at Wisconsin. The problem is, I have still not run more than 14 miles . . . ever! I’m pretty sure I had some more mileage in me on Saturday, but the soles of my feet were killing me. It was either too thin of a shoe or something to do with my socks creating a burning feeling on the mid-foot. I hope to solve this problem soon with the running gurus at Nashville Running Company.

Five Week Focus – Basically put a lot of faith in my coach. I have no idea what my furthest training run will be, but I’m not terribly concerned (even though I am by no means taking this lightly). Running a marathon on its own is no joke and I had better have my legs right by September 8th because I do plan to run the whole way. The good news is, I felt like my pace (8:24) at Muncie was pretty comfortable for my body, just not for my feet. I’ll continue to follow the plan and focus on speed work along with hills. I’m not saying I will come off the bike and run a 8:24 marathon pace, but I refuse to rule it out either. My leaps in fitness have been amazing on many levels and while two months doesn’t seem like a lot, I see it as a lot of opportunity for breakthroughs. Speed, hills, and more speed. Mixed in with tempo runs and long easy distance stuff. I have to admit I wouldn’t mind pushing 16 or 18 miles one day just to get that feeling, but I’m not going to dwell on it.

July 11, 2013

Making Ironman Predictions

I know it’s not accurate (technically it’s 60 days) but my “countdown clock” for Ironman Wisconsin just flipped to “1 month” and there is something about the number one that is very small and lonely.

Muncie 70.3 is this weekend, then IMWI will have 100 percent of my focus for nearly two months. I’ll likely do the Music City Olympic Triathlon, but hopefully that will feel like a “nice little workout” by then.

Back in January, I remember saying, “It will be here before you know it,” but I don’t think I really believed that. Something about seeing that number 1 on my blog tonight woke me out of a Tour de France time-trial-slumber. Wisconsin is closing in quickly.

I’m still not ready to make any predictions. I jostle between lofty goals and just finishing. Both are very delectable in their own ways.

I just started reading Chris McCormack’s book, “I’m Here To Win,” and in the first Chapter he recounts the cocky attitude he brought to his first Kona race when he uttered the words that became the title of his book. He was a competitor, and truly thought he would win. But other athletes and those close to the Ironman World Championship black-balled the pesky rookie because he didn’t respect the race.

He had a decent swim, led off the bike, then burned to dust on the run. Here was one of the best short triathlon racers in the world, recent Ironman Australia winner, and he couldn’t finish Kona. These are the lessons I try to remember every day. If Ironman does anything, it makes you vulnerable.

So, with 60 days before the event that has dominated a large chunk of my brain for nearly a year, the only option I have is to stay focused, trust the process, and keep working.

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.