NOLA 70.3

April 1, 2014

A Major Distraction for New Orleans 70.3

When I was a kid I would shovel a foot of snow off the driveway just so I could shoot hoops. I’d be out there in 25 degree weather, a parka and snowmobile gloves, bouncing a frozen basketball on ice. More times than not it would happen after listening to the Wisconsin Badgers game on the radio.

I would act like I was on the team and countdown the clock to take the last shot. I’d do it over and over, calling out the radio broadcast with current Badgers passing the ball to me.

Clyde Gaines, over to Larry Petty, he dishes to Claude Gregory, to the top of the key, Tarrolly takes the shot! Clank.

Eventually I’d make one and the driveway arena would erupt in cheers.

This was the 70’s and 80’s and the Badgers were terrible back then. In fact, so bad, I lost track of them in the 90’s until they sorta “showed up” in the Final 4 in 2000.

After that Final 4 in 2000, I was interested again and over the next few years it’s safe to say I became a little obsessed. The Badgers were good??? This was unbelievable to me.

I have watched Badger games like a religion. The Big 10 network is a fixture on my TV and I literally don’t miss a game. Every year I’d think, THIS is the team, only to have the rug pulled out in painful March Madness fashion.

Saturday night, I sat on my couch in relative silence as the clock ran out and they held off Arizona to go back to the Final 4. It was like a dream, and in many ways, a relief. I WOULD see it in my lifetime.

Bo Ryan had led Wisconsin to 13 straight tournament appearances, and never been to the Final 4, until now. And I will be right there with him in Dallas watching live as 80,000 fans roar and millions watch on CBS.

But there’s a catch, my half Ironman is the next weekend in New Orleans. Thankfully it’s a taper week, but I’ll be driving all over the South and sitting in a car wanks my body more than running 10 miles.

I’m actually feeling good about the race, but so much of my strategy is mental preparation. It will be hard to focus with such a major distraction. Maybe I’ll run laps around the Jerry Dome at halftime or something just to keep my head straight.

March 26, 2014

My Half Ironman Training Strategy #IMNOLA

Someone asked me the other day if I was taking a break from Crushing Iron, and I suppose the answer is . . . maybe. I have been struggling with training and along with that comes an apprehension to write. But my battles with workouts aren’t so much that I “can’t” do them as much as I’m curious to know how little I can get away with.

Lately, my training has been pretty unique and someday soon I’ll fill you in on the methodology, but for now, let’s just say, “I’m kinda doing what I want.”

While training for IRONMAN Wisconsin, I worked out nearly every day for a year. I was crippled by guilt if I didn’t. For this half, it couldn’t be further from the truth. I am routinely skipping days and frankly don’t feel that bad about it.

And it’s not like I think the race will crush me, either. In fact, I’m right on the edge of believing I may actually do pretty well. I’m doing “just enough” to keep my head in the game and am very intrigued to find out if that is enough.

In some ways I’m trying to save my career as a triathlete. I did very well in my first Ironman, but it beat me up. The mental high was off the charts, but it crashed on me pretty hard. The physical remnants of exhaustion are still lingering.

But occasionally, I find a groove, like last night.

I have been going into my workouts with a different perspective. I set the bar low, then gauge how I feel after 30 minutes or so. Last night I should have probably biked, but it was nice and I felt like running. I punched my watch and started jogging into the greenway for a 5-6 mile run.

Every inch after the three mile point was pushing me over six miles, but I was feeling good and stretched my turnaround point to 3.5. Then, four, then . . . I was in no man’s land.

From my house the end of the greenway is 4.5 miles, then I can take a shorter route back home to make it a 7 mile run, but that didn’t seem like enough. I kept going into the park and added another couple miles. Around an hour and fifteen minutes into the run, my watch flipped to 9 miles. It was unbelievable.

If I had planned for 9 miles I doubt I would have made it, but I was totally going by feel. I wasn’t forcing anything and it was honestly one of the best runs I’ve had in my life. Normally I am limping at the 7-8 mile mark, but last night not a part of me was even the least bit sore. I thought about going for the half marathon, but decided to walk away on top.

How often do we do that in Ironman training? Leave the pool, climb off the bike, or walk away from a run when we feel good? For me it was rare, but I think it might be the only way I will keep training for triathlon.

So, as I close in on NOLA, let’s hope this strategy is working. I don’t expect it to be a masterpiece of a race, but have a more important goal . . . to enjoy it.

March 19, 2014

Triathlon and March Madness

My March Madness started last Friday morning in Indianapolis at the Big 10 Tournament. I left Nashville at 4:30 am and drove north 5 hours to meet my college buddy, Petey, who drives 5 hours south. It’s quite the reunion.

We checked into the Wisconsin Badgers home hotel and quickly sold our afternoon session tickets before noon. I was on a taper for the St. Patty’s Day 4 Miler on Saturday, so after lunch I took a nap. Around 5:00 we saw Bo Ryan’s Badgers off from the Lobby and walked to the arena Minnesota beat down. We stayed for part of Michigan State/Northwestern, but the Iowa fans sitting next to us were a little salty, so we left at halftime.

After the big win we went back to the hotel and rubbed shoulders with all the Wisconsin big shots, including Henry the trainer, several of the player’s parents, legendary Wisconsin band director, Mike Leckrone, and the Emperor, Barry Alvarez. The mood was optimistic, but I couldn’t get the next morning’s 4 Miler out of my head.

The race was at 10 am, and Petey and I dragged our old man legs to Monument Circle around 9:15. I grabbed my bib, then photo bombed a few of my own pictures. (That’s me in the lower left hand corner).

Quite simply, I wasn’t feeling it. Driving so far, staying up late, and losing my juicing rhythm all took away my legs. I still managed a 30:10 four mile run and finished in (what appears to be) the top 3 of my age group and 108th out of 1448 total runners.

After lunch we went to Wisconsin game and they got punked by MSU. It was a bit deflating but as I watched that game I thought Michigan State looked like the best team in the country, and apparently am not alone.

Things weren’t quite as festive back at the hotel, and the team flew back to Madison at 9 o’clock. We cheered them off to the plane, then settled down with big time season ticket holder, G-Dogg.

The Big Ten 5K was looming for me in the morning and I once again missed my bedtime. It was a 10 am race (pretty late starts for both days and likely why I signed up) and the weather had gone from perfect on Saturday to 25 degrees for Sunday’s race.

I checked in, warmed up a little, then took off through the streets of Indianapolis just like I did two years earlier in my first ever 5k. I was hoping for sub 22 minutes, but by mile 2, I knew that was a pipe dream.

The first mile was 7:30, the second 7:10, but then we hit a gale force wind. The kind of wind that makes your eyes water and forces you to lean forward or you won’t move. I could barely keep mile 3 under an 8 minute pace and wound up crossing the tape at 23:21 for 4th in my age group and 83rd out of 592 runners. My pace for the 4 miler and the 5K were almost identical at about 7:30.

I don’t want to say I’m disappointed, but it makes me wonder if an 8 minute pace goal for the run at New Orleans 70.3 is realistic. But, if Wisconsin gets to the Final Four, I’ll guarantee sub 1:45 for the 1/2 marathon.

November 15, 2013

The Most Important Part of My Training

Sometimes we fly through life and forget the simplest solutions to nagging problems.

After writing about winter motivation earlier this morning it occurred to me that I had no carrot on my stick. I’m just training to train.

My story is no different than most. Did the 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon, sprint tri, Oly, 1/2 progression at the start, but none of that would have happened if I didn’t put that 5k on the calendar. I was quick to add another race after each one I completed until I jumped in the deep end with Ironman and that carried me for a year.

So, after lunch I sent a tentative 2014 race schedule to my coach, which he approved, and followed with, “Hurry up and sign up for NOLA. Get your ass in gear.” That’s all it took and 15 minutes later I was signed up for NOLA 70.3.

It’s human nature. If we have something “out there” we subconsciously push towards that goal. I’m sure there’s a big life lesson in here somewhere, but for now, I have a little more excitement about going home tonight and jumping on a hard bike seat.