Content to keep pushing...

Just a handful of the MANY Ironheads who raced well at Lake Stevens 70.3

Andy Grove once stated that "only the paranoid survive."  That might be a bit melodramatic, but I will concede that a consistent strain is the best path to improvement and recent successes have only fueled my ambitions to keep pushing forward.  It's been a really great week at home...A quick synopsis would show:

1.  Four of my guys selected for Navy Chief Petty Officer (Adley, Guin, Laws, and Nelson)

2.  I selected for Navy Commander (more of a feeling of relief)

3.  Tossed the "will I race with heart?" monkey off my back at Lake Stevens (and qualified for Ironman 70.3 World Championships)

4.  Had a great time seeing friends and family (including some great Trap/Skeet Shooting this evening)

I took two days off from training, treated myself to a little ice cream, and slept in.  However, "time, tides, and liberty wait for no man" and it's time to get back into training.

The goals have been set (I'll post them when I'm ready) and now it's time to take the steps necessary to reach them.

Lake Stevens 70.3

BLUF:  Well-run event, beautiful course with some challenging hills on the bike, lots of great teammates on course, borrowed bike, rented wetsuit, no HRM = 2nd fastest 1/2 IM ever.

With airlines charging upwards of $100 each 

way to fly a bike, I simply couldn't justify bringing my own to an event I was 

racing with no taper.  Fortunately, my friend Marc hooked me up with his SPEED MACHINE.  After 15 minutes of saddle/stem adjustment, I was ready to go (note the not-Slowtwitch approved spacers under the stem).

Saturday evening, we had a great dinner in Lake Stevens at Neapoli's.  Apparently pasta was a good idea as Chris Legh (defending Champion) was there as well

.  A quick drive of the course made it clear that the "new" course would be a bit easier than previous editions, but that the 3,000 cumulative feet of climbing would still sting a bit.  Reviewing the course was great for my confidence as it helped me realize that the descents were all critical sources of momentum on course and that there would be no need to slow or break aero position on the vast majority of corners.

Sunday morning started with a bottle of Boost (240 calorie

s), PBJ Bagel (360 calories), Gatorade (150 calories), a glass of cranberry juice (100 calories), and 4 Electrolyte pills.  I left the house feeling full, but knowing that I had 2 hours until the start of my race.

I was really hoping that my recent swim volume

 (prior to my tendonitis) would be rewarded with a personal best.  Although I'm swimming better, I think I just grabbed some slow feet and acted too patiently.  The water was clear with 8 feet of visibility and a "buoy line" which rendered sighting unnecessary.  Exited the water in 36:45 (about 2:45 slower than my goal).

T1 was uneventful and the ZOOT wetsuit I'd rented was REALLY EASY to remove (2:00).  

Bike course is basically a lollipop (5 mile outbound leg, 2 x 23 mile loops, 5 mile inbound leg).  The loops consist of a gradually climbing set of rollers for the first 15 miles, 6 miles of progressive descending (with some really nice fast sections), and a final kicker before repeating the loop.  I decided to run "lean" and only carry one bottle on the bike with 5 GU packets taped to the top-tube.  2 x CO2 cartridges taped under the saddle and a tube in my back pocket.  This was a good approach.  However, I'm not sure that I liked the Clif Bar drink I had in my first bottle (when mixed with GU it made me want to puke).  Therefore, I simply grabbed water at the aid station and took a GU every 20 minutes thereafter.  Simple solution (no need to do caloric-calculus...Just listen to the body!!!).

Speaking of listening to the body...I wore an HRM, but had decided prior to the race that it was there for "post race analysis."  It's a good thing too!  Had I listened to the HRM, I'd have pushed too hard, too early on the bike.  Instead, I listened to my legs despite my low HR readings while letting the "fast guys" ride away early in the first lap.  2 hours later, most of them came back to me on the ride into town.  

T2--SLOW due to a porta-pottie stop (I just couldn't bring myself to peeing on a borrowed bike).  3:00.

Run--Downed 1/3 can of Red Bull, counted cadence, and simply focused on running well.  Mile 1 in 7:06 felt EASY.  However, I also knew that I wanted to finish strong.  I let my teammate go and told him I'd see him at the finish.  Nevertheless, I was just ticking over the legs and really feeling good.  With 9 miles to go, I realized that the majority of my training efforts are done FASTER than I was running so I just let myself run at a "comfortably uncomfortable" pace with a plan to attack the final 6 miles.  Unfortunately, one little muscle in my quad began to cramp so I had to settle for maintaining pace and taking in a few extra electrolytes (I probably should have taken a few on the bike).  With 3 miles left, I was "on the hunt" and decided to risk cramping up... Fortunately, my legs held up and I finished the final 3 miles in just under 20 minutes for a 1:32 half-marathon.

Overall:  4:56:12 (my second fastest 1/2 Ironman to date), 81st place overall (12th in AG) and took the slot to the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, Florida.

Conclusions:

1.  Don't get consumed by the details.  1mm either way won't kill a bike fit and wetsuits are all made of rubber...

2.  We don't need no stinkin' technology crutches!  HRMs and PMs have their place for some athletes, but I'm training better and more importantly RACING BETTER without them.  After 24 years of bike racing and 10 IM finishes, I know my body pretty well.  I do best when I actually listen to what it has to say.

3.  I'm going to rip my arms off if I don't find a way to improve my swim times!!!

4.  Running "lean" on calories (only 1 bottle on the bike) was great for a 1/2 IM (I'm not so sure it would work well for IM as I was pretty "bonky" at the end of the run).

5.  My Fuel Belt was KEY to my run success...My "secret sauce" available whenever I wanted it.  It was comfortable and will be used for all longer races moving forward.

6.  I'm definitely a 1-piece guy.  However, my tri suit from 2004 makes me look like a flamer (NTTAWWT;-)...I need longer shorts on my suit for Clearwater or I'll get arrested for indecent exposure.

Humbling...

There are many great men serving in our Armed Forces today.  When I hear the story of Petty Officer Mike Monsoor, I'm truly humbled. 

Petty Officer (EOD2) Mike Monsoor, a Navy EOD Technician, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for throwing himself on a grenade in Iraq, giving his life to save his fellow Seals.

During Mike Monsoor's funeral in San Diego, as his coffin was being moved from the hearse to the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, SEALs were lined up on both sides of the pallbearers route forming a column of two's, with the coffin moving up the center.  As Mike's coffin passed, each SEAL, having removed his gold Trident Badge from his uniform, and slapped it down, embedding the Trident in the wooden coffin.

The slaps were audible from across the cemetery, and by the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from all the Tridents pinned to it.

Finally home...

I'm home and letting the body recover from last week (a bunch of school-stuff and a few tough workouts).  

If I were a Euro-Pro, I'd say that I'm not having good "sensations" in the legs yet.  Basically, I'm just feeling ragged-out tired.  Of course, it could be that it's been 100 degrees that past 2 days and I'm just being affected by the heat.

I'll hop in the wetsuit today and see how the shoulder responds to the extra resistance.  Hopefully, I'm healing and I'll be ready for Sunday's race.

Do it right vs. Just do it

I should have clarified in my last post...

The root cause of my injury isn't that I've been swimming with paddles.  It isn't that I've been doing pull-ups.  In reality, the training PLAN is outstanding.  However, a great plan POORLY EXECUTED is not much good at all.  

I'm into responsibility and this one's completely on me (had I paid attention to my coach--the person I pay to provide good advice--I'd have no problems right now).  My shoulders hurt for 2 reasons:

1)  I was too lazy to purchase the correct size paddles that my coach recommended (he told me to buy small...I had medium lying around and chose to use them)

2)  I chose to "compete" when doing group workouts with some Army friends...Rather than focusing on doing pull-ups and laces-to-bar with proper technique, I let me ego into the equation.  I chose to "kip" and "snap" into the exercises placing undue strain on the shoulders for no other reason than a vain effort to impress some buddies (by doing a few more repeats incorrectly)...Pretty impressive eh?

With that said, I took the time today to properly execute a bike/run brick and it went really well.  Rather than letting my ego insist upon a 3.5 hour bike where I don't execute the run properly, I limited myself to 2:45 and NAILED the 30 x 30 seconds (with 30 seconds easy recovery) run workout following the ride.

I've said before that it's EASY to go through the motions.  If I'm really committed to personal improvement, it's critical that I DO IT RIGHT instead of just doing it.

Ouch!

Nothing frustrates an athlete quite like an injury.  Recently, I've made significant efforts to improve in the pool and to strengthen my upper body.  I've added paddles to my swimming, lifted weights, and begun doing pull-ups...

Apparently my rotator cuff has decided that it is unhappy with my training plan...My friend (who happens to be a Doctor) gave me the bad news today...No more lifting or pull-ups for at least 4 weeks.  I also need to "take it easy" if I attempt to swim.

With Lake Stevens 70.3 in 3 weeks, this is NOT what I wanted to hear.

I will give myself a few hours to vent/stress.  Then, it's onto focusing on the elements of my training that I can control.  In the Navy, we say "there are smart Divers and there are strong Divers...You can choose which you want to be."  It's not just about HTFU...It's about identifying a problem, adapting to the situation, and continuing to progress.  

Just not feeling quite right...

I'm just posting this in a convenient spot so I can get some feedback on my position...Nothing has really felt "smoothe" on this bike recently (not sure why since it felt fine at IMAZ in April).  There seems to be a "hitch" in my pedal stroke, a little extra discomfort in the shoulders, and a distinct lack of power.