The Setup..

I made it to Madison. Ready for Ironman Wisconsin. All the work is done. What a great venue. Friday and Saturday were filled with a surprising number of signs that Ironman was looming. On my way to the hotel Friday night, I knew it was about 2.4 miles (swim distance) to the hotel from where I was.. I looked down at the "last gas fill up" odometer in the car to gauge when I should look for Rimrock road. The odometer read 140.6 when I looked down. Wooooooo. (cue eerie music).

Also on Friday, I ran into this...


My limited bug experience says it's a praying mantis. Seemed appropriate.

The bike was still at the hotel.. But the racks were up and waiting.


Enough looking around. I checked in and got all my loot. Only to have to go back to the hotel and figure out where stickers go.. Don't put them in the wrong spot, or you might not get your Hammer Gel on race day.



OK, here are the secrets of a first time Ironman athlete.. I tried to keep it simple. What is the minimum I need. No kitchen sinks. Suit, shoes, helmet, shoes, race #'s, and socks. No, I'm not hardcore enough to try Ironman without socks.



I'm not an M-dot tattoo kinda guy. But, I did put this temporary one on so my peeps could find me. Alas, I think it worked once before race day, but no one on race day said anything.



All branded up, and pumped to go. My family showed up. We hit dinner. Then it was back for an early 9:30pm bedtime. I set every alarm I had for 3:30 AM. Unexpectedly I went to sleep quickly. I woke up once at 1:30 AM for breakfast (1 bottle of Ensure). Creamy chocolate is NOT the same as chocolate. In truth, neither are wildly delicious.

Give me time, I'll come up with some description of race day. Safe to say, I was feeling good. I was excited. And I was doing a pretty decent job of staying calm at that point.

One last look around..

I'm heading out to Madison bright and early. I think I have 99% of my stuff. If I don't, I really hope I'm not missing something important or expensive.

I'm excited. Quietly cautious. Optimistic. Expecting to get hit in the face with some reality. I did what I did, and if what I am now is not trained enough, then so be it. Time to smile, grab on, put the toes in the sand and wait for the gun to go off.

Just keep moving.

Taper..

OK, no excuses now.. I'm tapering. Time for a quick entry.

Random day 1 of taper thoughts:

• Yeah, I spent a year training and I'm nervous that it wasn't enough. I realize worrying about it won't matter and I will remain calm.
  
• It's a year, a ton can happen. It will most likely all happen in the last two (biggest training) months.
• Things like the chicken pox scare.. and subsequent vaccine.
• Things like extreme fatigue and a doctor saying, sleep it out.
• Things like a good brother telling you "hmm.. Ironman training, IT pager, and not enough sleep.. Fatigue you say?"
• Still, I pulled it together and did a couple last long (slow) rides.
• I'm well aware of the cutoff times for the swim, bike, and run (9:20am, 5:30pm, midnight)
• As much as it defies what I set out to do, the progress I made, and most of the entire year... I'm most worried about the bike leg.
  
• I know I can run like a slow, slow freight train. Even tired. Even "dang I can't believe I was on the bike til 5:29pm" tired. I will run that marathon.
• As discussed with my better half. I will finish. (because I'm NOT doing it again)
• I can not believe how fast what minimal speed I had drained when I started going ironman long.
  
• When does CX season start ?

See you out there. (follow link on race day for all day live video)

Open Source: Out of Left Field

I'm imagining that the vast majority of my readers are triathlete types (as if my volume of readers can be described as vast in any way). Here's one under the category of something different.

Open Source is more or less a way that people share ideas to make up new and bigger stuff.. Often the stuff is software. Sometimes it's software that does 3D animation. Sometimes it's sounds, and output of 3D animation software. Long story short, the world's second open source movie is going to be released. If you pre-order Peach, by October 1st you can even get your name on the credits. Mind you, if you hang out and wait, you might just be able to download and watch it. Like the world's first open source movie Elephants Dream.

If you ever saw a Pixar flick and wondered if you could do that. You really need to check out Blender. It's free software that will get you on track. I won't say it's easy, but it is wild stuff. So, try something new... You never know what's out there.

( Those who are wondering if I've gone off the deep end, I still know Ironman Wisconsin is 37 days away.)

What is this blog for?

In the past month or so, y'all missed big posts on:

• the trek100 Maccfund ride.
• Vacation, Niagra, a cruise in the North East. Biking, kayaking, hiking, etc.
  
• Big training. Strong happy bike rides. Numbers going up.
• Very little free time. Sorry all, I just haven't been able to post it all.
• Ironman training begins. I've just been training to train up until now. The switch is flipped. It's "Game On!" now.
  
• I signed up for my 5th consecutive year of Spirit of Racine 1/2 IM distance triathlon. See you all there.

Hopefully I'll come back and revisit when there is more time. Consider yourselves somewhat caught up.

Better Late than Never

Happy Father's Day.

This one goes out to Dad. We all miss you. Thanks for everything.

I was going to put a short story here. Maybe something about how I'd take a good number of punches in the gut just to get even the worst of days back.


To all the fathers and would be fathers, just remember it's the seemingly smallest actions that speak the loudest.

Perscription for a Fever

I know that occasionally I tailspin a bit with regards to desiring some material item that I really don't need. I'm vaguely aware that none such items will really make me a better person or even the world a better place. After last weekend's Trek100 ride, I came up with a medium case of Madone fever.

I love riding the four bikes I have. As of recently, I have had a chance to give each and every one a proper ride. A few weeks ago at New Fane, the ATX780 got to ride on real dirt. Not long before that, I took the fixed gear bike out for it's first proper "road tire" ride of the year. Reluctantly, I rode the triathlon bike 100 miles at the Trek100 because crowded charity rides are for road bikes, and not time trial / ride. I was only reluctanttri bikes.. I was super extra careful on it.

Where then was the road bike? In the shop for a week or so. I'm not going to admit why. I got it back and finally, Saturday I took it out for 60 miles in some real wind. I did zone 3 and zone 4 efforts for 4 hours. I rode up north to some road, then rode out until that road ended. It was just what the doc ordered. Prescription filled.

And just for good measure, I spent Sunday night on the trainer for another 2:30. That will rest some of those demons who wish me to spend my cash "just because I've never ridden a bike made of cubit zirconium".

Mind you, I saw the Madones up close. They are pretty. They do make you want to want to ride them. First reports are they are engineering feats of lightness. Lance likes them. What's not to like?

I talked myself out of it.. The kids will eat for another week.

Friendly service announcement: Ride your bike, until the demons are gone.

Hanging It On Out There

One of my top 10 training rules has to go something like "if it's working, keep doing it. If not, try something different." ... Well, it IS working. But I also needed a break from "homework". Not a break where I work 90 hours in a week and can barely sleep, much less train (see a week ago). This past week was much better. I moved some days around, but hit all my training. My long run isn't up to "plan standard" yet (see earlier knee references), but otherwise I was there.

I busted out of the mold this weekend. Having not been on my mountain bike since February (in many feet of soft cushy snow). And before that, I hadn't been trail riding for years.. One might argue that I'd never ridden trails more than a few hours, and certainly no more than say 15, maaaabye 20 miles. Well, life is different now in Ironman training land.. We don't do things in 20 minute blocks.

Thanks to the prodding from Tmontee, I entered the 6 hour solo mountain bike race at the WEMS New Fane race. Thanks to MTB Girl, and her crew, for putting on fun time for all. Where else can you pay someone to count laps while you ride your bike as long as you wish. Trust me, 6 hours was longer than I wished for. I managed to clock 4 plus hours and 6 laps (28-ish miles) of mountain biking. Absolutely everyone was beyond courteous. I knew I was the slow guy, I did what I could to stay out of the way and get my training in. The faster guys (near everyone) all thanked me as they blew by.. I forgot how much fun trail riding was. Though, a guy used to 3.5 hours on the road finds new places to be sore after 4 hours of mountain biking. My legs had a good amount of go left in them, but my shoulders and hands screamed "DONE!".

I highly recommend these type of events to folks who can mountain bike, but might not want all the hubbub of some of the shorter races. It was low key, good clean fun. Show up with your 35 bux, 30 minutes prior to the race, and you're in.. Set your cooler off to the side of the track, and make your own pit stops. Just beware, the trails might not be as "easy" as some might say..

I recognized Coop from his wedding pics on some blog, at the start of the race. Bubba came up and introduced himself. I saw Coffee King, whom I new in a past life.. I hate to list, cause I'm probably leaving out tons of folks I met.. I even met a triathlete or two out there.

Tee up for next weekend the 100 mile ride at Trek 100 Ride for Childhood Cancer. See you all out there. Time to put my head down and hammer through the week.

Pulling it off so far..

After that last post, I went right out and poked my thumb in the eye of a tri deity or two. Monday night I went for an unscheduled hour run. So, I was prepared for what might ensue. In reality, what happened was I swapped a few days around and a monday night run made some sense. We'll see what happens with the rest of the week though.

Mostly, thanks for the support and I think this week is looking up.

Someone talk me into or out of "racing" this weekend at a WEMS race. My mtn bike hasn't seen a trail since I blogged the Feb winter ride.. Seems like good clean IM training type stuff though, non?

Wha' Happened?

I just woke up. It was shortly after midnight. I'm next to a big dog, still wearing just my bike shorts and a Livestrong T-shirt. My wife probably caught me mumbling something about "vgexport" in my sleep. How'd I get here? Let's back track.

I'd love to say this was the direct result of a week's worth of non-stop ironman training. No holds barred, stick to the schedule, form perfect, another notch in my belt toward September. In fact it was almost the exact opposite. It all started Monday, with a great swim and an unscheduled, somewhat heavy legged run. Without making excuses, that run bled into my next morning's zeal for an immediate very hard brick. No worries, I'll do it at night. That run, ended up taking my week apart.

Most of the week I could blame on work, and more work, and even more work. When I wasn't sleeping I was working this week (and maybe a few hours in the middle of both). This is not a rant about work, only about my ability to organize my time as such. There will be longer work weeks. It's the gig. It pays for such things as crazy endurance races like Ironman. I blame that extra Monday night run. It was just begging me to take it and throw the week off balance.

After Monday, sans an real excuses, there are a bunch of big, ugly zeros in my training calendar. This weekend I worked a good 18 hours (mostly straight, without enough time to do my 3:30 bike on my one break). Then I ended up w/ 3 hours of sleep Sat morning. Nothing that one can take and turn into a good 3-5 hour ride as makeup. No gas. No mental anything. Just TV fuzz in the head.

Three to five naps on Sunday left me more rested, but still out of it.. I gathered enough gumption to head out on the fixed gear for an easy 25 miler. An hour and a half later, I was cold and tired. We made dinner. Then I went to lie down for a second while my wife read the kids books. The next thing I knew, it was midnight.

Deep breath. A glass of milk and some water. A quick blog update then shower, and back to bed. It is Monday, and I start fresh. Let's see if I can get last week's good swim back.

Rest of the week update:

• I got my confirmation letter for the super cool MACC fund ride pre-party.
• Put road tires on the fixed gear bike. My son helped. Ya know, in case I get crazy and take it to the 100 miler ride last minute.
  
• Healing vibes for DZ's Dad.
• And let us not forget why the world is right.. A brand spankin' new, hand made, custom bike was born.

As I look out over the coming weeks. I see some homework. Some 3-4 hour bike rides, back to back on the weekends.. Hopefully many well rested ones. I'm sure I will look at my mountain bike longingly at least once.. Good times are a coming. In spite of this week, things are looking up training-wise. And I refuse to give up my mantra. This IS my year. See you all out there.

Random Rules of Bike Improvement

Recently I've had random thoughts of how to improve on the bike. I feel like I've been improving*** lately, and I thought I should share with those that might be less fortunate than I. Here are ideas for improvement.

1. Sign up for Ironman. Buy a "plan". If you do nothing else, do at least all the bike workouts. Yep, this is the long way around, but it's already working on me.
2. Ride on the trainer.
3. Ride with a Garmin 305.
4. Ride with a Polar HRM.
5. Ride in the winter w/ some mtn bikers you only see twice in 2 hours.
6. Ride in the summer.
7. Ride rollers (I suspect this would work at least - oh the shame).
8. Ride while watching favorite movies.
9. Pick longer favorite movies.
10. Switch to favorite HBO series.
11. Switch back to movies, but only long series of movies.
12. Ride outside.
13. Wear weather appropriate clothing. Which will make you less likely to wimp out early.
14. Ride long enough that eating on the ride is expected.
15. Ride harder.
16. Ride easier.
17. Do you know your LTHR? Do a ride to find it.
    
18. Ride to a far away bus station, then ride back.
19. Buy yourself some toys, like power meters and power cranks.. really anything with the word "power" works as long as you also increase the amount of riding you do as a result of said purchase.
20. Ride hills.

You might notice a common theme among many of the rules.

What am I doing? Tuesday intervals, Saturday 3:30 ride with efforts, Sunday 2:30 (with efforts) /:30 brick.

*** improving - not AS slow as before.

Why "The Bike"?

If you find yourself derailed, here are some alternate rails...

What other racing sports can you get the vehicles the top racers win in for 2-6 grand? Equipped with the proper engine (hopefully you), your bike will be a '62 convertible 'vette. It's certainly not about expensive bikes though.

Maybe, it's about the love poured into your custom frame by frame builders who took care to measure and fit you, and listen to what you wanted out of the bike. Taking each bit of information back to the shop to come up with functional artwork from their skilled hands.

Maybe, it's about what it represents. My grandfather rode it from the farm to town. My father rode for exercise, recreation and with the family. Women have ridden for independence. Many have ridden to save money. Many others to save fuel. Many to raise awareness. Many for the freedom provided by such an elegant, efficient machine. Some because they can take it completely apart, lube it, and put it back together in less than a day. (I will NOT try that with a car)

Sometimes, it's about popping in your favorite movie and after a warm up, hammering until you're woozie, drooling, and can't get enough time between gasps for the hydration you so desperately need.

You may want to think in terms of going somewhere, rather than getting somewhere. Those 50 or 100 milers, take the ride one way and meet somewhere cool for lunch (then get a ride/nap back). Very few folks will ever do this for running... As an example, there is a group ride next month that is Milwaukee to Madison for lunch and back (170 miles). You will be hard pressed to find a group run to Madison and back. (and would you go?) Cycling is all about the experiences.

This is sometimes tough for triathletes. People who are on a rigorous schedule, fitting in this exact bike or run on this exact day. Riding trainers in the wee hours to avoid work and family conflicts. Regardless of what fun may be going on. Do not hesitate to take a day to do something that makes you laugh and smile on the bike. Just don't forget to do the miles too.

Homework to readers.. Grab your bike, shoes, water bottles, helmet, and camera and ride to the steepest hill in a 15 mile radius. Ride up and down it until you are either laughing, crying, or a healthy mix of both. Get someone to take your pic and send it in (link in comments?). Maybe I can make a collage.

Levitation

The best way I can describe it is stepping off a cliff at night with your eyes closed, or so I imagine. A regular reader might note a sudden lack of updates out here on the blog. Here's what happens to me. It's a pattern I have to work on. This year, at least I'm getting better sleep.

I'm cruising along just dandy in my workouts, posting new highs or personal records or both. I'm not even quite believing how far along I am, and it's only April. Then something comes up at work, one or both kids get sick, that spreads back and forth between the kids and my wife, the dog needs three teeth out, our family babysitter heads out to vacation, and I am left fighting off the illnesses the kids have.

The good news, I don't get bogged down and depressed about it. I just deal. This is the levitation part. But, I'm also not moving forward.

My typical reaction is to shutdown some to all of the workouts. In years past this meant fitting in a run or two here and there. This year, my knee is tweaked in conjunction with all this other stuff. This year, I'm spending the time on the bike trainer. My "off" weeks are still 6 hours or more from biking. It should also be noted, that these bike rides were what saved me from falling "Alice in Wonderland" style into the well.

Time to stop floating and get back in the game. It took me about 2 weeks to realize the simple remedy for my knee. Problem, knee hurts after 35-40 minutes of running. Solution, run 20-25 minutes, very often. I'm on day two of that plan. Also, spend the extra time stretching before and after. I'm hopeful, as the not running solution was not working.

If anyone has secret solutions for keeping the rest of the family healthy so my immune system doesn't have to continually fight all this mojo off, I would happily take them as suggestions.

I'm not fretting, but it's time to float back to the plan.

Call to Readers (Trek 100)

OK, if you're anywhere near the Milwaukee area and you ride a bike... There is a good chance you'll be riding it at the Maccfund Trek 100 ride. If you haven't (or even if you have), please read on.

I started with the Trek 100 in 2002. It was my first year doing the 1/2 ironman distance triathlon in Racine. I thought it would be a good opportunity to get in some bike miles. Additionally, triathlon hadn't provided me a way to give like a charity ride. My father passed away in 2001 from cancer. And while the Maccfund is for childhood cancer, I find it provides me some connection to raise the money. I mustered up a few hundred bux in donations and headed off to the event. Under-trained but ready for a long day of riding and plenty of stops for food, my coworker and I stood for the pre-ride talk. I was not prepared for some of the gut wrenching stories and thank yous from children and other affected by cancer. On the ride, I was unprepared for those out working the aid stations. Parents who made me feel like I was helping save their kids by riding that day. I was in awe of the courage I saw in kids faces that day. Here I was out doing what I would do on a beautiful Saturday morning without the parade, only there was a parade. Whatever thanks they gave me for being there, I felt I owed them for my experience..

Stop the tape... I'm not this mushy. I'm a regular JWM, who works a regular job with a couple kids and dogs and such. Let's just say this one day knocks my socks off a bit.

Let's skip a couple years.. Who knows what I was doing, but I certainly didn't forget. Last year I put a shout out. I said, get me to (the made up number) 3000 dollars in donations and I'll ride the fixed gear on the 100k route. Well, I made it to nearly 1000 in donations (Thank you so much). I decided to go through with the fixed gear anyway (I'm sure I just wanted an excuse). I'm not much of a fundraiser. Last year was my first attempt at "not just raising the minimum plus a little". I was incredibly touched by the generosity of those that donated. Then, I showed up to toe the line at the start. When they started the pre-race chat, I actually thought, "Crap, I forget how emotional this is." Or something like that at least.

Fast forward to 2007.. The year of the Ironman (for me) and probably a few 100 mile rides before then. I want this hundred miler to count. I signed up for the "century club". It means, I pledged to raise 1000 dollars at a minimum. So, please.. I'm not a break your door down kind of fundraiser guy. If you read my blog.. or want to help kids with cancer.. or just thought this little blurb about me finding out the rewards of fundraising lightened your heart. Then click my donation page and send what you can.

Thank you in advance for your support. And if you want to come out and ride it with me, sign right up. There are tons of riders and great food and support.

Read more about MACCFund on their site.

Journey to Ironman Month in Review: March 2007

The days: worked out 24/31 days

161 days until race day.

This month's totals.

Swim: 14850 yards (up 4700 from last month)
Bike: 326.3 mostly phantom trainer "miles" (up 136.3)
Run: 28.6 miles (not much change)

34 hours total (up from 22)

Review:

First, it's clear from the run miles which days I was sick. I'm proud that I didn't let my bike slip but once. Recently I have thought this year I should concentrate on sticking the bike. Not (hopefully) to the loss of swim/run.. but in years past, when I got tired or stressed, the bike was the first workout to go. This year it's been the run. Maybe more because of my knees than anything. I know I will need many more miles that March shows.. but I can only ramp up so much at once.. So I won't fret about the lack of run miles.

April 2nd starts my first recovery week. Thank goodness! Hopefully this means I'll start the following week more prepared for "the schedule".

The detractors aka excuse list. I'm glad for work.. Without it there would be no cool tri toys or roof to keep us dry. But it hasn't been getting any easier lately. Anyone know of high paying, secure, computer jobs that are getting easier lately?? Yeah, I thought not. Sleep being a priority in ironman training, it's tough when work conflicts with sleep. I already mentioned the knee, so we'll skip that in this list...

Mantra's (Still).. This is my year. Game on!

Calories

Time to dig in to (what was mostly) last year's uneaten stash of goodies.

Before I can dive head first into any new nutrition plans.. I've got some base miles to put on, and a few piles of "food" to go through. Once some of these supplies are depleted, I can get on with this year's plans.

You can see, I've got some recovery protein bars. I really like the builder bars. There are some fairly non-descript powerbars to fill out the mix. You can see a gel or two in there.. I lived on gels last year (during exercise). For reference, I probably had 12 gels during the Spirit of Racine 1/2 last year. Brand-wise, I'm fairly equal opportunity. I tend to like Clif stuff (except the gels) much more than the competitors. Gu, Carbboom and the like are nice gels. Many, many I have yet to try though.

I'm looking for the good bad and ugly on the Clif Bloks. I dig how you can evenly divide them out over an hour ( about 33 cals per blok ). And how they are so much less messy than shots. My non-scientific guess is, they take up more space per calories than a shot. The "less mess" factor may well be worth it. This year, I'm going to give them an honest try. I tried them on one ride last year. It was pointed out to me, that perhaps I hadn't eaten enough of them. Thus I couldn't tell if they weren't absorbing, or I just didn't eat enough.. I won't make that mistake this year.

Until then, does your basement stockpile look like this? It's hard to beat 70 cents per box. Eek gads! What reason # is this for doing Ironman? "burn calories so you don't waste last year's stockpile of energy bars." I will be the guy with the knife and fork taped to his top tube.

I'm not duffing them all.

Well, I did toss a few to the wind this week with my knee and all. But I hit the real ones where they count. Weird weekend, but I'll take it.

Saturday - long day, daughter is sick. Got on the trainer after they went to bed. 9 PM to midnight. Then I had time to shower and play a few rounds of Burnout Legends on my PSP before I got to work from 2 AM to 3 AM.

Sunday - up at 8:30 AM. Walked dogs as usual. Hit breakfast and the normal routine. I got out for some real live pavement miles in nice weather. I was almost hot out there in my duds. Rode 11:00 - 1:30. Five minutes for transition. Then I got in a 25 minute "run" and 10 walk. I can quote run, because it was pretty slow. I was really tight. More of those to come I'm sure.

Funny thing, I recall these 3+ hour bricks from last year. I think I did only a hand full, and certainly I hadn't started in March. They weren't the day after another 3 hour ride. This is going to be, ahem, "FUN!"

See you all out there.

Mistakes II

Short and sweet. I'm skipping my strides run tonight. But that wasn't the mistake. My mistake led to the missed workout.

Last night, things crept into my evening which prevented early hitting of hay. I woke up late and "off". I put in a 1/2 swim. Then off to work. Home from work late, and tired. I will sleep good as my penance, then it's a freshly LSD run in the morning.

Deep breath. This takes work. Getting the workouts in is easy. Doing it right, getting chores and work done, sleeping well, and still getting good workouts in.. That's when one wins.

A Quick Week in Review

Week 1 of "the official training plan" from crucible fitness. Tough one, cause I hate to call them excuses. I won't bore anyone with the gory details (numbers).
I held up well, sticking to the plan, until Thursday's run. Forty minutes into the run I tweaked a knee. No worries, my next workout was a swim on Friday morning. About four hours before that swim was scheduled, I awoke to an odd feeling. Long story short, I did a massive calorie output in short time. Some kinda bug was all up in my training plan bizness on week one.
Well, now that kinda ruined the idea of going for a swim. Turns out, I didn't work that day or run either.
Saturday I had a 2.5 hour bike scheduled. But seeing as I was still getting winded going up the stairs, I bagged it.
Sunday afternoon, after my second or third nap, I was feeling pretty good. I went down for my scheduled ride (2.5 hours). Later that evening I did the 30 minute run that was supposed to directly follow the ride. Now I'm in good shape for tomorrow morning.

Nighty-nite. I'm sticking to "It's my year".

Mistakes.

Week one. Runs one and two.

Yesterday, I was supposed to do strides. I kinda know what strides are. I know they're supposed to help run form. And, I do have the ability to concentrate on form. But at this point, it's fairly typical for form work to cause my HR number to rise significantly (whatever that means). It seems, I'm getting slightly used to thinking about form. Admittedly, I probably have a _long_ way to go.

I know that strides aren't supposed to be BTTW (term for all out effort). But, I hadn't run in five or six days and I was really having fun making the numbers go wacky on my Garmin. So, when I was doing 30 seconds ON for strides, I was probably (OK definitely) going WAY too hard. But it was FUN! I even clocked a 5:30-ish mile pace (for 30seconds). I didn't write home about it, but at least I know that my body could go sub 6 per mile if I fell off a cliff.
Where was I? Oh yes, happily going all out for short spurts on my 1st run in almost a week (and longer weekly training volume than maybe I have ever done). What happened? Nothing. I went back to work after lunch. Smiling.

Then I got up this morning. Set the scene, it's back to "colder" from 24 hours of 70-ish degrees. I've got a one hour long slow run on deck. I had trouble settling in, which sometimes happens when it's cold and windy. Around 40 minutes in, twang/tweak! What was that? Oh my knee is not as happy as it was seconds ago.. but it's OK. Slow WAY down. Finish out the run to get home. Shower up and head off to work.

Ow, it's a bit tender. No, wait. By the time I was walking into work, I could hardly bend it. Nice! Let this be a reminder to "take it easy on the strides!!!!". Dumb move jwm. Live and learn.

The update here is that my knee feels somewhat better. I suspect it would be tweaky if I ran again right now. But I'm gonna hold off until tomorrow night and go easy.

As for "the plan", I"m half way through my week one. I'm starting to think I'll know if the intermediate plan was too much of a stretch goal by mid-next week.

Day 2 - LTHR Bike Test

LTHR is some number that tells you where your training zones are. HR means it's a heart rate. LT is (to the best of my knowledge) the barrier between zone four and zone five. LTHR is a level one can sustain for 30 - 40 minutes (maybe more if you're well trained and/or really want it). Above LT some nasty goo starts to build up in your muscles at a faster rate than it gets cleared out. This is why you can't sustain long intervals above LT. (all of this is "as I understand it").

Here's the part I know too much about (a little dangerous knowledge).. various prescribed methods for determining LT. All seem to include something like...

1. Warm up really well. Including some sprints or efforts which will get your HR going.
2. Go "as hard as you can" for some prescribed amount of time 30-40 minutes. Note, as hard as you can, still means at a consistent HR (not necessarily pace). If you are "normal" you will be far from comfortable.
3. Cool down.. gasp, fold, whatever.. Drink something.

Where the tests (I have read) differ is which average HR to take. I have often heard do 30 minutes hard, taking the average HR of the last 20 minutes. Today's workout was "supposed to" be 40 minutes hard, take the average of the entire 40 minutes. I have heard the coaches logic behind the "40 minutes". Something like, "for strong athletes 30 minutes" isn't enough.

What about today's workout? I figured right out, I wasn't one of these "strong" athletes who needs the entire 40 minutes. So, I went with 30 minutes all on my own. I also did the occasional visual on the HRM to see how I was doing. And sure enough the first 10 minutes I was still warming up to my LTHR.. I suspect this brought my entire average down somewhat. Stupidly, I didn't take my HR averages in any kind of interval to provide actual data to said theory.

My final 20 minutes were all easily in the low to mid 150's, with some spikes up to 160. Yet my "average" said 146. Looking at appropriate zone charts for 146 LTHR, I suspect it's on the low side. Also note that my last run LTHR test was more like 170. Incidentally, I felt I had erred high on that one. I am aware the bike and run LTHR numbers can be somewhat different.

I have another LTHR test in 4 weeks. Hopefully I will have improved my biking and pacing significantly by then. Until next time..

Addendum... These tests are supposed to be taxing. You're supposed to take the rest of the day off. But, dang I haven't run since last Friday. And for the first time in I don't know how long, the snow is _gone_ and it's near 70. Tomorrow it will be 40-ish again. I might have to sneak "off plan" this once and get a recovery run in. Also note, I don't ever recall cheating on my plan by adding a run... this must be a new year.

TSOTD 4

TSOTD strikes again.

I went to Camp Anokijig as a child. My parents took what was probably countless photos up there. But, what I have is this shirt. Now, mind you, this shirt isn't from when I was 5 or so. I got this shirt last year when some bad mojo was going down. A bunch of good folks got together and raised some money to save the camp. This T-shirt was bought for me during one of their fund raising weekends.

When I did my first Elkhart Lake Triathlon, I hadn't yet realized how close I was to the old camp. (I was pretty darn young the last time I went). Yet another small world link to the good old days.

If you fondly recall Camp Anokijig, you may want to help save the camp.

Treadmill Fixed.

That's right. Five or so weeks ago (probably right before all the snow, cold and ice started) the treadmill broke. I should say _I_ broke the treadmill. How do we know this? The deck broke. I'm 200+ lbs. Enough data for all you folks out there in blog reader land?

Anyway, we called the LBS right away. Low and behold it was under warranty for a mere 2 more days. Thank goodness. So, JWM gets a free deck. I still get to pay 100 bux for the LBS guy to order it and spend his precious waking hours wrenching on it in my basement. Not to mention he had to corral some sort of international shipping incident in order receive said treadmill deck. Five weeks. These are the days of Internet tracking and me getting my Ipod from China in a matter sub triple digit hours. It's hard to imagine that a package coming from Brunei could get lost 7-8 times almost to it's destination and still be here in 3-4 weeks. Of course, maybe treadmill decks are made from wood on an island that you can only swim too. And that wood can't get wet.

But, my rant is over. Because NOW the treadmill is back, fixed, good to go. No more excuses about icy sidewalks (which ironically I ran on tonight). Just in time too, the training plan starts Monday.

Someone Talk Me Down From The Ledge..

Grrrrr.. 1/2 a pizza that I didn't need from Little C's. Then I stood fully clothed on the scale at night (all variables which contribute to a higher number than I normally see on the little readout).

Breathe deep. It's just a number. Not even a fairly taken number.

Shoot my 4 year old son even ate more pizza than I did. (He's not over weight, just on a growth spurt). I on the other hand, am not on a growth spurt. Or I should say I don't want to be on one.

This post will serve as a reminder that even if it is "my year", I will falter. What I put in this blog is a goal.

Breathe deep. Move on. Pack my swim bag. Back to the pool in the morning.

Compromise

I can't believe it. I let up.

Today, "I want a CX bike" slipped out somehow in front of my wife. Now, mind you I have four bikes (at least). My fixed gear works wonderfully as a CX single speed bike. And if you buy into the fact that I could do it with one gear, then fine. I think though I might need the extra help of more gears. Blah blah blah.. I got Ironman to worry about for now.. So why let the CX bike slip? It's not really even on the radar yet.

I got the complete warranted/expected "you're not getting another bike now."... OK fine. I got now quarrel with that, for now.

Then I get, "you need to do a full season of races. Then you can get one." What? Can I head off to a season full of CX races every weekend all over Wisconsin???? Dang! And after being rewarded with that, I can buy a new bike ??? She must have been sleeping.

Long story short, I told her I'd forget the conversation (until after Ironman). I don't want her stressing over some non-existent bike purchase for another 6-7 months.. And, oddly enough, I feel good for having dropped it. Win win...

But don't think I forgot about the "do a season of CX races". Oh NO!!! If I can still walk after Ironman, I'll be considering getting muddy.

Journey to Ironman Month in Review: February 2007

The days: worked out 17/28 days

193 days until race day.

This month's totals.

Swim: 10150 yards
Bike: 190 mostly phantom trainer "miles"
Run: 27.1 all hard fought winter Wisconsin outdoor miles (except 4.5 Michigan miles)

22 hours total.

Review:

I would have sworn I was ramping up running.. but then taking stock in the short month, horrid weather, and just plain busy-ness.. I suppose it wasn't as banner as I had thought. I normally consider myself someone who is not prone to the whims of the elements. Ice on the side walk is a different story though. As weather improves, I will need to get diligent about taking my run to my lunch hour.

Training highlights would of course be swimming entirely new distances (probably in my life), a 2 hour mountain bike ride in very low temps and on fluffy snow with some killa mountain biker crew.. Though, for all I know they headed for a hot chocolate, as they got away quick and I didn't see them until later. Bike trainer and a Superbowl the next day. Say what you will about the trainer, but it's better than no trainer and a bag of chips + super bowl.

Last/not least, the detractors aka excuses. On-call has begun. So go easy on me. I am doing more training on-call than I normally do (usually nothing). Never mind the "bug" mentioned in a previous entry. Also a couple of 7 hour bouts in the car to and from a funeral was necessary. I would say more about what a tough woman the world lost, but that's family stuff.

Next month: The training plan I bought starts. No going back now. It happens to coincide with the new DST laws that the country passed. Thankyouverymuch govt.. Just when morning daylight rides would be almost possible, let's move it up an hour.

Mantra's.. . This is my year. Game on!

346

Let's see how far I get. Or, see if you can guess when I start making up stuff...

1. Because it's there.
2. Because it's my year.
   
3. Julie Moss footage. I really don't know what year I watched an early version of the Ironman broadcast, but I do know it was early. It made some kind of impression on me.
   
4. Eat like an Ironman.
5. I like training long. Race day is just the whipped cream on the ice cream.
6. I wanted to run a marathon. This way I won't get a "It took how long" look.
7. For the T-shirt.
8. I volunteered in 2002. I wanted to take back something.
9. You've done a triathlon. Was it an Ironman?
10. Get it out of my system so I can aspire try other fun stuff like 24 hour mountain bike races.. Or maybe just regular old mountain bike races.
11. Build mad-crazy base for the CX season.
12. I'm too slow to be "just a cyclist".
13. An excuse to have (another) cool bike.
14. I can't say I'm one with nature road riding. I do think there is a spiritual aspect to longer runs and rides.
15. Playing wall tag in between following the black line is often therapeutic.
16. You can't fake it. You either do it, or not.
17. For the days that the flavor of the day is: tiramisu.
    
18. For the days that the flavor of the day is: grasshopper fudge.
19. For the days that the flavor of the day contains : chocolate
20. For the days that the flavor of the day contains : cheese cake
21. For the days that the flavor of the day contains: mint
22. For the days that the flavor of the day contains : fudge
23. For the days that the flavor of the day is : almost any flavor without nuts.
24. For the days in any month that has a flavor of the day which is : with nuts, but the sunday of the month is without nuts.
    
25. Keep at it long enough, I just might learn to swim, bike or run.
26. Gives me something to blog.
27. Procrastination... I have a separate lifetime goal that involves writing/recording an album of music on my own.
28. Because "she" said I wouldn't do a triathlon. She's long since eaten the words proudly, but why let up now?
29. Set an example. (like for the marathoners at work).
30. Never know when your car will break down. This way I'll have the skills o run or bike to work.
31. Killer abs (I can hope, right?)
32. So I can look back to the one workout per day times fondly.
33. Because I'm no longer a contender at the burrito eating competitions.
34. Billiards halls are smoke filled here. Though, a Romine's is pretty clear.
    
35. It's good to have goals.
36. Rebellion. "Ma, 2000 other people signed up." "Well if 2000 other people were going to jump in the lake would you?" ... ahem. 'Nuff said.
37. I'm just crazy enough to think that the discipline I get from doing Ironman might spill into other pieces of my life.
38. For my kids. Who's kids wouldn't want to stay up until midnight?
39. For my wife. See #31 about abs. Haha. Maybe so I can live longer and she can see my smiling face an extra few years.
40. What else am I going to do with the extra 11 - 17 hours per week?
41. It's easy to get inspired by folks like the Hoyt's.
    
42. Because unless you're at mile 90 of an Ironman on a 55 or 95 degree day, "the beast" really isn't that bad of a hill.
43. Because I already got 140.6 engraved on my ipod nano as a goal.
44. Sometimes inspiration can be "local".
45. Or even, actually local inspiration.
46. So, I can hook up with my peeps from online before the race.
47. Because there is a "Burritos as big as your head" restaurant in Madison.
48. I started triathlons in 2001... So I can get it over with and move on.
49. Four halves does not make two fulls, or even one for that matter.
50. Everyone is doing it. Shoot one guy at work has a brother that did it. Another guy at work knows a guy who's signed up. Most of the folks online seem to have done it. That's pretty near everyone.
51. Because she doesn't believe I'll only do one. (see potato chip syndrome)
52. Beats surfing websites with naked people on them.. oh wait, what are those pros wearing anyway?
53. Walking the dogs in the morning leaves me needing more workout.
54. To hear "JWM You are an Ironman!"
55. Two other people in my village are doing it.
56. Inspire some "regular folks" that think Ironman is only for elite athletes. I'll show 'em.
    
57. Because I'd rather do 6 hours on the bike than 6 hours in a golf cart.
58. It's already paid in full.
59. Release. So I don't totally crack. I wasted some hate on a trivial matter today. I don't need that. Turns out, I didn't workout today either.
    
60. It beats the mall.
61. Basement indoor training gives me time to catch up on some old movies, or "The Simpsons" dvd's.
    
62. I need more sleep. This way I'll be forced to get it.
63. Cost justification : Fixed gear bike as a training tool (OK so you don't have to be signed up for Ironman to do that)
64. Cost justification : Road bike as a training tool.
65. Cost justification : Gotta have a sweet tri-bike.
66. Because my singing is horrid.
    
67. Cost justification : Mountain bike to keep training fun.
68. Cost justification : Roof rack for car..
69. Cost justification : nutritionist.
70. Cost justification : swim coach.
71. Winter riding gear.
    
72. Cost justification : run coach.
73. Nothing like a quiet bike ride.
    
74. Cost justification : bike coach.
75. You can sign up for Ironman and train for it. In a year you are done and have that in your pocket. Or you can not sign up, and you won't have it in your pocket.
    
76. Cost justification : message therapist.
77. Cost justification : scouting week in Hawaii (I'm just seeing if any of you are still reading)
78. Cost justification : Triathlon training camp.
79. One hour in a pro triathlete's endless pool. and horrid video evidence to prove it.
    
80. Julia Childs' cinnamon rolls from Alterra Coffee Shop at the Lake.
81. Because my 6th grade teacher said I would never be more than a C student. She gave me straight B's.
82. When else am I going to get 3 nights in a hotel with peace and quiet?
83. Because I'm not taking my pager with on race day.
84. The same reason I drank tequila in my early 20's.. That "What are you nuts? But why?" look.
85. Because you can't take life too seriously.
    
86. Because at some point on the bike, I will hear "It's a beautiful day." surge through my brain. Can you hear it?
87. It's a great excuse to finally put some "real" swim yardage down.
88. Run frequency is a requirement this year.. Or it will be a walk-a-thon. In the past I didn't feel quiet so compelled.
89. That 1/2 will hopefully look more like a race next year.
90. It's now or never for making weight.
91. For the tattoo? (nah)
92. To run through Camp Randall.
93. "Verona’s festival last year alone attracted over 20,000 people and was likened to the “Tour de France”."
94. But please don't paint my name on the road. CHALK!
    
95. Because I don't have cable TV.
96. Because doing Ironman qualifies one to give online advice to folks 3 times faster than me.
97. Because we all die.
    
98. Because I have 8GB of tunes to get through on my Nano.
99. Who doesn't want mad crazy training totals?
100. So the occasional latte won't make a sizable dent in my calorie input to output ratio.
101. What else would I blog about?
102. Because Tri-teacher did it.
103. Because Bill will.
104. Because I won't catch R. Tool Shedmeister in a bike race. I'll just assume he can't run.
     
105. Because MC is done with it.
106. Because I've been telling TTN I'm gonna sign up for six years now. (no sir, I didn't sign up the missus w/o her knowledge).
     
107. Because when Dre' says you need to lift your heel more and lean forward a bit from 1000 miles away, dang it he's right! How does he do that?
108. Because my neighbors were going to sign up for turning 50.. Instead they are heading to France. Suckers!
109. Because when my four year old daughter watches Ironman on the streaming web video and the 1025th finisher crosses the line.. She says "Another winner! Yay!"
110. Because she asks to ride her bike when there is 2 feet of snow. And she still has training wheels.
111. Because when I don't train due to excuses like oncall, I find myself up at 11pm writing a list of 300 reasons to do ironman.
112. Because listing 346 reasons would be crazier than just doing it.
113. Because I'm selfish.
114. Because of you.
115. Because Rachel ended up in a recorded band. Thanks for the cookies.
116. Because keeping millions of dollars safe is stressful work.
117. Skim best friend and a see-roll to go for Roy.
118. Because once a month I have a beer, if I need it or not..
119. I believe everything in moderation. The reason I train for Ironman is my list of "everything" is quiet long.
120. Frazz would do it.
121. I've been to Moab to ride slick rock (long ago). I need a safe way to maintain base until I go back.
122. Because it just wouldn't be as challenging if my kids weren't in there first year of school, aka petrie dish.
123. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the Swim store.
124. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
125. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
126. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
127. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
128. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
129. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
130. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
131. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
132. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
133. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
134. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
135. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the LBS.
136. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the Rodiez.
     
137. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the Athlete's foot.
138. Who doesn't want to spend more time at the Nike outlet store.
     
139. To start writing a list which makes me think I should do run store web design.
     
140. Because one does not need more reasons than miles.
     
141. 140.6 seems like such a good number. So much more alluring than a mere 26.2.
     
142. I should have known I would do something like this by the time I hit 4th grade. Someone brought tootsie roll pops to school, and I spent the day counting licks. 714. I've since heard many other accounts with much smaller numbers.
     
143. Because most days I get up before 7 am and don't even stay up until midnight.. Ironman or not.
     
144. Everyone looks better in the pool. Or a wetsuit for that matter.. Now getting out all soggy after 2.4 miles is a different story.
     
145. Because a double Ironman is too far.
     
146. Because of Dad.
147. One forty seven. 199 less than 346.. but that would just be silly.

I quit the list. Back to the real focus.

Ante Up

Or, "Reason # 347 to sign up for Ironman".

I hit the pool this morning to test the waters on my new plan. It's a few weeks before I have to start my plan, but I wanted to feel ready. Without giving the workout away for free, here's the rough draft.

Warm up 500m of swim, pull and kick.
1100m drills.
700m of "testing out the drills on real swimming".
200m of cool down swimming.

All very do-able. I was just outside 1 hour 10 minutes for the entire workout. Yikes! I guess I have some work to do.

Here's where the ante up comes in. I recall, in high school five page papers were like a death sentence, or just plain pulling teeth. Then, in my first week at college, I was asked to write a paper or two. The new minimum standard was five or more pages in length. For some reason, once I hit week one in college, five page papers were cake. Just do it.

Last year, I bet I didn't swim 2500m in any given day all year. Not even on race day did I hit those totals. This year it's my "first" workout. Welcome to Ironman.

So, if you're reading this and thinking 2500m is too far to swim... Or whatever you have in your life that is too hard. Just sign up for Ironman. It won't seem like such a big deal any more. Or, just do it.

The Week in Review - a bug

Half the house showed evidence of a stomach bug. I felt evidence of one, but thus far have not materialized evidence of said bug. Today, after taking 3 days off working out, I dared the bug to do some mojo on me. I ran 7 miles. Near the end I felt as if said bug my set forth upon me and take me up on the dare. In the end, I made it through the run. I further pushed my luck with "the bug" by eating a sizable dinner. Shortly, I will partake in some frozen custard from yesterday. If that doesn't torque the bug into some kind of unhappiness, then I will take it swimming in the morning.

Other than that, I looked ahead at my homework on the training schedule.. I have some work to do. My first swim is on the order of 2500 meters. I've been swimming on average 1000 meters. I don't think it will kill me to get to 2500. All the same, I better get cracking. Monday was 1500, no problem. Wednesday was a fast 1000 (ran short on time).. And Friday, well I was off waiting for the bug.

And while I don't enjoy the latest bug visitor. I did get a big dose of "my daughter still needs me". I can be grateful for that.

TSOTD 3

Quick and easy story. But it's a lesson for y'allz.

This shirt is from my very first cyclocross race. You don't get the shirt unless you pay the man. It's good, cheap fun. Do what I did. Go see the race the year before. Then absolutely declare you will never do that. The next thing you know you are looking at 45-60 minutes of lactic threshold testing in the form of a race. In the immortal words of Ferris, "If you have the means, I highly recommend it." (paraphrased, I'm sure).

It was a Halloween race and many a folks wore some sweet and crazy getups.

Also note, this is actually a decent looking shirt. No thanks to my photography laziness, it's not a great picture.

Inverted Run?

Quick entry then off to the showers and sleepy time.

Most of my "shorter" runs start with some sort of HR red line while my body says "What!?!?!?! Are we running again?" Then eventually my perceived effort comes down and I fall into a decent pace. Today, I needed a run. I also knew I didn't feel like I should be pegging anything HR, RPE, or any other TLA. So, I slowed it way up at the beginning whereby I avoided that spike. Then, like magic, I eventually fell into a nice pace. My overall pace came up a bit slower (but not tons), possibly explained by the slippery snow. I should try this "new fangled" pacing scheme again!

Oh and have I ever been so happy to see 22 degrees F? Never. It was beautiful.

Mantra: It's my year.
OH, It's SO my year.

TSOTD 2

That's right. Day 2 of my little T-shirt thingy. I'm going to do an easy one today. A very memorable race day T-shirt.

First, I have done all four Spirit of Racine Triathlons held thus far. 2005 was number 3, and my hope for really bringing it home after such improvement in 2004. I did abundant winter training. I was out biking in 15-20 degrees temps on my fixed gear. I paid. By the time the weather hit 50s-60s I was out of tights and in just my bike shorts.

Guess what? Race day was the first really hot day of the year. It was easily 20 degrees up the scale from what I had trained in all year. I tried to enjoy the swim, knowing what was coming. On top of the heat, the bike was on the windy side. I pulled in better trained, but right on time to my 2004 bike split. And worse for wear. I saw my wife and kids there. They were heading for a swim in the lake and I was taking my own dang transition time. I knew it was not going to be fun. But I paid to have this day and I was going to have it. Local residents and spectators with hoses saved me out there. I couldn't have finished without them. I had taken for granted the blissful race day conditions of 2004. When I finally hopped into the car after the finish, the thermometer read 100. I later heard a high of 98. And about the only thing I could hang onto was that I finished, as it appeared that about 1/3 of the entrants did not. By default, I had nearly made middle of the pack !!

Here's where the T-shirt really comes in. The next day I was at my favorite local coffee shop. I spied the yellow version of the shirt. The yellow one (I was sure) was for volunteers. So, I said to the woman wearing it "You volunteered? Thanks!!". Luckily she did volunteer. At first she gave me some runaround about "didn't she look like she could do the race?" I only saw yellow == volunteer. I swear. Lesson, thank all the volunteers. But do check they are volunteers! I'm certain she could tell I did the race, as I was barely walking.

That's TSOTD 2. Expect plenty more race shirts (probably half a stack from Racine), among other kinds.

TSOTD 1

Tee Shirt Of The Day, Day 1. I thought of this odd little reason to post when "we" decided to rearrange our upstairs. It has been noted to me that I have 75-100 T-shirts, most of which are unfit to wear. Most have some (albeit small) story or memory associated with them. I'm not promising to keep up with this.. but in case more of my T-shirts are "lost" X-files style in the wash, I can still have the memories.
This particular shirt has a small but important story. Blood Donation day is coming up again soon at work. Once I got this shirt for donating. The last time I donated blood, I subsequently became as ill as I have been in my adult life. Hard down horizontal for one week. Without more details, that experience has left me a bit gun shy. As blood donation day gets nearer, I am acutely aware of any sniffle or hunger pain. Twelve days to go until my next "test". I don't consider myself a hypochondriac. I better get some sleep.
Come on the rest of you all.. Get out there and roll up your sleeves. We've got work to do.

For more information see the Red Cross.

Please Someone Tell Me...

When folks think of new laws like one which would ban Ipods while crossing the street, they have but first thought that maybe the drivers shouldn't be on their cell phones either. Aren't there laws about stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks? Is it now OK to hit someone if they have headphones on?

Yet another "driving is a right" indicator. If you are a pedestrian, you already know you have to look. Please be careful out there.

Bike Junkie, v2

How'd I get here?

The journey started on a training wheeled, banana seated, "girls" bike from some family friends. We will skip the trifles before that about big wheels. Mom would tell a tale when I came home from school after realizing (way too late) that all the other kids had long since removed their training wheels. "Your Dad will be home in a little while?".. "No Mom, I want the training wheels off now." Hopefully, I was more respectful to my Mom than that. I wasn't normally very outspoken. By the time the day was done, I'm sure I skinned a knee or two. Low and behold I lived. I learned to ride. Bike Junkie was born.

From there I upgraded to a 100 dollar, (probably 100 pound) smallest 10 speed made by Schwinn. Oh how I loved that bike. I raced my big brother. I ran it into the back of a parked car while trying to learn to shift. It took quite a beating for me.

Once that bike got small (It lasted years), I upgraded to a full sized model. Beacon Coronet as I recall, was the name of this new big bike. Dark blue. I rode it all over town. Down to the beach. Half way to some older girl's house when I got a flat and carried it home.. (must have been a sign).

My Dad had a powder blue Viscount. Eventually I inherited that for a while to ride around school.

Then, mountain biking was becoming somewhat more popular. I got a larger than life (22" frame) , rigid frame/fork, Giant Iguana. I took that to some local trails with the gang. A time or two around there and I was done.. My buddy let me ride his newer, lighter, smaller, specialized stump jumper. It was then clear to me that I was not experiencing anywhere near the same ride as he was. And his easy ascent on certain climbs became less of a mystery. A search for better equipment was a must.

Who knows how much time past, but I eventually found a very slightly used Giant ATX 780 with double butted steel frame and Rock Shox Mag21. In the early years that bike saw Sedona, Moab/Slickrock, Marquette Michigan, and Mackinac Island. All those great destinations thanks to my lovely wife. I still have that bike today. In more recent years, it's seen a single (what was I thinking?) WORS race, and much child pulling duty around town. And of course the other day, I did try to follow some tracks in the snow made by some folks who know more about how to mountain bike than I ever forgot.

I must have been frequenting a bike store or two once in a while (I never could stay away from them, even when I didn't need a bike or bike stuff). I vaguely recall seeing triathlon bicycles and thinking I should figure out what sport you have to do to need one. Of course, at the time it was just shy of a day dream.

Onward to my first "road bike". The previous ones I considered "10 speeds", if that makes much sense. GT made a nice (cheap) ZR4000 that I picked up. My wife got the steel one. I tossed on some clip-less pedals and was ready to rock. Add to that my first triathlon book, fuel in the form of a healthy amount of skepticism from my wife, some run shoes, a gym membership, and I was ready to go.

Skip ahead past a year or so of triathlons. I'm in it for the haul.. I was (am) slow, had (have) tons of room for improvement, and loving it. Time for a wicked fast triathlon bike (or at least a triathlon bike that's not stupid expensive).. At the time, Cervelo made the One as a triathlon bike (now it looks like a road bike with clip-ons). It was a reasonable price and got me aerodynamic! It never hurts to have additional bikes too.

A year or two on that, and I was ready for some upgrading. A "set of new components" for my road bike soon became a new bike. I think the paint is chipping or I have a crack or something.. I headed down to a recommended LBS and got a GREAT deal on an all Reynolds 853 steel frame made by Schwinn (see 1st bike). I ended up using the wheels and brakes from that GT and built up the Schwinn with Ultegra components. What fun! I probably didn't end up saving much cash once I bought tools and "learned" a few things, but I got to build the bike. That's my current "road bike".

Still there is a quest for more.. I had a hankering for something different. Something simple. Maybe something a bit cooler than I am. So I started looking into a reasonable fixed gear bike. Then I saw another. Then I started really noticing them all over. Some had flavor. Some were from Cali. Then there was a local option. It turns out when I was getting fixed gear fever, the local bike store guys were just talking about that Milwaukee One fixed gear bike. The were trying out a few different things.. and while Langsters were cheaper, these were the local boys putting together something sweet. I'll cut out the parts about my sleepless nights and all the whining... Fast forward to my birthday that year.. Mom and my wife went together to go big for my b-day.. Woo Hoo! I love riding that thing. I know I had tons of miles on it in the first 2-3 months I owned it, and my birthday is in December in Wisconsin. See rule #1, buying bike stuff only helps you if you ride. If you ride more, it was worth the money.

Since then, I turned the fixed gear into even yet another bike. I picked up some Panaracer Crossblasters and flipped over the rear wheel to the freewheel side. Then, I twice got brave and raced CX races on it. When I asked for gear advice, some guy told me he had no problems racing in 42x16. Of course everyone else at the race seemed to think I was nuts and were looking for my insane tree trunk legs.. Oh well, ride what you brung. Note to future slow single speed CX racers.. Don't ask for gearing advice from people that are faster than you. R. Tool Shed, I take full responsibility for asking and accepting the answer. This notion probably also applies to all those "What cassette should I use for Ironman Wisconsin?" posters too. In defense of said advisor, if I had been going fast enough to keep up, it probably was the proper gear.

Now what better excuse can I have to lust after a decent geared CX bike for next year?? The saga continues.. Oh the memories.

My long drawn out post wouldn't be a long drawn out JWM post without a list. Here are a few reasons to be a bike junkie...

1. Because they are mechanically simple.. try fixing your car without a computer if it was made in the last decade.
2. Quiet please. That ride in the snow the other day just accentuated the fact. There is nothing like a quiet bike ride.
3. Bikes are "cheap". Sure nothing is free. But if your idol is Lance (if), you can ride exactly what he rides for $5000. Yeah, it's real money, but compare to those who has a NASCAR idol. See also planes, trains, or yachts. It's cheap transportation. OK, runners can stay quiet right now.
   
4. My Grandpa biked. My Dad biked. I bike.
   

If you made it this far.. Thanks for listening!

Bike Junkie?

So, a guy gets into a sport (triathlon) it's a way to get another bike.
So, a guy goes mountain biking in 5 degrees and snow and he wants a single speed mountain bike.
So, a guy manages to get his entire backside handed to him in the two CX races he's been near or in. As a result, he thinks maybe a new shiny bike on a hook in the basement would be fun.

Who doesn't?

I say, it's okay to buy them (so long as the children are warm and fed). But you gotta do the miles first. I have the triathlon bike. Let's get Ironman done, then lust for the next one. Sure it's easy to get swept up. Gotta stay focused.

Tag the Blog

OK Tri-teacher. Game on. Please don't check my spelling.

Well, I don't consider myself much of a TAG type person when it comes to things like blogs and email. If you're reading this and want to be TAGGED, consider yourself TAGGED. If you don't want to be TAGGED, by all means carry on and read / comment as normal.

Oh, except you bbieberitz. You are so tagged. That's what you get for admitting subscribing to this blog.

1. Describe a memory from your first triathlon ever.
2. Describe a memory from your most recent triathlon.
3. What's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a tri?
4. What's the most thrilling thing that's happened to you in a tri?
5. What is something you discovered about yourself by doing triathlons?
6. What is The Big Goal that you're working towards?

Let's get to it.

1. My first triathlon.

My first year of triathlon, I signed up for the Wisconsin Triathlon Series races. Lake Mills being the first race. I remember very little. So I'll keep it somewhat short on truth, and make up a few things to beef it out.

The wetsuit. I decided to be a big man and go frugal style, sans wetsuit. At the last minute my wonderful mother stepped in and bought me a wetsuit. She didn't want her baby freezing in the water I suppose. Anyway, thanks Mom! Because it brings me to first race memory number 1. I got in the water before the race just to get the feel. I froze. I couldn't swim. Wait no. I couldn't breathe. I was going to die. Sell my bike, I won't need it. .. .. .. Calm down. Just float in the wetsuit. It won't let you sink. You're not going to die. Now breathe. Breathe! OK, better. Now, swim like you did in the pool. See, it'll be fine. My advice for prospective triathletes, get in the water ahead of the gun going off and talk yourself through the swim.

I lived. My memory gets fuzzy after that. I recall a heat on the run I hadn't really run in before. More because I probably did my run training at night. This was not much shade, and sunny. I'm not sure it was really that hot. But it was hot to me. I walked more than once. It was hard. But I must have had a blast, because I did the next one. Oh and the food at the witriseries races is almost worth the price of the race alone.

2. My most recent triathlon

Spirit of Racine 2006. Getting out of the water in a 1/2 Iron distance race and not feeling sapped going into the bike. WoooHOOOO!!! Mission accomplished on the swim. Taking the bike medium easy and hitting about 10 minutes under my next best bike time. And NOT have 100 degree weather on the run (like in 2005) ! Keeping the smackdown alive by staying in front of Bill (barely). All in all, just having a darn good time of it.


3. What's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a tri?

Wow, tough one. Say the first thing that comes to you.... Running out of t2 at Elkhart Lake Triathlon with my bike helmet on.. Or the pics from that race (or a previous time I did it) which I would have labeled "the running stance".

I have a better story that was more embarrassing for someone else... Spirit of Racine (maybe the first one in 2003). I was coming out of t2 and went to hit the porta-let. Well now, if you're a female pro, and you're done with your race when I have to run into the t2 porta-let, you should lock the door. Initially I got yelled at. I quickly shut the door as I realized what was going on in my haze. As I went for a different stall I heard, "SORRY!". Apparently she realized her error. Anyway, I was not scarred for life. Hopefully neither was she.

4. What's the most thrilling thing that's happened to you in a tri?

Again we're relying on my unreliable memory. I love the quiet getting ready of the morning. Walking the beach to the start. All the nervous energy. Trying to stay calm. We're all in this alone, but together at the same time. Race morning can be so great and such a knot twist all at once. That is a thrill.

Also, a few years ago at devil's lake tri (sprint distance) I did my best to go hard on the run. It was fast as I can or bust. Toss my cookies at the finish line if I must (I didn't). And pulled off my first sub 9 minute mile in a tri 5k. That was a pretty dang big thrill. My swim had also been a serious PR. Ironically, my bike was over 20 minutes off my projected time. There were rubbing brakes, rainy weather, and serious hills to account for my error. Turns out my "projected" time was closer to the winner's bike time. Error in my judgement more than performance.

5. What is something you discovered about yourself by doing triathlons?

• If I don't workout, I will be huge, jittery, and generally unhappy.
  
• I've learned how much simply changing perspective can change your limits.
  

6. What is The Big Goal that you're working towards?

If this is the first time you read my blog.. My big goal for this year is to complete Ironman Wisconsin. I may yet change my mantra weekly.. Right now it's, "This is my year!"


With my homework out of the way. Time to hit the hay. 5:15 the alarm goes off. The dogs will walk. The pool will wait for me bright, crisp, and early.

Shaking off the "Trainer Blues"

It took all my biking clothes and then some, but today was a BLAST!

In spite of my best efforts to sabotage my setup so I couldn't ride in single digit temperatures, I made it to a trail ride. I was egged on by the appearance of former Ironman, single speed mountain biker from DC. I even hauled out my mountain bike, which hasn't seen any real action in years. Well, it went from 0-60 on the action meter right off!

Weather.com warned, we might be in for the "coldest temps in a decade". I got many "looks" when I answered the question "what are you doing this weekend?" at work.

Big shout out to Cliff for providing some tasty treats for the ride. They didn't have to give me free stuff to convince me.. but I'll take it.

For the curious...

• Titanwear tri-short #1
• Target store plastic bag
• Titanwear tri-short #2
• Smartwool bike socks
• Big ole winter socks (grey w/ the red top)
• Specialized mountain bike shoes
• Trek winter shoe covers
• Lakefront Marathon long sleeve wicking shirt as a base
• long sleeve warm tight shirt (think active long underwear)
  
• Harpoon IPA bike jersey (for karma)
• Pearl Izumi balaclava
• Tifosi eye wear
• Thin 99 cent one size fits all gloves
• Big thick super warm bike gloves
• Pearl Izumi winter bike clothes reviewed late last year (tights and jacket)
  
• Last but not least an illuminted ugly bright blue wind breaking type bike jacket on top of all that.

Lessons:

• If you're bothering to go mountain biking in the dead of winter w/ a bunch of folks that are twice as fast as you (on their single speeds).. And if you're also bothering to bring your Garmin Forerunner, then by all means have the good sense to press start in the parking lot. That way you have a good chance that the rescue team will know in which direction to drag the body. Turns out, I found it again on my own.
  
• Not all dog owners will be completely inconvenienced by all bikers... One woman was cheering us all on. (note there weren't many folks out, much less cheering). Try to be respectful.
  
• Man that was fun! (get the point) Training should sometimes be just plain fun. Forget the HRM number/graphs etc.. Or bring it.. but put tape over it. For what it's worth, I had no time to look at any numbers or watches with my death grip on the handle bars!
  
• If you're going to weigh your bike down with a Gatorade bottle, drink within the first 20 - 30 minutes.. otherwise it will be frozen. For that matter, it might be frozen even after the 30 minute car ride, 30 minutes inside at home, then 15 minutes on top of the radiator while showering, and only drinkable after an additional minute in the microwave. That's frozen! Alternatively, I suppose you could bring a spoon for your Gatorade flavored squishee.
  
• 5 degrees and sweet packed snow single-track vs the trainer.. Think about it.
  
• Not a lesson, but I wonder. Is bike lust wrong?
  

After all that, if you're not amped to go biking in the winter.. Well, consider that Arrowhead endurance race was much farther north and started this weekend. Yikes!! Mad crazy props to all those folks.

Journey to Ironman Month in Review: January 2007

The days: worked out 22/31 days (12 of last 13 days)

209 days until race day.

Swim: 13450 yards
Bike: 124.2 mostly phantom trainer "miles"
Run: 45.53 mostly hard fought winter Wisconsin outdoor miles

The last 10 days or so, I've been trying out the frequency and character of my purchased ironman plan that starts in March... So far so good.. Sleep will be key. I'm not at all discouraged by an 8 hour week. Seems like a similar week would have not been impossible last year, but harder. Perhaps in the face of 11-17 hours / week, 8 just doesn't phase me.

I'm putting one toe in the water on the 5th/3rd 25k run in Grand Rapids.. We'll see how training toward that goes.. But right now, it looks good. My currently long run is only an hour. I don't think increasing it to 90 minutes will be difficult.. After that, we'll see.

Weather.com is predicting "possibly the lowest temperatures in a decade". Anyone want to ride? Bring your heat.

Feb 1.. slept in.. oops !

Good News / Bad News...

As if someone's actually reading this, the bad news is..... I haven't been posting.

The good news is...

I' been trainin'. The wife even asked if I was gettin' dehydrated or somethin' cause I looked lighter. Sho' 'nuff, it isn't less fat..... yet.

Discipline. Tough word for me, but I gotta do it. Night y'all.

Taking A Break

Even if you're working 16 hours on a Sunday (many of them wee hours), you have to get your fun in! Here's jwm taking a break at the local snow bump. (BTW that's the coat). Pay no attention to last year's running shoes.

As for the rest of the week, I'm trying to make my training look more like the first week of my training plan. I'm doing this in character and frequency, if not volume.

26 Weeks

Get out the Credit Card. Click. (Iron Distance '07, Intermediate, Hilly Bike Plan). My March - September workouts are all planned out now. Now I have 2 months to sit in and get ready for the big load. I might be slightly out of my league, but it looks doable.
Some say "race day easy compared to the training". I never believed that, until I saw this plan! Anxiety aside, I trust Rich and Crucible to get me where I'm going.

Can you tell I'm excited?

14.

Am I getting old? Because I do not recall 14 degrees F ever feeling this cold. I went to walk the dogs this morning, the thermometer read "14". I got out the "I don't want to be cold" coat today. It's like wearing the sun. I really think I wouldn't have wanted to ride my bike out in this today. Could be the warm winter we have is making me soft.. Maybe if I look at the "bright side", I'm preparing for a hot summer..

UPDATED

I am a whimp.. There were a couple guys windsurfing in L. Michigan this morning shortly after I blogged this. Carry on.

Grumble Grumble Grumble..

Went to my LBS today to pickup my ordered bike rack. I did so because my wife called me. She said they called. And when they called they said, "it's in." Apparently that wasn't specific enough, because when I went there they could only track down 2/3 of the parts I asked for. The other one will be there in a day or so. OK, great. Glad I drove past and came in so I could find out that I'll have to come back anyway. Why wasn't this an item I got online anyway? Because I like to support my LBS's.. and normally they are cool and I'm happy. But then I try to go out of my way for something that would almost certainly be easier to get online (maybe even cheaper)... and what happens?

All in all, no biggie.. I just can't drive my bike somewhere to ride it yet. Where am I going anyway?

Rant over, life is really fine.. I can't complain at all.

Run Music

Another short but more frequent blog entry (like my workouts lately)..

If you haven't tried RHCP for your run music, give it a go. The funky nature provides a light, fluffy-ness to the run. You pick your feet up. Yet the beats tend to be fast enough to keep you pounding. Mind you, skip the "I Could Have Lied" type tunes (or at least save them for post run). Small disclaimer, the lyrics might not be for everyone.

(onto more sleep) Anyone want to do some rollers spotting in the AM?

Back In The Swing..

Quickie blurb..

So long ago I was doing two workouts per day (July-ish). Well, it's the new year and the beginning of you know what. Morning swims and noon runs are great. I really miss that from last year. If you haven't tried it, and you have the means. I highly recommend it. Never mind the unseasonably warm January weather, and my time off from work. Woot!

Hit the showers!

Milestones

My Ipod Nano with Nike+ hit 100 miles today on my 10k run. When I got back to home base, I connected and sent data into the mothership. Subsequently, I was transferred to a website that spits data back at me in pretty colors. It called my run a funny name. I wondered why, then I noticed my total went above 100 miles. Woot! That probably means I can get free shoelaces somewhere, right?
On the same day, I tried out my new shoes. Yes, I got some New Balance 767's. I went into the local running store just for another pair of my Saucony Hurricane 7's. Guess what. They had 8's and not 7's. The 8's didn't fit like the 7's. Undeterred, I asked about other shoes. Turns out I saved a good 35 singles (140 quarters for those of you who are of the vending machine spending style) on the NB 767's. Yes, I'm aware some of you savvy Internet types might be inclined to send me links where I can find more 7's. But, I've never really had a problem w/ the NB shoes. So, I gave it a whirl.
As exciting as that little paragraph is there.. Point is, I ran 10 k in new shoes. The felt great. Seems I've been running 3-5 milers for some extended time now. So, 10k was a bit of a bump up. But fun no less.
Top that off with the fact that it's my first two-a-day in some time too.. Shoot I may have to sleep in until 6:15 AM before I walk the dogs and ride my bike.

The happy ending here is I feel like Ironman training is getting a start. YAY!