So. I've talked about it. I've dreamed about it. I've planned for it. Now I'm signed up for it! That's right, I am racing IRONMAN next summer and I couldn't be more excited or more nervous about a single thing in my life.
I have chosen to race IM Wisconsin primarily because of location and timing. Living and training in this area of the country makes late summer/early fall the perfect time for racing a distance like this. The race will take place on September 8th 2013. Believe me when I say that date is constantly on my mind. But here's the big question: what is my game plan?!?!
I wish I knew more people who could give me a better idea of how to train for such a distance, but I don't. I have, however, read quite a bit about training for an all day race and I feel confident in my ability to throw something together. Here's my general plan:
44 weeks out: 20 week program focused on building volume and distance.
Weeks 1-3: Prep
Weeks 4-6: Base 1
Week 7: Recovery
Weeks 8-10: Base 2
Week 11: Recovery
Weeks 12-14: Base 3
Week 15: Recovery
Weeks 16-17: Build 1
Week 18: Recovery
Weeks 19-20: Build 2
24 weeks out: 4 week recovery period focused on low volume/low intensity with some occasional low volume/high intensity workouts.
20 weeks out: 20 week program incorporating the built up higher volume along with high intensity workouts. Will contain around 4-5 shorter distance races (sprint and olympic distance) from late May through early August. My overall structure is not planned yet as I am waiting until I figure out my race schedule.
I will probably start the whole thing about 48 weeks out to give me a buffer for the various interruptions such as my week deer hunting in Alabama and the spring break choir tour, but there you have it! At the end of October I will start my prep weeks and there won't be any turning back!
That's it for now. I hope to gain a few "fans" for this race as I can use all the support I can get. So if you're interested in heading to Wisconsin next September with me and my family, just let me know! You'll love the triathlon experience!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
SuperiorMan Race Report
Well hey! So this one time I signed up for a half-ironman distance tri, and tried to get ready in three weeks. Here's what happened...
Taylor and I met up with my parents at the hotel on Saturday afternoon and we all headed to race packet pick-up. I grabbed my stuff, dropped off my bike, and stayed for a brief race meeting. Then it was off to dinner at the Brewhouse and back to the room to get some rest. Safe to say I was on edge at this point... Nerves were kickin in.
Sunday morning I was up at 4:30 and getting ready. Dad drove me to the race and I got everything set up and drank an Ensure to get some carbs and calories. I used the bathroom only twice.... which has to be a record! All that was left was the waiting.
The race!
1.2 mile swim; 56 mile bike; 13.1 mile run
Goal 1: Finish in 5 hours 45 minutes
Goal 2: Have fun!
Race plan: I want to take things out decently hard in the swim using long hard strokes with minimal kicking. Exit the water feeling warmed up and ready for the rest of the race. Take transitions nice and easy, no need to rush. Get on the bike and once I'm done with all the turns settle into the aero position. Use the wind going at my back in the first half but don't push it because it will be coming at me in the second half and I'll need fresh legs to fight it. Get into T2 and stretch out as I'm running in and changing shoes. Exit T2, don't get excited and start running hard!!! Find a smooth controlled pace that I can hold. Don't walk.
Swim: I started in wave 2 @ around 7:00. Wave 1 was at 6:30, the slower swimmers. The way it started was jumping off of the Vista Fleet one at a time in 4 second intervals. I was probably about 4th to last to for getting in the water. Choppy water! I swam hard but had difficulty seeing anything, it was dark and I was wearing shaded lenses, causing me to swim extra yards because I was not going straight. I passed quite a few people and exited the water. Timing chip problem. The clock had me at 50 minutes!!! Funny because I got out of the water at 7:42 and my wave, which I was near the end of started after 7. I'm guessing my time was about 32 minutes.
T1: The run from the ladder exit until the Amsoil arena was about 100 meters. Upon entering the arena we were forced to walk because of the slippery wet concrete. Frustrating! It took at least two minutes to walk to my bike, such a waste of time! Transition went well and I was out in about 5 minutes.
Bike: Have you ever heard me mention that I seem to have bad luck. I do. Over 11 miles into the bike I was making great time without using much energy at all. And then I blew a tire. Are you kidding me! Right then and there I quit the sport of triathlon. I was beyond pissed. Year after year I faced bad luck always having something go wrong and I was just fed up with it. My race was done. I looked down at my watch and I had been stopped for 6 minutes. That's when something clicked. I didn't want to quit, I've invested so much in this sport and I'm not finished. There were repair vehicles available during the race and I knew there was a cop at the 10 mile point whom I could get to radio them. I grabbed my bike and starting running backwards up the race course. After about a mile the repair van saw me running carrying a bike and came over to fix things up. All in all I waited 18 minutes and was in dead last but I was going again. Mentally shaken from my "quitting triathlon" breakdown I was determined to make up the lost time and pushed hard with the wind at my back. I hit the turnaround and gritted my teeth to take on the wind. I had made up 5 minutes that I had lost, even with doing an extra mile. The last 26 miles into the wind were not exactly fast, but I maintained my goal pace and even came back a little. I hit the 55 mile marker and began to surge for the last mile... which ended up being nearly 2 miles. Great! A 57 mile bike course... a little error is fine but a whole mile was just ridiculous. I was a little upset with the race coordinators at that point. I got off the bike and headed into T2. Bike time: 3:30. With an 18 minute break, doing mile 11 over again, and having an extra mile on the course. I was pretty pleased with my bike split. Without any of that it would have been about a 3:05.
T2: I was still fairly close to being in last place. Coming into the transition I knew I had work to do on the run. But my legs felt okay. So I made quick work of the transition. Used the bathroom and headed out to the run. I took a little over 2 minutes.
Run: Still having the "make up lost time" mentality, I began the run at under an 8 minute mile pace. I hit 4 miles at 31 minutes and realized my legs were finished. I tried walking for a minute and then assumed a nice slow running pace. At mile 6 my time was just over 49 minutes. I had pushed the bike much harder then planned and it was coming back to haunt me. My final 7 miles was a walk run mixture. Those miles were some of the hardest and most painful I have ever run. My legs just couldn't maintain anything. And once again the course was long, probably by about a half mile. I crossed the finish line and it was over. I've never felt so physically and mentally defeated in my life. My run time: 2:15. Awful.
I crossed that finish line feeling incredibly defeated. My overall time was a 6:40. Adjusting for the timing chip error on the swim, my time was about 6:22. Still over 30 minutes off of my goal. Although I had just successfully finished a race that many could only ever dream of doing I was disappointed. But that's life, and that's racing. I'm not giving up. I will get back out there and race again and again. And I will get better.
Thanks for reading!
Taylor and I met up with my parents at the hotel on Saturday afternoon and we all headed to race packet pick-up. I grabbed my stuff, dropped off my bike, and stayed for a brief race meeting. Then it was off to dinner at the Brewhouse and back to the room to get some rest. Safe to say I was on edge at this point... Nerves were kickin in.
Sunday morning I was up at 4:30 and getting ready. Dad drove me to the race and I got everything set up and drank an Ensure to get some carbs and calories. I used the bathroom only twice.... which has to be a record! All that was left was the waiting.
The race!
1.2 mile swim; 56 mile bike; 13.1 mile run
Goal 1: Finish in 5 hours 45 minutes
Goal 2: Have fun!
Race plan: I want to take things out decently hard in the swim using long hard strokes with minimal kicking. Exit the water feeling warmed up and ready for the rest of the race. Take transitions nice and easy, no need to rush. Get on the bike and once I'm done with all the turns settle into the aero position. Use the wind going at my back in the first half but don't push it because it will be coming at me in the second half and I'll need fresh legs to fight it. Get into T2 and stretch out as I'm running in and changing shoes. Exit T2, don't get excited and start running hard!!! Find a smooth controlled pace that I can hold. Don't walk.
Swim: I started in wave 2 @ around 7:00. Wave 1 was at 6:30, the slower swimmers. The way it started was jumping off of the Vista Fleet one at a time in 4 second intervals. I was probably about 4th to last to for getting in the water. Choppy water! I swam hard but had difficulty seeing anything, it was dark and I was wearing shaded lenses, causing me to swim extra yards because I was not going straight. I passed quite a few people and exited the water. Timing chip problem. The clock had me at 50 minutes!!! Funny because I got out of the water at 7:42 and my wave, which I was near the end of started after 7. I'm guessing my time was about 32 minutes.
T1: The run from the ladder exit until the Amsoil arena was about 100 meters. Upon entering the arena we were forced to walk because of the slippery wet concrete. Frustrating! It took at least two minutes to walk to my bike, such a waste of time! Transition went well and I was out in about 5 minutes.
Bike: Have you ever heard me mention that I seem to have bad luck. I do. Over 11 miles into the bike I was making great time without using much energy at all. And then I blew a tire. Are you kidding me! Right then and there I quit the sport of triathlon. I was beyond pissed. Year after year I faced bad luck always having something go wrong and I was just fed up with it. My race was done. I looked down at my watch and I had been stopped for 6 minutes. That's when something clicked. I didn't want to quit, I've invested so much in this sport and I'm not finished. There were repair vehicles available during the race and I knew there was a cop at the 10 mile point whom I could get to radio them. I grabbed my bike and starting running backwards up the race course. After about a mile the repair van saw me running carrying a bike and came over to fix things up. All in all I waited 18 minutes and was in dead last but I was going again. Mentally shaken from my "quitting triathlon" breakdown I was determined to make up the lost time and pushed hard with the wind at my back. I hit the turnaround and gritted my teeth to take on the wind. I had made up 5 minutes that I had lost, even with doing an extra mile. The last 26 miles into the wind were not exactly fast, but I maintained my goal pace and even came back a little. I hit the 55 mile marker and began to surge for the last mile... which ended up being nearly 2 miles. Great! A 57 mile bike course... a little error is fine but a whole mile was just ridiculous. I was a little upset with the race coordinators at that point. I got off the bike and headed into T2. Bike time: 3:30. With an 18 minute break, doing mile 11 over again, and having an extra mile on the course. I was pretty pleased with my bike split. Without any of that it would have been about a 3:05.
T2: I was still fairly close to being in last place. Coming into the transition I knew I had work to do on the run. But my legs felt okay. So I made quick work of the transition. Used the bathroom and headed out to the run. I took a little over 2 minutes.
Run: Still having the "make up lost time" mentality, I began the run at under an 8 minute mile pace. I hit 4 miles at 31 minutes and realized my legs were finished. I tried walking for a minute and then assumed a nice slow running pace. At mile 6 my time was just over 49 minutes. I had pushed the bike much harder then planned and it was coming back to haunt me. My final 7 miles was a walk run mixture. Those miles were some of the hardest and most painful I have ever run. My legs just couldn't maintain anything. And once again the course was long, probably by about a half mile. I crossed the finish line and it was over. I've never felt so physically and mentally defeated in my life. My run time: 2:15. Awful.
I crossed that finish line feeling incredibly defeated. My overall time was a 6:40. Adjusting for the timing chip error on the swim, my time was about 6:22. Still over 30 minutes off of my goal. Although I had just successfully finished a race that many could only ever dream of doing I was disappointed. But that's life, and that's racing. I'm not giving up. I will get back out there and race again and again. And I will get better.
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Preparing for 70.3
If you've been reading my blog you have probably noticed a pattern. I am a busy guy who tends to get ready for races much later than when I would like. This is a change that I need to make for the 2013 season. Especially with the number of races I plan on doing. Unfortunately training for the SuperiorMan was no exception to my procrastination. I struggled with doing the work while I was working all day everyday at summer camp, and settled for a plan of about 3 six mile runs a week. I finished camp with 3 weeks to go before the race. Not a whole lot of time to build a lot of endurance.
The good thing was that my run was still in pretty fair condition so my main focus was miles on the bike and getting in the pool for some workouts. I hit training hard doing at least 2 workouts a day, which meant being very lazy in between. With working out at least 3 hours a day I knew I could get my body ready to do this race. I put in some great long distance bike/run blocks simulating my goal paces as well as near to race distance bike rides all the while practicing some race nutrition.
Once again my bad luck struck. On a 50 mile bike ride I lost control going over a gravel patch on a turn and went down. I bruised muscles in my hip and butt and had scrapes all over my left side. One week before the race. I hate to say it but this was the closest I had come to quitting this sport, I have gotten so sick of my rotten luck during the summers and the races with injuries, personal life issues, equipment problems, and just lack of time to commit to training. It feels like I am having one pitfall after another...
I didn't quit. But I did, however, suffer from the situation. I was basically unable to train other than swimming for the next week. Which was no good with a 70.3 mile race looming.
But what happens happens and all we have to do is give our best efforts in spite of what cards have been dealt to us. So I packed up my college stuff and moved in to my apartment just as planned a few days before the race and then met up with my girlfriend and headed to Duluth. It was go time.
The good thing was that my run was still in pretty fair condition so my main focus was miles on the bike and getting in the pool for some workouts. I hit training hard doing at least 2 workouts a day, which meant being very lazy in between. With working out at least 3 hours a day I knew I could get my body ready to do this race. I put in some great long distance bike/run blocks simulating my goal paces as well as near to race distance bike rides all the while practicing some race nutrition.
Once again my bad luck struck. On a 50 mile bike ride I lost control going over a gravel patch on a turn and went down. I bruised muscles in my hip and butt and had scrapes all over my left side. One week before the race. I hate to say it but this was the closest I had come to quitting this sport, I have gotten so sick of my rotten luck during the summers and the races with injuries, personal life issues, equipment problems, and just lack of time to commit to training. It feels like I am having one pitfall after another...
I didn't quit. But I did, however, suffer from the situation. I was basically unable to train other than swimming for the next week. Which was no good with a 70.3 mile race looming.
But what happens happens and all we have to do is give our best efforts in spite of what cards have been dealt to us. So I packed up my college stuff and moved in to my apartment just as planned a few days before the race and then met up with my girlfriend and headed to Duluth. It was go time.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Buffalo Triathlon Race Report
Hello readers! It's been too long since I've blogged, but I promise to get caught up and keep em comin! I have about three blogs to do to catch up to today so bear with me. The first: Buffalo tri!
What a fun race! This event is definitely becoming my favorite race. The atmosphere, organization, and sheer size of the event make it such a great experience. And this year I had the added bonus of having family members race along side me. I challenged my Mary, Bill, and Andrew to make a relay to race me and they were all for it! Also my parents jumped into the event and did a relay with one of my sister's friends. Making for a wonderful family experience!
The race: Buffalo Triathlon: 1/4 mile swim; 13 mile bike; 3 mile run
Goal 1: Finish in 1:08
Goal 2: Finish in top 100
Once again it was a big sprint course with just under 1000 athletes. My goal for a 1:08 finish was outlined with a swim/T1 time of 7:30 a bike/T2 time of 41:00 and a run time of 20:00. Going into the race I knew these would be tough goals for various reasons. First of all, working all day every day at a bible camp left little time for training, so my biking and running was limited and my swimming was nonexistent. Another was the bike course. For the season I had worked on improving the bike leg as well as purchased a new bike, however the course was changed due to construction at the last minute causing us to race on a hilly course. With that in mind my strategy changed. I decided to all out attack the bike to get through those hills. After all, it's a sprint course...
Lining up for the start I knew my strength (the swim) would not be as good as in the past but I still had confidence to be one of the first out of the water. My sister and her friend started in a wave 4 minutes before me so I knew I had someone to chase. I was out of the water in 6:04 (29th)... ouch! I hustled into transition and was out of there with a swim/T1 time of 8:29. Time to ride! Like I planned I attacked the course, which for me, means I was still getting passed plenty. I caught my mom before the two mile and flew past, now I had to get Andrew. The hills were brutal but I didn't let up, after the swim I'd already lost a minute on my goal. No time to relax. I caught Andrew after mile 7 and kept surging. I could tell as was working but it was my plan, I was gonna stick to it. I hit the finish line in just under 40 minutes feeling great about the bike split. I exited T2 with a bike/T2 time of 40:58. With the tough bike course and still hitting my bike goal, I felt good.
I hit the run ready to make up more lost time fro. the swim, but found my bike legs were not disappearing as fast as I would like. I tried to stretch out the stride but everything stayed tight. Holy crap! I was tired and tight. Oh well, screw it! I shortened my stride and settled to run on biking legs. Almost immediately I was losing ground and I knew it, but the muscles just were not gonna fire. I held on, did what I could, and finished with a run of 21:21, not even under 7 minute miles... Lesson learned: Don't use it all on the bike.
I finished the race in 88th place, 10th in my AG. My final time was 1:10:45, 2 minutes slower than I wanted to be, but not every race is your best.
Breakdown:
Swim: 6:04 (29th) T1: 2:25 Bike: 39:50 (212th) T2: 1:08 Run: 21:21 (73rd)
My family all finished and loved the experience, I hope they want to do do it again. Overall it was great event although my finishing time wasn't what I had hoped. But hey! I dropped nearly 4 minutes from last year's time, so that is something to be proud of. Next year I will be back and I have even higher hopes! I am really looking forward to taking things to the next level and having a serious time cut at Buffalo!
Next up: Superior Man Triathlon. My first 70.3!!!
What a fun race! This event is definitely becoming my favorite race. The atmosphere, organization, and sheer size of the event make it such a great experience. And this year I had the added bonus of having family members race along side me. I challenged my Mary, Bill, and Andrew to make a relay to race me and they were all for it! Also my parents jumped into the event and did a relay with one of my sister's friends. Making for a wonderful family experience!
The race: Buffalo Triathlon: 1/4 mile swim; 13 mile bike; 3 mile run
Goal 1: Finish in 1:08
Goal 2: Finish in top 100
Once again it was a big sprint course with just under 1000 athletes. My goal for a 1:08 finish was outlined with a swim/T1 time of 7:30 a bike/T2 time of 41:00 and a run time of 20:00. Going into the race I knew these would be tough goals for various reasons. First of all, working all day every day at a bible camp left little time for training, so my biking and running was limited and my swimming was nonexistent. Another was the bike course. For the season I had worked on improving the bike leg as well as purchased a new bike, however the course was changed due to construction at the last minute causing us to race on a hilly course. With that in mind my strategy changed. I decided to all out attack the bike to get through those hills. After all, it's a sprint course...
Lining up for the start I knew my strength (the swim) would not be as good as in the past but I still had confidence to be one of the first out of the water. My sister and her friend started in a wave 4 minutes before me so I knew I had someone to chase. I was out of the water in 6:04 (29th)... ouch! I hustled into transition and was out of there with a swim/T1 time of 8:29. Time to ride! Like I planned I attacked the course, which for me, means I was still getting passed plenty. I caught my mom before the two mile and flew past, now I had to get Andrew. The hills were brutal but I didn't let up, after the swim I'd already lost a minute on my goal. No time to relax. I caught Andrew after mile 7 and kept surging. I could tell as was working but it was my plan, I was gonna stick to it. I hit the finish line in just under 40 minutes feeling great about the bike split. I exited T2 with a bike/T2 time of 40:58. With the tough bike course and still hitting my bike goal, I felt good.
I hit the run ready to make up more lost time fro. the swim, but found my bike legs were not disappearing as fast as I would like. I tried to stretch out the stride but everything stayed tight. Holy crap! I was tired and tight. Oh well, screw it! I shortened my stride and settled to run on biking legs. Almost immediately I was losing ground and I knew it, but the muscles just were not gonna fire. I held on, did what I could, and finished with a run of 21:21, not even under 7 minute miles... Lesson learned: Don't use it all on the bike.
I finished the race in 88th place, 10th in my AG. My final time was 1:10:45, 2 minutes slower than I wanted to be, but not every race is your best.
Breakdown:
Swim: 6:04 (29th) T1: 2:25 Bike: 39:50 (212th) T2: 1:08 Run: 21:21 (73rd)
My family all finished and loved the experience, I hope they want to do do it again. Overall it was great event although my finishing time wasn't what I had hoped. But hey! I dropped nearly 4 minutes from last year's time, so that is something to be proud of. Next year I will be back and I have even higher hopes! I am really looking forward to taking things to the next level and having a serious time cut at Buffalo!
Next up: Superior Man Triathlon. My first 70.3!!!
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