Support

Triathlon is often considered to be an individual sport. For the most part it's everyone for themselves. We're penalized for drafting and we're penalized if a friend runs with us to give us a boost. And yet despite this there are multiple levels of support that for most of us are key factors in getting through an event.

There's the support we get from our family. Believe me - without the complete support of my family I wouldn't be able to do triathlons. Period. While I do everything possible to minimize the impact my training has on family time there are still areas where it infringes. Weekends away for races and "training camps". Long bike rides on Saturday mornings to build base. Club bike rides during the week to build handling skills and threshold capacity. Without my family's support and understanding I wouldn't be able to do any of this. Instead triathlon would become a negative force in my life, driving a wedge between the things that I love and the people that I love.

There's the support we get from our friends and coworkers. The amazed looks when we detail our accomplishments or our training routines. The "Good luck this weekend!" and "How did it go?" comments. The "Because of you I started running/swimming/biking/exercising" admissions.

There's the support we get from strangers who come to watch our events. The stressed out mom with the screaming baby who still manages to smile and get out a "looking strong!". The little kids with hoses and squirt guns that hold out their hands hoping to get high fives as we go by. It makes us feel like super heroes. It gives us energy to get through the rough spots.

Then there's the support we give to each other. It's found in the act of high fiving the guy next to you just before the gun goes off. It's found in the "Hell of a hill!" comment as you pass or get passed on a tough hill. It's found in the chatter with your rackmates while setting up before a race. There's a camaraderie that comes from that shared individual experience that forms an instant bond. Knowing that others are suffering along side you blunts the negativity that sometimes bubbles up. It makes us feel that although we're individuals we're a part of something much bigger.

These things allow us to see the real tangible, positive impact we have on others as the result of what we do. For me it gives me the sense that it's something greater than an individual pursuit. It touches and affects people in ways that transcend individuality. It makes you a source of positive energy. And that is way cool.

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Workout Summary (Thursday)

45 minute S&D swim

45 minute spin class

5 mile LSD run

Workout Summary (Friday)

2700yd swim - LSD

Workout Summary (Saturday)

45 mile bike - LSD

Deer Creek Trip Report

The short story - 5:12 - 4th in my age group!

The long story....

This past Sunday was my last triathlon of the season - The Toyota Challenge at Deer Creek (originally listed as Pineman - they went big time and picked up Toyota as a sponsor). This race is another HFP Racing production - the same folks that put on Triple T and Spirit of Racine. As such it was well organized and run - these guys really do a great job. The venue was Deer Creek State Park about 30 miles south of Columbus. I headed out Saturday morning recalling directions to Columbus from my college days - south until you smell it. east until you step in it. Guess where I went to college?

Pre-Race
Up at 7 AM. 7 AM? For a triathlon? This was sleeping in compared to my normal routine. My wave didn't start until around 9 so I have scads of time. After a full cup of espresso and couple of breakfast cookies I checked out of my room and headed for the park which was 10 minutes away.

The evening before the weather channel was predicting rain. Fortunately a cold front blew through taking the rain with it. Unfortunately the cold front ushered in strong 20 MPH winds that came blasting in. The transition area was somewhat sheltered from the wind by trees so I didn't really notice it until I was down by the lake. The wind was blowing from the other side of the lake which whipped it into a choppy, wavy mess. A few folks who didn't bring wetsuits stood with arms crossed and teeth chattering. The water temperature was around 70 degrees. This was going to be a fun swim...

The Swim - 34:13
The swim course was a rectangular two loop course. I was in the third wave. We all waded into the water and waited for the starting horn. I lined up in the back to the outside to avoid the thrashing that would occur on the first turn - the "entry" point to the rectangle was about 25 yds out - a 90 degree right turn around a buoy and then you were in the loop. The horn sounded and we launched.

Things went well until the second turn. This was the turn that put us into the wind. As I raised my head to sight I was promptly punched in the face. Stunned I looked around underwater to see what had hit me. Nothing. The next time I sighted I was punched again. What the heck? Finally figured out that it was the chop. Wonderful. For the next 400 yds I felt like a boxer on the wrong side of a punch each time I lifted to sight. Fortunately I'm a fairly straight swimmer so I didn't have to sight too often. I also had to adjust my head angle when breathing. Normally I look a little forward when I breathe. Instead I had to look backwards to avoid breathing in mouthfuls of water.

On the downwind leg I thought things would be easier. Only partly true. No chop to contend with but the shallow, rolling waves (I'm sure there's a technical term for this) kicked up by the wind resulted in going between feeling like I was body surfing to feeling like someone was grabbing my ankles and pulling me backwards.

All in all though despite the conditions I had a very good swim. My body position felt high and stable and I had really good reach and rotation. I felt strong and comfortable throughout the swim despite getting hammered on the up wind runs.

T1 - 2:09
After exiting the water I slogged my way up the hill to T1. Why do so many Triathlons put T1 on top of hills? Got out of the wetsuit without a hitch, got on my bike gear and ran towards the exit. Oh. Wait a minute. For the next leg I'll need my bike. I burst out laughing as I went back to get my bike. Holy cow I'm an idiot sometimes.

The Bike - 2:48
The bike leg was a three loop mostly flat course. Once outside of the state park it was all farmland. Guess what goes with flat farmland? Well yeah, cow manure - ok, but what else? Yeah, lots and lots of wind. The wind was feeding the storms pounding northern Ohio and southern Michigan. It was an angry wind that on more than one occasion blew me to a standstill. I've climbed 10% grades friendlier than that wind.

I had heard the course was fast and flat so I went ahead and brought the tri bike which turned out to be a good choice for the conditions. I crawled along the upwind sections in the low teens and flew on the downwind sections in the high twenties. My legs felt strong throughout (helped along by a steady dose of Perpeteum) but my upper body felt a bit scrunched in - still haven't been able to make time for a fitting.

Once again though despite the conditions I managed to pull off a respectable bike split and I cruised into T2 happy to be done with the bike.

T2 - 1:53
This T2 was much better than my T2 at Steelhead - didn't have to go back three times to get stuff I needed. After watching the pro's on television I noticed that they typically get on their shoes, grab their stuff and take off - packing their nutrition and other items away as they run. Of course, they don't typically drop their glasses while putting on their hats, nor do they have to stop and squint at their watch as they switch it from bike to run mode. Guess that's why I'm not a pro. Ok, well that and I'm too slow. Geez.

The Run - 1:46
The run was a flat three mile out and back done twice. At about the 1.5 mile mark you cross over the top of a dam with great views of the lake to one side and a valley carved out by a small river on the other side. Very nice. The remainder of the run was down a country road to the state park entrance and then into the park for about a mile to the turnaround. All in all a very pleasant course.

During the bike I made a bit of a mistake with my nutrition. I didn't thinking I was taking enough in (it was tough to go for the bottles in the windy conditions) so with about 10 miles to go I downed the remaining 1/2 bottle of Perpeteum. This went unnoticed until it was time to run.

Coming out of T2 onto the run my stomach felt like it wanted to explode. This wonderful feeling remained for the first two miles before my stomach finally got around to processing the 1/2 bottle of Perpeteum I'd chugged. By mile five I was feeling hungry again so I started doing Accel gels before the aid stations. My legs were feeling very good so I pushed them. All the marathon training definitely paid off as I posted my fastest 13.1 split in a half ironman.

The Aftermath
All things considered I was very satisfied with the results. It was good to end the tri season on a solid note - I felt strong throughout the entire race which shows that my training is spot on. Had the conditions been a bit better I would have had another PR for sure. Of course, the conditions could have been a heck of a lot worse - just ask anyone who did Ironman Wisconsin this year.

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Workout Summary (Thursday - 9/21)

1440 yd swim - fartlek intervals

45 minute spin class - high tension seated climbs and intervals

3.5 mile run - fartlek intervals

30 minutes circuit/core/stretching

Workout Summary (Today)

1980 yd swim - LSD

45 minute spin class - LSD

5.5 mile run - LSD

30 minutes circuit/core/stretching

Included stats from my workout last Thursday since I've been swamped at work and home and didn't have time to post.

Went LSD on all workouts today and dropped the weights down during circuit since I'm still pretty smoked from the weekend. I forgot to pack Endurox for recovery after the race so my legs are still sore today. You'd think I'd have learned by now....

Resonance

Today we had a sub in spin class. She had great music but the choreography didn't quite work for me so as usual I did my own workout. The regular spin instructors know this about me and aren't offended. They know me and what I'm about. Apparently the sub didn't appreciate that my plan didn't fit her plan.

The new single from Evanescence came on. The sub instructed us all to spin easy and recover. Spin easy and recover? During an Evanescence song?!? Are you insane??!!?? I couldn't do that if I tried. Even if I tried really really hard.

As a musician I think I hear music a bit differently than most. Actually it's probably more close to say I feel it differently than most. For the right band or the right song the music totally surrounds me. It moves from a strictly aural sensation to a physical one. The way a tuning fork vibrates when the guitar string reaches the correct tension. Resonance. That's the closest word to describe what I feel. And few bands resonate me like Evanescence does.

So I cranked the resistance and launched - switching between high tension/cadence seated spins to standing sprints during the choruses. Each time I did this earned me a scowl and glare from the sub. I alternated my pedal stroke rate between being on beat, triplets on the beat, and double time over the beat. Most around me were spinning easy. I was the polar opposite. Muscles bulging, sweat pouring over the bike, breath coming in ragged gasps. The next song was "Points of Authority" by Linkin Park followed by "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5. I was in my own class during the whole ride.

Coming back from my run I ran into the sub on the way out of the club. "You know, the schedule for today was an endurance ride" she said curtly. "I guess I'm not on the schedule" I replied and smiled. At first she looked like she wanted to deck me. Then she smiled. "Good music huh?"

Oh yeah.

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Workout Summary

1440 yd swim - ( 360 hard, 360 easy ) * 2

45 minute spin class - endurance/intervals

3.5 mile run - extended intervals

20 minutes core/circuit/stretching

Had another one of those "wow!" runs today. For some reason I felt very quick and light today (despite the fact that I'm up 3lbs). During the intervals I glanced down at my Forerunner - zone 5.3 at a 6:40 pace. 6:40? I had to look around to see if I was picking up interference from somewhere. It's amazing how much my weekend mega-runs are improving my short run speed and endurance. Earlier this year my zone 5 pace was around 8:15 or so. I definitely can't sustain a 6:40 (or even a sub 8) for big distances but it's good to see the improvement given how bad my running was at the beginning of the year.

Summaries

Another way too busy day, week, month.....

Workout Summary (Friday)

3060 yd swim - LSD

Workout Summary (Saturday)

67 mile bike ride - Tempo

Workout Summary (Sunday)

15.5 mile run - LSD

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Weekly Summary
Midweek bricks went very well. I was expecting to be pretty wiped from the 20 mile run the previous Saturday but I guess taking Sunday/Monday off allowed enough recovery time as I felt very strong during all workouts.

Fridays long swim was ok - probably due to pushing hard on the mid week bricks. Didn't feel my stroke coming from abs as I had on the previous week - will have to focus on that this week. On the bright side though, at the end of the workout I felt I could have gone for a lot longer.

Got out on the road bike with some folks from the ABD club for a great (albeit windy) bike ride on Saturday. I switched out the handlebars on my road bike Friday night which seemed to make a huge difference. The new handlebars have less reach and the drops extend behind the bar by about an inch. For me this extension allows a much more comfortable cruising position while down in the drops. Prior to this I didn't spend a lot of time in the drops because it wasn't comfortable for me. For the tri this week I'll probably go with my road bike since the last couple of rides on my tri bike haven't been very comfortable and I won't have time to sort that out prior to the race.

Yesterday's long run seemed tougher than my 20 miler last Saturday - probably due to going Tempo for the long bike on Saturday. I did however feel like I could have done a few more miles comfortably so all in all it was a good run.

Drilling

Power skates start next Monday. "What?!?" my son exclaimed indignantly. "Aww maaannnn, I hate power skates."

In addition to the regular practices the hockey club we play for does a weekly power skate. The purpose of the power skate sessions is to work on skating and stick handling skills. This way the regular practices can focus on learning how to play hockey instead of learning the mechanics of hockey. The power skate sessions are fifty minutes of drills. Because he doesn't yet understand the purpose of drilling he finds the sessions boring and tedious. He doesn't understand the why part - he only sees the what part.

"I already know how to skate. Why do I need to go to power skates?" Good question. "I already know how to swim." I explain. "But no matter how much I swim there is always something to improve on. If you don't focus on your weaknesses you will fail to reach what your capable of." He eyed me skeptically. "Do you do drills?" he asked. "Sure - every week and at least at some point during every single workout."

I explained to him the why part - I do it to train my body how to do things correctly. Not to do them quickly or strongly, but to do them correctly. If you learn to do it correctly, speed and power will follow. I also explained the how part - during each drill I pick a single point of focus and I place all of my attention and awareness there. Some days an entire swim session will be dedicated to feeling my stroke from my back. The other day while out of the saddle during spin class my entire focus was on pulling my knees up towards the handlebar stem. During hard running sprints I focus on hitting with the ball of my foot and pulling the pavement past me.

I explained these things as best as I could but as an eight year old he doesn't quite grasp deep focus and full awareness yet. He's growing up fast though. He'll be nine in a few weeks. Maybe I'll try again then.

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Workout Summary (Tuesday)

2160 yd continous swim - 40 minutes ( 360 hard + 360 easy ) * 10.

45 minute spin - intervals

5.5 mile run - 2 long and 2 short accelerations in to zone 5.

30 minutes circuit/core/stretching

Workout Summary (Today)

Swim drills - 45 minutes skills and drills

45 minute spin - endurance

6 mile run - tempo

30 minutes circuit/core/stretching

For Tuesday's workouts I felt surprisingly strong so I went harder than normal. The run felt especially good and I felt very strong during circuit training - moving up in weight on nearly every machine.

Today's workouts also went well. I'm finally beginning to get the hang of single arm swim drills. This has exposed a problem with my left side pull which I believe is what is preventing me from breathing to the left side comfortably. I held back a bit on the run - keeping it at tempo levels. Need to start tapering down for next weekend's race.

Congrats to IM Wisconsin Participants!

Though the crowds were certainly thinner than last year they were no less enthusiastic. Congratulations to everyone who had the guts to step up to the line and give their best under extremely difficult and challenging conditions at this year's Ironman Wisconsin.

Pa, Ahit, and I packed up and hit the road at 4 AM and made the two hour drive up to Madison to cheer on the Rooster, MG and a pile of other people we knew were doing the Ironman this year. The weather sucked. It was cold. It was rainy. It was windy. It was not going to be a fun day for a lot of people.

Our original plan was to park the truck, hop on the mountain bikes, and ride around the course looking for people we knew. Due to the weather we opted instead to drive around the course - pulling over at various spots to cheer on friends and strangers alike. Though the weather sucked most people we saw appeared to be making the best of it.

Special congratulations go out to The Rooster for finishing extremely well with next to no run training going into the race. Congrats to MG as well for raising the bar by besting my time last year by around 40 minutes.

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Workout Summary

20 mile run - 3:13 (Saturday)

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Weekly Summary
During this week's workouts I felt a lot better than last week.

Only downside was missing the long bike this weekend. I had originally planned on putting some miles on the mountain bike during the Ironman but the weather changed my mind.

Swim focus points this week were positioning and rotation - both felt good during Friday's long swim. I think focusing on drills on Thursday definitely helped out.

The 20 miler didn't seem quite as difficult as the 18.5 miler last weekend. Pacing was around 9:20 overall and I finished feeling pretty descent. Will be dropping back next weekend in preparation for my last 1/2 of the year on the 24th.

Discipline

I don't watch too much television - except for sports. Most of what I see and hear on network TV (including the news these days) is useless dribble designed to entertain morons as far as I can tell. Of course the rest of the family isn't quite as cynical towards TV as I am so there's usually one or two TV's on at any point in time.

Last night my wife was watching reruns of a show called Greys Anatomy. One of the doctors on the show was going through a bit of a confidence crisis and had a great line (paraphrased for triathletes):

I am not the smartest, the strongest, or the fastest.
But I can be the most disciplined. I can be the hardest worker.
Because of this, I can be the best.

We have little control over the gifts we've been granted. Some are naturally fast, naturally strong, or naturally brilliant. Others must work hard to keep up, to achieve. Being disciplined and working hard is a choice - something that you can control. If you exercise that control you can succeed even when you have not been gifted. If you do not exercise that control then you will forever be in the shadow of those that do.

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Workout Summary

3600yd continuous swim - 1 hour.

Skills and drills work yesterday morning paid off in the swim today. My rotation and pull were better than they've been in a long time. I'm beginning to feel my pull coming more from my abdominals now especially when I push hard. According to the TI method this is one of the keys to having a relaxed and effortless stroke. Based on how my swim is starting to feel I think TI is spot on here.

In Flow

For the last few days (probably more like weeks) I've been out of flow. I only realized it today when I somehow began to get back into flow.

Out of flow to me feels like being caught in an undertow. You struggle and fight against it, but you can't make any progress. My mind has been mushy and swirling with negativity. My body has felt beaten and weak. My spirit has felt trapped and restless.

In flow feels like you're riding a wave back to shore. Form is on and everything feels right. Today my mind was sharp and focused. My body felt strong and efficient. My spirt soared.

It's good to be back in flow.

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Workout Summary (Tuesday)

2160 yd swim - (360 hard, 360 easy) * 3

45 minute spin class - endurance ride

5 mile run - tempo

30 minutes circuit/core/stretching

Workout Summary (Thursday)

40 minute swim - S&D (skills and drills)

45 minute spin class - hill ride

6 mile run - tempo

30 minutes circuit/core/stretching

During Tuesday's workouts I was still pretty wiped from the long Sunday run. Body overall was a bit sore so I didn't push any of the workouts too hard.

Thursday's workouts felt great. I've been doing tons of distance swimming lately so I've decided to drop back on Thursdays and focus on form and drills. My pet project for swimming over the off season will be to get more comfortable breathing on my left side and continue to perfect my pull and position in the water. Spin class was tolerable and my run felt strong.

As much as I'd like to maintain a Wednesday mid-range run, my schedule just isn't allowing for it on a regular basis. Dissapointing but nothing much can be done about it - unless of course I hit the lottery and don't have to work any more!

Doing

My son has recently taken an interest in karate. Like most eight year olds his interests change every couple of weeks. Last week he wanted me to show him how to play chess. This week it's karate. Who the heck knows what'll strike him next week.

While at the book store looking for books to read for school he eventually gravitated toward the martial arts section. Several books on all aspects of martial arts lined the shelves. He found a karate book and tried to talk me into letting him buy it. The book had lots of pictures and diagrams demonstrating various movements. I wouldn't let him get it. He was not pleased.

He was indignant. "Why can't I get it? I really want to learn karate. We're here to get a book. It's a book. What's the problem." "The problem is that you want to learn karate." He was confused. He hasn't learned yet that sometimes I strike sideways to throw him off a bit. Knocking him off his track will make him more receptive to the message. He blinked, confused but intrigued. "I don't get it." He's ready now. "You don't learn karate from a book. You learn karate by doing karate." I replied.

Don't get me wrong here - you can learn plenty through books. But to really learn how to do something physical you just have to do it. You have to make mistakes and find your way - find what works for you and what doesn't. If you try to learn how to throw a ball from a book you'll get caught up and overwhelmed by all the little details. You'll overthink it. You'll end up confused, lost and frustrated.

When I first got serious about swimming I picked up a copy of a book on the Total Immersion technique. I read it cover to cover. I studied the pictures and the descriptions of drills. But this is not what made me a swimmer. Putting in the time and doing miles of laps week after week is what made me a swimmer. Swimming is what made me a swimmer. Not reading about it - doing it.

After swimming for a while I reread the book. I now completely understood what "pushing the buoy" meant. I understood it not as some abstract concept but as something I actually experienced. Not just mental understanding but physical understanding. The other information in the book allowed me to tune, refine, and find the technique that worked for me. Some things in the book worked really well for me. Some things didn't at all. I'm sure they worked well for someone - just not me. But in the end I found my way not because of what I read, but because of what I did.

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Workout Summary

2880 yd continuous swim (Friday)

60 mile bike (Saturday)

18.5 mile run (Sunday)

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Weekly Summary
Mid week workouts were good. Still a bit disappointed about having to switch back to indoor spin classes, but the swims and runs felt good. My additional midweek run left me a little more tired than usual. Guess it'll take my body a bit of time to adapt to one less recovery day.

Saturday's long bike ride sucked. I couldn't get comfortable on my bike and ended up stopping three times to make various adjustments to my seat and handlebars. Half way through I started having stomach issue and a headache set in. At my turn around point the promised 3 mile winds were up to 15. I slogged my way home, climbed up the stairs, and soaked in the tub.

After the soak I took my son to hockey tryouts and visited the bike shop by his rink. They have a pretty impressive setup with an infinitely adjustable fit bike, video cameras mounted at various angles to analyze foot and body positioning, and power tap setups to measure power output. I chatted with the fit guy for a while and got his schedule. Once we get the hockey schedule I'm definitely getting in there for a re-fit on both my road and tri bike.

Long run today was long. It's funny how you forget how hard really long runs are. I messed up my timing and had to sprint the last two miles to make it home in time so my wife could get my son to the final day of tryouts. I'm sure I'll pay for that later....