London Beckons

Kona Ironman World Champs was last week. I don't have any desires to go out there or even qualify, in particular. Offer me a spot I doubt I would say no, however, I lack the desire to put the extreme effort in to set a qualifying time and then pay the exorbitant fees to get there.

That said, one of the flames that begins to burn in the pit of my stomach ignites when the pre-race coverage begins, listening and watching the race and it's interviews of all those involved. It is enjoyable! It lights up that flame and throws my eyes towards next years calendar and starts my mind running through dates and potential races.

It is exciting. Planning out the season and envisioning the thrill that is gained from being in a race. The training is just collateral damage resulting from that desire. There are many who will play it cool and act the hard man or woman in the transition area, but make no mistake that we all love the thrill of the race and the desire to match ourselves against others to see who can go the fastest. Fortunately, by being in the middle of the pack, half the field is eliminated from that race which makes it so much easier. Ha!

To be honest, post ironman this year, my desire to race was naturally waning. Even though the ideal race at that distance had peaked it's head above the horizon, like the sun cresting at dawn, which had indeed emboldened my desire to go faster at the distance,  my eyes weren't searching for the next iron distance race. In all honesty, there was a lack of direction at all. Then an email hit my inbox that livened things up a bit.

Two things happened at the beginning of October. In that first week back from vacation, we raced at 10 mile race that was a smash and garb of a race. One and a quarter hours later and it's all over, back in time for coffee and cake. A run that you can just leave it all out there and know you won't do too much damage. Sadly Napoleon did his usual 2 minutes faster that me ;)

The next thing to happen the Monday after as I looked through tired eyes at emails, was one entitled London Marathon. It had, in fact, slipped my mind that the ballot was even approaching, but this year it would appear success awaited. A scanned picture of the front of the "YOU'RE IN" magazine was attached to the email from my mum and suddenly that flame exploded in to a bonfire. I would get the chance to race one of the most famous marathons of all. What a treat!

The brain immediately started in to over drive and the desire to race came rushing back like a flash flood flowing down an Arizona washout - and to race faster at that.

Our coach is a firm believer in spending October taking it easy and dropping down all the volume in the world. To get the athletes under his charge to begin to chomp at the bit like horses awaiting the starting gates to open. And it works. The team members and, if I'm honest, myself included are checking to see when the November schedules will be loaded so we can begin to start chipping away at that fitness iceberg to set ourselves back up for the next season. It's somewhat ironic though, as we all swear, sweat and suffer during those winter months spent in the dark basements on the trainer or out in the freezing cold pounding the ice-ridden pavements, or spending an eternity getting in to the seemingly frozen over pools. Yet there is no denying that in some twisted way, we all love it. No matter what someone tells you, they love it, otherwise they wouldn't do it. Simple really.

Okay, I'm off to stare at the calendar a little more and enter some races.

Good luck to us all!

Ironman Coeur D'Alene Race Report

Ironman Coeur D'Alene race report: an unexpected and welcome surprise.
Despite all the hype about ironman CDA's weather, we have done this twice now and each time it has been 108F and 95F temp with abundant sunshine.
The swim started early this year at 6am, so we were up and at them by 4am. I slept surprisingly well and have worked hard on pre-race and race day chimp brain for the last 6 months and it seems to have paid off.
Got in the water to the promise of no wind, thus no chop. Complete tosh. Despite no wind, there was plenty of chop. Fortunately, the swim is my stronger discipline and it doesn't bother me. It is the clearest of lakes (30ft vis at least) and with a temp of 70F at beachside, the swim was brilliant for me. Came out in 1hr 07min which is slower than I would have ideally liked, but for the effort, quite pleased.

My least favourite part: The Bike. With 1,553m of climbing, this course is a challenge. Long climbs, but equally long descents and with some good enough areas to time trial, does make it a fun course. However, my chimp brain hates the long bike and convinces itself that death will be imminent and why oh why would anyone want to bike this long. 3/4s of the way round I had a sobering experience. No more than a few hundred yards ahead me, at the bottom of the descent, another racer of cleaned out by a car. Bike and him, sadly thrown high in to the air. As we all hit the brakes, I was thankful to see him awake, despite in pain, and I hear he is okay. However, with that experience, I quickly righted the brain shipwreck and got a hold of myself. Gave myself a proverbial slap in the face and started to bike. I would have liked to come in under 7hrs, but knocking off 45mins from the last time I biked this course, I was amazed to see 7hr04mins on the clock. However, as I entered transition, I wondered whether a run was even possible.

With the promise of no more biking and some great race support, the legs began to move and move they did. The run is 3 loops and reasonably flat, with some rolling. The town really embraces this race and every corner provides an opportunity to cool down. My nutrition was being absorbed well. They say never trust a fart in an ironman. Well, I did and was fortunate ;). Upon the realization that hammer was not going to work today, I switched to my emergency gels which did the trick. Combined with coke and normal on course food, the energy levels were kept up.

I awaited the bonk that never came and then outbound on the final lap my wonderful wife stated "I would need to burn some matches to take it under 13". I couldn't imagine what she was talking about, as I felt that was long since forgotten. (I wasn't looking at my watch, that much). Then Vincent mumbled something to me when I stopped to chat and with him sending me off running, I thought "hmmm".

As the wheels hadn't fallen off for some reason, I pushed on, raising the pace, when I heard someone shout out the time to another racer. 6:37pm. I thought he must be wrong, but he wasn't. That was all I needed to really grab the last 3 miles by the scruff of the neck. I ended up running the last 10k faster than my first and was elated to cross the line in 12:48. To be this is perspective for coach Rob's fine efforts with us, my previous best finish was 13hr55. The last time I ran this course, my finish was 14hr34. That's a 1hr 45min improvement. Massive!

I learned that biking well, so that you can run even better is the key. I learned that I am still not mentally there for biking, but can now see that I can bike better than I think I can. I learned that I really can run off the bike, despite my self doubt. Additionally, I learned that you should never promise to not do an ironman again during the bike leg :)

This was an amazing experience for me personally and there was plenty of emotion across the finish line. I am still in disbelief today. Thank you to the group and coach for such great support. I better start to work on convincing my wife to do another.

Good luck to us all

 ALL PHOTOS CREDIT TO MITCH BOWERS OF IMAGEWERX PHOTOGRAPHY

Overtraining and tapering

It is this time of year when iron distance triathletes come to love and hate. We love the idea that tapering is just around the corner, but we come to loathe the final push in the training.

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The body is tired. The mind is fatigued. Yet, there is huge motivation at the knowledge that the end is but a few weeks away. The threat is to be so motivated that you ignore your body calling out for a change in the schedule or a reduction in the load. 

Many will argue that at this point you are fit enough to race the longest day and that it really doesn't matter what you do, no amount of physical fitness can be gained. There is an element of psychological fitness yet to be achieved, whether it's from the strength that it takes to walk away from a session when you know your body isn't ready for it, or from the power of knowing you can finish a long swim without a wetsuit to guide you. Whichever the case, there are still goals to be achieved and training session to be accomplished. 

Admittedly, racing a half iron distance race 4 weeks from Ironman was not ideal. It required and continues to require a smart and thoughtful approach as to how you recover and train immediately following the race. It was always unlikely that I possessed the self restraint to dial the run intensity back during the 3rd leg of Sunday's race. Perhaps a little naive of me to think I would. The race went very well and a significant improvement on a personal best was achieved. However, now 8 days post race, it is apparent that there was a price to be paid. Having awoken to high fatigue after good nights sleep 2 days in a row, it became very apparent that time off of training was what the doctor was ordering. Stepping away was the right move and enjoying a trip with my wife was the right medicine. A long run was on the menu for yesterday and was completed. However, it became quite apparent that the legs still had a way to go to achieve full race recovery. The second half of the run felt like the second half of the Ironman marathon. That said, a lot was accomplished during this tough effort. I learned that despite tired muscles, I could still maintain pace and be consistent, which is a key element to a good iron distance run. Simply put, it's who slows down the least. The mental boost I received from yesterday, I believe, will far outweigh the cost of extra recovery today. With my trusty lovely lady biking beside me, it was the toughest of runs, with the most satisfying results. 

The next few days sees a bit of adjustment needed. Volume needs to be dialed down to a recovery level, with a new order of a 3 week taper towards Ironman CDA. This is the 2nd best part of iron distance training (1st one is the finishing line). Knowing that short 3 or 2 hr rides are merely a week away is enough to drag any overstrained triathlete out of the mire. It's the most fun we will have since last December! Can't wait. 

The next week will also be spent figuring out the enjoyable parts of race week. Lodging, BBQs, socializing and enjoyment. 

I just can't wait to arrive and absorb all the fun energy that surrounds race week. I used to fear it. Now, it's time to embrace it. The first few times you get the emails with the athlete guide, within which is the course info, a sudden surge is felt within you as the realization kicks in that soon you will be out there on that imaginary red line, racing the longest day. 

Here's a link to that imaginary line. 

Ironman Coeur d'Alene Map

https://goo.gl/maps/zZccMA2WrL72

And here's a fun finishing pic. Look at that time!

Good luck to us all!

Chisago Toughman - Half distance

There are those that are close to me that happily argue that this kind of effort always existed, but the chimp brain that controlled the output of effort had such a strangle hold on the willingness for muscle output that a performance was always left wanting. Well, professor brain had boss rights yesterday!

This was not a winning performance as far as awards go, but it was winning brain award, in the fight between chimp brain and professor brain. It's been a struggle heavily dominated by the rampant chimp that bounces out of control in my mind during races. If you could project my race mind, I suspect the audience would feel like they are watching a steroidle version of Gravity in 3-D and end up vomiting all over the theatre. No a good ending. Although Mr Chimp brain was still very much loose and out and about bouncing from one proverbial branch to another, the professor brain very much had a leash around the chimps neck, keeping him in check. This allowed my professor to dictate the day and control my effort outputs. Now, this may sound like a controlling of the reigning it in sense, however, it is quite the opposite. Imagine the chimp being the dog walker and having a unlimited roll out leash and the dog (being my brain) being allowed to run wild all over the place, as far as the leash would allow. Professor brain has a very short leash and keeps my mind on track, with a focus on what needs to be done in order to achieve a result. A huge step towards that result occurred yesterday when professor brain and I stepped somewhat in sync and knocked 20mins off of my previous best time (achieved only 6 months ago) for the half distance, coming quite close to breaking the 5hr30min barrier.

Chisago Toughman bike course definitely lends itself to some fast biking and racing, but that's why we do it. To go fast breads the confidence and foundation for the professor to be boss come race day. The swim was so warm that wetsuits weren't allowed (for those wanting their time to count) which led t a somewhat slow swim for me, but considering I swam the same time in Ohio with a wetsuit, I can't complain too much. To be honest, even in my skin suit it was very warm in there and I felt my effort was about right for the day.





Once we hit the bike, despite a techy balls up, I had a feeling that the bike would be fast. Note to self: do not hit the lap button on a triathlon watch. It will sequence to the next discipline and not show you what you want. As a result, I had the very freeing feeling of not knowing exactly where I was in the race and had to rely on the course signage. As I sped along, the mileage cones seemed to be flying by. "Surely they must have mismeasured", was the thoughts repeating in my mind. However, my watch seemed to agree and thanks to some beautiful roads and very light winds, I managed to fly (well for me anyway) around the course with an average close to 19mph and finish under 3hrs, which, I would have said before hand, would have crushed me. However I felt fantastic. Having paced the course from bestbikesplit.com prior to the race, I thought the site was broken, because it suggested I would finished in 2:48 at a power output of 80% the whole way. Well, I put out 75% and finished just adrift of that. Now, I'm an athlete who loves and breeds confidence from numbers, so this was indeed the boost I needed. Wow, what a great feeling it is today!

Getting off the bike, I was so convinced I would pay for my efforts that I ran out of T2 without my race number. A mistake that I have never made in all my years of racing! Oops. Other organizers would have sent me packing, but no these fine and relaxed race organizers from Wisconsin. Phew.

I hit the run taking the usual first mile to let the heart settle down from the excitement of T2 and settle in to my stride. Following the suggested pacing plan from the coach, I took it as a 9:30min run and 30sec walk for the first 10K and then kicked the shackles off and went for it. Simultaneously, I spotted Victory up ahead, figuratively and literally, allowing the increase in pace to come easily. The temps were beginning to climb out on the not-so-shaded , with ice from aid stations providing the relief that was needed. The proof is in the pudding - the first 10K took 1hr. The second took 54mins! A negative split for the first time. A result of some great coaching and some good work from professor brain!

As you may be able to notice, I'm pretty happy with the effort. The body isn't too bad today at all, which means there is plenty left in the locker for 4 weeks from now. It was a huge confidence boost for the ironman and I am now really beginning to look forward to our fifth visit to the longest day!

Good luck to us all!

Down Time

As this is being typed, yet again a short glance at the calendar will show that 5 weeks is the time that remains before we embark on yet another "longest day" challenge. We aren't saving the world. We aren't curing cancer and we aren't feeding starving children. It's not life altering work we are doing. However, it slowly begins to peak it's head over the horizon and the excitement begins to build. As far as endurance sports go, this is one of the highlights for those stupid enough to embark on a long journey towards sporting achievement.

I think one of the reasons these endeavors entice me so much is that just finishing this event is a victory. I rarely came first in too much in my sporting life....2nd, 3rd or 4th for that matter. Yet, every time we cross the finish line of an iron distance race it's a victory and we are treated like it is. That said, this year will be number 5 and it's time to begin to shed the mental shackles that stop the legs stretching further and achieving a bit more at this distance.

There's been a fair amount of study and reading that has been done on the matter. I imagine that a writer might do the same thing when trying to overcome their block. I had a block and I plan on smashing through it in 5 weeks. We'll see what hand the body deals me on the day in question, but the plan is to maximize that hand and bluff my way to the finish.

In the mean time, consistent training is the key and, until this last week, that has been one of the mantras that I have held to constantly. This past week, however, took us to Iceland. The trip was always going to stand in the way of finishing all the training, but it was worth it. What a stunning, stark, and at this time of year, eternally light country. From Volcano's to lush warm hot springs, this country has an addictive lifestyle. It will bankrupt you, but it's addictive. You know when you're in peak training weeks when the first thought in to your head is, "I could ride at midnight and there wouldn't be anyone on the roads!"

As it happened, we were there just two weeks before Challenge Iceland (a race now firmly in my sights) and there were a few pros arriving to get some good weeks on the beautifully smooth roads that surrounded the course. The water temps were a balmy 15C which would at least make the swim quick! Unfortunately, I didn't have the wetsuit or the time to head in for a quick dip. One thing about Iceland, though, is the abundance of outdoor pools and accompanying hot pools. This makes a convincing bribe to getting some laps in whilst the others take a relaxing dip. I wish there were more outdoor pools around where we are. Technically there are, but they aren't as well maintained, have snapping turtles and visibility is quite limited. Yet, you don't come out smelling of chlorine for hours. Bonus!

The water everywhere in Iceland is crystal clear, from the rivers to the lakes. It's amazing. I just wish I had the time to take a dip. Fortunately, there was plenty of time to run and swim, so training wasn't completely missed.  I'm excited to return to Iceland, take out a second mortgage and race here!

Between now and August 27th, there lies a little bit of a warm up in the form of Toughman Minnesota. A local race of the half iron distance variety. Should provide a good test of how far the structured training has taken me. There's a lot of anticipation leading in to it. A good race plan and great practice for the "big day" in August. There's nothing quite like race morning. Just that alone creates the kind of excitement that is unlike any other. It's addictive.

As we see the end of August galloping towards us, that anticipation will build, but this year it will be melded in to excitement and joy instead of the usual. We have a great house and the promise of a great venue that we know well. Sadly, it will be the last running of Ironman Couer D'Alene. They've chosen to cancel the race after this year, a typical response when the mighty Ironman brand doesn't get it's way. Oh well, there's other great destination races out there and hopefully, with the support of my beautiful "team" we shall discover more. Who knows what lies ahead, perhaps Challenge Iceland!

Good luck to us all!

And...

The training continues.....lots

Recovery went well from the Triple T, mainly because I was fighting a fatigue induced sore throat type gross thing the whole week. It made taking the weekend off fairly straight forward, thus leading to a good week this week. It's quite oddly the hardest thing to do sometimes. To let go. To acknowledge a weakness as a good thing in certain cases. Surprisingly difficult. Like trying not to eat chocolate when it's free and sitting in front of you on a plate. Yet, like with the chocolate, realizing it's better that you walk away can lead to something else so much better, like avoiding diabetes!

Training is becoming like a long steep hill. The type of bill you begin straight from cold and your lungs are splitting trying to get up it. Then, all of a sudden, you begin to settle in to that climb, that increased intensity, and begin to acclimatize to your new surroundings. The hill gets easier and more achievable and then suddenly you're out riding for 6hrs and the only thing complaining is your "undercarriage". 

That's how training has been since returning from the long race weekend. We find ourselves 9 weeks from race day with a few races in between, beckoning is forward to the finish line. Two weeks of constant travel -not professionally - will increase the difficulty of fitting it all in, but we shall persevere and despite all the obstacles in our way, will arrive at that start line, ready or not. It's the inevitability of time.

-----recovery food-------

With a little bit of luck, an Olympic race should be next, provided work doesn't need me to, you know, work! After that, a good half iron test awaits at the end of July, goading us closer to the end of August and our ultimate goal. News has filtered through that this Ironman Couer D'Alene will indeed be the last of all. As triathlons popularity fluctuates and reaches its pinnacle, more and more of these races will fall by the wayside. To participate in the final race in CDA will make it that little bit more special. Can't wait. 

The biking is improving. The key to all of this, I am convinced, lies in nutrition. I believe it's getting close to just right. Bonks are becoming less and less and without those dips, my training and strength will get a chance to shine and not be held back by the all dominating brain dips. The next two weeks should give me a great insight it to how that particular element is progressing. We shall see. 

Until then!

Good luck to us all

American Triple T

What a weekend! Tired. Hot. Epic

The American Triple T is everything I hoped it would be. We signed up to this race after I listened to a favourite podcast of mine and the New Zealand presenters interviewed the organizers. It was enthralling to me to have a go at a race that most seemed impossible, or even bonkers. I think that's why I'm attracted to this lovely sport of long distance triathlon. There's those that climb up El Captain without ropes or those that scale Mount Everest without any oxygen. Now they are nutters. I find myself content with just pushing my aerobic and mental system just far enough to avoid any danger of death or severe injury, but far enough that most wouldn't even consider it. That's the sweets spot.

The Triple T filled that spot nicely. We started our journey from Minnesota on Thursday. With a pit stop in Indianapolis on the way down, we arrived in the picturesque Shawnee State Park on Friday lunchtime, in time to check in and register. Our cabin lay in the lush woodlands near the race start. The catch was that the start/finish line lay down a steep hill, about 1/2 mile from our temporary front door. That climb was to represent our proverbial struggle after each race. To climb back atop our mental steads and recoup for the next race.

Friday evening began with what I termed a "smash and grab' 250m swim, 6KM bike (up that bloody hill) and then a 1 mile run. About 30mins or heart pounding out of your chest fun. The introduction to our lake swimming area for the weekend was a rude one. The temperature was ideal, the content was not. We discovered through smell, taste and feeling that the lake was somewhat shallow in spots and not high on the visibility. Despite warnings not to stand to early when exiting the lake, some did and with it scooped up a triathlon short load of stewed up mud and grime that would redefine muddy for all the years to come.

After getting out of the swim we jumped on our bikes for a smash fest of fun, burning fun. Up and down the hill and straight out for a mile of quick step and fancy feet. 28mins later it was all over and off we went for some R&R before the next days festivities.

One of the huge appeal of this race is the camaraderie between the entrants. We immediately discovered this when we found that our picnic table represented the mecca of cell phone reception, with an unprecedented 4G signal. Word was out and the few of our neighbours nightly ritual became to visit our spider infested picnic table for a quick hi and good night to their loved ones. We met a top couple of lads, an Irishman and Frenchman from Buffalo,  who proved to be a valuable resource by imparting their 10years of knowledge from the race. Their advice probably saved us on Saturday.

We awoke Saturday morning to the prospect of 2 olympic distance races back to back, with a 4 hour break in the middle. The second race being an unconventional bike, swim and run aka cramp fest. Both races went according to plan. We quickly learnt to take wide lines in the lake to avoid all the silt and downed tree limbs hiding under the murky surface and that the hill we had to climb up back to our lodge was nothing compared to the hills outside of the park! However, any pain of suffering experienced on those hills was trumped by the beautiful vistas presented to us and the smooth roads during our journey. The country in that area, at times, could easily be mistaken for a high plateau in the french alps. It was gorgeous. The run portion beauty was no exception with the butterflies in abundance, floating around your head like you were in a dream. This being a fortunate feeling, because once you began the climb up the infamous Lamp Black Run you wished you were in one! The "fire road" that became our "old friend" for the next 3 races was a beauty of a run through the woods of the forest, but a run with relentless climbs and descents which compounded fatigue as the weekend progressed. That said, this was easy to forget as athlete after athlete passed by encouraging each other to forget the pain and enjoy the views. There were some inspirational athletes there. Cancer survivors. Veterans. Athletes who were competing in their last triathlon due to injuries sustained in crashes. However, the one that will stick with me for a long time will be the blind athlete. I was lucky enough to criss-cross her and her guide in almost the same spot each day on the run. When you race along side blind athletes and their guides you will always be inspired, but these too stood out from the rest due to the difficulty of the run. The rocks, divots and potholes made it challenging for those of us lucky enough to have our sight. However, the difficulty is surely ratcheted up when you can't see your steps in front of you. These two athletes gave me such a well needed boost every race and it's a experience that I will take with me throughout my life.

By the time we finished Saturday's racing we were well in need of a good rest. The second race's format and tested us all a little bit more than usual, although, being a good swimmer, I really enjoyed it.

When you wake up Sunday morning, high mental fatigue levels have been introduced to delirium. You begin to be silly and make some terrible jokes, all to avoid the inevitability of the half iron distance race that awaits you. A distance that we've done a fair few times, but ramping yourself up to the level needed to finish the distance was the challenge of the morning.

At this point in the race we were down to 2 of us, out of the 4 that began the weekend. Illness and snuck up on our two companions and it was down to Napoleon and I to get to the finish line. Competitiveness gave way to an attitude of let's-get-through-this-together. A piece of shared mentality that would help me through the bike and us both through the run. The bike was a combination of the previous two olympic races and the run a double visit to Lamp Black Run's hilly and gravely 6.55 miles. It was a race that you grew in to. As the legs warmed up, along with the lungs, the bike became a pleasure instead of a chore. Competitiveness gave way to contentment. Even the most arduous hill at mile 45, with a little hubris (:)), made for enjoyable riding. The day was warming up quickly and by the time we made the fast descent in to T2, I was ready for the day to be done. However, 13.1 miles still had to be covered. It normally takes me a mile to find my running legs after a ride and that was to be no different today. We climbed. We descended. The fluid were consumed and doused. After a couple of hours in the blazing, but somewhat shaded forest, we emerged to be greeted by the glorious sight of the finish and our team mates cheering us to the end. You don't get the long finish chute that an Ironman race gives you, with screaming supporters all around. It's more of gentle and, in my opinion, far more enjoyable finish. Quietly satisfying why you came to race - to show yourself what you didn't think you were capable of achieving. Taking yourself on a physical and mental journey that continues long after the race has finished.

This is a tough race. No doubt about it. However, the mental side far outweighs the physical. It's a race that reminds you what great race organization can give to you with a small event and a beautiful venue. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be back, if not just remind ourselves every year why we chose this sport in the first place and bring us back (mentally) to where we all started, if not with a little pain for extra sweetness.

Good luck to us all!