It Only Hurts 'til It Stops Hurting

Volunteering at Super Bowl Village

2012-01-31T08:48:00.000-08:00

The Super Bowl Village is a free outdoor event that started last Friday. Indianapolis is unique in that this started so early, allowing the locals to go down and enjoy it before the huge crowds arrive from out of town. Usually the festivities don't start until just a few days before the game. We worked Friday and Sunday nights, and last night was our last "official" shift. We may work additional shifts as needed, but our commitment is now done. The Village covers several blocks and is right in the middle of downtown.

In some of the photos you'll see a lot of Indy cars. These are retired cars that have been painted in all the teams' colors and themes. For a couple of days, they were all parked right in front of the Monument, which is the literal center of town. They are now scattered all over the city, so I'm glad I got to see them all in one place before they were moved.

There are two free stages in the Village, and there's usually someone playing at one or the other. Last night the Village People played, which was amusing. And yes, it was the original band. They were all old farts, like us.

For our last shift, we worked at the zipline, taking harnesses off of people after their ride. It was really fun to see their huge smiles! As much as we could, we'd ask if they had a camera and wanted a picture of themselves in the gear. Most of the time they were very happy to have their picture taken. I think the family with Grandma was the best - Grandma was maybe 4 feet tall and was holding a pinwheel (like the pig in the Geico commercial).

As volunteers, we got an added unexpected bonus: a free ride after all the paying customers were done at 10pm! This is a huge benefit; online tickets have been sold out for days, and if you want to buy a ticket for the same day, you have to be there several hours before the ticket office opens. Even then, you will still have about a 2-hour wait to ride, if you are lucky enough to get a ticket. We were able to just go right in, climb straight up, and hop off.

The zipline is done off an 80' temporary structure that they built just for this, and it goes down Capitol Ave for two blocks, right over a lot of the activities. People on the ground cheer and whoop as people go zipping by overhead. It's lots of fun to just watch the entire scene. One woman (who was definitely heavy enough to get all the way across) managed to get herself stuck about 50 yards from the end, and some poor guy had to hand-over-hand go fetch her and pull her the rest of the way. The way she was carrying on, you'd have thought she'd been stabbed or something. It was humorous to watch the crowd standing right under her taking pictures. I think she was secretly enjoying the attention.

More photos are posted at the links below!

General pics of the Super Bowl Village

Ziplining pics

Bike floggings and FTP

2012-01-20T10:28:00.000-08:00

I am not a cyclist. I survive the bike portion of triathlons, but I am not a cyclist. I am actually quite pitiful on the bike, but less pitiful than I used to be. At least now I can survive tough workouts like the one below.

[Workouts are done at a small fitness studio with seven Computrainers set up in a row. There are a couple of large flat-screen monitors on the wall that display the outputs of all seven trainers. You can watch your output, or get depressed by looking at the output of some of the other cyclists who really are cyclists. It would be painfully boring, if not impossible, for me to do this alone in my living room. In addition, the equipment is expensive and I don't want to pay for it.]

-- Warmup --
5 min zone 1
15 min zone 2
2 min zone 1
5 min FTP
3 min zone 1

--- Repeat 5x ---
3 min 110-115% of FTP
2 min zone 1
2 min 110-115% of FTP
2 min zone 1
1 min 110-115% of FTP
2 min zone 1

FTP means "Functional Threshold Power", or how hard can you go for a particular period of time. This is measured using a power meter - in our case, a Computrainer. A Computrainer is a power meter that is built in to a typical bike trainer, and sends data to a computer where you can see your output in real time.

FTP is calculated by doing a time trial, usually for 20 minutes, while hooked up to a power meter. You go as hard as you can for 20 minutes, with as steady an effort as possible. 95% of your average power output is your FTP.

So why care about FTP? Because this gives you a measurable number for planning a workout. The best way to improve is to train using intervals of varying degrees of effort, not pushing hard all the time. For improvement on the bike, you want to work out using different percentages of this number, both above and below. For example, my current FTP is 141 (low because I'm just not that strong on the bike, yet). This means that my zone 1 (easy/resting, <57% of my FTP), is anything with a power output of 79 or less. This zone is where I go to rest and recover from harder efforts. Zone 2 is slightly harder, and is good for warming up. And so on.

The workout above is a great example of a steady 30-minute warm-up before the hard effort begins. Start easy, increase the effort a little, do one short burst to wake the body up, then rest a bit. The real work begins with the first 3 minutes of hard effort, and continues for the next hour. Three minutes may not sound like much, but it is, especially the 5th time around, after 48 minutes of interval work.

On a side note, training with a group is the only way to go for me. Even if it means occasionally overhearing things that make me wince. For example:

Outrageously fit/strong 50+ male cyclist #1: What do you weigh now that the holidays are over?
Outrageously fit/strong 50+ male cyclist #2: Around 150. Trying to get it down a little. What about you?
Cyclist #1: Oh I'm at 144 right now.
Me, thinking: Dear god, that's what I weigh. Are you kidding me?

Sigh.

Many thanks to Whitney and Chad at The Fitness Lab for the guided floggings.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a weekend! Where to begin? With the crazy ride back to Indianapolis (home)? With all the runners I met from all over? With the two very different races? I'll just jump in and go.

So I get an email some time in December about a pair of races on the same weekend, one in Mississippi and one in Alabama. They’re being promoted as a two-fer: two races, two states, two days. The 50 states Marathon and 50 States Half Marathon clubs love these things. The organizers are offering 20% off registration to those who do both, and a special plaque or something in addition to the medals all finishers receive. Hmmm, sounds intriguing. I’ve done many races a week apart, but have never done back-to-back races of these distances in the same weekend. Wonder how I’d hold up?

I signed up for the Mississippi Blues Marathon on Saturday, in Jackson MS, and the First Light Half Marathon on Sunday, in Mobile AL. I think this was 3 weeks before race weekend, some time after Thanksgiving. I’m well into my holiday binging, and only running maybe 3-4 miles at a time a few times a week. Oh well. I’ll wing it. We'll see what this experiment yields.

The Races

I don’t really do any reconnoitering on either course, beyond finding lodging and procuring the last semi-affordable rental car left in Mississippi. The Jackson race sold out at around 2500 people, with 750 or so doing the full and the rest doing the half. I lucked out and got a room within walking distance of the start/finish line, and had fun chatting with other runners from all over the country, many of whom are also doing the back-to-back. We laugh at our craziness (or stupidity, or whatever it is), and look forward to the weekend.

This race benefits aging blues musicians, who never really made any money at their trade and are now struggling in old age. It also was a wonderful tribute to the area known as the birthplace of the blues, even including a harmonica (a real one, not some cheap piece of garbage) and a CD of blues in our swag bag. Definitely the coolest swag I’ve ever gotten!

The marathon course turned out to be extremely hilly, on par with the Seattle marathon. Oboy. However, the weather is glorious, starting at a very humid 54 and warming/drying to the high 60’s. Hotter than many of us are used to in January, but very survivable and not really an issue. I wasn’t sure what kind of time I would do, since I was concerned about not blowing up my legs before doing the half on Sunday, so I just went with what I felt. There were no clocks on the course, and I (in typical fashion) walked out and left my Garmin in the room. That worked out fine, as it forced me to go with my gut and not try to adhere to any subconscious desires to go at any particular pace.

The marathon was difficult, but it didn’t suck, at least not enough to wonder why I was doing this to myself. Water stops were every 1.5 miles, and no matter how hard it felt at times, I was still surprised at every stop. Had I really gone another mile and a half? There were timing mats every 5 miles (but of course no clocks), so each timing mat was a major accomplishment. The hills were unrelenting, and my strategy was to walk up and jog down. After about mile 20 I had to look around and chuckle, because I’m sure we all looked like the Bataan death march to the volunteers. Lots and lots of walking. It was actually kind of nice to be in a race where no one really cared about lofty time goals; we were more focused on enjoying the experience.

I trudged up the last hill to a respectable finish of 5:13. I typically do a marathon around 5 hours, so was pleased to be that close to my norm, especially given the hills. A wonderful volunteer handed me an enormous and truly awesome medal, I listened to a few minutes of some good blues, and back I trudged to the hotel for a shower and food.

On the way to the hotel, I met a nice couple from NY who were flying back home that afternoon, and they told me about a runner they met who was looking for a ride to Mobile. He had found one, but that person had to work and couldn’t leave until very late at night. They wouldn’t arrive in Mobile until some gawdawful time like 3am or so. Unacceptable. We exchanged phone numbers and invites to check in when in each other’s city, and he contacted the hitchhiking runner. Turned out the guy had found a better ride, so I didn’t have a traveling companion. But it was good to meet Keith and Andrea, and I’m sure we’ll be staying in touch.

Showered and packed, on the way to Mobile, and I 'm ready to gnaw my arm off when I finally see a Sonic (there weren't many quick eating options). Those burgers are a little bit of heaven after a marathon. Not quite a Whataburger with jalapenos, but they do in a pinch.

Got to Mobile, found the packet pickup, ate my free spaghetti dinner, then was ready to find my hotel . Turned out there was some college bowl game that weekend in Mobile, with a Mardi Gras-type parade just as I was trying to leave packet pickup. I was far too tired to stay and watch, and was trapped. I got a very nice police officer’s attention by driving the wrong way down the only clear street, and he led me out of the mess. Turned out he was working the race Sunday, so he understood why I was so desperate to get out of there and get to bed.

Sunday morning comes, and I have no idea if I will even be able to run; feet were still a little tender and would have been happier propped up on an ottoman, and my quads were definitely feeling the marathon from Saturday. Overall, however, I felt quite good and ready to go. Figured I'd just do what I could do, as this entire weekend was one big experiment anyway.

Saturday's race was to benefit aging blues musicians; this one benefited a local facility for special needs adults, L'Arche Mobile. The medals were each handmade by the residents, so each one was special. Those of us that did the back-to-back also got a handmade "plaque" with a bio of the person who made it on the back. This was a very nice touch and I think everyone appreciated it.

The race was blessedly flat. It was the first no-chip half marathon I’ve ever done – they noted times at the finish and tore the strip off the bottom of our bibs and strung them in order, to piece together later. No clocks on this course either, but this time I remembered the Garmin. I had to laugh when I got there about 45 minutes before the start and they were just taping the street to mark the start line. The obligatory Southern Belles were there in full drag, keeping things in perspective. The gear check was somebody's SUV. Considerably more relaxed than the norm!

As it happened, I was able to manage a respectable trudge with occasional walk breaks. Like the marathon, water stops were about 1.5 miles apart, and I was able to trudge most of the way between them, until the last three miles. At that point I had to take more walking breaks, simply because the legs were tired. It hurt as much to walk as to jog, so I tried to jog as much as I could. Of course, when I say "hurt", I'm not talking about agonizing pain or anything; the quads wanted a break and I had a few hot spots on my feet, but nothing severe. However, I was extremely grateful to only be doing a half instead of another full. I am nowhere near ready to attempt two marathons in a weekend. I bow down to all the folks that are.

Finished in a satisfactory 2:28:something, only about 10-15 minutes off my typical half-marathon pace – not bad for the first attempt. Received my medal from one of the residents of L'Arche Mobile and considered the day a success. It doesn't get any more special than that! (No, that's not me in the photo.)

The People

Never met so many 50-staters (and Marathon Maniacs) in my life. These are people who do a marathon in every state, some of them multiple times. There's also the Half-Fanatics (like me) who want to do at least a half in every state. These people have scoped out all the opportunities to knock out at least two states in a weekend, and it's fascinating to listen to them talk. When I got to the packet pickup in Mobile Saturday afternoon, those of us doing the back-to-back were either wearing the very cool tech shirt from the Mississippi race, or wearing the medal, so we were easy to spot. I shared a table at the complementary pasta dinner with a couple of guys who had raced that morning, and one of them was also from Indiana, about 45 minutes south of Indianapolis. He knew of two other people who were there from Carmel. Unbeknownst to me, he pointed me out to one of the other Carmel residents, but I had left before she came to sit down. Sunday morning she found me at the race start and introduced herself. It turned out that she lives very close to me, and her son is a pilot with Republic, and we were both flying standby on family passes. Small world!

There are not a lot of flights out of Mobile, so many of us had time to kill at the airport Sunday. The race was originally scheduled to begin at 7am, which would have allowed many of us to get to the airport just barely in time for the morning flight out. Unfortunately the start time was moved back to 7:30, and that 30 minutes was just enough to cause many of us to miss that morning flight. The next flights weren't until 5, 6, and 7pm, so the airport quickly filled with runners. I think we all actually had a wonderful time meeting each other, comparing experiences, and finding out who was certifiable (the people who did a double, like me) and who still had their wits about them. I met a law-student with a full-time job from Columbus, OH, a very fun woman from CA who wants to do the Mississippi race again (we exchanged info), an older gentleman from Syracuse, NY who was a master at finding back-to-back races, and a cancer survivor from south Texas who was running just to say "eff you" to her cancer. The hours passed quickly, and finally it was time to leave. Elaine (my new friend from Carmel) and I easily got seats out of Mobile.

Got to Charlotte, and of course our connection was at the farthest point possible from our gate. We hoofed it over there, and it was...oversold. Nice. And there was no hope of getting on the first flight out the next day either, or several others for that matter. Great.

Ok, what about Cincinnati? There's a flight leaving in 20 minutes. Nope, it's full too.

Hmmmm, Louisville? Any seats on Louisville? Yes, there is! But of course, the gate is back where we started from, and it's leaving in 15 minutes or less. Yikes. We both run the entire way back, and find the gate agent literally seconds from closing the door. Between gasps for air, we explain the situation. Well, there's one seat in coach and one seat in first class. Score! The wonderful ticket agent back in Mobile had given me a first class upgrade just 'cuz. We're on! (Oh, and that run to the gate? Damned near killed me and my aching feet.) Elaine's son thankfully wasn't flying Monday, so he very kindly drove down to get us. Since we both live in the same area, she gave me a ride home. At last I was standing outside my apartment door at 3am, very happy to be there.

Summary

Both races were very enjoyable, and I would do both of them again. I'd like to do the Blues half, and this time stick around for the Blues Crawl Saturday night. It went to several different venues to hear good local artists, and I was sorry to have to miss it.

The entire weekend had a very relaxed feel, as the vast majority of people were simply there to have a good time. The 50-States people are not hot for fast times; they're enjoying seeing a new place, meeting new people, catching up with other 50-Staters, and experiencing the locale. I saw quite a few runners pull off to take pictures now and then, and no one was stressing about PRs or other esoteric goals. The main goal seemed to be to have a good time and leave it at that. It was a very refreshing and rejuvenating atmosphere. I highly recommend it!

Race Inventory for 2011

2011-12-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a year it's been! Knowing that August 28 was going to be the ultimate test of endurance, I raced as much as possible throughout the summer. I tend to use races for my longer workouts, as it helps stave off the boredom and keeps me honest, and managed to find something almost every weekend from the beginning of May through Labor Day – not bad. Even better was remaining injury-free!

Here's the short version.

12 half-marathons
2 marathons
1 half-iron tri
First full Ironman
1 200-mile relay
8 triathlons of assorted distances (two winter indoor tris not listed below)
1 sprint duathlon
8 assorted running races

I used a couple of the half-marathons as long recovery walks/jogs, and took advantage of the opportunity to walk them with people dear to me. That was a nice break and a welcome chance to relax. Below is a more detailed list of the year's events.

Race	When	Time	Where
Rock N Roll Half Marathon	Nov 13	3:40:15	San Antonio TX
NYC Marathon	Nov 6	4:59:57	New York NY
Big Hit Half Marathon	Oct 30	2:09:41	Louisville KY
Indianapolis Half Marathon	Oct 15	2:20:24	Lawrence IN
Bourbon Chase 200-mile relay	Oct 7-8	30:09:36	Lexington KY
PA Heritage Trail Half Marathon	Oct 2	2:34:53	Battle Ground IN
Indianapolis Women's Half Marathon	Sep 3	3:26:18	Indianapolis
Ironman Louisville	Aug 28	15:48:29	Louisville KY
Urban Dare Indianapolis	Aug 20	2:19:56	Indianapolis
Eagle Creek Sprint Triathlon	Aug 20	1:23:39	Indianapolis
Muncie August Triathlon	Aug 13	3:36:08	Muncie IN
Tri Indy (Duathlon)	Aug 7	1:35:15	Indianapolis
Eagle Creek Trail Half Marathon	Aug 6	3:04:44	Indianapolis
TNT Trail Run 5K	Jul 26	30:52	Indianapolis
Eagle Creek Sprint Triathlon	Jul 23	1:26:24	Indianapolis
Summit Lake Optimist Tri	Jul 16	3:47:33	New Castle, IN
TNT Trail Run 5K	Jul 12	34:26	Indianapolis
Border Challenge Olympic Triathlon	Jul 10	2:38:24 missing 1 bike loop	Jeffersonville IN
Round Barn Bike Ride 67 miles	Jul 9	~4.5 hours?	Brownstown IN
Freedom 5000	Jul 4	untimed	Austin TX
TNT Trail Run 5K	Jun 28	35:32	Indianapolis
Morse Park Summer Triathlon	Jun 25	1:36:24	Noblesville IN
TNT Trail Run 5K	Jun 14	31:52	Indianapolis
Carmel Half Marathon	Jun 11	2:19:38	Carmel IN
Hospital Hill Half Marathon	Jun 4	2:43:10	Kansas City MO
Boston's Run to Remember	May 29	2:27:11	Boston MA
Geist Half Marathon	May 21	2:23:21	Fishers IN
Rev 3 Half Iron Triathlon	May 15	7:56:51	Knoxille TN
Indy 500 Half Marathon	May 7	2:12:16	Indianapolis
Sam Costa Half Marathon	Mar 26	2:19:13	Carmel IN
Austin Marathon	Feb 20	5:06:54	Austin TX
Planet Adventure Winter Run 5K	Jan 29	35:35	Indianapolis
Bop to the Top 36-floor Stair Climb (Triple Challenge)	Jan 22	28:45	Indianapolis

Paula's travel adventure

2011-12-16T10:51:00.000-08:00

[Note: Paula was flying from Seattle to Denver, on her way back to Indianapolis, when they had an emergency landing in Yakima, WA. It made for quite an interesting (and long) day for her. Here's what she has to say about it.]

Has anyone ever been on a plane that had to divert? I've experienced missed approaches and delays/cancellations for weather or maintenance but in 45 years of flying, have only diverted twice.

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2011/12/14/smoke-smell-forces-emergency-landing-in-yakima

What makes my story more interesting is I was riding in the cockpit so observed all the preparation and activities that goes on during an emergency. I teach "Crew Resource Management" to new dispatchers -- now I have firsthand experience of an excellent demonstration of how well it works.

We left the gate in Seattle at 8:40am for a routine flight to Denver. The take-off was smooth and the view from the cockpit, as always, was wonderful. We climbed through a cloud layer and could see snow covered mountain tops poking out of valleys of heavy clouds. Clearance had given us instructions to climb to 37,000 feet and all was well. About 20 minutes into the flight, one of the Flight Attendants (FA) called the cockpit and reported a burning smell in the aft galley. The Captain (CA) asked several questions about what the smell was like, was the coffee pot working, was there any smoke, did anything change after shutting coffee pot off, etc. There was also another pilot sitting in the cockpit who was commuting to work. After discussing the situation with the FA, the CA sent the other pilot to the back to help troubleshoot. While he was gone the CA called the dispatch office to discuss the situation with dispatch and maintenance, while the First Officer (FO) starting collecting weather information for possible diversion airports. When the other pilot came back to the cockpit the decision was made to play it safe and land. The CA did not want to cross the mountains again to return to Seattle and Spokane was at least 45 minutes away so the decision was made to divert to Yakima, which was on our flight path.

When a decision like this is made, all sorts of people get involved. The cockpit crew notifies ATC of the issue and for a new routing, pulls out landing charts for the airport, does a PA announcement to the passengers, and - in this case - gets the plane ready for an overweight landing (we had lots of fuel and were going to land at an airport with a short runway, so special care is taken to get the speeds, rate of descent, etc. correct). ATC notified Yakima tower and declared an emergency to make sure that fire and rescue were available as a precaution. The FAs re-stow galley items, gets the plane ready for a landing and gives instructions to the passengers (NO, there was not a plan to use the slides). Dispatch is contacting customer service and Yakima station to get ground handling – Yakima is serviced by Horizon so their ground operations said they would take care of the plane. Maintenance is contacting an approved contractor in Yakima to meet the plane and investigate the problem.

The calm way that the crew discussed the situation, made a decision and acted on it was amazing to watch. My heart rate did not even go up. Now if this became a REAL emergency (actual smoke, fire alarm...) things would have moved much faster and we would have gotten on the ground ASAP.

Yakima weather was very overcast with low clouds so it was an instrument approach. We did not see the runway until less than a mile away. As we landed (around 9:30) I saw the fire trucks and every ambulance Yakima has (all 6) standing by. Most excitement the city has had this fall. We got to the terminal, Horizon brought up stairs and firemen came on board to check out the galley. No smoke or fire so everyone got off as quickly as the FAs could get them to move without taking any bags.

Before, I was just an observer in the cockpit. Now that we landed I asked what I could do and was immediately put to work. We took all the non-alcoholic beverages and ice off the plane into the terminal. The airport set up tables and we got drinks ready to serve everyone. Meanwhile maintenance and some of the crew are pulling out panels in the aft galley looking for the source of the problem. Nothing could easily be found so a more thorough inspection was needed and the plane was grounded. Within 90 minutes of de-planing dispatch was setting up a reposition flight from Denver to come get the passengers, customer service was frantically re-booking or delaying flights to handle the missed connections, and a call was made ordering 45 pizzas. (The manager was ready for the call as he heard about the diversion on his police scanner. WOO HOO, made his sales quota!)

Around 11:30 the pizza showed up and I switched from drinks to offering up slices of pepperoni, Hawaiian, veggie, or cheese pizza (brought back memories of being a short-order cook). After everyone was fed we let them back on the plane to collect their carry-ons. This could not be done sooner because Horizon had a plane arriving. In Yakima everyone walks on the tarmac to get to/from planes so we had to make sure passengers did not get mixed up. By 12:30 everyone had eaten and retrieved their carry-ons so I went back to the plane to wait with the crew – and eat pizza.

By then I knew I had missed my connection and was probably going to get stuck in Denver for the night. I'd already talked with my manager and arranged for someone else to work for me. There was a slim chance that if I could get to Denver before 7pm I could catch a Southwest flight. The 'rescue' plane from Denver was due to arrive in Yakima around 3:30 so just maybe it would work out. I wasn't concerned about getting home for work, but I was bringing Carla some Dungeness crab and it would only be good if I wasn't too late. Luckily it was in my carry-on so I left it outside (Yakima was COLD) while we waited. We figured between my crab and the wine on-board the crew and I could have a good snack if we got stranded together.

Horizon only has one set of portable stairs so when the other plane got close, the crew and I closed up the broken plane and went into their operations office to get new paperwork and wait. Nearby, they had parked the baggage carts with the luggage from the cargo holds. I could see my checked bag and asked if I could just take it with me. After thinking about the various regulations we decided I could if I took it through TSA screening at Yakima. Well, with a packed bottle of vodka that was not an option. What I really wanted to do though was grab one of the tens of boxes of oysters, crab and salmon that was among the cargo going to Denver (just kidding – about grabbing a box).

Finally, at 3:15 the new plane arrived. I stashed my crab (well wrapped) in the ice bin to keep cold and we started boarding. Dispatch had faxed a passenger list so TSA checked IDs to make sure the correct passengers re-boarded. After fueling, checking paperwork, re-loading all the bags and people, etc. we left Yakima at 4pm (7pm Indy time which was when my connecting plane was landing). Once again I was in the cockpit and could hear the passengers applaud at some information the FAs gave them. The rest of the trip was uneventful and we landed in Denver at 7pm, 6 ½ hours late.

To take care of all the missed connections Frontier brought in a bigger plane to fit all the Atlanta connections on, Detroit and other flights were delayed, passengers were rebooked and 80 hotel rooms awaited those who could not get out that night. Passengers also got meal vouchers and a $200 flight coupon. But, as a non-rev I was on my own. As I left the plane I knew I had no chance catching the 7:27 Southwest flight. Then I looked at the flight board...it was DELAYED to 7:45! I raced from Terminal A to Terminal C. Southwest had 50 open seats so I did not have to sit in the cockpit this time – and keep the crew awake while I snored.

I left Seattle at 8:40am and landed in Indy at 12:50am. I am always glad to see Carla but that night was especially nice. Someday my checked bag will catch up to me.

Thanks for reading,
Paula

Oh, do you wonder about my first diversion? Going to a wedding in Seattle in 1973, the plane diverted to Boeing Field due to a hijacking of a plane at SeaTac. But that’s another story...

[And Carla was very happy the crab made it back home in time. Sure was delicious! Oh, and it was nice to have Paula back in one piece too.]

Keep moving

2011-12-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

Someone posted this video on Facebook. It ends with the simple phrase, "You will do this." It's a short video, a little over two minutes. As a tri-geek, I never tire of watching it. However, it has a lot to offer non-tri-geeks.

Even though I completed my first Ironman almost three months ago, I still watch this with a sense of awe. I think, wow, those people are amazing. Then I stop short, realizing that I am now one of those people. Really? How is that possible? I'm just some 50-year-old woman with a desk job, learning about menopause, living in the middle of the cornfields. Not anybody special.

I watch the accounting of the distances: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, full marathon. 140.6 miles, all human-powered, all in one day, under 17 hours. Damn. Did I really do that?

Not only did I do it, I had a fabulous day and, for the most part, enjoyed the experience. How can that be?

I guess this is what can happen when you embrace the Ironman motto, "Anything is Possible". It really is true. Anything IS possible.

What a wonderful way to look at life! For me, it's a physical/mental journey, testing the limits of my endurance. For others, it's singing, writing, starting a new business, losing weight, building a career. For all of us, it's (sometimes quite literally) putting one foot in front of the other, always moving forward.

Follow your dreams. You won't regret it.

A great day at NYC Marathon 2011

2011-11-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I had the honor of running the NYC marathon. It was truly one of the most fun races I have ever done, and definitely my best marathon experience (this was #7). The course was easy and fun, the weather was perfect, and the spectators were the best around!

Due to the size of the race (46,795 people finished), getting to the race start is quite the logistical challenge. The race starts on Staten Island, and the bridge has to be closed sometime after 8:00am or so. There were three wave starts, at 8:40, 9:40, and 10:40. This meant that most people had some serious time to kill once they got there.

I was lucky that my B&B was 5 short blocks from the No. 1 subway, which went directly to the ferry station. Another gawdawful-early alarm, on the subway by 6, at the ferry by 6:45, loading at 7:00, and we are on our way. The Au Bon Pain at the other end of the ferry ride was a blessing - I still had 3 hours before my race, so it was safe to drink a good cup of badly-needed coffee. From the ferry, we walk to some buses, take a 20-minute bus ride, then walk about another mile to the start villages. By the time I found a spot of ground for myself and settled in, it was 8:40 or so.

Most of us ate while we waited, and enjoyed the morning sun. Hung out and people-watched, got the bag checked, then it was our turn. This race was so big that those of us in the back (I was in corral 60 of 66) couldn't even see most of the wave. We didn't get to run on the top level of the bridge, which was a little sad, but we still got a good view of Manhattan from the lower level. It looked so far away! Are we really running all the way back?

Crossed the bridge, then ditched the warm fleece jacket I had picked up from Goodwill. The day was warming up fast, but the temperature was perfect. It peaked at 53 and the breeze was just enough to keep us comfortable. The course was split for the first eight miles to accommodate the large number of runners. Spectators were everywhere, making all kinds of noise, waving, holding signs, keeping us entertained. Wow. I'm really running in the famed New York marathon? Are you serious?

There was an aid station every mile, shortly before the mile markers, with porta-potties. I'm still waiting for menopause to kick in, so I had to use the porta-potties more than normal. With a crowd this size, there were always lines. Oh well, at least there were plenty of options. I had to stop at mile 4 and 17, and it was a little frustrating to watch all those people run by, but I didn't have any expectations of doing a PR today anyhow.

Felt great at the halfway point. Took a picture to prove it.

Made it through Brooklyn and Queens with their wonderful supporters, before crossing another bridge at miles 15-16, into the Manhattan for the first time. Running up First Ave into the Bronx was great fun. The streets were lined with people cheering and screaming, and it was easy to stay focused. How could you not feel good with so many people cheering for you?

The miles just slid by, ticking off faster than I expected. Reached mile 18, normally the dreaded Wall for many people, and didn't slow down. Is it possible that I can feel this good? What's wrong with me today? I'll take it! Crossed back over to Manhattan around mile 20, only 10K to go! Some poor guy near me was saying "Is it over yet?" He was hurting. He just groaned when I suggested we were close enough to walk the rest of it if need be.

I carried a little camera, and stopped a lot to take pictures. The pace felt slow, and I consciously slowed down when I found myself panting. Sometimes there was no choice, when 2-3 people would walk side by side or jog slower than I wanted, but that was a sort of break too. I walked all the aid stations but ran between each one, and didn't take any other walk breaks until around mile 22 or so, then I just took a few very short breaks. This is a heck of a lot easier when it's not preceded by a 112-mile bike ride!

The run down to Central Park was long, but beautiful. Between the crowds and the gorgeous fall colors of the trees, there was plenty to look at. I passed someone who had "40 Years Old Today" on her shirt, wished her a happy birthday, and said "It only gets better!" I'm not sure she believed me.

Mile 24 was shortly after entering the park, and I realized that I might actually do this thing in 5 hours, my typical time sans photo stops and potty breaks. Wow, really? How is that possible? I totally screwed around sightseeing, taking pictures and potty breaks for 24 miles, how can my time be that close to normal?

Pushed the last two miles, didn't stop for any more pictures, and barely did it: 4:59:57. Just enough to get my name printed in the New York Times Marathon Results secion, albeit in the bottom inch-and-a-half! Hey, it counts.

Post-finish was a bit of a cluster...yes they gave us the moon blankets (and even provided a piece of tape to tape it in place around your shoulders) and a bag of water/Gatorade/food. Unfortunately we were then herded into a funnel to get to the gear check trucks, and it was too crowded to walk and warm up. We shuffled along for what felt like a mile, and runners were dropping like flies. We were all wet and cold and unable to really move, a recipe for bad cramps. They did have plenty of medical people there, but if we'd been able to actually walk, there would have been far fewer people going down. I was lucky and my gear truck was one of the first few, so I could get out of there.

Found Shirley, my lone Honey Badger crew member, put on my warm clothes that I had checked, and immediately went for a burger, cheese fries, and a shake. The perfect way to cap off a glorious day (with a hot shower after, of course)!

The results:

Ironman nutrition

2011-09-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

I probably obsessed over nutrition more than anything else. I was extremely concerned that I not screw this up, because it can make or break your day.

How will I get at least 300 cals an hour in me when:

I can't eat solid food while I'm exercising. It just won't go down.
It must be portable and not heavy.
It must be quickly consumed.
It needed to be more than just carbs.
It was going to be a warm swim (water was 84 degrees), so starting well-hydrated was mandatory.

I figured I'd be out there for 16 hours and some change. 16 hours on nothing but gels = very unhappy stomach. And not enough protein would mean bonking. I've learned over the years that my body really likes protein, and needs it for anything more than 5 hours, as opposed to just straight carbs. I also know that I get really, really sick of the sweet stuff.

I've been using Hammer Nutrition's Perpetuem for about two years, so I knew that would be a component. It's a carb/protein drink and is more substantial than a straight electrolyte drink. The plain flavor doesn't taste that great but it's not sweet either, so it's worth a less-than-yummy taste simply to get a break from the constant sweetness.

Infinit makes a custom blended drink and I really wanted to try that with some protein in it, but time grew short and I didn't have time to get it and train with it. I did however, have a blend that was primarily carbs/electrolytes that I was used to, so I stuck with that.

Shakeology drinks have worked out well for me this year, simply because they're a more complete meal replacement than a simple protein drink, and my body seems to process it just fine. I've had good luck drinking them about 30 minutes before a race and before training, so figured they'd be worth a try as a meal replacement during a race.

Enduralyte capsules are a quick easy way to get some electrolytes in you without having to drink all that sickly-sweet junk.

So here's how the race day nutrition worked out.

Breakfast, 4am. Oatmeal with dried raisins, one boiled egg (I apologize to any swimmers in line around me)
Swim line, 5:30am, yogurt
Swim line, 6:30am, Shakeology.
- Sipped on an Infinit drink for entire time in line until 7am.
T1, 9:00am, Shakeology, two Enduralyte capsules
Bike, over the course of 8 hours:
- went through two front bottles' worth of Perpetuem
- around 3 bottles of Perform at aid stations
- several large bottles of cold water at aid stations (stopped and drank the entire bottle on the spot)
- four gels, approx one every two hours
- another Shakeology at special needs, around 2:30pm
- piece of banana at two of the aid stations
- two Enduralyte capsules at four different stops
T2, 5:30pm, drank Shakeology for dinner, two more Enduralyte capsules
Run, over the course of 5.5 hours:
- three pieces of banana at three separate aid stations
- gel every 3-4 miles since I was moving slowly
- Perform 3-4 times at aid stations (less than one an hour)
- Water at every aid station. Yep, all 25 of them.
- Bottle of Perpetuem at special needs, mile 14. Carried bottle with me and took about an hour to drink it all.

I really wanted to avoid the cramping/hydration issues that take so many people down, and measured my hydration by the number of pee stops. Peed at T1 and T2, twice on the bike, and three times on the run. All was well.

Around miles 50-60 of the bike I had cramps in my side, but remembered the advice from Coach Patrick of Endurance Nation: when your stomach cramps, drink water to dilute all the other junk. It helps settle the gut. And it worked. Before long the cramps subsided. Ditto on the run - when the stomach got queasy I would drink some water and feel better. I know the constant influx of calories/water is why I felt so good all day. I heard someone puking behind me on the run and was happy not to be them.

...and it took a couple of days to be able to eat normal-sized portions of solid food again!

My first Ironman

2011-08-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

Oh my, where to begin...I wish everyone could have as much fun for their first Ironman as I did! It was truly an amazing day.

I may have to break this up into several posts, because there's just so much to cover! This one will only cover the race itself. A friend started calling me the Honey Badger. To understand the Honey Badger references, watch the youtube video here:

Hilarious honey badger video

About a week and a half out from the race, I found myself entering a very calm, very relaxed state. Sure I was still a little nervous, but I felt very confident and ready. I felt like a kid the night before the final: if you don't know the material by now, you're not going to know it during the test, so no use stressing out about it. Either I was prepared or I wasn't, the day was going to go how it was going to go. Best to just control what you can, and let the rest happen.

The night before, I did manage to get a little sleep, even if it was fitful. Had no trouble waking up when the alarm went off at four, and went in search of a microwave for my instant oatmeal. The promised microwave in the lounge was locked up tight, so I had to go back into the hotel kitchen to nuke my breakfast. It worked out fine, so no stress there. Met up with two of the three "Honey Badger Crew" in the lobby, and walked over to the bike transition area, where I put my liquids on the bike. Then we headed down to body marking and the swim start, a 3/4-mile hike. Got there not too much after 5am, but it looked like the line for the swim start was already pretty long. Oh well, I know there's still lots of people behind me, so no worries.

[The swim start at Louisville is a unique Ironman start. Instead of the mass free-for-all start, you get in one long-ass line, and jump off a dock every second or so. The time cutoff for the swim doesn't start until the last person enters the water, so if you're a pitiful-slow swimmer like me, it behooves you to get as near the front of the line as possible.]

We all hung out in line for the next two hours or so, chatting and relaxing. I felt like I had entered a sort of Zen state: I was incredibly calm, felt an inner quiet that I normally don't feel before any race of any distance, and was in a very peaceful mood. I just looked around and people-watched, enjoyed watching Elizabeth and Shirley people-watch, and hoped maybe Paula would get there before I started. She had driven back to Indianapolis Saturday to perform in a chorus concert Saturday night, and got back very early Sunday morning. She grabbed a couple of hours of sleep at a friend's place, and was coming in to find me before the race. She finally found us, about ten minutes before the start.

THE SWIM
The gun went off for the pro start, and we all gawked at their amazingly fast swim past us. Then it was our turn. The line was starting to move. Guess I'm really going to do this thing, huh? Wow. Can't believe it's finally here, after two years of planning and training. Holy crap.

Exchanged hugs with everyone, then the swimmers started our traipse down to the dock. The swim start went very smoothly, with people getting in quickly. I hopped in and started swimming. The Zen-like peacefulness stayed with me, and I had (for me) a wonderful swim. It felt great, comfortable, and not a struggle at all. Got smacked a few times, did my own share of smacking and crawling up over people, and was at the turnaround before I knew it. Yippee! Now I get to swim with the current -- let's hope it helps me out!

It did, and eventually I saw the final red buoy up ahead, signaling the finish. Wow. Really? I still didn't feel tired, was just getting a little bored with swimming and ready to move on to something else. Ok, it's show time. The first of a day of amazing volunteers helped us out of the water, I took a few slower steps to make sure I wasn't lightheaded from being horizontal for so long, and trotted off to transition. Honey Badger is out of the water!

Projected swim time: 2:00. Actual swim time: 1:44:03. Fabulous!

THE BIKE
Another volunteer handed my bike bag to me and I headed to the changing tent, where yet another volunteer immediately asked if I needed water or anything else and began helping me sort out my stuff. While I was in there, a conversation was going on about someone having CPR on the dock at the swim start. Uh oh. Apparently this happened right after I had gotten in the water. No one knew anything, but something bad had obviously happened. Damn. Hate it when someone's day goes so terribly wrong.

The volunteers in the changing tent are wonderful! They pick up your bag, start pulling stuff out of it and handing it to you. A volunteer was walking around offering tampons, and two of us laughed and talked about how happy we were not to have to be fooling with that nonsense today! I had packed a little towel and dried my feet off, pulled on my socks and shoes, helmet, drank a Shakelology, and headed out of the tent. There, yet another wonderful volunteer slathered me thoroughly in sunscreen. What a treat!

Easily found my bike and headed out for a very long ride...still feeling strong and calm. Wow, is this for real? Gave a thumbs-up to everyone, and took off.

Projected transition time: 15:00. Actual T1 time: 12:35.

As promised, the bike started out easy and got harder fast. The serious hills began around mile 18(?) or so, and never let up. However, I still felt great, and was thrilled to reach the first timing mat at 23 miles in an hour and 23 minutes. I was embracing the Endurance Nation philosophy of saving it for later, and was very pleased with how I felt. I'm not a strong cyclist and have definitely not done nearly as much riding as I should have, so I knew the hills would challenge me. I fully expected to have to walk up one or two. Much to my pleasant surprise, even when I was cursing the hills between miles 70-80, I was able to not only stay on the bike, but stay seated all but once. The only time I had to walk was when a series of cars refused to pass us as several of us were going up a hill, and didn't leave me any room to safely get by.

A cyclist was down at mile 20 by the side of the road, but someone else was waiting with them and the aid wagon was arriving just as I went by, so I kept going. Passed a lot of people with some sort of issue, be it flats, unhappy stomach, tired, whatever. There were aid stations approximately every 10 miles, so I stopped and stood up at every one. Twice I got off to use the portajohns. Once again, the volunteers were amazing. If you pulled over, there was immediately someone there offering to bring you water, electrolyte drink, banana, gel, whatever. For the portajohns, someone would grab your bike and hold it while you took care of business, then offer to bring you stuff. Wow.

Pulled over at the special needs stop around mile 65 and drank another Shakeology, and asked what time it was (there were no clocks on the course). It was 2:00. The bike course cutoff was mile 61 by 2:30, so plenty of time there. The volunteer captain told me that they were discussing extending the total race cutoff by a few minutes, due to the delay at the swim start. I asked how the guy was doing, and the volunteer just said "not good." Oh crap. Not another race where someone dies because they didn't know they had a heart condition. Sobering.

Held it together on the bike really well, just staying in easy gears and grabbing all the downhill free speed I could muster. I hauled it down the hills and crept up in granny gear. Oh well, I wasn't killing my legs, either. The crotch held up pretty well until mile 80 or so, then it began getting pretty uncomfortable. Only 32 miles to go, I can deal. Everyone had talked about how the last 20 miles were downhill, so I was looking forward to that.

All those people lied. Sure, if you look at the elevation chart it's all downhill, but reality isn't quite that pleasant. There's also a stretch of concrete road where there's seams every so many yards, and when you go over those seams you get bumped in the...yeah. If anyone had been near me it would have been hilarious, I'm sure. Every time I hit one of those seams, I was grunting and yelping with pain. It hurt, but it was even funny to me. What really kept me cranking was the thought that I was NOT going to do this again, so I had better make all the cutoffs and finish this darned thing!

FINALLY I see the Louisville skyline, and eventually see the volunteer pointing me to the dismount line. Thank gawd. SO happy to get off the bike. You regular century riders can keep it. I have no interest in spending that much time on a bike again. Anything over 3-4 hours is for the birds. Bleah.

Very happily got off the bike (and handed it to a volunteer who racked it for me), then realized I couldn't take a step in my bike shoes. One of them apparently was hitting a nerve, and walking on it was impossible. Didn't bother me at all on the bike, but walking was out of the question. Once again, the amazing volunteer realized I was trying to take off my shoes, and he said, "Let me do that for you. You don't need to bend over just yet." My hero. Walked down to transition in my socks, anxious to get back out on the road...on my FEET.

Projected bike time: between 7-8 hours, hopefully closer to 7. Actual time: 8:04:21.

THE RUN
Back to the changing tent I go. The volunteer once again pulled all of my stuff out and handed it to me one by one, and grabbed stuff as I was removing it and put it in the bag. We chatted a bit while she hovered to make sure I was ok. Asked her the time, and it was around 5:30. Damn. I really wanted to be back by 4:30. There goes another hour of cushion for the run. Oh well, get moving. Drank another Shakeology (dinner!) and headed out for more sunscreen. Wow, I still feel really good. Tired, but good. What gives? I'll take it.

Projected transition time: 15:00. Actual transition time: 14:26.

Said hi to my Honey Badger Crew, made it clear that I hate the bike, and started a slow jog. I was too tired to properly run any distance, but wasn't too tired to run a minute, walk a minute. Oh my, this is gonna take forever. Will I make it? I only have 6.5 hours to cover 26.2 miles. Yikes. I was really angry with myself for putting myself in a potential bind to make the cutoff, so I shortened the walking breaks to maybe 30-45 seconds.

...and passed the "Mile 1" sign before I knew it. Really?? Already? Wow. Maybe this won't take as long as I thought! There are two loops to the course. You do one loop, come within a block of the finish line, make a right, and head out for 12 more miles. I was hoping to hit that corner by 8:00pm. Before I knew it, I was there. Found my crew again, asked what time it was. "23 after!" "After EIGHT??" "Yeah!" Are you serious? Well hot damn, how did that happen? I now had 3.5 hours to cover 12 miles. Piece o' cake.

Kept up the run/walk routine, kept passing people that I never saw again, and soon I was at the 25-mile mark. WOW. I'm really gonna do this thing, it's really not gonna be a suckfest, and I'm really enjoying the hell out of it. What's wrong with this picture? Can everything be falling into place this nicely? I mean, everything? Not one thing went wrong, really. Pinching myself the last mile, I decided I was going to thoroughly enjoy that finish chute.

THE FINISH
Rounded that last corner, was blinded by the bright lights, walked to the start of the finish chute. Hit the chute, then took off in a sprint. Enjoyed the crowd noise, heard the announcer say it was my 50th birthday, did some high-fives with people as I went by, and smiled like a fool when I heard "Carla Happel, you are an Ironman!" Holy. Shit. I did it. AND IT DIDN'T SUCK. Am I dreaming?

Got my medal, another volunteer was immediately at my side guiding me through the finish area, found my crew and hugged them, got my finish cap and shirt. Paula handed me the most obnoxiously large helium birthday balloon ever and a dozen roses, and I got the finisher pic with those. Awesome!

Oh, did I mention that Macca (Chris McDonald) put my medal on me? How cool. That man is amazing. He won this race in 8:27:36. Inhuman.

We wandered around looking for some milk or something not-solid to eat, I spoke with my parents, then we went and watched some more finishers for about another 45 minutes. That was the best. These were all the people I had passed on the run course, who had just been too tired to even try running, and it was great to see them perk up, run in, and smile.

After that, the first order of business was a hot shower...

Projected run time: 6:00. Actual run time: 5:33:04

My total race time was 15:48:29...about 45 minutes faster than I had hoped.

Guess I'm an Ironman now, huh? Sure does feel good.

Tracking information for Race Day

2011-08-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some options for tracking my progress on Sunday.
My bib number is 602.

This one is through Ironman, and they don't have a good track record at all with this. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Maybe there won't be any sunspots on Sunday and it will work.
http://www.ironmanlive.com
There should be a clear link to "Ironman Louisville".

This one is through Endurance Nation, whose training plan I've been using, and should be much more dependable.
http://www.endurancenation.us/en_data/Races/AthleteTracker/im/race/2011/IMLOU

Both of these should update as I cross the various timing mats. Mats are located here:

At end of swim - Will be entering water between 7-7:45
Beginning of bike - when I leave transition after the swim.
(Ironmanlive.com) Miles 42 and 70
(Endurance Nation) Miles 30 and 86
End of bike - Mile 112
Beginning of run - when I leave transition after the bike
(Ironmanlive.com) Mile 13.1
(Endurance Nation) Mile 12.1
FINISH!

Estimated times:

Swim: I will be entering the water anywhere between 7:15-7:45, and will likely be in the water for 2 hours.
T1: Hope to take no longer than 15 minutes in transition.
Bike: Probably 7 hours
T2: Hope to take no longer than 15 minutes...
Run: 6 hours

I expect the vast majority of you will be in bed sound asleep when I finish!

Tapering...a week out

2011-08-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

(Written Monday, August 22)

Two years ago, while volunteering at Ironman Louisville, I realized that it would land on my 50th birthday. Then and there I decided how I was going to celebrate. Those two years have flown by, and the race is now five days away. Where did the time go? It's hard to believe that I'm going to do an Ironman THIS WEEKEND.

Wow. I'm trying to make sure I don't forget anything. Made a list of race-day nutrition and planned how to pack all of my race bags. In addition to what I want to carry on the bike, I have to pack four bags for use during the race:

T1 (Transition 1): between swim and bike
Special Needs #1: around mile 56 of the bike
T2 (Transition 2): between bike and run
Special Needs #2: around mile 13 of the run

Also figured out breakfast, and what I'll carry with me that morning to drink/eat in the two hours of waiting before the swim. Lots of planning! There will be food and water out on the course, but not the protein drinks that I want.

Found out a few days ago that Lousville has an underwear run. This has been a tradition in Kona forever; I didn't realize any of the other Ironman races did it. I have the perfect pair in mind for this one. You'll just have to wait for pictures.

http://louisvilleunderpantsrun.com/
Warning: The video on the right will require Kleenex.

Did a sprint tri this past Saturday and ran into several people I know. Some asked about my taper and how it was going. For those who may not know, tapering is the period of time before a race where you back off training and let the body rest and recover. I know from personal experience that if I back WAY off and fully rest up, the more rested and ready I feel on race day and the better my race experience. I kicked off the three-week taper with an olympic-distance tri, and went downhill from there. Anyway, many people report feeling antsy during this period, like they need to be/should be working out. Two people asked if I was feeling antsy, and I had to answer a resounding "no"! I have fully enjoyed the rest time, and plan on enjoying what's left of it. Gawd knows I am expending mental energy like nobody's business, just trying to focus on real-life things like work while constantly running through my race-day plan...and counting down the days!

For every lousy race, there's several good ones

2011-08-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

My previous post whined about a tough race and trying to find an explanation for it. It was quite discouraging to turn in such a poor performance, but I had to let it go and assume things would only improve.

And they did.

This past weekend was a redemption of sorts. Saturday began with a trail half-marathon on a very tough course (see elevation profile below). In addition to the many ups and downs, the first and last mile involved a lot of climbing/stepping over logs, making it tough to get a rhythm going. I'm relatively new to trail running, so I'm sure it was harder for me than for more experienced folks, but I heard a lot of comments about its difficulty as people came in and cooled down.

Unfortunately, I started the day by rolling my ankle before hitting mile 1. I have no idea what I stepped on (or didn't), but it wasn't a log, root, rock, or anything so obvious. It must have looked bad because the woman right behind me sounded concerned and asked if I was ok. Yes, I'm fine, I just need to get out of everyone's way for about 10 seconds, get pissed, shake it off, and start moving again. After about 30 seconds of fast walking, it felt ok to run again. Soon I forgot about it, other than making a mental note not to screw up and twist it again. Three weeks before Ironman is NOT the time to injure myself

The rest of the race was uneventful and quite nice, if challenging. It felt good to be out running in the woods, and it was easy to enjoy the hot, humid day. Didn't even mind the fact that my clothes were so full of condensation that they were sticking to my body. The trail was an out-and-back, so it was fun to people-watch the runners on their way back and hope that I looked that good. It was a 13.1 mile loop; I did one for the half, marathoners did it twice.

Finished with a decent (for me) time of 3:04, about 40 minutes slower than my typical road half, as expected. Washed off in the misting tent, changed back into my "official" Planet Adventure shirt, and took over the timing. Forgot about the ankle until around 3:00, when it started mildly complaining about not having been elevated yet. Oh well, it was fun to watch the marathoners come in, some looking more beat-up than others, and be grateful I had only done the half! Got home later and made sure to put the foot up and ice it, and passed out very early, sometime around 8:30pm.

Sunday's 5:00am alarm went off much too soon! Got up and headed downtown to TriIndy, a really fun event right in downtown Indianapolis. Back in the 1830's, before railroads had caught on, there was a plan to build a canal right down the middle of Indiana. Only a few miles were built before rail transport rendered the project moot. A three-mile stretch is downtown, and has been developed into a very nice park. Three or four years ago someone was finally able to put together a triathlon that used the canal. It's a really unique venue and it's a lot of fun to do a race right in the middle of town.

Both a tri and a du were offered; I chose to do a duathlon this time, consisting of a 2 mile run, 20K bike, and 5K run. It was actually kind of nice not to have to fool with the additional step of swimming! The day was incredibly humid, with fog hanging so low that most of the buildings downtown were hidden. Saw a lot of people I knew and had a good time chatting with some of them. Ankle felt a little tender walking from the car to the race, but figured what the heck. If it was a problem, I could always stop.

As it turned out, the ankle was a complete non-issue. Running on the stable concrete/asphalt surface felt great, and biking didn't seem to irritate it at all. Had a good race with possibly my best bike performance ever, and thoroughly enjoyed the morning. Finished in a respectable 1:35:14, good enough for third in my age group.

Finished the weekend with a nice brunch and better beer at Granite City, then spent the rest of the day with the foot up and an ice pack on it. Am thrilled to report that Monday morning, most of the swelling is gone and there is still no bruising, and I'm not really going to lose any training time. Hooray for small favors!

19 days to go.

*Eagle Creek Trail Half and Full Marathon by Planet Adventure Racing
*TriIndy by Tuxedo Brothers

Bump(s) in the road...

2011-08-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday (July 16) I did an olympic distance tri (the Summit Lake Optimist tri, in a town about an hour away from Indy), the same distance as last Sunday . However, I had a vastly different day, despite the lack of a 68-mile bike ride the day before. Why?

The swim was advertised as 1500 yards, but a friend's GPS tells us it was closer to 1.3 miles, allowing for some error. That was ok, though, it was still cloudy and reasonably temperate, and the water was 81 degrees or so. The swim, while my typical slow creep, felt good. After that, things began to go downhill.

After taking my time in transition and sucking down a gel, I left on the bike. The first 15-20 mins on the bike are usually no fun, so it was no surprise to feel sluggish at the start. However, I never stopped feeling sluggish. The legs felt heavy, the body just wanted to crawl back into that nice comfortable bed that I had left at 4:30 am. Hmmm. It was only a 25-mile ride, but it felt like forever (and my time reflected that). The rough and bumpy road didn't help the disposition any, either. About half way through, the clouds dispersed and things started heating up, but it wasn't too miserable. Yet. Was happy to return to transition and choke down another gel, and get going on the run.

The run was even more pathetic than normal, 15 minutes slower than my usual trudge. By now the sun was baking everything, and there was scant shade on the run course. I didn't hurt or feel exactly tired, I just had no energy. When I was able to trudge it was at a decent pace, but I had to walk more than usual. I never felt energized. Even in the hardest races, I have moments of feeling energetic. Not this time. I finally finished in an abysmal time, but finished.

So what went wrong? I hydrated enough, I think. I got plenty of sleep the few nights before. Hmmm. I got enough rest last week so it wasn't due to a heavy training load. Maybe it was just a bad day? But why?

Pre-race nutrition looks to be the culprit. In the hot weather, I tend not to eat as much. My appetite has been down for the last couple of weeks. The night before Sunday's fabulous race last week, I had a very nice meal of steak, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. And wine (but I doubt that contributed to the positive day). This week, I don't even remember what I ate Friday, as it was nothing substantial or memorable. I don't think I ate a real "meal" with a plate of several items. OK, that's a start. Now what about race-day morning?

I got up at 4:30 and ate my usual bowl of oatmeal with some dried fruit in it. That was good. However, I didn't start swimming until about 8:10 or so, almost four hours later. I brought a protein shake with me, but in my morning grogginess had left it in the car. The car was parked some distance from transition, and I didn't remember the shake until we were lining up to get into the water, when I realized I was hungry. D'oh!

While I tried to hydrate on the bike and run, apparently I didn't. The lack of a need to pee until 2pm tells me that I didn't take in enough liquid, even though it felt like it at the time. This week I'm forcing myself out into the heat to practice what I've learned and try to get adjusted to the temps. Saturday is a sprint tri, which won't be nearly as tough but a good workout nonetheless. Hopefully there will be no more repeats of last Saturday!

Lessons learned July 16, 2011:

Eat. Eat in the days before the race, eat the day of the race. Don't forget to drink the protein shake before the race (usually my ritual).
Hydrate more than seems necessary. Make sure to drink all of the protein/carb mix on the bike. Take a gel on the bike, even if it is only a 25-miler.

*Thanks to Steve Tomboni of Muncie Multisport for putting on another good race!

Counting down to Ironman: 45 days to go

2011-07-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

The countdown decreases; the antsiness increases. I'm finally feeling like maybe this isn't a totally crazy thing and I'll be coherent at the finish!

Last week was a confidence-boosting workout week. Thursday night, I did 2 hours (with a break after an hour) on the bike trainer, then 45 minutes Friday morning before work. Had planned on a long ride Saturday, but had no idea where I was going to go. Then Nebo Ridge (a local bike shop) sent a newsletter with info about a nice ride down in Brownstown, the Round Barn ride. Very casual, no pressure, pick your distance of 32, 67, or 81 miles. I didn't get down there until 9am and didn't want to be out past the SAG support time of 2pm, so I did the 67 miles. The route was very well indicated with marks on the street, which is a good thing since the map was so fuzzy/indistinct as to be merely a guidepost. Other than two outrageous hills of 1 mile each (which I walked up), it was a very pleasant course.

All of the interesting stops were within the first 30 miles. There were two round barns, a general store, and a just-renovated covered bridge, noted to be the longest in North America. At each stop were very friendly locals who were eager to share the landmark's story, and all of whom probably thought we were crazy for taking the bike instead of the car. Each had blessedly cold water, bananas, and other assorted snacks. It was very nice and relaxing.

The last SAG (water stop) was at 38 miles, though, so that last 30 got pretty tough. All of us were talking about that as we came in. It got REALLY hot here this past weekend, with temps in the high 90's.

To add to the fun, as I was blasting down one of the outrageous hills at 34-35mph (only because that's how outrageous the hill was, not due to any particular skill on my part), I hit a crappy patch job that bounced the bike around and my car key worked itself up and out of my bento box. I heard it ping very resonantely as it bounced god knows where. I stopped (as quickly as is safely possible on a bike going 30+ mph) and walked a ways back looking for it. It was hopeless. I'm sure it's in the weeds by the side of the road somewhere. Thankfully the cell phone stayed put, and a friend had planned on driving down after work anyway (she was working some overtime), so I called her and asked her to please bring my other car key.

I managed to ration my water and tolerate the heat for the last 30 miles. The last 20 I thought, "thank goodness I don't have to run after this," and was quite happy to pull up back at the school where it all started. Of course, I was so tired that I had trouble unclipping one foot and went over like the guy in the shopping cart on Laugh-In. Nothing hurt but got a colorful bruise on the hip. Oh well.

Hung around in the shade for another hour and a half waiting for my car key to arrive. After many meaningful thank you's, we went down to Jeffersonville, which is literally right across the river from Louisville, and picked up the packet for Sunday's tri. Found a hotel within walking distance of the race start, then went into Louisville to use our Groupon for the Maker's Mark restaurant. Had a fabulous salad/steak/bottle of wine, then passed out. At the hotel, not at the restaurant. I know wine and steak isn't a commonly-recommended pre-race meal, but didn't care and it didn't seem to affect me the next day.

Sunday morning's 5am alarm came much too early. I drug myself of bed, ate breakfast, and walked over to the race site. This race was interesting. They had shuttle busses take us across the river to the Ironman swim start, and we swam across the Ohio back to Indiana. It was different. I'm still ridiculously slow but it felt pretty good. I ended up not doing the full bike course due to some volunteer/racer confusion. I completely spaced that it was a two-loop course, and when I came back from the first loop, the volunteers weren't really paying attention. They yelled to someone in front of me, but I couldn't hear what they said. I asked where to go, was told to "go right here", but when I started turning right they yelled at me "no no no go this way". One asked if I had reached the turnaround point. Well yeah, that's how I got back here, and he pointed me towards the finish. Oh well. The run was my usual slog but felt ok. Even if I'd done the full bike course I still would have had a great finish time, and I felt good during the race. Not nearly as tired as I feared I might be after Saturday's hot and long ride.

Had a couple of free beers and half a buffalo burger, then went to see a friend who lives nearby. Napped about an hour, woke up ravenously hungry, ate the rest of the burger and socialized a while. We ate a light dinner later, then I drove back home.

As with any new experience, I learned a few things.

Zip the car key securely into the tool bag hanging under the bike seat.
Eat more on the bike. Saturday, all I had was a couple of gels and a couple of bananas (and lots of water). The protein/carb drink that I carried with me helped, but I didn't eat nearly enough food. The oatmeal breakfast wore off long before the ride was done.
Pay more attention to the race course BEFORE the race!

Though I have a ways to go with the training, I'm feeling much better about it after this past weekend. I don't hurt anywhere, and am no more tired than any other day, and that's encouraging. Maybe this Ironman thing won't kill me after all!

Six weeks, six races

2011-06-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

So I got a wild hair this year, and decided to do six races in six weeks and see what happened. Five were half-marathons, one was a half-iron tri. The race schedule was this:

Indy 500 Mini-Marathon	May 7
Rev3 Knoxville half-iron tri	May 15
Geist Run Around the Reservoir	May21
Boston's Run to Remember	May 29
Hospital Hill Run (Kansas City)	June 4
Carmel Half Marathon	June 11

Overall, things went quite well. I did a PR at the first race, the Indy Mini, beating my previous best by 30 seconds. Not much, but I'll take it!

The second race, the half-iron triathlon, was a bit of a challenge but overall went fine (see race report here). While it was tough, it felt good to gut it out and finish strong, and it didn't beat me up too badly.

Unfortunately, I caught Paula's kennel cough, and woke up sick the day of the third race, Geist. (Geist is a suburb of Indy.) However, knowing that running stops the coughing and clears the head temporarily, I did the race anyway and felt ok. I just took it easy with plenty of walking, and did a respectable 2:23.

The following week I was going to see a dear friend in Boston and do the Run to Remember. However, I was so sick that I lost two days just sleeping it off and wanting it to end. Thankfully the crud abated enough to travel, I had a good visit with my friend, and was able to do the race without really suffering. Of course, I backed off even more and did a 2:27.

Race #5, the Hospital Hill Run, is notorious for its hills. However, it was not the hills that were challenging so much as the horrendously hot and humid weather. (Blow-by-blow race report is here.) By mile 2-3, pretty much everyone had thrown out their time goals and simply wanted to finish. I walked a great deal of this one, and finished with a 2:43.

Week #6, must be Carmel. The inaugural Carmel Half Marathon was in my neighborhood, and it was a treat to be able to walk out my front door, pass up the car, and walk to the start of the race. The day was humid but mild, with temps topping out in the high 60's. It was also a treat to feel well-rested and not vaguely sick. I did a respectable (for me) 2:19:38. A sign of improvement was a PR at both the 5K and 10K distances - I averaged around 9:30 miles, which for me is huge, and to be able to maintain that pace for just under an hour is a milestone. Progress! The course was interesting, volunteers terrific, and a very well-done inaugural race.

The tri training took a hit, mostly due to being sick/traveling for the better part of two weeks. Up through Knoxville, I was able to keep training pretty well and regularly. The week between Knoxville and Geist I trained, but not as much and definitely backed off, trying to recover. Little did I know that I was trying not to get sick. The entire next week was lost to getting well, and the following week was lost to traveling back home then traveling for work (while still trying to get well). However, it seems the hot-as-blazes Hospital Hill run finally cleansed the system, as that was the first time I felt like training hard since getting sick.

Throughout all of this I have been concentrating on modifying my running form, focusing on a mid-foot strike instead of a heel strike. I think the results vindicate my efforts: race #6's time really wasn't any slower than the typical race for me, and the first part was actually faster than ever. I didn't go into it expecting to PR, yet was well on track for the first 6 miles. I've remained injury-free. The backs of my legs are definitely tighter than normal, as my body adjusts to the changes in foot placement, but that's to be expected and is relatively easy to manage with massages and stretching.

And I can't forget to mention the ongoing adjustments by my fabulous chiropractor, Dr. Drew Hoffman, and Dave Reed's magic MAT (muscle activation technique) work! Those two guys have kept me intact.

Conclusion? My body can indeed handle this schedule. I got sick not because I was over-tired, but because I was in close quarters for several days with someone who was ultimately much sicker than I ever got. Would I have gotten sick anyway without the racing? I don't know for sure, but my gut says most likely yes. Did I lose some valuable training time? Maybe, but I don't think so, not really. I have ADD with some things, and training is one of them. If I don't mix it up, I quickly get bored. I'm feeling surprisingly refreshed by the hiatus from tri-training, and now feel ready to hit it hard through Ironman Louisville.

And heck, I got six pretty cool medals too!

This weekend, three days of tri camp...

No puking allowed

2011-06-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hospital Hill Run, Kansas City, MO
June 4, 2011

This was half-marathon #38, and it may well have been the most difficult. Not due to lack of training, not because of the notoriously hilly course, not because of illness: not for any of the usual reasons.

It was hot and humid. Really hot. Really humid. For maybe the second day this spring, so very few of the 7000-or so participants had acclimated yet. Normally by this time it's been warm enough to be uncomfortable and to get the body used to some warmer runs. Not this year. I was far more concerned about the heat than about the hills, and it turned out my concern was well-founded. The hills really weren't unreasonable. There was one that was ridiculous, but it was very very short. The rest would have been quite do-able on a normal day.

This wasn't a normal day for most of us. It was 81 degrees when we parked the car at 6am. No clouds were to be seen, promising a very quick warmup. It was also quite humid, but it took me awhile to figure that out. I only realized it around mile 5, when it occurred to me that all the water I had poured over myself (in an attempt to cool down) was not evaporating. Shirt and shorts stayed soaking wet and dripping for the entire time we were outside.

Somewhere between miles 2 and 3, I think there was a collective decision to throw out any time expectations, and simply hope to finish without cramping, puking, or passing out. Everyone I spoke to, and there were quite a few since we were all walking anyway, had given up on achieving any particular time goal. It was clearly going to be a 13.1-mile sufferfest, so everyone hunkered down and kept moving forward, at any pace. Several wonderful people along the course brought out sprinklers and set them up in the street. Two more angels at miles 7-ish and 11-ish brought out tubs of ice for us to grab and put under our hats. Those people were genuinely appreciated. The ridiculous-but-short hill was, of course, at mile 12. There was a construction project at the top, and one of the construction workers was standing on the fourth floor with a hose, spraying us as we trudged by. He was wonderful!

I walked for a while with very nice guy named Eric, who was running to honor his brother who was two years' clean from various addictions. He wanted to show his brother that it was possible to make a major life change -- he'd only been running since his brother got clean. He had actually run this course several times in cooler weather, but the heat was more than he could handle, and he'd given up on making his time goal. I think he felt better when I told him that I was usually two miles further down the road at this point (mile 10 or so). I finally was able to attempt to jog some more after about half a mile, so said goodbye and went on my way.

I was able to trot the last few tenths of a mile to the finish, but after crossing the finish line I immediately had to find some shade and sit down before gravity pulled me down. This was the closest I have come to thinking I might actually pass out. It took about 10 minutes of sitting in the shade to cool down enough to feel like standing up again. Our little group of five gradually found each other and agreed that this one was no fun. We all expected hard, but even in the hardest races there is a sort of perverse pleasure in simply doing the distance. Not today. I seriously doubt I will be interested in attempting this one again, even though I would like to try the hills in cooler weather. Water stops were every 1.5 miles; in weather like this every mile might have helped. I took Gatorade and water at every stop, and took some electrolyte capsules a couple of times.

After a quick shower I was dropped at the airport. I ran into another group who did the same race, and they also felt the same way. No fun, just happy to finish without getting sick. But it was a heck of a training session! The hardest 2:43 and medal I have ever earned. I seriously doubt I will want the race pictures though...

Flying and thunderstorms don't mix

2011-06-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

Ahhh the Monday morning alarm clock. Couldn't stop myself from whimpering a bit, but managed to only snooze for 10 minutes before getting up. Usually, Mondays aren't QUITE this bad, but this past weekend was jam-packed with everything but sleep.

Last week I was in Kansas City for work, and stayed to run the Hospital Hill half marathon with a co-worker and some other friends. We had the usual early-morning routine of getting up before the sun and driving down to beat the traffic. So far so good. But I knew it was going to be a tough day when I saw the time/temp sign at the bank: 81 degrees at 6am. And only going to get warmer.

The five of us managed to finish the 13-mile slogfest without collapsing, puking, or cramping, so we all considered it a smashing success (race report is coming later). We congratulated each other for finishing, then parted ways.

After a quick shower I was delivered to the airport, with a few hours to kill. No problem. KCI has free wi-fi, so I surfed and caught up on email. Sadly, the people-watching was depressing, so that wasn't really an option. My plane left as scheduled, and I was looking forward to grabbing my 15-minute flight from Chicago and getting home by 8pm. Still early enough to relax, have a beer, and catch a decent night's sleep.

Chicago's flight was delayed because our cockpit crew was late from somewhere in California. Only a half-hour, nothing to be worried about. 30 minutes becomes 45, we finally board the plane, and everyone is settling in, happy to be heading home. Except...a horrendously bad, dangerous, and large thunderstorm is sitting right over Indianapolis. Lovely. We are going to sit in Chicago and wait it out. Thankfully we were still at the gate and free to get off the plane, so it's not nearly as bad as it could have been.

Three and a half hours later, we are all herded back onto the plane. The door closes, then reopens. It was just a tease. We sit another ten minutes or so, then they close the door for real. Apparently this storm is seriously pounding the entire area, and many flights are ending in Ft. Wayne or Louisville, neither of which is desirable. Our 7pm flight departs at 10:45 or so (Central time; Indy is on Eastern time), and we literally fly 18 minutes before descending into Indianapolis. It's clear they weren't joking about the weather, as we are surrounded by lots and lots of very bright lightning and heavy rain. There is a collective sigh of relief when we land.

Only now...the ramp is closed. The lightning is so intense that it's not safe for the workers to be out there. At least we're sitting in a grounded container, so we're safe. We sit for a while, watch the pretty weather, and lust for our respective beds. Everyone is totally fried and trying not to be cranky (I failed at the cranky part). At last we pull up to the jetway, the door opens to much applause, and we are released from the torture. Kudos to Southwest for handling a really lousy situation with humor and grace. They were incredibly accommodating and did everything they could to make it less painful.

So I finally arrive at home around 12:45 or so, knowing that I have to be up butt-early Sunday to go work at a bike criterium (a series of races, good definition here) that lasts all day. I manage to carve out an extra 1.5 hours to sleep, so don't have to show up until 9am. Hallelujah! Sleep is a wonderful thing, especially with a cat nearby. Two of us work the race all day (which is actually a heck of a lot of fun), help tear down, and are done by 7-ish. The group of us went for a celebratory meal before heading home to bed.

Today I'm drinking strong coffee and feeling a bit groggy from the weekend. But it was fun! Except for the flying/thunderstorm part.

When surviving is good enough

2011-05-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I completed my fourth half-iron distance triathlon, the Rev3 Knoxville. It was by far my hardest half. I learned some valuable things.

"Rolling hills" at the base of the Smokies are NOT the same thing as "rolling hills" in the cornfields of Indiana.
The mind truly is more powerful than the body.
Cross-training works.
Sweepers are amazing human beings.

The day started ok, with a (relatively late) wake-up of 5am. Ate two packets of instant oatmeal with raisins and drank a Muscle Milk, then headed down to transition to set up. Transition was a few blocks from the hotel/finish line, but not very far. It looked like the weather gods might actually smile for the day. Thundershowers were predicted, but it wasn't looking ominous, and the temp was around 60. Not bad.

Got transition all set up, then wandered down to the swim start to watch the pros have at it. Those folks are superhuman and very impressive to see in action. The swim was in a controlled stretch of the Tennessee River, so all the recent rain and flooding didn't affect us...except for keeping the water a nippy 65 degrees. I drank half of a Shakeology drink (protein, carbs) while waiting for my wave. We jumped off a dock in groups, treaded water for a few minutes, then prepared to swim upstream for a bit before heading back downstream to the swim exit. I jumped in, woke up very quickly, then thought, "well, it's not as cold as Chicago was".

It wasn't until the horn blew and I actually had to start swimming that I realized something was wrong. Normally I adjust pretty quickly to the temp, and can at least pretend to be swimming by the time the race starts. Not today. I couldn't get my heart rate to slow down or my breathing to settle down, even after I stopped feeling cold. My body was just not gonna play today. The swim was a pathetic mix of sidestroke while panting and 50-100 yd bursts of actual swimming. It was truly awful. Didn't feel bad, just could not find any kind of rhythm, ever. I'm sure the people on the kayaks were totally disgusted, wondering why the heck people signed up for these races if they didn't know how to swim. After a miserable hour of floundering, I finally reached the exit. Thank goodness. Maybe the bike will be better.

Took my time in transition, used the porta-john, said hello to Paula, dried off my feet and got ready for the bike. Left T1 feeling pretty good, deceiving myself that it was going to get easier.

It was better for about 3 miles, then the suckage kicked in again. Knoxville sits wedged between the Cumberland and Smoky mountains. The bike course was quite hilly for those of us used to cornfields. My body decided it was still taking a nap, so when I tried to exert myself, the legs just had no response. Ever have those dreams where you're trying to run through water or mud? That's what it felt like. As I was walking (yes, dammit, walking) the bike up a hill around mile 8 or 9, I was seriously wondering how the heck I was going to do 56 miles feeling this way. Didn't feel bad, didn't feel hungry, definitely wasn't bonking, just didn't.have.any.gas.in.the.tank. It was weird. I met Stephanie The Sweeper after I finally got to the top of that hill and climbed back onto the bike.

For those that don't know, a sweeper is someone who "sweeps" the course, staying with the the last person to help them get through it. So Stephanie cheered me up yet another hill, and finally around mile 12 I was able to pass some people and stay ahead. Stephanie then helped out the poor schmucks I passed. She was excellent, by the way, and really helped keep the mood up. I had already committed myself to trying for the 56 miles when I passed up the Olympic distance turnoff (a 25-mile ride instead). At that point I just had to take the approach of trying to complete a heck of a long training ride, and see how far I could get. I still wasn't certain I would finish, but what the hell. It was time to bond with granny-gear and forget about speed.

The hills went on and on and on. Downhills were a breather, but didn't last very long before it was back to the smallest possible gear and swearing.

Around mile 26 or so, after what felt like an eternity, it stopped being a total suckfest and became a tolerable one. It helped to realize that the cross- and bike-training really had helped, despite my lousy day. I really don't think I could have completed that course last year. I had to walk, again, up the cruel joke at mile 49 and was damned if I was going to walk up any more hills. At mile 53 or so there was yet another bad hill. This time I managed to stay on the bike, saying out loud, "Pull! Pull! Pull!" with every up-stroke, and came very close to puking at the top. But I didn't walk. The final kick-in-the-pants was a strong headwind the last 3 miles or so -- I'm not certain because the bike computer died while I was walking up that first hill back around mile 9.

FINALLY, four hours and nine minutes later, me and a couple of other stragglers crossed back over the river and I could see transition. HOORAY! I never looked more forward to a 13.1 mile run in my life!

Took a little less time in transition, so my T2 was 4:14. Got the heck out of there and on my way. The screaming shins reduced me to a trudge for the first 2 miles, but finally settled down and I was able alternate walk/run. I met a Facebook friend at mile 9 or so, a fellow tri-club member from Indianapolis. We chatted some, we bitched about the bike, and he told me his knees were killing him so he was reduced to walking pretty much the entire thing. But he was doing it! The last couple of miles I slowly gained on some young man and was able to race him through the finish chute. Would have beaten him if the announcer hadn't said "She's gaining on you! Better turn it up!" He had no idea I was behind him. He used his long legs to beat me by about a second, and I turned in a decent (for me) half-marathon time of 2:35:56.

Finished feeling really, really good, with no aches or pains anywhere to speak of. The hips were tired about mile 10 and I know that was from all the hard effort on the bike, but it wasn't anything to be concerned about. We schlepped back to transition, retrieved all my stuff and the bike and headed back to the hotel. A shower and three Advil made everything ok, and we went in search of dinner. Found a nice little place a few blocks away, had a good local brew, and was dead to the world by 9:15.

Overall, not a bad way to spend a day!

Results
Swim 1.2 mile: 1:00:24
T1: 7:06
Bike 56 miles: 4:09:09
T2: 4:14
Run 13.1 miles: 2:35:56
TOTAL: 7:56:51

Challenge yourself!

2011-03-10T11:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday a friend posted this link on Facebook. Please take a look. It's pretty darned fun!

VCA 2010 RACE RUN from changoman on Vimeo.

Crazy, no? And impressive. And suicidal. And all manner of adjectives. Even if you think the cyclists have taken complete leave of their senses, you can't help but admire their skill.

Now, what does this have to do with adventure racing? Nothing. Everything. First, let's figure out what an adventure race is. Wikipedia has a pretty good definition.

"Adventure racing (also called expedition racing) is a combination of two or more endurance disciplines, including orienteering (if an orienteering map is used) and/or navigation (when non-orienteering maps are used), cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling and climbing and related rope skills. An expedition event can span ten days or more while sprints can be completed in a matter of hours."

In short, an adventure race is a treasure hunt for grownups. You don't know the course until the race begins (at which point you are given clues about where you need to go and what you need to do there), and you have a passport that either needs to be punched or signed. You ARE told what you need to bring with you, usually a backpack of various items and a bicycle. You will do a little orienteering, some map-reading, maybe a little canoeing, and lots of cooperating with your teammates.

What's really cool about adventure racing is its flexibility. Some races are short and great for families (Amazing Adventure series), some are longer and a bit more of a challenge (Winter Rogaine), some are in the middle of the city (Urban Sprint), and some are downright crazy (30-hour Challenge).

What does this have to do with that insane video at the top of this post? Several things.

Both are unusual challenges that most people don't think about doing.
Both give you sense of accomplishment.
Both push you out of your comfort zone (always a good thing!).
Both are a heck of a lot of fun.

The major difference: you do not have to be an accomplished athlete or have a particular skill (like mountain biking through the middle of a city) to enjoy and successfully complete an adventure race. Whew!

So what are you waiting for? Go out and do an adventure race!

(Pics are from the Carmel Amazing Adventure race, July 2010)

Random thoughts for the week

2011-02-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful week it's been!

Sunday was a marathon in Austin, Wednesday and Thursday saw measurable improvements on the bike, and this weekend is a long massage. Previous to that I got to spend time with family and good friends.

Random thought #1
Holy crap, did I really do that? This week has been a huge boost to the confidence level regarding attempting an Ironman. I had no idea how I would do attempting a time trial on the 3rd day after a marathon, and it felt great. A time trial is a 20-minute hard ride (on a bike mounted on a trainer), and ours was preceded by a 30-minute warmup. I was quite pleased to see that my mph improved from 15.5 seven weeks ago to 19.5 Weds. Thursday I repeated the fun, this time in an easier gear and spinning faster, and got it up to 21.1mph. Many, many thanks to the folks at Indy Cycling Academy, who kicked my butt hard for the last two months and forced me to improve (or die).

Random thought #2
The marathon taught an interesting lesson about winter running training: don't rely solely on a treadmill. It just doesn't replicate the hardness of pavement. Made it to mile 15 feeling great, then my hips started complaining. Loudly. They were NOT happy. Feet were ok, knees were ok, legs felt fine, but every step hurt the hips. Initially I thought perhaps it was due to the lack of orthotics (first time I've gone this far without them). Being a bit slow on the uptake, several hours later I realized that the last time I ran outside was the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll half marathon November 14. Four months! Well no WONDER my hips hurt. Yikes. OK, so at minimum, it's worth getting up early to go to the indoor track and run there. I have already invested in a pair of YakTrax for next winter, so ice and snow won't be excuses not to get out.

Random thought #3
Usually in a longer race, I see someone who shames me into working harder, or at least not whining. Not this time: this time it had to come from within. It was time to fall back on my mantra, "I'm glad I can feel pain. I'm glad I can feel pain." For miles 15-26, I thought about our friend T who was in a bad car crash Superbowl Sunday of 2006. Her entire back had been fused many years earlier due to horrible scoliosis, so when she was thrown from the vehicle the only place with any give was her neck. She struggled hard to survive the next four months, and today is still working to regain use of her limbs. Her arms are doing well, but her legs are slow to respond. She is still working to become independent. When I hurt during an event, I think of her, and how the only pain she really feels is nerve pain. I'm sure she'd be happy to feel ordinary overuse pain.

Random thought #4
Life is good.

Visiting the Pain Cave

2011-01-28T10:48:00.000-08:00

This week I spent some time in the Pain Cave, that place where endurance athletes tend to dwell. And it's been fabulous!

I know I'm there when I find myself chanting the mantra, "I'd rather it suck now, than during a race. I'd rather it suck now..." The Pain Cave is that special place where, intellectually, you know your body is adapting to stress, you are forcing change to happen, and upon exiting, you will feel its benefits. Non-intellectually you just wish it would end but don't dare stop until it's time. It's a place that demented people like me voluntarily enter on a regular basis, a place dedicated to self-torture...or a tremendous feeling of accomplishment, depending on one's perspective. If I have any hope of completing Ironman Louisville AND not having it be an all-day suckfest, I must spend some serious time in the Cave.

This week's visit began with a 2-hour slog session on a treadmill last Sunday. I suppose I could have run outside, but simply didn't feel like dealing with the cold, the ice, and the slush. (Kudos to those runners who braved the elements: you have my profound respect.) I don't do many long runs, but have a marathon coming up soon (Feb 20), so wanted to visit the Cave before the race. That was followed by a killer bike class three nights in a row, Tues-Thurs. There were also the Weds/Fri morning floggings by my trainer Carrie at the gym (see Wednesday's workout at the bottom of this post).

The bike class is through the Indy Cycling Academy, a couple of guys who really know their stuff. It's on your own bike, on trainers. Each class begins with 30 minutes of core exercises (off the bikes), then we hop on the bikes for an hour of serious sweating. As a dedicated non-cyclist, this class is kicking my butt all over the place. It's a bit like drinking from the fire hose, only harder. If I survive the full two months and don't improve, there is simply no hope.

As for my trainer Carrie, well...she can flog like no other.

The next few days are out in the fresh air, away from the darkness of the Cave. I think a beer is in order.

Wednesday's Full-Body Flogging
Remember, this is all in 30 minutes, with minimal to no rest.

- Run .25 mile on treadmill as fast as possible. Substitute elliptical if necessary.
- Pushups 20x
- Alternating lunges with medicine ball (10lb). Start with medicine ball over head, step forward, bend at elbows and do tri-dip over head with ball. Straighten arms up over head as you return to standing position. 20x
- Alternating lunges with dumbbells (15lb). Do the lunge, return to standing position, then do bicep curl. 20x
- Squat to front-raise. Holding dumbbells (7.5lb), do a squat. While going down into squat, raise arms straight out in front of you. Lower arms as you stand up. 20x

REPEAT ALL

Then REPEAT ALL but do 12x instead of 20x for everything.

Race inventory for 2010

2010-12-29T12:29:00.000-08:00

All in all, a very successful year. No injuries, only a little over-training (which passed quickly), and a heck of a good time! Now to prepare for 2011...yikes.

Race	Time	When	Where
Rock and Roll San Antonio Half Marathon	2:21:42	Nov 14	TX
Monumental Half Marathon	2:20:25	Nov 6	Indianapolis
Kansas City Half Marathon	2:20:25	Oct 16	MO
Eagle Creek Trail Half Marathon	2:58:39	Oct 3	Indianapolis
Powerman Sprint Duathlon (5k run, 20k bike, 5k run)	1:57:00	Oct 2	Muncie IN
Crossroads of America (10 miles)	1:45:56	Sep 26	Indianapolis
TNT Revenge Trail Run (5k)	34:02	Sep 21	Indianapolis
US Air Force Half Marathon	2:17:27	Sep 18	Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton OH
Austin Triathlon (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run)	3:33:10	Sep 6	TX
Special Olympics Runway Run (7.27k)	45:51	Aug 28	Indianapolis
TNT Revenge Trail Run (5k)	33:01	Aug 24	Indianapolis
Amazing Adventure Sprint (6.5 miles)	~3 hours	Aug 22	Indianapolis
Town Trek (~6 miles)	~3 hours	Aug 21	Indianapolis
Eagle Creek Sprint Tri (500yd swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run)	1:28:56	Aug 21	Indianapolis
Muncie Multisport Triathlon (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run)	3:32:23	Aug 14	IN
Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run)	7:14:36	Jul 31	St. Joseph MI
Amazing Adventure Sprint	~3.5 hours	July 18	Carmel IN
Eagle Creek Sprint Tri (500yd swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run)	1:28:57	Jul 17	Indianapolis
Freedom 5000 (5k)	~48 min	Jul 4	Austin TX
Mudathlon (~4 miles)	1:13:52	Jun 26	Indianapolis
Warrior Dash Mud Run (~3 miles)	48:15	Jun 20	Joliet IL
Eagle Creek Sprint Tri (500yd swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run)	1:30:44	Jun 19	Indianapolis
Hawthorne Half Day Relay (40.3 miles)	11:38	Jun 12	Terre Haute IN
Outrun the Sun (10k)	52:27	Jun 5	Lawrence IN
Terre Haute Tri (800m swim, 40K bike, 8K run)	2:43:05	May 22	IN
500 Festival Mini Marathon	2:13:42	May 8	Indianapolis
Lonestar 70.3 Triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run)	7:20:22	Apr 25	Galveston TX
Sam Costa Half Marathon	2:22:03	Mar 27	Carmel IN
Bop to the Top Stair Climb, Triple Step (36 floors, 3X)	28:34	Jan 23	Indianapolis

A short missive for Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

Ah, Thanksgiving. That time of year where many of us take stock of our lives. This year is no different.

As I begin my annual taking-of-stock, it feels a bit strange this year. There is a slight undercurrent of sadness mixed with gratitude and genuine contentment. I have been blessed with so many things:

Though we lost Jim, a.k.a. Santa, a little over a week ago, I feel profoundly grateful that I got to know him. He will always be associated with boisterous laughter, sarcastic dry wit, and a tremendous enjoyment of life. Thanks, Jim, you have left a wonderful legacy.
I've had another divine year with my soulmate.
I still have my loving family, and enjoy their company.
I am truly blessed with good health. This year I completed 7 half-marathons, one ultra, two half-iron triathlons, 6 sprint/olympic distance triathlons, a duathlon, and 13 other miscellaneous runs/stair climbs/mud crawls. Not bad for this 49-year-old body.
My circle of friends continues to grow. Friends are what make life worth living.
I still enjoy what I do to pay the rent.

Have I forgotten anything? Probably. The list is too long to remember it all. How blessed is that?

Notes on running and grieving

2010-11-16T09:48:00.000-08:00

Away from home, visiting elderly parents.

Saturday morning. Planning on sleeping late.

6:21 a.m. Phone notifies of incoming text. Flooded with sense of dread and knowing what it will say.

Reach for phone. Simple message: "the wait is over".

Great sadness, mixed with a tinge of relief. Brain tries to comprehend implications. Never see smile again. Never hear booming laugh again. Can it be true?

Gratitude for end of suffering doesn't quite make up for sense of loss, not yet. Give it a few days.

Next day, 4:30 a.m. Alarm goes off. Get up, eat, dress, haul stuff down to the car. Find parking area for shuttle bus.

Get to race start. Join crowd of 27,000 other people in various stages of awakeness. Wish for coffee but know it would be a very bad idea right now.

Not so sad today, but not mentally ready for 13.1 miles. Oh well. Already paid for it, am here, and know it will get better once going.

People-watch for an hour before starting. Speculate who will beat who to the finish line. Slowly shuffle to start line with starting wave.

Cross timing mat at start and quietly navigate around slower people. Feel heart rate climb and spirits follow. Cross the 5K mat, wondering where the first three miles went. Pass five mile sign and feel great. Don't remember yesterday's loss until mile eight or so. Mentally register it, and keep moving.

Enjoy capacity to sweat a lot. Ignore aching knees. Don't think about tender feet. Acknowledge that perhaps the orthotics are toast. Breathe. Note steady heart rate.

Pass someone using a walker. Someone else with a walking cast. Another with "Weight loss so far: 125 pounds" on the back of her shirt.

Add yesterday's loss to the list of Why and be grateful for having a choice. Dedicate today's happy physical existence to those who don't.

Breathe. In. Out. Fast. Slow.

Sprint to finish. Enjoy mourning in public with thousands of other people with thousands of stories. Alone but not alone.

Happy I have the opportunity to remember who Jim was.

Thank you, Jim.

Lost treasure

2010-10-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

Ah, memories. Found this treasure in the email archives from a class last spring. Thank gawd for chat.

We tried. We really did. Made it 1.5 hours (class was 3 hours), then the torture became unbearable. Researchers should not even try to teach.
------------------------------------------------
C:
endless yammering
yet nothing is being said
alcohol daydreams

M:
Ice cold meat locker
More inaudible rubbish
Ice cream save me now

C:
oh screw the ice cream
this calls for serious booze
vodka gimlet please

why such a cold room
freeze students to submission
no attention span

M:
Hard core prescriptions
Alcohol and cigarettes
No Intervention

C:
cookie in pocket
an unexpected surprise
eat now or later?

M:
WTF is this?
He keeps saying "binary"
The point evades me.

C:
oh there is no point
existential head banging
keep thumping noise down

M:
Eat out of boredom
Eat to avoid this lecture
Eat it this instant.

C:
too old for boozing
thought my drinking days were done
must reconsider

Ironman's Sad Loss of Integrity (Part #3)

2010-10-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Sigh. Ironman, oh Ironman. What's happened to your logic? You withdraw a blatantly flawed program and bluntly state that you were wrong, but stick to the derailed logic that prompted the firestorm in the first place.

Thanks for at least paying enough attention to respond quickly and kill a tragically stupid idea.

http://ironman.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/ironman-access#axzz13gVMhFYm

Ironman's Sad Loss of Integrity (Part #2)

2010-10-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, WTC (World Triathlon Corporation) bought the Muncie Endurathon, a half-iron distance race that has been around for over 30 years. They then proceeded to extort a 60-day blackout from the city. This effectively cancelled several local races (which were shorter and not a threat for business). It also raised the registration fee by a good $100 or so.

After reading the article below, I wrote a letter to the Ironman folks. One local event organizer fought the 60-day ban, but there were many other events that were affected as well, including some raising money for charity.

Delaware County Commissioners want to blackout dates around Ironman Triathlon
Star Press - Muncie, Ind.
Author: KEITH ROYSDON
Date: Sep 22, 2010

MUNCIE -- Weeks before it was publicly announced that the Muncie Endurathon had been purchased by an international Ironman triathlon group, the Delaware County commissioners promised they would implement a 60-day blackout of competing events on roads near Prairie Creek Reservoir, site of the race.

But word of the blackout surfaced only this week, and the news has left the man behind another local triathlon group, Muncie Multi-Sport, wondering what the blackout means to his annual slate of five races.

Steve Tomboni asked the Delaware County commissioners this week why they promised a blackout on other "road events in and around the Prairie Creek Reservoir area" for 30 days before and 30 days after upcoming Ironman 70.3 Muncie events staged by World Triathlon Corporation.

Since the 2011 Ironman Muncie 70.3 race is set for July 9, a 30-day, before-and-after blackout would overlap with one of Tomboni's events -- one set for June 1-- by a single day.

"Why 60 days?" Tomboni asked in Monday's commissioners meeting.

"It's not 60 days," Commissioners President Todd Donati said. "It's 30 days prior and 30 days after."

The blackout also came up during Tuesday evening's meeting of the Muncie parks board, which heard a request from Ironman attorney Jan Abbs that the park board enact a similar 60-day blackout on use of the city park at Prairie Creek Reservoir for events similar to the Ironman race.

The parks board ultimately tabled the blackout request until its next monthly meeting after board member Mary Beth Lambert asked Tomboni if the 60-day blackout would cause problems for his Muncie Multi-Sport events. Tomboni said the blackout was "problematic" in scheduling multi-sport events.

"It seems a little overkill to ask for 60 days on the only lake in the county," Tomboni said.

The commissioners made the promise in a July 21 letter to Jon Moll, another DeFur Voran attorney representing Ironman Muncie 70.3. The announcement that Ironman had purchased Muncie Endurathon was made Sept. 9.

At Tuesday's parks board meeting, Mayor Sharon McShurley said the "end goal" was to enable successful events at Prairie Creek.

Donati argued on Monday that the blackout would actually benefit Tomboni's events since they wouldn't be in direct competition with the larger Ironman race for runners, volunteers and vendors.

"They're making a mountain out of a mole hill," Donati said about Tomboni's concerns. "He has five events, they have one. We all have to get along."

Tomboni is a former Muncie Endurathon race director who left the local race and this year founded his own group, Muncie Multi-Sport, and his own series of five races.

Tomboni's races are for the most part duathlons, which combine running and biking, as opposed to triathlons like the former Endurathon and the upcoming Ironman Muncie 70.3, which add swimming to the mix. The last scheduled Muncie Multi-Sport event this year is Oct. 2.

Response to the first year of Muncie Multi-Sport's events has been good, Tomboni said, with 400 participating in the most recent race and 2,700 T-shirts ordered for athletes and volunteers for the summer-long series.

Tomboni said he didn't know what was behind the commissioners' promise -- which was signed by Donati and fellow Commissioner Larry Bledsoe but not Commissioner Don Dunnuck -- but noted that the Muncie parks board, not the commissioners, controls the city park at Prairie Creek.

The commissioners' letter specifically conveys their promise to "not allow permits for road events," however.

In an interview after Tuesday's parks board meeting, Bledsoe told The Star Press he allowed his signature stamp to be used on the letter promising the blackout after being assured the blackout would not interfere with Tomboni's events.

I ignored Donati's flawed logic and stunning lack of math skills and wrote a letter to the Ironman folks.

-----Original Message-----
From: Carla Happel [mailto:cghappel@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 12:56 PM
To: Jessica Weidensall; Catie Case
Cc: cghappel@yahoo.com
Subject: Ironman 70.3 Muncie

I'm writing you because I couldn't find any other appropriate contacts on the ironmanusa.com website. Please feel free to forward to the appropriate individuals.

I find the following very concerning:

http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20109220312

Does Ironman demand 60-days of inactivity at all of their other race sites? Why? How on earth is a local sprint tri a competitor? I am a triathlete, and have done a couple of IM 70.3s, and am registered for a full IM next year. In no way does the availability of other local events influence my decision to register for an IM race!

I am terribly disappointed in the Ironman organization over this, and appalled at the arrogance shown here by such a move. Why are you trying to put local organizers out of business by closing their venues for two months, in the middle of race season, no less????

I'm sad to say that if this proves to be typical Ironman behavior, I will look elsewhere for half and full-iron distance races in the future. Next year's IM Louisville will be my last Ironman event.

Please reconsider what you are doing to the local economies, particularly of Muncie.

Thank you.

Carla Happel
USAT #233308

I got two replies later that same day.

Reply #1:

RE: Ironman 70.3 Muncie
Thursday, September 23, 2010 6:55 PM
From: "Jessica Weidensall" <jessica@ironman.com>
Add sender to Contacts
To: "Carla Happel" <cghappel@yahoo.com>
Cc: "Catie Case" <catie@ironman.com>

Hi Carla,

Thank you for your interest in Ironman 70.3 Muncie and for your feedback. To address your question, Ironman has varying levels of restrictive clauses in regard to its host venues. Each race is handled differently based on the nature of the venue, history of the event, needs of the community, event location, historical events in the area, etc. These are in place for a number of reasons, which I have outlined below.

1. To ensure a successful event. We have made an investment in the event and the community and are ensuring our ability to acquire permits, recruit volunteers and secure local sponsors and media. In this case, there is an event organizer who would like to plan a Half-Ironman distance event (same distance) less than 30 days before Ironman 70.3 Muncie. In Muncie, anyone can put on anything at any time outside of 30 days before and 30 days after the event. Muncie has a great history with triathlon (largely based on the reputation of the event we acquired) and we take our efforts to protect that history and event very seriously.

2. To protect the interests of the community and the residents. One of our goals is to protect the residents who live and work along our event courses. Back-to-back events scheduled each weekend would inconvenience residents.

3. To ensure quality of the events. Often times residents do not demarcate between events and look at Ironman as representing all triathlons in a region. If, as often is the case, an event company comes in and puts on a poor event with negative repercussions in the community whether through traffic problems, issues with payment to suppliers, or worst case a serious injury, it impacts all events in that market. Also note that an Ironman event in a region generates millions of dollars in economic impact to a community, not to mention thousands of dollars for various non-profits in an area. Our goal is to ensure that there is a long-term benefit for the community.

In the end I hope you will reconsider competing in Ironman events in the future, as we appreciate your participation. Restrictive clauses and contracts are in place to protect all parties in the event communities and in the end to enhance the overall athlete experience.

I hope that helps clarify some items for you.

Best,

Jessica

Reply #2:

From: "Tom Ziebart" <tom@ironman.com>
Add sender to Contacts
To: "cghappel@yahoo.com" <cghappel@yahoo.com>, "brian@pacelinepromotions.com", "Jessica Weidensall" <jessica@ironman.com>, "Ryan Tolle"
Cc: "Shane Facteau" <shane@ironman.com>

Carla –

Thank you for your e-mail. My name is Tom Ziebart and I work for Ironman. My title is Operations Manager and I over see a number of Ironman races. We are very excited about the new Ironman 70.3 Muncie. The Muncie race has been around forever (I did the race back in 1984 when I lived in Michigan) and is one of the most respected long course triathlons in the United States. We hope to continue to improve the race and look forward to working with the local organizations that have supported this event for over 25 years. Please see below as I have answered your questions and concerns.

-----Original Message-----

From: Carla Happel [mailto:cghappel@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 12:56 PM
To: Jessica Weidensall; Catie Case
Cc: cghappel@yahoo.com
Subject: Ironman 70.3 Muncie

I'm writing you because I couldn't find any other appropriate contacts on the ironmanusa.com website. Please feel free to forward to the appropriate individuals.

I find the following very concerning:

http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20109220312

Does Ironman demand 60-days of inactivity at all of their other race sites?

In some cases when we purchase an event we do work with the local government to secure a date and site that cannot be used for 30 days before or after our events. This does not happen at every site, but it does take place for good reasons.

Why?

We do this for a number of reasons.

#1 - Use of the site and roads for a triathlon puts a burden on the park and roads around the park. Parks are used by everyone during the summer and if an event is held each weekend at that park, then the community is not able to use the park. Same with the roads around the park. If an event takes place each weekend and the roads are closed the people living on these roads are not able to travel on them during the weekend. We want to make sure that the community is not overburdened by events each weekend.

#2 - Events also put a burden on the Police, Fire Rescue, Lifeguards and EMS. Having an event each weekend would mean that each of these groups would be working each weekend.

#3 - Other Events - this might seem to hurt other events, but we have seen the opposite happen at other sites. Events that take place 6-8 weeks before our events have seen tremendous increases in their participation because of Ironman. A good example of this is the Tupper Lake Triathlon in New York. It takes place in June about 6 weeks before Ironman Lake Placid. Before IMLP took place, the Tupper Lake Triathlon had about 200 participants. Now the race has over 1,000 as athletes use the event to get ready for IMLP. The opposite is true when an event takes place less than 30 days before our events. Those events tend to get less participants as athletes choose to do the IM race and not the local event just before the IM race.

How on earth is a local sprint tri a competitor?

We do not consider any event a competitor. We know how difficult it is to produce an event and we try to work with all of the local groups to make sure everyone has safe and successful events.

I am a triathlete, and have done a couple of IM 70.3s, and am registered for a full IM next year. In no way does the availability of other local events influence my decision to register for an IM race!

Glad to hear that you have done some of our races. I hope that you have had a good experience at these events.

I am terribly disappointed in the Ironman organization over this, and appalled at the arrogance shown here by such a move. Why are you trying to put local organizers out of business by closing their venues for two months, in the middle of race season, no less????

I hope that my answers to your first questions have changed your feeling toward the IM organization. We are not trying to put local organizers out of business. We are working with local organizations to make sure that this site is not overused. We are also working with them to support many local charities and non-profit groups.

I'm sad to say that if this proves to be typical Ironman behavior, I will look elsewhere for half and full-iron distance races in the future. Next year's IM Louisville will be my last Ironman event.

Good Luck with your training for IM Louisville. It is a wonderful race and I'm sure that you will enjoy the event. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns.

Please reconsider what you are doing to the local economies, particularly of Muncie.

Carla Happel
USAT #233308

Thomas A. Ziebart
Ironman

tom@ironman.com
407-765-9608 -cell
352-324-3715 - fax
1006 Hamlin Ave
Howey in the Hills, Florida 34737

In all fairness to Ironman, I've heard that this situation was resolved somehow, but have no idea what that resolution might be. I have not been able to find any news articles about it.

Next: Ironman's Sad Loss of Integrity (Part #3)

Ironman's Sad Loss of Integrity (Part #1)

2010-10-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

This is a summary of the last two days of foolishness over at Ironman. I'm not really commenting here, as it is so stunning that I need some time to pull myself together and write something coherent. Opinions to come.

To the uninitiated: "Ironman" is a trademark, a brand. WTC (World Triathlon Corporation) bought Ironman some time last year. Since then there has been a distinct trend to extort as much money as possible out of participants.

October 27, 2010, the marketing geniuses at World Triathlon Corporation announced the following program.

Ironman Access: New Athlete Membership Program
WTC Introduces New Athlete Membership Program

Published Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Today World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) launches an exclusive athlete membership program called Ironman Access. In addition to other member benefits, the program will offer advance registration for Ironman events worldwide before entries open to the general public. Membership into Ironman Access is on a first-come, first-served basis and will close once it reaches capacity.

Advance race registration for Ironman Access members will open one week prior to the event’s general entry registration date. Athletes are required to pay the general entry fee to the selected event.

Members may choose to register early for one or more of the following 2011 and 2012 Ironman races:

2011 Ironman Florida
2011 Ironman Arizona
2011 Ironman Cozumel
2011 Ironman Western Australia
2012 Ironman New Zealand
2012 Ironman South Africa
2012 Ironman Australi
2012 Ironman St. George
2012 Ironman Lanzarote
2012 Ironman Texas
2012 Ironman China
2012 Ironman Brazi
2012 Ironman France
2012 Ironman Coeur d’Alene
2012 Ironman Austria
2012 Ironman Switzerland
2012 Ironman European Championship
2012 Ironman Lake Placid
2012 Ironman UK
2012 Ironman Regensburg
2012 Ironman Canada
2012 Ironman Louisville
2012 Ironman Wisconsin
2012 Ironman Wales

In addition to exclusive, advance registration, Ironman Access will offer perks including an official membership ID card; a second chance in the Ironman Lottery Program*; two VIP passes per registered event; a one-year subscription to LAVA Magazine; discounts on Ironman partner products at shopironman.com and at Ironman’s on-site event retail stores; and a 2010 Ford Ironman World Championship NBC broadcast DVD. Membership benefits are valid for one year starting from activation date. In order to take advantage of early event registration, membership must be current. The annual membership fee is $1,000 USD.

*With purchase of a general lottery entry.

Needless to say, this has set off a major sh*tstorm on Facebook and tri discussion boards. WTC has taken a real beating since the announcement, yet didn't feel compelled to respond until the next day.

What follows is the series of FB postings by Ironman. The arrogance is truly impressive.

UPDATE #1: After reading your comments on FB, we realize there is confusion regarding the Ironman Access program. Ironman strives to improve the entry process for our events, many selling out a year in advance with on-site registration. This program resolves two prevalent issues. (Stand by for additional posts)

UPDATE #2: 1) Currently, to guarantee entry to a number of our events, athletes travel to the event location one year in advance and wait in line to register for the following year. For athletes who are taking a weekend of their time, paying for their travel, hotel, airfare, etc., this program is an alternative. (More to follow)

UPDATE #3: 2) Most importantly, Ironman has a significant number of athletes who register for multiple events with the intention of racing only one of them. Once they successfully register for their "first choice" event, these athletes do not attend the other events in which they have registered, thereby reducing opportunities for other athletes. (Next post to follow)

UPDATE #4: Ironman Access enables athletes to compete in the event they want + eliminates their need to register for multiple events. As a result, more slots will be available for general registration across the entire series. (Final update to follow)

In closing, Ironman Access is a limited program, which will increase the overall number of general registration slots and provide an alternative to those who do not want to stand in line and take two trips to an event location to race once.

Oh I see. We're all confused.

Coming soon: Ironman's Sad Loss of Integrity (Part #2)

A not-so-politically-correct conversation

2010-10-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Shakeology: Good workout drink!

2010-09-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Have been drinking this for about 6 weeks now. Pretty good stuff! There's more info here, and also some good general browsing.

http://teambeachbody.com/exitcomfortzone

New Software for Doctoral Students

2010-09-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

A classmate and I were discussing the truly horrifyingly bad writing style of Academia, and came up with a new software app. Now all we need are developers who work for free. It would have a limited market since most people in graduate school actually buy into the obfuscation; it's only for the rare few that resolve to keep their grip on reality and not to drink the Koolaid.

Any bored developers out there?

From our chat session:

"Are you the square peg in a round hole?"
"The realist trying to get an advanced education?"
"Incapable of spewing random bullshit for the sake of spewing random bullshit?"
"Let us do the spewage for you!"
"Just write your coherent clear paper...run it through the Obfuscator 2000...and sit back."
"Your clear, concise, and relevant paper will be returned to you in seconds..."
"completely obfuscated and unintelligible to all but 6 people on Earth."
"And BONUS"
"The Obfuscator 2000 doesn't just remove any relevancy from your paper..."
"It bloats it up, too!"
"Two pages quickly becomes 15"
"thus satisfying any irrelevant requirements for quantity over quality."

Some running wisdom that applies to life

2010-09-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

Found this in an active.com post about running faster, but it applies to other aspects of life as well.

4. Run as fast as you want to, not as fast as you think you can.

Who's imposing your limits? Sometimes it's you, says Elizabeth Waterstraat, coach and founder of Multisport Mastery (multisportmastery.com) in Chicago. "Especially when athletes train heavily with technology, they can become wrapped up and limited by where the numbers should be, rather than where they could be." Unplug the technology now and then, she says, "and tune into how running fast feels in your legs, what it sounds like in your breathing, and what it speaks in your head. If you look down at your device and see you're approaching 5K pace, you might begin to fear that you will blow up or not be able to hold it. But you just might be breaking through in that workout. Save the evaluation for later. Don't let your fears and worries limit how much you are willing to give."

Learn how to define what's truly hard for yourself. "Many athletes look to coaches or formulas to tell them what hard is by heart rate, pace, or percentage of VO2max. Hard is hard. You run hard. Until you connect to that, you will not run as fast as you want to; you'll run as fast as someone tells you to go."

Then, listen to what you're saying. "You may be focusing on the negative (I am so slow) rather than the positive (I am getting stronger; this is a solid starting point). Running fast is so much about managing the physical pain; there is no hiding behind equipment (bicycle) or conditions (waves); it's usually just you and the pavement. Your legs must be strong, but your head must be stronger," Waterstraat says.

"To know your limits, you have to be willing to test them," she says. "The best athletes take logical risks in training so they know how far they can go in racing." Don't be surprised if it's farther than you thought.

From:
http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/4-New-Rules-to-Run-Smart.htm?cmp=282&memberid=57260571&lyrisid=21006122&page=2

Yikes! What have I done?

2010-09-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

It's official. Better get busy.

Volunteering at Ironman Louisville 2010

2010-09-01T13:01:00.000-07:00

This past weekend two of us volunteered to help out at Ironman Louisville. As expected, it was an inspiring experience. Athletes ranged from superhuman professionals to mere mortals. All were fun to watch.

We worked a five-hour shift in the transition area, outside of the changing tents, and saw people returning from the bike. As each athlete returned, they went into one of the two changing tents, did their thing, and took off for the run. Our job was to offer sunscreen as they exited the tents. Sheets of plastic were spread out on tables, lots of sunscreen was poured out onto the plastic, and we covered our gloved palms in the stuff. As athletes exited, they were offered a generous slather of sunscreen, usually with 2 or 3 volunteers per athlete.

The professionals were on a mission and didn't have time for such nonsense, but we got much more busy as the age-groupers came in. As most of the slatherers were female, the men had a good time with it. Some just stood there moaning and asking if they had to go do the run. One guy came staggering out of the tent, stretching, blinking, and yawning like he had just awakened. He was hilarious.

Watching the professionals come in filled all of us with awe. These people were running into transition as if they had just begun their morning jog; you never would have guessed they had just climbed off 112 miles' worth of bike. Transition took them all of a minute, and they left for the run as easily as they came in. The man that won, Paul Ambrose, did the entire 140.6 miles in 8:20. Damn. It takes me 7 hours to do half that distance!

By the time our shift was over, the heat was in full force. It peaked in the mid-nineties, with relatively high humidity. There was a steady stream of people coming in from the bike and calling it a day. They just couldn't handle the heat. The medical tent was also quite busy, with occasional trips to the hospital and constantly full cots.

Around 14 hours into the race (9pm), we wandered over to the finish line and watched for a while. Folks coming in looked pretty darned good, all looked happy to finish, and most didn't seem to be suffering too terribly. We hung out for a while, left for dinner, and came back at 11 to watch the last "official" hour of the race. (Participants have 17 hours to finish; after that, no medal, no official time.) That hour went by FAST. The crowd was fantastic, making all kinds of noise and cheering everyone who came along. The announcer did a great job of acknowledging everyone by name, and saying, "John Doe, you are an Ironman!" as they crossed the finish.

Again, the vast majority of people looked pretty darned good! It was impressive how many were able to sprint it in. There were a few "Ironman shuffles", which is just sad. All stooped over, unable to move their feet at more than a shuffle, but finishing the race anyway. It got very stressful as 17:00:00 edged nearer and nearer, and people were coming in but moving slower and slower. Some, sadly, didn't make the cutoff. It was heartbreaking to see people working SO hard to cover that last 50 yards, and just unable to do it fast enough. One poor guy had a leg/butt cheek that was totally cramped up on him, and he was stiff-legging it as fast as he could, but he didn't make it. We concluded it might just be less heartbreaking to be pulled off the course early, like after the bike cutoff, than to get that close and watch the clock ticking away your deadline. Aaaargh.

The run course has a very cruel twist: around the halfway mark, it comes within a block of the finish. The first time through you have to watch people finishing, then make a hard right away from it, out for another 12-13 miles. Here is where we found a guy hugging a mailbox, trying to get his body under control. I walked up to him and said, "You've got this," and he said, "No, I still have 13 to go. I'm pulling out." This was with 2.5 hours left. Apparently he was so seized up that he didn't think he could even shuffle that last half-marathon. Poor bastard was near tears, he was so frustrated.

By 17:05:00, the timing mats had been taken up and the finish line was being dismantled. We roamed the area a bit, helped pick up some trash, then headed back to the hotel, one block before the finish area. By now it was around 20-25 minutes after the cutoff. In front of the hotel, we noticed a woman standing in the road who looked like she was still waiting for someone. We had just stepped into the lobby when a commotion started outside, so we went back out to see. An older woman (over 60), was shuffling by, finishing the race no matter what. She was bent over and couldn't pick up her feet, but by God she was doing the distance. Damn. Those of us who were still outside cheered her on, but this was not who the spectator was waiting for. By now, the finish arch/timer was gone, the area was dark and quiet, medical people were gone, and street crews were dismantling the chute. We don't know how long people continued to straggle in. They didn't get medals or official times, but they're still Ironmen.

Some finish line pics are posted here...at the back of the album.
http://indyhappel.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album10

What a difference two decades make!

2010-08-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

Back in 1990 when I was commuting from Chicago to St. Joseph, MI to play in the Southwest Michigan Symphony, if you had suggested I would come to St. Joe to do a half-iron triathlon, I probably would have suggested you put down the crack pipe. After I stopped laughing.

Fast forward to 2010. I was one of 48 Team in Training members from MI, IL, and IN. Our group was a wonderful mixture of old and young, newbies and veterans. Our common thread was that we had each raised several thousand dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and had dedicated our races to honored heroes. My race was in honor of my brother-in-law Jim, who is currently fighting not one, but several types of lymphoma.

Race Day, July 31, 2010

You want us all in the hotel lobby WHEN? Really? Groan. 4am finds lots of groggy-eyed and nervous TNT members picking at breakfast and doing a lot of general fidgeting. We carpooled to the beach, and set up our transition area. It was nice not to have to deal with getting the bike there, since we had racked them the previous day. Most of us were completely set up before 5am, when the rain started. We found a pavillion to sit under and watch the lightning, and hoped the announcer was correct that the weather would skirt us to the north.

The Swim

By 6:30 it was time to get the wet suit on and walk to the swim start. The swim had two starting points, depending on the current that day. Either way, it was a 1.2 mile walk down the beach, with hordes of other participants and very slow-moving spectators. What should have taken about 20 minutes took around 40. The race organizers did a very poor job of informing us exactly WHERE the swim gear check was, and many of us had bags with sandals and other miscellany, since we weren't allowed back into transition after 6:30. I jogged the last quarter-mile and got there just as my swim wave was going onto the beach. Where's the gear check? Just up there, about 150 yards away up the sand dune and out of sight. Oh now that's really convenient. Luckily there were some TNT supporters standing nearby, and I just gave the bag to them and asked them to check it when they could. Sheesh.

Unbelievably, Lake Michigan was a balmy 76 degrees. Wow that was nice. It was easy to sight, as the buoys simply followed the coastline back to transition. Keep the beach to your right and let 'er rip! Haha, yeah, like I'm a fast swimmer. However, the current was extremely helpful and I surprised our coach Sean when I showed up at transition about 10 minutes sooner than expected. 46 minutes! Best swim ever.

Transition was a very long slog through loose sand, back up to the bikes. I jogged some of it, but took my time. Got to the bike and washed the sand off my feet. Considered firing up the hibachi to dry out the socks, but wrung them out instead. At least the bike shoes have drainage holes.

The Bike

After a 5-minute T1 (transition 1), I left on the bike. Had the ride of my life, despite discovering that the tune-up instead had totally jacked up my gearing. Sometimes it would shift up, often not quite all the way down, and forget changing to the big ring in front. Had to slam the gears around to get them to shift, and did the entire distance (on rolling hills) using the smaller ring. However, I felt great and had a terrific ride. My biggest concern was that I would drop the chain, or worse yet, break it from having to slam it around so much. I passed five or six people with flats, and hoped that wouldn't happen either. Finally, at 54 miles and 3:07, my back tire blew. I sped up, and probably made it a few hundred more yards before it was completely flat.

Theoretically, I know how to change a tire. I actually have done it once. Was it worth the time? No. Was it worth trying to at least jam a CO2 cartridge in it and see if it would hold maybe another half mile? Sure. Was I successful? No. Don't know if it was user error (most likely), destroyed valve, or what, but it didn't work. So I walked it in, and had an extra-long T2. Got a lot of encouragement from spectators coming down the chute, and quite a few offers of help from other racers, which was nice.

Note to self: Stop being such a girl and learn how to quickly change a bike tire.

The Run/Trudge

I don't recommend walking two miles in bike shoes. It's hell on the shins. It felt heavenly to put on my (now almost dry) running shoes and start to jog a little. I felt ok on the run, but definitely did not eat enough on the bike and simply ran out of fuel. I had already taken several gels, and had eaten half a PowerBar and banana, and consumed all of my protien/carb drink on the bike, but it wasn't enough. I couldn't run far at a time, so alternated very short walk breaks with marginally longer running stints. The aid stations and volunteers were wonderful, with bananas, gels, water, Gatorade, and cups of ice, so I just kept trying to eat something. It helped, but the damage was done. I had to walk quite a bit, but was able to finish in a respectable (for me) 2:38. Many thanks to our coach Sean who found me at mile 10, let me whine a little bit, then encouraged me.

The Joys of Perimenopause

TMI warning: If you are not the least interested in the adventures of being a perimenopausal woman, you may want to skip this section. Consider yourself warned.

Mother Nature decided why have one period this month when I can have two? The rude surprise began at 9am Friday morning. Perfect. I was lucky it was not the full-blown chronic fatigue of July Period #1, but still... Got through the swim and bike feeling great, then around mile 3 of the run my back just started killing me. Men, if you want to experience the joys of racing with your period, have your running partner smack you in the back with a 2x4, behind your kidneys. Then run. Every time the pain starts to subside even a little, have your partner smack you again. Keep running. Do this for five miles. Do it until you think you're gonna puke. Then stop with the smacking and enjoy the rest of the run. Prostate exam or racing with periods? Hmmm. Not sure which is more joyous.

The Finish

Sucked it up and jogged it in, even though it darned near killed me! Official time was 7:14:36, but I still consider it my PR. I lost 30 minutes walking the bike in, so probably would have had a time closer to 6:50 without the flat. Under 7 hours, in any case. So I'll take it.

I'll also take the quick recovery. No aches and pains to speak of. Neck is slightly stiff from being aero on the bike, which was also a milestone for me. I was down in the aero bars more than ever before, for the entire 54 miles, only coming up for aid stations and sharp course turns. Thank you Nebo Ridge for an outstanding bike fitting! Sunday was a wonderful massage at Massage Envy, and this morning a much-needed adjustment from my chiro Dr. Drew. Between that and coffee, life is good!

Team Indiana at 4 a.m.!

First Ultra, on a Trail

2010-06-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I have survived my first ultra, the Hawthorn Half-Day Relay. It was on a 5k trail loop, and the objective was to see how many times you could complete a loop in 12 hours. I managed to eek out 13 loops in 11.5 hours, before the feet insisted I stop. That was good enough for second place in the Masters female category, so I got to take home a cute little trophy. Not bad for a first attempt!

The race was in Terre Haute, about an hour southwest of Indianapolis, in a very nice park (with plumbing!). There were 15-16 relay teams of six runners, a few teams of two runners, and about 80 crazy people like me who were doing the whole thing alone, including some racewalkers. At the beginning/end of the 5k loop they had us all set up in a field, so it was easy to stop and grab something, sit down a bit, whatever.

We started at 7am, thankful that the pouring rain had stopped an hour earlier. The first part of the course had a mudpit section that you had to dance around (or risk losing a shoe), but thankfully that was the only messy part. The first mile went around a small lake that was full of geese, ducks, turtles, and very loud croaking toads. An heron took off from the shore, but that was the only one I saw. The large goose family was very entertaining...about 15 children following one parent into the water, with the other parent bringing up the rear.

The humidity was 99%, and the high got up to 95, so the heat index was somewhere over 100. I've never had my shorts completely soaked and dripping water when it wasn't raining. They finally dried out around 5pm. The glasses quit fogging up sometime around noon, I think. Everyone was suffering, and we all slowed down as the day wore on. The relay teams held up pretty well -- their runners were getting some decent rest in between loops, so a lot of them were able to keep flat-out running for the full 12 hours. Very impressive.

Nutrition
Given the heat, my biggest concern was electrolytes. The race organizers provided wonderfully cold water and nicely diluted Gatorade, so I filled up my water bottle with both before starting each loop. They also had a nice variety of munchies, with bowls of nuts, dried cranberries, bananas, gummy bears, etc. I tried to grab something every time I passed through. I had a cooler of munchies too, and grabbed stuff out of there pretty regularly. I started the day with two packets of instant oatmeal with raisins and dried cranberries, and that held for two loops. Food for the rest of the day included a peanut bar, two Zone bars, peanut butter on a small slice of bread, and a protein shake, in addition to the several bananas and mass quantities of water/Gatorade.

Strategy
I tried to do two loops at a time without really stopping. I'd take a few minutes to drink more cold liquids, fill the bottle, grab a banana, and go. After every two, I took more time. Stopped by my cooler, sat down, hit the restroom, laid down on a bench, whatever. After six laps I changed my shoes. After 10 laps I changed my socks. Not that it helped much. The dogs were screaming pretty loudly for the last two loops. It hurt just as much to jog as it did to walk, so it was a bummer when the knees finally told me I was done jogging after mile 37. The last loop was a pitiful stagger, as each step was at a unique angle, so there was no finding a comfortable way to plant the foot. Blisters were minimal so all is well.

Recovery
Thankfully, minimal. Sunday was a wonderful massage over at Massage Envy (love those people!) and lots of sitting around with the feet up. Monday was a half-hour training session Monday morning, followed by a stop at the chiro's office. Am walking normally and feeling great, but no jogging/running until the sprint tri Saturday.

If you're considering trying an ultra, this is the way to do it. The only pressure is on yourself, you can rest whenever you want, and it's a very laid-back environment.

Gotta love it!

Stunningly helpful spellcheck from Adobe

2010-05-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Using InDesign...

Heck of a fallback when you don’t know a word, isn’t it? Here’s my guess:

It’s 4am.

You’re the programmer responsible for building the spellcheck database. Deadline is this morning at 8am. Because you’ve spent the last three months developing your Grand Theft Auto skills, there’s a assload of words missing.

Writing code to handle unknown terms is not an option: you’ve run out of time. You’re jacked up on Mountain Dew and Skittles, and feeling the greasy pepperoni pizza starting to work its way downward. You must come up with a solution. Now.

Simplest solution is just to pick a default suggestion.

Hmmmm.

Where’s the dictionary? You know, the paper kind that Luddites use? Let’s just drop it on the floor, see where it opens, and randomly jab our finger at a word. That’ll be the default.

My second half-ironman

2010-05-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

This was step 1 of the Grand Plan.

The plan? Ironman Louisville 2011, on my 50th birthday.

Part of the Grand Plan is to do two 70.3 races this year. A Half-Ironman consists of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike, and a 13.1-mile run. This was the first of the two. The second is the Steelhead 70.3 in Michigan at the end of July, which I am doing with Team in Training.

While I would have loved to finish in 7 hours, my goal was really to relax, enjoy the experience, and see where I stood in my training. In addition, I only had one day to adjust to being out of the car after an 1100-mile ride. This was my first tri of the race season, so there was no good reason to risk blowing up and paying for it the rest of the summer.

Once again, two very special people were there to support me, Paula and Shirley. Shirley drove down from Houston and was my unofficial photographer. Paula was my co-driver from Indianapolis, and we actually managed to enjoy the ride. (She laughed at the "Arkadelphia" sign for some strange reason.)

At the pre-race meeting Saturday afternoon, we learned that the morning's sprint and olympic distance tris had cancelled the swim due to high winds. Even though we were swimming in a harbor, apparently the winds were so stiff that the water was unsafe. I really hoped that wouldn't happen Sunday...then it wouldn't be a tri, would it?

Checked in the bike and found that I had a very nice spot in transition: right at the end of a row, equidistant from both the bike in/out and run out, very easy to find.

The alarm went off at 5 a.m. Ate instant oatmeal and a banana, and drank a Costco-brand slim-fast. I briefly wondered what I had gotten myself into (once again) and how it would go, despite visualizing a strong happy finish.

The Swim

Turned out the weather was perfect. There was the usual coastal wind, but otherwise the water was fine. The temperature was 72.7...wear the wetsuit or not? I went the lemming route, and chose to wear the sleeveless suit. Turned out to be perfect. I was in Wave 12, with all the other women 45 and up. One woman confessed that she had never done a tri, and had only done pool swims, clear evidence that she was certifiable. I just listened as another woman tried to give her swim advice. Oy. I don't know if she finished or not, but I wouldn't want to be introduced to open-water swimming in a 1.2 mile race.

Water had some swells, but nothing too bad. Typical chop. Typical thrashing and whacking and kicking from other swimmers. The woman that grabbed my ankle several times was annoying, once I realised she wasn't in trouble, just obnoxious.

T1

Took a few seconds to get used to being vertical again. Was a little lightheaded upon standing, but managed to keep moving forward. And this race had wetsuit strippers. Cool! Sure made getting that darned thing off a lot easier. Just unzip, pull it down to your waist, flop on the ground, and let them do the rest. Sweet!

The Bike

Ah, the coastal winds. Because my swim didn't even start until an hour after the pros/elites, and my swim was slow (57 minutes), the leaders were at the bike turnaround while I was in T1. We could hear the announcers talking about how the leaders now had a tailwind. Oh good! We actually get a tailwind? Awesome. Something to look forward to.

The ride was fine, but my crotch gave out long before the legs. There were four aid stations, and I stopped and stood up at each one. I'm a total slug on the bike, and don't train nearly as much as I should (this is not a good thing). This race was my third ride of the season, and I had a painful reminder of why I need to spend more time in the saddle. Ouch!

The third aid station was a stark reminder of how badly a day can go wrong. I was standing, taking some water and chatting with a volunteer, when a young lady came through. She was going very slowly, reaching out to grab a bottle of water. Next thing I knew her bike was sliding out from under her, and she was on the ground. I fully expected to see her trying to sit up, but it was much worse. She was lying face down, hands down by her sides, very still. There was an ambulance at each station, so paramedics were there before I could even get going again.

I left with an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach, somewhat shaken. I never did see her move at all. It looked like she hadn't even tried to stop her fall. Not good. I was finally getting back in the rythm around mile 32 when I saw the life flight chopper coming. A few miles later it passed me again, on the way to the hospital. Damn. Her race ended in the worst possible way.

Mile 55. Still looking for that effing tailwind. Westerly crosswinds never did let up, ever. I think I had maybe a quarter mile of relief, somewhere in the last 3 miles. Actually got up to 20mph with no effort...a sharp contrast to the average of 15mph. Ugh.

T2

The winds were particularly brutal for mile 56. I was very happy to ride up to the dismount line and get off the bike. Took my time in transition, sucked down a warm gel and some warmer Gatorade, and headed out for the run. Or rather, the trudge.

The Run

Surprisingly enough, the run didn't feel too bad. I was tired, but nothing hurt, and when I was actually able to try to run, it wasn't too pitiful. The run consisted of four loops, which did get a bit tiresome, and the entire run was on concrete, the worst possible surface. It was especially cruel when the course went right by the water park (Schlitterbahn), and you could not only see the rides (and cooling water), but could also hear the screams of people that were much more comfortable.

But there were more than enough water stops, complete with gels and sponges soaked in ice water. Those are heaven on a warm day. Since I'm so slow on the bike, my run started in the heat of the day, around 12:30. I think it was only 82 or something and blissfully humidity-free, but I'm not used to that yet, so it felt pretty hot.

Finally got through loop 4, and was able to head straight to the finish line. There was a 53-year-old ahead of me though. Oh hell no. I sprinted to the finish and was able to pass her. Ha! Take that!

Collected my hug from Paula, then wandered over to the food tent. Not like I could eat anything for a while; the food was for later. Found a grassy shady place to sit down, and took off the shoes. Bliss. Paula and Shirley returned with very comfortable flip flops, we checked the time, and headed over to the paddle boat for a cruise. The race was at Moody Gardens, and the previous day we bought tickets that included a boat ride in the harbor. What the heck, there's beer on the boat, it was a beautiful day, I felt great, and Shirley and Paula HAD to be bored from standing around for over 7 hours.

Overall, the race was a raging success. While there were a few "what the hell am I doing" moments, there was no suckage. I got tired on the run (lesson: eat ALL of the solid food you took with you on the bike!), but it wasn't painful or awful. I left gas in the tank at each phase. This was an assessment race, so I took it easy and focused on form. Felt really good at the finish and had absolutely no soreness later. Am extremely pleased that, though slow, I am now much more consistent with my times: I don't really slow down during the course of the race. Had a wonderful visit with my parents the next day in Austin, and headed back to Indianapolis Tuesday.

Most importantly: the volunteers were not only plentiful and helpful, they were very pleasant. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces throughout the course!

Pictures can be found here.

Times

Total 7:20:22
Swim 57:56
T1 5:37
Bike 3:37:24
(splits 1:50:15/1:47:12)
T2 3:07
Run 2:36:18
(splits 4 loops 38:58/38:44/39:47/39:39)

Creative aircraft maintenance

2010-04-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

Why is it always such fun to fly out of Houston? Why is a two-hour flight NEVER two hours?

After getting up at 5:40am to catch a 7:30 flight back from Houston, I arrived at my gate to hear that the cockpit crew was there, but we were waiting on the flight attendant to arrive on another flight. Of course, that flight was 30 minutes late. 45 minutes later she shows up, and then they announce that there is no captain. Not sure what happened to the original one, but they found Doogie Howser in the lounge and dragged him to our gate. Two hours later, we departed.

After settling into my seat, I notice a very, um, interesting "repair", shown below. Is this a fine example of Express Jet's high maintenance standards? Resolution is poor, but if you look closely you can see the mysterious brown spots on the ceiling. It's not clear what the used napkin/whatever is supposed to accomplish.

The fun continued with a non-flushing lav that was vaguely reminiscent of Trans Air Congo. UGH.

Got back, and waited forever for my gate-checked luggage. By the time I got my bag at the gate, the stray unclaimed checked luggage was floating around the baggage claim area.

I didn't photograph the window frame that was pulling away from the fuselage.

A little piece of history

2010-03-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

Sandblasters circa 1995 or so. My brother is the bass player.

Spinning = suckage

2010-03-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

No further comment needed.

Trainer beatings week of Feb 23

2010-02-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

Both workouts use the Kinesis wall for a few things. What's a Kinesis wall? Go here to find out.

Thursday: Fun with ankle weights. Wear 5 lb ankle weights for entire workout.

squat 5x, swivel to side lunge and dip 5x, back to center 5x, other side 5x, center, side, other side, center
hopscotch through ladder to end, come back with lateral jump two forward, one back. Repeat.
knee high jog to end of room
cable standing chest press 15x
plank with feet on shorter stool, rock forward and back on toes 50x
stand facing Kinesis wall, grab cable that sticks out along floor, step back while pulling cable back to lateral pull. 15x each side

--- repeat all ---

Tuesday: Lots and lots of sweat

suicide drill, 3x. [Sprint to first point, touch ground, turn around and come back, run to next point (further away), touch ground, turn around and come back, run to farthest point, touch ground, turn around and come back.]
facing Kinesis wall, squat then stand up while doing flye, 20x
step-up, bicep curl to shoulder press, step-down, 20x on 1' stool
facing away from Kinesis wall, step-out to reverse flye, 1 minute
plank with feet on step, step feet down and back up while in plank, 1 minute
pistol -- wall sits with exercise ball, 3sec in sitting position, 19x, sit 10sec on 20th time.

Repeat all, then...

standing tri rope extension, facing away from machine, 20x

Today's beating

2010-02-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

I knew when I saw the evil twinkle in my trainer's eye this morning that it was going to be a tough 30 minutes.

Suicide drill, 3x
Kinesis wall, squat to flye, 20x
Step-up, bicep curl to shoulder press, step-down, 20x on 1' stool
Kinesis wall, step-out to reverse flye, 1 minute
Plank with feet on step, step feet down and back up while in plank, 1 minute
Pistol -- wall sits, 3sec in sitting position, 19x, sit 10sec on 20th.

--- repeat all ---

tri rope extension, facing away from machine, 20x

And now for something completely different

2010-02-22T14:12:00.001-08:00

There are some new gems on the Stoopid News page. Enjoy!

I suggest coffee first

2010-02-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

This morning's workout. If I hadn't already had coffee, this would have shoved me into being awake pretty quickly.

lunge to knee raise, 20x each side
ladder on floor:

pop squats
jumping jack back (legs only)
pop squats

tri dips, 20x
plank slide to hurdles
hop over hurdles
pushups, 20x
bicep curls with resistance band, 20x

Repeat as many times as possible. Did 4x in 30 min.

Update on my personal Honored Hero

2010-02-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

Dismayed to learn that Jim's chemo only hit some of the tumors. Others are still there, and there's two new spots on his scan. He's beginning the especially toxic phase of chemo now, and looks like he's going to be very sick for the next few months. Discouraging.

Still sore from the PREVIOUS workout

2010-02-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

Thursday a.m. training...try to ignore the soreness in the right extender from the LAST beat-up session. Today's 30-minutes of torture included:

Squat with medicine ball (one with handles) in one hand, do shoulder press as you stand up. 20x each side
Jump up and down on Reebok bench (on high step setting) 25x
Chest flyes on pec-dec 15x
Bicep 21s (10 each second time)
Pullups 15x
Ham curls on ball 20x
While still on floor from ham curls, do tri extensions with barbell 15x

Repeat all.

Thoroughly enjoyed the TNT group swim after work. Mix of drills, distance, and speed. Felt great and we all had a good time.

A good endurance workout

2010-02-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

Here is another gem from my sadistic trainer. This workout really hits the quads and hip extenders, adductors, and abductors. Because all of it is done in 30 minutes, there is no time for rest. My legs/hips were toast.

incline pushups on Reebok bench 20x
plank raise one leg 30s then other leg 30s
incline pushups on bench 20x
plank side leg raises 30s each side
mountain climber 1 minute
burpee to frog hop to end of room and back.

Repeat all.

Snowstorm didn't stop TNT group swim

2010-02-09T07:01:00.001-08:00

We had our first group swim Saturday, and the snow didn't keep people away. About 25 people showed up, and we got to know each other a little better. Each of us swam a length while the two coaches watched and took notes, then we learned some new drills. Looks like everyone knows how to swim at least a little -- sometimes there are people who are starting from scratch. Was surprised to find out that between the two tri teams (Elkhart and Steelhead) there are 49 participants. That's an impressive number! After our workout, I detoured through Holliday Park to admire the snowfall, and it was gorgeous! Between the fresh sticky snow in the trees and the bright blue sky, it was a beautiful day.

Carrie's killer gimp workout

2010-02-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

I'm currently sidelined from running/jumping for at least another couple of weeks, but that hasn't mattered much to my trainer. She continues to come up with sadistic workouts. This one was a prime example of her capacity to torture. I hope I remember this one correctly. It was quite traumatizing.

-------------------

Wear 5lb ankle weights for entire workout.

pop squats 45 seconds
alt lunge to crane 15x each side
pushups 20x
centipede: stand up-bend over-walk hands out to pushup. down to end of room and back
crab walk down room and back (sit on floor, push up on hands and feet, and go)
plank drag feet behind to end of room and back
bear walk down to end of room (hands on floor in front of you)
frog-hop back

First Team Meeting with Team in Training

2010-02-05T06:58:00.000-08:00

We had our first team meeting last night, and it looks like a great group of people.There were at least two cancer survivors, and several parents of sick kids. One of our coaches (Dea) is the mother of one of our honored heroes, Lauryn. When "victims" feel compelled to raise money for an organization as a thank you, that says a lot. I'm really looking forward to getting to know these folks.

Team in Training

2010-02-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

I've done it again, and signed up for an event with Team in Training. The Indiana chapter has really got it together and offers an awful lot, both to participants and leukemia patients, so I decided to bite the bullet and do the begging again.

Please go to the link below and do what you can. And of course, please feel free to distribute far and wide!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/in/Steelhd10/chappelppy

The event this year is a 70.3 (half-iron) in Michigan, in late July. Ironically enough, it's where several of us used to drive regularly to play in the symphony. This will be a slightly different perspective (ha!). Am also training for an earlier 70.3 in late April, down in Galveston. All of this is part of the grand plan to do a full Iron on my 50th birthday next year.

As always, my sincerest thanks for your help!

Disconnect from reality?

2010-02-01T11:33:00.001-08:00

There's something disturbing about the pairing of photo/headline here...

My trainer's killer endurance workout

2010-01-14T12:09:00.000-08:00

I have a kick-ass trainer -- she kicks my ass all over the place twice a week. Today's pleasure was a most effective endurance workout. She calls this her "chutes and ladders" workout...but it's nothing like the kids' game!

The basic sequence is this (there are drawings below):

backwards lunge to knee raise, 20x each side
pop squats through ladder, step in-out-in-out on the way back, pop squats through ladder again
sprint to end of room
feet on Reebok slippers (or anything that you can slide across the floor), get in push-up position, walk on hands 2/3 way down room to short hurdles (dragging feet behind you)
jump over hurdles (7 of them)
15 pushups

Repeat 5x in 30 minutes.

Lunge to knee lift

Hop squats through ladder

Walking plank

Hurdles

Doctoral Mailbox

2010-01-13T07:10:00.000-08:00

Makes me want to run right out and start on that Ph.D.!

Perspective on feeling "full"

2010-01-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

During this past season of excess otherwise known as the holidays, I have done my share of over-eating. After one particularly enthusiastic round of Tex-Mex, I was whining to a friend about how stuffed I felt, to the point of uncomfortable. Her response took me by surprise: "Oh, I used to feel that way all the time!"

Wow. This is from a friend who has totally overhauled her eating and lifestyle habits, and is well down the long road to serious weight loss.

As someone who has never had a weight issue, I needed clarification. Were you mistaking this for a normal satiated feeling? Did you forget how uncomfortable it was, or simply get used to it? When did you realize this was not normal? Here's what I got back:

OK...we fat people get into a "habit" of eating so much that I think we just adjust to that feeling and unless we have that super-full feeling we don't think we are satiated. So I guess we mistake that "less than stuffed " feeling for "I must be hungry again".

The emotional part of eating is all about feeling satisfied and unfortunately the more we stuff ourselves the more we seem to want in order to feel full, ie., satisfied. It is one of those never-ending cycles for many people.

So the increasing sizes of clothes or being unable to move as much just doesn't become as important as feeling satisfied. Very many times the "satisfied" or stuffed feeling is equated with happiness...unfortunately.

For me, a herniated disk (twice) had a bit to do with me paying attention after I realized I caused this myself. But I didn't truly change me enough. I still didn't care enough about myself to do anything about it.

The truth is that I didn't do anything until a good friend that I cared for came into my life that really enjoyed physical exercise, sports , competitions, just being fit and LIVING LIFE believed in me enough and showed me that I too could have those things.

Seeing her enjoy races and seeing the other large and out-of-shape people using the event as a means to become more fit was quite an eye-opener for me. I never would have thought that I could have these things like the other "fit" people I used to see.

The biggest thing for me was realizing that I could use races or events as a means to get into shape, and that was much better than waiting for the weight loss to happen first.

Lose the small pup tents!

2010-01-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you wear super-large shirts to the gym...your friends crawl right up in there with you.

This is a good friend of mine, S, who insists on adding 20 pounds to her appearance by wearing a small pup tent while exercising. I think she's cured now.

Healthy weight loss cutting into his profits?

2010-01-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

Doctor urges an end to fitness myth

BOCA RATON, Fla. (UPI) -- Constantly linking exercise with weight loss may cause more people to fail at reaching their goals, a bariatric physician suggests.

Dr. Sasson Moulavi says exercise is ideal for maintaining weight once goals are met but is usually counterproductive in trying to lose weight.

"I've seen far better results from patients that strictly follow a lifestyle program than those that work to incorporate exercise into their weight loss regime," Sass says in a statement.
"When you exercise, your body certainly burns calories, but it also creates hunger and compensates with food, which is counterproductive."

When people exercise, they burn calories and feel justified in eating a little more here and there, which can sabotage their efforts because many eat more calories than they burned, Moulavi says.

For example, a study published last year in the International Journal of Obesity, found during the 18-month study of 538 students "when the kids start to exercise, they end up eating more -- an average of 100 calories more than they had just burned," Moulavi says.

Moulavi recommends eating healthy, nutritious foods, getting the weight off and then focusing on an exercise routine to keep it off.

Copyright 2010 by United Press International

Stumbling along...

2009-12-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

I'm new to this whole blog thing, and really have no idea what I'm doing. Please bear with me while I stumble around this thing and figure out how it works. Ultimately I hope to share (mostly) fitness-related thoughts here, hopefully quite soon.