The final push

Well, IMC is nearly here. 5 weeks left until I toe the line up in Penticton. I don't know quite what to feel as the event gets closer. I feel like my training program has been solid all year, I just haven't always been terrific at following all aspects of it. There have been so many interruptions this year compared to last year. Which is weird since last year was such a tough year. Although this year has been nuts! A job transfer, a move, becoming a land lord, working harder than I have in a long time, oh...and a little thing called a wedding that is upcoming. Actually 6 days post Ironman to be exact.

From a fitness standpoint, I feel as fit as I ever have. I think I wrote up a good training program for this year which required me to get a lot of early season cycling miles and have a solid run focus in the spring. I am disappointed about getting sick prior to Boise 70.3 as I feel like I was ready to put a very fast time on the board. The only discipline I don't feel great about is my swimming as I have neglected to make many early morning workouts due to work and life constraints, but I had the fastest split the other weekend at Hagg so I guess that is coming around as well. But none of that matters. Pentiction is what matters this year. So I have just over two more weeks of large training volume and then I will ease into a 3 week taper for the big dance.

This past week has been an interesting training week. It started out slow as I was just totally wiped out. So I backed off on one session and cancelled another. I then woke up this morning to get in my 6hr ride. I did the same course as last week. Out to and then up Larch Mountain. It takes me almost 2.5 hours to get to the bottom of Larch so it's a perfect distance away for Ironman simulation. This week my Dad met me at the bottom and he started up the mountain ahead of me. I gave him a ten minute start and then took off. I started this time at Women's Forum instead of just at the turn off to the mountain. I had a pretty good ride up. My legs were pretty sore from some intense training lately and the temperature was damn near triple digits out. My goal was to better my time from last week of 73 minutes. I was able to make it up in 70 minutes, and that included the extra 60 seconds or so it takes to get to the base from Women's Forum. I was very pleased with this effort.

So in 5 weeks I will be sitting in my rental house in Penticton wondering what tomorrow will hold. Will I be able to stay with the lead pack on the swim? Will I be able to hold back on Richter enough to bring it on the Yellow Lake climb? Will my bike and run prep be enough to allow me to run the sub 3:45 I want on the marathon? Will I have a mechanical? And on and on and on it goes. But you know what? It doesn't matter. Give it everything you have and the outcome will take care of itself. That is my motto this year. Be smart, and be strong. The rest will take care of itself. Thanks for reading and enjoy some pics from our trip up Larch below.

-T

That's Mt. Hood from Sheppard's Point.

Not for you

A classic Pearl Jam song. Also the theme of this post. Triathlon, and Ironman in particular, is a very selfish sport. Just the other day I caught myself trying to answer a ton of pending wedding questions from the Mrs as I was trying to get out the door for an evening ride. I had to catch myself and slow down. Life is about family, not about a bike; or a run or a swim. That being said, I have a VERY supportive partner that understands my need to race right now. No matter how much one denies it, Ironman is very selfish. To finish an Ironman you must put in the training that takes you away from family and friends. To be competitive at Ironman, and triathlon in general, you must put in even more training that takes you away from family and friends. And then there is the recovery and additional sleep that is required and special nutrition, and on and on and on.

So the Pearl Jam song comes on as I'm pumping up a rather nasty climb that same night. "This is not for you." No "it's" not for anyone, but that being said, I involve others with me as I can or as they want. This is where the selfish part is a little different for me. Although I do this sport for me, I race for more than just me. I race for those that have inspired me. I race for those that have spent countless hours a day by themselves while I was out training. But there is still the ultimate question, when you are beyond pain and mental exhaustion, 8 or 9 hours into an Ironman...who do you race for? At this point, it has to be for me. But I have an Army with me. They love and support me. They make me stronger. Although it's me at mile 20 of the marathon, it's not me. It's me and my Army.

I set a PR of almost a minute on that climb. The song finished playing. I smiled knowing that Ironman Canada is just over 5 weeks away.

-T

Big Weekend

The final four big weeks leading into Ironman taper are upon me. Today is a long day, with a large amount of the day spent on the bike. Today I'm trying to mimic the course up at Canada. I will work my way out to Larch Mountain that is a fairly significant climb, think Richter Pass. Actually, Larch is a much longer climb, about 15 miles in total. Then I'll work my way down a descent and an out and back section before climbing back up a fairly significant climb, think Yellow Lakes. Then a nice descent before a final 20 miles into wind to finish. Should be brilliant.

I feel like things are coming together. My run is feeling solid and same with the swim. I need to get the time on the bike. Only 4 more weeks and taper starts. Every workout counts.


Thanks for reading!

-T

Hagg Lake Race Report

I've raced at Hagg Lake 3 out of the last 4 years. For those unfamiliar with this venue, it is rich in triathlon history. Many the founding fathers of our sport have raced Hagg Lake: Scott Tinley, Scott Molina, Mark Allen, etc. In preparing for Ironman Canada this year I wanted a race a little under two months out that would test my fitness, but not require me to take extra time off from training post race. Basically I needed a tough Olympic Distance to race. Hagg Lake was a logical choice. This past week in Oregon has been extremely hot and it appeared Saturday was going to be a bright and sunny day as well. The alarm went off early Saturday morning and Meg and I made our way out to the lake.

My goal going into the race was to swim hard, attack the bike, and see what kind of fitness I had left on the run. I wanted to go sub 2:20 on this challenging course. My PR was 2:23 so I thought this was a realistic goal. I got checked in quick enough and set up my transition. Had some interesting people sharing my bike rack, very interesting people! Anyways, made my way back down to the lake and put on my wetsuit.
I didn't realize there was an elite wave so I was starting in the second wave, just one minute later. Perfect, I love rabbits on the swim! 10, 9, 8, 7...1 and we were off. I quickly took charge at the front of the group and started to set a fast pace. We rounded the first buoy and I was already catching some of the elite group. I settled into a long, smooth swim stroke and tried to enjoy myself. As I rounded the the first lap, I put the pedal down a little to try and catch the final couple elites in front of me. I made the final turn and headed to shore. I had the fastest swim split overall at 20:57 although I think the overall winner of the race might have out split me but his timing chip didn't work on the swim portion.



I had one of the quickest transition of my career at 1:52, third fastest of the day from what I could see. Off to the bike, I was in second overall. Hagg Lake is one of the more challenging courses in the area. Two loops around the lake with some decent climbs on each loop. It is a very honest course. Small climb to get out of the boat ramp and then another climb to start the two loop section of the lake and I could tell something was wrong. I was really struggling to make the pedals turn and was passed by 2 or 3 people. I looked down and instantly saw my problem, my damn brake pad was forced up against my front wheel. I spent the next mile trying to fix while riding, losing precious time. I finally thought, this is insanity and pulled over. It probably took me 20 seconds to fix, but unfortunately lost time getting off and on the bike, plus the time messing around with it while trying to ride. I slowly started to get back into a rhythm and at the turnaround I could see the few people in front of me heading back. I was a few minutes down to the leaders. I will admit, I was pretty frustrated with myself, my goal was to split a 1:07, maybe 1:06 on this course, but in order to do that I knew I needed to be riding with these boys.

The second lap was routine. I gained speed and confidence on the second loop. I entered T2 in what I believe to be 9th place overall. My bike split was a disappointing 1:10:21, good enough for 23rd overall. My goal of a 1:06:30 would have put me at 10th overall. I believe the mechanical cost me between 60-120 seconds, but it's so hard to know.

Anyways, quick out of T2. 1:11, which was a little slower than I wanted, but I struggled pulling my shoes on for some reason. I quickly took off for the hilly 10k run. I quickly picked up my pace and thought I was going to have a decent run. After about 1/2 mile, my asthma told me it had different plans! Oh crap. I knew I wasn't fully healed from Boise one month ago, but I was pretty frustrated that I was still struggling with this. The run course is very hilly as well which is not good for me when I'm struggling with asthma. I'm much better on a course where I can set a pace and not have to move too much off this pace.
That being said, I made the turn back home with 5k left and was feeling ok. I had been passed by a 2 or 3 people and thought I was in 12th overall. I put my head down and continued on my 7:15 pace. There is one final nasty climb before you enter down into the finish area. I made it up that final climb and happily entered the finish chute. I checked my watch and knew I was going sub 2:20. I picked out Meg and my parents and gave some high fives before crossing the finish line. Run split was 45:08 (7:15 pace). Total Time = 2:19:29. This was good enough for 12th overall and 4th in my age group.


Overall, I feel good about the race. I was happy to have my swim back, felt ok about the run despite my lungs still healing, but was disappointed with my bike. The good news is I know what I need to work on for Canada. No problem. If I take out the mechanical, I'm still a few minutes from top 5 bike split which is where I feel like I should be riding. The thing I like about Ironman though, I don't have to worry about being a fast twitch guy (speed guy). I mean you have to be fast, for example my goal on the bike at IMC is to average 21.5 which would get me in around 5:10 to 5:15 for my bike split. I entered the season with a goal of going sub 5 for my split at IMC, but not sure that is realistic. We'll see, so much can change in two months, especially with a solid taper. Anyways, I enjoy the longer distance where you can get into a rhythm and the race becomes a battle of fitness and mental strength. Very much looking forward to Canada next month. Thanks for reading!!

-T

Happy 4th!!

First off, Happy Independence Day to everyone out there! I'm happy to report that I'm having a great 3 day weekend. It started out yesterday with a solid 5.5 hour ride, followed immediately by a 25 minute run. I felt strong throughout the entire day, pushing the pace whenever I could. My lungs have pretty much healed from Boise. They are not 100%, but fairly close. I could tell this weekend that it continues to get better. Off to bed last night to be woken up at 4:30 by our alarm clock...Meghan's first half marathon was this morning!!

A friend picked us up and we were off. For me, it was all fun. I had a few new jobs: pacer, pack mule, and motivator. My goal was to try and help Meg get under 2 hours. I wore my Garmin, but after a mile or two I didn't need it. After a slow start where I had to hold her back a few times, we were dialed in to an 8:45 pace. I ran ahead to each aid station and refilled empty bottles in my fuel belt and then handed those off to Meg. I can't express how much fun the day was for me! I watched her enter into a dark place around 10 miles but she never wavered. In fact, her last two miles were her fastest 2 miles. Talk about finishing strong!! As we came around the final bend I had an enormous smile on my face as I reflected on everything she had done to overcome injuries to just get to the start line. To then execute the perfect race and come in at, wait for it, 1:56:29...well heck, she smashed it today!!

My parents were there to celebrate with. We told a few stories and then I put my fuel belt back on and headed back out on the course to find our friend Jess who had driven us over. She was doing the full marathon. I found her about 2 miles from the finish line and ran with her to the finish. Again, it was great to take on this new challenge of pacing. I thoroughly enjoyed helping Meg reach her goal. Not only did I get in my long run of 17 miles, but I got to be a part of her magical day :)

Next week will be my first race since Boise. I will be racing the Olympic Distance at Hagg Lake in Forest Grove. I'm excited to see where my fitness is. This is a great race to test your fitness as it is one of the more challenging Olympic races within the NW. An honest course which includes two loops of the lake on the bike with a few decent climbs, and a run that includes two of those hills. Until then, I will continue to put up some decent volume numbers and continue to execute an effective build for Ironman Canada. Thanks for reading,

-T