Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 26 Days to go

Now I'm at a quandary, by the Ironman website I've got 26 days to go. Let's see, the race is on Sept 27th and today is August 31st. Doesn't it seem I've got 27 days to go? Anyway, I'll stick with there calendar and when I'm at 0 my preparation is finished. The race will be the next day.

This morning I got up and headed outside for a run and it was raining. I decided that rather than run in the rain, I'd sign myself and Emily up for the Hickory Knob sprint triathlon in October. I also signed up the boys for a triathlon the day before my event. They're excited that they'll be doing another one the same weekend that I am.

This afternoon, I headed down to the neighborhood pool and swam 2 km. It was a good swim, though slow. I've had a head cold and it really slows down my swimming... I guess because I'm having to work harder to get a good breath. Anyway, the time was within the limits I want for the race and I'm sure on race day, with lots of adrenaline and a wetsuit, I'll be speedy.

Tomorrow marks an important day. Two years ago, on Sept 1st, 2007 I got fed up with being fat and weighed myself at 359 lbs and started this journey which has led me to the Augusta Ironman 70.3. Life is good.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 28 days to go

What a great day! I got up late (6:30 am), had a cup of coffee, and prepped the bike for a ride. I've been loving my Garmin 305 GPS and I wondered if I could attach it to the bike. It fits perfectly over the cateye8 that I had been using for distance and speed. It was a blessing to have that right there and easy to read.

I had some oatmeal with a banana in it and headed out the door. I'd put some Emergen-C in the water bottles and PowerBars in my fanny pack.... Ready to go. Headed out and did some mental math. 56 miles will be the distance of the Ironman Augusta 70.3. 28 miles is half of that and 14 miles is one quarter. I decided to break it down into 4 14 mile quarters and hit my lap button each time. The first lap was fun and smooth. The second lap was also. By the third lap, I'd talked myself into an extra 3 miles each way so I'd get in a metric century (100 KM - 62 miles). Those first 3 miles of the third lap were the most horrendous hills I'd seen all ride. By the time I'd knocked them down both ways, my speed had dropped. The first 2 14 mile segments, I averaged 15 miles per hour and 15.5 miles per hour. In the third quarter, I averaged 13.8. It was rough and slow but I did it. The last 14 mile lap was back at the 15 mph pace. THEN it was another 6 miles home. Those were the hardest of the whole morning.

My water bottles were gone after 2 1/2 quarters of the ride, so I stopped in a store and got another liter of water. That was gone during the next quarter and I went without for the last few miles. I had a Powerbar at the 18 mile mark and the 30 mile mark. My body still has a bit of issue with sugar shock when I eat them and I think I need to have a few each week just to get used to them. I do think they help but my stomach has a hard time handling the sugar jolt and I can get a little nauseous.

The best part was after I got home... I've been fine. I felt good enough to run, which I'll be doing in 4 weeks at the event. I think I paced myself well and I would have finished the bike segment in about 3hrs 45 minutes. Not bad for a mountain bike and certainly inline with accomplishing a finish in well under 8 hrs. I think if all goes well in Augusta, I could be near the 7 hr time frame.

Went swimming with the boys this afternoon and really have had a great day.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 29 Days to go

It's been a good training week and I'm amazed that there are 29 days left before the race. We're down to the final push! Work has been a bit crazy and I'm working hard to get a copy of my book to the publisher for a small print. I've still gotten in some good runs and swims, as well as a short bike. This weekend is going to be some longer distances, particularly on the bike. I'm starting to calm down a little about the race. Yesterday, I saw the swim waves lineup and it was not good news. There are about 25 waves and mine is 2 from the back, which means I start about 9 am and will be near the back for the entire race. Ouch.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 33 Days to go

Started the day with 1500M in the pool. It was slow and steady and felt really good. It was great to be back in form swimming after the tough swim at the Greenville Triathlon. When I got out of the pool and showered, I couldn't ever get my lock undone, so got to cut the lock off. I thought I had the combination well memorized but I mixed up the numbers.

At dinner, the boys asked if we could go for a fun after dinner. It was SO much fun. We walked and jogged up to the park, then ran around it, then downtown and around the clocktower. It was a total of 2 miles, about 1 mile running and 1 mile walking. What A blessing to get to run with my kids. Marshall is 8 and always wants to lead the pack. John William is 10 and reminds me a lot of myself when I was young. The mile run was twice the distance they did last weekend at the kids triathlon.

Pretty soon we'll need to sign up for the 5k's together!

33 days until the 1/2 Ironman... It's hard to believe that I'll be tapering 4 weeks!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 34 Days to go

Well, we're coming down to the home stretch! If you've followed this blog for awhile, you'll note that I've not been posting everyday. Part of that is that my training has slacked off... It's not stopped, but the triathlon last weekend required a bit more recovery than I expected... both mentally and physically.

I did get in some good workouts last week, just not as consistently as in the past. I've worked hard to get in two workouts a day and right now I'm doing good to get one good one. I'm planning to bring it up a notch during the coming week.

How do people train for the full Ironman when they have jobs, families, church, etc that all seems to compete for your time? I've read that many who train for a big event like that put other things to the side. I'm thinking a lot has to do with your goals.

My goal is to finish the 1/2 Ironman healthy, and ideally with a smile on my face. I believe I could do that today and I'll be in great shape to do that in a month. I thought all I'd need to gain during this time is endurance and work on my speed. The reality is that I've needed to learn to care for myself and to pick myself back up when I get discouraged, and to get some rest when I'm feeling worn down, and a take some time before a race to wind down from the workouts. These are great lessons learned that will serve me well.

Meanwhile, I did some great reading this week. Michael Hyatt, the CEO of Thomas Nelson publishers recommended the book Born to Run. I ordered it off Amazon and just finished it. It's amazing and I may put it up with the book Slow Burn as my all time favorite running books. The book starts with the question, "Why does my foot hurt?" and delves into the mastery of running by ultramarathon distance trail runners, including the Tumahamura Indians of Mexico. If running is so bad for your knees and feet, then why can these runners run barefoot or with sandals over 100 miles and smile? I have a long way before I could do anything like that, but I did do 7 miles this morning and had a blast. Last weekend when I did the sprint triathlon, it was like that on the bike... just fun like I was a school kid.

That's my goal. I want to do the race in a way that's fun, playful and healthy.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 41 Days to go

I ran the Greenville Triathlon today. It's a sprint 400M, 15mile, 3.1 mile. I have good, bad, and ugly from the event.

I got there early and laid out my gear. Everything was going smooth. Time came for the swim and I got in the deep end where the lineup was. I was #435 and did a little swimming to warm up. The swim was in a 50 meter pool that had 8 lanes. The swim consisted of swimming back and forth for all 8 lanes, going under the lane rope after you touched the far wall. I lined up with the other swimmers awaiting out start, and when it was my time, moved into the start lane. We were starting at 10 second intervals, two at a time. I started out way too fast and soon was behind a huge guy that was in the 10 second group that went before us. I thought it would be a good idea to get on around him but it quickly became a struggle as he was in the middle of the lane. All in a sudden, I felt a bit panicky. I pulled back but I was winded and couldn't catch my breath. I touched the far wall, went under the rope and started the second lane. I trying to get back to a regular swim pace and get control of my breath but it just got worse. I started hyperventilating and didn't seem to be able to get any air. The water was very warm, the air was hot, and I was freaking. At two of the wall turns, I had to stop for a few seconds to get my breath before moving on to the next lane. Midway through the swim, I thought that something was really wrong with me... could this be a heart attack? No, I decided... just nerves and a bad start and I continued on with a side stroke which allowed me to breathe the whole time. Eventually I finished the swim and did a time of 10 minutes which really wasn't so bad. I was still out of breath as I headed to the bike transition.

I spent 3:30 in the bike transition. Pretty slow but I was still freaked from the swim. I got my Garmin GPS watch on my wrist but forgot to turn it on under after I'd started the bike. Once I got on the bike though things got better. I caught my breath and began to gain control. I was beginning to feel sure of myself. The ride was wonderful and I was fast. I averaged 18 miles an hour on my mountain bike and probably passed 15 people and was passed by only 5 or 6. I eventually got into a group that was a lot of fun and we went back and forth taking the lead. They'd get the lead on the uphills and I'd come flying down on the downhills. I finished in 52 minutes, which was pretty smokin' fast for me. It was a lot of fun passing fancy $2000 bikes with my $300 mountain bike. Sorry, but it just is.

The run transition was a smokin' 1 minute 9 seconds. I headed out for the run. I didn't feel like I was as fast as I could be but at a good, sustainable pace that allowed for good breathing. I was still thinking about the panicked start in the swim. I finished the run in 31 minutes, which meant I was running 10 minute miles, which is really good for me. I'm about to finally break into the single digits on the run speed!

Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly:

The Good
- Great bike time and was really having fun out there on the bike.
- Good organization and had everything I needed
- Amazing family all there cheering me on
- New friends I made
- My kids seeing their Dad struggle and triumph
- Finished with a smile on my face

The Bad:
- Starting too fast in the swim
- Poor swim time

The Ugly:
- Hyperventilating in the pool and swim falling apart because I couldn't get my breath.
- 1/2 hour after the event beginning dry heaves and having them a couple more times in the next hour.
- Feeling sick after the event.
- Second guessing myself whether I can do the Ironman Augusta 70.3.

During the race I tried one of the gel packs that they had given at registration. I think it was part of what made me sick. I think it was such a sugar shock to my system that I wasn't used to, I had a bad reaction to it. I'm also sure I didn't drink enough. I had about 24 oz during the race but was didn't feel better after the race until I'd gotten another 32 oz in.

I know I can do the 70.3 event. I just need to slow down, start the swim at a mellow pace, enjoy the bike, and get in the zone on the run. I am no where near competitive, though I'd really love to be. I need to accept this and learn to have more fun without constantly feeling like I haven't done good enough. I'm pushing myself in ways that most people don't. I've come back from morbid obesity to living a healthy life. I'm active in life and creating my path.

I'm thinking that's more than good enough.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 44 Days to go

This morning we saw some guests off and as I walked them outside I was pleased to see some cool fog. Definitely looked like a morning for a run, even though I wasn't planning on it. My knee was feeling better, so out the door with my Garmin GPS. I had the most incredible run ever! I did 4.2 miles with an average speed of 10:07 per mile. Here's what was the coolest... My fastest mile was 9:55 and my slowest was 10:12. Incredibly consistent over the entire time. It's the fastest I've fun by far and it was really a great feeling.

What else has been wonderful is that my knee has not been hurting at all today. Usually, after a run, it takes a day to settle out. Today, it's felt great during and after the run. I'm hoping that's a sign of things to come.

This afternoon I did 2000M in the pool. It was a nice mellow pace... not too fast nor too slow. I realized that my race Sunday, with a swim distance of 400M, I should be out of the pool in under 10 minutes... Isn't that crazy?

Sunday's triathlon will be fun. 400M swim, 15 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. I'm figuring a time of 10 minutes on the swim, 1 hr on the bike, and 32 minutes on the run, so with good transitions I should be done in 1:50 or so. Sweet.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 45 Days to go

Had a great run yesterday of 4.2 miles. The first mile was really slow as I got my knee joints nice and flexible again. After it went a little faster but not much. It wasn't about speed but about running after the 1/2 marathon distance.

I'm starting to look at some used bikes but I think I'm going to pass. When I get to Ironman distance, I'm definitely going to have something faster and more built for distance. For now my modified mountain bike does a great job. I've even given it a name. It's a Gary Fisher bike with a deadhead style paint job, kinda flowing and hippyish. I'm calling it Gary Garcia.

Today we had guests and I took the day as my break day. Tomorrow will be back to the swimming and some cycling. My knee has been hurting today, so I'm going to lay off the running tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to the sprint triathlon I'm doing on Sunday! It's going to be a blast.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 47 Days to go

I'm back in the saddle again! I started the day with a 2000M swim. The speed wasn't great but I was still working out the stiffness in my legs from Saturday's 1/2 marathon distance run. The swim was wonderful and I felt strong. I'm really looking forward to doing the distance in the open water, as back and forth in a pool trying to keep count of laps just misses it a bit for me. I'll be swimming down the lane thinking 33, 33, 33, but wasn't I just on 29? No, I passed 30 because I hit the lap on my watch and swam back and I think this is the next lap so it must be 33. Thankfully all this process goes on mid lap and by the time I touch the other wall I've got it all straightened out. Just some mental aerobics while I do the laps.

This afternoon, I headed out on the bike for a ride in the 101 degree heat. Yes, that's what my GPS pulled as the high temp out there. I did 22 miles at 15.1 miles per hour. I love having the GPS watch. It gives me lots of great data on the ride like fastest mile, slowest mile, highest heart rate, avg heart rate, etc. I really enjoy getting the info. I also found that my bike computer was off a bit in it's speed.

At 15.1 miles per hour, the 56 miles of the Augusta Ironman 70.3 would take 3:42. My swim should be around 45 minutes and the 1/2 Marathon at 2:40. That puts me at 7:07 plus 15 minutes for transition, so 7:22 total. That would be an awesome time that I'd be thrilled with. If everything goes perfectly, I could... could possibly... break the 7 hr mark. THAT would be incredible.

When I got back from the bike I did a low challenge reverse brick. Know what that means? I got off my bike and jumped into the pool with the kids and just goofed around. It was a great afternoon.

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 48 Days to go

It's been a tough week but also a wonderful one. Let me explain.

When I got back from vacation, it was hard getting 100% back into the training. I did alright Monday and Tuesday, but then Wednesday planned on a long swim at Clemson. Weather knocked out that possibility at the last minute, so I got in no training on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday I had plans for training in the afternoon and again, things came up that interfered. In other words, I wasn't giving the training the priority that it demands. There will ALWAYS be other things coming up to block your training time, that's why you do it early in the morning or do it after those things or "just do it" as the Nike slogan states.

I got an email Friday about a running group on Saturday which was running from our downtown, a few blocks away. I had promised myself earlier in the week that this was the weekend to run a 1/2 marathon to show myself that I could do it. I decided I'd join this group, run 4 or 5 miles with them and then continue on.

Saturday morning I joined that group at 6:30 am downtown. Several people from my church were there and it was a nice group of folks. They decided on the 5 mile loop which is used for the Simpsonville sunrise run. I told them that I'd be continuing on at the end because this was a long run day. We started off and the pace was blistering for me. At first I was behind them 30 feet, then 30 yards, then 100 yards. By late in the loop, I was probably 1/2 mile behind the group. The run was difficult and mentally, I was having a hard time believing that 13.1 miles was possible. The problem is, if it's not possible for me then neither is this Ironman 70.3 that I've been training for. I pushed on through and at the end of the 5 miles, as I approached the group that was finished. One of them yelled out, "how much more are you running?" I said, "At least one more loop." They started saying things like, "You're the man!" "Go for it." and other words of encouragement.

All in a sudden, there was a spring in my step. I felt strong and able. I may not be fast but I was doing something special. I continued to run. During the next 5 miles I called home and Cindy came out along my path to give me water. It was wonderful to turn down my street and the boys ran down to meet me and run alongside. Cindy passed me a water bottle as I ran by and I was at the 9 mile mark.

The last 4.1 miles became far more difficult. I kept checking my gps watch to see how far I had left. 4.1, then 3.5, then 3, then 2.8, then 2.7. The further I ran, the slower the mileage seemed to drop off. My legs were burning and there was a bit of cramping in my hamstrings but I was able to run through it. With less than 2 miles to go, I had to stop for traffic to cross an intersection. It hurt to start running again. The last mile was very tough and seemed to last forever. The last 2 tenths of a mile was uphill and the finish was at the hill's apex. I was wiped! I considered calling Cindy and having her pick me up once I'd finished because it was a 1/2 mile walk home. Instead I decided that walk was important to maintain some flexibility in my legs. My t-shirt was soaked and I peeled it off.

I'd done it! I ran 13.1 miles in 2:36:28. That's inline with my goal of finishing under 8 hours AND my supergoal of finishing under 7 hours. Cindy had a great breakfast waiting for me and I took a nap in the afternoon. I'm writing this on Sunday morning, and while I'm still sore, I'm quite pleased with how well I'm doing. I plan to swim this afternoon to continue to limber back up the legs.

This coming weekend, I have a sprint triathlon, which should be a great workout and I'm starting to get my training second wind. 48 days to go!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 53 Days to go

This morning's workout fell apart. I was going to cycle but the headlight on my bike went out in the first block. It was 5:20 am and I thought there was enough light from the street lights and I knew the sun would start coming up soon. 3 miles into the ride I got stopped by a median that I couldn't see, a car had to brake quickly and she yelled "get a light on that bike!"... at that point I rode back to the shelter of home. I should have made an adjustment in the beginning rather than risking an injury because I was too hard headed to change my workout plan. I'm just glad it all worked out fine.

I took my swim gear to work and headed over to the health club after work and did a 1.2 mile swim in 50 minutes. Not my fastest time but a solid effort. My goal is to do the event swim in 45 minutes and my dream would be to break 40 minutes. Both are possible, though the 45 minutes is a lot more probable. Here's my event goals...

1. Finish with a smile! This is the first and most important goal.
2. Finish in under 8 hrs. example: 45 minute swim, 5 minute T1, 4 hr bike, 5 minute t2, 3 hr run. (7:55 total).. I'd be thrilled to reach this goal!
3. Finish in under 7 hrs. Example: 40 minute swim, 3 min T1, 3.5 hr bike, 3 minute t2, 2.5 hr run (6:46 total)... I'd be amazed and psyched to reach this goal and dancing(after some recovery time)

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 54 Days to go

Yesterday Best Buy had the Garmin 305 watch on sale for $129 and I picked one up. This morning I went for a run with it on. It's pretty neat to see the data. For those who don't know, the Garmin 305 is a watch with GPS and heartrate monitor. So, the watch figures out my pace per mile, tracks my exact distance and course, and keeps up with my heart rate. I can look at the course and see what rate my heart got to on the hills and I can see different splits for speed. My slowest mile was about 12:30 and my fastest was 10:30. Now if I can only get all 10:30's I'll be doing great! I did 4.1 miles and was really pleased.

This afternoon, I went down to the pool with the kids. I did 1000M. It wasn't a great time but I am coming back off the week of vacation. The boys did 100M each in preparation for their upcoming triathlon.

I've eaten well today and am in a push to drop some weight before the race. Every pound that I lose is one I don't have to carry for 70.2 miles. Overall a great day!

Ironman Augusta 70.3 - 55 Days to go

I am amazed to realize that the triathlon that I've been training for is next month! Time has flown and I'm down to the last 8 weeks of training and preparation. Today I did some cycling and running. Not a lot, after the vacation week in Orlando with the family. I'm going to work back up to distance this week with some long distance work this coming weekend.

Today I worked with the boys on their upcoming triathlon. We went over transitions and the multiple legs of the event. Cindy and I mapped out a course in the neighborhood that mirrors the distances that they will do. Their race will be a 100M swim, a 2.5 mile bike, and a .5 mile run. They did their first today as practice in 33 minutes. We were quite proud of them and they were excited that they can do the distance.

I think it's important to know that you can do it. The mind has such a large part to play in our success or failure in any distance event. That's why it's important to me to accomplish all the distances prior to the Augusta event. I've done double the swim distance and I've done the bike distance several times... it's that run that I've never done. The longest run I've done to date is 6.5 miles and it's become a mental block. This next week will see that block fall.

It's great to be in the final sprint toward the event!