The CarbonMan Report

The IronMan Report

2006-07-27T11:57:00.000-04:00

Race Report - Ironman USA 2006

As promised, the following is a detailed account of Ironman USA 2006. The pain, the suffering, the joy, the unbearable tedium. It's all here.

If you are thinking of competing in an Ironman this might be a helpful look at what to expect on raceday, but then again this is just one person's experience and probably won't be typical.

Mileage, as they say, will vary...

The Cast

Myself, Jeff M in the role of ironman virgin and blog host.

MG as experienced Ironman and Clydesdale phenom.

DS as 2nd time Ironman looking to improve on the Lake Placid course

PH as support crew, both technical and spiritual

Thursday July 20: MG PH and myself drive from Toronto to Lake Placid. An early arrival is good, as it gives you some time to acclimatize to the race location and to find a certain comfort level with the surroundings. Arriving too close to race day would be a little too hectic and nerve-wracking, and besides, registration is actually 2 days prior to the race so last minute arrivals are impossible.

The town of Lake Placid is picturesque, very affluent, and pretty much entirely white. That's a bit of an adjustment for a boy from Toronto, but since triathlon is largely a white sport anyway (for whatever reasons - I'm not going to supply a socio-economic critique of multisport here) it wasn't too much of a shock. We were talking to Ironman North America head Poo-Bah Graham Fraser on Friday down at the beach and he told us that Lake Placid is about the perfect size for hosting an Ironman event. Any city over 30,000 is too big because there are just too many other distractions to compete with the event. In the smaller venues an IM is a really big deal, and the volunteers come out in the thousands. And make no mistake, they are needed to ensure the success of the race.

Friday July 21: We register for the race. That includes a weigh-in so that if you look like you're in serious trouble crossing the finish line they can tell if you've lost a dangerous amount of weight and get you hooked up to an IV in a hurry. More on that later. We get fitted for a competitors bracelet and pick up our swag bag, which unlike other races does not include a T-shirt. Nobody gets a shirt until they cross the finish line, which makes an IM shirt a very valuable item of clothing indeed.

In the two days prior to raceday we drove the bike course (just one 90km loop) to familiarize ourselves with it, swam a loop of the swim course and biked a loop of the run course, all for the sake of eliminating at least some of the unknowns of the race. For me at least, an Ironman is largely uncharted territory so this was helpful.

What was not helpful was the rain that started to come down on Saturday. By the time we had to rack our bikes in the transition area it was raining hard, hard enough to require some hasty garbage bag bike coverings to prevent everything from getting totally soaked overnight. Best case raceday scenario on Saturday night was looking like rain in the morning, maybe clearing by the afternoon in time for the run. Yikes. Not good. 180km of riding in the rain is nobody's idea of a good time, including me - I packed extra shirts plus a rain jacket in my T1 bag so I would be prepared for any kind of weather on raceday. Good move. I also packed extra socks in my run 'special needs' bag (which you pick up after loop 1 of the run - typically stocked with additional food but also with odds & ends like extra socks, sunscreen, Advil or whatever) in case my feet were wet. Nothing worse than blisters with another 21km to run.

When we went to bed on Saturday night it was still coming down in buckets, but for some reason I wasn't too worried about it. I've raced in the rain before and I imagine I'll race in the rain again, so it didn't keep me awake.

Race Day

We were up at 4:45 so there would be plenty of time to get some food in before hitting the water at 7 a.m., and lo and behold the rain had stopped. It was still pretty wet on the ground, and it was a chilly 12 degrees or so but at least it wasn't raining. Hallelujah brother.

PH gave the three of us a lift down to the centre of town so we could get our wetsuits on and throw our dry clothes into a bag for pickup after the race. Mistake #1: as PH was pulling away to head back to the hotel I realized I had left my water bottles for my bike behind. Doh! Arrgggghh. The very first thing you have to do when you get on the bike is start drinking, in order to rehydrate after the swim. Sounds weird, but it's not like you can carry water with you on the swim and for sure you can't drink the water in the lake so you are typically in need of some rehydration immediately into the bike portion of the race. And here I was with no water on my bike at all. None. I felt quite the fool at this point, but both MG and DS reassured my that there would be plenty of water available on the course. MG even unselfishly gave me one of his water bottles to start the ride with - a noble act indeed and one that I was extremely grateful for. It calmed me down immediately too, which had at least as much benefit as the water itself.

The Swim: 3.8 Kilometres (2.4 Miles)

Into the water with 2399 other bobbing heads to the strains of The Star Spangled Banner and 'Clocks' by Coldplay. This is my favourite part of any race, especially when it's an in-the-water start (as opposed to a beach start). For some reason I just like the moment of floating out there waiting for gun to sound, surrounded by all those identical faces - swim caps and goggles and ton of nervous energy, it's a weird and energizing feeling.

The crowds at Lake Placid are huge, too. Unlike most local races where you might have a few hundred (or fewer) spectators, an Ironman draws a big crowd - thousands of friends, family and local residents come out to see what is one of the most exciting moments in sports, the mass swim start. Mirror Lake is long and narrow with a sort of a sheltered beach at one end so it forms a kind of natural amphitheatre. It was packed.

The trick to surviving a mass start is to pick your spot carefully. If you are a slow swimmer you need to get near the back of the pack so faster swimmers aren't swimming over top of you once the race starts, and conversely if you are a good swimmer you need to be nearer the front so you don't have to swim over top of anyone else. You'll have enough to worry about with swimmers on both sides of you anyway. For me, I'm kind of a middle of the pack swimmer so I don't get too near the front. If you pick your spot right you'll generally be swimming with the same crowd for most of the race.

My plan for the swim was to hit the beach at 1:10 to 1:15, and after the first loop I was 35 minutes gone. Right on track. I think I swam off course more in the second loop, so I finished with a 1:14:something. Not bad for the longest swim of my life. After letting a couple of lovely wetsuit peelers pull my suit off I headed to transition feeling pretty good. Even my heart rate was pretty well under control at this point, which meant I hadn't spent too much on the shortest part of the race.

T1 & Bike: 180 Kilometres (112 Miles)

I decided to go with the short sleeve jersey and to carry a light jacket in my pocket. Good move, because after about 10 minutes I was absolutely freezing. I stopped and put on the jacket right away and immediately felt better. Losing a couple of minutes on a long ride is no big deal so I was feeling quite pleased with myself at this point.

My target time for the bike ride was 7 hours. I knew if I hammered it I could put in a quicker time but after my miserable experience in Peterborough 2 weeks before I felt that a more reserved bike pace was better strategy and would leave me with something for the run. I had read over and over in many magazines and training guides that "An ironman is not a bike race", so an easy, steady ride was my gameplan.

That gameplan didn't include 9 stops along the way (one for putting the jacket on, one for taking it off, and 7 more to answer the call of nature) but as it turned out the stops didn't affect my time at all: I finished the 180km in 7 hours, 1 minute and 25 seconds. Right on target.

MG passed me while I was stopped for a nature break and a quick drink mix pretty early on the first loop. As is his wont he was hammering his ride and would turn in a sub-6 hour time. I didn't see DS until late in the first loop, almost back into Lake Placid. We would ride more or less together until about a third of the way into the next loop, and then he was gone too. He would finish with a 6:33 bike time. Nicely done, lads.

The Lake Placid bike course is pretty spectactular - mountains, valleys, lakes and rushing streams, plus a long out-and-back leg through a mostly forested area. The entire region is a national park so it's very lightly populated. I brought along a disposable camera to shoot some snaps along the way and this made the ride even more enjoyable. Lots of laughs and surprised faces from the spectators and support crews when they saw me taking their picture!

T2 and Run: 42.2 Kilometres (26.2 Miles)

PH was making the most of his IM experience by volunteering at the race, something I wish I had thought of last year, so he was right there in T2 when I dropped off my bike. It was great to see a friendly face and get a high five after a long day of riding. I love my bike, but 7 hours in the saddle is long enough. I was glad to be off the bike and doing something different.

Into the change tent and into the run gear, then quickly out onto the course. By this time the weather had warmed up considerably. In fact it was pretty much a perfect day and had been that way since less than half way into the first bike loop. Mid to high 20's, scattered cloud cover and light winds. Amazing, especially when you consider what the weather might have been like based on predictions the day before.

My run, however, would not be so amazing. I felt awful right from the start. This is not unusual - in many past races I have felt terrible getting off the bike and I had anticipated this for the IM, so I wasn't too worried about it and just pushed ahead anyway. I thought things would come around in a few minutes and I could get down to the business of plodding along with everyone else. Wrong. I managed to run much of the first loop, following my plan of walking every aid station, but my stomach was doing flips the whole time. I was forced to walk more and more until finally on the second loop I actually came to a full stop and sat down with my head in my hands for a few minutes. Someone, thankfully, yelled out to me to keep moving and I snapped out of it enough to get back to my feet.

After hobbling along for another couple of kilometres my stomach finally won and I had to have a quick hurl at the side of the road, not 20 metres from an ambulance and a few state troopers. Nobody noticed. At the time I was torn between wanting them to see me and take me off the course (and perhaps shoot me a few times) and hoping they wouldn't so I could keep going. Lucky for me the sight of someone puking on an Ironman is no big deal and the paramedics paid no mind. I got up and stumbled on.

By this time my stomach had shut down completely. The thought of actually eating or drinking anything was right out of the question, but I knew that if I didn't at least drink something I would be in serious trouble before long. I managed to choke down some Gu and some water, but mainly just chewed ice and sipped Coke for quite a long time. My pace got slower and slower and I noticed that not only was I not moving forward at anything like a brisk walking pace, I was actually staggering along like a Saturday night drunk. I don't think I have ever felt worse in my life than I did at that point. Thankfully that didn't last too long - I started chatting with a woman who was walking beside me for a while, I think she was talking to another guy and I sort of jumped into their conversation. I ended up walking with the guy (sorry, don't remember your name), an Italian guy from somewhere around Poughkeepsie NY and also feeling like death on a stick and cursing the day he signed up for an Ironman. I remember both of us swearing we would never be stupid enough to sign up for another one, and how utterly crapulous we both felt. We walked for a long, long way. A couple of hours I think, because we made the turnaround on the River Road and walked all the way back to the top of the first hill on the outside of town about 2 miles from Lake Placid before I started feeling better. By this time it was dark and getting cool and we had grabbed some mylar sheeting to wrap around ourselves to keep warm. The multiple cokes had done the trick and I felt up to attempting a run. He didn't - his problem was cramped muscles, not stomach issues so he wished me good luck, we shook hands and off I went.

Incredibly, the final 4 miles felt really good. I was running at a decent pace and stopped mostly at the aid stations. I warmed up quickly, and felt good enough to run the last 30 meters of the Big Hill in the middle of town, which made the spectators there go nuts. What a great feeling. There's a guy every year who parks himself at the top of that awful hill and barks through a megaphone at all the runners, shouting encouragement. He saw me break into a run and it must have looked like Lazarus rising from the dead. "Look at this guy! Hey, buddy, where you been hiding that run?!!" People were screaming their heads off at me as I ran by, pumping my fist. A rush? You bet.

The next couple of miles were long, but the final 500 meters into the Oval and the loop around and into the finish line were an amazing thing. What a great feeling to finally break that tape.

MG and PH were at the finish line, and a welcome sight they most definitely were. A race official grabbed me though and hung on for a couple of minutes while firing questions at me to see if I was coherent or not. I must have passed the test because she let me go eventually, without even a trip to the scales to see how much weight I had lost. For sure I lost some weight - PH and MG both commented immediately as I crossed the line, and the finish line photo confirms it. How much is hard to say, you don't have to take much away from a 146 lb frame to make it show.

A quick photo with the medal around my neck, a slice of pizza and another blessed Coke (which I normally loathe) and we were ready to scram. Just in time too because just as we were packing up it started to pour rain again. I can't imagine how miserable it would have been to have still been out on the course at that point, trudging along in a cold rain. Awful.

Final finish time: 14 hours, 42 minutes, 12 seconds. I had actually allotted myself 14 hours to complete the course so I wasn't too far off that mark, though I now know that had I not been suffering from such a bad stomach I could have easily bettered the 14 hour mark. My overall place was 1700 out of 2159 who started the race, 180th of 233 in my age group. Not very impressive! But acceptable when you consider the number of DNFs.

MG's time: 12:30:01 I think the :01 part stung a bit, but that's a great time.

DS's time: 12:58:31 Also a good time and a huge improvement on 2005.

Conclusion(s)

Alchemical transformation complete, C has become Fe...

Did I enjoy the experience? Overall, yes. Two thirds of the race I felt great, nine tenths of the run I felt horrible, but I feel pretty good about just finishing the race. My objective going in was to finish the race without requiring medical attention and although it was close at one point I did accomplish at least that. The finish time is irrelevant now, at least for a first attempt.

For the next one I have to sort out my nutrition issues and I think it would be wise to hire a coach or follow some kind of structured training plan. Going it alone might work for some people (like MG for instance) but for me I would feel more confident with some professional assistance in the training phase.

When will the next Ironman be? Hard to say. Maybe not next year, but a return in 2008 sounds likely.

Mission Accomplished

2006-07-26T12:49:00.000-04:00

And unlike George W. Bush I'm not standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier, or wearing a codpiece while doing so.

Watch for a full and horribly detailed race report coming soon. There may even be photos taken during the race, if they look ok.

Go Time

2006-07-19T12:09:00.000-04:00

It's only a few days until the race now, so the heavy training is done and the heavy fretting begins.

Am I ready? Can I do this race? Will I enjoy the day or will it become a festival of suffering? These are questions I keep asking myself as the 23rd draws nearer. There's nothing more to be done that can affect my fitness, and to be honest I feel like I'm as fit as I've ever been so that's good. The question is whether it's good enough.

Three of us (fellow competitor M plus cycling compadre P) are leaving tomorrow morning, which gives us plenty of time to acclimatize in Lake Placid. Fourth man and 3rd competitor D is travelling solo, as is his wont. He'll be there today for an extra day of pre-race angst.

It's recommended that all athletes take a good look at the course beforehand, so even though it won't be new to any of us (I scoped it out last year even though I did not race) I think we'll likely drive the bike course and bike the run, plus swim a loop of the swim course.

My Race Plan

Swim: just swim. Don't do anything special, just stay comfortable in the water and let the giant draft effect pull me around the course.

Bike: Go easy. No pushing, especially on the first loop. Keep as much energy in reserve as possible, so I can run reasonably comfortably off the bike. I'm riding a very comfortable steel road bike (Cervelo Super Prodigy) that in the past has always left my legs feeling pretty fresh for the run. If I can resist the temptation to turn the bike leg into a race I should be ok. The bike ride is all about the "3 Rs": Recover (from the swim), Rehydrate, and Reserve. And above all, don't worry about my personal peloton (M and D) coming up behind me. That was my downfall in Peterborough.

Run: Again, an easy pace even if I feel fantastic off the bike. Walk every aid station, pay attention to fluid intake, and try to stay in cruise mode for as long as possible. If all goes well I should feel ok until somewhere on the second loop, which is when the inevitable difficulties will begin. Even a straight marathon is never a party all the way through, and an IM marathon will be even tougher. I read recently that the run on an IM is "20 miles of hope followed by six miles of reality". So we'll see how real it gets towards the end of the day.

Time prediction: Not making any. Well north of 12 hours is all I know, but beyond that I'm not going to tie myself into any hoped-for result other than to finish the race and stay out of the medical tent. There won't be any qualifying for Hawaii, that's for sure.

That's all for now. Watch for a post-race report next week!

Painful Lesson

2006-07-10T21:28:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my final tuneup race prior to IMLP, a half-iron distance race in Peterborough Ontario. The weather was almost perfect and as usual there was a great turnout for this well-run IM Canada qualifier.

My plan going into the race was to take it easy - keep things at IM pace, no more. That would mean a likely 6 hour + finish time for this half, which would be a pretty slow time for a half.

The swim went well. I didn't push it at all and came up with a very good time anyway, mainly because I only have one swim pace. Pushing the swim for me is futile, all it does is burn more energy for very little return, results-wise. So I work on form and on staying comfortable and out of trouble. I managed to keep my line (very important) and in spite of being grabbed (!) from behind a couple of times I hit the beach in just over 34 minutes for the 2k.

So far so good.

The bike was supposed to be a cruise, no big effort and no over-exertion. I THOUGHT that's what I was doing, but evidently my perception of my effort is a little off. Looking back on the ride I can see now that I did push things a little too hard at times. That would come back to haunt me later in the day.

Whenever I race against my friends M and D, I can guage how well I'm doing by how long it takes them to pass me on the bike. I get out of the water ahead of them every time, but as every triathlete knows the race is never won on the swim. On this day I somehow stayed away from this two-man peloton for the entire ride. That alone should have told me I was going too fast for this race.

Finished the ride feeling really good. Really really good. A bad sign? I started out pretty easy on the run. It was hot, but no hotter than my last couple of training runs so I felt ok. The run on this course is an endless series of rolling hills. Not easy. But I was going to stick to my plan of walking the aid stations and every couple of kilometres to simulate my IM plan of walking all the aid stations (at every mile of the run). I managed to climb the first couple of hills ok, but soon began to run out of gas. My HRM was showing about 160 bpm on the climbs, a long way from my max of 179 but still kind of high so I started walking the uphills.

I actually didn't feel too bad other than just tired until the last 5-7k. At that point my breathing was getting shallow and I started getting a weird cramp in my side. I don't think the HRM was helping my comfort either, and it kept slipping down so I doffed it with about 5k to go. I'd had enough bad news anway so I didn't miss it.

I dragged my butt over the finish line in 5:46:something and immediately started feeling a LOT worse. Like 'I'm going to throw up" worse. I've never felt as bad so soon after a race.

I did manage to pack up my gear, but the thought of any post-race food was not appealing. In fact a quick and discrete hurl in the grass outside the transition area was more the thing. Felt somewhat better after that.

What went wrong, besides pushing too hard? Hard to say. Some kind of nutritional error, I'm assuming. I'll have to research that. One problem may have been that I drank too much of the wretched Gatorade on the run. I never drink that stuff normally, preferring instead the more refined Cytomax. I'll have to find some way of carrying my own hydration for IMLP.

The big lesson though, is that an IronMan (or even a half) is a LONG race. Really long. Go slow, take it easy and keep well inside the comfort zone on the bike because the real race starts late in the day and if the tank is empty it won't be pretty. Blowing up in Peterborough might actually turn out to be a good thing.

Special thanks to M for taking on the driving duties post race - I couldn't even see straight let alone drive a car, so I was extremely grateful for the ride. And for pulling over on highway 115 so I could throw up again. And for the coke, which helped. And for letting me crash at his house for a couple of hours until I was ready to get in my own car and drive home.

The End is Nigh

2006-07-02T22:09:00.000-04:00

Getting down to the end of the long training sessions now. Today was a 145k bike ride in a gale-force wind, so major training benefit but man was it a tough ride. I was down to 10 kmh at one point. When you ride out in the farmlands of southern Ontario you not only get some excellent rolling hills, you get miles of open land with nothing to break the wind. And I really hate the wind. I was knackered. Five and a half hours ride time, so do the math. Not that fast.

Tomorrow will be my final long run (20k+) not including next sunday's half marathon in the Peterborough Half Ironman. I said all along that I would not do the half so close to IMLP, but I've decided to do it now. I'll just be doing it at IM speed (ie. slow).

It will be good discipline too. Watching everyone fly past and not trying to reel them in (like I could anyway - lots of IM Canada hopefuls at this race) will be a good test of my patience and resolve to stick to the plan on race day. I'm just going to focus on eating properly, hydrating, and good form on the bike and the run. And the swim too, I guess.

After that the tapering begins.

Lake Effect

2006-06-27T22:16:00.000-04:00

Part of the fun of doing a triathlon, once you get over the initial stages of pure panic, is the swim. I remember the first tri I did back in 2001. It was in Midland Ontario and the swim had been changed from the traditional 'out and back' to a course that paralleled the beach. Bad idea. It was too shallow, too muddy, and way too crowded. I finally managed to drag myself onto the beach at the end of it all but not without a few 'wtf' moments. Horrible.

Anyway, I'm a much stronger swimmer now and I actually like the swim, especially if the conditions are nice. A sunny day, flat, weed-free water, plenty of room between swimmers... you can't beat it. I can't swim all that fast, so I just relax and enjoy it. It's way more fun swimming in open water than plodding along in an over-chlorinated pool filled with other people who are swimming either too slow or too fast and where the chances of a 'fouling' always lurk. If I could train in open water all the time I would.

'But wait', I hear you say. 'Don't you live in Toronto, right next to one of the largest freshwater lakes on the planet?'

Why yes, yes I do. It may be one of the largest, but it's not necessarily one of the friendliest. At least not right here in the city. Lake Ontario has a longtime reputation as a polluted cesspool of a lake, a reputation that it no doubt earned over several decades of mismanagement and indiscriminate filth-dumping by industry and inadequate waste treatment facilities. It has cleaned up quite a bit lately, however, to the point where there is even a tri right in downtown Toronto again.

Last night some fellow Lake Placid-bound friends and I decided to try our luck with an open water training swim in the Beaches. We wetsuited up and hit the water on a clear night at about 6pm. A stiff breeze was blowing in from the southeast, which around here means bad weather is on the way. It also means that waves have been travelling right across the width of the lake before hitting our shores, so the seas were rough, as they say. About a 3 to 4 foot swell with a few bigger waves in the mix too. Interesting. Also 'interesting' was the water temperature. Interesting as in 'I'm more interested in standing on the nice sand here than swimming in that frigid water'. I waded into the surf last, and instantly my hands and feet were numb and my breath was taken away. Not good! I jumped right out again after 30 seconds and a few strokes.

Standing there on the shore though, watching as my friends splashed away, I decided that cold water or no I had to go back in. So in I went and took off after them. And you know, it wasn't all that bad after a while. I got used to the cold (the wetsuit helped of course) and my breathing slowed down enough to get into a half decent rhythm. The waves were big, but they were real rollers so I was able to ride them up and down.

We were all having a grand time out there and feeling quite pleased with ourselves when the police arrived. I looked up to see the police boat bobbing beside us and a cop talking to one of my pals. I didn't really catch all that was said, something about taking an oar in the head. Also apparently we were advised to stop doing what we were doing. Something about us being in a boating channel or something. Huh. I guess the buoy we were using as a marker wasn't just for swimmers.

A couple more 'lengths' of our giant pool and we headed for the shore, cold but feeling quite chuffed about it all.

The local tri shop runs an open water swim there twice a week, so we'll be back.

Package Deal

2006-06-20T21:51:00.000-04:00

Most athletic training 'bibles' will recommend regular massage as part of a serious or semi-serious training program. Putting your muscles under constant stress is hard, of course, and a good massage can not only ease some of the resulting pain but can also prevent future injuries and make training a little less painful.

Since my wonderful shiatsu therapist left town at the end of April I have been sans massage, so I thought it was about time to find a replacement. An inquiring email to a shiatsu clinic close to my work went unanswered (I hate that) so last week I asked my osteopath to recommend someone. Without hesitation she said "oh, you have see C. She's great". No problem. Phone call made, appointment booked for 2 days later.

I get to the clinic. It's in a part of Toronto that's like a little piece of Vancouver Island broke away and lodged itself here, complete with organic markets, hippies, birkenstocks and 'alternative lifestyle' practitioners. Whatever, I needed a massage and I wasn't going to be picky about the touchy-feeliness of the neighbourhood.

C. as it turns out, was (is) a large, solidly built woman with a no-nonsense demeanor. A few pointed questions about me and my ridiculous training regimen, my complaints, my hopes and desires as to the outcome of the forthcoming massage, and off we went. And when I say "off" I'm referring mainly to my clothes. All of them. Which is quite different from the fully clothed shiatsu sessions I had been previously enjoying. Too late to back out now, so I doff the togs and climb under a full length sheet to wait for C. to come back into the room.

Was the massage good? Yes, yes it was. Was it painful? Yes, several times. But it was a good kind of pain. The one thing that stands out in my mind about it though is that for the first half hour while she worked on my legs and butt, all I could think of was "For sure she can see my balls". Even after a fast and discreet tuck, I was convinced that she was getting an up close and personal view of my junk. It was very distracting, I can tell you. And not at all arousing, thank god. Had C. been a lithe and youthful nymphette fresh out of massage school it would have been a very different experience, but as it was it was just kind of weird.

Afterwards I felt like I was about to have an out-of-body experience. My body felt like a ringing telephone and my brain was floating about 10 feet above my head. I had to walk around Hippie Town for a while because I was afraid to get back on my bike. It took a good hour to come down completely.

Highly recommended unless you have an irrational fear of strangers getting an eyeful of your packaged goods. Which I'm sure didn't really happen anyway. I think.

There and Back Again - A Cyclist's Tale

2006-06-13T21:12:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note about the Rideau Lakes ride over the past weekend.

Unlike last year when the temperatures approached 40 degrees celsius, this year's version started off on saturday with a brisk NW breeze (25 kmh) and a startling 9 degrees C. Cold and wind, my two worst enemies on the bike.

Being of slight frame (~150 lbs after dinner) I find gusty days can be a real challenge. I'm sure heavier riders fight the wind too, but I don't think they get blown around like an autumn leaf the way us 'climbers' do. But what can you do but carry on and wait for a tailwind?

The weather sunday was even worse. I swear the breeze picked up but did not change direction, which meant we would be riding straight into it for the exit from K-Town. On the other hand, it rained for about 2 hours. So that was nice.

Ride times each day were 6:25 and 6:39, about where I thought I'd be for the 180k. Fuel was not an issue, and on day 1 I felt like I could put on the running shoes and run. That's good news. The cool weather may have had something to do with that, so now I'm hoping for a cold front on race day, but only after the swim.

Fit to Be Fried

2006-06-08T21:07:00.000-04:00

With little more than a month and a half to go before IMLP, I've increased my workout frequency, upped my run mileage, and upped the bike mileage. Most weekdays I'm now doing two-a-day workouts; gym + run / swim + run / gym + swim plus the daily bike commute. The commute doesn't count for much though, it's just not that long. I'm going to have to work in a bike ride mid-week, either a fast 50k or a good set of hill repeats.

I've started a stroke improvement swim clinic once a week too, and I think it's going to have a positive effect on my swim. I'm a decent swimmer but haven't had any real instruction since 2001 when I started racing. Time to correct any bad habits that've crept into my stroke over the years.

The only downside to all this training (and I'm really not doing this in a scientific way at all) is that I'm feeling like my body is right on the border between fit and fried. I'm sure I'm not getting enough sleep most nights - when 3 cats decide that they want to be let out at 5am every morning, it's hard to sleep in. Even when B gets up to take care of the little darlings, it's hard to get back to sleep. That together with late nights taking care of web design clients and the racetracker.ca site means not enough shuteye, a situtation I'm going to have to resolve soon if I want to stay healthy.

Rest is a large part of proper training, sayeth the triathlon oracles, so that will be my challenge. A week spent in London wasn't much of a rest - B loves to walk, and we put in a total of 140k over the 7 days we were there, taking the tube only once. A great way to see a city for sure, but definitely hard on my back. Run 20k? No problem. Walk 20k? Agony, the kind of agony that can be relieved only by frequent pub stops and liberal application of English ales. Not much mention of that in any of the tri books I've read.

Next up: the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour, a 180km x2 bike ride from Ottawa to Kingston to Ottawa. A perfect training session for IMLP.

www.ottawabicycleclub.ca/rlct.php

Half Measures

2006-05-16T11:29:00.000-04:00

Way back in the fall I had mapped out all my training races for 2006. In February I was going to do the Peterborough Half Marathon. In March it was going to be the Around the Bay 30K in Hamilton. And in May I would do the Mississauga Marathon. Right.

Peterborough Half? Didn't do it. My excuse for this was an absence of race pals going along and an unwillingnes to drive back and forth to Peterborough all on my Todd.

ATB30K? Didn't do it. Same excuse as the PB Half, plus I was injured (back troubles) and could not have completed the race without requiring major surgery along the route.

The Mississauga Marathon was this past sunday, May 14, and did I do it? Sort of. The aforementioned race pals (IronMan Maurice and sneaky speedster Dave H) and me did manage to squeeze out a half marathon, not the full. Which was just as well because it was kind of a miserable day. Cold and windy with a lakefront finish that was, er, colder and windier. I pushed the final 4k to finish in a semi-respectable 1:46:53. Not a PB, but I was pleased that I could sustain a 4k push in spite of some back pain and my newest injury, a mysterious foot ailment that requires me to stick some homemade padding into my shoe to dull the pain. Whatever.

That race, btw, was my last in the M40-44 age category. This is apparently one of the most competitive categories in triathlon, and is probably the same in runnng races. I 'm glad to see the back of it, but on the other hand not so glad to be another year older. I don't want to be one of those baby boomers who get their hip or knee replaced at 45 because they refused to give up the sports - I have a feeling most of those injuries are sustained by tennis / squash / basketball players though. I, of course, shall remain immune to such serious ailments as I cruise into my late middle age, getting faster and stronger with each passing year.

Next race will likely be either a Du later this month or the Muskoka Tri in June. Between then and now is a week off in London, eating curry chips and drinking pints and generally not training at all. It's going to be glorious.

Feck! Arse! Drink!

2006-05-08T16:14:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since my last post - I've been struggling through some nagging injuries and general crappiness lately and haven't felt much like adding to this blog. In other words, feeling sorry for myself. The training demands are, I'm finding, not only physically difficult (hence the injuries) but mentally difficult too. I feel like I should be doing more but time constraints and physical limitations are preventing me from spending more time training. Ok, enough moaning.

Back to nutrition requirements. I found an excellent guide to raceday nutrition that you should read if you're doing an IM. It's on triathloncoach.net and it's from Gordo Bryn, who is co-author of the IM Training book I have at home.

A couple of points I did not know - don't mix solid food with sports drink. Use plain water to wash down energy bars or gels. Also, Gordo recommends not using solid food at all! Dunno about that one, but I'll try it on a long training ride and see how it goes.

Other sources confirm my last post - about 900ml per hour (200-450 calories depending on weight) while on the bike. That's a lot of water for a hydrophobe like me but I'll have to get used to it between now and race day. Bottoms up!

Drinking Problem?

2006-04-19T21:57:00.000-04:00

One of my worst habits generally and also specific to tri training is that I don't like to to drink. I don't mean pints of ale, I mean any liquid at all. Water to me is the most boring stuff on earth and I can never be bothered to drink it. Not enough anyway. That's not so good under any circumstances but when you are trying to prepare for a long distance sporting event it can be hazardous to your health. So I'm doing my best to stay hydrated.

This past sunday was a 100k ride, and based on some intel provided by a studious friend who is also preparing for an Ironman (Florida) I calculated that I should consume 6 600ml bottles of sport drink (Cytomax in this case, my personal favourite) for the 4 hours I would be riding.

Could I do it? Not a chance. I managed to choke down 4 x 600ml over the duration of the ride but that was it. The good news is that I felt ok, not dry at all. I'll have to go back and re-calculate this - it was based on total caloric requirements and so did not take into account any solid food or energy gels, both of which I also consumed. Stay tuned, I'll report back next post and lay it all out.

What Kind of Fuel Am I (going to need?)

2006-04-16T12:16:00.000-04:00

A friend and multi-IM finisher once described the race as "an eating contest". This after another friend got himself into a jackpot midway through IMLP2005, but took a break and fueled up and eventually got back into gear. It's a long long day and if you don't keep those calories coming you are going to be in serious trouble. I've posted earlier about the incredible caloric requirements for the race - the importance of nutrition cannot be overstated.

I had a small reminder of that yesterday during a 3 hour brick session. a two hour ride (easy-ish) followed by a one hour run (again, not too fast) didn't seem too ambitious but I made the fatal error of not eating enough on the bike. I ran out of energy bars so I relied strictly on Cytomax and Hammergel to provide fuel for the day. That caught up to me about 3/4 of the way through the run - I felt decidedly bonk-y and my heart rate was too high for my liking (over 160 on a moderate pace is too high). In short, I had run out of gas. Stupid? You bet. A valuable lesson? Yes indeed.

Eat eat eat eat eat. Then eat some more. Maybe I should tape that message to my handle bars.

100 Days

2006-03-31T21:34:00.000-05:00

I have roughly 100 days now to get ready for IMLP . Since I lost 3 entire weeks of training due to the aforementioned back problems it is now almost like starting from scratch. Not quite, but being out of action for so long definitely interrupted my training groove.

As of this week I was back to the gym and the pool, and ventured out a couple of days ago for a very short run just to see how the back would feel. About 90% as it turned out, so that's good enough for me. The swimming felt ok too, though I've yet to do a session longer than 30 minutes. I'm not worried about the swim - I find I can swim for ages once I get into a good groove. I still have to plan some longer sessions though, it would be stupid not to.

Tomorrow (saturday) is another short(ish) run, likely a 10k-er just to see how I feel. Followed sunday by a long bike ride since the weather has turned warm this week and sunday is looking good enough to go for a few hours.

One hundred days.

Quelle Difference

2006-03-14T21:20:00.000-05:00

Not to belabour this latest shtick about the injuries, since this is after all supposed to be a blog about Ironman preparation, but I thought I would make a short and simple comparison of my recent experiences with a) an osteopath, and b) a GP.

Today I woke up and knew right away that I would not be going to work. My stupid back, which last week was starting to feel better, had been on a downhill slide since saturday (this is tuesday). No 25k run as planned, just rest and a bad mood. Anyway. Today I decided to go to a walk-in clinic to see what they had to say.

The difference between the diagnostic methods employed by the osteopath I saw last week and the GP I saw today were startling.

Osteopath - a one hour treatment session, about half of which was taken up by diagnosis. Lots of probing questions followed by some very careful observation of how my body moved, my balance, strength, pain levels and probably a lot of other stuff I didn't notice at the time.

GP - the doctor asks me to stand up, touch my toes, stand straight and then lean back (which I could not do without pain). Up on the table for some quick reflex tests of the classic cornball variety. Done. Prescription written, x-ray session booked, out we go. Total time: about 5 minutes.

Quite a difference, no? Mind you, the GP visit, the x-ray and the prescription (Naproxen, sold over the counter in the U.S. as Alleve) will all be covered either by OHIP or by my insurance coverage, and the $100 visit last week... not so much. Still.

Back Story

2006-03-09T20:58:00.000-05:00

A brief side-trip away from Ironman prep and into some physio information today. As previously mentioned, I have kind of a wonky back. Why, you ask? I don't know, I just do. For as long as I can remember (admittedly not that long) and probably for my entire adult life anyway, I've been unable to stand or walk for extended periods without having to stretch or 'crack' my back, or sit down, or preferable both. No big deal, that's just the way it is. I've been going to a chiropractor off and on since, oh, the mid 80's anyway. At least I was, until my chiro moved away to the bustling urban centre of Keswick about 3 years ago. Too far to go. At about the same time I was recommended to see a shiatsu therapist to see if that would help. It did, and I never had to return to a chiropractor. Now my shiatsu therapist, the incredibly gifted Julie Savoie, is moving away, and it's a lot farther than Kesrock ON this time. See previous post from January 5 for background. This is not good, since I found shiatsu to be almost a perfect therapy for me - half massage, half stretching, and extremely energizing. Julie recommended another therapist but this person was halfway across the city, so no thank you.

They say when one door closes another opens, and this week I paid a visit to an osteopath for the first time on the recommendation of a co-worker who claimed that this woman was (is) a miracle-worker. But they all say that, don't they? Well, she did help, although during the treatment it didn't feel like she was doing much at all. Very subtle, but none of that goofy hand-waving energy stuff - this was definitely hands-on technique. Anyway one hour and $100 later my back felt pretty good. I noticed when I got home that I could stand without pain or stiffness for the first time in about 3 weeks. A good sign.

So what is the difference between these 3 therapies? In a very non-scientific nutshell, here's what I know so about each so far:

Chiropractic: involves aggressive maniupulation of the spine to re-align stuff that's, uh, misaligned. Your bones don't actually crack, but they do make some alarming noises sometimes during treatment. Worked for me initially, especially after a head-first crash into the board playing hockey a few years back, so I can't slag chiropractic as a treatment. Wikipedia page

Shiatsu: Originating in Japan, this massage techniqe is apparently related to acupuncture in that it works with the body's energy meridians, but without the needles. Less aggressive than chiropractic, but can involve application of some moderate pressure to stiff or painful areas. I highly recommend it, especially for athletes. Wikipedia page

Osteopathy: even less aggressive than shiatsu, it's basic philosophy is that the human body should be treated as an integrated system and that if our bodies are able to function properly we can affect our own healing. Or something like that, this is all new to me. But hey, if it works I'm all for it. Just don't come near me with a scalpel unless you're about to save my sorry ass from imminent death. Wikipedia page

More info to come as this all shakes out. In the meantime I'm feeling good enough to schedule a 25k run for saturday. Bring it on!

Music vs Pain

2006-03-05T22:03:00.000-05:00

Until now I've been wrestling with whether or not to shell out for an iPod. You see them everywhere now, the telltale white cables snaking up out of someone's jacket and disappearing under their hat, or terminating in the little white earbuds. I finally broke down and bought a 4G nano last week, and so now I am one of Them. The Pod People. Hardly cutting edge now, even though Apple seems to bring out a newer, smaller, sexier model every other week, but I didn't buy it to be cool. I told myself it would be good to have for long runs and later, long bike rides (in the country away from city traffic of course).

An unexpected side benefit came to light today on my long run. Another 20k jaunt through the Don Valley up to Sunnybrook Park, and what a beautiful day it was. Clear blue sky, temperatures just below freezing, and the bike path was almost totally free of snow and ice. The only thing that could mar a day like today would be, oh, I don't know, chronic back pain. My back has been giving me grief again, this time for about the past 2-3 weeks. A round of shiatsu and accupuncture last week helped for a few days but the pain is back (ha ha) again now.

So how does that relate to the iPod? Listening to tunes today (first run with the iPod) was a great distraction; it kept me from focusing on my back too much. The iPod was great to run with, especially in the valley away from traffic noise. It's very quiet down there and the music sounded awesome. I'm also pretty sure that it helped me shave a few minutes off my previous 20k run time, just by keeping me in a good groove. My back still hurts, but I guess Apple can't do much about that. I'm seeing an osteopath in a couple of days so I'm hoping she can help pinpoint the cause of this.

In the Running

2006-02-16T22:58:00.000-05:00

This has been one heck of a winter here in old Tronna for runners & cyclists, I have to say. It's freezing rain out there tonite, but up until now we've been having one of those freakishly warm winters that gets the gloabal warming crowd into a lather. Not much snow either, which means my primary running route, the bike path through Taylor Creek Park and the Don Valley, is open for business. This is unusual. Last year there was 2 feet of snow and ice on the path, which made it difficult to run on. Not impossible, but frustrating and kind of weird. Like skating with dull skates. On bad ice.

The timing could not have been better, what with this IronMan thing. Last sunday was clear & cold (but not too cold) and a perfect day for a 20k run. Which I did. This time last year I think I might have been running 10k every couple of weeks with nothing mid-week. Not exactly a recipe for IM success, so this year I've been pleased with the spring-like conditions in January & February.

The downside is that there is never an excuse to not go for a scheduled run. Every weekend has been nice enough to get out and do it and so luckily (and sometimes reluctantly) I've been out every weekend and able to put some decent mileage in. But it's hard - I don't know how guys like Ed Whitlock do it. There's a guy who is 70+ years old and who reportedly still runs every day, sometimes for hours at a time. I don't think my body could take it even if I didn't die of boredom. Every day? It's superhuman. Then again Ed holds the Canadian & world records for a bunch of different distances in a bunch of different age groups above 60 years old. A sub 3 hour marathon last year too, something that I bet will never happen to me at any age. The guy is truly awesome.

My point about 'reluctantly' putting in the miles might sound strange, but it's a fact that I've never been a huge fan of the running. It's too much like work, especially compared to the bike. You can't stop pedalling when you're running unless you want to fall on your face. For the first 4 or 5 years of this athletic trip I've been on since '99 I did not like to run. Only once in a long while did I truly enjoy going out, and only once did I ever get that endorphin rush, the mythical 'runner's high' you hear about. That was in a half marathon at about the half way point, cruising along the Rosedale Valley road on a nice fall day. I suddenly noticed that my breathing seemed to be slowing right down and everything got all kind of floaty for about 15-20 seconds, sort of like slow motion almost. It was nice. Then it was over and I was back running again. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted but it's never happened since.

Lately though I have noticed that I'm almost enjoying the long runs, especially on some of those beautiful spring days we've been blessed with this year. So maybe things are looking up.

Burn Baby, Burn

2006-01-20T16:05:00.000-05:00

One of the most important things to consider when trying to complete an Ironman is nutrition. Not just in the weeks and months leading up to the race, although that is definitely key, but during the actual race. In a short race nutrition is never an issue beyond staying hydrated, but an IM is a whole new thing.

I did some surfing to find out just how many calories I can expect to burn in the course of the race and the answer, to put it mildly, is kind of shocking. Frightening, actually. It turns out that "a recreational athlete can expend from 7000-12,000 calories during an Ironman event depending on their size, finish time, and intensity throughout the race".

Did you get that? 7 to 12 thousand calories. That's about what I eat in a week. My source goes on to estimate that a 5' 10" 155 lb man (approximately my size) would burn around 9,150 calories over the day. It's more complicated than I'm letting on here, but just for argument's sake let's see what that works out to in common food items. Just to give you an idea:

9,150 calories is equivalent to

87 bananas or

100 hammergels or

42 potatoes (baked, skins on) or

61 beers (regular, not lite) or

92 scrambled eggs or

153 pancakes or

1830 celery sticks

That's alot of food any way you slice it.

The really stunning thing is that it is impossible to absorb more that 250-400 calories per hour, so even working with a base glycogen storage capacity of 1800-2200 calories plus some additional calories (as much as 50% from fat, which if you knew me would have you laughing right now) you simply cannot eat enough to replace the calories you'll burn during the race.

Well that sounds encouraging. The strategy, such as it is, is to

carbo-load as much as possible in the days and weeks leading up to the race

try to stay in the aerobic zone during the race (it's more efficient than going anaerobic)

hydrate hydrate hydrate

eat as much as you possibly can during the race, especially early (on the bike)

It can't be as impossible as it sounds - thousands of people finish the IM every year. Thousands don't, too, but I'm trying not to think about that.

Source: www.trinewbies.com (look under nutrition)

Injury Report

2006-01-05T13:26:00.000-05:00

One of the problems with being an athlete of any age is injury, but when you are an 'older' athlete (older than what, I wonder?) the frequency and duration of injuries become a greater factor in both training and competition.

Generally speaking I've been pretty lucky in that department. No major injuries like torn ACLs or broken bones, no plantar fasciitis (which has severely hobbled an acquaintance of mine, a guy who was a top triathlete in his age group) and no bigtime recurring troubles that would sideline me for any length of time.

I do, however, have a kind of wonky back. Being a tall & lanky sort of fellow I am prone to the occasional back spasm, which puts a spanner in the training works whenever it flares up. Like right now for instance. A few days ago I was standing there minding my own business when I felt a twinge in my back. Uh oh. I know that feeling, and it isn't good. Two or three times a year my back seizes up on me for no apparent reason and knocks me flat, and 2006 was getting off to a great start.

Can this be prevented? Partially. Attention to core strength and flexibility, plus regular massage will reduce both the frequency and duration of this type of problem, but I'm finding in my case that it's something I will likely just have to deal with for the rest of my life.

This time, since it happened on a holiday monday there would be no emergency shiatsu treatment as in previous crises. I had to wait 2 days to get an appointment, two days filled with muscle relaxing drugs, heating pad sessions and absolutely zero exercise. Not good. But at least it's January and not June, when a layup would have a more serious impact on my training schedule. If anything like this were to happen prior to a race, I would be toast. There's no way I could compete, not in that condition. Timing, as in so many things, is key.

So no running this week, no weight training, and only my bike commute for exercise. Great.

To add insult to injury, my shiatsu therapist, whom I have been totally dependent on for four years now, informed me yesterday that she would be moving in April... to Montreal. Since I'm in Toronto this presents a problem, obviously. Kind of a long drive for a massage. My back is getting sore just thinking about it. Better take some drugs...

What the Hell is an Ironman?

2006-01-04T13:05:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, I still get asked that question from time to time. I'll casually mention to someone that I'm involved in triathlon, or B. will bring it up when we're out and once in a while someone will say "What's an IronMan?" or more usually "What's a triath-a-lon?" or even "I hear you do the marathon". Cue the violins, and a closeup shot of a tear rolling down my cheek as I effect a pained expression. So sad. And yet so preventable. I know that triathlon is not the most spectator-friendly sport but it still amazes me that it still has such a low profile, especially given that running (the sport formerly known as Jogging) has become so wildly and improbably popular of late.

On the other hand, if the sport remains a niche activity it will never be taken over by hordes of duffers, pikers, tourists or wannabes a la golf or running.

Now I know that YOU know what the IronMan is, because you stopped to read this blog. But just in case you're here accidentally because you were looking to buy some more Ironman action figures for the bedroom you keep in your parents' basement I'll lay it out for you.

The IronMan race is a 3 part event.

Part 1: Swim for 4 km (2.4 miles)
Part 2: Bike for 180 km (112 miles)
Part 3: Run a marathon. That's 42.2 km (26.2 miles).

This is all on the same day, one after the other. No stopping for lunch, no getting a good night's sleep between the bike and the run, no tagging a teammate and letting them take over for the next event.

The Early Days

The first triathlon was held in September of 1974 in San Francisco, and according to one of it's founders, Jack Johnstone, it was a pretty low key affair. A couple dozen entrants and some wonky distances (6 miles running, 5 miles cycling, 500 yards swimming, with the run and bike portions being non-continuous!) and the Mission Bay Triathlon was born. Everyone finished the race, and the next year a bunch more people showed up and the rest is history.

Part of that history is the birth of the IronMan, a much longer race that would eventually grow into a worldwide franchise.

The IronMan

The first IronMan event was held in 1978 in Hawaii. It was a combination of three already-existing events; the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). Legend has it that it was originally conceived as a way to settle which athletes were more fit, runners or swimmers or cyclists. The idea for the IronMan race is credited to Navy Commander John Collins, who evidently thought he was some kind of tough guy. The inaugural race attracted 15 men, 12 of whom completed the full distance. The winning time: 11h 46m 58s, still a respectable time today but nowhere near the low 9-hour range of today's elite competitors. Women entered the race the next year, and the sport continued to grow until today the various IronMan races around the world typically attract some two thousand athletes each. Not bad for an event that began life as little more than a bet to settle some local bragging rights!

Sources:

Wikipedia
TRIATHLON - The Early History of the Sport

Run Forrest, Run

2005-12-29T16:32:00.000-05:00

An update on the run-to-work thing. After lamenting in my last post that running 2x in 12 hours might be too much for the body to bear, I had a re-think and remembered that another possible reason for extra-stiff legs might have been the heavy leg workout I had done at the gym prior to Run #1. Well, duh.

So I tried again, this time going easy on the squats whilst at le gymnasium. Real easy. Two runs, back to back, and... no leg pain. Yay. That means no getting on the subway once a week to get to/from work.

The downside of course is that I have no (real) excuse to not run. Like yesterday for instance. I brought my gear to work so I could run home but the weather was awful at 5 o'clock. Rainy, windy, and just not nice. I had almost talked myself out of running home (like cycling would have been much better) when I decided f**k it. Just run.

And that's the moral of the story, sports fans. Just run. Nike got it right - you have to just bite the bullet and go, no matter what. I slogged it home in the rain and by the time I got there I didn't feel too bad. In fact I felt pretty good, and quite chuffed wi' meself for toughing it out.

Another unforesen benefit of all this running, besides the general feeling of smug superiority mentioned in an earlier post, is that the more I run, the easier it gets! Who knew? I wonder if any of those triathlon training books I have at home mention this startling effect. I should check.

Excuses Excuses

2005-12-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

If nothing else at this time of year, I've at least come up with a comprehensive list of excuses for avoiding going out for a run. Feel free to make use of these yourself if ever you have the need.

1. it's too cold
2. i just ate
3. I'm about to eat
4. My running clothes are in the wash
5. It's too slippery out
6. I am le tired.
7. it's too windy
8. It's snowing too hard
9. It's getting dark
10. My legs hurt
11. My back hurts
12. I just took a shower
13. I have to [insert Christmas-related task here]
14. It's 7 months to the Ironman, skipping this one run won't hurt.

And so on.

Actually it's not that bad, but I'm feeling bad because I did skip my weekend run this past weekend. Stupid stuff got in the way and then once I had some free time in the afternoon I just wimped out. I have been doing the midweek run-to-work routine as previously noted, although I am now finding that running twice within 12-13 hours is not a good idea. My legs are sore after the second run and they seem to stay that way for a couple of days, which is not good. I may get used to the workload eventually but then again it may just be a dumb thing to do, so I'm going to adjust the run-to-work routine in order to space out those 2 runs. Sadly, it looks like I may have to take the subway to work twice a week in order to make this work. Ugh.

The Even Better Way

2005-11-26T09:34:00.000-05:00

I’ve come up with a plan to keep my winter run mileage in the respectable zone - at least once a week, I’ve decided, I’ll run to and from work. This is alot better than relying on the after-work hours to get the short runs in, since from November to March the only thing I feel like doing after work once I peel off all my winter cycling togs is eating dinner and relaxing. And writing this blog, of course.

The system works like this: on Day 1 I ride to work, carrying my running gear and extra work clothes in my pack. Then I run home at the end of the day. On Day 2 I run back to work, shower and get ready to take on the day. Then I ride home that night. The original plan was to do this tuesday through friday, but bad weather has limited the plan’s success somewhat. I’ve managed to do one round trip run 2 weeks out of the past 3, which isn’t bad and may be the best I can hope for over the deepest darkest winter when treacherous footing and crazy cold temperatures make running a challenge. One I’m not up for, it would seem... although thursday's run (November 24) was not too bad even though it was -10 with a windchill and snow and ice all over the place. Too icy to bike to work, that’s for sure , so a run was just the thing.

Besides maximizing my training time, one unforeseen plus from all this commuter running is that not only do I get to feel smug and superior to motorists every morning, as I do when I ride my bike to work, I also now get to look with disdain upon pedestrians as I stride past them, exuding good health and an economical running style. ‘Pah!’ i think as I lope along - ‘ you’re probably just walking to Starbucks, aren’t you? Whereas I have run, run to my job, a distance so great that you could not even comprehend it were I to tell you the number.’ Actually it’s about 7 km. Half an hour or so, depending on conditions, and just enough to work up a sweat but not so far that I’m trashed at the end of it.

The only downside so far is that running twice in roughly 12 hours is not alot of recovery time and right now my legs are pretty sore. Post 1/2 marathon kind of sore. But that may be partly a result of a gym workout yesterday on top of the running.

If I can keep this going and also get my long(ish) run in on the weekends then I should be in good shape come the spring.

Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing

2005-11-06T22:51:00.000-05:00

November 3 was the lactate threshold (LT) test for your humble narrator, a test designed (as outlined already in these pages) to find out how efficiently (or inefficiently) I am able to deal with the inevitable build-up of lactic acid during prolonged or intense exercise.

The Drill went like this. Meet with local pro triathlete Nigel Gray at his home in north Toronto, be amazed at his very impressive Shoe Pile (much larger than my own Pile, which contains only around 10 pairs of various running shoes), and get ready to spend some time on a treadmill.

I've never run on a treadmill before, so it was kind of weird at first but before long I was right at home going nowhere. The test starts out with a 10 minute run at a very easy pace to get warmed up. From there Nigel would up the pace by .8 kmh every 3 minutes. At the end of each 3 minute interval I had to signal whether or not I felt I could complete the next 3 minutes at the higher pace. No bailing allowed, I had to go the whole distance. The whole time Nigel was monitoring my HR with his HRM and typing mysteriously into a laptop set up a short distance away. He could have been checking his email for all I know, but I'm sure he was doing something absolutely crucial to the success of my test.

The first few intervals were relatively easy. Not much noticeable increase in speed and Nigel and I carried on a conversation pretty comfortably. After about the 5th interval it began to get more difficult and conversation was limited pretty much to Nigel talking and me grunting out one-word responses.

Intervals 6 through 8 required some focus, as my breathing did become shorter and my heart rate continued to climb. At the 8th interval I was 'running' at 14.5 kmh with a HR of 171 bpm. "One more?" asked Nigel "or is that it?". I had to go for another one. By the 9th interval I felt like I was definitely into 5k pace or better but decided to tough it out for 3 more minutes, more so I wouldn't look like a pussy in front of a guy who had done more triathlons than I've done races of any kind.

I finished the 9th interval without exploding - final speed: 15.3 kmh, which is a 3:55 / km pace. Fast for me, faster even than my best 5k pace by a few seconds. HR was at 178 bpm.

As soon as the last interval was done a blood sample was taken, without me stopping. The treadmill was dialled down to a more comfortable pace for 3 more minutes and another sample was taken. Then, sadistically I thought, the speed was ramped up again! Twice! At the end of each of these last 2 intervals more blood was taken and finally I was permitted to slow to a warm-down pace for a few minutes before stumbling off the machine.

It's the strangest sensation getting off a treadmill - it's like the earth is moving under your feet from back to front. Very disorienting, especially when your head is pounding and you are on the verge of overheating. A few minutes in the back yard to cool down put me right again, though.

The results? Some lovely graphs, which Nigel was good enough to explain to me (patiently, as I'm sure I was not thinking straight at this point) showed my HR for various speeds, as well as my level of lactic acid at various HRs. The point of dialling down the pace after the first (maximum HR point) test was to test how well my body cleared the accumulated LA by backing off. The next blood samples taken at faster paces and higher HRs measured how well my body responded to another interval of increased exertion.

The results were well within acceptable range for a reasonably fit person, according to Mr. Gray. I can push myself and recover without any appreciable buildup of LA, so that's good. I was also given a range of heart rate zones to use during my training sessions, so I'll know by my HR just how hard I can push. It sort of confirmed my suspicion that I've been dogging it during many of my training runs - it looks like I can sustain a slightly higher pace than I've been used to. Dang. Why are there never any shortcuts?

Testing, Testing

2005-10-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

2 things: One, I've purchased a Heart Rate Monitor, a really cool one that has a fancy little gadget you attach to your shoe that can tell how far you've run. Without GPS! This is great because those GPS wristwatches are big enough to watch the NHL playoffs on. This one has a normal-sized watch to go with the gadget, and of course the Heart Rate Monitor itself which is a strap you put around your chest. Why did I buy a HRM? Well, all the cool kids have them, for one thing. And for another thing, you can't get tested for your Lactate Threshold without one. Which brings me to number two: I booked a Lactate Threshold test for this thursday.

"What is a LT test"? you say. Without consulting any books or websites I'll try to describe this off the top of my head. When you exercise your muscles produce as a by-product of said exercise, lactic acid. At low intensities, this LA is removed from the muscles by the body's own cleanup crew. At higher intensities however, the rate of LA production outstrips the body's ability to remove it and it builds up in the muscles, causing cramps and fatigue. The LT test determines where this point is for you, the aspiring athlete, and it's all based on heart rate. So once you know where your threshold is you can tailor your workouts so that you remain (just) under it, by monitoring your heart rate with your new Heart Rate Monitor. You see how this all ties in together? In essence your body gets used to operating at the highest effort level possible without creating excess lactic acid. You go faster with less pain, you get more efficient, and your breath smells minty fresh all the time. It's a miracle, really.

I have to decide by thursday whether to have the test while running or cycling. Nigel Gray, elite triathlete and coach (who will be administering the test) says that I should choose the event that I need to improve most in...

Shoes News You Lose

2005-10-21T16:21:00.000-04:00

Just a short note regarding the importance of proper equipment. When I purchased my latest pair of Sauconys I noted that the design of the tongue had changed. They do this all the time, for some reason - every year some little thing has been altered so that the shoe I wear now bears little resemblance to the shoe I wore 5 years ago. Why shoe manufacturers do this is beyond me. Runners buy shoes for fit and performance, not looks, so build a good shoe and leave it be. But no.

So although I did not like the new design much I bought the shoes anyway because overall the Sauconys have been good to my feet lo these past 5-6 years of running. The short tongue was irksome but not a factor in comfort or anything so I didn't worry about it. However, once I got into the 30-35k range last sunday I started noticing some numbness in my feet. It got worse. Then it got ugly and I was forced to walk. I couldn't figure out why this was happening at the time, but later I realized it was the shoes! The short tongue was cutting off my circulation just enough to give me grief on the long runs, which I had not done up to that point.

This is not to excuse my sluggish performance or lay blame where it does not belong - I undertrained for the event and I paid a price for that. But I do think that the shoes were a factor, if only near the end of the day.

Race Report: Toronto Marathon 2005

2005-10-16T21:18:00.000-04:00

You've probably heard about marathoners hitting 'the wall' at around the 20 mile mark. I've heard that too, but didn't really experience it last time. Some discomfort for sure, but nothing like the world o' hurt I've heard described.

Well, this year... I didn't so much hit the wall as the wall hit me. Repeatedly. It's not fatique - if anyone tells you they got tired on a marathon then they tried to take it too quickly. An event of this distance is usually run at a pace that never puts your body into an anaerobic state. The heart rate generally stays in a comfortable zone and you burn energy at a more or less steady pace. What happens though is that, for me at least, the mechanical systems start to break down. At about Km 34 or 35 what had been a dull pain in my knees became much sharper, and I was forced to do more walking than I would have had I properly prepared for this race. Final time (by my watch) was 3:57:something. Under four hours, which saved me from the ignominy of a 4 plus time, but only just. A big shout-out to Sonja from Ottawa; we helped each other over the last 2-3 km. Sometimes all you need is some encouragement and the knowledge that someone else is hurting as badly as you are.

So, was the experiment a success? I would say yes. I now know that I can complete a marathon under far from ideal conditions, physically. Running 42.2km on nothing but 'base' and 2 long runs in the 2 weeks before the race was not something I would recommend, though. However, I expect to be in some kind of similar condition next July after the swim and the bike, so having this in the back of my mind should help.

Other stuff: Weather: crap. Windy, cold, grey, almost as miserable as last year. All that was missing was rain/sleet/snow. The T-shirt: the worst t-shirt ever. EVER. I've gotten some ugly shirts in the past but this was by far the worst. Post-race food: again, as last year, disappointing. Plain bagels, a juice box, some tired-looking bananas and an orange. WTF? How about some nice hot tea, race organizers? Nothing fancy, eating a meal after a marathon is not an option, but today's offerings were just a disgrace.

That's it for this year. I'm off for a few days of complete rest, then we'll see what the plan is after that.

All Systems Go

2005-10-10T22:52:00.000-04:00

It looks as though I'm about as ready for next week's Toronto Marathon as I can be, so the Full Forty Two (Point Two) it shall be.

A second 25k run on saturday felt good, even better than last week, so I think I can survive the full distance without significant a) damage b) humiliation. As for projected time, er... four-ish? It all depends, really. I plan on walking most of the aid stations so a Boston qualifying time is - wait, sorry, laughing too hard here - okay four hours. Let's leave it at that.

My friend and 3 time IronMan 'M' has tried to give me an out, pointing out (quite correctly) that I don't HAVE to do this race as prep for IMLP. It won't really matter one way or the other, mileage-wise. True, oh wise one, very true. But I would rather have 3 marathons in my back pocket before IMLP than 2. Ya feel me, bro? It's just a mental edge thing, which might come in handy when I'm suffering like a dog on the back half of the marathon next July.

Just as an aside for casual readers, Boston qualifying time for my age group is around 3:20:00. That's fast. About 15-20 minutes faster than my time for last year. Not gonna happen this year, fo sho.

TC XC OK

2005-10-03T21:02:00.000-04:00

Running a 5k Cross Country the day after my longest run of the year could have turned out worse than it did - pretty much zero leg stiffness from the long run meant the XC race was free from physical complaints, and just the fact that I had an excuse to dog it made for a pretty relaxed run. I should use that tactic more often; I started out slow just to be sure there was no pressure to finish near the front (not that I would have - there are always a pack of speed geeks at these XC events) then just sort of cruised past everyone in the back half of the pack. Then passed a few more just for the heck of it. Too bad the course was mis-measured, I would like to have seen my 5k time. As it was, a 19:20 for that effort was a clear indication that the course was well short of 5k. Someone said 4.2 so that may be more accurate.

Something I've noticed is that the more I run the easier it gets. Well duh. I'll bet nobody has figured that one out before, eh? Maybe if I run every day... (sound of hand slapping forehead). It's all so obvious now! All these years of half-arsed training runs and too much couch-surfing in the winter have actually made it harder to run, not easier. Who would have thought?

Go Long and Prosper

2005-10-01T21:54:00.000-04:00

So today was my 25k run leading up to the marathon on the 16th. A perfect day, temperature in the low teens (celsius) and bright sun. B. was going golfing at Dentonia with her friends and the plan was for me to swing by the course at the end of my run to pick up the car. It worked out perfectly - almost exactly 25k. An almost complete circuit of East York, too - around the Don Valley to Cherry Beach, across the bike path to the spit, then up to Lakeshore Blvd and over to Coxwell, north to Gerrard, east to Victoria Park and finally north to the VP subway station where the golf course is. 5 more km would have had me back home again, actually.

I felt ok for whole run, so that's a good sign. Knee pain was kind of lurking in the background but never became a problem, I think largely because my pace was... casual. 2.5 hours to run 25k is pretty slow, around the 6 minute per kilometre mark. Whoa, that's really slow. But that was with more than the usual number of stops and included a longish stop at a variety store to refill the water. Why do I always get behind someone buying a fistful of lottery tickets? That killed about 10 minutes, I swear. So actual runnng pace may have been not quite that slow.

However, if I was to run that pace on the day, my time would be... 4 hours 15 minutes. I'm pretty sure there are no variety stores along the route though, so I might be ok there. A sub 4 looks in reach, barring any meltdowns in the final 15-20k.

That was my longest run of the year by about 10k, a large jump up and not recommended, so I'll know tomorrow if I've done any damage. The Taylor Creek 5k Cross Country run is at 1pm so any stiffness or soreness will make itself apparent pretty quickly. Again, not looking to set any PB times tomorrow, but once the gun goes on a 5k it's hard to hold back. I'm usually in the 21-22 minute range on these XC races so we'll see.

I Am a Scientist

2005-09-29T12:28:00.000-04:00

The Toronto Marathon is on October 16. That's just about 2 weeks away, and my run mileage right now is pathetically low. My longest run of the year so far is under 2 hours, a fact I attribute to the twin causes of a) training mainly for Olympic distance tris and b) sheer laziness. With maybe a bit of 'I'm too busy' thrown in for sympathy.

Right now I'm desperately trying to cram in enough training to complete the 42.2k distance without kiling myself in the process but this is far from a sure bet. Last year at this time I was running in the 3 hour range pretty comfortably and had been focusing on the marathon since mid-August. Still not the recommended amount of training if you listen to the standard wisdom concerning marathons, but I'm no couch-surfer so I wasn't too worried. A 3:37 was the result. Not too bad.

This year is a different story. This will be something of a science experiment for me - can I comfortably complete this race on a minimum of training? Is this a really dumb idea? I guess I'll know on October 16. I've already revised my anticipated finish time from the 3.5 hour range to the 4.0 hour range. Anything longer than that will constitute a serious failure, race-wise. But even so I can take comfort in the fact that my little experiment might somehow add to my store of Race Wisdom. It might also serve as a Warning to the Others.

Right now the plan is to run 3-4 times per week, including at least one 25k run. Tapering will be limited to the 4 days before raceday... I hope that's enough.

Learning to Suffer

2005-09-26T12:28:00.000-04:00

Further to my last post about autumn training sessions, the Hastings Hilly Hundred was everything it was hailed as, possibly more. What was it hailed as? Why, it was hailed as the 'toughest century ride in Ontario'. No arguments here. Over 120 climbs, some of them crazy long, and just over 100 miles of riding. Ouch.

Although any remnants of ridey goodness gleaned from saturday's festivities will be long out of my legs by the time IMLP rolls around, one thing one can always take away from a hard ride like the HHH is the ability to suffer and keep going. And yes, there was some suffering. Nothing of the show-stopping variety, but suffering nonetheless.

A positive sign: my legs held up fine, and no trace of soreness either yesterday or today. That means either that my skinny pins are stronger than they look or that my climbing technique is good. Either way, that's a good thing. On the other hand, my lower back is kinda stiff today, so that tells me I need to do more work there.

Side note - my bike seemed to attract the attention of a couple of the local old boys who were helping out with the race. Never mind that there were bikes there that easily cost twice what mine did, the Cervelo got the looks. Not bad for a steel bike, but then again it is a Very Sexy Machine.

What's My Motivation?

2005-09-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

Man, it is hard to get motivated at this time of year. The 2005 tri season is over, I have only one race booked for the fall (Toronto Marathon mid-October) and the weather is awesome. Perfect for goofing off, especially mid-day when I usually head for the gym for some hoisting. I haven't been in the water since my last race on the Labour Day weekend, and even though I know I should be hitting the pool at least once a week it just doesn't seem that urgent. It's too easy to go for a lazy bike ride at lunch, say up to St Clair West for some delicious gelato. It's also pretty easy to slide over to Yonge Street for lunch and a breeze through the local used CD store. Ahh, September, bestest month of them all. Not too hot, no bugs, and christmas still way over the horizon...

Is this impacting my fitness? Could be. Sunday was a 1.75 hr / 1.75 hr ride/run brick, and I felt pretty empty towards the end of the run. Worse than I thought I should have, but who knows? Right now I should be working on getting my run mileage up in time for the marathon, not doing bricks. The great weather won't last forever though and I hate to waste a good riding day by not getting on the bike.

On that note, this weekend is a 160k ride in the Bancroft area, up in the Haliburton Highlands. Nothing but hills up there if my memory is correct, so it should be a great ride. I'll try to work in a run, maybe even after the ride if all goes well, though it may be not too long.

Rest Assured

2005-09-09T16:29:00.000-04:00

I've just spent the last week (monday to friday) doing absolutely nothing, training-wise. And you know what? It felt pretty good.

My final tri of the 2006 season was last sunday in Guelph, an Olympic distance race and my 6th race of the year. I've been training steadily since, well, since last fall really, and it just seemed like a good idea to give it a rest for a week.

Rest is actually important, so I didn't feel too bad about it. Overtraining can lead to burnout, injuries and mental fatigue, say all the training manuals. So who am I to argue? I'll be back at it starting this weekend - the Toronto Marathon is coming up in October so I have to get my mileage up. More long runs in the program, and probably less swimming than usual at least for now.

The real IM training begins.

Heart (Attack) Rate Monitors

2005-09-06T16:30:00.000-04:00

I went to my LTS (local tri shop) a couple of days ago to pick up a heart rate monitor, to try to improve my running. Everything I've read so far about training for IM says to get a HRM so that's what I'm going to do. Never used one before and always thought it was a bit of a geek toy, but I'll put that judgement aside for now and give it a shot.

The model that was on sale (for $319 CDN) was sold out. Of course. So it was suggested that I try the latest model from Polar - it gives you accurate speed on the run without counting steps or GPS, plus temperature, altitude and who knows what else. Makes a nice latte, probably. Price: $499.00. I know this is an expensive sport. I'm lucky enough to be able to afford decent gear, so I usually don't waffle about buying what I need (within reason). But five hundred bucks? Does it come with a defibrillator too?

If anyone can recommend a model of HRM that will do the job without breaking the bank, I'd love to hear from you. In the meantime I'll continue to plod along without one.

IM Canada in the Globe and Mail

2005-08-30T14:30:00.000-04:00

Today's Globe and Mail sports section has a 2 page spread on IronMan Canada. Standings, photos, and a couple of nice pieces about the IM phenomenon. I thought this was pretty cool until I noticed that it was a 'special supplement'. That means it wasn't really news, it was a paid-for insert.

Even though IM events draw upwards of 2,000 competitors every time and sell out within hours, and even though triathlons in general are becoming more popular every year, it seems our sport still does not rate real coverage in the major dailies.

I'm not sure whether to be miffed at this or not. On the one hand triathlon is a great sport and I wish it would get the respect it deserves from the sporting world in general. On the other hand I kind of like that it's a niche sport. I used to golf alot, and watched in horror as each year more and more duffers and nimrods took up the game. I doubt there's any chance of that happening in a sport as demanding as triathlon, since beer drinking and riding in a powercart are not allowed, but if it ever did then it might lose a bit of its appeal as an 'elite' type of sport that not everyone can do.

A Typical Week

2005-08-25T09:36:00.000-04:00

Although my new training schedule, once implemented, will likely not rival the one posted below for intensity, it will definitely look a bit more ambitious than what I do now. I've completed 5 races so far this season with one more to go. That will make 3 olympic distance races and 3 sprints. No long stuff at all this year so the training has been kept to a reasonable level for these kind of events.

Here's a typical week for me:

Sunday - long ride (80-120k) or a brick (2 hour bike, 1 hour run)
Monday - rest
Tuesday thru Friday - a mix of short run (40 min), weights, and swimming. It varies from week to week depending on how I feel. There is also a hockey game in the mix on wednesday night.
Saturday - long run (1.5 - 2 hours)

Once a month I get a shiatsu massage, which I find very helpful in eliminating some of the minor physical complaints that would otherwise not be addressed. It helps a lot with flexibility and with any muscular stiffness that can build up into the sort of chronic complaint that would otherwise simply be 'normalized' as part of the feel of being a masters athlete. Low back pain, neck stiffness and a lack of flexibility should not ever be a regular part of your routine, and massage can help with that.

Most winters I cut back on the running, getting out only on the weekends, up the frequency of weight training to 2-3 times per week, and shun the pool from September to May. I have a feeling that won't work if I expect to do anything respectable at IMLP.

I've been looking into come coaching options and have narrowed it down to 2 candidates. I will also be undergoing a lactate threshold test to determine where my optimum heart rate zones are and all of that, so the results (good or bad) will get posted here.

(Is) Coaching for Dummies?

2005-08-15T16:09:00.000-04:00

One thing I will have to make a decision on relatively quickly is whether or not to hire a coach, or at least whether to purchase some kind of customized training program. On the one hand, I've been racing for 5 years now so I do know a little bit about the sport. On the other hand, I'm pretty much chronically undertrained and probably not reaching my potential. A potential I might add that gets just a little diminished each year as I get older.

Coaches, however, do not come cheaply. From a basic "we'll email you your program and let you get on with it" type of thing at around $100 CDN per month to the deluxe "we'll design a program for you, make sure it fits with your daily schedule, call you on the phone twice a day to see how you're feeling and then hold your hand when you cross the IM finish line" for upwards of $350 per month, there are many variations available.

The other option is to buy some training books and cobble together something that looks do-able. I'm leaning towards this option, but will likely invest in a heart rate monitor (recommended by every book i've read on this subject) and a lactate threshold test. Just to see how fit I am / am not.

Details to follow...

Risk Management 101

2005-08-11T11:32:00.000-04:00

One of the things that I will definitely NOT be doing during the training phase (ie. in the 10 months or so leading up to IM) is playing hockey. For some reason I have a knack for injuries, particularly to the lower extremeties. If I'm not twisting a knee I'm taking a shot off the foot, and these are not the kinds of injuries that you want if you plan on a smooth training program.

Again last night with the foot injury - a shot off the heel has re-aggravated a previous injury and will probably make my race this sunday more difficult. I'm glad it's only a sprint, but still.

So, once this summer hockey season is over that's it until next August. Hockey poolie yes, hockey player no.

Typical Training Schedule for Who?

2005-08-09T11:18:00.000-04:00

Preparations for an IronMan race should not be taken lightly, I realize that. But how much training is enough? A friend (and IMUSA 2005 finisher) sent me this sample training schedule for a "#1 age-grouper":

Mon - 22 mile bike easy @ 20 mph, run 13 miles

Tues - 32 miles bike hard @ 26-29 mph, swim 4000yds

Wed - 32 miles controlled-pace bike @ 24 mph with four sprints, run 13 miles tempo skip run if Thurs is long

Thurs - Run 13- 23 miles, swim 4000 yds

Fri - bike 32 controlled-pace @ 24 mph with sprints, swim 3000yds
Sat - bike 30 hard followed by an hour later with 13 mile run maybe a short swim after

Sun - bike 42- 100 miles maybe follow with a short run, 6-10 miles

Wha? Does this guy have a life? A job? Holy cow.

You can bet I won't be following a schedule that looks anything like this. Not unless my employer will agree to a paid leave-of-absence and my girlfriend agrees to take over every single household chore including all cat maintenance duties. Unlikely? Oh yeah.

Welcome to the CarbonMan Report

2005-08-09T10:51:00.000-04:00

So i signed up for IronMan USA (Lake Placid, NY) for 2006. Nobody forced me to, I didn't do it on a dare, I don't have any deep seated personal issues to work through, and I'm not expecting to have any life-altering epiphanies as a result of training for and/or completing the race.

This blog will be a record of my preparation for IMUSA - the training, the warmup races, the pain and suffering. All that stuff. Because why not? It will serve as either a warning or an inspiration for anyone else contemplating the event.

Let the blogging begin.