MAF Test and THE "Project"

Parental Discretion Advised! The above cartoon has nothing to do with this post and the video for that matter of fact, just had me laughing for a bit, so I thought I would share.

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This run challenge has been going well so far. I find it nice to track your progress, it is a great motivator to see your numbers drop. I personally track my runs on an excel sheet. It allows me to run the "numbers." Yeah, I am number junkie when I actually record my stuff. It allows me to see what my average mileage is, average heart rate, etc. The challenge for me will come later on when my improvements are far less. So far, I started at 8:30+ miles on my daily runs. Over the past 3 weeks, I am now into the 7:45ish range, not a bad improvement for me. As much as I want to believe that this is fitness gains, the reality is that this is merely a gain of just getting back to baseline. Right now, I have ran 26 runs in 25 days. My unpublished goal (well I guess you can called it published now ;) ) is to run 34 runs in 31 days, we'll see if I get there. My two-a-days are unplanned. If I happen to get an early run in the AM and I have the opportunity or feel the need to get out and exercise, that is usually when I get my second run in. I am only swimming 2 times a week right now and have been lucky to get out on the bike once a week since IM Canada. I told myself that I was giving up the bike in exchange to run, and that was to run often. Over the past few years, I have realized that I have a difficult time trying to do a specific sport focus while maintaining all 3 sports, so that is why I have decided to give one up, cycling for now.

It has taken my 3 years to finally be somewhat motivated to train my run. Quite honestly, I hate running. Talking with my brother 100 millions times about my run in general and trying to assess why I am poor at, I have come to at least one conclusion. So here goes my ramble....if you are sick of listening, I would suggest to scroll to the numbers NOW :)

In the beginning when I started triathlon "seriously" in 2001, my motivation to train was often fueled by positive reinforcement. I was reasonably successful in the North Carolina Triathlon Series (NCTS) in my age-group. For 3 years, I was on the podium probably 90% of the time that I raced. I had a goal by the time I was 25 that I wanted to race in the NCTS elite category and I did. Let me tell ya, that was a tough year for my head. Going from good results to well, uh......Anyways, it was a big jump going from age-group to the elite wave. We have some very competitive elite age-groupers here in NC, which makes it fun to race now, not back then. My motivation to train was much different than the first 3 years....DON'T BE THE LAST ELITE GUY and don't get "chicked." Needless to say, I think I was the last elite a couple of times (well, more than just a couple) and I was "chicked" probably in almost every race. Not cool in the "The Cool Book of Triathlon."

My second year as an elite was a tad better. By this time, I had some minor success in the swim. I wasn't getting smoked from the get go and I was able to get out onto the bike towards the front of the race. During the first few races while towards the front, I wasn't able to stay with some of the uber bikers, so it quickly became motivation to become fast on the bike. My thought was simple, if I can continue to improve on the swim, then get out on the bike in the lead, THAT would be COOL and I could re-establish my "coolness" according to the "The Cool Book of Triathlon." As this was occurring, I wasn't really paying much attention to my run, doing the bare minimum and at times running hardly at all. My motivation solely for the last 2-3 years was to keep getting faster on the swim and bike and just hold on for the run. While this bipolar approach has its ups and downs, its not all that stable for results. I have been lucky enough to do well in a few races because I have had a descent swim/bike combo and held on for the run, but I am over that. I think the reason I hate running so much is that I have poor results as a result of my poor training. If I would just put in par training for the run as I have for the swim and bike, I might feel much differently about running. After all, results are a great motivation for me.

So what the hell does all this "ramble jamble" have to do with my running....well here I am today, 26 runs in 25 days later, 6 years after I have started triathlon, attempting to give myself a chance. I have spent much of my triathlon race days always looking behind me, waiting for the inevitable, THE PASS in hopes that my S/B combo was enough to hold them off. I have done 6 IM's, never breaking 4 hours in the marathon. How could I ever expect anything better than a 4 hour marathon when I have never come close to putting in the time that it would require to run less than 4 hours, I surely have catered to my swim and bike and I have seen results. Hopefully this season my site will stay in front of me, no more looking over the shoulder.

So I will go ahead and create that public expectation of myself, something that I think many of us fear. We fear because we are worried that we may not deliver what we say. My plan is to finish this month of 31 runs in 31 days and continue on into November with the same challenge. Jeff has challenged the TriCoWS in the month of November to be a swimming month. 30 swims in 30 days. Each swim must be at least 2K to count. My run challenge in October defined a run as 45 minutes. The November 30 runs in 30 days run will be defined as at least 60 minutes. In October, I have been training around 10-11 hour a week, mostly running. Next month, I hope to see 14-15 hours of training per week spread between swimming and running.

Here are the last few runs since my last post and my MAF results. Comparing my MAF test which was right before I left for Canada, I ran 7:51, 8:02, 8:05 at the same HR of 155 for miles 1, 2, and 3 respectively.


Run//Time//Avg HR//Distance (miles)//Avg pace
====================================
18//40:16//158//5.4//7:27
19//51:05//149//6.44//7:56
20//44:42//163//6//7:27
21//50:33//159//6.44//7:51
22//1:04:55//150//7.82//8:18
23//57:39//154//7.58//7:36
24//50:00//155//6//7:48
25//50:00//154//6//8:14
26//49:01//151//6.1//8:00
******
MAF Test - Run 24
LAP // TIME // AVG HR
==================
1 // 7:37 // 155
2 // 7:56 // 155
3 // 7:50 // 155

Until next time my friends,
J

IM Hawai'i and "THE" project

Well first off, congratulations to all that raced at Hawai'i this past weekend. It was a blast to watch you guys. Great job Dennis, BDC, Kate, Teresa, Dave, Marky V, and Billy. Here's a quick recap:

- Dennis had a killer day going 9:16, freakin blazing!!

- BDC has been waiting for this moment. He went to Vineman in shape to win and had a flat that put him out of contention. Recovers, trains hard and finally gets a well deserved result, 9:26 with a 3:16 run.


- Kate had a steller performance for her pro debut in Kona taking 24th and a killer run split of 3:17

- Our favorite local, Dave, kept his vibe alive finishing another IM, I think he is close to 15 or 20, a great example for us young triathletes.

- Teresa took 2nd in the 45-49 women

- Marky V had the fastest swim split of the day and led all amateurs through mile 10 of the run... Impressive bro

- Billy has had a spectacular year as a pro and finished in Kona with a great result running 3:10.

******

The running is still going. I am officially half way through the month and I have ran 17 runs in 17 days. Quads don't feel bad, but my calves are feeling it quite a bit. I tend to get calve tighness and soreness with high volume/frequent running. I have always complained of this when I ramp up my run frequency/mileage. It has never (knock on wood) caused me to stop running, it is just uncomfortable at times. This is the time that I usually start strectching quite a bit and it usually alleviteates the achilles/gastroc tightness/soreness. So here are the updates of the runs since my last entry.

Run//Time//Avg HR//Distance (miles)//Avg pace
1//46:37//158//5.4//8:38
2//48:08//155//5.4//8:55
3//45:53//160//5.5//8:20
4//48:49//161//6//8:08
5//46:14//171//6//7:42
6//1:00:09//147//7.25//8:18
7//48:13//162//6//8:02
8//43:10 + 1:55//156//5.4//7:59
9//42:35:00//150//5.4//7:53
10//46:05//155//6//7:41
11//1:32:15//155//11.25//8:12
12//47:25//150//5.5//8:37
13//48:48//159//6.55//7:27
14//58:32//158//7.6//7:42
15//41:00//156//5.4//7:36
16//47:46//139//5.5//8:41
17//45:41//156//6//7:37
******


On a side note and as much as I am afraid to admit it, I went to "So you think you could dance" tour with Jeff and Erin's two girls, Kenzie and Laney. We had a blast, talk about people knowing how to dance....maybe in my next life.

Massaging the calves,
J

Project 26.2 update.....

"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil"...I think that is how it goes. Here is a pic of TGG's 3 monkeys. BOCO, GOOD TIMES!! Just a glimpse into our schinanigans over the summer. This is Denny's "bad boy" with Chris, Mat and JD at our farewell party.

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Here is my run summary so far for my 31 run in 31 days of October. I have ran 11 times in 12 days. Later in the month I will do a few more "two-a-days" and will catch that up. Not feeling too bad yet. We'll see though, ran my first long run today after a run this morning.

Run//Time//Avg HR//Distance (miles)//Avg mile pace
1//46:37:00//158//5.4//8:38
2//48:08:00//155//5.4//8:55
3//45:53:00//160//5.5//8:20
4//48:49//161//6//8:08
5//46:14//171//6//7:42
6//1:00:09//147//7.25//8:18
7//48:13//162//6//8:02
8//43:10 + 1:55//156//5.4//7:59
9//42:35:00//150//5.4//7:53
10//46:05//155//6//7:41
11//1:32:15//155//11.25//8:12
******
On a side note, I just passed my medical boards to practice which is quite exciting. Been a pretty big internal stress in my life lately, so it is nice to get that gorilla off my back. Now its off to the races and hope to get my state license soon. Still interviewing at quite a few places and looking pretty much anywhere, so if you know of a great Orthopedic office that is looking for a PA, let me know.

Will check back soon,
J

Attempting Balance.....

It been a while, so I thought I would update what I have been doing over the past month. But first I want to say good luck to the TGG's in Hawaii. BDC, Dennis and Billy are racing as well as Kate, Marky V and Teresa. JD is racing in Florida as well. Good luck to you all, will definitely be keeping an eye on you on Iromanlive.

Training has definitely been put on the back burner as I have been preparing/interviewing for jobs and studying quite a bit. I was however able to fit in a couple of races since IM Canada, all for fun. The trip back from Canada was pretty uneventful, but long. I think it took my brother and I about 6 days to drive from Penticton to Winston-Salem. We stopped over in Kansas City for day to spend time with family. It was definitely nice to see my middle brother and his family. I don’t get to see them much and Kellan and Jaden are growing so fast.

Once I got back, I did a local sprint triathlon here in W-S called the Angel’s Triathlon. It is directed by one of our TRICOW club members Mick Gunter. He puts on a great race for a great cause. This year was special because it also kicked off a great foundation called the AJ Linville Foundation. The AJ foundation was started by another one of the TRICOW club members Aubrey Linville. They started Team AJ which was created to help spread the word about the AJ Foundation and also promote a healthy lifestyle by having them compete in their first triathlon. I think something like 50 people from Team AJ were doing their first triathlon. Lastly it was my birthday, can’t ask for too much more than being able to race for fun.

I hadn’t really done much training since it was 3 weeks post IM Canada, so I was out there to have some fun and see everyone that I hadn’t really seen all summer. I had started running a little about 2 weeks post Canada which was earlier than I have ever done, but it truly was at a snail pace, just to get my legs moving again. As for biking and swimming, I think I had ridden about 2-3 times since and swam about 4-5 times since the big day. So I was ready for a rude awakening, or at least my lungs and heart were. I hadn’t raced much hard stuff this summer, well none at all to be exact, so it was going to be fun to see what would happen. Well, nothing to exciting other than it hurt like hell and for the first time in a while, I asked myself “why did I like sprints?” Finished and hung out with all my “amigos.”

A week later, a buddy of mine Curtis asked me if I wanted to join him on a team with his wife, Paige (I went to PA school with her), and another classmate of mine Ann to do this event called the Marine Corps Ultimate Challenge Run.>
The Ultimate Challenge Mudrun consists of 4 person teams. The 4.2 mile course is an all-terrain race conducted on dirt roads, improved and unimproved trails through the training area. This trail includes mud holes, walls, trenches and other obstacles that require swimming, crawling, climbing and jumping. It was down in Columbia, SC so it was a bit of drive, but I was like what the heck.

Let me tell you, it was one of the most fun things I have ever done. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, it was just a total blast. We were a coed team and we actually did really well. I think we took like 73rd out of over 600 teams. It was pretty sweet. Depending on where I end up taking a job, I am definitely in for doing this again next year.

On the training frontier, I have begun to think about a running program. Project 26.2 needs to get started. Jeff posted a challenge to all the TRICOWS for the month of October to do 31 runs in 31 days. I thought this would be a good start to my running program. So far, I am 6 days into it, have done a minimum of 45 minute runs. I missed two days in a row while I was at an interview and the rule is supposed to be you can’t miss 2 days in a row, but I will make them up by doing a couple of two a days later in the month. I think I am going to stay off my bike for the winter for the most part and concentrate on running while maintaining a swim. All in all at this point, my main focus is getting the J-O-B. Here are my runs for the past few days:

Run//Time//Miles
1//46:37//5.4
2//48:08//5.4
3//45:53//??
4//48:49//6
5//46:14//6

Will be in touch,
J

IM Canada Race Report

Let me first warn you, this is quite long. Hope you enjoy!! I will add photos later, just don't have any back from the digital cameras yet.

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First and foremost, I have to say thanks to everyone that has helped me along on this journey. Jeff and Erin have been a tremendous help with everything. Without them, I wouldn’t have even dreamt of doing it. They allowed me to stay at their place in Boulder for the summer and help me with anything that I need, triathlon or not. Next, my parents for making the trip to Penticton for our Ironman. Something that they have always done and probably will always do as long as they can make it. Their relentless support and unconditional love to always be there physically or mentally for us is priceless. And of course all my friends that have sent emails, texts, or phone calls this whole summer wishing me well on race day. A big thanks to you all, its awesome to hear from you and believe me, you were all a part of my day at some point. In addition to my old friends, all my new mates that I have met on this journey. I have learned a ton and can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate the part you have played. THANKS AGAIN!!

First, I want to say that even though the result of the day wasn’t what I wanted nor expected, I accomplished many of the goals that I had set out on race day, 6 of 7 to be exact. I have learned so much over the past 3 months here in BOCO. My race/training arsenal has gotten quite large, unfortunately I wasn’t able to use any of my big guns on race day. My day will come, I am convinced. I have a couple of thoughts why my run failed again, but first let me tell you about my day from start to finish. My goals were pretty basic, I will share those with you at the end as well.

Got up as usual at 12:30AM and drank 4 slim fast and a smoothie that had about 500 calories. I started doing this after my 2nd IM at Wisconsin. I had read in an article that we can go for about 4 hours without eating before we begin to use our glycogen stores for energy (my disclaimer, you can’t hold me to the information until I go and research it for certainty on the numbers), so I thought it would be a good idea to never go longer than that the entire day before the gun goes off without eating, including late into the night. I figure, if I can keep my glycogen stored topped off, it would be one of the small things to help me through the day. Got ready, reviewed my race goals, said a prayer that Greg had sent to me that his college football team used to say in college before games, looked at a quote that Denny had sent to Team Good Guys from General Patton, looked at an email that Gordo had sent us a little before race day that reminded us, #1 Give yourself every chance to succeed and #2 Let the other guys make the mistakes, an email that Kevin Purcell (KP) had sent me earlier this year when I wasn’t completely believing, and then headed out the door. It was imperative that I review this few things. They would keep me sane and if I felt any urge to deviate from my race plan, the would be countered by any of these messages. As you can see it was quite a stacked arsenal. I believed in all of them, so all I had to do is recite them in mind and the “fire would be put out.” So out the door I was, running a little later than normal, but got there with plenty of time to get my stuff done. Met up with Jeff and hit the water around 6:15AM.

The water was quite chilly at first, but after a minute or so, it came out to be perfect. Did a short swim out for about 15 minutes and then headed back to shore before the pro start at 6:45. The water was calm, so I expected a good swim. Caught back up with Jeff and we stood in the water not far from where the pros were starting and took in the moment. There were so many people along the beach yelling and Mike Reilly had the crowd going. This was my first IM start since starting PA school two years ago, so it was fun to be back out there. The pros went off and Jeff and I got situated where we were going to be. It was very comforting have my bro by my side. Just another form of support to keep my plan in tow and spend a little time with him, just him. I don’t remember speaking to him much, but there was plenty of communicating going, just not verbal. I kinda felt like it was just him and I out there, and not much anything else mattered. It is those moments in time that I won’t ever forget, not sure if too many other people get to have those opportunities with their siblings, I am glad that I am just one of the lucky ones. I wanted to be towards the outside of the buoy line to have a little more clear water. Wasn’t really in the mood to be hacked and slashed in the beginning of the swim. Once we were situated, we were looking at the massive crowd and believe it or not, we actually found my parents, Erin, and Kenzie, their daughter. They were waving a sign they had made us and we waved back. Then, with no warning, BOOOOOM, the cannon went off. I was like S&^%, I guess the race started. No time to get anxious now, we’re swimming.

The course is a triangular shape out and back course. We went 1612m out, 450m across, and then 1800m back in. At the two turns, there were boathouses. My plan was to take the first leg out bi-lateral breathing, switch over to breathing twice on the right to every breath on the left across the short back side, and then go to breathing every stroke at some point on the 3rd leg back. Staring out wide, I had all the clean water I wanted. I stayed smooth and easy and veered my way into the line of buoys and caught the feet of a woman who seemed to swimming pretty hard. Well it seemed as much as she had a huge kick, so it made it easy to stay on her feet. Swam on her feet for about 10 minutes or so. I was swimming very comfortable and it was exactly the feet I was looking for at the moment. It was just her and I about 7-10 meters from pack/buoys. After about 10 minutes, I really wanted to get a little closer to the buoys where the bigger pack was, so I gambled and left her feet and started cutting in. Once in the group, I started moving effortlessly pass quite a bit of people. Made my right hand turn for the short 2nd leg and realized the pack was thinning or I was moving up. I was feeling quite peppy by this point. Rounded the 2nd right hand turn at the boat and realized that I was up in the front of a pretty large pack. There was a girl not far up the way in the water and she had been there for quite a while and I decided that I should bridge up to her since we were obviously swimming at the same speed, so I did. We swam the rest of the way in changing leads at the front. I wasn’t for sure exactly where I was in the field, but I was at the front of some big pack and there wasn’t anyone in front of us that I could see for at least two buoys or about 200 meters. This of course energized me to stay on pace and knew I was going to have a great swim. Swam as far as I could until my hand hit the sand, stood up, peeled the top of my wetsuit down, and headed straight for the wet-suit strippers (One of my most favorite parts of the day. Whoever came up with that idea should get a Nobel). On a side note, as I was heading out of the water, I looked down and my heart rate strap was not on my chest. I guess it had fallen off when I was peeling my top down. For a split moment, I began to think I was “hosed,” but remembered an email that Justin had sent a couple of days before the race, and for some reason a three word phrase stuck out in my mind, “trust your instincts,” that is all I could remember from that email. His words of wisdom were meant to be I figured. So that is what I had to do for the rest of day. It would be a true test of what I learned in BOCO. So I thought “No Worries,” got my bag on the way to the change tent and proceeded to make a full change. I didn’t wear my white uni in the water for fear of it turning another color. T1 was a little longer b/c of the full change, but it was also meant to serve as a “relaxer” of which it did. Got my bike and headed out for the ride.

The bike is a one loop course with 2 significant climbs, Richter Pass and Yellow Lake, respectively. Going through the town was awesome, but difficult. With all the people lining the street and yelling, it was totally hype. I will say, I had probably 15 people pass me in the first 4 miles, a difficult thing for me to do. But the race plan was to let that happen. Gordo and Marilyn had warned me that this would happen, but said that I would be seeing those people after the turn around right before Yellow Lake. So relaxed riding I did. Between the relaxed T1 and taking it easy, I began taking nutrition on the bike after about 5 minutes. About 15 minutes into the bike, I started getting a side stitch. I figured it wasn’t much and continued on. Then of course, I began to think about that stupid HR strap that I didn’t have and my zones that I was supposed to be in. What was I going to do now!?!?!?! But I quickly extinguished my negative thoughts and remembered back to the last month or so. I had been training with no HR monitor anyways because mine had broke and I sent it back to Polar, so I knew I could do it. Besides, Justin’s email said,”trust your instincts.” The side stitch continued for the next hour and half. At one point right before we started the Richter climb, I was trying to think of reason that I had this nagging stitch and thought my one piece was pulling funny on my side or something. So I unzipped my top and pulled it down to my waist. I rode like this for about 5 minutes until I rode by the penalty tent and got yelled at by one of the officials. I was so irritated b/c my side hurt so bad, I think I yelled something back, but figured I better go ahead and get my top back up since unfortunately it didn’t relieve the stitch anyways and the last thing I needed was to be thrown in the next penalty box. That would have been a kicker!! The stitch had not slowed my pace down, it just assured me that I wasn’t going to do anything stupid, it definitely was a perfect governor, just an annoying one. At this point, I had taken a full bottle of my nutrition and half of my 2nd one. The plan was to have the 2nd bottle done by the bottom of Richter, but with my nutrition issues, I didn’t. So I tossed the bottle and began my climb. After about 20 minutes of taking no nutrition at all, my stitch started to go away. As I began to climb, things began to pro-cess (that is pro-cess pronounced like PRO athletes, eh) if you know what I mean. Continued to keep things easy up Richter and continued to have people pass me, but again, I remembered to just smile and stay relaxed, there was so much more time in the day. At this point, I decided that my stitch was coming from my nutrition, so I abandoned my bike nutrition for the rest of day and stuck to what they had on the course; Gatorade, power gels, and water.

Side note about my nutrition. I had changed to Infinit about 3 weeks before the race. I have used Carbo-Pro mixed with powdered Gatorade for the previous 5 IM’s and I never had problems, but it didn’t really have a good balance of electrolytes. I was a little worried that it might get a little hot in Penticton. So after speaking to Jeff about it, I decided I would give Infinit a go. It never really gave me problems in training, it just wasn’t very palatable. But I figured, if it had what I needed, I should just deal with it. Lesson learned, if you can’t drink it all or it is giving you GI issues, it doesn’t matter what’s in it, electrolytes or not, you better off sticking to good ole faithful.

Got to the out and back portion and rode pretty steady for the first time of the day. Got to the special needs bag at the end of the out and back and just kept rolling through. I saw my brother on the way back out, he wasn’t too far back. At this point, I was getting ready for what I had been waiting for all day. Were the folks that I saw blowing by me in the beginning going to re-appear? Once heading through the rollers to Yellow Lake, I began to raise my effort from what I had been doing all day. I actually rode this portion completely by myself, there really was no one around me. Things were feeling great and I was excited and in good spirits at this point. As I began to near the bottom of Yellow Lake, I could see a stream of people up the way. I thought, “Yes, perfect, the plan has worked!” I hit the bottom of the climb with all the people lining the road. They were fantastic!!! I started passing people. I can’t explain what happened at Yellow Lake, but it seemed everything that I was conserving all day as I had been told to do was all coming out at that moment. I knew in the back of my mind that I wanted to ride this portion. I knew as soon as I go to the top, I would have about 20-25K’s of descending, so definitely plenty of time to rest and fuel up. As I was rolling on, my cadence kept getting higher and higher, my legs kept feeling better and better, and I kept passing more and more people. At some point, I hit the steepest point of Yellow Lake and there were people lined on both sides of the street. It was Tour de France style. The fans had created a little pathway for the riders to ride up. They were yelling, cheering, playing loud music, banging on things, you name it. It was awesome!!!! At this point, I was so focused on keeping whatever I had going that I don’t remember much. I think for about 20 minutes, I repeated, “Relaxed and Smooth” to my cadence. I was in a rhythm.

Once I crested the major portion of climbing at Yellow Lake, emotion overcame me. I have never really had anything like this before, but I almost started to cry. I was elated!!! race execution is something that I have not done very well in Ironman. Part of this is lack of patience and lack of believing in the plan, but I was determined, I was here to execute, not do what I have done at every other IM I have done, BLOW UP. For the first time, I had gotten to a point later in the race and realized that I had so far done exactly what I had set out to do; paced appropriately. It was truly and big accomplishment for me. Not much happened the last bit home. Descended and made it back to the town where all the people were. Saw my family and gave them a smile and a wave and got ready for T2.

Coming in on the bike, all I could think about was not screwing up what I had done so far. The plan for the run was to run the first 3 miles around 9:00/mile pace and then steadily drop the pace down until I got into the 8:20’s range where I would hopefully keep that pace for the rest of the day. I knew it would be difficult, but was up for it. The most difficult portion was going to be the last 10K. (You hear that the race really begins with 10K to go on the run and that’s where you really want to run) I knew for me, I wasn’t going to be able to raise my effort that far out from the end, but I was gunning for the last 3 miles to give it all I had.

Out on the run, as each discipline has started that day, I had so many people passing me. It seemed even harder this time b/c there were so many people lining the streets and who wants to be the slowest dude in relative terms out there running with all these people passing you. But again, I knew, it wasn’t these 3 miles that were important, it was the last 3 miles that were important. I convinced myself it was a trade off, “You pass me now, and I’ll pass you back the last 3.” Fair enough right?

The first 2 miles were a little faster than I should have run, even then I thought I was really running slow.
1 - 8:38
2 - 8:19
I felt really good at the point of the race. Jeff passed me a little before 3.5 miles. From there, I just kept it steady and tried to keep a close eye on my pace since I didn’t have an HR strap on. Here are the rest the of my splits.
3 - 9:08
4 - 8:34
5 - 8:35
6 - 8:34
7 - 9:54
8 - 8:23
9 - 8:31
10 - 8:24
11 - 9:33
12 - 8:25
13 - 8:34
14 - 8:45
15 - 9:59
16 - 8:59
17 - 9:20
18 - 10:10
19 - 10:36
20 - 10:25
21 - 13:03
22 - 12:41
23 - 13:11
24 - 14:20
25 - 9:07
26.2 - 10:09

Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where it all went to pieces. It came over me so quickly, as I felt very solid through 16 miles. It was like I had just walked off a cliff. All of the sudden I just hit the wall and as you can see, I struggled and eventually was humbled to a walking pace by mile 24. At that point, I rallied everything I had and just shut my mind off and decided that I was going to run in the last 2 miles as hard as I could. I was able to return close to my pace and finish strong.

All in all, it wasn’t what I would have expected, especially seeing 12-14 minute miles. I thought at worse I would see maybe an 11 if I blew, but not a 14:20. As I have reflected on what could have been the reason, I have come up with a couple of things. But first, I would like to say that what I did this summer I feel was appropriate. I wouldn’t have changed anything I had done, it taught me what I think will be what I need to do for run training for the next IM. So hear are my “theories.”

#1 – One thing that I realized during the melt down retrospectively was my inability to mentally fight through the “wall.” As I have thought about my running over the last 5-6 years, I must say that I haven’t done a ton of long run training outside of my IM schedules. I hadn’t visited “The Wall” too many times. I thought about Jeff’s running history and he has logged a few ultra marathons, did some adventure racing for a short period of time that required long runs with backpacks on and generally has had very consistent running. This leads me to believe that I might have poor mental tolerance of dealing with run pain, something I think that comes with doing those long runs and learning how to fight through that mentally. Supporting my thoughts that there is a mental toughness component was the fact that I was able to lift my pace for the last 2 miles. It took quite a bit of personal mental build up, General Patton’s poem, and the crowd on Main St to lift my pace of which I did. Something that will be addressed in “Project 26.2.”

#2 – One thing I would like to try is do some run training that extends my longer runs to 26 miles. I think everyone is individual when it comes to this. I think there are those who can get by with running 21-22 miles for their long runs and it is enough for them to run a marathon. On the other end of the spectrum, there are those runners who need to actually run the distance that they plan on running b/c they can’t assume 26.2 mile fitness from a 21 mile run. I suspect that I am on the latter end of the spectrum. For me, I think I need to run 26-30 mile runs for my legs to adapt. Over the summer, I think the longest run I did in one session was about 19-20 miles. If I look back at my splits and see where things started to detonate, it was around mile 17 and I completely lost it at mile 20. I will say, this is completely my theory, I will have to talk it over with the “wizards” and see if they agree. This could be a change in my program next time around.

All in all, I didn’t have the exact day that I wanted, but I am not un-happy about it neither. I learned a ton this summer and without these this race experience, I wouldn’t be able to make the appropriate training changes for me. That is what this is all about, finding out what works for you. Here are my splits for the day:

Swim - 57:43T1 - 3:45Bike - 5:24:51T2 - 2:40Run - 4:14:28Total: 10:43:25

So as I said in the previous blog that I would post my race goals, well here they are.

IM Canada Race Goals
August 26th, 2007

1. Finish
2. 10:45 or less
3. Smile every time I see my parents and have fun
4. Swim under :58
5. Stay relaxed on the bike
6. Ride under 5:30
7. Run 3:45

I was able to complete 6 out of 7 of my race goals, not too shabby.

I will also share the prayer that my buddy gave me and the quote that ultimately got me running again at mile 25 that Denny shared with TGG’s. I don’t thing either one of them would mind sharing.

The Prayer
In the eyes of God, we are the greatest. We put forth God's faith, in every moment of play. If we lose, we shall not greave, and if we win, we've done a good deed. Win or lose, all our praises go to God, for allowing us, o take part in this race.
Amen

The Quote
“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell The mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger the mind Could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired…You’ve always got to make the mind take over and keep Going.”
- George S. Patton, Us Army General and 1912 Olympian

Not exactly sure what my race plans are for the rest of the year. I decided that I would make no race plans until next year, but that doesn’t mean that I may not race, just nothing set in stone. In the mean time, gotta get back to the real world. Jeff, my Dad, and I are making our way back across the country in the Yukon and in the meantime I am currently applying for jobs. Not for sure where I will end up, I am always open to new opportunities. Until then, recovering for the next month and then getting the engine started up again.

1 IM wiser,
J

IM Canada: RACE DAY

Race Day Coverage...
There will be periodic updates...ignore the "Posted by" time at the bottom of the blog.

Gordo out of the water around 10:40 EST

John and Jeff are both off the bikes, through T-2 and on the run!!! (see updates under Mrs. Shilt)

First age-grouper out of the water around 10:50 EST (age-grouper wave left 15 minutes after pro wave)

Here is an interactive map of the race course: http://www.ironmap.com/ironmap/ironmagnifier.htm

SHILT, JOHN - Looking strong through T-1 with a big "THUMBS UP!"
00:57:43 Swim
05:24:50 Bike
10:43:25 Run
10:43:25 IM Canada Time

SHILT, JEFF - Steady and trucking through T-1...keep pushin' hard Jeff!
01:03:03 Swim
05:24:52 Bike
09:54:28 Run
09:54:28 IM Canada Time

BYRN, GORDO- Pro
00:55:37 Swim
04:51:54 Bike
03:11:52 Run
09:03:48 IM Canada Time

Per Ironmanlive- Gordo is currently around the 6-9th place (4 hours in). It is speculated that if he can be within 20 minutes of the leader going into T-2, he will run him down (estimated -2:50:00 run).

Currently, he is 16 minutes back at the 85-mile mark.

Gordo is now 21 minutes back of Kieran Doe...come on Gordo...push it! Represent for Team Good Guys!

DAERR, JUSTIN- Pro
00:57:25 Swim
04:56:06 Bike
03:02:43 Run
09:00:21 IM Canada Time

Mrs. Shilt (Jeff and John's Mother)- "They are both looking good and strong and both gave a quick wave as they took off. They seem to be enjoying themselves. It's a long day and we hope things turn out well for both of them."
"John arrived about 10 minutes ahead of Jeff and had a smile on his face. He is still looking good. Jeff looks focused heading out on his strength."

Erin Rowe (Jeff's wife)- "Everything is going well so far. We're keeping an out for them. They're both looking good!"

CONGRATS TO JOHN, JEFF, JUSTIN, & GORDO FOR COMPLETING THE RACE. YOU FOUR ARE IRONMEN!

Anything Is Possible....

Here are a couple of pics of the gear right before I put the bike in. Heck, if I can't be fast, at least try and look it. :) Titanwear did an awesome job with the uniform. Thanks Jason!


















“Ability is what you are capable of doing, motivation determines how well you do, attitude determines how well you do it.”
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All has been well over the last two days. Just getting ready to hit the sack. Got my bike checked in and everything in order. Did a little swim and bike today and made sure all was well. The water was quite calm, hopefully it will be like that tomorrow. Looking forward to a fun day out there. Looks like it will be quite cool in the morning. It is not supposed to get above 72 for the day, so it will be nice not to deal with 90 degree weather on the run.

Not sure how well www.ironmanlive.com will work tomorrow. In the past, it has been tardy on getting times up for athletes. So my buddy Greg will be phoning my peeps here at the race and putting live updates on Team Good Guys. Hopefully it will all work out. So check back regularly throughout the day. If it doesn’t work, Greg will post on here so you don’t have to waste your time. Pro’s go off at 6:45AM and the “agers” start at 7:00AM. We are on west coast time here, so all you “easterners” are going to have to wait 3 hours.

Send me some good energy,
J

(yeah, thats Greg, big dude eh?)

Keepin It Mellow

Today was a pretty mellow day, didn’t really do too much other than train and hang. Jeff and I went down to the swim start around 8AM and swam for 30 minutes. There was quite a bit of chop today, definitely the most I have swam in since I have been here. Took it easy for the first half of the swim and was very comfortable and smooth. On the return leg, I decided I would give it a “punch” and see how I felt. I felt great!!! The only thing was that I was going into the waves. Even though I was battling the waves, I felt very strong in effort and in control.

Got some lunch and headed out on a spectacular ride of the country side where all the vineyards were. If you are ever here and want a good two hour ride, you should definitely check this one out. Basically headed Northeast out of town toward Naramata. There are probably like 20 wineries on the way. I think I will be visiting them on Friday with Erin (Jeff's wife) and my parents. No tasting of course, probably will end up being the DD. :) The route takes takes you along side of Okanagan Lake. The scenery is amazing! I tried to catch a pic looking back towards Penticton.

I didn’t run today, just wasn’t up to it. Felt my swim and ride was enough.

Ironman Village opened today. Town is starting to get a tad busy. I was reading in the paper that this will be the biggest Ironman start in history. There are over 2700 athletes registered for the 25th anniversary of this race. This will be the 2nd time that Jeff and I have raced at "biggest IM start." Back in 2004 at IM Wisconsin when we raced, it was the biggest start in IM history at that point as well. Gonna be crazy at the swim start. I wish they have people to hold up “time sticks” in the water so that people could get themselves in the appropriate place, kinda like a huge marathon where they corral people. I think it would help with such a huge race.

Ohhh...I almost forgot, but I got my race suit today in the mail!!! Thanks to Jason at Titanwear for getting it together. It is awesome, I am totally psyched to wear it. Maybe I’ll post a pic in the next day or two of the race day equipment. To give you a little hint, it is all white with red stitching. That is my theme this year, all white. Don't ask. :) It will be perfect to match my newly painted machine.

In any case, off to hit the sack. Check in tomorrow. Will go and pick up my race packet after my short SBR.

Snoozin',
J

5 Days......

This is a pic of us crossing over into Canada at Border Patrol.
######

First let me say, Penticton is a unique and beautiful place. Driving in the entire way we were surrouned by orchards on both sides of the road. Having only been here for two days, it is everything people say about it. It is a quaint little town of about 30,000. Tons of great rock climbing venues, it is a wine country with tons of vineyards, awesome mountain biking and hiking trails. Not to mention the two huge lakes that the city sits in between. A true haven for outdoors.

We settled in on Sunday after we arrived here and I swam in the lake on Monday morning. It is spectacular! The water is almost a little “Hawaii-esque.” It is amazingly clear. Definitely the best IM swim I will have done. The only difference is that you look at ugly vegetation 12 feet down and not yellow and purple fish. The water temp seemed to be perfect, not too hot and just a tad on the cool side which is perfect for me.

(This is the first step of Richter Pass)

The training that I did the summer is all starting to finally make sense. Swam a little over 4K this morning in the pool and then headed to the track to do a MAP test. The structure was exactly like the last one I did. Warm up well and then do a 3 mile run on the track recording each mile. Instead of using a HR of 155 like I did last time, I used 145. I didn’t expect to get too much info from this run except to help me determine what I was going to be doing for the first 30-45 minutes of the run. My results were as I would expect, not necessarily what I would like. But as always, I have to keep reminding myself that this is “project 26.2,” it’ll come with time (hopefully).

LAP // TIME // AVG HR
=====================
1 // 8:15 // 145
2 // 8:56 // 146
3 // 8:36 // 146

After the run, Jeff and I headed out to the bike course to do the small, 16.5 mile out and back section. It is around mile 67’ish or so. Let me first say, the course scenery is amazing. Very difficult to justly describe the beauty, hopefully the pics will help. All the climbing I did this summer will pay off. The climb to Richter Pass, the first big climb, which is about 11K long is broken up into basically a 3-stair fashion. After the climb, you descend for sometime to the out and back section and then onto the 2nd big climb of the day, Yellow Lake (YL). YL is about half as long, but steeper. Once up Yellow Lake, it is a 20-25K descent home. Quite a perfect time to re-fuel and rest a little for the run.

I am feeling quite good these days. I can usually tell things are going well when I just want the race to be over. I want it to be here tomorrow! I feel solid in the swim, patient on the bike, and reserved for the run. I believe its gonna be a fun day. My parents arrive late Thursday, can’t wait for them to be here.

I will swim tomorrow for about 30 minutes at the lake and then do a brick in the afternoon.

I am trying to get something set up so that my blog will have close to real time updates on race day for the four of us racing here. I will let you know if it works out.

Lastly, thanks to everyone that has written me an email. I really appreciate your thoughts, they truly go a long way.

Chill’axin,
J

Here is my play list for the transition area. The highlighted songs are “J’s Hype” songs.

Make It Work // Ne-Yo
The Best of What’s Around // Dave Matthews Band
Stay Fly // Three 6 Mafia
Hypnotic // Craig David
The Real Slim Shady // Eminem
Fill Me In (Remix) // Craig David
Life is a Highway // Rascal Flatts
I’m Coming Out // Diana Ross
Hit Me with Your Best Shot // Pat Benatar
The Way I Are // Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson
Down Under // Men At Work
Glamorous // Fergie
If Everyone Cared // Nickelback
Encore (Remix) // Linkin Park ft. Jay-Z
Summer Love - Set The Mood Prelude// Justin Timberlake & Timbaland
Sandstorm // DaRude
Another Chance // Roger Sanchez
Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song) // Safri Duo
Dance Hall Days // Wang Chung
The Sweet Escape // Gwen Stefani
Sexy Love (Duet Remix) // Ne-Yo ft. Candace Jones
Changes // Tupac Shakur
Margarita // Pharrell ft. Big Boi
Rockstar // Nickelback
Stand // Rascal Flatts
Animals // Nickelback
Hard as a Rock // ACDC
Bartender // T-Pain ft. Akon
Forgot About Dre // Eminem ft. Dr. Dre
Little Things // Bush

#261

(Me, Jeff, Brandon, Gordo, Billy, Mat, Denny Not Pictured: Justin - he had already left for Canada)
######

I will be toeing the line as 261.....there are only 4 of us from TGG's that are racing here in Canada. Brandon just finished Vineman and Denny is training for Kona. The other 2, Mat and Billy are heading to IM Louisville. Good luck to the fellas.....

Gordo #1

Justin #18

Jeff # 918

For those of you that don't know, you can track our race day by going to http://www.ironmanlive.com/ and choosing IM Canada. Then find the "Track An Athlete" and put in our race number or last name.

Say "hi" if you see us...

J

Life is like a box of chocolates......

We officially left Boulder today for Penticton, BC. All packed in the Yukon, Jeff, Erin, Laney, McKenzie, myself and of course the dog Luna are headed to Bozeman, MT to catch up with one of Jeff's medical school buddies. As we drove out of town, it began to stir all the awesome memories of what got us here and those we had here. The first memory that came to mind was planning the trip. Being on this earth for 27 years, I have been lucky to experience a lot of the world. The opportunities that I have been given are priceless, things that I will always hold in my heart. The opportunity to train here in BOCO is no different. At first when the idea arose, I was very apprehensive as it would fall right after I graduated. It seemed that I should do what everyone else was doing in my class, go get a J-O-B. BUT, once again, as so many times it has happened, my brother offered to take me along with him. He granted me the opportunity and see a different side of life, a gift that he has given me. He convinced me it would be something that I may not get to do again and thank God for his wisdom, he was right. (Its back to real world after this.) It would fulfill one of my dreams...go to Boulder and see how the “big boys” do it. With the actual oppurtunity, it always is necessary to have support.

As it seems to be a common theme of the blogs lately, at least those in the squad, these opportunities would not be happening without the support of family. As you would expect, Mom and Dad have always supported me no matter what. I can’t tell you how many times I have spoke to them about some crazy idea that I wanted to do or had, but as always, they patiently listened and have never discouraged me. This time was no different. They shook their heads smiling and comforted me with their full support. It’s always nice to get on the phone with them, they genuinely love to hear what we do day to day, it sure is good for the soul.

My other brother Jason, who lives in the Midwest and unfortunately I don’t get to see him and his family often b/c of distance, gave me one of my first memories of running. I was probably about 12 years old, and he was in college at the time. He came home to visit and for some reason we went running around the neighborhood. I remember distinctly to this day what he told me as we went running that day, “Breath in through your nose and exhale out through your mouth. Keep your hands relaxed.” Little did I know at the time, that these basic principals of running relaxed would be useful to me 15 years later. Thanks bro, wish you could have made it up here to Canada.

And of course, my oldest brother Jeff. I couldn’t be more appreciative of the person he has been to me. For the last 8 years, he has been a role model, a brother, a motivator, the DEVIL (LOL, just kidding), but most importantly a best friend. Always encouraging me to strive higher and better, giving me endless support in every fashion. This journey with him is another one for the books, always excited what the next one will bring. But for now, we are once again on this journey together and we have some goals to meet. Watch out for that guy at IM Canada, he just might be one of the fastest age-groupers on two feet running 42K…stay light on your feet, see you at the finish line.

######

As for race day, I am currently writing down my top goals for the race. I am not sure if I will make them public, but will definitely share them once the race is over. It was a suggestion from Kate, one of the stellar triathletes I have gotten to meet while here in Boulder. All in all, I am staring to feel better each day. Not as “peppy” as I want to be, but I don’t need to be for 10 more days.

As some of you may not know, I found 2 cracks in my head tube about 5 weeks ago on my bike. I had to send it off to get repaired in hopes of getting it back quickly for Canada. Thankfully, G let me borrow his extra bike, a Cervelo P3SL. About one week later, my heart rate monitor went dead and I had to send that off as well. With no power meter or heart rate monitor, the last handful of weeks I have been training off of feel. The plan was that I would get my bike with about 3 weeks to go and my watch would be returned within 7-10 business days. As luck would have it, neither one of those time lines were met, not even closely. I got my bike back yesterday and my watch came back 2 days ago. Needless to say, my levels were a little high in the anxiety department. But, as of now, I couldn’t be any happier to have them here, better late than never. Along with the repair of my bike, they had to strip the chili pepper design and re-paint. For time sake, I changed my color scheme and this is the new facelift for the race machine. I must say, I am very happy with the change, it is very pristine looking. Here she is...

######

As for Team Good Guys (TGG), thanks to the fellas for an unforgettable summer of training. Not only a talented group of guys athletically, but stellar guys in general. Here is a group pic of TGG’s speedos. Yes, it says “Team Good Guys” on the back.

We will be arriving to Penticton on Sunday. Until then…

Building from within,
J

Thought I would share my IM morning playlist. I’ll put this playlist on random and get the morning rolling before I head down to the trasition area. I will post my transition area play list on my next blog.

Song // Artist
Something Sexy About the Rain // Kenny Chesney
Flake // Jack Johnson
My Wish // Rascal Flatts
Take Me or Leave Me // Rent Soundtrack
She’s Everything // Brad Paisley
Mr. Jones // Counting Crows
Message in a Bottle // John Mayer
These Days // Rascal Flatts
Bless the Broken Road // Rascal Flatts
Me and You // Kenny Chesney
Stand // Rascal Flatts
Where the Green Grass Grows // Tim McGraw
She’s Got it All // Kenny Chesney
Something Like That // Tim McGraw
Mayberry // Rascal Flatts
My Maria // Brooks & Dunn
Key Lime Pie // Kenny Chesney
Check Yes or No // George Strait
Track 3 // Sinclair
Big Girls Don’t Cry // Fergie
Public Affair // Jessica Simpson
Because of You // Ne-Yo
You Know What // Craig David
Bartender // T-Pain
When You’re Mad // Ne-Yo
High Love // Steve Winwood
All Night Long // Lionel Richie
Your Body is a Wonderland // John Mayer
Hold Me // Fleetwood Mac
Betty Davis Eyes // Rod Steward
Brand New Day // Sting
Beautiful Day // U2

Quality Sessions.....

The last two days have been some very good quality sessions for me prepping for Canada. Yesterday, I had a “front-half” simulation day and had a lactate test on the run. The plan yesterday was to do 5 loops at the res (~900m/loop) exactly how I would swim on race day, including warm-up. As quickly as possible, get changed and onto the bike for a 60 mile sim ride. Practice my patience early on in the bike, get fueling, and stay calm. Once off the bike, transition again as quickly as possible and then out the door for a 5.3 mile run. Here is how they went:

Swim – 63 minutes (~4500m – 5 laps)
Felt as in control as I could ever be of my pace. Felt pretty relaxed and didn’t “feel” any high rates, pretty steady swim. Took the first two laps bilateral breathing, then gradually switched to 2 breathes on right for every 1 breath on left. The last lap I then switched over to every side breathing about half way through. As fast and strong of a swim I have all summer. Grade – A
T1 - ~8 minutes or so. (Hopefully faster on race day)

Bike – 2:45:09 (57 miles)
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/co/boulder/693889688

Seemed to be quite a bit of wind today, didn’t feel like I got to many breaks. I had to take 4 “relajar (relax in Spanish) timeouts,” 2 scheduled and…..well…uh…2 unscheduled. The timeouts are for me to reassess my pacing and how I feel to make sure that I am pacing correctly to run the marathon of my life. The two scheduled were 1 on the way out and one on the way back. What I usually do is stop pedaling completely, sit up, and roll for about 10-15 seconds. I ended up adding two more b/c I felt they were necessary. I needed to settle back in and realized that this ride wasn’t the full monty and I needed the reigns pulled back a little.

All in all, the ride was ok, not quite as fast as I would have liked, but was definitely in the ball park of the pacing I needed to be in. Grade – B-

T2 – 5:09

Run – 45 minutes (5.3 miles – 8:29/mile)
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/co/boulder/689600224

Legs felt great! I really concentrated on making sure to take it out slow, really slow. I was somewhat forced to as I climbed a gradual hill up to Fourth street from Kalmia. All in all, regardless of how I felt on the bike, it must have been just about right. I still felt very “peppy” by the end of the run and felt like I kept my HR down the entire run. Grade B

Today I had a scheduled lactate test on the treadmill for my first data points. I haven’t had one done in probably 5 years. I was able to really give it a go, saw my HR at 190. Ended my test after about 35-40 minutes running 5:30/mile pace. The test helped confirm that I might have made some ground into my marathon goal when comparing it to my last MAP test. I will be doing another MAP test again when I get to Canada. Finished the day with a 3K easy swim.

All in all, great simulation day and lactate test. I found being on my own sometimes was difficult on the bike as I didn’t have any electronic feedback to gauge how fast I was going and I didn’t have anyone around me to gauge my pace. Probably a good exercise for me, since I need to race my race, not anyone else’s.

“Its better so slow down when you decide, rather than when the race decides for you” - Gordo

J

If you are looking for a great read, Alan wrote a great article on run development in the Alternative Perspectives section at G-World.

Learning, Understanding, and Believing

This post will be some what random, just a few thoughts on my mind over the last couple of weeks. As for the pic, G has become the new honorary member of the TRICOWS.

##########


It’s been a couple of weeks, figured it was time to check in. Started my two week block, went home for 6 days, returned and finished the remainder of the block, all except my last long run, which was post-poned. Of note on the training side of things, we did that Wiggins ride again, 150 miles. We had a few different faces on the ride this time, Chris McDonald, Marilyn MacDonald, and AJ Johnson. With Chris being such a strong rider, the dynamics of our group would change, basically, he could keep people on edge with a pull at any moment. And indeed he did. Everything was pretty casual until the return ride once we got to Wiggins. Last time, attacks weren’t allowed until we got to Hudson, which is about a 1.5 hour ride from home. This time, things got heated not too long after the halfway point. With 60 miles to go, the attacks began. As usual, my self discipline went out the window. As the attacks began, I followed. I might have even attacked a little myself (bad move). I probably don’t really need to finish the story as how the ride ended up for me. You have already read that my long run the next day was post-poned for 2 days. I almost made it back with the group, but just about 3-5 miles from the end before I finally got dropped, and truly DROPPED. Spit out the back like a bad habit. I would say for the last hour, I was truly in survival mode. I was as “knackered” as I have been in a long time, I was pretty drilled. I think the combination of poor nutrition late in the ride coupled with the bolstering 1000w+ attacks by Chris that put me in the hole...a dark hole it was that I might add on the way home. To make things rather comical now that I look back, I was about 2.5 miles from home and there is a fire station there. Now, remember, I was 2.5 MILES FROM HOME and I stopped in there to get a coke just to make it back. I probably wasn’t thinking to clearly and I was obviously in need some simple sugars, but quite funny as I look back. G reminds me of this ride when I am getting a little “ant-sy.” It is a memory that I will take with me on race day.

##########
Attempting to understand fitness versus endurance.

This IM quest has been such a learning experience personally, well beyond the physical gains. Jeff and I were discussing his newest training concept, Poker Pacing (an article will come soon). I began to realize my ignorance about a few basic definitions of our sport; fitness vs. endurance. This is merely an educational bit and I am sure everyone’s definition will be different. How do you define fitness and endurance?

Here are a few comments, one from a forum and one from a coach.

“I think you define them collectively and that is that. We like to make distinctions between "types of fitness" that are not different at all for any event lasting more than a few minutes. If you can run a marathon in 4:00 but you can't run one in 3:00, it's not a type of fitness that you lack but an amount.
You could make a distinction in types of fitness between sports - ie. you have the fitness to bike 4:30 at IMH, but not the fitness to run 2:40. VO2max does not translate perfectly between sports. But the "type" of fitness you need for a 10k versus the "type" that you need for a marathon are at least 99% the same
When I say a different "type" of fitness, I mean that you have to be good at a different thing. Like the difference between biking and running, or skiing and chess. You would need a different kind of fitness to succeed in each of those. But the type of fitness that you would gain while training for a 10k is identical to that which you would gain training for a marathon, if you were training correctly. The same holds true down to about the mile, where different energy systems have to be emphasized. Even then, training is substantially the same.
If I can be absurdly reductive for a minute, it might help to think of it this way: what would you change about your training between a 10k and a 15k? A 15k and a half marathon? Half marathon and 20 miles? 20 miles and a marathon? The race distance is certainly more daunting as you move up, but the "thing" you have to be good at is still long distance running for each one.
Surely a scientific explanation exists out there, but absent that at the moment maybe it would be enough to say that there is a pretty great correlation between 10k times and marathon times among trained runners.”

- “Lets use the example of an athlete of mine. She eventually was 4th as WPRO at IM Wisc and did ultra runs (3-6hrs) prior to taking up IM. In her first IM ever she went 11:15 and got a Kona slot as an AGer. When I asked her what her strength in IM was, she responded "endurance". I told her that her greatest limiter was "endurance". She was still 90min away from what I thought she could do in IM. She quit after going 10:06 in Brazil but her endurance was much higher than when she went 11:15.
Endurance (in IM) is being able to race for 8 to 11hrs with efforts at AeT to AeT+10 without your pace and power declining. Short course guys are fit. You were a very fit runner back when you ran track, however, your run endurance was relatively low compared to elite IM.
What we see in IM, are athletes who think "speed" is fitness. Because they train moderately hard so much, they never really develop the lower end AeT type fitness that is needed over a 10hr day in IM. I have coached several short course guys and gals who won their AGs in short course and flamed out in IM. They couldn't slow down in training and their underdeveloped, steady, aerobic fitness hounded them. What I saw was this huge gap in pace from AeT+10 to AeT. Sometimes almost 90sec! It should be nearer to 30sec.
You can probably run under 3:15 in a marathon, but an IM requires an 8-10hr effort strategy. That is endurance relative to IM.”

Just something to ponder....

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Believing, much harder to do than said.

You gotta believe. Not believing is something that I think we all have done or still do as race time comes around. We all question if what we have done is enough? If we have failed to accomplish a goal and choose to go a different route, that we are not accustom to, is it right? We all are faced with these dark rooms with no light on and sometimes we just have to be fearless and believe that the PLAN is going to work. It is the execution of the plan that I personally have struggled with, the fear that I am going to swim 15 minutes off of my best swim, the fear that I am going to bike worse than my first Ironman by 20 minutes, and the fear that I am once again going to reduce the IM run, into the IM walk which ultimately leads to the IM shuffle. How many times do we have to experience poor race results until we finally figure out that if we stick to the plan, treat the day like a training day, that we will come out successful, only to turn that dark room into a room with shining light? For me personally, these are thoughts that run through my head constantly. Sometimes it takes longer for us to figure out or actually listen to those who have already made the mistakes. Often we have to make them on our own until it sticks....and that would not be me of course!!! :) So as I begin to prep for IM Canada, the mental plan has begun. My swim at the Res the other morning got it jump started, I was somewhat relieved and excited that I swam the 4 loops (loop was somewhere around 900m – Gordo will confirm at next LCM swim practice) at the Boulder Reservoir in 53 minutes. The swim was comfortable, bilateral breathing, and relaxing. So there I was at the end of the swim thinking, “If I just swim like this, I am going to swim alright, Boom, fear #1 down.”

Out onto the ride, while speaking with G, he reminded as many have so many have. I was expressing my “FEARS” about my results on race day and he said, “Why worry, what if the swim is long and for the matter of fact, what if the swim is short? Your time will be your time, just race your fitness/race. Remember, under perform for the first two events, 26.2 miles is a long way to run, much less after a swim and bike. Personal meltdowns and utter shreddings of oneself in a workout are good reminders to carry on race day.” (hint, hint, Wiggins Ride)

So here I am today, my workouts lately have been strong for me, much more than when I first arrived. My swim set yesterday of 5K+ was not necessarily the fastest I have I have swum, but definitely one of the strongest. I fell off the descending sets and settled into my basic rhythm of just swimming approximately IM pace and my bilateral pace still was a 1:30/100m, which was a good sign. Last week, we road up to Ward, which is a 16 mile climb. It is the strongest I have rode thus far. I had a 2:10 run 2 days ago, again, as strong of a run that I have had since I got here. One thing that I can say for the most part is that I have been able to successfully finish the plan given to me, each session (well, maybe had a couple of demon days), each day, and each period. There were times that I didn’t believe and I shook my head, but I just kept on, walking into that dark room unsure of what was going to bring.

My hope for this IM is to erase all of the fears of “times” that haunt me. Begin a new approach to IM and continue to successfully build on what I have been taught this summer.

“Your belief determines your action and your action determines your results, but first you have to believe.”

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(Dennis, Chris, JD, BDC, me, Mark, Mat)

Only have a couple of weeks left here in Boulder. I am definitely going to miss this place when I leave...but then again, who knows what opportunity will come next, I never thought I would have been here in the first place.

Thought I would throw a pic in of the lads while out on the town, while we work hard most days, we definitely have had some fun as well.

J

Final Prep and Run Test

Not much has gone on this week. Being that it is a rest week, just been keeping it constant everyday, nothing hard, just keeping the blood flowing. The one important thing on the schedule this week was the MAP run test. The MAP test is to objectively measure aerobic improvements during training. As you plot your data, over time you hope that your aerobic speed increases at the same aerobic heart rate.

But before I go on, I would like to congratulate BDC for an awesome race up at the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon this past weekend. He raced as and elite amateur and took 2nd overall with a blistering run of 35:40. Way to represent Team Good Guys....

So the plan was to warm up for about 15 minutes, run 2 loops on the track to get my HR steady at 155 and run 3miles on the track tracking each mile’s time. So why 155 HR? Well, nothing really too scientific. Gordo initially instructed me to use 150 and more recently has given me a 155 cap on my long runs. In addition, when speaking with Jeff about this run test, he asked me, “Do you think you can run 155 late in the marathon?” Embarrassing as it is to admit, I don’t really have any run data and considering the trend of my “typical” HR’s, I decided that #1 – I need all the beats I can get and #2 – Being a little on the younger side, it seemed reasonable.

So I ventured on my way to Boulder H.S. track, but before I left, I made sure to shave, this was going to be treated like a race. I wasn’t going to leave any seconds behind. LOL So, as I began to run, my mind became cluttered with dismal thoughts about what my results were going to be, what I was gonna do about my race day plan if they were indeed poor, how was I going to justify my time here Boulder if I can’t run when I leave here? It then was countered with, “This is just the beginning John, you can’t expect results in 3 months...besides, don’t forget about project 26.2, it’s gonna take a couple of years. Just use it as a data point and let it motivate you to become an aerobic machine (as G’s says).”

So, what were my expectations? Given my insecurities on the run, I didn’t expect much and prepared myself for the worst. The only partial-run data that I do have and which isn’t much, is the Boulder Res run a few weeks ago. I ran 8:30’s/mile and I figured with my efforts to run that, I would be seeing times in that range, probably a little more close to 9:00/mile. As I ran out the door, Jeff encouraged me to focus on running smooth and keeping it steady. So off I was...

I ran for about 12 minutes in the 130 HR range until I got to the track. I proceeded to run my two "buffering" loops to get my HR steady at 155. Punched my start time and started rolling. The first mile was somewhat difficult and my breathing was somewhat a little labored, but my HR was right at 155. Knowing my background, I knew it would take a mile or so to relax. I began to focus on a few things. My run form, my breathing, and relaxing. For my form, Gordo gave me a few “Running Resets” to think about at the last running clinic. First, chin down, to help shift things up top more forward. Secondly, my arms. Make sure they are in the appropriate position at my side and that I am pulling backwards with my elbows relaxing on the frontward swing of the wrist. In addition, don’t swing across my torso and keep the wrist in the vertical plan. The 2nd lap I began to feel quite a bit more relaxed and more toward that “running sweet spot” that Bobby talks about during run clinic. I will say this is the most focused on the run that I have been in quite some time. To be honest, really as long as I can remember. It brought back some of those track memories and I began to realize that track running wasn’t all that bad. I must have forgotten a little over the past 6 years. It was nice for once to remove many of the external disruptions such as up-hills and down-hills, the pressures of my pals running in front of me or behind me (hold on, I am the caboose on the squad, so just those running in front of me :-)), fatigue, etc. The 3rd lap I finally got into a rhythm and felt very at peace and comfortable running my pace. There were two positive images rummaging in my mind and they oscillated between the pic you see above which is part of G’s article about "The Quest for 2:45" (which you can read by clicking on it)and the other image was Bobby McGee (BM), a reminder to maintain form. Actually, it was BM that made the corrections that you see on G’s running form, it only seemed appropriate.

Having the internal feeling that my first lap was way too fast even though my HR was on, I decided that I would do another mile and use miles 2-4 as the “real” run data. I just didn’t feel right for that mile and it only seemed appropriate to keep it movin’ for one more. So here are the results…..

LAP // TIME // AVG HR
==================
1 // 7:23 // 155
2 // 7:51 // 155
3 // 8:02 // 155
4 // 8:05 // 155

So what does this all mean? Well, first of all, not as bad as I thought, but still quite a bit from my run goal of 3:29:59. I am happy that I did not run in the 9:00 range as I had worried about. Realsitcally, I really needed to be more near the 7:30/min range, so off about :30 secs. Typically when you do a test like this, you add about :30 seconds to your mile time. Your mile time plus :30 is most likely what you can hold on the IM marathon, pending you don’t shell yourself on the bike. I will test one more time before Canada. Realistically, I am not going to gain :30 seconds between now and then, but even if I can 10, I’ll take it. That will put my marathon fitness around 3:40. Much better considering I have never broken 4 hours in IM.

Tuesday will begin our final prep block for IMC. It is very race specific and is going to be a blast. I will be heading home Thursday for a few days for Jen’s birthday, but will continue on the plan there. For me, the only thing that I really will be missing is the Team Time Trial on Thursday. Last time, it was about a 60-mile ride with 3 hard efforts going at your max with the 2nd effort and all out effort to the last man standing. To make it fun for the boys, Gordo has offered up a $5 KOM Bonus preme for the first person to a point decided by him. That $5 is just not $5, it comes along with some bragging rights, so you can imagine the carnage that will be left on the road that day. It probably is an omen that I am not going to be here, last time I saw a HR of 181. For this block, I will need all the HR’s that I can save to finish this block successfully. Needless to say, high end is not my limiter, so instead, I will be home running easy at an aerobic effort, much more beneficial for me.


6 weeks to the day,
J

Taking it easy....

This is a the last rest stop on the Wiggins ride. (From L to R: Gordo Byrn, Dennis Meeker, Justin Daerr, Brandon Del Campo, Brent Sheldrake, Billy Edwards, myself.)

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You know you have gone somewhere in Boulder on a bike when one you can: #1- no longer see the mountains or #2 -you have ridden high enough to be above all the mountains. That’s how you know you gone somewhere here in BOCO. On Saturday, we WENT somewhere!!! As you can see, this was what I saw for 150 miles, looked like were were in Kansas.

So this training block is over and it was a success. I completed all my workouts and actually had a great swim this AM. The ride was long, took about 7 hours on Saturday. I then backed it up with a 2.5 hour run on Sunday. As for the ride on Saturday, it made my Sunday easier since I rode within myself. I hung on and made it back with the lads despite becoming the permanent caboose after about 190K. On the flats rolling back, my HR was perfect, but I was having some difficulties keeping it down when climbing the rollers, so it forced me to stay in the back. Bringing up the rear in the last 60K is what allowed me to have a solid run on Sunday, I am sure of it. This is a new concept for me, looking beyond the workout that I am currently doing. I think so often I would thrash myself in a workout and then wonder why I was having a tough time going to the workout from being tired, but more importantly having a good one. Riding a 80-100 mile bike ride with sections that you HR was at 170 is NOT ok. You pay for that, I promise you. This is a key point for me, especially trying to attack this Ironman stuff. Be patient, workout within yourself at YOUR fitness, regardless of anyone elses. All in all, when you mess up, no one else has to pay for it except you. Besides, it is a lot more fun when you aren’t grumpy b/c of the previous workout.

I'll leave you with a few pics. This is what I ate at the last stop. Needless to say, things were probably on there way south. All you gotta do is look at what your fellow riders are eating, I am sure they knew I was getting close to the dog house.

As for Justin, he kept this rice krispy treat in his shorts for the right time....seems to work for him. It is always good to have some humor after about 110 miles on the bike knowing you still have over 40 to get home.

So I'll be resting for the next 7-8 days, unloading from the past two weeks to do it all over again, this time faster.

Tranquillo,
J

So you have probably been wandering where Mat is. Well, Mat unfortunately got hit by a car a little over a week ago. He is doing well, nothing major. He has a nice size bruise on his right hip/butt and a few scrapes from going through the windshield on his forearm. Check out his blog here.

Brent Sheldrake(click on his name for his website) just moved to Boulder not too long ago and trains with us a few times a week. Was a short course guy until he was diagnosed with lymphoma. Talk about a classic guy that has been through it all. A true sportsman at heart.