Smoky and the Bandit

Recent posts about Jacob Seilheimer running the Boston Marathon have resulted in some interesting discussion, though much of it happened via e-mail rather than blog comments. Much of that discussion focused on his completing the race without having qualifying and registering for the race. For many, the idea that others bandit races is disturbing.

It is a topic worth discussing, because there are a great many views on the subject. Never one to shy away from a controversial issue, I'll take a crack at addressing it.

For some, the concern is that bandits "steal" resources from the race. As bandits don't pay entry fees, anything they use on race day is paid for by someone else. This can include drinks, gels, paid and volunteer workers on the course, etc. Those who make this argument believe that everyone should pay their fare share.

The counter argument is that those resources are already there, and unless a bandit uses items that eventually result in a paid entrant NOT getting the support they need, the supposed harm is minimal. If a bandit drinks even 12-15 cups of Gatorade, the cost is minimal, given it would have been thrown out, anyway.

Another concern offered is that bandits somehow diminish the value of the race. The event is set up for serious athletes who are willing to at least put their name on the dotted line. Bandits have little invested in the race and distract from its nature.

The response to this argument tends to be that bandits have many reasons for opting out of signing up. Sometimes there is the cost. Other times there are other motives for running the race and paying to enter is counterproductive. Sometimes, runners just like supported training runs. While some bandits might somehow diminish the value of the race, others contribute to the event in their own way.

A third objection is that bandits, being unregistered, represent a risk to the race director and sponsor. If they were to be injured while running the race, the event would be at risk of a lawsuit. As the runner never signed a consent and release form, they can hold the race officials liable for any injury incurred. Many events are non-profit, and the risk of litigation poses a real and significant threat.

Others would counter that anyone running on the course without a registration would have no right to hold the race responsible for any injuries incurred on the course. They have no consent and liability form because they have no hold against the event. They are private individuals using public property for their exercise. If this argument is allowed in order to limit bandits from running the entire race, it would also have to be applied to any and all public traffic on the course. Just as spectators wouldn't have a valid claim if they twist their ankle running across the race course, bandits wouldn't have a valid claim if they are injured while running. Most would argue that any successful lawsuit of this nature is sign of a flawed judicial system.

One of the comments on Jacob's site indicated that Jacob hadn't, in fact, run the Boston Marathon. What he had done was completed a 26.2 mile run along the same route on the same day. In fact, it should be noted that many of the pictures on his site show him running on the sidewalk. If he had completed the journey in a more timely manner, would it make any difference? As an unregistered runner, he would have basically been doing a supported, well attended, widely broadcast training run.

On the other hand, do athletes have the right to expect that the person running next to them is a registered participant. What responsibility to we have to self-police ourselves? Is running as a bandit akin to cheating? After all, it is unacceptable to transfer bib numbers (unless allowed by the event directors). How would we respond if someone earned a slot at Kona in the 40-49 age group when they were 38?

Or is banditing something completely different?

Please share your thoughts. Keep in mind that while we may feel passionately about the subject, this is a friendly discussion and the opinions of others should be honored, regardless of agreement. Let the debate begin.

Coffee, Tea, or... Gatorade?

Swim. Bike. Run. Nutrition? It is said that nutrition is the fourth discipline of triathlon, and in few races is that so visible as it is in Ironman. The time spent completing an IM distance race makes proper nutrition a necessity.

For many, it is also the most difficult discipline. And for first timers, it is admittedly a crapshoot. While we use long training sessions and other races as test cases for what to do on IM race day, it is impossible to simulate the magnitude of completing an Ironman. It must be done.

Reading some of the race reports, I'm getting a better feel for the challenges that may develop on August 26th in Louisville. Those under Coach Mike's tutelage got an advance copy of his race report from Ironman Arizona. It is quite obvious from his report that nutrition can quickly overshadow just about any other challenge.

Mike commented about difficulties staying on course in the swim for two major issues. First, his goggles were leaking and kept filling up with water. Second, he apparently lost a contact somewhere along the way. Those two issues combined to cause Mike to miss his swim goal (of 57:30), by a WHOLE three minutes. (Just for the record, leaky goggles would slow me down a WHOLE lot more).

The wind in Arizona was another huge factor. Particularly on the bike. Mike has set a bike goal of 5:20, an aggressive 10 minutes faster than his previous best bike. Despite the conditions, Mike finished in 5:35, his third best bike time in an IM race.

But Mike's own comments touch on the fourth discipline of triathlon. The balance between caloric intake, hydration, and power output is very fine, indeed. The simple difference of a bit of water can have a huge impact on a race. In this case, Mike indicated that his solid food intake called for more fluids than he was able to get his hands on. As food became less palatable, his caloric intake fell, and power went with it. By the end of the bike, he knew that the run would be a struggle. To his credit, Mike ponied up and completed the race. Again, for the record, while short of his target marathon time, Mike's sub-4:30 marathon is very impressive.

Nutrition has always been more of an afterthought, for me. Throw a few gels into the running pack. Water, Gatorade? Whatever's handy. Going for a bike? Grab a Clif Bar or a banana. Get a couple bottles of whatever's available and get out the door. Forget everything? No biggie, even a marathon can be completed on just water or Gatorade.

That mentality? Well, it's just got to go. That kind of thinking will earn me a bed right next to Commodore. Only I'll have nothing to blame except myself. So, it's time for some research, and you can all add your two cents worth.

As a marathoner, I'm used to gels (I use Gu) and Gatorade. On long rides, I've been carrying Clif Bars, Gatorade, and water. Mike's comments hinted that purely liquid calories may be a better option. The question will come down to what will meet my needs on race day. If I can handle solid food, am I better off with that? Or am I better off going all liquid for ease?

One thing is certain. I have less than 100 days to sort it out, because after that, I won't have time to test things out. And after my first triathlon, I learned not to use ANYTHING new on race day.

*Side note* While looking for the post on my first triathlon, I came across the post about my first mile swim. Two things caught my eye. First, my feelings about a 1760 yard swim at that time. I called it a miracle mile. Second, the pace I mentioned, 2:45/100 yards. Less than 12 months later, a 2000 yard swim is an easy session. And if I see 2:45, I know I forgot to hit my lap counter.

Breaking 130

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin', into the future...

That clock is merciless. It just keeps counting down, oblivious to the feelings of those who look at it every day. Time is like that. It slows for nobody. Well, unless you have the resources to push yourself to something much closer to the speed of light than any of us will achieve on our bikes.

And training continues. This morning, there was an aligning of the stars as my workout and the plans of the Wednesday morning group were frighteningly similar. Swim 200s at race pace. As we were all in the same lane, anyway, it worked out well. The first discussions were about doing the sets on 3:45. Another guy saved me from having to humble myself by questioning that pace. So, they decided on 4:00. Which was a PERFECT pace.

If that was the pace they actually swam.

On the first interval, I came in at 3:20. And I was the caboose. Now, unless they were INCLUDING the rest interval in their calculations, having the slowest swimmer achieve an unheard of pace of 3:20/200 yards is a far cry from 4:00. Luckily, the pace slowed on the second set. Of course, 3:30 isn't that much slower.

I figured I'd get a break on the third set, since the guy who originally questioned 3:45 would be leading. It was only then that I realized he was wearing SWIM FINS. My head nearly exploded. That HAS to violate some kind of swim group ethics. Isn't there a rule that says it's impolite to KILL another swimmer by setting pace while wearing fins? On the fourth set, I realized the guy who led the first set was using a pull bouy.

I skipped the fifth set out of protest.

I led the last two sets. It seems the onset of cranial pyrotechnics is beneficial to my swim. I managed to maintain the 1:45 pace, and on the final set swam 1:34 for the first 100. That was, of course, followed by a 2:03 on the next 100. Still, I almost fell out of the pool when I saw the 1:34. And falling out of a pool is a real trick.

Next time I think about swimming intervals with this crew, I plan on throwing the match by pulling up with a hamstring injury. And no, I don't care that hamstring injuries aren't all that common in the pool. That's what I'm going with.

On a side note, remember to use caution as you get your bikes out onto the road. My brother-in-law got to spend most of the last two days in the hospital thanks to an inattentive driver. He was on his motorcycle when a driver nearly t-boned him. He managed to avoid that accident, but slammed into a second car at 40 mph. That two separate drivers failed to acknowledge another vehicle with the right of way is frightening. A fractured wrist and some severe soft tissue damage later, he'll be okay.

Just keep in mind that many drivers are unable to see anything smaller than an SUV when driving. Be safe on the roads so we can all make it to our races.

Worthy

Several others have posted on Jacob who bandited the Boston Marathon. To quote him, "I, Jacob Seilheimer, completed the Boston Marathon...DEAD LAST.And I'm damn proud of it."

This story is definitely worth reading, and Jacob is definitely worthy of being called by the title he earned. Marathoner.

Outneeding

Just about anyone ever completing training for an Ironman knows that sleep quickly becomes a limited resource. The "just about" is for those people who attempt IM distance races without really training. For the rest of us, most mornings start in the dark hours of the morning as we complete our first training sessions of the day.

So sleep time is something I've come to value. I do everything I can to get to bed early and get some quality rest. Of course, any parent with toddlers can confirm that best intentions are fairly meaningless when little ones determine that sleep time is over.

My day started out in just that manner. B-Boy and Monster Girl joined forces. Kind of like the Wonder Twins from the 1980s. "Wonder Toddler powers activate."

"Shape of... a three year old with the head of a bull." "Form of an 18-month old coughing like an 80-year old smoker." B-Boy started things out when he started squawking for my wife. She got up to see what he needed, and was promptly TOLD to get daddy, but not before the baby was woke up. Mrs. Pol was more than happy to let me deal with the issue, and headed back to bed, taking her daughter with her.

Me? I got to deal with a son who took off his wet pull-up, then refused to put on a new one. That took the better part of 30 minutes to resolve. I didn't have the heart to let him sit in the bathroom all night, regardless of what I might have told him. Thirty minutes later, Monster Girl took over as her cough was keeping her awake. Apparently, she figured somebody (pronounced Dad, in our house) should be awake with her. In her normal fashion, she fell asleep right about the time I headed out the door for training.

Ahhhh, the life of Ironman training.

From Tempe to Boston

With the excitement of Ironman Arizona barely in the bag, we turn to the Boston Marathon. While I'm sure there are others out there, I know of one tri-blogger who is running the race, today. And one thing is certain. The winds that plagued participants at IM Arizona continued their journey and now harass those in Boston.

None other than TriBoomer was invited to run the Boston Marathon in recognition of his efforts at raising money to fight bloodborne cancers. He is wearing bib number 24923, and you can track his progress here. As of this writing, Boomer has been tracked through 10K in a time of 1:08.

I'm hoping their tracking is delayed, as the race has been in progress for nearly two and a half hours, at this point. Given his pace, Boomer should have been beyond the 15K point, if not past 20K. Of course, the conditions are far from conducive to marathoning, with temps in the low 50s, winds gusting to 50 mph, and sideways rain.

*Already an update: Boomer has passed the 15K point in 1:42:10, maintaining 10-11 minute miles.

*Update two: While far from real time, Boomer has been sighted passing the 30K checkpoint in 3:50. He is on pace for about 5:25, and we can only hope the weather has broke so he can at least dry out while he's running.

*Boomer is nearing the end. Given the lag in time, he may be done. The last checkpoint he passed was the 40K point, in 5:24. Given that pace, he should be getting awfully close to the finish line.

Here is a late addition, and a horrible oversight. George Schweitzer, endurance athlete extraordinaire, also raced in Boston, today. In addition to finishing the race, he tore it up. He finished in 2:50:17 with an average pace of 6:30/mile. Not bad given the wind and the rain. I don't know if that's a marathon PR for George, but I believe it is his first time running Boston. That was good enough for 366 overall, 280 in his division. Congratulations to him on a fine race!

Boomer accomplished a lot simply being invited to run this race. Keep checking back to see how he is doing.

One is Done

Congratulations to Coach Mike who has completed another Ironman race. He tore up the bike, averaging 20 mph over the 112 mile course. He went out hard on the run, and seems to have run into some issues over the last 8 miles or so. Having never completed an IM distance race, myself, I'm inclined to say "Who doesn't." In all, he completed the race in what I consider blazing fast speed, with a total time of 11:15:59.

Commodore is on the run course, and I will be sending positive vibes toward Tempe. He completed the bike in just over 8 hours, and the athlete tracker has yet to show a time for the first split at the 8.8 mile point of the run. With his bike and swim times, he is left with about 7 hours to complete the run. Send Commodore all the positive energy you can. With the health issues he's been battling, he can use anything we send his way.

Early Results

For those who aren't following the links, Commodore and Mike are both on the bike. Mike proved what time in the pool is worth, completing the 2.4 mile swim in just under 1 hour and 2 minutes. Commodore made a HUGE gain from Ironman Florida, completing the swim in 1 hour 44 minutes. For the record, that is an improvement of 21 minutes.

As of this post, Mike had gotten through the 37 mile checkpoint of the bike in 1:44 for a pace of just over 21 mph. That's moving. Commodore's tracker hasn't updated with that time, as yet.

Good Luck!

At least two important people from my life will be toeing the line at Ironman Arizona on Sunday. For tracking purposes, the links to their Athlete Tracker pages are shown here. Best of luck to Comms and Coach Mike.

Comm's Athlete Tracker page

Coach Mike's Athlete Tracker page

I will also try and update as I find out information. Most of it will be publicly available, so nothing will be breaking. I'll also be out for Mrs. Pol's birthday dinner, so there might be some gaps.

Good luck to both of you, and to anyone I may have missed!

Passing the Torch

It's amazing how perspectives can change in a short period of time. Twelve months ago, I was ALMOST to the point of swimming freestyle after months of TI drills. Swim workouts were measured in time because it seemed pointless to record swimming 200 yards. My training logs show the first recorded yardage in May, and those were 500-700 yard swims.

In May of last year I broke out my bike and started training on the road. Of course, my steed at that time was a lower end Giant mountain bike, all 35 pounds of it. Still, I hit the roads with a vengeance and logged some rides as long as 15 miles by the time my first race in June rolled around.

By that time, I had purchased my beloved Pol-R Express, and quickly ramped up to 40-50 mile rides. Training through June and July gave me the confidence to complete an Olympic distance triathlon in August, though I still felt distant from much of the triathlon community. While I had certainly invested some time and money, I just didn't feel "triathletey." (I'm fairly certain I just coined that term, so if you take it and make millions of dollars, please remember the little people).

I knew triathletes. They were the ones with all the stories about big races, long races, and lots of races. They wore their club gear at all the meetings and rides. They had months and months of blog entries about their training and racing. They knew all the pros, and had even met many of them. Me, I was just hanging out in their space. I wasn't REALLY a triathlete. Normally a loud and talkative person, I clammed up around real triathletes.

Then, I completed two triathlons in three weeks. The second was at the invitation of a co-worker running his first triathlon. Suddenly, I was the one who "knew everything." I'd been there. I'd set up transition areas. I'd seen wave starts and knew how to avoid the worst of the beating in the water. I understood how frantic you can be going from swim to bike and bike to run. And while I didn't really know all that much, my friend listened to everything I said.

Then Ironman Louisville became a reality, and I jumped feet first into the fray. Though it took me nearly three years to make the jump from half to full marathon, the journey from novice to Ironman was given 18 short months. The change from "wannabe" to triathlete took much less time.

Now, I hope I can be as motivational for all the fledgling triathletes as others have been for me. I try to make sure struggling swimmers understand that 12 months ago, I could barely swim 500 yards. When others cringe at the idea of biking 20 miles, I point out that my first rides, less than a year ago, were only 5 to 10 miles. And running is something that I continue to improve at as I head into my fifth marathon.

Triathlon has something for everyone. If you're new to endurance sports, remember that sprint distance races can be as short as 15 miles, including the bike and run. Often, the swim is in water so shallow the entire distance can be walked, if the need arises. And regardless of the distance, completing any event makes every competitor a winner. As you complete races, the feeling of being an "outsider" will pass. People will start to recognize you.

And they'll know you're a triathlete. Then, you too, can pass the torch.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Well, after a long hiatus out of my office, I'm back at my desk. The past few weeks have been spent working closely with a few co-workers as we resolved some issues that were both caused and identified by our company's new business system. Talk about a double edged sword. Regardless, most of the challenges have been overcome, and we can get back to a more normal daily process.

Now, if I can convince Mother Nature to get back to normal, my training will be much more effective. In a simple twist of irony, the week after global warming alarmists released their apocalyptic report on the state of the planet, this part of the country has gone into yet another week of record cold temperatures. Add to that the snowstorms we've been experiencing, and training has been a hoot.

Saturday was an 18 miler as part of my co-worker's training for his first marathon. I awoke that morning to temps in the high teens, 15 mile an hour winds, and an inch of new snow. The decision was made to do the run, mostly because my co-worker liked that option better than the "swim for an hour then run 10 miles" alternative I offered.

Easter was clear and cold. At least most of the snow had melted off, though we kept the kids indoors for egg hunting. I also paid the price on my 3-hour training ride. Temps in the low 20s led me to complete the ride indoors, as well. Monday, we got more snow. More biking inside. And the outlook is more of the same. Record low temperatures. Additional snow. More television viewed while on the trainer.

The training hours are starting to rack up. Mileage and yardage are starting to accumulate. And if I can ever get my bike off the trainer, I'll start laying down some serious biking mileage, as well. And with the countdown timer well under 140 (when did THAT happen?), things will only start ramping up. Less than seven weeks until double digits.

One Long Swim

Congratulations Martin Strel

While few could relate to even the desire to attempt such a feat, Martin Strel has successfully swam the entire length of the Amazon River. The endurance swimmer who previously completed swims of the Danube, Missippi, and Yangtze Rivers began his quest to conquer the Amazon on February 1.

And for those of us who marvel at our own "crazy" yardage by considering the mileage we have completed in the pool, Martin Strel is truly amazing. His daily yardage averaged nearly as much as I have completed this entire year, and I like to think I've logged a lot of hours in the pool. Averaging 50 miles per day, Strel faced a great many challenges in mind, body, and environment.

Though his accomplishments are perhaps a bit extreme for many of us, Strel is still an inspiration role model for endurance swimmers. He establishes a goal, trains to achieve that goal, and overcomes the challenges and gremlins that stand in his way.

Two and Under

"Two and Under" is a phrase many parents like to hear. Especially when it is followed by the even better phrase "eat (stay/ride/play/etc) free." Any parent can tell you that paying anything for a toddler to eat is pretty much liking throwing money on the roullette table. A pure gamble. Perhaps you get your money's worth, perhaps you lose big.

Today, I experienced another wonderful "two and under." Only this time, it came in the pool during a time trial. Part of Coach Mike's program is regular time trials to gauge performance and improvement. This is the third or fourth time trial I've completed, and each has held big suprises.

Today's was huge, in Iron Pol terms. For the first time, I averaged under 2 minutes per 100 yards. I completed a total of 1075 yards in 21 minutes, 20 seconds. In addition to breaking 2 minutes average, I managed to keep every 4-lap set under 2 minutes (our pool is 24.4 yards). In the past, early lengths have been a bit under 2 minutes and later lengths fell well over that pace. Today, there was only 6 seconds between the fastest and slowest 100 yard sets.

Now some might look at that pace and know it is, by comparison, pokey. At the same time, they would acknowledge the HUGE improvements from just a few short months ago. While I am a long way from keeping up with many of them because of their dolphin like movement through the water, I am pleased with my progress. It turns out that "Under Two" is, in fact, possible in the pool.

For those of you out there struggling with the swim, I invite you to look at my prior posts about swimming. You will quickly learn that swimming is truly my weak discipline. You will also note that things like "2m 30s/100 yards" and "will never swim under 2m/100 yards" were common threads. As with every discipline, training and experience have paid huge dividends. The simple act of putting the yardage in has led to these improvements. No former US Olympic coach in the pool with me. No hours plodding through drills. Just swimming the sets assigned by my coach. Who, by the way, has posted his own comments about improving your swim.

Under Two. Who'd have thought it possible?

Humility

So, today's training called for a 4000 yard swim with no rest intervals. I guess it could basically be called an Ironman swim. Okay, it's off by a couple hundred yards. Yes, those couple hundred yards are very important (and challenging). Still, in the grander scheme of things, 4000 yards may as well be an IM swim.

Completing this kind of swim calls for close planning on my part. With my pace averaging around 2:00/100 yards and the knowledge that it probably WON'T be 2:00/100 yards after about 3000 yards are completed, timing is everything. Forty 100-yard lengths. Two minutes per 100. That's 80 minutes in a perfect world. Start swimming at 5:10 a.m. Finish at 6:30 (in that same perfect world). That leaves less than an hour to shower, dress, and drive the 25 miles to the office. Like I said, planning is essential.

I was quick on the draw, this morning. I got to the pool a few minutes early and was in the pool by 5:05. I hit the water right away and started the 400 yard warmup. By the end of that warmup, I knew I was in trouble. Even with my lowly swimming skills, it usually takes way more than 400 yards to have me feeling fatigued. Not today. With more than 2 miles left to swim, I was already feeling it.

A quick review of the past 24 hours provides two likely culprits. One is unavoidable. Monster Girl didn't sleep very well, last night. The 5.5 hours of sleep I counted is being generous. That was all broken up. Even so, I've trained on far less, far worse sleep. Perhaps it was something else.

Like the strength session that was scheduled for AFTER the swim. The one that I moved to 12 hours BEFORE the swim, because timing would otherwise preclude getting the session completed. The one that had me feeling it as I headed home. The one that turned my arms and legs to mush. But still, it MIGHT have been the sleep. So I'm holding Monster Girl responsible. Since she's only 16 months old, she probably won't care. And it will give her something to hold against me when I'm old and forgetful and she's taking care of me.

Still, just to be safe, avoid putting a strength workout right before a breakthrough swim session. Well, unless you want something to keep you humble. Getting to 3700 yards and having to call it a day is frustrating. And yes, I DO question my sanity. A few months back, cutting a 750 yard session short by 300 yards wouldn't have bugged me, at all. Today, missing 300 yards on my long swim drives me batty. Especially when it's simply because it's because I swam slower than usual because of a moved workout. That will keep me humble for a while.

While You Were Out

So, yeah. Every now and again, life interferes with blogging. Funny how that works. One second, you're a freewheeling blogger posting every day. You keep up with all the posts on every blog you follow. You even find time to wander around and seek out interesting new blogs.

Then, WHAM! You're knee deep in a mess and can't find time to read e-mail, let alone blogs. In my case, I haven't even made it into my office in a week. I'm working out of a training center, keeping two temps assigned to help clear a backlog of work. They've been super and all their work will make my boss look very good. The downside is that I've been working so much that any spare time has been dedicated to training and my kids.

And in the interim, time has somehow kept counting down the days, and I suddenly see myself looking at a 148 on the countdown timer. ZOOM! Right past 150. I planned on balloons and confetti when the timer hit 150. That's a major number in the countdown. But Noooooo! I missed 150 and went right to 148. Though important, 148 is nowhere near as cool as 150. So, I'll keep my eyes open for 99 days. That will be the next MAJOR milestone. Double digits. That will be big.

Training has been going well, though I took an extra rest day due to a cold and upper respiratory infection that opted to settle into my lungs. Anyone who has dealt with pneumonia, bronchitis, and/or sarcoidosis can relate. The extra day of rest will help me get more out of training, this weekend.

AND...

A sure sign of spring was visible at the Pol homestead, last night. Mrs. Pol wandered into the bathroom to investigate the odd noise she was hearing. She walked in on her beloved hubby being shorn of his locks. (For those who aren't aware, those would be the locks on my legs. I'm not sure I have enough hair left on my head to be "shorn.") She questioned the use of hair clippers for the task. I pointed out that using a razor to shave after six months of growth is a sure fire way to both clog the shower drain AND go through several razors for one shave.

So, the legs are shaved, and I'm ready to get The Pol-R Express back onto the road. The trainer has served its purpose, but the blacktop beckons. Spring is here, and none too early. With the timer under 150 days, it is time to start racking up the miles and getting ready for IM Louisville in earnest.

Feed Me, Seymour!

In the Broadway classic Little Shop of Horrors, the main character, nerdy florist assistant Seymour, finds and nurtures an odd plant named Audrey II. The plant is named after the object of Seymour's infatuation, another flower shop worker. After learning that blood makes the plant thrive, Seymour begins feeding it drops of his own blood.

Over time, the plant grows and its needs increase. Single drops of Seymour's blood no longer suffice. In fact, the plant requires entire people, leading Seymour to kill in order to feed the insatiable Audrey II. It also leads to what is certainly the most memorable line from the entire show.

"Feed me, Seymour!"

Right now, I feel much like Audrey II. While I don't have an insatiable appettite for human blood, I am beginning to hit the "always hungry" phase of the season, again. Last year, I ignored Iron Audrey and maintained a "normal" diet. This year, Audrey is demanding more. If the demand for food is ignored, I will suffer greatly.

I've hit the bottom of the weight range I want going into a summer of heavy triathlon training. So, the bottomless pit otherwise known as my stomach will have to be satiated.

Luckily, I have less discriminating tastes than Audrey II. Where she demanded one and only one source of nourishment, I'm fine with a broad range of food. Seymour won't have to go to the same extremes. But he's still going to hear the same cries from the master...

Feed me, Seymour!

No Pain, No Gain

I played football for four years in high school. Wait, let me rephrase that for accuracy. I was ON the football team for four years in high school. I think my total playing time would easily have fit within a single quarter. At the time, I was quite jealous of the kids who were "naturals" at the game.

I was right there with them suffering through practice. I memorized plays like they did. I hit the weight room to work out. They just got better results. Or had better genes.

Through the prism of age and experience, I've learned better. Yes, the better players on my team certainly got more out of practice, workouts, and playbooks than me. It was really just a function of effort. Namely, they put it in, and I tried to fake it.

Over time, that has changed. I've learned that improvement isn't easy and often requires some amount of pain. Perhaps it's the pain of getting up much earlier than is desired. It might be the pain of working the body to the point of exhaustion. Or it might be the good pain of a threshold workout. No pain, no gain. I didn't understand that in high school.

Nothing has taught me this as much as the past year of triathlon training. Learning to swim was challenging enough. Learning to swim well and to swim faster has called for intense and sometimes painful workouts. Taking my mile pace from 11 minutes down to 8 minutes took a year of challenging base and speed workouts. And getting back on the bike demanded I put out of shape muscles back into action.

Now, I am working hard to get into the game. I take the training seriously. I listen to the coach. I accept that some training is going to demand that I push myself to the limit. And I do push those limits.

This time, I'm going to play the whole game. Whether it takes 45 minutes or 17 hours. 10K to Ironman, I'm going to be a starter.

Getting Serious

A co-worker and training partner is running his first marathon in May. With just under nine weeks to go, we were discussing his training and current condition. The fact that his first child was born just about two weeks ago has sort of wreaked havoc on his marathon training plan.

So, he wants to know what can be done to avoid having to scrap the race. I told him we'd run 12-14 miles, this weekend, and make a determination then. To date, the furthest he has ever run is a half-marathon. And that was last season. Going from 13 miles to 26.2 miles in less than eight weeks poses a real challenge.

Mostly, I told him he needs to get serious. That is an important factor in completing a marathon. I sincerely believe that a half-marathon can be completed without any real knowledge or serious training. Why do I believe that? Because that's how I ran my first half-marathon. And I've met lots of others who did the same thing.

There is a huge difference between 13.1 miles and 26.2 miles. And it takes a serious respect of the distance and dedication to completing the race to motivate proper training. Cutting corners and "faking it" doesn't work so well at the full marathon distance.

And that got me thinking about my own training for Louisville. I started looking at the training hours. I noticed that for nearly every week there was a noticeable difference between scheduled and actual hours. Granted, "scheduled" included optional swim and/or run sets each week, but still, falling short every week is hardly a sign of respect and dedication.

Just like the difference between a half and full marathon, it is highly unlikely that I will be able to "fake" the training the way I did for my sprint and Olympic distance races. Reaching the finish line in August will require that I get serious. Those training hours should be met closely every week. Perhaps a little short here, a little long there, equal on average.

I have trained far more, this year, than ever before. Even so, it is time to ratchet things up to the next level. I have an 8-week program until the 16-week Ironman program commences. My goal for this phase is to get back into full training mode and hit those goal times. Feel free to call me on it. Accountability is everything.

Flubbing, Flubbing, Flubbing

On board Navy vessels, casualty situations are announced over a PA system. This isn't a Bose quality system, so sound quality sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. The people making the announcements are rarely professional voice artists, and they are often rushed and full of adrenaline.

That results in announcements sounding much different than the alarm you know is being sounded. My favorite was always flooding. This casualty is sounded when water is entering a space faster than available systems can evacuate that water. When called in, the announcement is always made by repeating it three times. Due to the quality of the overall system, "Flooding, flooding, flooding" often came across as "Flubbing, flubbing, flubbing."

That was the call I got from Mrs. Pol, yesterday. She had gone into the basement to get some things before leaving the house, only to find several areas with standing water. She called me, and we were able to isolate the cause of the problem. The dreaded sump pump failure. (For those unfamiliar with basements, a sump is an area designed to collect water that would otherwise leak into the basement. A sump pump clears water from the sump to somewhere outside the house.)

Sadly, this sump pump failure was more human in nature. Specifically, it was a human from the genus "Furnace Technicianis Forgetfullus." Simply put, a service rep unplugged our sump pump and forgot to plug it back in when he finished his work. Net result, lots of water in my basement.

We were actually lucky. First, Mrs. Pol found it early. The potential for serious damage was pretty high. Second, we don't have a lot of valuable items sitting directly on the floor. The worst damage was to some old magazines and some clothes that haven't seen the light of day in a decade.

Cleanup is another story. Training last night was wiped out by hours spent cleaning up water and damaged or wet items. Our server and computer had to be taken apart, dried, and reassembled. Items in wet boxes had to be transferred to new storage containers. And fans had to be set up to help everything dry out. We were up until well after midnight doing that.

And that pretty well wiped out training for this morning, as well. I threw my bag in the car and hope to get my swim in on the way home. We'll see how things go.

Spring is usually a boon for training. The snow is gone. Freezing temperatures give way to the cool days that are so perfect for training outside. Then again, all the water has to go somewhere. And sometimes, "somewhere" happens to be inconvenient.

House Cleaning

Well, things have been hectic. No worries, though. Rumor has it that the lives of prospective Ironmen sometimes get that way. So, just to keep things up to date and let people know I'm alive, here are a few housecleaning items.

First, my 5000 yard swim went fairly well, this weekend. A bit short, but well. The gym where I was swimming had a pool open for laps at 5:45 a.m. Unfortunately, they didn't actually open their doors until just after that time. After rushing in the locker room, I was in the pool and swimming by about 5:55. That gave me roughly an hour and 50 minutes if I wanted to skip showering before my meeting at 8:00.

The first several thousand yards were great. I maintained my (New and Improved!) time trial pace and felt good. After 2500 yards, I hopped out to drink some Gatorade, and got back at it. Around 3500 yards, I experienced some foot cramping. That was an off and on thing for the next 1000 yards. My pace dropped quite a bit as I was winding down the day.

In the end, I completed 4600 yards. A bit short, but there were some definite silver linings. I hit the 2.5 mile point in 1:30, a great sign for IM Louisville. And I maintained a reasonable pace for about 3500 yards. If I can bring that pace back just a bit (stop going out so fast), I should be good for the whole IM swim.

In other news, we had eight young people at our first team meeting and they are excited about the opportunity to complete a triathlon. Since my original vision was to have perhaps 10 kids total, this is a great start. We may have others that didn't make the meeting, and some will sign up when we get more into it. Our first training day is March 31, and they are already bringing up additional events they think we should complete. It was awesome.

The Tri Blog Community IM Louisville team is growing. I just added Myles and his wife, who happens to run the ever popular Athena Diaries. That brings the TBC team to seven. IM The Ville participants in my links list are shown in red. Keep in mind that we want to know participants and supporters alike. If you will be in Louisville and want to be included in possible meet and greet opportunities, let me know.

Finally, work has kept me swamped, so don't fret if you see a few days go by without a post. I'm training hard, working hard, and taking care of the family. Occassionally, I'll let the blog slip a few days. No fears! I'll always be back in a day or two.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Tomorrow should prove interesting. Somebody (that would be me) had the brilliant idea of scheduling a meeting at 8 a.m. It is the first meeting with the kids who will participate in our fledgling youth triathlon team. The concept is that we will weed out the uncommitted with the Saturday morning meeting.

Of course, there's the slight challenge of fitting a 5000 yard swim into the mix. And, of course, my best chance for putting in that kind of time swimming laps is from 5:45-7:45 a.m. So, the kids will get a firsthand look at the effects of more than 2.5 miles of swimming. And I will get a quick lesson in planning a meeting. Like 8 a.m. is a bad time when you have a major swim to accomplish.

There is, however, a bright side to this. Having a tight schedule will give me something concrete to break down the swim. I have two hours max to swim the distance. So I must complete 2500 yards per hour. That gives me a target of around 2:15/100 yards. If I maintain that average, I'll be fine. Anything less and I'll be late for the meeting.

The Sign

Here's my "Top 10" indications you are completing a Mike Ricci swim focus.

10. You look at a 2000 yard workout and wonder why an easy day was scheduled.
9. Your hair feels like dry grass no matter how much conditioner you use.
8. You look forward to strength training days. They mean shorter swim sets.
7. It isn't important that you forgot your glasses. You have swim goggles.
6. You see a 60 minute run scheduled, figure Mike must have made a mistake, and swim 3500 yards, anyway.
5. You begin scheduling half-days off in order to complete your mid-week long swims.
4. The gym staff automatically tell you the pool conditions when you walk in the building.
3. The water aerobics participants start asking about you if you don't swim during their class.
2. You have a 5000 yard swim scheduled and the only question you have is whether you should bike before or after the swim.
1. Your co-worker says, "Do you smell that bleach, what is that?" and your reaction is to hold up your arm and say, "You mean this?"

Not that any of those have happened to me.

RTWQ!

In the Navy, it was common to receive tests back with the cryptic scribbling "RTWQ!" scrawled across the answer to a question. It was also common to see a note indicating how many points were lost on that question.

RTWQ is shorthand for Read The Whole Question. The implication is that the answer provided by the student was good, and might have warranted full points if it had only answered the entire question. Generally, RTWQ was all the student needed to figure out why points were lost. They would reread the question, see the part they missed in the fog of testing, and slap their head on the table. Hard, if they happened to do exceptionally poorly on the test.

That is what was going through my head during my swim workout, this morning. If you can recall all the way back to yesterday, you'll recall I was giddy with excitement about the short swims of the week. Well, as long as we consider the "week" to end on Friday. Saturday, that's less exciting. Even so, the short swims of the week looked great.

So, this morning I'm headed to the pool thinking about my 1500 yard swim. That's barely a workout. I've done straight swims as part of longer workouts that exceeded 1500 yards. What a break. As I head to the pool deck, I'm start reading the set list. Warm up 300 yards by 25s, IM.

Okay, wait. Stop. IM? I don't suppose that stands for "Imagine what it will be like to be an IM finisher while you do this warmup." I've heard the term IM associated with swimming, before. That would be that butterfly, backstroke, breast stroke, freestyle thing. Well, that about flushes the "easy swim" thing down the drain.

Well, perhaps it can be modified just a bit. Butterfly isn't happening. How about just replacing it with a freestyle length. That should be doable. So, free, back, breast, free. Repeat three times. That will work for the warm up.

Main set. More of the same. Suddenly, 1500 yards looked a whole lot longer than it did on Sunday night. My "easy" swim got a whole lot more difficult.

Even so, I did complete the sets as modified. I even did an actual (using the term loosely) backstroke. Note to local YMCA. Now that I understand what those flags ABOVE the pool are for, I suggest we invest in a few.

I'm feeling it. And I know it will help. I understand better why others have said the backstroke helps you better understand rotation (because it's impossible to do the backstroke without good rotation). I feel different muscles being worked. And I know I can rely on alternative strokes in the event I need to in Louisville.

Now that I know to RTWQ, I might be more open to adding more IM sets in the future.

Well, yeah. There's That.

As a general rule, I print out all of my workouts for Monday through Thursday on Sunday night. It allows me to have them all sitting on the dining room table, ready for the duffle bag (swim or run) or to guide me to the basement for bike sessions. Last night, I was a bit excited as I printed them.

Monday, short swim (short, of course, being a relative term) with a short bike in the evening. Tuesday, frighteningly short swim. Wednesday, short run with strength training. Thursday, another short swim. I was giddy. This looked to be one big step back week.

So, imagine my surprise when I started pulling weekly totals from my training program for entry into my log. Total swim distance of 14,100 yards. "Wait a minute, if I'm barely hitting 2000 yards a day for a total of three days, how am I at 14,000 for the week?" I am, after all, an accountant by day.

That led me to Saturday. Warmup 1000 yards. Just so you know, that's an ominous clue in and of itself. While I am certainly getting better at swimming and bringing my pace down, I haven't yet moved to the "1000 yards is a warmup" category. Well, not YET, anyway. After my "warm up," I get to do eight 500-yard intervals at time trial pace. Lucky me, my cool down is 10 minutes in the hot tub. After that swim, my first attempt at 5000 yards, my cool down just might be 10 minutes at the bottom of the pool. Perhaps the lifeguard will pull my limp body out of the water before that.

Seeing that on the schedule, particularly the "at T-pace" part, reminds me of the ultimate cruelty of irony (or karma, or Coach Mike, or whatever it is). On Friday, that T-pace would have been 2:11 per 100 yards. Today, it's 2:01 per 100 yards. That will teach me to see how beneficial training has been BEFORE finding out what is coming up on the schedule.

Of course, on the brighter side, you will note that my endurance pace has dropped dramatically. I guess I'll take that into the water with me on Saturday. "Yes, it's a long way to swim. But just look how it's already paying off." I'll take it all the way to the bottom of the pool.

The Plunge

So, I've been watching some videos of Ironman swim starts. I can already tell that's going to be a big gremlin. Probably the one that poses the biggest threat.

Gremlins aren't a huge concern on the bike. They just aren't all that fast. I've completed some pretty challenging rides in my life, and know I'll be able to train for anything IM The Ville has to throw at me. Well, if they ever actually figure out what the course might look like. The most recent response I got was, "Soon." Not bad considering the previous response was "just after the New Year."

Gremlins generally leave me alone when it comes to running. They know how little concern I have for setting any kind of records and understand that I've lived with them for a long time. Going into Ironman, I have fairly low expectations for my marathon time, and feel comfortable with my ability to run in even the worst of situations.

The swim is another story. The gremlins know this is my weak area. They know it is the area in which I have the least experience. And they know all the right buttons to push.

What they seem to forget is that training, racing, and (most importantly) planning are effective at smooshing gremlins. The challenge is finding 2500 people to go out swimming so I can practice an Ironman swim start. Hopefully some of the smaller races will enable me to get a feel for this. My current plan is to start all my races right in the middle of the pack. If anything can prepare me for the IM start, that would be it.

Gremlins can be nasty little buggers. Their entire existence is aimed at ruining our day. The entire time we are preparing for a race, they are preparing, as well. We train our bodies, and they make us question our health. We gain experience and they try to convince us we are too green to succeed. We increase our distances and times in training, and they remind us that we still have to put it all together on race day.

But gremlins are weak. They only have as much power as we give them. Most importantly, no gremlin will ever be an Ironman. They can't go the distance. So always remember, any gremlin that shows up is only there for the short term. Put on a burst of speed or focus on your motivational mantra (you have one of those, right?) and they'll give up.

You are stronger than any gremlin. Even if it's a gremlin with a fixation on the swim start. If he likes the water so much, ask him to join you on your swim. Then splash water in his face or dunk him underwater. He'll get the message.

Swimming Naked

Some days you just want to take it all off and swim naked. Sure, it might be somewhat taboo. Yes, others in the pool may look in shock when they realize what you're doing. And yes, you'll probably be a bit self-concious.

You head into the pool quickly, hoping nobody you know is there to see you. Jumping into the water, you start to swim quickly. You eye the lifeguard hoping he doesn't notice, or at least doesn't say anything. After all, you've seen others do it, before.

You count laps so you'll know how far you've gone before anyone says anything. You eye the clock so you'll know how long it takes for someone to notice. But the freedom is wonderful. Every lap is easier when you don't have to worry about the normal constraints society places upon you.

The pool empties quickly. Perhaps it's just because of the poor weather. But maybe it's because of YOU. Only one guy is still in the pool when you leave. You head back to the locker room quickly, glad that none of your normal swim partners saw you.

Yes, some days you just want to swim naked.

And other days, you forget your watch at home.

T-10 Seconds and Counting

Coach Mike Ricci of D3 Multisports has a plan to help me cross the finish line at Ironman Louisville in August. A major component of that plan is preparing me for the rigors of completing a 2.4 mile swim and enabling me to finish the swim with plenty of energy for the balance of the race. While it has been voiced by a certain member of the Tri Blog Community that "it's all about the bike," failing to make the swim cutoff and/or being physically exhausted after the swim can make the bike somewhat irrelevant.

The past six weeks have been part of an eight week swim focus designed to improve my ability to complete long swims. Prior to Mike becoming my official coach, I completed a four week session at his suggestion and saw dramatic improvement. Given the success of that program, I was willing to tackle this more intense and more guided eight week plan.

In the first week of the program, I completed a time trial to determine my "T-pace," which is used for setting time requirements during swim workouts. At that time, I was averaging around 2m 11s per 100 yards. While far from Olympic pace, that showed the value of the first four weeks, as earlier in 2006 I averaged around 2m 30s per 100 yards.

The past two days have had interval sets based on that T-pace. In general, I've found the 2:11 pace to be exceedingly slow. Most of the intervals I've been completing in the 2:00 range. While a time trial is needed to get an accurate number, it looks as if my T-pace has dropped by another 10 seconds or so. That would mean an improvement of nearly 30 seconds since the end of October.

For those who have been interested in the results of these exercises, that should provide sufficient motivation to consider your own swim focus. To put that in perspective, if the improvement is only 20 seconds per 100 yards, I'll be able to get out of the water 14 minutes faster. If I can maintain the 30 second improvement over the course, I'll have an extra 21 minutes.

And Mike's real goal is also being realized. I can maintain that pace for longer distances and come out of the water feeling better. This means more energy for the bike and run. And those are disciplines I can rock.

Help... Buried!

Okay, I'm trying to post. Little things keep interrupting me, and they aren't my kids. I've had this window open for two hours trying to get my comments from this morning's swim down, with no luck.

Perhaps after lunch I'll have more luck.

Until then, the dry humor of this post will have to suffice.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Mondays can be rough. Between training, work, and Mrs. Pol's class, it's a busy day. Add in several inches of new snow to shovel in the morning, and the day gets really interesting.

Knowing snow was in the air, I woke up planning to either bike on the trainer or swim, depending on what the driveway looked like. What I didn't plan on was spending more than an hour shoveling and blowing snow. That essentially wiped out any morning workout. Well, other than shoveling and blowing snow for an hour.

As luck would have it, my swim for Monday was "optional." Given the conditions, I read that as "opportunity for cross training." Otherwise known as shovel snow for an hour. That left an hour on the trainer to fit in during the evening.

That takes us back to Mrs. Pol's class. In addition to helping her better understand her faith, this class is very much about "adult time" for my wife. That, of course, leaves dad home to care for the kids. Last night, it was a "picnic" in the living room with chicken stew and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." I think I got an extra workout in from all the laughing while watching my kids "dance" to the songs.

Monster Girl started it during the title song. For her, dancing primarily involves spinning. And spinning. And spinning. Falling down, and spinning some more. B-Boy had to join in, adding to the complexity of the dance by repeating "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" as he spun. It was so hilarious I had to video it. This is footage that is sure to come back and haunt them as kids.

Caring for them pushed my spin training back until 10 p.m. I considered scrapping it, but got it done, in the end. The combination of guilt, a short schedule for today, and general principal helped provide motivation.

Well, that and the fact that I was all wound up from showing the video of the kids to Mrs. Pol. It almost brought me to tears the second time around.

It's All About Participation

A certain well known blog friend likes to say that it's all about the bike. After all, we tend to spend most of our time in a race on the bike, and blowing up on the bike leaves us ill prepared for the run. A poorly fitted bike can leave our legs wasted on the run. Poor nutrition on the bike leaves our energy reserves tapped as we head into the final stage of the race.

Of course, we all know he's wrong. (No, say you DIDN'T just call the one and only P-Dawg Leader WRONG! The consequences of such an action are unknown, but certainly foreseeable. How could you make such a rash comment?). A triathlon is all about three disciplines. Become a master of only one discipline and the best you can hope for is a record in that portion of the race. Yes, the bike is important. But give up 20 minutes in the swim and an hour in the marathon, and you had better be able to make Lance Armstrong look like he's using training wheels. Because you'll need that kind of lead to hold off the elites who excel at all three disciplines.

Of course, I'm wrong, too. It isn't really about the swim, the bike, or the run. At the end of the day, it's all about the participation. Few of us are ever going to be elite level athletes. In fact, many of us have few hopes of being truly competitive in our age groups. For most triathletes toeing the line at any given race, motivation must come from something other than a podium finish. For them, participation is the key. They are there because they want to be there.

Usually, they have something to prove to themselves. Perhaps they want to test their limits. Sometimes, they just need a "light" at the end of a training tunnel. They win just by showing up.

Perhaps some in our sport, including the leadership in the companies that oversee the pinnacle events in triathlon, need a refresher on that subject. A video from NA Sports (thanks for posting it, Comm) attempts to highlight the Ford Ironman triathlon. Unfortunately, it seems every image on the video is from the IM World Championship in Kona. Watching this video, one would think that the only 140.6 mile race in existence is in Hawaii.

It is little wonder that outsiders are unaware there are races all over the world. And while NA Sports may have little motivation to promote non-Ford IM events, they might do well to at least advertise those.

And beyond that, they might do well to remember that triathlon is about far more than Ironman. Just as Ironman is about more than the bike, most triathlons are something other than 140.6 miles, and most triathletes have yet to become an Ironman. Many never will.

As someone relatively new to the sport, I can safely say that the image outsiders see is that of the 140.6 mile race over the hot lava fields in Hawaii. I was surprised to learn there were lots of alternatives, many of them shorter than the marathons I have already completed. Perhaps it's time to market those shorter events and grow the sport from the ground up. That will be far more successful than attempting to find newbies interested in going the full 140.6 miles.

Junior Freud Needed

A while back I posted about one of my dreams. For those who recall, it was all about showing up at Kona and not actually checking in. There I was on race day without a race number, unsure of where my bike was located, and trying to get checked in as the cannon was sounding.

You'll be pleased to hear that in last night's dream, I had my bike. Apparently I had learned my lesson from the previous dream, and was in Louisville early to get checked in.

But what is the deal with the mattress strapped to the roof of the car?

And why on earth was I carrying extra luggage, mostly full of socks, and trying to sell it on the streets of Louisville?

A little help here. Somebody throw me a bone and clue me in on this one? The last one was easy. But this one? Bonkers.

It's All About the Visualization

Early in my endurance career, my primary focus was on survival. "All I have to do is survive this 1.5 mile run and I'll keep the doctor happy." "If I can survive two laps of my 6.75 mile course, I'll be ready for a half-marathon." "If I can survive all 26.2 miles of this race, I'll be a marathoner."

Survive was a common thread in much of what I did. That carried over to triathlon, too. That was mostly about the swim. Survival isn't always a given when I get into the water.

As I've become more involved and experienced, I've learned to use visualization as a tool to improve form, efficiency, and pace. The first ones I picked up comes from Meb Keflezighi, the US runner who captured silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics. One image he suggests is to imagine you have a hook in the top of your head that pulls up, which helps keep you straight and tall as you run. The second is to imagine sitting on a bike that is a touch too tall, so that your toes barely touch the ground. This helps keep you light on your feet. I've used both visualizations for the past 12 months, and they really have helped.

In my quest to improve my swim, I did some digging for video of proper swim form. Two criteria were very important. First, I wanted to see a variety of angles in a non-competitive format. In other words, I wanted something that was meant to teach. Second, I wanted something more than a 15-second clip.

Before I can begin to use visualizations to tweak my form, I want to make sure I know what good form looks like. So, if this works, here is a video that meets those needs. This is video of Australian Bill Kirby, gold medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Blank Page

Hmmmm, writer's block. Or perhaps writer's fog is a better term. You know, those times you have a great concept to discuss. The only thing lacking is the right way to say it. That's where I'm at, right now. It isn't something with which I frequently struggle. Trust me, I usually have something to say, and have little problems saying it.

The title Blank Page is in reference to the way I attempt to approach my training. I have experience in endurance events, and want to avoid the arrogance of saying, "I know how to train." I have experience training for triathlons and have to accept the training would have been more effective if guided by an experienced coach. Going toward Ironman Louisville, I have to be a blank page and allow my coach to write the script. I have editorial discretion, but he's the author. This approach is designed to minimize my tendency to disregard the advice of others because "I know it all."

It is the same with any blog post, research paper, or even major literary efforts. They all begin with a series of blank pages. It takes the efforts of a great many people to ensure success. The author, the editor, the publisher. And, yes, the reader. Without the audience, the pages may as well be blank.

Our triathlon efforts are exactly the same. Whether a newcomer trying a sprint event, a first time Ironman attempt, or a sponsored elite, we all experience the same things. So thank you to everyone who takes time to read these posts. Yes, this is my journey. These are my blank pages. But they are your pages, too. And who knows, perhaps something that fills in the blank space will be exactly what somebody needs to hear.

Excitement, It's Contagious

Much of the excitement around Ironman is focused on the event and the athlete. After months, sometimes years, of training, thousands of triathletes poise at the starting line waiting for the gun to sound. Others, however, share that excitement.

B-Boy called for me after I had put him to bed. I had changed into tri-shorts and a cycling jersey in an effort to get in a short workout on the trainer. Laying in bed, my son asked why I was wearing biking clothes. I pointed out I was trying to train, and that he should be asleep.

He looked at me and asked, "Am I going to be at the finish line with you?" "Yes, you'll be there." One more question. "Will I get to run across the finish line?" "Yes, if you want."

"I do, daddy. I'll go to sleep so you can get ready for the race."

I didn't hear another peep out of his room. With more than 185 days to go, even a 3-year old knows what's coming.

Quality vs. Quantity

Early in my endurance sport career, quantity was all that mattered. After all, if the goal is to run a marathon, mileage is what counts. That changed a little bit after my first half-marathon (the one where more experienced runners expressed concern that I trained for a 13 mile run by running 13.5 miles). Even so, a great deal of the training for my first marathon was also based on sheer quantity of miles.

There were a couple of key outcomes of that approach. First, I spent a great deal of time fighthing issues such as shin splints, back pain, and fatigue. Second, my time was just as easily measured with a calendar as with a stopwatch.

Over time, experience and education have helped me to shift my focus from quantity to quality. Of course, time and mileage are still vital, they just take a back seat to quality. Training sessions are pointless if poor swim, bike, or run form are being reinforced. Included in this is proper bike fit, correct shoes, and appropriate attire and support equipment.

My swim sets from the past two days are a perfect example of quality over quantity. Yesterday's session was scheduled as 4000 yards, with intervals at increasing intensity and decreasing distance. After the first couple hundred yards of warmup, the lifeguards started setting up inflatables for an open swim, and asked if I would move to their meter pool. I was fine with the move, but concerned about the "meter" aspect. I decided to just swim the sets as if they were yards, and make decisions about when to stop closer to the end. I wound up completing all of the sets (total 4355 yards) and felt strong at the end. Tired, but strong. My form was good, and I still felt solid and smooth on the last several hundred meters.

Contrast that with today's swim. 3100 yards with some mixed sets. Easy, moderate, fast, drills, it was all there. After about 2500 yards, my form started to get sloppy. And I called it quits after just under 2700 yards. I hadn't managed to find my form in the 200 yards before ending the session, and it made little sense to practice poor form for another 400 yards. In a race, I'll live with poor form. Training for the race, I'd rather do it right.

The saying is to "Train like you race." Restated, "You'll race like you train." Quality over quantity. It's better to do it right over a shorter distance than to do it wrong for twice as long. Get it right, then increase the distance. That's the way to race.

Speaking of Quality and Quantity, anyone considering a Tri One-O-One event, sent me a note and I'll forward a copy of a discount e-mail I received.

Subtle Hints

I like to think of myself as horribly brilliant. However, I have serious challenges when it comes to catching hints, at times. For example, if you happen to be related to me and want to provide a hint about a birthday or Christmas present, a good approach is to send me a note, call me to remind me about the note, and then send an e-mail to confirm the discussion. At that point, I'll probably remember that I should by you something for Christmas. I'll have no idea what to buy, but I'll get something.

I can be the same way about myself, as well. As I approached high school graduation, I had been doing everything possible to go to college. This despite all the signs that perhaps another path might be more appropriate. God gave me a hard head for a reason. It's a gift. A gift I use regularly. So, God had to resort to some fairly straightforward signs about what I should do with my life. Little things like a broken jaw and a complete lack of money did a good job of redirecting my energies. It took time, but I finally heard what was being said, and now find myself where I should be.

Yet I still find myself prone to missing subtle hints about a variety of things. My plans for last night were to have dinner, get the kids to bed, and do a couple hours on the trainer. Sure, I was tired, but training takes precedence. After all, with Friday being a rest day, I would get to sleep in (all the way until 6 a.m.).

My body apparently had other plans. B-Boy got to stay up a bit late while I got Monster Girl to sleep. After reading a chapter in our book, brushing teeth, and ensuring the required horseplay was completed (last night was a "foot ride" which entails him cruising around the house sitting on my foot), it was off to bed. I laid down to listen to B-Boy's prayers. And woke up two-and-a-half hours later.

At that point, I called the bike workout a bad idea, and crawled into bed. Let's face it, if you pass out on the floor for over two hours, you are either very tired or fairly drunk. It seems my body was trying to tell me something, and I wasn't listening.

Training is important. But we must remember that rest is a part of training and is just as vital as workouts and nutrition. In running, we use a rule of one minute for every mile of training. That means if you are training 30 miles/week, you should be getting 30 minutes of extra rest each night. The same rules apply to triathlon. As training time increases, your daily rest must also increase.

While sometimes challenging, ensure you are giving yourself sufficient opportunity to rest and recover from your training. Injury, illness, and burnout become increasingly likely as we become fatigued. So, as you progress in training, remember to give proper attention to your sleep.

Silly Eardrums

This morning, I accomplished my scheduled swim. It was a doozy, at 3500 yards. The distance, however, is not the source of pride. I finished the 2 mile swim (yes, I did the extra 20 yards to get there) in just under 1:22. The time isn't a source of pride, either (though it is a good pace, for me).

I am proud of myself for completing the entire swim because my earplugs started leaking somewhere around 1700 yards. While many swimmers wear earplugs to minimize motion sickness, I wear them to keep water out of my inner ear. Any time I actually fill my ears with water (such as getting into a pool without plugs), I'm almost guaranteed an ear infection. So, when I started feeling water leaking into my ears, I started planning when to stop.

As I finished that particular 500 yard set, I decided to start the next one, and see how things went. And the next. And the next. Part of me kept saying, "Stop. Getting an ear infection during training is just dumb." Another part said, "You might have to deal with leaking ear plugs in Louisville." The latter voice won out.

While vigilant about potential injuries, I am starting to push myself to complete workouts and meet training goals. That is particularly important in swimming (my limiter) and strength training (the one I'm most likely to blow off). Come August, the option to "cut it short" will be very unpalatable. It's time to train like I'll race. Go the distance, regardless of times. Do the things required for success, even if they are inconvenient or painful. Listen to the coach, because he knows what he's doing.

IM Louisville is about 190 days away. Race season starts well before that. Every day is vital to ensuring I'm prepared for the events that are fast approaching.

Peace and Stuff

There are a lot of changes going on at work, lately. In an effort to better group some of the staff, a lot of office moves are underway. I seem to be at the bottom of the pile, in more ways than one.

At the end of the day, I get to make a very short move (next door) with big implications. While I will be moving, the furniture will be staying. Somehow, I have to figure out how to move from an executive L-shaped desk to a small manager's desk without a return. Apparently, much of my paperwork is about to go from "in my face" to "in some drawer." Too bad, I'm sure that most of it is fairly important.

And the office next to mine is being remodeled. Whatever they are using to prep the walls is sure to have an extremely high street value. All those years spent just saying "No" to sniffing glue are going out the door. In fact, the current Internet radio station of choice is playing hippy tunes from the 60s and 70s. I'm just waiting for a tie-dyed VW Bus to go rolling down the hallway.

Hey, what's a little glycol ether among friends, right? Peace, man. Spread the love.

Leader of the Pack

As athletes, we all face requests for donations to various charitable organizations. Frequently, we have our own fundraising goals or pet projects. It can be a real balancing act determining where to send our contributions while ensuring we don't break the bank. And sometimes, the decision is easy.

Greyhound is doing the BP MS 150 to raise funds for multiple sclerosis research. For him, it is personal, as his wife battles MS every day. Having an aunt who has lived with MS for the better part of 20 years, I understand the desire to help raise funds. These funds have led to developments The Pack Leader benefits from every day. See Greyhound's post, as he does a much better job of telling the story.

As triathletes, we understand that huge things can be accomplished with small steps. By making enough small deposits into an Ironman account, we manage to complete a race many would consider impossible. If we all help out with a small step, Grey can reach his fundraising goal and the National MS Society can take more steps towards finding a cure. You can support Grey by making a contribution here, or by visiting his site and clicking the banner in his sidebar.

Going in Circles

Training for a triathlon is demanding and takes a great deal of discipline and dedication. Whether that first sprint race, an Olympic distance event, or Ironman, the concept is the same. All that changes is the time and distance put in during training. Of course, Ironman events require an extensive training program, and sometimes call for training to be performed during cold, dark, winter days.

That is where I find myself, at the moment. Sub-zero temperatures are far from conducive to biking, so I'm relegated to the basement, spinning on the trainer. This has its positives and its negatives. On the negative side is the lack of real life circumstances. There is no wind, hills are simulated, and the bike is locked into a single position. Of course, this is all offset by the television. Let's face it, training for Ironman puts a serious dent in T.V. time. But shows can be justified if it's all in the name of training. "I'll be up right after this episode of The Dead Zone. No, really. I'm SUPPOSED to train for 3 hours, today."

The sheer volume and frequency of swim workouts has called for some flexibility when it comes to both time and location of those sessions. I've found myself swimming in circles in just about every YMCA in the Fox Valley. Fortunately, most are within 10-15 minutes of home, and all are part of the same organization. And unlike Virginia Beach locations, all have towel service.

And then there's the real challenge. Running. So far, at least, the runs on my schedule have been straightforward and short. The weather, however, has been uncooperative. Ten miles is easy enough. Ten miles with snow on the ground, still okay. Ten miles with real temperatures in the negative column (and wind chills in the horribly negative category), less exciting.

So, it has been more "off to the Y" for me. And only the very real risk of severe hypothermia and/or frostbite will lead me to run 110 laps on the track. Swimming in circles is boring enough, but at least the risk of drowning helps keep me focused. Running in circles, just blah!

At the end of the week, month, and, most importantly, August, it will all come to a point. If I've completed enough circles, I'll have enough in the bank to go the distance in Louisville. And there won't be anything boring about that.

Look Both Ways

At just about any given time, somebody looking at my race schedule will see something on the horizon. While I can train without an upcoming event, paid registrations have always been the best motivation. Whether $15 for a local 1oK or $450 for Ironman Louisville, the result is the same. Money spent equals training accomplished.

Perhaps it is a function of the first marathon I ever completed. After a year of ribbing from a co-worker, I took a leap of faith and registered for a race I wasn't sure I could complete. If nothing else, signing up allowed me to go, "See, I'm entered." Even if I failed to finish, at least I had signed up.

Or maybe it's just that races give me a goal. A target for which to shoot. Winning isn't really a likelihood, but there's always a PR. Or a new distance. A race I've never completed. Something new to say I've accomplished.

I've rarely looked back, though. Once the race is completed, it's history. Finisher's Medals accumulate dust in a box. Race shirts wind up as sleeping attire. And race day anecdotes only come up when someone asks. The memorabilia from my biggest race to date, The Chicago Marathon, went into a display that was shipped to the cancer survivor for whom I ran the race. It's all just stuff.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to see the videos put together by Tac Boy documenting the Tri Blog Alliance at IM Florida. Watching it, I realized that IM Louisville is going to fall into an entirely different category. The journey is longer. The demands are greater. The personal investment is much greater. *Nancy Toby asked if I was implying IM Louisville is somehow longer or more difficult than IM Florida. I see now that I poorly placed my statement. The intent was to compare IM with my previous events, not IMKY with IMFL. Dang! I've revealed the secret that I am, apparently, only human.*

And it appears there will be a slightly larger audience for this trip. And in August, a new reader might just ask the question, "What's all the hype about? What have I missed." So, I'm going to try and start documenting a bit more of this journey in pictures. Pictures of training, before and after pictures, and race day pictures.

Those of you who are on the same journey should consider the same thing. Just as Kahuna, Tac Boy, and a multitude of others put together the Tri Blog Alliance presentations, we can put together an "Ice Breaker" show for when we get together in Louisville. And if we're lucky, we'll have someone of Tac's caliber to document race day.

Because someday we'll want to be able to look back and say, "See, see what I did!"

TBC Finds Fixes Blogger Misses

Okay, between Nytro and Flo, at least one of the major bugs of "new" blogger can be resolved. Spread the word, because most are still lost on this one. Blogger is included in "most" as they are clueless to the problem. This is evidenced by the fact that none of the requests for help on this issue from the past six months has had a single response.

The issue at hand is the "No Reply@blogger.com" addresses in e-mails resulting from comments. Both have offered information that may help resolve any challenges posed by blogger.

Nytro addressed an address issue in a previously mentioned post. Though my address wasn't altered, apparently some addresses are changed to gmail.com extensions or removed entirely. This results in incorrect or no address being used. This can be corrected in your profile.

Flo pointed out that the beta version requires each of us to select whether an e-mail address is shown. It doesn't specifically mention it, but this is the item that determines whether your e-mail address is shown on comment messages. You can set this in your profile, as well.

Thanks to these two for identifying an issue and sharing it with the world. I am baffled as to why blogger/google admin types haven't offered this assistance. That's okay, though. We know the TBC is the best in the world.

Ketchup

Sometimes, the hardest advice to follow is our own. Those of you who have been reading my posts and comments for some time are aware that I am quick to let anyone know that a few days off for illness or injury is better than pushing too hard and causing further damage. I truly believe that. I'm just terrible at heeding my own warnings.

So, when Saturday's swim wiped me out and opened a chink in my armor, I was faced with some tough decisions. Sunday, I had an hour run scheduled, as well as a meeting of our local triathlon club. After church, I took the opportunity to get a nap and try to break the fever that had been plaguing me since the swim. I quickly decided that the meeting was out, and abandoned the run as a bad idea. It's tough to run when you're sleeping and covered with all kinds of blankets.

After a couple hour's rest, I woke up and threw on my cycling clothes. The fever had almost broke, so what harm was there in a simple spin on the trainer (Power Intervals DVD). That would be at least something in the trianing log.

By half-time of the Super Bowl, I knew that a long swim Monday morning wasn't going to happen. Frustrating as that was, I yielded to common sense (and my wife mentioning she would unplug the alarm clock if I set it for 4:30). I also opted out of Tuesday's training sessions. Wednesday, I switched my swim for a one-hour run. While still exercise, I was at least out of the water.

That still leaves me playing catch-up for the week. Though I know I'll be unable to get back all the training, I'm trying to get some quality workouts in, now that I'm feeling somewhat better.

This morning, I did the scheduled 1000 yard swim. I was going to skip it, until I saw it was only 1000 yards. The short swim gave me time to get some strength training in, as well. Tonight, I'm doing a bike session that was moved from Monday. By the end of the day, I'll basically be short two swims. Long ones, but only two swims. I'll take that after being down for three days.

At the end of the day, we have to be willing to listen to our bodies. They are extremely accurate when it comes to identifying the need for rest. And this time of year tends to find us fighting any of a wide range of health issues.

Training is important. Just remember to listen to your body as it provides feedback about your health. There is little to gain by struggling through a workout because we're too stubborn to admit we might be sick or injured.

Blogger Proves Their Blow Factor

Well, Blogger proved just how idiotic they could become. As they continue to struggle with the bugs, errors, faults, and complaints about Blogger Beta (call it what they want), I came across this, today.

Bloggers,
We've been giving you warnings. The signs have been there. Preparations have been made. Now, it's time!
That's right, it's time to embrace the new version of Blogger! Starting today, a small percentage of users who log in to an old Blogger account will be required to move to the new version. This involves moving your current Blogger account to a new or existing Google Account. After the move, you will need to log in to Blogger with your Google Account username, which is always the email address associated with your account. If you're one of the lucky folks who is prompted to move your account over to the new version of Blogger, you'll be able to postpone this process once (and only once) if you *really* need to get a post out of your head or want to say goodbye to the old Blogger. After that, it's time to befriend the new Blogger!

This explains those who have indicated that they were forced to switch. Now, I too fell prey to their lack of forethought. Of course, I saw it coming and, faced with various options, chose to wait them out. I had hoped they would leave the true blue blogger up and running until the issues plaguing their beta were resolved.

No such luck. So, we'll have to do the work for them. See Nytro's post to resolve at least the e-mail issue. Hopefully, others will come up with fixes for other issues. Now, it's off to see if I was luckier than Bold (who lost a sizable chunk of his pictures when they converted his page).

Time Keeps on Drifting

Take a peek at the countdown timer on the sidebar. Go ahead, don't be scared. Well, maybe a little, especially if you are one of the lucky participants registered for IM Louisville.

It's amazing how the simple move from 201 to 199 changes perspectives. When the clock read 201, there was all the time in the world to train. It was no big deal that swimming 4600 yards took enough out of me to lower my resistance and let me get sick. With 199 days, missing a few days training because of that illness is driving me batty.

When the race was 201 days out, having little more than rumors and broad generalities about the course was a minor issue. Now that we're down to 199 days, missing this vital information is nerve wracking. How do we train for a race that is just around the corner when we don't even know what the course looks like?

With 201 days to race day, I wasn't too concerned that the lake has a big sheet of ice on it, making it difficult to test my new wetsuit. With 199 days left, I'm doomed to wonder if spring will ever arrive and push the ice downriver.

There is, however, good news. I have a coach who also knows there are only 199 days until race day. And he has a plan to give me the tools to get from the starting line to the finish line within the 17 hour limit. This eases the "199 days" concerns in two ways. First, the advice provided prior to even being an official trainee paid huge dividends. Second, Coach Mike has had great success with triathletes at all levels. I trust his experience and my abilities. Though time keeps on drifting, 199 is enough, for today. Tomorrow, 198 will have to do.

The Sounds of Silence

My blog/tri sister Veeg just sent a note indicating she was having some issues with the site, and she estimated it was due to the music. So, we're going to see if the strong, silent type blog is more to her computer's liking.

Besides, I haven't come across a particularly motivating song in a few days.

Training has taken a hit the last few days as I battle a bug. It's something I've been holding at bay for a week or so (the kids have been struggling with it, as well). After Saturday's long swim, I was so tired that my body finally gave in. So, a couple day's rest were in order. Not desired, appreciated, or expected. But needed.

One for the Corps

In the Stanley Kubrick film "Full Metal Jacket," former Marine R. Lee Ermey plays the hardcore drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. His portrayal of a tough Marine molding young men into "killing machines" earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

In one scene, Hartman is attempting to "motivate" one of his privates to complete pullups. He asks for one for the Commandant, and then one for the Corps (his "beloved Marine Corps"). When the private is unable to complete the last pullup, Hartman barks, "Well, I guess the Corps doesn't get their's." As I came to the end of my long swim, this weekend, that is what was running through my head. After completing what I believed was 4500 yards, I dug deep to do an extra 100 yards, just in case I had messed up somewhere along the line.

I had gotten everything correctly. For that swim, the Corps got their's. 4600 yards completed in 1:46 and change. As I climbed out of the pool, I felt like I had just spent an hour getting cycled by Senior DI Hartman. Few events in Navy bootcamp pushed my limits as this swim did.

There is a lot to be learned from pushing ourselves, and testing our limits. We grow the most when we are at the bounds of our abilities. I can learn about myself from a 500 yard swim. I learn more when another zero is added. The same can be said for the bike and the run. We improve ourselves in our routine, daily training. We learn about ourselves when we go outside the bounds we thing limit us.

And just like in boot camp, we have to leave a bit of ourselves behind. That part that says "I can't do this" or "This is too hard." If we those gremlins with us, they'll bite us in the butt come race day.

The 4500

A few years back The USA Network came out with a show called "The 4400." The premise of the show is that 4400 individuals abducted by aliens suddenly return to earth, each with amazing new ability. Of course, that's relatively superflous, as all I'm really interested in is the number.

That's because 4400 yards is exactly 2.5 miles. It is also the longest swim I have ever completed to date. And most people reading this understand the journey from 100 yards to 2.5 miles. On Saturday, the plan is to make 4400 the second furthest distance I've ever swam.

And this 4500 will be a different creature than my first 2.5 mile swim. Though it is still scheduled to be a straight swim (no rest intervals), it is a mixed set of swim, drill, and speedwork. Keeping everthing straight as I swim should be interesting. The main set is something like this:

300 at time trial pace MINUS 3 seconds, 100 drill, 100 fast, 50 non-free. So, for 300 yards, I have to exceed my time trial pace. Add in the 50 non-free, and I'm sure to be feeling it by the end of the workout. Even so, I'm actually looking forward to getting this done. Like a 20-mile training run, I see these 2.5 mile swims as confidence builders for Ironman. I will definitely be pulling that card out on race day. "Hey, you've done this x number of times, already. And that was without a wetsuit."

I think this has to be one of the serious benefits of having a coach. I've always tried to have good plans, and I've always tried to complete the big training goals. Having a coach to help make sure it all falls together in the right way is sure to pay huge dividends.

So, coached or winging it, get out and get your training in, this weekend. Race season is fast approaching. Whether 2 weeks or 200 days, will you be ready?

Tag - I'm It!

Tag sort of things generally get blown off when they hit my computer. I don't forward the "bad things will happen if you break the chain" chain letters. Jokes languish in the hell that is my Deleted folder (unless they're are TOTALLY hilarious and fitting, then I forward to whomever is most applicable). And any hoax sent my direction gets sent right back with a link to whatever website debunks the myth.

I will, however, yield this one time. First, Lisa in Madison is the one who tagged me. She just completed her first marathon, so she deserves some kudos. Second, Veeg showed some link love when she responded to the same list. Finally, I need something to cover up the rant (see previous post). Rants are all fine and dandy, but they don't count as real posts, in my book.

1. Describe a memory from your first triathlon.

Let's see, that would be the sprint race that was scheduled as a 220-yd swim, 15 mile bike, and 5K run. It turned into a 220-yd swim, 7 mile bike, 7 mile run, 1 mile bike, 5K run. Yes, I know, that's an odd way to do a race. That's what happens when the chain on your brand new bike breaks with only 8 miles on it. Running seven miles of the bike portion of a race while barefoot will leave an impression on most people.

2. Describe a memory from your most recent triathlon.

I ran a sprint tri in place of a training partner's girlfriend. I found out Friday night that I was racing on Saturday. I happen to have biked to and from work that Friday (56 miles total), and my goggles were in my transition bag, which was at the office.

3. What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a tri?

If anyone missed item one, that would have to take the cake. Let's face it, a racer comes riding into T2 on a different bike than when he left T1. With no shoes. And black feet. Dead last. Yeah, that was special.

4. What's the most thrilling thing that's ever happened in a triathlon?

Most my "thrilling" moments were before or after races. In my first triathlon (see 1, above), I won a $25 gift certificate to a sports store because I had the guts to finish the race, despite the broken chain. At my second race, I got to meet Sarah Reinertsen and Veeg. And in every race, it's awesome to see my kids at various points around the course.

5. What is something I've learned about myself doing triathlons?

First, I can, in fact, swim more than 250 yards. Second, I have a slight "go for it all" disorder.

6. What is the BIG goal toward which I am working?

The finish line of Ironman Louisville, before 11:59 p.m. on August 26, 2007. My other huge goal is to get my youth triathlon project rolling along smartly. We have 50 kids interested, and we're working on additional funding to pay for the project. Introducing 50 youth to the sport of triathlon will probably mean more than finishing in Louisville.

Beta - It's a Good Thing - A Rant

Well, I'm glad Blogger has made the announcement that their "Beta" version is now the NEW Blogger, instead of a beta.

Too bad their no-longer-a-beta-because-it's-working-so-well system seems to be broke, again. Perhaps they can remove the little "x" they put over the "beta" on their pages and announce they're back in beta testing.

There's just something about attempting to post a comment and having the system tell you that you have to log in, even if you are logged in. And then say that you have to enter a verification code, only to have that code not be shown. Or to have your comment entirely blown away because the comment section says you had a required field left blank, even if there were no fields in the first place.

Ah, non-beta-betas. They're such fun. Okay, rant over.