Moved Again...

Sorry, I moved again...

Stuff

Dana Point Turkey Trot

I decided I wasn't going to do the Dana Point Turkey Trot 10K this year because it's pretty much a pain in the ass.  I have to get up at four thirty in the morning and then the rest of the house has to get up at five.  We all have to leave the house together at five thirty for the drive down to Dana Point.  Once there, finding parking is tough.  And some bad memories carry over as well - last year I ended up running 6.35 miles because my stomach (for reasons still unkown) was so upset that my finish line was a porta-potty - I ran straight through the finish chute in extreme distress and didn't get the chance to grab a free banana or finishers medal.  After the race we then have a good 2 hour drive to the in-laws for dinner.  Basically, it's a lot of stress for a 6.2 mile run that I actually have to pay for.

It's not that I didn't want to do anything physical on Thanksgiving.  My original plan was to take the TT bike out to Mary's parents house and then get my brother-in-law to motor-pace me along the long and straight roads you can find everywhere around Palm Springs. 

But last night I was looking at my split times for the Huntington Beach 10 Mile Distance Derby.  Even though I blew up a little over the last 3 miles while running into a headwind, my split times through mile 6 where fast for me - 44:00.4.  And since my 10K PR is 46 minutes something, I ended up running 10 kilometers faster than I ever have before.

But this doesn't mean I've broken my 10K PR record - this must be done during an actual 10K race.  So obviously I need to go try and make this official.  The Thanksgiving Day motor pacing session is out.  Instead, the Turkey Trot is back on.  I'll be getting up at four thirty and making everyone else get up early too.  But hopefully my stomach will be fine this year.  And I'll make sure I grab a finishers medal this time.

I just pressed "register" so it's on.

The Dog Ate My Garmin

Joe

We have a dog named Joe.  We think he is about 12 years old, but like a scene out of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Joe acts younger as he gets older.  I can't believe I'm about to use this word, but he is getting more and more frisky every day.  Most of this is good - it's nice to see him continue to enjoy life.  But it's not all rainbows and unicorns - he's also recently picked up the habit of taking a book or two off of Ian's bookshelf and then destroying them.  Joe does this when he is angry at Ian for acting like a 6 year old and/or feels like it's a good time to remind him of where his place in the pack is.

When I saw my Garmin lying in the middle of the hall this morning, I knew there was a problem.  Though I'm not the neatest guy around, I typically don't leave $300 GPS units wherever the hell I feel like it.  Plus the charger is in my office on the desk, so about 8 times out of 10 I manage to get it within 5 feet of there when I initially take it off my wrist.

Sure enough, when I picked it up off the floor it was thrashed.  Somehow, Joe had got a hold of it and in a fit of canine wisdom only he understands, chewed it up.  Which is weird.  Because I don't recall acting like a 6 year old recently.  And we sorted it out long ago that I'm the alpha male in the house.  Yeah, I've seen the Dog Whisperer so I know what's up.

Despite the damage to the casing, it still works.  That said, my guess is that it's no longer waterproof.

The Garmin

I'm bummed, but I can't get mad at him - look at that face.  I have no idea how he got it.  Forget the low lying fruit - the magazines, the dirty socks or a few more of Ian's books - Joe clearly had a hair up his ass about chewing on electronics today.  He probably had to two-leg it up on the desk and then grab it with his mouth - a dog on a mission.  And it certainly paid off for him.

Guess what he was doing when I went to confront him after I found it?  Sleeping in the sun, the bastard.

Motivation

My bike NOT being ridden today.

It seems that I don't have any motivation at the moment past exercising to stay in shape.  A weekly workout schedule with an hour a day (maybe 2 hours on Saturday) with two days off a week is feeling pretty sweet right now.

For a few weeks I was worried about this.  After all, I've put so much work into the sport and to burn out now would most certainly not be a fitting ending.  But then I thought about when's and why's of my predicament and as a result I'm not worried anymore.  Here's why:

1)  It's November and I'm tired.  I want to spend more time with Mary and Ian and I are playing through a couple video games that quite frankly are more enjoyable then training at the moment.

2)  Except for an Olympic distance race in 3 weeks I have nothing scheduled until Oceanside.  The Olympic race was always on the calendar solely to have a bit of fun in Palm Springs over the weekend of Dec 3rd and 4th.  I still intend to have fun regardless of my finishing time.

3) I did a 180 on the training plan I picked for Oceanside and Couer d' Alene.  Part of this might be because I'm not feeling motivated, but part of this is also that after 2 weeks I straight up didn't like the plan.

4)  The six hours a week I am doing now are incredibly fun.  The runs have been especially great.

5)  I'm changing.  Three years ago, when I weighed close to 300 pounds and was a emotional trainwreck, I NEEDED goals and structure.  But the goals and structure I've worked with have (ironically) helped me get myself back to the point where I can now handle some "distraction" again (if that's the right word).  I am enjoying my career again and enjoy putting a little bit extra into it.  And I don't panic when I have to miss or cut short a workout.

6)  I'm still religiously keeping my legs well shaved.

Do I think endurance sports were a "phase" and I'm coming out the other side now?  Nah.  Because when things are fun they are FUN.  But about an hour ago, a mile into a ride (on my road bike, which this close to a race is telling in and of itself), I decided that I didn't feel like riding today and didn't want to force the issue.  So I came home.  That said, I still look forward to my upcoming races and I still visualize swimming, biking and running in a very favorable light.

Of course I can't slow down time and there are big races four and a half months away.  Sixteen weeks out from Oceanside falls in early December and that's going to have to be a go/no go line for next year.  So I'm going to have to find my motivation again.  But I'm not going to worry about it, at least not yet.  My connection to this stuff is stronger than a short rough patch.

Huntington Beach Distance Derby Race Report

Somewhere between last October (when I got 1st in my age group for the 5 mile race) and today, The Huntington Beach Distance Derby got a major face-lift.  Gone are the mom & pop 5 and 10 mile races along the beach path with 400 other mostly local runners, where the times were tabulated manually and the only entertainment was some classic rock playing through a glorified boom box.  Instead, the event producers that also do the Surf City Marathon got involved and sexed the whole thing up.  They closed down PCH this year to put the course on the streets - a truncated version of the Surf City 1/2 Marathon course.  We got timing chips.  They announced competitors from over 200 cities. And we even got live bands!  Actually, I missed the boom box.  But then again I'm a musical snob.

Another change they made was cancelling the 5 mile race and replacing it with a 10K.  I was actually happy about this because it solved an internal conflict I was having.  Since I won my AG last year, I was feeling obligated to defend.  Yet, I really didn't want to do the 5 mile race again - that's so 2010.  So with the 5 mile race cancelled, I was able to enter the 10 mile race guilt free.

The 10 mile race started at 7 AM, which was extremely serendipitous, because rain was forecast to start sometime in the 8 AM hour.  I don't mind running in the rain save for one thing - Newton running shoes are expensive, and the pair I am wearing now only have about 150 miles on them.  So I'm feeling (at least) temporarily precious about running conditions.  In fact, at 7 AM it was bright and sunny, the morning being the beneficiary of last night's time change.  There were, however, storm clouds hanging off shore completely obscuring Catalina Island, 20 miles to the south.

The race went right off on time.  I've run this course a million times (though maybe not from the middle of the street) so I knew exactly what to expect.  I put down a 7:24 first mile and the a 7:22 for miles 2 & 3.  Miles 4 & 5 undulate a bit and my heart rate was a bit higher than I wanted it to be, so I cut back to what ended up being a 7:33 pace.  I figured that with the turn-around coming at mile 6, I'd get my heart rate down for a little bit before I picked up the pace again for the shot back up PCH to the finish line.

Of course when I got to the turn-around point, this was about the time that those storm clouds that were safely over Catalina Island just 45 minutes ago were now directly overhead.  And though it wasn't raining (yet) the wind had picked up from the east.  So when I made the turn, I started running directly into a newly minted and stiff headwind.

The wind sucked.  Despite my best efforts I slowed way down - I ran mile 6 at 7:40 and mile 7 & 8 at 7:56.  Mile 9 was horrible - at least in the context of the rest of the race - at 8:09.  I managed to pull down mile 10 at 7:58, but I was wasted - the twelve second gain had nothing to do with a late race kick and everything to do with wanting to be done.

I finished in 1:17:35, which was good enough for 94th place out of 653 total, 72nd place out of 298 males and 12th place out of 44 males 40-44.  I could have finished in 1:17:25, but I wasted about ten seconds just before the finish line high-fiving Ian and some random guy next to him who insisted on getting in on the action.  Had I just high-fived Ian I probably could have finished in 1:17:28 - it took a few extra seconds for me and random guy to get it together.

I was hoping for 1:15, and considering that my Strava.com Suffer Score was "Extreme", it would have been a nice reward for my effort.  But it wasn't meant to be - once the wind kicked up any hopes of that time where gone.

Still it was a fun race and I thankfully missed most of the rain.  It didn't really start coming down until I was safely ensconced in Starbucks having a coffee, my Newtons already off and tucked safely away in the back of my car.

Climbing

Today was the fourth day of my new Ironman training plan and the first day I went off plan.  Monday's tempo ride and easy run went just fine, as did Tuesday's drill focused swim.  Wednesday was a tempo run and another endurance based swim.  However, I just didn't like what I saw on the schedule for today.

I was scheduled to do a ride with about 20 minutes worth of single leg isolation drills.   Don't get me wrong - isolation drills are great and I believe that they are imperative for developing an efficient pedaling stroke.  But when I do them, it's at the gym on a spin bike that I can put my pedals on, and then the workout is purely about the drills.  Today's drills were scheduled to be part of an overall longer ride.  To be fair, the session was designed to be done on a trainer.  But I don't have a trainer and the weather was too nice to be in a gym.  So I blew off the scheduled workout.  And to offset the potential for some serious guilt I decided to do something harder -  find as much climbing as I could in a 20 mile loop.

The Route

There were a few logistical challenges created as a result of my decision.  Since I only had about 90 minutes available to go off the grid and have to drive about 15 miles south to get into the hills, I needed to do some multi-tasking.  The second I jumped in the car I dialed into a conference call.  A half hour later I had successfully killed two birds with a single stone and was parked with the conference call ended and my bike off the roof rack.  It was noon and I wasn't needed on another call until 1:30.  Perfect.

I decided to start along Newport Bay until the UCI Irvine Campus.  I then rode through the campus and into a neighborhood called Turtle Rock.  This is where the climbing begins.  Once through Turtle Rock, it's over and up to Newport Coast Drive, which climbs and then crosses the spine of the San Joaquin Hills.  At the top of Newport Coast, a left turn puts you on to Ridge Park Drive.  Ridge Park is the hardest part of the ride.  While I had spent the last 7 miles climbing up grades anywhere between 4-6% with false flats in between, Summit Ridge raises the ante - it's a mile long with an average grade of 12% and a maximum of 20%. 

Ridge Park - It's way steeper than it looks.

When it comes to the super steep stuff, I'm not a great climber.  More specifically, I'm not a very fast climber.  For example, the fastest speed up Ridge Park by a strava.com member is just under 10 MPH.  Today I managed it at just under 6 MPH.  But in the last couple months, I've come to love climbing.  Sure, it hurts.  But once you learn to control the pain you suddenly find that pushing beyond it is quite easy.  You replace the pain with a rhythm that is wholly unique to climbing.  Even though riding a bike is all about rhythm, the climbing rhythm is definitely it's own special thing.  If you are riding correctly and not grinding away, it's still a smooth rhythm.  But it's not as fluid as it is on the flats.  There is more urgency to it, especially if you are out of the saddle.  It's also the rhythm I now find myself remembering long after the ride is over.

I reached the top of Ridge Park.  I could have gone longer and actually wanted to, but I was out of road.  This is still an odd feeling for me, embracing the climb.  But it's a good feeling.  Even though running a fast pace-line along PCH is still my favorite cycling activity, climbing has pushed the post-ride bagel out of 2nd place.

Elevation Profile

Descents are fun too, and I had a long one - about 6 miles back to the car with 15 minutes to spare.  Between the high point of 1,100 feet and the undulations throughout, I climbed about 1,700 over 20 miles.  Though this is not what I consider a big climbing day, it's certainly the most climbing I've ever done on a short ride - usually I amuse myself with an out-and-back on PCH when I'm going short.  All in all it was a much better use of 20 miles.  So it was no surprise when about halfway through the ride it occurred to me that I should really be doing these sorts of rides more often.  And I think I will - as long as I can schedule my calls correctly.

By the way the Fizik R3 shoes are as awesome as the box they came in.

Ironman Training To Start (Almost) As Planned

George would be bummed.

I'm sure most of you are motivated enough to file your taxes by April 15th.  Not me.  I like to wait until the last possible moment.  This will probably change next year since all my 2011 income will be recorded via a W2 statement.  But the last few years I've either been self employed or a contractor and as a result things got a little more complicated.  Complications lead to delays and delays lead to filing extensions.

Early last week I found out I owe more tax than I had originally thought.  WAY more.  This, of course, is not good and Mary is (understandably) on a tear.  I'm being (rightfully) reigned in.  One of the things that will not make the final cut of our financial inquisition is the coach.  As a result I'll be self coaching myself through Oceanside and Coeur d'Alene.  Although nixing the coach is the correct decision globally, my micro world of triathlon is being turned upside down.  I'm not really knowledgeable enough to do this on my own.  Sure, I've helped a few people here and there through the coachme.com site.  But this "help" was much more basic and geared towards athletes who wanted to finish their first sprint triathlon.  My needs are a bit more complex - I'd like to finish Oceanside with a respectable time and I want to finish Coeur d'Alene standing up and alive.

Disappointed?  Yes.  Dettered?  No.  The circumstances are what the are and there's nothing I can do about it except move forward.  I'm currently 24 weeks out from Oceanside and 36 weeks out from Couer d'Alene.  Tomorrow I leave for New York City for the week.  Though I won't be able to get that much training in past a couple of morning runs in Central Park and a couple of evening gym sessions, I will have time to do the research and select the plan I will use to self coach.  And when I get back it will be go time.

I've reviewed a couple of 36 week Ironman plans already.  I'll spend this week drilling down on each and then pick one, slim it down by a week to start on October 24th and then figure out how to best modify it to execute for Oceanside.  I'm not concerned about missing the week, I wasn't going to start with the coach until November 1st anyway.  What I am concerned about is building Oceanside into the plan.  Like I said, my knowledge and experience has it's limits.  But people have race schedules like this all the time and I'm sure with enough research I will find an answer that works.

Coeur d'Alene Swim Start

Regardless of the coaching change, I'm ready to go.  I've had a lot of rest.  I've got a bunch of things done for work.  I've also put a major dent in the living room remodel - even with a restart in training the work will be done in November.  Once I pick the plan, I'm going to print it all out and stick it in a big binder right down to color coded tabs for each week.  This may be normal for some of you, but I've been a iPhone carrying, Kindle reading paperless guy for years.  Yet I feel like this is a good time to buck the trend and create something that I can touch, feel and (gasp!) hand-write notes in the margins if I want.  I'm also going to stop using beginnertriathlete.com as my training log and start using trainingpeaks.com.   Training Peaks just seems like a better platform to me.

So that's the news - I'll be formally starting Ironman training in a week, but I'll be doing it solo.