Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Pain!!!

Yep thats right, I knew going into sundays olympic distance race (Nathans) that it was going to hurt if I raced it all out. Seeing that I have been training ONLY for Ironman distance races for 2 solid years now. That means going short + fast = PAIN!!!
I also knew that going in at this distance there was zero chance I would be able to run up to my standards with it taking at least 1-1/2 miles for my achilles to stop hurting every time I run. With this in mind and the fact that we wouldn't be using wetsuits (water temp 82) meant that my swim & my run wouldn't be very good bench marks of where my fitness and hard work is paying off. If you are at all familiar with triathlon that means I only had one other leg to really challenge myself (the bike). I have been really been focusing on my bike leg for about 9 months, and have been really been feeling stronger each week, being able to do climbs that I used to really struggle with. So anyway i was a little disappointed that the bike course was going to be 28miles instead of the standard 24.9 miles that most olympic races are. So I wouldn't be able to compare my previous times, but could campare my speed and my competition. I was very happy to hammer out a 1:07 bike split averaging over 24mph for the entire ride. After comparing this to some of my normal competition, I actually closed some time on them and beat some of the guys that normallt out split me. YEA!!!!!
So I ended up going 2:18:00, 15th overall and 4th in my age group. My swim was wayyyyy slower than normal, but even the very best swimmers where about 2 minutes off their normal swim times so that made me feel a little better, Seems the swim course was about 150 meters long! and my run was so so, but that is ok my eye is on the big day in NOV. where I break 10hrs for the first time in an Ironman!!!!
Great job by my best half Mary. she rocked it as usual coming in as the 4th overall woman, and 1st Age group. Not bad for someone that has bike all of about 50 miles since June!

Monday, September 15, 2008

10 Weeks and counting!!!!!!!!

So riding such a high all last week after witnessing Hillary Biscay's first Ironman Victory. read her report @ http://hillarybiscay.wordpress.com/ ,I went through a week of unbelievable mental focus, I was so on it was scary, I actually had to dial myself back a few times, I was just smashing myself every workout!! Thanks Hillary!!!
I wrapped up my week with a trail 10K race. Now I had to be smart here, my achilles is still shit and that course is totally not good for me, so my plan was to just treat it as a tempo run, and no faster than 6:00 miles. I was very happy to see I was between 5:56 and 6:05 ish the entire race, I never let me self get caught up in things and felt so good. Amazing how much better you feel when you don't cross over into that last 5-10% of your limits. Afterwards I just keep running to complete my 12miles on my schedule. then off I dashed to my Felt to ride back to gilbert lifetime ((40miles) ,to meet Mary at the pool for our sprint swim workout (3000 meters), we finished up in time to get some luch and head home for a nap, I got 30minutes before leaving for my massage, and Mary got to sleep for about an 1 1/2hrs.
Mary starts her Official marathon training today. Got get em girl, I will be there to help when you need me, (just ask)!!!
Peace out!!!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

What a trip!!!!!!!!


So last friday Mary and myself headed off to Wisconsin for IM MOOO!
We arrived friday evening, and my friends John, Rhonda & Katie meet us at the airport for the short drive to State street. We where to meet up with some Skirts at State Street Brat House. There we had a local brew, and headed across the street for a surprise cocktail. See It has been a few years since I have been on the state st. drinking seen, but wanted to get Mary a drink (cherry bomb) that I used to enjoy at an underground bar named The Pink Flamingo, well it has changed names and apparently drinks. For $14 we received something with not resemblance of the old cherry bombs of the past. Needless to say, I ended up drinking mine and most of Mary's. Sorry about that sweetheart!
Saturday a.m. we where off to the IM venue to check in for our volunteering job, and then we where off to the lake for one loop of the IM swim course. The water was so perfect. We swam 30min and headed off to get our hour run in. I took Mary to one of my old running routes. Howard Temlin trail, along the beautiful Lake Mendota. It was so nice to share such a great place with my loved one. It is amazing sharing things with Mary that mean so much to us, and that most people just don't understand. Running along a lake, with shade, on a dirt path, with tons of other runners and bikers! Does it get better?
Yes, it actually does. Sunday morning we arose a like 7am ish, which is sleeping in very late for us. We headed to my favorite place to run, The UW arboretum! Mary and I ran our 2hr run through some of the best running you could ask for, it just flew right by. We bot just really enjoyed the scene, and the 100's of runners and bikers out there with us. At this point we are getting very spoiled. 68degrees and beautiful yet again. Does it get any better than this?
After our run we headed for coffee and bagels and a shower. We relaxed for a little while watching the start of the IRONMAN online. Our friend Hillary Biscay was leading the entire swim and bike portions of the race, and we started getting extremely excited for her. So we couldn't sit still any longer, and decided to head to the run course so we could catch up with some of our many friends doing the race, and to cheer Hillary on for the final stretch. We did see all of our friends on the run from our position on State st. We camped out at about the 25.5 mark of the marathon. Finally we hear the crowds screaming and we jumped to our feet, fingers crossed that the cheers where for the 1st place women, and wishing deep down for it to be Hillary. As the 1st place female lead bike came around the corner and Hillary was right behind it we just about flipped out!!! We started screaming and running down State St. right next to her, what an amazing moment. We realize that if we want to see her finish we have to hammer up hill with all our shit to beat her there. So Mary and I take off, It was not pretty but we got there just as she was coming down the final 50 yards. SO Amazing!!! Now after Hillary finishes and does her interviews and etc... I get to hang out with her for a few and talk to her about the race and what she is feeling. To give you an idea of how competitive she is, when Mary and I where running beside her on State St. she said she could see us out of the corner of her eye and was thinking, "I can't let them run faster than I am" So she kicked it in one last time. How crazy?!
Now to give you an idea of how determined Hillary was, she had been in the lead the entire race until she was passed at 19 miles of the run, and was dropped to a minute back at 23miles. At that point she said to herself, "bullshit, I promised to myself I was going to win this race today"! So she started pushing it. She closed the gap back to :30 seconds at 24miles , and then realized that she could do it. She took back the lead at 25miles, and ended up winning by 2:30! That is called dropping the hammer, to put 3minutes on her competition at that point of an Ironman within 1mile is nothing short of impossible! DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So anyway Mary and I worked the finish line catch and seeing almost all of our friends, and our last catch of the shift was truly that! We had to carry our last person to the medic tent because she was coming in and out of it, and was white as a ghost. What a day!!!
Does it get any better than that?
Well!!!!! We wake up sunday morning early and head down to sign up for the 2009 IM MOO. After about and hour or so of standing in 55 degrees and rain we get it done, and have just enough time to get our hour run before the airport.
I once again took Mary to one of my old trails for runners and bikers only. It is 54 degrees and raining, YES!!!! Finally a run in the rain, my most favorite thing!!! It has been at least 2 years since I have had a chance to do it. So we just rain and enjoyed ourselves wishing that it would never end!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing this great weekend with me Mary. There is no one in the world I would have wanted to be there with me other than you!!!
I won't go into the horrible flight back you had! HA!!
We hope to head back to the land of MOOO sometime next spring for a week long training block.
Until then!!!!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

ON to Wisconsin!!!!!!

Not alot report from the home front for me, just training solid and trying to get closer to the big day.
I have a couple of things to side track me which is good, I am so excited about Ironman Arizona in Nov I just want to get there already. Until then the little things keep my mind off it. This weekend we head to the land of Mooo's and beer for a little thing called Ironman Wisconsin. In the mean time Mary and I will volunteer at the finish line, meet up with some old friends, and get some good hill training running through the Arb.,as it is called in Madison.
Today I had my 1 1/2 tempo run. I have been feeling stronger by the week with my running, the achilles still is the same, but I have just learned to deal with it and the bright side (knock on wood) is that it isn't getting worse!!!! So I started off on my normal tempo run route, I felt decent from the start, not great but decent. As usual I do my two mile warm up and then starts the suffering. I was able to keep my tempo pace at between 6 and 6:15, so within my range of acceptance. finishing up keeping everything else at as close to 7:00 min pace as possible, so alittle faster some a little slower, but again decent. My range I shoot for is 6-6:09 pace.
Then it was off to bike ez for an hour, my 5th day in a row on the bike, with yet one more day tomorrow before leaving town. from sunday through today I have logged about 250miles on the bike, so the legs are ready for a little break.
I will check back in next week after Wisconsin!!
Cheers to all!!