tuesday

bike = 30 miles

long bike

bike = 103 miles

back from a tough week

Work emergency this week. Not a good time for it.

run = 15 miles

Tuesday

I've had a few periods during this campaign in which I felt myself growing stronger. I'm having one of those for the last week, and it's a good feeling.

bike = 35 miles
163

Felt like a century

bike = 100 miles
swim = 3000 yards

saturday

run = 18 miles

friday

swim = 2500 yards
run = 4 miles speed/strength sets

wednesday

bike = 26 miles speed/strength sets
161.5

Another note on long runs/gels

I'm using the race number belt with loops for holding gels made by Fuel Belt. It works fine.

bike = 35 miles
swim = 2,000 yards
run = 6 miles
162.9

My goals

In descending order: (1) finish the race; (2) lose the remaining excess body weight before the race; (3) confidential time goal for the race.

swim = 2,250 yards
bike = 85 miles
167.3

run

I've started using gels on long runs because I couldn't get the flask of Perpetuem to stop flopping around. I've used a variety of gels, all of which seem to be about the same.

run = 15 miles
swim = 2500 yards

untitled

Trainus interruptus

bike = 1 hour

Friday on my mind

run = 4 miles (880s and 440s speed/strength work)

One reason I do this

The other day my 3 year old son asked "Daddy, can I be strong like you?"

162.3
bike = 26 miles

Training, not blogging

165.6
bike = 26 miles
swim = 2000 yards
run = 6.2 miles

brick day

bike-run brick 31.7 miles (15 run)

8/25

bike = 70 miles
swim = 2,250 yards

8/24

run = 3 miles (strength/speed sets)

8/23

swim = 2,500 yards

8/22

bike = 25 miles
run = 5.5 miles

8/21

bike = 29 miles
swim = 2,000 yards

8/19

bike-run brick = 34 miles (18 miles run)

8/18

swim = 1,500 yards
bike = 36 miles

8/17

bike = 35 miles
run = 4 miles (strength/speed sets)

8/16

swim = 1,350 yards

8/15

bike = 25 miles (strength/speed sets)

8/14

swim = 2,000 yards

8/12

bike-run brick 33 miles (18 run)

8/11

swim = 1,500 yards
bike = 50 miles

8/9

swim = 1,350 yards
run = 3.5 miles (strength/speed sets)

8/8

bike = 24 miles (strength/speed sets)

8/7

swim = 2,000 yards
bike = 27 miles
run = 6 miles

8/5

bike-run brick 33.7 miles (16 run)

8/4

bike = 46 miles
swim = 1,500 yards

8/1

bike = 24.2 miles speed sets

7/31

bike = 22 miles
run = 6 miles

7/29

run = 16.4 miles
bike = 24 miles

7/24

bike = 33 miles

7/23

swim = 2,000 yards

7/22

bike-run brick = 52.5 miles (16 run)

7/21

swim = 2,250 yards
bike = 60 miles

7/20

run = 8 miles

True Grit?

I've got to come clean with myself about my diet. I did pretty well for a few weeks and lost a few pounds. Then I became very sleep deprived, then sick. During that period, my diet fell apart. I have observed that I can stick to it during the day without difficulty, but when I am sleep deprived and fatigued, I become very hungry at night and eat too much before I go to bed. This is why, after losing a lot of weight over the last year and a half, I keep losing and regaining the same five pounds when that's about all I have left to lose. That last several pounds will matter when I'm pedaling up Sugarloaf hill on the bike course at Clermont and running the marathon there.

I want to stop having to struggle with this. In order to get there, I have to stop overeating at night. My plan is as follows: for dinner, I will have one serving of a protein, one of a carb, and one vegetable. That's it. No additional food at night. There will be nights when I have to go to bed hungry, and I have to accept that and do it. With the training I'm doing, it shouldn't take long to lose that last bit of belly fat. It's going to be difficult, but I simply have to accept that fact and move on. If anyone reads this, please wish me luck!

run = 5 x 1 min. hill repeats
swim =

Wednesday

bike = 7 x 5 min. hill repeats
swim = 1700 yards

Soldiering on...

Man, am I tired! A couple of random decisions: (1) I've got two more races before the Great Floridian, and I am definitely going to taper the week before both of them, not solely for the sake of being more competitive, since these are going to be training exercises, but because I'm convinced I need to work tapering weeks into my training. I haven't done that, and I'm feeling it now; (2) I'm going to start attending a Masters Swim program where I do my swim training. The swim coach is great, and I need extra pointers on my swim, which is really slow.

bike = 34 miles

Monday

swim = 1800 yards
run = 14 miles

Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon

High points: (1) my nutrition equipment on the bike (Saltstick pill dispensers and Hammer flask and holster for Perpetuem) worked great; (2) my transitions were much better; (3) I arrived at the transition area early and had plenty of time to prepare.

Low point: my overall time was slow. I came out in the middle of my age group, and I'm faster than that. My legs were very tired from yesterday's long bike, which was my longest ride to date.

The only equipment issue was the Hammer flask and holster I got for the run. It flopped and drove me nuts, so I carried it in my hand until it was empty. The pill bottle I used on the run was fine (Fuel Belt bottle in loop on race belt).

Learning curve: from now on I will make every effort to survey the race course the day before a race. This will help on the swim, which in this case was my first river swim, and on the bike and run as well. The bike course in this race was very difficult, with several big hills, and I wish I'd driven it the day before to familiarize myself with it.

Olympic distance triathlon (swim = 1500 meters, bike = 40 km, run = 10 km)

Race Prep

bike = 70 miles

One way I'm practicing for T1

Every time I get on the bike now I have my shoes clipped in and I hop on and get my feet in the shoes as I would in a race. I have velcro straps on the shoes (Specialized Tri-Vents) so they work well for this.

bike = 7 x 5 min. hill repeats
swim = 1700 yards

Next Race this Sunday!

I now have all of my nutrition equipment and plan in place. Although the equipment and plan are for long races, I am going to practice that this weekend at my next race, the BMW Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon. One goal for this race is to see that I have that working smoothly, and the other is, again, to speed up my transitions.

I have the following equipment to use: a holster for the Hammer flask on my bike, Saltstick pill dispensers for the Endurolyte capsules on the bike, a Fuel Belt race number belt with loops for a pill dispenser, also by Fuel Belt, and a holster for a Hammer flask to carry on the run. Although this race is only an Olympic distance race, I'm going to use the Perpetuem and Endurolytes as if it were a longer race.

I also intend to power my way through the transitions. I think a good bit of my slowness with these is that, unconsciously, I've been using them to recover. That's not what they're for. I have time goals for the race itself, which I'm not taking all that seriously as I intend to train heavily the day before the race. This isn't good race strategy, but I can't miss long workouts at this point. My "A" race of the year is only three months away now.

run = 5 x 1 min. hill repeats

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, I spoke too soon about feeling better. I've been under the weather for a few days, but I'm back and o.k.

bike = 36 miles
run = 12 miles

Sleep is Fuel

Wow, do I feel better today! I finally got a good night's sleep.

run = 7 miles

untitled

swim = 1,350 yards
run = 5 x 1 min. hill repeats

Born on the Fourth of July

bike = 7 x 5 min. hill repeats
swim = 1,700 yards

Sleep deprivation

I've been unable to get to bed in a timely way for the last couple of nights. Now I'm really tired. I didn't focus or function well today and need some sleep. I'm eating more than I should from fatigue, too, which is messing up my diet.

bike = 35 miles
run = 6.4 miles

Gear

I've ordered the following to help resolve the issue of managing the race nutrition stuff: (1) Saltstick pill dispensers that fit in the aerobars on my bike; (2) Hammer Nutrition's gel flask holders for the bike and one with a clip for the run; (3) Fuelbelt's race number belt with loops for pill dispensers and a pill dispenser to go with it. This stuff should do the trick.

swim = 1800 yards

The System

I made the Perpetuem more concentrated so I only need one flask for every two hours. Every 15 minutes, I take a squirt of Perpetuem, an Endurolyte caplet, and two swigs of water. This worked on the run as well the bike.

bike = 36 miles
run = 10 miles
weight = 156.3

Eureka!

Today I used Perpetuem on a long bike to good effect and without gastric distress. I made it into a thick liquid and put it in the Hammer flasks. (I found the easiest way to make it and get it in the flasks was to shake/mix it in a small bike bottle and squeeze the contents into the flasks.) No problems, and I felt good throughout the bike. I have to find a better way to carry it though. Fumbling in my bike jersey pockets slowed me down. The same goes for the tic tac box I'm using to carry Endurolytes caplets.

bike = 60 miles
swim = 2,250 yards
weight = 156.3

HRM

After having a lactate threshhold test, I used my heart rate monitor during this morning's run, and ran faster, which means I haven't been running hard enough. I'm being taught to depend on rate of perceived exertion, but I believe I need to use the heart rate monitor for a while at least to get my subjective perception of how hard I'm working in line with reality. That should make this weekend interesting!

run = 7 miles
weight = 156

Nutrition Experiment

This weekend I'm going to try Hammer's Perpetuem made into a paste and placed in gel flasks. We'll see how that works.

run = 5x1 min. hill repeats
swim = 1300 yards
weight training
weight = 156.8

More about my guts

I've now learned that dehydration is a common cause of the crampiness I've been experiencing on longer bike rides, so I will focus on that rather than on the product I'm using. I'm still going to try Perpetuem this weekend anyway.

bike = 7x5 min. hill repeats
swim = 1,700 yards
weight = 154.5

Mysteries of the Universe...

I tried Sustained Energy again, but with a weaker solution in both bike bottles. I didn't have a bottle of plain water. I still had mild GI issues, which I reluctantly describe as light intestinal crampiness, after about an hour and a half, but it was better than before. I'm still going to try something else, i.e. Perpetuem, also made by Hammer Nutrition, during my next long bike. I'm getting interested in race nutrition, and I guess I'd better be. I learned in the Gulf Coast half iron race that nutrition is vitally important during longer races. I just have to find the right fuel for me and my guts.

bike = 40 miles
run = 6.2 miles
weight = 155.4

Psyched!

I just registered for next year's Ironman Coeur d'Alene race. I am psyched!

swim = 1,800 yards
weight training
weight = 153.3

Another Week

Quick notes, because I'm worn out: (1) still had light GI distress on the bike today, so I need to rethink my nutrition approach; (2) watched some of Ironman Coeur d'Alene online -- and tomorrow I'm going to register for the 2008 race; (3) had a weekend of great workouts.

bike/run brick = 2 hour bike, 10 mile run
weight = 154.8

Saturday in the Park

Today I did the swim/bike brick workout with the group again. I had a great workout but experienced some GI distress on the bike. I started the day with HEED electrolyte drink by Hammer Nutrition, used Enervitene by Enervit between the swim and bike, and used Hammer Nutrition's Sustained Energy on the bike. I hadn't used the Enervit product before, so my guess is that was the culprit. What I've learned thus far about training/racing nutrition is (a) everyone is different, and (b) trying different things and experiencing the result is the necessary procedure to find what I need. I'll try something slightly different tomorrow.

swim/bike brick = swim 1,950 yards, bike = 40 miles
weight training
weight = 157.1

Patience

Endurance training requires patience. So does weight loss. I've lost about two pounds over the last two weeks, but I can do better. Trainingpeaks.com analyzes my diet and is providing useful information. Based on the information provided, I can see that my overall caloric intake is fine, but I'm consuming much more protein than I need. In addition, my fat consumption is excessive and much of it comes from my afternoon and evening snacks. I can remedy both of these issues easily and will start at the best possible time: today.

run = 5 miles
weight = 158.6

Thursday again

run = 5x1 min. hill repeats
swim = 1,300 yards (100s and 50s)
weight = 158.1

The Return of Mike Mulligan

Last night I went on another group ride, which is one I won't be able to do often because of the time of day for the ride. Group rides are definitely a great training aid, as they apply the Mike Mulligan principle I described in an earlier post. This ride was fun, too, because there were about 30 or so riders, many of whom were really fast, and I enjoyed being a part of it. I'll definitely do this ride again when I have the chance.

bike = 7 x 5 min. hill repeats
swim = 1,700 yards (100s and 50s)
weight = 157.9

Another day...

I'm planning two iron distance races for next season. The World Triathlon Corp. "M-Dot" events fill so quickly that I have to register a year in advance. In trying to plan this, I had to consider that there is no way to know what will happen in a year ... Then I realized that the brute fact of uncertainty is one reason to do this. I will come up with a better way to express this as I work on it, but I suppose one reason for my current undertaking, to the extent it qualifies as an unarticulated "reason," is the same "reason" people climb mountains: do it now, because I can.

run = 6.2 miles
bike = 28 miles
weight = 157.7

Optimism

Optimism is posting a daily report of one's body weight on the internet.

swim = 1,800 yards (400s and 50s)
weight training
weight = 157.7

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning, praise the dawning ... It's just a restless feeling by my side ... Early dawning, Sunday morning ... It's just the wasted years so close behind ...

-Lou Reed/Velvet Underground

O.K., enough poetry. Today I got smart and paid more attention to nutrition during training. I used Hammer Nutrition's Sustained Energy on the bike and felt fresh throughout. I also used Endurolytes tabs during the bike and run. Two things I'll do differently on my next long brick: (1) consume some liquid calories before the workout; (2) use gels on the run.

Yesterday I had a solid food breakfast before the swim/bike brick and belched throughout the bike -- much like the last race. If I'm going to consume solid food before a race or hard workout, it needs to be 3 hours before, not an hour before.

bike/run brick = bike 2 hours, run 9 miles
weight = 159.0

Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne

Today I went for a group swim and ride. I enjoyed the company and rode harder than I probably would have otherwise. I was reminded of my son's book about Mike Mulligan and his steamshovel, Mary Anne. They dug a little faster and a little better when someone was watching. Me too.

On the shoe front, I got the Saucony Grid Stabil 6, a motion control trainer, which is appropriate for me, as I overpronate and have low arches. I'm using an over-the-counter orthotic (Powerstep), which I've had good results with.

swim/bike brick = swim 1,950 yards, bike 30 miles

Daddy Needs a New Pair of Shoes

Today I go to the local run shop to get a new pair of shoes. I shall post more as the adventure proceeds.

run = 5 miles

Sweet Thursday

I took yesterday off from training. Today I feel good. Did hill repeats on a new hill close to home. Nice course.

I still have some blubber left around my gut, and it's time for that to go. I'm using the meal log on trainingpeaks.com to discipline myself and be accountable for what I consume. I firmly believe that if I do that for 30 days -- the date for my next race -- the remaining lard will be gone.

bike = 7x5 min. hill repeats
swim 1,700 yards speedwork (100s and 50s)
weight training

I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today!

run = 6 miles

Ah, Monday

swim = 1,600 yds speedwork

Sunday morning

brick = 15 mi. bike, 5 mi. run
weight training

Buster Britton race

Overall, I was pleased with this race. I always mean to write notes about what I've learned from a race, so this time I'll actually do it:

(1) Show up early. I arrived on time but would have been better prepared to race if I had been early. Also, someone mis-racked their bike on our section of the rack, which wasted time. I would have been more relaxed and had time to warm up properly had I been early.

(2) I consumed my last prerace calories too close to race time (about 30 min. and 10 min. before start) and belched throughout the bike portion of the race. The latter calories were probably ok, but the former should have been an hour before race time rather than 30 min.

(3) Check air in tires at car, before taking bike to rack. I didn't have a problem with my tires but didn't get to check the air before the race start.

(4) PRACTICE TRANSITIONS!!! My transitions were smooth but slow. I could easily have shaved 2 min. off my overall time with better transitions. On the plus side, I took all extraneous stuff away from transition area before race and had the bare essentials only.

Another day

run = 5 miles
swim = 1,300 yards speedwork

Hill Repeats

Great way to wake up. I really notice a difference between days when I work out in the morning, which is usual, and days when I don't work out until later in the day.

bike = 1:30 overall plus 5 min. hill repeats
run = 3 miles

Another Today

Sleep is good. I like sleep.

swim 2,000 yards (1200 & 8x100)
weight training

Today

Work forced me to miss yesterday's swim workout, so I doubled up today. None the worse for wear, as far as I can tell.

bike 2 hrs
run 3 miles
swim 2,000 yards (1200 & 8x100)

Running Our Own Race

This morning I was riding and came up behind a road biker riding slowly. I thought I'd blow by him and it would be fun. When I got up behind him, I saw he had a prosthesis in place of one leg. I have to admire the guy. Each of us is running his own race.

bike/run brick, 15 mile bike, 5 mile run

Morning Training

I do most of my training in the morning, especially run and bike training. Reasons: (1) scheduling - it's easier to get it done in the morning before the day starts going and I get involved in other things; (2) family time - morning workouts mean less interference with family time; (3) energy - it took getting used to, but now it feels better to get up and work out rather than training later in the day when I'm tired from other activities. This is especially true during the work week. This habit has made me into a morning person, which I never imagined I'd be.

swim/bike brick, 1,650 yard swim & 20 mile bike

New Program II

I started the new training program today. I like it.

run = 5 miles
swim = 2,125 yards (technique drills & speed sets)

New Program

I'm now working with a coach (see links) and start the new training program tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it.

run = 0:45:00
weight training

Next Race: Goal

My next race is the Buster Britton Memorial Triathlon, a sprint race in Birmingham, Alabama, on June 9, 2007. I have time goals for the event, the only one of which I'll disclose here is the following: I want to do each of the transitions in 1:00 or less. My transitions have always been ridiculously slow, and it's time to change that. The devil's in the details. I'll be planning and practicing transitions between now and then.

bike = 1:00:00
swim = 2,100 yards [50 wu, 1400, 4x100, 5x50 drills]

Enough about me

I'm a 43 year old man with a wife and two children, aged 3 and 5 days. I have a demanding professional job. I have religious and philosophical interests that occupy a substantial amount of my free time. Life is busy.

Until less than a year and a half ago, I was badly overweight and in poor health. I would become winded by one flight of stairs. I started dieting and, at my father's concerned request, working out with him at the YMCA. I knew some guys at work who did triathlons and thought that looked like a cool thing to do. My first race was in May 2006. There is a story behind that, which I may or may not post here. Anyway, I was hooked and did five sprint races in 2006.

Last December I crashed on a mountain bike and smacked my knee. Two days later I was running and the outer part of that knee began to hurt so badly I had to stop running. I was told by a sports medicine physician that I had developed IT band syndrome. It kept me from running for seven weeks. The knee pain kept me off my road bike for four weeks as well. I'm back in full swing now, but my run training suffered over the winter.

I've had four races this year. The links on the right are to websites for each race. The Y Tri race was a relay in which I did the bike and run, and my father did the swim. My speed and endurance have improved substantially since last year, but I'm still a newbie. I have a long way to go.

run = 0:45:00
weight training

Purpose

I am training for the Great Floridian Triathlon, an ironman distance race in Clermont, Florida, on October 20, 2007. I began competing in triathlons about a year ago, and this will be my first race at this distance (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). I have created this blog to keep an online record of my experience in training for the race. I'm now working with a coach, who suggested I think about why I want to do an iron distance race, so I'll use this forum to explore that question. In addition, I will put my daily training at the bottom of each post. Many posts may contain nothing more than that. I will likely leave posts about unrelated subjects as well, as the mood strikes me. If you are reading this, I hope you find the contents of interest.

bike = 1:15:00
swim = 2,000 yards [1200 & 8x100]