Friday, October 31, 2008

Team Evergreen - Triple F.A.Q.s

http://www.teamevergreen.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&I
temid=87

Here is a ride Claude told me about today: The Triple Bypass. It goes over
120 miles and 10k in altitude.

Check this out.

I think we agreed to make a decision on next year's adventure by November
15.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

BG Medical 10K- Dino

Final rundown on my times:
 
42:15 finish time
73 overall of 736
59 of 483 male finishers
7 of 55 age groupers
6:49 pace
 
Sweetness!  Hard work is paying off... Love it, and gaining some more motivation for my 26.2.  Got so motivated that I looked up the Boston Qualifying times.  Lost a little motivation as I stared down a 7:30 pace for 26.2 in order to qualify..... YIKES!  Need to find a whole lot more motivation to accomplish that....... Who knows what may happen.  I now have a new motto behind my "Give it Hell" motto.  The new motto is "STOP jogging and START running!"  Im now trying to hold that 7:30 pace everytime I run (except speed workouts - then faster)...... 
 
Give it hell and stop jogging and start running!
 
Dino

Final rundown on my times:
 
42:15 finish time
73 overall of 736
59 of 483 male finishers
7 of 55 age groupers
6:49 pace
 
Sweetness!  Hard work is paying off... Love it, and gaining some more motivation
for my 26.2.  Got so motivated that I looked up the Boston Qualifying times. 
Lost a little motivation as I stared down a 7:30 pace for 26.2 in order to
qualify..... YIKES!  Need to find a whole lot more motivation to accomplish
that....... Who knows what may happen.  I now have a new motto behind my "Give
it Hell" motto.  The new motto is "STOP jogging and START running!"  Im now
trying to hold that 7:30 pace everytime I run (except speed workouts - then
faster)...... 
 
Give it hell and stop jogging and start running!
 
Dino

Monday, October 27, 2008

Total Immersion Swimming

Claude,
 
I would recommend the first bundle (drill cards and the easy freestyle DVD).
 
http://www.totalimmersion.net/products-bundles.html

Barracuda Swim Goggles

Claude,
 
These are the goggles Mark got me on and I love them. You can do a search for them and find them on several websites, so you may find some better deals.
I have the Predator fog resistant with the clear lenses.
Enjoy,
 
Karl
http://www.skylinenw.com/c-133-mens-goggles.aspx

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Bacon Weekly

Monday- 3 mile run
Tuesday- Chest,back, and abs
Wednesday- 30 minute swim, 30 min stat. bike
Thursday- 2 mile speed run 6:50 and 7:44
Friday- Rest
Sat- Medical Center 10K
Sun- Off

Again...good week and great 10K...tired today and a little cranky...Sunday School and Church helped though...good message today too....in short, regardless of the election turnout...we all really know who the true President is......more of the same on training until I figure something out for the winter....

Dinos Weekly

Mon: 4 mile run (7:45 pace)
Tues: 2 mile run, easy (8:25 pace)
Wed: 4 mile run (7:59 pace)
Sat: BG Medical center 10K (6:47 pace - 42:15 time)
Sun: 2 mile run, easy (8:26 pace)

easy week, still poor nutrition. Wanting comfort food to deal with stresses of 3rd shift. However, had a great 10K at BG. A personal best of 42:15. I beat my spring 10K in Louisville by over 5 minutes. Great improvements as I averaged each mile under 7 minutes. Also, had a good weekend with Claude and Family. Thanks again Claude for the Room. Very nice! And thanks for the good company. I'm looking for suggestions for the winter workouts as well. All Im doing is running right now. Getting too cold for biking (unmotivated anyway). Can't find time, place, or coach for swimming (nor can i afford to pay for place or coach). So, I guess I'll concentrate on running to keep my base strong. Looking forward to the 26.2 next spring.

dino

USA Triathlon | News | Ironman TV Schedule

 
http://triathlon.usoc.org/news/article/7374

Weekly Review- Karl

Congrats to Claude and Dino on a great Medical Center 10K. Congrats to Bighead on his outstanding doctor's visit. Keep up the hard work! Congrats to my niece Lexie on completing the Monster Triathlon. She'll be kicking her uncle's butt in no time!

Monday 4 mile run; 9:19 avg pace; 144 avg heart rate
Tuesday Strength training (a set of 8 exercises from Inside Triathlon mag meant to strengthen upper and lower body for swimming, biking, and running)
Wednesday Speed run workout (6:39 max pace; 191 max heart rate)
Thursday Strength training set
Friday Jason Mraz concert at Stubbs (margaritas, Tex Mex dinner, several Shiners and Tecates)
Saturday Rest
Sunday 13.77 mile long run (9:49 avg pace; 6:59 max pace; 149 avg heart rate; 177 max heart rate)

Had a good week. Staying fairly lax on nutrition. If it looks good and I want it, I'm eating it...in moderation. I plan to keep it that way through the holiday season and into the early new year. I haven't gained any weight (still at 163), but I'm sure my BMI is probably going up). :-)
My speed workout this week was a killer. Started at 8 mph and worked my way up to 8.5 mph. By the time I finished, I could barely hold myself on the treadmill. It was GREAT...when it was over!
The workouts must be working, though. My long run today was really easy. I picked up the pace for the final 5k and even though I ran a much hillier course and ran 10 more minutes than last week, my average and max heart rate were both lower. That's exactly what I'm hoping to do, so I'm optimistic that the training is on track.
I'm a bit perplexed on how I can cut back my training over the winter and not lose a lot of the gains I've made this year. I'm guessing I do that through shorter, harder workouts, but that's just my hypothesis. If I can continue doing three workouts a week and see gains, then I'll be thrilled. I will do some research on that over the next week and report my findings on the blog. If you guys have any thoughts or research I can read, please share it.
Kia Kaha!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Bacon Medical Center 10K results

Real happy with my results boys.... 7:52 pace is killer for me....felt good overall...cold this morning, but all was good. Had some fun with Dino and Melanie too...picked up the pace with 1.5 miles left; when I thought it was 1 mile left so was tuckered out when I rounded the Valley of the Dolls...the home stretch ran you past Diddle (where the family, Dino, and Mel we cheering me on) with a finish just past Preston....passed many going uphill, a few on flat, and got passed on the downhill so I've got to look into that and see what's happening. results below...winner ran it in 29:05...top 5 finishers were Kenyans.

Medical Center 10k 10k Run
Medical Center 10k10k RunOctober 25, 2008 - Bowling Green, KY
Summary
number of finishers:
713
number of females:
247
number of males:
464
average time:
54:13

Claude Bacon
bib number:
117
age:
36
gender:
M
location:
Owensboro, KY
overall place:
219 out of 713
division place:
24 out of 55
gender place:
190 out of 484
time:
48:51
pace:
7:52

Adventure Race for 2009

Men, here is my choice for next year's Team Topper Tri adventure.: adventure racing!
 
Most of the races offer everything you need (we may have to rent some of the equipment), so there shouldn't be anything to stop us.
 
It's a team event, so we can either do it all together or divide into 2-3 teams depending on the size of teams for the particular event.
 
They have races all over the country, so there should be no problem finding one that fits our budget, schedules, and interests.
 
I know I cannot do anything the first two weeks of July and the week prior to Thanksgiving, but other than that I should be flexible.
 
Look forward to seeing everyone else's ideas and deciding before year-end on our 2009 TTT event.
 
Kia Kaha,
 
Karl
http://www.usara.com/calendar.aspx

Volunteering and registering for IM Arizona

Mark and I have signed up and been confirmed as volunteers for the Ford Ironman Arizona on November 23. It looks like Mark will be working in the computer center assisting families and media with position and time updates of competitors, while I will be working in the VIP Tent and the volunteer food tent.
Our principal reason for doing this is to register for next year's race. That would give us all of 2009 to prepare for our first full IM race. Ironman races fill up so quickly, so we have been advised that the best way to garner a spot is to be on site for the Monday registration following race day. As volunteers, we get to sign up first after the previous year's competitors.
One of us will take our computer on this trip so we can upload daily updates of the experience to the blog.
We'll depart TX on Nov. 21 and work all day Saturday and Sunday, prior to registering on Monday and departing for Texas later that day.
Mark and I look forward to being at the finish line around midnight watching those competitors who have toiled for nearly 17 hours through 140.6 miles to hear the announcer call their name and say, "You are an IRONMAN!" It's safe to say we'll both have tears in our eyes.

YouTube - Craig Alexander Ironman 2008

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFNMoJd_cAM

Monday, October 20, 2008

Dino Weekly

Mon: 4 mile run 8:16 pace
Tues: 2 mile speed - 1 @ 6:03 and 1 @ 7:35
Wed: Rest
Thur: 4 mile run @ 7:28 pace
Fri: 1 mile easy run
Sat: 16 mile run - Galloway Technique - about 2:30 of total time

Really struggling with nutrition and finding a grove of being back on 3rd shift. Last week was rough on me to adjust. However, my running is getting better by doing the speed run, maintenance runs, and the endurance runs. 16 miles is a long damn way, and to think I have 10.2 more to go is insanity...... Love it! Also well pleased with my speed run: Notice a 6:03 mile....... could have broke out a sub 6 minute had I been watching my clock..... Haven't done that since a Freshman in High school going out for the basketball team......Gonna do that 26.2 in the spring. Be a man Be a man.........run all you can!

dino

Finally

Fellas,

Haven't posted in quite some time....have been in a "funky" mind set for a while. Was really looking forward to the BDB (even knowing that I most likely wouldn't reach 100 miles, but damn sure willing to put money on 75) and when couldn't make it was pretty depressed. Have continued to do "some" exercising (yea, ok....there have been a few weeks that I only jumped on the bike once) but even for that, I have FORCED myself to keep the nutirition side on the overall positive end of the scale. Well...I finally have some payoff. Went to see the doc today for a regular follow up and got some great news. The thyroid levels are in the perfect category, total triglycerides are only slightly elevated (was 438..off the charts; now 163, with healthy being 150), both HDL and LDL are perfect and....drum roll please....according to the doc's scales I have lost 15 lbs. Had gotten to a high ot 268 (yea I did look like a beached whale) and am now at 253. Was happy for Claude when he got into his 32s...Imagine me being able to say I am "back" in the 38s..only because I can't find 37s and am still headed for the 36s and under!! Will keep you posted....maybe get to the 34s by January!

World's Largest Physical Culture Collection Gets $1 Million and 25 New Artifacts | The University of Texas at Austin

http://www.utexas.edu/news/2008/10/13/stark_center/

Brain Signals Less Satisfaction for Obese People, Research Shows; Blunted Reward Response, Gene May Trigger Over-Eating | The University of Texas at Austin

http://www.utexas.edu/news/2008/10/16/reward_circuitry/

socks, waist, swim

Forgot to mention in my report that training socks have changed my run. I bought 2 pair of Nike training socks while I was in Destin and ran on them yesterday. As you guys already knew, it completely changed the comfort of my run. If I had known that $7 was all that seperated me from that comfort level, I would have bought them a year ago.

Also, bought 2 pair of 32 waist jeans...guys, I haven't been in a 32 waist since probably 5th grade...being in a 32 at 180 pounds helps me also know that the stength training has certainly paid off.

Sampled some true laps in the pool while on break, I know it will take some training to get my form correct and am searching for a swim coach for the winter as I write.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Bacon Weekly

Mon-Chest, Back, Abs
Tuesday-3.1 mile run
Wednesday- off
Thursday- Speed run (approx..2 mile 6:40 and 6:53 pace) and Beach Metal Detecting
Fri-Beach metal detecting
Sat- 11 hour car drive
Sun- 5.61 mile run @ 8:53 pace

Good week overall considering a trip to Destin could have derailed my training and nutrition, but hung in there on training all be 1 day of it was metal detecting. Here's some good training advice that you guys forgot to tell me...don't eat sushi before your speed workout....let me say for your future training just skip that stuff and stick with someting more simple for lunch. Did have some treats while on vacation; however ate well overall...just destroyed some ice cream 1 night and had a few chips. Today was my longest run yet and while the 11 hour drive set my body back a few days, the run felt very good and could have run several more miles at that pace....it seems that the longer I run; the easier it is on my breath...legs still feeling fine....I'll be ready for the 10K...just want a decent time to improve next year. Dino, I'm staying in BG on Friday night so let me know if you want to come down and I'll get you a room (free) at the Courtyard.

Got the shaft at my planned work out spot as they will not sell me a month to month membership..yearly only....looking for some other options as it will soon be too cold to use the garage.... Still searching for the answer on my winter workout plan...it may be necesarry to just pay someone to guide me to a plan based on my goals...trust is a big issue with me so I want to find the right person and not just some clown with a personal trainer license. I'll get the 10K behind me and work on it....

Website of the Week

Click on the heading to be taken to Ironmanpower.com, a new website created through a partnerhsip by PowerBar and Ironman.

Check it out. It's pretty cool. It has nutrition and training information, a route finder, and widgets to share your progress through iAmTri.com, Facebook, and other social networking sites.

The Straight Dope on Salt by Matt Fitzgerald

I cannot find it online in order to share a link with you, but if you have a chance to read the November 08 issue of TRIATHLETE, look for the article with above title on it.

In this article, Mr. Fitzgerald notes the following salt myths:

Salt promotes high blood pressure (it does not).

Lack of salt will cause internal fluid imbalances and muscle cramps (also not true). The latest theory is that exercise-induced muscle cramps represent a type of tendon muscle fatigue that occurs during unaccustomed levels of exertion. Salt and fluid intake can delay cramping, but they do not keep it from happening.

Adding sodium to sports drinks improves hydration by increasing the rate at which fluid is absorbed into the bloodstream and by slowing the decline in blood volume (not supported by most research).

Endurance athletes need to add sodium to their diet (they do not).

WOW! I was floored. Every one of these goes against everything I've heard, read, and been taught. I guess triathlon is like golf or any other sport. If you read enough articles, you'll find 5 that say one thing and another 5 that contradict the very thing you were just told was true by the other five articles (all purportedly written by expert researchers in the field).

He does temper the article by adding that while there is little evidence that salt boosts endurance performance, there is no evidence that it has a detrimental effect on performance. If you swear that salt intake helps you, then by all means continue doing what you do.

Week in Review- Karl

Monday 45 minute run on hotel treadmill overlooking New Orleans at sunrise
Tuesday Rest
Wednesday Rest
Thursday Speed Workout (6:41 max pace, 3.69 miles, 188 max heart rate, 150 avg heart rate)
Friday Rest
Saturday 13.42 mile long run; 9:22 avg pace; 6:50 max pace; 152 avg heart rate: 182 max h.r.)
Sunday 3 mile walk with family

It was a nice week. I'd forgotten how nice it is to take some days off during the week and be able to concentrate on one discipline. I am afraid, however, that I may get a little lazy...especially nutritionally. I keep telling myself that I deserve a little splurge time, but I know that can be a slippery slope. It's SO easy to get back into bad habits. I already skipped my scheduled bike workout this week.

Work was pretty stressful this week due to some big events on Friday that we've been preparing months for. I'm happy to say that they went off well and they are now history. It will be nice getting back to "normal" duties for the foreseeable future. That should help me get back on track in all areas of life.

Joined my old running group for Saturday's long run and that was enjoyable. I got to run a different route than normal and watch the sun rise over Georgetown, TX. It was a real good time. I look forward to joining them weekly for my long run sessions. I can tell you that I definitely ran harder than I would have on my own.

Still not sure if I'll schedule any races over the next few months. Still pretty content to train and do nothing else for now. I guess I'll know when I'm ready.

Kia Kaha!

Hill Climbing Techniques for the Bike

Click on this heading for some hill climbing techniques from Coach Troy.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Week in Review- Karl

Monday Lunch: Three plates of fajitas. Dinner: Fuddrucker's for hamburgers and fries...and yes, I dipped my fries in melted cheese. This was followed by a Sonic banana split.
Tuesday Dinner: Hamburger and macaroni and cheese
Wednesday Lunch: Buffet with dessert; Dinner: Pizza
Thursday Lunch: Hamburger and Fries: Dinner: Hot Dogs, chips, potato salad
Friday Wendy's spicy chicken and fries for lunch; pizza for dinner
Saturday 12.2 mile run; last 5k at race pace; averaged 9:03 pace with 7:16 max pace
Sunday Trip to New Orleans

Men, as I promised, I took this week off and enjoyed some of the things I've been craving for so long. I can tell you that Doritos, chips and dip, hot dogs with sauerkraut, and those loaded fajitas never tasted so damn good! It was a great week off the wagon...but now it's back on.

It took me several days to come up with a plan for the winter "break," but I finally decided to make it a run focus with some bike cross training. The plan is to run Monday, Wednesday (speed session), and Saturday (long run) with a bike session on Friday. I'll use the remaining days for a little core work, some upper body (push ups, primarily) work, and injury prevention exercises and stretches. The hope is to build my long runs up to marathon distance while increasing VO2Max and speed. If I can take just one minute off my pace for next year's runs, my triathlon times can come down considerably.

We know the next few months will be tough with Thanksgiving and Christmas. Let's not be too hard on ourselves. We've sacrificed enough this year that we can feel OK about partaking a bit over the holidays. Don't take the fun out of life. This is supposed to enhance our lives, not make us miserable. Sometimes it's a fine line, especially for motivated type A's like some of us are.

I'd like to hear from ALL of you about your goals for the winter. I haven't seen a few of us on here in a LONG time. I hope we can get everybody back to sharing on at least a weekly basis.

Look forward to hearing race reports from Claude and Dino on their upcoming BG10K. Wish I could be there with you guys. Give it hell!

Kia Kaha!

PS If you didn't get to see the Ironman World Championships, let me say that it was amazing. It was a great race on both the men and women's sides. I was able to hook my computer up to my flat screen and it was most excellent! NBC will surely do their annual Ironman telecast later in the year. Keep an eye out for it.

2009 Event Selection

Here's a suggestion on next year's group event.....after ample time for research, we set a deadline for submittal (this sounds like a job) and everyone submitted 1 event that they would think the group would benefit.....then in some fashion....we can vote and decide?

Just a thought?

Deadline for idea submittal...maybe Nov.15th?

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Bacon Weekly

Mon- 3.1 run (watch broke)
Tues- Kenpo Karate
Wed-Arms,Shoulders, Abs
Thurs- 2 mile Speed Run (7:12,7:38)
Fri- Chest and Back
Sat- Off
Sun- 5.33 mile run (47:21)

My longest run yet today and felt really good...could have easily gone the extra mile for the 10K run...my personal trainer, Karl Miller had me do my first speed drill this week and maybe not so oddly enough at the 3.1 mile time (of the 5.33) was the fastest I had ran, on my course, the 3.1...so the speed drill worked and looks like in my first week! Weather was excellent...got a little bored toward the end...the B-52s are wearing thin on my iPod, so I've gotta get some new tunes in line for next year.....training hard for this Bowling Green 10K...would really like a decent time to end the year....I know I can do it...headed to Destin on Tuesdat night for Fall break with the wife,kids and mother/father-in-law. Looks like some good weather to train and I'll need to keep the nutrition in check.

2009 Road Trip

Love all the suggestions....... hard to pick just one. However, we need to come up with something by the end of year...... to prepare and to arrange.......

dino

Dinos Weekly

Mon: 1 1/2 mile run
tues: rest
wed: 4 miles (8:19 pace)
thur: 2 mile speed @ 6:37 pace
Fri: rest
Sat: rest
Sun: 6 mile easy run @ 8:20 pace

easy week..... preping for 10K in BG on Oct 25..... last race of year. Nutrition was poor. Amazing the definition that can be lost in 2 weeks of eating........ Stress levels high again. Shift change is tonight....... back to 3rd shift. Looking for new job...... stress with kidos, etc...... Exercise is only thing keeping my sanity!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Ford Ironman World Championship- Top 10

Men:
Place Time Tot Dif Numb Lname Fname City Pro Cnt Swim Tr1 Bike Tr2 Run

1 8:17:45 2 Alexander, Craig Sydney AUS 51:43 1:41 4:37:19 2:04 2:45:01
2 8:20:50 3:05 7 Llanos Burguera, Eneko Vitoria-Ga ESP 51:39 1:48 4:33:27 2:10 2:51:49
3 8:21:23 3:38 41 Beke, Rutger Heverlee BEL 54:44 1:50 4:34:45 2:16 2:47:49
4 8:21:46 4:01 31 Schildknecht, Ronnie Ruschlikon SWI 54:56 1:58 4:34:26 2:08 2:48:20
5 8:23:04 5:19 15 Bracht, Timo Eberbach GER 52:25 1:37 4:35:25 2:30 2:51:09
6 8:26:17 8:32 25 Brown, Cameron Manukau NZL 51:50 2:04 4:36:47 1:59 2:53:39
7 8:30:23 12:38 10 Vernay, Patrick Noumea NCL 51:58 1:52 4:42:49 2:06 2:51:40
8 8:33:50 16:05 36 Potts, Andy Colorado S CO USA 48:38 1:50 4:46:00 2:51 2:54:31
9 8:34:02 16:17 53 Hecht, Mathias Willisau SWI 51:42 1:46 4:36:55 2:28 3:01:13
10 8:34:47 17:02 9 Lovato, Michael Boulder CO USA 52:58 1:52 4:45:21 2:27 2:52:12

Women:
Place Time Tot Dif Numb Lname Fname City Pro Cnt Swim Tr1 Bike Tr2 Run

1 9:06:23 101 Wellington, Chrissie Thetford GBR 56:20 2:06 5:08:16 1:59 2:57:44 (new women's run course record)
2 9:21:20 14:58 156 Van Vlerken, Yvonne Schwarzach AUT 1:06:49 1:50 5:05:34 2:42 3:04:27 3 9:22:52 16:30 127 Wallenhorst, Sandra Hannover GER 1:03:21 2:33 5:14:57 3:28 2:58:36
4 9:24:49 18:26 110 Csomor, Erika Szazhalomb HUN 59:09 2:19 5:18:12 2:06 3:03:05
5 9:28:51 22:29 140 Corbin, Linsey Missoula MT USA 1:00:35 2:22 5:14:33 2:07 3:09:16
6 9:29:15 22:52 135 Berasategui, Virginia Bilbao ESP 58:50 2:10 5:22:17 2:12 3:03:48
7 9:34:08 27:46 128 Comerford, Bella Leysin SWI 59:02 2:27 5:21:46 2:25 3:08:31
8 9:36:53 30:31 118 Ferguson, Gina Oxford NZL 54:45 2:15 5:26:29 2:07 3:11:19
9 9:37:06 30:44 116 Kehr, Gina Redwood Ci CA USA 54:45 2:00 5:21:46 4:02 3:14:36
10 9:39:53 33:31 107 Griesbauer, Dede Boston MA USA 54:52 2:06 5:20:52 2:48 3:19:17

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Bikeride.Com

National Park Bike Tours

Notice the cross state and Across America tours.

(sorry about the Puerto Rico links. didn't notice two of the links don't even work.)

Puerto Rico Tours

RAGBRAI- Ride Across Iowa

Another event for us to consider:

7-day bike ride across Iowa. Averages 68 miles per day. Cost includes lodging, transportation, sag wagon, and more.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

2008 Longhorn Ironman Race Report, Part II- Karl

The swim was as rough as expected. With some 300 men in the water at the same time, it got a bit physical. While I had hoped to get to the left side and hug the inside for a "shorter" swim (the shortest line between two points is a straight one), I moved to the outside for smoother water. After about 500 meters, I started seeing swim cap colors from competitors from two of the previous waves to ours. This was a good sign that I was making good time. At the first turn, I got a little closer to the inside on our way to the second turn. As we rounded the second and last buoy, I took a quick peek to see that the shoreline was diagonal to my location. I was farther out than I had planned, so I began to turn a bit to the left and pick up my kick to move closer to the inside once again. After another look to the shoreline, I noticed it was now a straight line to shore. Once again, I kicked a little harder knowing "home" was close. As we neared the shoreline, I was swimming through a kelp forest or whatever the fresh water equivalent to that would be (or is kelp found in fresh water?). I swam until my hands touched earth and then I stood up for the long transition run to the bike. Up the hill I went as I took a quick look at my watch. 29 minutes! Sweet! My previous best for 1.2 miles was closer to 40 minutes. Already 11 minutes ahead of goal pace. My race day is off to a good start.
As I got to the bike, Mark was already there and putting on his last shoe before heading off to the bike course. Knowing that Mark's swim is strong, I felt good to be that close. As he headed off, he said, "See you in a few minutes." I took off my swim suit, put on my socks, bike shoes, and traded my swim cap and goggles for a bike helmet and sunglasses. I took my bike off the rack and jogged my way to the mount line.
As I clipped in, I immediately took a sip of my Perpetuem drink and took out a Balance bar. After about three miles, I had my Balance bar down and I was ready to get in my aero bars and start picking up speed. I'm not sure at what mile I next saw Mark, but we said hi and he wished me well. His plan was to hold a Zone 1-2 heart rate, so as I passed him with my heart rate already in Zone 3-4, I wondered if that would come back to bite me. Even with that thought in my head, I felt good and I figured that as my last A race of the year, I might as well leave it all out there today.
Every five miles or so, there was a refreshment station with volunteers handing water bottles and Gatorade bottles to the riders. The "snatch and grab" was a bit tricky, and I saw at least one rider who ran into a volunteer and went down hard. Because I still had plenty of electrolyte and gels, I took advantage of the free water whenever possible. I would grab a water bottle, guzzle about half of it, and then throw away the rest. It felt great as we rounded a curb and a volunteer said, "Just around the corner and you're half way there!"
Finally, my heart rate was coming back down into the 140's while my average speed was nearing 19 mph. I was right where I wanted to be and I remember thinking to myself, "Man, this is a great sport and this is a great day!" Little did I know then how opposite of that I would come to feel later in the day.
As we neared the home stretch into T2, I had finished two of my three bottles and had only one gel left. My nutrition plan had been followed to a tee. I grabbed another water or two before the last two hill climbs coming into the run transition. I dismounted the bike and ran it back to the rack. As I took off my helmet and bike shoes to switch into my running shoes and running visor, my son was telling me something I couldn't make out. It was then I noticed that the reason I couldn't hear him was because my breathing was too loud. Those hills coming into the transition got the best of me. I wondered what this would to me on the run. As I ran out of transition on to the run course, Mark's wife asked if I'd passed him on the bike. I answered, "Yes, but he'll probably catch me on the run."
I remember the article I read that recommended to breathe in and out of your nose coming out of transition. This would ensure you kept your pace slower and your heart rate down. I knew if I didn't start out slow, my race would end soon. I certainly felt that if my heart rate and breathing didn't come down soon, I wasn't going to make it. I grabbed a gel and a water and took my time getting my legs back under me. As Mark and I passed each other at about mile 3, I was starting to feel like a new man. It always takes me about three miles to warm up. Going into the back side of the run, I passed by the transition area again. My family was there and their cheers gave me an extra boost that I sorely needed for what was ahead of me. The road ended into a trail run that went straight down hill for what seemed like a 1/3 of a mile. While it was nice to have some extra speed and a bit of a respite with the downhill, I knew that what goes down, must more than likely go back up at some point. It wasn't long before I rounded the curve to find "Quadzilla" ahead of me. This was a straight uphill that lasted at least 1/3 of a mile. When I reached the summit of that monster, I knew where I'd been. It was probably two miles later that we passed the halfway point. You can imagine the misery and disappointment as we passed the finish chute to the right only to have to turn left and finish the last 6.55 miles.
The back side was brutal. My stomach was cramping, the thought of another gel made me sick, and every hill was taking more and more life out of me. I decided to begin walking the uphills in order to save some energy and have enough left to finish. From the looks of the many others walking the hills, the strategy was a popular one. While I had jogged the entire "Quadzilla" on the way out, I walked it in its entirety on the way in. We reached the top and I tried telling myself that the finish line was only two miles away. No matter what I said or how I tried to trick my body, my legs did not want to cooperate. It was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other, even at a shuffle pace. I ran/walked for another mile but when I heard the announcer's voice getting closer and closer, I knew home was close and that it was time to give it all I had left. I dug deep and found just enough to pick up my pace for a faster shuffle into the finish line. I can still hear the announcer saying, "Karl Miller, Round Rock, TX." I held my hands over my head and pumped them in victory. I had finished a half Ironman and I was still standing. I rounded the corner of the finish chute to find my Mom, my wife, and my kids waiting to congratulate me and give me a hug. With my finisher's medal around my neck and a finisher's water bottle filled with cold water in my hands, I walked with a feeling of great accomplishment and pride on shaky legs. And while I tried to forget the pain I endured over the last 6 miles, I still thought to myself, "This is a great sport, and this is a great day!"
Here is the tale of the tape:
1.2 mile swim: 29:44
56 mile bike: 2:59:56 (18.7 mph pace)
13.1 mile run: 2:20:55 (10:45 min/mile pace)
5:44:45
877/1929 total competitors
679/1315 male competitors
159/306 in male age group
The winners of the race were Richie Cunningham in 3:49:45 and Lisa Bentley in 4:20:15.
The winner of our age group was Carlos Sandoval in 4:18:02.

Option for TTT

This looks cool...

It's clear

It's clear I'm no genius, but any of you guys figured out how to search for your photo on the BDB photo link? I followed what I thought were the directions for entering my bib number and it just ain't work'n for me!

breathing patterns advice- running

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

2008 Longhorn Ironman 70.3 Race Report- Karl

After a wonderful weekend participating with my fellow Team Topper Tri mates in the BDB 100 in Little Rock (my first 100 mile bike ride), I returned home on Sunday with a week to taper for the 2008 Longhorn Ironman 70.3. Having set this as a goal over a year ago, I was both excited and nervous of what was ahead of me. I had done every part of this event as a solo, but thinking about doing a 1.2 mile swim, followed by a 56 mile bike ride, followed by a half marathon and to do all of them at race pace was a daunting proposition. I had a lot of question running through my mind. Was my preparation enough? Should I have chosen a different training program? Should I have done a mile century the weekend prior? Should I have swam, run, and biked more? At this point, there was no use in asking "what if." I had to trust the training was enough and that I was ready.
I used Monday through Wednesday to rest my legs, but I continued doing my planks and hip flexor exercises. I knew from marathon training that this would help keep my legs going during the latter parts of the run. I knew the race course would be hilly (as is EVERY race in Austin), so leg strength would be critical to success. Lucky for me that every running route around my house has several hills. I also knew that my hours on the bike trainer had increased my bike legs and considering how great I felt at the BDB, I felt confident I could go fairly strong for 56 miles and still have some left over for the run.
By the time Mark and his family arrived on Friday night, the butterflies in my stomach were beginning to grow. After a quick welcome, we hit the sack to prepare for the next day's expo and packet pick-up, pre-racking our bikes in transition, and taking a tour of the bike course.
As we entered the expo on Saturday, it was immediately obvious we had reached another level of racing competition. Standing in line for the packet pick-up, we saw nothing around us but Ironman logos and tattoos. And given the many foreign tongues we heard being spoken, we knew we were among some of the best long course triathlete age groupers in the world. This did nothing to settle my stomach.
We finished packet pick up just in time to make it to the pro racers briefing. There we were just feet away from Tim DeBoom and Michellie Jones with 3 Ironman Kona World Championships between them. There was Richie Cunningham, Lisa Bentley, and Pip Taylor. Kieran Doe and Bree Wee were staring back at us and hundreds of other aspiring age groupers in awe of our triathlon heroes and heroins. It was both exciting and surreal.
A ride around the bike course followed and while it was an up and down course, we weren't as intimidated as we might have been had it not been for the previous week's climb at the BDB. After a stop at Chick Fil A for lunch and one final stop at the Bicycle Sports store for some last minute Hammer gels and bars, it was back to the house to relax on the couch with some college football and lots of water.
I went to bed that night and my mind wouldn't stop racing. Did I put my tire pump by the door? Will I forget my water bottles? Do I have enough gels for the bike? Should I take a bar before the first 25 miles or after? Did I change the air filters to the house this month?
Finally, my mind went quiet and the next thing I knew, it was 4 am and the alarm was going off. I knocked on Mark's door and we walked downstairs for a breakfast of gluten-free waffles, bananas, and electrolyte drink. A cup of coffee and a bathroom stop later, we were dressed and ready to head to transition.
We arrived at the Travis Co. Expo and parked the car well before dawn. A quick bus ride and we found ourselves in transition airing up our bike tires, putting our running and biking gear and nutrition in its proper places, and getting our wet suits ready for the swim. YES! The water is 78 degrees on the money...the exact temperature at which USAT allows the use of wet suits. This means a few extra minutes off our swim time. Good news!
7:45 am arrived with a flash and there we were with our families taking photos before our swim wave was called into the water. The 35-39 age group was the largest in the race, so we had two swim waves by name (A-L, M-Z). With over 300 male triathletes in the same wave, it was bound to be a physical swim today.
The countdown began...10, 9, 8, 7, ...I hit my watch, my heart rate was already over a 100...6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...The Longhron Ironman 70.3 begins...

Weekly Review- Karl

Monday- Rest day after BDB
Tuesday- Rest day in prep for Sunday's Longhorn Ironman 70.3
Wednesday- Rest day
Thursday- 15 minute bike ride. Cleaned and greased the chain and ran through all the gears
Friday- 20 minute run on treadmill
Saturday- Rest day
Sunday- Completed the Longhorn Ironman 70.3. (See race report post)

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Bacon weekly and race results

Mon-rest
Tuesday- 3.1 mile run
Wednesday-2 mile walk (hotel treadmill)
Thursday- 1 mile walk
Friday- zilch
Saturday- STEP Coalition 5k Classic (23:48)
Sunday- rest


Had a nice recovery week that lead to my fastest time yet in the 5k...was aiming for anything in the 25 minute range and ran at 23:48! I was pumped...first mile was 7:17; then 15:38, then 23:48......the time put me 6th in my age group and 4 of those guys were in the top 5....18:05 won the race. I tied for 25th of 82 racers...would have had the clean 25th spot but the finish line was a chute and my sprint finish had me blowing by the guy but no way to pass...

Since such a strong finish for ME, I'm going to step up and run the 10K Classic in BG; instead of the 5k....nothing else to prove on the 5K this year....would like to end the race with some type of 10K results so I can blow that away next year..... Will start training this week for the 10k...have not ran that far yet....

I have the BDB pictures back and I'll email them to all tomorrow....the finish line photo came out real nice......and a nice picture of Brett just before he caused that guy to DNF!!!!

Can't wait to hear about the LONGHORN!!!!!

Millers 70.3

Just wanted to be the first to give you guys the thumbs up! I know you finished and did your best. You guys must be stoked........1/2 the ironman. Really proud of you guys (and yes a little jealous)..... keep pushing onward........ Ironmen by next year! Sweetness....... "Give it Hell!"

dino

Dinos Weekly

Mon: rest
Tues: 4 mile run 8:06 pace
Wed: Rest
Thur: 2 mile speed run 7:30 pace
Fri: 2 mile easy run 8:45 pace
Sat: 14 mile endurance run 2:05:32
Sun: 34 mile bike at 17.2 mph

I was going to rest this week, but couldn't.... too addicted! Challenging myself to push out my distance on runs.... using a new technique of running for 4 minutes then walking for 1 minute.....If any of you are wanting to go distance, I recommend this technique. I was enjoyable, yet challenging and I had energy for the rest of the day as well as felt fine the next morning for more training. Next week will be more short speed workouts, medium easy runs, maintenance runs, and a 6-7 mile long run. In two weeks I'll do another endurance run of 16 miles. Every two weeks, I go up a mile or two with the run/walk technique........ feels really good. I'll be doing a 26.2 by spring and lovin it!

dino